"I'm not going to hurt you," Kioshi reassured the boy, once the light of the fire had diminished into the distance, and both of them were surrounded by the dim darkness of dusk. Either the cool shadowed environment or the company was making the boy tense, and Kioshi betted on the last. "I don't know what Kumo has told you about me, but you don't have to be afraid of me. If you have any concerns, I will do my best to answer any questions you might have…"
There was silence for a moment at this, then the boy asked. "Are you really my father?"
"I believe so," Kioshi said. "We have the same Dojutsu, and I'm the only adult with the bloodline of our clan that I know of. It is very unlikely you are not my child."
"The L-lord Raikage will be m-mad once he finds out," the boy then exclaimed, looking around in apprehension.
"Mad that you're with me?" Kioshi clarified. The Kumo Kage already knew of their relationship.
The boy nodded, downcast.
"Does the Raikage get mad at you a lot?"
Kioshi already knew the answer, but it would be good for the boy to talk about it. Opening up would allow support to be given.
"I-I'm not very good at being a ninja. N-not like you." The boy admitted in fear, squeezing his larger hand tightly as if bracing for a negative reaction. "I don't know how to do lots of things…"
"Well that's normal for someone your age," Kioshi said neutrally. "How old are you? Six?"
The boy nodded.
"Well that's still very young," Kioshi replied. "And you don't have to know a lot of things for me to like you. I don't care about strength. The only reason I would care about it is so you could stay safe and defend yourself if necessary."
"Really?" The boy asked, both surprised and confused.
"Really," Kioshi said. "I am your father. I will always want you to be safe and happy." He then stopped and conjured a bright yellow jutsu for light, letting it hover above his hand as he knelt down to one knee again in front of the boy. "It's why I want you to come to Konoha with me. I want to protect you from angry and dangerous people and get to know you. Is that okay?"
The boy nodded again, hope rising slightly to the surface, but still a bit hesitant, not fully trusting his earnest face.
Kioshi smiled, despite this. "Good. It makes me happy that you at least are willing to give me a chance. I don't want the Raikage or anyone else to hurt you. To do this, I need you to do something for me, okay?"
"What?" the boy asked, eyes wide and curious, shifting between eagerness and apprehension.
"I want you to hold still while I move a portal over you," Kioshi explained. "I want to put you in my dimensional realm until we get to Konoha. It won't hurt. When you come out the other side you will be far away from here, and I can show you your new home."
"Like what you did to those people at the stadium?" The boy asked thoughtfully, luckily not seeming too against the idea.
"Yes, exactly like that," Kioshi smiled.
"Lord Raikage won't even see me leave…" the boy nodded in realization, eyes becoming bright. "He won't even have to know! It can be a secret!"
Kioshi grimaced at the boy's sudden happiness. The pure excitement at escaping Kumo's clutches was further evidence of abuse.
Kioshi was also grateful, however, that the lighting Kage seemed to have been such a strait-forward abuser. There were no unhealthy attachments or deep trust issues at play.
The boy seemed to take most things at face value. People who acted nice were nice, and people who acted mean were mean. It was a naive way of looking at things, but very useful in this situation. All Kioshi had to do was act kind, and the boy would eat it up, forgetting all his old sensei's warnings.
Kioshi wanted to ask more questions, but just then two ninjas entered his scan range. They were heading quickly in their direction.
"Someone is coming," he said, activating his eyes. "I'll see you in a little bit."
Before his son could even comprehend the words, Kioshi absorbed the boy with a portal. It would be best if the child stayed out of any drama that would follow in this situation unless necessary.
The two auras approaching were both Iwa Anbu. They must have been assigned to find him due to a physical or unknown tracking ability. No spiritual scans were felt, and Kioshi had kept his chakra sealed until reaching the forest.
Once they were in sight, one of the ninjas kept their distance while the other one flashed back to the village, likely to inform a superior.
The Anbu member who stayed behind tensed when they made eye contact. Kioshi sighed. The man was probably worried that he'd take off again or that he was guilty of some crime. The energy from the recently created portal hadn't exactly been subtle.
Best not to make people even more nervous than they already were.
Kioshi returned to the village casually and calmly. No one stopped him, and when he arrived at Kakashi's suite, Kioshi updated his Kage on the situation.
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The following days were not as bad as expected as far as the consequences for his actions were concerned. The Tsuchikage seemed content to do his own investigations on the breach in security, and the Raikage hadn't come crashing down with accusations.
