Vs. Uchiha Kureha (Happy New Year)

Uchiha Kureha looked at the three people before her, the disdain on her face plain to see.

"You're my teammates? And you—you're my instructor? What's going on? Why would the Third Hokage assign a Chunin as my instructor?!"

Uchiha Kureha could not help frowning. Had the Third Hokage gone senile? Why would he make such an arrangement?

A Chunin as her instructor—oh, if she remembered correctly, a few days ago he had still been a Genin, right? Could someone like that really be her instructor?

Although she was a member of the Uchiha Clan and had received her clan's education, wasn't this arrangement far too childish?

What could a taijutsu ninja possibly teach her?

And then, she looked at Hyuga Iwa beside her.

She knew Hyuga Iwa and knew he was a genius. His strength might even surpass hers by a little, but he was still from the Hyuga Clan. How could they make someone from the Hyuga Clan teammates with someone from the Uchiha Clan?

What exactly was the Hokage thinking?

Did he not know about the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan? Or had he done this deliberately?

Finally, there was Might Guy. Like his father, he was purely a taijutsu ninja. To make someone like that her teammate...

Uchiha Kureha began to wonder whether she had been abandoned.

With a combination like this, never mind what would happen in the future—even whether they could last together now was unknown!

However, after hearing Uchiha Kureha's words, Duy did not feel insulted in the slightest. He smiled and nodded. "That's right, I'm your instructor. If you have any objections, you can go explain them to Lord Hokage yourself later. If he approves a team change, I have no objections.

But before that, you are still a member of this squad. So, please introduce yourself first."

As he spoke, Duy recalled what the Third Hokage had told him the night before.

"Might Duy, I know you still have doubts about becoming an instructor, but this was my decision, and I made it after careful consideration. You do not need to bear any psychological burden. Go ahead boldly! I believe you can do well!"

"But, Lord Hokage, you know that I'm only a taijutsu ninja. Guy and Hyuga Iwa are one thing, but when it comes to Uchiha Kureha, I truly have no ability to teach her any ninjutsu. Besides, with Uchiha and Hyuga in the same team, I'm afraid it may delay her training."

The Third Hokage waved a hand, his face expressionless. "I already said that I have considered all this."

He paused, then explained as though he had made some decision. "Duy, to be honest with you, I have always known about the conflict between Hyuga and Uchiha. Yet I still decided to place Hyuga Iwa and Uchiha Kureha on the same team. I hope that through their interactions, they can ease the conflict between the two sides."

What he did not say was that it would not matter if this attempt failed. At that point, he could simply transfer Uchiha Kureha out of the team.

Furthermore, Hyuga Iwa had already applied to join the Research Division. How long this team could even remain together was still uncertain. This was merely an experiment.

It would be best if it worked out, but failure would not be a problem either.

After hearing the Third Hokage's words, Duy's expression hardened, and his entire demeanor became solemn. He said firmly, "Please rest assured, Lord Hokage. No matter what, I will find a way to reconcile them!"

"Mm, Duy, I'll leave it to you."

A satisfied smile appeared on the Third Hokage's face. Though he had no confidence in Duy whatsoever, as he had said, there was no harm in trying!

At the training ground.

"In that case, there's no need for introductions. I'm going to find Lord Hokage right now!" Uchiha Kureha declared arrogantly as she turned to leave.

Hyuga Iwa looked at this teammate and laughed soundlessly. Go find the Hokage?

Would that do any good?

How naïve!

Besides, Hyuga Iwa gave Uchiha Kureha a few appraising looks. This girl was rather pretty, though she was a little too arrogant—far more arrogant than the little girl he remembered from when school had started!

Still, letting her leave like this was not an option. Wouldn't that be a slap in Uncle Duy's face?

With that thought, Hyuga Iwa stepped forward. "Hey, Uchiha Kureha. Just leaving like that? Do you think I, Hyuga Iwa, don't exist?"

Hyuga Iwa stopped Uncle Duy from acting and blocked Uchiha Kureha's path, staring at her with a provocative look.

"If you want to leave, fine. Beat me first. As long as you win, you can do whatever you want!"

