Yuki nodded, "Well, I am the next heir of the Senju clan, so I was trained from a very young age by elite shinobi,"
Kazuki's eyes widened slightly as he thought. 'Heir of the Senju clan, this means the heirs of the two founding clans of Konoha are studying in the academy this year. She's very talented—I wonder why she wasn't in the anime. The only possibilities I can think of are that either she died early, or she lost the motivation to become strong. I find the former more believable though.'
Yuki noticed the brief flicker of surprise on Kazuki's face and chuckled softly, her hand covering her mouth as her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Kazuki blinked, snapping back to reality, and offered an awkward smile, his tone polite and formal. "Wow, that was unexpected, but it explains why you're so strong. Well, I'll see you later then," he said, giving her a small nod before turning to walk away.
He leaned against a nearby tree, his arms crossed as he exhaled softly, his expression calm but his mind buzzing. 'The Senju clan wasn't explored much in the anime,' he thought, his brow furrowing slightly. 'I wonder what kind of powers they possess. This is exciting—there are so many strong people in this batch I can compete with.' A faint smirk tugged at his lips, though it quickly faded as his thoughts turned more serious. 'But I'm beginning to think I have no talent at all. Despite all this time, I still haven't been able to learn the first step of the Rasengan. But Let's not get discouraged just yet, though—I'm very close to completing the first step.' He straightened up, his resolve hardening as he watched the next spar with a focused gaze.
After a few more spars, Hiroshi gathered the children and led them toward a set of practice targets at the edge of Training Ground 8, the wooden targets painted with familiar red, orange, and yellow rings. He clapped his hands to get their attention, his voice steady. "Now, I'll teach you the basics of shurikenjutsu," he announced, picking up a shuriken and demonstrating the correct stance.
Hiroshi showed them how to hold and throw both shuriken and kunai, his movements fluid and controlled as he hit the center of the target with a satisfying thud. Some students performed well, their throws landing close to the center, while others struggled, their shuriken veering off course. Kazuki was among the struggling group, his throws inconsistent as he adjusted his grip, his brow furrowed in concentration. But he improved at a fast pace, his throws becoming more accurate with each attempt, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by Hiroshi, who raised an eyebrow in quiet surprise, nodding to himself as he observed Kazuki's progress.
From the next day, Hayato dialed back his bullying of Kazuki, though he couldn't resist the occasional comments.
The next evening, Kazuki was in his cramped apartment, practicing wall climbing. He focused his chakra, his face set in determination as he took a step up the wall. Suddenly, a long crack split the plaster with a sharp snap, startling him. He lost his footing and fell, landing on the mattress below with a soft thud, his eyes wide for a brief moment before he regained his composure.
The crack was long but shallow, snaking across the wall like a jagged scar. It wasn't a structural concern, but it made his already old and dilapidated apartment look even more worn, the peeling paint now joined by the fresh damage. Kazuki sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as he ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering across his face. 'Why aren't my fucking problems ever ending?' he cursed in his mind, his tone sharp with exasperation.
He lay down on the mattress for a moment, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts wandered, his expression softening into something more reflective. 'In my previous life, I always thought it would be so freaking cool to live in the world of Naruto,' he mused, his voice in his mind tinged with a bitter edge. 'But now I'm starting to think I was wrong. Here, I have very little money, this shitty apartment that can't even handle a little force, and I'm all alone. At least in my previous life, I had some friends—though they weren't that good, they were still there. And I was living a comfortable life, even if it was on my parent's money.' His gaze grew distant, a faint pang of nostalgia in his chest. 'I wonder how they're doing now. I guess they'd live a better life now that they don't have to spend money on me.'
He shook his head, sitting up with a renewed focus as he pushed those thoughts aside. 'Enough of that. Let's focus on the situation at hand,' he thought, his tone firm. 'Where do I practice now? There's no other place that can give me privacy while training. Looks like I'll have to train outside.' He frowned slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line. 'I hope that bastard Danzo didn't send any Root ninja to keep an eye on me. I know it's risky, but I have no other choice. Besides, it's not like I'm as talented as Itachi or Yuki. I'll just hide my Rasengan training for now.' He stood up, his eyes burning with determination as he grabbed his sandals.
"Now, let's train on some real trees," Kazuki said aloud, his voice steady as he headed out, his posture straight and resolute.
But when he reached a nearby training ground, a small clearing surrounded by tall trees, all the determination in his eyes vanished. He realized he couldn't place a mattress here to cushion his falls, and his shoulders slumped slightly as he thought. 'Fuck, it's gonna hurt like hell,' he thought, his tone dry as he eyed the rough ground.
Kazuki approached a sturdy tree, focusing his chakra as he took his first few steps up the trunk, his movements careful but unsteady. He made it a few steps before his foot slipped, and he fell, hitting the ground with a dull thud. He winced, rubbing his hips as he sat up, his expression a mix of pain and resignation. 'Damn, that hurts,' he thought, grimacing slightly. 'But not as much as I expected. I guess it's because of the stronger body chakra gives me. If a kid my age had fallen from this height, they would've been injured.' He shook his head, brushing off the dirt. 'But now's not the time to think about that.'
Kazuki looked up at the top of the tree with horror in his eyes. He gulped as he thought, 'Just how many days will I have to do this to reach the top?' he thought, his tone a mix of dread and resolve as he steeled himself for the challenge ahead.