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GSiN: Ch. 15
🕑 Added 2025-02-27 22:33:04 +0000 UTC---Ryouma's POV---
Asuma, realizing there was no time to dodge, shouted immediately, "I surrender, I surre… ow!"
Before my Chidori struck him, I dissipated the lightning arcs on my hand, but didn't stop my movements. I punched him in the stomach, not too hard, not too soft. I could feel his muscles tense under my fist.
Asuma and I had a decent relationship, so of course, I didn't put too much force into the punch.
"Sorry, momentum's a tricky thing," I said with a casual shrug.
"Ryouma, that move of yours is just insane!" Asuma said while clutching his stomach and speaking to me. "Where did you even learn something like that?"
"Here and there. Books, observation, experimentation," I replied, deliberately vague.
I could see the scene of a moment ago still echoed in his mind.
The Chidori's true power was beyond mere damage, it was psychological warfare.
The sound, the light, the raw killing intent it radiated.
For most ninjas in the shinobi world, combat relied primarily on taijutsu. Ordinary ninjas often had very limited chakra reserves, and not everyone could afford to use chakra extravagantly.
The brilliance of my technique lay in its immense deterrent force in close combat.
Any enemy who tried to approach would be struck mercilessly by the lightning and face a devastating blow.
I could tell Asuma was glad he hadn't rashly charged in for a frontal confrontation with me. The consequences would have been unthinkable.
On the side, Kato wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his clipboard trembling slightly in his grip. His eyes darted between me and the earth where my Chidori had briefly touched the ground, leaving a crater.
After Asuma surrendered, Kato raised the flag in his hand, composing himself.
"Well then, the first match: Ryouma wins. Both parties, seal the gesture of reconciliation."
I formed the seal, looking at Asuma. "No hard feelings?"
"None," he replied genuinely.
After completing the formalities, we returned to the observation area.
"Next match: Yamashiro Aoba versus Namizuki Raido."
---
As soon as I returned, I was met with a variety of reactions from my classmates.
"That was AWESOME!" Anko exclaimed. "You have to teach me that lightning thing!"
"It was certainly... impressive," Kurenai remarked with measured tones. "Though perhaps excessive for a graduation match."
"Ryouma, are you okay?" Rin asked, her brow furrowed with concern. "Using that much chakra must be draining."
Before I could respond to any of them, Kakashi immediately approached me.
"That Chidori just now, you only used a single hand seal, right? That shouldn't be possible for that level of lightning manipulation."
"That's right. I optimized it by removing the seals that control chakra flow and stimulate the nervous system."
"Incredible. Just how strong is your chakra control? Even my father would struggle to compress a technique like that."
"It's just practice. You could probably do it too, with the right approach," I deflected, watching Kakashi's eyes light up with that familiar competitive spark.
"The key is understanding that the Ox seal generates the base charge, but the other seals are primarily for control and direction," I explained.
I had already recreated the Chidori last year. After all, I knew the principles and the sequence of seals; it would have been strange not to develop it.
I intentionally let Kakashi think he contributed significantly to developing Chidori, creating an excuse to later teach him the technique.
Moreover, it was an optimized version.
My technique added a step to enhance neural stimulation of the eyes. Although this introduced an additional Ro-seal in the sequence, it solved the problem of maintaining direction and clarity during the high-speed thrust of Chidori.
As for Kakashi, he always felt he hadn't contributed much to the technique's creation, and as a result, he felt indebted to me.
Being the kind friend that I was, I couldn't bear to see my buddy so guilt-ridden, so I made him treat me to several rounds of Konoha barbecue.
A truly noble gesture on my part, no further words needed... Was I a bad person?
"Ryouma, how did you move behind me?" Asuma asked, still puzzled. "I know there was some kind of genjutsu, but that doesn't explain the physical position change."
"What do you think happened?" I asked, curious about his assessment.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking..."
"Ryouma used an Earth Release technique to tunnel underground, you idiot," Obito, watching from the side, chimed in with a superior tone.
"Of all people, I don't want to hear that from you, you dead last."
"Say that again!"
"Actually, Obito's partially right," I interjected. "Though I'd call it more of a ground-swimming technique than tunneling."
I watched their exchange.
The hierarchy of the Academy was a delicate thing, Asuma, middle of the pack but with prestigious lineage; Obito, struggling at the bottom despite his clan name. Both desperate to prove themselves, neither willing to admit their insecurities.
But the squabble between them died down as Kosuke cleared his throat.
