A Kunoichi At Heart

Chapter 53: Moonflower

"I'm interested in kenjutsu," you answered, watching your sensei's face for any sort of strange reaction or concern. To her credit, she hid it well. It wasn't everyday a young genin kunoichi requested to learn the art of swordfighting from a genjutsu specialist sensei. Kurenai, like all jounin, was very good at following shinobi rule #25.

"Very well, [Name]. If that is what you wish, I shall make arrangements to have you taught by one of Konoha's finest swordsperson."

"There'll…be no need to overdo it," you said nervously, biting your lip as you looked at your sensei's overly determined expression. It reminded you of someone you couldn't quite place at the moment, and you didn't like it one bit.

"Don't worry about me," she assured, giving you a knowing wink. You knew the unspoken words she was trying to convey without much effort.

…worry about yourself.

Drat.

-:-

The next day, Kurenai introduced you to a masked ANBU woman who was to be your temporary sensei. As she was dressed in standard ANBU uniform and a porcelain cat mask, the only noticeable and distinct feature was her purple hair. Ragged bangs framed her mask and the rest of her long, straight hair reached her waist.

"Good morning, Kurenai-san," she greeted formally, curtsying. You caught a glimpse of a wickedly long katana strapped to her back and you grinned. "This is the student of yours who wishes to study kenjutsu?"

"Yes," Kurenai replied, giving you a concerned glance before hurrying to introduce you. "This is [Last Name] [First Name]. [Name], this is Uzuki Yugao. She's a member of the ANBU Black Ops, and a skilled kenjutsu master. Yugao, she's all yours."

Yugao nodded impassively, the mask concealing any emotion that she might have on her face. "How long do I have?"

"A few months, up until the Chuunin exams begin. I'll take her occasionally on missions with her team now and then if that's okay. But for the most part, she'll spend the time training with you."

"That sounds excellent!" Yugao said cheerfully, her tone uncharacteristic of the archetypal stoic ANBU member. She slipped one finger underneath the edge of her mask and slid it off her face. You could see that she was quite a young woman, with dark red lipstick and warm brown eyes. Her lips quirked into small smile. "It's [Name], is it?"

"Yes," you responded shyly.

"Well, [Name] — I hope you're ready for some tough training ahead. We only have a couple months to whip you in shape, so we'd better start."

-:-

You weighed the wooden replica of a Japanese katana dubiously in your hands, watching Yugao's movements with wary apprehension. She was far too graceful…it was next to impossible to try to follow her movements by studying them with the naked eye. Her skill was the product of years of practise, time that you didn't have. You would have to make do with a poor substitute.

"Ready?" she called, swinging her own sword in an intricate path over her head again.

"I don't think I can follow," you replied truthfully, watching the afterimage the velocity of her attack created with your mouth slightly open.

"Nonsense, now just do what I do," she said reassuringly. She slowed down, tracing a half-circle pattern in the sky. You raised your sword shakily, trying to copy her movements with your own embarrassingly jerky version.

Yugao laughed. "You know, you remind me of myself when I first started studying kenjutsu. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do anything Hayate showed me."

"Hayate?"

She blushed and smiled lightly, touching the side of her wooden sword with the tip of her finger. "My instructor…and boyfriend."

"Ah, I see," you replied, lifting your sword over your head again.

"Do you need another demonstration? It's better if you learn through practise, but if you can't remember…"

You accepted gratefully, and Yugao showed you how to wield the wooden sword properly as to expend the least amount of energy possible.

"You need to save your chakra to imbue your attacks with ninjutsu. Without the use of chakra, you might as well be a samurai warrior," she explained. "And if you use up all your energy slashing the katana around, you won't have enough to make your blows effective, even if you don't plan to use jutsu. Now try again."

You swung your sword, trying to imitate her semicircle arc with as much speed as possible without wearing yourself out. She smiled appreciatively at your improvement and proceeded to teach you how to perform basic defensive and offensive attacks.

"Proper grip and basic knowledge of your sword is essential to manipulating chakra-infused attacks. Move your index finger up the hilt a little bit and relax your hold — you're clutching it way too tightly."

You loosened your grip and moved your sword, executing a shaky copy of the Hazy Moon Night technique she had shown you earlier.

"Excellent!" Yugao called. "You mainly need to work on your speed, but your timing and memory of the attack style is good thus far. Now come at me with your katana."

"Eh…?!"

You and Yugao sparred all through the afternoon and well into the night. By the time you were finished, you were shaking with fatigue and covered in sweat, despite the cold, night air. You were thankful that you had been using wooden swords rather than the real thing. Even then, you were covered in welts and bruises and sore all over. You staggered to your sensei and tried to hand her the wooden katana. Her eyes flitted to the bright, full moon and she turned to you, smiling.

"Great work today, [Name]. It's close to midnight, and I'm sure you want your rest. Meet me here again tomorrow, and we'll continue your training then."

She took the sword, sealed it within a scroll and raised her head to the sky again, her eyes sparkling.

"Um…sensei? What are you doing?"

Without tearing her gaze off the night sky, she replied. "I'm looking at the moon. It's a guilty pleasure of mine, and the sky is rather beautiful tonight, isn't it? Hayate would normally watch with me on my days off from ANBU duty, but he's been terribly busy with the preparations for the Chuunin Selection Exams. Which reminds me, you're entering this year, aren't you?"

You sat down beside her as she explained how the Chuunin exams worked.

"Hayate's proctoring the third stage this year," Yugao added, her eyes glowing with pride. "Kurenai-san mentioned we'd be training up to the exams — she probably means to enter your team."

"Oh!" you said, wide-eyed. Yugao lifted her eyes to the moon again, looking distracted. You decided to take your leave then. It was late, and she seemed quite engrossed in her moon-watching. "See you tomorrow, Yugao-sensei."

"Until then, [Name]."

Go to Chapter 80.