Chapter 6 - The First Year (1)

Tetsuya had nonstop trained since the day he enrolled at the academy. The Hokage's words lingered in his mind but he didn't pay much attention to them.

While other kids were mostly wasting their time, playing around, or chatting with their friends, only he and a couple more students took their training seriously, like Kakashi, Guy who had been later accepted as an alternate after failing the exam, Asuma, and Anko.

Of all of them, it could be said that Anko's case was the most special one. Her parents died when she was very young, both killed in action. Her talent is mostly average, so her combat effectiveness isn't that great, but she makes up her lack of power with an over-the-top amount of studies.

Tetsuya had seen it himself one day when he was going home to train after class, she was by herself at one of the nearby playgrounds, she held her book with her hand and supported herself on the monkey bar upside down by her legs.

He's been doing his best to grow stronger. Most of his daily training is focused on his body, meditation, shurikenjutsu, and the three techniques taught at the Academy, the Body Replacement Technique, Clone Technique, and Transformation Technique.

Although he wanted to learn other Ninjutsu, and some Taijutsu techniques, most if not all of them require staggering amounts of money to learn.

E-rank jutsus were about a 1000 Ryo, D-rank about 5000 to 10000, and the prices only went up from that point on.

Sighing, Tetsuya had no other choice but to do his best to make sure that his basic and only known skills could keep up with him. As he wouldn't be able to acquire any technique until he started doing missions.

As the days and nights went on and Tetsuya kept practicing, the most obvious change was his physical strength and amount of chakra, all that training already allowed him to leave marks in tree trunks with his normal punches, whereas when using his Chakra he could destroy boulders that were more than two meters high.

When six months passed away, he got himself caught in a weird situation.

He was leaving the Academy an hour later than usual as he got himself too hooked up with a kind of speed training and forgot the passage of time. When taking the quickest path to his home, he had to pass by the nearest playground, where he usually saw Mitarashi Anko alone, the tomboyish girl that never talks with any of the boys in their class.

This time, he heard something strange when he was approaching the playground.

"Hey, who do you think you are huh? Do you think you are better than us!?"

"Damn it, she hurt me! Look! Look! It's bleeding." The other voice cried in shock.

"Get her!"

Tetsuya hurriedly approached the playground and noticed quickly that Anko was surrounded by a few of their seniors that had been at the Academy for a few more years than them.

It was a group led by Uchiha Arata, a bully that acts like a gangster and is always harassing the weaker students at the academy.

Anko was very good compared to her peers, but she wasn't at the level of being capable of fighting 5 kids with a similar level of strength. Although it was only a fight between kids, Tetsuya quickly intervened.

He jumped at the playground and at one of the kids before he could throw a punch at Anko from her blind spot. Catching the fist mid-air, Tetsuya slightly pulled the kid towards him, making him lose his balance before pushing him away and making him fall on the ground.

Not taking his eyes away from any of them, not even the Uchiha kid who was hiding at the tree on the side, he started moving like lightning in between those kids.

His many years of experience in martial arts here proved even more efficient than just simply knowing Taijutsu. His reaction time was already off the charts, and that coupled with his experience allowed him to predict and counterattack his opponents without even thinking.

Anko who was fighting by his side couldn't help but be surprised by Tetsuya's skills, although she had seen him fighting one on one battles at the academy, due to her lack of insight, she thought that they were roughly at the same level in pure Taijutsu skills, but now she understood just how high the difference between the two of them was.

While she could only fight effectively against one at a time, Tetsuya had already drawn the other opponents to himself and was taking care of them even without using his powerful Chakra Enhanced Strenght technique.

The moment they finished the last of them, sounds of claps came from the treetop at the side accompanied by the voice of Uchiha Arata.

"Congratulations, after so much time you managed to defeat those useless underlings of mine." Arata voiced his opinion after watching the show below with his keen eyes. He didn't expect any of the new additions to the Academy to be this good even though they had just started.

"You shit Uchiha!" Anko stepped forward as she shouted with rage in her voice. "I already told you to leave me alone, god damn it!"

Tetsuya who heard that couldn't help but look at the kid hiding on the tree's canopy with a strange gaze. Was he a stalker? Now that was something he wasn't expecting to find in this world!

"But Anko, how can I do that? I was only trying to talk to you, but then you started swearing and cursing me, even speaking ill of my Clan!" Arata spoke with a grieved face. His fists clenched as he stared at her face which was red out of anger.

"And then you decide to attack me? You are insane, a damn insane Uchiha!"

"Tsk, he brought those people to attack you over so little? Such a ruthless guy... but to think that you would go so far against the school bully..."

Anko could only stare down with her cheeks flushed. What did Tetsuya expect her to say? She was too occupied with her studies to even hear the rumors about this Uchiha guy, had she known that he was so troublesome, she would have left him talking alone!

The Uchiha kid jumped from the tree and landed on the ground without trouble. Looking at the two of them, Arata treated Tetsuya like air and ignored him before turning to Anko. "I already told anyone on the Academy, those who look down on the Uchiha would pay dearly!"

