At the Ninja Academy.
"That ungrateful bastard Kazuyo, I got beaten up by that little bastard for his sake, and instead of thanking me, he blames me for causing trouble for the other guy... Who the hell was I doing this for?"
On the playground, the Uchiha clan members gathered together. Uchiha Yuta's face was dark as he cursed angrily.
"What? He went to you guys too?" One Uchiha youth looked surprised.
"He came to me too. That dog didn't even ask how we were doing. Instead, he kept complaining that we were meddling, saying we would 'ruin' him and make it impossible for him to become a ninja in the future..."
Uchiha En's eyes were red. He had been so disgusted the night before that he couldn't sleep well.
Uchiha Kazuyo had visited eight people in one night. His efficiency was definitely top-tier.
"He's just afraid he won't get that little bastard's forgiveness and won't be able to become a ninja... We didn't tell him beforehand, so things got messed up..."
Uchiha Senya sighed.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting? So it's our fault now?" The hot-tempered Uchiha Yuta was immediately furious.
"That's not what I meant... I'm saying no one is really to blame here..."
"Bullshit, stop trying to smooth things over. This is all Kazuyo's fault. If he hadn't called that little bastard a half-breed in the first place, none of this would've happened!"
One Uchiha stepped forward to voice his dissatisfaction.
"Yeah, it's all that ungrateful bastard's fault!" Uchiha Yuta agreed.
"I spent all of yesterday lying in bed recovering. When my mom asked how I got hurt, I didn't even dare tell her the truth..."
One Uchiha who had been elbowed in the shin two days ago spoke up.
All of them had agreed on the same story—none of them admitted they had been beaten up.
Eight against two, and they still got their asses handed to them. They couldn't bring themselves to say it out loud. Even if they did, their parents might not stand up for them.
If you pick a fight and lose, especially with such an overwhelming disadvantage, any parent with a shred of shame wouldn't go making trouble for the Ryun family over it.
Besides, being a ninja was a combat profession. Getting hurt by a classmate, or hurting someone else, was normal. As long as it wasn't too extreme, parents usually didn't make a big deal out of it.
"I warned you guys two days ago not to mess with that little bastard, but you just had to act all righteous and stand up for that idiot Kazuyo..."
A sixth-year student named Uchiha Seimaru sneered. He was one of the few who had opposed bullying the "little bastard."
But his words had been ignored, and he had even been criticized by many.
Now, the facts proved he was right. Seeing his clansmen suffer for not listening to him gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Let's be honest, you just thought that little bastard was an easy target. You wanted to step on him to boost your reputation and prove your status to the younger clansmen. But then you got your asses kicked, and now you're left with no one on your side..."
Uchiha Seimaru openly mocked them, laying out the ugly truth without holding back.
His words immediately enraged several people.
"Bastard, shut your stinking mouth! We did this for the clan!"
"Yeah, weren't we trying to protect the Uchiha's honor? Seimaru, stop talking nonsense and slandering people!"
Uchiha Yuta, Uchiha En, and others looked furious.
"But Ryun is also our clansman!" A younger Uchiha spoke up quietly.
"Protecting the Uchiha's honor? I'd say you're the ones ruining it!"
"That little bastard is one of us. His issue with Kazuyo was personal. But you self-righteous pricks had to publicly corner him, forcing him to cut ties with the Uchiha. How can you still think you did nothing wrong?"
Another person stepped forward to defend Ryun.
"Yeah, you weren't doing this for the Uchiha. You were just using the clan's name for yourselves, for that idiot Kazuyo. You deserved to get beaten, and you deserved to get blamed!"
"Bastard, say that again!"
"What, can't win an argument so you resort to violence? Is this how you uphold justice? You're just a clown!"
"That's not how it is, listen to me..."
In an instant, the Uchiha at the academy were in complete disarray over the Ryun incident. The once somewhat united clan members, divided by differing beliefs, began accusing, cursing, and even fighting each other...
Their commotion drew a crowd of onlookers. The Uchiha had become a complete laughingstock at the academy.
When Ryun stepped onto the school grounds with his backpack, he immediately noticed the chaos on the playground.
The Uchiha clan was publicly fighting among themselves, even coming to blows!
From some of the clansmen's mouths, he occasionally heard his name—or his derogatory nickname.
So, this was because of him. The conflict from two days ago had spilled over into today.
Ryun watched coldly as the Uchiha clashed on the playground. He had no intention of stepping in to calm the situation.
In fact, if he spoke up now, he could easily win people over. Even Uchiha En and Uchiha Yuta might have been swayed.
But he had no such plans.
Two days ago, not a single Uchiha had stood up for him. Why should he step in to mediate today?
He had already proven one thing by beating those Uchiha into the ground: So-called unity and justice were worthless in the face of power.
Besides, this outcome was exactly what he had intended.
Since he and his mother were treated as outsiders by the Uchiha, he saw no reason to lower himself to please them.
Back on Earth, if you had money, you'd never lack friends. In the ninja world, if you had strength, you'd never lack friends—or even followers.
Ryun's current plan was to secretly train harder than anyone else. He wanted to build a solid foundation of power first.
If possible, he didn't want to reveal any abilities beyond taijutsu, nor did he want to involve anyone other than Kushina in his plans.
"Class is about to start. Aren't you going back to the classroom?"
Ryun spotted Kushina among the spectators—her bright red hair made her impossible to miss.
"Ah... You're here! Right, right, let's go to class..."
When she saw him, Kushina couldn't hide her delight. Smiling, she followed Ryun as they ignored the crowd and walked to their classroom together.
"I'll tell you, those Uchiha just now..."
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