Kenta flexed his fingers with a grin, his noble arrogance on full display, while Kushina cracked her knuckles, her red hair practically sparking with fury. "You're done, noble toad!" she snarled. "Eat dirt, Red!" Kenta shot back.
The duel was seconds away—until the village's power players caught wind of it.
High above the compound, perched in a tree just beyond Kenta's sensory range, an ANBU operative—code name "Hawk"—watched the scene unfold through a hawk mask. His heart sank as he saw Kenta and Kushina gearing up. 'Oh, kami, this is bad,' he thought, leaping from the branch and bolting toward the Hokage's office.
Hawk had been trailing Kenta for weeks, always at a safe distance, ever since the kid threw a tantrum that still haunted the ANBU corps.
*Flashback time:*
It'd started a day after Kenta arrived in Konoha ago, when he first felt a flicker of chakra tailing him—Hawk, on orders to guard the Daimyō's grandson.
Kenta, paranoid and dramatic, had stormed into Madam Shijimi's house or rather his Grandma's house, slamming the door so hard Tora yowled and fled. "Grandma!" he'd bellowed, pointing at the ceiling like he'd uncovered a conspiracy.
"There's a pervert stalking me! I felt it—an ANBU creep! This village is full of weirdos—The Hokage spies on women, everyone knows that! Who's to say this guy's not into men—or worse, young boys like me?! I'm a noble prize, my chastity's at stake!" Madam Shijimi, sipping tea, had nearly choked, while Hawk, hidden outside, turned beet red under his mask.
"I-I'm not—kami, no!" he'd sputtered to his captain later, mortified. Kenta's rant reached the Hokage, who sighed and ordered, "Keep him safe, but out of his range—kid's a drama queen." Thus, Hawk became a long-distance babysitter, cursing his luck daily.
Now, sprinting through Konoha's rooftops, Hawk muttered, "That brat's gonna get himself flattened by Kushina—and I'll get blamed!" He burst into Hiruzen's office, panting, "Hokage-sama! Kenta Madoka—he's dueling Kushina Uzumaki at the Senju compound! Right now!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, mid-puff on his pipe, froze, smoke curling around his hat. "Kushina? Against the Daimyō's grandson?" His mind raced, a mix of dread and absurdity. 'Oh, kami, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Kushina's a walking battering ram— Uzumaki stamina, no filter. If she doesn't hold back and cracks Kenta's skull, the Daimyō'll have my head on a platter. I can hear the council now—'Political crisis! Trade sanctions! War over a bruised noble!'' He chuckled wryly, standing.
'And knowing that kid, he'll egg her on 'til she snaps. Better watch this myself—might need to jump in before Mito starts laughing us all into a coma.'
"Fetch my cloak," Hiruzen barked, striding out. "I'm heading to the Senju compound. If this goes south, I'll stop it—hopefully before I'm explaining myself to a furious Daimyō over tea." He pictured Kenta's smug face and Kushina's fist colliding, muttering, "Why couldn't he pick a fight with someone less explosive? Like a rock?"
Meanwhile, across the village, Danzo Shimura sat in his dimly lit Root hideout, a scroll unfurling before him. A masked agent knelt, voice low. "Lord Danzo, the Madoka boy—Kenta—is about to duel Kushina Uzumaki at the Senju compound. Crowds gathering, Mito overseeing." Danzo's single eye narrowed, his mind whirring.
'The Daimyō's grandson, eh? Arrogant, talented—a potential asset. If I play this right, I could sway him to Root's side—future leverage against Hiruzen and the capital.'
He'd heard rumors of Kenta's sweet tooth—mochi mishaps and all—and a grin crept onto his stern face. 'Perfect.'
"Agents!" Danzo barked, rising with his cane. "Scour the village—every bakery, every stall. Bring me all the sweets you can carry—mochi, dango, cakes, now! Meet me at the Senju compound!" His Root operatives blinked under their masks, then scrambled.
Danzo, hobbling toward the Senju compound, cackled internally. 'I'll greet the brat with a sugar mountain—'Oh, young Madoka, join me, and sweets aplenty!' He'll be eating out of my hand—literally!' He pictured Kenta bowing, dazzled by pastries, and smirked.
'He is a noble kid easy to manipulate unlike a shinobi child. Hiruzen won't see this coming.'
Back at Madam Shijimi's house, Sayaka froze mid-sharpening her kunai as a paper butterfly fluttered through the window, landing on her lap. It was her discreet tracker—always tailing Kenta—and its frantic flapping screamed trouble.
After a few minutes, She found out what was going on. Her eyes widened, then narrowed in panic. "Oh, no—no, no, no! That idiot Young Master's at it again!" She leapt up, kunai clattering, and bolted for the door, her mind a whirlwind of dread.
'He's dueling Kushina?! Lady Mito's protegé?' she thought, sprinting through Konoha's streets, dodging pedestrians.
'He'll break her bones—claws out! And then Mito Uzumaki'll turn me into paper confetti for letting him stir this mess! 'Sayaka, you failed as a maid—shredded!' I'll be sweeping up my own remains while Tora laughs!'
"Young Master, you reckless cute noble lunatic—if you get us killed, I'm haunting you!" She clutched her paper pouch, muttering, "Gotta stop him—or at least cushion the fallout. Kami help me!"
---Back to the Senju Compound ----
Kenta and Kushina circled each other. "Last chance to bow, Red—I'll carve you up like a festival roast!"
Kushina smirked, fists raised. "I'll pound you into mochi paste, ya know—noble or not!" Mito watched, chuckling, while Tsunade muttered, "This'll end in tears—or blood."
Unbeknownst to the two kids, the village's heavy hitters were closing in. Mito decided to referee the duel herself.
'Kid looks like a male version of a young Tsunade even though she doesn't see it herself. Kushina would need friends in the future. Who better to support her than the Daimyô's grandson? And well, a good friendship starts with a good fight. Just look at me and Hashirama. Oh those were the days.' And with that thought, she started laughing again creeping out everyone present.
"Hahahaha"
----Author Notes-------
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