Kakashi Hatake POV
Today's class started with a discussion about the differences in taijutsu fighting styles between shinobi and kunoichi, and ended with a practical lesson in one of the Academy's training grounds.
– To better illustrate our discussion, this training will help you reinforce your strengths and show you where you can still improve – our sensei explained.
The jounin called a few students at a time for the taijutsu-only training. Always girls versus boys.
– If we end up against each other, should we make it our next competition? – Amaya asked, looking straight at me.
– I thought you'd never ask – I said, and the redhead smiled confidently.
– Be ready to lose, Hatake – she warned in a challenging tone, and I gave a weak laugh.
– Don't get too confident, Uzumaki – I cautioned her, but she just laughed.
The sensei kept calling the small teams, and we watched our classmates fight, but my mind was fixed on getting to fight Amaya.
The fights were group matches, and anyone who fell to the ground during the fight was out. For example, in the teams fighting at that moment:
In the girls' group, one of them fell to the ground, eliminated from helping her teammates. So, the three remaining had to fight against the four boys from the other group.
– Fight over! – the sensei announced when the last girl fell – Next team – He turned back towards our class – Amaya Uzumaki, Kurenai Yūhi, Rin Nohara, Anko Mitarashi.
Amaya Uzumaki POV
I walked over to the training area and the girls joined me. The sensei was still picking the boys' team.
– Do you think we can win? – Rin asked – My taijutsu isn't very good.
– Mine either – Anko added – I'm better with summonings.
– My taijutsu is at a good level – Kurenai commented – What about you, Amaya?
– I consider myself decent – I just said, since I had no basis to categorize what I knew as 'good' or 'poor' by others' standards.
– Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, Obito Uchiha, Maito Gai – the sensei announced the team fighting us.
– Do you think we stand a chance against them? – Kurenai raised the question immediately.
– Our biggest problems will be Kakashi and Gai – I pointed out, and the girls looked at me – They both have a high level of taijutsu.
– Asuma too – Kurenai warned, and we looked at her – We've trained together a few times, so I know how he is.
– They're a really strong taijutsu team – Rin commented, and I agreed.
– But if we work together, we can win – I said calmly, and they turned their attention back to me.
– Do you already have a plan in mind? – Anko asked, and I nodded.
– I just need to ask the sensei something – I went to our responsible jounin and quickly asked him.
This is one of the crucial points for my plan to work..., I thought. The sensei said we could do it, as long as we didn't use ninjutsu directly against our classmates. Perfect!, I celebrated excitedly.
I returned to the girls while the sensei discussed a few things with the teams that had fought before us, reviewing some things about their performance and other topics.
– So? – Kurenai asked as soon as I got back to them.
– Let's try it like this... – I started to explain, and they moved closer to listen.
I detailed the strategy I had formulated, and they all agreed to put it into practice. We need to leave Kakashi and Gai for last, I reasoned. They'll probably give us the most trouble.
Anko and Rin positioned themselves in front of me and Kurenai. Rin was in front of me, and Anko was to my left, in front of Kurenai. I exchanged a brief look with the brunette beside me, and she gave a slight nod.
Third Person POV
Kakashi watched the group of girls talking on the other side of the training ground, paying close attention to what they were doing.
– Any strategy? – Asuma asked the platinum-haired boy, who answered without taking his eyes off the girls' group.
– The best would be for each of us to take one of them and get rid of the weakest first – Kakashi said calmly – But I doubt they'll let us do that easily.
– Kurenai fights well – Sarutobi warned – I've trained with her several times.
– How does Rin fight? – Hatake asked Obito, who immediately looked at him.
– She's not that good at taijutsu – The platinum-haired boy gave a weak nod.
– You two handle Kurenai then – Kakashi instructed Asuma and the Uchiha – Since you and Kurenai know each other's fighting styles, Obito can help finish the fight – The two nodded.
– You probably want to fight Amaya – Asuma commented to the platinum-haired boy, and he nodded.
– She's good, so I'll hold her off until the others are down.
– Gai, can you handle Rin and Anko alone? – The Uchiha asked the boy, who promptly nodded.
– Of course! My youth is burning!
Hatake observed the group of girls once more. Rin and Anko were in front of Amaya and Kurenai, blocking the view of the two.
– Get ready! – The sensei warned the students, and just like the girls, the boys' group lined up side by side to start the fight – Begin!
Their group took the initiative and charged at the boys. Amaya and Kurenai came out from behind Rin and Anko, taking the lead in the attack. Uzumaki came out from behind Anko, while the brunette came from behind Rin. The two were faster, and soon the boys advanced too.
