Kakashi

Early 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 him with a kindly expression.

Across from him, Kyosuke sat formally on a straw mat, unsure how to answer.

Yesterday, as he was finishing his training and preparing to leave the Military Police Force, Fugaku had murmured, "That Hatake boy has graduated from the Ninja Academy."

After saying that, he had turned and left, but Kyosuke understood that it was an indirect reminder.

Because many people in the village would inevitably compare him to Kakashi now.

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

It was an impressive title, but Kyosuke knew his own capabilities. Having only barely reached the level of a Genin, he was still very, very far behind Kakashi, who had already begun to possess Chunin-level strength.

Although neither Kyosuke nor Kakashi liked being compared to each other all day, as peers whose reputations had both begun to emerge, they could not help secretly competing in their hearts.

Therefore, after hearing Fugaku's reminder, Kyosuke knew there would definitely be a conversation like this today.

At last, after a lengthy lecture, he finally managed to escape.

Moreover, Fugaku needed to carry out a secret mission over the next few days, so Kyosuke rarely had time he could freely arrange for himself.

Thus, he decided to take a stroll through the village and see whether he could trigger any missions.

Come to think of it, this was his first time in Konoha's bustling district. Neither he nor his predecessor had ever seen what Konoha was like within the village.

After all, the Uchiha Clan Grounds were simply too remote.

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

Though he was unfamiliar with the voice, the words in that shout made him stop in his tracks and look over.

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

".Gai, stop shouting in the street. It's embarrassing."

Accompanied by their conversation, two boys around Kyosuke's age walked over.

One was a boy in a green jumpsuit, loudly shouting about something.

The other was a dead-eyed boy wearing a face mask, listlessly dealing with his companion.

The moment he saw them, Kyosuke knew who they were.

Might Guy and Kakashi.

"What a coincidence," Kyosuke murmured. Then he turned to look at the bustling crowd behind him and said self-mockingly, "No wonder it was so easy for me to get out today."

After hesitating briefly, Kyosuke walked straight toward the two of them.

Before long, Kakashi and Gai noticed Kyosuke approaching.

At first, neither paid him much attention, but when Kakashi saw the Uchiha Crest on Kyosuke's clothes, his pupils involuntarily contracted.

Although Kyosuke had yet to reveal his identity, as if guided by some vague instinct, Kakashi immediately guessed who he was.

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

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before reaching out to shake his hand.

Before he could speak, however, Might Guy began shouting again from the side.

"Kyosuke Uchiha? Are you that boy said to be even more talented than Kakashi?" Ignoring Kakashi's increasingly dark expression, Gai asked in an exaggerated tone.

Kyosuke's lips curled slightly, and he nodded as if confirming it.

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..."

Seeing that he had stopped halfway through, Gai could not help asking curiously, "But what?"

"But I'll surpass you soon. The Uchiha are invincible." Kyosuke suddenly made his declaration in a high-profile manner, then nodded to the two of them and turned to leave.

Before Kakashi could react, Gai shouted again with excitement, "That's right! Kakashi, I'll surpass you soon too! Ah~~ this is youth!!!"

"Boring."

With that, Kakashi turned and left.

However, the sharpness in his eyes showed that his heart was likely far less calm than he appeared.

"Did he really say that?" Inside the residence, the Second Elder asked the shadow as if seeking confirmation.

"That is correct. He did indeed challenge Kakashi." The shadow knelt on one knee and answered respectfully.

"Haha, good. That's what an Uchiha man should be like." As he laughed, the Second Elder seemed to recall something and instructed the shadow, "Deliver those two Ninjutsu Scrolls we prepared earlier to him. Tell him to practice diligently. I'll inspect his progress regularly."

"Yes, understood."

"Go."

"Yes."

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

But just then, someone suddenly knocked on his door.

Confused, Kyosuke pulled back the curtain, climbed out of bed, and opened the door.

Outside stood 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 vanished with a whoosh.

Kyosuke held the two scrolls blankly for a while before closing the door again, getting back into bed, and drawing the curtain.

After lying there for a while and calming his excitement, he slowly opened the two scrolls.

They were two offensive C-Ranked Ninjutsu.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

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

The Uchiha Sasuke brothers, in particular, had used them from beginning to end.

Of course, when used by them, their power was no weaker than A-Ranked Ninjutsu.

Kyosuke was quite satisfied with the Second Elder's gift this time. His earlier performance had not been for nothing.

Although Kyosuke did not yet possess enough Chakra to use either of these Ninjutsu.

That did not prevent him from practicing them.

Delighted by his newly acquired Ninjutsu, he did not even bother checking the Instance Dungeons.

He sprang from the bed, spread the scrolls out on the table, and began training.

"First... I need to understand the Chakra pathways of the Ninjutsu. Then come the hand seals." Kyosuke focused completely as he began his first Ninjutsu training session.