Kazane awoke still in high spirits from celebrating Kakashi's promotion as she sped to the kitchen for breakfast. Her mother and father had promised her pancakes the night before, and she wasn't going to miss out a moment longer than she had to.
"Kazane, I want to show you something after breakfast," Minato said, turning to face Kazane, who was stuffing her small cheeks full of pancake. "It's the first part of learning my super awesome original ninjutsu."
The starry look in Minato's eyes was all anyone would need to see to know how excited he was to show off his skills to his daughter.
All Kazane managed to respond with was the gurgling of a child with too much food in their mouth.
"No talking with your mouth full," commanded Kushina as she tore into her own breakfast.
After breakfast, Minato brought Kazane outside to the courtyard, where he had already prepared a large bucket filled to bursting with water balloons.
"Now the goal of this training is to pour chakra into one of these balloons," he said, "then use your chakra to rotate the water."
Picking up one of the balloons, he continued. "Watch this."
Chakra flowed into the balloon, and the water inside began to swirl rapidly until it burst.
"Your job," he said with a grin, handing it to her, "is to get the water rotating without popping the balloon."
"Rotate the water?" Kazane asked with a tilt of her head, "Dad, what does rotate mean?"
Hearing his daughter's questions, Minato scratches his head slightly, "Well, it means to turn something while keeping it in the same place. You want to turn the water inside the balloon around in a circle."
Kazane nodded in understanding and reached for the balloon.
Minato handed the balloon over to her, saying, "Now this is going to be a little different for you than it was with Kakashi. First off, I want you to try rotating the water slowly without bursting the balloon."
Listening, Kazane slowly moved her chakra into the balloon, trying to move the water inside. Initially, the water didn't want to cooperate and tried to move in ways Kazane didn't like, pressing against the balloon, making it contort into odd shapes. Eventually, she got the water under control; she could feel it slowly spinning inside the balloon.
"Good," Minato praised her proudly.
"Now, a new challenge," he said. "I want you to try spinning the water in two opposite directions. Once you can do that, start moving it a little faster, too. Okay?"
She acknowledged the instructions with a small "Hmm," as she focused on her chakra, trying to split it into two distinct flows.
The morning passed like so. Minato stood watch with a contented smile as Kazane burst water balloon after water balloon, soaking herself completely in the process. Anyone else could have been considered as having passed after bursting the balloon, but not Kazane. She wasn't bursting them because the rotation was good enough. Rather, her chakra control would slip, and her powerful chakra would pop the balloon.
In the afternoon, Minato was called to a meeting with the Hokage, various clan leaders and the village elders. Kushina already knew what the meeting would be about. Minato had told her earlier how the fighting at the front was worsening, how bodies were piling up faster than they could be replaced. It was the reason Kakashi was promoted despite his young age.
"Kazane, do you want to go visit Itachi?" She asked, deciding it was better to stay occupied than wallow in such dark thoughts.
"Yes!" came the excited shout in response as Kazane darted inside to find some dry clothes.
-
Later, Kazane and Itachi faced each other in the Uchiha training yard.
The late afternoon light stretched long shadows across the packed earth. Wooden poles ringed the clearing, worn smooth by generations of Uchiha practice. The pond beside the yard reflected the sky in soft ripples.
Neither of them rushed to engage the other. Instead, Kazane observed her opponent's shoulders and general stance. While Itachi did the same.
Kazane moved first, a quick step forward as she threw a punch toward Itachi's shoulder. Itachi slipped aside, deflecting it as her other hand followed immediately, pressuring him.
He blocked again, turning her arm away. Kazane stepped in closer still, trying to force her way through his guard.
Itachi shifted his weight, countering with a quick palm strike aimed for her midsection. Kazane twisted her body just enough that his palm scuffed across her side.
Losing her balance, she had to take a quick step back, killing her momentum and giving Itachi a chance to counter with a sweep to her legs.
She stepped back once again before pouncing forward in a flash of orange and red. As he rose to defend himself, she feinted high. His guard, rising to meet her when she dropped low, sweeping toward his ankle. An imitation of his own attempt.
Itachi hopped back just in time, landing lightly on the balls of his feet. Their movements paused for half a breath as dust settled around them.
Itachi struck first this time, with a quick jab toward her ribs. He's fast! Kazane realised, pivoting in response. Trying to grab his wrist so she could pull him off balance. But he was too quick, and the blow landed.
Taking the hit, she punched toward his chest, hoping for a mutual point. He parried and redirected it past his shoulder, stepping closer, pressing her guard.
A quick strike, then another and another as he pushed her back. Kazane managed to block each blow, if only barely, before she found an opening and pushed him back half a step.
She pursued, faster now. Her arms blurred as she unleashed a flurry of punches. He blocked most of her onslaught, only a few barely managing to touch him, until she scored a solid blow to his shoulder. The impact rang true as the force of it sent him stumbling back slightly.
Where Kazane pressed forward, Itachi slipped around her, sending an elbow into her side and catching her by surprise. She flinched, throwing her arms at him now more on instinct than honed skill. Their arms collided again and again, blocking, redirecting.
Neither landed a clean hit; finally, they both pulled away at the same time.
"You're as strong as always," Itachi said through laboured breaths.
"And you're impossible to pin down," Kazane replied, sounding equally as tired.
Then, almost unconsciously, their hands rose as they moved toward one another. Itachi formed the Tiger sign with one hand, reaching out to Kazane. She formed the Rat sign, bringing it up to meet Itachi's and forming the Seal of Reconciliation.
A small gesture. A symbol used by shinobi of their village for generations to signal the end of a conflict. An acknowledgement that both sides remained comrades.
----Author Note----
Hello again! Just want to say thank you to everyone for being patient, and ask how you all feel about the spar/fight this chapter, was it written well? What do you think could make it better, or make future fight scenes better?
As always, thank you for reading and all of your support!!