At training ground 36 -
"Ready?" Hiruzen asked folding away his Hokage robe.
Both boys nodded.
"Then begin."
Enji rushed in head-on, fists tightening,chakra reinforcing his body. His stronger physique made him the natural vanguard, engaging the Hokage in close quarters. Itachi, flickered to the side and hurled three shurikens at the elderly man.
Hiiruzen,from the corners of his eye,saw two of them curving inwards , towards him, from each side. The third one flying straight at him.
Then he saw Itachi hurling a fourth one.
Hiruzen expertly did a dempsey roll, dodging the two coming from his sides. His brows lifted as he saw the fourth shuriken hit the third one,changing directions ,sealing all his escape routes and forcing him to block at least one of them.
But Enji's onslaught kept his hands occupied.
Both the boy's eyes widened as they saw Hiruzen dodge the third shuriken and spit out his pipe,striking the fourth shuriken, shifting it's tragectory, sending it flying off into the woods.
In his surprise Enji's rhythm faltered, which resulted in a solid kick to his stomach sending him sliding back a few meters away.
The Hokage,as if nothing happened, smiled at the two boys.
' Haha, look at their faces,I bet that looked cool.'
" Boys, that was good . Cooperating so perfectly, that too on the fly, impressive."
Enji and Itachi recovered from their surprise and rushed in again flanking the Hokage from each side.
Enji's chakra surged, his body vanishing in a blur - Body Flicker. He reappeared directly in front of Hiruzen, fist already cocked.
At that exact moment, Itachi too flickered, behind Hiruzen, punching straight towards the back of his head.
But Hiruzen was already moving. With a smooth twirl, he pulled Enji between himself and the incoming fist, holding him in place as the punch landed.
'Damn!' Enji had only this thought as itachi's fist landed squarely on his cheek,sending him flying.
Hiruzen immediately followed with a perfectly executed side kick to send the surprised Itachi skidding back.
"You'll need more coordination than that." Hiruzen said amused.
Enji dashed in again,this time his mind focused,his vision sharpening, Hiruzen's every gesture, every movement, every twitch all visible in slow motion.
He pressed harder, his strikes faster and stronger, each blow packing more force than a normal academy student could even block.
But Hiruzen moved with a smoothness that showcased his years of mastery. His smile never left his lips as he weaved between Enji's punches, redirecting strikes with open palms, deflecting kicks with subtle shifts of his palms, instead of directly tanking the hits with his elderly body.
"Good pressure," he said conversationally. "But what will you do when the opponent refuses to trade?"
Enji grunted, pushing harder, but found every strike redirected harmlessly.
That was when Itachi appeared silently at Hiruzen's flank, aiming a sharp kick at his ribs.
The Hokage ducked effortlessly, his palm flicking out to shove Itachi's balance just off. The Uchiha boy rolled smoothly, immediately resetting. And Enji reatreated back to get a breather.
Already, Hiruzen had forced them into a rhythm they didn't control.
" Now, I'll start attacking, be ready. Here I come." Hiruzen warned.
Hiruzen charged towards Enji, while Itachi pursued realising Enji alone could not handle the Hokage .
Enji formed a snake hand sign and slapped his hands on the ground immediately.
' Earth release: Earth flow spears'
Sharp and flat stone slabs rose in front of him blocking the Hokage's path.
But hiruzen slammed his fists into the stone slabs dismantling the stone slabs, and reaching Enji in a second.
' Jutsu with a single hand sign, impressive. It is as Yasu said, his jutsu has surpassed a normal D rank jutsu. It feels like a supercharged one, but the chakra used is the same. Is his potent chakra causing it?'
He thought while easily dealing with Enji's moves.
Enji's defense was faltering, but to his relief Itachi joined in, reducing the pressure on him.
Minutes passed. Enji used his superior stamina to pressure Hiruzen relentlessly, while Itachi's sharp mind worked to set traps and create patterns.
But the Hokage was still the Professor,anticipating, countering, dismantling. With each exchange, he turned their strategies against them, forcing them to adapt in real time.
Finally, both sides broke apart, the boys breathing heavier now.
Enji wiped a sleeve across his brow, grinning despite the beating. He flickered beside Itachi.
"He's reading us too easily." Itachi whispered.
Enji's eyes gleamed, serious but excited. "Then we should do something unexpected. "
Hiruzen watched with a smile, as the boys whispered their plans.
The next attack was their boldest: Enji lunged high, swinging his arms wide, while Itachi charged low. It looked predictable, almost desperate-so much so that Hiruzen smirked as he prepared to counter both.
But at the last moment, Enji twisted midair, redirecting his punch not at Hiruzen but at the ground,just in front of his feet kicking up a massive burst of dirt and dust. The Hokage leaped back his vision clouded for half a second.
Just as elderly man landed, two hands rose from the ground aiming to pull him underground.
' Earth release: inner decapitation technique! Using jutsu immediately after the punch? Did he reduce a second jutsu to a single handsign?' The Hokage exclaimed inwardly in surprise.
He immediately jumped up,narrowly dodging the hands aiming for his feet.
As he was midair,Itachi burst through the cloud of dust, his hands flashing toward the bells.
The The Hokage,somehow bonelessly twisted, while mid jump. Itachi could only watch as his fingers grazed the bell, but not grasp it.
Enji's body rose through the ground at that instant,which Hiruzen used as a platform to jump back and create distance.
' Phew,That was close!' Hiruzen had cold sweats.
The third Hokage,the professor, losing to two academy students, that would have been a disgrace.
' Almost had it.' Itachi sighed, disappointed.
Raising his palm, the hokage said "Enough."
The boys froze in their tracks, the tension leaving their bodies,sweat dripping, chests rising and falling.
The Hokage untied the bells himself, tossing them toward the boys.
"You pass."
Itachi caught his with wide eyes. "But… we didn't get them."
"That was never the point," Hiruzen chuckled, putting on his Hokage cloak. "I wanted to see how you adapt, how you think, how you combine. You pushed me to move faster than I intended, and you even grazed the bells once. For children your age,that is remarkable."
Enji and Itachi exchanged glances. Their lips curled into faint smiles.
"As promised," Hiruzen said warmly, "I'll teach you a jutsu. A reward worthy of two who already fight like seasoned ninjas.
But more importantly…" His tone deepened. "Never forget what I told you earlier: tactics and strength will carry you far, but your ideals will carry you further."
The boys nodded silently, both feeling the weight behind his words.
" Tomorrow, at the same time, at this ground,I will teach you the new jutsu. Tonight, think well which jutsu you want. But only the ones below B rank.
Choose wisely, think of jutsu that combine well and synergise with your fighting styles.
Rest well kids. See you tomorrow."
Hiruzen vanished in a flicker.
" And thank you for the excercise." Only the sentence echoed across the ground as Enji and Itachi slumped down, tired and exhausted.
The day's training as well as the fight had tired them out completely, even the resilient Enji, let alone Itachi.They laid under the tree, too tired to even walk back home. As the night arrived, both of them sat up,bid goodbyes and slowly made their way back to their homes.