In the ninja class, a humanoid target stood about twenty paces away. Each child took their turn for the shuriken accuracy test.
Iruka called out, "Sasuke Uchiha, nine out of ten hits. Excellent."
Immediately, whispers filled the background.
"Wow, as expected of Sasuke, so cool."
"Sakura Haruno, eight out of ten. Excellent."
"Of course, that's the girl I like," someone muttered.
Iruka raised his voice again, "Uzumaki Naruto, you're up."
"Hah! Watch me beat Sasuke!" Naruto shouted confidently as he stepped forward and struck a dramatic pose.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Ten shuriken flew from his hands.
If you ignored the results, the form was surprisingly good—only…
Iruka's face turned green as a kunai narrowly passed between his legs.
"Naruto! Three out of ten—fail! Stay after class for extra practice. Three hours!"
Naruto wilted on the spot. "Aww, come on…"
"Itsuki Haruto, ten out of ten. Excellent."
A new wave of whispers spread through the class.
"Wow, Haruto never misses…"
"As expected of my boss!"
"Tch." Sasuke gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at Haruto.
When there hadn't been tragedy at home, Sasuke was still a show-off—and clearly didn't like being outshone.
Back in the classroom, Iruka began announcing the results of the last written exam.
"Sakura Haruno, 100 points. Very good."
Sakura strutted proudly to the front, collecting her paper with what she thought was gracious humility.
See that? Only a girl like me deserves the best.
"Sasuke, number two, 98 points. Just a small mistake. Keep it up."
Sasuke's mood soured. Losing the top spot to Sakura was already a blow—but worse, he cast a cold, competitive glance at Haruto.
Haruto blinked.
Did I provoke this guy somehow?
"Haruto Itsuki, ranked 65th, 30 points."
Gasps filled the room.
Iruka frowned. "Haruto, what's going on? You missed a question even Naruto got right. How could you not answer something as basic as the ninja code?"
Sasuke couldn't help but let out a satisfied sneer. The other students looked stunned.
"If I'd known he didn't study, I'd have let him copy," one whispered.
Haruto stood up calmly, unfazed by the buzz around him.
"I know the ninja code," he said flatly, "but I don't agree with all of it. So I didn't write it down."
The room fell into silence.
Iruka's brow twitched. "What are you talking about? Of course ninjas must follow the ninja code—how else can you call yourself a ninja?"
Haruto looked directly at Iruka without flinching."Many things in the ninja code... are unnecessary, in my opinion."
Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Unnecessary?"
"For example—Rule 20," Haruto continued. "It says a ninja must remain emotionless no matter the situation, always put the mission first, and never shed tears. But before we're ninjas, we're people. How can a person have no feelings? If my comrade dies in front of me one day, I will cry for him. And if I'm ever told to sacrifice a comrade just to complete a mission, then no matter what, I'll refuse."
Iruka's expression hardened slightly. "Regardless, the ninja code is something every shinobi must learn. It's been passed down through generations. Many great ninjas—"
Haruto cut him off gently, but firmly. "Then I'll prove that I can become a great ninja without blindly following those rules. That's my ninja way."
As he spoke, Haruto snuck a glance at Hinata in the corner. When he saw the sparkle in her wide, admiring eyes, he smirked inwardly.Take notes, Naruto. If you want attention from girls, you've got to shine like this.
Iruka paused, uncertain how to respond.This kid…
The rest of the class sat in stunned silence.
"So cool…" someone whispered.
Naruto leapt up, fists raised: "As expected of my boss! That's my ninja way too from now on!"
Sasuke scowled. "Tch… damn it. He stole the spotlight."
After school, Haruto, still basking in the glow of having delivered the perfect speech, was stopped in his tracks by Sasuke.
"Let's fight," Sasuke said flatly, eyes cold. "I want to see which of us is stronger."
Haruto blinked.What's his problem now? Naruto hates you because I told him Sakura likes you, but I've never even said anything to you…
The truth was simpler. Sasuke saw Haruto as a threat—not just to his classroom prestige, but to the very identity he was building for himself. He wanted to be like his brother: superior to all his peers, the best of his generation. But recently, his brother had offhandedly said something that shook him.
"I like that Haruto kid. He's got a good head and a kind heart. You should be more like him, Sasuke."
Sasuke had burned with silent fury ever since. Today, he was going to prove that he was the best.
Naruto, who had been walking with Haruto, immediately shouted, "Hey! Fight me first, Sasuke! I've been waiting for this!"
Sasuke didn't even glance at him. "Dead last, you're not worth my time. Haruto—are you in, or are you a coward?"
Naruto bristled and stepped forward, but Haruto put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's fine," Haruto said calmly. "I've been meaning to test my strength anyway."
His body was already at the level of a Genin in terms of physical agility, and his skills were catching up fast. Though he hadn't yet activated many of the experience scrolls he was saving, he had elevated his Clone Jutsu to mid-level on his own. Facing Sasuke now would be the perfect opportunity to assess his limits.
