Small Wins and Big Losses

The midday sun cast long shadows over the academy training grounds as students gathered for sparring practice. Rei stood quietly off to one side, stretching out his arms and rolling his neck. After weeks of taking hits from clan kids, he was starting to develop a grudging tolerance for sparring. Still, it was hard to get excited about another session that would probably end with him nursing bruises and his ego alike. 

Though he never wanted to actually win a fight, purposefully holding back in order to not attract attention. There was still a part of him that recognised that he was an adult, an adult trapped in a child body certainly, but still an adult and he was being beaten up by children. 

It was an ego bruiser for sure. 

As he waited, Rei glanced around at the other students, some looking eager, bouncing on their feet with nervous energy. The clan kids, as usual, carried themselves with quiet confidence, scanning the lineup as if sizing up their competition, only amongst themselves. 

"Rei Fujikage," called Takashi-sensei, his voice even and calm.

Taking a deep breath, Rei stepped forward already planning how to make his defeat look realistic and close. This time though, as Rei was looking amongst the clan kids for which one Takashi would call out as his opponent, instead someone came up behind him. 

It was another civillain, a kid with a determined expression but a bit of an awkward stance. 'A civilian?' Rei thought to himself, a little surprised as his twisted into a frown. He was so used to sparring with clan kids that his new opponent felt entirely out of place. In Takashi's eyes, it would allow civillain children an opportunity to gain more experience when fighting against clan kids who were a more superior opponent. 

This was the first time since being in the academy that Rei had gone up against a fellow civillain. 

"Begin!" Takashi-sensei's command rang out, and the two of them moved.

The other kid launched forward with a wild swing, arm too high, his balance slightly off. Rei sidestepped easily, feeling a flicker of confusion as he watched the punch miss by a mile. 'That was… weird,' he thought, raising an eyebrow as he dodged another haphazard swing. 'Is this kid sick or something?'

Rei shifted his weight, countering with a quick strike to the kid's shoulder, it was nothing more than a probing strike meant to gauge what his opponent was hiding. Instead, he staggered backward, the kid blinking in surprise but quickly recovered and threw another sloppy punch. It was slapped to one without much effort and despite the opening presented to him, Rei did not capitalise expecting this to be a trap. 

'Is he holding back?' Rei wondered. 

The fight continued as Rei remained on the backfoot, allowing his opponent to chase him down with sloppy strikes. Yet the exchange was entirely one-sided and not in the aggressors favour as Rei kept blocking the strikes yet his confused and panicked expression created the illusion he was struggling under the strikes despite the ease of his movements. 

However, Rei wasn't panicked due to his opponents pressure. 

No, Rei was panicked because he was entirely overthinking. 'Maybe he's nervous.' Rei thought to himself, once again trying to convince himself that the reason this fight was too easy was because of something his opponent was hiding. Even more so when he slipped past a poorly aimed punch, feeling the sense of ease with in him as he did so. 

Before he knew it, the match was over.

Takashi calling an end to the bout as the fight ended with Rei's victory having scored the only strike of the three minute match. His opponent let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his shoulder where Rei had struck him, while Rei stepped back, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. 

Takashi-sensei stepped forward after Rei and his opponent performed the Seal of Reconciliation. "Good job, both of you." He congratulated them, turning to Rei immediately. "You handled the pressure well, Rei. But you're too cautious. There were many opportunities to land decisive counterstrikes like you did early on in the bout. Do not doubt your abilities and capitalise upon them."

Rei simply nodded, yet he dismissed the praise. 

Though he still couldn't accept the truth for what it was, Rei had no intention of drawing attention to himself by ending fights with easy victories like that one would have granted him. All that would have done would have brought attention to himself and that was the last thing Rei wanted. 

-X-

Rei was making his way to his usual spot on the outskirts of the training grounds when he noticed a few of his classmates glancing his way. Normally, he'd pass by unnoticed—another quiet, unremarkable face in the crowd. But today, some of the other kids seemed to be looking at him a little differently.

"Hey, Rei," a civilian kid called, stepping forward with a casual grin. "Nice moves out there. You looked… uh, kinda like one of the clan kids."

Rei raised an eyebrow, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Did I? Guess I got lucky," he replied, shrugging off the comment. However, he could not deny that it was nice to actually see where he stacked up compared to the others. His form was more precise and fluid, his awareness far higher and thanks to his physical conditioning he was faster and stronger than them as well. 

Yet while it was nice to see the progress for himself, situations like these, with kids coming up and complimenting him were precisely not what he wanted. Standing out was dangerous for his health and future, it was the last thing he would be aiming for.

"Yeah, seriously," another kid chimed in, his voice casual but curious. "You've been getting better. I didn't think you'd win that one."

Rei shot him a dry look. "Thanks for the confidence," he replied, voice flat. "Good to know my failure rate was keeping expectations nice and low."

