———
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
A volley of water needles shot forth—
—only to pierce nothing but air as Kazama Koshī's figure dissolved into a shredded afterimage.
BOOM!
Mud and water erupted, the exploding droplets fracturing into a fine mist. The remnants of the illusion faded, leaving only haze in its wake.
Through the fog, Hikari's blank eyes remained fixed ahead.
Not far away, carried by a faint breeze, Kazama's tall, lean frame silently reappeared. Gone was any trace of his earlier arrogance—his gaze now sharp, unflinching.
———
Hiss…
The mist stirred as if brushed by an unseen wind, coiling like a dragon around Hikari, who hadn't moved an inch. The vaporous beast twisted, its silent roar aimed at Kazama in the distance.
"That girl… mudō Suiton?! Am I seeing things?!"
"I… I'm not sure either."
Murmurs spread among the teachers observing the training grounds. They'd come out expecting gossip—rumors that the academy's most popular instructor, Kazama, had a secret love child.
Instead, they witnessed something far rarer: a six-year-old blind girl wielding mudō Suiton (water release without hand seals).
Mitarashi Kōten side-eyed the dazed Might Guy beside him.
This was the same Guy who'd fumbled through basic academy jutsu, fingers tangled like knotted rope. And now his daughter could cast mudō Suiton?
Something wasn't adding up.
Kōten's skeptical gaze lingered on Guy's emerald-green spandex, then his plain, guileless face—before snapping back to Hikari, shrouded in mist like some ethereal spirit.
"Tch—
There's definitely a story here."
———
"Guy."
Jolted from his thoughts on countering Hikari's Suiton, Guy blinked at Kōten, who wore a complicated expression.
"This 'daughter' of yours… mighty sudden, huh? Never heard a peep about her before."
"Uh… y-yeah. Real sudden. Didn't expect her to, uh… come this fast."
Guy's clueless stammer earned a sigh from Kōten, who shook his head and refocused on the fight.
———
At the field's center, Kazama's brow furrowed.
The blind girl and her mist dragon were trouble.
Was this a kekkei genkai? Or just flawless mudō Suiton?
Impossible to tell.
Her speed, power, and control were all top-tier. Close combat was risky, and his wind-style jutsu—though lethal—was off-limits against a child.
Only option: blitz her.
Break through the water barrier, get in close. One hit would end it—she looked fragile.
But that cane…
Deceptively ordinary, its wooden shaft tipped with metal. Yet she'd shattered office marble with it earlier. The mudō Suiton likely stemmed from it, too.
No room for error.
———
Across from him, Hikari tilted her head.
Her Byakugan couldn't read minds, but Kazama's fixation on her "stick" was… confusing.
As she waited, her own analysis ran coldly:
His evasion earlier—some form of Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker). Too fast to chase without overtaxing my muscles.
One shot. That's all I get.
———
Then—Kazama moved.
A single-handed seal.
SWISH!
His form blurred.
Wind roared as he reappeared at Hikari's left, fist driving toward her—
Fūton: Kaze Shunshin no Jutsu! (Wind Release: Wind Body Flicker Technique)
The mist dragon solidified into a wall.
THUD!
Kazama's punch cratered the water—but Hikari's hand snapped up, fingers curling.
SPLASH!
The wall melted, surging upward like a colossal claw to crush him.
Kazama kicked off the ground, barely dodging—
—as his hands flew through another sequence.
WHOOSH!
Another gust.
This time, he materialized at Hikari's right.
The water twisted to intercept, but slower now.
"She's done for."
"Mm. Kazama-sensei's too sharp—found the flaw already."
"Pity."
The teachers' whispers aligned.
Even Guy, ever the dunce, frowned. "What flaw?"
Kōten groaned. "Direction, you oaf.
Water's strength lies in flow —force builds from pressure. But Kazama's flickering around like a caffeinated squirrel forces her to keep redirecting. Each shift drains momentum. By now, that water's got all the bite of a damp napkin."
He side-eyed Guy. "It's like marriage. Husband's off on missions, wife's bored at home—energy's not synced. Sooner or later—"
Guy nodded blankly.
Kōten sighed.
———
As predicted—
Kazama's next flicker came from Hikari's rear.
The water barrier formed, but thin, sluggish.
Got her.
His fist, reinforced with chakra, smashed through—
—and there she was. Exposed.
Victory.
The teachers braced for impact.
Yet—
Hikari didn't turn.
Her Byakugan had tracked everything: his chakra, his muscles, the micro-tremors in his tendons.
Her left foot slid back—
—her right leg coiled, a bowstring taut to snapping.
HIP-TORQUE—
CRACK!
Her shin whipped through the air, fabric screeching. The kick—a thunderbolt—slammed into Kazama's sternum.
For a split second, time froze.
His eyes bulged, veins rupturing.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The mist detonated as Kazama's body rocketed backward in a V-shaped arc.
He skidded across the dirt, carving a trench before finally stopping—
—while the teachers gaped.
At the field's center, Hikari calmly lowered her leg.
The sole of her boot smoldered, its heat boiling the puddles beneath her.
Hiss…
Steam rose like a victory banner.
---