Provocation and Battle

In their eyes, Shen Ye was just a helpless little child who couldn't even hurt a fly, with no fighting ability whatsoever.

That was why they mocked him without restraint. Some were already itching to step forward and provoke him, but held back because the teacher was nearby.

"How can you mock a child who has a dream?"

Uchiha Fugaku approached Shen Ye with false sincerity, patting him twice on the shoulder as though comforting a junior.

Shen Ye curled his lip. He could already see the schemes in Fugaku's eyes.

Sure enough, as soon as Uchiha Fugaku finished speaking, the man who had been paired with Shen Ye suddenly stepped forward.

"If he's a little kid with a dream, then let me see just how impressive someone who can't use shuriken really is."

Even the naive teacher could tell what was going on now. This Genin had always been one of Uchiha Fugaku's subordinates.

The teacher had assumed the man had volunteered to be paired with Shen Ye to guide his training. He hadn't expected that the man had been lurking nearby, waiting to make a move.

"Shen Ye's in trouble now. He may not be very strong in the village, but he's already a Genin."

"Yeah. Any one of us would lose to him."

The people who had just been mocking Shen Ye immediately began to worry for him. After all, whether Shen Ye won or lost affected the reputation of the Ninja Academy. They all shared in its glory and disgrace.

If he somehow managed to win, it would instantly ignite the fighting spirit of the children who hadn't yet graduated from the Academy.

Shen Ye shook his head helplessly. Trouble had found him, and unless he gave this man a thorough lesson, no one would be convinced.

"What was supposed to be a nice outdoor training session has turned into an arena match. This is interesting."

Shen Ye stretched a few times, then walked to the middle of the training ground and lightly beckoned to the Genin with one finger.

The man's face was full of anger. He couldn't believe this kid had dared to provoke him. No matter what, he was a Genin.

Compared to these little kids still at the Academy, the Forehead Protector on his head was the clearest difference between them.

"Kid, I'm going to get serious!"

The Genin began forming Hand Seals, gathering the chakra in his body and channeling it into his palms.

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

Before most people could even see what was happening, two whirlwinds had already appeared in the air and shot toward Shen Ye.

"No wonder he's a Genin. He can casually use a jutsu this powerful. It looks like Shen Ye won't even be able to withstand this attack."

"Even so, I have a feeling Shen Ye will do something unexpected."

Feeling the pressure in the air, Shen Ye frowned slightly.

He had already mastered Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred and Jiraiya's Sage Mode, but he couldn't perform any decent ninjutsu. For now, he could only use those two abilities to scare the weak.

But Shen Ye was confident he could easily defeat the Genin in front of him.

"Strength of a Hundred!"

He moved his right foot back slightly, keeping it a few centimeters from his left to steady himself.

He bent his body slightly and concentrated all his strength in his right fist, then punched hard into the air in front of him.

Boom! The two whirlwinds shattered and dispersed. Everyone's gaze fixed on the air, where their remnants had yet to fade.

No one could have expected this outcome. Shen Ye had dispelled a Genin's attack with such ease that he still seemed to have strength to spare.

"That's impossible! You're just a kid. How could you have such enormous chakra reserves?"

"Who told you this was about chakra reserves? You've already become a Genin, and you still can't tell the difference between Taijutsu and ninjutsu?"

"Y-You have natural Strength of a Hundred?"

"The test is over. Today's lesson is over too. You two can stop now."

"Sure, teacher. If there's nothing else, I'll head home. Tsunade is probably missing me by now."

The people who had been stunned by Shen Ye's strength were enraged all over again by his words. Tsunade was the dream of every boy in the village, yet he spoke of her so casually.

The teacher coughed lightly. Tsunade held a place in his heart as well, but as a teacher, he couldn't say anything about it.

"Lord Fugaku, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

The teacher quickly shifted the matter onto Uchiha Fugaku.

Fugaku took a deep breath. Shen Ye's behavior that day had thoroughly enraged him, but for now, he could only swallow his anger.

"My mission from the Third Hokage is complete. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing Shen Ye again."

Uchiha Fugaku appeared friendly on the surface, but his words were full of hostility toward Shen Ye. He even seemed to want to kill him.

To Shen Ye, those threats were nothing.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I don't want to hear a weakling's impotent howls."

"You..."

Uchiha Fugaku forced himself to calm down. If he got into a fight with Shen Ye right then, he'd be the one to suffer.

The way things stood, Tsunade would be the first to let him off. He might be a prodigy among the village's ninja, but he was still inferior to Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

And everyone in Konoha knew one thing: Tsunade was someone you absolutely must not provoke.

Ignoring the strange looks from everyone else, Shen Ye walked straight out of the training ground and wandered aimlessly around the village.

As far as he knew, Tsunade definitely wouldn't be at home at that time.

Before he knew it, Shen Ye had arrived in front of a grand building. He looked up and saw the Hyuga Clan's vast estate, which looked extremely imposing.

"As expected of one of the village's foremost clans. Even the Hokage Office is nothing compared to it."

Of the entire clan, Shen Ye only knew one girl so far: Yue Xing.

"This still isn't nearly enough. As a member of the Main House, is this really all the strength you have?"

A harsh reprimand reached Shen Ye's ears. He scratched his head helplessly. The troubles of a great clan really were beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

He had intended to leave without getting involved, but then he heard a familiar voice.

"I know I still have a long way to go, so I'll keep training hard. It's my fault for bringing shame on the clan."

"That's Yue Xing. When did she leave the training ground and come back home?"