With the soles of his sandals scraping against the ground, the pink-haired dragged himself to the edge of the field; but his legs… his body had already reached its limit.
He couldn't cross the edge before collapsing forward, just like an old tree unable to support its own weight.
His arms, too heavy, were also unable to move to break his fall.
Even so, the pain on his face as he slammed into the ground was nothing compared to the fire that seemed to consume his muscles.
— Yashin.
Sakura's worried call barely reached his ears.
The lack of air and the dirt near his nostrils only increased his dizziness; however, when the girl knelt beside him to help him get back up, he was finally able to see her.
Her, and the countless cold stares directed his way.
…
"How does it feel to be so popular?"
…
The question was barely intelligible amid the uncontrollable laughter.
Yashin felt the urge to reach out his hand to make all those cold, haughty stares fall at his feet. But he didn't even have the strength to lift his hands, much less the ability to push all those heads aside.
…
"Do you realize now how stupid you were to go easy on all these cattle? If you'd listened to me and taken their pathetic lives into your own hands, instead of just beating them and extorting them for a measly profit, none of them would dare even look up in my presence. Well? Do you regret it?"
…
Sakura, being closest to Yashin, felt the malice and coldness emanating from him with complete clarity; however, just as quickly as it arrived, it vanished.
Even so, that was enough for the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the talented sensors of their year to refocus their eyes on Yashin.
Even Shouen, still frozen in the arms of a teacher helping him off the field, winced violently for a second.
None of that mattered to Yashin.
He simply snorted and shook his head.
"It's ridiculous."
The comment was full of relief, and his mind felt lighter than ever.
What was there to regret?
Was it because he was too soft, too lacking in resolve?
Was it because of the weakness that came with his young age?
Was it because of his lack of urgency to become stronger?
Was it because he held himself back with countless superfluous considerations?
Was it because he was looked upon with contempt, as if he were trash?
Was it because of his pathetic current state?
Power over others, authority over violence, life, and death, was satisfying, intoxicating; it was something he knew should belong to him—like when he needed money and stood outside the school to beat and extort anyone who crossed his path; without law, without morals to limit him. But such ease soon became boring.
Always the same bowed heads, obedient and submissive.
Besides being soporific, it was also repugnant; however, now that… one could say he was on the other side of the fence, he felt even more disgusting and filthy, but, curiously, it was more interesting.
He never imagined he'd find himself in this position, looked down upon, vilified, and intimidated by those he had always considered beneath him.
It was disgusting, but at the same time, much more entertaining.
In the end, there was nothing to regret.
There was no rush to get stronger, either.
As long as he was the one standing at the end, a dirty, rough journey was far better than taking a direct, well-paved path.
…
The voice didn't know what Yashin was thinking.[ID1.1] Still, it could sense the lightness that washed over his body after the fleeting anger caused by its provocation.
He couldn't understand it. What kind of mental breakdown could cause such an abrupt shift in someone's emotions?
Irritated, he planned to confront the pink-haired, not caring that he was standing next to Sakura or under the gaze of countless other people; but perhaps anticipating his annoyance, Yashin opened his mouth to strike up a conversation with his twin sister and distract her from her previous comment.
— Are you sure you should be helping me?
— …Huh?
The girl, still dazed by the uncontrolled malice that had erupted from her brother, took several seconds to react.
"Everyone is watching right now, including your precious Uchiha. Aren't you afraid that doing this will cause you to lose what little chance you already have with that brat?"
Sakura's pale face turned even more sickly.
She didn't move.
No words came out of her mouth either.
She simply bit her lower lip for a moment as she met Yashin's green eyes.
A second later, she pushed him again so the pink-haired would finish getting back up.
"Mind your own business."
Yashin's sarcastic remark died on his lips before it could reach his tongue.
There was something in his troublesome little sister's stern gaze that stopped him from opening his mouth to tease her, as was their usual habit.
So instead of arguing with her or irritating her, he had no choice but to obediently accept her help.
— Why didn't you give up?
— That's a stupid question. How could I possibly give up?
— Your answer is so predictable it makes me want to punch you.
— You can try. I doubt I'll ever be in a state like this again, so this is your best chance.
— I don't want to dirty my hands by punching a loser.
