Naruto: The Shadow Lord of the Nara Clan

Chapter 2 Titles and Professions

As her gaze fell upon that handsome face with a forced smile, Shui Mu felt a surge of gloomy anger rising within her.

Last year, his actions of harming his teammates were exposed, which caused him to lose the opportunity to compete with Iruka and lose his qualification to become a teacher at the Ninja Academy.

That's fine then, he admits it!

He thought it would be his turn to get the ninja academy teacher qualification this year, but then Nara Shikakage suddenly appeared and squeezed him out of the teacher list!

A young student who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy actually dared to step on his head!

How can SMTH accept this?

How could he possibly be inferior to a recent graduate of the ninja academy?

It must be a cover-up!

unfair!

Mizuki was convinced that Nara Shikakage had left because of the Nara family's connections, so seeing Shikakage's nonchalant smile, he was furious and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Ha, you've got guts."

Licking his lips, Mizuki leaped onto the assessment field, staring menacingly at Nara Shikakage.

He vowed to teach this kid a lesson later!

—Killing him to death is unrealistic; beating him half to death is about right!

Nara Shikakage didn't take Mizuki's trash talk to heart. After receiving instructions from Sarutobi Hiruzen, he first nodded to Mizuki, then methodically performed an opposing hand seal:

"Let's begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shui Mu kicked off with his back foot and shot out quickly.

At the same time, three cold lights flashed out, pointing directly at Lu Ying's chest.

Faced with the kunai rushing towards him, Shikakage made no move, but instead stared blankly at Mizuki's actions.

With a thud, the kunai pierced straight through his body.

Upon closer inspection, the deer was nowhere to be seen; it was clearly just a wooden stake.

Upon seeing this, Shui Mu's pupils suddenly contracted.

—When was the Substitution Jutsu used?!

Sensing the wind behind him, Mizuki had no time to think and could only use his momentum to roll forward, but his arm was still cut by a sharp weapon.

Lu Ying stood at the spot where the water and wood had tumbled, toying with the blood-stained kunai in his hand, and raised an eyebrow, saying:

"The response is good."

"Damn it!"

The illusion of being looked down upon and the burning pain in his arm fueled Mizuki's rage. Just as he was about to unleash his "Clone Technique," he saw the "Deer Shadow" not far away suddenly turn into a cloud of smoke.

"Do you like the clone?"

The sound came from behind. Mizuki's face turned pale. Just as he was about to turn around, a kunai stabbed towards his neck without hesitation.

Logically speaking, ninja duels should not involve killing, but Shikakage's movements did not stop at all, as if he was determined to kill Mizuki.

Faced with the deadly attack of the deer, Mizuki's feigned fear revealed a hint of mocking sarcasm deep within his eyes.

--idiot!

The "bang" sound reappeared.

Shuimu's body turned into a similar wooden stake.

Mizuki, who had been hiding nearby using the Substitution Technique, suddenly darted out and viciously stabbed Shikakage in the heart with a sharp blade in his hand.

Since Lu Ying went all out, then he can't be blamed!

"Go to hell!"

Looking down at the wooden stake where the stunt double had been placed, Lu Ying sighed helplessly:

"Why do people always treat the Substitution Jutsu like a melee weapon?"

"Your use of the Substitution Jutsu and hand seals are so obvious, do you think I'm blind?"

—What does that mean?

Shuimu was stunned for a moment, then realized that it wasn't just a "moment", but that she was completely frozen and unable to move!

Lu Ying made a hand seal with one hand, slowly turned around and looked at Shui Mu who was imitating his movements.

"Mr. Mizuki, the outcome is decided."

……

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been watching the entire duel, had a gleam in his eyes. Nara Shikakage's performance had given him a great surprise.

"It's a hand seal done with one hand!"

One-handed hand seals are an extremely difficult skill, and only a very few elite ninjas can master them.

Moreover, the "Shadow Imitation Technique" is a secret technique of the Nara family, making it even more difficult!

"Excellent, excellent, truly worthy of being ninjas of Konoha!"

"A genius beyond compare!"

Upon hearing Sarutobi's praise, Nara Shikakage first released Mizuki from his restraints, then smiled brightly:

"This is all thanks to the Hokage's guidance!"

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi, who was already in a good mood, became even more delighted. He looked at Mizuki, his smile fading.

"Shuimu, are you convinced now?"

Mizuki bit her lip, clenched her fists, and lowered her head unwillingly.

Seeing Mizuki's expression, Nara Shikakage thought for a moment and then said:

"Lord Hokage, Mizuki-sensei was just unlucky; his strength is still exceptional."

"After this duel, I realized that I still have shortcomings. In the field of education, Mr. Mizuki is obviously more suitable to be a teacher at the Ninja Academy than I am."

"Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from this assessment."

To be honest, if he could take down Mizuki, Shikakage would definitely not hold back.

After all, being targeted by a petty person could cause you trouble at any time.

However, killing him would cause a lot of trouble at the moment, because Shikakage does not intend to become a rogue ninja in the short term.

Rather than being resented by Shuimu, it's better to give him the teaching position.

Since he wasn't planning on becoming a teacher anyway, he figured it was just a favor.

"Really? But since you've made this choice, let's do as you say."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed even harder.

It's not just because Lu Ying's personality and way of doing things are in line with his beliefs.

More importantly, making Lu Ying a teacher is clearly a waste of her talents.

Even if Lu Ying doesn't say it, he will communicate with her privately.

Both were satisfied with the result.

But Shuimu was not satisfied.

Listening to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shikakage's eloquent talk, Mizuki felt insulted.

He kept his head down, his teeth digging into his lips, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

—I'm not a garbage collector!

Clearly, Lu Ying underestimated the disgusting nature of Shui Mu.

……

Leaving the assessment building, I was bathed in the glow of dusk.

Lu Ying smiled, her mind replaying the experience she had just had.

Although he was already stronger than Mizuki, he couldn't "torture" him so easily.

The reason this can be achieved is mainly due to the system itself.

The title of "Stranger" had a far greater effect than he had imagined; the bonuses from the three "absolute attributes" at least doubled his strength.

At first glance, the five-dimensional values do not appear to have increased.

But the actual performance has undergone a dramatic change, as if it had always lived at the bottom of the sea and has now finally come ashore.

Besides the title, what surprised him even more was the talent of the Shadow Monarch, "Shadow Power".

The passive amplification it brings allows Shikakage to skip the "hand seal" step and directly use the Nara family's shadow technique.

In short, it's the original version of Shadow Technique!

As for the single-handed hand seal used when sparring with Mizuki, it was naturally a way to conceal his true abilities.

It's always good to keep something to yourself.

After calming down from her surprise, Lu Ying's thoughts returned to the system panel.

He needs to plan his future career path.

"To level up quickly, you need a lot of experience pets."

"The path of peace can be abandoned."

After a moment's thought, Lu Ying locked onto her target.