Chapter 84: The Awakening

The soft morning light filtered through the window, gently rousing Ryu from his slumber. As consciousness slowly returned, he blinked away the remnants of sleep, his mind sharpening to the realisation that today marked a significant milestone—his first day at the ninja academy.

"Ryu! Don't be late on your first day!" His grandfather's voice echoed from downstairs, a mixture of excitement and concern.

With a start, Ryu bolted upright, his eyes widening as he glanced at the imaginary clock. "There is enough time I will reach before time," he muttered, scrambling out of bed. In a flurry of motion, he rushed through his morning routine, hastily donning his clothes and grabbing his packed bag.

As he thundered down the stairs, his grandfather, Dan Hamura, stood at the bottom, a knowing smile on his weathered face. He held out a hastily prepared sandwich, which Ryu gratefully accepted.

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Ryu called out, already halfway out the door.

"Good luck, my boy!" Dan replied, adding quickly, "Don't start a fight on your first day. You have already drawn too much attention to yourself."

Ryu nodded seriously before dashing off. He weaved through the streets of Konoha, the sandwich clenched between his teeth as he navigated between early morning pedestrians. The situation felt oddly familiar, triggering a sense of déjà vu that momentarily transported him to another time and place.

"Why does this feel so nostalgic?" Ryu pondered as he ran. Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind—his first day at MIT in his previous life, before his reincarnation.

The parallel between his past and present struck him, a reminder of the strange journey that had led him to this moment. He chuckled inwardly, recalling anime stereotypes of characters running to school with toast in their mouths. "Some stereotypes transcend worlds, I guess," he mused.

As the academy came into view, Ryu slowed his pace, catching his breath. He approached the entrance, his heart racing with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Just as he was about to step inside, a voice called out from behind.

"Hey, Hamura!"

Ryu turned, instantly recognising the speaker. Kenji Uchiha, the brat he had shown his place in the academy's entrance exam. Ryu's expression remained neutral as Kenji approached, his stance guarded.

Ryu glanced around, noticing that the area had cleared out. "Everyone must already be inside," he thought. He checked his internal clock and saw there were still a few minutes left. "Great, if this brat starts a fight, I'm going to be late. So much for avoiding attention on day one."

The emptiness of the schoolyard made him uneasy, but it also presented an opportunity. With no witnesses around, he could afford to be a little less restrained if things escalated.

Kenji's dark eyes bore into Ryu as he spoke, his tone accusatory. "Why did you hold back in the entrance test? Don't think you can look down on me just because you can run a little faster."

Ryu blinked, feigning innocence. "Hold back? Me? I was running for my life. If that's all, Uchiha-san, we should get going. Being late on our first day would be more embarrassing than your bruised ego."

As Ryu attempted to move past him, Kenji stepped in his path, blocking the way. "Don't play dumb with me. Tell me why you were holding back."

Realising he couldn't avoid this confrontation, Ryu decided to change tactics. He met Kenji's gaze steadily. "Kenji Uchiha, right? Why are you so interested in me? Even if what you're saying is true and I was holding back, why does it matter to you?"

Kenji's fists clenched at his sides, his voice rising with frustration. "It matters because I can't accept it! Even if I'm ranked above you, knowing that you could have beaten me if you'd done your best... I can't stomach the idea of someone being better than me, especially a civilian."

Ryu's eyebrows rose at this. "A civilian? I'll have you know I'm a survivor of an ancient clan—the only living child of the Hamura Clan."

Kenji Uchiha was not surprised; rather, it merely confirmed what Fugaku had said because he was aware—according to Clan Leader—that Hamura had once been Uchiha's adversaries, more than a century ago. As Ryu once again tried to move past him, Kenji's frustration boiled over. He lashed out with a quick punch aimed at Ryu's face.

In that instant, Ryu's powers activated. With the trajectory and seconds for imapact of Kenji's fist clearly visible in his eyes, the world around him appeared to slow to a crawl.

A thought flashed through Ryu's mind: It won't be like last time. I won't let any bully punch me in the face again. I'll dodge at the last possible moment.

With a slight shift of his body, Ryu evaded the punch. Kenji's momentum carried him forward, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Ryu looked down at him, his voice calm but firm.

"If you have a problem with me, Kenji, keep it to yourself. I have more important things to do than entertain your fragile ego."

These words only served to enrage Kenji further. He sprang to his feet, launching a flurry of punches at Ryu. But to Kenji's growing frustration, Ryu dodged every single one with apparent ease. Finally, Ryu caught one of Kenji's fists mid-swing, reminiscent of a scene from a superhero movie, a cult classic.

This brat needs a lesson, Ryu thought. He attacked me unprovoked just because I might be physically superior. These entitled kids from Ninja clans are troublesome.

Releasing Kenji's hand, Ryu took a step back. "Try again," he said, a hint of challenge in his voice. "This time, I'll keep my hands behind my back. See if you can land a hit."

Kenji's face contorted with anger as he launched into another assault, this time mixing punches with kicks. But Ryu's enhanced perception allowed him to anticipate and avoid each attack.

Growing tired of the game, Ryu decided to end it. With a sudden burst of speed, he gracefully performed a flip, kicking on Kenji's face before landing gracefully on his feet.

"And that's what I call a 'Hamura Special'. Patent pending." Ryu declared, unable to resist a bit of showmanship.

As Kenji stumbled back, Ryu's voice took on a more serious tone. "What's the point of all this, Kenji? So what if you beat me and get to the top? How long will people remember you and feed your fragile ego as a 'proud Uchiha'? You told me not to look down on you, right? Well, guess what? I'm not even looking at you, you brat."

Kenji glared at Ryu from the ground, his pride visibly wounded. Ryu continued, his words cutting deep. "Why would I look at you? You're not special. You are not even top of your clan."

At that moment, something changed in Kenji's eyes. As he stood up, Ryu noticed a distinct shift in his gaze. Where there was once just anger and frustration, now there was something else—a red glint with a single tomoe pattern. Ryu took a step back, momentarily stunned by the sudden awakening of Kenji's Sharingan.

Kenji's voice was low and threatening as he spoke. "This isn't over, Hamura."

Ryu sighed, shaking his head. "Violence isn't the answer to everything, Kenji. Maybe you should seek help for that anger of yours. It might cloud your judgement one day when it really matters."

When Kenji left, Ryu thought, "Perhaps I went too far. But then again, he did attack me first. I was just defending myself."

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that this incident would have far-reaching consequences. Ryu stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. He just helped this brat awaken his sharingan by stepping on his fragile ego. With a heavy sigh, he turned and finally entered the academy, hoping that the rest of his day would be less eventful.

Little did Ryu know, this encounter was just the beginning of a complex relationship that would shape both their futures in ways neither could imagine.

"So much for not drawing attention," he muttered to himself as he walked to his classroom.

As Ryu made his way through the academy halls, his mind raced with thoughts about the confrontation. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for provoking Kenji to such an extent. Although he had not intended to force Kenji to awaken his Sharingan, he knew that his words and deeds had been a major factor in its awakening.

Ryu's thoughts turned to his own abilities. He had managed to dodge Kenji's attacks with ease, thanks to his enhanced perception. But he knew he couldn't rely solely on that. Sharingan can also perform in a similar fashion, and the advantage Ryu had won't necessarily work on an Uchiha. He would need to train harder to develop his skills further if he wanted to keep up in this world of ninjas.

##PoWeR StOnEs##

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