Chapter 5: The Rookie Classic

Baki laid in a hospital bed, the sterile white walls a constant reminder of his ordeal. Five days had passed since he was admitted, his body working hard to recover from the blood loss and the painful wound that had been hastily cauterized. He'd been caught in a loop of boredom and restlessness, the hours dragging by. The silver lining of the situation was that sitting in boredom and pain beat the alternative of being dead.

'Like the men I killed.' His mind repeated annoyingly.

He had been at odds with himself for the past week, not exactly sure what he was supposed to feel after taking the life of another human. He didn't hold any great amount of remorse, or anything dramatic like that. If anything, it was exactly the opposite. The battle ended in his victory, he had won, and they lost. Had it been the other way around, he'd be rotting in the dirt.

This world was unforgiving and harsh. He didn't have the luxury to be any different.

The monotony of his thoughts were broken when the door swung open. In all his aged and hunched glory, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen entered the room. The elderly leader's presence was commanding yet warm, his eyes held a mixture of concern and curiosity as he approached Baki's bed. A couple of ANBU agents lingered at the door, clearly being told to sit back as the man did his business.

Baki, trying to muster some energy as he sat up straighter, greeted the man with respect in his tone, "Lord Hokage, what brings you here?"

Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling for Baki to remain at ease. He slowly made motion to sit, dragging the action out like an old cat. Baki waited with a bated expression, until the man spoke with a soft ease in his voice, "Please, rest. I came to see how you were doing. It is not every day an academy student treks halfway across our territory, defeats a band of noteworthy bandits and survives to tell the tale. I must commend you; you demonstrated great courage and resourcefulness in an... unfortunate situation. I do not think many in your situation would've made it back."

Baki strangely felt there was no real substance behind the man's words. Perhaps the result of having conversations like this hundreds of times before?

He analyzed the senior, who could end his life faster than he could perceive, with a critical eye. He couldn't control the slight frown from tugging on his lips. He had been expecting someone high enough up the food chain to come and dismiss the utter blunder they allowed to happen, but to have the head-honcho of the whole operation come to appease him...

It left a bad taste in his mouth.

Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow in response, a small smile gracing his weathered features. He chuckled like rolling gravel, "You seem dissatisfied by my words, young Doro. What seems to ail you, outside the obvious?"

The blonde chose his words carefully, knowing a slip-up could have dire consequences, "Have you figured out why I was given such a dangerous task compared to the others, Lord Hokage?"

The Hokage hummed, his eyes reflected a twinge of amusement at the boy's words. He shook his head with practiced ease and drawled, "We are currently investigating how you were sent on such a perilous journey. We have a few suspicions, but it's far too soon to say. I trust you understand?"

Baki's mind churned with dissatisfaction, though he tried to maintain a calm exterior. Mizuki had given him the assignment, one that was obviously meant for Naruto. It wasn't hard to piece together that Mizuki intended for Naruto to die, Baki had just been an unintended consequence of the attempt. There was no way this old sack of bones couldn't deduce that, but who knew what his angle was in all of this.

Hiruzen continued, "Rest assured, Baki, we will get to the bottom of this. Your safety, and the safety of all our young shinobi, is of utmost importance. If there is anything you recall about your assignment or the events leading up to it, please let us know. Sometimes, even the smallest of details makes a world of difference in our investigations."

The transmigrator kept his thoughts to himself, deciding not much good could come from him overplaying his insight. Instead, he opted for a small smile and joked, "Yessir, regarding that...I do recall Might Gai crediting me with the completion of his team's C-ranked mission. Would it be too presumptuous to expect some form of compensation?"

Hiruzen openly chortled at the half-hearted request.

He reached into his robe and pulled out a worn scroll and an envelope. He placed them on the foot of the bed, explaining, "Oh, to be young and brazen...Inside the envelope is the pay for the mission, the completion will go on your official record when you graduate. That scroll, however, is something from my personal collection. I was not flattering you when I said I was impressed by your performance, young man. I've been filled in on how much you've improved lately by your instructors at the academy, and I believe this will help you take another step forward into something...special. Fanning the flames of the next generation is quite the pastime of mine, you see."

