The sun blazed above the Noble Academy's open ground, glinting off the tall glass walls that surrounded the training arena. The crowd of students murmured with excitement as Yamada-sensei raised his hand."Next participants," he announced, "Brod Kitsuhara and Kai Kurobane."
Both boys stepped forward. Brod, with his massive frame and calm eyes, looked more than ready. Kai adjusted his sleeves, cracking his neck with a grin.
"Alright, Kai," Brod said, his voice calm but eager, "let's end this quickly. I'll handle the physical part, you handle the magic."
Kai smirked. "Deal. You just lift me up, and we'll be fine."
"Lift you?" Brod blinked. "You serious?"
"Yup," Kai replied, hopping on his back. "Let's make this fast, bro."
As the students burst out laughing, some started yelling from the stands."Hey! That's cheating!""They should be disqualified!"
But Yamada-sensei just crossed his arms and smirked. "Shut up and watch. It's not against the rules. They're using what they've got. That's teamwork."
And with that, he raised the signal gun."Three... two... one—GO!"
Brod kicked the ground, dust exploding behind him. He sprinted like a beast, each jump covering meters of distance. With Kai on his back, he cleared obstacles in a single leap, crashing through wooden barriers and landing gracefully.The students stared in shock.
"WHAT THE HELL!" one boy yelled."He jumped through the whole level!" another gasped.
Yamada-sensei couldn't help but laugh. "He's strong. That's the kind of power that can lead a noble house."
Within seconds, they reached the second stage — two glowing corners of the trial field.
Kai jumped down, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, my turn."He inhaled deeply and began his chant."Lava Magic: Lava Fists!"
But nothing happened. Only smoke puffed from his hands. Kai looked frustrated, clenching his fists. Sweat ran down his forehead.
Brod looked over. "Hey, focus. You can do it."
Kai's eyes sharpened. His mind flashed with memories — his older brother, standing tall, flames dancing in his palms. The image of his brother bowing to the headfather of the Lava Magic House burned in his mind.
(My brother deserves that throne... I'll make it happen.)
His fists began to glow red-hot, steam rising from his skin. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and molten lava started forming around his hands. He roared, "Lava Magic: Lava Fists!"
The lava burst to life, and he slammed his hands onto the glowing magic orb in front of him.
Across from him, Brod stood tall, calm as stone. He raised his hands, not even bothering to chant. His eyes glowed brown, and a deep tremor rumbled beneath the earth.Land Magic—pure and steady. The ground pulsed with his energy as his magic flowed effortlessly into the gate orb.
A massive click echoed through the field.BOOOOM!The gate opened wide, glowing golden.
The crowd went silent, staring at the spectacle.
Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead, exhaling deeply. "We did it…"
Brod gave him a small, shy nod. "Nice work."
They both walked out side by side, fists meeting in a strong dap.
Yamada-sensei grinned, looking at the stopwatch. "Two minutes and twenty seconds. Good job, students."
The entire class erupted in cheers.Ryujin ran over, clapping both their backs. "Knew you two would kill it!"
Kenji was laughing. "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! I trusted you both, and you didn't disappoint!"
Brod just looked down, blushing slightly. "Th-thanks."He wasn't used to praise.
Yamada-sensei clapped his hands. "Alright, next teams!"
And the trials continued.
Multiple Teams Passed
From the fourth team to the thirty-sixth, the tests went on.Groups rushed through obstacles, chanted spells, and unleashed reikon energy.Most managed to complete the test within three to five minutes.
Yamada's calm, booming voice echoed again and again:"Four minutes, twenty-five seconds.""Five minutes, three seconds.""Three minutes, one second."
Each group bowed after finishing, exhausted but satisfied.
Finally, only Kenji Inomata and Arata Kenji were left.Both boys screamed in sync, "YAAAY! LET'S GO! FINALLY OUR TURN!"
They ran to the start line, slapping each other's hands.Kenji grinned. "You got my last name, bro!"Arata laughed. "And you got my first name! We gotta win this now!"
"Deal!" they shouted together.
Yamada raised the gun again."Ready… Go!"
Both launched forward like wild tigers, tearing through the first stretch. The crowd went wild — their synchronization looked perfect.
"Yo, they're fast!""They might beat Kai and Brod's record!"
But then—
THUD!
Arata tripped over a small ledge and fell forward, and Kenji crashed right into him.Both rolled into the dirt, tangled in limbs.
The entire ground burst into laughter.Even Konoha covered her face, giggling.
"HAHA! What are you guys doing?!" shouted Kai.
Kenji tried standing up, pulling Arata by his arm. "Come on bro, get up—AHH!"
Arata slipped again, splashing into a shallow pool of water. Kenji leaned to help but slipped too. SPLASH!
Now both were soaked, their uniforms sticking to their skin. Even Yamada-sensei was holding back laughter.
"PFFFT—HAHAHA! Get out of there, idiots!"
They both scrambled up, dripping water, muttering, "We got this, we got this…"
Finally, they cleared the first level in one minute and fifty seconds.When they reached the second, Arata started chanting.
"Wind Magic: Wind Tornado!"
But what appeared… was the tiniest little tornado.Barely the size of an ant.
The entire class stared silently.
Kenji blinked. "Uhh... bro?"
Arata sighed. "Shut up."He flicked his fingers to dismiss the tiny whirlwind — but the moment it left his hand, it flew into the trees.
BOOOOM!
The entire tree exploded upward into splinters.
Everyone's jaw dropped.
"What the hell was that?!" Kai shouted.Yamada-sensei whistled. "Small, but deadly."
The commotion ate up precious seconds, but eventually both boys managed to finish.
"Three minutes and forty seconds!" Yamada announced.
Kenji fell to the ground, gasping for air. "We... did it... bro."Arata gave a thumbs-up. "Barely."
Ryujin and the others laughed."You two seriously fell in the water!""Bro, you both share the same brain cell," Kai joked.
Even Konoha was smiling, shaking her head. "Idiots."
Finally, only two names remained on the board.Yamada-sensei looked down at his list."Alright. The last participants—Ryujin Akuma and Hikari Nakamura."
The crowd went silent.
Ryujin and Hikari stepped up to the start line, shaking hands firmly."Let's help each other win," Hikari said with a calm smile.
Ryujin nodded. "Alright, brother. Let's finish this right."
The tension rose. The crowd held its breath.
"Three… two… one… GO!"
Hikari instantly unleashed his reikon. Water swirled beneath his feet, forming a slide of pure liquid. He dove forward, surfing across the shimmering stream like a spear of blue light.
He completed the first level in just twenty seconds.
The students erupted."No way!""He broke the record!"
Even Yamada-sensei's eyes widened. "Incredible… such control at that age…"
Ryujin reached the second level right after him. Both stood at their corners, ready to complete the trial.
Hikari lifted his hand. "Water Magic: Aqua Flow!"Streams of water encircled the orb as his reikon pulsed perfectly.
Ryujin stepped forward, but suddenly—
A sharp pain stabbed through his head. His vision blurred. He saw flashes—his own hands covered in blood, his body trembling on a cliff, screams echoing in his head.
His breath hitched. His knees gave out.
"Ryujin!" someone shouted.
And before he could respond, his world went black—
He collapsed, motionless on the ground.