Chapter 63 - The Various Ninja Arts

Daichi looked at his grandfather and prepared himself. 'You're not going to take me off guard this time.'

"Warm Ups over. Time for the real fight." Kensei rushed over as he said those words.

[You have sensed killing intent.]

In moments he was in front of Daichi and sent a powerful punch aimed at the boy's chest. Daichi flooded his body with chakra and enhanced himself. He deflected the punch, then counter attacked. Kensei blocked and grabbed hold of Daichi's arm.

"First lesson. Taijutsu."

Kensei twisted Daichi's arm and tried to get him into a submission hold but Daichi, familiar with the hold, grabbed Kensei's other arm and got himself free.

Daichi jumped back several feet and stood his ground. 'That was just a simple basic submission hold. He was only testing me…'

Kensei ran and quickly reached Daichi. Both of them began exchanging blows at a fast pace. Kensei targeted Daichi's joints and upper torso. He increased the speed of his attacks little by little.

'His speed is equivalent to high level genin bordering chunin. And his reflexes and reaction time are nothing short of incredible for someone his age. But this fight has only just begun.' Kensei's aim was to study Daichi's strengths and weaknesses and then teach him to get rid of those weaknesses.

'He has a firm grasp on the academy Taijutsu style and his instincts are good. He's not falling for the obvious gaps I left in my defenses. It's almost as if he has experience identifying the obvious traps laid out by the enemy. If I didn't know any better I'd say he has been fighting and training with people other than me… Time to switch it up.'

Kensei changed his battle style in mere seconds. Daichi was fending off attacks with some difficulty but as the time passed it was getting increasingly harder. As the fight progressed, Daichi noticed the sudden shift in Kensei's battle style.

Kensei suddenly started attacking Daichi with much more force than before. A punch that Daichi blocked contained enough power to numb his arm.

'Ahh…. My arm. That was strong enough to rattle my bones.' Daichi put more chakra into his arms and blocked the next hard punches. As the fight progressed he noticed something strange.

'Some of his punches contain incredible force but some feel normal. No… They are slightly weaker than his normal punches. But I can't tell which is which. He's not trying to go faster and get through my blocks. It's as if he's deliberately allowing me to block him. What's he trying to do?'

It took a few moments for Daichi to figure out the old man's strategy.

'He's trying to wear me down. Both mentally and physically. I'm using more chakra to block the powerful punches. But if I don't know which ones are strong and which are weak, I'll have to use chakra to block all the attacks. Even the weak ones that won't affect me. He's trying to confuse me and wear down my stamina and chakra.'

"You sneaky old man." Daichi grinned at Kensei as he figured out his plan.

"You need to be more observant and efficient in a fight. If you use what you've already learned then you can figure it out." Kensei said nothing more as he kept up his assaults.

Daichi deflected most attacks because directly blocking them would use up more energy. Daichi focused his chakra to his eyes and ears. He kept a close eye on the muscles in Kensei's arms.

A punch suddenly broke through Daichi's guard and hit him in the chest.

[-111 HP]

"Ghaa…" Spit flew from Daichi's mouth as he reeled back from the blow. He quickly regained his bearings and defended himself against the coming attack wave.

"It's good to want to analyze and figure out your enemy's attack patterns and fighting style. But that doesn't mean you should let your guard down." Advised the old man as he fought his grandson.

The words Kensei said brought a certain memory to Daichi's mind. It was the memories of the powerful Taijutsu and sword-wielding ninja he fought in the dungeon. 'I became focused on his sword style patterns so much that he was able to shove a knife into me. And now I made the same mistake again. Can't let something like that happen a third time.'

Daichi lashed out with a kick aimed at Kensei's knee. Kensei raised his leg and blocked Daichi's kicks and forcefully locked the boy's leg in place and attacked.

'Shit. He has me locked down. If I try to get out of the hold he might snap my leg.' Daichi calculated the ways in which he could escape. 'I can't let this fight go on like this. If I do I'll fail.'

Daichi quickly focused chakra to his free leg and slammed down into the ground. The ground around the two fighters ruptured, forcing Kensei to disengage and jump back. The veteran ninja didn't look as if he just fought in a Taijutsu battle. Kensei maintained his breathing and his chakra flow was calm and smooth as ever.

Daichi jumped and gained some distance as well. But he was in a much rougher shape. He took in several deep breaths of air as drops of sweat fell down from his face.

"You're much better than an academy student. But if you want to stand at the peak then this isn't enough. Your journey has only started. The academy. The fights you win there… It's just a playground compared to the real world. Don't let your victories till now go to your head." Kensei said as he looked at the boy.

Daichi's eyes sharpened as he listened. 'I know, old man! The dangers lurking out in this world. Much more than you. I'm strong but I'm well aware that I'm still just a big fish in a small pond.'

