3 Water's Blessing (Part 3)

***Abe POV - The Start of Hayase versus Kojima***

At first, Abe had thought he was caught in a genjutsu. Hayase's new 'ability' was far from the norm. Although Abe had never heard of a kekkei genkai that allowed someone to freely control water, he couldn't rule out that possibility given that similar abilities existed. [AN: I think that the Sandaime Kazekage should be in power at this point or at least well known. His control over iron sand or other similar kekkei genkei should exist.] Furthermore, because hand-signless jutsu typically demanded higher chakra control, Hayase's performance was doubly surprising. Observers have no way of knowing that his water bending was comparatively easier to control than traditional hand-signless jutsu because it also relies on the resonation of his chakra with water and the movement of his whole body.

As Hayase's fight continued, the relationship between his taijutsu and the water's movement became apparent to Abe. After surviving the battlefield, many shinobi become skilled at dissecting the endless variety of unusual jutsu that enemies throw their way. From developing countermeasures to assessing the threat level of an unknown shinobi, it was an essential skill for surviving. A skill that Abe had developed... As recently promoted Chunin when the war started, Abe found himself amidst some of the bloodiest battles on the frontline with Iwa. 'I should still be out there,' he often finds himself thinking.

Having already fought two major wars, Konoha is acutely aware of the dangers associated with the accumulated mental fatigue of war. During wartime, a few chunin instructors are pulled from the units that take the most losses. Stepping away from the battlefield gives those poor souls a chance to breathe. Meanwhile, having just lost comrades in the line of duty, they also deeply understand the necessity of preparing academy students for what lies ahead of them.

It was with that sense of duty that Abe observed the second-year students on that day. To give them all a fighting chance, he made sure to read closely their previous instructor's reports on each of them. And yet... as he watched Hayase fighting Kojima, Abe felt that something didn't add up. 'While it is possible that he is a late bloomer, there had to be something that accounts for the sudden change,' he thought. His first thoughts drifted to him being some kind of infiltrator or spy, but he dismissed it while thinking, 'What kind of spy would perform so conspicuously? Attention was the last thing that spy would want.'

Watching Hayase bring the fight to the end, Abe noticed the determination on his face. Despite the pain from deflecting Kojima's punch, Abe would have sworn that he almost saw the trace of a smile on Hayase's face. 'The boy has become determined,' thought Abe, 'His last sensei has described him as easily frustrated and weak-willed. What's got him so motivated?'

As Abe's suspicions mounted, he watched Hayase kick his opponent out of the ring. Seeing the defeated Kojima move to continue the fight, Abe announced, "Winner: Hayase!"

With the echo of his announcement covered by only a few claps, Abe knew that he was not the only one stunned by the fight, although for different reasons perhaps.

***Hayase POV***

"Yosh Hayase-kun! It's our turn now," Guy shouted out.

Chuckling at Guy's enthusiasm, Hayase observed the audience that still seemed to be processing his victory. Although looking at their faces, Hayase realized that it was more than just his victory that surprised them. Hearing a few hushed whispers of, "What was that jutsu?" and "Did you see him use any hand signs?", Hayase felt somewhat panicked at remembering how odd water bending was by the shinobi world's standards. Guy, the taijutsu lover that he is, may not have realized it, but the chunin instructors certainly did, and Hayase could feel their eyes on him.

Caught up in his fight with Kojima, he had nearly forgotten about the suspicions his water bending and sudden improvement might raise. Prior to examination day, Hayase had debated how to explain his water bending and other improvements. Although he had briefly considered the common resort of many transmigration stories (hiding your real abilities), Hayase felt that hiding his new strength would only hinder his growth. In a world where Kage-level shinobi can slaughter hundreds (if not thousands) of ordinary shinobi, the Hidden Villages know the importance of investing in their geniuses. As such, Hayase decided to showcase his abilities with the hopes of being admitted to Class 2A. From there, he hoped to eventually be placed on a jonin's team instead of ending up in the genin corps.