"You?"

Uchiha Kureha had not expected Hyuga Iwa to stop her.

She knew Hyuga Iwa, of course. After all, she had not forgotten what happened when school began and afterward.

But in the eyes of the Uchiha, Hyuga Iwa's transfer to the Medical Class had been an attempt to avoid the Uchiha Clan. It was proof that he lacked confidence in his own strength. The Uchiha Clan had long stopped caring about him—aside from Uchiha Shin.

And now he actually wanted to stop her?

Why?!

Did he think that just because he was a Hyuga, he could defeat her?

She had to know that her strength had improved enormously since she first entered school.

Come to think of it, perhaps she should thank Hyuga Iwa. If not for him, she would never have trained so hard!

Without a second thought, Uchiha Kureha said, "Since you want a match, I'll grant your wish. Perfect—I've wanted to teach you a lesson for Shin for a long time!"

Her slightly raised chin displayed her immense confidence.

"Shin? Oh, you mean Uchiha Shin? Heh, he's just someone I defeated. Not worth mentioning."

After a brief pause, Hyuga Iwa realized who she meant. That Uchiha who always caused him trouble had given him headaches for quite some time.

"You!" Hyuga Iwa's words made Uchiha Kureha flush red. She said indignantly, "I hope your strength is as impressive as your mouth!"

Watching the two decide on a match in only a few words, Duy scratched his head helplessly. Forget it. Iwa knows his limits, so I'll let him handle it. Besides, I had planned to have them spar anyway. This works out well. I can observe Uchiha Kureha's strength. After all, there are many things that cannot be seen from written reports.

In truth, Duy had tossed and turned for most of the night in preparation for their first meeting today. This was his first time leading a ninja team as an instructor, and he was incredibly nervous!

"Then I'll be the referee." Guy volunteered, stepping between the two. He held his arms out horizontally and turned his head from side to side as he looked at them. "Now, both sides, bow to each other."

"Please guide me." x2

Hyuga Iwa and Uchiha Kureha brought together the index and middle fingers of their right hands, forming the Seal of Reconciliation.

"I declare the match started!"

At Guy's command, Uchiha Kureha quickly began forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"

The Uchiha Clan's signature opening ninjutsu possessed decent power while also obscuring vision, making it a two-for-one technique!

Nearly every Uchiha Clan ninja knew this technique and used it to open a battle.

Watching Uchiha Kureha form hand seals, Hyuga Iwa thought of Kakashi Hatake's seals. Compared to Kakashi Hatake's speed of three or four seals per second, Uchiha Kureha's was as slow as a crawling turtle.

And the power of her ninjutsu was far inferior to Kakashi Hatake's as well.

A Fireball Jutsu like this could not stop Hyuga Iwa at all!

Hyuga Iwa suddenly charged forward, gathering a mass of continuously vibrating chakra in his hands. With a swing of both arms, he instantly scattered the roaring fireball rushing toward him.

Almost in the same instant, Hyuga Iwa's right hand had seized Uchiha Kureha by the throat, while his left hand pressed against her heart!

The sparks drifted through the wind like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, beautiful and captivating. Yet Uchiha Kureha's heart was ice-cold!

She had lost just like that?

Her proud Fireball Jutsu had been dispersed so easily?!

Why was he so strong?!

For a moment, Uchiha Kureha fell into an eerie silence. Yet the shock on her face could not be concealed.

Duy and Guy exchanged equally stunned looks. Neither of them had expected Hyuga Iwa to end the duel so quickly!

Duy carefully replayed what had just happened in his mind and seemed to notice something. He frowned and fell into thought.

"You lost."

Hyuga Iwa's calm voice broke the silence. He continued, "Uchiha Kureha, don't think your strength is all that great. Don't think that being a member of the Uchiha Clan means you can do whatever you please. And don't think that your Uchiha Sharingan has no weaknesses!

You are not Madara Uchiha. Even if you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, so what?"

"Mangekyō? Madara Uchiha? Who was Madara Uchiha? And why did Hyuga Iwa know those things?"

Hearing Hyuga Iwa's words, Uchiha Kureha was even more shocked!

