ALL NOVEL Chapter 14: hyuuga can't dodge
Bekkou-sensei was watching us while we started practicing throwing shurikens after lunch. We just started the weapons practice yesterday. Before that, our afternoons were all about building stamina with daily runs and agility, balance, and dodging exercises.
Honestly, I loved those lessons because I was basically a physical freak. I was better than all the other students, even the clan kids. Hey, months of daily training had to pay off, right?
Yesterday, Bekkou-sensei introduced us to some ninja weapons, like shurikens and kunais, and today, we were finally trying to throw them at targets. The weapons didn't have sharp edges (which is probably for the best) and the target was only five meters away, but it was still pretty challenging. The students who were doing well, aside from me, were a few of the clan kids in the class.
"Remember." Bekkou-sensei said, casually walking around us like he was in a very intense action movie. Come on, that guys is channeling his internal Yoda.
"you might not take down a shinobi with just a shuriken, but it's great for distractions... and for causing some minor injuries.." He added, "Of course, with a good aim, you might do some serious damage."
I kept throwing shurikens, one after another, at the target, feeling pretty good about my aim. Sure, I didn't hit the bullseye every time, but at least I was consistently on target.
"How are you so good at this, Ken-kun?" Jimei asked after missing the target badly... again.
Poor kid, even though he had amazing handwriting, his aim was... Well, let's just say it wasn't exactly on point.
A month ago, when I got my monthly payment from the academy's finance office, I walked by a toy store in Konoha. I saw a set of kunais and shurikens in the window and remembered that in this ninja world shurikens are a thing. So my first thought was that I gotta practice my aim ASAP. So I went into the store to buy some shurikens.
I couldn't buy a real set of shurikens for two reasons. First, apparently, the village only sold real shurikens and other weapons to actual shinobis, which, yeah, I wasn't. And the second reason? They were ridiculously expensive. Seriously, a basic set with ten shurikens cost 1000 ryo.
So, what was I left with? A set of wooden shurikens and kunais from the toy store. I walked in and realized they were made of wood. A set of ten basic four-pointed shurikens cost only 200 ryo. The kunais were a bit more expensive, but in total, I spent just 500 ryo on something important that day.
Even though the weight was totally different from the steel ones that I was throwing now, those little wooden toys helped me improve my aim and get used to the shape of the weapons. And now, look at me—throwing shurikens like I was born with a ninja star in my hand.
I wasn't an Itachi-level Uchiha with insane shuriken skills, but I was doing pretty well, and I knew I'd keep getting better, especially since the academy gave each student a set of practice shurikens and kunais with no cutting edges.
"Eh... I don't know? Maybe beginner's luck?" I replied to Jimei, trying not to laugh at his failed attempts.
At that moment, Jimei reminds me of an old SNL sketch that I saw about a guy that was trying to do American Ninja Warrior and failed in the first obstacle.
I watched as he tried to throw another shuriken, he was less "second coming of Tobirama" and more "like a toddler trying to fit into adult shoes".
For safety, I took a step back as he threw again.
I watched for a few seconds as Jimei tried another throw. His legs were spread apart, and his face had that super intense look. He held the shuriken between his fingers like it was a dead bug, and he looked totally uncomfortable.
He threw the shuriken... Well, at least it went in the right direction. The weapon floated in the air for a bit but then fell a meter short of the target.
'Well, that was… something...' I thought, letting out a deep sigh. I glanced around and noticed Bekkou-sensei was helping another student and wasn't planning on coming over anytime soon.
Great, I didn't feel like helping, but with how Jimei was throwing that shuriken, it was only a matter of time before he hit me.
"Jimei-san, you need to grip the shuriken firmly. Use your thumb to stabilize it. Don't crush it, just hold it firmly." I said, correcting him. "Don't lift your foot when you throw. You need to position yourself right to have a good base. Try like this."
I turned back to face the target and demonstrated another throw, hitting the bullseye of the target again with a smile. Afterwards, I turned back to Jimei.
"Eh? Like this?" Jimei asked, trying to fix his posture.
He looked like a baby giraffe learning to walk, and it took him a while to get his fingers and feet in the right place. He was still a little crooked, but at least he was holding the shuriken correctly now.
"Yes, now aim for the center of the target and throw." I said, backing up a few steps for safety, pointing at the target.
He nodded confidently, took a deep breath, and threw the shuriken with all his strength. For a few seconds, it seemed like it was going to hit. The shuriken was flying and looked like it was going straight to the target.
But then, something ridiculous happened. The shuriken curved sharply to the left. It flew... in the wrong direction. Way in the wrong direction.
THUD!
...It hit a kid in the shoulder, who was collecting his shurikens.
The sound was loud and clear. Followed by a scream.
"OW! MY ARM!"
I widened my eyes when I realized Jimei's shuriken had hit Hyuuga Tokuma. Tokuma was a cocky kid from the Hyuuga clan and apparently, his Byakugan was better than normal. He was one of the clan's big hopes as a shinobi.
Jimei froze. His face went from confusion to pure terror in a blink of an eye. He started babbling, clutching his head like he was calculating his own death.
"Damn it! I didn't mean to! This shuriken is possessed! Oh God, Ken-kun, did I kill him? No, wait, he's breathing... But what if he's not okay? I'm screwed!"
