Hyuga Gen Was Beaten

"Xia, it's alright, stop crying. It isn't your fault; those people were just truly detestable."

Looking at the teary-eyed Hyuga Natsu, Hyuga Gen offered words of comfort.

He looked a bit of a mess himself, though. Yes, he had been beaten, and his face was bruised and swollen. While it looked quite serious, it was actually not too bad.

"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, Brother Dongyi, you wouldn't have been hurt."

Hyuga Natsu wiped away her tears, blaming herself.

"Xia, look at my eyes. This isn't your fault. You were very brave to stand up for your classmate, and Brother Dongyi is proud of you."

Hyuga Gen spoke with earnest gravity, reaching out to wipe the tears from Hyuga Natsu's face.

"Xia, can you promise me one thing?"

"Brother Dongyi, what is it? I will definitely try my best to do it."

"From now on, no matter what happens, don't cry. Crying too much is bad for your eyes, and it makes you less pretty. Can you promise me? Brother wants to see a Xia who loves to smile and is always beautiful."

"Mm, I'll remember. I will never cry again."

To prove she wouldn't cry anymore, Hyuga Natsu forced a smile.

Hearing this, Hyuga Gen nodded with a smile, knowing that since Hyuga Natsu had promised, she would certainly try her best to keep her word.

Thinking back to what happened yesterday, Hyuga Gen couldn't help but shake his head. He hadn't expected that even at such a critical juncture, there were still members of the Uchiha clan who were so arrogant and domineering; it was simply courting their own destruction.

He had been out strolling with Xia yesterday when they unexpectedly ran into an Uchiha collecting "protection fees."

He hadn't spoken up to stop it; such things always happened. After all, in a forest this large, you'd find all sorts of birds. Besides, he was just a child; what could he do about the affairs of adults?

"Don't you dare bully my mother!"

Just then, a little girl ran out and charged at the Uchiha, pushing with all her might, trying to shove him away from her mother. The Uchiha simply pushed back with a backhand, and the little girl fell to the ground.

The little girl stood up unyieldingly and charged at the Uchiha again. This time, she didn't hesitate and bit down hard on him.

"Ah! You little brat, let go! If you don't let go, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The little girl had bitten the Uchiha's hand, and he roared in pain.

The disparity in strength was too great; the Uchiha broke free after a moment, and the little girl was flung hard to the ground again.

The Uchiha didn't have it easy, though; his hand was bleeding profusely. Watching from the side, Hyuga Gen thought it must have been quite painful.

"You bit me? See if I don't kick you to death!"

With that, the Uchiha raised his foot, intending to stomp on the little girl.

"Stop! You're an adult bullying a child—aren't you ashamed?"

Hyuga Natsu quickly reached the little girl's side, shielding her behind her back while glaring at the Uchiha.

"Zhihui, are you alright?"

Hyuga Natsu then turned her head to look at the girl on the ground.

"Are you... Xia?"

The little girl looked at Hyuga Natsu with uncertainty.

Hyuga Natsu nodded. Yes, the little girl was indeed her classmate, Yu Zhihui.

"I wondered who it was; it's just a Byakugan brat. Get lost, kid. We Uchiha aren't afraid of your Hyuga clan. If you don't move, I'll kick you too!"

He raised his foot, preparing to kick Hyuga Natsu. Of course, Hyuga Gen wasn't about to let the Uchiha strike her.

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to act this way? Is the work of the Police Force just to bully children?"

Hyuga Gen ran forward and kicked away the foot the Uchiha had aimed at them.

"You want to meddle in other people's business too, brat? Wouldn't it be better to just watch from the sidelines? Kids these days really don't know what's good for them. Fine, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents."

Being kicked away by a child made the Uchiha lose face.

He reached out to grab Hyuga Gen, but the boy dodged every attempt. After all, his persistent running, physical training, and study of taijutsu hadn't been for nothing.

"Kid, you're pretty good at dodging."

With that, the Uchiha's aura shifted, becoming sharp and aggressive as he charged at Hyuga Gen.

Hyuga Gen set his stance. Seeing the fist flying toward his face, he moved in an instant. He grabbed the Uchiha's arm, used the momentum to pull him forward, and simultaneously tripped him, sending the Uchiha flying.