Amaya and Kakashi were the first to start exchanging blows, both with serious expressions. Both had the same goal of holding each other there.
Kurenai soon started fighting Asuma and Obito. The two attacked her without giving any break or pause.
Gai advanced towards Rin and Anko, who had stayed further back from Uzumaki and Kurenai. The boy's goal was to eliminate them first, but their goal was just to hold him off as long as they could.
Kakashi and Amaya exchanged blows, but the redhead seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the platinum-haired boy's pace. He smiled weakly under his mask as they fought, noticing this.
– Looks like this victory will be mine – He commented with a hint of arrogance in his voice, but the redhead said nothing to him.
She glanced briefly towards the classmate fighting Asuma and Obito. He's better than I imagined... Don't take long, she thought briefly and soon returned her full attention to Hatake.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kurenai was fighting on equal footing with Asuma and Obito. Both boys were starting to get winded from the fight's intensity.
The brunette exchanged a few punches with Sarutobi when he smiled weakly and ducked down so Obito could hit her by surprise. Now you're finished!, Asuma thought.
But unlike what he expected, the brunette threw her body back, letting the Uchiha pass inches from her. Impossible!, both boys thought.
As Obito passed without hitting her, Kurenai clasped her hands together, hitting the Uchiha's legs as they passed over her, making him lose his chance to land properly. Obito fell off balance and tumbled over himself.
Taking advantage of Asuma's surprise, Kurenai advanced towards the boy, who just raised his hands in front of him, crossing his arms to defend himself. The brunette kicked his arms, pushing him back with the force of the blow.
When did Kurenai get this good?, Sarutobi wondered, shocked. We used to fight equally just a little while ago!
Meanwhile, Anko and Rin tried to hold Gai off in their fight for as long as possible, but both were already losing their breath. He's too fast, Anko thought. It's like Amaya said, Nohara admitted, he's great at taijutsu.
Gai moved quickly, alternating the fight between the two girls. As they were having trouble defending themselves, they both stood back-to-back against each other.
Asuma was already reaching his limit to fight. Kurenai is fighting in an unbelievable way, he thought while trying to defend against the girl's consecutive attacks, it doesn't even seem like her.
Then something occurred to him at that moment, and he froze for an instant. Don't tell me..., but he couldn't finish his thought. Thanks to his carelessness, the brunette quickly advanced towards him.
When he thought she was going to hit him, she jumped over him and landed on her feet behind him. Damn!, that was his only thought as he tried to turn around in time, unsuccessfully. The brunette hit the back of his knees, making him lose his balance and pushed him to the ground.
– You're smart – Asuma praised sincerely, panting, and looked at the girl – I should have realized sooner – She just smiled weakly.
In the fight between Rin and Anko against Gai, both had already exceeded their limit to hold him there. Rin looked towards the classmates fighting Kakashi and Asuma.
Kurenai also seems to be starting to get tired, she considered briefly. But at least Obito is already out of the fight. The next moment, Asuma was taken down, and Nohara celebrated internally. Amaya's plan is working!
Due to her lack of breath, Anko couldn't stand properly after one of Gai's blows.
– Anko! – Rin tried to keep her classmate on her feet.
As she held the other to try and keep her standing, Gai used that to take both down at once. The girls fell sitting on the ground, completely exhausted.
– Sorry – Gai apologized quickly – You're not hurt, are you? – They shook their heads.
Rin and Anko looked towards Amaya and Kurenai. It's up to you now, both thought.
Kakashi saw when Gai took down both girls at once. Now just them left, he thought. But the platinum-haired boy soon grew worried seeing that Kurenai had taken down both Obito and Asuma.
The platinum-haired boy saw Gai head towards Kurenai, who at that moment assumed a fighting stance upon seeing the boy advancing towards her.
He and the girl started fighting, and Kurenai didn't even seem tired, even though she had fought two classmates at the same time.
I thought Amaya would be the more troublesome opponent, he thought while trying to take down the girl in front of him. But Kurenai managing to eliminate Asuma and Obito alone... I didn't expect that.
That's when something, like what happened to Sarutobi, occurred to him.
He looked at the girl in front of him as they fought, and it finally clicked.
Kakashi backed away from the girl before him, and she looked at him a bit confused. I knew something was wrong, now it makes sense! He immediately left the girl he was fighting behind and advanced towards the fight Gai was having.
– Duck! – Kakashi told Gai, who promptly did so.
