The Battle

Inside the training ground, a handsome, cold-looking boy who was slightly short for his age stood as straight as a pine tree, while the other stood with one hand on his hip, looking rather relaxed.

The two stood facing each other in the center of the field.

"Come on, let me see what you're capable of now, Sasuke-kun," Yi Xiang said, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.

Sasuke did not respond, his sharp gaze locked onto Yi Xiang as four shuriken appeared in his hands out of nowhere.

"Swish, swish."

He suddenly swung his arms with force, sending the four shuriken flying toward Yi Xiang's head, shoulders, and lower body.

Seeing this, Yi Xiang remained composed. He gripped his kunai tightly in his right hand and immediately leaned to the left, dodging three of the shuriken while simultaneously using his right hand to deflect the one aimed at his shoulder.

In that instant, Sasuke used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right in front of Yi Xiang, suddenly kicking sideways in mid-air, aiming straight for Yi Xiang's left cheek.

"Bang!"

Yi Xiang reacted quickly, blocking with his left hand before immediately reaching out to grab. Sasuke's reaction was just as fast; he twisted his body to dodge and switched to a straight kick with his right leg in mid-air.

Seeing this, Yi Xiang shifted his defense, bringing both hands up to protect his chest. Sasuke used the momentum to push off, backflipping away before drawing a kunai from the ninja tool pouch behind him.

Yi Xiang simultaneously drew a kunai in his right hand.

"Clang!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Amidst the sound of clashing metal, the two exchanged dozens of blows. To Yi Xiang's surprise, their taijutsu skills were evenly matched.

Before long, beads of sweat appeared on Yi Xiang's fair face and his breathing grew heavier, yet a faint smile remained on his lips.

This was because Sasuke was already dripping with sweat, his breathing rhythm was becoming chaotic, and his expression was one of great astonishment.

As expected of a genius of the Uchiha Clan, the Second Pillar. If I weren't a year older than him and hadn't increased my chakra to boost my stamina, I might have been overwhelmed by him in taijutsu.

Yi Xiang thought to himself, his expression turning more serious as he realized it was time to decide the outcome.

Sasuke, having regained his usual cold demeanor, stared at Yi Xiang and spoke with an arrogant tone:

"Your stamina is decent, but that's as far as it goes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke's eyes suddenly transformed into a pair of blood-red pupils with a single tomoe, and he drew more shuriken and kunai.

With a "swish," both moved at almost the same time. Two shuriken collided precisely in mid-air, while the rest were aimed at each other.

Yi Xiang skillfully dodged to the side, his peripheral vision catching Sasuke in the middle of weaving hand signs. He immediately followed suit; although he was a half-beat slower to start, his technique was extremely proficient, and his hand speed was faster than Sasuke's.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

"Whoosh," a massive, crimson fireball erupted from Yi Xiang's mouth. A moment later, Sasuke finished his signs, but the fireball he spat out was only two-thirds the size of Yi Xiang's.

"Boom!"

Before he could use the Substitution Technique, Sasuke was blown back at least four meters by the scorching shockwave. He looked disheveled, his clothes singed and his face flushed red from the heat.

Surprisingly, because Yi Xiang's fireball had quickly engulfed Sasuke's, he himself remained completely unscathed.

"How is this possible?! You actually know the Fireball Jutsu too! And you use it with such proficiency."

After seeing the state of the battle, Sasuke, who was still sitting on the ground panting, asked in disbelief.

He understood that if Yi Xiang had used this ninjutsu earlier, he would have lost long ago.

It was clear that Yi Xiang had been testing his strength.

"There's nothing impossible about it. As long as you practice enough, this ninjutsu is quite easy to master."

Watching Sasuke slowly stand up, Yi Xiang kept a straight face, attributing his mastery of this C-rank ninjutsu to his own diligence and talent.

At the same time, his pupils suddenly turned scarlet.

Seeing this, Sasuke froze, muttering to himself, "Two-Tomoe Sharingan, it's actually a Two-Tomoe Sharingan."

He's only a few years older than me? Why have I never heard the clan mention him before? A genius like this shouldn't be unknown.

Could it be that he only just awakened it? Yes, that must be it.

"Alright, it's time to honor our bet. You should call me Big Brother now."

Yi Xiang said with a smile. His purpose in revealing the Sharingan was to make Sasuke lose with conviction; otherwise, how could he willingly become his underling?

Thinking of the wager, Sasuke quickly snapped back to reality. After hesitating for a few seconds, he slowly said, "Big Brother."

He then added, "This is only temporary. I will be able to defeat you soon."

This was the pride of a genius like Sasuke. A momentary defeat did not make him lose confidence; instead, it ignited his fighting spirit, even if his target seemed to have more talent than him.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Task 2. Reward: 20 Luck Points. Current Luck: 86]

Seeing the system notification for the completed task, Yi Xiang's smile grew even brighter. After using the Fireball Jutsu, he had already received the notification for completing Task 3.

It seems that I need to interact more with the main cast to trigger more system tasks.

Thinking of this, Yi Xiang's gaze toward Sasuke became even more intense, and he continued:

"Sasuke, since you want to defeat me, why not train with me? That way, you can beat me all the sooner."

Hearing Yi Xiang's proposal, Sasuke felt a bit surprised. He was used to training and living alone, but considering he was now his underling, and that Yi Xiang was also a member of the Uchiha Clan...

He finally nodded, choosing to agree.

"Alright then, we'll meet here at two o'clock every afternoon from now on."

"Before we knew it, it's already dinnertime. Sasuke, why don't you join me and taste the cooking of another one of my underlings? You two should know each other; he's your classmate."

Without waiting for Sasuke to respond, Yi Xiang firmly grabbed his shoulder and hurried toward his own residence.

Seeing that he couldn't resist Yi Xiang, Sasuke had no choice but to relax his body and go along, while also becoming curious about the identity of Yi Xiang's other underling on the way.

During this time, Yi Xiang accompanied Sasuke back to change into a different set of clothes.

The sky was gradually turning dark, and looking up, one could see a few stars already twinkling, while the shops along the street sporadically lit up lanterns of various colors and incandescent bulbs.

At the entrance of Yi Xiang's residence.

Yi Xiang didn't use a key to unlock the door; he gave the handle a gentle twist and it swung open, immediately releasing the fragrant aroma of delicious food.

"This is the scent of Ichiraku Ramen, and my favorite grilled meat too. It smells truly amazing."

Closing the door behind them, Yi Xiang said with a hint of intoxication, and Sasuke, standing beside him, also felt his anticipation for the meal piqued.

In the living room, there were two white plates covered by large bowls on the dining table, along with two medium bowls and two pairs of chopsticks.

Just then, Naruto walked out of the kitchen carrying a pot of ramen, and he froze the moment he was about to greet Yi Xiang.

"Uchiha Sasuke, why are you here?"

"You're... that dead last."

"Bastard! Who are you calling a dead last?! I am Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage!"

Seeing that the two were on the verge of a fight, Yi Xiang hurriedly intervened:

"Alright, Naruto, Sasuke is our guest today. You two will be training together from now on, anyway."

Yi Xiang said a few more words to Sasuke, and only then did the two reluctantly sit down at the dining table.

However, after tasting the delicious food on the table, the three of them tacitly stopped talking and focused on devouring the meal.

In the end, Naruto said triumphantly:

"How about that? Sasuke, your cooking isn't as good as mine, is it?"