Both Kages seemed to have realized that nothing would be gained from confronting him. It would only expose their own incompetence, and for Kumo in particular, expose their own transgressions.
It was required for high-profile targets to be registered and receive permission to enter a nation, especially during an exam. This helped the natives prevent any conflicts that might arise. Kumo had failed to do this by masquerading his son as a simple civilian. The lighting nation couldn't claim recompense for what happened. In fact, they would likely be the only ones punished if the situation was exposed.
Kioshi got through the second and third days of the finals without more than a few death glares from the Raikage. Kioshi met the hard gazes in turn, unapologetic. One day the Kumo man would rue the day he decided to make him an enemy.
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Once back in Konoha, Kakashi let out a long sigh, collapsing in the chair at his office. "Well, I'd call that a successful journey. We allied with another major nation while also retrieving something of great importance. Not bad for my first diplomatic mission as Hokage. Humm?.."
"Defiantly not the worse I've seen," Kioshi agreed.
"My leadership skills, or the mission as a whole?"
Kioshi smirked. "Both."
"Not exactly a complete compliment, but I'll take it." Kakashi drawled. "I am after all 'one of the least arrogant people you know'. Wouldn't want to get too comfortable in this position."
"I just don't want you to feel bad when Naruto eventually kicks you out," Kioshi smiled, often enjoying their frequent subtle banter.
"Indeed…" Kakashi trailed off thoughtfully, then blinked, sitting up straight. "But back to business. What do you plan to do with your son? Do you plan to interrogate him? He could hold a lot of useful information on his siblings or other secrets of Kumo."
"Yes," Kioshi admitted. Now more than ever he felt the need to find and retrieve all those holding his bloodline. "But I don't want to be too forceful about it. I want to build a trusting relationship, and the boy has already been through enough abuse."
"You're going to raise him, then?" Kakashi asked.
"Of course," Kioshi replied. "He's family."
"Do you want his existence and relation to you to be known publicly?"
"Kumo already knows about him, so I don't see why not," Kioshi shrugged. "Our relation would also be hard to hide considering the time I plan to spend with him."
"Very well. I wish you luck." Kakashi said. "I'd suggest you go home and get some rest."
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Kioshi took the man's advice. The next morning he felt fresh and rejuvenated as he headed out to a private training ground. The small break was nice, but now it was time to release his son.
The sooner, the better. Any day he could be called on an important mission and it would be best if the boy was settled into his new life by then.
When the boy came out of the red energy, he squinted and stumbled a bit at the bright sunlight, disoriented. Then the small figure steadied himself and looked around at the green trees and blue sky in wonderment.
"This is Konoha." Kioshi explained, seeing the question in the boy's eyes. "It's been a little more than a week since I last spoke to you."
The boy was still looking around in slight confusion, but then his expression became enthralled, comprehending the situation. "Wow! It's so warm here! Can you teach me how to do that!? I didn't feel anything at all!"
Kioshi smiled. "Yes. If you want me to."
The boy pumped his fist. "Yes! Kumo wants me to learn everything I can! Hibiki sensei said you would be the best teacher! With your help I know I can do it! I know it!"
"Well let's take it one step at a time, okay?" Kioshi grimaced, once again not liking what the words and excitement implied. "Training takes work, and you don't have to learn anything if you don't want to."
It pained him that the boy seemed to think he still had to please the lighting nation, even after being far so away from the place. If the two village elders of Konoha had been present during this conversation, they'd likely take the boy's words and excitement as a confession of loyalty. In fact, they'd probably accuse the boy of coming back with him purposely to learn his secrets.
But Kioshi understood certain things simply took a while to deprogram. The semi-clueless nature and unfiltered words actually made the boy seem even more trustworthy. The personality reminded him a lot of Naruto in a way.
"Why don't we go and get something to eat, and you can tell me more about yourself?" Kioshi suggested.
The boy nodded and they headed towards a public street. The new small shadow drew some curious looks from passers-by, especially from people Kioshi knew. Many noticed the two ringed colors in the boy's eyes.
None actually approach them though, which was good. The boy looked nervous, and Kioshi also wasn't in the mood for questions. Not when he had ones of his own. He still didn't even know his son's name.
Kioshi sat down in a particular restaurant belonging to the Akimichi Clan. The booth tables were designed specifically for private conversations, separated by tall dividers inlayed with privacy seals that could be activated for a fee or personally by ninja customers.
