Yue, I'm Counting on You

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Not to mention the Kusagakure jonin—even Ryuga and Yoshitaka beside him were dumbfounded.

Someone like a Kage was far too distant from little brats like them.

Even Yue put down the book in his hands.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi still looked quite "young." At the very least, his hair was not completely white, nor did he have age spots on his face.

The only reason he could have appeared was that, because of Minato Namikaze, the old man had noticed him.

But he was probably only mildly interested in him and had no other intentions.

A genin like him was not important enough for a Kage to keep in mind.

As he thought this, Yue's gaze swept across the entire venue again. The Konoha Rookies had all arrived... along with many Konoha shinobi who had specifically come for this match. Quite a few were the team instructors of those Konoha brats. In other words, it was not just Minato Namikaze.

After all, this was Konoha. Even such a small event had been made so formal.

It also showed how much Konoha valued cultivating fresh blood.

Yue also spotted Might Duy, Guy's father.

There was also the very young-looking Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata's future father.

The reason Yue could identify him was not only because of his Byakugan and age, but also because of where he stood.

Another member of the Hyuga Clan stood behind him in a deferential manner, making their respective status obvious.

With that bearing and those eyes, Yue could not think of anyone else besides the family's designated heir.

There were no Uchiha Clan shinobi present, though.

However... Yue's gaze settled on Obito, who was glaring furiously at him.

Or rather, on a little boy standing beside him.

The little boy still had a childish face and a bit of baby fat.

He was unusually young.

When he noticed Yue looking over, the little boy took a step back and grabbed Obito's sleeve.

He was not afraid. His eyes were clear and calm.

All he had was curiosity toward Yue.

"Shisui?" Yue guessed the little boy's identity.

It seemed that the reason today's sparring match had drawn so much attention, enough to bring even figures like the Hyuga Clan here to watch, was not merely Minato Namikaze. More importantly, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Third Hokage had come to watch a group of children fight; once word got out, it would inevitably draw the attention of many people in the village.

What Yue did not know was that ever since he had "mocked" all the representatives in the classroom that day, the matter had already spread through the village via those brats. After returning home, many of them had surely said that some guy from Kusagakure who did not know his place had been spouting arrogant nonsense.

Combined with Minato's attitude and the Third Hokage's appearance, it had created this scene.

The Kusagakure jonin hurried forward to greet Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held a smoking pipe in one hand and rested the other behind his lower back, looking kind and benevolent.

Yue and the other two quickly followed, bowing to the Third Hokage.

"Hehe... I've finally met you, little one."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Yue, smiling warmly as he spoke.

Yue looked at the old man before him... and said nothing.

"Lord Hokage, Yue is still young... he is just a child and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it to heart," the jonin said in alarm, hurriedly explaining.

"It's nothing... don't be nervous. I'm happy about it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, dismissing the jonin's concerns. "At such a young age, setting aside his strength, he already possesses a determination and pride that yield to no one. For someone who wishes to become an outstanding shinobi, that is extremely important."

"Whether others believe in you or not, you must first believe in yourself."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Those words were not merely an explanation. He was also saying them for all the younger generation present to hear.

"All right, don't waste any more time. Today... they are the focus. I merely came to join in the fun."

After leaving those words behind, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked away.

Yue's group also moved to an empty spot elsewhere.

The Hokage's appearance had clearly made Ryuga and Yoshitaka even more nervous.

Yoshitaka, whose mental fortitude was weaker, could not even stop his hands from trembling.

The scale of this was too great... the atmosphere alone was almost more than he could bear.

Moreover, looking around, the brats who had occasionally laughed and played at the Ninja Academy all wore solemn expressions now, standing ready for battle.

It was as if they had truly become enemies.

Then, a Konoha shinobi stepped forward as the referee and announced the rules.

Although this was an "exchange between peers" from Konoha and Kusagakure, with challengers allowed to call out opponents by name, Kusagakure only had three people while Konoha had a whole group... So, for the sake of fairness, and also to allow Lord Hokage to inspect the results of the village's education—

It was also a gesture of courtesy toward Kusagakure, since Konoha had extended the invitation.

Therefore, Konoha's younger generation would first draw lots and fight among themselves. The winners would then challenge the Kusagakure trio.

That was already quite generous. At least Kusagakure would not lose too embarrassingly.

Then the competition began.

The Konoha Rookies began their one-on-one matches.

The previously quiet venue was instantly filled with fierce sounds of fists and kicks colliding, along with all kinds of ninjutsu and secret techniques.

As time passed, the Kusagakure jonin grew more alarmed. The combat strength displayed by these Konoha brats was astonishing.

Ryuga's eyelids twitched wildly as he bit down on his lip.

What he had seen of these people at the Ninja Academy or during missions had not been anywhere close to their full strength.

Yue alone paid them no attention, because these fights held no meaning. In the end, the winners would definitely be the people he had already picked out in his mind.

Moreover, he knew very clearly that he was currently the center of attention.

On Konoha's side... quite a few people were not watching the battles below at all, but were secretly observing him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi included.

So Yue remained leaning against the wall, his gaze fixed on the book in his hands as he quietly read.

The earlier matches were merely buildup. There was no need to care.

"Ryuzaki Hyuga wins. Obito Uchiha loses."

"Kakashi Hatake wins..."

"Aburame Mafuu wins..."

These Konoha Rookies knew each other well, and their strength levels were not too far apart. On top of that, battles between low-ranking shinobi rarely dragged on for too long.

Thus, as the referee announced result after result, Konoha's lineup quickly became clear.

"Argh! Damn it! Fuma Yue... I'll let you off for today!"

