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Kaito exhaled, letting the pencil roll out of his fingers onto the table. Two weeks. That's how long he'd been grinding away at this book, and now—finally—it was done. Twenty chapters, each one crafted exactly how he wanted. No fluff, just a solid story that actually felt worth reading.
Leaning slightly, he stretched his arms over his head, feeling the stiffness in his shoulders. He wasn't the type to be proud of much, but this? Yeah, this was satisfying.
Overall, he was making solid progress. His training with Hitori was paying off. Before, he could barely form the Chakra Scalpel past his fingertips—now, he could focus it along an entire finger. A small step, but a big improvement.
Another jutsu he'd started working on was the Delicate Illness Extraction Jutsu. It worked similarly to the Mystical Palm Jutsu, but instead of healing, he had to use his chakra to carefully pull poison from the body.
So far, he'd managed to extract poison from a fish...just barely. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. And something was better than nothing.
His Taijutsu was another area he'd been grinding hard. Compared to when he first started, he could actually hold his own in a spar now. He wasn't anywhere near the level of clan prodigies like Tsuchi, but he wasn't at the bottom either.
His biggest weakness was still raw strength. The clan kids had an edge—better physique, better training, better techniques passed down from their families. Meanwhile, Kaito had to figure things out on his own. But what he lacked in strength, he made up for in endurance. His stamina had improved so much that he could push through longer training sessions without feeling completely dead afterward.
He had also been focusing on footwork, refining his movements so he could dodge and counter more efficiently. If he couldn't overpower his opponent, then he'd outmaneuver them.
It had also been a while, and still no word from Deimos. Kaito had expected some kind of response—whether it was good or bad—but the silence was starting to make him think they'd rejected him outright. If that was the case, then it made sense why Deimos hadn't come back.
He wasn't entirely sure if making a contract with the Ravens was the right move, but there was no denying how much it could help him. Having a summon wasn't just about getting a powerful ally—it was about access to their knowledge, their techniques, and sage mode.
If he learned Sage Mode and became a perfect sage, his power would skyrocket past anything he could achieve through normal training. The boost in strength, speed, and sensory abilities alone would put him leagues above most shinobi. Not to mention, the sheer increase in chakra reserves and efficiency would make his medical jutsu even stronger.
But that was a long-term goal. Right now, he didn't even have a summoning contract, let alone a way to train in Sage Mode. Even if the Ravens accepted him, he had no idea if they had their own Sage Mode, and if they did, whether they'd even consider teaching it to him.
Either way, it was another thing to work toward. Still, he couldn't sit around waiting forever. If they weren't interested, he'd have to find another way to get stronger.
Kaito ran a hand through his hair before pushing himself up with a stretch. "Alright, time to turn this in," he muttered, stifling a yawn.
He grabbed the stack of papers, neatly aligning the edges before stapling them together. His fingers lingered on the pages for a second—two weeks of effort, twenty chapters, all packed into this. With a small nod to himself, he slid the manuscript carefully into his backpack, making sure it wouldn't get crumpled.
Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he stepped out the door and made his way to the library.
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Reaching the library, he pulled the door open, reaching inside. The place wasn't too busy, just a few people scattered around, flipping through books. His eyes landed on the front desk where some kid, probably a year or two older than him, sat flipping lazily through a book.
Short brown hair, slicked back. Thin glasses resting on his nose. White T-shirt, nothing flashy. He looked bored out of his mind, barely paying attention to his surroundings. Kaito had never seen him before, it was mostly likely a different worker.
Kaito walked up to the counter and gave it a light tap. "I'm here to submit something for the contest," he said, already pulling the papers from his bag.
The boy glanced up from his book, eyes landing on Kaito before raising a brow. "You? Entering the contest?" He didn't sound disrespectful, just surprised. Kaito was younger than him, so the doubt wasn't unexpected.
Kaito sighed internally. ' Not this again… '
"You do know there are hundreds of submissions, right? Kid, if you think this is a jo—"
"Are you taking it or not?" Kaito cut in, holding out the papers. "If you don't like it, toss it. Doesn't matter to me."
The boy blinked, clearly not expecting that response. His fingers hovered over the papers for a second before finally taking them. He glanced at Kaito again, still looking a little skeptical.
"Alright, alright, no need to get grumpy " he muttered, placing the submission on the counter. "I'll add it to the pile." He dropped Kaito's submission into an already overflowing bin, barely sparing it a glance.
"Alright… before you go, I need some information." The boy reached under the counter, pulling out a form filled with the usual...name, age, address, all that.
Kaito finished scribbling down his info, then slid the paper back across the counter. The boy barely looked at it before tossing it onto an already messy pile.
"That's it. We'll contact you in a few weeks with the results," he said, already turning his attention back to his book, like Kaito wasn't even worth remembering.
Kaito didn't care. He slung his bag over his shoulder, adjusting the straps as he walked out. ' Guess I'll just have to wait... ' He had nothing better to do anyway, it was the weekend. Might as well hit the training field.
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The walk to the training ground wasn't long, but it gave Kaito just enough time to plan out what he wanted to focus on. Taijutsu? Chakra control? Maybe working on his reaction speed?
