Battle of the Arch-Enemies, Part 1

Word spread that a descendant of the Senju and an Uchiha were going to duel, and a swarm of students rushed over to Training Ground One. Even the teachers at the Ninja Academy couldn't resist the urge to join the crowd and watch the spectacle.

However, being teachers, they had to maintain some semblance of decorum, so they hid themselves away to secretly play the part of "bystanders." After all, that was the rule for teaching students how to be ninjas!

The protagonists of the duel were already in position. The three of them stood facing each other in the center of the field. They were all six or seven years old; coincidentally, Uchiha Yan and Liuxia both had black hair and handsome features, while Nawaki was a round-faced boy with short, chestnut-colored hair.

If Liuxia hadn't been missing the Uchiha clan crest on his clothing, everyone might have mistaken him for a descendant of that clan. Yet, there was a vast difference between the two: while Uchiha Yan was handsome, he radiated a cold, aloof aura that kept people at a distance, whereas Liuxia gave off a refreshing, breeze-like feeling that made people instinctively want to draw close to him.

"Since I initiated this duel, I'll let you decide the order of combat! I don't care if you both come at me at once. I, Uchiha Yan, am not like you brats playing ninja games!"

"Hey, you Uchiha bastard, are you looking for a beating? How dare you look down on me!"

Hearing the provocation from across the field, Nawaki immediately flared up and started to step forward, only to be held back by Liuxia.

"As the saying goes, a ruler should not launch an army in anger, and a general should not engage in battle out of resentment! As ninjas, we must remain calm in every situation. You're being too impulsive, Nawaki. Let me handle this; I'll teach him a lesson."

"Little Xia, what 'ruler' and what 'general'? I heard every word, but how come I can't understand them when you put them together?! Hahahaha!"

Nawaki scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

"Uh..."

Everyone present was stunned by Nawaki's foolish display, and they couldn't help but think to themselves: so the grandson of the First and Second Hokage is really such a blockhead.

"Hmph, it seems the Senju haven't completely declined after all. Come, let me witness the power of the Senju of the Forest!"

The two stood their ground, and after Nawaki stepped back, they both performed the Seal of Confrontation.

They quickly retreated to create distance, and within three seconds, both sides unleashed a flurry of shuriken.

Clang—clang—clang... With a few sharp sounds, the shuriken from both sides were intercepted and deflected.

Although Liuxia had long known that shurikenjutsu was a specialty of the Uchiha clan, he hadn't expected that his own technique, honed over several years, would be matched by someone who hadn't even appeared in the original story. It seemed he still hadn't shed the arrogance of a transmigrator.

Little did he know, Uchiha Yan was even more shocked. After all, he was a well-known genius of the Uchiha clan, especially when it came to ninja tool throwing—he was the best of his generation!

Yet, Liuxia was not a bit weaker than him in either angle or force, and in terms of raw power, he was even slightly superior!

In the blink of an eye, both sides threw more ninja tools, each seeking to find a flaw in the other's defense.

Ding, ding, clang, clang...

The sound of clashing shuriken echoed throughout the training ground. Faced with the dazzling display of flying steel, the surrounding onlookers silently retreated, fearing that a stray blade might fly out and strike them.

In the woods, the academy teachers couldn't help but sigh: "The talent of these two brats is terrifying. Their shurikenjutsu is already on par with official genin!"

"Indeed, they are truly worthy of the Senju and Uchiha clans! Such terrifying, peerless talent is truly breathtaking!"

"Uchiha Yan's shuriken? That... that is! The unique throwing technique of the Uchiha clan! At this rate, Liuxia is going to be in dire straits!"

Sato Ichiro sighed inwardly. His feet were already moving, ready to intervene and rescue Liuxia at any moment. After all, both Uchiha Yan and Liuxia were geniuses of the village and descendants of the Senju and Uchiha.

Just then, someone among the onlookers outside the field suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone focused their eyes and saw that half of the shuriken, which had been hovering quietly in the air, suddenly seemed to be imbued with life, dancing with extraordinary agility.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of shuriken transformed into nimble dragons, changing their flight paths at astonishing speeds. They darted left and right, soared into the sky, and dived toward the ground, pressing down on Liuxia like an inescapable, seamless web.

"How is this possible! How is he doing this! Why are the shuriken moving on their own!"

Nawaki watched everything with a look of utter astonishment and couldn't help but shout, "Little Xia! Watch out!"

At this moment, countless shuriken glinting with cold light shot toward Liuxia like a torrential storm. Bizarrely, they seemed to possess a life of their own, automatically adjusting their trajectories and speeds, making them impossible to dodge.

"It's wire! Specially treated wire! It's connecting Uchiha Yan's shuriken! If you don't look closely, it's hard to spot the secret. This technique is something that should only be mastered after awakening the Sharingan!"

Sato, who was standing nearby, had already reached Nawaki's side. He stared at the battlefield with a grave expression, one hand firmly pressing down on Nawaki, who was about to impulsively charge into the fray.

"It's too dangerous, you cannot go in. Don't worry, Liuxia won't come to any harm; I will be ready to rescue him at any time."

Only after hearing Sato's words did Nawaki slowly relax his body, though he remained deeply worried for Liuxia.

Liuxia was well aware of this unique shuriken technique mastered by the Uchiha clan; he had marveled at it back when he watched Naruto.

However, facing it in person, he truly understood how troublesome it was.

The wires used to manipulate the shuriken were specially treated and extremely difficult to detect, and his own supply of throwing weapons was nearly exhausted.

Fortunately, Uchiha Yan seemed to have only just learned this move and lacked full control over it.

Liuxia fought to fend off the shuriken dancing in the air while looking for an opportunity to close the distance to Uchiha Yan, hoping to find a weakness. After all, taijutsu was the skill Liuxia excelled at most at this stage.