If I go purely by statistics than I am as good as a low Chunin in some parts. But I have seen that others don''t have perks. I can see a lot with observation. A lot of their past, their mood, believes, goals, their opinion of me and so on, but no Perks. Their titles also don''t give them a numerical bonus. I try to not use Appraisal on my family and friends, I feel as if I am invading their privacy, which I would.
So yeah, I might be better than the average weak Chunin. Haven''t fought one, so I am not sure.
One thing that I also learned is that I can''t raise a Jutsu or Skill that has 100 level above 90. I don''t know why, maybe because 100 is perfection and nothing can naturally become perfect. Not that it applied to me, I can still rise them to 100 with my Game Points. A good thing that I kept them. At first, I thought that I just need more training. But the experience of the 90
level wasn''t increasing and when I got to level 90 in Observation and Japanese they behaved the same.
Which means that I can only get a max level in this kind of skills/Jutsu when I add my Game Points. Something that I had done this morning. Ten into Chakra Control and ten into Observation, both are important. Japanese not so much, helpful for finding the correct words in a conversation or while writing, but the higher levels, since 80, are more for poetry and writing songs.
Surprisingly I got Perks for perfecting something. I got these two.
Master of Chakra;
The user has perfect Chakra control, manipulating basic Chakra is like breathing.
- Experience gain in any neutral Chakra Jutsu increased by 25%
Observant;
You can see every tiny detail of an object by focusing.
That''s cool. I mean, freaking awesome! And there are dungeons and special quests? Up until now I only ever got quest notifications whenever I received my D-Rank missions. But I think to remember that the academy graduation test had a special behind its name.
¡°Okay my little Genin group, I''ve decided that you are ready for your first C-Rank mission. We''re going to hand in our mission and I''ll go and secure us a C-Rank for tomorrow,¡± announced Kagami-sensei suddenly. All three of us looked at him before Ariha cheered loudly. Sakumo sighed and muttered a ¡°finally¡± and I nodded once.
We had to wait a few minutes in which Ariha was asking both me and Sakumo what possible C-Rank we will become.
Kagami-sensei came back with another mission scroll and threw it over to me. I caught the scroll easily and unrolled it for us to read.
I waited until the other two have finished reading and then gave the scroll back to Kagami-sensei. ¡°Hmm, an escort mission sounds easy enough. There shouldn''t be any real danger between Konoha and Tanzei Gai. By Ninja travel it is only a day away,¡± I said and waited for the reaction of my team.
Sakumo was the first to speak. ¡°So that is our first real mission.¡±
¡°Sounds easy,¡± added Ariha. I nodded in agreement. Bandits rarely attack Ninja, this will most likely be a boring ten-day long mission.
¡°Alright, we''re finished for today. We''ll meet again tomorrow at 7:20 in front of the Eastern Gate. Don''t be late,¡± announced Kagami-sensei. We three chorused a confirmation, before splitting up.
I run back home and to my room, where I gathered the needed clothes and gear for my trip, before sealing some of them into scrolls. These scrolls were made by myself. That''s right, grandma Mito has deemed me good enough to write my own sealing scrolls for basic stuff. Under constant supervision and only those, but still. My very own sealing result. Sealing was steadily increasing since then, it''s already on LV 25.
Once that was done I peeked into Tsunade''s room but saw that she wasn''t home yet, so I left a note and then walked to the Senju training grounds.
There I made twenty Shadow Clones. One half began to work on Medical Chakra control, while the other half worked on Wind Chakra control. Me as the original started a workout that would increase my reflex. I want to be faster, it''s still the lowest of my physical attributes.
Three hours later and Tsunade came back from her Ninja work. ¡°Hi Tsu-chan, what did you have to do today?¡± I asked without stopping training.
¡°Buy groceries, Jiraiya that idiot almost destroyed them when he stumbled and fell onto his bags. Luckily Orochimaru was quick enough to kick the idiot out of the way. We gave him the more sturdy ones, to begin with,¡± replied Tsunade with an angry huff.
I winced a little. Poor Jiraiya is the punching bag of his team. He hasn''t yet contacted the toads, he tries, but it''s hard to catch up to a genius and a clan kid when you are only an orphan with a lacking work ethic.
¡°I''m so envious of your team. You were able to work with them from day one and only became better,¡± she ranted and sat down on a log.
¡°We could ask both of our Sensei for a team fight. It might show Orochimaru and Jiraiya that teamwork can do good. From what you have said it is not only Jiraiya''s fault. Orochimaru belittles him and you hit him,¡± I suggested.
Tsunade raged with her fist at an imaginary foe, which probably looks like Jiraiya. ¡°I hit him because he is a pervert. He said I have a cute face but the total lack of any chest kills any sex appeal I could have. Do you think I am sexy?¡±
Damn, how did I step into that minefield? ¡°Tsu-chan, do you really want me to answer that? There are at least three things wrong with your question,¡± I replied with a wry smile. She glared at me, knowing full well what I was meaning. Siblings, age, and again age for a different reason.
She pouted cutely. ¡°Muh, like a good older brother you are duty bound to agree with me when I rant about boys.¡± I laughed and finished my workout.
¡°But as a sibling, I am also duty bound to disagree with everything you say. At least that is what cousin Taka has told me,¡± I replied. Cousin Taka is another Senju our age, he has a younger brother and they are always fighting.
¡°Cousin Taka is an idiot, last time I saw him he said girls have germs. We have tested it, both boys and girls have germs. Everything alive has germs!¡± Trust a six, almost seven, year old to use a Medical Jutsu to test out the statement of another child.
¡°Come, mom will have dinner ready and you haven''t told me what your team has done today,¡± she then said and grabbed me by the hand to pull me back home. I followed without protest and only made another batch of thirty clones, splitting them up in halves again.
Dinner was okay, I told mom and Tsunade about my C-Rank mission tomorrow. Mom was worried and Tsunade envious. It took mom half a month to function almost normally after dad''s death. Tsunade needed a month and only managed with my and mom''s help. But they managed and are now happy again. Having a team and daily training, as well as missions, were good for Tsunade, she had less time to think and brood.
After dinner, Tsunade and I went back to the training field. I released the clones and got their experience and then made five more. All five would fight Tsunade in Taijutsu. It would train her situational awareness and my hand to hand combat.
With my seal active I was still stronger than Tsunade, but not by much. Some of her attributes were in the sixties. The weakest Chunin I have seen was in the low seventies.
In the meantime, I have decided to learn something that should be invented in thirty years. The Rasengan, an A-Rank sorely Chakra manipulation Jutsu for close combat.
Quite a lot of people in stories I have read don''t want to use or learn the Rasengan because it is Minato''s Jutsu or because he should get the credit for it. Bla, bla, bla if it''s useful to use it, then use it.
While Tsunade was busy evading and punching my clones, I was sitting on a log and holding a water balloon. Creating the Rasengan with knowledge of each step will be rather easy. Especially with my new 100% in Chakra control.
I began to put my Chakra into the water and let it rotate in all directions. The balloon moved and bulged out in all directions, before exploding with a wet splat. The sound distracted Tsunade and she got kicked in the face by one of my clones and thrown over to me.
Her body came to a stop directly under me. She was wincing in pain and looked up at me, I grinned and took another balloon, before making it also explode, right over her face. The water inside lost its barriers and streamed down and on Tsunade''s head.
¡°Hey!¡± Squealed Tsunade in protest and anger. She tried to hit me, but I switched with one of my clones, who got destroyed instead.
She huffed and glared at me and my other clones, we all had to press down our chuckles. ¡°Not nice Ken-kun.¡±
¡°You looked as if you need to cool down Tsu-chan,¡± I said and couldn''t hold back any longer. My clones and I began to laugh at the look of her pout and wet face.
She wasn''t looking as if she would try to hit me, so I went back to my log. ¡°What are you doing anyway?¡± She asked when I had sat back down and had taken out the rubber ball for the second step. The first one was laughably easy with my perfect Chakra control.
¡°I had an idea for a new Jutsu. You know that the Chakra Scalpel uses Medical Chakra to form a blade. We can do the same with elemental Chakra or coat a blade to give a weapon a better cutting edge.
I thought that it might be possible to do more with pure Chakra. I looked through things in nature that are destructive and found maelstroms. The water in a maelstrom is flowing and twisting, grinding everything to dust.
If I manage to replicate that with Chakra I should get something that can grind and shred into my target,¡± I explained. It was not the original reason for creating the Rasengan, Minato has copied the effect from the Bijuudama, but it was a logical one.
¡°You make it sounding easier than what it probably is,¡± commented Tsunade with a grin. I knew that she understood what I have explained and also knows that this needs a lot of control and possibly Chakra.
¡°It is hard, if it works I can teach you,¡± I offered. She hummed in agreement and walked back to the sparring arena. I remade the clones she has had destroyed and gone back to working on my Rasengan.
The next step was to increase the power behind the rotations. I redid the same as with the water balloon and could see that the walls of the rubber balloon were slightly bulging, but not violently like they are meant to.
Hmm, if something didn''t work with violence you just haven''t used enough. With that in mind, I put more Chakra into the ball and increased the rotation. The rubber got filled with my Chakra and began to bulge on different directions, before with a small fart like sound one side ripped.
¡°That was not what I wanted,¡± I muttered and took out another rubber ball. I have bought a lot, not knowing how many I need. Not as if they will get wasted, Tsunade will have to learn this as well.
I took a look at my Chakra and noted that I had a little bit less than 50%. The Chakra I have used for the Shadow Clones has been regenerated, which means that these three tries on an unfinished Rasengan took half of my Chakra. No wonder it is an A-Rank Jutsu and not recommended to learn before becoming Jonin.
It should be possible to counter the costs with control, but first I have to do it right. While learning I am wasting a lot of Chakra.
Okay, so what did I do wrong? I made it rotate in every direction and put more Chakra into it. The rotation increased in strength and allowed the Chakra to rip a hole into the ball. However, the ball is meant to explode, violently.
Maybe here I need to add some fine control? Up till now, I was just moving it erratically around. I could hold the Chakra back from escaping, while simultaneously increasing its strength and speed.
The moment I let go the Chakra will escape and move outwards, putting pressure at the ball from all sides and hopefully make it explode.
With this new approach, I did manage to let the ball explode. It made a loud bang and hurt a bit on my hand. Tsunade and my clones also got distracted, only this time Tsunade was ready and used the chance to hit one in the throat and kick another in the balls. The last made me and my clones¡¯ wince in sympathy. Thankfully I don''t get the pain of my clones.
The last remaining clone got kicked in the chest and turned to smoke when it crashed into a tree. She took a deep breath and then struck a winning pose, before skipping over to me.
¡°Did you see that? I totally beat your clones up,¡± she looked way too proud for that. I nonetheless stood up and patted her head.
¡°That you did. Now come, it''s getting late and we both have missions tomorrow,¡± I said and grinned at her. She nodded and skipped home. I followed with a little distance, might as well finish the Rasengan tomorrow.
Chapter 15, Genin 7, Is this Copyright infringement?
The next morning, I was waiting at the gate for my team and client. I had an air-filled balloon in my hand and was trying to work out the last step of the Rasengan. For the third step, I had to do the second stage but keep the energy contained and make it denser.
At some point, it should be self-sustaining from its own rotation. The needed Chakra to keep it going will trickle down to a minuscule amount. With a better understanding and skill, I should be able to create the finished Rasengan faster and with that cheaper.
So far, I had managed to destroy half a dozen balloons. Each time I got closer to the finished Rasengan. Each time I was sure I got it but then some tendril of the Rasengan would escape and destroy the balloon.
Right after destroying another balloon Ariha and Kagami-sensei arrived at the gates. Both saw me and came over. ¡°Morning Kenshiro-kun, what are you doing?¡± Greeted Ariha with a friendly smile. She took a look at the destroyed balloons on the floor and made a puzzled expression.
¡°Morning Ariha-chan and Kagami-sensei. It''s a Chakra Control technique and an attack Jutsu, if I get it to work,¡± I replied before blowing and knotting another balloon.
¡°You of all people are having a problem with something that has to do with Chakra control?¡± Asked Ariha in wonder and disbelieve. My team knew that I have almost perfect, now perfect, Chakra control. They didn''t question it, I did enough training and have the needed training methods for it.
¡°That''s not it. I pretty much have it down, I only need to keep it active. The problem I have is with fine control. I know how I can do it right now, but it would be a crutch,¡± I explained and made a Shadow Clone.
I put my hand to the side and began to form the Rasengan, while my clone started to keep it contained. With us sharing the workload it became easy to form and sustain the Rasengan. Within seconds I had a perfect Rasengan in my hand and the clone left, the Jutsu is now self-sustaining and I only needed to keep it contained, but not fueled.
¡°The condensed Chakra inside this small ball is immense. You have it concentrated in such a small ball that it became visible,¡± noted Kagami-sensei with a slightly worried look. If that thing explodes it will do serious damage to my hand.
¡°Yeah, doing one of those alone takes half of my Chakra. But that will change with training. Getting it up takes the most Chakra, if I''m able to form it quicker it will be less Chakra intensive,¡± I explained and let the Rasengan disappear. It fizzled out into blue wisps.
¡°It looks pretty, but what can it do?¡±
I answered Ariha¡¯s question with a mysterious smile. ¡°You¡¯ll see, I can¡¯t tell you all of my secrets.¡± She pouted but didn¡¯t argue. We were taught in the academy that knowledge and secrets are power. Someone who knows all your tricks and skills is dangerous to you. We were always advised to not tell too much about ourselves.
Sakumo was next to come. ?Morning team, am I late?¡±
¡°No, just in time. I can see the merchant we have to escort. Wait here, I go over and tell him who we are,¡± answered Kagami-sensei. He then walked over to a man with a donkey-drawn carriage and started to speak to him.
Ariha skipped over to Sakumo, ¡°Hey Sakumo-kun, Kenshiro-kun has made another one of his Chakra control exercises. This time it can even be used for combat, at least he says so. He doesn¡¯t want to tell me more, do you know anything?¡±
Sakumo looked over to me, but I only grinned, he then looked back at Ariha. ¡°No, he hasn''t said anything. You know him, he likes to experiment with his Chakra. I can''t keep up with all the things he has come up with.¡±
¡°That reminds me, did one of you ever had the idea to increase the difficulty of the leaf sticking exercise?¡± I asked. I know that the teacher told us to add more leaves but that was it.
Sakumo denied having thought about it, but Ariha nodded. ¡° Yes, I did once. Adding more leaves makes it a bit more difficult, but not by much. That''s when I thought that I could stick other things to me as well. Leaf sticking isn''t any different than water walking or tree walking, just that we stick ourselves to something and not the other way around. I tried to stick a piece of bark and then stone to my forehead. It was harder but manageable. Why?¡±Stolen story; please report.
¡°Well, you both know how we use our Chakra and glue it to the leaf, wall or water. If we use too much we will get blown off and if used not enough we will slip off or the leaf will fall down.
We need a good or perfect balance to hold onto the surface. That''s where I had my idea. What if we use the same principle for something slightly more difficult,¡± I explained and pulled a Kunai out of my leg pouch.
They looked at it and then at me. By now they were mostly waiting for me to finish before asking questions. I took the Kunai in my right hand and placed my left hand under the end with the ring. I then slowly lowered the Kunai down and balanced it on my palm.
¡°We all have at one point or another balanced something on our palm. Be it out of boredom or for reflex training,¡± I continued. Both nodded, I did train my reflex like this, juggling helped as well.
¡°And now we add Chakra,¡± I finished with a grin and wrapped my Chakra around the ring. The Kunai slowly rose up from my palm and wobbled for a moment before becoming still. It was now floating over my hand, held up only by my Chakra.
¡°I see, you''re putting enough Chakra into it to lift the Kunai off, yet not enough to launch it away,¡± analyzed Sakumo correctly. I nodded and slowly spun the Kunai around while keeping it afloat.
¡°It becomes harder with less surface to work on. The tip of the Kunai is the hardest and Senbon are even harder. While spinning you have to constantly adjust the amount of Chakra to keep it afloat.
And then there is also this,¡± I said and moved the ring back over my hand. I then pointed my palm at a nearby tree and added a huge amount of Chakra into my hand. The balance was instantly broken and the new Chakra launched my Kunai off and with breakneck speed into the tree. With a thunk, it got stuck and kept hanging.
Ariha whistled in appreciation and pulled the Kunai back out, she had to use some force to get it out as well.
¡°I''m not sure how effective that would be in a fight, or how fast you can throw them after each other. However, if you fight with your Kunai in close combat and your enemy jumps back, then this might very well be quicker than throwing. Most will also be surprised when they get a Kunai into the face without seeing the arm movements for the throw.¡±
¡°Can you teach us?¡±, asked Sakumo. I nodded with a grin and pulled two more Kunai out of my pouch, but was stopped from showing them by Kagami-sensei. He waved us over to him and the client.
¡°This is my Genin team, Uchiha Ariha, Senju Kenshiro and Hatake Sakumo. Little Genin, this is our client, Haro-san. For the duration of our trip, he will be under our protection.
This is a simple escort mission, Haro-san is buying and selling cloth.¡± Explained Kagami-sensei once we were close. Each of us nodded to the middle-aged Haro Lee. He was already seated on his wagon and held the reigns for his donkey.
¡°A pleasure, if possible I want to leave now. Time is money and I am not exactly rich,¡± joked Haro with a deep laugh. None of us laughed, which made him stop as well. He huffed and began to encourage his donkey to walk forward. Within minutes we were out of sight of Konoha and on our way.
¡°Kagami-sensei, are we allowed to train on our way?¡±, asked Sakumo after half an hour of doing nothing but walking at a civilian pace.
¡°Think about it and tell me, are you?¡± Sakumo looked confused for a moment, but then did think about his own question. After some thoughts he came to an answer, a simple no wouldn''t be enough for Kagami-sensei he wants to know why not.
¡°Well, no, it wouldn''t be advisable to train while being on a mission. We have to be in top condition to keep our client save. Training will take energy and, more importantly, focus we need for our mission.
So, no, normally we wouldn''t be allowed to train. But on the other hand, training will keep us in top condition, especially on missions that take a long time and don''t have any action in their description.
Without training, we would quickly lose our skills. That''s why I suggested switching our training. One of us can train and the other two will be focused on our surroundings.¡±
¡°Very well, I''ll allow it on this mission. For the future, make sure to clearly think about the possible risks of doing something distracting while being on a mission.
This one too, it might only be a low C-Rank mission, yet can jump up to anything if something unfortunate happens. Remember, this is no game, but real life!¡± We all nodded to Kagami-sensei''s lecture and advise. For me, it was a little hard to agree with his last words. It''s not easy to not think of my life as a game if I can see the names of everyone over their head or get pop up windows that tell me something.
¡°So who starts first?¡± Asked Ariha excitedly, she already has a Kunai in her hand and was eager to start the new exercise I have given them. Her Chakra control was already at 45. Really high for a Genin. Tsunade was a genius in Chakra control and I was a cheat, so no comparison to us.
Normal academy students have a skill level from 5 to 10. Genin from everything above 8 and usually lower than 40. Chunin are around 40 to 60 and Jonin were at 65 to 80. There were but only a few with a higher level than 80. Most medical Ninja or Jonin women. Females have generally a higher Chakra control than males, but less to work with. Sakumo has a control of 25, it gets boosted if he adds it to his sword. And Kagami-sensei has one of 70. Of course, there are differences, but those are the general levels.
It really shows how much Chakra everyone wastes with their techniques.
¡°Kenshiro-kun?¡± I looked back to Ariha. ¡°Yeah? I was in thought,¡± I replied with an apologetic smile.
¡°No problem, I asked who wanted to start training first.¡±
¡°Let Sakumo-kun start, he had the idea. You can go second and I''ll be last. Don''t use all of your Chakra, only a quarter,¡± I answered. She nodded in agreement, giving our all now would be stupid.
An hour later Ariha has stopped with her attempts on keeping the Kunai afloat and put it away. It was now my turn and I happily started to gather Chakra for a Rasengan.
The blue sphere was now coming quicker and with more ease than before. Having the Jutsu acknowledged by the system is a great help and makes using each skill way easier. I have learned that I can use every skill I have with almost no problem once I have it in my Skill/Jutsu library.
I had to wait for a minute to recharge my Chakra, after forming two Rasengan, but that was okay. Once half an hour has passed I asked Sakumo and Ariha if they wanted to start training again, yet both said they still had not enough Chakra.
I shrugged and continued and managed to level the Rasengan to level 2 just shortly before we set camp for the night. If we keep this up I will be at level 3 or 4 when we have finished with the mission.
Chapter 16, Genin 8, The Perfect C-Rank Mission
It was the third day of the mission when something happened. We were on our way at civilian speed, like we were the days before when I suddenly felt a group of twelve Chakra signatures. One of them was on the level of a Genin, the rest was at a civilian or academy student level.
They were hiding inside the bushes along the path and positioned in such a way that they could cut us off from all sides.
I stopped, dispelled the forming Rasengan and looked at my team. ¡°Guys, there are twelve possible bandits in front of us. One of them has the Chakra level of a Genin, the rest is either civilian or low academy.¡±
Kagami-sensei nodded and gestured for us and the merchant to slow down. ¡°Good, you have spotted them. Now, they will know that something is wrong if we suddenly stop. Just slow down to a crawl, it will give us enough time.
This will be your first real fight. I know that you are ready and I will watch and make sure that nothing happens. But you will have to fight them on your own. Four for each or three against twelve, I let you decide on a plan.¡± Sakumo and Ariha were looking a little insecure, but both were quick to calm down and steeled themselves for the coming fight. They then looked at me, the tactician of our group.
¡°Right, any ideas?¡±, asked Ariha us.
¡°A few, Sensei, are we fighting for efficiency or do we have to get close,¡± I asked and looked at Kagami-sensei. He might want to use this chance to get our hands bloodied. The first kill is said to be the hardest and might freeze the new murderer. Having it in a relatively secure setting would be the best.
¡°Close,¡± he answered, both my question and my thoughts.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance and glared at him, he knew that I knew what he wants us to do. ¡°Damn, well. Originally I would simply burn them with a combination of a Great Fireball and a Great Breakthrough, but that option is out now.
Next, I would suggest attacking one side to get those out first and then take care of the other side. This way we only have six to worry about and not twelve. Are we allowed to do that?¡±
After a moment of thought, he nodded. Fighting only six would be safer and we would still need to get close to kill the remaining six.
¡°Very well. I''d like to attack the right side, that is the side with the Genin, with a Great Cutting Whirlwind. It should be enough to take care of them. Directly afterwards we will rush in. There are two close to us, followed by two more and another two. Each pair is roughly three meters away from the other.
Ariha and Sakumo can attack the first pair and overwhelm them, I will keep the second busy. Once you finish the first you attack the third and then help me with the second.¡±
¡°That would put you against two, possibly four at once. And the Jutsu you want to use is a mid-B-Rank Jutsu, do you have enough Chakra to fight afterwards?¡± pointed Kagami-sensei out.
I nodded before answering. ¡°Yes, I have enough Chakra to do eight B-Rank Jutsu and I only have to fight them for a short time. I am also the strongest of us three and if something happens it is your fault Sensei. You forbid us from doing it the same way. It will be you who will have to explain to Hokage-sama and Grandma Mito how I got injured when it could have been prevented.¡±
Kagami-sensei was suddenly very pale and gulped audibly, seems he forgot that tidbit. Having me in his team leaves heavy scrutiny on him. Everyone will question him if I get injured, just him being an Uchiha is enough. They will doubt his skill and accuse him of pushing me into danger deliberately. Uchiha and Senju may live together in Konoha, but the two clans were no real friends, as much as Hashirama had wanted it to be so.
He might want to change his orders, but by now we were too close for that, so he led his head fall down and sighed. ¡°Very well, but be careful, all three of you.¡±
I quickly went through the needed hand seals and sucked in a deep breath, before mixing it with Wind Chakra. ¡°Great Cutting Whirlwind!¡± Four blades of wind flew out of my mouth, two vertically the other two diagonally. Each slightly positioned next to the other for maximum effect.
They cut through the bushes and the shocked bandits only had enough time to shout a cry of fear before the wind blades reached them. The first two bandits were cut in half and then in quarters without slowing the blades at all. The second pair wasn''t any different, they died a little later and got not completely cut into pieces.
The wind blades were made by a B-Ranked Jutsu, they wouldn''t be stopped by simple shrubbery and some humans. So they flew past the corpses of the second pair and reached the third and final pair.
These two had the most time to react and it was shown when only one of them died instantly. The man with Chakra of a Genin managed to jump away but lost his right leg and arm mid-jump. He hit the ground and was screaming in pain, yet none of us had any time to take care of him.
Ariha and Sakumo have jumped into action the moment I started my hand signs. They jumped at the other side of the street and quickly spotted the first two bandits. Ariha had a Kunai in each hand and Sakumo had his tantou drawn.
The bandits, having used the little time it took for Ariha and Sakumo to spot them, were able to stand up and pull their weapons into a parry. And while both Ariha and Sakumo were stronger and faster than the two bandits, body mass still has some effect and the bandits were able to block the first attack.
I had jumped right after finishing my Jutsu and flew over the first two bandits. The second pair was ready for me and both were holding a spear, posed to impale me.
I went through another set of hand signs and finished mid-flight, ¡°Wind Needle!¡± dozens of razor sharp and fast needles flew out of my mouth. Each wasn''t very long, but made out of a cutting wind and fast.
They rained down on the two bandits and impaled them, cutting through bones and flesh with ease. There were so much that even their bones began to break and both bandits were turning into a pile of blood and flesh. Their screams were short, the first dozen needles were enough to kill them. But once the Jutsu has started it was harder to stop than to let it finish.
Anyway, my first two were dead and I felt how the Chakra of both Ariha and Sakumo was frozen in shock. They must have each killed their bandit. Having realized what they have done they fell into shock and were unable to move, which left me with the two remaining bandits.
They have seen what we have done and were busy running away from us. I casually threw a Kunai at each of them. The knife hit them in the neck and killed them instantly. Their fear made them run away in a direct line and easy for me to hit.
I turned around and saw Sakumo standing over his bandit. His sword was still inside the chest of the bandit and Sakumo was looking down to his shaking hands.
Ariha wasn''t much better. She has fallen on her behind and crawled backwards until she hit a tree. Her face was blood splattered and she was staring at her bloody hands. The bandit she had fought has a slit throat. The blood must have spurted out and hit her in the face, shocking and freaking her out.
The next moment Kagami-sensei was standing next Sakumo, a hand rested on his shoulder in silent comfort. He looked at me and frowned briefly, before kneeling down to be at face level with Sakumo. Sakumo, the frightened child, as we were nothing but children, looked at Kagami-sensei and mumbled something incoherently.
I substituted myself with the dead bandit of Ariha and sat down next to her. Her body was trembling and she hasn''t yet looked up from her hands.
I pulled her into a one-armed hug. She froze briefly, but then threw her arms around me and hugged me back. She started to sob quietly. I didn''t know what I could say to make it easier for her.
I wasn''t feeling any remorse, guilt, disgust or any other emotions over the death of the bandits. Gamer''s Mind and I think part of my old mindset was preventing me from doing so. These twelve men knew what they were doing and sealed their fate when they attempted to ambush us. The fact that I gained a level didn''t make it easier for me to think of them as humans.
I could only sit there and slowly pat Ariha''s back while she was sobbing into my chest. ¡°I killed him, a human being. He is dead, he... I saw how his eyes lost sight, how his life left him. I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry.¡± I had trouble hearing her whispered apologizes.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°Shh, it''s okay Ariha-chan,¡± her grip tightened, ¡°yes you killed him,¡± another sob escaped her, ¡°but it was the right thing to do. You had no choice, either you would have killed him or he would have killed you. And then he would have killed Sakumo and tried to kill me and Kagami-sensei,¡± I continued, not bothered by the increasing wetness of my shirt.
Thinking that this lowly bandit could even lay a hand on either of us with Kagami-sensei watching over almost made me laugh, but that would be a very bad idea now. Ariha needs to think that she had no other choice. She isn''t thinking logically now, she won''t have time to point out the impossibility of what I just have said.
¡°We are Ninja Ariha-chan, sometimes we have to kill. What''s important is not that we kill, but that we don''t forget why we kill.¡± I stopped for a moment for her to process that. She looked up at me, her eyes were red from her tears, but also from a newly awakened Sharingan with a single tomoe.
Don''t Uchiha need a near-death situation to awaken their Dojutsu? How was this close to her death? Or did it awake because she was thinking she could die?
¡°These bandits were killing travellers, civilians, children. They killed them because they wanted to steal the few valuables these people had. Their reason for the killing was for their own gain, to enrich themselves at the costs of others.
The reason for us Ninja to kill is manifold. We kill because we are ordered, those kills are the hardest, as we don''t have a personal reason to do so.
We also kill in self-defence, like you did today. You had to kill or would have been killed yourself.
And then we kill to protect, to protect our team from enemy Ninja, from hostile villages or any other danger we come across. But we don''t only protect our team, we protect the people of Konoha, the family we have there. The old lady that sells fresh baked goods, the children that play in the park and the happy couple that is expecting their first baby.
They might die, would we not kill those that seek their harm. The missions we receive are strengthening Konoha, they help us protecting these people we want to be saved.
We, us Ninja, are never allowed to forget why we kill. If we do so we will be nothing but rabid dogs. Each of us needs their own reason for killing. As long as you have one, and can accept that reason for yourself, everything is good.¡±
She stared at me for a long moment, her Sharingan was spinning slowly. It was burning this very moment into her mind, for her to never forget. ¡°What...what is your reason?¡± asked Ariha quietly.
I knew my next words were corny, but it was kinda true. ¡°I kill because I want to protect the precious people I love. I want to protect my grandmother Mito, my mother, my sister Tsunade, Sakumo and you, Ariha-chan. I want to protect all of you, so that no one can harm my family. For that reason, I kill before they can retaliate.¡±
She buried her face back into my shirt and became silent, thinking over what I have said and what this means for her. I couldn''t keep a small smile down when I saw her slightly red tinted ears. She must have heard the last part especially well.
We''ve must have stayed like this for some minutes, she wasn''t letting go of me and I wouldn''t without a good reason. Alas, Kagami-sensei had other intentions. He had spoken to Sakumo and was now on his way over to us. He looked at us two, grinned at me, but then schooled his expression, before kneeling down and softly patting Ariha''s shoulder to get her attention.
Ariha looked at Kagami-sensei and released me from her hug, in exchange for him. It allowed me to stand up and inspect my shirt. Ariha has smeared some blood and soaked it with her tears, I have to change it later.
With a nod I left the two and walked over to Sakumo, he still looked a little pale but wasn''t shaking anymore. ¡°You alright?¡± I asked once I was close enough for the others to not listen in. Well for Ariha that is. I had no delusions that Kagami-sensei could still hear us, nor that he hasn''t listened to my monologue to Ariha.
He nodded and smiled weakly at me, he obviously wasn''t but would be. ¡°Yeah, Kagami-sensei helped. You?¡±
¡°Fine,¡± I replied easily. He looked at me for a moment, searching for something, but shrugged before turning around and walking back to the merchant we were escorting. ¡°You coming?¡± he called over his shoulder.
I quickly caught up to him and we waited for Ariha and Kagami-sensei to come as well. They did so a few minutes later. Ariha was looking a lot better but stayed silent for the rest of the day. Her Sharingan was deactivated.
Kagami-sensei hasn''t addressed me about my kills for the rest of the day. I wasn''t knowing why my behaviour was the most worrisome. Total lack of any reaction should not be good, I knew that much.
He waited until the other three were inside their tents and asleep. He gave me the first watch, which made it easy for him to speak to me without anyone listening to our talk.
I felt him coming out of the tent and jumping up to the branch I was sitting on. ¡°Kenshiro-kun,¡± he greeted while sitting down next to me.
¡°Evening Kagami-sensei, you want to talk about today''s bandit attack don''t you?¡± I replied and jumped right into the matter. There''s no reason to skirt around the problem.
¡°Yes, but first I want to thank you for what you said to Ariha-chan. She is a dear niece to me and I was worried about her first kill. She is a sweet and friendly girl, the killing could have devastated her without the right words afterwards. I am happy that she has teammates such as you and Sakumo-kun.¡± He replied and even gave me a small bow.
¡°It''s only the natural thing to do. She and Sakumo are my friends,¡± I reasoned. Raising children to kill at the age of six is barbaric, but the way of this world. I had no real problems with the consequences. I am mentally close to thirty and Gamer''s Mind prevents me from gaining PTSD. There is no such thing for most other people.
¡°How do you feel? You''ve killed most of the bandits. This was your first time killing someone as well, wasn''t it?¡±
I hummed in confirmation. ¡°They were, but what I said to Ariha wasn''t a lie. I knew what I would have to do the moment I became an academy student. Tobirama-jii is very descriptive in his stories. Mom never liked it when he told me and Tsunade about his childhood and the warring age.¡±
He said nothing, seemingly accepting that as my answer and finding it well enough. ¡°Did you know that he never spoke well about the Uchiha. And that he was not happy with me having an Uchiha teammate and an Uchiha Sensei on top of that?¡± I began again. It was an attempt to change the topic away from today''s happenings. I think he knew but didn''t care.
¡°Hokage-sama''s dislike for us Uchiha is well known,¡± answered Kagami-sensei with some sadness and disappointment in his tone.
¡°To be honest I was very worried when I got informed who would become my Genin. The Hatake are known for their swordsmanship and skill with infusing Chakra into their fighting style. I knew that Sakumo-kun would make little trouble. Their clan is still deeply rooted in the samurai honour.
No, it was Ariha-chan and you that was worrying me. Ariha''s father is..., let''s say less than friendly towards the Senju and he would have told Ariha-chan sparsely few good things about your clan. On the other side, you are the clan heir to the Senju, influenced by Lord Second and all the other war veterans.
I was very surprised when you offered your help to Ariha-chan during my test. You are not what I have expected. Sometimes you seem older than what you are, can you tell me why?¡±
¡°Who knows, maybe I was born with an old soul?¡± I joked. Both of us chuckled, he out of good humour, I somewhat nervously.
For some time we stayed silent. I don''t know what he was thinking and I wasn''t in the mood to restart the conversation. After probably five minutes in total silence, he yawned and jumped down from the tree.
¡°I''ll see you in the morning. Ariha-chan will take over watch from you in two hours,¡± he said over his shoulder before vanishing into his tent.
With nothing to do but to reach out with my Chakra senses, I started to train again. Chakra control training wouldn''t help me any longer. I can''t rise it any higher. Maybe I should put more time into wind manipulation. That''s still not as good as it could be.
I nodded to myself and created fifteen clones, they spread out and began to train wind Chakra manipulation. They were forming a circle around the camp, giving it an extra pseudo protection line.
I myself started to juggle half a dozen Kunai for reflex training and didn''t stop for the rest of my watch. Two hours into the night Ariha woke up and got ready to relieve me of my watch.
She came out of her tent and spotted me on my tree, she jumped up and sat down next to me. ¡°Hi, Kenshiro-kun. I''m ready, you can go to sleep.¡±
¡°I don''t mind staying awake for a moment longer,¡± I replied, still not stopping with my juggling. The resistant seal makes it difficult to catch them in the right moment and at the right place. I have suffered numerous cuts before I was able to juggle two without dropping them every second throw.
Ariha was watching me from the side. ¡°Thank you Kenshiro-kun,¡± she said suddenly.
I stopped juggling and caught the falling Kunai before looking at her. She was staring at her hands and blushing. ¡°For speaking with me after our fight. I was frozen in fear when I killed the bandit. I couldn''t stop thinking what this means for me, that I have taken a life and that I am a monster. And then I remembered that you still had to fight four at the same time.
Yet my body didn''t move, I tried, but it didn''t work. I feared that you will get killed because of me. I couldn''t see you and only heard screams of pain. Everything was red and then the world slowed down. Kagami-Oji said that is the effect of my Sharingan, but I didn''t know at that time.
I don''t really remember how I fell down or when my back hit the tree. The first thing I really remember after killing the bandit were your words and hug.¡± She became silent and started to fidget with her fingers.
I really don''t know what I should say to that. ''Don''t worry'' doesn''t seem right and playing it down wasn''t good as well. It was something big for her. I choose to say nothing. The silence between us became awkward for me and probably for her as well.
Ariha was the first to find the silence no longer bearable. ¡°Why haven''t you freaked out?¡±
I mulled over her question, I could give her the same answer I did to Kagami-sensei. ¡°Tobirama-jii has told me how his first kill was and how he felt. And I think I had no time to think too much as well. I knew that there are two more and that you two are behind me, relying on me to keep the four away until you come to help.
And after the fight, when I had time to think I could rationalize my actions.¡± Again, neither of us continued.
I wasn''t in the mood for an awkward silence, so I jumped down and walked to my tent. ¡°Have a nice night,¡± I said in parting and slipped silently into the tent. Sakumo was sleeping on his bedroll and didn''t notice my entrance.
The rest of the mission went by without a hitch, no more bandits or any sign of trouble crossed our path. Our way back was equally silent and we handed in our report before parting ways for the day. All in all, it was the perfect C-Rank mission for any new Genin team.
Chapter 17, Genin 9, Genin Playdate
The following weeks we did D-Ranks again, to not get overwhelmed by the stress of being out of the village, or so Kagami-sensei says. Weeks turned into months and those into years. Occasional C-Ranks were thrown in between the D-Ranks and some of those turned out to become B-Ranks whenever we crossed paths with a Ninja.
I didn''t know at first why we weren''t signed up for the Chunin exams or why we did not get a field promotion. Neither my team nor Tsunade''s got one, not a single team of my graduation got one at first.
I haven''t known it at the academy, but after asking Tobirama-Ojii why we don''t get a promotion he explained to me that my class was the last one on a military track course. The first years after the First War were used to pump out as many Genin as possible, to regrow our smaller ranks.
Now that we had the time to train they were using that chance to give the Genin the training and time to really grow. The year before us had the same chance, they too were being held back.
But that also meant that occasionally our Sensei wouldn''t have time for us and we had to train on our own. He was doing missions then, missions that were too dangerous for us. Whenever that happened we got a few pointers by a different Jonin who then would go back to his team or have us train alongside his.
If two Jonin-sensei were away we would be put together with another team, we would then train on our teamwork. That we had another Genin team to train with wasn''t rare and happened once or twice a month. Some Jonin like to have their Genin spar against another team. Having two Genin teams without a Jonin is rare and only happens twice a year or so.
I didn''t question it too much, being Genin allowed me a lot of free time to train on my own. Not being forced to do high ranked missions, missions that might take weeks or months, was good.
Both Sakumo and Ariha agreed with me once I explained to them why I wasn''t upset with being seemingly held back. Tsunade also needed to have it explained to her but agreed, in the end, to not press Tobirama-Ojii for a promotion.
Six years went by like this and we were now twelve. Puberty was showing its first signs and will fully hit us soon. Last time I had mine it was fairly easy, a week or two for my voice to drop and no real annoyance beyond that. It''s wishful thinking that this time it will be the same.
The madness of puberty already infected Tsunade and Ariha. Ariha-chan started to become more feminine and more aware of the differences between men and women. It was funny to watch how she or Sakumo would get flustered if one of us gets our hands on some specific body parts of the other without meaning to. I''m sure I would have been too, could I think normally.
Tsunade was really happy when her breasts began to grow. Over the years we didn''t grow apart, rather I think even closer. That''s why I wasn''t really surprised when she told me that tidbit.
What I didn''t like as much were the many girls she was introducing me to. A few of them were quite friendly or had a good head on their head. And most of them looked good and were from one prominent clan or another and strangely all of them had quite large breasts for their age. So, normally cool. However, they all came with the sole goal of getting closer to the Senju Kenshiro, in many cases they added -sama.
None of them was a real friend of my sister and naturally got to know me through her. She has the same problem and friends are rare for us. They also were not close to the family or high ranking enough in the social hierarchy to just speak to me. Ultimately their goal was to get into a relationship with me. Most don''t really mean it in a harmful way. And yet, they all were out for the name of my family, not me.
The one I am going to love should first get to know me and then me with the name Senju. Which is, admittedly, quite hard within Konoha. I''m the direct heir to the Senju name, my mother is acting head until I will take the position. Which will happen once I have gained the rank of Chunin.