After ordering their food Kioshi began his interrogation.
He found that his son's name was Ollie, and that the boy's mother was still alive, but absent and uncaring. She was from a powerful clan and seemed to care more about her village and work than the asset she had birthed.
There were two twins, however, that had a much more attentive mother. Ollie's half-siblings were two years younger than him and had a happy family life, which the boy seemed jealous about.
Kioshi also had another child who had died over a year ago due to a training accident. She had been the one who discovered how to make portals. Unfortunately, it seemed that her genius nature hadn't prevented disaster though. When the girl had discovered that the energy didn't effect her, she had jumped through a dimensional-linked portal thinking that was the way to teleport. The action caused a fatal chakra drain, the portal absorbing it all from her body.
It was a trap Kioshi could have fallen into as a child as well if he hadn't been cautioned against it.
Once again, the extent of lighting nation's neglectful treatment towards his children made him both angry and surprised. With such assets, every precaution and effort should have been taken to keep them alive and loyal.
Maybe the bloodline holders themselves really didn't mean that much to the Raikage… The Kage's thoughts on a failed transplant came back to mind. That could have been a real memory. The man could have harvested and used his daughter's eyes for an experiment.
Or maybe there were more of his children hidden away that Ollie simply didn't know about…Quantity over quality…
"Is something wrong?" Ollie asked, seeing his frown deepen.
Kioshi relaxed and continued to eat. "No everything's fine… Do you want dessert?"
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Two weeks later, Kioshi stood in Konoha's hospital. He was busy looking through the information of his next patient while his son trained his Dojutsu in the corner.
Kioshi had explained the day before that the first step to learning how to retrieve things out of red portals was to see and move the bubbles within your spirit. This had come naturally to Kioshi as a child, but not to all it seemed.
Ollie had a difficult time meditating. He easily got distracted despite the desire to learn.
At least Kioshi was able to help the boy with some things…Yesterday it had been discovered that he could connect to his son's Dojustu chakra with his own mirrored bloodline. Because of this, he could personally remove the compacted mess from the boy's dimensional realm to make bubble movement inside easier.
The ability was both useful and frighting. Genjutsu techniques manipulated other people's spiritual energy, but never to point of actually merging with it. With this Dojustu hack, however, Kioshi could anchor to his son's pocket realm and retrieve whatever he wanted.
The same could likely happen in reverse.
Of course, this could all be prevented with canceling chakra, but he'd need to stay more on guard from now on. A transplant success or one of his children had the potential to free all the dangerous things he had stored. His dimensional realm was no longer an unbreakable prison and vault. Hidan…Kakuzu? Not to mention Kioshi's stored techniques… Such things could easily be used against him.
"I think I feel the bubbles, but I still can't see them!" His son complained, breaking Kioshi from his thoughts. Ollie was in a meditative sitting position, still scrunching his face up cutely, eyes closed.
Kioshi smiled, almost chuckling at the sight. "Good. Just follow that feeling and focus hard. Things will become clearer as you do so. You're doing great."
"I'm almost out of chakra," Ollie then sighed, relaxing and opening up his activated eyes to look down in resignation.
"That's okay," Kioshi assured. "Go over and read some of those picture books on the wall until I'm done. I have one more patient and then we can go home."
"Okay," the six-year-old grumbled, wallowing over.
Kioshi could tell the frustrated attitude was from the failure more than anything. The boy refused to leave his side and liked to watch him heal, so the training wasn't out of boredom. The boy either wanted, or felt like he needed to learn this.
Maybe he could help guide the boy's chakra forcefully?...Like the Yamanaka's did with their mental techniques. With enough repetition, this might make the boy able to grasp the concept…
No… That would just cripple the boy's progression in the long run. His son needed to learn to connect to his spirit unaided. The process was a necessary skill in becoming a unique and powerful ninja.
"Healer Hirano…your last appointment is here," an aide then said, opening and popping his head through the door opening.
"Send her in," Kioshi said, becoming slightly more on guard. He'd been warned about this particular patient. His next patient was registered as a retired ninja from another country who had only recently moved to Konoha. Members of the Anbu had been keeping a watch on the subject and had seen the woman watching and trailing him multiple times through the village over the past few days.
She also refused to be treated by anyone else but him,... which was strange… Sakura was just as capable of healing scar tissue, which according to the file, was the only thing wrong with the person.
