197-Good Practice

"So what do you think?" Miwa asked, her voice cutting through the noise like a blade. Renjiro blinked, his mind momentarily blanking out as he tried to process everything.

He finally found his voice, though it was laced with uncertainty. "I think that it's good for getting more fighting experience," he said.

Miwa's face lit up with approval, "Exactly! That's why we're here."

Renjiro frowned slightly, "For training?" he asked.

Miwa shrugged, her expression turning slightly cryptic. "Yeah, something like that."

Before Renjiro could probe further, someone approached them. He noticed the figure, a man with sharp features and a confident stride, heading their way.

Miwa turned to greet him, a familiar smile on her face. "Rie, good timing. This is my nephew, Renjiro."

Rie nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes briefly scanning Renjiro as if assessing him.

"Nice to meet you, Renjiro," he said in a polite tone, though his gaze was piercing.

Renjiro gave a respectful bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Rie-san."

Rie then glanced at Miwa, his expression shifting to one of mild urgency. "We're about to begin," he informed her, his tone indicating that this was something important.

Miwa nodded, turning to Renjiro with a more serious expression. "Come on, follow me," she instructed as she began to lead the way.

'It seems like this is more than just a visit why wouldn't she just tell me why she brought me here.' Renjiro thought as he started to become frustrated by the whole interaction.

He followed closely behind, still unsure of what exactly was about to happen. They approached a space similar to the one Renjiro had seen earlier, a marked-off area where two shinobi were standing. The only difference was that they were not locked in combat, and there were no spectators present.

The two were a young boy and a woman. They were both dressed in the standard black jumpsuits and green flak jackets. The boy was tall and broad-shouldered, with a calm, almost detached expression on his face. The woman, on the other hand, had a sharper, more intense look, her eyes glinting with anticipation as they approached.

'Is Miwa going to fight?' Renjiro wondered, the thought both surprising and intriguing him. He had seen Miwa fight before, but not in a setting like this.

The woman was the first to speak, "Miwa, I thought you weren't going to show up," she said with a smirk playing on her lips.

Miwa rolled her eyes but smiled back. "Osaki, why would you even think that? You know I always keep my word," she retorted.

Osaki's eyes twitched slightly at the remark, clearly recalling instances where Miwa hadn't exactly been punctual or reliable.

Still, she let it slide, focusing instead on Renjiro. "So, this is your nephew?" Osaki asked, her gaze shifting to Renjiro, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"Yes, he is," Miwa confirmed, glancing at Renjiro with a proud smile.

"Renjiro, this is Osaki and her nephew Kayo."

Renjiro took a step forward, bowing respectfully to both Osaki and Kayo. "It's an honour to meet you both, I am Uzumaki Renjiro," he said politely.

Kayo, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, his voice low and calm. "Likewise," he said, his expression unreadable as he studied Renjiro.

Osaki's eyes flicked between Renjiro and Kayo before she turned back to Miwa. "So, when do we begin?" she asked.

Renjiro, who had been trying to piece together the situation, finally spoke up, "Begin what?" His eyes darted between Miwa and Osaki, hoping for some clarification.

Osaki raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips as she glanced at Miwa.

"Your nephew doesn't seem to be aware of the situation," she remarked, her tone slightly amused.

Miwa sighed, shaking her head slightly as if this was something she should have anticipated. "Renjiro, you will be fighting Kayo," she explained, her tone matter-of-fact.

Renjiro's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Wait, what?" he asked, his voice a mix of confusion and disbelief.

He had assumed they were here for some kind of training, but he hadn't expected to be thrown into a fight, especially not one that seemed as serious as this.

Miwa's expression softened slightly, though there was still a hint of challenge in her eyes. "You'll be fighting on my behalf," she said, her voice calm but firm.

Renjiro stared at her thinking, 'Is that supposed to make me feel better?'

"But why do I have to fight at all?" Renjiro asked again. It seemed like Miwa was avoiding his question so he kept asking it, trying to get to the root of all of this.

Miwa paused, her expression thoughtful before she sighed lightly, "Alright, Renjiro, I guess I owe you an explanation," she began, "Osaki and I… well, we have a bit of a dispute, and we decided to settle it through a fight."

Renjiro blinked, "A dispute?" he echoed, "What does that have to do with me?"

Miwa smiled, "Well, we decided that instead of fighting ourselves, we'd have our nephews fight on our behalf," she explained, her tone as if this was a perfectly logical solution.

'How does this concern me?!' Renjiro thought, the absurdity of the situation starting to settle in.

"But Miwa, I just came back from a mission," he protested, his voice edged with fatigue. "I'm not in the condition to give it my all in a fight."

Miwa, however, wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily. She grinned, "You were planning on training before resting, weren't you?" she countered, "So I'm sure you'll be fine."

Renjiro stared at her, "Training is different from fighting," he pointed out.

Miwa chuckled, "It's all the same," she said, waving her hand dismissively as if brushing off his concerns.

"You've been through tougher fights than this, Renjiro. Besides, it's not like you're going into battle, you're just sparring with Kayo. It's good practice."

Renjiro's mind raced as he tried to think of another way out of this, but Miwa's relaxed attitude and confident smile made it clear that she wasn't going to back down.

He felt a mix of frustration and resignation settling over him, knowing that arguing further would likely be pointless.

With a heavy sigh, Renjiro finally relented. "Alright, fine," he said, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.

"I'll do it. But what are the rules?"

Osaki, who had been watching the exchange with a slightly amused expression, stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "No killing," she said simply, her gaze steady as she looked between Renjiro and Kayo.

 "That's the only rule. This is a spar, not a fight to the death death match."

'Yeah right, as if Spar isn't just a word to sugarcoat it.' Renjiro thought.

He had seen the venue, if this was some sort of sparring, doing it in one of the training grounds near the base would be the logical thing to do. But they were in a place called battleground. Safety was not something one would think of when they heard of the place, let alone see it.

He glanced at Miwa, who was watching him with an expectant expression. Miwa smiled a hint of pride in her eyes. "Show them what you're capable of."

Kayo, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, stepped forward, his expression calm but focused. "I look forward to our match," he said, his voice low and measured.

Renjiro nodded in acknowledgement, studying Kayo's demeanour. There was no malice or hostility in his tone, just a sense of purpose and determination. It was clear that Kayo was taking this fight seriously, and Renjiro knew that he would have to do the same.

They stepped into the designated fighting area and took their positions. Renjiro took a deep breath, centring himself as he shifted into a ready stance.

Across from him, Kayo did the same, his movements precise and controlled. There was a calmness to him, a sense of composure that spoke of experience and confidence.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath as they stood there, poised to strike. Then, with a sudden burst of movement, Kayo attacked.

=====

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