Conflict

Just as Kyosuke finished speaking, several figures instantly appeared behind him, activating their Sharingan at the same time as they stared at the Hyuga Clan boy.

These people were none other than the guards responsible for protecting their two little ancestors.

At the same time, this was also Kyosuke's greatest confidence in daring to clash head-on with the Hyuga boy like this.

After all, no matter what happened, he would not be the one to suffer, so how could he possibly swallow his anger?

Besides, there was probably no Uchiha clansman who would ever bow his head before a Hyuga.

Because now that the Senju Clan had completely declined, the only two great clans left in Konoha were the Hyuga and the Uchiha.

So, between these two clans, friction could be said to be constant.

Both sides wanted to fight for the honorary title of "Konoha's number one clan."

Kyosuke was certain that no matter how big today's matter became, he would not receive any real punishment once he returned to the clan. But if he backed down today, then his days from now on would probably be difficult.

Kyosuke was crystal clear about that in his heart.

Otherwise, how could he have fallen so easily for a brat's crude provocation?

After the guards appeared, the Uchiha side's arrogance rose even higher. Though they said nothing, those pairs of scarlet Sharingan were already enough to intimidate any enemy.

However, the Hyuga Clan boy opposite them had only shown the slightest hint of panic at first before regaining his calm.

Kyosuke keenly noticed this, and his heart could not help sinking.

Originally, he had thought this boy's provocation was merely a reckless act born from resentment toward his reputation as a genius.

But now he realized that things were probably about to become complicated.

Sure enough, before long, several Hyuga ninjas arrived in the field and confronted Kyosuke and the others.

He looked at the Hyuga boy, whose arrogant smile had returned, and shook his head speechlessly.

Just as Kyosuke was about to say something, an unexpected voice suddenly appeared, instantly cooling the tense atmosphere in the field.

"How lively." That hoarse voice, filled with a strange charm, made Kyosuke's body stiffen involuntarily.

Looking across the entire Naruto World, there was only one person who could speak in such a tone.

That was Konoha's current top powerhouse, one of the Sannin, Orochimaru the Cold-Blooded.

During the previous Second Shinobi World War, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had joined forces to battle "Hanzo of the Salamander," who was known as a demigod. Although they were ultimately defeated, they still earned Hanzo's appreciation, and he bestowed upon them the title of "Sannin."

From then on, the three of them fully stepped into the ranks of the shinobi world's powerhouses.

Though Kyosuke believed that all that talk about the old fellow Hanzo of the Salamander cherishing talent was nothing more than an excuse.

Because the Sannin were the Hokage's disciples, and Tsunade was even the princess of the Senju Clan. Even if Hanzo had been given a few extra guts back then, he would not have dared to kill them.

Despite how arrogant this demigod seemed, as if any ninja who dared to run wild in Amegakure could not escape his punishment, in reality, he acted with great restraint. On one hand, he pretended to lead his subordinates in resisting the oppression of the great nations to maintain his own position; on the other hand, he measured everything precisely and did not touch the bottom line of any major nation. That was why he could continue living freely in Amegakure.

Otherwise, given the current overall strength of the major ninja villages, although destroying him would be somewhat troublesome, it was not impossible.

"Lord Orochimaru." Aside from the still-ignorant Uchiha Nagisa, everyone present respectfully bowed to Orochimaru. Even the always-proud Uchiha were no exception.

The reason they acted this way was not because of some title like disciple of the Hokage. It was because of the illustrious battle achievements Orochimaru had earned during the Second Shinobi World War.

One had to know that the Uchiha clansmen, who had survived continuously since the Warring States Period, valued battle merits the most.

So, as far as Kyosuke knew, there were quite a few people in the clan who held Orochimaru in extremely high esteem.

Thinking of this, he suddenly gave rise to a bold idea, and that idea grew stronger and stronger in his heart.

Hearing everyone's greetings, Orochimaru merely nodded slightly and no longer paid them any attention.

On the contrary, he seemed very interested in Kyosuke. His gaze stayed fixed tightly on him, as if he were admiring some work of art.

"Are you afraid of me?" the hoarse voice suddenly sounded beside Kyosuke's ear.

Kyosuke understood in his heart that the reason Orochimaru asked this was because, when he had heard Orochimaru's voice just now, his body had trembled involuntarily, and that was what had caught his attention.

