Chapter 11
Day Seven.
The non-stop beatings had caught up with me. I awoke that morning so sore I could barely move, even with the boosted healing my chakra was granting me, I had simply taken too much damage over the past week. Just getting out of bed was already enough of a challenge. My alarm clock was screaming for minutes before I finally got the strength to shut it up. It took Mom coming in afterwards and violently shaking me to get me out of bed. Once more, Misaki was knocking at the door at six-am sharp. A small groan involuntarily escaped me as I quickly finished off the rest of breakfast so I could finish getting ready.
It was easy for Misaki-sensei to see that I was in no shape for the usual training. Considering I could barely lift my arms after putting on the weights it was plainly obvious. Anticipating this to be the case, she already had something different and a bit more low-impact planned for today. Running. As she reasoned it, I had spent the last six days moving chakra around my upper body and neglected the lower half. Although she did instruct me to circulate chakra throughout my entire body rather than just my limbs. This way I could get used to keeping active chakra going while I was performing other tasks.
Immediately after that, we were off at a fast jogging pace. Of course, it wasn't long until I learned about the... extra features Sensei decided to add to this training. Barely and hour passed and my limbs already felt like tree trunks as I struggled to keep the pace Misaki demanded. If my speed fell below a light run I was immediately greeted by a swift slap to my back. Hard and stinging, but nowhere near the strength of one of her punches. And unlike with the other training, I was not given time for a break. At least Sensei provided bottles of water so I wouldn't get dehydrated.
During one of the laps late in the morning, just as we were passing by my house, Sensei and I ran into Kiyomi and her mom. I guess her patience had run thin since I had been brushing her off this past week in favour of training and she decided to just come to me. "Ah... Crap..." I wheezed as she waved me down from the street corner ahead. Sensei came to a stop, allowing me to do so and take a well needed breather.
"What's the matter?" Sensei asked, not even slightly short of breath, much to my envy.
"I... haven't told Kiyomi... You're training me... Yet." I admitted through pained breath.
Misaki-sensei laughed, "Sorry, looks like the secret's out then."
Kiyomi came running down the small hill, bee lining it in my direction. Knowing how she so enjoyed throwing herself at people I raised my hands in a weak attempt to defend myself while crying out, "Whoa whoa! Slow down!" Yet my pleas went unanswered as she tackled me. Thanks to my weakened condition there was no chance I would be able to take the impact and the two of us fell to the ground.
"Meiko!" The blonde girl shouted as she threw herself on me. "Why won't you come play anymore! Mana and I are getting lonely!" She shouted into my ear before realizing we were on the ground as well as one other thing. "Wait... Why are you all wet?" She said as she pushed herself up and off me, finally noticing how I was drenched in sweat. "Eww," She moaned, trying to wipe it off on her shirt.
Still panting, I managed to eek out a couple laughs. "Sorry..." I wheezed, breathing was now a bit harder since my friend was sitting on my abdomen. "I've been... working out..." Kiyomi quickly got to her feet and tried to help me to mine. However after taking my hand and attempting to pull, the girl was nearly dragged back down to the ground.
"Wha- why are you so heavy!?" She cried out in confusion. Sensei reaching her hand down and assisting in her stead.
Sighing, I turned to my friend as I dusted myself off. "Guess I... Can't hide it anymore..." I said as I raised my arm and pulled down the knitted wristband, which now that I thought about it was stretched to it's limit. I was going to need to ask Mom to make a new one to fit the larger weights. Revealing the metal plated band underneath Kiyomi's eyes went wide. "I've been wearing... training weights for... the past year..." I admitted.
"That's so cool!" Kiyomi shouted, grabbing my wrist and pulling it in for a closer look. "Do you have any more!? Can I borrow some!? Is that why you're so tired lately!?" I was hit with a barrage of questions but before I could answer any, Kiyomi's attention then turned to Misaki-sensei. "Oh, Hi." She greeted Sensei with a cheerful yet confrontational tone. I guess she still had that little rivalry going in her mind.
"Hello there Kiyomi-san." Misaki greeted back as Kiyomi's Mom finally united with the group. "I guess we should take a break now Meiko." She offered and I gratefully accepted. There was a nearby bench that I immediately made my way over to and practically fell on. Kiyomi quickly joined me by my side.
"So, why are you all sweaty?" She asked inquisitively, but keeping a small enough distance from me to not accidentally get soaked.
