Ōnoki * Iron Hoop

Ōnoki originally planned to walk around twice and then go back.

This was Konoha after all, and he still had his duty to protect others. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the Training Ground, it was time to head back.

He tucked the manual back into his sleeve, took one last look at the bustling crowd on the Commercial Street, turned around, and prepared to turn back the way he came.

Just then, a commotion arose behind us.

Laughter rose and fell, mingled with panicked shouts, and interspersed with a strange rolling sound—a clinking, tinkling sound, like the clanging of metal.

Before he could even turn around, a boy had already walked straight past him from behind.

The child ran incredibly fast, his feet slapping against the stone pavement with a crisp, rhythmic sound. He shouted as he ran.

"Whose teacher is chasing someone while rolling Iron Hoop?!"

Iron Hoop? A vague image surfaced in Ōnoki's mind.

He had seen children playing this in the streets and alleys of the Land of Earth; an Iron Hook pushed an iron hoop, making a clanging sound as they ran.

Chasing someone while rolling Iron Hoop? What does that mean?

He frowned in confusion, took a step to the side, and tried to step aside to avoid this inexplicable chase.

Before he could even regain his footing, his arm was grabbed. The boy who grabbed him was half a head shorter than him, but quite strong. He clenched his fingers around the boy's hand and pulled him away without saying a word.

"Wait for me--"

"Forget everything else and just run!" The kid didn't even give him a chance to finish his sentence, grabbing him and rushing forward. "If you're too slow, you'll get sent for special training!"

Special training? Ōnoki stumbled a step after being pulled, and instinctively started running after him.

The clanging and rolling sound behind him grew closer, accompanied by the ear-piercing friction of the Iron Hook scraping against the inner wall of the iron ring, and a laugh that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He couldn't help but look back.

An Iron Hoop, up to his knees, rolled swiftly across the stone pavement, its edges gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

A man followed behind the Iron Hoop, half-squatting, holding Iron Hook in his right hand, the hook tip firmly pressed against the inside of the Iron Hoop, pushing it forward in a manner similar to pushing a ball of dung.

His movements were astonishingly fast; with each flick of his wrist, the Iron Hoop accelerated, its jingling sound like a haunting bell.

The sound of his Geta clogs clattering on the stone pavement mingled with the clanging of his Iron Hoop, creating an eerie rhythm.

The man slightly raised his head.

His face wore an extremely eerie expression.

His eyes were squinted into slits, and his mouth stretched towards his ears, making his whole face look like a blooming Himawari.

Even though it's clear he might have originally been quite handsome, his distorted expression made him look incredibly bizarre and grotesque.

Then he added, "Hehe--let's see which lucky kid I'll catch!"

The intonation was full of twists and turns, with the final syllable rising upwards, like melted syrup being stretched into threads, sticky and gooey, onto Ōnoki's eardrums.

Ōnoki's mind was clearer than ever before.

Although he didn't know what would happen if he got caught, the man's half-squatting figure pushing the Iron Hoop, his squinting eyes, and the atmosphere of the children running around screaming like pigs being slaughtered made him draw a conclusion in an instant.

That's insane!

He suddenly accelerated, turning from being dragged along into a full-on sprint.

The child who was pulling him now became the one being pulled by him.

Hinata felt a sudden force pull his wrist forward, almost lifting him off the ground.

He looked up in surprise, watching this guy from the Land of Earth run so fast.

His Strength is that of Chunin, no, he's almost Jonin, no wonder Lord Izuna noticed this unremarkable, even somewhat ugly, fellow.

Ōnoki kept looking up as he ran.

He was looking at the rooftops on both sides.

Hinata instantly understood what he was trying to do, and grabbed his hand behind his back, "No! You absolutely can't go onto the roof!"

"Why?" Ōnoki's gaze was still fixed on the roof.

He calculated that the entire process of jumping onto the roof would take no more than two breaths.

Although the man was fast, the Iron Hoop could only roll on the ground; once he was on the roof, he couldn't possibly chase after him by stepping on the tiles.

A short, sharp scream came from behind.

One of the children finally couldn't withstand the pressure and jumped up.

His movements were perfect, and he chose the perfect moment to jump—and then he disappeared.

Ōnoki's pupils contracted.

The man pushing the Iron Hoop disappeared at the very moment the child jumped.

The Iron Hooks and Iron Hoop hovered in the air, while he himself appeared in mid-air, scooping up the child who hadn't even had time to stand firmly on the tiles and tucking him under his arm.

He quickly tied up the child under his armpit.

Clang!

The Iron Hoop finally landed.

The man squatted on the roof ridge, tilting his head, looking down at the crowd still running wildly below, his smile even brighter than before.

Ōnoki felt a chill run down his spine. "... So fast."

"Because the Iron Hoop on the ground can still limit Lord Izuna's speed!"

Hinata of his lungs, his voice broken from running, "He has to concentrate on pushing the Iron Hoop and controlling his direction, that's why we managed to escape! But once we're on the roof, without any obstacles, he won't care about the Iron Hoop anymore—no one can outrun him on the roof! Just run!"

The clanging and banging behind me started again.

The vengeful bell rang again.

The children let out a unified wail, their footsteps clattering and crackling on the stone path. Ahead lay a fork in the road, and the children began to scatter in all directions in a panic.

Ōnoki couldn't care less about anything else; he could only follow the group of children who had already broken formation and rush towards the nearest fork in the road.

The two ran as fast as they could.

Then, without warning, Hinata turned right.

Before Ōnoki could react, he was dragged into the narrow gap between the two houses.

The two squeezed in sideways, their shoulders brushing against the wall, the clanging and clattering sounds behind them rolling away down the main road.

Hinata pressed down on his shoulders to make him squat down, and the two of them huddled in the shadows at the end of the narrow crevice, not daring to breathe.

The sound of the Iron Hoop grew closer. He hesitated for a moment at the fork in the road, then was drawn by the screams of another group of children and chased after them down the left road.

Hinata stared at the alley entrance.

He only relaxed when the sound completely disappeared into the distance, plopped down on the ground, stretched out his legs, and let out a long breath.

Ōnoki squatted down next to him, his hands resting on his knees.

His heart was still pounding in his chest. He caught his breath, turned his head, and asked in confusion, "What was that just now?"

"Weekly tests." Hinata wiped the sweat from his brow. "Either you run past him, or find a way to escape his sight. Otherwise—anyone caught will be sent for special training."

Special training? Ōnoki was a little curious about that, but there was something else he cared about more.

"Why... a rolling Iron Hoop? There are many ways to limit Strength, right? Increase the weight or find someone weaker..."

Hinata said in a somber tone, as if he'd been through it all, "Don't you think that sound was kind of scary? It's part of the test too."

The sound of the Iron Hoop rolling on the stone pavement floated into Ōnoki's mind.

The clanging and banging echoed right behind me, a rhythm so urgent it sent chills down my spine just thinking about it.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why conduct this kind of test?"

"It's said to be a test of escape skills..." Hinata speaking, tilting his head and scrutinizing Ōnoki's face. "By the way, who are you? I've never seen you before?"

Ōnoki looked at him, his tone somewhat indescribable. "Actually... it's quite normal that you haven't seen me before..."

Hinata frowned upon hearing his words, sighed, and lowered his voice to almost inaudible, saying, "I never imagined there would still be clans that wouldn't let their children out. It's really... My name is Uchiha Hinata. What's yours?"

Ōnoki paused for a moment, then said, "... Um, I'm not from Konoha. I'm from the Land of Earth."

A moment of silence.

Hinata sat there expressionless, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Damn, how can this person be so stubborn?

Couldn't you just pretend to be from Konoha? Any made-up reason would be better than directly revealing your origins!

Wouldn't that be a better way to gather intelligence? He actually revealed his background directly...

But then again, if this guy were really that cunning, he wouldn't have let me drag him away just now.

Hinata sighed inwardly.

He quickly composed himself and spoke again, "Eh? The Land of Earth? Could it be that you're from the Delegation?"

Ōnoki nodded.

"Eh... I see." Hinata pondered for a moment, then asked, "So what's your name?"

Ōnoki paused, taken aback. "Huh?"

"If I didn't know your name, I wouldn't know how to address you," Hinata said matter-of-factly, as if the series of thoughts that had just occurred to him had never happened.

Ōnoki hesitated for a moment.

It wasn't a matter of hesitating whether or not to reveal his name; he could reveal it anyway. The other party already knew he was from the Land of Earth's Delegation, and if they wanted to, they would find out his name sooner or later.

What made him hesitate was Hinata's attitude. This guy clearly knew he wasn't from Konoha anymore, so why was his tone of voice exactly the same as before?

"... Ōnoki of Both Scales."

Hinata tilted his head. "What a strange name."

Ōnoki stood up and dusted off his knees. "I'm going back."

"Hey--" Hinata looked up at him, his tone drawn out, "Aren't you curious about what the special training is?"

Ōnoki paused for a moment.

I'm very curious.

Incredibly curious!

He recognized that man, Uchiha Izuna.

He is said to have single-handedly established Konoha's status Special Administrative Region.

His special training must be of great value; observing even a fraction of it would be very rewarding.

But standing in the narrow alley, he brushed the dust off his cuffs and said, "I still have work to do; I need to go back and report."

Hinata blinked. "Eh... no wonder you're a guard, you're really busy."

Ōnoki turned to leave.

"Okay then, let's play together again next time."

Hinata's words made Ōnoki pause for a moment, but he did not respond.

He didn't think he'd have that opportunity again. He was Ninja from the Land of Earth, and his trip to Konoha with the Delegation was only a temporary mission.