Cherreads

Chapter 11 - 11. Uchiha Hirohiko

"I lost," Yukina said plainly and without hesitation. There was no hint of disappointment in her voice—only a quiet gleam of light in her eyes as she looked at Chiba.

Chiba lowered his fist and extended his hand for the seal of reconciliation.

Yukina responded in kind, clasping her palm against his.

No words were exchanged. After the gesture, Yukina turned and walked back to the crowd.

But in that moment, every single student, Uchiha Hirohiko, even the teacher, stood in stunned silence, staring at Chiba on the field.

This… is the strength of someone ranked 47th?

Too strong. He had shattered the Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm with a single punch. That level of power… that kind of chakra control…

Could a seven-year-old child really pull that off?

The teacher involuntarily recalled his own seven-year-old self—back then, he hadn't even fully grasped the Three Basic Jutsu.

And now, he began to question his own judgment.

He had always assumed Chiba was just a background student—a quiet nobody who always slept through class.

A child whose only identity was "the traitor's son."

But now, that same "nobody" had defeated Hyuga Yukina, the most brilliant taijutsu prodigy the Hyuga clan had produced in years.

And not just by chance—he had overpowered her technique head-on.

The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist was said to be the pinnacle of close-range combat. Yet this boy had won using pure strength, through raw, explosive taijutsu.

Had the teacher… truly let his bias blind him?

He realized that his dislike for Chiba had always been rooted in resentment toward Chiba's father—the notorious traitor. Every time he saw the boy, he felt disgust, as if the blood of betrayal still ran through him. So he'd let the boy slack off, ignored his sleeping, turned a blind eye to his poor grades…

But now?

He had just witnessed a genius.

No—wait. The teacher shook his head. It was too soon to call him that.

Taijutsu alone proves nothing. There are plenty of taijutsu specialists. How many of them ever become jōnin?

Still clinging to his skepticism, the teacher tried to push the thought from his mind.

Chiba had already returned to the crowd by the time the teacher came back to his senses.

"Winner: Takikawa Chiba," he finally announced, his voice carrying a touch of disbelief.

"Next match… who's up?"

No one responded.

Everyone was still stunned from the match that had just ended. Even Uchiha Hirohiko, the academy's number one, the prodigy expected to graduate at age seven just like Kakashi, stood there deep in thought.

Could I have done that?

Could I have shattered that Vacuum Palm head-on?

On the field, Chiba gave a wry smile.

His right hand throbbed painfully, trembling slightly from the backlash of his punch. Though he had shattered Yukina's technique, the recoil had left his arm momentarily unusable.

But what surprised him most was what he had felt in that instant—

The chakra he'd gathered for the punch… was almost twice as much as his usual capacity.

Almost at genin level.

Wait… Could it be?

These past weeks of opening the Third Gate, repeatedly training in Eight Gates Mode…

Had his chakra reserves increased?

Was it possible that Eight Gates Mode not only granted explosive power, but also passively boosted chakra capacity over time?

He rubbed his arm, thoughtful.

Just as he reached into his bag for a victory bun—

It was empty.

"Huh?"

He looked around—and saw the half-eaten steamed bun lying in the dirt, now covered in dust.

…Goddammit.

He stared at the fallen snack, a dark cloud forming over his head.

Must've dropped it during the last fight.

"Next match. Who's up?" the teacher called again.

Still silence.

Then finally—

"Me."

A calm, confident voice rang out. Uchiha Hirohiko stepped forward.

The crowd instantly snapped out of their daze.

The previous match with Chiba? Forgotten.

The number one was stepping up. That was all that mattered.

Takikawa who?

"Hirohiko-sama's going next!!"

"Kyaa! Even the way he walks is perfect!"

"So dreamy! It's finally time!"

Girls squealed, hands clasped to their chests, cheeks red and eyes starry. Some even jumped up in excitement.

Uchiha Hirohiko ignored them completely. Calm, expressionless, he walked up to the teacher.

"Uchiha Hirohiko, who do you want to challenge?" the teacher asked, still smiling bitterly at the noise.

Hirohiko scanned the crowd.

"He looked at me!!"

"No, he looked at me!"

"I wish he'd pick me for a match…"

The girls went wild.

But Hirohiko's gaze landed on—

Takikawa Chiba.

"I choose Takikawa Chiba," he said coolly.

"…Me?"

Chiba blinked, surprised.

He was still mourning his lost bun.

Around him, the class erupted again.

"WHAT?! Him again?!"

"First Yukina, now Hirohiko? Is this a joke?"

"Why is everyone interested in that guy all of a sudden?"

The teacher sighed. "Takikawa Chiba, back on the field."

Chiba had no choice but to step forward again.

Facing Hirohiko, he could clearly sense the sharp, burning intent in his opponent's eyes.

This guy… wants to go all out.

Chiba sighed inwardly.

His right hand still felt tender, sore from the last exchange.

Originally, he had planned to rest up before choosing to challenge Hirohiko himself—but the guy beat him to it.

He flexed his right fist slightly. Still sore, but usable.

Across from him, Hirohiko had already raised his hand to perform the seal of confrontation.

"Wait a second," Chiba said, lifting a hand.

Hirohiko paused, frowning slightly. "What is it?"

His voice was cold, concise—yet every word he spoke sent the girls into another frenzy.

"So cool!!"

"Ugh, Chiba's so annoying! Just fight already!"

"Seriously, why the delay? He's gonna get beaten anyway!"

"We just wanna see Hirohiko-sama shine!"

Chiba twitched at the wave of complaints.

These bratty fangirls…

Then—he noticed one gaze that was different.

He turned and saw Yukina.

She was quietly watching him. When their eyes met, she gave a faint, fleeting smile.

The only one showing support.

Chiba's heart warmed just a little.

He turned back to Hirohiko. "Give me a minute. I need to prepare."

Hirohiko nodded. "How long?"

"Just a few minutes."

And with that, Chiba began removing the weights strapped to his legs.

Hirohiko nodded again.

"A few minutes is fine."

I'll wait.

More Chapters