Aoki’s speed was very fast, and his movements were also very standard.
Leaning his upper body forward, lowering his center of gravity, lifting his right leg, he executed a standard Uchiha-style front kick straight at Obito’s chest.
With this kick, he used eighty percent of his strength.
It wasn’t out of mercy, but for fear of kicking someone to death.
After all, it was just a combat class, not a life-or-death battle.
But eighty percent strength was also enough to keep Obito bedridden for a few days.
“It’s over.” said Lackey Number One in a low voice.
“It should have ended long ago.” Lackey Number Two nodded.
Rin covered her eyes, not daring to look.
Teacher Nakamura was already ready to call a halt.
Only Uchiha Makoto stood with his arms crossed, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.
He landed the kick.
Aoki’s foot landed solidly on Obito’s chest.
“Bang——!”
The sound was muffled, like kicking against a concrete wall.
But Obito didn’t move.
He didn’t even sway a bit.
Aoki’s expression went from confidence to confusion, and then to shock in just one second.
He felt as if his foot had kicked against a solid steel plate.
And…
“Hiss——”
Aoki gasped, staggering a step when he landed.
A piercing pain shot from his right foot’s ankle up to his calf.
It wasn’t an injury from kicking.
It was a recoil injury.
It was just like hitting a wall hard with your punch; the wall was fine, but your hand bones cracked.
That was exactly how Aoki felt right now.
He stood in place, his right leg trembling slightly and his face turning pale.
The side of the field fell silent.
Everyone stared at Obito.
Obito opened his eyes.
He looked at Aoki with a very calm expression.
“Finished kicking?” he asked.
Aoki opened his mouth, unable to say a word.
“Then it’s my turn.” Obito said.
Then he moved.
He didn’t rush forward or jump up; he just very ordinarily took a step forward, clenched his right fist, and threw a punch.
The movement wasn’t fast, nor was it flashy.
It was just the most basic straight punch.
But Aoki couldn’t dodge it.
His right leg was still hurting, his center of gravity was unstable, and his reaction was half a beat slower.
He could only raise his hand to block.
“Bang!”
But still being a beat slower, the fist struck his face.
Aoki flew backward as a whole, tracing a less-than-graceful arc in the air before slamming heavily onto the ground with a thud.
Dust flew everywhere, and the entire audience was dead silent.
Everyone maintained their previous poses—some with their mouths open, some staring wide-eyed, some covering their faces.
It was as if the pause button had been pressed on them.
Teacher Nakamura was the first to react, rushing into the arena.
“Aoki! Aoki, are you alright?”
Aoki lay on the ground without speaking.
There was only one thought in his mind: What…
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He kicked Obito, Obito was fine, but his own foot hurt.
Then Obito punched him, and he flew away.
Was this reasonable?
This wasn’t reasonable at all!
Teacher Nakamura checked Aoki over and let out a sigh of relief.
No fractures, no internal injuries, just a bruise on his face and a slightly swollen right ankle.
“Can you still stand up?” Teacher Nakamura asked.
Aoki tried, barely managing to stand up, but he didn’t dare put weight on his right foot.
The outcome was decided; Uchiha Aoki no longer had the strength to continue fighting.
“First match.” Teacher Nakamura looked at Obito, then at Aoki, and announced, “Obito wins.”
As his voice trailed off, the sidelines exploded.
“He won? Obito won?”
“Aoki lost? How is that possible!”
“What happened just now? Why did Obito suddenly…”
“Did he use some kind of Ninjutsu?”
“Ninjutsu? He didn’t weave any hand seals!”
“Then what was that? Taijutsu? What kind of Taijutsu can hard-counter a kick and counterattack?”
The students discussed animatedly, their gazes towards Obito completely changed.
Previously it was “Oh, Obito, that tail-ender”.
Now it was “Holy crap, Obito is this fierce?”
Rin was the first to rush into the arena, running up in front of Obito.
“Obito!
Are you alright?” She anxiously checked Obito’s chest, “That kick from Aoki was very heavy, you…”
“I’m fine.” Obito grinned, patting his chest, “Not a single thing is wrong.”
What he said was the truth.
Under the Iron Body state, Aoki’s kick was pretty much like scratching an itch.
Rin looked at him with glittering eyes.
“Obito, you’re so amazing!”
Obito blushed.
“So—so, I guess.” He scratched his head, “Mainly because Brother Makoto taught me well.”
