NRaO Chapter 21

Gin was a class clown. The only thing he had going for him was his large chakra pool and overwhelming energy. He could practice more than anyone in his class, and that barely gave him an advantage over the middle of the pack. There were still clan kids above him, but he was the best clanless in his entire class. That was until I ridiculed him for being such a lousy Uzumaki.

“Come on! You’re an Uzumaki! You should be able to swing faster than that!” Our kunai clashed and I won of course. Flinging Gin back enough for him to throw shurikens at me, I didn’t even dodge, just parrying them. He angrily yelled. “I’m not an Uzumaki! I don’t even know what that is.” I could only laugh. “That’s your bloodline idiot! You think you’re just better because you try harder? No, you’re better than half of your class because of the blood in your veins.”

Another few shurikens thrown at me in rage, I didn’t even have to parry. I just slightly moved my head for the only one that would have hit me as I continued to mock him. “If they had your blood do you think they’d be worse than you? No, of course not. If they had the same advantages as you had since birth, you’d be dead last for how much effort you put in.”

He recklessly charged at me, I flung him back in our next engagement. He was swinging much harder and faster than before. Closing the distance again he swung. I backed out of his range and kicked him in the chest flinging him again. I taunted again. “That giant unfair advantage you had, and you still think the clan’s are only ahead of you because of special training they do? No, they put in more work than you. That’s why you’re so far behind. They want to grow up and be someone special, they have obligations and goals. That’s why they’re better than you. All that talent in your blood, and people who put in more effort can run right past you.”

Gin had begun crying. “I-I’m not! I’m not an Uzumaki you know!” I put three fingers up. “Red hair. Bigger chakra pool. More energetic! That sound familiar?" He looked at me in shock that I knew what he was better at than everyone in his class. I mean, I could have just read the information on him beforehand, which is what I did, but all the pieces still came into place.

He tossed down his kunai next before speaking. “I… I don’t care! If I have special blood what’s it matter? All I have to do is get the bell from you. Well, then I’ll just wear you down then! I’ll use this special blood to beat you then!” I tossed down my weapon and put my hands up. “Alright then. Come at me!”

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Hiami knew her clan taijutsu was good, but she couldn’t even land a hit on her future teacher. She had no doubts that she would be one selected, even as a part of the branch family; the Hyuga were one of the most well-known clans in the village. At least, that’s what she thought until she heard a bell ring. She was growing more impatient as time went by. What if two others got lucky? What if she did lose? That would be awful for her.

I knew she was in her own head. That’s why I let Ami ring the bell, then put everyone else on the back foot thinking they might actually lose. To be afraid that if they were too slow they’d be eliminated. I perfectly countered her lackluster gentle fist. Even as an orphan, she was given the basics. It was both a blessing and a curse that they didn’t teach her any more of it. That style is awful for someone so small. A large enough attack would still completely overwhelm her.

I punched down, with her blocking using both fists. Just breaking her guard was enough as I jumped back before I connected. She fell into the Hyuga trap. They would be true monsters if they used ranged attacks. I was honestly looking forward to teaching her techniques that would make her a Hyuga killer. They were so sure that stupid fighting style was perfect even though it had more weaknesses for anyone who didn’t have the body for it.

A more offensive dodging style would suit Hiami far more than 'gentle fist'; even the name was dumb. Maybe teaching her the 'violent feet' style would go further than her own family's style. I should probably think of a better name though; she definitely won't learn it if I call it the mocking name of her entire clan. Maybe the 'gentle killer' technique. I’ll have to brainstorm a better name before I teach it to her.

A kick in the guts, and she falls back completely spent. She had the frail body of someone malnourished. With a huge lack of energy, I could only walk over to her tired form as I handed her the bell. She looked on in shock before asking, “W-why?” I wasn’t sure, to be honest. I could have given it to the Uzumaki, but he still had the energy to keep fighting.

I spoke the truth. “To put the last person on the back foot. If there’s only one bell left, that means the other three will try harder.”

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The second bell had rung. Fugaku couldn’t believe his luck. He was fighting someone who had their chakra split into multiple clones, but no matter how many attacks he launched, they just wouldn’t connect. Sparring with normal shinobi and practice targets didn’t have the same effect as fighting for real. He just couldn’t keep up; I moved at a speed that normal ninjutsu couldn’t hit.

Fugaku noticed it when the second bell rang. I hadn't used a single ninjutsu the entire time. None to attack or even defend. I continued the taunting. “Perhaps I should make this easier for you? Maybe if I only stood on one foot you’d be able to hit me.” Fugaku launched another attack out of anger. It wasn’t perfectly aimed, and I bounced out of range on one foot like I promised.

He was starting to look tired. “That’s the problem with ninjutsu. If you know you can’t hit me, why even bother using them? It would be far more cost-effective to just launch unlimited shurikens at me.” Taking my words to heart, he did just that. Launching somewhere close to a hundred shurikens and kunai in a row, I just kept dodging and deflecting the blows. I didn’t need a fancy ninjutsu to stop it; the big ninjutsu I used were far too much overkill for a fight against some inexperienced kids. No, I could probably beat all of them together without using my chakra.

I mocked him again. “Uh, oh! You better hurry up! I think the last bell might be rung soon!” Fugaku charged at me. For the first time since the Chunin Exams, I fought against someone using a sword. I wanted to hurt his ego here, so I tossed down my kunai. I pulled out a shuriken before saying, “This is all I need to block your attacks.” He frustratedly battered my shuriken as I continued to effortlessly block his attacks.