Ch-13 The Price of Hostility

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Jiryoku held Neji's right hand with his left hand, leaving his stick standing straight and his right hand free. He then spoke to Neji, saying, "Now that you're done dancing, it's my turn." With Chakra attached to his right hand, he fiercely slapped Neji's chest, causing Neji to be sent flying. Just as Neji was about to fall out of the arena, Jiryoku appeared beside him at a very fast speed and slapped his back, causing him to fall in the center of the battle arena with great speed and force. Visible cracks appeared on the surface of the arena, and Neji's condition was not good. In just two slaps from Jiryoku, Neji started coughing blood. The chakra-infused slaps had done considerable damage to his body.

Jiryoku calmly walked up to Neji, grabbed his hair with his right hand, making Neji look at him, and said, "If you show hostility towards those weaker than you, they will fear you. The fear of 'Is he going to kill me?' will make them even weaker. But if you show hostility towards someone stronger than you, you will meet your end, and that is death. So, don't you dare show hostility towards me, at least not until you are strong."

After saying this, he forcefully slammed Neji's head to the ground, causing his forehead to bleed profusely. Neji either passed out from the pain or from blood loss.

Once Neji had passed out, Jiryoku calmly walked over to his sword. At this moment, the Ninja Academy teacher regained his senses, realizing that everything Jiryoku had done had been so fast that he couldn't react. The teacher immediately entered the battle arena and checked Neji's injuries. A ninja from the Hyuga clan followed closely behind, examining Neji's condition as well. The Hyuga ninja then looked towards Jiryoku and angrily asked, "Why use such excessive force in a practice match?" Anger was clearly visible on his face.

Jiryoku didn't answer the question. Instead, he calmly picked up his sword, turned towards the Hyuga ninja, drew his sword from its scabbard, and said, "This is what I'm best at, and I didn't even use it once. So, you can imagine how much mercy I showed Hyuga Neji. And for showing hostility towards me, this is the price he has to pay."

As the Hyuga ninja was about to continue arguing with Jiryoku, Jiryoku raised his hand and said, "Instead of wasting your time talking to me, you should take him to the hospital. I don't want to be charged with a crime for killing a fellow villager."

Upon hearing Jiryoku's words, the Hyuga ninja clenched his fist but knew his priority. He immediately looked at Neji and left the Ninja Academy, heading towards the Konoha hospital.

Jiryoku approached the area where the other enrolled students were standing. The students, with fear on their faces, kept their distance from him. Jiryoku wasn't surprised by such a display of cruelty. It was understandable that six-year-old students would fear him.

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen stood smoking his pipe when suddenly an ANBU ninja appeared behind him and handed him a scroll.

"Hokage-sama, this scroll contains all the events that happened in the Ninja Academy," said the kneeling ANBU ninja.

Hiruzen calmly took the scroll and read it carefully. The scroll contained detailed information about everything that was said and by whom. When Hiruzen read Jiryoku's thoughts on weakness and strength, he was impressed. "What a pity. If he wasn't blind, I could have included him in my Hokage line," sighed Hiruzen.

Suddenly, Hiruzen had a thought, "What if I send Naruto to live with Jiryoku?" But then he reconsidered, "I can't do this. Jiryoku is really intelligent, and his extreme ideas of freedom might have a disastrous effect on Naruto and the village of Konoha."

"Okay, let's leave him alone and focus on Naruto," said Hiruzen.

Danzo, like Hiruzen, also received the news, but he didn't bother with Jiryoku as he had more important matters to attend to, such as the Uchiha family.

Hyuga Hiashi also received news of Neji being injured and taken to the Konoha hospital for treatment. But when he heard that Neji was safe and sound, Hiashi heaved a sigh of relief. Neji was the only remaining symbol of his younger brother.

And so, four days passed, and many people came to the Ninja Academy. Neji also came, having somewhat recovered from his injuries.

However, Jiryoku was nowhere to be seen. They thought he might be late, but even after the academic classes started, he still didn't show up. This curiosity led Neji to ask the question, "Sensei, I don't see Jiryoku present here."

"Oh, Jiryoku has been granted permission to attend only the taijutsu classes since he is blind. Theoretical classes are useless for him," explained the teacher.

Neji clenched his fist with reluctance. Although Jiryoku is blind, it doesn't mean that he should be granted permission solely out of sympathy. He must have shown potential, and after being defeated by Jiryoku, Neji also understood why the village allowed such a thing.

And so, Jiryoku's life continued with his regular routine of attending the Ninja Academy for taijutsu classes and engaging in rigorous training sessions that stretched throughout the day. In addition to his dedication to his ninja studies, Jiryoku often found solace and nourishment in the comforting atmosphere of the Ichiraku Ramen shop, where he would indulge in the delicious bowls of steaming ramen, savoring each bite as it replenished his energy and rejuvenated his spirit.

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