18 18. Meeting Might Guy

Aiko laid down on the grass after turning off his skills, looking at the clouded blue sky thinking about today, in half a day he had got himself a new weapon and learned a new jutsu, but more than that the conversation he had with Kushina inside the shrine was on his mind.

'Create my own path huh?' he thought shielding his eyes as the sun which was hidden behind the clouds came out, spilling its rays on him.

'I should find a method to fight opponents even if they are stronger than me, like today, even if I could have used the boost card I have a feeling that I would have been defeated' he thought because fights did not solely depend on the amount of chakra.

Thinking about that possibility and the consequence of that, he suddenly felt his breathing rate increase followed by his heart rate and his forehead got coated in sweat. Even though Kushina said she was stronger than him, Aiko was able to sense that she was weaker than when he had first met her.

'This is fear?' thought Aiko as he kept his hand on his chest feeling his elevated heartbeat, which gave him a different feeling than when he was excited and it felt really... unpleasant.

Aiko took a deep breath and increased his calm mind to 50%, dampening the emotions he felt, but he did not forget them.

'I should increase the level of my skills so it will reduce my stamina consumption and increase my speed, strength or find a way to weaken the enemy to my level' thought Aiko, his brain working in full speed coming up with different ideas.

Soon it was afternoon and Aiko went back home to have lunch and continued training with Kakashi in the training field and he realised that after fighting with him for more than two months they both were already quite familiar with each other's fighting pattern.

Kakashi also realising that told him "I think fighting with me will not have any benefit for you anymore and if I use more strength than now, you will only end up getting hurt"

"But, if you want to improve your taijutsu skill, I know a person who can help you with that," he added, looking at the boy's face. Kakashi had also gotten accustomed to training with the boy everyday, and seeing him improve brought a sense of satisfaction to him, and his nightmares had also considerably reduced.

"Who is that?" asked Aiko a bit curiously as Kakashi seldom praised others.

"His name is Might Guy, he is one of the best taijutsu experts I know," introduced Kakashi.

...............…..

Soon, Aiko explained his plan to Kushina and left with a shadow clone of Kakashi as the real one remained to carry out his mission.

They walked towards the outskirts of Konoha, but it was in the opposite direction of the orphanage.

"Guy-san lives in the outskirts of the village?" asked Aiko as they walked a bit surprised.

"Yes, he has been living there with his father since young, He finds it convenient as it is near the forest where he could train," said Kakashi.

Aiko nodded his head in understanding and they walked for a while in silence.

"Kakashi-san how do you fight people who are stronger than you?" He asked, hoping for some input as Kakashi was more experienced than him.

Kakashi looked at the boy a bit surprised but he still answered, "Stronger in what way?" he asked.

"Hmm, is there a difference?" asked Aiko, looking at white-haired boy beside him.

"Yes, it does," said Kakashi. "Finding your enemy's strength and weakness should always be your first step in a battle, so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly." he explained.

"If your opponents have more strength than you, you could focus on dodging, if they are faster, you could focus on defending until they tire out and then escape or attack" he said making Aiko nod his head in agreement.

"And fighting also depends on the terrain, sometimes you have to use your surroundings to set up an ambush or hide, but your enemy could also do the same, so the one who understands the terrain better will have an advantage" he continued.

"What if your opponent is better than you in all aspects?, how will you fight such an opponent?" asked the boy after digesting the information.

"If your opponent is very superior to you, then the only thing you can do is escape and improve your strength." said Kakashi solemnly while wondering why the kid was asking such questions.

"Is there no other way?" muttered Aiko, frowning as he walked.

"No, this is reality, you can't win all the time, neither can you save everyone," said Kakashi grimly as he looked into the distance.

"Everyone cannot be good at everything, so don't think that you should do everything by yourself, sometimes you can only win by depending on others." he said, his voice filled with loneliness and regret. 'If I had realised this earlier then, maybe….'

"Thank you kakashi-san, I will keep that in mind." said Aiko, thanking Kakashi for his advice.

Kakashi also came out of his thoughts and they continued their journey in silence until they reached their destination.

Aiko saw a small house made of wood, wooden houses were quite common in Konoha, but what surprised him was that the house seemed quite crude and old.

As they neared the house, they heard dull thumping sounds from the woods surrounding the house and Aiko saw a black-haired boy kicking the trunk of the tree producing those sounds.

"Hey Guy," called out Kakashi in a bored voice causing the boy to turn around surprised.

"Hey Kakashi, what wind blew you here, did you come for a rematch?" he asked excitedly as he suddenly appeared in front of them.

"No, I want you to train someone in taijutsu '' said Kakashi coming straight to the point.

"Who?... This little guy?" asked Guy looking at Aiko who was standing beside Kakashi silently.

"Yes, he is already quite skilled, you could help him polishing those skills and give him some tips," said Kakashi.

"Hmm, I don't have any missions anyways, but, you should spar with me full power once this is over" said Guy giving them a thumbs up with a smile.

"Ok" agreed Kakashi, and looked at Aiko saying "My work here is done" and dispelled himself.

"Aiko-kun right? Let's start with a spar" said Guy, not surprised that Kakashi was a shadow clone.

Aiko nodded his head and took a fighting stance and attacked Guy with his full power. Guy also took a casual stance and took his attack head on.

Both fought for a few minutes with Guy increasing his speed as time passed to test Aiko's limit and he was surprised when the boy was able to adapt over time.

Sensing Aiko's exhaustion he signalled for the fight to stop and looked at the boy who was breathing heavily.

"You are a natural fighter, but your endurance and strength are too low" he commented and Aiko also nodded his head as he already knew this point.

"Now that we both know that, we will work on improving it" he said smiling and he came closer and whispered "Aiko-kun I will teach you my secret for becoming powerful."