Interestingly, after Obito Uchiha lost his match, he actually pointed at Yue and shouted indignantly.

Yue did not give a damn about him. He did not even glance his way.

"Hey... secret techniques and Kekkei Genkai everywhere. How are we supposed to fight?"

"And there's that monster..."

Yoshitaka turned to look at Yue, the only one who remained calm, and spoke fearfully.

The monster he meant was Might Guy.

Yoshitaka was starting to go numb.

Secret techniques were unlike ordinary ninjutsu, whose intelligence and information were commonly known to the outside world, making them possible to counter.

What made secret techniques frightening was that some were independently created or researched by a particular lineage. Their "unknown" and "bizarre" nature made them impossible to guard against.

Yue ignored him.

Very soon, after Konoha's side had been reduced in number, it was finally Kusagakure's turn to join in and draw lots for their matchups.

Ryuga was matched against someone from the Inuzuka Clan.

Yoshitaka was even more unfortunate. He had just called Might Guy a monster, only to end up facing him.

As for Yue's opponent, he merely opened his slip, glanced at it, and tossed it away...

Then he continued reading with his book in hand.

That indifferent attitude immediately gave Konoha's contestants complicated expressions.

They felt that he was being far too arrogant.

"Hehehe... quite the character."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a draw from his pipe, narrowing his eyes as he spoke.

"Hahaha... Yue may have played his part a little too hard, but if not for that, the younger generation of our village would not have gotten serious," Minato Namikaze said beside him, scratching the back of his head with a smile.

"Mm, he really is quite sensible." The Third Hokage nodded.

Then his tone shifted. "However... I don't think he's acting~ At least, not in that moment just now."

"Hahahaha..."

Minato's mouth twitched, and he gave an awkward laugh.

In the blink of an eye, Yoshitaka had barely stepped into the arena and exchanged a respectful fist-and-palm salute with the seemingly courteous Guy.

Yet after the referee gestured for the fight to begin, less than half a minute later, there was a loud BANG! Yoshitaka was sent flying by a kick and smashed into the wall, immediately passing out.

Even Guy himself was visibly stunned.

He apparently had not expected Yoshitaka to be so weak.

He had not even used his full strength. That had only been a probing attack.

But Guy was still Guy. Although he had won, he politely bowed toward Yoshitaka's unconscious body.

Only then did he flash a mouthful of gleaming white teeth and give Kakashi a thumbs-up.

The Kusagakure jonin's face reddened, unable to save face, while Konoha's shinobi carried Yoshitaka away for treatment.

"Yue... I'm going first."

Seeing this, Ryuga turned back to glance at Yue and spoke as though heading to his death.

"Mm."

Yue responded blandly.

Yue acknowledged Ryuga's strength and the value of his Kekkei Genkai.

But defeating someone from the Inuzuka Clan would still be difficult.

If his Kekkei Genkai had been combat-oriented, he might have had a chance.

The Inuzuka Clan member on the other side had already stepped into the arena, looking at Ryuga with provocative eyes.

The battle began. This time, the intensity of their clash was clearly greater than Guy's match, and it was much more pleasing to watch. At the very least, the two sides traded blows evenly. The main reason was that the gap between Guy's attack style and strength and Yoshitaka's had simply been too great.

Yue finally shifted his eyes slightly. He saw familiar techniques such as the Four Legs Technique, Beast Clone, and Piercing Fang, but Ryuga was clearly struggling greatly to deal with his opponent's moves.

Several times, he only narrowly managed to dodge the attacks.

The techniques Ryuga could use were all relatively ordinary methods. His Kekkei Genkai was of no use in a frontal confrontation.

In the end, after roughly five minutes of fierce fighting, the kunai in Ryuga's hand was kicked away when the Inuzuka Clan member closed in with a beast-like attack stance. Then, spotting an opening, sharp claws tore several bloody gashes across Ryuga's chest. Though not fatal, they had already left him unable to continue fighting.

The Konoha shinobi acting as referee promptly called the match. At their level, it was easy to see that the outcome had already been decided, so there was no need to keep fighting.

Ryuga was taken away by Konoha shinobi for treatment, his face full of unwillingness.

"Yue, I'm counting on you!"

Before leaving, the boy suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs through tears.

Although he had known he would lose, when he truly did lose, Ryuga still could not accept it.

No one was born wanting to be a loser.

Besides, even if they did not have an especially strong sense of loyalty toward their village, they were still from Kusagakure. Bringing shame upon the village... still hurt terribly.

Before Ryuga had even left the venue, before the arena had even undergone simple repairs, Yue, who had been leaning against the wall by the stairs, had already vanished.

He appeared directly in the arena in a blur, still holding the book he had been reading all this time.

Though he said nothing, his attitude was already perfectly clear.

"What incredible speed!"

Seeing this, the observing shinobi, who had begun to find things boring after Kusagakure suffered two consecutive losses, all stirred inwardly.

This kid... seemed to be the true highlight of today!

They had heard beforehand from Minato Namikaze that this Fuma Yue was a genuine genius, the rare kind of "little brat."

The match was about to begin, yet Yue still had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a book. It had to be said—he truly did not take his opponent seriously at all.

"Um..."

The Konoha referee kindly offered a reminder.

"There's no need. Just start."

Yue said calmly.

"..."

How arrogant!

On the other side, a figure also leaped down from the high stairs and landed in the arena.

"I remember every word you said back then."

His opponent stared at Yue and spoke coldly.

"You people from Kusagakure... will not gain a single victory."

"..."

Hearing that, Yue did not even look at him. He even took the hand from his pocket and turned a page in his book.

"..."

Ignored. Completely ignored!

Seeing this, his opponent began to see red.