You Said You Wouldn't Defeat Me

"Sensei, I want to challenge Hyuga Shuji!"

During taijutsu class, Mikoto stood up and spoke to Minami Saho.

"Is Shuji willing to accept Mikoto's challenge?"

Minami Saho immediately turned to Shuji upon hearing that and asked him.

Mikoto challenged Shuji, Hiashi challenged Nawaki, and Hizashi challenged Hinagiku.

These had already become the fixed matchups during taijutsu class.

"Of course."

Shuji stood upon hearing that and walked with Mikoto onto the training ground, keeping a sufficient distance from the students seated to the side.

Back in their first year, Shuji and Mikoto's sparring had been limited to taijutsu exchanges.

Although Mikoto had learned Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu at the time, it had little practical combat value.

But now, a larger area was needed for Mikoto and Shuji's sparring matches.

"Please guide me."

Once they had taken their positions, Mikoto bowed to Shuji.

For some reason, perhaps because she already knew the result of this match, a trace of nervousness surfaced in Mikoto's heart.

"Please guide me."

Shuji returned the bow softly. The next moment, the two straightened and formed the Seal of Confrontation together.

Watching Shuji stand as immovable as a mountain with his Byakugan activated, Mikoto, whose Sharingan was also active, slowly exhaled.

Several shuriken had appeared in her hand at some point. The next moment, she hurled all six toward Shuji at high speed.

Shuji did not move at all. Only at the instant the shuriken were about to hit him did he make a small backward leap, leaving his original position.

He had not done so to look cool. It was because Shuji knew perfectly well that Mikoto's shuriken could not be dodged.

Once avoided, the shuriken would collide again in midair, changing their angles and launching a second attack at him.

Shuji did not know whether this level of shuriken control was a technique unique to the Uchiha Clan.

But clearly, Mikoto was exceptionally good at geometry.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The six shuriken plunged straight into the ground, and Mikoto moved at that very moment.

Whoosh!

At the exact instant Shuji leaped backward, Mikoto launched her attack. Her figure shot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The moment she drew near, the sound of a blade leaving its sheath rang out. A cold flash appeared, slashing straight for Shuji's neck!

Mikoto knew that Shuji's Byakugan allowed him to see everything within three hundred and sixty degrees around him. Therefore, any form of sneak attack was meaningless.

But even if Shuji could observe all three hundred and sixty degrees around him at once, he only had one mind.

He could only deal with one thing at a time. That was why Mikoto had used the shuriken to distract him, creating an opening for her next attack.

In that split second between life and death, Shuji's instincts reacted faster than his brain.

Backward leap!

One of the most basic moves in the Fighter inheritance. It was simple, but truly effective.

Her slash missed, and Mikoto could only turn with the momentum. At the same time, she gripped her sword with both hands, gathered her strength, and smoothly followed with a straight thrust.

But that brief pause was enough for Shuji to find an opening.

As he sidestepped forward, Shuji grabbed Mikoto's weapon hand, while his other hand remained ready for any possible counterattack.

Though under these circumstances, it was nearly impossible for Mikoto to mount any effective counterattack.

Taiyuan!

The hand gripping Mikoto's weapon hand almost instinctively moved to strike her tenketsu, but Shuji restrained himself at the last moment.

If he struck that point, Mikoto would lose...

So Shuji merely held her wrist, borrowing the momentum of her forward charge as he drove up his knee.

Knee strike!

Bang!

Mikoto was sent flying and landed hard on her butt.

The impact flung two tears from her eyes.

Sitting on the ground, Mikoto blinked blankly at Shuji before her.

Didn't you say you'd let me win?

Using her sword as support, Mikoto slowly rose to her feet. Sheathed her blade, and six shuriken appeared in her hand once more.

If she only used swordsmanship against Shuji, she would lose miserably.

"Did Shuji change his mind?"

Below the field, Nawaki froze slightly at the sight before leaning close to Hiashi's ear and whispering.

"No. Shuji had a chance to use Tenketsu Striking just now."

With his Byakugan active as he watched the match, Hiashi replied to Nawaki in a similarly low voice.

So the nearby students would not hear.

"I have to say, Shuji really is fast."

Nawaki nodded lightly, sounding impressed.

"Yeah. Shuji truly has talent that far surpasses ordinary people when it comes to reaction speed."

Hiashi nodded as well, equally impressed.

To spot an opening during a pause as brief as Mikoto's, then seize it and counterattack.

That was not something prediction alone could accomplish. Shuji's own reaction speed was far beyond normal standards.

At the very least, Hiashi did not think he could do it.

"Heh... ignorant."

Nawaki immediately sneered upon hearing that, shooting Hiashi a disdainful glance.

"If you put it that way, then Shuji is also incredibly talented at memorization, Chakra control, and comprehension."

Before Hiashi could refute him, Nawaki continued speaking with contempt.

"Huh?"

Hiashi was stunned, looking at Nawaki in confusion.

In Hiashi's eyes, Shuji's training had always consisted of practicing Chakra control.

As for his progress in other areas, Hiashi truly did not know much about it.

"In just one year, he's already learned the Mystical Palm Technique. Even my sister has praised his ability to understand medical knowledge.

According to my sister, Shuji can already be called a qualified medical ninja."

Nawaki spoke softly before turning to Hiashi beside him.

"Have you ever heard of a six-year-old medical ninja? Have you seen how long the scrolls recording medical knowledge are?"

"Most importantly, he uses even more Shadow Clone Techniques than I do to assist his training."

After a pause, Nawaki added another sentence.

"Maybe... that's what a genius is?"

Hiashi pursed his lips silently, sounding somewhat helpless.

"Genius? I really never expected you, the young clan head of the Hyuga Clan, to be this ignorant."

Nawaki gave Hyuga Hiashi a deeply contemptuous look.

"Do you know the three factors that determine a person's reaction speed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nawaki beat Hiashi to the question before he could retort.

"Uh..."

Hiashi had been about to fire back, but froze on the spot when Nawaki asked that question.

Come to think of it.

He really did not know.