Suddenly, Chōza's voice rang out from behind them. "Chen, Nawaki, what are you two doing standing in front of the school like statues?"
Nawaki, with a mischievous grin, replied, "It's Chen. He seems so happy about something that he can't even move. I think he's in love or something!"
Chen, feeling his good mood evaporating, turned to Nawaki with irritation. "You're an idiot!" he exclaimed, smacking Nawaki on the head.
"Ow! That hurts!" Nawaki whined, rubbing his head with a pained expression. "You really hit me, idiot. If you hit me like that, I'll never let you go. Get ready for epic revenge!"
Far from being intimidated, Chen smirked. "Don't worry! If you get hit, you won't bother me anymore."
"Why?" asked Nawaki, genuinely confused.
"Because at that moment, you were already a fool," Chen replied wisely. "And fools never learn."
Without waiting for a response, Chen began walking toward the school, leaving Nawaki stunned and open-mouthed.
Inoichi, seeing the scene, approached Nawaki and patted him on the shoulder, laughing. "Come on! Let's go inside, fool. Don't let Chen beat you at this too."
"Damn it, Chen, wait for me!" shouted Nawaki, hurrying to catch up to Chen.
As they walked, Chen noticed something in the distance that caught his attention.
With a mischievous smile, he pointed toward the spot. "Hey, it looks like there's a good show over there. Should we go check it out?"
Nawaki, momentarily forgetting his indignation, was immediately interested and ran in the direction indicated. Inoichi, curious, asked, "What's happening?"
Chen replied, "Are you stupid or what? How would I know? I just got here, same as you."
Inoichi smiled awkwardly, recognizing the logic in Chen's words. "Well, judging by this situation, there must be some kind of conflict. Do you want to go see it together?"
Shikaku, who had remained silent until then, opened his eyes lazily and murmured, "I don't like this kind of trouble. You guys go, I'll stay here."
However, Inoichi and Chōza weren't willing to let their friend miss out on the fun. Coordinating perfectly, they grabbed Shikaku by the arms and began dragging him toward the commotion.
Chen, for his part, stopped in his tracks. His gaze had caught something, or rather someone, Mikoto, standing at the school entrance.
"Mikoto! Over here!" called Chen.
Mikoto, hearing her name, turned to Chen with a radiant smile. She approached quickly, her eyes shining with curiosity. "Chen! Why did you come so early?"
Chen frowned, pretending to be offended. "Why does everyone assume I'm always late? I can be punctual when I want to, you know?"
Mikoto giggled. "Sure, sure."
Chen, deciding to change the subject, pointed to where the boys were heading. "Let's go over there and see the fun! It looks like something's happening."
Without thinking twice, Chen took Mikoto's hand and began walking toward the commotion. Mikoto, surprised by the sudden contact, felt an intense blush spread across her cheeks. Her heart began to race as if it wanted to escape from her chest.
"C-Chen," stammered Mikoto, struggling slightly but not making a real effort to pull away. "There's no need to hold my hand. I can walk on my own, you know?"
Chen, with a smile, replied, "I know, but this way we'll move faster. Besides, I don't want you to get lost in the crowd."
Mikoto, though still nervous, couldn't help but smile at Chen's concern. "Alright," she murmured, gently squeezing Chen's hand.
….
As they reached the center of the commotion, Mikoto was surprised by the scene unfolding before them.
Hiashi, with his rigid and proud posture, stood facing a group of Uchiha clan members.
The tension in the air was palpable.
"What's going on?" murmured Chen. "Could it be that Jian wants revenge?"
Stepping forward, Chen patted Minato, who was already there observing the scene with concern.
Mikoto, still nervous about Chen's proximity, gently tugged on his hand and leaned in to whisper in his ear. Her warm breath sent a shiver down Chen's spine.
"...The leader is Uchiha Fugaku from my clan, the son of the patriarch..." explained Mikoto, her voice barely audible.
