Chen watched the tense atmosphere of the classroom with growing boredom. The lack of real action was starting to irritate him. With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, he decided it was time to stir things up a bit.
As he stood up from his seat, Mikoto gently grabbed his arm. "Chen, please don't," she whispered worriedly. "Jian is a real genius. You might get hurt."
Chen turned to Mikoto with a charming smile. "Oh~~ are you worried about me, Mikoto-chan~?" he asked softly.
Mikoto's face turned a deep shade of red. "I-it's just that..." she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Don't worry," said Chen, winking. "I know what I'm doing."
Ignoring Mikoto's silent protests, Chen walked over to where Hiashi was standing, watching the confrontation between Nawaki and Jian.
"Well, well, Hiashi-sama~" Chen said in a mocking tone. "Don't you think you should intervene? After all, you're the future patriarch of the Hyuga clan, aren't you?"
Hiashi turned to Chen, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What do you mean, Chen?"
Chen shrugged with feigned indifference. "Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you're really qualified to be the patriarch. I mean, so far all I've seen you do is stand there like a useless bystander."
Hiashi's eyes widened, anger building inside him. "How dare you...?"
"Come on, Hiashi-sama~" continued Chen, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We all know you're only the young patriarch because you're the current patriarch's son. Why don't you prove your worth by facing Uchiha Jian? Unless, of course, you're afraid."
That was the last straw. Hiashi, his face red with anger, stormed towards Jian. "Uchiha!" he yelled. "I challenge you to a fight here and now!"
Jian turned to Hiashi with an arrogant smile. "Oh? The little Hyuga wants to play? You should know that your pathetic Byakugan is nothing compared to the glorious Sharingan of the Uchiha clan."
Chen, seeing the perfect opportunity, intervened again. "Hey, Jian, do you even have the Sharingan? Because you sure talk a lot for someone who probably hasn't even awakened it."
Jian paled slightly but maintained his arrogant posture. "I don't need the Sharingan to defeat a Hyuga."
Jian's words only served to enrage Hiashi and the rest of the students in the class further.
Chen, satisfied with the chaos he was stirring, turned to Nawaki. "Hey, Nawaki-kun, aren't you going to join in? Remember, 'the law does not blame the public'. This is your chance to show what the Senju are made of."
That was all it took. Hiashi threw the first slap, striking Jian on the cheek. Nawaki, not wanting to be left behind, quickly joined in, landing a punch to Jian's stomach.
Within seconds, the classroom turned into a battlefield. The students of Class A, except for Chen, Mikoto, Minato, and Shikaku, pounced on Jian in a massive brawl.
Chen retreated to his seat, watching the scene with a satisfied smile. Mikoto looked at him in amazement.
"Chen, what have you done?" she whispered, horrified.
Chen shrugged, his smile never leaving his face. "I just gave things a little push. I was bored."
As the chaos continued around him, with shouts, punches, and the occasional poorly executed jutsu flying through the air, Chen leaned back in his chair, completely satisfied with himself. He had managed to provoke a mass reaction and, most importantly, he was no longer bored.
"Ah, the sweet sound of chaos," he murmured to himself, ignoring Mikoto's disapproving look. "This is going to be a very interesting school year indeed."
But it was all interrupted by the sudden opening of the classroom door.
Teacher Ueno Kuri entered, his black eyes widening at the chaos reigning in his class.
(Image of Kuri on my Patreon.)
"ENOUGH!" Kuri roared, his voice echoing throughout the classroom.
The effect was immediate. The students froze in their tracks, looking at the teacher with a mixture of surprise and fear. Within seconds, everyone returned to their seats, leaving the battered Jian unconscious on the floor.
"What in the world is going on here?!" Kuri shouted, his voice booming against the walls. His eyes scanned the class, stopping at each guilty face. "Everyone involved, stand up right now!"
Most of the class stood up, except for Chen, Mikoto, Shikaku, and Minato. Kuri noticed this, but his attention was first focused on the unconscious student.
As Kuri assessed the situation, Shikaku leaned towards Chen, whispering, "Why did you do this? You know it could bring us trouble with the Uchiha clan."
Chen shrugged, a playful smile on his lips. "Why not? It's fun."
"Fun?" Shikaku frowned. "Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Uchiha clan?"
"Why should I be?" replied Chen confidently. "Besides, from what Mikoto has told me, there's quite a bit of discord within the clan. So, I don't think they care about us."
Shikaku looked at him with a mixture of amazement and irritation. "You're troublesome, you know that?"
Kuri, clearly struggling to manage a class full of children from important clans, sighed heavily.
"…All of you who were standing, come with me to the detention station," he ordered.
Just as Kuri was about to take the students away, Hizashi spoke up.
"Teacher Kuri, it was Chen who provoked all of this. He didn't participate directly, but he was the one who incited the fight," he accused, pointing to the long-haired silver-haired boy.
Seeing who had pointed him out, Chen stroked his chin, feeling that he hadn't taught Hizashi enough.
Kuri's eyes turned to Chen, who had until that moment maintained a perfectly rehearsed look of innocence.
"Is that true, young man?" Kuri asked, his voice laden with suspicion.
Chen, feeling challenged by the accusation, stood up with a resigned sigh. "I didn't hit anyone, teacher."
Kuri was momentarily speechless. The boy was much taller than he expected, towering over his classmates. His eyes scanned Chen's figure, noting his unique features and confident posture.
"How old are you, Chen?" Kuri asked, doubt evident in his voice.
"Four, sensei," Chen replied with an innocent smile.
Kuri blinked several times, unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing. Not only were Chen's height and appearance surprising for a four-year-old, but everything about him was... unusual, to say the least.
Before Kuri could probe further, Mikoto stood up abruptly.
"Teacher," Mikoto's voice was determined. "Chen is telling the truth. He didn't participate in the fight."
Kuri, already irritated by the whole situation, frowned. "Miss Uchiha, I appreciate your loyalty, but given the circumstances, you'll also go to detention with the rest."
Mikoto paled but nodded, casting a worried glance at Chen.
"Alright," said Kuri, massaging his temples. "I'll take Jian to the infirmary to get his injuries checked. The rest of you, stay here and reflect on your actions. I'll be back soon to take you to the detention station."
As Kuri left the classroom carrying the unconscious Jian, he couldn't help but cast one last look at Chen. There was something about that boy that didn't add up, and he was determined to find out what it was.
________
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