A collective gasp went through the assembled students, with the exception of Itachi and Jiraiya. The sage had a satisfied smirk on his face; Itachi was sure that it was taking every ounce of restraint the man had to keep him from rubbing it in that he had called this one perfectly.
I'm never going to hear the end of this.
It'll be even worse if you decline her challenge. What's your move?
What do you think? The dice have been thrown, so I'll put my stake on the table and play her game.
He was sure that the spirit of his weapon was smiling. Good.
Itachi stood up and nodded. "I accept."
Iemon looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely," Visaelya replied firmly.
"If she insists," said Itachi.
The instructor stepped back as the two of them faced off. Visaelya was glaring daggers at him, and Itachi idly wondered if he'd inadvertently done something to piss her off.
Women were never my strong suit...
You don't say?
No quips. Not now.
Killjoy.
There were no pre-fight taunts or gestures from his opponent. The look in her eyes was enough to tell Itachi that she was all business. She clearly had a great deal invested in this fight, and she'd likely been planning it for some time. Itachi would have to keep his guard up; she'd had plenty of chances to observe his fighting style over the past four years, after all.
Iemon raised his hand. "Ready? Three… two… one… begin!"
Visaelya made the first move, lunging forward like a pouncing lioness and bringing her blade down in a hard-overhand strike. Itachi raised his sword to block the attack and was surprised by the strength behind the blow
She never struck me as a power-fighter, he thought as he fended off her subsequent strikes, Her physical strength has improved considerably, though. She's been putting in some serious extra training.
Her moves were swift, and her strikes flowed with a gracefulness that belied the might behind them. She was aggressive and confident, traits that Itachi could certainly admire even as he was on the other end of them. If nothing else, Visaelya was clearly determined to make him work for his win today, and Itachi was willing to oblige her.
He had an opening to counter and take the offensive, but Itachi declined it. He was curious as to just how far she had come since the last time she had challenged him, so he decided to content himself for the moment with simply deflecting her attacks and studying her form. Itachi continued to backpedal, altering the angle of his retreat so that he wouldn't get forced into a corner and allowing himself flexibility with his defense. When he didn't outright block or parry a blow he would duck and roll beneath it, coming back up just in time to contend with her next assault.
From the way Visaelya intensified her attacks, it was apparent that she had caught on to what he was doing, and she wasn't happy about it. "Take this seriously, Itachi! I won't accept you holding back on me! Attack, damn it! What are you waiting for?"
"Timing is everything," Itachi replied calmly as he redirected her thrust, "You ought to know; is that not why you've waited until now to challenge me?"
She didn't say anything, but from the way she was gritting her teeth Itachi knew that he was getting on her nerves. It wasn't his intention to do so, but if his opponent was going to let herself get riled up then Itachi wasn't above exploiting that.
How ruthless of you.
You disapprove?
Quite the contrary.
He continued to play defense, allowing his foe to further irritate herself and expend valuable energy. Her blows rained down hard and fast, but by keeping himself calm and centered Itachi was able to withstand the assault. She was head and shoulders above the other students in the advanced track with the exception of Jiraiya and himself, but her pride was a critical weakness.
Itachi rolled to the side as she brought her sword down in a vicious overhand strike. Coming back up and brining his weapon into guard position in a single fluid motion, he deftly parried her follow-up attack. Her next sequence of strikes was swift and precise, but her anger was costing her; she was unconsciously broadcasting her intentions, making it a relatively simple matter for a fighter as experienced as Itachi to read her moves and react accordingly.
She has talent. It's a shame that her jealousy of your prominence is undermining it. No matter; that's just one more weakness for us to take advantage of.
She must learn to master her emotions and not let them override her judgment. Once she accomplishes that, I imagine her true potential will be quite impressive.
Yes, but that is for her to realize. You are not her teacher. You task here and now is to crush her and defend your position at the top of the hierarchy.
Not the way I would put it. Defeat her, yes, but not crush her. She can still learn and grow. Besides, I don't care about the hierarchy of our class, and I will not demoralize and humiliate a fellow student simply to assert dominance.
You're too soft.
Itachi didn't bother to respond. As he deflected one blow after another he began to seek out the opening he would need to bring this contest to a close. He tightened up his defenses, minimizing his profile and leaving no gaps for Visaelya to exploit. She continued to rain down blow after blow, but Itachi detected a growing sense of desperation in his adversary. Her strikes were becoming less and less efficient as her frustration grew; their power was now becoming a liability as she succeeded only in draining her own energy reserves in her efforts to bash down the moving barrier that Itachi's sword had become.
