Of course Kazan wasn’t going to accept their challenges.
His real body was still training on the mountain behind the Hokage Building.
The Kazan currently attending the Ninja Academy was only a Shadow Clone.
Judging by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attitude toward him, Kazan probably wouldn’t be punished even if this was discovered, but it would still cause unnecessary trouble.
Kazan knew there was a practical combat assessment today, but with so many students in the class, he figured there was no guarantee he would be matched against one of the strongest.
As long as he didn’t run into one of those few, his Shadow Clone would be more than enough to handle things.
Faced with the challenges from Uchiha Jō and Hyūga Asuka, Kazan’s Shadow Clone ignored them entirely and instead looked toward the chūnin instructor, waiting for him to announce the matchups.
His luck had always been pretty good.
Surely he could get through today with just a Shadow Clone.
The chūnin instructor quickly interrupted Jō and Asuka before announcing the pairings for today’s practical combat assessment.
“First match: Uchiha Obito versus Might Guy!”
Hearing this, Kazan’s Shadow Clone turned toward Uchiha Obito.
There actually had been a match like this in the original story.
The result?
Uchiha Obito had been instantly defeated by Might Guy.
The two soon stepped onto the field and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
It was a Konoha tradition.
When both sides formed the hand seal, it signified that they had accepted the match.
Once the fight ended, they would form the Seal of Reconciliation together, symbolizing that whatever had happened during the battle would not affect their friendship.
It was the same pose those two lovebirds at the Valley of the End had struck.
Just as Kazan remembered, after Uchiha Obito stepped out from the crowd, he began furiously encouraging himself in his head.
“You can do this, Uchiha Obito! You definitely can! Believe in all the effort you’ve put in lately!”
As Kakashi and Kazan became famous throughout Konoha, Obito’s desire for strength had grown even more intense.
He wanted to shine as brightly as they did and draw Nohara Rin’s attention toward himself.
He had trained incredibly hard lately.
Now was the moment for a miracle!
“Obito! Do your best!”
Rin cheered for him from the crowd.
The instant Obito heard her voice, a foolish grin spread across his face.
His imagination immediately began running wild.
Punching Kakashi.
Kicking Kazan.
And finally winning the girl of his dreams.
He became so absorbed in his fantasy that he didn’t even hear the chūnin instructor shout—
“Begin!”
By the time Obito snapped back to reality, Might Guy had already let out a strange cry.
“HYAAH!”
Guy rapidly closed the distance, leaped into the air, and struck Obito with a whipping kick that instantly robbed him of his ability to fight.
The entire field erupted in laughter.
Rin helplessly covered her forehead.
Standing beside her, Kurenai couldn’t quite understand her friend.
The person Rin clearly liked was Kakashi.
Yet she seemed to have absolutely no sense of boundaries when it came to Uchiha Obito, treating him with a level of closeness that went well beyond ordinary friendship.
The first match ended quickly.
After that, the remaining students took turns fighting according to the assigned brackets.
They were still children, after all.
There weren’t many spectacular scenes.
Most matches revolved around the Three Basic Techniques and taijutsu.
That gave Hyūga Asuka a natural advantage.
He had always excelled in practical combat assessments and had never fallen below the top three.
That was the inherent advantage provided by the Hyūga Clan’s kekkei genkai, the Byakugan.
Kazan’s Shadow Clone watched match after match.
The longer he watched, the more something felt wrong.
As more students took their turns, fewer and fewer remained on the sidelines.
Gradually, Kazan realized something.
Don’t tell me I’m actually going to get matched with that guy?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the chūnin instructor called out,
“Next match: Kazan versus Hyūga Asuka!”
Seriously?!
Kazan froze for a moment.
But there was nothing he could do except step onto the field.
“Kazan…”
Kurenai called out softly.
She was one of the few people who knew this Kazan was only a Shadow Clone, and there was a hint of worry buried in her voice.
Hyūga Asuka’s strength was obvious to everyone.
He was a genius of the Hyūga Clan’s current generation.
Kurenai also knew just how obsessed he was with getting revenge on Kazan.
