No major shinobi village is run by fools.
They’re all very aware that the Uchiha Clan was a millennium-old powerhouse, with the Sharingan recognized as the world’s mightiest Kekkei Genkai ever since Wood Release vanished.
Countless people dream of obtaining even a single three-tomoe Sharingan. After all, Kakashi Hatake, ard with just one three-tomoe eye, beca known as the "Copy Ninja" and "Konoha’s First Technician," having reportedly copied over a thousand jutsu. And the ability to copy jutsu is only linked to the two-tomoe stage; at three tomoe, the Sharingan unlocks the infamous Genjutsu Eye.
Even so, outsiders can never use a Sharingan to its full potential. Only the Uchiha themselves—wielding the true might of a three-tomoe Sharingan—are deed unbeatable one-on-one, each an elite Jonin in their own right.
Such a large clan had multiple such elites, plus many more who had awakened one- or two-tomoe Sharingan, and even more who couldn’t activate it at all—yet they were all wiped out in one night.
Even if Itachi Uchiha held the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, doing that alone was considered impossible. And if it was possible, there should at least have been so noticeable commotion.
Instead, the Uchiha Clan perished overnight, and Itachi actually escaped the village. Clearly, deep forces were at play—almost certainly involving Konoha’s higher-ups.
The power and ruthlessness needed to quietly obliterate the top clan in a single night, without regard for the consequences, shocked the other villages.
Most contented themselves with sending spies to collect intel, and if those spies failed, they’d just back off. The Third Great Ninja War had left every village heavily damaged, and none had fully recovered yet.
Even Kumogakure, famous for taking advantage of Konoha’s crises, wasn’t jumping at this chance to cause trouble. They all seed inclined to preserve the fragile balance while preparing for the next great war.
Izayoi didn’t know the full details, but he could guess at so of it. Having read the original story, he knew the next few years would be relatively calm—perfect for building up his strength.
...
Sasuke Uchiha, after a week-long coma courtesy of the Mangekyo Sharingan’s illusions, finally woke up.
By the ti he reappeared in class, he was a drastically changed person. Before, when the girls crowded around him, he’d be annoyed but never said anything truly harsh, and certainly never used violence.
His aloof attitude only made the girls more relentless. But now that he was back, the girls who’d normally rush over to greet him didn’t dare approach. His glare and overall aura were just too intimidating for any of his peers to handle; none even wanted to make eye contact.
But Izayoi could see right through this new Sasuke: beyond the cold hostility, there was still a fragile, hurting kid who desperately needed genuine warmth and healing.
His pride, however, wouldn’t allow pity from anyone. Only soone who shared a similarly grim fate—Naruto Uzumaki, another "Child of the Prophecy"—could possibly reach Sasuke’s heart and earn his acknowledgent.
That afternoon, after class, Izayoi finally got the mont he’d been waiting for. Once taijutsu practice ended, everyone broke into their usual little groups—so staying at the Academy, so heading ho alone. Sasuke used to be in the "go ho alone" category. But today, he didn’t leave on his own. Instead, he stepped toward Izayoi and echoed the words Izayoi himself had once said:
"Izayoi—want to have a match?"
Hearing this, Izayoi—who had purposely co to school in person and had not gone ho with Hinata, precisely in hopes of this confrontation—smiled inwardly.
He put on a show of mild surprise, glanced at the still-recovering Sasuke (whose eyes brimd with shadows), and teased, "I challenged you before, but you weren’t interested. What changed?"
"Cut the crap. Don’t tell you’re scared?" Sasuke retorted with scorn. In the past, the only person he cared to train with was his brother, Itachi, so he saw no point wasting ti on others.
Now, with his clan gone, his only reasons to live are to kill Itachi and restore the Uchiha na. To do that, he needs overwhelming power, and he must prove the clan’s honor remains unbroken by surpassing all his peers. Right now, Izayoi stands as the highest bar to beat.
Izayoi didn’t know exactly what Sasuke was thinking, but he understood Sasuke was using provocation to hide his own stubborn pride. So he calmly agreed. "All right, let’s do it."
"Good. Let’s go to the school training ground," Sasuke said, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"No need for that," Izayoi replied with a shake of his head. "I’ll take you sowhere else."
With that, he headed toward the deserted training ground he’d been using with Hinata. Sasuke followed at once. It had been a week since the Uchiha Clan’s destruction, so Obito—aside from visiting Rin’s grave each year—probably wouldn’t be skulking around Konoha. And Izayoi had already noted Rin’s death anniversary to avoid training outdoors on that specific day in the future, so he’d resud practicing in the wilderness a few days ago.
Before long, the two arrived at the rundown training ground where Izayoi and Hinata usually trained.
The ground and trees bore nurous scars of past sparring sessions and jutsu tests. Noticing these traces, Sasuke tensed, his eyes revealing a flicker of surprise. If all this was Izayoi’s handiwork, didn’t that imply Izayoi had also mastered multiple elental releases? Sasuke recalled that Izayoi was an orphan, lacking a clan or teacher. Sasuke, anwhile, had grown up with a father and brother guiding him.
It dawned on Sasuke that Izayoi wasn’t just gifted—he worked harder, too. That only increased Sasuke’s determination. A fight with such an opponent would force him to grow stronger. Defeating this rival would prove his own power.
"How do you want to do this?" Izayoi asked, eyeing Sasuke. "Just taijutsu, or do you want no-holds-barred?"
In other words, anything goes: the Three Basic Techniques, Invisibility, Body Flicker, gear of any kind, and even ninjutsu not taught at the Academy—like elental releases—were fair ga.
Such unregulated matches also carried far greater risks. Though the Academy did include such fights in the sixth year, they required not only a referee but a dedicated dic on standby because it was all too easy for soone to get seriously hurt or worse.
If Iruka were here, he’d be horrified by the suggestion, imdiately stepping in to stop them. But Sasuke didn’t hesitate: "No-holds-barred."
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