"Training." I answered simply, finally being able to catch my breath. "I asked Misaki to be my teacher and I've been learning from her for a while now." There was no hiding the fact at this point, it stung since I had yet to get the results I had hoped for. That being me surprising, and finally beating, Kiyomi. However, our impromptu sparring session from a couple weeks ago had squashed that hope for a long time.
"But why go to Misaki-san?" Kiyomi asked, looking mildly annoyed. "You should have asked me, I'd get Kazuma to teach you too!"
I laughed, "Well, I wanted it to be a secret." I smiled a dumb, toothy grin at my friend, "I wanted to surprise you with how strong I got." That smile quickly faded, "But that didn't turn out how I wanted. You kicked my butt pretty good back then." I sighed, then chuckled.
"Well yeah." Kiyomi stated matter-of-fact, "Like I said, you should have asked me. Kazuma and Mom are way better teachers than Misaki could hope to be!" Thanks to her track record, Kiyomi was able to state this with great pride, puffing out her chest as she spoke. "You can be dumb sometimes." She said, laughing, "We should start tomorrow! Kazuma will be back from his latest mission tonight so we should definitely start training together!"
I laughed too, it was funny how blunt Kiyomi could be at times while holding not even the slightest ounce of malice. "Thanks, I wish I could." I said, slightly apologetic, "But I'm going to stick with Misaki-sensei's training program for now." I was already a week into this intense program, it was far too late to back out now. Plus, there was no way I could bring myself to disappoint Sensei.
Kiyomi's face scrunched up as she started pouting. "Come oooon!" She moaned, "You'll never get strong just running around! You have to do real ninja training!" Her eyes suddenly went wide, sparkling as an idea clearly crossed her mind. "I know!" She suddenly shouted, jumping to her feet. "I'll make a bet with you!" Confidently, she shoved a finger in my face. "I'll join you for this training session today! When I prove that its silly and too simple, then you have to come train with me instead!" Before I could respond, Kiyomi quickly turned to Sensei, pointing at her as well.
"Hear that!" She shouted, catching the adult's attention. "I'm going to beat you AND Meiko at your own training game! Then Meiko's coming with me! Got it!?" Misaki-sensei looked to Ai-san then to me. All I could do in response was shrug while Ai-san apparently figured it out. Tapping Sensei on the shoulder and whispering something in her ear. A very familiar smile spread across Sensei's face as she faced down the young Yamanaka.
"Alright." Sensei said with that menacing tone I had seen far too much of lately. "But, you'll have to train exactly like Meiko does."
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed Kiyomi's hand. "Kiyomi, its okay. You don't have to go this far." I tried to plead with the stubborn girl, "This training is really, really extreme. Misaki-sensei doesn't hold back." There was clear desperation in my voice, Kiyomi was strong yes, but I had massive doubts she'd be able to keep up with something this brutal.
My friend ripped her hand from my grasp, shooting me that smug smile of hers she loved to use when she was utterly confident of victory. "What's the matter? Scared to lose again?" She taunted, admittedly this simple provocation would often get me going. Not today however.
"No, I'm really trying to-" I began but Sensei cut me off.
"Meiko." Sensei's tone was firm and commanding as she called my name. "Kiyomi made her decision." I could see a very similar smug smile on her face as Kiyomi's. There was no stopping this from happening now. All I could do was sigh as the two's eyes locked. Bolts of lightning colliding between their gazes. "But if Kiyomi is going to join in on this training, she's going to need the proper equipment." Sensei's gaze turned back to me, eyes falling on the exposed metallic band. "Give her one of your old sets of weights. Preferably the one you just swapped up from, but if its too much let her pick a weight set she's comfortable with." A dark chuckle came from my teacher causing goosebumps to crawl over my skin.
Kiyomi was more than up to the task in her mind, "Running with weights? That's all?" She chuckled back, "This will be too easy, let's go Meiko!" My hand was taken and I was dragged along back to my house. Looking back to Sensei, I silently pleaded with her to stop this but there really was no hope there. Instead I could only assume she was now explaining what was about to happen to Kiyomi's mom.
After storming through the house, we were soon in my room. Kiyomi demanding the biggest weights I had. "Come on, hand them over!" She demanded, hand outstretched.
Moaning in protest, I tried one last time to try and dissuade the girl, knowing it was most likely a futile attempt. "Kiyomi, seriously. You don't know what you're getting into. Today is-" Unfortunately, Kiyomi just wasn't interested.
