"Hajime!"
The two girls faced off, still as statues, their eyes locked in sharp focus. A breeze whispered across the training field, sending a cloud of dust spiraling between them.
Whoosh
To the spectators, it looked like they were both sizing each other up, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But in truth, only Riko was holding back, biding her time. The Gentle Fist, though deadly in close combat, revealed its true strength when used for defense.
Due to the nature of the Gentle Fist and the fact that Anko's style was more forwarded towards offense, Anko was the first to break the stillness.
Dust exploded beneath her feet as she lunged forward, closing the distance in a blur. Riko's fingers curled tighter, her stance firming as she braced herself. Anko's moved with an unpredictable forwardness as she zig-zagged her way left and right causing Riko's focus to follow her erratic movements.
The moment she closed the distance, Anko struck like a snake—fluid, fast, and lethal. Her palm shot forward, aiming straight for Riko's chest.
Byakugan flared.
"Chest…" Riko noted instantly, veering just enough to avoid the blow—only to be met with another strike from Anko's opposite hand.
She dodged again—this time by a hair's breadth.
"Waist… Neck… Arm… Knees…"
Anko pressed in, relentless. Each strike flowed into the next with unnerving speed.
On the sidelines, Obito shouted in disbelief.
"Whoa! Anko's not letting up at all!"
Riko's hands moved like water—deflecting, redirecting, barely keeping up.Whoosh. Pap.Whoosh. Pap.The sounds of motion and contact echoed across the field—neither girl giving an inch, neither able to land the decisive blow.
However, slowly but surely, Riko was slowly being pushed back by the snake-like girls relentless barrage.
Just one opening… that's all I need, Riko thought, her gaze scanning Anko's form mid-dodge.
A jab came for her shoulder..... then, in a flicker of motion, Riko saw it.
Anko's foot wavered, just slightly off-balance.
There!
She twisted her hips, sidestepped the strike cleanly, and stepped forward in one fluid motion.
"Tenketsu Strike!"
Riko aimed for Anko's stomach that she eagerly anticipated would incapitate Anko. The Tenketsu Strike wasn't only an external blow, but also caused internal damage to the opponent's chakra, disorientating their movements and stamina. One strike was all Riko needed, however... reality was often disappointing.
With a sudden, almost unnatural twist, Anko bent her torso back, dodging the strike by mere inches. Riko's eyes widened as her back was left exposed to Anko.
"What?!"
In the fraction of a second her attack missed, Riko's stance faltered—just enough to leave her open. With a clean fluid motion that the hopeless girl could see with her Byakugan but couldn't even pray to dodge, Anko twisted her leg to be positioned just above Riko's back at that exact moment.
Anko's mouth slowly twisted to a sadistic grin.
"Gotcha"
The field helds its breath for a moment. Then the sound of impact echoed in the distance.
"CRACK!"
With a devastating axe kick, Anko's foot slammed into Riko's back pushing to her back. Instantly air was exhaled from her lungs. Her eyes snapped wide open. Spit flew from her mouth as white-hot pain surged through her entire body.
Riko's body was sent straight onto the ground staining her clothes with dirt and sending a cloud of dust flying upon contact.
Silence.
All eyes were on the fallen girl as the dust slowly began to settle. Then, breaking the stillness, Anko raised her hand with an eye-opening grin and flashed a peace sign.
"Heh heh... looks like I win."
. . .
For a moment, no one moved.
Dust hung in the air. The crowd was stunned to see that a Hyuga was defeated so easily.
Then came the whispers.
"Did that just happen?"
"That kick..."
"Damn.... she just hit the dirt..."
Riko lay face down, her back burning with pain. Her breaths came shallow and ragged, each inhale like dragging air through broken glass. Her fingers twitched in the dirt. With a strained sigh, her Byakugan faded, the veins around her eyes receding as she struggled to her knees.
On the sidelines, Toka raised his hand, voice clear and final.
"Due to the match's regulations, the winner is Anko!"
Still grinning, Anko faced Riko and formed the hand seal.
