-----
-----
If someone said they wanted to beat Rukawa until his teeth scattered across the ground—
Well, Rukawa had no problem helping them make that dream come true.
He flexed his hand, secretly startled. He hadn't expected his strength to reach this level.
He'd barely used even one percent of his power just now, yet he'd sent the guy flying over ten meters with a single slap.
If he actually went all out… that poor guy might not even be left in one piece.
Hyūga Shishu was slumped against a tree trunk, head tilted, mouth full of blood. Out cold.
Not that anyone was paying him much attention.
Right now, Iruka's eyes were bulging like a cow's.
His mouth hung open, frozen wide like it was jammed—he couldn't even close it.
Fast.
Way too fast!
The speed Rukawa had just displayed was so sharp that even Iruka, a chūnin, couldn't catch his movement at all.
It left him completely shaken.
If he'd been the one standing where Hyūga Shishu was, he'd probably be the one flying across the field.
The thought shocked Iruka even more.
Could it be… that Uchiha Rukawa's strength had already surpassed that of a chūnin?!
Iruka looked at the boy, hands stuffed casually in his pockets, and for the first time felt like he couldn't see through him at all.
"Coward! You must've blindsided Shishu! That's the only way!"
"So this is what an Uchiha is like? Can't even fight fair and square, you have to sneak attack to win?"
"What a disgrace, Uchiha Rukawa! You've brought shame to your whole clan!"
"...."
The little brats who hated Rukawa started yelling again.
They didn't have Iruka's experience.
All they saw was a blur, and then suddenly Hyūga Shishu crashed into a giant tree out of nowhere.
That was already way beyond anything they could process.
The idea that Rukawa had taken him down in a single blow? Nope, didn't even cross their minds.
To them, a ninja fight was just trading slow, clumsy punches until someone dropped.
How could anyone win in one strike? That was impossible in their world.
So of course, they decided Rukawa must've cheated, and kept hollering like idiots.
"Cheating! Iruka-sensei, Uchiha Rukawa cheated! You can't let him win like that!"
"That kind of shameless garbage doesn't count!"
"...."
Rukawa stared at the noisy group, expression flat, hands still in his pockets.
"What a bunch of clueless weaklings. Yapping nonstop—you're annoying the hell out of me."
Swish, swish, swish!
In one motion, Rukawa pulled a handful of shuriken from his system's inventory.
His face turned sharp and cold as he glared at the kids still shouting.
"Let me teach you all something."
His voice dropped, icy.
"When weaklings mouth off in front of someone stronger… there's always a price to pay."
"And the price I want—"
A grin stretched across his face.
"—is sending you straight to the Shinigami to confess your sins."
The kids froze, eyes wide.
Shuriken gleamed in Rukawa's hands, and his words chilled the air around them.
Iruka's stomach dropped. He shouted in alarm:
"Rukawa! Calm down! Don't do anything stupid!
They're your classmates! Put down those blades right now!"
Given the speed Rukawa had just shown, Iruka knew one thing for sure: if this boy really decided to kill, there was no way he could stop him. All he could do was yell.
"Uchiha Rukawa, stop! Do you really want to carry the sin of killing your comrades at your age? Do you want to become a rogue ninja?!"
But Rukawa wasn't slowing down.
Panicked, Iruka bolted toward him, shouting.
Everyone knew the Uchiha were a clan of madmen, each one touched with a bit of that insanity.
Iruka was sure Rukawa wasn't joking.
"Heh. Just now, when those little punks were mouthing off, you didn't stop them. And now you're trying to stop me? How ridiculous."
Rukawa let out a cold laugh. With a flick of his wrist, the shuriken spun through the air, cutting toward the group of brats.
"No!"
Iruka's eyes went wide with horror.
The blades sliced perfectly through the air—then slipped right between the kids' legs.
All at once, every loudmouth felt a sudden chill below the belt.
Their pants split open cleanly down the middle, leaving every single one of them with brand-new crotchless trousers.
The scene that followed was… unforgettable.
"Y-you… Rukawa, what the—"
Iruka was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this outcome at all.
At the same time, a wave of relief washed over him.
Good. At least Rukawa hadn't really lost his mind and started killing people.
If blood had been spilled under his watch, he had no idea how he'd ever explain it to the Third Hokage.
"Sensei, you look kind of nervous," Rukawa said softly, the corner of his mouth curving into a faint smile.
But to Iruka, that smile looked more like mockery.
"....."