Sasuke took a deep breath, his heart still pounding. This wasn't training. This was gambling with his life!
"Instinct? Your instinct nearly killed me!" Sasuke looked at Karin, suddenly feeling utterly drained. Unbidden, Naruto's carefree face came to mind, along with the occasional blunders he made that left people unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"You... you're just as slow on the uptake as Naruto!" Sasuke finally couldn't resist snapping. Helplessness washed over him. He hadn't wanted training that could kill him at any moment.
Sasuke shook his head and said firmly, "Karin, from now on, I won't be coming to you for taijutsu training."
Karin looked a little hurt. She didn't understand what she'd done wrong.
Sasuke ignored Karin's reaction and gazed into the distance as another figure appeared in his mind.
"Sparring with Hinata is much more reassuring," Sasuke murmured, a rare note of approval in his voice. "Her Gentle Fist is precise and restrained. Every strike is just right. It gives me a proper workout without putting my life at risk."
With that, Sasuke stayed no longer. His hands formed hand seals, and his figure blurred, instantly becoming an afterimage as he vanished from the banks of the Naka River.
Karin watched Sasuke disappear with the Body Flicker Technique, then looked at the deep crater her fist had left, still somewhat confused. She didn't quite understand why Sasuke had suddenly gotten angry. She'd only attacked on instinct.
She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then quickly formed hand seals herself. Her figure flashed, and she appeared beside the river a short distance away. Toru Kujyo sat leisurely on a rock by the bank, quietly fishing with a crude fishing rod in his hand.
"Lord Toru Kujyo!" Karin ran over to him, a trace of bewilderment