The platinum-haired boy tried to deliver a kick in the air against the girl fighting the other, but she dodged it almost effortlessly. The platinum-haired boy fell to his knees on the ground and quickly assumed a fighting stance towards the girl who had been fighting Gai.
The girl who had been fighting Hatake quickly approached the three, still on guard in case any of the boys attacked. But none of the four moved immediately.
– It's you, isn't it, Amaya? – Kakashi asked the girl who had fought Gai.
– What? – Gai asked, not hiding his confusion.
The girl with Kurenai's appearance stared at him for a moment. She looked towards the girl who had been fighting Kakashi until then and gave a slight nod. The two raised their hands, releasing the Transformation Jutsu and returning to their true appearances.
Who had been fighting Kakashi until then was Kurenai, and who had fought Obito and Asuma, and then Gai, was the real Amaya.
Amaya retreated to Kurenai's side, and Gai did the same, positioning himself closer to Kakashi.
– Your plan worked perfectly – Kurenai commented, a bit breathless, to the redhead.
– Too bad it didn't last until we dealt with these two – Uzumaki said, stalling so her friend could catch her breath a bit.
Hatake, noticing this, advanced towards them. The redhead did the same, not letting him get close to Kurenai.
– I'll handle her! – Kakashi warned Gai, and the boy nodded, advancing then towards Kurenai.
The remaining pairs from each group fought intensely. The students watching their classmates fight were excited to find out which team would emerge victorious from that battle.
A jounin sensei watched the students' fight from afar. He knew that the members of that team were the ones showing the best development at the Academy, which is why they were put together to train.
But the unfolding of the fight was leaving even the jounin slightly surprised. I didn't expect such a good strategy, formulated in such a short time by an Academy student..., he admitted to himself.
His attention then fixed on his target: Amaya Uzumaki. He looked at the girl fighting on equal terms with the White Fang's prodigy son. These two are perfect opponents for each other, he thought for a moment.
Even while involved in the intense fight with Hatake, Amaya occasionally turned her attention to Kurenai, who was trying to keep up with Gai's fighting pace.
– Worried your friend will lose? – The platinum-haired boy asked, and the redhead looked at him.
– She'll manage to take him down – Amaya said with conviction.
– Someone's very hopeful – The redhead gave a weak laugh.
– Says the one who took so long to realize he was fighting the wrong person – Uzumaki teased him with a faint smile for the platinum-haired boy.
– I only noticed because you got carried away against the others – He argued, and the redhead laughed.
Kurenai glanced briefly at her friend fighting Kakashi. She's holding back in her fight so Kakashi doesn't try to attack me, the brunette pondered while defending against the heavy blows from the boy in front of her.
Looks like I'll have to use her plans one more time, the brunette thought to herself. In the interval between one of Gai's blows and the next, she ran towards the boy before he could fully raise his arms to try to defend himself or strike her.
She firmly gripped his wrists in her hands and moved close to him, clashing their heads together. Both were dazed by the impact, ending up falling to the ground, thus eliminating them.
Even with her head hurting and her vision slightly blurry, Kurenai looked towards Amaya. It's up to you now, she thought, smiling weakly.
Noticing what Kurenai had done to take Gai out of the fight, the redhead took on a more serious expression in her fight against Hatake. Now it's just us, she considered. I don't need to just hold him off anymore.
Her blows against the platinum-haired boy became heavier and more frequent. Before, the platinum-haired boy could attack and defend, but from that moment on, he could only defend against the redhead.
She completely changed her stance, he noted. He also became more serious in the fight and started to find openings to counter-attack Amaya.
The redhead gradually retreated across the training field, moving closer to one of the trees in that area. When she saw out of the corner of her eye that she was a short distance away, she smiled challengingly at Hatake.
– Come on – She called him with a gesture.
He smiled under his mask and advanced towards the girl, accepting her provocation. But unlike what he expected, she turned and ran towards the tree.
Since he had put all his speed into advancing towards the redhead, Kakashi couldn't stop. Uzumaki climbed halfway up the tree trunk, concentrating chakra in her feet.
She pushed herself backward, jumping over to the platinum-haired boy's back. She landed firmly on the ground and immediately advanced towards Hatake as he tried to stop his run.
The redhead crouched down, sweeping at the platinum-haired boy's legs, forcing him to jump to try to escape her blow. She smiled at that and put her final move into practice.
She rose a bit and grabbed the scarf Hatake wore around his neck, pulling him down by it.
Since he was in the air, the platinum-haired boy had no chance to try to avoid it. With that final blow, Hatake fell on his back to the ground, ending the match.