"Boom!"
Two small craters burst open on the ground as the weights fell from Chiba's ankles, kicking up dust and silence in equal measure.
The entire training field went dead quiet.
All the jeers, all the sneers aimed at Chiba moments ago—vanished. The taunts stuck in everyone's throat as they stared at the two lumps of iron now half-buried in the dirt.
Even Uchiha Hirohiko's cold, stone-like expression cracked with visible surprise.
The teacher, too, looked dumbfounded.
He'd been wearing weights that heavy... this whole time?!
Was this a joke?
Such weights—just carrying them would be hard, let alone fighting in them.
All eyes were locked on Chiba and the sunken metal at his feet.
This Takikawa Chiba...
Hirohiko's eyes narrowed, his stance tightening.
In the crowd, Hyuga Yukina's gaze sharpened.
So... he wasn't even fighting at full strength before.
The teacher, for his part, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Was this kid really just seven years old? Was he even human?
Meanwhile, Chiba paid no attention to the astonished looks. He bounced on his toes a couple of times to adjust, exhaling long and slow.
There. Now it should be fine.
"All right," he said, standing tall and calm. "Let's begin."
Uchiha Hirohiko didn't answer with words—only narrowed his eyes and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
Chiba followed.
"Begin!" the teacher called.
"Shfft!"
The moment the word left the teacher's lips, Hirohiko's eyes widened—
Chiba had vanished.
Where—!?
Before he could even process the disappearance, a vicious kick slammed into his left cheek.
His feet left the ground.
So fast!!
As the thought barely formed, another bone-rattling kick slammed into his right shoulder, knocking him sideways through the air.
All Hirohiko could do was try to recover.
But Chiba gave him no space.
He was already there.
Chiba launched a flurry of brutal, precise strikes—no hesitation, no mercy.
To the spectators, it was a blur of movement.
Chiba's figure flickered across the field like lightning, while Hirohiko was driven back, blocking desperately, unable to retaliate.
"He's—he's actually beating Hirohiko!!"
"Impossible! Hirohiko-sama... being pushed back?!"
The girls in the class began to scream, but it was no longer cheers. Their eyes were wide, stunned. Even the boys couldn't look away—mouths agape.
The teacher's face stiffened.
Even as a chūnin, he was having trouble tracking Chiba's movements. This speed...
Is he... like that hot-blooded kid from last year? A taijutsu specialist?
But—
He won't beat Hirohiko.
The teacher still believed that firmly.
As if to prove him right, the tide turned.
Just as Chiba launched another powerful kick, Hirohiko suddenly pivoted and caught the leg mid-air—then lashed out with a fierce punch to Chiba's face.
Chiba hadn't expected him to keep up. Caught off guard, he was sent flying.
He twisted midair, landing on his feet, one hand rising to his face.
Tch. That punch hurt.
But then—
He froze.
Hirohiko's eyes... glowing red. Twin tomoe.
Sharingan.
Both eyes fully awakened, twin tomoe spinning.
The Uchiha prodigy had finally shown his true power.
A pair of shuriken flew toward Chiba.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, dodging them with ease.
Clang!
But Hirohiko was already there—launching a flying kick.
Chiba crossed his arms in time, but the blow still drove him back, skidding several meters.
His taijutsu's strong too...
Chiba's eyes narrowed.
He planted his feet, shook his arms loose, and surged forward again.
Their second exchange began—blow for blow, fists and kicks flying with blistering speed.
Pa! Pa!
The two collided, fists and legs clashing, both boys gritting their teeth.
Chiba's punches were iron-heavy, each strike honed through years of relentless training. Hirohiko's Sharingan let him predict the attacks and block just in time—but even so, his arms went numb from the sheer force.
This guy... hits hard.
Hirohiko's eyes narrowed further.
The two circled each other in close quarters—one using refined taijutsu and raw strength, the other using calculated defense and eye-reading foresight.
They moved like dancers, locked in perfect symmetry.
Below, the crowd was dead silent.
No one could believe what they were seeing.
Even the teacher was now sweating.
This Chiba kid... is on par with Hirohiko?!
Chiba's brow furrowed, but he didn't panic.
He hadn't even opened the Gates yet. He was still fighting at base strength.
But even now, he could feel it—
That pressure. The oppressive aura of the Uchiha bloodline.
No matter how fast I move, he's reading it. His Sharingan can see it all.
He finally understood how Lee must've felt when he first saw Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Hirohiko was just as shocked.
Without the Sharingan, I would've lost already.
This realization stung.
But he didn't lose composure. As a prodigy, he knew how to adapt.
Fine. I admit—your taijutsu is better.
But this is still my victory.
His eyes sharpened.
With a sudden retreat, Hirohiko jumped back, flinging shuriken to keep Chiba at bay.
Then—he formed hand seals.
"Poof!"
A second Hirohiko appeared beside him.
Shadow Clone.
Chiba's eyes narrowed.
Not a regular clone—not an illusion.
Real chakra. Real body.
This was a Shadow Clone Jutsu—an advanced jōnin-level technique.
Even the teacher's jaw dropped.
When did he learn that?!
Gasps rippled through the class.
"Shadow Clone?!"
"He actually mastered a Shadow Clone?! That's advanced-level stuff!"
"He's too powerful!"
But Chiba didn't move.
He stood still, calm, watching the two Hirohikos rush toward him.
He's not dodging?
"He gave up!" one student shouted.
"Of course he did! One Hirohiko was hard enough, now there's two!"
"He should be grateful to lose to someone like Hirohiko!"
But Yukina watched closely, eyes narrowed.
He hasn't given up.
She could feel it.
He's planning something.
As the clones rushed in, both Hirohikos finished their hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Whooosh!!
Two massive fireballs erupted toward Chiba from either side, roaring with heat.
The grass withered instantly. The temperature spiked.
First Gate: Gate of Opening — Open!
Second Gate: Gate of Rest — Open!
"Swoosh!"
The fireballs collided—
But Chiba had already vanished.
Even the chūnin teacher couldn't catch his movement.
"Boom!"
A puff of smoke exploded behind one of the Hirohikos—the Shadow Clone shattered instantly.
Where—?!
Hirohiko froze, eyes wide, Sharingan spinning.
Behind me!
His body tensed, eyes darting back.
But it was already too late.
A kunai pressed gently against his neck.
A calm voice sounded behind him.
"You lose."
Takikawa Chiba's breath was steady.
His expression calm.
And his kunai, unmoving.