The same question and the same seal ritual took place, but this time there as a heated glare at each other in addition. It was astonishing how normally soft and teasing brown eyes could become cold and calculating when set against each other.
Some giggled at their rivalry, some sighed (namely Chiasa), and some shivered, who had suffered under that very gaze moments ago.
"Start!"
Honestly, in Akira's opinion, hearing the same word over and over again really did get on his nerves. I mean, who wants to hear a single same words said repeatedly for over twenty times? Maybe he was just bored out of his mind and had nothing else to think about though.
The match started, but the staring competition didn't. The two amazingly similar twins, both in appearance and in actions, just kept on staring at each other. Well, more like trying to glare the other one to death, and honestly? The others were pretty sure they actually could do that.
Nakama sweatdropped and nervously chuckled, "Uh, start!"
He tried again. Silence ensued.
He sighed, resigning to his fate. Chiasa desperately wished for a time-machine to go back and beat his past self until he was black and blue for ever thinking he should spark a rivalry between the two. He really couldn't take the tension practically rolling off the mere five year olds.
It wasn't until the first day almost ended when Tsunade finally blinked. A glorious smile that begged for a beating appeared on Akira's face.
He didn't say anything but that one smirk was all that Tsunade needed to know. After all, they were twins, never separated from birth, so of course they knew each other like the backs of their hands. However, this sometimes also made their lives harder, knowing what the other twin thought all the time.
In this case, it was Akira who was on the receiving side of a beating. Two black lines appeared miraculously on the Senju princess' smooth, but rather large forehead. She tilted her head in a manner which would look like a puppet's movement, and a smile that was not a smile spread outwards.
'Uh oh,' Akira thought.
Once again, no words had to be exchanged. Tsunade directly rushed forwards, and though her speed and agility was nothing much, her power and force was nothing to scoff at either. Her taijutsu style was sort of a way of exchanging speed for brute strength. Akira's was more like exchanging strength for speeds far beyond his age.
They had polar opposite fighting styles, at least in taijutsu, but they were still almost at the same level in that matter. Tsunade launched a kick directly at his mid-section, which he responded with a kick of his own.
Both Akira and Tsunade had around equivalent strength so their attacks cancelled each other out and flew back at the same time, kicking up clouds of dust. Dirt and dust was on his body and clothes, making Akira extremely glad he took off his haori first.
Using the back of his hand, Akira wiped off the dirt on his face, while Tsunade did the same. No longer than two minutes after their first exchange, the two were up and at it again, with Akira dodging Tsunade's devastating punches and hooks, and Tsunade matching Akira's offenses with her own.
It seemed like a standstill, but in reality, just like with the match of the Hyuga, Tsunade was gaining the upper hand. Akira knew this, and he did not like it one bit. His original smirk had vanished, now appearing on Tsunade's rosy cheeks.
To him, it seemed as though she was mocking him relentlessly, describing every detail of his defeat in that twitch of a facial muscle. Indeed was it annoying sometimes to know whatever your twin was thinking.
Tsunade never did feints for two reasons. The first was because she never did that anyways, as it just wasn't her style. The second was because she knew that Akira would see through it anyways, with his both magical and infuriating eyes that seemed to know everything. It would just be a waste of time, energy and opportunity.
Akira did though. And when Tsunade finally fell for one, his eyes glinted with joy, following up with a roundhouse kick to the face. It was a gamble, if Tsunade truly did fall for it, then it would mean victory, but if she was just faking, he would lose.
But he was already losing - quite unfavourably at that - so what was there to be afraid of? Besides, it's not like he even won against his 'loving' twin before in taijutsu. If he did lose, he would get second place, which was the one thing that would get him frustrated at with his sister.
They had a rivalry. One that was not a rivalry, just like how sometimes their smiles were not smiles. Except, this rivalry between them was more like a death match, and they would do practically anything to win.
Currently, they had to restart the count of competition scores because they just really couldn't count that high anymore. The score right now was 209 - 208 in Tsunade's favour. If she lost, then it would be a tie, but if she won, she would have a larger lead.
As they took their competitions very seriously, both would be damned if they had lost. Their parents had thought this was unhealthy, but they decided to leave it because it did 'help' their relationship, and it pushed them to strive to be better.
In the fight now, Akira had to let an opening if he wanted to catch Tsunade off guard. Whether or not she actually fell for the feint earlier, Akira did not know but he decided to gamble on it. Unfortunately for him, his gambling skills were not much better than his twin's.
Tsunade let out a victorious smile before muttering under her breath, "I win."
She turned to the side before punching Akira's side, causing him to fly back again. He flipped in the air and landed in a crouch almost halfway across the training field. Groaning, he realised couldn't exactly move freely, so he begrudgingly admitted defeat, glowering at a certain blonde girl.
Said girl had her chin up in the air, with her hands up on her waist, imitating a king looking down on his subjects. Her platinum blonde hair which was up in a sleek high ponytail was now drooping and strands were flying everywhere. Her brown eyes lit up in glory when Akira admitted defeat, and she stood there huffing and puffing, but triumphant.
Akira could only sit down and rest, scowling at his sister, though he only did this when his back was facing the students. He knew his parents would scold them for going over-the-top for competitions, and would do so even more if they saw him being a sore loser.
'Don't tell okaa-san,' his glare seemed to say, 'You know we'll never hear the end of it.'
Rolling her eyes, she strided towards the sitting Akira, every step tired and slow but you could literally see the pride glowing in those steps. She reached out her hand and helped Akira up, forming the Seal of Reconciliation.
Akira smiled a soft closed-eye smile, probably the first genuine one in a while. Tsunade, realising this was taken aback for a second before returning the smile with her own. Sometimes, they really did read each other's minds, but no one else knew what they were 'talking' about at that moment.
Nakama was standing there, flabbergasted and open-mouthed. He couldn't possibly believe that fight had been between two five-year-olds. Sure, they were of the Senju and had some sort of special lineage, but still, what was he doing at that time? Playing skipping rocks and learning the three basic ninjutsu.
The fight just now was nothing short of a spar between two elite genin, maybe even chunin! The feints could have easily fooled any weaker genin, those punches could have easily knocked out those same genin, hell, even chunin might have suffered damage from just one of those destructive punches!
He could only shakily declare the winner as Tsunade before dismissing everyone and equally shakily stumble back to wherever he came from.
'I have to report this to Nidaime Hokage-sama.' he thought, his emotions turbulent.
Meanwhile, the students had already formed their little factions and were chatting and playing along the way home. Apart from some students, most still believed that this was the average for academy first-years, though the fights displayed just now was far beyond the average.
On the way back, the girls chatted about their new crushes, the boys talked about becoming Hokage and the like, but Tsunade and Akira? The entire walk home was her teasing and mocking the other twin for losing, despite her only winning barely.
Akira just tried to tune her chirping and laughing out, but he couldn't help but smile at the peaceful scene. The future would be very bloody and horrible, so he liked to enjoy these small moments when they could act like they knew nothing again.
'It was nice, though.' he thought bitter-sweetly, 'Even though I got second place.'
Yes, he was still sour about that.
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