[ Ken Shimura POV ]
"The winner of this match is Sasuke Uchiha!"
The announcement echoed across the training ground as every single girl in the stands erupted into deafening cheers. Sakura was practically screaming herself hoarse, Ino clapping with genuine admiration despite having lost to me in the semifinals, and even some of the younger academy girls who probably didn't understand half of what they'd watched were swooning.
"SASUKE-KUN IS THE BEST!"
"HE'S DEFINITELY GOING TO WIN THIS!"
"SO COOL!"
I watched from the warm-up area as Sasuke ignored his opponent, who looked equal parts relieved and traumatized. The Uchiha's expression remained perfectly neutral, but his eyes...
They weren't on the crowd's adoration or acknowledging the cheers.
They were on me.
I met his gaze evenly. The final match. Everything I'd worked toward since entering this competition.
I'd spent his entire semifinal about analyzing his movements, patterns, noting weaknesses. Sasuke's fighting style was slightly predictable, relying heavily on superior speed and precision to overwhelm opponents before they could mount effective defenses. Fast combinations, aggressive pressure on exploitation of openings.
Effective. Brutally so.
But predictable.
The problem was predictable didn't mean easy to counter. If I lost focus for even a moment, if I missed a single transition or misjudged his speed by a fraction of a second, this match would be over before I could blink.
One mistake. That's all it would take.
"ATTENTION!" Iruka's voice cut through the cheering "Final match—Ken Shimura versus Sasuke Uchiha! Competitors to the mat!"
The crowd noise shifted to excited murmurs, shuffling in the stands, people leaning forward to get better views.
I walked to the center of the training ground, feeling every eye tracking my movement. Sasuke was already there, standing with that perfect posture, arms loose at his sides.
We faced each other across three feet of packed earth.
"Form the seal of confrontation" Iruka instructed.
We raised our hands, fingers forming the traditional seal, index and middle fingers extended, meeting at the tips. A sign of mutual respect and acknowledgment between opponents.
"Ready?" Iruka looked between us.
"Hai" we said in unison.
Iruka's hand dropped "Begin!"
Neither of us moved.
The crowd went silent. Sasuke watched me with those dark eyes, waiting for me to commit first for the first strike. I held my ground, breathing steady with clear mind.
Then the girls started up again.
"GO SASUKE-KUN!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!"
"SHOW HIM THE UCHIHA STRENGTH!"
And from the other side—surprisingly—the boys.
"Come on, Ken!"
"Don't let him win this easy!"
"Show him what you've got!"
I nearly sighed. Getting cheered on exclusively by dudes was weird, but I guess they wanted to see someone finally put an end to Sasuke's popularity among girls. The underdog appeal or something.
Sasuke's lips curved into the barest hint of a smirk.
Then he moved incredibly fast.
A straight jab aimed at my sternum that I barely managed to deflect, flowing immediately into a spinning low kick that forced me to jump back.
He pressed the advantage, closing distance with aggressive combinations. I defended, blocked, redirected what I could and evaded what I couldn't.
But I was losing ground.
Each exchange pushed me further back, gave him more control of the engagement distance. He was testing me, feeling out my defenses, looking for patterns to exploit. Just as I said, predictable.
But still, lethal.
I couldn't let this continue. If I kept playing defensively, kept just reacting to his attacks, I'd exhaust myself long before landing a single hit.
Sasuke came in again witth high-low combination designed to split my defense.
I blocked the high strike, slipped the low one, and created separation with a quick backstep.
We circled.
"Not bad" Sasuke said quietly "You're better than I expected"
I didn't respond. Talking during matches was a distraction, and I needed every bit of focus I could maintain.
His smirk widened slightly at my silence.
Then I shifted my stance.
Confusion rippled through the crowd—murmurs of "What's he doing?" and "Have he gone crazy?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, uncertainty flickering across his expression for the first time since the match started.
I centered my weight, lowered my hips, brought my hands up into a guard position I'd practiced until my muscles screamed. The stance Lee had shown me.
Just yesterday evening, after our morning training session.
Flashback - Yesterday Evening*
Training Ground 3 was quiet in the fading light, shadows stretching long across the clearing. I'd come back after dinner, after Aunt Yuki had gone to her night shift, needing more practice before the competition.
Lee was already there.
"Shimura-san!" He bounded over, that perpetual enthusiasm undimmed despite having trained all morning "I have returned just as I promised! Are we here for your preparation for tomorrow's competition?"
"Yeah. Thought I'd get some extra practice in"
"Yosh! Dedication!" He studied me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision "Shimura-san, let me show you the technique I was about to show that Gai-sensei taught me before he arrived"
"Sure."
