As all the students headed toward the open training field of the Ninja Academy to begin the matches, Kiseki walked with the others while trying to keep a calm expression. Inside, however, he was paying much more attention than he seemed. He was finally going to see where he actually stood compared to his classmates, although he was not expecting too much from himself. After all, he had been training seriously for less than two months, and a large part of that time had been focused on chakra control, so ending up somewhere around the middle of the class would already be a good result in his eyes.
"Finally, I'll be able to see how I compare to the others although it's not like I have much to show yet. I've been training seriously for less than two months, so being somewhere around the middle should be enough."
That thought quickly led to a much less pleasant one. Kiseki could not forget what era he was living in or who currently controlled Konoha. Being a civilian with too much talent could already attract the attention of people like Hiruzen and Danzō, especially Hiruzen, who always seemed interested in promising children that could be shaped by the village. However, if they also discovered that he possessed a Kekkei Genkai, the situation could become much worse. Danzō would almost certainly try to get his hands on him sooner or later, and Kiseki did not trust Hiruzen enough to believe that the Hokage would protect him simply because he was a child.
"If I stand out too much while looking like nothing more than a talented civilian, I could already attract attention but if they find out I also have a Kekkei Genkai, Danzō definitely won't leave me alone. And even if Hiruzen likes my bloodline, if I don't become the kind of shinobi he wants to control, I can't trust him to simply let me go."
Kiseki lowered his gaze slightly as he continued walking. That was exactly why he needed to control how much he showed. Deliberately becoming one of the worst students could also look suspicious after he had already shown some ability, but standing out too much would be even worse.
"Then it's decided. My goal will be to win one fight and lose one. That would be perfect. I'd stay somewhere in the middle among the civilian students and wouldn't attract much attention."
The idea seemed reasonable enough. He could continue growing quietly over the next few years and only reveal his true potential once the political situation became safer.
"Once Hiruzen dies during the snake lady's attack and Tsunade becomes Hokage, I'll be able to show much more without being as afraid. From what I remember from the anime, Tsunade wasn't nearly as dark as Hiruzen and Danzō. Besides, by that age I should at least have jōnin-level strength, maybe even elite jōnin if everything goes well."
However, thinking about the future made his expression turn slightly bitter.
"By then, Itachi will already be practically an S-rank ninja"
Kiseki could not help feeling a little frustrated whenever he compared his growth to monsters of talent like Itachi. The Uchiha possessed an absurd advantage. In his opinion, someone who awakened and properly mastered the Mangekyō Sharingan could almost immediately jump to something close to S-rank or even Kage-level depending on their abilities.
"The Uchiha only need to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and their power can jump to a ridiculous level. But whatever it's not like I can complain too much either."
His thoughts immediately moved toward the Crystal Tree hidden beneath his home and everything he had discovered about the true potential of his own bloodline.
"My Kekkei Genkai also has a lot of potential. If I can eventually make proper use of the Crystal Tree and develop my power the right way, maybe I can equal them or even surpass them. And who knows, maybe one day I can make the Haruno clan rise again in the shinobi world without having to hide."
That thought improved his mood a little. He did not need to immediately become someone comparable to the greatest prodigies in the world. What mattered was surviving, growing stronger, and making sure his family remained protected until he had enough power to decide his own future.
By the time he finished that long conversation with himself, Kiseki realized they had already reached the training field. The students began gathering around a small marked area in the middle of the yard while the teacher checked the list of matches. Some children were excitedly talking among themselves, others looked nervous, and a few were already arguing about who would be the strongest in the class. Kiseki discreetly looked for Itachi among them, curious to see how he would perform, but before he could observe much, he suddenly heard his own name.
"Kiseki Haruno versus Tenma Izumo. Both of you, come forward and perform the training and respect seal."
Kiseki blinked.
"Me first?"
He had not expected to be in the very first match, but there was no reason to refuse. He quickly stood up and walked toward the marked area. On the other side, Tenma Izumo also moved toward the center with a fairly confident expression.
The two stood across from each other and, following the teacher's instructions, raised their hands and properly performed the respect seal before the fight.
The teacher watched for a few seconds to make sure neither of them had made a mistake, then lowered one hand.
"Begin!"
Tenma moved first.
He rushed straight toward Kiseki and immediately began attacking with a series of rough, inexperienced movements. It was not surprising. Like many students at the Academy, he came from a civilian family and still lacked any proper combat foundation. He threw a punch toward Kiseki's face, then immediately followed with another aimed at his chest.
Kiseki simply stepped aside.
The first punch passed beside his cheek, the second did not even come close.
Tenma frowned and attacked again, this time trying to combine punches and kicks with greater speed, but the result did not change much. Although Kiseki had not spent as much time as he wanted on physical training lately, the foundation he had built before, combined with awakening his chakra and constantly practicing, had improved his physical condition considerably.
More importantly, Kiseki was not trying to meet Tenma's force head-on.
Every time his opponent attacked, he simply moved.
A step to the side, a slight lean backward, a turn of the body.
Kiseki avoided the attacks with smooth movements, almost like water flowing around an obstacle, wasting as little energy as possible while letting Tenma tire himself out, after nearly a minute of attacking without landing a single hit, Tenma's breathing became noticeably heavier.
"Bastard! Stay still so I can hit you!"
Kiseki almost smiled.
"That would be pretty stupid."
Tenma's eyes widened slightly in anger, and that brief moment of distraction was exactly what Kiseki had been waiting for.
He accelerated.
Before Tenma could react, Kiseki appeared directly in front of him and threw a punch into his stomach. At the very last moment, he allowed a small amount of chakra to flow into his arm and concentrated just enough into his fist to increase the impact without making it too obvious.
The punch connected.
"Ugh!"
Tenma immediately lost his breath.
His body was sent several meters backward, crossing the boundary of the small ring marked in the Academy yard before falling to the ground, for a few seconds, there was silence.
The teacher looked at Tenma, then at the boundary line, and finally at Kiseki.
"Winner, Kiseki Haruno."
Some of the students immediately began whispering among themselves while Kiseki slowly relaxed his stance. He had won, but he did not feel like he had shown anything particularly extraordinary. He had simply avoided the attacks of an inexperienced civilian student and finished the fight with a single punch lightly reinforced with chakra.
Exactly what he wanted, the teacher spoke again.
"Now perform the reconciliation seal."
Kiseki obeyed immediately and raised one hand toward Tenma.
His opponent took much longer.
Tenma managed to stand up with difficulty while holding his stomach, glaring at Kiseki with obvious resentment. For several seconds, it looked like he had no intention of returning the gesture, but the teacher frowned.
"Tenma."
That tone was enough.
Tenma gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and finally performed the reconciliation seal with Kiseki. After that, he turned around and returned to his place without saying anything.
Kiseki did the same, and just like that, his first official fight inside the Ninja Academy came to an end.
As he walked back toward his seat, he could hear several students beginning to comment on the match, but he chose to ignore them. He sat down calmly, pulled out something to write with, and began absentmindedly drawing in his notebook while waiting for the next fight.
Inside, he had only one thought.
"One victory."
A faint smile appeared on Kiseki's face.
"Now I just need one loss."