Lucien inhaled deeply, gathering chakra in his lungs as his Sharingan spun furiously. His opponent's seals, his opponent's chakra flow—everything had already been dissected, learned, and mirrored.
In the very next instant, he exhaled.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing inferno swelled inside his throat before exploding outward, roaring across the grove. The flames he produced dwarfed Uchiha Mamoru's spell, wider, hotter, more forceful—like a sun crashing down.
The two fireballs collided in the middle of the clearing. Sparks erupted. Heat waves rippled outward, scorching the trees. For a moment, they canceled one another out—but only for a moment.
Mamoru's flame flickered, faltered, then disintegrated. Lucien's fireball surged forward, ready to consume him whole.
"Impossible!!" Mamoru's legs froze. Terror locked him in place as the wall of fire bore straight down on him.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
A booming voice erupted behind him. The ground convulsed, and a solid wall of stone burst upward, taking the brunt of the fireball. Heat seared the wall's surface black. Mamoru collapsed backward behind the barrier, drenched in sweat and gasping in fear, barely spared from being incinerated.
From behind the wall, another figure emerged. A young man, older than Mamoru, with the same cold Uchiha features stepped out slowly, his gaze sharp and proud.
"You brat… you're far too ruthless," the newcomer spat.
Mamoru's face lit up when he saw him. "Brother Kaku! I knew you'd come!"
"Hmph. If I hadn't arrived just now, this fatherless fool would've finished you." Uchiha Kaku sneered, his tone dripping with contempt as he looked Lucien up and down.
Lucien's Sharingan narrowed dangerously, his lips curving in a cold smile. "So when I defeat a younger one, an older one comes? What's next? Will I have to beat down your clan leader too?"
"You dare?!" Kaku barked. His eyes flashed with fury, though his words revealed his own fear.
But Lucien stepped forward, unafraid. His white-tinged Sharingan glowed ominously. "Try me."
Kaku grabbed Mamoru's arm, clearly intent on retreating. "You're lucky today. Enjoy it while it lasts, brat. Next time, you'll pay."
Lucien's laugh was low and mocking. "Running already? Not until you return what you stole." His hands locked into seals, his chest swelling again.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The blazing ball of fire erupted brighter than before, barreling straight toward the two fleeing Uchiha. Kaku cursed under his breath, dragging Mamoru aside as the fire ripped through the earth where they had stood seconds earlier. Sweat poured down his temple as he snarled.
"You little pest! What do you want?!"
Lucien's gaze was cutting as ice. "Admit your loss. And hand over Xiaoxing's necklace."
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then, with clenched teeth, Kaku glared at Mamoru before tossing the necklace toward Lucien. Caught easily, it sparkled in his grip.
He smirked. "Wise choice."
Kaku and Mamoru retreated, faces twisted in frustration. Neither dared look back.
Lucien returned to the ramen stand, where Xiaoxing's eyes widened as he set the necklace into her trembling hands.
"Shigure-nii… is this real? My necklace—!" Her voice quavered, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Of course. I beat the one who stole it. He won't dare bully you again." Lucien's tone was light, but his words carried the weight of certainty.
"Thank you, Brother Shiyu!" She clutched the necklace to her chest, relief washing over her.
Lucien smiled faintly and finished his ramen. After walking Xiaoxing home, he returned to his own residence. But as exhaustion should have claimed him, he instead began forming hand seals once more.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
The jutsu erupted flawlessly, crafting a towering wall of dense stone, larger and stronger than what Uchiha Kaku had produced earlier. Lucien's eyes flickered in satisfaction.
"So even earth-style comes to me this easily. The Otsutsuki bloodline… this truly is the perfect fusion. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning… even yin and yang—I can wield it all."
His chakra was vast, his eyes sharper. Each day his abilities accelerated beyond what even he thought possible. He didn't yet realize it, but his chakra reserves had already surpassed Genin, Chunin… they danced on the edge of Kage-level.
With time, he would eclipse them all.
That night, he dreamt of limitless possibilities.
By morning, however, his reflection had changed again. His pale skin shimmered unnaturally. His hair had streaked faintly with white. And from beneath his forehead protector, the horns had grown slightly larger.
"The bloodline… it's still reshaping me." He touched his temple, his expression calm. "My chakra feels fuller again."
He dressed in a sleek, black ninja uniform and tied the Konoha forehead protector neatly. At the Academy, the moment he entered, whispers sparked instantly.
"Look at him… he's glowing. Not a scratch on him!"
"Didn't Mamoru fight him yesterday? Shouldn't he be the injured one?"
"Wait… why is Mamoru the one showing up battered and bruised?"
Indeed, when Mamoru finally appeared, limping and sullen, the entire class was stunned.
"Did… Shigure do this? Was Mamoru actually beaten?"
"That's impossible. Mamoru's one of the strongest in our year."
"Keep your voice down… you'll get in trouble if he hears you."
Lucien strode past the gossip, eyes half-lidded, amusement tugging at the corner of his lips. He casually called out, "Good morning, Mamoru-kun."
Their eyes met. Mamoru flinched, stepping back instinctively, his body stiff, his gaze trembling. He quickly covered his fear with a forced snort and turned away, refusing to acknowledge anyone.
Lucien smirked as he settled into his seat. The slap in the face wasn't in the fire he'd wielded yesterday, but in this moment—where Uchiha Mamoru, once his tormentor, cowered in silence before the entire Academy.
P.S. In this chapter, Lucien dealt the Uchiha clan a devastating humiliation—defeating Mamoru in direct combat, forcing his elder brother to retreat, and reclaiming Xiaoxing's necklace. The once-bullied outcast now stands tall, subtly reshaping the balance of power in his class.