Chapter 3: You Forgot One
Sasuke found himself in his dark living quarters with a rare block of down time. In the two months since he first met Kaito-sensei, he had been training practically non-stop. His blonde teacher was relentless and unpredictable.
Every day they would meet in training room four to spar but, that was the only aspect of training that stayed the same. After the third consecutive time Sasuke dropped his katana, the dual swordsman put an adhesive seal on the hilt of the teen's sword. The next time Sasuke drew his blade, it stuck to his palm and he couldn't let go for three days. That taught him not to drop his weapon but, it also revealed the merciless blonde's mischievous side.
Kaito came through on his promise to teach by example. Even if the example was a thoroughly mortifying prank. At random times, Kaito would ambush him, with either an attack or an embarrassing trap. The second week of training had a distinct theme to it. Everywhere Sasuke went, he would trigger hidden paint bombs. There wasn't much to learn except trap detection that week. Every time Sasuke's ridiculous teacher saw his fabulously colorful appearance, the blonde idiot had the gall to smirk.
Despite Kaito's unusual supplementary lessons, he was a harsh kenjutsu teacher. The blonde ninja had no compunction towards injuring his black haired student. Sasuke, despite not being a fan of the stinging cuts his instructor left him, understood that anyone who hailed from the thrice damned Bloody Mist probably wasn't going to play nice.
Sasuke loathed to admit weakness but, he respected the blonde enough to admit that the double sword wielder was strong. Kaito-sensei had won every single sparring match. Kaito was fast, definitely, but, his speed was not the hardest trait to deal with.
No, it was the way the blonde moved. His teacher's style of kenjutsu used circular movements to simultaneously attack and defend. Sasuke recalled from their first match, it almost felt as if he was being attacked from all sides. When in reality, Sasayaki was utilizing his superior speed and agility to move around Sasuke in a circle. No, not a circle, it was a sphere. There were a few instances where the blonde attacked from above and below.
It was truly a formidable style. The whirling style would not only allow the user to fend off multiple attackers but also, confuse most shinobi. Shinobi commonly fought with an attack/retreat technique which resulted in linear attack patterns. So, it would be difficult to predict which angle Kaito would choose next.
He would have to figure out a way to predict Sasayaki. He thought that even with the eyes of his clan, Sasuke would have a hard time anticipating the blonde.
"You missed Taki (Waterfall). Start over."
Sasuke sighed then returned to the first stance of the kata. Sasayaki had been running him through the same exercise for three days. The Uchiha would move through the sixteen stances of Kamome no Ken (Seagull Sword) while reciting the names of every country in the Elemental Nations and their respective Hidden Villages.
"Mizu no Kuni (Water Country), Kirigakure, Kaze no Kuni (Wind Country), Sunagakure (Hidden Sand)…" He slid his left foot forward and moved his katana into a horizontal position, as if blocking an imaginary opponent. Kamome no Ken was a style from Kiri which consisted of opportunistic strikes and quick angle changes.
"… Tetsu no Kuni (Iron Country), Hi no Kuni (Fire Country)…" The purpose of the exercise was for the movements to become subconscious. Sasuke would be finished with the exercise when he could name all the countries and Hidden Villages while completing the kata. If he could make the stances of Kamome no Ken second nature, repeating the country names would have the rookie swordsman's full attention.
"… Amegakure (Hidden Rain), Takigakure (Hidden Waterfall), Cha no Kuni (Tea Country)…" Sasayaki was standing against the dirt wall of the training room. He had his hands wrapped around the cross body strap attached to one of Kiba's hilts. There was a frown on Kaito's face that got deeper every time Sasuke ended the kata.
"… Kawa no Kuni, Yuki no Kuni (Snow Country), Yukigakure (Hidden Snow)…" Pivoting on his right foot, the raven haired shinobi formed the last stance with an upward cross slash. "… Otogakure."
Now finished, Sasuke turned apprehensively towards the blonde ninja. The exhausted teen hoped that would be the last time. However, the small spark of hope was quickly snuffed at the grimace carved into Sasayaki's tanned face.
Sasayaki pushed off the wall and walked towards the middle of the dim, fire lit room.
"You forgot one of the Hidden Villages." Sasuke was about to move into the beginning stance again but, stopped at the sound of a low, soft voice. "In fact, you haven't said this one at all."
With furrowed brows, the teen went over his mental checklist. He couldn't think of any others. Maybe it was Kusagakure (Hidden Grass). That one was so small, it was hard to remember sometimes.
"Konoha."
Strands of dark hair flew in all directions as Sasuke's head sprung up. He hadn't heard that name for what felt like years. Flashes of memory blazed through his mind's eye. Giant trees, rose colored hair, and eyes as bright as the morning sky rose from the depths of his subconscious unhindered, now, because of a single utterance that bulldozed the blockades confining the shadowed edges of memory.
Wide obsidian eyes met cool grey eyes that softened at the edges. A thoughtful expression appeared on Sasayaki's face before melting into a visage of determination. A platinum head nodded. "I want you to do it again. Just say them all this time."
Without responding, Sasuke numbly started to move. "Kaminari no Kuni (Lightning Country), Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud)…" He hadn't thought of Konoha once since he left. He was so focused on getting stronger; thinking only of what was to come that he forgot what he left behind. "…Tsume no Kuni (Claw Country)…"
A career. Stance six.
A home. Overhead strike.
A team. Step. Pivot. Backswing.
Sasuke ended with an upward cross slash. "… Konohagakure no Sato."
His katana slipped out of his sweaty hands and clattered to the ground. The young ninja heard footsteps drawing near over the echo of his heavy breathing. Sasayaki's large hand was placed on Sasuke's trembling shoulder.
"Congratulations, Sasuke." The named boy met Kaito's steady gaze. "You can move on now."
Sasuke wasn't sure the blonde was talking about kenjutsu anymore.
Well, there you have it. The third chapter. I am admittedly quite proud of this one. I hope you all like it.
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Criticism is welcome. Compliments are encouraged.
BeniTohu, signing out.