Chapter 30: Sparring

The next one, Liantian Cilang……

As Teacher Qingshan called out each name one by one.

Around the room, some sat kneeling properly, others sat cross-legged; the young ninjas all widened their eyes, staring unblinking at the sparring between Teacher Chitian and the new student.

【Liantian Cilang, I remember that outstanding junior of mine. There was a classmate named Liantian Ye; I don't know if there's any relation……】

Like the other kids around him, Dong Shilang found a spot by the window, basking in the sunlight while leaning his body against the wall, sitting cross-legged.

His gaze swept lightly over the arena.

In his view, these young ninjas' moves were quite rudimentary. Even if there were children from individual ninja families, there wasn't much that stood out. But this is normal; not everyone is a genius like Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi, etc., who could graduate from ninja school at five or six years old.

Next, Yuzhibo Dongshilang!

Sitting cross-legged on the classroom's wooden floor, leaning against the wall to rest, basking in the sunlight that bathed his whole body, after waiting half an hour Dong Shilang's spirits lifted. He then stood up and walked onto the arena.

If he kept waiting like this, he seriously doubted he'd fall asleep again from boredom. There was nothing he could do; he could only blame the fact that spring really isn't good weather for going to school.

As Dong Shilang walked slowly onto the arena, everyone in the classroom—teachers and students alike—fixed their sharp gaze on him. There was no helping it; the Uchiha surname was truly extraordinary, whether for ordinary civilians or clan members, it was the same for all.

For ordinary civilians, every appearance of the Uchiha meant that relatives, friends, or acquaintances nearby would be arrested and taken to the garrison for punishment.

For clan ninjas, however, associating with the Uchiha was a politically incorrect act. No clan ninja would behave in such an overstepping manner, since they represent not only themselves but often their actions also reflect the attitude of the clan behind them.

This caused the Uchiha to appear especially aloof in outsiders' eyes. Though fellow ninja clans, the Uchiha's attempt to blend in faced countless difficulties, an invisible barrier blocking the way. And ordinary civilians, seeing their occasional fearful glances, the proud Uchiha scorned having deep interactions with them.

'Form the seal of confrontation—then the ninja sparring begins!'

Dong Shilang nodded, gathered power in his feet and exploded instantly; a flicker of movement later he appeared before Chitian Youta, throwing a midair punch at Chitian's cheek.

Many students let out soft exclamations; Dong Shilang's burst of speed just now was simply too fast for them—they couldn't even catch it with their eyes.

Although he hadn't gathered chakra in his legs to boost explosive power, and although creating a shadow clone had left him less than peak physically, his speed had reached a point that even Chitian Youta found astonishing.

But Teacher Chitian remained a seasoned Chunin who had survived life‑and‑death battles; his combat experience was vast, and he had faced countless ninjas faster than Dong Shilang. Although startled by Dong Shilang's sudden burst of speed, he wasn't about to be overturned.

A light tilt of his head dodged Dong Shilang's punch; Dong Shilang didn't wait to land before unleashing a series of kicks, but Teacher Chitian blocked them all with his palms, slap‑slap‑slap.

Dong Shilang used the rebound to land, then another burst of power followed; after turning a corner he appeared behind Teacher Chitian, crouching to sweep a rotating leg at Chitian's lower body.

Teacher Chitian lifted a leg and took Dong Shilang's low kick head‑on; the force transmitted up his leg surprised him—an ordinary Genin might not even be able to withstand it.

As a Chunin, Teacher Chitian judged that Dong Shilang's attack couldn't shake him; after absorbing the blow, he seized the opening created by Dong Shilang's attack and lifted his leg to kick at Dong Shilang's head. Dong Shilang could only raise his arms to block, but was still kicked five or six meters away.

'Such strong leg power—my arms are numb!'

Dong Shilang was a bit surprised; he could see that Teacher Chitian had merely kicked casually, surely holding back to avoid hurting him, though he didn't know how much force was used—but even so, he could barely tolerate it.

From this it was clear that Dong Shilang still had a long way to go before reaching true Chunin level.

【I've embarrassed the time‑travelers again! Other time‑travelers, at six years old, could instant‑kill a Chunin—basically no different from slaughtering chickens and dogs. Here, although I'm not in peak condition, the gap is still obvious!】

His expression grew ever more solemn; although it was just an exam, Dong Shilang wouldn't let that make him lax in combat, his foot power continually exploding as he appeared like a ghost all around Teacher Chitian to attack.

All the students watched the splendid bout, gripping their fists nervously without daring to blink; to them it was astonishing—Dong Shilang's speed was lightning‑fast, his attacks astonishing, while Teacher Chitian was even more formidable, effortlessly dodging and blocking punches and kicks, some even forgot to breathe, only catching their breath after a while.

Some students who thought themselves decent wore sullen faces; Dong Shilang's outstanding performance made them feel completely outclassed, leaving them a bit unwilling to accept it.

Kids being kids, most of them just love to show off.

At this moment Dong Shilang kicked from an awkward angle, but Teacher Chitian firmly grabbed Qiuye's ankle, threw him to the ground, and quickly struck his neck with the index and middle fingers; the brief rigidity from the fall left Dong Shilang unable to react, perhaps also due to lack of real‑combat experience, making his senses a bit dull, and the fight ended then.

'Excellent!' Teacher Chitian gave a brief praise, offering no further commentary—perhaps he couldn't think of anything else—since aside from lacking in experience and technique, Dong Shilang's speed and strength, those hard‑core abilities, were flawless for his age.

'It's hard to believe this is just a six‑year‑old brat; his moves are crisp, his perception sharp, his aura intimidating—just looking at his taijutsu, it's already near Genin level.'

'In this year's cohort, before the other students learn their clan ninjutsu, I doubt anyone could beat him.'

【Just think of his surname—even if he learned the clan's secret techniques, it'd probably be useless. The Uchiha clan truly lives up to being an elite ninja family!】

The two formed the seal of reconciliation, and facing Teacher Chitian's 'bright‑eyed' gaze, Dong Shilang couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.

【It looks like the class's top student is Dong Shilang; it's very likely he'll be the top student of this year's cohort!】