***Hokage Mt., After It Was Cleaned***
°°Kyou's POV°°
'Damn this guy is relentless...' I thought as Ibiki threw punch after punch.
"Hey, hey! Slow down! I'm not as fast as you!" I yelled at him, dodging everything he dished out narrowly.
"Try fighting back, Mouse." was his only response. Giving a final punch, Ibiki went to kick me. Using his leg as a platform, I did a handstand and spun, kicking him twice before flipping back a few times, landing about 10 feet away from where he stood, stunned.
"Sorry!!!" I shouted, bowing deeply. "Please don't beat me!" I cried. Suddenly there was a hand on my head, making me flinch.
"Sit down, Mouse." Ibiki ordered, sitting on the edge of the mountain. I followed his actions, making sure I was close enough to hold onto him if I started to slip.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that..." I started, but the man cut me off.
"Stop. First, I told you to fight back. Second, that was a killer kick. I almost wasn't prepared. Third, for now, we're just going to talk. And you'll be telling me why you keep saying 'Sorry, please don't beat me'. It's actually worrying." Ibiki said, patting my head. I took a deep breath and sighed.
"You know how I'm not from around here? Well, in the orphanage where I lived all my life, I was practically beaten on an everyday basis for things I didn't do. I was everyone's scapegoat. If someone broke something, I would get blamed and beaten until I was unconscious. And if it was me, I would get beaten so badly that I'd have to go to the hospital. The woman who ran the orphanage had the excuse that I was always getting into fights on the streets and had a knack for going home all bleeding and broken. I was never important... I was never liked... I was never, ever wanted... That's my story." I finished, looking down at the village below, thinking about how I could very easily go splat.
"Don't do it, Mouse. That's not the appropriate answer." I snapped my head up and glanced over to Ibiki to find him staring intently at me. He must've known what I was thinking. I let my head drop for a second before perking up again.
"We had to do a review for the Art of Transformation today! And guess what?!" I asked, basically bouncing up and down. Ibiki laughed at my sudden wild-eyed attitude and asked,
"What?"
"My very first time, I passed! Flawlessly!" I yipped, punching the air in excitement.
"Heh! Good job, Mouse. I heard the actual exam is tomorrow." I froze to that and sunk my head into my shoulders.
"Fudge nuggets... You have to teach me all the basics Ibiki! Or I'll fail for sure!" I cried. Ibiki pat my head again in a soothing manor. But that soon changed...
"Alright, Mouse. Get up! Ninjustu now, Taijustu later. Get up!" Ibiki growled, jumping over to where we were fighting before. I followed quickly and respectfully.
"So, what's first?" I asked.
"Doppelgangers." and with that, training resumed its course.
***Training Grounds, 5 Hours Later***
°°Ibiki's POV°°
'This kid... He's learning fast! Definitely faster than I thought he ever would.' I thought as Kyou made thirty solid doppelgangers. I felt myself smirk with pride as he attacked once again.
"Here I come!" he warned. Some of his clones cartwheeled, while the others did flips and jumps.
'He is better than I could ever believe.' A couple swift kicks to my chest, arms and legs got me out of my daydream. Thankfully, I was able to stop the only kick heading towards my face. Although, it still sent me skidding back. "Alright. I think that's enough for tonight, Mouse." the doppelgangers disappeared in clouds of smoke, leaving Kyou standing alone in the middle of it, panting with his hands on his knees.
