"Guidance" and peeping at the training ground

On the second day of his vacation, Shuo decided to uphold his supreme policy of "lounging around at home."

He slept until late morning, then spent the afternoon curled up on the couch, munching on the fancy pastries he had bought yesterday while leafing through the theoretical scroll Minato had given him.

Sunlight slanted through the window, warm and cozy. Combined with the sweetness of the pastries and the scroll's abstruse philosophical musings, it proved thoroughly soporific.

He grew drowsy as he read, his eyelids fighting to stay open.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, another ill-timed knock sounded at the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The rhythm was clear, the force even, with a rigid, businesslike air.

Shuo sighed, covered his face with the scroll, and played dead.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking came again, unhurried but persistent.

"Tch."

Resigned, Shuo hauled himself up and shuffled to the door in his slippers.

Standing outside was exactly the person he had expected-Uchiha Tekka.

The Konoha Military Police Force squad captain wore his usual cold expression and an impeccably neat Uchiha clan uniform, a sword at his waist. His gaze was sharp enough to cut someone open.

"Uchiha Saku."

Tekka's voice was as stiff as his face. "The clan head has instructed me, given your frequent missions lately, to provide you with a session of Taijutsu and basic ninjutsu 'guidance' this afternoon, to keep you from getting rusty and also... to better 'draw out your potential.'"

He put particular emphasis on "guidance."

Shuo inwardly rolled his eyes.

Fugaku certainly moved fast.

I only finished dodging his questions at Naka Shrine yesterday, and today he's already sent this grim-faced gatekeeper over.

Guidance in name, surveillance in reality?

A test? Or did he want to see whether he could "correct" my "unorthodox ways"?

"Now?"

Shuo looked at his loungewear and slippers, and the pastry crumbs that might still be stuck to his face.

"Now."

Tekka left no room for argument. "The training ground. You have ten minutes to get ready."

With that, he turned and left, his manner practically saying, "Don't keep me waiting."

Shuo closed the door, leaned against it, and rubbed his brow.

A vacation... really was too much to hope for.

Ten minutes later, Shuo changed into his combat gear and slowly made his way to the training ground inside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Tekka was already waiting, methodically warming up with movements straight out of a textbook.

Seeing Shuo approach, Tekka stopped and swept his gaze over him. "We'll begin. Basic Taijutsu sparring first. Let me see whether you've improved lately."

No wasted words, straight to business.

Tekka's style was the same as ever.

The two took their places in the training ground.

Tekka assumed the standard opening stance of Uchiha-style Taijutsu, his presence steady and imposing.

Shuo remained as loose and slouching as ever, without even fully raising his hands.

"Watch yourself!"

With a low shout, Tekka surged forward, driving a swift, powerful straight punch at Shuo's face!

Both his speed and strength surpassed their last clan training session. He clearly wasn't holding back much.

Once again, Shuo didn't meet it head-on.

He leaned his upper body back while pivoting on his left heel and sliding right-the same opening move of his "effort-saving evasion."

But this time, Tekka seemed to have anticipated it!

Midway through the punch, he changed moves, opening his fist and turning his wrist. His five fingers hooked like claws, shooting toward the right shoulder joint Shuo's sidestep had exposed!

At the same time, his left leg silently swept toward Shuo's lower body, cutting off his route of retreat!

A standard Uchiha-style joint lock combined with a trip, ruthless and precise!

Shuo's gaze sharpened slightly. Tekka was indeed taking this much more seriously than last time, and he had anticipated Shuo's dodging habits.

In that split second, Shuo chose neither to force his way free nor clash head-on.

Just before the hand reaching for his shoulder could touch him, Shuo drew his right shoulder slightly down and inward at an uncanny angle. The movement was tiny, but just enough to let Tekka's fingers skim past his clothing!

Meanwhile, just before Tekka's sweeping left leg reached Shuo's ankle, the tip of Shuo's right foot had somehow tapped lightly into its line of force half a second early. Rather than blocking it, he deftly "plucked" it aside, as though playing the piano.

Tekka felt the force of his sweep shift slightly off course, introducing a moment of discordant hesitation into his otherwise perfect combination.

Using the faint reaction force from that touch, Shuo drifted two steps diagonally backward like a leaf caught in the wind, his body twisting slightly in a way that defied common sense, opening the distance once more.

The entire exchange took place in the blink of an eye.

Tekka's combination missed, but Shuo hadn't dodged it easily either. His breathing was slightly quickened.

