Children in the Naruto World were famous for growing up early. A group of five- and six-year-old girls were going wild, cheering like crazy for the dashing Ishihara.
Ignoring the lovestruck girls, Xian Yu slipped out of the crowd and glanced around. He spotted Orochimaru tending to his wounds in an open space nearby.
"Here, this is a very effective medicine for injuries. Don't move. I'll help you."
The young Orochimaru's face was twisted with pain. Startled by the sudden voice in front of him, he looked up and saw a boy with two crossed scars on his chin, whose smile was as bright as the sun.
"Thank you..."
Orochimaru hadn't felt anyone's concern in a long time. After a moment of dazed silence, he accepted the two bottles.
"Hey, hey, hey! I can do it myself, you know?"
Seeing the boy reach out as if to help apply the medicine, Orochimaru said nervously.
"Don't be shy. We're classmates, and I'm good at treating injuries. Watch this." Xian Yu boldly rolled up Orochimaru's shirt, crouched down, and gently applied ointment to the bruise on his stomach.
"Here, this bottle is for taking by mouth. Take one pill. It'll stop hurting soon." Xian Yu took one of the two bottles from Orochimaru's hand.
A blush appeared on Orochimaru's fair little face. He lowered his head. "Mm, it really does feel a lot better. Thank you... Xian Yu."
After tending to Orochimaru's injuries, Xian Yu stood up and laughed cheerfully. "Hahaha, don't mention it, Orochimaru. I get hurt like this all the time. My injuries are much worse than yours, so I've had plenty of practice."
"Next, Group Seven: Shimura Xian Yu and Hyuga Renjian. Come up to the platform."
When he heard Shimura Yuichi call his name, Xian Yu patted Orochimaru on the shoulder and jogged onto the platform.
Watching Xian Yu run off, a gentle smile appeared on Orochimaru's fair face.
"Do your best, Xian Yu..."
Once he was in position, Xian Yu looked at his opponent, his expression turning serious.
Those distinctive white eyes made his opponent's identity obvious. A descendant of the Sage of Six Paths, heir to the Otsutsuki, and member of one of Konoha's great clans—the Hyuga Clan!
"Please go easy on me!" Hyuga Renjian said coolly, forming the Seal of Confrontation.
"Please go easy on me!" Xian Yu echoed, forming the Seal of Confrontation as well.
The Uchiha Clan was arrogant. If you had to sum them up in one sentence, it would be: "The Sage of Six Paths is number one, and the entire Uchiha Clan is number two."
The Hyuga Clan was arrogant, too, but more reserved about it. At least the Hyuga considered other people's feelings a little when dealing with them. They were a little more tactful. But only a little.
It all sounded like a lengthy process, but it happened in a flash. As soon as the two boys finished forming the Seal of Confrontation, they charged at each other almost simultaneously!
Hyuga Renjian struck first, sweeping his right leg toward his opponent's head.
Feeling the rush of wind coming at him, Xian Yu quickly stepped back and threw a punch like a dragon, landing squarely on the instep of Renjian's incoming kick!
Thud! Their fists and feet collided. Both boys staggered back several steps.
Xian Yu retreated two steps, absorbing the force of the kick.
Hyuga Renjian also stepped back twice. Feeling pain in his instep, he tapped the ground with his toes and flexed his foot a little. His expression grew serious.
After that initial exchange, he could tell his opponent wasn't an easy target.
In the blink of an eye, Xian Yu stepped back, shed the force of the clash, and immediately rushed forward again. He slipped past Renjian's front and swung a punch at his cheek.
Hyuga Renjian activated his Byakugan at once. Veins bulged like earthworms on either side of his eyes.
His right hand shot out and seized his opponent's swinging arm.
The instant Xian Yu felt his right arm being caught, he reacted just as quickly. He grabbed Renjian's arm in return and took the chance to close in. Then he sharply raised his left leg and drove his knee toward Renjian's stomach!
Hyuga Renjian turned his left hand into a palm and struck downward, slamming it into the incoming knee.
With his knee blocked, Xian Yu's left fist had already slammed into Renjian's side without him even noticing. At the same time, Xian Yu took a heavy knee to the stomach.
The blow sent Xian Yu staggering back several steps. He bent over slightly and held his stomach with one hand.
Hyuga Renjian crouched down, bracing himself with his right hand and resting his left hand on his hip as he rubbed his left side.
It had all happened incredibly fast. To the onlookers, it looked as though the two had charged at each other, exchanged a few blows, and stepped back twice. Then, in the very next instant, they were locked in a thrilling close-quarters fight before breaking apart again.
"I underestimated you, Xian Yu. I'm going to get serious now. Watch out." As he spoke, Hyuga Renjian's eyes flashed. He activated his vision and perception abilities, then focused chakra into both hands.
Seeing this, Xian Yu swiftly drew three shuriken and threw them in a triangular formation, completely blocking Renjian's paths of escape.
Faced with the three incoming shuriken, Hyuga Renjian didn't dodge or stop. He kept charging forward, catching two of them barehanded without injury with his chakra-infused hands. The third flew past his ear.
Just as Hyuga Renjian reached him, Xian Yu suddenly shook with a start!
Under Renjian's wary gaze, Xian Yu raised both hands high and shouted, "I forfeit!"
Hyuga Renjian's hand froze in midair, halfway through its swing...
Most of the children watching gaped in astonishment.
They had been evenly matched, and both looked like they still had plenty of chakra. So why had Xian Yu suddenly forfeited?
The onlookers couldn't make sense of it!
Xian Yu rubbed his still-aching stomach and smiled without saying anything more. After exchanging the Seal of Reconciliation with Hyuga Renjian, he slowly stepped down from the platform.
"Good. Being able to assess the situation rationally in the heat of battle is a basic skill for a ninja. In the Group Seven match, the winner is Hyuga Renjian," Shimura Yuichi announced the result with satisfaction.
"Xian Yu." As soon as he stepped off the platform, Orochimaru greeted him with a concerned look.
Xian Yu smiled warmly to show he was fine.
"Argh! Xian Yu, why did you forfeit all of a sudden? You clearly had the advantage. You totally could've turned things around! Why didn't you keep beating the crap out of him? Hyuga Renjian and Uchiha Ishihara are the two biggest show-offs in our class!" Jiraiya complained indignantly.
"Idiot..." Nara Pengyi rolled his eyes. Without waiting for Jiraiya to respond, he launched into his analysis. "The Byakugan can see through the three basic techniques at a glance. And if we don't have any other powerful techniques, then at our current level, forfeiting right away against the Byakugan is a sensible choice. This was only an assessment, after all. Xian Yu already proved his strength by fighting Renjian to a draw before he'd even fully activated his Byakugan."
"Mm, the Byakugan really is a bit of a cheat at the lower and middle ninja ranks." Xian Yu shrugged helplessly.
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