The practical combat class sparring continued, but the brief yet shocking clash between Menma and Sasuke was like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples through the hearts and minds of the young boys and girls.
On the sidelines, the atmosphere among the group of girls was subtly tense.
Ino watched several of her female classmates, who usually only had eyes for Sasuke, now frequently glancing towards Menma, who was surrounded and laughing with Naruto, Choji, and Kiba. She pouted slightly.
She was keenly aware that Menma's clean and efficient moves, his calm yet slightly lazy demeanor, and those clear blue eyes were beginning to emit an allure different from Sasuke's sharp, flashy, cool posturing
"Hey, don't you guys think Menma-kun is actually pretty cool too?" A girl with twin tails whispered excitedly to her friends, her eyes shining.
"Yeah, yeah! Especially when he held that kunai to Sasuke's neck at the end! So calm! So cool!" Another girl chimed in, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"And he seems much easier to get along with than Sasuke-kun. Sasuke-kun is always so cold..."
"But isn't the Hyuga Clan's young lady always following Menma-kun around?" Someone hesitated, looking towards Hinata, who was sitting quietly in a corner, still seeming a bit shaken.
"Ah, Hinata is the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter! A major clan like that will definitely need to find a suitable match from another major clan for a son-in-law, right? Menma-kun is strong, but he seems to just be a war orphan..." The twin-tailed girl lowered her voice, offering a somewhat presumptuous analysis.
These 'small people with big thoughts' discussions, though deliberately hushed, still drifted into Sakura's ears.
She had originally been preoccupied with Sasuke's lonely figure as he ran off, wrestling with whether to chase after him and offer comfort.
Hearing her friends' 're-evaluation' of Menma now caused a strange wavering in her heart.
Under her pink hair, her face showed a confused, fangirl-like expression: "Eh? Seems... like it... Menma-kun is so strong too... Sasuke-kun is so handsome too... What to do..."
"Hey! Forehead-girl! Snap out of it!" Ino couldn't take it anymore. She gave Sakura a light knock on the head with her knuckles and said in a low, exasperated voice, "Sasuke or Menma, neither should be what you're thinking about right now! And besides-"
She glanced at the timid Hinata not far away, who still seemed not fully recovered from the shock of the Great Fireball, and leaned close to Sakura's ear, whispering so only she could hear:
"You know Hinata's situation. If that 'Sister' of hers gets angry, none of us can handle it! Don't go messing around with Menma!"
Sakura remembered the heart-stopping, terrifying aura Hinata occasionally emitted and instantly shivered. The small, budding 'fangirl' flame was immediately extinguished.
She nodded repeatedly. "Y-yes! You're right, Ino!"
Just then, Iruka's voice rang out: "Next group, Uzumaki Naruto! Inuzuka Kiba! Get ready to enter the field!"
The two livewires, Naruto and Kiba, immediately forgot about Menma and charged onto the field, shouting.
Both were energetic and straightforward types. Their Taijutsu Styles were bold and unrestrained, full of youthful vigor.
Naruto, though unstable with Chakra Control, made up for it with sheer stamina and fearlessness. Kiba was more agile and had a slightly more solid Taijutsu's foundation.
They exchanged blows on the field, kicking up dust, attacking and defending in turn, drawing cheers and laughter.
In the end, Kiba, relying on a more stable stance and a clever feint, seized an opening in Naruto's defense and tripped him to the ground, winning by a narrow margin.
"Damn it! So close!" Naruto got up, dusting himself off. Though he lost, he wasn't discouraged… instead, he was fired up. "Next time I'll definitely beat you, Kiba!"
"Hmph, dead-last, keep practicing for ten more years!" Kiba held his head high, having won fair and square.
The atmosphere on the training ground became lively again. Just as everyone thought the little commotion had passed, the two girls who had been discussing Menma seemed to muster their courage.
They pushed and shoved each other, their faces flushed, and finally walked together over to Menma, who was discussing the match with Naruto and Kiba.
"Um... Menma-kun..." The twin-tailed girl took a deep breath, her voice clearly nervous.
"We... we were planning to go see the new movie [The Adventures of Princess Fuun] this weekend... Do you... do you have time? Would you... like to come with us?" After speaking, both girls shyly lowered their heads.
The air instantly went quiet.
Naruto, Kiba, and Choji's mouths hung open, their faces dumbfounded.
Ino facepalmed, wearing an 'I knew this would happen' expression.
Shikamaru, propping his chin with one hand, had a trace of helplessness flash through his lazy eyes, "Troublesome..."
And Hinata, who had been sitting on the stone steps not far away, taking small sips of water, her face still slightly flushed, froze mid-motion.
