I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

While he didn't expect much from his classmates, Wu would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed by their performance. Most of them used the same inefficient fighting style, but even that flew out the window after the first blow connected. Of his twenty-six classmates, the only people Wu attributed as having any value as a Shinobi were Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburama Shino. Choji was a bit lazy, but he wasn't afraid to quite literally throw around his weight, using his entire body as a weapon. Kiba's style was coarse, but he made up for it with sheer ferocity. Shino's style was passive, but his ability to remain calm and intercept strikes left his opponent feeling helpless. What disappointed Wu the most were the heirs of the Yamanaka, Hyuga, and Nara Clans. The heiress from the Yamanaka household, Ino, was the same girl that had been screaming the loudest in support of Sasuke. Her accuracy with thin wooden needles known as Senbon was commendable, but they had no stopping power. The moment her opponent was able to close the distance, she slipped away and immediately gave up, remarking about how she would have won if the Senbon were authentic and that she didn't want to dirty her new dress. Giving Wu an even worse impression than Ino, the heiress of the Hyuga Clan, one of the most powerful and prestigious Clans in Konoha, lasted a grand total of five seconds before crouching down and covering her head, tears building in the corners of her eyes. However, as pathetic as Hinata's display was, she may as well have been the Hokage compared to the heir from the Nara Clan, Shikamaru. The moment Shikamaru and his opponent formed their respective seals, the apathetic-looking Nara stepped out of the circle, eliminating himself from the spar while groaning about how troublesome it was. If he weren't doing everything he could to integrate into his position as a member of the Sarutobi Clan, Wu would have stepped forward to give the pineapple-haired brat a few smacks with his bo staff. Fortunately for Shikamaru and the rest of his classmates, Wu took his 'role' very seriously. Hiruzen wanted him to play nice with his classmates, so that was what Wu intended to do. After all, he might be eight years old, but he could easily imagine what Hiruzen was thinking when he elected to place him in a class filled with heirs and heiresses... ... .. . Following their morning sparring session, the students of Class 3-A were given an hour to socialize and eat lunch. Some went off in search of their former classmate, while others broke off into the groups they had formed over the past two years. This included Kiba, who joined a group consisting of Choji and Shikamaru, so Wu was left with Kaia. Though Kaia's performance had reduced her value in the eyes of Wu, he gladly accepted when she invited him to eat together. She might not be an heiress, but she was related to the Inuzuka Clan's matriarch through her mother. Thus, even if she couldn't fight, Wu determined that she had at least 'some' value. Unaware of Wu's thoughts, Kaia was giddier than usual as she dangled her feet beneath the picnic table they were sharing with two other 'low-value' individuals, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata. Wu had noticed the former standing off the side, watching the other children with a listless expression on his while Hinata was staring at him at a distance with an oversized Bento Box in hand. It wasn't difficult to imagine their situation, so Wu acted as an intermediary, first inviting Naruto before extending a similar invitation to his little stalker. After the initial awkwardness of Naruto being the only one at the table without any food, Wu pulled out his plus-sized Bento and suggested, "I packed some extra food, hoping to bribe people into being my friend. If it's okay with the three of you, how about we split what we have...?" Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kaia beamed and replied, "If that's what Aniki wants, I'm happy to share~!" Though he was a little taken aback by Kaia referring to him as her Aniki, Wu just nodded his head before shifting his attention to Hinata. Spotting her lifeline, Hinata's face briefly lit up before Naruto turned his attention to her, causing her to shrink into her seat and mutter, "T-That's fine with me...I...I also prepared extra..." Nodding his head a second time, Wu seized the initiative to shift one of his trays to Naruto, teasing, "Eat up. Just remember to pay me back once you become Hokage, okay?" Blinking in surprise, Naruto's brain appeared to stall for a moment before an enormous grin appeared across his face. He was originally planning to refuse the group's charity. After all, he didn't have anything to offer them in return. Wu's teasing words were the slight push he needed to overcome his embarrassment, his eyes watering slightly before he closed them and replied, "You can count on it!" loud enough to draw hate-filled glares from several other groups of children... ... .. . After parting way with the trio of outcasts midway through lunch, Wu meandered his way over to an overcrowded table occupied by seven gossiping girls. There was another table nearby, but instead of moving over to join the sole occupant, Uchiha Sasuke, the girls observed him from a distance, giggling and chattering away with star-filled eyes. Noticing Wu's approach, the girl closest to Ino gave the platinum blonde a gentle nudge with her elbow, eliciting an aggravated, "What do you want, Suzume!?" for her troubles. Before Suzume could answer, Ino spotted Wu, her previously bubbly expression morphing into a progressively pissed-off look. Waiting until Wu was close enough that she wouldn't have to shout, Ino narrowed her eyes further and asked, "What do 'you' want? After the way