Shiyu Uchiha and Sarutobi Shin'nosuke strode into the center of the training ground. Their classmates quickly stepped back, clearing a space for the duel.
"You all know the rules, so I won't bother going over them again," the teacher said. "But there's one rule you must never forget—no deadly moves on purpose. Now, both of you, form the Seal of Opposition." He added this last sentence with particular solemnity, as both students came from notable backgrounds.
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, the two formed the Seal of Opposition and waited for his signal.
"Begin!" the teacher shouted, stepping between them before swiftly moving out of the way.
In an instant, both charged at each other like bolts of lightning. As they closed in, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke threw a heavy punch straight toward Shiyu Uchiha's face. Shiyu barely dodged by tilting sideways.
At the same time, he kicked out to stop Sarutobi from following up, blocking his path forward. Then he struck back with a punch of his own, which Sarutobi blocked with his arm.
The two continued exchanging rapid blows—"Pound! Pound!"—for nearly a minute before breaking apart once more, returning to their standoff positions. Both kept their eyes locked on the other, searching for any openings.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi silently cursed inwardly, *Bloody hell, that hurts! This guy's tougher than I thought. I'm clearly outmatched in hand-to-hand combat. But I can't lose! I'm gonna be Hokage someday, so how could I possibly lose to an Uchiha? Guess I'll have to use the Trio-body Jutsu earlier than planned. Although, surely this guy also knows the Trio-body Jutsu by now—damn those Uchihas!*
Shiyu thought too, *He seems weaker than anticipated. From his reaction, I guess he still has hidden cards. Could he have mastered the Trio-body Jutsu already? No way he knows a C-rank Ninjutsu at this stage.*
Before Shiyu could finish thinking, he saw Sarutobi charging forward again. This time, instead of rushing in headfirst like before, Shiyu stayed put and focused. Based on Sarutobi's movements, he predicted he was attempting Clone Jutsu but couldn't tell exactly which kind, so he remained extra cautious.
Watching Sarutobi approach, Shiyu didn't charge forward recklessly this time. Instead, standing firmly in place, he focused intently, accurately guessing that Sarutobi had used Clone Jutsu. Plans flashed through his mind while he locked eyes with Sarutobi's real body.
Then suddenly shifting from motionless to active movement, Shiyu pretended to fall for the distraction created by the clone. As Sarutobi believed his trick had worked, Shiyu cleverly maneuvered around the clone's line of sight, using Transformation Jutsu to transform into a wooden log.
Sure enough, Sarutobi mistook Shiyu's transformation for Substitution Jutsu and instantly panicked.
Looking around frantically, trying to locate Shiyu's actual position, Sarutobi failed to notice that Shiyu had positioned himself right behind him—an unnoticed blind spot. Thus, he became victim to a surprise attack from Shiyu.
As soon as Sarutobi sensed danger, he realized something was wrong. However, it was already too late to defend properly—he just couldn't think fast enough under pressure.
Instead, he simply turned around as if offering himself up, and Shiyu Uchiha took full advantage, kicking him hard in the gut, instantly forcing Sarutobi Shin'nosuke's body to double over.
Shiyu Uchiha quickly followed up with a punch to the face—precisely the spot Shin'nosuke had aimed for at the start of the fight.
Shiyu silently noted the irony.
"The instructor announced that Shiyu Uchiha had won and both participants should form the Seal of Reconciliation."
This sudden reversal left Sarutobi Shin'nosuke completely stunned. His mind went blank, and it took him a while before he could even accept his defeat. Under the instructor's command, he reluctantly formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
Soon after, cheers erupted from the crowd. At the same time, Shin'nosuke forced a broad smile onto his face, although inside, his rage twisted like a storm.
With his own plans in mind, Shiyu seized the moment to offer some advice: "Shin'nosuke, you were too eager to win, so I read your thoughts easily. As the Hokage's son, I expected you to have mastered the Trio-body Jutsu already. You've completed all three techniques, right? I've only mastered one."
"Of course," Shin'nosuke stiffly replied. "But my father won't let me skip a level. He says I still need more practice." In truth, aside from the Clone Jutsu, neither of the other two techniques could be used effectively in battle. Even his Clone Jutsu had glaring flaws. Shiyu didn't even bother to comment.
Still, he needed to maintain his reputation and pride—which was why he once again emphasized being the Hokage's son—to add credibility. But to Shiyu, it looked like a child clinging to childishness. Perfect, because that made him easier to manipulate, didn't it?
Sure enough, many people looked at him with admiration, and his few sycophants began heaping praise upon him, lifting his spirits slightly. At this moment, Shiyu leaned closer and said, in a somewhat friendly tone: "Then, Shin'nosuke, I'm ready for our rematch anytime soon."
"Sure thing, Shiyu. How about next week?" Hearing Shiyu's words, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke felt a jolt of unease but could only grit his teeth and respond, naturally changing how he addressed him.
In the following days, Shiyu continued as usual—practicing hand-to-hand combat, the Trio-body Jutsu, and hand seals during the day, occasionally offering guidance to Mizutani Shun and Tachibana Taki.
At night, he would return home and diligently train in swordsmanship. While soaking in an herbal bath, he'd also spend about an hour practicing meditation techniques. Of course, he kept working on Chakra Extraction Technique, gradually attempting to channel chakra while training in hand-to-hand combat.
A week later, emboldened by flattery from his entourage and convinced that his previous loss had simply been due to carelessness, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke challenged Shiyu Uchiha again during a martial arts training session.
Fully prepared, Shiyu naturally accepted the challenge. After consulting with the instructor and receiving permission, he stepped forward immediately, walked toward Sarutobi Shin'nosuke, sealed the conflict with the Seal of Opposition, and prepared to begin the fight.
The moment the instructor shouted "Begin!", Shiyu Uchiha and Sarutobi Shin'nosuke lunged at each other like lightning. The fight naturally kicked off with Taijutsu — a brutal exchange of fists and kicks.
Shin'nosuke knew he couldn't match Shiyu Uchiha's Taijutsu skill, so he focused on defense at first. Shiyu, meanwhile, came at him full-force — or at least that's how it felt to Shin'nosuke.
During his relentless offensive, Shiyu occasionally even employed the [damage-for-damage strategy], striving to maximize his advantage.
After exchanging injuries, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke was clearly on the losing end. Shiyu seized control of the fight, making it even harder for him and leaving no chance at all to use the [Trio-body Jutsu].
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