"Nope!" She loudly cut me off, "I'm going to prove my way is better so you can get stronger too! I'm trying to help you! Now, weights!" Flexing her fingers on her outstretched palm I finally gave in.
"Okay okay," I muttered as I shuffled over to a cabinet. Inside a drawer was a collection of loose plates and the older model weight. This one was a lot lighter than what I was currently wearing. The two new models Dad had made were completely solid, lacking the variability of the old one. My current weights were at a hefty seven kilograms each while the ones I had a few days before weighted in at six. A one kilogram difference sure, but that difference very quickly made itself apparent. I wanted to give her the lighter one, try and pass it off as being just as heavy as mine but Sensei would be able to tell immediately. At the very least I could show her the differences.
Taking one band from each set, I turned to show them to Kiyomi. "So, there's two sets here. This first one," I raised my left hand, "Is the oldest model. I was wearing this until just recently. It has a maximum weight of five kilos, but the weight can be adjusted. You should probably go with this one." Hesitantly, I raised the second one as Kiyomi was eyeing it intensely. "This is one I was using a couple days ago, its six kilos but cant be modified. Also, the one's I'm wearing are seven."
Kiyomi's eyes certainly lit up when I identified the heavier weights, but when I mentioned the ones I'm currently wearing were even heavier, the look in her eyes shifted. "Well, you should give me those ones then!" She said, pointing at the brace on my wrist. Somehow, I had a feeling she would do that.
"You don't want these ones," I said with a mild sigh, "They're covered in sweat. These ones are at least clean." That was enough to get her to back off a bit and she turned her attention back to the six kilo weight.
"Fine, this will do!" She said, swiping it from my hand and trying to attach it to her wrist. I had to help with the clasp and even then it was a bit loose. Kiyomi's arms were thinner than mine apparently. "Where's the rest?" She demanded and I helped get all of them properly attached. Once that was all done, she hopped up and down a couple times, thudding heavily on the wooden floor. I was surprised at how well she was moving with those on. It took me over a year to reach that point. Perhaps I was wrong and she was going to breeze through this training after all. Kiyomi really never failed to impress. "Alright! Let's get going!" She said happily as she marched out of my room, feet thumping loudly with each step.
Reuniting with Sensei and Ai-san, Kiyomi was raring to go. I could tell from the smirk on her face that Misaki-sensei was looking forward to this too. Ai-san said bye to us and made her way to my house, likely to spend time with Mom until this was over. Sensei then turned to the two of us.
"You two ready?" She asked, the two of us responding in the affirmative. I could see that glint in Sensei's eyes, telling me I had better not lose here. I nodded ever so slightly, my gaze shifting over to Kiyomi at my side. Who, of course, was brimming with barely contained energy.
"This is going to be easy!" Kiyomi declared confidently, bouncing a few more times to show that the weights were nothing for her.
"Alright," Misaki-sensei said, clapping her hands. "You two can start running, Meiko knows the route so be sure to stick by her side. I'll explain the rest on the way." She finished this little introduction with a quick, high pitched whistle and I started running. Kiyomi following at my side and Sensei taking up the rear for obvious reasons. My back flared as it recalled the sensation of the punishments.
Almost immediately Kiyomi started trying to outpace me. "You need to pace yourself!" I tried to warn her but the Yamanaka was far too concerned with beating me once again. "This isn't a race!"
"Meiko is right!" Sensei called out from behind us, "You haven't even heard about the training yet. Don't go running off on your own." This was enough for Kiyomi to slow her pace, brow furrowed with mild frustration she couldn't show off. "Good, now this is more than just running with weights. Meiko is training to master chakra reinforcement. While you're running you need to keep active chakra running throughout your body without losing pace."
"Wait," Kiyomi looked to me, disbelief painted all over her face. "That's it? That's so easy!" Kiyomi started laughing, "You really should have come to me then, Kazuma taught me everything there is to know about chakra reinforcement!" Speeding up again, the cocky girl looked back over her shoulder, "Alright I'm off! I'll see you on the next lap!" With that, the girl charged down the road. Her form was clumsy due to the weights but she was still moving at an impressive pace.
I looked back to Sensei, wondering if she wanted me to speed up too but instead I only saw a look of confidence on her face. "Keep your eyes ahead or else you'll slow down." She said with a pure smile belying the threat underneath. Not wanting another slap on the back I did as I was told and focused on the road. Kiyomi had gained a fair bit of distance on us but was beginning to slow down. I could only tell because she should have otherwise been much further ahead.
