The Academy's training ground was wide open, dirt packed firm from years of footwork, spars, and teenage aggression. Chalk lines still faintly marked where students were meant to square off. A few teachers stood off to the side with clipboards, but Iruka stood front and center, smiling like he didn't just announce extra suffering.
"Today," Iruka called out, hands behind his back, "we'll hold a final sparring test before the real graduation exam."
Predictably, a groan went up from most of the class. The only exceptions were the hyper, the insane… and Sasuke Uchiha.
Tatsuya swore the guy smiled at the word "test." Just a little. Probably imagining punching people.
"Such a drag…" a voice beside Tatsuya muttered.
"Such a drag…" came another voice, two students down.
Tatsuya blinked.
He looked to his right—Shikamane. Her half-lidded eyes were fixed on Iruka with a faint scowl.
He looked left—Shikamaru himself. Exact same expression. Same posture. Same sigh.
"Wow," Tatsuya whispered. "You two are like copy-paste."
"Troublesome…" they said in unison.
Iruka clapped once. "Come on, pair up!"
Tatsuya turned to Shikamane. "Shikamane, wanna—"
But a bright blue panel slammed into view.
[Mission!]
[Get the highest score in this test!]
[Reward: Unlock Passive Skill: Controlled Breathing]
[Failure Penalty: -2 STR]
[Accept mission?]
'A mission?' Tatsuya's eyes sparkled. 'System… is this real?'
No answer.
Just an awkward silence, like a dad pretending not to hear the kid asking a stupid question.
'System?'
[...]
'Tch. Fine.' His gaze flicked toward Sasuke, now surrounded by half the girls in class.
'I have to beat him to get the top score...' he thought. 'I'm better at Taijutsu… but he's got strength, Uchiha blood, and a main character buff. Crap.'
Shikamane raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Tatsuya?"
"Huh? Yeah—" he started, but the panel blinked again.
[Mission Accepted!]
'Hey! I didn't say yes yet!' he shouted mentally.
[Sorry, host… next time, think twice before tricking me.]
Tatsuya groaned internally. 'You smug little window pop-up...'
"...Tatsuya?" Shikamane repeated.
"Ah—sorry. I'm gonna pair up with someone else," he muttered quickly, already eyeing Sasuke through the swarm of fangirls.
Shikamane followed his gaze, then blinked slowly. "Are you crazy?"
Tatsuya didn't respond.
"Even if you beat him…" she added with her usual monotone, "which is impossible... you won't regain your face."
He didn't even blink. "Don't worry."
"...Definitely crazy," she mumbled, stepping away to pair with a disinterested Choji.
Tatsuya stepped forward, weaving through the murmuring crowd. His eyes were fixed on Sasuke, who stood like a prince in the center of his adoring court.
'How the hell do I beat him? My Taijutsu's better, but he's stronger. Faster. Cooler. Dammit, even his hair has better stats than me…'
He clenched his fists. 'Do I have any other tricks? Shit… nothing. Absolutely nothing.'
Distracted, he didn't notice how close he was until—
THUMP.
He bumped straight into a cluster of fangirls.
"Watch where you're going, pervert!" Ino snapped, elbowing him back.
"Seriously!" Sakura scowled, brushing off her arm like he'd contaminated it. "You probably wanted to bump into us!"
"Ah, ahaha…" Tatsuya laughed awkwardly, hands raised. "Actually, I wasn't trying to touch anyone—I mean, not that I'd mind touching, but uh—that's not the point right now—!"
He pointed at the boy behind them, cutting himself off. "Sasuke! I came to challenge you!"
The sudden declaration silenced the field.
Gasps, whispers, and flat-out laughter spread like wildfire.
"Is he insane?"
"Who challenges Sasuke?"
"Dude's got a death wish."
Shikamane sighed from the sidelines. "Yep. Crazy. Absolutely unfixable."
"You?" Ino scoffed, eyes narrowed. "Challenge Sasuke?"
"You're not even worthy of breathing the same air as him, pervert!" Sakura growled.
But Sasuke stepped forward, calmly brushing past them with a faint nudge.
He stopped in front of Tatsuya, smirking. "Want to challenge me, Aoki?"
"Yes," Tatsuya replied, dead serious. No fear in his eyes. Not because he wasn't scared, but because the mission penalty was more terrifying.
Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "Don't regret this later."
"It's you who should worry," Tatsuya said, planting his foot back.
Then he launched forward.
He aimed a solid punch toward Sasuke's chest, fast and direct.
"Too slow." Sasuke easily slipped to the side, his movement smooth, efficient, arrogant.
But that punch was just the feint.
Without pausing, Tatsuya twisted his body mid-momentum—his hands still forward, head still ducked—and shot his leg up behind him.
Scorpion Kick!
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. What—?
The kick caught him under the chin just as he tried to step back. Reflexively, Sasuke raised his arm, blocking with his forearm—but the impact still shoved him back a few steps.
The air filled with gasps.
"What?!"
"Did that pervert just land a hit?!"
"No way…"
Tatsuya lowered his leg, panting lightly. He wasn't stronger. He wasn't faster.
But he was more unpredictable.
A flicker of satisfaction played across his face.
He cracked a grin. "Not bad for a pervert, huh?"
"You're good..." Sasuke said, brushing dust off his shoulder with a smirk. "Seems like I can take it seriously."
That smile vanished as he vanished.
FWP.
"Shit!" Tatsuya blurted, barely catching the flicker of movement before he dove into a sideways roll. His body hit the dirt hard, the ground scraping his arms, but he didn't stop.
WHAM.
A powerful kick crashed into the spot he'd just been. The shockwave of it sent dust spiraling.
'That speed—! He's not holding back anymore!'
Sasuke twisted in place with perfect control, his foot already coming around in a follow-up—
But then—
"Tch—! AH!"
He winced mid-motion, staggering back with one hand covering his face.
The momentum of his kick died on the spot.
"Sand?!" someone exclaimed.
"He got dirt in Sasuke's eyes!"
Tatsuya pushed himself to his feet, breathing hard, but grinning. His fingers still tingled from just how strong he had held on that bunch of sand he had picked when rolling.
To be continued...
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