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Akira didn't care what Fugaku was thinking. He casually tossed aside the charred remains of Uchiha Tajima, then turned and walked away.
This time, no one dared to stop him.
Tajima was an elite jonin, and he'd been taken out in seconds. If they rushed in now, wouldn't they just be lining up to die?
The Uchiha might be fierce, but they weren't idiots. Throwing themselves at certain death wasn't their idea of bravery.
Only after Akira's figure had completely vanished did someone finally rush up to Fugaku, shouting angrily,
"Clan head! Are we really just going to let that guy go?"
"Oh?" Fugaku replied calmly, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "Then why didn't you try to stop him just now?"
"I… because… so…"
The man stammered for a long time but couldn't get out a single complete sentence.
At that moment, another clan member stepped forward. "Clan head, that eye of his just now… was that the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Earlier, everyone's attention had been locked onto Akira. No one had noticed that Fugaku himself had briefly activated his Mangekyō.
"This concerns the clan's secrets," Fugaku said slowly. "I'll investigate it myself later. You don't need to worry about it."
His gaze drifted downward to the two figures lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
"For now, the most important thing is to get Tajima and Hiroki treated."
After leaving the Uchiha meeting grounds, Akira felt a little annoyed.
He'd clearly come to discuss something important with the clan. So how had it turned into a fight out of nowhere?
Weird. Really weird.
He replayed everything in his head.
Yep. Definitely not his fault. He hadn't struck first. He'd just defended himself.
Glancing at the sky, he saw that it was still early. There was no rush to head back, so he decided to find somewhere to train.
Power like this needed practice. A lot of it. Otherwise, you'd never truly master it.
Leaving the Uchiha district, Akira headed into the forested hills behind Konoha. The trees were thick, and people rarely came here. It was perfect for training.
He got straight to it.
Two hours later, Akira finished testing the abilities of his eyes.
Next, he was about to switch into his "muscle monster" form and see just how far his raw physical strength could go.
That was when a vaguely familiar voice rang out.
"Uchiha Akira! I finally found you!"
Hyuga Neji stepped out from between the trees. Beside him was another Hyuga boy wearing a Konoha forehead protector.
"Big brother, it's him!" Neji said, covering one cheek and pointing at Akira. "He sneak-attacked me during the ninja sparring this morning. Totally dishonorable! He knocked my teeth out! My face and mouth still hurt like hell!"
"I see," Hyuga Ko said with a nod.
He walked up to Akira, folded his arms, and looked down at him.
"So you're Uchiha Akira. The one who ambushed my little brother and injured him?"
"Get lost."
Akira only said one word. He couldn't be bothered to explain anything to some brat.
"Heh, interesting," Ko said, not angry at all. In fact, he looked amused. "It's been a while since I've seen a kid this interesting. Figures, coming from the Uchiha."
"Listen up, brat," he went on smugly, pointing at the forehead protector on his head. "Your big brother Hyuga Ko here is a genin. A real ninja, got that? The weight of that word isn't something a little academy kid like you can even understand!"
His face was full of arrogance and pride.
A genin dealing with some academy dropout was practically a slaughter. So when his cousin came asking for help, he'd agreed without a second thought.
Akira looked at the kid's puffed-up expression and felt a bit speechless.
Since when did genin get this full of themselves? The guy was acting like he was Kage-level or something.
Still, Akira wasn't in a hurry to teach him a lesson. He was done training for the moment, so a little entertainment sounded fine.
"Oh?" Akira said calmly. "So what do you want? Want me to apologize to him?"
"Heh! At least you know what's good for you," Ko said, clearly pleased.
"But you knocked my brother's teeth out. An apology alone isn't going to settle this."
"Then what, you want me to pay his medical bills?" Akira spread his hands helplessly. "I'm broke."
"No need for money," Ko replied. "Just let my brother hit you back. And I mean really hit you. Knock your teeth out too. Then we're even."
"That… doesn't sound very nice."
Akira took a step back, frowning.
"Not agreeing?" Ko sneered. "Fine. Then I'll knock your teeth out myself."
He cracked his knuckles and advanced aggressively.
"Alright, alright," Akira said, stopping and putting on a frightened look. "I'll let Hyuga Neji hit me back. Just don't you interfere."
"Hmph. That's more like it."
Ko looked satisfied and turned to Neji.
"Go ahead. Don't hold back. I'm right here. He won't dare fight back."
"As expected of my big brother!" Neji flattered him, then walked up to Akira with a smug grin.
"Well, Uchiha Akira? How does it feel?" he said triumphantly. "When you sneak-attacked me this morning, did you ever imagine this would happen? You must be regretting it now, huh? Hahaha!"
He was eager to see regret on Akira's face.
But things didn't go the way he imagined.
Akira stared at him blankly. No regret. No fear. Nothing.
"If you're going to hit me, hurry up," Akira said impatiently. "Stop dragging it out like a little girl."
"You bastard!" Neji snapped. "That condescending attitude of yours is really pissing me off!"
Fury flared in his eyes. Chakra gathered in his hand as he swung a hard slap at Akira's face.
"Keep acting tough! I'll smack all your teeth out!"
Akira didn't dodge. He didn't block. He let the blow land squarely on his face.
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the forest.
To Akira, it felt like nothing more than a light breeze brushing past his skin.
To Neji, it was a nightmare.
"Ahh! My… my hand!" Neji cried, clutching his swollen, reddened palm in shock. "Why is your face so hard?!"
It felt like he'd slapped a steel plate. The impact left his entire arm numb.
"Didn't eat today or something?" Akira stepped forward, even leaning his face closer. "Put some strength into it."
"T-this…"
Neji staggered backward, too scared to try again.
"Big brother! His face is crazy hard!" he shouted. "You do it! Teach him a lesson!"
Useless.
Ko shot his cousin an annoyed look. The other guy wasn't even fighting back, and he still couldn't manage it. What a waste.
Still, Ko refused to believe it.
How hard could some kid's face really be?
He stepped forward and swung his hand, but Akira caught his wrist effortlessly.
"I never agreed to let you hit me," Akira said calmly.
"You dare fight back?" Ko roared. "Did I say you could?!"
He tried to yank his arm free, but no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge.
His heart sank.
Why was this kid so strong?
"L-let go!" he shouted nervously. "If I get serious, you're done for!"
Something felt very wrong now.
"By the way," Akira said casually, still holding his wrist, "I think I heard your name was Hyuga Ko. Right?"
"Y-yeah… I'm Hyuga Ko. W-why?"
A chill crept up his spine. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him, like something terrible was about to happen.
"Oh, nothing," Akira replied. "I just think it's a nice name."
He suddenly smiled at Hyuga Neji.
The next instant—
Sharingan.
"..."
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