__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
The chapter got you itching for more? Read ahead and get exclusive content before anyone else? Join me on Patr -e-on! Your support would mean the world to me.
( | p@treon.com/FictionGoat | )
Read over 20+ chapters in advance.
. . . .
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
"When throwing a shuriken, you want to release it at eye level to get the best accuracy," Izumi explained. "And make sure you let go at the right moment, aiming exactly where you want it to go."
She reached into the holster strapped to her knee, pulling out three shurikens. "To demonstrate, it looks something like this." With a smooth motion, she spun off one foot, whipping her arm forward. The shurikens flew from her grasp, slicing through the air before embedding themselves in the tree trunk, all landing perfectly side by side at the center of the bark.
She landed gracefully on her feet, her gaze shifting to Kaito, who stood with his arms crossed, watching intently.
"Got it?" she asked, flicking her hair back.
"Yeah... kinda," Kaito replied, his tone uncertain. "Not sure about the spinning part, though..." He grabbed a rusted shuriken, rolling it between his fingers. Holding it up to eye level, then he took a deep breath and then threw it.
The idea was right, but the execution was completely off. The shuriken veered off course, barely making it halfway to the stump before landing uselessly in the dirt.
For a moment, there was silence. Both of them just stood there, staring at the fallen shuriken.
"When you said you were practicing your shurikenjutsu, I thought you'd at least be decent at it... But it's almost like you've never thrown one in your life. Do you not pay attention in class, or do you just suck at everything?" she said playfully.
Kaito let out a sigh. "Both..." he admitted.
Izumi scratched her cheek, frowning. "But I swear you knew how to throw a shuriken properly. Did you just lose all your skills overnight or what?" she asked bluntly.
Kaito wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just let it slide and asked what was really on his mind. "Izumi, can I ask... why do you remember my name?" he asked just as bluntly.
Izumi raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"I mean, I'm quiet, I suck at pretty much everything, and I don't have any friends... And you're the popular girl. Why do you even remember my name?" he explained.
Izumi's eyes lit up as she smacked a fist into her palm, her mouth forming an "O" of realization. "Oh! Well, I try my best to remember everybody... Plus, you're kind of hard to forget."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.
Izumi tilted her head, staying quiet for a moment before answering. "Well, because you honestly suck at everything. You get made fun of a lot... Not trying to be rude or anything, just being blunt."
Kaito shrugged. He wasn't exactly hurt—technically, it wasn't him who got made fun of, but at the same time, it was. "Damn, alright. Let's move on. I'll try again," he said before jogging over to pick up his shuriken. Grabbing them and made his way back to where Izumi was standing, ready to give it another try.
Kaito took a deep breath, gripping the shuriken tightly in his hand. He focused on the target ahead, trying to ignore the memory of the failed attempt before this one.
Izumi watched him with her arms crossed, an amused but patient look on her face. "Alright, take your time, but don't overthink it. If you keep hesitating, you're just setting yourself up to fail."
Kaito exhaled through his nose. "Yeah, yeah, I got it," he muttered.
He raised his arm, locked onto the target, and let the shuriken fly. It spun through the air in a tight arc, cutting cleanly through the wind—before missing the center completely and landing just slightly off to the side.
Izumi clicked her tongue. "Better. Not good, but better."
Kaito groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "You could at least pretend I did amazing."
"That'd be a lie," Izumi shot back with a grin.
"Well, all you have to do is keep repeating the process until it feels natural. Eventually, you'll get it perfect."
Kaito nodded. He already knew that all he needed was to practice, but there was something else on his mind. "By the way... is there any way I can improve my Taijutsu too?" he asked Izumi, hoping for some guidance.
"Umm... for me, the best way to learn is through actual combat experience. You have to figure out what works for you. Fighting is all about adapting and adjusting to your opponent's movements until you completely overwhelm them." She gave a casual shrug.
Kaito tilted his head slightly, rubbing his cheek as he thought it over.
"If that's the case... can we spar?" he asked bluntly. "I wanna see where I'm at."
Izumi's playful grin widened. "Sure, but don't expect me to hold back."
Kaito waved her off. "I'd prefer you didn't."
Izumi nodded. "Weapons or not?" she asked.
Kaito shrugged. "No weapons. I'm not particularly skilled with them." He didn't even know how to use them in the first place.
Izumi cracked her knuckles, shifting into her stance. "Alright then, no weapons. Let's see what you've got."
Kaito took a deep breath, steadying himself and waited for her to make the first move.
She didn't disappoint.
In a blur, Izumi closed the distance, throwing a sharp jab toward his ribs. Kaito barely managed to twist out of the way, but she was already following up with a sweeping kick. He leapt back, feeling the rush of air as her foot narrowly missed him.
"Not bad," Izumi said, smirking. "You can dodge."
Kaito exhaled, resetting his stance. "I can do more than that."
