Uchiha Hokushin spoke anxiously:
"You have no idea who those two are—"
But before he could finish, Uchiha Iwa suddenly turned to his uncle's three subordinates and ordered:
"Take him out. Don't let him interrupt my performance."
The three subordinates exchanged a glance, then escorted Hokushin out of the room. As they did, one of them said casually:
"Geez, Hokushin, why are you so worked up over a couple of kids? It's just a scuffle. Kids fight all the time—they're not going to kill each other. A little discipline never hurt anyone."
"Exactly. Is it really worth offending Vice-Captain Yama over something so minor?"
Hokushin was just about to struggle free—until he caught Gekkō Hoshiyomi winking at him. He froze. Was the kid… telling him not to interfere?
Come to think of it, that made sense. These two had taken down a chūnin and even dealt with an Iwa-nin spy. Why would they be afraid of someone like Uchiha Iwa? If anything, leaving Iwa alone with them might backfire on him.
Realizing this, Hokushin stopped resisting. He was now more curious than worried—curious to see what Hoshiyomi had planned.
Once outside, one of the three subordinates asked, puzzled:
"Hokushin, what exactly did those kids do? And why are you defending them?"
Hokushin rolled his eyes.
"Who said they did anything wrong? They uncovered and captured a spy from Iwagakure. I brought them in to take their statements."
That left the three of them stunned.
"What? They're not in trouble? They were debriefing? They took down a spy?"
One of them muttered in frustration:
"Why didn't you say that earlier? This whole thing's a huge misunderstanding now!"
"I did say it—twice!" Hokushin snapped. "Each time, Iwa cut me off. What was I supposed to do?"
The subordinates thought about it for a moment. He had a point. But there wasn't time to dwell on that now—they all rushed to open the door and stop Uchiha Iwa.
But before they could, two ANBU agents appeared silently in front of them, raising a hand to block their path. From behind them, Uchiha Yama's voice echoed, gradually drawing nearer:
"Lady Mito, please hear me out. This is all a misunderstanding…"
Three Minutes Earlier – Inside the Room
Uchiha Iwa closed the door and began laughing in that forced, arrogant way again. Hoshiyomi sighed.
"Alright, alright, enough. Just say what you came to do already."
Iwa dropped the grin and spoke through gritted teeth:
"You embarrassed me at the Academy today. Now it's time to return the favor—tenfold."
This kid's chūnibyō phase was seriously out of control. Hoshiyomi looked at him like he was an idiot and said seriously:
"I'm warning you—if you lay a hand on me, you'll regret it."
But Iwa clearly didn't care. His fists were clenched and he lunged at Hoshiyomi, aiming for his stomach.
Sigh… If that's how you want to play it, don't blame me for going full drama king.
Iwa was still limping from the kick Hoshiyomi gave him earlier that day, which made his movements painfully slow and easy to read.
The moment Iwa swung, Hoshiyomi dramatically flung himself backward, letting out a pained gasp. He clutched his stomach, fell to the floor, and began rolling around, groaning in agony. He even added two theatrical dry heaves for good measure.
To someone watching, it looked like Iwa had hit him with Tsunade's monstrous strength.
Even Hatake Sakumo was stunned. What kind of jutsu is this?!
The punch hadn't even landed!
Iwa himself was dumbfounded. Wait… am I really that strong? Did I just unlock long-range chakra strikes?!
Just then, the door burst open.
Uchiha Yama stormed in, flanked by Hokushin and the other three subordinates. Right behind them were two ANBU and a striking woman with a commanding presence—Uzumaki Mito.
They all saw the same scene:
Hoshiyomi writhing on the floor in pain.
Iwa staring at his fist in disbelief.
Uchiha Yama marched up and grabbed Iwa by the ear.
"You little punk! You hit him, didn't you?!"
Iwa had never seen his uncle this furious. And the ANBU behind him didn't exactly calm his nerves. He panicked, voice cracking:
"I didn't! I swear, I didn't even hit him! He's faking it! Gekkō Hoshiyomi, stop pretending! I didn't touch you—I'm not that stupid!"
He tried to expose Hoshiyomi's act. But Hoshiyomi wasn't finished.
Trembling, Hoshiyomi pointed a shaking finger at Iwa and said weakly but angrily:
"Uchiha Iwa… don't lie. You used chakra! You clearly tried to kill me—and now you're pretending otherwise? Are you serious?"
With his uncle glaring daggers at him and the others looking at him like he was trash, even Iwa realized the truth:
He'd been played.
His mind raced. He finally shouted:
"Fine! If I hit you, then you should have a bruise, right? Lift your shirt! Show us your stomach—prove it!"
Without hesitation, Hoshiyomi responded, "Fine."
He pulled up his shirt, revealing a bright red bruise.
Iwa was speechless.
"That… that's impossible. Uncle, I swear—"
SLAP!
Yama smacked him across the face.
"Save it! You've humiliated yourself enough. Get your sorry ass home and reflect on what you've done! I'll deal with you later."
Then, Yama quickly turned to his subordinates and gestured for them to take Iwa away—discreetly, while Lady Mito wasn't looking. They hustled the sniveling Iwa out of the room.
Once the scene had calmed, Yama turned to Lady Mito, bowed slightly, and said:
"Lady Mito, this is entirely my fault. I failed to keep an eye on my nephew, which led to this disgrace. These two boys are heroes—they uncovered and captured a spy from Iwagakure. I'll discipline Iwa thoroughly. He won't be walking properly for the next three days. And any damage or injury this young hero suffered—consider it my responsibility. I'll compensate for everything. Does that sound acceptable?"
Uzumaki Mito didn't respond immediately. Instead, she walked over and gently helped Hoshiyomi to his feet.
"What do you think, Hoshiyomi? Is this resolution enough for you?"
Yama was shocked. Lady Mito… helping a child up herself? Who was this kid?
Could it be that he had a powerful background?
Or… was his talent simply that extraordinary?
Either way, Yama made a mental note to never underestimate Gekkō Hoshiyomi again.
Hoshiyomi, of course, understood Mito's gesture. He decided to play along and give Yama a graceful way out.
"Well… if your nephew really didn't know what was going on, then it's not fair to blame you. As long as he doesn't mess with me again, I'm willing to let this go."
Yama was deeply moved. What a sensible, kind-hearted child… Why can't he be an Uchiha?
Author's Note (In-World Commentary):
I wasn't fully satisfied with how this chapter turned out. Some readers might think I made the Uchiha clan look weak, so let me clarify:
Uchiha Iwa's behavior reflects his own immaturity, not the clan's stance. At this point in the timeline, the Uchiha are still on good terms with Konoha—almost like a honeymoon phase. It's not realistic for them to go against Uzumaki Mito over a brat's tantrum.
Plus, Iwa was in the wrong, which is why Yama chose to de-escalate and apologize. (The logic might be a little messy, but that's the gist. Please don't think I'm just writing characters as idiots. If you think it's off, chalk it up to my writing needing improvement.)