Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

----

A group battle as part of the first-year students' combat training just three months after enrollment?

To put it bluntly, it's nothing more than a bunch of kids brawling. There's hardly any spectacle to it.

But precisely because of that, it's easier to distinguish between geniuses and the ordinary like lining people up to compare their height.

Even if one is only three inches taller, it's immediately noticeable. Identifying geniuses and separating them from mediocrity allows for tailored instruction.

This ensures that the massive machine that is the Ninja Academy operates at maximum efficiency, supplying the village with all kinds of talent.

The expansive training ground had been transformed into four large battle arenas, each labelled A, B, C, and D.

Raiden and Izumi were assigned to Arena C.

"I'll go over the opponents you need to watch out for," Izumi said.

By the time Raiden and Izumi arrived at the C Arena, it was already packed with students. After all, this battle would determine who could enter the elite class and influence future ranking match rewards.

Though the first-year ranking rewards were just scholarships, Raiden needed that money.

"Alright, I'm listening."

Raiden perked up, his expression serious.

"First, there's Sarutobi Sancha. He ranked third in the entrance exam, right behind Hyūga Shuu. He's a genius of the Sarutobi clan."

"Although his ranking was lower than Hyūga Shuu's, in a fight, it's said they're evenly matched. Some even think Sarutobi Sancha might have the edge."

"Sarutobi Sancha is from Class Three, so he hasn't fought Hyūga Shuu directly. It's hard to say for sure, but he's definitely one of the top four contenders in this arena."

Izumi raised a pinky finger and pointed toward a boy standing not far away.

The Sarutobi clan was known for their monkey-like features, and Sarutobi Sancha was no exception. His arms were strong, his stance was stable, and compared to the other kids, he was visibly bigger.

Just from his solid physique alone, it was clear that his taijutsu was top-tier among their peers.

"Next is Inuzuka Rō, the kid with the dog. It's said he's already mastered the Inuzuka clan's secret Beast Human Clone technique, making him another strong contender."

"Then there's Aburame Shusei, a bug-user from the Aburame clan. He always wears sunglasses and a high-collared jacket, keeping himself shrouded in mystery. Personally, I hate bugs, so if we run into him, I'll leave him to you."

Raiden: "..."

Just because she hates bugs, she's dumping him on me?

Problem is… I don't like bugs either!

"And finally, there's the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. That chubby guy snacking over there, the one with the lazy pineapple hairstyle, and the blonde girl with the single ponytail."

Izumi clearly wasn't too fond of the trio, not even bothering to mention their names.

"They work as a unit, with their clan jutsus complementing each other. No idea how proficient they are, but they likely have decent teamwork. After all, they're practically attached at the hip."

Raiden: "..."

Attached at the hip…

That was a vivid description.

But wasn't she worried about getting beaten up if they overheard?

He remembered that Chōji hated being called fat. The Akimichi clan, as a whole, probably felt the same way.

"Wait a minute… doesn't it seem like there are way too many strong opponents in C Arena?"

Raiden frowned. When he passed by Arena A earlier, it looked like it was full of weaklings.

It wasn't that he looked down on Konoha's civilian students. After all, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, came from a civilian background. But not every civilian was a Minato.

In the vast world of shinobi, there had only been one Minato Namikaze.

The backbone of a shinobi village still came from its major ninja clans.

Yet, C Arena was packed with some of Konoha's most famous clan prodigies.

"The top ten students in our grade are mostly in C Arena, and nearly all of them come from major clans," Izumi explained.

She shot Raiden an apologetic look, which left him confused until she continued.

"A Arena has Uchiha Itachi. With him there, everyone else is just filler."

"The Hyūga clan didn't have anyone in this year's batch that could compete with him, so A Arena is full of mid-to-lower-tier students."

Raiden raised an eyebrow.

So, there's some behind-the-scenes manipulation going on?

An Arena was designed to be Itachi's personal highlight reel. Any clan with influence must have manoeuvred to keep their kids out of there. That left only civilians and those without strong backing.

"Tch, how boring."

Raiden scoffed, earning a glare from Izumi.

So what if they knew about the manipulation? Could they do anything about it?

If they couldn't change the situation, they just had to deal with it.

"B Arena is the civilian stage. Any talented civilian shinobi got placed there."

"Civilian shinobi?" Raiden frowned. "Is this the Third Hokage's way of fostering them?"

Thinking about it… wasn't he also a civilian shinobi?

Just because he worked at Izumi's family's sweets shop didn't mean he was part of the Uchiha clan.

"Yeah. If you had been placed in B Arena, you definitely would have made it through."

Izumi confirmed his thoughts. It was likely their Chūnin instructor's doing.

"As for C and D Arenas, they split the top twenty ranked students. We just got unlucky most of the top ten ended up in our arena."

"Unlucky?"

Raiden smirked coldly.

Who was the unlucky one here?

Just then, their Chūnin instructor walked over. He was the examiner for C Arena the same instructor who had intentionally placed Raiden here.

A failure like you thinks he can get into the elite class? Compete in the ranking matches?

Keep dreaming.

The Ninja Academy was a microcosm of Konoha, and each year's class was a reflection of their generation.

C Arena wasn't just filled with Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and Nara geniuses it also had the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Uchiha, and Hyūga elites.

Of the four arenas, C Arena was the bloodiest battlefield.

Not that the others were easy.

Each arena had only four advancement slots. No matter how strong Itachi was, he could only claim one in Arena.

B Arena was basically kids wildly brawling, with many still unable to refine chakra. That alone showed the disparity between clan shinobi and civilians.

D Arena was the second-toughest battlefield after C Arena.

The Chūnin instructor glanced at Raiden, a subtle smirk playing on his lips as if to say—

"Let's see how you survive this."

Raiden simply narrowed his eyes and turned away, pretending not to notice.

He wasn't about to let some nameless side character's provocation get under his skin.

Especially one so insignificant.

DONG!

A deafening bell rang across the training ground.

Students who had been chatting and searching for teammates instantly tensed up and fell silent.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Four Chūnin instructors appeared in their respective arenas, ready to announce the rules.

In C Arena, their instructor stood in the centre of the stage, his expression neutral as he swept his gaze over the gathered students.

Only when his eyes landed on Raiden did a flicker of disdain flash across them.

It was quick just a fleeting glance before he moved on.

Most people didn't notice, but Izumi, standing right next to Raiden, definitely did.

----

Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!💎💎💎

For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.

P@treon/iamxeno

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!