Looking at the "sincere" Uchiha Sasuke, Kamizuki Hikari couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"What's with that look? From the way you're acting, if I refuse to teach you, I'd be defying the heavens, deserving scorn from everyone and earning your undying resentment, right? Do I owe you something?"
Saying this, Hikari turned and started walking away.
The thing he hated most was being forced by others. Do not do to others what you don't want done to you.
Everyone acted as if they were the center of the world—a chosen one destined for greatness. Do they think he's their father, here to take care of them?
"Senpai, I'm truly sincere!" Sasuke flickered and appeared in front of Hikari.
"Sincerity? You call this sincerity—just spouting a few words, and I should give up my own rest to come train you?"
"Kamizuki-senpai, I didn't mean it like that..."
"But what you're doing right now gives me exactly that meaning. Step aside now, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise..."
"Senpai, I don't want to fight you, don't force me!" Sasuke had the look of "I'm doing this for your own good, don't underestimate me."
Now that he had mastered Chidori, his strength already surpassed an average chunin. Combined with the Sharingan, he could reach the level of an elite chunin.
"I'm forcing you?" Hikari was dumbfounded by Sasuke's twisted logic.
He was just trying to rest, yet Sasuke came to block his way, and now claimed he was being forced?
"Senpai, I just want to become stronger, everything else I—"
*THUD!*
Before Sasuke could finish, his head made intimate contact with the ground.
And he hadn't even realized how.
Hikari's right hand was pressing Sasuke's head to the dirt, his face smiling.
"You really think you can stop me with that level of strength? With this pathetic excuse of ability?"
"Senpai... you!"
Sasuke couldn't finish the rest. He had never expected the Hikari he looked down on to be this strong. Even with his Sharingan active, he hadn't seen his speed at all.
"What, me?" Hikari sneered.
"And why should I train you? Just because you carry the blood of the Uchiha? Do you really think your clan's bloodline is so exceptional?"
"Other than the Sharingan, what else does the Uchiha clan have? Do you even know what kind of training I follow?"
"To be honest, with your talent, even if you trained another ten years, it'd be useless if your goal is to defeat Uchiha Itachi!"
"Don't... don't mention that man to me!" At Itachi's name, Sasuke's tomoe spun wildly, the faint outline of a third tomoe about to form.
*Smack!*
Hikari raised his hand and slapped Sasuke on the head again.
This time, Sasuke was completely dazed.
'What the hell?! You've already pinned me! Are you seriously hitting me too?! Isn't that too much?'
"Calm now?"
"Here's something you need to understand: when facing someone stronger than yourself, don't give in to anger so easily. Anger clouds your judgment, slows your reactions."
"The Sharingan evolves through emotion, yes, but not through rage. Hatred can make you stronger, but it will also lead your heart into darkness. The Sharingan is just an eye—it cannot be the foundation of your strength."
"You say you want to defeat Uchiha Itachi, but have you ever thought about why he's strong?"
"You only think of revenge, and you talk about reviving the Uchiha clan's glory. But have you ever thought—how can you revive a whole clan by yourself?"
Hikari's barrage of questions left Sasuke staring blankly, head spinning, his thoughts tangled into a mess.
It took him quite a while before he came to his senses. Looking at Kamizuki Hikari, who had at some point released him and was now sitting casually to the side, Sasuke stood up and bowed respectfully.
"Senpai, can you tell me more about these things?"
As a child, he had never considered anything beyond revenge. He believed all he needed was training—that training would make him stronger, strong enough to defeat Uchiha Itachi.
But of Itachi's true strength, he knew nothing.
"Sit there."
Hikari pointed at a spot nearby, not making things too hard on him.
After all, Sasuke was still just a child.
Having been scolded, Sasuke immediately became obedient, following instructions quietly.
"Now, whatever you want to ask, do it while I'm in a good mood!"
This time, Sasuke didn't argue. Facing someone stronger than himself, he showed proper respect.
After some thought, Sasuke asked:
"I want to know... how can I defeat Uchiha Itachi?"
Good grief.
Really, good grief.
Hikari looked Sasuke up and down, left and right, carefully studying him. He truly wanted to know where this kid got the confidence to challenge someone like Itachi—the man who once fought seven jōnin at once, and was a near-perfect shinobi.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked curiously, noticing Hikari's odd expression.
"It's nothing," Hikari said. "It's just... knowing too much right now won't help your growth. Let's talk about your own strength first. You're above a typical genin, somewhere between a chunin and a special jōnin—in other words, the level of an elite chunin. Do you agree with that assessment?"
Sasuke nodded, accepting the evaluation.
"Good. Now, Uchiha Itachi's strength is at least on par with Kakashi. Do you really think your power can surpass his?"
Don't think this overestimates Kakashi.
Itachi specialized in genjutsu, had a razor-sharp mind, and his trump card—Susanoo. On top of that, he had no glaring weaknesses; his taijutsu and ninjutsu were far above the average shinobi.
As for Kakashi, now with the Mangekyō Sharingan fully fused into him, he no longer had to waste chakra suppressing it, giving him much greater endurance in battle.
And that Mangekyō ability, Kamui—it was enough to nearly twist off the Ten Tails' head. A single well-aimed Kamui at Itachi could very well kill him outright.
Not to mention, the Mangekyō gave Kakashi far greater resistance to genjutsu. Combine that with his natural "copy-anything" genius, and he could fight Itachi evenly.
"Not yet... Kakashi-sensei is very strong." Sasuke admitted.
He wasn't a fool. Though sometimes arrogant and overconfident, most of the time he still had a sense of his own limits.
Had he claimed to already be at Kakashi's level, Hikari would've kicked him on the spot.
"So, your current goal should be to surpass Kakashi. If you can defeat Kakashi, then you can talk about what comes after."
Sasuke frowned, staring at Hikari and turning his words over in his mind.
'He said to surpass Kakashi—not him. Does that mean he thinks he's stronger than Kakashi-sensei?'
"Train well, boy. Your future is the sea of stars—don't trap yourself in this little pond."
Finishing his pretentious line, Hikari turned with a cool flourish, leaving Sasuke only his dashing silhouette before vanishing from sight.
Sasuke rubbed his head, looking at the direction Kamizuki Hikari disappeared. A faint realization dawned in his heart.
'...Did I just get played?'
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