"Focus!" Karasu warned Andrew just before his punch connected with Andrew sending him wobbling backwards from the force
"Again." Karasu charged towards Andrew, not giving him any time to rest.
He threw a right hook followed by a left jab. Andrew took a step back and then ducked under the jab to the outside. He was so focused on the punches he could see he didn't anticipate a kick to the side. He crumpled down to the ground trying to find the strength to stand up.
"It wasn't that hard." Karasu looked at his pupils' pitiful state and then gave advice.
"You focus too much on the hands that you don't see the bigger picture. Keep your eyes on the opponent not solely on their actions but their movements as well."
Andrew was coughing, still reeling from the shock his body had to endure. Karasu offered a hand to help him up and after a minute of break they continued again.
Left jab followed by a right hook and roundhouse kick to the head. Andrew was starting to get used to Karasu's attack pattern after their week of training on taijutsu. He was learning how to use minimal movements and dodge his opponents' attacks.
Right hook then a left uppercut and kick to the stomach. Andrew took step after step like a ballerina, his movements like a dance on a stage. All until he got hit with an unsuspecting kick to the jaw. Andrew fell to the ground left to stare at the passing clouds.
"You've gotten better. This time you dodged my attacks for a whole minute."
"Just a minute?!" Andrew was left wondering if that really was an improvement. His first day he got beaten up hundreds of times until night came.
"At least it wasn't an instant like day one. You've improved, take pride in that." Andrew looked up at the towering figure whose body was blocking out the light as they leaned over him.
"Like I promised after surviving a minute I'll help you with the substitution and shadow clone jutsu."
Andrew's eyes lit up with renewed vigour and he shot up.
"Really! Can we train right now?"
"Sure." Karasu gave an unsuspecting smirk launching a frontal kick which Andrew barely avoided.
"But let's finish our fight first." A flurry of fists approached Andrew and he was left to retreat backwards with nowhere else to go. Andrew ducked and moved to the sides all while keeping his eyes on Karasu as a whole keeping in mind any dirty tricks he might play.
As he thought that Karasu kicked up a cloud of dirt before launching another kick aimed at the left of Andrew's face.
He stepped closer to Karasu to avoid the kick and met a punch to the face followed by a right hook.
"1 minute 10 seconds. See you're already doing better."
"That was nothing like your previous attacks!" Andrew complained at the change in attack patterns until Karasu shut him up.
"Not every opponent will fight the same so grow used to the unfairness." Andrew gritted his teeth and got up taunting Karasu to go again.
"There's the spirit, here I come."
6 Months later
Andrew had mastered the substitution and shadow clone jutsu and was now able to dodge Karasu's lighthearted attacks for 10 minutes however he left for the battlefield 3 months ago due to demand for manpower. He left with many other shinobi left guarding the village. It's been about 9 months since the 3rd great shinobi war started and news about the frontlines has been coming in everyday and is all people can talk about. News about successful operations, news about push backs and most importantly… news about losses and those who lost their lives. When in the streets you could also spot grieving widowers, siblings trying to wrap their heads around why their brothers and sisters wont come home and now orphans looking up to the sky trying their best not to accept reality. This picture reminded Andrew of the time he had spent in the hidden Cloud village, everyones reactions were identical. It made him realise that even though we are in different villages we still mourn, we still regret, we still laugh and cry, love and hate, everyone has emotions. He found it better to ignore them. He didn't want to be reminded about his own painful experiences.
Recently he had to spend his 5th birthday alone. It was the first time he had no one to celebrate with. Even those at the care home who had come to the hidden leaf with him truly didn't have anyone they could confide in and celebrate their favourite events with although they were surrounded by kids their same age. Although he was alone he didn't cry. He hadn't expressed any such emotion since that day. He spent every morning escaping the care home guarded by shinobi and trained till nightfall before sneaking back in.
During his training with Karasu which was permitted by the Hokage and various superiors he still had to escape. It's become less of a challenge even when they switch up their formations to try and stop him. He asked Karasu why he had to do that and he responded with, "Consider it a part of your training." He never expanded upon his answer but Andrew started to see that the guards couldn't notice him when he was sneaking past right behind them.
I'm here. Even if Andrew was alone he didn't stop his training. He practised chakra control and his sword fighting against a tree. He grew confident in his other skills but still practised making use of his clones to spar with and train other skills. His Jutsu to use lightning chakra on his feet to drastically increase his speed and momentum was still incomplete as he couldn't attack properly with it. He tried to use his new found sharingan but couldn't figure out how to activate it. He and Karasu tried but it never worked. They made the assumption it would only activate when emotions were running high.
He was outside of the hidden leaf training in the forest when he heard other fighting noises. Curious, he decided to investigate. He found a young kid with jet black hair spinning midair throwing kunai in multiple directions. He couldn't help but watch in awe.
"Whoevers there, come out." The kid said landing a kunai next to Andrew's feet.
Damn! He's good! Andrew came out of his hiding place arms raised to prove he wasn't a threat and made his way into the open.
"That was one good throw." Andrew complemented the boy in hopes of finding out how he did it.
"Don't bother, you can't do it without a sharingan." The kid looked him in the eyes and became puzzled, he didn't know anyone from the village that looked like him or had his characteristics. The kid drew his kunai and leaped into the attack without any questions. Andrew dropped his arms surprised by the sudden change into aggression and leaped back to avoid the swing of the kunai. He didn't have any room to breathe as he had to duck to dodge an incoming kunai thrown at him aimed at his head.
"No mercy huh." Andrew's thoughts leaked out of his mouth as he looked at the kunai now impaled into a tree's hard bark.
"Of course not, you're a foreign intruder. Even your accent is different." The kid attacking him took note of the different characteristics like Andrews blue hair and emerald green eyes as well as how he spoke. Andrew did look out of place in the hidden leaf but he hadn't been attacked by someone like this. Dodging one attack after another Andrew couldn't find an opportunity to explain his circumstances.
That's a fire style jutsu! Andrews' eyes widened as he took note of the flammable surroundings.
"HEY NOW CALM DOWN!" He shouted out but his voice was ignored.
"Fire style: Fire Ball jutsu" A great ball of fire shot out at him tearing through trees heading straight at him.
"HEY, HEY! I'M NOT A THREAT!" Andrew had avoided the jutsu and had drawn out his sword colliding into close quarter combat with his opponent. He pushed the kid back swinging diagonally right then straight across left before using the point of his katana, his left hand supporting from the bottom of the grip, to thrust it forwards.
"JUST HEAR MY OUT!"
"And why should I?"
"Because …" His opponent looked sceptical but confident as if he had the advantage.
Just who is this kid?
"So you're here as a captured kid from an enemy nation?"
"That's the jist of it anyway, yeah." They both finally relaxed from their fighting stances and properly greeted each other.
"I'm Andrew, the kid you just tried to kill."
"I'm Itachi Uchiha." They both shook hands though Itachi still refused to let his guard down.
"So you're a Uchiha as well?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing, forget I said anything." Andrew scratched the back of his head and laughed trying to avoid the topic of his mother and encounter with Karasu.
The sun was beginning to set and they both said their farewells leaving Andrew to think about his strange encounter with another kid his age.