It is part of the clan laws, only a Shinobi of the rank Chunin or higher can take over the headship. Chunin is a rank usually only given to those that have matured and can keep a clear head on their shoulders. Which are needed character traits for a clan head.
And part of the job is taking care of one''s own reputation. That''s why I won''t just play around with them. It wouldn''t look good for my image. I also think I''m worth more than a quick fling with some girl I won''t get to know.
¡°Ken-kun, have you seen my bra? The skin coloured one!¡± Shouted Tsu-chan from within her closet. I was sitting on her bed and passing time by thinking. Both Kagami-sensei and Tsunade''s Sensei were on a mission. So we were ordered to hold team training together. This in itself was somewhat rare, but having Tsunade and my team together only happened once.
Naturally, Tsunade was excited and wanted to look good, while also being effective. She has been speaking nonstop about today since it was announced three days ago. My teammates weren''t completely unknown to Tsunade, I also have sporadic contact with hers. We met each others team occasionally when one of us got picked up by them for missions or training. However, both teams meeting each other is rare.
¡°The one with metal implants against piercing attacks?¡± I shouted back. We were pretty open about such stuff. Tsunade doesn''t want me to see her naked or the other way around. She made that clear when she asked me to no longer join her during baths. I''m fine with that, especially when I learned that getting one up was not an effect of emotions.
¡°Yeah, it holds them just right and is good against Kunai.¡± I heard the rustling of clothes before she grumbled angrily.
¡°I am pretty sure it was in between the clothes I hung up to dry. Just bind them, it''s quicker,¡± I shouted back. It will also give Jiraiya less to ogle.
¡°But I won''t look as good as with a proper bra,¡± argued Tsunade back, the pout clearly audible.
¡°They also give Jiraiya more reason to stare,¡± I pointed out. It was a fake argument, Jiraiya would stare anyway. The unrolling of bandages could be heard a moment later. It''s also an argument that works all the time.
¡°Come faster Ken-kun, it never happened that we get to train with our teams together,¡± shouted Tsunade excitedly only five minutes later. She wore now a mesh shirt with a white t-shirt over it. The t-shirt was cut off under her chest and showed her stomach, hidden behind the mesh shirt. For pants, she wore a red skirt with bloomers beneath and a pair of mesh shorts beneath that. It showed a lot of skin and I told her so, but she wasn''t caring. The view was pretty, so I wasn''t too persistent.
I myself was now wearing black baggy pants, black combat boots, a black tank top and a black badass coat. It was the same coat Ibiki wore during the Chunin exam in canon Naruto. In a few years, I will also look intimidating and not just funny.
I also had arm guards with seals that were containing all my weapons. My whole set of clothing was inscribed with seals. Seals against fire, against ripping, cold, wetness, heat, against foreign Chakra and some container seals for stuff. I myself have stopped venturing into seals. They were freaking hard to get better at and raising the level wasn''t making understanding them easier, only drawing and activating them.
The coat was made by me, but under the supervision of Grandma Mito and with lots of her help.
At level 45 I could say I was better than a lot of other Ninja. With time I could understand and copy, reverse or destroy a lot of other seals. One thing I did learn above my skill was the sealing of a Bijuu. Grandma Mito made sure that I could do it perfectly. I am even able to seal the Kyuubi if he holds still long enough. I''m still enough Uzumaki to seal Bijuu up to the sixth tail into myself. At least that is what she said. She suggested to not seal any more than the six tails into me.
Without the Uzumaki blood, I would already be too old for the sealing of a Bijuu beyond the six tails. Later, when I''m fully grown, she said it depends on my overall Chakra capacity. More Chakra means less strain on the pathways and as such less risk of dying a horrible, gruesome and painful death.
¡°Yes yes, we have a few minutes left, it''s not as if one of our Sensei would punish us for being late,¡± I replied with a yawn. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along, I followed her without complaint.
Where was I? Right, progress. My first view of the status of a Chunin showed that yes, the weakest had stats around 70, but there was a huge gap between low Chunin and high Chunin.
I myself am now Tokubetsu Jonin in every normal attribute and low Jonin or Jonin in endurance and intelligence. My resistance seals were giving me great training''s boost, one that my peers couldn''t catch up with.
Here is my status;
I haven''t gotten a perk upon reaching the 250 marks. It happened with 500 and then again at 1000. There was also a perk for reaching LV 100 in a skill or Jutsu.
These are the Perks I got;
Spoiler: Spoiler
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Heroic Strength; Strength 100
The user has truly heroic strength.
-You can lift boulders and uproot threes with ease, use them to bash your enemy into a bloody smear.
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Heroic Reflex; Reflex 100
The reflexes of the user are truly heroic.
- You can''t rip your muscles any longer and are able to bend in every which way with ease.
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Master of the Mind; Intelligence 500
Your mind is closer to a computer than a living being.
- Eidetic Memory
- Genjutsu are 10% more effective and cost 25% less Chakra
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Master of the Body; Endurance 500
An unstoppable machine, nothing can stop you once you have started.
- Increases Stamina, Life Points and Chakra regeneration by an additional +25%
- Your skin now blocks 10 % of any damage.
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One with the Mind; Intelligence 1000
The mental aspect of Chakra is your friend, it helps you in forming Genjutsu and organises your mind.
- Genjutsu are 25% more effective and cost 50% less Chakra.
- Genjutsu are 25% less likely to take hold on you.
- Remembering is a lot easier now.
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Charmer; Charisma 50
- You have a charming personality, people will believe your words more easily.
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Medical Prodigy; Medical Chakra LV 100
The user has perfect medical Chakra control, manipulating medical Chakra is like breathing.
- Experience gain in any medical Chakra Jutsu is increased by 25%
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Master of Wind Chakra; Wind Chakra Manipulation LV 100
The user has perfect wind Chakra control, manipulating wind Chakra is like breathing.
- Experience gain in any wind Chakra Jutsu is increased by 25%
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One with the Chakra; Chakra Enhancement LV 100
The user is so used to have Chakra course through his body that enhancing it with Chakra does not use any Chakra to uphold anymore.
- No active Chakra costs for Chakra Enhancement on body parts.
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Close to becoming Buddha; Meditation LV 100
Meditate any more and you might gain true Wisdom.
The user is a true master of meditation, he meditates without moving at all.
- Experience gain in Senjutsu increased by 5 %.
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Martial Arts Master; Martial Arts LV 100
Martial Arts is your lifeblood, no one can hold a candle against you if it comes to fighting with your bare body.
- 20% less use of Stamina when fighting with only your body.
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Sixth Sense; Evasion LV 100
You are so used to evade things that it almost happens automatically.
- You get a mental forewarning if something gets thrown at you from a blind spot, be it projectiles or other attacks.
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Poisonous Blood; Poison Resistance LV 100
Your body got fed up with all the poison it had to handle, it now produces one of its own that breaks down any other poison.
- Your blood can be used against poisons.
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If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And yes, I know that I have a shit ton of Game Points. I just don''t know where I should invest them, it''s not as if I need to become stronger quickly. I only used them to increase the 90% mark of a skill or Jutsu to a full hundred. And for the skill Poison Resistance. I got poisoned once during a mission and gained that skill. The first thing I did was raising it to Max Level. I don''t want to die because I got a tiny wound. In hindsight I should have gained a few levels before putting a whole 99 points into it, but meh. What''s done is done.
Anyway, I tried to keep my physical skills hidden. I often compare my status with that of Orochimaru and only activate enough seals to be better than him. His highest attribute is intelligence with 350, the rest is between 250 and 320. With that he is stronger than every other Genin in overall points, but not the best in every attribute. Sakumo, for example, has a reflex count of 370.
My whole Genin team is more or less already High Chunin. Normal Chunin have attributes between 70 and 300, some higher some lower, it depends on their position. Our teachers at school were closer to the lower gap, while Chunin who have regular missions are often higher.
I also have seen a few Chunin and even Genin that have attributes close to Jonin. Those people mostly have done something wrong which prevents a promotion or are mentally not ready to rise in Rank. Even if they can fight like they were. The best example would be canon Naruto, mentally not even able to even be Chunin, yet as strong as all Kage together.
Sometime into my summary Tsunade and I reached the training ground our teams have chosen to use. We were a little late and everyone, except Jiraiya, was already present. Orochimaru stood at the side, away from Ariha and Sakumo. He was reading a book about medicine.
I think it was half a year ago when Tsunade told me that his parents died. According to Tsunade, he became more distant since then, always reading about Jutsu and medical knowledge. He has asked her a lot of questions and she liked to explain her chosen field to others.
I could see the beginning of his madness. He has obvious psychopathic tendencies, however, they aren''t reason enough to kick him out of the Ninja Corps. You can''t expect child soldiers to be mentally stable.
They spotted us rather quickly and came over. Ariha was grinning widely and waved at me, Sakumo nodded in greeting, as did Orochimaru.
¡°Morning guys, I know we are late. Ken-kun took all day to get ready,¡± apologized Tsunade with a cheeky grin aimed at me. I poked her nose in retaliation. She pouted cutely and jumped over to Orochimaru. She then looked around and frowned ¡°Where is the pervert?¡±
¡°Jiraiya is also late,¡± answered Orochimaru her, he hasn''t looked up from his book since greeting us.
¡°Idiot, can''t he do a single thing right?¡± She complained. I did not point out her hypocrisy, we too were late after all.
Instead, I turned to my team and studied them. Sakumo hasn''t changed his clothes much. He wears Ninja sandals, black ANBU pants, a jacket with the Hatake clan symbol on the back and the Uzumaki-Konoha swirls on each shoulder. He has outgrown his hair a bit and was binding it. They were now spiky and stood up in every direction. Only his headband was holding them back.
He now also has the Hatake tantou on his back, a sign of his status of the heir and skill in swordsmanship. He''s leagues above me if it comes to fighting with a sword.
From him I turned to Ariha, she was starting to grow into a beautiful woman. Her clothes were practical, yet made her not any less cute. She wore Ninja sandals as well. Long knee socks were protecting her legs and a black battle kimono with red markings and an Uchiha crest on the back gave her the mobility and grace of a skilled Kunoichi. Her black shoulder-length hair was done back in a ponytail.
The prettiest thing about her were her large doe-like eyes. I''m a sucker for beautiful eyes and her brown, almost black eyes are good looking. I often have to stop myself from staring whenever she has her Sharingan activated, they were looking that good on her face.
¡°Something Kenshiro-kun?¡± She asked suddenly and I caught myself staring again.
In hope to deflect a bit from my starring, I answered with the first thing that came to my mind. ¡°Have I ever told you that you have really pretty eyes?¡± She blushed and stuttered something incomprehensible, before taking a swing at me with a shout of an idiot. I laughed, evaded and jumped backwards. Right next to the arriving Jiraiya, scarring the crap out of him.
¡°Jiraiya, why are you always late?¡± Shouted Tsunade angrily. She was shaking her fist at him in anger, but my closeness was holding her off. He was also using me as a shield and Tsunade didn''t want to hit me.
¡°Sorry Tsunade-hime, I overslept. Ma and Pa were keeping me awake with their training,¡± apologized Jiraiya quickly. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Seems like he already has his summons. His Chakra shouldn''t be high enough to summon any of the bigger toads, but there were others who could fight.
A quick observe showed that his attributes were between a hundred and two hundred. With endurance as his strongest attribute at 205. The rest was between 100 and 150. Way below my team or his, but not bad itself. He has grown to be one of the stronger Genin. It''s just that Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sakumo, Ariha and I were just way above the norm. It might very well be that Jiraiya is the sixth strongest of our generation. Kinda unfair for him, but that is life.
Still, Tsunade hasn''t told me about her summons, which means that she hasn''t done the reverse summoning yet. Might speak with her about that later today.
Tsunade let out a deep suffering sigh and tried to calm down. Something with Jiraiya was making her quick to anger. I think she still hasn''t forgiven him for calling her flat chested. Even if her chest was now already a B-cup. Ariha''s was A, I think.
¡°Forget it, let''s start. Our Sensei aren''t with us today. It''s the first time that we have to train together. And while Ken-kun and I already know each of you, the others of our respective team do not. Let''s do introductions first and then some spars? Anyone against that?¡± No one had something against my plan and we sat down in a circle. Well, Jiraya grumbled a bit but was silenced by Tsunade''s threatening fist.
She then sat down right next to me, Ariha took the seat to my other side. Both were rather close and I noticed that Jiraiya was scowling at me for that.
¡°I''ll start. My name is Senju Tsunade, the younger sister of Senju Kenshiro. I like to learn medical Jutsu, discussions about medical advancement, my brother Ken-kun, my family and training together with Ken-kun. I dislike perverts, ¡°cue nasty glare at Jiraiya,¡± and failing to save someone with my medical Jutsu. My wish for the future is to become the best medic in the world.¡± She then nudged me to follow up.
¡°Yeah, hi, I''m Senju Kenshiro, older brother of Senju Tsunade. I like to learn new Chakra training methods, training with my team, training with Tsunade and having tea with my Grandmother Uzumaki-Senju Mito. I dislike stagnation in my training. And as for a wish, well, I''d like to keep my team and Tsunade save from danger.¡± Orochimaru kept his game face and showed no emotions. Jiraiya was still scowling. He seems to not like my closeness to Tsunade.
¡°My turn, I''m Uchiha Ariha. I like training Genjutsu, my team and learning new fire Jutsu. I don''t like idiots who think that the Uchiha are always stealing Jutsu and seeing my friends in pain. As for a wish, well I''d really like to catch Kenshiro-kun in one of my Genjutsu and I also want to invent a new S-Ranked fire Jutsu.¡± Ariha gave me a playful punch when she mentioned her wish. She has never been able to affect me with a Genjutsu. She doesn''t know that it''s impossible, thanks to Gamer''s Mind.
Tsunade gave her a glare. The affection she showed mebyusing the -kun suffix was easily audible in her tone. Meanwhile, at until now completely ignored, muttered Jiraiya something about stupid Senju getting all the hot chicks. He received a very heated glare from both Ariha and Tsunade for that comment.
Thankfully Sakumo was next and he spoke before either girl could start their beating of Jiraiya. ¡°My name is Sakumo Hatake, I like to train with my sword and training with my team. I wish to become the best swordsman in the world and dislike people who don''t take swordsmanship seriously.¡±
Jiraiya has seen the heated glare and followed up quickly in the hope to distract the female fury. He jumped up and did some kind of dance that looked really ridiculous. ¡°Alright, listen closely. I''m the gallant Jiraiya of Mount Myoboku. I like my research.¡±
Tsunade scoffed a not so silent, ¡°I.e. peeping on bathing girls.¡±
But Jiraiya ignored her. ¡°My summons and training. I dislike arrogant people who think they are the worlds best because they are a little bit more skilled,¡± he gave both me and Orochimaru a glare, don''t know what I have done to him, ¡°and my wish for the future is to be renown for my skill throughout the world.¡± He sat back down and looked proud of himself.
He then looked at Orochimaru, ¡°Your turn Bastard.¡±
Orochimaru didn''t react to his insult. He gave my team a respectful nod before starting. ¡°I''m Orochimaru, I like to learn new Jutsu, I dislike stupid people and my wish is to learn every Jutsu in the world.¡± You have one guess as to whom he was looking at when he said he dislikes stupid people.
I spoke up right after him, I too don''t want to waste any more time with Jiraiya''s antics. He can play around after training, not during. ¡°Good, now that we all have introduced each other, let''s begin with our training. I think a small team match would be best to get warmed up. My team against Tsunade''s. As for rules, no heavy injuries, only stuff that can be easily healed by Tsunade. Meaning shallow cuts, broken bones and ripped muscles. Internal injuries, heavy burns from Jutsu or any maiming is forbidden.¡±
Jiraiya looked a little worried at the things that are still allowed but did not ask to forbid them as well. He might not want to look like a pussy to the rest of us. Sakumo and Ariha were okay with those terms. Tsunade has healed them a few times over the years, they know her skill.
¡°Let''s do some planning before we start. Five minutes?¡± Suggested Tsunade, we agreed and each team went to one side of the clearing.
¡°So, what''s the plan? They seem rather dysfunctional to me. Jiraiya is the weak link, he comes over as a hot head and with a loose temper. He is also the punching bag of their team,¡± asked Sakumo the moment we were alone. The last part was said with some disgust.
He could not see any reason for bullying your own teammate. If he or she was weak, then help her grow strong. What he did not take into account was that Jiraiya has not exactly left a good first impression and never successfully tried to better his image. At least Tsunade has never told me of him trying.
¡°You are close to Tsunade-san, she must have told you things about their team. And you, her, about us. Anything we should know?¡± Followed Ariha, her tone wasn''t accusing me of anything, merely stating facts.
¡°I told Tsunade about Sakumo''s good skill with his sword, how he was way better than I. She will remember that and be wary of him in close combat. She also knows that you, Ariha-chan, are a little pyromaniac and that you really like to use fire Jutsu. She has often questioned me about whom of you two is the stronger one, you or her. I tried to deflect the answer, she will be equally wary of you for that. She knows that I would only deflect the answer if she does not like to hear it.
In truth, you are weaker than her in strength, but in return faster.
As for our plan, I would pitch Sakumo-kun against Tsunade-chan. His sword will keep her at a distance, don''t let her get close to you, she is using Chakra Scalpels and she has a heavy hit. Her Chakra control is the best of us, right after me and even that only closely.
Ariha-chan, your Genjutsu won''t really work on her, her control is too good for that, I made sure of it. She also has Earth as her main element. That''s why I want you to fight Jiraiya-san. Not because he is the weakest, but because he seems to be weak against Genjutsu. You should be able to take him out quickly and then help Sakumo-kun with Tsunade-chan.
Catch her in a Genjutsu and overwhelm her while she gets rid of it. You might have a second to do so. Not more, her control is just too good.
I will fight Orochimaru-san, he is the strongest after me and we both are Jutsu specialists. You can help me with him after taking Tsunade-chan out of the fight.¡± Both agreed to the plan. Ariha only reluctantly, she doesn''t like to fight the weakest but can see and understands my reasoning.
We turned over to the other team and saw that they too were ready. We nodded to each other and jumped into action without any delay.
Tsunade and Orochimaru were attacking me, while Jiraiya jumped at Sakumo and Ariha. They want to quickly take me out and then team up on the rest of my team. I think they have sacrificed Jiraiya for this, knowing that he alone can''t stop both of my teammates for long.
It didn''t work. Sakumo ignored Jiraiya and followed directly after me, while Ariha used a barrage of Kunai to keep Jiraiya busy.
Tsunade was the first to reach me, her hands were glowing a pale green, the sign of a Chakra Scalpel. She tried to cut the tendons in my shoulder, but I ducked under her swing and rushed past her.
She tried to turn around and follow up with an attack at my back but had to stop to defend herself. Sakumo has now reached her and brought his sword down. I couldn''t see more, as my own opponent was ready for me.
¡°Earth Release: Rock Shot!¡± Three rocks the size of tennis balls shot out of Orochimaru''s mouth and flew at me with moderate-high speed.
I jumped over the attack to evade. Orochimaru has anticipated that and finished his second set of hand signs. ¡°Earth Release: Rock Spear!¡± He stomped his foot down onto the ground and a sharp looking earthen spear shot out of it, right into my flight path.
I generated a bit of wind Chakra and pushed it out of my palm, the small gust of wind was strong enough to push me out of my flight path and the earthen spear narrowly missed me. I grabbed the spear and used it to slide down, right at Orochimaru. Chakra was making my feet more slippery and gave me speed.
His snake-like eyes widened a fraction before he went through another set of hand signs. He took a deep breath and finished his Jutsu. ¡°Fire Release: Great Fireball!¡± Fire flew out of his mouth, it formed into a ball the size of a small truck and razed up to me.
Yet he made a mistake, he made the fireball fly over the spear and slightly into the air. Probably to prevent me from jumping over it again, it was also large enough on each side to burn me if I evade in that direction. What he missed was the underside of the spear.
I waited for the last moment and then tipped the Chakra manipulation on my feet slightly to the side and rotated around the earthen spear. Within one rotation I had passed the fireball and was now right in the face or a surprised Orochimaru.
¡°Wind Release: Vacuum Palm¡± My Jutsu was spoken normally, for appearance sake. I don''t need to use seals or words for all of my B- and C-Ranked Jutsu, but that isn''t something that many know, only Tsunade does and she knows better than to tell anyone.
Anyway, I shot my opened palm forward and released the Jutsu. A condensed vacuum ball of wind flew outwards and hit Orochimaru square in the chest. He grunted in pain and was thrown backwards, only to explode into mud and rock.
Two hands suddenly shot out of the ground, right under me, and tried to grab my ankles. I reacted quickly and jumped backwards. Orochimaru came out of the ground a moment later. ¡°You knew you would fail in keeping me away?¡± I asked with a grin.
¡°Kukuku, of course. Tsunade can''t stop bragging about her stronger older brother, it was only natural for me to take her praising seriously. And you didn''t disappoint, even if I am slightly annoyed that my plan didn''t work as well.¡±
¡°Well, if Tsu-chan praises me than I have to hold up her claims and beat you. Can''t disappoint my cute little sister now, can I?¡± I replied and made a cross hand sign. A shadow clone popped up next to me and both of us went through a separate set of hand signs.
¡°Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!¡±, ¡°Fire Release: Mythical Fire Flower!¡± Dozens of smaller fireballs flew out of my mouth, none directly aimed at Orochimaru. They all were aimed at the field and air around him. Then the Jutsu of my clone hit the fireballs and they grew massively in size. Their previously cat size grew into that of a large horse.
Now there would be no escape for Orochimaru but the ground. He knew that as well. He also knew that I did want him to escape there, as for why I did want that, he didn''t know. I could see him frown briefly before clicking his tongue and vanishing into the ground.
My fireballs reached their destination and exploded, burning the whole field we were fighting in. I kept track of his position with my Chakra Sensing and prepared my next attack.
I too had Earth as an element, I unlocked a second element after gaining a 100% in my Wind Element Control, I decided to take earth. I''m still not perfect with it, but good enough to fight smaller fights.
I finished my hand signs and stomped the earth almost in the same way as Orochimaru did a few moments before. ¡°Earth Release: Stone Pillar!¡± The earth under Orochimaru got risen above ground and formed a pillar. Orochimaru was still moving and shot out of the pillar. He flew right into the waiting fist of my shadow clone.
The fist hit him right into the face and threw him back into the risen earth. He fell down and shook his head to get the dizzy feeling away. After that, he looked back up and saw my clone standing over him and me ready to launch another Jutsu.
¡°Do you yield? I have another Jutsu ready to launch. You might be able to destroy my clone but then you will not have enough time to evade the Jutsu,¡± I warned.
¡°I know when I am beaten Senju-san, I give up,¡± answered Orochimaru with raised hands. I nodded and turned around to look at my team and how they were faring. Orochimaru won''t attack from now on.
Jiraiya was fighting the air, he was deeply trapped in one of Ariha''s Genjutsu. And on the other side of the clearing, I could see both Sakumo and Ariha fighting against Tsunade. My sister was completely in the defence, but not defeated.
I jumped over to them. She saw me instantly, made a disappointed face and jumped out of the next attack that came at her from Sakumo. ¡°I surrender. There is no way for me to win against all three of you. I can''t even beat Ken-kun on my own,¡± She then said.
Sakumo and Ariha lowered their weapons, in Ariha''s case double wielded Kunai. ¡°A good fight Senju-san,¡± said Sakumo with a quick bow.
¡°Yes, you kept up very well,¡± agreed Ariha, she didn''t bow.
¡°You two as well, I had no chance to attack once you two teamed up on me,¡± replied Tsunade, she did a quick bow to Sakumo as well, but nothing towards Ariha.
Orochimaru has come over to us and gave each of us a nod in respect, before pointing at the still clueless Jiraiya. He was still busy fighting an invisible foe. ¡°Can someone release the Idiot? Tsunade-hime I also need you to take a look at my head, I see you all double.¡±
Tsunade picked a rock up and threw it at Jiraiya, it hit his head and broke the Genjutsu through the pain. ¡°Ouch, hey? Where is she?¡± He was looking around for Ariha and saw us five standing together.
Orochimaru rolled his eyes and Tsunade looked angry. ¡°Jiraiya you idiot, she caught you in a Genjutsu and we got beaten,¡± shouted Tsunade at him. She looked as if she wanted to hit him, but instead, she grabbed Orochimaru and started a diagnostic Jutsu, before continuing with the Mystical Palm. ¡°Ken-kun gave you a concussion, this will only take a minute.¡± Orochimaru was too used to her rough treatment to protest and silently endured the healing.
Jiraiya in the meantime came over to us and looked at our clothes. He noticed that Orochimaru was dirty and that none of my team''s clothes looked to be damaged. Then he saw that Tsunade''s were slightly cut up and he got a lecherous grin.
¡°Wipe that grin off of your face or I will test my latest wind Jutsu on you,¡± I warned. He looked at me, contemplated my treat for a moment, but wisely decided to stop ogling my sister.
I had nothing against Jiraiya or even his perverted behaviour, as long as his target wasn''t Tsunade or Ariha. Both are off limits. He should also learn how to differentiate between work and private time.
¡°A new wind Jutsu? Do we know of it?¡± Asked Ariha-chan interested. She has a great interest in combining her fire Jutsu with my wind Jutsu. Her goal of creating an S-Rank fire Jutsu was often a driving factor.
¡°Nope, it''s a new one and I only recently learned how to use it without damaging myself. Not even Tsu-chan knows. Before, I had to use clones and even now I''m only able to use that Jutsu once before being utterly exhausted,¡± I answered. Jiraiya didn''t look impressed, as did Orochimaru. However, the other three, they knew how much Chakra I have.
¡°No way, you can use it only once? How much Chakra does that thing take?¡± Shouted Ariha loudly.
¡°You haven''t told me about a Jutsu that is harmful to you?¡± Asked Tsunade with a mild glare. She often persists on doing a health check on me. Claiming that she does not want for me to have any unnoticed illness of wrongly healed injury. I''m pretty sure that these are left over fears about Hashirama''s death. She must also know that I am perfectly capable of doing them myself. But if it calms her worries, who am I to decline.
¡°What''s the big deal? It''s a Jutsu, probably high B-Rank or so,¡± questioned Jiraiya dismissively. He got twin glares from both Ariha and Tsunade. He shrunk back a little but stood to his words.
¡°Can you show us? Your new Jutsu are often very inspirational and the explanation behind some of your techniques have helped me greatly with my own control and fighting,¡± requested Sakumo.
¡°Now I too am intrigued. I''d like to see this new Jutsu of yours as well,¡± spoke Orochimaru too. He has just finished his healing.
¡°Yes and I will need to see if you truly have gotten rid of the self-harm,¡± ordered Tsunade. Her foot was tapping on the ground and her arms crossed in front of her chest, a stern glare was plastered on her face. Seems like she is really annoyed about the minor self-harm.
Well, I should have stayed silent. Alas, what''s done is done. The Jutsu I am speaking about isn''t truly my own. And while I did create one, it is too destructive to use within Konoha. I have two S-Ranked wind element Jutsu. One is called Tornado.
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Tornado; LV 6 ( 54%); Active S-Rank
The user lets his wind Chakra out and spins it at a fast speed. Fast winds will be generated and form a twister or tornado that destroys everything in its path.
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I have plans to upgrade that into an SS-Rank Jutsu, I just have to add more tornadoes. The other one, the one I will have to show now is the widely known and loved Rasenshuriken.
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Rasenshuriken; Max LV 10 Active; S-Rank
The user combines a Rasengan with his wind element. It will form a Shuriken looking ball of uncountable tiny wind blades. These blades are able to cut anything down to the molecular stage. Upon release, it will harm anything in its radius, even the user.
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Both are highly Chakra consumptive and I can do each only once before having to wait for a recharge. Which thankfully only takes me four minutes if I meditate. I trained them outside of the village when I was alone.
¡°Very well, but we have to clean up afterwards. I don''t think we are allowed to destroy the training grounds,¡± I said in defeat.
We walked over to the edge of the clearing and my audience stepped behind me. ¡°May I watch it with my Sharingan?¡± Asked Ariha politely.
Jiraiya looked at her with jealousy, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, and lastlyTsunade was angry at her. They might have heard Ariha''s dislikes but these words of her can be misunderstood. Asking to watch the Jutsu allows her to copy my Jutsu, even if it is technically not stealing when she has my permission.
Ariha noticed the looks and realized how she asked. She looked embarrassed for acting right into her clan stigma. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t mean for it to sound like that. I wanted to check the Chakra movements to give more insight into its workings,¡± apologized Ariha.
¡°I know, just remember that not everyone knows you as well as Sakumo and I do. And yes you can, it wouldn''t have been possible for you to copy it anyway. The Jutsu is sealless,¡± I said before Tsunade could explode. Tobirama''s stories have had an effect on her. She can work with the Uchiha, but does not like them, at all. Especially Ariha-chan, I think she is a little envious at her for being in my team, while she can''t.
Ariha smiled in thanks and activated her fully matured Sharingan, before giving me a nod to signal that she was ready.
I formed two shadow clones and they began the work, while I did my own. One formed a Rasengan over my hand, the other put the wind element inside and I connected a Chakra string to the whole thing. The string was necessary, without I wouldn''t be able to get out of the blast zone.
An unholy screech and bell-like sound started to come from the ball of destruction. My audience took a step back from me and the screeching wind. I would have told them that it was saved, but I had to concentrate on the Jutsu.
The Rasengan was now formed and self-sustaining and the wind element finished just now. The complete Rasenshuriken was now in my hand and I only needed minimal concentration to keep it from exploding, the replicating self-sustaining kept it contained.
However, the moment I cut my Chakra supply the whole thing will tip off balance and explode. Here comes my Chakra thread into play. It supplies the Jutsu with Chakra and control, while I can safely use it from a distance.
With a flick of my finger, the Jutsu shot out of my hands and made a wide arc into the air, before taking a fast dive into the middle of the clearing.
The Rasenshuriken impacted with the ground and I cut my thread. The effect was instantaneous. It exploded in a massive shock wave of wind, debris and dust. To not get blown away I had to use the last bits of Chakra to anchor myself to the ground.
The others did their best but were pushed back by the force of the wind. Jiraiya even lost his concentration when a stray rock hit him in the nuts. He got lifted off and crashed into a tree.
The white sphere of destruction on a molecular level grew in size until it reached the height of a middle-sized house and then stayed like that for half of a minute before losing its energy and shrinking back into nothing.
What was left was a massive crater with an extremely clean and smooth wall. We all were silent, only the frightened twittering birds and the pained groans of Jiraiya rung through the clearing.
I was sweating heavily and had to sit down from the massive Chakra use. One shot of this bad boy is sucking me dry. And during the war, Naruto threw them around like candy at Halloween. I call either plot or a Jinchuriki truly has monstrous Chakra reserves.
¡°Does anyone have the number of that carriage?¡± Groaned Jiraiya from his prone position on the floor.
¡°If that is a high B-Rank then I don''t want to see an actual A or S Rank Jutsu,¡± declared Sakumo.
Ariha was rubbing her eyes and had the Sharingan deactivated. ¡°I second that. My Sharingan lost count of the number of tiny wind blades that were swirling inside that ball of doom. What the heck did you create Kenshiro-kun?¡±
Orochimaru was looking between me and the massive crater with a creepy look in his eyes. ¡°Impressive, to believe that you could compress Chakra into such a tiny ball and then add wind to the equation as well.¡±
And Tsunade has grabbed my arm and was checking it for any injuries. ¡°There are slight Chakra burns on your palm, but they are already healing. Seems as if you spoke the truth about no longer getting harmed. From what I could see it might have done the same to your arm as what it does to its target.¡± She then hit the back of my head and gave me an angry stare. ¡°Invent such a Jutsu without my medical supervision again and I will tell Mom.¡± I nodded hastily, Mom was scary if angered.
¡°Hehe, well. You know, I made the Rasengan and then had the thought that it was only pure Chakra control, so why not add an element. You have seen the result, but it was hard. I really had to train for that one,¡± I explained with an awkward expression while rubbing the back of my head. Tsunade''s hits sting.
And it''s the truth, I needed a wind manipulation of LV 80 to keep the Jutsu under control and only at LV 100 with the Chakra Threads at level 50 was I able to use the Jutsu without self-inflicted harm.
¡°That''s why it does not use signs. This isn''t even a Jutsu, well technically.¡± I looked a little surprised at what Ariha said but went over everything a Jutsu was doing and then nodded in agreement.
A Jutsu moulds Chakra within the user under the help of hand signs or memory of the user and then expels the moulded Chakra through the pathways. Neither the Rasengan nor the Rasenshuriken does that. I mould it outside of my body, from start to end.
¡°Huh, you are right Ariha-chan. The Rasengan and Rasenshuriken can both be categorized as Chakra control training.¡±
Sakumo facepalmed before laughing loudly. ¡°Only you are able to invent a training''s method dangerous enough to rival A or S-Ranked Jutsu in their destructiveness.¡±
¡°Great and what are we going to do now?¡± Asked Tsunade with a gesture at the massive hole. ¡°I mean it isn''t uncommon for us Ninja to damage a training field, but if that happens we have to clean it either up or pay for the damage.¡±
¡°We could fill the hole with earth. With the three of us we can make it happen relatively quickly,¡± I suggested and pointed at Tsunade, myself and Orochimaru. All three of us had the Earth element.
¡°Or we fill it with water, a small lake is exactly what this field needs,¡± said Jiraiya instead.
¡°Do you have the Water element?¡± Asked Sakumo. Ariha had Fire with minor Lightning and Sakumo had Lightning with a minor Fire.
Jiraiya looked a little embarrassed for having forgotten the need of one with the element for using the Jutsu. ¡°Ignore what I have said.¡±
¡°We do, all the time,¡± muttered Tsunade. Jiraiya slumped down into depression but was ignored by the rest of us. Instead, Tsunade, Orochimaru and I positioned ourselves around the hole and began to use simple earth Chakra manipulation to move the earth and fill the hole.
Five minutes later we have finished cleaning up and decided to first start with physical training before helping each other with their individual training.
Like this we spent the rest of the day, each of us working on their own thing and asking for help if something was not clear or we need a second opinion. Jiraiya looked as if he wanted to ask more than a couple of times, but didn''t. Maybe he didn''t want to look weak to me and my team.
In the end, we have wasted the whole day with training and ate at an Akamichi restaurant for dinner before splitting up. Tomorrow we will meet up at the same training ground and at the same time. Our Sensei will be away for a few more days.
Chapter 18, Chunin Examen 1, Lots of Theory
It was the late afternoon of the fifth day when Kagami-sensei and Hiruzen Sarutobi came back from their mission. Both still had their Jonin attire on and looked to be in need of a bath and bed. ¡°Good you are training, as were ordered. Did anything happen that needs immediate attention?¡± Asked Sarutobi. If he''s always like this then he''s quite boring. Kagami-sensei at least asks how we are.
We then had to wait for Jiraiya to come over to us. Tsunade is as often as possible as far as possible away from him. Which forces him to train away from her if she has any say in it.
¡°¡± No Sensei! ¡°¡± chorused his team. Kagami-sensei looked at me, Ariha and Sakumo but we all shook our head in no.
¡°Very well, we have something important to tell you. The applications for the Chunin exams had ended before we got back, however, were allowed by Hokage-sama to still sign you up. It takes part in Kiri and you all can take part, that is if you feel ready. If you do, then meet me and Hiruzen tomorrow at the east gate at 7 in the morning.¡± We all were happy to hear this, finally, we could advance in rank. Becoming Chunin would mean almost no D-Rank missions any longer.
Both Jonin left after having said their thing and we were back alone in the clearing. ¡°Should we stop training for today? I have to prepare some stuff, now that we have the confirmation of our participation in the Chunin Exam. I''ll also have to go home and tell my family.¡± Ariha was the first to speak after the quick exit of our Sensei.
¡°I''d agree, my parents would like to hear about this as soon as possible,¡± agreed Sakumo. With two of us leaving it would be useless to continue. Which was why Orochimaru came to the conclusion that staying was no longer necessary. He also left without saying anything.
¡°Tsunade-chan, would you like to go out with me?!¡± Shouted suddenly Jiraiya from his place across the training field. He has been standing moments ago right next to us, but used that chance and tried to touch Tsunade''s butt. She had punched him in the face and threw him away. Normally it would give him pity points, he may be a bit away 20 or so meters, but that was no reason for the use of binoculars. Especially when they were obviously more pointed at her chest than her face.
¡°Who would like to go out with you, Pervert?¡± Asked Tsunade back with a disgusted look at him. She turned to me and asked what I wanted to do.
¡°I''ll stay a bit more and train some wind exercise. You can stay or go ahead.¡±
¡°Nu-uh! I''ll stay with you Ken-kun.¡± Which did not mean that she would continue to train. She sat down near a tree and began to watch me starting my work on wind Chakra.
After hitting 100% in Wind Chakra Control I have started to realize that while we Ninja had control over the elements it was by far not what was truly possible. Now I see how little the people of this world are truly able to control the elements through their Jutsu.
With an affinity of 100%, which is basically impossible, I am able to directly control the very air to my wishes. I also still wonder how Tsunade even managed a level of over 90% in Medical Chakra Control.
I can control air-pressure, it allows me to fire needle-like blasts of condensed air or powerful balls of compressed air. I haven''t found a limit to its strength and size yet. Only that the difficulty of the control and the consumption of Chakra increases with its power and size.
And a mistake in control during a high-level Jutsu is not simply a fizzle and a loud pop. The compressed air would decompress inside my mouth. Think about an explosion that can destroy a house within your mouth. Your dentist will thank you.
Still, that is only the beginning. I am also able to increase or decrease air-friction. Not by much right now, but if I train more in it I can increase my speed beyond my physical limit.
It is possible to change the components of the air we breathe, which can be used for quite a few situations. For example the enhancement of a friendly Fire Jutsu. After all, Fire Jutsu, supplied by the wind with a high oxygen composition will burn hotter.
Blades of wind can coat my Kunai and weapons, it increases the cutting power tremendously, but also lowers the weapons durability if they are not made for it.
And the thing I''m working on right now is the Tornado Jutsu. Well, not exactly the Jutsu. The Game system I am living by and under its rules has found ways to circumvent the power of Game Points. Sure, raising my stats or the Jutsu would be easy.
But now, at a 100% control I have a lot of doors opened to me. I have realized that I can, theoretically, do pretty much anything I want with the wind and air. But that is only the hoped end result of my training. Reaching a level of 100% allowed me direct control over wind and the very air. But that''s it, the world gives me control. And at the same time no manual! It took me weeks to form wind needles that were similar to their Jutsu partner.
The Jutsu [Wind Needle] is basic C- up to B-Rank difficulty. You suck in air and mix it with Wind Chakra, before forming thin needles out of the Air-Chakra mix. Then you spit the needles at your target. The size of the needle, the amount of needles and the speed of the needles depends on the amount of the used Chakra. Control can change all three.
The difference to my attack is that I can fully control my needles. They fly the direction I want them to fly, they are as fast as I want them to be. They are as numerous as I give them power or form them to be and they are as sharp or as blunt as I wish. I also don''t have to form them in my mouth. As of right now my range is ten centimeter away from my body. Any air within that range I can influence.
But then why do I have to train something when I already have the Tornado Jutsu? Just put Game Points into the Jutsu and instant full control. Well not exactly, the Max level of a Jutsu is not full control. It only lowers the time to form the Jutsu, helps you to keep the Jutsu active and lowers the costs for a Jutsu.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Great help in using and activating any Jutsu, but no help in coming up with the best use for a Jutsu. The ability to use a Jutsu like a weapon or to change the Jutsu slightly to your own use. That normally comes with the process of learning the Jutsu itself and is what first makes a Jutsu truly dangerous.
My Gamer Ability gave me a problem that is similar to that of the Uchiha''s Sharingan. They learn Jutsu and skills with only a single view. But then what? Their body does not know how to move like that, their mind is not used to react to such Jutsu or skills. Maybe their whole fighting style works against it.
In some cases, they simply ignore the learned technique. Maybe going over it mentally to find a counter. But sometimes they use the new learned skill and learn it for real. They use the memorized copy to integrate themselves into the move.
That is what Ariha-chan explained when I asked her about her Sharingan and the low key trouble I could see in its use. Who would have known that the Uchiha have all learned to repress memories? It''s something they apparently learn from a young age.
