The air grew sharp with tension.
Renjiro shifted into stance, his hands loose but steady. Chakra pulsed beneath his skin, coursing through muscle and bone, waiting to be unleashed. Across from him, Kakashi's lone eye gleamed with calm precision, while Obito bounced on his feet like an overeager puppy.
"Rules?" Renjiro asked, voice even.
Kakashi tilted his head. "Don't die."
Obito snorted. "Hah! As if! When I'm done with you, Kakashi, you'll—"
Kakashi vanished.
A sharp crack split the clearing as Kakashi's foot swept Obito's legs out from under him before the Uchiha even finished his sentence. Dust burst up as Obito crashed into the dirt with a howl.
"Wha—Hey! That was a cheap shot!"
Renjiro didn't waste time watching. His body moved, instincts honed from relentless System quests. He dashed forward, chakra reinforcing his legs, closing the distance faster than Kakashi expected. His fist shot out, humming faintly with energy.
Thud!
Kakashi's forearm intercepted the blow, but his eye narrowed. The impact was heavier than it should've been.
Renjiro grinned. "Surprised?"
Kakashi pushed back, fluidly shifting into a counter strike. Renjiro ducked, the blow grazing past his ear, and swept low with a chakra-laced kick. The ground cracked under the force, dirt scattering.
Kakashi leapt back, expression unreadable. "So… you've been training in secret."
"Something like that." Renjiro exhaled slowly, his chakra flow stabilizing. His heart pounded, but his mind was clear. Every night of grinding quests, every push-up and sprint, every punishment the System threw at him—it was all bearing fruit here.
"Don't think you're on my level just yet."
Obito scrambled up, rubbing his bruised backside. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" He charged headlong at Kakashi, kunai in hand, his movements reckless but fueled with determination.
Kakashi sighed. "Idiot."
And then three bodies clashed at once.
Renjiro reinforced his arms, intercepting Kakashi's strike that was meant to floor Obito. The impact rattled his bones, but his stance held. Obito, seizing the moment, swung wildly—forcing Kakashi to retreat with a flicker of movement.
For a brief instant, Renjiro and Obito stood side by side.
"Not bad, Nara," Obito said between breaths.
"Try not to slow me down," Renjiro replied, lips twitching.
Together, they launched forward again.
Kakashi danced around their attacks with surgical precision, his body like water, but Renjiro felt something shift inside him. He wasn't falling behind. His strikes were sharper, faster, stronger than before. The chakra reinforcement wasn't perfect yet, but even at the basics—it allowed him to meet Kakashi's blows head-on without crumbling.
Minutes passed like heartbeats. Sweat dampened his hair, his muscles ached, but his resolve burned brighter.
Finally, Kakashi slid to a stop, dust swirling around him. He adjusted his hitai-ate casually. "Tch. This was supposed to be a warm-up."
Renjiro wiped sweat from his brow, his grin sharp. "Then maybe you should take us seriously."
For the first time, Kakashi's expression hardened, his lone eye sharpening like a blade.
"…Fine. I'll stop holding back."
The clearing grew silent. Even Obito's usual chatter faded as a chill settled into his gut. Renjiro's instincts screamed at him—this was no longer a friendly spar.
And for some reason… his blood sang in excitement.