No one had ever attempted to assassinate him within the hospital, but that didn't mean it couldn't happen. People did crazy and suicidal things with the right motivation.
Kioshi had decided to accept the appointment and see where it lead. It could just be an innocent fan or admirer, but if something sinister was attempted, then he'd evade the attack, and torture and interrogation could take over. It was the quickest and most ethical way to handle the situation.
When the door opened, Kioshi was surprised when two people came in. The woman was currently hiding her aura. The olive-skinned teenager beside her was the only one felt.
Both were wearing sunglasses, which wouldn't be strange on their own, but the boy also had bleached spiky blond hair and a glittering nose ring that also screamed disguise. The area right around the piercing was still red, showing how recent it was. And the blond hair color didn't match the dark eyebrows. Sloppy. Both infiltrators were trying to act casual, but the tension was noticeable to a strongly trained eye.
"Are you Miss Tanaka?" Kioshi asked pleasantly, trying to staying casual as well, hoping to draw them into a false sense of security to gain more information.
"Yes, that's me," the middle-aged woman said softly. "Thank you for seeing me."
Kioshi couldn't help but frown slightly at this. That voice…It just added to a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Had he met these people before?... They both seemed…familiar…
"I was told you have a scar along your arm that you want removed?" Kioshi asked, outwardly continuing to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. If these were actually assassins, then it was better for them to think their cover hadn't been blown. Their trial would be quick and much easier to handle if an actual attack was made.
Then again, opening himself up for such a thing might not be worth the risk. This was further proved when the woman caught sight of Ollie. She couldn't hide her surprise at seeing his Dojutsu.
Kioshi growled, stepping sideways and blocking the woman's path to the boy. In any other circumstance, he might be fine playing along for longer, but not when a vulnerable child was involved. "Who are you? Why are you really here?" Kioshi decided to ask outright. "You're obviously hiding something, and you seem very interested in my personal life. Do not deny it! Konoha's Anbu has caught you following me around."
The bleached hair teenager punk scowled at the threatening tone and looked like he wanted to jump at Kioshi in response, but the woman put a hand out, stopping him
"Your reaction is completely understandable," the woman swallowed. "I'm sorry for the deception. We did not mean to intrude, but we both felt it best to know a little more about you before exposing ourselves. You are correct in assuming that our main purpose here isn't for healing."
Kioshi took a step back, eyes narrow, surprised at the quick confession and the solemness behind it.
At this, the woman drew in her aura. When it was fully present in natural form, she asked. "Do I feel familiar to you at all?"
Kioshi had already stiffened before the question was asked. Yes. The presence was very familiar... It was like he'd been thrown back in time. His eyes widened and started to tear up. It couldn't be...
The woman then took off her glasses and looked at him with deep amethyst eyes, making the identity even more obvious.
"Mom?" Kioshi asked, almost not daring to believe it.
"Yes, it's me," she affirmed also becoming emotional.
Kioshi moved forward without hesitation, pulling her into a tight hug as if she might somehow escape. Loved ones could also be assassins, but at the moment he didn't care. His mother was here! She was alive! She had found him! After so many years, he's almost given up hope.
His mother seemed surprised by the quick acceptance, tensing at the action at first, but then relaxing and hugging him back just as tightly.
"I thought I'd never see you again," Kioshi whispered.
This mother grabbed him tighter at this and whispered back. "I'm glad you are safe…"
They then pulled away from each other, both brushing tears away.
"How are you here? Why are you here? How long have you known where I was?" Kioshi asked in quick succession, the situation still not seeming real. "Why now of all times? Have you known my location and status this entire time?"
His mother grimaced slightly at the thinly veiled hurt behind the last sentence. "We have only known for a few months," she assured. "A bounty hunter came to our house and showed us a picture of you. We tried to stay out of ninja affairs until recently…We were very isolated…I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
Kioshi nodded slowly, believing the information for now, but many questions still arising from the information. The main one was the "we" the woman kept including in the story.
She had to be talking about the teenager. "Who are you?" Kioshi asked the figure directly, now looking more closely at the boy's similar skin tone and jaw structure. They would look a lot alike if you ignored the hair and jewelry. A suspicion was quickly starting to form...
"This is Haru, your younger brother," their mother explained, confirming the relation. "I barely became pregnant before I was separated from you and your father."