They learn it to repress the memories they involuntary have with their active Sharingan. Otherwise, they would quickly fall into madness. They don''t only memorize the stuff they want to, they memorize everything they see. The finest dust corn on the ground up to the ant in the tree five hundred meters away. It needs training if you don''t want to get crazy from remembering so much.
It might also be a possible explanation why Itachi used such a strong Genjutsu on Sasuke. He didn''t want Sasuke to forget but with the training, they both had he knew that Sasuke would be able to forget almost anything if he truly wanted to.
That''s maybe why he used a technique of his Mangekyou Sharingan, something which memories he too most likely was not able to forget. I wouldn''t be surprised if the Mangekyou forbids you from ever forgetting. It is such a cursed evolution.
Anyway, it is similar to my own problem and she has helped me see it less as annoying and more as a reason to better myself or simply train new stuff or come up with new stuff.
And the System is helping me with that. It even prevents me from using Game Points. Only the correct use of the Jutsu unlocks a skill. That means that everything up to that point has to be trained.
Then, at some point, something like a limit is overcome and a Jutsu is generated. Like the Tornado. I can form it now without much trouble, it gets stronger the higher my mastery is and it gets less taxing. Yet, I form only one Tornado, never more.
However, that was not the limit of the Jutsu. More training will, of that I am sure, allow me to form more than one tornado at once. I just have to form them simultaneously or one after the other.
It was the same with the wind blades. I first could only form a single one and got the Jutsu for [Wind Blade]. I got another Jutsu when I formed the sixth[6 Blades of Wind] then another one for twelve[A Dozen Blades of Wind] and so far no more. Right now I can make 20.
Still, it took huge amounts of training to reach 100% in control and even more for my current mastery over the wind. and only the fact that I don''t need to sleep has allowed me such a high level of control over wind.
And I need to train for it to get better, not ramble around over Chakra Control, again.
¡°Ken-kun, can we go? Mom said there will be roasted chicken for dinner.¡± Asked Tsunade suddenly. I looked up from my mini tornado in my palm and notice that a few hours have already past.
¡°Sure, thanks for waiting for me so long,¡± I said before I stood up and patted her head in thanks. She acted as if she didn''t like it, but I knew she does.
¡°Chunin eh, finally. You think they will be hard?¡± Asked Tsunade me on our way back home.
I shrugged before answering. ¡°Who knows. Maybe the other villages did the same as Konoha and didn''t allow their last war class to rank up. If they did then yes it might be hard, but otherwise. I think not. The last class that became Genin finished school only last month and they are pretty weak while being the same age as us.¡± I replied. Those ''Genin'' were a joke, some were fan girls or wannabe Ninja. They can''t hold a candle to any of my class graduates.
Tsunade hummed and did not disagree with me. She too has seen how weak the graduates are in comparison. Even now she was glaring at a nearby Genin that was trying to give me a sexy wink. The wink hardly had any strength, a girl that was twelve and had no connections to me won''t be interesting for me.
We reached the Senju compound and walked to our house. During the last years, I have noticed that there were not many newborns in the Senju clan. And more and more did not come back from a mission. If this keeps on the Senju will face extinction pretty soon. Maybe there is something that makes us infertile?
¡°Say, Tsu-chan? Do you think there can be something that makes us Senju infertile?¡± I asked. She frowned at my sudden question and looked at me with interest, prompting me to elaborate.
¡°There are fewer babies every year. There are only two others who are younger than us. None of the other Senju had a baby within the last ten years, that''s strange isn''t it?¡±
She frowned and activated a diagnostic Jutsu before moving her hand over her stomach. The glow of her Jutsu went through a few changes before she stopped it. ¡°Well, there''s nothing wrong with me. At least there is nothing I can identify right now.¡±
She then looked at me, my pants and then at me. ¡°Are you serious?¡± I asked with a long-suffering sigh. If Tsunade gets something into her head she has to finish it. Come heaven or hell, she will get her will.
¡°We are siblings, we studied this already and have bathed together,¡± she argued.
¡°We stopped bathing together when you became ten, it was your decision,¡± I shot back. She looked at me with a strange expression. By now we had reached our home and got inside.
¡°Isn''t the reason obvious?¡± She asked with a deadpan expression.
¡°I know why you did not want to bath together anymore. And that argument stands in this case as well, even more so. You''ll have to touch me to run a diagnostic,¡± I said, in the middle of pulling my shoes off, followed by my coat.
¡°Yes well, this is different. That was then and this is now. You are right, it is strange that there are no newborn Senju. We will have to test your theory and we can start with the both of us. We are at an age where it is possible to make children.¡± The pervert hater Tsunade is trying to argue me into dropping my pants so that she can inspect my manhood. If only Jiraiya knew.
But whenever it comes to medical Jutsu or techniques she only has that in her head. ¡°Fine, whatever. Can I at least keep my boxers on?¡±
Her expression showed that she was arguing with herself. Having my boxers on might change the diagnostic Jutsu, but she is as embarrassed as me. As I could see by the flaming red colour of her cheeks.
¡°That would be possible,¡± she said in the end. I shrugged and pulled my trousers and shirt off. Might as well get almost naked, this way I can call dibs on the shower. By the way, Tsunade was one of the few who knew about my seals. Her, Mom, Tobirama and Mito are the only ones. Maybe Kagami-sensei, but if he does he hasn''t told me so. I don''t know if Tobirama-Ojii has put it into my Ninja folder.
Tsunade activated her Jutsu, looked at my face, down to my crotch and then slowly grabbed me between my legs. Her face became beet red. I felt her Chakra checking my body for anything that might not be in order, going through every cell and vein.
Thank god for the Mind of a Gamer, or else I would look like her.
Still, her touch had unwanted, natural side effects...I almost missed her ¡°is it supposed to be this big this early in age?¡±, but knew that calling her out on it wouldn''t be healthy. Especially with being in such a vulnerable position. She doesn''t have to know that I changed my hormones a little to increase its growth. No one does need to know, there is not a chance in hell that I will get a standard length of a Japanese. Never, ever.
All the medical knowledge I have needs to be used and when I am not allowed to show them openly. I want to have something out of it. Come to think of it, I can do the Jutsu on my own. Why did I not argue with that?
She finally stopped her Jutsu after who knows how many minutes and I waited for a first conclusion. ¡°You know that you can let go now right?¡± I asked when she made no move to let go.
With a jump, she released her hold. Her face as red as a tomato. ¡°Right, as far as I can see there is nothing wrong with either you or me. If it is some kind of sickness then it will manifest at a later time. I will tell Tobirama-Ojii about your idea.¡±
¡°Hopefully it was just my imagination.¡± She nodded, her mind not really with me. ¡°Anyway, I take the shower first, you know, with me being already halfway naked,¡± I continued in a teasing manner and ducked under a swipe at my head.
Later at dinner, we told Mom about the coming Chunin exam and TobiramaOjii even had time to tell us that he is proud of us and will see us when he will watch the finals. He couldn''t stay for dinner, too much work at the office.
The next morning Tsunade and I had prepared our weapons, sleeping bag, rations and other stuff we would need for a lengthy trip. If everything goes well we will reach Kiri in a month and then staying there for another month. In total, the exams will be three months long.
Chapter 19, Chunin Examen 2, Last minute training
¡°You got everything?¡± I turned around and saw Tsunade standing in the door to my room, fully equipped and prepared.
¡°Yeah, finished sealing the last bit of stuff just a moment ago. You think three boxes of ration bars is enough?¡± I answered.
She made a disgusted face before turning around and leaving. ¡°How you can stand that taste is beyond me.¡± I heard from the hallway. I chuckled and followed after her. Those ration bars are a mix of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. One equals the daily calorie consumption of a grown adult. They taste like fat, grain and something between shit and rotten innards. They also give me a health regeneration bonus of 100% and that are the normal ones. The Akimichi are able to make those things tasty and they give a bigger boost, they are expansive as well.
¡°That was a joke,¡± I said after catching up to her. I do have a literal ton of them in my inventory, but she does not have to know that.
We used a quick Shunshin to reach the east gate and saw that my team was already there. As were another one from our graduation class. I did a quick Observation of them and dismissed any real threat they could pose.
While it was true that they were stronger than the normal Genin, they were far off from being as strong as my or Tsunade''s team. Even Jiraiya had way higher stats than them. The strongest of them had a single attribute just below one hundred. Well, a Chunin is between 70 and 300 I might be able to forgive them for being weak.
¡°Hey guys,¡± I greeted Ariha and Sakumo. Both said their own greeting, before going back to a conversation about their equipment. I didn''t feel like taking part, so I sat down next to Tsunade, she has chosen a place to sit a little bit away from my team.
¡°Do you also get the impression that the other team seems to be a bit... weak,¡± whispered Tsunade. I hummed while reading through the finer details of said teams Observation result. They had Chakra control that was somewhere in the early twenties. Also a few C-Rank Jutsu and fighting skills in the thirties.
¡°They are good for Genin but don''t compare them to my or your team. Jiraiya should be able to beat two of them at once. Still, you don''t have to be strong to win a fight, they might be good at trap making or skilled with poisons and assassinations. Some Jonin train their Genin exclusively in a single field. Like tracking, close combat, heavy Jutsu use and so on,¡± I explained. This was one of those teams, each of them had their respected field.
They had a boy that will most likely go into the medical field during his career. He already has the skill of medical knowledge. His Chakra control is just not good enough for the useful medical Jutsu, with it being close to ten. Still, he has one Jutsu for healing scratches.
Then there was a trap maker and tracker. He had both Poison Knowledge and Poison Resistance as well as Trap Creation and a good Sneak level. I doubt that he can fight close and personal. His attributes were too low for that, as were his skills.
The last one, the girl, was a Genjutsu user. She had a few good ones, even a B-Ranked one. Her fighting style seems to use Genjutsu in combination with Kunai and Shuriken throwing. She had a good level of Throwing.
¡°Tell me, how would you fight them?¡± I asked and leaned back on a tree. From our position we had a good view of the gate and who came and went.
¡°Hmm, the girl is using a lot of throwing weapons. You can see that on her bulging pouches. Maybe a Hidden Mole Jutsu to get close and then a direct attack. She does not walk as if she is skilled in any Taijutsu stance.
The other two are the same, maybe trying to get close and then beat them to a pulp?¡±
¡°You always beat them to a pulp.¡± She gave me a cheeky grin and stuck out her tongue. ¡°But yes, it comes down to beating them to a pulp. One of them is trying to become a medic, he has the bandages and medic kit in his backpack. It pokes out on the left upper corner.
The other one is their trap maker, most likely, his backpack is filled with Ninja wire, tools and maybe poisons. The last one is more an assumption, poison makes the strong weak. And the weak can become strong. A good idea to compensate for a lack of physical skill.
The girl has not enough Chakra for heavy Jutsu use, nor the muscles for a weapon like a staff or a sword. She could be the silent and sneaky type or a Genjutsu user.
Also, none of them stands or moves as if they really know a Taijutsu style, which is not a guaranteed win if you get close, but makes things a lot easier.¡±
¡°Knew it, beating them to a pulp always works!¡± Declared Tsunade victoriously. I bopped her head but smiled nonetheless.
A few moments later arrived Jiraiya, he saw first my team, then Tsunade and lastly me. He came over to us and greeted Tsunade brightly, but me coldly. ¡°Morning Tsunade-hime and her brother.¡±
¡°Welp, that''s my signal to check up with my team. Have fun Tsu-chan,¡± I said with a wave at Jiraiya. Tsunade was glaring at me for leaving her alone with him, while he looked happy for the chance of being alone with Tsunade.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
He wasted his chance by asking her something perverted. Tsunade punched him to a pulp and proved again that blunt force trauma, inflicted by fists, was still the best.
I stopped next to my teammates and gave Tsunade a wide grin. She was glaring at me in return and kicked Jiraiya, either out of fun or because she could. ¡°Yo Ariha-chan and Sakumo-kun. Everything in order?¡±
¡°Yes, thanks again for giving us these sealing scrolls. They are a huge help in sorting and bringing our stuff,¡± answered Sakumo while holding his scroll out.
¡°Yeah, seeing that other team without them makes you really appreciate having them,¡± agreed Ariha. Her own scroll was tucked into a pouch on her lower back. Easy to reach and not in the way of most acrobatic moves.
¡°Hey guys, look over there. Some Jonin-sensei had the idea to admit his new team as well.¡± We looked over to where Ariha has gestured and saw a group of three Genin. They were as old as us but fresh out of the Academy. Their skills and attributes were at the higher Genin spectrum, I give them that, yet they were even weaker than the team Tsunade and I have talked about.
Sakumo crossed his arms and frowned. ¡°They look so excited, so eager to start. I don''t think they have much experience.¡± I nodded in agreement. These three don''t look like much.
¡°Be friendly anyway, they are still comrades. And we aren''t forced to interact with them,¡± I warned nonetheless. Both nodded before we resumed to compare our equipment.
¡°Ah, my little students are all here, good to know. If one of you had not come I would have been forced to forbid the other two from taking part in the Chunin exam.¡± Kagami-sensei came as silently as always and greeted us with a lame wave.
¡°Sensei, why are the other teams, not including Ken-kun''s sisters, this weak?¡± Questioned Ariha the moment we began our long run to the border of Fire Country. We will cross the border into Wave before taking a ship and sailing to Water and then to Kiri.
¡°Ma, ma, you don''t call other teams weak. They just have different specializations. I am sure their Jonin-sensei had reasons to sign them up for the exams.¡± I looked at the two other teams again. I could accept that the team that graduated with me was ready for Chunin if a low-level team.
But the other one? Their attributes and skills were nothing special. The only outstanding, if you could call it that, was the one boy that had a Byakugan. Hmm? His title is Heir of the Hyuuga. Oh, I see, the clan is pressing for his advance in rank and are pressuring his Jonin-sensei into this.
He was the strongest of his team, sure, but that does not mean that he is ready for Chunin. All of his stats were around 60. Reflex was an exception, it was at 90. He''s fast, that''s a requirement for the Hyuuga preferred Taijutsu style, the Gentle Fist.
¡°Politics?¡± I asked. Kagami-sensei gave me an almost invisible nod.
¡°You mean that they are forced to take the exam? Probably the fault of the Hyuuga. Those idiots think they are the best with their ''all-seeing eyes'',¡± growled Ariha with air quotes at the end. She got bopped on the head for her comment by Kagami-sensei.
¡°Don''t be rude, if you don''t like them then try to not get in their way,¡± reprimanded Kagami-sensei her.
¡°Yeah, instead try and learn the next Chakra exercise I have come up with,¡± I suggested. Just because I am now at the maximum level with Chakra Control does not mean that I have stopped inventing new training methods. I''m also looking into new ones for nature manipulation.
¡°Another one? What can it do this time? Blow up a whole forest?¡± Asked Sakumo jokingly. Kagami-sensei raised an eyebrow in question, he doesn''t know about the Rasenshuriken. Yet, none of us explained.
¡°Nah, this one is a lot cooler. It is the next step after water walking.¡±
Ariha huffed and nudged me when I didn''t continue. ¡°Come on, explain. You can''t make us all interested and then let us hang. I want to see and learn.¡±
I grinned widely and turned around to look at her with a wide grin. She looked at me expectantly, before frowning when I said nothing. ¡°So?¡± She asked.
¡°He is already doing it Ariha-chan. Look at his legs,¡± pointed Kagami-sensei out. Ariha looked down and saw that my legs weren''t moving, yet I was moving faster than her.
¡°What? How are you doing that?¡± She asked and activated her Sharingan to look closer.
¡°He''s using his Chakra to float slightly above the ground. He then pushes his Chakra out so that it pushes him forward. You''re showing great control, like always,¡± explained and praised Kagami-sensei.
¡°Yeah, if you use too little you won''t move or stop floating all together. If you use too much you blast yourself forward and more often than not land on your face. But if you use the exact amount of Chakra you can push yourself forward and float on an invisible Chakra buffer.¡± I followed my explanation with a few tricks. Doing twists and turns without moving my legs at all. I even glided a tree up and down. ¡°The faster you go the harder it becomes to adjust to the countless bumps on the ground. That''s why starting on water is easier,¡± I said and ended my little show.
The other Jonin-sensei have watched as well and Kagami-sensei was looking at them with an expression that almost screamed, ''Yeah bitches, THAT is MY Genin'', but only almost.
Ariha and Sakumo tried the technique once but were way too slow for the fast track the Jonin were demanding of us. The Genin team that really was a Genin team was wheezing and huffing already from the speed we were having.
¡°You can train later when we set camp. For now concentrate on your jumps,¡± butted Kagami-sensei in after watching Ariha almost stumble over a small rock. They both stopped and began to move normally again.
Later that day Kagami-sensei made me dig a hole with my Chakra and then filled it with water for Ariha and Sakumo to train on. I myself trained my earth manipulation. I had stolen the idea from a Japanese light novel, where the main character was training his magic by forming figurines.
¡°What is it gonna be this time?¡± Asked Tsunade from my side. She has come over from the campfire and had two plates of food in her hands. One of those she gave me, the other was her own.
I put the figurine down and grabbed the plate, before answering, ¡°You.¡± She inspected the figure and nodded after a moment. It wasn''t painted and looked brown, but you could still make out the build of her body. ¡°I''m working on adding fine details and then paint it,¡± I added after a few bites.
Tsunade had tried the method as well, she preferred to built furniture. Our whole house is filled with stuff she has made, from plates to tables and chairs.
¡°Show me when you are done, please,¡± she requested before we silently continued to eat our food. The sound of the occasionally cursing of Ariha and Sakumo was the only thing that rung through the camp. The rest was quietly doing maintenance or reading.
The real Genin team was sleeping, dead tired from the journey. Orochimaru was reading a Jutsu scroll, Jiraiya was doing push-ups and the SJonin were inside a tent of their own, speaking about stuff.
¡°Thanks for the meal,¡± I said once I had finished my food. I stood up and cleaned the plate, before putting it back into the designated scroll for our camping stuff.
Tsunade did the same and then excused herself. She went into our shared tent and went to sleep. Yeah, somehow she was able to argue that she and I can, no, had to, share a tent because we are of the same clan. Normally each Genin team shares a tent, there was no extra tent for the girl. Tsunade knew that and found an old law that states that a group of teams with two or more members of the same clan are allowed to share a clan tent.
Both Sarutobi and Kagami-sensei tried to argue that this was a law for war times. But Tsunade countered with the fact that the Chunin exams are there to mimic a small war between the villages. And from the moment we left Konoha we had started our Chunin exams. Which in turn means that we can apply this law, as we were mimicking a war. She was right, with a few twists and turns.
They then tried to argue that there were not enough tents, but Tsunade wordlessly took another one out of her scroll. It even had the Senju clan symbol. Neither Jonin could find another argument and they were not in the mood to further argue with the little Senju-princess.
In truth, I think she wanted just to not share a tent with Jiraiya and at the same time prevent Ariha from sharing one with me. Jiraiya wasn''t happy when he heard that Tsunade wouldn''t sleep in his tent and he didn''t stop his glare for the rest of the day. Even now he was glaring at me in between his workout.
I didn''t care one way or another. Jiraiya was not a threat to me. Ariha and Sakumo would have more room in their tent and I will not have to endure Sakumo''s snores, Tsunade''s were way cuter.
Chapter 20, Chunin Examen 3, Normal Thoughts of a Little Sister
Tsunade''s POV;
I sighed and leaned my head back over the railing. Yesterday we have boarded the ship that will bring us to the Land of Water. The sky is clear and the sun is warm. Yet, I am still annoyed.
The reason was standing on the water and doing Chakra exercises with my brother. Why is Ken-kun so friendly to the Uchiha hussy? He is always helping her with her Chakra control or showing her how to better use her Chakra for her stupid fire Jutsu.
Since he became a Genin he has spent less and less time with me. I know that he can''t do much about missions and scheduled training time, neither do I. But afterwards, afterwards, he could at least ignore this bitch of an Uchiha and come back home, where we can study medical Jutsu together.
Learning the ins and outs of the human body with Ken-kun were some of the best things I have ever done. It was a little embarrassing when we went over sex and human reproduction, but we are siblings AND twins. There are no secrets between us. He even told me about the seals on his body! I bet he hasn''t told his teammates.
No one knows about them, only Mito-baa-san, Mom, Tobirama-Ojii and I. Not the clan, his sensei or his friend Sakumo, and especially not the Uchiha bitch. Only I know how strong Ken-kun really is and it is definitely not Chunin level.
As twins we share everything. We often slept in the same bed, bathed, played, ate and trained together. I think it was my mistake that we grew apart. It was when we were ten. I told him that it would be wrong to bathe together. He smiled and nodded, before leaving the bathroom.
It was the day I got my first period, Mom and I had the Talk. She had many really helpful tips, there was so much that was not in my books. And yet I made the mistake to ask if Kenshiro will also change when she spoke about what boys will think. I had already heard about the Super-Pervert, through the school grapevine and was disgusted.
And when Mom said that Kenshiro will also begin to think like that I got scared. I voiced my fear about Ken-kun changing into the Idiot. Not that he will behave like the Idiot, but more about the chance that my body will give him more reason to think like the Idiot. Mom may have assured me that Ken-kun won''t be like that, but the flame of fear got lit.
I tried to minimise the time he can see me naked, after all, without stimuli there won''t be any effects. I only realized later how much I missed him helping to clean my hair. He was always giving me a head massage while we spoke about our day, training or just stuff.
It was also there that we learned the most about medical Jutsu.
After graduation, shortly after Father''s death, I noticed him looking at women. My plan failed and it was too late to get back to our time together.
I thought about the reason for my failure and rational thinking made me quickly realize why I failed. Just because I''m not giving him any stimulus does not mean that the world does too, and stimulus without an outlet was dangerous, as could be seen by Jiraiya. I tried to provide that outlet by introducing him to a few friends of mine. But he liked none of them
Now I just want to have the closeness back.
Maybe I could force the issue and sneak into a bath with him? Kiri should have a few onsens. Ken-kun would not kick me out if I ask nicely, he never declined an honest request of mine.
I looked back down, over to Ken-kun and his team. He was holding the Uchiha bitch at her waist. Seems like she ''almost'' fell into the water, again. Bitch, he''s hugging you because he does not want to get a TEAMMATE wet, not because he loves you. Doesn''t he see that she was doing it on purpose?
Hatake Sakumo, his other teammate, was okay. Silent, but reliable and skilled. Already almost a master with the sword., and thanks to Ken-kun also fairly skilled in everything related to Chakra. He was also not an Uchiha bitch ogling my brother.
Yes, bitch, I can see you staring at my brother''s ass!
At least she is acknowledging that Ken-kun looks awesome when he shows one of his new Chakra control techniques. He always comes up with new training methods for our Chakra control. Even Tobirama-Ojii is surprised by his seemingly natural disposition towards Chakra control. And a lot of Ken-kun''s invention are already inside our clan library, sorted by difficulty and for future generations of Senju to read.
Not that I think that there will be many of those. Ken-kun was partially right when he asked me about the declining birth rate of us Senju. I took a deeper look into the problem and found that it wasn''t that we got infertile. There were babies, yet no Shinobi babies.
Somehow a lot of the newborn children are born without the ability to mould Chakra. More and more Senju become civilians and many of those who are able to mould Chakra don''t want to become Ninja. Their parents often either remember or have heard the many stories about war and the killing that comes with the job.
Hard training from early childhood should stop the problem, but we Senju give our clan members the freedom to decide for themselves, Not like the Uchiha, who force their children through gruesome training. Only for the chance, THE CHANCE, of awakening their Dojutsu. We Senju were besting the Uchiha at everything without the need for some stupid eyes.
¡°Come on Ariha-chan, it''s not that hard. You have to focus on the soles of your feet. Maybe you should take off your sandals?¡± I heard Ken-kun suggesting. I gnashed my teeth in irritation, why is he calling her -chan? Just because she accidentally called him -kun?
Oh, I know about how she ''accidentally'' called him -kun, he told me the day it happened. He chalked it up as getting friends with her and Sakumo. But I know that she was calling Sakumo only -kun to hide her obvious crush on my Ken-kun. No stupid Uchiha bitch is good enough for Ken-kun.
Sadly he does not seem to like the few Sarutobi or Yamanaka friends I brought over to meet him. He was polite, but I could see his disinterest. Not my fault, it''s hard to find girls that were good enough and not fangirls.
Ken-kun is very well liked by most girls our age and even a few years above. I have even seen some Chunin trying to flirt with him. A 14-year-old Nara girl once tried to show off her skill and Chakra control. She told him that as a Nara she has good control, she needs it for their clan Jutsu. Ken-kun''s interest in Chakra control is already well known throughout the village. She offered to help him with his control and maybe play some shogi together afterwards. I could clearly see what she was doing. Ken-kun, the oblivious loveable idiot, did not.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
She wanted to show him at our training ground and I was there when they came. And then she tried to show him the paper folding exercise. She was not bad, she could at least hold up her claim. Sadly it was a technique that Ken-kun invented a few weeks before. Her face was hilarious when Ken-kun showed her how it is done better and then gave her tips to further increase the difficulty of the exercise.
I gave her credit for not looking too stupid and then for sucking up the teachings like a sponge. That day Ken-kun could teach someone about his beloved Chakra control and she learned quite a lot. For example that Ken-kun is dense as fuck, he didn''t see a single advance she made and did not react to anything flirtatious.
Well, maybe it is better for Ken-kun to be this oblivious. Or else he would have seen the Uchiha bitch''s flirtatious advances long ago. Even now she was way too close to him. Almost pressing her chest into his side.
Hmpf, mine are bigger. I looked down and could see the swell of my chest. They are growing nicely. Way bigger than those of the Uchiha bitch. She only has an A-cup.
Come to think of it, maybe he doesn''t like large chests. Ken-kun was never looking at my chest. He was also only giving the chest of the girls I brought over a glance, before looking into their eyes. I tried to pick the girls with the largest boobs, Jiraiya, the idiot, is always ranting about how great large chests are. I thought all boys like them big and even played a little with mine to make them bigger. It worked, I only had to find the right stimulation of hormones to increase their growth. Otherwise, I wouldn''t already have a B-cup.
I can''t ask Ken-kun directly, he may be dense, but he is not stupid. And I don''t want him to think that I am interested in him. I am not, really, I just want him to get the best girl there is. She should be at least as good as me, not my fault that most are lacking.
His future wife should be as cool, awesome, good looking and strong as him, I can''t possibly know whom he will choose. Only one thing is sure and that it definitely won''t be an Uchiha! Especially not the Uchiha bitch that has now ''tripped'' into Ken-kun''s arms.
I stood up and walked into the ship. My interest in the sun has suddenly eroded. We had rooms with four beds each on the ship. We were also allowed to have gender separated rooms. I don''t know what I would have liked less, sharing a room with Jiraiya or with the Uchiha bitch. At least the other girls don''t snore as loud as Jiraiya.
However, I didn''t go to my room, I rather decided to visit Orochimaru and Jiraiya. As much as it grouses me, Jiraiya and Orochimaru are somewhat my friends. The only ones on the ship. Ken-kun is my twin, he is more than a friend. They are also boys.
I opened the door without knocking. It was the room of Ken-kun, Hatake and my team, two of those are outside and the other two I have seen almost naked and not because I wanted to. Inside I found Orochimaru sitting on a chair and reading a book about Jutsu creation. Jiraiya was lazing on his bed and looking at pictures of naked women.
Both looked at me and Jiraiya hastily hid the pictures under his pillow. He knew how much I disliked his open perversion. ¡°Tsunade-hime, did you come to share the bed with me?¡± Asked Jiraiya with his so called ''player-grin'', it''s more a lecherous grin.
¡°Shut up Jiraiya,¡± I replied and for once did not hit him, that would be counterproductive now. I sat down on Ken-kun''s bed and leaned into his pillow, it smelled like him.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and Jiraiya lowered his raised arms, confused why I haven''t hit him yet. ¡°What can we do for you Tsunade-hime?¡± Asked Orochimaru. He was calling me -hime as well, but not like Jiraiya. Orochimaru was doing it because of my status as the Senju-princess. Jiraiya did it because he thought I would like him if he calls me his princess.
¡°I need your help Jiraiya,¡± I said, almost wincing at how wrong that sentence felt.
¡°I''ll gladly help my Hime, what can I do for you? Do you need your breasts massaged? They have grown nicely. It is said that they will grow if someone touches them,¡± he was staring at my chest, so I pulled Ken-kun''s blanketover my chest to block his view.
Then I had to suppress the need to hit him, three deep breathes were barely enough. ¡°First, that is a myth that is said to work if done by the person you like, which you are definitely not, Jiraiya. Secondly, that wouldn''t work anyway and thirdly, no.¡±
Orochimaru''s second eyebrow rose up and Jiraiya was looking at me with a gaping mouth. His stupid little mind could not process that I haven''t hit him green and blue already. He composed himself and finally realized that I honestly wanted something. He realized that it was something I really wanted and that he was the one that could give it, and simultaneously he also showed that he was more of a friend and less of a Ninja.
¡°Okay, what is wrong and how can I help?¡± He finally said. He sat up to look directly at me and for once he didn''t even stare at my chest, for five seconds.
¡°I need you to find out if Ken-kun likes large or small chests,¡± I blurted out and then realized what and how I have said it.
Orochimaru''s eyebrows could not rise any higher, but I saw him trying. Jiraiya was cursing my brother silently and I almost hit him for it but restrained myself.
¡°Why do you want to know that?¡± He then asked jealously, one eyelid was spasming.
¡°You are always loudly claiming that large breasts are the best in the world,¡± he muttered ''they are'', but I continued. ¡°Every girl I bring over to meet Ken-kun has the largest breasts I could find. And yet he does not give them more than a glance. He spends almost all his free time with the Uchiha bitch. And she has a small chest. Is it possible for guys to like small chests as well?¡± I looked at both him and Orochimaru. The latter gained a healthier colour than white when I looked at him.
¡°Well, it can be possible. There are guys that do like small chests more than large ones. I know, it confuses me as well," he threw his arms up. "Still, how do you think I can find out what kind of tits your brother likes? If you haven''t noticed it, he does not exactly like me much,¡± explained Jiraiya with a small smile. He was not happy to speak about Ken-kun, but still happy. For once he was allowed to speak about his ''hobby'' and not get pounded.
¡°That''s because you are openly staring at me and are always perverse around me. Ken-kun, like a good brother or a normal human, does not like that. He himself does not have anything against you, even tries to defend you sometimes, god knows why,¡± I said in a deadpan tone. I then looked at Orochimaru for his opinion.
He looked increasingly uncomfortable but relented when I didn''t break my stare. ¡°I prefer a moderate chest. It has to fit the body.¡± So Jiraiya was wrong, could have seen that sooner. When was Jiraiya ever right with something?
I turned back to look at Jiraiya, who looked as if he does not understand what I want from him. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Will you help me find out what kind of chest Ken-kun likes?¡± I asked again.
Jiraiya scratched his head and looked thoughtfully for a moment before he shrugged. ¡°I wouldn''t know how, whenever I bring the topic up he is ignoring me. That Sakumo guy does as well and the other Genin we are travelling with are strange. They stay together and avoid us.¡±
I tried to come up with some way for him to ask and not get ignored, it was hard, but after thinking for a few minutes I found a possible way. ¡°I might know a way. There are sure to be onsen in Kiri, you and Orochimaru-kun can invite Ken-kun and Sakumo to go. It is less strange if you two go and invite his teammate as well. Then, once you are all inside the water, you can ask. I heard that men talk about this stuff when they are together and in an onsen. Maybe Orochimaru-kun has to answer first, his involvement will force the other two to answer as well.¡±
Orochimaru has finally lost the fight and stared at me open-mouthed. Jiraiya was nodding along, agreeing to my suggestion. ¡°That might work, yes, bathing together forms bonds and the warm water makes you relax. And if the Bastard plays along it won''t look as if I am up to my normal stuff.¡±
¡°But I don''t want to!¡± Disagreed Orochimaru. I gave him a hard, long stare that was promising pain if he does not do as I wanted to. He managed to hold the stare for three seconds before he broke and agreed with a silent okay.
I nodded, pleased with myself. It took time to train them and is still a work in progress. ¡°Thanks, guys, I''ll owe you one,¡± I thanked them happily and laid down. Ken-kun''s bed is comfortable and his sent is comforting.
¡°You can show me your tits. I am always ready if your brother doesn''t like yours, it''s his loss,¡± said Jiraiya. Now, if I only could beat that out of Jiraiya, it would be the day of my decade.
¡°Don''t stress it, Idiot, I might not have hit you, but I have my limits. Now shut up and let me sleep,¡± I warned and closed my eyes.
Later I got woken up by Ken-kun and Hatake-san coming inside. They tried to stay silent but as a Ninja, I always have a light sleep. I played asleep and was silently happy when Ken-kun simply laid next to me. I hugged him closer and he returned my hug.
I drifted back to sleep, knowing that the Uchiha bitch could not do things like this.
Chapter 21, Chunin Examen 4, Mosquitoes Like Water
Kenshiro''s POV;
¡°Finally, Kirigakure,¡± said one of the real Genin, he would have sat down where he stood, had his Sensei not sent him a hard glare. Showing such an obvious weakness is damaging Konoha''s reputation.
¡°Remember, from now on you are to behave with your best manners. You are representing Konoha, your behaviour will reflect back on her, be it good or bad. Especially the bad will be remembered, by everyone,¡± warned his Sensei. He was speaking to all of us, but I had the feeling that he was addressing his own students more than the rest of us Genin.
¡°Sensei, what if they disrespect Konoha?¡± Asked one of the Genin that graduated with me. It was the girl with the many throwing weapons.
¡°Don''t react, we are above low mocking and insults. We won the Shinobi War, they know that we are no pushovers. And you are Ninja, are you not?¡± Answered the same Jonin who told us to behave.
I shared a glance with Ariha-chan and Sakumo-kun. They both nodded in return, also having heard the silent order. If they badmouth Konoha, then retaliate without being found out. The work of a good Ninja is only spotted when he is long gone.
¡°Now silence!¡± He ordered again. The silent conversations between each of us ceased and we got into our Genin groups. The Jonin-sensei were walking in the front, Sarutobi Hiruzen was going to be our spokesperson. He had our invites and papers.
Which he was just now passing over to the gate guards, the only visible sign of any guards. However, that was only what they want us to think. I have been able to feel a group of four Ninja following us since we hit the shore and there are at least three dozen more at the gate.
Some hidden inside the wall, others inside the few trees and most inside the water that was surrounding us.
Ah yes, I should explain what the Land of Water looks like.
First, it''s misty. There is fog everywhere, it is hard to see anything beyond a few meters ahead. Seriously, it is so foggy that even I am annoyed with it. And fog is the best weather there is.
Secondly, it is wet, the mist soaks into you, the water under you is drenching your feet and the almost daily rain is showering you as well.
Add a couple of hundred bogs filled with mosquitoes, dozens of rivers filled with mosquitoes, creeks filled with mosquitoes and lakes filled with mosquitoes and you get a pretty good picture of the Land of Water.
Not a single day went by without Tsunade checking every one of us for parasites, even Ariha. Whenever she finds the tiniest bit of infection in me she pales and only stops once it''s gone. The aftereffects of Hashirama and Dad''s death.
Sarutobi has finished our entrance check and one of the many hidden guards showed himself. They explained that Kirigakure itself is hidden inside a fog so thick that only locals can traverse through it without getting lost.
I quickly saw that this was a lie and the so-called fog was only a Genjutsu. Still, none of the Jonin saw through it. And I was not stupid enough to voice this out loud. So we were guided through the ''fog'' like everyone else.
I was happy that Genjutsu doesn''t work on me, this one was no exception. The Genjutsu started right behind the gate and hid a few hundred-meter wide dead zone. Every Kiri Ninja will see an attack within seconds. And while they can attack, the invaders can not. The Genjutsu was too strong. I memorized everything to the best of my abilities and tried to act as blind as the rest of my team.
I looked inconspicuously around and saw a few seals glowing on the ground. I couldn''t make out what they were meant for, but they probably have something to do with Genjutsu. Such a strong Genjutsu must be seal anchored. There are not enough Ninja to both hold-up and create such a strong, as well as large Genjutsu for an extended period of time.
There were also traps, a lot of traps.
The guard led us through a maze of traps and circles before we finally reached another gate that marked the end of the Genjutsu. Once through the group got released from the Genjutsu, they sighed in relief and looked around.
Kirigakure was kinda beautiful, it had a park theme going for itself. The houses were overgrown with plants and there were waterways, filled with mosquitoes, alongside the roads. Large tower-like houses were further inside and high walkways were connecting the towers with each other.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Most buildings were built above the ground, probably to prevent damage when the streets get flooded by heavy rain. The ever-present fog was also creeping through the village. It truly has earned its namesake.
The guard kept guiding us through the village. The shops and houses along our way were separated in three floors. There were those that were built on the ground. They were of low quality and the stalls and stores showed products of lesser quality. Above them were the normal shops, our group was walking on this floor. The walkway was also built above the ground and allowed us to walk over the heads of those below.
I couldn''t see what was above us, but I suspect stores and houses of high quality and with rich owners. The few people that were out stared openly at us. There was a clear difference between some groups of civilians in terms of clothing and behaviour.
There is not much taught in the academy about Kirigakure, but it was said that they live in a caste system. This must be how they divide each caste from the other. I could also see that most of us Genin were not happy with what they saw.
Thankfully none of them said anything during our walk. The guard left us at a large tower, where we got our rooms from a receptionist. Her Chakra and attributes were high enough to be that of a Jonin. She told us that the other villages will be housed in the same building and that each village got their own floor.
From down upwards it went like this; Small Villages, like Rain, got the first and second floor. The large remaining four villages got the rest. Konohagakure on the third, Iwagakure on the fourth, Kumogakure on the fifth and Sunagakure on the sixth floor. If they follow the theme from the village then they are telling us whom of the villages they respect the most.
It is well known that Kiri does not like Konoha, that''s why we get the lowest possible floor. Giving us the first or second floor, alongside the weak villages would be too insulting. We are followed by Kumo, who is also not liked by Kiri and lastly Suna. Suna and Kiri don''t have a working relationship as well, but they have the least grudges with each other between the five big villages.
Wait a minute, Kiri is like the Irish. They will hate each other within a few years as well. Damn Kiri, they are destroying Kiri.
Anyway, we silently climbed the stairs up into the third floor and stopped inside a large living room. The Sensei signalled us to stay quiet and one of them took seal papers out, before slapping them on the walls. He activated the seal and I felt how they flared their Chakra in a steady pulse. The warm Chakra of Grandma Mito flew through the sealing array.
¡°Now we can speak without being spied on. You did good in staying silent for the whole trip,¡± said the Jonin that has activated the seal.
Sarutobi waited a moment before he started to give instructions and orders. ¡°This room is the only one that we can protect against spying. You would do good to not speak about sensitive things during your whole stay. That obviously means anything about Konoha, but also includes things about yourself and your teammates.
You are allowed to leave the building but are not to be outside after it gets dark. Genin are often accused of spying and taken into T&I. If I hear about anyone of you causing trouble your whole team will be disqualified and will have to do D-Ranks for the next six months.¡± He gave each team a hard and slightly killing intent infused glare, before nodding in satisfaction when all of us have shown him that we understood.
¡°I think you''ve scared them enough, Hiruzen-san,¡± continued Kagami-sensei for him. ¡°Each team will have a single room. From now on you are contesting teams from Konoha.¡± He then designated a room for each team and dismissed us.
The room my team got was furnished with high-quality beds and each of us had our own wardrobe. Kiri might hate us, but not giving us good rooms reflects badly on them and not us. There was also a large window that showed a good part of Kirigakure. Ariha and Sakumo took their beds and then waited silently for me to put our own silence seal on the walls. They were given to me by Grandma Mito, Tsunade has her own as well.
I could do some silencing seals, but this one is way above my skill and simply copying them won''t work. Seals are almost impossible to copy. Sure, they can be copied easily, but not activated with the same result.
They are intent based. The basic explosive seal and the basic container seal are pretty much the only two seals that can be copied. And that only because everyone knows what they will do. This ''knowing'' gives the seal their purpose when they get drawn. Genjutsu seals, under which category silencing seals fall, need strong emotional intent. I''m okay with seals that affect stuff, not people.
