Suddenly, Kakashi felt it.
A subtle shift in the air.
Almost instantly, he dropped into a crouch.
Aaron had a habit; he liked going for headshots, usually from behind. In Kakashi's mind, this quick duck was a stroke of genius.
Maybe he couldn't dodge everything…
…but at least he could avoid the first hit.
Then
Midori's scream rang out.
"Why is it me again?! This is so unfair!!"
It was the kind of moment that would've been followed by a dramatic silence… if anyone could see it.
Kakashi casually stood back up, acting like nothing had happened.
Everyone's blindfolded… and Aaron's busy picking on Midori. No way anyone noticed, he reassured himself.
Then Aaron's voice cut through his thoughts.
"I was hitting Midori. Why did you duck, Kakashi?"
Kakashi froze.
Between his mask and blindfold, his expression was completely hidden but his body had already betrayed him.
Still, he forced himself to stay calm.
"My legs were getting a little stiff. Just stretching them out."
"Oh? Is that so?" Aaron asked, clearly amused.
"Yeah"
Before Kakashi could finish
He felt it again.
A disturbance in the air.
But this time
Too late.
Thwack.
Pain shot through his head.
He'd failed to dodge.
"Even when you're talking, keep your senses sharp," Aaron said lazily.
Then he began pacing around them again, deliberately making his footsteps louder, turning the pressure up even further.
Training like this had a way of making time disappear.
Before they knew it, the entire morning was gone.
It was noon.
The sun was high overhead, blazing, but none of them felt any warmth.
Every time Aaron took a step, they flinched instinctively, as if the temperature dropped with each footfall.
To be fair…
Anyone would feel like that after getting smacked around all morning.
Forget landing a hit
Not a single one of them had successfully dodged even once.
They'd all been thoroughly beaten down, bruised and battered.
Aaron glanced at the sky, then smiled.
"That's it for this morning's sensory training."
Midori immediately perked up, clutching her swollen cheek.
"So… we can eat now?" she asked, clinging to a shred of hope.
Honestly, she'd never been beaten this badly in her life.
The only thing that had kept her going…
…was the thought of lunch.
Aaron smiled pleasantly.
"Midori, did you land a hit on me?"
She shook her head.
"Did you successfully dodge three of my attacks?"
Midori hesitated. For a moment, she almost nodded out of pure desperation
But one look at his expression, and she gave up.
"…No."
If she lied, he'd definitely use it against her.
"Then I guess you'll just have to watch me eat."
With that, Aaron cheerfully pulled out a lunch box and opened it, revealing neatly arranged sweet dumplings, still warm and fragrant.
Midori scoffed.
"Big deal. A grown man still eating sweets like that every day? What are you, five?"
Then
Kakashi stepped forward.
"Midori doesn't want any," he said calmly. "But I do. Come to think of it… those look pretty good."
Aaron grinned.
"Excellent taste."
He handed Kakashi a portion.
Kenshi immediately caught on.
"…Actually, I like those too."
He got a portion as well.
Midori blinked, completely stunned.
"W-wait, weren't we not allowed to eat?!"
Kakashi replied without missing a beat:
"I'm not eating lunch. I'm eating sweets."
Midori's eyes widened.
That counts?!
She cleared her throat, trying to recover some dignity, kicking at a pebble on the ground.
"Uh… Captain Aaron… I actually like sweets too."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Didn't you just say only little kids like them? You're fifteen, not exactly a kid anymore."
Midori didn't even hesitate.
"That's just on the outside. Deep down, I've got the heart of a kid."
All for the sake of food.
Watching her flip that fast, Aaron couldn't help but laugh.
So this is human nature.
He didn't tease her any further and handed her a portion as well.
After lunch, Aaron began teaching them two of the Six Powers: Shave and Paper Art.
He chose those two specifically, Shave was the simplest and most practical to learn first, while Paper Art would help with developing their sensory perception.
He planned to teach them all six techniques step by step.
After all, rebuilding the Anbu couldn't rely on him alone.
Once these three mastered them, they could pass the knowledge on.
Aaron personally demonstrated both techniques in detail. Even Kakashi, who had already grasped the basics of Shave, didn't get complacent. He listened carefully, analyzing everything with his Sharingan.
Later, after 4 PM, training finally ended.
Exhausted, Kakashi made his way toward the small inn where Hanrei Uzumaki was staying.
Aaron had made it clear:
You brought her here; you handle the rest.
Today, Kakashi needed to help her register officially, so she could truly become part of Konoha.
As he walked through the village, Kakashi suddenly sensed a slow-moving disturbance in the air.
Instinctively, he dodged to the side.
He turned
And found Might Guy standing there.
The "disturbance" had just been Guy reaching out to pat his shoulder.
If only Aaron-sensei's attacks were that slow… Kakashi thought bitterly.
Getting smacked in the face with a staff all morning still hurt.
Even though he still called him "Captain," in his mind, Kakashi had already started thinking of Aaron as something closer to a teacher.
"K-Kakashi… what happened to you? Did someone beat you up?" Guy asked, eyes wide in shock.
Even with the mask, Guy knew him too well.
The bruises, the swelling… the dark circles around his eyes, it was obvious.
Kakashi paused, then answered in a low, steady voice:
"I tripped."
And walked off.
There was no way he was admitting he'd been beaten senseless all morning.
"Hey, Kakashi! Which road was it? I've gotta challenge it! Whatever knocked you down that badly must be incredible!" Guy called after him.
Kakashi's expression darkened.
Using the crowd as cover, he quickly lost Guy and made his way to the inn.
Stopping at the door, Kakashi knocked politely.
"It's me, Kakashi."
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