Deep within his secret training ground, Yuki Seisui was practicing the ninjutsu and kenjutsu he had recently acquired.
Even though he already had proficiency in these techniques, Seisui wanted to thoroughly internalize them. What use is skill if you don't truly grasp it?
Otherwise, it's all just empty posturing.
He was especially focused on swordsmanship. Although Hayate Gekko didn't particularly stand out in the original story, he was still a Tokubetsu Jonin. The sword techniques passed down from him were definitely useful.
While he trained, five figures slowly approached from a distance.
Seisui paused in surprise, he spotted Uchiha Haru among them.
He hadn't expected to see her until at least the next day. But here she was, arriving early with Minato and the others.
"Damn it," Seisui cursed inwardly. Looks like someone in the crowd's a snitch.
He immediately turned to slip away. He was prepared… just not for now!
Seeing Seisui trying to escape, Uchiha Haru sneered and gave chase.
"Showtime!" muttered Nara Shikaku, elbowing Minato with a look of interest.
Akimichi Choza pulled out some snacks and offered them around.
"I brought snacks if anyone's interested."
Minato silently took some and offered a small prayer for Seisui, then, with zero hesitation, turned to watch the drama unfold.
"So this is what Seisui meant by 'chasing girls'?" asked Yamanaka Haichi, quietly scribbling something down in a notebook.
"Pretty sure she's the one doing the chasing."
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Uchiha Haru chased Seisui for a while, her stamina clearly starting to wear out. Meanwhile, Seisui finally stopped and looked back at her curiously.
His gaze made Haru feel deeply insulted. Her hands flew into a flurry of hand signs as she shouted:
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Shit! This crazy woman!" Seisui cursed and instantly dodged to the side.
He couldn't help but mentally curse out his Shadow Clone, why couldn't it have provoked literally anyone but a lunatic from the Uchiha clan?
Using a Fire Style technique in a forest? She seriously didn't care about setting the place ablaze.
A massive fireball surged from Haru's mouth, roaring toward him.
Luckily, Seisui had already dodged when she began forming the hand signs. The fireball missed, slamming into a tree instead and igniting it into a burning crater.
"If you've got the guts, then stop running!"
Haru taunted him with a cold smirk, eyes full of contempt.
"Playing these childish games… want big sister to pat your head?"
That hit a nerve.
Seisui froze mid-step and turned to face her directly. She could insult him all she wanted, but no one touched his head!
[Note: In Japanese culture, head-patting can be a sign of affection, but to some, it may feel patronizing. For Seisui, it's practically a trauma trigger.]
As a veteran head-patting victim, Seisui had developed a visceral aversion to it.
"You better be ready to die," he said, his tone now deadly serious.
Haru simply replied, "Heh."
Seisui reached out with his hand as if grabbing something in midair, and just like that, both were pulled into a Duel Arena.
Not far away, Minato and the others recognized Seisui's iconic gesture.
"Yup. They're in the Duel Arena," Minato said.
"Stop staring, go put out the fire!" Shikaku snapped, pointing at the smoldering tree. The fire was quickly spreading.
The four of them rushed to contain the blaze.
If they burned down the entire forest, even death wouldn't be enough to cover the cost.
==========
Inside the Duel Arena,
Seisui and Haru stood face to face.
"This is my bloodline space, the Life-and-Death Arena," Seisui declared.
He wasn't truly cold-blooded enough to kill someone over a minor conflict. The dramatic name was mostly to intimidate her.
"Perfect," Haru snorted. "Let's see who dies first!"
Without warning, she tossed three shuriken into the air, spinning and colliding mid-flight before shooting toward Seisui's body from different angles.
Seeing the single-tomoe Sharingan in her eyes, Seisui was startled, but didn't hesitate. With a swift draw of his blade, he deflected the projectiles and casually slipped them into his pouch.
"Thanks for the free ninja tools," Seisui said earnestly.
He rarely bought any. Usually he just bummed them off classmates or reused what he found during training.
"You—!" Haru's expression soured. She hadn't minded at first, but now it sounded like he was mocking her.
"You're really weak, huh? Those shuriken are mine now."
"Damn you!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Now furious, Haru's hand seals flew faster than before. Fireballs streamed rapidly from her mouth.
Unlike the Great Fireball Jutsu, this one fired in a barrage, and their trajectories could be controlled. Some fireballs even had shuriken or kunai hidden inside to increase damage.
"So short-tempered…" Seisui sighed.
Then he formed a hand seal, summoning a Shadow Clone, and snapped:
"This is your damn fault!"
The clone retorted:
"How's that my problem? I'm just a clone."
That was the extent of their argument before they both split up, circling the fireballs and charging toward Haru.
"Iaijutsu: Water Severing Strike!"
"Rasengan!"
One came with a sword, the other with a spinning orb of chakra.
Seisui and his clone flanked Haru, trapping her in a pincer attack.
"Humph!" Haru scoffed. She tried to retreat backward like she would when sparring with fellow Uchiha kids.
But Seisui had predicted that.
His speed surged. His dark katana, now glowing with a bluish aura, slashed straight toward her neck.
Because she had just leapt backward, Haru couldn't change direction mid-air. She could only watch as the blade drew closer.
For the first time, she felt truly close to death.
Her Sharingan spun wildly, splitting from one tomoe into two.
But even with her eyes evolving, there was no time to do anything.
She closed her eyes, accepting her fate, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
Her life flashed before her eyes: Her father died before she was even born. Her loving mother passed the year before she entered the academy.
It was at her mother's funeral, in front of her grandfather Uchiha Shanna, that she awakened the Sharingan.
Now, everything felt like it had been a dream.
"Mom… I'm coming to see you."
The moment stretched.
Suddenly, she felt a hand gently ruffling her hair.
Haru's eyes snapped open, two-tomoe Sharingan staring at Seisui, who was now patting her head.
"…Eh?" he blinked. She was crying?
Had he accidentally made her cry?
From the side, the Shadow Clone chimed in with a sly tone:
"You're in trouble now. You've fallen for her~"
"Shut up!"
"Why didn't you kill me?" Haru asked quietly.
"Kill you?" Seisui blinked, raised his blade again, and rested it coldly against her neck.
"…As you wish."
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