Qingyu: My Senju Clan is the Number One Great Clan!

His opponent was using a kunai.

The two performed the Seal of Confrontation, and the battle began.

Shiya Oyama struck first. He was fast, his kunai whistling through the air as he thrust it toward Kakashi's face.

Kakashi dodged to the side, his short blade sweeping upward in a fluid motion.

Clang!

The kunai and the short blade collided, sending a few sparks flying.

Having missed his mark, Shiya Oyama used the recoil to retreat half a step.

But before he could even steady himself, Kakashi had already closed the distance, the tip of his short blade stopping right at his throat.

"I lost."

Shiya Oyama gave a bitter smile and raised his hands.

Kakashi sheathed his blade, his expression unchanged, though he glanced toward the tree line as he turned around.

Hatake Sakumo gave a slight nod.

As a ninja, Kakashi was already qualified.

If he could just temper that overly cold personality of his, he would surely become an outstanding ninja in the future.

"As expected of the White Fang's son."

Koji Moku sighed with emotion.

"That Shiya Oyama is no slouch, yet he didn't even have a chance to fight back against Kakashi."

Umino Shika nodded repeatedly beside him, unable to hide the smile on his face.

With Kakashi performing so well, he, as the teacher, naturally basked in the reflected glory.

A chorus of discussions erupted among the onlookers.

"Kakashi is way too strong..."

"Duh, he's the son of Lord Hatake Sakumo."

"Winning so easily against an upperclassman—is this guy really just a new student?"

Rin Nohara clasped her hands together, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Kakashi is still as amazing as ever."

She turned her head to look at Obito beside her.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Obito?"

Obito huffed and turned his head away, though his eyes couldn't help but dart toward the arena.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, Kakashi was ridiculously strong.

But the stronger Kakashi was, the more curious he became...

Just how strong was Qingyu?

Even Kakashi had lost to him.

"Qingyu, go for it!"

Might Guy's voice rang out from the crowd.

He waved his arms, looking as if he had been set ablaze.

"Show them the power of youth!"

Qingyu turned back, gave a slight nod toward Might Guy, and then stepped into the training ground.

He did not use the Sword of the Thunder God.

He only held the samurai sword that Tsunade had given him.

If he used the Sword of the Thunder God, it would be bullying, plain and simple.

"It's finally his turn."

Uchiha Domon crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on Qingyu.

He had kept the fact that Tekka lost to this half-blood in mind the entire time.

Today, he wanted to see for himself exactly what kind of skills Qingyu possessed.

In the crowd, Yūhi Kurenai stood on her tiptoes, her gaze cutting through the sea of heads to land on Qingyu.

Ever since Qingyu helped her resolve her questions about genjutsu last time, she had been curious about his true strength.

After all, he was the one who had defeated Kakashi; where exactly did his limits lie?

Koji Moku also turned his attention to Qingyu.

After the Senju clan disbanded, a portion of them had gone to teach at the ninja academy.

Some chose to keep their original names while dropping their surnames, while others adopted entirely new ones.

And he was one of them.

Therefore, Koji Moku held high expectations for the strength of Qingyu.

Qingyu's first opponent was Hyuga Osamu.

Hyuga Osamu stepped out from the crowd; he possessed a delicate face, but his white pupils were filled with arrogance.

As a member of the Main Branch, he was accustomed to the sycophancy of the Branch Family, so he naturally carried an air of haughtiness.

"You're Qingyu?"

Hyuga Osamu scanned Qingyu from head to toe, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.

"The Uchiha and the Senju are indeed great clans, but the number one clan of the future will inevitably be our Hyuga..."

He stood with his hands behind his back.

The Senju have long since disbanded, and the Uchiha are all brawn and no brains; they are simply no match for our Hyuga clan, he added to himself.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to say that part out loud.

Qingyu looked at the brat in front of him, whose face practically screamed "I am the most noble," and nearly lost his composure.

He knew exactly how the Hyuga clan performed in the original story.

