Taijutsu Sparring

At Training Ground Six, Akaseki and Inuzuka Tsume stood facing each other, with Kuromaru at Tsume's side. But after Tsume said something to him, Kuromaru whined and reluctantly backed away a few steps.

Although Akaseki had told Tsume and Kuromaru to "come at him together," once Tsume confirmed they were only sparring in Taijutsu, she had no intention of letting Kuromaru join in!

The two formed the Seal of Confrontation, as was customary before a spar, and at the same time...

"Sharingan, activate!" Akaseki went first, out of courtesy.

Noticing the change in Akaseki's eyes, Tsume first grew serious, then... surprised!

"Your left eye..." Tsume exclaimed in shock.

Of course she knew Akaseki had awakened his Sharingan—she'd been at the graduation ceremony, after all!

She especially remembered the timing of his awakening...

But only a month and a half had passed, and Akaseki had already gained another Tomoe?

"Already at Two-Tomoe?" Tsume asked in disbelief.

"It's called Two-Tomoe..." Akaseki corrected her.

Kuromaru, who had already sat down, stood up again, but Tsume still soothed him back into place.

"You two can come at me together. The Inuzuka Clan's Human-Beast Combination Technique can't be used without a Ninja Dog, can it?" Akaseki said matter-of-factly.

"No need. Only one of your eyes has changed, and that won't help much with Taijutsu." Claw understood the situation well—the general capabilities of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan were no secret in Konoha.

Akaseki didn't say anything more. He simply assumed the opening stance of Uchiha Style Taijutsu. His center of gravity sank, but his feet stayed light. His left elbow was lowered, palm extended forward, while his right palm faced behind him, as if ready to brace his lower back. He was prepared to dodge, block, and counterattack.

Tsume knew the Uchiha Clan's Taijutsu style, so she didn't waste time with polite words. Instead, she immediately crouched low and braced both hands against the ground...

Under the stimulation of chakra, Claw's fingernails lengthened into claws, and her knuckles became more pronounced.

The Inuzuka family had worn sandals for generations, so her feet were visible. Her toes, which had been only a little long, had also changed, becoming like the claws of a beast.

"Four-Legs Technique!"

"Huh?" Akaseki was a little surprised, too.

A closer look revealed that the most important change wasn't these obvious little details. Her overall proportions had shifted!

Otherwise, Tsume couldn't have landed on all fours so naturally...

Back at the Ninja Academy, Tsume hadn't been able to mimic an animal so convincingly. Her overall build hadn't changed this much, and bracing herself on her hands wouldn't have felt so natural. At most, she could let them hang down.

"Congratulations on being able to support yourself on your hands."

Akaseki meant it as a compliment, but his flippant tone made Tsume snort. Her figure flashed out of sight—she had used a Body Flicker Technique enhanced by the beastlike, four-legged stance of the Four-Legs Technique, instantly appearing behind Akaseki...

Just as her claws lunged for his waist, their tips about to tear through his clothes... Akaseki moved!

In an instant, he shifted from his opening stance to a twist-and-swat defense, knocking aside Tsume's opening swipe before she could seize the initiative.

Akaseki's left hand slapped away Tsume's swipe, while his right index and middle fingers thrust toward her face. Unfortunately, Tsume leaped aside and dodged...

After Akaseki infused his fingers with chakra, the sharp thrust was enough to send down only two strands of hair. If it had landed, she would at least have wound up with a black eye!

And Tsume from a month and a half ago wouldn't have been able to dodge it...

Against an opponent with weaker Taijutsu, Akaseki's "parry-counter" would have worked. But the stronger the opponent, the narrower the timing window and the less room for error, whether parrying or evading before countering.

"Not bad," Claw said, the wildness in her expression growing more pronounced.

Tsume had improved far more than he'd expected, so Akaseki didn't dare let his guard down. He assumed the Uchiha Style opening stance again.

Tsume realized that with the Sharingan's visual acuity, circling around behind Akaseki with a Body Flicker Technique would be a waste of effort. It'd be better to...

This time, Tsume charged straight at him on all fours, launching one attack after another. As she pounced at him, Akaseki merely leaned back slightly to dodge. When Tsume advanced, he retreated, one step at a time. Then, when he spotted an opening and dodged another attack, he countered with precision, curling his fingers into a tiger's claw and slamming it into Tsume's face!

Tsume's face twisted to the side as her mouth flew open, spittle spraying out like a mist...

As Tsume scrambled backward, Akaseki calmly assumed his opening stance again, making no attempt to pursue her. He'd only wanted someone to "spar with," not to beat anyone.

Woof, woof, woof—

Seeing her master in such a sorry state, Kuromaru barked furiously.

"You've improved a lot," Tsume said, wiping her wrist haphazardly across her face and the corner of her mouth.

Then...

"Kuromaru!" Tsume was just as quick to change her mind, immediately calling for Kuromaru to join in.

Kuromaru had a coat of gray-blue fur and stood as tall as Tsume's chest at the shoulder, giving him an imposing appearance. He came to Tsume's side, and the Claw who had just been on the back foot immediately regained her confidence.

Claw quickly formed Hand Seals. "Human-Beast Combination Technique!"

The next moment...

Poof—

A cloud of smoke appeared. Tsume vanished, replaced by... Kuromaru Number Two.

The Inuzuka Clan had long been known for raising Ninja Dogs, and all of their clan's secret techniques involved working with them.

Dogs—or "canines"—had been domesticated by humans and assisted them for ages, even... longer than ninjas had existed.

Ninja Dogs were also a typical kind of Ninja Beast. They were animals that had begun cultivating chakra alongside humans and had gradually gained chakra of their own. They differed from the "Summoning Beasts" found in various hidden realms. Those beasts had wielded chakra—or even powers distinct from chakra—for far longer than humans. In theory, they belonged to the same class of beings as the Demon Gods defeated by the Sage of Six Paths...

The Inuzuka Clan raised its own Ninja Dogs. From the moment they acquired a dog, an Inuzuka ninja's strength increased dramatically—enough, in some cases, for a Genin with a dog to match a Chunin.

As for the Inuzuka Clan's secret techniques, they generally fell into two schools: one turned people into dogs, and the other turned dogs into people. Tsume had clearly used the first.

This wasn't a simple Transformation Technique. It truly gave a ninja, for a short time, the physical traits of their Ninja Dog partner!

The next moment, two Kuromarus charged at Akaseki, playing a game of Dog and Pearl...

Akaseki couldn't keep his composure. He bent forward faster than usual, but because he'd dodged too early, his rhythm was completely thrown off, and he nearly had his hand bitten by the other Kuromaru.

Akaseki hurriedly used the Substitution Technique and retreated farther away, putting some distance between them. Although this was a Taijutsu spar, auxiliary Ninjutsu like this was generally allowed—just as Claw had used the Four-Claw Technique and the Human-Beast Combination Technique.

"Claw, could you at least try to look dignified?" Akaseki glared at Kuromaru, who had just tried to snatch the pearl.

The other Kuromaru, now furious and embarrassed, snapped, "That's Kuromaru! I was biting his hand!"