Uchiha Ryo flicked his wrist, and several shuriken and kunai gleamed under the midday sun, their edges flashing with a cold, dangerous light.
The Uchiha clan was famed throughout the ninja world not only for the Sharingan and their Fire Release techniques but also for their mastery of shurikenjutsu.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Ryo's throws were sharp and deliberate. The kunai and shuriken curved through the air, their trajectories blocking off every possible escape route. It was one of the Uchiha clan's traditional techniques—precise, relentless, and difficult to counter.
A faint smirk spread across Ryo's face. His father had taught him this move, and it had taken months of hard training before he could use it properly. Let's see how Hayashi handles this. Without parents to teach him, there's no way he's mastered techniques like these.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes, but he didn't look shaken. Ryo's shurikenjutsu was impressive, but Hayashi knew its true potential could only be unleashed with the Sharingan. Without it, the attacks were still limited.
He calmly pulled several shuriken from his pouch.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In an instant, his arm flicked with practiced precision. The shuriken whirled through the air on unpredictable paths, clashing against Ryo's projectiles.
Clang! Clang!
Steel rang against steel. Most of Ryo's weapons were deflected, but one kunai still slipped through, speeding toward Hayashi.
Ryo's eyes widened. He blocked almost all of them?
Before the kunai could hit, Hayashi twisted his wrist and stabbed at its side with his own weapon. The force sent the kunai spinning backward, redirecting it straight at Ryo.
"Bang!"
A log appeared where Ryo had stood—the Body Replacement Technique.
Perched on a tree branch, Ryo wiped the sweat from his forehead. That technique had always been his ace in training, something he had worked on with his father for weeks. Yet Hayashi had already pushed him into using it.
"…It's here!" Hayashi's voice cut through the forest.
Ryo's eyes darted up, but too late. Hayashi's figure appeared before him like a phantom, his kick slamming into Ryo's abdomen.
Bang!
Ryo's body shot backward like a cannonball, crashing into the ground below.
"Ugh…" he groaned, clutching his stomach.
Hayashi landed lightly, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes.
From nearby, Uchiha Rei and Uchiha Yutaka rushed over.
"Ryo, are you alright?!" Uchiha Rei shouted.
"Damn it, Hayashi ambushed you! That's so underhanded!"Uchiha Yutaka added furiously.
Ryo's face flushed red. Ambushed? When did he ambush me?
"I—I'm fine!" he muttered through clenched teeth.
The truth was painful. Before yesterday, Hayashi wouldn't have been this fast, but his speed and strength had clearly grown by leaps and bounds.
"Let's attack together!" Ryo barked. "I was careless before, but if we fight seriously, he won't stand a chance against the three of us!"
Rei and Yutaka exchanged uneasy glances. Hayashi's speed was intimidating, and Ryo had just been flattened. Still, there were three of them, and only one of him. They steeled themselves and stepped forward.
"Take this!" Uchiha Rei threw a handful of shuriken, though his form was sloppy. The weapons sailed in a straight line, predictable and slow.
Hayashi didn't even bother countering. He sidestepped lightly, slipping past their range with ease.
At that moment, Uchiha Yutaka charged forward like a bull, fists clenched.
"Uchiha Strong Fist, First Form!" he roared, swinging with all his strength.
His strike was wild, slow, and desperate. Hayashi's foot lashed out in a sharp kick, sending Yutaka flying back before the punch even landed.
Ryo's heart pounded. This speed… it's unreal.
Panicking, he scrambled to throw more shuriken, trying to corner Hayashi. But Hayashi blurred forward, closing the distance before Ryo could react.
"I surrender! I surrender!" Ryo yelped, sprawling onto the ground with both hands raised.
"Ryo, no!" Uchiha Rei cried. "We haven't lost yet!"
But the fight was already over.
For a moment, Hayashi almost laughed. The way the three clung to each other, crying and shouting, made him feel like the villain in their story. He shook his head, sighing softly.
Behind him, the trio huddled together.
"Rei… I'm useless. I couldn't protect you, and now you're hurt too…" Ryo muttered, his voice cracking.
"This isn't your fault, Ryo," Rei replied firmly. "He's just too strong. But next time… next time we'll work harder and defeat him!"
"Yes," Yutaka added, wiping at his tears. "We're geniuses, remember? We just have to keep going."
Their determination was fierce, though their bodies were still trembling.
Hayashi walked away quietly, the forest swallowing his figure.
"…What a headache," he murmured.