Jimei looked like he was about to cry and grabbed onto me in a panic.
Well, I understood why he was freaking out. Accidents happen in training, but that's why we have a busy infirmary every day. It was an unspoken rule that non-clan kids like us—especially orphans like Jimei and me—should avoid messing with clan kids.
Tokuma shot us a death glare that could melt a steel door. The kid looked like he was definitely plotting our deaths.
. The kid started walking toward us, and with each step, Jimei looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"Of course, it had to be the two idiots… What a joke. How does Konoha accept such pathetic people as academy students?" Tokuma's voice was dripping with disdain.
Seriously, does the Hyuuga clan have a combo deal? Like, you get the Byakugan at birth, and as a bonus, you also get an arrogant attitude? It's like a promotion. "Hey, get a Byakugan and a free 'I'm better than you' attitude!"
"Hey, calm down, Tokuma-san, it was just an accident. Happens all the time, right? You're not hurt, are you?" I asked, trying to chill the situation.
At this point, Jimei looked like he was ready to apologize to Tokuma's ancestors. The guy looked like he was about to cry, practically begging me to save him. He whispered desperately.
"Ken-kun! We need to run! Let's run to the Land of Lightning. They won't find us there. It's our last chance!"
Wait, what? Jimei was planning our escape to a whole different country? This kid was really something. I wanted to tell him to calm down, but I was busy trying not to laugh.
"Accident? So, besides being orphans, you guys are also incompetent? It's amazing how you manage to screw up so much in two bodies." Tokuma spoke back and guy… He was annoying.
Seriously, I was about to just ignore this jerk and even considered apologizing (even though it was Jimei who threw the shuriken), but honestly, this little brat pissed me off so much.
"You're totally right, Tokuma-san... We're poor orphans, we should totally look up to you and your amazing clan," I said sarcastically, grinning wickedly.
"Hey Jimei, funny thing, isn't it? The Hyuuga clan has the super fancy Byakugan that can see even ants from like, 15 meters away, and yet, you couldn't dodge a shuriken from a guy with worse aim than a blindfolded monkey."
Jimei's eyes widened, and he hid even further behind me when Tokuma stormed toward us, his face red with rage.
"What did you just say?"
The smirk on my face grew. This kid needed to watch out for that vein on his forehead; it could burst any second.
"I'm just saying, maybe you should've practiced more on your dodging exercises last month. If you can't dodge a shuriken thrown by someone with worse aim than a drunk guy from the red-light district, maybe you need more practice." I said, trying to sound as honest as possible, but then faked a look of realization.
"Oh, wait, I got it. Do you need glasses?" I asked, tapping my own glasses lightly. "Sorry, I can't lend you mine, but you should totally get some. Maybe it'll help you take that stick out of your ass."
Jimei panicked even more and grabbed my arm, desperately trying to fix things.
"Kenshin, for the love of everything sacred, apologize! I'm begging you! Do it before he kills us with his laser vision or something!"
What, did Jimei think we were in an episode of X-Men Evolution? I don't think even in this ninja world there's a shinobi who can shoot laser beams out of their eyes. But the poor guy was so desperate, he finally used my full name.
"Do you dare insult the Hyuuga clan, you pathetic orphan? Because if you want, I can show you exactly what the Byakugan can do!" Tokuma yelled, coming closer.
"Well, not exactly the Hyuuga clan, but you," I said, totally calm. "After all, it would be an unfair fight. Unlike you, I can dodge, even with these 'normal' eyes."
Tokuma clenched his fists and got closer, his blood pressure probably going through the roof.
And then, Bekkou-sensei clapped his hands, cutting through the tension like a knife through butter. "What's going on here? Tokuma?"
Tokuma took a deep breath, shot a venomous look our way, then deactivated his Byakugan and turned to the sensei.
"It's nothing, sensei. Just dealing with some worms who don't know their place."
After answering, Tokuma walked away from us. Bekkou-sensei stared at me and Jimei for a second before going back to help the other students. Jimei sighed in relief and looked at me.
"You're trying to get us killed, aren't you? I still dream of eating barbecue, Ken-kun! He's a Hyuuga! They do that creepy thing where they shut off people's chakra! He's gonna turn ours off forever!"
"Relax, Jimei-san. He couldn't even dodge a simple shuriken. Think about it—he'd probably accidentally hit Bekkou-sensei before he even got to us."
I went back to helping Jimei aim at the target, and at least he didn't hit anyone else, though he was still nervous about Tokuma, who kept glaring at me for the rest of the lesson.
Maybe it was petty to go after Tokuma, even though he got hit by Jimei's shuriken, and I should have stayed calm since I was the older one with a higher mental age? Maybe, but come on he was asking for it.
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Yes, I said there would be a new chapter tomorrow, but since I think I'm will to spend the day tomorrow getting frustrated playing League of Legends, I decided to send it today. This chapter was a little longer than usual, but don't get too used to it. After this chapter, we'll have a two-month timeskip in the next one, then another two-month timeskip. MAYBE I'll send another chapter tomorrow if you guys comment a lot here, and for god's sake, someone please make a review. I prefer 5 stars, but honestly, I'll accept any review. It's kind of embarrassing that mine is the only one there.