you treated Sasuke, you're lucky we don't beat you up and bury you up to your neck in the flower room." Before answering Ino's question, Wu both stunned and confused the girls by 'sitting' down on empty air. One of the 'weaknesses' of the Adamantine Body Technique was that the user was unable to move the limb they were using it on. Thus, by adhering the soles of his feet to the ground, adopting a seated posture, and then 'freezing' his lower body in place, Wu was able to create the illusion he was sitting on an invisible surface. Taking advantage of the girls' stupor, Wu adopted the expression he used to get the most prominent reaction from Kurenai, narrowing his eyes like a predator and adopting a faint smile as he 'purred,' "First of all, I wanted to apologize. I wasn't attempting to offend you, but that doesn't change the fact you were offended by my actions. For that, I apologize." Without rising from his seated position, Wu closed his eyes and lowered his head ever so slightly, patiently awaiting the girls' response. Taken aback by Wu's words and actions, not even Ino knew what to say. She might be a spoiled 'princess,' but she was still just an eight-year-old girl. In the face of 'genuine' sincerity, her usual haughtiness was quickly supplanted by awkwardness and then embarrassment. Acting as the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, the pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura, meekly whispered, "D-Don't you think we should forgive him, Ino-chan...?" She was located at the far end of the table, barely able to avoid slipping off, but her diligent nature compelled her to speak out. Hearing Sakura's appeal, Ino exhaled an overly-dramatic sigh before staring at Wu with furrowed brows, her tone sharp as she begrudgingly responded, "Fine. I'll forgive you, just this once. Howev-" Before Ino could finish, Wu raised his head to reveal a relieved smile as he replied, "Thank goodness. It's my goal to try and befriend everyone in our class. I'm not sure what I would have done if you all started hating me over a simple misunderstanding." Prolonging Ino's silence, the person closest to Wu, a girl with raven-black hair, slit-like eyes, and a bob-cut reminiscent of Hinata's, asked, "What do you mean, misunderstanding?" Without missing a beat, Wu asked, "What else could it be? If you'll recall what our Sensei said, barely a month has passed since I came to reside in Konoha. I harbor no anger or resentment toward anyone and just want to be the best 'me' I can be. While it is true that I referred to the Uchiha heir as 'duck butt,' I intended it as more of a playful barb than anything. It was never my intention to upset him, much less any of you." Left at a loss for words, each of the seven girls just stared at Wu as if he was speaking a foreign language. Looking at things from his perspective, it was easy to deduce they were the ones at fault. However, as children weren't exactly known for accepting responsibility for their actions, none of them knew how to respond. Having fulfilled his objective, Wu gave a curt nod before rising to his feet and adding, "I'm going to go and apologize to Uchiha-san now. I doubt he will accept it, so please don't hold it against me if he starts viewing me as a rival or something similar. In exchange, I'll do my best not to antagonize him too much during our spars. Deal?" Since they still didn't know what to say, each of the girls exchanged looks with one another before directing their collective gazes to Ino. She was the leader of their little group, so if anyone was going to say something, they concluded it should be her. Feeling pressured by the gazes of her friends/followers, a tiny bead of sweat formed on Ino's brow as she forced a cramped smile and said, "I&mdash;I mean 'we' understand. Just...just try not to bully Sasuke-kun, okay? He's been through a lot..." With his expression visibly softening, Wu lowered his head and softly replied, "I understand..." before rising to his full height and adopting a radiant smile as he 'admitted,' "Conversing with a bunch of cute girls is surprisingly terrifying. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest..." Placing his hand over his heart for emphasis, Wu pretended to exhale a relieved sigh before regaining his smile and saying, "See you around." in a chipper tone. Then, without waiting for the group to respond, he made his way past them, willfully ignoring the 'threatening' look directed at him by the lonesome Uchiha. Since there were more than enough seats at Sasuke's table, Wu sat across from him, his expression mimicking the Uchiha's severity as he softly asserted, "We need to talk..." Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke replied, "I have nothing to say. You should just go back to those losers and make yourself comfortable. It's only a matter of time before I discover the weakness of that technique. You're just another stepping stone on my path to becoming strong..." Disregarding most of what Sasuke had said, Wu's expression livened as he perked up and asked, "Oh? And what are you doing to grow stronger? If we compare notes, you might be able to crack my technique quicker. How about it...?" Though he was initially planning to dismiss the annoyingly social idiot, Wu's performance during their spar was still fresh in Sasuke's mind. The brown-haired buffoon had some fairly useful techniques in his employ, so there was at least a little merit in trading notes. Linking his fingers in front of his mouth, Sasuke slouched forward slightly to state, "I won't teach you anything, but I'll answer your questions if you first answer mine..." As only weaklings and cowards feared having their techniques stolen and used against them, Wu grinned in response to Sasuke's ultimatum before leaning forward, imitating the moody Uchiha's posture as he mused, "Ask away..." ... .. .

