A/N: I'm now writing this all on my desktop (gaming) pc as opposed to my laptop so it should be a lot better for me. Also, I will try to make the chapters longer in word count and more in depth (I tried to instigate some combat last chapter but I feel as though I'll be able to make something of it in order to create written yet believable fight scenes). Hope you all enjoy :D

8 weeks had gone by since I started sparring with the last remaining Uchiha after the Academy, and I was finally starting to show skills on par with my previous life's self, putting medium to high genin level skills in combat against the similarly skilled Uchiha, making sure to only increase my skills slowly as to not make him sceptical.

In this time, Sasuke himself has refined his taijustu form much more than how it began, primarily due to him both living and training alone after the demise of his clan, as well as his superiority in skillset to the rest of our male class in taijustu (Sensei rarely picked fights between different genders during our taijustu training), leading him to quickly and surgically dismantle any opposition without needing to push his skillset to its limits, where stress would make it break down.

To expand on the changes over the couple months, as the 'skill gap' began to close within our sparring, I was winning a far higher percentage of duels, probably taking about 40% of them due to me forcing him into difficult positions from which I could capitalise on his mistakes. Even though his physical capabilities, such as speed, agility and power, were all significantly greater, as well as his technique, he was still lacking in both combat experience and battle IQ, resulting in many poor predictions as well as him not accounting for strategies on my end, such as one time rather recently I had tricked him into following me to the Naka river at the base of the fields, where his body was not automatically accustomed to the presence of flowing water that constantly put him off balance, allowing for an easy defeat on my end.

Then again, once he chose to start using his Sharingan in combat, or at least when his body was capable of maintaining said dojutsu without significantly draining his chakra, I'd be cannon fodder (though I probably already was).

Another thing that happened during those few months was the change in classroom dynamics as a result of the fanbase slightly reducing their attention towards the Uchiha, probably due to him now hiding away in the back corner and there being no ability to fight for a seat neighbouring his (many had learnt the hard way, just like Sakura before). Nevertheless, the attention and affection still presented itself outside of the classroom, especially in the physical classes, where Sasuke still dominated the field in anything and everything, including learning new things the fastest by a long shot. Whilst my earlier Root training had been invaluable, I had yet to truly undergo ninja training and as such was beginning to reach my initial capabilities in fields such as shuriken and kunai throwing, as well as the short 'knock your opponent out of the circle' type spars, where I could handle every boy except only rarely beating Sasuke and occasionally losing to the Akimichi heir, who was blatantly bigger and stronger than me.

One day after beating Choji with my favourite redirect move, Sensei pulled me aside at the end of the day.

"Sai."

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Could you come with me to my office, please? I just have to do a quick customary annual check-up and self-evaluation on everyone."

I followed him from the training ground up a floor above the classrooms, where many general admin rooms for the adjoining Hokage tower as well as a small area for the academy teachers to do their own paperwork and lounge. He led me to his own desk and pulled one of his absent colleague's office wheely chairs across, gesturing for me to sit, which I did.

"What would you like, Sensei?"

"I am just after a tad bit of information regarding your ninja skills if that is fine by you."

"Yes it is."

"Great. Now I know that the early years of the academy are basically glorified babysitting for prospect ninja, but it is still surprising nevertheless that you have managed to take one of the top spots amongst your cohort in academics and even more surprisingly, ninja skills. From what I was informed, based on your academy application, you are from a rural town in the outskirts of Hi no Kuni, and you only came here with general world knowledge expected of a teenager at topps. That is all fine and dandy, and I get that the academy curriculum is not mentally taxing if a student chooses to actually pay some attention to my lectures, as most concepts are rather basic in explanation and understanding.

My concern is as to how you have become so skilled at both using ninja tools as well as general sparring with your peers. Is it that you have someone teaching you in your spare time? Care to explain? Also do note that I am not punishing you or anything, just curious and trying to see if I can help your situation as most transfers tend to struggle in the ninja arts far more than you."

"Well Sensei, since starting here, I have been training somewhat in my spare time with shuriken, kunai and going through kata, so that made me pretty average. I did start sparring with Uchiha Sasuke after school though, so I think that helped quite a bit, as I've gotten quite a bit better seeing as we don't do much training during class."

"Oh really! How long have you had that arrangement going? Last time I did a routine annual self-evaluation with him a few weeks ago, he mentioned nothing of the sort. Also, has he told you anything about any skills he may have picked up recently, because he has been awfully reserved after what happened to his family."

"A bit over 2 months now. I mean if he is using all his skills against me in our spars, then he isn't hiding anything from you."

"Fair enough. Well… that is about it, seeing as you are doing just fine in the class. Just be sure to come to me should you have any troubles, whether that be bullying, financial struggles, homesickness, anything of the sort. Other than that, you can head off."

"Thank you, Sensei." I stood up and bowed before leaving with haste in order to get to my spar without pissing Sasuke off too much.

After a fast jog over to his compound, red eyes were glaring at my with an accompanying frown.