Killer Gaze

Half a year later, in the classroom.

"What? You want me to go ask Grandfather again? How many times has this been already?!"

"My grandfather said he has no money." During lunch break, Uchiha Mikoto loudly scoffed at Katsuo, who was hunched over his food and stuffing himself.

"Your grandfather is a dignified clan elder. How could he possibly have no money? Just go get it. Tell him I sent you..."

"Get lost! How much have you borrowed from Grandfather already? He said that even if he sold you, you still couldn't pay it back! Every time I go, he flies into a rage. I'm not going to borrow from him again." Mikoto rolled her pretty eyes.

"Are you going or not?" Katsuo stopped eating and swept his eyes over Mikoto with a predatory look.

"!!!"

That look again. Mikoto's face flushed. That aggressive, peculiar gaze made her unbearably uncomfortable, yet she had no idea why!

"I'm not going!"

Mikoto struggled to flee the classroom. What she feared most was Katsuo looking at her like that—it gave her an inexplicable sense of shame!

Katsuo hurriedly reached out and grabbed Mikoto.

Her resistance is getting stronger and stronger.

"Well..."

After racking his brains for a moment, Katsuo said helplessly,

"Tell Grandfather I want to see him..."

Feeling that scorching, powerful palm, Mikoto's little face turned bright red. She nodded in a hurry, then ran out of the classroom as though fleeing for her life!

Scooping up a huge spoonful of rice, Katsuo stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, and mumbled indistinctly,

"This rice... is really soft!"

"Boss, what's really soft?" Senju Nawaki came running over eagerly.

"Nothing. Have you collected all this week's ** fees?" Katsuo asked arrogantly as he picked at his teeth.

"N-Not yet..." Nawaki was a little frightened by Katsuo's thug-like expression.

"Hm???"

"Ah, it's almost all collected. But Hyuga Hiashi took the lead in resisting and refusing to pay, so a lot of people who follow him refused too. I was just about to take the brothers and go after him..."

"Hyuga Hiashi is leading a rebellion? He's courting death!" Katsuo flicked the toothpick away with a finger and slammed his palm against the table as he snarled.

Nawaki jumped at first, then immediately grew excited and hastily added fuel to the fire.

"Boss, you don't know how awful that guy is! He even tattled to the teacher, got me scolded bloody, and made me clean the toilets!"

"You didn't give me up, did you?" Katsuo asked nervously.

"No... how could I? I took it all myself!" Nawaki quickly said.

Katsuo patted his shoulder and praised him comfortingly.

"Good brother! Lead the way. I'll stand up for you."

"Yes, Boss!"

Nawaki trembled with excitement as he hurriedly led Katsuo to find Hiashi.

Along the way, Nawaki, not one to let things stay small, gathered up his own gang of lackeys. The group marched toward Hiashi aggressively.

Hiashi had been playing ball with a group of followers. Seeing Nawaki and the others approaching menacingly, he immediately stopped.

That lackey Nawaki eagerly ran over, snatched the soccer ball, and placed it before Katsuo.

Katsuo gave him an appreciative look. He had discovered that Nawaki possessed an absolutely exceptional talent for being a lackey!

He guided Chakra down into his feet, just like when he practiced Water Walking every day. But this time, it was not for balance—it was to increase his strength!

He sent the soccer ball flying with one kick!

"Whoosh... Bang!!!"

The soccer ball shot forward with terrifying speed and force. In the blink of an eye, it grazed past Hiashi's hair and smashed into the middle of a tree as thick as an adult's calf.

Bang!

The entire ball exploded from the kick!

The tree snapped in half as well!

The terrifying strength Katsuo displayed made the elementary school students watching cry out in alarm. One after another, their mouths fell open.

One six-year-old boy from Hiashi's group even suddenly burst into tears.

After that, everyone in Hiashi's group scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

Only Hiashi remained on the soccer field, his face stiff as he forced himself to stay calm, along with Hizashi, who hid behind him with a terrified expression.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Katsuo slowly walked toward the two brothers.

Every step he took seemed to land on Hiashi's heart. With each step, Hiashi's face grew a shade paler!

When Katsuo stopped in front of Hiashi, their faces were less than twenty centimeters apart!

"*** fees are being collected by Nawaki on my orders. Anyone who refuses to pay is picking a fight with me."

Katsuo spoke softly, his expression calm.

Nawaki's face reddened, blood rushing to his head. Looking at the growing crowd of onlooking elementary school students, he inexplicably shouted along with him,

"And with me too!"

