Su Bai Was the True Ninja

Su Bai sensed the newly acquired "Mao Spiritual Arts Academy Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat" ability within himself.

This was a basic fighting technique taught to students at the Shin'ō Academy in the world of Bleach, designed to cultivate Soul Reapers' close-combat abilities.

Though it was only the most basic course, it was already a considerable boost to Su Bai's combat strength.

Hand-to-hand combat emphasized swift punches, nimble footwork, and elusive movement.

Su Bai tried gathering chakra in his fist. A layer of white light appeared around his knuckles, radiating a scorching aura.

Every punch carried the force of wind and thunder, tearing through the air with a fierce gale behind it.

He sprang forward, swung out a reverse chop in midair, spun into a sweeping kick, and followed it with a straight punch upon landing.

The entire combination flowed as smoothly as water, but its target was merely a tree not far away.

Bang!

His fist slammed heavily into the trunk. The bark cracked at once, sending splinters flying everywhere.

Su Bai withdrew his fist and stood still, admiring his handiwork with satisfaction.

It seemed that with this new ability, close-quarters combat would no longer be his weakness.

His future battles had gained another layer of assurance.

This "Hand-to-Hand Combat" ability could not only enhance the explosive force of his fists and kicks, but also use special footwork to defuse an enemy's attacks.

It truly balanced offense and defense—a highly practical skill.

Su Bai checked his status panel:

[Host]: Su Bai

[Fused Character]: Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto

[Zanpakuto]: Ryujin Jakka

[Current Fusion Rate]: 2% (3000/50000)

[Shikai]: None

[Bankai]: None

[Hand-to-Hand Combat]: Mao Spiritual Arts Academy Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat

[Kido]: None

[Footwork]: None

[Swordsmanship]: Mao Spiritual Arts Academy Basic Swordsmanship

Joining Team 7 had indeed been the right decision. The efficiency of picking up experience points was truly remarkable.

Things did not go well for Naruto for long.

Though he had strength in numbers, he was still far too inexperienced before the seasoned Kakashi.

He quickly fell for Kakashi's diversionary tactic and was toyed with by the Substitution Technique.

In the end, he triggered a trap and was left hanging upside down from a tree, flailing desperately in an utterly miserable state.

Su Bai watched Naruto dangling from the tree without rushing out.

Only after Kakashi had left Naruto's side did Su Bai calmly reveal himself.

With both hands in his pockets, he walked coolly up to the dead-last student hanging upside down and said flatly, "Hey, Naruto. Want to consider working with me? I can share a portion of my lunch with you."

Naruto knew he was no match for Kakashi.

So he immediately agreed. "Sure, Su Bai! If we join forces, we can definitely do it."

Su Bai then lowered him from the tree.

Just then, a shrill scream suddenly rang out in the distance.

It was clearly Sakura's voice.

"Crap, Sakura..." Naruto immediately grew tense.

Su Bai frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with Naruto before sprinting toward the source of the sound without looking back.

Naruto hurriedly shouted and followed after him.

She had most likely fallen for Kakashi's genjutsu and fainted from fright.

Following the sound, Su Bai and Naruto arrived to find Sakura unconscious on the ground, just as expected.

Her face was pale and her brows tightly furrowed. She had clearly been caught in some kind of genjutsu.

"Sakura! Sakura! Are you okay?"

Naruto rushed over in a panic, crouched down, and patted her cheek.

"Ah!"

Sakura cried out and abruptly sat up.

She stared blankly at the two boys before her, still not quite back to her senses.

"S-Sakura, thank goodness! You're finally awake!"

Naruto was so excited that tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

Su Bai said blandly, "This isn't the time for you to wallow in misery. If you still want to graduate, listen to me."

Still somewhat dazed, Sakura nodded instinctively.

"Let's work together. That might give us a sliver of a chance to pass the test," Su Bai said directly. "In exchange, I can share a portion of my lunch with you. What do you think?"

The moment Sakura heard the words "work together," she immediately perked up.

Though she was usually boy-crazy, she still possessed a ninja's awareness when it truly mattered.

How could she possibly pass up the chance to fight side by side with Sasuke, the boy she liked?

Sakura decided to accept Su Bai's proposal.

Passing Kakashi's test was the most urgent matter at hand.

"Alright, I'm in."

Sakura nodded firmly.

A fleeting smile appeared at the corner of Su Bai's lips.

It seemed things were progressing even more smoothly than he had expected.

Now, only Sasuke remained.

He waved at Naruto and Sakura to follow, then headed toward Sasuke without looking back.

When the three of them arrived, they happened to see Sasuke facing Kakashi.

Just as expected, his battle with Kakashi ended in defeat.

Sasuke had been buried in the ground.

Su Bai, meanwhile, collected another wave of experience points.

The three waited until Kakashi had left before coming out.

At that moment, Sasuke was buried in the dirt with only his head sticking out like a corpse's.

"Well, if it isn't the 'genius' Uchiha. It's quite rare to see you looking so miserable."

A faintly mocking smile rested on Su Bai's lips.

Sasuke raised his head at those words and shot Su Bai a vicious glare. He snorted. "Hmph. Didn't you fail to get a bell too? Stop standing there talking big."

Unbothered, Su Bai replied unhurriedly, "But I wasn't buried like you."

"What did you say?!"

"Wait!"

Sakura hurriedly stepped between them. "Now isn't the time for infighting. If this keeps up, none of us will graduate!"

Su Bai glanced at Sakura and said leisurely, "Looks like you're pretty smart. That's right. The wisest choice now is for all four of us to work together."

Sasuke looked at Su Bai suspiciously. "Wait, aren't there only three boxed lunches? Are you trying to play us?"

Su Bai sighed helplessly. "Is one meal really that important?"

Sasuke suddenly understood, then glared at Su Bai again. "Right, you ate breakfast. Don't tell me you had this planned from the beginning?"

Su Bai's gaze turned cold. "You're still obsessing over something as trivial as food?"

"It seems you really don't understand the true purpose of Kakashi-sensei's exercise."

"I don't like preaching, because it will never feel as real as experiencing it for yourself!"

As he spoke, Su Bai suddenly drew Ryujin Jakka from his back, strode behind Sasuke, and pressed the blade against his neck.

"Sakura, kill Naruto, or Sasuke dies!"

Su Bai spoke without expression.

"W-What?!"

Sakura's face went deathly pale with fright.

Naruto was dumbfounded as well. "Hey, hey, Su Bai, have you lost your mind?! Kakashi-sensei hasn't—"

"Shut up!"

Su Bai barked coldly, cutting Naruto off. "This is the world of ninja! Haven't you understood that yet?"

Sasuke clenched his teeth as cold sweat streamed down his temple.

Sakura trembled, not knowing what to do.

Naruto shook with rage, yet he was utterly helpless.

Su Bai swept his gaze across the three of them and said slowly, "Since you've become ninja, you must be prepared to die at any time."

"If Kakashi were a real enemy, this situation would have happened long ago! Do you understand? It's all because you refuse to accept teamwork."

Su Bai did not want to say anything deeper. Anyone capable of understanding should have understood by now.

Kakashi, who was hiding nearby, was very pleased by Su Bai's actions.

"As expected, Su Bai was the first to see through the true meaning of this test."

"Su Bai was the true ninja."