Yuto pulled his burgundy hoodie over his head, letting out a sigh. "That old man sure likes to keep his house cold," Yuto thought. He had on some baggy black sweat pants and some Japanese wooden geta sandals. He checked the alarm, seeing that the time was 4:59 AM.
He stepped on the back Porch, seeing the private training grounds in the backyard, and his grandfather was there already, dressed in the plain white kimono and samurai sandals.
"Did you retrieve your father's blade like I asked you?" said his grandfather.
Yuto didn't respond and settled for kicking the blade off the ground, snatching it out of the air. He strapped it on his back, walked down the steps calmly, and stepped in front of his grandfather. Yuto glanced down at the sharp blade in his grandfather's hands, gulping as a shiver went down his spine, though he tried his best to hide his fear.
"Don't fear, I won't be using my blade, at least not today," his grandfather said
Yuto was confused. "What do you mean?" Yuto asked.
"I won't spar with you with my blade until you can put a cut in my skin."
Yuto read between the lines as he realized what his grandfather meant. "Wait, if not that blade, then what blade will you use?" he asked.
"I'll be using this," the older man said before channeling chakra into the seal on the bandages he had on his arm under his kimono sleeve.
There was a medium-sized puff of smoke, and a wooden sword appeared. The older man clutched the wooden sword with his one arm.
"I won't take it easy on you just because you're an upstart," the older man said.
Yuto's face became surprised seeing his grandfather close the distance in half a second. He didn't even see him move. The older man had his wooden sword at Yuto's neck before he could even draw his sword, as his hand was grasping his tanto's handle, but he wasn't able to unsheathe his blade fast enough.
"First lesson, always be combat ready, you never know when your opponent will attack". "For all you know, you could have already fallen into an enemy trap," said the older man.
Yuto's heart was racing, and a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face despite it still being dawn. He snapped out of his shock, nodding slowly as his grandfather's wooden sword was still at his neck. The older man withdrew his sword from Yuto's neck, hopping back.
"Just now I only used the speed of a low-level chunin, like one of those academy teachers of yours," said the older man.
Yuto was surprised by that. he had always seen Moreno sensei and his other teachers as weak cannon fodder; he had yet to witness the strength of a battle-hardened shinobi. Whether they were a village gate guard like Izumo and Kutetsu, or even a chunin working a desk job like the woman who worked at the shinobi library, they were all skillful in their own right.
They didn't end up as canon fodder because they didn't train; it was because they reached the limit of their strength. While they can still gain new techniques to boost their combat power, this is harder for ninjas who don't come from shinobi families or clans. Though it's not the case all the time, most shinobi stagnate after they reach the age of 25.
This is seen with Kakashi Hatake. Since his youth, he was a skilled and talented shinobi held as a genius, becoming a jonin at age 12. But he wasn't able to breach the Kage level until the 4th great ninja war, because he lost his drive to grief after the death of his comrades in the 3rd ninja war, and not long after that, his sensei. Along with that, he reached the stagnant age of 25, and his Sharingan consumed his chakra like an akamichi at the barbecue shack. We see this when Kakashi is defeated by Zabuza in their first battle.
Yuto was taken out of his shock, drawing his blade from the sheath, barely blocking the downward slash from his grandfather's wooden sword. Yuto's Japanese sandals slid back a few inches as he gritted his teeth at the strength of the older man. He was amazed at the force generated by just one of his grandfathers one arms, and he knew he was holding back.
"Don't space out in the middle of battle, boy," his grandfathers scolded.
Yutos took a heavy kick to his ribs, coughing up spit. Yuto took the brunt of the kick, gripping his small tonto in front of him, blocking the horizontal slash from the older man. Yuto leaped over the older man, performing a front flip. The older man swiftly turned around, slashing at Yuto's back while he was still airborne. Yuto swung his blade behind him, parrying the wooden sword with ease. Yuto landed on the ground dramatically, looking back before he spun around, his tonto cutting through the air. The older man jumped back with ease, a smirk on his face.
"Not bad, boy, though your moves are still sloppy and hasty; you catch on quick." "I'm ashamed to admit your analytical skills are even better than mine," his grandfather said with pride.
"you felt my physical power was greater than yours, and instantly knew to draw my strength towards a opening by making your self air born, you sold the bait even more by turning your back towards me and predicted my next move after only an brief exchange parried my attack without even glancing behind you" "while its quite risky and bold, it is highly affective" "if i were a lesser opponent you would have succeeded" his grandfather finished with a prideful smile.
"I'm unworthy of such praise. I still failed to draw blood," Yuto said, disappointed.
"Don't be in such a rush, you'll progress with time," his grandfather said.
"Come, I'll show you the primary kata's for your foundation," he said.
Yuto walked over towards where his grandfather landed and sheathed his blade.
