Chapter 5: The Academy Showdown
For a long, breathless moment after his lips left hers, Hinata's mind was a perfect, silent void. The world had dissolved into a blur of sensation, narrowed down to the fleeting pressure of his kiss. Then, reality came crashing back in a dizzying wave. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, rapid breaths, and she could feel the frantic, rabbit-quick thumping of her heart against her ribs, so loud she was sure the entire Hyuga compound could hear it.
Kamikawa Hiraoka pulled back just enough to see her face. Her cheeks were painted a deep, captivating shade of crimson, her pearlescent eyes wide with a mixture of shock, confusion, and a dawning spark of something warmer. In that moment, framed by the twilight and her own overwhelming shyness, she looked more adorable than he had ever seen her.
"I... I have to go!" she finally managed to whisper, her voice so faint it was almost carried away by the evening breeze. Before he could respond, she spun around, a whirl of lavender and white, and half-walked, half-ran towards the imposing gates of her family compound, not daring to look back.
Hiraoka watched her until she disappeared from view, a warm, genuine smile lingering on his face. The air itself felt charged with possibility.
The next morning, Hiraoka arrived at the academy earlier than usual. A buzz of anticipation filled the air; today was the quarterly ninja skills assessment. He took his seat, the events of the previous evening playing on a pleasant loop in his mind.
Soon, Hinata slipped into the classroom and quietly took the seat beside him. The moment she sat down, she seemed to shrink into herself, her shoulders hunching slightly as she stared fixedly at her desk, her face once again tinged with a delicate pink. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes.
But Hiraoka was not one to be deterred by shyness. Seeing her flustered state, he simply reached over and gently enveloped her small, delicate hand with his own. Hinata flinched at the contact, but didn't pull away. Instead, a fresh wave of color bloomed on her cheeks. After a moment's hesitation, she dared a glance at him from beneath her lashes, only to find him smiling softly at her. Quickly, she looked away again, but the tension in her shoulders eased, and her fingers tentatively curled around his.
"Students," Iruka's voice boomed from the front of the class, calling the room to order. He scanned the faces before him, his gaze lingering for a telling second on the usual troublemakers—Hiraoka, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba. "Today we will be testing the skills you have been honing these past months."
Hiraoka listened intently. The assessment would consist of two parts: shuriken target practice and one-on-one spars. A flicker of anticipation ran through him. This was the first real, tangible step into the shinobi world.
"Very well," Iruka continued, clapping his hands together. "Everyone, follow me to the training grounds. Let's see what progress you've made!"
The class filed out after him, a river of excited chatter and nervous energy. On the training field, several wooden target dummies were set at varying distances. Iruka held a clipboard and adopted his official proctoring tone.
"The first test is shurikenjutsu," he announced, gesturing to the targets. "You will each be given ten shuriken. Accuracy and form are being judged. When I call your name, step forward."
A chorus of "Yes, Iruka-sensei!" echoed back.
"Inuzuka Kiba!"
Kiba, with Akamaru yapping excitedly from his perch in his hood, was first. He swaggered forward, a confident grin on his face. Snatching the shuriken, he didn't hesitate. With a series of sharp, fluid motions, he let them fly.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!...
One after another, the shuriken found their mark, clustering tightly in the inner rings of the targets.
"Excellent work, Kiba!" Iruka said, making a note on his clipboard. "Good power and control. Keep it up!"
"Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru trudged forward as if heading to his own execution. "What a drag..." he muttered under his breath. He took the shuriken, and with a look of profound boredom, tossed them toward the targets with a casual, almost dismissive flick of his wrist. Despite his lack of enthusiasm, every one of them still landed squarely on the target boards, a testament to his natural, if unapplied, talent.
"Adequate, Shikamaru," Iruka noted, his tone neutral.
The tests continued through Choji and several others until finally, Iruka called, "Hyuga Hinata!"
Hinata's grip on Hiraoka's hand tightened for a second before she let go. "I-I'll go now," she whispered.
"Good luck," Hiraoka said softly.
She nodded, a look of quiet determination settling on her features as she walked to the line. She accepted the shuriken, her posture shifting into the classic Hyuga stance. Then, in a movement that was surprisingly agile and graceful, she leaped into the air. For a moment, she seemed to hang suspended, a silhouette against the sky. Then, her arms became a blur.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!...
The shuriken flew with pinpoint accuracy, each one striking dead center on the closest targets and landing in respectable clusters on the farther ones. Her form was flawless, a blend of the Hyuga's precise gentleness and sharp effectiveness.
Iruka beamed, clearly impressed. "Outstanding, Hinata! Your control is exceptional! Keep striving for that level!"
A murmur of appreciation ran through the crowd of students. Hinata, her part done, seemed to deflate slightly, the intense focus leaving her. She hurried back to Hiraoka's side, her big eyes looking up at him, filled with a silent, hopeful question.
Seeing the unspoken plea for validation, Hiraoka couldn't help himself. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, his smile warm and approving. "You were amazing, Hinata. The best one yet."
From the corner of his eye, Hiraoka saw Iruka's cheerful expression darken into a stern frown directed their way. "Ahem!" Hiraoka coughed pointedly, and the two quickly assumed a more properly attentive posture.
"Uchiha Sasuke!" Iruka called, his voice regaining its official tone.
A wave of immediate attention swept through the field, especially from the female students. Sasuke stepped forward without a word, his expression cool and detached.
"Here," he said, his voice flat.
He took his stance, his movements economical and precise. He didn't just throw the shuriken; he unleashed them. His arms moved in a controlled, powerful cross-body throw, the weapons whistling through the air before embedding themselves with authoritative thuds into the very center of every target. The moment the last shuriken left his fingers, he turned his back on the results and walked away, his hands shoved in his pockets, as if the entire exercise was beneath him.
A chorus of sighs and excited whispers followed him. "Sasuke-kun is so cool!" "He didn't even need to look!"
Show-off, Hiraoka thought, though he couldn't deny the skill on display. The king of pre-teens, indeed.
"Tch! Big deal!" Naruto grumbled loudly from nearby, crossing his arms. "I could do that with my eyes closed!"
"Is that so?" Iruka said, a hint of challenge in his voice as he consulted his clipboard. "Then let's see it. You're next. Uzumaki Naruto!"
[STONES]