"That little guy is quite impressive; it's truly unexpected."

A crowd had gathered by now, and some were whispering among themselves.

Damn it. I just wanted to test the waters, but knocking down an adult as a child is clearly abnormal. I'm not one of those geniuses.

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Hyuga Gen didn't feel praised; instead, he felt things were taking a turn for the worse and felt a pang of regret.

"Very well, brat. You've successfully angered me."

Seeing the Uchiha's eyes turn red, Hyuga Gen felt a sense of dread. The Uchiha had actually activated his Sharingan. Although it was only a single tomoe, Hyuga Gen knew that an Uchiha with their eyes activated was a completely different beast from one without.

Are these Uchiha lunatics actually going to kill someone in the middle of the street? I'm just a kid—is it really worth it?

Looking at those red eyes, Hyuga Gen thought with uncertainty.

"Oh no, is this... a genjutsu?"

The scene before him shifted abruptly, and Hyuga Gen felt a sense of foreboding.

"Huh? Why did it disappear again?" Watching the vision fade away and return to reality, Hyuga Gen was left puzzled.

He had no time to ponder, however, as a fist loomed larger and larger in his vision. Seeing a familiar figure approaching from afar, Hyuga Gen quickly formulated a plan.

With a whoosh, Hyuga Gen went flying.

Yes, he could have dodged the punch, but Hyuga Gen chose not to, and so he was sent soaring; the force behind the Uchiha's strike was no small matter.

"Let's see you be arrogant now, you brat! Keep being arrogant for me!"

The Uchiha stepped on Hyuga Gen's face and spoke viciously, seemingly still unsatisfied, as he stomped down hard two more times.

Everything had changed too quickly. Hyuga Natsu watched as Hyuga Gen was pinned under the Uchiha's foot, and in that moment, the world in her eyes seemed to turn gray.

She stood up blankly, her expression calm and devoid of emotion as she said, "Take your foot off him."

"What was that? I can't hear you."

The Uchiha looked at Hyuga Natsu with a sneer, laughing as he deliberately stomped on Hyuga Gen once more.

"I said, take your foot off him."

Suddenly, a frigid aura rippled out from Hyuga Natsu. At this moment, the veins around her Byakugan bulged; yes, driven by rage, Hyuga Natsu had actually activated her Byakugan.

"What are you doing? Why haven't you taken your foot off yet?"

A calm voice suddenly came from Uchiha Itachi nearby.

"Uh, Young Master, why are you here?"

The Uchiha said sheepishly, pulling his foot away and stepping to the side.

"Dongyi, wake up. Dongyi?"

Uchiha Itachi rushed over and called out with concern. Seeing no response, he couldn't help but knit his brows.

Without another word, he hoisted Hyuga Gen onto his back and hurried toward the hospital.

In truth, Hyuga Gen hadn't actually passed out; it was all an act. After being bullied so miserably and suffering such a massive social catastrophe, it was better to just stay unconscious.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, he slowly "woke up."

"Xia, go to my house and tell my grandfather. With Itachi here to look after me, I'll be fine."

Watching Hyuga Natsu leave, the hospital room fell into a brief silence, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

"I'm sorry, Dongyi."

Uchiha Itachi broke the silence.

"You don't need to apologize to me. It wasn't your fault. Aren't you going to ask me what happened?"

"I'm sure it must have been his fault."

As an Uchiha himself, Uchiha Itachi knew that group of people all too well; it was not uncommon for his clansmen to be arrogant and bully the weak.

Hyuga Gen recounted what he had seen, and Uchiha Itachi listened quietly.

Afterward, there was another bout of silence.

"Dongyi, how do you think the Uchiha clan can be saved?"

"Perhaps only when you become strong enough to influence more people," Hyuga Gen said casually.

The situation within the Uchiha clan was indeed complex, with mutual suspicion, a lack of discretion in their actions, and a clan head who lacked decisive, ruthless judgment.

In short, it was not something that could be explained in a few words.

Hearing Hyuga Gen's words, Uchiha Itachi fell into deep thought.