"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honoured one!" I said in a smug voice, finally reaching a stalemate in chess. He didn't come close in shogi.
Shikaku whistled, "Not bad, I didn't expect you to find this sequence of moves. Although both of you could have played much much better moves, this wasn't bad though." He said, showing off his chess skills and intelligence.
Ding! Path to Knowledge Quest Completed!
Chess With A Prodigy! Completed!
Rewards : 200 EXP! Ability (Passive) - Enhanced Tactical and Decision Making Skills!
Ahh.... Another good ability..... But it seems like it's been a eternity since I've gotten a ability about powers or strength.
"Boys! Shikaku! Come here, the dinner's ready!" Yoshino yelled out from the kitchen.
One more thing, he was never longer a orphan, atleast in the sense that he lived in a orphanage.
Shikaku had moved him in, he just came to the orphanage one day and said, "You gonna live with me now." And proceeded to take him to his house, where there were bags filled with clothes, these clothes had been bought by Yoshino for me.
"Coming..." Was the collective response of us three, as me and Shikaku stood up and headed towards the kitchen while Shikamaru stayed to clean up the chess board and put it back to where it was supposed to be.
The dinner was delicious. After dinner, me and Shika headed to our room where Shika immediately fell asleep and so did, I was going to wake up early tomorrow.
The Next Morning
I woke up at around 5:30 AM, while Shikamaru was still sleeping
I got out of my pajamas and put on the standard training outfit almost every single clan kid had.
### **Chapter 9: The Dynamic Duo of the Uchiha**
The crisp morning air bit at my lungs as I jogged toward the training grounds, the sky still painted in hues of indigo and gold. My breath fogged in the cold, and the rhythmic crunch of gravel underfoot kept time with my thoughts. *Taijutsu. Ugh.* Iruka's lectures about my "unrefined brawling" echoed in my head. Even Yoshino had started side-eyeing me after the Kiba incident. Time to fix this.
The training ground was empty, save for a lone crow perched on a wooden post. Perfect. I started with basic katas, drilling the stances Shikaku had half-heartedly shown me yesterday. My movements felt clunky, like a puppet with tangled strings. *Enhanced Tactical and Decision-Making Skills* hummed in the back of my mind, critiquing every misstep. *Left foot too wide. Center of gravity unstable. Strike trajectory inefficient.*
"Tch. You call that Taijutsu?"
I froze mid-punch. The voice came from above.
Shisui Uchiha leaned against a tree branch, arms crossed, his smirk as sharp as the kunai holstered at his thigh. Beside him stood Itachi, silent and observant, his expression unreadable.
"The fuck-" were the words coming out of my mouth. Who wouldn't be surprised upon seeing the two Uchihas who were single-handedly responsible for the Uchiha Massacre, one of them was a Shinobi who was almost as fast as the fourth Hokage and one would become a rogue S-Rank Shinobi and join the Akatsuki.
Shisui whistled and Itachi yelled stopping me from finishing, quite surprised by my vocabulary, "Kai! You shouldn't be saying those words! A kid you like shouldn't know those words!".
I froze, shit shit, did the Uchiha want me dead now?
I said frantically, "WHat are you two doing?! Are you two stalking me?!? How do you know my name?! How do you know me?!"
Shisui dropped to the ground with effortless grace. "Stalking implies effort. We were just passing by."
Itachi dropped down too, "We weren't stalking you, we were just on our patrol and you stepped out of the Nara Training Grounds, this is the public training ground. And we two have met before, at the academy. Sasuke talks a lot about you, he tells me you and him have become great friends, although that might have to change from the language you are using."
Shisui looked at Itachi, "Come on! You are so boring! This kid looks fun! It would be great if Sasuke had a friend like him, he may have shit Taijutsu but he's strong and he's got plenty of chakra too!" He said while flashing a smile at me, "Kid. You are trash at Taijutsu, you have no technique. Even a drunken Genin would fight better than you."
Itachi nodded, his voice calm. "Your form lacks discipline. You rely too much on brute force."
"Wow, thanks," I deadpanned. "Got any other hot takes? Maybe critique my haircut while you're at it? Your wise insight would be great!"
Shisui laughed, "This kid's funny! It would be fun to keep around with us!" Shisui stopped laughing and looked at me with a friendly look, "So kid, you wan-".
