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"Clan Head!"
The Hyuga members cried out in alarm, rushing forward to catch their fallen leader.
"Bastard! How dare you humiliate our clan head like this. I'll kill you!"
"Everyone together! I don't believe we can't take down one little brat!"
The Hyuga were burning with rage, faces twisted as if they wanted to tear Akira apart on the spot.
Of course, how much of that fury was genuine and how much was just for show was anyone's guess.
After all, most of the people here were from the branch family.
Quite a few of them felt secretly thrilled seeing Hiashi get slapped in the face and knocked flying. Still, they had the good sense not to show it.
"Stop! Don't move!"
Hiashi shouted hoarsely, forcing himself up as he stopped his clansmen.
"You're not his match. Going in now will only get you hurt for nothing."
"Pathetically weak, but at least you know yourself."
Akira nodded in sincere praise.
Hyuga Hiashi: "..."
…
Evening.
After dinner, villagers with nothing better to do wandered out of their homes, chatting with neighbors as usual.
Most of it was ordinary gossip, but today they stumbled onto a truly juicy piece of news.
"What?! The Hyuga clan is into that? And they did it in public?!"
A bald middle-aged man stared in disbelief.
"Hey, keep it down," someone beside him warned quickly."Careful what you say. Big clans aren't something ordinary folks like us can afford to offend."
"Man, what a shame," the bald man sighed, shaking his head."Something this wild and I wasn't even there to see it."
"I heard the Hyuga guy was put under a genjutsu," another person whispered."And the one who did it was from the Uchiha clan. The Hyuga clan head already went straight to the Uchiha compound."
"What?! Seriously?!"
The bald man's eyes lit up with excitement.
"If even the Hyuga clan head showed up personally, the Uchiha are definitely in trouble now!"
"Hmph. I really hope Clan Head Hiashi gives those arrogant Uchiha a good lesson."
The bald man looked downright resentful. Clearly, he had a history with the Uchiha.
"Yeah, yeah! It's about time those annoying Uchiha suffered a loss!"
"Those jerks from the Uchiha Police Force are the worst. Last time they knocked over my stall, and that wasn't enough.They even took all my fruit with them. It still makes my blood boil. I really hope those Uchiha bastards get what's coming to them!"
"…"
Everyone chimed in, united in their hope that the Uchiha would get humiliated.
"Huh? What's going on over there?" the bald man suddenly said, pointing."Why are so many people coming this way?"
They all turned to look and saw a massive crowd advancing down the main street.
As the group drew closer, they finally saw what was happening.
All of them sucked in a sharp breath.
At the very front, Akira was dragging Hyuga Tokuma forward with one hand, as casually as if he were hauling a dead dog.
Behind them came the Hyuga clan, faces dark and ugly.
There were also Uchiha clan members, visibly excited, and Uchiha Fugaku rubbing his temples like he had a headache.
Trailing at the very back were curious Konoha villagers and civilian ninja who had come purely to watch the spectacle.
As they got closer and closer to the village gate, Hiashi finally spoke, suppressing his fury.
"That's enough! Uchiha Akira, you've dragged Tokuma all the way here from the Uchiha compound.
"My Hyuga clan's dignity has already been trampled into the dirt. You should have vented your anger by now."
"So stop this."
The moment he finished speaking, Hiashi moved, reaching out to snatch Hyuga Tokuma from Akira's grasp.
"Get lost."
Akira grabbed Hiashi's wrist first and flicked it aside.
With absolutely no resistance, Hiashi was thrown away, crashing straight into a roadside utility pole.
"Damn it! Clan Head!"
"Everyone attack! Get Tokuma back!"
…
Dozens of Hyuga ninja rushed Akira at the same time.
"Hmph. No matter how many ants there are, ants are still ants."
Conqueror's Haki.
Boom!
In an instant, a terrifying pressure descended around Akira.
The Hyuga members who got close felt as if an invisible hand had seized their hearts.
The pain was overwhelming, suffocating, like they might drop dead at any second.
Akira swung Hyuga Tokuma like a weapon, sweeping him sideways in a brutal arc.
A大片 of Hyuga ninja were smashed away in one blow.
After only a few casual swings with his human "club," the area around Akira was completely cleared.
Every Hyuga ninja lay on the ground, coughing up blood.
"Heh."
Akira let out a soft chuckle, then continued walking toward the village gate, still carrying the half-dead Hyuga Tokuma.
What he had just used was Conqueror's Haki,a power from the world of pirates that only a tiny number of people could ever awaken.
It was a reward he had received not long ago from a sign-in.
Seeing the effect now, Akira was quite satisfied.
Both of his sign-in chances had been used.
As for what he got from the other one, Akira didn't even want to talk about it.
A filthy sock that hadn't been washed in twenty years.
He was speechless. The system had a real talent for handing out the strangest junk.
If the timing weren't so bad, he would've thrown that thing out of his system inventory already, just to keep it from contaminating everything else.
…
Akira kept walking, but after only a few steps, several figures appeared ahead, blocking his path.
They were wearing cloaks and animal masks.
ANBU.
"Stop right there! You dare attack your comrades inside the village. Are you trying to openly rebel?!"
"Release him immediately and come with us to ANBU to receive your punishment!"
The leader wore a dog-shaped mask, his face hidden.
But the silver hair sticking out above it gave him away instantly.
Hatake Kakashi, the man famous for always fighting everyone to a draw. Also known by some as "the perpetually exhausted guy."
Today was Kakashi's shift.
He'd thought it would be another quiet, uneventful day.
He was even planning to swing by the bookstore after work to see if Icha Icha Paradise had a new volume.
Then he noticed trouble on Konoha's main street and immediately brought his subordinates to investigate.
What he saw shocked him to his core.
A kid who couldn't even be ten years old had just crushed dozens of Hyuga ninja in seconds.
Kakashi's heart was in absolute turmoil.
Since when did Konoha have such a monstrous child?
Still, no matter how stunned he was, Kakashi didn't forget his duty.
No matter who this kid was, he had to be taken into custody.
"I suggest you let him go right now," Kakashi warned, pulling a kunai from his belt and readying himself."This is Konoha. This is not a place where you can do whatever you want just because you're strong."
The ANBU behind him drew their weapons as well.
The opponent might be young, but his strength was terrifying. They would have to go all out.
Akira gave them a cold glance.
His footsteps never slowed.
He didn't spare them a second thought.
"..."
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