It's been two weeks since the battle between Karasuma and Saikyo. Karasuma dangled upside down by a rope next to Saikyo's desk, his face stoic, but a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Dammit, how long do I have to be tied up?" he muttered as his body spun slowly.
Hiroto stood in front of Karasuma, chuckling. "Since you lost to Saikyo-sensei, you've been tied up for two weeks. Luckily, today's the last day."
Karasuma glared at the student, his normally composed demeanor cracking slightly. "This was all part of the plan, Hiroto. I'm gathering intel on our…situation."
Hiroto raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Sure, sure. That's why you're dangling from the ceiling like a piñata." He grinned.
Saikyo-sensei walked into the class with a cocky grin, carrying a bag. "Good morning, my wonderful students!" he announced, sliding past Karasuma's suspended body. The students saw Saikyo's grin and immediately knew he had something up his sleeve.
Megumi raised her hand, eyebrow arched. "Sir, what's in the bag?"
Saikyo deftly dodged the kunai Megumi threw at him. "I'll get to that soon, Megumi." He placed the bag in his drawer, wiping a trickle of blood from his cheek. "She's getting faster with her throws," he thought, pouring the bag's contents onto his desk. The students leaned in, eyes widening at the sight of blue and red jerseys.
Hiroto spun Karasuma's body so he could see the jerseys. "What are you planning, Dyu?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Saikyo smirked and called out ten students, "Hiroto, Megumi, Sora, Kimimaro, Yuki, Ren, Akira, Hana, Taro, and Riku. Front and center!" The named students walked to the front, lining up before him.
Saikyo folded the jerseys on his desk before beginning his explanation. "Alright, kids, today we're going on a little field trip to the forest." The ten students murmured in confusion.
"Uh, why sir?" Hiroto asked. Saikyo put a finger to his lips, shushing him.
"We're gonna play a game I like to call 'Red vs. Blue'," he explained, and the kids listened intently. "I'll select five kids for the red team and five for the blue team. Your goal is to fight each other and remove your opponent's jersey. If your jersey gets stripped off, you're out. You can use any means to take off your opponent's jersey, but no lethal attacks, obviously."
Immediately, nine of the students shared the same concern, a thought that sent shivers down their spines. Megumi, Sora, Kimimaro, Yuki, Ren, Akira, Hana, Taro, and Riku all worried: "If we're not on Hiroto's team, how can we stand a chance against him? He's the same one with the copycat ability who managed to land hits on Saikyo-sensei."
Saikyo-sensei handed Hiroto a red jersey and Megumi a blue one. "You two are the team captains. But before we begin, follow me, everyone." He untied Karasuma, who dusted himself off.
"Is this a good idea? I thought we were supposed to confront the 'HNH' group. It's bad enough we can't even kill you," Karasuma said, cracking his back with a sigh.
Saikyo shrugged off the question. "Well, how are we supposed to do that if our students don't get to test their fighting prowess against each other?"
Karasuma hummed in agreement and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I get why you picked Hiroto as a team captain because of his ability to copy attacks. Why did you pick Megumi? Did she surprise you with her skills in the past two weeks or something?"
Saikyo's face darkened as if he had seen a ghost. "She reminded me of someone I remember. The way she fights… I have to say, she'll probably have the best chance at killing me."
Karasuma raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Really? Someone from your past?" Saikyo shrugged it off and put on a smile again. "Don't worry about it. Let's go."
In the middle of the forest, Saikyo stood with his five students, facing Karasuma and his five students across from him. Saikyo's team wore red jerseys: Hiroto, Tomohiro, Kimimaro, Hana, and Akira. On Karasuma's side, the blue jerseys were worn by Megumi, Sora, Taro, Riku, and Ren.
Saikyo cleared his throat, drawing the students' attention. "Alright, everyone, you've picked your teams, and now it's time to scatter into the woods. Remember, the objective is to remove the opposing team's jerseys. When you've been caught, you'll return here to meet with me and Karasuma-sensei. Good luck, and may the best team win," he explained with a grin. The students all ran into the woods.
A few minutes later, Ren wandered through the woods, constantly glancing over his shoulder. Every small noise made him jolt nervously. Suddenly, Hiroto appeared in front of him, causing Ren to immediately drop into a fighting stance. Hiroto smirked and leaned casually against a tree. "Boo!" Hiroto shouted mockingly.
Before Ren could react, Kimimaro appeared behind him and executed a swift aikido throw, sending Ren airborne. As Ren was still in midair, Hiroto unleashed a flurry of lightning-fast kicks. "GAH!" Ren cried out, crashing to the ground.
