Chapter 39: Taijutsu

"You want to keep this thing?"

Ruri frowned, looking at the rather menacing chameleon.

"Yeah." Kaito nodded, stroking the chameleon's chin. "It might look scary, but it's actually quite gentle and won't hurt anyone. With a little training, it could be a great helper. Isn't that right, Little Dragon?"

"Hiss, hiss!" The chameleon puffed out its cheeks and chirped a few times, as if in response.

"Really?" Ruri took two steps back, still looking disgusted.

"If you don't believe me, come and pet it."

"No, thank you!"

"I want to!" Unlike Ruri, the children's curiosity overcame their fear, and they were clearly eager to try.

Ryunosuke, in particular, would have already pounced on it if Kaori hadn't been holding him back.

Kushina, ever the daredevil, felt perfectly safe with Kaito nearby. She stood fearlessly in front of the chameleon, carefully examining its mouth. She even placed her hand on its head, stroking it gently just as Kaito had.

"Hahaha, it's so cool and smooth. It feels nice."

"Isn't it cute?"

"Mhm, mhm!"

The chameleon, seeing the red hair dangling in front of it, suddenly opened its large mouth, shot out its tongue, and wrapped it around Kushina, pulling her into its mouth until only her little feet were left dangling outside, kicking wildly.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Kushina!"

Everyone panicked. A flurry of chaos ensued as they rescued Kushina.

But unexpectedly, after she was pulled out, Kushina wasn't scared at all. Instead, she started giggling. "It's so soft and squishy inside. That was fun!"

"You were just eaten and you're still laughing? Ugh, you're covered in sticky saliva, it's disgusting." Ruri's eyebrows shot up, and she shot Kaito a glare. "Throw it out into the forest. That's where it belongs. And make sure you throw it far away, so it doesn't come back and cause more trouble."

With that, she picked up Kushina and marched into the bathroom.

"Look what you've done!" Kaito punched the chameleon in frustration, only to be met with an innocent-looking stare.

That afternoon, Village Chief Daisuke gathered all the villagers to announce the results of the investigation into the strange incidents. The culprit, the chameleon, was subjected to a public trial.

The great hero, Kaito, personally carried out the sentence, stringing it up and giving it a "harsh" beating.

With a great weight lifted from their shoulders, the villagers were all smiles. They showered Kaito with gifts of eggs, duck eggs, and other things as thanks.

In an instant, his reputation in Twin Rivers Village skyrocketed to 'Respected'. Ruri and the others also received a warm welcome.

After the public shaming session was over, Kaito took the chameleon to a distant part of the forest and released it.

"Go on, get out of here. And be more careful in the future. Don't wander into human territory. Not everyone is as kind as I am."

He patted its head and watched it climb a large tree and disappear into the foliage before turning to leave.

After the little chameleon incident, life for Kaito and the others in Twin Rivers Village settled into a routine.

After discussing it with Ruri, he used their remaining money to buy two more houses nearby.

One was converted into a stir-fry restaurant, with Kaito as the head chef and Kaori as his helper and waitress. This became their main source of income.

The other became the first school in Twin Rivers Village, offering free education to the village children. The teacher, naturally, was Ruri. She figured that if she was going to teach three children, she might as well teach a whole group.

Kaito, of course, was all for it. He even made a guest appearance as the moral education teacher, where he would… ahem, not brainwash the students, but rather provide them with high-level ideological education so they could become the new generation of well-adjusted successors in the ninja world.

However, these were all side projects.

Kaito's main task was still his training.

Without strength, everything else was meaningless.

A month later.

In the courtyard of their home, Kaori, Kushina, Ryunosuke, and Jinta sat in a row, their eyes fixed on the two figures standing opposite each other in the center of the yard.

"Big Sis Ruri, are you sure your injuries are fully healed? You wouldn't want to aggravate an old wound," Kaito said casually, his arms crossed.

"They've been healed for a while. If it weren't for being busy with the school, we wouldn't have postponed this spar until now." Ruri wore a white short-sleeved top and form-fitting black pants that perfectly accentuated her long, slender legs. It was a shame her chest was a little too… ample, as it slightly detracted from her overall charm.

A brilliant smile lit up her face. "Kaito, I advise you to take this seriously. Otherwise, you're going to lose badly."

"You don't have to tell me. I'll be using my full strength. But swords are unforgiving, so I'll refrain from using them." Kaito brandished his fists. "These will be enough."

"Alright. Then I'll only use my fists as well."

They each raised two fingers in front of their chests, forming the traditional Seal of Confrontation.

Kaori glanced from one to the other, then said softly, "Begin!"

The moment she spoke, Kaito shot forward. Empowered by [Quick Attack], he crossed the ten-meter distance in an instant, circling behind Ruri and throwing a punch without hesitation.

As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Ruri sidestepped, dodging the punch. She grabbed his arm with one hand and pressed her other hand against his chest, moving to throw him to the ground.

At the critical moment, Kaito's other hand braced against Ruri's waist, momentarily steadying himself.

"Quick reaction, but…"

Pivoting on her right foot, Ruri spun a full circle, her back now facing Kaito. She then pushed forcefully, slamming him to the ground.

Kaito struggled but couldn't break free. "Big Sis Ruri, you're too strong," he said, defeated. "I lose."

"Heh. You don't look very convinced. Let's go again."

"Alright!"

When they began again, Kaito immediately activated [Ice Punch] and [Fire Punch]. His fists were instantly wreathed in ice and flames, a cool display that drew gasps and cheers from the audience.

"Interesting." Ruri raised an eyebrow, but her expression remained untroubled.

She clapped her hands together, and two chakra chains, glowing with a golden light, shot out from behind her, dancing in the air as if they had a life of their own.

So this is the [Adamantine Sealing Chains]? Kaito's interest was piqued. Wanting to test the power of the technique, he puffed out his cheeks and spat out a large fireball.

Poof! Poof!

Before the flames could even reach Ruri, they were struck down by the two chakra chains. The golden chains then danced like long serpents, whipping around Kaito and binding him tightly.

Once again, Kaito was swiftly defeated.

"This is the secret technique of our Uzumaki clan—the [Adamantine Sealing Chains]," Ruri said, walking over with a smile. "I don't know many ninjutsu. I mostly rely on taijutsu and this. Your foundation is solid, and you're fast, but your movements lack flexibility, and there are many flaws in how you exert force. Your taijutsu is not up to par."

"Er." Kaito was instantly humbled. After half a year of swordsmanship training, he had thought he was already quite strong. It turned out he was still too young and naive.

Remembering the countless times he had been sent flying during his training, he looked at her with a serious expression and declared loudly, "Big Sis Ruri, I want to learn taijutsu!"