Not the Only Ones

Kaoru stood alone in the training grounds, surrounded by broken wooden dummies. His upper body was bare, covered in strange patterns that were too complicated for the untrained eye.

'I don't feel any different at all,' he thought, closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged in the center of the training grounds. 'Grandpa Ogashi said I need to master my own chakra before even thinking about senjutsu… and to do that, I have to control Yin and Yang.'

His brows furrowed as he started circulating his chakra again.

'These seals are supposed to amplify Yang energy so I can sense it better, but I'm not feeling anything…'

He had made some progress with Yin-Yang training back in Takimura thanks to the ring Itachi had given him. But when Kaoru explained that method to Ogashi, the old Leviathan dismissed it outright. He didn't explain why, only muttered that it wasn't suited "for someone like Kaoru."

Instead, Ogashi had inscribed strange seals across Kaoru's body and told him to focus solely on chakra circulation. He claimed the results would come in time, that this method was more effective for Kaoru specifically. But that was all he said.

'He did mention that my chakra control is still lacking and that I can't sense what I can't control… but this method also requires sensing! Isn't that a contradiction?' Kaoru clenched his jaw. 'Maybe Leviathan training just isn't compatible with me.'

Still, despite all the complaints spiraling through his head, Kaoru never once slacked off. He followed Ogashi's instructions to the letter, training until he collapsed from exhaustion.

An hour passed.

No progress.

'Alright. I need to do something else,' he sighed, recalling Ogashi's advice: if stuck, switch tasks - reset the mind, then return.

Kaoru stood up, stretching his stiff limbs, and walked toward the small wooden table where he'd eaten lunch earlier. A chair creaked under him as he sat down and reached for a familiar notebook.

The corners of his lips lifted.

Bound in a soft leather cover and reinforced with faint seals, the notebook had fewer than fifty pages. He and Mizuki had promised to use it sparingly, writing in small script to make it last.

'Let's see if she's written anything today,' he thought, flipping through the pages. The smile lingered as his fingers turned each one with care.

Then, his eyes lit up as he reached the final page.

A new message, long and beautiful from refined writing, filled the last sheet.

"It was especially hot today. Master said I'm making progress, but I don't feel it. They keep forcing me to eat these horrible insects, claiming it'll help my fire affinity. They taste like rotten eggs and twist when in mouth…

How are you doing? Does Grandpa Ogashi still call you random names?

How's Sensei? Please write about him too in your next message. Unlike you, I can't contact Takimura at all.

I hope we both finish training soon and come home… but I already know Master won't let me go for at least another year.

I miss y everyone in Takimura so much."

Kaoru's gaze lingered on the text for a while before he slowly closed the notebook and slipped it back into the storage seal.

'I should keep training,' he told himself, straightening his back and rolling his shoulders. He stretched out every limb, tensing his muscles until they ached. 'But now I've lost the will…'

Still, he walked back to the center of the training field.

With a deep breath, he flared his chakra as far as it would go, forcing it outward, like he was trying to burn the laziness out of his system.

His gaze sharpened.

Resolved.

He sat down, closed his eyes, and began again.

<<<>>>

"You're weak," a voice whispered behind Akane.

And then she felt it.

His hand - already closing in on her back.

Akane didn't try to block. She already knew she wouldn't make it in time.

Her body shifted on instinct, angling to absorb the impact instead, bracing herself for the kind of hit that couldn't be dodged. 'I'll try to decrease the damage, recover fast…'

But the strike never came.

A deafening roar of lightning tore through the air behind her as Shin slammed into the path of the attack, his body wrapped in a faint, crackling shell of chakra. Blue arcs crawled across his arms and chest, feeding into the Kiba blades now humming with so much power they lit the chamber like a second sun. 

His arrival wasn't a movement - it was an eruption, chakra bursting outward in every direction as he met the enemy's hand with both blades in a brutal crossguard.

Stone cracked under their feet.

Akane stumbled back, steadying herself just in time to see the clone closing in from behind Shin.

She didn't hesitate.

Her palms snapped together. Chakra surged - focused, condensed, and wrapped around her like a second skin. Her pulse slowed even as her world sped up. She vanished from her spot in a single burst of motion and reappeared in front of the clone, her foot slamming into its ribs before her sword arced in from above.

It caught the blade with two fingers.

Not a block. Not a parry.

Just held it. Effortless.

She felt the impact before she saw the knee drive into her side. Her chakra coat dulled the pain, but the hit still sent her flying. She rolled once, twice, then rose back into formation beside Shin.

Their backs touched.

Across from them, both versions of the man stood relaxed - same posture, same expression, as if none of this mattered.

The original charged, kicking off the ground so softly that it barely made a sound. Shin met him head-on, blades sweeping in a storm of arcs while Akane tried to flank him from the side, her blade already cutting the air, whistling.

Neither attack landed.

Not because he blocked, but because the space where he stood just a moment ago was completely empty.

He slid away without effort, grinning all the while.

"You're fast," he said, his tone almost cheerful, like he was complimenting a friend. "But not fast enough."

