After the introduction of Naruto and the brief greetings that followed, the atmosphere of the dinner gradually relaxed. Smiles spread across faces as people settled into their seats, eating food and chatting with one another.
After all, this was a large clan gathering after quite a long time since the New Year celebrations, so everyone was in a talkative mood. Conversations flowed freely from table to table as people shared their experiences, recent missions, academy progress, and various small happenings within the village.
The warm glow of lanterns illuminated the dinner grounds while the sound of laughter and clinking dishes filled the air.
But suddenly, after about half an hour or so, a loud argument began to rise above the pleasant chatter.
At first it was just a distant voice, but soon several words clearly reached everyone's ears. And since most of the people present at the dinner were ninjas with sharp hearing, they could hear the argument without much difficulty.
One voice said loudly, "No, my Onii-san is a better genius. He is the biggest genius in the world!"
Almost immediately another voice fired back, just as stubborn, "No, my Onii-san is the biggest genius! He is the best swordsman!"
Hearing that, the first side immediately continued, sounding even more determined.
"No! My Onii-san is the best. He is considered to be an even bigger prodigy than the Fourth Hokage!"
As soon as the other boy heard this, he replied without backing down, "Then my Onii-san is also a bigger prodigy than the Fourth Hokage!"
It was quite clear what the argument was about.
Both of them were fiercely defending their elder brothers, each insisting that their own Onii-san was the greater genius.
And these two arguing children were none other than Sasuke—who was proudly taking the side of his elder brother, Itachi Uchiha—and Ryuko, who was defending Shamrock and declaring him to be the strongest genius in the world.
The two of them stood facing each other, voices raised, completely absorbed in the argument over whose elder brother was the superior prodigy.
Shanks stepped forward, raising one hand slightly as he said, "Okay, okay, both of you calm down. This is a dinner party. You both don't have to argue about things."
His voice was calm but carried enough authority that many of the surrounding conversations slowly quieted.
"Both of them are geniuses in their own right," Shanks continued. "No one can simply be labelled a bigger or lesser genius. Their achievements and fighting styles are different, and every shinobi's style is unique, so judging one against the other like that doesn't really make sense."
Ryuko immediately spoke up after hearing this, clearly still dissatisfied. "But he is talking as if his elder brother is the only biggest genius in the world and no one else can even be called a genius."
From the other side, Sasuke replied without hesitation, his voice firm and confident.
"It is a fact. And after my elder brother, I am the biggest genius. I come at number two in Konoha in terms of talent."
A few nearby people raised their brows slightly at the bold declaration.
When Ryuko heard this, he crossed his arms and replied just as stubbornly, "Then I come at number three in terms of talent. What about it?"
Sasuke looked directly at him for a moment before suggesting, "Then how about we both have a duel, just like ninjas do? Whoever wins is correct."
Ryuko's eyes lit up immediately.
"Yes, I agree with that," he said without hesitation. "Let's do this."
Since Shanks had already stepped forward to handle the situation, Antares and Makima did not interfere to stop their son. Their expressions remained calm as they watched.
After all, Shanks was handling the matter, and stepping in now would be disrespectful. He was their elder brother and also the clan head of the Uzumaki clan. Interrupting while he was overseeing the situation would not be appropriate.
Shanks quietly observed the two boys standing opposite each other.
Both of them were clearly very prideful.
Ryuko's pride came from the dragon blood flowing within him, inherited from Antares. Meanwhile, Sasuke's pride came naturally from being an Uchiha. Not to mention that the Uchiha clan already had geniuses like Shisui and Itachi, so Sasuke's confidence—and even arrogance—was not entirely surprising.
Looking at the two prideful boys glaring at one another, Shanks let out a small breath before speaking again.
"It seems that both of you are ready to have a duel," he said calmly. "And without having one, neither of you will agree on this matter. I'm sure you would just end up fighting somewhere else later anyway."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So in that case, the dinner could use some entertainment as well."
Several people around the gathering chuckled softly at that.
"You both can fight," Shanks continued, raising a finger slightly as he added a condition. "But no weapons will be allowed. You can use physical combat and Ninjutsu according to your will."
Then his gaze moved between the two boys.
"And I hope that after this duel, both of your issues are resolved."
Kakashi watched the situation unfold and felt somewhat helpless at Sasuke's behavior. Honestly, he wasn't particularly surprised.
Sasuke had shown time and again that he took great pride in being a member of the Uchiha clan. So this kind of reaction didn't seem unusual to Kakashi. Moreover, Sasuke's admiration and love for his elder brother were well known throughout the entire Konoha village.
If someone even dared to suggest that Itachi was not the greatest genius—or worse, that Itachi was number two or something like that—then Sasuke fighting them over it was practically guaranteed.
And that was exactly what was happening here.
Shanks turned his gaze toward Kakashi and asked calmly, "You are the teacher of Sasuke. You don't have any issues with this duel, right?"
Kakashi gave a small nod. "I don't have any issue. Let them both fight and fulfill their arrogance."
Shanks nodded in response.
After hearing Shanks' decision, everyone present at the dinner quickly adjusted. Clan members shifted their positions, chairs were moved aside, and an empty space was created in the center of the gathering area.
Soon enough, Sasuke and Ryuko stood opposite each other in that open space, facing one another under the warm glow of the lanterns.
Since weapons were not allowed—and to be precise, it was dinner time anyway—none of them had brought weapons with them in the first place.
So the duel began with pure physical combat.
Sasuke was the first to move.
With a quick step forward, he dashed toward Ryuko and appeared directly in front of him, throwing a punch straight toward Ryuko's face. The movement was sharp and precise.
But Ryuko reacted calmly.
He simply raised his palm and caught Sasuke's fist mid-strike, his grip firm as iron. Then he immediately tried to pull Sasuke toward himself.
Since Sasuke was physically weaker than Ryuko, he was forcefully pulled forward.
However, Sasuke realized the situation the moment Ryuko tugged him in. Acting quickly, he swung his leg in a fast kick aimed toward Ryuko's waist.
Ryuko instantly maneuvered, lifting his right leg to block.
Both legs collided with a dull thud.
Yet Ryuko remained completely unfazed. His body barely moved. Due to his overwhelming physical strength, he wasn't pushed back even the slightest bit.
Ryuko then pulled Sasuke forward again and threw a punch toward Sasuke's stomach.
Sasuke reacted quickly, raising his left hand to defend himself.
Ryuko's punch collided with Sasuke's guard.
The impact was heavy.
Even though Sasuke blocked it, the force sent him stumbling backward several steps. His feet slid against the ground as he struggled to regain his balance.
But before Sasuke could even properly stabilize himself, Ryuko was already in front of him again—moving with surprising speed, his hair swaying backward from the sudden motion.
Without hesitation, Ryuko threw another punch straight at Sasuke's face.
The strike landed cleanly.
Sasuke was sent flying backward, rolling across the ground several feet ahead before finally coming to a stop.
----
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