"Hey, hurry up! Something big is happening at the Training Ground!"
"What happened? Is someone attacking the clan compound?"
"Idiot, it's a duel between the Clan Heir and Kyosuke! They're both famous prodigies. Today, we'll finally see who's better!"
"What? Wait for me! I want to watch too!"
At the Training Ground, Kyosuke felt a headache coming on.
Damn you, Izuna. He glanced at the smug little brat, knowing he was behind all this commotion.
As for why he had done it, he most likely wanted his brother to defeat Kyosuke in front of everyone.
Over the past year, people had kept debating who was the greatest prodigy among the clan's younger generation.
Some believed the Clan Heir's impressive achievements spoke for themselves, while others naturally considered Kyosuke, who had awakened his Sharingan at seven, the strongest.
Kyosuke had planned to keep a low profile and train for a while. He hadn't expected Izuna to pull something like this.
"Kyosuke!" Suddenly, someone called out beside him.
He turned and saw none other than his snobbish older cousin.
"What are you doing?" Uchiha Kei stormed over and demanded, "Do you have any idea of the Clan Heir's standing? How can you challenge him publicly?"
Then he leaned closer and explained in a low voice, "If you win, how is the Clan Heir supposed to save face? And what will the Clan Leader think of you?"
He appeared to be concerned about his younger cousin, but in truth, he was worried that Kyosuke would anger the Clan Leader and drag him down too.
He had intended to make his cousin forfeit. Instead, Kyosuke merely glanced at him before turning to face the Uchiha brothers approaching at an easy pace.
That made Uchiha Kei lose his temper completely. "You little bastard! I'm talking to you! Is that any way to treat your older cousin?!"
"You're noisy." Kyosuke gave the yammering man a cold look, narrowed his eyes, and said icily, "Get lost. Get out of my sight."
"You bastard! How dare you!" Uchiha Kei swiftly drew a kunai from the pouch at his waist, determined to teach his cousin a lesson he would never forget.
Don't think a little praise from the clan makes you something special. In Uchiha Kei's eyes, the boy before him was still the same pathetic wretch who had begged him for shelter.
His strength had reached Chunin level, and he had considerable combat experience. He believed he could easily subdue his opponent.
Little did he know that Kyosuke had already seen through his movements.
Daring to fight at close quarters against the Sharingan-he really had a death wish.
Kyosuke knocked the thrust aside, spun halfway around, and twisted straight behind Uchiha Kei.
At the same time, he gripped his short sword backhanded and held it across his opponent's throat.
"If we weren't inside the clan compound, I'd kill you today."
As he spoke, he drove his knee hard into his so-called cousin's lower back, sending the young man sprawling.
In truth, Uchiha Kei was reasonably capable. Kyosuke shouldn't have been able to finish him off almost instantly.
But he was far too arrogant. Fighting at close quarters without a Sharingan of his own left him completely at Kyosuke's mercy.
Kyosuke kicked him away, then looked at the approaching Dance King and said with a faint smile, "I never thought our first fight would happen like this."
"Should we clear everyone out?" Madara glanced around, instinctively frowned, and shot his younger brother a displeased look.
Izuna shrank back, promptly turned, and fled.
"No need." Kyosuke tightened his grip on his short sword and said calmly, "What will come will come. Besides, I'm tired of staying in the clan compound."
"All right. Then let's hold nothing back today."
"Exactly what I had in mind."
There were no elaborate rules. Both took their stances and immediately began their first exchange.
In terms of physique and chakra, ten-year-old Madara Uchiha held an overwhelming advantage.
Meeting him head-on was out of the question, and Kyosuke also had to watch out for his ninjutsu.
If Kyosuke wanted to win, he would have to make full use of his Sharingan and the Shisui-style Body Flicker Technique he had just learned.
Scarlet light flashed in his eyes as his Sharingan activated again. In an instant, every movement of his opponent came into view.
His free left hand slipped into his ninja tool pouch. With a flick of his wrist, three shuriken whistled through the air.
Clang! Long sword in hand, Madara Uchiha never slowed. He raised one arm, weaving a solid defensive screen in front of himself.
The three shuriken came from tricky angles, but none could break through his sword's defense. The distance between them shrank rapidly.
"Nice!"
The spectators cheered loudly. That display alone had shown that Madara's swordsmanship was a cut above Kyosuke's.
Everyone present was a battle-hardened ninja, so the finer points of their exchange were easy to discern.
"You're still the same as ever, Kyosuke." Madara Uchiha suddenly tossed his long sword into the air, his hands fluttering like butterflies as he swiftly completed his hand seals.
As flames gathered in his mouth, the surrounding temperature shot up.
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Holy shit, is he trying to kill me?! The image of more than twenty Mist Ninja joining forces to withstand this attack during the Shinobi World War instantly flashed through Kyosuke's mind.
But he quickly realized that Madara had yet to reach Jonin level. He couldn't possibly unleash a Fire Release technique with such terrifying power.
Even so, he had no intention of underestimating the Dance King.
His hands swiftly completed the seals. Just before the fan-shaped sea of fire reached him, Kyosuke blurred into an afterimage and shot toward Madara Uchiha in the distance.
The Body Flicker Technique?!
Madara Uchiha was startled. He had never expected Kyosuke to pull something like that.
Wasn't he afraid that forcing himself to use the Body Flicker Technique would leave his body with permanent internal damage?
What is Keisuke thinking, letting him learn the Body Flicker Technique already? Madara cursed inwardly, put away his long sword, and turned to look behind him.
There, Kyosuke was getting up from the ground, grimacing.
Half his pain came from falling because he hadn't controlled his momentum properly; the other half came from the miserable scorching he had just received from the Fire Release attack.
"Did Keisuke teach you the Body Flicker Technique?" Madara asked with a frown.
If the answer was yes, he would certainly go and have words with him.
Instead, Kyosuke shook his head, touched his singed hair, and sighed. "I learned it myself. Damn it, my hair."
Following the Uchiha clan's tradition, Kyosuke wore the same sort of spiky hairstyle as Madara, one whose appeal was hard to judge.
He intended to grow his hair out, if only to distinguish himself from those two bastard brothers.
"By yourself..." Madara fell silent for a moment, glanced at the hair that nearly reached Kyosuke's shoulders, and said flatly, "You should get a haircut."
"Asshole, I'm growing it out."
"That'll get in the way during a fight."
"Heh, I'm planning to develop a hair-based ninjutsu. Then you'll see."
The two traded a few barbs before going their separate ways.
Overall, Madara Uchiha had put on the more impressive performance.
Kyosuke's Body Flicker Technique was fast, but he still couldn't control it properly. Everyone present could see that.
Still, there was a two-year age gap between them. It was genuinely hard to say which had greater talent.
In any case, as far as Tajima Uchiha was concerned, his son was the one who would lead the family in the future.
Uchiha Kyosuke?
It was time to think of a way to deal with him.
Before you continue