Masaaki took a quick gulp of water and left the sidelines for another round of sparring.

Choza had nothing to say as they hadn't fought properly yet; the first round was to get them fired up for the real thing. He was well aware that Takuma was stronger than him and held back in sparring. No one went all out in spars; that wasn't their purpose, but Takuma tended to match his opponent's level—he would fight Ai on her level even though he was so much stronger.

Masaaki didn't want him to line up to his level. He wanted to feel the pressure of facing someone stronger during their spar. There was no meaning without a challenge. The warmup round where they punched the shit out of each other was his way to get him worked up, so he would truly try to beat him.

"Ready?" Masaaki asked as Takuma walked from the sideline.

Takuma cracked his neck with a jerk and nodded.

Masaaki grinned when he saw Takuma doing short hops on his feet and his hands already raised to form the guard. He was ready to fight for real now.

"Let's start," Masaaki said as he pulled his arms up. "Go!"

The dirt around Takuma's feet exploded as he jolted forward. Masaaki heard wind rippling as the fist slipped past his ear. He gazed into Takuma's eyes and saw the look of single-minded focus reflected there.

Masaaki knew better than most people about how Takuma fought. Like him, he preferred to be close, where he could decimate the opponent with a solid strike. His preferred ninjutsu were also geared to give him an advantage in the melee range. The ideal scenario would be to keep a distance, but Masaaki wasn't as effective across the distance and he knew he would lose if he tried to put distance between them.

For him to win, he needed to be close too, but more importantly, he had to make sure Takuma didn't get the chance to use his favourite water tentacles. He could contend equally as long as only four limbs were involved on both sides, but Takuma would win if he managed to gain eight more.

So, he was going to stick to Takuma like glue at any cost.

Masaaki grabbed Takuma's arm and kicked his leg to trip him, but Takuma jumped at the last moment. Masaaki tightened the hold and switched to an over-the-shoulder throw. He was heavy because of the weighted gear, but because of it, he fell faster and harder, ploughing the earth with his fall.

Masaaki's knuckleduster glowed as he swung down at Takuma's face. His fist cratered the ground, Takuma managing to roll out of the way at the last second, so he grabbed his feet to drag him close before stomping on him. The foot rammed against Takuma's crossed arms and his body sank into the ground.

Between the crossed guard, Masaaki could see the perfect calm in Takuma's eyes, so he raised his foot for another stomp.

Takuma kicked the ground and forcefully slid away. He got up and tried to put some distance between them, but Masaaki didn't let him and immediately pressured him with his bukijutsu, knuckledusters glowing, chugging at full speed. He stepped in and struck him with a blazing-fast four-hit combo that lifted Takuma off his feet and had him stumble when he landed.

Seeing that he wasn't getting away, Takuma immediately switched gears and committed to attacking back.

Masaaki immediately felt his muscles taut in the face of danger and raised his guard.

Takuma sidestepped a haymaker and countered by kicking him in the knee and followed up with two swift punches that were perfectly blocked. Masaaki saw an opening in the block and smashed a satisfying hit into his side.

'That felt good,' Masaaki grinned when he saw Takuma's eye bulge and spit fly out of his mouth.

He saw another opportunity created from his attack. He immediately moved in while putting more power in his bukijutsu—when Takuma suddenly moved in a perfect counter, which not only closed the opportunity but also opened Masaaki to punishment.

'Shit, I got baited,' Masaaki cursed.

He raised his block, but Takuma was faster and jammed a palm strike into his chest and then went below the belt by punching him in the groin. Masaaki staggered by the double blow and hastily raised his hands forward for a block, but Takuma was once again faster and slipped an augmented punch right into the upper abdomen.

The force from the chakra spread throughout his upper body, disrupting the tension in his muscles. The impact force itself knocked the wind out of his lungs and rendered him unable to either defend or attack a small window. Masaaki tried to let his body free fall back to close the window, but Takuma grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down as he slammed his knee into his stomach.

Masaaki folded from the waist as he flew into the air. Takuma pushed against the ground and rocketed above Masaaki while in the air. He joined his hands and then threw down a powerful augmented double-handle.

The burst of chakra released a sound wave as it smashed Masaaki down.

Through sheer force and determination, Masaaki twisted his body mid-crash and landed on his feet. The force made him kneel, and he felt the vestiges of the chakra wreaking havoc in his body. His legs threatened to give out from beneath him but he powered through and sprinted straight toward Takuma, who did the same.

Masaaki clenched his right fist, and the knuckledusters began to shine with a blinding glow. People thought he was a close-range fighter who had nothing to add range because he used knuckledusters as his weapon of choice, but they were mistaken.