"I knew she underestimated the weight." I thought to myself. The current part of the course was a long straight street, what made it difficult was the entire thing was on a slight incline. Normally that wouldn't be a problem for most people but it felt like a difficulty multiplier when you were wearing weights. Eventually it came to a T-junction and Kiyomi had to stop and wait for us to catch up.
"This is why I said to stay by Meiko's side." Misaki-sensei said as we caught up. Neither of us stopped, instead turning right and continuing down the next road. Kiyomi followed along, matching my pace but I could tell her breathing was a bit harder than before.
"Hang in there." I tried to give my friend some encouragement but her pride refused to accept it. Instead she grinned back at me, her cheeks slightly flushed from the exertion.
"Don't worry about me, you think about keeping up once I know the course!" Kiyomi snapped back cheekily. I couldn't waste the breath to respond any further and instead steeled my mind to making it through the next few hours. At our current pace, one lap took about ten minutes to complete. I had long lost track on how many times I had completed this loop so I was quite grateful to Kiyomi having stumbled upon us. That short breather had given me just enough time to rest up and keep trucking along. Kiyomi was doing quite well for her first lap too, her breathing was a bit pained yes, but that was to be expected.
"She really is so much stronger than me..." Part of me was genuinely happy for my friend, her talent was clear and I knew she would make a great shinobi one day. But another part of me recoiled, fearing I would never be able to get out from under her shadow. It took me over a year to get strong enough to run with weights as heavy as those she wore now and yet Kiyomi made it look easy. I thought that, of all things, I could at least rely on my physical strength but this was reality. Talent in this world was a terrifying thing. I could work myself to the bone day after day to achieve but a fraction of what Kiyomi could with an equal amount of effort.
"Hey, Kiyomi-san." Sensei suddenly broke the long monotony of heavy breathing that had been the only form of communication between the three of us. "What's the longest time you've been able to keep your active chakra circulating?"
"What do you... mean?" Kiyomi questioned back, having slight difficulty forming words at the moment. "Don't you just make... what you need?"
"For performing jutsu, yes." Misaki-sensei answered, "But you should be able to maintain chakra reinforcement for a long time. How long can you usually keep it up?"
Kiyomi did not respond immediately, I could tell she was trying to recall. "I never... timed it before... so... this long I guess..." She was likely referring to this first lap we had done.
"So, did you make enough to keep going then?" Sensei asked in a whip-cracking tone.
"Uhhh..." Kiyomi suddenly wasn't so confident which took me by surprise. "How many laps are left?" She then asked, a slight touch of worry dancing on her tongue.
"Laps?" Sensei replied, her tone getting more eerily gleeful, "Oh laps are just a way to make sure we're keeping pace. We run until I say stop." Kiyomi's eyes went blank for a moment upon hearing those words. Quickly shaking her head however, the light returned to them. Her determination was certainly something to be feared.
"Oh, okay then... So its not a race..." She sounded disappointed despite me literally telling her that a short time ago. "Well that just makes it... easier... Like a stroll... through the... park..." I noticed her voice was starting to trail behind me. I glanced back just in time to see it happen.
*SMACK*
The Yamanaka let out a yelp as she dashed forward, rejoining my side. "What was that!?" She screamed back at Misaki-sensei who I could tell without looking was sporting the most evil of grins.
"That is the punishment for slowing down. Don't worry, I went easy on you." Sensei chuckled. Kiyomi turning to me for backup, puppy dog eyes glistening with tears, but I could only return a sympathetic gaze and a nod. My back, if she could see it, was likely painted with palm prints from losing focus over the course of this morning.
"Gotta keep up... the pace and... your chakra... flowing..." I managed to say between mildly wheezing breaths.
A few moments passed before Kiyomi let out a loud moan of annoyance. "Fine! I'll show you how easy this is!" Her declaration so loud the entire village probably heard it.
Two more laps were completed and Kiyomi was still hanging in there. The both of us had gotten our fair share of slaps over the course of them but we still had the strength to continue on. Honestly, I was doing a lot better than I thought I could. My legs and lungs were burning but there was something in me pressing me forward, granting me strength beyond what I thought I could do. I had already been running for several hours now and thought I was nearing my limit before running into my friend.
