Chapter 6

Ignoring the chatter around him, Uzumaki Zixu focused entirely on the wooden target in front of him. He didn't have Observation Haki, nor the powerful eyes of the Uchiha or Hyuga, but his reaction speed and dynamic vision were just as sharp as Hyuga Chinano's or Yuan Ye's.

"Swish, swish, swish."

The sound of shuriken slicing through the air rang out. The first five were steady, hitting the target without much issue. Decent, but not impressive.

"Swish."

The sixth one wobbled slightly but still made contact.

"He's struggling now," Yuan Ye sneered, pointing at Zixu and his teammates. His voice carried across the training ground, loud enough for everyone to hear.

But was that really the case?

Zixu was struggling—but not in the way Yuan Ye thought. For him, hitting near the edge of the target was harder than just throwing normally. He had to hold back his strength on purpose, carefully calculating his throws so they wouldn't be too precise.

The seventh and eighth shuriken hit as planned. But then, on the ninth shot—

His expression suddenly shifted. His hand jerked, and the last three shuriken slipped from his fingers.

A mistake?

"Oh no, it's over." Gang Tianwu sighed, already writing down their score on the board.

But then—

"Eh? Are you kidding me?"

"This brat—!"

"That's just crazy luck!"

The murmurs of the crowd grew louder. Even Instructor Gouda Takeshi lifted his head from the scoreboard, looking toward Zixu's target.

Two of the three "accidentally thrown" shuriken had landed dead-on, piercing the target. The last one barely missed.

"Ah? Lucky, hahaha." Zixu grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head like an innocent kid who just got lucky.

But in reality, it was all calculated. The trajectory, the angle—he had planned everything. His body, inherited from Kaido, gave him superhuman physical ability, enhanced reflexes, and insane computational power.

In the One Piece world, Kaido was known for raw strength, but that didn't mean he was dumb. It was just that most problems could be solved with brute force, so his intelligence was rarely used.

Putting that aside, Zixu's "lucky" performance had put his team in first place, surpassing Uchiha Gen's group.

"Yes! We won!" Aburame Hatsuizumi, who had been feeling down, suddenly brightened up, hugging Zixu excitedly.

Even Hyuga Chinano, who was usually cold and reserved, gave a rare smile and patted his shoulder.

"Lucky… huh?"

Zixu laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. The pure excitement from his teammates was refreshing—a reminder that not everything in the ninja world was cold and ruthless.

But Yuan Ye, still bitter about losing, scoffed. "Tch. Just dumb luck."

Unlike him, Uchiha Gen walked over with a respectful nod. The true heirs of noble clans had their own sense of pride and dignity—something Yuan Ye clearly lacked.

Meanwhile, Gouda Takeshi finished writing the scores. After the final few groups failed to surpass Zixu's team, the results were set.

They had won first place.

Still, since this was just an Academy competition, Zixu's performance didn't attract too much attention. At most, people would think he was lucky.

But Zixu?

He didn't care about some shuriken competition. He had his own goals—escaping Konoha and changing its corrupt system.

—

"Alright, everyone! Next up is the Group Taijutsu Battle!" Gouda Takeshi announced. "Get ready!"

The moment the physical combat portion was mentioned, the class exploded with excitement. Students immediately started bragging about their skills.

"Heh, you got lucky in the shuriken round," Yuan Ye sneered, stepping forward. "But in a fight? Luck won't save you. Weaklings like you have no place in the ninja world."

Zixu ignored him, already thinking about something else.

How much force should he use?

He had no clue how much punishment these Academy students could take. If he went too hard, he might kill someone by accident.

After some thought, he decided not to attack at all.

With his physique, he could literally stand there and let them punch him all day without taking damage. Even if they used basic ninjutsu, it wouldn't do a damn thing to him.

—

"The group battle will follow a draw-based elimination system," Gouda Takeshi continued. "Sixteen teams will compete. One person per team will draw lots. The winning team will receive a special reward."

Like most ninja training, the Academy encouraged competition—and rewards were a great way to push students harder.

Zixu barely reacted. He had seen this exact tactic in corporate workplaces—offering bonuses and prizes to make employees work harder for the company's benefit.

But the kids?

They were hyped.

"I'm giving it my all!"

"We won't lose!"

"Our team is gonna crush this!"

Seeing their excitement, Zixu pretended to be eager as well. No need to stand out too much.

"We got Number 4," Hatsuizumi reported after drawing their lot. "Number 1 fights Number 16, Number 2 fights Number 15… we're up against Number 13."

Zixu glanced at Uchiha Gen's group. They had drawn Number 8.

"Stop staring and focus," Zixu said, ruffling Hatsuizumi's hair. "If we keep winning, we'll face them eventually."

Truthfully, Zixu's team had one of the best lineups in the entire Academy.

Hyuga Chinano came from the Hyuga Clan, masters of Gentle Fist and Byakugan.

Aburame Hatsuizumi was from the Aburame Clan, specializing in insect-based jutsu.

And then there was Zixu, whose strength far surpassed what a normal Academy student should have.

