Ninja Academy, Classroom.
As soon as Taiichi walked into the classroom, he heard Obito provoking Kakashi. "Kakashi! In today's combat practice, I'm definitely going to knock you down and show you the power of the Great Obito!"
"The Great Obito who's late every day?" Kakashi didn't cut Obito any slack, seizing on his flaw and ruthlessly roasting him.
"Argh! I can't wait anymore! Come on, Kakashi, let's start right now!" Obito was already getting hysterical.
Next to them, Rin Nohara hurriedly tried to stop Obito.
"Idiot!" Kakashi threw out another taunt.
"Can you two please keep it down? Every time you meet, you start arguing almost immediately." Rin was exasperated.
Obito was very obedient to Rin. Seeing that she was genuinely annoyed, he quickly gave up on Kakashi and turned to comfort her.
...
Taiichi walked over to Shizune and looked at the three stooges, asking, "Shizune, what's going on over there?"
Seeing Taiichi approach, Shizune's ears turned red. Hearing his question, she replied, "Teacher Yamada came by earlier to announce that we're doing combat training today and that he'll be ranking everyone. As a result, Obito and Kakashi started arguing about who's stronger."
Taiichi had black lines over his head. Those two could really argue about anything.
At that moment, Might Gai saw Taiichi chatting with Shizune and walked over.
"Taiichi, are you nervous about today's combat practice? I feel my youthful blood boiling already!"
"Why would I be? Gai, don't we spar every day?"
"No, Taiichi! This is a chance to show ourselves! I want to demonstrate the results of my training to everyone and let them know I'm not dead last!"
It turned out that because Gai was admitted last as an alternate, he was frequently mocked by his classmates. Taiichi had assumed Gai was carefree and didn't mind, but unexpectedly, he held a grudge about it deep down.
"I see. Then Gai, you have to do your best! I'll be rooting for you." For hardworking people, support is all they need.
"Ah! I knew it! Taiichi, you understand me best!" Sure enough, Gai burst into tears like a fountain.
...
After a few classes, it was time for the afternoon combat drills. Teacher Yamada led everyone to the training grounds.
"Now, the students I call will come up for sparring. The rest will watch from the sidelines."
"Haneda Takeshita, Asuma Sarutobi."
The first match featured the Hokage's son. Asuma usually walked around acting like he owned the place, so he didn't interact much with Taiichi's group. Today would be a good chance to see his skill level.
The two entered the ring and made the Seal of Confrontation.
With Teacher Yamada's command of "Start," Asuma charged straight at Takeshita. His speed alone surpassed the vast majority of the class. Takeshita was somewhat stunned by Asuma's aura, and by the time he reacted, it was a bit too late.
Asuma closed in with a straight punch, heavy and powerful. One hit shattered Takeshita's defense. Without hesitation, Asuma followed up with a combo, knocking Takeshita to the ground.
"Asuma wins," Teacher Yamada announced promptly.
The two stood up, made the Seal of Reconciliation, and left the ring.
"Asuma's level is high. His basics are exceptionally solid," Taiichi said, turning to Gai.
"Yeah, a formidable rival! Youth demands such competition!"
"Second match: Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake."
He hadn't expected this pair to meet so early. This was going to be a good show.
Watching Obito and Kakashi take the field, Obito started taunting again before the match even began. Below the stage, Rin facepalmed, completely speechless.
"Seal of Confrontation!" Even Teacher Yamada, acting as referee, couldn't stand it anymore and urged them on.
The two made the Seal of Confrontation, and the battle began.
Kakashi faced off against Obito. To Taiichi's surprise, for the first half of the match, the two were evenly matched. They countered each other's moves, attacking and defending with considerable structure.
Taiichi felt he needed to re-evaluate his classmates. He couldn't underestimate anyone just because he knew the original story. He knew Kakashi's level well since they sparred often, but for Obito to fight Kakashi to a standstill like this was truly beyond Taiichi's expectations.
Their exciting duel drew cheers from the classmates on the sidelines. However, compared to Obito, Kakashi was undoubtedly more popular, especially among the girls in the class.
Hearing the girls cheering for Kakashi, Obito's Sharingan was practically about to awaken from sheer jealousy. Even Taiichi, standing far away, could feel his frustration.
This made Obito's attacks increasingly impatient and sloppy. The result was that Kakashi seized an opportunity and knocked him down with a combo.
