Morning.
The students at morning practice were all somewhat distracted, their eyes occasionally drifting toward the school gate, as if awaiting a certain figure's arrival.
Shion, supervised by Shinji during her training, kept losing focus too.
"Pay attention!"
Shinji barked.
Instead of buckling down, Shion grew curious, "Shinji, are you ready? Yakumo might come challenge you today!"
Shinji tapped her on the head, "What's that got to do with you? Focus!"
Shion rubbed her head, muttering under her breath, "I'm just worried about you, geez. Hey, don't you want to know how Yakumo beat Sasuke and Neji?"
Shinji said flatly, "Not interested!"
Shion, who'd been waiting for Shinji to ask her for details, was caught off guard and swallowed the words she'd been about to say.
Feeling stifled, she pressed, "You really don't want to know?"
Shinji shook his head, "Nope!"
Shion huffed, a bit annoyed, "Shinji, if you're careless, you'll end up losing to Yakumo just like Sasuke and the others. She's gotten really strong now!"
Suddenly, someone on the field shouted, "Yakumo's here!"
In an instant…
Everyone on the field turned toward the gate, their eyes locking onto the approaching figure!
On a large tree not far away…
Jiraiya remarked casually, "Who do you think she'll challenge today? Kimimaro or Uchiha Shinji?"
Kakashi replied, "Probably Shinji!"
Jiraiya chuckled, "And do you think Yakumo can win?"
Before Kakashi could answer, Tsunade cut in, "No need to guess. Right now, no one at the shinobi academy can match Yakumo, and that gap's only going to widen!"
Kakashi opened his mouth but ultimately stayed silent.
Though he held unique hopes for Sasuke, he couldn't deny Tsunade was right. Over time, Yakumo would only grow stronger, potentially surpassing even the village's elite Jonin like them!
On the field…
Yakumo was like a black hole, every move drawing the crowd's attention. Their gazes followed her slow steps until she stopped in front of Kimimaro.
"What!?"
"Why Kimimaro?"
"So Shinji really is stronger?"
Her choice surprised many, though that surprise quickly turned into eager anticipation.
To everyone, whether Yakumo challenged Shinji or Kimimaro, it was bound to be a rare spectacle!
"She picked Kimimaro…"
Sasuke, who'd snuck out of the hospital, stood atop a tree, a hint of surprise on his face.
Beside him, Neji—also an escapee—said, "Looks like in Yakumo's eyes, Shinji's the strongest of the four of us!"
"Hmph!"
Sasuke let out a soft grunt, his expression a mix of conflict.
He didn't want to see Yakumo take all four of them down one by one, but he also didn't want Kimimaro or Shinji to beat her—because that would make him look too pathetic.
Yakumo faced Kimimaro, "Kimimaro, I'm challenging you!"
Meeting her gaze, Kimimaro nodded readily, uttering a single word, "Good!"
Swish.
Swish.
Without extra chatter, their figures flickered, leaving the field one after the other.
Almost simultaneously…
The students on the field sprang into action. Whether they could keep up or not, they all chased after the direction the two had gone.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi atop the tree outside the field, along with Sasuke and Neji who'd slipped out of the hospital, moved too.
Not just them—even some academy instructors and Hidden Leaf shinobi who'd heard about it and were intrigued enough to lurk near the academy joined in.
Seeing everyone hurriedly chasing after Yakumo and Kimimaro, Shinji—the inevitable next target of Yakumo's challenge—stood rooted in place. Shion found it odd, "Shinji, why aren't you going too?"
Shinji snapped, "Why should I? Focus on your training and stop slacking off with your wandering mind!"
Perhaps noticing the sheer number of people tailing her, Yakumo didn't pick one of the groves near the academy. Instead, she deliberately chose a more secluded forest for the duel.
Landing, she didn't turn around, "Kimimaro, I used to always look at your back. But starting today, my eyes won't chase after you anymore!"
Kimimaro said, "Let's begin!"
Yakumo turned, her eyes blazing with the roaring Koryugan, "I got special permission from my teacher for this."
For this challenge, she'd requested approval from both her leader and Tsunade to use the Koryugan.
Shinji, who'd always wanted Yakumo to unlock the Koryugan's potential, agreed immediately. Tsunade, after weighing things, also granted her request.
To someone on the level of the 'Sannin,' there was little need to keep everything hidden.
Back when Jiraiya met Nagato with the Rinnegan, he hadn't feared the Rinnegan being exposed—let alone Yakumo, who was in the village under heavy protection.
Seeing Yakumo's Koryugan, Kimimaro's gaze sharpened, then he said, "Now it's getting interesting!"
Whoosh.
With that, their figures flickered and crashed into each other in an instant.
Soon after, Sasuke and Neji reached the edge of the forest.
Hearing the continuous boom-boom-boom of loud crashes and the rapid bang-bang-bang of fists and feet clashing within, their faces grew solemn.
This kind of commotion was beyond what they'd imagined.
On the canopy of a large tree overlooking the entire grove…
Kakashi had lifted his headband, revealing the Sharingan usually hidden beneath, staring intently at the forest, "So that's the Koryugan?"
Jiraiya marveled, "Unbelievable! Yakumo's taijutsu foundation is leagues behind Kimimaro's, yet she's narrowed the gap this much with just a pair of eyes!"
Tsunade glanced over, then said with certainty, "This round, Yakumo's got it!"
Indeed, as she predicted, with the Koryugan and the Senju Clan's sage body working together, Yakumo's disadvantage in taijutsu fundamentals was nearly erased, while her stamina and perception advantages were magnified infinitely.
Unless Kimimaro could end it quickly, he'd be the one to lose in the end.
So, seeing Kimimaro and Yakumo locked in a stalemate, Tsunade was certain—Yakumo had won this one!
Moments later, Kimimaro and Yakumo each landed a punch on the other.
Both flew backward, crashing through trees.
Yakumo smashed through four trees before stopping, stumbling a few steps but steadying herself. Kimimaro, meanwhile, plowed through seven trees before halting, then swayed and dropped to one knee.
Kimimaro looked surprised, but he quickly composed himself, standing and saying, "I lost."