Enjoying the Unknown

By the time Yuun arrived, the outcome here was nearly decided. Seeing this, he joined the fight without hesitation. His Gentle Fist flowed as he blocked left and right, and within moments, he had reached the position closest to the supply pack. The others, stunned by Yuun's sudden attack, finally came to their senses and shouted as they rushed at him together.

"Rotation!" Prepared for this, Yuun spread his arms and spun rapidly. Blue chakra burst forth without restraint, forming a hemispherical chakra wall that spread outward at high speed.

Several students still in midair were struck head-on by Rotation. Bruised and battered, they were sent flying back, crashing heavily to the ground and leaving long trails behind them.

"This is mine. If you don't like it, come at me together!" Yuun stepped forward and spoke bluntly to the remaining students.

"You already have one! Why are you still competing with us?" It was not hard to find a few students at this age who feared nothing. Like newborn calves unafraid of tigers, even if they could not beat Yuun, that did not stop them from talking big. "Aren't you afraid we'll gang up on you?"

"Then come!" Yuun fixed his eyes on the speaker. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. There are four of you here, and seven more hiding nearby. Come out, especially you, Itachi."

The black-haired boy slowly emerged from the bushes and spread his hands toward Yuun. "I was a little slower than you."

"Hehe." Yuun curled his lips in a smug smile, then glanced at the shadowy figures in the surrounding brush. "You want to be ninja without even knowing what the Byakugan can do?"

"Hyuga Yuun, don't get too full of yourself. If we join forces with Itachi, you won't stand a chance." They were students after all. Once Yuun casually exposed their whereabouts, several could not resist jumping out. "Drop the supplies if you know what's good for you, or we'll make sure you don't leave today!"

"...And who are you?" Yuun scratched his hair and spoke to Itachi in a somewhat troubled tone. "Itachi, you're not seriously planning to team up with this bunch of trash, are you?"

"They're all classmates. They simply excel in different areas." Itachi spoke casually. "Yuun, if you leave now, I can decide that you may take the supplies you're carrying. With the survival kit you were originally issued, two sets of supplies will be enough for you and your teammates..."

"Heh, this really is a little troublesome." Yuun turned to the Chunin guarding the supply pack. "Teacher, there are more than ten of them planning to fight me alone. Aren't you going to do anything?"

"As long as none of you are in mortal danger, I won't interfere," the Chunin answered without hesitation. He was also curious to see what this Hyuga Clan prodigy, so widely praised by the outside world, could do.

"So as long as I remember to hold back and don't seriously injure them, you won't step in?" After receiving the Chunin's confirmation, Yuun smiled. "Then come on, Itachi. One-on-one or all at once, it doesn't matter. Let's have a good fight!"

"Everyone, get him! Teach this guy a hard lesson and take back our supply pack!" The first few to step forward gripped their kunai and charged without hesitation. If there had been fewer of them, they might have considered whether they could defeat Yuun. But there were still more than ten people here able to fight, and Itachi Uchiha was among them—only slightly inferior to Yuun in actual combat and first in every other subject. What did they have to fear?

"Just what I wanted!" Yuun set down the supply pack and took his stance. "Gentle Fist!"

"Everyone be careful! Don't rush in too fast, or that spinning move of his will send you flying!" The moment Yuun assumed his stance, the group of students immediately shouted warnings to one another.

"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!" Yuun struck the chest of the nearest person with two consecutive palm strikes, sealing his ability to move. "Four Palms!" After sealing his movement, Yuun landed two more strikes on acupoints dense with reflex nerves, leaving him completely unable to move. By then, several others had already rushed forward.

"Eight Palms!" Another four consecutive strikes sealed their movement. "Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms!" Before the rest could react, Yuun's rapidly flying palms had already sealed the students who had charged the fastest.

"Rotation!" Taking advantage of their inability to move, Yuun spun at high speed once more and sent them flying.

It was hard to say just how badly students with their physiques would be injured by his Rotation, but they definitely would not be getting back up within half an hour. Especially since Yuun had sealed their movement first—retreating to lessen the force had been impossible.

In the blink of an eye, the number surrounding Yuun dropped from more than ten to seven. In truth, among those seven, only Itachi had the ability to threaten Yuun. Yuun was confident he could casually deal with the rest. These students had not truly matured yet, and their combat ability was likely not much stronger than that of ordinary adults.

Seeing Yuun deal with the students who had taken the lead so easily, Itachi could not help frowning. Yuun was at least twenty percent stronger than he had expected. If he had been in that position, could he have resolved it so effortlessly? Itachi considered it, then shook his head. That sort of close-quarters combat was not his specialty. There was no need to compare his weakness with Yuun's greatest strength.

"Are you ready? Here I come!" The corners of Yuun's mouth lifted slightly as he broke into a run toward the students standing behind Itachi.

"Scatter!" Itachi did not have time to say more. He turned and avoided Yuun's charge. He was not actually bad at close combat, but facing a Hyuga Clan member like Yuun, who specialized in the Gentle Fist, in close quarters put him at far too great a disadvantage.

"Don't come over here!" The seven reacted differently upon hearing Itachi's warning. Two scattered without hesitation. Two others hesitated, apparently unable to decide whether to flee at once or fight back first. One stood motionless, seemingly lost in thought. The last two directly pulled out kunai and shuriken and threw them at Yuun.

"Too late!" Yuun reached out and knocked aside the ninja tools that would have hit him, then charged straight into the crowd. Like a tiger among sheep, he knocked down everyone except the two students who had fled quickly in the blink of an eye.

"Now it's three... two against one." Yuun grabbed the arm of a student trying to sneak an attack, casually knocked him down with a palm strike, and ignored him afterward. Looking at Itachi and the remaining student, he said, "Itachi, are you coming at me with him, or will you wait until I take care of him first?"

"No. I'm indeed not your match right now." Itachi calmly shook his head. "My objective has already been completed. The game isn't over yet, and there will be plenty of chances to fight. By the way, I hope you enjoy the next few days." As soon as he finished speaking, Itachi turned and left. Yuun made no attempt to stop him. The Gentle Fist excelled at close combat, yes, but that was on level ground. In a pursuit, a purely close-range style like the Gentle Fist was unsuitable.

"Hmph, at least you know better." Yuun knew Itachi was definitely calculating something, but he did not care. Just as Itachi had said, this training was a game. All he needed to do was enjoy the unknown, no matter what he would face next. "What about you? Want to test your skills?" Yuun crooked a finger at the remaining student.

"..." The student fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and retreated into the brush.

"Tch, does this mean I passed?" Yuun put his backpack back on and asked the Chunin guarding the supplies.

"Of course. It's yours." The other man did not make things difficult for him and directly handed over the supply pack.

"Haha, now I won't have to worry about finding something to eat." Yuun weighed the newly acquired supply pack in his hand, then nodded to the Chunin. "I'm off, then, old man."

"Haha, good luck." Seeing such an outstanding junior put the Chunin in a good mood as well, and he wrote something in his notebook.