Jiraiya nded beside me just as I finally came to my senses after taking a painful blow during our sparring match. To be honest, at that moment, I didn’t feel like fighting anymore.

  “Suzuki,” he addressed me. “What do you think of your sparring sessions?”

  “What can I say?” I repeated, my tone mirroring the question. “I ck skill in taijutsu.”

  “And what else?” he immediately followed up, making me think.

  Indeed… what else am I cking in this shinobi art? Most likely, I ck experience fighting diverse opponents. When you face enemies who use only one style, you eventually study it and adapt. The rapid growth you experience at first begins to slow, and eventually, it stops. That must be exactly what the Sannin wants to hear.

  “Experience?” I asked cautiously.

  “I’m gd you’re smarter than a rock on the road,” he replied, somewhat insultingly. “Correct. You ck experience with different opponents. That’s exactly what you’ll get over the next two days. From morning to evening, you’ll spar with different monks, each using a unique style. Your task is to learn as much as possible from them.”

  “Oh,” I drawled. “Got it, Jiraiya-san. Don’t worry—I won’t let you down.”

  “Of course you won’t,” he grunted with a satisfied look.

  I had a feeling the next two days were going to be tough. But since I signed up for this myself, there was no point in even thinking about compining. It wouldn’t make sense.

  Monks, like all people—shinobi, samurai, or civilians—enjoyed eating. The difference was that, for them, food wasn’t a pleasure; it was fuel for the inner fire, which had to burn constantly. That’s why their food was insanely spicy—and had no other fvor. I don’t know what they put in it, but my mouth felt like it was on fire. Tears streamed from my eyes, and my nose was running. In short, the food turned out to be the least pleasant part of the day.

  After that, I returned to my cell to recover from the spiciest meal I had ever tasted. I couldn’t sleep, so I started meditating. Gradually, I slipped into a rexed state, allowing myself to sense the world around me. Natural energy gently caressed me from all sides, yet something about it felt… off. There was a sense that someone incredibly dangerous was nearby—something hidden from nature itself.

  That intrigued me, and I began calmly trying to figure out what it might be. It felt like I should be able to find the answer quickly, but it wasn’t so simple. The sensation of danger remained, but its source was unknown—as if it didn’t exist in reality and was just a figment of my imagination. Finding nothing, I simply went to sleep. No point in worrying.

  In the morning, I met the monks to the sound of a great gong. Their morning ritual was swift: wash in icy water, stand under hot steam for three minutes, and only then—breakfast. Just as spicy as st night’s dinner. Afterward came the morning prayer in honor of the Great Fire and the country’s Daimyo, followed by training. As Jiraiya promised, the sparring began. Chiriku matched me against several monks so they could “beat me up” all day.

  Naturally, I didn’t want to feel pain, so I had to get creative. Since we were only allowed to use the weakest E-rank techniques, I didn’t have many options. It came down to my own skills and my willingness to learn from them. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I didn’t—but what mattered most was that I made visible progress. Adapting to different styles got easier each time.

  Lunch was just as spicy as dinner. Afterward, I made sure to wash in cold water, dry off under hot air, and meditate with the monks. While they prayed, I meditated and trained my chakra control. That night, I again felt that strange sense of danger in the air, but I still couldn’t detect its source. Sleep came slowly, interrupted by frequent awakenings, as if I were expecting an attack from some fox-eyed monster. I don’t understand why.

  My second morning was anything but good. Breakfast was still painfully spicy, I kept losing my sparring matches with the monks, and none of it brought me any satisfaction—though I could clearly feel myself improving.

  “What’s the problem, Suzuki?” Jiraiya asked, noticing my distracted state.

  “I don’t know, Jiraiya-san,” I replied. “I keep sensing some strange danger, but I just can’t figure out where it’s coming from.”

  “Is that so?” he muttered with mild surprise. “Sometimes, feelings are just that—feelings. They can py cruel tricks on you if you trust them blindly. Remember this: always test everything with your mind, even if your instincts are screaming that danger is near.”

  “Hai,” I nodded. “I’ll remember that. Eh…”

  Maybe he’s right—sometimes, our senses do deceive us. But on the other hand… if you can’t trust your own perception of space, then what can you trust? That’s a tough question with no easy answer. I guess only experience will tell. And if it doesn’t… then so be it.

  “All right, Suzuki,” Chiriku addressed me as the sun began to set. “Are you ready for your final sparring match?”

