Chapter 15: The Crowd's Astonishment
The Uchiha's dramatic entrance momentarily silenced the entire training ground.
Fugaku nodded, satisfied with the effect, then turned to Kyosuke, who was also dressed in a black combat suit. "Go. Fight for yourself and for the honor of the clan. In this battle, defeat is not an option."
Kyosuke nodded with a solemn expression, then strode to the center of the field. He folded his arms across his chest, his gaze fixed coldly on his opponent.
On the other side, the Chunin boy, Hyuga Ko, forcibly suppressed a wave of unease that had come from nowhere. With a disdainful look, he walked to the center of the field to face Kyosuke.
At the edge of the training ground, where the Hatake clan was gathered, Sakumo Hatake—Konoha's "White Fang," currently at the peak of his power—was watching the situation unfold with his five-year-old son, Kakashi.
"What do you think?" Sakumo suddenly asked his son.
"He feels much stronger than when I last saw him, but..." a young Kakashi paused, his hand instinctively touching the hilt of his short sword. He didn't continue.
As his father, Sakumo understood his son's unspoken words perfectly: But he's still no match for me.
Sakumo didn't find anything wrong with this thought. His son, Kakashi, had already begun to grasp the true essence of swordsmanship. Against any opponent his age, he would be unbeatable. This was his confidence, both as a father and as a master of the blade.
Elsewhere, the many young ninja who would one day become famous had spontaneously gathered together.
"That boy is a lot like Kakashi, so cold," said a pretty, red-eyed girl.
Beside her, a slightly more mature-looking boy followed closely. He glanced cautiously at the red-eyed girl, then pursed his lips. "He just looks like him. I doubt he's as strong as Kakashi. Besides..."
The boy caught the red-eyed girl's gaze, blushed, and swallowed the boast he was about to make. Can't leave a bad impression. No bragging, he thought. It had to be said, this boy was quite mature in many ways.
Next to them stood a cute girl with purple markings on her cheeks. She glanced at the mature boy and silently gave a thumbs-up to his unspoken thoughts. He's not really like that, she thought. Kakashi is just... quiet. He's actually a very kind person. And he... As she thought, a blush crept up her cheeks...
A young Ibiki stood nearby. "...I feel like they're all thinking about weird things."
A little Shizune next to him added, "...Yeah, I think so too."
In the center of the field, Orochimaru, the official witness to this duel, decided to take on the role of referee as well.
He stepped forward, studying Kyosuke carefully, and asked in his magnetic voice, "Are you confident?"
Seeing him approach, Kyosuke maintained his cool pose. "Just don't forget our bet, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru let out a low chuckle at his confidence. Without even glancing at the other boy, he simply waved his hand, signaling the official start of the duel.
The instant Orochimaru's hand moved, Hyuga Ko began forming hand seals without a moment's hesitation. The stakes of today's duel were too high for him to be careless.
As his chakra surged, Kyosuke could clearly see the veins around Hyuga Ko's eyes bulge prominently—the tell-tale sign of an activated Byakugan.
"Very cautious," Kyosuke mused with a slight smile. He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a handful of kunai.
With a flick of his wrist, the kunai flew through the air at odd angles, heading toward the poised Hyuga Ko.
"Tsk, a brat is a brat. Can't even throw a kunai straight," Ko scoffed, having been on high alert. Seeing the "crooked" kunai, he couldn't help but laugh inwardly at himself for feeling any pressure earlier.
But before the sneer could fade from his face, the kunai suddenly collided in mid-air.
He felt sharp, piercing sensations aimed at his throat, heart, and head. It was his Chunin-level senses screaming at him: Danger!
Startled, Hyuga Ko had no time to wonder how the little kid possessed such an incredible kunai technique. He could only block. His arrogance had cost him the optimal window to dodge, leaving him with no choice but to parry.
Fortunately, as a Hyuga, he could channel a large amount of chakra to his palms, making them as hard as steel. This was the only thing that saved him from being taken out in a single blow.
After that one exchange, no matter how arrogant he was, he no longer dared to underestimate his young opponent.
Huu... Hyuga Ko took a shallow breath and reset his stance. This time, he would not be careless.
Just as he was about to launch his own attack, he was met with the sight of a pair of crimson Sharingan staring intently at him.
Seeing this, Hyuga Ko's pure white pupils couldn't help but constrict. It wasn't surprising that his opponent had activated the Sharingan, but... could someone please explain the two tomoe slowly spinning in each eye?
Weren't they one-tomoe Sharingan? How did they become two-tomoe?! Hyuga Ko screamed internally.
He wasn't the only one. All the ninja in the crowd, except for the civilians, including Uchiha Fugaku and his men, stared with wide eyes.
"It really is two tomoe... Kyosuke... when did he..." Fugaku's perpetual poker face finally cracked, replaced by an expression of pure shock.
"This brat... he will become a major threat in the future!!!" In a corner of the training ground, a man with his head wrapped in bandages muttered, his eyes filled with killing intent.
Far away from the training ground, in a grand building, a middle-aged man in a cloak bearing the title "Third Hokage" was watching the events unfold through a crystal ball.
When he clearly saw the two tomoe appear in Kyosuke's eyes, he was so shocked that the pipe fell from his hand.
This man was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, hailed as the "God of Shinobi."
"Is the Uchiha clan... going to produce another Madara?" the Third Hokage murmured. Ignoring the pipe on the floor, he clapped his hands lightly.
Instantly, a ninja wearing an animal mask appeared before him, kneeling on one knee. This was a member of the Hokage's personal "Anbu," the Assassination and Tactical Special Unit.
After giving the Anbu member a brief set of orders, the Third Hokage waved his hand to dismiss him. But then, as if remembering something, he added, "Hm... Danzo is also there. When you carry out your orders, be sure to take a few more people with you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
After the Anbu left, the Third Hokage finally picked up his pipe from the floor. He lowered his head and sighed. "These are troubled times."
Then, he turned his attention back to the crystal ball, continuing to watch the duel that would have far-reaching consequences.