Battle

Just as Hanabi Hyuga stood there, staring motionlessly at Ye Fan, Iruka walked over and asked softly, "Hanabi, what are you doing?"

"Teacher Iruka, who is he?" Suppressing the shock in her heart, Hanabi Hyuga pointed at Ye Fan and asked.

"It's no wonder you don't know him. After all, today is your first day here. His name is Inuzuka Ye Fan. He is also a student here, but he is much older than you all and has not yet graduated from the Ninja Academy." Iruka gave a simple introduction.

"Inuzuka Ye Fan?"

Hanabi Hyuga silently committed the name to memory. She remembered that Team 8, the ninja squad her sister belonged to, had someone from the Inuzuka Clan, apparently named Kiba Inuzuka.

"What a miraculous pair of eyes!"

Ye Fan moved closer curiously, preparing to get a good look at the so-called "Byakugan."

Hanabi Hyuga suddenly assumed a fighting stance and said solemnly to Ye Fan, "I challenge you!"

Hanabi Hyuga had a strong sense of pride and competitiveness. Since her Byakugan was unable to see through this boy, she wanted to use the Hyuga Clan's special secret art, the Gentle Fist, to win back some ground.

Only children would probably have such logic and thoughts.

Since the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist had been mentioned, it was necessary to briefly explain it:

The Gentle Fist was a secret art of the Hyuga Clan. Because it attacked acupoints or an enemy's weaknesses, it required the Byakugan to work in tandem with it. It was a taijutsu that turned chakra into needles and injected them into an enemy's body to cause damage.

"You want to challenge me?"

Ye Fan could not help laughing. He had not expected that after entering the First Layer of the Beast-Taming Stage, his first challenger would be a little girl of only seven or eight.

"What are you laughing at? Are you looking down on our Hyuga Clan?"

Hanabi Hyuga stared directly at Ye Fan. No matter how she concentrated chakra into her eyes, she could not see through his body, as though a hazy energy had blocked her sight.

"Little girl, don't spout nonsense. Turning this into a conflict between two clans is no joking matter. Though your strength is barely passable, you are still far too inexperienced in my eyes. If you want an opponent, go find them!" Ye Fan pointed at the children who were secretly watching from nearby.

Although Hanabi Hyuga was young, she was very clever. By now, she had already understood that the person before her clearly looked down on her and regarded her as a child.

"I'm very strong! I'll defeat you, just like that idiot I defeated earlier! If you refuse my challenge, it proves you're afraid!" Intense fighting spirit radiated from Hanabi Hyuga.

"Hanabi, please don't speak about Konohamaru like that!" Iruka interjected awkwardly from the side.

"Using a cheap trick like the 'Sexy Technique'... Hmph!" Hanabi Hyuga snorted coldly, completely ignoring Iruka's embarrassed expression.

"Are children these days all this arrogant? They really don't understand humility!" Ye Fan sighed. Then, shifting his tone, he suddenly said to Hanabi Hyuga, "I accept your challenge!"

As soon as he said this, Iruka was startled and hurriedly said, "Ye Fan, are you crazy? How can you accept a challenge like this? Don't forget that you can't use chakra at all right now. How are you supposed to fight? And Hanabi Hyuga is far stronger than you imagine. Don't do anything foolish!"

"Relax. How could I possibly get serious with a little girl like her? If word got out, people would say I was bullying the weak! I won't need to act. I'll let my Ninja Hound play with her for a while. It'll also teach this little girl not to be so arrogant." Ye Fan smiled.

His words enraged Hanabi Hyuga, and several more veins bulged at the corners of her eyes.

"Ye... Ye Fan, you want your Ninja Hound to fight in your place?"

Iruka lowered his head to look at the tiny Ninja Hound beside Ye Fan's feet, which was not even as large as a house cat. He was so shocked that he could barely speak.

He knew that the Inuzuka Clan had ninjutsu for fighting in coordination with Ninja Hounds, but the prerequisite was coordination. He had never heard of anyone sending only their Ninja Hound into battle like this.

"Dark Shadow, I'll be counting on you in a moment. Just put in a little effort, but don't hurt her," Ye Fan said to the little Ninja Hound beside him.

The little Ninja Hound wagged its tail and barked twice, as though saying, This is too easy!

Hanabi Hyuga had never been so angry in her life. Sending a little dog to fight her was, in her eyes, the greatest possible insult.

No longer caring about any rules of combat, Hanabi Hyuga charged directly at Ye Fan. She had only one thought now: defeat him and let her strength do the talking!

Whoosh!

Dark Shadow, the little Ninja Hound, shot forward to meet her. Its speed was astonishing, startling even Iruka beside them.

"This is..."

Watching the little Ninja Hound rush forward like a whirlwind, Iruka subconsciously opened his mouth wide.

At that moment, Ye Fan's faint voice sounded from beside him. "My Ninja Hound has undergone special training from me. Although its talent is not particularly high, it has always worked hard to complete every training plan I designed for it in order to earn my praise. Teacher Iruka, my Dark Shadow already possesses strength no weaker than a Genin!"

Iruka stared at the calm-faced Ye Fan in shock. Suddenly, he felt that he knew very little about this student.

The battle in the field was fierce. Relying on its advantage in speed, Dark Shadow leaped and darted around Hanabi Hyuga, constantly circling her.

At first, Hanabi Hyuga had not taken the little Ninja Hound seriously. But when she used her Byakugan to see the chakra inside its body, she was thoroughly startled.

She had never expected that a mere little dog would possess such powerful chakra, even more than she had within her own body.

What shocked her even more was the little dog's incredible control over its chakra. By gathering chakra in its four paws, it greatly enhanced its ability to run and evade.

Up to this point, Hanabi Hyuga had not landed a single hit on the little Ninja Hound.

However, she had not allowed the little Ninja Hound to get close either. She steadily used the Gentle Fist, blocking off the Ninja Hound's attack routes in advance. The battle seemed to have reached a stalemate.

As Iruka watched the battle, he grew increasingly astonished. He could not help asking Ye Fan, "Ye Fan, if your Ninja Hound is so powerful, why did you fail your previous make-up exams?"

"Some things are more important than passing an assessment!" Ye Fan said with a smile, wearing an inscrutable expression.

The battle continued. As expected of the Hyuga Clan's future successor, Hanabi Hyuga gradually adapted to the Ninja Hound's speed. As long as she caught an opportunity, she would be able to determine the victor.

"Alright, I've more or less figured out her palm techniques. There's no need to waste any more time." At that moment, Ye Fan suddenly muttered to himself.

What happened next became something Iruka would never forget for the rest of his life!