Uchiha Sasuke stared coldly at Yoruha, trying his best to hold it together.
He clutched his backside with both hands, his teeth grinding audibly.
That look in his eyes said it all:
Just wait and see!
I'm Sasuke Uchiha!
I swear I'll never let you kick me in the butt again!
After shooting Yoruha one last furious glare, he turned around, ready to leave this training ground that had completely shattered his pride.
But at that moment—
Whoosh!
Yoruha appeared in front of him in a flash, blocking his way.
There was a chill in Yoruha's gaze, something unfamiliar.
Sasuke froze.
He'd never seen Yoruha wear that expression before. Not in class, not in training, not anywhere.
And now… it was aimed right at him.
A wave of unease gripped Sasuke's chest. His throat tightened, and tears welled up in his eyes—
But he held them back.
He was still an Uchiha, after all.
"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped, his voice cracking.
"I already lost! Why won't you just let me go?!"
He clenched his fists and added through gritted teeth:
"Don't even think about asking me to form a Seal of Reconciliation. I'll never do it. Not with you!"
Iruka scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward chuckle.
Trying to defuse the tension, he stepped between the two boys.
"Sasuke-kun… it was only a sparring match. You both did well. But as is custom, the Seal of Reconciliation should still be formed afterward. Please cooperate with Yoruha."
But before Iruka could say more—
Yoruha interrupted him, his voice calm but firm:
"Teacher Iruka, I think you've misunderstood something."
"I didn't stop him for the seal."
"I stopped him because that Fireball Jutsu he launched filled the field with smoke—and that smoke nearly choked Ino and Hinata."
"So he owes them an apology."
His words were like a quiet blade cutting straight through the noise.
Yes, it was true that Sasuke's Fireball wasn't meant to kill, but if that high-temperature fireball had actually hit Yoruha, he would've been badly injured.
If Sasuke weren't still a kid without real killing intent, Yoruha might not have let him off so easily.
And even though Yoruha had sliced through the flames with his chakra blade…
…the smoke and ash from the blast had sent Ino and Hinata coughing and staggering, right as they'd rushed forward to protect him.
That—Yoruha couldn't ignore.
So no, this wasn't about pride or victory.
It was about responsibility.
"You… you're being so unfair!" Sasuke choked out.
His voice trembled. His face turned red. His fists clenched harder.
The tears in his eyes had reached the tipping point.
"I feel so wronged right now!"
In his mind, he shouted back at everything:
Did they choke because of my fireball?
Wasn't it your broken sword that exploded into smoke?
Why am I the one being blamed?!
And now I have to apologize?! For real?!
You're the unreasonable one here!
But before Sasuke could say more—
"Um… Brother," Ino said gently, tugging on Yoruha's sleeve.
"Maybe it's better to let it go. It's not really that big of a deal."
Ino had already lost interest in the whole thing.
Sasuke like this had totally ruined his appeal.
Her brother was cool enough already—there was no need to ruin the rival character completely.
"Yes… Yoruha-kun… let's just forget it," Hinata added softly.
She didn't like seeing classmates fight like this.
And she really didn't like seeing Sasuke on the verge of tears.
Yoruha glanced between the two girls, then looked back at Sasuke.
His tone stayed calm.
"Did you hear that? They're the ones you wronged, and they're the ones speaking up for you."
"Meanwhile, you—son of the Konoha Police Force captain—can't even take responsibility for your own actions?"
"Is that what you call the glory of the Uchiha clan?"
The words landed like a hammer in Sasuke's chest.
The Uchiha Police Force—the proud defenders of law and justice in Konoha.
And he was the captain's son.
Yoruha wasn't yelling. He wasn't even angry.
He just told the truth.
That was what made it hit so hard.
Sasuke's last wall of pride crumbled.
He closed his eyes tight—
And then broke down into sobs.
"I… I'm sorry!"
"I was wrong! I'm sorry, Ino-san! I'm sorry, Hinata-san!"