Game of Shadows by Adrian King1

chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor The Gamer. I own nothing, really.

Chapter 22

'This isn't what I was expecting when she said testing my skills,' I thought to myself as my back hit a tree almost as thick as a small house.

You see, my new sensei had decided to see what she had to work with, which was fine. However, I had been expecting her to let me fight against one of the known and varied 'animals' (read, monsters) that populated the Forest of Death. I didn't expect her to say 'Hi' and immediately throw a kunai at my face.

Fast forward a few minutes and there was I, dodging punches and kicks that would probably smack me against the forest floor or send me flying.

It had started as a distance battle really, with both of us throwing kunai and shuriken at each other. She had given me a backhanded compliment when I added some spice to it by attaching tags to them, some exploded, some didn't, some weren't even real tags. I had even tried to throw the shuriken at her feet so that they acted like improvised caltrops…

That idea was a lot better before I realized that she could literally jump over me to end in the opposite direction. I would have to rain shuriken on the place to actually hinder her. And in the end I would probably make more trouble for myself than for her.

'I need to do something… different,' I concluded.

Fighting normally wouldn't do. My teacher apparently didn't bother holding back more than it was necessary to not have me killed. This was easily proved by the numerous bruises that I could already feel forming all over my body even as I tilted my head to have a punch graze my cheek. Less than a second later I had to block a kick to my side that, while not sending me against the nearest tree, did push me almost a meter.

I narrowed my eyes a plan started forming. My eyes darted around every time I had a split second to think, which meant every time I was sent flying, regrettably. However, it ended up being productive, if painful.

'Ok, this idea sucks, but it's something,' I thought before I jumped back to avoid another kick. Normally I would jump over it instead of backwards. But Anko could and would hit me while airborne, so that was a no.

With a semblance of a plan in mind, I waited for my opportunity, dodging what I could, blocking what I couldn't and more often than not I was still hit once or twice in between.

"If you never attack this will never end, brat," She half-demanded and half-mocked. I ignored her while crouching under a jab and rolling away from a punch downwards.

As I went to stand up, my opportunity came. 'Perfect timing,' I thought hiding a smirk. A kick was coming down towards my head and I enacted my plan.

Preparing myself for what followed, I jumped towards the kick, which means up and head first into the kick. Her heel hit the back of my head and, being mid jump, had me doing a front flip. That exactly what I wanted though, and according to plan I extended my leg and…

My foot connected with her face.

Either because of the surprise or because of the actual feet, she stumbled back. Before I could even land on the floor, I was already running through hand seals. And thus, immediately after my feet touched the dirt, I sent two handfuls of lightning-infused shuriken her way.