"Seriously, we barely played for ten minutes, and now we have to gather. They promised us half an hour."
Kurenai Yuhi, a little black-haired girl, puffed out her cheeks and grumbled. She tugged on Uchiha Mai's sleeve, swaying it back and forth as she wheedled, "Elder brother, will you dance again after school? Please?~"
"Next time for sure, next time for sure," Uchiha Mai replied with extreme perfunctoriness, subtly sliding his arm out of her grasp. Sorry, I'm not interested in little girls. Come back in ten years.
The other "little brats" standing around, seeing that Mai had stopped dancing, sighed in disappointment and trudged over to form a line in front of Murakami Jingning.
Being on the older side for his year, Uchiha Mai stood at the very end of the line, lost in thought.
He had been in the world of Naruto for over four years. During this time, he could clearly feel the atmosphere in Konoha growing increasingly tense.
Take the Academy, for example. When he first enrolled, the curriculum for years one through six wasn't that rigorous. Between theory and combat drills, they used to get a full afternoon off every week. As time passed, that "afternoon" was gradually compressed. Today, it was only ten minutes.
The flames of war were about to be ignited.
Once the line was settled, Murakami Jingning checked the register and announced, "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Due to special circumstances, there will be a change in today's schedule. We are adding an extra sparring match to assess your progress.
You may choose your own opponents. If the person challenged is in a higher grade than the challenger, they cannot refuse—though they may forfeit."
The words had barely left the instructor's mouth when Asuma Sarutobi, who had been glaring at Uchiha Mai for ages, shot his hand up. "Teacher! I want to challenge Uchiha Mai!"
Asuma's grudge against Mai wasn't a new development.
As the biological son of the Third Hokage, Asuma enjoyed a certain level of favoritism from the teachers. He had gathered a clique of followers around him, acting like some middle-school gang leader.
The Fearless 6th Grade Boss.
In a world where people matured, dated, and married early, Asuma had set his sights on the little Kurenai Yuhi long before they even entered the Academy.
He'd give her candy one day, a hairpin the next—things were going well. But from the day they entered the Academy, everything changed...
Within this tiny Academy, there were two "Hidden Dragons"—at least in terms of looks: Uchiha Mai and Kakashi Hatake. Almost every girl in the school had become a fangirl of one or the other.
A year later, the "Dragon" Kakashi graduated, but the most handsome one, Uchiha Mai, remained.
At first, it was fine. Mai followed the "brooding, cool guy" route—much like Sasuke in the future. He ignored everyone, breaking hearts left and right, but he wasn't aggressive about it.
Asuma told himself: It's okay. Kurenai is just young and doesn't know any better. It's normal to like a pretty boy like Mai. When she grows up, she'll realize who truly loves and suits her best.
As the "Boss" of the Academy, Asuma tried to be magnanimous and never went looking for trouble with Mai.
But a few months ago, the style shifted. Mai remained cool, but he became... high-profile.
One day, he'd be sitting on a tree branch, hand on chin, acting moody. Next, he'd be by the river at sunset playing a harmonica. The day after, he was singing and dancing on the training field. Coupled with that face that appealed to both the young and old, who could resist?
Damn it! Why am I not that handsome?
Seeing Kurenai fall deeper and deeper into the "Mai Trap," Asuma felt like his heart was being sliced. My dear Kurenai, why have you fallen for this pretty boy?
Fury rose in Asuma's chest. He pointed a finger at Uchiha Mai and provoked, "Hey, Sissy! If you've got guts, don't refuse my challenge. Today, I'm going to unmask you and show everyone that you're nothing but a waste of space with a pretty face."
"Yeah!" "Go for it, Big Brother Asuma!"
The boys on the playground cheered, wishing they could take Asuma's place and smash Mai's face. He was, truly, the Public Enemy of Men.
In the whole school, the only boys Mai was on decent terms with were Might Guy (whose head was full of muscles) and his clansman, Obito Uchiha. Since Obito's crush, Rin Nohara, liked Kakashi, Obito didn't actually hate Mai.
"Sigh."
Uchiha Mai let out a long breath. The children of the shinobi world were indeed too precocious. Fighting over a girl in elementary school? Seriously?
"I don't think I'm a 'sissy,'" Mai said calmly.
Mai's handsomeness was the sharp, masculine kind—like a young Louis Koo or Takeshi Kaneshiro. He had defined features and piercing eyes. Though his skin was fair, there was nothing "girly" about him.