"That must be it." I thought to myself happily, stealing a glance at the blonde girl at my side. "Its because Kiyomi is here." There was always something about being by this girl's side that pushed me to go that extra mile. To try my hardest to one up her, even if it was always for naught. "Perhaps it isn't a bad idea to train with her." I had to admit, "I should try and convince her to join Misaki's training instead." Perhaps my own stubbornness was the thing truly hindering my growth.
I lost track of how many more times we circled passed my house as the morning ever so slowly dragged on. Kiyomi, much to her credit, was still hanging in there even though she looked to be on death's door. Like me, the desire to not lose to the other was burning stronger than her pain. The both of us refused with all our being to be the first to fall.
Finally, mercifully, Misaki-sensei called out to us as we once more passed in front of my home. "Okay girls, that's it. You made it." Her words were like music to our ears. One final, loud exhale of victory and I finally came to a stop. Nearly collapsing, I braced myself by placing my hands on my knees, literally wheezing as I struggled to take in air. Kiyomi on the other hand, did not do so and instead allowed herself to flop down onto the road. A small plume of dust puffing up around her. To be honest I wanted to do the same but experience had told me the moment I went down I would not be getting back up anytime soon.
"Haah... haah...S...See..." Kiyomi wheezed, "...Haah... Ea...sy..."
"Indeed," Misaki-sensei confirmed smugly, "This is an easy day since Meiko needed to rest up from the usual routine."
"W-Wha?" Kiyomi barely managed to question back.
"Oh, you didn't know?" Sensei asked, towering over the downed child. "Yeah, today is just some light exercises. You did good to keep that up for two hours. Although Meiko has been going since sunrise." For a second there, I thought Sensei was bragging about me, but that was a silly thought. She had no need to brag about me to Kiyomi, there wasn't even much to brag about. Kiyomi's reaction however, was both unexpected and funny. I'd laugh if I didn't feel like I was dying.
The girl's eyes were so wide I feared they would bulge out of her skull as she stared at me with utter disbelief. "A...Ahh... Well... Of... Course..." Kiyomi managed to say between gasps. "I mean... This was... So easy..."
"Right." Sensei said dismissively, "You two rest up, get some lunch and be sure to drink a lot of water. We start the afternoon session in an hour."
"Heh... heh..." I could only try and chuckle, even for an 'easy' day, Sensei's Spartan training wasn't going to be so. Kiyomi didn't even have the strength to vocalize a response, instead her expression was fighting between absolute dread and determination to continue.
We both needed a few minutes to restore our breathing, and heart rates, to normal. My legs felt like jelly as I took a few wobbly steps over to Kiyomi's side, offering a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's get some lunch." I said with a weak smile. My friend nodded, taking my hand and with a mighty tug I was able to get Kiyomi to her feet.
"I feel so gross..." She groaned, wiping a thick layer of sweat from her brow. Like me, she was now almost completely drenched.
"Me too," I admitted with a chuckle as I helped my friend into the house. Lunch was already set and waiting for us. The adults had already begun chowing down as Kiyomi and I took the vacant seats, although Misaki was nowhere to be seen. I apologized again for my appearance, something Mom had already come to accept for the time being. My stomach roared with a feral power at the sight of sustenance. Blushing, I said a quick prayer, thanked Mom for cooking and dug in. Since training began, the volume of food I ate had increased almost exponentially. I wolfed down bowl after bowl of rice and absolutely devoured the meat on my plate. Yes, the vegetables too, although far less enthusiastically.
Kiyomi did not seem to be in much of a mood to eat, something I could understand. After working that hard the last thing you'd want to do is put more food in your stomach. This was especially true if you were expecting to do even more vigorous exercise. "You need to eat, you'll need the energy." I advised my friend who did manage to at least clear her plate.
Once I was finally stuffed, I thanked Mom again for the food before asking where Misaki had gone off to. Apparently, she went off to get some equipment for the afternoon training. I could only wonder what that meant as I filled two bottles with water, one for me and one for Kiyomi. We had thirty minutes to rest before the afternoon training began so the two of us decided to just go and relax outside in the shade of the tree.
"Keep up the chakra reinforcement, it'll help reduce the pain in your legs." I told Kiyomi once we had sat down in the cool shade.
"Really? Err I mean, I know that!" She stammered before closing her eyes. A small nap actually sounded fantastic right now. We had a little time anyway. Closing my eyes the two of us rested in silence.
Sensing a nearby presence, I opened my heavy eyelids to see Sensei standing before us, a large bag on the ground in front of her. I wasn't sure whether to thank or admonish her, having been on the verge of passing off into deep sleep just before she had shown up. Yawning and stretching I shook Kiyomi's shoulder, awakening the girl.
