"The match is over. Minato Namikaze wins."
In the end, the duel concluded with Minato's victory.
After all, even though Minato lacked a powerful attack, he could wear Choza Akimichi down just by outlasting him.
The two of them exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation and returned to the lineup.
Several more pairs took the field for their sparring matches, and Yuuki watched every moment clearly from his place in line.
Before long, it was his turn.
Stepping forward, Yuuki faced his opponent, Yuichi Uchiha.
Yuichi stood opposite him, looking slightly impatient.
"Form the Seal of Opposition."
Though clearly reluctant, Yuichi still went through the motions under the teacher's instruction, sloppily performing the seal.
Yuuki could see every expression on Yuichi's face.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal was given, Yuichi lunged at Yuuki, clearly intending to end things quickly.
Unfortunately for him, Yuuki could now see through all his movements with ease.
Yuichi rushed forward at high speed, kunai in hand, swinging horizontally as he closed the gap.
Thanks to his dramatically enhanced perception, Yuuki seized the perfect moment. He grabbed Yuichi's arm—the one holding the kunai.
Ignoring the look of shock on Yuichi's face, Yuuki twisted his body and, using the momentum of Yuichi's charge, heaved him up and over his shoulder in a clean throw.
Yuichi hit the ground even harder than he had charged in.
"Ugh..."
Slamming into the ground, Yuichi groaned and struggled back to his feet.
He turned and stared at Yuuki in disbelief.
"What just happened?"
"Why is this guy so fast today?"
Yuichi thought back to that brief exchange.
In that instant, Yuuki had read and anticipated his every move, grabbing his attacking arm at just the right moment and using his own momentum to throw him down.
"This doesn't make sense. Just the other day, Yuuki didn't fight like this at all."
Although stunned by Yuuki's unexpected display, Yuichi was not about to admit defeat.
Clenching his teeth, he drew seven or eight more kunai from his tool pouch. It was time to get serious.
He hurled the kunai with both hands, their paths crisscrossing midair. The weapons collided, changing angles, forming a tightening net that covered all angles around Yuuki.
This was the signature Uchiha throwing technique. Even though Yuichi had yet to awaken his Sharingan, he had practiced hard enough to grasp the basics of this special shurikenjutsu.
The kunai clashed in the air with a sharp metallic ring.
Nearby, the instructor, Katsumi Mizukawa, frowned. His body tensed and chakra surged through him as he prepared to step in and stop the fight if necessary.
Watching the kunai encircle Yuuki from every direction, thinking of the speed Yuuki had shown earlier, Mizukawa was ready to act at a moment's notice.
Yuichi, determined to press the advantage, drew yet another kunai and charged straight at Yuuki.
Yuuki, meanwhile, calmly analyzed the kunai slowly approaching him from all sides. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yuichi advancing as well.
He drew a kunai of his own and focused on the order and trajectory of the incoming attacks.
In a flash, he deflected the first kunai and moved swiftly to slip out of the encirclement.
Yuichi, still charging in, felt a chill at the sight.
Yuuki had made it look effortless.
Not wanting to back down, Yuichi kept coming.
Yuuki watched him approach, his movements looking as slow as a turtle. Deciding to go on the offensive, Yuuki channeled chakra into his legs and sprinted toward Yuichi.
The moment they clashed, Yuuki could see through his opponent's every action.
The boost from Extreme Reflexes was incredible.
Yuuki saw everything. Yuichi's furious expression, the tiny scratches on the kunai from wear and tear, the glint of light off the blade's edge.
It was as if the world had slowed to a crawl.
Yuuki easily read the path of Yuichi's attack, knocked his kunai aside, and brought his own blade up to Yuichi's neck.
In an instant, the situation had flipped.
"What?"
"What just happened?"
The class erupted in shock. Yuichi's Uchiha throwing technique had already impressed them, but what stunned them most was how Yuuki had so simply deflected the kunai and turned the tables.
Mizukawa, who had been ready to intervene, quickly stepped in to wrap up the match.
"The match is over. Hirakawa Yuuki wins."
Only then did Yuuki lower his kunai. Following Mizukawa's instructions, the two exchanged the Seal of Reconciliation.
Yuuki turned and headed back to the line without hesitation.
Yuichi, however, stared after him as if he were some kind of monster.
That final exchange had been terrifying.
Clean, decisive, fast, precise.
Yuichi hadn't even seen the moment Yuuki's kunai reached his throat. He had only felt the cold blade pressing against his skin, filled with lethal intent that seemed to cut through every defense he might have tried.
In that instant, he had truly believed Yuuki meant to kill him.
His mind had even flashed back to thoughts of his parents at home.
Still shaken, Yuichi watched Yuuki's back for a moment before returning to the line himself.
Later, walking down a quiet path toward a secluded training ground, Yuuki felt better than he had in a long time.
Eight years of waiting had finally paid off. Even the rats scurrying in the dark corners of the street seemed kind of cute today.
Of course, that didn't mean he could slack off.
The Skill Editor took far too long to generate a single skill. Relying on skills to raise his ceiling while continuing his hard training was the only way forward.
Today's duel had proven that.
In the past, his biggest weakness had been his slow reactions in battle.
Extreme Reflexes had fixed that flaw, but if not for all the hard work he had put in over the years, today's victory wouldn't have been so easy.
In the end, ninjutsu training and skill editing could work together to help him reach even greater heights.
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