Do You Still Want to Dance?

The village marketplace.

By evening, there should not have been many people left at the marketplace, but they had gathered in ring after ring, seemingly watching something.

At the center of the crowd were five young men in mage robes, each holding a magic staff and dressed like a typical mage. They had surrounded a white-haired girl in a plain white dress.

"Little girl, you bumped into me and got my clothes dirty. You think you can just leave?" said the tall, skinny mage in the middle, his face full of menace.

Mira's little face was pale, and she said timidly, "I... I'm sorry, sir mage. I didn't mean to."

"Is sorry going to do any good? Huh? Do you know how much these clothes cost?" he pressed.

"N-no..."

"Three hundred thousand J, got that? Can you even afford to pay for them?" the young man said.

"I... but your clothes just got a little dusty. You can wash it off."

"I said you're paying, so you're paying! Do you get a say in this?!" he bellowed.

"I... then I'll pay. Could you... let me go home first?"

"Go home?" A bald man beside the young man sneered. "You're not thinking of running away, are you?"

"No, no, no, I... I wanted to go back and get the money..."

"You? You can come up with three hundred thousand J? I don't think you need to go back. Just come with us." The bald man reached out, about to grab Mira.

But suddenly, his hand met a fist.

Then, with a boom, his body flew backward like a cannonball.

People quickly fled the area. A fight had already broken out, and ordinary people who stayed could get caught in the crossfire. Their own safety came first.

"Who's there?!" the four young men shouted through the billowing dust.

A figure that was not particularly tall emerged from the dust. As it settled, the person inside came into view.

"Your father."

Chiba looked at him with a smile and spoke.

"You're asking for death!"

The tall, skinny mage's face twisted with anger, and he raised his magic staff and swung it down at Chiba's head.

Oh? Does he really think he's a melee mage?

Chiba caught the magic staff with one hand, then sent him flying with a heavy kick.

A pure ranged mage like him, whose basic attacks weren't even as strong as Alili's—why was he trying to fight in melee instead of using his magic properly?

When the three mages saw Chiba send two of them flying with a punch and a kick, they immediately flew into a rage and began chanting an obscure spell. Magic circles formed on their staffs, and three magic bullets flew toward Chiba.

Chiba gritted his teeth. With his Body Flicker Technique, he could easily have dodged their magic attacks, but he had to take Mira, who was still an ordinary person, into account behind him.

Damn it, let me show you my Katon!

Snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger!

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!"

Blazing flames spewed from Chiba's mouth, forming a huge, searing fireball that burned all three incoming magic bullets to nothing!

He scooped Mira up around the waist, then used the Body Flicker Technique to jump onto a rooftop and gently set her down.

Mira blushed. "How did you get here?"

"Alili told me you were being held up, so I came." Chiba looked at the beautiful girl beside him and asked, "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

Mira shook her head. "That man just tried to grab me, and then you came."

"Good. I'm glad you're all right."

Chiba turned back around, a trace of ferocity flashing through his eyes without his even noticing. "Leave them to me," he said in a low voice.

Below, the bald man and the skinny man had both climbed to their feet. The skinny man pointed at Chiba on the roof and shouted, "Do you fucking know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are. I'll beat you up all the same!" Chiba laughed.

The skinny man nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. He immediately gave an order. "Brothers, show him what we can do!"

"Yeah!"

The five of them chanted their magic spells at once, and a silver magic circle formed beneath each of their feet.

Using their big moves?

Amateurs!

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Chiba immediately made a single seal, and four Shadow Clones identical to him appeared beside him. Then Chiba and the Shadow Clones jumped down together and formed hand seals.

"Fire Style! Great Fireball Technique!"

Five Great Fireball Techniques spewed toward the five men, one at each of them. At the same time, the five mages completed their spells.

Five cyan wind blades shot from their magic circles and collided with the five Great Fireballs, producing a deafening boom.

But the five Great Fireballs and the five wind blades remained locked in a stalemate for only a moment before the Great Fireballs destroyed the wind blades with overwhelming force.

Boom!

The five fireballs struck the five mages head-on, and with an explosion, all five were sent flying backward.

Chiba darted up to the skinny man and lifted him with one hand, his scarlet Sharingan utterly cold.

"Do you still want to dance?"

The icy words reached the skinny man's ears, making him shudder all over.

Damn it, Lord Madara's lines were still the most badass.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a cold shout suddenly reached Chiba's ears.

Chiba turned around and saw a blond young man in a priest's robes walking out from among the crowd, his face full of anger.

"What?"

Still holding the skinny man up with one hand, Chiba narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Who gave you permission to treat the honored mages we invited like this?" the blond young man scolded.

Chiba narrowed his eyes. The man's words made him very uncomfortable. His superior tone sounded like an order.

"What the hell does my beef with him have to do with you?"

Perhaps the Uchiha Clan was rebellious by nature. Chiba frowned and cursed him outright.

"You!" The blond young man was clearly furious with Chiba. He pointed at him and snapped, "Do you know who these honored mages are?"

"No. Don't tell me he really is my son?" Chiba bared a row of gleaming white teeth and looked at the skinny man he was holding up. He smiled. "Kid, do you still dare lay a hand on her?"

The skinny man, his face and clothes blackened by the Great Fireball, turned deathly pale with fright. He shook his head repeatedly and stammered, "I don't dare. I'll never dare again!"

"Want her to pay for your clothes?" Chiba asked with a smile.

"No, sir. Please, spare me!" the skinny man begged.

"Scram!" Chiba flung him away with one hand.

"You... you're utterly unreasonable!" The blond young man trembled with rage. He instructed the people behind him, "Quickly, help the honored mages up."

Several villagers hurried over to the fallen mages and helped them to their feet.

Chiba did not even look at them. Then he sprang up onto the roof.