Chapter 46: Analyzing Opponents and Countermeasures

3 days after the second-year class 1-S team formation... Seimei walked inside the room and saw six young Shinobi already gathering around a round table, waiting for him to arrive. One of them, Uchiha Touma, complained with a mild irritation, "You're late! We have been waiting for you for more than 20 minutes." Seimei shifted his gaze toward the wall clock. It was 5:53 PM right now. Then he moved his head toward Touma and replied, "We agreed to meet at 6 PM. But look, I'm still 7 minutes early." "It's not that I'm late. You guys are just too early." After saying his piece, Seimei shrugged, walked to the empty chair at the table, and sat down while giving Touma a sunny smile. However, for some reason, that smile irked Touma even more. He was about to retort when Uzumaki Keiko interrupted, "Calm down, Touma." "Let's not waste any more time." Sarutobi Yuto chimed in, "Yes, let's talk about our opponents in this upcoming interclass competition." Today, Nara Shikamo asked his class 1-S teammates to gather at his home after the academy ends. He planned to analyze the students of the other three S-class teams and develop proper countermeasures against them. Sure, they didn't know the format of the competition yet. But it didn't stop them from taking precautions. At this moment, Seimei asked Nara Shikamo, "Spill it, who are you?" "What did you do to my friend, Shikamo?" Hearing this, Nara Shikamo's forehead instantly covered with dark lines. He was well aware of Seimei's occasional mischievous behavior. He asked in a tired voice, "What do you want to say, Seimei?" Seimei replied righteously, "My dear friend, Shikamo, is a very lazy person." "He even dares to sleep during Kirito-sensei's theory classes." "He hates troubles and spouts 'what a drag this' and 'what a drag that' all the time." "There is no way in hell for him to actively organize a 'Troublesome' meeting like this." "Tell me, who are you?" "Reveal your true nature, imposter!" As soon as Seimei finished speaking, Nara Shikamo's face darkened even further. "Pfft~" "Hahahahaha~" Sarutobi Yuto immediately burst into laughter. Seeing this, Shikamo glared at Yuta, who tried his best to suppress his laugh. The shoulders of the other three also shook continuously, clearly trying to suppress their giggles. Only Uchiha Touma remained somewhat composed. Though his lips also twitched several times. Shikamo gritted his teeth and said with a strained voice, "Sen. Ju. Sei. Mei." "I may be lazy, but even I know how to be responsible when the situation calls for it." Seimei quickly held his hand up and declared, "I surrender!" Watching Seimei's shameless display with a face that showed no remorse, Shikamo's eyes couldn't help but twitch in irritation. Then he scanned his teammates and asked, "Now, can we begin the meeting?" Uchiha Reina composed herself quickly and nodded, "Let's begin." Everyone else nodded too. Shikamo exhaled in relief, "Very well, let's get this over with." As he said this, he took out seven scrolls and distributed six of them to his six teammates. He said, "Please, open it." "This scroll contains the details of the students who will be our opponents during this upcoming competition." "I have compiled a list of their names, clans, and special abilities." "These scrolls also have details about their combat prowess, the techniques they use most frequently, and the individual quirks and weaknesses that we can exploit to secure victory if we confront them one-on-one." Shikamo halted his speech for a bit. He saw everyone opening the scrolls and skimming through the details of their opponents seriously. Shikamo continued, "I want you all to go through the details of each person mentioned in these scrolls." "Some of our opponents belong to our very own clans." "I want to know if you have anything valuable to add that could make it easier to counter them during the competition." At this moment, Seimei looked up and said, "I know this guy—Senju Naoki." "So, he is in the second-year Class 2-S team?" He paused for a bit before explaining. "I heard a lot about him in my clan." "Apparently, this guy is 10 years old this year, and has awakened the Mud Release Kekkei Genkai—a rather troublesome Kekkei Genkai of our clan." "Mud Release techniques are an ideal counter to most Water Release, Wind Release, and Fire Release techniques. However, it's incredibly weak against the Lightning Release Ninjutsu." "It can devour most Wind and Water Release Ninjutsu." "The mud can even stop Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet and many other Vacuum Techniques, which are known for their incredible penetrative power." "If you get close, he might try to overwhelm