Mochizuki Shota vs. Mochizuki Megumi
"Uh... so it's my big brother," Megumi said, giving him a dead-eyed stare.
"Heh heh, Megumi, even though you're my little sister, this is still a match. I won't go easy on you!" Shota said, planting his hands on his hips.
Then Shota eagerly vaulted straight over the railing and jumped down.
"Ugh, what an idiot," Megumi muttered. She stepped onto the railing, leaped a long way, and landed opposite Shota. Turning around, she folded her arms and looked at him disdainfully.
"How interesting. I can't believe it's those two," Zeyu said, watching them with interest.
"Zeyu, which of them do you think will win?" Shimizu Nana asked from beside him.
Zeyu thought for a moment, then replied,
"Probably Megumi, because Shota's an idiot."
"Uh..." Nana's mouth twitched, and she looked utterly speechless.
I thought he was going to say something technical. That's all he had? Nana thought.
Shota cracked his knuckles and said to Megumi with a confident grin,
"Megumi, a match is different from our usual practice. I can still hold back, so you should surrender right away, okay?"
"You're so annoying, big brother. Don't cry when I beat you," Megumi said.
"Ahem. Are you two ready?" Hayate asked, watching them from the side.
Shota and Megumi lowered their stances, staring each other down as they prepared to fight.
"Good. Begin!"
As soon as Hayate announced the start, Shota charged straight at Megumi, and the two of them began to grapple.
Megumi soon started struggling to keep up, flailing in a panic.
"Megumi isn't good at taijutsu. If she stays close, she'll lose sooner or later," Nana said, watching the two in the arena.
"It's all right. Megumi probably knew that from the start; she just hasn't had a chance to create some distance," Hinata said from beside her.
Since their teams got along well, they were sitting close together.
"Mm-hmm," Zeyu said, nodding. As he held Hinata's hand, he traced a finger across her palm.
The ticklish sensation made Hinata blush. Her heart fluttered as if a cat were pawing at it. She accidentally let out a soft moan, then quickly covered her mouth.
Nana stepped forward and pinched Zeyu's left ear, while Kurenai pinched his right.
"With so many people around, what are you doing, Zeyu?" Kurenai said, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"Hey, Zeyu, I heard you usually teach those two ninjutsu. Tell us about it, will you?" Nana asked, the corner of her mouth twitching too.
"Ow, ow! Teachers, let's talk this out. I was wrong. Please let me go!" Zeyu said, hastily raising his hands in surrender.
"Then why are you still tickling her?" Kurenai asked, looking at Zeyu's hand.
Hinata, beside him, was already biting her finger and doing her best to hold back. Her head was lowered, and even the backs of her ears had turned red.
Zeyu grinned and reluctantly let go.
Only then did Hinata breathe a sigh of relief. She pressed a hand to her chest and looked at Zeyu with tender eyes.
Kurenai held Zeyu's head down and said,
"You only ever know how to bully Hinata. Now come clean. What did you teach those two?"
Nana also looked at Zeyu curiously.
"Come on, you'll find out soon enough," Zeyu said, looking down at the arena.
Meanwhile, in the arena,
Megumi retreated, and Shota followed with a punch aimed at her chest.
Megumi stopped and immediately pulled a kunai from her pouch, thrusting it at Shota.
Shota promptly used the Rock Fist Technique. His right arm was encased in hard rock, and the kunai struck it with a crisp clang.
Megumi immediately planted a foot against Shota's arm. Shota braced himself with his other hand, then pushed off hard and swung his arm, sending Megumi flying back.
At last, Megumi had created some distance from Shota. She rapidly formed Hand Seals in midair.
She landed steadily on the ground farther away.
Shota was just about to pursue her.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"
Megumi spat a stream of wind-natured chakra bullets from her mouth. They shot rapidly toward Shota.
Shota had no choice but to run to one side. Small craters appeared one after another wherever his feet struck the ground.
Megumi kept firing Vacuum Bullets at Shota. Seeing that he wasn't fast enough and was about to be hit,
Shota used the Rock Fist Technique again. He slammed a fist into the ground, shattering the floor tiles and forcing them upward. He crouched behind the raised tiles for cover.
After several thudding impacts, the attack stopped.
The raised tiles were shattered too. Shota stood up, ready to charge at Megumi again.
Megumi quickly formed Hand Seals.
Shota had only taken two steps when Megumi finished her seals, and her attack came right after.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Megumi formed a one-handed seal and blew a whirlwind from her mouth, sending it straight at Shota.
This is bad! I can't dodge it! Shota thought. The technique's area of effect kept expanding, and there was no time left to get out of its way.
