Chapter 6: "Welcome to Ninja Bootcamp – Send Help (And Snacks)"
POV: Kaito Hoshino, Aspiring Harem King and Unwilling Apprentice of Master Jin
I'll be honest with you—when I said "I want to get stronger," I didn't mean this.
Like, I was picturing something chill, right? Maybe a few push-ups, a "you can do it!" motivational speech, and boom—I unlock some kind of mega dragon harem punch technique or something.
But nope.
Master Jin had other ideas.
Painful ones.
The moment we left the Veiled Moon Sect, I thought we were going on some noble training journey across the land. Maybe have a few heartfelt mentor-student bonding moments and dramatically beat some bad guys along the way.
Nope again.
Instead, we ended up in the Blackwood Forest.
"Are we… are we going to die?" I asked, clutching my bag like it was a life raft and I was being dropped into a shark tank.
Master Jin just grinned at me like this was the start of a fun camping trip.
"We'll be staying here for a week," he said casually, as if he wasn't talking about living in a place where half the wildlife could probably eat me. "You need to learn the things Ren should already know, so consider this accelerated bootcamp."
Great.
Bootcamp.
My favorite thing after dental surgery and accidentally insulting scary women.
Meanwhile, one of Jin's messengers had gone back to the Sect to keep Lady Shiori and Shun updated while other instructors started gathering information about Ren.
I wanted to object.
I really did.
But Ren was somewhere on Earth, probably doing everything he could to survive in my body.
If he was giving it his all, then I couldn't chicken out.
Even if something with six eyes was currently watching me from the bushes.
So I took a deep breath, dropped my bag with an overly confident thud, and declared:
"Okay. I'm ready!"
Okay, so here's a little life update:
I made a hundred shadow copies of myself and almost passed out.
Cool, right?
Let me rewind.
There I was, standing in a clearing that smelled like damp trees and regret, while Master Jin looked me dead in the eyes like he was about to explain how to operate a nuclear reactor.
"Listen carefully, Kaito," he said, folding his arms. "Ren's strongest natural affinity is toward darkness and death. The Veiled Moon Sect specializes in assassination arts involving shadows, poison, moonlight, and killing techniques."
I blinked.
"That sounds extremely evil when you say it like that."
"It isn't."
"It really does."
He ignored me.
"Ren's most commonly used technique is his Shadow Clone Art. He can shape his own shadow into copies of himself."
Then Jin stepped backward and pointed at my feet.
"Try."
For the past hour, we'd been doing Ki sensing, which basically meant I sat like a statue while Jin repeatedly told me to stop trying so hard to feel something that was apparently already inside me.
Eventually, I found it.
Warm.
Heavy.
And strangely cold at the same time.
Which made absolutely no sense, but nothing about my life made sense anymore.
I focused.
The shadow beneath my feet twitched.
Then stretched.
Then suddenly—
POP.
A black figure rose out of the ground.
It looked exactly like me.
Well, Ren.
Except completely black, like somebody had cut my shape out of midnight.
Then another appeared.
And another.
And another.
Suddenly the clearing was filled with shadowy versions of me.
"Awesome…" I whispered.
"Awesome…" several shadow-Kaitos whispered back.
One flexed.
Another gave me a thumbs-up.
One immediately started checking himself out.
Yep.
Definitely me controlling them.
Then my knees buckled.
"Whoa—"
Master Jin caught me before I hit the ground.
"Too many."
"You could've mentioned that!"
"You were supposed to make one."
"Oh."
That would've been useful information earlier.
Jin sighed. "The clones are useful for scouting, surrounding enemies, distractions, and assassination. But controlling too many without Ren's experience will drain your concentration."
Okay.
Now that sounded like a proper cheat ability.
"So I can make an army?"
"No."
"A small army?"
"No."
"A harem-support squad?"
Jin stared at me.
I wisely shut up.
"Ren also knows Shadow Grip," he continued. "It creates hands from nearby shadows to seize an opponent."
"That sounds awesome."
"It is."
"Teach me."
