Learning to Take a Beating

"Mm, where am I? Ah, that hurts."

About an hour later, Uchiha Homura finally woke up groggily.

He struggled to sit up, but a sharp pain still shot through his abdomen.

"Right, I think I was sparring with Soji. Then I awakened my Sharingan, and after that, I got knocked out?" Uchiha Homura muttered.

He was initially thrilled at the thought of awakening his Sharingan, but when he remembered being knocked out by Soji's palm strike and punch, his face alternated between red and pale.

"Damn it, is the gap still this huge? Even after awakening the Sharingan, I'm still no match for him." The thought left Uchiha Homura dejected again.

He opened his blood-red eyes once more and looked at his hands. Even the lines on his palms seemed crystal clear, but what was the use of being able to see them? His body still couldn't dodge in time.

"Yo, you're awake. The spar's over. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Seeing Uchiha Homura awake, Soji leaned over with a smile.

Uchiha Homura turned toward that punchable face and blankly asked, "What else did I forget? Don't tell me you want to beat me up again?"

As he spoke, Uchiha Homura tried to inch backward in terror.

"Are you an idiot? The Hand Seal of Reconciliation. Did you forget what they taught you at the Academy? After an official spar, the two of you have to make the Hand Seal of Reconciliation!"

Soji looked at Uchiha Homura as if he could not believe this idiot.

Soji's words left Uchiha Homura's brain unable to process them for a long while.

That was it? That was it! He had thought Soji suddenly leaning over with such a serious expression meant something important. It was just because of this...

Then, after seeing Soji form the Hand Seal of Reconciliation, Uchiha Homura helplessly formed one as well.

It was ridiculous, but it was still better than Soji suddenly saying he wanted to beat him up again.

"Soji, how do you think I should train from here on out?" Uchiha Homura asked, staring at Soji with those scarlet eyes.

"You should ask the elders of your clan about that. I'm from the Hyuga Clan, and I don't know much about the Uchiha Clan. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to offer too many suggestions."

Uchiha Homura looked disappointed when he heard that.

If the training advice from his clan elders had been useful, would he have kept getting beaten down by Soji and Minato?

"However..."

"However what?"

Soji had wanted to continue, but Uchiha Homura immediately cut him off.

Soji could not help rolling his eyes. Wasn't he just about to say it? What was with that sudden interruption? Did he need some sense of ceremony?

Uchiha Homura seemed to realize that he had been too impatient.

He then gave Soji an embarrassed look, his face full of expectation.

Soji said nothing. He simply turned around and closed his eyes.

"I won't use my Byakugan. Throw the stones on the ground at me from behind," Soji said calmly.

"You sure?" Uchiha Homura looked doubtful, though Soji could not see his expression with his back turned.

"Quit talking. If I tell you to throw them, throw them," Soji said impatiently.

"All right, but don't blame me if you get hurt."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Homura picked up a pebble beside him and hurled it at Soji.

"Whoosh." "Smack."

Hyuga Soji caught the pebble perfectly.

Uchiha Homura froze.

"Don't space out. I told you to throw more," Soji's voice came again.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Homura threw five or six pebbles in succession this time, with more force than before.

He had been afraid of hurting Soji earlier, but since Soji could catch them, he no longer held back.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." "Smack, smack, smack, smack, smack, smack."

As Soji's hands moved, every pebble was caught perfectly.

Uchiha Homura's eyes went wide at the sight.

He could do this without using his eyes?

Uchiha Homura could not help asking himself that inwardly.

Soji's demonstration had already given him a clear answer.

Soji then opened his eyes, turned around, and said to Uchiha Homura, "Did you see clearly?"

"Please tell me how to train. I'm begging you."

After nodding, Uchiha Homura spoke with a sincere expression.

"Just do what I did," Soji said with a smile.

"Just like you did?" Uchiha Homura looked doubtful.

"After losing the vision of your eyes, use your body's memory to defend and attack. That's the training method I'm telling you about."

Back then, Soji had suffered plenty at home.

He had asked four servants to throw stones at him from four different directions.

At first, those Branch House servants stubbornly refused. It was only after Soji threatened them with the Caged Bird and promised that he absolutely would not punish them that they dared to throw stones at their seemingly crazed young master.

In the beginning, Soji was pelted until his body was covered in bruises. But later, relying on his body's memory, he gradually caught the stones thrown at him again and again.

After more than half a year, even when the four Branch House servants threw stones at him continuously and all at once, he could catch every single one.

That earned Soji the admiring gazes of the servants in his household.

As a member of the Main House, he was so diligent, and he had never treated them with a lofty attitude.

It was hard for those Branch House servants not to be wholeheartedly convinced by him.

"How long did it take you to reach your current level?"

After thinking for a while, Uchiha Homura asked the question in his heart.

"More than half a year," Soji answered honestly.

At that moment, Uchiha Homura remembered. Last year, Soji had spent around half a year covered in bandages every day.

At the time, he had thought Soji was trying out a new look.

After all, quite a few people in the ninja world dressed like that.

They liked wrapping themselves in bandages, since bandages could be used as weapons in certain situations.

They could also hide things underneath, without affecting how easily they were carried.

