First place with a perfect score

The students at Training Ground One all began complaining.

"They're so far away! How are we supposed to hit them?"

"We can't even see the center rings on some of those targets! How are we supposed to hit those?"

"Exactly! What kind of targets are these?"

"All right, quiet down, everyone. Uchiha Itachi, you'll take the test first," Asuma Sarutobi said.

Asuma Sarutobi silenced their chatter and continued, "You can use shuriken, Ruowu, or any other ninja tools. There are ten targets in total, and you get ten weapons to throw. Once you're finished, we'll add up the ring values of your hits. That total will be your final score."

Without any hesitation, Uchiha Itachi slowly stepped out of the group and took his place in the throwing area.

Uchiha Itachi carefully studied the positions of the distant targets, then took ten shuriken out of his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Holding four shuriken between the fingers of one hand, he flung them out in quick succession.

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."...

Four shuriken flew from Uchiha Itachi's hand. Within seconds, he had thrown all ten.

Once Uchiha Itachi had thrown all his shuriken, Asuma Sarutobi checked the targets.

"Eight shuriken hit the ten-point bull's-eye, one hit the nine-point ring, and one hit the seven-point ring. Your score is ninety-six!"

There was a hint of amazement in Asuma Sarutobi's voice. On the two targets set edge-on, Itachi had scored a nine and a seven. All the others were ten-point bull's-eyes.

Even he couldn't throw shuriken with such precision. Itachi certainly deserved to be called a genius.

A student watching from the side said, "He's amazing! That's Uchiha Itachi for you! Not only is he handsome, he's so skilled, too!"

"Looks like Uchiha Itachi is definitely taking first place in our class! The rest of us don't stand a chance."

After finishing his throws, Uchiha Itachi ignored his classmates' exclamations and walked straight back to his place.

"Even the way he walks is so handsome! I can't take it!" a girl said from the side, her face flushed.

"Next, Akagimaru!"

Ruri watched the next student, Akagimaru, with great curiosity. His red hair was particularly striking.

Akagimaru also used shuriken, throwing them one after another. They struck the targets with a series of thuds.

"Eight shuriken hit the bull's-eye, and two hit the six-point ring. Your final score is ninety-two," Asuma Sarutobi announced after checking the targets again.

"Those two edge-on targets really are hard to hit!" Akagimaru said as he walked back to his place. On his way, he even smiled at Ruri, as though showing off.

Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga went next, scoring ninety and ninety-one respectively.

"What a shame! Only ninety-one," Reika Hyuga said as she walked over to Harukawa.

"It's all right, Linghua," Harukawa reassured her. "We'll work hard together. We're sure to get good scores in the future."

"Don't worry. You both did really well. Those two edge-on targets really were a bit too difficult," Ruri said, looking at the two girls reassuringly.

"What about you, Ruri? You're definitely better than Itachi, right?" Harukawa asked, looking at him.

Ruri smiled and looked at the targets. "You'll find out in a moment!"

Just then, Asuma Sarutobi said, "Next, Ruri Hyuga."

"Good luck, Ruri. You can do it!" Harukawa said with a smile.

Ruri smiled, then slowly walked into the throwing area. His lips curved upward as he looked at the targets twenty meters away.

"How many points do you think Ruri will get?"

"No idea! Looking at that dead last, I doubt he'll even get fifty!"

"I think so, too."

The children who disliked Ruri muttered among themselves.

Ruri ignored them. After studying the targets, he took Ruowu out of his Ninja Tool Pouch, holding four in each hand for a total of eight.

Ruri preferred Ruowu to shuriken. Both their shape and their weight made them capable of dealing direct damage to an enemy.

"What is he trying to do, holding so many Ruowu?" Harukawa said behind him, pressing a hand to her chest.

In an instant, Ruri threw all the Ruowu in his hands toward the same point.

After throwing those eight Ruowu, Ruri swiftly drew two more and flung them out. These two flew even faster.

The last two Ruowu were faster and carried more force, catching up to the first eight in an instant.

The ten Ruowu collided in midair with a series of metallic clinks, then scattered.

"I told you! He definitely won't get fifty points."

"Fifty? I bet he missed every target. Haha!"

Asuma Sarutobi thought Ruri couldn't possibly have scored, but he went to check the targets anyway. When he saw the results, his eyes widened, and he stammered, "Ruri... Hyuga. All ten Ruowu hit the ten-point bull's-eye. Your score is one hundred-a perfect score. You've taken first place in the class."

"How... how is that possible? One hundred points!" Uchiha Itachi was dumbstruck when he heard the result. He immediately ran over to the two edge-on targets.

Looking at the two Ruowu buried deep in the targets, he clenched his fists.

"Ruri, you're amazing!" Harukawa said happily.

Ruri smiled without saying anything. Then Asuma Sarutobi spoke. "I hereby announce that Ruri Hyuga has taken first place in the ninja tool throwing test for Year One, Class Five. From now on, we'll hold a test every three months. I hope you'll all work hard."