[OP: "Second Child, Restless Child"--The Oh Hellos]

Naruto looked up at Momo. "Eh, but you guys are close, right? You have a bond. You don't just desert someone you have a bond with."

Momo looked pained. "Naruto, it's not that I want to, but I have to think about if...if I'm even doing anything for him this way. I feel like we haven't even had a real conversation in a long time. And this is...there's been a lot going on recently that's been very difficult for me to deal with, and I usually relied on Shoto, when people were judging me before, or when I was getting in trouble for slightly bending the rules... I knew he would support me. But I wonder if I can stand to be at odds with him, and with the world, at the same time... But then, I shouldn't rely on one person so much." She put her hand over her face, some tears fell, despite her efforts at keeping them back. "I'm so pathetic..."

"No, no!" Hinata forgot her shyness because Momo reminded her of herself. She put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not pathetic. I feel the same way about--" She stopped when she remembered that Naruto was right there. "--about some people I know."

"Who?" Naruto was so clueless.

Hanabi slapped her forward, sending water droplets out of her palm.

"Perhaps it's Neji." Sai was also clueless apparently, but at least he had an excuse.

"Oh, right." Naruto nodded.

"You just feel like you need him, right?" Hinata tried to be soothing. "And you feel like he's not been there for you."

"Yes...is it terrible how selfish I am?" Momo sniffled.

"Selfish? I wish you 'd tell him that and then punch him," Dabi scoffed. [😂]

"I could never!" Momo said.

"I think he's kidding," Hanabi said. "But still, you could just tell him you're done with this bull crap, and he should break up with his hate crush Sasuke and focus on his real girlfriend, you. I mean, honestly, this is getting ridiculous! And I've never had a boyfriend, but if I did have one, I'd just tell him."

"It's easy to say that when you haven't felt that way about anyone," Hinata reprimanded her. "When you love someone, you hate the thought of upsetting them more."

"I wish that was all," Momo said. "But I'm also starting to wonder if I'm more afraid that he'll just...end up not really caring."

"Did you ask him out first, or did he ask you out?" Hanabi asked.

"Oh...he asked me," Momo said. "I didn't have the nerve to tell him how I felt."

"Then he must like you enough to take the initiative," Hanabi mused, tapping her chin. "So why would he not care about you?"

"If he'd get his head out of his rear end," Dabi snorted.

"So he's neglecting both his brother and his girlfriend," Sai said. "I don't understand Shoto. Why would he focus on someone he can't stand so much when he has people who really want him around right here?" [Yeah, Sai! Can he be any more of a green flag?]

"Eh, some boys are so dumb," Hanabi sniffed.

"It's not just the boys, you know," Hinata said. 

"Well, the boys on this team are like this a lot," Hanabi declared. "I would never waste my time on this if I were Todoroki-san."

"There's more to it," Dabi said. "Sasuke has talked bad about Shine a lot, and Shoto feels like he had to defend her. He talks bad about all of us, in fact."

"But he doesn't need to protect us," Momo said. "Shine can protect herself."

"Not in Stone Village," Hanabi pointed out. "But wasn't Sasuke the one who protected her there? So why does Shoto still not like him?"

"I think I heard Sasuke denying he did that out of any concern," Dabi said. "I guess Snowflake feels if he's selfish about it, it doesn't count."

"He can't really believe that!" Momo looked up, almost too baffled by that to look sad now. "Sasuke surely wouldn't have cared about saving Shine for the mission itself. It must be personal."

"I dunno," Dabi said. "You've told me I deny that Endeavor really has changed, and maybe I do. Maybe he has, but I don't want to believe it, and I know it. I don't really think he deserves to get the chance from any of us. But that's not how it works in the faith, is it? Doesn't matter how I feel."

"You're so self aware about it," Hinata said. 

"I guess I figured out along the way that I was just doing this from spite," Dabi said, "or someone helped me figure it out. But I haven't really stopped being spiteful--I just know I'm doing it now."