Baki had the decency to look surprised as the old man stood from his seat and smiled mysteriously, "Get some rest and heal well, Doro Baki. I expect great things from you."

Again, like an old cat stretching his bones, the leader of Konoha departed the room with his guards. After waiting a few moments for the man to truly be gone, he reached down and picked up the scroll. The cover was faded and weathered, hinting at its age and the knowledge contained within. Baki's curiosity was piqued, he carefully unrolled the scroll, curious to see what Hiruzen had gifted him.

As he read through the first few lines, his eyes widened in absolute shock. The scroll was a detailed guide on the art of chakra sense—a skill that was both rare and incredibly valuable for a shinobi. The ability to sense chakra provided a significant advantage in all aspects of a Shinobi's life. In combat, for instance, allowing the user to detect hidden enemies, traps, and even determine the strength and nature of an opponent's chakra.

It was literally a cheat skill, and one he had thought was inherit to specific shinobi until now.

The scroll was meticulously detailed, outlining the fundamentals of chakra sensing and providing step-by-step instructions for various exercises to develop the ability. It explained the importance of meditation, focusing one's mind, and attuning oneself to the flow of chakra in the environment.

After scrutinizing over the scroll for nearly an hour, Baki began practicing the first exercise, focusing on his own chakra and trying to sense its current within his body. Since he was holed up in the hospital, it was the perfect skill to occupy his time. The process required intense concentration, but he felt a small flicker of success as he began to perceive the faint flow of energy within himself after dozens of attempts.

A devious smirk tugged on his lips.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him the precursor to one of the greatest skills in all of the continuity, he would be a fool not to abuse it.

It was a full week later when Baki was given the clearance to leave the hospital and allowed to return to the academy. He was under strict instruction not to do anything too strenuous for at least two more weeks, but given the magical nature of medical chakra, Baki felt spry and healthy enough to ignore that order to a reasonable degree.

Every day you miss sets you two days behind, or so they say.

The blonde took his sweet time getting there, blatantly waiting a good ten minutes after the start of class before abruptly opening the door. Iruka, who was in the middle of a long-winded lecture, gave pause as all eyes turned to the door. Baki offered a curt nod to the instructor and spied an empty seat in the front row, his usual spot next to Hinata, and now Naruto, was taken by Aburame Shino of all people. He casually strode to the front and sat down, resting his fist on his cheek, and directed his attention forward.

Iruka seemed at a loss of words for a moment before gathering himself. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Welcome back, Baki. I wasn't informed you'd be returning today."

He gave the scarred man a mute shrug and nothing more. Iruka stared at him, as if expecting something akin to an actual response and waited. After a pregnant pause, he sighed and muttered, "Anyways...as I was saying, today we will be reviewing your progress with a Taijutsu tournament. Final exams are only two months away, and it's crunch-time to correct any mistakes or weaknesses you still have. Outside, Mizuki-sensei is setting up the field and brackets. We will meet him out there shortly."

Baki's eyebrows furrowed in slight surprise as Iruka's voice became background noise. After being stuck on his ass for over two weeks, doing nothing outside of chakra exercises and meditation, he was being thrown into a series of fights with his fellow academy students. It wasn't exactly the ideal situation for him, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement crawl beneath his skin.

The desire to prove his superiority - to reap the rewards of his labor - his inner competitor was rearing its ugly head.

Baki welcomed the familiar feeling with open arms.

As the class made their way outside to the courtyard, Iruka called for Baki to stay behind. The young adult approached him gingerly and murmured, "Baki you don't have to compete today, I'm sure you're still feeling off from that whole fiasco a couple weeks ago. There's no need to rush back into things. You can just sit back and watch, if you want?"

