Uchiha Yuan lay flat on his back, gulping down air as sweat rolled from the tips of his hair.
Is this Sensei's strength? No wonder the Name of Konoha White Fang strikes fear into so many people.
Uchiha Yuan closed his eyes. Countless flashes of blades flickered through his mind as he reviewed every move and technique from his clash with Hatake Sakumo.
Time slipped by quietly.
Who knew how long had passed before Uchiha Yuan opened his eyes again. His gaze was incomparably sharp, and the fierce intent of his blade seemed to materialize into cutting rays.
In the depths of the forest, a gust of wind swept through the treetops, sending several leaves spiraling away.
Uchiha Yuan was darting through the trees.
He landed lightly on a branch, then sprang away again, racing through the forest canopy as if walking on level ground.
Suddenly, his expression changed. The moment he landed on another branch, he stopped.
At the same time, he completely concealed his presence and hid within the dense foliage.
He sensed a cold, sinister aura ahead.
Before long, a figure entered his sight.
Orochimaru.
Uchiha Yuan was startled upon seeing the newcomer, and a question immediately rose in his mind.
Why is Orochimaru in the Death Forest?
Orochimaru walked through the forest, appearing slow but moving with astonishing speed.
Uchiha Yuan watched vigilantly as he passed beneath the tree where he was hiding, then headed deeper into the forest in another direction.
As he watched Orochimaru's figure vanish into the depths of the woods, a thought suddenly surfaced in Uchiha Yuan's mind.
Could Orochimaru already be pursuing Eternal Life? Is his Secret Laboratory hidden in the Death Forest?
Once he thought of that, Uchiha Yuan understood why Orochimaru had taken such a yielding stance in the Struggle for Hokage Position.
It was because he had long since set his sights on a higher goal.
Suddenly, Uchiha Yuan shot out his hand, sending several leaves flying from his palm.
In the next moment, several brightly colored venomous snakes dropped from the nearby branches. Each of their heads had been pierced through by a leaf.
Looking at the venomous snakes, Uchiha Yuan frowned, his expression turning somewhat grim.
This is a little troublesome. It seems Orochimaru has discovered me.
Uchiha Yuan immediately leaped down from the tree and burrowed straight into the ground to flee.
The instant after he left, the belly of one Snake Corpse pinned dead by a leaf suddenly swelled, and a small snake crawled out from within.
Then the little snake opened its mouth wide, and a figure crawled out of it.
It was Orochimaru.
Orochimaru first swept his gaze around the area, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"An interesting little fellow. He actually managed to keep the snake swarm from detecting his trail."
Then his gaze shifted. He removed a leaf from the head of one Snake Corpse, and as he looked at the soft leaf, he broke into a grin.
"Hahaha, how interesting. The Uchiha Clan actually has such a formidable youngster hidden within it."
At that moment, a Little White Snake crawled from Orochimaru's collar and hissed several times beside his ear.
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth stretched into a wide smile. "Interesting. This little fellow is making me more and more interested."
Outside the village walls, Uchiha Yuan emerged from the ground.
I never expected Orochimaru to notice me even though I did everything I could to conceal my presence. As expected, no one famous in the Ninja World can be underestimated.
Although Orochimaru discovered me, he probably doesn't know it was me.
Uchiha Yuan glanced back at the distant Death Forest, then leaped over the wall.
Ninja Academy.
The final class had just ended. Uchiha Yuan packed his bag and left the classroom with Hatake Harukaze.
After leaving the academy gates, the two stopped in a secluded alley.
Before long, Senju Gen entered the alley from another direction.
"Yuan, Harukaze, here." Senju Gen called out.
He approached them with three skewers of takoyaki in his hands.
Uchiha Yuan and Hatake Harukaze each took a skewer, and the three ate as they walked through the alley.
Ever since his spar with Senju Gen that day, Senju Gen had latched onto the two of them.
Every day after school, he followed them to the Hatake Clan Land and watched their sparring matches from the side.
A few days later, he wanted to fight Uchiha Yuan. However, Uchiha Yuan refused, so he shamelessly forced his way into their sparring sessions instead.
In the end, Uchiha Yuan could only helplessly agree to let him join their training.
However, his condition remained the same: if Senju Gen wanted to fight him, he first had to defeat Hatake Harukaze.
"Yuan, I recently learned a new ninjutsu. It's the advanced version of Water Release: Water Bullet—Water Dragon Bullet."
Hatake Harukaze smiled. "It's a B-rank ninjutsu. But even if you manage to cast it with your Chakra, its power probably won't be very great."
Senju Gen retorted unwillingly, "Harukaze, when the time comes, we'll see if you dare take my Water Dragon Bullet head-on."
At that moment, fierce shouting came from ahead.
The three hurried forward and saw a group of Hyuga Clan academy students on a vacant lot piled with sand, stone, and lumber.
They were divided into two groups. One group, numbering more than ten, had surrounded three other Hyuga Clan students in the center.
One of the surrounded students was their classmate, Hyuga Kagami.
"Hyuga Kagami, I finally caught you. Let's see how you escape today."
A haughty-looking Hyuga youth, surrounded by several others, walked up to Hyuga Kagami and spoke.
Hyuga Kagami frowned. "Hyuga Kanjin, what do you mean by this?"
Hyuga Kanjin said angrily, "Hyuga Kagami, you useless Branch Family trash. You actually lost to that brat Uchiha Yuan.
"He's only an outer family member of the Uchiha Clan. By losing to him, you disgraced the clan—and you even got me mocked by everyone else."
Hyuga Kagami said, "This is my personal matter. What does it have to do with the clan? Besides, Uchiha Yuan really is very strong."
"Hahaha, what a joke. He's just an outer family member. How strong could he possibly be?
"I heard Taijutsu is the only thing he excels at. Hmph, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is the strongest Taijutsu."
Then disgust appeared on Hyuga Kanjin's face as he said viciously, "Hyuga Kagami, you made others laugh at me. Today, I'm going to teach you a harsh lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hyuga Kanjin raised a hand and waved. Several Hyuga youths immediately rushed at Hyuga Kagami.
Hyuga Kagami and the other two instantly clashed with them.
However, Hyuga Kagami's side was ultimately outnumbered, and his other two companions were relatively weak. They were soon knocked to the ground, leaving every attack focused on him.
"Kagami seems to have gotten stronger again."
From afar, Uchiha Yuan spoke as he watched the scene.
Hatake Harukaze asked, "Yuan, aren't we going to help?"
Beside him, Senju Gen was eager to try, already unable to wait to charge in.
Uchiha Yuan said, "Don't rush. We shouldn't underestimate Kagami."
Before you continue