"Come on, wake up. Its time to get back to work." I said as Kiyomi groaned, being quite the deep sleeper herself. It took a few minutes before we were both ready and mostly awake for the next step of todays training.
"Good, you're finally ready." Sensei said between our fits of yawning. "Don't worry though, this is an easy day, this afternoon will just be shuriken practice." Sensei then opened the bag revealing countless wooden training shuriken in addition to a board with a target on it. "I'm going to hang this off the tree and you guys throw the shuriken." Misaki-sensei explained, "Although it won't be that simple, you need to be constantly throwing them, no breaks. Grab and throw and keep the active chakra going as always. If you slow down..." Sensei grabbed one of the shuriken and, in a movement so quick I could only perceive her arm as a blur, the shuriken shot past our heads and stuck itself in the bark of the tree behind us.
"That's not even sharp..." I thought, horrified. Looking back at the wooden tool before quickly returning my gaze to Sensei.
"Don't worry about running out, I'll be gathering them back up." She said reassuringly, "You can start after the target is set."
This, I could say, was certainly the easiest session I had it since training began a week ago. These were just average training shuriken, although there were some kunai thrown in to keep us on our toes. Apparently throwing things was a bit of a talent I had in this new life, while I didn't think it was anything to write home about, I had earned genuine praise from Sensei for it.
Kiyomi had challenged me to another contest, same stipulations as before, if she could hit more bulls-eyes than me then I had to go with her for training from now on. As training continued however, we both quickly lost count of points. Misaki-sensei was ruthless in regards to speed. If we weren't constantly moving we had one of those same shuriken shooting straight back at us. Those things stung like a mother... ducker.
Now all that said, this still wasn't a walk in the park. My arms were gradually becoming heavier and keeping up the speed was getting more difficult. My aim was getting worse too a I started to sacrifice accuracy in favour of speed. Since Sensei didn't say anything I assumed this was fine.
Until it wasn't.
An hour or so into the training, both Kiyomi and suddenly had several shuriken each smack into our foreheads in rapid succession. The blows more than enough to stop the frantic throwing as we nursed the wounds. "Oww, Sensei what's wrong?" I asked, mildly annoyed as I thought I was going at a good pace. "We weren't slowing down."
"True, but look around." Misaki-sensei instructed, pointing around the lawn. Wooden shuriken and kunai lay scattered haphazardly around the area. "The goal is to hit the target. Not just throw them around. You're too sloppy, so now as an extra punishment, missing the target will also result in a shuriken." That familiar devious grin came across her face again, "Over time I'll also increase the penalty range so better aim properly!"
Kiyomi and I could only chuckle awkwardly as we started once again. True to her word, Sensei made sure we were staying accurate with our throws while also keeping up the pace. Many more shuriken found themselves being thrown back at us over the course of the afternoon. Hours more passed as my arms grew heavier and heavier. I don't remember how many times I just wanted to throw in the towel and call it a day, but seeing Kiyomi still fighting alongside me kept me going.
Everything ends eventually and our stamina was no different. I couldn't tell how long must have passed but it had gotten to the point that my muscles were completely exhausted. Reaching into the bag, I tried to grab the next shot only to find my fingers refused to grasp it. I got a shuriken to the temple for that. "Come on..." I groaned, trying again to curl my fingers around the handle. "Just one more... I can't quit now." Digits twitching but refusing my commands, I took another shuriken to the shoulder.
"Darn it!" I yelled in frustration, somehow forcing my body to work against itself and grabbing a kunai. My eyes changed focus to the target ahead of me, dented from countless hits. "Goooo!" It was the most clumsy throw anyone had ever seen but I managed to toss that darn piece of scrap wood just well enough to hit the edge of the target.
Panting, my arms fell limp at my sides. They were well and truly done this time. Sensei came out from behind the tree, clapping. "Great job Meiko. Kiyomi, you did quite well too. Maybe you'd like to join us again for a proper session?" I turned to my friend for the first time in a while, her slouching position mirroring mine, arms also limp at her sides.
"Y-yeah..." She replied hesitantly, "No problem..."
Sensei grinned as she patted both of our heads. "Alright, we'll be doing this for a couple more days. So come back after that and we'll see how you hold up." Chuckling, she clapped her hands one more time. "You two are dismissed, go and get some rest. I'll clean this up and see you tomorrow okay Meiko?"
