"Stop running!"
An angry Uchiha was dangerous. An angry Uchiha with the Sharingan active was worse.
Wataru tore upward through the branches, closing the distance with frightening speed. The crimson eye marked Konoha's pride, and even a single tomoe meant a clear leap in perception, motion tracking, and reaction. Against ordinary academy students, it was overwhelming.
Against a careless opponent, it was lethal.
Mayū steadied himself on the higher branch and watched. Wataru's path was direct. Aggressive. He would strike the moment he reached range.
A thrust.
The sensation hit first. Not sight, not sound. Just certainty.
A heartbeat later, steel passed through his body.
Gasps rippled below. A teacher froze mid-step.
Then the body burst into smoke.
Wood splintered where the kunai landed.
Wataru felt it instantly. The resistance was wrong. The hit had been clean, but the target had never been real.
Impossible.
Up until the final instant, the chakra flow had been solid. There was no way to switch targets that late. The Sharingan had seen everything.
Everything except the truth.
The smoke cleared.
Mayū stood behind him.
He did not announce victory. He moved.
A sharp kick swept into Wataru's leg. Before balance could return, Mayū drove both fists down into the small of his back. The impact landed with a dull, final sound.
Wataru went limp.
A teacher caught him just in time, preventing a fall that would have ended far worse.
Mayū clicked his tongue and exhaled.
That was enough.
This was never about tricking the Sharingan. It was about guiding the fight down a path the opponent believed they controlled. The first substitution had been bait. The second, delayed to the very edge of perception, decided everything.
The eye had seen it.
The user had not understood it.
Mayū turned away and nodded to Minato below. Only then did the tension drain from his shoulders. Fatigue rushed in, and he yawned as he climbed down with easy steps.
Tree-walking came naturally to him. Perhaps that was the one thing he could still claim over Minato.
Minato waved back, calm as ever. He had never moved to interfere. He trusted Mayū to finish it.
Around them, silence broke into stunned whispers.
Uchiha Wataru had lost.
Not to another prodigy. Not to some secret technique. Just timing, positioning, and a common academy jutsu.
The realization shook the watching students. Talent mattered, but it was not invincible. Effort and understanding could bridge the gap, even against a clan monster.
Mayū, however, felt only unease.
Publicly humiliating an Uchiha was rarely a wise move.
Applause echoed from above.
A man stood atop the academy wall, white hair catching the light. He looked young, far too young to be wearing a jōnin vest. Yet the presence was unmistakable.
"Impressive," he said, grinning. "Hey, black-haired kid. Want to graduate early and become my student?"
The name that followed carried weight.
Jiraiya.
For most, this was a chance that never came twice.
Mayū stared, then blinked, and spoke without thinking.
"Uh… I don't really want to graduate yet."
The yard froze.
Jiraiya nearly slipped off the wall.
"…That's fine," he said quickly, recovering with a laugh. "You can still be my student without graduating."
Mayū rubbed the back of his head, suddenly aware of how many eyes were on him.
The day had taken another turn.