The night before the first round of spars, I spent practicing my forms meticulously again and again until my muscles stung like lemon juice in a million paper cuts. For a regular person, this probably wouldn't help but with the system. Every level helps.
Still, to avoid being tired, I tried to go to sleep at a good time. Ami's nervous pacing the following day after my run didn't help. She still refused to meet my eyes for over a few seconds, but as we ate breakfast (her finally being ok with sitting with me again), she kept flickering, worried gazes up at me. She wasn't the only one with Yataka's earlier questioning.
Flashback
"Is something going on today?" Yataka asks as I stop by his stall to help, as is my routine. My eyes flutter, confused because I didn't think I had shown anything. "Chojii could barely eat last night. Natsumi-Chan is worried about bullying again. You'd tell me if something like that was happening, wouldn't you?" Yataka asks with a squinting gaze like he is trying to make out an object through heavy fog.
"Of course, I don't like people messing with my friends." I tell him, and he gives me a sad smile and a feather-light sigh, so out of place with the usually jovial man as if to say, 'That isn't what I meant, and you know it.'
"You know you can tell me ANYTHING, and if not me, then someone." He says, and I shift uneasily. Does he know? Is he beginning to suspect my spying, or is this unrelated? His chakra flutters worriedly, but that doesn't tell me his exact line of thought.
"Everything's fine. Maybe Chojii is just nervous about the spar? We start today." I inform him and wonder if he already knows, but either way, it is a genuine potential cause for Chojii acting nervously.
"Oh, is that so?" Yataka says his chakra relaxes though still concerned, and a wide reassuring smile crosses his face.
End flashback
On the way to the academy, I hum absent-mindedly. I'll face maybe one or two opponents. I am pretty sure. Daikoku-sensei hasn't explained much about the first spars besides us learning the seal of confrontation and reconciliation. My opponent depending on who they are, I'll go easy or hard, hopefully making some of the brats more wary about messing with me like Shisui had suggested. I can't see too much of a problem, but that might be my ego… if I am paired with a clan kid like Ino or Hinata, I could be in trouble, but hopefully, I'll get some sweet kid I barely know and have nothing against (or everything against).
Ami is walking with me today, something she hadn't done in a while… yet she isn't quite walking with me. She's walking a few paces up ahead of me but still progress. I mean, I've said I'm sorry for keeping her in the dark, but at the same time, don't I need to explain every friendship I have to her, right?
I take my usual spot in the classroom behind Ami between Choji and Shino. Chojii does look a little paler than usual, a little more on edge even as he continues to munch potato chips. I think about talking to him but can't as Daikoku-sensei walks in.
"Alright, class, as spars are beginning today, we will head outside. Today's class is all about getting a physical combat baseline of everyone." Daikoku states, and the class erupts into whispers as we follow him outside. So are we doing Taijutsu all day? Isn't that a little excessive?!
"What a drag. I've heard about the second-year taijutsu tournament." Shikamaru mutters between yawns, his hands lazily hanging off the back of his head.
The what?! A tournament? Why wasn't that mentioned? Why did no one tell me? A few others who heard Shikamaru's comments either paled or looked delighted. Sasuke looks at me, tilting his head as though to say, 'You didn't know?' While Choji gulps a chip down whole without chewing it. Sakura shifts nervously from foot to foot, and Ami quickly covers the fear I can feel in her chakra and eyes the other girls.
"Now, to understand what we are starting with, we will start with a tournament. The tournament is in two sections, boys and girls. You will not be fighting outside of your section yet but expect some crossover to happen in your fourth year." Daikoku says, waving his clipboard around to make the point more straightforward. "Those who win will move on to fight again. If you lose, I expect you to practice off the side. We'll keep fighting until a winner is declared for both the boys and the girls. Each match will be best two out of three." Daikoku states, and everyone nods, some more vigorously than others.
"What a drag… I thought about just forfeiting, but Kaachan said that she would give me extra chores if I did that. What about you, Chojii?" Shikamaru said, his eyes drooping like he was ready for another nap, but they subtly moved, sizing up everyone.
"Not sure. I… I'm not even that good at Heavy Hand Taijutsu style yet." Choji says, and my ears perk up. I hadn't known he had even started learning the Akimichi Taijutsu style.
"When did you start learning?" I ask, not suspiciously, but Choji jumps and looks sheepishly at me.
"While we were on the road, Tousan started teaching me," Choji tells me fondly that he enjoyed his time outside Konoha. I start to talk to him though my eyes keep track of my peers who begin to face off against one another in the circle. Step outside. Your opponent wins, pin them, you get the point, have them concede, you get the point, and knock the opponent out; you win the whole match. Of course, knocking someone out is easier said than done, and I am yet to see it in the matches. Girls start first because ladies first. Looking, I know that the matches are far from random. Clan kids always seem to fight non-clan kids, leaving the non-clan kids behind and having clan kids move on to fight some more.
Finally, my turn comes and look at that…
"Nahoko Ikari and Syouri," Daikoku-sensei says; huh, does he know me and this girl, in particular, have been having problems, or did he guess? Did someone tell him? I will assume he knows. How I'm not sure, but he knows. Is it a test letting me fight someone who has bullied me? See what I'll do? Or am I digging too deep? A ninja should look underneath, but surely, at some point, they are just jumping at shadows, right? My eyes slide to Shikamaru. Maybe that particular saying doesn't quite match. On top of that, I have my little Moto that, when it comes to shinobi, assumes everything is planned out and go from there.
