"Damn it, that perverted old mentor... What's it going to take to satisfy him?"
Staring at the dozen or so wooden targets before him and the kunai scattered all over the ground, Qi felt like he was about to burst into tears.
After returning to Konoha Village, Qi had expected to receive a generous reward. Instead, he'd been met with Ogata's overwhelming urge to teach him.
The reason was probably that when Qi had bragged to Ogata about his "accomplishments," the battle he'd thought was so impressive had sent Ogata into a rage.
"When you were dealing with that Genin, why didn't you attack with shuriken? Why did you have to use such a chakra-intensive jutsu!?"
Those were Ogata's exact words. At the time, his expression had twisted into something rather alarming, but Qi, caught up in his excitement, had failed to notice. That was probably where the tragedy began...
"I'm not very good with ninja tools. Using jutsu is easier, and it can kill people just as well."
Those were Qi's exact words, too. He'd looked completely unconcerned, clearly inheriting Ogata's "good habit" of speaking without looking at the other person's expression.
"Damn it, brat, you're asking for a beating!"
The volcano erupted. Ogata sprang up from the bed and punched Qi on the head.
"Are you a pig!? Which takes less energy, using jutsu or ninja tools? Isn't that obvious!? You're wasting chakra like an idiot. Did everything I taught you go in one ear and out the other?"
He was shaking with anger.
"What do you mean, you're not very good with ninja tools? What kind of ninja doesn't know how to use them!"
"Um... Master, there have to be people like that..."
Touching the Mount Fuji rising on his head, Qi helplessly pointed at himself.
"No one ever taught me. You've always taught me Taijutsu..."
"..."
The muscles in Ogata's face twitched with extraordinary complexity for a moment, making Qi's heart pound.
"Um... Master? Are you all right? If you really have to hit me, could you maybe not hit me in the face?"
Apparently unable to bear the twitching muscles any longer, Qi asked with a miserable look...
I really am an idiot... Why did I have to talk back? Whenever that old bastard Ogata gets backed into a corner, he always takes it out on me...
"Shut up! No... come with me! You're not going anywhere until we get a new mission. You're going to practice throwing shuriken!"
After his face turned red and then green, Ogata did exactly as expected: he changed the subject and took it out on his student.
Ignoring Qi's "you're shameless" expression, the old bastard picked him up with one hand, grabbed a bag of ninja tools with the other, and charged out the door, kicking up a cloud of dust...
When he finally stopped, Qi realized the guy had brought him to the forest behind the village. Since villagers rarely came here, it had always been one of the ninjas' favorite training grounds. Even the fifty or so proper training facilities in the village hadn't changed that.
"This is the place."
Ogata dropped Qi on the ground and said irritably,
"Starting today, I'm teaching you how to use all kinds of ninja tools. Those idiots from the Yuki clan didn't even tell me something this important. No wonder they're going to be wiped out."
Hey, hey, there's no need to remind me about that. I've been with you for six years. Did it never occur to you to check how good I was with ninja tools?
Qi vented furiously in his mind. His idiot mentor really did love blaming others for his own mistakes...
And so, Qi's ordeal began all over again...
Ogata's standards were undeniably high. He demanded not only accuracy and throwing speed, but precise control over the force behind each throw!
"Conserve your strength whenever you can. That's the key to staying in a fight longer. Why are you throwing it so hard!? Got energy to burn? Then throw a few more shuriken!"
That was what Ogata yelled when Qi put too much force into a throw...
"Didn't you hear me tell you to use more force? Are you practicing your aim or embroidering? Against a ninja, that kind of throw would be good for giving a woman a massage! And look at that speed. I could dodge it with my eyes closed!"
That was what he said when Qi didn't use enough force...
For days, Qi spent his time enduring Ogata's scolding and punches.
Ogata hadn't expected his idiot student to be so bad at using ninja tools. He'd nearly had a heart attack, and in his shock, he'd naturally kept tearing into Qi nonstop.
Fortunately, Qi had kept up with his muscle-training routine all along. Years of practice had given him precise control over his strength, and he quickly got the hang of it. Before long, his technique began to look decent.
Of course, that was by Ogata's standards. Most other ninjas wouldn't have such ridiculous expectations.
But was Qi an ordinary person...? In Ogata's eyes, the brat was the hope of both the Yuki clan and his Kaguya Clan's revival!
Even so, Ogata was still deeply dissatisfied. In his eyes, Qi was far too weak! He wished he could teach him everything he knew overnight, including the secret known to no one else in his entire clan...
He'd barely used it a few times, and hardly anyone in the world knew about it. But he didn't have much time left...
Being a mentor like him was exhausting!
You troublesome little bastard. Hurry up and grow stronger, so I can...
Ogata sighed deeply to himself. Watching Qi repeat his shuriken drills, he felt a trace of sadness pass through his eyes.
"Brat, take a break. Overworking yourself isn't an effective way to train."
He dusted off his trouser leg and stood up, his face already back to its usual constipated expression.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you rest for a while. Wait here. We'll continue when I get back!"
"Hell yeah, I can finally sleep!"
Qi cheered, then immediately flopped onto the ground.
"I'm exhausted!"
"Brat! Whose father are you calling yourself?"
With a deeply displeased look, Ogata curled a finger and flicked Qi on the forehead again.
"Forget sleeping! If you're really asleep when I get back, I'll beat you to death. Focus on regulating your breathing!"
With that, he ignored Qi's resentful gaze and turned to leave. After a few leaps, he disappeared from Qi's sight.
Once he was completely out of the area, his expression slowly turned cold. At last, he stopped beside a stream in the woods.
"Come out. I'll count to three!"
Amid a burst of applause, a figure appeared behind Ogata.
"I wasn't trying to hide from your senses, sir. I'm only carrying out orders. My master..."
"Standing behind me means you want to die."
A voice, cold as ice, came from behind the man. Ogata, who had just been standing there, had vanished without a trace!
"So fast!"
The man was shocked. Without turning around, he tried to run.
Turning around now would be the same as handing his life over to Ogata!
"You chose the right way to react. Too bad you're too slow!"
Before the man could even get to his feet, a hand had already landed on his back. A series of cracking bones rang out, and the man was sent flying into the stream with a single palm strike!
"Take one more step, and Orochimaru can come collect your corpse."
Ogata stood where he was, watching the man try to struggle to his feet and run again. His voice was cold enough to freeze.
"You..."
The man finally gave up on trying to escape and turned around, his face twisted with rage. He was the middle-aged man who had once threatened Qi—the first ninja Qi had seen at Orochimaru's residence, and a Special Jonin under Orochimaru.
"Kaguya Ogata! How dare you attack me! Have you thought about the consequences!?"
"Still got a lot of nerve, huh? Didn't your master tell you that you were lucky to get out alive last time?"
Ogata sneered and suddenly appeared in front of the Special Jonin. He reached out, looked at the man's utterly humiliated expression, and slapped him across the face!
"Smack!"
It was far louder and sharper than any applause. The middle-aged man, who was already coughing up blood, was slapped out of the stream and onto the bank, where he even rolled over once...
"I just came to Konoha, so I really don't want trouble. But I'm curious: now that I've clearly said I want to join Konoha, what would the village do if you showed murderous intent toward my student again and I killed you?"
Ogata's smile was a hundred times more ferocious than the middle-aged man's. His standard Kaguya Style face, all hard muscle and brawn, certainly wasn't going to waste.
"This is your warning. If you ever come within a hundred meters of my student again, I'll kill you on the spot. You won't get a second chance. Now get lost!"