“Brother Makoto?” Rin looked towards Uchiha Makoto at the sidelines.
Uchiha Makoto nodded at her.
On the other side, Might Guy was also staring at Obito, his eyes shining.
Previously when practicing Iron Body, he always felt this move was too passive—you couldn’t move and could only take beatings.
But Obito’s demonstration just now gave him a new train of thought.
Not being able to move didn’t mean not being able to strike back.
As long as you endure the first blow, the opportunity for a counterattack arrives.
“I’m going to master it like this too!” Guy clenched his fists, blood boiling with enthusiasm.
Obito walked out of the arena, and the students automatically cleared a path.
No one called him a “tail-ender” anymore.
Aoki’s two lackies had pale faces; just moments ago they were mocking Obito with “A tail-ender will always be a tail-ender”.
Now…
Aoki limped out of the arena, pausing briefly when passing by Obito’s side.
“You…” He looked at Obito, “What was that just now?”
“Taijutsu.” Obito said.
“What Taijutsu?”
“Iron Body.”
“Iron Body?” Aoki frowned, “Never heard of it.”
Obito only chuckled foolishly; after all, he had won against Aoki, but Makoto had told him not to reveal that Iron Body was something he created himself.
Therefore, Obito didn’t explain where Iron Body came from either.
“I lost.” After saying this, he turned and walked away.
His retreating figure looked somewhat desolate.
Obito looked at his retreating figure without speaking.
He won.
He won against Aoki.
Aoki, the one who had bullied him, mocked him, and said he “wasn’t worthy of being an Uchiha” since childhood.
He won.
“How does it feel?” Uchiha Makoto walked over and patted his shoulder.
“Awesome.” Obito grinned, “Extremely awesome.”
“That’s good.” Uchiha Makoto also smiled, “Remember this feeling. In the future, if anyone calls you a tail-ender again, use your fists to tell them you aren’t.”
“Yeah!” Obito nodded heavily.
The subsequent combat classes weren’t much to look at.
What kind of wonderful duels could first-year students possibly have?
It was nothing more than you punching and me kicking, occasionally throwing a shuriken, while having to be careful not to throw it off course and hit the audience.
Asuma faced a civilian student and ended the battle in three moves.
Guy faced a bespectacled boy and knocked him flat with a single punch.
He was truly knocked flat, failing to climb back up for a long time.
Teacher Nakamura hurriedly announced Guy as the winner and went to check on the bespectacled boy’s injuries.
“Guy, go a bit easier.” Teacher Nakamura said helplessly, “This is just a combat class, not a life-or-death battle.”
“Sorry, Teacher!” Guy bowed, “I was too excited!”
He was indeed excited.
Seeing Obito win made him want to win as well.
To win beautifully, to win decisively.
Uchiha Makoto stood at the sidelines, watching these “noobs pecking at each other,” feeling a sigh of relief in his heart.
Fortunately, Aoki was only a first-year.
Fortunately, he hadn’t learned the Grand Fireball yet.
Fortunately, his battle IQ wasn’t high.
Seeing Obito strike a strange pose, he actually went ahead and kicked him.
If Aoki had even a bit of brain, he would have thrown a shuriken to test the waters first, or maneuvered with Taijutsu, and Obito would have been exposed.
What was the biggest weakness of Iron Body?
Inability to move.
Once Iron Body was used, Obito became a live target; as long as Aoki didn’t get close and consumed him from a distance, Obito would definitely lose.
But Aoki didn’t do that.
He chose the simplest, most direct method: head-on hard-clashing.
And then he kicked against an iron plate.
Literally an iron plate.
However, first-year students didn’t have that many techniques, and many only knew how to charge recklessly.
“Luck is also part of strength.” Uchiha Makoto thought.
For Obito to win was enough.
Having won, he could continue “developing” more “Ninjutsu”.
Having won, those NPCs!
Oh no, the classmates would believe his words.
Having won, he could spin stories even more unscrupulously.
Anyway, Obito believed it, and Guy believed it too.
Uchiha Makoto looked at Guy on the field, and then looked at Obito beside him.
Obito was currently surrounded by several classmates asking this and that.
“Obito, how did you practice that Iron Body move?”
“Can you teach me?”
“Does it require more Chakra?”
“Alright, the next group, get ready.” Teacher Nakamura’s voice came over.