He would neither be a pushover who looked easy to bully nor an outstanding genius who seemed formidable.
Everything was kept just right.
As for whether he won or lost today...
That would depend on his opponent's performance.
Araki paid no attention to their gazes. He rose and followed his classmates toward the training ground.
Five minutes later.
The students stood on the training ground in three rows, all facing Ibuki-sensei.
"Next, the students whose names I call will step forward for a mock battle. Stop short of hurting each other. I'll intervene if necessary."
Ibuki-sensei spoke gravely. As a Chunin of Konoha, he could easily keep these children who had yet to graduate from the Ninja Academy under control without any trouble.
"Yes!"
The students answered in unison, almost every face serious.
These students were still children. Each hoped to defeat their opponent in a match like this and show the other children their strength.
No one would hide their strength in a match like this.
After all, that required considerable cunning and tremendous self-control. Not everyone could endure the solitude of being a top student who deliberately wrote wrong answers on mock exams to keep their score just above passing...
"First round, Inoichi Yamanaka versus Shikaku Nara!"
Ibuki-sensei called out the first two names. Two figures stepped out of the ranks and into the students' view.
The two students exchanged a glance, smiles appearing on both their faces. They knew each other all too well.
Araki watched them from the ranks. The blond was Inoichi Yamanaka of Konoha's prestigious Yamanaka Clan, while the dark-haired boy was Shikaku Nara, likewise from Konoha's prestigious Nara Clan.
Together with Akimichi Chōza, who already had a large build despite his young age and was standing among the students, these two would form this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho.
Their three clans shared deep ties, and the boys had grown up together. They were very close and often played together after school. They could hardly have known one another better.
Araki had recognized them shortly after arriving in the ninja world. After all, they were among the few people who appeared in the original storyline.
Inoichi Yamanaka was Ino Yamanaka's father, Shikaku Nara was Shikamaru Nara's father, and Akimichi Chōza was Choji Akimichi's father. Their children were outstanding as well.
For a moment.
Every student's attention was drawn to them.
Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara both earned excellent grades, placing among the top students in class. Seeing these two face off also brought the others relief, since they could avoid such powerful opponents.
At the same time.
The students were all extremely curious about which of them would win...
Chapter 16: Actors
On the training ground.
The students' gazes were all focused on Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara.
They were intensely curious about this match.
"Shikaku, I won't hold back. Remember to surrender if you can't take it!" Inoichi Yamanaka said with a smile.
"The same goes for you," Shikaku Nara replied, smiling as well.
"Then let's begin!" The smile faded from Inoichi Yamanaka's face. He raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers to form the Seal of Confrontation.
"Let's begin!" Shikaku Nara raised his left hand and formed the same seal.
The next instant.
Their battle erupted.
As though they had arranged it beforehand, neither Inoichi Yamanaka nor Shikaku Nara used his clan's secret techniques. Instead, they charged straight at one another, raising their arms and legs to clash in Taijutsu.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their hands and feet collided repeatedly with fierce impacts. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought they were Taijutsu specialists.
After a brief exchange, both retreated at the same time, reaching into their pockets and pulling out Shuriken, which they hurled precisely at each other.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their Shuriken collided with crisp metallic rings, presenting an evenly matched contest.
The battle between Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara drew repeated cries of amazement from the students.
They watched wide-eyed, afraid to miss a single detail.
At the same time, they wondered whether they could withstand either boy's attacks if they were standing there instead.
The thought secretly alarmed them.
The excitement they had felt upon first hearing about the mock battles gradually faded, slowly giving way to apprehension and unease.
Ibuki-sensei kept his eyes on the match. He was responsible for protecting the students and making sure no accidental injuries occurred.
"Their fundamentals really are quite good!"
Ibuki-sensei nodded silently. He hadn't chosen the pairings entirely at random, but had tried to match students he believed were close in strength.
Only that way could he test their true abilities!
Just like these two...
"Hm?!"
Ibuki-sensei suddenly furrowed his brow, vaguely sensing something was wrong...
After their Shuriken exchange, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara returned to close combat, trading punches and kicks with a series of thuds.
Both moved swiftly and struck with plenty of force, yet neither caused the other any harm. They remained locked in a stalemate.
Shikaku Nara accurately read Inoichi Yamanaka's swift, fierce straight punch and stopped it with his palm.
Inoichi Yamanaka then deftly intercepted Shikaku Nara's powerful knee strike with his elbow.
Their fight certainly looked lively.
But the longer he watched, the more it looked staged!
Of course.
This was something.
Only Ibuki-sensei could see.
The other students were all marveling at their strength.
The longer Ibuki-sensei watched, the more something seemed off. He felt these two students weren't fighting at all, but putting on an act. Yet he had no proof.
Just then.
After another bout of close combat, the two retreated simultaneously once more and again began throwing Shuriken at each other.
Shuriken after Shuriken collided with pinpoint accuracy.
This time, it was even more obvious.
The Shuriken Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara threw didn't look as though they were meant to hit each other at all. They seemed intended to hit the other boy's Shuriken instead.
Clink, clang...
As the sound of colliding Shuriken continued...
The dark lines on Ibuki-sensei's face grew heavier.
"All right, stop. That's enough. It's a draw!"
Helplessly, Ibuki-sensei called an end to their mock battle. He felt that if he didn't speak up, these two could keep going until school ended. With both contributing such performances, they were clearly aiming for a draw.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara stopped almost simultaneously, showing no intention of continuing the fight, and answered Ibuki-sensei together.
Then.
The two exchanged a glance.
The corners of their mouths lifted slightly into faint smiles.
Each saw their mutual understanding in the other's eyes.
They walked forward until they stood before each other, then extended the hands they had used to form their seals. With the same two fingers, they hooked them together, fastening them like a lock.
This hand seal was the Seal of Reconciliation used between ninjas.
Before a match, ninjas formed the Seal of Confrontation to tell their opponent the fight was about to begin. Afterward, they formed the Seal of Reconciliation, symbolizing that they were still comrades and that any rift, however great, could be resolved.
Their little gestures didn't escape Ibuki-sensei's notice, but that no longer mattered. Even if these two had teamed up to put on a fine show, it had given him a clearer understanding of their abilities and set a very good tone for these mock battles.
Ibuki-sensei had also learned something from this: the next time they held mock battles, he absolutely could not pair these two together.
"Next pair..."
Ibuki-sensei looked toward the ranks. After what had just happened with Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, he understood that he couldn't choose close friends who understood each other too well. They had already learned to put on an act at such a young age.
"Araki..."
Ibuki-sensei's gaze immediately settled on Araki. He felt it would be best to call Araki out first. After all, this student was withdrawn and had few friends-or rather, no friends at all-so there would be no chance of the second match being staged too.
Whatever the case, these were mock battles at the Ninja Academy. They couldn't all be fake, or they would have no credibility.
After calling Araki's name, Ibuki immediately swept his gaze over the other students in the ranks, looking for a suitable opponent.
In an instant.
He saw many eager gazes.
The sight left him dumbfounded...
Since when had Araki become so popular? No one had paid him any attention before, yet now there were suddenly many students signaling Ibuki with their eyes, hoping to be chosen for the mock battle.