A fierce battle was raging in the small plaza.
But aside from Tenten and Neji, none of the others had yet learned how to refine or use chakra, so what they were doing was basically just an all-out kiddie brawl.
Makoto stood off to the side with Lee, eating snacks and watching the show.
After all, this was Sasuke and Naruto's first clash—it had commemorative value.
At the moment, the twenty little brats in the plaza had split into two groups: the ones fighting and the ones spectating.
Among the girls in the spectator group, some looked like they wanted to join in but were too embarrassed to do so, like Karin and Sakura, both of whom clearly had a violent streak.
Tenten looked like she wanted to break up the fight but had no idea how to step in, her face full of anxiety.
She just didn't seem born with onee-san energy. Girls with that kind of disposition were either thinking about jumping straight into the fray, or, like Ino, gleefully stirring the pot.
Neji stood protectively in front of Hinata. Since his father was still alive and had never died as a substitute sacrifice, his personality hadn't twisted, and he had already begun awakening the traits of an overprotective siscon.
Shikamaru wore an expression that said this was way too troublesome, standing off to the side with Chōji while the two of them ate chips and watched the excitement. Shino stood behind them, silently activating stealth mode.
As for why, it was his clan's passive skill. He was born knowing how to do it.
There were three sides involved in the fight: Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto, and the three little brats following behind Naruto.
Naruto now was no longer some lonely stray with both parents dead. As the Hokage's son, he had successfully recruited a few underlings.
Before long, Kiba and Sasuke realized that two fists couldn't beat four hands, so the two of them joined forces and started trading blows evenly with the four on the other side.
Sasuke had trained with his older brother before, so even though he hadn't started refining chakra yet, the way he used taijutsu was already disciplined and well-structured.
The Inuzuka clan's secret techniques also centered mainly around taijutsu, so once the two of them teamed up, they quickly dealt with Naruto's little followers, then pinned Naruto to the ground and gave him a thorough beating.
The moment Karin saw her little brother getting hit, how could she possibly stand for that? She rushed up and started swinging her fists at Kiba. Kiba felt bad about hitting a girl, so all he could do was run around frantically to avoid her attacks.
Why didn't Karin go after Sasuke instead?
Because Sasuke was good-looking.
This was a looks-based world.
Now only Sasuke and Naruto were left. The two of them seemed born to clash, and immediately started wrestling with each other again. Naruto was a stamina monster, so even after getting thoroughly pummeled just moments ago, he still bounced back at full health and started throwing wild punches at his fated rival.
Very good—Asura and Indra had begun their earth-shaking battle ahead of schedule.
Soon, everyone else had become spectators, and only the two of them were still putting on an energetic performance, successfully upgrading from flailing punches to ground grappling as they began a full-on man-on-man chokehold struggle.
After hearing the commotion, Kushina ran out to take a look, then immediately went back inside to continue researching seals.
What kid doesn't get into fights?
She herself had fought her way all the way through graduation, and had even been "honored" by her male classmates with the nickname: Red-Hot Habanero.
Back then, she could chase an entire crowd around by herself. What was happening now was child's play.
Just as Sasuke and Naruto were starting to lose their tempers and their punches were getting more and more reckless, Makoto used a Body Flicker and appeared in midair above the plaza.
His floating body erupted with tangible chakra, which even extended into two tentacle-like appendages that grabbed Sasuke and Naruto by the backs of their necks—the necks of fate, as it were—and lifted them into the air.
This kind of chakra activation application, similar to what Hoshigakure used, was no challenge at all for the current Makoto.
If he wanted to, he could even form chakra wings, or a chakra horse.
Once the two little brats realized they couldn't break free, they quickly quieted down.
The other children, seeing a ninjutsu they had never seen before—and even witnessing their future teacher flying—immediately behaved themselves and had their attention successfully redirected.
This was Makoto giving them a show of authority.
If he didn't establish his dignity as a teacher now, how was he supposed to discipline this bunch of little troublemakers later?
At the same time, it also let them see the wondrous applications of chakra and stirred up their enthusiasm for learning.
Want to learn how to fly?
Want to become a chakra tentacle monster?
Want to tie up your enemies without moving a muscle and leave them bound up like submissive little prey?
If you do, then train hard in the dōjō.
Teacher has placed all of his secrets there.
...
After landing, Makoto released the two little brats and said with a smile, "Very good, very spirited. But can anyone tell me why you were fighting?"
The others weren't familiar with Makoto, so they didn't know how to answer.
Naruto and Karin were participants, so they didn't dare say anything.
Fortunately, Makoto had his thoughtful little cotton jacket in Tenten, who took the initiative to explain things to him, allowing him to quickly reconstruct what had happened.
The cause was simple.
After seeing Sakura, Naruto, for some reason, had mocked the little girl for her wide forehead.
Maybe it was just a boy's way of trying to get a girl's attention.
Makoto had done the same sort of thing in his previous life when he was little—he had even doodled on the clothes of the girl sitting in front of him with a ballpoint pen.
Sakura looked dejected on the surface, but inwardly she was already screaming.
Ino felt that Sakura was very much her kind of person, someone with the makings of a good sister, so she had proactively stepped forward to criticize Naruto for her.
