Shisui crouched in the shadows of a tall tree at the edge of the training field. His ANBU mask had been left behind, though the instincts for concealment still clung to him like a second skin. The early morning breeze rustled through the leaves above, carrying the distant sounds of village life just beginning to stir.
He had already read the files. Memorized them, really. Names, chakra types, notable traits. But he wasn't here for data. He was here to feel them. To see how they walked into a space. How they breathed when they didn't know they were being watched.
The first to arrive was Sena Yamanaka.
Naturally.
She stepped into the clearing with calm confidence, posture straight, steps light, and that ever-pleasant smile perfectly in place. Her appearance was immaculate. Not a single thread out of place. She carried a satchel slung over her shoulder, filled with field gear, chakra pills, and most likely a few detailed notes she had written herself.
She was bright. Polished. Deliberate. She projected warmth, but there was steel behind it. Most people didn't see the strings she pulled. Shisui did. Or at least, he knew enough to spot the signs after reading her file.
She scanned the clearing. A passive sweep, subtle. Her eyes drifted over the trees, the terrain, and the posts scattered around. Looking for observers. Making sure she wasn't being watched. If he wasn't trained to notice these things, he might've missed it.
Not bad.
A few minutes passed.
Then Kaen Uchiha stepped out from the trees.
His movements were stiff, but practiced. He held himself like someone used to pushing through pain. His hands were loose at his sides, but the tension in his shoulders told a different story. Shisui's eyes narrowed. The boy wasn't twisting his torso fully when he turned his head. He favored his right side without realizing it. Those weren't just fresh bruises. Those were routine.
Shisui sighed quietly. He knew Kaen's parents. Knew how strict they were. What he didn't know was how far that strictness had gone.
Kaen didn't say a word. He nodded once to Sena and stopped a few paces away, eyes scanning the field. Alert. Focused. Cold.
Sena offered him a friendly greeting. Light, casual. Her voice held its usual warmth, but her expression was just a little tighter than before.
Soft approach. Controlled tone. Calculated distance.
Shisui mentally filed the interaction away.
Then, right before the assigned meeting time, the third one arrived.
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I walked into the clearing with maybe half a minute to spare. Practically punctual by my standards. I called that a win. Progress. And then my eyes landed on who was already here.
"Aw, man," I muttered out loud, dragging the words with theatrical disappointment.
Kaen turned to face me with the expression of a hawk watching a fish flop into its pond. Offended was an understatement. His glare could've peeled bark off a tree. I met his stare with a deadpan look that said, wordlessly, "Don't act tough. I already knocked you flat last week."
He didn't say anything. I didn't either. We both looked away.
Then I noticed Sena standing there, and something clicked. Hirotaka's words echoed in my head. I sighed quietly, thinking, So this is what he meant when he said I'd already paid him back.
But I didn't feel bitter about it. I owed them, after all. For the kenjutsu training. For Hirotaka stepping in when Danzo tried to throw me into a cage. Fair was fair.
I glanced back at Kaen. I wanted to be on better terms with him, honestly. But trying too hard right away would only make it worse. It'd come off fake, and I wasn't good at pretending. Not when it mattered. We'd get there. Maybe. Eventually. For now, I gave him a short nod.
Then I made my way to Sena. "Hey. How's your morning going?"
She smiled, the same calm curve of her lips as always. But I could tell. There was tension under it. Subtle. Not obvious unless you were used to watching her closely.
She wasn't happy about the team composition. Kaen wasn't her idea of ideal.
"You deal with what you're given, right?" I said casually, just loud enough for her to hear.
She didn't answer. Her eyes shifted slightly to the right.
I felt it a half-second later.
It wasn't stealthy. Whatever was approaching wasn't trying to be hidden. The chakra was fast, sharp, and steady. Like a drawn blade hanging in the air. It pressed down on the field, heavy and precise. A warning before an attack.
Sena's hand drifted near her pouch, eyes tracking the treeline. I didn't need to look at Kaen. He shifted his stance the moment he noticed our reactions. He'd picked up on the tension, even if he hadn't sensed it himself, his Sharingan already flaring to life with a red gleam.
Then the figure stepped out.
He was a bit taller than me, which didn't mean he was short. It just meant he was tall, because I was already the tallest and bulkiest kid in the entire Academy. He was wrapped in standard shinobi attire, his face hidden behind a smooth wooden mask. No symbol. No detail. Just plain, polished wood.
He didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
His presence filled the field with quiet threat. Serious, focused, probing.
Sena was the first to speak.
"Do you sense any intent to harm?"
"Yeah," I replied slowly, "but it feels... off."
