The Enrollment Incident

(This Monday, Wu Yue wants to climb the rankings!)

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"Wow, Hatake Dansui! I can't believe he's Hatake Kakashi's cousin, Hatake Dansui!"

"Looks like Uchiha Yue is in trouble. Hatake Dansui is the most talented student at the Ninja Academy after Hatake Kakashi. He's definitely not here for a friendly visit!"

"Hmph, I always thought Uchiha Yue's reputation as a prodigy was exaggerated. Hatake Dansui, teach him a lesson and show him how powerful the Blade of the Night is!"

"..."

After Hatake Dansui introduced himself, the crowd around Uchiha Yue erupted into a commotion. Some were simply there to watch, while others were clearly enjoying the prospect of trouble.

Ever since the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan founded Konoha, they had been the village's undisputed great clans, naturally making the families that joined later green with envy. As a result, both the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan became targets for those newer families. But after the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju died, the Senju Clan faded from the other families' view. Only the Uchiha Clan still commanded the spotlight in Konoha—and drew constant hostility.

At that very moment, the loudest voices calling for Hatake Dansui to teach Uchiha Yue a lesson belonged to members of those families. When Uchiha Yue glanced over, he even spotted the most enthusiastic hecklers among them: members of the Hyuga Clan. Clearly, the Hyuga Clan had already begun challenging the Uchiha Clan's position as the village's leading clan. Suppressing Uchiha talent was something they took great pleasure in.

Seeing so many people support him, the provocative Hatake Dansui puffed out his chest in front of Uchiha Yue and stared at him with an insufferably smug expression.

There was no doubt about it: Uchiha Yue immediately filed the easily manipulated Hatake Dansui under "brainless."

Besides, Hatake Dansui had made a poor first impression, so Uchiha Yue had no intention of showing him any respect.

Still, Uchiha Yue was a little puzzled. Where had Hatake Dansui come from?

Even in the original story, Uchiha Yue had never heard of the "Blade of the Night"!

Could this be the butterfly effect?

But just as Uchiha Yue was trying to recall the name "Blade of the Night," Uchiha Obito, whom Hatake Dansui had shoved aside earlier, suddenly charged forward.

Uchiha Obito was reckless by nature, with a fiery temper. How could he stand by and watch Hatake Dansui bully his new friend?

What was more, Hatake Dansui had just shoved him. Unable to hold back his anger, Obito grabbed Hatake Dansui by the collar and shouted, "You're a member of the Hatake Clan, and you dare challenge a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan? I, Uchiha Obito, will teach you a lesson and show you how powerful the Uchiha Clan is!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Obito drew back his fist and swung it straight at Hatake Dansui's cheek.

Unfortunately, Hatake Dansui had clearly come prepared to pick a fight with Uchiha Yue. He had some skill, and Uchiha Obito was no match for him.

In the next instant...

Uchiha Yue clearly saw Hatake Dansui lazily dodge Uchiha Obito's punch, then lift his leg to kick him away. But Uchiha Yue couldn't just stand by and let someone bully his friend. The moment Hatake Dansui raised his foot, Uchiha Yue was already standing in front of him!

"So fast!"

Astonished cries rose from the countless people watching the fight, including famous figures from the original story like Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma.

None of them knew that Uchiha Yue's reaction speed came entirely from two years of hard training. With an adult's soul, he could make better use of his advantages than ordinary people and tailor his training accordingly. Unfortunately, to everyone else, it all seemed natural. After all, Uchiha Yue had the reputation of a prodigy.

"Whoosh..."

In an instant, Uchiha Yue appeared in front of Hatake Dansui. Before the other boy could react, he pulled Uchiha Obito out of his grasp. Unfortunately, Obito hadn't quite figured out what was happening. He struggled as Uchiha Yue dragged him away, nearly causing Yue to get kicked by Hatake Dansui.

Seeing Uchiha Yue rush to save his friend, Hatake Dansui's eyes flashed. He shouted and charged in for a close-range attack.

"Good! Today, I'll see for myself how powerful the Uchiha Clan's prodigy is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hatake Dansui drew the short blade at his waist and charged forward, using the Hatake Sword Style, the Hatake Clan's most famous technique.

"The Hatake Clan really is full of tough opponents!"

With his opponent bearing down on him, Uchiha Yue would be laughed at if he backed down now.

Still, this was Uchiha Yue's first time fighting someone, and he inevitably lacked experience.

Despite his daily training, Uchiha Yue had never had a chance to fight anyone. And now, the opponent rushing at him was the highly experienced Hatake Dansui.

Hatake Dansui had earned the prestigious title of Blade of the Night through his mastery of the Hatake Sword Style. If his older cousin Hatake Kakashi hadn't overshadowed him, Hatake Dansui might have been the most famous prodigy at the Ninja Academy. Unfortunately, Hatake Kakashi's talent completely eclipsed his, leaving the Blade of the Night perpetually in second place at the academy.

At first, even the mature Uchiha Yue felt somewhat flustered as the fight began.

But as Hatake Dansui's attacks kept failing, Uchiha Yue suddenly found himself confident that he could beat him. A blazing fire of combativeness flared in his eyes!

As Hatake Dansui repeatedly pressed forward with the Hatake Sword Style, Uchiha Yue instinctively focused on observing his movements. He discovered that his powerful mental energy could make Hatake Dansui seem much slower. Combined with his extraordinary mental energy, this let Uchiha Yue control his body perfectly to dodge. No matter how sharp Hatake Dansui's attacks were, he couldn't hurt Uchiha Yue at all.

"Wow, Uchiha Yue is amazing! He can actually dodge Senior Dansui's attacks!"

"Yeah! He really is a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. He's this strong before even entering the Ninja Academy. Someday, he might even surpass Hatake Kakashi!"

"Uchiha Yue is incredible! Look how effortlessly he dodges Hatake Dansui's attacks! The Hatake Clan's swordsmanship isn't all that impressive after all!"

"..."

Seeing that Hatake Dansui couldn't do a thing to Uchiha Yue, the same people who had been mocking Yue moments earlier all switched sides and began ridiculing Dansui instead. It made sense: Hatake Dansui had already been at the Ninja Academy for a whole year, yet he still couldn't handle Uchiha Yue, who hadn't even enrolled. Didn't that prove Yue was far stronger than him?

What was more, Hatake Dansui was getting distracted during the fight. The taunts and jeers had filled him with rage.

Unable to keep his composure, Hatake Dansui made one foolish move after another—and Uchiha Yue seized the opening.

In the next instant...

Uchiha Yue focused his immense mental energy on Hatake Dansui and reached out to grab his arm.

As he grabbed Hatake Dansui's arm, Uchiha Yue had already concentrated chakra in his right hand. The arm trapped in his grasp went completely limp. Even more astonishingly, the next second Uchiha Yue had taken Hatake Dansui's short blade and switched hands, pressing it to Dansui's throat!

"The Hatake Sword Style is nothing special!"

"Hatake Dansui, go back and tell Hatake Kakashi that I, Uchiha Yue, am waiting for him to challenge me!"