"Sneak, sneak, sneak."
Naruto's brow twitched. His lips quivered.
It was just before five, and he had arrived at the dorm, prepared to knock on his team's dorm rooms to alert them to their training. A good morning workout to get them stretched out and ready for the day was the perfect way to start.
However, what Naruto hadn't expected upon stepping into the dorm was to see Gold Ship scurrying across the floor, army crawling through the dorm's entrance. She was eccentric, sure. He wouldn't put it past her to do something like this randomly, but given she was wearing her street clothes, it was almost as if she was trying to escape…
"Gold Ship, what are you doing?" Naruto grunted, causing Gold Ship to jump in alarm and panic.
"Ah! Well, you see…" Gold Ship jittered, awkwardly laughing, attempting to cover her tracks.
"You're trying to skip out on our morning jog, aren't you?" Naruto squinted his eyes and gave Gold Ship a hard glare. "Go get dressed in your tracksuit. And don't try to escape through your window. I'll be watching."
"Yes, sir…" Gold Ship groaned, kicking her feet against the carpeted floor while grumbling to herself. "You're no fun…"
"Tch, fun comes after work." Naruto clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, shaking his head as he watched Gold Ship retreat into the hallway. With a sigh, he faintly smiled before ruffling his locks. "Don't I know it…"
"Haven't had much time for fun for a long while."
[ X ]
Inhaling the fresh morning air as dew dripped from the grass as the sun rose, Naruto let out a controlled but content breath. Taking in the beautiful light as it glinted off the Tama River, with a general sense of how much time he had left, his gaze shifted to his team, wearing their red and white tracksuits, trailing behind him for their morning run.
There was a weird mixture of surprise in their gazes as Naruto led them through the popular trail, each likely in wonder how a human was able to lead a group of Umas on a run. Most were probably used to trainers running alongside them, legitimately sprinting to keep up, or throttling down to keep pace with their trainer. It was likely a new experience that they could pace themselves, and a human trainer could keep up with them.
Naruto had to refrain from snickering at their looks of disbelief, aside from Oguri Cap, who didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by the fact. If they only knew he was dramatically holding back to keep pace with them.
Still, he was thankful McQueen mentioned it, as it was both fairly scenic and, despite being a popular running destination, sparse enough that they wouldn't be bothered. The city air wasn't so toxic out here, and he could breathe without a sneer.
That was something he would have to pay attention to once they returned home. All the progress in the world didn't matter if they polluted and poisoned themselves and the world around them!
Slowing his pace to a stop, Naruto, taking out a canteen of water, took a drink before he turned to the rest of team Gutsy, who followed his example as he pulled out their water bottles from his thigh pouch. "Alright, good start. Let's take a break and rehydrate and refuel. After our break, we're gonna jog back so you have time to get cleaned up and do what you need to prepare for class.
"Hai!" The team responded in unity, albeit in different tones, as they incredulously took their water bottles from Naruto. Each was unsure how he had managed to fit all their bottles in such a tight space.
"Okay, if no one else is gonna say something, I will. How?" Vodka growled, pointing directly at his thigh pouch after receiving her bottle. "There is no way that little thing is capable of packing all this stuff."
"Heh, you'd be surprised what else is in there." Naruto chuckled. He had modified his pouch with a variant storage seal that had dramatically increased its carrying capacity. And as Vodka and the rest of his team stared owlishly at Naruto, wondering what else was in his pouch, he simply widely grinned at them. "Sorry! No telling. It's a shinobi trade secret, ya know?"
"Shinobi trade secret?" Gold Ship squinted before thoughtfully stroking her chin. Her eyes shot wide open as she giddily danced. "You're a ninja? Awesome! You've gotta teach me some of your tricks!"
"That would be utterly irresponsible of me to teach you of all people." Naruto flatly, aware of just what Gold Ship would do with such abilities. He was lucky that ninjas existed in this world, although they were vastly different from what they were in his world. Luckily, for him, there were myths and legends about shinobi that would allow Naruto to get away with quite a lot of feats…
And he was gonna abuse that and create whole new legends of what ninja could do!
Upon seeing a sagely nod in agreement from McQueen, Naruto's eyes twinkled. A Cheshire grin spread on his features before he winked. "Mah, maybe later if you really want to learn. You'll have to earn it, though."
"That is a horrible idea!" McQueen voiced her fear, her voice shrill as she repeatedly shook her head, knowing what Gold Ship could and would do with such abilities.
…The horrors she would inflict…
"Not really. I plan to teach you tricks of my trade that will benefit you on the track. You'd be surprised at all the exercises involving footwork and breathing that would translate." Naruto shook his head to ease McQueen's fear.
"Oh," McQueen's fear dissipated, and a sense of relief passed through her. "If that's the case, I am quite interested in what training you have in store for us."
"I have some interesting plans going forward for each of ya." Naruto flashed a grin, measuring each member of his unit with his gaze. He didn't expect any of them to struggle with a morning run since it was a moderate pace.
His only concern was Teio, but the bone was structurally sound enough that such light effort wasn't enough; she wasn't showing any drastic signs of distress. He had noticed some winces and pained grimaces, but nothing more.
Naruto made a note to make sure he had a moment to check her leg personally later, before this afternoon's session.
"Alright, break's over." Naruto clapped, pocketing his canteen before taking everyone's water bottles, mystifying his team even as they watched him pocket them into his pouch. With a wave, he lightly jogged ahead. "We're gonna be picking up the pace on the way back to finish strong."
As those words left his lips and he took the lead, Naruto's eyes sharpened on Teio. That statement was expected amongst her peers. However, he noticed her swallow the lump in her throat.
He really was gonna need to see that leg soon.
[ X ]
Sipping on a cup of tea Hinata made for him as he sat next to his wife in the trainer's room, Hana sitting on the other end of the table, Naruto quietly wrote a few notes he had made from his observations. There wasn't much to note as he had only had a meeting and a morning jogging session with his new team.
Naruto needed to see more.
At least there was peace and quiet now in the trainer's room. It was far calmer without the professionals pestering. He was thankful for it because he hardly gained any knowledge from them. He could take notes on previous races to familiarize himself with Uma racing in general while scouting potential competition.
And maybe learn something about this Zone he had heard whispers about.
Naruto had conferred with Hinata about his suspicion of what he was sensing with her, and her Byakugan confirmed it. They possessed an energy similar to chakra. Now that he knew that was the case, he was curious about how it worked. It felt like only a few could even use it. Most professionals…
And several who went to Tracen Academy.
He had questions about it for them, but for now, it wasn't important. If it was something only the elite could do, there was no need to focus on that when competing at the G1 wasn't a priority. They weren't even allowed to do that until after their Debut Race.
Naruto could focus on that after their debut. He needed to build them up for that. A problem that he had already found out was that the word train seemed to be a trigger word for Gold Ship. As soon as he mentioned it, she would either do something else or disappear.
It almost felt as if she were allergic to training.
However, before he could train them, he needed an idea of what they could do. And Naruto could only think of one way to see it with his own eyes. He needed them on the track. To run with them at their peak on the track and see everything personally.
Only after that could he formulate a plan on how to proceed.
"Hana," Naruto spoke up as he lifted his head from his notes and glanced over at his fellow trainer, trying to catch her attention. "Can I ask for a favor? I would like to borrow Symboli for a practice scrimmage this afternoon. I want to see what my team can do in person while having something to measure their ability against."
"A scrimmage?" Hana raised her brow as she looked up from her reports. She pursed her lips thoughtfully before slightly nodding. "Hm, I will see if I can try to arrange it, if she has the time. She might be busy because she is the student council president at the start of the year. There are often quite a lot of business and events to sort out and prepare for."
"Appreciate it. That's all I can ask for," Naruto bowed his head after flashing a smile, attempting to return his notes when he noticed Hinata's faint smile. "What?"
"Now that you mention that, I have a favor to ask you." Hinata gave a coy smile, immediately recognizing his wife was plotting.
Or she was lu…
Naruto flushed and quickly shook his head. Not at work! …That was for later…
"Down boy," Hinata whispered, much to Naruto's dismay, being able to read him like a book. With a finger tap to his cheek, she smiled. "I wanted to do the same thing with my team."
"I want to propose a joint session."
[ X ]
Rapping his knuckles against his team's locker room with one hand while shifting his headband over his eyes, Naruto stepped into the room. "Everyone dressed and ready to go?"
"No, one moment," Gold Ship slyly retorted, slinking against the wall, attempting to escape out the door behind Naruto.
"You're not fooling me. Even if I can't see you, I can hear you. Get away from the door. You're not getting out of this." Naruto scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest, staring in Gold Ship's general direction.
"Gah, why are you so good?!" Gold Ship glowered, miffed, and pouted as she stepped away from the door.
"Years of hard work and practice," Naruto responded with a smirk.
"We're all dressed and ready to go. What's the plan?" Vodka snorted with a hint of amusement twinkling in her eyes.
"Cool, we're gonna have a practice scrimmage. I want to get a personal gauge on what each of you are capable of, what you excel at, etc. And it so happens my wife wanted to do the same with her team. So it will be a joint scrimmage. Everyone on board?" Naruto announced as he raised his headband to take count of his team and their reactions.
"That sounds reasonable," Suzuka respectfully bowed, accepting the decision without argument.
"We get to race against Team Gentle already and show off? Sweet." Vodka broadly beamed, full of vim and vigor.
"I'm fine with it. I simply want to run," Oguri Cap shrugged, indifferent.
"A race? Why didn't you say so? I'm in!" Gold Ship's eyes twinkled as she cockily smirked before rummaging through her locker. "Now, where is my blindfold…"
"Eh? Really? So soon after the trials?" Special Week nervously jittered with a mix of apprehension and excitement, looking around at her teammates for support, only to see their approval.
"I think you are more than capable of doing it. If it wasn't for your late start, there was a good chance you would have won your race with that furious rally late." Naruto gave Special Week a confident smile and assurance. Her apprehension seemed to melt away until she noticed Naruto grin. "However, now you'll be testing amongst your peers who are about to debut and those who already have to see where you stand in an actual race. Everyone you will face from now on will be in a talent pool above what you have seen before."
"He's right. It's a good idea for you to not just see with your own eyes what you are about to face, but personally feel it on the track. The competition can get quite fierce, and if you are not prepared, you'll be left behind." McQueen added with quiet reverence, understanding the pressure and trials of races, her gaze falling upon an uneasy Teio.
"Sometimes the moment can be too big for you to handle… And in an instant, you make a simple mistake when you realize you are in over your head… and push too hard." Teio grimaced while she sat on the bench, gingerly tracing her left calf.
The atmosphere in the room tensed. A pin drop could be heard as all attention was directed toward Teio. Even Gold Ship stopped rummaging in her locker and glanced over at Teio with a pitying expression. Despite Special Week's confusion, she was able to decipher from everyone's facial expression and Teio's gesture that something had happened.
While Teio was fairly young compared to the rest, she debuted last year and was considered a senior Uma racer after a year of URA circuit experience.
"Which reminds me," Naruto broke the tension, stepping toward Teio. "I am aware you have been released to all physical activity, but given how I've seen you moving, I'm not sure I want you participating…"
"But I can!" Teio aggressively snapped, then recoiled from her own assertiveness.
"Let me finish," Naruto shook his head, understanding Teio's desire to prove herself and return to the track. Teio sheepishly flushed, allowing Naruto to continue. "What I was trying to say was I'm not sure I want you participating without checking out your leg myself, and I can verify you can go. You might not know it from looking at me, but I know more about anatomy than you think."
"Yeah, I don't know about that one. Our last trainer was pretty handsy with our calves. He would always feel up our calves when we least suspected it." Vodka sneered, recalling their last trainer.
"Wait, he was?" Special Week blinked before flinching at a memory. "I think I might have met him before…"
"Mah, I don't need to do that. I can see from the tension and tone precisely how strong and limber they are." Naruto scowled at the accusation before pointing at Gold Ship. "It's why I can tell during her tryout she was holding back and could have easily blown everyone out."
"Eh! No, I wasn't!" Gold Ship adamantly denied, only for McQueen and Vodka to blandly glare at her, knowing the truth. She simply grumbled and glared back at them. "You guys are no fun…"
"Oh. I uh… Sure. I trust you." Teio's flush deepened, biting her lip before exhaling and giving Naruto permission by extending her left leg forward.
"Thanks," Naruto knelt before Teio, gently cupping her calf with his bandaged right hand while holding her leg steady with his left.
Ever since he obtained that power, he was able to notice the slightest of details with a light pulse of chakra. Able to restore wounds that weren't too grievous, and a minor bone break or misalignment was something he could easily repair.
Naruto momentarily frowned as he found what he was looking for. The bone was decidedly weaker and had not yet fully healed. Luckily, it was aligned properly, so there wasn't much he needed to do.
With a deep breath and his pupils shifting gold for a brief moment, Naruto drew upon the power Grandpa Sage had bestowed upon him. And with just a gentle push, that was all that was needed.
"Is everything good?" Teio tepidly responded, grimacing as she likely felt something but didn't know precisely what Naruto had done.
And she would likely never suspect a thing, even when she realized she wasn't feeling pain any longer.
"Yep!" Naruto chirped, setting Teio's leg down, stepping away from her while broadly grinning. "You're good to go."
"Let's see what you and everyone else have got."
[ X ]
Naruto let out a relieved yawn as he stretched his arms behind him. It had been rough on him being inside most of the day. He felt stiff. That was something he wasn't accustomed to quite yet. He knew that the Hokage spent quite a bit of their day stuck inside, but Old Man Sarutobi, Grandma Tsunade, and Kakashi-sensei each found their unique ways to get about and out of the office.
He knew he would need to do that, as doing so would drive Naruto stir-crazy.
Glancing around, watching his team stretch alongside Hinata's team, Naruto pursed his lips. He had expected Rice Shower, given that it was the story Hinata had been reading when she was brought to Tokyo. The same with Scarlet after she mentioned it last night.
The small but enthusiastic Haru Urara made quite a lot of sense, just given what he had seen of her. Just from the reports, Naruto would have invited her into his team if Hinata hadn't. Haru always did her best and always smiled afterward, regardless of the results. Not that he was surprised. Everyone seemed to love Haru. Even Gold Ship's standoffish rival on team Rigil, Orfevre, seemed to have a soft spot for her.
Naruto had remembered Super Creek approaching Hinata during the races, where she likely requested his wife to be her trainer. The other three were somewhat surprising.
A lithe and weathered silver-haired Uma wearing red ear covers and a peculiarly long red and blue stretch, her gaze glimpsing toward Oguri Cap momentarily. However, she rolled her eyes and laughed to herself as Oguri, unaware of her stare, shook her entire body and head as she stretched out.
Tamamo Cross… Naruto mused. He had his eye on her, however, like Scarlet, Hinata had picked her before he had a chance to scout her. He also found it curious that, from the glint in her eyes alone, there seemed to be some sort of camaraderie between her and Oguri.
Naruto wondered what that was.
His attention shifted to the next, bubbly, shorter Uma, with long, chestnut-orange hair bouncing, full of confidence and energy. Naruto immediately recognized her again as someone he had considered taking in on his team.
Mayano Top Gun. A feisty Uma with a blindingly positive attitude that didn't know when to give up…
Naruto exhaled and shook his head. He really did have a type…
But more importantly, he felt rather sore from this day, with no exercise besides the morning jog. Naruto vowed to take some time and train tonight. He needed to keep his edge just in case. There was always the possibility something could happen.
"I know what you are thinking," Hinata muttered, squinting as she stepped beside Naruto with a frown. With a sigh, she faintly smiled and shook her head. "Just be out too late…"
"Mah, I won't," Naruto grinned, his gaze glinting before he turned his attention to their teams. "How did we end up with two teams the same size? I had to scout every single member for mine…"
"Most requested me through Director Akikawa after meeting at the track, except Super Creek. She directly asked me," Hinata smiled while shaking her head and sighing as one of her more well-endowed Uma ladies, the last one that snuck under Naruto's gaze, began to stumble as she spectacularly failed during her stretching. "I find it amusing that most of the members of our teams are quite similar to us in many ways… And as you have likely noticed, the mirror is not always flattering."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Doto watch where you… Ugh!" Scarlet groaned as she failed to catch Doto, who tripped and collapsed on top of her.
"Hahaha!" Vodka was unable to restrain her bellowing laughter.
"Shut up!" Scarlet snarled from underneath Doto, glowering at her rival.
"Aaahhh! I am so sorry." Meisho Doto cried, trying to scramble up, only to collapse onto Scarlet again.
"My back!" Scarlet wailed as Vodka, and now Gold Ship, laughed and enjoyed her agony. Scarlet seethed and growled at them. "Could you jerks help?"
"Here," A single, rugged hand was offered to Doto. She accepted, and with incredible ease, Cap assisted Doto to her feet.
"Thank you," Doto expressed her gratitude as Scarlet jumped up and started chasing Vodka and Gold Ship.
"I'm gonna make you both pay! Get back here!" Scarlet screamed, chasing the two in circles on the track.
"Alright, that's enough. You can goof off after the scrimmage." Naruto intervened, stepping in between his smirking stooges while holding Daiwa back. With a glare at them, Scarlet huffed but nodded.
"You two are gonna get it later." Scarlet glared, twitching as Gold Ship blew a raspberry and Vodka simply grinned. "Especially you. I can get you whenever I want."
"Oh, I'll be ready, roomie," Vodka's eyes sparkled with defiant amusement before the two shared an intense stare with each other.
"Save it for the track," a voice that caused Teio to freeze in the middle of a stretch resounded, as Symboli, in her Tracen tracksuit, strode toward them. Her attention shifted to Naruto and Hinata, and she gave a respectful bow. "I apologize for not arriving sooner. The student council had several topics to discuss, and it took longer than I had anticipated. Do we have lots set out?"
"I gave them out before stretches. You'll be on six." Hinata delicately strode over to inform Symboli.
"Eh?" Teio, in the middle of high-stepping, faltered upon seeing Rudolf and hesitantly approached. "President? Why are you here?"
"I was asked to participate in your practice to measure everyone's ability and progress," Rudolf responded, fondly smiling at Teio before giving her an apprehensive look. "However, I am more concerned about you. I know you aren't a hundred percent."
"I feel better than I have in a long time!" Teio brightly beamed, posing with a victory symbol, while showing her limberness. "And after a quick check-up, Naruto-san said I was good to go! He didn't feel anything wrong!"
"I see," Symboli mused after furrowing her brow. A thinly veiled smile crept onto her lips, and her eyes shimmered as the attention of both teams was directly on her. "Very well then. I expect to see your best. And that goes for everyone. While this may be a scrimmage for your trainers to ascertain what you are capable of, every race is more than that for students of Tracen Academy. It's not only a chance to show your skills or earn glory. You race for the prestige of Tracen and the honor of everyone who attends."
Naruto lifted his brow as Symboli gave her short speech before giving a light smirk. He had to give her credit. On short notice, it was both inspirational and poignant, and Naruto understood the point. If he had to put it in his own words, it was like the importance of jobs that came from outside the village. They not only filled the shinobi's pockets, but depending on how well they completed them, built their legacy. And by completing the mission, the village benefited from how they represented and upheld their code.
With a shared gaze with his wife, they nodded to one another before Hinata headed up into the stands, and Naruto's voice resonated. "Alright, head to your gates. It's about time we get started."
"Hai," Several responded as they took their gates.
"Yeah, yeah. Give me a moment," Gold Ship responded, irritated, as she put on her blindfold before approaching her gate calmly.
"Uh, Trainer-san," A chipper but worried voice that belonged to Haru Urara called out to Naruto, hand raised. Naruto repressed a frown upon seeing her trepidation as she glanced over at the gate. "Um, I'm really bad at racing on the turf…"
"Just do your best and don't worry about the results. All we ask of you is to go out there and show us how much you wanna run." Naruto smiled to alleviate her nerves before gently laughing. "And just for you, I'll run with you. What do you say?"
"You will! Yay!" Haru leapt up, both hands clenched in excitement, as Naruto nodded; her infectious positivity overriding her anxiety, washing away before she raced over to her gate.
"That was always the plan," Naruto chuckled and shook his head, taking the final gate.
"Huh?" Vodka's head jolted as she noticed Naruto take the sixteen gate. "You're joining us? I thought you would be watching."
"What better way to watch than on the track?" Naruto responded before giving Vodka a devilish smirk. "What's the matter? Scared I can beat ya? You were struggling to keep up with me this morning."
"Oh, it's on now!" Vodka glowered, lowering her stance and prepared to burst out of the gate.
Naruto repressed the urge to laugh. He was already finding ways to get under his student's skin. And given what he had learned from watching races, that was one thing that correlated racing with his life back home. Sometimes the best way to overcome your opposition was to annoy them.
His gaze sharpened as he watched everyone prepare at their gates.
Suzuka held a quiet determination, ready to burst from the gates and take the lead. Naruto wondered if she could hold it with this level of competition.
Gold Ship held a cocky confidence as she threw off her blindfold, while McQueen, next to her, looked calm and composed. She had a certain swagger that, unflatteringly, reminded Naruto of his younger self. If Naruto were lucky, a competition of this manner would likely humble her.
On the other side of a calm and collected McQueen, there was Rice Shower. He could see her unease as she hesitantly glanced over at McQueen, and her nerves calmed. Naruto pursed his lips, wondering if Rice similarly admired McQueen as Teio respected Symboli.
Then there was Teio, who Naruto could feel was a nervous wreck. He wondered how much she doubted she could compete at a high level after such a brutal injury and how much that would hold her back. Add in that in the stall next to her was her idol…
Hinata could be devious, and looking at all the gates she had ordered, she had done so on purpose. That sweet, gentle smile hid what truly lay beneath… That alternate illusion version of Hinata wasn't entirely inaccurate…
With a shake of his head, Naruto returned his attention to the Uma patiently waiting in their gates. An unusually laser-focused Oguri Cap stood on the other side of Symboli in her gate. Then again, Naruto had never seen her race before, so he shouldn't have been surprised. She seemed to live for only two things.
To eat and to run. Naruto was confident she would show well today, especially if the presence he could feel within her were correct.
Surprisingly, beside her was Tamamo Cross, which confirmed his suspicion that there was some connection to her and Cap if his suspicion of his wife was correct. And with how ready she was to burst out the gate, almost as if she had something to prove after a quick glance at Oguri, Naruto was sure of it.
Super Creek stood calmly next to Cross, a serene expression on her face as she whispered to Doto beside her, offering her reassurance. Meisho, to her credit, seemed ready, but after watching how clumsy she happened to be while stretching, he'd have to keep an eye on her.
Haru simply waved, somehow noticing him observing everyone. Naruto had to crack a smile.
She is adorable! Can we adopt her? Kurama whined and begged.
Mah, she's not that much younger than Hinata and me. That'd be kind of weird… Besides… Naruto exhaled, suppressing his desire to scoff and laugh at the Nine Tails before his thoughts trailed at the thought of being a father in nine months…
Pushing that thought for later, Naruto's gaze traced over the eager and ready Mayano Top Gun. Her gaze twinkled, ready to show everyone what she was capable of.
Special Week looked calmer today than she did during tryouts. It looked like, despite her nerves, she would start slow this time and show what she could do today now that she understood what she was waiting for.
And finally, Scarlet and Vodka had barely acknowledged each other in the last two lanes, although as soon as the race began, he imagined they would be at one another.
The gates snapped open, and as Naruto left, it went as he suspected. Suzuka had burst out of the gate with breakaway speed to avoid being trapped in by the pack and to take her lead while the others jockeyed for position and to avoid being trapped in a crowd. Even if he couldn't see her expression, Naruto could feel her determination to get away from the crowd.
She wanted the view for herself and was determined not to let it go.
What he hadn't suspected was Mayano rushing in behind her and trailing by a length on the outside as they were about to hit the first corner. He supposed it made sense for someone of her size and stature to push to the front.
However, she was immediately in trouble as Daiwa Scarlet was just outside as they hit the corner, and McQueen was rapidly overtaking them both. Mayano had tried to escape the pack, knowing she didn't have the strength to keep up with the other, larger, and stronger Uma.
It almost felt like there were three packs as the cluster had thinned. Suzuka led McQueen, Daiwa, and Mayano in the rapid pace group, trying to separate from the next group, but not by as much as they would have liked.
And while the crowded pack had begun to thin after the first straight away and onto the corner, Naruto glowered as he hung back to hang with the struggling Haru, as he promised. "Mah, you gonna try?"
"Are you?" Gold Ship grinned, waving at Naruto before smiling at Haru. "You're doing so well! Ready to make a charge and catch the others?"
"I'm trying," Haru gasped, not from the lack of breath, but from sheer exertion trying to keep up with her fellow Uma on a track she wasn't as suited to run on.
"Well, I'll stay with you until it's time to make my move!" Gold Ship chirped, ignoring the glare Naruto was giving her.
Naruto damn well knew if she tried, she could catch the others! At least she was trying to be supportive of Haru, but… Ugh!
He shook his head and looked ahead. The group directly ahead of them, stretching their lead from Haru and Gold Ship but trailing the much larger group ahead, was being led by Vodka. It was a conservative approach, for sure. Saving everything they had for the final stretch.
It worked. It was how Vodka overtook Scarlet in the tryout races. However, with Cap and Cross on her inside and outside hip, Naruto wondered if she could do the same this time.
