…
The morning light of the sun was begining to filter through with its rays pouring into the training ground, illuminating the figures of Kaito and Murakami as they stood facing each other in silence.
Murakami didn't move and neither did Kaito.
Seconds passed before Murakami shifted into a relaxed stance, instead of rushing in, his weight evenly distributed, hands loose at his sides.
His narrowed eyes studied Kaito's stance, noting the way his sensei barely seemed prepared for a confrontation.
"Not coming?" Kaito asked.
Murakami smirked. "What's the rush?"
The words had barely left his mouth before Kaito blurred.
'Fast.' Murakami reacted on instinct as he twisted to the side, barely avoiding the fist that came at his face.
The wind from Kaito's attack brushing past his cheek, but Murakami didn't freeze and waste the opportunity as he snapped his leg up, aiming a powerful kick at Kaito's midsection.
Kaito raised an arm to block, but Murakami adjusted, rotating mid-air and shifting into a spinning heel kick aimed at Kaito's head.
Kaito ducked effortlessly, and as though expecting it, the moment his feet touched the ground, he threw a sharp right hook aimed at his sensei's jaw, but Kaito smoothly raised his arm, deflecting the blow just enough to throw off Murakami's momentum…
… Or so he thought.
Murakami however, didn't falter and followed up with a knee strike, much to the surprise of Kaito who brought his arm down to defend, absorbing the impact before countering with an open-palm strike aimed at Murakami's shoulder.
Murakami's eyes widened for an instant as he sensed the force behind that palm.
If it connected, he would surely take damage.
Thinking fast, Murakami barely twisted away in time to avoid the attack, but Kaito's other hand shot forward in a blur, aiming for his stomach.
Fast!
Murakami curled inward, arms snapping together just in time to block, but the force still sent him sliding backward, his arms tingling from the impact, but he didn't have time to rest as Kaito was already moving again.
Kaito's figure appeared before him, his foot lashing out in a precise kick toward Murakami's midsection.
Instead of blocking head-on, Murakami shifted his weight and spun to the side, letting the kick graze past before snapping his own leg up, aiming for Kaito's exposed side.
Kaito caught his ankle mid-air.
Before Murakami could react, Kaito twisted sharply, flinging him overhead and into the ground, but Murakami adjusted mid-fall, planting his palms against the ground and flipping backward to regain his balance.
Kaito didn't follow up but smiled faintly. "Good reaction."
Murakami exhaled, but didn't react to the praise. "That much should be expected, right?"
Kaito smirked, but didn't reply. Instead, he rushed forward again.
Murakami barely had a moment to settle into a stance before Kaito was upon him.
'He is faster.' Murakami realized in awe as he barely had time to react to the straight jab to the chest forced Murakami to stagger back, followed by a spinning kick that he barely ducked under before flipping backwards and throwing a couple kunai at Kaito to keep him away.
Unfortunately for him, Kaito efficiently deflected all the kunai before pressinf the attack with relentless precision.
And before Murakami knew it, he was forced into the defensive. He blocked, deflected, and sidestepped each attack.
By the side Sora and Hideki were watching the spectacle with wide eyes.
"This guy… is he for real?" Hideki couldn't help asking in amazement.
Murakami was a kid their age, someone they had interacted with over 6 years at the academy, albeit in passing, but they never thought he was this strong.
"Just like my mom said… in the Shinobi world, it's the quiet ones you should always be wary of." Sora said gravely, a contrast to Hideki's awe.
While he was amazed at Murakami's ability in keeping up with a seasoned Jonin, that also scared the daylight out of him.
He had previously placed Murakami on a high enough pedestal as the strongest contender to become a chunin among their class, but this… 'This is beyond Chunin.'
They watched as Murakami and Kaito moved around the open space exchanging moves so fast that their eyes could barely keep up.
One moment they were both standing on one spot, the next they were clashing at another.
Both of them could agree without an iota of doubt that joining a fight of this level would lead to their instantaneous elimination, yet Murakami looked excited despite being on the defensive.
"Somehow… I feel a bit of pity for Kenji and the others who think they can match up to Murakami someday." Hideki suddenly said.
Sora turned to look at him and saw the resigned smile on the boy's face, but he couldn't bring himself to refute despite how unwilling he was.
"If he's already this strong at this sge, I'm pretty sure he'll make a name for himself if he doesn't die off somewhere." Sora said calmly and Hideki nodded.
…
Back in the open space, Kaito continued his relentless barrage of attacks on Murakami. No matter how much of a genius Murakami was, Kaito believed there was no way he could bridge the gap of experience between them.
