Kakashi

The next morning, Kyosuke was summoned to the Second Elder's residence.

"Little Kyosuke, how has your training been going lately?" the Second Elder asked with a kindly expression.

Across from him, Kyosuke knelt on the cool mat, unsure how to answer.

Yesterday, as he was finishing his training and about to leave the Military Police Force, Fugaku muttered to himself, "That Hatake kid graduated from the Academy." Then he turned and walked away, but Kyosuke understood it was a subtle reminder.

Because in the village now, many people inevitably compared him to Kakashi.

The reason was simple: the title of "the most talented in Uchiha history" had spread far and wide.

The reputation was loud, but he knew his own situation. Barely reaching Genin-level strength, he was still far, far behind Kakashi, who had already attained preliminary Chunin-level ability.

Though neither Kyosuke nor Kakashi liked being constantly compared, as peers with equally renowned talent, they couldn't help secretly competing in their hearts.

So, upon hearing Fugaku's reminder, Kyosuke knew a conversation like this was coming today.

Finally, after a long lecture, he managed to escape.

And since Fugaku had to go on a secret mission for the next few days, Kyosuke had some rare free time.

So he decided to stroll around the village and see if he could trigger any quests.

This was actually his first time in Konoha's bustling district. Neither he nor his predecessor had ever seen what the village looked like inside.

After all, the Uchiha Clan Grounds were in such an out-of-the-way location.

As he wandered, Kyosuke suddenly heard a strange shout from the street ahead.

Though the voice was unfamiliar, the content of the shout made him stop in his tracks and look over.

"Kakashi, let's begin our seventh duel!"

"...Guy, stop yelling in the street. It's embarrassing."

Along with the conversation, two youths about Kyosuke's age walked over.

One, wearing a green jumpsuit, was shouting loudly.

The other, with a mask and dead-fish eyes, wore a look of utter despair as he reluctantly dealt with his companion.

Seeing them, Kyosuke knew who they were.

Might Guy and Kakashi.

"A coincidence?" Kyosuke muttered to himself, then turned to look at the bustling crowd behind him, adding with a self-deprecating smile, "No wonder I got out so easily today."

After a moment's hesitation, Kyosuke walked straight toward the two.

Soon, Kakashi and Guy noticed him approaching.

At first, they didn't pay much attention, but when Kakashi saw the Uchiha Crest on Kyosuke's clothes, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

Though Kyosuke hadn't introduced himself, as if by some instinct, Kakashi immediately guessed who he was.

"Kakashi, right? Hello, I'm Kyosuke Uchiha. Nice to meet you." Kyosuke smiled and introduced himself, extending his right hand.

Kakashi hesitated, then reached out and shook it.

But before he could speak, Might Guy started shouting again.

"Kyosuke Uchiha? The one they say is even more talented than Kakashi?" Guy asked dramatically, ignoring Kakashi's increasingly dark expression.

Kyosuke's lips curled slightly, and he nodded in confirmation.

Seeing this, Kakashi's expression shifted slightly, but he remained silent.

After dealing with Might Guy, Kyosuke turned his gaze back to Kakashi and said with a smile, "Congratulations on graduating. But—"

Guy, noticing he'd stopped mid-sentence, asked curiously, "But what?"

"But I'll surpass you soon. The Uchiha are invincible." Kyosuke suddenly declared loudly, then nodded to both of them and turned to leave.

Hearing this, Kakashi hadn't reacted yet, but Guy was already shouting excitedly, "That's right! Kakashi, I'll surpass you soon too! Ah~~ This is youth!!!"

"Boring."

With that, Kakashi turned and walked away.

But from the sharp glint in his eyes, it was clear his inner calm was far from what it seemed on the surface.

"Did he really say that?" In the residence, the Second Elder asked the Black Shadow for confirmation.

"Yes, he indeed challenged Kakashi." The Black Shadow knelt on one knee, replying respectfully.

"Haha, good. That's more like a man of the Uchiha." As his laughter faded, the Second Elder seemed to recall something and ordered, "Go and deliver those two Ninjutsu Scrolls we prepared earlier. Tell him to practice diligently. I'll check on him periodically."

"Yes, understood."

"Go."

"Yes."

Back home, Kyosuke lay on his bed as usual, pulled the curtain shut to block out others' view, and prepared to check the Instance Dungeons he could tackle next.

But just then, someone knocked on his door.

Kyosuke hesitated, then slid open the hanging curtain, got out of bed, and opened the door.

He found a masked clan ninja he had never seen before.

The man tossed two scrolls to Kyosuke, left behind the words "Train well—the Second Elder will inspect you at any time," and then vanished with a shush.

Kyosuke stood there holding the two scrolls, stunned for a moment, before closing the door again, climbing back into bed, and drawing the curtain.

After lying in bed for a while to calm his excitement, he slowly unrolled the two scrolls.

They were both attack-type C-Ranked Ninjutsu.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Both were Fire Release Ninjutsu that appeared frequently in the original story.

Especially the two Sasuke brothers—they used them from start to finish.

Though in their hands, the power was no less than A-Ranked Ninjutsu.

Kyosuke was quite satisfied with the Second Elder's gift this time; it wasn't for nothing that he had put on that act earlier.

Even though Kyosuke's current Chakra wasn't enough to use either technique.

That didn't stop him from practicing.

Overwhelmed by the excitement of acquiring new jutsu, he didn't even bother checking the Instance Dungeon.

He leaped out of bed, spread the scrolls flat on the table, and began his practice.

"First, I need to understand the chakra flow path of the technique. Then come the hand seals." Kyosuke threw himself into his first-ever ninjutsu training with complete focus.