Besides instruction at the Ninja Academy.
After-school sparring guidance was also extremely important.
If the parents were Chunin or possessed Jonin-level strength,
then their children would generally be stronger as well.
If the parents were merely ordinary villagers,
then their children
might be comparatively mediocre.
They might even remain Genin for their entire lives.
Only with good luck
could they possibly advance to Chunin.
Itachi was already so formidable at such a young age.
Behind that was Fugaku's full support and training.
"What are we supposed to do in this afternoon's practical combat class?" Nami grew nervous, her brows knitting slightly.
She only wanted to attend class quietly and study.
She had no desire to fight her classmates.
Sarutobi Taro's reaction was the opposite of hers.
He looked eager to get started.
His gaze at Genya was filled with ill intent.
Genya shot Sarutobi Taro a sidelong glance, wearing an indifferent expression.
After all, his current strength was enough to crush most of the students.
He only needed to win discreetly.
If he really ran into Sarutobi Taro,
going a little easy on him probably would not be a problem.
After all, it was a practical combat class at the Ninja Academy. He had every right to attack.
Afternoon arrived.
The students of First Year, Class Three came to the training grounds.
Watanabe Yu stood in the center of the field and announced the rules of the matches.
"For the practical combat shortly, I will arrange you into pairs based on the strength you have displayed recently."
"During practical combat, you may use chakra, but you may not use ninjutsu!" Watanabe Yu set the rule. Most students had already cultivated chakra, but had not learned ninjutsu.
Some children from major clans had learned ninjutsu.
Banning ninjutsu was only fair to ordinary civilian students.
"Give it your all and claim the glory that belongs to you!"
Watanabe Yu's words were brief, yet they stirred the students' emotions, and many were brimming with fighting spirit.
"The first match: Inuzuka No versus Akimichi Chotei."
Two boys then stepped onto the field.
One was a thin boy with the Inuzuka Clan's distinctive red inverted-triangle markings on his cheeks.
He was Inuzuka No, the Inuzuka Clan boy who often played with dogs during class.
The other was tall and fat. Even as he entered the field, he did not forget to munch noisily on a bag of chips. He was obviously from the Akimichi Clan.
"Form the Opposition Seal!" Watanabe Yu looked at the two unconcerned boys, feeling speechless inside. It was time to test the results of their studies.
"I'm attacking now, so you'd better be careful!" After forming the Opposition Seal, Inuzuka No snorted heavily, clearly not taking his opponent seriously.
"Come at me, then!" Akimichi Chotei cracked his knuckles, producing a series of pops. The fat on his face jiggled, making him look rather comical.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
The two rushed toward each other.
However,
the way they fought quickly left everyone dumbfounded.
They had no techniques whatsoever.
They either grabbed each other's ears or yanked each other's hair.
They fought like street punks.
Both of them were hooligans.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Watanabe Yu covered his eyes, unable to bear the sight, and hurriedly called off the match.
If the other teachers found out he had taught students like this,
they would laugh their heads off.
He could not afford that embarrassment.
Inuzuka No said angrily, "Teacher Watanabe, give me five more minutes—no, three minutes! I'll definitely beat this little fatty."
"Who are you calling fat? I'm not fat!" Akimichi Chotei was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He rolled up his sleeves, wanting to rush up and have a proper fight.
"Bring it on, then. Who's afraid of who?"
"Stop!" Watanabe Yu shouted coldly, releasing the strength of a Chunin. The two boys in the field were so frightened that they fell silent and did not dare move recklessly.
"Form the Reconciliation Seal!"
The two reluctantly formed the Reconciliation Seal.
Several more matches followed.
Their quality was much better.
The opponents fought back and forth.
They were far better than the first match.
"The next match: Sarutobi Taro versus Uchiha Genya!"
"It really is him." Genya noticed Sarutobi Taro looking at him with a sinister grin.
There was no need to think about it. Sarutobi Taro must have pulled some strings behind the scenes for them to face each other.
His family was influential and powerful.
He had the means to do so.
Since Sarutobi Taro was always looking for ways to challenge him,
it would be good to defeat him this time.
Let him suffer a little.
That way, he would not keep coming to cause trouble in the future.
After forming the Opposition Seal,
the two stood three meters apart.
The spectators had already gathered around them.
"Go, Big Brother Taro! You'll definitely win!"
"The Uchiha are nothing but overrated, Big Brother Taro! You can definitely beat him!"
A group of lackeys frantically cheered for Sarutobi Taro, shouting themselves hoarse.
"Genya, you have to do your best!" Nami's eyes remained fixed on Genya as she silently cheered for him, hoping he would win this match.
"I wonder which of them will win." Watanabe Yu thought to himself.
Before the practical combat class,
Sarutobi Taro had approached Watanabe Yu.
He told him of his intention to challenge Genya.
Watanabe Yu hesitated for a while before agreeing.
One was from the Sarutobi Clan, a prestigious family of Konoha.
The other carried the Uchiha bloodline with the Sharingan bloodline limit.
Their battle would surely be very exciting!
"I'm attacking!" Sarutobi Taro was full of anticipation. Thinking of the joy he would feel after defeating his opponent, his body began to tremble involuntarily.
Though he looked fat, he was actually very fast.
He crossed the distance of four or five meters in the blink of an eye, his huge fist coming down directly at Genya.
The moment Sarutobi Taro moved, Genya had already mobilized his reserve chakra and sent it surging through the meridians of his body, filling him with power in an instant.
He merely raised an arm in front of himself and easily blocked Sarutobi Taro's attack.
"What fast reaction speed."
"The Uchiha truly live up to their reputation!"
Sarutobi Taro was secretly shocked.
He had thought his attack was fast enough to defeat his opponent in one move, yet it had been blocked so easily.
After his first strike failed,
Sarutobi Taro swept out with a kick.
Though he looked fat, he was actually very nimble.
Born into the Sarutobi Clan, he did have some skill.
Unfortunately, Genya seemed to have already predicted the direction of his attack. He shifted to the side and casually dodged it.
Then, with a palm strike,
he pressed his hand against Sarutobi Taro's chest.
Sarutobi Taro only felt a surging force rush toward him.
He staggered backward.
Then he landed on his backside in the sand.
If that had been a Kunai just now,
Sarutobi Taro felt certain he would have died. A cold sweat rose down his back.
"You lost!"
Genya stood steadily, looking relaxed as he spoke with a smile.
"I actually lost!?"
After his defeat, Sarutobi Taro was filled with shock. He had thought he could easily handle Genya, only to be defeated so simply. It left a bitter feeling in his heart.
The Uchiha Genya he had always wanted to challenge was actually this powerful!
"I'll train hard, then defeat you!"
Sarutobi Taro stared at Genya's handsome face and spoke firmly before returning to the crowd.
"Big Brother Taro, that Uchiha only won by luck. You'll definitely beat him next time."
"Mm!" Sarutobi Taro answered in a voice that brooked no doubt.
Before you continue