"Sasuke didn't protect Shine because she's useful to the team," Hanabi said. "Even I know that, and I barely know him at all. Did you see the look in his eyes? It as like he was going to murder them all. That's not something you'd do out of utility."

"I agree," Dabi said. "But Snowflake is, as aforementioned, dense."

"So he just doesn't want to be wrong?" Sai was trying to follow this. "Is that it?"

"I just don't see why." Momo sat on the rim of the pipe, though she wasn't sure how clean it was. "He's admitted when he was wrong before...not very often, but he has."

"It must be that it's too humiliating," Dabi guessed. "I doubt he's forgotten that smack down Shine gave both of us after we screwed it up. And it was only weeks ago in our time."

"Oh, right, you guys are on a different timeline," Hinata said.

"Huh?" Naruto said.

"Part of the world walking thing," Hanabi said.

"That's...weird," Naruto didn't get it.

"Maybe then he just needs more time," Hanabi said.

"It's been months here," Momo said. "I think that's enough time to realize that Sasuke's journey is just...more complicated than that. I mean, does Shoto simply think it would be easy for him to change after all he's been through? It's like he's forgotten that part." She wiped her eyes. "But the thing is, I know Shoto is not like that, deep down. He's kind and caring about people in their suffering. He's not even afraid to care about things, like I am... I know he couldn't really not feel anything about Sasuke's past suffering. Just he believes that it's not enough not to judge him for... So why...?"

"That must be it," Hinata mused, sitting next to her. "Sasuke's past is just so tragic that none of us wanted to talk about it, ever. And perhaps, if Shoto acknowledged it, he might think that it's letting Sasuke off the hook for what he did wrong. And of course Sasuke was still wrong. I think we all know that. But I think it was wrong what happened to him, too. And I think I can feel both those things and not mind it, but Shoto is...he's not the type to have mixed feelings often, is he?"

"No, he generally just either likes someone, or he doesn't," Momo admitted. "Maybe you're right... He doesn't want to be caught being two opinions on Sasuke. But what is wrong with having two opinions on it? It's a complex situation."

"He doesn't know how to act," Dabi mused. "Not that the rest of us do. I guess it bugs him more. Sasuke is difficult for us to know how to help, so maybe judging him is easier. It's not pretty, but is Snowflake immune to that kind of temptation to write people off?"

Sadly...no, history did not show he was.

"There must be some way to make him see it differently," Hanabi said. "If he did, then, Momo, you would not have this problem. And you shouldn't split over something this stupid."

"I think Sasuke has ruined enough relationships," Sai said with a straight face.

They looked at him strangely.

"Oh, you mean...Ino and Sakura?" Hinata ventured.

"Yes," Sai said. "From all I've heard, they stopped being friends because of him."

"That wasn't Sasuke's fault, Paint Boy," Dabi said. "Sakura dumped Ino because she has an inferiority complex. Sasuke was just the last straw. It would serve Sakura right if she got that wet smack in the end--they're both such a--h---s. I think the blonde chick could do better, not that I really care about things like that, but if someone's gonna make the mistake of dating, might as well pick one who doesn't make them want to puke to be around."

"Wise words," Hanabi said flatly. "But you're not helping."

Dabi stiffened.

Then he shrugged. "Maybe not. What do you expect me to do? Is fixing things my field?"

"Even if you're not sure, you are related, and you two have some of the same ways of thinking," Momo said. "So, any insight you have might help me a little."

Dabi sighed. If he hadn't kind of liked Momo, deep down, he probably wouldn't have even bothered, but he rubbed his neck and then said, "Look, I don't know much about him...but if it were me, I guess I'd say it's not really about you here. It's about the past getting in his head again and taking all his attention. I guess Todorokis like to dwell on the past to the point where it's an obsession. If Snowflake was getting past that when you got together, then that could be why he even started dating you. I don't think he would have wanted to do that if he was hung up on Endeavor the way I am....or was... Anyway, if this Sasuke crap has pushed him back that way, then maybe it's not really Sasuke who's the problem. Maybe it's whatever demons he was dealing with before."

