You could do it too if you had a system

Uzumaki Hayashi looked at the kunai flying straight toward the center of his back and couldn't help giving a wry smile.

Well, damn. I really didn't see that coming.

There was no time to turn around. He swept a hand behind him, the water vapor chilled sharply, and an Ice Shield hastily formed-

With a dull thunk, the Kunai drove deep into the Ice Shield, burying more than half its length. Cracks burst across the shield like a spiderweb, and it only just managed to stop the attack.

Uzumaki Hayashi broke into a cold sweat.

That was close. I nearly got caught out.

He belatedly replayed what had happened. When did he attach the Steel Wire? Was it those Kunai he "missed" with? So this kid had been setting things up from that moment?

One move had led into another, all right under his nose.

After taking a hit like that, who could still call the other boy unintelligent?

"That one really caught me by surprise." He turned around and offered sincere praise.

"Of course it did."

Sasuke Uchiha stood where he was and flicked his wrist, releasing the Steel Wire.

He raised his chin, his eyes brimming with youthful pride. "I'm not going to give up as easily as last time. This is a throwing technique exclusive to the Uchiha."

Oh, so he still remembers that night.

Uzumaki Hayashi grinned.

All right.

Before the words had faded, Sasuke Uchiha moved.

He closed in, throwing a left jab, fast and straight, that whistled through the air toward Uzumaki Hayashi's face-

The gust from that punch reached his face first.

Uzumaki Hayashi raised a hand to block.

But the jab abruptly pulled back in midair.

A feint!

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly stepped forward with his left foot and dropped low, sweeping his leg cleanly across the grass toward Linshi's ankles!

The ice crystals were all at his sides. There was no time to bring them back.

Water vapor chilled beside the outside of Uzumaki Hayashi's ankle, hastily forming a tiny Ice Shield-

Crack!

The sweeping kick slammed into the Ice Shield. Ice chips burst outward as the shield shattered into several pieces and scattered.

Sasuke Uchiha used the recoil to flip backward and landed steadily on his feet.

"How was that?"

He asked with a grin.

That grin was so bold and exuberant that he seemed like a completely different person from his usual cold-faced self.

"Not bad."

Uzumaki Hayashi nodded and brushed the ice chips off his trouser leg. "But now I'm going to get a little serious too."

"Just what I wanted."

Sasuke Uchiha charged again.

This time, he had learned.

He kept his body extremely low, shuffling forward and backward while swaying his upper body from side to side. Little by little, he edged toward the limit of Uzumaki Hayashi's reach, advancing half a step and retreating half a step, never committing to any one spot.

Uzumaki Hayashi had no intention of chasing him either.

He stood sideways, his front foot resting lightly on the ground, controlling the distance between them with his legs.

When Sasuke Uchiha cut left, he raised a leg and kicked toward his knee. When Sasuke Uchiha darted right, he swept his lower leg across to block the way to his abdomen.

None of the kicks were fast, but every one struck at the most awkward point, forcing his opponent to change course.

Those two legs were like a nimble spear, leaving no gaps in the defense around him.

One round, two rounds, three rounds.

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly stopped short and dipped his shoulder, feigning a forceful breakthrough on the left. The moment Uzumaki Hayashi extended his leg, Sasuke twisted at the waist and switched to the right-

Unfortunately, that same leg was waiting for him on the right.

The lower leg swept across, sealing off the area so completely that he had to lean back and retreat, tumbling awkwardly through half a somersault before regaining his footing.

Sweat ran from Sasuke Uchiha's forehead down his chin and dripped onto the grass, soaking it into tiny dark spots.

Uzumaki Hayashi watched and nodded inwardly.

This kid gets harder to deal with the longer we fight.

His first few attacks had still been reckless, but in this short time, he had already learned to bait attacks with feints. At this rate, what would he be like in a few years?

Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha suddenly stopped approaching.

He stood where he was, his chest heaving, but his eyes stayed fixed on the rise and fall of those two legs-

Almost. I've almost got the rhythm.

The next instant, Sasuke Uchiha abruptly made to charge forward!

Uzumaki Hayashi lifted his knee, raised his leg, and threw a side kick-

That's it!

This time, Sasuke Uchiha didn't retreat. He suddenly darted left, sliding sideways so low that it resembled a slide tackle, almost brushing against the outstretched leg as he moved inside Uzumaki Hayashi's guard!

His slide plowed a shallow furrow through the turf, spraying bits of grass and dirt along the way.

His gamble had finally paid off!

He clenched his right fist and twisted his waist, about to drive upward with the punch he had been building toward all night-

Then he saw it.

Uzumaki Hayashi was looking down at him with a sly smile.

And directly above Sasuke's head, an Ice Spike hung suspended, its tip catching the moonlight, cold and pointed straight at the crown of his skull.

It could drop at any moment.

The night breeze passed between them. Neither moved any further.

The leaves beside the training ground rustled with unusual clarity.

Sasuke Uchiha held that twisted stance, looking up at the Ice Spike for a full two seconds before his throat bobbed and he slowly raised both hands.

"...I give up."

He deflated and sat down on the ground. Looking up at Uzumaki Hayashi, he suddenly blurted something out.

"It must be nice to have some inexplicable talent like that."

Uzumaki Hayashi smiled and nodded.

Inside, however, he teased, Jealous? If you had a system, you could do it too.

"Let's call it a night." He held out a hand and pulled Sasuke Uchiha up from the ground. "If we don't go home and sleep, we'll have trouble getting up for school tomorrow again."

"Yeah."

Sasuke Uchiha didn't waste any words either. He brushed the grass off his clothes, retrieved his Kunai and Steel Wire, and put them in his Ninja Tool Pouch.

They said goodbye at the entrance to the training ground, one heading east and the other west.

"See you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Sasuke Uchiha stood where he was, not leaving right away.

He watched that red hair bob beneath the streetlights, moving farther and farther away until it rounded a street corner and vanished completely.

He remained there for quite a while longer.

The fighting spirit that had burned in his chest all night gradually faded.

Once it subsided, what remained was something he couldn't quite put into words.

Peace.

It was so quiet, so reassuring, as though someone had gently loosened the string that had always been stretched taut inside him.

He hadn't felt this way in a very, very long time.

For a moment, Sasuke Uchiha found it difficult to accept.

When he pushed open his front door, the Uchiha Clan Compound was still pitch-black, without a single light.

This was his everyday life.

Yet for some reason, looking at that darkness tonight, it felt emptier than usual.

He stepped inside with a frown, trying to leave that inexplicable feeling behind him.

But all the way home, his mind had been filled with the other boy's eyes, shining in the summer night.