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The next day, Kagaya woke up early, preparing himself thoroughly and ensuring he was in peak condition. He knew what he was facing today.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Shisui arrived early at Itachi's house. Together, they prepared to head to the Anbu for their day's mission.
"Do you really think he can win?" Itachi suddenly asked.
Shisui countered, "What do you think?"
Itachi gave a slight smile. "When it comes to him, I might have even more confidence than you."
Shisui raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Oh?"
Itachi smiled faintly. "Though we have different perspectives, setting that aside, I'm very optimistic about him. You said it yourself—he's a lot like I was back then. If that's the case, I don't think I would lose to that Hyuga genius."
Shisui gave a noncommittal smile. "Is that so? That's good enough, then."
---
At the Hyuga Main House, Hyuga Hiashi spoke earnestly to the boy before him. "Neji, when you go today, you absolutely must not leave any lasting harm on that Uchiha Kagaya. Hold back. The situation between the Uchiha and the village is delicate right now. This is just the village testing the Uchiha. We Hyuga cannot afford to make enemies of them."
The boy, Hyuga Neji, shook his head. "No, Patriarch. You haven't seen Uchiha Kagaya at the academy, but I have. He's strong—very strong. I'm confident that if I don't go all out, I'll lose. No, I'm certain I'll lose!"
Hiashi was taken aback. "Even you don't have confidence in a complete victory?"
Neji nodded. "Yes, I might even lose. Between him and me, the outcome is uncertain."
Hiashi lowered his head, deep in thought for a moment. Then, he looked up with resolve. "Then win! Compared to the Uchiha, the village leadership is the one we cannot afford to offend. Neji, go all out and win!"
Neji responded, "I will, Patriarch."
---
As usual, Kagaya met Sasuke on the way to school, and they walked together.
"Kagaya, the end-of-term exams are coming up. What kind of grades do you think you'll get?" Sasuke asked.
"What do you think?" Kagaya replied.
"…"
"Worry about yourself. I don't need you to worry about me."
"Ugh, is this the arrogance of a genius?" Sasuke grumbled.
"Haha, maybe it is."
They continued chatting casually as they walked, a routine they'd grown accustomed to.
But as they neared the Ninja Academy, Sasuke suddenly tugged at Kagaya's sleeve, pointing in a direction. "Kagaya, look. See that guy in white? That's the genius a year above us, the Hyuga Clan's prodigy. They say he's the strongest in his grade. I wonder who's stronger—you or him."
Kagaya gave an amused smile. "You want to find out?"
"Of course! Who wouldn't want to see a showdown between two geniuses—one from the Hyuga, one from the Uchiha? I'll be honest, I think you'll win. After all, you're an Uchiha. Even the Hyuga can't compare to us!"
Kagaya sighed deeply, his tone heavy. "Yeah, the Uchiha. The proud Uchiha can't afford to lose."
'The proud Uchiha can't afford to lose. How ironic that this pride plays no small part in the reasons for the Uchiha's downfall.'
Kagaya sighed inwardly but had no intention of changing anything. The course of history wasn't something a mere student like him could alter. His time was in the future, not now. Whatever the Uchiha did, it wasn't something he could interfere with at this moment.
Sasuke, picking up on Kagaya's odd tone, couldn't help but ask, "Kagaya, why do I feel like you want to say something?"
Kagaya flashed a smile. "No, it's nothing."
---
With the end-of-term exams approaching, training sessions were, as expected, frequent. The day started with shuriken practice.
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Five shuriken flew from Kagaya's hand, crisscrossing and colliding in the air before hitting the bullseye with an almost unbelievable arc.
"Woooow!" the crowd cheered.
"Kagaya!"
"Hmph, just a cheap trick," one student muttered.
"Yeah, no big deal," another added, as they each threw two kunai. The kunai crossed and collided in the air, perfectly missing the target in a spectacularly terrible arc.
After shuriken practice came physical training—running.
Unsurprisingly, Kagaya took first place.
Next up was sparring.
Kagaya gave a barely perceptible smile. He knew the main event was coming.
Sure enough, not long after his class's sparring session began, a boy in white approached. He walked up to Iruka and spoke respectfully. "Teacher Iruka, hello. I'd like to request a challenge against one of your students—Uchiha Kagaya."
His words were concise and clear, reflecting an unshakable resolve. The statement stunned the crowd, eliciting varied reactions.
Sasuke was momentarily taken aback before clapping. "Nice! You didn't go looking for him, but he came to you! Kagaya, show him that an Uchiha genius isn't something a Hyuga genius can match, even if you're a year younger!"
Ino, standing nearby, frowned worriedly. "Why would an upperclassman like Hyuga Neji challenge Kagaya? Isn't that bullying?"
Naruto was the most direct, ignoring the hushed discussions around him and jumping forward with a shout. "Teacher Iruka, this isn't fair! An upperclassman challenging Kagaya is just bullying!"
Everyone had their own reactions, but Kagaya remained calm throughout, gazing steadily at Neji.
Indeed, an upperclassman challenging a lowerclassman was against the rules. But who made the rules? The Konoha leadership. If they said it was fine, it was fine.
As expected, Iruka reprimanded Naruto. "Naruto, what do you know? This is a normal spar. Go back!"
'A spar? Is that the excuse the village leadership is using to test me?' Kagaya didn't comment. It was a decent enough pretext.
Iruka then approached Kagaya. "Kagaya, do you agree? I've approved the spar. As long as you consent, it can begin."
At this point, there was no backing down. Kagaya agreed readily. "Teacher Iruka, I agree to the spar."
Iruka nodded and raised his hand, signaling the students who had gathered due to Neji's arrival to step back, clearing a space for Kagaya and Neji.
Kagaya and Neji stood facing each other, about three meters apart, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Iruka stood between them, raising his hand high. Seeing both were ready, he swung it down sharply.
"Now, begin!!"
*****
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