Hyūga Huǒliè moved fast, his fist whistling toward Uchiha Rìtiān's chest. Gentle Fist emphasized overcoming strength with softness. If this strike landed cleanly, Uchiha Rìtiān would probably be bedridden for several days.
But just before the fist connected, Uchiha Rìtiān suddenly pulled a handful of something from behind his back and flung it out. "Take this! Chili powder attack!"
A cloud of red powder flew straight at Hyūga Huǒliè's face. He instinctively tried to close his eyes, but it was too late. "Aaaah!" He screamed as the chili powder stung his eyes, tears streaming down his face.
The entire crowd fell deathly silent, then erupted in laughter. "Hahaha, chili powder? What kind of move is that?"
Teacher Yamamoto's face darkened. "Uchiha Rìtiān! How could you use something like that?!"
Uchiha Rìtiān looked innocent. "Teacher, the rules never said I couldn't use chili powder, did they? Besides, I said I'd only use Taijutsu. Chili powder isn't Ninjutsu." Teacher Yamamoto opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless.
"You cheated!" Hyūga Huǒliè pointed at him through his tears.
"Cheated?" Uchiha Rìtiān spread his hands. "All's fair in war, understand? Who told you to open your eyes so wide? Think your Byakugan is so great? Big eyes get sand in them more easily. That's common sense!"
Hyūga Huǒliè trembled with rage, but his eyes hurt too much to open. Only after his tears had finally washed away most of the chili powder could he barely open them. They were as red as a rabbit's.
"Uchiha Rìtiān, I'll kill you!" Completely enraged, Hyūga Huǒliè activated his Byakugan and charged again. This time, he had learned his lesson and squinted as he ran.
Uchiha Rìtiān chuckled and pulled out the Chakra Flashlight! "Take this! Flashbang!" He turned the flashlight up to its brightest setting and shone it into Hyūga Huǒliè's eyes.
Blinding white light flashed on. Hyūga Huǒliè saw nothing but white and could no longer make out anything. "Aaaah!" Another scream rang out. The Byakugan was already more sensitive to light than ordinary eyes. Under such intense light, he felt as though he was going blind.
The crowd doubled over with laughter again. "A flashlight? He actually used a flashlight?" Asuma laughed so hard he couldn't straighten up, while Kurenai covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
Teacher Yamamoto's face was now as black as the bottom of a pot. "Uchiha Rìtiān! That's enough!"
"Teacher, what did I do?" Uchiha Rìtiān looked innocent. "A flashlight isn't Ninjutsu either, is it? Besides, don't ninja use flashbangs on missions? I'm getting used to real combat ahead of time!"
By now, Hyūga Huǒliè was on the verge of tears. His eyes hurt and throbbed, and everything looked doubled. "Uchiha Rìtiān... if you've got the guts... fight me head-on!"
"A hero?" Uchiha Rìtiān scoffed. "I'm no hero. I'm just a five-year-old kid. What's wrong with using a few tactics against a third-year like you?" Hyūga Huǒliè shook with rage but had nothing to say.
"All right, all right. Continue," Teacher Yamamoto said helplessly. "But Uchiha Rìtiān, no more of those strange things!"
"Fine." Uchiha Rìtiān reluctantly put the flashlight away.
Hyūga Huǒliè drew a deep breath and charged again, his eyes fixed on Uchiha Rìtiān. This time, he was smarter. He kept his distance and carefully watched Uchiha Rìtiān's movements.
Sure enough, Uchiha Rìtiān didn't pull anything out this time and met him barehanded. They exchanged punches and kicks, trading blows back and forth. Uchiha Rìtiān's Taijutsu actually wasn't weak, but he still fell a little short of Hyūga Huǒliè. After all, his opponent was four years older and had a very solid foundation in Gentle Fist.
As the fight continued, Uchiha Rìtiān gradually lost the upper hand. "Hahaha, how's that? Out of tricks?" Hyūga Huǒliè laughed smugly. "I told you, you're no match for me in a head-on fight!"
Hyūga Huǒliè fought more smoothly with every exchange, his moves growing fiercer. Uchiha Rìtiān was forced back step by step and was about to retreat outside the circle. "It's over. Uchiha Rìtiān's going to lose..." The watching students murmured among themselves. Itachi frowned, both fists clenched.
Just as Uchiha Rìtiān was about to reach the edge of the circle, he suddenly pulled something from his pocket and threw it. "Take this! Ice cream attack!"
