Yuto groaned, feeling the burning pain in his nose. he was glad for the amazing art of medical ninjutsu, because without it, he would be whimpering in agony once the adrenaline wore off.. He started to regret using such bold attacks and leaving himself wide open to trade damage. He didn't expect a shinobi to use a wrestling move. Most shinobi stay away from moves that require going to the ground, or restricting an opponent with their limbs, because it only takes one well-placed kunai to escape the hold, and or even end the battle.
He lucked out in the fight with the Akamichi, where there were restrictions on using kunai because there was a lack of a skilled enough medic Nin available on that particular day. All it would have taken for his life to be forfeited was for the akamichi to drive a kunai into his side instead of his fist. he realized he had much more to improve on, even with his newly acquired memories, because even with his skills and combat knowledge, he still lacked decisive decision-making skills during battle and only reacted on his survival instincts.
He was taken out of his thoughts by the creaking of the door to the infirmary. He looked up, seeing Moreno standing in the doorway with an amusing smile.
"Moreno sensei," said Yuto.
Moreno didn't say anything until he walked in and shut the door behind him.
"You were careless today," he said in a scolding tone.
Yuto nodded, "Yeah..., I know," he said regretfully.
"I know you haven't been in a good head space lately," "I could tell that much from the bags under your eyes," he said in a knowing tone.
"I noticed you've been studying really hard lately and taking notes in class," said Moreno.
"Yes, I've decided I want to improve my skills and knowledge," said Yuto.
"I see, you must be preparing for early graduation".
Yuto had no intention of becoming a shinobi any faster than he needed to, but he still nodded as he had no other explanation for why he would suddenly start studying in the last two years of the academy, though he noted how good an early graduation would look on his resume, even if it was only one year earlier.
"Mmm, I see, though I am curious why put on an act during your matchup". said Moreno
Yuto wasn't surprised that his sensei figured him out; he wasn't naive enough to think he could fool a chunin, academy teacher or not.
If he were being honest, the real reason for his indifferent front was so he could build up the confidence to fight. He had always run when his bullies attacked him back in high school, so when put in a situation where running wasn't an option, he settled for a "faking it till he made it" strategy. But he wasn't going to tell Moreno that; he had an image to build, because any conception his peers had of him was about to disappear, he would make sure of it.
He finally responded to Moreno.
"I don't want to be the underdog that got a lucky win, I want to win like there was no other outcome the second I was their opponent".
"mmm, it looks like you thought about this quite a bit"
"I'll have you know, though, entering a battle to show off will only help your defeat".
"You must first gain the necessary skills to do so," Moreno said.
Yuto knew this very well; he had seen many times in the series when powerful enemies were defeated because of their arrogance.
"Yes, of course," Yuto finally responded.
"You've grown up quite a bit in such a short time."
"I look forward to seeing your future as a shinobi," Moreno said with a smile.
"You think so?" Yuto said with a nervous chuckle.
"Yes, you've grown indeed. This is the most determined I've seen you," Moreno assured him.
"Thanks, sensei," he said shyly.
"Be sure not to be as reckless next time."
"Your ribs won't take as long as your fractured arm, so don't be hasty to train today," Moreno said in a serious tone.
"Hi," Yuto said with a nod.
After Moreno left, Yuto got up and frowned at his dirty attire and the dirt under his toenails. he never understood the point of the open-toed shinobi sandals; he shuddered thinking about the sand ninja that travel in the desert. Yeah, no thank you. he actually had no plans of leaving the Fire Country until he was granted a promotion to chunin, but he knew that he would likely have no say in the matter. Since the sparring session was the last period of the academy for obvious reasons, he decided he would head to his apartment to wash up.
As he walked out of the infirmary, he was met with the fuming Akamichi heading in the direction he was about to head. The Akamichi had a few bandages on his face. Yuto mentally sighed and quickly put on his 5-star acting skills.
"I must admit you've gotten a lot better; you're a slippery opponent," said the akamichi begrudgingly.
Yuto's face disinterestedly glanced at the giant frame of the akamichi with his arms crossed.
"your strong," Yuto said before turning away, walking ahead of the Akamichi.
He let out a growl at Yuto's smug response.
"Getting cocky after one win," he said, gritting his teeth.
"Toka, I acknowledged your strength. Now scurry like the pig you are, I'm sure there's a bag of chips waiting for your greasy hands to grasp it," Yuto said in a mocking tone.
He walked away, not batting an eye at Toka's enraged face.
Toka gritted his teeth. "When did that guy become so arrogant? You'd think he would be sulking after his father's death," Toka thought to himself.
Later...
Yuto stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his lower half and his hair wrapped up in a separate towel. He had trimmed his nails and had a thick coat of moisturizer on, leaving his pale skin shining. He was surprised to see another set of shinobi sandals at the front door down the hall. His face became curious as he walked out into the kitchen area. His face took on a look of surprise, seeing the older gentleman sitting at his breakfast table, sipping tea. The older man looked up as his face changed to a frown.
