The referee froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to check. After confirming that the sturdy man was only slightly dazed from a clever throw and had no serious injuries, he announced loudly,
"Winner--Uchiha Gen!"
"Whoa--!"
Only then did an incredible exclamation burst from beneath the stage.
"What just happened? Did anyone see clearly?"
"That kid... his movements are so fast! The timing and positioning of his strike were too tricky!"
"Uchiha Gen? That name sounds a bit familiar..."
"I remember! He's one of the genius early graduates from this year's ninja academy! The younger brother of the Uchiha clan head!"
"So it's him! No wonder... As expected, people from the Uchiha family cannot be judged by conventional standards."
On the stage, Gen still wore a calm expression, nodding slightly to the sturdy man who had just climbed back up:
"I concede the win."
The sturdy man's face was flushed red, filled with both shame and shock. Muttering "that's spooky," he slunk off the stage.
However, the prize money of the arena tournament attracted more than just one person. Soon, a second challenger who refused to give in jumped up; this was a lean-figured ninja known for his speed.
"Kid, that was just a fluke earlier! Let me test you!"
However, the result was no different.
Gen displayed combat wisdom far beyond his age, a calm mindset, and a terrifyingly solid foundation in taijutsu.
He did not force brute strength against his opponents; instead, he relied on exceptional dynamic vision and agile footwork to find flaws in the opponent's rhythm, repeatedly delivering the most effective interference or winning strike with minimal consumption.
Third, fourth, fifth... fifteenth.
When Gen locked up the fifteenth opponent—a chunin skilled in the False Gentle Fist—with a beautiful joint lock, forcing the opponent to tap