Chapter 99: Uchiha vs Hamura

The tension in the air was palpable as Ryu Hamura and Akira Uchiha faced each other on the sparring grounds. Just outside the designated perimeter of the spar, the other students had gathered in a tight circle around them, their eyes wide with anticipation and excitement.

The electrifying atmosphere was heightened by murmurs that echoed through the crowd. Some whispered about Ryu's unexpected abilities that Kenji had mentioned in their previous classes, while others discussed Akira's legendary Uchiha heritage.

Tanaka-sensei stood between the two young prodigies. His experienced eyes darted between them, assessing their stances and the determination etched on their faces. He nodded sharply, then held up his hand and yelled, "Begin!" with a downward hand motion.

Akira's lips curled into a sneer, as though she had been freed from invisible bonds. Fugaku had warned them not to confront Ryu outside of authorised duels, so this was her chance to prove her superiority to Kenji and make a name for herself in the clan.

"No running away now, Hamura," she taunted, her voice dripping with disdain. "Let's see if you can back up all the claims Kenji had for you. But Kenji was correct when he said that you are a coward."

Ryu understood that she was saying all of this to get under his skin. He said nothing, his expression a mask of indifference. He used his fighting style of Kenji to run through countless scenarios in his mind.

"How much should I show what I am truly capable of?" he asked himself.

After a moment's consideration, he settled into a defensive stance, deciding to gauge his opponent's abilities first before going .

The fight began with a flurry of basic taijutsu moves. Punches and kicks flew through the air, each one blocked or deflected with precision. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the training ground, punctuated by the occasional grunt of effort. The onlookers watched in awe as the two prodigies moved with a speed and grace beyond their young age.

As the match progressed, Ryu's movements stood out from his opponent. His dodges and counters seemed almost predictive, as if he could read Akira's every intention.

Frustration grew within Akira with each missed strike. Her eyes narrowed in focus as she asked herself, "How is he so fast, and how is he countering my every move?"

"Impressive," Ryu commented, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His voice was calm and conversational, as if they were discussing the weather rather than engaged in combat. "You're quite skilled, Akira-san. Your form is excellent. Better than Kenji's."

The compliment only fuelled Akira's anger. "Don't patronise me!" she snarled, her face contorting with rage. She launched into a new series of attacks, her movements becoming sharper and more aggressive. 

She said, "I will wipe that smug look off your face."

Akira gritted her teeth and thought, "I need to end this quickly before he figures out my pattern any more than this."

She increased the speed of her attacks, hoping to overwhelm Ryu with a sheer volume of attacks. But Ryu was ready for her. He switched from blocking to dodging, his body weaving and twisting with fluid grace. Each movement was calculated and efficient, wasting no energy as he evaded Akira's onslaught. The more strikes Akira missed, the more frustrated she became.

Three minutes into the battle, Akira was beginning to feel worn out. The crowd watched in hushed anticipation, sensing that the battle was about to reach its climax.

In desperation, Akira made a split-second decision. She channelled all of her chakra into her body, a technique she had never tried but had witnessed her elder clan members use. With a battle cry, she threw a powerful punch aimed directly at Ryu's face.

Time seemed to slow down as his [Fast Thinking] and [Parallel Thinking] kicked in. Ryu's eyes widened in surprise as he recognised the advanced technique.

With a mixture of admiration and worry, he thought, "That is not a genin-level move."

He was unable to completely dodge, even with slow motion special effects playing in his mind, but he was able to turn his head so that the side of his face took the brunt of the blow rather than the front.

As he fell, Ryu used the momentum to his advantage. In a display of incredible body control, he twisted mid-air, his leg lashing out in a powerful kick that caught Akira squarely in the jaw. The impact sent her stumbling backward, her eyes wide with shock.

Tanaka-sensei stiffened, ready to intervene if necessary, but he had not expected Academy students to employ such advanced strategies, and it had happened too fast for him to intervene. But what really surprised him was Ryu's accurate counterattack despite taking such a powerful blow to the face.

Both fighters stumbled back, momentarily stunned by the exchange. Ryu flipped back to his feet, his cheek already slightly red from impact.

"That punch would have knocked out anyone else, even me, had it landed properly," he muttered, lightly touching his injured face. A small smile played on his lips, feeling both pain and excitement. "This girl is serious. It looks like I should get serious too."

Across the arena, Akira was equally surprised. She had expected to end the fight with the last punch, not to be met with such a powerful counter. Normally, enforcing the body using chakra is not a simple move for an academy student. This just shows how talented Akira is. 

With renewed determination, Ryu went on the offensive. His speed increased dramatically, his strikes becoming a blur of motion.

Since her Sharingan had not yet woken up to assist in tracking his movements, Akira found it difficult to keep up. Ryu's fist stopped in front of her face at that moment, and with a snap of his fingers, he smoothly threw a speck of sand into her eyes. His hand was so close to her face that she instinctively closed her eyes, but some sand still entered her eyes. With this opening, Ryu sped up his assault.

Panic rising in her chest, Akira thought, "I can not see his moves clearly, and I can not keep up."

Her breath came in short gasps, her body struggling to keep up with Ryu's relentless assault. "I need to do something or I'm finished."

In desperation, Akira began channelling chakra throughout her entire body again, enhancing her speed and strength. With this unexpected surge, she wanted to push Ryu back, forcing him back into a defensive stance. She was aiming for a timeout.

The crowd gasped at the sudden shift in the battle. Even Tanaka-sensei leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he observed the advanced techniques being employed by these young students.

But Ryu was far from defeated. In a surprising manoeuvre that spoke of training beyond the Academy curriculum, Ryu dropped low, using his hands as support to deliver a rapid upward kick followed by more of Brazilian capoeira. The change in fighting style caught Akira off guard, causing her to stumble back in surprise.

Seizing the opportunity, Ryu sprang forward with lightning speed that left the onlookers gasping. He manoeuvred behind Akira, locking her in a chokehold. Akira tried to break off of the hold, but realising they were near the boundary, Ryu made a split-second decision. He adjusted his grip, using Akira's own momentum against her, and did a leg scissors takedown to throw her out of bounds.

However, the force of the throw caused Ryu to lose his balance as well. As Akira tumbled across the boundary line, Ryu stumbled, his foot crossing the line just as Akira landed outside the ring.

A hush fell over the training ground as the dust settled. The only sound was the heavy breathing of the two exhausted fighters. Tanaka-sensei blinked, trying to process what he had just witnessed. The other students murmured in confusion and awe, their eyes darting between Ryu and Akira.

After a moment of tense silence, Tanaka-sensei cleared his throat. "The match is... a draw," he announced, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Ryu extended a hand to help Akira up. "Good fight," he said quietly. "You pushed me harder than I expected."

Akira stared at him, a whirlwind of emotions swirling in her dark eyes. Anger, respect, and curiosity battled for dominance. Her pride warred with the undeniable fact that Ryu had matched or even beaten her skill for skill. She had never been pushed to such limits before by her peers, not even by her Genin seniors in the Uchiha clan. The realisation that there was someone who could challenge her so thoroughly shook her to her core.

The whispers grew louder. No one had expected such an outcome. As he watched them, the instructor's mind was already racing with his own thoughts on what he had seen. He thought, "These two students are exceptional. They have skills that even exceeded my initial high expectations, especially Ryu. Now I understand why Lord Third is interested in him."

##PoWeR StOnEs##

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