Hyuga Conflict

Since he could observe chakra at any time, that was practically a cheat. Qingyun arrived at the tree designated by the system.

He gathered chakra in his feet, then slowly stepped onto the trunk. His whole body tilted as he did.

"Thud!" Qingyun failed on his first attempt. He hadn't gathered enough chakra, so his feet couldn't stick to the tree.

He failed again on his second attempt, crashing to the ground once more. He had distributed the chakra between his feet unevenly and lost his balance.

Little by little, Qingyun kept trying, falling from the tree trunk again and again.

At first, he made almost no progress. It took him an entire afternoon just to distribute his chakra evenly.

But Qingyun wasn't one to give up. After all, completing the task would make him stronger! He had to finish it at all costs. No hardship or obstacle could make him back down.

He persevered for three or four days, and could now walk from the bottom of the trunk to its middle.

"I have to get used to this feeling. Get used to every step beneath my feet. Keep each step even, until it becomes second nature." Qingyun devoted himself completely to climbing the tree and kept at it for another two or three days.

This was the final day before the task ended.

A boy was standing in front of the tree that day.

A crowd stood behind him, including the little brat from the Hyuga Clan whom Qingyun had beaten before.

Quite a few of the people before him were from the Hyuga Clan.

At this point, Qingyun understood everything.

"Is this revenge? I never thought such a clichéd scene would happen to me." Qingyun narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.

The Hyuga boy in front of him darkened his expression and asked, "You're Qingyun, right? Did you hit my little brother with a rock?"

Qingyun couldn't be bothered to deal with the Hyuga boy. "Huh? I see. You're the older brother of that Hyuga brat? I can't believe he'd try to blame me first. He was the one who hit me in the head, though he probably didn't tell you that."

"Big brother! He's lying! He attacked me first! He was the one who started it!" the Hyuga brat suddenly spoke up, making things up as he went.

"Brat, don't talk nonsense!" Qingyun snapped.

"Brat? Aren't you a brat yourself? You say you got hit in the head, but there isn't a mark on it. My little brother, on the other hand, has a bleeding wound on his stomach from your rock."

The Hyuga boy's demeanor changed abruptly. "This is Konoha. I didn't want to waste my breath arguing with you."

"But you're clearly not being sincere. So let me, as his older brother, teach you a lesson on his behalf. Clan members, bear witness. I'm not picking on someone younger than me. I'm just teaching this brat a lesson on behalf of the Hyuga Clan," the boy declared righteously.

Nobody around them tried to stop him. They just stood there, ready to watch the show.

The Uchiha Clan was responsible for Konoha's security. They had always been at odds with the Hyuga Clan, but for some reason, the Military Police Force hadn't shown up today.

Qingyun snorted. "I see. So you planned this all along. If the world is this unfair, then I'll make you understand that no one can just get away with anything."

"Hah! Enough talk!" The Hyuga boy looked about ten years old and stood a whole head taller than Qingyun. Most people could already guess how this would end; they'd only come to watch the spectacle.

But Qingyun had no intention of holding back.

The Hyuga boy didn't activate his Byakugan. Instead, he used footwork to rush at Qingyun. Qingyun didn't back down, meeting him head-on.

Qingyun threw a punch while the Hyuga boy struck with his palm.

Neither was willing to yield. They clashed like flint and steel.

"Thud!"

Qingyun felt as if the tendons in his hand had snapped. His opponent's gentle force had struck straight into his body, leaving him in terrible pain.

"Gentle Fist from the Hyuga Clan?" Qingyun recognized his opponent's technique, and the boy seemed surprised.

"Brat! That punch of yours was pretty powerful. You're strong for your age, but no matter how strong you are, you're still just a brat." The Hyuga boy looked down on him. His arrogance kept him from using his Byakugan.

"Got it!" Qingyun had an idea. He formed Hand Seals and began gathering chakra.

The Hyuga boy naturally seized the opportunity to strike with his palm.

Qingyun gathered chakra quickly, and the dust on the ground immediately blurred the area around them.

"Gentle Fist!" The Hyuga boy thought one palm strike would be enough to knock Qingyun down. The force of his strike was already closing in.

Qingyun smiled faintly, his expression uncanny.

"Four Pieces!" The dust would hinder the Byakugan, and the Hyuga boy was so overconfident that he hadn't even activated it.

Amid the dust, Qingyun split apart and naturally dodged the Hyuga boy's attack.

At the same time, Qingyun reassembled behind him, and the Kunai in his hand was already pressed against the boy's waist.

As the dust gradually settled, everyone stared with their mouths agape.

They couldn't believe that a genius from the Hyuga Clan had lost to a three-year-old brat.

"You! That's impossible! Damn it!" The Hyuga boy was beside himself with rage. He couldn't understand how he'd lost face like this and could only assume he'd made a mistake.

"Learn to accept defeat. No matter how many times you try, you won't beat me." Qingyun spoke one word at a time.

"Hmph! I refuse to accept it!" The Hyuga boy still wouldn't admit defeat. The Hyuga Clan members around him were furious too, and wanted to attack Qingyun on the spot.

"Hyuga Clan, don't go too far."

"This farce should end now, shouldn't it?"

About a dozen powerful members of the Uchiha Clan suddenly appeared beside Qingyun. It was clear they intended to protect him.

"The Konoha Military Police Force?" Qingyun knew the Uchiha had probably wanted to watch the spectacle too. His fight with the boy could be called a friendly spar, or, less charitably, a children's brawl. The Military Police Force had had no reason to get involved.

But the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans didn't get along. Now that the Hyuga had been humiliated, the Uchiha were naturally pleased. They wouldn't stand by and let the Hyuga attack Qingyun, an innocent Konoha child who had made them look bad, so they stepped in to stop them.

"Hmph! Let's go!" A Hyuga elder knew the matter had to end here. He waved at the Hyuga boy, signaling him to leave.

"Get out of my way! You're lucky, but you won't be next time," the Hyuga boy yelled at Qingyun.

But Qingyun pressed the Kunai in his hand even deeper.

"When did I say I'd let you go?" Qingyun said coldly.

"Don't push your luck!" the Hyuga brat snapped angrily, but there was nothing he could do. The Uchiha were standing right there, and the Hyuga were in the wrong, no matter how you looked at it.

"Enough. Let him go." One of the Uchiha stepped in to mediate. Qingyun knew they were helping him, so he let the Hyuga boy go.

"Don't bother me again. Otherwise, even the Uchiha won't be able to save you," Qingyun said coldly.

Everyone there had been ready to laugh off what he'd said. But they could feel the resolve in the little brat. Qingyun was so young, yet so stubborn—and no one had expected a ten-year-old from the Hyuga Clan to lose to a three-year-old child.