__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The instant Futaki Ryusei gave the signal, Evan and Sarutobi Asuma leapt backward almost at the same time. Still midair, their hands flicked out—two shuriken spinning toward each other.
Clang!
Steel collided and both stars clattered to the ground.
The moment Asuma landed, he launched forward—not in a straight line, but along a wide curve.
Evan charged straight in to meet him head-on.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Fists and palms collided in a blur, bodies twisting and crossing. Evan whipped a leg toward Asuma's head.
Asuma's arm shot up to guard, bracing for impact while winding up to counterattack low.But the instant their limbs met, his expression shifted—his body staggered under the pressure.
"What the—this guy's strength is insane!"
Evan didn't give him a second to recover. He pressed in relentlessly, forcing Asuma back again and again.
The students watching from the sidelines were wide-eyed and silent. No one even remembered to cheer.
Shizune stood with her hands clasped in front of her chest, eyes glued to Evan. Her heart pounded.
"He's incredible…"
On the other side, Might Guy was practically bouncing with excitement.
"As expected of the man who beat both me and Kakashi—Evan is on another level!"
But the truth was…Evan still wasn't using his full strength.
Suddenly, Asuma sprang backward, putting several meters between them. He flew through a hand sign and created a clone.
Two Asumas—one on each side—charged at Evan.
Evan didn't move.
He could've thrown a shuriken to test which one was real, but that would risk hitting the watching students—even with teachers guarding the field.Not that Asuma's basic Clone Technique could fool him anyway.
So when the clone in front of him rushed in, Evan simply punched—and the fake Asuma burst apart in a puff of smoke.
The real Asuma used the moment to circle behind him.
Evan dropped low, dodging Asuma's sweeping kick, and countered with a strike to the legs.Asuma flipped into the air and brought his leg down in a powerful axe kick.
The move had serious weight behind it—but Evan didn't retreat. He stepped forward instead, shouldering the falling leg aside, grabbed Asuma's collar, and used his momentum to hurl him straight into the ground.
Before Asuma could even get up, Evan was already kneeling beside him, kunai pressed to his throat.
"Winner: Evan!"
Futaki Ryusei's voice rang out, followed by his usual command:
"Reconciliation Seal!"
They performed the hand sign.Asuma gave a half-grin. "Next time, I'm the one taking the win."
Evan smiled warmly.
"You will, Asuma. It's more fun that way—chasing and being chased."
Asuma blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
"Good luck," Evan added before walking back to Shizune.
She whispered, "Evan, that was amazing. Asuma's the Third Hokage's son, you know."
It wasn't that being the Hokage's son automatically made someone strong—but it definitely came with early training. Evan had none of that.
And yet, in just a few months, he'd come this far.
Shizune couldn't help but stare at him with pure admiration. She'd seen every step of his rapid growth—it was almost unreal, like watching a miracle unfold.
The combat class continued, student after student taking the field.But none of the matches came close to the one between Evan and Asuma.
Evan started to zone out, until he heard two familiar names: Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito.
His eyes lit up.Finally.
The eternal rivals took their places.
After the sign of opposition, they clashed.
"Obito's hand-to-hand skills aren't bad at all," Evan thought, watching them exchange blows evenly.
The turning point came when Kakashi used a Substitution Jutsu—baiting Obito into attacking a log—and appeared behind him, kunai poised at his neck.
Obito froze, stunned. He clearly hadn't expected Kakashi to already be fluent in both Transformation and Substitution so soon.
Evan couldn't help but sigh to himself.
"No wonder he's Kakashi. He's already mastered the Three Basic Jutsu."
If Asuma had used his clone technique that stealthily—manipulating sightlines—he might've had a real chance to win earlier.Of course, if it had been the Shadow Clone Technique instead of the basic, intangible one, it would've been even better.
"Ordinary Substitution is such a pain—you need to prep a replacement object. Using a clone as the substitute, then mixing in Transformation… that'd make it way harder to tell."
He exhaled quietly.
"Shame I can't learn Shadow Clone yet. Or even Water Clone…"
Evan's eyes darkened a bit.
He had no access to ninjutsu resources. Not a single one.
"Patience," he reminded himself. "Stick to the plan."
"I'll get there… I will."
He took a deep breath, pushing down the frustration.
That afternoon, after classes ended—
As they left the academy, Kakashi suddenly said,
"Evan, want to spar—sword to sword?"
Evan's eyes lit up.
"Hell yeah. Let me grab my blade. Meet me by the cliffs!"
Before Kakashi could answer, Evan had already vanished with a Body Flicker.
By the time he arrived with his short sword, Kakashi and Guy were climbing near the top of the cliff.
Evan slung the sword across his back and started climbing too—using only his hands. No footholds, no chakra. Just pure strength.
It wasn't rock climbing like in his previous life—this was real training. His forearms burned with effort, muscles trembling as he pulled himself up.
When he finally reached the top, Kakashi and Guy were sitting side by side, watching the sky glow red with sunset.
Evan sat with them for a minute, catching his breath.
Then he stood, drew his blade, and said,
"Kakashi—let's do this."
Both Kakashi and Guy rose.
Guy gave the signal:
"Begin!"
Clang!
Their short swords collided, sparks flying.
A storm of metal rang out as Kakashi's blade danced through the air—slashing, stabbing, slicing from every direction. His speed was dizzying.
Evan blocked as best he could, sweat breaking across his forehead.
Too fast.Way too fast.
And it wasn't just speed—his attack angles were unpredictable.Without his combat instincts, Evan would've lost immediately.
After the first strike, he'd already thrown out all the "proper" sword forms—swinging his blade like a kunai instead. Oddly enough, it felt more natural that way.
Kakashi noticed and finally relaxed.He'd been half-afraid Evan's swordsmanship would be as monstrous as his Water Style.
After a minute, Evan raised his free hand.
"I yield."
There was no comparison.He'd been completely crushed.
But Kakashi actually smiled.
"You're good, Evan. Especially without anyone teaching you."
Evan nodded, not discouraged in the slightest.
He'd already decided.
From now on, he wouldn't bother with fancy sword forms. He'd master one move—Iaido Strike.Just one clean, perfect draw-cut.
Until someone could teach him properly, he'd pour everything into that single blade.
"..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________