"Yes... Sensei..." I managed to reply and slowly limped my way back to my house. I was going to enjoy a nice long bath after this to clean off all the sweat and gunk from the day, have a nice dinner and jump straight into my bed. Looking at Kiyomi, I assumed her plans were the same. Shortly after, I was seeing her off at the door.
"Bye Kiyomi, see you soon." I said, struggling to keep my eyes open.
"Bye Meiko..." Kiyomi replied weakly and the two turned to leave. Before the door closed however, Kiyomi stopped, turning back to to look at me briefly, "You... I'm..." Whatever she was trying to say it almost seemed painful for her to admit. Finally, she straightened up her back and shouted, "Today was a tie, I wasn't feeling well is all! Got that! I'll show you next time and you'll have to come withe me for sure!"
"Yeah, I get it." I replied chuckling as the two disappeared behind the door.
Day Ten.
The previous few days were as Sensei had said, 'easy' days of running and shuriken practice. Now we were back to the original routine of blocking her attacks while moving chakra through my body to the points of impact. As she said she would, Kiyomi arrived early in the morning after Sensei and I had already begun the session.
"What are you doing!?" She screamed after witnessing Sensei sending me flying across the yard. Running to my side as I got back up and grabbing hold of me. "This isn't training! Its torture!" Cluching my head against her chest, Kiyomi then tried to drag me off, fed up with the extreme measures Misaki-sensei was taking. "I'm taking Meiko home with me and we're training there!" Frantically I started struggling as she was pulling me by the head, body dragging behind like she was trying to pop it off. I managed to slip my fingers in between her arm and my skull and slipped out, flopping onto the grass.
"Sorry Kiyomi, I can't go. I'm busy." I stated as I pushed myself back to my feet and planted myself opposite of Misaki-sensei once more.
"But..." She replied, confused and worried, "You're just getting beat up!" Kiyomi tried to take hold of me again but I stepped away. Misaki-sensei nodding that I could take a break to solve this little issue.
"Kiyomi... listen..." I said, contemplating how to explain this. She was right in a sense, this training was, in essence, me getting beat up. But I had faith in Misaki-sensei, she wouldn't be doing this just to beat up a child. She had never steered me wrong before so I would not err in my resolve.
"I promised Misaki-sensei that I would make it through her training. This is something I have to do. No, need to do." Normally Kiyomi was the stubborn one who refused to give in. Today, it was my turn. I had to get across that there was no arguing here. Kiyomi tried to protest further but at this point my focus wasn't even on her. I guess she noticed that and finally backed down. "Although," I continued, a small smile creeping over my face, "I did have a lot of fun the last time you were here. I think, once I'm done with this program, I'll take you up on that offer."
Kiyomi's lips puckered and cheeks puffed out, "No fair..." She moaned, raising a fist and gently punching it into my chest, "You're not supposed to be so cool. That's my job." She then turned to Sensei, that familiar fire of determination burning in her eyes. "Fine then. I can't let my Meiko get all beat up alone. I'll join in too!"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Really, this girl." I thought as I smiled at her back. "...Thanks." I whispered under my breath, making sure no one would hear it. "Okay Sensei, we're ready!" I declared, taking my position at Kiyomi's side. The two of us stealing a side glance and nodding in tandem.
After Misaki-sensei explained how the exercise worked, and we went through a few demonstrations, the training resumed in earnest. The two of us spent the rest of the day getting beaten into the ground. Yet somehow, during this entire time, through the pain, through the exhaustion, neither of us could stop grinning. If the training wasn't so brutal and taxing, I swear the two of us would be laughing the entire time. For hours we were able to push on, blow after blow it did not matter. When one of us fell the other's presence was more than enough motivation to get back up once again. Just as with that day of running, we both refused to be the first one to fall.
There however, was a big difference between the limits of the heart and the limits of the body.
Kiyomi was the first to fall and be unable to stand up again. "Oww..." She could only groan in pain, limbs twitching as she tried to move them before finally accepting that she just could not move anymore. I barely managed to block the next incoming blow, having been distracted by watching my friend fall. I was both surprised at and quite sympathetic for Kiyomi. I knew full well that sensation of just being so exhausted and sore that your body just shuts down. On the other hand, I couldn't believe I was the one still standing in the end. My mind snapped back to the training as the premonition of Misaki-sensei's next attack sent a shiver up my spine and chakra flared back into my arms.