Riko met her with a hard glare. Her jaw clenched, fist trembling at her side. She hated losing, especially like this. But she was a Hyūga. In order to not tarnish the clan's honor, she raised her hand to form the seal of reconciliation.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After the match, Anko ran off toward the crowd with a bounce in her step. Asuma stepped forward, offering a proud smile.
"Good job, Anko!"
Anko blushed and threw a light punch at his shoulder.
"Don't compliment me so shamelessly, you monkey!"
Asuma blinked, his smile dimming. "...Monkey?"
To his side, Genma sat with an ice pack pressed to his forehead. He glanced over with a smirk.
"At least she didn't knock her opponent out cold, unlike this ape over here."
Asuma shot them both a look of betrayal."Why are you calling me a monkey?! Just because my last name is Sarutobi doesn't mean I'm some jungle beast!"
Anko laughed, unable to resist."I bet if you grew a beard, you'd look exactly like a gorilla."
Genma chuckled and piled on."I bet you'd charge into battle pounding your chest, alerting the enemy before you even got there."
"Hey!" Asuma shouted, his face turning red as the other two burst into louder laughter.
. . .
On the side Obito's face suddenly brightened as if an idea came up from his head as he turned to Rin and Lumian.
"Hey, hey! What animal do you think I'd be?"
Rin blinked in surprise. Caught off guard, she tilted her head, tapping a finger to her chin.
"Animal…? Uh… hmm…"
"C'mon!" Obito urged, practically bouncing in place. "You gotta think of someth—"
"A Gedo Statue."
Obito froze mid-sentence.
He turned toward the voice—Lumian, calm and unreadable as always. The boy hadn't even looked at him.
"Ged—what now?" Obito asked, face scrunched in confusion.
Lumian finally turned, but not to answer. His gaze slid past Obito, toward Toka, who was finishing up notes on his clipboard.
"Nothing," he said simply, already looking away again.
Obito was about to speak when a voice interrupted.
. . .
"Next Round! Yugao Uzuki vs Gekko Hayate!"
A girl with long, flowing hair stepped forward. Under the midday sun, her purple strands shimmered into a softer hue, swaying gently in the breeze. She stopped at the center of the field, calm and composed, then slowly turned her head toward the crowd.
Her expression was unreadable: cold, bored, utterly unfazed.
She waited.
And waited.
But the opposite end of the field remained empty.
Toka's brow twitched. He brought the clipboard closer to his face and called again, louder this time.
"GEKKO HAYATE!"
From the sidelines, a voice called out.
"Sensei! Gekko fell asleep again!"
Toka's eye twitched. With a sigh that felt years older than he was, he marched toward the edge of the crowd. The students parted like the Red Sea, revealing a boy slumped against the Academy fence. A snore bubble wobbled at his nose. Peaceful. Content. As if he were napping on a cloud instead of during an organized match.
Toka grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.
"WAKE UP!"
Hayate's eyes cracked open slowly, lips mumbling something incoherent as his brain struggled to reboot.
"Ehhhhh… Wha—"
Before he could finish, Toka yeeted the boy like a training dummy.
Gekko soared over the crowd in a helpless arc, then crash-landed face-first into the center of the field with a solid thud.
Flat on his stomach, he groaned.
"Ouch..."
Yugao looked down at him with a deadpan stare, her face betraying the mildest expression of annoyance—as if she'd just spotted a spider on the wall she didn't feel like dealing with.
Hayate glanced up at her, then at the very angry instructor stomping his way onto the field.
"Sensei… may I forfei—"
"You may not."
. . .
Gekko helplessly sighed as he got up and patted his body. The Dirt that stained his clothes was swept away in the wind.
Toka, back in position, cleared his throat.
"Please form the seal."
Both students raised their hands. Yugao's fingers were sharp and precise, her expression unreadable. Gekko's was..... more of a resigned outlook..... like someone punching in for a shift they never asked for.
Toka suddenly shivered as he turned to look at Gekko. The boy's eyebags had eyebags...
The instructor let out a long, slow exhale and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Suddenly... I want to quit my job....."
