"I hope he'll come," I thought, throwing another kunai.
That day, I spent about two hours trying to memorize the feeling of the proper throw. I wanted to solidify my success, but at the same time, I couldn't afford to skip my physical training. I needed to run at least several dozen laps, so I decided to combine both exercises — running in circles and throwing kunais at the same time.
Yes, it looked strange. I had just learned how to throw weapons more or less correctly, and now I was combining multiple training sessions. But I had no choice — there was too little time!
Now, I stood on the training ground, waiting for that teacher. I had tried to find him at the Academy but failed. So now, all I could do was check if he would keep his word.
While waiting, I continued throwing kunais at the target. Sometimes I managed to hit the center, but I didn't get too excited. The enemy wouldn't stand still. You need to be able to throw weapons at moving targets, or my training would be in vain.
So, I kept running and throwing.
At first, I tried to hit the target at high speed, but quickly realized that the chances of success were minimal. So, I decided to change my approach — first, I would learn to throw kunais at least while running slowly.
And so I trained. Run, throw, run again... Sometimes I hit, sometimes I didn't. The main thing was not to stop.
"You're squeezing the kunai too hard again."
I jumped and turned around.
Kohoshi was standing nearby, arms crossed over his chest.
"I thought you wouldn't come," I admitted, standing up straight.
"If I said I would, then I will," he replied calmly. "Now, enough words. Do you want to learn to throw kunais while running?"
"Yes!"
"Then listen carefully."
He stepped closer, evaluating my movements.
"The first thing you need to understand is that throwing while running is different from throwing while stationary. You can no longer rely on the precision of one hand because the movement of your body alters the kunai's flight trajectory."
He took out a kunai, took a few steps, then, without stopping, threw it. The blade barely rotated and embedded itself in the center of the target.
"You must take into account the inertia of your body. Move with the throw, not just throw the kunai forward. Try it."
I nodded, made a quick move forward, and threw.
The kunai missed.
"You're braking before the throw. Don't do that. Keep moving, but at the moment of the throw, slightly shift your center of gravity forward."
I tried again.
This time, the kunai at least hit the edge of the target.
"Better. Now add your torso to the movement. The throw should come from your whole body, not just your hand."
He showed again.
I repeated.
The kunai started to hit the target a little more, but still not ideally.
"Now speed up."
I began to run faster, trying to keep control of my throws.
It was hard, but I felt that I was making progress.
"Not bad. For the first time, it's even very good," Kohoshi nodded. "Train until you can hit at least three times out of ten while running."
"If you have problems, come to me. I'll be on the third floor of the Academy, room 332," he added, turning around.
"Wait!" I called out. "Can you tell me your name?"
Kohoshi stopped for a moment, giving me an assessing look.
"Kohoshi Shiruka," he answered calmly, and without waiting for my reaction, he headed towards the Academy.
A week later
Since that day, we had seen each other almost every day. Kohoshi would come, show me something for a few minutes, and disappear, leaving me to train and try to complete the exercises. Even though he didn't spend much time with me, his guidance was felt in everything.
During this week, I managed to ask him about body training, and the next day, he handed me a day-by-day schedule. However, soon I realized that the workouts he had prepared for me were becoming more and more difficult by the day. Was this my paranoia, or did he really have high expectations for me?
For example, on the first day, my training was supposed to include at least three hours of intense exercise. It included:
Two hundred knuckle push-ups; One hundred pull-ups; Four hundred squats; A ten-kilometer run.
Moreover, after a few days of such intense workloads, I realized that if I didn't find ways to manage my energy and time, I would simply break. So, I began to structure my training rhythm.
I alternated exercises so that while one muscle group rested, another was working. For instance, after a set of push-ups, I would immediately switch to squats, then running, allowing my arms some recovery. After running, I did pull-ups.
I thought that was the limit, but the next day, the number of repetitions increased, and the running distance grew. After three days, training included strikes on a wooden dummy and coordination exercises. My body hurt every evening, but I wasn't about to stop. Kohoshi didn't say anything directly, but I felt he was testing me. Testing how much I could endure.
That evening, after finishing another training session, Kohoshi appeared again. He stood right in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, and studied me carefully.
"You passed!" he said calmly, but there was approval in his voice.
I was breathing heavily after the last strikes on the dummy and didn't immediately grasp the meaning of his words.
"What?" I asked, wiping the sweat off my forehead.
"This was your trial," he explained. "I needed to see if you could last. And, I'll admit, you surprised me."
He took a step forward and slightly nodded, as if he had made a final decision in his mind.
"Now I can officially introduce myself. Kohoshi Shiruka, Chief Instructor at the Academy for Throwing Blades and Close Combat, Chuunin of the Leaf Village. Over this week, I've learned everything I need to know," Kohoshi continued. "And you're suitable for me, Kotetsu Hagane."
My heart raced. It sounded rather strange, but he clearly didn't mean me harm...
"I want to offer you my help in training. As a Chuunin, I have a wealth of knowledge and experience that can make you stronger. And that's your goal, right?"
I clenched my fists and took a deep breath.
"Yes," I answered firmly. "That's my goal."
Kohoshi smiled slightly.
"Then get ready. From now on, your training will become even more difficult."
I hesitated, but finally asked the main question that had been swirling in my mind:
"Wait... But what's in it for you? Why are you spending your time teaching me?"
Kohoshi looked at me a bit differently than usual. There was a shadow of some distant, almost forgotten pain in his eyes.
"You remind me of myself," he said quietly, and there was a sadness in his voice.
I wanted to ask what he meant, but Kohoshi had already turned away.
"I won't say anything more. Come to the third training ground tomorrow at the same time. I'll help you with something."
With those words, he disappeared, leaving only the autumn leaves swirling in the air. I watched as they gently fell to the ground, and couldn't shake the feeling that from that moment on, everything would change.