Chapter 40: Chaos.

After performing the taijutsu moves from his memories, the arena fell into silence for a moment.

There stood the boy named "Shimu."

His body formed a V shape as he plummeted towards the ground at great speed, landing on his rear with a loud "bang," creating a shallow pit on the surface.

Hitsugaya held back.

After all, it was just a scuffle between classmates. When launching his final attack from mid-air, he didn't go all out. Even so, the boy with a somewhat sinister look and vicious moves spat out a mouthful of blood and fell unconscious.

In a flash, the outcome of the battle between the two had been decided, leaving those who had been paying attention to this side stunned.

The fight could be described as a classic ninja battle. Shimu initiated with a sneak attack, but Hitsugaya evaded using the substitution jutsu.

After that, Shimu's comrades tried to surround Hitsugaya from both sides. Hitsugaya used the body flicker jutsu to escape the encirclement, appearing behind Shimu to launch an attack.

In response, Shimu also used the substitution jutsu to dodge, then leaped into the air to deliver a powerful dive strike. Hitsugaya's counteraction was even more textbook: using the smoke from the substitution jutsu, he deceived Shimu with a combination of clone and transformation jutsu. He then delivered a series of combos to knock Shimu into the air, followed by a direct KO upon hitting the ground—a classic ninja battle strategy.

The entire skirmish took less than 20 seconds. Many of the audience members who hadn't been focused on the fight were still puzzled about what had happened, eagerly asking their nearby friends.

"Incredible! Hitsugaya, did he just easily defeat a senior student?"

"Wow! These senior guys aren't so tough after all. Come on, everyone, let's take them down together!"

"Oh!"

At this moment, Hitsugaya's friends, upon realizing that the other team's leader had been easily defeated, felt a surge of morale. They formed into groups of three, surrounding the two senior students who had accompanied Shimu, preparing to give them a thorough lesson.

"Who would have thought? Shimu, known for his ruthless attacks, getting KO'd easily by a junior!"

"Yes! That arrogant guy finally got what he deserved! Feels so satisfying!"

"Just imagining his expression when he wakes up makes me laugh. 'Tsk, tsk, tsk,' knocked out cold—hilarious!"

The onlookers had mostly figured out what had just happened, many casting amused looks at the unconscious Shimu lying in the shallow pit. Some even openly mocked him, not caring that he couldn't hear them, showing how disliked Shimu usually was.

"Oh my, oh my! Hitsugaya really is something, taking down that jerk Shimu in no time. Your plan's falling apart, isn't it, Sarutobi?"

Uchiha Akayan, engaged in battle with Sarutobi Shinmura, noticed what was happening on Hitsugaya's side, and couldn't help but taunt.

Shinmura's face turned sullen. They were just a few juniors, yet Shimu, who usually acted all high and mighty, had failed miserably—what a worthless fool. Now he was in a tough spot.

Should he send some men over to handle it? If he dispatched too many, he might not be able to hold off Akayan. But if he didn't address it, that would be another big issue.

Hitsugaya, uninterested in the spectators' discussions or Shinmura's dilemma, didn't hasten to join the ongoing battle after defeating his opponent. He calmly positioned himself behind the tall, thin, and the ordinary-looking senior students, ready to attack at any moment.

Meanwhile, among the watching crowd, strange things were happening.

"Whose dead dog is this? Let go!"

"Stop! Let go of Sukimaru! If it gets hurt at all, you're dead!"

A civilian student and a boy from the Inuzuka clan started arguing, which escalated from verbal spats to shoving, and then to physical fighting.

"Now's our chance. If you've got grudges, settle them now!"

Someone yelled, and suddenly, various conflicts erupted among the two to three hundred spectators in the small woods.

"Who threw that rock?"

"Fujiwara Ryo, today we'll settle our old scores!"

"Miyaji Yosuke, I've hated that smug face of yours for a long time. Today, I'm gonna mess it up!"

In an instant, spit and fists flew, rocks and teeth scattered about. Groups that usually didn't get along started drawing more and more people into the chaos, escalating into a massive brawl.

Unlike Hitsugaya's fight, which had some coordination and was mostly among boys, the current brawl involved a mix of people, including many girls who came to watch, making the scene increasingly chaotic.

Even Uchiha Akayan and Sarutobi Shinmura had to stop their fight, looking around at the chaotic scene, unsure if they should continue fighting or seek a teacher to quell the disturbance.

High up in a large cherry blossom tree, a figure watched the unfolding chaos with occasional snickers.

"This is more like it! How could I be fighting while you guys just watch?"

"Hmm, so this is the Hyuga's Gentle Fist. Not bad, much better than that branch family member in our class!"

"Oh, and this is the Aburame Clan's insect control technique? That's cheating! We agreed not to use secret techniques!"

"Wow! That girl with the red irises is using genjutsu, right? Impressive, impressive! Using genjutsu at such a young age—amazing!"

Yes, hidden in the cherry blossom tree, it was Uchiha Hitsugaya. Earlier, while kicking Shimu towards the ground, he had secretly created a shadow clone, while his real self hid in the lush tree. He then took the opportunity to stir up conflicts among the spectators, now watching the chaos from his perch with great excitement.

(End of Chapter)