I awoke before dawn, compelled by a routine that this body had memorized.The camp was still half-asleep, the world outside tinted with the pale blue of early morning.
The Inuzuka was snoring softly on the other cot, sprawled out like he hadn't a care in the world. His blanket had half-slid off, and a thin line of drool ran down the side of his cheek. I couldn't help the small huff that escaped me. Kid was barely thirteen, yet here he was, a shinobi, already running patrols and fighting at the edges of a war. It was easy to forget how young we were until you saw moments like this.
I slipped out quietly, fastening my pouch and vest. The air outside was cool and crisp. The morning dew clung to the grass, and a faint mist rolled between the tents. I made my way toward the same training area as before, the small clearing at the camp's edge, half ringed by trees and marked with scuffed dirt from constant use.
Once there, I stretched out my arms and legs, letting my body wake fully before starting.
Chakra enhancement.
It sounded simple in theory, reinforce the body by circulating chakra through muscles and joints, But in practice, it was maddening.
The flow needed to be balanced, constant, and perfectly aligned with motion. Too much, and you ruptured the muscles; too little, and it did nothing.
I formed the half-ram seal, closing my eyes.
Slowly, I drew chakra from my center, guiding it deliberately through my body in slow pulses. First to my legs, feeling the subtle weight shift as energy pooled in the calves and thighs. Then to the core, spine, arms, and back. It was like trying to pull a dozen threads taut without snapping any.
I exhaled, then moved, a short dash forward.
The first few attempts were uneven, the flow spiking too sharply in my limbs. My heel dug too deep into the dirt, and I cursed under my breath stumbled slightly and tried again, adjusting to the change in my bodies movement.
Chakra to legs, steady, dont force it.
Breathe.
Move.
This time, my body responded better. The ground blurred slightly beneath me as I shifted stance, faster, lighter.
Not perfect, but with a noticeable progress.
I spent the next hour like that testing my movements, adjusting the flow and stopping to feel how it circulated with every strike and step. Sweat clung to my skin, breath coming heavier with each repetition. My Chakra control wasn't anywhere near what I wanted it to be, but the difference from yesterday was real.
At one point, I managed to sustain enhancement across all limbs for a solid ten seconds. A small victory that could decide whether i live or die in this world.
I leaned forward, resting my hands on my knees, the faintest smile tugging at the corner of my lips.
The half-ram seal trembled slightly in my hand as I held it again. Being able to channel chakra efficiently through the body wasn't something most shinobi mastered quickly, even many chūnin struggled to keep it stable in combat.
That I could maintain it, even briefly, meant something.
Maybe Basara's old muscle memory helped, maybe it was the CYOA that had brought me here. Either way, I wasn't about to complain.
I straightened up, drawing in a deep breath of cold air. The morning sky had brightened, the sunlight now touched the tops of the tents in the distance, burning away the mist.
I was just about to resume when a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
"Oi, Basara-san!"
I turned toward the sound. Riku was jogging toward me from across the camp tripping slightly on the damp ground, half-dressed in his uniform, his vest hanging open and his hitai-ate askew. His hair was still messy from sleep, and his grin was as wide as ever.
"You woke up early," Riku said, still panting a little from his jog over. "Should've woken me up too! We could've trained together."
I wiped a bead of sweat from my temple, glancing at him. "You looked busy drooling on your pillow," I said evenly.
Riku froze mid-step, eyes widening. "Wha—hey! That's—!" He broke into a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck, cheeks faintly red. "Okay, fair. But still, you should've woken me. Morning drills are better when theres someone to Show off too"
I raised an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile tugging at my lips. "Show off, huh? You sound confident for someone who almost tripped on his own sandals coming here."
"Hey, that was a tactical stumble," he shot back immediately, grinning again. "Besides, you need a warm-up partner, right? How about a quick spar?"
I blinked,as I heard him speak. A spar.
Part of me wanted to refuse, I was still tired, chakra running low from practice, muscles sore from the previous day's training. But another part, the quieter one that measured risk and necessity, considered it.
If I couldn't handle a genin, then what business did I have staying alive in a real fight?
I exhaled through my nose, straightening. "Fine," I said at last. "But, Taijutsu and weapons only, we dont want to wake up the entire camp"
Riku's grin widened instantly, bright and reckless. "Got it!"
He bounced back a few paces, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders, his movements light but eager.
I took a few steps back as well, brushing dust from my hands and centering my stance. The ground beneath us was still damp from dew, soft enough to give way underfoot. I flexed my fingers, feeling the faint hum of chakra still circulating from earlier exercises.
Across the clearing, Riku dropped into a stance that screamed Inuzuka, His knees bent low, weight pitched forward onto the balls of his feet, poised like a wolf or a Dog ready to spring.
His arms hung loose but taut, fingers splayed out, and I caught the glint of his fingernails lengthening, sharpening into curved, claw-like points, a hallmark of his clan's feral taijutsu. The sight sent a prickle down my spine; those claws could probably tear through flesh as easily as a kunai.
I rolled my neck, settling into position across from him.
I reached down and picked up a small pebble from the ground, holding it up between two fingers.
"The match starts when this hits the ground," I said quietly.
Riku nodded, eyes sharp now, grin gone.
For a moment, everything stilled, the morning air, the sound of distant camp chatter, even the faint rustle of the trees seemed to fade away.