As it was the first day of a new term, most of Class 3-A's lessons were purely supplemental. It would take weeks before they transitioned into learning something new, so the day ended as it had started, with most of the students only pretending to pay attention while one of their Sensei's droned on about the greatness of Lord Hashirama, the First Hokage. With a series of synthetic chimes announcing the end of the school day, the Chunin instructor silenced the growing clamor, shouting, "Good job on your first day back at the Academy! I expect everyone to continue giving it their all for the remainder of the year! Dismissed...!" Now that they were officially free to leave, the aura of boredom that had permeated the classroom abruptly disappeared. Children that had been on the verge of passing out moments prior were now full of energy, Kaia being almost the most enthusiastic as she turned to Wu and asked, "Want to come over and play!?" Not expecting anyone to invite him over on his first day, the cogs in Wu's mind kicked into overdrive as he considered the positives and negatives of the situation. Fortunately, he didn't have respond as Kiba interjected to retort, "Are you an idiot? You have to assist Ane-san with Kotodoma's new pups. You know outsiders aren't allowed into the kennels." Deflating like a balloon, Kaia ended up drawing circles on the floor until Wu said, "It's no big deal. I might not be able to come by today, but that doesn't mean I can't visit in the future. Just be sure to ask your parents in advance. I don't want to intrude." Bouncing back to her feet, Kaia balled her tiny hands into fists, staring at Wu with stars in her eyes as she replied, "You're so smart, Aniki! If I can get Tsume-sama's and Kotodama-san's permission, we may even be able to play with her puppies together...!" Curbing some of Kaia's vigor, Kiba gave the slightly shorter girl a light knock to the head as he said, "Stop being so forceful." Then, as he also had responsibilities back at the Clan compound, he turned to Wu, adding, "Thanks for looking after Kaia today. As the future leader of the Inuzuka, I owe you one." Extending his first, Kiba waited for Wu to reciprocate the gesture before grabbing Kaia's wrist and dragging her away. The petite Inuzuka offered no resistance to Kiba's somewhat forceful actions, but she waved to Wu until they had exited the classroom. Feeling as though a burden had been lifted from his shoulders, a genuine smile graced Wu's face before promptly transitioning into his usual mask as Sakura tentatively approached him. She became noticeably tenser as the distance between them closed, but she managed an awkward smile once they were enough to converse, initiating the conversation by saying, "Sorry to bother you, Wu-kun, but I couldn't stop thinking about what you said earlier..." As he had said many things, Wu raised his brows, remarking, "Not to be rude, Sakura, but can you be a little more specific? I was pretty nervous at the time, so I can't fully recall what was said." Though her brows furrowed slightly at Wu's informal way of addressing her, Sakura managed to overcome her discomfort, explaining, "The part about you being new to the village. I can imagine Lord Hokage gave you something to prepare, but if you have any questions about the theoretical aspects of our lessons, I should be able to answer them..." Seeing Sakura avert her eyes near the end, Wu briefly narrowed his own before smiling radiantly as he replied, "Thanks, Sakura. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. In exchange, feel free to rely on me as well." Seizing the opportunity, Sakura's nervousness appeared to disappear as she gained a genuine smile and revealed, "Ino, myself, and the others all wanted to know what you were discussing with Sasuke-kun. He doesn't really talk to anyone else, so we wanted to know if there was any trick to getting him to open up." Unsurprised by the pinkette's request, the corners of Wu's smile curled upward as he replied, "It's pretty simple, really. Uchiha-san has a strong desire to grow stronger. If you or the other girls could keep up with him or had access to knowledge and skills he deemed useful, he would probably approach you on his own. The only reason he spurns you and the others is because he views you as hindrances to his growth." Taken aback by Wu's candid analysis, Sakura could only stare at him in a daze, her mouth slightly agape. It was true that Sasuke had often referred to them as 'hindrances,' but they hadn't taken his words to heart. As far as his fans were concerned, that was just how Sasuke spoke. "I...I see..." As Wu's words settled within her, Sakura lowered her head and fell silent. She had spent the past seven months saving her allowance to purchase cute outfits