"Now is clearly the best time to elevate the clan's status, but the clan head still..."
"Quiet. Someone's coming."
Uchiha Dōka raised his hand to stop Tekka from saying more, his gaze landing on the approaching figure.
Jun, having changed direction earlier, ran into the same pair again.
Just then—
Ding. Auto-training for [Water Style: Wild Water Wave] failed. Temporary training session ongoing. Switching skill to [Eight Gates Technique].
Jun: "???"
A moment later, under the confused eyes of Dōka and Tekka...
Jun suddenly flipped his body mid-stride.
"One… Two… Three…"
He—he was doing one-handed push-ups. Right in front of them.
"Is this… a provocation?" Tekka's face darkened, stepping forward.
The clan had a strict rule: no infighting. That's why, despite despising Jun, Tekka had limited himself to verbal bullying.
Usually, this loser would run at the first sign of aggression.
But now, after swallowing a load of frustration at the recent clan meeting, Tekka couldn't hold it anymore.
"System, stop! What are you doing?!"
Jun could already see the rage in Tekka's eyes. If Tekka beat him bloody right here, at most he'd get a light slap on the wrist. Jun, though? He'd pay in pain.
"Oi, Tekka. Teach him a lesson, sure, but don't go overboard."
Dōka didn't stop his companion. In fact, he looked slightly satisfied.
Tekka, who'd joined the Konoha Military Police at just ten, might not have been one of the clan's elite geniuses…
But compared to this disgrace? The difference was laughable.
That is, until the next moment made Dōka's jaw nearly drop off.
Tekka rushed in, throwing a kick straight at Jun's side.
Whoosh—
Jun's body twisted, dodging the strike in a smooth side roll. With one leg as the pivot, he swung the other in a sweeping arc—
Thwack!
Caught off guard, Tekka was sent sprawling.
And then…
Jun casually dropped back into push-up position—now using two fingers.
"…What?"
Dōka rushed to help Tekka up.
"Aaagh!"
Tekka blinked, dazed from the fall. A beat passed—then he snapped back to life, roaring, "I'll kill you!!"
Shing!
A kunai gleamed in Tekka's hand, Sharingan spinning—red eyes blazing with rage.
"Whoa, whoa, no—!" Jun panicked. "System! System, you psycho! Stop it!"
But he couldn't move. Couldn't even speak.
"Tekka, don't go that far." Dōka reached out to stop him.
His stance had already softened from "teach him a lesson" to "just don't kill the guy."
After all, Jun's provocations had been… spectacularly overt.
Tekka didn't answer. He lunged, stabbing the kunai at Jun's back—
And once again, Tekka hit the ground.
His single-tomoe Sharingan wide open, face full of disbelief.
He'd seen nothing.
Jun had popped up from his push-up like a spring, kicked the kunai aside with one foot, then hammered Tekka in the jaw with the other.
It was flawless. Efficient. The kind of movement you'd expect from a jōnin who'd mastered taijutsu.
Dōka stood frozen. That... that couldn't be real.
He shook his head hard to dispel the nonsense and crouched beside Tekka.
"You alright?"
Tekka stared up, stunned. Slowly, two hot tears rolled from his eyes.
"N-No… Impossible… Even with my Sharingan—I couldn't see his foot move…"
Dōka pursed his lips, looking toward Jun—who was now upside down, walking on his hands, steadily vanishing into the distance.
"This isn't normal," Dōka muttered. "Wait here. I'll go bring that bastard back."
Satisfied that Tekka wasn't seriously hurt, Dōka stood and chased after the upside-down figure.
"System-bro… what the hell was that?"
Jun, still handstanding at full speed through the Uchiha district, shouted in his mind.
Ding. Interference in auto-training has been cleared. Delegated training resumed.
His body spun midair, one full circle on his hands, as if reorienting, then resumed forward movement.
"No, no no no! That way's the commercial district! Don't go where people are! Have you no shame?!"
No answer.
"Please! I'm begging you, don't make me socially implode like this! Who the hell trains by handstanding through the streets at night? Not even Gai would—"
"Jun! I knew it! You understand the true essence of youth! Let's push our limits together—YOSH!!"
A loud, familiar voice boomed from down the road.
A green blur—tight jumpsuit, bowl cut, perfect energy—came rushing past Jun.
"…Gai!" Jun groaned internally.
But he still couldn't speak.
Might Guy took Jun's silence as challenge. He kicked up the pace.
Fwsh—
Two upside-down figures blurred through the bustling commercial street like a green and blue hurricane.
Jun's body, helpless to resist, picked up speed to match.
"Oi, Jun! Out this late again?"
"Don't overdo it, brat! Stop by later and grab some pancakes for the road!"
Teuchi—the old man who ran the pancake stall with his wife—called after the speeding Uchiha.
He wasn't sure if the boy heard, but he smiled anyway, shaking his head.
Huff… huff… huffff—
Dōka skidded to a stop at the edge of the street, breath ragged, hand on his knees.
How… the hell… is that guy so fast? While handstanding?!
A voice called to him.
"Dōka, you out training too?"
Dōka turned, catching sight of the smiling stall owner.
Straightening his back, he bowed. "Evening, Teuchi-san!"
The old man laughed warmly. "Makes me happy to see the next generation working this hard. Truly heartening."
Dōka forced a smile. "Yes, sir!"
Teuchi added, "Looks like you've spent a lot of chakra. Want a few pancakes to replenish your strength?"
Dōka hesitated—he was sweaty, tired, humiliated—but couldn't turn him down.
"I'll take a few, thanks. How much?"
Teuchi handed over a bag with a smile. "Special deal—five hundred ryō."
"Eh?" Dōka blinked. "That much? You've never charged that before… Five hundred's enough to buy Icha Icha Paradise…"
His voice trailed off to a whisper, like a sinner confessing to a priest.