Lee moved to the center of the clearing and took a stance I didn't recognize—similar to standard Academy form but with subtle differences. Weight distribution slightly forward, hands positioned to guard and strike simultaneously, knees bent just enough to explode into movement.
"This is called the Leaf Rising Wind" Lee explained. "It is a taijutsu technique designed to break through aggressive defenses with overwhelming speed. Watch."
He demonstrated—a rapid acceleration from the stance, closing distance in an eye-blink, delivering a palm strike followed immediately by a sweeping leg technique and finishing with a controlled punch.
The sequence took maybe two seconds. This guy is indeed a genius.
"It requires perfect timing!" Lee continued, straightening "The stance allows you to gather power while appearing defensive. When your opponent commits to an attack, you use their forward momentum against them"
I watched him demonstrate twice more, memorizing every detail.
"Can I try?"
"Of course!"
The next hour was brutal. The technique required precise muscle control I didn't quite have yet—the timing between the initial burst and the sweep was critical, and getting it wrong meant leaving myself completely exposed.
But Lee was patient. He corrected my stance, adjusted my weight distribution, demonstrated the transitions over and over until I could replicate them.
"Better!" he said after my fifteenth attempt "Your form improves quickly, Shimura-san. With more practice, this could become a strong technique for you."
Later that night, back in my room, I'd created a water clone and practiced until my legs trembled and sweat soaked through my shirt. Again and again, drilling the movements until they felt almost natural.
Almost.
Not perfect. Not yet.
But good enough to knock down Uchiha.
Present*
I released a slow breath, feeling my muscles settle into the stance.
Sasuke's eyes tracked the shift, calculating, trying to identify the technique. He wouldn't recognize it. Leaf Rising Wind wasn't standard Academy curriculum, and Gai Sensei probably didn't use it often enough for it to be widely known.
Sasuke came in cautiously this time, testing with a quick jab.
I didn't move.
He tried again with faster combination, more committed to knock me out.
I waited for the perfect moment.
The crowd noise faded to background static. Everything narrowed to Sasuke's movements, his weight shifts, the subtle tells that preceded each attack.
He committed. Full aggressive rush, the same overwhelming speed that had demolished every previous opponent.
Now!
I exploded forward from the Leaf Rising Wind stance, meeting his charge with equal speed. Our initial strikes clashed—his fist meeting my palm—but I was already three steps ahead, already flowing into the sweep.
Sasuke's eyes widened. He tried to adjust, tried to pull back—
Too late.
My leg caught his supporting foot just as his weight shifted forward. His balance broke. I flowed with the momentum, adding a controlled push that sent him stumbling.
THUD
I followed through with the finishing strike, fist pulling up just short of contact with his chest, stopping precisely where the rules demanded.
Sasuke stared up at me, shock written clearly across his face. The whole sequence had happened so fast he probably didn't even register all the movements.
Silence crashed down across the training ground.
Girls frozen mid-cheer. Boys gaping. Judges exchanging glances. Even Iruka Sensei looked stunned.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Then—
"Match is over!" Iruka's voice cracked slightly "The Winner is Ken Shimura!"
The boys' section exploded.
"YES!"
"HE DID IT!"
"KEN! KEN! KEN!"
"THAT WAS AMAZING!"
The cheers rolled across the training ground like waves, my name repeated over and over until it became a rhythmic chant. Even some of the girls were clapping while Sakura and Ino among them, wearing an expression of genuine impressed surprise.
I extended my hand to Sasuke.
He stared at it for a long moment, then something flickering behind his eyes. He clicked his tongue, ignored my offered hand, and pushed himself up.
"Hn"
Without another word, he walked off the mat, not acknowledging the judges or the crowd.
I let my hand drop and straightened as a familiar blue notification materialized in the corner of my vision.
[ Quest Completed! ]*
[ Quest: Academy Competition ]*
[ Objective: Place first in the monthly Academy taijutsu competition ]*
[ Time Limit: 3 days ]*
[ Reward: Silver Gacha Pull (1) ]*
This is all that mattered in the end, I thought as the cheering faded to background noise. The quest. The reward. The forward progress.
Everything else was just... noise.
[ Ichiraku Ramen Shop ]*
The curtain rustled as I pushed inside, and the familiar warmth of steam and savory broth washed over me.
"Welcome!" Teuchi's voice boomed from behind the counter, his weathered face splitting into a grin when he saw me. "Ken! Good to see you!"
"Teuchi-san." I took my usual seat at the far end of the counter.
"The usual?"
"Please."
He nodded and turned to his prep area, hands already moving through the practiced motions of assembling a bowl. Water boiled in large pots, noodles sat ready in portioned bundles, and the rich scent of pork broth filled the small space.
"So," Teuchi said conversationally as he worked, "how was the taijutsu competition?"