Every more complex seal is written by its creator with specific intent. Each letter has its own meaning and emotions when drawn. It''s basically like this, a normal explosion seal has the letter for explosion and fire. Those two cause it to explode in the form of a fireball.
But if you link the symbol for a dragon with the symbol for fire and the symbol explosion the result will be way stronger. Add a god of fire and it will get stronger again. But only if you believe the god to be stronger than a dragon. People think differently and have different opinions on the symbols. This flows into their seals and causes the changes, add your emotions while drawing and everything changes again.
So yes, you could copy a seal, but the result will be different than what the original could do. It might be better, or a lot worse. Most of the time it is the later. Grandma Mito has pounded into me that creating a seal is always better than copying one.
I activated the seal and the instant it started working Ariha-chan sighed out loud and long. ¡°I already hate this village. Have you seen how thin and haggard the people down on the ground level look?¡±
¡°Yes, something like this wouldn''t happen in Konoha,¡± agreed Sakumo. I agreed only partially. Konoha has its own slums, but they are not shown in the open and the people there do look better than the beggars here.
Instead of telling them, I choose to pick my own bed. It was the bed close to the door. ¡°So what do you want to do? Take a look around the village?¡± Asked Ariha while we started to change our clothes from travelling gear into free time stuff.
Well, they did. I liked my coat and had seals inside that made them comfortable to wear at all times. It also allowed me to have my weapons with me whenever I am out.
¡°It still is a mystery to me why you can stand this coat. Isn''t it stuffy and hot inside?¡± Asked Sakumo before he pulled his shirt over his head, it made a wet splat sound when he threw it down.
¡°Yeah, and wet. The fog has soaked into everything,¡± added Ariha. None of them was hiding behind something. We were only turning around when Ariha switched her soaked underwear, she did the same for Sakumo.
¡°Grandma Mito has helped me with this awesome coat. I''m perfectly dry under it, they even have seals against mosquitoes. I''m also using my wind Chakra to stay cool and fresh. The only thing I can nag about are my wet feet,¡± I replied. That was the only thing I took off. My boots and socks. I then pulled a new pair of socks out of a seal and turned the boot over. Enough water to fill a glass came flowing out, yet the boot was dry afterwards. Seals were preventing the water from soaking into the material.
I seriously love seals, but they are not for me. I suck at inventing new seals and am not creative enough to form the more esoteric ones. Grandma Mito was understanding and only a little disappointed when it became clear that I would never be as good as her, or even close. She still drilled me in sealing Bijuu. That was something I HAD to learn and did.
Chapter 22, Chunin Examen 5, Taking a Soak
They were almost finished when it knocked at our door. We had yet to say ''open'' when Jiraiya did just that. He got punched in the face for his rudeness and flew backwards out of the room.
The punch came from Sakumo, while I had stepped in front of Ariha, she was not finished and had her arms stuck over her head. Her chest was in full view and we would not allow Jiraiya to see her half naked, even when a bra was covering her breasts.
¡°Thanks, guys,¡± thanked Ariha us with a grateful smile. She then pulled her top down and walked out of the room. She also might have stepped on a delicate part of Jiraiya''s male anatomy on her way out.
I stepped over Jiraiya as well and saw that his team was standing in front of the door. Tsu-chan was facepalming and then glaring at Ariha. Orochimaru was looking annoyed, already too used this. ¡°What''s up, guys?¡± I asked with a wave of my hand in greeting.
Orochimaru explained why they stood in front of our door, ¡°We wanted to ask if you three want to go to the hot springs. There must be some in Kiri, the other team is joining as well.¡± He pointed behind himself and the three Genin that had graduated with us waved at us. The other Genin team was not in sight.
¡°I wouldn''t say no to a hot bath,¡± agreed Sakumo, he looked at me and Ariha. I gave him a shrug and Ariha nodded in agreement. ¡°We''d come along,¡± he then said to Orochimaru.
¡°Great, get your things and meet us down in the lobby,¡± said Jiraiya suddenly totally eager. He has jumped up and was back into being hyper. I think Tsu-chan might have awakened a passive regeneration with her constant beat downs. There is no way that he can heal this fast this quickly, not without having a Gamer''s Body. Maybe his own Chakra has mutated to mitigate the daily damage he receives on the hands of Tsunade? That would be freaky, but also possible.
I gave him a suspicious glare while walking past him to the stairs. My bathing stuff was also sealed and on my body. Have I said that I love seals?
Down in the lobby, we could see a few other Genin teams. They all stood clear of us and stayed among their fellow villagers. Most were also older than us, ranging from 14 to 18.
Ariha was glaring at everyone that looked at us and Sakumo was standing leaning on a wall with his arms crossed. We made a good imposing image, for twelve-year-old children, that is.
Soon enough the other six came down as well, the three Genin, whose name I still haven''t bothered to learn, were following Tsu-chan. The girl was chattering with her, while the two boys were trying to stay in the back.
¡°Does anyone know where we can find the hot springs? It''s not as if they gave us a map,¡± asked Ariha once everyone was close. None of us answered, so she sighed and walked over to the Jonin that hid as a receptionist.
¡°Excuse me, Miss? We''d like to know if there are any good hot springs or onsen in Kirigakure,¡± started Ariha politely.
The receptionist looked up from her table and gave each of us a look, before answering Ariha. ¡°Of course, there are a couple. Some are pretty good and can hold up with the hot springs of the Land of Hot Water.¡± She then proceeded by giving us detailed instructions on how to get there.
Ariha thanked her with a quick bow and we went on our way. Some suggested using roof hopping, while Jiraiya was of the opinion that a Shunshin would be the fastest. I countered with the fact that both are Ninja skills and can be seen as suspicious by any Kiri Ninja.
We then agreed to walk normally. Yet, we have decided to take the highest walkway. It was almost empty from other people, but everyone who was on it wore high-quality clothes and was either a high ranked Ninja or a wealthy civilian.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
They gave us strange looks but did not tell us to leave their walkway. Maybe we are allowed to walk there, or it would look bad on Kiri if we were not allowed to see the civilian parts of their village.
Whatever it was, thanks to it we managed to quickly cross half of the town. The Jonin, hidden as a receptionist, told us about a great spa that was on the third level. A bit expensive, but the high quality would make up for the costs.
From the outside, I could agree. The building was large, looked nice and had a high fence around something that released steam into the air, most likely the onsen. There even were seals on its walls, maybe against mosquitoes? Some parts of them do look similar to mine.
We walked inside and were quickly greeted by a receptionist, she was smiling a business smile at us. Her Chakra was also on the level of a civilian, so we weren''t sent into a spa full of Ninja. Nice to know.
¡°Welcome, how may I help you? I can recommend our massages, w have a great herb massage,¡± greeted the young woman us.
¡°We''d like to take a soak in your onsen,¡± requested Tsu-chan for all of us.
¡°Do you want to use the mixed bath or the gender-separated one?¡± She asked. Mixed baths are pretty normal in this world. Jiraiya opened his mouth, surely to agree to the mixed bath, but he was stopped from speaking by a quick punch from Tsu-chan.
¡°The separated please, how much will that be?¡± She then said as if she hasn''t had punched a boy in the face.
The receptionist was looking a bit uneasy but answered nonetheless. ¡°Nine people, that would be 18.000 Ryo.¡± All but Tsu-chan, Ariha and me were looking at her a little wide-eyed. That much money would allow a normal family of four to live off for half a month. It also equals two C-Rank missions. Pocket change for us Uchiha and Senju, we own most of the Village. Being one of the two founding clans gave you certain perks.
Tsu-chan wordlessly gave her the money, before we were led into the changing rooms. I said I had to go to the toilet, but in truth, I quickly put a Genjutsu over my body. It will hide my seals.
The others were already done changing and had gone into the bathing area without me, so I quickly changed and put my clothes into a seal I had on a wristband. Now, only wearing a towel, I followed my fellow Genin into the bath.
They were in the middle of washing themselves, I did so as well and we all stepped into the hot water of the onsen. There were no other people, which gave us a big pool for our own use. The high quality of the onsen was possible to see on a single glance. The tiles were of high quality, the water crystal clear and after closer inspection, there were indeed seals against mosquitoes.
¡°Hey, what do you guys think about Kirigakure?¡± I looked at the speaker and did a quick observe to learn his name. He was a civilian with the name of Parl, he was the trap maker. Nara Faro, his other male teammate, was the medic of their group. Him being a Nara also makes him their tactician, most of the time.
¡°It''s nice,¡± I replied and gave him a look that told him to shut up. He wisely got the message and did not ask more about an enemy village, while being in said village. Just because they don''t see them does not mean that there isn''t a spy watching us from the house on the other side of the fence. It would be in our best interest to not mention him to the others, especially the girls.
¡°Hey, I know what we can speak about,¡± said Jiraiya after a long pause of awkward silence.
¡°Please let it not be about boobs,¡± muttered Sakumo silently.
¡°What kind of tits to you like the most?¡± Continued Jiraiya with a wide lecherous grin. Sakumo groaned and sunk deeper into the water, so deep that it was covering his ears.
I was just about to follow his example when Parl asked Jiraiya why he always speaks about stuff like this. He included me in his wondering and I too was a bit interested. Maybe he would have a real reason.
Jiraiya stood up from his sitting position and made a grand dance, before pointing right between Parl''s eyes. ¡°What else is there to speak about? The female body is the most beautiful form in the world. There is nothing greater than a pair of big bouncy tits. Everyone loves a naked woman. Even the bastard Orochimaru.¡± Okay, no real reason. Is it too late to follow Sakumo?
We looked at Orochimaru, who groaned and then forcibly answered Jiraiya''s first question. ¡°I like them moderate and matching to the body. Too large or too small are not pleasant to see.¡±
Jiraiya nodded sagely, before gesturing at Parl, the one who got us into this mess by not ignoring Jiraiya. ¡°Eh? Me? Well, I like them round and firm. Haven''t seen real ones yet, but that is what I think is best.¡±
His Nara teammate was pretending to sleep, which allowed him to skip his answer. I was tempted to splash him with water but decided against it. He was just quicker than me in coming up with some way to get out of this, lucky guy.
¡°And our mighty Senju-sama? You must have seen a lot, I bet the women are throwing themselves at you,¡± questioned Jiraiya with a good deal of jealousy. True, I could have fucked with some of the fangirls, if I wanted to. But that would be bad for the clan reputation and I am not into mindless fangirls.
I still knew my preferences and while this whole thing was not how my conversations usually go, it still was a conversation and there''s nothing better to speak about. ¡°Well, boobs are boobs, but if I am able to choose, then as pale as possible with pink small nipples. B to C-cup in size and firm to the touch. They have to be soft, yet not too squishy. Also not saggy, they need to stand up on their own. I don''t like breasts that are too large. They make the body look weird.¡± Maybe that much detail will give our four ''unknown'' listeners pause.
Jiraiya looked at me open mouthed and then he was crying a single, silent tear. ¡°My man, I knew that you aren''t a prude. You may act like one, but deep inside you are a pervert like me, you my man, are knowing what you want.¡± He looked as if he wanted to hug me. I took a few steps back in precaution and gathered Chakra to hit him if he tries.
Chapter 23, Chunin Examen 6, Emotional Turmoil
Tsunade''s POV;
No way! I must have imagined this. My brother did not just tell Jiraiya in detail what kind of breasts he likes the most.
I pushed myself away from the wooden wall and stared at it with pure shock. I would have never thought my brother would have such a clear picture of a topic such as this. He always acts proper and cool. He can''t be a pervert, he never stares at girls or raves about their body.
¡°Who would have thought that Senju-sama has these preferences,¡± whispered Vira with barely contained glee, she is the girl of the third Genin team. She was also looking down at her own chest, a moderate chest with pale skin and pink nubs.
I narrowed my eyes and gave her a strong glare. If she thinks she is good enough for Ken-kun then she has something wrong with her head. She is way too weak and she is a fangirl on top of that.
The Uchiha bitch was also looking down, a contemplated expression firmly set on her face. She was pushing her small tits up and around. I know what she was thinking and I won''t let it happen. Ken-kun will not get together with an Uchiha. Come heaven or hell!
¡°Did you know about that Senju-hime?¡± Asked Vira me with an excited smile. I''m sure she would jump over the fence to Ken-kun if there weren''t other boys present, almost like a lusty bitch in heat.
¡°Of course I knew, he is my brother, my twin,¡± I lied swiftly and with a knowing expression. Inwards I am cursing up a storm for putting myself into that position. Had I not told Ken-kun that I hate perverts he would have told me about his likes and dislikes.
I realized that I have grown apart from him without seeing it. And it was my fault!
¡°Senju-hime?¡± Asked Vira again, this time unsure and with concern. I looked at her in confusion. ¡°Have I said something? You are crying,¡± she continued. I put a hand to my face and there were indeed tears coming out of my eyes. Am I crying because I have lost my closeness to my brother? Is there a way for me to fix our relationship?
I hastily rubbed the tears away and was about to tell her that I had just gotten something in the eye when there were loud crashes and painful cries coming from the other side.
¡°Damn you Jiraiya, don''t try to hug me!¡± Shouted Ken-kun over the fence. A pained groan answered him.
¡°I think it would be in his best interest to get out now. I''ll take the idiot and let him cool down,¡± said Orochimaru suddenly. In an instant, all three of us were back on the fence and listening in to their talk.
¡°Yeah, Faro and I need to leave as well. We have to prepare our tools for tomorrows test,¡± said suddenly the teammate of Vira.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°Vira?! Faro and I will go out, can you meet us in the lobby?!¡± He then shouted over the fence and Vira had to hastily answer, before she needed to leave as well.
"How long are you staying there?" Asked Ken-kun his teammate. Sakumo must not have resurfaced yet. He''s good that, have been close to 20 minutes now. Now only the Uchiha bitch, Sakumo, Ken-kun and me were left.
¡°Oy Sakumo, how long do you plan to stay underwater?¡± Asked Ken-kun again. I looked at the Uchiha bitch and hoped that she would leave as well, but she had no reason to.
A light splashing noise rang through the fence, followed by someone sucking in a deep gulp of air. ¡°Hehehe, a lot longer if they hadn''t left. Why did you answer Jiraiya anyway?¡± Questioned Sakumo.
¡°Thought it was a good way to bond with the other teams. We may be enemy Genin teams during the exam, but that won''t be the case once we leave. They won''t trust me if they know nothing about me. Giving them this kind of detail can''t hurt me and shows that I am sharing some trust with them,¡± explained Ken-kun. It made me realize that even now he was thinking things through. Ken-kun is just this awesome.
¡°If you want to, not my ideal idea of gaining trust, but whatever. I think those of your sister are still the best,¡± said Sakumo. He laughed loudly at the end before we heard someone jumping out of the water.
¡°You better not repeat that or you might lose a limp,¡± threatened Ken-kun in my stead. He is the best kind of brother after all. Still, he could have hit Sakumo for saying that.
¡°You can''t maim me, I''m your best friend and who else would distract Ariha-chan whenever you want to train some of your more destructive Jutsu?¡± Countered Sakumo. We heard him leaving while laughing loudly.
¡°That''s why Sakumo always asks me about Fire Jutsu whenever Kenshiro-kun leaves,¡± mumbled the Uchiha bitch. For a moment we stayed silent, listening for any sign of Ken-kun leaving as well. There came none, he was still inside the water and relaxing.
I glanced at the Uchiha bitch, she did the same to me. I''m sure she would have tried something if I wouldn''t have been here. Sucks to be you bitch!
¡°Shouldn''t you go out as well? Your team will wait for you,¡± suggested the bitch.
¡°They can wait, I''m not finished. What about you, Hatake-san might feel lonely without you,¡± I countered. She growled lightly, paused and then, strangely enough, decided to leave for real. I waited for a few minutes, trying to sense or hear her coming back, but she did not.
This is my chance!
I silently pulled myself out of the water and climbed up the fence. Ken-kun was still inside, with no one else around. He had his head leaned backwards, on top of a stone and his eyes closed.
I swiftly and soundlessly got down from the fence and into the water. A quick check told me that my towel was still in place and covered my body. ¡°Tsu-chan, it isn''t nice to bully your teammates into doing what you want,¡± said Ken-kun suddenly.
I froze mid-step and felt as if I was small again, where Ken-kun and I have tried to steal cookies, only for Mom to catch us and then give us a lecture. ¡°Why do you think I have done such a thing?¡± I asked instead of admitting.
¡°Jiraiya asking us about our preferences wasn''t too much out of line for him, but Orochimaru answering. That gave you away. Orochimaru would only say something like this if it was part of a mission and what kind of mission would need this information? Neither of them would profit from this, which leaves only you. But why did you want to know something like this?¡± He opened one of his eyes and looked at me.
His eye went over my whole body, sure it was hidden by a towel, but the towel was wet and very form fitting. And yet, it did not feel like Jiraiya, who was looking at me with lust. It did also not feel like the men who were lately turning their heads to stare at my behind.
It felt as if he would love me no matter what I look like. That my body was not what he was seeing, but me. His twin, his younger sister, someone he loves. It made me feel even worse for bringing a wrench between our relationship.
I felt how I started to cry again and the expression of Ken-kun became concerned. He was one moment sitting on a stone and the next in front of me, hugging me. ¡°What''s wrong Tsu-chan? What has made you sad?¡± He whispered into my ear.
I latched on to him and tried to explain, but it came out as babble and between sobbing. I don''t know how much he understood. ¡°Jiraiya always says that big breasts are the best, but you are never looking at the girls with big breasts I bring over and it made me realized that I don''t know what you like. It reminded me that you''ve made this strong Jutsu that harms yourself without telling me and that I might not know as much about you as I like to. And what if I don''t know something and do something which you don''t like and then you stop liking me as well because I did something that made you not like me..,¡± the rest got swallowed in a hiccup attack.
Ken-kun listened and was rubbing my back soothingly. He waited patiently until I have stopped my embarrassing breakdown and calmed down enough to stop crying. He never stopped circling his hand on my back.
Chapter 24, Chunin Examen 7, Ninja Card Games Are Though
Kenshiro''s POV;
For a moment I was shocked to learn that Tsunade thought we had grown apart. Even more, that she was feeling this badly, and was giving herself the fault. I never thought that we were drifting away from each other. I never spoke with my siblings in my first life about the preferences in the opposite sex or stuff like that. I would have never spoken to my sister about my likes and dislikes, not that I had one.
I tried to come up with something while rubbing her back. Once she has calmed enough to not lose control in hiccups I started to formulate an answer. ¡°Tsu-chan, you would just have had to ask. I didn''t tell you about my Jutsu because it was only a minor setback, one that would have needlessly worried you. About my preferences in the female body, they are... how should I say... you''ve shown clear dislike about such things. I thought it might not be the best to bring up these topics until you start them on your own.¡±
Needless to say, I didn''t think it was a very good answer. She nonetheless looked up at me, eyes all puffy from her crying. ¡°Really? It''s not because you don''t want to spend time with me?¡±
I hugged her again before answering. ¡°Of course it wasn''t. There is nothing I would like to do more than to learn more with you about the human body or to laze around and eat some of Mom''s cookies.¡±
¡°But you are always away with your team, even when team training is over,¡± she argued, which reminded me that her team relations aren''t as good as mine.
¡°Tsu-chan, it''s my team, my comrades, I have to rely on them whenever we are out on a mission. If I don''t spend time with them, even after training, I could die the next time we have to fight in a team. We need to train to be strong and that only happens if I spent time with them. Even after our normal training''s schedule. But if you want to, I promise to try and get home earlier, okay?¡±
This time she didn''t look up.¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes, really. Now please stop being sad, I like it more when you smile,¡± I confirmed and ruffled her hair.
¡°Only if you wash my hair again,¡± she demanded. I chuckled good humorously and ruffled my hand through her hair again.
¡°I will do that, but not here. We are in an open hot spring and you are on the male-only side. Someone could come inside at any time. Go get out and meet me in the shared part,¡± I offered. She looked at me wide-eyed and with an open mouth. I think she only now realized where she was.
Her face turned beet red and with a cute squeal, she jumped out of the water and over the fence, only for her head to poke back over it again a moment later. ¡°D..don''t be late.¡± Her head vanished and I could hear how she got ready to leave.
I did the same and started to think about what had happened just now. Tsunade must have bottled this up for some time now if she reacted this strongly to something small like this. I always acted as if she and my team were mentally grown up, we were child-soldiers after all. However, situations such as this one show that this might not always the case.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Tsunade isn''t a woman who has a solid personality, she isn''t an adult that understands that some small secrets are normal. She is a girl not older than twelve, a twelve-year-old girl that was growing up with little to no contact to none child-soldiers. It might be that she simply did not get the memo, so to say.
Or it is because she has already lost two of her loved ones. She might have come up with the thought that Death will take us all and that we should try and make do with what time we have left.
Which is not untrue, and without the death of Hashirama and Dad it might have shown itself less creepy. Both their death''s hit her hard. She is trying to keep all her remaining loved ones close. Me not telling her everything must have triggered something in her that made her believe that I would leave at some time as well.
Well, I don''t plan to vanish on her, she is my little sister after all. And I also don''t plan on dying. And if she does, well, there are ways to revive someone in this world. Edo Tensei and the Rinnegan are two such ways. And I know how to get my hands on both.
With a shake of my head, I dispersed such dark thoughts and stepped into the gender shared part of the spa. Tsunade was already sitting on one of the washing chairs and had her lotions prepared. There were not many other people present, a couple that sat inside the onsen and a woman washing herself a few chairs off of Tsunade.
Tsunade saw me, smiled and gestured to her side. I picked a chair up and placed it behind her, before sitting down and grabbing one of her many lotions. I don''t mind washing her hair, it was as calming for me as for her. She liked the massage and I liked the feel of her soft hair.
Once I was done we changed places and she did mine. It was the same straight blond hair as Tsunade''s, only that I wore mine only as long as my shoulders. Taking a bath in an onsen was the right decision.
During the whole way back to the hotel Tsunade was smiling brightly, she even had a small skip in her step. I was about to say goodnight when she turned around and gave me a big hug, before then telling me goodnight herself and vanishing into her room.
Happy that she was happy, I walked into mine and found Sakumo and Ariha sitting at the table, playing cards. ¡°Sorted everything out Kenshiro-kun?¡± Asked Ariha without looking up from her hand. From my position, I could see both of them cheating. Card games for a Ninja aren''t good without a fair amount of cheating.
Ariha was using a Genjutsu on her Sharingan, probably to read the reflection of Sakumo''s cards off in his eyes. I don''t know if Sakumo knew that she had her eyes activated. However, he once told me that when he did know he would counteract her by trapping himself in an ocular Genjutsu. He would see one thing and then use his fingers to feel the real symbol of the card. His own cheating was by using tricks to exchange and mix his own cards into the game. He was also quite good with manipulating the dices.
¡°Yeah, thanks for leaving,¡± I replied and sat down between them. Sakumo was winning, but not by much. Neither would play any games with me, my luck was simply better than any cheat.
¡°You don''t have to. But please don''t write stuff on my back again when I am half naked, do you have any idea how freaked out I was when I felt something on my back?¡± She gave me a small glare, but there was no real heat behind it. I think she was more miffed that Sakumo was still winning.
¡°I know, but Orochimaru was behaving funny. Tsunade was acting strangely since we started the exam and I wanted to know why.¡± She nodded in acceptance. She may not like Tsunade as much as I''d like to, but she would still help me if I ask to.
¡°And what happened?¡± Asked Sakumo, he also only left because I signed it to him with hand signs.
¡°She came up with the idea that we have grown apart and that I would leave her. Silly sister, as if I would leave her alone. She is way too helpless and forgetful, she wouldn''t survive a month without my help and tips.¡± I mean seriously, I have been once on a week-long mission and when I came back I found her with a cough. Sounds like nothing much, but a medical scan showed that she had nearly killed her own immune system.
She had been trying to increase her own resilence and applied her own medical Chakra into her own leukocytes. So far so good, might have worked with enough control. Control she has not had and probably never will. This is too detailed, too many interconnecting parts.
What she did was frying a lot of her T-Killer Cells and Macrophages. She was trying to rebuild the damage, but healing your own body is always harder than healing someone else. She would have survived, probably, but not without a heavy flue. And that is stuff I have at the top of my mind.
Both chuckled, and Ariha pointed out what they were both were thinking. ¡°Don''t play as if you weren''t freaking out yourself. Both Sakumo-kun and I could see that you were worried. You are as much a sis-con as she is a brother-con.¡± I had nothing to counter that. Instead, I signed Sakumo sneakily how she was now also trying to use mirrors and prevented her from making the game even again.
She noticed relatively quickly and threw the mirrors at me. I evaded them easily, then caught two with my Chakra strings and used them to see both of their cards while laying down in my bed. ¡°We shouldn''t stay up too long, the first round starts tomorrow and it is normally a test that includes either information gathering or preventing others from gaining information.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± replied Sakumo with a dismissing wave of his hand. He had seen the new mirrors and was now repositioning a few of his own to look at the mirror that was reflecting Ariha''s hand.
Chapter 25, The First Test 1, Free Hugs for Everyone
The next morning we were guided to a large building, presumably the Ninja Academy of Kirigakure. Inside the Jonin-sensei wished us good luck and left us to our own devices. The teams quickly split up and we all walked in our own teams.
Tsunade gave me one final nod before she and her team vanished into the crowd. ¡°You don''t need to worry about her, their team is the second strongest of us from Konoha,¡± assured Sakumo me with a cuff on the shoulder.
¡°I know, but she might not be strong for the other none Konoha teams,¡± I said with a weak smile.
¡°Don''t worry, Tsunade-hime can fight Chunin, she will be fine. Now come, we have to reach the examination room before they close the doors,¡± assured Sakumo. I followed both up a flight of stairs.
¡°Have you noticed the Genjutsu?¡± Asked Ariha both of us silently. Sakumo nodded, I shook my head. ¡°Ah right, you and your strange body. I wish I wouldn''t be affected by Genjutsu,¡± moaned Ariha in fake envy. My team learned quickly that Genjutsu don''t work on me, Kagami-sensei thinks it has something to do with my rapidlyrecharging Chakra and that this oddity breaks any forming Genjutsu before it can even latch on my Chakra pathways.
My quick Chakra regeneration is something I have inherited from grandma Mito and the Senju. Not quite a Bloodline but close, at least they think that. In reality, it was just the cheat ability I gained from having a Gamer''s Body and Gamer''s Mind. The family is hailing me as a prodigy and the elders are in hopes of me awakening Mokuton as well.
We reached the door where we were tasked to find ourselves in before the exam starts and walked inside. The room was already quite filled with other Genin, most of them from Kirigakure. That is normal for the hosting village.
We walked over to a free place and studied the other teams. Most are weak, some even below the weakest Chunin. But there were some, a spare few teams, that were already Chunin in terms of attributes or skills. And then there were the diamonds, the few teams that were above Chunin while still being Genin.
¡°Kenshiro-kun, Ariha-chan, the team to our nine, it''s from Kiri, do you see how they behave to each other?¡± Asked Sakumo both of us. I looked over to the team and gave them an Observation.
The two males weren''t much, they hardly were mid-Chunin level, but the girl. Oh boy, she will be trouble.
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Name;Rune Kaguya
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Title; Genin ofKiri
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Bloodline; Body of Kaguya
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Age. 13 Years
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Live Points; 100%
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Chakra Points; 100%
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Stamina Points; 100%
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Level; 49
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Chakra Control; 004%
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Nature Chakra Control; 000%
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Fire; 000%
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Water; 001%
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Earth; 000%
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Wind; 000%
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Medical; 000%
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Lightning; 000%
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Strength; 550
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Endurance;560
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Reflex; 420
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Intelligence; 255
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Luck; 20
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Charisma; 65
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She was at least twice as strong as her teammates. Her bloodline as a Kaguya alone will be trouble, but that wasn''t the real reason why she is troublesome. No, it was one of her titles, one that wasn''t directly listed.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
It was a title with a level,
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Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails: LV 3 (45%) Active/Passive;
The human sacrifice, also known as Jinchuriki. They are people who live with a Bijuu sealed inside them. Their status as weapons of mass destruction give them a bad reputation and they are feared by both enemies and allies alike. They are rarely able to control the violent Chakra of their Bijuu and fall into a raging rampage if too much of it is used. You might want to give them a hug, everybody needs hugs.
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Jinchuriki''s are resilient as fuck and heal rapidly under the influence of their Bijuu. She was also the jailer of the Bijuu with the strongest defence. Her Chakra control is abysmal, but she was making it up with her enormous Chakra pool. For a girl her age so much Chakra is abnormal. Through my sensor skill I could feel her Chakra. It was larger than mine and under way less control. Intermixed was the real taint that comes from housing a Bijuu.
The anime didn''t lie, it is a foul Chakra. It gives the expression of death and rot. Right now it is contained and overshadowed by her Chakra. Only good sensors will be able to notice it, but those who can will all agree that Bijuu Chakra does feel wrong.
Still, she was a Jinchuriki and the foul Chakra isn''t hers but that of her Bijuu. ¡°Wait a moment,¡± I said to my teammates and walked over to the girl. She spotted me quickly but behaved calm and normal. She didn''t act as if she has had seen me.
She has fair long silvery hair, her skin was pale, almost white. Two pretty light green eyes were studying me while I approached her. She wore a white battle kimono with a purple lotus imprinted on her front. Two red dots above her eyebrows showed her clan affiliation. She acted calm and only slightly interested in me. It must look pretty when she fights with her bones. Her Taijutsu was on level 65, high enough to be a low Jonin.
Her teammates noticed me when I was almost next to them and were trying to intimidate me with a weak application of blood lust. I felt the presence of it, but can''t feel its effect.
¡°What do you want tree-huger?¡± Asked one of the two boys with a snarl. I ignored him and stepped close to the girl. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and then stiffened in shock when I hugged her.
Bones began to push out of her body, ¡°Thought you might need a hug,¡± I whispered into her and then hastily stepped back before they could pierce me. I ducked under a flying bone projectile and then walked back to my team.
Once back Ariha gave me a slap on the back of my head. ¡°Why have you done that? She is from Kiri, love on first sight?¡±
¡°No, she looked as if she needed a hug, by the way, there is another one who needs one,¡± I answered before walking off again. Now that I have my sensor skill active She tried to grab me, but I twisted under her arm and evaded her.
My next hug-target was equally troublesome, slightly more even.
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Name; Roshi
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Title; Genin of Iwa
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Bloodline;None
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Age. 11 Years
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Live Points; 100%
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Chakra Points; 100%
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Stamina Points; 100%
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Age; 11 years LV; 48 ( 06% )
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Chakra Control; 007%
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Nature Chakra Control; 000%
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Fire; 005%
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Water; 000%
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Earth; 009%
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Wind; 000%
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Medical; 000%
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Lightning; 000%
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Strength; 600
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Endurance; 660
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Reflex; 320
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Intelligence; 230
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Luck; 10
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Charisma; 35
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He was as strong as a Jonin with the age of 11. Either his village was cruelly training him to become a weapon or the Bijuu was increasing his growth, maybe both.
I walked up to him and, like I did for Rune, hugged him before either he or his team could do anything. He has raised his arms to hit me, but I substituted with a nearby Genin and evaded the punch. He did stop himself from hitting the victim of my substitution and glared at me.
And last but not least, the last hug-target of today. Shesh, is this a Bijuu meeting or what?
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Name; Tagashi Kondo
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Title; Genin of Kiri
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Bloodline;None
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Age. 11 Years
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Live Points; 100%
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Chakra Points; 100%
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Stamina Points; 100%
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Age; 12 years LV; 43 ( 06% )
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Chakra Control; 009%
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Nature Chakra Control; 000%
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Fire; 000%
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Water; 005%
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Earth; 000%
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Wind; 000%
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Medical; 000%
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Lightning; 000%
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Strength; 450
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Endurance; 460
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Reflex; 310
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Intelligence; 430
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Luck; 15
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Charisma; 15
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I turned to him and hoped for a surprise hug, but he was already watching me and slowly shaking his head. I spread my arms wide and grinned at him. A death glare got included in his slow shake.
Still, I used the Substitution Jutsu with one of his teammates, hugged him extremely quickly and then used the same Jutsu to get back. His teammate almost got cut down by a ninjato. He turned back to me and looked murderous.
However, before anything could happen the door opened and a group of Kiri Ninja came inside. They glared everyone down into their seats and only started once everyone was seated.
I earned another slap on the back of my head for my hug, but the title said they needed it. Titles never lie.
¡°Okay bitches, it''s time for the Chunin exam. The first test will be quite easy. You''ll have to interrogate someone for specific information. The tricky thing is, you are not allowed to physically harm the interrogated. Now, each team will select one of your own as the interrogated. He will be the ''prisoner'' for another team. He will stay silent, while the other two will try got get the information.¡±
I only needed to glance at my two teammates to tell them that I would be going. My immunity against Genjutsu made this easy. We nodded at each before I stood up and was led out of the room.
Chapter 26, The First Test 2, When Trash-Talk Bakfires
Kenshiro''s POV
A proctor gave each of us a piece of paper before he led us ''hostages'' through a corridor with a lot of cells. Each of us got our very own cell. The interior was lacklustre, a chair, some dried blood on the floor and no windows. I sat down on the chair and read my password, before destroying it. The code ''To the West, under the three pillars of crystal''. It''s probably the direction for the second test. A moment later the proctor came inside. It was the same that led us through the corridor.
"I''m gonna bind you to the chair and block your Chakra. Your goal is to refuse to give any knowledge about the code. They won''t be allowed to leave physical signs of torture." He then proceeded to take out a pair of cuffs, Chakra suppressors. He cuffed my hands and then bound me to the chair. "You''re lucky, our Jonin test allows non-crippling injuries. Then again, those tests aren''t done by Ninja from other villages."
I felt how my Chakra got actively disturbed and became harder to use. I almost scoffed at the quality of their suppressors, they weren''t good ones. Grandma Mito has shown me really good ones, against Jinchuriki and again against master in Chakra control. Those stop any move of your Chakra and only allows the live sustaining amount of Chakra to flow through your system. You need two types of high-quality suppressors. One against the manipulation of Chakra and the other against large amounts of Chakra. Every seal can be burned off by an overload of Chakra. That''s why you have inbuild countermeasures in your seals.
As it was I could still use my Chakra, but only thanks to my perfect control. The status even showed how they worked. They gave my Chakra control a debuff of 40%. And I mean Chakra control, these cuffs do nothing against elemental Chakra. Sure, every normal Genin would no longer be able to use any Chakra with these on. However, the three Jinchuriki would be able to simply burn the suppressor away, whereas I can still use my Chakra or burn them off.
I used the time without my interrogators to form a small plan. First I will see who my ''interrogators'' are and what they will do. If I don''t like it I will act.
The two came inside with a confident expression. They wore Kumogakure headbands and were at least four years older than I. ¡°Nice, we get the Senju dog,¡± said one of them in glee. He rubbed his hands excitedly and tried to look intimidating. He even used a pitiful amount of Killing Intent.
¡°Wish it was the bitch, we may not be allowed to harm them, but a sandwiching wouldn''t have hurt her,¡± laughed the other. He made a rude gesture with his pelvis and I think I have heard enough.
¡°Yeah, both holes at once would do her only good. Have you seen her tits? They are huge for a girl her age,¡± agreed his friend. The other sighed wishfully and started to go through handseals for a Genjutsu, he never finished his second seal.
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POV; Proctor (A different one):
I was waiting outside of the cell. The Genin are normally not so stupid as to break the rules, but in some cases, we have to step inside before they do something stupid. I knew that the Senju-heir was inside this cell. And I did feel the small amount of Killing Intent coming through the door. There is a camera inside that allows us to watch the footage afterwards, either for the promotion or for legal reasons.
Suddenly I could hear a muffled thud through the wall. Maybe one of the interrogators wanted to intimidate the Senju and hit it? A quick look on my watch showed that they had five more minutes. Once the time runs out I step inside and call the two Kumo Genin out. If they were good they get the information, if not then I''ll have to fail them and give the other Genin, another test. I am to ask him about the code. If he tells me he fails, if not then he passes.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
In the real world, he wouldn''t know who I am and shouldn''t tell me, even if I look like an ally.
Another thud. If the first time didn''t work, then why try again? I scoffed and realized why. They were Genin, of course, they would try at least twice. Still, times up, too bad for them.
I opened the door, was about to bark a command and then froze after seeing the cell. What the hell happened here?
The Genin of Konoha, the one that should be bound to the chair, was holding one of the four years older Kumo Genin up by the throat, he looked to be barely alive, he had lost his right arm and bled heavily from the crotch. The hand of his still attached arm was missing all of its fingers. His comrade was lying dead in a corner, the back of his skull was caved in, probably the thuds I head. His eyes were cut out by a Kunai, his crotch bloody and his fingers cut off.
The Konoha Genin noticed my entrance and threw the Kumo Genin aside before I could stop him. ¡°Is the test over?¡± The Genin then asked with an emotionless expression and tone. His eyes held no emotions, there was no remorse or anything. As if he had not seriously crippled two people, but just crushed a bug. An expression you normally only see on hardened Jonin or batshit crazy people.
A shiver ran down my spine and I quickly radioed a group of medics. It happens sometimes that we need them, but rarely for the interrogators. I eyed the silent Konoha Genin, if he''s crazed I should take some distance from him.
The still alive Kumo Genin groaned weakly, but the Konoha Genin paid him no attention. There was so much blood, on the walls, the floor their clothes and even the ceiling. It was everywhere.
It''s true that there was no rule forbidding the captured Genin from attacking, a niche we allow for those who can see underneath the underneath and are good enough to use this little hole in the rules. But never had we someone that attacked his interrogators this brutally.
Still, I had a job to do. And it''s not as if these were our Genin. ¡°The test is over, now what was the password?¡± I asked accordingly to my role. While two medics rushed past me and began to care for the wounded. One of the Genin was dead, he must have drowned on his own blood. The other, the one that got thrown aside, was still alive. I prayed that he won''t survive, it would be mercy.
¡°Who are you and why should I tell you? You are not the same proctor that gave me the code,¡± replied the Konoha Genin, if I remember correctly he was the grandson of the first Hokage. Someone like him taking on two older Genin at the same time was almost expected. Still, there were no injuries on his body, the blood wasn''t his own.
I shivered a bit at his calm tone. There was no emotion, no hint of fear for having, seemingly, broken the rules. ¡°I''m a different proctor, we have to know if you remember the code before we can allow you to leave. A Chunin has to be able to remember the codes he needs for his missions,¡± I answered. Many hopeful Chunin are now giving the code out. A crude mistake in the field. The Henge wasn''t hard to learn and yet such an effective tool for espionage.
He eyed the medics, looked displeased with their actions and then looked back at me. Ice cold eyes stared into my own. ¡°I was not given a code to verify your identity. You''ll either have to bring the other proctor or allow me to leave,¡± he said instead. I was mentally already praising him, even with such brutal actions. The results are good, he could have escaped an interrogation and got rid of the competition.
And yet I wasn''t allowed to pass him without some more testing. ¡°Now listen, Genin, I am your proctor and you will give me the code or I will fail you!¡± I barked the order with as much confidence as possible and applied a good amount of Killing Intent. No normal Genin should have been able to withstand it without signs.
He was no normal Genin. ¡°Then fail me, I am Genin long enough to get a field promotion,¡± he said instead of giving the code. He wasn''t caring at all about the promotion. It''s strange to see this from someone this young, normally they all want to become Chunin to get better missions or more Jutsu access.
I might have tried to tell him that I had the authority to stop such a promotion, but that works better with our own Genin and he was a high-class Genin. He will know what goes and what not. It is forbidden, but who knows what he was told before the exam. We too tell our more promising Genin some tips, Ninja business as usual.
¡°Fine, you pass. Now, what happened here?¡± I relented with a sigh and stepped to the side.
The Genin eyed the dead Kumo Genin with a disgusted glare, the first emotion I saw on his face, before walking out of the room. ¡°They spoke about raping my sister,¡± he said while walking past me. I nodded if someone threatened to do that to my own sister I would have done the same. I don''t like him, but also can''t fault him in this case, he got rid of his interrogators. The only slight I can give him, and will, is that he also got angered and lost his cool. The hopefully two dead Genin are proof enough. In a real-life situation, he might have alerted the whole prison.
The Kumo Genin probably tried to rile him up, in hope that he would be more successive to Genjutsu or too angry to think clearly. It misfired spectacularly.
