The next day, Uchiha Sora went to the Ninja Academy again.
There happened to be a Taijutsu class that day.
Uchiha Sora was fairly good at Taijutsu because he had always made a habit of exercising. Though he was still young, he was in better physical shape than the other children.
However, he had never seriously studied Taijutsu moves and techniques.
This class was meant to test everyone's Taijutsu abilities.
The teacher would pair them up for sparring matches, assess their abilities, and offer guidance.
"First pair, Uchiha Itachi and Shimura Chōshin!"
At the teacher's call, Uchiha Itachi and another boy walked to the center of the training ground and formed the Seal of Confrontation toward each other.
Then they charged at each other and began fighting fiercely.
As the greatest prodigy in their year, Uchiha Itachi had already surpassed ordinary students in every respect. Shimura Chōshin barely managed to fend off a few moves before Itachi easily pinned him to the ground.
Cheers rose from the girls around them. Uchiha Itachi's performance had been flawless, leaving them swooning.
After forming the Seal of Reconciliation, Uchiha Itachi coolly left the training ground and was surrounded by a crowd of girls.
In the past, Uchiha Sora would have envied him. But now he had a system and had awakened his Sharingan. With the Sharingan's boost, he might not lose to Uchiha Itachi in Taijutsu if they actually fought.
"Next pair, Uchiha Sora and Uchiha Izumi!" the teacher called out loudly.
His opponent was Uchiha Izumi, a long-haired girl with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
Uchiha Sora remembered that she would become Itachi's lover later in the original story.
For now, though, she and Uchiha Itachi were merely classmates and fellow clan members.
"Hello, Uchiha Sora." They walked to the center of the training ground, and Uchiha Izumi smiled as she formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Hello, Uchiha Izumi." Uchiha Sora returned her smile and formed the same seal.
Once they had finished, Uchiha Sora charged toward Uchiha Izumi.
Uchiha Izumi had a talent for Taijutsu. In their class, she was second only to Uchiha Itachi in that regard, making her something of a little prodigy herself.
As soon as they exchanged blows, Uchiha Sora fell onto the defensive.
Though he had trained his body well, his Taijutsu techniques were still too crude. Without using his Sharingan, it was only natural that he couldn't match Uchiha Izumi.
"Ding-dong! The system has detected that your Taijutsu category has been established! Taijutsu has entered automatic training mode!"
Just then, a notification suddenly sounded in Uchiha Sora's mind.
Another notification immediately followed:
"Ding! Your Taijutsu has been overwhelmed by your opponent and has resolved to catch up! Training accelerated!"
The next moment, Uchiha Izumi discovered that Uchiha Sora's movements had become remarkably refined. His reactions and attacks were growing unpredictable as well.
Before long, Uchiha Izumi realized with shock that Sora was actually forcing her onto the defensive!
Bang!
Their arms collided, and they used the impact to spring apart. Uchiha Izumi looked at Uchiha Sora, her delicate brows furrowing.
Uchiha Sora, meanwhile, was thrilled by the speed of his progress. He hadn't expected automatic Taijutsu training to produce such a dramatic improvement in the middle of a fight!
Then I won't need to practice Taijutsu techniques anymore. I'll just have to spar with Taijutsu experts!
"Again!" Uchiha Sora hadn't had enough, especially with the notifications still ringing in his mind.
"Ding! Your Taijutsu desperately desires to fight your opponent! Training accelerated! Accelerated! Accelerated!"
Uchiha Izumi had no choice but to meet him again and resume their fight.
Their Taijutsu bout grew more and more intense, dragging on longer and longer.
The students around them, who hadn't paid much attention to the match at first, gradually found their gazes drawn to it.
Even Uchiha Itachi turned to watch them.
Their Taijutsu is pretty good, Uchiha Itachi assessed.
The ninja teachers also discussed the match nearby. "Uchiha Izumi is good at Taijutsu. I didn't expect Uchiha Sora to keep up with her for so long. It looks like we should give him more focused Taijutsu instruction from now on."
Thud!
Suddenly, a muffled grunt rang out as Uchiha Izumi went flying and hit the ground.
She clutched her shoulder, tears welling in her eyes from the pain.
A ninja teacher hurried over to help her up, his expression shifting slightly. "Izumi, you're hurt!"
Her exposed shoulder was red and swollen. Even the bone might have been injured!
Oh no, Uchiha Sora thought. He had gotten carried away, and with his Taijutsu constantly improving, he had failed to hold back his strength and injured Uchiha Izumi!
"Uchiha Sora! How could you hit her so hard?" the teacher scolded him harshly. "Didn't your parents teach you to treat your classmates and fellow clan members kindly?"
Uchiha Sora knew he was in the wrong. But hearing the ninja teacher make such a fuss and even bring up his deceased parents, he couldn't help frowning. "When ninja fight, punches and kicks don't watch where they land. Injuries are inevitable. Besides, as a ninja yourself, teacher, don't you know how cruel the ninja world is?"
"My parents died on a ninja mission. The greatest lesson they gave me was to survive in this cruel world, not quibble over these little ninja sparring games!"
Uchiha Sora's words left the students bewildered.
Most of them were too young to understand what he meant.
The Chunin teacher who had spoken, however, was visibly shaken. He was inwardly astonished by Uchiha Sora's maturity, and he also realized that he had misspoken. He shouldn't have mentioned the boy's parents.
His face flushed, and he finally sighed. "Forget it. I'm not going to argue with a child!"
Only then did Uchiha Sora walk over to Uchiha Izumi. He formed the Seal of Reconciliation toward her and smiled. "Sorry. I wasn't careful and hurt you. I apologize. You'll forgive me, won't you?"
Uchiha Izumi stared blankly at Uchiha Sora, his earlier words to the teacher still echoing in her mind.
She suddenly felt that Uchiha Sora seemed different from everyone else.
But she was too young to understand exactly how he was different.
Still, looking at the smile on Sora's face, she couldn't help blushing faintly. "I-it's fine. I... I wasn't blaming you," she stammered.
After a pause, she gave him a shy smile. "Uchiha Sora, your Taijutsu is amazing!"
"Heh, yours isn't bad either! Let's practice together sometime!" Sora replied with a smile.
"Sure!" Uchiha Izumi agreed without a second thought.
Watching them make up so quickly-and seemingly take things in a direction that made him a little envious-the ninja teacher's mouth twitched...
Before you continue