Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 214 The Difference Between the Main Family and the Branch Family: Face Reality!

The warm glow of the setting sun shone through the window onto the desks.

Jingle bell bell bell!

The crisp and long school bell rang, dispelling the last restlessness in the classroom.

"Alright, that's all for today's lesson."

On the podium, Iruka closed his lesson plan, a gentle smile on his face: "Everyone, go back and get some rest, and preview tomorrow's content."

"yeah!"

"School's finally over!"

"Sasuke! Wait for me!"

"Shikamaru, Ino! Let's go get some barbecue."

"Kiba, tell your Akamaru to stop licking me!"

The once quiet classroom erupted in chaos. The students, like birds released from their cages, cheered, laughed, and hurriedly packed their bags.

Naruto Uzumaki withdrew his consciousness from the sealed space, lowered his head, and slowly packed his things, creating a subtle contrast with the surrounding noise.

He stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and prepared to leave the classroom alone, just like before, and return to his small "home".

However, just as he took that first step...

"Naruto, where are you going?"

A loud, carefree voice came from behind.

Naruto paused, instinctively looking in the direction of the sound, and saw Chiba Ryosuke, who had been packing his things, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Didn't we agree to go out for dinner together?" Karin reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Naruto was taken aback.

However, his reaction was not because he was surprised that someone had invited him, because he had casually accepted Chiba Ryosuke's invitation earlier when get out of class ended.

It's perfectly normal for classmates you meet on the first day, who will be your deskmates for the entire semester, to have dinner together after school.

But what truly stunned Naruto was the first thought that arose in his mind.

--reject.

Yes, his first reaction was to refuse.

because……

'I still need to go buy groceries; the discounted fish should be almost gone...'

'I need to prepare dinner when I get back. I also bought cat food for Xiao Hei earlier; I wonder if it will like it...'

'After dinner, I have to enter the sealed space. After class, I can watch an episode of anime or play a game for a while...'

His time after school is very full.

If I go out to eat with them, it means I won't be able to buy any discounted items today, and I'll have to cut back on cooking and studying time, squeezing out my precious leisure time...

This unexpected invitation disrupted his planned, calm, and fulfilling schedule.

I declined the invitation.

This idea surprised even Naruto himself.

When did I stop craving and even humbly begging for companionship and acceptance from others like I used to?
Is it because she doesn't want others to know about the big fox inside her, or that mysterious teacher?
That's certainly one reason.

But at a deeper level, it seems that it's because he found a fulfilling and peaceful world of his own.

In that world, there was the company of a big fox, the guidance of a teacher, a regular schedule, clear goals, the satisfaction of acquiring knowledge, and even the anticipation of entertainment.

He no longer needs external recognition and companionship to fill the emptiness in his heart.

This self-sufficient tranquility made him subconsciously want to reject any "accidents" that might disrupt this tranquility.

Just as Naruto was hesitating.

A calm, unwavering voice resounded deep within his mind.

"Go, Naruto."

Yun's voice remained calm: "Communicating with people and personally experiencing and feeling the true face of this world is a kind of learning that books cannot replace."

"Isolating yourself will only narrow your understanding and make you arrogant."

Otsutsuki Kumoshiro's words extinguished the restlessness and resistance in Naruto's heart caused by the disruption of his habits.

He looked up at the carefree Chiba Ryosuke and the gentle-eyed Karin, nodded slowly, and smiled, "I know a ramen shop that's really good."

"Ramen? What are we waiting for! Let's go!"

Chiba Ryosuke took the lead, walking excitedly towards the classroom door with light, bouncy steps, while Karin and Naruto followed with smiles.

In the classroom behind the three, Sasuke Uchiha, who was surrounded by Sakura Haruno and several other girls, subconsciously turned his gaze toward the three of them.

“…Naruto Uzumaki?” he murmured.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura Haruno, who was closest to him, looked up and asked in confusion, "What did you just say?"

Sasuke Uchiha snapped out of his reverie, a smile appearing on his face. He shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about where to have a get-together."

Upon hearing this, the girls started chattering again, while Sasuke once again turned his gaze to the window.

During this time, he actually lived with Uchiha Shisui, getting familiar with the Sharingan, learning ninjutsu, and being instilled with Shisui's views.

From Shisui, Sasuke learned a great deal, including the Uchiha clan's past isolation and helplessness in Konoha due to their arrogance and pride, as well as the Nine-Tails' rampage.

Just like Uchiha Shisui, Sasuke is proud at heart, but he can hide that pride very well in order to continue the Uchiha clan.

In his view, Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, should be his only future rival. Not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of the future Hokage candidate.

Of course, this is only his perspective on why he cares about Naruto.

In fact, he himself did not know why he subconsciously became interested in it.

This is the connection etched deep in the souls of the reincarnations of Indra's chakra and Ashura's chakra, which will involuntarily draw them closer to each other, creating bonds and ideological conflicts, no matter where they are.

However, this time, it was Uchiha Sasuke who took the initiative to approach Uzumaki Naruto...

"correct."

As if he had thought of something, Uchiha Sasuke frowned and thought to himself, "There's one more person, that upperclassman Hyuga Neji."