She was afraid the Shadow Clone might expose itself during the fight and reveal the truth.
Kazan waved it off.
“It’s fine. Even if they find out, nothing serious will happen.”
He had connections now!
Kazan gave a casual wave before walking steadily onto the field, his sturdy face as relaxed as ever.
After all the effort he had put in over the past several days, he had now completely mastered the Six Powers.
Shave.
Iron Body.
Moonwalk.
Paper Art.
Finger Pistol.
Tempest Kick.
All he could say was that the talent running through Garp’s family was genuinely absurd.
Everyone joked that Kaido was an amazing teacher who could beat someone into Yonko-level strength with three swings of his club.
But ultimately, that was only possible because Luffy’s own talent and potential were equally monstrous.
Hyūga Asuka had already been itching for this fight.
Chakra faintly surged around his body as his blazing gaze locked onto Kazan.
His voice was cold.
“Kazan, this time I’ll make the entire village understand that the Hyūga Clan is the strongest!”
The Hyūga’s pride was no less intense than the Uchiha’s.
Compared to civilians, the greatest advantage shinobi clans possessed was that their descendants didn’t need to stumble around blindly.
Later generations only needed to follow the paths carved out by their predecessors to become excellent shinobi.
Asuka had already awakened his Byakugan.
His combat ability had long since reached genin level, and becoming a chūnin was merely a matter of time.
At the edge of the field, Uchiha Jō clenched his fists, unwillingness filling his eyes.
He was an Uchiha.
Yet a civilian had beaten him unconscious in front of the entire village.
That humiliation had been worse than killing him.
The chūnin instructor stood between the two fighters before raising one hand.
“Both sides, form the Seal of Confrontation.”
They did so.
“Ready…”
“Begin!”
The moment the word left his mouth, Hyūga Asuka struck first.
He activated the Byakugan immediately.
“Byakugan!”
With a fierce shout, chakra—or rather, ocular power—erupted from his eyes and spread outward.
His figure flashed forward.
Using the advantage of the Byakugan, Asuka precisely tracked the chakra flowing through Kazan’s Shadow Clone and charged directly toward him.
His palm formed into a blade, coated in gentle yet highly penetrating chakra as it stabbed toward Kazan’s chakra points.
That was the essence of the Hyūga’s Gentle Fist.
Once struck, the opponent’s chakra flow could be sealed, robbing them of their ability to fight.
Kazan’s Shadow Clone grinned.
He didn’t retreat a single step.
Instead, he met Asuka head-on with his iron fists.
“Galaxy Impact!”
The heavy punch came crashing forward.
Even Hyūga Asuka didn’t dare take it directly.
The houses Kazan had smashed through during their previous battle were proof enough of how dangerous that fist was.
Asuka immediately circulated his chakra.
His palm sliced out like a blade, striking toward the joint of Kazan’s arm.
Smack!
The instant fist and palm collided—
Hyūga Asuka actually knocked Kazan’s iron fist aside with a single palm strike.
“Oh?”
Surprise appeared on the Shadow Clone’s face.
Asuka immediately caught that subtle change in expression.
“I’ve already seen through your technique, Kazan!”
He roared, his desire for revenge surging through his entire body.
He would personally erase the stain he had brought upon the Hyūga Clan!
“Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!”
Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms.
This was currently Hyūga Asuka’s strongest technique.
He unleashed his ultimate move immediately, showing just how determined he was to avenge his previous defeat.
At the same time, his Byakugan could clearly see that the chakra within Kazan’s body was flowing much more rapidly than before.
Obviously, Kazan was taking him seriously today.
He was combining his physical strength with chakra and fighting at full power.
For some reason, the sight actually sent a surge of excitement through Asuka.
It meant that Kazan, one of the so-called “Twin Prodigies” of Konoha’s current generation, acknowledged his strength.
At the edge of the field, Kurenai grew increasingly nervous.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her clothes as she murmured,
“If they find out Kazan’s been using a Shadow Clone to attend school this whole time, the teacher’s definitely going to punish him again…”