"Hmph! Those damned Uchiha…"
"As expected, they still refuse to behave."
After listening to his subordinate's report, Danzo Shimura frowned deeply.
The killing intent in his heart toward the Uchiha clan surged even stronger.
To begin with, Danzo had never hidden his disgust for the Uchiha.
In his eyes, it was an inherently evil clan—one that deserved to be wiped out.
That was precisely why he had been constantly pressuring Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But on this matter, Hiruzen's stance had always been ambiguous—
neither agreeing nor outright refusing.
But now—
"Daring to mock my precious grandson… they really have a death wish."
"Come with me."
Having made up his mind, Danzo quickly left Root with Yamanaka Fū and his other aide, heading straight for the Hokage Tower.
Ordinarily, negotiations between the two old men would end in endless back-and-forth—
I talk, you regret; you talk, I stall.
But this time…
For once, they reached rare consensus.
As for what was discussed, no one knew.
They only saw that when Danzo emerged from the Hokage's office—
there was a smile on his face.
The next day.
"Young Master, the clan head asked me to inform you—today you're reporting to Iruka's class."
Hearing the butler's words, Aiden raised an eyebrow.
He'd originally planned to go find the old man himself to demand a class change.
Turns out it had already been arranged.
Recalling the Third Hokage's face yesterday—dark as the bottom of a pot—
Aiden nearly laughed out loud.
Still, now that he'd been transferred into the protagonist class,
it was the perfect chance to farm fusion progress.
Before long, Aiden arrived at the Ninja Academy.
Under Iruka's guidance, he entered the classroom.
The once-noisy room instantly fell silent the moment they stepped inside.
"Alright, Aiden, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Faced with Iruka's request, Aiden showed no reaction whatsoever.
The silence immediately made Iruka awkward.
"Wow… he's so cool!"
"And really handsome!"
"I think he's even better-looking than Sasuke!"
"Yeah! I was thinking the same!"
In an instant, the classroom erupted again.
At the back of the room, Nara Shikamaru lay slumped over his desk, watching the chaos with a deadpan expression.
"…What a pain."
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Ino's eyes lit up, her mind clearly racing with thoughts unknown.
"He's just average. Sasuke is way better-looking."
"Sasuke-kun is the most handsome!"
Haruno Sakura, ignoring the chatter, continued gazing dreamily at Sasuke by the window.
Just as she looked over—
Sasuke spoke up, his face full of disdain.
"Hey, hey, hey—Sarutobi Aiden."
"Don't get too full of yourself. You think this is still your old class?"
"You're just the Sarutobi clan's young master."
"Do you really think everyone here is afraid of you?"
Ever since hearing his father talk about Aiden, Sasuke had felt nothing but contempt.
Just a useless brat riding on the Sarutobi name.
And now, seeing the girls who used to flock around him staring at Aiden instead—
it felt like something that belonged to him had been stolen.
The irritation instantly boiled over.
As Sasuke stepped forward, the entire classroom fell silent.
On the podium, Iruka's heart skipped a beat.
This is bad.
Before Iruka could intervene, Aiden spoke first.
"Oh?"
"Who the hell is barking?"
"If you've got the guts, come outside and fight me one-on-one."
Sasuke had only intended to mock him.
But hearing those words, rage exploded in his chest.
"You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Training grounds—now!"
With that, Sasuke stormed out of the classroom.
Aiden followed immediately after.
Seeing this, Iruka nearly had a heart attack and rushed to chase after them.
The rest of the class naturally followed as well—
after all, watching drama was human nature.
News of the situation quickly reached the Third Hokage.
After hearing the report, Sarutobi Hiruzen calmly took a puff from his pipe, utterly unconcerned.
"Go inform Uchiha Fugaku."
"Tell him to meet us at the Ninja Academy."
Receiving the order, ANBU swiftly headed to the Konoha Police Force.
When Fugaku learned that Sasuke had clashed with Sarutobi Aiden, his expression changed dramatically.
This is bad.
He immediately set off for the academy.
At the training grounds—
Uchiha Sasuke and Aiden stood facing each other.
Iruka, left with no better option, reluctantly took on the role of referee, ready to intervene if things went too far.
The surrounding students had already split into two camps.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Definitely Sasuke! He's the Uchiha clan's genius!"
"Not necessarily! Sarutobi Aiden is the Hokage's grandson—I don't think he's weaker!"
"Sasuke is the strongest!"
"No, Aiden is!"
The two sides shouted themselves hoarse, neither backing down.
Among those cheering for Aiden, a blond kid stood out—exceptionally energetic.
"Woohoo! Go Aiden!!"
"Teach that stuck-up Sasuke a lesson!"
"Hit him! Hit him!"
The over-the-top cheering made Aiden glance sideways.
Spotting Uzumaki Naruto in the crowd almost made him laugh.
"Hmph! Sarutobi Aiden—today I'll show you!"
"The true power of the Uchiha clan!"
As Sasuke finished speaking, he formed the Seal of Confrontation.
Aiden, however, didn't respond at all.
Chakra?
Hand seals?
Why would he bother?
What kind of idiot fights by forming seals?
"Stop dragging it out. Just attack already."
"Let me see what your Uchiha clan is really capable of."
Hearing Aiden's mocking tone, Sasuke nearly exploded.
Originally, he'd planned to just give him a light lesson—
now, he was determined to make this bastard understand one thing:
The Uchiha clan could not be insulted.
"You're asking for it!!!"
Sasuke's hands suddenly flew through rapid hand seals—
Snake → Goat → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger
Seeing this, Iruka's expression changed drastically.
"Sasuke—stop!!"
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