"Later."
My dreams died instantly.
"What about his strongest techniques?"
Jin's expression changed.
"Those are not toys."
That sounded ominous.
"There is the World of Darkness, an art that removes the senses of anyone trapped inside it."
I swallowed.
"And?"
Jin looked directly at me.
"Then there is the Hand of Death."
Even the forest seemed quieter.
"That power comes from Ballom."
Oh.
The ancient death monster.
Fantastic.
"You will not attempt it."
"Wasn't planning to."
"Good."
"Probably."
"Kaito."
"Definitely."
And that's how my hellish training arc began.
My shadow clones were marched off to practice basic stances while the real Jin pointed toward the ground and casually told me to start with five hundred push-ups.
"Thirty-seven…" I wheezed. "I'm dying."
Jin stared down at me.
"No, you aren't."
"Pretty sure I am."
"Your breathing is stable. Your muscles aren't strained. Your heartbeat barely increased."
I blinked.
"…Then why can't I move?"
"Because you've decided you can't."
Being a ninja was tough.
Being a shonen protagonist-in-training was worse.
If you had told me a week ago that I'd be trying to walk on water using Ki and somehow end up giving CPR to a log, I would've laughed.
Then probably checked your temperature.
But here we are.
"Alright, Kaito. Water walking."
Master Jin said this like it was as normal as brushing your teeth.
Spoiler alert:
It wasn't.
We stood beside a small lake hidden between the trees.
Jin demonstrated first.
He stepped onto the surface.
And just—
stood there.
No sinking.
No splashing.
Nothing.
"Easy," he said. "Control your Ki. Send it through your feet and continuously adjust the amount."
I looked down at the water.
It looked cold.
Deep.
And extremely not-solid.
"Right," I muttered. "Ki to the feet. No problem."
I stepped forward.
SPLASH.
Instant failure.
I sank like a rock with dreams.
"Again!" Jin called.
Attempt number two:
SPLASH.
Number three:
SPLAAAASH.
Number four:
I managed about half a second before slipping, panicking, and performing a strange dance that ended with my face in the mud.
But I was stubborn.
If Ren could do this, then so could I.
Eventually.
Maybe.
Attempt number nine was going beautifully.
Ki under my feet.
Balanced.
Standing.
I even raised one fist in victory.
Big mistake.
KERPLUNK.
Down I went.
Again.
Now, let me explain what happened next because I'm pretty sure Master Jin is going to remind me about it until I die.
I panicked.
Water went up my nose.
I couldn't see.
My arms started flailing.
Then my hand hit something floating nearby.
I grabbed it.
Dragged it toward shore.
And immediately started performing CPR.
Yes.
CPR.
On a log.
In front of Master Jin.
I heard a noise behind me.
Pfffft.
I stopped.
Master Jin had one hand over his mouth.
His shoulders were shaking.
"Kaito…"
I continued pumping the log.
"Yes?"
"Are you trying to save firewood?"
I looked down.
Wet bark.
Moss.
A small branch sticking out the side.
I had made a mistake.
A terrible mistake.
But there was no turning back now.
"LIVE, DAMN YOU!" I shouted, pressing down harder. "YOU STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO GIVE!"
Master Jin completely lost it.
He sat down on the shore laughing so hard I thought he might need CPR.
So yeah.
That was my day.
Training Summary:
Ki control: 2/10
Shadow Clones: Accidentally impressive
Water walking: Negative success
CPR skills: Excellent if the patient is wooden
Dignity: Missing in action, presumed drowned
But you know what?
Despite the failures, the water up my nose, and the emotional bond I now shared with that log…
I was improving.
Every attempt lasted a little longer.
Every shadow clone became easier to control.
Every time I focused, Ren's Ki felt slightly less foreign.
Next time, I'd stand on that water for real.
Then I'd learn Shadow Grip.
Then maybe the World of Darkness.
And eventually—
I thought about the Hand of Death.
Actually...
Maybe that one could wait.
I already had enough problems without accidentally becoming the Master of Death's favorite student.