There were still forty-two days until Kakashi and Hyuga Mami graduated.
All told, Hyuga Sho had been at the Ninja Academy for nearly five months.
During this time,
through observation, Hyuga Sho had learned
that the only child confident of defeating Kakashi was probably Hyuga Mami.
Of course,
Hyuga Sho could not challenge Hyuga Mami to test his own strength...
because that did not conform to the Hyuga Clan's rules.
Settling for the next best thing,
before figuring out Kakashi's exact strength, he would first seek out Uchiha Tekka, whom Kakashi had defeated, and learn from him how great the gap was between himself and Kakashi.
Incidentally,
he could gain experience by defeating Uchiha Tekka. It was killing two birds with one stone.
After school that morning,
Hyuga Sho headed straight for the neighboring class.
Uchiha Tekka walked out of the classroom, a slight injury still visible at the corner of his mouth.
With both hands in his pockets, he strode down the corridor with a cold expression.
Hyuga Sho followed behind him.
A moment later,
they left the school grounds.
Hyuga Sho kept following him.
When they turned into a narrow alley,
Uchiha Tekka suddenly whirled around. "Who's there?!"
When he saw that it was Hyuga Sho, his expression relaxed slightly.
Perhaps he felt that Hyuga Sho posed no threat at all.
"The one from the neighboring class... that Hyuga Sho who's gotten a little famous lately."
Hyuga Sho's "hard work" had become so well-known
that even the neighboring class knew about it.
"What do you want with me?"
Uchiha Tekka asked coldly.
His attitude was extremely arrogant.
Hyuga Sho felt that he should not be named Uchiha. He should have been named Hatake instead.
"Hehe, it's nothing. I just wanted to witness the renowned might of the Uchiha Clan."
Hyuga Sho looked honest and simple, as though he were speaking of something utterly insignificant.
After half a year at the academy,
no one had ever taken the initiative to approach Hyuga Sho.
On the contrary,
Hyuga Mami and Hatake Kakashi frequently encountered "fortuitous encounters."
What Hyuga Sho meant was
that every so often, the two of them would be approached by some blind "villain."
Then, after a quick round of beating them down, they would gain experience points.
This was also why Hyuga Sho dared to conclude that Hyuga Mami and Hatake Kakashi possessed Protagonist Templates.
Because only "protagonists" were constantly provoked by villains.
"This is bad... Hyuga Sho actually took the initiative to provoke that genius Uchiha boy..."
Might Guy had been discharged from the hospital today.
After school, he saw Hyuga Sho acting so "arrogantly" and could not help following him.
Sure enough, he saw...
Hyuga Sho was about to cause trouble again.
Challenging young master Asuma was not enough; he even wanted to challenge Uchiha Tekka.
"He's the strongest among the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan."
Might Guy crouched by the wall, trembling.
Unlike the bottom-ranked Uchiha Obito,
even within the entire Uchiha Clan,
Uchiha Tekka was regarded as someone with great potential.
The reason he had lost to Kakashi was not because he was weak.
It was because Kakashi was too strong.
Even among geniuses, there were differences in ability.
Now,
Uchiha Tekka, hailed as a genius, had actually been openly challenged by Hyuga Sho.
How could Might Guy not be astonished?
At the same time,
Hyuga Mami stood atop a nearby building.
The veins around her eyes bulged.
She had clearly activated the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai—the Byakugan.
Yet this did nothing to diminish her beauty. Instead, it added a trace of heroic spirit to her.
Hyuga Sho was going to challenge Uchiha Tekka.
He had already informed Hyuga Mami beforehand.
"Does he want to defeat Uchiha Tekka and learn from him how large the gap is between himself and Kakashi?"
Hyuga Mami murmured, her voice scattering with the wind.
In the dark alley,
Bastard!
Upon hearing Hyuga Sho's words, Uchiha Tekka's face twisted.
A mere member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family dared to humiliate him?!
Had he seen Tekka lose to Kakashi that morning
and decided he could push him around as he pleased?!
Even someone like this wanted to step on him?!
"As you wish...!"
Uchiha Tekka replied coldly, pouring his rage into his technique.
The narrow alley
was perfect for the use of a certain Ninjutsu.
"Fire Release...!"
Uchiha Tekka formed Hand Seals.
This seal was very familiar.
The moment Hyuga Sho saw it, he recalled the Great Fireball that Uchiha Obito was always boasting about.
Of course,
Hyuga Sho did not think Uchiha Tekka would only produce an Uchiha Obito-brand Great Fireball the size of a palm that vanished in an instant.
His Ninjutsu would surely be a true Fire Release technique.
"...Great Fireball Technique!"
The Ninjutsu was completed instantly, taking less than a second.
Uchiha Tekka drew in a deep breath.
Then,
he exhaled.
BOOM!!
The flames roared.
A scorching red light illuminated the dark alley.
A fireball at least two meters in diameter burst from in front of Uchiha Tekka's mouth.
From this alone, it was clear
that he was several dimensions stronger than Uchiha Obito.
The Great Fireball Technique was a C-rank Ninjutsu, a technique with Chunin-level difficulty!
Every child of the Uchiha Clan was taught this technique.
This also meant that every Uchiha child, from birth, possessed at least the potential to become a "Chunin"!
The entire clan started at the Chunin level.
This was what a true great clan of Konoha was like.
Before the fireball, heated to several hundred degrees, even came close, its blazing wind could already be felt head-on!
This Ninjutsu alone
was enough to burn someone into a grievous injury.
"Hyuga Sho..."
Might Guy's eyes widened. Cold sweat seeped out across his forehead from sheer fear.
Facing this scene,
Hyuga Sho calmly formed Hand Seals, as though he had prepared for it long ago.
"Substitution Technique..."
The roaring flames completely engulfed Hyuga Sho.
Might Guy fell onto the ground, his face full of disbelief.
"Hmph! You brought this upon yourself!"
Uchiha Tekka was initially startled.
Hyuga Sho was that weak?! He got burned to death in one hit.
Then he thought that, in any case, this guy had provoked him first.
"Not right!"
The flames dispersed.
The illuminated alley plunged back into darkness.
In that instant, Uchiha Tekka saw a charred log.
Clearly, Hyuga Sho had used an E-Rank Substitution Technique to evade his C-rank Ninjutsu!
The next moment,
Uchiha Tekka Pulled Out a Kunai and viciously stabbed behind him.
The sound of metal striking metal rang out.
Sparks flew.
They faintly lit the alley, outlining Hyuga Sho's silhouette.
Immediately afterward,
a series of clashing metal sounds echoed through the alley.
Uchiha Tekka was forced back step by step.
In the darkness, his vision could not compare to Hyuga Sho's Byakugan.
Therefore, the optimal solution was to move somewhere with light before continuing the fight.
Very soon, the two rushed out of the alley and onto an empty forest path outside.
Before you continue