Chapter 18: Sasuke's Kunai Throw
Naruto was embarrassed and frustrated by Shino Aburame's comment, baring his teeth and waving his hands around like a wild animal.
But the moment he turned his head, he suddenly realized that he and his two companions had already been noticed by Tsuruma Nobuyuki.
Immediately, his exaggerated gestures turned into an awkward attempt to play it cool.
"Heh, Nobuyuki! You're here early today too!" Naruto blurted out, scratching the back of his head. "Have you eaten yet?"
Kiba Inuzuka stood up with a grumble, clearly annoyed.
"It's all Naruto's fault for being so loud," he muttered.
Nobuyuki glanced at the three of them, already having a good idea of why they were here.
They must've been curious after seeing me auditing the second-year class yesterday.
And knowing Naruto, he probably hyped up the situation, mixing truth with exaggeration, convincing the others to come along.
But—
"You guys don't actually think Iruka-sensei taught me some kind of ultimate technique, do you?" Nobuyuki asked, raising an eyebrow at Kiba and Shino.
He found it hard to believe that students from ninja clans would buy into such a fantasy.
Iruka was just a Chunin. Even if an "ultimate technique" existed, there was no way he would have access to it, let alone teach it to a student.
Yet, Kiba and Shino exchanged uncertain glances.
Kiba, being the more impulsive of the two, blurted out, "What? You mean there isn't one?"
"But Nobuyuki, you're so strong! There has to be a reason for it!"
Nobuyuki wasn't about to explain that his strength came from a system. And he certainly didn't have the patience to make up a fake explanation.
So, he simply remained silent.
At that moment, a slightly surprised voice called out from across the training ground.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?"
Hearing Iruka's voice, everyone turned their heads in unison.
A moment later, Sasuke Uchiha stepped out from behind a tree, his face slightly flushed, his gaze lowered.
Naruto immediately pointed and burst out laughing.
"Wow, Sasuke! You're so sneaky!" he jeered. "Yesterday, you acted all high and mighty, but here you are, trying to secretly learn Iruka-sensei's 'ultimate technique!'"
Kiba crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.
"Naruto's right! Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!" Akamaru barked in response.
Sasuke turned away, scowling.
Iruka, however, looked confused.
"Ultimate technique? What ultimate technique?"
Nobuyuki quickly explained what had been going on, and Iruka let out a frustrated sigh.
"You guys, listen up," he said firmly.
"A ninja's strength comes from consistent hard work and training. There are no shortcuts."
"The reason Nobuyuki is strong is because he has both talent and dedication—not because I taught him some secret move!"
Now that both Nobuyuki and Iruka had debunked the rumor, Kiba finally gave up his fantasy of learning an easy trick to surpass everyone.
Still, Kiba wasn't discouraged for long. He leaned forward, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"Then, sensei, what kind of training do you do with Nobuyuki every morning?"
Iruka smiled patiently.
"I just spar with him and give him guidance in taijutsu," he explained. "But honestly, his progress is so fast that now, I'm mostly just helping him gain combat experience."
The others turned to stare at Nobuyuki in shock.
They already knew he was strong.
But they hadn't realized he was so strong that even Iruka-sensei had reached his limit as an instructor.
Meanwhile, Sasuke clenched his fists, biting his lip.
Damn it… How am I supposed to reclaim first place at this rate?!
Lately, his father, Fugaku Uchiha, had barely acknowledged him.
To Sasuke, that could only mean one thing—he had lost to Nobuyuki, bringing shame to the Uchiha name.
Determined to restore his family's pride, Sasuke had been training even harder than before.
And after hearing Naruto bragging about Nobuyuki yesterday, he forced himself to wake up early and sneak to school.
He wanted to get stronger. He wanted to prove himself.
But now, he was hearing that Nobuyuki had improved even more? That even Iruka couldn't keep up with him anymore?
A sinking feeling settled in Sasuke's chest.
Nobuyuki, of course, had no idea what was going through Sasuke's mind—and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
Instead, he turned to Iruka and said with a grin, "Iruka-sensei, I have a match against Neji Hyuga next week."
"His Gentle Fist is giving me trouble, so for the next few days, could you teach me more about ninja tools?"
Iruka's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Ah, I see! You want to counter Neji's Gentle Fist? No problem!"
He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out two kunai.
"The most commonly used ninja tools are kunai, shuriken, and senbon," he explained.
"I don't have shuriken or senbon with me today, so let's start with kunai techniques."
He demonstrated a few key throwing techniques before handing the kunai to Nobuyuki.
Since kunai were similar in shape to short swords, they were useful in both close combat and long-range attacks.
Thanks to his Taijutsu Mastery (Level 3), Nobuyuki immediately understood the close-combat applications.
His long-range kunai throwing, however, wasn't as polished.
Even so, he was accurate enough to hit the target with ease.
As he threw the kunai, a familiar, arrogant voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Hmph. So this is what the so-called top student is capable of?"
Nobuyuki barely reacted.
But Naruto and Kiba immediately snapped, turning to glare at Sasuke.
"What's your problem, Sasuke?" Naruto growled. "You think you're better or something?"
Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out two kunai and, without a word, threw them at the target.
Both hit the bullseye.
Naruto and Kiba gawked, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
"Whoa… That was awesome!"
Nobuyuki, however, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
After all, he already knew from the original story that the Uchiha clan excelled in ninja tool techniques.
Still, it seems I've put quite a bit of pressure on Sasuke, huh?
Sasuke, who had been acting indifferent, kept glancing at Nobuyuki, waiting for a reaction.
That's when an idea struck Nobuyuki.
In taijutsu, fighting against a skilled opponent helped improve technique.
Wouldn't the same logic apply to ninja tool throwing?
Besides, if he was going to learn, why not learn from the best?
A mischievous smile crept onto Nobuyuki's lips.
"Sasuke," he said, picking up a kunai.
"Let's have a ninja tool competition."