A rival?
Hyūga Minji?
Where did this guy come from?
Being a hardcore Naruto fan, Koshino remembered any plot character with some talent. Otherwise, how could he recognise Fugaku Uchiha at first glance?
So, even when Shikaku and Choza exclaimed and reminded Koshino that the young Hyūga boy named Minji in front of him was the pride of the Hyūga clan’s new generation, Koshino couldn’t help but scrutinize Hyūga Minji in the field, thinking, “There doesn’t seem to be a Hyūga Minji in the original story! Maybe he was a prodigy who fell during his growth?”
Thinking this, Koshino’s heart tightened, and he glanced at the sneering Fugaku Uchiha with a peculiar look in his eyes.
Many prodigies only have value when they grow up.
In the world of ninjas, especially during the harsh times of war, it was common to kill prodigies in their cradles. Furthermore, with the Uchiha clan members coming with hostility, Koshino couldn’t help but speculate that Fugaku Uchiha’s true aim was to use this “spar” to eliminate such prodigies in the Hyūga clan, preventing their rise.
Perhaps Koshino’s thoughts were somewhat dark, but Fugaku Uchiha was definitely someone worth being cautious of.
So, even though Shikaku hadn’t spoken, watching Hyūga Minji adopting the Gentle Fist stance and preparing to face Uchiha Sano, Koshino began to be wary of any tricks the Uchiha clan might play.
Especially when Hyūga Minji made the first move, delivering a Gentle Fist strike towards Uchiha Sano, Koshino, observing their battle, couldn’t help but think:
“Incredible! Compared to the new generations of the Hyūga and Uchiha clans, the new generation of the Nara clan is simply pathetic!”
“Their fight truly exemplifies a ninja battle, not just kids playing!”
This wasn’t an exaggeration on Koshino’s part; Hyūga Minji and Uchiha Sano were both exceptionally skilled.
At only eight years old, Hyūga Minji not only awakened his Byakugan but also proficiently mastered the Gentle Fist technique, quickly suppressing Uchiha Sano’s offensive.
Uchiha Sano, initially at a disadvantage, pulled out a kunai from his ninja pouch, transforming the battle in his favor and suppressing Hyūga Minji.
Indeed, having a weapon was significantly better than fighting bare-handed.
Watching Hyūga Minji and Uchiha Sano’s fight, Koshino felt like he was gaining considerable combat experience. Shikaku, seeing Koshino’s focused attention on the spar, nodded approvingly. Then, as Shikaku shifted his gaze to Hyūga Minji, Koshino heard him say, “What Choza just mentioned is correct; Minji is the hope of this generation of the Hyūga clan. Unfortunately, he was born into the branch family. And although Uchiha Sano seems to be holding an advantage, he’s only leveraging the sharpness of his kunai.”
“Koshino, the match will be decided in two more moves. Pay close attention to Minji’s actions; he’s about to counterattack!”
“Hmm!”
Nodding vigorously, Koshino initially didn’t take their fight seriously. But as time passed, just by watching their battle, Koshino started to feel himself growing stronger!
In a ninja’s world, relying on individual strength alone wasn’t enough; experience accumulated through real combat was equally crucial.
In the original storyline, Uzumaki Naruto was so scared during his first battle that he couldn’t perform well, not even displaying half his strength. Conversely, Sasuke Uchiha, having accumulated some combat experience during their time at the ninja academy, outperformed Naruto by miles during their missions.
At that time, it wasn’t that Sasuke was too strong; it was Naruto’s lack of experience, leading him to lose half the battle before even engaging.
The current situation was similar; Hyūga Minji and Uchiha Sano were evenly matched. However, Hyūga Minji, with more combat experience, moved with precision, planning each step carefully. Soon, he grasped Uchiha Sano’s rhythm and launched his decisive move!
“Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
With a shout, the essence of the Hyūga clan’s Gentle Fist technique emerged. The spectators, including Shikaku and Choza, were astonished. They clearly did not expect that an eight-year-old like Minji had already grasped the essence of the Gentle Fist technique, even managing to perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
However, with the keen eyes of a Jōnin, Shikaku, Choza, and others quickly realized that Minji’s Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms was, at best, a rudimentary understanding, lacking the continuous, storm-like assault. His attacks were not fluid.
But even so, in a spar among juniors, using the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms meant Minji had the upper hand.
The next second, Uchiha Sano, who had previously suppressed Minji, found himself entirely unable to counter Minji’s Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, retreating step by step and on the verge of defeat.
Yet, just as Uchiha Sano was about to lose, Koshino, who had been closely watching Fugaku Uchiha, suddenly noticed a glint in Fugaku’s eye!
“Not good!”
Originally, with Minji’s use of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, even Hizashi believed his nephew was destined to win.
However, Fugaku Uchiha had already made preparations. He had Uchiha Sano and Yuno wear armor lined with spikes before sending them to challenge Minji!
So, after just ten palms of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Minji’s fingers were already stained with blood, almost rendering his hands useless!
More despicably, taking advantage of Minji’s injured hands, a vicious glint appeared in Uchiha Sano’s eyes as he gripped his kunai and thrust it toward Minji’s abdomen!
Uchiha Sano’s intent was clear: he aimed to cripple Minji!
Moreover, Fugaku Uchiha’s plan was well-executed, making it seem like Uchiha Sano was on the verge of losing before launching a counterattack. Therefore, as Sano’s kunai was about to strike Minji, neither Hizashi nor the Jōnin, like Shikaku and Choza, could stop Sano’s act of violence!
But just as Fugaku Uchiha’s eyes gleamed with triumph and Sano’s kunai was about to hinder Minji, a sudden “bang” sounded!
In Sano’s shocked gaze, he realized no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t drive the kunai into Minji!
Seeing this, Hizashi was overjoyed!
Noticing the shadow under Sano’s feet had changed, Hizashi smirked, leaping to stand between Minji and Sano, forcefully gripping Sano’s wrist, holding the kunai, and angrily shouted, “Fugaku, what do you mean by this? This was just a sparring match, and you’re trying to cripple Minji?”
“Cripple Minji? I had no such intention.”
“But Shikaku, what do you mean? Two juniors sparring, and you intervene…”
“Wait! It wasn’t Shikaku, who are you?!”
Seeing the shadow change under Sano’s feet, most people thought Shikaku had intervened, including Fugaku.
But as they looked over, Shikaku wore a cold smile without even forming a seal!
Instead, the lazy voice of the little boy behind Shikaku reached them as he slowly said, “Lord Fugaku, even if Sano-senpai won, would it be okay?”
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