His strike was simply a straightforward punch, landing squarely on Sasuke's chest.
Fortunately, he knew how terrifying his own strength was. To him, it was just a light tap. Even so, Sasuke was still sent flying again.
This time, he didn't just fly ten or so meters before landing. Sasuke crashed directly into a large tree behind him, breaking a trunk that even an adult couldn't wrap their arms around, before finally falling to the ground.
"Cough~"
This time, he actually coughed up blood. Sasuke felt like every bone in his body ached. Under normal circumstances, a hit like that should have caused serious injury. The basic knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy included first-aid procedures and self-assessment of injuries.
As a top graduate of his class, Sasuke made a good judgment: his injuries didn't seem serious?
With Ethan's precise control over his power, there was no chance of accidentally killing Sasuke. He could clearly assess Sasuke's physical condition and judge what kind of attack he could withstand. This punch only made Sasuke very uncomfortable, and spitting a little blood was the most severe symptom (minor internal injuries). For a ninja, this level of damage was almost nothing.
"Is this your true strength?"
Sasuke leaned against the broken tree trunk, looking at Ethan walking closer. He suddenly felt that this classmate, who had always seemed ordinary except for his appearance, now felt completely unfamiliar. Even if he had never truly tried to understand him before, what he had seen until now was clearly a disguise.
"No."
Ethan shook his head. Of course, this wasn't his full strength. Even in his weakest state, where he couldn't unleash his god-level power, just his current physical condition and precise control over energy were far beyond what someone like Sasuke, who had just entered the ninja world, could comprehend.
"..."
Sasuke clenched his teeth. He didn't want to believe it, but his instincts told him that Ethan wasn't bluffing.
He couldn't even force his opponent to reveal their true strength. Then what was he?
The pain gradually faded into a tingling sensation, then dulled further, and Sasuke, having regained some mobility, slowly stood up. After testing his limbs slightly, he confirmed he was fine and stood still in silence.
"Want to keep going?"
Sasuke did want to continue. But reason told him it was pointless. Still, quitting here made him unwilling. He was stuck between two impulses.
Ethan could tell what this kid was struggling with. He shrugged, turned away, and walked off.
If Sasuke had asked Ethan, "How can I become stronger?" or "Can you teach me how to become stronger?", Ethan, who was currently so bored it was driving him crazy, would have gladly agreed.
He had nothing else to do anyway, and dragging Sasuke onto a different development path might actually be fun.
But this kid's personality was too awkward. Maybe living alone for those few years after the incident had made him forget too many things. What could have been a simple matter, he made complicated. Something he could solve just by speaking up, he kept to himself and brooded over instead.
If no one corrected this, in a few more years, he would drift further into isolation and become even more difficult.
But since he didn't speak, Ethan wouldn't offer help of his own accord. He was idle, sure, but not to the point of chasing people down to mentor them. Being asked for help and offering unsolicited guidance were two entirely different things.
Leaving the Uchiha compound, Ethan slowly walked home. He noticed that someone had been secretly observing him along the way, only leaving after he entered his house.
"Anbu?"
Many people didn't sleep well that night. Naruto had finally begun his story. Because of his act of stealing the Scroll of Seals, most of the Leaf's ninja were mobilized to track down the "book thief." Although most of them were low to mid-level ninja, the elite who truly knew the inside story did not participate. At most, a few Jonin trusted by the Third Hokage would secretly offer protection to make sure the story developed properly.
The Leaf Village seemed calm, but in reality, it was chaotic. And the genius boy Uchiha Sasuke, who had been beaten by Ethan earlier, probably wouldn't sleep well either.
Only Ethan went through his usual "sleep" routine, then got up early the next morning as usual to train. After tidying up his simple house, he went to register as a ninja.
After receiving a forehead protector, graduates were not yet officially considered ninja. Only after completing registration and being added to the Leaf's official ninja roster were they recognized as such.
For a few favored key training targets selected by the higher-ups, they also had to undergo an additional round of testing by their assigned Jonin squad leaders.
However, that test wasn't for measuring strength. Children from prestigious families already had strength far beyond the average graduate and already met the Genin standard. What was being assessed was their personality and character.
Only those who passed would be cultivated as seeds of the village's future. These individuals would one day become the core strength or even leadership of the Leaf.
Naturally, none of this had anything to do with Ethan.
As a civilian-background ninja, he only needed to complete the registration to be officially recognized. Though he would also be assigned a squad leader, it was uncertain if that person would even be a Jonin. He wouldn't receive detailed guidance like those being groomed for leadership. His squad leader's job would be to help new Genin adapt to the ninja lifestyle, explain the general procedures for missions, and then stop managing them.
Iruka had seemed to have "put in some work" on Ethan's behalf lately. Would it make a difference?
"Will I replace someone and squeeze into a particular team?"
Thinking it over, he realized it was impossible. There were nine students prioritized for training this year, eight of whom had strong backgrounds. The only one from a civilian background was Haruno Sakura.
Coincidentally, Haruno Sakura had a unique position. Naruto liked her, and she liked Sasuke. She was positioned between the two, forming a communication bridge between them.
This showed that the Third Hokage didn't want to give up on the Uchiha bloodline and wanted Sasuke to bond with Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's son, so that the last Uchiha would stay loyal to the Leaf.
So, Haruno Sakura, who seemed the most likely to be replaced, was actually the least likely.
"So... I'll probably be assigned to a squad leader whose name I won't even remember."
Ethan was actually looking forward to it. The feeling was a bit like drawing a lottery. Even if you knew you wouldn't win, you still wanted to see what kind of prize you'd get.
The results came out quickly. At the team assignment meeting, Ethan was placed in a group with two classmates from average backgrounds.
Like most teams, it was two boys and one girl.
Ethan also discovered something interesting. In the original plot, there were twenty-seven graduates this year. Even with his addition, the number still remained twenty-seven. It seemed the number of graduates was fixed.
After the teams were assigned (this assignment was probably different from the later squad system, otherwise it would be hard to explain how twenty-seven people fit into Team Ten. For now, Naruto's team was still Team Seven, and would remain so later), they were scheduled to meet their Jonin squad leader in the afternoon.
With some curiosity, Ethan and his two teammates, Katsura and Yui, quickly met their squad leader.
"Team Four members, follow me."
A man with sunglasses, messy broom-like hair, and a forehead protector worn slightly askew walked in and directly called them.
"Huh? A familiar face."
He had expected to be assigned a completely unknown character, but surprisingly, he was assigned to someone who had at least appeared in the story.
All things considered, this was a decent draw.
It showed that Iruka's efforts hadn't been wasted. While he couldn't match the squad leaders of the main cast, at least this one had a presence. He could barely be considered one of the Leaf's supporting characters.
Following their squad leader to a quiet spot, the man introduced himself.
"I am Leaf Village Special Jonin Yamashiro Aoba. From now on, I will be your squad leader and instructor, and I'll teach you how to carry out ninja duties."
Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses, glanced at the three students listening obediently, and nodded with satisfaction.
"If you have any questions about personal training, you can also ask me."
After that, Yamashiro Aoba had each of them introduce themselves. Once that was done, he said, "Starting tomorrow, I will take you to learn how to accept, complete, and submit missions." Then he dismissed them.
From Yamashiro Aoba's behavior, it was clear that this group was not highly valued. His demeanor was exactly like a team leader guiding new employees, completely different from those grooming their personal disciples.
However, except for Ethan, the other two students had no idea what this meant. They were still immersed in the joy of officially becoming ninja and starting their ninja careers.
"Sometimes... ignorance really is a kind of happiness."
(To be continued.)