"Hah." Kyosuke gently drew in a breath, then raised his head and looked straight into Orochimaru's eyes as he said, "Not afraid. Excited."

"Excited?" Orochimaru asked with considerable interest.

"That's right, excited." Kyosuke praised him without changing expression. "Because I grew up listening to Lord Orochimaru's deeds, and my dream is also to become a ninja like you."

"Oh, is that so?" Orochimaru said with a smile that was not quite a smile, while his gaze swept Kyosuke up and down, especially pausing for an instant above his head.

Kyosuke keenly noticed this, and his little face could not help turning slightly red. "Crap, I overdid it. I forgot I'm only a five-year-old brat right now."

"Tsk, Kyosuke, you really can lie. How come I never knew you had that kind of dream?" Nagisa, who had been quietly standing off to the side the whole time, looked at Kyosuke's shameless appearance and could not help secretly despising him in her heart.

An interesting child. Orochimaru laughed inwardly, then quickly swept his gaze over Kyosuke's eyes before no longer paying him any attention.

"Withdraw," Orochimaru said calmly to the Hyuga and the others. Having witnessed the entire process from afar, he knew that the cause of this incident had been entirely provoked by the Hyuga and the others, so, already somewhat impatient, he wanted to settle the matter quickly.

It had to be said that Orochimaru, who had not yet begun researching "Living Corpse Reincarnation" at this time, was still a relatively qualified Konoha ninja.

Hearing that even Orochimaru had spoken, the people of the Hyuga Clan did not dare say anything more and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Kyosuke took another deep breath, then suddenly opened his mouth and called them to a stop.

Then, meeting everyone's gazes, he calmly said to that Hyuga Clan boy, "You bumped into someone and still haven't apologized. You think you can just walk away like this?"

The Hyuga and the others, who had already given up on their plan, froze slightly. Then looks of delight appeared in their eyes at the same time, and they could not help but start shooting meaningful glances at that boy.

The boy first glanced cautiously at Orochimaru, who had said nothing, then took a step forward and said arrogantly, "If you want me to apologize, you'll have to beat me first."

"So this is your goal?" Kyosuke chuckled softly inwardly, then calmly met the Hyuga boy's gaze and said, "All right. I accept your challenge."

"Who the fuck challenged you?" the Hyuga boy screamed wildly in his heart. But now that he had finally achieved their goal, he could not worry about that anymore.

Just as he was about to speak again, he heard Kyosuke say, "Since you're the one who issued the challenge, I'll decide the time. One month from now. How about it?"

"One month?" The Hyuga boy grew uncertain.

"Fine. One month it is." Suddenly, a Hyuga ninja behind him spoke up and agreed.

Hearing this, the Hyuga boy hurriedly nodded as well, indicating that the man could decide on his behalf.

After that, once the two groups had agreed on the time and place for the duel, the Hyuga and the others left first.

Watching them go, Kyosuke suddenly turned and bowed to Orochimaru. "Thank you, Lord Orochimaru, for helping me out."

Orochimaru ignored his thanks. Instead, he looked at him with an unreadable expression and asked in a low voice, "Do you know that boy's strength?"

Kyosuke shook his head, indicating that he did not.

"If I'm not mistaken, he should already have the strength of a Chunin." Orochimaru looked at Kyosuke, whose expression did not change, and the strange color in his eyes deepened. "Regardless of age, body, Chakra, or attainment in Ninjutsu, he should be above you."

"I'll win," Kyosuke said calmly.

"That will be difficult," Orochimaru said.

"Then how about we make a bet?" Kyosuke ignored Uchiha Nagisa tugging at his sleeve behind him and spoke again.

"Oh?" Orochimaru's interest had been completely stirred by him, and at the same time, he thought to himself, Interesting child. Let me see what your goal is.

With Orochimaru's intelligence, how could he not see that Kyosuke's series of actions after his arrival had all been laying the groundwork for this moment?

But given his temperament, not only would he not blame Kyosuke, he would appreciate him even more.

At the same time, this was also Kyosuke's greatest source of confidence in daring to take a gamble with him. After all, he had the advantage of knowing both himself and the enemy.

"If I win in the end, please take me as your disciple, Lord Orochimaru," Kyosuke said, looking straight into his eyes.