Ranking Match

The next day, at the Ninja Academy training grounds.

"Did you hear? Uchiha Homura is challenging Uchiha Yufeng today! He even said he'd beat him into the hospital to avenge that kick!"

"Shh, keep it down! Uchiha Homura came to school yesterday and beat every single one of the top ten in the Ranking Match for our grade.

The students who watched said he'd awakened the Sharingan, and his strength had improved by leaps and bounds! Some teachers even said he was nearly on their level. Uchiha Yufeng's in real danger this time!"

"He's that strong? Damn, he beat all ten of the top-ranked students? He's almost as strong as a teacher—wouldn't that put him at Chunin level? The Sharingan really is insane once it awakens! Doesn't that mean Uchiha Yufeng is bound to lose?"

"The Sharingan is strong, but I heard Uchiha Yufeng has recently been studying under the legendary Lady Tsunade. It's still hard to say who'll win!"

"You said Uchiha Homura beat all the top ten in our grade, right? Doesn't that mean today's match will decide who's number one in the entire grade?!"

"..."

A group of students excitedly discussed the matter nearby.

Today's Ranking Match was packed with things to watch.

In barely half an hour, nearly a hundred people had gathered on the training grounds.

Who could have imagined that Uchiha Homura, who had once been kicked into a trash can by Uchiha Yufeng, would transform into the strongest student in their grade so soon afterward?

Human calculations were no match for the Sharingan.

When Uchiha Yufeng arrived, even the Chunin teacher maintaining order glanced at him.

The commotion Uchiha Homura had caused yesterday was no small matter. He had challenged every one of the top ten students in the Ranking Match. By the time he went looking for Uchiha Yufeng, Yufeng had already left the academy, bringing the challenge to a halt.

He had declared that they would fight again today.

Uchiha Homura had awakened the Sharingan and proclaimed that he wanted to teach Uchiha Yufeng a lesson. And now, Uchiha Yufeng had really come.

It was hard to tell whether he was simply stubborn or truly had the strength to back it up.

"Yufeng!"

Obito's familiar voice rang out, and Uchiha Yufeng turned around.

Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin had come over to him.

"Why don't you just forfeit?"

Uchiha Obito spoke bluntly. Though his words were unpleasant to hear, he was saying them out of concern for Uchiha Yufeng.

After all, as a member of the Uchiha Clan, he knew all too well the importance and danger of the Sharingan.

A battle between an Uchiha who had not awakened it and one who had was simply not on the same level.

"I'll just give it a try."

Uchiha Yufeng's gaze was calm. He did not take it seriously.

Aside from the usual randomly assigned sparring matches, another kind of Ranking Match allowed students to challenge others.

Every student had a ranking.

Whether it was a randomly assigned spar or a personal challenge, their practical combat level and ranking would be reassessed and recorded afterward.

"Yufeng!"

Nohara Rin's gentle voice sounded.

"Don't push yourself."

Uchiha Yufeng nodded.

He looked over Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin. Even his deskmate, Shizune, wore a worried expression.

"Relax, it's just an ordinary spar. It's not like we're going to war!"

Uchiha Yufeng helplessly spread his hands.

Yuhi Kurenai, however, looked at Uchiha Yufeng as calmly as usual.

Only when she noticed him looking at her did she smile.

Yet the fingers clutching her bag had turned faintly white, clearly showing that she was not as calm as she appeared.

"Uchiha Yufeng! Do you dare fight me?"

A hoarse voice rang out just then.

"It's him, Uchiha Homura!"

"Huh? Those eyes are... the Sharingan! Uchiha Homura really did awaken the Sharingan!!"

"Uchiha Homura's aura is so strong! The Sharingan truly is the Ninja World's strongest Bloodline Limit! It's terrifying! No wonder he challenged the top ten in the Ranking Match in one go yesterday afternoon!"

"..."

Cries of shock erupted from the students.

Uchiha Homura was far more impressive-looking than before.

His black hair and mismatched Sharingan eyes—one with a single tomoe and the other with two—made the students gaze at him with fascination and admiration.

Uchiha Yufeng looked at the somewhat gloomy and arrogant Uchiha Homura before him and nodded.