The Gentle Fist was a taijutsu technique that injected one's chakra into an opponent's body, damaging their chakra network—or meridian system—along with their internal organs. It was typically used in combination with the Byakugan.

Although Hyuga Chinano had yet to awaken her Byakugan, she had been studying human meridians since childhood. Now, she could pinpoint an opponent's acupoints in battle with surprising accuracy.

Since Zixu often claimed to be physically weak, he had rarely fought alongside Hatsuizumi and Chinano. Instead, he handled support roles, waiting for the right moment to land sneaky strikes on unsuspecting opponents.

Their first few battles went by easily. Zixu assisted, Hatsuizumi restrained, and Chinano attacked. Before long, their team reached the finals, where they would face Uchiha Gen's group.

Both sides had expended a considerable amount of stamina. Now, they were panting, physically drained from their previous fights.

"Chinano-san, I hope we can have a pleasant battle." Uchiha Gen wiped the sweat off her forehead, tightening her messy ponytail.

"Stop talking nonsense. If you wanna fight, then come at me." Despite her exhaustion, Chinano kept a tough stance, unwilling to show weakness.

"Both sides, get ready!" Gouda Takeshi raised his whistle, eager to start the match.

"Begin!"

The moment the whistle sounded, both teams shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow.

Chinano and Gen clashed, exchanging raw, close-quarters attacks—a relentless back-and-forth of offense and defense. Meanwhile, Zixu and Hatsuizumi worked together to lock down Yuan Ye and Maruyama, keeping them at bay.

At one point, Gen executed a precise palm strike, bending her knees before launching herself toward Chinano's abdomen. The movement was flawless, earning a silent nod of approval from Gouda Takeshi—a testament to the Uchiha Clan's elite training.

But Chinano wasn't fazed.

As Gen's palm closed in, she spread her hands, smoothly guiding his attack upward. Then, using her own momentum, she delivered a devastating strike to her lower abdomen, sending her flying backward.

Yuan Ye, watching from the side, panicked. In his rush to help Gen, his footwork became sloppy—a fatal mistake.

Hatsuizumi seized the opening. She dropped low and drove her elbow into Yuan Ye's ribs, striking with pinpoint accuracy.

"Argh—!"

But Yuan Ye wasn't going down that easily. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Hatsuizumi's forearm, locking her in place.

At the same time, he reared his leg back, preparing a full-powered kick aimed straight at Hatsuizumi's arm. If the kick connected, the Aburame's limb would be permanently crippled.

"Weakness is a sin. Die, bug." Yuan Ye's words were as cold as his merciless attack.

Hatsuizumi struggled to break free, but the Aburame Clan wasn't built for raw physical combat. She could only watch as the attack approached, feeling completely helpless.

Gouda Takeshi didn't interfere.

Like Yuan Ye had said—weakness was a sin. Compared to the brutal training methods of Kirigakure's Blood Mist Village, Konoha's Academy was practically merciful. At least here, students weren't fighting to the death just to graduate.

A loud impact shook the ground.

Hatsuizumi didn't feel any pain.

When the dust settled, she found herself knocked aside—but still intact.

Zixu had intervened.

Now standing where Hatsuizumi had been, Zixu's leg had clashed directly with Yuan Ye's incoming kick.

A sharp crack echoed through the battlefield.

Yuan Ye's face twisted in agony. His previous cold and ruthless demeanor had vanished, replaced by a scream of pure pain.

But the damage hadn't come from Zixu attacking him.

Zixu had absorbed the full force of Yuan Ye's own kick—then reflected it back.

Yuan Ye's shinbone had cracked under the sheer recoil.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Yuan Ye collapsed, clutching his leg. Maruyama rushed over to help, but Yuan Ye shoved him away, still determined to fight.

Meanwhile, Gen recovered, flipping mid-air before landing smoothly. He glanced at Yuan Ye, quickly assessing his condition before returning his focus to Chinano.

In the ninja world, missions always took priority—even over injured teammates.

Zixu remained unfazed.

With his Kaido-enhanced physique, he hadn't felt a single ounce of pain from that clash. Even though he pretended to wince, it was all an act.

"What? I'm still fine… No, no, I can't let this go to my head."

Zixu's mind raced.

Ninjas weren't just martial artists—they had jutsu, poisons, insects, mind control techniques, and illusion-based attacks.

Against ordinary academy students, he was overwhelmingly strong.

But against actual ninjas?

Until he unlocked Haki and his Devil Fruit abilities, he couldn't afford to get cocky.

His experience from twenty years in his past life had taught him an important lesson—the key to survival was caution.

As for Yuan Ye?

Zixu felt no sympathy.

He hadn't even used his own strength—Yuan Ye had injured himself. If that kick had landed on Hatsuizumi, the damage would have been far worse.

Zixu wasn't about to let his future allies suffer unnecessary losses.

Casually, he helped up the dazed Hatsuizumi, ignoring the wailing Yuan Ye and Maruyama beside him.

Then, without a care in the world, he plopped onto the ground, pretending to be exhausted while shamelessly watching Chinano and Gen fight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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