Iruka looked at Sasuke, who seemed determined to stir up trouble.
He gave a brief explanation. "It's simple. The enemies you encounter in the future won't be chosen for you. They might be stronger than you, or they might be weaker."
"The purpose of drawing lots is to prepare for that and train your ability to respond ahead of time."
Iruka's explanation convinced everyone.
Soon.
The matches were in full swing.
Yemu Hyuga also faced his first opponent.
"Hey, hey~ Hello, Yemu Hyuga!"
Sakura Haruno waved in greeting, her lips curving into a pleasantly surprised smile. She hadn't expected her opponent in the first round to be Yemu Hyuga.
Unfortunately.
Over the past year, she'd never had a chance to talk to Yemu Hyuga.
There was nothing she could do. Those two girls guarded him so closely that she couldn't find a single opening.
And so, Sakura Haruno had given up on Yemu and turned her attention to Sasuke Uchiha.
Even so, Sakura Haruno still liked Yemu. She couldn't help it; he was simply too handsome.
Especially those white eyes with their faint blue glow.
They made Sakura Haruno unable to look him straight in the eye.
"Hello."
"Shall we begin?"
Yemu Hyuga asked softly, looking quite gentle.
His gentlemanly manner sent Sakura Haruno's heart racing.
Compared with the rather aloof Sasuke.
An approachable, sunny, handsome boy like Yemu Hyuga was the ideal choice.
"Okay, I'm ready. Don't go easy on-"
Before Sakura Haruno could finish.
Yemu Hyuga appeared right in front of her.
His terrifying speed kicked up a cloud of dust, and a pair of deeply sunken footprints was clearly visible where he had just stood.
!!!
Iruka's gaze abruptly jolted.
The commotion on Yemu's side had clearly caught his attention. He hadn't expected anyone to cause such a stir.
Looking at the stunned Sakura Haruno, Yemu Hyuga slowly bent his middle finger, gathered his strength, and flicked her forehead.
Bang!
Sakura Haruno hadn't even reacted to Yemu's speed, so naturally, she had no chance of responding to his attack.
Her entire body spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees in midair as she flew backward.
"Huh?"
Several girls who had been quietly watching were startled.
What surprised them wasn't Yemu's lack of gentleness toward a girl.
It was how powerful he was. He had defeated Sakura Haruno with just one finger.
"Yemu Hyuga is amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah. Sakura shouldn't be that weak, right?" Ino Yamanaka nodded, her gaze moving back and forth between Sasuke and Yemu.
For a moment, she actually couldn't decide which one she should watch.
Not far away, Sasuke Uchiha noticed what had happened and cursed. "That bastard. If he's human, I'll eat my words."
The guy was clearly just a member of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family. What gave him the right to outclass Sasuke?
Sasuke Uchiha had planned to claim the top student spot with a flawless performance, then tell his beloved older brother what had happened today and earn Uchiha Itachi's praise.
But Yemu Hyuga's appearance had undoubtedly shattered that dream.
"Hehehe~"
Qingxue Uchiha watched Yemu receiving everyone's attention nearby, a satisfied smile hanging on her lips. Her little expression looked just like she was showing off her man.
"Hm?"
"What are you smiling about?"
Qingxue Uchiha's opponent was a chubby little boy.
He was someone they more or less knew.
Previously, he had tried to bully them in the snow, only for Hinata to send him running with two punches.
When Qingxue Uchiha didn't answer, the chubby boy's face reddened. He thought she was interested in him.
"Could you pay attention to me?" His voice lost its earlier forcefulness.
He was starting to look every bit the lovesick puppy.
"Tsk~"
Annoyed at having her thoughts interrupted, Qingxue Uchiha clicked her tongue, and her expression instantly turned cold.
"Huh?"
The chubby boy was dumbfounded. She had clearly been smiling just a moment ago.
Why had her expression suddenly changed?
Surely it had nothing to do with him. After all, he was pretty handsome.
He had barely finished that thought when he suddenly felt a tremendous force strike his face.
His round face caved inward as Qingxue Uchiha knocked him to the ground with one punch.
"Don't... don't hit my handsome face!"
The chubby boy panicked. He hadn't expected this pretty Uchiha girl to be so ruthless.
She kept targeting his handsome face, pummeling it relentlessly.
The commotion around Qingxue Uchiha made quite a few boys shudder.
It left them all with fresh emotional scars.
"Lady Hinata is much nicer."
"Yeah, yeah. It's just a shame that, as the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter, she'll probably never have much to do with us in the future."
A few background boys watched Hinata Hyuga and discussed her in hushed voices.
However.
Soon.
Hinata Hyuga's fight left those boys looking utterly bewildered.
Because Hinata, who usually seemed so shy and reserved.
Was now actually the fiercest fighter of them all.
She was even more ruthless than Qingxue Uchiha.
Just a few palm strikes to her opponent's abdomen left the taller student with his face contorted in agony.
"Mommy... I want my mommy..."
The second-year student Hinata Hyuga had attacked lay on the ground, reaching out with a slightly trembling hand as though he could see his great-grandmother beckoning to him.
Not far away, beneath a large tree, Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga Clan, was secretly watching.
Seeing Hinata's transformation and the talent for combat she displayed.
His lips curved upward, and he nodded in satisfaction.
He gave the nearly invincible Yemu Hyuga a meaningful look.
He activated his Byakugan slightly.
He discovered that the chakra flow in Yemu Hyuga's eyes was clearly different from that of the Hyuga Clan.
That raised a few questions in his mind.
But when he considered how much his eldest daughter had improved under Yemu's guidance.
He didn't dwell on his suspicions.
And so.
Through one fight after another, Yemu Hyuga undeniably became the top student of the second year.
But that was still nowhere near enough.
Right now, they were merely children playing pretend. These hardly counted as real battles.
That afternoon.
Yemu Hyuga trained with Neji at their old secret base as usual.
But unlike before, when it had been just the two of them.
Their secret training group now had four members.
Qingxue and Hinata had joined them.
"Bro, Yemu, I still don't get why you let that girl come here."
During their break after training.
Neji Hyuga came over to Yemu, looking at Hinata Hyuga as she continued practicing against a wooden post nearby, undisguised disgust in his eyes.
"Then are you going to cook for me from now on?"
Yemu Hyuga shot back.
Neither he nor Qingxue was much good at cooking, so they'd mostly relied on Hinata over the past year.
Naturally, Yemu wouldn't turn her down over little things like this.
"Huh? Why should I cook for you?" Neji hadn't caught on.
Yemu Hyuga spread his hands. "There you go. All right, all right, want to try out the new ninjutsu I've developed recently?"
At that.
Neji Hyuga rubbed his head, seemingly realizing something, and his eyes widened. "What! That girl is cooking for you?"
How was that possible?
An heiress like her actually cooked for a member of the Branch Family.
How could that possibly happen?
Was he sure this wasn't a joke?
Before you continue