Was it her?
Uchiha Obito and Asuma stared at Pakura, their expressions turning slightly strange.
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, his usual bored, skyward-gazing eyes now filled with seriousness, completely ignoring the bump forming on his forehead. He swore he didn't know this kunoichi, so why did she attack him? And in the middle of the Academy grounds, no less.
Pakura didn't answer. She simply tossed another stone.
"Move!" Kakashi shouted.
A second later, the stone smashed into where Kakashi had been standing, leaving a fist-sized dent in the ground, the rock itself shattered into pieces. The strength she had put behind that throw was evident.
Gulp!
The surrounding kids were terrified. If the stone could leave a dent like that, what would happen if it hit a person? Kakashi's forehead was proof enough—it was already swollen.
Was his guard down because they were inside the Academy? Or was it because he was surrounded by kids, and his vigilance had slipped?
Takuya leaned against a tree, carefully observing everything.
Pakura vanished the moment she threw the stone, and when Kakashi moved to avoid it, her fist was suddenly inches from his face.
She's so… fast.
He couldn't react at all.
With a thud, Kakashi was sent flying, Pakura's punch landing square on his face.
Kakashi may have had the potential of a genius, but he wasn't fully grown yet. Against a seasoned elite like Pakura, he stood no chance. It was one-sided—nothing more than a beating.
The sudden fight left many of the kids dumbstruck.
Uchiha Obito froze for a few seconds, then shouted, "A ninja is hitting someone! A ninja is hitting someone!"
Though he didn't like Kakashi, he wasn't heartless enough to just stand by. He figured that shouting might bring the teachers out to help.
"Who are you? Do you know what kind of trouble you could get into for attacking a student here at the Academy?" Asuma spoke up, his father's status making him more knowledgeable about the rules than most.
Pakura ignored him, delivering a swift kick towards Kakashi.
Suddenly, the Academy was abuzz—a pretty kunoichi had come to the Academy and was beating up Kakashi, one of their best students. How could this happen?
With Obito leading the charge, the rest of the students started shouting too.
"Stop this right now!"
The commotion outside caught the teachers' attention, and several who hadn't yet left for the day rushed out from the main building.
Before they could reach the field, kunai flew towards them, forcing them to halt.
"I'm sorry, but as Kakashi's new teacher, I feel he needs a bit of tough love. Lately, he's been slacking off, and I hope you all understand and don't interfere," Takuya said, stepping in front of the teachers.
"Yagami Takuya?"
Uemura Ichiki rubbed his eyes, looking Takuya up and down before exclaiming in delight, "What are you doing back here? I heard you went to the frontlines. Wait, are you saying you've taken Kakashi as your student?"
"Yes, sensei. senpai Sakumo insisted, and I couldn't refuse."
"How have you been, sensei?" Takuya asked politely.
Takuya held a lot of respect for his former teacher, who had never treated him differently due to his unique background and had always been kind to him.
"Haha, you know, same old, same old—teaching these kids, nothing much."
Ichiki laughed, scratching his head as they chatted.
The other teachers were left bewildered. Was this really the time for casual conversation? Shouldn't they be stopping that kunoichi?
Kakashi was already getting bruised all over.
"Wait, hold on," Ichiki finally said, frowning. "Even if he's your student, you shouldn't use such violence to make a point. You should be nurturing him. Kakashi is still a kid, and as his teacher, you need to guide him properly."
Ah, the lecture. Takuya sighed inwardly, recalling his days in school. It seemed like every teacher had this trait—endlessly lecturing their students.
"Pakura, that's enough," Takuya called out.
The point had been made—there was no need to risk actually injuring Kakashi.
"Understood."
Pakura stopped, looking down at Kakashi, who lay on the ground dazed, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Your skills are average, but your talent is promising. At least your reflexes are decent," Pakura commented.
Even a genius who hadn't yet matured was nothing more than a target to an elite jonin like Pakura. Kakashi should consider himself lucky to have earned even that much praise. After all, she was no pushover.
Even as he matured, whether Kakashi could eventually surpass Pakura remained a question. Despite Pakura's somewhat unclear fate in the original storyline, the real-life version of her was anything but weak.
While some might break under such an experience, others like Kakashi would only grow stronger. He had remarkable resilience.
In the original story, his emotional fragility was largely due to his father's suicide, compounded by the deaths of Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha. Anyone else experiencing what Kakashi did might have lost their mind or gone down a dark path.
But Kakashi pulled himself back from the brink. That strength of spirit was what made him different. A beating like this might crush other kids, but for Kakashi, Takuya wasn't worried.
"Master?"
Seeing Pakura now standing behind Takuya, Kakashi forgot all about his bruises, his mind completely blank.
This female ninja was with Master?
"From today, call me 'sensei,'" Takuya said, ruffling Kakashi's hair. "It's been a while, Kakashi, and it looks like your guard's been dropping. Anyway, let's not dwell on that—go get checked at the hospital, then come find me at my place. From now on, whenever you're not at the Academy, you'll be training with me."
Turning to Ichiki, Takuya added, "I'll be heading off now, Ichiki-sensei."
After a polite farewell to Uemura Ichiki, Takuya walked away with Pakura.
"This kid, honestly..." Ichiki sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, everyone, disperse. Head home if you're done here. Kakashi, get to the hospital."
What kind of teaching method is this? Beating the kid up?
Ichiki couldn't wrap his head around Takuya's methods. If anyone tried that at the Academy, there'd be parents banging on the door with complaints.
Takuya Yagami was Kakashi's teacher?
Uchiha Obito stood there, dumbfounded.
The other kids weren't much different. What they thought was an act of random violence turned out to be training from Kakashi's sensei. Who would have thought?
What kind of teacher just beats up his student like that? It was bizarre.
"Kakashi, are you okay? Your teacher's awful. We should..."
Asuma began, ready to stand up for Kakashi.
But before he could finish, Kakashi cut him off.
"Sensei did it for my own good."
Without another word, Kakashi turned and left the Academy, heading straight for the hospital.
He needed to heal up quickly so he could head to Takuya's place. He didn't understand why Takuya had suddenly decided to take him on, but he knew he couldn't afford to disappoint him.
This was an opportunity he had to make the most of.
Walking beside Takuya, Pakura kept glancing at his profile. She couldn't understand why Takuya had her beat up Kakashi. Didn't he worry it might negatively impact his student's development? Wouldn't it break the boy's spirit?
"Did I go too hard on him?" she asked tentatively.
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Next Bonus: 600 - > 900
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 490+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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