Hiro wiped the sweat from his brow, still catching his breath from the ambush drill. His leg throbbed from the repeated strikes, and his forehead ached from the st kunai hit. Despite the exhaustion, his mind was still spinning. He looked across the clearing at Kaya, who watched him with her usual composed expression.

  "So… do I get a turn to try and hit back now?" Hiro asked, hopeful.

  Kaya smirked, shaking her head. "There wouldn’t be a point. You have zero chance of hitting her."

  Hiro’s confidence plummeted.

  Across the clearing, Natsume giggled, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Compared to my cousins, I’m actually one of the weaker ones."

  Hiro stiffened. His fists clenched at his sides. Weaker? This girl had effortlessly dominated him in the ambush drill. If she was considered weak, then what did that make him?

  Before Hiro could fully process that thought, a deep, measured voice cut through the clearing.

  "She neglected to tell you that her cousins aren’t just any opponents. They’re Uchiha."

  Hiro turned quickly, his body tensing as a man stepped into the clearing. His dark hair was neatly kept, save for a single loose strand that fell over his forehead. His sharp, calcuting eyes carried an intensity Hiro had never encountered before. The standard Konoha jōnin uniform he wore fit his rigid, disciplined posture. Even without knowing who he was, Hiro could tell this was not someone to take lightly.

  The man stopped a few paces from Hiro and spoke in a calm, authoritative voice. "I am Shinji Uchiha," he stated simply. "Kaya may have mentioned me before."

  Hiro stiffened, recognizing the name immediately. He had never met Shinji before, but he knew he was Kaya’s close associate and someone deeply respected. The air around him felt heavy, his presence alone commanding attention.

  Shinji’s gaze flickered toward Natsume. "She neglected to mention that her cousins aren’t just any shinobi. The Uchiha cn is considered the best in the vilge when it comes to shuriken and kunai techniques. She’s not training against average opponents."

  Hiro absorbed the information, and for the first time, his frustration eased.

  So it wasn’t just that Natsume was strong—it was who she trained against that made her seem untouchable.

  Still, that didn’t change the fact that he was nowhere close to her level.

  Shinji’s gaze remained locked onto Hiro. "We’ll be moving on to the second part of your spar. No weapons. No tricks. Just taijutsu."

  Hiro straightened. This was his chance to make up for the st fight.

  Shinji uncrossed his arms. "I’ll be scoring both of you. We stop when I say."

  Hiro exhaled slowly and stepped into position, his eyes locking onto Natsume.

  Across from him, Natsume grinned, bouncing lightly on her feet. "Try not to hold back, Hiro!"

  Hiro adjusted his stance, determined.

  "Begin," Shinji ordered.

  Hiro barely took a step before Natsume was already in his space. She moved like a blur, her small frame shifting effortlessly to Hiro’s blind spot before he could react.

  A tap to his ribs.

  It wasn’t painful, but it threw him off bance.

  He swung his arm, trying to retaliate, but she was already gone. Sliding under his strike, she reappeared at his side.

  A light sweep at his ankle sent him stumbling.

  Hiro barely caught himself before another light tap nded at his shoulder, knocking him off bance again.

  She wasn’t hitting hard.

  She wasn’t trying to hurt him.

  She was simply showing him that she was in complete control.

  Hiro growled, frustrated but determined.

  He attempted to predict her movements, shifting his stance mid-fight. But every time he thought he had her, she had already moved.

  Natsume was enjoying herself. "You’re not bad, Hiro!" she chirped, still grinning brightly. "But you’re waaay too stiff!"

  Hiro gritted his teeth and went for a feint.

  A fake strike left, a real strike to the ribs.

  Natsume saw through it instantly.

  She ducked low, twisted behind him, and with a small, precise movement—a light kick to his back sent him sprawling forward into the dirt.

  Hiro coughed, trying to push himself up.

  "Enough," Shinji called, his voice cutting through the clearing.

  Hiro y there for a moment, breathing hard.

  Above him, Natsume stood with her hands on her hips, grinning ear to ear.

  "You sted longer than I thought you would!" she chirped.

  Kaya walked over, nodding approvingly. "That wasn’t bad for a first spar."

  Shinji, arms still crossed, studied Hiro for a moment before speaking. "You have a long way to go. But I’ve seen worse."

  Hiro sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He had lost. Badly.

  And yet… he wasn’t upset.

  He wasn’t discouraged.

  Instead, he felt something different.

  He looked up at Natsume, determination flickering in his eyes.

  "Let’s do that again sometime."

  Natsume beamed. "You bet!"