Chapter 19: I’ll Get Shy

After losing the duel and wetting his pants in front of everyone, Hyūga Shinzo, following some basic first aid, felt too ashamed to stay. With red-rimmed eyes, he left to report the incident to his parents.

Kiyono Makoto sighed deeply. Whether it was Hyūga Shinzo or Uchiha Fūka, both came from prestigious Konoha clans. He could only hope that these two powerful families wouldn't escalate the situation into a full-blown conflict over this incident.

"Perhaps it would be wise to report this to the Third Hokage," Kiyono Makoto murmured thoughtfully as he returned to the training field.

"Good day, Sensei Kiyono Makoto!" Asuma Sarutobi greeted him with the other students in tow.

"Very well. Let's start training, then!" Kiyono Makoto immediately said, hoping to prevent the kids from gossiping about whether Hyūga Shinzo had wet his pants.

"Kunai can be used in five basic ways: horizontal slashing, vertical chopping, diagonal cutting, direct stabbing, and throwing," Kiyono Makoto explained sternly. "We covered throwing last term, so today we'll practice the other techniques. Since this is close-combat training, everyone must be extremely cautious! Don't use full force, and avoid targeting vital areas. And…"

As he continued listing the rules, many of the students started to feel dizzy, struggling to keep track of everything.

"Alright, pair up and start practicing!"

With a wave of Kiyono Makoto's hand, the students immediately grabbed their kunai and began sparring.

"Check out my Windmill Shuriken!"

"Heh, watch my Super Big Windmill Shuriken!"

Many of the kids were getting carried away, turning the practice into a playful game, clearly enjoying themselves.

Uchiha Obito teamed up with Fūka for the exercise.

"You know, Fūka, if I'd known you'd get this strong, I would've taken our training more seriously before," Obito said as he slowly thrust his kunai toward Fūka.

At this pace, it posed no challenge for Fūka. He leisurely sidestepped and parried with his kunai. "You're the type who only gets serious when you're pushed, aren't you?"

"Pushed? What do you mean?" Obito asked, clueless.

Fūka's eyes subtly drifted toward Rin.

"What? Hey, Fūka, I'm warning you—don't you dare think about Rin, or I'll fight you!" Obito's expression instantly darkened, his teeth clenched as he glared at Fūka, looking like he was ready to bite him.

"Hey, hey, we're only six years old. Is it really okay to be talking like this?" Fūka sighed, nearly out of words.

"I don't care! Just stay away from Rin!" Obito pouted, acting stubborn.

Fūka was about to respond when a sudden scream echoed nearby.

"Ahhh!"

"Huh? What happened?"

"What's going on? Who's screaming?"

"Look, someone's bleeding!"

"Oh no, someone got hurt!"

A faint scent of blood drifted through the air. In the center of the commotion, a boy was clutching his chest, writhing on the ground. Blood soaked through his clothes, staining his hands, and quickly pooled on the ground.

Opposite him stood a white-haired boy, his face pale, gripping a bloodstained kunai. His expression was frantic as he stammered, "I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"

"Mizuki, you!" Kiyono Makoto appeared by his side in an instant, shooting him a furious glare before kneeling to examine the injured boy.

The injury wasn't severe, but the boy couldn't be moved recklessly, as it could worsen the wound.

Kiyono Makoto quickly assessed the situation and turned to Asuma Sarutobi. "Asuma, keep everyone away from him. I'm going to get a medical ninja!"

He then disappeared with a Body Flicker.

"Mizuki, what happened?"

"Damn it, if anything happens to Inoshita, I won't forgive you!"

"Mizuki's scary!"

"He did it on purpose!"

"Murderer!"

As soon as Kiyono Makoto left, the students immediately started attacking Mizuki with their words, one after another, each one sounding more righteous than the last.

Mizuki's whole body trembled, and the kunai in his hand shook even more violently. "It wasn't like that, it was an accident, I didn't mean to hurt him, I didn't, I didn't! Yes, I remember now, it was Inoshita who lost focus and ran into me, it's not my fault, it's not!"

"Liar! You're making it up, you did it on purpose."

"Killer!"

Fūka watched the scene from the back, silently observing. He suddenly recalled Naruto's experiences from the original story. When Naruto was in the Ninja Academy, he was surrounded by similarly cold and indifferent students who never missed a chance to criticize and ridicule him, taking pleasure in bullying him every day for years on end.

The difference was that Naruto had the protagonist's resilience. Despite enduring years of mistreatment, he never lost his sense of self.

As for Mizuki… Fūka suddenly realized that Mizuki's jealousy and bitterness had remained unchanged for years, all the way until the events of the original story began.

What a persistently twisted person.

"Ah! Look, Inoshita is bleeding even more!" Rin suddenly shouted.

"What?"

Asuma Sarutobi was shocked. Turning to look, he saw that Inoshita, in his panic, had been pressing down hard on his chest wound, causing it to tear further and bleed even more.

"Idiot!" Asuma was so angry he nearly cried. "Inoshita, stop pressing on the wound! You idiot, can you hear me?"

Asuma's shouts only made Inoshita more panicked. Using both hands to press down harder on his chest, the blood started gushing out like water from a broken dam.

"Go get Sensei Kiyono Makoto!"

"Kiyono Makoto went to get a medical ninja. It'll take at least five minutes for them to arrive," Ibiki, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "Given the current situation, the best course of action is to knock Inoshita out; otherwise, he's going to die quickly."

"Knock him out?" Asuma was taken aback. If they knocked Inoshita out in his current condition and he didn't wake up, it would be disastrous. As the son of the Third Hokage, Asuma felt the weight of responsibility keenly.

Meanwhile, Fūka's attention was drawn to Ibiki. In this class, besides the more notable figures like Kurenai, Rin, Obito, and Asuma, Ibiki was another significant character.

In the original story, Ibiki was introduced as the proctor of the Chūnin Exams. Though he seemed unremarkable at first, he was actually the head of Konoha's Anbu Interrogation Unit, a powerful and influential jōnin.

Fūka was deep in thought, but he failed to notice that the other students had gone quiet and were now staring at him.

"Hey, Fūka, what's wrong? Fūka, Fūka!" Obito tugged on Fūka's clothes, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What is it?" Fūka asked, confused. Can't a guy have a moment of quiet?

Then he realized that everyone around him—Asuma, Ibiki, Mizuki, and the others—were all looking at him.

"Why are you all staring at me? I'll get shy." Fūka lowered his head and covered his face with his hands.

"…" Uchiha Obito.

"…" Asuma, Kurenai, Rin.

Everyone stared speechlessly at Fūka.