"Let's go to the grove," Haruto said, eyes sharp.
In the arena, Sasuke and Haruto circled each other, eyes sharp, bodies tense—both waiting for the other to make a move.
Suddenly, Naruto called out from the sidelines, "Are you two gonna fight or what? I'm falling asleep here!" He even yawned exaggeratedly.
The two boys turned their heads at the same time."Shut up!" they snapped in unison.
In the end, Sasuke lost his patience. He lunged forward, launching the first strike. In an instant, the two clashed, fists flying, feet sweeping, kunai clashing with steel.
As they traded blows, Haruto began to realize he had underestimated Sasuke's strength. He recalled the original manga mentioning that Sasuke had already mastered ninja-level techniques before entering the Academy.He really is a genius, Haruto thought. His stats subtly outclass mine—but I've had more real combat experience thanks to the dungeon battles. In a real fight, I'm still pressing him.
The battle raged. Sasuke, sensing he was losing ground in taijutsu, launched a fierce combo, forcing Haruto to retreat. Then he leapt back and formed a rapid string of seals:
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A roaring blaze shot toward Haruto.
Fortunately, Haruto's Substitution Technique was already intermediate-level. In a flash, he reappeared a few meters to the side, avoiding the flames. Both of them paused, panting heavily, their chakra drained.
On the sidelines, Naruto stood frozen, wide-eyed."H-How are they this strong…?" he murmured. "I can't even pull off a single ninjutsu right…"
But after a moment, he clenched his fists. Just wait. I'll work harder—I'll definitely surpass you both.
The break was short-lived. The fight resumed. This time, Haruto moved with more ease. Sasuke's chakra reserves had taken a hit from the Fireball Jutsu, and it showed.
After several more exchanges, Haruto finally spotted an opening. He swung his kunai toward Sasuke's abdomen—but just before it connected, his instincts screamed at him:This isn't a dungeon. This is real.
He pulled back at the last second.
That hesitation cost him.
Sasuke, unaware of what had just happened, took the opening and drove his own kunai into Haruto's shoulder.
"Boss!!!" Naruto rushed forward to catch Haruto as he staggered. He dropped beside him, checking the wound with panic in his eyes.
Sasuke stood still, breathing hard, his gaze sharp."Looks like I'm better after all," he said coldly.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, fury blazing in his eyes. He was about to leap at him—
"Naruto." Haruto caught his arm and shook his head gently. He didn't want to argue. Silently, he leaned on Naruto and began to walk away.
Just then, a shadow dropped from the trees.
Itachi landed softly, his voice calm and cool:"Sasuke, you lost."
Sasuke spun around, startled. "Brother? What are you doing here? And what do you mean? I won!"
"I saw everything from the side," Itachi replied, his voice quiet but firm. "That last blow—if Haruto hadn't pulled back, you would have been seriously injured. He had you. He chose not to hurt you."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"You should apologize," Itachi added without emotion.
Sasuke knew his brother was angry. He hesitated for a long moment, then clenched his teeth."Damn it… I'm sorry." he muttered stiffly, the apology clearly reluctant and heavy with pride.
Itachi turned his eyes toward Haruto."I apologize on behalf of my… incompetent brother."
Haruto blinked, a little stunned. The Itachi Uchiha is apologizing to me?
"Ah, no—it's nothing," Haruto said quickly. It's not every day a god-tier ninja says sorry to you…
Itachi observed the boy carefully. He'd already been impressed by Haruto's demeanor and skill, but it was the boy's restraint that said the most. He has strength, yes—but more importantly, he has heart.
After a moment, Itachi asked, "Why didn't you speak up earlier? You obviously won."
Haruto shrugged slightly and replied, calm as ever, "I think Sasuke needed the win more than I did. He wants to be the number one in class—if that helps him grow, then he can have it."
He dusted off his sleeves and added evenly, "I never cared about titles like that. My vision includes all of Konoha—and maybe even the entire ninja world. I don't see the point in fighting over something so… small. It has no value to me."
Yup. Our Haruto was in full dramatic protagonist mode now.
Itachi looked at him with open surprise. "You're… remarkable." He nodded slowly, a rare look of genuine admiration in his eyes. This kid will be a great ninja one day, he thought.
Even Sasuke, hearing that, felt his pride waver—This guy's words… they really hit somewhere.
Noticing Itachi's thoughtful gaze, Haruto knew it was time to make a move.
"I heard Itachi-senpai is an elite among elites… Would you be willing to guide me in training sometime?" he asked, bowing slightly but with confidence.
Itachi paused, glanced once at Sasuke, then back to Haruto. His answer came without hesitation.
"Sasuke will tell you when I have time to train him. You can come too."
Inside, Haruto silently pumped his fist. YES! God-tier Itachi training GET!
From the side, Naruto jumped in with a loud, "Me too! I wanna train with you too! I'm coming too!"
Haruto chuckled. One sheep, two sheep, now three—why not?
Itachi gave a rare faint smile. "Alright. You can come too."