That next attack never came. Instead, Misaki relaxed her stance and calmly began walking towards us. "Alright, I think that's enough for today." She said with a proud smile. "You two did amazing."
Kiyomi objected to that, not with words, but with barely restrained tears. "Hic... I... Can't be... lieve I... lost..." Sniffling and panting it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not break out in tears. I could see Sensei starting to move towards us and try to comfort her but I raised a hand, stopping her.
"You... didn't... lose..." I managed to say as I dropped myself on the ground beside her. Relieved that the session was over. I knew falling to the ground was a bad idea and yet right now it was something I could not resist. I think, like Kiyomi, I had pushed myself well beyond what I was capable of. Once Kiyomi went down and our unofficial competition ended, that willpower keeping me going went with it.
"Liar..." Kiyomi responded, "You... were still... standing..."
"Yeah... but..." I began, needing a few more seconds to catch my breath enough to keep speaking, "Only because... you helped..." There was truth in my words, just her being there had encouraged me greatly. Had she not been there, I certainly would not have lasted as long as I had.
Kiyomi looked to me, eyes glassy from her tears. "Really?" She asked, almost bewildered I would say such a thing.
"Yeah." I responded, reaching over and grasping her hand. "Thanks."
Kiyomi sniffled a couple times before snorting loudly. "Well, of course!" She shouted to the heavens. "You never would have gotten this far without me!"
We both started to laugh painfully between gasps.
Several minutes later, Sensei helped us both to our feet. Kiyomi had passed out from exhaustion and had to be carried home by her mom. I still saw her off with a wave as Misaki placed a hand on my shoulder, leaning down to whisper in my ear. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked, "You could have gotten that win you've been after for so long."
I nodded before whispering back, "Yeah. When I beat her, it'll be head on. Besides, she did help out after all. If she wasn't here, I don't think I would have lasted as long." Misaki didn't respond, instead she tapped my shoulder and made for the door herself. "See you tomorrow, bright and early. Goodnight."
"Goodnight!"
Day Fourteen.
Two weeks in and Misaki-sensei decided it was time to increase the intensity of our sessions. At the same time Dad had finished the most recent set of weights. Now instead of just blocking blows, we would exchange them. I had to focus chakra into my fists or feet when I attacked then immediately prepare for Sensei's counter. As this was far more taxing than just blocking we began to alternate sessions. Tomorrow I would be doing laps around the district again, followed by more shuriken training. The running exercises were intensified as well. Instead of following along, Misaki would launch surprise attacks when I was faltering in speed or just at random. Kiyomi hadn't joined in on our training sessions since, but she did like to come by and cheer me on during mine. Occasionally, she would drag Mana along too, although the girl really wasn't a fan of watching me getting beaten up.
Kiyomi had also issued another challenge, to see who's training was better. We would compare our skill with chakra reinforcement on Orientation Day and declare who was the better teacher. Misaki or Kazuma. Well, if nothing else, that certainly lit a fire under my behind. On top of that, without me around, Kiyomi was now dragging Mana to her training sessions. That was something I really did regret not being around for.
Day Twenty.
Once more the weights were increased. I'm not even sure what Dad had increased them to at this point but these new ones felt excessively heavy. Then again, it was probably just muscle fatigue. Besides, I stopped paying attention to how much the weight was a while back. I had much more important things to focus on so the weights just kinda fell to the wayside.
With the increase in weight came an increase in difficulty in the training. Misaki-sensei decided it was time to step it up again. Now, instead of just a simple exchange of blows she decided it was time to get back to full-blown sparring. Of course I could only flail around like an idiot considering it felt like I was swinging cinder blocks whenever I moved my limbs.
Day Twenty Six.
Sensei did not show up today. Normally she was here knocking on the door at the crack of dawn but there was no sign of her. Thinking, hoping, that something just came up and she was running late, I decided to go for one of the runs. An hour passed and still nothing from Misaki. Now I was starting to get worried. One more hour, the sun was shining bright over the village now and, to my unending relief, Misaki stood just outside my place. Waving me down as I came to a halt.
"Hey, sorry about that." She apologized, clapping her hands together and bowing. "There was a bit of an emergency early this morning," Misaki explained that she had come across a mugging of all things while on the way to my place. Even on vacation she couldn't ignore the call of duty. I sighed with such relief, sneaking fears darting back into the darkness. Training resumed as normal, but Misaki said she had something special in mind for a coming training session.
That 'something special' would happen in two days.