"How can I not when you're coming at me like that?!"
CLATTER!
"Your sword swings are too weak! Come on!"
"K-Kuh!"
Just why? What did I do in the past for me to suffer like this?!
"Footwork is completely wrong! Do you even understand the word, spacing?! Doesn't the academy teach Akido?!"
"It does! And my stance looks fine to me!!"
"Then your eyesight is just as shitty!!"
When uncle Kiyoi brought me home two days ago, I held expectations of being welcomed with a normal training regime along side my mother. Ya know, the cliché kind where the student forms a new bond with their teacher, furthering the relationship between them
Something my mom and I could really bond over, considering I've never been too keen on learning Kenjutsu1Sword Techniquesin the first place
That was very naïve of me...
WHACK!
"Agh!"
"And down again...should've put you through my training hell before sending you to the academy"
"What's with that awful name?! Are you trying to kill your son?!"
Why me?!
Seriously! You'd think the achievement I racked up during the siege would earn me a little praise! But as soon as I got home, mom dragged my ass to the dojo, gave me a Bokken2Wooden practice sword used for Kendo, and proceeded to beat me up with it!
"We're not done Tai, get up!"
"Ugh...can you tell me again why we're doing this?"
Come on mom, you're supposed to be the fun parent! Or at least the one I prefer!
"Haaaa...idiot. What's your profession?"
"A-Agh! Huff...huff...! Medical-nin"
"Exactly. The medic of a squad must always be the last to get injured. While it's a rule created by a Sannin3Three Legendary Ninjaof Konoha, Tsunade, it's a tactic only the foolish would ignore"
'Don't need you to tell me that mom. Pretty much everyone who's ever studied Medical Ninjutsu has heard her name, what's the point of telling me now? Get to the damn point!'
If I had the courage to talk back to her like that, she'd probably kill me...
"You've picked up the sword much later than your cousins, yet your skill isn't half bad, that's proof you have talent. But without proper training, it's worthless"
"You call this...proper?"
"...Wanna get hit again?"
"Shutting up now"
Scary...!!
"Medics are never supposed to get hit. Your teammates only job is to engage the enemy, the medic stays back and protects themselves. If you get hurt, it's not Rei or Suzu's fault, it's yours"
"...I know"
"Here, put these on"
"?"
Mom picked up a box she'd previously laid on the floor prior to our..."sparring". Inside was some kind of mask and...my training bracelets from sensei?
"Tango told me you purposely avoided Level 6 because their weight was too heavy. That lousy excuse won't work for me"
"What do you want me to do?"
"From now on, until your departure to the Land of Earth, you'll wear these during our sessions...all of them set to max"
"Isn't this a little extreme?"
"Extreme is what you're gonna need if I'm to get you ready for the exams in this short span of time!"
Crap. My arms are gonna fall off at this rate!
"I'm not teaching you fighting techniques, I'm teaching how to stay alive. Your physical condition is lagging too far behind your teammates. I'm only focusing on improving your physical capabilities and chakra reserves"
"My chakra isn't much compared to them, but overall, it's not that bad right? Besides, Rei and Suzu are completely out of the norm"
"The exam will inevitably be packed with participants who are, out of the norm! Geniuses, gifted, freaks, and all manner of abnormal shinobi are set to compete against you. I refuse to allow my own son to drag his feet!"
"Hmph...I don't drag my feet" I muttered under my breath
"There's no time to teach you our family's techniques. All I can do, is help you establish better fundamentals and improve your weak-ass stamina"
"Weak-ass"...wow
When she goes into "instructor mode", her personality does a complete 180°
"Our regimen will include sparring, weight training, jogging, and other forms of exercise. We're also changing your diet, I've noticed you eat very little protein. Now that I think about it, all you ever eat is greenery. No wonder you hardly gain weight, you trying to be a vegetarian or something?
"No, I just like really like vegetables"
Carrot & Daikon Namasu being my favorite. Mmm, yummy...I could really go for some right now
"Well you better develop a taste for meat, because you'll be eating that non-stop in the months ahead"
"Haaaa...yes ma'am"
"One more thing. Every session, I'll be increasing the speed and intensity of my attacks. Whenever you fail to block or avoid my strikes, I'll respond with another, even heavier blow"
WHY?!
