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Arc I Chapter 7

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Asami practised another morning session of callisthenics, even when it was already afternoon. She had the habit of sleeping longer than necessary and waking late. But in her defence, her bed was simply too soft and fluffy to fight it.

Asami disliked any form of exercise, but even she conceded that stretching had some use. She didn't want to risk a repetition of the disaster from last time. She wouldn't be defeated once again by something paltry like muscle aches.

Asami nodded. She needed to be nimble, nimble and flexible …

Her periphery senses were triggered. An unknown chakra signature was heading in her direction, coming closer and closer. Who was it?

Her mind raced. Unidentified chakra signature. Above average. High chakra level. Shinobi. Probably her promised sensei.

A girl opened the door where Asami was practising, entering the garden. The girl eyed Asami curiously, very curiously. As it turned out, the woman was a kunoichi. Her metal headband betrayed her upon sight.

The girl wore a white sleeveless tunic over her red fishnet. She kept her black hair loose. Her eyes possessed a crimson tone.

It was obvious that the girl was feeling uncomfortable with the entire situation. She kept fidgeting with her hands, trapped in a state of insecurity and anxiety.

Asami raised an eyebrow. The girl was supposed to be her sensei? She was young, barely old enough to be considered an adult.

The girl made the first step forwards, breaking the ice.

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"Hmm, what are you doing there?" Kurenai offered a weak smile to her new pupil.

Clearly, she wasn't the best choice for anyone’s sensei. She lacked the necessary experience, as she had only recently been promoted to chunin. Her social skills were also subpar. Nevertheless, Kurano had chosen her. Kurano trusted her with her precious little daughter without a second thought.

Kurenai was tempted to decline the request, but her heart was unable to reject such a loving and caring mother such as Kurano.

Kurenai sighed. She was far too kind for her own good, wasn't she?

And to make things even worse for Kurenai, Asami was supposedly a veritable prodigy, a genius in the making. Her mother said so. Whether her daughter was the real deal, was another question entirely. Only time would tell.

Kurenai had seen many of these so-called prodigies before. Few deserved the title, few fulfilled the expectations that came with it.

Kurenai approached Asami. "What are you doing?”

Asami tilted her head, oblivious to her own cuteness. "I am doing some stretching. I am preparing myself for my lessons with my sensei.“

“Your sensei?” Kurenai smiled.

“Okaa-san told me she is supposed to visit me today, but she hasn’t come yet. I am still waiting for her.” Asami crossed her arms like the pampered little princess she was. Her cute pouting face warmed Kurenai’s heart.

Kurenai laughed. “Well, I am a bit late, but here I am.“

Asami blinked, playing the part of a cute girl perfectly. “So you are my sensei?“ Her eyes marvelled.

Kurenai smiled. "Yes, I am. My name is Yuhi Kurenai, and I will be your sensei from now on.“

Asami offered a slight bow. “Mine is Minami Asami. It's a pleasure to meet you, sensei.“

Kurenai smiled. What a lovely girl. Maybe tutoring her was the right decision, after all.

“I am impressed, Asami-chan. The majority of academy students don't show much enthusiasm when it comes to their training, even when training is an integral part of ninja life. But you seem different. Your stretching is admirable. It's a small step, but a step, nevertheless."

Asami giggled. "I suppose that is true."

Kurenai carried on, "Please start by telling me, what do you know about ninja in general, Asami-chan."

Asami contemplated the question for a while. "Very little.“

“I don't know very much, but the impression I have got so far is that the majority of ninja are beyond incompetent. Undisciplined, disorganised, careless, overly cocky, having nothing better to do than fooling around the whole day long.“

“And for some reason, ninja perform strange missions like rescuing cats from treetops and searching for missing pets. They help old ladies with their groceries. They even do house cleaning, weeding, and cooking." Asami looked confused.

"I see, that is a rather interesting view you have, Asami-chan." Kurenai wore an uneasy smile. Asami’s words cut like obsidian, hurting her professional pride. After many years of hard training, Asami made her like a simple errand girl.

Kurenai was brooding. "I assume you have never received any formal training, right?"

Asami nodded.

"I also assume that you have never heard about the concepts of chakra or jutsu either?"

Asami nodded again, confirming Kurenai’s suspicions.

Asami’s family wasn’t related to any clan. Her access to any form of training was thus limited. Asami was a blank slate.

Kurenai sighed. This wasn't going to be an easy task. She would have to start completely from scratch with her.

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Kurenai was a bitch. A sadistic and scrupulous bitch.

Her training was hellish. Was she trying to kill her, or what? Who did she think she was to treat her like this? She was only a little girl! She was cute, adorable, and cuddly like a doll. She wasn't made for such arduous physical training.

How Kurenai could consider her routine gruesome torture sessions perfectly normal was beyond Asami. Was Kurenai crazy? Probably. No normal child could or should survive this kind of training. She managed to do so, but only because she cheated with her chakra.

Behind her friendly smile, Kurenai hid her true nature. In truth, she was an inhumane slave driver without remorse.

Kurenai put her through a training regime that bordered on insanity. Brutal marches to strengthen her endurance and stamina. Sparring matches with the sole purpose to make her eat dirt. Impossible target practises.

Running miles, and miles, and miles, and miles while her tiny shoulders were forced to carry a heavy backpack. Stupid endurance. Stupid stamina. Stupid physical strength.

Her frail body could be considered rather, rather, rather petite, and that was unlikely to ever change, due to the strong Yin component of her chakra.

For now, she compensated for her lack of physical strength with her chakra. She possessed plenty of chakra to spare, but little actual strength. It wasn't the best solution, but it was a solution.

The sparring matches were an equally terrible experience. They typically ended with her kissing the ground. Kurenai was really lucky that her weak body didn't allow her to repay her kindness and give her some of her own medicine.

The target practises were more fun. Throwing some knives and metal stars wasn't much of a challenge, even though it was her first time doing it. Kurenai even praised her. Apparently, she had a natural talent for using kunai and shuriken. Quite an unexpected turn of events.

Kurenai unearthed talents she had never known about.

Judging by Kurenai's incredulous look, she had exceeded her expectations by a wide margin. She hit the bull's-eye over and over. She never missed, not even once.

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