The bathroom was foggy, warm steam curling against the mirror.
Haneda lay back in the tub, letting the hot water wash away the fatigue from a brutal day of training. His sore muscles finally loosened as he exhaled slowly.
"Comfortable…" he murmured, closing his eyes to savor the peace.
…Until he felt a chill—not from the water, but from an unmistakable sensation. Someone is watching me.
Haneda's eyes snapped open. He turned his head sharply toward the window—
—and nearly slipped underwater.
Outside, clinging to a tree in full view of the bathroom window, was a bright green jumpsuit and a blinding watermelon haircut.
"LET'S HAVE A YOUTHFUL SHOWDOWN, HANEDA!!" Might Guy bellowed, flashing a sparkling thumbs-up.
Haneda's eye twitched violently. With the calm of a man on the brink of madness, he reached for the nearest towel, draped it across the most critical area, then slammed the window shut and locked it.
"Haaah… quiet at last," he muttered, sinking back into the water with a long sigh.
But the mood was gone. The serenity shattered like a porcelain plate. After thirty seconds, Haneda gave up, climbed out, and wiped himself down with quick, annoyed swipes. He slipped into clean pajamas and flopped onto his bed.
Finally—rest.
He turned his head slightly toward the moonlit window—
—and his soul left his body.
There, framed in silver moonlight like some kind of deranged guardian deity, was that same watermelon haircut.
"LET'S HAVE A YOUTHFUL SHOWDOWN, HANEDA!!" Guy roared again, his teeth gleaming like kunai.
"ROLL!!!" Haneda exploded, his usual calm shattering like glass.
What kind of creature IS this?! He shows up while I eat… when I bathe… even when I SLEEP?!
Haneda, who prided himself on his patience, finally snapped. But then—a flash of brilliance struck his mind. Slowly, he climbed out of bed and opened the window.
Guy's eyes lit up instantly. "Yosh! Haneda! Are you FINALLY ready to embrace the flames of youth with me?!"
Haneda forced a smile, voice calm but laced with menace.
"No, Kai. Your approach is wrong. Challenging geniuses isn't about rushing ahead. It's about steady steps—growing stronger one rung at a time."
Guy blinked, processing.
"You need to fight Kakashi now," Haneda continued smoothly, "not someone far beyond him—like me, Uchiha Haneda." He placed a hand dramatically on Guy's shoulder.
"Kakashi is my defeated opponent—our battles stand sixty-forty in my favor. Beat him, and then—then you'll be worthy to challenge me."
Guy's eyes practically caught fire. Haneda drove the nail in with Guy's own words:
"GO, MIGHT GUY! MAKE THIS YOUR FIRST STEP TOWARD TRUE YOUTH!"
He struck a sparkling thumbs-up pose for good measure.
Guy trembled like a tuning fork, gripping the windowsill with white knuckles. "Haneda… THIS IS YOUTH!! I'll take Kakashi as my stepping stone, and then—then I'll challenge you again!"
"Yoshi!!" Haneda matched his intensity with a grin, patting Guy's shoulder. "When you defeat Kakashi, I'll accept your challenge. That's a promise of youth!"
With tears of burning passion streaming down his face, Guy launched himself from the window with a battle cry that shook the rooftops.
Haneda closed the window slowly, lips curling into a grin.
Perfect. Kill two birds with one kunai. Kakashi gets a rival. I get peace. And when Guy opens the Eight Gates… jackpot.
He flopped onto the bed, snickering softly.
"Forgive me, Kakashi… I did this for you. I found you an opponent who'll never betray you. Hehehe…"
---
Three Days Later
Life returned to normal. Haneda alternated between:
✔ Skipping classes (or politely asking for leave to save face)
✔ Illusion training with Fugaku
✔ Sword practice with Kakashi
✔ Chidori and Shadow Clone drills at night
Until three and a half days later…
The Uchiha training grounds, under a canopy of rustling leaves.
Haneda stood in the grass, his expression blank. His eyes were blood-red, a single tomoe spinning slowly, locked onto Fugaku's calm three-tomoe gaze.
A single leaf drifted down between them.
Haneda's knees buckled. He staggered back, clutching his right eye in pain.
Fugaku was at his side in an instant, catching him before he fell.
"What happened? You were close to breaking the Shackling Stakes Technique."
Haneda exhaled shakily. "My shadow clone at school dispersed. All the memories rushed back at once—threw my focus off and the genjutsu backfired."
"…Are you going back to school now?" Fugaku asked.
"Of course," Haneda said, forcing a smile. "If the teacher sees an empty seat, I'll have to explain."
But inwardly, his mind raced. If word spreads, the Sandaime… and Danzo… might start asking questions.
---
Meanwhile, Ten Minutes Earlier…
The shadow clone version of Haneda lounged on the school rooftop tiles, chatting lazily with Obito.
"Hey, Haneda," Obito said, jerking his thumb toward Kakashi, who was below, practicing precision shuriken throws. "Kakashi's training like crazy. Aren't you worried he'll surpass you?"
Haneda yawned. "If he does, it's because of talent and effort. I'm dead last. All I've got is persistence. There's no comparison."
He smirked inwardly. This is Naruto's world. The strongest shinobi fall into two categories: monsters with bloodlines… and idiots blessed by gods or old men.
Before Obito could reply—
"LET'S HAVE A YOUTHFUL SHOWDOWN, HANEDA!!"
The voice boomed like thunder. A green blur dropped from the tree above—Might Guy, grinning so wide it hurt to look at.
Haneda's smile froze. Not now… this clone is running on fumes.
"Kai," Haneda said flatly, "come challenge me after you beat Kakashi. Right now, you're too weak."
"I ALREADY DEFEATED KAKASHI!" Guy roared, fists blazing with passion.
"…Huh?" Haneda stared.
Impossible. That only happens when he opens the Gates, and that doesn't happen for years!
"Kai, I'm sure Kakashi LET you win," Haneda said coolly. "If he went all out, you wouldn't stand a chance."
He turned toward Kakashi—
—but the silver-haired prodigy was gone.
Grass!! Haneda cursed inwardly. Kakashi bailed and left ME with this problem?!
"Haneda!" Guy seized his hand with a burning grip. "Don't run from the oath of youth! Our fated battle begins NOW!"
Haneda stared into those blazing, suspiciously romantic eyes and felt a headache pounding behind his temples.
"…First," he said through gritted teeth, "tell me what you and Kakashi competed in."