Itachi beat him to it, "Kai, you wanna train with us? I and Shisui train Sasuke too."
Shisui glared at Itachi, "You know I was gonna ask him the same question right?".
Alright alright. This was going wayyyyy too fast.
Just exactly what in the name of the holy fuck was going on? I decided to wake up early and get to training my Taijutsu and now here I am talking with these Powerhouses who could probably destroy the village by themselves, if Sarutobi had gotten as weak as he had in the anime of course.
Itachi was the same age as I was in my other life, maybe even a bit younger, it was shocking how he managed to kill the entire Uchiha Clan at the age of 13 or 14.
Right now, Me and Sasuke were both like 6-7 years old, and the Massacre happened when Sasuke was 8. So there was still a year or two before you know what happens.
What do I do-
Ding! Path to Power Quest Unlocked!
Pursuing Strength With The Uchihas!
Rewards: 500 EXP! +500 Likeness with Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha! Ability (Passive) - Fluid Motion, Ability (Passive) - Fire Element Affinity (Will be rewarded before the quest ends.), Jutsu - Shunshin No Jutsu/Body Flicker, Jutsu - Great Fireball Jutsu, Jutsu.
I knew what to do.
What came out of my mouth was a compelling, "Yes." I said in a dead serious voice.
Shisui raised an eyebrow but grinned, "Now that's some determination! You'd get along with Mr. Guy!"
Itachi smiled, "Good, it's seems that you possess the same want to train as Sasuke. You both have potential to be very strong."
Shisui walked over to me and said, "Well, let's get started with the basic training. Taijutsu. You need to stop punching like a caveman."
Itachi followed behind, "Well, Shisui, which style do you think will suit him?" He asked as he got into a thinking pose.
"Hmm...." Shisui stood there infront of me, pondering for a long while.
"Well.... The kid's got alot of strength and gold speed, and he's got loads of chakra... Maybe a style that's not too attacking but also not too defensive... Maybe the Rising Moon style? Or the Saishen Ganke? I don't know.."
Shisui snapped his fingers, cutting through his own indecision. "Forget styles. Let's start with the basics. Footwork, balance, control. You're swinging like a sledgehammer, kid. You need to be a scalpel."
Itachi nodded. "Observe."
In one fluid motion, Itachi shifted into a stance—knees bent, weight centered, hands relaxed but poised. His movements were economical, almost lazy, but every muscle hummed with coiled precision. "Copy this."
I mirrored him, but my legs wobbled, and my arms felt like overcooked noodles.
Shisui circled me, poking my ribs with a stick he'd plucked from the ground. "Tighter. You're not posing for a portrait. Efficiency."
After an hour of adjustments, insults, and Shisui's increasingly creative analogies ("Your stance is looser than a Hyuga's morals!"), my body finally began to grasp the fundamentals.
Ding!
Ability (Passive) : Fluid Motion. Unlocked!
Itachi's Sharingan flared as he analyzed my form. "Better. Now, attack me."
I lunged, aiming for his shoulder. He deflected my strike with a single finger, redirecting my momentum so hard I nearly face-planted.
"Again," he said.
Ding!
Ability Unlocked: Fire Element Affinity (Passive).
Damn!
Damn! He is too fast!
I lunged forward, planning to throw another a punch at Itachi, aimed at his abdomen.
Itachi, having predicted what I was going to do before I even did it, sidestepped and kneed me in my stomach.
"Blegh!" Spit came out of my mouth as my pupils shrank, I stumbled back, holding stomach in agony.
"Slow! Too slow! Your reaction speed is toooo slow... Your attacks are sloppy and predictable, and you have no precision or counter-attack." Yelled out Shisui while seating against a tree, "We'll be doing this until you have somewhat acceptable form and control. Also, always be prepared with a way to get out of your opponent's range or counter them whenever your attack fails, it will save your life."
"Hngh!" I finally stood straight up after sometime and got into the fighting stance Itachi showed me and started throwing punches and kicks.
Some time later...
My face was now bruised, covered with marks and my clothes covered in dust.
This was tormenting. He just couldn't do anything against this guy. No matter how much he tried to land a attack on him or block his attacks, he just couldn't do it.
Then, I prepared again, to throw a punch.
I lunged forward, pulling my hand back. When I was close enough, I let my fist go and aimed for Itachi's ribs.
