Hakushi and Ruri walked to the center of the field according to the rules, having prepared wooden shuriken and kunai in advance in their ninja tool bags, all with their sharp parts ground away, reducing their lethality to mere toy weapons.
Hakushi and Ruri stood facing each other and solemnly formed a Seal of Opposition towards each other.
"Begin."
Homeroom teacher Fujimura Daiga saw the two were ready and shouted loudly.
As soon as the words fell, before Hakushi could make a move, Ruri, standing opposite, had already swiftly drawn several wooden shuriken from her ninja tool bag, slicing through the air as they swiftly approached Hakushi's body, aiming accurately at his vital points.
Hakushi's face showed a hint of surprise as he rolled to the side. Although it looked awkward, he barely managed to dodge Ruri's first wave of attack.
As he was about to steady his stance, Ruri disappeared from his sight, and a gust of wind swept from behind. Hakushi turned around only to see a leg shadow, and the tip of the foot thrust right into his chest, sending him flying.
Defeated in an instant.
"Sigh, I thought I could hold on a bit longer. Ruri really is strong..."
Hakushi held his chest, struggling to get up from the ground with all his might, his face showing bitterness and unwillingness.
Ruri didn't respond to Hakushi's expression of disappointment, simply glanced at his face briefly, then raised her chin, flipping her long black hair arrogantly as she exited the field.
"That's a genius for you. But don't feel disheartened, Hakushi. You're the most diligent student I've ever seen. You'll definitely become an extraordinary ninja in the future."
Fujimura Daiga, who appreciated Hakushi's attentiveness in class and love for reading, worried that his swift defeat in this mock battle would discourage him, went up to pat his shoulder, offering comfort.
"I'm okay, Teacher Fujimura."
"That's good, go take a good rest and don't overthink it."
Seeing a slight trace of disappointment on Hakushi's face, Fujimura Daiga refrained from pointing it out.
In his view, the effort Hakushi put into improving himself must be unbeknownst to others, and being easily beaten in just two moves in a real battle must have been a huge blow.
But facing a genius like Ruri, Fujimura Daiga knew that Hakushi managing to withstand even one move was already remarkable.
In his eyes, Ruri's strength was already no different from a Genin in the village.
It was only natural for Hakushi to be defeated so quickly.
Time ticked away, and the day passed. After a quick dinner, Hakushi returned to the school mountainside's woodland clearing, continuing his training with the wooden stakes, as usual.
Hakushi's speed was incredibly swift, and as for the power of each strike, judging from the degree of collision between his limbs and the stakes, each of Hakushi's hits carried considerable force.
His face remained calm, breathing steady, while hitting the stakes, he also adjusted his breathing, maintaining a good rhythm to ensure decent speed and power while conserving energy to extend his fighting duration.
Just as Hakushi was immersed in this selfless training, he suddenly heard a sharp sound slicing through the air. A kunai flew at him, prompting Hakushi to swiftly leap backward to avoid being hit by the sudden kunai.
Following his furrowed brow, he looked towards the dense trees.
It was already after 8 PM, and only the moonlight faintly illuminated the dim forest, preventing everything from being entirely invisible.
A small figure walked out of the shadows, black hair dancing lightly in the night breeze, with exceptionally bright black pupils that swept over, tightening Hakushi's nerves.
This girl was Hakushi's desk mate, Uchiha Ruri.
Then, Hakushi scratched his head, forcing a relaxed smile as he said:
"Oh, it's you, Ruri. Why are you here so late? Honestly, being easily defeated by you in the daytime makes me a bit unwilling, so I came here..."
Before finishing his sentence, Ruri coldly interrupted: "Fight me with all your strength."
"Huh? All my strength? I was giving it my all during the day..."
Hakushi stammered as if he didn't quite understand the meaning behind Ruri's words.
"I said, fight me with all your strength!"
"Ruri, what are you talking about exactly..."
Seeing Hakushi pretending to be dumb and playing dumb, Ruri's cold face showed a hint of impatience.
She took out a kunai and held it in her hand, unhesitatingly slashing at Hakushi's throat.
Unlike the wooden training ninja tools used during the day, Ruri was holding a murderous weapon that could easily cut Hakushi's throat.
The most terrifying thing was Ruri's speed in attacking was incredibly fast, making Hakushi feel grave.
Ruri's speed at this moment was even faster than what she had used in their spar during the day.
Hakushi dared not be careless, also holding a kunai to block Ruri's attack.
Sparks flew from the colliding kunai.
Their pairs of silent black pupils penetrated the night air, meeting each other's gaze, both revealing a serious look.
"Ruri, were you trying to kill me just now?"
"Hmph!"
As aloof as ever, the black hair danced in the moonlight, using her hair as a cover, the kunai stabbed towards Hakushi's heart from a dangerous angle.
Hakushi barely blocked it, then quickly widened the distance between them, his expression becoming more solemn.
Just from that moment, Hakushi knew that his speed and power were definitely not inferior to Ruri's, but Ruri had far more practical combat experience, and understanding the gap in experience, Hakushi realized his chances of winning were very slim.
Fortunately, after the brief probing, Ruri did not choose to continue attacking, instead, she curiously glanced at Hakushi, her arrogance slightly subdued, as she asked:
"It's really strange, so strong, why are you hiding your strength on purpose?"
This was indeed a difficult question to answer, and Hakushi couldn't find a suitable lie to convince Ruri, leading to an awkward silence.
Just as Hakushi was racking his brains on how to sidestep this, he heard Ruri continue:
"Never mind. Since I've confirmed that you're hiding your strength, my objective is achieved, so let's leave it at that."
Leaving those words behind, Ruri walked away without looking back, not dragging things out.
"... Quite an odd girl."
Hakushi muttered, would she reveal his hidden strength? If so, things would indeed get troublesome.
Thinking of Ruri's indifferent nature, she shouldn't be the meddling type.
With this thought, Hakushi suddenly felt much more at ease.
However, being seen through by a child, something even the Chunin level homeroom teacher Fujimura Daiga hadn't noticed, Hakushi realized one thing firsthand — even children are ninjas and should never be underestimated.
He must be more careful in the future.