Kiba felt that Naruto treating a girl like that was wrong, so he started lecturing him in his capacity as the boss.
Ino took the opportunity to fan the flames.
And then, over the question of who got to be the boss, everyone started fighting.
Naruto put forward what he thought was the most convincing reason: his father was the Hokage—and with that, he had successfully recruited underlings.
Sasuke, on the other hand, believed that the ninja world ran on strength. Naturally, whoever was stronger should be the boss. He called them all idiots—and in doing so, got himself dragged into the fight.
After hearing this, Makoto asked in return, "Tenten, you should be stronger than all of them. Why didn't you stop them? Don't you want to be the boss?"
Tenten: "…"
No, sensei, I really don't.
Naruto wanted to argue back, but ever since he met Tenten last year—and got beaten by her once when he challenged her—he had been behaving himself.
Kiba, however, didn't take that well. "Her? Stronger than all of us? You've got to be kidding. If I punch her once, she'd probably cry for ages."
Makoto gave him a thumbs-up. "Kid, you've got guts. In that case, come up here and spar."
"Bring it on!"
Kiba wasn't the type to back down. He stepped forward and faced Tenten. At Makoto's request, the two formed the Seal of Opposition.
And then… there was no "then."
He was instantly taken down by Tenten, who closed the distance in a flash and knocked him flat on his back, leaving him staring up at the sky, his life plunged into confusion.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Sasuke, though he hadn't awakened the Sharingan yet, still had sharp eyes. "Sensei, this isn't fair, is it? She's already learned how to refine chakra—how are we supposed to beat her?"
Even in ninja clans, children were generally only taught chakra refinement after turning four. Starting too early wasn't good for physical development.
And in times of peace, some families even delayed it until half a year before academy enrollment, prioritizing the child's healthy growth.
Most of the kids here today hadn't even reached four yet—they genuinely didn't know how to use chakra.
Makoto nodded. "Sasuke, you're absolutely right. In that case, let's have someone who can use chakra step up instead. Hyūga Neji, you're up."
Neji: "???"
Why me? I've been busy protecting my little sister—I didn't even join the brawl.
But before coming here, his father had told him that in the dōjō, he had to listen to the teacher. So he didn't resist and obediently stepped forward.
After forming the Seal of Opposition, Neji took up the stance of the Gentle Fist.
He hadn't activated the Byakugan yet, and had only been practicing Gentle Fist with his father for a short time. What he had was just form—he couldn't actually strike chakra points.
At first, Tenten felt a bit lacking in confidence when she saw it was the Hyūga's Byakugan style. But after testing a few moves, she immediately realized that this Gentle Fist was nothing special.
With a quick turn, she dodged Neji's palm strike, circled behind him, hooked her right foot around his left, and gave him a firm push from behind—throwing his balance off and sending him to the ground.
The match was decided. The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
Although Neji felt it was embarrassing to lose to a girl, there was nothing he could do—she was clearly far stronger than him.
For a moment, Tenten's confidence skyrocketed, as if she had reached an unprecedented peak in her life.
Makoto wasn't surprised at all. Tenten had been training under him for over a year and had gained significant benefits—her physical condition far surpassed the others. It would have been strange if she lost.
However, she didn't have the bloodline of the Uchiha, Hyūga, or Uzumaki. If she wanted to stay ahead in the future, she would have to work even harder.
As the saying goes, competition brings pressure. Makoto, this utterly unscrupulous teacher, immediately piled a huge amount of aggro onto her.
"Since you all think strength determines the boss, then Tenten is the boss for now. But this is only temporary. You can challenge her at any time in the future. Understood?"
"Understood!" ×N
Tenten: "…"
No, sensei, if you do this, the pressure on me is huge…
Looking at those eager, itching-to-fight gazes, the little girl suddenly felt that her days ahead probably wouldn't be easy.
Makoto said, "Very good. Now, follow Tenten, go to the rooms, put on your respective equipment, and begin training."
Soon, under Tenten's lead, all the little brats began their physical training—lively on the surface, but secretly competing against each other.
Up in the trees at the edge of the dōjō forest, Uchiha Itachi—who had been lurking there as an obsessive little-brother watcher—felt a surge of satisfaction upon seeing Sasuke successfully blend in with children his own age.
Beside him, Shisui asked curiously, "Itachi, that disciple of Makoto's seems pretty strong. Aren't you worried Sasuke's confidence might take a hit?"
"It's only natural for the disciple of Makoto-senpai to be outstanding. If Sasuke's confidence were shaken, then it would only mean his capacity is lacking. But I don't think that will happen. I trust Sasuke's talent."
Shisui smiled. "I trust Sasuke too. After all, he's your little brother."
"Itachi-nii, if the children of the Uchiha could all grow up in an environment like this… maybe the rift between us and the village wouldn't be so great."
"Yeah. There are civilians here, and direct descendants from various clans. They're all disciples under the same sensei. When they grow up, their relationships will naturally be closer."
Itachi nodded. "This is a good start. With the Fourth Hokage in power now, things are favorable for the Uchiha. Those annoying voices within the clan… must disappear."
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