(Author's note:
Hey Guys! Apologies for the lack of updates these past few days. I had a lot going on my hands so I couldn't set aside my attention towards this fanfic for that period of time. Mostly, because it almost the end of the school year and my teacher suddenly started to go Plus Ultra on our asses and started to assign the most heinous assignments known to man....
Updates will now be regularly posted each day.
I did say I would post three chapters today.... but I felt like the third chapter was a bust in writing so I'm post-poning that chapter's release to tomorrow plus an extra chapter.
Thank you..... and Enjoy!
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"Amon! How are you so fast? Has your youthfulness bloomed overnight?!"
Gai gaped at the boy sprinting ahead of him, disbelief written all over his face. Lumian was moving with a speed and fluidity far beyond what Gai had seen from him just a few weeks ago. The last time they'd raced, Lumian had barely kept up.
Now? He was practically flying.
Lumian glanced over his shoulder with a grin, his hair whipping in the wind. He slowed just enough to match Gai's pace for a moment, his voice full of playful confidence.
"Well, you know me," he said with a grin. "I simply embraced the wonders of childhood and stopped complaining about my limits."
Gai stared at him, slack-jawed. For a second, the world seemed to freeze. Then, as if a spark ignited inside him, his expression shifted into one of sheer exhilaration.
"Yosh!!! You've done it, haven't you? You've truly awakened your flames of youth! To think my rival would grow this fast!" He clenched his fists, brimming with excitement. "I won't be left behind! I will push past my limits and catch up! GO BEYOND!"
An intense aura burst from him like a shockwave—anime flames literally flickering around his eyes. The ground cracked slightly beneath his feet as he charged forward, dust kicking up in a dramatic cloud.
Lumian watched as Gai ran passed him, seemingly fired by the fires of youth.
He sighed before calling out to Gai.
"Hey Gai! Just to let you know, that the academy starts in 30 minutes! If we don't leave now, we'll be late!"
Gai skidded to a halt mid-sprint, nearly losing his balance. He bent over, catching his breath, sweat rolling down the side of his face.
He panted as he tried to catch his breath while kneeling with his hands on his knees. Suddenly, as if he had a sudden idea, he smiled before running up to Lumian.
"Amon!!! How about a contest between you and I?"
Lumian looked at Gai with a questioning gaze.
"Competition?"
"Yeah!" Gai put his hand on his wait before hitting a dramatic pose with his finger pointing up at the sky.
"Yes! You and I shall race to the academy!"
He quickly pivoted, now pointing toward the direction of the village.
"Whoever arrives first will be declared the winner—and until our next match, the title of Youthful Champion shall belong to him!"
Lumian looked at Gai with a bewildered look on his face.
"Competition? What's up with the sudden matchup?"
He stared at Gai in thought.
"I guess I replaced Kakashi huh.... Well, that sort of makes sense considering the fact that I'm his only friend during this period of time..."
Lumian sighed before throwing a thumbs-up at gai.
"Sure. Just say the word on when to start."
Gai eyes fired up upon hearing Lumians words and pumped his fists.
"YOSH!!!!!! THE FIRST MATCH BETWEEN YOU AND I HAS BEEN ACCEPTED!!! I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I WIN THIS ONE MY DEAR RIVAL!!!!"
Gai pumped his knees as he got into a starting position.
"On the count of three we will begin!"
Lumian sweated in amusement in Gai's enthusiasm and copied his pose.
"Alright Ready...."
"Three...."
"Two...."
"On-"
Before Gai could even count to one Lumian had already took off.
"Wha- Hey! I didn't finish yet!"
Gai stumbled forward, thrown off by the sudden start. Dust clouded the air as Lumian darted down the path, already gaining distance.
Lumian grinned before looking behind him. "Hah Hah! You should know me in the weeks we've been together Gai! You know how much of a blasphemous bastard I am!"
"Why you!"
. . .
. . .
The dense forest scenery gave way to rooftops and bustling streets as Gai and Lumian burst out of the training ground's exit and into the heart of the village.
The cool morning air was soon replaced by the warmth of sunlight reflecting off tile and stone. The streets were alive with early activity—merchants setting up, shinobi heading to assignments, civilians moving about their routines.
Lumian panted, glancing back at Gai—who, to his surprise, was rapidly closing the gap between them.
"As I thought... Gai really is a stamina monster compared to me," he muttered, his breath uneven.
He was still getting used to substituting from a Seer to a Maurader ever since he switched potions. The sudden power of his body was exhilarating to be honest but hard to properly control. Like Captain America when he first took the super-soldier serum.
However, even at this time while they were running, he was slowly feeling his body getting adapted to the sudden strength of a Maurader.
Just as that thought settled in his mind, they passed a familiar general store on the corner—the one he occasionally stops by after training.
Lumian glanced back again, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.
"Hey!" he called out over his shoulder. "I thought you were gonna beat me! Don't tell me you're falling behind already!"
Gai gritted his teeth before yelling out a war cry.
"RAAAAHHHH!!" he shouted, voice echoing through the street like a battle cry. His legs moved faster, arms pumping harder, and inch by inch—he began to close the distance again.
Lumian looked back, shocked. "I tried to taunt him... and now he's actually powering up? What kind of Shonen logic does this guy run on?!"
They were neck and neck now, feet pounding the pavement in rhythm.
"Whoa—!"
Lumian swerved as a cat darted across the street. Gai staggered slightly, bumping shoulders with a passing vendor who let out an annoyed grunt, but didn't stop.
The road was far from smooth. It curved and split around market stalls, civilian traffic, and early patrols. Dodging between it all made the race more like an obstacle course
As Lumian ducked under a hanging laundry line, the village hospital suddenly came into view.
And standing just outside its entrance, talking with another nurse, was Audrey.
"Hey, Audrey!" Lumian called out mid-run, lifting a hand in greeting.
Audrey turned at the sound of her name, startled. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the two figures barreling down the street.
A boy in a green spandex suit with a bowl cut, and another in a black outfit, black hair whipping behind him, eyes sharp with competitive fire.
They zoomed past her in a blur.
"Can't talk! Gotta go!" Lumian shouted as they sped by.
Audrey blinked, speechless for a moment, then lowered her hand slowly.
Her fellow nurse, Mikasa, chuckled at the display.
"A friend of yours?" she asked with a raised brow.
Audrey let out a long sigh, pressing her fingers to her forehead.
"Yeah... That's the boy I trained last month."
Mikasa turned to her, now clearly surprised. "Wait—him? The one from that explosion incident? The terminally injured one?"
Audrey nodded slowly.
"He shouldn't even be at this level of movement. His muscle structure wasn't anywhere close to being ready for sprints like that."
Then, her eyes widened again as realization set in.
"Wait a minute….. how the hell is Amon running that fast?"
. . .
Lumian and Gai were nearly gasping for air as they finally saw the familiar stone path leading to the Academy gates. Their lungs burned, their legs felt like they were weighed down with sandbags, but neither of them was willing to stop—not with the finish line in sight.
Sweat dripped from Lumian's chin as he wiped his forehead, forcing himself to keep his stride steady. Beside him, Gai was breathing like a steam engine, teeth clenched, arms still pumping.
For a split second, they glanced at each other.
Then both let out a dramatic yell as they pushed past the gates just barely passing by the entrance neck to neck.
The moment they crossed the threshold, they dropped to the ground, chests rising and falling heavily.
Dirt clung to their backs as they lay there, staring up at the sky, trying to regain a sense of clarity.
Lumian pushed himself up on his elbows and looked over at Gai.
"Looks like I won..." he muttered.
Gai sat up, pointing a shaky but firm finger at him.
"No way! I definitely got here first!"
Before the argument could go any further, the first bell rang, echoing across the courtyard.
Lumian sighed and scrambled to his feet.
"Let's call it a tie for today. We don't want to be late."
Gai stood up as well, stretching out his arms before striking his usual pose.
"Yosh!! Our match remains undecided for today! But mark my words my dear Rival! I will definitely win next time!"
Lumian gave him a deadpan look.
"What do you mean next time... I only humored you today to test my Marauder body's stamina..." he lampooned.
With that, the two of them hurried off toward their respective classrooms, doing their best not to get scolded for cutting it so close to the bell.
. . .
. . .
The door slid open as Lumian stepped through in a hurry.
At the front of the room, Toka, standing by the podium, raised an eyebrow.
"Amon. Just in time. Please take a seat."
Lumian nodded quickly and made his way down the aisle, passing a few classmates who shot him curious looks.
He was almost at his desk when he stopped dead in his tracks.
His eyes widened.
Obito was sitting in his chair, leaning back with a bored, annoyed expression, arms folded behind his head like he had all the time in the world.
Lumian stared, slack-jawed.
"Am I under a genjutsu...? Is this Adam's influence???? Di- Did Madara cast Infinite Tsukuyomi without me noticing?"
Obito glanced at him, and as if he could read his mind, his face twisted in irritation.
"Hey! I can show up on time, y'know! I'm a very responsible and mature person!"
From the side, Rin let out a quiet giggle."I walked him to school today," she said under her breath, amused. "Just to be sure he'd actually make it."
Lumian opened his mouth to reply, but a loud cough cut through the moment.
At the front, Toka was still standing, arms folded now, expression sharp with disapproval.
Lumian quickly bowed."Sorry, sensei."
He hurried to his desk and sat down, still side-eyeing Obito like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
. . .
As everyone settled into their seats and the late bell rang, Toka raised his voice to address the class.
"This afternoon, we'll be holding a taijutsu training session. We've received some feedback that many of you haven't been keeping up with your hand-to-hand combat skills. So, the Academy is organizing a tournament to gauge your current level compared to your last evaluations."
He scanned the room, pausing just long enough to let the announcement sink in.
"Participation is mandatory. Each of you will take part in at least one match-up to demonstrate your abilities."
Toka's eyes briefly landed on Lumian as he emphasized the word mandatory.
Lumian frowned slightly, raising a hand to his chin in thought.
"Guess I'm actually going to have to fight today…"
Near the front of the class, Kurenai raised her hand.
"Sensei! How are the match-ups going to be decided?"
Toka gave a curt nod and held up a printed spreadsheet.
"Each of you will be paired based on combat level and classroom rank. It's designed to be balanced, so don't expect an easy match."
He glanced over at Asuma and Genma, seated on the left side of the room.
"For example, Asuma and Genma are ranked first and second, respectively. They'll make a solid match-up."
Even though Toka had said for example, both boys were already sizing each other up, silent tension crackling in the air.
Toka cleared his throat.
"After the tournament, a special guest will be arriving to share some important news. Your parents have already been informed, so I expect you to give them your full attention."
Obito's hand shot into the air, eyes wide with excitement.
"Special guest?! Who is it?!"
Toka gave him a tired look.
"You'll find out when the time comes. No spoilers."
He clapped his hands once, bringing the conversation to a close.
"Now, let's begin our morning lessons. We'll be reviewing the basic principles of @#$(@#$%)@#$…"
. . .
. . .
His voice faded into the background as Lumian's thoughts drifted.
"A tournament... If they're basing match-ups on current ranking and skill level, then…"
He glanced at Obito from the corner of his eye.
A slow, amused smile tugged at his lips.
"Sorry, Obito… Looks like I'll be showing off a little today."
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(Author's note:
Thanks for reading!
As always send me your power stones and leave behind any comments!
Give me your feedback and anything that might bother you on writing!)