"When?!"
Sasuke Uchiha's body went rigid, leaving him unable to move.
At that moment, he felt the threat of death.
From Sakura Haruno's perspective, Chiba vanished from where he stood in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was behind Sasuke Uchiha.
The kunai in Chiba's hand was pressed firmly against his neck.
The killing intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Drip!
A drop of bright red blood fell from Sasuke Uchiha's neck and splashed onto the ground, blooming into a flower of danger.
"Your pride is nothing more than having strength far beyond your peers."
Chiba's voice was utterly calm.
"When someone else considers that strength insignificant, what does that make you?"
"In other words, what gives you the right to act so high and mighty?"
Sakura Haruno slumped to the ground, her pupils dilated and her eyes filled with fear.
She reached out with a trembling hand and called timidly:
"S-Sasuke..."
Chiba shifted the kunai into a reverse grip and flung it behind him without even looking.
The cold gleam streaked through the air, straight toward Sakura Haruno!
Whoosh!
Sakura Haruno saw only a flash of cold light before her eyes. She froze, utterly terrified.
But the pain she expected never came.
When she came to her senses, she found strands of pink hair drifting down around her.
Chiba was not the reckless type.
Getting into a fight in Konoha was already going a bit too far.
If he actually injured someone, it would inevitably draw attention.
So a little lesson would suffice.
That throw of his kunai had merely sliced off a fair amount of Sakura Haruno's hair.
"I hope this little lesson helps you remember."
Chiba turned to leave. "People who run their mouths often make others despise them!"
Paying the two no further attention, Chiba went straight back to his little courtyard.
Whatever happened afterward was no longer his concern.
After this lesson, Sakura Haruno would probably rein in her abrasive personality considerably.
Only after Chiba disappeared into the distance did Sasuke Uchiha, who had remained rooted to the spot, begin gasping for breath.
Beads of sweat the size of soybeans kept sliding down his forehead, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.
"Is he really a student from the same class as us?"
A flicker of fear crossed Sasuke Uchiha's eyes.
Having lived through the night his clan was massacred, he could clearly sense that Chiba's killing intent was entirely genuine.
Had he made even the slightest move, he might well have lost his head!
Still shaken, the two left and returned to their respective homes.
When Naruto Uzumaki returned, however, he stared at the empty seats with a dejected expression.
"Aw, why am I the only one left again?"
Time flew, and soon the day came for them to meet their new teachers.
But after the other students left with their new teachers, the three members of Team 7 waited and waited, with no sign of theirs.
Chiba sat in the front row, quietly waiting for Kakashi to arrive.
If his guess was right, this team arrangement was probably the Third's idea.
Among the team leaders, Kakashi "Fifty-Fifty" Hatake ranked among the very best in strength.
Excluding Might "One-for-One" Guy, Kakashi was probably the strongest.
He had not earned the title of Copy Ninja for nothing.
Unable to contain his restlessness, Naruto Uzumaki placed a chalkboard eraser on top of the door.
Smack!
Sure enough, the eraser hit its target dead-on.
As Kakashi Hatake walked into the classroom, he immediately noticed something off about the atmosphere.
Ignoring Naruto Uzumaki's loud laughter, Chiba sat in the front row, looking calm and composed.
Sasuke Uchiha, meanwhile, had chosen a seat far away from Chiba.
As Kakashi watched, he noticed a hint of fear in the glances Sasuke Uchiha occasionally cast toward Chiba!
This kid seems to have a few secrets!
Kakashi Hatake remarked inwardly.
"I'm your team leader, Kakashi Hatake, a jonin of Konoha."
"Chiba, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, please follow me."
After that brief introduction, the four headed to the training ground.
Once Kakashi explained the rules of the bell-snatching game, Naruto Uzumaki took the lead and charged straight at him.
Whoosh-
A breeze swept across the ground before Naruto Uzumaki could react.
Kakashi Hatake effortlessly restrained him, pressing a shuriken against the back of his head!
Sasuke Uchiha's pupils contracted sharply at the sight.
This scene was all too familiar!
He had experienced it himself just yesterday.
Could it be...
A possibility suddenly occurred to Sasuke Uchiha.
Chiba's strength was already at jonin level?!
Before you continue