The Fight escalates

Kushina qas very angry, but she still listened to Liuyun's advice and threw the Uchiha boy in her hand violently into the crowd, causing many of them to cry out in pain and fear. After that, she clapped her hands, put them on her hips, and glared at the remaining Uchiha students.

"That's what you get for bullying others!" she declared.

Swish!

Before she could finish her sentence, the sharp sound of a kunai cutting through the air made her freeze. A kunai was flying straight toward her, and she had no time to dodge!

Liuyun's eyes widened. Reacting quickly, he reached out with his hand. His keen eyesight and fast reflexes allowed him to catch the kunai in mid-air. However, the sharp blade cut into his palm, and blood dripped down his fingers.

Fortunately, it was only a training kunai used in school, meaning it wasn't sharpened. If it had been a real, battle-ready kunai, his hand might have been sliced open completely.

Ignoring the pain, Liuyun flipped the kunai in his hand and, without hesitation, threw it back at its original owner.

"AAAHHHH!!!"

A sharp scream echoed through the classroom. The kunai had embedded itself in Uchiha Kazuhiko's thigh, drawing blood.

The onlookers gasped. Sensing that the situation was spiraling out of control, several Uchiha students panicked. They quickly lifted Kazuhiko—who was still screaming—and fled the scene. At this point, fighting was no longer an option. This incident had escalated far beyond their expectations, and the teachers were sure to intervene.

"Liuyun, your hand!"

Kushina grabbed his injured palm, her eyes welling up with tears. Just moments ago, Liuyun had put himself in harm's way to protect her. The thought of someone willingly sacrificing themselves for her made her chest tighten with emotion.

"Why are you so stupid?! Don't you know how dangerous a kunai is? How could you grab it with your bare hand?!" she scolded, her voice shaking.

Liuyun, however, simply smiled and replied, "Because it is dangerous. If it had hit you, it would've gone straight through your body, right?"

"You already taught them a lesson for me, so how could I let you be the one to get hurt?"

Kushina froze. Then, unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she broke into loud sobs and threw her arms around him.

Seeing both of them like this caused a stir among the students.

"When did those two get so close?" a girl in the class whispered in surprise.

"Yeah... They're already at the point where they'd fight for each other and take a kunai to protect one another?" another student murmured.

Many classmates were stunned. Since when had these two been a thing?! Now, all of a sudden, they were witnessing a dramatic, romance-filled moment unfold before their eyes.

Meanwhile, some of the girls looked at Kushina with jealousy. A boy who was willing to block a kunai for a girl? That was the kind of devotion they could only dream of...

"Okay, don't cry. It's just a little scratch. It'll heal in no time," Liuyun reassured her, patting her back gently.

Realizing that everyone was watching, Kushina suddenly snapped out of it. She glanced around and, upon noticing all the eyes on her, blushed furiously.

Her face turned as red as a tomato.

The next second, she quickly pushed Liuyun away, rushed back to her seat, and buried her face in her arms, too embarrassed to look at anyone.

Liuyun took a piece of paper from a classmate and wiped the blood from his hand. As he expected, the wound was shallow, and with a little pressure, the bleeding soon stopped.

But before he could relax—

"Uchiha Liuyun! Uzumaki Kushina! Come to the office immediately!"

Their homeroom teacher, Oda-sensei, stormed into the classroom, his face grim.

Inside the teacher's office, Oda first checked Liuyun's wound. Seeing that it was only a minor injury, he sighed in relief. Even so, he still took out some bandages and carefully wrapped Liuyun's hand.

"Now," Oda said sternly, looking at Liuyun, "what happened with Uchiha Kazuhiko?"

With no other choice, Liuyun explained the full story—though he made sure to downplay Kushina's involvement. After all, many students had witnessed the event, so lying was pointless. However, he tried to paint Kushina as someone who was simply standing up for her classmate.

"So, you were the one who attacked first?" Oda asked, rubbing his temples in frustration. "And you knocked out two of his teeth?"

"That guy was saying awful things and even threatened to beat Liuyun up. Losing a couple of teeth isn't a big deal!" Kushina muttered under her breath.

"Shut up! I haven't even started on you yet!" Oda barked, making Kushina flinch.

Before he could scold her further, Liuyun quickly spoke up.

"Oda-sensei, it wasn't Kushina's fault. She was only acting to protect her classmate—her deskmate. If it weren't for her, I might've been seriously injured today."

He made sure to emphasize the word classmate, subtly steering the conversation in Kushina's favor.

"Is that true, Kushina?" Oda narrowed his eyes at her.

"Of course it is!" Liuyun continued before she could answer. "She didn't know Uchiha Kazuhiko before this, and there was no personal grudge between them. If she hadn't been protecting her classmate, why would she have gotten involved at all?"

Then, looking Oda straight in the eye, he added, "Oda-sensei, I believe that standing up for one's classmates is the right thing to do. You can't punish someone just because they won the fight. If we treat protecting others as a crime, then no one will dare to be brave in the future."

Oda hesitated. Liuyun's words made a lot of sense...

Kushina, meanwhile, stared at Liuyun in shock. She had to admit—he was really good at talking his way out of trouble. In just a few sentences, he had completely shifted the blame away from her.

In fact, at this rate, Oda-sensei might even praise her for her bravery.

When had fighting ever led to getting praised by a teacher?!

"Let's set Kushina's case aside for now," Oda finally said. "The real problem is Uchiha Kazuhiko. His injuries are serious, and his homeroom teacher is furious. He's planning to report this matter to the Hokage."

Oda turned to Liuyun. "Since you seem to have a way with words, what do you think we should do about this?"

Liuyun didn't even hesitate.

"Oda-sensei, I believe Uchiha Kazuhiko should be severely punished," he said firmly. "That guy didn't just come here to fight—he tried to kill someone. He threw a kunai with the intent to murder Kushina."

Oda's eyes widened.

"The kunai belonged to Kazuhiko. He threw it directly at Kushina's throat. If I hadn't caught it in time, she might be dead right now."

"What?!"

Oda shot up from his chair, his face pale. This situation was far worse than he had thought.

"No, this can't be ignored. I have to report this to the Hokage immediately!"

Without wasting another second, Oda rushed out of the office.

Liuyun and Kushina exchanged glances.

This incident had just become a lot bigger than they had expected...