Until the following week, Shorai trained relentlessly—his chakra reserve regimen strictly maintained. His experiments with substitution, acceleration, and genjutsu remained a secondary focus, slowly refined in spare moments. In class, Sasuke met him with a cold, judgmental stare, refusing to speak. Shorai responded as always—calm greetings, quiet goodbyes—choosing to ignore the silence, his mind instead lingering on the ripple of cause and effect he had set in motion, wondering how much the class would truly change by graduation.
The next week arrived. After another day at the Academy, Shorai was heading toward his room when he encountered Tetsuo, who greeted him warmly and mentioned that a woman had come earlier, leaving a letter.
Shorai took it, thanked Tetsuo, and returned to his room. The letter confirmed everything was ready for the next phase of the plan—he was to appear after his Academy duties. He sighed at the irony of it all: his personal clothing designs, made for comfort and connection to his past life, had drawn such attention. Still, the real reward lay in the payment. He now had enough ryo to live without worry, carefully saved and spent only on what was necessary.
He went straight to the shop. Aya greeted him with excitement, ushering him into a specially prepared room. A stage was set, complete with lighting and even painting stands along the side. Hanging on a dresser were his designs—brought to life for the first time.
Ren entered, welcomed him, and explained the process. After a moment's thought, Shorai proposed using a Henge to alter his hair and eye color—for safety, he said, to avoid unwanted attention and disruption. Aya and Ren were amazed by the seamless transformation, praising his skill and agreeing to keep it a secret until he chose to reveal it.
The first session featured his signature black-and-white attire with lightning patterns—the very outfit he had first worn. Then came a series of changes: his new designs, followed by Aya's and the shop's own creations. Time flew. Shorai arrived at 5 PM and left at 10 PM, exhausted from constant posing and outfit changes, yet energized by the team's enthusiasm as they prepared the samples. They had only showcased a few of his designs—an appetizer, not the full course.
"Damn, that took a lot out of me," he mused. "Guess tonight is just chakra reserve training—exhaustion, physical drills, and meditation."
The next day, he returned to class as usual, greeting everyone with his usual calm. But as he approached his seat, a sharp, angry glare stopped him.
"Where were you?" Sasuke demanded, voice tense.
Naruto looked up from his theory book, puzzled.
Shorai blinked, then facepalmed. "I was busy—something came up, and I had to handle it. Sorry."
The girls whispered among themselves, exchanging confused glances.
"Hmph. Today," Sasuke said, still glaring.
"Sure. Sure," Shorai replied, taking his seat.
The bell rang. Iruka entered. It wasn't a sparring day—just theory. Arithmetic had evolved into mathematics, covering division and multiplication. A brief introduction to physics came through basic geometry, applied to simple problems. Iruka explained it was only to assess their level—a taste of what Year 4 would bring.
After class, at 8 PM, Shorai met Sasuke on the training ground. The air was still, the sky darkening above them.
"Same as last time," Shorai said calmly. "No weapons. Pure taijutsu."
"I'll show you," Sasuke muttered, fists clenched.
They took their stances and performed the Seal of Confrontation.
Without applying chakra, Shorai stepped forward, right arm extending into an elbow strike. Sasuke smirked, sliding smoothly to the right. As his face evaded the blow, he countered with a sharp left punch aimed at Shorai's chin.
The dodge was expected. A faint smile touched Shorai's lips—this move had played out countless times in his mind, sparring against spectral replicas. With his elbow and right leg still forward, he saw the punch clearly—slow, predictable. His left hand shifted from fist to palm, catching the strike mid-motion. In one fluid twist, he seized Sasuke's clenched fingers, rotated the wrist, and forced the arm down, unbalancing him. As Sasuke turned, back exposed, Shorai wrenched the arm behind him and locked his neck in a hold—complete control.
"Damn it!" Sasuke spat, struggling—until a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
Shorai released the neck grip and pushed him away.
"You've improved," he said, returning to stance. "But your speed still lags." He paused, watching Sasuke shake out his arm. "We're limited by our bodies. Especially now."
"My clansmen… at our age… were stronger than both of us," Sasuke said, voice tight, before resuming his stance.
They clashed again—jabs, feints, knees—Shorai matching him, deliberately holding back to prolong the exchange.
"I heard stories of Uchiha Shisui," Shorai said, dodging a leg sweep aimed at his torso. "They called him Shunshin no Shisui—the fastest of the Uchiha. Deadly, even at our age." He steadied his breath as they paused, circling. "And I heard he had his Sharingan… around our age."
Sasuke's breath came heavy. The fight had sharpened his focus, fueled both frustration and hunger to improve. At Shorai's words, he hesitated. "Shisui-san… was a prodigy. But… it didn't save him."
His hands trembled slightly.
They fought in bursts, pausing to catch their breath, the session stretching over an hour and a half.
Shorai finally stood, stretching. "Enough for today. You're not the same as a week ago. I see you took my words seriously. The library helped, didn't it?"
"It's still not enough," Sasuke said, glaring, chest heaving. "I'm barely moving. You… you feel like you know what I'll do before I do it." His face twisted in frustration. "What's your secret?"
Shorai rubbed his chin, feigning thought. "Maybe taijutsu's my specialty. Maybe I've got a kekkei genkai I don't know about. Or maybe…" He shrugged. "I've just paid attention. All these years sparring in class—I've studied your style. Every shift, every rhythm."
Sasuke stared, lost in thought. "…Kekkei genkai, huh?"
"Good night," Shorai said. "If nothing comes up, we meet next week."
"…I'll be waiting."
Shorai left with quiet caution, scanning for hidden eyes as always. "Meditation and chakra exhaustion tonight," he mused. "No physical training. Body's had enough."