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"Now. Immediately hand over the secret behind your sudden surge in strength. If you do, I can forgive what you did just now. Otherwise, I will personally have you thrown into the ANBU prison!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shifted his focus. This kid was clearly arrogant beyond control. Trying to bring him under his command was basically impossible.
If that was the case, he might as well use this reckless outburst to force the boy to cough up the secret behind his explosive growth in power.
Hiruzen's heart burned with anticipation. He desperately wanted to know how a seven-year-old brat could suddenly gain the strength to instantly kill a jōnin.
"Heh. You want to know?" Akira grinned as he spoke."Sure. But you'll have to trade something with me."
"Oh?" Hiruzen's eyes lit up, excitement flashing through him."What is it? As long as I have it, I'll definitely give it to you."
As expected, he thought. Just a kid. A little bait and the information would come spilling out.
Easy.
All around them, whether it was ordinary Konoha villagers enjoying the drama or ninja watching closely, everyone held their breath and pricked up their ears.
"Heh."
Akira suddenly flashed a wide grin. Looking straight at Hiruzen's aged face, he chuckled lightly.
"That thing is your head. Give me your head, and I'll tell you the secret right away. Immediately."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire place fell silent.
This… this was way too much.
He actually dared say something like that to the Hokage? Did he have a death wish?
Everyone stared at Akira like they were looking at a madman.
Hiruzen's face went completely dark. Even with his deep self-control, he was shaking with anger.
What enraged him the most was that, just a moment ago, he had clearly felt several bursts of killing intent from the surrounding crowd.
It was brief, but as a Kage-level powerhouse, there was no way he'd miss it.
Damn it. That meant a few bastards had actually been tempted. They really thought about taking his head and trading it.
Akira didn't care in the slightest about Hiruzen's mood. A few days from now, on the night of the clan's destruction, he'd be enemies with him anyway.
If that was inevitable, why not disgust him a little early and enjoy it?
With the mindset of "if I can piss him off, I will," Akira urged impatiently,
"Well? Old man. Are you trading or not? Say something already."
"Shut your mouth! You little brat who hasn't even grown any hair yet. How dare you insult our great Third Hokage like that!"
A rough, booming voice suddenly rang out.
It came from outside the circle. Clearly, some spectator couldn't stand seeing the Hokage he revered being humiliated and decided to step out and play the hero.
Everyone turned toward the voice, curiosity and admiration mixed in their eyes.
After what happened to the guard captain, someone still dared to shout like that?
Who was this fearless idiot?
Following everyone's gaze, they saw a bald middle-aged man standing there, staring straight at Akira with a look of righteous bravery.
A large empty space had formed around him. No one dared stand too close to this guy who was courting death.
Safety first. Stay away from idiots.
The bald man sneered at the people around him, his expression fearless.
"What are you all staring at? Kid! You insulted our great Third Hokage-sama. Am I not allowed to say a few honest words?"
"What, judging by that look in your eyes, you want to attack me?"
"I'm warning you, I'm a civilian! In Konoha, ninja aren't allowed to lay a hand on civilians!"
He lifted his chin proudly, wearing an expression that screamed: I'm a civilian, you can't touch me.
In Konoha, there really was such a rule. Ninja were forbidden from harming civilians.
Anyone who broke that rule wouldn't just be punished. They'd be despised and scorned by other ninja, their reputation completely ruined.
That's why, in certain situations, civilian status was a very effective shield.
Like right now.
The bald man didn't believe this kid would dare attack a defenseless civilian in front of so many people, especially with the Third Hokage watching.
This is my chance to shine in front of the Third-sama, he thought smugly. Becoming a steward in his household afterward wouldn't be too much to ask, right?
A bright future awaited him.
Just as he was lost in his beautiful daydream, his vision suddenly blurred.
Then a tearing pain exploded across his face.
Akira had slapped him. Hard.
So hard that the man's entire face twisted out of shape.
"Uchiha Akira! Do you have no shame as a ninja? How dare you strike a powerless civilian so viciously!"
The Third Hokage roared, pointing at Akira, his face full of fury.
"Loose mouth deserves a beating," Akira replied calmly, withdrawing his hand."Besides, I'm not a ninja. I haven't even graduated from the academy yet."
Everyone froze when they heard that.
This terrifyingly powerful kid hadn't even finished ninja school. He wasn't a ninja at all.
Which meant the ninja regulations didn't apply to him in the slightest.
"Y-you… shameless… You'll… you'll die a horrible death!"
The bald man lay on the ground, trembling as he pointed at Akira.
"Heh. Looks like some people aren't just foul-mouthed. They're stupid too."
Akira sneered, bent down, and grabbed the man's chin.
"I'll help you cure that nasty habit of yours."
"Stop! Uchiha Akira! Stop right now!"
The Third Hokage shouted angrily, his body flashing forward toward Akira.
Akira didn't even look at him.
He applied a bit of force with his hand.
Crack.
The man's jaw shattered instantly.
Seeing this, the surrounding spectators hurriedly retreated, putting as much distance between themselves and Akira as possible.
Brutal.
Absolutely brutal.
They wanted nothing to do with this demon wearing a child's skin.
"Uchiha Akira, again and again, you are nothing but a cancer within Konoha!"
Hiruzen stopped four meters away from Akira, the rage in his heart on the verge of exploding.
Akira let out a mocking laugh, completely unconcerned.
"You should be thankful. Thankful that guy wasn't a ninja."
"Otherwise, what I crushed wouldn't have been his jaw."
It would have been his head.
Akira slowly straightened up, his eyes filled with cold indifference…
"..."
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