Chen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this information. Minato, noticing his curiosity, added, "Earlier, Fugaku beat up a member of the Hyuga clan and declared that he would trample the entire clan. Hiashi heard and decided to confront him."
Chen looked beyond the main group and saw a Hyuga clan member lying on the ground, clearly beaten. "Isn't that Hiro's older brother?" asked Chen, astonished by the events. "Why did Fugaku beat him up?"
Before anyone could respond, Hiashi's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Fugaku, I challenge you."
Off to the side, Hizashi wrung his hands nervously.
It was clear he wanted to stop his brother but didn't know how to without making things worse.
Chen quickly assessed the situation. Fugaku was noticeably larger than Hiashi and was about to graduate.
The odds were not in Hiashi's favor.
"Hiashi!" shouted Chen, trying to 'defend' him. "You need to calm down. That guy is better than you. If you get beaten, the Hyuga clan will lose prestige."
Hiashi turned to Chen, his eyes burning with fury. "What?! Are you saying I'm inferior to him?!"
Shikaku, who had been dragged to the spot by Inoichi and Chōza, intervened with his usual lazy but astute tone. "Hiashi, I think Chen is right. In fact, you're being a bit irrational."
Hizashi, seizing the moment of doubt, approached his brother. "Brother, I'll ask you once more: Forget this!"
But Hiashi turned a deaf ear to the warnings. "Hmph! I'll show you that the Uchiha clan is vulnerable too," he declared with determination.
Fugaku, who had been watching the scene with an arrogant smile, finally spoke. "There must be a limit to your insolence, Hyuga. I'll accept your challenge and teach you a lesson today." His dark eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and disdain, clearly not considering Hiashi a worthy opponent.
Hiashi's reaction was immediate and alarming. His byakugan, usually pure white, seemed to tint with red, as if it were about to transform into a sharingan out of sheer rage.
Mikoto, sensing the situation was about to explode, unconsciously tightened her grip on Chen's hand. He, surprised by the gesture, heard a small gasp that only he could hear.
With determination in his eyes, Hiashi activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes swelled.
"Take this, Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms!" shouted Hiashi, his voice echoing in the now silent courtyard.
An ethereal trigram appeared under his feet, quickly spreading to envelop Fugaku. Hiashi's hands moved with blinding speed, targeting the vital chakra points on Fugaku's body.
However, Fugaku didn't seem worried. His eyes, previously dark, now glowed with the red characteristic of the Sharingan. A single tomoe spun slowly in each eye.
To Fugaku, Hiashi's movements, though fast, seemed to unfold in slow motion. Every attack, every turn, every breath of Hiashi became predictable to him.
With a grace that seemed to mock Hiashi's efforts, Fugaku dodged every strike. He moved like water, flowing around Hiashi's attacks without even touching them.
The difference in skill and experience became painfully evident with each passing second.
The crowd surrounding them erupted in murmurs of amazement and envy.
"Is this the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan and the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan?" exclaimed a child, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "It's really amazing!"
"Yes!" replied another. "If I had that, it would be awesome!"
Those unfamiliar with the Sharingan bombarded their companions with questions, creating a buzz of excitement and curiosity in the air.
Among the crowd, Nawaki clenched his fist, his face determined. "After Hiashi's defeat, we'll take action," he declared. "Hiashi is in our class too, and no one can bully him."
Chen, observing Nawaki's reaction, couldn't help but comment, "I think you just want to fight!"
Meanwhile, in the center of the circle, Hiashi began to show signs of fatigue. After executing his attack, he paused, panting heavily.
The technique, though powerful, was extremely demanding for his young body. Chen noticed that Hiashi could probably only use it twice before becoming completely exhausted.
Hiashi, aware of his disadvantage, faced a dilemma. If he didn't use the technique, he would lose effectiveness in combat, but using it would quickly leave him vulnerable.
With determination, Hiashi pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch. The metal glinted under the morning sun as he faced Fugaku once again.
Fugaku, for his part, maintained a relaxed stance. His Sharingan continued to spin slowly, fixed on every move Hiashi made.
________
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