The child was knocked to the ground. Uchiha Cheng followed up with a kick, sending him rolling several times.
The other three children stood frozen, unable to react. They were all around seven or eight, but none of them were geniuses. They couldn't awaken the Sharingan like Sasuke, and they didn't know any ninjutsu yet, since they were still attending the Ninja Academy.
Seeing how fiercely Uchiha Cheng fought, the three trembled, too afraid to approach.
The leader lay on the ground for a long while before finally managing to get back up.
Uchiha Cheng walked over, looked at him coldly, and said,
"You're going to apologize for what you just said!"
"Not a chance!" the leader shouted through gritted teeth.
Thud—
He threw another punch, and the child was knocked to the ground again.
"Apologize!"
"I'm a Three-Tomoe direct descendant!"
Thud—
"Apologize!"
"My dad won't let you get away with this!"
Thud—
After several punches, the child's cheeks were swollen and his head was spinning. He collapsed and couldn't get back up.
The commotion caught the attention of people nearby.
"What are you doing?"
A young man hurried over. He looked about fifteen or sixteen, with large eyes, and wore a black, short-sleeved, high-collared shirt and black pants.
The other three children looked as if they'd seen their savior.
"Shisui, please help our boss! He's been beaten so badly he can barely hang on!"
So that was Uchiha Shisui? Uchiha Cheng looked at the man who had appeared in the original story's background, yet had left such a striking mark.
He was young, with a pair of delicate, phoenix-shaped eyes that were unusually large. His features were handsome, and he didn't have the arrogance of a genius. Instead, he seemed very approachable.
The man known as Uchiha Shisui crouched down and briefly checked the leader's injuries.
"Nothing serious. They're just superficial wounds."
His tone was gentle. He didn't make a fuss, nor did he threaten to beat up a branch-family member to defend the direct line, as the child had claimed he would. After all, whether in strength or bloodline, Uchiha Shisui was unquestionably a Three-Tomoe direct descendant. Yet he didn't uphold rules that favored him.
In truth, Uchiha Cheng hadn't hit him that hard. The other child had spoken rudely, but he was still just a kid, even if he was a few years older than Cheng. Aside from the first punch, the others had all avoided vital areas and landed on places with plenty of padding. They would hurt, but they wouldn't cause any real injuries.
Shisui hoisted the child onto his back and turned to the others.
"I'm taking him to the hospital. You kids, be more careful next time. You need to hold back when sparring."
The three children didn't dare tell him what had really happened. If the leader was a direct descendant, then Shisui was a direct descendant among direct descendants. They didn't have the courage to tell him the truth.
Uchiha Shisui vanished with the Body Flicker Technique, and Uchiha Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He'd acted on impulse. When he saw someone coming, he'd worried there would be trouble, especially since the child had said he was a Three-Tomoe direct descendant. Luckily, Uchiha Shisui hadn't asked any questions.
It was better to leave before he got into any more trouble. Uchiha Cheng hurried away from the Training Ground.
What a lousy place. He'd never come back.