Takumi's system shut down after Megumi spoke.
He knew he had already lost the fight, but the humiliation that would follow him back to the clan was unbearable.
A few of Takumi's followers—some fellow Hyūga clan men—stepped forward to defend their leader.
"Hey, you keep saying you're from a major clan, but you're being disrespectful to someone who could be your father," one sneered.
"But… think about it," another added. "If you really came from who you claim, why haven't you gained anything from either of them?"
"Hahaha. Who knows maybe his mother was a dog who got pregnant after cheating with some daimyo or some man on a mission. Then they put the blame on the poor guy." Laughter followed, cruel and loud.
Megumi could take a lot from what the Hyūga men said about him, but when they began insulting his mother and questioning his birth, they crossed a line.
"Say that again if you dare," Megumi said in a cold voice. "I promise you I will kill every one of you."
A weight as heavy as a mountain poured out from him, filling the entire area. The pressure was so intense some people collapsed.
Megumi walked toward the one who had called him a bastard with a calm, precise stride.
Takumi laughed when he heard his clan members defending him, and his smug smile remained until the killing intent overwhelmed him and he could not move a finger.
"Whose killing intent is that? It's so strong." He turned his head and saw people starting to collapse from the pressure. He noticed the kid he had been mocking was under the same pressure but unaffected, which meant the boy was the source.
"Please don't kill me," Takumi begged, his voice trembling. He had only ever seen this kind of killing intent once during the Third Shinobi War.
To his surprise, Megumi did not consider him worth killing first. He walked past Takumi and went straight to the clan members who had called his mother a slut.
Now Takumi faced a choice: die himself, or watch his clan members die.
Megumi approached the group, his fist clenched and ready.
Just as he was about to strike, a much larger hand grabbed his wrist.
"Hey, kid. You're coming with us to the station," said a young man in a police uniform. He looked like a teenager with black hair and dark eyes.
"Who are you calling kid? Get your hands off me now," Megumi snapped, furious at the interruption.
The Uchiha officer took a step back when he saw the bloodlust in the child's gaze. He activated his two-tomoe Sharingan. Fear made him hesitate; he was beginning to realize he could not easily beat this kid.
Megumi left the Hyūga now and focused on the Uchiha. He did not give the officer time to plan. He launched himself forward and went low at the officer's legs.
The Uchiha reacted thanks to his Sharingan and saw Megumi aiming for his leg. He had been arrogant, convinced his Sharingan would make him dominant.
He closed in on Megumi, trying to force close combat. Megumi countered with a sidekick. The officer blocked it, but the force sent him skipping backward.
"Damn, this kid hits heavy." The officer felt numbness in the hand that had blocked the strike. "I can't use ninjutsu here. Genjutsu is my only option."
He charged at Megumi, who stood looking straight at the Uchiha's Sharingan. Megumi could tell what the officer planned. He muttered under his breath, "I will break that confidence in your eye."
Megumi did not avoid the Sharingan. He simply stood perfectly still, like a statue.
"You made a big mistake looking into the eyes of my brat," the Uchiha smirked as he closed in to tie Megumi up for questioning.
"Don't go near him, you damn fool!" a female voice yelled. Kurenai and Anko stepped forward.
"Huh?" The officer turned in confusion and saw the women. "Are you trying to stop the police from performing their duties again?" he shouted.
He turned back to Megumi, who was grinning like a wolf.
Boom.
A punch slammed into the officer's face and threw him several meters away from the ramen shop. He finally remembered why the women had warned him to stay away from the kid. He still felt the killing intent he had not been under any genjutsu. The whole thing had been a setup.
Cleaning blood from his lips, the officer tried to rise. He made a mistake thinking Megumi would leave him be.
Kneeling, the officer did not react fast enough when Megumi silently moved behind him. The officer had deactivated his Sharingan after Kurenai's warning, and now he could not respond.
Megumi delivered a swift running sidekick as a finishing move. The officer blocked with both hands but could not withstand the impact and was slammed across the store's side road.
At that moment he realized this child was no ordinary five year old who played in sand or ran around. This kid was a demon. He regretted being at work today, thinking he might die before his captain or teammates arrived to help.
For the first time, Megumi felt a powerful urge to kill. He walked to where the officer lay, picked up a kunai he had noticed fall earlier.
"Stop this, please," Kurenai screamed, but she dared not come closer after witnessing the way he had taken down a two-tomoe Uchiha with ease.
Megumi looked at them. "You will be next. Just wait." He continued to walk slowly, like a final boss approaching.
"What are you thinking? What are you doing, Megumi?" A familiar voice rang behind him, and the vibration in his body vanished instantly. The killing intent receded in an instant.