After weighing the risks and benefits, Hayase concluded that the safest thing is to describe it as some fluke thing that happened as a result of his almost dying. He'd let others reach their own conclusions about why it happened. Knowing little of the intricacies of either jutsu creation or the biology of kekkei genkais, he felt it was best to simply describe it as an accidental but exciting discovery.

Using his bending to recover the water that spilled onto the ground in the fight, Hayase turned to the other students and nervously joked, " Pretty cool, right? I discovered that I could do it over the break!" Trying his best to emulate the energy of a child who had just learned a magic trick [AN: the sleight of hand kind] for the first time, he started to put on a small performance with his water bending.

"Enough playing around Hayase! We'll need to talk before your next match. Guy, be ready for the match in 10 minutes!" Abe stated authoritatively. Hayase nodded at Abe and followed him as he walked away from the group.

As Hayase's heart pounded in his chest, Abe turned to him and said, "Kid, I'll be honest. Based on everything that I've read in your file, there was no way that you could have improved so quickly. But I'm giving you a chance here, so I'm going to need to you explain what changed over the break... your improvement in chakra control, and how you learned your new 'jutsu' from. Understand?"

Feeling the weight of Abe-sensei's gaze, he swallowed a gulp and paused a moment to recall the feeling of drowning. Instead of trying to quickly repress the fear, Hayase let it consume him. With the panic and hopelessness once again feeling fresh, Hayase shakily replied, "After seeing an academy graduate use the water bullet jutsu, I tried to copy it, but I... I screwed up..."

With his emotions sliding from sadness to anger, he continued, "it was awful... I felt like I was dying. I felt weak and helpless, but I survived with only some minor damage to my lungs."

With his voice shaking, he continued, "After that, I resolved to never let myself feel that helpless again. At the same time, I found myself being able to sense water around me... And when I realized that I could control the water, it felt like I finally had a chance to be strong. It felt like an opportunity to change my fate, a blessing."

Self-conscious after his monologue, Hayase searched Abe-sensei's face for a reaction.

***Abe POV***

Contemplating Hayase's answer, Abe thought, a brush with death triggering the desire to become stronger, a plausible explanation I suppose.'

"Hm.. and how did you go about learning to control this new ability? From what I've heard you struggled with three academy jutsu." Abe prodded.

"Trial and error, I guess. Unlike the clone jutsu or transformation jutsu, my water bending came naturally to me.," Hayase mumbled before continuing, "whenever I wasn't working to pay off the cost of my treatment, I was at the pond playing with my water control."

'Playing with a jutsu... what a childish way to train, but it seems to have worked for him' Abe reflected, 'Moreover if it came naturally to him, I suppose it is possible that his affinity with water is simply enormous, but went undiscovered since academy students are rarely given the opportunity to learn elemental jutsu.'

"and your improvement in taijutsu?" Abe inquired.

Hayase replied, "That's the weirder thing, I suppose. I found that moving smoothly and circularly improved my control of water, so I modified the leaf kata as I played around with my water bending." As Abe could almost see Hayase shrink under the weight of gaze, the boy continued, "Before the spars today, I had no idea how well it would work... I never really felt comfortable with the normal leaf kata if I'm being honest."

'I've never heard of such an odd talent. The way he explains it... it's almost like he was born for these techniques and nothing else,' thought Abe, 'I'll need to request the village run a background check to confirm his story and investigate if his family were truly normal kekkei genkai-less civilians. Until that is complete, I'll need to delay any further action.'

"Alright, Hayase, thank you for explaining yourself. I hope you understand my need for caution. Why don't you get prepared for the final fight?" Abe stated.

With a nod, Hayase walked back towards the sparing ring. Watching him as he left, Abe created a shadow clone. With a body flicker, the clone disappeared to inform village officials of the situation and request any information that it might have on the boy (medical records and the like).

