Uchiha

Although Kouichi Uchiha had acted arrogantly when he stepped onto the field, he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest once the fight began. Anyone who could defeat Hyuga Chizoku could not possibly be weak.

Those who had received ninja training from childhood understood the principle of a lion hunting a rabbit, no matter how proud they were.

The moment the chief examiner finished speaking, Kouichi Uchiha flipped both hands and drew two stacks of kunai from the ninja tool pouch at his waist. Four in each hand, he abruptly hurled them at Ryōken. Four sealed off his escape routes, while the other four shot straight at him with astonishing speed.

This was the Uchiha Clan's kunai throwing technique. It demanded extremely high skill, and he was the only one in the entire Ninja Academy who had mastered it.

An even stronger version was the kunai throwing technique wielded by Itachi, which could even alter the kunai's trajectories through collisions between them. It was a truly masterful skill.

Moreover, Kouichi Uchiha had never believed those kunai alone could defeat Ryōken. The instant he threw them, he charged forward as well, kunai in hand.

Though the interlocking kunai were difficult to evade, Ryōken had no intention of dodging at all.

To him, the kunai were not particularly fast.

In a ninja duel, kunai attacks from the front were rarely effective.

Ryōken drew his longsword and casually swung it a few times, knocking the incoming kunai away.

"Tch, so you do have some skill!"

Seeing Ryōken so effortlessly break through the kunai blockade, Kouichi Uchiha was startled. That move alone was enough to make him take Ryōken seriously.

"But it's useless. The strength of the Uchiha is beyond what a commoner like you can imagine."

As he spoke, a determined, stubborn light flashed in his eyes.

It was bad enough that a commoner like Minato Namikaze had emerged in this class to suppress them. A second one would never be tolerated.

The clans were the true rulers of this world.

In the blink of an eye, the two collided and exchanged blows. Kunai clashed against sword, scattering sparks everywhere. Kouichi Uchiha's close-quarters combat ability was quite impressive.

Born into a powerful clan like the Uchiha Clan, he had trained since childhood and received instruction from capable experts. Compared to Ryōken, his close-combat experience was far more extensive.

Ryōken, after all, had grown up an orphan. Before this, he had barely experienced any real combat, and his battle experience was painfully limited. His only two fights had both been rather brief.

During the encounter with the Rain Ninja, life and death had hung by a thread. Ryōken had had no opportunity to absorb combat experience at all.

And Hyuga Chizoku, who specialized in the Gentle Fist, was simply not a suitable sparring partner. One careless hit could result in internal injuries.

Thus, delighted to find a worthy opponent, Ryōken continuously exchanged moves with Kouichi Uchiha. The two went back and forth, fighting with great intensity.

As time passed, Kouichi Uchiha gradually grew anxious, sweat beading on his forehead. Young as he was, he naturally could not see through Ryōken's sinister intent.

Yet as the battle continued, Kouichi Uchiha clearly sensed Ryōken changing. At first, he had been full of openings and moved stiffly. Now, his movements were barely becoming fluid. His progress was simply too fast.

It left Kouichi Uchiha deeply shaken, and he secretly considered how to break the deadlock.

The direct clash had the crowd thoroughly stirred up. Their blood surged as they shouted without pause.

The Ninja Academy students were also dumbfounded, feeling utterly powerless.

The battle was moving so quickly that, for them, forget fighting—they could barely keep their eyes from being dazzled blind.

"So amazing!"

"Are they really students like us?"

Hiwa Hyuga stared at Ryōken on the stage with a baffled expression, her beautiful eyes full of confusion. That shouldn't have been possible. How could Ryōken's strength be only this much?

Fortunately, her eyesight was exceptional, and she understood Ryōken's true strength. Before long, she discovered what was going on. She quietly giggled, a mischievous glint flashing through her eyes. So bad. But I like it, hehe.

Hiwa Hyuga could see it, so naturally others could as well. The Jonin had noticed even sooner than she had, to say nothing of the Third Hokage and the others on the raised platform.

"That kid is practically bullying him. He could have won directly so many times."

Watching the usually solitary, cold, and proud Uchiha clansman get toyed with like this, they found it quite satisfying. They smiled knowingly, and their impression of Ryōken improved considerably.

Even Danzo smiled approvingly. He had always advocated suppressing the Uchiha, so Ryōken's actions naturally suited his tastes.

"He's not bad, but he hasn't thought things through. Offending the Uchiha like this isn't wise."

Though Danzo said that, anyone could hear the praise in his words.

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and smiled in satisfaction.

He was a relatively mild man and would not deliberately target the Uchiha. Still, seeing such a talented commoner cast his lot with the Hokage's faction pleased him greatly.

This was equivalent to choosing a side. Having offended the Uchiha, with that clan's fiercely protective and somewhat extreme nature, Ryōken would be treated as an enemy even over something as minor as this.

After all, the Konoha Military Police Force was controlled by the Uchiha.

If he did not join the Hokage's faction, Ryōken's position in Konoha would become awkward.

For that reason, Hiruzen Sarutobi's impression of Ryōken improved considerably.

However, this was exceedingly awkward for the Uchiha experts present. Under normal circumstances, anyone who dared toy with an Uchiha like this would definitely be taught a lesson they would never forget.

It would have been easy to use their authority to make life difficult for an orphan with neither power nor influence in Konoha. It was a little beneath them, but they only needed to do it discreetly.

But this was a practical combat examination, and its importance went without saying.

Furthermore, powerful figures such as the Third Hokage were present. Naturally, they did not dare act recklessly.

Though they wished they could immediately torture Ryōken to death, they could only endure it. Their expressions darkened terribly, and they looked at Ryōken as though he were already dead. The resentment they were bottling up would become far more than mere displeasure once it erupted.

Ryōken, on the field, naturally had no idea that his sole intention of honing his skills had invisibly drawn a small but significant vortex into being, stirring the little lake that was Konoha and creating no small amount of turbulence.

But even if he had known, Ryōken would not have cared. The path of the strong feared no challenge.

Besides, this aligned perfectly with the purpose of his visit. As a commoner, he was inherently at odds with the clan forces. He could only stand with the Hokage's faction if he wanted access to what he sought.

In the arena.

Ryōken was immersed in the battle, doing his utmost to make his taijutsu techniques more proficient.

His longsword flashed in a clever horizontal slash, yet his hand did not feel the solid impact he had expected.

With a bang, a cloud of smoke flashed before his eyes, and a log appeared in front of him.

"Substitution Technique. Not good."

At the sight, Ryōken's heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, he lunged forward.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Sure enough, just as Ryōken reacted, Kouichi Uchiha's voice rang out behind him.

A fierce heat suddenly swept across the arena, and scorching waves of air pressed down on him.

As Ryōken lunged forward, he turned around.

A massive fireball, accompanied by wave after wave of heat, rapidly bore down on him.

Ryōken's gaze sharpened, and surprise flashed in his eyes.

This was not C-rank taijutsu, but C-rank ninjutsu. Its power was on an entirely different level. If it struck him, he would undoubtedly die.

As such powerful ninjutsu appeared, the crowd collectively gasped, their eyes widening before they broke into alarmed cries.

"That's the C-rank Great Fireball Technique!"

"With such a huge size, it's practically comparable to a C-rank ninjutsu cast by a real Chunin!"

"How is that possible?"

Looking at his handiwork, Kouichi Uchiha gave a cold smile.

He had poured nearly all his chakra into this move. In his eyes, Ryōken had absolutely no chance of surviving it.

I've won!

Kouichi Uchiha barely managed to remain standing as he looked confidently toward Ryōken.

Chapter 10, please bookmark it.