Without even looking at the students he raised his arm.
"On my mark..." another deep sigh escaped him.
Yugao got into a fighting stance as Gekko..... didn't even move at all.
"Hajime....."
With a speed surpassing the average academy student Yugao dashed toward Gekko, aiming for a quick incapitation by knocking him to ground. She got prepared to send a kick to his ankle as she charged forward.
Yugao sent a punch toward Gekko in hopes of faking him out if he had any intentions of fighting. Seeing that Gekko wasn't moving, she sighed before dropping to the ground to perform a low sweep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The sweep hit air. A cloud of dust was sent spiraling in an arc as he it touched absolutely nothing.
Yugao's face was sent in disbelief as Gekko's figure instantly reappeared a few meters away.
She shook out of her astonishment as she rushed forward to hit him with a kick. Suddenly, Gekko's figure disappeared once more causing her to touch nothing but air again.
"This speed???!!!!"
A bead of sweat rolled down Yugao's temple. Gekko now stood meters away, with his back turned. Motionless. Silent.
In the crowd the students were also in shock.
"How is he so fast????!!!"
"What the???!!!
"I can't even see him???!!!!"
In the side, Toka's face filled with fear.
"This Power..."
Gekko's silhouette stood still, his back shielding his face. Then, soft... low laughter crept through the field.
"Heh Heh heh..."
Slowly Gekko turned... his clothes slowly changing with him.
He now wore an ebony bodysuit, styled like a popped collar overcoat. His casual clothing changed into a dark jacket, shirt, pants, and high boots with Gold and purple trim adorning. A long hood casts a shadow to hide the upper half of his face.
His mouth was turned into a twisted grin as a red hue slowly sprouted in his eyes.
He let out another chuckle.
"Heh Heh Heh....."
After a while of silent laughing, under the disbelief of the crowd he slowly spoke with a low voice ~ silent but audibly discernible.
"For too long..... I have hidden myself...."
He waved his arm out to the side as his other arm clutched his face.
"I played the role of a weak academy student. Waiting... watching... But now.... It is time for me to show my true power....."
The crowd gasped in fear as some even fell to their knees. Toka backed away in fear while Yugao looked at Gekko with tears in her eyes.
A sword suddenly appeared in his hands. It was long and as black as the night.
"Once, there was a man who wished to withstand a nuclear bomb.... The man developed his muscles, honed his mind perfected his skills.....
Purple lightning flashed as the area was instantly engulfed in a purple hue.
"He knew there were heights he couldn't reach..... yet, he didn't give up... So, after years upon years of training..... he arrived upon one solution..."
His sword covered itself with unfathomable power as he slowly raised it above his head.
"He simply had to become nuclear himself!!!!"
In his office, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly stood from his chair sending it sliding down towards the ground. He didn't even spare it a look as his face drenched with sweat as he hurriedly looked out the window.
"This power????!!! It surpasses even the First Hokage!!!"
The field that the academy students were now on, looked as if it was the apocalypse itself. Purple lightning flashing as the ground sprouted fissures. Trees fell... The wind blew like a hurricane and everyone was knocked to the ground. They could only watch as the power grew even more unfathomable.
"Let the true meaning of "almighty" be carved into your souls....."
His right eyes formed a red glow as he clutched his sword tightly with both hands.
"I...AM...ATOMI—"
(My copyright lawyer has informed me not to finish the joke due to the world being destroyed with an almighty explosion.)
Also...GOTCHA YA. 😎
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Gekko stared at the approaching Yugao.
Then, suddenly, inspiration struck. A brilliant, foolproof plan surfaced in his mind.
Do nothing.
Yugao feinted a punch toward his face. Gekko saw it coming, processed it… and yet made no attempt to react. Not even a blink.
Yugao instantly dropped low, sweeping at his legs.
He could have moved.
He could have dodged.
He could have at least pretended to care.
But no.
He chose nothing.
"WHAM!"
The sweep struck true. Gekko's legs were yanked from under him, and his body hit the ground with a loud thud.
