Chapter 13: Itachi's Doubt
Thinking about it more, Takahashi figured it out. Neji had probably told his family everything. After discussing it, the Hyuga clan must have decided it was better to have a future strong ninja as a friend, not an enemy. So they told Neji to apologize.
The potential Takahashi had shown was probably seen as greater than Neji's. It didn't matter if the apology was real or not. It was a smart move.
Sure enough, Neji's eyes became hard again. "Even though I was wrong before, I will train harder. I will surpass you."
Takahashi just smiled. "You're welcome to try anytime." You can try to surpass me now, of course. If you can beat me.
They were still on the same team. It was bad to have too much bad blood. And since he and Hinata were close, fighting with Neji could make things awkward for her.
He thought the night's excitement was over. But then, a sneering voice cut through the dark.
"So the famous Hyuga clan is so weak. I never thought I'd see you, Neji, bowing to someone. And to a talentless nobody. It seems the Hyuga are falling."
It was Sasuke Uchiha, a classic case of a Konoha edgelord.
He looked at them with pure disdain. Sasuke and Neji had always seen each other as rivals. At this point, Naruto hadn't shown his true power yet, so Sasuke only had eyes for a few people. Neji, with his powerful eyes, was one of them.
Sasuke's attitude came from Takahashi's past. Before, Takahashi had no special skills. His talent was average. He got by by being friendly and careful. But in the ninja world, that wasn't respected. To loners like Sasuke and Neji, it looked weak and cowardly.
So, Sasuke had always looked down on him. What's the point of hard work? Without talent, it's all wasted effort.
Neji was furious. "What did you say? You think I'm afraid of you? You're the last of your clan. How dare you talk so big?"
That hit Sasuke right where it hurt. Team Seven usually avoided that topic. But now, facing his rival, he didn't hold back.
As for Takahashi, Sasuke ignored him completely. To him, Takahashi was less important than the air.
Sasuke attacked first. A brilliant, crackling light lit up in his hand. It sounded like a thousand birds chirping. The dark night suddenly became as bright as day. He charged forward at incredible speed. The powerful lightning scattered, carving deep grooves in the ground.
It was Kakashi's signature move: Chidori.
Facing such a strong attack, Neji didn't hesitate. He took a firm stance, ready to meet it head-on.
The Chunin Exams were coming soon. If either of them got hurt here, it would affect their performance. That would be a stupid mistake.
Takahashi frowned. If something happened here, he'd be blamed too. He didn't care if they hurt each other, but if it caused trouble for him, he wasn't having it.
A golden flash. His body turned into particles of light. The two rivals only saw a blur of gold. Suddenly, they both felt a vice-like grip on their wrists.
With the Super-Soldier Serum, Takahashi's body was far stronger than any of his peers. Even Lee couldn't compare.
Sasuke's eyes shifted from confusion to shock, then fear. This guy had stopped both his and Neji's attacks at the same time. And he made it look easy. The most terrifying part was that Sasuke hadn't even seen him move. What kind of speed and strength was that? Other than his teacher Kakashi, Takahashi was the first person Sasuke couldn't see through.
"You...!" His voice trembled. He didn't understand. How could this guy, with no special power, make him feel such crushing pressure? A sense of powerlessness washed over him. How was this possible? The person he'd always looked down on was actually someone he couldn't beat? That mental gap was too much for Sasuke to accept.
Neji, on the other hand, was much calmer. It seemed natural to him that Takahashi could stop them. His face showed no emotion.
Compared to him killing jonin in seconds, this was child's play. If Sasuke knew about that, his face would probably be even more priceless.
Sasuke stared at Takahashi, not saying a word, trying to find some clue on his face. But no matter how he looked, Takahashi's expression was just calm and indifferent.
"I don't care if you two fight," Takahashi said. "But not here."
He let their wrists go. Sasuke was clearly still angry. He wanted to attack again, but Takahashi's cold stare stopped him. The message was clear: If you want to fight, you'll have to go through me.
Then, Takahashi said something strange that confused them both.
"Whoever hears a crow cawing on a night like this must have bad luck. I hope I don't run into it."
He snorted coldly and walked off toward home. Sasuke and Neji were left behind, just looking at each other.
The night was quiet. There wasn't even a breeze. Where would a crow's caw come from? What was he talking about?
The two rivals glared at each other, but neither planned to fight now. Takahashi's move had cooled their heads. Fighting over nothing and getting hurt before the Chunin Exams was a stupid, worthless risk. They could settle this another time.
"I hope you don't fail too easily in the exams," Sasuke said, trying to sound cool.
"You should worry about yourself," Neji shot back.
After that last bit of pride, they both seemed to feel better. They turned and walked away in opposite directions.
On a rooftop not far away, a man in a black cloak with red clouds stood watching. He had dark hair and red eyes, his face seven parts similar to Sasuke's, but more mature. A cold killing intent lingered in his eyes. It was Sasuke's older brother, the other survivor of the Uchiha clan: Uchiha Itachi.
He loved his younger brother deeply, though his way of showing it was... different.
Since becoming a rogue ninja, it wasn't his first time sneaking back into Konoha. But he had never been spotted like this before. And by a genin.
Others wouldn't understand Takahashi's last comment. But Itachi understood perfectly.
It was meant for him.
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Stones in my pocket