Victory

Boom!

A head-sized ball of blazing fire suddenly appeared in the middle of the field. The scorching heat formed a pressure wave that swept in every direction, shocking everyone inside and outside the field.

"Fire Release? How could that idiot Uchiha Houka have learned Fire Release?! It's a trick—right, this has to be Genjutsu! Damn it, you can't fool my eyes!!!"

The veins around Masamune Hyuga's eyes bulged more fiercely. The entire world split into shades of gray and white, yet the fiercely burning fireball before him still gave off a terrifying heat as it raced toward him!

At last, fear showed on Masamune Hyuga's face. "It's real! It's real! Damn it, stop! Stop right now!!"

But he had used all his strength to run toward the fireball, and now he couldn't stop. His face turned frighteningly pale in an instant, and both hands trembled uncontrollably.

"What? He..." Asuma Sarutobi stood outside the field with a look of utter disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Ever since the start of term, Uchiha Houka seemed to have kept breaking through his mental defenses, each time more shocking than the last!

"Fire Release? Uchiha Houka has already learned Fire Release?" The other students were just as stunned. Uchiha Houka, who ranked near the bottom of the class, had already learned Fire Release. It was nothing short of a miracle!

"Impressive!" Rin and Kurenai Yuhi stared wide-eyed, breathing fast.

"This is bad!" Shin Kiyono looked shocked, with a trace of frustration. "Using Fire Release at such close range... A duel has to be fair, but there's no other choice! Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

Whoom!

In an instant, a thumb-thick earthen wall rose up, separating Houka from Masamune Hyuga.

Boom!!!

Houka's Great Fireball and Masamune Hyuga's badly misdirected Eight Trigrams Two Palms struck the wall almost simultaneously, setting off a violent explosion.

The blast wave sent both Houka and Masamune Hyuga flying. But the flames unleashed by the exploding fireball and the shattered chunks of the Earth Style Wall shot toward Masamune Hyuga at the same time.

"No!" Masamune Hyuga had used Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Two Palms twice, and his Chakra was already depleted. He couldn't even keep himself steady in midair. All he could do was watch as the flames and chunks of stone swallowed him.

"What a disgrace!"

The blast wave swept Houka away, but he quickly regained his balance and landed steadily on the ground.

At the same time, Shin Kiyono used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Masamune Hyuga and raised another Earth Style Wall to save him.

"I'm saved." Masamune Hyuga's little face was deathly pale. Then he felt a warm wetness between his legs, like the comfortable warmth of soaking in a hot spring. But when he realized what had happened, his pale face turned red to the tips of his ears. He wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in.

"Impressive!"

"That was amazing!"

"Awesome! Is this what a ninja battle is like?"

The students nearby shouted excitedly. The voices that had mocked Houka earlier seemed to have vanished with the explosion.

Mizuki hid behind the crowd, his eyes almost sparking with anger as he stared at Uchiha Houka. Jealousy had clearly taken hold of him, and he was feeling resentful again.

"Haha, Houka, you did great!" Uchiha Obito gave Houka a thumbs-up, looking thrilled.

Standing in the middle of the field and hearing the praise and congratulations from outside, Houka suddenly felt a little deflated.

Did I take this too seriously? I actually got worked up over a six-year-old kid.

"Uchiha Houka, you win this duel!" Shin Kiyono came over to announce the result. He looked at Houka seriously, then glanced at the damage caused by the Great Fireball and shook his head with a wry smile. "You really surprised me!"

"I just got lucky." Houka shrugged and said casually, "My luck's been pretty good lately."

"Just luck?" Shin Kiyono didn't press him. Instead, he looked toward Masamune Hyuga, who was still sprawled on the ground behind him. "Well, the duel is over. Uchiha Houka, Masamune Hyuga, please form the Seal of Reconciliation!"

As the name suggested, the Seal of Reconciliation symbolized that even the deepest rifts between ninjas could be mended. In the original story, Naruto and Sasuke had formed the Seal of Reconciliation.

But...

Houka glanced at Masamune Hyuga and shook his head in disgust. "No thanks."

"Huh? Why?" Shin Kiyono asked, puzzled.

"You stink." Houka turned and walked away.

"You stink?" Shin Kiyono looked bewildered.

The students outside were confused too. Then a gleeful voice rang out.

"Ahaha, look! Masamune Hyuga's pants are wet!" Uchiha Obito said with exaggerated glee.

"Ah, what? Really? Really?"

"Is he bleeding? No, he wet his pants! What a disgrace."

"The Hyuga Clan's reputation is ruined."

"Did he wet himself because he couldn't win?"

The students who had praised Masamune Hyuga earlier immediately changed their tune and piled on.

"Shut up, all of you! You idiots! You morons!!" Masamune Hyuga drew his legs together, his face so red it looked ready to smoke. His Byakugan almost seemed to have turned green.

Shin Kiyono had a headache. "All right, all right, that's enough. Asuma, take the students to warm up. I'll take Masamune to the infirmary!"

With that, Shin Kiyono used the Body Flicker Technique to leave with Masamune Hyuga.

Houka walked over to one side, leaned against a target, and yawned listlessly. Meanwhile, he was wondering where he could learn the Shadow Clone Technique.

Just then, Uchiha Obito, Rin, and Kurenai Yuhi came over.

"Houka, you did great! You didn't let me down, hahaha!" Uchiha Obito was delighted, as if Houka's victory had proven something about him. He excitedly slapped Houka on the shoulder.

"Houka, you're amazing! You've already learned such a difficult Fire Release Ninjutsu." Kurenai Yuhi gazed at him with wide, doe-like eyes, admiration shining on her plump cheeks.

"Hm? You know this technique?" Houka asked with a smile.

"Yeah! My dad told me about it. He said the Great Fireball Technique is a Fire Release Ninjutsu unique to the Uchiha Clan, and it's very difficult to learn. Some Genin still haven't learned it." Kurenai Yuhi answered earnestly.

Looking at the earnest expression on the adorable little girl's face, Houka couldn't help reaching out to pinch Kurenai Yuhi's chubby cheeks.

"Hey, Houka, I'm congratulating you! Why are you ignoring me?" Uchiha Obito shoved his way over, completely oblivious, gritting his teeth.

Houka's eye twitched. No wonder Rin likes Kakashi instead of you. With your social skills, if you ever get a girlfriend, I'll take your surname from now on!

And I mean it!

Kurenai Yuhi was only six, a proper little girl. She didn't get mad when he pinched her cheeks; her dad did it all the time too.

But to Asuma Sarutobi, watching from the sidelines, it felt like his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys had all turned sour.

"Everyone, run laps around the field until Shin Kiyono returns!" Asuma Sarutobi was holding back his frustration and could only take it out on the students. Then he called out righteously to Houka and the others, ordering them to join the group and run too.

"Ah, sorry. I got hurt during the duel, so I need to rest." Houka didn't want to run around with a bunch of six-year-old kids. It sounded like a pain!

"I'll stay here and look after Houka!" Uchiha Obito shouted cleverly.

Kurenai Yuhi and Rin exchanged glances. They were both well-behaved girls, so they obediently went back to run laps.

Only then did Asuma Sarutobi breathe a sigh of relief.