A scene like this...
Left Ibuki-sensei at a complete loss.
But...
He was not quite sure how strong Araki actually was, so he could not rashly choose an opponent for him.
As he thought it over, his gaze settled on the person at the very back of the line, who was also eager to give it a try.
Why not let him do it?
Against him...
Even if Araki lost, it would not be too embarrassing.
After all...
He came from a truly prestigious clan!
"Sora Hyuga!"
Ibuki-sensei called out a name that shocked the entire class.
Chapter 17: I Lost
Sora Hyuga!
The name Ibuki-sensei spoke reached every student present clearly. Almost simultaneously, everyone's attention settled on a student standing at the front of the line.
The student named Sora Hyuga wore a white robe, his long black hair loosely tied behind him and a strip of white cloth wrapped around his forehead. Most striking of all were his pale white eyes, which had no black pupils and looked as though they could not focus.
Sora Hyuga belonged to the Hyuga Clan.
That much was clear from his name.
What shocked the students was that Sora Hyuga was very strong, unquestionably among the top three in the class and second only to Minato Namikaze most of the time. He was someone nobody wanted to face in these mock matches.
The students had originally thought Sora Hyuga's opponent might be Minato Namikaze. They never expected it to be Araki, whose presence was barely noticeable.
For a moment.
The students all let out long sighs of relief inwardly.
This meant they would not face Sora Hyuga in their mock matches, which was a very good thing for all of them.
There was another side to it, too...
Many students regretted not getting matched against Araki and gaining an opportunity to show off.
In their eyes, Araki was a soft persimmon they could squeeze however they pleased.
"Yes."
Sora Hyuga spoke unhurriedly, then stepped out, a meaningful gleam in his pale white eyes.
In fact.
He was also quite fond of Kushina.
He had seen all the looks Kushina gave before class and wanted to teach Araki a lesson himself, but he simply had no opportunity.
Other students in the class could go and make trouble for Araki during breaks or after school, but he belonged to the Hyuga Clan. The Hyuga Clan was a prestigious clan in Konoha, and he could not do something like that.
But...
What Sora Hyuga had not expected was...
That he would actually be fortunate enough to face Araki in a mock match!
Nothing could have been better!
Not only could he vent his displeasure with Araki, but he could also show off his skills under Kushina's gaze, with the entire class watching as well.
This opportunity was far too rare!
Sora Hyuga walked out of the line step by step, his gaze already fixed on Araki. He was not nervous in the slightest and already regarded Araki as a lamb awaiting slaughter.
"Get ready to begin."
Ibuki-sensei nodded at Sora Hyuga. He had his own plans for this mock match.
After all, he was not quite sure how strong Araki was and had no way to determine it precisely, but he knew Araki had some mental problems.
With that in mind, he still had to consider Araki's feelings and avoid causing him overly severe emotional trauma.
Since that was the case...
He felt that having one of the class's top three students face Araki was the most suitable choice. As long as he watched over them here, there would be no accidents during the mock match.
This made it a match Araki was certain to lose.
He felt this could preserve Araki's dignity to some extent.
Losing to Sora Hyuga was nothing shameful for anyone in the class.
Ibuki-sensei had put a great deal of thought into this mock match, bringing about the current situation.
Under the students' gazes.
Araki and Sora Hyuga stood facing each other, neither showing any expression.
"Araki, let me see how strong you are now!"
The corners of Sora Hyuga's mouth lifted slightly. He was very satisfied with the current situation, which gave him the perfect opportunity to teach Araki a lesson.
You have only yourself to blame for this!
You just had to offend Kushina!
Even if I weren't your opponent, someone else would still teach you a lesson!
Sora Hyuga muttered a few things inwardly, then raised his right hand and extended his index and middle fingers, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Sora Hyuga had already formed his hand seal.
But Araki did not move.
Araki had little interest in matches like these and had always muddled through them as best he could, but the process was a little troublesome.
He had to control his own strength while also knowing his opponent's capabilities, precisely keeping himself at an average level.
This was a task that required skill!
Araki had to ensure he did not lose to someone weaker or defeat someone stronger. Otherwise, the rankings would fall apart, making people question his combat strength.
The simplest, most straightforward explanation was that if A was stronger than B, Araki could place his own combat strength between A and B, but he could not defeat A and then lose to B. That would shatter the level of combat strength he had constructed.
But...
Against Sora Hyuga...
Araki had no such concerns!
After all, Sora Hyuga belonged to Konoha's prestigious Hyuga Clan and was among the top three strongest students in the class. He was an opponent whom the strength Araki displayed was nowhere near enough to defeat.
There was no need to act, then.
He could just lay his cards on the table.
Araki had never been particularly interested in mock matches that might expose his strength. Now that his opponent happened to be Sora Hyuga, was this not also the best possible choice for him?
For a moment.
Under the gazes of the students present.
Instead of forming the Seal of Confrontation required before a mock match, Araki directly formed the Seal of Reconciliation that was supposed to be shown after the fight.
With his fingers hooked like this, Araki reached toward Sora Hyuga's fingers, which were still forming the Seal of Confrontation. The entire process left everyone present dumbfounded.
Everyone, including Sora Hyuga, Ibuki-sensei, and Kushina Uzumaki, stared blankly at Araki. Nobody knew what he was trying to do.
"I lost."
As Araki hooked his fingers around Sora Hyuga's, his calm voice rang out. This time, he did not deliberately make himself seem to struggle with speaking. He would have to abandon that persona sooner or later, so he could start doing it little by little now.
"What?!"
Sora Hyuga was completely dumbfounded. He was still a child and had not experienced much. All he knew was that mock matches involved fighting. He had never seen someone say they had lost before the fight even began, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
"I'm no match for you."
Araki added another sentence, then unhooked his fingers from Sora Hyuga's and headed back toward the line. His face was expressionless, without the slightest sadness or shame from losing. He looked as though he did not take the mock match seriously at all.
Chapter 18: Clown
Araki's actions were beyond everyone's expectations. None of the students in the class had imagined this mock match would end this way.
Sora Hyuga would win...
Everyone had known that before it even began.
It could be called a foregone conclusion.
But...
Nobody had expected it to happen this way.
For a moment, everyone fell silent. Many who had wanted to enjoy the spectacle were dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
Within the line.
Kushina Uzumaki stared blankly at Araki. She was extremely curious about his strength.
Just as she had been looking forward to seeing how Araki would ultimately perform, she instead witnessed this mock match without a match.
Ibuki-sensei was among the first to react. After all, he was a Ninja Academy teacher and a Chunin of Konoha, so he naturally reacted a little faster to unexpected situations.
"This kid..."
Ibuki-sensei shook his head helplessly. He had intended to preserve some of Araki's dignity by having him face Sora Hyuga, never expecting Araki to simply concede.
He had guessed the ending, but not the process.
Sora Hyuga was undoubtedly the most bewildered person present. He had already prepared himself to teach Araki a harsh lesson.