The young Hyuga didn't activate his Byakugan. Instead, using a special swift gait, he quickly closed the distance, lunging at the Devil Fruit user. But the latter showed no trace of fear or hesitation. He didn't dodge the attack but instead boldly charged to meet his opponent.
Satoru attacked with fists, Hyuga with open palms.
Neither wanted to yield an inch, clashing like scythe on stone.
*Dong!*
Satoru felt a sharp, piercing pain run through his arm from fist to shoulder, as if all the tendons and muscles in it had burst at once. The opponent's soft but incredibly powerful force penetrated deep into his body, causing excruciating suffering.
"This... Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan?" the transmigrator immediately recognized his opponent's fighting style. The older Hyuga, in turn, was also quite surprised.
"Snot-nose! Turns out there's some strength in your fist," he said with slight amazement but still with the same arrogant demeanor. "Among your peers, you're definitely very strong. But no matter how strong you are, you're still just a snot-nosed kid."
Arrogance and pride prevented this Hyuga clan youth from using Byakugan against what he considered a weak opponent.
"I have an idea!" flashed through the boy's mind. He immediately formed a quick series of hand seals, beginning to concentrate chakra.
The Hyuga clan youth, naturally, didn't miss this opportunity and immediately delivered a crushing palm strike.
Satoru concentrated chakra very quickly. The dust he raised from the ground immediately enveloped everything in a dense, impenetrable cloud, hiding the action from the observers' eyes.
"Gentle Fist Style!" the Hyuga youth shouted confidently, assuming one strike would be enough to defeat Satoru. The shockwave from his palm was almost at its target.
But the transmigrator only smiled faintly, strangely, and eerily.
"Bara-Bara!"
Byakugan could see through the dust, of course, but this overconfident Hyuga was too proud and self-assured to activate it against such a "nobody."
In the thick dust cloud, Satoru, whose body had disassembled into countless parts thanks to the Devil Fruit's power, easily dodged the Hyuga youth's attack.
And in that same instant, Satoru reassembled his body behind the stunned opponent. The tip of the kunai he held in his hand was already pressed firmly against the Hyuga youth's lower back.
The dust gradually began to settle, and all the onlookers, seeing the revealed scene, froze in place with mouths agape.
They simply couldn't believe their eyes: the genius young shinobi from the renowned Hyuga clan, their pride and hope, had been defeated by some three-year-old kid!
"You... This... impossible!? Bastard!" the Hyuga youth roared in rage and shame. He was disgraced, humiliated, and couldn't understand how this could have happened at all. It seemed to him like some ridiculous mistake, a fluke.
"If you lost, admit your defeat," Satoru said clearly, enunciating each word. "No matter how many times you try, you still won't beat me."
"Hmph! I won't admit defeat! Never!" the Hyuga youth growled stubbornly, unwilling to accept such shame. His clanmates around him were also beside themselves with rage and indignation, ready to pounce on Satoru and tear him apart.
"Hyuga clan, don't cross the line!"
"This farce should probably end now, right?"
Suddenly, as if from underground, about a dozen strong and imposing-looking Uchiha shinobi appeared next to the young genius. Judging by their determined looks, they clearly intended to protect the boy.
"Konoha Police Force?" the fight's victor assumed. He guessed that the Uchiha probably also wanted to watch this "show." His duel with the Hyuga youth could be beautifully called an "exchange of experience," or more plainly—a typical kids' brawl. The Konoha Police Force usually didn't bother intervening in such minor scuffles.
However, Uchiha and Hyuga had always been sworn enemies. And now, with the Hyuga clan suffering such a humiliating defeat, the Uchiha naturally couldn't hide their schadenfreude. Seeing the Hyuga about to attack this defenseless but brave Konoha kid who had just humiliated them, the Uchiha, of course, couldn't stand by and immediately intervened to prevent the lynching.
"Hmph! Let's go!" one of the older Hyuga clan members said, realizing it was pointless to continue and it wouldn't lead to anything good, waving his hand and ordering the Hyuga youth and the rest to leave.
"Get out of my way!" the Hyuga youth hissed venomously at Satoru. "You got really lucky today. But next time, luck won't smile on you like that."
However, the kunai in the transmigrator's hand dug deeper into his side.
"And who said I'm letting you go?" Satoru asked in an icy, threatening voice.
"Don't test our patience, snot-nose!" the little Hyuga whom Satoru had previously disciplined roared in rage. But he could do nothing—the Uchiha stood right in front of them, and in this situation, the truth was clearly not on the Hyuga's side.
"Fine, let the guy go already," one of the Uchiha ordered conciliatorily, stepping in as peacemaker. Satoru realized the Uchiha were genuinely trying to help him, so reluctantly, he released the Hyuga youth.
"Don't bother me again," the system holder said coldly and harshly, staring straight into his defeated opponent's eyes. "Otherwise, even the Uchiha won't be able to save you."
All those present, hearing these words from such a small boy, first wanted to laugh. But they felt the incredible determination and iron will emanating from this child. No one expected such a young kid like Satoru to have such a strong and unyielding character. And certainly no one could have guessed that a ten-year-old youth from the renowned Hyuga clan would suffer such a crushing defeat at the hands of an ordinary three-year-old child.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan