Chapter 28: Chapter 13:Projectile Accuracy Challenge!
Yuto stood before the board, scanning the placements. His name was on top, with Hitomi right behind him in second and Naruko coming in third. He frowned slightly, thinking, 'I was sure they tied.' Iruka and the other chunin have paid close attention and determined Hitomi's feet crossed just before Naruko's.That is why they changed the placement from a tie, to second and third respectively. It was solely changed due to their height difference.
Naruko, of course, was livid. "How the hell did she beat me?!" she yelled, starting a heated argument with Hitomi.
"Maybe because I'm not a shorty like you," Hitomi shot back, smirking.
Naruko growled, and the two launched into a full-blown catfight, pulling at each other's clothes and hair. Yuto simply shook his head, watching them in disbelief. 'These two are at it again.' he thought, rolling his eyes. Instead of getting involved, he turned back toward the rest of the crowd that was still buzzing with excitement over the results. He'd gotten first place, but somehow, dealing with these two was more exhausting than the race itself.
Yuto glanced at the placements, noticing the clan heirs just behind their trio, with Sakura trailing them. He barely had time to think before Iruka's voice boomed through the microphone.
"The second sport will start soon!" Iruka announced.
Yuto sighed and, with a swift motion, grabbed both Naruko and Hitomi by their ears, pulling them away from their fight. "Ow! Let go, teme!" Naruko yelped, while Hitomi struggled to get free.
"You two need to cut it out," Yuto scolded, dragging them toward the second event. "It's embarrassing at this point."
The girls protested, rubbing their ears and glaring at each other. Yuto sighed internally. 'Seriously, why do I always have to be the referee?'
Once they arrived at the next stage, Iruka began explaining the rules. "This event will test your accuracy with projectiles. Each student will receive wooden kunai and shuriken, and you will need to hit both stationary and moving targets. Additionally, there's a special object attached to a balloon. If you hit it, you'll receive 20 extra points. But remember, the balloon is controlled by one of the chunin, and it moves much faster than the other targets."
Yuto observed the setup: five stationary logs, five moving dart boards, and the balloon weaving unpredictably through the air. 'This is going to be tricky,' he thought, watching the balloon dart across the sky.
Naruko, still fuming, cracked her knuckles. "I'll hit that balloon and prove I'm better than that smug princess over there," she muttered.
Hitomi shot her a glare. "In your dreams, usuratonkachi."
Yuto just shook his head again. 'This is going to be a long day.'
As Yuto continued gauging the speed of the balloon, he noticed some students from the earlier race who were not in the board placements quietly walking away. 'Looks like eliminations have started,' he thought, realizing that each stage likely had a limited number of placements. He began to wonder how many students would be cut after this projectile accuracy stage and how many spots would remain for the third stage.
'Iruka-sensei didn't mention the exact number for this round, but if the same happens as with the race, only the top students will advance,' Yuto mused. He couldn't afford to slip up.
Yuto stood watching as Iruka began calling the students in alphabetical order for the projectile accuracy stage. He paid close attention, but as expected, the civilian students didn't do much to impress. Most of them missed the stationary targets, and even fewer managed to hit any moving ones.
The clan kids, however, were much better. Some hit all the stationary targets and even managed to land a few strikes on the moving dart boards. But no one could touch the balloon—it was simply too fast.
'Each hit on a target is worth 10 points, making a possible 100 points from the 10 targets,' Yuto thought, noting down every detail in his mind. 'But the balloon is special, worth 20 extra points. That could be the game-changer if someone manages to hit it.'
He studied the pace of the balloon again, its erratic movement catching him off guard each time. 'No one's even come close to hitting it yet,' he reflected. 'But if I can time it right… I might just be able to land a hit.'
Hitomi's turn arrived, and she took the wooden kunai and shuriken, moving confidently to her spot. She stood in her place, gripping the wooden kunai and shuriken. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, the one-tomoe Sharingan was active, making the crowd gasp.
"Of course she'd use those cheating eyes," Naruko muttered beside Yuto, clearly frustrated.
Yuto smirked, his arms crossed. 'Going straight for the big guns, huh? Typical Hitomi.'
Hitomi remained calm, calculating. With quick movements, she launched her kunai and shuriken, watching them perfectly land on the stationary targets. The crowd murmured in awe as each kunai found its mark. Not one wavered.
'Okay, that was the easy part,' she thought, her eyes now focusing on the moving boards. Four shuriken, one kunai—each of them shot from her hands and struck the moving targets dead center. The crowd erupted into applause, but Hitomi didn't lose focus. Her eyes fixed on the balloon, still dancing in the sky.
The balloon's erratic movements were difficult to predict, but her Sharingan started picking up the subtle patterns in its flight. 'Wait for it… now!' Her eyes widened in recognition, and without hesitation, she flung her last shuriken.
It sailed through the air, narrowly grazing the side of the balloon. A soft pop followed as the balloon burst, signaling her perfect hit. The crowd roared in approval, with one of the chunin muttering, "As expected from an Uchiha."
Hitomi's smirk grew as she walked back to where Yuto and Naruko stood. Naruko's face was a mixture of frustration and begrudging admiration, while Yuto looked impressed.
"Not bad," Yuto said, raising his fist toward her.
Hitomi smirked back and fist-bumped him. "Tch, like there was any doubt."
