5 Competition
"Some of you may already know techniques taught by your clans or families, but many students present here never learned anything about being a shinobi. Today, I will briefly talk about techniques that you will be able to learn in the future, their categorisation, types of ninja and the history of Konoha." Said the chūnin.
*I already know that. You could seriously come up with something more interesting.* Aizen though as he dozed off to sleep at the end of the classroom.
The lecture lasted for over three hours, but in some mysterious way, the chūnin managed to keep the attention of the class. It could be attributed to the children being eager to know more about their heroes, future occupation or just pure curiosity.
"In two hours from now, we will meet at the academy's arena. Each of you will take part in a series of one on one duels to let the academy staff grade your abilities and potential. The winner of the competition will receive a special reward from the academy. Prepare yourself and don't be late. Your first opponent will be assigned to you when you arrive. If you lose, you will be eliminated. The winner will proceed to next round." The chūnin informed the students.
Just when the chūnin finished his speech, the children began talking among themselves about the upcoming event. Many of them were eager to prove themselves, but the most important question was left unanswered. They were excited about the special academy and what could it be.
*He could at least tell us where to find this so-called 'arena'.* He thought as he scratched his head and decided to ask somebody in his class.
He poked the child in front of him and waited for him to turn back, but the boy didn't react. As most of the children were leaving the class, Aizen stood up and approached the boy that he had poked before. To his surprise, he saw that the boy was reading a cooking magazine under his desk, he poked him again with more force than before. The boy shuddered.
"O-oh hi! My name is Teuchi, don't rat me out... Don't tell anyone that I wasn't listening to the lecture, please. My mom would kill me if she knew." Said Teuchi, he had a naturally grey hair and a guilty expression on his face.
*So this is the future owner of Ichiraku Ramen, the legendary Sage of Six Bowls - Teuchi.* Thought Aizen as he began imagining a parody of Pain's speech by Teuchi 'The world shall know Ramen'. He started laughing and decided to stop or else he would seriously begin to cry from laughter.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Said Teuchi as he waved his hand in front of Aizen's eyes, slightly worried about the sanity of his classmate.
"Yes, do you know where is there arena? I just arrived at Konoha three days ago." Aizen answered.
"Sure! I can show you the way. I know everything about Konoha!" Teuchi said as he pointed his thumb at himself with a broad smile. He thought that it was his chance to hang out with one of the cool guys and get the attention of girls in his class.
They left the class and headed to the place where the competition was supposed to take place.
As they were leaving the class, the girls began gossiping about their Sōsuke-kun leaving the room with an unknown kid.
"He should have asked me! I would show him the way! I'm sure that he would invite me to a romantic dinner to show his gratitude!" Said one of the girls. She had featureless white eyes and short, dark-brown hair that travelled to her waist.
"Stop daydreaming, Hitomi-chan. I'm sure that he would have me show him the way instead of a violent girl like you." Answered a girl with short brown hair and turquoise eyes.
"Whaaat did you say, Ayumi!?" Said Hitomi as he held the second girl by her chin, looking into her eyes as if she was her mortal rival.
"You just proved my point." Ayumi answered with a smirk and a mocking expression on her face as she stuck out her tongue.
*Fangirls are scary.* Shogo thought as he quickly left the classroom.
-----
After fifteen minutes Aizen and Teuchi arrived at the arena. There were several stages to make it possible for a group of students to duel simultaneously and a designated space for the audience, proctors and a VIP box. Shortly after they arrived, spectators started taking places on the seats.
*So it appears that we will not only be graded by the staff but also will be spectated by villagers, parents and other shinobi.* Aizen thought that it was logical since the villagers looked for cheap amusement, parents wanted to see how their children fare against other students and shinobi were scouting for potential talents.
Aizen decided to spend the rest of his time chatting with Teuchi since he didn't feel the need to prepare himself for a fight against children. Teuchi on the other side was carefree, but deep inside he knew that he would probably lose his match.
-----
Fifteen minutes before the competition, almost all seats were taken. Aizen separated from Teuchi and went to the locker-room to materialise the zanpakutō. He conjured a black belt made out of reiatsu on himself and strapped a sheath holding his zanpakutō to it. He expected that other competitors would also bring weapons, so he took precautions, even if he knew that it probably wouldn't be necessary.
*Oh I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't use Kyōka Suigetsu in front of all those shinobi. I bet that many influential figures will be spectating their children.* He thought with a devilish grin on his face.
He came back to Teuchi and awaited the start of the event. Teuchi was slightly surprised that he now had a sword, but concluded that it was normal. A moment later a shout from one of the proctors could be heard.
"Silence! I welcome all guests and participants of the competition. Our magnanimous Hokage will spectate the event and personally reward the winner. An emissary from Kumo will accompany him to observe the youth of Konoha to promote the friendship between our villages." Announced the proctor as his hand pointed toward the VIP box.
"Participants, please step forward and approach the chūnin holding a black bag. Everyone will draw a number from the bag and proceed to the stage marked with their designated number." The proctor continued.
The children queued to the chūnin and shortly after, everyone had a piece of paper with a number written on it. After a few minutes, children were standing on the stage in front of their opponents.
Aizen saw that his opponent was a girl with blond ponytails. She had a blush on her face and looked reluctant to fight but got into a fighting stance after a moment.
"Hajime!" The proctor yelled.