He quickly formed Hand Seals and slapped both hands against the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Shota crouched as an earthen wall burst out of the ground in front of him.
The moment the wall rose, the whirlwind slammed into it. Several gaps appeared along its edges.
Once the whirlwind passed, the wall came crashing down, raising a cloud of dust.
Megumi pulled out a shuriken and stared intently at the dust cloud.
Suddenly, Shota burst out of the dust and charged straight toward Megumi.
"You're out of options now, aren't you, Megumi?" Shota shouted.
Megumi immediately threw the shuriken in her hand at Shota.
But Shota easily blocked it with his Rock Fist. He raised the rocky fist high and swung it down at Megumi.
Megumi hurriedly raised her kunai to defend herself. It rang out with a crisp clang, and she barely managed to block the blow.
The impact left Megumi's hand numb, but she still smiled faintly.
"You left yourself wide open, big brother!" Megumi shouted, punching toward Shota's chest.
Just as her fist was about to connect, Shota smiled faintly.
Megumi's punch went straight through his chest, leaving her looking utterly shocked.
Just then, another Shota burst out of the dust that hadn't fully cleared and rushed straight toward Megumi.
"I'm over here!" Shota shouted, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
Megumi realized what was happening and tried to pull her hand free, only to find she couldn't move.
The Shota in front of her slowly melted, its color fading to a muddy yellow as it trapped her arm fast. She was unable to move.
"A Clay Clone?" Megumi said, surprised.
"Yep. Sorry, little sis!" Shota said, charging at her with his fist raised.
Megumi fearfully shut her eyes and drew her neck in.
Shota saw this and chuckled. Just before his punch could land, he slid beneath Megumi.
Then he immediately turned around, grabbed both of her lower legs, and hoisted her up in one swift motion.
Megumi screamed and snapped her eyes open.
"Baka nii-chan! How dare you do that to me! I'm telling big sister when we get home!" Megumi said angrily.
"Hee hee, sorry, Megumi. I win this time," Shota said with a smug grin.
Hanging upside down, Megumi wriggled. But when she heard Shota say that, she stopped and smiled at him.
"Oh? Is that so, baka nii-chan?"
Shota looked disdainful and gave Megumi's legs another shake.
"What else would it be?"
After saying that, Shota noticed that his shadow on the ground was growing larger.
He was still wondering what was going on when, the next second, he was kicked in the back and slammed face-first to the ground.
Several cracks appeared in the floor, and a cloud of dust rose.
When the dust cleared, Megumi stood with her foot on Shota's back, arms folded and her face full of disgust.
"Damn it! Baka nii-chan! How dare you pick me up! You're dead when we get home!" Megumi said, twisting her toe against Shota's back again.
By then, Shota had passed out, lying motionless on the ground.
When Shota's Earth Style Wall had raised the cloud of dust, he had created a clone inside it. Megumi had created one outside it too.
She had also used her clone to leap onto the ceiling, focused chakra in her feet, and stood upside down there, watching what was happening below.
To the other spectators, it was easy to see what she was doing.
Only after Hayate announced Megumi's victory did she take her foot off Shota.
She turned her head away, tossed her hair with a huff, and walked toward the stands.
"Such an exciting match, Megumi. You were amazing," Hinata said, clapping to congratulate her.
"Yeah, Megumi, you've improved a lot. You're much stronger now," Nana added.
"Come on, I was just okay," Megumi said dismissively, twirling her ponytail between her fingers. In truth, she lifted her chin, thoroughly enjoying the praise.
Then she secretly glanced at Zeyu, hoping to hear him praise her too. After all, Zeyu had taught her a lot.
At that moment, Zeyu was watching Shota get examined by the medical ninja below. After they treated him briefly, he finally relaxed.
That was a little too rough... Zeyu thought.
Nana nudged Zeyu with her elbow, and only then did he turn back to look at them.
He saw Megumi standing in front of him, propping up her chin as she secretly peeked at him. Her fingers kept twirling the tip of her ponytail, and her lips were pursed.
Nana leaned closer and whispered,
"He's your student, after all. It wouldn't hurt to praise her, would it?"
Hinata also blinked at him repeatedly.
Zeyu rubbed his forehead and said,
"Good job, Megumi. You've improved a lot. You were great."
Megumi couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up. She quickly turned her head away and said,
"Come on, of course I was."
"Hinata, you should keep it up too," Megumi said, putting an arm around hers.
"Mm, thank you. I'll keep working hard too," Hinata said with a smile, raising a fist halfway.
Zeyu put on a dead-eyed stare and thought,
You all spoil her too much.