A Month

Shiraishi Yoshijo was once again thrown to the ground and beaten by Takemoto Anna for the whole day.

He thought Takemoto Anna didn't seem like a woman at all, because she had no idea what it meant to go easy on someone.

He'd already been badly injured the day before, and now he'd been beaten again. If he didn't rest for a couple of days, he might actually die.

When he told Takemoto Shuichi he wanted to rest for two days, Takemoto Shuichi merely looked at him expressionlessly.

"It's only been a few days, and you have the nerve to ask for a break?"

"I feel like my bones are about to fall apart."

"The human body has no limits. That's just your imagination."

"This is the only time. I won't ask for another break."

"If you make an exception once, you'll do it again. We're short on time, and if you don't work hard, you'll have to go back to the Ninja Academy."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was about to make more excuses, but Takemoto Shuichi had already lost patience.

"If you dare not show up tomorrow, I'll drag you out of your house myself. And let me tell you, there's no such thing as a break with me."

Shiraishi Yoshijo began taking deep breaths, telling himself not to lose his temper.

But he really couldn't take it anymore. That grandfather and granddaughter didn't treat people like people at all.

One treated him like a machine, the other like a punching bag. You'll end up killing me one of these days.

"You old geezer—"

With a bang, Shiraishi Yoshijo crashed through two trees, spat blood, and collapsed on the ground.

After dragging him back, Takemoto Shuichi tossed him to Takemoto Anna.

"Take him home."

Takemoto Anna didn't even dare breathe too loudly as she carried Shiraishi Yoshijo home at a run.

"If you're looking to get yourself killed, don't take me down with you. This is what happens to people who make Grandpa angry."

Shiraishi Yoshijo was still conscious, but his lips moved a few times without making a sound.

You old geezer, I'll remember this.

After carrying him home, Takemoto Anna didn't leave right away. She waited until Shiraishi Eizawa returned before taking her leave.

Seeing how battered he was, Shiraishi Eizawa's mouth twitched as he sat down beside the bed.

"How did you end up like this?"

"That old geezer isn't human. I only wanted to rest for two days, and he beat me half to death."

Shiraishi Eizawa: ""

"Looks like I've been too easy on you. You want to rest after only three days? If you keep this up..."

He didn't need to finish. Shiraishi Yoshijo understood what he meant.

Shiraishi Eizawa had never forced him to do anything, always letting him do as he pleased.

He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with that. In fact, he'd enjoyed the freedom.

But with an attitude that lazy, there was no way the old man Takemoto Shuichi would go easy on him.

"Get some rest. Remember this lesson, and show Uncle Shuichi a little respect."

Alone in his room, Shiraishi Yoshijo stared blankly at the ceiling.

Was he really just too weak-willed?

Remembering how he'd cried from the pain after hitting a wooden post twice as a child, Shiraishi Yoshijo sighed.

He'd had it too easy, after all.

Takemoto Anna must have endured plenty of hardship to become that strong. If he didn't suffer a little himself, he'd never stand a chance against her.

A night passed.

After eating, Shiraishi Yoshijo grabbed a stick to use as a cane and limped off to train.

He didn't think Takemoto Shuichi would let him stay home and rest just because he was badly injured.

He ran into Takemoto Anna on the way.

"Did your grandfather send you?"

Takemoto Anna didn't answer. She crouched down.

"What are you doing?"

"Carrying you."

Shiraishi Yoshijo wanted to toss away the stick and let her carry him, but his pride as a man wouldn't let him.

"I can walk on my own."

Takemoto Anna didn't insist. She walked alongside him instead.

"Do you hate my grandfather?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, Grandpa doesn't like you either. He says you're unlikely to amount to anything."

"Then why is he training me? He could just go through the motions and be done with it."

"Grandpa isn't like that. If he makes a promise, he'll keep it. Either don't do something at all, or do it properly. He says that all the time."

"So I'm supposed to thank him?"

"Do you think Grandpa is doing this for your gratitude?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo said nothing. His face gave nothing away.

"You don't understand my grandfather. He hates people who are weak-willed."

"My father told me that Grandpa's father used your clan's Secret Technique to kill himself. One of his sisters did the same. So can you understand how much pain my grandfather has suffered?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo stopped walking.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't want you to hold a grudge against Grandpa."

"I understand."

At the training ground, Takemoto Shuichi smiled as he watched Shiraishi Yoshijo limp over.

"Now you're starting to look like a man."

Shiraishi Yoshijo said nothing. He dropped the stick and turned to Takemoto Anna. "Come on."

Another day of training came to an end.

Shiraishi Yoshijo forced himself to walk home.

He didn't rest after getting back. Instead, he began meditating to cultivate his Chakra.

Once his body felt a little better, he went back to practicing his Lightning Body Flicker.

He hadn't told Takemoto Shuichi about the Lightning Body Flicker, even though he'd originally wanted Takemoto Shuichi to help him refine the technique.

He wanted to perfect it himself—not to prove anything to anyone, but for the sake of his own dignity.

Shiraishi Yoshijo knew he wasn't weak-willed.

He was just selfish.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

At the training ground, Shiraishi Yoshijo and Takemoto Anna were locked in a fierce struggle.