So Uchiha Homura had not thought much of Soji's appearance. Even when Soji later stopped wearing bandages, he had only assumed that Soji no longer liked the style.

After all, it was perfectly normal for children their age to change their interests every day.

"Were you covered in bandages for a while last year because you got hurt during this training?" Uchiha Homura asked again for confirmation.

"Yes. So, will you accept my suggestion?" Soji asked with a smile.

Though Soji spoke lightly now, thinking about how he had spent more than half a year covered in injuries sent a chill down Uchiha Homura's spine.

At that thought, Uchiha Homura admired Soji even more, and he became completely convinced of Soji's strength.

Someone who could be that ruthless toward himself—it was no wonder Soji possessed such strength now.

Uchiha Homura asked himself honestly: if he had not seen Soji's current strength and his earlier performance of catching stones with his eyes closed, he would never have foolishly attempted this kind of training alone.

Putting aside whether the training was effective, the danger alone was not something children their age should face.

If a stone accidentally struck a dangerous part of the body, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

"So I'm not the only one training. There are people training even harder than I am." With that thought, Uchiha Homura seemed to make up his mind.

"I'll learn!" he said firmly.

"Very good. Then I have another suggestion: don't ask ordinary people to train with you. If they accidentally hit somewhere they shouldn't, the consequences could be hard to say."

After saying that, Soji gave a meaningful glance toward a certain part of Uchiha Homura's body.

The four servants who trained with Soji at home were all Branch House ninja, so they knew their limits while helping him train.

They would not cause Soji overly serious injuries, nor would they blindly throw stones around.

Otherwise, even though Soji had said beforehand that he would not punish them, he could not guarantee that he would not go back on his word afterward.

Soji felt that if something like that really happened, he would most likely, definitely, certainly, unquestionably, one hundred percent go back on his word!

After hearing Soji's words, Uchiha Homura could not help shuddering.

He swore that if he really began this training, he would definitely find someone he trusted completely to train with him!

"The Uchiha Clan's main abilities are concentrated in the Sharingan. Don't forget to train your Sharingan too," Soji said again.

"Yeah, I know." Uchiha Homura nodded. Now that he had awakened the Sharingan, he naturally would not abandon such a powerful weapon.

"Right, genjutsu is the Uchiha Clan's specialty. Remember not to neglect that either," Soji continued with his suggestions.

Uchiha Homura nodded with a strange expression after hearing that.

"And..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Soji had wanted to continue, but Uchiha Homura interrupted him.

Then Uchiha Homura received a resentful look from Soji, making him shudder all over.

He hurriedly shook his head, casting aside some unpleasant thoughts.

"No, Soji, didn't you say at the beginning that you didn't know much about the Uchiha Clan and that it wasn't appropriate to offer too many suggestions?"

Ignoring Soji's gaze, Uchiha Homura spoke helplessly.

This was supposed to be not knowing much? Did he have some kind of misunderstanding about the phrase "not knowing much"?

"Haha, did I say that? You probably heard wrong. I really only know a tiny little bit about the Uchiha Clan," Soji swore with a straight face.

Then Soji received an expression from Uchiha Homura that clearly said, As if I'd believe that.

Sigh.

Soji sighed inwardly. He actually had many more suggestions he had not mentioned, but many of them were methods for increasing the strength of someone reborn into the Uchiha Clan that he had read in Naruto fanfiction in his previous life.

He truly could not guarantee they would work, so taking advantage of Uchiha Homura's interruption, he simply did not bring them up.

Things like genjutsu trials or acting out scenes for emotional stimulation.

Since he was not sure whether they were reliable, it was better not to say anything.

Soji would feel too guilty using his friend as a guinea pig.

The suggestions he had made, the ones that were genuinely effective, were already enough to keep Uchiha Homura training for a long time.

"So, Homura, are you rested? Since it's still early, I'll help you train now. My training for today is more or less done anyway," Soji said with a mischievous grin.

Soji was more than happy to pelt that brat Uchiha Homura with stones under the legitimate excuse of training.

If he had the chance, Soji also wanted to drag Minato Namikaze and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in to experience this kind of joy.

After all, shared joy was better than enjoying it alone!

"M-Maybe not. I still haven't recovered from the injuries you gave me earlier."

Seeing Soji's excited expression, Uchiha Homura immediately sensed that something was wrong.

This bastard definitely wants to take the chance to get revenge on me again, Uchiha Homura thought.

At the same time, he was sure that Soji was exactly that shameless!

"Hey, hey, I kindly gave you advice and even offered to help you train, and this is your attitude? Get up already, or I'll make you pass out again." Soji clenched his right fist against his left palm, producing a series of crackling sounds.

With a whoosh, Uchiha Homura shot up from the ground in fright.

"Very good. Then let's begin training."

As soon as he finished speaking, Soji picked up a pile of small stones and placed them beside himself.

Uchiha Homura's eyelids twitched violently when he saw them.

Looks like there's no way I'm finishing today's training without a scratch, Uchiha Homura thought miserably.

Soon, cries such as "Ow," "Ah," and "That hurts" echoed from the area, startling flocks of birds into song throughout the forest!