Class distinctions are everywhere, even in a place like the Ninja Academy, an ivory tower supposedly nurtured by love. It's just that kids' innocence hides it a bit better.
So, no surprise, Sakura Haruno was the talk of the town.
She burst into the spotlight of every kid in the academy in the most in-your-face way possible.
"Hey, did you hear? Some girl beat up a whole group of people!"
"Yeah, and they were upperclassmen, too!"
"Not just that—I heard they were from a ninja clan!"
"Shh…"
Stepping into the school courtyard, Sakura's Observation Haki instinctively picked up the buzz of chatter around her.
For Konoha, a village at peace for decades, a brawl involving a dozen people was big news.
"Morning, Sakura-chan!"
Two blonde voices rang out in unison, making Sakura's eye twitch.
"Hey, guys!"
She kept her response vague, hoping to avoid a fight between these two hotheads who couldn't stand each other. The last thing she needed was their blood splattering on her.
The morning theory class flew by. Iruka's teaching was solid, breaking down the basics of taijutsu with clear detail for the students.
The afternoon was set for practical training, a follow-up to the morning's lessons.
The boys were practically buzzing with excitement, many eager to show off in front of their crushes—Naruto Uzumaki included.
"Saku—"
Naruto stepped forward, but a figure cut him off, and a gaggle of fangirls trailing behind knocked him flat.
Enter the infamous reincarnation of Indra's chakra—Sasuke Uchiha, the Second Pillar!
"Tch, smug jerk."
Naruto shot a venomous glare at Sasuke, who stood at the center of the crowd, marking the start of their love-hate rivalry.
"You. Fight me!"
Sasuke, already exuding a bit of his cool-guy vibe, pointed at Sakura, then jerked his thumb toward the training ring behind him.
Right on cue, Mizuki, the teacher overseeing the afternoon's sparring session, caught wind of the tension and grinned with interest.
As a commoner ninja himself, he was curious about this rising civilian prodigy who'd been making waves.
Seizing the moment, Mizuki stepped in. "Alright, for today's first sparring match, let's have Uchiha versus Haruno!"
Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk. He tilted his head at Sakura and hopped onto the ring.
"Sakura!"
Ino Yamanaka pushed through Sasuke's fangirls.
Compared to her budding crush, Ino was clearly more concerned about her friend.
"It's fine, Ino."
Sakura's Haki picked up her friend's worry, and she gave Ino's head a reassuring pat.
Her gaze shifted to Sasuke, who was practically vibrating with anticipation in the ring. Sakura decided it was time to show off a little.
She stomped the ground dozens of times in rapid succession, the massive recoil propelling her forward.
Whoosh!
The air hissed as it parted, and a blur of pink light streaked across, materializing in the ring in an instant.
Sasuke's brow furrowed at the sight.
Mizuki, refereeing the match, and an old man peeking through a crystal ball were equally floored.
"Body Flicker?"
"No, no chakra involved. Some kind of self-developed taijutsu based on raw physical ability?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, stared intently at the crystal ball.
He had a feeling this girl was about to dazzle everyone.
Under the ring, Sasuke's fangirls cheered wildly for his cool pose.
"Sasuke, look at me!"
"So cool!"
"Go, Sasuke!"
But two voices stood out from the crowd.
"Go, Sakura!"
Ino Yamanaka and Naruto Uzumaki shouted similar encouragements, then shot each other glares, ready to butt heads.
"Form the Seal of Confrontation!"
Mizuki, acting as referee, kicked off the match, putting an end to the chaos below.
"I don't care what kind of genius you are—today, I, Sasuke Uchiha, will win!"
Sasuke struck a stance, pulling several shuriken from the ninja pouch on his leg.
Though the academy hadn't taught shuriken techniques yet, he'd already practiced plenty at home.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three spinning shuriken flew from Sasuke's hand, his form textbook-perfect.
"Is that so?"
Sakura's Observation Haki locked onto the whirling shuriken.
Left—right—left!
With a few tilts of her head, she dodged them effortlessly.
She even had the leisure to snatch one of the shuriken mid-air, holding it in her hand.
"What?!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. Since when could a ninja just grab a thrown shuriken like that?
Unlike Sasuke's cluelessness, Hiruzen, watching through the crystal ball, seemed to pick up on something.
"Lady Mito…"
Hiruzen murmured.
The ability Sakura displayed was eerily similar to the Kagura Mind's Eye of Konoha's first Jinchuriki.
Monstrous strength, keen perception, vast chakra reserves, and a knack for developing her own taijutsu…
Hiruzen scribbled on Sakura's file as he watched the fight.
Physique: 7, Strength: 6, Speed: 6, Spirit: 10…
Meanwhile, Sasuke had thrown everything in his ninja pouch.
The ring was littered with shuriken, kunai, and senbon.
"Out of stuff to throw?"
Sakura tossed the shuriken she'd caught up and down.
—Wait, how do you even throw these things?
"Don't get cocky!"
Sasuke, panting and sweating, assumed the Uchiha-style taijutsu stance and charged at Sakura for close combat.
"Eh, whatever, just toss it."
Pinching the shuriken between two fingers, Sakura flicked it.
BOOM!
A piercing screech tore through the air, a ring of shockwaves rippling out. The shuriken's streak was so fast that even Mizuki, a Chunin, could barely track it.
A shrill sense of danger screamed in Sasuke's mind, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.
'I'm done for. Am I gonna die?'
The thought swirled in his head, and a faint red hue began to tinge his dark eyes.
Finally, under the intense life-or-death pressure, a single tiny tomoe spun into existence in his eyes.
"Sharing—"
Sasuke's face lit up with a grin, but then…
BAM!
A tremendous force struck his body. Thankfully, the flat side of the shuriken hit him, sparing him from being gutted.
Still, Sakura's wild Giant Clan strength sent him flying.
He crashed through several training field trees before embedding himself in a trunk.
Dust clouded the air, and the entire academy training ground fell silent.
They'd heard about Sakura's strength, but seeing that inhuman power in action left them speechless.
Even Sasuke's diehard fangirls didn't dare step up to accuse the girl in the ring.
"Tch, how does she do it? She's so scrawny."
Shikamaru Nara crossed his fingers behind his head.
"Must've eaten enough snacks!"
Choji Akimichi dumped an entire bag of chips into his mouth.
"What, you think everyone's like you? But man, that girl's cool! Right, Akamaru?"
Kiba Inuzuka bounced the puppy in his arms.
"Woof! Woof!"
Akamaru yipped back enthusiastically.
In the ring, Sakura noticed the crowd's stunned silence and raised her hand.
"Teacher Mizuki, can we form the Seal of Reconciliation now?"
She stuck out her tongue, her peripheral vision catching the system prompt.
She'd gone along with Sasuke's challenge for exactly this moment.
[Notice: Achievement unlocked—Sasuke's Lifelong Rival. +40 achievement points.]
"Oh, uh, sure—"
Sure, my foot! The guy's knocked out cold!
Snapping to his senses, Mizuki rushed into the trees, digging Sasuke out of the trunk.
"I'm taking Sasuke to the hospital. Afternoon classes are now free training!"
Cradling Sasuke, Mizuki leaped high.
As he passed over the ring, his gaze swept over the pink-haired girl stretching her limbs.
'Sakura Haruno, huh? What a… monster!'
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