Sighing, Abe thought, 'If the boy really is some odd kind of genius with water jutsu, then he could be a valuable asset in the future... but the village will undoubtedly be seeking an explanation for the emergence of this new kekkei genkai.'

***Hayase POV***

Feeling proud of his handling of the situation, Hayase prepared himself for interrogation by his classmates. With Hayase having returned to the crowd, Reiji - never one to keep his mouth shut even after losing to Hana in the second round - approached Hayase and demanded, "Don't treat us like idiots! How did you freaking pull that off?"

Before Hayase could reply, the perennial lackey Itsuki-kun chimed in, "Yeah you've never even beaten me before today! Who's been helping you train?"

Looking at his wannabe interrogators, Hayase simply asked rhetorically, "How hard did you all train over the break? I'm guessing most of you did a few chakra control exercises, maybe some throwing practice. Do you wanna know what I did?"

Pausing for dramatic effect as any good storyteller does, Hayase shakes his head and answers his own question, "I nearly died! And because of that, I was able to discover my ability to control water. Once I realized what I could do, I trained to exhaustion every day to gain some basic mastery over it!"

At the mention of his brush with death, he could see Reiji and Itsuki's eyes widen. Putting the final nail in the coffin, Hayase finished, "Bottom line, don't expect me to be the same as I was last year! I may have slacked off before, but I refuse to let that define me. We're graduating into a war, and I don't plan on being just another genin casualty!" [AN: Talk-no-Jutsu!]

'Nothing is more inspirational than an underdog story,' Hayase joked to himself.

As his words settled in, seriousness swept across the crowd. Kojima's fists balled up at his side as he thought, 'so this is what motivated you, Hayase... well, I don't plan on dying so easily either!'

For students who had already lost family in the war, Hayase's words were a dark reminder of a side of the shinobi world that they tried to forget. For many of the clan students, his words were reminiscent of things that they heard from their parents when they slacked off. Meanwhile, the civilian students hadn't quite ever heard it so bluntly put. Despite training to be shinobi, they were largely sheltered away from death and the horrors of war (at least for their first years at the academy).

But there was one person above all others who was the most impressed, Might Guy. Although he wasn't aware of Hayase's history before, Guy recognized Hayase's determination. 'In him, Guy saw a kindred soul on the path of hard work. Where he and his father had youth to drive them, Guy could see that Hayase was finding his own way forward, making him even more excited to spar with him.

Guy unable to contain himself, "Hayase-kun! I recognize your perseverance! It's time that we compare our hard work!"

"Heh, I should have known that would be your reaction, Guy. Let's do this!" replied Hayase. 'Sparing against Might Guy... It just gets my blood pumping,' he thought with a smile.

Each boy made their way to a side of the ring. An odd atmosphere embraced the crowd as they did. Hayase's words caused a rift among the students. Some felt energized, and others were noticing the gravity of the future before them. Their own mortality lay stark in front of them. For the remaining students, well, they thought that Hayase talked a big game but would fall short. New jutsu or not, Hayase had lost the element of surprise.

Making their way to the ring, their excitement was palpable! Hayase could feel the water in his gourd responding to his excitement. 'Guy is significantly faster than Kojima,' thought Hayase, 'I don't I'll be able to get more than a single water whip off before he is close enough to hit me... maybe I can slow him down.'

Guy, meanwhile, was bidding on his toe, slowly shifting his stance as he thought, I'll show him the speed of youth!'

"It's barely even been 10 minutes, you brats! and it looks like you're already fired up!" Abe-sensei declared, "Hayase and Guy, ready yourselves!..."

***Final Round***

Adopting the stances that have become so comfortable for them, Hayase readied himself to prepare a water whip while Guy leaned forward with a staggered stance.

"... Start!" Rung out and in a flash, Hayase launched the water whip aimed for Guy's legs! Anticipating Hayase's first move, Guy shot forward and, upon seeing the incoming whip, hurtled himself over its trajectory!