"Akira informed me that he had a son, not a sissy," the man said in a disappointing tone.
Yuto scoffed as he continued to walk around disinterested, completely ignoring the fact that a Stranger was in his home. Yuto stepped into the kitchen as his eyes fell on the freshly opened box of tea bags, his face shifting into a frown. He stepped on his stepping stool, putting the box away into the top cabinet. Yuto eventually sat down at the breakfast table with the Stranger with a bored look on his face. He poured some tea from the kettle into his small tea cup. he finally turned his attention to the old man sitting across from him, noticing the grumpy face of the man. Yuto realized his body was still half-naked, his hair still strapped up in a towel, as he found himself frowning once again. He finally decided to speak to the stranger in his apartment.
"Who the hell are you? " Yuto asked in a bored tone.
"Hmm, Akira told you nothing," the man sighed.
"I'm most concerned about..., well, I mean, look at yourself, have you no shame?" the man spoke again in an aggravated tone.
"I'm sorry, what?" Yuto asked, raising an eyebrow.
The man rubbed his temples before speaking again.
"You like women, right?" he asked, squinting his eyes.
Yuto blinked a few times, deadpan, before shifting back to his uninterested expression.
"I'm sorry, who are you again?" he asked, cleaning his ears with a Q-tip he got from who knows where.
The man sighed, "Just like your mother, I see," he said, frowning.
"I'm your grandfather," he said begrudgingly.
"I'm here for your father's funeral," he said with a grimace.
Yuto's hand froze as he was getting ready to clean his other ear. His mind traced back to the shinobi sandals at the front door.
"You're a shinobi," Yuto said in a questioning tone, squinting his eyes curiously.
"I was," he said solemnly.
Yuto's eyes glanced towards the half-empty arm sleeve with a surprised look, quickly switching back to a disinterested look.
"I see," Yuto said.
"Boy, your shitty acting skills are even more disappointing than your sexual preference".
Yuto's face changed to a frown. He was actually frustrated at being caught yet again. he didn't care about his grandfather's comments on his sexuality; he knew he liked boobs, but he wouldn't stand for someone discrediting his acting skills. He worked his butt off in the theater back in high school. But he couldn't come up with a retort and settled for Sasuke's strongest counterstrike.
"Humph," he expressed, crossing his arms.
His grandfather smiled at Yuto's pouting.
"We'll be working on your acting skills as well, you'll need them to be a proper shinobi". Yuto looked up, surprised.
"Yes, that's right, I also came here to train you." "I can't have you entering the shinobi forces and falling short, I already made that mistake with your father," he said with eyes of regret.
"Your father, tied down by your mother, fell behind in his shinobi career. I won't allow my kinjutsu techniques to perish with me".
Yuto looked up at his grandfather, still surprised that he would have a kinjutsu teacher. In that moment, he completely abandoned the idea of decoding his father's coordinates to his self-developed kinjutsu. He started getting giddy, but then he looked at his grandfather suspiciously.
"How can an old man like you teach me?" Yuto asked in a mocking tone.
"You brat, I'll have you know I'm still in my 40s," his grandfather said defiantly.
Yuto raised an eyebrow at that, as that meant his grandad had children really young; he brushed it off as fast-developing teenagers because of chakra.
"Humph, if you say so," he said dismissively.
His grandfather sighed, "Just put some closed on for kami's sake," he said.
Yuto looked down at the towel wrapped around his waist with his legs crossed. Since he had stopped his indifferent act, seeing he was already caught so he couldn't help but feel embarrassed at his carelessness. he got up, picking up his now warm tea, and took a sip. he walked away, glancing at his grandfather to see his grandfather's frown at his behavior. He walked off to get dressed.
He returned after a few minutes in his everyday attire consisting of his black long-sleeved shirt along with his black combat shorts, and his feet bare as his shinobi sandals were still at the door.
His grandfather stood up as he spoke, "Come with me, we're going to my residence in the village".
"Why is that?" Yuto asked, confused.
"Just come on, boy," his grandfather said.
Yuto looked at his grandfather curiously, but then casually shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the door, sliding on his newly cleaned shinobi sandals.
He walked through the village with his grandfather as he saw his grandfather receiving nods from some of the civilians in the village. He paid it no mind as he was frustrated by the slow walking pace, knowing that if he traveled by the roofs, he could cross the village in a few minutes. He was then taken out of his mental venting, seeing his grandfather being greeted by an older Uchiha policeman. he was surprised that a member of the prideful and prestigious Uchiha clan would greet his grandfather with such respect. He glanced at his grandfather with curious eyes, thinking there was more to his grandfather than met the eye.
They finally arrived at two giant gates, and Yuto's face fell in shock at the giant gates of the residence. He looked at the long walkway that led towards the large two-story Japanese-style home. he looked at his grandfather, seeing his grandfather's knowing smile.
"your rich," Yuto exclaimed in shock.
[Be sure to give me your power stones]