Konoha.
Ninja Academy.
Iruka held a roster and called the students' names one by one for the final review of the Clone Technique.
"Uchiha Yo!"
Yo stepped onto the platform. Without striking any deliberate hand seals, he simply clasped his hands casually in front of his chest.
Bang!
White smoke burst forth.
A perfect doppelgänger of Yo appeared, steady and solid.
"Whoa—!"
"Yo-kun is amazing!"
"He nailed it in one go, and you can't spot a single flaw!"
Sakura, Ino, and the other girls in class cheered in unison.
Stars sparkled in their eyes as they gazed in total infatuation.
Iruka nodded in satisfaction and awarded a high score without holding back:
"Excellent! Ninety-five! Everyone, learn from Yo!"
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
Iruka called the second name. Nihashira strode to the front.
Strangely enough,
the just-tested Uchiha Yo looked exactly like Sasuke.
Same hair, same face—cast from a single mold.
No one found this odd; they were used to it.
After all, Uchiha Yo and Uchiha Sasuke were twin brothers—the only two Uchiha orphans left.
Yet compared to the sunny, cheerful Yo, Sasuke was much colder.
He was like a block of ice, face screaming "keep away."
Sasuke released the Clone Technique effortlessly, and Iruka also gave him ninety-five.
"Next—Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Watch this!"
Naruto leapt up energetically, clumsily twisted his fingers, and shouted, "Clone Technique!"
Pfft!
A crooked orange lump flopped limply to the floor.
The classroom fell silent for a second, then erupted in laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"What is that thing?"
"Dead-last is dead-last, as expected!"
"Can't even hold a clone? Pathetic!"
Naruto's face flushed red. He protested loudly, "Darn it! That was a fluke! Lemme try again!"
Teacher Iruka massaged his forehead in exasperation. "Enough, Naruto! Off you go—thirty-five!"
"Tch!"
Head drooping, Naruto trudged back to his seat, cheeks puffed in frustration.
Yo also watched Naruto.
This clueless kid clearly possessed an ocean of Chakra,
yet thanks to Kurama's interference he couldn't even manage the basic three jutsu.
You had to admit,
he had the worst luck ever!
Still… considering Kurama as a super cheat, Naruto came out ahead.
Honestly, without his own Golden Finger Yo would rather be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Once you master the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode as a perfect jinchuriki, you're solidly Kage-tier-plus!
The review continued; students stepped up one by one.
Sweet Hinata, loud Sakura, lively Ino… The Clone review soon ended and live sparring began.
Iruka looked down at Yo and Inuzuka Kiba and called,
"Inuzuka Kiba, Yo—step forward!"
Kiba had been itching to fight. With Akamaru he bounced out, yelling,
"Heh, Yo, last time I lost 'cause I got careless. This time—I won't hold back!"
Akamaru barked twice atop his head, tiny fangs bared.
Yo looked at the fired-up Kiba, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
Many in the class wanted to beat him—boys especially, including his dear Otōto Sasuke!
But so far, no one had managed to be born under that lucky star.
Yo and Kiba walked to the center and formed the Confrontation Seal.
"Yo, today I'll defeat you—prepare yourself!"
Kiba bared his teeth and shouted.
"Oh?"
Yo arched a brow, smiling faintly. "Bring it on."
"Yo-kun, go for it!"
"Yo-kun, you're the coolest!"
"Wow, so hot!"
"Yo-kun…"
Sakura, Ino and the girls instantly cheered for him.
Yo was truly handsome and, more importantly, sunny and outgoing.
Way better than that stuck-up Sasuke who glowered all day!
Naruto also waved an arm and yelled, "Yo, crush him! Show that bastard Kiba what you've got!"
Teacher Iruka chopped the air. "Begin!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Kiba shot forward like an arrow, fist whistling straight for Yo.
"Take this!"
Yo didn't dodge.
Yet the instant that punch was about to land, Yo's form on the spot blurred.
Smack!
Kiba's sure-fire punch hit nothing but air.
"What—?"
Kiba's pupils shrank; before he could adjust, an irresistible force struck his waist.
With a seemingly casual press and then a sharp push, Yo sent him stumbling five or six steps, nearly sprawling.
"So fast!"
"Did you even see Yo's move?"
"N-no… it was like he just flickered—crazy speed!"
Sasuke also stared hard at Yo, fists clenched. That bastard's gotten even faster?
Kiba shook his tingling arm, his expression turning serious.
"Akamaru!"
"Woof woof!"
The little dog instantly understood.
Man and hound split, forming a pincer attack.
"Beast Human Clone!"
Bang!
A second Kiba appeared behind Yo; together with the original and Akamaru they lunged from three directions.
Sharp claw-winds sealed every escape route.
Facing the triple strike, Yo simply inhaled lightly.
His body seemed weightless, shifting in an impossibly tiny space:
first tilting back to dodge the original's straight punch,
then sidestepping so the clone's kick missed,
finally weaving like a serpent to parry Akamaru's bite.
The entire sequence happened in a flash—so fast it shocked everyone.
To the onlookers Yo looked like a ghost,
dissolving three-pronged attacks into thin air in an instant!
"Impossible!"
The original and clone regrouped, faces full of disbelief.
His combo could trouble even taijutsu-savvy Chunin teachers, yet Yo dismantled it casually?
Repeated setbacks made Kiba feel humiliated.
All the girls were watching; losing face like this was unbearable.
"Yo, you asked for it—this time I'm dead serious!"
Kiba's hands flew through seals while he yelled, "Akamaru!"
"Woof!"
Akamaru leapt; mid-air he ballooned and warped, merging with the finished-seal Kiba.
Bang!
Dense smoke burst forth.
A huge Two-Headed Wolf appeared at the center, radiating savage aura.
It was the Inuzuka clan's secret art: Two-Headed Wolf—Beast Human Clone!
"Take this!"
"Fang Over Fang!!"
The twin-headed wolf spun wildly, turning into two fierce tornadoes that pincered Yo from left and right.
The sight was terrifying; students instinctively backed away.
"Kiba's… going all-out! Impressive!"
"Can Yo block that?"
Ino and the others grew anxious.
Facing an assault that could crush an ordinary Genin, Yo remained perfectly calm.
Just as the two Fang Over Fang were about to touch him,
Yo moved.
He didn't look fast—merely tilting his body sideways.
He brushed past the edge of the left tornado by a hair, while his right hand casually reached back.
Thud!
The right tornado came to an abrupt stop.
Every student stared wide-eyed, stunned.
Yo's right palm rested on one of the wolf heads,
and that light press completely dissolved the enormous spinning force!
"How—?!"
Kiba's cry came from within the wolf head, filled with shock.
He could feel every bit of his rotational power vanish like mud into the sea.
"Decent power, but openings everywhere—keep training."
Yo's voice was flat, like a teacher commenting in class.
Before the words faded, his wrist flicked lightly, sending out a sharp burst of skill.
"Whimper—!"
Akamaru yelped; the fusion broke apart instantly.
Smoke exploded as Kiba and Akamaru tumbled across the floor, rolling several times before stopping.
The classroom fell dead silent.