Chereads / Konoha: Flames Devoring the Sky / Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The Challenge

Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The Challenge

A simple meal, paired with Fūka's occasional jokes, quickly brought him closer to Rin and Kurenai. The little girl was easy to please—well, easy to coax. Asuma Sarutobi, on the other hand, was a bit more mature, watching Fūka with a scrutinizing gaze.

As the "Fire Second Generation" of Konoha, he had received elite education from a young age and wasn't easily convinced that Fūka's personality could change so quickly.

"After eating, go wash the lunchboxes," Fūka said, stretching and pushing the lunchboxes toward Uchiha Obito.

"Nani? Why me?" Obito, who was busy boasting to his crush, Rin, was reluctant to do it.

"I'll do it!" Rin volunteered to take the lunchboxes.

"No, no, I'll do it. It's just a small task; don't trouble Rin," Obito insisted eagerly.

"Thanks for the lunch, Fūka!" Kurenai said cutely, "Next time, I'll treat you to lunch made by me."

"You're welcome," Fūka said, looking at Kurenai's big, adorable eyes, really wanting to pinch her chubby cheeks.

Soon after lunch, the classmates who had gone out to eat started returning.

Then, Kiyono Makoto appeared, leading everyone to the outdoor training ground.

This afternoon's lesson was training with shuriken and kunai, which couldn't be done indoors, so they headed to the specialized training area on the field.

"Shuriken and kunai are too easy; they pose no challenge for me," Hyuga Shinzo said haughtily, his eyes occasionally darting toward Fūka with a hint of provocation. "Unlike some people, who can't even open their eyes and faint from practicing taijutsu—what an idiot!"

The Hyuga Clan's bloodline limit, the Byakugan, is innate, allowing members to see nearly 360 degrees around them and detect chakra flow. It provides exceptional visual prowess compared to the Sharingan, including long-range vision and the ability to see through objects.

Thus, in the ninja world, the Byakugan is renowned alongside the Sharingan as one of the three great dojutsu.

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" Obito, a close friend of Fūka, clenched his fists and charged forward.

Fūka, smiling, grabbed Obito's hand and said to Shinzo, "Hey, little brat from the Hyuga clan, are you looking for trouble?"

"Huh? Looking for trouble? Hahaha, Uchiha Fūka, are you challenging me? Have you forgotten the incident last semester with Uchiha Obito? But you're lucky today; I'm in a good mood, so let me give you a taste!" Although Shinzo was from the Hyuga branch family, he had considerable talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been placed in Asuma Sarutobi's class. His Gentle Fist technique had reached the Eight Trigrams Palm, making him formidable for his age.

"Is Uchiha Fūka challenging Hyuga Shinzo again?"

"Seriously, what an idiot, and still looking for trouble!"

"Hyuga Shinzo may not be as strong as Uchiha Obito, but he's still very powerful."

"Uchiha Fūka isn't embarrassed enough, it seems."

"I heard many Uchiha clan members want to teach Uchiha Fūka a lesson. This semester is going to be interesting."

The students' discussions quickly drew Kiyono's attention. He glanced back at the situation with a frown, thinking that Fūka was a real blockhead, but…

'It's better for him to learn a lesson now than to be killed as a ninja later!'

With this thought, Kiyono decided not to intervene in the challenge between Uchiha Fūka and Hyuga Shinzo.

Uchiha Obito looked at Fūka, being the only one who knew how hard Fūka had worked during the vacation and how much progress he had made. If it weren't for Uchiha Obito's prodigious talent, he might have thought Fūka could defeat Uchiha Obito!

Beside them, Rin and Kurenai looked at Fūka with some confusion, struggling to connect him with the person who made delicious food earlier.

"Don't worry, Fūka's got this!" Uchiha Obito gave the two girls a thumbs up.

A group of students eagerly discussed the upcoming challenge between Fūka and Shinzo, looking forward to the fight!

But Fūka, the person involved, suddenly felt a bit bored, his hands resting behind his head as he yawned.

He was feeling conflicted, wanting to grow up quickly to escape the childish school games while also wishing time would slow down so he could improve his strength as much as possible before the Third Great Ninja War.

'Looks like I need to figure out how to learn Shadow Clone Jutsu. From now on, clones can handle classes while the main body focuses on training.'

The ninja school's training ground was large, with a dedicated area in the north corner for shuriken and kunai training, equipped with many sharp and cold kunai and shuriken.

Ninja tools aren't toys, so these are all made of fine iron and are very sharp.

Kiyono was about to speak when Shinzo couldn't hold back: "Kiyono-sensei, I have something to say!"

Kiyono looked at Shinzo, then at Fūka, and nodded, "Shinzo, what is it?"

"Alright, Kiyono-sensei!" Shinzo stepped forward with an air of authority, his Byakugan scanning the entire class before settling on Fūka. With a disdainful smile, he declared loudly, "Kiyono-sensei, just now, Uchiha Fūka challenged me, Hyuga Shinzo! Although I'm from the branch family of the Hyuga Clan, I will not tarnish our clan's reputation, so I accepted Uchiha Fūka's challenge. Please, Kiyono-sensei, be our referee!"

Fūka burst into laughter at Shinzo's dramatic declaration.

We're all just six-year-olds; could you please speak in a way that matches our age?

Talking about clan reputation, a duel, and a referee—it's as if you want to go to the moon and stand next to Kaguya Ootsutsuki!

"Uchiha Fūka, what are you laughing at?" Shinzo's gaze was harsh.

"Huh? Am I laughing?" Fūka scratched his head with an annoying smile.

Kiyono cleared his throat and asked Fūka seriously, "Uchiha Fūka, are you really deciding to challenge Hyuga Shinzo?"

"Hehe, it's just a self-inflicted humiliation."

"Even though the outcome seems clear, I'm still looking forward to seeing Uchiha Fūka getting beaten up."

"So am I."

Nearby students were already buzzing with excitement.

Fūka glanced at these people, noting they were on his blacklist. If they didn't provoke him, he'd stay out of their way, but if they did, he'd make sure they regretted it!

"Kiyono-sensei, um… let's just call it a challenge."

Kiyono nodded, "Very well, I permit this challenge. Please, both of you, move to the center of the field!"