At the Ninja Academy.
Plenty of girls swooned over Hyuga Kagami, but Uchiha Itachi had even more admirers. In Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke had so many fans not only because he was handsome, but also because of his talent!
Girls in the ninja world cared about looks, but they valued strength just as much!
"Teacher, I'd like to apply to graduate as a Genin!"
Hyuga Kagami went to the office and told his homeroom teacher, Ueno Ichiro.
Ueno Ichiro raised an eyebrow. "You're applying... for what? You want to graduate early?"
Hyuga Kagami wasn't at the bottom of the class, but he consistently hovered among the bottom five. He wanted to graduate early?
Had he forgotten to take his medicine today?
Still, as a teacher who'd long since given up, Ueno Ichiro never bothered himself with such things.
"Fine. I'll submit your exam application this afternoon."
The nameless teacher remained calm and casually handed him a form.
"Thank you, teacher."
Hyuga Kagami shrugged, filled out the form, and handed it back.
He'd expected applying for the Genin exam to involve some complications.
But to his surprise, everything went incredibly smoothly.
"Is it because the Third Shinobi World War ended so recently? Ninjas in wartime are much more 'open' and warlike than those in peacetime, so they're more accepting of early graduation."
Hyuga Kagami mused.
That certainly fit the character of the era.
Just then, the office door opened, and a polite voice came from outside.
"Hello, teacher. I'd like to apply for the Genin exam!"
Uchiha Itachi walked in.
Ueno Ichiro looked amused as he glanced between Hyuga Kagami and Uchiha Itachi. "What a coincidence."
"Usually, no one applies for the Genin exam early for a year or two. I didn't expect two of you to apply today."
After leaving the office,
Uchiha Itachi walked over naturally.
"Kagami-kun, are you taking the Genin exam too?"
"I heard the early Genin exam is very difficult."
Uchiha Itachi said, "I heard the most important part is that you have to defeat at least two Genin!"
At the same time,
he discreetly studied Hyuga Kagami's expression.
But the other boy remained perfectly calm, without the slightest change in his expression!
When Uchiha Itachi had heard what the exam involved, he'd been shocked.
Yet Hyuga Kagami was so calm, as if he didn't take any of it seriously!
"They're only two Genin. I'll just beat them."
Hyuga Kagami replied coolly.
Two Genin?
For him, they'd be no more than a trivial matter to deal with!
"Kagami-kun really is different!"
Uchiha Itachi was amazed. "It seems your strength has improved a lot over the summer!"
He reached his conclusion as he looked at Hyuga Kagami's indifferent White Eyes.
He could feel a sense of pressure!
This was a genius just like him!
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help saying, "Kagami-kun, you really are different from everyone else!"
Ordinary students spent every day arguing over either their looks or which girls were better.
Over the past year, countless people had picked fights with him!
But Hyuga Kagami was different.
Cool and aloof!
Proud!
Suddenly, Uchiha Itachi froze. "Kagami-kun, you... you've been hiding your strength all this time to avoid trouble, haven't you? So you could... have more time to train!"
"Why didn't I think of that?"
Uchiha Itachi looked as if he'd figured out the truth.
He stared at Hyuga Kagami, brimming with excitement.
Like him, Kagami-kun was popular with the girls in their class, but he'd cleverly hidden his strength and avoided all that pointless trouble!
"Kagami-kun, you're so clever. You avoided trouble and gave yourself more time to train."
Uchiha Itachi was full of regret. "Compared to you, even though I always beat the guys who pick fights with me, I've lost time I could've spent training."
"What good is being top of the grade?"
"I'm so stupid!"
"Kagami-kun, you're so clever!"
Uchiha Itachi looked thrilled, and a glimmer of understanding appeared in his eyes as he looked at Hyuga Kagami!
Hyuga Kagami: "???"
He looked at Uchiha Itachi's expression, and his face darkened.
Uchiha Itachi, what the hell are you talking about?
You really can make things up, can't you?
Besides being chuunibyou, the Uchiha Clan's other greatest talent was their ability to imagine things. Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito—every last one of them.
They were all damn delusional!
"The Ninja Academy is a place to study. A lot of people just haven't figured that out."
Hyuga Kagami couldn't be bothered to explain further. "I hope you pass the exam tomorrow, Itachi-kun."
He casually brushed him off with a couple of words, then turned and left.
He really had no desire to get involved with Uchiha Itachi.
Once Uchiha Itachi awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he'd become a double agent, betraying his own side.
By then, he'd have ties not only to Konoha,
but also countless connections to the Akatsuki.
In short, dealing with Uchiha Itachi meant endless trouble!
Watching Hyuga Kagami walk away, Uchiha Itachi couldn't help sighing. "That's the kind of bearing a genius should have!"
"It's just a shame... as a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, Kagami-kun must already have the Caged Bird Seal branded on him, right?"
Before long,
Uchiha Itachi returned home.
At the entrance, he saw a familiar figure: a round nose, short hair, big eyes, and a short sword strapped to his back.
He exclaimed with delight, "Shisui, are you back from your mission?"
Uchiha Shisui smiled. "Of course. This mission was a bit troublesome, but I took care of everything in the end. How have things been at the Ninja Academy lately?"
Uchiha Itachi immediately perked up. "Shisui, I applied to take the graduation exam!"
"Once I pass the Genin exam, I'll officially become a Genin!"
Becoming a Genin
meant he could start going on real missions.
He wouldn't have to waste time at the Ninja Academy anymore, and his skills would surely improve much faster!
"Oh? Graduating from the Ninja Academy at seven? The Uchiha really are a clan of geniuses."
Uchiha Shisui praised him. "Your talent is just as great as mine, Itachi. You're sure to become a powerful ninja in the future!"
"A powerful force in Konoha!"
His gaze was full of anticipation,
as if he were thinking about something.
Uchiha Itachi suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up. "That reminds me, Shisui. There's another incredible genius in our class—Hyuga Kagami. His talent is every bit as great as mine!"
"Today, I felt an intimidating pressure coming from him!"
That powerful presence,
that astonishing aura, had left him shaken!
He explained everything that had happened to Uchiha Shisui.
Uchiha Shisui pondered, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "A genius who makes Itachi feel threatened?"
"He must be quite impressive. It's good that you've finally got a worthy rival among your peers, Itachi."
The two chatted with each other.
Before long, they began sparring.
For ninjas from great clans,
the most important things weren't just bloodlines and secret techniques, but also having a better clanmate to guide them!
"Even though I don't know how strong he is yet, I'll definitely see what Kagami-kun is capable of in tomorrow's Genin exam!"
Uchiha Itachi's dark eyes gleamed.
He was the first genius his own age that Itachi had ever met!
Before you continue