He slept in a hazy daze the entire night, and until he crawled out of bed in the morning, Hyuga Satoru still felt a lingering soreness all over his body.
I didn't expect the sequelae of Tyrant Mode to be so stubborn. My chakra has already recovered for the most part, but the damage to my muscles still requires a period of quiet recuperation.
Grimacing slightly, Hyuga Satoru supported the head of the bed with one hand while continuously massaging his flank with the other. If anyone saw him right now, they would definitely suspect he had gone through an intense "battle" last night, resulting in severe physical depletion.
After finishing a simple breakfast, Hyuga Satoru finally felt his body recover somewhat, and he sighed. "I should temporarily slow down my training progress these past few days. Once my body recovers in a few days, it won't be too late to continue."
There were still a few days left until the next mission appointed by Aburame Shibi, so Hyuga Satoru, having nothing better to do, came out onto the street.
The village at this moment was still thriving and prosperous. Children could be seen playing and chasing each other on the streets. Hyuga Satoru looked up at the sky outside the village, his gaze melancholic.
Just how long could such peaceful days be maintained? The Third Shinobi World War was probably not far off.
If it were before, Hyuga Satoru definitely wouldn't have allowed himself the slightest bit of laxity. The war was like a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, constantly oppressing him.
However, the Tyrant Mode he had inadvertently developed yesterday gave him a trace of confidence when facing an unknowable future.
"I haven't had Ichiraku Ramen in a long time."
Stealing moments of leisure amidst a busy schedule was also a rather nice kind of joy, and Hyuga Satoru smiled.
Right at that moment, he saw Anko running toward him out of breath not far away.
"It's bad, Satoru! Rin and Kakashi are fighting!"
The smile on Hyuga Satoru's face instantly froze.
"That white-haired brat is the White Fang's son, right?"
"He should be. I heard he's the new generation's most outstanding genius in the village. That Uchiha brat actually lasted this long, looks like she's no pushover either."
"Heh heh, an Uchiha brat and the White Fang's son, truly fascinating..."
In front of the Mission Assignment Office, at some point, ninja had already gathered into a circle, discussing with clucking tongues.
A short blade swept past in a white semi-circle, continuously colliding with a kunai at a speed hard to catch with the naked eye. Sparks and the sound of clashing metal flew in all directions.
The scarlet Sharingan spun rapidly. After blocking a slashing strike, Uchiha Rin's expression grew even more grave.
Kakashi's swordsmanship was quite fierce, and every slash went straight for her weak points. If she didn't have the assistance of the Sharingan, she probably would have been defeated long ago.
This guy, his strength has actually improved this fast.
Uchiha Rin couldn't help gritting her teeth slightly. During her Ninja Academy days, she had always competed with Kakashi. She hadn't expected that after graduation, the gap would actually be pulled wider.
"How did Kakashi turn out like this? Even if Rin mentioned his father, there's no need to land such heavy blows."
Guy in the crowd wore a worried expression. Both of them were his classmates, and them suddenly fighting left him with no idea what to do for the best.
"I seem to remember your name, your name is Uchiha Rin, right? You shouldn't have mentioned that man's name. He was simply trash who couldn't even complete a mission."
"Tsk!" Kakashi's remarks made Uchiha Rin extremely displeased.
"Speaking of strength, I deeply respect Lord White Fang, but I just didn't expect his son to be capable of nothing more than empty talk."
"Bastard! I said you're not allowed to mention that man's name."
Unexpectedly, at Uchiha Rin's words, Kakashi flew into a direct rage, leaping backward to open up distance and forming Hand Seals at extreme speed.
The harsh sound resembling the shrieks of thousands of birds rang out. One hand grasped his wrist, while lightning surged on his other hand.
A Lightning Release ninjutsu? I wonder how it compares to my Fire Release?
Uchiha Rin's eyes narrowed slightly as she formed Hand Seals with equal speed. Phoenix Claw Technique! A B-rank Fire Release ninjutsu, it was the strongest Fire Release ninjutsu she was currently capable of using.
"It's that technique, has Kakashi gone mad?"
"This is too reckless, this technique isn't even mature yet, right? Does he want to kill her?"