Hiashi's expression first froze, then his entire face turned red.

"W-Why!!!"

He fought back his fear and roared with all his strength.

"Because I am... Uchiha Katsuo."

Katsuo's voice was not loud, but everyone present widened their eyes in shock.

His eyelids lifted slightly as the power of his will gathered in his eyes!

Looking into those unblinking, still-water eyes, Hiashi could vividly feel the violence and indifference within them. He felt as though he were being watched by a savage beast. Fear surged from his heart like a tide, and his trembling feet unconsciously retreated.

He absolutely could not win in a fight. As long as Katsuo did not strike first, Hiashi would never take the initiative to attack. But this kind of oppressive aura was even more unbearable than being beaten up directly!

Hiashi retreated again and again, instinctively wanting to get farther away from Katsuo.

Yet those eyes remained fixed on him. That unblinking stillness was like the precursor to a beast's attack!

And after Hiashi took that first step back, the feeling became even more obvious!

"Fine... we'll pay. We'll give you however much you want..."

At that moment, it was Hizashi who withstood the pressure. He held back Hiashi, who had been retreating repeatedly, with one hand and shouted loudly.

Katsuo nodded at his words. Looking at the pale-faced Hiashi, he said softly with deep meaning,

"You have a good younger brother. He has more courage and responsibility than you do."

After saying that, Katsuo ignored Hiashi's constantly changing expression and turned to head back toward his classroom.

But when he was only halfway there, Katsuo's voice drifted back again.

"The two from the Hyuga Clan will pay fees for four people!"

The Hyuga brothers collapsed to the ground at once.

There was no other reason—their family was rich, even richer than the Hokage's family.

How many branch families served the main Hyuga family? The main family directly controlled everything belonging to the branch families. Forget money—even the lives of the branch families were in the main family's hands. As the heir of the Hyuga main family, would Hyuga Hiashi be short on monthly allowance?

Hyuga Hiashi was the true Rich Second Generation!

"So... so cool!!!" a little girl among the elementary school students murmured.

The spectators, male and female alike, all inexplicably nodded in agreement.

"That overwhelmingly domineering aura! Hiashi couldn't resist it at all!"

Minato Namikaze sighed. He had a good relationship with Katsuo, so he rarely spoke up to say something.

"Who's that? He's so arrogant!" shouted a round-faced girl with a head full of crimson hair.

Though her tone sounded disdainful, her eyes were filled with admiration for Katsuo.

When the people nearby heard her question, they all moved away from her, afraid of being caught in the crossfire!

"His name is Uchiha Katsuo. He's in Class One. He's a very good person, and he's my friend too!" Minato shyly introduced Katsuo to the girl.

"You? A boy as imposing as him would be friends with a sissy like you?"

The girl mocked him skeptically.

Minato's face was full of awkwardness, but he was not angry. This girl had been putting him down and mocking him a lot lately, and he was practically used to it by now...

I wonder how I offended her...

"Imposing, my foot! He's just a hooligan, a rogue! Yes, a rogue!" said Uchiha Mikoto, who stood beside the girl.

Just moments ago, she too had been deeply immersed in her admiration for Katsuo. Only now did she snap out of it and scold him with a smile.

Her voice was not quiet, and many people heard it. Even Nawaki heard her.

Nawaki had just begun to get angry, but when he saw that it was Mikoto, his expression changed and his anger immediately vanished. He bowed and greeted Miss Mikoto, then ran off to sing Katsuo's praises.

"Ah! A rogue? Mikoto, do you know him?" the thick-nerved girl asked in surprise.

Minato wiped cold sweat from his forehead and said,

"They're both from the Uchiha Clan... They're in the same class and even sit at the same desk..."

Katsuo had clearly introduced himself earlier, but the girl's brain had failed to process it. Only after Minato spelled it out did she suddenly understand.

"Ah! Mikoto, you actually have that kind of relationship with him!" the girl exclaimed.

"What kind of relationship? Kushina, don't talk nonsense! I have no relationship with him at all..." Mikoto hurriedly protested, her face flushed red.

"No relationship? I only said you have a relationship with him. I never said what kind of relationship. Why are you blushing? Could it be... that kind of relationship???"

Kushina was suspicious at first, then spoke with a shocked expression.

"Ah! Are you asking for a beating?"

Her face bright red, Mikoto reached for Kushina's waist to pinch her. Kushina hurriedly dodged with a giggle, and the two happily chased each other around.