Sasuke was absent from class for nearly a full month.
By the time most of the girls had finally accepted that he might never come back, he reappeared without warning.
The reaction was instant chaos.
Girls rushed his desk one after another, talking over each other, voicing concern, relief, sympathy—every emotion spilling out at once. Sasuke didn't respond. He just stood there, hands clenched on the desk in front of him, head lowered, silent.
Shikamaru watched the scene with visible discomfort, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Girls are terrifying," he muttered, sprawled across his desk. "This is way too much."
"They are," Fujimoto Tōma agreed calmly. "But honestly… Sasuke putting up with this at all is kind of impressive. After what he's been through."
Shikamaru paused.
If he put himself in Sasuke's position—losing his entire clan, resting for a month, then walking straight back into the academy—there was no way his emotions were settled. Anyone else might've exploded already. The fact that Sasuke hadn't lashed out yet was… restraint.
Even Shikamaru wasn't sure he could manage that.
Then—
Bang!
A sharp crash echoed through the classroom.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "There it is."
Tōma looked up from his scroll.
Sasuke had slammed both palms onto his desk and stood up. The girls nearest him jumped back in shock, instinctively parting to make space.
But Sasuke didn't head for the door.
He walked straight toward the back of the classroom.
Toward Tōma.
That caught Tōma off guard.
Me? Why me?
Sasuke stopped directly in front of him. Their gazes locked.
Both had dark eyes—but where Tōma's held calm curiosity, Sasuke's burned with something raw and destructive.
The room went tense.It felt like a fight might break out at any second, and neither outcome would please the watching students.
"What's up, Sasuke?" Tōma asked evenly.
"Come with me," Sasuke said in a low voice.
He turned and walked out.
Tōma almost asked why, but curiosity won out. Sasuke had returned to school after the massacre and immediately sought him out—there was no way that was meaningless.
So Tōma stood and followed.
As he passed Ino's seat, he caught her worried look and gave her a small reassuring smile. It's fine.
Sasuke led him to a quiet corner of the grounds, away from the main paths.
"So?" Tōma asked. "What do you want?"
"Fight me," Sasuke said, turning around sharply. "I'll defeat you."
The words were blunt. Desperate.
Every night since that blood-soaked evening, Sasuke had been trapped in nightmares. The screams. The bodies. The eyes.
Revenge was the only thing left holding him together.
But how could he take revenge when he wasn't even the best in his class?
If he couldn't defeat Fujimoto Tōma—the top student—then what right did he have to talk about vengeance?
Tōma finally understood.
I'm his first step.
"I'm not against it," Tōma said after a moment. "But not right now."
"Why?" Sasuke demanded.
"I can't perform at my best during class hours," Tōma replied honestly. "After school. Here. Then we fight."
The truth was simpler than Sasuke realized—Tōma was currently using a shadow clone. With how tightly he budgeted chakra, a real fight would dispel it in minutes.
Sasuke hesitated… then nodded.
"Fine."
If he was going to win, he wanted it clean.
After school, Tōma told Ino to head home without him. He had something to take care of. She was disappointed, but didn't argue.
When Tōma arrived at the agreed spot, Sasuke was already there.
"Now?" Sasuke asked.
Tōma nodded, studying him quietly.
Even now, Sasuke was holding himself together. That alone spoke volumes.
Indra and Asura… huh.
Sasuke moved first.
The fight didn't last long.
No matter how Sasuke attacked—straight punches, kicks, feints—Tōma blocked them with minimal movement. Calm hands. Precise timing. No wasted motion.
Tōma barely even counterattacked.
Sweat poured down Sasuke's face. His eyes widened in disbelief.
The gap was overwhelming.
If Tōma wanted to end it, Sasuke would already be on the ground.
Tōma watched him with mild interest. One of the future monsters, sure… but right now? Still a kid.
Then Sasuke clenched his teeth.
His hand slipped into his ninja pouch.
Tōma's expression changed instantly.
They were first-years.They hadn't been taught combat training yet.No instructors. No supervision.
Using ninja tools here crossed a line.
Against someone weaker, it could cause real injury—or worse.
But Sasuke didn't care anymore.
He refused to accept this gap.He refused to lose.
His fingers closed around a shuriken.
And in that moment, this stopped being a simple spar.