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As Horyu focused on harnessing his newfound skills, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. He was surrounded by prodigies and powerhouses, and yet, in his own way, he was starting to stand out. He couldn't outmatch them in raw talent, but he could certainly try to bridge the gap with cunning and resourcefulness.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke looking in his direction, a mixture of disdain and confusion on his face. "What are you grinning about, Horyu?" Sasuke's voice carried a sharp edge, drawing the attention of their classmates.
Horyu turned towards him, a soft smile on his face. "Just enjoying the simple pleasures of life, Uchiha."
Sasuke's scowl deepened. "You should spend less time grinning and more time training. Your throwing is pathetic."
Horyu shrugged, an air of nonchalance about him. "Well, we can't all be Uchiha Prodigy. Some of us have to settle for mediocrity."
The others snickered, and Sasuke huffed, spinning on his heel and stalking off. Ino shook her head, whispering to Kiba, "You'd think he'd learn to ignore Horyu by now."
Horyu's smile didn't wane as he picked up another shuriken, a renewed sense of determination coursing through him. With each throw, he saw his accuracy and power improving. Each throw felt more precise, more controlled than the last.
Time seemed to blend as Horyu continued to practice. His classmates' shouts and laughter faded into the background as he poured his focus into his training. He threw shuriken after shuriken, slowly but surely making progress.
After hours of arduous practice, another message popped into Horyu's vision: [Throwing has reached Level 2.] The corners of his mouth quirked upwards in a small, triumphant smile. He had a long way to go, but for the first time, Horyu felt like he was on the right track.
As they began to disperse, Horyu heard a soft voice from behind him. "Horyu-san, you did well today."
He turned around to find Hinata, her face partially hidden behind her long indigo hair. The usual shyness was absent from her eyes, replaced by a quiet determination.
"Thank you, Hinata-san," Horyu responded with a small bow of his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You did quite well yourself."
As Sasuke watched Horyu's satisfaction radiate, an irritation gnawed at his stomach. Cocking his head, he sauntered towards the other boy, a superior air clinging to him like a second skin.
"Horyu," Sasuke drawled, the sneer on his face palpable. "Why so pleased with yourself? A minuscule improvement doesn't make you less of a failure."
Sasuke then said, "You are still the worst in the class. Or do you need a reminder? You want to have a go, so I can put you in your place?" His voice, filled with the usual aloofness, echoed through the training grounds. A murmur rippled through their classmates.
Before Horyu could dismiss Sasuke's taunt, as he usually did, a prompt materialized before his eyes. After all ignoring Sasuke's verbal jabs was Horyu's usual modus operandi. [Quest Alert: Triumph Over the Uchiha Prodigy.]
Details unfurled underneath.
[Objective: Win a shuriken throwing contest against Uchiha Sasuke. Victory conditions are divided into several divisions.
1. Precision Contest: Have more shuriken hit the target than Uchiha Sasuke.
Speed Contest: Throw all your shuriken faster than Uchiha Sasuke.
Distance Contest: Throw your shuriken further than Uchiha Sasuke.]
The rewards were listed below:
[Winning the Precision Contest would earn the skill, 'Precision Master' Level 1.
Winning the Speed Contest would grant 'Swift Release', a unique ability to increase speed of any action.
Winning the Distance Contest would reward 'Long Shot', enhancing the range of thrown or fired objects.]
A feeling of anticipation stirred within Horyu, but he was also acutely aware of the odds. Sasuke was a prodigy, his talent and skill honed by years of relentless training. Could he really win? Well, he certainly had his new skill to count on, didn't he?
Shaking off his doubts, Horyu turned towards Sasuke, his sarcastic smile firmly in place. "Oh, Uchiha, always the caring clanmate. What's the matter? Afraid I'll steal your thunder?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Keep dreaming, Horyu."
A hush fell over the class as Horyu stepped forward, ready to accept the challenge. They were all expecting him to be humiliated once again, but there was a different spark in his eyes today.
