Sasuke had been waiting for this chance to study and replicate the Gentle Fist.

'I shouldn't defeat him too quickly. My Sharingan's limit is 10 minutes. I need to push him hard enough to reveal most of his techniques. Unfortunately, I can't let him close my chakra points, or I'll lose. I also can't trick him with clones or replacements because his Byakugan will see through them immediately. That means I can't fully copy his most powerful techniques.'

Before forming the Confrontation Seal, Neji stated, "Uchiha, I've been waiting for our fight since you joined our class. You're the only one worthy enough to face me."

Sasuke replied, "I've been waiting for this too. I hope you can give me a fight as good as the one with Lee."

Lee, observing them, smiled after feeling down all day.

"Don't compare me to the trash who can't even use chakra," Neji said, and Lee's smile disappeared.

Sasuke considered defending Rock Lee publicly but decided against it. It's better to have a good relationship with the Hyuga compared to a handicapped kid with limited potential and no clan support. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't be polite to Lee.

Both contestants formed the Seal of Confrontation, and the match began.

'Byakugan,' Neji said, and his eyes changed with veins pulsating around them.

Sasuke didn't say it out loud, but his eyes turned crimson.

From the first strike, Neji's Gentle Fist moved with lethal precision, aiming for Sasuke's chakra points. But to his disbelief, Sasuke's evasive dance was a spectacle of martial prowess. Like a skilled conductor, Sasuke orchestrated a symphony of movements, seamlessly blending elements of different Hakuda styles.

'How does he dodge my attacks so effortlessly?' Neji thought as Sasuke continued to exceed his expectations.

Minutes passed, and Sasuke was finally pleased with his newfound knowledge.

"It seems like the Gentle Fist has a lot of similarities with Kyusho Jitsu style. However, without the Byakugan, it doesn't really worth it. Of course, with my Sharingan watching the chakra flow and with knowledge of human anatomy, I can make guesses and estimations about the chakra points, but I would never be 100% sure. The risk is unacceptable, but it's nice knowing this technique as a reference," Sasuke thought.

Neji, unaware of the looming threat, pressed forward with increasing frustration. His Gentle Fist strikes, once thought invincible, met only air as Sasuke twisted and turned with an almost mocking elegance.

Neji failed to see the oncoming storm. Sasuke transitioned from a defensive Uchiha-style posture into a breathtaking throw, hurling Neji across the arena.

Neji was furious from the humiliation. His hands moved in a frenzied attempt to regain control, but Sasuke, undeterred, flowed into a Judo lock, leaving Neji temporarily paralyzed.

As the ten-minute mark approached, Sasuke shifted into a grappling stance, locking Neji's hands with a cold finality. The arrogant prodigy struggled against the unyielding grip.

Finally, Daikoku-sensei called the match, and Sasuke stood victorious in front of his silent classmates who were unable to comprehend the level of this spar and the unexpected outcome.

The silence broke when Tenten hugged Sasuke tightly with stars in her eyes.

A loud cheer like never before took place in the class, and even Sasuke wasn't able to predict the effect that this victory would have on his future.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

---

The evening after the victory in an underground facility, a ninja who looked like an ANBU approached an old man covered in bandages.

"Danzo-sama, I have news about Sasuke Uchiha," the ninja said.

"Report everything in detail," Danzo replied.

---

The next days in the academy, Neji was completely depressed. Not only did he lose, but he lost to someone younger than him. He just could not accept it.

'Is this what fate has stored for me? Am I destined to become a weak slave?' he thought.

The change in his demeanor was obvious to all his classmates, and most of them were happy because they had suffered enough from his arrogance in the past.

However, Sasuke had different ideas and approached him when he was alone.

"Hyuga, I need to talk with you," he said with a poker face.

"Haven't you humiliated me enough already? What do you want?" Neji said aggressively.

"Stop being a little bitch," Sasuke said.

"What did you just say to me?" Neji said, getting himself ready to attack.

"It's nice to see that you still have some fight in you. If a simple loss was enough to turn you into a little bitch, I would have thought that the Hyugas are a joke," Sasuke said.

"What the fuck do you want? You know nothing about me and my clan, so shut your mouth," Neji said with fury.

"On the contrary, I know everything about the Hyugas. You were the only clan in the village that could match the Uchihas. I have more information about you than you think. I know about your father and I know about the slave branch," said Sasuke while pointing his finger towards Neji's forehead.

Of course, Sasuke had read about the Hyugas in the Uchiha library. There was information about all the prominent clans in Konoha and also about the biggest clans in the rest of the elemental nations.

"If you know about this, then you know that I am fated to be a slave. What the fuck is the point of me living?" Neji said full of hate and resignation.

"You are a fool, Hyuga. Do you really want to give up on your life? You have several options to escape this shit that you call fate," Sasuke said with confidence.

"What options?" Neji said with his curiosity piqued.

"Let's start with the first option. The slave mark is just a fuinjutsu seal. If you study fuinjutsu and reach the rank of grandmaster, you will be able to remove it yourself. However, this option will take you several years and a lot of hard work. Also, keeping it a secret from your clan would be near impossible," Neji had already thought about this option, so he nodded for Sasuke to continue.

"Second option. Find a fuinjutsu grandmaster and persuade him to help you. However, the only masters of the craft that I know are Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru. Jiraiya-sama won't help you going against the will of the Hokage, and Orochimaru would probably ask you to take part in several experiments, and you will turn traitor along the way." Neji just nodded.

"The third option is to prove your value to the current Hokage and make him command your clan to free you. However, the value of a person would never be greater than a whole clan," Sasuke said with confidence.

"I have already thought all of that. Do you have a clever solution or not?" Neji asked finally having enough.

"Of course, I have, Hyuga, and that is the fourth option. Become the right hand of the future Hokage with the promise that he will free you in the future." Sasuke said with a small smile.

Neji scanned him for a few seconds, and his expression turned extremely serious.

"I need to think about this," he finally said.

"Take your time," Sasuke replied and left him alone.

---

After the academy, Sasuke met the three girls, and the whole group moved to the pond. The girls had made great progress in the last days with the water walking.

At the beginning, Sakura and Ino couldn't take their eyes off Sasuke. However, Sasuke kept complimenting Tenten, who was always completely focused on her training. As a result, the only option for Ino and Sakura was to get serious.

Tenten was still ahead of the girls. She had almost completely mastered the water walking technique and she was mimicking Sasuke by combining water walking with the leaf balancing exercise.

Sasuke was really satisfied with his investment in her.

After the training, Sakura and Ino approached him, and Sakura said, "Sasuke-kun, three days ago, Shikamaru asked how we grew so strong. Ino told him about our training with you, and he keeps asking us to bring him with us. We ignored him at the beginning, but he is very persistent. Today, I told him that I will ask for your permission because it’s your house."

"I don't know what’s wrong with him. He sleeps all day, and now he suddenly is interested in training. I thought that he was too lazy to train," Ino thought.

Sasuke smiled. 'The boy can't hold his curiosity any longer,' he thought.

"Sakura and Ino, we are friends, and if you won't change your mind, you are going to be my future wives. There is no need to ask for such trivial things. Shikamaru is a cool guy and he can come if he wishes." Sasuke said.

Of course, the girls ignored most of his answer and focused on the part “future wives”. They both blushed and nodded.

'At least Tenten has a personality. I have managed to make them train, but it will take time for them to be mature enough to be useful.' Sasuke thought.