With a short roll, Guy was back on his feet, and Hayase recalled his water and created his wrist guards. 'Dammit! so much for slowing him down,' thought Hayase begrudgingly, 'close combat it is!'

With his impressive speed, Guy closed in and began his assault.

One punch after another came in from multiple directions as Guy danced around Hayase! Focused on deflecting what he can, Hayase gritted as the occasional punch slipped through. Knowing that he had to change things up or he'd succumb to the damage that steadily built up, Hayase tries to seize control of the fight!

First, blocking a punch with his left arm and then rotates his stance counterclockwise as he deflects another punch with his right before launching the water from his right fist into Guy's face. After disrupting Guy's rhythm, he followed up with a sidekick, which collided with Guy's guard and sent him skidding back a few steps! Finally, creating some space between him and Guy!

Undeterred by the kick, Guy returned with his own sweeping kick. Ducking under the kick, Hayase tried to call the previously lost water. Planting the missed kick onto the ground, Guy sent a spinning backhand smashing into Hayase's extended arm, interrupting his attempt to recall the lost water!

With only the water on his left fist and Guy's relentless attacks, Hayase thought, 'This may be my last chance!', as he floated the water between his palms in an unstable blob. Seeing a follow-up punch from Guy, Hayase brought the water into the trajectory of the punch.

However, instead of immediately deflecting the punch, he instead allows the fist enters the blob momentarily before using his bending to send the water and the fist inside shooting toward the ground!

With Guy off-balance and his stance broken, Hayase hits him with a knee to Guy's stomach! Hayase can leave some air leave Guy's lungs... but it's not enough! Hayase's strike might have worked on his classmates, but Guy's endurance isn't shaken. Pushing off of the knee before Hayase can follow up, Guy gives himself space to recover before returning to his relentless self.

Panicking, Hayase tries to recover the water as he thinks, 'Shit! Maybe with the water, I'll have enough force to...' only to have the thought and his bending intercepted by a kick to his arms. With Hayase's arms away from his body, Guy seized the opportunity and launches another kick directly into Hayase's torso!

Sent flying by the hit, Hayase lands hard on his back. As Guy sends Abe-sensei a look, the chunin referee shouts, "Winner: Might Guy!"

***Audience POV***

From start to finish, almost all of the students watched with anticipation. Abe-sensei watched Hayase carefully trying to discern more information about his abilities while simultaneously gaining an appreciation for Guy's taijutsu skill and battle intelligence. 'Disrupting his water control was a stroke of brilliance... Guy forced him to fight on his grounds,' thought Abe.

Meanwhile, Caito watched with a mixture of frustration and disdain. Having been among the assumed top 3 going into the exam, Caito's failure to make even the top 4 weighed heavily on him. Part of him wanted Hayase to be victorious since he had lost to Hayase, but another part resented his sudden improvements.

Kojima, on the other hand, simulated his own hypothetical performance against Guy as the fight progressed. Would Guy have been able to block his punches with ease? Kojima wondered, 'if that had been my knee at the end, would Guy have recovered so quickly?' He wouldn't get the answer today, but he feared the answer was 'no'. With that fear in mind, Hayase's previous words resounded in his mind. "I too resolve to not let my past strength define me, Hayase," he muttered under his breath as he watched the fight conclude.

Among Class 2A, only a few watched as intently as the 2B students. Asuma, as the son of 'The Professor,' watched Hayase's odd water jutsu closely. Although he hadn't learned any water jutsu, his father had spoken to him about each element's strengths and weaknesses while also describing how many elemental jutsu worked. In discussing water jutsu, his father had spoken of his Tobirama-sensei's immense talents in the element. Among those talents, he mentioned the ability to call surges of water from the air and reduce the number of hand signs needed for many high-level water release jutsu. 'No hand signs though, I'll need to ask Tousan if the Nidaime ever showed any moves like that!' he thought barely even contemplating the possibility that Hayase accomplished something beyond Tobirama's abilities.

In contrast to Asuma, Obito absent-mindedly split his time between sneaking glances at Rin and the match. When the match held his attention, Obito briefly felt his stomach churn at the increased competition. Luckily, his optimism swept the feeling away with the simple thought of, 'I'll surpass both of them and Kakashi after I awaken my sharingan!'

Fortunately for Obito's wondering eyes, Rin watched Hayase and Guy fight rather more intently. Only looking away to wince at some of the harder hits. In light of her dream of becoming a medical ninja, she had long paid close attention to her classmate's injuries in spars. Watching Guy disrupt Hayase's control of the water, she felt almost certain that Hayase's arms would be bruised within the hour.

Although it pained Rin to watch these fights, she found reassurance in the two boys' expressions during the fight. Through all of the pain and difficulty, they seemed to be enjoying themselves! While the smile was plain on Guy's face almost the entire fight, Hayase's joy was more subtle. Given his little speech earlier, she suspected it was growing confidence that let him enjoy his ultimate loss.

***Hayase's POV***

As the kick still reverberated through Hayase, he lay on the ground and looked up at the sky. Somewhat dreading facing his peers, he thought about the fight.

'My taijutsu still isn't strong enough... Otherwise, I won't even get a chance to use my bending especially, against faster opponents. My speed wasn't up to snuff, neither my physical speed nor my bending speed,' thought Hayase, 'I should have practiced recovering my water more, it's not something that I got used to doing at the pond.'

Taking a breath and beginning to stand, he tried to remember the successes from the fight. 'My first combo where I blinded Guy worked pretty well even though I already revealed that trick against Kojima. That's a good sign! And catching Guy's fist with the water and pulling him off balance with it, I wish I had more control to continue holding on to the fist, but it worked. And lastly...,' thought Hayase, 'I held my own against Might Guy! Loss or not, I felt myself growing in the fight!'

Hayase, looking at Guy in front of him, made the seal of reconciliation and said, "Congratulations Guy! Let's spar again in the future!"

"YOSHA! Abe-sensei, this means that I will be joining class 2A right??" Guy giddily asked.

***Abe POV***

Abe watching the boys' interaction shook his head. Thinking about the exam, Abe understands that it is ultimately up to him to decide. 'To make it in 2A, the student needs to have demonstrated the capacity to learn quickly... Considering all categories, I'm inclined to offer the spot to Hayase. Although, his ability is still an unknown factor,' thought Abe. Guy's strength and taijutsu skill may be impressive, but he is highly atypical.

Sighing, Abe begins to say, "Well Guy, it isn't just determined by the taijutsu tournament, ya know?"

As he is about to continue speaking, however, Abe receives an influx of memories from his shadow clone.

*Truncated Shadow Clone Memory*

Having gone to inform the higher-ups about Hayase's new ability and investigate his story, the clone first went to the academy's dean, Kona Sarutobi. A distant relative of the Hokage and an older member of the Sarutobi clan, the dean bore the heavy responsibility of ensuring the protection and strength of Konoha's future generations. There, the clone Abe informed the dean of the situation. The hand-signless nature of the control earned the biggest reaction from the dean. The clone Abe saw his eyes visible widen at the thought.

"Given the uniqueness of the boy's situation, I'll need to leave him under your watchful eye and tutelage Abe-san." Dean said and continued, "Based on his family records, we had no reason to suspect that he would develop a kekkei genkai. Until we determine, how this could happen? It would be unwise to place such an unknown element in class alongside clan heirs."

"Understood sir!"

*Exit Clone Memory --> Hayase POV*

*Cough* "But -er yes, Guy. In light of today, you will be allowed into the academy and allowed to join Class 2A." Abe states, having been tripped up by his clone memories.

Grabbing the person nearest to him (Hayase), Guy wrapped him up in a bear hug as he cried in joy. From his uncomfortable position, Hayase thought, Getting the way of Guy's destiny is a surefire way to end up on your ass, I guess.'

