Training could be exhausting, so Jun tried not to overwork himself too much. He mostly trained in Taijutsu lately, so taking a break was necessary. He needed to let his body recuperate. He used the time to hang out with his family and worked on his Fuinjutsu.

His chakra seal project wasn’t progressing much, but he wasn’t focusing on it at the moment. He went back to study explosive tags. He was basically an expert on them. Their making was straightforward when you comprehended the concept. He could draw the inscriptions for the tags in his sleep. It wasn’t even necessary to draw them with ink. He could use chakra, blood, mud, water…Moreover, it didn't need to be on paper. The inscriptions could be produced on any surface. Jun was working on using his chakra to accelerate the process. He wanted to be able to create all the inscriptions for the seal instantly with a single impression of his chakra. That would allow him to create an explosive tag instantly on anything with a simple touch of his finger. The possibilities of this are virtually limitless.

Had he been a regular ninja; it would have taken him some time to achieve that. However, he possessed a Dojutsu, the Sharingan. Memorizing complicated inscriptions was not an issue. The only thing he needed to practice was restoring the seal with a single pulse of his chakra. It required some level of control. In the beginning, he had to practice it with his Sharingan activated.

But now he could do it without the Sharingan. It was a huge improvement for him because he didn’t want to use the Sharingan during the tournament. The Uchihas’ attitude toward him and his family would take a hundred and eighty-degree turn if they know he had the Dojutsu. He didn’t want that.

The day of the tournament finally came. Jun was nervous. The eight competitors arrived at the entrance of the arena, the one for the fighters. Everyone was focused. You could already hear the crowd filling the stands little by little. Jun felt his anxiety rising. He saw Fujitaro. The latter looked tense but not nervous. He didn’t know how to interpret it.

They entered the arena two minutes before the scheduled time. A young jonin was waiting for them. He had a round face and short brown hair. He introduced himself as Hizo; he was the referee. The crowd roared as they emerged and Jun tried to smile. He couldn’t make out the faces in the audience, but he sensed several familiar chakras. His sister, mother, little brother, Iruka, Susumu, Shiba, Shisui, and Itachi were among the ones he sensed.

The Hokage was also there. He stood up and delivered a short speech. Jun was too nervous to hear what the old man was saying. After the speech, the referee turned to the genins with a big smile.

“Here are the rules. The battle must be within the arena, and you must not endanger the audience in the stands. The battle will continue until one party admits defeat, loses consciousness, or dies. I have the right to intervene at any time during a fight. Questions?”

No one had any. Hizo then clapped his hands enthusiastically.

“Good! The first battle will now begin. Kenji and Miyamoto Hyuga, please step forwards. The rest of you may go to the competitors' lodge.”

The lodge was a balcony built on the side of the arena. There was an opening at the bottom of the wall which allowed access by stairs. However, all the genins used their Shunshin no Jutsu to reach the balcony.

Kenji, the blond Kumo ninja, and Miyamoto remained the only genins in the arena. The referee took several steps back. The audience fell silent. Most people eagerly leaned forward.

“Begin!” Hizo ordered.

The combatants rushed to attack. Miyamoto used his Gentle fist, but Kenji seemed to be a Raiton user. Electricity crackled around him and sparks flew around his hands. The two genins began their dance, a violent and deadly choreography. Each was trying to land a blow without being hit by the other. Kenji wanted to avoid having his tenketsus sealed. Miyamoto didn’t want to receive an electric attack. They were leaping around, breaking the ground when a blow missed its target.

The Raiton around Kenji’s body grew in intensity. The light emanating from it became incredibly bright. Jun blinked. Was he trying to blind his opponent? Being so close to him, Miyamoto became more cautious and less aggressive. He leaped back more frequently to avoid Kenji’s attacks. They seemed evenly matched.

However, Kenji managed to land a hit. The audience let out a surprised sound.

Miyamoto was thrown backward and landed violently on the ground before disappearing into a cloud of smoke. It was a clone. Jun clung to the railing. Below him, Kenji frowned, then quickly regained his composure. He closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders, and placed his fist against his right hand. Jun’s jaw dropped. That pose had jolted his memory.

He hadn’t recognized him before because the name Kenji didn’t ring any bell. But things were different in Kumo. All the Raikages were named A for example. Their bodyguards were also named with letters of the alphabet. The appearance of the teenager, his serious face and his posture were all familiar to him. A Raiton prodigy with sensory skills and whose attacks could blind the opponent, there was no doubt. It was C, one of the fourth Raikage future bodyguards. He would become one of the strongest shinobis in Kumo.

Kenji turned sharply to the left and threw a powerful Raiton attack. He blew up some bushes. Miyamoto jumped out from his hiding place just in time to avoid the attack. The Kumo genin continued his offensive. He sent out another Raiton, then another one… Jun was torn between turning his face around so he wouldn’t witness the Hyuga getting killed or activating his Dojutsu. He knew full well how difficult it was for an opponent to escape a barrage of lightning Jutsu. He adopted that strategy himself as a Raiton user.

Jun decidedly activated his Sharingan. He squinted to hide the red glare in his eyes. He watched the rest of the fight with fascination. Miyamoto was dodging the attacks by a hair. It was a miracle he didn’t get hit. But he held on. His Byakugan must have been exceptional. His hands were covered with chakra as he counterattacked. The Hyuga sprinted forward, zigzagging through the lighting so fast it was hard probably hard to follow with the naked eyes. Jun held his breath, like the rest of the crowd. He could see Kenji’s horrified expression when he realized he wasn’t going to be able to dodge in time.

“Raiton, Lightning Pillar!”

Electricity exploded through Kenji’s skin, flooding the arena with a light so bright that everyone screamed and closed their eyes. Even Jun with his Sharingan couldn’t keep his eyes open. He had to blink frantically for several seconds to regain his sight. He immediately deactivated his Dojutsu and held back a painful grimace. Patches of bright color overlapped with his vision as if he had been rubbing his eyes for too long. It was an unpleasant sensation.

He reported his attention to the fight and saw that the situation had changed when he was temporarily blinded. Miyamoto was immobilized, his face contorted in pain. One of his hands was raised to cover his eyes. The reason he couldn’t move was the kunai that Kenji was holding against his throat. The Kumo genin was out of breath but looked fiercely determined.

“I admit my defeat,” Miyamoto said.

“Kenji from Kumo is the winner!” The referee announced.

The crowd roared and applauded. Kenji released his opponent, who wobbly walked away. The Kumo genin looked proud of himself but also vaguely amused. A hint of derision could be detected in his eyes. He didn’t understand why the audience was cheering for him after he had defeated a ninja from their village.

“We will start the next battle right away. Fujitaro Uchiha versus Jun Uchiha.” Hizo shouted.