Hana, her face brimming with determination, excitement, and anticipation, shouted through her hands.
"You've got this, Izuna-kun!"
My eyes twitched in bafflement, and I'm certainly not the only one. The other students were silent and focused on the fight a moment ago, and now they all gathered their gazes on the little Inuzuka girl.
... which didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.
"You're almost there!"
Something truly wrong resides in her head. I'd bet my career as a dancer on it. No, seriously, doesn't she even feel a twinge of embarrassment?
"He's the only one left!"
The only one left? He's the only one who was there in the first place. The others weren't even nominated to be on the list.
Ahh, I'm genuinely starting to worry about the girl's future.
"You can do it!"
"... yeah, yeah." Sighing, I stood slowly while ignoring the pain shooting from my finger. "I get it."
She beamed and sent me a thumbs-up.
Really...
Does she somehow believe this to be some third-rate, low-budget movie? Where does the beautiful heroine cheer on the defeated hero, and all of a sudden he gains magical buffs, allowing him to defeat the villain?
What a naive way of thinking... but also cute.
It would be quite cruel to disappoint her expectations here, wouldn't it?
What am I saying?
Another sigh escaped me. Naivety, huh?
My eyes narrowed as I slowly and steadily released my hold on the supplying chakra flow.
The changes were gradual and subtle. Healthy skin paled, dark bags formed under the eyes, and the lips grew dry and cracked. No abrupt puff of white smoke accompanied the dispelled Ninjutsu, nor was there anything drawing much attention without careful examination.
Something that won't go unnoticed under Itachi's scrutinizing gaze. He bent his knee slightly, one foot in front of the other, and his upper body slowly lowered forward, taking a stance. And as soon as I nodded, he lunged, once again with stunning speed.
Yet this time, because I don't have a jutsu that splits my attention, I was able to duck the hook and parry the following middle kick, not with ease but with less hardship than before. And so the second round started.
With all my focus on this fight, I started recognizing specific patterns. While his moves were fast and definitely not light, there was almost no randomness in them. Which made them, while not easy to predict, not unexpected.
Parrying another kick, shifting, and ducking with each of his strikes, his technique unfurled in front of my eyes. I don't even need to use the Sharingan for that. The brain was already made to decipher movement sequences; the dojutsu was not only in the eyes.
Decisive but immature. This was my evaluation of Itachi's technique. His kicks are more refined than his fists. Expected. Focusing the Taijutsu on the legs while freeing the hands for Ninjutsu was the standard approach most shinobi took.
The fact it was the standard makes it no less dangerous. In fact, it was the standard because it was effective.
And in the hands of someone beyond the standard, it was fearsome.
I was able to avoid his fist most of the time, yet I could only wince in pain whenever I would parry his kicks. Safe to say that my pinky finger won't be the only part swollen by tomorrow.
It was after he swung one kick followed by a spin to perform another kick that I found an opening and acted without hesitation; my right fist shot straight.
I have been on the defensive this whole time, so bursting suddenly into action took him by surprise... That was what I hoped, but the bastard easily halted his motion, lifted both arms and effortlessly blocked the cross punch in front of his face.
It's alright; however, I expected this much.
As soon as the punch momentum was cut, I opened my hand, releasing the sand I had patiently stored up straight to his face.
Instinctively, he closed his eyes all the while sending a spinning back fist, which ended up hitting empty air since I swiftly crouched low, my hands forward, moving to my actual target: the ankles.
It was quite deplorable at this point as if this were the only attack I knew. But what can I do? An easy target is an easy target.
... but this bastard was all but an easy target.
After I grabbed his ankle, I pulled, and then it happened in a fraction of a second. Pain shot from my right wrist as the leg freed itself from my gasp and went precisely and with supernatural speed to my head.
A bell rang, I knew. If that hit lands, a swelling would be the least of my worries. My reaction was as swift as it was instinctual. Chakra floods my limbs in one sudden burst of energy. It wasn't by much but in that window frame, it was more than enough.
