A Draw

(Chapter 25: A Draw)

Minato was also surprised as he watched Ye Han and Itachi. He had seen plenty of geniuses; he himself was a remarkable talent, and his student Kakashi was one too.

But compared to Ye Han and Itachi, they both fell a little short. The Uchiha clan had cultivated many capable shinobi in recent years. Its numbers had grown, and although no truly extraordinary figures had emerged, quite a few had become Jonin. The same was true of the Hyuga Clan.

Many villagers said that the two great clans were destined to decline, just like the Senju Clan after the First's time. The Hyuga Clan had made little progress, but the Uchiha Clan seemed to be on the rise again.

The Uchiha Clan had produced a remarkable talent named Uchiha Shisui, the child of Kagami Uchiha. He had extraordinary talent and awakened his Sharingan at just five years old. He had even taken part in the Battle of Kikyo Pass, earning a great reputation at a young age and the name Body Flicker Shisui.

It was much like the title Yellow Flash given to Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato. Both names described incredible speed. Battles between shinobi, especially between Jonin, could be decided in an instant, so it was easy to see how much of an advantage Body Flicker Shisui had in combat.

Now the Uchiha Clan had produced two more geniuses: Uchiha Ye Han and Uchiha Itachi. The somewhat declining Uchiha Clan seemed poised to rise again. If the two of them continued to grow, they had a good chance of turning the Uchiha Clan into the largest clan in Konoha.

Minato had no prejudice against the Uchiha Clan. He treated everyone in the village like family. One of his former students had belonged to the Uchiha Clan, and after the student died, Minato had been deeply remorseful, believing he had failed to protect him and that it was his own fault.

The Third Hokage said to Minato, "Minato, would you like to try taking on three more students?"

The Third Hokage's words caught Minato off guard. He gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I'd better not. The Hokage's work is keeping me very busy, and Kushina is due to give birth soon. She needs looking after. I don't have the time or energy to teach students, and Kakashi still hasn't fully overcome the darkness in his heart. Two of my three students have died. I'm not fit to be anyone's mentor."

"That wasn't your fault. But there's no hurry. I wasn't planning to have you take them on right away, either. They still have two and a half years before they graduate, so there's plenty of time. Kakashi will change, too."

As the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage chatted, Ye Han and Uchiha Itachi clashed again. Ye Han didn't have Itachi's uncanny skill at throwing Shuriken and Kunai, but he was a little faster. They were nearly evenly matched in how quickly they formed Hand Seals to perform ninjutsu.

Their fierce exchange continued for half an hour without a winner. Both of them were exhausted, panting heavily. After such a long, high-intensity fight, they had almost completely depleted their chakra.

When Nakamura Hino saw that the two had finally stopped, he announced, "That's enough! This match is a draw!"

Hearing his homeroom teacher's verdict, Ye Han smiled at Itachi. "I didn't think I'd still fail to beat you."

"Cousin Ye Han didn't use his Sharingan. Otherwise, I would have lost to you long ago," Uchiha Itachi said.

"It's fine. I'm happy with a draw. Besides, using the Sharingan against you now wouldn't be fair. Once you awaken yours, we can have a proper match." Ye Han grinned and held out his fist.

"Mm!" Uchiha Itachi nodded and bumped fists with him. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings, and that one word was enough.

The whole class burst into applause. Ye Han and Itachi's fight had clearly stunned them. It wasn't just the powerful ninjutsu the two had unleashed; the way they used the Clone Technique, Shuriken Shadow Clone, and Substitution Technique during the battle had also taught the students a great deal. They finally understood how the basic techniques they learned at school could be put to use.

When Ye Han and Uchiha Itachi returned, Hyuga Hiben rushed over, brimming with curiosity. "So you two were this strong all along, and you never told us? That's not very nice! Are you both stronger than Teacher Nakamura?"

Their homeroom teacher, Nakamura Hino, twitched at Hyuga Hiben's words, his expression turning awkward. Having a powerful student was a teacher's pride, but a student who was too exceptional could leave the teacher feeling a little uncomfortable. He wasn't even sure he could beat Ye Han or Itachi now. Losing to them would be so embarrassing he wouldn't know where to show his face.

Ye Han smiled wryly and spread his hands. "What was I supposed to say? That I'm really strong? Teacher's an Elite Chunin, so of course he's much stronger than we are." Hearing Ye Han say this, Nakamura nodded with satisfaction. He felt much better.

"I don't care! You two are so strong, you have to teach me!" Hyuga Hiben pleaded, tugging at Ye Han's arm.

"And me! Next time, I'll make them see me in a new light," Cunxia Ye said.

"I learned all my combat experience from Itachi. You can ask him for advice, too."

"Really? Itachi's that strong?" They all turned to look at Uchiha Itachi, who grew flustered under their attention.

"Of course Itachi's strong. Didn't you see what he could do just now?"

"So Itachi's even stronger than Ye Han?" Hyuga Hiben asked.

Uchiha Itachi hurriedly waved his hands. "No, Cousin Ye Han is stronger. My father trained me, but Cousin Ye Han trained himself. And he still has his strongest trump card. I'm no match for him."

"His trump card? What is it?" The children were all very interested, though they had thought Ye Han mysterious for a long time.

"Probably his Sharingan," Shiba Bun said, looking at Ye Han. Ye Han was a little surprised to hear that, but he smiled and nodded. The Sharingan was, after all, the Uchiha Clan's trademark, so it hadn't been very hard to guess.