Following the rules, Shiraishi and Ruri walked into the arena. They had already prepared wooden shurikens and kunai in their ninja tool pouches. These were toy weapons with blunted edges, making them very low in lethality.
Shiraishi and Ruri stood facing each other, and first solemnly formed the Confrontation Seal.
"Begin!" their homeroom teacher, Fujimura Taiga, shouted upon seeing them in position.
The moment the words left his lips, Shiraishi hadn't even moved, but Ruri, standing opposite him, had already swiftly pulled several wooden shurikens from her ninja tool pouch. They sliced through the air, rapidly approaching Shiraishi's body, all aimed precisely at his vital points.
A slight surprise flickered across Shiraishi's face as he rolled to the side. Although it looked clumsy, he barely managed to dodge Ruri's first wave of attacks.
Just as he was about to regain his balance, Ruri had already disappeared from his sight. A strong gust of wind swept from behind him. Shiraishi spun around, only to see a blur of a leg. The tip of her foot struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying.
He was defeated in an instant.
"Ah, I thought I could last a bit longer. Ruri is indeed very strong..."
Shiraishi clutched his chest and stood up from the ground, looking as if he had used all his strength to do so. A bitter and unwilling expression immediately appeared on his face.
Ruri didn't respond to Shiraishi's dejected look. She merely glanced at his face a few times, then raised her chin, flipping her long black hair as she arrogantly exited the arena.
"This is what a genius is like. But don't be discouraged, Shiraishi. You are the most diligent student I've ever seen, and you will definitely become an amazing ninja in the future."
Fujimura Taiga liked students like Shiraishi who listened attentively in class and loved to read. Fearing that Shiraishi might be disheartened by his quick defeat in this practical combat, he came over, patted his shoulder, and offered comfort.
"I'm fine, Teacher Fujimura."
"That's good. Go and get some rest. Don't overthink it."
Seeing a hint of sadness on Shiraishi's face, Fujimura Taiga didn't expose him.
In his opinion, Shiraishi's hard work to improve himself must have involved untold hardships. To be defeated so easily in two moves during practical combat would undoubtedly be a huge blow to him.
However, facing a brilliant genius like Ruri, Fujimura Taiga knew that Shiraishi being able to withstand even one move was already quite remarkable.
In his eyes, Ruri's strength was already on par with a genin from the village.
Shiraishi's quick defeat was a natural outcome.
Time passed bit by bit, and the day went by. After quickly finishing dinner, Shiraishi, as usual, returned to the open clearing in the woods behind the school to train using wooden stakes.
Shiraishi's speed was incredibly swift. As for the power of each strike, judging by the impact between his limbs and the wooden stakes, the force of each blow was not to be underestimated.
Shiraishi's expression was normal, and his breathing was steady. While striking the wooden stakes, he also adjusted his breathing rhythm, ensuring both considerable speed and power while preserving as much stamina as possible to increase his sustained combat time.
Just as Shiraishi was immersed in this almost selfless training, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly reached his ears. A kunai flew through the air, causing Shiraishi to react quickly, jumping backward to avoid being hit by the sudden kunai.
Shiraishi frowned and looked into the depths of the forest.
It was already past eight in the evening, and only moonlight faintly illuminated the dark parts of the forest, preventing it from being completely black.
A small figure emerged from the shadows, her long black hair dancing in the evening breeze. Her dark pupils were exceptionally bright, and her sharp gaze swept over him, making Shiraishi's nerves tighten.
This girl was none other than Shiraishi's deskmate, Uchiha Ruri.
Shiraishi then scratched his head, forcing a relaxed smile as he said, "Oh, it's you, Ruri. What are you doing here so late? To be honest, being easily defeated by you earlier today left me a bit unwilling, so I came here to..."
Before he could finish, Ruri coldly interrupted, "Fight me with all your strength."
"Huh? All my strength? That was my full strength earlier today..."
Shiraishi stammered, as if he didn't quite understand what Ruri meant.
"I said, fight me with all your strength!"
"Ruri, what exactly are you talking abou—"
Seeing Shiraishi trying to play dumb and make excuses, a hint of impatience appeared on Ruri's cold face.
She pulled out a kunai, gripping it in her hand, and without hesitation, slashed it towards Shiraishi's neck.
Unlike the wooden training tools from earlier, the kunai in Ruri's hand was a deadly weapon that could easily sever Shiraishi's throat.
The most terrifying thing was Ruri's incredibly fast attack speed, which made Shiraishi's heart heavy.
The speed Ruri was displaying now was even faster than the speed she used when sparring with him earlier in the day.
Shiraishi didn't dare to be careless. He also grabbed a kunai and blocked Ruri's attack.
Sparks flew between the kunai.
Two pairs of silent, dark pupils pierced through the night air, meeting each other, both revealing seriousness.
"Ruri, were you trying to kill me just now?"
"Hmph!"
She was as cold as ever. Her long black hair danced in the moonlight, using her hair as cover, the kunai stabbed at Shiraishi's heart from a dangerous angle.
Shiraishi barely managed to block it, then quickly pulled a safe distance away from Ruri, his expression growing more solemn.
From that last exchange, Shiraishi knew that his speed and strength were definitely not inferior to Ruri's. However, Ruri possessed much richer combat experience, and with that gap in experience, Shiraishi understood that his chances of winning were very low.
Fortunately, after a brief probing, Ruri didn't choose to continue her attack. Instead, she gave Shiraishi a strange look, and the arrogance on her face also subsided as she asked:
"It's really strange. You're clearly very strong, so why do you deliberately hide your strength?"
This question was truly difficult to answer, and Shiraishi couldn't find a suitable lie to convince Ruri, so the scene suddenly fell silent.
Just as Shiraishi was racking his brain trying to come up with an excuse, he heard Ruri continue:
"Never mind. Since I know you're hiding your strength, my goal has been achieved. Let's stop here."
With that, Ruri left without looking back, not dragging things out.
"...What a strange girl."
Shiraishi mumbled to himself. She wouldn't tell anyone about him hiding his strength, would she?
If she did, things would really become troublesome.
Thinking of Ruri's unapproachable demeanor, she probably wasn't the type to meddle in others' affairs.
With that thought, Shiraishi suddenly felt much more at ease.
However, to be seen through by a child, when even the Chunin-level homeroom teacher Fujimura Taiga hadn't noticed, Shiraishi truly realized one thing—even if they were children, they were still ninjas, and he couldn't underestimate them at all.
He would have to be even more careful in the future.