Whizz!
Lock flicked his wrist and sent shuriken flying. Obito yelped and stumbled left and right, barely dodging with a clumsy flourish. He straightened up proudly—only to see Lock forming an unfamiliar hand seal.
Hands pressed together, index fingers raised like a spear. A seal no one had ever seen before.
"Konoha Secret Art…"
Lock's sudden shout made the whole class jolt. Even Obito froze, eyes wide. Don't tell me… he really knows some hidden jutsu?!
"Millennium Kill!"
Obito's eyes bulged. Lock vanished from sight.
"H-He disappeared?!"
The students gasped, and even Instructor Yagyū's expression faltered. He was a true shinobi, yet he hadn't caught how Lock moved.
A moment later—
"GYAAAHHH!"
A shriek tore across the training ground. Obito launched several meters into the air, both hands clutching his backside, his face twisted in unspeakable agony.
At his original spot, Lock crouched calmly, fingers still poised in that infamous stance.
The class shivered as one. Every boy instinctively crossed his legs. Even the girls winced.
Lock stood, brushing off his hands with perfect composure.
"This is my first time unleashing my original ninjutsu," he said lightly. "Its power seems… extraordinary."
Yagyū's lips twitched. Original ninjutsu? More like original nonsense. He had been half-convinced Lock was a budding genius. But of course, genius or not, the boy was still very much a problem child.
"Of course," Lock continued smoothly, "this technique is an esoteric ninjutsu I've been developing for a long time. Obito was instantly defeated. Now, I only need one finger to finish him off."
"You—! You shameless pervert!" Obito staggered on trembling legs, his face red and blue at once. "That doesn't count! It's cheating!"
"Cheating or not, I won with one move," Lock replied coolly.
"I-I don't accept this! Sensei, he played dirty! I didn't lose!" Obito howled, looking desperately to Yagyū.
Yagyū's voice cracked like a whip:
"Are you still able to fight?"
Obito wilted.
"Then it's settled. Winner: Fujiwara Lock!"
The announcement drew only scattered applause—Kurenai and Gai clapped the loudest. Most of the class just stared, unsettled by Lock's "technique." Ruthless. Shameless. Terrifying.
Lock, unfazed, walked calmly back to the line. Obito limped after him, snarling, "You bastard, Lock! You owe me for this humiliation!"
Lock shoved him aside with a look of disgust. "Don't blame me for your loss."
Yet Yagyū couldn't stop thinking about what he'd seen. Clone Technique mastery was one thing—but that sudden movement behind Obito… even he hadn't noticed how Lock closed the distance. That kind of misdirection, that strategy—it was the mark of someone dangerous. Not reckless at all.
"The first match is over," Yagyū called. "Who's next?"
Hands shot up immediately. Soon, sparring pairs were chosen and fights began again.
Lock, however, didn't care much to watch. At their age, most kids couldn't even control their chakra properly. Their "battles" were just wild punches and sloppy kicks.
Still, a few bouts stood out:
Uchiha Yuji vs. Hyūga Shunsuke. The heirs of Konoha's two great clans. Even without Sharingan or Byakugan awakened, their fight carried more weight than the rest.
Asuma vs. Genma. Despite his earlier warning to Lock's group, Genma held nothing back and beat Asuma into the ground.
And most shocking—Might Guy vs. Ebisu. Guy, the "third from the bottom," demolished Ebisu, a former top-ten student, with overwhelming spirit.
One by one, matches wrapped up until only Kakashi remained untested. Yagyū had been saving him deliberately.
Though the youngest, Kakashi, had been trained by a legendary father. To Yagyū, there wasn't a student in class who could truly rival him.
"Kakashi," Yagyū asked, "is there anyone you'd like to challenge?"
Every eye in the class fixed on the masked boy. Nobody dared challenge him outright—except Obito earlier, but that had ended in humiliation.
Being chosen by Kakashi, however, was a different matter. It meant recognition. Even defeat would be honorable.
Kakashi stepped forward without hesitation. Dozens of eyes bore down on him, but his posture never wavered.
"Sensei," he said calmly, "the one I want to challenge is… Fujiwara Lock."
"What?!"
The class erupted in shock. Lock? The second-to-last? Even after his strange victory, he hadn't truly proved himself.
Lock himself blinked, stunned. Why me?
Yagyū, however, felt a thrill of satisfaction. Exactly. Even with the Uchiha and Hyūga present, none of them are on Kakashi's level. The only one worth testing him now… is Lock.
Children couldn't see it, but as an adult and a shinobi, Yagyū recognized something rare. Lock had potential.
"Why?! Why him and not me?!" Obito wailed, fists clenched tight with frustration.