Itachi and Hana exchanged a surprised glance as their names were called. With a nod, they stepped out of line and faced each other before Daiko.
As children of shinobi clans, they knew the drill. They raised their hands, formed the seals of confrontation, and waited for the signal.
"Begin!" Daiko barked.
In an instant, the two combatants sprang back, creating a safe distance between them. They began to circle each other, eyes locked, each waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Itachi fell into a classic defensive stance, knees bent, arms raised, weight balanced on the balls of his feet. Hana, on the other hand, opted for a more unconventional approach.
She crouched low to the ground, one hand splayed in the dirt, the other curled into a claw.
Her teeth were bared in a feral grin, and the red fang marks on her cheeks made her look like a wild beast ready to pounce.
For a heartbeat, neither moved. Then, faster than the eye could track, Hana sprang into action.
She darted in low and fast, lunging at Itachi like a wolf going for the throat.
At the last second, she launched herself into a corkscrew jump, whipping her hand around in a vicious open-palmed slap.
The girls in the audience gasped in shock. Some covered their eyes, unwilling to see Itachi's face bloodied.
But he was ready. He leaned back at an impossible angle, and Hana's strike whistled harmlessly past his chin.
Her arm was left hanging in empty air, completely unguarded.
Itachi didn't hesitate. His hand shot out, clamping around Hana's wrist in an iron grip.
In one swift motion, he twisted, using her arm to flip her over his shoulder. But Hana was quick to counter.
Her free hand flashed out, striking Itachi between the shoulder blades, and his momentum stalled.
He adapted instantly. He released Hana's wrist and launched into a lightning-fast flurry of punches and kicks.
Hana matched him blow for blow, strike for strike. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the training field as they clashed, their movements almost too fast to follow.
The onlookers were stunned.
"These are supposed to be first-years?" someone whispered.
"I can barely keep up with them!" another spectator exclaimed.
As the fight wore on, Hana's aggressive pressure began to take its toll on Itachi.
His blocks slowed, his dodges lost their finesse. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he struggled to keep up with Hana's intense attack.
Her grin turned vicious. She sensed weakness and smelled victory within her grasp. One clean hit would seal the deal.
She feinted left, then right, before unleashing a fast haymaker with every ounce of strength she had, aiming to take Itachi's head off his shoulders.
But instead of connecting with his face, her fist crashed into splintering wood.
"Stop!" Daiko called the match. "Winner, Itachi!"
Hana spun around, her eyes locking onto Itachi's, his fist hovering mere inches from the crimson fang tattoos on her cheek.
The spectators' confused chatter erupted as they lowered their hands from their faces, blinking in the sudden light.
"What the heck just happened?" someone asked, bewildered.
"How did he get behind her?" another spectator wondered aloud.
----------
As a seasoned chunin, Daiko had witnessed many battles, and he had seen it all.
At the last possible second, just as Hana's punch was about to connect, Itachi had substituted himself with a log, allowing it to avoid the blow while he reappeared behind Hana.
This was a masterful execution of the Substitution Jutsu, one of the three fundamental techniques that formed the basis of all ninjutsu.
Impressive enough for a fresh academy student.
What's more, unless his eyes had deceived him, Itachi had pulled off the jutsu without using any hand seals at all.
He couldn't be certain if the boy was simply too quick to see, or if he had achieved such mastery that he could skip the signs altogether.
Either way, if this was the level Itachi was starting at, he was destined for greatness as a shinobi. Perhaps the greatest of his generation.
Hana may have been the only one to truly challenge him. Daiko filed that fact away for future reference as he called the next pair to the ring.
----------
As she rejoined the line, Hana's face was a picture of frustration.
The top kunoichi of the Inuzuka clan had just been beaten in her first Academy spar. How was she going to explain this to her strict mother?
Itachi approached her. "Your taijutsu is impressive, worthy of the Inuzuka."
"Doesn't change the fact that I lost," Hana scowled, but her anger was fading.
Itachi's expression turned thoughtful. "If you had your ninja hound with you, I doubt I'd stand a chance."
At this, Hana brightened. "You really think so?"
"Absolutely," he said. "I'm looking forward to facing you again, when we can both fight at our best."
He held out his hand.
Hana ducked her head, trying to hide the blush rising to her cheeks as they shook hands.
The other girls watched with envy, noticing the exchange.
The rest of the class flew by in a blur, with students pairing off in spirited but mostly one-sided matches.
Before long, only the final match was left.
"Final match!" Daiko barked. "Uchiha Izumi and Gekko Kagami, take your positions!"
The two students walked out to face each other. Izumi moved with a confident stride, while Kagami's steps were heavier, almost hesitant.
They faced off, Kagami dropping into a basic academy stance, while Izumi stood with her hands on her hips, a small smirk on her face.
"Begin!"
She burst into action, attacking Kagami with a flurry of quick movements and powerful strikes.
He struggled to defend himself, stumbling backward as Izumi pushed him towards the boundary line.
Her eyes were fixed on her opponent as she kept the pressure on.
Daiko's brow furrowed as he watched Kagami struggle.
He had heard that the boy was a bit fragile, maybe not cut out for the demands of being a shinobi.
But even considering Izumi's obvious talent, he shouldn't be having this much trouble.
Just as Izumi was about to deliver the finishing blow, Kagami vanished in a puff of smoke. A log thudded to the ground where he'd been standing a heartbeat before.
Izumi didn't hesitate. Her instincts screamed at her to react. She spun around, throwing a back fist, expecting him to reappear behind her.
But her fist went through his figure, leaving her to swing at empty space.
Kagami suddenly appeared at her side, already throwing a picture-perfect straight punch aimed directly at her jaw.
No time to block, no time to dodge. Izumi braced for impact, squeezing her eyes shut...
"Stop!" Daiko roared, but it was too late.
----------
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed through the training field. But to Izumi's surprise, no pain followed.
She cautiously opened one eye to find herself staring up at Itachi's face.
His hand was locked around Kagami's wrist, halting the punch mere inches from her face.
Something in his expression gave Izumi pause. His dark eyes were hard as flint as he stared Kagami down, his jaw clenched tight.
Izumi's eyes widened as she finally identified the unfamiliar emotion that had been playing on Itachi's face.
It was anger.