I paused. I hadn't told him about it.
Must have been Naruto, I realized. The kid probably mentioned it during one of his frequent ramen runs.
"It was good," I said simply.
Teuchi glanced back with a knowing smile. "Just good? No details?"
"I didn't lose."
"High praise." He laughed, returning to the broth. "You know, we had those competitions when I was at the Academy too."
That made me look up. "You went to the Academy?"
"Long time ago now." His hands never stopped moving—slicing bamboo shoots, checking noodle consistency. "Never won one of those competitions though. Taijutsu wasn't my strong suit."
"What was?"
"Survival." He said it with a self-deprecating grin. "I was very good at not dying during training exercises. Everything else... eh."
I found myself almost smiling at that.
Teuchi placed the completed bowl in front of me—perfectly arranged, steam rising from broth, pork slices glistening. A small work of art.
"But you know what I learned?" He met my eyes seriously. "Winning or losing those competitions... it doesn't define you. What matters is being committed to what you believe in. Understanding why you fight"
Simple words. The kind of wisdom that sounded almost too straightforward to be meaningful.
But something about the way he said it, the quiet conviction in his voice, made it land differently.
"Thanks" I said.
"Enjoy"
I broke my chopsticks apart and was reaching for the noodles when the curtain rustled again.
Heavy footsteps. Purposeful. Authority.
I glanced up and immediately straightened.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the entrance, and even in the cramped confines of Ichiraku, his presence filled the space. The Hokage robes—white and red, pristine and formal—made him seem larger than his actual frame. The traditional hat sat firmly on his head, and his eyes—sharp despite his age—swept the interior before settling on me with unmistakable recognition.
I was already on my feet, standing at attention, mind racing. Why was the Hokage here? Was this about the competition? About Sasuke? About—
Hiruzen's voice was warm, grandfatherly. He smiled "Please, sit. Enjoy your meal. You've earned it after winning the competition today."
Teuchi's eyes widened. "You won? Ken, that's—congratulations!"
I should accept this, I thought. Getting appreciation and attention was unavoidable now. I'd chosen this path. Chosen to stand out. Can't escape the consequences.
"It was just luck, Hokage-sama," I said carefully, retaking my seat.
Hiruzen laughed—a genuine sound that crinkled the corners of his eyes "Luck or skill, you won. Accept it wholeheartedly. No need for false modesty."
He moved to the seat beside me with surprising grace for his age and settled onto the spot next to me "Teuchi-san, my usual please."
"Right away, Hokage-sama!"
I stared at my bowl, aware that most powerful shinobi in the village sitting within arm's reach. The Hokage gestured to my ramen.
"Go on. Don't let it get cold on my account."
I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite, barely tasting it, mind churning.
If Hiruzen knew about my win, Danzo definitely knew too. Winning an Academy competition wasn't exactly groundbreaking—students won them every month. But defeating an Uchiha? The last Uchiha? That might catch his attention.
Keep showing potential, keep rising above my peers, and eventually Danzo would try to recruit me. Bring me into Root. And worst case scenario, he'd use Aunt Yuki as leverage. Threaten her. Hurt her.
No. I couldn't let that happen.
"Ken?"
Hiruzen's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
I looked up.
"Is something the matter?" The Hokage's expression had shifted—still kind, but now concerned.
This was it. The opportunity to steer this conversation, to establish protection before Danzo could make a move.
I chose my words carefully "Hokage-sama... does being strong mean stepping over the weak?"
The question hung in the air.
Teuchi's hands froze mid-motion, his expression shifting to something uncomfortable. Hiruzen's eyes sharpened, the grandfatherly warmth tempered by sudden alertness.
"Why do you ask that, Ken?"
I kept my gaze steady "I heard Itachi Uchiha slaughtered his entire clan. Even his own parents. All for the sake of becoming stronger." I paused. "And now I see the same thing in Sasuke Uchiha. During every fight today, he looked down on his opponents. Like they were beneath him. Like strength gave him the right to dismiss them."
Both Hiruzen and Teuchi were tense now, watching me like I was telling them details of crime I was about to commit.
I pressed forward "I defeated Sasuke today. And now I feel..." I let uncertainty color my voice "I feel like I need more power. Because even after winning, I still don't feel strong enough. So does that mean I should keep stepping over stronger people? Keep beating them down until everyone considers me the strongest?"
The silence stretched.
Hiruzen's expression was unreadable—concern mixed with calculation mixed with something that might have been sadness.
Then he spoke.
"Ken" His voice was gentle but firm "Strength without purpose is just violence. The Will of Fire teaches us that true strength comes from protecting those we care about. From standing between danger and the people who cannot stand for themselves"
He turned to me, to face me fully.
