The air fell silent. Hyūga Tokuma looked around in confusion.
All the students were stunned by Uchiha Saitama's last throw. Even the instructor looked visibly surprised.
Just when Tokuma was preparing to hit the three closest moving targets, Saitama had thrown his third set of shuriken.
But unlike before, this time he didn't release them all at once. He threw them one after another—split-second intervals—precisely timed.
That alone wasn't extraordinary.
But the remarkable part was that Saitama's shuriken collided mid-air in succession, adjusting their trajectory through carefully planned interference, before all hitting their respective targets at the same moment.
Two of them struck moving targets at fifteen meters. The last one hit the moving target at twenty meters—a distance most Academy students couldn't even consistently aim at, let alone hit a moving bullseye.
Tokuma's hands, still holding his shuriken, slowly lowered. His grip tightened in frustration.
He now understood what Uchiha Saitama had meant earlier: "Don't cry later."
Humiliation settled deep in Tokuma's chest.
Saitama didn't spare him a glance. He simply turned and walked off.
He had come to a clear realization: Only strength earns respect.
There was no point in hiding anymore.
The crowd around them broke into murmurs and quiet chatter. None of them had expected the usually quiet Uchiha Saitama to demonstrate such advanced technique.
Even Instructor Ryuta stared at the targets, then at the embedded shuriken, and shook his head.
With that kind of precision... even I couldn't do that, he thought. I completely misjudged him. The Uchiha clan truly is formidable.
Tokuma stood frozen, gripping his shuriken tightly. His face was filled with unwillingness and frustration.
"Shurikenjutsu is just one aspect," Tokuma muttered to himself. "I'll defeat you head-on one day, Uchiha Saitama."
Having made up his mind, Tokuma returned the shuriken to his pouch and turned to leave.
"Saitama! That was amazing!" Iruka came running over, beaming with excitement.
Saitama smiled. Iruka was a good friend. If Iruka learned from him, he might also become skilled in throwing techniques over time.
"It's nothing special. Want to learn? I'll teach you," Saitama offered cheerfully.
For the first time, he understood—staying hidden for too long only makes others underestimate you. Only by revealing your edge at the right time will people respect you.
In the remainder of the test, Saitama didn't pay much attention. No one else scored higher than eight. No one could hit all the moving targets.
That alone was enough to make the entire class look at him differently.
Not only had he achieved a perfect score, but he had done so with such refined control and timing that even the instructor was impressed.
The final class of the day was on the Three Basic Jutsu: the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique.
Saitama had already mastered these entry-level techniques a month ago.
After performing them perfectly in front of the teacher, he returned to his usual seat in the back row, quietly resuming his own personal training.
Iruka kept asking questions beside him, impressed by Saitama's control.
Saitama realized that he had already surpassed most of his peers. At this point, perhaps only Shisui could still rival him.
I wonder where Shisui's been... He's been absent from the Academy, and I haven't seen him around the Uchiha district either.
The first semester was already coming to a close. Time flew.
---
"Boss, give me a chakra nature paper."
"That'll be 100 ryō."
Saitama paid the shopkeeper and carefully pocketed the chakra nature paper.
During class earlier that day, he had realized something: despite all his training, he'd never once checked his natural chakra affinities.
After school, he went straight to the same weapons shop he'd visited previously. Most general shinobi supply shops carried chakra paper—while not rare, it was still a valuable tool for aspiring ninja.
Leaving the store, Saitama walked into the nearby woods where he usually trained.
Signs of his daily practice were everywhere—scarred bark, worn grass, embedded kunai. But he had no intention of changing locations. If anyone saw it, so be it.
He didn't need to hide everything. Hiding only created suspicion.
He found a clear patch, sat cross-legged, and took a deep breath.
Saitama pulled out the chakra paper and focused. Guiding his chakra into the slip, he watched carefully.
One corner burned.
The opposite corner crinkled.
The center split down the middle.
Fire, wind, and lightning.
Saitama's eyes narrowed slightly.
A rare combination, especially for someone from the Uchiha clan.
So... I have Fire, Wind, and Lightning release. That fits. The Uchiha are naturally gifted with Fire Release. Wind and Lightning are both excellent offensively, too.
He also knew that chakra paper didn't detect Yin or Yang nature—those were more subtle and advanced to determine. But these three were more than enough for now.
Satisfied, Saitama crushed the used paper in his hand and buried it in the soil. It would decompose naturally.
He stood, dusted himself off, and started walking home. He'd only spent about half an hour and dinner time was approaching.
Oba-san should be waiting. I shouldn't keep her waiting too long.
But as he neared his house, Saitama's expression changed.
Something's wrong.
The atmosphere felt off—still and tense.
Saitama's body tensed.
He stepped through the door cautiously.