Chapter 2: First day of training

Kosuke ran towards the training field, feeling the sweat running down his face. He didn't want to be late again and have to face the wrath of the clan elder.

The training field was a few hundred meters away from the complex of houses of the Kaguya clan, but the mist that covered the mist village made it hard to see. He knew that was a feature of Kirigakure, but he still wasn't used to it.

After a few minutes he finally reached the training field, where he saw several tree trunks stuck in the ground, full of cuts and holes. They were used as targets for the young ones of the clan to practice their skills.

He spotted an old man with brown hair, who wore a white kimono with the clan symbol, standing in front of a group of children. It was Makoto Kaguya, the elder who gave the basic training to the newcomers.

Kosuke approached him and bowed, apologizing for being late. Makoto looked at the clock and then gave Kosuke a stern look, but said nothing, there were still a few minutes left for the start of the training so Kosuke wasn't really late. He was more interested in observing a particular child, who stood out from the others. It was Kimimaro, the boy who had a very similar appearance to Kosuke. Kosuke also looked at him with curiosity. "He doesn't seem to have awakened the Shikotsumyaku yet, or his father, the clan leader, would have locked him up, afraid of his power surpassing his own", Kosuke thought.

Makoto looked at his wristwatch and said aloud "Let's start, we'll continue with the taijutsu training, the art of hand-to-hand combat. Form a pair each and wait for me to call your names, if you don't choose anyone I'll assign someone myself.

Fight without holding back, I'll be evaluating your progress".

As soon as he said that, all the children immediately went to choose their training partners. A boy with black hair approached Kimimaro and said with a challenging tone: "Kimimaro, let's fight. This time you won't be so lucky as before. This time I'll beat you". Kimimaro just looked at the boy and nodded without much expression. He didn't like to train. He only attended the trainings to avoid being punished by the clan and thrown into a dark cell again.

Kosuke just watched the scene unfold thinking: "That boy looks like a typical example of a Kaguya clan member, fierce and thirsty for battle."

Suddenly, he felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned to see who it was. It was a child of his clan, with a malicious smile on his face. He taunted him: "Hey Kosuke, what are you looking at? Do you want to train with me? Or maybe you're afraid?".

It was Itsuki, a boy who often looked for trouble with him, Itsuki had black hair and the same marks on his forehead as every member of the Kaguya clan. "It seems that all the children here act this way", Kosuke thought.

"I'm not afraid of you Itsuki, and if I remember correctly the last time we fought it was you who lost", Kosuke replied, with a calm expression.

"Tsk that was months ago, now are you going to fight me or not?", Itsuki said, impatient.

"Sure, let's fight", Kosuke replied.

"Ok people, the first ones to fight will be Souichi and Hideo. You two can start", Makoto said.

As soon as he said that, the two young ones called went to the center and started to fight, they had nothing special and seemed to know only the basics of the Kaguya style taijutsu.

The fight was in a stalemate, with the two just exchanging direct blows between them without any kind of strategy, and it only ended when one of them made a mistake and the other took advantage of the moment to finish the fight.

Makoto announced the next names on the list of fights and soon it was Kosuke's turn. "Kosuke and Itsuki, come to the center and show what you can do".

Kosuke and Itsuki stared at each other and walked to the middle of the training field, where a circle was drawn on the ground. Without wasting time, they assumed their fighting stances and threw themselves at each other.

Itsuki was the first to attack, raising his right leg and aiming at Kosuke's head with a high kick. Kosuke crossed his arms in front of his face and blocked the blow, feeling the impact on his forearms. He took advantage of the moment and retaliated with a low kick, aiming at Itsuki's left knee to knock him down. Itsuki jumped back, avoiding the attack, and continued his offensive.

Kosuke was adapting to his new body, which was more agile and surprisingly stronger than the previous one. "I think the people in this world have a stronger physique when compared to those in my previous world", Kosuke thought.

He started the fight cautiously, observing Itsuki's movements and looking for a gap. He also remembered the taijutsu techniques that were in his mind, and incorporated them into his fighting style. Gradually, he gained confidence and advantage over Itsuki. "This boy is not as bad as I thought. He really had some skill in taijutsu, even if he wasn't very dedicated to the trainings. At least some good news", Kosuke thought.

