Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
“Get him!” Taiga shouted, barreling past Iruka as their target bolted up a tall tree.
Iruka shook himself, glaring at the wild red-headed boy. “Now look what you’ve done. It’s going to be ten times harder to get him.”
Both boys were a mess, covered in scratches, their loose, cream-colored tunics stained with dirt and torn from the relentless chase.
“What are we going to do now?” Momoka exhaled, sinking to the ground with an exaggerated flop.
Her headband, embroidered with the Hi Haven phoenix, slipped slightly down her forehead, but she didn’t bother to adjust it, too tired from the struggle.
“We’ve been chasing this cursed cat for two hours, and I swear it’s just toying with us at this point. ”
Aimee glanced off to her right, where, as usual, their Squad Leader stood quietly, his nose buried in one of the books he always carried.
She was burning to know what could possibly hold his attention for so long, day after day, but he always managed to hide the cover whenever she got close enough to sneak a peek.
And it’s not like he talks to you any more than absolutely necessary, anyway, she thought to herself.
A hiss from the tree snapped Aimee’s attention back just in time to see Taiga winding up to throw a rock at the smug animal.
“Whoa!” She stepped in front of him, hands outstretched. “Let’s not resort to violence just yet. We’re supposed to bring him back in good condition.”
“Tell that to him!” Taiga tried to dart around her, but she moved swiftly, blocking his path with ease.
He huffed in frustration. “Come on, Aimee! Let’s just finish this. I’m tired of these bullcrap missions anyway.”
Momoka and Iruka, both covered in scratches, mumbled their agreement as they moved to stand beside Taiga.
“We’re ready for a real mission!” he declared, bolstered by their support.
“Not if you have to resort to rock-throwing and damaging your target to finish this assignment, you’re not.” The hairs on the back of Aimee’s neck stood on end as Kiba’s voice drifted from behind her, suddenly closer.
“I don’t suppose you have any sage advice, Sensei?” she asked, sarcasm seeping into her words as she kept her back to him.
Like the others, she was fed up with the months of low-difficulty missions around the nearby villages.
Catching lost animals, tracking down missing goods, and harvesting fields.
And then there was him, constantly there, frustrating her just by existing, not to mention the other kind of frustration she couldn’t quite shake.
As usual, he ignored her.
“Fine.” Aimee pinched the bridge of her nose, glancing at the others who watched her expectantly. The answer was obvious, and the situation practically begged for it.
It’s the perfect opportunity to introduce them to more animal-based martial arts. She could show them how to observe and imitate the cat's movements—its grace, its agility, its style. The fat, furry beast was surprisingly formidable and would be a good teacher.
She’d done this a few times now, leveraging her supposed foreign upbringing to introduce new concepts into their training.
Nothing flashy, just basic principles that had somehow been forgotten once Mana entered the world and its manipulation became the primary focus of shinobi combat.
Even their physical forms relied heavily on Mana to enhance speed and strength.
“Fine,” she repeated, straightening up. “Okay, so why can’t we catch the cat?”
The group looked at her blankly. Even Kiba glanced up from his book, mildly curious.
“He’s faster,” Momoka offered after a moment. “And agile.”
“He can also climb trees,” Iruka muttered, dabbing at a scratch on his arm with his sleeve.
“And has claws,” Taiga added, scuffing the ground with his foot.
“Yes, exactly!” Aimee smiled, pulling out two small throwing knives, their hilts wrapped in rough cloth for better grip.
“So why can’t we be faster, more agile, or climb trees?
And it’s not like we don’t have our own claws.
” She twirled the knives playfully before winking at them.
“Plus there’s four of us and one of him. This should be easy.”
“How?” Iruka asked, recognizing the change in her tone. He was always sharp like that, quick to pick up on teaching moments, no matter how subtly she tried to slip them in.
“Well, we can’t be a cat, but can we move like one?” she asked.