Tekka withdrew his attack and stood still, watching Shuo with even greater scrutiny.

"Your flexibility and reaction speed have improved again since last time."

Tekka's assessment offered no clue whether he meant praise or criticism. "But your evasive movements... still lack a coherent system. You rely too heavily on clever tricks and instinct."

Shuo rolled his shoulder. That little contraction had strained a muscle.

"As long as I dodge it, that's fine, right?" he replied casually.

"A fight between ninja is no game."

Tekka's voice was grave. "Constant evasion has its limits. Uchiha Taijutsu emphasizes unified offense and defense, using attack as defense! Watch closely!"

Before he finished speaking, Tekka attacked again!

This time, his assault was even more relentless. Fists, feet, elbows, and knees came like a raging storm. Rather than seeking a decisive blow, he used continuous pressure to pin Shuo within a small area, squeezing away his room to dodge!

Shuo immediately felt the pressure mount.

Tekka's attacks closed in from every direction like walls of iron.

His "energy-saving evasion" began to struggle. Several times, he had to deflect attacks with small blocks or slight collisions. Though he dispersed most of the force, the impacts left his arms and leg bones tingling.

Worse still, between attacks, Tekka could rapidly form a few simple hand seals and release low-level Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Fire Claw Bullets or simplified versions of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough-not to deal much damage, but to further disrupt Shuo's movement and vision!

For a time, Shuo was forced into a rather sorry state, struggling to fend off attacks across the training ground. Though no vital spots took a direct hit, his clothes had acquired several scorch marks and tears, and his breathing had become uneven.

[Passive "Light Garment · Prototype" remained active, slightly reducing damage from residual Fire Release effects. Resistance to physical impacts increased marginally.]

Shuo could feel that his "paper-thin" Light Garment was indeed working. The searing heat of Phoenix Flower Fire had diminished considerably, and the thin membrane also seemed to absorb a tiny bit of the impact from Tekka's blows.

But it was a drop in the bucket. What hurt still hurt.

This can't go on... Shuo knew that much.

Relying on evasion and clever tricks alone left him far too passive against a jonin like Tekka, who had solid fundamentals, extensive experience, and knew how to supplement his attacks with ninjutsu.

He needed to counterattack, or at least break the rhythm keeping him pinned down.

After another narrow escape from three Phoenix Flower Fire Claw Bullets fired at tricky angles, Shuo's gaze swept over Tekka's chest, rising and falling slightly from the continuous attacks, and the tiny opening beneath his arm that appeared for an instant with his next punch.

An opening!

Instead of retreating, Shuo moved toward Tekka's fist, bending his upper body backward in an exaggerated arc until it was almost parallel to the ground!

At the same time, his right leg sprang upward-not toward Tekka's body, but toward the inside of the elbow of his punching arm!

The kick was fast, devious, and timed with extraordinary precision!

Tekka clearly hadn't expected Shuo, who had been on the defensive throughout, to suddenly risk such a counterattack. It was too late to pull his arm back, so he could only concentrate chakra in his elbow, preparing to take the kick head-on.

Yet the instant before Shuo's toes touched Tekka's elbow, their path made another of those uncanny, minute deviations!

As though gently nudged by an invisible force, his toes skimmed past Tekka's hardened, chakra-reinforced elbow and precisely "tapped" the relatively unprotected area beneath his arm!

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

The force wasn't great, but the spot was sensitive.

Tekka grunted. His entire right arm instantly ached and tingled, and his offensive faltered.

Using the reaction force of the kick, Shuo flipped backward and landed lightly three meters away, coming to a steady halt.

He shook out his slightly numb right toes-that "tap" had sent a jolt back through him as well.

The training ground fell silent for a moment.

Tekka slowly lowered his aching right arm and looked at Shuo. For the first time, a clear change crossed his cold, rigid face.

It wasn't anger. It was more like... astonishment and confusion.

That kick... that uncanny change in trajectory... that same indescribable feeling again!

"You..."

Tekka spoke, his voice somewhat dry. "That kick just now... how did you..."

"Huh?"

Shuo looked utterly innocent as he rubbed his toes. "I just thought... kicking there seemed like it would take less effort?"

Tekka: "..."

That answer again!

Tekka felt a tightness in his chest.

He stared hard at Shuo, trying to find even the slightest hint of mockery or concealment on his face. But Shuo's expression was so open that he even looked a little... sleepy?

As though that exquisite, uncanny kick really had just been a casual swing of his foot that happened to hit the right spot.

Tekka took a deep breath, suppressing his agitation.

