The Duel of the Uchiha: Rakuna vs. Fenghuo
News of the impending duel between Uchiha Rakuna and Uchiha Fenghuo spread rapidly through several Academy classes. It was the lunch break, and with stomachs full and no lessons looming, students were eager for entertainment. A duel between two Uchiha? Of course they flocked to watch, signing up for front-row spots like it was the Academy Festival.
By the time Fenghuo and Rakuna arrived at the practice yard, doing light warm-ups and trading pointed glares, they found themselves surrounded by a veritable sea of students.
Flags made of napkins and paper scraps waved enthusiastically, and the crowd was already loud with jeers and excited chatter.
To children around six or seven, anything dramatic was thrilling. They couldn't wait to see punches fly and sparks blaze. They crowded closer, voices chirping endlessly.
Rakuna, for his part, seemed to revel in the attention. His back straightened, chest puffed out like a proud peacock, eyes glinting with confidence and a thirst for dominance.
"Uchiha Fenghuo," he sneered, "sorry to say this, but you're about to become the school's laughingstock—again. Heh. The shame will follow you forever!"
With a flick of both wrists, two shuriken gleamed and zipped through the air—one arcing for Fenghuo's left, the other his right.
Fenghuo, barely lifting his eyelids, coolly unsheathed two kunai. With sharp metallic clinks, he parried both shuriken in one motion, deflecting them into the dirt.
"Woah!"
"Did you see that?!"
"Who is that guy?"
"What, you don't know? He's Uchiha Fenghuo. He challenged Hatake Kakashi last semester—and got knocked out cold."
"Pfft! Seriously? He thought he could beat Kakashi-senpai?"
"Well… he's different now. That defense just now was tight."
The crowd buzzed with new energy. But neither Rakuna nor Fenghuo paid them any mind.
Rakuna darted around, hurling more shuriken in a wild flurry. The clink of steel echoed—but Fenghuo remained grounded, blocking with flawless precision. His defense was so tight, it was like trying to strike through a wall of chakra.
Rakuna grit his teeth.
"Fenghuo! Is this all you've got? Show me your Fire Style!" he shouted.
He'd been working hard. Over six grueling months, he'd finally mastered the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu—the Uchiha clan's coming-of-age technique. Today, he would prove his worth.
"Ninjutsu? Against you?" Fenghuo yawned. "Come on. Not worth the chakra."
Silence. Deafening. Crushing.
All eyes turned to Rakuna. He suddenly looked like a child throwing a tantrum in front of grown-ups. Their gazes were expectant—hungry. As if daring him to entertain them.
"Bastard…" Rakuna snarled, fury rising. His Sharingan hadn't awakened, but his eyes burned red with frustration.
Tiger → Boar → Ram → Horse → Snake → Rat!
Six hand seals, done sloppily over nine seconds. At last, Rakuna reared back, forming a final sign in front of his lips.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!!"
BOOM!
A head-sized flame roared from his mouth. It gathered heat as it flew, ballooning larger and hotter midair. The air rippled with heat as the fireball surged toward Fenghuo like a rolling inferno.
The crowd gasped.
Some gaped in awe—real ninjutsu! Most Academy kids had never seen anything beyond clone practice.
Yūhi Kurenai, Rin Nohara, Sarutobi Asuma—they all tensed, eyes locked on Fenghuo.
Even Obito Uchiha, trying to act disinterested, had sweaty palms.
Only one student remained calm: Might Kai. His thick brows furrowed in excitement. "Fenghuo is strong," he whispered to himself.
BOOM!
The fireball collided—but all it struck was a burning log.
"Substitution Jutsu!!"
"Cool!"
"Awesome!"
Rakuna stood, stunned. Rage welled in his chest.
"Fenghuo, you coward! You blocked my shuriken before—why didn't you block that one?! You faker!"
He turned wildly—but Fenghuo had vanished.
And then—
From the edge of the ring, a man appeared in Rakuna's eyes: Uchiha Yexing, his father, clutching a training staff, face dark with disappointment.
"Rakuna," he said, voice low and cold, "you've humiliated the clan. You're not worthy of the Uchiha name. I should never have let you be born. Better if you had died in your swaddling cloth."
"No—No! I'm not a failure! I learned the Fireball Jutsu! I'm a genius! I'm a genius!!"
Rakuna trembled, drenched in sweat. His eyes darted, and he stumbled back—like a child fleeing a nightmare.
Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Who's he yelling at?"
"Did he go crazy?"
"Is this part of the fight?"
But a few realized what was happening.
"It's a genjutsu," Asuma muttered. "Naraku's Technique… targets a person's deepest fear. But wait—hasn't Fenghuo been training taijutsu with Maito Dai? Since when can he use genjutsu?"
In a corner, a tall, quiet boy bit down on a bamboo senbon. His eyes were sharp beneath the bangs.
"Genjutsu and taijutsu?" he murmured. "Those two are pulling out all the stops."
Shiranui Genma. Two years older than Fenghuo. Still in the Academy, but already respected for his analytical mind.
Just then, Fenghuo reappeared behind Rakuna and kicked him square in the back.
"Gah!!"
Rakuna crashed to the ground, stunned and groaning. The blow knocked the genjutsu away with the pain.
"You… you bastard!!" Rakuna sputtered. His vision swam. "I'll kill you!!"
He jumped up, hands flashing through seals again—faster this time. Desperation lent him speed.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Another great fireball exploded from his mouth.
Fenghuo didn't even flinch.
He sheathed his kunai.
And ran toward the fireball.
Gasps exploded all around.
"Fenghuo!"
"Has he lost it?!"
Kurenai leapt forward. "Why is he charging?! He had the upper hand!"
Asuma's eyes narrowed. "No… this isn't recklessness. He's not planning to dodge again…"
Genma exhaled. "He's using taijutsu."
Sure enough—
"Konoha Whirlwind!!"
Fenghuo leapt high, twisted mid-air, and kicked.
CRACK!!
His right leg tore into the fireball, cleaving through the flame like a blade through smoke. The jutsu scattered into glowing cinders, the heatwave blasting into the audience with a tangible gust.
Students shielded their faces, blinking at the warm wind.
Rakuna stared, eyes wide, lips trembling.
"H-How…? My ninjutsu…"
Fenghuo landed silently. His leg smoked slightly from the heat.
Hyuga Shinmune, watching from the edge, clenched his fists.
"What kind of physical technique… shatters ninjutsu?!"
The crowd didn't have an answer. But their silence said everything:
Uchiha Fenghuo was no joke.