Within the Eight Trigrams Field, Uchiha Itachi's body jerked again and again as Ruri's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms continued to strike him.
At that moment, the teacher watching from the sidelines realized something was wrong and rushed forward to stop Ruri before he killed someone.
But Ruri was so fast that, in just a few breaths, he landed all sixty-four strikes of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms on Uchiha Itachi.
Before the teacher could reach them, Uchiha Itachi was sent flying out of the Eight Trigrams Field.
The two Uchiha Clan children from earlier immediately dashed forward when they saw Uchiha Itachi go flying, catching him just before he hit the ground.
"Don't worry! I didn't damage his internal organs. I've only sealed his chakra points! Take him home and let him rest for a day. The sealed points will open up on their own!"
Looking at the unconscious Uchiha Itachi lying on the ground, Ruri said, "I don't know which is stronger, the Hyuga Clan or the Uchiha Clan. But right now, here at the academy, I'm stronger than you. That's a fact."
The two Uchiha Clan children stood frozen. They must have felt utterly helpless; watching the fight between Ruri and Uchiha Itachi had made them realize just how weak they were.
After Ruri finished speaking, the two Uchiha Clan children nodded numbly, then lifted Uchiha Itachi and carried him out of the academy.
As they left the school, Ruri turned to the two equally stunned Hyuga children, along with Linghua and Harukawa, and said, "Want to head back to the compound with me?"
Coming to their senses, the two Hyuga Clan children nodded without a word. They clearly still hadn't fully recovered from watching the fight.
"That was incredible! Are you really from the same Hyuga Clan as us?" one of the Hyuga children asked, looking at him with admiration.
Harukawa, who had watched the battle from the sidelines, blushed as she gazed at Ruri, utterly smitten.
"Hey, Ruri, I had no idea! You're already this strong at your age! What are you going to be like when you grow up?" Reika Hyuga said with a smile as she took Momokusa Harukawa by the hand and walked over to him.
Ruri glanced at the blushing Harukawa and smiled. "Of course! If I don't get this strong, how am I supposed to protect you two pretty girls?"
People were who they were; no matter when it was, they could never change their nature. Ruri had been just as shameless in his previous life.
After hearing Ruri's words, Momokusa Harukawa blushed all the way to her ears and covered her face with both hands. Any girl would probably react that way when the person she liked said something like that.
Reika Hyuga, on the other hand, wasn't nearly so shy. Blushing, she told Ruri, "Who needs your protection? I'm not so weak that I need someone to protect me! Just make sure you look after little Harukawa!"
With that, Reika Hyuga held Harukawa's hand tightly and, still blushing, stopped looking at Ruri.
And so, they slowly made their way toward the Hyuga Clan Compound.
No matter the time or place, admiring the strong was perfectly natural. Everyone wanted to become stronger, regardless of gender. Even in Ruri's original world, it had been no different.
After Ruri and the others left the academy, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed as well. For the children at the academy, this had been their first time seeing a real ninja battle!
From that day onward, word of Ruri Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan spread like wildfire throughout Konoha, earning him a reputation as a genius. Before long, the news would surely reach everyone's ears.
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Office Building, the Fourth Hokage looked out at the Ninja Academy's Playground and said, "Ruri Hyuga, Uchiha Itachi... it looks like some remarkable talents have emerged this year!"
With that, the Fourth Hokage withdrew his gaze, sat down at his desk, and resumed his work.
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