"How about it?" The scarlet Sharingan reflected Aoike's figure. "Fight me with everything you've got."
"This time, I'm definitely going to win!"
Sasuke's newly awakened Sharingan drew a flurry of comments from the crowd.
"So this is the legendary Sharingan?"
"Awesome!"
"Move, you broad forehead! You're blocking my view of Lord Aoike's face."
"Piggy Ino, what do you know? Sasuke's the coolest!"
"Broad forehead!"
"Piggy Ino!"
"Ah~!"
Aoike didn't care what the others said. He was only a little surprised that Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan.
"I've been tired of hearing that for ages. I hope you've improved."
With the teacher watching, they formed the Seal of Confrontation.
The fated showdown between the Byakugan and the Sharingan had returned after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and the number of spectators gathering around the sparring platform began to grow.
"Ninja sparring exercise, begin!"
The moment Iruka lowered his hand, Aoike activated his Byakugan.
Since Sasuke wanted him to go all out, he supposed he could take this a little more seriously.
The two charged at each other. Three shuriken flew toward Aoike in a triangular formation. He flicked two kunai from one hand, knocking the shuriken aside, then caught one that was still spinning with his other hand. Turning, he hurled it back at Sasuke.
A closer look revealed a thin film of wind clinging to Aoike's fingertips. It was this film that let him throw the shuriken back at even greater speed without stopping its spin.
Sasuke had just begun forming hand seals when he was forced to stop. That brief pause was all Aoike needed to land the first blow with his Gentle Fist. The impact lifted Sasuke slightly into the air.
Bang!
The Sasuke who had been struck turned into a cloud of smoke, and a piece of substitution wood flew away.
Aoike turned without changing expression and thrust both hands forward. Sasuke's ambush failed, and he could only roll to absorb the force, skidding a long way across the ground.
The instant he steadied himself, he formed the final seal for the Great Fireball Technique. A massive fireball rushed toward Aoike, following the trajectory of his flight.
Aoike stood with one hand behind his back, ready to strike.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
The fireball was pierced by a single palm strike. The remaining flames burst like sparks, then quickly died out.
As his classmates exclaimed in amazement, Sasuke seized the opening Aoike had left when he attacked. With a curl of his lips, he yanked both hands sharply apart, sending several shuriken that had been knocked aside flying back at Aoike from tricky angles.
How are you going to deal with this?
Sasuke's face brimmed with confidence. His Sharingan fixed on Aoike, and the taunts he'd been rehearsing for over a year finally seemed ready to come in handy.
"Is that all you've got?"
Unlike what Sasuke had expected, Aoike's expression remained as calm as ever.
He had already seen the threads attached to the shuriken, and Sasuke's move had been entirely predictable. So, of course, he had let the fight reach this point to show everyone what he could do.
Dodging would have been easy, but that wasn't what Aoike wanted.
To everyone's shock, a pale blue layer of chakra began to swirl around him.
Eight Trigrams Palm—Rotation!
The shuriken were sent flying out of the arena, and the threads were severed by the rapidly spinning chakra. Sasuke came to his senses, unwilling to give up, and formed hand seals to turn the last of his chakra into a fireball.
Aoike stopped holding back and demonstrated his Gentle Fist. With a Body Flicker Technique, he appeared in front of Sasuke, his fingertips pressed against the boy's chest.
Eight Trigrams—Thirty-Two Palms
Eight Trigrams—Sixty-Four Palms
Sasuke's swaying body looked like a puppet in the wind. His chakra points were sealed, interrupting his Fire Release Ninjutsu. A few wisps of flame drifted from his mouth and vanished on the breeze.
Sasuke was momentarily stunned by the blows. Only then did he realize he had fallen from the air and landed on the ground. Aoike hadn't delivered the final strike; he had merely tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers.
"That's enough, Sasuke."
After forming the Seal of Reconciliation, Aoike strode off the platform, leaving Sasuke looking utterly dejected. The surrounding crowd fell silent.
Aside from Hinata, a blond girl hurried over first.
"Aoike, Aoike, those last few moves were so cool! What were they called?"
"Do you have any plans for the break? Want to go out together?"
Since Aoike had gone to buy flowers for a visit to the cemetery, he and Ino had met before school started. They were in the same class, too, so aside from Hinata, Ino was the person he spent the most time with.
"Maybe next time. I have a few things to take care of over the break."
After politely turning her down, he stood to one side, thinking through the final touches on his new technique.
Outside the arena------
Even though he'd deliberately avoided a direct clash of Taijutsu, he'd still been completely beaten head-on.
Iruka reviewed Sasuke's moves. Since the Clone Technique and Transformation Technique were useless against the Byakugan, Sasuke had simply given up on using them, saving his chakra for the Fire Release he was best at.
Unfortunately, Aoike knew too many techniques. With a Byakugan that could see through 359 degrees, it was hard to gain any advantage against him.
If only Sasuke had one more tomoe in his eye, knew a few more techniques, and had a little more chakra...
Well, that was asking a bit much of Sasuke.
Iruka felt sorry for what had happened to Sasuke. He was already talented enough, but his opponent was even stronger.
Aoike even reminded Iruka of Kakashi when he was younger.
----Inside the Hokage's office
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the images coming through the crystal ball, his old face hidden behind a cloud of smoke.
Another new prodigy in the village, huh? Too bad he belonged to the Hyuga Branch Family.
He glanced at Aoike's file on the desk.
Well...
He was also a Uchiha hybrid.
His earlier thought of making an exception and letting Aoike join the Anbu after graduation vanished at once.
Danzo sat to one side with his single eye closed, feigning sleep. He recalled the Sealing Jutsu on Aoike's forehead and didn't even feel like speaking.
And so,
the door to the Hokage's office made it through yet another day unscathed.
With the break approaching, Aoike spent his time perfecting his new technique and sparring with Hinata. Her Gentle Fist had improved considerably during this time, but she was still held back by her mindset and the pressure from her family. As a result, her techniques came out too soft.
There wasn't much Aoike could do to teach her that. He could only hope she would gradually change as she grew.
The break had barely begun when an unexpected visitor came knocking.
"Sasuke, what brings you here?"
Sasuke stood at the door, his face red.
The words he had prepared in advance were stuck in his throat, impossible to say.
Aoike couldn't very well leave him standing at the door. If word got out that the last surviving Uchiha had been bullied by a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, it would be a disaster.
He poured a glass of cold water and set it in front of Sasuke, then leaned against the sofa with an air of ease.
"Go on. Is there something you're having trouble saying?"
Sasuke wasn't one to hesitate, so he spoke up at once.
"I want you to be my coach and teach me Taijutsu."
"Huh~?"