The Senior Has a Gentle Touch

"Hanfu, I didn't expect you to be so popular with your class."

Hyuga Shinichi, standing beside Hanfu, teased him with a smile.

Popular?

Hanfu looked at Ito Ni, whose ears had turned red with excitement in the distance, and Anko, whose eyes were shining. He didn't have the heart to point out the truth in front of the Hyuga brothers.

"Still, Ryota doesn't mean any harm. If you don't mind, Hanfu, I'd suggest giving it a try," Hyuga Shinichi said.

"Huh? Why?" Hanfu asked, taken aback.

Hyuga Shinichi explained, "Because if you stay in your own little circle for too long, you can lose your way and fail to see what lies ahead. What you think is the peak might not be the real peak. You need to challenge people standing higher than you. Do you understand what I mean?"

Hanfu glanced at him in surprise. To say something like that, this guy's already thinking like an adult!

"Looks like your two classes have produced a couple of remarkable students. Excellent! So, Uchiha Shisui and Hanfu, how about getting an early taste of a senior's strength—and the cruelty of the Shinobi World?"

In the middle of the crowd, Inuzuka Ryota swept his hand down, silencing the roars of the two classes' underclassmen. He looked full of himself as he said with a mischievous grin, "If you're scared, that's fine too. Your senior won't laugh at you."

"Hmph! Shisui isn't afraid of you!"

Inuzuka Sa was the first to object. "Big Brother Ryota, you idiot!"

Inuzuka Ryota shot her a wounded look. That girl who's always undermining me can't possibly be my sister!

Nearby, Ito Ni started shouting too. "You self-important jerks! Hanfu can beat all of you by himself! If you don't believe it, then come at him together! Hanfu will never give up!"

"..."

Hanfu's scalp prickled. If Ito Ni kept going, Hanfu felt like he'd be shown off until he went bald!

By then, Anko, Iruka, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane had all run over to Hanfu. They grabbed his hand, pushed at his back, and shoved him toward the middle.

"Hanfu, Hanfu! Get in there!"

"You can do it! Beat them!"

"Anko, Iruka, why do I feel like you're even more excited than the seniors?"

Hanfu grumbled in protest.

"Hanfu, enough talk. You're the people's choice now! The honor of our Class 8 rests on you!" Iruka patted Hanfu's shoulder. "Hanfu, ganbatte!"

With a little prodding, Hanfu was pushed into the middle by the group, wearing a wry smile.

On the other side, the underclassmen from Class 1 had also dragged Shisui to the center. He came face-to-face with Hanfu.

"Hi." Hanfu waved.

"Hi." Shisui nodded with a pained smile.

With the underclassmen from both classes cheering them on, the two had already become familiar with each other without needing any introductions. For Hanfu, this encounter gave him the perfect excuse to get closer to Uchiha Shisui in the future, saving him a lot of effort.

"So, which of you two juniors wants to go first?"

Seeing Uchiha Shisui and Hanfu step forward, Inuzuka Ryota's smile widened. "Your senior knows how to hold back. I won't hurt you~"

"Arf!"

Inuzuka Ryota's Ninja Dog, Roga, let out a fierce little yelp, bit its own tail, then yelped in pain and tumbled face-first onto the ground.

Inuzuka Ryota's grin didn't falter, but he quickly nudged Roga behind him with his foot. What an embarrassment!

"Ryota, Shisui's the Uchiha Clan's greatest genius. Don't play with fire," someone from Class 7, Year 5 warned.

"Hmph, scared now, are you? Our Shisui is the strongest!" the underclassmen from Class 1 immediately chimed in.

"Let me tell you a secret, Hanfu..."

Ito Ni couldn't resist jumping in, but this time Hanfu whipped around in time and stopped him with a malicious glare!

Ito Ni gave a forced laugh, wiggled his chubby body, and squeezed into the crowd, finally settling down.

"Um... We really have to fight?" Hanfu turned to Inuzuka Ryota, looking at him with a touch of amusement.

