"When do we start?" I asked, eager to finally begin my training in earnest.
"Now," Itachi replied, walking toward the exit of the abandoned temple.
"Now? What do you an, now?! I was hoping to have at least so ti to rest first."
I hesitated before following Itachi to the place where he would be training . Then, scratching the back of my neck, I asked:
"Um... Itachi, are you sure? It's late, and I've been training all day. Is this really the best ti?"
He stopped, turned around with his usual blank expression and the dark circles framing his piercing gaze.
"Do you think we'll have ti to train tomorrow, or later? The sches of war won't wait for us, unfortunately..."
He was right. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to prepare, and besides, it would be a perfect opportunity to test my new jutsu.
"Well, you're right," I said, following him out of the temple.
Renji stayed behind talking with Shisui — apparently, the two of them would be training together, which was great.
In the end, our team was made up of , a Senju, and the other three Uchihas.
Certainly, if Tobirama were still alive, he'd be disgusted by this sight. Fortunately, he's long gone.
I followed Itachi for a few more minutes until we stopped in a clearing in the forest. He placed his mask and sword on the ground and began warming up.
I started stretching too. Thanks to leveling up during Shisui's test, all my stats were maxed out.
Breaking the awkward silence that hung between us, I tried to strike up a conversation.
"So, Shisui asked if we were friends... I think he was spying on us."
Itachi stared at . "It's part of the job our clan gave him — to spy on ."
The Uchihas must have considered Itachi a threat, didn't they?
"It's good that you two trust each other — otherwise, it would've been a real problem having him spy on you," I concluded.
"Yes. But enough talk. Let's train. I want to see how strong you've beco. I saw what you did with the mokuton in your room — can you actually use it in battle?"
I took his words as a challenge. And I had no intention of losing.
"You'll see," I said, a defiant smile forming on my face.
"Wait — before we start, I just want to make it clear: no genjutsu, okay? Last ti I expected to fight Shisui head-on and got caught off guard. I don't want that happening again," I added quickly.
Itachi smiled. "Relax. That won't happen. On three, we begin."
[Challenge Begun]
Description: Itachi wants to test your abilities through training. Defeat Itachi Uchiha.
"One... two..." he began to count.
"Three," I finished.
Then the training truly began. Itachi's Sharingan wasn't active yet, but he was clearly ready.
I made the first move. I ran to the center of the clearing to close the distance, then pulled out three kunai from my pouch and threw them at him. As they flew, I prepared hand seals.
"Mokuton: Wooden Stakes!"
Sharp wooden stakes burst from the ground, ripping through the grass as they advanced toward him.
Itachi remained calm. He effortlessly deflected the kunai and began dodging the incoming stakes.
"A feint followed by an attack? Impressive," he said, still midair after evading the last stake.
Then, with incredible speed, Itachi ford hand seals and shouted:
"Katon: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
Several small fireballs began to race toward at high speed.
I wasted no ti and tried to stop the fireballs by quickly forming hand seals.
"Mokuton: Defensive Sprout!"
Roots sprouted from the ground, forming a large wooden wall in front of . The fireballs slamd into the wall, and the impact and heat of the flas were enough to splinter many of the roots, which began to shatter onto the ground.
'I doubt that wall could hold back the Great Fireball Technique. What kind of power is that?'
Before I could figure out what to do next, Itachi appeared on the opposite side from where he had launched his jutsu and prepared to hit with a kick.
Surprised, I tried to form hand seals as quickly as possible, but I didn't have enough ti or experience for it to work.
So the most I could do was try to lessen the blow by raising my arm to defend myself.
[Damage Received: -30 HP]
I flew towards the roots that had broken from the impact. I kept rolling until I managed to recover and get up. It was just enough ti to see Itachi trying to close the distance between us once again.
"He wants to keep the fight in taijutsu. He won't give a chance to react," I thought, in a short space of ti, trying to think about what I would do next.
"Doton: Stone Skin!"
I shouted as I made the hand seals. My skin began to be covered by a layer of stone, enhancing both my defense and taijutsu power.
Then, when he finally tried to attack , I blocked his attack and counterattacked with everything I had.
[You blocked an attack. 50 EXP]
[You landed a direct hit! 75 EXP]
Itachi was surprised by the technique and tried to block the attack, but to no avail, and he flew away. It was the perfect opportunity for to act again.
"Mokuton: Contained Root!"
Roots snaked across the ground and attached themselves to Itachi's feet and hands, apparently holding him in place.
But before I could do anything, he broke free of the bonds and prepared hand seals for another jutsu.
"Katon: Great Fireball Technique!"
Itachi's chest inflated just before he spat a massive fireball in my direction.
My only reaction was to make my root barrier once again, but this ti I tried to reinforce it with an additional layer.
It wasn't enough — the fireball broke through the barrier and struck with full force.
I flew from the impact and felt my breath leaving as the flas fed on the oxygen.
[Critical Damage Received! -100 HP]
I coughed, trying to recover from the jutsu that had hit . It was enough ti for Itachi to get close to and press a kunai against my neck.
I tried to break free, but I wasn't fast enough. I was defeated.
When I looked at Itachi, his eyes glowed red with his Sharingan active. He was breathing heavily, apparently a little tired from training.
"You fought well, Senju," he said, continuing to point the kunai at my neck as I got up.
"Or rather, Riku. You fought well, Riku," he continued.
"Damn, he's really strong. But I don't think beating him is impossible," I sighed.
"Well, at least I managed to push you enough to activate your Sharingan. So it wasn't a total loss. But you know what?"
I raised my hands.
"I surrender."
[Challenge Ended!]
[You lost.]
[The fight paid off. You received: 500 XP.]
Itachi put the kunai he was holding away and said with a smile:
"You're right. For the start of our training, you did very well."
I nodded, running a hand over a few wounds that soon began to close.
'Thank you, Senju clan, for your gigantic cell regeneration!' I looked up at the sky, grateful for the choice I had made.
"Okay, now what? What's next?" I asked, curious to know what we'd be doing.
"We continue training until sunrise. Or until you pass out," he said.
I could have sworn there was sothing torturous in his smile as he said that.
"I was just warming up, Itachi. Next ti, you'll definitely lose."
I said, putting on a confident front to hide the exhaustion and pain I was feeling.
The night would be long, but I'd leave this place stronger than ever and ready for the next step.
....
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