I let the pebble drop.
The instant it hit the dirt with a faint thud, I moved.
My body reacted before thoughts could catch up, muscles tensing, chakra surging through my limbs in sharp, practiced pulses. The world narrowed to my movement and distance closing as my feet cut through the clearing.
Riku moved too, quick and low, his body leaning forward as he closed the gap with surprising agility. His first strike was a sweeping slash of his arm, more of a feint than a real hit, followed by a sharp crouch and a kick aimed at my side.
Fast, but not Fast enough.
I pivoted, catching the motion early, my hand brushing past his wrist before driving forward with my shoulder.
He barely had time to roll away before I followed up, the next few exchanges blurring together, the thud of boots, the flicker of cloth, the dull crack of blows meeting blocks.
Riku's movements were wild, ducking, slashing and twisting low to the ground like someone who was taught to fight like an animal. His grin had returned, fierce and focused.
But I was faster and physically stronger.
I drew chakra into my core and legs, feeling the pulse of energy coil and tighten. The ground cracked faintly beneath my step as I lunged forward, a single burst that sent me past his guard.
My knee drove up, catching him square in the midsection. The air left his lungs in a choked gasp as he stumbled back, barely keeping his footing.
Still, To his credit he recovered quickly. With one smooth motion, Riku yanked a handful of shuriken from his pouch and hurled them in a wide arc, the metal flashing in the sunlight.
I reached for my own weapon pouch almost on reflex. The kunai slid cleanly into my grip as I twisted my wrist, deflecting the first spinning blade with a sharp clang. The second came low; I angled my body and slashed it aside, sparks flicking past my shoulder.
The last one I caught with a twist of the blade, knocking it into the dirt at my feet.
Riku's grin widened,
"Tsūga!" he shouted, hands and feet snapping into motion.
His body spun into a blur, chakra erupting around him in a violent spiral of dust and wind. The air whistled as he launched forward like a drill, tearing grooves into the earth.
I blinked once, unimpressed.
"I said taijutsu,only" I muttered under my breath, already forming the ram seal with my hand s while holding the kunai. Still, I stayed calm
The instant his spinning form closed in, I Shunshin'ed back in a burst of motion, reappearing several meters away. The ground where I'd been standing exploded with dirt and debris as Riku tore through it, missing by inches.
He stoped and readjusted. The second Tsūga came just as fast, maybe a little faster, a tight spiral of motion kicking up a cloud of dust and stray leaves.
He skidded to a halt, claws digging into the earth as he pivoted, already coiling for another strike. The second Tsūga came faster, a tighter spiral of motion that kicked up a storm of dust and scattered leaves, the air humming with his momentum.
But I didn't dodge blindly this time. I watched, tracking the arc of his spins, the way the dust curled just before he broke through it. His trajectory was clear, a predator's lunge telegraphed by the churn of earth and air. I saw where he'd crouch.
The moment his rotation slowed and his feet hit the ground, claws scraping as he steadied himself,
I moved. My wrist flicked, the kunai slicing through the air in a clean, deliberate arc. It thudded into the dirt a hair's breadth from Riku's ear, the blade glinting as he froze, breath hitching in the sudden stillness.
The clearing was silent again, as the dust drifted slowly between us.
Riku froze mid-step, eyes wide, one hand still raised from the last spin. His breath came in short bursts, chest heaving. Then he turned slightly, staring at the kunai buried beside his face
He swallowed, the grin fading into something halfway between slight awe and disbelief.
"That…" he said softly, "…could've gone through my head."
"Good spar," I said evenly, lowering my stance and sliding the kunai back into its pouch.
Riku still looked dazed, eyes flicking to the blade half-buried in the dirt, then back to me. I could almost see the moment his pride caught up to his survival instinct, his grin returned, smaller but still bright.
Congratulations, I thought dryly, you just beat a genin probably fresh out of the academy.
I turned slightly, brushing some dust off my sleeve, and that's when I acknowledged the presence standing a short distance away near the edge of the training field, half in the shadow of a tent.
"Sayuri-san," I called out into the tent lines, my tone polite but friendly.
The older woman stepped forward, her gait smooth and unhurried. The morning light caught the curve of her hair soft brown that curled slightly at the ends and the faint sheen of her forehead protector tied loosely around her arm. Her flak jacket strained against her chest, fabric pulling taut over generous curve, The material shifting slightly with every step.
She paused as she neared us, resting a hand on her hip
Beside me, Riku's grin widened instantly, like someone had just flipped a switch. "Sayuri-nee!" he called, waving one hand while still trying to look casual about nearly getting his head taken off.
Sayuri smiled faintly at that, a small, knowing curve of her lips, as she met us halfway.
"Good morning, you two," she said, her voice light but composed. "I see you've been... busy."
I couldn't help the slight twitch of amusement that crossed my face as I bent down to retrieve my kunai from the dirt. The blade came free with a soft rasp.
"Training," Riku replied said simply, dusting it off before sliding it into my pouch.
Sayuri's eyes flicked between us and she smiled again, a little wider this time.
"I can tell," she replied.
The sun had started to climb higher, burning away the morning mist. Around us, the camp stirred to life, the faint chatter of shinobi, the clink of weapons being readied.
"Good morning, Sayuri-san" I said again, returning her smile with one of my own.