Takemoto Shuichi watched from the sidelines with a smile.

Shiraishi Yoshijo had made great progress over the past half month.

At first, he'd been completely unable to fight back. Then they'd reached a stalemate, and now they were locked in a close fight with neither able to gain the upper hand.

If all he had to do was pass the graduation exam, Taijutsu alone should be enough.

He could also tell that Shiraishi Yoshijo's Chakra had nearly doubled over the past half month.

All that remained was to teach him one or two Ninjutsu, and he'd be ready to graduate.

After training, Shiraishi Yoshijo bowed to Takemoto Shuichi, then took his leave.

Ever since that day, he'd treated the old man with unusual respect.

There was no particular reason for it. He simply respected him.

The strong deserved respect.

He didn't go straight home. Instead, he headed to an open space not far from his house and continued practicing his Lightning Body Flicker.

He could now control his direction and landing spot after using the Body Flicker, and even launch an attack.

But the training ahead was where the real difficulty of the technique began.

Until now, he'd practiced against stationary Shuriken targets. If he wanted to use this Body Flicker in actual combat, he would have to make the Shuriken move.

He needed to create something similar to the Flying Thunder God.

The Flying Thunder God worked by throwing a Kunai marked with a formula and sensing it to teleport. His Body Flicker would also require him to throw a Shuriken, except his Shuriken had two wires attached.

Over the past half month, Shiraishi Yoshijo had already discovered the limitations of his Lightning Body Flicker.

Its range was short, it consumed a lot of Chakra, and it wasn't suitable for prolonged battles.

With his current Chakra, he could use the Lightning Body Flicker five times at most.

That was only after his Chakra had doubled. Before that, he could manage it only twice.

Strangely enough, ever since his injuries healed, his Chakra had been growing almost every day.

At this rate, it wouldn't take a year for him to have as much Chakra as a Chunin.

He'd earned this through hard work.

Shiraishi Yoshijo held a Shuriken in his hand. Lightning Release Chakra flared, and he threw it.

"Ninpō: Body Flicker Technique!"

A flash of lightning blazed like a thunderclap on a clear day, then vanished in an instant!

Shiraishi Yoshijo appeared, with the Shuriken lying a short distance ahead of him.

He frowned, thinking it over.

The Lightning Body Flicker had worked, but his landing point was off.

This happened because he was moving too fast. Even if his mind could keep up with the lightning, his body couldn't.

To solve this...

Shiraishi Yoshijo gave a bitter smile. "Do I have to rely on prediction?"

He stuck one wooden post after another into the open ground, then began practicing.

When his Chakra ran out, he turned around and sighed at the posts scattered in every direction.

He was either too early or too late. It was simply unrealistic to predict the speed of lightning perfectly.

Speaking of which, did this Lightning Body Flicker count as a Ninjutsu or Nintaijutsu?

Even Shiraishi Yoshijo wasn't sure.

He'd intended to use conductivity to perform a Body Flicker, but in the end, it had turned into lightning's pulling force.

Even now, he had no idea what that pulling force was.

Takemoto Shuichi had begun teaching him Ninjutsu.

Takemoto Anna didn't have the Lightning-Water nature, so she no longer needed to train with them.

Over half a month, thanks to his exceptionally quick knack for learning Ninjutsu, he'd learned eight techniques from Takemoto Shuichi.

Five C-rank techniques: two Water Release and three Lightning Release.

Three B-rank techniques: one Water Release and two Lightning Release.

By the time he'd learned the techniques, Shiraishi Yoshijo understood that knowing lots of Ninjutsu didn't actually do much good.

At most, it gave him a few more ways to fight his opponents.

What mattered most was his Chakra reserves.

Using one B-rank technique and one C-rank technique would drain all his Chakra. It didn't matter how many more he knew if he couldn't use them.

After finishing that day's Ninjutsu training, Shiraishi Yoshijo bowed to Takemoto Shuichi but didn't leave immediately.

Whatever he thought of the old man, he still owed Takemoto Shuichi thanks for teaching him so diligently over the past month.

"Grandpa Shuichi, the graduation exam is tomorrow. Thank you so much for teaching me so carefully this past month."

Takemoto Shuichi sighed softly and helped him up. "I know. Seeing what you've accomplished this past month makes me feel truly old."

"It's your generation's time now. Yoshijo, have you really decided against joining the hospital?"

He still hadn't given up on using me as a tool?

"There are many reasons I don't want to join the hospital. I have my own principles, too."

After saying this, Shiraishi Yoshijo turned and left.

Takemoto Shuichi remained where he was. Only after Shiraishi Yoshijo had disappeared from sight did he speak. "Come out."

A middle-aged man walked out with Takemoto Anna.

"Masamasa, what do you think?"

Takemoto Masamasa, Takemoto Shuichi's son and the head of the Takemoto Clan.

"He's quite good."

"Then arrange for Anna to join the hospital. If Yoshijo still refuses to join once he comes of age, force him to."

"Understood."

In just a few words, the two men had decided everything without even asking Takemoto Anna what she thought.

Takemoto Anna's expression didn't change. She'd known this was the outcome all along.

She had never considered resisting. Born into a shinobi clan, this was her fate.