Uchiha Yuan lay flat on his back, chest heaving, sweat dripping from the tips of his hair.
So this… is Sensei's true strength.
No wonder the name Konoha's White Fang inspired such fear.
He closed his eyes, replaying every strike, every feint, and every parry from his bout with Hatake Sakumo—each movement of the blade flashing through his mind like streaks of lightning.
Time slipped quietly by.
When En finally opened his eyes again, his gaze was razor-sharp, and the aura around him condensed into a faint, almost tangible blade light.
A gust of wind swept through the dark forest canopy, scattering a flurry of leaves.
Uchiha Yuan was moving again—flitting between branches with the effortless grace of a hawk gliding through the trees. His feet barely touched each branch before he launched himself toward the next, his pace steady, fluid, and fast.
Then—he froze.
As he landed on a thick branch, his expression suddenly changed. In the next instant, he completely suppressed his chakra and breath, blending silently into the dense foliage.
There was a chill in the air—a cold, serpentine presence ahead.
Moments later, a figure appeared within his sight.
Orochimaru.
En's heart jolted. Orochimaru? Here? In the Forest of Death?
The man's pace was unhurried, almost languid, yet his every step carried uncanny speed and precision.
En watched warily as Orochimaru passed directly beneath his perch and disappeared deeper into the forest.
As the pale figure vanished among the trees, a thought surfaced in En's mind.
Could it be… Orochimaru has already begun pursuing immortality?
Is his secret laboratory hidden here, in the Forest of Death?
If that were true, then his earlier indifference toward the struggle for the Hokage's seat made perfect sense.
He had already set his sights on something far beyond power or titles.
Suddenly, En's hand shot out. He snatched a few leaves from a branch and flicked them sharply.
Swish!
A moment later, several vividly colored snakes fell from the nearby foliage—each with a leaf embedded cleanly through its head.
En frowned deeply.
Not good… he's noticed me.
Without hesitation, he leapt down from the tree and vanished into the ground using an Earth Release technique.
The very next second, one of the dead serpents twitched. Its belly swelled grotesquely—then split open.
From within slithered a smaller white snake, which opened its jaws wide.
And from that gaping maw, a pale figure emerged.
Orochimaru.
He cast his eyes around the forest, his tongue flicking briefly across his lips before a grin crept onto his face.
"Heh… what an interesting little one. To slip past my serpents unnoticed…"
His gaze drifted to one of the fallen snakes. From its head, he plucked the leaf that had pierced it. Holding the soft, green blade between his fingers, he began to chuckle.
"Fascinating. So, the Uchiha clan hides such a talented child among them?"
From the collar of his robe, a small white snake emerged, hissing softly beside his ear.
Orochimaru's golden eyes gleamed. The corners of his mouth stretched into a wide, delighted grin.
"How delightful… That boy intrigues me more and more."
Outside the village walls, Uchiha Yuan emerged from underground, brushing dirt from his clothes.
Even after suppressing my chakra completely, he still sensed me… As expected of one of the legendary Sannin—none of them are to be underestimated.
Still, though he's found me, he shouldn't know who I am.
He turned to glance once more at the distant Forest of Death before leaping gracefully over the village wall.
At the Ninja Academy
The final class of the day had just ended. Uchiha Yuan packed up his bag and walked out beside Hatake Haruka.
Once they exited the school gate, they turned down a quiet side alley.
A few moments later, Senju Gen appeared from the other end, waving.
"En, Haruka—here," he said, holding out three skewers of takoyaki.
En and Haruka each took one, and the three boys walked together down the narrow lane, eating as they went.
Ever since that sparring match, Senju Gen had practically glued himself to them. Every afternoon after class, he would follow them to the Hatake compound—at first just to watch their training.
A few days later, he had demanded a sparring match with En, which En flatly refused. But Gen had simply joined in their training sessions anyway, thick-skinned and persistent.
In the end, En had no choice but to let him join, though he'd kept one rule—
If Gen wanted to challenge him, he'd have to defeat Hatake Haruka first.
"En," Gen said between bites, "I've been practicing a new jutsu lately—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet. It's an advanced form of Water Bullet!"
Haruka laughed. "That's an A-rank jutsu! Even if you can form it, your chakra reserves won't let it hit with much force."
Gen puffed up indignantly. "Just wait, Haruka! When you face my Water Dragon later, we'll see if you can still joke!"
Before Haruka could reply, a loud commotion erupted ahead of them.
The three quickened their pace, emerging onto a wide, empty lot filled with stacked timber and sandbags.
There, a group of Hyūga students were fighting.
They were split into two sides—one group, about a dozen strong, had surrounded three others.
Among the surrounded trio was their classmate, Hyūga Kyo.
"Hyūga Kyo," sneered the ringleader, striding forward with several supporters, "I finally caught you. Let's see how you run this time."
Kyou frowned. "Hyūga Hirohito, what are you trying to do?"
Hirohito's face twisted with anger. "You branch-house failure! You actually lost to that Uchiha brat, En! He's just an outsider of the clan, and you—by losing to him—made me the laughingstock of our family!"
"This has nothing to do with the clan," Kyou said coldly. "And Uchiha Yuan is strong—stronger than you realize."
"Ha! Don't make me laugh," Hirohito snapped. "That outsider's only good at taijutsu. Our Hyūga Gentle Fist is the supreme taijutsu of all shinobi!"
Then his eyes hardened. "You humiliated me, Kyou. Today, I'll make sure you pay for it!"
At his signal, several Hyūga boys rushed forward, attacking Kyou and his two companions.
The three tried to hold their ground, but they were outnumbered—and the other two were clearly weaker. Within moments, Kyou stood alone, fending off blows from every side.
From a distance, En watched silently.
"Looks like Kyou's gotten stronger," he murmured.
Beside him, Haruka asked, "En-kun, should we step in?"
Next to them, Senju Gen was already tense, itching to join the fray.
But En raised a hand. "Not yet. Don't underestimate Kyou."
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