you with sticky mud that will slow your movement and make your body feel heavy." "And if you're particularly unlucky, his mud clones might try to shove mud down your throat, making it difficult to breathe." "So, yeah! Unless you have a very powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu, or you are proficient in Earth and Lightning Release Ninjutsu, or your clan has some secret technique that can subdue him, it's better to stay away from him." "After all, he has the combat prowess of an Elite Chunin." Uzumaki Keiko sighed, "What a troublesome guy! He counters the nature release Ninjutsu that I excel in." Ishimori Haneda agreed, "Indeed. You specialize in Wind and Water Release Ninjutsu. Senju Naoki is your literal arch enemy." Uchiha Reina mentioned, "Keiko, it will be wise to utilize your Sealing Techniques when facing him. I know you have quite a few powerful Fuinjutsu techniques." Keiko nodded, "I do have them. I can even use Adamantine Sealing Chains. However, I can only use two chains at once. That's my limit right now." Shikamo said, "That's better than nothing." "Alright! Moving to the next opponent. We have Uchiha Hina from the Class 3-S team." Uchiha Touma remarked, "That's the daughter of one of our Uchiha clan Elders." "She is also 10 years old and has awakened Two-tomoe Sharingan." "A genius without a hint of doubt." "Of course, she is nothing in front of our No.1 prodigy—Miss Reina." Reina just smiled and said, "You don't have to flatter me all the time, Touma." Then Reina turned toward the group and revealed, "As Touma mentioned, she is undoubtedly a genius from our clan." "She specializes in Shurikenjutsu, Kenjutsu, and has a natural affinity with Wind, Fire, and Lightning Release Ninjutsu." "Of course, you must be careful of her Sharingan Genjutsu as well." "To counter her, you must have exceptional Taijutsu skills, fast reflexes, and enough skills to avoid her attempts to drag you into illusions." Sarutobi Yuto exclaimed, "Another troublesome fellow." Ishimori Haneda interjected, "Which one of these guys in this scroll isn't a troublesome opponent?" Shikamo nodded in agreement before moving to their next target. The seven members of the second-year Class 1-S team continued to discuss different opponents and tried to pinpoint the best way to defeat them. After a long discussion, they were now down to their last opponent. Nara Shikamo rubbed the middle of his brows and said, "Finally, we have Hyuga Itsuki." "He is in the second-year Class 2-S team, and he's 10 this year." "If my intel is correct, his combat prowess reached the peak of Elite Chunin." "He is going to be the most difficult opponent we will face during this competition." Hearing this, Seimei sported a mischievous smile and turned to Uchiha Reina. "Hey, Reina. I heard he declared that he would defeat you in this competition." "He said he would prove that Byakugan is the most powerful Dojutsu in this world." "So, are you feeling pressure now?" Uchiha Reina cranked her neck toward him and smirked, "Heh!" "Let him come." Seimei added, "Really?" Reina responded with confidence, "Let's have a duel this weekend, my dear Seimei." "You will understand whether I am feeling pressure or not!" Hearing this, Seimei's smile faltered. His lips twitched for a second. He wanted to argue further, but he had nothing to counter her. She was just that strong. Forget Reina. Even Seimei, who hadn't won a single spar against Reina, could defeat Hyuga Itsuki without any issue. What? You said his combat prowess reached the peak of an Elite Chunin? So what? Did the B-rank chakra beasts Seimei defeated look like a joke to you? He even faced his father head-on, who used the combat power of an average Senju clan Jonin. Although he lost, it didn't mean any random Elite Chunin could challenge and defeat him. Unless he was caught off guard, there was no way for him to lose against an opponent weaker than a Special Jonin. So, Reina would definitely not lose against that Hyuga Itsuki guy. Hearing Seimei and Reina bickering again, Nara Shikamo sighed and interjected, "I understand that you two can defeat him." "But that doesn't mean we can." Uchiha Touma retorted, "What do you mean, Shikamo?" "I can defeat that white-eyed bastard, too." Uzumaki Keiko mocked, "Yeah, yeah! We know, lord Touma!" Touma's temper instantly flared, "Are you mocking me?" Haneda spoke up, "It's not time to fight among us." Nara Shikamo once again let out a deep sigh and thought. Ha! It will be a long night! In the end, it took them 5 more hours to finally finish their discussion. ---------------------- A/N: If you like what you're reading, consider supporting me on P@treon and read up to 25 Advanced chapters! patreon.com/Seigan