Chapter 26: A Kick and a Claim
"Hmph!"
Uchiha Fugaku grunted, chakra flaring at his feet. He shot forward, closing the distance to Hyuga Hiashi in the blink of an eye, the kunai in his hand slashing downward in a silver arc.
Hiashi's eyes widened in alarm. He barely managed to bring his own kunai up in a desperate block. The force of the impact sent him skidding backward, his small frame bowling over several unlucky onlookers before he finally came to a stop. His arms trembled violently, and his face was flushed with strain. While the Hyuga were known for their physical prowess, Hiashi was simply too young, and the Uchiha physique was nothing to scoff at. Being overpowered was inevitable.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Not content with merely repelling him, Fugaku's hands flew through a sequence of seals. A massive, four-meter-wide sphere of roaring flame erupted from his mouth, hurtling toward the stunned Hiashi.
Seeing the inferno rushing at him, Hiashi's face paled with terror. He poured every last drop of his remaining chakra into his legs, throwing himself sideways in a frantic, clumsy dodge.
BOOM!
The fireball struck the ground where he had just been standing, exploding and leaving a smoldering crater in the earth. A direct hit would have been fatal.
"Hey! Are you trying to kill him?!" Nawaki roared, stepping forward angrily. The rest of the Class A students also glared at Fugaku, their expressions dark.
"Hmph! If he's weak, he deserves to die," Fugaku stated coldly, his tone devoid of any remorse.
"Tsk, tsk. As expected of the Uchiha clan head's son," a playful voice cut through the tension. Hyuga Shinra looked Fugaku up and down, a mocking smile on his lips. "So bold, using ninjutsu on school grounds. You must have a death wish."
Using ninjutso without authorization within the academy was strictly forbidden and could easily earn a visit from the Anbu.
"Who are you?" Uchiha Fugaku frowned, deeply irritated by the boy's tone.
"Young Master, that's the Hyuga trash who can't even awaken the Byakugan," one of Fugaku's lackeys quickly supplied.
"So it's you," Fugaku said, his disdain immediately returning. "You don't even have the Byakugan, and you dare to speak up?" Unlike the Uchiha, where not awakening the Sharingan was merely a sign of poor talent, a Hyuga without the Byakugan was considered a complete failure, a waste of the bloodline.
Uchiha Fugaku, who had awakened his Sharingan at the mere age of nine, was hailed as the clan's greatest genius since Uchiha Madara himself. He was confident he would surpass even Madara and lead the Uchiha to ultimate glory. In his eyes, speaking to someone like Shinra was beneath him.
Seeing Fugaku's arrogant expression, a flicker of annoyance passed through Shinra. This guy is really asking for it.
"And you, Uchiha Mikoto," Fugaku's gaze shifted, his expression turning ugly as he saw her hand clasped in Shinra's. "What are you doing, holding hands with this trash? You're an embarrassment to the Uchiha name!"
All eyes turned to them. Mikoto bowed her head in shame, her ears burning. She tried to pull her hand away, but Shinra's grip was firm and unyielding.
"Stay away from that garbage, or I won't hesitate to have you expelled from the clan," Fugaku threatened coldly.
As the clan head's son, he held that power, at least over ordinary clansmen. Mikoto's grandfather had once been a powerful elder, but he had died from his injuries a year prior. With both her parents long gone, Mikoto was now vulnerable and alone within the clan structure.
At his words, Mikoto's face went deathly pale. A flash of stubborn defiance shone in her eyes before she looked down again, refusing to obey. She didn't know why, but being with Shinra felt right. It felt safe. The idea of being forced away from him was unthinkable.
"Fine!" Uchiha Fugaku was livid. "Consider yourself expelled from the Uchiha clan!"
While there might be some procedural hurdles, the outcome was inevitable. Mikoto was being cast out.
Mikoto's grip on Shinra's hand tightened, her knuckles white. Her face was ashen, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears, threatening to spill over at any moment. Yet, despite her fragile appearance, an inner strength held them back. It wasn't a deep love for the clan that hurt her, but the terrifying uncertainty of being a child suddenly rendered homeless and utterly alone.
Seeing the look of utter devastation on Mikoto's face, Shinra's patience finally snapped. He couldn't stand it any longer.
In a movement too fast for most to follow, his leg lashed out.
To the shock of everyone present, Uchiha Fugaku was lifted off his feet and launched through the air like a discarded ragdoll. He sailed over a dozen meters before crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust, lying motionless.
Everyone stared, utterly dumbfounded. Hyuga Hiashi, leaning on his brother for support; the confused Mikoto, still clinging to Shinra's hand; Nawaki; the entire crowd—all their eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Shinra... you're... that strong?" Nawaki stammered, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen. Shinra was tall for his age, but Fugaku had been a full head taller. Yet the smaller boy had just kicked him dozens of meters away. They couldn't even tell if Fugaku was still alive.
A silent wave of pity for Fugaku swept through the onlookers, followed by a healthy dose of fear as they looked at Shinra. Regardless of anything else, that single display of raw power was terrifying.
"I said, Shinra, how are you so powerful?" Nawaki exclaimed, finding his voice again. "Yesterday you obliterated that target with a kunai, and today you're kicking people into the next week! You're only five! It's not normal!"
"It's simple," Shinra said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I was born with great strength. Maybe it's because I don't have the Byakugan, so the heavens compensated me for it." He nodded sagely. "As the Sage of Six Paths once said, 'When one door closes, another opens.'"
"Wait, the Sage of Six Paths? The legend? He really said that?" Nawaki questioned, his brow furrowed.
"Of course," Shinra affirmed, lying through his teeth without a hint of shame. "I read it in an ancient text. It's a direct quote from the Sage himself."
Nawaki, utterly convinced, fell into deep thought, wondering what kind of "window" the Sage might have left for him.