It's been nearly a month since my Anbu training began.
I must admit, this week alone has taught me more than I could've learned in months on my own. Pain, precision, paranoia, all bundled under the silent tutelage of Owl. Cold, sharp, and focused like a blade honed over years of blood-soaked experience. I have to give it to him, he's a good teacher.
The Anbu manuals and tactical drills are behind me now. I've been through brutal chakra control exercises, from basic tree climbing to the treacherous water surface walking. But the spike training... that was something else. Steel spikes stabbing into the soles of my feet if I lost balance for even a second.... But now, I glide over them. My control... it's changing. It's getting more precise, more refined.
Is it Kurama?
What is it with that fox? There's a storm coiled in silence beneath my skin. restless, watching, waiting. I feel it rising, inch by inch. And I know… our reckoning is coming.
We'll meet soon....
My taijutsu is improving rapidly too. Not just in speed, but in sharpness. Every movement more instinctive, more lethal. I've even begun learning some advanced ninjutsu...
Then, a sudden crackle of instinct — my senses flared violently.
Without thinking, I twisted and launched myself backward, just as a volley of shuriken tore through the air where my head had been.
Clik. Clik. Clik.
Owl emerged from the right, silent and deadly. His legs whipped toward my ribs like a scythe. I dropped low, just barely dodging. With no hesitation, I hurled a kunai straight at his chest. He sidestepped effortlessly, but I was already moving, fingers flying through hand signs.
"Fire Style: Inferno Snap!"
I snapped my fingers, channeling chakra into a focused flame that blasted forward, a snapping burst of searing fire, aimed at his head. Owl leaned back just in time, the fire grazing past him and licking the shadows.
But I wasn't done.
I rushed forward, fists raised. A spinning backfist aimed at his temple, followed by a low sweeping kick. He blocked the punch and flipped over the sweep, twisting midair to slam his elbow toward my neck. I seized his wrist mid-strike, twisted with fluid precision, and drove my knee into his side with all the force I could summon. He caught it between his hands, muscles straining to absorb the impact but a low grunt slipped through his guard.
Then, just as suddenly, his fingers flicked into the Anbu halt signal. sharp, deliberate, unquestionable. The fight ended in an instant, but the tension still pulsed in the air like a drawn blade.
I froze.
Owl stepped closer, calm and unreadable as ever.
"You did well," he said, voice steady. "Always stay alert. Let awareness be your instinct."
I nodded, breathing heavily.
"Now," he continued, "we begin your Genjutsu training. Your chakra control is progressing well. Time to refine it further."
He tossed me a worn scroll.
I caught it and opened it. The ink reeked of old secrets.
"Nightmare Jutsu."
A Genjutsu that reaches into the deepest corners of the victim's mind. Triggered by sound. a whisper, a breath or by eye contact. It doesn't just deceive the senses. It rips through the heart. Trauma. Grief. Fear.
Their worst fear will come alive.
I read it in silence. My lips curled slightly.
Just the kind of jutsu I like.
Sometimes I wonder... does Owl know me better than I think? It's a dangerous thought. One I shouldn't allow.... For his sake.
Better not to know me, Owl. Or you'll suffer worse than anyone ever has.
He watched me quietly. "Practice it," he said. "It's nearly a month since you began. Soon, I'll test you."
I forced a smile and bowed my head slightly. "Thank you," I said, voice steady, mask in place.
He looked at me.. long, thoughtful.
Then he nodded and turned away.
He's responding now, I thought. Still no face, still all mystery. But that's fine.
No secret stays buried forever.
Every shadow can be peeled back. Every mask can be shattered. You just have to apply the right pressure.
And I'll unravel his, thread by thread.
After all...
You must silence the mouth that learns too much.
And Owl... you're beginning to learn.