Dual Bloodline?

Iroha's face flushed red, his cheeks burning with pain.

It was as if Hyuga Satoru's palm had struck not his chest, but his face.

"Is that your Gentle Fist?"

"This is Gentle Fist!"

Hyuga Satoru rolled his eyes at him.

???

Iroha froze.

He said that wasn't Gentle Fist.

Hyuga Satoru said it was Gentle Fist!

What the hell kind of Gentle Fist was this???

Iroha clenched his fists, wanting to argue, but he had no idea how to begin.

How could this possibly be Gentle Fist? His chest was tingling and numb as if he'd been electrocuted, and one palm strike had sent him flying that far?

And you called that Gentle Fist?

But when he remembered how easily he had been defeated with a single strike, Iroha's gaze dimmed at once.

"I lost..."

"H-He won?"

Anko stood there with her mouth hanging open. Even if someone stuffed something strange into her mouth right now, she probably wouldn't notice.

"Hyuga Satoru wins."

Only after a long silence did Fujino Daikichi announce the result.

Uchiha Rin's pupils narrowed slightly. She already knew Hyuga Satoru was strong, but seeing him defeat Iroha so effortlessly still surprised her.

"This guy... was that night not even his limit?"

Then the corner of her lips suddenly curled up.

"Not bad! Only someone this strong is qualified to be my, Uchiha Rin's, opponent!"

Obito stared blankly at Hyuga Satoru as he walked back beneath countless shocked and admiring gazes. They had agreed to be the disgraces of their clans together. You disgrace the Hyuga Clan, and I disgrace the Uchiha Clan.

How had you suddenly become a genius while I was still disgracing the Uchiha Clan?

This wasn't fair!

When Hyuga Satoru returned, Anko asked with a shocked expression, "Satoru, how did you do that?"

Hyuga Satoru raised an eyebrow and sighed. "There are no geniuses. I just used the time others spent sleeping to study."

Anko curled her lips. "Yeah, right. I've never seen you stay awake in class."

Fujino Daikichi quickly recovered and announced the next matchups. After all, he was a ninja who had taught for many years, and his experience far exceeded that of ordinary ninjas.

"I actually misjudged him. That kid isn't dead last—he's a genius! But how exactly did he beat Iroha? That move was too fast, and it didn't seem like Gentle Fist either."

Fujino Daikichi racked his brains to no avail, his expression shifting unpredictably.

No! I still need to test that kid's limits.

After several students had fought, he announced the next pair.

"Next match: Uchiha Rin versus Hyuga Satoru!"

The crowd erupted.

"Oh my god, it's Uchiha versus Hyuga."

"Uchiha Rin has always been a genius competing with Kakashi. Can Hyuga Satoru handle her?"

"Hard to say. He beat Iroha, but Uchiha Rin is much stronger."

Hyuga Satoru's scalp went numb. Of everyone present, Uchiha Rin was the person he least wanted to face.

There was no other reason than what had happened that night.

Sure enough, when the two stood facing each other on the field, Uchiha Rin's first words were...

"Hyuga Satoru, do you remember that night by the Naka River?"

???

The field instantly fell silent. Even Iroha, who had just been sent flying by Hyuga Satoru's palm strike, was stunned. Everyone's mouths fell open as they stared at Hyuga Satoru and Uchiha Rin in disbelief.

No way! No way!

Could it be that they...

One was a Hyuga, and the other an Uchiha...

How thrilling!

Some of the girls had already begun wildly imagining things.

Anko looked from Hyuga Satoru to Uchiha Rin and back again, wearing a delighted auntie smile.

So this was the story of my dead-last deskmate and the Uchiha genius girl?

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Hyuga Satoru awkwardly dug out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

He truly hadn't expected Uchiha Rin to bring it up so openly.

What did she mean, that night by the Naka River?

???

But Uchiha Rin clearly didn't care what Hyuga Satoru was thinking. Her gaze sharpened, and she suddenly flung several shuriken with both hands.

In midair, the shuriken's paths crossed and collided, forming an impenetrable black net that sealed off every route of escape.

"What advanced throwing technique!"