He extended his fist when he was several metres out, releasing a concussive wind blast from a distance.

However, Takuma wasn't "just someone" and moved out of the way, if a step too late. The fist-sized blast clipped his shoulder, sending him spinning to the side. He came to a sudden, unstable stop. Masaaski continued forward, ready to capitalise on the advantage, when he saw him spring up and meet him halfway, fist glowing.

As they closed the distance, Masaaki broke into a knee slide and slipped below the fist by mere inches. The augmentation's force burst out, and he felt it part his hair, scratching against his scalp like sandpaper. He ignored the irritation, got up to his feet, and turned around to use the opportunity to attack.

Takuma, who had his back to Masaaki, quickly turned around and struck out with his cocked fist.

'He's hasty', Masaaki grinned when he saw Takuma strike out with his punch too early. Masaaki pumped the brakes to ensure the fist wouldn't reach him, which was when he saw the clear look in Takuma's eyes—there wasn't a hint of panic in them.

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Even though the fist was far, a brutal force hit Masaaki square in the face and blasted him to the ground.

Takuma jumped on Masaaki and slammed a full-force, non-augmented fist into his chest that burst cracks below Masaaki's body, who felt his bones on the verge of breaking—and would've shattered if Takuma had used his strongest attack.

But he wasn't concerned with that because he was shocked by what he had just witnessed.

———

.

Choza watched as his student hobbled to the sideline after the round of sparring came to an end. There was a look of stunned surprise on Masaaki's face, hand on his chest where he had been hit.

"Do you know he created his augmentation all on his own," Masaaki said with a faraway look.

"I noticed that it seems to be based on overcharging the adhesion principle," Choza replied. If it were just that, he would've still considered it a waste of time and effort.

Many people had tried to use the principle similarly and had failed to turn it into something usable over a long time. The Akimichi clan itself had experimented with the principle because of their clan's affinity and preference towards chakra augmentations to boost their destructive ability—but those projects had been abandoned after they thought it wasn't worth the time and effort.

But from what he saw, the way Takuma used chakra to boost his striking force had evolved beyond the basic rules and limitations of the chakra adhesion principle. It was still very crude, but he could see potential; this could be a diamond.

"All by himself, you say?" asked Choza, interested in Masaaki's friend.

"...Yeah, he used no reference. In hindsight, that wasn't smart, but perhaps that's why he succeeded. When he made mistakes, he used to crack his bones and rip his muscles, but look at him now; he has brought it so far," Masaaki sighed.

"Why do you sigh?"

"He had to figure out everything I have with a blueprint I could follow... and he still managed to inspire me. He stopped improving at a rapid pace for a year when he was in the Police Force—and I thought it was my chance to catch up. I thought today would be the day I would fight him as equals. And yet here we are... it feels like the gap just keeps widening no matter what I do."

Choza gazed at his student with a soft smile.

They met once a week, where he would check Masaaki's progress and give him advice and tasks for the next week. In the years they had been meeting, not once had Masaaki complained about anything and took everything in stride. He was stubborn in the best of ways and got along with almost everyone in the clan—an exemplary shinobi with a respectable nindo.

He didn't think he had seen Masaaki dejected like this when faced with defeat. He would always just laugh it off and confidently declare that he would improve and get back to training to make his claims happen. It was a quality that most people lacked—the willingness and desire to put in the work to improve.

'He resembles him,' Choza smiled when he thought about his other student who had surpassed him and had become one of the leading figures in the village, renowned worldwide for his strength.

"Masaaki, get up."

Masaaki looked at Choza and saw the unbothered expression on his teacher's face. The dejected look eased, soon replaced with a look of focus and determination. He slapped both his cheeks with the knuckledusters adorned on his fingers and got up.

"Sensei! I'm glad that my friend is getting better, but I'm also not happy at the same time. Is that bad?" Masaaki asked with a serious expression.

"It's natural to feel that way sometimes," said Choza. Emotions were a complex matter, and he could understand where Masaaki was coming from. "Be ready, Masaaki. Starting tomorrow, we will meet thrice a week. I'm going to push you harder than we have ever trained. That gap you mentioned? We're going to close it. You're a shinobi with ties to the Akimichi clan—you have to win to hold up our honour and prestige."

Masaaki's eyes widened in surprise, and he stayed rooted to the spot for a couple of seconds before he stood at attention and bowed till his torso was parallel to the ground.

"I'm honoured for your tutelage. I will work hard not to shame the Akimichi clan."

