At that moment, nearly everyone nearby turned to look.
The sudden confrontation between Ren and Hyuga Homon had unfolded so quickly that the surrounding students were still trying to figure out what had just happened.
Even Rin Nohara, who had been standing right beside Ren only moments earlier, looked completely lost.
She had wanted to step in and stop them, but the situation had escalated too fast. One second they had been talking, and the next, Ren had demanded that Homon apologize to the Three Basic Jutsu and challenged him to a duel in front of half the academy.
How was she even supposed to mediate that?
Not far away, Obito stared with wide eyes.
Shiranui Genma looked equally confused.
Asuma and the others farther back also started whispering among themselves.
"Hey, hey, what just happened?"
"I don't know. I think Ren and Hyuga Homon started arguing about… the Will of Fire?"
"That doesn't explain anything!"
One girl clasped her hands together and whispered in total seriousness, "I support Ren. He's handsome, so he has to be innocent. This is definitely the Hyuga Clan bullying people with their status. How shameless."
Another boy, meanwhile, looked far more excited than concerned.
"Oho! They're actually going to fight? Good! Do it! I want to see blood!"
The crowd grew louder by the second.
Some were confused.
Some were amused.
Some were thrilled.
As for Hyuga Homon himself, he was still slightly dazed. He hadn't fully processed how a casual insult toward the Three Basic Jutsu had somehow turned into an accusation of rejecting the academy's founding principles and denying the Will of Fire.
But under the gaze of so many classmates, he had no room left to retreat.
He was a member of the Hyuga Clan.
A descendant of one of Konoha's noble bloodlines.
And now a civilian student was publicly challenging him?
His face instantly darkened.
"Fine!" Homon snapped. "A duel, then! Come!"
Without waiting for anyone's permission, he jumped straight onto the arena stage.
Ren followed immediately, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
"Wait! You two shouldn't be fighting here—"
Rin hurried forward, trying to stop them, but by the time she got close, both boys were already standing on the stage facing each other.
Biting her lip, she could only turn and rush toward Mr. Oki.
"Teacher! Please stop them!"
Mr. Oki, however, looked… conflicted.
Logically speaking, fighting between students without permission absolutely should not be allowed.
But then again…
Ren's words from earlier echoed in his mind.
Denying the Three Basic Jutsu is denying the teaching principles of the Konoha Ninja Academy… and denying the Will of Fire.
At first glance, it sounded ridiculous.
Utter nonsense.
But the more he thought about it, the harder it became to dismiss completely.
After all, Konoha's academy had been built on the idea that every child, no matter their background, could become a ninja. The Three Basic Jutsu were the first techniques every student learned. They were the foundation of ninja education itself.
And from a more personal perspective…
Both Mr. Oki and Mr. Himura came from civilian backgrounds.
Neither of them had inherited powerful bloodlines or secret clan techniques.
Even after becoming Chunin, the jutsu they relied on most often in everyday missions were still basic skills like the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, Substitution Jutsu, and the Body Flicker Technique.
So when Hyuga Homon had called those techniques "low-level junk," it had honestly rubbed them the wrong way.
Mr. Oki coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. Rin, there's no need to panic so much. The official combat portion hasn't started yet, but… private sparring and practice between students is not entirely unreasonable."
He tried to sound authoritative.
"If anything dangerous happens, Mr. Himura and I will step in immediately."
Rin turned to him in disbelief.
That was your decision?!
But before she could argue further, the two boys on stage had already taken their stances.
They stood several meters apart, staring at each other with obvious hostility.
The surrounding students fell silent.
Then Ren moved first.
His hands flashed through signs with practiced speed.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof!
A burst of white smoke exploded around him.
In an instant, three identical clones appeared at his side.
The four Ren figures rushed forward together.
For most academy students, this was one of the most standard opening tactics imaginable. Against opponents of similar level, it could create confusion and force hesitation.
But Homon only sneered.
"Pointless tricks."
His fingers formed seals.
"Byakugan!"
Veins bulged around his temples as the Hyuga bloodline activated. His vision sharpened immediately, piercing through the false images in front of him.
Under the Byakugan, the chakra pathways within Ren's clones were blurred and unstable. Their outlines lacked substance.
The real Ren, however, was obvious.
His chakra flow was denser.
His body had weight.
His presence was far more solid.
Homon's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Found you."
In the next instant, he kicked off the ground.
His body shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
At the same time, his palms shifted into the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.
The air around his hands trembled faintly.
"Gentle Fist!"
His strike came fast.
Too fast for most academy students to react to properly.
Below the stage, several students gasped.
They all knew the reputation of the Hyuga Clan's taijutsu. Once caught in its rhythm, the battle often ended almost immediately.
But instead of retreating, Ren narrowed his eyes and stepped in.
