Declaration of Pretension

Early morning, Konoha.

The late autumn mist had yet to fully dissipate, and the sunlight filtering through the thin haze bathed all of Konoha in a dreamy, ethereal glow.

Walking down the street, breathing in the crisp air, and casting his gaze over the towering trees surrounding Konoha, Suifeng felt his mood improve. He stretched his arms wide, and just as he was about to energetically shout, "Good morning, Konoha!", a voice reached his ears.

"Slow down, please, slow down! Careful now, don't trip!"

His eyes narrowed immediately, landing on a figure not far away who was helping an old lady across the street.

Obito Uchiha.

The number one simp of the Hokage world, a veteran sufferer of middle-school syndrome!

At this moment, Obito wore a face of sincere smiles, supporting a woman in her seventies as he carefully guided her across the narrow road. The way he looked, it was as if he were completing a task of the utmost sanctity.

"Obito, morning!"

After a brief moment of thought, he walked up and greeted Obito.

Obito was the same age as him, and in terms of bloodline, Obito belonged to his branch of the clan. Like him, Obito had lost both parents and lived only with his grandmother. Perhaps this guy's habit of helping old ladies across the street every day was a case of loving the house and its crow.

"Oh, it's Suifeng!"

Seeing Suifeng, Obito was somewhat surprised. Although they belonged to the same clan, the relationship between them was not close.

The late Suifeng had behaved like most Uchiha—arrogant and aloof—and had never given him, the dead-last, the time of day. Even though they were the same age and kin, they had little friendship.

Furthermore, ever since awakening the Sharingan, Suifeng had stopped going to the Ninja Academy entirely, leaving them with no basic interaction at all.

That he would run over and take the initiative to greet him now caught Obito off guard.

However, Obito was still a single-celled organism at this stage. Seeing Suifeng come over to greet him, he smiled, trotted over, and said enthusiastically, "Long time no see, Suifeng! I heard you're undergoing special training with the clan and don't even go to the Ninja Academy anymore!"

"Yeah, can't be helped. Who told me to awaken my eyes?!"

Suifeng chuckled, activating his Sharingan. Within his pupils, small tomoe emerged and began to rotate slowly.

Obito's expression stiffened, his smile freezing.

Are you here specifically to show off your eyes?

"I heard you and Kakashi have a pretty good relationship!"

Suifeng said.

"No way! Who would be friends with that stuck-up guy?!" Obito immediately denied it.

I didn't even say you were friends, you idiot!

Suifeng curled his lip in secret.

"Why are you asking about that?!" Obito was confused at first, but then, as if realizing something, his eyes lit up. "You aren't going to challenge Kakashi again, are you? Let me tell you, even though you've awakened your eyes, Kakashi is no ordinary person. It won't be easy to beat him!"

"I know that!" Suifeng nodded, wearing an expression that said it was only natural. "Speaking of which, I really have to thank that guy!"

"Thank him?! What the hell?"

Obito felt like he was hallucinating. In his impression, Suifeng Uchiha and Kakashi were cut from the same cloth. Relying on their superior shuriken jutsu and a few Fire Style ninjutsu that other Ninja Academy students couldn't master, they were always high and mighty, acting as if everyone owed them hundreds of thousands of ryo. How could he seem like a completely different person today? Could this guy be a fake?

"Yeah, I'm genuinely grateful to him. If it weren't for that kick he gave me to wake me up, I would have really thought I was a genius, invincible under the heavens!"

Suifeng's tone sounded extremely sincere. "Only now do I realize how stupid I was back then, so I have to thank him!"

"Re-really?!"

"Of course, what did you think?!" Suifeng smiled, looking at Obito with sincere eyes. "I know that a dead-last like you couldn't possibly understand my thoughts, but that's fine. You just need to pass my words on to Kakashi!"

"A dead-last like me?!" Obito's mouth twitched, a vein pulsing on his forehead in the shape of a cross. He roared at Suifeng, "You damn guy, what exactly are you saying!"

"Nothing, just telling you a fact. You just need to deliver the message!"

"You bastard!"

Obito was completely enraged. With a roar, he charged fiercely at Suifeng.

"Konoha Whirlwind!!"

Suifeng stood motionless, red light flickering in his eyes. Only when Obito's kick was right in front of him did he lightly dodge, causing the kick to miss.

"Too slow, Obito."

"Go to hell!"

Missing his strike and being mocked on top of it, Obito lost his cool. He swung his fist, aiming for Suifeng's face at point-blank range.

Again, just as the fist was about to collide with Suifeng, Suifeng tilted his head to dodge the blow. At the same time, he reached out, grabbed Obito's wrist, and used the momentum to pull him. Obito's body flew out uncontrollably, crashing three or four meters away, covered in dust and looking miserable.

"Your movements are too slow," Suifeng stood to the side, calm and composed. "In front of these eyes of mine, there is no difference between you and slow motion."

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The whistling sound of shuriken cutting through the air came toward him. Suifeng smiled, flicking his finger to deflect the shuriken that had been shot at him.

"Even your shuriken throwing technique is this poor? Obito, you still need to work harder!" Suifeng walked up to Obito, chuckled, and then walked away.

"I will definitely defeat you!" Watching Suifeng's retreating figure, Obito struggled to stand up and roared at his back.

"The wail of a loser."

Suifeng walked down the street with his hands behind his back. "Tell Kakashi that a Flash of Brilliance does not represent eternity; in front of these eyes of mine, he is nothing!"

The voice drifted from afar, echoing into Obito's ears.

"A Flash of Brilliance does not represent eternity; in front of these eyes of mine, he is nothing—truly the Uchiha style as always!"

Konoha, Hatake Residence.

Hatake Sakumo wiped the short blade in his hand, his expression blank and his focus intense.

In the courtyard, Kakashi brandished his own short blade, drenched in sweat as he hacked away at the wooden stake before him, strike after strike.

"Stop for a moment!"

Suddenly, Sakumo looked up and called a halt to Kakashi's movements.

"Father!"

Kakashi ceased his actions, breathing slightly heavily, and looked at his father with a puzzled expression.

"If you are going to train, you must be focused. You were distracted just now!"

"I...!" Kakashi seemed to want to defend himself, but stopped mid-sentence.

"Is it because of that Uchiha Suifeng?!"

"Yes, Father. Since he has publicly challenged me, if I do not accept...!"

"You are already a genin, while he is merely a student who has yet to graduate. Even if you win, it proves nothing!"

"But...!"

"Is it because of Obito?!" Sakumo asked calmly, observing his son's defiant expression.

"No, what does that idiot's overestimation of his own abilities have to do with me? I just want him to know that even with the Sharingan awakened, he is no match for me!"

"Is that so?!" Hatake Sakumo nodded. "You have never fought an opponent with the Sharingan before; how can you be sure that what he said isn't the truth?!"

"Father...!"

"Do not underestimate any opponent, even if they were once defeated by you!" Sakumo set down the White Fang short blade and looked at his son. "You must remember, an Uchiha who has awakened the Sharingan and an Uchiha who has not are two completely different existences!"