Standing side by side, shurikens in hand, Horyu mused over his predicament. He couldn't win all three rewards. It was simply impossible given his current abilities. He needed to focus on one or maybe two of them. The reward for the Speed Contest was tempting, but he knew if he tried to throw fast, he would inevitably sacrifice precision. Distance was a toss-up. He wasn't sure he could beat Sasuke in that, either.
Suddenly, a sly idea crept into his mind. The quest didn't specify how far he should be from Sasuke, right? So, what if he subtly stood a little further back? That way, he would meet the conditions of the quest without pushing himself too hard. Smiling at his cunning, Horyu took a small step backward, hoping no one would notice.
Sasuke, shuriken at the ready, glanced at Horyu. "Getting cold feet already?" he taunted, smirking confidently.
Horyu simply shrugged and flashed a nonchalant smile at Sasuke. "Just trying to enjoy the view."
The others scoffed at Horyu's comment, but he ignored them. His focus was entirely on the target, and he began to throw his shurikens, prioritizing slow, accurate throws over speed.
One by one, the shurikens hit the target. Some closer to the center, others a bit off. But with each throw, Horyu could feel his control and precision increasing. His new Throwing skill was visibly leveling up, his accuracy getting better with each attempt.
On the other side, Sasuke was throwing his shurikens with a speed that was hard to follow, each one hitting the target dead center. His precise and swift throws were a testament to his raw talent and intense training.
Horyu couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he saw Sasuke's effortless performance. But he quickly squashed the feeling. Now wasn't the time for envy; it was the time for action.
With each subsequent throw, his confidence grew. The shurikens began to land closer to the center, and his classmates' scoffs gradually became whispers of surprise.
Shikamaru, usually uninterested in such contests, tilted his head, observing Horyu's progress with mild interest. Ino whispered to Kiba, "Did Horyu always have this level of control?"
As the contest continued, Horyu could see the faint signs of surprise on Sasuke's face. The usually smug Uchiha seemed slightly thrown off by Horyu's performance.
And then, before his final throw, another message popped up. [Throwing has reached Level 3.] A small, triumphant smile graced his lips as he acknowledged the prompt and turned to his last shuriken.
His hand steady, Horyu drew back his arm, focused on the dead center of the target. It was as if everything else faded into the background, leaving only him and his target. He could feel his heart beating in sync with his breathing, and with a swift motion, he released the shuriken.
There was a sharp gasp from his classmates as the shuriken whirred through the air and hit the target dead center. The training ground fell into a stunned silence as Horyu lowered his arm, a proud smirk on his face.
"Did Horyu just…" Choji trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
"Horyu-san," Hinata murmured, her usually shy demeanor replaced by a look of awe.
Sasuke was silent, his face an unreadable mask. He had been sure he would win. After all, Horyu was just… Horyu, the weakest in class. But the final throw had thrown Sasuke off, leaving him in disbelief.
His grip tightened around his last shuriken as he threw it towards the target with more force than necessary. It hit the target a fraction off from the center, but it was enough to confirm Horyu's win in the precision contest.
With a satisfied smirk, Horyu turned towards Sasuke, the triumph in his eyes clear for everyone to see. "Well, Uchiha, seems like the view from here wasn't so bad after all."
The training ground erupted in cheers and gasps, the students chattering about the surprising turn of events. In the midst of it all, Horyu felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. For once, he was the one in the spotlight, not Sasuke. He was the one who had everyone's attention, for all the right reasons.
Sasuke, his face stony and unreadable, turned away from Horyu, leaving the training ground without a word. Horyu couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, his previous anxiety about the contest completely forgotten.
"So, Uchiha Prodigy, would you like to have a rematch?" Horyu's voice echoed through the training ground, but Sasuke was long gone, leaving only the whispers of his classmates and the memory of his victory behind.
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