Lesson

Ren stood in front of Akane's house, his fists clenched.

During the past few days, he had time to reflect. After his father berated him for being a sore loser, he took a hard look at himself.

He, the son of the clan-head, was a genius of his generation. He had emerged above all competition and became the rookie of the year. At this point, he felt like he was a notch above others.

On a fateful day, he met Akane. Since the very first moment, he became captivated by her looks… Gathering up his courage, he decided to confess.

Alas, she rejected him, stating that she already had someone she liked.

At that point, he felt his world crumbling apart. His ego had become so inflated, that this blow completely shattered his will...

Ren wasn't stupid, and could easily tell who this person was.

Ever since then, because of jealousy, he mercilessly beat Jun every time they met. Some times, he would even wait for him to come out of his cabin just to have a go.

Deep down, he knew that what he did was wrong, but he was unable to stop himself. Just seeing Jun and Akane together drove him insane.

Standing outside her door, he waited for Jun to come out. Today, he would settle things once and for all.

As he prepared himself mentally, the door slid open. Looking up, he saw Jun's handsome figure walking out, followed by his little brother. They both looked unperturbed... As if he wasn't a threat.

Gnashing his teeth, he pointed at them in an exaggerated motion.

"Jun! I challenge you to a one versus one, with no ninjutsu allowed! Do you dare!?"

Walking out of the front terrace and onto the street, Jun crossed his arms as he threw dismissive a glance at Ren. Seeing right through him, Jun knew he just came to regain his pride, hence the no ninjutsu rule.

Irritated, he decided it wasn't worth it to play with spoiled brats.

"You still haven't learned your lesson? What do I gain from beating you up a second time…? Stop wasting my time and leave immediately."

'Jun defeated Ren? Just what is going on? I don't understand...'

Watching from behind her door, Akane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ren had done a good job of silencing his subordinates, so that word wouldn't get out of his loss.

Ren clenched his teeth in frustration... Jun's look told him that he was trash in a million different ways, making him angrier than he had ever been before. Only his father ever looked at him like that.

"If you defeat me… I, Ren, will become your dog! I swear upon the Uchiha name!"

"Now you're talking…"

Smiling, Jun's opinion of Ren slightly rose. Finally, the kid was growing some spine.

"Alright, I'll fight you… But only if you can beat Aito first. If he wins, you'll become his servant instead."

"What!? Who do you think I am!?"

Ren felt insulted… Fight a ten-year-old? He still reeked of his mother's milk!

"Aniki, are you sure about this…?"

"Mhm… Now go and show him how much you've learned in the past few days."

"O-ok…"

A bit nervous, Aito walked out and stopped right in front of Ren, who was at least a head and a half taller. Looking up at his opponent, a look of determination flashed through his eyes, startling Ren.

'When did I agree to this? And why is he so ok with it!?'