Chapter 42: Focus on Uchiha Seiji
"The moment we began, I released Lightning Release: Blazing Flash. During the day, this jutsu is hard to detect. You tried to seize the initiative with genjutsu targeting my eyes—but that just played into my hands."
The light at Seiji's fingertips grew increasingly intense, like sunlight focused through a magnifying glass.
Watching the flickering glow, Sarutobi Asuma began to feel faint and dizzy.
He quickly shook his head to clear it and snapped back to awareness.
"You're strong, Asuma Sarutobi," Seiji said calmly, ending the genjutsu at his fingertips. "But unfortunately for you… I'm an Uchiha."
---
"Come on, Asuma! How'd you lose so easily?"
Obito's voice called out from behind the crowd.
Asuma's face, already flushed, turned even redder. He stammered:
"I-I wouldn't say I lost, exactly. If we were competing in something else, I definitely wouldn't have gone down so fast."
Regret gnawed at him.
In a moment of hot-headed pride—wanting to impress Kurenai Yuhi—he had challenged Seiji in genjutsu, the Uchiha clan's specialty.
If it had been a contest of Fire Release, at least he wouldn't have been defeated in seconds.
But genjutsu? His performance had been a total disaster.
And what was worse—Seiji hadn't even used his Sharingan.
If Seiji was already this strong without it, how terrifying would he be once he awakened that eye?
---
"The Sarutobi and Uchiha clans are both great lineages," Seiji said, patting Asuma's shoulder and giving him a way out gracefully. "It's just that the Uchiha are naturally more skilled at genjutsu."
"...Y-yeah. That's true."
Asuma nodded stiffly.
It wasn't that he was weak—Uchiha Seiji was just insanely strong, even without the Sharingan.
---
"Don't get discouraged, Asuma,"
Kurenai said gently.
She understood exactly how he felt. After all, she herself had once been defeated by Seiji in a single exchange.
But at least she had been smart enough to pay Seiji for tutoring afterward.
Thanks to that, her genjutsu had improved significantly.
"...Alright."
Asuma could only nod silently in response to her comfort.
Saying anything more would just make him look petty.
In the end, he bore the shame alone.
He stood up and tried to act as if nothing had happened, melting back into the crowd.
"You got any chips? I need some."
There was a note of melancholy in his voice.
Chōbee Akimichi wordlessly pulled a bag from his pocket and handed it to him.
---
"That Uchiha Seiji... he's something else,"
Chunin Fujimoto Kyohei muttered.
Other chunin instructors nodded in agreement.
"I wonder if Uchiha Seiji will graduate early. His progress isn't something we commoners can match."
"Probably."
He glanced toward Obito.
A great shinobi clan like the Uchiha wouldn't lack in training or pre-academy education.
Seiji likely received rigorous instruction even before enrolling.
---
"Alright, everyone—gather up!"
Chūnin Fujimoto Kyohei blew his whistle, calling the students together.
He had been watching Seiji and Asuma's match from start to finish.
"Impressive,"
Kyohei thought to himself.
In just over half a month of special training, Asuma's genjutsu had improved dramatically.
Perhaps that was to be expected from the son of the Third Hokage.
But the real surprise was Uchiha Seiji—who had completely overpowered Asuma without even using the Sharingan.
That was what struck Kyohei the most.
The Sharingan's power was known across the ninja world. Had Seiji relied on it, no one would've been surprised.
After all, the Uchiha's elite reputation was deeply entrenched. Some mission clients even requested Uchiha-only shinobi by name.
But Seiji hadn't used his bloodline at all.
He'd won on sheer genjutsu skill alone.
That spoke volumes about his raw learning potential.
In both genjutsu and taijutsu, he was an undeniable prodigy.
---
"If he masters the Three Basic Jutsu in a short time too... this kid might just be an all-around genius,"
Kyohei thought, feeling a chill of awe deep in his gut.
Even the freshly graduated Kakashi Hatake, son of the famed White Fang…
Could not be considered truly well-rounded.
At the very least, in genjutsu, he could never compare to Uchiha Seiji.
Once all the students had gathered, Kyohei gave a brief speech before dismissing them. The students were instructed to return to the classroom for their next lessons.
As the crowd dispersed, Kyohei pulled out a performance evaluation sheet already partially filled in. In the genjutsu column for Seiji, he marked a circle: "○".
Uchiha Seiji:
- Ninjutsu: △
- Taijutsu: ○
- Genjutsu: ○
- Classroom Attitude: ○
- Initiative: △
- Sociability: △
On this grading scale, "○" indicated excellence, "△" average, and "×" poor.
Kyohei wasn't sure of Seiji's current level in ninjutsu, so he based his evaluation on Seiji's shadow clone performance from last month and marked it as average with a "△".
Beneath Seiji's evaluation, Kyohei also filled in detailed notes describing the recent genjutsu assessment in full.
Once Seiji's report was complete, Kyohei continued grading the rest of the class.
With final exams approaching, this was part of the necessary performance tracking.
These evaluations were confidential, compiled into official records, and sealed within the archives of the Hokage Tower.
At graduation, students would undergo a comprehensive final evaluation. Their graduation records would then be composed of both their final exam scores and accumulated performance sheets from their years at the academy.
These records were permanent and could not be altered.
---
Hokage Tower
After finishing a stack of paperwork, Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted a new set of documents, wrapped in yellow paper, handed to him by an ANBU operative.
"Hokage-sama, please review."
The ANBU bowed respectfully and vanished into the shadows—remaining nearby to guard the Hokage.
Hiruzen replaced his spent pipe stem with a fresh one, took a puff, and slowly unfolded the documents.
"Uchiha… Seiji."
He located Seiji's performance report.
"So he defeated Asuma?"
Hiruzen tapped the pipe against his ashtray, dislodging some embers.
No wonder the boy had recently been pestering senior Uchiha clan members for guidance in genjutsu.
He turned to the next report in the stack.
Though he possessed the Ninja Art: Telescope Technique—a jutsu that allowed long-distance surveillance of specific individuals via a crystal ball—it came with significant limitations. It required detailed knowledge of the subject's chakra signature.
Not to mention, Hiruzen couldn't possibly monitor every soul in Konoha by himself.
So, he seldom used the technique.
---
"A storm is brewing," Hiruzen muttered after a long pause.
Uchiha Seiji's background was clean. Testing showed he hadn't learned any prior ninjutsu before enrollment.
Since recovering the boy, Hiruzen had assigned agents to investigate the Land of Lightning for any connection or clues.
So far, there had been no other case like Seiji's.
And knowing the Land of Lightning's character… they would never be foolish enough to send an Uchiha as a spy.
But what troubled Hiruzen most—was something else entirely.
The ninja world… was no longer at peace.
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