However, when Shali arrived, the others quickly recognized her. Suddenly, their anger began to fade, replaced by doubt over whether they could actually defeat her.
In the end, they realized they probably couldn't. Even if they won, it wouldn't feel like an achievement. And if they lost, they'd embarrass themselves in front of the school just like the others before them.
It wasn't worth it, so they chose to stop and take a more reasonable approach.
Shali was happy to go along with this. After all, what if her reputation rose again? Knowing that others were watching her every move could be troublesome.
In the end, Chouji apologized to them for acting so impulsively, and the person who had mocked Chouji for being "fat" also apologized for speaking out of turn.
But then that same person couldn't help but glance at Chouji's build and muttered, "But… you really are pretty big…"
Instantly, Chouji's anger flared again. He tried to strike back, but Shali and the others held him back.
"You idiot! I said I'm full-bodied, not fat!" Chouji shouted as he was pulled away, leaving the upperclassmen staring in disbelief.
Full-bodied? How is that different from "fat" in a boy?
Shali had thought the incident wouldn't spread further—but she had been naïve.
Soon, Shali's undefeated reputation spread throughout the school. She looked around at her seat once again surrounded by water, her expression darkening.
Well, she thought, there was no point in saying anything more—she was used to it by now.
Better to focus on her studies and prepare for the upcoming final exams.
Though she had already studied most of the material, she chose to review everything to ensure she remained first in every subject.
The first-year final exams were nothing special.
"As expected… that kid is still absolute first," Shikamaru said, glancing at Shali beside him with a sigh. He had been truly impressed by her efforts.
After the incident, Shikamaru had watched Shali closely and even asked his father if there were any jutsu that could be learned through Shadow Clones.
The answer was yes—but such jutsu were not low-level and carried significant drawbacks.
Thus, Shikamaru concluded that Shali's Shadow Clones likely trained daily, rotating locations, possibly at Iruka-sensei's place, since that's where she always went for extracurricular training.
At first, he worried, but seeing Shali consistently maintain normal form, and with Iruka not intervening, he relaxed. Perhaps she had a way to avoid the jutsu's side effects.
Even without side effects, Shikamaru believed she wouldn't misuse them. Using Shadow Clones was already complicated enough—adding more would only make things worse.
Shali checked her grades and found they were as expected. In theory, only one other student scored full marks—Sakura, who had been helped by Ino to overcome difficulties.
She had achieved a perfect score so early, and Shali admitted her own advantage in theory, though she recognized Sakura's reliance on her talent.
Shali felt fortunate. Luckily, the Ninja Academy only lasted six years—she could master all the knowledge and score perfectly. Unlike in her past life in middle or high school…
She knew that if her theoretical scores weren't perfect, a real prodigy could surpass her.
In physical training, Shali remained number one in the ninja world, unmatched. However, the original second-ranked Sasuke had been overtaken by a cheating Naruto…
After all, Naruto's Nine-Tails recovery allowed him to increase his physical abilities at an astonishing rate, even impressing Shali herself. Now, if Naruto were to face the upperclassmen who had bullied him before, he might very well win.
Of course, catching up to Shali remained difficult. She had trained far longer than Naruto, and in addition to Nine-Tails' assistance, Shali herself had the advantage of Lightning Release. The effects of this enhancement improved with deeper training.
"This is the reward for being first. Next time, I'll get it!" Naruto said with a hint of envy as he watched the special silver kunai in Shali's hand.
"Here," Shali said, handing him the kunai. "You can play with it, but I can't give it to you. If you want it for yourself… I don't think that's possible. I'll always be first."
"Hmph! I'll surpass you!" Naruto took the kunai, silently vowing to do so.
Chapter 38 – Battle with Iruka
Shali stayed in the classroom, watching students being picked up one by one. Today was the last day of the first semester for first grade, and parents who normally didn't come had made an exception.
Shali could have left early, but she had matters to attend to, so she remained. Naruto wanted to stay too but was sent away.
At that moment, a gaze landed on Shali, sending a chill down her spine. She looked up to see the person standing there.
He wasn't hiding his intent; one glance at Shali—and the joyous Sasuke confirmed his identity—Uchiha Itachi.
This was actually Shali's first time seeing Itachi. She found him mature, far beyond Sasuke. How many years apart were they…?
Shali glanced at him, then looked away. Though curious about his clan's extermination, she knew it wasn't possible to confront him directly.
Itachi noted that the one who had defeated his brother and earned first place was indeed Shali. He understood Sasuke's character, and from his tone, could sense a faint admiration for Shali. This surprised him, and he examined her more closely.
Shali, however, quickly noticed his gaze and looked back at him.
From this, Itachi formed a high opinion of her. She was truly a prodigy deserving of Sasuke's respect.
Still, Itachi sighed and dismissed the thought. As long as the village prodigies didn't bully his brother, he had no special interest in Shali. Soon, he left with Sasuke, who appeared very pleased. Even the disappointment of losing to Shali had faded.