Fujino Daikichi couldn't help praising her. This method of using collisions to alter a shuriken's trajectory was something even few Uchiha Genin could master so skillfully.

Faced with the oncoming attack, Hyuga Satoru raised his kunai to block.

An astonishing sight appeared. No matter what angle the shuriken came from, Hyuga Satoru could always easily block or evade them, as if...

"The shuriken are afraid of him?"

Someone in the crowd spoke blankly.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Shuriken aren't alive. How could they possibly be afraid of him?"

"Didn't you notice?" The person turned back. "He isn't avoiding the shuriken. The shuriken are avoiding him."

The doubter looked closely, then his mouth dropped open. Whenever a shuriken was about to hit Hyuga Satoru, it would incredibly shift its trajectory slightly and streak past him.

This change allowed Hyuga Satoru to evade the overwhelming shuriken barrage with ease.

"Could it be..." Uchiha Rin narrowed her eyes. A terrifying guess surfaced in her heart, followed by a confused look.

"Impossible. He's from the Hyuga Clan. He shouldn't be able to have it."

Once she realized the shuriken were ineffective, Uchiha Rin stopped throwing them. Gripping a kunai, she shot toward Hyuga Satoru like an arrow.

Hyuga Satoru raised his own kunai to block, and the two entered a taijutsu battle.

The longer they fought, the deeper the surprise on Uchiha Rin's face became.

"So it's true! That night really wasn't your limit!"

That night by the Naka River, she had still been able to exchange blows with Hyuga Satoru in taijutsu. But now, she was completely suppressed.

Hyuga Satoru sighed. "Wasn't that obvious?"

In pure combat experience, he was still some distance behind Uchiha Rin. But the advantages of the Byakugan and his physical speed allowed him to suppress her steadily.

"Hmph! If I had awakened my Sharingan, you definitely wouldn't have it so easy!"

After stubbornly spitting out those words, Uchiha Rin gritted her teeth and abruptly leaped backward, abandoning the idea of fighting Hyuga Satoru in taijutsu.

Awakening the Sharingan was far more difficult than awakening the Byakugan. At this stage, she could gain nothing by competing with Hyuga Satoru in taijutsu.

As she leaped back to widen the distance, Uchiha Rin rapidly formed hand seals. A scorching aura burst from his mouth.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

Ninjutsu???

Fujino Daikichi's pupils contracted. At this stage, any student capable of using ninjutsu was undoubtedly a genius, much less a C-rank technique like the Great Fireball.

Not good.

The Great Fireball was too powerful. Fujino Daikichi instinctively wanted to rush in and save Hyuga Satoru, but in the brief moment he lost focus, the attack had already arrived.

The orange-red fireball swallowed Hyuga Satoru's position. Explosive flames scattered in every direction, raising the temperature of the entire field and making the air dry and scorching.

"Did it hit?"

A trace of anticipation appeared in Uchiha Rin's eyes.

Soon, the flames dissipated. There was no one within the rising smoke, but a faint voice came from behind her.

"Didn't anyone tell you that the Great Fireball can't kill anyone?"

Behind me!

When did he...?

Uchiha Rin's pupils suddenly shrank. She immediately twisted to evade, but it was already too late. Her back felt as if it had been struck by lightning. Blue arcs of electricity exploded across it, and she was blasted forward by the powerful impact.

Hyuga Satoru shook his hand as he looked at Uchiha Rin lying on the ground. This battle had truly been dangerous. Uchiha Rin's strength had put him under considerable pressure.

Fortunately, the Great Fireball had too much windup, allowing him to use the flames as cover and circle behind her to deliver the decisive blow!

"Are you okay?"

Seeing Uchiha Rin still lying motionless on the field, Hyuga Satoru walked over.

A sudden change occurred!

Whoosh!

Uchiha Rin suddenly raised her hand, and a kunai instantly shot toward Hyuga Satoru!

Yet one second before it hit, the kunai's trajectory suddenly changed, curving past his face.

"Magnet Release! So you really did awaken a Dual Bloodline!"

A sharp glint flashed in Uchiha Rin's eyes from where she lay.

In an instant, the crowd erupted.

"Dual Bloodline? Magnet Release?"

"What's that?"