Even the two people beside them looked at Hyuga Iwa in surprise, curious how a Hyuga could know about Uchiha matters!

But neither had any intention of prying. After all, it was someone else's secret—and a secret of the Uchiha Clan at that!

"Who is Madara Uchiha? And how do you know the secret of the Mangekyō?" Uchiha Kureha was no fool. Even she, a pure-blooded Uchiha, did not know these things, so why would Hyuga, their sworn enemy, know them?

"Heh, the Uchiha Clan doesn't even know its own clan head, yet you come asking a Hyuga? Don't you find that ridiculous?"

After chuckling twice, Hyuga Iwa wiped the expression from his face and said, "Well then, Uchiha Kureha, welcome to our team. Hmm, to make it easier to remember, I came up with a name for our team—the Fire Rock Squad!"

As he spoke, Hyuga Iwa released the hand gripping her throat and extended it. Then he grabbed Uchiha Kureha's hand and shook it.

"Please take care of me from now on! Oh, right. Since I won, we don't need to introduce ourselves. It's not like I'm very interested in you anyway, so that's that."

"..."

Uchiha Kureha stared at Hyuga Iwa blankly and blinked, feeling as though her thoughts had short-circuited.

Then Hyuga Iwa brought his five fingers together, palm facing down, and extended his hand before him.

He gestured for Guy to do the same, then ignored Uchiha Kureha's struggles and grabbed her hand as well.

The three stacked their right hands together. When Hyuga Iwa shouted, "Let's go!" he pressed down hard, flinging all three hands apart.

Guy and Uchiha Kureha were like wooden dolls, casually arranged by Hyuga Iwa.

Watching the three's "friendly" interaction, Duy gave Hyuga Iwa a thumbs-up, his white teeth flashing with a dazzling gleam.

"The friendship of youth is truly moving!"

Having initially established their "friendship," the three began running under Duy's command.

They ran lap after lap around the training ground until the preoccupied Uchiha Kureha collapsed from exhaustion. Only then was that day's training declared over.

Hyuga Iwa and Guy followed Duy out of the school with smiles on their faces.

Uchiha Kureha, meanwhile, limped home with a stunned expression.

Were those two monsters when it came to stamina?!

Before she collapsed, those two had already run an unknown number of laps around the training ground!

But wasn't Hyuga Iwa from the Hyuga Clan?! Why was he practicing taijutsu instead of the Gentle Fist?

A ninja's body was important, sure, but was there really a need to go that far?

And what exactly had Hyuga Iwa meant by those words?

Uchiha Kureha had the urge to ask the clan elders. They should know about those things, right?

But since the clan elders had never mentioned that person, they probably would not tell her either, would they?

Wait, no—could Madara Uchiha be that person?

Uchiha Kureha felt as though she had figured something out.

But what concerned her even more was what Hyuga Iwa had said about the Mangekyō Sharingan. Did the Mangekyō Sharingan have weaknesses?

Was it not the supreme ocular technique of the Uchiha Clan?

And what did it have to do with Madara Uchiha?

Uchiha Kureha felt as if everything before her was shrouded in mystery. She even felt a little lost about her own future.

In a daze, Uchiha Kureha returned home. Perhaps due to her physical and mental exhaustion, she mechanically ate dinner, lay down on her bed, and fell asleep.

The next day, when the Fire Rock Squad gathered again, Uchiha Kureha arrived at the training ground with a pair of reddened eyes.

Seeing the listless Uchiha Kureha, Hyuga Iwa grinned. "Still thinking about those things?"

"What do you think?"

This time, Uchiha Kureha was no longer as arrogant as she had been yesterday, though her tone was still far from pleasant.

Hyuga Iwa did not mind. He patted her shoulder and said, "Keep it up. As long as you can keep up with me, I'll tell you everything I know, including the Mangekyō Sharingan and even more advanced ocular techniques!"

"More advanced ocular techniques?" Uchiha Kureha's eyes widened instantly as she stared at Hyuga Iwa in shock.

The Mangekyō Sharingan could still evolve?

This...

Amid Uchiha Kureha's shock, the second day of training began...