"Kakashi Hatake wins."
Obito stood up and reluctantly made the Seal of Reconciliation.
"Third match: Taiichi Matsushita, Yūbashira Hyuga."
Hearing his name, Taiichi walked onto the field. Looking at Yūbashira Hyuga approaching from the opposite side, Taiichi was eager to try his hand. He wanted to see what the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was like.
The two made the Seal of Confrontation, and the battle began.
The Hyuga boy assumed a starting stance. Seeing that he wouldn't attack first, Taiichi charged forward. He raised his hand for a stepping straight punch. The Hyuga blocked it with a parry. Taiichi followed the momentum, spinning into an elbow strike. Seeing the Hyuga jump back to dodge, Taiichi followed up with a high kick aiming for the head. Unable to retreat further, the Hyuga could only raise his arms to block.
Bang.
Yūbashira hadn't expected Taiichi's kick to be so heavy. One hand couldn't block it at all; his own hand was smashed into his head, and he staggered sideways several steps before stabilizing.
Taiichi seized the moment to press the attack with a flurry of blows, but the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist wasn't just for show. Slowly, Yūbashira stabilized the situation.
The first phase of the engagement ended, and both backed off, panting.
Yūbashira Hyuga regulated his breathing and launched the attack first. He assumed a specific stance. Taiichi found it strange, but Teacher Yamada, observing the match, perked up. He recognized it as the starting stance of the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palms. He hadn't expected this batch of students to be so full of talent.
Seeing Yūbashira Hyuga charging rapidly, Taiichi was already on high alert. When he heard the opponent shout "Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms," he didn't dare to be careless and focused all his attention.
Yūbashira, already fast, doubled his speed the moment he struck out with his palms. His hands were practically blurring into afterimages.
At this moment, Taiichi's talent "Academic Genius" kicked in. 10x focus, 100% increase in thought processing speed. This talent, originally meant for studying, was just as effective in combat.
The world in Taiichi's eyes slowed down. Yūbashira Hyuga's movements became clear. Although his body still struggled to keep up, blocking and parrying became much easier.
To the onlookers, both of their movements were blurringly fast. When Yūbashira Hyuga struck his final palm, he knew he had lost. Sure enough, Taiichi seized the moment after the last palm strike, while Yūbashira was recovering his breath, and decisively launched a punch that landed squarely in his stomach.
"Taiichi Matsushita wins," Teacher Yamada announced. Thankfully nothing went wrong; in that situation just now, even he might not have intervened in time.
The two made the Seal of Reconciliation and left the field.
At the same time, a certain Hokage peeping via a crystal ball breathed a sigh of relief. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had watched the whole thing, was surprised that Yūbashira Hyuga could perform the Thirty-Two Palms at such a young age. He was equally surprised that Taiichi Matsushita could withstand the entire barrage and still counterattack. As expected of the child he had his eye on.
"Fourth match: Rin Nohara, Shizune."
...
"Alright, that's it for the duels today. Rankings will be posted on the bulletin board tomorrow. Class dismissed."
With that dismissal, the day's lessons came to an end. Students left the school in twos and threes.
As usual, Taiichi, Gai, and Kakashi headed to the small forest together to burn off their remaining energy. On the way, they were joined by Obito, Rin, and Shizune. The group marched toward the woods in a formidable pack.
...
Nighttime, Root Base.
The leader of Root, Danzo, currently in his prime, looked at the documents in his hand. These were the reports on today's combat duels at the Ninja Academy. "Born in the orphanage, parents were both ninjas who died in battle, no Kekkei Genkai. Outstanding traits are excellent learning ability and neural reaction speed."
The Root ninja responsible for scouting outstanding Academy students bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Lord Danzo."
"This Taiichi Matsushita has very strong learning capabilities. Whether it's Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or theory, he ranks among the top in the class. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he is number one."
"His Taijutsu isn't exceptionally prominent yet, but his superior reaction speed allows him to turn defeat into victory."
"Furthermore, he possesses an extremely excellent quality: self-discipline."
"His self-discipline surpasses even that of most adult ninjas. Therefore, this subordinate believes such a person is worth recruiting and cultivating for Root."
"Self-discipline... that is indeed a quality well-suited for Root. Coupled with his other merits, he is indeed worth cultivating," Danzo said.
"Pay close attention to this Taiichi Matsushita."
"Yes!"