I was about to tell him to stop, I still have to deactivate the Chakra suppressors. But then I saw, or more likely, did not see them on his wrists. "Where are your suppressors?" I asked.
He looked at me, raised his eyebrows and scoffed, before throwing two destroyed suppressors at me. I caught them easily and eyed them for a moment. I don''t know shit about seals, but I can easily see that they were cut in two. He must have used a Kunai to cut them. Seems like Chiro did not bind him tight enough.
I led him back into the first room, he quickly walked to his two teammates. Their presence told me that they too had passed. I might want to warn Kiran that his Genin team should stay away from this one. Now we have at least three monsters in this exam, at least two of them are our own.
Chapter 27, The First Test 3, Waiting for the Rest to Finish
Sakumo''s POV;
¡°Hi guys,¡± greeted Kenshiro-kun, Ariha and me, with a wave of his hand. He looked calm, too calm. Something had angered him. His expressions are often played, however, whenever his face is as blank as it is now something angered him greatly. He looked around the room, Teams were slowly trickling in, some were from Kumo and his gaze rested on them a moment longer.
I gave Ariha-chan a worried look, she has noticed too. Has he had Genin from Kumo, like us? It would certainly explain his foul mood. Since we were a team he has hated Kumogakure. Over the last six years, we have had a few run-ins with some of them, whenever that happened his plan usually included their death or permanent crippling.
"Everything good, Kenshiro-kun?" Asked Ariha-chan softly. A few close by Genin were eyeing us, probably in hope to get some information against us, a burst of Killing Intent made them quickly look away.
Kenshiro-kun nodded absentmindedly, which caused both of us to frown. He must be thinking really hard or else he would have not ignored her as he did.
He spotted the Genin from Iwa he has hugged, as well as the two from Kiri. He gave them a friendly wave but only received a glare from the redhead, a cold lofty one from the Kaguya and a murderous one from the male Kiri Jinchuriki.
¡°You''re starring Kenshiro-kun,¡± I warned him with a whisper. He looked away from the Kaguya and focused back on us, a small smile on his lips. It wasn''t fake, and I am happy to say that I am one of the few who get a real smile from him. As far as I have seen only his immediate family and our team gets real expressions.
Meanwhile, Ariha was looking a little miffed. I couldn''t hold back the amused chuckle. The crush Ariha has on Kenshiro is almost too obvious. I don''t know if he is aware. And I definitely will not touch that pile of trouble if I have any say in it, love inside teams is frowned upon and almost never works.
¡°What''s with you and her? The moment you saw her you acted strangely. She looks strange,¡± asked Ariha with a brief glance at the Kaguya. I gave the Kiri Genin a quick overlook and nodded to myself. She is close to his ideal, it''s too bad that she''s from Kiri. Ariha''s Sharingan flickered on and off for a brief moment, but whatever she was looking for she didn''t tell us.
¡°Nothing much, she looked lonely. And don''t fight her if possible, the markings over her eyes show her as one of the Kaguya clan. A clan of Kiri Ninja with a Bloodline that allows them to control their bones. They can heal themselves rapidly and some of the better ones can even use their bones to harden or form to their wishes. There''s more, but I won''t tell you here and now,¡± he answered with another look over at the Kaguya. He gave her a friendly smile and a nod. She frowned, yet I couldn''t tell if it was from his wave or because she somehow heard us.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
We both looked at him, not sure why he was this different to her and the two other Genin. Still, this was not the place to discuss this out, so I changed the conversation back to our exam. ¡°If you say so. How did your interrogation go?¡±
¡°It went well until they talked about raping Tsu-chan,¡± he answered quickly. We had planned to take out as many competitors as possible, and yet, they really must havetried to rilehim up if he was this angry. For him, it must have only given him an excuse to go one step further. Every day a Kumo Ninja dies is a good day, something I have heard him say more than once.
¡°And that took them how long?¡± Asked Ariha with an amused expression. She, like I, are very aware of hisextreme dislike for everything Kumo. Rationally he probably knows that those Genin were not responsible for his real anger. Still, there is a simmering hate forKumo, eversince I know him.
¡°You know, three or five seconds. From then on it was themtrying to fight back, badly, or fleeing the room. I think they were even weaker than thenewby Genin team that came with us.
Iwinced in sympathywhile Ariha nodded. ¡°We went in henged as grown men, two men are more threatening. The girl we got was frightened and succumbed to Ariha-chan''s first Genjutsu. It was the Hell Viewing Jutsu, she was pleading for us to stop after only a few seconds. Ariha-chan stopped the Jutsu before she had to go through the whole effect of the Genjutsu. She told us the code instantly. What was your code? Ours was ''sleepy, sleepy moss''.¡± I let out that she too was from Kumo, however, he must have noticed. A small displeased frown flickered over his face.
"No wonder that they tried to rile me up like that, makes you wonder what those Kumo Ninja do to each other. Mine was ''To the west, under the three crystal pillars'' you think it''s something to help us in our next test?¡±
¡°It certainly sounds so. We better pack some stuff against poison and also a compass. Our proctor said the next test starts today in five hours. We have two hours time to prepare,¡± agreed Ariha-chan.
¡°Better also pack a re-breather, we are in Kiri. Some of them will already know the Water Prison, it becomes almost useless when we can breathe underwater,¡± I suggested. We began to make a list of the gear we might need. In the meantime, more and more teams came back. We had to wait for half an hour before the last Genin team was led inside the room.
Tsunade-hime and her teamhave passed as well. I think they had made Orochimaru their prisoner. He is good enough to withstand Genjutsu and male. That the two Kumo guys gave their girl away was a dick move. No physical harm does not mean that rape is forbidden, they are just forbidden from harming her physically. Put someone under temporary paralysis and then rape them ''gentle'' and you get a good interrogation option for this situation.
Add the fact that death by rape is one of the most common ends for a Kunoichi and you get a pretty good tool against women. Men also, but to a lesser extent. Most males are simply tortured to death, way more blood and screaming. We never did rape someone, but know how it is done the most effective. Those were not fun lessons.
At the end of the first test, we gave Tsunade-hime a copy of our list and went shopping. The two hours were passed with buying antidotes against the most common poisons in Kiri and a re-breather for each of us. A compass was standard equipment in our gear. We also re-checked our gear for any needed items, food, tools, weapons and such, not that something was missing. Still, preparations are half of the mission.
Chapter 28, The Second Test 1, Kiri Loves to Make You Wet
Kenshiro''s POV;
We arrived at the designated starting point for the second part of the exam half of an hour early. The place was rather empty. There was a lake with an island in the middle. A large building stood on the island and a small bridge led to and off the island. A few hut-like houses were around the island but other than that there was nothing of interest.
I tried to memories the Chakra signatures of each team. Tsu-chan''s was easy, I already knew theirs. The three Jinchuriki were the same, the foul feeling Chakra of their Bijuu made it easy to track them. The rest was memorized and the feel of their Chakra written down on a note.
The proctor for the second exam came punctually. It was a Jonin of the Yuki clan, he was nibbling on an ice Senbon and glared at every none Kiri Ninja. ¡°Alright, the second exam is a survival test.¡± Began the proctor, he was immediately interrupted by a Genin from Suna.
¡°But where? Here''s only water.¡± The proctor spits his ice Senbon at the Genin, who only narrowly dodged the lethal self-made weapon. It surely was not because the Genin was this good at dodging.
¡°Quiet Stupid! Now, this is a survival training test. Each team will get half of a stone tablet and will have to find the missing half of the tablet. To get your hands on the other tablet you have to find a different Genin team with the correct tablet.
The admission papers you all handed in before you even went on your way to the Chunin exam are also agreeing to not causing trouble in case you die during one of the tests. This way we won''t get any paperwork in case you die. For all I care, please stop listening and drop dead once the exam starts,¡± he looked at the loud mouth from Suna. The normally rather dark skinned Genin was now almost white coloured in the face and was hastily gesturing that he understood.
¡°Great, so each of you will now get your half of the stone tablet. You will then be led to one of the houses that are surrounding our fine lake. Inside you will find a ladder, it will bring you down into a cave system. We call it the Grotto of the Drowned, don''t think too much about the fitting name.
Your goal is to find the second part of your tablet and then cross the labyrinth-like grotto. The exit is hidden underthe sea. You all get three days to finish.¡± The Jonin left in a splash of water and Chunin assistants began to hand out the tablets.
Every team got a bag with their tablet and was then locked into a house. It became dark with the closing of the door and the last thing we heard from the outside was the click of the locked door.
¡°Okay, good thing we bought the flashlights and glow sticks,¡± spoke Sakumo through the darkness. His clothes rustled briefly before he broke a glow stick. Green light began to shine out of his stick and we could see each other again.
Ariha had taken the tablet from the Chunin and was now taking it out of the bag. ¡°Let''s have a look at our tablet, before sealing it into one of our seals.¡± She held it into the light, it glowed in a bright blue.
¡°So we got a yellow tablet, any idea how we can find the other ones?¡± I asked while she gave me the tablet to seal away.
¡°We can set a trap somewhere and wait,¡± suggested Ariha, before correcting herself, ¡°or better yet, we first go to the lake and then set the trap. They will need to go there anyway.¡±
¡°Yeah and we will also be the only ones who have the same brilliant idea,¡± remarked Sakumo sarcastically. ¡°Still, it is something. And at one point or another, we have to go there anyway. Any idea how we can find it fast enough to catch some other Genin?¡± He then added.
Ariha snapped her fingers and looked at us smugly, before telling us what she remembered. ¡°The codes from the first exam! I guess there is some kind of moss that makes you sleepy and that we need to go to the west to reach our goal. It should be somewhere under three crystals.¡± I did not point out that this was obvious, you couldn''t ''hide'' a hint any worse.
¡°Let''s start then, I want to finish this as fast as possible. I don''t like to be under the ground or in enclosed rooms,¡± I said and began to climb down the ladder. I don''t know how Iwa Ninja can stomach their tunnels and valleys. I like forests and open plains.
We had to climb for a good fifteen minutes until something happened. It was a slight green glow that shone up from the bottom. ¡°Guys, there is something glowing down on the ground,¡± I informed the other two above me.
¡°Good, I don''t think we have enough glow sticks for three whole days,¡± laughed Sakumo. We continued and finally reached the ground. The green glow came from the moss that grew on the walls. It was illuminating the area around with its soft green glow. I really liked its colour.
¡°Let''s put our masks on, I don''t want to risk this being the moss that makes us sleepy,¡± suggestedAriha while placing her re-breather over her face. I did the same andgave the moss a quick Observation afterwards. It was indeed the moss we were warned about.
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Sleepy Moss
This only inside caves growing moss produces a sweet neurotoxic scent. The toxic is airborne and lures small animals and insects onto the moss. Once there the animals will succumb to the toxic and fall asleep.
They will die soon after from lung paralysis. The moss will then slowly dissolve its food with a fluorescing acid. This acid is not strong enough to harm skin upon contact but can cause rashes and with prolonged exposure even be corrosive.
The neurotoxic scent this plant produces slows the human''s awareness, reaction time and causes its victims to get tired. They too will fall asleep if under longer exposure. It can cause lung paralysis if exposed for too long.
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Nasty stuff. ¡°Should we take some of it with us? It''s glowing and other teams won''t be able to tell the difference between this light source and the normal moss,¡± asked Sakumo.
¡°We can, but keep your re-breather on at all times. I don''t trust this stuff. The code might be something to scare us, but better save than sorry,¡± replied Ariha. I took some moss off of the wall, made a stone spear with earth Chakra control and wrapped the moss around the spear, before giving it to Ariha.
¡°Here, you have the best eyes. Don''t keep your Sharingan activated for the whole time. Only every few minutes or so. We don''t want you to tire out too fast. I''ll send a few Shadow Clones as scouts as well,¡± I then said and created six shadow clones, they did a Henge into us and then swiftly vanished into the cave system.
¡°I think we can risk running for some time, the other teams won''t be able to set traps this quickly,¡± suggested Sakumo.
¡°And what about the dangers of this cave itself or already set traps? Who says that the proctors haven''t rigged the whole cave with traps?¡± Countered Ariha.
¡°My clones will step into them first, anyone watching them will think it is a group of unprepared, rushing and young Genin. The perfect target for those stupid enough to take the seen as face value.¡±
Ariha agreed after a moment and we took off at a mild sprint. Ariha was in the front, Sakumo in the middle to guard her and me in the back to attack anyone that comes at us, as well as assist with Chakra strings. The glowing moss was growing at irregular intervals but the glow was strong enough for us to almost always have at least some light.
Without us running it would have taken hours until we would have come through the first crossing. The clones had left a marker for us to know that they split up. Three to the left and the other three forward.
¡°Where does our compass says is West?¡± Asked Sakumo. I fished the compass out of my pocket and pointed at the wall on our right.
¡°Oh, how great,¡± said Sakumo sarcastically. ¡°You think we should dig?¡± He then added half jokingly.
¡°Better not, we might dig into the lake. If our path gets flooded we will have even more trouble getting out,¡± disagreed Ariha.
Sakumo shrugged his shoulders and then pointed at the path to our front. ¡°Let''s take the front then.¡± Without any real clue as to which one was the best we agreed and kept running. Soon after I got the memories of the three clones that took the left way.
¡°My clones walked into a dead end, the tunnel stopped and ended into a small pond,¡± I informed my teammates. ¡°Hopefully this one is the right one then,¡± I added.
Sakumo looked over his shoulder and at me. ¡°Don''t count on it, the Jonin called this cave the Grotto of the Drowned, there must be something that drowns you. What better thing than unexpectedly long underwater pathways?¡±
It made sense and proved to be true, as we found out half an hour later. Our path did not cross again and my clones found it ending into a small pool of water. They dispelled and we found the water a brief moment later.
¡°Great, I can already see it, we will stay wet for three whole days,¡± groused Ariha darkly. She was starting to hate Kiri for its constant wet weather, wet landscape and mosquitoes.
¡°Hehe, you mean you will stay wet for three days,¡± I said while making ten new clones.
Ariha glared at me and tried to get my coat off of me. ¡°Fuck you, I want your coat.¡± I sidestepped her ''attack'' and laughed. Sakumo was grinning at Ariha before he noticed that he too would stay wet. He then tried to take my coat for himself.
Meanwhile, my clones grabbed some of the moss and jumped into the water. Their mission was to find a good way through the wet grave without suffocating. Not hard for them, as each had a re-breather. Shadow Clones kinda is like Ying-Yang release in which it creates functional stuff, only that it is for a limited time, broken beyond anything.
Two minutes into this my clones began to dispel, after ten minutes the last clone had dispelled itself. Seven of them did not find anything and have dispelled themselves instead of searching an already searched path. Three found a way that led to another tunnel, they looked the same as ours.
And one of them had the awareness to look at his compass while diving. He found a tunnel as well, it was first leading deeper and then upwards again before he got out of the water.
I made another clone. He jumped into the water and tried to follow the path of his successful comrade. He needed a bit more time but managed to find the right way. He came out on the other side after five minutes and then swum back while marking his way. He resurfaced on our side ten minutes after his departure and then dispelled itself to give me his knowledge.
¡°Alright, he marked a way that leads us into a tunnel with the direction towards the West. There are two more tunnels, yet they are leading away from our goal. The way to the West tunnel is already marked, do you want to take it or use one of the other ones?¡± I explained to my finally calm teammates. They have calmed down once I have told them that grandma Mito has locked my Chakra into the seals, which makes the seals less Chakra consumptive, but also prevents anyone else from using them.
With one last suffering sigh, Ariha jumped into the water, followed by Sakumo and then me. They waited for me to find my orientation and then we followed the markings of my clone. With our re-breather diving wasn''t a problem.
We resurfaced and jumped out of the water. I quickly did a Chakra control exercise that is related to my dust gathering exercise and gathered all the water droplets together. With water Chakra control I would be able to do the same, by gathering the water itself and not coating it in my Chakra. But I suck at water manipulation. Water and lightning are my weakest elements. Fire, wind and earth are okay, with fire being the weakest. But weak does not mean unusable, I just have to train harder.
¡°Hey, can you do the same to me?¡± Asked Ariha after seeing me gathering a big clutch of water and then moving it off of my body.
¡°I could, but my Chakra has to touch every part of your body. It will feel as if something is touching you, everywhere,¡± I answered and gave her a pointed look.
She stared at me for a moment, then got beet red and turned around. ¡°On second thought, better not,¡± she then mumbled and began to walk away from us a little stiffly.
¡°Hahaha, I''ll take it. We''re both boys,¡± laughed Sakumo. I shrugged and touched his shoulder, my Chakra enveloped him and then moved the water away. Chakra does not give you the feel of touch, so for me, it was not as if I was touching him. I only felt how my Chakra moved and then ''touched'' something. It does not feel like touching, more knowing that you are in contact with something.
¡°That feels strange and I''m concerned that it felt good,¡± said Sakumo once he was dry. He shuddered, gave me a look that told me not to speak about this, and then followed a slightly giggling and very wet Ariha. At least there were no mosquitoes.
Five hours into this wet shit of a labyrinth imitation we had crossed six more of these waterways and found a good dozen crossings. Each time I made a batch of clones that would go the other way and search for any random Genin team.
So far the cave wasn''t very dangerous. The most trouble we had was with orientation. It was easy to get lost and everything was looking the same. The underwater ways were also steadily becoming longer and narrower. It was easy to see how this grotto got its name. Still, it wasn''t very dangerous, if take out the moss and possible drowning.
The thick stone all around us was making it hard to sense for other Chakra signatures, which meant that tracking someone down was not possible for us. I might be able to sense someoneif they are in the same tunnel, but not if they''re in the tunnel next to us. My clones did find a single team and were tracking them ever since. But that isn''t a team I want to fight with my teammates.
In the end, we decided to end the day and rest. Ariha was also looking tired from the on and off switching of her eyes. I made a larger hole inside the wall with my earth manipulation and then raised a wall to cut our new room off from the tunnel. Only a few holes for air were giving the room away.
¡°I''ll periodically send clones out to search for other teams during my shift. You both know that I need little sleep, so give mehalfof the night watch. You can share the reaming half,¡± I said while we got ready to eat and then sleep.
¡°Are you sure? This is more dangerous than our usual missions. You''ll need to be in the best possible condition at all times,¡± worried Ariha. After the third waterway, she had relented and wanted one of my drying sessions. Afterwards, she was beet red and wasn''t looking me in the eyes.
I assured her that I couldn''t feel anything and that she was the only one who had the feeling as if she would touch something. She glared at me but did believe me. It was similar to water walking or tree walking and she knew how both feel.
¡°Yes, I don''t feel tired at all. I will sit and meditate a bit, that should substitute for the lack of sleep,¡± I assured her. She nodded slowly and took a bowl of soup from Sakumo, before sitting down to eat.
¡°Tell us if you get tired or low on Chakra. You were spamming the Shadow Clones all day and both Ariha and I can only do a single one before feeling tired,¡± requested Sakumo.
That''s because you both are bad at the technique and would need a lot of training to lower the costs as much as I have done. Instead of telling him that I simply nodded.
Chapter 29, The Second Test 2, You Dont Need to be Strong, Only Silent
A quarter hour later Ariha and Sakumo were both asleep. I now had close to 4 hours of time to finish my suddenly coming up mission. Something I seriously thought would only come into my reach during the wars.
Today I feel especially lucky, maybe my luck is also guiding us towards the building in the centre of the labyrinth? Anyway, I made a sturdy clone, one that would hold for a good few hours and then left our hiding hole.
Three more clones popped up and henged themselves into my teammates and another me. They sprinted off at full speed with me following behind.
We had to backtrack a bit, the team I was following was at another tunnel a few dives behind us. They too had settled down for the night and rigged their tunnel with traps. Not that they will matter, my watching clones knew where each trap was located.
I needed half of an hour to reach their position and another half of an hour to sneak up on them. I had no intention of butchering this by a failed sneak attempt, so I rose the skill to its maximum level. It also gave me this neat little perk.
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With Silent Steps; Sneak LV 100
Whenever the User sneaks and stops to move he will become see through. It will stay as long as he is not moving and flicker, before vanishing when he starts to move again.
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They had camouflaged themselves with special stone looking blankets. Those were even blocking the Chakra from leaking out and would stop most normal sensors.
However, one one of them was still possible to be felt. He was special and I needed to be cautious with him. Two clones sneaked to his teammates, while I and the remaining two clones sneaked up on him.
My clones readied themselves, their hands hovered over their sleeping head and with a silent command all of us touched their temples.
Medical Chakra flew into their brains and caused enough damage to paralyze them. His two teammates were then quickly killed and searched for the stone tablet.
He, Roshi the Jinchuriki of the four-tailed Bijuu, however, was kept alive. I caused further brain damage and rendered him into a vegetable.
He was now immobile and unable to even think let alone move. A clone was constantly looking over his brain and kept it in this state. I don''t know if his Bijuu is able to heal him from that, but I am sure as hell not risking it. He has enough Life Points to survive some serious damage. Fighting him in this tunnel is not a good idea, especially a fire user.
Another clone was stripping him and looking for his seal, it was on his back and a rather easy four-pronged four elemental seal. Good for housing Bijuu up to the fourth tail, anything beyond and it gets prone to leaking. This one was okay, not badly done, but also definitely not well done.
While my clones did their work I did mine. I pulled my sealing material out of my inventory and began to make a sealing altar. They help in focusing and channelling Chakra.
After that I started to write my own seal, it got on my stomach. The only place, other than my face, that had no seal tattoo was my stomach. I left it specifically for this kind of situation. But other than Roshi I was making a seal that could easily hold more than the four tails. It was a variation of grandma Mito''s seal and would allow the containment of the Kyuubi, with some struggle.
My clones had found the same tabled we already had, so they destroyed it and started to help analyze the seal of Roshi. Took them close to an hour to finish. Another pair of clones had placed Chakra containment seals around us and a good two dozen clones were guarding each side of the tunnel. Getting disturbed now would not be good.
I had an hour left when everything was prepared. I placed Roshi on the altar and placed my hands on his seal, before activating the transfer seal.
Roshi''s body began to bubble in the red Chakra of the Bijuu, it travelled up my arms and down to the containment seal. It freaking burned and I got a level up in Pain Resistance after a minute into the process.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
It levelled up two more times before the transfer was finished. In the end, my hands and arms were littered with Chakra burns. Roshi was dead, his stomach burned from the corrosive Chakra. At least he didn''t feel any pain.
I myself was twitching from the pain and Chakra overload. My pathways have been forced to enlarge and grow to hold the massive Chakra of the Bijuu. My Chakra control did even lower down to 75% again. I rose it with my Game Points back to 100 but got no second perk. Would have been too much anyway. The death of Roshi even gave me a level.
Now let''s see what being a Jinchuriki does to my body.
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Jinchuriki: LV 1 (00%) Active/Passive;
The human sacrifice, also known as Jinchuriki. They are people who live with a Bijuu sealed inside them. Their status as weapons of mass destruction give them a bad reputation and they are feared by both enemies and allies alike. They are rarely able to control the violent Chakra of their Bijuu and fall into a raging rampage if too much of it is used. You might want to give them a hug, everybody needs hugs.
A Gamer Jinchuriki is not able to increase this Perk through Game Points.
Every Jinchuriki is known for its massive amount of Chakra and their regeneration.
Chakra is calculated by 0,5 Endurance x 0,5 Intelligence
Life is calculated by 0,5 Endurance x 0,5 Strength
Chakra Regeneration is calculated by (0,25 Endurance x 0,25 Intelligence x 0,25 Strength) : 500
Life Regeneration is calculated by (Endurance x 0,5 Strength) : 500
The Jinchuriki will gain a boost of 25% in all physical attribute growths.
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Tapping into the Bijuu Chakra without a visible tail;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight.
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second.
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second.
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Strength increased by x1,25
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Reflex increased by x1,25
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Endurance increased by x1,25
If used longer than 15 minutes the Stamina Regeneration will stop. If deactivated afterwards this state will hold for three hours. If not stopped by the user, the next tail will automatically activate. If stopped before, the Stamina Regeneration will be halved for the next 30 minutes.
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Tapping into the Bijuu Chakra with one tail visible;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight, the regeneration rate is increased by x25
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second and times 10
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second and times 10
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Strength increase by x1,5
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Reflex increased by x1,5
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Endurance increased by x1,5
After 10 minutes of use, the Stamina Regeneration will stop and change into its negative opposite. If deactivated afterwards the Stamina Regeneration will stop for the next 3 hours. If not stopped by the user, the next tail will automatically activate. If stopped before, the Stamina Regeneration will be halved for the next hour.
The User is currently not able to think clearly while using this mode. He/She will not be able to use Jutsu or Active Skills. Gamer''s Mind will prevent the user from going on a rampage.
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Tapping into the Bijuu Chakra with two tails visible;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight, the regeneration rate is increased by x50
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second and times 100
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second and times 100
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Strength increase by x1,75
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Reflex increase by x1,75
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Endurance increase by x1,75
After 5 minutes of use, the Stamina Regeneration will stop and change into its negative opposite. If deactivated afterwards the Stamina Regeneration will stop for the next 6 hours. If not stopped by the user, the next tail will automatically activate. Not possible to stop by the user''s will.
The User is currently not able to think clearly while using this mode. He/She will not be able to use Jutsu or Active Skills. Gamer''s Mind will prevent the user from going on a rampage.
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Tapping into the Bijuu Chakra with three tails visible;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight, the regeneration rate is increased by x100
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second and times 1000
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second and times 1000
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Strength increase by x2
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Reflex increase by x2
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Endurance increase by x2
After 2,5 minutes of use, the Stamina Regeneration will stop and change into its negative opposite. If deactivated afterwards the Stamina Regeneration will stop for the next 24 hours. If not stopped by the user, the next tail will automatically activate. Not possible to stop by the user''s will.
The User is currently not able to think clearly while using this mode. He/She will not be able to use Jutsu or Active Skills. Gamer''s Mind will prevent the user from going on a rampage.
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Tapping into the Bijuu Chakra with four tails visible;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight, the regeneration rate is increased by x500
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second and times 2000
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second and times 2000
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Strength increase by x2,25
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Reflex increase by x2,25
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Endurance increase by x2,25
After 30 seconds of use, the Stamina Regeneration will stop and change into its negative opposite. If deactivated afterwards the Stamina Regeneration will stop for the next 24 hours. If not stopped by the user, the next tail will automatically activate. Not possible to stop by the user''s will.
The User is currently not able to think clearly while using this mode. He/She will not be able to use Jutsu or Active Skills. Gamer''s Mind will prevent the user from going on a rampage.
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Full Bijuu transformation;
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Regeneration of Life Points is possible during a fight, the regeneration rate is increased by x1000
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Regeneration of Chakra Points per minute is now per second and times 10.000
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Regeneration of Stamina Points per minute is now per second and times 10.000
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Strength increase by x10
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Reflex increase by x10
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Endurance increase by x10
The User is currently not able to use this mode without dying. Once reached the Bijuu will free itself and kill the Jinchuriki in the process. Every additional tail stacks the physical bonus. 1,25 times the strength with no tail and an additional 1,5 times with the first tail and so on.
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That is one hell of a text. Damn, Jinchuriki are seriously OP once they get control of their Bijuu. I can already feel how I have more health and how my Chakra got increased. Also full Bijuu mode, a strength of over 5000 this is crazy strong, and will only increase with training. No wonder Naruto got this freaking OP.
Still, that were things I could look at later. Now I have to clean this up and then get back to my camp. The four hours are almost up and for once I need to sleep.
My clones cleaned the camp up, while I healed my Chakra burns with the Mythical Palm Jutsu. Once nothing was left to point in my direction I sprinted back to the camp. I reached it with a few minutes to spare and woke Sakumo when it was time for his shift. I told him that there wasn''t anything noteworthy and then went to sleep.
Chapter 30, The Second Test 3, Is It Always This Easy?
The four hours of sleep did wonders to my body. The twitching has gone, the pain is no longer there and I felt how my pathways were thrumming with power.
Seriously, these Jinchuriki are almost impossible to kill in a direct fight. Roshi has had simply bad luck with me attacking them in their sleep. That they haven''t had re-breathers made it worse for them. Their guard must have fallen asleep from the toxin and allowed me to easily sneak up on them.
Roshi himself might not even have noticed that they get poisoned by simply breathing. His Bijuu will have detoxified him the moment he gets the substance into his blood.
Still, Roshi had attributes partly similar to mine, he died instantly and without any way to retaliate. His death should be a lesson for me, one I should never forget. I don''t want to find out if my body is truly gamer like and if I can survive a pierced heart just because it didn''t do enough damage.
¡°Something wrong Kenshiro-kun?¡± Asked Ariha after noticing that I was in deep thoughts.
I shook my head and gave her a smile. ¡°Nah, I just thought that if the moss really makes you tired we wouldn''t have been able to stay awake without the re-breathers. I might have fallen asleep during my shift and allow other teams to ambush us. We wouldn''t even have been able to wake up thanks to the moss.¡±
She grimaced at the thought and nodded. ¡°Yeah, scary, you think your sister acted on the tip as we did?¡±
¡°I don''t think so, haven''t seen her with a re-breather and they weren''t in the shop with us. But Tsu-chan is able to identify the early signs of poisoning and knows medical Jutsu against them,¡± I answered, inwardly sure and worrying at the same time.
Sakumo placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a thumbs up. ¡°She will pass the test, just like we will. Orochimaru is almost as skilled as you and she is already very versed in medical Jutsu. I''m sure she will finish before us if we wait any longer.¡± I nodded again, inwardly hoping that Jiraiya will not fuck it up for them.
We started the same we did yesterday. I would make a group of clones and send them off, with us following. All the while trying to get westwards. For the first two hours not much happened, we crossed a few waterways, found a few crossings and generally found nothing of interest. This test was a lot more boring than I imagined. I knew that the competition would not be the best, but for the test to lack as well. Well, don''t look a gifted horse in the mouth.
However, at the halfway mark to the second hour, a clone of mine made another one and dispelled itself to inform me about a Genin team. They were in front of us and walking in the same direction, from the looks of it they haven''t noticed my clones yet.
I stopped running for a moment to inform my team of this new development.¡°Guys, my clones found another Genin team. Should I give them the order to engage and weaken or even take them out?¡±
¡°How''s your Chakra? Can you remake the clones easily?¡± Asked Sakumo.
¡°Sure, you know how fast I can get my Chakra back, if I sit down and meditate it will be even faster,¡± I answered.
¡°Then sure, go ahead. Any fight we don''t have to fight ourselves will reduce our fatigue,¡± agreed Ariha. Sakumo did as well and I made a clone just to let it dispel again.
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CLONE POV;
We got the get-go from the Boss and began to get closer to the unknown Genin team. They were walking at a fast pace but still walking. It was a team of three, the normal combination of one girl and two boys.
¡°You''ll take the girl, I will take the middle one and you the last,¡± I ordered my co-clones. They nodded and the clone that had a Henge up as Ariha began to walk on the ceiling.
Chakra threads began to form around its hand and sneaked forward.
The other, as Sakumo hidden, clone pulled two Kunai and sneaked forward. I followed directly behind him and started to form a Chakra thread of my own. We were only a few meters away when one of them looked back. The dim lighting made it easier for us to sneak up on them but not enough to not be seen if we are as close as this.
¡°Attack!¡± Shouted the boy, now easily identifiable as a Suna Ninja. He threw a Kunai at the Sakumo clone and then pulled out a pipe from his pouch.
His teammates turned around as well, the girl began to form hand signs but was suddenly lifted up in the air and then bleed from her throat when the Chakra threads of the Ariha clone began to cut into her flesh, the weight of her own body worked against her and her headless corpse fell down.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°Mio!¡± Shouted her teammate in anger and shock. He looked up and saw the Ariha clone before he threw a Kunai at it with a speed that was fairly fast for a Genin. However, the Kunai got caught by a second Chakra thread.
¡°Chakra threads?¡± He asked in shock. The time he spent focusing on the Ariha clone allowed me to finish my own attack and a Rasengan, connected to my thread, was on its path to his chest.
He would have died if his teammate hasn''t had flung himself into the flight path. My Rasengan crashed into his lower stomach and grounded first cloth, then skin and finally flesh into a fine paste.
He got bisected before he hit the ground.
He looked at his still living, only remaining, teammate and pleaded for him to flee. ¡°R..run, Kamaro, run!¡±
Kamaro was crying now and turned around to run like his teammate wanted him to. He stumbled after the first step and fell down, eyes already sightless and dead. The Ariha clone has used the caught Kunai and thrown it with the help of the thread. It pierced into the back of his head and killed him instantly.
¡°Good job boys, let''s search them for anything good,¡± I praised and began to look through the stuff of the female Genin, she was the closest.
"Man, I couldn''t do anything. Why did you steal my kill?" Complained the, as Sakumo hidden, clone.
"Cause you''re too slow," rebuffed the Ariha clone with a mocking grin. The Sakumo clone flipped her/him off and then began to poke the bloody mess I have left with a stick.
The Boss, Sakumo and Ariha came a few minutes later, just in time for me to find the needed tablet. Both Sakumo and Ariha looked at the dead bodies for a moment but did not grimace. We were Genin for too long to not have seen some of the bad shit people do to other humans, as well as have done some of it ourselves.
¡°Hey Boss, they were easy to take out. Even had the right stone tablet. All you now have to do is reach the fucking middle of the labyrinth,¡± shouted the Sakumo clone happily, while I gave the tablet over to the original.
¡°Yeah and then we can worry more about Tsu-chan,¡± I agreed with the other clone.
¡°I want to just eat chicken, but I already know that I will no longer exist when this happens. A woe me, this life of a clone. Will this be my fate? Longing for something that you know will be good, but never able to reach it?!¡± Spoke the Ariha clone while hugging herself dramatically.
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Kenshiro POV;
I dispelled all three clones and made a new batch. ¡°They sometimes become strange when they live long enough,¡± I explained with a wry grin. Ariha was still staring at the spot where her clone was hug/molesting herself.
¡°Kenshiro-kun, why was it the clone that looked like me who was hugging herself?¡± She then asked slowly and in a too sweet tone.
¡°Don''t know? Maybe because you feel good?¡± Answered the new Ariha looking clone for me. Ariha turned red and hit the clone into oblivion.
She turned to me and had a way too sweet smile on her lips. ¡°Do you want to tell me how your clone knows how I feel?¡±
I hastily waved my hands in denial. ¡°You misunderstand, it''s not that I know how you feel. It''s just that you are good looking and that you would probably feel nice if I were to ever touch you. Which will not happen without your consent. And, I think I heard the exit calling out to us. We have to follow this path and then turn to the right at the next crossing,¡± I hastily said and then promptly began to walk.
Sakumo was laughing his ass off at the theatre, while I began to put Game Points into my luck. Their expressions will be priceless if it turns out to be true what I have just said. 200 points later and my luck was now a whopping 450
It gave me a perk that was looking too good to be true.
Gambler''s Life; Luck 100
You are one fucking lucky fellow, somehow you survive everything.
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You will be revived with full health after dying, once.
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I now have a free life, what would happen if I get my Luck up to 500? If this is the reward for reaching a hundred then how much better will be the next one, or the one after that? Now I will even survive an extraction of the new Bijuu in my gut.
Also, the increase in luck did have an effect on the world. It turned out to be true and after the next crossing, we came upon a large lake. There were three crystal stalactites growing down from the ceiling and roughly pointing at the middle of the lake.
¡°I''ll send a clone to scout,¡± I said with a rather wide grin. The clone jumped into the water, dived down and found an underwater tunnel that led him deeper down. He had to swim for a rather long time before the tunnel turned almost a 90¡ã to the right. From there it got straight forward until he had to dive up again. He came out in a man-made room. A Chunin was sitting on a chair, reading a book.
The Chunin looked up from his book. He noticed my clone and was shocked to see him, however, before he could speak my clone dispelled and sent the information back to me.
I turned to Ariha and Sakumo, all of us were in the middle of trapping the entrance tunnels. ¡°This is the place, there is a really deep tunnel before we reach the end. People without a re-breather will get in trouble. What do you guys want to do? From the looks of it, there are a few tunnels that lead into this part of the cave.¡±
¡°We could stay here and take out the competition,¡± suggested Ariha slightly eager to do something. She might not be happy with the exam. So far she only had put their victim in the first test under a Genjutsu, the second part was only running.
¡°Yeah, and risk getting wounded or taken out as well. Say Kenshiro-kun, were there many strong Genin at the start?¡± Countered Sakumo before asking.
¡°Well, some were good for Genin and a few at low Chunin level. The three I hugged are all at my level or a bit stronger,¡± I answered while placing a trap of my own.
¡°Really? Do you mean your level or ''your'' level?¡± Asked Sakumo again. Ariha looked at him, not knowing what he meant. Sakumo is more of the quiet type. That makes it easy to forget about him or overlook him. It also allows him to watch his surroundings without anyone taking notice of you.
¡°How did you figure it out?¡± I asked with a wry grin. I don''t know how he does it, especially with his silver hair. Maybe it is his Chakra that makes him unremarkable?
¡°You occasionally become a lot slower, weaker and easier exhausted. Then you get better again only to fall back to this strange weakened state,¡± he listed and waited for me to explain myself.
¡°I can tell you, but not here, I need a fully silenced room for that. This is something only four people know,¡± I answered honestly. Ariha now looked worried, as did Sakumo, but they agreed and decided to finish the exam. Their interest in what I will tell them was bigger than the chance of finishing the exam with less competition.
So we finished the traps, I made quite a lot of new clones to also trap other entrances. We then dived through the underwater tunnel to the Chunin who was reading again, but now also quicker to react. ¡°Greetings, do you have the tablets?¡±
¡°Sure, wait a moment,¡± answered Ariha. She took her tablet out of her scroll and I unsealed mine. We placed them together and then laid it down on his table.
He studied the tablet for a moment, before nodding and then pointing behind himself at the closed door. ¡°Behind that will be a staircase, climb it and then get your room. The exam won''t be finished until the day after tomorrow.¡± He then ignored us and continued to read.
All three of us shrugged and opened the door, behind was a staircase. I think the long boring climb was more annoying that the tunnel itself. All in all this test was pretty boring. Well, not everyone can have something as awesome as The Forest of Death.
Chapter 31, The Second Test 4, We Senju Aint Sane
The moment Sakumo closed the door to our room he gave me a pointed look that told me to seal the room and start speaking. I unsealed another one of Grandma Mito''s silence seals and activated it, before turning back around.
¡°Wait! I want to feel good when we speak about serious stuff and I had to swim through questionable water more than a dozen times. Let me get a shower and some nice clothes first,¡± requested Ariha with a raised hand.
¡°Fine, but you''ll explain after we have showered,¡± grumbled Sakumo while giving me the stinky eye. Ariha skipped into our personal bathroom and closed the door.
We waited in silence for her to finish, once she came out Sakumo got inside. Ariha had put on fluffy pyjamas and was doing her hair while waiting. She was humming a tone and looked only slightly interested in the coming explanation.
¡°Why aren''t you as interested as Sakumo-kun?¡± I asked her.
¡°Hmm?¡± She turned around, smiled at me and answered. ¡°If it were a bad thing you would have told us sooner. I think it''s just one of your strange quirks or another of your hyper-advanced Chakra control training exercises.¡±
¡°Thanks for the trust,¡± I mumbled, truly feeling it before the effect got dampened down. We waited for Sakumo to finish in silence. I took a quick shower after him and only pulled on a pair of boxers before walking back out.
Ariha was now laying in her bed and making it comfortable for herself. Sakumo was sitting on a chair and maintaining his sword. The many diving we did was not exactly good for the blade.
¡°I know you have a nice six-pack, but why are you showing us that now?¡± Asked Ariha with a joking tone. I wordlessly released the almost constantly applied Genjutsu and they could see my body without the illusion. Normally I wear gloves, long sleeves and trousers to hide them, on top of the Genjutsu.
They stared wide-eyed at my almost naked body. Black intricate lines and symbols were visible all over it. A special seal now also on my stomach. It looked as if I was a tribal warrior.
¡°These seals, what are they?¡± Asked Sakumo after a long moment.
¡°The seals on my arms, legs, hands and feet, as well as back are Inhibition Seals, normally designed for prisoners. If activated they put a certain amount of pressure on the body and make every move harder and more taxing. Prisoners are stopped from escaping and I use them for training.
