The Seraph Project - Repercussion

Chapter CXI

Taijutsu

True to my word, I resume training tonight. I review what I showed him the other day. This time, I ask him to focus his power in his blows and movements. Considering the physical inactivity of the last few months, I expect him to be tired quickly … but that's not the case. Sure, he's panting a little and a few drops of sweat are beading on his forehead, but nothing more. The night and his new chakra devourer genes grant him greater endurance despite his body being abandoned like mine. His posture isn't perfect yet, although it's improving well. Besides, Naruto doesn't hesitate to grab the kunai I give him. As for me, the darkness limits my vision; without the moon and the few torches I've set up here and there, I wouldn't see much.

"That's good, Naruto. You haven't lost what I taught you," I praise him with a smile.

The blond gives me a wide grin, probably happy to make me proud. Seeing him twirl the weapon in his hand with innate precision, I decide it's time to move on to the next step. I reach for my back pouch to take out the equipment I need. "Now that you're comfortable with shinobi weapons, it's time for you to carry your own." I take out a shuriken case and a roll of white strips, arousing Naruto's curiosity and distrust.

"First, I'm gonna put the shuriken case to your right thigh since you're right-handed," I explain to him. "This case can carry up to two kunai at a time. Four, if you have a double case. It'll allow you to have your weapons within reach of your fingers."

My student pouts as he stares at the objects in question; at that, his tail wags uselessly. He's not on board and isn't at all excited about the idea of carrying them. He observes the kunai while letting out reflexive melodies. With his free hand, he stuffs it in his pocket, taking out the fabric of the latter… He lets me know that he wants to put his weapons in his pockets…

I let out a sigh. "Naruto… These weapons are made for killing. Unless you want to end up butt naked and lose all your weapons, that won't be possible."

I crouch in front of him while he continues to pout, growling, as his black tail wraps around his thigh to deny me access to it.

"Naruto… Stop acting like a child. You're a shinobi, and all shinobi wear this gear. Since you can't put them in your pockets, how do you plan on carrying your weapons?"

Naruto thinks, rocking back and forth. Then, his azure irises focus on my right thigh, which he points at.

"What about me…? What am I gonna do if you take all my weapons, huh? What will I use to defend myself?"

I sigh. "You can't rely on me all the time. You might find yourself all alone one day. Do you understand me?"

The teenager sighs and removes his tail. I use his right hand, with which I calculate the ideal height to place the white strips, which will be used to hold the shuriken case. When I apply the strips, Naruto rolls his eyes, visibly annoyed.

"Naruto! Look what I'm doing!" I say dryly. "You've gotta learn to do it yourself."

He lets out another loud sigh and complies. Intuitively, he knows how to do it, but I resolve to teach him again. I can't know when he'll remember who he is, all those things he's forgotten. His amnesia could sadly last more than a year…

All Naruto needs is patience and time.

Once the shuriken case is securely in place, I grab his kunai and put it away in one of the compartments.

With his ever-so-grumpy expression, he moves his leg in all directions. He's not at all comfortable.

"You'll get used to it pretty quickly. By wearing it all the time, you won't even feel it anymore, like your necklace."

Naruto arches an eyebrow.

"The brain doesn't transmit information that it deems useless," I explain tiredly. "For example, the nose occupies a good part of our vision, but it escapes our eyes. Like your necklace that never leaves your neck, your brain considers it useless to remind you of it constantly."

The blond tilts his head to the right, and I quickly see millions of question marks appear in his eyes and on his head.

'Oh dear, I lost him… I forget that I have to keep it simple…'

"Maa, to make it short, it won't bother you anymore in the long run… Kakashi is sorry for his complicated explanations," I sigh, sliding a hand into my silver hair.

Judging from his pout, he's still a little confused…

Oh well.

"Turn around. It's not the only thing you have to wear." As I say this, I pull out a back pouch before turning to show him mine attached to my belt. "Some shinobi wear two, but it's crucial to have at least one. It's in this one that you'll store most of your weapons and ninja equipment of all kinds."

Naruto lets out a complaint, though he shows me his back, allowing me to hang the pouch on his belt. As I separate from him, we both notice the same problem. The small bag is in the way of his tail. As my student stares at me, sulking, I put a hand to my chin to think. "That's not gonna do, is it...?" I mumble to myself.

I completely forgot about his tail. Since it's connected to his lower back, a little higher than the norm for other animals, it's already slightly bothered by his clothes…

To my surprise, Naruto finds a solution on his own. He unhooks the pouch and while wagging his tail, he looks for a location that doesn't bother it as much. After a few seconds, he pins it to the ideal spot, between his back and his side. It's not perfect, but he has no other choice.

