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The fact that he was excited about his suspension ending tomorrow worried Takuma. Even though it didn't start that way, the week turned out to be a much-needed break. His head felt much lighter than it was before, and in conjunction, his physical condition, too, had improved. And despite getting burned two days back, he would describe himself as refreshed.
And to top it all off, he was going to meet his new genjutsu teacher today.
"So, who is it?" he asked.
"Her name is Uchiha Mikoto. She's currently inactive but maintains the rank of jonin," answered Uchiha Setsuna.
Takuma's jaw dropped. He came to a stop in the middle of the street and stared at his recruiting officer. He felt he recognized the name but couldn't recall where he had heard it. But that wasn't important; he was more concerned with the fact that he was a few minutes away from meeting a jonin.
"You could've told me that earlier, sir," he said. "I would've done some reading about the topics before coming here. I do not want to seem completely dumb before a jonin!" He should've done some reading anyway, but knowing his teacher was a jonin would've done wonders for his motivation.
"Is this your first time in the Uchiha Compound?" asked Setsuna.
Takuma nodded as he looked around. "I must say it's lovely," he said. The Uchiha Compound was one of the newest constructions in the Hidden Leaf village, built after the Nine-Tails attack on the village. The entire Uchiha population was moved to a single area. The clan had turned their allotted area into a gated community with shinobi guards at every entrance. No one could enter if they weren't a resident or had permission from a resident to do so. Due to the fact that the entire community was built at the same time, the architecture in the Uchiha Compound was uniform, and every building fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The buildings weren't copy-pasted from a single template, and every individual one had its own unique design and charm.
He was aware that the Uchiha weren't happy with the decision to move them, especially with the state prison right next door, but they had definitely made the most of it.
"I'm glad you liked it," said Setsuna. "All your lessons will be conducted in her home. You'll be given an entry pass which will renew every month until Jonin Mikoto deems it worth her time to teach you. Be clear that she's volunteering to teach you and can end these lessons any time she desires to do so. I pulled some strings to get her to teach you, but from here on out, it's up to you to maintain these lessons. You lose her; you lose your genjutsu teacher— there will not be another."
Takuma nodded. He understood he needed to be on his best behavior from here on out. Few could order a jonin around, and there was no one who would force a jonin to teach him.
"How did you get Jonin Mikoto to volunteer?" Takuma asked. "And why did she agree?"
"She found free time on her hand. As for why her? Let's just say it'll motivate others when they see that one of their own getting the opportunity to be under the tutelage of a jonin."
'So, I'm a publicity piece?' Takuma narrowed his eyes. His batch of outside recruits wasn't the only one. They were only the first batch. The Police Force was planning another influx next year.
He now understood how Setsuna got a jonin to teach him. Higher the reward, the higher the desire. Setsuna wasn't only motivating the people in his current batch; he was also attracting potential recruits with higher talent grades in the second recruitment. Setsuna was using him as a dangling bait for all people.
If he could do it, they could do it.
Takuma had no problem with getting a jonin out of this, but he didn't have to like the attached strings that came with it. As far as he knew, he was the first one to get this sort of reward. If he angered Jonin Mikoto somehow, causing her to drop him as a student, many eyes would see that, and getting another opportunity like this would become difficult. He wasn't well-liked by many in the Department of Organized Crime after his stunt— and he knew people like Yoshiaki would use any chance to make his life in the office harder than it needed to be.
Their destination was in the center of the Uchiha Compound. From the look of the size of the houses, the general spaciousness, the width of the roads, and the cleanliness, it was clear that it was a posh area within the compound.
Takuma followed Setsuna into a walled-off house. There was no name near the outer entrance, only a house number. The building was a traditional two-story Minka architecture with a meticulous garden with trimmed lush green grass and trees which looked too old for them to be planted in the past ten years. He bet there was a koi pond somewhere on the property.
Setsuna knocked on the door. "On your best behavior, Genin Takuma," he said.
"Yes, sir."
