A gentle breeze swept through the arena, sending leaves swirling in the air.
For a mont, all attention was fixed on Kakashi who stood with half-closed eyes, his usual lazy expression intact, wearing his half-sleeve with the Fire symbol, signifying his status as the Hokage’s Hand, and Sasuke, clad in a high-necked shirt adorned with the Uchiha clan emblem, resting one hand on his hip, exuding a cold and aloof deanor.
With their backs to each other, the master and disciple had appeared in the center of the arena. The duo, with their striking looks and calm composure, commanded the attention of everyone present, like a black hole pulling in all focus completely disrupting Itachi’s announcent of the next matchup.
After a brief mont of stunned silence, the audience erupted into thunderous cheers!
The sudden appearance of the Hokage’s Hand and the prodigious Uchiha boy had reignited the energy in the arena, pushing the excitent to a new level.
…
Konohagakure’s Waiting Room
Seeing Kakashi and Sasuke's dramatic entrance, the Konoha ninjas felt a wave of relief. Ino, bursting with excitent, grabbed Chōji’s shoulders and shook him vigorously. "Look, Chōji! Sasuke-kun is here... he's finally here!"
On the other side, Shikamaru nervously pointed out, "Ino… um, Chōji is… maybe you should stop?"
Snapping back to reality, Ino realized that Chōji had been shaken so hard he was foaming at the mouth and seed to have lost consciousness.
Mika and Naruto grinned at the sight of Sasuke, while Kiyomi let out a sigh of relief. The other Genins shared similar feelings, visibly more at ease.
Jiraiya also seed relieved. "Luckily, they made it back in ti," Jiraiya said, nodding. "I was worried they might miss the matchup."
Tsunade-hi added thoughtfully, "Looking at the two of them, they seem very confident. Besides teaching Sasuke Purple Lightning, did Kakashi teach him anything else?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "I’m not sure, but I’d bet on it. Otherwise, what were they up to for so many days? Sasuke's potential is even higher than we initially thought, so I’m definitely expecting sothing big."
Tsunade-hi gave Jiraiya a complex look. In most aspects, she didn’t feel inferior to her fellow Sannin. But when it ca to recruiting disciples, she had to admit Jiraiya had her beat. The disciples he had taken under his wing were either incredibly talented or imnsely powerful—whether it was Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Nagato, or now Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke, at such a young age, already showed the presence of a formidable shinobi.
In her eyes, when it ca to training disciples, Jiraiya had outclassed not only her but even Orochimaru. Among the three Sannins, Jiraiya was undoubtedly Konoha's top ntor.
But what Tsunade-hi doesn’t know is that that’s not necessarily the case since other than Hyuga Kuroto Orochimaru also has Yakushi Kabuto, Kaguya Kimimaro, Yuki Haku, and Guren as his disciples, all of whom are exceptional ninjas in their own right not to ntion Kuroto. Therefore, Orochimaru is probably superior to Jiraiya when it cos to recruiting disciples.
…
Agakure’s Waiting Room
"Is this so kind of showmanship?" Raijin mumbled, listening to the endless cheers from the crowd.
He wasn't sure if Kakashi had intentionally chosen such a grand entrance, which clearly stunned much of the audience, or if it was just a coincidence. Sasuke, with his cold deanor and posture, standing back-to-back with Kakashi, exuded an air of the ‘Return of the King,’ which made Raijin chuckle. Looks like I’ll need to teach him a lesson about the harshness of the shinobi world, he thought, intrigued by the special training Kakashi had given Sasuke.
While Raijin mused on these thoughts, Samsara returned to the waiting room and spoke to him, "Raijin-sama, I defeated Temari of Sunagakure as quickly as I could."
"Good," Raijin nodded in approval, patting her on the head.
At that mont, Tengu spoke up, "The next match is mine… will I be fighting, or will you take over, Raijin-sama?"
Raijin paused to think before replying, "You'll go first."
"I see," Tengu nodded, standing and preparing to leave the waiting room.
"Good luck," Samsara said softly as Tengu made his way out.
"Finish it quickly," Raijin added his mind already on Sasuke. Now that the Uchiha had arrived, Raijin was eager to face him and set the final part of his plan in motion.
"I understand," Tengu replied as he exited the room.
...
At the Arena
Sasuke, cold and aloof, listened to the cheers surrounding him and allowed a slight smirk to tug at the corners of his lips. Soon, his eyes found his father, mother, and sister-in-law in the stands. Just like during his graduation from the Konoha Ninja Academy, his father had once again shown up in public. Despite the loss of his eyes, Sasuke knew people would be whispering and pointing.
No one understood his father’s pride better than Sasuke. He knew how much pain his father must feel, enduring the criticism and gossip. Seeing his father sitting in the stands, smiling despite his closed eyes, made sothing in Sasuke's chest tighten painfully, so much that it felt hard to breathe.
But Sasuke forced himself to look away from the stands and focused on Itachi, who stood as the referee in the arena. "Nii-san, I'm here," Sasuke called out.
Itachi responded calmly, "First, go to Iruka-san and sign the life-and-death agreent. Then, wait for your match."