Once the classroom emptied, Shali stood and walked to the training grounds, adjusting her stance as she waited.
Soon, a figure appeared.
"Thanks for waiting, Shali," Iruka scratched his head, looking her way.
"Since today is the last day of the semester, I knew you'd be busy. Thank you for agreeing to this request," Shali said, unfazed by the wait.
"Haha, seems Shali is still number one in class," Iruka chuckled. Then he asked seriously, "Are you sure you want to challenge your teacher? I'm not a top-tier combatant, but I am a Chunin."
"Of course, I want to test my limits," Shali said, licking her lips. "Teacher, please take this battle seriously!"
"I understand," Iruka said, though he didn't seem very strict.
Shali eyed him. She knew he would get serious eventually. Her chakra was sufficient for her techniques—Wind Palm and Middle Wind Slash—which, although not chakra-heavy, couldn't be used continuously.
With the Lightning Shield, her physical abilities had improved rapidly, but she still couldn't defeat Iruka. She didn't know why, but from that day on, she trained even harder, placing a heavy burden on her body.
Shali didn't think such training was wise, but given Iruka's talent, she couldn't stop herself. She sighed, accepting his choice.
"I'm ready, Iruka-sensei," Shali said. This battle would test direct combat, not general ninja skills, so ambushes were unnecessary.
"Good. Let's see the strength of the class's top student," Iruka said with a smile.
In the next instant, Shali surged forward.
Iruka was shocked by her speed. She had hidden her true ability during evaluation? Before he could think, Shali stepped forward and struck without hesitation.
During the exchanges, Iruka assessed her skill, noting she wasn't practicing alone. Her combination of offense and defense was beyond one person.
Her attacks caused him slight pain, but nothing severe. Despite his surprise, as an adult, he was still stronger.
If true, he realized, this fight would end quickly. He blocked her kicks and grabbed her.
Then he saw Shali form three seals in an instant.
"Three seals?" Iruka was puzzled. What jutsu was this? Shadow Clone? No—this was not a clone jutsu! He became alert.
In the next moment, Shali's figure became a wooden stake, falling to the ground.
"Body Replacement?!" Iruka squinted, horrified, scanning for her.
He realized Shali had compressed the technique into three seals—a feat he couldn't replicate. As a teacher, Iruka normally used the standard five-seal Body Replacement in class.
Soon, he spotted her—not one, but three figures!
Clone technique?
Iruka admitted Shali had the upper hand, though he was still careful. Her jutsu wasn't fluid but expertly executed.
Shali expected this. Beating Iruka like this with speed alone was a dream—her speed wasn't quite enough yet. Iruka's technique took a full second to execute, giving her an opening.
This reset the battlefield. Iruka could no longer underestimate her, which was exactly what Shali intended.
She had already gathered information from the previous exchanges. While she had made predictions, she was now certain:
Her only advantages were seal speed and movement. The fight was tough, and Shali's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Iruka also took Shali seriously. Her speed, seal formation, and simplified techniques made him realize that if he continued underestimating her, he could actually lose!
Chapter 39 – Victory or Defeat
Shali and Iruka exchanged glances, acknowledging each other's readiness before moving.
In the next instant, Iruka disappeared from Shali's view, shocking her. She didn't recognize the seal—was this a Triple Body Technique…?
"Fuhen!"
Iruka struck another wooden stake into the ground, searching for her. Though he had seen it before, he couldn't help but sigh at the precision of her Body Replacement technique. When had she formed that seal?
He reached for his ninja tool pouch, realizing his earlier confidence might have been misplaced.
A faint whistling of stones caught his attention. He had prepared stones earlier, throwing them to collide midair.
Why stones? Shali was young, and he didn't want her injured. She also had no shuriken, so stones were a safe substitute.
Iruka originally wanted to prohibit shuriken, but Shali explained she had practiced throwing stones as substitutes, which he approved of.
The stones had limited power—enough to cause slight pain but not severe injury.
Though her throwing technique was precise, it was still a bit immature. Iruka relaxed slightly; she had a weakness.
The previous jutsu was a teleportation technique, common above Chunin level. Shali wasn't surprised when the stones were struck.
Even so, they weren't useless.
Her eyes gleamed. She didn't know how many stones Iruka had prepared, but he had been careless. Throwing stones alone couldn't win the fight.
Shali drew her silver kunai—a perfect choice when at a disadvantage.
Iruka also drew his kunai. Though sharp, they were easier to control than stones. If Shali continued throwing stones, he could block with his kunai, or dodge using jutsu.
Shali, however, seemed to have no intention of throwing stones anymore, which relieved Iruka.
In the next moment, the tall and short figures collided. After a few rounds, Shali was completely at a disadvantage.
As Iruka had warned, she could not match a Chunin in every respect.
Her skills were good, but the gap in strength left her extremely passive.
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