Kagami and Neji

Chapter 15: Kagami and Neji

"Now, begin!"

Iruka shouted, announcing the start of the battle.

However, neither Kagami nor Neji initiated an attack. Even though the battle had been declared, they remained in place as if they hadn't heard.

Hyuga Neji. In the six months Kagami had been at the Ninja Academy, Neji was the only person Kagami had treated with such caution. His hand instinctively went to his waist, only to find nothing.

Oh, right. For sparring practice like this at the Ninja Academy, they obviously wouldn't allow the use of weapons like kunai, which could be lethal. Kagami had gotten serious and instinctively thought he was sparring with Shisui, reaching for the ninja tool pouch he usually kept at his waist. But Kagami's ninja tool pouch had been removed before the match.

"I've heard your shuriken skills are impressive, but this kind of duel doesn't allow you to use shuriken. In that case, it seems I have the advantage."

Hyuga Neji had keenly noticed Kagami's movement.

"No, not at all. It's my honor to be able to spar with a senior like you."

Although Kagami was considered by many to be an "extremely arrogant Uchiha," that was simply because Kagami didn't want to waste time on those people. He certainly possessed the necessary humility.

"However, Neji-senpai, this match..."

Neji's gaze sharpened, and he spoke in unison with Kagami.

"I won't hand over victory!"

"The one who wins will be me!"

The first sentence was spoken by Kagami, and the second by Neji.

After speaking, Kagami moved, charging towards Neji.

The reason he hadn't acted immediately was to observe. Now, he had gathered the information he could.

"Byakugan!"

On both sides of Neji's eyes, the veins bulged, encircling his eyes and looking somewhat terrifying. This was the appearance when the Byakugan was activated, just as the pupils of Uchiha clan members turned blood-red when activating the Sharingan.

So fast!!!

After activating the Byakugan, this was Neji's first thought. While the Byakugan's perception was superior to the Sharingan, that perception referred to range. The area the Byakugan could perceive far exceeded the Sharingan's.

However, in terms of dynamic vision, the Byakugan was inferior to the Sharingan.

Kagami's movements, if viewed by Shisui, would be like slow motion. But to Neji, they were incredibly fast.

Of course, the Byakugan was still the Byakugan. Even if its dynamic vision was inferior to the Sharingan, it shouldn't be unable to see the movements of a Ninja Academy student like Kagami. But the problem was, being able to see didn't necessarily mean being able to keep up!

Neji could see Kagami's movements clearly, but at the same time, Neji realized that his body would likely struggle to keep up with Kagami's incredible speed.

The saying "In martial arts, speed is invincible" wasn't just for show. Even if you could see the attack, if you couldn't keep up, you'd still get hit.

Twisting his head, Neji narrowly dodged Kagami's punch. Chakra gathered in his hand. Gentle Fist!

Kagami's gaze sharpened. As expected, it was highly unlikely that a genius like Neji wouldn't have chakra. And the Gentle Fist, infused with chakra, could not only directly damage internal organs but also seal chakra points. Kagami absolutely could not be hit by it.

Retreat!

In Naruto, if you discussed speed, many people would immediately think of Tobirama, Minato, and Ay. However, Kagami knew that Shisui was also famous for his speed. Many people had heard of the great name "Shisui the Body Flicker."

Kagami didn't know how Shisui's speed compared to those three, but he knew that Shisui was the fastest person he had ever seen in terms of speed!

Having studied under Shisui for half a year, Kagami might be weaker in other areas, but his speed was definitely not lacking.

He dodged?

Neji looked at his own fist that had missed, somewhat surprised. He and Kagami had been very close at that moment, and Kagami had just thrown a punch, still carrying the momentum. By all rights, he shouldn't have been able to dodge Neji's attack, but...

He's indeed incredibly fast. The clan head said he's being taught by that Shisui the Body Flicker. As expected of Shisui the Body Flicker; even his disciple is this fast. I can't imagine how fast the master himself must be.

On the sidelines, Iruka watched their exchange in shock. Iruka didn't know Neji's full strength yet, but Kagami's display had terrified him.

That speed has to be at least at the genin level, no, it might even exceed it, and he hasn't even used chakra yet!

Many people knew that Kagami possessed chakra. And now, without using chakra, his speed was already this astonishing. Once he used chakra, it should increase further.

After dodging Neji's attack, Kagami didn't pause at all and continued his assault on Neji.

Fists and kicks flew, back and forth.

Kagami's extreme speed suppressed Neji. But Neji was a genius after all, and he had the Byakugan. Although he was handling it with some difficulty, he was at least holding his ground.

Kagami's classmates on the side were all stunned. They couldn't comprehend how someone their age could fight like this.

They couldn't even clearly see the movements of the two in the arena. Were they really Ninja Academy students?

There were no cheers or applause for this battle. Everyone was simply stunned.

Another person who was equally surprised was an old man in the Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage was looking at a crystal ball above his desk. The crystal ball displayed an image, showing the scene of Kagami fighting Neji.

Looking at the scene, which was completely unlike a battle between Ninja Academy students, the Third Hokage couldn't help but sigh.

"The younger generation is truly formidable. Both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans have produced an exceptional genius."

In the arena, Kagami's brow furrowed. He realized he was in a stalemate with Neji. It seemed neither of them could win in a short amount of time.

But this wasn't what Kagami wanted. Kagami understood very well that Neji possessed the Byakugan, which far surpassed his own lack of an activated Sharingan in terms of ocular power. If the fight dragged on, Neji, relying on his Byakugan, would likely be able to counter his attacks more effectively, which was absolutely disadvantageous for Kagami.

[Since that's the case]

Kagami made a decision. After finishing an attack, he immediately retreated far away, no longer engaging Neji in close-quarters combat.

Kagami had already anticipated that Neji possessed chakra, so with chakra as a given, it wasn't an advantage between two geniuses. To gain an advantage, he needed to go further, like with ninjutsu!

In the original story, Itachi's discovery of the forbidden Shadow Clone Jutsu had terrified his teacher at the time, who went to discuss with the Third Hokage, leading to Itachi's early graduation. The teacher claimed he had never seen such a student.

One could imagine how astonishing it was for someone of this age to know ninjutsu. Although Kagami's Great Fireball wasn't comparable to Itachi's forbidden Shadow Clone Jutsu, it was enough to shock everyone present. Kagami had initially wanted to keep it hidden, but now it seemed that continuing to hide it might lead to him losing.

So, "Concentrate all your chakra in the next few seconds. This is my strongest move currently. Hyuga-senpai, if you can withstand it, you win. If not, I win."

Kagami declared.

Hyuga Neji looked at Kagami with great seriousness.

"Bring it on!"

Kagami took a deep breath, raised his hands, and placed them in front of his chin.

Iruka watched this movement, and an absurd thought formed in his mind.

In the Hokage's Office, the Third Hokage was also startled.

"This child, he wouldn't..."

Similarly, Neji, directly in front of Kagami, widened his eyes.

"Could it be..."

Iruka: "Is it ninjutsu?!"

Third Hokage: "Is he going to use ninjutsu?!"

Neji: "Ninjutsu?!"

A terrifying thought simultaneously emerged in the minds of all three.

Kagami responded to their thoughts with his actions.

Snake - Monkey - Rooster - Boar - Horse - Tiger.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A fireball approximately one meter in diameter appeared in the arena, dispelling all their doubts and making the "genius" label on Kagami shine even brighter under the light of the flames.