Although killing was forbidden in this round, battles between ninjas could still lead to serious injuries, so the life-and-death agreent was a necessary formality. The other candidates had already signed it in advance, so Sasuke, having just arrived, needed to complete this process before his match.
Sasuke nodded and quickly made his way to sign the agreent, while Kakashi left the arena and headed to Konoha’s waiting room, where a swarm of Konoha ninjas bombarded him with questions about his late arrival.
With Sasuke and Kakashi gone, Itachi resud the interrupted announcent. "Tengu of Agakure and Hōzuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure, please step forward."
The two Genin soon arrived at the arena. Once both were ready, Itachi signaled the start of the match, “Begin!” And left the arena, as the Four Purple Fla Formation isolated them inside.
…
On the other side, after quickly signing the life-and-death agreent under Iruka’s guidance, Sasuke had just exited the office and was making his way to Konoha’s waiting room. Suddenly, he noticed Itachi hurrying sowhere with a panicked expression.
"Huh?" Sasuke frowned. His brother had always been the picture of calm and control. Seeing Itachi so flustered was nothing short of bizarre. ‘What could possibly unsettle nii-san?’ Without realizing it, Sasuke found himself subconsciously following Itachi.
He soon reached a secluded, dim corner and overheard Shisui’s muffled voice. “We made a mistake in our initial investigation of the Agakure ninjas… and you were right…”
“It can't be…” Itachi’s voice sounded horrified.
“Yes,” Shisui confird grimly. “Raijin of Agakure isn’t from the Akatsuki… he’s part of Amatsukami. And those Sharingan he has… they’re most definitely Fugaku-sama’s!”
Sasuke froze in place. Confusion clouded his mind for a brief mont before being replaced by a surge of uncontrollable rage. His heart pounded violently in his chest as he gritted his teeth, one na echoing in his thoughts: Raijin!
“What should we do?” Shisui asked, his voice tense. “Should we confront Raijin?”
“No,” Itachi replied, shaking his head. “We don’t fully understand Tengu and Samsara’s backgrounds yet. It’s too risky.”
“Then what’s the plan? Sasuke might end up fighting Raijin, and that could be disastrous…” Shisui added, concern lacing his words. “Right now, Tengu of Agakure and Hōzuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure are in the middle of their match, so we have a bit of ti. If we act quickly, maybe we can…”
Itachi was about to agree with Shisui when he blinked and then sighed, "It's too late... the fight between Tengu of Agakure and Hōzuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure is over. Tengu has won."
"Already?" Shisui’s eyes widened. "This match ended as quickly as Samsara’s... I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this, Itachi." He hesitated before adding, "We should at least tell Sasuke about Raijin’s true identity. He’s about to face soone that dangerous. He should be ntally prepared."
Sasuke, hiding nearby, perked up his ears, his concern growing, ‘Will nii-san agree?’
Itachi’s calm, low voice reached him. "No, there's no need for him to know. Sasuke isn't ready to handle sothing of this magnitude. He still lacks the basic emotional control a ninja must possess. If he found out Raijin of Agakure was a mber of Amatsukami, his emotions would get the best of him. I’m not sure what he might do."
Shisui looked conflicted. "But Itachi, what if—"
"It’s fine, Shisui-san. Sasuke is still a child, and Raijin will likely see him that way too. I doubt Raijin will go out of his way to embarrass a child. It doesn’t match the reputation of the Amatsukami."
Sasuke, who was eavesdropping, felt his heart sink. His face darkened as anger surged within him. "Again. Nii-san always treats like a child. But I’ve grown up—I can protect my family and the Uchiha clan!" Quietly, he slipped away from the scene. Though fury burned inside him, Sasuke knew better than to reveal himself. If Itachi realized he’d overheard their conversation and discovered Raijin’s true identity, he would undoubtedly prevent Sasuke from participating in the upcoming match. And after arriving late, Itachi would have a legitimate reason to disqualify him so it was best to leave.
Sensing Sasuke's chakra fading as he moved away, Shisui sighed and looked at Itachi. "As you said, Sasuke is still quite immature."
Itachi murmured, "That's true... but he'll grow in ti." With that, he also left, needing to announce the result of the match between Tengu of Agakure and Hōzuki Suigetsu of Kirigakure, as well as the lineup for the next round.
…
After overhearing the conversation between Itachi and Shisui, Sasuke didn't head to Konohagakure's waiting room. Instead, he made his way directly to the arena, walking slowly, each step heavy as countless scenes replayed in his mind.
As he approached, the cheers of the crowd grew louder. Hearing their voices, Sasuke's eyes gradually hardened. The murderous intent on his face began to subside, replaced by cold determination. He resolved, ‘Raijin, just wait. I will kill you in front of everyone and take back Tou-san's eyes!’
Already in the arena, Raijin crossed his arms, watching Sasuke erge from the passage. He thought to himself, ‘It's only been a few days, and his temperant has changed so much. His Visual Prowess has improved as well. Well, he truly is the reincarnation of Ōtsutsuki Indra!’
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