The Indifferent Elite Shinobi

"Idiot!"

Hyuga Takashi sneered, turning his body and raising his elbow to block the strike, intending to smash a heavy fist into Hyuga Genya's ribs the moment he lost his balance.

Since his opponent wasn't using the Byakugan, he wouldn't use his either; he wanted to make the boy lose and be completely convinced of his own inferiority...

BOOM!

The moment their limbs collided, a terrifying force erupted, and Hyuga Takashi's expression changed instantly.

He felt as if his arm had been struck by a carriage; his entire body was sent flying backward by the immense power before slamming heavily into the wall.

"Cough, cough... how... how is this possible?"

A sweet taste rose in Hyuga Takashi's throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, slumping down the wall and whispering in a daze.

Gentle Fist clearly required the X-ray vision of the Byakugan to perceive an opponent's meridians and internal organs to unleash its damage.

Yet, this kid Hyuga Genya had just used brute force to drive the impact straight through his muscles and into his meridian system.

This was something even he, a Chunin, couldn't do! How could a mere Genin...!

And...

"The hell is this Gentle Fist?!" Hyuga Takashi couldn't help but roar.

"This is Gentle Fist," Xuanye said, retracting his arm with an expressionless face.

With the power of the system, victory was a matter of course; there was nothing to be happy about.

"Brother Xuanye, are you alright?"

At this moment, Mei hurried over, looking Xuanye up and down with concern.

"Damn it!" This nearly made Hyuga Takashi spit out another mouthful of blood.

Big sister, I'm the one who got hit, I'm the one on the ground, and I'm the one spitting blood!

You don't ask if I'm okay, but instead, you go and ask him...

You're from the Hyuga Clan, the ones with the strongest eyes—if your eyes don't work, let's just donate them!

"I'm fine, it's just..."

Xuanye shook his head, frowning slightly as he looked at his arm, where the bulging veins had yet to subside.

After using "Gentle Fist: Double," his arm felt sore and swollen.

Clearly, unleashing double the lethality in an instant placed a significant burden on his body.

It seems this move can't be used frequently in battle unless I find a way to increase my physical strength, Xuanye thought to himself.

Shaking his head, Xuanye looked at Hyuga Takashi, who was slowly getting up, still unwilling to accept defeat.

"Hyuga Takashi, I know you value the glory of the Main Branch more than your own life, but have you considered one thing?"

"The Clan Head has already forgiven us, yet you are privately provoking a fellow clansman. Isn't this defying the Main Branch and overstepping your authority?"

To avoid future trouble from Hyuga Takashi, Xuanye decided to fight magic with magic.

"I... I..."

His words were highly effective; Hyuga Takashi stood there stunned, his brain completely fried.

"Alright, think about it yourself. Mei, let's go."

Xuanye couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to Hyuga Takashi, and with Mei in tow, he turned and left the alley.

"Brother Xuanye, when did you become so strong? Even Hyuga Takashi is no match for you!"

Mei looked at Xuanye's perfect profile, her beautiful eyes shining with brilliance.

"Haha, actually, I've always been this strong; I just couldn't be bothered to show it," Xuanye laughed.

"Really? Then Brother Xuanye is truly lazy enough." Mei teased.

"During the last clan sparring match, Brother Xuanye was chased all over the field by a six-year-old, and you say you were just too lazy to show your skills?"

"Uh..." Xuanye was deeply embarrassed, his entire person instantly turning into a colorless line drawing.

Seeing his awkward state, Mei covered her mouth and chuckled: "Brother Xuanye, you really are a fool."

Is Mei... also a bit messed up? Xuanye scratched his head, thinking with some confusion.

He had stood up for her twice today, so why was she still calling him names?

The next morning, at a training ground in the west of Konoha.

"Good morning, Xuanye-kun."

"Morning, Kurenai."

Xuanye sat down on the soft lawn beside Yuhi Kurenai, looked around, and asked with some confusion.

"Where's Asuma? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Kurenai sighed and pointed to a large tree nearby: "He's here, he's in that tree."

Hyuga Genya fixed his gaze on the figure, his eye twitching uncontrollably.

What is this guy doing... standing in a tree and staring deeply at the sky?

It had to be said, with that ten-year-old body sporting a thirty-year-old face, the kid really did have the vibe of a melancholic middle-aged man.

"A--su--ma!"

Xuanye stood up with Kurenai, walked to the base of the tree, and shouted in the tone of Shikamaru.

"Hm, you're here?"

Asuma dropped down from the tree, hands in his pockets, and gave the two of them a slight nod.

The three of them were finally together, waiting for their assigned jonin.

"Asuma, do you know who our team leader is?" Xuanye asked curiously.

Team leader?

What a strange way to put it.

Asuma glanced at Xuanye with a puzzled look before nodding. "I do."

The list had been drawn up by his old man, so naturally, he knew.

"Our supervising jonin is Shimura Hofu," Asuma said, skipping the suspense and getting straight to the point.

"Shi, Shimura?"

Hearing that surname, Xuanye instinctively shuddered.

But then he thought about it—he wasn't from the Uchiha Clan, so what the hell was he afraid of?

Hanging out with the Shimura Clan early on was actually safer; at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about someone stabbing him in the back.

"That's right."

Asuma nodded slightly. "Shimura Hofu is a powerhouse from the same generation as the Yellow Flash."

"Whether in terms of intellect or strength, he is a top-tier existence in this world! It's just that because the Yellow Flash was so dazzling, his reputation remained obscure."

Obscure?

Obscure? More like he probably died in the Third Shinobi World War, Xuanye muttered to himself.

Otherwise, in the manga, this guy wouldn't have been so insignificant that his name never even appeared.

...Damn it!

Xuanye suddenly realized that he himself seemed to be nothing more than a nameless cannon fodder!

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

At that moment, a low voice came from behind the three of them.

Xuanye turned around to see a man dressed in a light-white Shimura Clan Robe walking slowly toward them.

The man was around twenty years old, lean and handsome, but his expression was cold and stern, making him look like someone who was not easy to get along with.

"I am your supervising jonin, Shimura Hofu," the man said flatly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Greetings, Hofu-senpai!" The three of them bowed slightly toward Shimura Hofu.

Shimura Hofu waved his hand, his face expressionless. "Alright, let's begin with self-introductions."

"I'll go first," Asuma said, shrugging his shoulders and stepping forward.

"My name is Sarutobi Asuma. My hobbies are shogi and training, and my dream is to surpass the old man in my family."

"Hm." Shimura Hofu nodded noncommittally, then tilted his head to look at Xuanye and Kurenai.

Seeing this, Xuanye hurriedly spoke up:

"My name is Hyuga Genya. I like watching anime and reading novels. I don't have anything I particularly dislike, and my dream is to live until I die."

After him, Kurenai followed:

"I am Yuhi Kurenai. My hobbies are gardening and painting, and my dream is to uphold the glory of the Yuhi Clan. That is all!"

"Very well. Since the introductions are finished, let's begin the practical assessment."

Shimura Hofu rested his hand on the hilt of the blade at his waist, his eyes half-closed as he spoke calmly.

"If you cannot pass this assessment, go back and repeat your training, then wait for a new supervising jonin."

"Trash is not worth the time I spend teaching."