Kaito had pulled back on his physical training. No matter how much he pushed, he wasn't seeing the same progress anymore. At first, he could feel the difference, but now? Nothing. He figured it had to do with how often he tore his muscles apart, only to heal them right after. His muscle fibers had gotten stronger to the point where regular workouts didn't cut it anymore.
He needed a new approach. Weights, maybe. Weighted limb pads sounded like a good start, but there was one problem, they were expensive as hell. 145,000 ryo each. More than his rent. No shot he could afford that anytime soon.
There were plenty of things he could work on, but he needed direction. He wasn't clueless, but he wasn't an expert either. Training without a plan was just wasting time. What he really needed was a sensei. Someone who knew what they were doing. Someone who could actually help him get stronger.
Taijutsu was, without a doubt, his weakest skill. Training on his own helped, but there was only so much he could do without actual combat experience. Sparring at school gave him something to work with, but once a day wasn't enough. It wasn't enough time to actually improve his skills.
What he needed was consistency, more chances to apply what he was learning. Without that, he'd just keep hitting the same wall.
"Hi-yah!" A sharp cry rang out from the distance, followed by the solid thwack of wood meeting wood. "Hi-yah!"
Kaito followed the sound and spotted Izumi in the training grounds, striking a wooden dummy. The surface of the dummy was already dented from repeated blows. It had been a while since he'd seen Izumi at school—actually, not since his fight with Tsuchi. He'd wondered why, but prying into other people's business wasn't really his thing.
Still, Izumi was exactly the person he needed to talk to right now.
Kaito stepped onto the training ground, hands in his pockets. "Yo, Izumi."
Izumi didn't stop. She kept striking the dummy, focusing on nothing else but the dummy. Another punch. A kick. A quick spin before her elbow crashed into the wood with enough force to shake it. Only after that did she acknowledge him, turning her head slightly.
"Kaito?" She blinked, then dropped her stance, rolling her shoulders. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Kaito shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the small dents forming on the dummy. "Yeah… haven't seen you around school lately."
Izumi wiped some sweat off her forehead. "Been busy."
Kaito nodded, not pushing for more. "You got a second?"
She stretched her arms behind her head, giving him a curious look. "Depends. What's up?"
Kaito exhaled through his nose, glancing at the dummy before looking back at Izumi. "I need help."
Izumi raised a brow. "With?"
"Taijutsu," he admitted. "I suck at it."
Izumi smirked. "Yeah, I saw what happened with Tsuchi."
Kaito's eye twitched, but he let it slide. "Right. That's why I need someone who actually knows what they're doing. You're probably one of the best in class when it comes to hand-to-hand."
Izumi crossed her arms, tilting her head. "And you want me to help you?"
Kaito gave a small nod. "If you're up for it."
Izumi clicked her tongue, sizing him up for a second. Then, without warning, she stepped in and threw a jab straight at his face.
Kaito barely reacted in time, jerking his head back. "The hell—"
She followed up with a low kick, sweeping at his calf. He hopped back, narrowly avoiding it, but stumbled slightly.
Izumi snorted. "Yeah, you definitely need help."
Izumi dropped her stance and crossed her arms, eyeing Kaito with mild amusement. "Alright, let's say I do help you out. What exactly are you looking for? You trying to be a taijutsu specialist now?"
Kaito shook his head. "No, just not trying to get bodied every time I fight someone who actually knows what they're doing."
Izumi smirked. "Fair enough." She walked over to the dummy and tapped her knuckle against it. "Thing is, Kaito, you don't just suck at taijutsu because you don't practice enough. You're too stiff, predictable. It's like you're thinking too much about what you're doing instead of just flowing with it."
Kaito frowned. "So what, I'm just supposed to stop thinking?"
"Not stop," Izumi corrected, "just not hesitate. Taijutsu's all about reacting and adapting. You hesitate even a little, and someone like Tsuchi will eat you alive."
Kaito mulled over her words. She wasn't wrong. He'd felt it in that fight, every time he thought about his next move, Tsuchi had already made his.
"So, how do I fix that?" he asked.
Izumi chuckled. "You need more experience, obviously. But if you wanna get better faster, you should focus on fighting in controlled environments where you can actually afford to make mistakes. Spar more. And not just at school—find people who will push you, but not outright destroy you."
Kaito sighed. "That's the problem. Outside of school, I don't exactly have friends."
Izumi shrugged. "Alright then, find me or come to my house. If you want help, I'll train with you." She gave him a pointed look. "You're not bad, Kaito, but if you wanna get anywhere, you're gonna have to work twice as hard as everyone else."
Kaito nodded slowly.
This was perfect. If he could get into the Uchiha compound, there was a chance he'd run into Itachi. Not that Itachi would actually help him...he probably wouldn't. But that didn't matter. Training with Izumi meant somewhat training with Itachi in action, learning just by being around him. Perfect.
She clapped her hands. "Alright, I can't give you a whole lesson, but I can at least give you something to start with. Show me your stance."
Kaito shifted into a basic fighting position. Izumi frowned immediately.
"Yeah, that's trash," she muttered. "First lesson...Fix that."
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