Sasuke Gets Put in His Place

More than half a month had passed since the coup, and almost nobody remained in the Uchiha's old district.

Most of the Uchiha had moved into the former residences of the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan.

Those who remained had almost all moved back into their old district.

The former Uchiha district was practically a place everyone despised. Not only was it far from the center of the village, but it also had few nearby facilities. It was an utterly miserable place to live.

So Uchiha Yu had reclaimed most of the rights to use the old district without having to say much at all.

As long as nobody did anything bad in the old district, Uchiha Fugaku and the other Uchiha wouldn't interfere.

Uchiha Yu brought Sasuke, Naruto, and Deidara to a huge courtyard in the old district.

The courtyard had once served as a training ground for the Uchiha Clan.

Now Uchiha Yu had openly claimed it for his own use.

In the courtyard,

Uchiha Yu rubbed his hands together and looked at the three boys before him.

"Brothers, we're starting a new training regimen. You'd better be ready." Uchiha Yu rubbed his nose.

For this training, Uchiha Yu planned to bring out as much of Sasuke's, Naruto's, and Deidara's potential as possible.

Naruto especially. Although he had a weak foundation, systematic training would ensure that he wouldn't fall too far behind Sasuke by the time he graduated from the Ninja Academy.

Nearby, Naruto narrowed his eyes, shoved his hands into his pockets, and looked confused.

After wandering around the courtyard for a while, he scratched his cheek and asked, "Aren't we going to the Ninja Academy? Why are we training here?"

Uchiha Yu patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll still go to the Ninja Academy, but in our spare time, of course we'll come here to learn things they won't teach us."

The Ninja Academy was just a school, after all. For ninjas, it was more like preschool.

Besides, the teachers were only Chunin, and their abilities were limited. They could teach ordinary students well enough, but they weren't suited to teaching students like Sasuke and Naruto.

Uchiha Yu folded his arms and addressed the three of them. "The Ninja Academy teaches theory. I'll teach you practical combat. Only real combat can make you truly strong. Even the Academy's sparring exercises are far too childish."

With that, Uchiha Yu took out a scroll, unrolled it, and slapped his palm against it.

"Summoning Technique!"

When the smoke cleared, a large assortment of ninja tools appeared.

There were all kinds of things: Ninja Blades, Kunai, Shuriken in various styles, and Explosive Tags.

Uchiha Yu had spent a lot of money on all this, and it had pained him for quite some time.

"Every day after the Ninja Academy lets out, come here and keep training. You'll have three hours. Let's see who can fight until the end." Uchiha Yu smiled at them. "I'll critique your fighting styles, techniques, and mistakes. Whoever performs the worst will have to train for another three hours that night!"

Deidara had also enrolled in the Ninja Academy. For convenience, he'd been placed in the same year as Uchiha Yu.

Although Deidara didn't need to study at the Ninja Academy at all, it was just a formality. Whether he wanted to attend was up to him.

The Ninja Academy let out at five thirty, and Sasuke, Naruto, and Deidara could reach the training ground by around six.

That still left plenty of time to train.

"When you say training... you mean we'll be fighting each other, right?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking very interested.

Uchiha Yu nodded. "You can use any method, any ninjutsu, and any ninja tools you want. If you can put on an impressive enough performance and fight until the end, you'll get a reward."

Sasuke thumped his chest. "I'm a genius of the Uchiha Clan! How could I lose to them? Second Brother, tell me! What's the reward?"

Uchiha Yu gave a mischievous grin. "You'll find out when the time comes."

There was no way Uchiha Yu was going to hand out actual money. Besides, this training was to make them stronger, not him. Why should he make things harder for himself?

"All right, start fighting. I'll watch from the side." Uchiha Yu stepped back several paces and stood at the edge of the training ground.

The three exchanged glances, then hopped back several paces and formed a triangle.

Sasuke clenched his fists, looking excited and confident.

"I'll show you what a real genius looks like!" Sasuke said with a smile, looking at Deidara.

Then he circulated his chakra and activated his Sharingan.

His Single Tomoe Sharingan fixed on Deidara.

"I can see through every move you make!" Sasuke looked very interested in Deidara.

As for Naruto, he'd already dismissed him. He thought that dead-last loser wasn't even worth looking at!

Deidara picked at his ear, then blew on his finger.

Then he formed Hand Seals with one hand.

Sasuke smiled slightly, gripped his Kunai, and studied his opponent's movements.

"Are you going to use ninjutsu? You really are a worthy opponent. It's just too bad I can see through every move you make!" The smile at the corner of Sasuke's mouth kept growing. "Looks like Earth Release!"

But Deidara only formed the Hand Seals casually. "Hah!"

In an instant, a flash of white light burst from beneath Sasuke's feet. By the time he reacted, he'd already been blasted into the air!

An explosion of fire!

Sasuke let out a scream and flew backward, tumbling several meters along the ground.

"What kind of ninjutsu is that?" Sasuke stared in bewilderment. He truly hadn't expected Deidara to have a trick like that!

It was so bizarre!

Deidara looked at Sasuke, grinning excitedly. "Well? What did you think of my art?"

Deidara had created a Clay Centipede and sent it tunneling underground, where it stopped beneath Uchiha Sasuke.

He'd detonated it right there underground, giving Sasuke no chance at all.

Uchiha Yu glanced at Sasuke. "How many times have I told you? When fighting an opponent, learn what they can do first. Don't let your guard down! And now look at you—you got played!"

Uchiha Yu shook his head helplessly.

The sky cleared, the rain stopped.

Sasuke thought he was on top again!

"What a bizarre technique!" Sasuke was covered in dust. If Deidara hadn't held back, Sasuke might have been crippled.

Neither of them had come into their own yet, but Deidara was still three years older than Sasuke.

His chakra reserves and combat instincts were both far superior to Sasuke's.

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!" Sasuke snorted. Though he didn't know what his opponent could do, his Uchiha pride still drove him to charge forward.