"Do you mean that he feels that he's the bad guy, because he's like his father?" Momo said.

"Something Shine's told me," Dabi said, rather reluctantly, "is that if people treat you like the bad guy, you'll believe that you are the bad guy. And this entire mess has had him feeling like the bad guy since we screwed it up to begin with. So if I took a wild guess based on psychology, he's probably still trying to prove he's not the bad guy."

"I see..." Momo said. "That's not what I thought you'd say."

"I knew it was stupid," Dabi said.

"No, no, not that. I think you're right," Momo said. "Because you just reminded me how he talked in the volcano lair on that island. Our last really good conversation, it seems like... He said that he thought I was blaming him for all this and I was afraid of him. And that wasn't it, but he seemed so upset by the idea. What if it's that? He may think he's failed me, and my criticizing his way of dealing with Sasuke is making it worse."

"Whoa...that's deep," Hanabi said. "Is that really a thing that people would feel?"

"It might be," Hinata said. "I suppose it's like how Neji assumed I looked down on him for so long when I really was too ashamed to talk to him. I never knew he felt that way till he finally forgave me enough to talk about it."

"Hmm." Sai was taking notes on this.

"So what can I tell Shoto?" Momo asked. "I can't tell him this Sasuke thing is okay."

"Can't you just tell him that he's not the bad a guy and that you know he wants to do the right thing?" Hanabi asked.

"I tried that already," Momo said.

"You know, I hate to say it," Dabi said, "only because it pains me to even care about this at all--but I think maybe this is one of those times where there's nothing you can do.  You telling him he's not the bad guy isn't going to change a thing, not if he thinks he is."

"But what if you might have played into that a little there?" Hanabi pointed out to him. "If you're fighting him too about acting superior. What if he doesn't think he's better than you, and he's feeling that he's a bad guy like your dad."

"Yes, but I was a worse guy than Dad," Dabi said. "So he wouldn't want to be like me either."

"He might envy your confidence about shaking this off," Momo said. "How do you really know, Dabi?"

Dabi didn't answer. He just huffed.

"I think I should still try to talk to him," Momo said thoughtfully. "If I can't convince him to accept the way I feel about this...I want to at least explain to him why I've been distant. That it's just that I didn't know what to do to help him."

"Are you sure you want to say that to him?" Dabi said.

Momo thought. "You mean...he might start feeling guilty... So what do I say, then?"

"Nothing," Hinata said. "You heard him...it's not something you can make better... If you could just...be patient...maybe he'll come around. He usually does, right? From what you said?"

"Usually," Momo said. 

"Hey, guys," Naruto said, "one of my clones just ran into some guys, but they just ran off. This is kind of boring."

He leaned on the pipes. "Also I'm tired for some reason..."

"Maybe you made too many clones," Hanabi suggested.

"Man, it really sucks not having as much chakra as I used to," Naruto said.

"Oh, sure, making 20 clones is so under-powered," Dabi rolled his eyes. "You were just insanely over-powered before. You still have more chakra than the average person. Isn't that from your mom?"

"Well, yeah... Did I tell you that?" Naruto said.

"It's a famous thing about the Uzumaki," Momo covered.

"Oh, huh..." Naruto had forgotten about that.

"Well, if they ran off, can we just head back? It must be about time to meet up now anyway," Hanabi yawned. "And I'm cold."

"Okay, let's go back," Hinata agreed.

* * *

https://youtu.be/3mxTTEKCUyw

[AMV to "I'm So Sorry" Imagine Dragons, for Shoto Todoroki, by Z E R O]

https://youtu.be/k2UicRCd3w0

[AMV for Naruto to "I'm So Sorry" by Ganni Editx-- Obviously there wasn't one for both Sasuke and Shoto together, so I picked two that worked separately. Kust watch them together if you want the effect of what I was aiming for.]

