It was a sweltering afternoon in midsummer, the air thick and heavy with the relentless buzzing of cicadas. The sky hung low with dark clouds, and distant thunder rumbled ominously—as though a storm might break out at any second.
Valley of the End.
Beneath the gloomy sky, a waterfall plunged downward, forming a vast lake below.
On either side of the falls stood two colossal hundred-meter-tall statues, facing each other amidst the roaring water.
Both statues were clad in armor reminiscent of the Sengoku period, each bearing a sword at the waist.
The one on the left had wild hair like that of a roaring lion—the former clan head of the Uchiha clan, Madara Uchiha. On the right stood the man who founded Konoha, the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, his long hair flowing smoothly and his gaze firm and resolute.
Back then, Madara Uchiha had been cast out by all the clans of Konoha. Even those within his own clan no longer stood by him. In the end, he broke apart from his best friend, Hashirama Senju, and left Konoha in search of "true peace."
Later, he returned leading the Nine-Tails, attempting to destroy the village, which led to an earth-shaking battle between him and Hashirama.
They fought day and night, even altering the battlefield's terrain, carving out this massive canyon.
In the end, Hashirama managed to defeat Madara and kill his former friend, protecting the peace of Konoha. This canyon, born from their battle, came to be known as the Valley of the End.
To commemorate this legendary battle, Konoha erected these towering statues standing on either side of the valley.
Both statues held the Seal of Reconciliation, symbolizing perhaps that the destined conflict between Indra and Asura had finally come to an end.
But... had it truly ended?
Right now, atop Madara Uchiha's statue head.
Fugaku Uchiha stood motionless, wearing a dark blue robe emblazoned with the crest of the Uchiha clan. A blazing war fan strapped to his back, nearly taller than himself, while his arms crossed over his chest, silently waiting.
Eyes closed, he meditated calmly, displaying immense patience.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze blew through, lifting Fugaku's hair and robes. He radiated an air of quiet arrogance and detachment, a perfect reflection of the solemn dignity of the Madara Uchiha statue beneath his feet.
At the foot of the statue, near the lakeshore.
Crowds gathered, voices loud and chaotic.
To witness this highly anticipated genius-level battle, a good portion of Konoha had turned up, making the place packed beyond measure, with scarcely a space to step.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several figures shot up from the crowd, leaping onto the wide surface of the lake.
These were elite ninja from the Uchiha clan, sent by the clan head to witness Fugaku's fight and protect his safety.
Proud as they were, naturally they refused to mix in with the ordinary spectators, so they channeled chakra into their feet and walked effortlessly across the water's surface.
Also striding across the surface of the lake were Tsunade and her younger brother, Nawaki.
"I'm about to strike gold..."
Tsunade muttered excitedly under her breath, her whole body trembling with anticipation.
Just moments ago, she had bet every last coin she had—a total of twenty million ryō—on Heiyan to win in a one-versus-two match, at odds of 5 to 1.
If she won, she would walk away with one hundred million ryō.
Among the three participants taking part in this arranged battle, Hiashi Hyuga had the highest betting odds. The reason was simple—he was three years younger than the other two and hadn't yet distinguished himself with notable achievements.
Next was Little Tobirama Heiyan, who had gained fame for defeating seven Sand Chunin in a row and earned the Third Hokage's favor, even being granted the Sword of the Thunder God. He was now rising fast in popularity.
Lastly came Fugaku Uchiha, the overwhelming favorite.
He had already graduated from the Ninja Academy and served as a deputy captain of the police force while completing numerous high-level missions. More than a month ago, he had taken down Kurokawa, an S-rank rogue ninja from Mist, causing quite a stir within the village.
No one could truly gauge his strength.
But Tsunade knew that neither Hiashi Hyuga nor Fugaku Uchiha alone could take Heiyan down—they would have to team up just for a shot at victory...
Ever since she saw Heiyan master [Monster Strength] in one afternoon, she'd stopped seeing him as human.
He's no man—he's either a monster or a god.
"Nawaki! Nawaki!"
From the riverbank came voices full of youthful energy—Nawaki's classmates from the Ninja Academy were joined by younger students.
There was Shibi Aburame, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Mikoto Uchiha, and others—children from powerful ninja clans across Konoha.
Led by two teachers, they had all gathered at the Valley of the End to witness this clash of prodigies.
"Cough, cough."
Nawaki dramatically cleared his throat, then said to Tsunade, "Sis, I'm heading over there."
Then he strode proudly toward the riverside.
Although Nawaki hadn't yet graduated from the Ninja Academy, he'd already mastered chakra control under Tsunade's guidance, finishing both tree-climbing and water-walking training.
This was his chance to show off those skills.
Under the admiring gazes of the children, Nawaki stepped into their midst like a prince among them. Naturally, these kids from noble families gathered close together, forming a small circle of their own.