She slowly raised her head. Her pure white eyes first looked blankly at the two blushing girls, then at the seemingly stunned Menma they had surrounded.
Immediately after, an invisible, icy, and powerful aura erupted from Hinata!
It was as if a calm lake surface had instantly frozen solid!
The surrounding girls, like startled birds, instinctively gasped and stepped back, clearing a space.
Hinata slowly stood up. Her smooth blue hair, which usually hung down her back, stirred without any wind, floating gently.
The timid expression on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by a sharp, flamboyant look with intense possessiveness in her eyes… Hinata's eye veins bulged, her Byakugan fully activated! A powerful pressure instantly burst forth!
Her left hand rose, palm open. Her right hand clenched into a fist, the knuckles emitting a series of sharp, frightening crack sounds!
The corner of her mouth lifted into a wild, aggressive curve.
"You two..."
Big Sis Hinata's voice rang out, no longer its usual soft, quiet tone, but carrying a deeply magnetic and oppressive force.
"Want to ask 'my' Menma to go see a movie? Hmm…?" The last 'Hmm' was drawn out, dripping with dangerous implication.
The two girls were scared out of their wits by this sudden terrifying transformation and the almost tangible killing intent!
Their faces instantly turned as pale as paper, tears uncontrollably welling up.
"Waaaah—!!" They let out a piercing shriek, no longer daring to stay.
They turned and fled the training ground scrambling on all fours, as if demons were chasing them.
Dead silence fell over the sidelines.
Everyone was stunned by Big Sis Hinata's instant 'transformation' and the aura she erupted with. Even Naruto shrank his neck in, not daring to make a sound.
Menma watched the two terrified girls run away, then looked at the fully-powered Hinata beside him. He quickly stepped forward and gently patted Hinata's shoulder, his tone soothing and gentle, "Alright, alright, stop scaring them."
Feeling the warmth of Menma's palm and his familiar presence, the terrifying aura around Big Sis Hinata didn't fade… instead, it intensified.
"Hmph!" She pouted, her sharp gaze turning to Menma, issuing a warning: "If you dare two-time me, I'll kill you first, you know!"
Big Sis's fiery temper made Menma raise his hands in surrender.
Choji, holding his bag of chips, dropped the chip he was about to put in his mouth, scared stiff.
Big Sis Hinata's aura instantly dominated all the boys and girls present.
"So... so cool..." Some girls whispered, their eyes shining with admiration for this dashing, fiery Big Sis Hinata.
After delivering her threat, Hinata transformed back into the quiet girl standing beside Menma, her eyes somewhat timid, her face flushed red.
Noticing everyone's unusual looks, Hinata's face turned so red it seemed about to drip water. She lowered her head, steam practically rising from her scalp.
Iruka wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling like today's practical class was more exhausting than fighting a Chunin Exam's proctor.
He hurriedly announced the next few sparring matches, hastily concluding this accident-filled lesson.
'Strange, feels like something's missing?' Iruka looked at the match list and shook his head, 'Forget it, let's get the kids back to the classroom first.'
In the crowd, Shino calmly adjusted his sunglasses.
…
After the group returned to the classroom, Iruka graded and commented on everyone's performance.
He specifically praised Menma for the calm judgment and solid foundation he displayed against Sasuke, while also using Sasuke's rule-breaking use of the Great Fireball as a negative example, re-emphasizing classroom safety.
He offered encouragement for Naruto's fighting spirit, Kiba's improvement, and Choji's stability.
As for Hinata, Iruka wisely chose to ignore the earlier 'little episode'.
Finally, under the glow of the setting sun, the day's classes were declared over.
…
At the edge of the Uchiha Clan's compound, in a secluded training ground.
The setting sun cast long shadows from the trees, the air carrying the chill of autumn.
Sasuke hadn't gone home. He had run all the way here, tear tracks still visible on his face alongside the flush from exertion.
Intense feelings of humiliation and resentment gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.
He couldn't forget Menma's calm eyes on the training ground, the effortless way he deflected the kunai, the power that completely suppressed his Taijutsu, and finally, the cold touch at his throat...
It all shattered his pride as a 'genius'.
"Damn it! Damn it!!" Sasuke roared frustratedly, grabbing a handful of training shuriken and hurling them frantically at a distant wooden target!
The force was immense, but his aim was off. The shuriken embedded themselves crookedly at the edge of the target, a few even missing completely and sticking into tree trunks.
Just as he was venting his anger, a gentle voice sounded behind him.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke's body stiffened. He whirled around.
His older brother, Uchiha Itachi, stood at the edge of the training ground.
He was wearing his Anbu's black form-fitting combat suit, covered by a light gray vest. His face was partially obscured by a common Anbu animal mask, but the mask was currently pushed up on his forehead, revealing his deep, concerned black eyes.
