Ranking Tournament! (New book seeking support!)

Most students at the academy were from civilian ninja backgrounds, with only a small portion coming from established clans. Children from civilian families were unable to perform high-level ninjutsu at this age, usually mastering nothing more than the basic Three Techniques. Beyond these civilian students, however, were the clan heirs. What Li remembered most were two brothers with white pupils named Hizashi Hyuga and Hyuga Hiashi, as well as Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi—the future fathers of the Konoha rookies.

"Mirai Uchiha, I want to fight you!" five-year-old Hizashi Hyuga walked up to Li and declared solemnly.

The Hyuga and Uchiha clans had always looked down on one another. As fellow dojutsu-wielding clans, even if they didn't say it aloud, deep down each believed their own ocular power was superior. With such sentiments, friction and rivalry were inevitable. Since Li was an Uchiha and the academy's top student, Hizashi Hyuga wanted to defeat him to prove which clan was stronger.

Looking at the diminutive Hizashi Hyuga, Li found it somewhat amusing. Back when he watched the anime, this guy was Neji Hyuga's father; he never expected to be in the same class as him. Hearing the challenge, Li nodded and said, "Fine, I accept your challenge!"

He had just learned the Great Fireball Technique, so he could use this as a test run.

After performing the Seal of Reconciliation, the two walked to the center of the arena, kicking off the first match of the ranking tournament.

"Big Brother Li, hit him! Beat him!" Uchiha Mikoto cheered the moment she saw Li take the stage.

"Li, beat him! Our Uchiha clan is the strongest!" Uchiha Fugaku jumped up and shouted as well. He took the glory of the Uchiha clan very seriously, thanks to the clan's upbringing; every child was instilled with the pride of the Uchiha from a young age.

"Hizashi, beat Mirai Uchiha! Our Hyuga clan is the strongest, you have to do your best!" Hyuga Hiashi didn't want to be outdone, shouting at Hizashi Hyuga in the center of the arena.

With two clan heirs facing off, the atmosphere grew intense. Even the teacher watched Li and Hizashi Hyuga with interest. Whether the Byakugan or the Sharingan was stronger was a question civilian ninjas had always wanted answered, but since the two clans had never fought in Konoha, the mystery remained unsolved.

Of course, if someone had asked during the Warring States period whether the Sharingan or the Byakugan was stronger, the answer would have been unanimous: the Sharingan. Back then, only the Senju could contend with the Uchiha. The Hyuga were merely a first-rate clan that lived under the shadow of others. Later, after the founding of Konoha and the disappearance of Madara Uchiha following his battle with Hashirama Senju, the Uchiha clan produced no more powerhouses. Naturally, the once-feared Uchiha clan seemed less terrifying, to the point where even the Hyuga dared to compare their Byakugan to the Sharingan, shamelessly claiming the Byakugan was superior.

The Hyuga clan specialized in Eight Trigrams Palms, so Hizashi Hyuga immediately assumed the stance, while Li pulled out a Kunai and watched him calmly.

Taijutsu was the mainstay of the Hyuga clan, emphasizing close-quarters combat. As the fight began, Hizashi Hyuga sprinted toward Li, intending to subdue him with taijutsu. Seeing this, Li smiled slightly and didn't retreat, charging forward as well. No matter how formidable the Hyuga's taijutsu was, Hizashi Hyuga was ultimately just a child; how dangerous could he really be?

The two exchanged blows for a few rounds. Realizing he couldn't gain an advantage, Hizashi Hyuga retreated, pulled a Kunai from his pouch, and threw it at Li before assuming the Eight Trigrams Palms stance. He moved with the Kunai, keeping it in front as he charged at Li.

Swoosh!

The Kunai struck Li, and the charging Hizashi Hyuga froze, stunned that it had been so easy. However, the Li who had been struck suddenly turned into a piece of wood with a poof. Realizing his mistake, Hizashi Hyuga cried out in alarm, but before he could react, a Kunai was pressed against his throat.

"You lost," Li said calmly.

Hizashi Hyuga's face fell, but he quickly retorted, unconvinced, "Hmph, if I could use my Byakugan, I definitely would have seen through your Substitution Technique! This time it's my loss, but once I can use my Byakugan, I'll challenge you again!"

Children were like that; they wouldn't admit defeat even when they lost. He couldn't even use his Byakugan yet, yet he didn't stop to think that Li hadn't awakened his Sharingan either.

"I'll be waiting," Li said. Seeing Hizashi Hyuga's indignant expression, he didn't take it to heart. After pushing him away, the two performed the Seal of Reconciliation.

Morita Mushio watched the match and shook his head helplessly. At the end of the day, Hizashi Hyuga was still too young and lacked combat experience; he had been fooled by a simple Substitution Technique and couldn't react once he realized he'd been tricked.

"The winner of this match is Mirai Uchiha!" Morita Mushio announced loudly.

Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku jumped for joy, with Uchiha Fugaku looking smugly at the fuming Hyuga Hiashi nearby.

The matches between the younger children were hardly worth watching, especially those involving civilian ninjas. Once they ran out of moves, they would simply grab each other by the neck and wrestle on the ground, no different from ordinary children having a scuffle.

"Student Mirai Uchiha, I hope to have a friendly match with you!" At that moment, Minato Namikaze walked up to Li with a smile. He had just finished his own match, which he had won with ease.

Li narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Minato Namikaze, and nodded. "Fine, I was looking forward to fighting you as well!"

It was another highly anticipated battle. Although Minato Namikaze was also from a civilian background, he was able to outperform the clan heirs in the academy, falling only slightly behind Li. In the eyes of the civilian ninjas, Minato Namikaze was their pride.

"Student Minato, do your best! Beat Mirai Uchiha!" several civilian girls cheered for him.

Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto became dissatisfied and shouted back, "Big Brother Li, do your best! Beat Minato Namikaze!"

Li looked at Uchiha Mikoto with amusement; the little girl was truly lively. On the other hand, he felt touched. Ever since he could remember, no matter what he did, Uchiha Mikoto would follow him and cheer him on. Even if he didn't say it aloud, he was very grateful to her.