Chapter 22: Ch-22 Inoiki's progress.
After Inoiki finished speaking with Sasuke, he stepped back to let the others approach. One by one, his classmates came forward, offering their own words of comfort and support. Some tried to distract Sasuke with light conversation, while others simply expressed their sympathy. But despite their efforts, Sasuke remained distant, his gaze hollow, responding only with nods or silence. No words seemed to reach him.
Days passed since the Uchiha Clan massacre, and the village was slowly returning to its usual rhythm. But something had shifted in Sasuke. He had thrown himself into his training with a kind of madness, a single-minded intensity that consumed every moment of his time. Even though Inoiki had told him he wasn't alone, Sasuke largely kept to himself. He no longer engaged with the other students and rarely spoke unless directly addressed. It was as if a wall had been built around him, one that no one could break through.
Inoiki watched this unfold from a distance, feeling helpless. He knew there was little he could do. As much as he wanted to pull Sasuke out of his isolation, he also understood that this was Sasuke's choice. It was his life, and only he could decide how he wanted to live it.
Inoiki wasn't naive. He could easily guess why Sasuke had chosen to distance himself. To Sasuke, his classmates were no longer on the same level. He was Uchiha Sasuke, heir to one of the most powerful bloodlines in the ninja world. In his mind, the others couldn't help him—not with his training, not with his vengeance. They didn't carry the weight of his legacy or the burden of his trauma. He was confident that, with the inheritance of the Uchiha Clan, he could far surpass anyone, even without the help or friendship of those around him.
This arrogance wasn't hard to understand. Inoiki had seen it in other shinobi who were born into powerful clans. But for Sasuke, it was magnified by the tragedy he had endured. The massacre had stripped him of everything except his name, and now he clung to that identity with a fierce determination. He believed that his strength alone would carry him to his goal, and nothing else mattered.
Inoiki sighed inwardly. He knew Sasuke's path would be a lonely one, but it wasn't his place to intervene. All he could do was stand by and hope that one day, Sasuke would realize that true strength didn't come from isolation. But for now, Sasuke had chosen his way, and no amount of advice or friendship could pull him from the darkness he had embraced.
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It had been two weeks since the massacre of the Uchiha Clan, and the weight of that tragedy still lingered over the village like a dark cloud. But in Inoiki's courtyard, life moved on. The evening sun bathed the area in a soft golden light as Inoiki stood, focused intently on the task at hand.
In front of him, five custom-made kunai floated in midair, held aloft by the invisible force of his telekinesis. The kunai moved with precision, carving away at a large stone with delicate, almost artistic finesse. Inoiki's eyes never left the stone as he carefully chipped away, each movement precise, each strike deliberate. He worked like a sculptor, shaping the stone into something more refined with every passing second.
After half an hour of intense concentration, the stone had been transformed into a perfect octahedron, its edges sharp and symmetrical. Inoiki stepped back to admire his work, feeling a quiet sense of accomplishment. He had spent two years honing his control over his telekinesis, and it had finally paid off.
Where once he could only manage four objects at a time, now he could control five with ease. While to others this might seem like slow progress, Inoiki knew just how significant the improvement was. His mastery over his psychokinesis had grown in ways that weren't immediately visible. His control had become sharper, more precise. The strength of his telekinesis had doubled in power, and he could manipulate objects with far greater accuracy and force than before.
But it wasn't just his mental abilities that had improved. His physical strength had increased as well. Through intense training, he had built his body into a formidable weapon, capable of fighting on par with a Chunin-level ninja in hand-to-hand combat alone. The combination of his physical prowess and his telekinesis made him a force to be reckoned with—far more powerful than he had been two years ago.
Still, Inoiki wasn't satisfied. He knew this was only the beginning. His goal wasn't just to become strong—it was to become unbeatable. And for that, there was much more work to be done.
Inoiki's current training had taken on a new level of complexity. While perfecting his sculpting technique, he was also working on mastering multitasking with his telekinesis. Up until now, though he could control five objects at once, they all had to move in the same direction. If he tried to manipulate only some of the objects, they would all perform the exact same action, limiting his precision in combat and other tasks.
To push past this limitation, Inoiki was training to move objects independently—one kunai moving forward while another moved backward simultaneously. This kind of control was essential for the level of mastery he sought.
Reflecting on a battle two years ago with Fu, Inoiki realized just how crucial this ability would be. During that fight, he could only launch attacks in a single direction. For example, while attacking Fu from the front with his sword, he had to pause its movement in order to telekinetically manipulate the kunai in Fu's bag and attack from behind. This split focus left gaps in his combat flow and hindered his ability to apply continuous pressure from multiple angles.
Now, after two years of dedicated practice, he was beginning to see the results. He had managed to make two kunai move in slanting motions, as if they were repelling each other—a significant step toward true multitasking with his telekinesis. While the improvement seemed small to an outsider, it was a clear sign of progress. Inoiki knew that with more effort and perseverance, he could further refine this skill, allowing him to control objects with even more complexity and precision.
Though the road ahead was long, Inoiki remained focused. Each gain, no matter how small, was another step toward becoming the master of his abilities. He just needed to keep working hard, and eventually, he'd achieve the level of control he envisioned.
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