“Like a cat?” Taiga scratched his head, clearly confused.
“Yeah! Watch me.” Aimee dropped into a low crouch, her knees bent, her weight distributed evenly as she moved silently, almost gliding across the ground. “Cats are fast and graceful, relying on balance and precision. Stay low, keep your center stable, and move from your core. Follow me.”
She demonstrated the movement, her body flowing like liquid, light on her feet but always controlled.
The group watched her, wide-eyed, before attempting to imitate.
Iruka dropped into a crouch first, wobbling with each step, and eventually fell sideways with a thud.
Momoka gave it a shot, next, managing a few steps before her foot slipped, sending her sprawling.
Taiga, meanwhile, was as awkward as it came, but effort made up for natural elegance.
Aimee smiled encouragingly as they all got back up and repeatedly tried again. “Keep your movements stable! Control comes from your center.”
And slowly but surely, they began to improve.
They really are quite gifted, she thought, watching Iruka, his brow furrowed in concentration as he managed a few fluid steps while Momoka’s balance steadied. Even Taiga got a few steps without falling…or screaming in excitement.
“Better!” Aimee beamed as Iruka returned Taiga’s brief high-five with a rare grin of triumph.
“Let’s get that cat!” Momoka squealed, excitement building again.
The cat, still perched high in the tree, meowed disdainfully, licking its paw, looking bored.
Aimee stuck her tongue out at the beast and then asked, “So, what’s our strategy? He’s clever.”
“We have to box him in,” Iruka said.
“Someplace he can’t climb away,” Taiga added, clapping his hands.
“But we can’t hurt him,” Momoka reminded them.
It went on like that for nearly ten minutes as the newly energized team put their heads together, forming a plan.
Three attempts later and another hour of carefully watching the cat’s movements, tracking its unpredictable leaps and lightning-fast dashes, and they finally managed to corral the cunning creature into the box.
Exhausted but victorious, they exchanged relieved smiles, ready to bring their prize home.
After a short walk, they arrived at the modest wooden structure with paper windows and a sloping roof.
Their client, an overjoyed older man, immediately rushed out of his home, his face lighting up the moment he saw the cat.
Scooping the big tabby into his arms, he hugged the feline tightly against his chest. The cat, initially stiff, began to relax as the man’s hands scratched behind his ears, purring louder with each passing second.
Looking up, the man bowed low in gratitude before he released the pet, his weathered hands clasped together in a traditional gesture of respect.
“Thank you so much for finding my Little Bird.” He gushed, pouring an enormous bowl of milk for the cat. “He must have been so scared, all alone out there.”
“Scared?!” Taiga blurted out, only to be silenced by Momoka, who clamped her hand over his mouth before he could say more.
“We’re just glad we could help,” she said quickly, smiling politely.
“It was a good learning experience for the Tanshi. Thank you for the opportunity,” Kiba-Sensei added with a formal bow.
When they finally extracted themselves from the man’s endless gratitude, Taiga was already moaning, loud enough for everyone to hear. “That was so boring! When are we gonna get a real mission?”
“I’ll tell you what, how about we discuss it over ramen? My treat,” Kiba-Sensei said.
“What?!” Taiga yelled, eyes wide with excitement. “AMAZING! I’m gonna get the pork miso with extra noodles, extra chashu, and the spicy garlic topping! Oh, and a side of gyoza! And maybe—”
“You sure about this, Sensei?” Momoka raised an eyebrow, glancing at Taiga as his list of food grew longer.
Kiba’s usually calm exterior faltered for a second as he listened to Taiga’s endless order. “It looks like I might need an advance on our next mission just to pay for it,” he said with a nervous laugh. Then, he added, “Okay, new rule. Everyone only gets one order.”
The boys groaned in unison.
“Except for whoever gets there first and saves our table.”
It was as if he’d waved a magic wand. One moment, the three Tanshi were standing there, and the next, they’d vanished, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake as they sprinted down the street, tripping each other and jostling for the lead.
