"Teacher Mikoto, here I come!" Nebula Kotetsu called out before charging straight at her.
"Clang, clang, clang!!!" Sparks flew once more.
The two figures exchanged blows rapidly across the training ground. Nebula Kotetsu kept changing his stance, while Mikoto Uchiha waited calmly in place.
To an outside observer, it looked no different from his earlier match against Asuma Sarutobi. In fact, Nebula Kotetsu's momentum still seemed weaker than Asuma's when he had been burning with anger.
Only Mikoto Uchiha could sense the difference.
Nebula Kotetsu's blows were heavy.
At least, they were heavier than Asuma Sarutobi's.
It wasn't just his strength. The way he changed his moves and reacted when their weapons clashed also exceeded Mikoto Uchiha's expectations. His skill was clearly much greater than what he had shown yesterday during the assessment, when he had played the part of cannon fodder.
Had he been holding back before? Mikoto Uchiha wondered.
As she felt the force behind each swing of Nebula Kotetsu's Kunai, she silently assessed him.
His Taijutsu was good!
In close-quarters combat, his Taijutsu alone was enough to handle most Genin.
In an environment like the Ninja Academy, someone with this level of skill should have had no rivals, barring the rare prodigy.
So why had he been called a dead-last? Were all the teachers at the academy useless?
As she thought, her attention slipped for an instant.
Nebula Kotetsu's eyes lit up!
He tightened his grip on the Kunai and thrust both hands forward!
Mikoto Uchiha reacted at once, showing no sign of panic as she crossed her arms and slashed outward.
"Clang! Clang!" Two sharp rings sounded almost at the same time. As she spread her arms wide, she knocked the Kunai from Nebula Kotetsu's hands.
She thought the fight was over, but Nebula Kotetsu didn't.
That entire string of attacks had been nothing more than a way to wait for this moment! Taking advantage of Mikoto Uchiha's guard being wide open, he drove his chakra into action and unleashed his Level 1 Big Slap. Boosted by his Level 1 Taijutsu, he burst forth with another surge of strength.
"Whoosh!"
His hands blurred as they shot toward Mikoto Uchiha's shoulders.
He didn't aim for her face, since that would damage her image. He didn't aim for her chest, since that would damage his.
Her shoulders weren't a vital spot, but striking them would accomplish his goal: showing off his strength and worth as much as possible, so Mikoto Uchiha would realize he wasn't just a disposable extra.
That way, she would take him seriously in her future guidance and when they went on missions.
As for keeping his trump cards hidden... he had no need to worry about that for now.
For one thing, he was still too weak. For another... as long as he kept dating, the system would keep dealing him new cards.
"Smack!"
But it wasn't Nebula Kotetsu's attack that landed. The instant his hands were about to strike her shoulders, Mikoto Uchiha's gaze turned sharp. She pulled her hands back and, with a speed that left Nebula Kotetsu amazed, moved faster than him and swiftly locked his wrists.
A sudden sense of foreboding rose in Nebula Kotetsu's heart.
He looked up, meeting Mikoto Uchiha's gaze. The sharpness in the beautiful woman's eyes vanished in an instant.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, then her pupils contracted! Nebula Kotetsu watched the changes in her eyes up close. Her irises turned deep red, and three black Tomoe appeared, spinning rapidly within them.
Nebula Kotetsu: "!!"
He was scared.
The instant the Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared, a tremendous sense of danger rose from the depths of his heart. It was as if the person before him wasn't human, but a terrifying beast.
At a mere thought from her, he might die on the spot.
The hairs on his back stood on end.
For the first time, he faced the unrestrained might and pressure of a powerful Jonin and felt just how small and fragile he was.
The greater the friction, the stronger the Hand of the Succubus's passive effect. Mikoto Uchiha had a tight grip on him, so Nebula Kotetsu could clearly see the Three-Tomoe Sharingan trembling slightly. Under its gaze, a thought suddenly occurred to him: I should've kept the gloves on.
As he marveled at the pressure of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Mikoto Uchiha's own thoughts were far from calm.
Alarm.
Confusion.
The moment she locked his hands, a strange sensation passed through her palms.
Tingling and numb.
A little like touching a live wire, but not quite.
An electric current ran from her fingertips straight to her heart.
The strange feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced. After being calm for so long, she suddenly lost control of her strength.
Her chakra seemed to be cheering, her ocular power singing.
A sound almost escaped her lips, but at the last moment, a Jonin's iron will and self-control kept her from doing something so embarrassing.
Only a faint, trembling gasp escaped her nose.
"Whoosh!"
She let go and quickly retreated two steps!
Suppressing the sense of loss that rose from her body, she shut off the Sharingan that had activated on its own, then watched Nebula Kotetsu before her with intense wariness.
"What was that?!"
Seeing the red glow fade from Mikoto Uchiha's eyes, Nebula Kotetsu breathed a sigh of relief and answered honestly.
"Teacher Mikoto."
"It's... a physical condition. It's not easy to explain."
"A physical condition?" Mikoto Uchiha wondered, full of doubt. Some kind of strange Kekkei Genkai?
No! There's no way a Kekkei Genkai like that exists in the Shinobi World!
She stared solemnly into Nebula Kotetsu's eyes. After finding that he didn't seem to be lying, she wrestled with the thought for a while before finally giving up on getting to the bottom of it.
After all, he had intended to wear gloves earlier, so he hadn't done it on purpose. If this was some kind of physical condition related to a Kekkei Genkai, she couldn't press him for details as a team leader who had only recently met him—unless she reported it to the Hokage first.
Besides, two students were standing nearby, staring at each other as they watched.
She took two deep breaths, suppressing her complicated feelings, and became the stern Jonin team leader once more.
"Your close-combat skills are good."
"Keep working hard."
After their sparring session, Mikoto Uchiha had formed a general impression of the three Genin on her team.
Asuma Sarutobi had good talent, but his temperament was mediocre. He looked mature, but was impulsive and lacked discipline. His strength was below what she had expected, about average for a Genin.
Kurenai had decent genjutsu skills. She was quiet and clever, but lacked courage and close-combat ability. She could be useful if she performed well, but was easy to catch off guard and target.
Nebula Kotetsu, well... his Taijutsu and ability to launch a surprise attack put him among the best Genin, and even on par with some of the weaker Chunin. His Mystical Palm Technique was especially valuable.
It was just that face of his—on the battlefield, the enemy would probably focus all their attacks on him!
"You're all here." A familiar voice suddenly came from a distance, interrupting Mikoto Uchiha's thoughts.
Nebula Kotetsu and the others turned to look. A tall, square-faced man stood at the entrance, wearing a kind smile.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." As he spoke, the man walked into the courtyard without waiting for an answer.
Behind him, a servant carried a tray with sliced fruit and drinks.
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