"Yuan-kun, thank you for walking me home. Goodbye."
At the gates of a grand estate, Uchiha Tsukine spoke softly to Uchiha Yuan.
"Goodbye."
Yuan watched as the young woman's figure disappeared behind the gates. Just as he was about to turn and leave, his steps suddenly halted.
Three figures had appeared inside the gate, their sharp gazes scrutinizing him.
They were three young men—the youngest around fifteen or sixteen, the oldest in his early twenties.
"You're Uchiha Yuan?"
The eldest of the three spoke after sizing him up.
"Yes. Uchiha Yuan greets the three of you."
Seeing that all three bore some resemblance to Uchiha Mikoto, Yuan realized they were likely her blood relatives—Tsukine's brothers.
"I'm Tsukine's eldest brother, Uchiha Kanya."
"I'm her second brother, Uchiha Ginbō."
"And I'm her third brother, Uchiha Dōkawa."
Yuan asked calmly,
"May I ask why the three of you sought me out?"
"Nothing," Kanya replied.
With that, he turned and disappeared behind the gate. Ginbō followed without another word.
Before leaving, Dōkawa glanced back at Yuan and said,
"Hey—be careful on your way back. I hear you walked Tsukine home yourself. You'll probably run into trouble."
Yuan fell into thought at those words.
On the way here, he had sensed several hostile gazes directed at him.
As he continued down the road, beyond the enclosing walls on both sides, he could occasionally spot Uchiha youths glaring at him with naked hostility.
Ahead lay an intersection—beyond it was the boundary of the main family's residential area.
Suddenly, several figures flickered into existence at the crossroads.
Seven Uchiha youths.
At the same time, more figures appeared behind Yuan.
He was surrounded from both front and back.
Yuan stopped and said calmly,
"Why are you blocking my path?"
The seven youths in front exchanged looks.
One of them stepped forward and demanded,
"Kid, what's your relationship with Tsukine? Why were you walking her home?"
"How my relationship with Tsukine concerns you," Yuan replied coldly,
"is none of your business."
His gaze swept over them, and a look of disdain curled at his lips.
"How boring."
He hadn't expected to get dragged into petty romantic rivalries. It was obvious—these youths were Tsukine's admirers.
"You bastard—state your name!"
"We don't even know this guy. He's clearly not from the main family!"
"A branch-family nobody dares to set his sights on Tsukine? A toad lusting after a swan!"
"He needs to learn that Tsukine is not someone like him can approach!"
Yuan's indifference instantly ignited their fury. The group pressed in aggressively.
The tallest among them charged forward, closing the distance in a few strides and throwing a straight punch at Yuan's face.
Smack!
Yuan casually reached out with his right hand and caught the punch.
The tall youth's eyes widened in shock. His fist felt as if it had been clamped by iron.
He strained with all his might to pull free. His face flushed red—but Yuan's grip didn't budge in the slightest.
"Let go of me!"
the youth snarled.
Yuan ignored him.
His left hand snapped up and caught another fist that had struck from behind and to the side.
At the same time, the remaining youths swarmed in, attacking from all directions.
Surrounded, Yuan spoke calmly:
"Dance."
In the next instant, he exerted force with both hands.
The two youths whose fists he held were yanked violently to his sides.
Then Yuan struck them in rapid succession—movements as fast as lightning.
Both youths' faces twisted in terror as their bodies suddenly moved against their will. Their limbs lashed out, punches and kicks flying with brutal force toward their own companions.
"Gaozai! Qingcang! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Damn it!"
The two youths spun around Yuan like puppets on strings, relentlessly battering the others who rushed in.
Amid the furious curses, Gaozai and Qingcang could only suffer in silence.
Their blood and energy surged violently. They couldn't even open their mouths to explain.
Nearby, several figures stood watching—from trees, rooftops, and even a telephone pole.
As they saw the two youths attack their companions like marionettes, shock spread across their faces.
"So this is the terrifying taijutsu mentioned in the reports about Uchiha Yuan…"
What Yuan displayed now completely shattered their understanding of taijutsu.
They had never imagined that physical combat could be used with such exquisitely precise manipulation of force.
It was obvious—the two youths were attacking purely because Yuan's strikes had hijacked their bodies.
To do that required an incomprehensible understanding of musculature and the transmission of force.
Atop a telephone pole, Itachi watched with his three-tomoe Sharingan active.
There was no trace of chakra movement.
He's controlling their bodies purely through force… How is that even possible?
This was Yuan's taijutsu—his control over power refined to an absurdly minute level.
At the crossroads, Yuan watched Gaozai stagger past him and said flatly,
"This ends now."
Both hands struck out simultaneously, each landing a palm on Gaozai and Qingcang.
A violent surge of power flooded through their bodies.
Unable to resist, the two lurched forward, each slamming a palm into another youth.
The struck youth, in turn, felt the same force flood his body, lost control, and spun around—his palm smashing into yet another.
In just a few breaths, every surrounding youth collapsed to the ground, their bodies numb and powerless, unable to rise.
Yuan swept them with a disdainful glance and walked away without another word.
After he had taken several steps, Gaozai shouted after him,
"Even if you beat us—I won't give up on Tsukine!"
"Neither will I!"
The others echoed him loudly.
Yuan didn't slow his pace.
"What… what's your name?"
Gaozai called out, staring at his back.
Yuan turned his head slightly and replied calmly,
"My name is Uchiha Yuan."
The moment those words left his mouth, several youths' expressions changed drastically.
They clearly knew who he was.
Gaozai's face grew complicated.
"So… you're that Uchiha Yuan."
Some people die… but they don't die completely.
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