The next day, inside Nawaki's house at the Senju Clan compound.
"I'll definitely beat that guy next time!"
After his defeat, Nawaki was determined to train harder. However, with bandages wrapped all over his body and both hands encased in plaster casts, he looked utterly ridiculous.
"Save your energy. Do you really want to stay unwell after just coming out of the hospital last night?"
Tsunade smacked Nawaki's head, already covered in bandages.
Nawaki winced in pain, showing his teeth. "Sister, that hurts! Now I'm starting to think you don't even want me to heal properly!"
"Severe burns on the left arm, more than thirty percent of cells in the right hand pierced by lightning, injuries to meridians throughout the body—you're lucky to be from the Senju Clan, or else your ninja career would've been over already."
"All of this is that guy's fault! Why did he have to hit so hard?"
Though Nawaki deeply regretted his actions, considering the injuries Tsunade had mentioned, no one could expect such severe damage to come from a fight between two six-year-olds.
"Pfft, you brought it upon yourself. If you'd known just a bit more about your opponent, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
"S-so now I understand him better, next time—"
Before Nawaki could finish, Tsunade angrily cut him off. "Nawaki, are you stupid? Won't that Uchiha kid come up with other techniques targeted specifically at you?"
"But I'll get stronger too—"
Tsunade interrupted again, frustration written across her face. She actually bore no ill will toward Shen; after all, losing a fair fight wasn't something worth holding against someone.
[Five elemental chakra affinities—Sharingan, self-developed Fire Release techniques, and a unique chakra mode—even if you master superhuman strength, you'd still barely stand a chance against someone like that! Who would've thought another genius would emerge from the Uchiha clan just decades after Madara left the village!]
When Nawaki asked curiously, "Then how did you get there so fast? I remember losing consciousness not long after that guy caused such a huge commotion," Tsunade hesitated.
She wondered whether knowing the truth might sap his fighting spirit, but thinking carefully, she believed her younger brother probably wouldn't care too much anyway.
"Actually, the Third had Anbu come get me. Later, I found out that the kid Shen Uchiha has always been secretly protected."
Nawaki remained puzzled. "Secretly protected? Why?"
Tsunade answered, quoting what the Third had said, "[That child may surpass Madara Uchiha in the future.] The injuries you sustained wouldn't have been serious enough for anything beyond lying in bed for one or two months if untreated."
"So what does that prove? I fought him evenly afterward!"
Seeing the defiant look on Nawaki's face, Tsunade herself started getting angry. She felt her little brother was being foolish.
"That just proves he wasn't even using his full strength. He beat the crap out of you but didn't leave any lasting damage!" she snapped, growing more furious.
"And? Maybe that's simply the extent of his power," Nawaki retorted stubbornly.
"Come on, really?! With the Sharingan, an Uchiha can see every last bit of your chakra flow. What if he attacked critical meridians in your body? Plus, he mainly used electric attacks—imagine if he had chosen wind or fire instead?"
"!"
"Finally, I understand what this means. It means even with all my strength, I still can't match him."
"So does that mean I'll be stuck in bed for three months?"
"Originally, he planned to keep you down for a year or two, but your physical strength forced him to give up."
"That guy actually told you something like that?"
"He told the Third Hokage," Nayou added with a cough.
Let's rewind the clock to yesterday.
Shen Uchiha arrived at school right on time and sat obediently in the second seat of the first row, attentively listening to Nishinodera's lecture at the front of the classroom. Then, all of a sudden, several Anbu entered the classroom and called his name. They took him away on the spot, shocking everyone present.
"Uchiha Shen was taken away by the Anbu?"
"I always said he must've done something wrong. From the moment I saw him, I knew he wasn't trustworthy."
"The worst freshman in the history of the Ninja Academy!"
...
Nayou listened with a blank face as various rumors spread around her. Suddenly, she sensed something wrong: "This time, he really might end up blowing up the school!"
Inside the Hokage Tower office.
"Why are you staring at me like that, Lord Hokage?" Shen could always tell the Third Hokage was looking at him like trouble was brewing.
"Tell me, what happened with Nawaki?" The Third Hokage sighed, clearly abandoning his initial approach. "You know, if anything serious happened, your father would definitely face a lot of trouble."
"Oh, so you're talking about that. That idiot blocked me on my way to school and challenged me to a duel, so I just beat him up."
"Why did he end up so seriously injured then?"
"Don't worry, I held back. Originally, I wanted to make him bedridden for a year or two."
The Third Hokage already felt a bigger headache than Kazushi did just hearing Shen's casual tone. Holding back? Making someone bedridden for a year or two? Even as a child, how could he control chakra so precisely?
"Don't worry, Lord Hokage. According to my calculations, that idiot will bounce back after only three months at most. I have full confidence in my estimation," Shen puffed out his chest proudly, assuring the Third Hokage.
"Even if so, why did you have to injure Nawaki so badly, Shen?"
"In that case, let me rephrase it." Seeing the other side still insisted on questioning, Shen cleverly changed the subject. "Imagine someone blocking you on your way, Lord Hokage. What would you do?"
"Naturally, I'd talk things through."
"What if they refused to listen and insisted on fighting?"
"Then naturally, I'd stop them."
"You see? That's exactly what happened."
Watching Shen shrug indifferently, the Third Hokage finally understood his implication. So it was self-defense? At most an excessive form of self-defense.
"And how are you so sure Nawaki won't have any aftereffects?"
"Well, being from the Senju Clan, they're physically strong. And I just ran some lightning-natured chakra through him as treatment. Given his recovery capabilities, Lord Hokage, you absolutely don't need to worry—there won't be any side effects."
The Third Hokage already couldn't decide whether he should believe what he heard. His years of experience still made it hard for him to believe that a six-year-old could possess such power.
"Shoosh—"
A figure swiftly and silently slipped into the room through the window, whispered something softly into the ear of the Third Hokage, and vanished again along the same path.
"Alright, Nawaki is okay for now, but Shen, remember — most kids don't have the healing powers of the Senju Clan."
"Don't worry, Hokage Uncle. At school, only Nawaki, that silly goofball, would ever dare challenge me to a duel. I know exactly how others see the Uchiha."
The Third Hokage did a double-take — could someone so gentle really be an Uchiha? He even started doubting the Second Hokage's belief — weren't the Uchiha supposed to gain strength from hatred?
"Hokage Uncle, tomorrow you might hear all sorts of rumors about me."
"That's impossible. The regulatory body formed by all the major clans isn't just for show."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see what happens."
That was all Shen had to offer for now. If any rumors do surface, they must've come from the old clans that look down on the Uchiha. As for dealing with them, he had plenty of ways in mind.
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