"Nii-san..." Seeing his most trusted older brother, Sasuke's barely restrained grievance instantly overflowed.
His eyes reddened again, his voice choked with sobs.
Itachi took in his younger brother's disheveled appearance and red-rimmed eyes and understood.
He walked slowly to Sasuke's side, crouched down, and met his brother's eyes at his level.
His voice was gentle. "What's wrong? Did you face a setback at school?"
Sasuke nodded vigorously, tearfully pouring out the events of the afternoon's match against Menma… from his throws being easily countered, to his Taijutsu being completely suppressed, to the final humiliation of being tricked by a Substitution Technique and having a kunai pressed to his throat.
He grew more agitated as he spoke, his small fists clenched tightly. "...That Menma! He... he wasn't even using his full strength! My attacks didn't even touch him! I... I lost so badly! Everyone saw..."
Itachi listened quietly without interrupting.
He reached out, his warm hand gently ruffling Sasuke's hair, wiping away the fresh tears that spilled from the corners of his eyes.
"Sasuke," Itachi's voice was calm yet carried strength. "The Ninja World has never lacked people called 'geniuses'."
Sasuke looked up, his vision blurry with tears.
"A true genius isn't someone who never fails." Itachi continued, his gaze deep, as if seeing through the training ground to a wider world, "It's someone who can draw strength from every failure and become stronger. The opponent you faced today was strong. He saw through your intentions and used your impatience against you. That's good."
"Good?" Sasuke didn't understand.
"Yes, good." Itachi nodded affirmatively, "Because it will make you remember that you must never be the slightest bit careless, no matter what opponent you face. Underestimating the enemy is a Ninja's greatest grave. Remember how you feel today. Remember the resentment this failure brought you. Then, turn it into the motivation that drives you forward."
He paused, looking at his brother's still-stubborn eyes, "Tell me, do you want to win? Do you want to surpass him?"
"I do!" Sasuke answered loudly without hesitation, the flames of determination rekindling in his eyes, "I will definitely defeat him next time!"
"Good." A trace of a gratified smile appeared at the corner of Itachi's mouth, "Then, let's start now. I'll help you train."
He stood up and walked to the side, motioning for Sasuke to continue his throwing practice.
Sasuke's spirits lifted. He vigorously wiped the tear tracks from his face, picked up the shuriken again, his expression becoming intensely focused.
He began practicing the basic movements of the Uchiha Clan's Shurikenjutsu seriously, striving for precision in every exertion of force, every rotation of his wrist.
Itachi stood to the side, watching his brother train with a calm gaze, occasionally offering pointers on subtle technical details.
Watching his younger brother's determined, unwilling-to-lose profile, a deeper shadow quietly fell over Itachi's heart.
His gaze inadvertently swept towards a certain direction outside the training ground… the location of an Anbu's surveillance camera.
Just moments ago, Itachi, who had been on a monitoring mission for the Anbu, had temporarily handed over the 'monitor the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan's compound' task to his senior, Kakashi, to free himself up to find Sasuke.
This somewhat dilapidated training ground was his and Shisui's secret base.
Later, after Sasuke began training, Itachi started bringing Sasuke here, training him together with Shisui.
'Shisui...' The thought of the missing Shisui lay on Itachi's heart like a heavy lead weight.
That genius, who was like both an older brother and a friend, always with a gentle smile, had been missing for over a year now.
Although the village's official record listed him only as 'missing', whether within the Uchiha Clan, the upper-echelons of Konoha, or even other Ninja Clans, it was almost universally accepted in private that Shisui had been killed.
'Who was the murderer?'
Within the Uchiha Clan, anger and suspicion spread like wildfire.
The clansmen, especially the radical faction dissatisfied with the village, pointed their fingers directly at the Konoha's leadership!
They believed the leadership feared Shisui's terrifying strength, feared the Uchiha Clan producing a second Uchiha Madara, and had secretly orchestrated this assassination!
Even Itachi, who served in the Anbu and was highly valued by the Third Hokage, faced suspicion and alienation from some within the clan.
During clan meetings, the looks from Yashiro, Tekka, and the others were always filled with scrutiny and distrust.
Itachi's gaze returned to the diligently training Sasuke. A hint of indescribable worry and heaviness flashed deep in his eyes.
Shisui's disappearance had created a massive rift between the Uchiha and Konoha. The contradictions between the two sides grew increasingly intense, the smell of gunpowder permeating the entire compound.
And Itachi, caught in the middle, was almost crushed by the pressure from both sides.
He had to protect Sasuke.
And he had to find the truth.
No matter how cruel that truth might be.