Yugao followed up in a flash, stepping in and placing her hand against his neck in a knifehand strike pose.
Gekko lay motionless, eyes wide open ~ gazing listlessly at the sky as if contemplating his life choices..... or the weather.
Toka didn't even flinch.
Of course......
This was why he'd sighed earlier. Why he'd felt a deep existential dread before the match started.
Because he knew Gekko would pull this. Again.
The almighty plan of…
"If I can't win, I'll just forfeit."
With a sigh that sounded like it came from his soul, Toka raised his hand.
"Winner: Yugao Uzuki."
No one cheered.
A few chuckled.
Most just nodded.
This was... expected.
Anko burst out laughing.
"I knew that pinhead would let himself get knocked out! I'm telling you—he's gotta be a Nara in disguise!"
On the sidelines, Genma groaned and rubbed his temple.
"I swear... the hospital had to mix him up with someone else's kid…"
. . .
Yugao stood still, casting Gekko one last nonchalant glance. Without a word, she turned away, heading toward the sidelines. She leaned against the fence and closed her eyes—unbothered, calm as ever.
Gekko sighed and slowly got to his feet. He dusted himself off half-heartedly and trudged back to his usual spot by the fence. The amused gazes of the other students slid off him like rain on glass. He lay down, arms behind his head, and, just like that, returned to dreamland.
. . .
Toka watched it all unfold with a look of tired resignation.
But also… pity.
Despite everything, Toka cared for his students...deeply. He knew their habits, their little routines. He paid attention.
Genma was always with Asuma and Anko, usually doing something loud or reckless. Yugao was the quiet one, always off to the side, eyes sharp and mind sharper. Kurenai loved knitting—something about the calm it brought her. Izumo and Kotetsu? Inseparable troublemakers. A duo of chaos.
But then… there were students like Obito and Gekko.
They worried him the most.
Obito had a good heart, Toka knew. The boy helped people constantly—running errands, lifting bags, looking after stray animals. He had overlooked them at first... But as his absences mounted and his performance lagged, Toka began to worry. Why doesn't he take care of himself? The boy was constantly bruised, scraped, or distracted. So Toka had tried to be stricter. Harsher. Dragging Obito to the Hokage's office… trying to wake him up to his responsibilities, his potential.
But it never seemed to stick.
And then there was Gekko.
At first, Toka had written the boy off as a lazy kid, always sleeping, barely participating. But one night, his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what Gekko was really doing. So, under cover of night, he visited the boy's home.
He found the bedroom window.
Empty bed.
He looked around, confusion growing—until he heard a sound in the backyard.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
There, under the moonlight, Gekko stood alone, a wooden sword gripped tightly in his hands. His shirt was soaked with sweat, his hair clinging to his face. His stance was firm. His swings—relentless. Over and over. Swinging his sword with precision, determination, and most of all...
Dedication.
Toka had watched from a nearby tree for hours, stunned.
That night changed everything.
Gekko wasn't lazy. He was exhausted. A swordsman training beyond his limits, day after day. While others slept, he worked. While others laughed, he honed his edge. The sleeping in class wasn't disinterest—it was burnout.
From that moment on, Toka gave him slack. Not favoritism, but understanding. He'd step in when needed, but overall... he let Gekko be. Because unlike Obito, who had a future handed to him by lineage, "for now...." Gekko had only his blade, his will, and the solitude of effort.
A kenjutsu master in the making.
That's why today's match was unfair. He knew it.
A sword user... forced into a taijutsu match while sleep-deprived.
So Toka let it slide.
He shook his head softly, pulling himself from the thoughts.
He cast a look at the crowd his gaze passing by the boy with goggles and the slumbering boy.
Then he announced with his voice louder this time.
"Next Match! Rin Nohara vs Shiro Nara!"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Author's note:
Cid Kagenou a.k.a Shadow approves of this chapter.
Thanks for reading! It seems that just like Gekko, I was tired too yesterday...
Anyways... leave a comment and a review! (There are currently zero besides my shameless one...)
Thank you..... and POWER STONES!!!!!