Sharingan, Open!

Gang Ziyun clutched his faintly aching liver, wondering what excuse he could use to muddle through this match-up.

Just as he was about to call out a name, a faintly cool breath suddenly drifted across the back of his neck.

"Gangzi, is it my turn now?"

The voice was absurdly close, practically brushing against his ear.

Every hair on Gang Ziyun's body stood on end. He spun around on instinct, his whole body jolting violently.

He found himself facing Ye, who had both hands in his pockets and an innocent expression on his face.

When had this guy gotten behind him?!

"Uchiha Ye!!!"

Gang Ziyun's voice cracked outright, and three veins instantly bulged on his forehead.

"I'm your teacher! You should call me Teacher Gang Ziyun, not Gangzi!"

[Ding! Guard-Break Points from Gang Ziyun, +255!]

Ye had no respect for his teacher at all and waved a hand dismissively.

"A name is just a form of address, Gangzi. Don't get so hung up on the details."

He even shamelessly jumped up and patted Gang Ziyun on the shoulder, his tone earnest and heartfelt.

"So next, I'm up against that poser, right?"

Ye pointed at Kakashi across from him, wearing an expression that said, "I get you."

"It's fine. I know you've disliked him for ages. I'll go teach him a lesson for you."

His words rang out loud and clear, spreading across half the Training Ground without missing a single word.

Gang Ziyun's expression instantly froze, while his face underwent an incredible series of changes.

Pale blue, flushed red, then black—three colors transitioning seamlessly as his facial muscles twitched wildly. He stood there in total disarray.

Who said I disliked him!

I can't carry this blame!

In the distance, Kakashi's face darkened, and his dead-fish eyes narrowed sharply.

He had never once taken the initiative to provoke this lunatic.

The bandages on his legs had not even been removed yet, and his wounds still ached faintly.

And now, this guy was openly claiming in front of the whole class that he would "teach him a lesson for the teacher."

Kakashi silently clenched his fists.

[Ding! Guard-Break Points from Kakashi Hatake, +444!]

With the crisp sound of another gain ringing in his mind, Ye strolled leisurely to the center of the Training Ground under the varied gazes of the entire class.

The two stood five meters apart.

Cheers gradually rose from the sidelines.

"Kakashi! Go!"

"Show him how amazing a genius is!"

Most of the civilian girls were overwhelmingly calling out Kakashi's name.

In their eyes, Kakashi was the undisputed strongest new student of this class.

On the left side of the Training Ground, Might Guy looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

He sprang onto the railing at the edge of the field, braced himself with one hand, and performed ten consecutive backflips before roaring madly at Ye.

"MY RIVAL!!! The flames of your youth will surely ignite the entire Training Ground!!!"

Uchiha Tekka and Naraku exchanged a glance. Out of consideration for their clan's dignity, they cleared their throats and gave a couple of symbolic shouts.

But then the strangest scene of all appeared.

Asuma Sarutobi, huddled in the farthest corner of the Training Ground with three bandages on his face, actually stood up on trembling legs.

"Ye, go!"

The eyes of every new student in the class snapped toward Asuma.

Those who knew he had been chased halfway down the street by Ye with a red brick yesterday wore expressions even more twisted than when Obito had been instantly defeated.

What kind of Stockholm syndrome was this?

He got beaten up and was still cheering for him?

Asuma shrank his neck.

He was unwilling ten thousand times over, but he could not forget that final scene in the dead-end alley yesterday.

Ye stopping, dusting him off, and handing him his shoes.

That smile, warm as April sunlight, had completely conquered his innocent heart.

Beating you was the strict teaching of a good master; giving you shoes was a genuine display of affection.

Ye was definitely a good person!

[Ding! Guard-Break Points from Asuma Sarutobi, +122!]

Gang Ziyun did not want to say another word. He waved a hand with a cold expression.

"Both sides, form the Seal of Opposition."

Kakashi raised his hands, holding his index and middle fingers together upright before his chest.

Ye also slowly raised his right hand and formed a seal.

The moment their gazes collided across the distance, Ye tilted his head and smiled with apparent concern.

"Hey, Kakashi."

"That hole I poked in your calf yesterday—does it still whistle in the wind today?"

Everyone on the Training Ground sucked in a sharp breath.

Kakashi's fingertips twitched violently as the humiliating scene from that day uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

A kunai piercing through both legs, leaving him kneeling on the Training Ground in a pool of blood.

The corner of his eye twitched fiercely, and the wounds on his calves even began to ache faintly.

"Hmph..."

Kakashi snorted coldly, not wanting to waste any more words on Ye.

[Ding! Guard-Break Points from Kakashi Hatake, +222!]

The corner of Ye's mouth rose. Another bit of pocket money had landed in his hands.

"Begin!"

The instant Gang Ziyun swung his arm down, Kakashi moved.

He forcefully pushed off the ground, suppressing the dull pain in his calves as his body turned into a swift afterimage and shot straight at Ye's face.

He used the Hatake Clan's distinctive close-quarters Taijutsu, striking with explosive speed and vicious angles aimed directly at an opponent's joints and weak points.

Even with injured calves, he still dared to sprint forward with everything he had. That ruthlessness set off waves of gasps from the civilian students at the edge of the field.

As the force of his fist closed in, Ye remained where he stood without even taking half a step back.

Driven by the twin cores of Peak Genin Physique and Peak Genin Chakra reserves.

Kakashi's supposedly ferocious assault looked painfully slow in Ye's eyes.

His muscle response speed was on an entirely higher level.

"Too weak."

Ye casually raised his left arm and blocked with perfect precision.

Bang!

A dull impact exploded across the Training Ground.

Kakashi's eyes widened sharply.

It felt as though his heavy punch had struck an iron plate forged from pure steel, the recoil making his finger bones ache.

There was no scene of Ye being forced back. Ye did not budge in the slightest.

"My turn."

Ye suddenly exerted force.

His left arm swung outward, brutally knocking Kakashi's arm aside and completely destroying his balance.

Then, Ye shifted from defense to offense.

There were no unnecessary flourishes—fists, elbows, and knees struck in alternating succession.

The simplest, most basic Taijutsu movements became a raging storm under the force of his monstrous strength.

Every strike was delivered at an angle that perfectly deflected Kakashi's strength.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The dull sounds of flesh colliding melded into one continuous barrage.

Kakashi's expression changed drastically as both arms were hammered until they trembled.

He could only draw his arms in miserably, shielding his head and chest with all his might as he retreated step by step.

His soles plowed two deep trenches through the dirt.

At the edge of the field, Uchiha Tekka and Naraku stood dumbfounded, their mouths wide enough to fit an apple.

They had never expected Uchiha Ye to completely suppress Kakashi in Taijutsu!

Bang!

Another heavy knee strike landed.

Kakashi crossed his arms to block it, borrowing the force to slide several meters backward and finally open up some distance.

Amid the swirling dust, Kakashi's arms hung at his sides, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

The center of the field fell silent for half a second.

Ye slowly lowered his right leg and remained where he was without pursuing.

He slowly lowered his head. The wind and insect calls seemed to vanish in that instant.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Obito had no idea that the "Sharingan debut performance" he had rehearsed countless times last night had just gained a new owner.

Under the breathless gaze of the entire crowd, Ye spoke with extreme clarity.

"Let this farce end here."

The instant his words fell.

Ye suddenly raised his eyes.

A cold, gloomy crimson filled with absolute arrogance spread from his pupils.

The Sharingan.

Open!