Even more shocking, some people were brought to tears, leaving Sharly speechless. Even Iruka seemed helpless—he too was stunned upon hearing the news.
He immediately thought of Sasuke and rushed to find Naruto. Naruto's reply put him at ease: Sasuke had narrowly escaped, but due to psychological trauma, he would need some time to recover before returning to school.
However, the Hokage insisted this matter be kept secret for now, worried it might affect Sasuke's training. Iruka, looking at the grieving girls, didn't know how to comfort them.
As a result, attending class under such circumstances was almost impossible. Fortunately, Sasuke was usually cold and distant, with few close friends.
After one or two rounds of crying, the class gradually returned to order. Even if some were still sad, it made little difference.
Shikamaru glanced at the empty seat and recalled the recent events in the village, letting out a low whistle. The information he had gathered was still limited; he could sense something big was about to happen, but he never imagined it would be this: the Uchiha clan had been completely wiped out by rogue ninjas.
As for Sharly, he continued to read his book with indifference. He knew the original story and was certain Sasuke would be fine.
For Sharly, Sasuke was unquestionably safe. After all, the two paintings on the wall gave him the confidence to be so assured. No matter how Sasuke eventually grew, these two things served as a guarantee.
Still, Sharly sighed as he looked at Sasuke's empty seat, thinking that the next time he met him, he should see the familiar Sasuke from the original story.
Chapter 51 – The Avengers Assemble
Nearly a month passed without Sasuke attending class.
Just as all the girls had given up hope, Sasuke suddenly reappeared.
The girls were both thrilled and surprised, crowding around him one by one, expressing concern.
"These girls are crazy. Girls are terrifying," Shikamaru muttered, lying on his desk with sweat on his forehead.
"Indeed," Sharly agreed, nodding. "But Sasuke endured all this, and even with such harassment, he remains strong… It's both pitiful and admirable."
Shikamaru paused, thinking. Even playing Sasuke's role, it would be impossible to shake off the grief of his clan's annihilation in just a month.
Sasuke was certainly not at peace. Facing so many girls' attention, he merely clenched his fists protectively, without losing control—truly remarkable.
Even in the same situation, Shikamaru wasn't sure whether he could have calmly asked everyone to leave. If they didn't, frustration was natural.
He thought carefully, examining flaws in his reasoning, hoping to develop a more comprehensive perspective in the future.
"Boom!!"
A loud noise interrupted Shikamaru's thoughts. Turning, he saw the sound came from Sasuke's direction.
Shikamaru sighed internally. Could it be that Sasuke still couldn't hold back?
Hearing the sound, Sharly instinctively lifted his gaze from his scroll and looked at Sasuke. The boy had slammed the desk and stood up.
Like Shikamaru, Sharly thought Sasuke had finally reached his limit.
Then Sharly noticed…
When Sasuke slammed the desk, the girls nearby were startled. Seeing him leave his seat, they didn't dare stop him and quickly stepped aside.
However, the path didn't lead to the classroom door—it led to the back row.
Sharly was confused. Was Sasuke coming toward him?
Soon, Sasuke reached Sharly. Their eyes met.
Sharly's deep gaze was full of curiosity, silently asking what Sasuke intended, while Sasuke's eyes burned with the desire for destruction.
The scene made everyone tense, as it looked like a fight was about to break out. Both were popular students, and any injury would cause a stir.
"What is it, Sasuke?" Sharly asked, curious why he approached now.
"Come with me," Sasuke said quietly, then turned and left the classroom.
Sharly almost blurted out, "Is this a date?" But then, he wondered why Sasuke came to see him on the first day after the massacre, and followed him.
Passing by Ino, he noticed her worried gaze. Sharly smiled reassuringly. Everything would be fine.
Soon, Sasuke brought Sharly to a relatively secluded spot and stopped.
"So, Sasuke, what exactly do you want from me?" Sharly asked again.
"Fight me! I will defeat you!" Sasuke spun to face Sharly, eyes locked in vengeance. He had to take revenge. Every night he had been haunted by nightmares of that night.
Revenge… I must take revenge!
But such a weak boy—how could he possibly succeed? He wasn't even the top student in class yet!
So Sasuke set his sights on Sharly. To take revenge, he had to defeat the strongest opponent first. If he couldn't beat him, how could he have the power for vengeance?
Sharly was momentarily stunned, wondering why Sasuke suddenly declared he wanted to defeat him. He had made similar remarks during exams—but why turn it into a personal challenge now?
Sharly realized Sasuke was motivated by revenge and, as the top student, he was the natural target.
"It's possible, but not now," Sharly said after a moment's thought. He wanted to gauge Sasuke's current strength.