Neji Hyuga's theoretical and practical achievements were both the best in the entire school among the senior students.

According to Shisui's speculation, Hyuga Kumokawa is among the candidates for the next Hokage.

If Hyuga Kumokawa were to become the Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Neji, who is also from the branch family and has shown genius, would likely be a strong candidate for the Sixth Hokage.

Meanwhile, Neji Hyuga, who was also considered a rival by Sasuke Uchiha, had no idea that he might also become Hokage.

Hyuga Neji, who was also leaving school, was on his way home when he noticed many students running towards the third training ground.

what happened?

Just as doubt began to form in his mind, several younger students hurriedly ran past him, their excited chatter clearly reaching his ears.

"Hurry, hurry, it's just ahead!"

"A battle between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan, that sounds interesting!"

Upon hearing this, Neji abruptly stopped, a look of astonishment flashing in his Byakuya eyes.

The main and branch families of the Hyuga clans fought each other, and in front of everyone.

Coming to his senses, an ominous premonition surged forth, instantly gripping Neji's heart.

His expression changed slightly, and without caring about anything else, he ran towards the training ground.

With his keen insight, he skillfully navigated through the crowded throng, quickly squeezing his way to the front and arriving at the training ground of the third exercise area.

In the center of the circular area, two figures stood facing each other silently.

One of them was Hyuga Takashi, whose face was filled with resentment.

The other person was Hyuga Hito, who had a smug expression and was a member of the main family who had been protected by Hyuga Takashi.

"Hyuga Takashi".

Hyuga Haruto looked at Hyuga Takashi opposite him and sneered, "It's not too late for you to kneel down and apologize to me now. I can pretend nothing happened, how about that?"

Hinata Takashi remained silent, his face grim.

The reason for this scene was that when he was chatting with Iroha, he complained that even though the split family was supposed to be fighting for their lives, they couldn't learn the Gentle Fist technique.

On the contrary, the main family members who do not need to take on any missions and only need to wait for the branch family to provide for them can freely learn all the techniques of the Hyuga clan.

Unexpectedly, Hinata Haruto overheard these words.

Then Hyuga Yuto didn't hesitate to challenge him to a duel. The young and impetuous Hyuga Takashi naturally couldn't admit defeat, but he didn't expect that this guy would choose an outdoor venue.

With the villagers and ninjas watching, their duel was no longer just a matter between the two individuals, but rather a matter of each representing the face of the main family and the branch family.

But in fact, even within the entire Hyuga clan, Hyuga Yoto was considered a genius, because he had mastered almost all Gentle Fist techniques except for Gentle Fist Rotation.

For example, Bagua Sixty-Four Palms, Soft Step Double Lion Fist, Bagua Empty Palm...

In contrast, Hyuga Takashi was only proficient in the "Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms," which was allowed to be learned by members of the branch family.

This was not a fair fight at all.

But Hyuga Takashi would never kneel down and admit defeat.

If he kneels down before Hyuga Hito in front of everyone, the branch family members who have finally managed to stand up will have their legs broken again.

"Enough with the nonsense." Hyuga Takashi stared intently at Hyuga Yuto and said coldly, "Don't forget, even if you lose, you'll have to kneel down and apologize!"

Upon hearing this, Hinata Haruto's eyes turned cold. He said no more, lowered his body slightly, and assumed the starting stance of Gentle Fist.

"Since you remain so stubborn..."

Veins bulged around Hinata Haruto's eyes as he spoke with a chilling tone, "Then I'll make you fully realize the difference in skill!"

Swish!
Before he finished speaking, Hinata Hito's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, leaving a trail of afterimages with his speed!
He instantly closed in on Hiruzen Takashi, his right index and middle fingers joined together, the tips of his fingers wrapped in condensed chakra, emitting a sharp whistling sound that cut through the air.

This finger strike was incredibly ruthless, piercing straight into Hyuga Takashi's right arm at the Jianjing acupoint.

With a clear objective and ruthless methods, the intention was to cripple Hyuga Takashi's arm, and to cripple him in a way that was incurable.

The speed was so fast that Hinata Hito's figure was not visible, but in that instant, Hinata Takashi's pupils moved.

Veins also appeared on Hyuga Takashi's eye sockets, and his pupils contracted slightly in sync with Hyuga Hitoshi's.

At the same time, he transformed his left hand into a blade wrapped with chakra, and slashed diagonally at the inside of the wrist of the man who was thrusting at him by Hiyori Tou.

Oh!

Hyuga Takashi's palm narrowly parried Hyuga Yoto's fatal finger strike, but the chakra gust emanating from his fingertip still managed to tear a gash in his sleeve.

The two were now close together, their stance resembling a horse stance, their leg muscles taut as hard as steel, rooted firmly to the ground.

The two stared at each other, both rolling their eyes.

"Not bad reaction." Hyuga Yoto said disdainfully, "Unfortunately, the gap between the main family and the branch family is not something you can bridge. Face reality."

As soon as he finished speaking, his attack continued. His wrist, which had been blocked, twisted strangely, and his five fingers instantly spread open, turning into a palm. An even more powerful chakra surged and gathered in his palm.

Soft Fist Technique: Bagua Sixty-Four Palms!
(End of this chapter)