Dual Bloodline Limit?

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

It was as if Hyuga Satoru's palm strike had not hit her chest, but her face.

"Is that your Gentle Fist?"

"This is Gentle Fist!"

Hyuga Satoru rolled his eyes at her.

???

Iroha froze.

She said that wasn't Gentle Fist.

Hyuga Satoru said it was Gentle Fist!

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

Iroha clenched her fists, wanting to argue, yet unable to find the words.

How could that possibly be Gentle Fist? Her chest had gone numb and tingly as if she had been electrocuted, and a single palm strike had sent her flying that far?

And he called that Gentle Fist?

But at the thought of how easily she had been defeated by a single strike, Iroha's gaze instantly dimmed.

"I lost..."

"He... he won?"

Anko stood there blankly with her mouth wide open. If someone stuffed something strange into it right now, she probably would not even 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 upward.

"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 awed and admiring gazes. They had agreed to be the shame of their clans together—you would disgrace the Hyuga, and I would disgrace the Uchiha.

How had you become a genius in the blink of an eye, leaving only me to disgrace the Uchiha?

This wasn't fair!

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

Hyuga Satoru raised a brow and sighed. "There are no geniuses. I just use the time others spend 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 match. After all, he was a ninja who had taught for many years, with far more experience than ordinary ninjas.

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

Fujino Daikichi could not figure it out, his expression shifting uncertainly.

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

After several students fought, he announced the contenders for the next match.

"Next match: Uchiha Rin versus Hyuga Satoru!"

The crowd erupted.

"Oh my god, an Uchiha against a Hyuga."

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

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

Hyuga Satoru's scalp tingled. 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 training field, Uchiha Rin's first words were...

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

???

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

No way! No way!

Could it be that they...

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

How exciting!

Some of the female students were already wildly letting their imaginations run free.

Anko looked at Hyuga Satoru, then at Uchiha Rin, wearing a delighted auntie grin.

Was this about my dead-last deskmate and the Uchiha female genius?

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Hyuga Satoru curled his toes hard enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

He really had not expected Uchiha Rin to bring it up so openly.

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

???

But Uchiha Rin clearly did not care what Hyuga Satoru was thinking. Her gaze sharpened as she flung several shuriken with both hands.

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

"What advanced throwing technique!"

Fujino Daikichi could not help praising her. This technique of using collisions to alter a shuriken's trajectory was something even few Uchiha Genin could master so proficiently.

Facing the fierce assault, Hyuga Satoru raised his kunai to block.

Then an astonishing sight appeared. No matter what angle the shuriken came from, Hyuga Satoru could 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 be afraid of him?"

"Didn't you notice?" The person turned around. "He's not avoiding the shuriken. The shuriken are avoiding him."

The doubter looked carefully, then immediately gaped. Whenever a shuriken was about to strike Hyuga Satoru, it would impossibly shift its trajectory slightly and skim past him.

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

"Could it be..." Uchiha Rin narrowed her eyes. A terrifying suspicion surfaced in her heart, only for confusion to appear on her face again.

"Impossible. He's from the Hyuga Clan. He shouldn't possibly have it."

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

Hyuga Satoru also raised his kunai to block, and the two fell into a taijutsu battle.

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

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

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

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

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

"Hmph! If I had awakened the Sharingan, you definitely wouldn't be having such an easy time!"

After stubbornly spitting out those words, Uchiha Rin bit down lightly and abruptly leaped back, abandoning the idea of fighting Hyuga Satoru in taijutsu.

Awakening the Sharingan was far more difficult than awakening the Byakugan. At this stage, she had nothing to gain from 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 her 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, let alone a C-rank jutsu like the Great Fireball.

"This is bad."

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 Great Fireball had already arrived.

The orange-red fireball swallowed Hyuga Satoru's position. Explosive flames scattered in every direction, heating the entire training field and turning the air dry and scorching.

"Did it hit?"

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

Soon, the flames dispersed. There was no figure in the rising smoke, and a faint voice came from behind her.

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

Behind me!

When did he???

Uchiha Rin's pupils suddenly shrank as she immediately tried to twist away, but it was already too late. Her back was struck as though by lightning. Blue arcs of electricity erupted across it, sending her flying forward under the powerful impact.

Hyuga Satoru shook his hand and looked at Uchiha Rin, who had already fallen to the ground. This battle had truly been dangerous; Uchiha Rin's ferocity had put him under considerable pressure.

Fortunately, the Great Fireball had too long of a windup, allowing him to use the flames as cover to circle behind her and settle the battle in one blow!

"Are you okay?"

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

An abnormal change suddenly occurred!

Uchiha Rin abruptly raised her hand, and a kunai shot toward Hyuga Satoru in an instant!

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

"Magnet Release! So you really awakened a Dual Bloodline Limit!"

A sharp glint flashed in Uchiha Rin's eyes from the ground.

In an instant, the crowd erupted.

"Dual Bloodline Limit? Magnet Release?"

"What is that?"