  “Hai, of course,” I replied. “I’m ready.”

  “Your opponent will be someone you already know—Sora,” announced the Head Priest of the Fire Temple. “The difference is that he’ll be allowed to use jutsu up to C-rank. You, however, are forbidden from using any. You must rely solely on taijutsu.”

  “Oh,” I exhaled.

  “I understand this might be difficult,” Chiriku said with a sigh. “But give it a try. You might discover something new and interesting about yourself.”

  “All right,” I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Excellent,” the man said with a tight-lipped smile. “Sora, are you ready?”

  “Yes, sir,” the young man replied calmly, rising to his feet. “I’m ready.”

  Honestly, I hadn’t seen Sora since our st sparring session, so I had to be prepared for him to show me something new—or unexpected. If he did, I’d need to adapt. If he didn’t—so much the better.

  We stepped into the circle and began sizing each other up. Sora looked calm, his expression bnk. There were no emotions on his face… because he was clearly trying hard to hide them. Well then—show me what you’ve learned, and I’ll show you mine in return.

  While observing the monks during my previous matches, I’d been trying to understand how they generated a different kind of chakra—and I think I finally figured it out. So now… I’m going to try using that method for the first time in this match with Sora. I’m sure he’ll be surprised. Just like everyone else around here.

  “Begin,” said Chiriku.

  We started slowly circling each other. Neither of us dared to make the first move, unsure of what tricks the other might be hiding. Sora remained silent, which was unusual for him. He froze, then slowly dragged his foot across the floor, as if signaling an attack. I focused more intently—but no attack came. Instead, Sora moved in the opposite direction. I mirrored him, staying alert.

  I definitely wasn’t going to initiate the spar—I was giving him the opportunity to strike first. And he understood that too.

  “So, are we just going to keep walking in circles?” he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

  “Why not?” I replied with a provoking smile. “Or are you in a rush to run away? I didn’t know you gave up so easily.”

  “Maybe I’m not in a rush,” he shot back, shrugging. “But it seems like you’re afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of your mentor. I’d be ashamed to dodge a fight so cowardly. That’s the height of disrespect.”

  “Oh, really?” I raised a sarcastic brow. “And this from a guy who wears diapers instead of a combat belt? Don’t make my sandals ugh.”

  “What would your mother think, knowing how cowardly you are?” he pressed, clearly aiming for a nerve.

  “She might have an opinion,” I answered calmly. “But I wonder what your mother would think—knowing her precious boy is the king of the kindergarten pyground? Oh wait, she’s probably used to your shame... or maybe she won’t even see it—because the disgrace you brought her already rotted her in the grave.”

  “You bastard!” Sora growled and lunged at me.

  For a moment, a stream of pale, translucent chakra flickered from his hands. He was using monk chakra—and clearly about to strike. He closed the distance much faster than he had in our st spar. In an instant, he was right in front of me. I parried his first blow. He shifted and attacked from another angle. I blocked again.

  “Come on, let’s go!” I shouted in his ear. “What’s with you—fighting like a little girl?”

  He crouched and spun, aiming a sweeping kick—but I blocked it. This wasn’t the time for words anymore.

  Sora suddenly jumped back and punched the air. His palm glowed white, releasing a concentrated burst of pale chakra shaped like a hand. I dodged sharply, letting the bst fly past me. Then he charged again, this time with a downward kick meant to sm me into the ground. I slipped past him like a fish in water, rolled, and pushed off the ground with my hands, nding on the opposite side of the sparring circle to gain a better stance.

  “That was actually interesting, Sora,” I said. Very good. Looks like I was right—now I just need to figure out how to properly use and generate this chakra.

  For a moment, I closed my eyes, staying focused on my opponent’s movements. By controlling the physical energy in my body and blending it with natural energy, I managed to create a different type of chakra—a light, flowing energy coursing through my chakra system. It responded smoothly and didn’t feel harmful. But inside, something shifted… not in my body, but in my soul.

  My soul itched and stirred. It was a strange sensation—but familiar. I think I understand now. When I reincarnated, I must have passed through the bodies of some strange divine beings… and took something from them. And I still don’t even know what it is I took.

  The chakra fred, and I released it effortlessly. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Chiriku’s surprised expression—he clearly hadn’t expected me to tap into the foundational techniques of the Fire Temple.

