As for his biological son, Asuma, being beaten into a concussion and rushed to the Konoha Hospital? Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't particularly care.
Konoha possessed the most sophisticated medical ninja system in the world, headed by the legendary Tsunade. They could bring someone back from brain death, let alone a simple concussion.
Besides, if Asuma could get a concussion during a mere Academy sparring match, it only proved how much of a half-baked amateur he was.
If he were on a real battlefield, he'd be dead in seconds. Better to take a beating now and learn a lesson than to be cut down by an enemy later.
On the other side of things, Uchiha Mai was extremely satisfied with today's gains.
To an average ninja, this body's talent might seem "genius," but to Mai, it was utterly plain—standard Uchiha level at best.
His chakra reserves were currently those of a common Genin, and his repertoire consisted solely of the Three Basic Academy Jutsu.
His affinity was Fire, yet he hadn't mastered a single Fire Release technique. He was currently trailing behind where a young Sasuke would have been.
In terms of raw stats, he hadn't actually been stronger than Asuma; they were roughly 50-50. However, using Mayweather's boxing techniques to absolutely wreck an elementary student had been a delightful surprise.
Boxing, much like racing, looks like a high-adrenaline, hot-blooded sport from the outside, but it actually requires the athlete to maintain absolute calm.
Because official matches involve strict weight classes, the physical gap between opponents is usually small. Victory is decided by energy management and the efficiency of power delivery.
The development of boxing tactics is essentially a "prose written under constraints." Over decades, modern professional boxing has distilled combat into a mature science of leverage and timing.
Uchiha Mai had absorbed this knowledge. While he wouldn't claim to be a Taijutsu grandmaster in the Naruto world just yet, bullying elementary kids was definitely within his wheelhouse.
Furthermore, this foundation would allow him to modify any future Taijutsu he learned into a version that "fit his own shape."
Overall, his impression of the "Dog System" had improved significantly. If half-star skills are this effective, won't higher-level skills make me take flight?
In his moment of satisfaction, Mai glanced at the system interface, and his pupils contracted.
[Style Points: 304]
The current system was a basic version, supporting only Half-Star and One-Star draws. The former costs 100 points, while the latter costs 300. Higher-level options would unlock as his strength increased.
Over the past few months, his daily routine of acting cool, acting moody, and relying on his handsome face had only netted him a little over 300 points in total, which he'd spent on two half-star draws.
Before school today, he'd had exactly 106 points. How had it suddenly jumped by nearly 200?
Is it because I beat up Asuma Sarutobi? Since he's a major character in the "Shippuden" era, does he provide more points?
If that were the case, he wasn't sleepy anymore!
Mai rubbed his chin, his starry eyes scanning the crowd of Academy "brats" with predatory intent.
Might Guy, Obito, Rin, Anko, Kurenai, Hayate Gekko... all of them had roles in the future story. If he beat them all up, one by one...
Wouldn't he be swimming in points?
And that was just the Academy. He could "harvest" the Uchiha clan grounds, too. Shisui Uchiha was only four years old. An eight-year-old beating a four-year-old? So easy.
The Clan Head Fugaku's son, Itachi, had just been born; they'd had the full-moon celebration recently. If he found a chance to... well, "interact" with baby Itachi, wouldn't that reap a fortune in Style Points?
Just as he was calculating which children to bully next, the school bell rang. The kids headed for their respective homes. Mai shook off his thoughts; the "harvest" didn't need to happen all at once. The sheep weren't going anywhere.
The priority now was to get home to a safe environment and enjoy a One-Star Draw.
After rejecting several girls' requests to walk home together, Mai stepped out of the school gates, only to be blocked by a "beast."
A literal beast—well, a "Beast of Konoha."
A shiny bowl cut, a nose like Jackie Chan's, eyebrows wider than a highway, and the iconic green spandex jumpsuit.
Might Guy stood before Mai with arms spread wide, his eyes burning with a never-say-die fighting spirit. He shouted, "Mai! Let us settle this once and for all!"
"I refuse," Mai replied coldly and without hesitation.
"Great! I knew a Taijutsu lover like you wouldn't refuse a challenge from a fellow... Wait, 'refuse'?"
Guy's mouth had been running on autopilot, and it took a second for his brain to register the rejection. This makes no sense!
Mai suddenly tilted his head back, gazing at the setting sun as the evening breeze ruffled his hair. He sighed with practiced melancholy.
"Today is my brother Shisui's birthday. I promised him I'd return early to celebrate. My parents died on the battlefield when I was very young. Shisui is my only family left in this world."
"You have a brother?"
"Not by blood," Mai lied through his teeth.
They were both Uchiha, and Shisui was younger—that made him a brother. As for why he said "only family" when there were hundreds of Uchiha left... Do you even understand emotion? Family is defined by more than just blood; it's a philosophy!
"Ugh..."
Guy suddenly began to sob, tears streaming down his face. "What a moving display of brotherly love! A birthday for one's only family is indeed more important than a duel!"
"I'm glad you understand," Mai said, patting Guy on the shoulder. Phew, fooled him.
The birthday story was, of course, fake. The real reason for the rush was the draw. While Mai was confident he could beat the current Might Guy, Guy's most famous trait was his persistence. If he got caught in a sparring loop, he might not get home until midnight.
"I suppose we'll have to do it another day," Guy said regretfully.
"Next time for sure," Mai smiled.
Having dealt with the roadblock, Mai took advantage of the twilight and jogged back to the Uchiha district, arriving at the courtyard left by his parents.
Years ago, the Second Hokage had wanted to keep an eye on the Uchiha, but to avoid criticism, he had placed their district in a central part of Konoha with a generous amount of land.
Since the Uchiha practiced endogamy and had suffered losses in the Second War, their population wasn't massive. There were plenty of empty houses, allowing even an orphan child like Mai to own a private courtyard.
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