"YATTA!" Guy shouted, setting down Hayase in the process. Still regaining his breath, Hayase gave a thumbs up to Guy. 'Moving forward, I just need to train harder on my own if I'm not in 2A. Maybe old man Sato was right... fighting against strong people is the best way to get stronger although I'd rather avoid fighting to death yet.' thought Hayase.

Refusing to allow Guy's celebration to continue, Abe-sensei, "Alright. Alright... Guy, I believe that Awakaze-sensei was wanting to have a word with his class before the day ends. Why don't you go join your classmates?"

"Yes, sensei!" replied Guy before careening toward class 2A's group.

"Now, Hayase. I imagine that you might be disappointed with today's results. However, if that drive you showed earlier is real, I think you might just catch up to 2A," Abe-sensei stated and followed quietly with, "And with a little help from me, maybe you'll do even better!"

Struggling with the implications of such a suggestion, Hayase quickly restrained his stunned expression. 'Extra help outside of class? or maybe more tailored help in the class?' thought Hayase.

Smirking a little, Abe stated, "2B has some surprisingly good talent in taijutsu. I may need to arrange interclass spars in the future just to keep you all challenged." This time, his words reached ears beyond Hayase's. Kojima and Caito grew visibly excited at the idea. Having lost today, the thought of missing out on growing stronger weighed heavily on them.

Seeing Class 2A begin to dismiss themselves, Abe declaratively shouted, "Gather around, class! We're going to conclude the day soon. Don't expect such a short day tomorrow! You're coming back to a full set of classes. Make sure to see the nurse for any remaining injuries, we won't allow any slacking just because you forget about treatment. Lastly, don't be too discouraged by today's results. You all have two more years in the academy to prepare yourselves!"

With that, the students made their way toward the academy gates where many of their parents would meet them. Hayase, on the other hand, made his way inside the academy for the nurse. Usually, a trainee medical ninja, the nurse spent most of the time healing the pulled muscles, bruises, and the occasional fracture from sparing. Although children in the world were far stronger than on Earth, untreated injuries could still impair their long-term growth if severe enough.

Hayase could feel his muscles starting to ache and bruises form from his earlier fights. Oddly, he had grown used to feeling bruised from his bullying last year, but these injuries felt different. This pain was a sign of his growth, not his cowardice or weakness. Taking deep breaths, Hayase tried to manage the pain.

The academy's corridors dull from the lack of students looked freshly cleaned. Rounding a corner, Hayase finally reached the nurse's office. Inside he could see the nurse, a taller woman with long purple hair, giving Hana some medicine.

"Now, Hana-san. I know that your back feels fine now, but I only healed the most affected muscles. If you overstrain the other muscles before coming back tomorrow, I will be VERY disappointed! understand" the nurse said as a veiled threat.

'Are all medical kunoichi violent in this world? Just my luck..' thought Hayase. Entering the room, he was able to clearly see the residual redness from Hana's tears accenting her brown eyes. Stopping himself from staring, he coughed to gain the attention of the threatening nurse.

"Now just what did you do to yourself brat!" the nurse stated exasperatedly.

"I didn't do it to myself, it's my opponents' fault."

"That's not how I see it, I bet you ran into your opponent's punches. Come sit down so I can examine you," her taunts earned her a laugh from Hana at his expense.

***Guy POV***

While Hayase was being tort... *Ahem* treated, Guy met his Tousan at the Academy Gate and told him the great news. Like his son, Duy cried tears of joy which made Guy cry as well. All while they earned odd looks from the other parents.

"Guy! My son haha! You've shown them the power of your Youth!! Let's go celebrate! We'll do your favorite things! I've got a special training planned to celebrate, but first, let's eat!"

"Yosha! I can't wait..." said Guy, "But there is one thing that I must do first Tousan!"

Crouching down at Guy's seriousness to look him in the eye, Duy replies, "Anything you want! Handstand pushups! weighted rock climbing!"

"I want... to wait!" replied Guy, causing his father to sweatdrop.

"Hn! We'll wait then!" Duy stated replying fast.

