The second class that afternoon was practical combat.
Teacher Sato grouped the students into pairs, 21 groups in total, then had them spar one pair at a time. He stood to the side with a notebook in hand, recording everything as the fights unfolded.
First-years who had just learned how to extract chakra could only barely use it to enhance movement, run faster, jump farther, but nothing more. As expected, most matches devolved into wild flailing.
A few kids from ninja clans showed some discipline: their strikes were cleaner, their footwork tighter. But even then, it was just rough physical sparring.
Rihito Sato watched for a while, somewhat disappointed. He had been hoping to see a few C-rank jutsu in action. In his memory, kids like Kakashi and Obito already knew a few by the time they entered the Academy. So why weren't any of these clan heirs showing off even basic ninjutsu?
"Next group! Tsunade vs. Rihito, get ready."
Teacher Sato's voice rang out.
Rihito met Tsunade's eyes and smirked. Both of them stepped to the center of the practice field.
The other students gathered into a loose circle around them as the two squared off and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
Seeing they were ready, Teacher Sato announced, "Begin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Rihito pulled out a handful of shuriken and flicked his wrist. Six or seven spun toward Tsunade with a whir, and his right hand immediately drew a kunai in a reverse grip.
Tsunade leapt to the side, easily dodging the shuriken. With a swift motion, she pulled out two kunai of her own, one in each hand, and charged straight at Rihito.
Rihito smiled faintly.
His left hand twitched, revealing thin threads attached to the shuriken, now redirecting them midair to curve back and cut off Tsunade's movement.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed.
A variation of the Uchiha's wire-controlled shuriken technique? No… similar, but not quite.
Her twin blades moved in a blur, expertly knocking away the incoming steel, and she continued her charge, her momentum unbroken.
Rihito dropped the threads without hesitation. They were just leftover bowstring from crafting arrows, nothing valuable.
Tsunade lunged.
Rihito instinctively wanted to kick up a cloud of dirt to blind her, but stopped himself.
I still want to marry her someday. Better go easy.
Their kunai clashed with a burst of sparks.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The ring of metal echoed across the field as the two traded blows.
After a few exchanges, Rihito felt his arms trembling slightly. Tsunade's strength was overwhelming, typical of the Senju clan's formidable vitality. With chakra-enhanced power, her blows were far heavier than they looked.
Rihito gritted his teeth and pushed through a few more rounds. At the same time, he subtly formed a single-handed seal and cast a basic Clone Jutsu.
Though these clones couldn't move, Rihito had pre-posed them with different attack stances. From a glance, they looked ready to strike from all angles.
Tsunade hesitated.
In that brief moment, Rihito struck. His palm pressed against her shoulder, chakra surged, and Tsunade's body instantly went numb.
Before she could react, the edge of a kunai was already pressed to her neck.
"Rihito Sato wins. Next group, get ready."
Teacher Sato marked the result in his notebook and called for the next match.
"Tch! I didn't even get to use my trump card!" Tsunade grumbled, waving her tiny fists in frustration and glaring at Rihito with her signature pouty aggression.
Rihito smiled and formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
"What, you think you're the only one with a trump card?"
Tsunade blinked. Wait, what?
Her trump card was the monster strength Grandma Mito just taught her… but what could Rihito have possibly learned? The library, maybe?
After school, Rihito followed his usual routine, cooked dinner, did laundry, ate alone. In a life without family, he took care of himself just fine.
Once he was full, he changed into black training gear and headed to his usual practice spot, Training Field 13. There were targets here, perfect for archery practice.
He fired a few arrows for warm-up, then moved on to his true training: reaction and sound detection.
The woods here were filled with uneven traps and suspended mechanisms. Rigged to swing on rails, these devices carried dangling glass bottles that would come crashing down from all directions.
After learning basic trap-building at school, Rihito had custom-built this setup to sharpen his hearing and reflexes. He came here every day to push his limits.
He stepped into the center of the trap field, tied a black cloth over his eyes, and activated the mechanisms.
Crash! Clink! Swish!
Bottles flew at him from all directions.
He dodged instinctively, his body twisting and ducking. Occasionally, one would strike him, leaving a white mark on his training uniform.
But he was getting better.
Nowadays, the moment something approached from behind, the skin on his back would tighten, a subconscious alarm. He'd dodge before he even realized he was moving.
This was his way of preparing for the brutal future, especially the Second Shinobi World War, which was still years away.
Rihito didn't plan to die early. He was always planning ahead.
As he moved through the trap field, breath calm and pace steady, he worked on extending his endurance. Every breath, every dodge was calculated to maintain stamina.
Far outside the training field, two heads peeked out from behind the bushes.
One blond. One white-haired.
Tsunade and Hiruko.
"Holy crap," Hiruko whispered. "I never imagined basic traps could be used for this kind of training… Rihito's a freakin' genius."
Tsunade lightly bonked him on the head and whispered back.
"Keep it down. We're not here to compliment him. Once he's worn out, we jump in and test that 'secret move' of his."
Time passed.
Rihito eventually slowed, deactivated the trap mechanisms, and wiped the sweat from his brow. Chakra wasn't like internal energy, it couldn't be overexerted without consequence.
He posted a warning sign near the traps and began heading home.
Then, whoosh!
Several shuriken flew at his back from the trees.
Rihito leapt aside, dodging the incoming steel. The sound of metal embedding in bark rang through the quiet woods.
He turned sharply.
The forest was dark. The outline of trees barely visible in the moonlight.
It was already around 10 p.m.
Above, the moon hung like a silver sickle. Shadows draped over the woods, blotting out most of the light. The tall trees of the Hidden Leaf Village, so lush and proud by day, now felt suffocating.
Who's there? A spy?
Rihito's heart pounded. A strange mix of fear and exhilaration bubbled up in his chest.
He forced himself to stay calm.
I'm still a kid. Still growing. I can't afford to take risks.
He reached behind his back,
And with one fluid motion, summoned his bow and arrow into hand.
<150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter>