Fighting was physically demanding.
Taut nerves and high-intensity movement drained dozens of times more stamina each minute than usual.
Katsuki clearly remembered something Sakumo had once told him.
"Don't think that just because you can endure a whole day of grueling training, you can trade blows with an enemy for half a day. Once you truly fight someone, you'll realize how quickly your stamina drops. No matter how harsh the training is, it can't compare to high-intensity combat."
Now, Katsuki understood that profoundly.
Though his match with Otoha was only sparring rather than a real battle, both of them desperately wanted to win. Their attention was intensely focused, every muscle tensed, ready at any moment to strike or move. It was truly exhausting.
Even when he ran up mountains carrying weight over his entire body, he had never felt tired this quickly.
Every second of their standoff consumed a great deal of his stamina. His breathing gradually grew heavy, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and a trace of soreness spread through his muscles. Katsuki forced his eyes wide, keeping his focus from scattering, then suddenly stepped forward and drove a hard straight punch into Otoha's crossed arms.
Thud!
Otoha staggered back two steps, tripped over his own feet, lost his balance in an instant, and sprawled flat on the ground.
"That felt great, absolutely great. I lost."
Otoha's chest heaved violently as he gulped down breaths. His sweat-soaked hair clung to his forehead, making him look rather bedraggled.
"Lost my ass. I'm almost out of strength too. Damn it, I always thought my endurance was pretty good." Katsuki braced his hands on his knees, exhaled stale air, and drew in the cool air to ease the burning heat in his chest and lungs.
"You were too tense. You probably haven't sparred much before, or maybe you've only practiced with people you know well. That's why you were wound up so tight while fighting me. You'll tire easily that way." Otoha lay on the ground and suddenly relaxed. He felt like a lump of mush plastered against the floor, unwilling to move at all.
"Get up. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold lying on the ground like that?"
After catching his breath for a moment, Katsuki felt much more energetic. Looking at Otoha, who was still sprawled on the ground, he laughed and scolded him before extending a hand.
Teacher Takashima beamed with delight. From the perspective of a Chunin, he judged that Otoha and Katsuki were already close to Genin level. Before the Ninja Academy had existed, they would have been qualified to go to the battlefield with that level of strength.
Compared to the long ordeal of academic classes, physical education seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
Before long, class was over. The piercing bell echoed through the classroom and halls.
Many students gathered together laughing and chatting, leaving the school in groups of three or five, heading home or off to somewhere else to play.
Uchiha Otoha haughtily packed up his books. Unlike those fools who only knew how to play, he was a proud member of the Uchiha Clan. He had no need to waste time playing. He was going home to continue training...
"Hey, Otoha, come have dinner at my house tonight!" Katsuki lunged forward and sprawled across Otoha's desk, startling Otoha into instinctively shrinking back. Katsuki smiled at him. "We agreed earlier. I'm treating you to dinner tonight."
"You're treating me?"
Only then did Otoha react, staring blankly at Katsuki.
"You're sure you want to invite me? I'm from the Uchiha Clan."
"What's wrong with being Uchiha? Do I have to take you out to a restaurant to invite you to dinner? Let me tell you, my sister's cooking is no worse than any restaurant's." Katsuki was displeased. It was rare for him to think someone suited his temperament so well, yet this guy was being so picky.
"No, it's just..." Otoha looked deeply at Katsuki and said in a low voice, "Even if you only transferred in today, don't you know that the Uchiha are famous in the village for being arrogant and hard to approach?"
Katsuki froze at those words. His eyes immediately narrowed as he noticed that Otoha occupied an entire row of desks by himself. No one even sat in front of or behind him.
"I don't know how arrogant the Uchiha are. I just think you and I get along well. One question: are you coming or not?" Katsuki met Otoha's gaze without the slightest fear.
Uchiha Otoha suddenly felt his eyes burn. Damn it, he was just an Uchiha, yet at the Ninja Academy, aside from Minato and a handful of others, hardly anyone dared interact with him. Whenever they saw him, they went out of their way to avoid him. More than once, he had overheard other students gossiping in private about how arrogant his attitude was. The Uchiha were feared, but never admired, even though the Memorial Stone bore countless Uchiha names...
"I'll go. Since you dare invite me, I naturally dare come. But if no one wants to associate with you afterward, don't blame me for it." Otoha's voice was slightly hoarse.
"Tch, I don't want to play with those cowards anyway." Kushina planted her hands on her hips with great bravado and thrust out her flat little chest.
Katsuki smiled and shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Minato staring at Otoha with shining eyes, his face full of envy...
"Minato, do you want to come too? My sister's cooking is amazing." Katsuki smiled as he extended the invitation.
Before Minato could answer, however, Kushina bristled and kicked Katsuki. "Katsuki, why are you inviting that sissy? I'm not cooking for him!"
The moment she said that, Minato wilted like an eggplant struck by frost.
Katsuki's mouth twitched. All right, he really had not realized his sister disliked Minato this much. His eyes shifted, and he immediately came up with an idea. "Sis, there are more people eating tonight, so washing the dishes will definitely be a hassle. Invite Minato along and have him wash them. Wouldn't that make things much easier?"
Kushina hesitated, her little face scrunching up as though she were deeply conflicted, weighing the pros and cons.
"No problem. Besides washing dishes, I can help cook too. I'm alone at home as well, so I usually cook and wash dishes by myself. Don't worry, I'll get everything perfectly clean." Minato cleverly seized the chance to promote his skills, patting his chest.
Kushina ground her teeth and nodded rather unwillingly. Perhaps being alone at home had touched her.
Still, Katsuki heard his sister muttering softly at the side.
"Tch, he really is a sissy. He even knows how to cook..."
Katsuki's mouth twitched again. He pretended not to hear and joined Minato and Otoha in chatting idly. The group laughed and joked as they headed out of the school.
"By the way, Otoha, shouldn't you tell your family? Will it be a problem if you just come with us like this?" The instant Katsuki finished speaking, Otoha stopped dead in his tracks, his expression shifting uncertainly.
"Forget it, let him do whatever he wants. It's no big deal. At worst, I'll get caned when I go back. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh." Otoha spoke through gritted teeth, though anyone could hear the unease in his voice.
Kushina blinked at Otoha. "Why don't we just go to your house and tell them first? Why would you get caned?"
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