"The match is over."
As Xue Ge's words fell, silence settled over the crowd.
Obito stared blankly. After a long moment, he jolted and turned to Asuma beside him. "Wait, what just happened? How did Guy suddenly..."
"Well..." Asuma scratched his cheek awkwardly. His Taijutsu was still a fair way behind Guy's, and the sudden reversal had caught him off guard too.
"Um..." Rin ventured. "Did you hear that just now?"
"Huh?" Obito, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma all looked over at her.
"That cracking sound just now." Rin pointed at Xue Ge's knee. "It didn't really sound like..."
"Right!" Asuma's eyes lit up. "Xue Ge has a prosthetic leg, doesn't he? So that was the sound of his prosthetic breaking?"
"I don't think so." Kurenai shook her head. "Xue Ge probably did it on purpose... to give Guy an opening. He's far too practiced at baiting people in."
"You guys..." Obito held his forehead, feeling lost. "I didn't really follow any of that, but basically... Xue Ge is really good?"
"Obviously." Asuma rolled his eyes at Obito. "You try beating Guy bare-handed."
"No thanks, no thanks." Obito immediately shook his head furiously. What a joke. Only someone with a death wish would fight Guy bare-handed.
Unlike Obito and the other children, who were chattering away, Kakashi had watched the entire fight intently, and his expression had grown much more serious.
Kakashi was stronger than Asuma and the others, so he could pick out more details than they could.
Xue Ge's changes in speed, his footwork, the sway of his body, the movements of his arms and elbows...
Practiced. Far too practiced. He seemed less like a Ninja Academy student and more like a frontline shinobi hardened by countless battles.
"Mm, watching Xue Ge's footwork is always such a pleasure." Sakumo chuckled.
"...Father, does Xue Ge fight you often?" Kakashi looked up at Sakumo.
Sakumo nodded, then thought for a moment before bending down and pointing at the crutch Xue Ge had set aside some distance away.
"Oh, and that boy's real specialty is swordsmanship. I've taught him a little myself."
"..."
Kakashi suddenly felt an enormous weight on his shoulders.
The bare-handed fighting skills Xue Ge had displayed already looked difficult enough to deal with. Now his father was saying that Xue Ge's greatest strength was swordsmanship... and that he had even taught him personally...
As Sakumo's son, he knew better than most just how powerful his father's White Fang Swordsmanship was. Konoha's White Fang had earned that name through the bloodshed of the Second Shinobi World War.
He felt at a loss. He had thought life at the Ninja Academy would be terribly boring, yet only a few days into the term, an expert like this had appeared.
And now it seemed that expert might be a little too good.
Kakashi felt somewhat nervous, but alongside that nervousness, a spark of excitement finally began to kindle within him.
At last, someone my age who's roughly on my level...
Xue Ge raised a hand to straighten his clothes, turned to retrieve his crutch, and walked straight toward Danzo in the crowd.
Behind him, Guy hurriedly scrambled to his feet. Rubbing his dust-covered face, he showed no discouragement at his defeat. Instead, he raised his hand high and shouted at Xue Ge with even greater excitement. "Oh! Your Taijutsu is even more refined than mine, young man! I'm going back to train right now! The next time I challenge you, I'll show you an even more youthful beast!"
Xue Ge's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. Then, like a fish slipping through water, he swiftly vanished into the crowd.
With the spectacle over, the onlookers dispersed. Inside a shop by the street, a blond shinobi who had just returned from a mission, still travel-worn, watched thoughtfully as Xue Ge disappeared nearby.
"What's wrong, Minato? You keep staring at that kid." The red-haired woman sitting beside him nudged him with her elbow.
Minato came back to his senses and waved a hand with a smile. "Nothing. I was just thinking that boy had excellent combat instincts. Don't you think so, Kushina?"
"He was all right," Kushina mumbled around a bite of bread. "But that cold air about him makes me uncomfortable."
"He's probably a war orphan." Minato frequently went on missions outside the village and had seen more than Kushina.
After a moment's thought, he said with interest, "Speaking of which, Lord Third has been wanting me to serve as a team leader..."
"Huh? You? A team leader?" Kushina blinked.
"Yes. I'll try taking my first group of students next year." Minato rubbed his hair. "Spending more time with Konoha's future pillars wouldn't be a bad thing. That boy just now... I'd really like to have a proper talk with him if I get the chance."
"You did well just now. It seems your training has paid off."
Danzo and Xue Ge walked along a quiet path. After a long silence between them, Danzo spoke.
Xue Ge gave a slight nod. "You're too kind."
"How is your Ninjutsu training going?"
"I've mastered the principles of the Three Body Technique, but I haven't made any progress with Wind Release yet."
"And Lightning Release?"
"I haven't started training in it yet."
"So for now, all your skills lie in Taijutsu."
Danzo said evenly, "Still, your talent is limited. Getting this far is good enough."
"..."
Xue Ge remained somewhat reserved around Danzo. There was a heavy air of menace about the man.
After another stretch of silence, Danzo asked, "How did your first day at the Ninja Academy feel?"
"...Boring. A bit of a waste of time."
Xue Ge had wanted to say it was easy, but he understood his current circumstances and position, and knew what he ought to say. Whether for practical or personal reasons, he had no excuse to relax right now.
On the practical side, Danzo's demands left him no time to stagnate. On the personal side, failing to satisfy Danzo would leave Xue Ge in a very awkward position.
Besides, his prosthetic limbs wore out, and Danzo was still the one supplying replacements on schedule.
"Hiruzen's reforms have made the Ninja Academy softer and softer," Danzo said disapprovingly. "A place like that does little to cultivate real shinobi. If it weren't a required formality, you shouldn't be going there at all."
"..." For some reason, Xue Ge felt that whenever Danzo mentioned Hiruzen-the Third Naruto-certain personal feelings always crept into his words.
After calming
himself a little, Danzo narrowed his eyes and looked at Xue Ge. "Since you find it boring... it seems you agree with me."
I wouldn't dare disagree.
"Then I have a requirement for you. This will also be your next goal." Danzo's voice was so low that it sent a chill down Xue Ge's spine.
Still, he grew serious and met Danzo's gaze.
The previous goal had kept Xue Ge struggling for four years. Was the second one coming now?
"One year." Danzo raised his index finger.
One year?
Xue Ge waited for Danzo to explain what that time limit was for.
"The Ninja Academy has a system for early graduation. Students who are sufficiently outstanding can apply to Hiruzen to graduate ahead of schedule," Danzo said. "Your next goal is simple. Graduate early from the Ninja Academy within one year."