A Condition

The next day.

When Hyuga Satoru arrived at the academy, he found that his classmates' gazes toward him had all changed.

Shock, envy, admiration, jealousy... Various emotions mixed in their eyes as they cast them all together upon Hyuga Satoru.

Hyuga Satoru saw Iroha looking at him with a complex gaze. When Iroha noticed him looking back, he immediately turned his head away, unwilling to meet his eyes.

The moment he sat down at his desk, he saw Anko beside him curiously leaning her face in.

"Hey, Satoru, are you really the dual bloodline everyone is talking about?"

"Of course." Hyuga Satoru gave her a sideways glance.

"I never thought anyone could possess two kinds of kekkei genkai at the same time. It's unbelievable. I thought having one was already the limit."

"Did eating sweets every day turn your brain to mush? Kirigakure had dual-bloodline ninja in the past too. Though rare, they haven't gone extinct. Read more books, will you?"

If Anko had been mocked like this by Hyuga Satoru in the past, she definitely would have immediately and discontentedly retorted, but now, upon discovering that he was a dual-bloodline genius, she just quietly nodded and uttered an "oh".

Right at that moment, Hyuga Satoru noticed someone walking over toward them. He looked up and saw Uchiha Rin.

"Is something the matter?"

Hyuga Satoru's voice wasn't loud. After all, given their encounter by the Naka River that night, he worried that Uchiha Rin still held a grudge and had come to pick a fight.

Uchiha Rin said flatly, "Let's fight after school."

Hyuga Satoru: ???

No way? Really?

Was this necessary?

Elementary schoolers making a date to fight after school???

Seeming to notice the impropriety of her phrasing, Uchiha Rin deliberated her choice of words: "I'm unsatisfied with losing to you last time. I've learned some new ninjutsu, so let's have a match after school."

Hyuga Satoru let out a breath and couldn't help muttering inwardly, big brother, if you want a match just have a match, what's with "let's fight after school"?

"Compared to Kakashi, you are someone much more suited to be a rival."

Uchiha Rin stared straight at him.

You want to use me as a sparring partner for honing your skills?

Hyuga Satoru gave a bitter smile in his heart.

What an absolute grindset warrior!

Previously she ground against Kakashi, and now that she found out I was stronger than Kakashi, she turned around to grind against me?

Pondering for a moment, Hyuga Satoru looked at her and mused, "Want to take me on as a sparring partner? An interesting idea. It's not out of the question..."

A look of delight appeared on Uchiha Rin's face.

"Does that mean you agree?"

"Don't get happy so fast." Hyuga Satoru gave her a sideways glance. "I can battle you again, but if you lose, you must agree to one condition of mine."

One condition???

Uchiha Rin's brows furrowed slightly.

"May I know what condition?"

"No!" Hyuga Satoru shook his head. "That's the only way it feels like a wager!"

Uchiha Rin frowned.

"Then if you ask me to do something all weird and bizarre, I'll still have to agree?"

Hearing those words, Hyuga Satoru's expression instantly froze. If he had been drinking water just then, he probably would have sprayed it right into Uchiha Rin's face.

"Mm..."

Following that, he wore a contemplative expression.

Uchiha Rin clenched her fists, biting her lip slightly as a hash-mark vein seemed to bulge on her forehead.

Idiot... don't seriously consider it!

"Ahahaha... just joking, just joking..."

Hyuga Satoru laughed awkwardly.

He felt the ice-cold aura congealing around Uchiha Rin, as if she might pounce at the next second and tear him limb from limb.

Anko looked at Hyuga Satoru for a moment, then at the silent Uchiha Rin.

She curled the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a hint of expectant and playful a smile.

"Rest assured, I can guarantee this condition won't involve anything weird or bizarre. If you feel it's excessive, you can even reject it outright."

Hyuga Satoru said earnestly.

Uchiha Rin thought for a moment and raised her head.

"Fine! It's a deal!"

After school, Uchiha Rin followed Hyuga Satoru to the small woods behind the academy, where the stream of the Naka River flowed gently among the trees. The afterglow of the setting sun fell through the gaps in the treetops onto the withered leaves on the ground, making for a most pleasant scene.

Because she had been defeated by Hyuga Satoru beside the Naka River last time, Uchiha Rin had forcefully put forward the idea of fighting by the Naka River once more.

Of course, this time their location was quite a distance away from the Uchiha Clan Territory.

No one would come to disturb them.

"Do you usually train here? Why don't you go to the clan's training grounds?"

Uchiha Rin swept her gaze around, staring at Hyuga Satoru with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Hyuga Satoru sighed. "You know how it is. In an ancient clan like the Hyuga, there are always a vast number of rigid rules internally. Here, conversely, I can be a bit freer."

Thinking of certain stubborn elders within her own clan, Uchiha Rin nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it was for this very reason that I chose to train beside the Naka River."

She looked at the Hyuga Satoru in front of her, suddenly feeling that the two of them had some similarities.

The afterglow of the setting sun spread across the nearby Naka River, golden fragments flowing along with the murmuring current.

Amidst the stillness, Uchiha Rin spoke up first.

"Let's begin!"