Life at the Ninja Academy was always unbearably dull. For new students like Riku, the teachers only covered the basics—simple theory lessons, perhaps one or two classes on the legendary Will of Fire. Ninjutsu? That was far beyond their reach. Even the most elementary Three-Body Jutsu wouldn't be taught until students reached higher grades.
For Riku, the Academy's curriculum was painfully boring. He spent most of the day dozing off, letting time slip by lazily.
Finally, the school day ended. Riku's energy surged the moment classes were dismissed. He gave Itachi a mischievous look before striding out of the classroom. Itachi, reading his signal instantly, packed up quickly and followed him.
Once outside, Riku spoke nonchalantly. "Itachi, where should we spar? We need somewhere quiet."
Itachi nodded in agreement. "Definitely somewhere private. Otherwise, it'd be humiliating if you cried when I beat you." He smirked, "But if it's just the two of us, I'll be the only one laughing at your pathetic state."
Riku gritted his teeth at the jab. He had a stubborn streak—a hallmark of the Uchiha genius—but he knew he'd need to focus later. "Those words suit you too. When I make you cry, don't hold it in."
"Hmph. Tough mouth. Let's go. I know a place where no one will bother us."
Itachi led Riku to the outskirts of the Village. After crossing a large patch of wasteland, they arrived at a secluded training ground.
Itachi's familiarity with the area was obvious. This was his personal training ground, Training Ground No. 17, built with his own hands. The cost? Mere pocket change for the son of the Uchiha Clan leader. For Riku, however, the well-maintained training equipment and neatly arranged Ninja Tools were dazzling. He realized he didn't even have enough money to buy a full set of tools himself.
Riku felt a mix of awe and disbelief at the wealth on display.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Itachi said, indifferent. "Pick whatever weapons you want. Don't tell me I'm bullying you."
Riku's pride urged him to refuse, but his rational side took over. Why waste such an opportunity? He eagerly selected his gear, equipping himself fully.
Minutes later, Riku, practically buried under kunai and shuriken, appeared before Itachi. He looked like an iron hedgehog.
Itachi's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He rubbed his forehead, unable to hold back. "How do you expect to fight looking like that? Put all that down. You can carry everything after we finish!"
Riku shot back, exasperated, "Satisfied now?"
Once Itachi's expression softened, Riku removed the heavy arsenal, including a hidden stash of explosive tags layered under his clothes.
Itachi's eyes widened. Explosive tags weren't cheap—they required considerable resources, even for someone like him. Seeing Riku armed with them felt like a preemptive loss. But he clenched his teeth, holding back his words. After all, he was the Uchiha heir. Yet, his gaze darkened.
"Riku, hurry up. I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face," Itachi muttered under his breath.
He intended to recover his perceived losses with a beating. Yet as soon as they formed the Seal of Confrontation, everything changed.
"Sealing Vein Finger Seal, Release!" Riku cried softly, releasing the seal on his body without forming any hand signs.
The sudden surge of Chakra made Itachi's scalp tingle. Even with Riku's newfound abilities beyond limits, his pre-limit skills remained intact. Mastery of a skill at max level had turned it into instinct. Riku didn't need hand signs for Ninjutsu—similar to the legendary style of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who could summon with a clap of his hands.
Riku did feel a slight frustration at the limited number of max-level skills he possessed, but even so, what he demonstrated stunned Itachi.
"Ninjutsu without hand signs… and Sealing Jutsu? How is this possible?" Itachi's voice trembled with shock.
Sealing Jutsu, a specialized form of Ninjutsu, was notoriously difficult—over twice as hard to master as regular Ninjutsu. Simplifying it to a no-hand-sign technique? Even a Jonin would struggle. Within the Uchiha Clan, it was unthinkable.
It wasn't just Riku's hand-free Sealing Jutsu that surprised him—it was the sheer volume of hidden Chakra. After releasing the seal, Riku's Chakra surpassed that of a typical Genin, leaving Itachi astonished.
"Perhaps he just has naturally high Chakra, and lacks skills elsewhere…" Itachi tried to rationalize, clinging to confidence.
But when Riku suddenly vanished, Itachi knew he had been wrong. Terribly wrong.
Riku's instincts and power left Itachi no choice but to treat the battle seriously. Every movement, every attack from Riku displayed precision and overwhelming strength. The air seemed to hum as Riku's Chakra radiated in waves, his mastery of Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu unrestrained.
Itachi lunged, expecting to catch him off-guard—but Riku anticipated it. With a blur of movement, he countered effortlessly, every strike precise, every feint calculated.
"You're fast… too fast!" Itachi muttered, trying to maintain composure. His eyes followed Riku's every move, analyzing, predicting, yet failing to match the young prodigy's skill.
Riku's no-hand-sign Ninjutsu allowed him to summon projectiles and traps instantly. Explosive tags detonated with flawless timing, scattering the earth around them. Kunai flew, shuriken spun like deadly stars, and all the while, Riku moved like a shadow, uncatchable and ruthless.
Itachi's pride ached as he struggled to keep up. He had never encountered someone at this level as a Genin, let alone in his own Village. Each counterattack he attempted was met with precision, forcing him to rethink strategy mid-battle.
The fight intensified. Riku's style was fluid, yet disciplined. He combined sheer raw power with tactical brilliance, forcing Itachi onto the defensive. Itachi's mind raced—he had to exploit weaknesses, but Riku's instinctual combat mastery left no gaps.
Minutes stretched into a flurry of attacks and counters. Every strike Riku executed was perfect, every movement calculated. And with each passing moment, Itachi realized this was no ordinary opponent.
Riku's talent, strategy, and sheer determination set him apart. Itachi's confidence, once unshakable, began to falter. The young Uchiha genius was facing a storm he hadn't anticipated, one that could change everything about his understanding of power in the Village.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across Training Ground No. 17, Riku's presence dominated the battlefield. Itachi, despite his skill and heritage, felt the weight of his limitations.
This fight wasn't just about winning—it was a revelation. Riku had arrived, and the balance of skill and power in the Village would never be the same.