บท 37: Chapter 37: The Grove
The dismissal bell rang softly, spreading throughout the entire Ninja Academy.
Having endured an entire afternoon of lessons, many bold students secretly slipped out through the back door of the classroom before the teacher even stepped out and dashed towards the school gate, eager to escape this prison that seemed to confine their bodies and minds.
At the school gate, groups of familiar or nearby students gathered together. They walked along that familiar road, heading home.
However, if one were to observe closely, one would notice that many groups of three to five, or even a dozen or so, deviated from the path home, turning into a small side road.
These groups that turned onto the side road appeared somewhat different from those who listened raptly in class and went straight home afterward. They seemed more 'streetwise.'
Some of them crossed their arms with a calm expression, while others had their hands in their pockets, feigning nonchalance. Their demeanor resembled that of fallen samurai or street gangsters.
Walking along this side road for a short while, one would come to a vast grove of cherry blossoms. Though it was autumn, some special varieties like the October Cherry, Small Equinox Cherry, and Prize Cherry were still in bloom.
As the autumn wind blew, flower petals fell like rain, filling the entire grove with a fragrant aroma.
It was said that this cherry blossom grove had been planted by the First Hokage himself when the Ninja Academy was first established. Occasionally, one could see ancient trees so large that it would take two or three people to embrace them, each tree growing impressively.
But now, these details were of no importance.
In the center of the grove, on a relatively large clearing, two groups of Ninja Academy students stood facing each other.
One group, although smaller in number, wore relatively uniform dark blue high-collar long sleeves, with few exceptions. The other, larger group wore a motley collection of outfits, indicating that they came from various families, though the materials of their clothing were relatively expensive.
The smaller group predominantly had black hair and eyes, with a few brown-haired children mixed in. All of them bore the Uchiha fan crest on their backs and numbered about twenty-six or twenty-seven, less than thirty.
The larger group had varied hair and eye colors and bore a wide range of family crests including names like Sarutobi, Shimura, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, and other notable Konoha clans, numbering nearly sixty.
"Uchiha Chiyan! If you don't give us a satisfactory explanation for this matter, we'll make sure you regret it."
"Explanation? What explanation? Sarutobi Shinchun, do you think we'll be afraid just because there are more of you today? Ridiculous! If that were the case, we wouldn't need to fight wars; we'd just compare numbers!"
"Arrogant! I'll make you understand what regret feels like!"
"Sore loser! If it weren't for your numbers, you wouldn't even have the courage to talk to me like that!"
At the forefront of the two groups, two eleven- to twelve-year-old boys exchanged sharp words, each unwavering.
They were the representatives of their respective sides. Both were sixth-year students at the Ninja Academy and had less than two months until graduation. From their words, it was clear that they were usually at odds with each other.
Mixed in with the Uchiha crowd:
"Uchiha Chiyan, why bother talking to them? Just start fighting!"
"Sarutobi Shinchun, what are you waiting for? Go for it! We didn't come here to watch you chit-chat!"
"Yeah! Get on with it! The sooner we start, the sooner we can go home for dinner!"
A burst of untimely urging broke the atmosphere between the two. Glancing around, they realized they were surrounded.
In the grove, a large crowd had arrived, unlike the all-boy confrontations; there were both boys and girls, from first-year students to soon-to-graduate sixth-year students.
Some stood on the cherry trees, looking down, while others leaned against the trunks, peering over excitedly, clearly enjoying the commotion.
This was what Ryo Shishido, Toshiro's deskmate, meant when he said things had escalated. The morning's clash had been broadcast to too many, and word spread quickly.
These energetic, unleashed ninja trainees eagerly spread the news, creating a buzz throughout the Ninja Academy. Anyone not too isolated from the grapevine knew about the drama awaiting in the grove after school.
There were probably no fewer than 300 students gathered there.
Clearly, Uchiha Chiyan and Sarutobi Shinchun hadn't anticipated their conflict would escalate to this. Caught in a dilemma, both sides hesitated.
"Chiyan, Shinchun, there's no need for such a huge fight over a small matter. We are all comrades from the same village and will have to fight side by side on the battlefield in the future..."
A long-haired, white-eyed, dignified-looking boy walked into the middle and addressed both sides.
However, not everyone wanted this drama to end prematurely.
Two stones, the size of chicken eggs, flew through the air, striking Uchiha Chiyan and Sarutobi Shinchun on the head.
"Ah!" (x2)
"Despicable! Trying a sneak attack! Get them!"
"Shameless! Calling for backup. Charge!"
Both boys retreated in pain, accusing each other of ambush.
The sudden turn of events left the mediator, Hyuga Ryo, dumbfounded. Unsure if it was a planned ambush or a third-party attack, he watched as the two groups, each thinking their leaders were ambushed, charged at each other with loud shouts.
End of Chapter
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