Daichi understood better than anyone the threats roaming the world. It was why he trained so often and learned everything he could. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he was careful about the way he acted, to the way he spoke. His cautious nature was born from his fear of an early death at the hands of someone who might find out his secret or even just a random enemy he met on his journey.

Daichi looked at the old man and spoke. "I won't become lazy or let my guard down."

Kensei merely nodded. "Second lesson. Genjutsu."

Daichi was immediately bombarded with several of the same notifications.

[Mental intrusion detected.]

[Gamer's Mind has neutralized the attack.]

Seeing that the Genjutsu attacks failed Daichi smirked. 'I could pretend to fall under a Genjutsu spell but he would probably see through that.'

Kensei was bewildered as his illusion techniques failed. 'My chakra definitely connected with his but the moment it did it was flushed out of his body. He didn't look like he consciously disrupted the Genjutsu attacks… But judging from his grin he knows he's not affected... Is it possible? Is he immune to Genjutsu attacks?...'

The more Kensei studied and learned about Daichi the more intrigued he became. 'No. He was fooled by the Genjutsu I weaved into the substitution jutsu. So that means there are some Genjutsu that affect him… Time to find out his limits.'

"It seems you're somehow negating my illusions. Then we'll skip and go straight to the next one. Ninjutsu." Kensei weaved hand-seals faster than Daichi could keep up.

"Earth style - Mud River." Kensei spoke as the earth surrounding Daichi turned into a torrent of rushing mud and earth.

"Wow!!" Daichi was amazed at the speed with which the earth transformed. 'His execution of the technique is magnificent.'

Daichi used chakra to stay on top and not get dragged down and across the ground but he was only partially successful. Using his chakra strings he was able to quickly get to safety. He then decided to move away from the flowing terrain. Daichi jumped high and away and was about to land safely on the ground or so he thought.

The moment Daichi's feet touched the ground it was as if a glass had broken around the ground where he stood. A giant hole appeared and Daichi kept falling into the deep pit.

He quickly used chakra strings and attached himself to the walls of the hole and after several seconds he successfully climbed out. Daichi saw the grinning visage of his grandfather.

"It seems there is a limitation to your Genjutsu immunity." Kensei said smirking.

Daichi was on alert and slightly confused. 'Looks like he figured out the Gamer's Mind abilities. Or some of it at least. But what did he mean by limitations?'

Kensei didn't give Daichi time to figure it out, and quickly attacked. "Your enemies won't give you time to figure them out. You need a sharp as well as fast mind."

Daichi deflected the punch and sent a swift kick to Kensei's abdomen. He then quickly went through different hand-seals.

'Fire style - Fireball jutsu.'

Daichi released the fireball directly at Kensei but it was doused with a powerful water style jutsu in seconds. Steam wafted through the air all around the two.

Daichi used chakra sense to find Kensei through the mist. Suddenly as if he was swallowed by a black void Daichi was surrounded by blackness. He couldn't hear or see anything.

'What the hell?' Daichi increased his senses and created two shadow clones that covered his back. The three stood back to back. 'What's going on? I thought Genjutsu attacks didn't affect me?'

Suddenly three of them were attacked in the darkness. Daichi suffered multiple blows to his head and body. While his clones were dispelled after the first couple of hits.

"Have you figured it out yet?" Kensei's voice echoed throughout the black void. "Since I'm such a good grandfather, I'll give you ten seconds to figure it out. Then I'll attack again."

"Wait what?" Daichi's question went unanswered. He was breathing hard and was on one knee from the assault that just took place.

"Nine."

Daichi thought as fast as he could. 'Why? Why did this technique affect me?'

"Eight."

Daichi thought about the illusion jutsu he was trapped in now and the ones he encountered before.

"Seven."

Daichi's brain worked as fast as it could. He discarded several theories but then one came to mind. 'Could it be…?'

"Six."

'I think I just figured out a way to get out of this. Just hope it works.' Daichi made the ram seal and began gathering his chakra. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Five."

'Not yet. Not yet.' The boy concentrated more and more chakra in his body. If someone could see Daichi they would see a blue chakra mist covering his entire body.

"Four."

'Almost there…. Come on…' Daichi could feel his tensed muscles and coiled up chakra ready to burst.

"Three."

Daichi opened his eyes as he felt his chakra raging beneath his skin.

"Now." He clapped his hands and released all the compressed and gathered chakra at once. He placed his hands on the ground and let a third of it flow through the earth.

The violent burst of chakra broke the illusion, like a glass being shattered.

Daichi was breathing hard as he used quite a bit of his reserves. Several notifications popped up but Daichi ignored them.

"Crude. Taxing on the body. Inefficient… But effective." Kensei nonchalantly remarked. "So you figured it out huh. Your weakness."