The rest were regular civilian students.
In the crowd, a yellow-haired boy stood quietly without chattering like the others. He stood apart, watching Fugaku Uchiha perched atop the statue.
His name was Minato Namikaze.
On the edge of the crowd.
Several Anbu ninjas wearing black tight-fitting clothing with white overall straps and animal masks had gathered on the branches of an ancient tall tree, looking down upon the packed crowd below.
Leading them was a man wearing a raccoon mask. With striking long silver hair tied back into a ponytail and a chakra tanto strapped to his back.
This was Sakumo Hatake, captain of Anbu First Squad, known as the Legend of the White Fang.
At this moment, most of Konoha's Anbu were still searching for Nagare, the woman who had caused chaos at the police headquarters. Sakumo Hatake had been ordered by the Third Hokage to lead a squad here to maintain order and prevent any incidents.
"Keep your eyes out for anyone suspicious."
"Yes, sir."
After this brief exchange, the Anbu scattered around the area to patrol.
Not far away.
The very woman the Anbu desperately searched for was casually sitting on a thick tree branch. Her left leg was drawn near her chest while her slender pale right leg dangled freely.
Beside her stood a short, straw-hatted stranger.
Whoosh!
An Anbu ninja leapt past the two figures in a blur, completely ignoring them as if they were invisible.
However, a closer look would reveal a genjutsu barrier surrounding them, subtly distorting the light. To outsiders, it appeared as though the tree branch was completely empty.
"He's here."
Black Zetsu stared silently for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Oh?"
The blue-haired woman—Madara Uchiha—looked ahead at his words.
Hiashi Hyuga, surrounded by several clan elders, made his way through the crowd and stepped onto the lake surface.
"Well well, a member of the Byakugan family has arrived. Watch your step on this fast-moving water; don't get swept away by the undercurrents."
A few elite Uchiha ninja immediately fired off sarcastic remarks.
"Of course the Uchiha clan has no sense of shame. Their own police headquarters had its pride stripped away, yet they still dare to come out and embarrass themselves. What thick skin!"
The Hyuga representatives naturally refused to back down, countering sharply with their own words.
These words hit hard, quickly escalating into a full-blown shouting match—like a market brawl brought to life.
This whole scene left the thousands gathered along the lakeshore completely stunned into silence.
In reality, the rivalry between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans hadn't developed overnight.
The reasons were clear: these two prestigious ninja clans had existed since Konoha's very founding, each possessing its own bloodline limit—the dojutsu. Their members all shared proud temperaments and lofty dispositions, making inevitable comparisons between them unavoidable.
Year after year, endless debates raged on over which eye was stronger—the Sharingan or the Byakugan—neither side ever ready to back down.
And today, the first prodigies of each clan were finally about to face one another.
It was truly something to look forward to.
As the Uchiha and Hyuga groups continued arguing—
Whoosh!
Hiashi Hyuga suddenly dashed forward. His agile figure leapt from the statue of Hashirama Senju, swiftly climbing a hundred meters upward until reaching its head.
He stood facing Fugaku Uchiha.
"Why are you here? Where is Heiyan?"
Hiashi coldly questioned while activating his Byakugan, closely monitoring the chakra flow within Fugaku's body.
During their last encounter at the Four Seasons Hotel, separated by dozens of meters of people, Fugaku's gaze had briefly ensnared him in a Sharingan illusion—an embarrassing mishap caused by his own carelessness.
He wouldn't allow history to repeat itself.
"Why are *you* here?"
Fugaku opened his eyes wide, firing the exact same question back. He had specifically challenged Heiyan to a decisive battle at the Valley of the End—what business did some brat from the Hyuga clan have interrupting?
With obvious disdain, he glanced at Hiashi then ignored him entirely, turning his gaze toward the crowd along the lakeshore, searching for Heiyan's figure.
Such arrogance and disregard predictably enraged Hiashi Hyuga.
"Fugaku Uchiha, fight me!"
With a sharp cry, Hiashi shouted, assuming the Gentle Fist stance and preparing to strike.
He had been tricked by the Sharingan before and had been looking for revenge ever since.
"I don't have time to deal with this," Fugaku said irritably. It wasn't that he feared Hiashi Hyuga, but rather that he wanted to conserve his energy to face Heiyan in top condition.
Among the people gathered at the lakeside,
"It looks like Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha are about to go at it."
"Where's Little Tobirama Heiyan? Did he back out at the last moment?"
"Maybe it's one of Heiyan's strategies. By arriving late on purpose, he lets the other two brawl first and wear each other down."
Just as the crowd was buzzing with speculation,
Two figures appeared on the distant surface of the lake—one male, one female; one with short white hair, the other wearing a green bun.
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