Chapter 45: Tests and Challenges
"Sasuke, have you noticed the room number on that classroom door?" Kamikawa Hiraoka asked, pointing ahead. "Does something seem off about it?"
Hearing it was a serious matter, Uchiha Sasuke followed the line of his finger. After a moment, a faint, knowing smirk touched his lips.
"I see," Sasuke murmured.
"Let's go. There's a young lady over there who could use some assistance," Hiraoka said, his gaze settling on the girl ahead. Since arriving in this world, he had firmly decided to build a life for himself here, and that included the company he kept.
Hearing the infuriating nickname yet again, a prominent vein throbbed on Uchiha Sasuke's forehead.
They soon reached their destination. Hiraoka's heart twinged with a pang of sympathy seeing Tenten, the girl with the two buns in her hair, sitting dazed on the floor. He moved without hesitation, kneeling beside her and offering a hand to help her up.
As she stumbled slightly, he steadied her, his arm a supportive presence. He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, his voice soft. "Are you alright?"
Tenten looked up into the face of the handsome stranger, her expression shifting from confusion to flustered shyness as she realized their proximity in the crowded hallway. Her cheeks flushed a bright red.
"I... I'm fine!" she stammered, quickly waving her hands and lowering her gaze, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Hiraoka gave her a charming, reassuring smile, understanding her shyness around a stranger.
"What's your name?" he asked gently.
"Tenten," she answered quickly, her mind still a jumbled mess.
My god, that name suits you perfectly, Hiraoka thought, though he of course already knew it. "Tenten. It's a lovely name," he said aloud.
"Th-thank you," she mumbled, her eyes still fixed on the floor.
"I said, Sasuke," Hiraoka called over his shoulder, his tone shifting to one of mild impatience. "Why don't you go ahead and dispel this low-level genjutsu?"
Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke... The more Hiraoka said it, the more the nickname seemed to stick, and against his will, Uchiha Sasuke was starting to internally resign himself to it.
"Hn," Sasuke snorted coldly. He turned his sharp gaze to the two Konoha chunin responsible for the illusion. "Don't bother with such pathetic tricks in front of me." He formed a single hand seal. "Kai!"
The classroom number on the door shimmered and resolved into its true form.
"Tenten! Are you okay?!" an energetic voice called out.
A boy with a bowl-cut haircut, thick eyebrows, and distinctive green spandex came hurrying over.
Rock Lee, Hiraoka noted. And where Lee is, Hyuga Neji can't be far behind.
Tenten quickly extracted herself from Hiraoka's supportive hold. "I'm fine," she whispered to her teammate.
"Kamikawa Hiraoka." Hyuga Neji's calm voice sounded from behind Lee. "We will have our discussion another time."
"I'll be waiting," Hiraoka replied, his tone equally composed.
The exchange did not go unnoticed by the others present, each person filing it away with their own private thoughts.
"Let's go, Sasuke," Hiraoka said, turning toward the actual examination classroom.
Uchiha Sasuke simply nodded and followed.
…
Behind them, Rock Lee stared intently at Uchiha Sasuke. "So that is Uchiha Sasuke..." he murmured. His eyes then drifted to Kamikawa Hiraoka, who walked with an air of central importance even beside the Uchiha. He knew Hyuga Neji wouldn't seek out a challenge with just anyone. There was clearly more to this Hiraoka than met the eye.
…
As they reached the main hall on the first floor, a voice filled with challenge rang out from the balcony above, stopping them.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
Rock Lee leaped down from the second floor, landing squarely in front of them. He pointed a thumb at his own chest, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "My name is Rock Lee!" He then pointed directly at Uchiha Sasuke. "You are Uchiha Sasuke! I challenge you! I want to see for myself the power of a genius like you!"
Before Sasuke could even form a retort, Lee's intense gaze shifted to the silent Kamikawa Hiraoka.
"Don't worry," Lee declared loudly. "You will be next, after I defeat him!"
From the second-floor railing, Hyuga Neji watched the scene unfold below. He was curious. Rock Lee against Kamikawa Hiraoka... I wonder how many minutes Lee would last.
Hyuga Neji had already conceded that outcome in his mind.
Down on the first floor, Rock Lee's focus on Sasuke and Hiraoka, and his complete omission of him, grated on Uzumaki Naruto.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he yelled, stepping forward. "Don't ignore me, Bushy Brows! I'll be the one to deal with you!"
Rock Lee glanced at Naruto, his expression dismissive. "I have no desire to hurt you. Please do not interfere."
"What?! You're looking down on me?!" Naruto roared, his fists clenching in fury. "Damn it!"
He lunged forward, throwing a wild punch. Rock Lee effortlessly deflected it with the palm of his hand. As Naruto attempted a follow-up kick, a sharp pain exploded in his abdomen. He was sent flying backward, slamming hard against the wall and slumping to the ground, utterly defeated.
"Idiot," Uchiha Sasuke muttered, though internally his wariness of Rock Lee's speed and power skyrocketed.
Rock Lee turned back, his finger unwavering as he pointed at Uchiha Sasuke, his fighting spirit blazing hotter than ever. "You are next!"
############
STONESSSSS