"Itachi Uchiha's actions... were complicated. More complicated than you know. But they were not born from a desire for personal strength" Pain flickered across his face "And Sasuke carries burdens you cannot imagine. His behavior is not the path of strength, it is the path of pain seeking an outlet."
"Then what is the path of strength?" I asked, letting genuine confusion show.
"Kindness" Hiruzen said simply "Compassion. Using your abilities to lift others rather than prove yourself superior. The strongest shinobi is the one who knows power exists to serve others, not to dominate them"
He placed a weathered hand on my shoulder.
"You have potential, Ken. But potential without direction becomes dangerous—to yourself and others. Continue training. Continue growing. But remember why you fight. Remember who you fight for." His grip tightened slightly. "Can you do that?"
I let his words sink in, nodding slowly like they were reshaping my understanding. "I... I think I understand, Hokage-sama."
"Good." He smiled again, releasing my shoulder. "The ninja path is difficult. Full of hard choices and harder consequences. But you don't have to walk it alone. If you ever need guidance, my door is always open."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." I bowed my head respectfully. "Would you... continue to guide me? On the ninja path? I want to make sure I don't lose my way."
Something warm and approving entered Hiruzen's expression as he nodded with a warmth smile.
Teuchi placed a steaming bowl in front of the Hokage, his earlier tension easing slightly.
We ate in companionable silence after that.
I'd done it. Established a direct connection to the Hokage. Positioned myself as someone under his guidance, his protection. Made it that much harder for Danzo to approach me without Hiruzen noticing.
Lucky that Hiruzen contacted me first, I thought, finishing my ramen. But carrying Danzo's last name... it won't be a surprise if he shows up to meet me any time soon.
I'd have to be ready for that too.
I finished my bowl, paid Teuchi, and stood to leave.
"Ken," Hiruzen said as I turned toward the exit "I expect great things from you. Don't disappoint me."
The weight in those words was unmistakable.
"I won't, Hokage-sama."
I stepped through the curtain into the cooling evening air, letting out a breath I'd been holding.
One problem potentially addressed. Several more waiting.
Back at home.
Aunt Yuki was already there when I arrived.
That was unusual. Her hospital shifts usually ran late into the evening, and finding her home before sunset was rare enough to make me pause at the door.
"You're home early" I said, hanging my jacket.
She looked up from where she sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by covered dishes that definitely hadn't been there this morning. The smells wafting from them were... ambitious. Meat, vegetables, something that might have been attempted teriyaki.
"Took the evening off," she said, gesturing to the table. "Sit. You must be tired from the competition."
I moved to the table, eyeing the spread. "What's all this for? Something special happened?"
"Not really" She pulled out a chair for me. "Figured you'd want something better than the usual dishes"
I sat slowly, studying her face "You're not going to ask how it went?"
She waved a hand dismissively "You don't need to think about it too much. Win or lose, competitions like that don't really matter in the long run. It's just practice. You'll have losses, everyone does, and you shouldn't take them to heart."
"I won"
"Right, so just remember that—" She blinked. Stopped mid-sentence. "Wait. What?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the competition prizes—a professional kunai set in a leather case, and the small pouch containing 5,000 ryo. I placed both on the table in front of her.
Aunt Yuki stared at them. Then at me. Then back at the prizes.
"How?" she finally asked.
"Yeah. Thanks" I said, reaching for the nearest dish and serving myself.
The food was... not good, exactly. Aunt Yuki had many talents, but cooking wasn't among them. The meat was slightly overcooked, the vegetables under-seasoned, the rice a bit too sticky.
But I ate it anyway, and found myself smiling.
She'd tried. That's what mattered.
"This is good" I said.
We ate in comfortable silence, and for a little while, the system notifications and political maneuvering and looming threats faded to background noise.
Just dinner with family.
Simple and peaceful life, something that I am after in this life.
[ Later That Night ]*
My room was dark except for the blue glow of the system interface hovering in front of me.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring at the notification that had been waiting since the competition ended.
[ Silver Gacha Ticket (1) Available ]*
[ Use Now? ]*
I'd been avoiding this all evening. Putting it off to use them in my room. Because gacha pulls were always a gamble, and the last thing I needed was holding a Yamato in middle of street and then getting summoned to Hokage office, how i pulled a sword out of thin air.
Please be a jutsu, I thought. Or an ability. Something internal. Something I can pass off as self-taught or learned from scrolls.
Definitely not a weapon. No legendary swords or mystical artifacts that would make people ask uncomfortable questions about their origins.
I crossed my fingers like a kid making a wish and pressed the notification.
The screen flared brilliant silver, light so bright I had to squint against it.
Then it died down.
A new notification appeared.
[ You have acquired: Cross Tail (Akame ga Kill) ]*
"..."