Chapter 25: Gentle Fire, Burning Will
Shinra finally managed to extricate himself from the mob of adoring fans and made his way back to where Mikoto and Kushina stood. The two girls, destined in another story to be the closest of friends, already shared a deep bond.
"Well done, Shinra-kun," Mikoto said, her voice as gentle as always, her smile like a warm welcome home.
"Hmph! Stupid Shinra, I can't believe you got so strong!" Kushina pouted, trying to sound unimpressed, but the flush on her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her sheer amazement. She didn't want him to know how her heart had hammered against her ribs during that domineering walk to the ring and the earth-shattering punch.
"Oh? Who's the idiot now?" Shinra teased, looking down at her flustered, defiant face with a fond, triumphant grin. Her fiery, shy energy was endlessly amusing.
These two were polar opposites—one a calm, gentle stream, the other a vibrant, crackling flame. A dangerous, intriguing thought flickered through his mind: I wonder what it would be like with both of them…
"Next match! Uchiha Mikoto versus Uchiha Shota!"
The chief examiner's voice cut through his musings. Beside him, Mikoto flinched, a tremor running through her small frame. She looked nervously across at Uchiha Shota, a boy known for his sharp talent and sharper tongue.
"Don't worry," Shinra said softly, cutting off her spiral of anxiety. He reached out and gave her hand a brief, reassuring squeeze. "I'm right here. Just do your best."
Mikoto froze, her eyes widening. It was the first time a boy had held her hand. A jolt, warm and strange, shot up her arm. But when she met Shinra's eyes—warm, steady, and filled with unwavering confidence—the panic in her heart melted away, replaced by a solid calm.
"Yeah! Go get him, Mikoto!" Kushina cheered, pumping her fist.
"Thank you! I'll do my best!" Mikoto nodded, took a deep, steadying breath, and walked towards the ring, her back a little straighter.
"Hmph. Meeting me is your bad luck, Mikoto. You should just forfeit," Uchiha Shota sneered, his posture dripping with arrogance.
"I won't," Mikoto stated, her voice firm. "Shinra-kun couldn't even mold chakra before, but he never gave up and worked harder than anyone. What right do I have to surrender?"
In that moment, the gentle girl was gone, replaced by a warrior with iron in her gaze.
"Ridiculous," Shota scoffed, a mocking glint in his eye. "Then I'll crush you first, and then deal with that waste you admire so much."
He didn't wait. A torrent of fireballs—the Great Fireball Technique—erupted from his hands, forcing Mikoto into a desperate, graceful dance of evasion and counter-attack.
The battle was fierce but short-lived. To the shock of many in the crowd, Uchiha Shota revealed his trump card mid-fight—a single tomoe spinning in each of his crimson eyes.
The Sharingan.
Under its predictive pressure and enhanced perception, Mikoto's skillful taijutsu and ninjutsu were systematically dismantled. She held on valiantly for three minutes before a perfectly timed strike sent her tumbling from the ring, bruised and exhausted.
As the medics moved to carry her away, Shinra and Kushina were at her side in an instant.
"Mikoto, are you okay?" Shinra asked, his brow furrowed, a cold edge entering his voice for the first time that day.
A haughty, familiar voice answered from behind them. "Don't fret. She'll be fine. Just a few weeks in the hospital, at most."
Uchiha Shota stood there, looking down at them with undisguised contempt. "You'd better pray you don't draw me in the next round," he said, his gaze locking onto Shinra. "Or I'll show you what the true power of the Uchiha really is." The hostility was a tangible force.
"You bastard!" Kushina snarled, her fists clenching, her face red with rage. She lunged forward, ready to throw down right then and there.
A strong hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping her cold.
"Don't," Shinra said, his voice low and utterly calm. He didn't even glance at Shota. "This is a tournament. Leave it to me."
But Kushina, who knew his moods better than anyone, stared at his profile. Her anger momentarily forgotten, replaced by a chill.
She had never seen Shinra look like this. His expression wasn't one of hot anger, but of a deep, icy calm that was far more frightening.
Mikoto was carried off to receive treatment. The tournament pressed on.
Next was Namikaze Minato versus Sarutobi Hyakuri. The result was a foregone conclusion—a swift, elegant, and overwhelming victory for Minato.
Then came Kushina versus Akimichi Gen'en. It was the longest, most brutal fight of the quarterfinals—a clash of sheer vitality and stubborn will that lasted hundreds of exchanges. In the end, it was Kushina, battered but unbeaten, who emerged victorious, securing her spot in the final four.
The semi-finalists were set.
After a short break to catch their breath and tend to minor wounds, the examiner's voice rang out once more, drawing the next pairing from the lottery.
"For the next semi-final match… Shinra versus… Uchiha Shota!"
The irony was not lost on anyone. The examiner himself couldn't suppress a slight, knowing smile.
The arena, having witnessed Shota's cruel victory and his subsequent taunt, erupted into a roar of anticipation. This wasn't just a match anymore. It was about to become something much more personal.
✨Enjoying the story? You can support me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/MizuSan
✨ Patreon members get early chapter access, bonus content! 🥰
🎉 Plus, I'll release 1 extra chapter for every 5 reviews!💎 Or grab 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones you send my way! 🥳
🌊 Let's reach 20 Patreon members to unlock 5 extra chapters together!