Grandma Mito has drawn them the day we became Genin and ever since I was almost always sealing part of my strength away.¡±
¡°So..., how much stronger are you or how much have you sealed away?¡± Asked Ariha. She looked a little disappointed and angry, but not at me strangely.
¡°Hmm, let me put this into numbers and terms. There is strength, endurance, intelligence and reflex. Sakumo here has a reflex of 370, a strength of 250 and the endurance of 320, according to my data. My current seal would take 140 away from him in all of these attributes. He would not only be slower but also have less strength and endurance. You feel exhausted faster, do less damage with your hits and are slower to deliver them.
A normal civilian, for example, has a reflex of 10. And a Genin up to 70, everything between 70 and three hundred is usually Chunin. 300 to 500 in a single field is a special Jonin with 500 to 1000 in more than three attributes a Jonin. Don''t nail me down on these numbers, but they are what I came up with to categorize my strength.¡±
Both were now openly gaping at me. ¡°I can keep up with some of the Special Jonin with my speed, so your numbers are close to accurate. But how fast are you really?¡± Asked Sakumo in bewilderment.
¡°Roughly at low Jonin level. If I take the same value system then my reflex would be at roughly 470,¡± I answered again much to their shock.
Ariha let herself fall back down into her pillow and hit the bed with a short angry jell. ¡°I thought I was catching up to you! You know Kenshiro-kun, sometimes it feels horrible to be your teammate.¡±
¡°Sorry, it''s something I kept hidden because it''s my last line. If people think I am only this strong they will either underestimate me or don''t put too much hope into me. You would have acted differently if you had known that I can give Sensei a fight,¡± I apologized.
Ariha sat up again in a blink and pointed at me. ¡°This, I mean right that! You are too good. You can fight Kagami-Oji, you know more about Chakra and how to train it than anyone in Konoha, you are good at planning, know how to speak and are generally hard to hate. It''s as if we have Mr Perfect in our team, is there anything you can''t do?¡±
I answered quickly and in an even tone, which gave my words even more weight. ¡°I have trouble showing empathy. I rarely understand what people mean when they speak and either has to take their words at face value or need to fall back on memories of similar situations. I can''t see if someone hates or loves me simply by their normal body language. They need to be very specific or say it directly.
I think that''s why Tsu-chan is this important to me, with her, I just know what she wants and thinks. We have some strange connection, call it a twin thing, but I always know what she feels when she looks at me.¡± It was the truth, with Tsu-chan I have less of an emotional damper as I have with other people.
Ariha grunted in frustration and hit her head against the pillow. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± I asked Sakumo.
He smiled wryly at Ariha, before answering me. ¡°You didn''t say anything wrong itself. It''s just that the way you said makes Ariha-chan the bad one if she continues. I too have noticed that you... lack in the social department. It is not obvious on the first glance, you hide it well, but whenever there are emotional grey areas or morally problematic situations during a mission you tent to fall back to our opinion.
The next time you come into the same situation you often repeat whatever Ariha-chan or I have said the last time. I think your skill in Chakra manipulation is a good reflection of your personality. They are designed to give the most results, effective and with a certain goal. You too are handling missions like that.
For example, the three Genin that had the second tablet, your clones could have incapacitated them without killing them, but instead, they killed them.¡± I interrupted and tried to explain.
¡°Yeah, they could have freed themselves and then cause trouble for us or Tsu-chan''s team.¡±
¡°That''s exactly what I wanted to say, you took the most effective route. You did not think about the Genin as people, but as an obstacle in your way. Sometimes you don''t think about future consequences as well. It was the same when we had our first kills,¡± continued Sakumo.
¡°I remember that day, hard to forget if it is burned into my head with the activation of my Sharingan. You were the only one of us that stayed calm. What you''ve said then helped me to calm down. Was that something where you fell back on memories as well?¡± Piped Ariha up, she hasn''t sat up again and was just staring at the ceiling.
I rubbed the back of my head and tried to formulate my words. ¡°I think it was partially. It was the truth that every Ninja should be able to live with what they do and only worry once they can''t accept what they have done. I worded it in such a way that you should only kill those that want to cause harm to you. For me, it doesn''t matter who I kill, as long as I got something out of it or help those I like.¡±
They stayed silent, processing the information that I have essentially told them that I could kill babies if it benefits me. That fact had scared me when I realized that I really could. For all the time of a few seconds, then the panic and fear got calmed down to a low level. I still know and understand that I don''t want to be able to, but once I am in the situation no own emotion will stop me. Gamer''s Mind at its work. It was the same with dads death, I felt sad and angry, yet not at the level that I should have had. It came close, yet Gamer''s Mind brought me down again and again.
¡°Please tell us if we do or say something that you don''t understand. We want to understand you and want you to understand us, okay?¡± Asked Ariha with a sincere expression. I nodded slowly to show her that I will.
¡°You''ve said that most of the seals are Inhibition Seals, what are the others? I can see a clear difference with the seal on your stomach, compared to the rest,¡± asked Sakumo then.
¡°Ever the observant one, ain''t you?" I started with a small wry smile. "This, ¡ãsigh¡ã, this can cause war and is only a recent addition." They looked worried but did not stop me from continuing. ¡°Do you know what a Jinchuriki is?¡± I then asked.
Sakumo shook his head, but Ariha nodded. ¡°It means Human Sacrifice. A Jinchuriki is a person with a Bijuu sealed inside them. They are said to be neigh to unkillable, have immense Chakra reserves and can be called an army of their own. Lord First had distributed the Bijuu to the main villages in an attempt to cause peace, which didn''t work.
Suna has the one tails, Kumo the two and eight, Iwa the four and five, Kiri the three and six, Taki the seventh and Konoha the nine tails. No one knows who the Jinchuriki for the nine tails of Konoha is and he or she is not getting used in any missions or during the war. Which is the opposite of the other Jinchuriki, they are walking army killers and are used as such,¡± explained Ariha for Sakumo.
¡°Okay, so what does that seal have to do with you? Do you want to tell us that you are the Jinchuriki of the nine tails? You would be old enough,¡± asked Sakumo with a raised eyebrow.
¡°I''m not the Jinchuriki for the nine tails, that is someone else who I do know. This person is the reason why I had to learn seals from Grandma Mito, in case something happens and I have to seal the Kyuubi. No, Iwa no longer has two Bijuu,¡± I explained.
¡°When?¡± Asked Ariha simply.
¡°Yesterday, you know, the guys I hugged? Each of them is a Jinchuriki. The girl of the three tails, the other Kiri Genin of the six tails and the redhead boy of Iwa has had the four tails.¡±
¡°You killed the Jinchuriki of Iwa and sealed the Bijuu into yourself? Why? This is crazy! They will demand your head for this,¡± shouted Ariha angrily. Small tears were starting to gather in her eyes.
¡°It was the best time and chance. Roshi, that was his name, was still ''weak'' as a Genin, no control over his Bijuu. But with time he would have and Iwa does not like us, at all. I couldn''t allow him to live and risk him destroying us if we get into another war with Iwa. You don''t know the stories of destruction that one of the Bijuu can cause. Hashirama-Oji and Tobirama-Oji have told me and Tsu-chan about Madara and how he used the nine tails. It is not only a saying that they had to rewrite the maps after a fight against Madara and the nine tails. They really had to.
Roshi and his teammates had fallen asleep due to the moss and my clone was easily able to take him out. It then informed me about his find and I left a couple of clones to guard you, while I went out to seal it into me.
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Iwa will think Kiri was responsible, it is their exam. And even if they find out, they can''t demand the Bijuu back. We all signed contracts that allow us to kill each other during the exam, this includes their Jinchuriki. It is their fault for allowing him to participate.
The most they can do is send assassins to kidnap and then kill me after transferring the Bijuu. I already am a target for assassinations, thanks to my clan position. Tensions are already rising, war will happen soon. Me having the four tails won''t change that. And transferring the Bijuu is something not really possible, the moment they try, my seal will explode with all of the Chakra the four tails has. It will take out their whole village, if not more.¡±
¡°Still, if they find out. Couldn''t you have sealed it into something? I heard you could seal them into objects,¡± tried Ariha, she was looking at Sakumo for help, but he too did not know what to say. Their knowledge about seals wasn''t very deep. At most, they knew snippets from me or how to make the basic exploding tag.
¡°I had no such object and I did want to have the four tails. It is said to give its user incredible control over fire and the benefits of having a Bijuu are immense. Overnight I feel as if I am a lot healthier and I think my Chakra capacity has almost doubled.
I also think the Bijuu are increasing the Jinchuriki''s growth. All three of them felt too strong, they either were trained in an almost gruel form or their Bijuu allows them to grow muscles faster.¡±
¡°I just worry that you have signed your own death with this stunt. How will you stop the sensors from finding out? You did find them because you could feel the Chakra of the Bijuu within them, am I right?¡± Asked Sakumo.
¡°Yes, but my seal has two forms. The current one is sealing away the whole of its Chakra, I can''t use it and it can''t be felt. At least not without a true master sensor. Once we are back in Konoha I will change the seal into a variation that allows me access to the four tails Chakra. No one knows who is containing the nine tails, I can easily take her or his public place.¡±
They both nodded slowly, understanding my thoughts and slowly agreeing with me that it might work. ¡°By the way, am I the only one that has to speak about his feelings and insecurities?¡± I asked jokingly.
¡°Well, you don''t have to feel insecure about some parts of yourself,¡± joked Ariha with a pointed look at my boxers.
¡°Something you want to tell us Ariha-chan~?¡± Sung Sakumo teasingly. Ariha got beet read and realized what she had said and implied.
¡°What about you Sakumo? You were pretty loud in the onsen, something you want to tell us about you and Tsunade?¡± Countered Ariha back with a grin.
Sakumo paled and looked slowly at me, something of my expression must have further scared him. ¡°No, not with our resident sis-con. And I get the distinct feeling that she won''t be much different than him,¡± he then said carefully and with a constant eye on me.
¡°I know, hey Kenshiro-kun, does Tsunade have something against me?¡± Asked Ariha with a frown.
¡°Kinda, it''s not explicitly your fault. Tobirama-Oji has told us stories about the Waring Era and was able to convince Tsu-chan that the Uchiha are a clan of Jutsu stealing and often backstabbing people,¡± I answered with a shrug.
¡°Great, the leader of your own village hates you and your family. It can''t get any better,¡± cursed Ariha.
My next words proved that it could always become worse. ¡°Both Tsu-chan and I know, eh... about, how should I say... your eyes and how to advance them beyond the three stages and even beyond that. Tobirama-Oji is very throughout with his research. It were still the warring times and the Senju needed to know.¡±
I might not have wanted to say that, Ariha became pale as chalk and started to cry for real. ¡°Please, don''t think I would do that. I...the eyes are not worthy of the costs,¡± she started to plead for us to understand. Sakumo was completely bewildered and looked frantically between us.
¡°Ariha-chan, don''t cry. Sakumo-kun thinks he has done something wrong,¡± I joked in an attempt to cheer her up. Needless to say that it didn''t work.
¡°But, you said that you know.¡± She began to laugh almost hysterically, further worrying Sakumo. ¡°The Sharingan, best Dojutsu in the world, fucking curse it is. Who would want a Bloodline with such requirements?¡± She looked as if she wouldn''t calm down on her own, so I motioned for Sakumo to go over to her and hug her.
He shook his head and gestured at me to do it. I raised an eyebrow and gestured at my lack of clothing, and yet he still refused. Stupid friend, throwing me to the wolves.
With a light sigh, I sat down next to Ariha and gave her a one-armed hug. She instantly latched onto me and started to cry into my shoulder, smearing snot and tears into me. It felt gross and I wished I could have ignored her. But that is a social thing I knew would not have been okay.
She calmed down after crying for some time and just laid on my shoulder. She didn''t break the hug and also had not fallen asleep. ¡°Since when have you known?¡± She asked silently.
¡°From the day we started the Academy. Tobirama-Oji has told us that we might have to fight with Uchiha and that we should be wary of them and why,¡± I answered and softly went through her hair with my free hand.
¡°Could someone please tell me what just happened? What is so bad about your Sharingan? Isn''t it a great tool?¡± Asked, almost pleaded Sakumo to know.
¡°I can''t tell you, it is a clan secret. Most Uchiha would want me dead for me knowing, more than they already do,¡± I replied and looked at Ariha. She looked up at me and her eyes were pleading me not to make her explain. ¡°You know as well as I do that Sakumo-kun has the right to know. I have told both of you about the Bijuu and my trouble with emotions. It''s your turn to come clean,¡± I said softly.
She took a deep breath and freed herself out of my hug, yet one hand stayed rested in my own. Should I think that there may be more than friendship in her feelings for me?
I couldn''t think about that stray thought further. Ariha started to explain, visibly straining herself to stay calm. ¡°The Sharingan has three forms. The first is your basic tomoe Sharingan, from one to three. You have to feel the presence of death to awaken it. Either you feel that you will die or that someone close to you will.
The second stage, that''s where it turns into a curse. It is said that you have to kill your best friend or family to awaken the next stage, the Mangekyou Sharingan,¡± Sakumo sucked in a sharp breath and Ariha winced, before slowly continuing, ¡°it is stronger than the fully matured Sharingan and has additional powers. Yet it also robs you of your eyesight, to prevent that you have to take the eyes of a family member for yourself.
To get more powerful with your own bloodline you have to first kill someone you love and then rob your own family of their eyesight. The Sharingan is no great tool, it is a curse. The clan thinks that the normal Sharingan is the greatest in the world, they are forcing their children through training and deadly situations to awaken it.¡± She increased her grip on my hand. I pressed back in an attempt to signal her that I was with her.
¡°You are not completely correct Ariha-chan,¡± I said.
Her head turned to me with a crack and she looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°This is what Father has told me, the clan head. He knows about the Sharingan more than anyone,¡± she argued. But I still denied her claim of knowing by shaking my head.
¡°How to get the first stage is correct, but not the second. You don''t necessarily have to kill your best friend. You only need to give yourself the fault for it. You must think that you are the reason for their death. And I also think that it should be possible to exchange the eyes with your family and not leave one of them blind.
Tobirama-Oji was very throughout with his research. He found out that the acquisition of the next step changes something in the brain of the Uchiha. They will start to think differently, the change is strongly influenced by the way of acquiring the new stage.
If you get the first stage for only the reason of gaining more strength you will seek out more and more strength, which will make it easier for you to really kill your best friend to gain the next stage and then the family member for the last stage.
But if you get your first stage because you worry for someone, then you will want to protect him or her more strongly, which most often prevents the killing of the best friend.
Then, once you have the first stage and somehow gain the second, it will again change your brain. If you have done it for the strength of the eyes you will further fall into the greed for power, no longer caring whom you have to kill for more strength.
If you feel responsible for the death of the loved one you will either begin to hate yourself or will seek other reasons for her or his death. Like the village that sent him/her out on the mission that caused the situation.
An example would be this. We get sent out on a mission, you get into a fight and are losing. Sakumo now jumps into an attack that would have killed you and dies. You give yourself the fault and awakens the next step. This will then make you hate the killer even more strongly and possibly cause you to blame Konoha for Sakumo''s death. He wouldn''t have died without the mission.
I think the reason why your clan believes that you need to kill a friend for the second stage lies within their normal way of acquiring the first stage. You spur your own children on to become strong, to get stronger and to further prove your worth. They will often do dangerous things to get their Sharingan, to show off and to prove that they are strong. Their want for strength and need of the Sharingan to show that strength leads them on a destructive path.
Madara is the perfect example. He needed strength to survive the Warring Era, he gained the Sharingan to get stronger. This made him automatically seek more strength and even more strength. He must have known about the requirements for the second stage, just like you do, and the need for strength made him kill his best friend. The danger of the Senju made him focus his hate on my clan, instead of himself. As he needed the strength of the second stage to fight the Senju at an even footing. His brother, Izuna, was the same, both had the Mangekyou Sharingan, according to Tobirama-Oji.
Then, once they became almost blind he took the eyes of his brother. He didn''t kill him like it is said in the history books. Tobirama-Oji did, it was during one of their many skirmishes, where Tobirama-Oji mortally wounded Madara''s brother. When they fought the next time Madara had a new design in his eyes, he gained the last stage by taking the eyes of his deceased brother.¡± Both were looking at me with rapt attention, but I wasn''t finished, I could add one more part to the tragedy that was the Sharingan Curse.
¡°One of ancient Uchiha probably killed his or her best friend in a fit of rage or during training and gained the next step, thinking that this was needed to do. The brain of his or her fellow Uchiha made them think that they need more strength and so they followed the advise and killed their own best friends.
Then, at some point, one of these Mangekyou holders got an eye wound and got the eyes of someone else implanted. They quickly found out that they could now see again and began to think that they need a pair of eyes from close family. The close family ties make it more likely for the body to accept the eye, it does not need to be immediate family. Again, their brains made them crave for strength, which in turn made them more agreeable to kill their own family, rather than simply exchanging eyes.
Heh, if you think about it, we Senju are the cause for your misguided thinking. Without us and the Warring Era, you wouldn''t think that you would need to kill your best friend. Without us, Madara wouldn''t have become crazy in his lust for power. And without us, you wouldn''t have the need to gain the Sharingan this forcefully.
So it is more I who have to apologise and not you. I was never concerned with you even thinking about killing me or Sakumo. You gained your Sharingan while protecting yourself, maybe thinking about either Sakumo or me.
So you don''t have to cry or plead for us to believe you, I always believed that you would stand next to us and not with a Kunai in hand behind us,¡± I finished and whipped a tear away from her cheek.
She hiccuped once and then threw herself at me to begin another session of crying and sobbing. I looked at Sakumo for help, only mildly aware of why she was crying again. I know that I spoke kinda corny at the end, but was it really this much?
Sakumo smiled wryly but had no advice for me.
¡°Well Sakumo, now you know two secrets about us. My body and Ariha-chan''s most guarded secret about her Dojutsu. Anything you want to share?¡± I asked, more jokingly than earnestly.
Sakumo knew that I was mostly joking and reacted with a laugh. ¡°Sheesh, no pressure right?¡± But then became quickly sombre and serious. ¡°Well, there is one thing. My clan, it has its origin in the way of the samurai. As such honour is written capitally. Dishonour yourself and you have to gain your honour back or get kicked out of the clan. Most times it isn''t possible to regain your honour, if that happens we are strongly encouraged to do Seppuku. If I were to fail a mission and am the reason for the failure I would have to kill myself or lose the name Hatake.¡±
Ariha had stopped crying and was looking at him with a slightly horrified expression. ¡°Is every clan in Konoha crazy?¡± She asked half-jokingly.
¡°Well, the Hyuuga are forcing their second born into a form of slavery to the main branch. Branch members are often wearing a piece of cloth on their forehead to hide a seal. The seal allows the main member to inflict extreme pain or even death upon the branch member. Even their newborn children get marked with the seal. The Aburama have bugs crawling through their body, the Yamanaka are constantly inside the head of each other. The bloodline of the Kurama more often than not kills their user before they mature, the Akimichi die if they don''t eat so much, the Nara are so logical and intelligent that they often lack in emotions or care for others, and Sarutobi are arsonist of the highest order,¡± I answered, much to the horror of both of them.
¡°What is the dirty laundry of the Senju? I mean, my clan forces its members to kill themselves, Ariha-chan''s clan is prone to craziness and the Hyuuga are slavers, what have the Senju done?"
I thought about it for a moment, there wasn''t really something truly horrifying about the Senju. ¡°Well, I can''t find something on the same level as the Hyuuga, psychologically changing as the Uchiha or mental pressuring as the Hatake. What might be is that we train our children the moment they can walk if the parent wants them to be a Ninja. It gets less and less nowadays. But I got my first training when I was one and Tsunade a year or so later. But that''s pretty common for Ninja.
Other than that, well, we are a curious bunch. The things Tobirama-Oji does for his Jutsu or knowledge are crazy. Grandma Mito''s seal experiments have once ripped open a rift into a dimension filled with hellish creatures, only the fail safe kept us from a demon invasion. And what Tsu-chan and I have done to get our medical knowledge was brutal and what we do to learn stuff we like is generally strange.
I mean my body is filled with seals that are meant for prisoners, just because I want to get stronger faster. Tsu-chan and I were operating on ourselves to learn the ins and outs of the human body. We often broke our own legs or arms to train our medical Jutsu. We even once cut each other open and performed surgery on each other to check if everything was in us like the books claimed. She almost sterilized me when we went over our reproductive organs,¡± I laughed at the end. The good old times, what crazy shit Tsu-chan and I have done to learn about medicine was crazy and fun.
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. I noticed that Ariha was no longer hugging me and that both she and Sakumo were looking at me in disbelieve. ¡°Ah, you don''t have to worry. Tsu-chan is skilled and didn''t leave a scar and I did stitch her back together as well.¡± I quickly said.
¡°I can clearly see what he meant with unable to see social taboos or moral problems,¡± told Ariha with a look at Sakumo, who only nodded weakly.
¡°Hey, Tsu-chan asked. You wouldn''t be able to deny her puppy eyes as well, they are devastating. If someone with such eyes asks you to cut you open and look at your liver you lay down and help,¡± I defended myself. Every good brother helps his sister if she has a request.
¡°I highly doubt that,¡± said Sakumo in an absolutely certain way. I just shook my head at his naivety. Tsu-chan''s puppy eyes are devastating.
¡°Wait a minute, if you can perform surgery on her, then can you do medical Jutsu as well?¡± Asked Ariha suddenly suspiciously.
¡°Eh, what no? Of course not. Tsu-chan is the genius in medical Jutsu,¡± I hastily said and waved her off.
Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I smell a lie. Tell us, how good are you in medical Jutsu?¡±
¡°Promise you won''t tell anyone okay? I promised Tsu-chan that medical Jutsu will be her thing,¡± I requested once I knew that they had me. Both nodded and promised to not tell anyone if not needed. ¡°Well, I might be better at it than her. She does know more about the body and what affects it, but I am better at the Jutsus itself. I started inventing new control techniques to help her get better at them,¡± I explained.
¡°A sis-con through and through. Are you even aware that you act as if you are married to your sister? Every second thought, action or word has something to do with Tsunade-hime,¡± said Sakumo amused at the reason for my control training.
¡°Hey, I take offence to that. I am not sexually attracted to my sister. This is a twin thing, I can''t explain it very well or describe it clearly. I just have the need to help and protect her, how is it my fault that many simply lack the skills or qualifications to do that?¡± I replied with a huff.
Ariha began to giggle and then laugh, soon followed my Sakumo and then me once the laughter got too contagious. At least the mood was better than before. I think this talk was good for the team, sharing secrets and fears is a good way to bond. Also to make you vulnerable, but that''s something I try to ignore.
Chapter 32, The Second Test 5, I Hope No One Finds Out
The next morning we came into the cafeteria for breakfast. Sakumo has been wondering how many teams have arrived since we came. The answer was zero. There was not a single other Genin eating. At first, we thought that they were too exhausted and went to sleep. We would have slept as well, so we decided to train a bit and afterwards went back to the cafeteria, where we still found no one.
It was Ariha that decided her curiosity was high enough to ask the Kiri Ninja that gave out the food. ¡°Have there been other teams yet?¡±
¡°Not that I have seen,¡± answered the guy with a shrug.
¡°Is this normal or are this year''s Genin weaker than usual?¡± Pressed Ariha.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of what she was trying. But he must also have been bored, which is why he shrugged again and then explained. ¡°Not always. There are some exams where there are no teams at all, those are rare. Then there are exams where the first team arrives after a day or late in the night.
Yours was pretty fast. Would have bet on two other teams, but you Konoha guys were always unpredictable.¡± Ariha thanked him and the guy gave me my food. We sat down at a nearby table and were halfway through our food when the doors to the cafeteria were thrown open.
A large group of teams was coming inside, all of them still wet from the dive and looked tired, angry and annoyed. All of them. With the exception of a single Genin, he looked as if he was first tarred and then feathered. In addition to being tired, wet, annoyed and angry.
Of note was a team from Kiri, it was the one with the Kaguya. She was occasionally twitching and looked a little singed. She also had a few rips and tears in her clothes. She, like the rest, looked tired and annoyed.
And then there were two teams from Konoha. One was the team with the Hyuuga, no idea how he managed to survive the caves. However, the other Konoha team was way more important. After all, it was the team of my sister.
I waved at Tsunade and smiled when she spotted me. Her annoyed and angry look changed first into surprise and then a happy smile. She and her team grabbed their food and sat down at our table.
¡°What happened? You all looked quite miffed,¡± Ariha asked once Tsunade has sat down. Jiraiya, who looked more asleep than awake, nearly fell into his food when he sat down. Orochimaru looked better, but he too was slower and more sluggish.
Tsunade looked at her, obviously surprised. ¡°You guys didn''t notice?¡±
Ariha looked first at Tsunade, then at Sakumo. He also looked clueless, so both looked at me. However, I too had to raise my hands in surrender. ¡°Notice what?¡± Asked Ariha back.
¡°The traps,¡± groused Jiraiya in an angry mutter.
Instead of reacting to him, as that would result in a conversation with Jiraiya, I asked Tsunade.¡°Why not start at the beginning?¡±
Tsunade took a sip from her drink and began to speak after a moment of gathering her thoughts. ¡°We had to fight three different teams before we got our tablet. And the moss, which is called Sleepy Moss, by the way, was causing trouble with its toxic fumes. I had to detoxify us every couple of hours. Which cut into my sleeping time tremendously,¡± complained Tsunade. I nodded along at all the right places and listened how they fought this or that Genin team or how they had to trap their passage or the one time where Jiraiya got lost in a water passage and almost drowned, had he not summoned one of his toads. ¡°And then we came close to the last room....¡± I noticed how the surrounding Genin teams had stopped eating and were silently cursing, some were even crying.
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Third Person POV;
It was around the time Kenshiro stood up for the day when another Genin team was still inside the tunnels and even a few hundred meters before the underwater lake. It was Tsunade and her team.
They were sneaking as fast as it was reasonable through the tunnels. Their clothes were wet, their bodies exhausted and their minds tired. Jiraiya''s was even half drowned. They already had the stone tablets they wanted and now only needed to find the exit.
Easier said than done. So far they had no such luck. ¡°But this time, I''m sure,¡± announced Jiraiya for the tenth time that day. He was reasoning it to himself even. Usually, you get the worst possible outcome when you say ''what could happen'', so he uses that and turns it around. Maybe if he believes it enough it will happen? Right?
If this hasn''t been an important mission Tsunade would have hit him by now. She was tired and annoyed, what other reason does she need? It was bad enough that she hasn''t slept for more than an hour. She had to heal them from the poisonous moss, sleep was not part of this treatment.
Of course, against Jiraiya''s wishes, around the corner wasn''t a neon sign with the large glowing words ''EXIT''. No, instead Jiraiya tripped over a wire and activated a hidden trap. The usually silent click of the trigger rung loudly through the even more silent corridor.
¡°Jiraiya you idi...¡± Orochimaru wasn''t able to finish his curse before he had to jump to the side. Half a dozen Kunai had been flying at him and another three were coming at his new position.
Orochimaru pulled two Kunai out of his pouch. The first he threw towards Jiraiya, as he knew that the idiot would have his own three Kunai to worry about, while only being able to deflect one. He also knew that he had not enough time to deflect the second Kunai away from Jiraiya before his own three were upon him.
The first he parried with his own and deflected it upwards. He then grabbed the Kunai and parried the second with his now spare Kunai. He simultaneously twisted around and redirected the third Kunai with his first drawn Kunai. Once the twist was done he held his now two Kunai and surveyed the situation.
Tsunade has deflected the second Kunai of Jiraiya and her own three, which allowed Jiraiya to concentrate on the single remaining Kunai. ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± thanked Jiraiya. Had Orochimaru cared he would have identified the tone in his teammate''s voice as self-loathing, but he didn''t.
¡°Be more careful, Idiot. We are in the Chunin exam, just because we haven''t encountered traps before does not mean that there are none,¡± chided Tsunade in a hissed growl. She wouldn''t admit that she too hasn''t seen the trap. And she was relieved that her brother wasn''t here, he would have noticed that she didn''t notice and that would have been embarrassing.
Jiraiya nodded sheepishly and then frowned before he walked over to a wall. ¡°I think I''ve found one of the Kunai launchers, it''s well hidden. The mechanism is almost impossible to see within the cave walls.¡± He pointed at a tiny hole within the wall from where the Kunai have come out of and then used his Kunai to break the rock loose.
Jiraiya whistled. ¡°There''s quite a lot of room. Who would have taken the time to form a hole in the wall, build the trap and then conceal it this well? However, the launcher looks strange. It''s mostly made out of stone and only has a few strings and a rubber band for launching the Kunai. It''s even part of the wall. Looks as if it is part of the wall, build into it even.¡±
Silently Orochimaru admitted agreeing after seeing the launcher himself. It looked as if someone has made this thing to last more than a single use. No normal Genin would leave such a good launcher.
He wasn''t surprised that Jiraiya has found the launcher. Orochimaru would always agree that the Idiot is an idiot, however, he also has to grudgingly admit that Jiraiya has a good eye for details. He was the one who spotted most lies and information during an interrogation or infiltration and it was him who was good at spotting traps. Not that he would ever tell him that.
¡°Must be part of the exam then. It also could mean that we are close to the end of this cave. Keep an eye open for more traps,¡± said Tsunade. She hasn''t looked at the launcher and instead was already inspecting the corridor for more traps. Already she had found five more trip wires.
Had she looked she would have identified the launcher as one that her brother has shown her. An application of his Chakra training. Instead, it was the beginning of how Kiri was the target of Tsunade''s ire. An ire that began to develop right that moment and grew in size for the next hours to come.
After all, these traps were well placed and numerous.
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¡°What about you?¡± Asked Orochimaru during a point where Tsu-chan needed to breathe for air.
¡°It was fine, we used the codes given to us in the first exam and bought re-breather before the second exam started. The moss only gave us light and no trouble. We encountered only a single other Genin team from Suna, they also luckily had the right tablet. It was probably only luck that we found the middle of the grotto this quickly.
We arrived yesterday and I just woke up from a good sleep. The beds are okay, better than sleeping on stone,¡± I retold briefly what happened to my team. Purposefully excluding that it was us who placed those traps. I know from the memories of my clones that they have made quite a few traps. I also obviously didn''t speak about me killing the Jinchuriki of the four tails. The fewer people know the better, having my team knowing it was already risky. I tell Tsunade once we are back in Konoha and in Grandma Mito''s secured study.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°Wish we had such luck,¡± grumbled Jiraiya, he was really looking tired. His head was constantly dropping before he snapped back up.
Tsu-chan glanced at him but didn''t comment. Instead, she turned back to me and continued her tale.
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Third Person''s POV;
"Wait, can you hear that?" Asked Jiraiya suddenly. The group of three stopped and listened. Within the last hour, they had encountered over twenty traps. Some they were able to dismantle, others they had to spring and a few came dangerously close to getting them.
Orochimaru and Tsunade had already come up with the idea that the seemingly easy labyrinth was only there to lure them into a false safety. That this was the real test and that everything before was only there to tire them out. Had Tsunade known that it was all because a good hundred clones of her brother got bored and trapped the hell out of the place she might not have greeted him this friendly.
"Those are explosions." Orochimaru looked at his teammates, who looked at him. "It also means that someone else is in front of us. Maybe the exit?"
All three sighed in relieve but then had to focus again. Just because the exit was close, does not mean that it was now safe to be unguarded, the opposite even.
They staid alert and encountered half a dozen more traps before their tunnel got wider and opened up in a wide cave. There were other entrances and in the middle of the cave was a large lake with three crystal stalactites. However, they weren''t alone.
Inside the cave was a large group of people. They all were in a similar tired state to them and in the middle of dismantling more traps. It was a perfect picture of teamwork between villages. They all worked together on getting through the exam.
The group of three was quickly spotted and two Genin came running over. They had their hands raised in a none aggressive gesture. "Don''t attack, fighting here would be suicide. If you want to fight, then do it inside one of the tunnels. And trust me, you won''t stand a chance against all of us," spoke one of the two.
"What is going on here? Wasn''t this exam competitive?" Asked Tsunade, slightly stunned from what she was seeing.
"Yes, but then again, no one told us not to work together," answered the other Genin.
"Look, the whole place is trapped beyond recognition. I haven''t been here since the start, but apparently, a few teams have decided that they should work together to get through this. If you lack your second tablet go over to the right side. There are teams who haven''t gotten theirs. We are holding mock fights in a cleared tunnel for that purpose.
However, this area is out of limits for any fights." He was about to further explain when suddenly the large group of Genin at the front shouted out a warning.
A seal lit up from the ground and glowed in a red light. A second later a flaming whirlwind burst out of the seal and expanded in a circular motion. Genin from Iwa and Kiri both went through hand seals and raised earth barriers and water walls to counter the rapidly encroaching wall of death.
"It''s enhanced by wind!" Shouted a Genin from Suna, just before the fiery wall hit their defence. The water got evaporated and weakened the flames enough for the stone walls to withstand the heat.
"See? This happens all the time. It is the sixth seal that has activated in the last hour. Some are more jokes than danger, but a few can quickly kill you," continued the Genin.
"Is there a place we can try our own luck?" Questioned Orochimaru. He was agreeable to help Konoha Ninja, however, not those from other villages.
Both Genin shrugged, before answering, their tone as if they had heard the question a few times already. "Sure, just take a bit of distance to our group. You can always help out, once you realise that the traps are too numerous."
"We might come back to that offer," agreed Tsunade diplomatically, she too wasn''t much inclined to help other villages. The two Genin nodded before they went back to their group.
"What now?" Asked Jiraiya while eying the other teams. None of them was making any attempts on them, almost everyone was focused on dismantling the seals and traps.
"Can anyone see a team from Konoha?" Asked Jiraiya while looking over the gathered groups.
"No, but I''m sure Ken-kun will be alright," answered Tsunade. Jiraiya grumbled a bit about Tsunade''s fixation on her brother but knew better than to voice them out loud. "Anyway, I have a plan, follow me."
The two boys looked at her, before silently following her back inside the tunnel they came from. Once they were out of sight she stopped and looked back. "I don''t think there''ll be traps inside the water, and if there are then they are less dangerous than those above ground." Orochimaru nodded in agreement, followed by Jiraiya, who nodded because Orochimaru did.
"Yeah, but we first have to get into the water, and I''m fairly sure that wall walking won''t be helpful. These traps are too well made, there is no way they forgot such an easy exploit."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, as did Jiraiya, he did for the same reason as before. "That is why we will use a different approach. You two must have seen Ken-kun train his earth element."
Orochimaru''s eyes widened slightly in realisation, while Jiraiya didn''t get it. "Of course, we move through the floor. Why have the Iwa Genin not done this already?" Exclaimed Orochimaru.
"We all are mentally tired, slightly poisoned and exhausted. I''m sure that some of them are too focused on the traps ahead," elaborated Jiraiya with a glance back to the cave.
Still, Orochimaru was doubtfull. He would always admit that he was good, and yet. "Still, I''m not sure if I can get the same results as Kenshiro-san, he is, after all, a master in Chakra manipulation."
Tsunade smiled when she heard the praise for her brother but sill waved his concern off. "No problem, I may not be as good as him but I can still move the earth out of our way. It will be tight, but I''m sure that we can manage. All you have to do is harden the walls."
"Eh, don''t you two forget something?" Piped Jiraiya suddenly up. The other two looked at him, one with a frown the other without emotion. "We have to tunnel ourselves into a lake, the moment we hit it our tunnel will be flooded. And I don''t know about you two, but I can''t hold my breath indefinitely."
"Yes, that will become a problem. Maybe we can get our hands on a re-breather? I have seen a few with them," mused Orochimaru.
"Hmm, didn''t that guy say that there were still a few teams without a tablet? We might bet our own against a re-breather," suggested Tsunade after a moment of thinking. Neither of the other two could come up with a better idea, so they walked back into the large cave and over to the spot were some groups of Genin were waiting in a line.
They were quickly spotted and under curios or distrusting eyes. The three ignored the stares and singled out a group of three Genin from Rain, they were waiting a bit on the sideline.
It was Jiraiya that spoke first. While he might not be the strongest, most intelligent or fastest, he was still charismatic and got along well with quite a lot of people. "Jo, why are you waiting here?"
The three Rain Ninja had a silent conversation before their apparent leader stepped forward. "We need a blue tablet, what about you?"
"We need your rebreather, would you fight against us over them?" Asked Jiraiya. The leader gave Jiraiya and his team a once over, his eyes rested on the Senju crest on Tsunade''s clothes for a moment longer. he then shook his head in no.
"No way, I have heard about you Konoha Ninja and especially you Senju. Why should we risk fighting a team that was obviously strong enough to beat another team?"
Jiraiya shrugged, not minding that his plan failed. "Okay then, would you be inclined to barter your re-breather over to us?"
This time the leader looked back at his team, both shrugged, he turned back to Jiraiya. "Sure, give us your blue tablet and you can have our re-breather." His two teammates laughed. Jiraiya however, smiled, thanked them and walked back to his team.
"And?" Asked Tsunade impatiently.
"We have to give them a blue tablet." Orochimaru wordlessly unsealed a blue tablet and gave it over to Jiraiya, who then went back to the Rain Genin.
"Here, one blue tablet." The three Genin eyed first the tablet, then Jiraiya, before one of them tried to dispell the none existent Genjutsu.
"Why?" Asked one of the three, he couldn''t come up with a reason for why they would give away one tablet for three re-breather.
"We had to fight more than one team to get our hands on the needed tablet," explained Jiraiya with a grin. For once able to bath in the stunned looks of someone else. With Orochimaru and Tsunade in his team it was rare for him to be seen as very strong.
"Good that we didn''t agree to fight you, well then, a deal is a deal," laughed the leader of the three with a suddenly happy expression. He took a scroll out of his pouch and unsealed a re-breather, his two teammates did the same. They exchanged the tablet with the re-breather. The Kiri Genin were happy to finally have the two tablets and Jiraiya was happy that he was able to provide something for the success of the exam.
"We''ll have to be careful now, someone might have seen us handing over the tablet," warned Orochimaru while they walked away from the still hopefull Genin.
They waited for half an hour, in which Tsunade taught Orochimaru some of the Chakra exercises they would need to do. Meanwhile, Jiraiya was looking for anyone that was looking at them. Some did give them a curious look, but most were only brief. A few were scoffing at them for not helping with the effort, but none of them was openly hostile.
Once they were sure that no one had seen them they sneaked back into their corridor and began with their plan. Tsunade started to mould and move the earth, while Orochimaru made sure that their little tunnel wouldn''t cave in.
It took them the better part of the day, however, they succeeded. Without warning the front gave away and water rushed in. All three had to use their Chakra to anchor themselves to the walls or else the stream of water would have pushed them back. It still wasn''t a delightful feeling and all three were happy over their re-breather.
Once their little tunnel was completely filled with water they swam through the hole and found themselves inside the lake. They used hand signs to communicate with each other. Tsunade wanted to get up and find the crystal for orientation.
Orochimaru, however, pointed out that the other teams would quickly spot them and then will be able to find their tunnel. None of them wanted to give the competition a helping hand. Yet, before they could decide on a course of action they found themselves not alone.
Someone else has come through the tunnel. Luckily for him, it was a Genin from Konoha, as he found himself with a Kunai at his throat moments after coming out of the hole. ¡ãHow did you find the tunnel?¡ã Questioned Orochimaru in standard Konoha sign language.
The Genin answered quickly. ¡ãI have a Hyuuga in my team, he spotted you through the stone and we followed after you.¡ã
Tsunade lowered the Kunai and swum a bit back, making room for the Genin and his two teammates. The Hyuuga came last, his Byakugan was active. ¡ãWe have to hurry, someone else has spotted the tunnel and is informing the rest of his village teams. They will soon all come through it or fight over it.¡ã
Had there been any air they would have heard Tsunade cursing. Instead, she facepalmed and gestured for them to follow her upwards. All six did so and broke through the surface. There was close to no one on the shore and they all could see and hear the sound of fighting coming from the tunnel they had come from. The peace has only lasted until there was a way out, typical.
"We have to hurry, some of them will be better than us in underwater fighting," urged Orochimaru the rest on. They hurriedly swam over to the crystals and then dived back down. On their way, the Hyuuga informed them about other teams that have reached the end of the tunnel.