  With a burst, I closed the distance and struck. Sora blocked my blow, but I wasn’t about to stop. I kept up the pressure—one strike, then another, and a third. He blocked them all, but I could feel him starting to falter. As I dodged his counterattack, I let my normal chakra mix with the new energy. My body trembled—partly from exhiration—and then surged with chakra I had to discharge immediately.

  With my next move, I leapt several dozen steps away from Sora, then unched myself back at him in a powerful, lightning-fast jump, driving him toward the center of the circle with a solid hit. From there, I began circling him at incredible speed. Sora looked rattled, clearly unsure how to respond—whether to attack or defend.

  When he least expected it, I gave him a light push. It was enough to throw him off bance. He tried to recover—desperately attempting to regain a defensive stance—but I wasn’t about to give him the chance. He’d have to cw his way out of this one on his own.

  “Hands of Buddha!” Sora roared, releasing his chakra. It formed into strange, translucent gauntlets around his fists—undeniably dangerous.

  A second ter, he charged into my whirlwind of motion, aiming to nd a blow. But not so fast. I slipped away from his strike, which was both powerful and searing hot. In doing so, he left himself wide open—exposed from several angles. It was a trap, no doubt about it.

  That’s why I sprung it—but not by attacking his exposed side. Instead, I went for the area he was protecting. Feinting, I shifted my movement in an instant. Sora moved to counter what he thought was my real strike. Because it was a trap, he was fully prepared—but I changed the angle. The very spot he was guarding turned out to be his true weak point.

  My blow was strong enough to hurl him into the air, spinning, before he crashed beyond the edge of the sparring circle. He shot me a furious gre—then charged again. I dodged his assault and stepped in, nding a solid punch to his torso. Any harder, and my fist might’ve ended up inside his body. Lucky, lucky.

  Sora was knocked back once more, rolling across the ground.

  “Gra-a-a-aah!” he roared in rage. In the next instant, a strange, red, incredibly aggressive chakra erupted from his body, bsting outward and scattering dust and stones in every direction. The heat wasn’t just strong—it was scorching.

  Reacting purely on instinct, I flooded my body with natural energy and used it immediately to dodge the follow-up strike. Sora was now cloaked in a bizarre, reddish aura and lunged at me again. Bck cws had formed on his hands, and they sshed dangerously close to my face. I dodged at the st second.

  Then, in a fsh, Chiriku flew in, his hands glowing with those familiar translucent gauntlets. His strike nded squarely on Sora, who had started to transform into something monstrous. The blow drove him into the stone slightly—but it didn’t do real damage. Sora swung his arm and hurled Chiriku away, releasing a chakra shockwave that sent the other monks flying as well.

  “Gra-aah!” Sora snarled again, eyes locking onto me. There was wild, mindless rage in them—barely contained, ready to explode. His pupils had elongated, and there wasn’t a hint of reason left. I might’ve pushed him too far… or maybe he’d been teetering on the edge from the beginning.

  In a fsh, he rushed me. This time, his movements were far faster and more agile than I had anticipated. I leapt back—and Sora smmed into the wall, smashing a gaping hole through it. Without hesitation or even aiming, he charged after me again. I rolled and dodged like never before. The cws he now had looked deadly—wherever they struck, they left molten, jagged gouges in the stone. Definitely not something I wanted to get acquainted with.

  Then it hit me—this creature Sora had become could move even faster.

  At the st possible second, I reinforced my body with chakra and activated the Stone Armor Jutsu. The blow he nded was bone-shattering. The stone I had summoned shattered into dozens of chunks, absorbing the initial impact. But the second half of the hit smmed into my reinforced body—and that wasn’t even the worst part. What truly hurt was the bizarre, violently aggressive chakra ced into the attack.

  It felt like my insides flipped over.

  The impact hurled me into the wall so hard I could taste blood in my mouth. At least I didn’t vomit. A heartbeat ter, my consciousness flickered—Sora’s fist was already coming straight for my head. If I didn’t act now… game over.

  I headbutted him in the face. Pain fred across my skin on contact. Then, without thinking, I kicked him between the legs. No matter how tough you are, a shot down there always makes you reflect on life from a different angle. It worked here too.

  I jumped back several steps, nding on the wall. Two Shadow Clones burst into motion, scattering in different directions. Sora recovered and locked eyes with me—eyes full of pure, unfiltered hatred.

  Yeah… now he really wants to hurt me.

  But the real question is—where’s Jiraiya? I don’t see him anywhere… and I can’t even sense him.