*Waterfall Village, Forest Clearing*
The morning air was sharp and cool, heavy with the scent of damp leaves. Mist still clung to the edges of the trees, and the faint rush of the nearby river was a steady backdrop to the silence.
Shisui stood at the center of the clearing, his cloak laid aside, sleeves rolled up. His single Sharingan eye glowed faintly red in the dim light, watching every ripple of the world around him. Across from him, Sasuke planted his feet into the dirt, fists clenched at his sides.
The boy was breathing heavily already, not from exertion but anticipation. His body was still growing, still clumsy, but his eyes burned with stubbornness that only an Uchiha could carry.
"Today," Shisui said, his tone calm and steady, "we put ninjutsu aside. No fireballs, no fancy chakra tricks. Just your body against mine."
Sasuke frowned, a bead of sweat already forming at his temple. "Taijutsu?"
"Taijutsu," Shisui confirmed. "You'll need stamina before you can wield anything else properly. Reflexes. Awareness. If your body can't keep up, all the chakra in the world won't save you."
Sasuke's jaw tightened. He gave a short nod.
"Good," Shisui said, stepping forward. "Then let's begin."
He moved without warning.
Sasuke barely saw the blur before a hand flicked out, aiming for his chest. Instinctively, he jerked back, stumbling a step, and only just avoided the strike. His eyes widened.
"Too slow," Shisui said simply.
The next attack came from the side—a low sweep with his leg. Sasuke tried to jump, but his timing was late. The kick clipped his ankle, knocking him sideways. He caught himself with a hand, rolling back up to his feet, dirt smeared across his cheek.
He clenched his fists tighter, cheeks flushed.
Shisui tilted his head slightly. "Don't flail. Watch me. Read me. Every move I make starts somewhere—my shoulder, my hips, my eyes. You see it before it happens, you live. You don't, you hit the ground."
Sasuke scowled, determined now.
They clashed again. Shisui advanced with deliberate speed—not his full pace, but fast enough to overwhelm. His strikes came measured, precise, not cruel but unrelenting. A jab at the ribs. A swipe at the shoulder. A kick toward the thigh. Sasuke dodged some, but his movements were messy, reactionary. Twice he tripped over his own footing, once nearly sprawling.
A sharp tap to his chest sent him stumbling back again.
"Focus, Sasuke," Shisui said, his voice calm but carrying weight.
"I am focusing!" Sasuke snapped, frustrated, his cheeks flushed, breath ragged.
"Then focus harder."
The boy grit his teeth and lunged back in, swinging a wild punch. Shisui didn't even blink. He tilted his head just enough that the fist whistled past harmlessly, then placed two fingers lightly against Sasuke's forehead and pushed. The boy stumbled back a step, humiliated.
"Careless," Shisui murmured. "Don't waste motion. Don't swing unless you know it'll land."
Sasuke growled under his breath, but the fire in his eyes only brightened.
For the next hour, the clearing echoed with the sounds of scuffling feet, sharp grunts, and the dull thuds of strikes meeting air—or dirt. Sasuke hit the ground more times than he could count. He was thrown, tripped, knocked aside. His body ached, his knees scraped raw, his palms burned from catching himself.
Yet every time, he got back up.
Shisui's single eye watched him carefully, gauging, weighing. He saw the boy's stubbornness, the same kind of stubbornness that had once burned in another pair of eyes long ago.
The sun climbed higher, heat soaking into the clearing. Sasuke was drenched in sweat, his breaths coming ragged, but he still refused to stop.
Shisui finally called, "Activate your Sharingan."
Sasuke blinked, startled, then clenched his fists. "But—"
"Do it."
The boy shut his eyes, focused, and when they opened again, the crimson glow of the Sharingan flickered into life—uneven, still young. Two tomoe in one eye, one in the other.
Shisui's expression softened for just a second. "Good. Now keep up."