Itachi moved to the left and half-heartedly threw a punch at my face.
I wasn't going to get crushed this time.
Mustering as much speed as I could, reacting barely in time, I moved my hand up and blocked his fist from punching my face.
From the sidelines, Shisui grinned, "Finally he is starting to get it." He thought to himself as he finally watched Kai block a attack from Itachi.
Itachi also smiled, a sense of pride emerging inside him, at finally seeing who he had started to consider his student, make progress.
I was too damn focused on the fight to think about that. Seeing
The impact of Itachi's fist against my forearm sent a shockwave up my arm, but I held firm. For the first time, I hadn't been sent sprawling. *Progress.*
Itachi's lips twitched—almost a smile. "Again."
This time, I didn't wait for him to strike. I feinted a punch, then pivoted into a low sweep. Itachi hopped back effortlessly, but Shisui barked a laugh from the sidelines. "Oh-ho! Getting sneaky, huh? Now we're talking!"
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Predictable, but inventive. Adapt."
We clashed again, my strikes growing sharper, my blocks tighter. Bruises bloomed across my arms, but the system's notifications flickered encouragingly:
Ding!
Ability Upgraded!
Ability (Passive) - Fluid Motion - Rank : D>C!
- For example, E - Civilian Level, D - Academy Level, C - Genin Level, C+ - High Genin Level, -B - Low Chunin Level, B - Chunin Level, B+ - High Chunin/Low Special Jounin Level, -A - Special Jounin/Low Jounin Level, A - Jounin Level, A+ - High Jounin (Yamato, Asuma, Hizashi/Hiyashi, etc.), S - Lower Kage Level (Kurotsuchi, Mei, etc.), S+ - Kage Level (Tsunade (Hokage), Kakashi (No Mangekyo), Guy (Upto 5th Gate) and so on... -
As, Itachi's leg headed for my face, I quickly managed to duck down and kicked up towards Itachi's face.
Itachi, easily dodged my kick and jumped back. But he smiled, "Good, you are doing great for someone who started to learn Taijutsu today."
Shisui whistled, "Good! Good! You are doing great kid! And to think we've only been doing this for an hour or two, but this is the phase where you grow fast, then you will hit a wall, which you will have to craw through." And then he stood up.
Shisui clapped mockingly. "Congratulations! You've graduated from 'trash' to 'mildly average'!"
Itachi glared at Shisui, "Enough with the insults Shisui. Let's end this training session here, Kai-kun." He said looking at me.
Shisui grinned and looked at me, "It was fun to spend time with you kid, but we need to get going now, catch you later."
Itachi nodded, giving a gentle smile, "Yes, it was great to train you, we have things to care of. See you later, we will train at my house tomorrow, my mother wanted to invite you and Mrs. Yoshino and Mr. Shikaku too, if you don't know, my mother and Mrs. Yoshino were friends since they studied in the academy, and my father has known Mr. Shikaku since then aswell. Although, they haven't been able to meet and be together for quite a while because of some.... Issues.....".
Shisui's happy smile faltered and a sad look passed into his eyes.
They may not think that I do, but I knew exactly what issues he was talking about.
I nodded my head, "Sure. I will tell aunty about this."
Itachi smiled, "Good, if it's alright with You and Mrs. Yoshino, I can pick you and Shikamaru-kun up from the academy tomorrow with Sasuke so we can spend some time at the compound and train. I am pretty sure if Mrs. Yoshino says yes, she will be at our house before the Academy ends, and I am sure she can convince Mr. Shikaku to join us aswell."
I nodded , "Alright. It was nice training with you." I looked at Shisui, "You did nothing but sit there and talk."
Shisui frowned and said while being offended, "Hey! I was giving advice and tips! Without me you would've never managed to block his attack!".
Itachi chuckled and turned around, "Alright alright Shisui, come on, we'll be late. Bye, Kai." He said for one last time, looking back at me and then zoomed off into the trees at speeds probably faster than light.
Shisui sighed and then grinned at me once again, "Alright, catch you tomorrow kiddo!" With that, he also turned around and zoomed off into the trees.
What a weird duo....
-----------
What team should I put Kai in?
Should I replace Ten-Ten with Him? Saying that she got injured and had to retire. Or Should I replace Ino with him? Or should he graduate early and train under Kakashi? (only like a year or two and then be a normal solo Genin)