His clone rejoined the dance, leaping toward Shin with a speed that was difficult to trace even with Akane's enhanced reflexes. Still, she had to help her sensei. 

Akane's chakra flared again, boosting every limb, pushing past what her body wanted to allow.

She intercepted the clone mid-jump, swinging a powerful kick - only for him to roll with it, twisting midair and stepping into her guard but he did not get to take advantage of the moment.

Shin was already there.

He struck like lightning, connecting with a powerful blow that sent the clone skidding back with a laugh. Akane could feel the tension rising in her chest, her every instinct telling her the same thing:

'We're not winning this. Not even close.'

The original was still on the sidelines, having fun observing Shin and Akane fight his clone. But slowly his expression was turning neutral, yawning.

"I do enjoy a spectacle," he said, brushing his sleeve. "But I think I'm ready for the real thing."

Akane's heart dropped.

"I'm done playing," was the last thing Akane heard before the air itself ruptured, dark chakra erupting in a violent wave that shook the entire chamber.

It wasn't just a burst. It was a suffocating surge, thick and oppressive, flooding the room like a rising tide.

'What the hell…' Akane's breath caught. It wasn't just the chakra, though that alone was overwhelming, it was what came with it. His body was changing.

His arms stretched unnaturally, lengthening as gray scales spread down to his fingertips. A thick tail burst from his back. His skin turned pale gray, almost like a corpse, as if he was mid-way through becoming something that should never exist.

"Sensei, what do we do?!" she shouted, her voice barely cutting through the pulsing air.

There was no response.

Akane turned toward Shin, her eyes widening as her gaze landed on him.

"Sensei… is that your new technique?"

<<<>>>

"Finally!" Kaoru shouted, jumping in place. "After struggling for a week, I finally managed to sense it!"

"Good job, Kasaru," Ogashi replied in a flat tone, setting the scroll he'd been reading down on the table. "I thought it would've taken you longer."

'Is he saying he thought I was a bigger loser than I actually am… or that I'm better than he expected?' Kaoru mused, already used to Ogashi's peculiar way of phrasing things.

"Now we'll slightly increase the difficulty," the older Leviathan added with a smile that made Kaoru frown on instinct. "What? Did you really think you'd just walk around with those seals forever?"

Kaoru sighed. "Are you going to remove them now?"

"No. If I did, you'd lose the ability to sense it again," Ogashi said, already behind Kaoru, a tentacle casually rubbing his shoulder. "I'll remove just one. We'll take it step by step until you no longer need them at all."

"Grandpa Ogashi, I don't get it. Why did we start with sensing water particles around me, and now we're back to chakra control?" Kaoru winced - removing seals hurt, as they affected his sensory ability.

"Because back then, I didn't know what your strengths and weaknesses were. Now I do," the old Leviathan replied, walking back to the table as he finished removing the seal.

"Alright, alright… but Grandpa Ogashi, it's been almost three months and I'm still as strong as I was when I came here." Kaoru's tone dropped low, his voice betraying that he was bothered by it.

"Don't be impatient. You're already far stronger than you were - you just don't realize it yet. But you will." Ogashi leaned back in his chair, lifting the scroll again, a clear signal that the discussion was over and Kaoru was meant to resume training.

'Sometimes he explains things with way too much excitement. Other times it's like he's rationing his words like they're wartime supplies.' Kaoru grumbled inwardly as he returned to the center of the training ground, preparing to resume his Yin and Yang sensing exercise.

But before he could sit down, Soma appeared out of nowhere and hurried toward Ogashi.

"Elder Ogashi. Lady Enia wants to see you. And Kaoru too," Soma said flatly, signaling Kaoru to move closer.

Ogashi's expression immediately changed. "Is everything alright?"

"No," Soma replied, lowering his voice. "The other tribe is seeking a meeting."

Both Ogashi and Soma turned to Kaoru.

'The other tribe?' Kaoru's thoughts scrambled. 'What does that mean?'

"Well, we knew this day would come eventually," Soma muttered, then vanished in a flicker of movement.

'He didn't say goodbye.' Kaoru frowned. 'That's not like him.'

"Kid," Ogashi said, already moving away his scrolls and tools into the storage seal. "We need to meet with Lady Enia. Go put on something."

"I stink. Shouldn't I shower fir…"

"There's no time," Ogashi cut in, shaking his head. "She wouldn't have summoned us if it wasn't urgent."

He nudged Kaoru toward the log where his shirt was hanging.

As Kaoru picked it up, Ogashi paused, hesitating just for a second, and then said:

"Kid… our tribe isn't the only Leviathan tribe."

**

A/N -

I was scrolling through Naruto fandom Reddit today (looking for inspiration), and stumbled across one of those classic debates - 7 strongest Uchiha vs 7 strongest Kage. I must've seen like 10–15 threads arguing the same thing, each one wilder than the last.

So… now I'm curious. Who do you think would win? xD

And no, Naruto vs Sasuke, Hashirama vs Madara and Itachi vs the rest of Uchiha, is not acceptable xD

Reminder - Break Tomorrow

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