"Why not?" Sasuke stared intently.
"I can't show my full strength yet. Let's wait until after school, then we can have a proper match," Sharly said.
Sharly was in a shadow clone state, using only the chakra he needed for training. If he fought Sasuke here, the clone would dissipate quickly.
So a fight now was impossible.
"Fine," Sasuke agreed, though he didn't understand. If he wanted to defeat the top student at full strength, using others was pointless.
After school, Sharly let Ino go home alone, as he had other matters. Though slightly disappointed, she agreed. Sharly then went to the agreed location with Sasuke.
"Now?" Sasuke asked Sharly.
Sharly nodded, sighing as he looked at him. Even through the shadow clone, he could see Sasuke's potential. He could control himself and postpone the fight, as attacking immediately would be difficult.
Indra… Ashura…
Sasuke's eyes lit up, and he struck first.
After a while, sweat beaded on his forehead, eyes filled with disbelief.
All of his attacks had been effortlessly blocked by Sharly's hands. Sharly hadn't even counterattacked, or Sasuke would have been defeated already.
Sharly watched with interest. Although Sasuke was one of the two hanging on the wall (figuratively), he could still be teased at this stage. Why not?
Sharly noticed Sasuke gritting his teeth and reaching for his ninja tool pouch. His expression changed immediately.
They were only first graders, barely trained in combat, let alone weapons. Though Sasuke wasn't afraid, he prematurely reached for his tools without reason. Iruka hadn't noticed.
This meant if someone else had been here, Sasuke might have accidentally hurt them.
From this moment, the nature of the battle changed.
Sasuke didn't want to admit how vast the gap between him and Sharly was. He just wanted victory, already reaching for a kunai.
Chapter 52 – The Lesson
Three kunai shot toward Sharly from different directions.
Although the throws weren't very fast, Sasuke, as a descendant of the Uchiha, threw with exceptional skill.
However, Sharly, anticipating Sasuke's movements, quickly formed three hand signs.
"Got you." At the moment the kunai hit, Sasuke realized something was wrong. The opponent wasn't Itachi. Even seeking revenge, he shouldn't harm Sharly.
Had he vented his anger on the wrong person? Sasuke's eyes widened.
Before Sharly fully materialized, his form dissolved into a log on the ground, marked by the passing kunai.
"What?!" Sasuke's pupils shrank. It was a substitution technique. How could he do this? He hadn't learned it yet.
Even in the first half of the semester, he mostly trained physically. At home, he only practiced kunai throws. His ninja skills were minimal—escape techniques assigned by his father for catching up with Sharly after failing the third-grade exams.
Where…?
Sasuke glanced around frantically—but too late.
He felt his wrist clamped in an iron-like grip. The pain was unbearable, let alone resisting.
Next, he felt his entire body being restrained, hands tied behind his back, pressed down by Sharly.
Sasuke's body was pinned to the ground.
"Tsk. This is just a normal fight—why use kunai?" Sharly said, tapping Sasuke's head with his finger joint.
"Let go! I haven't lost yet!" Sasuke growled.
"Haven't lost?" Sharly said sharply, tapping twice more. If Sasuke refused to yield, he would continue.
Finally, exhausted and unable to break free, Sasuke slowly realized—he might have truly lost.
After his energy dissipated, his head ached. How many times had this kid hit him?!
"Let me go! I give up," Sasuke grit his teeth.
"Oh, you give up. Now tell me, why use kunai in a normal fight?" Sharly said, tapping as if it were routine.
"Stop tapping!" Sasuke groaned.
"Then speak quickly." Sharly was in a bad mood. He had only come out of curiosity but was attacked with kunai by classmates. If he hadn't dodged the three kunai, he would have been seriously hurt.
"Didn't you dodge easily?" Sasuke paused, realizing he shouldn't have used kunai, but his tone remained stiff.
"I dodged, but what about others? What if someone got killed by your kunai?" Sharly said, tapping again.
"No one can force me to use kunai!" Sasuke declared firmly.
"That may be true, but it's not the answer I want," Sharly said thoughtfully. He nodded, then tapped again.
"I'll kill you!" Sasuke was confused. Didn't he agree with Sharly's reasoning? Yet after being defeated again, his anger flared.
"That's not it either," Sharly said impassively, ignoring Sasuke's rage. He was annoyed too.
After a long moment…
"Sorry…"
"Too quiet, I can't hear you," Sharly said, without tapping this time.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have used kunai suddenly!" Sasuke shouted, as if giving up.
"This time is fine, but next time won't be so easy." Sharly finally released him, still displeased. Kunai were normal in ninja combat, but they weren't even ninjas—and only first graders.
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