When the final class of the day ended and dismissal was announced, Sarutobi Retsu, Class 9's homeroom instructor, noticed that his students didn't rush out of the room as usual.
Instead, they all remained in their seats, casting furtive glances toward Uchiha Yuan.
Yuan rose calmly, seemingly oblivious to the attention, and walked out of the classroom under everyone's gaze.
The moment he left, the rest of the students quickly stood and followed him out.
Watching the sudden mass exodus, Sarutobi Retsu frowned and grabbed one of the boys by the arm.
"Mizuo," he asked, "what's going on?"
"Retsu-sensei," the boy said, a little excited, "Uehara Isamu and Uchiha Yuan agreed to have a sparring match at the training field!"
Retsu blinked. "Uehara Isamu and Uchiha Yuan?"
Both names were familiar—students he paid particular attention to.
Uehara's father was an elite chūnin in the village, and Uehara himself had always trained diligently. His ability ranked among the top hundred in his year.
Uchiha Yuan, meanwhile, didn't stand out much in daily training—but he bore the name of one of Konoha's great clans.
Intrigued, Retsu decided to quietly follow them to the training field.
At the center of the field, Uchiha Yuan stood with his arms crossed, utterly still. A ring of classmates had gathered nearby, murmuring among themselves.
Among the crowd, Yuan spotted Hyūga Kyo, Yūhi Murasaki, and Senju Gen.
Noticing his gaze, Senju Gen smiled and nodded amicably.
Hyūga Kyo, on the other hand, called out loudly, "Uchiha Yuan! Don't you dare disgrace our clan!"
Back in the now-empty classroom, only Hatake Haruka remained.
He stood to leave but paused at the window, where he could see the two figures facing off on the training field below.
Yuan's earlier words still echoed in his mind.
They made him remember that day six years ago—the day his clan was plunged into grief. Faces twisted with sorrow flashed through his memory.
That was the day his uncle, the head of the Hatake Clan—Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha—had taken his own life.
He still couldn't understand why. Why had his gentle, honorable uncle chosen suicide?
He could still remember the villagers' faces back then—faces once full of admiration, now twisted with hatred and venom. Their words had been cruel and scathing.
It left him utterly lost.
His uncle had been a hero of the village. How could they suddenly brand him a villain?
"Uchiha Yuan… what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Haruka murmured softly to himself, staring down at the field.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Eiji and a group of Uchiha youths were walking toward the village gates. Other students instinctively stepped aside to give them space.
As they passed the training grounds, Eiji noticed the crowd gathered there and stopped.
Moments later, Uchiha Jun and Uchiha Kotarō came running up.
"Eiji, looks like someone's challenging the Uchiha name!" Jun said with a smirk.
"A mere civilian brat daring to challenge one of us? Bold indeed," another youth sneered.
"Let's just hope that branch-family kid doesn't embarrass our clan."
"Hah, that guy? He doesn't even deserve to represent us."
The group of Uchiha boys walked over to the edge of the training field, watching Yuan standing tall in the center.
On the field, Uehara Isamu approached, flanked by his small circle of friends. A cruel, mocking smile twisted his face.
"Uchiha Yuan," he said coldly, "if you beg for mercy now, I might be generous enough to forgive you. We are classmates, after all."
Yuan tilted his chin slightly, eyes sharp and proud.
"Spare me the noise, mongrel. If you're going to fight, hurry up. I still have to stop by Seven-Color Pavilion for fresh sweets before they sell out."
Uehara's face contorted with fury. With a shout, he lunged forward, fists swinging.
Yuan reacted instantly—his body twisting into a smooth backward flip as Uehara's punch sliced through the air beneath him.
But as Yuan landed, a sudden rush of air came from above.
He glanced up just in time to see Uehara descending on him from overhead, both fists locked together in a hammer strike.
Yuan met it head-on. His fist shot upward, striking Uehara's blow midair.
Boom!
A dull thud echoed. Both fighters staggered back.
Yuan slid three steps across the dirt; Uehara flipped backward and landed in a crouch.
Flexing his wrist, Yuan said quietly, "Didn't expect you to have mastered the Body Flicker Technique."
A grin tugged at Uehara's lips. "It's not too late to surrender and apologize now."
Yuan's eyes hardened. "You think the Body Flicker alone makes you special? Don't underestimate the Uchiha."