Aimee coughed, waving the dirt away from her face.
And as the dust settled, Kiba glanced down at her. “Not going to race them to the restaurant?”
“Huh?” She looked up, surprised to find they were alone for the first time since he’d interrupted her cloud counting. “Oh, no. One bowl is fine. I have leftovers at home anyway.”
“Hmmm.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking down the street beside her. “You know...you’re really good with them.”
“I’m sorry?” She stepped up to catch his pace, falling in line beside him. “Are you actually talking to me now? And giving me a compliment, at that?”
“What?” He started, then sighed. “I suppose I haven’t really been a good sensei to you, have I?”
She blinked, caught completely off guard. She was not expecting this conversation.
“What exactly do you want me to say here, Kiba-Sensei?” He hadn’t been much of anything to her except an irritating man with his nose always in a book.
“I’ll try to do better. You’ve lived up to your end. You haven’t made things more...uh...dramatic than they needed to be.”
“If anything, you’ve been the dramatic one, just ignoring me.” She glared at him from the side of her eye.
“You’re not wrong,” he admitted with a soft huff of laughter. “There’s not really tactical guidance for...this situation. I’m sorry.”
And what situation is that, exactly? Aimee wondered. Sure, they’d had that moment, but it was just once, and it had been months ago. It was over. Or...was it?
“Sure, no problem.” She tried to brush it off.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She leaned over, bumping him playfully with her hip, then immediately realized what she’d done. “Oh, crap. Sorry!” She jumped away from him, embarrassed by the contact.
“It’s fine.” The deep rumble of his answering laugh doing all sorts of confusing things to her insides. “I’ve been making it awkward. But it doesn’t need to be.”
“Sure, yeah, okay,” she stammered, heat rising to her cheeks as she struggled to get her blush under control. “Not weird at all.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, he pulled the door open for her, but just before she stepped inside, she paused. “Hey...thanks for giving me opportunities to work with them.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“At first, I was annoyed. Like, aren’t you supposed to be the Sensei?”
Kiba’s eyes crinkled in amusement, the barest hint of a smile tugging at his lips beneath the ever-present mask.
“But then, I saw what you were doing. You know I’m skilled...uh, from our first sparring session.”
“You are more than skilled when it comes to physical martial arts, Aimee.” He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment.
“I’ve never seen some of the techniques or styles you use.
You’re easily at an expert Ryōsh level, though I have no idea where you learned it all.
” He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “Maybe one day, you’ll tell me. ”
“Telling you would require actual conversations.”
“Fair.” His eye twinkled, making her stomach flip.
“Anyway...” She cleared her throat, needing to disengage before she said something stupid. “I see you’ve been giving me opportunities to mentor, and I appreciate it.”
“Hey! You guys coming in or what?” Taiga’s voice cut through the moment, yelling from across the restaurant.
Kiba winced at the interruption, then waved at the boy before ushering her through the door. “You deserve it. And you’re good at it. Much more mature than I remember being at your age.”
“I doubt that, Kiba-Sensei.” She knew his reputation. He’d been operating as an elite Ryōsh by the time he was twelve. You didn’t get to that level without maturity, and if you lacked it, it was forced down your throat pretty damn fast.
“Besides,” she added, unable to stop herself as he fell in step beside her, “who ever said I was actually sixteen? Seems like someone made an assumption somewhere along the way, and it was never corrected.”
Grinning, Aimee slipped in front of him, the sound of crashing plates and disgruntled customers echoing behind her. She turned just in time to see Kiba, off balance from her words, knocking into a few tables and issuing a string of embarrassed apologies as he tried to help pick up the mess.
“What do you think’s gotten into him?” Momoka asked, handing Aimee a spoon, as she watched their Squad Leader fumble.
“Nothing... yet,” Aimee said with a sly smile, shrugging at her squadmates’ confused expressions.