"It's been a while, Iruka-sensei."
Unexpectedly, when Iruka's gaze swept over Shiki Uzumaki, his expression suddenly changed, making even Shiki involuntarily shudder.
Iruka quickly stepped up to Shiki and jabbed a finger against his forehead, scolding angrily, "Shiki Uzumaki! Do you still remember exactly what you said when asking me for time off? How dare you fight a Chunin now? Have you become so full of yourself after defeating a Chunin-level Rogue Ninja that you no longer respect your teacher?"
Shiki broke into nervous sweat. It seemed the news about him defeating a Chunin-level Rogue Ninja had already spread across Konoha.
Seeing an enraged Iruka, Shiki realized if he didn't handle this properly, sneaking naps in class would become nearly impossible from now on.
So he made up an excuse, saying, "Iruka-sensei, truthfully, I really wanted to protect myself. But at that moment, if I hadn't stepped forward, more people might have been harmed by that Rogue Ninja. I had to step up—for Konoha's sake."
After hearing Shiki's words, Iruka froze. He had always worried about Shiki's safety, but never expected Shiki to think this way.
"Shiki truly is such a good kid," Iruka started praising before suddenly pausing suspiciously. "Wait a second! Why does this kind of talk sound especially strange coming from you?"
"Really?" Shiki asked.
"Absolutely!" Iruka replied with heavy doubt.
Shiki casually shrugged, smiling as he said, "Why dwell too much on these details?"
But before Iruka could reply, a sharp voice came from beneath a nearby tree.
A chubby child sneered, "Yeah, why bother with all these small details? The once arrogant genius has finally become useless."
Standing beside him, another boy continued mocking, "Heard from Hyuga Ao that Shiki Uzumaki can't use Ninjutsu anymore, right?"
"Worse than just Ninjutsu! I heard he can barely even perform Taijutsu techniques requiring Chakra."
"So then, bigshot, are you finally ready to admit you're just no one now?"
Every sentence was clearly aimed directly at Shiki!
Iruka was about to scold those boys when Shiki unexpectedly stopped him.
"Iruka-sensei, let's just forget about this small matter."
Iruka didn't expect Shiki to be so magnanimous, so he remained silent as requested.
Let it go?
In his heart, Shiki thought there was no way he'd simply let this slide.
Shiki recognized these children—they were practically part of the same group as Hyuga Ao.
They kept badmouthing him relentlessly in the neighboring class.
They were just kids, sure, but annoying little punks could be the worst.
If not disciplined properly, their future path might turn toward darkness.
For love and justice, Shiki decided it was time to take action.
"Hey, fat kid, what's your name?"
The boy who had first mocked him was taken aback. He hadn't expected Shiki to actually ask for his name.
But then again, considering he was known as the second-best genius at the Ninja Academy, it seriously got on his nerves that Shiki didn't even know who he was.
His few friends nearby knew the truth—although he often called himself a second-rate genius, can a true genius ever really be second-rate?
"Listen up! This genius's name is Ida Jouji!"
When the chubby boy blurted this out—without even adding "second-rate" this time—he felt especially triumphant.
After all, this red-haired punk was known among the girls as one of the "two most handsome geniuses at school," the other being Sasuke Uchiha.
He figured spouting off like this was the only way to shut this arrogant bastard up.
"Oh right, Jouji? Now that suits you." Without waiting for Ida Jouji to retort, Shiki immediately pointed at the next person. "What about you?"
"Me? My name is Takada Kozo."
This guy sounded rather timid, apparently someone who only dared to talk trash behind others' backs but now seemed too intimidated to utter a word facing the target directly.
Shiki gave a slight nod without further mockery and turned his gaze to the next one.
This time, standing before him was a slightly stronger-built youth. But strength alone doesn't determine a ninja's power.
Seeing his companions had introduced themselves, he also spoke up: "My name is Takaya Kosshi."
Having memorized all three names, Shiki nodded with satisfaction.
"Alright, I've got your names down. I'll be keeping a close eye on you guys during today's afternoon exam. So here's a little advice—you'd better start thinking about how you're gonna gracefully throw in the towel so you don't humiliate yourselves."
Shiki said it casually, as if he'd already won.
Damn it!!!
How dare this red-haired punk
look down on us??
Do you seriously still think you're the genius you used to be?
They all glared angrily, but Shiki simply spun around and walked toward his classroom.
God help me, if it weren't for Iruka-sensei being here, we'd have taught that bastard a real lesson!
Chapter 67 Taking the Exam
Inside the classroom, whispers filled the air. It was understandable—some friends hadn't seen each other all winter break after all.
Yet, strangely enough, quite a few students came over asking Shiki questions.
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