The confidence in Yuan's tone made Uehara hesitate.
The Uchiha's greatest weapon… was the Sharingan.
Could Yuan have already awakened it? If so, his movements would be utterly exposed.
But a moment later, Uehara's nerves eased. Yuan's eyes were still their normal color.
Then Yuan moved.
In a blur of motion, he closed the distance between them in mere steps and drove a punch straight toward Uehara's face.
Feeling no chakra surge from Yuan's body, Uehara arrogantly reached out to catch the incoming fist—
—and immediately regretted it.
What strength!
Before he could react, Yuan used his own captured arm as a pivot, spinning sharply on one foot. His leg whipped up and snapped toward Uehara's head in a vicious arc.
Uehara had no choice but to release him and lean backward.
Whoosh!
The gale from Yuan's kick grazed his face, leaving a sharp sting across his cheek.
That was too close! he thought, shaken. Even with chakra reinforcing his body, that kick might have knocked him unconscious.
The moment Yuan's foot hit the ground again, he launched forward like an arrow, both fists striking in quick succession.
What followed was a breathtaking display of taijutsu—an elegant, fluid chain of attacks that left Uehara completely on the defensive.
Every punch, every kick flowed seamlessly into the next, cutting off all angles of counterattack.
Uehara seemed trapped in an invisible cage—reduced to a punching bag, unable to retaliate.
"Whoa! Amazing!"
"So this is the Uchiha Clan's power… No wonder they're Konoha's number one family!"
Gasps rippled through the spectators.
Even Hyūga Kyo couldn't hide his shock. He stared at Yuan, thinking grimly—if he were in Uehara's place, he wouldn't be able to withstand that barrage either.
After dozens of exchanges, Uehara's chakra reserves were nearly spent. His movements slowed; his control faltered.
Then Yuan's knee slammed hard into his chest. The impact shattered his gathered chakra flow in an instant.
Staggering backward, gasping, Uehara barely regained balance before Yuan's figure flashed in front of him again.
Yuan's hand chopped down across his neck—stopping just short of lethal.
"Uehara Isamu," Yuan said coldly, his eyes glinting, "you're already dead."
Uehara froze. A suffocating tightness filled his chest. As he exhaled shakily, a thin line of blood appeared across his throat.
When he touched it, his fingers came away crimson.
Only then did he fully grasp Yuan's words—
Had Yuan struck a little harder, that line would have slit his throat completely.
At the edge of the field, Sarutobi Retsu watched quietly, his eyes narrowing.
Impressive taijutsu, he thought before vanishing in a blur with the Body Flicker Technique.
"Eiji, that kid's taijutsu is no joke."
"Yeah. Uchiha Yuan… I'll remember that name."
"Those combinations were beautiful—like a continuous chain of techniques. Once you're caught, there's no escaping it."
"I already copied the whole sequence with my Sharingan."
The Uchiha youths chatted animatedly as they left the Academy gates.
Eiji, however, remained silent, his brows furrowed. Something about it didn't sit right.
He'd fought Yuan twice before—he knew the boy's true speed and strength.
By his calculations, that match should've been over in seconds. Yet Yuan had drawn it out over dozens of moves.
When he'd used his Sharingan earlier, Eiji had noticed it clearly—Yuan's strikes had been slower than when they'd fought.
He was holding back.
But why?
Back at the training field, Yuan stood over Uehara and said coolly, "Now, apologize."
Uehara glared up at him. "I admit defeat—but I won't apologize. It's because your Uchiha Police Force hesitated the night of the Nine-Tails attack that my uncle died!"
Yuan frowned. "Fool. Those were rumors. I want you to apologize for spreading lies about me—claiming I bullied you with other Uchihas."
Uehara turned toward their watching classmates.
"Tell me, everyone—if a bunch of Uchiha suddenly surrounded you with those cold, murderous faces, wouldn't you be scared? If I hadn't run, I'd have been beaten for sure!"
Yuan's expression darkened. "Uehara Isamu, enough nonsense!"
He swept his piercing gaze over the crowd. "I accepted this challenge for one reason—to prove that if I wanted to deal with you, I'd never need help from my clan. My own fists are more than enough."
At those words, Hyūga Kyo and several others nodded slightly.
Coming from one born of a great clan themselves—they believed him.
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