"Neither of my last two opponents has left yet! I need to send them off before we go!"

***20 Minutes Later ***

Just about every parent and child had left already. Only Guy and Duy remained at the entrance. Using their spare time to train, the father-son duo lightly sparred as Guy recounted his fights.

"And then the water went whoosh and my arm went with it! And... " Guy could be heard saying as Hayase and Hana exited the academy alongside the nurse who Hayase had learned was named Nagi. A name that he found somewhat ironic given her temperament and the name's connotation for calmness.

Seeing the infamous training pair, Nagi muttered, "Troublesome," and then said to her patients, "Remember to rest well, I will know if you don't!" before body flickering away leaving the pair of children with only her warnings.

Finally, feeling as though he can relax, Hayase asks Hana, "How is your back feeling?"

"Not bad, just a little tight still. Nagi-san was a little more gentle with me. What about you?"

"Alright, I guess. Still disappointed a bit."

"Tousan! that's them!" shouted Guy. Suddenly, aware of the father-son duo, both Hana and Hayase were surprised to see them standing before them.

"Hey Guy, did you wait for us?" asked Hayase.

"Of course, I had to introduce Tousan to you both! Tousan, this is Hana! She's the one who mixed in a lot of throws with her taijutsu and caught me with the clone technique! And this is Hayase! He altered the leaf kata to make it smoother and more circular. Plus he is the one that used water jutsu that combined with his taijutsu!" Guy said enthusiastically.

'Kami, he really is a taijutsu nerd, isn't he?' thought Hayase while Hana realized was surprised that Guy was impressed by her despite her performance.

Nodding to Guy's description, Duy declared, "Mhm! Most Youthful! It's great to see other academy students that appreciate taijutsu's appeal. Thank you for your great matches against Guy, it seems like he learned a lot from the experience!"

Awkward under the praise, Hayase replied, "Ah Guy is being too nice... my taijutsu isn't anything special. Without my water, he would have swept the floor with me."

Unphased by the attempted modesty, Duy replied "Perhaps, but that is part of your strength as well. Guy, would you want to invite your friends to join us for food before we start our special training?"

"Hai Tousan! Would you both want to join us?" Guy passionately questioned.

Having been quiet in the torrent of an interaction, Hana finally spoke up, "Thank you for the kind words and offer, but I should be getting home soon. My parents are likely wondering why I haven't returned yet. My apologies!" and left with a small polite bow.

With her departure, the pair's eyes are now on Hayase alone. 'Never could I have imagined that I would be in this situation,' thought Hayase.

"Food sounds great! I had something that I wanted to ask you anyway Guy so this works out," Hayase said, "Sparring against you really helped me realize where I need to improve. Would you want to spar again in the future? or.... even train together?"

Knowing Guy, Hayase felt he would undoubtedly be willing to spar again if asked. Training, however, would likely be up to Duy... At that moment, Hayase had considered staying quiet about training, but he knew that he would regret not asking. 'Training with these two training maniacs would be torturous, but it might be just what I need,' thought Hayase remembering his weakness in their spar.

At Hayase's questions, Guy excitedly looked towards his father for approval. Laughing with a smile, Duy answered Guy's unspoken question with, "It looks like today's training will be a very special one indeed!" as he put his hand on Guy's head.

'They said yes,' thought Hayase, 'This is great! Wait... did he say today's training? Nagi-san is going to kill me...'

With Guy dragging Hayase by his arm, the trio left the academy restaurant and training bound.

_________________________________________________________

Author's Note:

Hi Y'all! I know that this story has been a bit slow to start, but I'm planning to move through the remaining 2 years in the academy fairly fast (a couple of chapters at most). With that in mind, I just wanted to ask: What parts of Hayase's development are you most looking forward to seeing described in detail? Obviously, I'm going to need to use some time skips, but I don't want to neglect some of the relationships that I've set up or ignore some of the cooler parts of integrating water bending into Hayase's fighting style.