Hyūga Huǒliè instinctively looked up and saw something white flying toward him. Without thinking, he punched it. Bang! The ice cream shattered, splashing cream and melted ice cream all over his face.
Sweet, cold... and kind of tasty? No, was this really the time to think about that?!
"Uchiha Rìtiān!" Hyūga Huǒliè completely lost it. Chili powder, a flashlight, and now even ice cream? Were you here to fight or open a general store?!
He was so furious that his head practically steamed. Forgetting all his techniques, he lunged forward, flailing wildly.
This was exactly what Uchiha Rìtiān wanted! He slid aside to evade the lunge, then lifted his foot and kicked Hyūga Huǒliè square in the rear. "Off you go!"
Hyūga Huǒliè had already lost his balance in his fury. The kick to his rear sent him flying, and he landed face-first with a thud, sprawled outside the circle.
The crowd... fell silent. Everyone stared, dumbfounded. He won? A five-year-old first-year newcomer had beaten the top third-year student? And he had won with chili powder, a flashlight, and ice cream?
"Holy shit, he really won?!" "Big bro Rìtiān, you're fucking awesome!" Once the students recovered, they erupted in cheers.
Uchiha Rìtiān dusted off his hands and swaggered over to the edge of the circle. "Hey, Byakugan boy. You lost."
Hyūga Huǒliè slowly got up, ice cream and cream still clinging to his face, looking utterly bedraggled. He stared hard at Uchiha Rìtiān, his eyes filled with humiliation and anger. "You cheated..."
"Cheated?" Uchiha Rìtiān raised an eyebrow. "The rules only said no Ninjutsu. They never said no chili powder, flashlights, or ice cream, did they? Ninja fights have always been about using whatever means necessary." Beside them, Teacher Yamamoto's mouth twitched. When did I ever teach that?
"What, trying to back out?" Uchiha Rìtiān folded his arms. "You agreed yourself just now. Whoever lost had to say their clan's eyes were trash in front of the entire school. Does the Hyuga Clan not keep its word?"
Hyūga Huǒliè's face alternated between red and white, his fists clenched tightly. Make him say the Byakugan was trash? He would rather die!
Just then, a cool voice rang out. "Stop."
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a boy in Hyuga Clan clothing approaching. He was around ten, with fine, handsome features but an exceptionally cold expression.
"Lord Neji!" The moment Hyūga Huǒliè saw the boy, his eyes reddened.
Neji?! Neji Hyuga?! Uchiha Rìtiān was startled. A genius of the Hyuga Clan, one of the Konoha 12. He hadn't expected to meet him so early.
Neji walked up to Hyūga Huǒliè and gave him a cold look. "Disgraceful." Hyūga Huǒliè lowered his head in shame.
Neji then turned to Uchiha Rìtiān. His Byakugan eyes were as calm as a deep pool. "Uchiha Rìtiān?"
"That's me." Uchiha Rìtiān met his gaze without fear. The two stared at each other, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense. Neji Hyuga was the top fifth-year student! Was he going to stand up for Hyūga Huǒliè?
Only after a long while did Neji speak. "Your tactics... are interesting."
With that, he turned and left. After two steps, he stopped and said without looking back, "Huǒliè, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? We're leaving."
Hyūga Huǒliè shot Uchiha Rìtiān a vicious glare, then followed with his head lowered.
Uchiha Rìtiān watched Neji's retreating figure and rubbed his chin. Neji Hyuga... interesting.
"Ding! Host has defeated Hyūga Huǒliè and completed the Face-Slapping Achievement! Reward: Genjutsu talent +1. Title acquired: Tactical Master!" The system's voice rang out.
This match made Uchiha Rìtiān thoroughly famous. Defeating the top third-year student at five years old, using chili powder, a flashlight, and ice cream-that was a feat he could brag about for the rest of his life.
But what Uchiha Rìtiān didn't know was that this match had also brought him trouble. That evening, the Hyuga Clan's elders were filled with righteous indignation, discussing how to teach the Uchiha a lesson. Meanwhile, the Uchiha elders grinned from ear to ear. The conflict between the two clans deepened further.
And Uchiha Rìtiān, the instigator of it all, was holed up in his room chatting with the system. "System, system, got any new missions?"
[Ding! Increase in Host's strength detected. Issuing new mission...]
Uchiha Rìtiān's eyes lit up. A new mission? Here it comes!
Before you continue