Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

I was finally gonna punch someone today!

After a month of painfully slow training on the basic stance of the academy's taijutsu style and learning how to fall without looking like a complete idiot, today was the day we'd finally start supervised sparring. And oh man, I was so pumped for this.

"Ken-kun, who do you think you'll be facing?" Jimei asked standing right by my side.

At this point, I had completely given up on ditching Jimei. Getting rid of him was harder than getting glitter out of your hair after a carnival parade. After the whole shuriken incident with Tokuma, I kinda got attached to the guy.

"I don't know and really don't care. Whoever it is, I'm gonna win," I said, trying to sound confident.

Honestly, I might've sounded cocky, but I wasn't. I was freaking nervous. I was just pretending to be chill so no one would see how much I was freaking out inside.

Despite all the training, I'd never actually fought anyone since I woke up in this world, so I had no idea if my plan would work. But hey, I was in that "let's just throw it out there and see what happens" mood.

"I definitely know who I don't wanna fight..." Jimei spoke, his eyes locking on Tokuma, who was talking to some other students across the room.

"Yeah, I get it. With his taijutsu, he's probably one of the toughest here," I agreed with him.

I may not like the idiot Hyuuga, but the guy's is legit. The Hyuuga clan's taijutsu is the worst to deal with. Some people might think that if it's a taijutsu-only fight, it doesn't matter if a Hyuuga blocks your tenketsu, because that's just for ninjutsu and genjutsu, right? Well, those people are idiots.

Actually, I'd love to see one of those people try taking a hit from the Gentle Fist. There's not a lot of info about it, but let me tell you, even if a Hyuuga doesn't block your tenketsu, you'll still feel pain that you didn't think was possible.

Apparently, the Gentle Fist attacks certain spots on the body that cause the most damage when hit. It's honestly terrifying.

"Alright, students! Before we begin, just a reminder that no weapons or ninjutsu are allowed. Today is all about taijutsu," Bekkou's voice cut through the chatter. "When I call your name, step into this marked area to face off. Anyone who steps outside the mark loses automatically. You can use any taijutsu style you like."

The area itself was a big circle drawn with chalk on the ground—not too big, but plenty of space to move around.

"Uchiha Takeshi and Akimichi Shinzo!"

When their names were called, the two guys stepped into the circle.

Honestly, this fight and the next ones were pretty... boring. The guys had some training and of course, they were faster and better than the kids from my old world, but they were still kids, so their moves were a bit clumsy and awkward.

"Now, Inuzuka Hike and Kuroda Jimei!"

When Jimei's name was called, he jumped a little, looking like he was about to freak out. Well, I didn't blame him. He wasn't exactly lucky to be facing an Inuzuka.

"Don't look like that, come on! You got this," I said, giving him a friendly pat on the back. He was definitely gonna need it.

Fighting an Inuzuka was like a nightmare here. They have a super specific taijutsu style, and even I wouldn't want to face one.

Inuzuka Hige was a bit taller than Jimei, with messy brown hair. He was grinning like a maniac, showing off his sharp canines. I crossed my arms, staring at the fight with interest.

"Alright, before we start, you need to make this one hand sign to show you're ready to fight. We call this the spar sign," Bekkou explained, demonstrating the sign. "After the fight, you need to make the unison sign and lock your fingers together. It's a way to show respect and symbolizes friendship between shinobi."

That made me smile, remembering the spar sign from watching Naruto before I was reborn here. Jimei and Hige faced off, performing the spar sign.

"Begin!"

Hige dropped into a crouched stance, hands in claws in front of his body. Jimei was using the stance we'd practiced at the academy.

Hige moved fast. I raised an eyebrow, because the way he moved totally reminded me of a certain mutant from a comic book in my past life.

Jimei hesitated before stepping forward. And that tiny moment of hesitation was all Hige needed to land a quick cross punch to Jimei's face, throwing him off balance.

Hige tried to land another punch on the other side of Jimei's face, but surprisingly, Jimei kicked him lightly in the chest, pushing him back.

'Okay, he's doing better than I thought.'

I was kind of impressed with how Jimei landed that kick. Could've been luck, but hey, even the best shinobi need some luck.

Hige recovered quickly and charged again, trying to kick Jimei in the head. Jimei blocked with his arm. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of Hige's attack. He spun around and hit Jimei hard with the back of his fist, knocking him to the ground.

There was no hesitation from Hige, who took full advantage of Jimei being dazed and rushed toward him, stopping his first inches from Jimei's face.

"Winner, Inuzuka Hige!"

Bekkou's announcement confirmed Hige's win. He stepped back and raised his arm in victory. Jimei was lying on the ground, breathing hard, looking frustrated. But he got up quickly.

They both did the unison sign before heading back to their spots. I noticed Jimei looking down, so I gave him a few pats on the back to cheer him up.

"Hey, no big deal! You did great. Even the second Hokage lost a few times before becoming Hokage," I said, trying to lift his spirits. "Next time, you'll take him down."

To be honest, I wasn't so sure about that. Inuzuka Hige wasn't an easy opponent, and I had a hard time believing Jimei could beat him with just taijutsu. But hey, I had to cheer my buddy up.

"Do you… really think so, Ken-kun?" Jimei asked, looking up at me.

Of course, I wasn't gonna say no, so I nodded.

"You're right. Next time, I'll win," he said with a shy smile.

Looks like we didn't have much time to talk, though, because Bekkou-sensei was already ready to call the next match.

"Hyuuga Tokuma and Hoshino Kenshin!"

Oh… so it's him. A mischievous smile crept onto my face while I searched for Tokuma among the students, meeting his gaze as he shot me that annoying, arrogant look.

This was gonna be fun.

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Yeah, this was my first attempt at writing a fight scene, and I think I tried, not sure if it worked, but let me know. In the next chapter, we'll have Tokuma and Kenshin's fight, so it's gonna be fun. After the next chapter, there will be a timeskip chapter with a different POV, so don't be surprised.