Chapter 26- Fool

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When Yama called back all of the children from their shuriken practice, only five arrived.

Iruka was missing.

Yama didn't mention it, and the the other students, who had all heard Iruka's earlier outburst didn't want to stick their heads into the conflict either. They were content to let sleeping dogs lie.

Yama ordered the remaining five kids to start sparring in a round robin format.

2 would always be on the platform, and one person would rotate in and out at a time, resulting in each person fighting for two straight bouts before resting for three.

Before Yama left them, he had a few parting words.

  "No weapons allowed, taijutsu only, light contact. Spar ends on a ring out or landing a blow that would have been seriously damaging if it were at full force.

  The three people outside the match will decided if a blow qualifies to end the match or not.

  Continue for the next hour, or until the day ends if I do not come back. Spars end as draws at the 6 minute mark.

  Any questions?"

The academy students shook their head No, and Yama walked off towards the shuriken range that Iruka was at.

As he left their sight, they started to talk among each other.

Akimichi Domaru and Hyuga Hikaru volunteered to go up first. The loser of their bout would be the first to step down.

Aburame Shimiko was third, followed by Tsubaki and Mizuki.

None of the matches would be too uneven, considering that each student had similar enough levels in Taijutsu for now. The differences would increase throughout puberty and as each ninja specialized in the future, but it was okay for now.

Hikaru and Domaru stepped up onto the platform, making the seal of confrontation before beginning their spar.

The two fought in completely different ways.

Domaru was an Akimichi, and their immense strength lended itself well to the Konoha Strong Fist. His strikes were powerful, linear, and fast. Of course, his status inside the Akimichi clan as the next aide to the Clan Heir meant that Domaru received no small amount of instruction and tutoring in his arts on the weekends from his clan elders.

Hikaru was a bit more of a technical fighter, and with his background in Juuken as a Hyuga, his style was much more reminiscent of the Konoha Soft Fist.

When the bout started, both students charged at one another, and a flurry of strikes and blocks erupted between the two.

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Yama eventually meandered his way to the range that Iruka was still practicing on within a few minutes from assigning sparring to the rest of the class.

Yama made no attempt to hide his presence or sneak up on the young academy student.

Iruka obviously noticed him, but made no acknowledgement of Yama's presence.

Iruka continued to throw his kunai and shuriken against the practice targets, and for another two minutes, Yama said nothing and allowed him.

Yama, however, eventually broke the silence.

  "Did you forget the time?"

Iruka sneered at Yama and snidely replied before going back to his shuriken practice.

  "No."

  "Did you know we were going to spar after shuriken practice?"

  "Yes."

  "And yet you are still here?"

  "Obviously."

  "Why?"

Iruka didn't respond to the last question.

Yama forced a neutral expression and pressed the issue.

  "I would like an answer, Iruka-kun."

  "I don't really care what you want. Go be a shitty, crippled teacher elsewhere.

  You told me that I have to get stronger by myself, and here I am, practicing by myself.

  You're too lazy to teach anyone anything, that's why you have everyone self study or only make Domaru do the basics.

  Do you even have anything useful tot each?

  If you were actually good, you wouldn't be a cripple, right?

  Someone actually good beat you, huh?

  Maybe you should've practiced more.

  Maybe you should have done "Anything and everything to make yourself stronger"?

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  So why don't you go spout your useless bullshit elsewhere?

  I'm sure the other students will listen to you for at least a little while longer before they realize you're a fucking hack."

Yama's face, though it did not break into a frown, froze into a stony grimace.

His bright blue eyes hardened, and even though Iruka wasn't even looking at them man, Iruka could start to feel his gaze bore into the back of his head.

  "it's time to spar, Iruka-kun."

Iruka snorted.

  "I'm busy, cripple-sensei."

Yama stared at the boy for a few seconds more.

  "I wasn't asking."