"This is child abuse!"
"Please, you're almost fourteen"
"That's not the point!
"Let me tell you something, and this is true for all mothers. When our child is young, they're our precious baby. But when they get older, they're that fool walking around the house, not paying rent"
Granted, I spent most of my childhood in another home away from here, and the family drama. Though I guess you and dad had to pay for that as well...
But still...!
"You really are trying to kill me! How am I supposed to dodge while wearing these heavy things?!"
"You better figure it out, cause I'm telling not telling. There's no point in giving you all the answers"
"HAH?!"
"That's also part of your training. With each break, you'll practice medical ninjutsu by healing yourself. During your free time, you can work on your poisons, oils, vapors, and whatnot. Got it, Shaman?"
Oh, so now you're making fun of that new nickname I got?! You've been hanging around Rei too much!
"And this mask is for-?"
"Protecting your face. I didn't carry you in my belly for nine months, and put up with all the shit in between, just to ruin the fairly nice mug I spent so much time making"
"Fairly nice"...guess I'll take it
"Your concern for your progeny is touching as ever, mother..."
"Oh, grow some thicker skin"
"Grrr...!"
CLACK!
Uh-oh, she's raising her sword arm again...!
"With that in mind, my precious baby...do your best not to die♥"
"Don't say something so horrible with such a bright smile!!"
"Here I come!!"
"K-Kuh...!"
Again...WHY ME?!?!?!?!
♦♦♦
"Phew..."
I'd long forgotten how treacherous this hike was. Coming here again takes me back to Tango-sensei's test...it was such a disaster. Now I'm here, and they aren't...
Feels like it's been ages since I've stepped on Genbu Island
"Suzu, we've almost reached the Falls of Truth. Killer B-sama is busy placating animals on the other side of the island, so he's not available yet. Many of them grew restless as a result of recent events"
"I see..."
I heard Genbu was beached during the Siege for quite some time...most of the creatures here are used to the giant turtle remaining on the sea
"I understand Motoi-san, I'll wait as long as I need to"
"Yugito-sama arrived yesterday and is ready to begin teaching you. She was quite eager for this"
"Really?"
"Indeed"
Trekking through the island for a bit longer, we eventually made it to our destination. Reaching a familiar waterfall, with nothing but trees surrounding it, completed by a platform at its base
This area always felt different than the rest of the island. Quiet and calm, like a safe zone from the typical chaos that envelopes the island, the atmosphere brimming with tranquility...putting all who ventured here at peace
"Welcome to Genbu Island Suzu. Or should I say, welcome back?"
"Ah!"
And sitting on the platform in meditation was none other than the woman I looked forward to seeing the most
"Yugito-sama!"
"Thanks for bringing her here Motoi. I'll handle the rest now, better I start before B arrives and confuses her with more of his incessant rapping"
"H-Haha, I understand. Do your best Suzu. If you need anything, you know where I'm stationed"
"Yes. Thank you Motoi-san"
ZWSH!
As Motoi dashed away, Yugito-sama...
TAP!
"?!"
"Relax. Getting tense won't help you here"
...placed her hand on my shoulder before I even realized she was there. So fast...
"That power inside of you, I can feel it. It functions slightly different than the shared power between a Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beast. There's no ego behind that power, it's just pure energy"
"Does that mean it'll be easier to control?"
"Pfft! Hardly! Controlling chakra many times greater than your own is never easy. When hosts and beasts work together, the latter's aid in controlling the power is fundamental. But you, you'll have to control both your own power, and this new one...all alone"
"Figured I was too optimistic..."
"What you'll be doing here is even harder than writing with both hands at the same time"
I'd naïvely thought it'd be easier after hearing the stories of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. But now that I think about it, reports detailed they only transformed when consumed with rage. Usually in the event one of them witnessed the other getting hurt
They transformed with the chakra of the Nine-tails purely out of instinct, not control
"The hard work hasn't even begun, but if you're looking for a place to start. I recommend sitting down over there"
"Yugito-sama?"
"There's more to the place than meets the eye. Sit down, and let the waterfall do its job"
"The job being...?"
"Simple. Becoming the mirror which reflects your true self"
That doesn't sound very simple, but I doubt she'll say anymore. There's little time until the exams, and even less time to dawdle...