Chapter 21: A Lesson in Consequences
Ren stood before the tall tree, focusing his will. *Tree climbing… the key is chakra control to the soles of the feet. Not too much, not too little. Let's try.*
He formed a quick hand seal to help his concentration, channeled a surge of chakra to his feet, took a running start, and dashed up the trunk.
He managed five steps. On the sixth, his foot sank too deeply into the bark, tearing a chunk out of the tree, and he tumbled backward, landing hard on the forest floor.
*Too much chakra,* he grunted, picking himself up and examining the damage. *Way too much.*
He tried again, this time consciously pulling back, using a much smaller amount of energy. He made it four steps before his foot lost adhesion completely, and he slid down the trunk, scraping his palms.
*Still not right. Too weak. This is harder than it looks. Maintaining a precise, constant output is the real challenge.*
*Doesn't matter. Just gotta keep trying. I'll get the feel for it.*
And so, Ren spent the entire day in the woods, running at the tree, falling, getting up, and trying again. It was a cycle of frustration and incremental progress. He went from five steps to ten, then fifteen, then twenty. His body ached, his chakra reserves were depleted, and he was covered in dirt and scrapes.
By late afternoon, he was utterly spent. He collapsed against the base of the tree, breathing heavily. *Better. Much better. I'll definitely get it tomorrow.* He looked at the sky. *Sasuke will be out of school soon. I'm a mess. Need to get back and clean up before he sees me.*
After a short rest, he focused on the Flying Raijin seal in his mind. The world twisted, and he vanished from the woods, reappearing instantly in the familiar confines of his bedroom.
*Heh. Never gets old,* he thought, marveling at the convenience. He dismissed the basic clone he'd left behind and headed straight for the shower, washing away the grime and fatigue of the day's training.
At the Ninja Academy, the final bell rang.
"Alright, that's all for today. Class dismissed!" Iruka announced, gathering his scrolls and exiting the classroom.
A chorus of relieved cheers went up. "Yo! Finally!" Students began packing their bags, chatting about their plans.
"Hey, Kenji! Where should we go today?" one of the boys from the previous night called over to Kenji's desk. "Wanna go down to the old river? Maybe go for a swim?"
"Sounds good," Kenji replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
"You're not going anywhere."
The voice was cold, cutting through the classroom chatter. Everyone turned. Uchiha Sasuke was standing by the door, his arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on Kenji and his friends with open contempt.
"Y-You… Sasuke Uchiha?" one of the boys stammered.
"Sasuke… what do you want?" Kenji asked, his voice laced with a nervous bravado.
"I think you know what I want," Sasuke said, his tone flat and dangerous. "Meet me at Training Ground 3. And don't even think about running. If you don't show up, I'll find each of you. It'll be worse."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out.
A hushed silence fell over the room, followed by a wave of excited whispers.
"Whoa… what was that about?"
"Did Kenji and his gang mess with Sasuke?"
"Serves them right! They've been getting away with too much."
Kenji and his three friends stood frozen, the color draining from their faces.
"K-Kenji… what do we do?" one whined. "It's about last night, isn't it? About that Ren guy!"
"We should just not go," another suggested, trembling.
"Are you stupid?" the third boy hissed. "He said he'd find us! Would you rather face him alone? Do you think you can take on Uchiha Sasuke by yourself?"
"This is all your fault, Kenji!" the first boy accused. "We told you not to pick on that idiot!"
"Yeah! You had to drag us into it!"
"Now we're all in trouble because of you!"
"Shut up!" Kenji snapped, though fear was evident in his own eyes. "It's too late for that now. Look, there are four of us and only one of him. What are we so scared of? Let's just go see what he wants."
Bolstered slightly by this false courage, the four boys made their way to Training Ground 3, a crowd of curious classmates following at a distance.
Sasuke was already there, waiting with an impatient scowl.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Kenji said, trying to sound tough. "What's this about? We didn't do anything to you."
"Don't play dumb," Sasuke sneered. "I'm talking about last night. What you did to my brother."
The crowd gasped. Ino, who was in the crowd, suddenly pushed her way to the front, her face furious. "You did WHAT to Ren-kun?!" she shrieked, looking ready to launch herself at them.
"Ino, wait!" Sakura grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Let Sasuke-kun handle it!"
"Ren-kun… is he okay?" a quieter voice asked. It was Akane, her face pale with worry.
Sasuke didn't look at them. "The idiot is fine. Just a few bruises. But that's not the point." His gaze returned to the four boys, sharp enough to cut. "The point is, you touched him. And no one touches an Uchiha without consequences."
Kenji swallowed hard. "So… what are you going to do?"
"What does it look like?" Sasuke took a step forward. "You're going to pay for it. Right here. Right now."
"Don't get cocky, Sasuke!" Kenji yelled, his fear turning to anger. "There are four of us! You think we're afraid of you?"
"Then come on," Sasuke said, his voice dripping with disdain. "All of you. At once. Let's see what you're made of."
Enraged by the insult, Kenji yelled and charged, his friends following hesitantly behind. It was a pathetic display. They swung wild, untrained punches that Sasuke dodged or blocked with effortless ease. He moved among them like a ghost, not even bothering to strike back at first, simply highlighting their incompetence.
*They're even worse than I thought. Trash.* Sasuke's patience ran out. He caught a clumsy punch from one boy, twisted the arm, and drove his own fist into the boy's face, sending him sprawling to the dirt with a cry.
The fight, if it could be called that, was over in seconds. The other three were quickly subdued with precise, painful strikes, leaving them moaning on the ground amidst the jeers of their classmates.
Sasuke walked over to one of them and placed his foot on the boy's back, not hard, but with undeniable dominance. "Remember this," he said, his voice cold and clear. "If any of you ever lay a finger on my brother again, the consequences will be far worse. Understood?"
"Y-Yes! Understood!" the boy sobbed into the dirt. "It wasn't us! It was Kenji! He made us do it!"
"Yeah! It was all Kenji's idea! We tried to stop him!"
"He's the one who has a grudge! We didn't want any part of it!" Discover more novels at novel_fіre.net
The three boys tripped over themselves to blame Kenji, their former loyalty evaporating under the pressure of Sasuke's wrath.
Kenji, nursing a bloody nose, stared at his former friends in betrayed fury. "You traitors! You cowards!" he roared.
Sasuke looked down at the sniveling boys, then at the furious Kenji. His message had been delivered. Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving the bullies to their well-deserved humiliation and the dissolving fragments of their friendship. The spectacle was over. Justice, of a sort, had been served.
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