“First pair: Kakashi Hatake versus Might Guy.”
The moment Might Guy heard that, his whole body seemed to ignite.
He rushed straight in front of Kakashi.
“Kakashi, my fated rival!
The day has finally come!”
His green bodysuit gleamed under the sunlight, and beneath his thick eyebrows were two rows of teeth so white they were almost blinding.
Kakashi looked at the muscles already beginning to form beneath Guy’s outfit, then thought back to Obito’s shouting earlier and nodded slightly.
Although it was not Kiyohane, Might Guy was not a bad opponent either.
Compared to Obito’s empty posturing, Guy’s physique, built through constant daily training, was clearly the real thing.
In pure strength and stamina, Kakashi was actually slightly inferior to Might Guy.
Likewise, Kakashi’s swordsmanship, ninjutsu, and genjutsu were not things Might Guy could compare to.
“Mm.”
The two walked into the sparring area and stood facing each other.
Umino Shika continued calling out several more pairs.
Soon, the sounds of kunai clashing began to ring out across the training field.
“Final pair.”
Umino Shika’s gaze landed on the last line of the roster.
“Kiyohane versus Tekka Uchiha.”
Tekka Uchiha stepped out from the line.
Just the previous night, Yashiro Uchiha had specifically called him to the clan training grounds and told him to display the dignity of the Uchiha clan and not become dead last like Obito.
…
Kiyohane and Tekka Uchiha walked into the sparring area marked by white lines and stood facing each other.
The other pairs on the training field had already taken their positions.
A nervous atmosphere unique to exams filled the air.
Tekka looked at Kiyohane, sizing him up.
“Come on.”
Tekka spoke calmly.
Kiyohane’s grades in class were indeed good.
But doing well in regular practice did not mean he could truly perform well in battle.
“I suppose I should call you Senju Kiyohane, shouldn’t I?” Tekka said.
Kiyohane’s father had betrayed the Uchiha clan back then and chosen to marry a woman from the Senju clan.
In Tekka’s eyes, that made him a traitor.
And Kiyohane was naturally the son of a traitor.
Calling him Senju Kiyohane was already being polite.
If they were not at school, Tekka had even harsher things he could say.
Hearing this, Kiyohane’s expression did not change.
He only corrected him.
“No.
I don’t have a surname right now.”
After the Senju clan dissolved, its members went their separate ways.
A considerable number went to teach at the Ninja Academy, blending into every corner of Konoha.
But from that day on, no one could call themselves Senju anymore.
The Senju surname had already become history.
“Hmph.”
He raised his right hand and formed the Seal of Confrontation with one hand.
“Don’t lump me in with ordinary civilians.”
There was a warning in Tekka’s voice.
“I know ninjutsu.”
Kiyohane also formed the seal with one hand, responding with the Seal of Confrontation, then lowered his arm.
“Is that so?
So do I.”
Kiyohane nodded.
At the edge of the field, Kurenai Yuhi’s gaze moved back and forth between the two of them.
She could not help asking quietly, “Who will win?”
She was asking Shizune.
Shizune stood beside her, also watching Kiyohane closely.
“Kiyohane is much stronger than he looks,” Shizune said.
Back at Tsunade’s house, she had seen Kiyohane practice Water Release ninjutsu, so she knew he was actually very capable in that area.
He simply had never shown it at the Ninja Academy.
Kurenai looked at Shizune in surprise.
She had always thought Kiyohane was already rather high-profile because of his excellent grades.
From the sound of it, he had actually been hiding his strength?
Asuma Sarutobi pulled his hood over his head and shoved both hands into his pockets.
He had even copied Kakashi and put on a face mask.
Because today was the monthly exam, Asuma had decided to dress a little cooler.
After hearing Kurenai and Shizune’s words, Asuma somehow drifted over.
He crossed his arms and, after hearing Shizune’s statement, put on an expression as if he had seen through everything.
“That may be true, but although Kiyohane has done well in the written and technical tests so far, actual combat is different.
He may not necessarily be stronger than Tekka Uchiha.”
He deliberately adjusted his voice so that Kurenai beside him could hear.
“You might not know this, but aside from the school curriculum, the Uchiha clan also arranges for its children to hunt in the wild.
That’s real combat experience with actual weapons.
Paper results and real fighting are two completely different things.”
After saying that, Asuma deliberately glanced at Kurenai from the corner of his eye, waiting for his goddess’s reaction.
This kind of information was not something ordinary people knew.
He was the Hokage’s son, after all.
His sources were much better than those of ordinary students.
While everyone else thought good scores on paper meant true strength, only he could make such a unique judgment.
It was very…
Unexpectedly, Kurenai shook her head.
“Shizune-san lives with Kiyohane every day.
She definitely knows the real situation better.”
Asuma’s expression stiffened.
He instinctively wanted to say something to explain, but he was afraid that if he said too much, Kurenai would think he was just arguing and lower her opinion of him.
That would not be worth it.
So he could only shut his mouth and swallow the rest of his words.
[Collectible trait detected: E-rank trait.]
[E-rank Trait: Class Delinquent.]
[Effect: Your mental endurance is stronger than others, increasing genjutsu resistance by 10%.] Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Delinquent?
Kiyohane looked back.
He had also heard Asuma’s whispering just now.
Perhaps because he had grown stronger recently, his hearing had become sharper as well.
Is this delinquent supposed to be Asuma?
Kiyohane’s expression turned strange.
A delinquent was basically a flashy troublemaker, not far off from a rebellious punk.
Thinking carefully about it, young Asuma could probably only count as a mild delinquent.
His delinquent level was not very high.
Everyone else followed the proper path and became shinobi of Konoha step by step.
Only Asuma openly went against Hiruzen Sarutobi and even ran off to become one of the Daimyo’s ninja guardians.
Of course, the mature Asuma of the future, weathered by experience, would be very different from his younger self.
He would become a fairly reliable shinobi.
Kiyohane withdrew his gaze.
A trait that increased genjutsu resistance was quite good.
He was only curious: if he kept stacking it, could he eventually resist the Infinite Tsukuyomi head-on?
“You dare get distracted while fighting me?”
Seeing Kiyohane looking around, Tekka Uchiha felt displeased.
This guy was completely looking down on him!
“Before we begin, I’ll say one last thing.”
Tekka assumed an offensive stance.
“The Uchiha are Konoha’s greatest clan!”
Before his words had even fully fallen, his right hand flicked.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three shuriken flew out.
This was not basic throwing practice.
This was Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu, honed through the Uchiha clan’s hunting training.
Every shuriken’s landing point had been calculated by Tekka Uchiha.
If his opponent reacted even a little slowly, there was no way to dodge.
But against Kiyohane, it was completely useless.
Body Flicker Technique!
Kiyohane’s figure flashed, and he dodged.
Tekka’s brows furrowed.
The next moment, he also used the Body Flicker Technique.
Tekka left behind an afterimage and appeared in front of Kiyohane.
He directly chose close combat to avoid being kited by Kiyohane.
He was betting that Kiyohane would not immediately activate his Sharingan.
The burden of the Sharingan was heavy.
Even members of the Uchiha clan could not casually keep it active.
Chakra consumption and eye fatigue were both factors that had to be considered.
So he concluded that Kiyohane would only use his Sharingan at the most critical moment.
And what Tekka had to do was end this fight quickly before Kiyohane opened his eyes.