Hiroto and Kimimaro stood over him, laughing cockily as they stripped off his jersey. "Sorry, man," Hiroto taunted, "'Johan Seong' shows no mercy." With that, they cackled and jogged back into the forest, leaving Ren alone and defeated.
After about 20 minutes, Ren walked back to the clearing where Saikyo and Karasuma stood. He noticed Sora, Taro, and Riku, all standing without jerseys. "You all got out?!" Ren asked, surprised.
Sora nodded, "Yep, all by Hiroto." The others murmured in agreement.
Ren then looked at the red team and noticed Tomohiro, Kimimaro, Hana, and Akira standing across from them without jerseys, muttering angrily. "WHAT?! WHO GOT ALL OF THEM OUT? NOBODY ON THE BLUE TEAM HAD ANY CHANCE AGAINST THE RED TEAM!" Ren exclaimed in confusion and surprise.
Out of nowhere, to everyone's surprise, Megumi was sent flying into a tree. She still had her jersey on and stood up, cracking her back despite the bruises on her body. Everyone gasped as they saw Hiroto limping towards her, covered in bruises himself.
"Has Saikyo-sensei been teaching you special moves or something?" Hiroto asked, breathing heavily. Megumi mirrored his labored breathing. In just two weeks, these two had transformed remarkably.
Hiroto dashed at Megumi, attempting to throw a punch. Megumi sidestepped, and to everyone's but Saikyo's astonishment, she unleashed a flurry of invisible kicks, snapping Hiroto's head back with each strike.
Hiroto groaned and tried to attack, but every time he did, he was met with an invisible force that repelled him. Megumi bounced lightly on her feet, a blue glow emanating from her eyes with each of her kicks. Each strike she delivered carried that same ethereal glow. Saikyo smirked, muttering to himself, "She's reached speed mastery, huh? Not only that, but she's actually gained the invisible attacks. That's no easy feat."
Flashback to two weeks ago: Megumi was trudging around the school grounds, boulders tied to her legs, her face a mask of exhaustion. She stumbled and panted, each step a monumental effort. Saikyo-sensei watched her struggle, his expression stern but encouraging. "Keep moving, Megumi. You told me that Hiroto was getting cocky for his own good, so if you want to beat him, you need to surpass it."
Megumi's face turned to confusion. "Surpass what?"
"Mastery," Saikyo responded, throwing a kick that glowed blue and shattered a boulder. "The mastery of speed for now."
As the days passed, Megumi's progress was evident. She began moving faster, her steps lighter despite the heavy boulders. Saikyo noticed her determination and started introducing more complex drills, pushing her limits even further.
One evening, as the sun set, Saikyo approached Megumi with a thoughtful look. "You've come a long way, Megumi. It's time to take your training to the next level."
He demonstrated a series of rapid, precise movements, his attacks seemingly invisible. "This is the technique you need to master. Speed mastery combined with invisible strikes. It's all about focusing your energy and movements to a point where your opponent can't even see the attacks coming."
Megumi watched intently, her eyes wide with determination. "I'll do it, sensei. I'll master it."
Back in the present, Hiroto stumbled backward, dazed from the barrage of unseen attacks. Megumi's eyes glowed with fierce determination. "You underestimated me, Hiroto. I'm not the same person I was two weeks ago."
Hiroto was dazed, his vision blurred as he struggled to regain his footing. Megumi seized the opportunity, leaping into the air and spinning gracefully. A radiant blue glow enveloped her, signifying her mastery of speed and precision. Saikyo observed with a proud smirk. "She really learned this all in two weeks? Who are these kids?" he mused, watching as Megumi's kick arced towards Hiroto.
Just as the strike was about to connect, Saikyo's expression shifted. "It doesn't matter, though," he muttered under his breath. "Hiroto is a copycat."
In a split second, Hiroto's eyes sharpened with newfound focus. With a swift, precise movement, he mimicked the speed and technique he had observed. He threw a punch upward, intercepting Megumi's leg mid-air. The impact was forceful, sending Megumi crashing to the ground, clutching her leg in pain.
"AHH!" she cried out, the shock of the blow resonating through her body.
Hiroto stood over her, breathing heavily but with a determined look in his eyes. "You're not the only one who can learn quickly," he said, his voice tinged with both respect and rivalry.
Megumi gritted her teeth, determination blazing in her eyes. In a desperate move, she spun her body with lightning speed, delivering a series of invisible kicks. Hiroto was launched into the air, propelled backward with such force that he crashed into a tree. The impact was so intense that his jersey tore off, fluttering to the ground as he slumped against the trunk.
"I am," she muttered, breathing heavily. Suddenly, the blue team rushed to her, lifting her up in celebration, their cheers echoing through the forest.