As young members of the Uchiha clan, Ryo and his friends carried themselves with an air of superiority. They often looked down on commoners and treated even children of other clans with disdain. Since the decline of the Senju, the Uchiha had begun to proudly claim the title of the strongest clan in Konoha.
But during the academy test earlier that day, Uchiha Hayashi shattered their pride.
The three of them tried to accelerate toward the end, yet their stamina gave out, and they were quickly overtaken. Their final results were far from glorious, and worse, the one who placed first was none other than Uchiha Hayashi—the boy they had once bullied mercilessly.
In the past, when Hayashi was only three or four years old and hadn't begun proper training, he had always been outnumbered and beaten down by them. Few adults ever stood up for him since he was shunned by the clan. But now, the tables had turned, and that reality was a bitter pill to swallow.
(Physically, he's a child)
Unable to accept the humiliation, the three boys stormed toward him in anger, determined to put him back in his place.
"You think you can show off and just walk away?" Ryo snarled.
The three of them struck exaggerated poses. Ryo gave a glance, and his lackey, Uchiha Yutaka, stepped forward with a smirk.
"Uchiha Hayashi, get over here!"
Hayashi raised an eyebrow lazily. "What's the problem?"
"Don't play dumb. You were showing off during the exam!" Yutaka snapped.
Hayashi curled his lip. "So that's it. You lost, and now you're red with jealousy? Instead of training harder and figuring out your weaknesses, you came all the way here just to whine at me." His eyes gleamed with mocking sharpness. "Let me guess, you're so desperate to awaken your Sharingan that you've stuffed nonsense into your heads, thinking arrogance will open your eyes?"
It was a leftover trait from his previous life—Hayashi had a sharp tongue. He rarely took insults seriously, and a few words from him were enough to drive the trio into a rage.
"Enough, you three!" Mikoto's voice rang out. She stepped in front of Hayashi, her eyes narrowing at the obvious provocation. In her view, even if Hayashi was talented, he couldn't handle three Uchiha at once.
"Hayashi, if you're a boy, don't hide behind Mikoto!" Ryo barked, trying to humiliate him in front of her.
Hayashi sighed. With such low emotional intelligence, he wondered how Ryo would ever manage to win the heart of a kind, soft girl in the future.
But out of respect for Mikoto's feelings, he decided not to escalate things further. The three boys finally backed away after spitting out threats. Before leaving, Ryo shot him a vicious glare.
Hayashi only smirked and called out lazily, "I'll be waiting. Don't disappoint me."
Turning to Mikoto, he gestured casually. "Come on, let's go back."
Mikoto looked at him with worry, as though imagining him lying in a hospital bed by tomorrow.
"It's fine," Hayashi reassured her with a confident smile. "They can't beat me."
Later that evening, after walking Mikoto home, Hayashi returned to his small courtyard. Though his strength had grown, he knew he couldn't afford to relax. True power wasn't something one was simply born with—it required relentless training.
Even if his mysterious system could make him into a genius, genius alone wasn't enough. What he wanted was to become strong, truly strong.
He gathered some food, packed his bag, and jogged toward the forest behind the Hokage Rock. The Uchiha had their own training grounds, but he avoided them. Too many bad memories lingered there. The forest had become his true training ground, a quiet place where he could grow without scornful eyes watching.
As he made his way up the slope, the usual system voice didn't ring in his head. He realized he had been moving slower on purpose, not training seriously. A small pang of regret gnawed at him.
[ Even a single point is still a point. ]
But he shook his head. He had more pressing matters tonight.
Stopping abruptly, Hayashi glanced at the trees. "You can come out now. I've known you were tailing me since I left the clan compound."
Three shadows emerged from behind the trunks—Ryo, Yutaka, and their third companion.
Ryo crossed his arms arrogantly, a smug smile on his lips. "We just wanted to make sure you wouldn't run away again. There's no Mikoto here to protect you this time."
"Thanks for your concern, my foolish clansmen," Hayashi replied flatly, clearly uninterested in more pointless chatter.
"Who are you calling foolish?!" Yutaka shouted. "We're simply showing concern for another member of the Uchiha. Don't misunderstand."
"Concern?" Hayashi adjusted the strap of his ninja pouch. "So what do you actually want—a fight?"
Ryo smirked. "Don't treat the sacred duel between shinobi like some childish scuffle! I've been training hard and even learned a new jutsu. This won't be decided by taijutsu alone. When I win, you'll have to agree to one condition." His eyes gleamed with overconfidence.
Hayashi tilted his head. "And what if I win?"
Yutaka scoffed. "That's impossible. Have you forgotten how we used to beat you down?"
Hayashi rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "Then stop wasting time. Let's do this."
Ryo's two followers immediately cheered him on.
"Crush him!"
"Beat him down, humiliate him!"
Hayashi stood his ground, indifferent.
"You're about to see true power, Hayashi," Ryo declared proudly. "The me standing before you is nothing like the weakling you once knew!"
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Milestones
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
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