In the dull monotony of academy life, even the slightest breeze could stir waves.
Rihito had just returned to his seat and hadn't even caught his breath when Ebiruho leaned in, eyes gleaming.
"Rihito! I heard you challenged a kid from the Uchiha clan to a duel tonight, is that for real?"
Rihito raised an eyebrow. That fast?
The rumor had already traveled from the fourth years down to the second years?
Seriously, did these kids have nothing better to do?
Still, he didn't bother hiding it and gave a casual nod in response.
Ebiruho practically lit up.
Ever since he mastered the Rasengan, he'd been feeling like a dragon-slaying swordsman with no dragons in sight.
Now, at last, he had a reason to draw the blade.
Rihito quickly tossed some water on that fire.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. It's just a friendly spar between classmates. We're all from the same village, and there's no need to get serious. Definitely no Rasengan nonsense, got it?"
Ebiruho deflated, visibly disappointed.
Nearby, Tsunade looked up from her book, snapped it shut, and promptly flicked Ebiruho on the forehead.
He stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Ebiruho, I think something's wrong with that head of yours," she said sternly.
"Why are you thinking of using a deadly jutsu on a fellow villager? You're not secretly a rogue ninja, are you? Rihito taught you his signature move, and if you ever betray Konoha… trust me, I'll be the first to put you in the ground!"
"Unjust accusation!" Ebiruho cried.
"I just wanted to support Rihito, how does that make me a traitor? I'm a proud inheritor of the Will of Fire! A future pillar of the village!"
Rihito gave an awkward cough.
He was beginning to regret telling Tsunade that idle bedtime story, the one where Ebiruho caused the Fourth Great Ninja War and Rihito had to stop him with a Rasengan.
It had just been a joke to pass the time.
But Tsunade… seemed to take it a little too seriously.
She treated it like a prophecy.
Sure, in one of the alternate timelines, Ebiruho had turned villainous, but that was in a world where Rihito didn't exist.
Things were already different.
The Ebiruho he knew now?
Not a chance.
After a full year of getting crushed by the pressure from two nonstop overachievers, Rihito and Tsunade, Ebiruho had evolved.
He was no longer the sensitive, self-doubting kid of that alternate future.
Now he was the type who could survive beside two academic monsters without breaking.
And anyone who could survive that environment?
Mentally, they were no pushover.
Tsunade knew Ebiruho wasn't the same, of course.
She just needed to vent.
Sometimes you just have to smack a classmate to relieve some study stress.
Time passed quickly.
That evening , Training Ground 13.
Almost the entire class had shown up.
The moment the words got out, "Rihito, our top student, is challenging an upperclassman from the Uchiha clan!", the crowd practically teleported in.
No one needed convincing.
They were all there to show support.
Rihito was genuinely touched by the turnout.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Mitsuteru arrived at the field… and nearly had a heart attack.
What the hell?
Is this an ambush?!
He'd only brought two people with him.
And this mob looked like it was ready to form a lynch squad.
His only companions were Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Akimichi Gami.
Truthfully, the Uchiha clan didn't have many friends.
They isolated others, and in return, were themselves isolated.
These two had only become Mitsuteru's friends because of their fathers' old connections.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was the son of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Akimichi Gami was the daughter of Akimichi Tokikaze.
Their fathers had grown up alongside Uchiha Kagami, and the bond between them went way back.
They married and had kids around the same time, so naturally, the next generation ended up hanging out too.
Now surrounded by a massive crowd, Rihito and Mitsuteru walked to the center of the field.
The two exchanged the Seal of Confrontation.
With a simultaneous leap, they sprang back to gain distance.
And just as synchronized, they each raised their hands and hurled a barrage of shuriken.
Steel clashed mid-air, scattering sparks in every direction.
As the last shuriken whizzed past Rihito, Mitsuteru pulled on a set of hidden wires, redirecting the blades mid-flight, aiming to bind Rihito's limbs.
Rihito sneered, dropped a smoke bomb, and vanished instantly.
Mitsuteru retrieved his shuriken, still alert.
Rather than attacking blindly, he drew a kunai and kept a cautious stance.
Then,
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three arrows shot from three different directions.
Mitsuteru's expression darkened, flipping backward twice in quick succession…
But the arrows weren't aimed at him.
They hit the ground instead.
And with a sudden fwoosh, triangular flames erupted, forming three walls of fire that boxed Mitsuteru in.
Only the sky remained open.
But he wasn't foolish enough to leap into the air, Rihito would be waiting for that.
Still, Mitsuteru was a child of the Uchiha.
Masters of fire.
Everyone knew:
The "Wood" in Konoha came from Senju Hashirama.
The "Fire" in Hokage came from Uchiha Madara.
No one played with fire like the Uchiha.
Watching Rihito try to "trap him with fire," Mitsuteru actually chuckled.
He scanned the perimeter, then calmly formed hand seals,
Great Fireball Jutsu!
A massive fireball burst from his mouth, blasting apart the flaming triangle in front of him.
He broke free in one move.
But just as he emerged, another arrow flew at him.
This one came straight for his eye, and he was still mid-motion, old strength spent, new strength not yet ready.
His eyes widened,
He tilted his head at the last second, dodging by a hair.
But the arrow transformed mid-flight,
It was Rihito!
He appeared in a flash, hand already pressed to Mitsuteru's back,
[Four-Limbs Binding Seal]!
Click!
Mitsuteru froze in place, completely paralyzed.
"Wait, wait!" Shinnosuke ran over and threw himself in front.
"We surrender! Don't hurt him!"
Rihito brushed him aside like an annoying fly.
"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt him. Who said anything about that? You drama queen."
He released the seal and smiled.
"Let's start over. I'm Rihito Sato, second-year top student."
Mitsuteru's arms trembled as he stretched them out and returned the handshake.
"Rihito… huh? Fine. I'll remember that name."
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>