"Your name is sissy!" Asuma continued his provocation.
Uchiha Mai: "..."
Okay... that's hard to argue with. The word "Mai" (Dance) was indeed more commonly used for females.
"You don't understand the Uchiha," Mai muttered vaguely.
Do you even know the weight of this name? Based on this name alone, I've already surpassed most of the Uchiha clan. (Note: A reference to Madara Uchiha's famous line, "Do you also wish to dance?")
"Cut the crap! Do you accept or not?"
Asuma pressed closer. "A one-on-one duel. If I win, you're never allowed to talk to Kurenai again. If you win... I'll call you 'Grandpa' in front of everyone!"
Beauties belong to the strong.jpg
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrist trembled. He wanted to rush out and give Asuma a resounding slap. You little brat, are you trying to kill your father? If you call him Grandpa, what the hell am I supposed to call him?
Kurenai's face turned bright red as she covered it with her hands. The "School Boss" and the "School Idol" were fighting over her... it was exactly like a cliché romance novel!
Please stop fighting! Don't fight for me anymore! .jpg
Uchiha Mai's lip twitched. Could he accept those terms? If word reached the Third Hokage, he'd be a dead man. Plus, his last name was Uchiha.
"Let's change the stakes," Mai said. "If I win, you have to be my sparring partner for a month."
"Deal!" Asuma agreed instantly. Sparring partner? Basically a lackey. No problem.
Seeing them reach an agreement, Murakami Jingning nodded. He knew someone would challenge Mai; being the "Public Enemy of Men" wasn't just a joke. Asuma, as the Hokage's son, already had the strength of a Genin. He would be the perfect litmus test for Mai's abilities.
He just hoped Mai had some Uchiha talent in him. Even a weak Uchiha was a Uchiha. Mai's grades were always above average; he should be able to hold his own. With the "handsome filter" applied, Jingning could easily spin this into a story about a "subtle, late-blooming genius."
The children formed a wide circle, split clearly by gender: boys for Asuma, girls for Mai. Obito hesitated, then dragged Guy over to the girls' side to stand next to Rin.
Uchiha Mai narrowed his eyes. Finally, he could test if the "Golden Finger" he received a few months ago was actually useful.
When he first realized he was a Uchiha, he was both excited and terrified. Being a Uchiha meant high rewards but high risks. After a few years, he realized his natural talent was just... average. At best, he'd become a Jonin—which, in the grand scheme of things, was just high-level cannonball fodder.
With the Third Great Ninja War looming, he wasn't even sure he'd make it to adulthood.
Luckily, his "Golden Finger" finally came online a few months ago. It was... well, it was a bit trashy, or as one might say, "full of future potential."
Essentially, every time the host struck a pose or shouted a "chuunibyou" (edgy) line, he would earn "Style Points." These points could be spent to draw characters and randomly obtain their items, abilities, or talents.
It was under the pressure of this "Dog System" that Uchiha Mai began his journey as the "King of Posing."
n the last few months, he had saved enough for two draws. He had obtained:
Floyd Mayweather's "Shoulder Roll" defense technique.
Eddie Peng's (Lin Siqi) "Flying Armbar" from the movie Unbeatable.
After those draws, Mai had wanted to manifest the system as a refrigerator just so he could smash it and dump it in the ocean.
Are you kidding me?
This is the Naruto world! What use do I have for boxing and MMA? Even a Konoha Genin can walk on walls and throw fireballs! You think Mayweather could beat a Genin?
The system's explanation was that these were just half-star skills from half-star characters. As his strength grew, higher-level characters would unlock.
Furthermore, "there are no trash skills, only trash hosts." Were the "Konoha Strong Fist" or the "Ultra-Fighting" from Ultraman Leo really fundamentally different from boxing? If you were as strong as Ultraman Leo, your boxing would be a cosmic martial art. If it sucks, it's because you suck.
Mai had been speechless. The system was right—in a twisted, pig-headed way.
No trash skills, only trash hosts. Fine. The Golden Saint's Light Speed Fist is waiting for me. As long as I persevere, I'll punch a planet into dust eventually.
Numbing himself with this "A-Q" spirit, Mai had spent three months practicing these techniques, using them as a foundation to master more boxing and grappling.
After a few months of training, his strength had actually improved significantly.
Today's duel with Asuma Sarutobi would be his debut! Three months of hard work were finally going to pay off!
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