𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 || 𝐎𝐆 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨

Ch 2: 孤独恐怖症 Isolophobia

SHINOBU GROANED IN PAIN AS SHE ROLLED ACROSS THE EMPTY GREEN FIELD FROM THE IMPACT OF HER FATHER'S PUNCH. With no time to recover she grabbed one of the sprawled kunai that laid beside her, one of the bunch that had been taken out of her grasp over and over. She swung the sharp knife behind her, slashing the arm of her progenitor. A hiss was heard bringing her satisfaction, because finally, after sparring for hours she finally had striked an attack on her father.

Putting away her kunai in the pouch, Shinobu stood up and jumped several meters behind so she would be again face to face with her father, she smoothly made several hand seals. It was clear to Fugaku just how many times she had practiced for them to be muscle memory.

'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!'

She breathed deeply and prepared some shurikens in between each of her fingers. Soon, a not-so-big ball of fire came out of her mouth, bursting into different small flames that merged with the shurikens thrown at a high speed to the clan's leader.

Fugaku easily made some hand seals and created a grand water barrier making the shurikens halt, creating a fog.

Shinobu took the opportunity to run as fast as she knew until she was behind her father. She collected all of her remaining strength in a punch and launched it to the older Uchiha's spine, but her fist was stopped neatly by his hand. All she could see before her wrist got twisted at an awkward angle and getting thrown to the other side of the field was his disapproving gaze.

Her elbows smacked harshly to the ground, supporting her body that slid backwards in a frenetic way, she felt them burn meaning the scrapes were bleeding. Once she had stopped sliding she stood up to a defensive stance just to fall into her knees immediately, she curled to the ground to catch her breath, coughing as her hands clutched at her left ribs where her spleen was located.

Her eyes opened wide as soon as she saw the familiar set of ninja shoes who took imponent steps closer to her form. Shinobu tried to control her breath and look for a kunai in her pouch however her shaky hands could barely grab the handle of the blade.

"Shinobu, we have practiced that jutsu all week, how come you are still not able to master it?"  In panic she crawled behind just to suddenly halt, her father hadn't attacked her which meant only one thing. His dense steps harmonized with the stern tone of his voice which resonated in her ears. When he reached her frame and looked down to her, a dark shadow painted his face as those devil-black eyes looked at her in inquisition. "Are you distracted?"

Shinobu flinched involuntarily. Dangerous. Her eyes seemed unable to look away from his, if she did he would get angrier than he looked now and by the way his eyebrows furrowed and how his mouth twitched in disgust he seemed capable of punishing her, so she swallowed the lump in her throat and chose her words carefully.

"Of course not, papa. I just can't do it! Why don't we move on to another one? This one is still too high for my grade. I swear if you give me more time I'll master it as soon as I am able to-!" However, as always, her mouth betrayed her slipping words out she did not mean to.

"Move on? After all of what I've done for you to get stronger, is this how you pay me? With a meek 'move on'?" Fugaku said sternly as he grabbed her forearm and guided her roughly to a familiar lake she knew too well. "Who do you think you are to simply shrug your insolence with that pathetic excuse...?"

"Give up on being a shinobi then, an Uchiha that does not master the entirety of the fire release is simply an embarrassment for the clan." His hands moved swiftly as he made the seals that Shinobu recognized with fear. Suddenly, four orange chakra walls appeared around them and she felt the air shift, it becoming more suffocating than ever. "I do not raise my children to simply move on, or have you forgotten your role?"