The Uchiha's Night of Triumph

He opened the door and looked. Sure enough, it was another Uchiha.

Only this time, just one person had come.

He looked thirteen or fourteen, his expression cold as he stared down rather condescendingly at Bieshu Feifan, who was much shorter than him.

"Bieshu Feifan, I won't allow you to make a name for yourself by trampling on the Uchiha's honor."

As he spoke, the Uchiha beckoned to Bieshu Feifan inside the room, then stepped back some distance.

His meaning was clear. He was issuing a challenge.

He wanted to fight Bieshu Feifan.

But Bieshu Feifan froze behind the door, watching the Uchiha's actions without moving.

The Uchiha waited a while. Seeing the way Bieshu Feifan looked at him, he immediately flew into a rage.

"What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me, Uchiha Ni?"

Hearing Uchiha Ni's furious shout, Bieshu Feifan picked at his ear.

"Come on in. The compensation from you Uchiha is pretty good. I'll allow it."

As he spoke, Bieshu Feifan beckoned to Uchiha Ni.

The gesture was identical to the one Uchiha Ni had just made.

"You're asking to die."

It was the first time anyone had ever beckoned to Uchiha Ni like that. Such a contemptuous gesture struck right at his pride.

Just as Uchiha Ni was about to charge over and beat Bieshu Feifan to death, Bieshu Feifan casually shut the front door.

The sound of the door shutting jolted Uchiha Ni back to his senses. When he reached the door, he forcibly stopped himself from kicking it.

He remembered clearly that the Uchiha who had come to regain their dignity the previous two times had both paid millions in compensation.

And his family did not have that much money.

Uchiha Ni ground his teeth in fury and shouted at the door:

"Come out!"

Bieshu Feifan's voice immediately came from behind the door.

"Come in."

Uchiha Ni's face darkened, but he said nothing more. They were Uchiha; they did not trade insults in the street.

After lingering outside Bieshu Feifan's door for a long time, Uchiha Ni finally chose to leave.

Behind the door, Bieshu Feifan saw him leave and paid it little mind, continuing his training.

He used the Senju chakra to refine his body over and over. It felt like taking stimulants, leaving him bursting with energy.

Bieshu Feifan immersed himself in improving his constitution. Only after several days had passed, and he had completely integrated the Senju special chakra into his body, did he end his seclusion.

Clenching his fists to feel his increased strength, Bieshu Feifan could not help letting out a strange laugh.

From now on, he could count as a hidden member of the Senju Clan.

His chakra had also increased considerably. Bieshu Feifan estimated that he should now qualify as a proper genin.

Then he practiced the two Fire Release ninjutsu from before and finally managed to spit out a little flame.

Sure enough, a lack of talent could be compensated for with sheer chakra reserves.

In other words, enough brute force could make a brick fly.

After several days away, Bieshu Feifan once again went to work at Konoha Hospital.

Quite a few new bodies had arrived in the morgue.

At the same time, quite a few bodies had been collected by their families, leaving only their names on Konoha's Memorial Stone.

This time, Bieshu Feifan did not find any bodies he could absorb from.

That was hardly surprising. After all, most Shinobi were actually just ordinary, standard genin.

After touching all the bodies, Bieshu Feifan did not linger at Konoha Hospital.

Previously, he had wanted to learn some medical techniques, but now that he had sufficient chakra, he needed to improve his strength quickly.

One month. That was how much time he had to develop.

When the time came, that bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely conscript cannon fodder for the battlefield again.

Walking home, Bieshu Feifan was in a fairly good mood.

Although he had spent these days in constant fear, he had also gained a great deal because of it, progressing much faster than he would have by developing safely at school.

Konoha's scenery was nice, too.

The fiery evening clouds drifting in the west and the shops hawking their wares along the streets all gave the place a rich sense of everyday life.

But there were always people who spoiled the view.

With a sweep of his Byakugan, Bieshu Feifan spotted two ping-pong paddles trailing far behind him and rapidly catching up.

The Uchiha really were sick in the head.

Soon, as Bieshu Feifan passed an alley, the two figures finally caught up.

With two swishes, they blocked him in, one in front and one behind.

"Bieshu Feifan, I finally caught you! Hahahaha!"

The Uchiha behind him was the one speaking.

Bieshu Feifan looked back. It was Uchiha Ba, whom he had met before, and he had already activated his Sharingan.

As for the Uchiha blocking Bieshu Feifan's way ahead, he showed no intention of making a move.

