Chapter 15 — Beyond the Academy Gates (continued)
The instructor's voice cut through the chatter.
"Your team will defend the blue flag. The other group will attack and try to take it. No ninjutsu above basic Academy level, no weapons beyond training kunai. Use the terrain."
Obito cracked his knuckles. "Easy."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You're up against me."
Akira, standing between them, adjusted his forehead protector so it shaded his eyes. "Let's not make this a grudge match before the game starts."
The Hyūga boy in their group finally spoke, voice clipped and calm. "I will guard the flag. The rest of you can… be distractions."
Obito scoffed. "We'll see about that."
---
The match began with a sharp whistle.
Obito charged forward immediately, eager to intercept the incoming attackers, while Rin tried to coordinate a basic perimeter.
Kakashi vanished into the trees with fluid, effortless movement, reappearing only to harass the other team's approach before fading back into cover.
Akira moved differently — not directly to the flag, not directly to the front lines. He traced a wide arc through the treeline, eyes flicking between the underbrush, the way shadows shifted, the faint tremor in bird calls overhead.
Something felt wrong.
---
In the distance, he caught sight of a flicker — not the bright fabric of an Academy uniform, but the dull brown and green of camouflage.
It was gone in an instant.
Akira frowned. Not ours.
He slowed his pace, pretending to tie his sandal strap while letting his golden Byakugan activate just for a heartbeat.
The chakra network of the forest around him lit up — bright flares for his classmates, dimmer pulses for the instructors… and three unfamiliar signatures moving low and silent along the far edge of the trees.
Their chakra felt dense. Not civilian. Not even low-level shinobi.
---
On the other side of the clearing, Obito had found Kakashi — or rather, Kakashi had let Obito find him.
Rin was cheering encouragement from the sidelines, which only made Obito more reckless.
"You think you're so great?" Obito lunged, swinging a padded kunai.
Kakashi sidestepped, flicking Obito's wrist just enough to send him stumbling into a bush.
"Greatness is relative," Kakashi said dryly, then glanced past Obito toward Akira.
Because for just a second, Akira's expression had shifted — eyes narrowed, body taut like a bowstring.
---
Deep in the treeline, the three Iwa ninja crouched low, whispering.
"There," one muttered, nodding toward the clearing where clan heirs darted and laughed in their game. "Targets of high value."
The leader's mouth curled into a cold smile. "The war may be over, but accidents happen. We take them quickly, disappear before the Leaf realizes."
And with silent, predatory steps, they began to close in.
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