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Some people are alive, but they're already dead inside.
That perfectly described Hyuga Ko at this moment.
"…What the…"
Looking at the boy from the Hyuga clan, face drained of any spark of life, the Uchiha present were all frozen in shock.
No wonder the Hyuga clan had gotten so furious—even the clan head had personally shown up. Now it made sense.
Imagine if someone dared treat an Uchiha like that. They'd throw the full force of the clan at them just to show the price of angering an Uchiha!
A few Uchiha glanced at the Hyuga clan with pity.
From now on, the Hyuga name in Konoha would be tainted. Bad news travels fast, after all.
Pathetic.
Fugaku stared at Akira beside him.
Damn… So this is what you called "a small lesson"?
This wasn't just a lesson—they'd just flattened the Hyuga clan's dignity completely!
At that moment, Fugaku realized something: Hyuga Hiashi's temper must be unreal. If it were him, he'd have barged in with Susanoo and skipped all the polite back-and-forth.
Akira caught Fugaku's gaze and shrugged helplessly.
To be honest, he had just remembered that he'd used that Hyuga kid to test his genjutsu… but had forgotten to set a time limit.
Seeing how furious the other side looked, he guessed… they might've gone straight into the streets to act out, huh?
Not that it was entirely his fault. The kid had come looking for trouble under the guise of a genin. Considering that, Akira thought he'd been pretty merciful letting him live.
"Fugaku! Tell me—do you think a mere apology can fix the humiliation my Hyuga clan has suffered?!"
Hyuga Hiashi's face twisted in anger as he demanded an answer.
"Uh…"
Fugaku's head ached. He had no idea how to handle this.
In the end, all he could do was give a helpless smile.
"Right… Hiashi, I really am sorry. Akira's methods went a bit too far."
"Tell you what—propose a condition. If it's within my power, I'll honor it."
"Hmm. So you're not entirely unreasonable, Fugaku."
Hiashi sneered, signaling to Hyuga Tokuma beside him.
Tokuma nodded, stepped forward, and spoke loudly.
"Our condition is simple: hand over the culprit."
"Of course, we're not going to kill him. Just… give him a lesson.
Strip him naked and hang him at the village gates for a full day and night.
That would settle the score between our clans. What do you think?"
Hiashi had already discussed this with his clan. Their pride was in ruins. Demanding compensation from the Uchiha wouldn't restore their dignity.
Besides, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans were both top-tier families in Konoha. What the Uchiha had, they had too. Compensation wouldn't matter.
It was better to retaliate. If their clan's face was already lost, then the Uchiha should lose some too. That way, both top clans in Konoha would share the embarrassment—and that would feel… satisfying.
"Fugaku, I won't mince words. Tokuma just laid out my condition—that's my stance."
Hiashi didn't want Fugaku to haggle.
"I don't think it's unreasonable. This will also teach your son a lesson. After this, he should understand to leave some space for others."
"Fine. I agree."
Hearing this, Hiashi snorted.
"Not agreeing, huh? Well then…"
"Uh… what?! You said you agree?!"
Hiashi froze mid-sentence, doubting what he'd heard. So easily?
"Fugaku, say that again!" he demanded.
Fugaku took a deep breath, his expression serious.
"I said… I agree to your condition."
"But if you want to take Akira away, you'll have to do it yourself. None of the Uchiha will intervene."
With that, Fugaku waved his hand. The clan members understood immediately and moved away, leaving Akira plenty of space.
At today's clan meeting, they'd seen Akira's strength firsthand, so everyone knew what Fugaku was planning. Even those not attending the meeting understood after listening to their peers.
Yet, doubt lingered in their eyes. No one could believe a seven-year-old could take down an elite jonin so easily.
Akira, left alone, glanced at Fugaku with an unimpressed look.
Fugaku's expression said it all: "You caused this mess. You deal with it."
"Hmph."
Hyuga Tokuma watched the Uchiha clan members with disdain.
"What's with them? They think we can't handle this brat?"
"Clan Head, I'll go capture the kid right away!"
"Hmm."
Hyuga Hiashi nodded slightly. Tokuma was a jonin, a top-tier clan fighter. Catching a kid who hadn't even graduated from the ninja academy would be like… grabbing a snack.
It even felt a little overkill.
Whoosh!
A streak of air!
Hyuga Tokuma vanished and reappeared right in front of Akira within moments.
"Kid, remember! Everything you do comes at a cost!"
Tokuma's face was icy, towering over Akira.
This brat had embarrassed him, and he wasn't going to let that slide. That's why he stepped forward first.
"Oh? For me, no one can make me pay a price."
Akira kept his hands in his pockets, speaking calmly.
"Ha! Such a fearless little fool! Let's see if you're still cocky when we strip you and hang you at the village gates!"
Tokuma lunged at Akira.
From afar, Hyuga Ko's dull eyes suddenly lit up.
Good. Finally. That damn Uchiha, Akira…
I'll make you humiliated!
Now you'll know exactly how I felt.
Better yet, it'll be even worse than me!
Stripped naked, hanging at the village gates, constantly watched… just thinking about it made him giddy with excitement.
And then, just as Ko's anticipation peaked—
Boom!
A deafening explosion tore through the area, dust rising in a thick cloud, obscuring everyone's view.
When it cleared, Hyuga Ko nearly popped his eyes out.
This… this is impossible!
"..."
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