Sasuke lay in his hospital bed, bruised and swollen, staring up at the ceiling tiles and questioning his life. How had Fuyuki managed to take him out in one blow? And why hadn't he been able to block it?
A jumble of questions filled Sasuke's mind, until he didn't even know what he was thinking anymore.
"Sasuke, you're awake?" Sakura asked, her face lighting up as she hurried to his bedside. "Do you want some water? You've been unconscious for two days. The doctors have never seen anyone get beaten this badly. If you hadn't woken up, they were about to declare you critical."
"Declare me critical?!"
Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn't even killed that man yet, and he'd nearly been beaten to death by a classmate. This—
"Drink plenty of warm water. I'll get the doctor." Sakura helped Sasuke sit up against the headboard and poured him a cup of warm water. Then she left to find a doctor and have them check on him.
"Um, Sasuke, I'm really sorry, but in a duel for family honor, my younger brother couldn't hold back." Hinata poked her head through the doorway and said timidly, "May I come in? I'm visiting you as a classmate, nothing more. Please don't misunderstand, Sasuke."
Right in front of those genuine Byakugan, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you want."
He remembered that when Fuyuki had kicked him flying, Hinata had called her older sister over to catch him. Then she'd pumped a huge amount of chakra into him, keeping him from passing out on the spot—or embarrassing himself.
"I'm so sorry. My younger brother..." Hinata looked thoroughly apologetic. "Next time, don't challenge him over family honor. My brother isn't like me or the other members of the Hyuga Clan. He was born with a strange power that puts him far ahead of others his age."
"Are you here to visit me, or to make fun of me?" Sasuke's face darkened. Hinata should be glad both his hands were in casts. Otherwise, he would've taken her out to the hospital garden for a spar. If he didn't, his Uchiha ancestors would never let him hear the end of it!
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not very good at talking. If I said something wrong, I apologize." Hinata kept apologizing, looking so embarrassed she wanted to run away. "I'll let you rest, Sasuke. I'm sorry. Goodbye."
Hinata hadn't come to visit him, of course. She'd spent the past two days waiting for Sasuke to wake up so she could convince him to stop picking fights with Fuyuki.
She knew her younger brother's strange nature better than most people in the family.
If Sasuke kept challenging Fuyuki to duels over family honor, Hinata was genuinely worried Fuyuki might accidentally cause permanent, irreversible damage.
The Gentle Fist really could kill people!
The Uchiha Clan had only one heir left. They couldn't let him die at the hands of the Hyuga Clan. The Hyuga Clan had no desire to be branded as the ones who had murdered the last Uchiha.
In truth, Hinata was worrying too much. Sasuke was just a bit dense, not an idiot.
After nearly losing his life over family honor this time, Sasuke still wanted to stay alive long enough to kill that man!
"From the looks of it, you should be healthy enough to leave the hospital tomorrow."
A female doctor with cataracts came in, smiling as she sat beside Sasuke's bed and began removing his casts and bandages.
"What's with you Hyuga?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at her pale eyes. "I can leave the hospital? Look at all these bandages and casts. Are you sure? Is the Hyuga Clan trying to mess with the Uchiha Clan?"
"Just some bruising, internal injuries, and a hairline fracture. Keeping you in the hospital would be a waste of a bed. Go home, drink plenty of warm water, and get some rest. You'll be more or less healed in three days," the Hyuga doctor said.
"And the critical condition notice?"
"Just a prank. A Hyuga played a malicious joke on the Uchiha."
The Hyuga doctor's smile twisted a little, making Sasuke uneasy. "I have your Uchiha Clan's Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Inabi to thank for this. They made me lose three matches in a row during the Chunin Ninja Exams. Do you know how furious the Clan Head was when she scolded me?!"
"Uh..."
Sasuke didn't want to know. He didn't even know anyone called Uchiha Yashiro. He tried to fight back against the Hyuga doctor, but being a medical ninja didn't mean she was weak. Sasuke couldn't resist at all. She pinned him to the bed and roughly started taking off his bandages and casts.
After the doctor left, Sasuke was furious. That damn Hyuga doctor had rubbed his cheeks red.
She'd rubbed him like a cat, or a Shiba Inu.
"Aw, Sasuke's blushing?"
As soon as the doctor left, Sakura and their other classmates hurried into the room. Naruto pointed at Sasuke's face like he'd seen a ghost and teased him. Sasuke was instantly incensed. "Mind your own business, dead-last!"
For some reason, seeing Naruto always kindled an inexplicable anger in Sasuke.
That anger didn't just burn away all his negative emotions; it made him itch to punch Naruto in the face, sit on his chest, and pummel that damn fox face from both sides!
They'd come to visit their classmate, but the moment Naruto got involved, it turned into a comedy routine, and he and Sasuke immediately started bickering!
Sakura and Ino watched, hearts aching, and silently seethed: Why? We were the ones looking after Sasuke. How could Naruto flirt and joke around with him as if no one else were there?
It was sour—sourer than lemons.
"Stupid Sasuke!" Naruto nearly argued himself breathless with Sasuke, going at it from four in the afternoon until six.
"Dead-last!" Sasuke panted heavily. He wasn't as energetic as Naruto. If Sakura and Ino hadn't kept giving him water, he would've died of thirst long ago.
After arguing to their hearts' content, Naruto noticed that Sasuke, who'd been lonely since childhood, seemed to be in a better mood, and decided to leave.
"Naruto." Sasuke called out to the fox. "You and Fuyuki are pretty close, right?"
"Yeah. Why?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"I wanted to—"
"Huh? Did I hear someone say Fuyuki's really handsome? Were you complimenting me?" Fuyuki pushed open the door, looking delighted.
Sasuke's expression stiffened. He turned away and coldly tossed out, "You imagined it. We were just discussing theory exam material. Nobody mentioned you."
He'd been about to ask Naruto why, even though he and Fuyuki were the same age, the gap in their strength was so enormous. Fuyuki never seemed to train, so how had he become so much stronger?
Did Fuyuki have some secret training method?
"Ahhh, the theory exam!" Naruto clutched his head, looking like his soul had left his body.
Sasuke's words had reminded Naruto that he still had a written theory exam tomorrow.
Even if he got seventy points, his regular marks wouldn't be enough to keep him from failing.
Besides, he couldn't even get seventy points!
"Fuyuki..."
After thinking it over, Sasuke finally gritted his teeth and asked Fuyuki for the secret to getting stronger. He needed to kill Uchiha Itachi and avenge his clan. He was an avenger. If Fuyuki had a technique that could help him kill Uchiha Itachi, why should he care about his pride? If the secret really worked, he'd give Fuyuki his body, let alone his handsome face!
Blushing, Sasuke asked timidly, "Do you have some secret for getting stronger? We're the same age, so why is the gap between us so huge?"
"You really want to know?" Fuyuki asked with interest.
"I do!" Sasuke said solemnly.
Fuyuki held out his hand. "Give me something."
Sasuke: "Huh???"
Before you continue