A Day Off

Once she realized this, a jumble of complicated feelings welled up inside her.

There was joy, embarrassment, and anger at being looked down on.

As fellow students of Senju Tobirama, even if you were a genius, what gave you the right to look down on me?

With that thought, her attacks grew even fiercer.

Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

If you could blow back large-scale attack jutsu with wind, then what about an even larger combination jutsu?

That was what Utatane Koharu thought as a cloud of scorching ash, large enough to cover half the field, surged toward Xingzhuo.

The Barrier Team behind Xingzhuo reacted at once, raising a barrier along the edge of the spectator area.

Facing the combination jutsu head-on, Xingzhuo formed Hand Seals without the slightest hurry.

Sealing Technique: Dust Sealing!

Xingzhuo activated an utterly ordinary piece of paper.

It floated in midair like the eye of a storm, sealing away all the scorching ash that came at it.

The villagers watching from the stands were stunned by the sight. Utatane Koharu was just as stunned.

After unleashing four high-level jutsu, her chakra was nearly depleted.

She could still fight with Taijutsu, but knowing that Xingzhuo was a Taijutsu specialist, was there any point in bringing further humiliation upon herself?

She snorted, stomped her foot, and ran straight off the field.

She decided she was done dealing with that brat.

Just then, the referee appeared in the middle of the field and announced to the audience, "Match 112. The winner is Hyuga Hoshishaku."

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar rose from the stands.

Applause and cheers filled the air.

But most of the noise came from the civilians.

To them, Hyuga Hoshishaku and Utatane Koharu had probably put on the most visually spectacular fight so far.

Was there anything more thrilling than watching a cloud of ash sweep across the entire arena, burn up all the plastic fixtures, and then get casually dealt with by Hyuga Hoshishaku?

Of course there was. For the adults from the great ninja clans in the stands, this was only an appetizer.

They knew perfectly well that all the winners were conserving their chakra. Hardly anyone had gone all out.

This was only the preliminary round.

Konoha had only just been founded, and in its golden age, there were far more than a handful of geniuses.

After stepping off the field, Xingzhuo immediately spotted Yuto and Yun Fei waiting for him.

"Xingzhuo, you were so cool!" Yuto rushed over, brimming with excitement as he shared his opinion.

Xingzhuo remained unfazed. "Just the basics. I didn't even make the first move."

Yuto rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Hehe, me neither. I hadn't even made a move, and that big-haired young lady surrendered."

To keep him from staying so clueless, Xingzhuo patiently explained every last detail of the Nara girl's reasoning to Yuto.

It was only when a staff member urged them to leave that Yun Fei stepped forward and said:

"Young master, there's an electronic screen over there. It says the winners of the first round need to be ready for the second round in three days. The clan heads will be invited, and the top-hundred and top-fifty rounds will take place at the same time. The whole event will be much more formal."

Xingzhuo was a little surprised. He glanced at the screen and saw that Yun Fei had already distilled its contents into a concise summary. "Really? Sounds pretty formal."

"Then we have two days. Shouldn't we get ready?"

Yuto raised a very sensible question.

Xingzhuo nodded approvingly. "Yeah, we should. Honestly, if I'd found out about this entrance test and Selection Tournament sooner, I would've put you through some intensive training."

Yun Fei fell silent.

As he saw it, Gentle Fist and the Eight Trigrams Palm couldn't be mastered overnight.

Yuto, however, was thrilled.

"Then should we start training right now? You said that Nara Harumiko was too clever for her own good, and thought I was strong just because I had a lot of chakra. But really, I only know a few jutsu and Sealing Techniques."

Xingzhuo helplessly patted his forehead and gestured for Yuto to lower his voice. Everyone had heard what he'd just said.

Nara Harumiko in particular was sitting on a chair in the rest area, staring at them wide-eyed.

Xingzhuo glanced at her, hoping she understood that even if Yuto couldn't use a single jutsu, that one punch of his Sage Body could still send her off to be reincarnated.

After looking away, the three of them headed out.

Xingzhuo was the first to suggest what they should do next. "Let's grab a meal at my shop, then go to the training ground at your place. I'll give you a crash course."

Yuto cheered. "All right! I want rice noodles today!"

After eating their fill and completing two daily missions along the way, Xingzhuo took Yuto back to the Senju Clan Grounds.

He acted as naturally as if he were returning to his own home.

Senju Hashirama was still at the school watching the matches, while Senju Tobirama was probably filling in for his older brother at the Hokage Office.

The enormous residence was occupied by Uzumaki Mito alone.

That was why Xingzhuo liked coming here.

No other reason. It was simply comfortable.

The three of them stood on the training ground, while Uzumaki Mito sat beneath the eaves nearby, sewing clothes.

"Yuto, I know an unarmed jutsu that's perfect for you."

Xingzhuo said, then formed a Rasengan and slammed it into a wooden training dummy covered in iron.

The shrill sound of the iron plating shattering rang out as the Rasengan tore a gaping hole straight through the dummy.

Yuto was thrilled. "I want to learn!"

Satisfied, Xingzhuo began teaching Yuto step by step.

Wood Release and the like would still be hard for the boy to master, even with his Sage Body and Water and Earth affinities.

The Rasengan was a different story.

If Yuto, who had already learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, also mastered the Rasengan, then with several times more chakra than Naruto had at the same age, he'd be an ultra-powered version of Naruto.

He could even take on an elite jonin—just watch!

And though Yuto wasn't very sharp, he really did learn fast.

After teaching him all the ins and outs of the Rasengan, Xingzhuo turned his attention to Yun Fei.

As for the Hyuga Clan, Xingzhuo had an ideal approach in mind.

Long-range attacks.

They had a literal x-ray cheat code. Why insist on fighting at close range?

Yes, Gentle Fist could seal an enemy's chakra points and leave them unable to fight for a short time, but this was the Ninja World, where jutsu reigned supreme.

Before you could even get close, someone could send you flying with a single jutsu.

And the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm was limited in power, even if it had originated from Kaguya's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack.

So Xingzhuo wanted to carve out a new path for the Hyuga Clan.

After learning Sealing Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique, he combined them with the memories of ninja training he'd acquired earlier and developed a Yin Release Secret Technique that could only be used by those with the Byakugan.

The Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu was based on Yin Release.

The Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu was based on Yin Release.

The Kurama Clan's ability to turn genjutsu into reality was also based on Yin Release.

So, drawing on Yin Release and the insights he'd gained from all sorts of novels and manga in his previous life, Xingzhuo developed a secret technique.

Stare-to-Death Technique!

Ahem, of course not.