And Yama flashed behind Iruka and launched a roundhouse kick that crashed into the young boy's side and propelled him into a tree where he impacted with a large thud and fell to the ground.

Iruka was curled into the fetal position, throwing up his recent lunch, and desperately trying to get a breath of air back into his lungs, but his whole body was paralyzed by a paroxysm of pain.

The boy slowly recovered and started to moan while maintaining his position on the ground.

Yama stared at him.

  "Get up."

Iruka didn't respond.

Yama repeated himself.

  "Get up."

Iruka finally inhaled a small breath and eked out his reply.

  "Fuck you, cripple-sensei."

Yama kept his gaze leveled at Iruka, who was continuing to slowly recover.

Once a minute had passed. Iruka shakily stood up and got back onto his feet.

His eyes were burning with anger and he leveled his meager killing intent against Yama, who was apparently unaffected.

Iruka took one of the kunai he had been using for shuriken practice, tightened his fist around its handle, and launched himself at Yama.

Iruka's first attack was a stab aimed at the middle of Yama's stomach.

Yama stepped back with his right foot as his left hand came crashing down in a knife hand strike on the wrist of Iruka.

The stab missed, and Iruka cried out in pain as he dropped the kunai.

Iruka didn't slow his offensive though, and started to throw numerous punches and kicks at Yama.

Yama leisurely deflected each of them, not putting much force into his movements, and he started to speak.

  "Your first attack was too linear and too slow. Anyone would be able to predict and counter it."

Iruka let out a scream of rage and doubled his assault against the man.

Yama didn't seem to mind though and continued.

  "Your taijutsu is the worst in the class.

  Your physique is the worst in the class.

  Your attacks are telegraphed beyond belief.

  Its like you're trying tell your opponents where to block each time you chamber your fist.

  Your eyes are always off target.

  For example, I move my foot like this..."

Iruka eye's darted to Yama's foot which was slightly lifted off the ground, but the next thing he knew, he caught a heavy openhanded blow to his ear.

  "...And your vision is drawn away, leaving you open.

  That being said, even if your vision was aimed correctly, and you were skilled enough to predict my attacks, I don't think you're strong enough to capitalize on that.

  For example, I'm going to throw a push kick. Now prepare yourself."

Yama quickly chambered his front leg for a kick by bringing it up and in, bending at the knee.

Iruka saw it and threw a low kick on Yama's sole supporting leg. If the low kick hit, it would knock Yama down for sure, and potentially injure Yama's knee if Iruka was lucky.

But before Iruka's kick could make contact, Yama's foot embedded itself in Iruka's stomach and launched him backwards, head over heels.

As Iruka rolled around through the dirt. Yama simply stood in place, revealing that he had not taken but half a step since Iruka had started his offensive.

Iruka was once again on the ground, curled about himself trying to get his breath back.

Yama looked on in profound disinterest, before picking up the kunai that Iruka had used against him for the first attack.

He tossed it around in his hand, feeling its weight and balance before speaking.

  "Not even your throwing technique is good."

Iruka looked up and glared at the man hatefully as he tried to get his breath back.

Yama continued.

  "Your throws are also telegraphed. You opponent isn't supposed to even notice your weapon until it hits them.

  Kinda like this."

Yama tossed the knife up into the air, and it spun a few times end over end in front of him.

As the kunai started to fall, Yama took one of his large sleeves and waved it in front of the kunai, momentarily blocking Iruka's vision of the knife.

No sooner had he done that, then the ring pommel of the knife slammed into Iruka's sternum, once again racking the boy with pain and knocking his breath out.

The pommel of the knife was rounded, but the weight of the knife was still there, and when it made contact with Iruka's chest, it still hurt, a lot.

Iruka was still curled up on the ground, and the pain and humiliation was enough to make him cry.

  I even get my ass handed to me by this stupid fucking crippled piece of shit.

  I fucking hate this shit

Iruka continued to lie in place, and Yama continued to watch as the boy shed silent tears after the beating he had just given him.