Kaen didn't wait for a second opinion. As the masked man approached with alarming speed, he surged forward, hands flashing through seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire!"
Flames erupted from his mouth, small controlled fireballs that scattered in a wide arc. Not bad form. The guy had clearly practiced. Problem was, wide-area jutsu like that didn't mix well with teammates standing next to you.
I darted sideways. Sena mirrored me, lips tight.
The masked man moved. He slipped through the fireballs like he'd done it a thousand times, ducking under one, sidestepping another, then he bent low beneath the last flame, just as Kaen hurled a kunai toward his lowered body, aiming for a position that would have been difficult to maneuver out of.
However, the man was gone.
He flickered from his position without warning. One instant he was there, the next, he was behind Kaen, I was barely able to track his speed. Fast. And somehow, it felt like he wasn't even using his full speed. Which was a ridiculous thought.
Sena threw a kunai on reflex. It sliced the air where the masked man had been a moment before. He'd changed direction again, flickering past Kaen's shoulder.
Kaen didn't hesitate. He went in with a kunai of his own, dropping ninjutsu entirely. Too slow to hit someone moving like that. A smart call, honestly.
Their blades met with a clean clang, and I dove in from the side, forming hand seals as they exchanged blows. While they kept him occupied, I pressed my hand to the ground and shouted.
"Arc Net!"
Lightning surged from my palm in a fully powered grid, snapping across the ground like a spiderweb. Sena jumped clear. Kaen, a little slower to react, took a stun pulse to the ankle and hit the dirt with a frustrated grunt, his muscles locking up as he struggled to move.
The masked man stood outside the range, untouched. I hadn't even seen how he escaped. He was that fast.
I couldn't see his eyes, but his movements told me everything. He wasn't really trying to harm us. It felt more like he was watching. Testing. Measuring.
And it hit me then. Right place. Right time. Right level of absurd skill.
This wasn't an enemy.
This was our sensei.
I glanced at Sena. She gave the smallest nod. She'd figured it out too.
Kaen was still on the ground, his face twisted in frustration as his body spasmed. He tried to push himself up, but his muscles locked again, leaving him helpless to do anything but watch.
The masked man shifted again, and this time, he moved fast enough to blur.
Sena didn't react in time, or maybe she trusted I'd protect her. She was mid-way through forming hand seals, focused. The masked man appeared in front of her mid-strike, his kunai arcing down with controlled precision.
Lightning coiled around my leg as I moved.
The world stretched and snapped as I appeared between them. The strike landed on my raised kunai. The man's eyes flicked slightly, just for a second. Surprise.
He hadn't expected me to get there in time.
Sena didn't hesitate. Her focus never wavered, like she knew I'd be there. Her hands flew through the seals without pause.
I kicked out toward the masked man, but he jumped above the strike, grabbed my leg mid-air, and brought me crashing down with full force in a tight grappling motion. Static Shell surged across my body, discharging sharp sparks into him. I felt the current crawl into the grip he had on me, but he didn't even flinch. No recoil. No strain. Just solid muscle and control, like the lightning meant nothing to him.
It felt more like watching someone enjoy a scalding bath.
He shifted smoothly, hand snapping toward my face with a kunai. I leaned back just in time to dodge it. Then, to my shock, he let the kunai slip from his grip and sent it flying toward Sena.
I released a burst of lightning chakra, using a fast miniature version of Static Field to slow the kunai just enough. Sena was a second away from finishing her hand seals, but the incoming blade forced her to stop. She drew a kunai and struck, barely managing to block it. Sparks flew as metal scraped metal. The force of the impact jolted through her arm, making her stumble back a step. Despite her composure, she looked shaken. The kunai, even thrown from such an awkward angle and close range, had hit like a hammer.
The masked man used that instant to flip me over with terrifying strength. My face slammed into the dirt as I let out a groan. At the same time, he sent a sharp kick toward Sena's legs.
A second later, she was down too, swept off her feet by the perfectly placed strike while she was still recovering from the kunai clash.
I tried to roll to my side, but then I froze.
There was a kunai touching the back of my neck.
And another was pointed at the back of Sena's neck as well.
I blinked. Looked up. The masked man stood there calmly.
Then the one holding me vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone.
He had used my trick against me. I tasted bitterness in my throat.
But what made my blood run cold wasn't the technique.
It was how the real one had gotten that close without making a sound. No chakra spike. No footsteps. No trace of emotion or intent. No warning at all.
It was like death had entered quietly, ready to collect what was owed.
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A/N: I enjoyed writing this fight a lot lol. I'm very, very interested in your feedback since this is the first time I've written a battle so kinetic in nature.