58 Chapter 57: The Attack of the Power Rangers!

[Shoto POV]

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

'Why did I accept that challenge?'

I was going to decline, but I subconsciously agreed. What am I even not interfering with? Am I not allowed to talk with Uchiha anymore if I lose? I clenched my fists at the thought and my eyes widened as I stared at my clenched fist.

'What was happening to me?'

'Why does just the idea of Uchiha get me so worked up?'

I always told myself not to let my emotions lose control, but seems like I have failed to do that. Whatever it was, I needed to get it all together and figure out the problem.

Currently, I'm in a maze-like area with giant machinery, pipes, and tanks filled with unknown liquids. I have separated from my class because I told my classmates that my quirk wouldn't work well in a group. But in reality, I just needed some alone time to clear my head.

*Bam!*

"Sh*t!" I exclaimed and an orange ball hit the target at my right shoulder.

Two more balls were thrown at me, and I created an ice wall to block incoming projectiles. I was caught off guard, and I'm furious at myself for letting it happen.

I stared at where the attack came from, and ten students from an unknown school landed in front of me. They were dressed like ninjas, and they each wore different colors like that show I watched as a child.

A person dressed in a red-colored costume, who I assume was the leader, walked up to the front of their group.

"Aren't you pretty arrogant? Splitting off with your class..." He taunted

I stayed silent and shot a stream of fire at them. However, the fire was put out as water sprayed out of the hands of the blue shinobi.

"We're the students from Seijin High, and we will be the ones to defeat the second strongest person in the first year of UA Academy." The leader stated and hurled a hardware nut at me.

The hardware nut suddenly enlarged to a gigantic size, I hurriedly dodged as the wall behind me exploded into pieces. I gritted my teeth and placed my hand on the ground, the floor was instantly covered with ice, freezing all their feet in place.

The leader flung more bolts and nails in my direction. I shot fire at it and tried to melt it. But it was useless, and I barely moved out of the way in one piece.

"My tools were made out of tungsten, which means that it's resistant to extreme temperature!" The red ninja boasted.

Two yellow-colored shinobi smashed the icy floor with their fists and instantly shattered the ice, freeing their teammates.

'This is bad...' I thought. My fire can be stopped by the water and mud and my ice can be easily destroyed with the yellow one's pure strength and that leader's item gigantification quirk.

A stream of water was sent toward me and I used my fire to create a smoke screen. Seeing the opportunity, I retreated.

"After him!"

I sprinted as fast as I could, however, they quickly surrounded me before I could fully get away. My back was pressed against the wall, and I clicked my teeth in frustration.

"It's your own fault for being alone. Your participation in this hero license exam ends here!" The student in red shouted.

"Who said that he's alone?" I heard a familiar voice.

A slim figure leaped over us and gracefully landed behind my opponents. Her black hair blew in the wind and her smile was as bright as ever, "Sorry, Todoroki-Kun, it took me a while, but I finally found you!" Uchiha said.

Knowing Uchiha had arrived, my body relaxed. No matter what this strange emotion was sprouting within me, right now, I'm glad that she was here.

[Kaede POV]

Earlier...

'Where is that guy??' I complained in my head.

I thought I should be able to find Todoroki by now, but that's not the case. An announcement has already been made that fifty people have passed, so I'm running out of time.

*BOOM*

I heard a loud explosion in the distance.

"That must be where Todoroki-Kun is!" I exclaimed and made my way toward the explosion.

I landed on top of a small building and glanced down. There was Todoroki surrounded by people dressed like Power Rangers. I jumped and landed behind the group of Power Rangers.

"Sorry, Todoroki-Kun, it took me a while, but I finally found you!" I smiled.

Todoroki sighed in relief and I stared at our enemies. I could sense the uneasiness in their eyes: "Don't worry, there's ten of us and two of them!" The Red Power Ranger shouted in the most generic antagonist way possible.

But like every story, it worked as the rest of their morale returned.

"We each take five?" I suggested, and Todoroki nodded with a smile. Without hesitation, both of us charged at our competition.

[3rd POV]

Unlike the students in Seijin, Kaede fought like a true shinobi as she elegantly darted around her opponents. The student dressed in yellow charged at Kaede and he swung his fist in a wild manner.

Kaede easily caught the massive fist with her palm and her Mangekyou Sharingan manifested. She drained the strength of her adversary and the yellow shinobi went limp. He fell onto his knees and with Kade's abnormal strength, she easily lifted him into the air.

With a smooth motion, Kaede tossed his body toward his friends and they collided, forming a weird bundle. Kaede didn't give them time to recover from her attack and she uses Kamui to teleport behind them.

She unsheathed her katana and with a precise swing, the belts of their hero costumes were slashed and their pants fell onto the floor. The Sieijin students blushed and desperately covered their underwear but were immediately met with a swift kick to the face.

Kaede whistled and watched her handy work. The group of students was unconscious and there was an imprint of her foot on each of their faces.

On Shoto's side, things weren't also going well for his opposition either. With his weakness gone, Shoto gets more freedom and he uses his quirks to defeat his foe. He launched an ice pillar toward the red shinobi. The Seijin student dodged and grunted with frustration.

The pillar hit a gas tank, and some unknown gas started spewing out. Shoto suddenly had an idea and he called Kaede to regroup.

Kaede trusted Shoto very much, so she doesn't need to question his decision. She arrived at his side as the unconscious student began to recover one by one.

The Seijin students surrounded them and they were highly cautious of what tricks Shoto had on his sleeves. Before anyone could react, Shoto aimed his flames at the gas tank and a massive eruption blasted everyone away.

As soon as the ignition happened, Shoto grabbed Kaede by the waist and pulled her close as he summoned a thick dome made of ice, protecting both of them from the detonation. Kaede was surprised as her head leaned on his chest.

There was silence except for each other's breathing. Kaede's body stiffened as she felt Shoto's tough chest on her face. She hesitantly glanced at Shoto and her body felt hot. Shoto was still tightly embracing her and she blushed.

"Um, Todoroki-kun..." Kaede muttered in a high-pitched voice.

Hearing Kaede's voice, Shoto's mind went blank and he froze like a statue. He hesitantly glanced down and noticed Kaede was blushing profusely. Her body trembled and Shoto hurriedly let go. They stood side by side in awkward silence until Shoto determined that it was safe to leave.

[Kaede POV]

Shoto dispelled his ice dome and we went to search for the Power Rangers. They were all over the place with their eyes spinning in circles and I muttered a quiet apology when I placed the balls on each of their targets, eliminating them from the match.

I glanced at Shoto who was doing the same thing and I felt the blush returning to my face. The sudden hug was still vivid in my mind and I could clearly hear his beating heart.

"Kaede Uchiha passed!"

"Shoto Todoroki passed!"

The robotic announcement snapped me out of my daze and I visibly relaxed. Todoroki and I walked to the waiting room, there were already many people there and we found two empty seats and sat next to each other.

"Sorry," Todoroki muttered out of the blue.

"Oh huh for what?"I asked.

Todoroki explained that he should've warned me before pulling me into his arms. I averted my gaze and bit my lips: "It's fine,"

"But..."

"No really," I interrupted him, "Todoroki-kun didn't have any ill intentions and he wanted to protect me right?"

Todoroki nodded and I smiled: "Then that's okay, besides..." I muttered quietly: "For some reason I felt more comfortable if Todoroki's the one that did it."

Todoroki smiled wryly and we waited in silence. Without knowing, our distance have closed compared to before...

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