After a few minutes, Iruka stood back up. He didn't say anything, but he still deathstared at Yama, and his small killing intent was fully unsheathed.

Had Iruka the power, he would definitely kill Yama, consequences be damned.

  This guy is a fucking piece of shit. He teaches me nothing, beats me for following his directions, and lectures me like he's doing me a favor.

  He's just a fucking piece of shit sadist who likes mocking a humiliating me. I'll fucking kill him.

  Tricks me, lies to me, he deserves to die. The world would be a better place if whoever crippled him had just killed him instead.

Yama stared back at the boy, his expression revealing nothing.

  "Next lesson. Don't antagonize someone who can kill you. Watch your tongue lest it cause you to die one day."

Iruka had learned his first lesson well enough. He said nothing but only thought in his mind.

  Fuck you! Eat shit and Die you fucking cripple."

Yama continued to speak.

  "Either you spar with me, or you join your classmates. Your choice."

Iruka said nothing, but started trudging towards the central dueling platform in the training grounds. As he walked away, he still managed to shoot several hateful glares at Yama.

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Iruka joined the other 5 students in their sparring round robin, but Yama didn't show up, so the group went through the cycle again and again before going home when school ended.

Kakashi, after his meeting with the Hokage, went back to the academy to find Yama, but didn't encounter him.

He quickly activated the tracking seal he had placed on Yama, and his worries were somewhat assuaged when the seal revealed that Yama was back at the Hatake compound.

Kakashi made his way home, and found Yama where he normally was, meditating beneath the willow tree in the courtyard.

Kakashi let the man be, prepared himself dinner, and ate without him.

Yama however didn't move the entire afternoon.

Kakashi checked on him one last time, and saw that the silver fox he had seen a few times, Ginou, was around once again. The fox was resting atop Yama's head.

Kakashi supposed that as long as the fox was in the courtyard, it wouldn't matter too much. The main reason he had been mad when Yama had brought the fox into the house was that its smell might impact the ninja-dogs should Kaakshi need to summon them.

And so, Kakashi went to bed, leaving Yama in the courtyard by himself.

Yama, after his "spar" with Iruka had come directly home and started meditating.

Sometime in the afternoon, Ginou had appeared on his head and simply laid there, saying nothing.

It was deep into the night that Yama finally opened his eyes, letting out a sigh.

Ginou, who had been quiet so far, growled out a few words.

  "I felt your emotions roil today. Did you not say that you could control your negative feelings?"

Yama grimaced lightly before replying.

  "Just had a pretty bad day. Nothing too bad, though."

Ginou barked out a harsh laugh.

  "I felt the force of your despair from beyond the horizon, and you tell me its nothing too bad?

  Weave your web of lies for someone who will believe it.

  What actually happened? Are the negative feelings you consumed bubbling up?"

Yama shook his head.

  "No it has nothing to do with those. I simply had to do something I didn't want to."

Ginou tilted his head.

  "Explain."

  "One of the children I am teaching currently is stuck in a very dark place.

  He hates himself beyond belief. He blames himself for the death of his parents, even though he knows he's being illogical about it.

  He is stuck in a pit of misery, despair, and hate, hating himself more than anything else.

  The only way I know to help him is to take on those negative feelings."

Ginou nodded.

  "Give him a target for his emotions to vent off at.

  If you can withstand it, it will lead him out from the prison of his own making."

Yama sighed again.

  "Its the only thing I can think of to do."

  "It might be the only thing you CAN do.

  You tell me you care for this boy?

  That would surely make this experience much worse."

  "Yeah, I was successful in making him hate me, but it hurt much more than I anticipated, so I had to take some time to calm down and recenter myself."

  "But why would you care for this boy?"

  "He reminds me of myself when I was younger."

Ginou chuckleed.

  "A foolish reason. You almost lost yourself over something so trivial."

Yama smiled.

  "I really am a fool, aren't I?"