He lowered his center of gravity and threw a punch straight at Homon's incoming palm.
Bang!
Fist and palm collided with a heavy, muffled sound.
Homon's expression changed instantly.
What?
A flicker of shock appeared in his eyes.
This shouldn't have happened.
During sparring classes a month ago, Ren's taijutsu had been nothing special. Certainly not strong enough to directly receive a Gentle Fist strike head-on.
And yet now…
Not only had Ren blocked him, but the impact had genuine force behind it.
On the other side, Ren's expression also tightened.
As expected of the Hyuga Clan.
Even with the bonus to his physique from the gala system, that exchange had made his blood churn.
If he had tried to take that same palm strike with the body he'd had half a month ago, the result would have been ugly.
The difference between a clan heir and a civilian student really was no joke.
Three points in Physique had strengthened him significantly, but it still wasn't enough to erase years of inherited advantage and specialized training.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two exchanged several more quick blows.
Palm.
Fist.
Block.
Step.
Retreat.
The pace was sharp and tense, but Ren did not remain locked in close combat for long. After only a few exchanges, he leaped backward and broke distance, landing lightly several meters away.
His breathing remained controlled, but his eyes had already grown more focused.
He lowered his stance slightly and moved one hand toward the ninja tool pouch at his waist.
Competing with a Hyuga in pure taijutsu was a foolish choice.
If Homon landed even one clean Gentle Fist strike on his chakra points, Ren's chakra flow would be disrupted, and even using ninjutsu afterward would become difficult.
More importantly, Ren had not forgotten the mission triggered by the system.
If he wanted to complete it properly, then the deciding factor in this battle had to be the Three Basic Jutsu.
And not just a win.
He needed to win beautifully.
Ren exhaled slowly.
In that brief pause, a plan had already formed in his head.
Across from him, Homon straightened and recovered his composure.
Since the initial clash had not gone as smoothly as expected, he puffed out his chest and tried to recover his dignity with words instead.
"What happened to that big attitude from earlier?" he sneered. "Where's that confidence now, civilian genius?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Looking at you, I doubt you can even stand much longer."
Ren's face remained expressionless.
Then he said flatly, "Stop barking like a dog."
The insult hit perfectly.
Homon's face flushed red with anger.
"You—!"
He launched himself forward again, this time even faster than before. His Gentle Fist stance became sharper, more serious, more dangerous.
"You only know how to talk!"
"Now let me show you the true depth of the Gentle Fist!"
He drew in a breath.
"Eight Trigrams—"
But before he could finish—
Ren's hand flashed into his pouch.
Several wooden training shuriken appeared between his fingers.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent them flying.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The shuriken cut through the air with piercing whistles, forming a triangular pattern aimed at Homon's face, chest, and abdomen.
But Homon had already seen the trajectories clearly.
"With something this slow, you think you can touch me?"
He shifted lightly, his movement as smooth as flowing water. His body slipped through the gaps between the projectiles with elegant precision, displaying the Hyuga Clan's refined footwork.
One shuriken passed by his ear.
Another by his ribs.
The third spun past his shoulder.
Not one touched him.
Homon's expression turned mocking again.
"Is this all you have?"
"How laughable."
In the blink of an eye, he had already closed to within two meters of Ren.
His palms crossed as chakra gathered at his fingertips.
The stance of the Eight Trigrams unfolded.
"It's over."
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
His first strike exploded forward.
"First Palm!"
Below the stage, Rin gasped and cried out involuntarily.
"Ren-kun, watch out!"
But at the exact moment Homon's palm was about to touch Ren's chest—
Poof!
A cloud of smoke burst outward.
The body in front of him vanished.
In its place—
A wooden training shuriken dropped to the floor.
Homon's eyes widened in horror.
"What?!"
His triumphant expression froze.
Then, all at once, alarm bells began screaming in his mind.
At the same time, behind him, one of the wooden shuriken he had dodged earlier—the one that had seemingly landed uselessly on the empty ground—suddenly exploded into smoke as well.
And from that smoke emerged Ren's real body.
It was the Substitution Jutsu.
But not the clumsy academy version everyone knew.
This was a seal-less instant release.
A substitution performed at the very edge of timing itself.
A 0.2-second limit substitution.
The crowd below the stage froze.
Even Mr. Oki and Mr. Himura's eyes widened.
There had been no visible hand signs.
No obvious preparation.
No delay.
Only a perfect switch at the critical instant.
Homon hadn't even had time to turn around.
And Ren didn't hesitate.
The moment he appeared behind him, he twisted his waist and hips in one explosive motion.
All the strength in his body flowed into his right leg.
Then—
Bam!
His side kick lashed out like a steel whip and slammed straight into the center of Homon's back.
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