Not far away, in the Group One match area,
Uchiha Toru had just finished a match and happened to glance over toward Group Three. Right then, he saw Shin-chan squatting on the ground and couldn't help shivering a little.
Why did it feel like...
the resentment coming off Shin-chan was really intense?
The matches continued.
Over in Group Three, Shin-chan was still squatting at the very back of the line, propping up his chin, his eyes drifting toward Group One from time to time.
"Next match: Nohara Shinnosuke versus Yamanaka Ichirō."
Teacher Ibuki's voice rang out.
Shin-chan slowly stood up, wooden sword in hand, and walked into the ring.
Opposite him stood a chubby little boy.
"Begin."
Yamanaka Ichirō had just barely gotten into position when his vision blurred.
A wooden sword stopped right in front of his forehead.
"Nohara Shinnosuke wins."
Yamanaka Ichirō stood there in a daze, taking forever to process what had just happened. Hadn't he not even moved yet?
Shin-chan had already turned and was walking back. After two steps, he stopped and looked over toward Group One again.
Teacher Asagi was writing something down for Uchiha Toru, smiling very gently.
She still hadn't looked this way at all.
Shin-chan's shoulders slumped. With his head down, he walked back to the end of the line, squatted down again, and resumed drawing circles on the ground.
The students nearby looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
He won again, didn't he?
So why did he still look like that?
Two more matches passed.
"Nohara Shinnosuke versus Mizuki Shun."
Mizuki Shun struck a pretty decent-looking stance, and then his vision blurred—
the wooden sword was already stopped at his chest.
"Nohara Shinnosuke wins."
Even Teacher Ibuki's voice was starting to sound numb.
How many was this already?
Shin-chan withdrew his sword and, as usual, looked over toward Group One.
Teacher Asagi was drinking water.
She still hadn't looked over here.
Shin-chan sighed, walked back to the end of the line, and squatted down again.
"Next match: Nohara Shinnosuke versus Hyūga Shōta."
Hyūga Shōta was from the branch family. Even though he hadn't awakened the Byakugan yet, his family had still taught him some basics of Gentle Fist.
When he stepped up, quite a few students nearby immediately started whispering.
"He's from the Hyūga clan. He should be strong."
"He ought to last a little longer, right?"
"He might even win. Hyūga Gentle Fist is supposed to be really powerful."
Hyūga Shōta himself thought the same. He took a deep breath and settled into his Gentle Fist stance.
Then his vision blurred.
The wooden sword was already stopped beside his neck.
"Nohara Shinnosuke wins."
Teacher Ibuki's voice was now completely calm.
Shin-chan withdrew his sword and looked toward Group One again.
Teacher Asagi was talking to another teacher beside her, smiling brightly.
She still hadn't looked over here.
With his head lowered, Shin-chan trudged back to the end of the line and squatted down again.
The little rain cloud over his head seemed even darker now.
At the side of the field, a few students from Class A huddled together and whispered.
"That's Nohara Shinnosuke from our class, right?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"He's that strong?"
"I had no idea. Normally he just hangs around with Uchiha Toru and Might Guy."
"But he just beat that Hyūga kid in one move?"
"Not just the Hyūga one. The ones before that were all one move too."
"And Shiranui Genma, the strongest kid in Class B, also lost in one move."
As they talked, they all looked toward the little figure squatting in the corner and drawing circles. Their expressions had changed.
That guy who always chased after Teacher Asagi with a lovestruck face...
That guy who always spaced out in class and answered questions with total nonsense...
He was actually this strong?
The matches continued.
A few more rounds later, all four groups gradually finished.
Teacher Ibuki picked up the list and cleared his throat.
"The two students advancing from Group Three are Nohara Shinnosuke and Mitarashi Anko."
Shin-chan was still squatting in the corner, and when he heard his name, he didn't even lift his head.
Teacher Ibuki continued, "Advancing from Group One: Uchiha Toru and Sarutobi Asuma. From Group Two: Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune. From Group Four: Hatake Kakashi and Ebisu."
The final eight were set.
Around the field, some children were overjoyed while others looked crushed.
Uchiha Obito was crouched on a tree stump in the corner, head lowered, his face full of disappointment.
He had lost in the very first round.
That guy hadn't even seemed that amazing, but for some reason, the moment Obito stepped into the ring, his mind had gone completely blank.
"Obito."
A gentle voice sounded behind him.
Obito turned around and saw Rin standing there, wearing a faint smile.
"So here you are. I've been looking for you forever."
Obito forced himself to say, "I... I'm fine."
Rin sat down beside him without saying anything, simply staying there quietly with him.
Obito kept his head lowered. After a long while, he finally muttered, "I lost. I really... wanted to do well."
Rin gently patted his shoulder.
Obito had just raised his head, about to say something, when a burst of cheers suddenly erupted nearby.
The quarterfinal match: Kakashi versus Asuma.
Rin's gaze drifted over on its own.
Kakashi stood in the ring, his silver hair almost dazzling in the sunlight.
"Begin."
Kakashi attacked first. Every step was crisp and clean, every strike perfectly placed.
Asuma defended with all his strength, but was still steadily forced backward.
The cheers around the field grew louder and louder.
Rin's eyes lit up. "Kakashi is so strong."
Obito sat on the tree stump, looked at Rin, then at the silver-haired boy in the ring, and lowered his head without saying a word.
In the ring, Kakashi's sword tip stopped at Asuma's chest.
"Winner: Hatake Kakashi."
Panting, Asuma gave a bitter smile. "You're strong."
Kakashi nodded. As he turned and walked toward the side of the field, he happened to meet Rin's gaze.
Rin waved at him, smiling brightly.
Kakashi nodded back, then looked away.
He was looking for someone.
After scanning the crowd for a moment, he finally found that red figure near the back.
Shin-chan was squatting in the corner, propping up his chin and staring toward the judges' table.
At the judges' table, several teachers were organizing their notes.
Yuunagi Asagi was sitting there with her head lowered, writing something.
Shin-chan's eyes were fixed on her, unmoving.
Kakashi: "..."
This idiot.
"Next match: Nohara Shinnosuke versus Ebisu."
Shin-chan slowly got to his feet, wooden sword in hand, and started walking toward the ring. After a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped.
At the judges' table, Teacher Asagi set down her pen and happened to glance toward the ring.
Her gaze landed directly on Shin-chan.
Shin-chan's eyes lit up instantly.
The little dark cloud over his head vanished in an instant.
He straightened his back, tightened his grip on the wooden sword, and strode confidently into the ring.
Across from him, Ebisu was already in position, looking grim.
Shin-chan's record so far had been terrifying.
One move per opponent.
That included Shiranui Genma.
That included Hyūga Shōta.
All of them had been tough opponents.
Ebisu swallowed hard and settled into his stance. No matter what, he couldn't lose too embarrassingly.
"Begin."
This time, unlike before, Shin-chan didn't instantly rush straight at his opponent. Instead, he took one step forward, paused for a moment, and only then raised his wooden sword and slashed.
Ebisu blocked with his kunai.
Clang.
Ebisu steadied himself, looking surprised.
He had actually blocked it that easily?
~~~
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