Dominance

Jun noticed Ren gathering a little chakra around his feet and arms, before lunging at him with increased speed. Recognizing the Uchiha's taijutsu, he immediately singled out the flaws in his form.

Jun just observed, unperturbed. As soon as Ren got within range, he slightly moved his neck, narrowly dodging his punch.

Following up, he used his index and middle finger as needles, hitting his opponent in various places. As he did that, because of his lack of muscle memory, Ren managed to land a punch on his cheek.

"Got you!"

"Are you sure...?"

Noticing something was amiss, Ren realized Jun hadn't moved at all from his spot. It was as if his punch carried no strength at all.

Retrieving his arm, he looked at it in disbelief. Why couldn't he gather any Chakra?

"Well, I'll be returning the favor... Hope you don't mind."

Not waiting for Ren's reaction, Jun's fist landed squarely on his jaw, knocking him away as one of his dogs caught him. Caressing his lower lip with his thumb, Jun licked the small trail of blood that came out of it.

Tasting his own blood, Jun's demeanor changed. With a sadistic grin, he looked towards the unconscious Ren and his underlings, subconsciously leaking out some of his killing intent.

It had been a while since he tasted the thrill of battle… The taste of his blood brought out the animal within him.

Seeing this, the four youths trembled in fear... Two of them even soiled their pants. They had never felt like this before… It was as if their lives were in Jun's hands, and he could kill them at any moment.

Realizing that he'd gone overboard, Jun retrieved his killing intent and cleared his throat. Looking at the five of them with disgust, he sighed.

"I don't want to see you around anymore. If you dare to lay a hand on me or my brother ever again… Don't blame me for what happens."

"Y-yes! We're off!"

Watching them scurry away like a bunch of cockroaches, Aito had no words. He too had felt his brother's killing intent but didn't know what it was.

"Aito."

"Yeah…?"

"Let's go."

Still in a daze, Aito nodded and followed Jun into the cabin. He was trying to make sense of the situation. After pinching himself a few times, he realized that it wasn't a dream.

"Aniki… You just beat Ren! How did you do that!?"

Ever since he had lost his memory, Jun had been acting weirdly… A direct contrast to what he used to be. Then again, this change was more than welcome to Aito.

"Hm? That? They were just small fry. Don't get too excited about it."

Taking out a fishing pole and other supplies from inside the cabin, Jun opened the door, heading outside. The sky was almost dark, and the still lake reflected the rising moon.

"Wait for me!"

Still giddy from the excitement, Aito followed his brother to some large rocks, where they sat down and started fishing.

Although the rod was simple, Jun wouldn't let it hinder him. Piercing some bait with the hook, he threw it out and patiently waited.

Unable to restrain himself, Aito broke the silence.

"How did you do it? Ren's a ninja! Not only that, but he's one of the best from his generation!"

His surprise was understandable. Ren had graduated after only two years at the academy and had been the rookie of the year. Although he was a year younger than Jun, he already had a year of experience as a genin!

Meanwhile, Jun was a fourth-year student at the academy, his ranking rock bottom amongst his peers. On paper, there was no comparison between the two.

" I guess I got lucky...? Oh! I got one!"

Grasping the handle tightly, Jun expertly reeled in, as a fish slowly came out of the water. Holding up the string with his left hand, they both stared at the lively fish.

He had done this countless times before, to feed his younger brothers back in the warring states era.

"Huge!"

"I guess we're having a feast tonight."