Standing in the playground and watching the show, Ruri smiled faintly and thought, Uchiha Itachi, looks like we'll have to trade blows this time. I wonder how strong you are. First, let's see whether you're worth fighting!
Meanwhile, among the children arguing on the playground, the two Hyuga children decided to strike first. The moment they finished speaking, they charged straight at Uchiha Itachi without a second thought.
Uchiha Itachi showed no trace of panic as the two Hyuga children rushed toward him. When Tokuma Hyuga kicked at him, he instantly ducked low to evade it, then drove a fist into his lower abdomen. Tokuma Hyuga doubled over in pain, his expression making it clear just how much he was suffering.
Just after striking Tokuma Hyuga, he faced the punch Hyuga Xiang swung at him and reached out to seize his wrist. He immediately pivoted, turning his back to Hyuga Xiang, then bent forward and heaved, throwing Hyuga Takashi over his shoulder. Itachi sent Hyuga Takashi flying.
The fight between the three of them lasted less than a minute. Once it began, Uchiha Itachi needed only a few punches and kicks and a single shoulder throw to leave both Hyuga Clan children lying on the ground.
One clutched his stomach and dry-heaved, while the other held his back and rolled on the ground. That last throw had nearly knocked him unconscious.
Everyone who watched the fight was stunned. None of them had expected this Uchiha Clan child to be so formidable. He had defeated them both in mere seconds. Had this been a real battlefield, those two Hyuga Clan children would surely have been dead already.
Once the three of them finished fighting, another stir rippled through the crowd.
"Whoa, Uchiha Itachi really is amazing! He's just like the rumors say!"
"He's on a completely different level from us. It's like he's up in the sky while we're down on the ground."
The Hyuga Clan child lying on the ground clutching his stomach looked up at Uchiha Itachi standing before him and said bitterly, "Damn it! We're not even on the same level as him! He's just too strong."
By then, their fight had drawn the attention of several Chunin teachers from the Ninja Academy, but they had not stepped in to stop it immediately.
"Is this the Uchiha Clan prodigy everyone in the village has been talking about lately? He really is strong. It looks like there's quite a lot to him."
The Third Shinobi World War was now drawing to a close. Under the influence of years of warfare, the Ninja Academy did not discourage fights and sparring matches between students.
To some extent, these bouts could help advance their training. Unless things became particularly serious and someone's life was about to be lost, the ninja teachers would not step in to stop them.
"That's enough for today. Let this be a lesson to you, and remember: not just anyone can sully the Uchiha Clan's name!" Uchiha Itachi said casually as he looked at the two Hyuga Clan children lying on the ground.
With that, Uchiha Itachi turned to leave. He was not someone who enjoyed showing off, but his father, the clan head, had drilled one belief into him from childhood: whenever anyone sullied his clan's name, he had to teach them a lesson and demand an answer.
His father had taught him that the clan's honor mattered more than life itself. As the son of the Uchiha Clan's head, he had no choice but to step forward and restore his clan's dignity.
Looking at it now, we really could not understand what sort of clan the Uchiha were, instilling ideas like that in their children.
Clearly, Uchiha Itachi had no desire to make a bigger scene. All he wanted now was to leave at once, but things were far from going his way.
Just then, Ruri, who had been watching the commotion from a distance, slowly walked over. As he was about to enter the crowd, he said, "Heh, you certainly talk your clan up. As it happens, I'd like to see how formidable your Uchiha Clan really is. Care to exchange a few pointers, Uchiha Itachi?"
By the time he finished speaking, Ruri had reached Uchiha Itachi and blocked his path.
When the crowd first heard those words, none of them imagined that Ruri was the one speaking. But when they saw the figure before them, they had no choice but to believe it.
He wore a black kimono with white trim, his jet-black hair flowing like a waterfall, casually parted down the middle and falling to either side of his shoulders. A pair of flawless, pure-white eyes graced his handsome face. Although the White Bandages were tied around his forehead, they did nothing to diminish his exceptional presence.
Seeing Ruri block his path, Uchiha Itachi said without the slightest change in expression, "Ruri Hyuga, what is it? Do you want me to beat you up too?"
Looking at Ruri before him, Uchiha Itachi did remember him somewhat. After all, there were only thirty students in their class, and this Hyuga Clan classmate, whose appearance stood out from everyone else's, had left something of an impression on him.
"I have no intention of letting you beat me up, but I do want to fight you. Otherwise, people might think those two Hyuga Clan brats represent the strength of our entire clan!"
"To be honest, I've also really wanted to test just how strong you are, Uchiha prodigy!" Ruri said as he looked at Uchiha Itachi, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
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