On their way down they spotted some teams fighting each other, a few were already dead or drowning. They wouldn''t have helped any of them, but for Konoha teamwork was essential. That it deteriorated this quickly was a sad sight for most of them.
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"And that''s how we evaded the traps altogether and finished without the help of others," finished Tsunade.
I smiled at her and patted her head. She squirmed a bit, but I knew that she was happy. ¡°Very good, Tsu-chan. I advise you to go to sleep as soon as possible, maybe a warm shower and then a good nights rest. The second test will go on for the rest of the day, you will have enough time to sleep a bit,¡± I suggested before I stood up to bring my plate away. ¡°See you then,¡± I said in parting and left the cafeteria.
I was free for the whole day and didn''t know what to do. I couldn''t go into my mindscape and talk with the four tails, the lock I put on my seal made it impossible for me to access any Chakra of him. Which would be needed to go into the seal.
Ariha and Sakumo had left before me and said they would do some more light training in one of the many rooms of this facility. After asking around I found them and sat down in a corner. I had taken a bit of dirt with me to train.
The figurine was a good method to learn fine control, but I also need strength and speed. Which is why I was now hardening the dirt in front of me and then shooting it off with the most speed I could muster.
There is a Jutsu that works similarly, it is a C-Rank earth Jutsu. You mould your Chakra and then form an earth ball with it, the ball gets hardened and shot off. The stronger variation creates more balls and the one above that makes them faster and bigger.
What I am now doing is pushing my Chakra into the earth, then moulding the earth with it into a form and applying a basic pushing force on its side. The push is the same you''ll have when you use too much Chakra when you tree walk, only with earth Chakra.
On first glance, you''d say that this is weaker than the Jutsu. The process is slower and you need more Chakra to get less result. But that is only now, once I have some training I can increase the speed and with increased control, I can lower the costs.
What makes this, and a lot of other control techniques stronger, in the long run, is its versatility. The Jutsu shoots off from your mouth, this can be activated from wherever my Chakra can reach. Which now is a thirty-meter radius around myself.
In a fight, I could attack my enemy from the front and then shoot at him hardened rocks from the side and back at the same time. The Chakra costs will always stay higher than the Jutsu, but the surprise effect will make that up. Also, the Jutsu always creates balls of stone, I can form the earth into anything I want. Needles, Kunai, balls or swords. And I don''t have this bad taste of mud in my mouth.
¡°Hey Kenshiro-kun, do you want to spar with us? You against both me and Ariha-chan?¡± Asked Sakumo suddenly from the other side of the room.
I stopped my manipulation and looked up to them. They had finished their warm-up spar and looked expectantly at me. ¡°Sure, I need to get used to my real strength anyway. I don''t want to overreach or be too quick in a real fight,¡± I agreed and stood up.
The mock-fight was good and helped to get used to my unsealed state. They liked it less the longer we fought. At first, they had some advantage but then it became clear that I am above them, by a lot. The massive Chakra increase I gained from sealing the four tails into me gave me quite a lot to work with and my overall attributes were close to double of theirs.
None of us did anything that would do more than light bruising, but they were still more exhausted than me when we stopped for the day. Ariha hogged the shower for herself and then Sakumo gave me the evil glare before slipping in himself.
I shrugged and went third, not that I cared too much about the order, as long as I got to take a shower. The revenge from their side came when I realized that they had used all the hot water. Their laughter and my cursing must have been audible even outside of our soundproof room.
Chapter 33, The Preliminaries 1, So Thats the Mizukage
The next day the second round ended and we were ordered to gather inside a large arena like room. It reminded me about the arena that was in the building of Konoha. Just more blue in its colouration. Ours and the other teams Sensei were present and were congratulating their team for the advancement. But then had to step back when the Mizukage came to the front. He looked strange, it was the clam guy from the war against Madara.
One of the old resurrected Kage. He had a moustache and wore the Mizukage robes. I think he didn''t like the Tsuchikage. At least they were bickering during the whole war, I don''t know how much of canon still matches with this world. Tobirama is still the second Hokage, something that should not be the case if I remember canon correctly.
I looked around the gathered Genin. There was the Kaguya Jinchuriki of Kiri, the girl was staring at the front, trying hard to not look at anything or show any emotions. The boy was not present, did he fail the second task? That would be embarrassing and may be painful for him. I know that Jinchuriki are rarely treated like humans.
Sadly, I also knew that I had no way to interfere. They aren''t Konoha Ninja and we aren''t allies. I might have to fight them in the exam and possibly even beyond in case we ever face each other during a mission or at war. I never liked the way Konoha treated Naruto, who abuses a weapon of mass destruction? That''s just silly.
Tsunade and her team were standing behind me, they were starring at the Kage with a look of respect for a foreign celebrity. My own team stood at my side, the same expression in their eyes. A Kage is the pinnacle of every Ninja. Almost every Ninja has them as their ultimate goal or role model.
I myself don''t want to be a Kage, but having the strength of one would be nice. This Kage was no exception, he has rightfully earned his title. He was more than four times as strong as I. This were his attributes and Chakra control, you can imagine how much Chakra he has with such stats.
¡°Greetings Genin, I am happy to see so many of you are from my village. From over a hundred teams only ten are left. You can be proud to be part of these ten.
Some of you might know this already, others not, but the Chunin exams are used to have mock wars between the villages. Many important people will come for the finals, people who have money and will supply missions for us Ninja. They will watch how you contest with other peers from different villages. Your performance will decide to whom their missions will be sent.
You are the next generation of Ninja for your village, your strength will represent the strength of your village. Show your strength now and make your villages proud. After all, showing that you are strong may prevent war.
However, we nonetheless have a problem with your numbers. There will be a tournament of one against one fights. And having forty participants would be too high of a number. The people who come have little time and only want to see the best. The first two tests were meant to filter out the bad seeds. You are what remains, but we only want the best, those that are above the rest.
That is why we will now hold preliminary rounds. The matches will be decided randomly.¡± The Mizukage stepped back and a Jonin in standard Kiri uniform stepped to the front. Some of the present Genin were whispering about this unforeseen change and were bemoaning their lack of rest.
The man flooded the room with a brief burst of killing intent to shut everyone up and only began to speak when it was silent. ¡°My name is Tokuga and I''ll be the proctor for the preliminary rounds, as well as the finals. From now on the exam will be individual. That means that your teammates will continue even if you fail or quit. Is there anyone here who does not see himself able to continue? As a warning, the following fights are not required to but can end deadly.¡±
Slowly but surely hands were raised. Most of those who quit looked to be exhausted and not able to fight. A good decision on their side. Two of our own Genin from Konoha were among them. It was the team with the Hyuuga, the other team that came with us was nowhere to be seen. The Hyuuga looked for a short moment as if he would quit too but then remained expressionless. He, like his two surrendering teammates, was looking a little beat up and his Chakra was not at maximum capacity.
Those who decided to quit were escorted out, while the rest of us was ordered to watch from the balustrades. From the forty Genin, only eighteen were left. Quite a few decided that trying again would be a better idea than fighting others who are looking well-rested.
Kagami-sensei and Sarutobi were already waiting for us. Tsu-chan and her team stood close to us. The only other Konoha Genin has decided that our company was not up to his standards and was standing a little at the side. His Sensei was trying to give him some last-minute tips. I knew that he had to fight for his clan, even if he wasn''t ready. By the expression on both his and his Sensei''s face, they did too.
¡°I heard you were the first to arrive?¡± Asked Kagami-sensei with a proud look, he was also grinning at Sarutobi. The maybe future Hokage grumbled something and handed over a stack of Ryu.
¡°You were betting on who of us would solve the task first?¡± Asked Jiraiya with a strange expression. I think he had trouble deciding if he should be affronted or feeling proud. Proud because they were betting on when they would win, not if.
Sarutobi shrugged, before answering casually. ¡°It''s one of the perks of becoming a Genin Sensei. You don''t want to know what we are betting on all the time.¡± Tsu-chan and Ariha were now also looking miffed.
¡°Fair enough,¡± I said and opened my hand to Kagami-sensei in a pay up gesture.
He looked at me as if I had become crazy. ¡°What? Why should I give you money?¡± He then asked when it became obvious that I would not lower my arm.
¡°We did all the work. Pay up, half for Ariha, Sakumo and me,¡± I answered in a tone that told him that I was serious.
¡°You are my Genin,¡± he defended. He clearly had no intentions of paying us our hard-earned money.
I kept staring at him. ¡°So you''d like me to tell Tobirama-Oji or Grandmother Mito that you two were betting on our survival of a highly lethal mission?¡± I asked casually. Sensei grumbled about blackmailing, before dividing the money into two halves and giving me one of them. I split it thrice and gave my teammates each their part.
Jiraiya was snickering at Sensei from the side but got cuffed over his head by his own Sensei, who looked at a contemplating Tsunade with a small hint of fear. They should have been more sneaky, we are Ninja, blackmail is our bread and butter.
¡°Look, the first fight is between Sakumo-kun and a Genin from Suna,¡± pointed Ariha out after storing her money away.
Sakumo looked at the screen as well and nodded to us once, before descending the stairs down to the arena. The Suna Genin was a boy with brown hair. He had a couple of scrolls on his hip and no other visible weapon.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
They faced each other in the middle of the arena. The proctor started the match and both jumped back for some distance. Sakumo drew his sword and watched his foe with calculating eyes, while the Suna Genin pulled his scroll open and unsealed a doll.
It had the shape of a canine, just that this one was riddled with blades and weapons. There were the obvious weapons, like claws and teeth, but then there were others. Like a blade at the end of its long tail, or razor-sharp blades sticking out of its body. I''m sure there are also launchers for other weapons and all of them are probably poisoned as well.
Sakumo tested the waters first, he threw a bunch of Kunai and Shuriken at the Suna Genin. They were all intercepted by his puppet. It jumped into the way of the weapons and they harmlessly bounced off of the hardened wood.
The puppet jumped forward at Sakumo and opened its mouth before it reached him. Out came Senbon, they were evaded rather easily. But the puppet was then close enough to attack directly. Its claws were harder to deflect than normal weapons and it did not have to move realistically.
The puppeteer could control the puppet any way he liked. This one might only be a Genin, but the skill needed to control a puppet was not to scoff at. Any puppeteer that was able to use his puppet in a fight was quite skilled in Chakra control and multitasking.
Sakumo, however, was by far no normal Genin. He had a mastery over his sword that could be described as art. So he gracefully danced around the paw strike and cut into the neck of the puppet. His sword cut through the hardened wood and cut off the head of the dog puppet.
It sailed off and clattered to the ground, yet a headless puppet would not stop moving. The dog continued to attack. Sakumo evaded each strike while trying the keep the puppeteer in his view.
¡°He''ll have to change his tactic, or else he will lose,¡± muttered Orochimaru from the side. I nodded in agreement. Sakumo knew that as well, but the puppeteer was good enough to keep him busy.
Suddenly, the cut off head rose up and opened its maw. The Senbon cannon inside activated and a bunch of Senbon were fired at the unprotected back of Sakumo. The shouted warning of Ariha came too late and Sakumo got hit by a few.
He did twist out of the main bulk, but two still managed to lodge themselves into his shoulder. Not a wound that would hinder him much, but Suna Ninja were known for their use of poison. Those Senbon are sure to be poisoned as well.
The Suna Genin smirked, which confirmed our worries. He also kept his puppet attacking, so that Sakumo had to move around, which speed the flow of the poison in his body up. Sakumo knew that he had to act fast or else he would lose.
A swing of his katana forced the puppet back. He then began a series of one-handed hand signs and finished by sucking in a big gulp of air, before spitting out a steady stream of fire. It burned strong but had realistically only a small chance of destroying the puppet. They were protected against fire, their wooden parts made this necessary.
Then again, the destruction of the puppet was not what Sakumo had intended to do. He made the flames higher and bigger to create a screen. The fire blocked the view of the puppeteer and forced him to retract his puppet for his own defence.
Sakumo used that to start another line of hand signs. There were more and needed more time to prepare, but the end result was also more rewarding. Once finished his sword began to glow in a bluish-white light. He poised it for a piercing attack and waited until the smoke cleared. He then pieced it at the Suna Genin and trusted his blade forward, thrice. ¡°Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Strike!¡±
Three thunderbolts flew off of his blade with an inevitable speed at the Suna Genin. The Genin saw the danger and moved his puppet in front of himself, he knew that his only method of attack had to be sacrificed if he wanted to overcome the attack.
The first bold slammed into the puppet and destroyed most of its outer shell. It started to burn from the heat of the lighting and parts beneath its armour became visible. The second bold destroyed the puppet completely and shards exploded in every direction.
The Suna Genin had not stood still and was trying to jump away as well, but the third, and last, bolt still managed to slightly touch him. Which was all electricity needs, the Genin screamed in pain and his body began to spasm. A moment later he fell down and did not move any longer, parts of him were smoking.
¡°Winner Hatake Sakumo of Konoha,¡± announced the proctor after a moment. Sakumo bowed to the downed Genin and then was led to the side by a medic Ninja. He still had the poison within himself.
¡°For a moment I thought he would lose,¡± muttered Jiraiya.
¡°Well, Suna is known for their puppets and the poisoned weapons. He should have used distant attacks from the start. I don''t know why he tried to fight the puppet with his sword,¡± commented Tsunade.
¡°Sakumo-kun loves his sword, he wants to beat his foes with only his sword skills. But, as was seen here, that is not always possible. He still aims to become the best swordsman in the world,¡± answered Ariha her, while looking at the rapidly changing screen. It stopped at the face of an Iwa Genin and then at Orochimaru''s face.
¡°Good luck, Bastard,¡± said Jiraiya to the already walking Orochimaru. The quite snake-like teenager ignored his teammate and descended the stairs calmly. The fight between him and the Iwa Genin started with a quick bout of Taijutsu.
¡°What did I miss?¡± Asked Sakumo suddenly. He had come back from the medic. His skin tone was a little pale and he was sweating more than normal, but other than that looked okay.
¡°Nothing much, Orochimaru is fighting a Genin from Iwa. Any reason why you tried to win with only your sword?¡± I replied. The fight down below was not really interesting, Orochimaru was clearly the more skilled Genin.
¡°I wanted to know if I could, say is there a way to cut Chakra threads?¡± He answered. I thought about his question for a moment and made a visible thread.
¡°Try cutting it,¡± I suggested. He drew his sword and swung it at the thread. I felt how it connected with his blade and then move with it. It didn''t get cut, but I would have to lengthen it if I had it connected to anything. ¡°Add lightning Chakra,¡± I said when it became obvious that he wouldn''t cut the thread. A second later his blade crackled with electricity and the Chakra thread got cut.
¡°So cutting them isn''t impossible,¡± said Sakumo with a satisfied nod. He hasn''t seen the problem. There was more than simply cutting them with a Chakra enhancement.
¡°Yes, but you only knew where it was because I made it visible. Chakra threads can be invisible, are most often even. You''ll need to know where they are if you want to cut them. A skilled user can simply move them out of the way of your sword,¡± I told him a moment later. I made another thread, showed it to him and then willed the thread to become invisible.
¡°Any idea how I can do that?¡± He asked with a frown. The thread was now directly in front of his face and he wasn''t noticing.
I knew that answer too, it will be hard to learn, but shouldn''t be impossible. ¡°They are Chakra, you might be able to sense them with enough training. Which will be quite hard, they feel the same as the user, who is normally quite close and sensing something this small and fine is hard.¡±
He nodded along. ¡°Yes, I''ll try to help you after the exam,¡± I added when he opened his mouth again. He smiled and nodded again in thanks. Meanwhile, down in the arena, Orochimaru had pinned his enemy to a nearby wall with an earthen spike Jutsu. The Iwa Genin did try to meld out of the spike with his own earth Chakra manipulation but found himself then starring into the pointy end of a Kunai. He had to surrender or would have lost an eye.
Tsunade cheered for Orochimaru and Jiraiya graced him with a ¡°Well done, Bastard¡±. The monitor had begun its draw before Orochimaru was back up again. This time it settled on another Kumo Genin and one of the teammates of the Kiri Jinchuriki.
Their fight was over relatively quickly. The Kiri Genin was not truly on a Genin level, he might not even be a Genin at all. He had stats that were close to Tsunade or Jiraiya, while the Kumo Genin was truly on the level of a Genin. High Chunin against a Genin, the result was obvious.
The next fight was between a Genin from Uzushiogakure and Kiri. I didn''t know that Uzushiogakure had Genin in the exam, apparently, there were some. This one was using a sword as was the Kiri Genin. They had a sword fight and Sakumo was very interested in it. In the end, the Uzushiogakure Genin won by using a water Jutsu on his body to catch the sword of the Kiri Genin. The momentary stop of the Kiri Genin allowed the other one to finish the fight.
The monitor changed again and stopped first at an Iwa Genin and then at Ariha. ¡°Oh great, it''s my turn.¡± She jumped over the fence with a few acrobatic stunts and landed in the middle of the arena. Her opponent took the slow route. They had to bow to each other and then the fight started, as well as ended.
¡°Why aren''t they doing anything?¡± Asked Jiraiya when neither moved. Just then the Kiri Genin started to scream and fell backwards. Ariha was upon him within a second and held a knife to his throat.
¡°She had caught him inside a Genjutsu the moment they locked eyes before they bowed. Ariha has had a Genjutsu on her eyes the whole time. The Kiri Genin may have known that she is an Uchiha, but he thought he could look into her eyes when they aren''t activated. He did not realize that she had them activated the whole time,¡± explained Kagami-sensei for him and his team.
¡°But the fights began three hours ago. Isn''t it taking Chakra to have your eyes activated?¡± Followed Jiraiya right up.
¡°That would be true if she had them activated for the whole time. But she hasn''t, she only had the Genjutsu over her eyes and then activated the Sharingan shortly before the fight started. Probably during her jump, the somersaults and twists distracted anyone from her eyes.¡± Jiraiya nodded in understanding and looked a little bit awed at Ariha for planning all this even before she had to fight.
¡°Come on, I want to fight.¡± Tsunade was starring intensely at the rapidly changing screen and was almost praying to be chosen. The silently muttered curse, when she wasn''t, was funny. Instead, the second teammate of the Kaguya girl had to fight another Kumo Genin.
This time the Genin from Kuma was showing more skill. They held a rather long Jutsu battle. The Kiri Genin was using water Jutsu, while the Kumo Genin had mostly used electric Jutsu. Electricity was strength-wise above water and there wasn''t much difference in skill. So it did not surprise us when an electric Jutsu and a water Jutsu clashed with the electric one coming out as the winner. The Kiri Genin got electrocuted and then punched in the face. He didn''t get up after that and was disqualified.
The monitor began to move through the remaining participants and both Tsunade and Jiraiya were praying. The first to be chosen at all and the second to not be chosen against either me or Tsunade. In the end, neither of their prayers won. The next few fights were all between none Konoha Genin and held no character I have seen so far or could remember from the manga/anime.
It started to become boring when finally Tsunade got chosen to fight. She got to fight the last normal Kiri Genin. Only the Hyuuga, Jiraiya, the Kaguya and I were left. I hope I don''t have to fight the Kaguya, there is not enough room to fight her here.
Anyway, Tsunade had also jumped down and needed to wait for her opponent. The moment the fight started she did not jump back to evaluate her opponent. Instead, she had rushed forward and swung her fist at the slightly surprised Kiri Genin.
Her fist met a block, but that wasn''t something she cared about. She had already a good grasp on her strength technique and her hit had quite a bit of strength behind. The Kiri Genin didn''t know what hit him. The hit of the slender looking girl had thrown him backwards and into the arena wall. There he had crashed into the hard stone with his back and was then buried under falling rubble.
With a groan, he climbed out of the broken wall and looked down at his broken arms. A single hit of Tsunade had thrown him through the room, broke his arms and destroyed a wall with his body. No one was surprised when he decided that surrendering would be the better option. Not when a normal hit could kill him.
Tsunade grinned smugly and gave me the victory sign. I smiled down at her. Even after years as a Genin, where she has seen much of the darker aspects of life, she was still the quirky and happy girl I am allowed to call my sister. ¡°Good job Tsu-chan,¡± I called down with a smile of my own.
She beamed up at me, before jumping back up to us. The monitor began to change rapidly between the remaining fighters and I could hear Jiraiya''s increasingly louder prayers. Alas, his luck couldn''t hold a candle to mine.
¡°NOOO!¡± Jiraiya''s shout of despair nicely underlined his face next to mine. Seems like I will have to fight him and not the Hyuuga or the Jinchuriki.
¡°Come Jiraiya-san,¡± I said lightly and with a friendly smile while patting him on the back. He didn''t realize it then, but that was the start of his end.
Jiraiya nodded lifelessly and followed me down. Down in the arena, we bowed to each other and the fight got started by the proctor. Both of us jumped backwards and then mustered the other.
My analysis of his status showed that he had stats in the low two hundred now, some higher. He also has the title of Apprentice of Mount Myoboku. That means him summoning some toads is not impossible and they would be allowed to fight alongside him, as summoning is seen as one of the Ninja''s skills and not allies.
Still, Jiraiya wasn''t looking as if he believes in winning, at all. ¡°Something wrong Jiraiya-san?¡± I asked when it became obvious that he wouldn''t start the fight.
¡°Yeah, there is no fucking chance for me to win. You are stronger than the Bastard and I was never able to beat him,¡± shouted Jiraiya in an already defeated tone.
Now, I had two options, I could either beat him down like so many here expect me to or give him a chance to show how strong he is. Jiraiya is also still a member of Konoha, he might have his quirks, but he is a generally good guy.
Seems like it will be option two.
Chapter 34, The Preliminaries 2, At Least He Tried
Third Person''s POV;
Jiraiya knew that he would not be able to win a fight against Kenshiro. He has seen the wind Jutsu that the other Genin has invented. He didn''t show it then, mostly because a stray rock has hit his nuts, but he was extremely afraid of fighting a serious Kenshiro.
That was also the reason why he only slightly perved on Tsunade and Ariha whenever Kenshiro was present. The bloodlust that hits him whenever he ogles Tsunade in his presence has given him bladder problems more than once.
And here he was now, fighting the probably strongest Genin in the whole of Konoha. ¡°Something wrong Jiraiya-san?¡± Asked Kenshiro, if Jiraiya wouldn''t have known better he would have been fooled by the genuine sounding interest in Kenshiro''s voice.
¡°Yeah, there is no fucking chance for me to win. You are stronger than the Bastard and I was never able to beat him,¡± shouted Jiraiya back. It angered him that even now the perfect Kenshiro was acting as if he was friends with anyone.
Kenshiro tried to encourage him, but his words sounded false in Jiraiya''s ears. ¡°Come, just give your best and everything will be fine.¡±
¡°Easy for you to say,¡± mumbled Jiraiya. But apparently, Kenshiro also has a perfect hearing, because he frowned and then thought about something for a moment.
¡°Tell you what, if you can give me a good fight I will show you a Jutsu that will help you enormously. And if you manage to beat me I will show you an even better Jutsu,¡± offered Kenshiro.
¡°I don''t need your Jutsu,¡± shouted Jiraiya back, he left unsaid that he wasn''t sure if he could even learn them. The things Tsunade has spoken about Kenshiro made him doubt that even Kenshiro''s easiest Jutsu would be easy enough for him.
¡°Don''t say that I promise you. I can''t show it now, Tsu-chan would hate me for it. However, it is a Jutsu right up your ally,¡± promised Kenshiro. It at least made Jiraiya interested. A Jutsu Tsunade would hate is definitely a Jutsu that dabbles in perverted stuff. And from the trip to the onsen, Jiraiya knew that Kenshiro wasn''t the perfect prude he initially believed him to be.
Still, Jiraiya had to make sure that Kenshiro wouldn''t take his word back. Not that he believed him to do, but you can never be too sure. ¡°Okay, but no taking back. If I beat you I get a Jutsu that is perfect for me.¡±
Kenshiro nodded. ¡°I don''t go back on a made promise. If you beat me I will teach you a Jutsu you would die for, that is if you beat me.¡± Jiraiya knew as well how high the chances of that happening were, but maybe Kenshiro will show him if he gives him a good fight.
Jiraiya took a deep breath and then shouted his readiness. ¡°Okay, here I come!¡±
He rapidly threw Kunai and Shuriken at Kenshiro, before he started to go through a rapid series of hand signs.
He was also slightly delighted to see that Kenshiro only pulled a single Kunai out of his pouch, maybe to deflect his onslaught of weapons. It would give him time to finish the next Jutsu.
However, Kenshiro threw his only Kunai and then went through his own series of hand signs, faster than Jiraiya. ¡°Shuriken Kage Bunshin Jutsu!¡± Kenshiro''s single Kunai suddenly shimmered, before dozens, maybe a hundred Kunai suddenly filled the air.
Jiraiya''s hopes that these were merely illusions were quickly shattered when each new Kunai of Kenshiro hit one of his Kunai or Shuriken mid-flight. Within moments all of his weapons were stopped and that by only a single one from Kenshiro.
Still, he has had enough time to finish his hand signs and now he would show what he has learned. He bit his thumb and smeared some of the blood on his palm, before bringing them down to the floor. ¡°Summoning Jutsu!¡±
A large cloud of smoke puffed up and prevented everyone from seeing what was summoned. Kenshiro waved his hand and a gust of wind blew the cloud away, this much was only a minor application of Wind Chakra Manipulation.
Now for everyone to see where three toads standing/sitting around Jiraiya. They all were around his size and looked different, with different weapons.
One was blue in colour and had two Katana strapped on his back. The next one was more orange and warty, he was smoking a cigarette and wore a blue shirt, a knife rested on his hip. And lastly was a reddish-purple toad with horns, he had a round shield on his back and held a Sasumata in his hands.
¡°What''s going on Jiraiya-kun? Why do you need all three of us?¡± Asked the orange toad. None of the watchers was speaking, all of them too shocked to see a Genin performing a summoning Jutsu for three summons. And while they were not large, they were still three and big enough to fight within the arena.
¡°Gamabunta, Gamahiro, Gamaken, I need your help, guys. We are in the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exam. I''m fighting Kenshiro Senju,¡± explained Jiraiya quickly and without taking his eyes off of Kenshiro. Who strangely enough seems to be pretty content with waiting for him to finish.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°A Senju eh? Is it the one you are always raging about?¡± Asked the blue toad now.
Jiraiya nodded and pulled a Kunai for himself out. He wasn''t so stupid and used all of his Kunai with his first attack, that happened only once in training. ¡°Yeah, he is the one I spoke about. If I can beat him he has promised to teach me a super awesome Jutsu.¡±
¡°I hope I will be of help, you know I am clumsy,¡± voiced the last toad his concerns.
¡°A question, can summons die? I don''t want to use too much force, this is a mock battle after all,¡± asked Kenshiro suddenly.
Jiraiya gritted his teeth, from the way Kenshiro spoke it sounded as if he was guaranteed to win this, even when it stood four against one.
¡°Don''t worry about us, your own health will soon be of more concern to you!¡± Shouted the orange toad, Gamabunta, before jumping forward with his strong legs. He shot over the distance to Kenshiro within a second and had his knife ready to pierce into the Genin.
¡°Wait!¡± That was all Jiraiya could shout in warning before Gamabunta was out of range for him to grab the toad.
Sure of his speed Gamabunta did not heed Jiraiya''s warning any thoughts. He continued his attack, his knife already prepared and about to ram into the Genin, when suddenly the young human twisted out of his attack with speed he could hardly follow.
Kenshiro made a single turn and kicked out at Gamabunta with a roundhouse kick. Gamabunta was only able to bring his knife up in a guard, before the steel tapped boot of Kenshiro crashed into him.
¡°Guahr!¡± The strength behind Kenshiro''s kick was enough to completely reverse Gamabunta''s flight path. He got thrown back to his friends, where the reddish-purple toad caught him before he could fly past. Only the fact that he blocked with his knife saved him from a few broken bones.
¡°That''s what I wanted to warn you about. He is stronger than the Bastard and attacking him without a plan won''t do,¡± reprimanded Jiraiya his friend a moment later.
¡°Urgh, what is his foot made out of, steel?¡± Grunted Gamabunta while righting himself. He glared at Kenshiro, but the other Genin just smiled and allowed them to prepare for the next attack.
Jiraiya turned to his three friends and addressed them. ¡°Okay, here''s what we will do. Gamaken and Gamahiro will distract him, while Gamabunta and I will prepare our combined special attack. It''s important that you two keep him busy, he is fast and might be able to evade our special attack.¡±
¡°Are you serious? That can kill him,¡± voiced Gamabunta his worries. However, he was still ready to follow his summoners plan and jumped next to him.
¡°I am clumsy, so I don''t know how much of a help I will be,¡± spoke the reddish-purple toad, before rushing forward at Kenshiro. The blue toad drew his two Katana and followed right after his friend.
¡°Finished planning?¡± Asked Kenshiro when he saw that they started their attack. He calmly watched how the two human-sized toads came at him, while Jiraiya and Gamabunta began to go through a long series of hand signs.
¡°I am clumsy, so forgive me for attacks that may be too strong,¡± apologized Gamaken before attacking with his Sasumata. The staff like weapon came down at Kenshiro from the top and crashed into the ground when said Genin evaded.
A slight jump backwards was enough for Kenshiro to get out of reach, but the blue toad was already prepared and followed up with his own attack. His two swords came at Kenshiro in the form of a scissor attack.
Kenshiro in return pulled two Kunai out of his pouch and applied Wind Chakra to the blade. He then blocked the sword attack of the blue toad with his reinforced weapons and elongated the blade of his wind right after.
Gamahiro''s toad-like eyes widened in surprise and he would have been stabbed, had Gamaken not put his shield in the way. The wind blade pierced into the shield but wasn''t able to penetrate through the Nature Chakra hardened steel.
¡°That guy is good,¡± commented Gamahiro. He then jumped over the shield of Gamaken and prepared his Katanas for a downward slash. Gamaken also pushed his shield forward and broke Kenshiro''s stance, while swinging his weapon at Kenshiro from the side.
¡°Danger, danger,¡± commented Kenshiro with a light smile. He then threw his two Kunai up at Gamahiro, who had to block the still wind enhanced blades with his own sword.
That left Kenshiro without a weapon to defend himself against the heavy swing from Gamaken. It would have been a problem for Kenshiro, had he needed a weapon.
Gamaken''s eyes widened in surprise when suddenly his weapon got stuck mid-swing. He tried to pull it away, but his Sasumata was stuck. As if something was holding it with an iron grip.
¡°Pressure Palm!¡± Gamaken''s eyes widened for a second time when he saw a palm racing at his chest. Wind currents were streaming alongside the palm and he had no delusions that the attack would take him out if it were to hit.
He tried to bring his shield in between the palm and himself and even managed to do that. However, he had not enough time to steady himself and when the palm landed on his shield he got blasted off of his feet and into the arena wall.
He grunted in pain and felt how a bunch of his bones were broken from the attack, even when blocked. ¡°I''m sorry Jiraiya-san, but it seems like I am too clumsy.¡± Croaked Gamaken out before he had to de-summon himself.
¡°Too much force, sorry,¡± apologized Kenshiro while turning to the remaining blue toad. Gamahiro gulped nervously, he had never seen his brother being taken out this easily. At least not when fighting someone that should be Jiraiya''s age.
Kenshiro then looked at Jiraiya and back to the blue toad, before addressing Gamahiro. ¡°You should de-summon yourself. Jiraiya has soon finished his preparations and you will take too much Chakra from him once he has unleashed whatever he has planned.¡±
Gamahiro himself knew that, but he couldn''t allow this monstrous Genin to interrupt Jiraiya. So with a battle croak, he attacked again. His blades swung fast, but not fast enough. Kenshiro ducked, weaved and twisted out of harm''s way with seemingly ease.
¡°Thanks, Gamahiro, we''re ready!¡± Shouted Jiraiya suddenly. Gamahiro nodded and de-summoned himself.
Kenshiro stopped as well and looked over at Jiraiya, he and his last remaining toad were standing next to each other. ¡°Look Tsunade-hime, this is how strong I have become!¡± They both took a deep gulp of air and then unleashed their combined Jutsu. ¡°Katon: Flaming Oil Bullet!¡±
Gamabunta spewed a thick oil-like liquid out of his mouth, while Jiraiya began to spew flames. The flames hit the oil and set fire to it, turning the oil into an extremely hot liquid substance that was flying at Kenshiro at a rapid speed.
¡°¡±Watch out Ken-kun!¡°¡± Both Ariha and Tsunade shouted in worry, neither would have ever believed that Jiraiya would be able to master such a Jutsu.
By the time the flames reached Kenshiro, they were already wide enough to fill the whole arena. There was no way for Kenshiro to evade to the top or any side. They hit his position and burned everything in its way.
Jiraiya and his summon were able to hold the Jutsu for multiple seconds before they run out of the gathered Chakra. They stopped their attack and for everyone present, a burning arena was revealed. The oil was clinging to the floor and turned the side where Kenshiro stood into a burning hell zone.
However, there was no sign of Kenshiro. ¡°Sorry Jiraiya-kun, but I''m out of Chakra,¡± apologized Gamabunta before he too de-summoned himself.
¡°Hah..hah,¡± Jiraiya was breathing hard and sweat was running down his face in streams. ¡°Did I beat him?¡± He asked while trying to look for Kenshiro''s body within the still burning arena.
¡°Sorry, but no,¡± spoke suddenly Kenshiro''s voice from right next to him. The startled Jiraiya whirled around and was about to punch Kenshiro in the face when suddenly his arm got stuck mid-air.
The next moment Kenshiro''s fist landed in Jiraiya''s face and threw him backwards. He landed on the ground and rolled a few times before he laid still. The single attack was strong enough to leave a heavy bruise. Combined with Jiraiya''s depleted, even almost exhausted, Chakra levels the white-haired Genin couldn''t find the strength to stand back up.
¡°How?¡± Was all he could ask while the proctor declared Kenshiro as the winner.
Chapter 35, The Preliminaries 3, Was That A Good Idea?
Kenshiro''s POV;
¡°How?¡± Questioned Jiraiya weakly. I walked up to him, the proctor has already declared me as the winner.
¡°I tapped you before we went down, I placed a Chakra thread on your back. I kept it long during the fight but tightened it in the last second. That stopped your swing and allowed me to hit you. Or do you want to know how I evaded your flames?¡± I explained and asked while helping him up.
Medics were rushing at us, but Jiraiya was waving them away. He knew himself that he didn''t need real medical help. Only a good rest and some mild healing from Tsunade were needed.
¡°Flames,¡± he clarified, too weak to speak in full sentences. I slung my arm over his shoulder and helped him up to the balustrade. He looked at me in surprise, maybe he did not expect me to help him?
¡°When you threw your Shuriken and Kunai. I hid under the earth with a Hidden Mole Jutsu and sneaked behind you. The one your summons fought was only a clone. Once you finished your Jutsu I only had to jump out and give you the rest.
You should be more careful, the Jutsu was strong, easily having the strength of a high B-Rank, low A-Rank Jutsu, but it also takes a huge amount of Chakra. I can give you a few Chakra Manipulation tips for improving your fire affinity if you want.¡±
He started to chuckle weakly and then coughed. Chakra exhaustion feels like a massive flue and can cause coughing fits. ¡°Why are you so friendly?¡± He asked in a baffled tone.
For a moment I was surprised why he would ask that, weren''t we both Konoha Genin and somewhat acquainted through Tsunade? I also like his antics, if they are not targeted at Tsu-chan or Ariha-chan.
¡°You are the teammate of my sister. Of course, I would have an interest in you becoming strong, who else can protect her when I am not present?¡± I answered, knowing that he would take my words seriously.
He said nothing for a long moment and we had almost reached our two teams when he spoke again. ¡°Did I at least do good enough for the Jutsu?¡±
This time it was me who chuckled. ¡°Hmm, yeah you did. Find me once we have time off and are alone, I will show you.¡± I will teach him the Sexy no Jutsu, I have recreated it at some point while experimenting with the Henge and am sure he would appreciate the Jutsu.
¡°Stupid idiot, you could have killed Ken-kun,¡± shouted Tsunade the moment we were close enough. Jiraiya noticeably winced from her tone.
I didn''t glare at her, but my look told her what I thought about her harsh words. ¡°It''s okay Tsu-chan. More importantly, shouldn''t you congratulate him for becoming this strong? Would you have thought that Jiraiya could summon? And then cooperate with his summons so well? The fire-oil Jutsu he used with his summons was strong, had I not prepared myself beforehand I might have taken serious damage from that Jutsu.¡±
She looked startled but slowly nodded. ¡°Well, yes, you did good, Idiot,¡± she then said after a pause. I felt how Jiraiya stiffened when he heard the kinda praise from my sister.
He then pushed himself away from me and tried to look strong. ¡°Of course I did, I am the gallant Jiraiya.¡± His words had only just finished when exhaustion overcame him. His eyes rolled back and he fell forward. Sarutobi quickly caught him and leaned his body gently against the wall.
¡°Idiot,¡± mumbled Tsunade, she then hugged me and started a diagnostic Jutsu on me. ¡°You aren''t hurt and your Chakra is almost full. Why did you want me to praise the Idiot when it was so easy for you to beat him?¡±
¡°I will tell you after the exam, fetch Orochimaru, he needs to hear this as well,¡± I answered. For once I tried to convey in my tone that I was disappointed in her. And it seems as if my tone was understood, she visibly flinched but nodded slowly.
¡°Now take a look at your teammate, I hit his face pretty hard and his summoning must have taken a lot of Chakra,¡± I then said and turned away from her. I don''t like to act like this towards her, but her and Orochimaru''s behaviour towards Jiraiya need to change.
She silently walked over to Jiraiya and started her diagnostic Jutsu, while I went to my teammates.
¡°What''s this about?¡± Asked Kagami-sensei, Ariha and Sakumo were also looking interested.
I glanced back at Tsunade and Jiraiya. Orochimaru and Sarutobi were also standing close to the sleeping Jiraiya and were waiting for Tsunade''s diagnostic Jutsu to finish.
¡°Someone was seemingly ignoring the blatant bullying of one of his Genin. And I hate to have to kill him if it results in the death of my sister,¡± I said, loud enough for Sarutobi to hear, but not loud enough for Orochimaru and Tsunade.
All of us were looking now at the other team and saw how Sarutobi was looking shaken. Did he seriously not notice the abuse of one of his Genin?
I knew that Ariha and Sakumo were on my side in this matter, but Kagami-sensei had to ask. ¡°Would you give him the fault if your sister were to come to harm during a mission?¡±
I looked at him and suppressed the first thing I wanted to say and instead said the Konoha friendly version. ¡°If it was our Sensei''s fault for the death of one of my teammates or that of Tsu-chan''s I would be damn sure to try and bring him in front of a martial court.¡± What I didn''t say was that this Sensei would no longer have arms, legs, eyes or any other important, but not vital, body parts.
A torso and head can get sentenced to prison as well as a full body.
He studied me for a moment, but it looked as if he was not pressing the matter further. ¡°Be sure to make sure that it was his fault and only the Hokage is allowed to order executions,¡± he merely said, before turning back to the arena.
The last fight will start in a moment and the Jinchuriki, as well as the Hyuuga, were already on their way to the middle.
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They bowed to each other and then the fight started. The Hyuuga didn''t wait a single second before he activated his Byakugan and then rushed at the seemingly defenceless Kaguya.
He was fast enough to be considered low Chunin, I''ll give him that, but it was plainly obvious that the Kiri girl could track him easily. He reached her and jabbed out with his left arm to give her a Chakra enhanced tap.
Only that his taps can be deadly or used to seal off every Tenketsu Point within your body. Normal Ninja have a hard time defending themselves against a Hyuuga. They almost sorely focus on speed and are hard to counter once they are in close and personal.
She in return was trying and seemingly badly failing at evading his attacks. Soon the sound of displaced air and small Chakra explosions filled the room. And yet most who were somewhat skilled in close combat, i.e. everyone present, could see that she wasn''t getting any damage.
Rune Kaguya seems to be one of the few that can call themselves the natural counter to a Hyuuga. It was hard to track, but those with good enough eyes and a good focus could see movement and change under her clothes.
Normally this could mean anything, and it still can. However, I think it''s safe to say that a Kaguya with those movements under her/his clothes is in the middle of activating her bloodline.
And sure enough, she was getting close to no damage from his onslaught, and yet she was acting as if he was doing serious harm. When in reality her bones were already absorbing the damage he was trying to deal to her Tenketsu Points.