He knew further questions would get him nowhere.

There was indeed something strange about this Uchiha Saku, and he seemed either unwilling or unable to explain it clearly.

"That's enough for today."

Tekka's voice was low, his usual cold stiffness restored. "Your Taijutsu... is strange in its approach, but reasonably effective in actual combat. However, your fundamentals remain weak. The clan head asked me to tell you that the scrolls on Taijutsu and fine chakra control in the clan library are available to you at any time."

The carrot and stick again.

Shuo nodded. "Understood. Thank you for your guidance, Captain Tekka."

Tekka said no more. He gave Shuo a long look, then turned and strode out of the training ground.

Only after Tekka's back disappeared did Shuo relax completely, grimacing as he rubbed several spots that had been grazed or jarred by impacts.

"Guidance, my ass... he was obviously here to 'put me in my place'..."

"And he just had to pick my vacation..." he muttered. "Can't read the room at all..."

He stretched, feeling that although he had taken a few hits, he had gained quite a bit too.

At least he now had a firsthand sense of the Light Garment's passive defensive effects, along with a little more insight into the subtle applications of the Yata Mirror Hypothesis in close combat.

[During a "guidance" sparring session, successfully used abilities to counter sustained jonin-level pressure and execute an exquisite counterattack. Integration of combat intelligence and the "energy-saving" philosophy improved. Imitation Points +30.]

["Light Garment · Prototype" underwent testing in actual combat. Defensive effectiveness recognized by the system. Proficiency increased marginally.]

Not bad. Those hits weren't for nothing.

Shuo brushed the dust off himself and prepared to leave the training ground too.

After just a few steps, he suddenly sensed something and turned toward a large, leafy tree at the edge of the training ground.

A small figure behind the tree seemed to shrink back. Then a round-faced, wide-eyed little boy wearing a small scarf bearing the Uchiha Gunbai emblem timidly poked half his head out.

It was Sasuke Uchiha.

He looked a little younger than the boy who had retrieved the ball yesterday, perhaps five or six years old.

The little fellow seemed to have been secretly watching their training the whole time. Now that he had been discovered, his face was slightly flushed, but his eyes were full of curiosity, especially when he looked at Shuo.

Shuo held his gaze for two seconds.

Sasuke seemed to muster his courage and spoke quietly. "You... you're so strong... you pushed Uncle Tekka back..."

Shuo paused, then understood. The kid had probably only seen the final moment when he kicked Tekka beneath the arm and forced him back, missing the sorry sight of him being battered around beforehand.

"Got lucky."

Shuo answered casually, then turned to leave, with no intention of chatting with a child.

"Um..."

But Sasuke stopped him again, his voice even quieter. "That... that kick you did just now... it was so strange... how did you do it?"

Shuo stopped and glanced back at Sasuke.

The little fellow's eyes were bright with pure longing and curiosity about great strength.

He had seen that look in many people, including Obito as a child.

He suddenly found it a little... troublesome.

Explain it?

There was no way to explain.

Brush him off? That hardly seemed necessary with such a little kid.

After thinking for a moment, he walked over to Sasuke, crouched down, looked into his eyes, and spoke in an extremely solemn, serious tone.

"Want to know?"

Sasuke nodded vigorously.

Shuo extended his index finger, pointed at his own head, then at Sasuke's, and lowered his voice mysteriously.

"The secret is..."

"When you fight... use your head more."

"And..."

He paused, then added, "Don't copy your Uncle Tekka and keep a straight face all the time. It tires you out."

With that, he patted Sasuke's little head-it felt pretty nice-then stood, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and ambled away, whistling.

Little Sasuke remained where he was, touching the spot on his head Shuo had patted, his face blank with confusion.

Use my head?

Don't keep a straight face?

What... kind of secret was that?

He watched Shuo's languid figure recede into the distance, his large eyes full of confusion, along with a trace of... inexplicable admiration?

This senior, who looked nothing like the other stern, formidable older Uchiha boys... seemed... kind of cool?

Shuo had no idea what strange seeds his two offhand, made-up remarks had planted in the heart of the future Uchiha Sasuke.

He was planning to have a good soak in a hot bath when he got back and finish the remaining pastries.

Then, he would pray that there would be no more "unexpected visitors" on the last day of his vacation.

Sunlight fell over the training ground and over the receding figures of the two Uchiha, one big and one small.

One walked at a leisurely pace, as though he had just finished taking a stroll.

The other kept looking back, his little face covered in question marks.