"Good. Then… later."With a faint flicker, Shisui vanished—leaving only a ripple of air behind him.Even in the dim afternoon light, his presence felt unreal.Yeah… the guy who carries the Will of Fire in the original timeline really is on another level.
Ayato exhaled slowly.The stunned silence around the training ground felt almost brittle.
"Sensei," Ayato said, voice steady. "The result's obvious. Just announce it."
Shimono-sensei's jaw tightened. He clearly didn't want to say it…But fact was fact.
"Kirimine Ayato—victory."
The class erupted—shock, disbelief, whispers spreading like fire through dry grass.
But Shimono didn't pause.He immediately called out the next match.
"Second match: Hyūga Tenshin vs. Moonlight Hayate!"
Two more clan heirs stepping into the ring.Ayato watched quietly, arms folded.
There were fights he had no business ignoring—not now, not in a world where kids who could barely tie their sandals yesterday would be corpses tomorrow.
The Hyūga.The Moonlight clan.Even a fading clan had more jutsu, more training, more structure than any civilian kid could dream of.
Ayato let out a tired breath.
The difference really is brutal. While most commoners struggle just to form basic chakra, clan kids are already drilling techniques behind closed doors… learning rotations and sword-forms before they can spell their own names.
Beating Yusuke means nothing. There are four, maybe five kids stronger than him in this class alone.If I want to clear the System's quests… I have to keep grinding. Harder than everyone else.
His gaze stayed locked on the sparring match.
The war is still raging out there. Life out there is cheaper than kunai shavings. If I hit that battlefield with my current stats… I wouldn't last a day.
No shortcuts… no freebies. Even with a System, I don't have some miracle toolbox raining legendary weapons on me.
But Ayato didn't feel discouraged.
He felt hungry.
Because even a stingy System was still a System—and systems always had hidden mechanics waiting for players willing to bleed for them.
The match ended.Another.Another.
By the time the practical exam wrapped up, Ayato's head was buzzing with new angles, footwork shifts, and micro-movements from every fight he'd observed.
A familiar chime hit his ears like a drop of cold water in summer heat.
[System Notice]Learning Replication Detected• +2 EXP• +2 Gold• New Skill Acquired: Taijutsu — Konoha Whirlwind
Ayato blinked.
A passive replication trigger? That's new.
A quarter into his EXP bar glowed faintly.
If I get a few more triggers like this… maybe I can hit Chūnin Rank sooner than—
[Warning]Learning-based EXP triggers will only occur once.Future triggers will reward Gold only.
Ayato's face froze.
"…Seriously? You're doing this now?"
He rubbed his nose, sighing.
This damn System… it throws cold water with perfect timing.
The sun dipped lower, staining the field orange.
The day was almost over when Hyūga Tenshin approached him—calm, spine straight, eyes scanning Ayato with quiet assessment.
"Kirimine Ayato," Tenshin said. "I hope we get the chance to fight. Anyone who defeats Uchiha Yusuke should at least last a decent amount of time against me."
Ayato could hear the subtle arrogance under the polite tone.Hyūga pride was sharper than their jutsu.
Moonlight Hayate walked over next, spinning a practice kunai between his fingers.
"Ayato, try not to fold instantly. Survive at least… three moves, yeah?"
The smirk said he doubted it.
Ayato met both of their gazes with a flat, unbothered stare.
Inside, he felt the smallest ember of motivation flare.
Good. Keep underestimating me. I'll make the climb that much harder to see.