Ninja in the surroundings recognized Kakashi's move, their hearts involuntarily tightening.
A harsh roar of thunder rang out. Kakashi's body transformed into a straight line, rushing toward Uchiha Rin at terrifying speed.
The seals in Uchiha Rin's hands also formed down to the very last one. There was not the slightest bit of fear on her face, only intense fighting spirit as chakra surged up to her throat, transforming into a scorching breath.
Suddenly.
Slap!
A muffled sound of flesh colliding rang out. The palm wrapped in lightning stopped one meter in front of Uchiha Rin, the latter's lips parted slightly, and her scorching Fire Release was a mere second away from being expelled.
"Too close, made it."
Hyuga Satoru breathed a secret sigh of relief. A muscle strain that hadn't recovered yet due to the strenuous exercise pulled into a sharp pain, causing him to grimace slightly.
At this moment, his right hand firmly gripped Kakashi's wrist, and his opposite shoulder pressed against Kakashi's chest, forcefully blocking his offensive.
"Satoru, why did you come?" Uchiha Rin wore a look of astonishment.
Immediately, as if recalling something, she revealed a trace of vexation.
"Hey, do you know how dangerous it was just now? My Fire Release was a second away from being released."
Enduring the pain in his muscles, Hyuga Satoru gritted his teeth slightly and said to Uchiha Rin, "It would have been trouble if I didn't come."
His gaze glanced without a trace toward Kakashi's right palm, where a shred of lingering shock remained. Chidori, an A-rank Lightning Release! He hadn't expected Kakashi to have already developed this technique? But he probably couldn't fully master it yet.
If he hadn't blocked this move, Uchiha Rin would have truly been in danger!
At the same time, Kakashi also cast his gaze toward the suddenly appearing Hyuga Satoru.
He found the weakness of my Chidori, and cleverly blocked my offensive with his body? The Byakugan? No wonder he can pull off something like this.
Seeing Hyuga Satoru's eyes, Kakashi revealed a pensive expression.
"What on earth is going on? Why did you two suddenly start fighting?"
Uchiha Rin glanced at Kakashi. "I was just checking the Mission Assignment Office to see if there were any suitable missions, and happened to run into this guy. I intended to say hello, but in the middle of our words I inadvertently mentioned his father, and as a result we started fighting directly."
Until now she still hadn't reacted to how on earth she had ended up fighting Kakashi.
Is that so?
Hyuga Satoru nodded thoughtfully. He had originally thought that, given Uchiha Rin's temperament, she would be the one to provoke a fight first, but he hadn't expected Kakashi to be the one to make a move first.
"I've already said it, don't mention that man in front of me. He was nothing more than trash who couldn't even complete a mission."
Kakashi's voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Look at him." Uchiha Rin shrugged helplessly.
Hyuga Satoru couldn't help sighing. It seemed that Kakashi in this period had yet to walk out of the grief of that incident.
And rightly so; usually in the village one would occasionally hear that he didn't get along with his teammates and even engaged in major brawls, until later on when he got mixed up with Obito that he slowly walked out of it, right.
Kakashi suddenly looked toward Hyuga Satoru with coldness.
"You're the very first Dual Bloodline in Hyuga history, right? It seems we haven't sparred yet?"
In an instant, the atmosphere around them that had already eased grew tense once more, and everyone's gazes converged on Hyuga Satoru.
"Satoru..." Anko gripped her hands tightly in worry.
"This bastard Kakashi, does he even have comrades in his eyes?!" Guy cursed loudly. If he hadn't known himself to be no match for Kakashi, he probably would have couldn't help wanting to step up and beat him a round.
Hyuga Satoru wore a look of helplessness. It seemed he was riding a tiger and difficult to get off; the pain in his flesh had not yet receded, and his strength right now was less than two or three parts out of ten.
However, if he refused, Kakashi probably wouldn't let the matter rest so easily. Besides that, he also sensed a vague, probing gaze locked firmly onto this place the entire time.
Since that was the case...
Hyuga Satoru turned to face Kakashi directly, revealing a serious expression.
"Since you insist on asking, then let's begin."
Before you continue