Kicking Indra

Inuzuka Kiba turned his head wordlessly, giving up on trying to talk to someone whose mind was occupied by food, and looked at the calm Nara Shikamaru.

Nara Shikamaru watched the two in the training ground. He shared Naruto's opinion. "He probably won't win."

Their eyes turned to the two on the training ground.

"That's the invincible Uchiha!"

The Uchiha Clan had always been said to be invincible in one-on-one fights.

Sasuke Uchiha looked at Akimichi Denji, thinking about how to let Denji lose with a little dignity.

His brother had told him to befriend Denji.

As for Akimichi Denji's Strength of a Hundred, it seemed nothing special to Sasuke. It had impressive power, but Denji's footing was unsteady and his movements were slow.

With his dynamic vision, dodging it would be easy.

As an invincible Uchiha, Sasuke hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, but he'd already received guidance from his clan before entering the Ninja Academy.

With his brother as his goal, he'd trained day and night for two and a half years.

Akimichi Denji, meanwhile, had only just returned to the village and had received barely three days of ninja training.

No matter how you looked at it, two and a half years against three days meant the advantage was mine!

He had to show the Uchiha's style and grace in this fight!

Sasuke Uchiha smiled confidently. "You can go first."

Akimichi Denji's lips curled into a smile as he ran toward Sasuke.

His speed was average. I can dodge that.

Sasuke Uchiha's lips lifted slightly. He felt certain of victory.

All he needed to do was shift his feet to the side, then use Denji's momentum to counterattack.

But the instant Denji got close, Sasuke was startled.

How?

So fast! He hadn't moved this quickly before.

I can't dodge!

Sasuke tried to shift to the side, but he was a step too slow.

Akimichi Denji's fist slammed into his face.

Sasuke Uchiha stumbled back several steps, seeing stars.

He felt a warm trickle from his nose and wiped away the blood.

His expression grew serious.

How had Denji suddenly gotten faster?

Akimichi Denji smiled and charged forward, not giving him a chance to react.

He moved as swiftly as the wind.

This time, Sasuke Uchiha was ready and dodged to the side.

He followed through with a raised kick, aiming for Denji's flank.

Denji saw it. He pushed off the ground, spun with the momentum, and swept out his leg.

Their legs collided in midair with a loud thump.

Sasuke Uchiha lost the contest of strength and was kicked down.

He cried out in pain, lost his balance, and toppled helplessly onto the ground.

His mind went blank. "How? How are you so fast?"

Akimichi Denji smiled slightly and reached out to help him up.

Akimichi Denji explained slowly, "When I fought Naruto just now, I used 'Strength of a Hundred.' You only saw my punching power double. But this technique can also be used another way: you can concentrate it in your legs. That naturally makes you faster."

It was Strange Foot! I used Strange Foot!

In truth, Akimichi Denji made it sound simple, but concentrating chakra in another part of the body wasn't easy.

In the original story, Tsunade concentrated Strength of a Hundred in her foot and called it the "Heavenly Pain Kick."

It was essentially Strength of a Hundred, just another way of using the technique.

Tsunade was such a sly person. She took Strength of a Hundred, which simply made you stronger, and insisted that "Heaven-Piercing Kick" was a technique.

Training Ground No. 5 fell completely silent. Everyone stared speechlessly at the two in the training ground.

No one could have predicted this outcome.

Even Nara Shikamaru couldn't keep his composure. His mouth hung wide open.

Haruno Sakura looked utterly incredulous.

Even Yamanaka Ino, who'd been cheering for Akimichi Denji, had a look of surprise in her eyes beneath her golden bangs.

Hyuga Hinata let out a relieved breath. She'd been worried about Akimichi Denji the whole time.

But now, it seemed Denji really had been in complete control.

Naruto Uzumaki looked stunned. He hadn't expected Sasuke to be defeated too. Then he thought, I lost to Akimichi Denji, and Sasuke Uchiha lost to Akimichi Denji too.

Doesn't that mean Sasuke Uchiha and I are on the same level?

His injuries suddenly didn't hurt as much, and he grinned foolishly.

"Ding! Naruto Uzumaki's wish [To Be Bottom of the Class Together] has been fulfilled. Wish Point +1."

"Awesome!" Yamanaka Ino was the first to react.

Sasuke Uchiha got up, formed the Seal of Reconciliation, and walked over to the others, still unable to believe he'd lost.

Naruto Uzumaki came over and patted him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. "It's okay! I got beaten too. Don't be discouraged."

Sasuke Uchiha stared at Naruto in disbelief. He could read the unspoken meaning behind Naruto's words.

Had he really become Naruto's equal?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His usually cool little face flushed red.

Naruto kept rambling. "It's okay. We can fight again and win next time. There's nothing we could do about losing to Akimichi Denji. He's just too strong."

"We"? "We"?

An inexplicable emotion welled up inside Sasuke. He couldn't stand listening to Naruto anymore and shouted, "Shut up!"

Naruto froze at the shout. He saw Sasuke's eyes and then stammered, "Sasuke... your... your eyes are bleeding!"

"Go see a doctor!"

Everyone else covered their mouths in shock and stared at Sasuke Uchiha as if he were a monster.

Bleeding? Impossible. I could see clearly.

Wait!

Nara Shikamaru could no longer stay calm. He murmured blankly, "Y-you've awakened it? Is that the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan?"

Sasuke Uchiha hurried over to Haruno Sakura. "A mirror! Give me your mirror!"

Haruno Sakura fumbled at her waist, pulled out a mirror, and handed it to Sasuke Uchiha. She always carried it around so she could fix her hair whenever she needed to look her best in front of Sasuke.

In the mirror, Sasuke Uchiha saw his red eyes, with a single Tomoe slowly spinning in each one.

This was the Kekkei Genkai that had made the Uchiha famous throughout the Shinobi World, the power that made their enemies tremble: the Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's renowned symbol.

It was also why Naruto was often called the legend of the eyes.

"Ha ha ha!" Sasuke Uchiha couldn't contain his joy and burst into laughter.

An Uchiha who hadn't awakened the Sharingan wasn't a true Uchiha.

By contrast, every Uchiha who possessed the Sharingan would become a pillar of the clan, a star of its future.

The Sharingan could raise a ninja's strength by an entire level. Before, Sasuke Uchiha had only been at Genin level. Now, with the Sharingan, he could match a Chunin.

Even though it was only a One-Tomoe Sharingan, it meant his life was set on an easier path.

Even Uchiha Itachi had awakened it later than Sasuke. Itachi had awakened his Sharingan after graduating from the Ninja Academy, following the tragic death of his teammate, Tenma. He'd been eight years old.

Most Uchiha awakened their Sharingan after losing family and friends close to them.

And Sasuke had awakened his in a simple sparring match.

Realizing he might be a genius even more talented than his brother, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't help laughing even more wildly.

Sasuke Uchiha looked at Akimichi Denji and said casually, "I should thank you! You helped me awaken my Sharingan. Now I'm invincible!"

"Ding! Sasuke Uchiha's wish [The Invincible Uchiha] has been fulfilled. Wish Point +1."