Dare You Spar with Me?

Before long, everyone arrived at the training ground.

The boys were all itching for a fight, while most of the girls gathered around Shu and Sasuke.

Iruka stood before the crowd. "Today, you'll begin systematically learning Taijutsu. Next, I'll demonstrate a standard set of Konoha Style Taijutsu."

"A demonstration? Isn't this supposed to be actual combat?" Kiba Inuzuka looked uninterested. Right now, all he wanted was a satisfying free fight with Shu.

"What are you talking about? You don't even know the basic Taijutsu forms, and you want to defeat your opponent by pulling their hair? Watch carefully!"

Iruka raised a hand and lightly knocked Kiba on the head, then walked to the front of the group, assumed a stance, and threw a punch.

Then came blocks, evasions, a sweeping kick, and a turning kick. The series of movements flowed smoothly, carrying a faint resemblance to karate, but they were sharper and more efficient—the purest, most basic Konoha Style Taijutsu.

Sasuke stood surrounded by Sakura and several other girls, his hands in his pockets and his face full of pride.

As the Uchiha clan head's son, he had already encountered basic Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu long before enrolling. What Iruka was teaching held little appeal for him.

Thinking that, he instinctively looked toward Shu, wanting to see the expression of the guy who had been talking so big just moments ago.

But when he turned, he saw Uchiha Shu staring unblinkingly at Iruka with a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Sharingan?!" Sasuke's eyes widened abruptly as he blurted out, "You've got to be kidding! How did you awaken the Sharingan? And with Three Tomoe?"

"Ah! It's real!"

Ino covered her mouth and gasped. Everyone followed Sasuke's gaze toward Shu, and even Iruka stopped moving, his eyes filled with surprise.

Uchiha Shu clicked his tongue. "Obviously. If an Uchiha doesn't awaken the Sharingan, are they supposed to awaken the Byakugan?"

"No, I mean..." Sasuke looked as though his whole worldview had collapsed. "How did you awaken it?"

Shu glanced at Sasuke and answered casually, "Doesn't this thing just awaken automatically when you reach the right age? What, is there some special pose you need to do?"

Sasuke's face instantly flushed red. "That's impossible! Even my brother couldn't awaken his eyes at this age..."

Shu could not help laughing. "I know. So what? Do you want to give him an award?"

"You..." Sasuke became furious. "Teacher, I request a spar with Uchiha Shu!"

Without waiting for Iruka's answer, he turned to Uchiha Shu. "I learned Taijutsu long before I enrolled. Since you awakened the Sharingan, you must have already copied Iruka-sensei's movements, right? So? Dare you spar with me?"

Iruka frowned. Though he was displeased with Sasuke disrupting class, he honestly also looked forward to a match between these two Uchiha prodigies. So, rather than stopping them right away, he cast Uchiha Shu an inquisitive look.

"That works, but what's in it for me?" Uchiha Shu asked Sasuke unhurriedly.

"What's in it for you? What do you mean?" Sasuke froze, not understanding what Shu meant.

"The reward for winning, otherwise known as stakes." Shu rubbed his fingers together. "If I had to accept every challenge from every stray cat and dog, I wouldn't have time to do anything else all day. Or do you think that, as the Uchiha clan head's son, everyone should accommodate you unconditionally?"

"I never said that!" Sasuke immediately panicked. Seemingly to prove that he would not throw his weight around as the clan head's son, he hurriedly added, "What do you want?"

"I want the training methods and materials for every Ninjutsu related to the Sharingan, including forbidden techniques."

Without waiting for Sasuke to respond, Uchiha Shu suddenly spread his hands. "Of course, it's fine if you don't agree. After all... if a child more talented than his own son appeared in the clan, it would be understandable if the clan head became jealous and kept everything to himself, wouldn't it?"

"My father isn't like that!"

The moment those words fell, Sasuke took the bait despite knowing perfectly well that Shu was provoking him.

After all, as a son who had been taught from childhood about "the glory of the Uchiha," he would never allow anyone to speculate about his father with such malicious thoughts!

Uchiha Shu raised a brow. "Anyone can talk big. What matters is what you do, isn't it?"

At those words, something suddenly occurred to Sasuke. "What about you? If I win, what can you give me?"

"Don't get it wrong, Sasuke. You're the challenger."

Uchiha Shu shook his head slightly, looking deeply disappointed. "You stirred up trouble on your own, yet you're unwilling to pay a price or take responsibility. All you can do is spout unreasonable nonsense. Should I just lie down and let Young Master Sasuke kick me a few times to vent his anger?"

"Enough!"

By the time Uchiha Shu finished, Sasuke's face was as red as a ripe tomato. "Fine, we'll do it your way! Iruka-sensei, please be our referee!"

"Uh... all right."

Iruka was somewhat dazed, but quickly agreed once he came back to himself.

Originally, he had wanted to ease the tense atmosphere. But Uchiha Shu had piled on so many accusations that he could not find a suitable chance to speak. He felt that anything he said would only add fuel to the fire.

Then, before he knew it, things had developed into this...

Still, one was the clan head's son, renowned as a prodigy even before enrollment, while the other was an Uchiha rising star who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at six. He was also greatly looking forward to this match.

"Since that's the case, you two come forward. Remember, you are not allowed to attack vital areas. If I judge either side to have lost, I will intervene immediately. Do you understand?"

Uchiha Shu nodded. Sasuke gave a soft snort, strode forward, and stared coldly at Shu.

Seeing Iruka relent, the surrounding students grew excited as well.

"Ahhh, go, Shu!" Ino stood at the front of the crowd, cheering loudly for Shu.

"Go, Sasuke! Don't lose to that arrogant guy!" On the other side, Sakura cheered just as loudly.

The two girls locked eyes and glared at each other. Before long, it escalated into a contest between their two fan groups, and shouts rose and fell across the entire training ground.

Meanwhile, the boys almost unanimously supported Sasuke. After all, Shu had just mocked all of them. Compared with that, Sasuke might be smug, but he did not have any real conflict with them.

Some teachers and students who were free heard the commotion from the training ground and poked their heads out from the upper-floor windows.

"All right, before the match begins, form the Seal of Confrontation!"

As Iruka spoke, Shu and Sasuke both held their index and middle fingers together before their chests.

"Begin!"

The instant Iruka gave the signal, Sasuke burst forward, throwing a punch straight at Shu's face.

Smack!

Uchiha Shu raised a hand and caught Sasuke's fist.

Before Sasuke could change moves, Shu pulled his arm, shifted slightly to the side, and swept out with a kick. He knocked Sasuke to his knees while smoothly pinning his right arm behind his back.

The whole sequence was swift and crisp, without a single unnecessary movement!

"The dynamic vision of Three Tomoe really is clear~ It's practically like watching things in slow motion."

Shu spoke in a light tone, then raised his hand and smacked Sasuke on the head with a sharp smack.

"You think you have what it takes to trade blows with me, Uchiha Shu?"

As he spoke, he let go and kicked Sasuke sprawling face-first onto the ground.