It was when Visaelya lunged forward and thrust her sword at his gut that Itachi found the opportunity he'd been looking for. Bringing his weapon low, he altered the angle of his sword so it was pointing towards the floor at a slant. As he redirected Visaelya's strike he then pivoted and whirled around, bringing himself full circle and landing a solid blow right on her back. The strike was just hard enough to knock her off her feet but do no lasting harm; at most she'd have a bruise that would fade within a few days or so.
"Match!" called Instructor Iemon, "Itachi wins!"
Visaelya shook her head furiously. "No! I want another round!"
Iemon shot her down. "You know the rules, Miss Drakken; a student can only be challenged once per day. If you wish to fight Itachi again, then you will have to be the first one to call him out during tomorrow's session."
She hung her head in defeat. "Damn it!"
Lowering his practice sword, Itachi held out his hand. "If you do wish to challenge me again tomorrow, I will accept. You fought very well, Visaelya. Can you stand?"
She glared at him, defiance burning in her eyes. "I don't need your pity, Itachi!"
"I would never deign to insult you with pity," Itachi replied, "Am I not allowed to be concerned for a fellow student?"
She brushed his hand aside and stood up on her own. "I don't need your concern, either."
Like I said; you're too soft.
Perhaps, but that is my decision to make, not yours.
As Visaelya looked him in the eye, he could see fresh determination blazing. "I will challenge you again tomorrow, Itachi, and not just in Zanjutsu. You'd best be prepared!"
Itachi nodded. "I will, so long as you are as well."
She looked like she was going to offer some harsh retort, but seemed to think better of it. Instead she simply huffed and turned her back on him before rejoining the friends she'd been sitting with earlier.
What was all that about?, he thought as he returned to his spot on the sidelines next to Jiraiya, Did I do something recently to anger her and she's trying to seek redress through single combat?
I doubt it's anything like that. You're not the type to go out of his way to anger a woman.
Then what do you propose lies at the root of this? I'm open to suggestions.
Her family name, for starters. Remember, she is not only a member of the Drakken Clan of the Five Great Noble Houses, but she is also the niece of none other than Squad Ten Captain Rhaegon Drakken. No doubt there are great expectations placed upon her as a result of her heritage. It is not enough for her to excel in the advanced track; she must challenge your dominance for the sake of her family's honor and pride. At least, I suspect that she sees things that way.
Itachi had to admit that her arguments made sense. He knew a thing or two about prideful families given his background, after all, and he also knew what it was like trying to live up to the high hopes of prominent elders. Even as friction had grown between the Uchiha Clan and the rest of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, they were still a formidable family with power and influence. In that respect, Visaelya's circumstances weren't all that different from Itachi's back when he was alive.
Except for the part where I turned against my family and slaughtered them in a single night…
He was jolted out of his musings by a friendly elbow from Jiraiya. "What's eating you? Don't tell me you're actually worried about her challenging you again. You handled her pretty well today; no reason you can't pull off a repeat performance."
Itachi shook her head. "It's not that. I'm just not sure about how this is all going to play out. This situation could get… volatile."
Jiraiya smiled. "Or it could be fun! You never really had a rival when you were going through your training as a kid, right?"
"There was Shisui," Itachi replied, "Although that was more an instance of friendly competition, I suppose. Visaelya doesn't appear to be interested in that, though."
"So roll with it," said Jiraiya, "If she's gonna make a habit of gunning for you from now on, it'll keep you on your toes. Besides, she's pretty easy on the eyes; you could definitely have worse rivals!"
"Why am I not surprised that you brought her looks into this?" Itachi deadpanned.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Ah, you know me so well! Look, don't overthink this. Whether you wanted it or not, you've picked up a rival here. Accept it and move forward accordingly."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do I do that?"
"Keep training and be ready to fight her!" Jiraiya answered with a grin, "I'll be rooting for you, buddy!"
How did I land myself in this situation?
Well, for starters, you died.
Very funny.
One week later…
Credit where it's due, thought Itachi as he ducked a punch from Visaelya, she does not give up easily…
In the week since she had first challenged him in their Zanjutsu class, Visaelya had been as good as her word. Not only had she challenged him every single day afterwards in their swordsmanship class, but she had extended that to their Hakuda sessions as well, and if their Kidō and Hohō classes had a means of allowing for one-on-one challenges Itachi was certain that she would've called him out in them as well.
He respected her determination if nothing else; she was clearly quite driven to best him, and she was putting a great deal of effort into it. During every class exercise, she was working herself harder than practically everyone else in the advanced track, and no one could deny the strides that she was making. Her skills seemed to grow more refined with each passing day, and Itachi actually found himself grateful for that; it was just another reason for him to push himself harder.
Jiraiya was right about having a rival not necessarily being a bad thing, he mused as he brought up his arms to block a series of blows, I'll never admit that to his face, of course.