Naruko fumed, her fists clenched as she watched the exchange. "Stupid Sharingan. You won't beat me next time!" she shouted, stomping the ground.
Hitomi turned to her with a mocking smile. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, shorty."
"What did you just call me?!" Naruko barked, stepping forward.
Yuto quickly stepped between them, shaking his head with a sigh. 'These two will never stop fighting, will they?'
"Save it for the next round, both of you. We still have the projectile accuracy stage to finish," Yuto said, giving both girls a serious look.
Naruko pouted but backed off, muttering, "Stupid eyes… I'll show her."
Naruko stepped up for her turn, her heart pounding as the crowd murmured around her. Some looked at her with disgust, while others whispered why she was here, creating a mixture of tension and anticipation. Yuto, noticing her unease, called out with enthusiasm, "You got this, Naruko! Show them what you can do!" Hitomi added, "Don't let them get to you! Just remember, you can only lose to me!"
Naruko felt a rush of gratitude from their support but shot Hitomi a playful glare. "Yeah, yeah, just don't get too cocky, Uchiha!" she retorted, trying to shake off the nerves.
As she positioned herself, she took a deep breath, calming herself down. The first stationary target went down easily as she launched her shuriken with confidence. "That's right! Keep it up!" Yuto cheered, watching her intently.
She moved on to the moving targets next, her heart racing as she released four shuriken. "Yes! I hit four!" she exclaimed, a triumphant smile spreading across her face, but then her joy turned to panic when she saw one of the boards manage to barely dodge her final shuriken. "No, no, no! Come back!" she shouted, frustration mounting.
With steely determination, she turned her gaze to the moving balloon. 'Focus, Naruko. Just like the targets. You can do this,' she told herself, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart. She aimed her kunai and threw it with all her might.
"Come on, come on!" Yuto whispered, his hands clenched in anticipation.
But just as the kunai approached, the balloon swerved out of the way, evading her strike. Naruko's shoulders sagged in defeat as she walked away from the target area, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "I can't believe I missed that!" she groaned, kicking the ground lightly in frustration.
Just then, Yuto stepped up beside her, a comforting smile on his face. "Hey, you did great! You hit all the stationary ones, and you almost got that balloon!" he encouraged, patting her on the back.
Hitomi added with a teasing grin, "Yeah, at least the usuratonkachi didn't lose to the others. You still have a shot at the next event!"
Naruko couldn't help but smile at their encouragement, even as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll get you next time, Uchiha!" she declared playfully, her competitive spirit ignited once more.
It was soon Yuto's turn. He strode confidently towards his designated spot, his heart racing with excitement. 'This is it,' he thought, a determined expression on his face. 'Time to show everyone what I've got!'
As he prepared himself, he took a moment to survey the targets. The crowd hushed, anticipation thick in the air. Yuto closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to center his focus. When he opened them, his eyes gleamed with a radiant red glow—the Kamigan activated.
The crowd gasped collectively, the sound echoing through the academy grounds. Whispers rippled through the spectators. "Is that a dojutsu?" one parent exclaimed, disbelief etched on their face.
"How is a Yamanaka clan boy able to awaken a dojutsu?" another murmured, eyes wide with intrigue.
Ino, watching from the sidelines, clapped her hands together with excitement. "Wow! Yuto looks so cool!" she whispered to herself, her admiration shining through. 'I've heard so many amazing things about him from my dad. Now I get to see them live.'
Yuto caught a glimpse of Ino's wide eyes and felt a slight flush creep onto his cheeks. 'She really thinks I'm cool?' He shook his head, focusing back on the task at hand. He missed Hitomi and Naruko's subtle glare when they saw yuto blush at Ino's comment.
Iruka called out, "Yuto, are you ready?"
Yuto nodded, his resolve hardening. "I'm ready!" he called back, his voice steady.
With the signal given, he launched his kunai and shuriken with precision. One by one, he hit the stationary targets, each thud resonating like a drumbeat of victory.
He shifted his focus to the moving dartboards. 'Okay, I need to read their patterns,' he thought, his mind racing. Utilizing the Kamigan's scanning ability, he saw their moving time appearing in their information. He threw his shuriken, landing hits on all five boards.
Yuto grinned, but he knew the real challenge lay ahead—the moving balloon. He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing as he followed its erratic path, his ability getting the general information of its pattern. 'I have to focus… just like I practiced.'
He calculated his timing, throwing the final shuriken with all his might. The crowd held its breath as the shuriken whizzed through the air, slicing through the tension.
With a loud pop, the balloon burst, with the crowd erupting into wild applause.
Returning to his spot, he was met with enthusiastic cheers from Hitomi and Naruko. "You were not bad yourself." Hitomi said, fist bumping him.
"Yeah, you totally nailed it!" Naruko added, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Ino, still watching with wide eyes, couldn't help but fan herself. "He's not just talented; he's super handsome too!" she whispered, almost breathless as she watched yuto's smile as he scratched his head
As Yuto was talking with the girl's, he couldn't shake the feeling of determination growing within him. 'I want to keep getting stronger. I want to be able to hit those targets without even needing the Kamigan.I won't stop until I'm the best at everything!'
(Pls give me some power stones!)
(Find out next time on Naruto:Eye system)