"Next match: Uchiha Shiori versus Uchiha Obito," he called, holding the match list.
"What?" Obito's face turned pale upon hearing his opponent was the fierce and violent Shiori. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Hahaha! You're fighting her? Hahaha!" Asuma laughed uncontrollably. "Talk about bad luck!"
"You jerk, I'm going to beat you!" Seeing Asuma mocking him, Obito's face flushed red.
"Ouch. Clan versus clan is always rough."
"Especially when one clearly outclasses the other," Kurenai added thoughtfully.
"Obito can surprise people when he really tries!" Rin chimed in supportively.
"Shiori's already on the field," Kakashi reminded him, noticing he still hadn't moved.
After hearing Kakashi's reminder, Obito glared at Asuma before jumping down from the observation area to prepare.
His footsteps dragged as he made his way to the center of the training ground.
In contrast, Shiori stood perfectly still at her position, arms crossed, expression impassive. Her dark eyes revealed nothing.
As I recalled, Asuma had never made it into the top three in our class. The top three were consistently myself, Shiori, and Kakashi.
Kakashi, benefiting from having his parents still alive and well, hadn't yet become the mission-driven machine he would later be. Even so, he was steadily outshone by Shiori.
To me, she was an intriguing figure, as she didn't appear in the original story. Naturally, this prompted me to investigate her.
Using my Rikugan to briefly act as a snooping journalist, I had discovered that she was the daughter of Homura.
However, my observations had revealed that the father-daughter relationship was far from ideal.
Homura, despite possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, lacked ambition and instead spent his days drinking at home. Meanwhile, his wife's presence in the household was limited to a memorial tablet, suggesting she had passed away either due to the ongoing war or other reasons.
I couldn't uncover much beyond this since the two barely interacted at all. Their home life resembled a void, with no communication or acknowledgment of each other's presence, almost as if they were invisible to one another... Just two people inhabiting the same space while existing in separate worlds.
What I did confirm, however, was that Shiori was extraordinarily strong.
Once both fighters were ready, Kato addressed them.
"Form the Seal of Confrontation." Both Uchiha formed the half-Tiger seal.
"Begin!"
The battle began quickly, but there wasn't much detail worth elaborating on. Unlike Obito, who was widely regarded as the weakest in our class, Shiori had long since awakened her Sharingan.
The instant Kato's hand dropped, she moved.
One moment standing still, the next already inside Obito's guard, her right fist aimed at his solar plexus.
Obito barely managed to bring his forearm down to block, the impact forcing him back several steps. He countered with a wild haymaker, which Shiori easily ducked under before sweeping his legs.
"This is just painful to watch," Asuma said with a wince.
"His form is too loose. He telegraphs everything," Kakashi analyzed coldly.
"Come on, Obito! You can do it!" Rin called out encouragingly.
Relying on exceptional combat skills and sharp perception, Shiori completely dominated Obito using only taijutsu.
She moved like water, every motion flowing into the next - the kind of smooth control you only get from busting your ass in training day after day.
Realizing he had nothing to lose, Obito finally tried a jutsu, his hands clumsily working through the seals for a fire technique. Before he could finish, Shiori was already behind him, nailing him with a perfect palm strike to the kidney that dropped him to one knee.
As he tried to rise, her roundhouse kick connected, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
Faced with such a formidable opponent, Obito seemed powerless. Despite his desperate attempts to retaliate, he couldn't break through Shiori's pressure, not even finding an opportunity to use another jutsu.
It didn't take long for the match to reach its conclusion.
With the final blow, Obito fell heavily to the ground. For a moment, he remained there, fingers digging into the earth as though searching for the strength to stand once more.
Shiori, on the other hand, stood calmly in place, showing no signs of pride or satisfaction in defeating someone like Obito.
"Winner: Shiori," Kato announced, raising his hand.
Obito slowly pushed himself to his feet, dust and dirt clinging to his clothes and skin. Reluctantly, he stepped forward, accepting the outcome.
"Form the Seal of Reconciliation."
---
---
The song "If Wishes Were Real" is out. It was mostly created for Chapter 51. And it contains the skill he got from his pity, and a bit of backstory from his time on Earth.
The skill will be revealed in Chapter 16. So don't listen to the song if you don't like spoilers!
Maybe Chapter 16 tonight, if not, tomorrow.
But some of you may have guessed what the skill could be.
Come on, let's push the rankings!
30 advance chapters!
