Having finished his detailed study of his newly acquired Bara-Bara Devil Fruit, Satoru finally focused all his attention on mastering chakra control.
Being able to see chakra flows at any moment was an incredible advantage in itself, a sort of "cheat." The young shinobi approached the very tree the System had designated as his training goal.
He concentrated chakra in his feet and then slowly, carefully placed his foot on the near-vertical trunk. His whole body immediately tilted unnaturally, obeying the adhesion force.
*Boom!*
The first attempt by the system holder ended in a resounding failure. He crashed to the ground, hitting it painfully. The reason for the failure was simple: he had concentrated too little chakra in his feet, making the grip on the trunk insufficient.
The second attempt also turned into a fiasco. The boy's body once again slapped heavily against the ground. This time, he failed to distribute the chakra properly between his soles, lost his balance, and fell off.
Step by step, the transmigrator made attempt after attempt, and each time, unable to hold on, he fell from the trunk.
At first, progress was almost zero. It took him a whole day, from noon until evening, just to learn how to distribute chakra evenly across his soles.
However, Satoru was one of those who never gave up. After all, only by completing the System's quest could he become stronger! So he was ready for anything to succeed. No difficulties or obstacles could make this stubborn boy bow his head.
Thus, another three or four days of persistent, exhausting training passed. By this time, Satoru could already, albeit with difficulty, climb from the base of the trunk to about its midpoint.
"I need to get used to this sensation," he told himself, gritting his teeth. "Get used to every step, make every step even, bring it to automatism, to the level of instinct."
He fully immersed himself in training, forgetting everything in the world, and another two or three days passed like that.
* * *
The last day allotted by the System for completing the quest had arrived.
And today, at the foot of that very tree which had become a true trial for Satoru, he wasn't the only one standing.
Behind the tall youth unfamiliar to Satoru, a whole crowd had gathered. Among them, he recognized with surprise and slight irritation those very little brats from the Hyuga clan whom he had recently taught a lesson.
And many of those gathered here, judging by their clothing and characteristic facial features, also belonged to this renowned clan.
At that moment, the transmigrator understood everything.
"Are they trying to get revenge?" he thought with a crooked smirk, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't expect such a clichéd and banal plot to happen to me of all people."
The youth from the Hyuga clan standing in front measured his opponent with a heavy, unkind gaze and asked sternly,
"You're Satoru, right? You're the one who hit my younger brother with a stone?"
Satoru didn't even dignify the guy with a direct answer. Instead, he drawled with feigned surprise,
"Huh? So that's what this is about! So you're the older brother of that little snot-nosed brat from the Hyuga clan? I didn't expect him to be such a liar and run crying to you first thing, turning everything upside down. Actually, he was the one who threw the first stone at me and split my head open. But of course, he didn't tell you that, did he?"
"Brother! He's lying! He attacked me first! He started picking on me first!" the little Hyuga immediately shouted, jumping forward and brazenly twisting the facts.
"Shut up, snot-nose, and don't you dare lie!" the chosen one barked at him.
"Snot-nose? And who are you, then, in your opinion?" the older Hyuga sneered coldly. "You say they split your head? I don't see a single scratch on your head. But my younger brother has a huge bruise on his stomach from your punch, and there was even blood."
The aura around the Hyuga clan youth suddenly changed, becoming denser and more menacing. He continued in an icy tone,
"We're in the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha. And to be honest, I didn't want to waste extra words or time on you."
"However, your behavior and answers are quite insolent and show no remorse whatsoever. So allow me, as the older brother, to teach you a good lesson on behalf of my younger brother. Clan members, bear witness: I'm not going to bully the weak, I just want to discipline this arrogant punk on behalf of the entire Hyuga clan," the young Hyuga declared with feigned nobility and righteous anger in his voice.
No one around even tried to intervene or stop him. They all stood by, clearly anticipating an interesting show.
Maintaining order and public safety in Konoha was the responsibility of the Uchiha clan. And although the Uchiha and Hyuga had long been feuding and disliked each other, for some strange reason today, no Konoha Police Force patrols were in sight anywhere.
Satoru snorted coldly,
"So that's how it is. Looks like you planned this all in advance and conspired. Well, since this world is ruled by such injustice, I'll show you that not everyone can do whatever they want with impunity and hide behind their status."
"Hah! You talk too much for such a nobody!" the Hyuga youth threw contemptuously. He looked about ten years old and was a whole head taller than Satoru. Most of the gathered onlookers had already predetermined the outcome of this fight and come just to watch the show.
However, the transmigrator had no intention of surrendering without a fight or showing mercy.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan