Daisuke responded to Midori-sensei's mean look with a childish, juvenile grin. Akihiko didn't seem to have been too spooked, and recovered fairly well. The boy looked the over boy up and down with a once-over. He seemed like any other new boy at the Academy, and thankfully not one of those snobbish prodigies. Daisuke would keep an eye on him during these fitness tests; he remembered how he, himself, had struggled with them when he was first getting started, how he had worked himself to exhaustion until he fainted and woke up hours later just to stumble home for more sleep. Akihiko was a bit more slender than Daisuke had been then, noticeably more slender now, after the more experienced lad had worked up more muscle and tone.
And then his attention was captured by the lass over by the tree, a girl he had never seen before. He would be a liar if he did not admit that he thought she was pretty, though the large, warm smile was quite the opposite to the dreadfully cold feel of her skin. It felt as if he shook hands with a block of ice, though his face nor his grasp betrayed that idea. Strangely, he did feel a twinge of jealousy; he bet that she could handle the intense colds of even Kumogakure's highest mountains, where Daisuke had to keep himself warm through chakra. He vaguely wondered if it also translated into a natural ward against the heat, and if she would be fine down in Sunagakure.
Regardless, he would release her hand from his firm grip and turn back to Midori-sensei, listening like a good student now that introductions were over and class had officially started. Fifty laps around the track... That would be easy enough, he would not even have to expend any chakra to aid him in this one. A simple endurance test that he himself had done on his own and smashed times before. Oh, how his progress caused pride to swell deep in his chest.
He looked at Mini as Midori-sensei had her sit it out for medical reasons. He was mildly curious what it could be, as endurance was a thing every shinobi had to train. He did not know many who were allowed to sit things out, but he would keep silent; it was none of his business. He stretched his legs as the older sensei hopped(what?) her way to the shade of a tree. Daisuke was quite flexible now and steady on one leg; he folded his leg up high against him, and then did the same with the other after a second as he watched the other boy begin his laps. He had a good pace.
After he had stretched, and Akihiko was on his second lap then, did Daisuke start. It was not a challenge to be punished, he just enjoyed a good stretch; he was loosey-goosey and ready to run. He started off at a rather quick speed, not quite a sprint for him, but damn near. His breath was even and came easy as he went, and his mind idly wandered as he ran. At one point, he found his head had turned down to look at his feet. Not because he was tired, but just because. He did not have to look where he went, as he knew the track almost by heart at this point. He could vividly remember how much he had sweat, and the few times he had vomitted, on this track. He knew he was ready to leave the Academy and begin his life as a shinobi, and the thought terrified him. He had put so much hard work at this place, had surpassed even the prodigies that annoyed him to the ends of the earth.
It did not take very long for him to finish his laps, and his breath was just as even as it had been when he started. He was relatively unphased by the run, though a bit more quiet now after the thoughts he had while he ran. He did not stop, however; no, instead he ran until he was next to Akihiko again, and slowed his pace down to match every step. He did not bother doing so silently, though he never said a word as he ran with the struggling boy. They were the same age, but Daisuke had started far earlier than he had, and had wished then there was someone to train alongside. So he ran with the other boy silently, going over fifty laps simply because he could, though he stopped counting after a while.
As the boy finished his fifty laps and walked off the track back to the sensei, Daisuke followed him, a newfound sense of respect. He had finished and not asked for help, didn't utter one complaint, and just finished his laps. Now, sneaky as can be again, Daisuke's hand flashed into a few handseals and his fingers softly pressed against Akihiko's side to deliver an
Anesthetic Infusion, relieving the boy of any pain he felt from the physical exertion. A second set of handseals and a second touch, Daisuke's chakra flowed into Akihiko as he performed
System Restoration to help remove some of his exhaustion. If only the ANBU Sennin, Miro, could see him now - he could perform medical ninjutsu with ease.
Daisuke said not a word as he moved a few feet away from Akihiko, and gave Midori-sensei a nod.
"Aye, I have finished, too."
[ 2/5, 1428 WC ]