Chapter 131: It's time to give up the position of grade leader
Ninja School, training ground behind the school. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling. A group of half-grown children were sparsely standing in a few rows. The throwing class teacher, Yamada, an unremarkable Chūnin, was holding a scoreboard and weakly calling out names.
"Next, Uchiha Sasuke." As soon as his voice fell, a little girl's scream rang out from the crowd. Uchiha Sasuke walked out with a cold expression. He casually picked up 10 shuriken, his posture standard. With a flick of his wrist, the sound of cutting through the air became a continuous stream. All 10 shuriken, without exception, landed precisely in the bullseye of the target 10 meters away.
"10 points! Full score!" Teacher Yamada's eyes lit up, and he unreservedly wrote down the high score on the scoreboard.
"Wow! Sasuke is so handsome!"
"He's amazing!" Sakura Haruno held her hands to her heart, her eyes full of hearts.
Sasuke was deaf to the praises around him. He turned around, his cold gaze falling on the orange figure at the end of the line. Uzumaki Naruto. Heh. The disciple of the Fifth Hokage? This perennial dead last? What a huge joke. Uchiha Akira, clearly the head of the Uchiha Clan, refused him, a genius of the Uchiha, and instead took such a good-for-nothing as a disciple. What was he thinking? Was he trying to humiliate the Uchiha clan? Sasuke felt an unnamable fire brewing in his heart.
"Next, Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto took a deep breath. He felt the eyes of the entire class focused on him. There was mockery, disdain, and anticipation of a good show. He clenched his fists. I couldn't embarrass my teacher! Absolutely not! I was no longer the unwanted orphan he used to be. I was the disciple of the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Akira!
Naruto walked to the throwing line, picked up a shuriken, imitating Sasuke. His palms were covered in sweat. So heavy. Why was this thing so difficult to hold? Naruto tried hard to recall the key points taught in class, aimed at the target, and used all his might.
"Haa!"
The first shuriken drew a crooked arc and directly stuck into the ground next to the target. A suppressed laugh came from the crowd. Naruto's face instantly turned bright red.
"Damn it!" He refused to believe it and threw out a second, then a third… The result was that each one was more outrageous than the last. Some flew into the sky. Some disappeared without a trace. The last one even spun and flew towards Inuzuka Kiba.
"Woof!" Akamaru was so scared he barked and jumped onto Inuzuka Kiba's head.
"Hey! Do you want to kill me?!" Inuzuka Kiba held his head and yelled exasperatedly.
"Hahahahaha!" At this, the entire class couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. "As expected of the dead last, still the same!"
"I'm dying of laughter, how did he even throw it?"
"With this level, he's a Hokage's disciple?"
Naruto lowered his head, his hands tightly clenched. "Dead last." A cold voice came from the side. It was Sasuke. Sasuke looked down at Naruto, his eyes full of contempt. "Still a dead last, indeed. Becoming a Hokage's disciple hasn't improved him at all. Someone like you, bearing the title of Hokage's disciple, will only bring shame to the Uchiha and to the Hokage."
"What did you say?!" Naruto suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, like an enraged beast. "You bastard! Say that again if you dare!"
"Say it as many times as you want, it's still the same," Sasuke's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Useless."
"You!" Naruto roared and charged forward, swinging his fists.
"Stop!" Teacher Yamada used a Body Flicker Technique and stood between the 2. "Both of you calm down!" Yamada pressed down on each of their shoulders and sternly shouted, "This is school! Do you want to fight?!"
Naruto, with his shoulders held down, was still struggling relentlessly, letting out unwilling shouts. Sasuke merely gave him a cold glance, straightened his wrinkled collar, and turned to leave.
The dismissal bell rang. The students dispersed in twos and threes, casting disdainful glances at Naruto as they passed him. Naruto stood alone on the empty training ground. Naruto remembered his teacher's stern face. He remembered what his teacher had said.
"The strong possess everything! The weak obey everything!"
"Sasuke…"
"I absolutely… absolutely will defeat you!" Naruto roared, as if making an oath to the heavens.
In the distance, behind a large tree, Hyuga Hinata clutched the corner of her clothes, her small face filled with worry. She wanted to go and comfort Naruto, but she didn't have the courage.
Naruto didn't notice Hinata. Right now, he only had 1 thought in his mind. Become stronger! Then, thoroughly humiliate Sasuke! He turned and ran wildly towards the Uchiha Clan Territory. He was going to find his teacher!
Hokage Residence, study. Uchiha Akira was sitting behind the large desk made of precious wood. The desk was piled with scrolls from various Ninja villages and different parts of the Land of Fire. Becoming Hokage meant endless power, but also endless trivial matters. He was reviewing intelligence about Hidden Cloud Village increasing its border forces, his brows slightly furrowed.
Bang! The study door was roughly pushed open. Uzumaki Naruto burst in like a small cannonball. He was panting, his face flushed, his eyes still carrying unquenched anger and grievance. Uchiha Akira looked at Naruto.
"What is it? Just barging in like this, have you forgotten your manners?"
Naruto jolted, realizing his impropriety. He quickly lowered his head and stammered, "I… I'm sorry, Teacher!"
"Speak." Uchiha Akira put the scroll aside and picked up the teacup beside him.
"Teacher! Today… today in the throwing class at school…" He recounted everything that had happened that afternoon, precisely and in detail. When he spoke of Sasuke's mockery, Naruto trembled with anger. "That bastard Sasuke! He called me a dead last! He said I… said I embarrassed you! Said I defiled the Uchiha's reputation!"
When he spoke of the whole class's laughter, Naruto's eyes reddened again. "Everyone laughed at me! They all think I'm useless! That I don't deserve to be your disciple at all!" Naruto grew more agitated as he spoke, finally almost shouting. "Teacher! I don't want to be a dead last anymore! I don't want to embarrass you anymore! I want to defeat Sasuke! Please! Teach me the art of shuriken! Please!"
Uchiha Akira quietly looked at Naruto. Although this child was impulsive, his unwillingness and stubbornness were genuine. Sasuke, huh? That's fine. The position of class top should be relinquished. Uchiha Akira put down his teacup.
"The art of shuriken?"
Naruto looked up, his eyes full of hope as he stared at Uchiha Akira. "Just the art of shuriken. It's a trivial matter."
Naruto was stunned. Trivial matter? For him, it was an insurmountable problem! "But… but Teacher, I'm really stupid! I can't even hit the target! Sasuke… he can hit the bullseye with all 10 throws!"
"That was the old you." Uchiha Akira slowly walked in front of Naruto, looking down at him. "Now. You are Uchiha Akira's disciple. You are the direct disciple of the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. Defeating an Uchiha Sasuke is very simple."
Naruto stared blankly at his teacher.
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