The training field echoed with laughter.
"Hah! Kirimine Ayato, stop squirming. You'll never match me!"Uchiha Yusuke smirked, already turning his back as if the match was decided.
Ayato's voice cut through the dust—cold, steady, carrying the exhaustion of someone who'd lived through too many beatdowns to care anymore.
"You're seriously overestimating yourself, Yusuke."
Heads snapped back toward the arena.
Ayato moved.
"Lion Barrage."
Yusuke barely had time for his eyes to widen—Ayato's fist ballooned in his vision like a sudden jump-cut panel.
But—Puff!The body shattered into smoke.
"Fire Release: Fireball Technique!"
A fist-sized blaze roared out of the smoke, flying straight toward Ayato's face.
Ayato exhaled a single word.
"Stop."
A cold digital ping rang inside his skull.
[Active Skill: Bind][Effect: Immobilize a Low-Rank Target for 3 seconds]
The fireball froze mid-air.The crowd gasped.
"What—? That's D-Rank level! How did the class dunce pull that off!?"
Yusuke felt his limbs lock up, muscles refusing to answer.
"W-What?! My body—!"
Ayato rushed in.
"Lion Barrage!"
Yusuke could only watch—unable to dodge, unable to counter.
If anyone looked close enough, they'd see sweat rolling down Ayato's temple.Bind wasn't some effortless miracle—it was a skill Yusuke was barely weak enough for.
Ayato's heel cracked upward into Yusuke's chin—Thud!Another kick folded him from behind—Crunch.A sound that made several students flinch.
Ayato snarled, lifting his leg for the finisher.
One more strike and Yusuke would be hospitalized.
A blur of movement—
"Enough."Shimono-sensei appeared between them, pulling Yusuke behind him with a firm grip.
"Kirimine Ayato. The win is yours."
The entire training yard detonated in noise.
"Wait—he beat an Uchiha?""Since when could he do that?""Okay… that's not the same dead-last from before."
"He's lucky. A real genius wouldn't lose like that."
Ayato stared at the ground, chest rising and falling.The familiar emptiness settled in.
No System chime.No reward window.
Which meant—
This fight isn't over yet.
"I don't accept that!" Yusuke roared, face red, pride shredding. "Ayato, come back here! There's no way I lose to you!"
Ayato's eyes narrowed.
"Oh? What's wrong? Does the great Uchiha heir not even have the backbone to accept defeat?"He lifted a hand and beckoned."If you want a rematch, I'll entertain you."
"Y-You bastard—! I'll kill you!"
Yusuke charged again, blinded by rage.
But then—
A voice colder than steel sliced into him from behind.
"Yusuke. You lost. Don't disgrace yourself further."
Yusuke froze mid-step.
The entire field went silent.