"Your blade is short, while I wield a long blade. You'll have to increase your speed to make up for the reach disadvantage. With your learning speed, you should be able to establish a good foundation, that way you can implement your own sword style into the kata's" his grandfather said.
"What do you mean, I don't have my own sword style?" Yuto asked, a confused look on his face.
"Nonsense, every swordsman has their own style, whether they've studied a kenjutsu style or not."
"It's like a musician that plays songs at a certain tempo, a sword style is like a dance you see," his grandfather said wisely.
"You're saying my sword pattern is like a dance to a rhythm," Yuto said in an understanding tone.
"Exactly, I'll show you how to implement it into my kata's" his grandfather said.
Yuto nodded.
"Now, follow my movements," the older man said, doing a few slashes at the air with the wooden sword.
Yuto followed after him, unsheathing his blade and copying the slash movements. He was amazed by the precision his grandfather displayed; it was swift, and it looked like he performed the movements one thousand times, which he was sure he did.
Just as he thought that, his grandfather spoke.
"many swordsmen think performing a move one thousand times will make them the perfect warrior, but that is far from the truth". "yes it is true repetition instills the kata's into your muscle memories enhancing the battle instincts, but that means nothing when faced with an experienced shinobi who's encountered those moves as many times as you've practiced them" his grandfather said.
"That means that the only way to truly enhance one's fighting capability with the blade is through battle," Yuto said understandingly.
"Yes, you are correct, a blade master is made on the battlefield."
"I must say you catch on quite fast, I can already see your strongest tool," his grandfather said proudly.
"What do you mean, what's my strongest tool?" Yuto asked.
His grandfather smiled lightly and pointed a finger towards his temple. "Right here, while it's obvious that the mind is a shinobi's strongest tool, you are a special case. Over the many years I've been a shinobi, I've only seen two shinobi with minds like yours," his grandfather said with a look of remanence
"your speaking about, Hurizen Sarutobi, aren't you?" Yuto said knowingly.
"Hmmm, what makes you think that?" his grandfather asked curiously.
"You mentioned before that my analytical skills were above yours. There's only one shinobi alive that can dissect jutsu's after only seeing them once, and he's old enough to catch the attention of an old geezer like you," Yuto said with a grin.
"You brat," his grandfather said with a grunt.
"your correct, though, I speak of lord third and lord second. You sure do your research," the older man said, a small frown on his face after Yuto's earlier comment.
"Well, I was interested in the man who led our forces to victory in all three great shinobi wars. he was an esteemed shinobi who mastered every shinobi art and was held as the god of shinobi". "I needed to see the limit of a shinobi without the use of a kekkie genkai," Yuto said.
"i see, well I'll have you know your decades away from that kind of power" "not only was lord third from a respected shinobi clan from the warring states period, he also was able to Allie with a summoning clan. as it stands right now, you don't have such resources even with me around" his grandfather said matter a-fact-ly.
Yuto rolled his eyes. "I know that much," Yuto said, swinging his blade down after watching his grandfather perform a kata.
Later...
After the morning training session, Yuto freshened up and went for a walk around the village, seeing there was no academy on the weekends similar to school in his previous world. he wore a white hoodie with some baggy black sweatpants and some traditional Japanese sandals.[like the ones Jiraiya wore, but black]
He finally arrived at his favorite shop, stepping through the door, making a ringing sound. He moved one of his bangs from his eyes before walking towards the counter, grabbing a familiar chocolate bar slapping it on the counter. He saw Iami at the counter as he painted a smile on his face.
"Iami," he greeted.
"It's nice to see you, Yuto," "I heard your grandfather was in the village," she said
'How did you know?" Yuto asked curiously.
"My father mentioned it, apparently, he's pretty popular around the village." "They say he was the mentor of Sakumo Hatake," she said casually, uninterested in shinobi glorification.
Yuto gasped, "My grandfather trained the white fang of Konoha," Yuto said, astonished.
"What's so special about this white fang?" Iami asked.
"he was a war hero on par with the legendary Sanin," Yuto said, fangirling.
"Mmm, can't say I heard of him, but I've heard of the sanin," Iami said, a finger on her chin in a thinking motion.
Yuto frowned at her lack of interest in shinobi, but handed her a bill for the chocolate.
"See ya," he said, grabbing the chocolate bar and walking away with a casual wave.
He stepped outside the shop and walked down the streets of Konoha, buying up all the desserts with his grandfather's money. His grandfather gave him a small allowance before he left, claiming "a shinobi should always be prepared". He was about to lick his ice cream, but he stopped mid-way, seeing a mop of black hair and the familiar black eyes of the Uchiha clan. Before him was Itachi Uchiha, the genius ninja who took the chunin exams by himself at only 10 years old. Yuto frowned, seeing the chunin vest on Itachi's torso. While he knew Itachi was a genius with unlimited resources, being from the prestigious Uchiha clan patriarch, it didn't make him any less jealous of him. Despite Yuto and Itachi being the same age, Itachi had already achieved a rank that took regular shinobi sometimes a decade to accomplish.