The perimeter check with Wally, Lee, Kankuro, and of course Sasuke and Shoto didn't take long at all. Only then Lee got lost in their rice fields by accident, and they had to find him since he had no tracking abilities.

Shoto and Sasuke were both dead silent the whole time.

Wally ignored them, and so did the other boys.

But after they'd gone around the village and deduced that the pipes were the only hidden entrance into it (and they didn't want to go in those without anyone there with sensory abilities), Wally got hungry.

"I'mma go nab some snacks from the sleeping quarters," he said. "You guys head back to town, and I'll meet you there. I burned too many calories earlier, so I don't wanna pass out."

"Okay..." Kankuro said.

Wally disappeared.

"His powers are so weird," Kankuro mused.

"I don't really understand how it works," Lee said.

"Nevermind," Kankuro said. "So are you sticking around to keep Tenten company, or are you going back to Leaf?"

"Oh, well, this way I can get to Leaf in a few days," Lee said. "And I do need to return anyway, but I didn't like to leave Tenten in this...Village."

Kankuro shot him a look. "Because you're teammates?"

"Yes," Lee said. "I don't imagine that Guy-sensei would think it's very chivalrous to leave your teammate in the most feared villain in the world...though it seems you all are good fighters, but it's on the principle of the thing. It's not the passion of youth."

"It's not what?" Kankuro said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Do you ever shut up about that?" he finally ventured a remark.

Lee glanced at him as if he was surprised to be spoken to. "What's wrong with him?"

Sasuke had nothing to answer to that.

"Just ignore him," Kankuro said. "We all do. Though I admit...he didn't used to talk this much."

"Sasuke has never talked much," Lee observed. "But he's a formidable fighter, so having him here must be nice for you all."[🎤 Sweet, Summer Child...]

"Actually he's hardly done anything," Shoto said, not very nicely. "Usually he just gets attacked first."

"Usually as in one time," Sasuke said, just as unpleasantly as him. 

"Well, we've barely been attacked." Kankuro was not eager to let them start a fight.  "And Sasuke did do the one thing, but I'll say that Todoroki has done more."

That compliment didn't do anything to sooth Shoto's anger.

"Sasuke only does things for himself." He looked around from him to Kankuro, coldly. "I don't know if you should count it."

"I really don't care what his reason is as long as it's helpful." Kankuro was sick of this. "Can we drop it? No one really wants to talk about him except for you."

Shoto frowned.

"I'm confused--do they have some kind of beef?" Lee asked.

"Where have you been, under a rock, Lee?" Kankuro said. [Haha]

"Huh?" Lee said.

"I guess you never heard about them before," Kankuro said. "They've got a problem going back years ago, though I really don't know that much about it." By which he meant he didn't really want to get into it.

"Oh, I didn't know that," Lee said. "I've never heard Shoto-san mentioned."

Kankuro wanted to change the subject. "So Guy is worried about Hair Buns and Neji, right? What are you going to tell him?"

"I still don't really know why Neji left, but as long as he's safe, I suppose that's all..."

 Lee and Kankuro went on as they quickened their pace to get away from the two emos.

Shoto began to just lag behind, glancing at the lake perhaps.

But Sasuke had had enough.

"You don't need to keep telling everyone your opinion of me when they didn't even ask," he said aloud. "It's gone on long enough."

"Did I ask you?" Shoto replied coldly.

Sasuke slowed a little. "Whatever your problem with me is, Todoroki, it's not any of their business. And I'm not the type to like to be made a public spectacle to the rest of the team."

"First time for everything," Shoto replied.

Sasuke's eyes flickered red dangerously. "You know, if it wasn't for the rules of this team, I'd never take that kind of disrespect from the likes of you."

"That means very little to me," Shoto said. "A criminal like you would be arrested if not for the rules of this team. So it wouldn't matter what you'd take."

Sasuke felt hot with anger...and also a little woozy in the chest, probably from disgust.