"I put some kunais and shurikens in there," I say, pointing to some trees where I set up targets before starting training. "See those targets over there? I'd like you to arm yourself with three kunais and hit them at the same time."

His eyes land on the targets in question several metres away from us. Naruto doesn't trust himself, as he swallows and nervously approaches the shuriken case. He remembers that there's only one kunai when he brushes it with his fingers. So, he digs into his back pouch to pull out three. As he does so, he suppresses a start. His gesture was intuitive. His brain may have forgotten everything, but his body remembers how to do it; his motor memory is gradually coming back. As for me, I'm not worried at all. The blond will succeed no matter what.

I carefully analyze his posture and gestures while he prepares to execute his throw. Unsurprisingly, he hits the targets right in the heart. Surprised by his own performance, he freezes while looking at his hands, as if they weren't his.

"You already know how to do all that, Naruto." Nonchalantly, I arm myself with a kunai that I have fun rotating. "You have amnesia, sure. However, your motor memory is intact. Years of intensive training aren't lost so easily. You must learn to trust yourself."

My words seem to reach Naruto … although he still doubts. Nevertheless, he's a little more sure of himself. This is the signal for me to put him to the test.

"Get ready, Naruto! You'll only have a few seconds to act!"

I don't give him time to think. I throw my kunai towards one of the leaves to activate a trap, which releases a cloud of sharp weapons aimed at me. Playing on his desire to protect me no matter what, I remain motionless, preparing a substitute technique, just in case. But he can't know that. I force him to act and use a weapon if he wants to "save" my life.

Immediately, his panicked eyes widen. Despite the panic that grips his entire being, his body acts on the spot. In a flash, he leaps between me and the cloud of deadly weapons while his hand grabs the kunai on his thigh. With finesse, he parries and deflects all the projectiles; one of them tears my pants without hurting me.

As soon as the threat is neutralized, Naruto falls into a stupor, forgetting to breathe; at that, he starts to tremble. He's still trying to understand what has just happened. In order not to let him sink further, I ruffle his golden mane, tearing a start from him.

"See? You're fully capable, Naruto. You instinctively used this weapon to protect me, and with brilliance."

Stunned, the blond remains silent on all aspects.

"I will say it again, Naruto. You already know how to use these weapons, because you're a shinobi. I'm sorry to have scared you, but it was necessary. Stop doubting and trust yourself. I'm not teaching you anything new. You've already learned all that. Bringing your motor memory to the surface won't force you to face your demons. Nothing is all black or all white, Naruto."

My gentle words soothe my student, who stops being as tense as an iron bar. I feel that he's understood me. Breaking his feral thought pattern will take time, I admit. Perhaps he will remember who he really is if he ends up identifying more and more with his humanity? I can't say; it's still too early for that.

I turn my attention back to his black tail before sweeping my gaze all over the ground. "Do you see the weapons at our feet? How many can you pick up with your tail without losing your balance?"

Without asking any questions, Naruto picks up two kunais with his tail. I take the opportunity to analyze the functioning of it in more detail. He can grab and hold small objects with it, like the time he brought me fruit in the hospital, and two kunais is his limit. Depending on the length, he could pick up twice as many if he gave up standing on his feet. A memory resurfaces. I remember that moment when my dial had woken him up with a start, before he destroyed it by throwing it against the wall with his tail. Curiosity takes hold of me.

"Say… Can you hit the target using your tail?" I ask, pointing at other targets.

When they fall into his field of vision, Naruto throws them with his tail. Although they're separated from each other, he manages to hit the nail on the head. I blink a few times. He didn't hesitate, and the precision he showed leaves me speechless. He knows how to use it instinctively with frightening ease. It's as if he's had this tail forever. I wonder if he could catch weapons with it…

I take a few steps back, grabbing a kunai. "Can you catch it with your tail?"

Without effort and without even moving a finger, Naruto catches it.

"Good. What if I throw another one at you with all my strength?" I continue, doing a backflip to gain some distance, now in an attack position.

As I prepare my next throw, Naruto gets into a defensive position to receive it. I send the second one directly at him. In response, the blond leans down, pressing his palms to the ground. I widen my eyes. Instead of simply avoiding it by ducking, he skillfully catches it with his tail behind him. He does it without even looking and immediately, Naruto throws it back at me, and the weapon plants itself a few centimetres in front of me.

"Impressive," I murmur, stunned.

With a smirk on his lips, Naruto gets up and puffs out his chest. I let out an amused sigh. He's happy to show me what he's capable of by exceeding my expectations.

"It's time to get down to business."