As much as he might admire Visaelya's spirit, though, that did not mean that Itachi intended to let her win. If she wanted a victory over him, then he would make her work for it. The eyes of more than just their instructors and fellow students were on them, after all; the thought of the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads evaluating them and sizing them up was never far from his mind.
Especially the Captain of Squad Two.
Yoruichi was a legend in the Soul Society for her skills in both Hohō and Hakuda, which made Itachi all the more determined to give standout showings in those classes. If he could excel in the areas that she had achieved such mastery in, it would only improve his chances of getting into her division upon graduation. Of course, Itachi wasn't neglecting the other aspects of his studies just to get the most out of those two areas of expertise, but he was keenly aware of the emphasis that Squad Two put on them.
Ducking and weaving through Visaelya's punches and kicks, Itachi found the opening he'd been looking for and took it. As Visaelya made a powerful right hook, Itachi grabbed her arm and flung her forwards, turning her momentum against her. She landed flat on her back, winded but otherwise unharmed. The young woman blinked a few times as if she was still trying to process just how suddenly the tables had been turned on her.
"Did I… lose again?" she asked, although it felt like she was talking to herself rather than Itachi.
He held out his hand. "You did well, but you're overly aggressive. It leaves you vulnerable to more experienced fighters."
She glared up at him. "And is that why you beat me? You're more experienced than me? I find that hard to believe considering that we're both in the same Academy year."
Itachi nodded. "And I imagine that you also believed that the early training you would receive as a member of the Drakken Clan would give you a further boost. Does that sound about right?"
Her eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"
"It's an open secret that the offspring of the Five Great Noble Houses have access to private tutors, and that their families employ them in order to avoid the embarrassment of one of their children failing to make it through the Academy," Itachi replied, "I had help from one of those very tutors when I was recovering from that incident back in our first year."
Visaelya scowled. "It was a Shihōin Clan tutor, right? We all know that the Squad Two Captain favors you. She has since the entrance exams!"
"Because I proved to her before the exams ever started that I had the abilities she sought," said Itachi, "So did Jiraiya. Do you know why that is?"
Visaelya looked a bit taken aback at his line of questioning. "No… what was it?"
"You were born in the Soul Society, Visaelya," said Itachi, "I imagine that the same is true for many of our classmates. Jiraiya and I, though… we were not."
Her face paled slightly. "So… you died, then? In one of the Realms of the Living?"
Itachi nodded. "Yes… and they weren't peaceful deaths for either of us."
He reached down and pulled her to her feet before she could refuse him. When her eyes met his again he saw that she no longer appeared angry. Instead she seemed more curious than anything else as she looked back and forth between him and Jiraiya.
"So… the two of you died in battle, then?" she asked.
Technically, mine was disease, he mused, but that was further exacerbated by my violent lifestyle, and when I succumbed it was during the duel with Sasuke, so I suppose that's splitting hairs.
"Yes," he said, "but before that, we had engaged more than our share of foes. You have wondered why the two of us rose so swiftly in our classes despite not having a background like yours. The answer is experience. There is no training that can ever match an actual life-and-death fight. I suppose you could say that we had our own little advantage coming into the Academy, but it is not one that we were born into. We earned our strength… and we are not done building it yet."
Visaelya's gaze hardened. "My strength is not something that was given to me just because of my bloodline. The power of the Drakken Clan is strong, but it is only strong because its members strive to attain true mastery of combat! Do not mistake me for someone who cannot stand on her own without the power of her bloodline!"
Itachi shook his head. "Forgive me if I gave you that impression. You are obviously quite strong; the past week has amply demonstrated that. If you continue your training with the dedication and passion that you have shown so far, then I have no doubt that you will bring honor to the Drakken Clan."
Some of the tension in her demeanor seemed to ease up, and her hostility faded. "I… I appreciate that… Itachi."
Itachi gave her a respectful nod. "If you wish to challenge me again in order to test and improve your skills, you know where to find me. I will not turn you down. In exchange, I will ask only one thing."
Visaelya raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"Let go of your anger, and keep your pride in check," Itachi replied, "When you let them rule you, they undermine your skills. If you're able to master them, then I think you'll find that your abilities will make a considerable leap forward."
After a moment she nodded. "I'll keep that in mind… thank you."
"You're welcome," he said before he returned to his spot on the sidelines next to Jiraiya.
The Legendary Sannin smiled. "You handled that pretty well. I'm impressed; never really saw you as the diplomatic type back when you were alive."
"I'm sure," Itachi deadpanned, "I never gave you reason to, after all."
That was your old life. Remember that this is not just your afterlife now; it is a second life. Use it to become who you were meant to be.
Itachi could stop a small smile from appearing on his face. That's quite encouraging, coming from you.
Well, I do have a vested interest in your self-improvement.
That you do…