The water arena shimmered beneath the late afternoon sun. Around the lowered pit, students gathered—Yasashii, Jiyuu, and Kaia. Rina was not interested in this battle, as she was used to ninja battles, so she chose to train with Souji alone in a corner. At the centre of the arena were two figures.
Itachi Uchiha, calm and composed, his wooden training sword held loosely at his side. Across from him stood Akihiro, blind and still, his unseeing gaze fixed somewhere random and distant.
Ryu spoke, "Rules are simple. No ninjutsu and no weapons other than the training sword. This is a taijutsu-only fight and instead of first hit wins, the first one to completely fall in water loses. We don't want the battle to end in one second. And this also gives Akihiro more room to adapt."
Itachi's [Sharingan] spun once more, and with a deliberate blink, the crimson faded, replaced by his natural dark eyes as he said, "I hope you grow to the point where this handicap is no longer necessary."
Akihiro signed again, his movements quick and precise. Kaia's voice followed. "He says he looks forward to that day."
"Begin," Ryu shouted.
Itachi moved first, steps deliberate and measured, creating soft ripples. Akihiro's head tilted, tracking the sound, but he remained still, waiting.
Itachi closed the distance in three strides and swung his padded wooden sword in a controlled horizontal arc aimed at Akihiro's shoulder.
Akihiro raised his blade instinctively. The strike connected with a dull thwack, and he stumbled half a step to the side. Itachi was merely testing Akihiro, but Akihiro's blocking indicated that Itachi should keep attacking. Itachi then moved a few steps back and tried to confuse Akihiro about his location.
Akihiro's eyes narrowed in concentration as he anticipated Itachi's next move. With a quick feint to the left, Itachi swiftly changed direction and lunged forward with a swift strike towards Akihiro's exposed side. Akihiro barely managed to parry the blow, realising that he needed to stay focused and alert to keep up with Itachi's movements.
"You're thinking too much, Akihiro!" Ryu's voice cut sharp and clear. "Real battles are different from training. In battles, you have to make split-second decisions, as if your life depends on it. There is no room for hesitation or delay. Think less, visualise more, and act on your senses instinctively."
Akihiro straightened, adjusting his grip. Itachi didn't wait. He pressed forward: another strike, this time a downward slash. The wooden blades clashed with a sharp crack. But Itachi pivoted smoothly, sweeping his wooden blade toward Akihiro's legs.
Water splashed as Akihiro jumped back, hearing its sound.
"Better," Ryu said. "Don't give yourself away—control your reactions to keep your opponent guessing. Stay focused and trust your instincts."
Itachi paused mid-strike, glancing back at Ryu with a faint smile, and then focused his attention on Akihiro.
The fight continued, with Itachi maintaining the advantage through precise strikes and impeccable footwork. Akihiro blocked more than he dodged, his reactions just a fraction too slow, and Itachi was toying with him.
Ryu's voice cut through the sound of clashing wood. "Akihiro, imagine an infinite line in the direction you feel him moving."
Akihiro's brow furrowed in concentration, his movements still just a bit behind. But something was shifting—the frustration in his expression slowly giving way to focus, then to something almost like determination.
The [InstinctGPT] seal on his back flared to life, and deep within his mind a feeling, an instinct, began to take hold more sharply than before. The visualisation module was activated. In his imagination, a flat, geometric, two-dimensional plane materialised. As Itachi moved, a faint line appeared, starting from where he stepped and stretching in the direction of Akihiro.
The imaginary visual of Itachi can be seen running on this infinite line now in the imaginary mental world of Akihiro.
Itachi then leaped to the side, creating a new ripple, and another line appeared in Akihiro's mental plane.
"Don't get confused," Ryu instructed. "The newest line is always the most important. Let the old ones fade."
Akihiro nodded slightly, his grip tightening on his sword. The wooden blade whistled through the air as Itachi attacked again. Akihiro's blade met air as Itachi momentarily stopped in his tracks, and Akihiro's attack failed. Itachi attacked, but by now Akihoro had sensed Itachi's location and countered with a swift strike of his own.
"Good. Now, Akihiro—visualising the line isn't enough. You need to cut it short. Pinpoint his exact location on this line and make a moving identifier on it."
Itachi's gaze sharpened, a flicker of impressed curiosity crossing his features. "He's improving already."
"Of course he is," Ryu replied.
While Akihiro processed the instruction, Ryu's attention briefly shifted to the sidelines.
On the edge of the arena, Kaia watched. It's the first time she had seen her twin fight. Even though he had to deal with bullies, no one was so rotten as to actually hit a blind kid.
Ryu said to her, "Don't just watch, Kaia. Visualise the fight in your mind. Predict where they move before they do. When someone pulls back a fist for a punch, imagine where it'll land. When a sword moves, trace its arc before it begins."
Kaia drew in a slow breath, letting the world fade except for the fight in the arena. She let herself feel the potential, the trajectories, and the intentions.
As Itachi stepped in, feinting, Kaia's mind painted a faint arc—a glowing stroke in space, showing where his blade would travel. For every motion, before it landed, she saw a thin, predictive path flicker into existence—pale, getting clearer with focus.
