Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

I already knew this was gonna be a disaster.

Hige stood in front of me with that grin—the kind of grin people get when they're about to do something incredibly stupid. Komaru, his little ball of fur and chaos, was right next to him, growling and wagging his tail at the same time. A true menace duo.

I glanced at Natori, who was as calm as ever, but his hand was already on the hilt of a kunai. Smart man.

"I got this one." I said, nodding at Hige. "You handle the other guy."

Natori didn't even blink. He just gave a slight nod and disappeared toward Hige's teammate.

Now, it was just me, a kid who acts like a dog, and a dog who acts like a kid.

Hige's grin widened—bigger than Tokuma's ego. 

"Hehehe… So you really thought you could take me on alone, huh? Bad choice!" His stance mirrored Komaru's so perfectly that it was hard to tell where the human ended and the ninken began. "Komaru, LET'S GET HIM!"

The dog barked like he completely understood the plan.

And then they charged.

Fast.

Before I could even come up with a snarky response, they both charged at me. I barely had time to adjust my stance before a fist came flying toward my face.

"Whoa—!" I dodged, leaning back just in time.

"Heh… you're fast, huh? Let's see how you handle this! Four Legs Technique (Shikyaku no Jutsu)!" Hige shouted after doing some hand signs.

As soon as he dropped onto all fours, the transformation… well, let's just say it was something. His nails stretched unevenly into jagged, claw-like shapes, making him look like he seriously needed a manicure. Still, I had to admit—he was definitely going for "intimidating." And, in a way, he kinda pulled it off.

"Now, prepare to witness my savage fury!" he shouted, letting out a growl that sounded more like a badly controlled snore.

Komaru, on the other hand, remained his usual adorable self. He bounced excitedly beside Hige, tail wagging as he let out a tiny little growl of his own. Well, he tried to growl. The sound that came out was more like a squeaky toy.

Honestly? It was hard to take them completely seriously. Come on, Hige was an idiot and Komaru was a cute puppy. But they were definitely trying.

With a battle cry, Hige charged at me, Komaru right behind him, zigzagging with his tiny paws. They were faster than I expected. Hige leaped into the air, slashing at me diagonally with those wannabe claws.

"Whoa there, that's kinda dangerous…" I muttered, hopping back to evade the attack.

But Hige wasn't slowing down. He twisted midair and aimed a kick at my face. No time to dodge—I raised my forearm and blocked it, the impact reverberating through my bones. Clumsy or not, the guy had some real strength.

I retaliated with a front kick aimed at his chest, but he blocked it easily. That was when Komaru took his shot, pouncing at me from behind with all the viciousness a tiny puppy could muster.

He didn't exactly hit me, more like… booped into my leg. The impact was more comedic than threatening.

"Wait… is this serious?" I asked, sidestepping another of Hige's attacks while Komaru skittered around me, his little paws tapping against the ground.

It was honestly kind of hard to take them seriously.

I took a few quick steps back, putting some distance between us, and started forming hand seals. It was way harder to do this mid-fight than I thought.

"Clone Technique (Bunshin no Jutsu)!"

Two illusory copies of me appeared on either side. Not exactly dangerous, but at least they could serve as a distraction.

Hige stopped and stared. Then he laughed. Hard.

"Are you serious? You think that is gonna work? Komaru can smell you, dumbass!"

Komaru barked in agreement and immediately pounced toward me, completely ignoring the clones. I waited until the last second, then swung a side kick, knocking the pup to the side.

I tried to go easy on him—he was just a baby, and I actually liked animals. Komaru rolled across the ground a few times before popping back up, tail wagging like this was all just a fun game.

"Komaru! Focus!" Hige snapped, clearly frustrated. He crouched even lower, snarling. "You think that's all we've got? Human Beast Clone (Jūjin Bunshin)!"

In an instant, Komaru transformed into a perfect copy of Hige. Now there were two of them. Great.

Now, I was in trouble.

The two Hig—uh, I mean, the Hige twins—started circling me like a pair of hungry wolves. One flanked left, the other right. Classic pincer maneuver.

"Oh no… two Higes…" I said, pretending to be horrified. "Does that mean there's double the ego now?!"

"You little—!"

He lunged at me again, claws aiming for my face. I dodged easily, but I'd made a fatal mistake. I'd forgotten that Komaru wasn't just an overenthusiastic puppy anymore—he was a perfect clone of Hige. With teeth and claws to prove it.

Komaru tackled me from behind, sinking his teeth into my arm and wrapping his arms and legs around me in a tight grip.

"Uh-oh, what's wrong, champ? Stuck?" Hige taunted, cackling. "Time to finish this with my ultimate technique!"

Ultimate technique? Oh, come on. What was this, some second-rate anime villain speech?

Before I could shake Komaru off, Hige leapt high into the air, spun his body mid-fall, and slammed both feet into my chest with a double kick.

The second his feet connected, Komaru let go. Smart pup—because that kick sent me flying.

I skidded across the ground, picking up a few fresh scrapes along the way.

"Damn…" I muttered, pushing myself up, trying to catch my breath. Fighting two at once was tougher than it looked.

For some reason, Hige didn't attack while I was down. Not that I was complaining.

"So that's it?" I taunted, dusting myself off and pretending to be unimpressed. "You need your dog to fight your battles, Hige? Kinda pathetic."

"HAH! Sounds like jealousy! Mad 'cause no one's got your back? Must be sad being that lonely!" Hige puffed out his chest like he'd already won. Komaru let out an enthusiastic bark in agreement.

Oof. That was a low blow.

"Right, right. But honestly, is this the best you've got? One little kick and a bite? You guys fight more like rowdy puppies than real ninjas."

Hige narrowed his eyes. I'd hit a nerve. Good. Angry people made mistakes. I just had to hold out a little longer and find my opening.

"Oh yeah? Then get ready, 'cause now you're gonna see a real fight!" Hige roared, charging again—this time with zero hesitation, Komaru right on his heels.

They were in perfect sync, coming at me from two different angles. Komaru seemed even more determined to sink his teeth into me again, which was mildly concerning. Did they even have rabies shots in this world? I should really look into that later.

Alright, Kenshin, think fast.

Hige lunged, claws bared, while Komaru rushed in from the side.

I stepped back, ducking just as Hige soared over me. But Komaru—now fully committed—anticipated my dodge and went straight for my legs.

"Shit—!" I jumped back just in time.

They were getting faster. Stronger. They landed, immediately resetting their positions, completely unfazed.

Okay. Maybe I was actually in trouble now.