After exchanging a few words in the corridor, Team 8 and the Seventh Class made their way to the third floor to submit their applications, collect their seat numbers, and prepare to head to the teaching building downstairs.
As they walked down the stairwell, Uchiha Sasuke turned to Izanami.
"Izanami, have you noticed those guys the past few days?"
"I have."
Izanami nodded, knowing exactly who Sasuke was referring to—the foreign village ninjas who had been discreetly investigating them. As the top student of this year and a fellow Uchiha orphan, both Izanami and Sasuke had drawn plenty of attention.
Over the past few days, Izanami had indeed noticed several figures loitering near his house. But they hadn't dared to cross the line, so he hadn't bothered to act.
"Have you seen someone carrying a gourd?" Sasuke asked next.
"No. Is he strong?"
"Yeah... a strong opponent," Sasuke muttered, a smirk playing on his lips as if recalling an old memory. "This year's Chunin Exams... it's like a monster convention. I can't wait to fight them."
"You might not have to wait long," Izanami replied with a slight smile, as if sensing something ahead.
Just as they reached the back door hall of the comprehensive building, a voice called out from behind them.
"Please wait a moment."
At that voice, Sakura Haruno from the Seventh Class froze on the spot.
"It's you again, thick-brows! What do you want now?" Naruto Uzumaki shouted toward the second-floor balcony, pointing dramatically at Rock Lee.
Rock Lee leapt down from above, landing steadily with precision. Striking a Taijutsu stance, he looked seriously at Izanami.
"My name is Rock Lee. I want to challenge this year's number one rookie. Please have a match with me, Izanami!"
"A challenge for Izanami?" The Seventh Class was visibly surprised.
"He... he's Neji Hyuga's teammate," Hinata murmured, frowning slightly. Her gaze sharpened, perhaps misunderstanding the situation.
"The bugs are telling me... there's a faint scent of blood on him," Shino Aburame observed calmly. "He's not an ordinary opponent."
Izanami, too, was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Rock Lee to come challenge him instead of Uchiha Sasuke.
Thinking of the Eight Gates Technique—revered alongside the Flying Thunder God and Impure World Reincarnation techniques—he briefly felt intrigued.
But after glancing in a certain direction, that interest faded.
If it were an unrestricted, all-out duel, he would have loved to experience the Eight Gates' true power. But not now.
Instead, Izanami looked to his side and said, "Sasuke, you go."
"Me?"
Sasuke blinked, surprised for a moment. Then, recalling how Rock Lee had blocked his kick outside the Chunin Exam gate, his fighting spirit lit up. He nodded, "Alright. I'll take him on."
As Sasuke stepped forward, Rock Lee frowned. He turned to Izanami, confused.
"What do you mean by this?"
Before Izanami could reply, Sasuke stepped in, pointing his thumb at himself.
"If you can beat me, then you're qualified to challenge Izanami. But if you lose... there's no need to humiliate yourself."
Rock Lee stared at him, then nodded slowly.
"I understand now. You're Izanami's little brother."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING HIS LITTLE BROTHER?!" Sasuke shouted, furious. His eyes turned blood-red, revealing a two-tomoe Sharingan. "Enough talk. Let's get started."
"Those eyes…" Rock Lee murmured, stunned for a second. But then, his fighting spirit surged. "So you're the last of the Uchiha Clan. Very well—let me experience the Sharingan of the so-called genius clan!"
With a serious expression, Rock Lee introduced himself formally.
"My name is Rock Lee. Please give me your guidance."
"Spare me the formalities."
Sasuke rushed forward without hesitation.
Team 8 and the rest of the Seventh Class leaned casually against the pillars in the hall, ready to spectate.
As Sasuke charged in, Rock Lee's figure suddenly vanished.
"Body Flicker?" Sasuke blinked. "No... not quite."
He missed the punch, momentarily caught off guard.
Quickly activating his sensing abilities, he felt something to his right. Without hesitating, he raised his right arm just in time to block a powerful kick.
The impact shook his arm. Sasuke's expression twisted in shock.
What power! This guy...
Before he could recover, Rock Lee pulled back, then performed a quick somersault and landed in front of Sasuke with both hands on the ground—spinning into a Thomas Flare, kicking up toward Sasuke's face.
Sasuke managed to block with both hands, but the strength of the strike lifted him into the air. When he landed, his hands were already going numb.
He narrowed his eyes at Rock Lee, who returned to his stance.
"High-speed movement... and this power... You're a Taijutsu specialist."
"Correct," Rock Lee nodded honestly. "I use only Taijutsu."
He added respectfully, "It's said that the Sharingan can see through Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu. You really live up to that reputation. But what surprised me... even though you saw through my moves, your body could still barely keep up. As expected from a genius clan."
"Barely?" Sasuke's lips curled into a smirk. His two-tomoe Sharingan spun.
"I'll return those words to you."
In the blink of an eye, Sasuke vanished.
Rock Lee's eyes widened.
He heard the sharp whistle of wind cutting through the air, turned to the side—and raised his arm just in time to block a kick aimed at him.
Bang!
The two collided with force. Sasuke followed through with a somersault, planting his hands on the ground and mimicking Lee's earlier Thomas Flare, striking upward at his opponent's chin.
Lee tried to block, but the kick launched him two meters into the air before crashing to the ground.
Sasuke straightened up, returning to his own version of Rock Lee's stance.
"You..." Rock Lee whispered, his voice trembling.
The other Genin watching from the side were stunned.
"Did I just see that?" Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Did Sasuke just copy Thick-Brows' move?"
"Wow! So amazing!" Sakura gushed, hands clasped. "As expected from Sasuke-kun!"
"So this is the legendary Sharingan Copy," Shino muttered. "Just one look, and it copies your techniques... no wonder it's hailed as the strongest bloodline for one-on-one combat."
Only Izanami and Hinata remained composed, smiling as they watched.
No one knew Sasuke's abilities better than they did.
And if after all these years of training under Izanami he still couldn't manage this much—then Izanami, as his 'teacher,' might have committed seppuku from sheer shame.
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