Daichi nodded to the question. "I'm immune to Genjutsu that directly affects me. But I'm not against those placed on the surroundings."

"Yes. That's right. I was able to take away your sight, sound and smell by placing a Genjutsu on the terrain. It didn't directly affect your nervous systems but you were still under its effects." Kensei answered him.

"When I fell into that hole earlier… You already made a pit and then covered it with Genjutsu." 'Incredible! The foresight to see where I would land and create a trap even before I made the move… I've been playing Shogi matches with him for a year now but not once was I able to beat him. This guy is an incredible tactician. And his awareness of his surroundings and the ability to analyze his opponent… It's scary… So this is what true Anbu ninjas worth their salts are capable of.' Daichi narrowed his eyes as looked at the old man and took another deep breath.

"Yes. You might think of Genjutsu as a weak field but… you couldn't be further from the truth. The ability to take away the basic senses… that's child's play compared to what a true Genjutsu master can achieve. Your sense of time, direction, movements and much more could be altered. So just because you're immune to Genjutsu that directly affects you doesn't mean you can fight skilled illusion users. Do you understand?" Kensei wanted Daichi to expand his horizons.

"I understand." Daichi nodded seriously. 'I found a big gap in my skill. I need to fix it. And preferably before I take the genin exams.'

"Let's continue."

Kensei and Daichi resumed their fight. But it was more Daichi desperately defending himself for as long as he could and trying his best to wound his enemy. Despite all his level ups and strengths, Daichi was still unable to properly fight back against the might and skills of a former anbu captain.

As time passed Kensei showed Daichi what he was capable of. He trapped Daichi by layering the ground and surroundings with genjutsu. His ninjutsu forced Daichi to change tactics in the middle of the fight and retreat. And his taijutsu dismantled the boy's meager defenses.

Daichi was only strong enough to keep himself from getting seriously injured. But he fought at such an intense pace that Kensei had to take him seriously. But due to this intensity, Daichi was burning through his chakra and stamina quickly. During the entire fight he was only able to land a few shallow wounds on his grandfather.

But even those were ineffective as Kensei had several medical Ninjutsu under his belt.

"You know medical Ninjutsu as well?" Daichi was amazed at the skill and techniques his grandfather displayed.

Daichi threw several shuriken as his grandfather healed himself. Kensei expertly dodged or deflected them. Among the ordinary shuriken was one tied with a smoke bomb. The moment it neared Kensei it exploded covering the area around him in smoke.

Daichi rushed ahead and using his chakra sense he found and attacked Kensei. The old man parried the dagger in Daichi's hands with his kunai. Both of them pitted their strength against each other. Sparks flew as the dagger and kunai struggled and grinded against each other.

"Did you really think that would work?"

"No. But this is the only way." As Daichi said this, he suddenly let go of his strength. The sudden change pushed Kensei onto Daichi and he stabbed the kunai into Daichi's gut.

[-312 ]

[Negative Status - Bleeding.]

This took Kensei by surprise and he was unable to defend against the sneak attack to his abdomen.

Daichi held in the pain of the sharp metal stabbed into him and he buried a small knife into Kensei as well.

[-268 HP. Enemy hit.]

"Khuack-....." Kensei stepped back as he looked at the bleeding stomach. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"You deliberately let me stab you so you could injure me as well…?" The wound was not life threatening but it was still serious.

Despite the pain he was in, Daichi smirked. "You look surprised, old man. You told me to come with the intent to kill. We've been fighting for over 2 hours… And I haven't been able to land a serious injury. Not once. So this was my only way."

Kensei grunted and narrowed his eyes. His palms let up with green medical jutsu technique and he started healing himself. "Bold move. You're right Daichi. Sometimes you have to sacrifice an arm or a leg to save your life… But remember this!. You have to make sure… When you do make that sacrifice... Make sure to take the enemy down for good."

Kensei finished healing the wound by the time he was done talking. He disappeared and reappeared in front of the small boy in an instant. Kensei struck Daichi's right shoulder in two places with two outstretched fingers.

"What was that?... It didn't hurt at all." Daichi was confused by the attack. At that moment a notification appeared.

[Negative Buff - Right arm temporarily paralyzed. ]

Seeing this notification Daichi tried to move his right arm but he couldn't.

"I just struck the nerve bundle in your deltoid. It may not have hurt. But you won't be moving that arm for a while… Time to end this." Kensei told the boy.

Kensei disappeared from Daichi's vision. The next second all Daichi could see was blackness.

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Author's Note:

Tell me your thoughts on the fight. Did you enjoy it?

I wanted to show that despite being old, Kensei is still strong. And Kensei obviously didn't go all out to defeat Daichi. I hope this was a satisfactory fight.