And this was enough for them to claim to be the number one clan in Konoha?

"Before we start, I want to remind you of one thing."

While everyone else was left confused, Qingyu spoke up:

"My Senju clan was once the true number one clan in Konoha!"

Following this, Qingyu revealed his Sharingan and drew the katana from his waist.

Kakashi: "..."

Yūhi Kurenai: "..."

Was this a taunt?

Hyuga Osamu snorted coldly, assuming the starting stance of the Gentle Fist, clearly displeased with Qingyu.

Koji Moku, however, nodded inwardly upon hearing this.

That's right—if the Senju clan hadn't sacrificed themselves for the greater good and produced two Hokage, reaching the absolute peak of prosperity, how could they have possibly disbanded?

One must know that the Sarutobi clan, backed by the Third Hokage, was currently thriving.

Qingyu watched Hyuga Osamu's annoyed expression and nodded slightly.

All he needed to do was attract more attention and make contact.

Only then would more traits be dropped.

In an instant, Hyuga Osamu spread his feet, lowered his center of gravity, and extended his palms, one in front and one behind, with a faint layer of blue chakra shimmering around the edges of his hands.

Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms.

This was the limit of what he could execute.

While his peers were still practicing basic Gentle Fist techniques, he was already capable of completing a full set of thirty-two palms.

This talent was highly praised even within the Main Branch.

"Qingyu's luck isn't very good."

Koji Moku shook his head slightly as he watched the standoff in the arena.

Although he was satisfied with what Qingyu had said, Qingyu had simply been training for too short a time.

"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms—to be able to pull that off at this age, Hyuga Osamu's talent for the Gentle Fist is indeed impressive."

Umino Shika also gripped the roster in his hands nervously.

Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms was already a formidable Gentle Fist technique.

Each additional palm required a higher level of chakra control and physical coordination.

For a student about to graduate to be able to strike thirty-two palms would have made him a top-tier graduate in previous years.

Koji Moku patted Umino Shika on the shoulder.

"Don't be too nervous. It would be normal for Qingyu to lose; after all, he's only been enrolled for one semester. If he had another year—no, even just half a year—the outcome of this match would be hard to say."

Koji Moku held Qingyu in high regard.

Umino Shika nodded.

The next moment, Hyuga Osamu moved.

His figure blurred as he charged straight toward Qingyu.

The Gentle Fist was a taijutsu style specialized for close-quarters combat.

Once he closed the distance, it would be difficult for Qingyu to utilize his swordsmanship or ninjutsu.

This was Hyuga Osamu's plan.

He intended to close the distance in the shortest time possible and use the Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms to seal Qingyu's chakra points, ending this battle in a clean sweep.

But Qingyu had no intention of giving him that chance.

As Hyuga Osamu rushed forward, Qingyu's hands moved in a blur of hand seals.

Fire Style: Snake Bullet!

A torrent of flame erupted from Qingyu's mouth. In mid-air, the fire automatically coalesced into a winding, slithering serpent, baring fangs made of flame as it lunged straight at Hyuga Osamu.

Hyuga Osamu's pupils constricted slightly.

Fire Style?

He had no time to dwell on it; he channeled chakra into his palms and struck out in rapid succession.

The strikes of his Eight Trigrams Palms cleaved the flames down the middle, sending sparks flying as they burst into a brilliant display of fireworks in the air.

But before Hyuga Osamu could even catch his breath, Qingyu's next ninjutsu was already upon him.

Water Release: Water Bullet Barrage!

Several water bullets shot from Qingyu's hands, whistling through the air with a sharp, piercing sound as they rained down upon Hyuga Osamu's head.

Hyuga Osamu gritted his teeth, coating his palms with chakra once more, and slapped the water bullets away one by one.

Every single strike consumed his chakra.

But what was up with this guy Qingyu—was his chakra free?

At this moment, the pressure on Hyuga Osamu doubled.

Without a hint of exaggeration, he felt like he was facing a human artillery battery!