The kid laughed awkwardly, but Rei barely noticed, his thoughts drifting back to the match. Outwardly, he kept his face carefully neutral, but he couldn't entirely shake the satisfaction of not getting his ass kicked by a child, even if he allowed it and was in the body of a child himself.

-X-

That evening, Rei returned to the orphanage, slipping away to his usual training spot in a small, hidden clearing near the back of the yard. This was where he did his secret drills—working on his chakra control exercises, refining his footwork, and building strength. But as he began his warm-up, he noticed something he hadn't expected; he wasn't alone.

A couple of the other orphans, kids from his academy class, had followed him. He'd noticed a handful of them watching him during classes, but he hadn't realized they were paying this much attention. They seemed curious, studying his movements as if trying to copy him.

"Hey, Rei," one of them said, a young boy with wide eyes and a bit of a grin called after Rei had finished practising his forms. "How do you get your kicks so clean?"

"Yeah, and how do you punch like that?" a girl added, glancing at his stance with a look of admiration. "You make it look easy."

Rei felt his jaw tighten. 'Just what I needed. My own fan club.'

Trying to ignore them, he continued with his drills, focusing on his form and chakra control. But it wasn't easy to block out their chatter as they kept pestering him with questions, asking for tips, and trying to mimic his moves. Every time he'd start settling into his routine, he'd feel their eyes on him or hear their whispered comments.

One of the boys moved closer, watching with wide-eyed fascination. "Can you show me that stance again?" he asked, practically bouncing on his heels.

Rei let out a sigh, glancing over at them with a look that he hoped conveyed how little he wanted an audience. "It's just practice," he said, his tone clipped. "You'll get it eventually if you just… keep doing the drills."

He continued with his routine, but he could feel his frustration building. 'This is supposed to be my time,' he thought, annoyed. He'd chosen this spot to get away from everyone, to work on his training undisturbed. But now it felt like even this small refuge was slipping away from his grasp and along with it his anonymity. 'If I want to keep improving without kids breathing down my neck I need a place where I can train without anyone else around.' 

He supposed that eventually, he should have expected something like this to happen. Rei while training at the very edge of the orphanage ground, still trained in view of the other kids. They always kept to themselves and did their own thing, but that didn't mean it wouldn't have been the case forever. 

Today just happened to be the day. 

Now he needed to find somewhere away from prying eyes where he could work on his techniques and other aspects of being a Shinobi without others interfering or disturbing him. The question was where abouts in Konoha, a village full of Shinobi where he would find a place that would fit that description. 

-X-

Later that night, Rei lay on his bunk at the orphanage, staring up at the ceiling. The sounds of the other orphans meant to be getting some sleep but instead chatting away filtered through the corridors and walls into his room. But Rei's mind was elsewhere, racing through the possibilities of where he could train alone.

The academy was out.

Now, apparently, the orphanage was too.

He thought back to something he remembered from his own memories of the anime and manga. The training grounds around Konoha—the most notorious one being the Forty-Fourth Training Ground, also known as the Forest of Death. His academy instructors had mentioned it in passing, even taking the class on a tour of Konoha's training areas at the beginning of the school year.

Where did the Forest of Death fit into all of this?

Well it had been pointed out as strictly off-limits, a place no one ventured into, not even Jonin or ANBU. 'That's perfect,' he thought, a glimmer of excitement creeping into his mind. 'If no one goes there, it means no one will bother me there either.'

The Forest of Death had a reputation; dangerous terrain, deadly creatures, and a history of being a proving ground for only the strongest shinobi during the Chunin Exams. It wasn't an active training site, more of a challenge that Konoha kept as a relic from a bygone area. From what he remembered Takashi telling him, it was virtually abandoned, a place few dared to enter.

'No one would even think to look for an academy student there,' he was confident in that, his mind made up.

The Forest of Death was risky, sure, but if he stuck to the very edges of the forest, he could avoid any major dangers. With his recent progress, he felt confident that he could handle the challenge as long as he was careful.

'It's just a forest,' he told himself. 'And if I can make it my training ground, what else could I manage?'

The thrill of the idea settled over him like a second skin, the sense of challenge sparking something inside him. The Forest of Death was dangerous, yes—but that was exactly the point. It was precisely what he needed to give him that hidden edge, to push his limits, to help him in any future scenario. 

With a determined glint in his eye, Rei sat up, a plan forming in his mind. Tomorrow, he'd start scouting the area after the academy day ended, figure out exactly how to get in without drawing attention. He'd play it safe, of course, sticking close to the perimeter, he was in no rush to lose his life by heading to the depths of the forest. But this was the next step he needed for his training, place where he could be alone, without the prying eyes of classmates, instructors, or anyone else.

'If I can turn the Forest of Death will be my training ground, then I can really begin to push my limits. And maybe, just maybe, I'll finally have the edge I need.'