A simple meal, coupled with a few light-hearted jokes from Fenghuo, quickly brought me, Rin, and Kurenai Yūhi closer. Even Asuma, though young and already a bit cynical, eyed Fenghuo with mild suspicion.
As Konoha's most prominent "second-generation," Asuma Sarutobi had received elite education since childhood. With his background as the Hokage's son, he wasn't the type to trust sudden personality shifts—especially not in someone like Fenghuo.
"Go wash the lunch boxes when you're done," Fenghuo stretched and casually pushed the empty containers toward Uchiha Obito.
"Hah?! Why me?!" Obito protested, in the middle of bragging to Rin, his self-declared goddess. Helping with chores wasn't exactly part of his game plan.
"I'll do it!" Rin offered sweetly, taking a step forward.
"N-No, I'll do it! Don't trouble yourself with this kind of thing, Rin! Heh heh heh..." Obito nearly tripped over himself in excitement.
"Thanks for the bento, Fenghuo!" said Kurenai with a cheerful smile. "Next time, I'll bring one for you."
"No problem," Fenghuo replied, resisting the urge to pinch her rosy cheeks. Her wide red eyes were too cute.
Not long after, the rest of the students who had gone out to eat began returning to class. Soon, Instructor Kiyono Makoto arrived and led everyone to the outdoor training grounds.
That afternoon's lesson focused on kunai and shuriken practice—something that couldn't be done indoors. The Academy's north-side training field was equipped specifically for this.
"Tch, throwing shuriken and kunai is child's play," scoffed Hyūga Shinmune, lifting his chin with an air of superiority. He kept stealing glances at Fenghuo, his expression full of provocation. "Unlike some people who can't even activate their dōjutsu, or pass out during basic taijutsu drills. What a joke."
As a member of the Hyūga clan, Shinmune had inherited the Byakugan—a dōjutsu present from birth. Whether from the main or branch family, most Hyūga could awaken their abilities with standard training. The Byakugan granted near-360° vision, chakra flow perception, long-range sight, and the ability to detect tenketsu and internal pathways. With chakra amplification, its range could stretch over a kilometer, and its clarity rivaled or even surpassed the Sharingan in certain aspects.
It was no wonder that the Byakugan and Sharingan, alongside the Rinnegan, were known as the Three Great Dōjutsu.
"You bastard—who're you calling an idiot?!" Obito growled, fists clenched.
But Fenghuo casually stopped him with a hand on his arm and smirked at Shinmune. "Hey, Hyūga kid... you looking for a beating?"
"Oh?" Shinmune sneered. "Uchiha Fenghuo, are you challenging me? Did you already forget how you humiliated yourself last semester against Kakashi? Still, I'm in a generous mood today. I'll entertain you!"
Though from the branch family, Shinmune was considered gifted—good enough to be in the same class as Sarutobi Asuma. At just six, he had already grasped the basics of the Gentle Fist and could perform a rudimentary Eight Trigrams: Two Palms technique.
"Uchiha Fenghuo wants to challenge Hyūga Shinmune again?"
"Really? Still making a fool of himself?"
"Shinmune's not Kakashi, but he's still way stronger than Fenghuo."
"Doesn't Fenghuo know half the Uchiha clan already wants to teach him a lesson? Guess we'll get our drama this semester."
The gossiping quickly caught Kiyono Makoto's attention. He turned to look back, frowning slightly.
'Better he gets humbled now than killed in the field later,' the instructor thought grimly. He decided not to stop the duel.
Obito looked at Fenghuo, the only one in class who knew how much effort he'd put in during the break. If not for Kakashi's freakish talent, he might've already surpassed him.
Rin and Kurenai stared at Fenghuo in mild confusion, unable to reconcile the boy in front of them with the cheerful cook from earlier.
"Don't worry—Fenghuo's got this!" Obito grinned, giving them a confident thumbs-up.
The students were practically buzzing with anticipation.
Meanwhile, Fenghuo stretched, hands behind his head, yawning in boredom.
His thoughts were far away. He wanted to grow up faster, to leave behind these childish skirmishes. Yet at the same time, he desperately needed more time—before the Third Great Ninja War arrived.
'Looks like I need to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu soon. Then my clone can attend class while the real me trains in secret.'
The Academy's training ground was expansive. In the northern corner stood the weapon field, stocked with real, finely forged kunai and shuriken that gleamed with deadly sharpness—no toys here.
Just as Kiyono stepped forward to begin instruction, Hyūga Shinmune raised his hand.
"Teacher Kiyono, I have something to say!"
Kiyono looked at him, then glanced at Fenghuo before nodding. "Go ahead, Hyūga."
Shinmune stepped forward proudly, his pale eyes sweeping the class before landing on Fenghuo. "Just now, Uchiha Fenghuo challenged me, Hyūga Shinmune! Even if I'm from the branch family, I won't let the Hyūga name be disgraced. I accept his challenge, and I request Instructor Kiyono to act as our official referee!"
Fenghuo burst out laughing.
We're six. Six. What kind of kid talks like this? "The reputation of the Hyūga clan," "official duel," "referee"—you trying to roleplay as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya or something?
"What's so funny, Uchiha Fenghuo?!" Shinmune snapped.
"Eh? I was laughing?" Fenghuo scratched his head, smile twitching uncontrollably.
Kiyono cleared his throat, his expression stern. "Uchiha Fenghuo, are you serious about this challenge?"
"Heh, just asking to get embarrassed again."
"Yeah, but I still want to see how he gets pummeled."
The murmuring resumed in full force.
Fenghuo glanced at the crowd. Every single one of them was on his mental blacklist. If they stayed quiet, fine. If they picked a fight? He'd make sure to return the favor—painfully.
"Fine," Fenghuo said casually. "Let's call it a challenge."
Kiyono nodded. "Then I accept this duel. Both of you, step into the center of the field!"