Sarutobi Suiga immediately rushed forward to stop him! But for some reason, Uchiha Kyo's hand seals and jutsu execution were incredibly fast—there was no time!
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A surge of water erupted from Suiga, extinguishing the massive fireball, but the dense smoke and steam obscured the entire training field.
Even so, his gut told him—something was wrong with Uchiha Kyo!
"Torifū!"
Uchiha Naori's pupils constricted in shock. In the next moment, her irises turned blood-red, and within them, two tomoe spun into place.
The Sharingan—the Uchiha clan's legendary kekkei genkai!
She had already awakened her two-tomoe Sharingan at the age of five.
The surrounding students were stunned into silence. No one even noticed Naori activating her Sharingan—all their attention was fixated on the battle's sudden turn.
"Torifū!"
Maruboshi Kosuke was the first to charge forward, but Suiga blocked him.
"Damn it! That bastard tried to kill him!"
"He's crazy! He actually used a jutsu to ambush Torifū!"
The abrupt escalation left the entire class in turmoil. Torifū was well-liked, and nearly everyone considered him a friend. Naturally, his classmates were deeply concerned.
Meanwhile, Naori blamed herself. She should have warned Torifū to be more careful. She had never imagined Kyo would be so insane as to actually attempt murder.
And one more thing—Kyo's jutsu execution speed wasn't supposed to be this fast! Even Suiga hadn't been able to stop him in time!
In desperation, Naori activated her Sharingan, trying to see through the smoke to locate Torifū. But when she finally got a clear view—she was stunned.
"Sensei! Torifū isn't there—there's only a… rock?"
Yes. Even Naori wasn't sure. How had Torifū turned into a rock? And… something about it felt different from a normal stone.
Sarutobi Suiga was also dumbfounded. How the hell did he turn into a rock?!
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
Suiga used a light burst of chakra to disperse the smoke and steam. As visibility returned, the students finally saw the state of the battlefield.
Uchiha Kyo lay sprawled on the ground, his body withered and emaciated—as if he had been drained dry by a ghostly specter.
But Torifū?
There was no sign of him.
Instead, standing in the sunlight, was a translucent pink crystal sculpture—an exact replica of Torifū! The sunlight refracting through it made it shimmer brilliantly.
"Sensei… can the Great Fireball Technique actually turn people into crystal?" Maruboshi Kosuke muttered blankly.
Suiga didn't know how to respond. After a long pause, he finally muttered, "It can turn people into fertilizer."
WHACK!
Torifū suddenly smacked Kosuke on the head.
"Idiot. That's not me."
Kosuke, caught off guard, turned around in irritation—only to freeze in shock.
"Wait—Torifū?! You're alive?!"
Torifū rolled his eyes. "What, were you hoping I was dead?"
Kosuke scratched his head sheepishly. "No, no, of course not! I'm just relieved, that's all."
"Thank goodness, Torifū. You scared us half to death," Naori sighed in relief.
Sarutobi Suiga also let out a breath. If a student had died under his watch, the Sarutobi clan would have severely punished him.
After reassuring Suiga that he was unharmed, Torifū slowly walked toward Uchiha Kyo.
"Torifū…"
He turned back and saw Naori looking at him with hesitation.
"Don't worry. I won't kill him."
Torifū stood over Kyo, who was now barely conscious. With one hand, he lifted him off the ground.
"Huh. He's light."
Then, without hesitation, he threw Kyo high into the air—
"Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken Technique."
With a casual flick of his wrist, countless hexagonal crystal shards materialized around him. Like shuriken, they shot through the air, refracting sunlight into a dazzling display.
The shimmering shards sliced through Kyo's clothing, generating just enough force to launch him a few meters away—before pinning him securely to a tree.
Not a single shard left a scratch on his skin.
"This is… crystal?"
Naori considered herself well-versed in ninjutsu, but Torifū's technique was something she had never seen before.
A single thought arose in her mind:
'Could this be a Kekkei Genkai?'
Torifū clapped his hands and brushed off the dust from his clothes. He wasn't at all concerned about exposing his Crystal Release.
In fact, this was exactly what he wanted. Otherwise, he could have used a different jutsu.
Before long, several shinobi arrived at the scene, alerted by the commotion.
After Sarutobi Suiga explained the situation, they immediately took Uchiha Kyo away.
By village law, anyone who deliberately harmed others within Konoha would be judged by the Hokage. The punishment was either imprisonment… or execution.
Either way, Kyo's fate was sealed.
"Torifū, that technique…?"
"Sensei, it's my Kekkei Genkai—Crystal Release."
Silence.
A Kekkei Genkai in his own class?!
And from his research, Crystal Release had never been recorded in history before!
This had to be reported to the Hokage immediately.
"Ahem. That's all for today, everyone. Go home and rest—you get the rest of the day off."
Hearing the word "holiday," the class erupted in cheers. And they all knew who to thank for this unexpected break.
One by one, they expressed their gratitude to Torifū before dispersing.
Only Naori remained.
"So Torifū was this strong all along… I worried for nothing." She pouted slightly.
Torifū coughed. "Ahem. How about this? Lunch is on me today—order anything you want."
Naori's eyes lit up. "Oh? Then I won't hold back!"
"Hah! My Kumotsuru clan may lack everything else—but not money."
The two exchanged smiles and made their way to the Akimichi barbecue restaurant.
…
Hokage's Office
Senju Hashirama was reviewing documents when he noticed the commotion outside. He had considered going to investigate, but Tobirama stopped him.
"A Hokage can't personally handle every little matter. Let your subordinates do their jobs."
A moment later, the door swung open as Sarutobi Suiga entered.
"Hokage-sama, Tobirama-sama, I have failed my duties. Please punish me."
Hashirama waved his hand, telling him not to blame himself, "Tell us what happened."
Suiga recounted the entire incident.
Tobirama's expression darkened. "The Uchiha are naturally evil. They're all troublemakers! Imagine attacking someone in broad daylight!"
Hashirama sighed. This situation was indeed problematic, though he was relieved Torifū was unharmed.
"So Torifū has already mastered his clan's secret Cloud Release techniques…"
"Cloud Release?" Suiga blinked in confusion. What was that supposed to mean?
"Hokage-sama, Torifū said his ability was… Crystal Release."
CRACK!
The desk split under the force of both Hashirama and Tobirama slamming their hands down.
"WHAT?! Crystal Release?! Not Cloud Release?!"