21 Chapter 21: Then don't go back!

"Settled?"

"Hahahaha!"

"What kind of joke are you making?"

"Do you think our matter can be resolved by you taking a beating?"

"If that were the case, why would I have come all the way here with you?"

Hyuga Sora continued speaking one sentence after another. His pale eyes almost had no childishness, but they conveyed a feeling that he was staring at Araki.

"Today, in class, you made me lose face. Tomorrow, I want you to compensate for it. You need to apologize to me in front of the whole class!"

Hyuga Sora said coldly, and as he spoke, a slight arc of satisfaction formed at the corner of his mouth, as if he had firmly grasped Araki.

After all, from the beginning, Hyuga Sora never considered Araki as his equal. All his dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that Araki couldn't let him showcase his skills in front of Kushina.

"..."

Araki remained silent, his expression becoming much more unpleasant. He would never apologize. It's not that apologizing was embarrassing, but it was a matter of showing off!

Araki didn't care about losing face momentarily, but he cared about losing face in front of everyone. It wasn't about personal pride; it would disrupt the comfortable environment he had been in.

If Araki were to apologize in front of everyone like Hyuga Sora suggested, he would undoubtedly become the topic of discussion among many students at the ninja school.

At that point, it would be difficult for him to keep a low profile, and many people would recognize him.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Hyuga Sora's brows furrowed. He sensed a hint of danger emanating from Araki, as if he were facing a silent beast. However, he quickly suppressed that feeling.

Araki, a beast? Impossible! It must be an illusion brought on by the forest at night.

And...

The main reason Araki remained silent might be that he didn't understand what Hyuga Sora was saying.

This person is hard of hearing!

In that instant, Hyuga Sora made many conjectures. Without waiting for Araki to say anything, he already knew the answer.

"I won't fight you."

Araki's unexpected words caught Hyuga Sora off guard. Without hesitation, Araki increased his speed and swiftly ran towards the other side of the forest.

The direction Araki was heading was not towards his residence. Judging from the direction, he was more inclined to run towards the eastern border of Konoha Village.

This sudden turn of events took Hyuga Sora by surprise. He didn't react immediately.

"Don't run!"

Hyuga Sora's expression changed, and without any hesitation, he chased after Araki. He was still just a child, and moments ago, he had been thinking about how to vent his frustration on Araki. But now, Araki had run away, and the situation was almost identical to their simulated duel in class. It was something Hyuga Sora couldn't bear in his heart.

Hyuga Sora couldn't let Araki go like this. Even though he noticed Araki leaping through the forest like a monkey, displaying better speed and agility than himself, he still believed he could catch up.

After chasing for a while, Hyuga Sora realized that Araki's speed wasn't as fast as before. It was evident that Araki was tired. He was just barely holding on.

Maybe running this far had exhausted him!

Hyuga Sora instantly assessed Araki's condition, which fueled his determination to catch up. He told himself that once he caught Araki, he would teach him a lesson and release the pent-up anger inside him.

However...

After chasing for a while...

Hyuga Sora noticed something strange.

Every time he was about to catch up to Araki, Araki seemed to summon a burst of strength from nowhere and quickly widened the distance between them. But when he was on the verge of giving up, thinking he couldn't catch up, Araki suddenly seemed to lose all his energy, almost standing still, giving Hyuga Sora the motivation to chase him again.

And so...

Unbeknownst to him, Hyuga Sora had already chased a long way. He had no idea how long he had been running or where he had ended up. He was gasping for breath, his stamina completely depleted.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Hyuga Sora stopped on the ground, no longer continuing to step on tree branches. He felt like his lungs were about to explode, and after coming to a halt, a strong sense of exhaustion overwhelmed him.

"No... not chasing anymore..."

Hyuga Sora never expected that Araki would run so fast. He leaned forward, his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Beads of sweat, as big as beans, continuously dripped from his forehead, falling onto the ground.

At this point, he no longer cared about teaching Araki a lesson.

Even if he caught Araki, he wouldn't have the energy to fight. His stamina had been completely drained by this relentless pursuit.

"Hmm?"

Hyuga Sora had been fully immersed in the pursuit of Araki, not paying attention to his surroundings. It wasn't until he stopped that he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The scenery around him had completely changed.

The forest, shrouded in darkness, was now filled with dense fog that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The mist floated among the trees, obscuring all visibility, blocking the moonlight and creating an eerie atmosphere.

Araki's figure was nowhere to be seen in the vicinity.

In an instant, Hyuga Sora felt like he was trapped in a terrifying misty environment.

"Araki!"

"Where are you, Araki?"

"What kind of place is this?"

"Come out quickly!"

"Don't leave me alone!"

"If you don't come out, I'll reveal everything about you when I get back!"

"You're definitely sneaking off to train at night!"

Hyuga Sora mustered up the last of his strength and shouted desperately into the fog-covered forest. There was a strong threat in his tone, using a louder voice to mask the fear within his heart.

He had never been to such a haunted place before.

He had no idea that there would be so much dense fog in Konoha Village.

While threatening Araki, he was actually terrified deep down.

"Since that's the case..."

Suddenly, Araki's voice rang out. It was deep and suppressed, devoid of any emotions.

The voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Hyuga Sora's ears, as if someone was whispering directly into his ear.

In an instant, Hyuga Sora abruptly turned around and caught sight of Araki's face.

"Then don't go back!"

Araki's icy voice resounded sharply. He reached out his hand and grabbed Hyuga Sora tightly. The immense strength between his fingers immediately made Hyuga Sora's neck turn purple, making it difficult for him to breathe. His cheeks flushed red, and in his pale eyes, deep confusion and fear could be seen.