What somewhat pissed off Kaito was the fact that despite him increasing his strength, Murakami wasn't faltering but was showing signs of growing under the pressure.
He aimed a low kick at his shin but it was a feint leading to a palm strike toward Murakami's stomach for a finishing blow.
But Murakami wasn't done yet.
At the last second, he brought his palms together.
"Earth Release: Stone Barricade!"
A thick wall of stone erupted between them, forcing Kaito to halt his attack.
Murakami jumped onto the earth wall, forming a set of hand seals.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
From his right palm, a gust of wind shot toward Kaito.
Kaito who was still amazed at how Murakami was able to quickly perform a ninjutsu without hand seals, saw the wind attack coming and leaped backward, but Murakami had already jumped off the wall, closing the distance between them.
This time, he was attacking directly without any trickery, his stone-coated fist shooting toward Kaito's ribs.
Kaito blocked, but the force was different this time. The moment his palm connected with Murakami's stone-enhanced fist, the impact sent a dull shock through his arm
'This kid… it's time to end this.' he thought in annoyance as he saw Murakami pressing forward, launching another earth enhanced punch.
Before Murakami's attack could connect, Kaito's figure blurred, and in the next instant, Murakami's entire world tilted as Kaito caught his wrist, twisted it, and sent him crashing to the ground kicking up dust.
As the dust settled, Murakami lay on his back, blinking at the sky.
Kaito stood over him, his expression unreadable. "You think fast on your feet. I'll give you that."
Murakami let out a slow breath, feeling the ache settle into his muscles. "Could've let me have that last hit."
Kaito snorted. "Maybe when you earn it."
He extended a hand. Murakami sighed, taking it as Kaito pulled him back to his feet.
"You're one hell of a kid, you know that?" Looking at Murakami who didn't even stagger despite how hard he had been thrown to the ground, he couldn't help but comment.
Murakami merely chuckled as he dusted himself. "In a world that measures worth in strength, staying weak is just volunteering to be discarded."
Kaito paused and gave the boy a deep look. 'To be able to think this way…what has this kid been through?' he wondered to himself.
"You're right, weakness is a sin in the Shinobi world." He said and sighed. "I'm glad I wouldn't have to teach you that the hard way."
Saying that the turned to Sora and Hideki who were now making their way towards them. "You two on the other hand, have a lot to learn."
Kaito's words lingered in the air for a moment as Sora and Hideki came to a stop a few steps beside Murakami.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
They couldn't.
What they had just witnessed hadn't felt like a simple spar. It felt like watching two entirely different levels of combat intersect, with Murakami somehow standing in the space between them.
Sora exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "…That was insane."
Hideki nodded, still staring at Murakami as though seeing him for the first time. "You weren't even panicking…"
Murakami shrugged lightly, rolling his shoulder as if the earlier exchange had been nothing more than routine. "Panicking doesn't help."
"That's not the point," Sora snapped, though there was no real heat behind it. "You were keeping up with sensei."
Murakami didn't respond to that.
Instead, his gaze shifted back to Kaito.
Kaito's met his.
"…You're not done, are you?" Kaito asked.
Murakami tilted his head slightly. "That depends."
"On?"
"Whether this was an evaluation…" Murakami said calmly, "or a demonstration."
Sora blinked. "There's a difference?"
Kaito chuckled softly at that, folding his arms. "There is."
His gaze remained on Murakami.
"An evaluation tells me where you stand," he continued. "A demonstration shows me what you're hiding."
A brief silence followed.
Murakami smiled faintly.
"…Then which do you want, sensei?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed as he peered at Murakami.
"For now?" he said. "An evaluation is enough."
"Your fundamentals are solid," Kaito continued, now addressing all three of them. "Better than I expected, in your case," he added, glancing at Murakami, before looking at Sora and Hideki. "And barely acceptable in yours."
Sora grimaced.
Hideki scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"But fundamentals alone won't keep you alive," Kaito went on. "Teamwork will."
At that, Murakami expression shifted slightly, internally acknowledging his words.
Kaito caught it.
"You understand individuals," Kaito said, his tone turning pointed. "But a team isn't something you control."
Murakami didn't respond immediately.
"…Isn't it?" he asked quietly.
Sora frowned. "Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"It means," he said, "that your first lesson as a team begins now."
He turned and began walking toward the edge of the training ground.
"Rest for ten minutes," he called over his shoulder. "After that… we are going for a team bonding session."
Murakami simply watched Kaito's back, his eyes thoughtful.
"…A team, huh," he murmured. "Aren't they meant to be extensions of oneself?"
'What use are they is they can't be used as such?' He pondered to himself as he sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes to begin meditating.