He simply stood with his arms folded, staring expressionlessly at Bieshu Feifan like a referee at a match.

Bieshu Feifan immediately drew a kunai and turned to face Uchiha Ba.

Bieshu Feifan did not run. Hiruzen Sarutobi would not let cannon fodder like him off the hook, and he also wanted to improve through actual combat.

And Uchiha Ba, who was in his early teens, was undoubtedly a decent sparring partner.

Nothing much could happen inside Konoha.

Even if Bieshu Feifan lost, he would only take a beating at most.

Seeing Bieshu Feifan's serious expression, Uchiha Ba immediately roared:

"You ignorant brat!"

As he spoke, he also drew a kunai and swiftly charged at Bieshu Feifan.

The two instantly clashed. Their kunai rarely collided, yet the fight was nerve-racking to watch.

The older Uchiha watching from the side grew increasingly grave.

Bieshu Feifan's ability to anticipate attacks seemed even better than Uchiha Ba's with his one-tomoe Sharingan.

Uchiha Ba, who was in the thick of the fight, was even more shocked.

Bieshu Feifan gave him the feeling of facing an adult Uchiha.

His kunai always attacked from a tricky angle.

And Uchiha Ba's Sharingan actually could not keep up with the changes in Bieshu Feifan's movements.

This was anticipation taken to the extreme.

The longer Uchiha Ba fought, the more he was forced onto the defensive. His Sharingan truly could not keep up.

Slash-

After a dozen or so exchanges, a cut opened across Uchiha Ba's chest.

It was shallow, but it bled.

Uchiha Ba's eyes widened on the spot. Even with his Sharingan active, he had actually lost in taijutsu to a civilian Shinobi several years younger than him.

"Ahhh!"

Uchiha Ba refused to accept this result and swiftly pulled away, intending to use Fire Release.

But Bieshu Feifan did not press his advantage.

The outcome was settled. The corners of Bieshu Feifan's mouth rose slightly. The Senju constitution truly was formidable.

Uchiha Ba was no longer a match for him.

Bieshu Feifan did not want to deal a killing blow. After all, they were inside Konoha.

However, seeing Bieshu Feifan calmly put away his kunai, Uchiha Ba suddenly felt boundless humiliation.

A civilian Shinobi had actually gone easy on him.

The wound on his chest seemed to hurt even more.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

Uchiha Ba simply could not stomach such a defeat. He immediately formed hand seals and spat a mass of scorching flames at Bieshu Feifan.

Bieshu Feifan was startled. This Uchiha couldn't take a loss?

Bieshu Feifan had no means of intercepting ninjutsu.

Seeing the searing flames rushing at him, he swiftly ducked, pushed hard against the ground with both feet, and leaped to the side.

The instant Bieshu Feifan landed, Uchiha Ba had already darted close, clearly having anticipated his position.

"Die!"

Accompanying that furious shout was a heavy sweeping kick.

Bieshu Feifan failed to react in time and took the kick squarely. With a muffled grunt, he smashed through the wall beneath him.

Then he lay among the broken bricks, unable to get up for a while.

"Hahahahaha! Bieshu Feifan, this is my true strength! The strength of Uchiha Ba! Hahahaha!"

Victorious, Uchiha Ba finally relaxed his perpetually tense face.

He mocked Bieshu Feifan as he lay on the ground for quite some time before leaving in satisfaction.

Bieshu Feifan also struggled for a long time before getting up and heading home in a sorry state.

Once he returned home and shut the door, Bieshu Feifan instantly regained his energy.

Today's fight had produced very good results. He really did have the strength of a genin now.

If he had not detected the Anbu approaching, he would not have deliberately taken Uchiha Ba's kick.

Although Bieshu Feifan did not mind revealing his strength, now was not the time.

If anyone outside the Uchiha saw that he had the strength to overwhelm Uchiha Ba, they would think he was improving too quickly.

Still, Bieshu Feifan really did lack a way to counter ninjutsu attacks. Even the Three Basic Jutsu were something he could only force out by relying on his strong body.

He still needed practice.

Uchiha Ba returned triumphantly to the Uchiha Compound. Although a long wound had been left across his chest, he had defeated Bieshu Feifan.

Just as he was about to invite his friends and relatives over to boast, the Anbu arrived.

They delivered a Compensation Claim for one million ryo,

along with a Letter of Reprimand from the Hokage.

That very night, Uchiha Ba received another beating from the adults in his family.