"You're the most arrogant person on this team," he said. "No one else would dare to ask for trouble so much."

Shoto turned to glare at him now. "Really? You think I'm arrogant? You're the one who is never grateful for anything and thinks he needs no one."

"Says the person who thinks he's better than anyone else." Sasuke definitely hit a nerve there, after Dabi's little spat with Shoto.

"I can tell anyway that I'm better than you!" Shoto retorted. "You couldn't even destroy your own team, and you finished none of your goals either. You're just taking advantage of our charity because you can't succeed on your own."

Sasuke was enraged--that was the kind of thing no one should ever have said to him.

He was so angry he already was seeing red without even using his Sharingan. But his eyes began to spin without him even knowing it.

Shoto took a defensive stance, but he wasn't going to attack. "Are you actually going to attack me?" .

Sasuke wasn't really going to... He thought it was not worth it.

But thinking he'd like to make Shoto just as angry as Shoto had just made him, he racked his mind for an insult that would actually get to him.

But Sasuke really was not knowledgeable enough about people to know how to get really under their skin, so he was drawing a blank, which only pissed him off more.

"Well, you haven't succeeded either," he said, which was a pathetic retort.

"At least I'm trying to be a hero and not live out the same foolishness as my family members," Shoto shot back.

Yet again, he was picking all the wrong things to say.

Sasuke clenched his fist. "It's a shame that your mother doesn't see it that way," he spat back.

That got a reaction.

"What did you say?" Shoto's eyes darkened.

Sasuke--who only knew he was getting results and only doubled down on doing the craziest thing he possibly could have--just laughed at him in his deranged manner. It had been a while since he'd laughed like that, and Shoto didn't like it.

[Deranged Sasuke image--gives me the ick just remembering that scene.]

"I mean, it's right there on your face." Sasuke pointed to the same place as Shoto's scar. "Even if you say you're trying to be different than your family, they still see you the same way as your father. Didn't your mother do that to you?" [🤦🫨😨💨...]

Sasuke had heard this at some point...and of course, Shine had mentioned to him how Shoto didn't want to be like his father. Apparently she was sure that Sasuke would never think to use this against Shoto. [But maybe it was partially Shine's fault, since she did put the idea out there to begin with.]

Even so, Sasuke was not now really thinking about how much that might upset Shoto to hear. Since he was so callous about the insults to the Uchihas, or at least he thought he was, he had no idea the kind of pain is causes people who are more self aware of their family's shame to be reminded of it like that.

He only wanted to make Shoto off balance the way Shoto was trying to make him off balance.

But Shoto honestly, once he had said that, stopped thinking, period. He felt only pure rage. How dare this...this psychopath insult his mother and him in the same sentence? And how did he even know about that? Who had told him? [I actually think Shoto is the one who said it, but, of course, he wouldn't remember that right now.]

A sense of betrayal added to his anger. He saw red also.

"Shut up!" he almost yelled in such a snarly voice that it scared even Sasuke, who had never heard Shoto talk that way. His cold intensity was frightening enough, but somehow him talking the way his father would have was almost worse. He seems far more unhinged that way.

The next second, ice came shooting out of his hand and nearly impaled Sasuke before he jumped out of the way.

[Art of Shoto Vs. Sasuke by Julianna Gardner]

Sasuke couldn't believe Shoto had just attacked him--though Shoto was so angry, he almost hadn't realized what he was doing--and now he was seething at him.

The ice gave off vapor, as it was raining, and that had melted it.

It made the ice seem a little more frightening to look at to begin with.

Kankuro and Lee had not noticed that the others had not followed them, and they were mostly in the village now. They thought the emo guys were just being quiet. They never looked back.

However, Momo and Dabi's group, who were crossing over the fields after they'd been looking at the pipes, spotted them from afar of, but too far off for them to be heard if they yelled. But Momo saw the ice formations and took off running at once, though she slipped on the mud and fell into a puddle, but she just sprang back up. The ninja followed her fast, while Dabi came more slowly, since he was older and heavier.

