Sitting in the classroom, Uchiha Yuan let out a helpless sigh.
Senju Gen had just left.
This was already the third time in five days that he had come to challenge Yuan to a duel.
After thinking for a moment, Yuan decided to look for their instructor, Sarutobi Retsu.
He couldn't just let Senju Gen keep pestering him like this.
Across the room, Senju Gen was chatting with two classmates.
When he noticed Yuan walking out, a thoughtful look crossed his face—then he too stood up and followed.
"Teacher Retsu," Yuan called out as he spotted Sarutobi Retsu in the corridor near the classroom.
"Yuan, what's the matter?" Retsu asked in mild confusion.
"It's about Senju Gen," Yuan said seriously. "He's been challenging me repeatedly, and I've refused each time.
I'm worried he might come to you and ask for a one-on-one match at the training field."
At those words, Sarutobi Retsu frowned slightly—but inwardly, he felt a bit relieved.
He had a decent impression of Uchiha Yuan.
The boy had solid taijutsu fundamentals, but his ninjutsu talent was fairly average.
And as an external branch member of the Uchiha Clan—a family that had married into the clan—the likelihood of him awakening the Sharingan was extremely low.
Retsu's internal evaluation placed Yuan roughly outside the top ten in the class.
As for Senju Gen… well, he was every bit the prodigy one would expect from the Senju line.
His taijutsu, ninjutsu, and chakra reserves were all far above his peers.
He ranked among the top five students in the entire year.
After Yuan's previous duel with Hyūga Kagami, Retsu had already been a little concerned this might happen.
He hadn't expected Senju Gen to take an interest too—but it was good that Yuan seemed to know his limits and had no intention of accepting.
Retsu smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't arrange any duel between you two."
"That's a relief," Yuan said.
But before he could exhale, a cold voice rang out from behind them—
"Uchiha Yuan, why won't you fight me? You accepted Hyūga Kagami's challenge, didn't you?"
Yuan turned around to see Senju Gen striding toward him, irritation written all over his face.
His expression calm, Yuan said coolly,
"Senju Gen, you're the top student in our class. In the whole year, you rank among the top five.
I, on the other hand, am only twelfth. Tell me—do you want to challenge me to prove your strength, or just to humiliate me and the Uchiha Clan?"
Gen froze.
He hadn't expected that. To him, it was just a matter of interest—a friendly duel.
How did it suddenly turn into an accusation of insulting the Uchiha?
Without giving him a chance to reply, Yuan brushed past and walked back toward the classroom.
That should make him stop bothering me, Yuan thought to himself.
A few minutes later, Senju Gen returned as well. Yuan noticed that the boy kept his head lowered, looking visibly dejected.
After school, Yuan walked with Hatake Harusora toward the Hatake compound.
"Yesterday, I ran into my brother Kakashi," Harusora said quietly. "He feels… colder than before. I didn't even dare to approach him."
Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. "It's wartime. Perhaps someone close to him has fallen."
Harusora lowered his head. "I heard from one of my uncles that one of Kakashi's best friend's fathers died in battle.
Everyone in the clan was shocked when they heard it was Might Duy."
At the name, Yuan immediately pictured a broad grin and a pair of thick eyebrows—Might Guy's father.
He sighed softly. "If Kakashi saw his friend lose his father, he must be hurting deeply.
It must have reminded him of his own father—the White Fang."
After a brief silence, Yuan continued, "That's war for you. There will always be sacrifices.
But it's precisely because of those sacrifices that we can enjoy peace within the village."
Harusora nodded. "Yeah… I heard Might Duy took down four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist before he died.
He was incredible. Teacher Retsu even devoted three whole lessons to talking about those seven—they're all famous throughout the ninja world."
Yuan nodded. "There are plenty of filthy things in this village that make one's blood boil—but there are also people worthy of respect.
Might Duy was one of those people."
"Yuan-kun," Harusora said after a pause, "if only the Fourth Hokage hadn't died.
Things started getting worse after his death.
If he were still here, maybe he could've stopped all the darkness spreading through the village."
Yuan gave a faint, bitter smile.
If Namikaze Minato hadn't died, he thought, relations between the Uchiha and the village might never have deteriorated to the point of massacre.
After all, Mikoto Uchiha and Kushina Uzumaki were close friends—the two sides had a channel of trust.
He said aloud, with a trace of irony,
"Harusora, even if the Fourth had lived, do you really think the Third would've willingly given up his power?
Remember when they were choosing the next Hokage?
Even we academy students heard how divided the village was—many shinobi didn't want the Third to remain in control.
In truth, even after Minato became the Fourth, the real power probably still rested in Hiruzen's hands.
The Fourth was likely just a figurehead."
He gave a low chuckle. "Think about it. Among the Three Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was incredibly powerful and respected throughout the ninja world.
If he had become the Fourth Hokage, the Third would've truly been nothing more than that pervy old man spying on the women's bathhouse."
"So in the end," Yuan concluded, "the 'Yellow Flash' became the Hokage instead."
Harusora's face twisted with uncertainty. "Are you saying… the Third did that deliberately?"
Yuan smirked. "Look at the village now—the Third is once again acting as the temporary Hokage.
If they really wanted a Fifth, they would've elected one already.
But if they did, there'd be no stopping Orochimaru from taking the position."
"Then… who do you think the Fifth Hokage will be?"
Yuan shrugged. "Who knows? The power struggles at the top of the village are beyond what we can see."
As they spoke, the two entered a wooded area near the Hatake compound.
Suddenly, Yuan stopped in his tracks. He turned, his voice sharp.
"Senju Gen, how long are you going to follow us?"
Harusora stiffened in surprise, instantly scanning their surroundings.
Suiton – Water Collision Wave!
A surge of chakra flared in the underbrush—and a torrent of water burst forth, roaring straight toward Yuan!
Yuan didn't even flinch. He swung his fist forward.
BOOM!
The entire wave shattered under the impact, scattering into mist and droplets.
Through the drifting water vapor, a figure shot out, kicking toward Yuan like a falling meteor.
Yuan's fist moved again, his knuckles tightening to form a hard ridge.
BANG!
The collision echoed through the woods. The attacking figure was flung backward, flipping through the air before landing on a tree several meters away.
It was Senju Gen.
His face twisted in pain, his right leg trembling as he barely managed to stay balanced.
"Uchiha Yuan… what kind of technique was that?"
Gen sucked in a sharp breath. His right leg felt completely numb—as though countless electric currents were surging through it from the point of impact.
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