— Who are you calling a loser? Didn't you see I was the last one standing?
— No one cares about your tricks. What matters is that you got your ass kicked.
— You should consider getting glasses like your friend. I'm sure there's something wrong with your eyes.
— Say that again.
— If you want, I can tell you where I got the pair you asked me for his last birthday. I'm sure… Ugh, you said you weren't going to hit me. Why are you suddenly squeezing so hard?
— Shut your mouth, before I decide to help you shut it.
As the pair of lively twins made their way to a suitable spot to rest at the edge of the field, many of the spectators were still watching them, unable to comprehend their sudden, simultaneous detachment from the rest of their surroundings following the peculiar fight, let alone the way it had ended.
Once both participants had completely left the field, the Third Hokage let out a sigh before trying to stand up to call the morning session to a close; however, Danzo had other plans.
— Neji Hyuga and Natsuki Uzumaki. You two will have one final demonstration match.
The Hokage, his mouth stupidly hanging open, had no choice but to close it again.
Although he wanted to ask his old comrade what the hell he was planning by sticking his nose so deep into his territory, it wasn't hard for him to restrain himself and hide it behind a smile; even so, with a single glance, he made sure to let him know that this would be the last time.
Danzo just snorted and looked away, disgusted by the other party's pettiness.
Although the new call came as a surprise to everyone, the students summoned to the center of the stage wasted no time in standing out from the crowd.
The blonde girl's shiny pigtails stood in stark contrast to the coldness of her expression. Not even the three pairs of stripes, resembling mustaches on her cheeks, could soften that coldness.
Even so, her opponent wasn't far behind.
Three matches, one loser after another; anyone would be fed up, let alone a proud child who believes he has better things to waste his time on.
They didn't exchange a single word.
As soon as the teacher raised his hand, they both stepped forward.
The Hyuga hadn't even bothered to activate his Byakugan; however, seeing that the blonde was easily dominating their initial exchanges—to the point where he was gradually being pushed back—he had no choice but to mobilize his chakra.
This time, the fight was much more evenly matched; even so, the Hyuga was unable to land a decisive blow.
It was as if the eldest sister of the demon foxes possessed a sixth sense that always helped her dodge the strikes aimed at her tenketsu at the last moment.
Off the battlefield, everyone was surprised by the level the fight had reached.
Even Hiruzen and Danzo found it hard to believe that those children were mere first-year students at the academy, raised in a time of peace.
Finally, Neji, tired of the stalemate and exhausted from the constant use of his Byakugan, took a step back.
His face drenched in sweat and his labored breathing were the complete opposite of the Uzumaki's serenity.
Perhaps that image was what prompted him to open his mouth just as Natsuki was about to concede the fight.
After all, he had already seized the opportunity; he had already demonstrated his strength before the Hokage and the other students. In his mind, that might guarantee better treatment—or at least reduce the abuse.
However…
— Natsuki Uzumaki, right? I never expected the older sister of the demon foxes to push me this far. I wonder how your brother turned out to be such a disappointment. But no matter who I face, in the end, I will be…
Before he could finish, Natsuki sprang into action again.
But unlike her previous impassivity, her eyes clearly showed barely contained fury.
Neji immediately activated his Byakugan again, but at that very moment, a large amount of dirt and gravel was fired toward his face from one of Natsuki's feet.
Instinctively, he tried to cover himself, even as the dirt had already struck and blinded him.
Instead of rushing to capitalize on her advantage, Natsuki stopped right in front of the boy before attacking him in another way.
"Even though you're nothing more than a mere servant of the main family, you talk as if you were someone important."
Neji's stinging eyes flew wide open, perhaps because of the blonde's comment, or perhaps because of the knee strike to his groin that followed.
The Byakugan, marked by countless blood vessels, barely caught a glimpse of Natsuki's pair of blonde pigtails and resentful face before turning to gaze at the sky and then being engulfed by darkness.
Silence once again engulfed the entire training ground, even after Uzumaki rose from the ground where she had knocked Hyuga down and rubbed her reddened knuckles that had knocked him out.
It wasn't until the teacher raised his arm to signal the end of the match that the noise returned.
Shortly after, the Hokage declared that would be all for the day.
This time, without the slightest trace of kindness or a smile on his aged face.