Chapter 122: Shock
The Ninja Academy.
Kiba Inuzuka had a grin on his face. Holding his shuriken, he looked at the target with absolute confidence. Even Sasuke and other top-performing students shifted their gaze toward him.
Over the past month, everyone had come to realize that Kiba was a model student who loved to learn. His grades were tied with Sasuke Uchiha for first place in the entire year. He just wasn't as handsome as Sasuke, so he didn't attract as much attention from the girls.
But that didn't matter; he had the boys' attention. This was a man whose academic performance could stand side-by-side with the Uchiha genius. Everyone wondered what kind of results he would produce in their first practical shuriken exam. If he failed here, he wouldn't be able to stay tied with Sasuke in the practical rankings.
"Watch closely. I'm the man who's going to become Hokage."
Kiba bared his teeth and twitched his nose, activating the Inuzuka clan's ability—a sense of smell tens of thousands of times stronger than an average human's. Several shuriken collided in mid-air. Just as the classmates began to look disappointed, thinking Kiba had messed up the throw, the shuriken redirected along different trajectories and hit the target simultaneously.
????
This display of skill stunned everyone present, including Iruka. Even with his abilities as a Chunin, he couldn't pull off a maneuver like that.
My teaching skills have improved again! Iruka thought.
Since becoming a teacher, Iruka realized how difficult Tonbo Tobitake's job had been. Teaching students was a form of torture. Things that seemed simple to the teacher had to be reviewed and explained over and over again. He knew Kiba had been tutored by Tonbo, but he hadn't expected a child only a few years old to be taught so well. He decided he needed to visit his old teacher's house soon to learn a few more tricks.
"Iruka, once you become a teacher, don't assume that just because you've lived through your own student days, you can teach them well. As people grow, the skills and processes of childhood learning become integrated into the body. When teaching, it's easy to fall into a 'Cognitive Barrier.' Things you see through at a glance and find simple require constant explanation for students. Looking from small to large, a child isn't necessarily inferior to an elder; looking from large to small, you might not necessarily see through a child's mind. If you can't see through them, you will analyze many things wrong during your instruction."
Tonbo-sensei had told him that once, and now he understood it deeply. He admired his teacher's educational prowess more than ever. However, there was one thing he wouldn't forgive his teacher for: Tonbo had introduced a girlfriend to Mibu Shinobu but not to him. Infuriating! Every time He brought Anko over to show off, Iruka's teeth itched with envy. Even though they were just dating, it was painful to see his teammate have someone while he remained single—despite his desire to dedicate his life to teaching.
His reflections lasted only a second. Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha's pupils dilated in shock.
The Uchiha Shurikenjutsu?
Wasn't this a maneuver that only Uchiha clan members with the Sharingan could perform? He had always believed so. Even his brother had said as much, which was why he longed for the power of the Sharingan.
But what was with the Kiba in front of him? He clearly didn't have the Sharingan. Sasuke looked closely—Kiba was definitely not using one.
"Eh? How is that possible?" Naruto's mouth hung wide open.
"So strong," said a boy standing near Naruto, wearing sunglasses and high-street style clothing.
"Whoa! When did you get here?" Naruto was startled. There had been no one there a moment ago!
"I've been standing here the whole time. As expected, even you didn't notice me. How depressing..." Shino Aburame muttered incessantly, as if talking to himself. Naruto felt like someone was chanting a spell in his ear and quickly covered his ears.
Kiba wiped his nose, satisfied with his score, and walked back to the group. This was a technique he had pioneered himself. Since he was going to be Hokage, he had to have a stylish signature move. It just put a bit of a strain on his nose.
"How did you do it?"
The moment he returned to the line, Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward and asked. His heart was itching with curiosity. If it could be done without the Sharingan, learning it would surely earn him his father's recognition.
"What's this? You want to learn? No way! This is my original technique. I can't just let anyone learn it—unless you become my lackey," Kiba laughed, baring his teeth.
Woof! Akamaru laughed along.
Sasuke frowned and held up five fingers. "I'll treat you to five days of BBQ. You and Akamaru can eat until you're full."
"Five days? BBQ?"
Kiba recalled the BBQ Tonbo-sensei treated him to after every training session and licked his lips. He hadn't had a big feast in the month since school started. His mother wouldn't allow it, and his sister was busy working and studying at the Konoha Hospital, taking care of the summoned beasts of the injured.
He looked at Sasuke. Seeing the absolute seriousness in the boy's eyes, Kiba found it hard to refuse—it definitely wasn't because of the BBQ.
"Fine, I agree. But you won't be able to learn it."
"Don't worry about that. Just teach me. I believe in my own talent." Sasuke was very confident; he had never encountered a hurdle in learning before, and he didn't expect to start now.
After School.
A forest in the back hills.
"Watch closely. This move involves using your nose to distinguish the scent of the target and the shuriken. Then—shoosh!—based on the scent's trajectory and reaction, you utilize mechanics, aerodynamics, and shuriken mass based on parabolic formulas to calculate the path. That's how it's done."
Kiba Inuzuka revealed his secret and demonstrated with a shuriken once more. Sure enough, the shuriken seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, embedding itself right into a circle drawn on a tree.
"Scent?" Sasuke Uchiha instantly felt like he had been robbed.
"Yeah, scent. If you concentrate chakra in your nose, you can distinguish different smells." Kiba pointed to his nose, then to Akamaru's.
Woof!
"Scent has a trajectory; that's why we can smell it. With deliberate training, you can distinguish many things. Combine that with mathematics, physics, and other subjects, and you can achieve things that were previously impossible."
This was what he had learned at Tonbo-sensei's place. The shuriken technique was something he developed based on those principles. Just as his teacher said, what he taught were the vital foundations of a ninja; by combining these foundations, one could exert power beyond imagination.
"Physics, math... those are subjects for the higher grades, aren't they?" Sasuke was speechless. He knew he had messed up—he had just lost five days' worth of BBQ. This classmate was even more formidable than he had imagined. He thought his school grades were his limit, but it turned out they were just the school's limit.
No. When I go back, I have to work even harder. I can't let Father and Brother down. I'll have Brother give me extra lessons; I have to surpass Kiba Inuzuka first.
"I've taught you everything I should. Remember, you owe me five days of BBQ, heh heh!" Kiba didn't care what Sasuke was thinking; he was only interested in the meat.
"I won't forget."
Sasuke could only burn it into his memory. The pressure was mounting—if he couldn't even surpass a classmate in his own year, how could he ever surpass his brother?
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!