Class A's classroom had been excited and noisy, but the instant Neji Hyuga entered, it fell silent.
Under the strange gazes of the many children, Neji Hyuga found a seat at the very back of Class A's classroom, by the window and furthest inside. There would usually be a trash can behind such a seat, but there was none here. Since there wasn't one now, there never would be one.
Neji Hyuga sat down with ease.
Tenten curiously looked around the classroom.
Soft murmurs and whispers rose throughout the room.
"Wow, he's so scary..." A little girl could not help glancing at Neji Hyuga. She rubbed her arms with both hands and put on a pitiful, trembling act.
"How can the Ninja Academy have someone like him? His eyes are full of blood vessels. It's so terrifying." Some little boys could not help whispering to those beside them, commenting on Neji Hyuga's appearance.
"He's really ugly." A bolder boy, believing himself brave, raised his voice slightly and deliberately spoke out of the corner of his eye so that Neji Hyuga and Tenten could hear.
"Yeah, he looks like a ghost." Another agreeing voice grew louder as well.
Then came the children's unrestrained display of malice. They mercilessly criticized Neji Hyuga's appearance, claiming that his ghostlike, frightening face had scared them. Some even wanted to suggest to the teacher that Neji Hyuga be transferred to another class.
The children vividly displayed the evil of a rabble.
Bang!
"Shut up, you rude brats! Didn't your fathers and mothers teach you to be polite to your classmates?" Hearing them talk about her good friend Neji like that, Tenten's little face flushed red with anger. She slammed both hands onto the long desk, producing a thunderous crash, and furiously cursed at the children who