"Shion's challenging Sasuke? Has she gone crazy?"
"Idiot. Shion's obviously trying to copy Yakumo's earlier strategy: challenge the Ninja Academy's geniuses one by one to make a name for herself!"
"So Shion isn't targeting Sasuke—she's competing with Yakumo?"
The spectators were all students from the Ninja Academy. They knew the feats of the academy's several prodigies by heart, so it didn't take long for someone to guess Shion's real reason for challenging Sasuke.
Hearing the students whispering around him, Sasuke was furious!
Of the four geniuses then recognized at the academy, Sasuke had been the first one Yakumo challenged. He had always seen that as a humiliation, and to make matters worse, she had beaten him soundly. It was a painful memory he couldn't bear to revisit. Now Shion had brought it all up again, and he was both embarrassed and enraged.
He planted one hand on his hip and called out, "Quit stalling. Let's get started!"
Shion and Rock Lee exchanged a glance, then nodded to each other.
Seeing how serious they both looked, Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. You'll soon realize this is nothing but a farce! Shion, you're foolish enough to challenge a Mangekyō Uchiha. I don't know where you got the nerve. But don't worry too much—I don't need to use my Sharingan to deal with the two of you!
With that, Sasuke confidently beckoned Shion and Rock Lee to make the first move.
At the edge of the crowd,
Yakumo watched, frowning slightly.
She had indeed sensed that Shion wanted to compete with her lately, but Shion's brazen, reckless challenge to Sasuke seemed unwise.
Even Yakumo wouldn't dare claim she could beat Sasuke now that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
After all, she had spent long enough in the organization to know exactly what