She signed a quick phrase to Ryu: "The lines show up clearer when I focus."
Ryu grinned. "That's yours [InstinctGPT]—tuned for visualisation too. The more you work it, the sharper it gets. It even has a subtitle feature. Not that you need help reading signs. You need to focus on lips deliberately without the seal. But with it, it becomes almost automatic, happening without you even realising it."
Kaia's eyes lit up. She glanced over at Yasashii, who was talking to Jiyuu. Live text appeared on the side as Yasashii was talking.
"Practize it and make it yours," Ryu stated with a smile.
Kaia nodded, determination flooding her features, then let her focus slide back to Itachi and Akihiro, predictive trails gleaming across her inner vision.
Akihiro was still on the back foot. Itachi pressed the attack, feints and misdirection coming fast. But as Akihiro tried, felt, and visualised, the [InstinctGPT] let him track Itachi's approach, predicting not only direction but also speed.
"Kick the water gently," Ryu called. "Feel the wave going and coming back."
Akihiro hesitated, then obeyed. He lifted his foot and tapped the water, sending out a gentle ripple. The wave went out, hit Itachi's position, and returned.
In his mind, [InstinctGPT] processed and calculated the delay and estimated distance. A glowing point appeared on the infinite line, pinpointing location.
"Good. Now calculate the time," Ryu continued. "Distance equals speed times time—your opponent's half that away."
Itachi moved, creating new ripples. Akihiro adapted, feeling the shift: the glow shifted in his plane. His body was starting to catch up to the data.
"Your body will learn to do this instinctively," Ryu said. "You have water to generate water waves in this arena. Elsewhere you will have ninjutsu and cane."
This time, something changed. Akihiro didn't think, didn't calculate—he felt. The ripple pattern, the sound, the displacement of water—all converged into a single point of certainty. His blade met Itachi's with perfect precision.
For the first time, Akihiro smiled.
"There it is," Ryu said quietly. "Now you're not fighting blind."
The fight progressed, and Akihiro adapted as he blocked every hit. His movements grew sharper, reactions quicker. The [InstinctGPT] was learning, every successful move making the next smoother.
As the fight wore on, Akihiro's improvement became visible. He no longer needed to think about calculations—his body was reacting by instinct, guided by the seal.
Ryu's voice softened, encouraging. "You are looking at this three-dimensional world through a two-dimensional visualisation. One day, you'll see it all in three. For now, just fight. Enjoy the flow. Don't worry about winning. Show us what you can do."
Something shifted. His movements became more aggressive, exuding newfound confidence and determination. A smile tugged at his lips—not of victory, but of understanding.
He attacked. His wooden sword lashed out in a precise horizontal slash. Itachi blocked, surprised by the sudden shift.
Akihiro pressed forward, strikes coming faster and more refined. The wooden blades clashed with sharp cracks, sending ripples across the water, and in his mind, flashes appeared—brief, vivid images of Itachi's form and movement.
The image vanished as quickly as it came, but they were enough to guide Akihiro's next move.
From the sidelines, Kaia pumped a fist in the air, biting down on her thrill as a predictive trail danced across her inner vision. "He's finally trusting himself," she muttered to Ryu, awestruck.
Itachi smiled; no further words were needed. There was respect in his eyes.
Ryu's voice cut through the rhythm. "When your opponent starts predicting you, change the pace. Throw them off. Make them make mistakes."
Akihiro understood.
He was fighting Itachi close, blades clashing. Then, in a sudden change, Akihiro swept his foot through the water, kicking and sending a splash at Itachi's face.
Itachi closed his eyes instinctively, water droplets hitting his face.
Akihiro swung his blade. Itachi ducked, moving on reflex.
But Akihiro was already in motion, spinning, delivering a roundhouse aimed at Itachi's midsection.
Itachi raised his wooden sword, blocking the kick. The impact sent him skidding backward through the water, his footing unstable, a spray of droplets glittering in the sun.
For the first time in the fight, Itachi just smiled.
"I've enjoyed this," he said, his voice carrying respect. "But it's time to end it."
Akihiro charged forward, blade raised, determination etched in every line of his face.
Itachi blocked and pivoted. He jumped and delivered a sharp kick to Akihiro's chest.
Akihiro stumbled back, gasping for breath, water splashing around him.
He tried to recover, [InstinctGPT] screaming warnings—but his body, still learning, couldn't keep up. Itachi swept his leg low, hooking Akihiro's ankle with surgical precision.
For a heartbeat, Akihiro's mental plane showed him exactly what was happening—the arc of the sweep, the trajectory of his fall.
He fell backward, splashing hard into the shallow water. For a moment, silence settled over the arena. The fight was over.
A/N:
Power stones are lacking ... Come on, guys. Shower some love on the story.
If you liked the story, please leave a review on WN and RR, it will help me grow. Thanks;
Also, I am gifting 100 membership gifts for promotion and to celebrate 300 chapters on Patreon!
Gift link(no spaces): w ww. patreon . co m /PageTurnerPJ/ redeem/AFE9D
Share the link with your friends.
If you use a gift link, please consider leaving a review on the stories you read. Reviews are a writer's lifeblood!