"Junior Hanfu, you're already here. No need to back out now."

Inuzuka Ryota folded his arms and smiled confidently. "Don't be scared. Your senior knows how to hold back!"

"Ah, since you put it that way..."

Hanfu shrugged. "Bring it on."

At first, Hanfu really hadn't wanted to fight. He'd assumed Inuzuka Ryota and the others were using the so-called Ninja Academy tradition as an excuse to bully younger students. They'd come with malicious intent, and if he lost, they'd mock him; if he won, things would be even worse. They'd definitely refuse to let it go, and might even gang up on him, bringing him nothing but trouble.

But Hyuga Shinichi's words had dispelled Hanfu's prejudice. After watching and interacting with Inuzuka Ryota, he'd realized that although the guy was a bit conventional and over-the-top, he had a decent personality. Maybe a fight with him could even turn them into friends.

Of course, there was one more important point. Compared with the senior students like Inuzuka Ryota, why did Hanfu feel so much more hostility from Ito Ni, Anko, and the others?

Am I reading too much into it?

Hanfu glanced discreetly at Anko and the others nearby, who seemed even more excited than he was.

"Junior Hanfu, you're a good one. What about you, Junior Shisui?"

Inuzuka Ryota shifted his gaze from Hanfu to Shisui.

Between Shisui and Hanfu, Hanfu was definitely the easier one to bully. But Inuzuka Ryota would rather fight the Uchiha Clan's genius.

"Then I..."

Uchiha Shisui nodded. "I suppose I'll have to ask you for guidance, Senior."

Inuzuka Ryota's eyes lit up. He turned to his two friends, Hyuga Shinichi and Aburame Aoyama.

"Shinichi, Aoyama, which of you will give the juniors some pointers?"

Hyuga Shinichi and Aburame Aoyama exchanged a glance, each trying to signal the other to go.

In the end, Hyuga Shinichi stepped forward. He nodded to Hanfu, then tossed a Ninja Tool Pouch to Uchiha Shisui. "Shisui, please go easy on me."

As soon as he said that, the crowd around them retreated in perfect unison, quickly clearing a circle fifty meters in diameter.

"Looks like that leaves me to give you some pointers, Junior Hanfu?"

Inuzuka Ryota tossed a Ninja Tool Pouch to Hanfu and smiled. "Go ahead and give it your best shot, Junior. Your senior knows how to hold back!"

Hanfu gave Inuzuka Ryota an odd look as he strapped the Ninja Tool Pouch to his leg.

Under Hanfu's gaze, Inuzuka Ryota felt a little uneasy. For some reason, he had a feeling something not-so-pleasant was about to happen.

"Then let's begin!" Hanfu said softly.

The next instant, Hanfu, Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Shinichi, and Inuzuka Ryota all reached into their Ninja Tool Pouches at the same time.

But who could match the hand speed of a man who'd been single for decades? Hanfu flicked his hand out, and two Shuriken shot toward Inuzuka Ryota.

Uchiha Shisui followed right after, throwing two Kunai at Hyuga Shinichi.

"So fast!"

Hyuga Shinichi's expression turned slightly grave. He rolled aside, dodging Shisui's Kunai.

But Inuzuka Ryota was in an awkward spot. He had just pulled a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch when one of Hanfu's Shuriken struck it, knocking it right out of his hand. When he reached in for another, he was horrified to see that the other Shuriken Hanfu had thrown had slashed a hole in the Ninja Tool Pouch strapped to his thigh. All the tools inside clattered to the ground!

"...Heh, no way. That was a fluke, right?"

Inuzuka Ryota felt as if his whole world had fallen apart.

Thanks to readers Tuba Jiuzhou and Zantu, as well as the book-store readers Little Bear, Shinra Tensei, Xu Ni Yishi Wuzheng, Mengshi Liuhen, and, uh... #&^*$%(╬￣皿￣), for your support!