He blurred forward again, faster this time. Sasuke gasped, the Sharingan spinning wildly to keep up. For the first time, he saw the faint twitch of Shisui's shoulder before the strike, the shift in his hips before the kick. He dodged—barely, the attack grazing his sleeve.
Shisui smiled faintly. "Better."
But better didn't mean good enough. Shisui's pace didn't slow. If anything, it quickened. His movements were sharp, testing. Sasuke managed to dodge two, three strikes—then a knee stopped inches from his stomach, and the shock of the near hit sent him staggering back again.
He panted hard, sweat dripping down his chin. His eyes stung from the effort of keeping the Sharingan active.
"Don't just react," Shisui said firmly. "Anticipate. See further. If you only dodge at the last second, you'll always be late."
"I'm trying!" Sasuke snapped, his voice cracking with exertion.
"Then try harder."
The words landed heavy, but not cruel. They were the words of someone who believed the boy could do better—*must* do better.
The sparring dragged on. Sasuke's limbs grew heavier, slower. His vision blurred at the edges. Several times, Shisui's strikes stopped just short of impact, only to tap lightly against the boy's forehead, ribs, or shoulder, each one a quiet reminder: *you're still behind.*
Finally, Sasuke's legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto his knees, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his jaw. His Sharingan flickered, then went out, leaving only exhausted black eyes.
He glared up at Shisui, trembling with frustration.
"I… can't…" he gasped.
Shisui crouched in front of him, expression calm. "Not yet. But you will."
The boy clenched his fists against the dirt, teeth grinding. "I want to… I want to catch you."
Shisui studied him quietly. His single Sharingan eye softened, and for a moment, just a moment, the mask of the calm instructor slipped.
*You have to get stronger, Sasuke,* he thought, words caught in his throat. *I don't have much time left.*
But he didn't say it aloud.
Instead, he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, steady and grounding. "Stand. Rest for now. Tomorrow, we'll go again."
Sasuke looked up, surprise flickering across his face. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. Until you stop falling."
The boy swallowed, then gave a small, determined nod. His body trembled, his lungs burned, but already his eyes—those dark, stubborn eyes—shone with resolve.
Shisui stood, helping him up. The boy swayed but stayed on his feet.
The forest clearing fell quiet again, only the sound of the river filling the silence. Shisui's lone eye lingered on the boy, weighing both hope and dread.
Tomorrow. There would be a tomorrow. But beyond that…
He pushed the thought away.
For now, Sasuke needed him. And Shisui would not fail him.
---
Power level after time skip
* Sasuke – **2700 → 5100**
* Naruto – **285 → 295**
* Sakura – **95 → 100**
* Shikamaru – **148 → 150**
* Choji – **171 → 180**
* Ino – **110 → 115**
* Hinata – **100 → 110**
* Kiba – **182 → 200**
* Shino – **215 → 240**
* Neji – **520 → 650**
* Lee – **308 → 350**
* Tenten – **130 → 140*
* Itachi – **35,980 → 45,000**
* Shisui (sick) – **22,455 → 24,300**
* Hiruzen – **24,333**
* Danzo – **17,230**
* Homura – **8,540**
* Koharu – **7,880**
* Kakashi – 13,800**
* Might Guy – 13,900**
* Orochimaru – **39,150 → 39,800**
* Jiraiya (base) – **38,700 → 39,200**
* Tsunade (rusty) – **29,106 → 29,600**
* Onoki – **21,000 → 21,500**
* Ay (Raikage) – **27,855 → 28,300**
* Killer Bee – **27,000 → 27,500**
* Rasa (Kazekage) – **20,650 → 21,000**
* Yagura (base) – **22,400 → 17,800**(post Amaterasu)
* Obito (as "Madara") – **47,000**
* Black Zetsu – **5000**
* White Zetsu (average clone) – **1900**
* Pain (Nagato) – **48,000**
* Konan – **25,300**
* Sasori – **27,400**
**End of chapter 20**