The abandoned training ground on the outskirts of Konoha was once again bathed in fragmented sunlight. Beams filtered through the leaves above, casting a dappled pattern across the ground.
Rin gripped her short blade tightly. The steel glinted coldly under the light. Her breathing was calm and steady, eyes locked onto Uchiha Shisui, who stood across from her.
"Are we using taijutsu again today?" Shisui tilted his head slightly, also holding a short sword. "Your swordsmanship has improved a lot."
"Less talk," Rin replied, lowering her stance. Her blade pointed directly at him. "Today, I'm going to beat you."
Shisui smiled, but his gaze sharpened. "Then let's see you try."
—— Whoosh!
Rin launched forward first, her blade cutting a sharp arc through the air, aimed directly at Shisui's throat. He sidestepped with ease and countered with a strike toward her side, only for Rin to evade with a quick backward step.
"Your movements are smoother than yesterday," Shisui commented.
Rin didn't respond. Her focus remained on every minute shift in Shisui's stance—the way his wrist moved, how his footwork adjusted, even how his breathing affected the timing of his strikes.
These were the details she had memorized after countless sparring sessions.
—— Clang!
Their blades collided, sparks flying on contact. Using the force of the clash, Rin pushed off and landed lightly before darting forward again. Her technique wasn't flashy, but it carried a feral, instinctive precision. Every strike went straight for the vital points.
"Your swordsmanship... is quite unique," Shisui said between blocks. "It doesn't resemble any formal style."
"Self-taught," Rin replied curtly. Then, catching the momentary distraction from his words, she made a sharp upward cut— swish!
A tear opened in the hem of Shisui's shirt.
Both paused.
"I win." Rin sheathed her blade, the corner of her lips lifting.
Shisui looked down at the rip in his clothes and chuckled. "You're right. This time, you win."
He walked over to the shade beneath a nearby tree, sat down, and took out a water flask. Handing it to Rin, he said, "Your improvement is way too fast. It's almost like…"
"Like what?" Rin took the flask and eyed him cautiously.
"Like you've been secretly copying all my techniques," Shisui teased.
Rin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away but replied with composure, "You're overthinking. I'm just naturally gifted."
Shisui laughed heartily and didn't press further. If anything, he didn't seem to mind. Their sparring had benefited him as well.
After their session ended, Rin stayed behind alone to continue training. Mimicking Shisui's movements, she repeated the same motions over and over.
"Wrist a bit higher... step lighter…"
She murmured to herself while slashing the air with sharp, clean arcs.
---
The next day, Shisui immediately noticed something different.
"Your movements… they've become even smoother?" he observed with a frown. "Did you practice more after going home?"
Rin answered without missing a beat. "Yeah. I trained late into the night."
Shisui nodded thoughtfully but didn't say more. Yet during their sparring, he began subtly adjusting his sword style—as if testing her limits.
"Your reaction speed has definitely improved," he remarked, then abruptly twisted his blade from an odd angle, aiming for her side.
Rin narrowly blocked the strike, though Shisui's sword still grazed her arm.
—— A faint flower petal-like mark briefly flickered on his blade… then vanished.
Shisui paused, eyes flashing with confusion.
"Was there… something just now?"
Rin's heart raced, but her voice stayed steady. "Just a leaf."
Shisui glanced around. Seeing nothing unusual, he resumed their match. But Rin could tell—his attacks had grown more cautious.
Suddenly, Rin's movement faltered.
A surge of memories flooded her mind.
Shisui's pupils shrank. He barely managed to stop his blade in time—just inches from her forehead.
"What's wrong?"
Rin pressed her fingers to her temple, wincing. "Nothing. I just need to head back early today."
Her clone had been destroyed. That could only mean trouble.
Assuming something had come up at home, Shisui nodded. He'd been out long enough too, so they said their goodbyes and parted ways.
Rin turned the corner and abruptly stopped in her tracks.
Kenichi stood at their gate, a mission scroll in hand, his face grim.
"Dad?" Rin jogged over. "What's going on?"
Kenichi tucked away the scroll, forcing a smile. "It's nothing. Just… I've been assigned a long-term mission starting tomorrow."
Rin's heart sank.
"How long?"
"At least three months."
She clenched her fists. That long… it had to be dangerous.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." Kenichi ruffled her hair. "Listen to Grandma while I'm gone, okay?"
For once, Rin didn't bat his hand away. She just nodded—quietly making up her mind.
Before the war breaks out… I must become stronger.
---
The next morning, Rin stood at the entrance of the Ninja Academy. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting shadows across her face.
She inhaled deeply and straightened her uniform. The memory from her shadow clone's destruction still weighed on her. Who knew how angry Aoki-sensei would be today? Luckily, Kenichi was already off on his mission—no way they could call her guardian now.
She entered the classroom.
"Hanabuchi-san!" Class rep Fujita ran up to her. "Aoki-sensei wants to see you in the office!"
Rin nodded and walked calmly to the teacher's room. As she opened the door, sunlight streamed across the desk—and to her surprise, sitting beside Aoki was none other than the Third Hokage himself, tea cup in hand, smiling kindly.
"Ah, so this is our little prodigy?" Sarutobi set down his tea, spinning his pipe between his fingers. "Come, sit over here."
Rin sat obediently, hands on her knees.
"I heard you can already use the Shadow Clone Technique? That's quite impressive," the Third said warmly.
"Y-yes." Rin lowered her head, fingers fidgeting. "My father taught me. I… I didn't mean to skip class, I just…"
Her voice grew smaller as she played the part of a guilty child.
The Third Hokage let out a hearty laugh. "Haha! I used to skip classes to train too, you know." He winked like a mischievous old man. "But Aoki-sensei was quite worried about you."
Rin mentally rolled her eyes. As if you even had an academy back then.
Aoki adjusted his glasses. "Hanabuchi-san, your grades are excellent, and I understand your desire to grow stronger. But using a Shadow Clone to skip class is still inappropriate. The Academy isn't just about jutsu—we also teach how to work with others."
"…I'm sorry." Rin's eyes turned misty. "My father's leaving on a long mission. I just… wanted to train with him while I still had time."
Sarutobi's gaze softened. "Kenichi is a good man." He paused, then said, "How about this: every Wednesday afternoon, you'll be allowed to train at the Third Training Ground. I'll assign a chunin to guide you."
Rin looked up in surprise.
The Third smiled gently. "Konoha needs to nurture promising young saplings. But—" he raised a finger, "you can't neglect your academic classes."
As she left the office, Rin's steps were lighter. In the hallway, classmates quickly surrounded her.
"Rin, what did Aoki-sensei want?"
"Was it about yesterday? That technique you used was so cool! You just vanished!"
A civilian-born student gushed in admiration.
"You idiot," another—likely from a shinobi clan—said smugly, "that was the Shadow Clone Technique! It's a B-rank jutsu. Rin's amazing!"
"Seriously? Rin already knows a B-rank jutsu?! That's so cool!"
After class, Rin stayed behind to help Aoki-sensei organize training tools.
As the sun set and she walked home, a hint of worry flickered across her face.
Sure, having an assigned instructor was a good thing. But it also meant everything about her—skills, growth, habits—would now be reported back to the Hokage's office. And she could no longer visit Shisui.
The Hokage faction had always been wary of the Uchiha. If they discovered her association with Uchiha Shisui, they'd definitely start monitoring her more closely.
"Looks like the days of secretly learning from him are over," she muttered. "I'll have to find a way to send Shisui a message. I won't be going back to that training ground anymore."
---