The fight became more intense, with the two exchanging fast and accurate blows, trying to hit the weak point of the other.

Itsuki tried to surprise Kosuke with a punch in the stomach, but Kosuke ducked and delivered a right hook to Itsuki's chin, making him stagger back and fall to the ground. Kosuke got up and looked at Itsuki lying on the ground and then at Makoto, who nodded his head, signaling the end of the fight.

Kosuke felt a twinge of pride for having won his first fight, but soon scolded himself. "I can't brag about defeating just a child. I still have a lot to improve", Kosuke thought, as he left the center of the training field and watched the next fight.

The next fight was between Kimimaro and the boy who had challenged him. Kimimaro and his opponent faced each other with intensity, but not with equality.

The boy with black hair was called Kameda and was one of the strongest among the newcomers, but that was not enough to compete with Kimimaro. Kameda nurtured a rivalry with Kimimaro, because he despised him for his calm and apathetic way, which went against the nature of the clan. He wanted to prove that he was superior to him, that he was a legitimate Kaguya. But Kimimaro didn't care about him. Kimimaro dominated him in every aspect, whether in strength, speed or technique. From the beginning, he didn't let Kameda touch him once. Kameda, desperate, tried to hit Kimimaro with a blow to the temple, but Kimimaro just dodged and hit a punch in the chest that made him retreat several steps.

Kameda, in a fit of rage, pulled out a kunai from his waist and advanced with the blade pointed at Kimimaro's neck. "Kimimaro, you arrogant idiot, this is for you to learn not to underestimate me. You think you're better than everyone, but you're nothing. Die, you worm", Kameda yelled, with a voice full of anger and frustration. He didn't care about the rules, he just wanted to kill Kimimaro.

Makoto watched the scene with a calm expression on his face, without making any gesture to interrupt. He was used to these situations, where the children lost control and attacked with intent to kill, but he knew that this time he wouldn't need to intervene.

And he was right, because before Kameda could complete his attack, he was lying on the ground with a huge red mark on his face that had the shape of a foot. Kimimaro had sent him flying with a single kick to the head. Kimimaro just looked at him from afar with an empty expression. "Why were you so eager to fight me, if you already knew how this would end? It was the same thing as last time, and it will be the same thing as next. You have no chance against me", Kimimaro said with an indifferent voice. He felt nothing when fighting, neither pleasure, nor pain, nor fear.

Looking at that scene, Makoto thought to himself: "Kimimaro is truly a genius of taijutsu. He surpasses everyone else here, even being one of the youngest.

Hm… Kosuke is also not to be underestimated. He has a natural talent for fighting.

Both seem to have a good chance of awakening the Shikotsumyaku, especially because of their white hair, which are a sign of their Kaguya heritage. A pity that neither of them have much dedication to the trainings."

Putting aside these thoughts Makoto announced the end of the taijutsu training "People the taijutsu training is over, now we will proceed with the kunai and shuriken throwing training, grab your weapons and position yourselves in front of the targets".

Kosuke didn't do well in the shuriken throwing training, he missed most of the targets, his classmates did a little better hitting a few more. In this training only Kimimaro stood out, of the twenty throws he made, he hit fifteen. Kosuke didn't let himself be discouraged by his results, because he knew that the former owner of this body was also bad at it. "It doesn't matter, I can still improve this skill even if it's not very relevant, after all, who dies of kunai and shurikens in Naruto?"

After the shuriken throwing training, the elder taught some hand seals and a basic jutsu: the substitution jutsu. He said that this jutsu was essential to survive in a combat, switching places with a nearby object. He made a demonstration of the jutsu, making a wooden trunk appear in his place, before ending today's training and sending everyone away.

Kosuke was thinking about the hand seals that made up the substitution jutsu as he returned home, he had tried to perform it in the training but was unsuccessful, he only managed to switch places with a small leaf. "I really need to improve my chakra control, I think I should start climbing trees this afternoon, but after lunch now I'm hungry." Kosuke thought, feeling his stomach rumble.