He knew it was wrong, but he wished his parents had died earlier so he would have reincarnated into the boy when he still had years to develop his skills. He snapped out his thoughts, hearing his name being called by... wait, Itachi. "Why is he calling my name?" Yuto thought.
Memories flooded into his mind from the first year of the academy as he saw memories of Itachi effortlessly defeating him. he then got memories of Itachi showing him how to throw multiple shuriken at once. His envious look quickly shifted to a smile as he acquired one of his previous skills by meeting Itachi. Itachi was taken aback by Yuto's change in expression, as it looked like Yuto was grateful to him.
Yuto, seeing that he was in the presence of a shinobi, decided to test his improved acting skills.
"Itachi, I heard you put on quite the performance in the chunin exams, not bad," Yuto said casually.
Itachi was taken aback by Yuto's comment, as most people... well, "glazed him" so he was surprised to see someone finally not telling him how amazing he was.
"It's been a while yuto. With your skills, I expected you would have already graduated. Itachi said, surprised.
"Well, I don't have a clan with high expectations for me, so I chose to use the time to refine and nurture my skills instead of moving with haste," Yuto said.
This was a lie, of course, he actually didn't leave sooner because he was utterly terrified of the battlefield, but Itachi didn't need to know that.
"I see. I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Yuto. I wasn't aware of the news until I arrived back from the chunin exams," Itachi said solemnly.
"That's quite alright, Itachi, though I am interested in seeing how much you've improved from the academy," Yuto said, holding back his anticipating smile.
"I am free today if you're interested in a spar," Itachi replied calmly.
"Humph, don't disappoint me," Yuto said dismissively.
Yuto frowned at Itachi's calm expression. "This guy is really a hard nut to crack," he thought.
Yuto followed Itachi towards the training grounds, licking his ice cream. His face became confused as he saw the entrance to the Uchiha compound. "We will be sparring at the Uchiha grounds," Yuto asked, surprised, letting his act slip, but quickly put back on his disinterested expression.
"Yes, I normally don't bring outsiders into the clan grounds, but I know you are trustworthy," Itachi said, a light smile gracing his face.
"I'm quite honored that you see me as someone deserving of your trust," Yuto said, finding it difficult to put on his act as Itachi was treating him with such kindness.
They walked through the Uchiha district, getting some curious looks as they weren't used to seeing outsiders in the compound. Yuto noticed the man who greeted his grandfather and gave a nod of recognition. The man nodded back with the typical pompousness of a Uchiha.
"I wasn't aware that you were already acquainted with some of the members from my clan," Itachi said.
"he's a friend of my grandfather," Yuto said.
"Hum, I see," Itachi said with a nod.
They continued walking, and Yuto noticed that Itachi didn't talk much; he figured that's why he didn't have many friends outside of the Uchiha clan, as most people mistook his silence for arrogance. As they walked further into the large district, Itachi's face became a smile. A tall man with chin-length black hair and the standard attire of a Uchiha police force man looked over at Itachi and Yuto. His arms were crossed, and his face was regal. Yuto could have sworn he had seen a smile creep onto the man's face, but you can never tell with these Uchiha. They finally walked up towards the man.
"Ahh, Itachi, who do you have there with you?" the man said.
"Father," Itachi greeted. "This is one of my friends from the academy," Itachi said.
Yuto spoke, "Uchiha Sama, I am Yuto Suzuki".
"Hmm, Suzuki, I once fought alongside your father in the war. He was quite the shinobi; it was a shame he fell in battle," Fugaku said.
"What brings you to the Uchiha clan's district?" he spoke again.
Yuto switched to his indifferent act after formalities were out of the way. "Well, I came to see how much Itachi has grown since he left the academy. I believe it's been about three years since weave last sparred," Yuto said indifferently.
"You're still in the academy if I'm not mistaken," Fugaku said.
"Yes, that is true, but I'm no ordinary academy student," Yuto said pridefully.
This was in fact a lie; he was in fact a normal academy student despite his two days of training with his grandfather, but he needed Fugaku to be interested in his spar with Itachi; he wanted to display the little skills he had, hoping Itachi's father would speak of him in high regard.
"I see, well don't let me hold you," Fugaku said disinterestedly.
Yuto didn't bat an eye at that, he knew Fugaku would watch his son's spar whether he let his presence be known to them or not.
"he will watch the spar," Yuto said knowingly after they reached a certain distance away from Fugaku.
"I know," Itachi said with a smile.
They arrived at the training grounds, and Yuto grimaced as he knew his white hoodie would need a splash of bleach after the spar. He tied his hair into a ponytail letting his bangs frame his face. His brown eyes glammed in the sun as he stood across from Itachi. Today would be the day he tested his prowess against the famed genius of the Uchiha clan.
[Be sure to give me your power stones]