Uchiha Kyō wanted to argue back.
But in the end, he swallowed his words.
Because even he believed in one simple rule.
The strong had the right to speak.
And within the clan, Uchiha Chiri was recognized as a genuine genius.
She had awakened her Sharingan at five.
He hadn't awakened anything.
Status decided everything.
Chiri turned toward the class and bowed slightly.
"Let's end this here. On Kyō's behalf, I apologize to everyone. The Uchiha Clan is not defined by his behavior."
Her words eased the tension.
Some civilian students relaxed.
Others remained wary.
Their parents' warnings echoed too loudly.
Kosuke was finally released by Ikkaku and Shinku.
He walked up to Kaede.
"Thanks."
Then he shot Chiri a cold look before returning to his seat.
In his eyes, Kaede had stood up first.
Chiri had only stepped in later.
So his resentment naturally spilled onto the Uchiha as a whole.
Chiri sighed softly.
"Looks like Kosuke doesn't like me very much."
Kaede shrugged.
"Can't blame him. Kyō offended everyone. People don't separate individuals from clans that easily."
Chiri nodded.
She had come to the academy hoping to ease the village's distrust toward the Uchiha.
Instead, Kyō had poured oil on the fire.
She had never agreed with the clan's arrogance.
And she especially disliked looking down on civilians.
Much like Uchiha Kagami, she belonged to the more moderate faction.
Kaede glanced at her.
"Changing people's opinions isn't that hard."
Chiri blinked.
"Really?"
"Get strong enough."
"Then even if people don't agree with you… they'll have to listen."
Chiri fell silent.
Kaede continued calmly.
"Look at the current peace. It exists because of the First Hokage's strength. Not because everyone suddenly became kind."
Chiri frowned slightly.
"Isn't that the same as what Kyō believes? Using strength to suppress others?"
Kaede shook his head.
"He uses strength to satisfy himself."
"You'd use strength to stop hatred."
"That's a huge difference."
Chiri looked at him for a long moment.
"…You're interesting, Kaede."
"You don't seem to hate the Uchiha."
Kaede smiled faintly.
"We're all part of the same village. Uchiha included. There's nothing to hate."
Chiri felt a strange warmth in her chest.
He really is different.
Sarutobi Mizuya soon returned.
He clearly knew what had happened.
But chose not to mention it.
"Next, you'll attempt to refine chakra on your own using what we learned."
The classroom grew serious.
If they couldn't extract chakra, they wouldn't be able to proceed with future lessons.
Nearly three hours passed.
"Minghong, excellent work. You refined chakra in three hours."
Applause broke out.
Soon after, Kosuke succeeded.
Then Ikkaku.
Several more followed.
Sarutobi Mizuya silently noted their names.
This class has potential.
Kyō also succeeded.
But seeing civilians match or even beat his speed left his stomach burning.
What angered him more—
Chiri didn't praise him.
She was quietly practicing alongside Kaede instead.
Kyō's gaze turned venomous.
"That white-haired brat… I'll crush him during practical class."
He glanced at Kaede and sneered.
"Tch. Just another civilian pretending to work hard."
If Kaede heard him, he'd probably sigh.
He wasn't refining chakra.
He was practicing Tenpūton.
Using academy time as cover.
By the end of the day, half the civilian students had failed to extract chakra.
Reality was cruel.
Not everyone was meant to be a ninja.
Kaede, however, felt satisfied.
He hadn't succeeded yet.
But he had finally located the flaw in his Tenpūton fusion.
One more push.
Maybe two.
After class, Kosuke invited Kaede to walk home with them.
Kaede agreed.
They said goodbye to Chiri and left together.
After a few streets, they split off.
Different directions.
Kaede continued alone.
White hair swaying.
Eyes calm.
Already thinking about tomorrow.