and some beginner beauty products, but Sasuke hadn't even batted an eye at her. Well, he did, but the only emotion visible in his gaze had been annoyance... Since Sakura was technically preventing him from leaving, Wu suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, asking, "What's wrong? Half of the reason you're at the Academy is to improve your strength enough to become a capable Kunoichi. It only took me four years to obtain this level of strength. If you apply yourself and take your training seriously, there's no reason you can't become much stronger than you are now." Raising her face, Sakura's pale green eyes glistened with hope as she inquired, "Do you think I can become strong enough to gain Sasuke's attention...?" Shrugging his shoulders, Wu asserted, "How strong a person becomes depends on their will. Talent and resources help, but even the greatest of geniuses will hit a wall if they never exert themselves. In other words, it doesn't matter what I think. The only person who can decide your limits is you." Punctuating his statement, Wu gave Sakura's oversized forehead a gentle poke before slipping past her and swaggering away with his hands in his pockets. The person he actually wanted to speak with had slipped out of the classroom while they were chatting, so he wanted to catch up to them before they left the building. Recovering from her momentary stupor, Sakura reached up to touch her forehead before turning around to follow Wu's departure. She had never met a boy her age who acted even remotely similar to Wu, and while nothing could replace Sasuke in her heart, Sakura couldn't help noticing he was kind of cute... ... .. . "Yo, chibi, wait up...!" Though she wasn't sure the voice was calling out to her, Hinata turned around to find Wu jogging over to her. His presence made her coil back a bit, but, recalling his 'help' during lunch, Hinata forced herself to stand her ground, asking, "Is there something I can help you, Sarutobi-san...?" Ignoring the fact that Hinata was uncomfortable, Wu shamelessly invaded her personal space, nearly compelling her to back into the wall behind her as he leaned forward to ask, "What's the deal with Naruto...?" in a hushed, nearly inaudible tone. Hearing Wu's question, Hinata suppressed her growing urge to retaliate with her Clan's specialized Taijutsu, the Gentle Fist. She hated harming others, but she wasn't completely incapable of defending herself. Forcing a smile onto her face, Hinata asked, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Naruto-kun...?" Furrowing his brows, just a bit, Wu asserted, "You know what I'm talking about. Why are most of the civilian students in our class so hostile toward him? As far as I can tell, he's a fairly likable kid. It doesn't make sense for so many people to hate him. Is it his hair...?" Shaking her head a little too enthusiastically, Hinata managed to whip Wu in the face with one of her fringe bangs as she asserted, "There's nothing wrong with Naruto-kun's hair!" Resisting the urge to pick Hinata up by her fringe, Wu waited 'patiently' for the young heiress to calm down. When she did, her expression became gloomy and slightly resentful as she admitted, "I don't really know why so many people hate Naruto-kun. When I tried asking my father, he just told me it was a secret and that I'd learn about it once I became a Jonin..." Gaining quite a bit from Hinata's response, Wu mused, "Hoooo...so it's a secret only the most powerful and trusted within the village are allowed to know? That's interesting..." Having gotten what he came for, Wu backed away from Hinata, regaining his usual smile as he scratched the back of his head, saying, "I appreciate you answering my questions, Hinata. Also, sorry for approaching you in such a...direct manner. It just bothered me seeing so many people looking at Naruto as if he was some kind of monster." Feeling significantly less tense now that Wu had given her some space, Hinata managed a marginally sincere smile as she assured, "It's okay...I was just a little startled, that's all. I...I know you didn't mean any harm..." Nodding his head as if to affirm the statement, Wu responded, "Thanks for understanding." Then, as he had much better things to be doing, he half-turned, indicating his intention to leave as he added, "I'll be sure to let you know if I learn anything. See you tomorrow, Hinata." Without waiting for the befuddled girl's response, Wu turned around fully, quickly making his way toward the front entrance. The time he spent at the Academy hadn't been very fruitful, so he planned to run back to the manor and get in a few hours of intense training before supper. There was no way in hell he was letting a brooding brat like Sasuke catch up to him... ... .. . "So, how was your