But Shoto and Sasuke never saw them, though Sasuke really should have with his special vision, but he was too distracted.

"Are you attacking me?" he said.

Shoto said nothing.

Sasuke was really mad now. Against his better judgment--if he'd had any--his pupils spun and, black fire appeared and destroyed the ice in a few seconds.

[Angry Sasuke wallpaper byxXFFVIIXx on Deviant Art.]

Now, even at this point, Sasuke was not trying to set Shoto himself on fire. He must have known in the back of his mind how dangerous it would be to do so.

However, the use of the black fire alone was enough to make Shoto angry, and he took it as an open attack and not a warning.

"I'm not going to fall for that trap again!" he said furiously, and ice again shot out, so fast that Sasuke had to jump into the air to avoid getting impaled again--then it almost caught him, since he couldn't detect chakra to sense it coming.

But Shoto's power had more applications in the rain than Sasuke realized.

The air around Shoto was solidifying rapidly into the ice projectiles after the rain itself began to freeze as it got close to him, effectively pelting him with hail.

They weren't large enough to do much damage, but they were cold.

Enraged, Sasuke blew fire through the hail to melt it... The result was a cloud of steam large enough to almost look like smoke.

[Cartoon steam cloud image from Shutterstock]

Momo go closer at this point, and she was going to do something, but Dabi, finally catching up now, grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Don't go in there," he said. "The rate they're going at, you could get incinerated before they even noticed you."

"But we have to stop them!" Momo cried. "They could kill each other!"

"And the village could see them," Sai said. [Priorities.]

"I could stop them," Naruto panted.

"Don't you even think about it, Noodle Boy," Dabi said. "Didn't you and Sasuke settle things yourselves?"

"Well, yeah..." Naruto paused. Not many things would have made him pause, but that was a good point.

"So, if you get in there now, you'll just make one or both of them resent you for interfering, especially Sasuke," Dabi insisted. "We don't want a rematch. The last thing you need to do is inflame his inferiority complex. In fact, none of us should get in there--they'll just take it as us showing off. The DJs might be able to break it up without making it worse. Why don't one of you go find them?"

"Naruto, Sai, you can go fastest," Hinata panted. "We'll watch them... If it gets too ugly, we'll have to step in, whatever they think. But right now they're just throwing fire and ice. That's not so bad..."

"Naruto, we should just go find Shine or Wally." Sai was worried that Naruto would get killed if he got involved after all. "It's best not to try to force Sasuke to do anything, you know."

Naruto perhaps would have cared more if he thought Sasuke was in any danger, but he thought Sasuke could handle Shoto just fine. He widely overestimated Sasuke's advantage in a fight that didn't rely on chakra attacks. Not that Sasuke might not have killed Shoto if he used all his possible attacks.

"Okay," he said. "I guess it's all right."

Sai and him took off on a sketched beast.

"I can't believe that worked," Dabi said.

"Dabi--" Momo tried to break free. "I don't want to wait for them. Maybe I can tranquilize one or both of them."

"That's one of the coolest things you've ever said," Dabi said. "But it won't work. Don't you think this fight will just repeat itself eventually?"

"Not if they get sent home," Hanabi said.

"Might as well get sent home for a real fight then," Dabi shrugged.

"What kind of logic is that?" Momo protested.  "You want to let them get killed?"

"Why don't you just work on thinking of something that could stop this fight quickly if they do get carried away?" Dabi suggested. 

"I have plenty of things that could do that," Momo complained. "If you'd let me."

"If you really wanted to break it up, you could have by now," Dabi said. "Deep down, you know it's no good. I just hope they didn't see us. I don't want to referee this again."

"Maybe they would stop if they saw us," Hanabi suggested.

The fight had gone on with all this, but they were pot shots. Sasuke had flung some shuriken of all things to distract Shoto, and Shoto had just blocked them with ice and was using fire to guard his other side.