Without warning, he lunged forward, feinting a punch before shifting his weight and driving his elbow toward her midsection. Izumi caught it just in time, redirecting the force and using his own momentum to throw him off balance. He stumbled but rolled with it, springing back to his feet.
"Smooth," she admitted. "But not enough."
Izumi dashed forward again, faster this time. Kaito barely had a second to react before her knee drove toward his stomach. He blocked with his forearm, gritting his teeth as the impact rattled through him. She didn't let up—twisting, she aimed a kick at his side, forcing him to take a step back.
He needed to find an opening.
Watching her movements, Kaito noticed something—Izumi was quick, but she favored her right side more than her left. If he could time it right…
She launched another kick, and this time, instead of retreating, Kaito stepped into it. Twisting, he hooked his arm around her leg and used her own momentum to send her off balance. Izumi's eyes widened as she hit the ground, rolling to soften the impact.
Kaito stepped back, catching his breath. "Still not enough?" he asked, smirking.
Izumi sat up, brushing dust off her sleeves. Then she grinned. "Okay, that was pretty good."
She sprang back to her feet, eyes gleaming. "But I hope you're not tired yet, because I'm just getting started."
Kaito wasn't a complete beginner when it came to fighting. He had a solid grasp of the basics and knew his way around a fight. As a kid, he practiced kickboxing for seven years before shifting his focus to becoming a biologist. While he was a little rusty, he still had enough confidence in his combat skills to hold his own.But confidence didn't mean much when faced with someone like Izumi.
Izumi lunged off her back leg, closing the distance faster than before, not even giving Kaito enough time to react. She then sent forward a sharp kick to his ribs that sent him stumbling to the side, and before he could regain his footing, Izumi was already on him. She landed a precise jab to his face that snapped his head back, followed by a sweep once more that took his legs right out from under him. Kaito hit the ground hard, his breath leaving him in a sharp gasp.
He rolled to the side, barely dodging Izumi's foot as it crashed into the spot where his head had been. Scrambling to his feet, he threw a punch, only for Izumi to effortlessly sidestep and counter with a devastating elbow to his stomach. Pain exploded through his torso, and he doubled over, gasping.
"You're too slow," Izumi taunted, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind his back before shoving him forward. Kaito barely managed to keep from falling face-first. He spun around, desperate to land at least one hit, but Izumi caught his arm mid-swing and flipped him over her shoulder like he weighed nothing.
Flat on his back, staring up at the sky, Kaito groaned. Izumi crouched beside him, smirking. "You done?"
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself up, but every muscle in his body ached, and his lungs burned. Izumi chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Looks like you've got a lot to learn, Kaito."
Kaito groaned again, this time more from frustration than pain. "Yeah, no kidding…"
Izumi glanced up at the sky, noticing the sun sinking lower on the horizon. "Oh, looks like it's getting late. Sorry, Kaito, I gotta go—dinner time," she said, dusting off her clothes before flashing him a grin. "I'll see you at school, yeah?"
Kaito let out a small sigh, rubbing his sore arms before reaching up to take her offered hand. With a firm grip, she helped him to his feet. "Yeah... see you later."
Izumi nodded, still smiling, before turning and making her way out of the training ground, leaving Kaito standing there alone.
Kaito ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling slightly. "Well, that was... an experience," he muttered to himself. Even though he had been completely overwhelmed in the fight, it wasn't a total loss. At least now, he had a better understanding of how Izumi fought.
"First, she set up a fake "tell", something she knew I'd go for it. The moment I went for it, she flipped the situation completely and gained the upper hand. On top of that, she's faster and stronger than me, and she made sure to use that to her advantage."
Thinking it over, Kaito frowned. He wasn't just trying to get better at taijutsu—he was shaping his own unique fighting style, one that worked best for him. If he could incorporate what he had learned today, he'd be a step closer to refining it. Plus, he now had valuable combat data on Izumi, something that might help him next time.
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "Time to get back to work."
He then used his Mystical Palm Jutsu, the soft green glow of chakra to heal his bruises and get rid of the aches. Once healed, he wasted no time getting back to training. He spent the rest of the day sharpening his shurikenjutsu, refining his aim as best as he could.
Then he pushed his body to the limit, dropping down for pushups, sit-ups, and every exercise he could think of until his muscles burned like they were on fire. When the pain became unbearable, he used his Mystical Palm Jutsu to repair his muscles.
The moment he felt satisfied, he started again, repeating the grueling cycle until he simply had to stop due to chakra exhaustion.
He was getting stronger...he could feel it.
_________________________________
________________________________________________________
Leave a review and comment!
Read over 20+ chapters in advance, on P@treon.
A/N: Yeah, I know the beginning was slow, and not much happened. But trust me, it was necessary for the buildup. Now, the real story begins, and everything you've been waiting for is about to unfold.
So strap in...this is going to be one wild ride.