In the quiet life of the academy, any small event or rumor traveled exceptionally fast.
An Yan had just returned to his seat and hadn't even caught his breath before Hiruko leaned in.
"An Yan, I heard you challenged a kid from the Uchiha clan to a fight tonight? Is that true?"
An Yan raised an eyebrow. Did the news really spread that fast? These students have way too much free time! He had just set up the fight, and the news had already traveled from the fourth-year class to the second-year?
Facing Hiruko, there was no need to hide it, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Hiruko became unusually excited. Ever since he had mastered the Rasengan, he had felt like a hero with no stage, possessing a dragon-slaying technique with no dragon to slay. Now, he finally had a chance to use it.
Seeing his excitement, An Yan quickly tried to cool him down.
"Don't get too carried away. At the end of the day, we're all classmates from the same village. It's just a simple spar. Even if a real conflict broke out, it wouldn't be a situation for the Rasengan. Don't get so worked up that you go for a killing blow."
Hiruko looked a little disappointed.
Tsunade, who had been quietly reading nearby, flicked Hiruko on the forehead. As Hiruko stared at her in surprise, she put her hands on her hips and said righteously:
"Hiruko, I'm starting to think your mindset is a little warped. Why would you even consider using such a powerful secret move against a comrade from our village? You're not some hidden rogue ninja, are you? An Yan taught you his ultimate technique. If you dare betray Konoha, just see how I'll deal with you."
Hiruko cried out in protest, "I was just thinking of backing An Yan up! How is that warped? I'm an outstanding inheritor of the Will of Fire, a future pillar who will protect the village! How did this get twisted into betraying Konoha?"
An Yan coughed twice. He had once idly told Tsunade a story about dreaming that Hiruko started the Fourth Great Ninja War by himself, only to be defeated by his own Rasengan.
He was just telling a little story to pass the time, but Tsunade seemed to have taken it to heart, believing it was a prophetic dream. Now, she was constantly worried that Hiruko would turn to the dark side and become the villain from his story.
An Yan had no words. While it was true Hiruko became a villain in one of the movies, that was a world without him. With his arrival, everything had already changed.
An Yan didn't believe for a second that this Hiruko would betray Konoha. Their personalities were completely different now. The Hiruko before him was much more lively and lacked the deep-seated inferiority complex the movie version showed when talking about the Sannin.
After more than a year of high-pressure training alongside An Yan and Tsunade, two "overachievers," Hiruko's spirit had been forged and his personality had changed. He had transformed from an insecure, sensitive child into one so thick-skinned that nothing could faze him. A personality like that had no chance of turning evil.
Anyone who could survive alongside academic monsters was no weakling, mentally.
In truth, Tsunade knew Hiruko was fine. She was just getting frustrated with her studies and used it as an excuse to vent on Hiruko and relieve some stress.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was after school.
Training Ground 13.
Almost everyone from An Yan's class had shown up. When they heard that their class's top student was going to challenge an upperclassman, they all got fired up. Without needing any encouragement, they came to back An Yan up.
An Yan was deeply moved by this.
When Koken Uchiha arrived at the training ground, he was shocked.
Good grief, there are so many people. Are they planning to jump me?
I only brought two people with me... °(°ˊДˋ°)°
Koken had only brought two friends: Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Akimichi Yone.
The Uchiha clan had never had many friends in the village. The village isolated the Uchiha, and the Uchiha isolated themselves.
These two were only friends with Koken because of their fathers' relationship.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was Hiruzen Sarutobi's son.
Akimichi Yone was Torifu Akimichi's daughter.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Torifu Akimichi were Kagami Uchiha's teammates. They had known each other for over a decade and were extremely close.
They were around the same age, got married around the same time, and their children were naturally peers. With the older generation being so close, it was only natural for the younger generation to play together.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
An Yan and Koken Uchiha formed the Seal of Confrontation.
The next moment, they both leaped backward to create distance.
Almost in sync, their hands flew, and shuriken of various sizes collided in mid-air, creating a shower of sparks.
Seeing the shuriken fly past An Yan, Koken tugged on a special wire, and the shuriken changed direction, the wires shooting towards An Yan to bind him.
An Yan sneered, tossed a smoke bomb, and vanished.
The shuriken cut through the air and were recalled by Koken. Instead of throwing them again, he drew a kunai and stood on guard.
In the next instant, three arrows shot towards him from different directions. Koken's expression changed. He did two backflips, only to realize the arrows weren't aimed at him, but at the ground around him.
The three arrows formed a triangle, and an unknown burning liquid on them ignited, creating three walls of fire. The only escape was upward, but Koken didn't think he could dodge An Yan's attack while airborne.
The Uchiha were masters of fire. Konoha's "ha" (leaf) came from Hashirama's Wood Style, and the "Hi" (fire) in Hokage came from the Uchiha's Fire Style. This was decided by the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. No one could play with fire better than an Uchiha.
Seeing An Yan use fire in front of him, Koken almost laughed.
He glanced around, then formed hand seals. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, blasting through the wall of fire and allowing him to escape.
The moment he broke free, another arrow flew towards him, perfectly timed as his momentum was spent and before he could recover, aimed straight for his eye.
Koken was horrified and twisted his head to dodge.
In the next instant, the arrow transformed into An Yan, who pressed a palm against Koken's back. "Four-Limbs Heavy Seal."
Koken's entire body went numb, and he couldn't move.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke rushed forward, standing in front of An Yan. "We surrender! Don't hurt Koken!" he shouted.
An Yan pushed him aside with one hand. Who said I was going to hurt him? You're so dramatic!
He released the seal on Koken and formed the Seal of Reconciliation with a smile.
"Let's get properly acquainted. I'm the top student of the second year, An Yan."
Koken flexed his slightly trembling hands and returned the Seal of Reconciliation.
"An Yan. Very well, I'll remember you."
-------
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