The door soon opened to reveal a woman who very much looked like a housewife. 'A gorgeous housewife,' thought Takuma. The Uchiha woman was a fair-skinned beauty with long, straight black hair with bangs hanging on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and black eyes. She wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron worn over it.
Her beauty only stayed in his mind for a moment as Takuma could immediately tell that the housewife was a shinobi. The signs were clear, and she wasn't trying to hide it.
It was due to his Police Force training. Before the training, Takuma interacted with shinobi so much that the traits became a norm for him. He couldn't see past those norms. In training, he was taught to look for the signs, so they always stood out to him. In turn, Takuma began to study civilian posture and gait to see how they held themselves— what were the difference between a desk worker and a construction laborer, how did age factor in, weight and height— as there was no guide on the subject, Takuma took note of every trait he could feasibly observe.
"Jonin Mikoto, thank you for hosting at your home," Setsuna said respectfully.
"Polite as always, Setsuna," Mikoto smiled. She then turned to look at Takuma, who felt her eyes scan him. "You must be Genin Takuma. Come inside."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Takuma as politely as possible.
"I'll take my leave," said Setsuna.
Mikoto didn't ask him to stay and headed inside.
Setsuna grabbed Takuma's shoulder and whispered. "She's a good woman. As long as you remain civil, I don't think there will be a problem, but beware, you don't want to offend her— especially her. Take this opportunity to learn; it'll do you good," he said.
The tatami room they settled in was bigger than Takuma's apartment. It was mostly empty, with minimalistic decorations on the wall. The sliding doors were open wide to let a breeze in from the outside, showing the view of the garden— and, as Takuma expected, a koi pond. Tea and snacks were waiting for them. Takuma wasn't used to sitting in seiza; it wasn't a part of his daily life, but seeing Mikoto sitting with her knees tucked made him do so too.
"Why do you wish to learn genjutsu, Takuma?" she asked.
"I believe it to be an interesting form of jutsu," Takuma answered. "On the battlefield, the mind is often your strongest asset. It's a powerful place, and what you feed it can affect it in a powerful way. What can you trust more than your mind? How do you react when you realize that your mind was targeted and can be done so again? Moreover, rarity works to its advantage. I've conversed with many of my peers. Most of them can't cast a genjutsu. Most have opted to learn how to spot and dispel genjutsu— but even that is learned at varying levels. I know an exploitable gap in the 'market' when I see one."
"If genjutsu is so powerful, then why is it not more widespread?" she asked.
"Because physical damage is much more visual than mental damage. If you break a bone, it stays broken. You never know with the mind; most people believe that a simple kai would reverse any damage done— and you're back to square one," he answered.
"That is true. Do you agree?"
"Genjutsu, like anything else, is a tool, ma'am. The ability to disorient or influence your foe in any meaningful way to increase the chance of launching a deadly strike is highly important. If genjutsu can open the gate to ending the fight, then it has its place on the battlefield." The only reason Takuma was alive today was because of Mist Servant Jutsu. It was the trump card that had turned the tide in his battle against two highly-trained shinobi.
Mikoto hummed as she poured herself some tea. "What about you? What is your experience with genjutsu?"
"Minimal. The times I have faced genjutsu can be counted on one hand. Mist Servant Jutsu is part of my arsenal, and only that." Most of his experience with genjutsu came from Maruboshi's training to identify and break genjutsu, and from his spars against Nenro, who was the only one among his sparring partners who used genjutsu.
"Nothing more? No theoretical knowledge about genjutsu operation, deployment, and creation?"
Takuma shook his head.
"That's not much for someone interested in genjutsu."
"Time is the main issue, ma'am, which is why I seek out a teacher. I don't think I can take out enough time in my day to wade through the field of genjutsu unaided. I require guidance, a specific learning plan, so I don't waste precious time searching for what's important and not."
There was a limit to what Takuma could learn on his own. Learn effectively that is. There were a few topics that couldn't be self-taught, and genjutsu was not one of them. He could learn genjutsu like ninjutsu or any other skill he had learned over the years. However, due to its complex nature, Takuma didn't think self-teaching was a wise venture, which was why he had asked for a teacher more than anything else when offered.