Rice and Teio set the moderate pace behind those exiting the long corner. They had begun to make their move, attempting to catch the lead Suzuka had stretched from those in her pack. They caught and passed Mayano, who was desperately trying to close in on Scarlet and McQueen and stay out of the pack that was swallowing her.
Naruto could feel Rice's gaze focus on McQueen as she pushed forward. But she wasn't able to make a move as Teio, with a look of sheer determination, put a hard foot down and burst forward past her, Scarlet, and a stunned McQueen to take second and begin to gain ground on Suzuka.
Suzuka glanced back upon hearing Teio approach, with a stern, almost upset glare, and then increased her pace to widen the gap.
"Whoa!" Naruto heard Special Week gasp, unable to make a move in the pack ahead as trapped into the railing with Mayano in front of her and Creek and Doto on her outside, while Vodka and Cross began to dash forward, cutting off any move she could make.
They were gonna have to work on her strength later. Didn't want something like that to happen again…
Naruto's eyes shifted to Symboli as she rapidly pushed past Week, Meisho, and Creek at the start of the corner and climbed past Rice, Scarlet, McQueen, and caught Teio. Naruto frowned as she passed her friend, eyes on catching Suzuka. With every step, she closed in and tracked her down with only two hundred meters left to go. Suzuka looked alarmed, but was unable to hold Rudolf back as she took the lead.
Naruto winced. It didn't look like he was gonna see what this Zone was in person…
Naruto's eyes sharpened and slanted. His gaze darted ahead, focusing on a single person as a pressure weighed on his chest. Not enough to take his breath away, but for the Uma on the track?
That girl. She's something even compared to the others we have come across. Kurama growled as Naruto's gaze fell onto a single Uma as she made her move.
Oguri Cap.
With a low, forward slanted stride, she rushed past everyone down the stretch. She easily sprinted past Vodka and Cross as they had begun to make their moves to catch and pass the log jam. Her furious charge caught Rice, Scarlet, McQueen, and even Teio. They each turned to her in alarm as Oguri passed.
However, as she dueled with Suzuka, attempting to catch Symboli, Rudolf gazed back with an almost amused glint in her eye—a glint he understood.
She was excited about the challenge.
"Ah, there you are… Still not quite there," Rudolf almost sounded amused.
And a second, overwhelming pressure doused the Uma racers, taking their breath away. But unlike the furious charge from Cap, this time Naruto sensed something different.
Nah, he could feel the air crackle around Symboli. He could feel what felt like chakra burning from within. For that brief moment, he saw something that looked like chakra glinting in her eyes before Symboli burst forward, crossing the finish line and leaving Suzuka and Cap by several lengths.
"So that's the Zone, huh?" Naruto quipped to himself, barely able to contain the excitement in his tone as everyone came to a slow stop as they passed the finish line.
It was almost exactly like chakra in its application. And if it worked like chakra, that meant he could teach everyone how to channel and use it. Naruto's eyes shone as everyone caught their breath, focusing solely on Symboli.
This was gonna be…
"Ugh! Again!" Scarlet cried in frustration as Vodka, gripping her temples in frustration while Vodka smirked.
"Looks like I gotcha again," Vodka's confident grin faded before she glowered. "And yet, neither of us finished in the top five… Gonna hit the gym later. Wanna join me?"
"Anything is better than this… This was demoralizing!" Scarlet deadpanned and deflated, defeated.
"Did I do well?" Haru simply asked, heavily panting as she looked up at Naruto.
"Heck, you beat me! You did awesome!" Gold Ship winked, causing Naruto to repress the urge to glare at her.
"Yay! I didn't finish last!" Haru joyously cheered at her accomplishment.
Naruto shook his head and simply smiled at Haru. He was gonna have to find some way to motivate Gold Ship.
"Yes, you did very well. You never gave up." Symboli praised Haru with a warm smile before she looked over at solemn Suzuka and a stunned Oguri. "So did you… All of you."
"Except you," Naruto bitterly growled, glaring at a smirking Gold Ship.
Symboli's ears twitched, hearing what Naruto said, but she said nothing. Her gaze simply shifted to Teio, her smile never faltering. "I look forward to seeing how each of you improves in the coming year. And perhaps, maybe…"
"I see some of you in the URA finals at the end of the year."