Wowing the Crowd

"Whoa..."

As soon as Uchiha Yue finished speaking, an uproar broke out among the spectators at the Ninja Academy Training Ground. Even Hyuga Anihiko's expression darkened.

The spectators' chatter soon rose and fell in waves, reaching Uchiha Yue and Hyuga Anihiko's ears.

Uchiha Yue, however, remained calm as he listened to the comments, while Hyuga Anihiko's expression grew darker by the second.

"Did I hear that right? Uchiha Yue just said he'd give Hyuga Anihiko three free hits? Hyuga Anihiko's a prodigy of the Hyuga Clan!"

"Hmph, what's so special about Hyuga Anihiko? Hatake Dansui already lost to Uchiha Yue, and Hyuga Anihiko's weaker than Hatake Dansui. How's he supposed to beat Uchiha Yue?"

"Wow! Uchiha Yue is amazing! No wonder he's a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan! Compared to Uchiha Yue, Hyuga Anihiko is practically useless!"

"Exactly! Uchiha Yue's got the guts to give you three free hits! Hyuga Anihiko, if you've got what it takes, give him ten!"

As he listened to the spectators' chatter, Hyuga Anihiko's eyes blazed with fury. At first, he had challenged Uchiha Yue for the sake of the Hyuga Clan. Now, though, he was challenging him solely to defeat him and reclaim his pride in front of everyone.

But there was no way Hyuga Anihiko would say he'd give Uchiha Yue ten free hits.

What kind of joke was that? Uchiha Yue had already beaten Hatake Dansui, which proved his strength was about on par with Hyuga Anihiko's.

If Hyuga Anihiko really gave Uchiha Yue ten free hits, how could they even fight? He might as well surrender outright!

So now, Hyuga Anihiko had no way to save face with words. He could only rely on his strength to win back his pride.

Hyuga Anihiko took a deep breath and finally managed to suppress his anger. Then, his voice thick with fury, he said, "Fine, Uchiha Yue! Since you're giving me three free hits, don't regret it! I'll defeat you within three moves! I'll prove that I, Hyuga Anihiko, am stronger than you, Uchiha Yue!"

"Enough talking."

Uchiha Yue raised his index finger and beckoned, then said, "Come on already! I haven't had lunch yet!"

"Bastard!"

Unable to endure Uchiha Yue's repeated taunts, Hyuga Anihiko unleashed nearly all his chakra and shot toward him like an arrow. As a ninja of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Anihiko specialized in the Gentle Fist. Only in close combat could he bring out its true power.

So, he released his chakra in a sudden burst to close the distance. He wanted to fight Uchiha Yue at close quarters.

But when Uchiha Yue saw Hyuga Anihiko charging at him, he showed no intention of dodging at all. He even yawned lazily.

Uchiha Yue's behavior only enraged Hyuga Anihiko further. At that moment, he even felt like killing him.

At last, when Hyuga Anihiko reached Uchiha Yue, he went all out and thrust his Gentle Fist straight toward Uchiha Yue's chest!

At the same time, Hyuga Anihiko roared in his heart, consumed by murderous intent: Die, Uchiha Yue!

Meanwhile, the spectators' seats fell silent. Everyone watched the duel on the training ground intently.

But two figures were hidden away in a corner of the stands. Even at such a tense moment, they watched the match with an air of ease. In fact, just before Hyuga Anihiko reached Uchiha Yue and launched his attack, the two were still chatting casually, as if the duel on the training ground held no interest for them at all.

If Uchiha Yue had noticed them and seen their faces, he would have been utterly astonished!

The two people hiding in the corner of the stands were none other than two of Konoha's most famous figures!

One of them was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha. The other was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin!

"Jiraiya, these kids sure have plenty of energy!"

Smiling as he looked toward the training ground, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in the prime of his life, patted Jiraiya on the shoulder and said, "You tell me, is Uchiha Yue really that confident he can beat Hyuga Anihiko? The fight hasn't even started, and he's already giving Hyuga Anihiko three free hits. What arrogance! I really don't know how those people in the Uchiha Clan raise the next generation!"

"Hmph. I think that brat's about to lose."

At his teacher's question, Jiraiya glared at Uchiha Yue and snorted. "That brat from the Hyuga family is pretty strong. His Gentle Fist is quite well-practiced, too. Looks like Hizashi has put a lot of effort into training him! By contrast, that brat from the Uchiha Clan is so careless in the face of an enemy. Honestly..."

Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, another uproar suddenly broke out among the spectators!

Even the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, who had never believed in Uchiha Yue, widened their eyes and stared at the training ground in disbelief!

"What was that?"

At that very moment, Hyuga Anihiko had reached Uchiha Yue on the Ninja Academy Training Ground. His chakra-infused right index finger had even struck the meridian in Uchiha Yue's chest. Even an ordinary Genin in Konoha would have suffered serious injuries from the Gentle Fist's power.

But...

Just as Hyuga Anihiko confidently thought he had finished Uchiha Yue in a single move, his pupils suddenly contracted as he looked ahead!

The next second, under Hyuga Anihiko's horrified gaze, Uchiha Yue's figure before him slowly faded and became an afterimage!

That was right. The Uchiha Yue Hyuga Anihiko thought he had struck with his Gentle Fist was nothing more than an ordinary clone!

"How is that possible?"

Hyuga Anihiko wasn't the only one who was stunned. The spectators were just as shocked—including Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya!

At the same time, Uchiha Yue had appeared behind Hyuga Anihiko, his eyes filled with confidence!

Hyuga Anihiko truly deserved his reputation as the Ninja Academy's number-three prodigy. The power of his Gentle Fist was on par with that of an ordinary Genin. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Uchiha Yue. The second before Hyuga Anihiko reached him, Uchiha Yue had already used his immense mental energy to analyze every one of Hyuga Anihiko's movements.

In fact, when dodging Hyuga Anihiko's attack, Uchiha Yue had deliberately waited until the very moment his opponent's finger was about to touch him before moving.

The technique that gave Uchiha Yue such confidence in his ability to evade the attack was a new ninjutsu he had created over the course of three days!

Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist!