Chương 286: The Calm Before The Storm

Shisui POV I reached Noa's home to find him engrossed in his work. His old master's huge scroll was wide open, spanning almost the entirety of the large open area in his house. He was busy comparing and scraping complicated seals in multiple places. He looked flustered yet energetic. His face and eyes were dark from exhaustion, but something was burning in his gaze. I suspected that he was working on something truly massive. I wished I did not have to interrupt him, but a deal is a deal.

I coughed into my hand to get his attention.

"Noa, I have been standing here for some time now." He was startled and looked back with wide eyes. He asked with a serious tone, "Sensei, your ANBU training is incredible. You walked in without me noticing at all." I sighed and shook my head.

"No. I knocked and even opened the door loudly, but I got no response." A contemplative look appeared on his face as exhaustion finally caught up to him. He closed his eyes and massaged them with his palms.

"Is it time already?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Have you not moved since I came for you almost two days ago?" Noa chuckled nervously.

"I did. I definitely went to the toilet at least twice." I shook my head. Seal specialists like him always get too focused on their work. There was not much I could do about it now. He is a Chunin and should know what is best for him, yet I still felt the need to speak up.

"You should space out your work. A shinobi can get a mission at any time. I taught you that before. You need to always have energy and be ready." Noa nodded.

"I know, Sensei. It is just that this..." He pointed at the endless scattered notes.

"This is life-defining work for me." I was surprised by his declaration, but I simply replied, "Fine. However, it is time to meet your challenger. Let us go. The Hokage and Itachi will be coming to observe the battle." Suddenly, Noa froze. He asked with a skeptical tone, "He is?" I nodded.

"Yes. He is the Hokage now. He is entitled to know about his shinobi, and he was curious about your true strength." Noa grew even more hesitant. I came closer and patted his shoulder.

"Do you trust me, Noa?" He replied immediately.

"I do, Sensei." I smiled, grateful for his trust.

"Then do not hold back. I have a feeling that we will need all the strength we have soon. If you prove yourself as an important asset, then the village will be more generous toward your training and supplies." Noa moved a bit, but he was still not fully onboard. That was when I decided to use the big card.

"He promised to take you all for a free lunch if you impressed him." Suddenly, Noa's back straightened. His chakra flared into life and his eyes lit with a fire that reminded me of Might Guy. I almost facepalmed as he nodded in a sage manner.

"The new Hokage is generous indeed. No breakfast for me, then. I do not want to fill up before the meal and eat too little. It would be an insult to the Hokage, after all." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I actually facepalmed this time at his obvious money-saving move as Noa moved deep into his house to wash up, change, and get ready. We walked slowly to a private ANBU training ground to ensure absolute privacy.

Noa did not speak during the walk. He performed stretches and light exercises while his focus sharpened. As we approached, he spoke.

"Thank you, Sensei, for taking me out. A change of scenery is good. It takes my mind off things. It is good to take a break." I nodded to him, pleased with his attitude. However, that changed fast as he proclaimed, "Also, kicking Kaen's ass will almost certainly improve my mood immensely." Then he started laughing. I shook my head as we reached the grounds. Multiple ANBU guards were stationed at the edge, but they stayed relatively far away. Only Itachi, Fugaku-sama, and I would witness this fight.

Their job was to ensure that stayed the case. Kaen was already preparing as well. The hesitation from the day before was gone. Instead, a determined look appeared on his face as his senses were sharpened to their limit. His emotions were in check and his body was ready. Noa, on the other hand, had dark circles under his eyes with clear signs of exhaustion showing. Itachi noticed as he greeted him.

"Hi, Noa. Why do you look like that?" Noa chuckled nervously as he scratched his head.

"I got too engrossed in my seal work." He bowed to Fugaku.

"Lord Hokage, it is an honor to meet you." Fugaku nodded, pleased with Noa's manner.

"Good to meet you as well. Are you ready?" Noa nodded, excitement showing.

"How can I not go all out when the Hokage promised me a feast?" Itachi laughed as Fugaku smiled, silently confirming Noa's sneaky attempt to lock in the free feast. I hoped the Lord Hokage had enough money to cover the bill. I have seen how much Noa can eat. He could easily bankrupt the clan's coffers, but that would be a concern for another time. Itachi asked Noa with curiosity eating at him, "I knew you were not going all out the last time we fought." Noa shrugged.

"You did not as well." They both looked at me as if blaming me for the harsh conditions I put on their previous fight, however I simply replied, "I told you I did not want to destroy the Uchiha compound." The Hokage listened with interest as Noa rolled his shoulders.

"Well, I guess it is time to decide who the real winner of the Chunin Exam finale is," as he walked slowly toward Kaen. Itachi, the Hokage, and I activated our Sharingan. The air in the training ground felt heavy under our collective pressure as Noa noticed and looked back to chuckle nervously at the amount of red eyes surrounding him. He looked almost afraid, which was amusing. Kaen, on the other hand, was focused.

His eyes shifted from their regular black color to the red three-tomoe Sharingan as he focused completely, observing every step Noa took as if he expected Noa to go directly for him. Noa just exhaled slowly, relaxing himself before stopping a short distance from Kaen. He spoke first.

"Are you sure you still want to do this? I haven't gone all out for a long time, so I will most likely cause you a lot of damage, you know? Maybe we should count this as a tie and just go eat?" A tick mark appeared on my, Fugaku-sama's, and Itachi's foreheads at his statement. To our surprise, Kaen did not react to the taunt. He was remarkably mature as he said, "I am sure. I will win this and show you how far I have gone." Noa was pleased with Kaen's resolve and nodded. A grin spread across his face.

Noa somehow had never noticed it, but his grin almost always got under people's skin. It conveyed an absolute confidence that whoever was in front of him was not a threat. At some level, I wished for Kaen to win this fight just so Noa could learn a lesson in humility. He is a Chunin and will start taking missions on his own. I would prefer he learn that lesson under my supervision than during a deadly battle. Kaen maintained a serious, calm demeanor. He was using this fight to determine something for himself.

I was sure of it, though I did not know what it was. Noa avoided eye contact with Kaen as he spoke with absolute certainty.

"Get ready to be stomped, then." Kaen did not respond as he got into his neutral pose while I raised my hand.

"Get ready!" Both Kaen and Noa lowered their bodies, lightning and fire almost radiating from them as I shouted, "FIGHT!" A/N: Today is the birthday of one of my earliest readers and supporters, Riarkraa! If you feel inclined, please join me in wishing her a very happy birthday in the comments. She was actually the inspiration behind the awesome Raika of the Hidden Cloud, whom Noa fought during the Chunin Exam tournament. Well, to be fair, the awesomeness was all her, the crazy was all me!

(We also have another fantastic reader making an appearance soon, so look forward to his cameo XD)