Sarutobi Mizuya rushed forward the instant Kyō began forming hand seals.
Too late.
The boy's hands were unnaturally fast.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
A second instructor nearby released a defensive technique, smothering the incoming flames.
Steam and smoke exploded across the field, swallowing everything in white haze.
Mizuya's heart sank.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Kaede!"
Chiri's pupils shrank.
Scarlet spread through her eyes.
Two tomoe spun into existence.
The Sharingan had activated.
No one noticed.
Everyone was staring at the smoke.
Kosuke tried to rush forward but was restrained.
"He's trying to kill him!"
"That lunatic used real ninjutsu!"
"He'll die!"
Chiri forced herself to look through the mist with her Sharingan.
Then froze.
"…Sensei."
Mizuya turned sharply.
"There's no Kaede on the field."
"…Only a piece of crystal."
"What?"
Mizuya formed seals.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
A powerful gust blasted the smoke away.
The scene was revealed.
Uchiha Kyō lay on the ground, body shriveled, gasping weakly, as if all moisture had been drained from him.
Several meters away stood a pale pink crystal statue.
It looked exactly like Kaede.
Frozen mid-breath.
Sparkling in sunlight.
Kosuke stared.
"Sensei… can Fire Style turn people into crystal?"
Mizuya answered without thinking.
"No. It turns them into corpses."
"Idiot, that isn't me."
A knock landed on Kosuke's head.
He spun around.
Kaede stood behind him, completely unharmed.
"You're alive?!"
"Disappointed?"
"I—I mean—good! I'm happy you're alive!"
Chiri's knees nearly gave out.
"I'm… really glad you're okay."
Kaede nodded.
Then walked toward Kyō.
Chiri opened her mouth.
"Kaede—"
He glanced back.
"I won't kill him."
Kyō lay there, barely conscious.
Kaede grabbed him by the collar.
"Light."
He hurled Kyō into the air.
"Shōton: Hexagonal Shuriken Dance!"
Dozens of spinning crystal hexagons erupted outward, refracting sunlight like a storm of prisms.
They struck Kyō's clothes with surgical precision.
Not a single cut to the skin.
But the force slammed him into a thick tree trunk.
The crystals pinned him in place.
Alive.
Immobile.
The field went dead silent.
Chiri stared.
Crystal…
A bloodline?
Kaede dusted off his hands.
Soon, several on-duty shinobi arrived.
Mizuya quickly explained everything.
Kyō was taken away.
Using lethal ninjutsu against a classmate meant one thing.
Judgment by the Hokage.
Imprisonment at minimum.
Possibly worse.
Mizuya turned to Kaede.
"What was that technique?"
"My bloodline limit."
"Shōton. Crystal Release."
Mizuya's breath caught.
A bloodline user.
In his class.
"One more thing," he said loudly.
"Class dismissed. Everyone go home and rest. We'll continue tomorrow."
Cheers erupted.
Students crowded around Kaede, thanking him before leaving.
Soon, only Chiri remained.
"I worried for nothing," she said softly.
Kaede grinned.
"Lunch is on me. Eat whatever you want."
Her eyes lit up.
"I'm not holding back."
"Good. My clan's only strength is money."
They walked off together.
The Hokage's office.
Hashirama Senju set down his brush.
Tobirama stood beside him.
Sarutobi Mizuya bowed.
"Hokage-sama. Tobirama-sama. I failed to control the situation."
Hashirama waved it away.
"Report."
Mizuya explained everything.
Tobirama's expression darkened.
"Typical Uchiha."
Hashirama frowned.
"But the child is unharmed."
He looked up.
"You said Kaede used a technique?"
"Yes."
"His bloodline limit."
"Crystal Release."
Silence.
The desk cracked.
Both brothers stood.
"Crystal Release?"
Tobirama's eyes narrowed.
"That isn't Tenpūton."
Hashirama slowly smiled.
"…This keeps getting more interesting."