Three shuriken flew toward Natsuro from different directions.

Sasuke's shuriken were not particularly fast, but as the descendent of the Uchiha clan, his throwing technique was still quite refined.

However, he had already seen Sasuke's movements and quickly formed three hand seals.

"You lost." He said the moment the shuriken hit him. Sasuke suddenly realized something was wrong. The opponent wasn't Itachi. Even if he wanted revenge, injuring Natsuro was something he didn't want to do.

Had he vented his anger on an innocent person? Sasuke's eyes widened.

Before he could dwell on it further, Natsuro's figure dispersed into a wooden log on the ground, with several marks from the shuriken clearly visible on it.

"What?!!" Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. It was a substitution technique. Why did Natsuro know this already? They hadn't even been taught it yet!

Even in the first half of the semester, Sasuke had mainly focused on physical training and had only learned shuriken throwing at home. His only ninjutsu was the Fire Release his father taught him for the end-of-term exam, and it was because he hadn't achieved first place—his father had given it to him to catch up with Natsuro.

Where was he?

Sasuke quickly scanned his surroundings, but it was too late.

He felt a hand like an iron claw gripping his wrist, causing intense pain even before he could try to resist.

The next moment, he felt himself spinning, and after a jolt of pain, he found his hands forcibly bound behind his back, held down by Natsuro.

Sasuke was now pinned to the ground.

"Tsk, it was just a regular match. Why did you have to use shuriken?" Natsuro said, tapping Sasuke on the head with his fingertip.

"Let me go! I haven't lost yet!" Sasuke hissed through gritted teeth.

"Not lost yet?" He continued tapping Sasuke's head twice more. Seeing that Sasuke was still resisting, he kept at it.

Eventually, after exhausting all his strength and still unable to move under his grip, Sasuke slowly began to accept that he had indeed lost.

The anger dissipated, and Sasuke immediately felt his head throbbing painfully. How many times did this jerk hit him?!

"Let me go. I admit defeat." Sasuke said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, you admit defeat? Then tell me, why did you use shuriken in a regular match?" Natsuro asked, tapping Sasuke's head once more as if it was now a habit.

"Stop tapping me!" Sasuke yelled in pain.

"Then answer quickly." Natsuro said. His mood was less than pleasant; he had come over out of curiosity, only to be attacked with shuriken by a classmate. If he didn't dodge the three shurikens, he could of been seriously injuried.

"Didn't you easily dodge them?" Sasuke paused and realized he shouldn't have used shuriken in this match, but still stubbornly replied.

"I dodged them. What about others? What if someone else got injured or even killed by your shuriken?" He said, tapping Sasuke's head again.

"Other people wouldn't force me to use shuriken!" Sasuke insisted.

"True, but that's not the answer I'm looking for." Natsuro nodded after some thought, acknowledging Sasuke's level but continued to tap his head.

"I'll kill you!" Sasuke, now confused, shouted. Wasn't he agreeing with him? After another tap, Sasuke's anger flared up.

"That's not it either." Natsuro said, ignoring Sasuke's fury and maintaining a neutral expression. He was quite annoyed himself.

After a long while...

"Sorry..."

"Your voice is too soft; I can't hear you." he said, not tapping Sasuke this time but still responding.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have used shuriken suddenly!" Sasuke shouted loudly, seemingly resigned.

"Alright, I'll let this slide this time. If it happens again, it won't be so simple." Natsuro finally released Sasuke. He was genuinely displeased; while using shuriken in a ninja battle was normal, they were only first-year students and not actual ninjas.

"Also, in future ordinary class matches, if there's no teacher present to approve the use of shuriken, don't use them." He said heading toward the training field. To him, Sasuke was not even worth training against at this point.

"Natsuro, why are you so strong?" Suddenly, Sasuke's voice reached his ears.

"Because I work harder than you."

He was putting in more effort, and even though his talent was not weaker than Sasuke's, he was working harder, making it impossible for Sasuke to catch up before unlocking his potential.

"Effort, huh?" Sasuke lay on the ground with a blank look, relieved that he had stopped tapping his head. Otherwise, this position would have been even more painful.

He was glad Sasuke kept trying to look up, so he could reach the front of Sasuke's head. If he had to hit Sasuke on the back of his head. He feared it might cause serious harm.

"Natsuro, my shuriken didn't mean to kill anyone." Sasuke suddenly said, realizing it sounded like he was showing weakness and promptly shut up, mumbling, "Believe it or not."

Natsuro paused, looking at the wooden log used for the substitution technique. The marks were merely scratches. If it had been a real person, it would have resulted in some non-lethal injuries.

But he remembered those three shuriken had been aimed directly at him... He suddenly realized something. The Uchiha's shuriken throwing technique was indeed as impressive as its reputation.

At this moment, his expression softened considerably. Although it was still inappropriate to use shuriken, Sasuke had not completely lost his sanity and had taken care to avoid causing fatal harm. This was commendable, even for someone driven by revenge.

But, from his perspective as the direct participant, it was far from acceptable. Even if Sasuke hadn't completely lost his composure, he still deserved a lesson.

Natsuro left the area, leaving Sasuke alone.

Sasuke slowly sat up, rubbing the spot where he had been hit, wincing in pain. Even touching it caused severe pain, and it was likely to swell up significantly!

Suddenly, when Sasuke touched his forehead, he paused. It was the place someone often used to tap him. Although it wasn't as harsh as Natsuro's taps, it reminded Sasuke once again of that person.

"Itachi!!"

Suppressing his anger, Sasuke roared, then eventually calmed down. He continued to rub the swelling bump on his head, heading back to his empty home, his figure appearing solitary and desolate.

A masked figure had been watching from the shadows, unsure whether to intervene. His duty was to watch over Sasuke, but Natsuro was also a key person of interest as per the Third Hokage's instructions...

So he stayed put, relieved that neither of them had been seriously harmed. Either way, he would have been held responsible.

Sasuke's skills were decent, but Natsuro was probably already fit to become a genin. His substitution technique was more refined than the observer's, truly living up to the Third Hokage's expectations.

As for the incident between Sasuke and Natsuro, it would be best to report it to the Third Hokage for handling.

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