In a streak like a comet, my body shot backward with a surprising speed that should have been unattainable before. My feet slipped out from under me, and I flailed my arms, struggling to regain my balance as I skidded backward.
Eventually, I managed to steady myself with a last-minute pivot, my shoes scraping against the ground.
What the fuck was that...?
My eyes widened as my mind caught up. Spontaneously, I raised my gaze to meet Itachi's. The surprise on his face is no lesser than mine.
Well, shit.
He used chakra... the fucker used chakra.
One typical kick of his, targeting the head, would most likely result in a concussion. That was how much the powerful bastard wasn't holding back.
Infusing that same powerful kick with chakra, and it wouldn't be a kick anymore.
Yeah, the bastard, just now, tried to kill me.
He fucking...
Yes, I should be angry, incensed, and infuriated at how easily I come close to my end. At how pathetic and insignificant that would be...
Yet... yet, I wasn't.
As much as I tried to suppress it, I wasn't able to, it was beyond me. My cheeks shook as the corners of my lips slowly rose, showing my teeth in a full, predatory grin.
Angry? Why should I be?
The handsome genius, the Uchiha prodigy, the mature and smart kid, always above, everyone beneath, this type of person, Uchiha Itachi, slipped. He fucking slipped. I made him slip.
Technically, this class was the combat class, not restricted to only Taijutsu. Over the years, as the students progress, the class introduces other fields such as Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, and the use of chakra in combat. But now, however, on the first day of the said class, no one expected the kids to flaunt their wizardly prowess; most had yet to gasp their chakra.
The teacher hadn't clarified anything about only sticking to basic Taijutsu.
But he didn't have to. For him, we are just six-year-old kids.
It was more of a silent agreement, sort of an unspoken rule between me and Itachi. This is school, they are kids, and we shall play like kids.
A play he lost, a rule he broke. It was an accident sure, but that means nothing. The consequences, had I not evaded the strike, aren't light.
Itachi quickly reigned his expression into a frown. While I slowly stood, leisurely dusting my cloth as I fought the grin on my face, my eyes were fixed on his.
"..."
"..."
The training ground went silent, save for the growing whispers of the students. The air was thick with tension and anticipation, as if waiting for the next move to be made.
What will you do?
Was the question reflected in our gazes.
His earlier surprise was as much from his accidental slip, as it was from my sudden demonstration of chakra control.
As slight as it may be, it was the reason none of us are moving. Because when we do, it won't be a simple school play anymore.
A standoff. An Impasse, where both sides held a nuke. Unwilling to use it yet reluctant to back down.
A stalemate that was soon resolved.
After what felt like half an hour, the conflicting hint in the other Uchiha's eyes seems to reach a conclusion. He let out a sigh, turned to the teacher, and raised his hand.
"I concede."
But I was faster.
... for once in this fight. I noted, with grim amusement.
The students bulging eyes instantly turned to me, mouths agape. Why the reaction? Haven't you seen me on the losing end since the start?
The teacher, seemingly taken aback as well, asked. "Are you sure, Izuna-kun?"
"Hmm-hum." I turned around, not sparing him much of a glance, headed straight for the exit, and gave a polite excuse. "I need to see the infirmary." I raised my hand with the wounded pinky finger. "I think it might be broken."
"Alright, make sure to come see me right after."
It was the correct thing to do.
Stepping out of the noisy training ground, found myself in a dimly lit corridor, the sound being my footsteps and the distant cheering of the student at Itachi's victory.
Yes, the right choice. I told myself, in a vain attempt to quell the disheartening feelings tearing my insides. I wouldn't have won even if I had gone all out anyway.
Besides, showing any more than necessary would go against me.
Itachi must be the light. The bright, shining jewel that would keep all eyes on himself and away from me. He needs to be first. The first in everything. A genius that would make everyone else pale in comparison.
Staying in the shadows was a reasonable and appropriate decision.
Yet, that doesn't make it any less bitter.