Shin-chan was fast, darting left and right as he retreated all the way to the edge of the field. Those fireballs couldn't catch him at all.
But what no one expected was that one of the fireballs he had dodged suddenly curved in midair and came flying back.
Shin-chan instinctively moved to evade it, only to realize that the children who had just been gasping in shock were now staring wide-eyed at the ball of fire headed straight for them, too stunned to even dodge.
Shin-chan froze for a split second, then turned, held his wooden sword crosswise, and stepped in front of the flames.
Bang.
The fire slammed into the wooden sword and burst into a shower of sparks.
The wooden sword ignited instantly, flames racing up along the blade.
Shin-chan stood there holding the burning wooden sword, staring blankly, not moving at all.
Everyone at the edge of the field froze.
Only Teacher Ibuki rushed into the ring. With one slap, he put out the flames on Shin-chan's sword, quickly checked him for injuries, then announced in a low voice, "Uchiha Toru wins."
The field fell silent for a few seconds. Then a buzzing wave of whispers slowly rose.
A few of the teachers exchanged glances.
"That kid..." one teacher said quietly. "He did that on purpose, didn't he?"
"To protect the students behind him?"
"Yeah. He could have dodged, but he chose to block it."
"And he didn't even hesitate. He just stepped in front of it."
Yuunagi Asagi's gaze instinctively fell on the small red figure in the ring.
Shin-chan was looking down at the half-charred wooden sword in his hand, scratching his head with an expression that clearly said, Ah, it broke.
There was no frustration, no resentment, and not even any disappointment over losing the match.
Then Shin-chan looked up and glanced this way.
Teacher Asagi happened to meet his eyes.
Shin-chan froze for a second, then instinctively raised his hand and waved at her.
Teacher Asagi waved back and couldn't help smiling a little.
That child...
He was a kind child.
As Shin-chan stepped off the field, Uchiha Toru caught up with him. He pressed his lips together, as if organizing his thoughts, then looked seriously into Shin-chan's eyes.
"That last move... I didn't mean to hurt you..."
But halfway through, Uchiha Toru seemed to lose track of how to continue.
Shin-chan didn't mind at all. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at him.
"Toru, you're amazing."
"What?" Uchiha Toru blinked.
"That fireball." Shin-chan gestured with his hands. "It could turn. How did you do that?"
"You just leave chakra inside the fireball, and after it flies past, you control it to change direction." Uchiha Toru explained without thinking.
"Fire Style is pretty cool too, huh?" Shin-chan grinned stupidly, clearly already imagining how cool he'd look showing off Fire Style in front of Teacher Asagi someday.
Looking at Shin-chan smiling like that, Uchiha Toru suddenly didn't know what to say. After a couple of seconds, he said quietly, "But you lost."
"So what if I lost?" Shin-chan waved a hand, completely unconcerned. "When I get stronger, I'll fight you again."
Uchiha Toru looked up at his face and suddenly felt his nose sting a little.
"Shin-chan."
"Yeah?"
"This one doesn't count." Uchiha Toru said seriously. "Next time, we'll have a proper fight."
Shin-chan blinked, then nodded. "Okay!"
From farther away, Teacher Ibuki's voice rang out. "Nohara Shinnosuke, get in here."
Shin-chan answered and turned to run toward the field, only to find Kakashi waiting at the edge.
"Here." Kakashi untied the wooden sword at his waist and held it out. "You can't use that one anymore."
Shin-chan looked down at his own charred wooden sword, then at the one Kakashi was offering him, and blinked.
"Then what about you?"
"I've got another one."
Shin-chan hesitated, then took the sword. "Thanks."
Kakashi didn't say anything. He just turned away and waved a hand.
"Hurry up, hurry up." Teacher Ibuki called from the front. "It's almost time for dismissal."
Wooden sword in hand, Shin-chan dashed into the ring.
Once the two were in position, Teacher Ibuki raised his hand and announced, "Begin!"
Anko immediately took up her stance, her expression turning serious. She had just lost to Kakashi, sure, but he was a recognized genius.
This guy in front of her looked spacey and dumb. He probably wasn't that strong, right?
Then her vision blurred.
The red figure was already in front of her.
Anko instinctively raised her arm to block, but the wooden sword was already pressed beside her neck.
The crowd erupted.
"So fast..."
"Even Anko didn't react in time!"
"That was just like what happened with Shiranui Genma!"
Anko stood frozen, still holding up her arm as if to block, and didn't move for a long while.
Then she looked down at the wooden sword pressed against her neck, and then up at the innocent-looking Nohara Shinnosuke standing in front of her.
Shin-chan withdrew the sword and scratched his head. "Uh... do we still have to keep fighting?"
"Nope." Anko dropped her stance and said very directly, "I can't beat you."
Teacher Ibuki announced from the side, "Nohara Shinnosuke wins."
Shin-chan lowered the sword and turned toward the edge of the field. Kakashi was sitting there, watching with his usual blank expression.
Shin-chan waved at him.
Kakashi looked away and silently mouthed something.
Meanwhile, Anko shot an annoyed look at the wooden sword in Shin-chan's hand and muttered under her breath, "That sword again..."
Shin-chan hadn't heard her clearly, so he turned to look at her. "What?"
"Nothing." Anko looked away. "Next time, I'm definitely going to win."
Shin-chan nodded. "Okay, let's fight again next time."
Anko gave a small huff and took a few steps away, then couldn't help glancing back at the wooden sword once more.
It had beaten her twice now.
The first time, it was in Kakashi's hands.
The second time, it was this guy.
The same sword both times.
Anko thought bitterly that next time, she was definitely going to knock that sword flying.
The final match was Hatake Kakashi versus Uchiha Toru.
But the match ended even faster than anyone expected.
Uchiha Toru's chakra had already been more than half spent in his fight with Shin-chan, and Kakashi had clearly noticed. From the very start, he never gave him a chance to breathe.
Close in.
Press the attack.
Stay glued to him.
Uchiha Toru tried to pull away and create distance, but Kakashi simply refused to give him the chance, every step pressing him into the most uncomfortable position possible.
Three minutes.
In just three minutes, Uchiha Toru had been forced to the edge of the field and could no longer continue.
"Hatake Kakashi wins," Teacher Ibuki announced.
Uchiha Toru sat on the ground, breathing hard, his face full of frustration.
But a loss was a loss.
The sun was sinking lower, and one lamp after another lit up around the field, casting a dim yellow glow over the children in the ring.
Teacher Ibuki stepped into the center of the field with the list in hand.
"This exam has now concluded successfully."
"First place: Hatake Kakashi."
"Second place: Uchiha Toru."
"Third place: Nohara Shinnosuke."
A thin round of applause broke out around the field.
Off in the corner, Shin-chan heard his name and couldn't help scratching his head.
Third place.
That didn't seem too bad.
~~~
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