Observation: Wide stance. Slow hand recovery. He wants me at mid-range.
Reiji's hand dipped into his pouch. Three kunai flicked forward in rapid succession.
Two were obvious — fast and direct, aiming for the genin's legs.
The third?
The third carried wire.
The genin blocked the first two with a spinning deflection, stepping neatly into what seemed like a safe zone—
Caught you.
Reiji yanked the wire.
The hidden kunai's momentum curved, looping tight around the genin's ankle.
Yes it was entanglement!
A basic trap, but brutally effective in tight quarters.
The genin's eyes widened as his foot was jerked off-balance.
Reiji was already moving. He lunged, his shoulder crashing into the genin's chest, using gravity and momentum to drive him to the ground.
Transition: In grappling, hesitation kills. Reiji didn't hesitate.
The kunai in his hand pressed cold and sharp against the genin's throat.
"Yield," Reiji said flatly.
The reserve genin glared, humiliated, but tapped the ground. "I yield."
The Hokage's office smelled faintly of tobacco and ink.
Reiji stood silently in front of the massive desk, his posture straight but relaxed — too relaxed for a student facing the most powerful man in the village.
Hiruzen set his pipe down and clasped his hands together. He studied the boy for a long moment.
"You know," the old man said, "when I was your age, I believed strength was all that mattered. I thought, if I could just train harder than anyone else, I could shoulder the entire world."
Reiji tilted his head slightly. This old monkey always starts with a metaphor.
Hiruzen chuckled at the boy's silence. "But this village… it isn't held together by strength alone. It's held together by the bonds between those willing to protect it. That is the Will of Fire, Reiji to fight, to endure, and to sacrifice, not for yourself, but for those who cannot stand on their own."
Reiji's expression showcased a wide grin. "Of course Grandpa, otherwise how would I get any stronger?"
The advisors behind Hiruzen audibly scoffed.
Arrogant brat, Homura thought. He doesn't understand anything.
Why does Hiruzen indulge this child; to address him in this manner? Koharu mused silently, eyeing Reiji like a puzzle.
Hiruzen scoffs momentarily, "So tell me Reiji how are you handling the gravity seal?"