Kazuki stood in Section D of the library, holding a scroll in his hands, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he unrolled it. 'Finally, it's time to learn this jutsu,' he thought, his fingers tracing the text as he prepared to delve into a new challenge.

Kazuki took the scroll home, settling onto the floor of his cramped apartment as he began to read. The title of the scroll was Body Flicker Technique. It was the technique that allowed ninjas to move at blinding speeds, imperceptible to the naked eye of an ordinary person. Kazuki believed that speed was the ultimate factor in a fight, and the Uchiha were renowned for their agility.

Kazuki analyzed while reading the scroll, 'This jutsu is just like I imagined, but that doesn't solve the problem. I've been practicing these ninjutsu inside my house to avoid any Root ninja if they're spying on me. But this jutsu can only be performed outside.'

He leaned back against the wall, his lips pressing into a thin line as he considered his options.

Kazuki thought, 'But that would only solve the issue temporarily. Someone would notice a kid like me practicing a D-rank jutsu, and I can't maintain the Transformation Jutsu for long. So there's really no way out of it.'

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he resigned himself to the risk.

Kazuki went to one of the sparsely populated Uchiha training grounds, a quiet clearing surrounded by dense trees where only a few people were training, the air heavy with the scent of pine. After reaching there, he sat down on the grass, unrolling the scroll to review its contents.

Kazuki analyzed, 'So in this jutsu, we need to make the Tiger hand sign and focus chakra on our feet. It has two uses: the first is to travel a short distance in an instant, with very high acceleration but requiring a high amount of chakra. The second is for long-distance travel, with low acceleration, though there isn't much difference in maximum speed unless the user adjusts it.'

He nodded, committing the details to memory as he prepared to practice.

It took Kazuki nearly two weeks to master flickering 20 meters away, his initial attempts ending in stumbles but his persistence paying off as he refined his control.

Kazuki was currently standing on Training Ground 8, facing Itachi Uchiha for a spar, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the field. Students gathered around, their murmurs filling the air.

Kazuki thought, 'This time I'm not gonna lose easily. I've trained so hard in the past couple of months.'

His hands clenched briefly at his sides, his resolve firm.

"Begin," Hiroshi Sasaki said, his voice cutting through the chatter as he stepped back, arms crossed.

Both of them stood still for a moment. Kazuki locked eyes with Itachi, but Itachi's gaze drifted past him.

Surrounding them were other students who were cheering for Itachi, most of them were Itachi fangirls, Itachi ignored them like they didn't even exist.

Kazuki thought, 'So cool,' as he looked at Itachi. A faint admiration flickered in his mind, though he kept it hidden behind a neutral facade—perhaps he was one of Itachi's 'fanboys' too, but he didn't let it show.

Kazuki suddenly rushed at Itachi with high speed, launching a barrage of punches, his fists a blur as he pressed the attack. Itachi responded with grace, dodging some strikes and blocking the rest with precise movements, his arms moving like water.

Itachi grabbed Kazuki's right arm, poised to shove him to the ground like the last time, but Kazuki was prepared as he countered swiftly with a low kick aimed at Itachi's feet. Itachi had to release his grip, jumping backward to dodge, and both faced each other again. This time, Itachi met Kazuki's gaze, his dark eyes steady.

Seeing that, Kazuki smirked for a second before regaining his composure, then attacked Itachi again, his movements fueled by newfound confidence.

The spar continued for a while, and some students gasped, surprised to see Kazuki keeping up with Itachi. But it wasn't long before Itachi increased his speed, overpowering Kazuki.

Hiroshi announced, "The match is over, winner is Itachi Uchiha," his tone firm as he raised a hand to signal the end.

Itachi looked Kazuki in the eye and said, "You've improved," his voice calm before he turned away and started to leave, his steps measured.

Kazuki replied, "You are very strong, Itachi, but I promise I will defeat you someday, so you better not slack off," his tone earnest yet formal, a determined glint in his eyes.

Hearing that, some students laughed, including Hayato, who smirked from the sidelines, while others didn't react much, and a few had amused smiles. Itachi glanced back, giving a small smile before departing.

Kazuki also left, lying down beneath a tree and gazing at the clouds drifting overhead.

Kazuki thought while looking at the clouds, 'I was very close to defeating Itachi, or probably not, because it was only his shadow clone. I know that because he was putting most of his focus on dodging and blocking rather than attacking—he knew if I landed a single hit, his shadow clone would burst. And when I was quite exhausted, he increased his speed and focused on attack. Damn, what a monster he is.'

He chuckled softly to himself, the sound lost in the breeze as he kept lying there and watching the clouds.

Kazuki was halfway through deciding if the cloud above him looked more like a chicken or a Kunai when a head popped into view, blocking his line of sight.

"Hey, you were impressive in your spar earlier," said a familiar voice.

Kazuki startled, sitting up in a rush, his eyes wide for a moment before he relaxed, looking at the face.

"Oh, it's just you, Yuki," Kazuki said, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "That startled me."

Yuki and Kazuki had been talking occasionally over the last four months—well, Yuki talked to almost everyone in the class, so it wasn't anything special.

Yuki giggled and said, "Sorry about that. I just wanted to ask you something."

Kazuki rubbed the back of his head again and said, "Sure, what is it?"

Yuki replied in a serious voice, "Are you serious about trying to defeat Itachi?"

Kazuki said, "Yeah, what about it?"

Yuki replied, "I know you've been working hard lately—that's why your taijutsu has improved so much—and I want to give you advice as a friend. Don't compete with Itachi; you'll only lose your self-confidence, and I don't want someone who's working so hard to end up like that."

Yuki added, "Itachi is a once-in-a-generation prodigy. My father told me that he mastered many ninjutsu by just seeing them once, and I think you would have noticed that Itachi was holding back during that spar because it was his shadow clone who was fighting."

Kazuki pretended to be shocked and said, "A shadow clone? How did you figure that out?"

Yuki replied, "I saw it. One day, I saw the clone dispersing itself."

Kazuki analyzed, 'Well, I wasn't exactly serious about that statement. It just came out with the flow, but still.'

He kept his expression neutral, masking his inner reflection.

Kazuki smiled and said, "Thanks for warning me. I'll keep that in mind."

Yuki sighed and said, "You are more stubborn than I thought."

Yuki smiled and said, "Well, if you are really serious about becoming strong, you should buy a chakra paper to identify your natural affinity and try to learn some elemental jutsu. From what I can sense, you have a high amount of chakra, so you should really try it."

Kazuki thought, 'I already did that, madam, but should I try the elemental jutsu yet? and how did she sense my chakra? is she a senser?'

His lips twitched faintly, a hint of amusement hidden beneath his calm exterior.

Kazuki replied with a smile, "Oh, chakra paper—yeah, I read about it in a book. I'll check my affinity as soon as I go home. Thanks for the advice, Yuki. But what do you mean by sense? are you a sensor?'

Yuki replied with a giggle, "Yeah but I only learned basics so that so one would be able to sneak up on me."

Kazuki was very envious and it was clear from his inner thoughts, 'Must be nice being a princess.'