Sasuke still couldn't find an opportunity to have a "proper match" with Ethan. He realized that Iruka kept "interfering." Not only did he never get paired with Ethan during class sparring, but after school, Iruka would occasionally call either him or Ethan over, staggering their dismissal times.
After a while, Sasuke seemed to let it go, and only then did Iruka stop calling them in for separate "talks." However, he still never arranged for them to pair up in class.
In the following practice sessions, Ethan's sparring partners were all classmates with poor grades and very ordinary backgrounds. Sasuke couldn't understand Iruka's decisions, but Ethan could see through it.
Compared to these classmates, who clearly had no future, Ethan at least showed a glimmer of potential.
Because Ethan had recently shown a bit more "drive," Iruka was secretly giving him some support. As for the final outcome, that was beyond his control. He simply felt he was doing what a teacher should, helping a student with some talent.
In the blink of an eye, the graduation exam arrived. Because Ethan had diligently kept a low profile for the past twelve years and never participated in any events, the only change was becoming slightly more "acquainted" with Sasuke.
So, the plot that was supposed to happen still unfolded. Naruto Uzumaki still performed poorly in the graduation exam, becoming the only student who failed to graduate.
Looking at Naruto sitting there dejectedly, Ethan quickly withdrew his gaze.
Now was the protagonist's moment. All the ninja in Konoha Village were about to participate in a grand performance orchestrated by the Third Hokage. Some were in the know, many were completely unaware and used as background characters, and then there was the unfortunate Mizuki, who had unknowingly become the villain.
"How pathetic..."
He had somehow become a pawn used by others. After his final bit of value was squeezed out, Mizuki's peaceful life as an undercover ninja came to an end. Since he wasn't even important enough to be tortured, maybe that was lucky for him?
However, Ethan didn't feel sorry for the guy. A ninja who couldn't grasp his own strength, the actual environment, or the opponent's situation should have been grateful that the Third Hokage even found him worth using. In wartime, a ninja like that probably wouldn't survive a single day.
Ethan looked at his headband. He was not used to tying anything on his head, and because of this habit, he hadn't even worn a helmet when putting on Saint Cloths. After thinking for a bit, he tied the headband directly to his arm.
He planned to get one with a longer strap later and use it as a belt. After he was ready, Ethan saw Sasuke standing in front of him, already wearing his headband, clearly waiting for him.
"..."
Ethan looked around. Because he was a bit slow, most of the classmates who had finished their graduation exams and received their headbands had already left.
Today was graduation day, and many parents were waiting at the school gate. After seeing their children graduate, they picked them up and went off to celebrate.
Only three children in the entire graduating class had no one waiting to pick them up.
Ethan, Sasuke, and Naruto, who sat dejectedly in the corner of the schoolyard.
Of course, Sasuke also saw Naruto, but in his eyes, Naruto, who had failed to graduate, was just a passerby in his life and not worth his attention.
What he cared about was the person in front of him.
"We've graduated and become ninja. Iruka-sensei has no reason to stop me from challenging you anymore."
"You've been waiting for this day?"
"Yes."
Sasuke had always been persistent in pursuing his goals and could also be extremely patient when necessary. That much was evident from how he had endured three years with Orochimaru just to gain the strength to fight Itachi.
Besides, graduation was right around the corner anyway, so waiting a little longer didn't matter. He could even use the time to improve his strength so that he could soundly defeat Ethan in their next match.
"Let's go. You should have a suitable place, right?"
Ethan looked at Sasuke for a moment. He knew that whether he agreed or not wouldn't change Sasuke's mind. Anyway, he had nothing better to do. Staying home would only be boring, and teaching Sasuke a lesson could pass the time.
More importantly, after holding back for twelve years, he couldn't wait to stir up some trouble.
As for meeting his team leader at school tomorrow, that wasn't important. Besides, sparring with Sasuke wouldn't affect anything.
Sasuke didn't expect Ethan to agree so easily. He was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
The Uchiha clan lacked everything now except space. He was the only one using such a large area, so finding an empty training spot was incredibly easy.
"Come with me."
The two left the school and headed straight to the Uchiha compound.