"Good," Choza smiled, and before he could tell him to stand straight, Choji approached Masaaki.

The little Akimichi tugged on Masaaki's tank top, making him look at Choji, who held up a waterskin.

"I think your glowy knuckledusters are cooler, Masaaki!" said Choji.

Masaaki received the waterskin and looked between it, his knuckledusters, and Choji before breaking into a loud, rambunctious laughter as he ruffled Choji's hair, who backed away quickly and glared at him because the knuckledusters were still on his fingers.

Choza chuckled. If there were one thing no one could beat Masaaki at, it would undoubtedly be his mental fortitude. He could laugh anything off and enjoyed battle to its fullest—in their profession, that would take him far..

He turned to look at Masaaki's friend in the distance. He had accompanied him today to check how Masaaki fared against someone outside the Akimichi clan. He had no opinion of the friend except for his work in the Police Force. But his interest piqued when Maruboshi Kosuke showed up.

'Takuma, was it?'

"Are you interested in Takuma?" asked Masaaki, noticing his teacher's gaze.

"I'll admit, he's piqued my curiosity."

"I think Takuma would be perfect if he joined the clan," said Masaaki, immediately jumping the gun in the hopes that he could help his friend get the backing of a big clan.

Choza laughed, thoroughly amused. He enjoyed Masaaki's personality and found it refreshing because there was no deceit in it. He spoke his mind as though it was natural to do so in every situation. Before he could say that it was too early for them to consider that, Masaaki dropped a shocking knowledge.

"But, it might be difficult to pull Takuma to the Akimichi. He's Uchiha Mikoto, the Lady Uchiha's student. But I think we're a better fit for him. You saw his fighting style..."

Choza was no longer listening as he stared across the field at Takuma, who had suddenly gone from a surprise student of Maruboshi Kosuke to being close to the Uchiha matriarch.

That was no mere clanless orphan, and in that moment, he realised that he was looking at the beginnings of something great.

———

.

On the other side of the field, Takuma was on all fours, heaving like a lung disease patient. Beads of sweat dripped from his body, enough to barely irrigate the patch of land around him. His face was red from exertion, and his body shook as though he had just run across the country without any stops.

"These... this... this is h-heavy," said Takuma, panting profusely. For the weighted gear to give maximum benefits, he had to push himself to operate at his usual speed. It wasn't as strenuous when doing regular activities, but it was near torture to fight in those weights when he wasn't used to them.

"No pain, no gain," Maruboshi smiled, tossing a canteen to Takuma, who drained it within seconds. "You were right; your friend does fight like you."

Takuma turned around and lay down on the ground on his back with his knees buckled up. He was silent momentarily and stared at the sky as his chest rose up and down.

"I didn't want to fight like how I did just now when I was just starting," said Takuma, reaching into his memories. "I wanted to be a ranged fighter because I used to fear getting cut by kunai… and the pain. I wanted to keep my distance to be safe and use ninjutsu to do damage from afar."

"Surely you see the irony, my boy?" Maruboshi asked as he sat beside Takuma, cross-legged in the grass.

"When I knew I would fight up and close, I turned to the person I had seen fight like that the most. It was Masaaki. He loved to fight like that, and I can't imagine him fighting in any other way. Do you know he was partially the reason I stuck to developing the chakra augmentation? He used to be so difficult to fight with his bukijutsu that I thought I could be just as difficult if I mirrored him. Even the Second Form augmentation was inspired by his bukijutsu... He and a fucking awful man named Masumoto are probably my greatest influences."

"Language," Maruboshi scolded. "The difference is that your friend is more skilled than you in taijutsu."

"Huh, I don't think so."

"He doesn't need to take unnecessary risks to deal damage. In my opinion, that's the sign of better skill."

Takuma rolled his eyes and gazed across the field at Masaaki.

"...I guess he's benefited from his association with the Akimichi clan."

Maruboshi glanced at Takuma, aware of Uchiha Mikoto's offer to come under the Uchiha banner. It made him think about his youth when he was offered the same opportunity by both the Second and Third Hokage to join the Senju and Sarutobi respectively. He had refused their generosity due to his feelings towards himself, but it was an excellent opportunity for Takuma, and he had advised him to consider it with an open mind.

To do as he said, not as he did.

"Your friend is in great care. He's lucky to have Akimichi Choza as his teacher."

"Who wouldn't want the Akimichi clan head as their teacher."

"Of course, but it's greater than a matter of reputation. When it comes to taijutsu, he's possibly the best teacher your friend could hope for... after all, Akimichi Choza was Maito Gai's jonin teacher."