Almost everyone believed Shiki Uzumaki would never have the potential to become a ninja, but reality had just slapped them all in the face.
Ida Jouji slumped against the wall, a trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His body still tingled from the heavy blow he'd received moments ago, but right now, that wasn't his main concern.
Was it really Shiki Uzumaki who kicked me? But how could he hit that hard?
"Uzumaki Shiki! Why did you attack your classmate without reason?" The chief examiner of the Fourth Examination Area suddenly glared angrily at Shiki.
Shiki finally realized he himself wasn't exactly in the clear. After all, Sakura's defeat could easily be seen as Ida defending himself.
As for what he'd done himself… there wasn't much to justify it.
"I'm sorry, this was my mistake," Sakura suddenly stood up and said to the examiner.
Shiki knew she was trying to protect him.
"This had better not happen again!" The chief examiner merely spoke to maintain discipline. Frankly speaking, even Ida hurting a girl this badly wasn't particularly likable.
However, since Sakura had attacked first, he needed to maintain an appearance of fairness.
If only he knew that Ida was the one who started with verbal provocation, would his attitude have changed even more drastically?
"Cough… Cough… Shiki, you handled yourself well back there," Hayate Gekko remarked. Standing not far from Shiki, he naturally witnessed the entire small incident unfold.
Therefore, his words came naturally.
"Just fulfilling something I had to do as a friend," Shiki replied calmly, exhaling slowly.
Hayate seemed intrigued and continued asking, "Responsibilities as a friend, huh? Then tell me, if you had to choose between a mission and your friends, which would you pick?"
That's getting a bit too personal, thought Shiki, but he still answered, "It depends on the consequences of failing the mission."
The shine in Hayate's eyes dimmed slightly.
He figured if Shiki answered by emphasizing loyalty and friendship among comrades, it would win his favor. If he responded by prioritizing the mission, though Hayate wouldn't personally like it, he'd at least consider Shiki a qualified ninja.
But this answer seemed to violate both sides—it sounded like Shiki abandoned the principles of a ninja while also betraying the value of friendship.
So he quietly concluded: He's completely driven by self-interest.
"In other words, you just choose whichever serves your interest better—mission or friend?"
Hayate coughed twice again, covering his mouth with his hand. This question slipped out unconsciously.
At this point, he already felt disappointed by Shiki's reply. Nothing Shiki said afterward would interest him anymore.
Those who act purely for their own benefit are nothing but trash!
Shiki's eyes remained fixed on the ongoing matches in the arena. After half the participants had been eliminated, the next round of fights had begun.
He didn't notice the disappointment in Hayate's gaze, only hearing Hayate's words and instinctively responding,
"Of course not. Comrades mean a lot to me. If the damage to the village is only economic or a matter of dignity, then I will work hard to make it up."
"But if protecting my comrades means more people will die, I choose the mission."
This child?
Hayate Gekko suddenly felt a stir of emotion.
"Someone truly worthy of carrying the weight of a Kage's duty," he couldn't help but think to himself.
Suddenly, Shiki realized his own words weren't entirely from his heart, so he added,
"Of course, I will become strong enough. No one will have the power to take my comrades' lives during my missions! For me, it's going all out from the very start — no waiting around for regrets at the end."
Rarely smiling, Hayate Gekko suddenly smiled faintly. No one knew what he was thinking. "It seems you really are one of a kind. No wonder your taijutsu skills are so far above what you'd expect for your age."
After that compliment, they fell silent again, focusing their attention on the battle in the arena.
Seiji Ito's swordsmanship remained extremely fierce, though Shiki didn't understand sword techniques well.
But even he could tell Seiji was utterly dominating his classmates in combat.
Though clearly possessing attacks as sharp as a viper's fangs, he willingly stayed on the defensive. Probably because he didn't want his fellow students injured in such a fight?
"What a shame, though. I wonder why such a capable person ends up unknown in the original story?"
Reflecting briefly, Shiki seemed to understand something.
After all, by the time of the original story, most sword styles had already declined. From Shiki's memory, in Konoha there were only Hatake Kakashi, Hayate Gekko, and Yugao Uzuki who understood swordsmanship.
Moreover, Hatake Kakashi later somehow retired his blade.
And in the original story, these latter two never served as jonin instructors. So Seiji's sword style probably got buried due to lack of further improvement?
Thinking about this, Shiki couldn't help feeling a sense of loss.
Suddenly, he glanced at Hayate Gekko again. Since he was here, did that mean he'd noticed Seiji's talent?
If that were the case, perhaps Seiji's talent wouldn't be buried after all?
Soon, the boy facing Seiji Ito realized whatever he tried could inflict no damage whatsoever upon him and reluctantly conceded defeat.
"Seiji Ito wins!"
As expected, Seiji emerged victorious. Many children looked at him with envy. Indeed, every genius deserves admiration.
"Next match! Shiki Uzumaki versus Takada Kozo!"
What?
Shiki never expected he would actually face off against Takada Kozo. It seemed too coincidental.
Nevertheless, despite the shock, Shiki still stepped forward to prepare for his first battle in this exam.
Smiling faintly, Hayate Gekko said, "Shiki, let me see just how far you've come."
Sakura also cheered for him, "Come on, Shiki! Beat that guy up good!"
Hearing these words of encouragement around him, Shiki felt maybe he should get serious for this fight after all.
Chapter 63: Versus Seiji Ito
When he realized his opponent was Shiki Uzumaki, Takada Kozo felt a chill run down his spine. After all, Shiki's earlier move was still haunting him. At this moment, he stood no chance at all of winning.
"Kozo, don't be intimidated by Shiki Uzumaki," Ida Jouji said to Kozo,
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