When we were five months into the training for the Chunin Exams, Ren-sensei clapped his hands once to get our attention. "You have done enough team practices," he said.
"Now it is time to prepare you for the final round of the Chunin Exams, which is often a one-versus-one battle. You will spar with me one by one, alone. No help from your teammates. It would be just you and me. You can go all out and I would tell you your mistakes and areas where you can improve on."
We nodded without hesitation. My heart started beating faster. I felt a rush of excitement in my chest. I had been waiting for this moment.
Against the root agents back then, I had held back on purpose. I did not want Danzo or his spies to learn everything I could do.
Today, I could finally go all out against my sensei without holding anything back. The thought made me giddy.
Of course, My sensei might just reveal them to Danzo himself. He might be some how in connection with him. But I was at least sure that he was not a root agent now. Danzo would not let his root agents just retire from Root.
Misa stepped forward first. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. Her Byakugan activated with a faint pulse of chakra around her eyes. The veins around her temples bulged as she stared straight at Ren-sensei.
She did not waste time. Misa reached into her pouch and threw a volley of kunai straight at him.
Lightning chakra crackled along the edges of the blades, making them glow with sharp blue light.
Ren-sensei did not move much. He pulled out his own kunai and channeled earth elemental chakra into them.
Even though earth was weak against lightning, he used the reinforced kunai to deflect hers with precise flicks of his wrist. Sparks flew every time the weapons clashed, but none of Misa's attacks reached him.
Misa closed the distance in the next moment. She moved into taijutsu range, her palms open and ready. She struck with the Hyuga Gentle Fist style.
Every hit aimed for tenketsu points, trying to seal his chakra flow. What surprised me most was the way she added a little lightning chakra into her palms.
Thin sparks danced across her fingertips. If Ren-sensei tried to block with his fists or even a kunai, the lightning would flow into him and paralyze his muscles for a few precious seconds. That's why he decided to dodge most of her blows.
I watched with wide eyes. 'This is why the Hyuga could become far more monstrous if they did not focus only on their clan techniques,' I thought. 'If they started mixing nature release into the Gentle Fist the way Misa is doing now, they might become stronger than the Uchihas with three-tomoe Sharingan. Easily.'
Ren-sensei decided he had seen enough. His body blurred with speed. In one smooth motion, he swept low and caught Misa's leading leg. She lost her balance completely. Before she could recover, he spun and sent her tumbling across the dirt with a controlled push.
Misa hit the ground hard but rolled to her feet right away. She winced and rubbed her side.
Ren-sensei looked down at her with a serious expression. "Remember this," he said. "Your techniques or jutsus will not matter if the enemy is just faster and can take you out before you finish your combo. Always think of ways to limit their movement speed if you believe they are faster than you."
Misa nodded slowly. She looked frustrated but also thoughtful.
Next up was Kenji. He walked into the center of the field with his usual nervous energy, but I could see the determination in his eyes. He had grown a lot in these five months.
Kenji started simple. He threw three kunai toward Ren-sensei. Each one had an explosion tag attached, and they were already burning.
Ren-sensei moved his hands quickly. His kunai flashed out and sliced through the tags before they could finish burning. The kunai fell harmlessly to the ground.
"Remember that your enemies could just cut the tags apart," he said. "So send your kunais with explosion tags only when half of the fuse is already burned. Calculate the distance carefully to make sure it explodes at the right moment."
Kenji listened, but then a small smirk appeared on his face. "Are you sure that you should be giving me a lesson right now, sensei?"
Ren-sensei's eyes widened. He turned his head just in time to see a fourth kunai coming from his blind spot. Kenji had used his chakra strings to sneak it behind him during the first throw. The explosion tag on this one was already mostly burned. The blast went off with a loud boom.
When the smoke cleared, we saw a crumbling earth dome where Ren-sensei had stood. A second later, the dome cracked open and Ren-sensei stepped out. Dust covered his shoulders, but he looked mostly unharmed. A wry smile tugged at his lips.
"Nice trick," he said.
Kenji did a quick fist pump and shot me a thumbs-up. I had suggested that exact move to him a few weeks ago. It was meant to surprise enemies who thought they had everything under control. Seeing it work against Ren-sensei made me proud.
But Kenji did not get to celebrate long. Ren-sensei vanished and reappeared behind him in an instant. One swift kick to the back of the knees dropped Kenji to the ground. He groaned and clutched his leg.
Ren-sensei stood over him. "No celebrating minor victories on the battlefield," he said firmly. "Always be serious until you are sure your enemy is dead and none are hiding in ambush."
Kenji groaned again but nodded. He pushed himself up slowly.
Ren-sensei turned to me next. His eyes locked onto mine. "It's now your turn, little Kagen."
---------Author Notes--------
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