Kazuki didn't say anything—he simply attacked, striking down his opponents with precision and force.
He even took on all three of them at once!
"This guy, Kazuki, is ruthless!"
"You—you sneak attacked me!"
One of the boys from the Inuzuka Clan clutched the swollen side of his face, glaring at Kazuki with indignation.
"That's just because your reaction speed is too slow," Kazuki replied with a faint smile, as if he hadn't just delivered a devastating blow.
"You brat, how dare you hit us?!"
The injured boys scrambled to their feet, their frustration boiling over into fury.
"Brothers, let's take him down together!"
Like tigers descending from the mountains, the three of them charged at Kazuki from different angles, attempting to surround him.
Despite their aggressive assault, Kazuki remained unfazed. He didn't even bother to draw a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
After all, this was nothing more than a schoolyard brawl between academy students—no real skill involved.
In simple terms: strength was everything!
Even though these Inuzuka boys had undergone physical training within their clan, their strength paled in comparison to Kazuki's. He was no stranger to intense labor, swinging a hammer every day to build his endurance and power.
As the first opponent rushed in, throwing a punch straight at him, Kazuki didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant.
With precise timing, he sidestepped to his opponent's flank, then grabbed the incoming arm with both hands.
Using his opponent's own momentum against him, Kazuki swung him into the air like a sandbag—sending him hurtling straight toward the other two!
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed through the room as all three boys were sent flying, colliding against the distant wall with a heavy impact.
The fight was over in a blink. Kazuki's decisive and overwhelming display left the entire class in stunned silence.
Even Neji Hyūga, the undisputed top student of their year, cast him a few intrigued glances before withdrawing his gaze.
With the matter settled, Kazuki simply walked back to his seat and sat down as if nothing had happened.
As if taking down three opponents was nothing more than a trivial exercise.
And to him—it was.
What did it matter if someone was born into a prestigious shinobi clan? If they lacked strength, they would still end up on the ground!
"Big Brother Kazuki is amazing!" Rock Lee's eyes gleamed with admiration.
As someone also from a civilian background, he couldn't help but marvel at Kazuki's power.
"That's right! My brother is the best!" Tenten declared proudly.
"I've made up my mind!" Lee clenched his fists with excitement. "From today onward, Big Brother Kazuki is my idol! I'll become as strong as him—no matter what it takes!"
This time, no one in the class dared to laugh at Lee's determination.
Kazuki's strength was undeniable.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in Kazuki's mind.
Ding!
[Mission Released: Complete Shuriken Throwing Training – Hit 100 Targets]
[Reward: Beginner's Forging Blueprint for a Storage Ring!]
This time, the system's task was noticeably more challenging than before.
To complete it, Kazuki needed to achieve pinpoint accuracy with his shuriken throwing.
And so, his training continued.
Shuriken projection is an essential course during the Academy years for young ninja.
By the sixth year, most students are expected to achieve near-perfect accuracy in shuriken throwing.
For Kazuki, however, following the Academy's training pace wasn't an option.
The system's mission had no time limit, but the reward—a storage ring—was too important to delay.
Recently, he had forged over sixty kunai of three different types. But a standard ninja pouch could only hold about a dozen kunai at most. Carrying a large backpack filled with ninja tools was impractical. The storage ring would solve this problem by providing a portable space to store his weapons discreetly.
To obtain it, he needed to complete the mission as soon as possible.
Since his kunai supply was sufficient for now, he decided to put aside forging and focus entirely on improving his shuriken skills.
After school, Kazuki walked out of the Academy with Tenten.
"Brother, aren't we going home?" she asked.
"No, I'm heading to the training ground to practice shuriken. Are you going home or coming with me?"
"Hee hee, there's no one at home, so of course I'll go with you!" Tenten smiled sweetly.
Kazuki nodded. "Good, you can train with me."
The two of them soon arrived at the training grounds, only to find a problem—every field was occupied!
Since they hadn't reserved a space in advance, they were told no training areas were available. Both were disappointed, realizing they might have to postpone today's practice.
Just as they were about to leave, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Kazuki, Tenten! You two came here to train?" Rock Lee greeted them excitedly.
"Yes, but all the training grounds are full," Tenten sighed.
"You can train with me! I reserved a large training ground, and there's enough space for three people!" Rock Lee offered enthusiastically.
"Really? That's great!" Tenten's eyes lit up.
"Thanks a lot." Kazuki smiled, accepting the offer without hesitation.
The three of them headed to Lee's training area.
Once there, Kazuki set up targets, took out his shuriken, and began practicing.
Tenten followed his example, throwing her own shuriken.
"Wow… Kazuki looks so skilled! Just like a real ninja already!" Rock Lee thought in admiration.
Coming from an ordinary family, Lee had never been able to afford expensive ninja tools or ninjutsu scrolls.
Unlike Tenten, whose family ran a weapon shop, his access to such resources was limited.
Though he trained hard, his focus had always been on improving his physical abilities through exercises like push-ups and jump rope.
"Do you want to try?" Tenten offered him a shuriken.
Lee shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no, I'll stick to my fists! Today, Kazuki was incredible handling those thugs in the classroom—he looked so cool!"
Despite his words, he couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
Tenten could casually pull out an unlimited supply of shuriken.
Meanwhile, Kazuki had already used over twenty in his training—easily worth thousands of ryo.
Lee sighed. His family couldn't afford such expenses…
Three hours passed.
The setting sun painted the sky red, and the light dimmed until visibility was affected.
Realizing he could no longer see distant targets clearly, Kazuki finally stopped.
Training wasn't just about pushing limits—it required proper methodology. If he couldn't even lock onto his target, continuing would be meaningless.
It was better to stop, rest, and internalize the day's practice.
Before leaving, Kazuki suddenly handed his ninja pouch to Rock Lee.
"Eh? Kazuki-kun, w-what are you—?"
"This is for you," Kazuki said simply.