"This is going to be fun," Nahoko says, slipping into a rigid leaf standard taijutsu stance. I respond, doing the same but looser, or at least I try to be. Still, I'm glad she is using leaf standard. Since this is actual combat practice, any form is allowed, or no form at all if it's better. I don't respond to her apparent taunt, and Nahoko flashes a smile and waves at Sasuke, who looks ready to groan but stays aloof while the match begins. Nahoko moves first and fast, hitting me in the stomach. I soften the blow moving away so the impact isn't as significant, and try to land a kick on her left leg to send her over. I don't know how to do a leg sweep well yet, so it would have to work. However, I don't expect her not to pull back completely grabbing my wrist and twisting it painfully. A smirk appears on her face, and I know why she is smirking. She is shinobi born, isn't she? Even if she doesn't know another style, she probably has tips. I haven't dealt with grappling in actual combat before, so the move makes me stumble.
"Point Nohoko." Daikoku sensei says, frowning, and we get up, making the seal of confrontation.
"See that Sasuke-kun!" Nahoko beems getting jealous looks from many of the other girls, but I force myself to focus: I'll have to look up holds at the library, but now it's time for a lesson.
"Let's dance…" I whisper softly. Izumi is rubbing off on me. This time I dance around her moves and avoid her entirely until I get behind her, kicking in the back of her knee and pinning her arm behind her back.
"Point Syouri," Daikoku says, scribbling something down on his clipboard. She isn't nearly as hard to dodge as Izumi.
Dancing Proficiency level has risen X1
Dancing Proficiency Level 23
The ability to dance in elegant and controlled motions. Improves general agility, balance and flow per level, helping to improve your general dance ability and familiarity with dancing movements. Increases all physical stats while dancing by 0.4% per level. Current ability increases stats by 9.2%.
With her one trick gone, the rest is child's play. As we face each other off, I move again. She's faster this time and more aggressive, but with all my running, I can stay just out of reach and land a weak punch to her stomach, but she topples over at the one blow. I blink and feel a little worried that maybe I actually hurt her and cautiously move closer when she springs up, and I realize it was faint. She grabs my shoulder and tries to knee me, but I bend down and slide through her legs, moving on instinct. When she turns around, I hit her square in the nose, and with a sickening crunching sound followed by a new gushing red colour, she starts to cry, but remembering her other feint, I don't let up and pin her once again on the ground.
"Winner, Syouri!" Daikoku declares, and I look to see his approving look and the horrified ones on most of the girls in the class. I do notice a slightly proud look on Ami and Sasuke's faces, though. I think about how I responded. I hadn't just used the Taijutsu style; I had been learning like I would have thought I would. Sure, there were aspects of it in there, but nothing solid.
Standard Leaf Taijutsu Proficiency Level 21
The ability to perform taijutsu using the standard leaf taijutsu form. Mastery of the form increases per level. This taijutsu style uses blocking, countering and slashing in its technique and can be performed with or without a weapon such as a short blade. It is an ideal form for beginners though can be highly predictable to high-level Taijutsu users or those familiar with the style. Katas, currently known 2
Then again, I am not exactly high in the level for the form. I ended up mixing in and out of running, dancing and plain old taijutsu. I now have a better idea of how I seem to fight best with taijutsu. I liked the look on Nahoko's face as she grabbed and hit at the air like I was never there, even though she was only seconds too late. After a few more rounds for the girls, the boys start their first round before switching back to the girls.
I got through three more matches before meeting my match in Hinata, who used the gentle fist on me so I could barely move and then started apologizing profusely.
"I-I am so s-sorry Sy-syouri-cha-chan." Hinata stutters as I hit the ground the second time. I can't even move my leg. Her rather fierce-looking Byakugan disappears, and I can't help but look at her in slight awe. I can definitely see why the gentle fist is such a feared style.
"Googly-eyes!" Ami shouts, concern dripping, no, flooding her voice as she quickly runs over. Her reaction seems to draw surprised looks from the other students that are watching the matches even though they should be training themselves. Ami did pretty well herself making it to the third round, while I made it to the fourth. "Are you ok? Why aren't you getting up?" She asks, and I now realize I am smiling, lying flat-backed on the ground. I actually enjoyed these spars, and I doubt anyone is going to mess with me now that I have lost my initial hesitance to hit kids who are (getting more debatable, honestly) mentally younger.
"I can't move my legs…" I say, holding back a laugh. How could anyone not see how rocking Hinata is? Ok definitely going to have to figure something out for Hinata eventually. Ami quickly glares at Hinata, who pales rapidly. "I'm fine. Thanks for the spar Hinata." I say as Ami and Hinata both look at me, blinking, confused.
"Clear the ring," Daikoku orders, and before I know it, Ami is helping me to get out of the sparring ring. Ami is mumbling things under her breath when she sits next to me.
"Are you ok?" Ami asks when I lean against the academy wall, still unable to move. Hopefully, the effects won't be for too long.
"I told you I'm fine," I tell her, still surprised she is talking to me. Ami doesn't look convinced, but she sits down next to me, playing with that one strand of hair that is much longer than the rest.
"I'm… I'm sorry." Ami says, and I look at her, feeling tired. I give her a small smile, my hand touching her fiddling ones.
"What do you feel like for dinner?" I ask Ami, who blinks at me.
"Curry." Ami says, smiling a grateful and relieved look.