What's Wrong with a Man Being a Pervert?

Hyuga Shingetsu looked Uchiha Akashi up and down several times.

Aside from being handsome, he didn't seem to have any particularly outstanding talents.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Akashi's grades had been average. Aside from carrying the Uchiha name, he was utterly unremarkable. He'd apparently grown by leaps and bounds after graduating, though, awakening the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and passing the Chunin Ninja Exams in just a year. He was considered a promising genius.

Hyuga Shingetsu usually didn't pay him much attention, but today, by chance, she'd discovered something incredible.

Why was he wearing such a distinctive, tight-fitting outfit in the woods?

Judging by the marks on the targets around them, his Shuriken accuracy was astonishing. Had he made all those marks?

What a strange guy!

Akashi felt his skin crawl under her stare. With the Byakugan watching him, he always felt as if he were naked.

Suddenly, Hyuga Shingetsu spoke. "You made all those marks on the targets, right?"

"You saw for yourself, didn't you?"

"Hey." Shingetsu raised an eyebrow. "I happen to be training, too. Want to spar? We didn't fight much back at school, so this is a good chance."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say dressing like that could improve your attack speed? I want to try it."

Shingetsu explained.

She didn't believe Akashi was telling the truth.

At school, the teachers had indeed deliberately limited clashes between the Uchiha and Hyuga to avoid misunderstandings. Besides, Akashi hadn't stood out. As an honor student, Hyuga Shingetsu had only paid attention to the top three.

This chance encounter had nevertheless sparked her interest in the Uchiha.

"About what happened today..."

Akashi looked a little awkward.

Hyuga Shingetsu assured him, "Let's keep it between us. I won't tell anyone about your unusual hobby."

"I'm telling you again, I don't have a hobby."

"Please go easy on me."

Shingetsu ignored his protest and took her stance, her pure white eyes fixed on Akashi. She hadn't activated her full-range vision, but her keen perception still surpassed an ordinary person's.

Every move he made was reflected in her eyes.

She didn't rush to attack. The Hyuga Clan excelled at observing and analyzing an opponent's attack patterns, then winning with a counterattack.

Without the Byakugan, she couldn't bring the Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Palms, Tenketsu Strike, and other techniques to their full potential.

But Uchiha Akashi wasn't using his Sharingan either, so it was fair.

"Fine. Here I come."

Akashi shrugged helplessly, shifted his footing, then pushed off the ground and charged forward in an instant. He closed in as swiftly as a fox on the hunt, crouching low as he drove a straightforward punch toward her abdomen.

If she wanted him to attack, then he'd attack first.

His simple, no-frills punch was backed by all his strength.

"That's it?" Shingetsu said, mildly surprised.

She seemed to see his entire path in advance. Leaning slightly to the side, she dodged his powerful straight punch at a clever angle.

As she leaned away, she caught Akashi's elbow with one hand and thrust her other palm toward his ribs!

A dull thud rang out.

Akashi flew sideways, skidded several meters along the ground, and came to a stop against a rock.

"Ugh—ow, ow, ow! You girls hit so hard."

Hearing him complain, Hyuga Shingetsu frowned in displeasure instead. "Hey, can you take this a little more seriously?"

Akashi could only sigh at her complaint. His Taijutsu was still improving, and the Hyuga Clan specialized in close-quarters combat, so they already had the advantage. He was worried that using ninjutsu would be bullying her.

It was a little tricky to fight this kind of polite, civilized match.

Still, this was a good chance to get a feel for the Hyuga Clan's abilities.

After a brief moment of thought, Akashi attacked again. His legs moved like a windmill as he twisted his waist and hips, unleashing a flurry of kicks like a small whirlwind.

Leaf Whirlwind!

A copy of Guy's signature move, and he was getting more and more practiced with it.

"Now that's more like it!" Shingetsu focused intently.

Her excitement showed as she reacted and countered with astonishing speed, sweeping both hands in an arc from low to high, following the direction of Akashi's kick!

Like a tai chi master, she deflected his leg, turning with it and dispelling its force.

Then she thrust both palms forward, sending Akashi flying into the distance.

This time, Akashi didn't slide along the ground. He dug one foot into the dirt to brake, then took the chance to pull several Shuriken from his ninja pouch, hurling them as he retreated.

The blades cut through the air, spinning as they blocked Shingetsu's movements.

She dodged left and right, as if trapped in a narrow space. Just then, Akashi, still retreating, rushed back in and threw a plain, straightforward punch at her face.

Shingetsu's gaze sharpened. She twisted her body at an unbelievable angle and swept her leg across.

So fair!

No, so fast!

No matter how skilled children of twelve or thirteen were, they couldn't have much strength. But the Hyuga Clan's inherited skills made them different from ordinary ninja.

Observe, judge, counterattack—all in one smooth sequence.

Akashi's fist was still in midair when her pale, slender leg reached his chest.

Having learned his lesson from getting hit twice in a row, Akashi quickly pulled back and opened up some distance. He barely dodged her kick, then staggered backward several steps.

"The Uchiha Clan's Shurikenjutsu really is troublesome. But you're underestimating me."

Shingetsu delivered her verdict, confidently brushing her hair back.

But then something unexpected happened—

Several wires sprang up from the ground.

Her eyes had been fixed on Uchiha Akashi the whole time, but she'd overlooked the things tied to the Shuriken. She realized what was happening, but it was already too late.

Akashi's fingers shifted as he tugged at the Shuriken on the ground. Like fallen birds spreading their wings to fly again, they danced gracefully through the air.

At the same time, Akashi sprinted toward her.

The steel wires drew elegant curves as they wrapped around her body and bound her.

The loose gray fabric of her clothes tightened against her. Hyuga Shingetsu looked down, and her cheeks suddenly turned crimson. White steam seemed to rise above her head.

This kind of binding technique...

"You still say you're not a pervert!"

Shingetsu cried out, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Akashi was on the verge of tears. "This is just a—"

"Just a what? Take this!"

Though Shingetsu was bound, a Kunai had already slipped into her hand. She'd prepared it in case of the Uchiha Clan's Shurikenjutsu, and now it came in handy.

The metal sliced through the wires with a shrill squeal.

The next second, Shingetsu launched an attack of her own. She no longer cared about hitting specific tenketsu—she unleashed the Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Palms in a furious barrage at Akashi.

Without the Byakugan, she didn't have to worry about where she struck.

Her fists poured down. Akashi could barely defend himself and was hit again and again.

"Phew... phew..." Only when she saw he couldn't hold on any longer did Shingetsu finally stop. She gave a cold snort. "You'd better get rid of those perverted habits and become a normal person again. Otherwise, no matter how handsome you are, you'll still get beaten up."

Akashi had taken a beating, and he couldn't even complain.

One thing was clear: before using Eight Trigrams Palms, Hyuga Shingetsu had also been hiding some of her strength. It seemed she already had the ability of a Chunin or higher.

After a while, Shingetsu said, "That's enough for today."

"Hey, um..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Shingetsu turned away, her cheeks still tinged with red. "I'm the only one who knows you're a pervert."

Hey, that sounded pretty perverted coming from you.

But before Akashi could say anything else, Shingetsu had already turned and left without even saying goodbye. She seemed prouder than many Uchiha Clan members.

"What a hassle. It was Itachi before, and now her. At least Hyuga Shingetsu doesn't seem like the gossipy type. Besides, what's wrong with a man being a pervert..."

Akashi waited until she was gone before getting up off the ground and brushing the dust off himself.

He straightened his hair. Not a scratch on him.