As Uchiha Kan was sent flying backward, blood even spilled from the corner of his mouth!
This was the price of daring to underestimate Uya's Power of Tremors and attempting to fight him with Taijutsu.
Even a Chunin couldn't do it!
"Impossible! This is impossible!! What... what is this power?!"
Horrified, Uchiha Kan tried to land steadily, but the Power of Tremors had battered his entire body numb, leaving him unable to keep his footing.
Thud!
Uchiha Kan fell awkwardly to the ground, his body still trembling violently.
Silence fell over the scene.
Then, as more and more onlookers gathered, an uproar erupted.
What the hell!!
A Chunin of the Uchiha Clan had actually been sent flying and injured by a single punch from Uya, who was clearly just a child?!
How was that possible!
"Am I dreaming?"
"The Uchiha Clan... shouldn't be this weak!"
"He couldn't even beat a child, and just now, what kind of power did that child use?!"
Countless people stared in disbelief at Uchiha Kan, who had fallen to one side, and Uya, who calmly withdrew his fist.
They could barely think anymore.
Had Uchiha Kan sent Uya flying with a punch, that would have been perfectly normal, but the reverse was almost inconceivable!
Uchiha Kan still lay sprawled on the ground in a daze.
Even now, he had yet to register the fact that Uya had sent him flying with one punch.
When he finally did, the gazes all around him drove him mad.
"Damn it, you damned bastard, how dare you..."
A brat like Uya had sent him flying with one punch and even shaken him hard enough to make him cough up blood.
For something like this to happen to him was the ultimate humiliation. He might never be able to hold his head high in the Uchiha Clan again, forever subjected to ridicule.
In his frenzy, killing intent finally appeared on Uchiha Kan's face.
Originally, he had only wanted to teach Uya a lesson.
But now, he wanted to kill this damned brat!
His mind ruled by anger, Uchiha Kan finally attacked without restraint. This time, he no longer used Taijutsu, but formed hand seals with both hands and unleashed actual Ninjutsu.
He was already determined to kill Uya outright, disregarding even the fact that he was on a street in Konoha.
"Fire Style! Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!!"
His opening move was a B-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu!
This technique was far beyond anything the Great Fireball could compare to. The terrifying flames even condensed into a visible shape, like a fire dragon that would burn everything to ashes, and suddenly charged toward Uya.
Wherever it passed, the ground seemed to show signs of cracking from the scorching heat.
"Oh no!"
"Has he gone mad? Using Ninjutsu of that level here!"
The onlookers retreated in alarm. Most of them were ninja and could still get out of the way easily.
At the sight, even Uya couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
He couldn't possibly block Ninjutsu of this level, nor could he dodge it.
If Uchiha Kan hadn't underestimated him so much from the start and had used Ninjutsu to fight him instead, Uya would probably have lost in an instant.
Yet at this moment, facing this overwhelmingly powerful Fire Style technique, Uya showed no fear at all. Instead, he remained calm and cast a slight glance around him.
Those guys should be making their move by now.
Whoosh!!
Sure enough, in the very next instant, a dark figure appeared directly in front of Uya as though flickering into existence, both hands rapidly forming hand seals toward the incoming Fire Style attack.
Water Release! Water Formation Wall!!
Water roared.
Water surged wildly, forming a wave that stood there like a city wall.
The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet slammed into it. Water and fire collided with a sizzling sound, sending up great billows of white mist before finally vanishing without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
The water also scattered in an instant and disappeared.
"Uchiha Kan! Do you admit your offense of engaging in a private fight within Konoha?!" a cold voice rang out.
The dark figure standing in front of Uya was none other than a masked Anbu member!
The Anbu, also known as the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, was a special force that answered directly to the Hokage and could not be commanded by anyone else.
It was responsible not only for various assassination missions outside the village, but also for Konoha's internal security.
This was a truly elite force, ranked even above the Uchiha Clan's Konoha Military Police Force!
Uchiha Kan's use of a wide-area offensive Ninjutsu like the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet within Konoha was forbidden, even if he hadn't been attacking Uya.
When the Anbu appeared, Uchiha Kan had to forcibly suppress his overwhelming killing intent. He still didn't dare act recklessly before the Anbu.
"What offense have I committed?"
"Private fights are forbidden within Konoha!" The Anbu member stared coldly at Uchiha Kan.
Uchiha Kan gradually suppressed his anger. With killing intent in his eyes, he glanced at Uya and said coldly, "I'm one of the squad captains of the Konoha Military Police Force. Uya is reportedly connected to scouts and spies from an enemy village, so I merely wanted to take him to the police force for questioning."
Huh?!
Everyone froze for a moment at those words.
Uya inwardly cursed his shamelessness.
No wonder this fellow dared to attack so openly in the street. He had already found an excuse. The Konoha Military Police Force was essentially the Uchiha Clan's private army.
He was blatantly using his power to bully others.
The onlookers also showed traces of contempt, but fear of the Uchiha Clan's name kept them from stepping forward to criticize him.
Such was the Uchiha Clan's tyranny!
Seeing this, the Anbu member could only say coldly, "Do you have evidence?"
"That doesn't seem to be any concern of your Anbu, does it?"
Having suppressed his anger, Uchiha Kan spoke coldly.
The Anbu member's expression beneath his mask grew considerably uglier.
"But if you want to arrest someone outright, surely you need Lord Hokage's permission first," the Anbu ninja said icily.
In fact, both Danzo's Root and Hiruzen Sarutobi's Anbu frequently targeted the Uchiha Clan, whether intentionally or otherwise.
He was one of the Anbu whom Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent specifically to monitor the Uchiha Clan.
How could a child like Uya, who had no backing and came from another village, possibly warrant protection from their Anbu?
The only reason he was targeting Uchiha Kan this way was to suppress the Uchiha Clan.
The onlookers knew this as well, having long since witnessed many such confrontations between the Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force in Konoha.
"Urgent circumstances call for special measures. What if Uya is a spy and escapes because we act too late?" Uchiha Kan sneered.
Having invoked the Konoha Military Police Force, he now effectively represented the Uchiha Clan, so his tone grew much firmer even when facing the Anbu.
The Anbu ninja immediately frowned, but he clearly wasn't going to let Uchiha Kan get his way so easily.
"No. There's something suspicious about this matter. I believe Lord Hokage needs to decide it personally."