"Looks like I'm still far too weak. I can't control my own life at all." Uchiha Nagi let out a sigh.
If he were strong enough—not necessarily beyond Kage Level, just an ordinary Kage Level ninja—
then he'd have the confidence to refuse and the ability to solve his problems.
But right now, he could barely handle a Chunin, and even that wasn't reliable.
After all, his physical fitness was still worse than that of the Genin he'd been before graduating. His ninjutsu was far beyond ordinary, but his chakra reserves held him back.
If Uchiha Nagi faced a Chunin right now, he could only win by catching them off guard while they had no idea how strong he was.
If the fight dragged on and the Chunin figured out his strength, his defeat would be all but certain.
Still, Uchiha Nagi knew his strength had already grown incredibly quickly.
Even Hatake Kakashi, who would become a Chunin at an exceptionally young age, had entered the academy at four. In truth, he'd trained longer than Uchiha Nagi had.
After all, Uchiha Nagi hadn't even finished his first term at the Ninja Academy yet.
Hatake Kakashi's early success was due not only to his talent, but even more to the era he lived in.
Take Namikaze Minato, for example. He didn't graduate from the Ninja Academy until he was ten. Did that mean he was less talented than Hatake Kakashi?
"If I went up against Namikaze Minato right now..."
Uchiha Nagi felt he'd have a very good chance of winning. Namikaze Minato hadn't yet become the Yellow Flash who wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique.
His talent was indeed exceptional, but he wouldn't truly rise to prominence until he'd mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And as a Uchiha, there was practically no chance Uchiha Nagi could obtain the Flying Thunder God Technique through official channels.
After all, in his view, the Flying Thunder God Technique had obviously been created to counter the Uchiha Clan.
In fact, many of the Second Hokage's jutsu had been designed with a specific target in mind. Take the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which even the Sharingan couldn't distinguish from the real thing...
Uchiha Nagi shook his head. All he needed to do now was keep building up his strength and wait for Namikaze Minato to rise to prominence.
"Keep a low profile."
Uchiha Nagi made up his mind.
However...
A few days later, Uchiha Nagi stared in silence at Uchiha Enichi, who stood before him with a hostile expression.
"You think a guy like you can be stronger than me?" Uchiha Enichi glared at Uchiha Nagi, his eyes fierce.
"That was just a rumor, and rumors can't be trusted."
Uchiha Nagi felt rather helpless. His victory over the Genin hadn't been exposed.
But word had spread through the class that he was stronger than the class's "king," Uchiha Enichi—that he was the real "king."
Then the rumor reached Uchiha Enichi. With a personality as proud as his, he couldn't just ignore it, and that was how they'd ended up here.
As he thought about it, Uchiha Nagi glanced at the Genin's younger brother. The boy definitely had something to do with the rumor getting started.
The boy seemed to notice his glance and shrank his neck.
"Hmph, I don't care if it's a rumor. I just know someone thinks you're stronger than me, so I'll show them I'm way stronger than you!" Uchiha Enichi snorted. He didn't care about the details.
"If you're a man of the Uchiha, come with me!" he said, then turned and strode out of the classroom.
Uchiha Nagi watched Uchiha Enichi and sighed. He knew he probably couldn't avoid this fight.
But Uchiha Enichi was the "king" of their class. If he really beat him in front of everyone, could he still keep a low profile?
Should he just lose to Uchiha Enichi and let himself get beaten up?
As if. He didn't enjoy getting beaten up. He just wanted to keep a low profile, not be mistaken for a pushover.
So figuring out how to lose was an art in itself.
"Nagi, give that arrogant jerk a good beating!"
Kushina came over to Uchiha Nagi and shook her fist. She knew how strong he was. There was no way he'd lose.
"You might be disappointed, then," Uchiha Nagi replied glumly.
Watching them, Namikaze Minato seemed thoughtful. Uchiha Nagi would probably "lose" this fight.
"How could you? You even beat that—" Kushina started to mention the Genin, but suddenly remembered and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"I saw what happened too. I just didn't step in," Namikaze Minato suddenly said.
Uchiha Nagi and Kushina immediately turned to stare at Namikaze Minato.
"Well, I figured that with Nagi there, you didn't need my help, right?"
Namikaze Minato explained, looking a little overwhelmed.
"Hmph. Fair enough," Kushina said, accepting his explanation.
"All right, we should go. If we don't, I might not be a man much longer," Uchiha Nagi said, then followed the path Uchiha Enichi had taken.
By now, almost everyone in the class was following them.
Uchiha Enichi had been waiting for quite a while in an open space.
"Hmph, I thought a coward like you wouldn't dare show up," Uchiha Enichi said with another snort when he saw Uchiha Nagi.
"Enichi, I'll say it again: it was just a rumor. I can humor you and prove it, but I hope you'll go easy on me afterward."
"Hmph!" Uchiha Enichi snorted without replying, but that was as good as agreeing.
Uchiha Nagi's eyes flickered. This little performance... would take some real skill.
He couldn't lose too easily, or Uchiha Enichi might think he was useless and unworthy of the Uchiha name, then keep picking on him over it.
But he couldn't stand out too much, steal the spotlight from Uchiha Enichi, or let him think of Uchiha Nagi as a rival.
Finding just the right balance was the hardest part.
So his eyes quietly changed, though no one noticed beneath his colored contact lenses.
The two faced each other. Without a referee's signal, they charged at each other at the same time.
At their level, combat was very simple: Taijutsu combined with the Three Basic Techniques.
And the first exchange was naturally a clash of Taijutsu.
With the Sharingan, every one of Uchiha Enichi's movements looked like slow motion to Uchiha Nagi. All he had to do was make sure he seemed just a little weaker.
But Uchiha Enichi's Taijutsu was much better than he'd expected. His physical fitness was probably a little better than Uchiha Nagi's, though still not as good as Kushina's.
Under Uchiha Nagi's acting, he was visibly on the back foot after only a short exchange.
Everyone could see that it was only a matter of time before Uchiha Nagi "lost."
Watching this, Kushina grew so anxious that her face flushed red. Nagi wasn't that weak—he was doing it on purpose!
Before you continue