[Bond] Ch 14: No Seal of Reconciliation

— — — — — — — 

For as long as anyone could remember, Uchiha Itachi and Shimura Yami had been recognized as prodigies, not just in their class but in the entire school.

Itachi had the advantage of his prestigious surname, consistently scoring perfect marks on every test.

Yami, on the other hand, made a name for himself the hard way—by beating people up.

Even upperclassmen had tasted his fists, making him something of a schoolyard tyrant.

Up until now, the two had never faced off directly, leading to endless debates about who was stronger. Most people leaned toward Itachi, simply because of the Uchiha clan's overwhelming reputation.

But today, that question would finally be answered, and the entire class was buzzing with excitement.

"Go, Yami! You have to win this!"

"Take down that arrogant Uchiha!"

"..."

"They're both so cute... I can't decide who to cheer for!"

"Itachi looks cute, so... Go, Itachi!"

"Nah! I'll cheer Yami-san!"

"Same here. Go, Yami!"

The atmosphere was electric, with nearly everyone rooting for Yami—except for those who had personally suffered his beatings.

Though he didn't particularly care about these little kids, Yami never acted cold toward them either. As a result, he was surprisingly well-liked in the class.

Itachi, on the other hand, was exactly what people expected from a Uchiha—aloof, distant, and always lost in thought.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat up straight, his curiosity piqued.

---

Yami and Itachi stood a few meters apart, staring each other down.

Earlier that afternoon, Yami had gotten Kazama to agree to something—he wanted to be matched against Itachi.

After all, if he was going to graduate as a so-called prodigy, it would be more impactful to step over another genius's reputation.

It would make it easier for people to remember him, and, more importantly, it would help him forge stronger bonds for future rewards.

Of course, getting to punch Itachi was just a bonus.

Kazama stepped forward. "Both of you, form the Seal of Confrontation!"

At his command, Yami and Itachi raised their hands, fingers forming the seal.

Kazama then stepped back and announced, "Begin!"

Itachi immediately dropped into a battle stance. But instead of attacking, Yami turned toward Kazama with a smirk.

"Sensei, I don't think we'll be forming the Seal of Reconciliation after this."

Before Kazama could ask why, Yami suddenly dashed forward.

"So fast!"

A chorus of gasps erupted from the students. To them, it was as if Yami had vanished, only to reappear right in front of Itachi in the blink of an eye.

Even Hiruzen's eyes widened.

That Body Flicker Technique... It reminded him of Uchiha Shisui!

Itachi's instincts screamed at him. He barely had time to cross his arms in front of him in an attempt to block, but Yami's speed was overwhelming.

Before he could even react properly—

BAM!

A punch connected.

With a burst of smoke, Itachi vanished.

A Shadow Clone?!

Hiruzen shot to his feet. The guards behind him were equally stunned.

Forget Yami's speed and power—Itachi using a B-rank ninjutsu like the Shadow Clone Technique in his first year of the Academy was shocking enough.

And not just that—he had actually sent a clone to attend school in his place!

Yami dusted off his hands and turned back to Kazama. "See? I told you, Sensei. No point in doing the reconciliation seal today. But it's fine—we can fight again tomorrow when Itachi decides to show up in person."

With that, Yami raised his fingers in a hand seal and—

Poof!

He vanished in a puff of smoke.

Another Shadow Clone?!

Hiruzen stood there, completely dumbfounded.

— — —

Outside the school, under the shade of a large tree, Yami lounged lazily with his eyes closed, enjoying the moment.

Defeating Itachi's clone in a single punch wasn't enough to make an impact. In the end, the real attention would still go to Itachi, making Yami nothing more than a stepping stone.

So, before the battle had even started, he had switched himself out with a clone.

The real him had been relaxing here, waiting for the rewards to roll in.

[Bond established with Nara Shikaku. Reward: Yin Chakra (Basic)]

[Bond established with Ayatsuji Eiji. Reward: 0.5 standard units of Jonin-level chakra]

[...]

[Bond established with Hiruzen Sarutobi. Reward: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning Nature Transformations (Genius Level)]

Yami's eyes lit up.

Finally! Hiruzen had dropped some serious loot!

The Third Hokage was known as the "Professor" of ninjutsu. Despite not having any special bloodline limits, he mastered all five elemental releases and combined them seamlessly, making him one of the strongest Kage in history.

His true strength wasn't reflected in his final battle against Orochimaru. The man had been over seventy, already stabbed, and still managed to put up a fight.

In a sense, Hiruzen and Minato represented the peak of what a non-bloodline ninja could achieve.

The Third Tsuchikage might also count, but Dust Release was in a league of its own.

To get all five nature transformations at the Genius level right from the start... What about the second and third reward tiers?

"Damn, my old man. Look at this! Now look at yourself."

"No wonder you never became Hokage."

Yami chuckled to himself before vanishing in a flicker of speed.

— — —

Meanwhile, the Academy was in chaos.

Kazama nearly fainted on the spot. Two of his top students had fought using Shadow Clones, and he hadn't even noticed!

"We'll continue the tests," Hiruzen said, regaining his composure. "As for the issue with Yami and Itachi, I'll be handling that personally."

Kazama swallowed hard. "Y-Yes, sir."

...

Once the exams wrapped up, Hiruzen gave a few words of encouragement to the students before leaving in a hurry.

"Summon Danzo and Uchiha Fugaku to my office."

"Yes, sir!"

A masked Anbu member flickered away, and before long, the two clan leaders arrived at the Hokage's office, exchanging wary glances as they met. 

Fugaku gave a slight nod of respect. Danzo, as always, remained expressionless, only pausing for a brief moment before stepping inside.

— — —

Later that night, at the Shimura residence.

Danzo hurried home the moment he left the Hokage's office.

"Yami! Are you still awake?"

"I'm up."

Yami pushed open his bedroom door, a book in hand as he came downstairs.

Danzo nodded approvingly. "You did well today."

Seeing the Uchiha clan take a loss had been satisfying, but seeing his grandson be the one to hand it to them? Even better.

"It was just a clone," Yami said casually.

"Indeed. A mere clone isn't enough." Danzo's tone turned serious.

"That's why you'll be fighting again tomorrow."

"I'll be there. Hiruzen, myself, and the other two Elders will be watching. Uchiha Fugaku will be there as well."

Danzo's eyes gleamed. "Tell me, Yami—do you have the confidence to defeat Uchiha Itachi?"

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