Looking at the entire area that had once belonged to the Uchiha clan, it was a pity that it now stood deserted. The clan had been wiped out. Originally, there had been ordinary people working for the Uchiha clan on the outskirts, but with the clan's downfall, most of them had left too.
The deeper they went, the more deserted it became. By the time they reached the Uchiha main compound, it felt like they had entered a ghost town.
Watching Sasuke lead the way, Ethan suddenly understood why his personality had changed so drastically.
Setting aside the pain from the clan massacre and the betrayal by his brother Itachi, just the experience of a child under ten living in this ghost town for years would be enough to twist anyone. Thinking about it that way, Sasuke was actually doing well.
While lost in thought, they had already entered the Uchiha mansion. It had dedicated training grounds, and behind it were a forest and a lake. Any training environment could be found without even leaving the property.
"So rich and powerful."
Strictly speaking, Ethan had an entire world that belonged to him. Compared to the Uchiha clan, he was a super landlord many times over. But since he was commenting on someone else, he chose to conveniently ignore that fact.
"This is the place. Is it okay?"
Looking around, it was a relatively open area. A forest was nearby, but Ethan wouldn't need it. Judging by Sasuke's pride, he wasn't planning to use stealth or hiding tactics. He wanted a direct, face-to-face fight.
"Alright, this will do."
Ethan kept his hands in his pockets and nodded at Sasuke.
"Let's begin."
Sasuke frowned. He found Ethan's attitude extremely annoying, but he suppressed his irritation, telling himself not to care about how Ethan stood. The moment Ethan said "begin," he quickly formed hand signs and released his most powerful Fire Style jutsu, the Great Fireball Technique.
A massive fireball flew directly toward Ethan. At that moment, Ethan was thinking, should I take it head-on, snuff it out with one hand, or disperse it with a punch?
After considering for a bit, he felt all of those options were too flashy, so he simply chose to dodge.
He didn't use any spatial abilities. Even using the most basic Three Body Technique taught at the Ninja Academy, Ethan's strength and mastery made it terrifying.
With something like the Body Flicker Technique, within a certain range, Ethan's use of it was indistinguishable from teleportation. Sasuke didn't even register what had happened before the Great Fireball had finished rolling forward, and he already had a sharp shuriken pressed to his neck.
"..."
In that instant, Sasuke was dumbfounded and began to doubt his life. He hadn't even figured out what had happened before he lost again.
"When you don't have teammates to protect you, and you don't understand your opponent, don't carelessly use jutsu that consume a lot of energy, take a long time to cast, and leave you unable to respond during activation."
The Great Fireball Technique, as one of the most practical Fire Style jutsu, naturally didn't have so many weaknesses. But the technique itself having no flaws didn't mean the user had none. Sasuke could only manage the basics of the jutsu. To use it freely without compromising his follow-up actions, he still had a long way to go.
Retracting his shuriken, Ethan knew Sasuke wouldn't give up so easily. He took a few steps back and softly said,
"Come again."
Sasuke turned and gave Ethan another look, his gaze strange. In that moment, he had a strange feeling, as if Ethan overlapped with someone from his memories.
That realization made him furious, and he launched a frantic attack... only to be sent flying over ten meters by Ethan's spinning side kick. He crashed hard to the ground and slid several meters more.
"Cough~"
Although he didn't spit blood, that one kick threw his breathing off completely. It took him a while to recover.
"You had too many openings just now. I couldn't help but kick you. It's been a long time since I had such a satisfying kick."
"Cough!"
His barely recovered breathing was thrown off again by those words. He nearly coughed up blood.
"Again!"
After steadying his breath, Sasuke didn't charge in recklessly this time. He calmly observed Ethan, constantly evaluating his own options.
After so many exchanges, he finally understood that Ethan wasn't as simple as he looked. This seemingly ordinary classmate had been hiding his strength all along.
His strength was far beyond expectations.
Although he had long suspected that Ethan was strong, he hadn't expected it to be this strong.
"Aren't you coming? Then I'll come to you."
Just as Sasuke was sizing Ethan up, Ethan, who almost never made the first move, suddenly charged. With a single step, he closed the distance in an instant.
Ethan instantly closed a huge gap and appeared right in front of Sasuke.
(To be continued.)