Kushina Gives In!

"Don't be like that. I want to fight alongside Kurohane, too!"

Kushina Uzumaki puffed out her cheeks and stubbornly clung to Uchiha Kurohane's side, refusing to leave.

"They're wearing Genin Forehead Protectors, so they've graduated from the Ninja Academy and are Genin. They're strong, so don't underestimate them!"

In Uchiha Kurohane's eyes, a Genin Forehead Protector was basically a certificate declaring its wearer cannon fodder.

Sure, the twelve rookies in the main cast were all Genin, but they could level mountains and destroy the world.

That was the protagonist's halo.

Real Genin were cannon fodder meant to be sacrificed.

In a fight, they usually got taken out by a Kunai in an instant. If they managed to intercept an enemy's Ninjutsu, that counted as a huge victory.

"I can handle these three nobodies by myself. Go wait over there."

Uchiha Kurohane's confident tone completely enraged the nameless trio with fruit-shaped hairstyles.

Pumpkin Head snorted and spoke viciously.

"A dead-last student from the Ninja Academy dares look down on Genin? You've got a lot of nerve. I'll show you what a Genin can do!"

Pumpkin Head casually swept his hand out, flinging the Kunai he held toward Uchiha Kurohane.

At the same time, his hands rapidly formed Hand Seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The Shuriken flying through the air suddenly multiplied, becoming four. They shot toward Uchiha Kurohane at incredible speed, kicking up a gust of wind.

Kushina Uzumaki had never seen this kind of Ninjutsu before. She stared in astonishment.

Uchiha Kurohane calmly activated his Sharingan.

His eyes turned scarlet, and the Shuriken flying toward him suddenly seemed to slow down several times over.

Then the flight paths of all four Shuriken appeared clearly in his mind.

One was headed for Kushina Uzumaki's stomach, while the other three were aimed at his.

Slow motion and trajectory prediction—that was the Sharingan's incredible power!

No wonder Uchiha Sasuke was so confident.

With a cheat of an eye that could see through everything, who wouldn't be confident?

Uchiha Kurohane first shoved Kushina Uzumaki's pale arm with his left hand, knocking her toward the other side and helping her dodge the Shuriken.

Then he quickly pulled a Kunai from his pouch and swung it rapidly in front of himself.

Clang, clang, clang!

Uchiha Kurohane easily knocked away the three Shuriken flying toward him.

The whole sequence was smooth and effortless, flowing together in one graceful motion.

"How could he block Pumpkin Head's Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?"

"Pumpkin Head is the best weapons expert among this year's graduates. His Shuriken never miss, and he's known as the Little Prince of Eight Hundred Li. How could he have missed?"

Pineapple Head was so shocked that he kept rubbing his eyes, convinced he'd seen it wrong.

"Impossible! Even the teacher can't block my big brother's Shuriken. How could he knock them away so easily? Am I dreaming?"

Kushina, sprawled on the ground, stared in shock at the Shuriken that had fallen right in front of her.

"That Shuriken is so sharp. It's real. That guy really wanted to kill me!"

She was brave and strong-willed, but she was still a little girl with no combat experience. The real Shuriken had frightened her.

Only Pumpkin Head was the first to realize what was going on. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his expression turned serious.

"Damn it, that guy has a Sharingan. No wonder he could block my Shuriken!"

His two companions immediately looked astonished.

"Oh, right! His eyes turned red, and there's a Tomoe in them. He has a Sharingan!"

"Damn, how old is he? How did he already awaken his Sharingan? Is he a genius?"

Kushina Uzumaki froze at their words, then looked up at Uchiha Kurohane's eyes.

The scarlet gleam in Uchiha Kurohane's eyes captivated her, filling her gaze with admiration and fascination.

"So Kurohane already awakened his Sharingan. He's amazing!"

He looked so cool!

Pumpkin Head turned to complain to his younger brother.

"You idiot! Why did you say he was a dead last? He has a Sharingan! You gave me the wrong information!"

"How was I supposed to know? He got the lowest marks in every subject at the Ninja Academy. Another student from the Uchiha Clan said even his own clan looked down on him and called him the Disgrace of the Uchiha!"

Pumpkin Head sighed helplessly.

"This is ridiculous. Maybe he awakened it after beating you guys last time."

Watermelon Head wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked in alarm,

"He has a Sharingan now. Should we still fight him?"

Pumpkin Head pulled a small scroll from his pouch and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"We don't have a choice. We've already offended him, and running away now would make us a laughingstock. Besides, I have a secret weapon for dealing with the Sharingan. Let's keep fighting!"

Uchiha Kurohane smiled coolly and asked,

"Are you going to fight me one at a time? Who's first?"

Pumpkin Head and his two companions exchanged glances. He curled his lip into a domineering, Overlord-of-the-Dragon-Kingdom grin.

"One-on-one? What a joke. Let me tell you: only kids fight one-on-one. Adults always gang up on their opponents—"

"Fine, I'll shoot you dead first, Pumpkin Head!"

Uchiha Kurohane cut him off in a commanding voice, then casually swept his hand out.

A Kunai flew toward Pumpkin Head at high speed.

Whoosh!

The Kunai skimmed past Pumpkin Head's waist, making him break out in a cold sweat.

I missed?

Thank goodness. I thought he'd aimed for my kidney. This kid talks about justice, but he sure fights dirty!

What a nasty sneak!

Still, he threw that Kunai with incredible force. It flew so fast I could barely react. Maybe he really could throw it eight hundred li.

But throwing a Kunai isn't about distance. It's about accuracy.

What good is throwing it far if you can't hit anyone?

He's nowhere near as good with weapons as I am!

Just as Pumpkin Head was gloating, a shrill scream came from behind him.

"Ah! My side!"

The three unconventional Genin turned around and saw Pineapple Head kneeling on the ground in pain, a Kunai sticking out of the right side of his waist.

That spot was his kidney!

His kidney had been stabbed!

As it turned out, Uchiha Kurohane wasn't very good at throwing weapons. He'd missed, but accidentally hit Pineapple Head, who was hiding behind the others.

Pineapple Head had taken a bullet while lying down.

Uchiha Kurohane pretended nothing had happened and spoke as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

"You saw that, right? One Kunai, one opponent down. That's how good I am."

Kushina Uzumaki asked doubtfully,

"Um, didn't you miss?"

Her sweet, honest voice sounded a little grating just then.

Uchiha Kurohane answered irritably,

"How did I miss? Are your eyes on your butt? Can't you see the Kunai sticking out of him?"

Kushina Uzumaki was an honest girl and stuck to her opinion.

"But you said you were going to shoot Pumpkin Head."

"Dummy. As the art of war says, make the unreal seem real and the real seem unreal. I said I'd shoot Pumpkin Head to make Pineapple Head let his guard down. Pineapple Head was my real target all along."

Kushina Uzumaki suddenly understood and nodded in admiration.

"I see! Kurohane, you're so smart. I never would've thought of that strategy."

"I'm convinced!"