Long ago, Ueno Kei had realized that Uzumaki Naruto was actually a very intelligent person. The helplessness of his life had merely forced him to put on a mask. Yes, Naruto could indeed be careless and rough around the edges at times, but that did not mean he was stupid.
His poor grades at the Ninja Academy proved what, exactly? Besides, anyone who had taken the time to look into it would surely have noticed that Naruto was only bad at theoretical knowledge—in other words, his written exam scores were low.
In practical training classes, Naruto's grades had always been comparable to Second Pillar's. Of course, that was also thanks to Ueno Kei dragging Naruto along to train with him when they were younger.
In Ueno Kei's eyes, Naruto had simply liked fooling around as a child and had been somewhat lazy. That was all.
Don't be fooled by Sasuke constantly calling him an idiot or a moron. Among everyone in their year, Naruto was the only person Sasuke acknowledged. After all, observant as Sasuke was, once he discovered Naruto's strength during their first practical exam, he had never looked down on that seemingly carefree, optimistic guy again.
Naruto was not stupid!
Uzumaki Naruto coldly watched Hyuga Neji slowly approach and muttered, "Hmph. That guy dared to look down on me. I'll make him regret it!"
Although Naruto already knew that engaging Neji in close combat would put him at a severe disadvantage, how could he possibly bow his head so easily? Besides, it was just the Gentle Fist and the Byakugan. Having learned about the Hyuga Clan's traits from Ueno Kei, Naruto knew of a ninjutsu that could effectively guard against Neji's Byakugan.
It could even prevent the Gentle Fist's direct chakra-point strikes.
Naruto immediately formed hand seals and