first day at school? Make any friends...?" Putting a stopper in Wu's plans, Hiruzen appeared shortly after the former arrived at the estate grounds. This left the former feeling a little annoyed, but it didn't show as he adopted a toothy grin and replied, "Of course. The first two were a boy and girl from the Inuzuka Clan. After that, I managed to exhibit my strength against two of my classmates, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. The latter stormed off after realizing the difference in our strength, but I was able to make amends with him at lunch." Though he could tell that Wu had more to say, the mention of Naruto caused Hiruzen's eyes to glisten. Once the boy reached a natural pause in his account, Hiruzen interrupted, his expression softening as he muttered, "Ah, Uzumaki Naruto...like you, I also view him as my grandson. I trust the two of you were able to get along?" Surprising Hiruzen, Wu's expression briefly became one of disbelief. He quickly fixed it, but Hiruzen had already taken an interest, asking, "What's wrong? Naruto is a good kid. If you were able to make up with the young heir of the Uchiha, you shouldn't have any trouble with Naruto." Shaking his head, Wu revealed, "It isn't that...Naruto and I actually got along really well. We even ate lunch together alongside two of our other classmates, Hyuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kaia." Even more confused, Hiruzen asked, "Then what seems to be the issue, my boy? Speak freely." "..." Though he would prefer to save his response until he had sorted out all the details in his mind, Wu took a steadying breath before staring into Hiruzen's silvery-grey eyes and recounting everything he had witnessed during his first day at the Academy. This included details about how his classmates viewed Naruto, the fact he hadn't brought a lunch, and, most damning of all, the way most of the Chunin instructors either ignored him or found the blonde-haired boy's situation amusing... ... .. .

With their classmates lined up at the side, many standing with their arms crossed or with smirks on their faces, Wu and Naruto made their way into the circle. It was way too small for Wu's tastes, but, as he wasn't planning to move so much as a single centimeter, he just smiled at Naruto and said, "Ready when you are." Before Naruto could charge at Wu, Iruka interjected to explain, "That isn't how we do things, Wu. While it is true you'll be pitted against one another, everyone in the village is a family. To highlight this, we start and end each spar with a hand sign known as the Seal of Confrontation. Here, this is the first part." Seeing Iruka raise his right index and middle fingers in a half-ram seal, Wu obediently emulated his Sensei before asking, "Now what?" Adopting a somewhat wry smile, Iruka advised, "Patience." before going on the explain, "Once both parties demonstrate the Seal of Confrontation, the spar officially begins. Afterward, the winner extends his fingers to the defeated, joining them together as a sign of respect." After demonstrating the second part of the seal using both hands, Iruka took a step back and added, "Now, once you've both formed the seal, you are free to begin." Raising his own index and middle fingers, Naruto stared back at Wu with the most confident expression he could manage, asserting, "By the end of this spar, I'm going to make you fight back. Believe it...!" Narrowing his eyes, Wu's smile broadened as he mused, "You know what they say, seeing is believing. Show me what you're made of, traffic cone." Without the need for additional taunting, Naruto charged at Wu as fast as his feet could carry him. His initial lunge left a deep imprint in the ground, but from the perspective of Wu, he may as well have been moving in slow motion. As Naruto's punch impacted his face, causing more damage to the fiery youth's fist than Wu's face, the latter thought, ("Perhaps Kurenai isn't as weak as I thought she was...") Retracting his hand, Naruto looked like he was about to throw another punch but stopped short before squatting on the ground and gripping the wrist of his right hand. He had thrown all his weight into his initial punch, and Wu hadn't budged. Upon closer inspection, one of his knuckles was visibly shattered, and the skin between his index, middle, and ring fingers had been split. Staring down at Naruto, Wu briefly considered taunting him by asking if he wanted to continue. The jeering and cheering of his classmates made it pretty obvious Naruto wasn't especially popular, but Hiruzen had asked him to try and befriend each of his classmates. Thus, after a brief moment of hesitation, Wu extended his hand toward the teary-eyed youth, asking, "Are you okay...?" Not anticipating Wu's actions, Naruto's mouth hung