14

It has been a couple of months since Haru became Mito's disciple. Besides his training in sealing, which is going very well, his physical training is also in full swing, as he and Nawaki have started sparring a lot under the supervision of their taijutsu teacher.

But today was different because Mito was in the training ground to watch their spar. This happened rarely, but since she was told that the boys were progressing at a very fast speed, she decided to come and witness it for herself.

Haru and Nawaki were facing each other, but with very different demeanors. Haru was still his calm self, as if nothing could make him panic. Nawaki, on the other hand, was very excited, as his body language showed. He was jumping in his place, waiting eagerly for their spar to start.

After Mito nodded her head, Haru and Nawaki came to the center and performed the Seal of Reconciliation before going back to their corners.

Haru and Nawaki faced each other in the training area, ready to spar. They had done this many times before, but each session was an opportunity to improve their skills.

Nawaki was the first to make a move, charging at Haru with a powerful punch. But Haru sidestepped and countered with a swift roundhouse kick to Nawaki's side. Nawaki grunted in pain but quickly recovered and launched a series of fast punches at Haru.

Nawaki continued his relentless attack, knowing that Haru couldn't evade forever. He pressed his advantage, focusing on landing a few solid blows to Haru. After all those sparring sessions, Nawaki knew that his advantage lay in his abundant physical strength, so he wanted to use it to tire Haru out.

Haru ducked and weaved, avoiding Nawaki's strikes and landing a few of his own. He knew that he couldn't match Nawaki's raw strength, so he relied on his speed and agility to stay out of harm's way and strike effectively when possible.

Nawaki noticed that Haru was attempting to keep his distance and evade his attacks. He closed in on Haru and delivered a low kick to Haru's leg, aiming to make him lose his balance. Nawaki followed up with a quick punch to Haru's chest, but Haru saw it coming and blocked it with his hand.

Haru realized that he needed to adjust his strategy. He couldn't afford to allow Nawaki to land more hits, or he would be at a disadvantage. He closed the distance between them and landed a few quick strikes, attempting to throw Nawaki off his rhythm, but Nawaki was ready for him this time.

Nawaki seized Haru's arm and twisted it behind his back, causing him to wince in pain. Haru gritted his teeth and used his agility to slip out of Nawaki's grip, rolling away and getting back on his feet.

Undeterred, Nawaki charged at Haru again, swinging his fists wildly. Haru moved quickly around him, dodging and evading, but Nawaki persisted. He knew that if he could land one good blow, he could turn the tide of the fight.

In a swift move, Haru flipped over Nawaki's head, landing behind him and delivering a powerful kick to his back. Nawaki grunted in pain, but he remained on his feet and retaliated with a series of forceful kicks aimed at Haru.

Haru backflipped to avoid the kicks and landed several feet away. When Nawaki charged again, Haru was prepared. Sidestepping Nawaki's punch, Haru delivered a series of quick jabs and kicks, landing several solid blows to his opponent's stomach and chest. Despite grunting in pain, Nawaki persisted and swung his fists once more. However, Haru's speed and agility enabled him to dodge and evade with fancy footwork and acrobatic movements. At last, Haru saw his opening when Nawaki left himself vulnerable. Haru took his chance and grabbed Nawaki's arms, flipping him over his back, causing Nawaki to collapse to the ground.

Haru approached Nawaki and extended his hand to help him up. "Good job, Nawaki," Haru said with an encouraging look in his eyes. "You're improving every time we spar. Finally, you've learned to use your advantages in fights."

Nawaki smiled and accepted Haru's hand. "Thanks, Haru," he said, catching his breath. "You're still so good at keeping your composure. I always try to speed up to make you flustered, but it never happens."

Haru chuckled and replied, "Well, at least one of us has succeeded in influencing the other. You're now more calm during fights and can plan strategically. I consider that a win on my part."

Mito laughed upon hearing Haru's comment and replied, "Well, Haru is right. My little monkey has become a smarter fighter." Nawaki frowned and retorted, "I am much stronger now. I can already win against most of my opponents. It's just Haru's style that is weird. Just wait until I get used to it, and then I will surely win." Mito chuckled but didn't object, knowing that Nawaki had made significant progress over the past few months. Having a sparring partner like Haru, who used intelligence and fighting sense to win, had forced Nawaki to evolve beyond relying solely on his physical advantages. He had learned to recognize his strengths and find a fighting style suitable for him. Despite still being a bit rough and fighting ineffectively, taking those first steps was a significant achievement.

While Nawaki and Mito were having their conversation, Haru wrote down in details their fight in his notebook while his memory was still fresh. After finishing, he went to Nawaki and handed it over to him. Nawaki took it reluctantly and asked, "Do we have to do this every time?" Haru calmly responded, "Of course. If you don't want to get stronger, then don't do it. I don't mind always winning." Nawaki muttered under his breath, but he still sat down and started reading.

Mito stood behind Nawaki and also read what Haru had written. She soon realized that it was a detailed description of their previous fight. She looked at Haru, who explained to her that after a while, they would reenact their previous fight so they could identify what they did wrong. It was a method he had thought of so that he and Nawaki could learn much faster, fight more effectively, and get rid of ineffective moves.

After that, Mito watched as Nawaki and Haru reenacted their fight. They stopped after each move to observe and debate whether it was effective and if they could have responded with a better action. She couldn't help but sigh at Haru's influence on Nawaki. She acknowledged that without Haru to motivate and support Nawaki, he wouldn't have grown this much.

Mito also realized that her feelings for Haru were changing rapidly. Initially, she had only taken him as her disciple due to his potential and his relationship with Nawaki. She wanted to nurture him to be Nawaki's future support. However, after spending more time with him, she started to view him more like Nawaki and Tsunade, with his sincerity and character. She now saw him more and more like her grandson, and even like Nawaki's brother rather than his future subordinate.

After finishing with Nawaki, Haru greeted Mito before heading back. As he walked, he couldn't help but start to think as the breeze blew through his hair. Even though Haru didn't try his best in his spar with Nawaki, as time went by and he continued to absorb nature energy, his senses were getting stronger. This allowed him to find multiple flaws in Nawaki during their spar, but he didn't take advantage of them as he didn't want their spars to be one-sided. He also wanted to help change Nawaki. After spending so much time with him, Haru's bond with Nawaki had grown, and he genuinely saw Nawaki as his best friend and someone important to him.

Haru knew that in the ninja world, he couldn't always be by Nawaki's side, so he decided to help him grow. Even though Nawaki may not be as talented as his sister Tsunade, he was still the grandchild of Mito and the First Hokage, which gave him huge potential as he was part of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans. However, what was holding Nawaki back was his character, as he was very naive and reckless. In the end, he was the sole male heir to the bloodline of the First and Second Hokage. Even though Mito and the rest tried to be harsh on him, by most people's standards, he was still a spoiled kid whose elders had protected him for most of his life. This was why, when he went to war, he died easily, as he was put in a position where he had to rely solely on himself for the first time in his life.

Haru didn't want this to happen again, so he was very focused on changing Nawaki for the better and trying his best to make him at least more mature than his previous self.