Chapter 97: A proper Ninja

The morning sun had just risen, and the eastern training ground was shrouded in a light mist. Ren was already there, seated in a lotus position at the center of the field. He had arrived well before the scheduled time, determined to prepare a meticulous strategy. Around him, hidden in the ground, on trees, and even beneath rocks, were seals he had carefully placed at dawn.

Surveying the field, Ren took a deep breath. Everything is ready. He had spent hours positioning the seals, using every basic notion he had learned about Fuinjutsu. Though he wasn't an expert, he knew that even a small advantage could make a difference against an opponent like Ganryu.

He sat in the lotus position, closing his eyes. In the silence of the field, he began visualizing the upcoming battle. He mentally reviewed combinations of techniques, imagining every possible response Ganryu might have. His hands, resting on his knees, moved slightly as he traced the gestures required to execute the most critical seals.

Ganryu is fast, unpredictable... but he won't use all his skills. I have to convince him that I'll rely on predictable patterns and shift his attention to decoys, keeping his focus on the seals and the clones as much as possible.

As Ren delved into his thoughts, time seemed to stretch. A faint rustle among the trees brought him back to reality. Opening his eyes, he saw Ganryu emerging from the forest. The Jonin walked calmly, his sharp gaze analyzing every detail of the field.

Ganryu stopped a few meters away, carefully observing the surroundings. His eyes briefly lingered on a tree, then a rock, and finally the ground. A subtle smile crossed his face as he thought: This kid… Does he really think I wouldn't notice all these seals? But I have to admit, it's clever. If he weren't still a novice at Fuinjutsu, I wouldn't have spotted them so easily.

Ren stood up slowly, his gaze locked on Ganryu. The Jonin gave a slight nod, a gesture of approval. You've worked hard, I see.

He noticed the seals scattered around the training field. Good, exactly as I wanted. Ren held back a smile, his heart beating slightly faster. He was ready.

Ganryu turned toward the lake visible in the distance and said in a calm tone: "Today we'll train by the water."

"Let's move." He then began walking without waiting for a response.

The sunlight reflected off the lake, creating shimmering ripples across its surface. Ganryu walked calmly to the training spot, his analytical gaze scanning the area. He immediately noticed the seals, fewer than in the eastern training ground but strategically placed.

This time, he's determined to land a hit. And he anticipated that I'd notice. Good. I'll let you proceed, Ren. Let's see what you can do, he thought with a faint smile.

Ren was already prepared. Without a word, he created two water clones that positioned themselves at his sides. With a fluid motion, he drew his tanto and charged directly at Ganryu. The Jonin easily dodged the first attack, but a water wave suddenly struck from his right, created by one of the clones. With a swift motion, Ganryu neutralized the wave, but Ren pressed on, attacking with the tanto and forcing the Jonin to keep his focus on him, while the second clone joined the fray.

He's trying to lure me toward the seals, Ganryu thought, anticipating the boy's moves. I'm sorry, Ren, but it won't work.

Increasing his speed, Ganryu eliminated the clone that had created the wave with a precise strike. But as he did, a series of kunai flew toward the clone. You anticipated this too. Good, he thought, dodging the kunai elegantly. However, he noticed an explosive tag on one of them. At the last second, he activated the Mist Body Flicker, vanishing into the mist and reappearing unharmed.

Meanwhile, Ren had already activated the Kirigakure no Jutsu, covering the area in a thick mist. The remaining clone moved toward Ganryu, attacking head-on.

"You should know the mist doesn't work against me," said Ganryu calmly. With a slash, he cut through the mist itself, but his strike met a protective barrier that Ren had set up in advance. While not strong enough to fully repel the blow, it disrupted Ganryu's focus.

Clever. He finally used the mist to distract me, but his barriers are still too weak, Ganryu reflected, amused by the boy's determination.

A volley of Rock Bullets burst through the mist, accompanied by an explosive kunai. Recognizing the repeated pattern, Ganryu countered with a powerful water wave, halting the projectiles and stopping the explosion mid-trajectory. From the resulting cloud, Ren emerged with a direct attack. Though faster than before, Ganryu easily evaded, only to face another series of kunai changing trajectory mid-air.

One kunai struck Ganryu, but the Jonin turned into a log. He had used the Substitution Technique, reappearing near the clone on the lake. As he moved to eliminate it, a third clone emerged from the water, catching him off guard.

Not bad. So, it was all a diversion up to this point.

Ganryu easily dodged the attacks from both clones, eliminating them with a single sword strike. But he noticed too late that the third clone was loaded with explosive tags. Forced to dodge again, Ganryu barely managed to avoid the explosion when another burst of water propelled Ren out, giving him the speed needed to strike.

Ren's tanto grazed Ganryu's flak jacket as the Jonin sidestepped by a hair. Well done, but it's not enough, thought Ganryu, surprised by the precision of the attack.

Ren stopped, lowering his tanto and stepping back. "Thank you for today's lesson, Ganryu-sama." His words marked the end of the spar.

Ganryu observed him, puzzled. He's already finished? He considered responding but froze as his eyes fell on his flak jacket. There was a subtle cut. When? I dodged that… Wait. He infused wind into his tanto to extend its reach. He kept that hidden this whole time.

Ren couldn't completely hide a smug smile as Ganryu pulled a scroll from his jacket and tossed it to him. "Next time, this trick won't work," the Jonin said before disappearing into the mist.

As he walked away, Ganryu reflected. He used nothing but diversions, from start to finish, to land that single strike. And he hid the ability to channel wind into his tanto for all this time, as a true Ninja. Seven years old, and he's already thinking four moves ahead. Ren, Where did you come from?

Ren, left by the lake, stared at the scroll in his hands with a mix of excitement and satisfaction. Finally! Now everything changes!"he thought as the morning sun began to dissolve the mist.

[ Hi there! Ito-kun here ^.^ 

Thanks everyone specially Jayroy_63 , Braden_T, Cordell_Clinton, Ian_Clark_6978, BagusPardana, DarkGambit,Diegoa, Desert_Dust0 , Daoist0thxiB, and Miguel_024!

 Sincerely Thanks and remember about the Power Stones, these are the motivation for my work :) ]