The Hokage's Summons

"..."

Feng Ye glanced at Hokumon Hyuga.

He was utterly uninterested and could not even be bothered to respond, but he still stepped out from the crowd and onto the open ground in front of the Chunin instructor.

Seeing that Feng Ye did not reply, Hokumon Hyuga frowned slightly and snorted. "Aren't you being a little too arrogant, Feng Ye Hatake? Don't tell me you think you have the same skills as your younger brother."

"How could that be?"

Feng Ye shrugged.

If Kakashi had Time Acceleration, wouldn't he be unstoppable?

The Chunin instructor made no comment on the hostility between Hokumon Hyuga and Feng Ye. This was the Ninja Academy, after all. Conflicts between students were perfectly normal. The instructors even deliberately encouraged a certain degree of conflict to stir up the students' competitive spirits.

"Go, Feng Ye!"

"Come on! Go, go, Feng Ye!!"

At that moment, quite a few girls in the stands began cheering. Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara were among them.

Though Feng Ye was not the top student in the class, his popularity was unquestionably the highest. It was on full display now.

Naturally, the boys ground their teeth at the sight and began shouting at Hokumon Hyuga in the arena.

"Damn it..."

"Hokumon, show him what you've got!"

"Beat him up!"

The voices from behind him made Hokumon Hyuga's expression sharpen further.

After pausing for several seconds, the Chunin instructor waved his hand.

"Begin!"

Almost the instant the Chunin instructor's voice fell, Hokumon Hyuga charged straight at Feng Ye. His Byakugan opened in an instant, and he immediately used his clan's inherited Gentle Fist technique.

Feng Ye expressionlessly held a kunai and swung it up and down. Every swing landed precisely along Hokumon Hyuga's punching trajectory, forcing Hokumon Hyuga to interrupt his movements.

"This guy..."

After their brief exchange, Hokumon Hyuga grew solemn. He did not know how Feng Ye was doing it, but Feng Ye seemed able to see through his movements.

Still, he was not afraid. If Feng Ye could see through his movements, then with the Byakugan, he could likewise see through Feng Ye's. In close combat, he was not worried about Feng Ye using ninjutsu at all.

As long as the fight continued, the moment Feng Ye exposed even a single opening and was struck by his Gentle Fist, the unique properties of the Gentle Fist would inflict severe damage on Feng Ye.

"As expected of that man's descendant. He can even withstand the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist."

The Chunin instructor watched from the side and sighed in admiration.

Although Feng Ye could not compare to Kakashi, he was indeed an exceptionally outstanding student in the class. In close combat, he could even hold off the Hyuga Clan's Taijutsu. But if this continued, the situation would inevitably become increasingly unfavorable for Feng Ye.

After all, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan possessed observational abilities ordinary eyes did not have, while the damage caused by the Gentle Fist could cripple one's fighting ability with a single strike.

The cheers gradually fell silent.

Whether it was Kurenai Yuhi, Obito Uchiha, or the others, all of them were now staring unblinkingly at Feng Ye and Hokumon Hyuga as they fought fiercely in the arena.

"So this is the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist..."

As Feng Ye defended against Hokumon Hyuga's attacks, he carefully observed them. To him, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist did have certain merits worth learning from.

Although in the original story, the Strong Fist of the Eight Inner Gates practically crushed the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist into dust, when the Gentle Fist was cultivated to its peak, it likewise possessed a terrifying technique no weaker than the Eight Inner Gates—Kaguya Otsutsuki's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!

It could even easily shatter a complete Susanoo!

The difference between the Strong Fist and the Gentle Fist was that the Strong Fist caused Chakra to erupt within the body, enhancing the body's speed, while its techniques were purely Taijutsu. The Gentle Fist, on the other hand, fired Chakra out like bullets, containing exquisite control over Chakra.

"Without the Byakugan, I really can't see through the mysteries of the Gentle Fist..."

Feng Ye murmured inwardly. Mere surface observation truly could not reveal the secrets of the Gentle Fist.

Besides, Chakra was not his specialty.

If he had Naruto's physique and were also a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, then the Chakra-based Gentle Fist would suit him better than the Strong Fist. But under his current circumstances, the Strong Fist was undoubtedly more suitable.

Hokumon Hyuga continued his fierce assault. With the Byakugan tracking Feng Ye's movements, he pressed Feng Ye step by step, clearly forcing him into a defensive position.

"Looks like Feng Ye is going to lose."

"Of course. His opponent is a genius of the Hyuga Clan."

Seeing this, many people began whispering among themselves.

Then, at that moment—

Whoosh!!

A figure abruptly appeared at one side of the open ground, startling many people as they all turned to look.

The newcomer wore a cat-faced mask and a cloak. His identity was self-evident—he was an Anbu ninja of Konoha.

The Anbu ninja glanced at the fight between Feng Ye and Hokumon Hyuga. Ignoring the other students and the Chunin instructor, he spoke to Feng Ye in a deep voice.

"Feng Ye Hatake, the Hokage wants you to come with me."

Swish!

Feng Ye swung his kunai and retreated two steps. Looking at the Anbu ninja, he sighed inwardly, without showing any surprise on his face.

It finally came.

Once last night's events were investigated, it would be difficult not to trace them back to him. After all, he had used Hatake Swordsmanship in the end.

He had considered letting Kakashi take the blame, but on further thought, there was no point. On one hand, it would be easy to expose. On the other, it could bring Kakashi some danger.

The Anbu's appearance stunned both the Chunin instructor and the other students.

"...The Hokage summoned Feng Ye?"

"What happened?"

Quite a few people looked at Feng Ye with uncertain, startled expressions.

Hokumon Hyuga was also stunned. He had not expected something like this to happen just as he was about to defeat Feng Ye. He frowned slightly. "The fight isn't over yet..."

He did not continue.

The Hokage summoning Feng Ye was undoubtedly far more important than a combat assessment. There was nothing they could do but interrupt the fight. This made Hokumon Hyuga somewhat displeased. After all, defeating Feng Ye had only been a matter of time, but now there would be no result at all.

The Chunin instructor understood the order of importance as well and nodded to Feng Ye. "Go see the Hokage first. If there's still time when you return, you can continue the fight."

However.

Feng Ye shook his head upon hearing that.

"No need."

Since last night's events had already been traced back to him, there was no point in continuing to pretend he was evenly matched with Hokumon Hyuga.

As soon as he spoke, Feng Ye's figure abruptly vanished from where he stood. He silently appeared at Hokumon Hyuga's right side.

Hokumon Hyuga's expression changed, and he threw a punch without hesitation.

Bang!!

The punch interrupted Feng Ye's movement and struck Feng Ye squarely in the chest, but it did not feel as though it had hit anything solid. The struck Feng Ye turned into a cloud of white smoke and dispersed.

It was a clone!

"Damn it!"

Hokumon Hyuga inwardly cried out in alarm. His Byakugan could actually see through clones, but everything had happened too suddenly. His sideways punch had been almost instinctive. He had never imagined Feng Ye could still use the Clone Technique at that speed. By the time he truly reacted, it was already too late to withdraw his hand.

Without a sound.

Feng Ye's true body appeared behind Hokumon Hyuga.

Bang!!

A simple chop to the back made Hokumon Hyuga unable to keep his footing. He fell face-first with a thud, landing stiffly on the ground.

"Let's go."

Feng Ye withdrew his hand and looked at the Anbu ninja.

After giving Feng Ye a deep look, the Anbu ninja leaped toward the Hokage Building. Feng Ye leaped after him.

Only the stunned Chunin instructor and the many frozen students remained behind.

Silence fell over the area.

What... had just happened?