Kioshi nodded. That made sense. Fetus aura's took a few weeks to detect clearly with spiritual chakra. He was a natural sensor, so he would have known of his mother's condition if she hadn't been at the very beginning stage of pregnancy.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Haru," Kioshi said, dipping his head slightly in greeting, not knowing what else to do. The boy was obviously still on guard, and Kioshi didn't exactly trust the younger man either. He knew nothing about him.
The teenager folded his arms in response, frowning, but still nodded stiffly back in turn. At least there was that…
By this time, Ollie had come up to stand to the side, interested in the conversation. Kioshi gestured for him to come closer. "This is my son, Ollie," he introduced in turn to the pair, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. "Ollie, this is your Uncle and Grandmother…"
The six-year-old squinted up at the beautiful middle-aged woman skeptically. "You look way too young to be a grandma," he frowned. "Madam Aisawa looks much older…Arn't you supposed to have gray hair?"
The woman smiled. "Old grandmas often have gray hair, but you are right. I'm am quite young…"
She looked up at Kioshi quizzically at this, plainly showing her surprise. Kioshi grimaced at the silent question. Having a six-year-old barely in your twenties wasn't exactly common. Most would suspect a mistake or something untoward about it.
The assumption wasn't wrong.
"Where are you guys currently living?" Kioshi asked quickly to get off the subject.
His mother took the hint and answered without delay. "In a small rental on the villages outskirts."
"Would you like to come to our house and have dinner then?" Kioshi offered. "It's close, and we can speak more on ourselves there."
"Yes. That would be lovely," the woman smiled.
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A few minutes later, Kioshi mother walked down the street next to her oldest son, her other son and grandson trailing behind. She almost didn't believe that this was reality. Ever since that bounty hunter had left their doorstep, she'd worried that her attempt to reunite with her lost child would end in disaster.
It had been possible that Kioshi would hate her for not finding him sooner, or that her child could have been twisted and corrupted by the outside world.
A ninja's way of life was cruel and damaging to the heart and mind. She'd only survived this long by retreating and hiding from it. Haru had only applied as a one recently because they had been desperate for money, and that action had almost gotten them killed! If that bounty hunter had been an enemy, they would have both been in trouble.
Putting themselves at the mercy of Konoha was also dangerous. But she wouldn't ever be at peace until she at least tried to reconnect with her firstborn. Word would reach Konoha anyway according to their informant, so it was best to approach the village on their own terms.
Haru agreed with the plan, but convinced her they would immediately retreat if too many complications or red flags arose.
When they arrived at the Fire Nations military capital, their auras and faces were checked thoroughly due to their ninja status. Hiding their abilities during registration was a crime, so it had been best to be honest and give their true ranks from the start. Konoha only cared about personal enemies or enemies of their allies, so they had been cleared to enter.
Apparently not entirely though. Members of Konoha's Anbu seemed to have been keeping watch on them.
Their plan had been to have more personal interactions with Kioshi and the village before revealing themselves, but that had all gone out the window when her older son had become suspicious and demanded answers.
Things ended up working out okay though. Kioshi seemed truly happy at their reunion. He was still the same loving boy she remembered, if a bit more intimidating and weathered.
She hoped that Konoha had treated him well through the years. There were rumors that he was one of the Hokage's closest friends and advisors, and she'd seen him talking affectionately with many different people in the street. But that didn't speak for everything. Things could be different behind closed doors.
The discomfort Kioshi showed when questioned about his son proved this. There had been more pain than embarrassment at the scrutiny. Konoha might have forced him to create a clan before he was ready. If so, she wouldn't rest until the person responsible was deposed from their position. That, or convince Kioshi to leave.
"Dad, are they going to sleep at our house?" Her grandchild asked from behind, pulling on his father's clothes.
Kioshi smiled affectionately at the gesture, making it clear how much her son cared for the little blond boy, despite her suspicions.
"Our house is too small I'm afraid," he said, then looked over at her. "But we could get them a house close to us if they want. Do you plan on staying in the village permanently?"
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I know very little about Konoha…And it also depends on what Haru thinks." She turned to her younger son at this. Haru still didn't look entirely comfortable with the situation, continuing to study his brother and the surroundings for threats.
Kioshi nodded. "I understand. We'll take it one step at a time."
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The evening went well considering the topics discussed. Kioshi and his mother exchanged the basics about what had happened in each other's lives over the past fifteen years
His mother explained that she had spent most of her time working for a kind wealthy old couple on a farm estate, after he and his father failed to arrive at their agreed-upon emergency meeting spot. Haru and her made a life there, only recently moving due to the couple dying and their relatives taking over.