The aspiring Shinobi gave Iruka a roguish grin and smacked his chest a couple times with exaggerated vigor. With absolute conviction, he declared boisterously, "I feel ten feet tall right now!"

Iruka balked in confusion as Baki made his way out the door, laughing like a loon, "And strong like an ox!"

The Chunin stared at the retreating teen, unable to make the heads or tails of the blonde's declaration.

Baki stared at the seeding chart with appalment clearly written all over his face.

1) Uchiha Sasuke

2) Hyūga Hinata

3) Inuzuka Kiba

4) Masashi Ryu

5) Akimichi Choji

6) Yamanaka Ino

7) Uzumaki Naruto

8) Aburame Shino

9) Urameshi Ami

10) Haruno Sakura

11) Nara Shikmaru

12) Doro Baki

He was the goddamned 12-seed?!

"What kind of utter bullshit criteria put me nearly halfway down the class in Taijutsu?" he muttered under his breath, incredulous.

He had knocked Kiba out cold not even three months ago and had won every spar since then! Admittedly, Iruka and Mizuki had never paired him against anybody above him on the list outside of his sole bout against the Inuzuka, but that was beside the point. Did the win against Kiba not matter for anything? Did they really think Sakura was better than him?

Baki's frustration simmered, a cauldron of resentment bubbling just beneath the surface. He scanned the field, noting the reactions of his classmates. Kiba smirked, clearly relishing Baki's predicament. Sasuke remained indifferent, his icy gaze betraying no emotion. Hinata, ever the enigma, shot him a sly smile, while Naruto looked perplexed by the whole situation.

'Seriously,' Baki thought, 'I could beat Sakura blindfolded and drunk off my ass, but they think she's ranked above me? This has to be some kind of bad joke.'

Baki's eyes landed on Iruka and Mizuki, who were discussing the bracket on the sidelines. He couldn't help but feel a pang of betrayal. They had seen his progress, his dedication. How could they overlook his accomplishments?

Well, to be fair, one of them had nearly gotten him killed a couple weeks prior.

It wasn't that far of a stretch.

Shikamaru, leaning back lazily on a bench, glanced over at Baki with a raised eyebrow. "Troublesome, isn't it?" he drawled, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Baki's lips curled into a wry smile. He chuckled humorlessly, "I am insulted beyond what words can express."

The Nara merely huffed out something that sounded like a chuckle and turned his attention to the fighting space.

The air was thick with anticipation as the students gathered for the first round of matchups. The academy courtyard buzzed with energy; each student eager to prove their worth. Baki stood near the back next to the Nara, observing the scene with a clearly sour demeanor.

Sasuke and Hinata, being the top two seeds, received byes for the first round. They watched from the sidelines, their expressions composed and unreadable. The rest of the top 12 seeds were paired against no-name opponents, a warm-up for the fights to come.

The first match saw Kiba squaring off against a timid-looking male student. Kiba's confidence was palpable as he faced his opponent. "Let's make this quick," he said, a smug grin on his face. Akamaru barked in agreement, the little dog eager to assist in his master's customary shit-talk.

The match began and Kiba wasted no time, launching into a flurry of attacks. His opponent barely had a chance to react before Kiba's relentless assault overwhelmed him. Within moments, Kiba stood victorious, the smug grin never leaving his face.

Next up was Masashi Ryu, facing off against another no-name opponent. Ryu was a civilian born boy who excelled in Taijutsu, truly the only remarkable student outside of the main cast of characters Baki was familiar with. He was a bit on the shorter side, with chestnut brown hair and a round head. Despite his appearance, Ryu's movements were fluid, his strikes precise. His opponent struggled to keep up, and it wasn't long before Ryu claimed victory, a cocky grin etched on his plain face.

Akimichi Choji followed. Despite his size, Choji moved with surprising agility, using his signature techniques to overpower his opponent. The match ended quickly, with Choji emerging triumphant, a pleased smile on his face as he made way to stuff it full of chips.

Typical fat fuck.

Ino was next, her opponent already looking defeated before the match even began. Ino's confidence and skill shone through as she easily bested her foe, playing with the civilian girl like a toy to show off. She made sure to display her flexibility and lithe legs with exaggerated movements, hoping to catch Sasuke's eyes. Her victory was met with a smattering of applause from the spectators, yet none from the boy who was the apple of her eye.

Naruto's turn came, and he faced his opponent with his usual enthusiasm. "Alright, let's do this!" he declared, his voice full of determination. Despite his opponent's best efforts, Naruto's relentless energy and surprising tactics secured him a win, much to his delight. Despite his lack of any real technique, Naruto's pure physical ability was not something to glance at.

Aburame Shino's match followed. Shino's mastery of his insects had no place in a Taijutsu bout, leaving his opponent to be defeated by lackluster and barebone striking techniques. Nothing special or unique, but Shino was victorious without breaking a sweat.

Shikamaru, Ami and Haruno Sakura had their own matches, all three emerging victorious with varying degrees of effort. To anybody with a halfway intelligent perspective on fighting, it was an utter bore to watch.

Finally, it was Baki's turn.

He was to face a boy named Toru, the twenty-one seed.

As Baki made his way to the ring, he honestly had no recollection of the boy whatsoever. Which was saying quite a lot, he was pretty good at recalling people's faces if not their names. How much of a background character was the boy standing across from him? To make matters even more amusing, the kid was doing his best to mean-mug Baki like his life depended on it.

The blonde gave the boy an unimpressed look and asked impishly, "You 'gotta use the can, buddy? You look like you're about to shit yourself."

Toru's face burned red as he fumbled around for a rebuke, but Iruka cut him off suddenly, "BEGIN!"

Baki waited patiently as the boy refocused his attention on the fight and charged towards him, his stance resembling something like a bastardized form of karate. Long snapping kicks were sent his way in rolling tandem, aiming to take his head off with each attempt. Baki merely leaned out of the way, not stepping back an inch as he did so. The kicks were so telegraphed it would be a crime to even be touched by one.

After the fourth or fifth kick, Baki had enough playing around and grabbed the boy's sandaled foot as it neared his face. Toru's momentum was halted instantly, and before the boy could even realize his predicament, Baki's lunchbox-sized fist dug sharply into his stomach. Spittle and stomach acid flew from the boy's mouth as Baki let him go to fall to his knees, his arms desperately wrapping around his midsection as he shook uncontrollably.

Toru made a pitiful squeak before a loud and ripping sound of flatulence traveled through the air.

Torn between an expression of pain and horror, Toru could do nothing as he released his bowls down his underpants and the legs beneath them.

Baki's mouth made an 'o' shape as he stared at the boy going through the most humiliating moment of his young life. He scratched his cheek and gazed towards Iruka and Mizuki, both of whom had aghast expressions on their faces. Before they could even begin to get control of the situation, Kiba hackled like a hyena, "TORU SHIT HIS FUCKING PANTS!"

Like the final crack in a dam, a flood of boisterous laughter spilled through the area with unprecedented volume.

Needless to say, the last four matches of the round of thirty-two did not stir up quite as much spectacle as the one's preceding it.

The first round had come to an end, and the top sixteen seeds had all secured their victories. The courtyard buzzed with anticipation as the brackets were updated, revealing the matchups for the next round. Whispers and murmurs filled the air, each student speculating on the outcomes of the upcoming battles.

Among the most intriguing of these matchups was the clash of Baki and Choji, the premier fight of the round between the fifth and twelfth seeds.

The former chunker versus the prodigal fatty, as some of the crasser students had taken to calling it.

If you were to judge it by the way the two were staring each other down since the reveal of matches, the fight would certainly live up to the hype.

Unknown to the likes of people born of small stature, there was longstanding idiom about a clash of two large opponents.

"This town isn't big enough for the two of us."

End of Chapter