Yuya had to admit—he actually respected this guy.
Or rather, he respected people like Might Duy, Might Guy, and even Little Lee.
Honestly, he was kind of becoming one of those people himself now.
Inside the ninja tool shop, a loud BOOM shook the ground like an earthquake.
"So sorry about that."
Might Duy scratched his head and smiled apologetically as the shopkeeper struggled to toss a massive pile of weighted gear onto the floor.
"Tch… seriously…"
The shopkeeper shot Duy a tired look and muttered, "Just take it, take it!"
As Duy turned and left, the shopkeeper grumbled under his breath, "What's the point of training only taijutsu? He's gonna be a genin for life."
Duy paused ever so slightly when he heard that, but didn't look back. He just picked up the gear and walked away in big, heavy steps.
Dog eyes looking down on people.
That phrase popped into Yuya's mind as he watched the scene.
He knew just how terrifying the so-called "eternal genin" Might Duy's real strength truly was.
And just like in the original story, Might Duy's patience was insane—getting mocked like that and still just walking away.
Yuya shook his head and stepped into the shop.
"Give me two of those weights… just two."
"You want those too?"
The shopkeeper blinked, clearly surprised. He didn't expect such a little kid to be this into taijutsu, but he still brought out two slabs quickly.
They looked like regular iron bricks, but once Yuya picked them up—dang, they were heavy.
"Way heavier than I thought… looks like I won't be using these right away."
Yuya gave a helpless sigh.
But hey, he'd already bought them.
Turning to leave the shop, Yuya's eyes darted around, looking for Duy's trail.
Didn't take long to spot him—dude stood out like a sore thumb.
Yuya trailed him all the way to a quiet forest. There, he watched Duy strap on those terrifying weights and dive into a hardcore training session.
And it was the kind of training that even made Yuya's jaw drop.
This was the man who opened the Eighth Gate and single-handedly smashed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the ground.
If that tool shop owner saw this with his own eyes, he might snap his own jaw out of sheer shock.
Watching Duy train, Yuya slowly realized just how rough and clumsy his own methods were in comparison.
This was a huge revelation.
Yuya didn't hesitate—he memorized every move Duy made on the spot.
Even though Duy was still technically a genin, Yuya was convinced—there was no one in all of Konoha who could top him in taijutsu.
So of course it made sense to learn from the best.
After discovering Duy's training ground, Yuya started sneaking over there whenever he had time to watch and study.
He didn't have the Byakugan, didn't have the Sharingan—if he wanted to copy someone, he had to memorize everything, step by step, with pure effort.
Nearly a whole month passed.
Under Duy's indirect mentorship, Yuya's taijutsu had skyrocketed. Both his strength and speed had climbed to full-fledged genin level.
He even managed to barely strap on the two weighted blocks during that time.
And his shockwave power? Leveled up big time.
In a clearing—
Yuya clenched his fist. A dim white glow flickered around it, and he slammed it toward a nearby wooden post.
CRACK!!!
The air split. Like shattered glass.
Yuya's fist didn't even touch the post—it was still a full foot away—but the vibrations hit it dead-on, splitting it into pieces.
"My shockwave power's way stronger now." Yuya grinned, fired up.
If it was that same Uchiha Izumiya again with his C-rank Fireball Jutsu, Yuya was confident—one punch would blow it apart. Not even a spark left behind!
Still, one thing bothered him.
He'd been watching for a whole month, but he never once saw Might Duy train with the Eight Gates.
Which was kind of disappointing.
That was what he really wanted to understand—the power of the Eight Gates.
"Guess I'll go check again. Maybe this time he's working on the Eight Gates."
Thinking that, Yuya turned and walked toward the familiar path.
But before he could make it to the street, a boy appeared ahead of him—forehead protector on, dressed in a proper ninja uniform.
A Chunin.
In Konoha, genin wore forehead protectors. Chunin had specialized uniforms. Jonin wore similar ones too, but with more pockets and other little differences.
It made it easier to tell who ranked where and which village they came from.
Only the top-tier ninja—those way above ordinary jonin, the ones famous across the entire ninja world—could get away with wearing whatever they wanted.
Those guys didn't need a uniform to prove anything.
This Chunin looked straight at Yuya… and didn't even try to hide the arrogant sneer on his face as he walked over.
"Got a problem?"
Yuya stood his ground, calm as ever.
It was obvious the guy was here to start something. But Yuya didn't flinch—he stood tall and responded with quiet confidence.
After all, they were still in Konoha. On a public street. No one could just attack someone here without consequences.
…Or so he thought.
To Yuya's surprise, this Chunin actually went for it!
"You're that outsider, right? The one whose village got wiped out, but somehow survived and ended up in Konoha? Yuya, isn't it?"
The Chunin's voice was full of condescension, like he was looking down from a mountain.
This guy clearly came to pick a fight. And being a Chunin, Yuya couldn't just brush him off.
But instead of panicking, Yuya's expression grew even calmer.
He quickly started thinking—who the hell did he piss off recently?
He hadn't really caused trouble for anyone in Konoha…
…Wait.
Suddenly, it hit him.
About a month ago, at the ninja academy—he'd gone toe-to-toe with Uchiha Izumiya.
Izumiya had straight-up tried to kill him, even throwing out a full-on Fireball Jutsu. Of course Yuya didn't hold back—he cracked several of Izumiya's bones in return.
That dude was probably still in bed even now.
So this guy in front of him? Had to be from the Uchiha clan too.
"What's your relation to Uchiha Izumiya?"
Yuya didn't answer the insult. He just fired off a question instead.
The Chunin's eyes flashed with a strange light—clearly not expecting Yuya to guess so fast.
"I'm Uchiha Han. Izumiya's older brother. Since you already figured it out… break your own arm."
His tone was casual. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Yuya blinked.
Han? That's your name?
And man really came in with the full "you have offended my family, now please self-mutilate to atone for your sins against Young Master", like he's starring in Revenge of the Jade Pavilion Prince or something.
Wait… seriously?
This is the Uchiha clan?
What a bunch of arrogant lunatics!