His mother still returned to the meeting place in waterfall country every year to search for any message or sign that his father was alive and was trying to make contact, but nothing had ever been found.
It was the bounty hunter who had confirmed her husband's death.
That caused Kioshi to ask about the mysterious messenger, who apparently knew personal facts about his childhood and was the one responsible for bringing them back together.
From the description and words relayed, Kioshi eventually concluded that the person had to be Itachi. He'd need to thank the Uchiha the next time they met…
"You seem to have friends far and wide…" His mother acknowledged.
Kioshi nodded, brow furrowed. The fact that Itachi had fallen out of character in order to help him made Kioshi both grateful and worried. Hopefully, his mother and brother wouldn't run into the spy any time soon. That might cause some confusion and complications.
Luckily his mother soon moved on to another subject, asking questions about himself instead. Ollie was also interested in this subject, probing for more details. Kioshi ended up telling many different stories of interesting moments during missions or experiences in his younger years, only leaving out classified parts.
After Ollie had gone to bed, his mother then got even more personal. She asked about Ollie's mother and the absence thereof. It was obviously a taboo subject, as no mention of the woman had been made the entire evening by either him or his son.
Kioshi confirmed the woman's suspicion. He briefly explained his experiences as a captive in Kumo, his recent retrieval of Ollie, and the situation he now found himself in.
His mother was very supportive during and after the explanation. Haru even took his side and mumbled a curse in the lightning nation's direction.
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Two days later, Kioshi decided to try to connect further with his younger brother. Haru was still extremely quiet in conversations and refused to open up.
Kioshi learned through mental examination that the teenager was a bit angry and jealous about some things. The boy blamed Kioshi for the death of their father, and wished he had been personally trained and had a chance to known him like Kioshi had.
The teenager, however, also felt guilty about thinking this, knowing that Kioshi didn't have a choice about what he was born with.
The teenager also realized that a similar accusation could be made towards him in turn. It was the teenager's own fault, after all, that Kioshi had been separated from their mother for so long. Haru had no doubt that the woman would have searched and discovered Kioshi's location long before now, if she didn't have someone else to keep safe and protect.
That didn't erase the other damage though. Their family would forever be targets, and the boy would never know what it was like to have a father. Bloodlines were supposed to be a source of both admiration and envy, but after seeing what trouble came from it, Haru was glad his eyes were of solid color.
The teenagers jealousy only flared when Naruto came in and bragged about Kioshi's kenjustu skills. It was at this point that Kioshi decided, that he could at least help in that regard.
It was why he had decided to offer the teenager some training. Kioshi had been taught personally by their father, so it was only natural to pass down the information. Doing something of similar interest would also help bring them closer together.
Interest must have won over pride in the end, because Haru hesitantly agreed. Right now they were headed to one of Konoha's training grounds.
"Do you have a lot of experience fighting?" Kioshi asked as they walked.
"Not really," Haru shrugged. "A few criminals here and there, but no one passed C-rank."
"That's still quite impressive for someone who has never had a sensei," Kioshi said. "You really learned everything on your own?" Their mother had mentioned such a thing in one of their conversations.
Haru shrugged again. "I had a few scrolls for kenjutsu, and Mom helped me a lot with ninjutsu. I got good enough for our employers to pay me quite high as a guard and was able to pass the Taki genin exams."
Kioshi nodded, both of them walking the rest of the way in silence.
When they arrived at the field, they both got into a defensive pose pulling out their swords. "Alright, come at me," Kioshi beckoned.
For the next hour, they dueled, Kioshi letting his brother switch between offense and defense to show him what he could do. Haru definitely had a natural talent. His moves were quick, efficient, and precise. But his lack of real opponents was seen clearly in his reaction speed and patterned attacks.
Kioshi tapped the teenager again and again with his chakra-dulled blade, slowing down to match his brother's speed, but being less predictable in movement. Luckily, instead of being angry or embarrassed by the defeats, his brother took the hits with calculated observation.
"You're good," the teenager finally admitted, coming to a stop. "I see why some people hold your skills in such high regard."
"I had many people to help me," Kioshi said. "The more skilled and unique opponents you face, the more you will be prepared for any opposition. In a real battle, however, these types of people will kill you before you have a chance to learn and improve. That's why having talented training partners are valuable."
"And you will help me?" Haru asked.
Kioshi smiled. "Of course."