Ryota Uchiha

Riiing-

As Lin Ze pondered, the bell rang to end class, and the students gathered in little groups to chat.

Kurenai tugged at Lin Ze's sleeve and asked curiously, "Lin Ze, who did you mean by 'important people' just now?"

Lin Ze glanced at her and smiled. "People like Sister Nonō, you, and the other children at the orphanage."

Kurenai's ears instantly turned red. Lowering her head and fiddling with the hem of her clothes, she asked softly, "I-I'm important to you too?"

"Of course." Lin Ze ruffled her hair. "You're the first friend I made here."

Kurenai raised her head, her wine-red eyes sparkling. "Then it's a promise. We'll always stay together!"

"..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you pretending I don't exist?"

"Yeah! You've got as much chakra as an ant, yet Lord Hokage actually praised you. I think you just got damn lucky."

Two voices suddenly came from the desk behind them. Lin Ze turned and saw that one belonged to Asuma, whose expression looked as though he had swallowed ten pounds of lemons raw.

Lin Ze thought about it. No wonder. Asuma and Kurenai were a couple in the original story, so she was definitely his type. Seeing a girl he found rather attractive chatting with another boy right in front of him, about something fairly intimate at that, naturally put the great Asuma in a bad mood.

Besides, the seat Lin Ze occupied now might well have been Asuma's in the original story. Without Lin Ze, Kurenai certainly wouldn't have gone out of her way to save a seat, so Asuma, who sat behind them, would most likely have ended up beside her...

After a moment's thought, Lin Ze smiled at Asuma and nodded in greeting.

To Lin Ze, that counted as a friendly response. What it looked like to Asuma, only heaven knew.

If Lin Ze remembered correctly, the other boy was named Ryota Uchiha. He sported the standard Uchiha spiky hair and wore clothes bearing the Uchiha Clan's signature fan crest, with an expression that begged for a punch.

He was clearly annoyed that Lin Ze, an orphan with utterly terrible chakra aptitude, had been singled out for praise by the Third Hokage.

Lin Ze raised an eyebrow. That Uchiha superiority complex really was cultivated from childhood.

He deliberately leaned closer to Kurenai and said with a broad smile, "Luck is part of strength too. Some people probably don't even have that."

"What did you say?!"

"We Uchiha geniuses need to rely on luck? Just wait until combat class!" Ryōta exploded at once.

"Forget it. I'm afraid I'll make you cry and you'll go running to your parents." Lin Ze tilted his head at him.

"You're asking to die!"

Ryōta's eyes widened so much that Lin Ze wondered whether he might suddenly awaken his Sharingan...

Kurenai hurriedly tugged at Lin Ze's sleeve. "Stop arguing. The teacher will be here soon."

Only then did Lin Ze shrug and wave at Ryota Uchiha. "I'll stop teasing you. You'd be better off spending that time doing a couple more push-ups."

"Hmph, don't get cocky. You'd better not face me in the combat assessment later, or I'll show you what it means to be an Uchiha," Ryota Uchiha said through gritted teeth.

Ryota Uchiha was only a six-year-old child, after all. The Third Hokage had just singled Lin Ze out and called him up for praise yesterday, so he certainly wouldn't dare actually attack him today. At most, he would run his mouth to make his presence felt.

Although the Uchiha could currently be called Konoha's strongest shinobi clan, a quarrel between a few children hardly warranted involving their families. Thus, Lin Ze wasn't concerned. He simply needed to avoid injuring or crippling him and exposing the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon's abilities.

Another assessment...

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since Lin Ze enrolled, and today was this month's monthly combat assessment.

Leaning against a large tree at the edge of the training ground, Lin Ze watched the students clustered nearby and muttered inwardly, I'd better hold back a little and stay at school a while longer. At the very least, I can't graduate before Kakashi.

Kakashi had enrolled at four and graduated at five. He was still at school now, a year above Lin Ze, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others who had enrolled at six. Lin Ze figured his graduation would probably happen within the next few months.

In the original story, Kurenai Yuhi and the others hadn't graduated from the Ninja Academy until they were nine. Although Lin Ze wanted to graduate as soon as possible and grow stronger, as an orphan with no aptitude for ninjutsu, he was better off not standing out too much!

It was worth mentioning that Obito Uchiha was in Lin Ze's year. However, Obito was in Class 1-C, together with Rin Nohara and Rei Uesugi from the orphanage.

As he was thinking, a series of grunts and shouts came from nearby. It was the assessment match between Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma.

Kurenai really is pretty strong!

After a casual glance at the two in the distance, Lin Ze was certain that Kurenai was about to win the match.

Withdrawing his gaze, he clenched his fists and silently assessed his current strength.

Over the past three months, Lin Ze's physical strength had improved enormously. He had fully adapted to the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon's human form and had begun developing its hybrid form.

Unfortunately, he could currently transform only one hand. He still had quite a long way to go before he could freely undergo full-body Beastification in the second form.

Although his chakra reserves were still pitiful, with the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon's help, his taijutsu class results had consistently remained among the top three in his year and first in his class, even while he deliberately held back.

In taijutsu alone, I should be at chunin level. As long as I don't encounter any overly powerful ninjutsu, I can take the hits and recover on my own.

Zoan Devil Fruits provided the most obvious boost upon being eaten. Lin Ze wasn't surprised by this level of strength; he even felt it was low. After all, he had envisioned being close to jōnin level once he fully adapted to and mastered the human form.

My body really is still too young!

Lin Ze was a little over six now, and his body was nowhere near fully grown. The increase in strength granted by the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon was based on his body's foundation as well. He would be about eleven when the Third Shinobi World War arrived. By then, as long as he stayed cautious and didn't go looking for death, surviving the battlefield should be no problem.

"Kurenai Yuhi wins. Next pair, Lin Ze versus Ryota Uchiha."

As he was idly mulling things over, the officiating teacher's voice reached Lin Ze's ears.

Kurenai, who had just defeated Asuma, came up to him and said, "Be careful, Lin Ze."

Although Kurenai knew how fanatical Lin Ze was about taijutsu training, he had no aptitude for ninjutsu, after all. Facing an Uchiha, she was still very afraid he would get hurt.

"Don't worry." The corners of Lin Ze's mouth lifted slightly.

Ryota Uchiha had picked plenty of fights with him over these three months, but they hadn't been paired together during the first two months.

Looking at Lin Ze, Ryota Uchiha also broke into a smile.

Finally, a legitimate chance to beat him up today! ×2

"Lin Ze, why don't you just give up? It wouldn't be good if you got hurt in a minute."

Ryota Uchiha looked at Lin Ze and deliberately spoke in that tone.

Lin Ze said nothing, merely giving Ryota Uchiha a calm look.

That look made Ryota Uchiha's heart inexplicably skip a beat.

That composure, that calm... those simply weren't eyes a child his age could have!

They looked more like his older brother's eyes. But how was that possible? His brother was a chunin who had completed who knew how many missions!

Ignoring the distracted Ryota Uchiha, Lin Ze said evenly, "No need. Let's just begin."

Seeing that both were ready, the examining teacher immediately announced, "Begin!"

The instant the examining teacher's voice fell, Ryota Uchiha flipped both hands, drew two stacks of shuriken, and abruptly hurled them at Lin Ze.

Whoosh!!!

In the blink of an eye, eight shuriken shot out as dark streaks-four headed straight for Lin Ze's vital points, while the other four completely sealed off every direction he could dodge!

This was the Uchiha Clan's shuriken throwing technique!