agape as he stared up at the former. Before he could respond, however, Iruka loudly cleared his throat, saying, "Please form the Seal of Confrontation. This match goes to Sarutobi-san. As for you, Naruto...remember to never underestimate your opponent. You were given reliable information addressing Sarutobi-san's exceptional durability. You should have considered that and attempted to lock his joints or grapple. Striking him directly was foolish..." Averting his eyes from Iruka, Naruto wanted to protest but couldn't find the words to do so. Instead, it was Wu who interjected, saying, "While I agree with Iruka-sensei's evaluation, I don't believe Naruto did anything wrong. You'll never understand your limits if you don't test them against the unknown. If people based their actions on what others told them they could or couldn't do, the term 'exceptional' wouldn't exist." Punctuating his words, Wu extended his index and middle fingers toward Naruto, a toothy grin plastered across his face as he said, "I look forward to seeing you break through your limits, Uzumaki Naruto." Seeing Wu in action, the eyes of several girls were filled with stars, a stark contrast to many of the boys present. As for Naruto, he just stared blankly at the fingers right in front of him for several seconds. When he eventually came to his senses, he quickly linked his fingers with Wu's before smiling so broadly it threatened to tear the muscles of his face. "Just you wait, Wu! I'm going to surpass you and everyone else! You can count on it...!" Resisting the urge to inform Naruto that he would 'never' surpass him, Wu helped the giggling blonde to his feet before turning to Iruka and asking, "Are we allowed to participate in multiple spars, or do I need to leave the circle?" Stepping out before Iruka could respond, the raven-haired youth that had previously glared at Wu firmly asserted, "I'll be your next opponent. Let's see how your defense measures up against my Uchiha Clan's Intercepting Fist...!" Seeing the raven-haired youth step forward, the largest gathering of girls responded with various shouts, cheers, and squealing. Their leader was a girl with neatly styled platinum blonde hair and peculiar blue eyes lacking visible pupils. Her clothing and accessories were of much higher quality than everyone else's, and her voice was by far the loudest of all the girls as she shouted, "Kyaaa~! You can do it, Sasuke-kun! Kick Sarutobi-kun's butt~!" Though he winced due to how shrill the girl's voice was, Wu did his best to conceal his annoyance as he looked to Iruka and reiterated, "I promise not to attack." Hearing Wu's remark, many among the overzealous girls expressed their derision while Iruka just exhaled a sigh and replied, "This is the only time I'm allowing this. Take your positions and form the Seal of Confrontation." As the raven-haired youth took his position across from Wu, he went out of his way to reveal what the latter had already deduced, declaring, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. You may be strong, but I'll show you there are no talents that exceed the Uchiha." Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Wu formed a Seal of Confrontation and said, "Talk is cheap. Show me what you got, duck butt." Clicking his tongue, Sasuke pulled out a dull, wooden kunai and threw it directly at Wu's face. Weapons were allowed during spars so long as you didn't aim for the softer vital points, so Sasuke reached into the pouch at his lower back and followed the initial kunai with a half-dozen Shuriken. Though many expected him to dodge or use a Kunai to deflect the thrown projectiles, Wu surprised even Iruka by closing his eyes and letting them 'ding' against his skin. Afterward, he raised his brows, a confused look on his face as he questioned, "Were those fake? If so, did you seriously think they would be able to penetrate my skin...?" Instead of answering Wu's queries, Sasuke closed the distance between them and attempted to sweep the former's legs. Unlike Naruto, however, he made sure to restrain himself. This was the correct decision, as kicking Wu's leg was like kicking a tree trunk. Undaunted by his failure, Sasuke took advantage of the fact Wu was just observing him, grabbing the latter's ankles and pulling with as much force as he could manage. He wanted to knock Wu onto his back, but the same thing as before happened. Wu just stood there, motionless, almost as if he had been adhered to the ground by cement. Realizing he wasn't going to achieve anything by tugging on Wu's legs, Sasuke took a moment to create a bit of distance between them before glaring back at the former and asking, "What kind of trick are you using to stick to the ground?" Recalling the surprise on Kurenai's face when he demonstrated