"Go for it, Fūka! Beat that brat from the Hyuga clan!" Uchiha Obito yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Go, Fūka-kun!" cheered Kurenai, the little girl who had enjoyed the free Chinese food.
Asuma Sarutobi glanced around with an indifferent expression.
Rin, looking worried, tugged at Uchiha Obito's sleeve. "Obito, do you think Fūka-kun can do this?"
"No problem, Rin! You can rest assured. Fūka has undergone a complete transformation; he'll surprise you!" Uchiha Obito was more excited than when he recognized himself.
"Tch, who doesn't know Uchiha Fūka is a fool? If not for the Uchiha name, he'd have been expelled long ago."
"Last semester's challenge against Kakashi is still fresh in my memory."
Aside from Uchiha Obito and a few others, most of the students didn't have high hopes for Fūka.
"Hyuga Shinzo will knock Uchiha Fūka down in under a minute!"
"Half a minute will be more than enough. You're giving Uchiha Fūka too much credit."
"Ha ha ha, I can't wait to see this."
In the center of the field, Kiyono Makoto stood with Fūka and Hyuga Shinzo on either side. He went over the rules of the duel, then solemnly announced, "Alright, the duel begins!"
With that, Kiyono Makoto instantly vanished from the center of the field using Body Flicker Jutsu.
Hyuga Shinzo reacted swiftly, stepping back two paces almost as soon as Kiyono disappeared, and assumed the starting stance of the Gentle Fist technique.
'It's a bit like Tai Chi.'
Fūka blinked and remained motionless.
"Hey, is Uchiha Fūka frozen in fear?"
"Maybe he's still processing what's happening?"
"Idiot, he must be too scared to move, haha."
Hyuga Shinzo narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Uchiha Fūka, if I'm the one to make the first move, you won't have any chance at all."
"Do you know how bad guys usually end up?" Fūka suddenly asked.
"How?" Hyuga Shinzo replied instinctively.
"By talking too much."
With that, Fūka kicked the ground, sending a few small stones hurtling toward Hyuga Shinzo.
"How disappointing, Uchiha Fūka. Do you think ninja fights are just kids' games? Kicking stones!"
Hyuga Shinzo waved his hands, deflecting the stones effortlessly.
"Ah! Watch out!" someone shouted from the sidelines.
Hyuga Shinzo was taken aback, thinking, Why are you shouting a warning when I haven't even attacked yet?
But the next moment, he realized Fūka had disappeared from his previous position, and a sharp gust of wind was blowing against his left cheek.
"When did that happen?!" Hyuga Shinzo reacted quickly, dodging a sidekick with a roll.
"Those stones... Hmph, it was just a substitution technique, how childish!"
As soon as Hyuga Shinzo stabilized himself, he felt another gust of wind on his right side.
"You bastard!"
Hyuga Shinzo, who had been training in the Gentle Fist since childhood, had exceptional physical resilience. He dodged all of Fūka's kicks with a series of rolls.
"Not bad, Uchiha Fūka. It seems you did work hard over the vacation, but... hmph, using taijutsu in front of the Hyuga clan, don't you think that's a bit too arrogant?"
Hyuga Shinzo roared like a Saiyan, chakra surging through him and nearly closing the distance to Fūka in an instant.
"Eight Trigrams Palm – Two Palms!"
Boom!
Hyuga Shinzo delivered a powerful chakra-infused palm strike toward Fūka's shoulder.
"I got him!" Hyuga Shinzo felt like he had just tasted honey, but the next moment, he stumbled and almost fell.
"What... happened?"
The palm strike had missed and Fūka's figure had vanished. While an ordinary person would have fallen after a full-force strike that was missed, Hyuga Shinzo, with his excellent physique, managed to stop himself. However, a cruel and merciless foot shot out from behind him, kicking him sharply in the rear.
"Ah!!!"
Hyuga Shinzo was kicked into the air, soaring gracefully before crashing heavily to the ground.
A sudden silence fell over the crowd.
"What just happened?"
"Did I see that right?"
"Hyuga Shinzo lost to Uchiha Fūka? How is that possible?!"
"Hmph, I told you so. Hahaha!" Uchiha Obito laughed triumphantly, hands on his hips.
"Fūka used a series of substitution techniques to gain the upper hand with speed, crushingHyuga Shinzo effortlessly. Impressive," Asuma Sarutobi squinted, replaying the fight in his mind, looking a bit dazed. "Fūka's substitution technique was so fast it almost matched Body Flicker Jutsu. Even I couldn't keep up with his speed."
"Damn it, Uchiha Fūka, you bastard!" Hyuga Shinzo got up, his face twisted in fury.
"If you can't win, just admit defeat. I won't mock you, ah hahaha..." Fūka laughed exaggeratedly, striking a pose reminiscent of Stephen Chow.
Nearby students were all visibly annoyed: You're already mocking him!
Hyuga Shinzo could barely tolerate it, his eyes rolling back—though they were naturally white, they seemed even whiter now!
Buzz...
After a surge of chakra, Hyuga Shinzo's Byakugan activated, and his eyes were surrounded by fierce veins!
"Byakugan... he activated it?"
"Hyuga Shinzo opened his eyes. Impressive!"
"Opening his eyes at just 6 years old, Hyuga Shinzo is truly a genius of the Hyuga clan!"
Nearby students immediately began to flatter him.
Kiyono Makoto, standing to the side, also showed a change in expression.
"Hyuga Shinzo was provoked by Uchiha Fūka and opened his eyes early. It's a shame though, being from the branch family, no matter how talented, you... sigh."
"This is bad, Fūka-kun might lose," Rin and Kurenai were extremely nervous.
"Uh, well, Fūka should be fine. It's just the Byakugan. Our Uchiha clan's Sharingan is no worse!" Uchiha Obito's voice trailed off as he spoke, knowing well that Fūka hadn't awakened his own Sharingan yet.
"Hehehe, Uchiha Fūka, thank you. If not for you, I might not have awakened my Byakugan!" With his fierce Byakugan, Hyuga Shinzo's aura surged again, giving off a vibe of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kaguya Ootsutsuki. "Admit defeat. With these eyes, you have no chance!"
"Is that so?" Fūka smirked coldly, kicking a few more stones into the air and then using Substitution Jutsu to close in on Hyuga Shinzo.
But...
"I've already told you, every move you make is meaningless in front of these eyes!"
Hyuga Shinzo could see through Fūka's chakra flow and the movement of the air, easily predicting his next move. He moved forward, his hands gathering a large amount of chakra.
"Eight Trigrams Palm – Two Palms!"
"Well then, go ahead and try," Fūka's figure reappeared, his hands already shifting rapidly.
Si—Wei—Shen—Hai—Wu—Yin!
"Fire Style – Great Fireball Jutsu!!!"