[Haruno Seiji]

Despite his dance partner's praise, it was clear Seiji was spent. While he knew he had plenty of chakra to spare, his body was sore and every inch of him ached from his opposition's intense strikes. He reached up with a hand marred by tiny scrapes and brushed hair wet with sweat from a bruised and dirty face. Even with the grime and gore, Seiji still held a warm expression, determined yet kind, as he spoke. "I put up a good front." He imagined the double meaning wouldn't be lost on Atagi.

The redhead closes in again, tossing jabs left and right. Maybe he was getting tired, but Atagi's offense was growing predictable. As each blow came in, Seiji deflected them, redirecting strikes and countering with jabs of his own. Of course, his attacks were nothing but a trifle either, reactive movements that were easy enough to block in turn. From the outside looking in it would look like a proper waltz, feet bouncing in and out of range and jabs and hooks blurred by speed as the two used offense to try and create an opening, as opposed to just waiting for one.

When Atagi found one he leapt into a crushing axe kick, driving it down hard toward Seiji's shoulder. If it hit, the full brute force of the Uzumaki's strength would likely prove far more damaging than either of them were ready to deal with. But, given Seiji was mid-strike, he didn't have the time to dodge and instead was forced to draw his arms up in a cross block, taking the heel to braced forearms. It fucking hurt, but he could deal with it as he was pushed back by the impact, a cloud of dust billowing around skidding soles.

But Seiji wasn't about to acquiesce. It dawned on him, in this moment of resolve, that the two of them hadn't choreographed any finale; no winner had been decided ahead of time. If they kept on going the way they were, the two of them would walk away as two beaten and exhausted imbeciles, as opposed to two tacticians prepared to tackle their next fights at near full strength. But then, what was thirty minutes anyway?

Seiji grinned, his determination, to not just put on a performance, and give his new friend a platform to do the same, but to win invigorated as the timer ticked ever closer to their finish. He rushed back in, like a firefighter charges through a burning threshold, and met his opponent again. The two continued with a flurry of blows, their dance truly beginning in full swing. Strikes were blocked and redirected, grabs were countered and advantage exchanged back and forth with each move.

And, as the pair grew more familiar with one another's techniques and the quirks of their reactions and movements, their bond strengthened like welded steel. Their fight became a subconscious bout as they studied and learned one another. Before long it was like somehow watching a fighter battle their own self, each move was executed and reacted to expertly by both combatants with no clear end in sight.

[Thread Finished.]

Uzumaki Atagi

[hirana kizumi]

Every time it seemed like one of the boys would gain the upper hand and bring the fight to a close, the tide shifted in the other’s favor, and the bout continued. Half an hour flew by in this fashion—the entire crowd watched with bated breath, cheering and heckling in equal measure as the advantaged shifted back and forth between Atagi and Seiji. While Seiji held the physical advantage, Atagi was more versatile—Seiji could hit harder and move more nimbly, but Atagi had the fortitude to withstand those hits and the instinct-driven reflexes to match. It was a close fight—a very close fight—but as the timer drew to a close, a winner had to be declared. "Time’s up!” the announcer shouted, calling the boys to a halt. A proctor entered the field to ensure that they separated; there was no ill intent, that much was obvious, but it was easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and block out all the extraneous noise. "The winner is…” He paused for dramatic affect—the proctor took one each of Seiji and Atagi’s wrists in hand. "Uzumaki Atagi!” The proctor thrust Atagi’s fist up into the air, declaring his victory—that cacophony of jeering and cheering started up again, all the more enthusiastic from both parties for the amount of time that this fight had taken. Neither of the boys were particularly badly injured, just sweaty and tired—they were given some time in the medical tent to rest and rehydrate for some twenty minutes before being allowed to rejoin the spectator box and watch the rest of the matches until the team fights were called. [+1 VICTORY TO UZUMAKI ATAGI] [+1 BROTHER FOR LIFE TO HARUNO SEIJI]

LAIKA OF THQ