Don't You Know!

Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui exchanged a glance without answering, though they knew better than to let their guard down, given that the Hyuga Clan was as renowned as the Uchiha.

After consulting with each other, they decided that Uchiha Itachi would take the field to spar with Hyuga Rin, the grandson of the Great Elder. Hyuga Rin arrived at the training ground shortly after, having heard that his grandfather had found him a worthy opponent; a victory here would bring supreme glory to the Hyuga Clan.

He rose immediately and made his way to the scene, his eyes burning with fighting spirit the moment he saw the two Uchiha ninja.

"So you're the two who want to fight me?" Hyuga Rin raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with arrogant disdain. In the educational philosophy of the Hyuga Clan, the Byakugan was the number one Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world!

To hell with the Sharingan; they believed their Byakugan was the most formidable. If mastered, it could even grant immunity to genjutsu, though those who reached such heights were few and far between.

Currently, only Neji Hyuga had touched upon that threshold, and even then, it only served to increase defensive resistance. He himself could not understand why the Byakugan was considered on par with the Sharingan.

It seemed that during the Warring States period, the strength of Hyuga Tenin was not much inferior to that of Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju, but by their generation, that gap had widened significantly.

Hyuga Hiashi was drawn in by the chatter of his subordinates, and he, too, wanted to see the extent of Uchiha Itachi's strength.

After all, Uchiha Itachi had been executing missions within the Anbu, and his ninjutsu, capabilities, and combat records were all classified, yet his reputation remained immense!

Was he truly as formidable as his reputation suggested, or was it all just empty talk? The answer would be revealed shortly.

Uchiha Itachi did not reply, standing still with his gaze fixed on Hyuga Rin. To him, Hyuga Rin was riddled with openings, lacking even the caution displayed by Neji Hyuga.

He wondered if the Great Elder was simply too doting on his grandson, or if the younger generation of the Hyuga Clan was all like this. If so, the Hyuga were not far from fading from the stage of great clans.

Seeing Uchiha Itachi remain silent, Hyuga Rin's mouth curled downward. "Let's begin. I'll finish off an impolite brat like you quickly so I can get back to training." With that, he assumed the standard Hyuga opening stance.

With knees slightly bent and hands held out like blades, the pose carried a semblance of a master's aura, but to Uchiha Itachi, it looked utterly foolish.

Hyuga Rin's legs were trembling slightly, his waist hunched—a clear sign of a hollowed-out body and an unstable foundation. His lack of daily discipline made Uchiha Itachi feel a headache coming on; he was worried he might accidentally kill the boy.

Currently, he and Hyuga Hiashi were discussing major affairs, and causing a scene now would do them no favors.

Hyuga Hiashi, who had arrived later, saw Uchiha Itachi standing motionless on the field and spoke up: "Itachi, there is no need to hold back on my account. The youth of my Hyuga Clan can afford to lose!"

At these words, everyone looked toward Hyuga Hiashi. His expression of impartiality made their eyes light up, and they turned their attention to the training ground, while the Great Elder's face shifted.

He knew full well the identity and strength of Uchiha Itachi; he had only wanted his grandson to step up and gain some fame, knowing the two Uchiha had a request for the Hyuga.

In Konoha, there were only two ways to boost one's reputation: military merit on the battlefield or challenging a famous powerhouse. If one remained undefeated, it would earn them great admiration.

Uchiha Itachi carried many labels: son of the Uchiha clan head, future heir of the Uchiha, and Anbu squad leader—all of which pointed to his immense power.

If his grandson could manage a draw, it would be of great benefit to his future. Now that Hyuga Hiashi had declared that Uchiha Itachi could go all out, it was clear he intended to sabotage his plans.

The Great Elder glared viciously at Hyuga Hiashi, who smiled faintly and asked, "Does the Great Elder have any objections?"

The Great Elder fell silent and looked toward the field. Deep in Hyuga Hiashi's eyes lay a flicker of killing intent and coldness; this man was dragging the face of the Hyuga Clan through the mud! If only the Great Elder could die quietly during the upcoming coup...

Uchiha Shisui raised his right hand high: "I declare the battle, begin!"

Hyuga Rin lunged forward, closing the distance to Uchiha Itachi in an instant. He unleashed an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, striking toward Itachi's face with lightning speed, but Uchiha Itachi stood there blankly, as if he hadn't noticed.

The next moment, as the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm connected, Uchiha Itachi's body dissolved into a murder of crows that scattered in all directions, their shrill cawing sounds chilling to the bone.

Hyuga Rin froze for a second, then felt a sudden chill behind him—it was Uchiha Itachi!

Uchiha Itachi held a short blade in one hand, charging at Hyuga Rin's back while simultaneously throwing three shuriken. They curved in an arc around Hyuga Rin's waist, converging in front of him, and through a series of mid-air collisions, all three shuriken shot toward Hyuga Rin.

Hyuga Rin realized he was under attack from both front and back; he was in danger! He channeled his chakra and unleashed the Hyuga secret technique: Rotation!

A semi-circle of blue chakra airflow blocked the shuriken and the charging Uchiha Itachi. Itachi pulled back, leaping into the air, his hands reaching for his ninja tool pouch. He gripped shuriken between his fingers, waiting for the moment the Rotation dissipated to unleash them.

The Great Elder naturally understood Uchiha Itachi's intent and immediately moved to rush onto the stage to save his grandson, but Hyuga Hiashi's hand clamped onto his shoulder: "Let us not give people the impression that the Hyuga cannot afford to lose, right, Great Elder?"

Hyuga Hiashi's palm tightened suddenly, making the Great Elder's shoulder creak. The Great Elder felt a jolt of alarm; he hadn't expected Hiashi to threaten him for the sake of an outsider!

"Hyuga Hiashi, let go! Do you not know that this battle concerns the honor of our Hyuga Clan? Do you not know that if the Hyuga Clan loses, we will never be able to hold our heads high again? Do you not know that the one on the field is my only grandson?" The three "do you not knows" betrayed the Great Elder's burning rage.

"Great Elder, don't get so excited!" Hyuga Hiashi smiled.

"Am I excited?" The Great Elder huffed and puffed.

"Look! Hyuga Rin's Rotation has stopped!" Someone shouted.

The comment immediately drew the attention of both Hyuga Hiashi and the Great Elder.

On the stage, Hyuga Rin stood swaying after finishing his Rotation, dizzy and disoriented, clearly unable to continue the fight. In the air, Uchiha Itachi's eyes flashed, and he threw the eight shuriken.

The eight shuriken landed around Hyuga Rin without piercing his body. Just as he regained his senses and prepared to counter, he suddenly realized his hands and feet were bound by steel wires!

His pupils contracted; through the sunlight, he saw the glint of the wires—it was the shuriken!