Chapter 14: Mastery in Motion
Arata stepped back into position, gripping four kunai, his Byakugan active but subtle, hidden beneath his calm exterior. The Uchiha kids sneered, their voices dripping with scorn.
"Kunai takes years to master," Uchiha Genka taunted. "Even if the Hyuga are taijutsu freaks, you can't learn it overnight. Think you'll nail it by watching a few times? Dream on."
Arata's lips curled into a faint, cryptic smile. He didn't respond, letting their words hang. Under his Byakugan's inner vision, he'd already dissected Unno's technique—every muscle twitch, every angle of release, every pulse of chakra. His body was ready to mirror it perfectly.
He moved, mimicking Unno's stance down to the smallest detail. His hands flicked, and the first kunai shot out, slicing through the air. It struck the target dead-center with a thunk. The field went silent.
The Uchiha's smirks froze. "Luck!" Genka spat. "Beginners get lucky sometimes. No way you're that good after missing earlier."
Arata ignored him, grabbing four more kunai. Without hesitation, he threw them in a rapid burst—thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk. Each hit the bullseye, precise as a machine. The class stared, jaws slack. Even Unno blinked, caught off guard.
"Nice one, Arata!" Kushina cheered, her grin wide.
"Impossible!" Genka shouted, his face red. "He was awful before!"
Arata walked past him, voice low. "I let you feel good for a minute. Enjoy it?"
Genka's eyes bulged, his fists shaking, but Unno stepped in, clearing his throat. "Not bad, everyone—especially Arata. But this is just the start." He smirked, sensing the class's overconfidence. "The battlefield's chaos. Enemies predict your moves, just like you predict theirs. You need advanced skills, like this."
Unno grabbed two kunai, throwing them in quick succession. Then he tossed two more, the second pair colliding with the first mid-air, altering their paths. Both sets hit the target at sharp angles, bullseyes. The class gaped at the chunin-level technique.
"This is what separates the good from the great," Unno said. "Master this, and you control the fight."
The students tried, but most struggled. Even Minato and Kushina fumbled, their kunai missing or failing to collide. Unno didn't scold them—this was elite-level stuff, meant to humble them, not to be mastered today. Arata, though, stayed back, watching silently.
Unno glanced at him, curious. What's he waiting for? The Uchiha kids whispered, betting he'd choke.
Arata's Byakugan was active again, mapping Unno's earlier throws. His inner vision replayed every motion—the wrist snap, the timing, the chakra's subtle push. He ran the simulation in his mind, his body syncing perfectly.
He stepped up, grabbing four kunai. The class froze. Four? Even Unno looked skeptical. Two was hard enough; four was insane.
Without a glance at the target, Arata threw. The kunai flew, two arcing high, two low. They collided mid-air with a clink, redirecting in a perfect mirror of Unno's technique. All four slammed into the bullseye.
The field was dead silent. Minato and Kushina stared, wide-eyed. Unno's mouth hung open. Sai, watching from the side, tilted his head, his smile tightening.
"Impossible!" Genka yelled, his voice cracking. "He's cheating!"
Arata didn't stop. He grabbed another set of kunai and threw again, faster this time. Clink, clink—thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk. Bullseye, every one. He kept going, each set faster, more precise, until the target bristled with kunai, all dead-center.
Unno shook his head, half-laughing. "Kid, you're something else. That's beyond chunin-level control."
The class was speechless, the Uchiha kids' faces pale with disbelief. Arata's calm gaze swept over them, landing on Genka. "Ninjutsu class is next," he said softly. "Don't cry when I beat you there too."
Genka's fists shook, his voice a growl. "You're done, Hyuga. I'll crush you in ninjutsu."
Arata turned away, his Byakugan fading. He'd shown enough for today. Let them stew.
(End of Chapter)
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