"Pfft..." Tetsuya chuckled at his comment and got himself a glare from the other party.

"What? What is so funny about what I just said? Are you looking down on me?"

Before there could even be an answer he kicked the ground the hardest he could and launched himself at Tetsuya. Anko who already had her guard up was shocked at his speed, although she could barely follow him with her eyes, she noticed that her body couldn't react at the same pace.

She wanted to warn Tetsuya who was laughing with his eyes closed but wasn't fast enough.

Arata who saw his sneak attack being successful could already predict this annoying brat on the ground crying without air and bowing down to the Uchiha superiority. Some might say he is arrogant, that he only bullies the weak, but who in the academy could even fight against the ten-year-old Uchiha Arata? After years without a worthy opponent at his level, he clearly acquired a mentality of looking down on everyone.

Not even Hyuga Mitsuo from his class, a figure from the Hyuga's main branch could defeat him. So what could this junior of his that just got enrolled even do?

The moment his fist was about to connect, his sense of danger ringed loudly, as his face darkened and his eyes narrowed. Tetsuya's movement was far too fast, it started with him leaning back, but then an attack seemingly came from below, out of Arata's field of view, and he had no time to react before getting kicked right below his chin.

That wasn't all, feeling the force of that kick, he knew very well he couldn't underestimate the kid!

Being thrown back, he flipped in the air and fell on his knee, touching his chin, he cleaned a small trace of blood that was dripping from the corner of his mouth before glaring at Tetsuya.

"Who are you?" He asked calmly, but the threatening feeling of his gaze was still there, Arata was enraged, and he wanted more than anything to beat this kid.

Seeing him this composed despite the overflowing rage, Tetsuya silently praised Arata in his mind, not many could remain calm in stressful situations, especially ones where one's pride is hurt.

"Izumi Tetsuya."

Arata nodded at his words and stood up. Looking at Tetsuya, Arata clenched his fists as the corners of his mouth lifted up slightly. "Tetsuya, you are very good... Even reminds me of myself when I first enrolled. But do you know what is the difference between the two of us?"

Tetsuya shook his head and waited patiently for his answer.

Arata smiled at his reaction and explained slowly. "As you already know, I'm a member of the Uchiha clan. But what you don't know, is that I'm the son of one of the upper echelons in the clan.

"I have the advantage of blood, the advantage of an experienced Jonin teaching me personally every day, and the advantage of resources. But you, Tetsuya, you lack all of this, so I'll let you understand just what this means in a practical way, and if I were you, I would remember this every time I was challenging someone from a noble clan."

With a frown, Tetsuya wanted to retort, but even before he could speak, he opened his eyes wide and hastily tried to defend, but it was all in vain.

Arata had a smirk on his face, his eyes became red, and gained a single tomoe. He flashed in front of Tetsuya with Body Flicker Technique, it was like he had teleported to his current position, neither Tetsuya nor Anko caught a shadow of his movements. What came next was a powerful punch. Tetsuya had tried to raise his left arm to defend, but at that split second, the punch somehow came from the right despite him clearly seeing his movements! What was that!?

Ghost Flow: Illusion Fist!

The punch hit his face and he was sent flying while spitting some blood.

"Hey! Tetsuya!" Anko turned around and rushed to him. Seeing how he was shaking and frowning in pain while lying on the ground, she raised her guard as she looked back at Arata.

"Hmph. I told you, do not mess with an Uchiha, nothing good will come out of it, you will never surpass any of us." With a smirk on his face, he turned around and as he left, he said. "How was it like tasting my Ghost Flow Technique? Haha, it's a pity you fell with only the first form, I couldn't use the other forms of my Ghost Flow."

Seating up with his right eye closed due to intense pain, Tetsuya muttered something as he replayed that scene in his mind. Arata seemed to have used a powerful Taijutsu technique, he had never heard of this Ghost Flow, so it might be something unique to him or from the Uchiha clan...

"Hey, Tetsuya... are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital!?"

"Hm? No... I'm fine... just a little sore. That Arata was very formidable, I never expected to face someone as strong as him when I saw that group harassing you."

Anko nodded helplessly, in the end, it was actually her fault that things escalated quickly, Uchiha Arata hadn't been too forceful or annoying, but she just couldn't help lashing out when someone interrupted her reading time if she was more patient, perhaps he would have simply left without even remembering her face.

Thinking of this, her train of thought slowly went towards the direction of Uchiha Arata's technique. From the little she could see, it looked like Tetsuya was about to be attacked on his left side, and for a moment she thought that she saw the fist connecting, but then it actually came from the right so she couldn't say exactly what was going on! Were her eyes playing tricks at her? Was it genjutsu? But why would she be affected by it when his target was Tetsuya?

Tetsuya asked similar questions in his mind, but in the end, he could only sigh at his lack of power, when facing people of such talent and this amount of resources, he would clearly be at disadvantage. Even his martial arts experience wouldn't be enough if his body wasn't nearly as strong enough to follow his commands.

While the two of them were feeling stressed over this. Arata was walking down towards his home with a smile on his face. "Izumi Tetsuya... I'll remember your name."