20

When life gets busy, you just feel like time is going by very fast. It has been a few weeks since Haru started his intense reading, and his pace has since decreased from what it was. It's not that he's lazy, but now that he read all the basics he need now , he has decided to slow down and take his time, studying step by step to avoid overwhelming himself early on. Studying medicine takes time, and maintaining a steady pace could be more effective for the long term. Medicine is still one of his core focuses, but with Tsunade out of the village, his only option is one of the medical ninjas from the clan. However, he has discovered that they are all working at the hospital and are very busy. Even in Konoha, their number is still small compared to the village population, which means they have very little time outside of work. If Haru wanted to study under them, he needed to intern in the hospital, which unfortunately he couldn't do currently do due to his young age.

But he wasn't bothered because he knew that sometimes things don't go the way you want in life. He couldn't have everything run smoothly, but that didn't mean he would just sit around. Since Plan A is currently not possible, he can try Plan B.

If you consider what aspect of Haru has improved the most since he started, the answer is his physique. From being below average, his physical attributes are now considered among the best. Since the day he noticed his improved senses thanks to nature chakra, he has decided what his style would be and improved accordingly.

From his past life memories, Haru knew that he was already considered smart. But in this life, he is even better, thanks to his high mental capacity and sensitive senses. As a result, he is able to process information at lightning-fast speed, which has a huge influence on his fighting style. He excels at analyzing changes in rhythm and identifying flaws in his opponents, and therefore he has always prioritized agility, balance, and speed, with a focus on effectiveness and precision.

All those years of hard work have paid off, as Haru now faces his current taijutsu teacher in their final sparring session. Haru's teacher is Yakuta, a Jōnin, and the difference in their physical abilities is vast. Since this is a taijutsu-only spar, Haru knows he doesn't have a chance of winning. He would have a far better chance of winning if he were allowed to use his ninjutsu and sealing, particularly if he had the opportunity to layer his seals beforehand. Therefore, he decided to give it his all as a farewell to his teacher.

Haru took a deep breath and focused his attention. He launched himself at his opponent, his agile body moving with lightning speed as he used chakra in the soles of his feet to increase his explosiveness. His strikes were fast and efficient, but his opponent easily blocked them. The difference in their physiques already put Haru at a disadvantage.

He knew that his strikes weren't going to do any real damage, but he continued to fight resolutely. He jumped and tried to kick his teacher in the face, but Yakuta easily blocked it. With amazing agility, Haru rotated in the air and tried another kick from above his head. This time, his teacher had to evade for the first time.

And with that, Yakuta started to go on the offensive, giving up his defensive style from before. This was good for Haru, as it would be easier for him to find flaws and counterattack this way.

As they exchanged blows, their pace began to quicken. Suddenly, Haru flipped backward to evade a kick aimed at his stomach. In mid-air, he noticed another kick coming his way. Without enough time to dodge, He channeled some chakra into his arms and rotated himself in the air, bracing himself for the impact. Yakuta's kick was very strong, and Haru felt some pain in his arms despite the chakra enhancement. However, he used the power of the kick to launch himself back and create some space from Yakuta.

After his attack failed, Yakuta didn't give Haru any time to breathe and immediately launched a new series of attacks. While doing his best to evade, Haru realized that his teacher was gradually gaining control over the pace of the fight. He knew he couldn't afford to be at such a disadvantage and decided to switch to the offensive, hoping to disrupt the rhythm and gain an advantage.

Using his speed and agility, He evaded his opponent's strikes and launched a few attacks of his own, focusing on his teacher's vital points, which obliged him to defend. Finally, Haru had some space and time to breathe and recover a little.

After a brief pause, the fight resumed. This time, Haru was intensely focused and made an effort to maintain a steady rhythm. He repeatedly struck the same vital points, trying to condition his teacher to a certain pattern unconsciously.

Finally, He spotted an opening and aimed a kick at his teacher's head. His opponent responded quickly, raised his arm in defense, but Haru changed direction at the last moment. He channeled as much chakra as possible into his leg and delivered a powerful kick to Yakuta's flank. The impact caused him to stagger back, clutching his injury, while Haru stood ready for the next move.

Haru smiled, knowing that his plan had succeeded. Muscle memory was one of the most helpful things in fights. It allowed you to train your body to defend and react almost instantly. However, it could also be used against your opponent. Once an attack was repeated, your opponent would build muscle memory to your pattern and defend it unconsciously. That's why you don't use the same attacks multiple times. But He used this to his advantage since he didn't have many chances to strike. This was one of the few ways he could cause damage to Yakuta.

Haru watched as his teacher stood straight again and smiled wryly. He knew that from now on, his teacher would treat him like an enemy and be very serious. In the end, even his best shot couldn't do significant damage to a jonin, but that was to be expected. Haru braced himself and tried to focus, knowing that what awaited him from now on would be a different beast.

The fight didn't last that long, only a few minutes, but it was the biggest challenge Haru had faced to this day. Despite his best efforts, all he could do was evade and prolong the fight for a few more minutes, and though he was able to land a few hits, he was still happy with the result.

As He looked over, he saw Mito watching the whole thing with a smile and nodding at him. She then came over to him and said, "That was an entertaining fight. I enjoyed it a lot. You did a good job, Haru," as she patted him on the head. Then, she turned her attention to his teacher and said, "Thanks for your hard work. It seems Haru has blossomed as a very good fighter under your teaching." Yakuta smiled and responded, "He is very talented and already has his own way of fighting. I have taught him everything I can, and his style is already in shape. What he needs now is to grow up and gain experience. Once he fights people with different styles and gains experience, he will be able to improve and mature even more. I'm sure he will be an excellent ninja." Mito nodded in agreement with him. It seemed that it wasn't just Haru's idea; his teacher also wanted to leave. But that was understandable, as he was already a jonin and very busy. If it wasn't for Mito, he wouldn't have agreed to teach Haru. Now that he had finished his job, he didn't need to stay any longer. So she nodded at him, patted Haru on the back, and left.

Haru understood what Mito meant, so he bowed to Yakuta and thanked him for his time and effort. Yakuta nodded and encouraged Haru, telling him that he would be happy to answer any of his doubts in the future. Then, he took his leave with Haru and Kazuki escorting him to the door.

After the fight, Haru went back to his room. He couldn't help but remember the details of the fight and analyze it. He found some flaws in his teacher's fight, but he wasn't able to do anything about it due to his height and short reach. The difference in height and weight meant that he needed to be faster than Yakuta to be able to do any damage, but in the end, he didn't use all of his cards. He was now able to use nature chakra for far longer than in the beginning, but he decided to keep this ability a secret. He feared the consequences once the village knew about his natural ability to absorb nature chakra. Temporarily, with Mito's protection, he felt secure. But being in the spotlight too much would make him vulnerable to others' greed and experimentation, especially once Mito's protection was no longer there. Of course, by then, he would be far stronger, but he didn't see the benefit of using one of his cards for such spars. For the time being, being Mito's disciple and grandson was more than enough to have the Hokage's attention. He didn't want anything more than this, especially from that darkness of Konoha. After that, he fell asleep as today's spar had taken a lot of energy,