As soon as Morishita recovered his chakra, he expanded his sensory perception, searching for the hidden attacker from their training. But to his surprise, he detected no other presence besides Reiki.
"Alright, kid," Morishita said, narrowing his eyes, "what kind of technique did you pull during our fight? What was it that attacked me?"
Reiki grinned. "That was me. Well, technically, my puppet."
Reiki raised his hand, revealing chakra threads connected to his fingers. Following the threads, Morishita's eyes widened as he spotted a large, mecha-like puppet standing nearby. Made of steel, the construct stood around 1.7 meters tall, looking sturdy and precise in its craftsmanship.
"Reiki, can this… thing become invisible?" Morishita asked, standing up despite his aches.
"Yep. It has a cloaking ability, but it can't stay invisible for too long," Reiki explained. "Also, I can't actually make puppets myself, and this one's bound to me. No one else can use it."
Understanding Reiki's reluctance, Morishita chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in taking it from you. But I have to ask—where did you find it? This level of craftsmanship… even Sunagakure's puppet masters would struggle to make something like this."
The two of them chatted for over an hour, with Reiki explaining how he'd found the puppet—called "Evil Spirit"—during the war, near the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. While Reiki patched up Morishita's injuries from their spar, he secretly used his healing abilities to retrieve some of Morishita's memory of their fight, all without him knowing.
After Morishita left, Reiki lay in bed, deep in thought. *If Tsunade finds Kato Dan, she'll discover Sarutobi Hiruzen's involvement, and that will mean breaking ties with Konoha. If that happens, I might not be able to stay here either.*
He mulled over his options, even considering a life outside the village as a wandering medic. Eventually, he drifted into a deep sleep, not even refining chakra that night.
---
The next morning, Shizune was surprised to find Reiki still asleep and gently nudged him awake. "Brother, it's rare to see you sleeping in."
"Hmm? I'll be right up," Reiki muttered groggily, quickly getting ready.
After breakfast, the two headed to the training grounds. There, they found Sarutobi Asuma waiting.
"Gai told me Asuma wanted to join our training, so I brought him along," Gai explained, giving his trademark thumbs-up. "We're all classmates, and he's determined to get stronger. Everyone else agreed too."
Reiki considered it, then gave a small smile. "Alright, Asuma-san, but be prepared to keep up with us."
"I'm ready," Asuma said confidently. "I know you all train in actual combat, but I'm no pushover. With Kakashi, Gai, and Obito, we'll definitely beat you today!"
Reiki raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Gai, did you explain our rules to him?"
Gai blinked. "Ah, I forgot. Asuma, today, you'll have to face all four of us. And don't worry, we rotate partners daily, so it's not a one-time deal."
Asuma's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?"
Reiki gave a light shrug. "Seems like Asuma might be ready to back out."
"Who said I'm backing out? I'll take you all on!" Asuma replied determinedly, though his confidence faltered.
"Actual combat means striking before your enemy expects it!" Gai declared, delivering a powerful kick to Asuma's face before he could react.
"Gah…" Asuma staggered, only to be met with a flurry of attacks from the others.
Within minutes, Asuma lay on the ground, dazed and defeated.
"Uh, Reiki, do you think we went too hard on him?" Gai asked, feeling a pang of guilt for their teammate.
Reiki smiled. "It's alright; I'll heal him. Besides, it's his first day—he can't leave without a memorable experience."
With that, Reiki knelt beside Asuma and began healing his injuries, ready to show him the ropes of their rigorous training.
>>>>>
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