Neither of them had landed a hit on each other yet--and didn't seem likely to if they kept on this way.

Dabi got bored.

"Hey! Stop playing with each other and actually use a real attack!" he yelled.

"Dabi!" Hinata and Momo cried.

Hanabi face palmed.

Shoto, hearing Dabi's voice, turned to look at him in astonishment.

He didn't even see Momo, since he kind of had tunnel vision right now, and also she blended more into the background with her rain gear on, but Dabi's jacket was hard to mistake.

"Dabi?" he began. "What are you--"

Sasuke suddenly used his sword that he always had on him to slash Shoto across the face.

Sasuke had not aimed the sword for the wound to be a really bad cut, more like a warning shot, and he could aim very effectively, as he'd practiced for years at not killing people with his slashes while working for Orochimaru.

It was such a fine hit in that it took Shoto a second to realize it had even drawn blood, but he felt the sting and put his hand to his face, realizing the cut was bleeding slightly.

He gave Sasuke a look of outrage.

[Art by duvar kagidi on Pxfuel]

Sasuke, who was as petty as usual, just said, "That was for that other time when he distracted me so you could get in a free shot."

Someone like Bakugo might have found that funny, but Shoto wasn't the type to.

Sasuke thought he'd attack using his hands again and was watching them. He didn't see Shoto barely tap his foot into the ground until it was too late.

Ice burst out of his foot and swiftly shot out, sending Sasuke into the air.

The blow hurt a lot, but Sasuke balanced himself to land more evenly, so he didn't break a bone. 

Shoto hadn't expected it to anyway. He was just buying time.

His left hand blazed up again, and fire spread over the very thin grass here.

The Rain would keep the fire from spreading into the village, so he wasn't yet worried about it.

The fire spread along the water, but it spread also towards Sasuke.

Sasuke wasn't afraid of fire at all, but he was annoyed.

He sprang out of the circle, still holding his sword. 

He thought that a slightly more serious injury on Shoto might make him finally back off and realize he was beaten. Of course, he wasn't going to kill him, but he might cut his arm or something.

He slashed with the sword.

Sasuke was certainly fast enough, but Shoto had an advantage over him, as he didn't need time to make hand signs to use his power, so he had caught the sword with ice in his hand.

Sasuke was surprised.

Shoto's ice advanced up the sword and up towards Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke had to let go before he got stuck, and the sword fell to the ground, now an ice cube.🧊

Shoto was more infuriated than ever. His left eye was blazing fire out of it like it always did when he was angry while using his quirk.

Sasuke didn't like the look of it.

Perhaps he was still of a cooler temper than Shoto, despite his grudge, and he might have started to realize this was a bad idea for more reasons than just the team's rules.

He suspected he could have won this fight if he used Susanoo, but then Shoto might just destroy that with the authority that they had...and the same with the black fire...and his Mangekyo wouldn't even have worked at all.

As more of a stalling move, he stepped back and shot a bunch of his flames into the air, an attack he hadn't used in a long time.

They came down in a circle.

Momo nearly choked, but Dabi wasn't worried.

"Oh, look, a ring of fire," he said. "That's adorable."

"I can't look!" Hinata covered her eyes.

"He's fireproof!" Hanabi said.

"Only one half of him is," Dabi said. "At least to a little, pathetic orange flame like that."

"Is this the right time to be flexing?" Hanabi asked.

It was too late anyway--the fire had hit.

But Shoto was fine. He had encased his entire right shoulder with ice, and his left side wasn't even singed. Sasuke's fire was not anywhere near as hot as his own, unless it was the black fire.

Sasuke didn't have time to reconsider the wisdom of that attack.

He considered trying to use the black fire more...but no...that didn't seem like the wisest idea right now.

Also, he was out of weapons.

Shoto didn't really stop to think that Sasuke would have to be holding back in order not to have used any of his worse attacks so far. He was just mad about the other ones.

Ice sprang out toward Sasuke again, as if to freeze him completely.