Mikoto took a sip from her tea. Takuma glanced down at his cup. It had cooled down. He picked it up and took a sip nonetheless.
"Let's talk about expectations," Mikoto said. "I'm doing this because my children now spend most of their day out of the house, leaving me a sizable portion of free time, which only lasts till three in the afternoon. So, our lessons will need to be wrapped up before that. It goes without saying; you will not be given an exemption in terms of your on-duty hours."
Takuma heaved a sigh. "I can use my break time for the lessons. One hour."
Mikoto smiled. "Forty-five minutes every weekday. I appreciate and demand punctuality. I shall wait five minutes before canceling that day's lesson— if you're to come even a minute late, you'll be turned away. No begging. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Every Friday will be a test to gauge your improvement. By no means am I expecting you to be perfect, but I need to see the needle move in a meaningful manner… Even if that week's yield is failure— failure is meaningful in my eyes— I require you to learn something from it. No progress for a few consecutive weeks will end our arrangement because it's a sign that you're not being diligent, or I'm not a suitable teacher, or you have no natural aptitude for genjutsu, or it might be that I have no longer anything I can -want- to teach you— any reason it might be, I believe it'd be a waste of time for both of us to continue."
Takuma could feel the pressure bearing down his spine. His experience with progress hadn't been completely positive. On top of that, he had no idea what were the standards of 'meaningful' in a jonin's eyes. He might be thinking that he was doing good, but come Friday, he was given a negative report card along with a strike.
"I'll try my level best to teach you. Now, what are your expectations from our lessons?" asked Mikoto.
Takuma took a moment to compose his thoughts. "I hope these lessons help me learn, understand, and apply. I have no special expectations regarding the curriculum; I will learn whatever you wish to teach me, but I need to develop a proper understanding of every concept taught, so I hope repeated questions will not irritate you. Finally, by the end of our time together, I want my learnings to translate into practical application on the field."
"All of that depends on you, Takuma, but I will facilitate and enable you to gain whatever you need. If everything goes well, genjutsu will be part of your combat style," Mikoto smiled.
"You misunderstood me, ma'am. When I say field, I expect applications outside of combat. I have seen my senior officer, Uchiha Kano, use her Sharingan on crime scenes and in investigations. I wish to achieve similar usage." Takuma had some plans concerning genjutsu use out of combat, but he didn't know how to go about achieving that. Though now, with a jonin as his teacher, the chances of eventual success seemed to have increased.
"…Interesting, very much so. I will take that into account for my teaching plans," said Mikoto. "And one last thing; you may sit cross-legged from tomorrow onward if you wish, Takuma."
Takuma felt an embarrassed blush come up his face. Of course, she had noticed. "Yes, ma'am."
There was a sudden sound. By no means hidden, but faint due to the distance. Takuma's sensitive hearing picked up the opening of the door, it sounded like the heavy front door; the rushed footsteps which sounded a lot like running. He titled his head. He had measured the distance from the front door to the hall— even if he presumed an average stride, the number of steps he heard would've gotten the person here by now.
"Mom!" The voice was shrill. Male. 'A child,' he concluded.
Takuma looked at Mikoto. It was her son. Then he recalled how she had said her free time ended around three in the afternoon. The academy a little after two in the afternoon. It seemed her free time ended when her son came back home.
"In here, dear!" Mikoto called for her son.
"I will take my leave then, ma'am," Takuma said as he stood up.
The sliding door opened, and a child entered the room with enthusiasm, only to come to a halt when he spotted Takuma.
"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't know you had guests," said the son apologetically.
"It's okay, dear," Mikoto stood up as well. "This is Genin Takuma from the Police Force. He will be coming here every day to work with me. Please, introduce yourself to him."
The son turned to Takuma and introduced himself formally. "Good afternoon, sir. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your service."
Takuma felt the smile stretch across his face as he returned the greeting. "It's nice to meet you as well, Sasuke. You're in the academy, aren't you? How's it treating ya."
He was going to find Setsuna and kill the man even if it meant turning rogue.
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