his ability to stick to trees, walls, and virtually any other surface, Wu just smiled and replied, "Wouldn't you like to know~?" "You...!" Feeling as though his pride was being trampled, Sasuke began forming a series of hand seals. Before he could finish shaping the Jutsu, however, Iruka stepped between them, a disproving look on his face as he crossed his arms and said, "Uchiha Sasuke...you know very well that Ninjutsu are forbidden during friendly sparring matches. Please come and see me after classes." Clicking his tongue, Sasuke turned away from Iruka and Wu, putting his hands into his pockets before storming off. Iruka could have stopped him, but he and the other instructors were under strict orders from the Hokage to give the young Uchiha some space. It had barely been a year since the boy's entire Clan had been massacred, leaving him as the sole survivor. It was expected that he would be at least a little 'temperamental...' Turning his attention to Wu, Iruka forced a smile as he said, "Well done, Sarutobi-san. You performed exceptionally well today. Now, please join the rest of your classmates. We still have quite a few matches to conduct before the period ends." Nodding in affirmation, Wu turned away from his Sensei and walked over to his classmates. The group of girls that had been cheering for Sasuke was giving him death stares, but that didn't stop him from walking right past them and joining his deskmates, Kiba and Kaia. Exhibiting much greater vigor, now that he was no longer trapped in a classroom, Kiba extended his first toward Wu, saying, "That was pretty cool. I've never seen anyone take a Kunai to the face like that." After staring at Kiba's extended fist for several moments, Wu extended his own, bumping knuckles with the sanpaku-eyed boy as he said, "It was no big deal. My face is tough enough to resist actual kunai, so there was no chance of those piercing my skin." Inserting herself into the conversation, Kaia asked, "Really?" before reaching up to pinch Wu's cheek. She was wearing strange white gloves with plush material sewn into her palms and fingers, resembling the pads found on the feet of canines, but she still managed to get ahold of Wu's cheek, pinching it without issue. Before Wu could politely ask the girl to release his cheek, Kiba softly yet sharply 'barked,' "Kaia...!" Releasing Wu's cheek, Kaia appeared to shrink into her own body as she backed away from Kiba. The latter was baring his teeth like a wild animal, but, more importantly, he was the son of the Inuzuka Clan Matriarch, the leader of their 'pack.' Kaia had been told time and again never to oppose him, so she began to tremble like a scared puppy until Wu waved his hand in front of Kiba's face, asking, "What's with the hostility?" Though he relaxed his expression, Kiba continued to glare at Kaia as he explained, "The Inuzuka get a bad wrap because idiots like this have no common sense. Even a toddler knows not to touch other peoples' faces without permission." As Kaia shrunk further into the coat she wore to make herself look more like a boy, Wu exhaled a light chuckle and retorted, "Does that mean I have to ask permission every time I want to punch someone? I'd rather not." Confused by Wu's words, Kiba finally tore his penetrating gaze away from Kaia, questioning, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Shrugging his shoulders, Wu asserted, "I just don't think it's a big deal. It would be one thing if she did it after I asked her not to, but being curious is never a bad thing. It might get you into trouble, sure. But I'd rather face the consequences of my actions than limit how I can act." Though he didn't comprehend what Wu was saying, Kiba understood that he wasn't upset by Kaia's carelessness. Thus, rather than harping over it, he ultimately shrugged his shoulders and reiterated, "You're really weird, you know that? You don't speak the way a normal kid does." Emulating Kiba's body language, Wu shrugged his shoulders and pointed out, "Most kids can't take a kunai to the face, wooden or otherwise. Guess I'm just built different." Shaking his head, Kiba forced a smile as he retorted, "Yeah, whatever you say, man." before looking to Kaia and asking, "What's the matter with you? Did you break...?" "Huh...?" Returning to her senses, Kaia tore her eyes away from Wu, asking, "What do you mean?" while tilting her head to the side. Narrowing his eyes, Kiba was about to point out how Kaia was behaving strangely when the next match began, drawing his attention. Wu's gaze followed his own, so, with the conversation suddenly coming to an end, Kaia took one last glance at Wu before shifting her attention to the spar, a cat-like smile plastered across her face. ... .. .

Chapter 7: I, Your Father, am an Expert Negotiator