Chapter 5: Outrunning Shadows
The exam room was dead silent. Arata stood tall, his Byakugan still active, veins pulsing around his eyes. The examiners stared, their mouths half-open. He'd not only awakened his bloodline limit but pulled off a seal-less Body Flicker—a C-rank jutsu—right in front of them. Even with his defective Byakugan, he'd blown past their expectations.
The two chunin examiners glanced nervously at Uchiha Fuzen, whose face was a storm cloud. Arata's performance wasn't just good enough for the Ninja Academy—it was Class A material, no question. He'd outdone most kids his age, even the so-called prodigies. But Fuzen? He looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. Letting a Hyuga branch kid, the clan's "crane's tail," into Class A would sting his pride and make the Uchiha look weak next to their rivals.
"Lord Fuzen?" the kind-faced chunin, Ino, asked cautiously, breaking the silence.
Fuzen snapped out of his daze, his expression sour. He couldn't let this slide. Arata in Class A would be a slap to his clan's face, proof the Hyuga could outshine the Uchiha. He needed a way to shut this down, and fast.
Clearing his throat, Fuzen forced a nod. "Fine," he said, his voice tight. "Hyuga Arata, you've got Byakugan, sure. But it's flawed, isn't it? Not a full bloodline limit. That means you don't get the free pass into the academy."
Arata blinked, caught off guard. A free pass? He hadn't known about that rule. Hizashi never mentioned it. He stayed quiet, waiting for Fuzen to keep digging his hole.
Fuzen smirked, seeing the other examiners didn't argue. "So, we judge you like any other kid. Your Body Flicker was… decent. But it's not enough for Class A. You're Class B at best."
Arata's eyes narrowed. Hizashi had been clear: one C-rank jutsu was enough for Class A. Fuzen was bending the rules, plain and simple. "That's not right," Arata said, his voice steady but sharp. "I was told a C-rank jutsu gets you into Class A. I did it. Why Class B?"
Fuzen's face twitched, his patience thinning. "Ungrateful brat," he muttered, then shook his head. "Your jutsu was too slow. It doesn't meet the Body Flicker's standard speed for Class A."
Arata's fists clenched. Slow? That was a lie, and everyone in the room knew it. Fuzen was grasping at straws to keep him out. "Then show me," Arata said, his tone challenging. "Show me the 'standard speed' for Class A."
Fuzen raised an eyebrow, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "You sure, kid?"
Arata nodded, his jaw set. He was betting on his secret weapon—his seal-less jutsu, guided by his inner vision. If Fuzen wanted to play dirty, Arata would play smarter.
"Fine," Fuzen said, standing up with a smug grin. "Watch closely, because you'll never match this." His hands flashed through seals, faster than most kids could follow, and boom!—he vanished, reappearing in the far corner of the room in a blur.
The other two chunin exchanged looks. They knew what was up. Fuzen wasn't showing a kid's standard—he was using a chunin's speed, way beyond what any eight-year-old could do. It was a setup, plain and simple. They shook their heads but stayed quiet, not daring to call out an Uchiha.
Fuzen crossed his arms, smirking. "That's the Class A standard. Match it, and you're in."
Arata didn't flinch. He stared at Fuzen, his Byakugan active, reading every twitch of the chunin's chakra. Fuzen's smugness made his blood boil, but he kept it cool. "If you say so," he said softly, almost mocking.
Fuzen's grin faltered. "Hurry up, kid. Don't waste our time."
Arata didn't move right away. He let the tension hang, his eyes locked on Fuzen's. Then, without a single hand seal, his Byakugan flared, and boom!—he was gone. In a blink, he stood right next to Fuzen, so close their shoulders almost touched.
"Is this fast enough?" Arata asked, his voice calm but edged with defiance.
Fuzen's eyes widened, shock breaking his composure. "What—?" The other chunin shot to their feet, jaws dropping.
"So fast!" Ino gasped.
The chunin by the door stared, speechless. Even he hadn't caught Arata's movement.
Arata wasn't surprised. His inner vision let him control chakra like a master, guiding it to the exact points in an instant. The Body Flicker wasn't just fast for him—it was second nature.
The room stayed quiet, everyone processing what just happened. A kid, the Hyuga's so-called failure, had matched a chunin's speed. No seals. No hesitation. Genius wasn't a strong enough word.
Arata tilted his head, staring at Fuzen. "Well, teacher? Can I join Class A now?"
Fuzen's face darkened, his pride stung. "I… I wasn't ready," he stammered, coughing to cover his embarrassment. "I didn't see it clearly. Doesn't count."
The other chunin blinked, stunned. That was a weak excuse, even for Fuzen. They stayed quiet, but their eyes said it all: this was unfair.
Arata's lips twitched into a faint smirk. No anger, just confidence. "Okay, then. Let's do it again." He stepped back, his Byakugan glowing. "But this time, let's make it fair. We go together, same jutsu, same time. Unless your eyes are too weak to keep up, teacher."
The room froze. The other chunin gaped, their faces screaming one thing: This kid's insane. Challenging a chunin outright? That was unheard of.
Fuzen's eyes narrowed, a spark of red flashing in them—two tomoe, his Sharingan waking up. "You're asking for it, brat," he growled, a hint of menace in his voice. "Fine. Together."
The air crackled with tension. Fuzen's hands moved, seals forming so fast they blurred. Boom! He vanished, reappearing behind Arata in a flash.
But Arata was already gone. "Looking for me, teacher?" His voice came from behind Fuzen, calm and taunting.
Fuzen spun, sweat beading on his forehead. He hadn't seen Arata move—not even with his Sharingan. The other chunin stared, their eyes wide. Arata had matched Fuzen's speed—no, he'd beaten it. He'd locked onto Fuzen's chakra with his Byakugan and moved to intercept, all in a split second.
Fuzen stood frozen, his pride crumbling. A kid had outdone him in front of everyone. The Hyuga, not the Uchiha, had won this round.
Arata stepped back to his starting spot, his expression calm. "So, teacher," he said, voice steady, "do I qualify for Class A now?"
The room was silent, the weight of his words sinking in. The crane's tail of the Hyuga was no joke. If this was failure, then what did that make the Uchiha's so-called geniuses?
(End of Chapter)
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