Chapter 18 (Chat GPT)
Suna, a vast village resembling a basin, was surrounded by formidable walls hewn from solid rock. It boasted a large and extended area for habitation and activities spanning kilometers of land.
Just moments earlier,
In another section of the village, atop towering round towers, lay elevated training grounds upon specific buildings.
Every Shinobi in Suna had to exhibit a certain acrobatic finesse at least once. Developing a delicate sense of balance with their bodies and feet was imperative to train on unique grounds that wasn't favored by everyone.
Maki took great pleasure in honing her skills in this lofty training area.
This remote and sparsely populated region of the village often attracted individuals with decent skills, unafraid of the perils that accompanied heights. Those unable to scale trees or traverse water would never venture to train here.
Akira had just finished showcasing his prowess in hand signs to Maki. Nodding approvingly, a contented expression crossed her face as she hugged her arms across her chest and said,
"Alright, let's see your chakra control skills first before I begin teaching you anything."
"Mastery of this ability isn't simple for those who struggle with controlling the consumption and release of their chakra. If you aim to excel at the Cloth Binding Jutsu within a month, you'll need to possess exceptional chakra control."
"How do you compare to your peers?"
"There's no point in possessing this ability if you're only going to be average at it. A momentary lapse in focus could cost you your life when attempting to counter an attack rather than evading it."
Akira responded, attempting to avoid sounding too arrogant,
"My peers? You mean my friends, family, and all that? I believe I surpass the average... But how do you plan to assess that?"
The only person he had ever encountered who exhibited superior chakra control was his mother, Karura, an elite Jonin. Gaara couldn't hold a candle to her. She possessed an adeptness in manipulating chakra-infused strings and excelled in mastering chakra control. While she wasn't a puppeteer, her fighting style closely resembled that of her younger brother.
Maki flashed a beautiful smile, exuding an air of confidence as she spoke,
"We could approach this experiment in various ways, but personally, I find a taijutsu bout to be the most effective method of evaluation. I want to observe how you channel and distribute your chakra throughout your body during combat."
Akira nodded and inquired, "Can we begin then?"
Maki nodded in agreement and replied,
"Whenever you're ready."
She then cracked a joke, exuding the typical confidence of a Jonin. "But take it easy on me, alright? I'm currently on a special leave of absence for vacation. I don't want to waste my hard-earned days being idle and nursing injuries if you suddenly get too carried away."
Akira chuckled and responded, "I wasn't aiming to be overly ambitious, but now I'm genuinely curious if I can pull it off. Taijutsu isn't my weak point, but it's not my strong suit either."
"Lately, I've been contemplating training with a close combat weapon as well. I've relied on Kunai thus far, but those are better suited for defense since I'm not like my uncle."
"Your uncle?" Maki asked with curiosity.
"My uncle loves it when younger people address him as 'Sir.' Hopefully, you're not acquainted with him, but chances are you might be. His name is Yashamaru Arashi." Akira replied.
There was no way she wasn't aware of the village's strongest Jonin... Well, the strongest since that dangerous individual vanished, at least...
"Yashamaru? He's your uncle?" Maki's eyebrows briefly shot up in surprise, followed by a moment of realization as she exclaimed,
"Wait... Oh, it all makes sense now. I suppose I overlooked this logical detail. If you're the son of the Kazekage, then you're also the son of Lady Karura..."
Akira smiled and nodded, playfully stating, "Yep. Or did you think my dad had a child with someone else? He definitely doesn't have permission for that, I can assure you."
"Well, he could give it a shot, but it probably wouldn't end well for him..." Akira added, lost in thought and filled with apprehension.
His mother was no ordinary woman and had a jealous streak, despite her kind demeanor on regular weekdays. It was "thanks" to her that Yashamaru possessed great discipline, having been raised in a military environment, even though he was a late bloomer in terms of talent...
"Mmm. I've heard about her from Lady Chiyo, and I've caught glimpses of her from a distance. I certainly wouldn't advise your dad to give it a try..." Maki's expression turned slightly awkward, a cold sweat forming as she spoke, seemingly grasping the intimidating personality and strength that Akira referred to.
"Hey, Grandma Chiyo? What did she say about my mom?" Akira asked with great curiosity. The more ammunition he had for teasing, the better.
Maki chuckled, letting out a sigh, and then said,
"Nothing I should even attempt to repeat here if I want to continue enjoying my vacation and laid-back lifestyle... Enough chitchat, let's get this fight started between us. I only have an hour to spare, and I have a good book waiting for me."
Recognizing the reader's enthusiasm, Akira ceased fooling around and sprang into action. Since this was a purely hand-to-hand combat, he refrained from using any ninja techniques or flashy moves, even abstaining from employing the Body Flicker technique since it fell under ninjutsu.
He swiftly sprinted towards Maki, who stood on the same expansive rooftop. With ample space for a prolonged bout, assuming she was willing, they agreed to forgo any ninja techniques.
In the blink of an eye, his body was already two feet away from her, displaying considerable speed despite not specializing in taijutsu. He unleashed a simple punch.
Just as his fist neared Maki's face, he noticed her smiling and playfully whispering, "You're quicker than I anticipated."
Before his punch could connect, she vanished into thin air, exclaiming, "And it seems speed isn't your only asset..."
As she deftly evaded Akira's punch, a resounding whoosh filled the air. It was the sound of the wind being sliced by Akira's forceful attack. He infused his strike with great violence, distinct from Tsunade's style, yet possessing his own unique approach to taijutsu, taught to him by his uncle.
That was precisely why, during their previous encounter, Akira hesitated to confront him directly. He knew that utilizing the martial arts techniques taught by his uncle would be futile. Baki excelled in this style of taijutsu, taking it a step further by incorporating his own lethal variations of wind ninjutsu.
"Can you achieve that without advanced chakra transformation? Just with basic hand-to-hand combat? That's truly intriguing..."
"Your chakra control is undeniably impressive, but now I'm in the mood to break a good sweat! Come at me!"
Maki moved with remarkable speed.
She reappeared behind Akira, shouting like someone who relished combat, which caught him off guard. She delivered a powerful kick to his back, propelling him a considerable distance and causing him intense pain upon impact.
Akira's eyes widened as he attempted to land gracefully and stay on the rooftop, but he ended up clutching his arm in even more agony due to an awkward landing on solid ground...
'This woman...'
He thought, wincing in pain.
He was completely taken aback by what he had just encountered, stunned because he now possessed the genes of Psychic and Flying Types. Both of these Pokémon types provided resistance against Taijutsu, which dealt fighting-type damage.
If Maki didn't possess genuine skill in martial arts, she wouldn't have inflicted such excruciating pain and caused him such agony with just a kick.
"You're much stronger than I initially believed... Even though it contradicts the purpose of your current assessment for me... How unreasonable of you, ouch!"
He grunted, expressing his discomfort as she charged at him like a furious and violent storm, her eyes ablaze with fire.
As he stared into those intense and mischievous eyes, prepared to unleash harm, he thought he caught a glimpse of Pakura's shadow, the one he had recently revived, in that very moment.
[—about a week ago, a week ago...]
"Hmm?"
The system suddenly spoke, leaving Akira puzzled as he swiftly dodged another swift and forceful kick from Maki, who proved to be an even more formidable sparring partner than his brother Gaara.
Taijutsu wasn't Gaara's forte, after all.
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This chapter was first released in its original form; now it's been reworked by ChatGPT; let me know if you think it's worse or more awkward, or if you think it's better. I gave it a shot, but as the year 2023 progresses, I find it increasingly pointless to tire myself out by writing the traditional way, given how AI is progressing.