"The challenge has been accepted. Both sides, form the seal!"

A Chunin teacher who had been waiting nearby heard Uchiha Yufeng accept and immediately used Body Flicker to appear between them.

He gestured for the two of them to proceed.

Uchiha Homura's gaze turned cold. With a snort, he quickly stepped forward.

Uchiha Yufeng alone walked over at an unhurried pace, seeming not to take the fight seriously at all.

"Uchiha Yufeng, I've awakened the Sharingan, and you still dare look down on me!"

To Uchiha Homura, Uchiha Yufeng's behavior was an even greater provocation. Veins bulged on his face as he said viciously.

"I was worried you might back down and forfeit. Yet you actually came. Since you've been so obedient, I'll go easy on you later."

"Today, I'll crush you and stomp you beneath my feet!"

Uchiha Yufeng raised his hands and formed the seal. The malice in Uchiha Homura's eyes deepened at the sight.

"Uchiha Homura, form the seal!"

The Chunin teacher beside them looked at Uchiha Homura.

Only after the teacher urged him did Uchiha Homura reach out and form the seal with Uchiha Yufeng.

"Begin!"

The moment the Chunin teacher's voice fell, Uchiha Homura launched his attack.

He kicked off the ground hard, his body spinning through the air.

Both feet shot toward Uchiha Yufeng's face. Uchiha Yufeng raised his hands and blocked them one by one.

Uchiha Homura's Sharingan swept back and forth, searching for an opening in Uchiha Yufeng's defense even as he attacked.

Uchiha Yufeng had fused the Ninja Cards of Sasuke and Yakushi Kabuto. His combat experience was extraordinarily rich.

How could he possibly let a kid who had only just awakened the Sharingan see through him?

For a time, the two seemed evenly matched. But when Uchiha Homura failed to bring down Uchiha Yufeng after attacking for so long, his heart sank.

He spun back and landed, bracing himself against the ground with one hand.

The instant he landed, Uchiha Yufeng's figure rapidly closed in.

A fist slammed toward his face. Uchiha Homura ducked beneath it and swept out with his leg.

Their attacks were unbelievably fast. Even the Chunin teacher watching from the side found it hard to follow.

"They're incredible!"

Exclamations of amazement rang out endlessly from the crowd.

"This is truly a taijutsu feast!"

"Huh? Look, he's been caught!!"

In the arena, Uchiha Yufeng seized an opening in Uchiha Homura's movements and shifted his body.

He slipped past Uchiha Homura and moved behind him.

With a grab of both hands, he twisted Uchiha Homura's arms behind his back and restrained them before Homura could react.

Uchiha Yufeng then planted his foot directly on Uchiha Homura's back.

"He caught him?"

The students nearby were still wanting more. They had imagined the outcome of this battle before, but reality often defied expectations.

Had the winner really been decided in such a short time?

"I lost?"

Half-kneeling on the ground in humiliation, Uchiha Homura wore an expression of disbelief and shame.

Seeing the various emotions in his classmates' eyes as they looked at him, Uchiha Homura felt deeply humiliated. The tomoe in his eyes began to spin.

"I don't believe it! I can't lose!"

Uchiha Homura thrust himself forward, forcibly breaking free of Uchiha Yufeng's hold at the cost of dislocating one arm.

"Huff... huff!"

Uchiha Homura endured the agonizing pain of his dislocated arm and glared viciously at Uchiha Yufeng as he began to form hand seals with trembling hands.

"Is that... a ninjutsu?!"

The teachers around the training grounds were startled and rushed toward Uchiha Homura.

But one person was faster than all of them.

"Great Fireball..."

Before he could utter the final word, Uchiha Yufeng's figure appeared before Uchiha Homura almost instantly.

He planted one hand on the ground.

"Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!"

His calm voice rang out. Uchiha Homura was kicked hard in the face and sent flying.

The hand seals he had formed for the Great Fireball were interrupted as well.

Thud!

Uchiha Homura crashed heavily to the ground and passed out.

"Someone, take him to the infirmary!!!"

Among the crowd, a pale-faced ninja revealed a trace of appreciation before turning and leaving the Ninja Academy.