Soon he had gone through his whole set of kata and the Kaguya was pretending to be on her last leg. And really, it was a set of kata. Had the Hyuuga stopped and thought for a single moment he would have seen that his attacks weren''t doing anything.
He was so focused on his next attack, the next step in his set, that he completely missed how ineffective they were. The little damage he did was quickly healed by her Bijuu. Maybe his eyes are not yet good enough to see the difference, or maybe he was just that blind.
Whatever it was, it also made him show his Hyuuga arrogance. ¡°Hmpf, as I expected, nothing strong comes from other villages. My All-Seeing Eyes could keep up with your sloppy evasion with ease. You couldn''t even defend against a single attack, what a weak excuse of a Kunoichi you are.¡± Had he stopped there I am not sure what would have happened differently, maybe it would have been a lot less painful, but he didn''t and it wasn''t.
To proof his point he crouched down next to her and pulled her up on her hair. Trying to show her the faces of the watching people. Practically demanding and degrading her in one of the worst possible ways.
I facepalmed, that idiot!
I would judge the female Jinchuriki as a silent, yet temperamental girl. She has had almost skewered me in the brief moment I hugged her. There is no way that someone would get away with that and survive if she has any say in the matter.
The next second the Hyuuga was screaming like a bleeding pig. He was clutching his face with one hand and wildly swinging with his free hand after the Kaguya.
She has already jumped back and was smirking at her opponent. ¡°It was brief, but I could see how two sharp bones grew out of her face and pierced into the Hyuuga,¡± informed Ariha-chan the rest of us.
I narrowed my eyes and could indeed see blood flowing in between the fingers of the boy. If he''s extremely unlucky he got stabbed in the eyes.
¡°Aaaaa! MY EYES!¡± Ariha-chan and Kagami-sensei were both wincing from the sight. Where once have been two pale white pupils, swollen with veins, were now two bleeding, destroyed, and irreparable holes.
¡°Definitely blind,¡± I muttered. Everyone present around me stiffened. They instantly became angered and Kagami-sensei had to warn both Ariha-chan and Sakumo-kun to lower their bloodlust.
Every Konoha Ninja saw this as excessive and not necessary. With the exception of me. I don''t care about him, the Hyuuga are slavers, arrogant, and conceited. I am also not brainwashed to be undying loyal to Konoha and every one part of it.
While it was true that killing was not forbidden, it was heavily frowned upon. She must know that, which means that the following will be deliberate.
¡°Awe, why are you crying? Did someone poke you into the eye?¡± Laughed the girl in the same mocking tone he used before. She fired two bones out of her opened palm. They shot out of her hand and through the knees of the Hyuuga.
He fell to the ground and tried to stand up again. From the corner of my eyes, I could see how his Sensei has had to be held back by both Sakumo and Sarutobi. We are in Kiri, interfering with one of the fights, especially against one of their Genin, would be seen as more than helping a student. Guy could only help Lee because they had the home advantage.
It was a sign of weakness for our village and would be seen as cheating. We would also give the organizing village, AGAIN Kiri, the middle finger for not preventing an unneeded death.
Everyone knew that we would have allowed the same, but as long as we were not in their position we could pretend to be the nice guys.
It came as it had to. She knew that she had not much time before even the judge had to deem the battle finished, so she fired off the last bone through her palm. It pierced through the head of the Hyuuga and he fell forward.
The kid is dead. His clan shouldn''t have pushed him into this. The fight finished with her as the winner. And his corpse got carried out. I don''t feel anything about his death, but I''m not sure how I should feel about her. She didn''t come over as someone who would kill whenever she has the chance. She is more calculating, there must have been a higher reason.
¡°Not good,¡± muttered Tsunade from next to me. I nodded in agreement. Orochimaru and Sakumo weren''t as quick to see what Tsunade meant. Ariha saw it as well.
¡°What do you mean Tsunade-hime?¡± Asked Orochimaru after a moment of thinking and not coming up with the reason for her words.
¡°She killed the Hyuuga,¡± explained Ariha, however, that wasn''t enough for him, so Tsunade continued with the explanation.
¡°He was the direct heir to the line. The Hyuuga will demand blood for this, however, it was during the exams. So legally speaking she was in her right to kill him. Naturally, Kirigakure won''t hand her out, this will lead to tensions between our villages and clashes between Hyuuga and Kiri Ninja on missions will increase.¡±
As the pessimist of our group, I had to add something. ¡°That and potentially lead to war. It''s not sure to say that it was intentional, but she very well might have done the first hit in a coming war.¡± Now Sakumo and Orochimaru both saw what Tsunade meant. Maybe that was her goal? But why would Kiri want to start a war with us?
¡°Ma, I''m sure it won''t come down to war,¡± interrupted Kagami-sensei, but his eyes showed worry. He was at least partially agreeing with us. Still, the war was coming to us one way or the other. Heck, maybe this was the canon reason for the Second Shinobi World War.
¡°Would the Genin who have won please come down,¡± request/ordered the proctor the moment the Hyuuga was out of the ring. We all walked down to the middle of the arena, where the Mizukage and the proctor with an attendant were waiting.
¡°The fights were all promising and quite a good few Genin have managed to archive victory. Those of you who have won will be allowed to stay within Kirigakure for the next month and train for the finals. A tournament showcased to the Daimyo and rich.
We will now decide who you will face in your first round.¡± The Mizukage then stepped back again. There was no sign of him being pleased or angered by the actions of his Jinchuriki. Not that it was likely, he is a Kage, they must have a good grasp over their emotions.
An attendant to walk forward. He had a box in his hands with a hole inside. Our numbers were inside. One after the other we were called up and each had to pull a number. In the end, the results looked something like that;
Sakumo vs Uzushiogakure-Genin
Ariha vs Tsunade
Kumo-Genin vs Rune Kaguya
Suna-Genin vs Kiri-Genin
Kiri-Genin vs Kumo-Genin
And lastly Orochimaru vs Me.
Seriously, why are there so many no-name Genin? Okay, sure, they do have a name, but I sure as hell won''t remember them. Luckily, they are written over their head for me to read.
Still, Ariha vs Tsunade, I hope that one will turn out well. Both are somewhat cat fighting each other for months now. Hopefully, they will still be able to see that they are allies.
¡°With that, the preliminary rounds are over. You can go back to your hotel and rest, you have earned it,¡± spoke the Mizukage now again. We all saw the dismiss as what it was and bowed slightly, before turning around and walking back to our Sensei.
¡°You''ve done well, all of you. Let''s go out and eat something, my treat,¡± praised Kagami-sensei all three of us. Each of us three had a matching grin and nodded eagerly.
¡°You''ll go out to eat? Can we come as well?¡± Asked Tsunade, she must have heard us.
¡°Eh well.¡± Kagami-sensei was looking less enthused now. He knows that paying for his team, but not for the other Genin is rude, but he can''t exactly decline Tsunade.
Luckily for him, Sarutobi jumped in and helped him out. The knowing grin on his lips told me that he too has seen his friends discomfort. ¡°Haha, yeah let''s eat something together. After all us Sensei have to reward our Genin for a job well done.¡±
Kagami-sensei smiled thankfully and together we left the facility. Turned out that we were on the building that stood in the middle of the lake. It was only a two-minute sprint to get back on land and inside Kiri. The guard needed more time to inspect us than the whole trip back.
In the end, we ate at a fairly good fish restaurant. At some point, even Jiraiya woke up. His Chakra depletion left him with a massive appetite and I think Sarutobi regretted it in the end to invite his students.
We ate for some time and spoke about the exam, how Tsunade''s team almost got taken out by a trap laid from us. One of the traps we placed at the entrances to the last lake. They asked us how we got around the traps, to which we just shrugged. I pointed out that Ariha has very good eyes, which appeased them, thankfully.
Chapter 36, A Month of Preparation 1, Stop the Bullying
Later that night we all arrived at our hotel. None of us had drunk anything alcoholic, the fact that we are still in a different village has not been forgotten. It was late and all six of us wanted to go to bed, especially Jiraiya.
However, Tsunade hasn''t forgotten what I have told her after my fight against Jiraiya and was knocking on the door of my room with Orochimaru standing next to her. ¡°You said we had to talk?¡± She asked, her tone was the most insecure I have ever heard from her.
¡°Yes, please come in,¡± I said and waved both inside. Ariha and Sakumo were almost ready for bed and looked at me with questioning eyes.
¡°Guys, could you give us a few minutes? I have to tell them something,¡± I said to the two of them. They somewhat already know about what I want to speak with Orochimaru and Tsunade, which is why they grabbed a deck of cards and walked into the group room for our teams.
Only Tsunade''s and my team were left in Kiri, the rest will depart tomorrow. No Genin from the other teams has proceeded to the next round and as such wasn''t allowed to stay. Jiraiya was also only allowed to stay because some of his teammates were in the finals.
Tsunade sat down on my bed while Orochimaru decided to take a chair. I too sat down on a chair.
¡°What did you want to speak with us about that needed for us to be alone Kenshiro-san?¡± Started Orochimaru. Tsunade was worriedly biting her lower lip.
¡°You two need to step back on the bullying of Jiraiya,¡± I said bluntly. Orochimaru was looking at me without any expression, but Tsunade was openly gaping at me. I think both, irrespective of their expressions, were not understanding why I had said that.
¡°Why? He''s an idiot,¡± questioned Tsunade and I really got the expression that she was truly believing her own words.
¡°Does that have to do with your strange friendliness towards him during your fight? You''ve allowed him quite some leeway. Some you would never have allowed during the training we have done together,¡± inquired Orochimaru.
For the very first time, I was truly disappointed in Tsunade for not seeing it. It was as if everything related to Jiraiya was under a mental block that would prevent her from thinking. ¡°You don''t get it, do you? Jiraiya needed it. Tsu-chan, he is craving praise, your and Orochimaru''s constant insults, the beat downs, the nagging. All of this is unfair to him,¡± I tried again.
¡°Yeah, sure, but he deserves it with his constant perverse jokes, behaviour and thinking. Do you know how often he tries to touch my ass during sparring?¡± Defended Tsunade herself. For a brief moment, I contemplated not helping Jiraiya, for that alone. But then I would do the same as these two. I also realized that I hadn''t made myself clear enough.
I tried to explain again, hopefully, to guide them towards what I meant. ¡°I don''t mean that. You can beat him down for that, no problem on my side. What I mean is telling him that he is an idiot. That he is stupid and can''t do anything. Have you two seen him fighting today?¡±
¡°He showed more skill than what I would have believed for him to be possible,¡± agreed Orochimaru. Seems that he still did not get it. Which shouldn''t have been so surprising for me, Orochimaru is even more of a social cripple than I.
From her expression, I could see that Tsunade was agreeing with Orochimaru, but also not understanding what I was saying. Her sight was blinded by Jiraiya''s perverseness, rather than by her social skills.
This maieutic teaching method can be quite bothersome. I would be more direct if it weren''t so effective. ¡°Okay, let me ask you something. What would have happened if you four were in a fight against Ninja from a different Village? Let''s say a group of one Jonin and three Chunin. The Chunin are all relatively strong and have already made a name for themselves.
Now you four get split up. Naturally, your Sensei will fight the Jonin and you three will most likely each take on one of the remaining Chunin. You all don''t know how strong the Chunin are exactly, but you do know that they can or should be stronger than you.
What will happen?¡±
¡°Of course we fight them with all we have and then help one of the others,¡± answered Tsunade instantly.
I applauded her, to which she smiled. ¡°Right answer, if it were you. What would Jiraiya do?¡± I asked. Her smile dropped and she began to think. Orochimaru was also thinking, he had agreed with Tsunade''s answer.
¡°He would probably fuck something up and we would have to save him, or Sensei would,¡± she then said after a long pause.
Orochimaru nodded along. Seems as if that already did happen, but they still did not get what I wanted to say. ¡°Sigh, maybe. But whose fault is that?¡±
¡°Well, his, for being stupid and fucking up,¡± she answered again as if it was obvious.
¡°No, it is your fault.¡± Both looked shocked, not understanding why Jiraiya''s mistake was their fault. Okay, Tsunade looked shocked, Orochimaru has raised an eyebrow. Tsunade was about to protest, but I cut her off before she could start. ¡°Damn, Tsu-chan, have you seen him when he saw that he had to fight me? He was devastated, scared and not able to think clearly.
I had to bribe him to even give him the will to fight. You two have conditioned Jiraiya to always doubt himself. I could almost see his thoughts.
He knew that I am stronger, so why bothering? ''I''m an idiot anyway, why should I try something futile?'' This self-doubt is deadly. You can''t doubt yourself in a fight to the death. Every single attack will become weaker.
For me, it is a wonder that he is still trying to become stronger. Most would have given up by now.¡±
¡°But he is weak, he is the weakest of us,¡± protested Tsunade again. This time I showed how disappointed I was in her.
She visibly recoiled and looked extremely sad. I almost apologized, but then stopped myself. If they don''t change that behaviour it might kill them later. I can''t expect them to have a main character plot armour, this is the real world and I have already changed too much.
¡°Yes, he is the weakest of us six. But that is understandable. Tell me, what is Orochimaru? I mean how is he seen by the teachers in the academy?¡±
¡°A genius, not as good as you, but still one of the best?¡± Her answer was instant. Orochimaru did not visibly react to her praise, but I think he was pleased.
¡°Good, now what are we? Senju Tsunade, Senju Kenshiro, Uchiha Ariha and Sakumo Hatake?¡± I hope they get it soon, how blind can these two be? Is Jiraiya truly such a loudmouth that they can not see the main difference between him and us?
¡°You are clan kids,¡± said Orochimaru, he was starting to look as if he understood. ¡°And Jiraiya, he is not. He is an orphan, always was.¡± Finally, at least Orochimaru understood.
Tsunade was also almost there, but she was still linking Orochimaru with Jiraiya. For her, both are clanless orphans. ¡°Tsu-chan, Orochimaru had his parents for the first few years. They have shown him how to train, how to have a regular schedule. They raised him as it is normal.¡± Orochimaru did not like me mentioning his parents, but it was needed.
¡°Jiraiya did not. He was living in an orphanage, overcrowded from the First Shinobi War and with too little personal to help every child. He had to teach himself, no clan to help him understand his schoolwork, no mother to tell him to stand up in the morning, no father that would praise him for things he has done well.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
He has had to teach all of his first skills himself. Only recently was it that he became better in his behaviour. And I strongly suspect it has something to do with his summons. There must be one or two of them that are now acting like parents.¡± Tsunade was silently mumbling Ma and Pa.
¡°It is no wonder that he is as he is. He probably tried very hard in the beginning but was overshadowed by the clan kids. Understandably so, only a real genius can keep up with a clan kid. At least in the academy. He couldn''t keep up with them in the academy and so he switched to jokes and pranks. They too gave him the craved attention.
The problem was, no one told him that this is the wrong kind of attention. He has no family to tell him that it was wrong to do.¡± Tsunade was now fully understanding what I was trying to tell them. She looked apologetic, maybe even remembering the time''s Mom and Dad have praised us for our training results. Still, I had to drive it home that they need to change.
¡°And now he becomes Genin. He has shown that he was still better than many other civilians and orphans, even some clan kids. The test was not hard for us, but it is for those who only have the Academy for help.
And what happens? He gets put into a team with a genius and the Senju-princess. Two children his age, yet better in everything he does. Of course, they will also get all the attention, which is why he goes back to the only way for him to knowingly also gain some of it. By behaving goofy, perverted and by doing pranks.
And instead of telling him what he should do you beat him down, mock him and show him at every opportunity how weak he is compared to you.
Were I in his shoes I would have given up long ago. I honestly admire his unyielding will to show the world that he too can be strong. Seriously, I have nothing but respect for him for that.¡±
Now even Orochimaru had the decency to look embarrassed. ¡°Okay, you now know why he acts as he acts and I already skirted around the results. You two should also be knowledgeable enough to know that Chakra is somewhat intent-based. The more we want something the easier it is for us to force our Chakra into moving as we want.
This, however, is a double-edged sword. While it works good in times of anger, desperation and such, it also has the same effect when you doubt yourself. Chakra will be slower to mould, weaker, simply not as good as it could be.
I think I have demonstrated it in today''s match. Jiraiya wanted to win so that I would teach him a Jutsu. It made his Chakra channelling faster, his thinking quicker and his overall performance better.¡±
¡°Something that doesn''t happen often because we keep his self-worth down.¡± Finally, Tsunade understood. But now she understood fully, she has realized what she has unknowingly done to her teammate.
¡°I don''t want you to ignore his perverseness. Beat him down for it all you want. However, it might help if you explain to him why you are beating him up. Not shout it at him, but sit down with him and explain. Maybe he isn''t seeing how it makes you feel when he says his stuff.
Again, how should he? He had no mother that told him how to behave in the presence of a woman. And let me remind you, the orphanage he was living in was close to the red light district. He must have often seen drunkards and hookers behaving exactly like that.¡±
The more I was speaking about it, the more sense his behaviour was making. And how he saw himself in Naruto. Jiraiya is basically Naruto, with the exception of not having a Bijuu inside himself and not having the whole village hating him.
¡°And you think he will change if we were to behave differently?¡± Orochimaru was clearly doubting my words. He saw the reason, but not how his doing could change Jiraiya.
¡°Not instantly. And also not when you aren''t telling him what he was doing wrong and what you two want of him. Again, you have to sit down with him and tell him without shouting, hitting or insulting him. Jiraiya is not stupid, he will understand that something is wrong, if you two would do that. However, you have to explain it to him in a completely different way than you usually do. It forces him to see that something is wrong.¡±
Surprisingly, Orochimaru was the first to agree. ¡°I understand... I will try to better myself and give him a chance.¡±
Tsunade followed, right after seeing my waiting expression. ¡°Yeah, we can, I don''t know. Speak tomorrow with him, he won''t be able to move much anyway. The Chakra exhaustion won''t be fully gone.¡±
I smiled at her, which she returned. ¡°I don''t want you to force yourself. Give him an honest chance and some time to change. But this is something that needs more than his own input, you two have to help as well.
Tell him calmly what he is doing wrong. Give him at least a month to change. And don''t use the month we now have for training, start once we are back in Konoha. You two will be too preoccupied with your training to also act this differently towards Jiraiya.
Maybe tell him what you have learned today, it would help if you were to apologize to him. Then tell him what you two expect of him. Allow him to think over your words and his own behaviour.
If he''s clever, which I hope he is, he will use the month to reflect on himself. Maybe tell him to ask Sarutobi or me if he has questions. I don''t mind helping him clearing some stuff up.
Then, once we are back in Konoha, you can sit down again and remind him about it. I think, with a willingness on both sides, his behaviour will change.¡±
Both nodded, at least silently promising to try. ¡°Good, that''s what I wanted to say. Is there something you want to ask?¡±
Neither of them said anything. And both understood that it was also kinda the end of this conversation, so they stood up to leave. ¡°Tsu-chan, could you please stay a moment longer?¡± I requested before she could leave.
Orochimaru said nothing and left, while I stood up and sat down next to my sister. I gave her a one-armed hug. ¡°What I have said today does not change how I think of you, you know that, do you?¡±
I knew that my words and how I acted towards her today could be seen as me being disappointed in her. But that wasn''t the case fully the case. It annoyed me that she couldn''t understand what she was doing, but her behaviour itself wasn''t troubling me. For all I care she can bully people as much as she wants. However, that changes when her bullying can harm her at a later time.
¡°Hmm.¡± It wasn''t formulated in words, but I could hear how relieved she was. I know that it is important for Tsunade to know how I feel about her and it would sadden her were I to think bad of her.
¡°Good, you are my little sister, I don''t care about Jiraiya as much as I do about you, by far. All I hope is for you to try because I don''t want you to die because he was insecure. If he does not change we will just have to do something else.¡± I kissed the crown of her head and hugged her a bit stronger, before pulling her up from my bed.
At the door she gave me one strong hug and then left, I closed the door behind her. ¡°And, spied enough?¡± I then asked the air.
For a moment nothing happened, but then the air in a corner shimmered and Sarutobi came out from under a camouflage Jutsu. ¡°How have you known I was present?¡± He asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
¡°You may have missed the bullying of Jiraiya, but you did not miss my words at today''s exam. I knew that you would want to know what I wanted to speak with Orochimaru and Tsu-chan about. And my room has the same anti-spying seals as the living room. Which means that you need to be present when I speak to your Genin.
I could have been wrong, but then I would only have asked the air in an empty room,¡± I explained. Left unsaid was that I then would be extremely disappointed in him and that I also felt him with my sensor abilities. The first he understood by reading in between the lines, the second he did not need to know.
He chuckled awkwardly, maybe because he has easily been seen through by a Genin. ¡°Hehe, well, yes. Listen Kenshiro-san, I want to thank you for what you have done today. Not only what you''ve told Orochimaru-kun and Tsunade-chan, but also for helping Jiraiya-kun during the fight.¡±
¡°No problem, it concerned Tsu-chan''s safety, of course, I would help.¡± I waved his thanks off but noted how he was addressing me with -san, instead of -kun. I must have impressed him.
¡°I promise I will take more care from now on,¡± he said and then reactivated his Jutsu, before leaving the room. Ariha and Sakumo came back a moment later.
¡°And?¡± Asked Ariha-chan once the door was closed again.
¡°It is hard to be a good older brother,¡± I complained and threw myself on my bed. Both chuckled at my expense.
Now I only have to worry about a tournament against the best Genin of the world with a Jinchuriki taking part in it as well. Hooray! Maybe I can influence her? Jinchuriki are notorious for being starved of attention, but also for being hated or bullied. It will need time, however, a Jinchuriki that is my friend can only be good.
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Sarutobi Hiruzen''s POV;
¡°And?¡± Asked Kagami the moment I stepped into our shared room. We could have a room for ourselves, but we weren''t so stupid as to do so inside a village that was not friendly to us.
¡°Your Genin is scary,¡± I answered and filled myself a glass of sake. I need that now.
¡°Yeah, he can do that to you,¡± chuckled Kagami while watching me falling down into an armchair.
I took a sip from my drink and sighed. ¡°How could I have not seen all this? It was so obvious.¡± I am embarrassed that I needed a Genin to tell me about the many mistakes I have done with my team.
¡°Sometimes we don''t want to see the most obvious,¡± he preached. I''d really like to throw my glass at him now, but then I would no longer have my drink.
¡°How come you never speak about troubles with your Genin? I always speak about those of mine,¡± I lamented and took another sip.
¡°Because there are none, my Genin are perfect. You''ve seen it yourself, all three of mine are in the finals, you only have two,¡± laughed Kagami. That bastard doesn''t know how good he has it with a Genin like Kenshiro. The kid was planning ahead for a lot of things, almost on the level of a new Jonin.
¡°Come on, that can''t be true. At least Hatake and your niece should make trouble sometimes. There should at least be some jealousy. You can''t tell me that the daughter of the clan head from the Uchiha is not jealous of the Senju heir.¡± Senju and Uchiha are like oil and water, they don''t get along, even now.
Kagami crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling before replying. ¡°Hmm, not really. It''s true that I had to sit down with Ariha-chan at the start and explain to her that she shouldn''t focus too much on the differences between Kenshiro-kun and her.
That was a few weeks after the graduation, but since their first C-Rank, she has stopped thinking like that. And Sakumo-kun is really laid back, he has no problem with someone being stronger than him if its an ally. He can be competitive if it comes to swordsmanship, but Kenshiro is not much of a sword fighter. He likes to use other weapons.¡±
¡°What kind of weapon does Kenshiro-san even use? He only used a Kunai in his fight against Jiraiya-kun.¡± It shows the difference between his Genin and mine. Jiraiya-kun used everything in his arsenal and still wasn''t able to even scratch him. I know that Jiraiya-kun is not the strongest of our six Genin, but he is not weak for a Genin.
¡°Hmm? Weapons? He uses this and that,¡± answered Kagami slyly. ¡°Tsk.¡± Could have worked. Orochimaru-kun will have to find out himself.
Kagami laughed loudly, having seen right through my weak ploy. ¡°Anyway, what do you think about the competition?¡±
¡°Not much of one is there? Other than the Kaguya they are all weaker than our Genin. I''m sure that they won''t have trouble. More importantly, do you want to bet on whom will win, Tsunade-chan or Ariha-chan?¡±
After being found out by our Genin I wasn''t much in the mood of betting. Especially, when it was a fight between each other. ¡°Nah, I''ll pass. The better one will win, as long as they give a good show of their skills and don''t do something stupid I am fine.¡±
Kagami grunted and then turned around to sleep. I''m going to have the first shift, he''ll take the second. I hate it when we are forced to stay inside other villages.
Chapter 37, A Month of Preparation 2, I Weave my Strings
Kenshiro''s POV;
The next morning Kagami-sensei came into our room, he had a bunch of scrolls in his hands and placed them down on our table, before sitting in one of our chairs. ¡°Okay, you all have a place in the finals. That alone is a testament to your skills, but it is not enough to impress the many representatives and Daimyo. Their opinion will decide if Konoha will get the mission or if it will go to one of the others.
That is why I want you to show these nobles and rich merchants how much better you are than the others. Sadly, I am not able to teach all of you at the same time. That is why I have with me a few scrolls on different Jutsu and skills you might find useful. We can split the day into three parts and I will help one of you, while the other two have to work on their own until it''s their turn.
As there is a real chance for all of you to face each other during the tournament I won''t tell you what you are going to learn now. Which is why I will start with Ariha-chan first. Sakumo-kun, you''ll be second and Kenshiro-kun you''re third. Each of you will have four hours with me. Any questions?¡±
None of us asked any, so he nodded at us and waited for Sakumo-kun and me to leave the room. We packed our own training kits and left the room.
While packing I thought about the possible things he will teach each of us. For Ariha-chan a few new fire Jutsu and maybe a couple of Genjutsu added with a refreshing on her Sharingan. Sakumo will most likely get some Jutsu that can be learned easily and done with one hand, for his sword fighting, as well as a Jutsu for mid to long-range. For me, possibly hand to hand combat or a few tips and tricks for Shuriken.
Sakumo and I finished with our stuff and were about to leave when Kagami-sensei stopped us. ¡°Ask the receptionist about a possible training ground, each village has a couple specifically used by foreign Ninja. You can''t be sure that you aren''t being spied on, but at least your competition won''t be able to take a look.¡±
¡°Okay, we''ll be there, do we have to come back or will you find us?¡± I asked while opening the door.
¡°I''ll fetch you, I have reserved one of these grounds for the whole month, it will be where I''ll train you.¡±
Sakumo and I then left the room and walked down to the reception. A few other Genin were there as well, eyeing us with mistrust. We simply ignored them and walked up to the hidden Jonin behind the counter.
¡°Good morning, we''d like to know where we can find the training grounds, we were told that there are special ones for Ninja from other villages?¡± Asked Sakumo politely.
The woman smiled a fake smile and went through a stack of papers, before writing some notes down on a sheet of paper. ¡°Here, this is the address for Training Ground 21 S, it is at the eastern outskirts of the city.¡± Sakumo took the piece of paper with a small bow and handed it over to me to read.
The address was pretty straightforward and there were a few instructions about the streets we have to take. ¡°Thank you, we''ll be sure to be careful not to destroy anything.¡±
She laughed, it wasn''t faked, ¡°You don''t have to. Nobody uses these grounds, they are mostly left there until a Chunin exam is taking place within Kiri.¡±
We thanked her anyway and went on our way, we found it with little trouble. ¡°Now I understand why she laughed,¡± spoke Sakumo wryly.
¡°Yeah, this place is a dump,¡± I agreed. The field was uneven, grass and other weeds were overgrowing and the posts for training your Kata were old and almost too damaged for use.
¡°Still, we can use it. It''s not as if we need one that is of high quality. You said you wanted to learn how to see and cut Chakra threads, should we start with that?¡± I asked after a brief inspection of what we got.
¡°That would be great, it irked me how much trouble I had with the puppeteer, but what about your training?¡±
¡°You know that this is also training for me. While you are trying to cut the strings I will try and add my element to it. First wind and then later medical, maybe I can invent Chakra strings that can be used for healing. Some kind of distant healing or maybe I can use the threads to go inside the patient, hmm, I have to speak with Tsu-chan about that,¡± I answered before somehow falling into a ramble about the possibilities of healing Chakra strings.
¡°Okay, okay, please start,¡± urged Sakumo when he noticed that I was too deeply engrossed in my planning. This has to be done with care, Chakra strings aren''t easy.
¡°Yeah yeah, wait a moment,¡± I said and made a Shadow Clone for him to train with. Meanwhile I got back to the planning of a new Chakra control training, I need to use the concept of forming Chakra strings, however, I can only use my element.
Slowly I gathered Wind Chakra, the element I am the most comfortable with. I then started the process of forming a narrow line of wind energy. Normal Chakra strings are relatively easy to form, but hard to harden or move. All you have to do is form a string out of Chakra, from then on it gets hard.
That was not the case with Wind Element Chakra strings. The moment I formed the string they began to affect their surroundings. A slight gust of wind blew out from the line of Wind Chakra and then shredded the string the moment I tried to weave it.
I tried again, this time by keeping an eye on the Chakra output, but it was useless, the wind would shred the string within moments. I''ll have to keep it from doing that. However, one thing that was characteristic for Wind Chakra was its cutting power. Maybe I should not use the element with the highest cutting power if I want to form thin strings.
Bah, some old Senju Elder also told me some of my Chakra manipulation techniques were useless or not possible, I showed them and I will get this thing right as well.
¡°Say, why aren''t you just forming Chakra strings and then embed them with your element? Shouldn''t that be easier?¡± Asked Sakumo after a few hours of training. He had spent all his Chakra trying to cut the normal string of my clone, note the word trying.
¡°Because then it would not be what I want. Flooding already existing Chakra strings with elemental Chakra is easy. Look,¡± I answered and did what he suggested.
It was relatively easy, I only had to let the wind Chakra flow evenly and out of the string. The string itself was encased by my Chakra. The wind was then pushed out of this shell. The problem I have with my new version was that it was cutting everything the moment it got formed, while the normal version only started to cut things a few millimetres away from the string.
They work and are able to cut, however, by far not as good as my finished wind strings should. Now it''s like a bladed whip. It hurts but is not exactly deadly. I hope my finished attack will be like the light discus of Krilin.
Sakumo made a face that told me that he did not think it was as easy as I was saying. He formed a Chakra string of his own, a wobbly little thing. His Chakra control was by far not good enough to form fully functional strings. He dropped the Chakra flow and his string vanished. ¡°Then please enlighten this lowly peasant and tell me what your new strings can do?¡±
¡°Well, the most obvious is, it''s a Chakra control training. That alone is enough for me, but other than that, well, I think the finished product should be a lot more deadly in a fight. Think about it, I am now using my strings to trip or cut my foes. Wind elemental Chakra strings will cut a lot easier than normal Chakra strings that are merely coated with elemental Chakra.¡± He nodded, but I saw that he was not really seeing the need to do something hard when the easier version works as well.
¡°Shouldn''t Kagami-sensei be here any minute now?¡± I asked. Sakumo isn''t really good if it comes to conversations about Chakra control. He will listen, but he won''t understand most of it. The same is true for me if it is about swords.
¡°Yes, I''ve just brought Ariha-chan back, she has mild Chakra exhaustion and is sleeping,¡± said Kagami-sensei suddenly from behind me. ¡°You should not let your guard drop Kenshiro, normally you''d have sensed me before I am this close,¡± he then reprimanded.
I smiled sheepishly and nodded, before spreading my senses out. I have had been so focused on my strings that I didn''t pay attention to my surroundings.
¡°Sure, will do,¡± I said before he and Sakumo left in a swirl of leaves. Now alone I made a clone to keep an eye on my surroundings and continued my work on the Chakra strings. There must be a way for me to keep the strings from obliterating each other.
Maybe I''ll have to concentrate the Chakra, making it smaller, while also denser. It will reduce the effect on an area and in return increases the effect directly affected by the string.
I started with condensing the Wind Chakra and then began to form a string. Slowly the string began to form and elongate. This time there was no wind effect around my string. However, the string was clearly made out of Wind Chakra.
I increased the length of the string and started to move it around. The first two times I was too quick and the movement caused the Chakra to escape and affect its surroundings, which instantly shredded my string.
Then I had the problem that contact with any surface would also disrupt the flow of my Chakra. The string would then, again, shred itself, but also whatever it was touching. So far it was good enough to decapitate heads with ease, but I wouldn''t be able to move the string fast enough to catch someone. I would have to be so close that I might as well shower in blood.
Still, I quickly noticed that it was only a problem of getting used to moving Wind Chakra in such a strange way. I only needed a few hours to correct the flow, density, amount and speed of my Chakra. And then saw the holy pop up window with my reward for half a day of continues work.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
You''ve learned the Jutsu;
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Elemental String; LV 1 (10%) Active; A-Rank
Forming Chakra strings with an Elemental Chakra coating is a sign of true mastery over Chakra and its manipulation, in Sunagakure.
You can now form Chakra strings out of pure Elemental Chakra, the true proof of Mastery over Chakra Strings.
Requirements; Chakra Manipulation >=LV 90, Chakra String >=LV 75, Elemental Chakra Manipulation >=LV 50
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Nice! But what the fuck? Those are some high requirements. I am only able to form medical Chakra strings and wind strings with my current stats
But now I only have to train with this some more and then I can add elemental strings to my arsenal. I already have a few ideas for their use in a fight.
I think this is what I am going to train for the next month. Elemental String and Chakra String, both are useful and still have room to grow. Chakra String levelled up to LV 80 today, only twenty more levels and I will get some new interesting perk. Maybe I will then be able to create strings from everywhere on my body. That would be awesome.
Currently, I am only able to form them with my fingertips and my toes. Which gives me a limited amount of ten to twenty strings. Effectively it is more like five, as I have to use my feet for other stuff, like walking, and a free hand for weapons, tools or Jutsu.
The hours flew by and soon Kagami-sensei came back to pick me up. The training field we would use was not much better than the one I had used the whole day. Only that it looked as if it was used. Still, it was in disrepair and bad condition.
¡°Isn''t it kinda embarrassing for Kiri to give us these run-down training fields?¡± I asked him while taking a look around.
¡°I agree, Konoha at least repairs their fields for foreign Shinobi before the Chunin exam starts,¡± agreed Kagami-sensei, before motioning for me to come over.
Once I stood in front of him he began in a resigned and apologetic tone. ¡°I had to think long and hard about what I could teach you. Your Chakra control is masterful, I can''t help you there, it''s the opposite even. Then I thought about Jutsu, there are a few Wind Jutsu I can show you. Most of them are B-Rank with a few A-Ranks in between. You can learn them in between our sessions.
I know that you are using some form of weighted training and that it is effective. So training your physical attributes won''t be needed as well. I''m even pretty sure that you are quite a bit above Ariha-chan and Sakumo-kun, in terms of speed and strength.
Starting to teach you some kind of weapon won''t be useful as well. You can use a sword well enough, but I have seen that they are not to your liking. And learning a new weapon within a month would be useless in the tournament.
So, Jutsu, physical training, Chakra control and weapons are all either out or not important enough to train in our limited time. Which admittedly leaves me with not much. I think the most useful training for you would be combat experience. But let me hear what you think, do you have an idea what you''ll want to train this month?¡±
So he was sorry for not being able to teach me much. Nice to hear that I am already good enough to not have obvious flaws. ¡°I have come up with a new method of using Chakra strings, I form them out of Elemental Chakra. It''s hard, but possible and shows great promise. However, I don''t need help with that, so no, I don''t have anything of importance that we could do.
Still, I have only recently released my ''weights'' and am not fully used to the new speed and strength. If I can decide I''d like to get used to them while fighting against you and maybe have tips and lectures about stuff we usually don''t learn.
I mean things that are not immediately for combat, but more for the life of a Ninja. Like tips on stealth, what I should do in strange situations during missions, rules that are more known than written down. Basically learning the wisdom of someone more experienced,¡± I answered after thinking for a moment.
He was right, I don''t need help in physical training, my Jutsu arsenal is large enough for now and new ones are easy to learn and he can''t help me with my Chakra control. So I can only learn from his wisdom of being a Ninja. Knowledge will be important once I am on higher-ranked missions.
Knowing what goes and what not in times of hard decisions will be helpful.
¡°It shows how mature you are to ask such questions. From what other Jonin speak about their Genin it is rare to hear such a request. Most Genin want to quickly become stronger, learn new Jutsu and fight. Hehe, sometimes I feel that I really lucked out with my team.¡±
I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. His praise means much and was appreciated. And I could return it. He might not be able to help each of us as much as he wants to, but he was trying his best and was always there for us when we had questions. He also asked other Jonin when he himself didn''t know what to do, but only if there is no way around. Some kind of pride under Jonin-sensei.
¡°Good, then we''ll train combat awareness and I will think about stuff that is rarely spoken about but should be known by every Ninja. Now, we have a few hours left, let''s start with the sparring.¡± I nodded and we both began to stretch before we had a long and exhausting fight.
He was quite surprised by my real strength and speed. Kagami-sensei had stats just shy of a thousand, while I had mine in the mid-five hundreds. In the end, he said that I was physically strong enough for a new Jonin, but I lack the experience during actual combat. There were flaws in my fighting style that stem from inexperience and he was determined to fix them in this month.
Kagami-sensei was confident that with some training I could be on the level of a new Jonin at the end of the month, at least close combat wise. He knew that I already had a few Jutsu that some Jonin won''t be able to master. But having strong Jutsu is not always the best, sometimes you need stealth, finesse or simply a different approach.
The sun was starting to set when Kagami-sensei raised his hand in a stop gesture. ¡°Okay, that''s enough for today. We''ve made good progress. Tomorrow we can continue, it will be the same time and place.¡±
¡°You coming?¡± He asked when I did not follow him out of the training ground.
¡°Nah, I will stay a few more hours, I almost had my new Chakra strings right. I think I will train a bit more,¡± I answered. Just because I had the Jutsu does not mean that I am fully proficient in it, I still need a lot of training. And luckily I don''t need sleep. I''ll be fine if I train a few more hours.
¡°Okay, be careful and stay on civilian speed when you walk back. I don''t want to fight you out of Kiri''s T&I department,¡± joked Kagami-sensei.
I laughed as well and waved at him before I started to form my Elemental Chakra strings. It''s now a lot easier to create the wind strings, but they are still prone to self-destruction whenever I move them too quickly or bend them too fast. Something that lessened with an increase in the Jutsu LV.
Suddenly, the clone I had made for surveillance informed me about an approaching Chakra signature. ¡°Boss, the Kaguya Jinchuriki is on its way to us, she will be here within the minute,¡± I said nothing and dismissed the clone before I hid close to a tree.
Why is the Kiri Jinchuriki coming to a training field that is reserved for Shinobi from other villages? Is she using it as her personal training ground? It explains why this one looks to be used, even if not maintained.
A moment later she landed in the middle of the clearing. She quickly saw that it has been used and frowned heavily.
However, she did not comment out loud. Instead, she looked around, trying to spot whoever trained here before her. Of course, I was hiding my Chakra and kept hidden behind a tree.
¡°Must have been gone already,¡± she mumbled and then gave up her search. I watched how she began to stretch and warm herself up. She was really pretty and had I not been a Ninja I would have felt like a stalker. Alas, information gathering is part of my job description. If it includes looking at a pretty girl that is in the middle of doing stretches, then who am I to complain. And no, I did not steal this from Jiraiya when he tried to invite me to ''gather information''.
After doing her warm-up stretches she pulled out a scroll and read it for a long time before she went slowly through a series of hand signs. However, she did not add any Chakra into it. She repeated the process a few times and then breathed in before she then suddenly infused Chakra into the Jutsu. She was trying to learn a new Jutsu, on her own.
¡°Water Style; Water Needles!¡± She spat out six needles of water, or more correctly, she spat out six lances of water. She has overpowered her Jutsu and the result showed itself in larger needles as well as a lot of wasted Chakra. They were also all over the field with no precision or aim.
It almost hurt to see how little control she had. But it was normal, she was a Jinchuriki, those aren''t known for their control. At least no Jinchuriki that grew up with their Bijuu sealed inside them.
She seemed to be aware of her abysmal control and was frowning darkly at the destroyed ground she had fired her ''needles'' at. She tried again, but without any better results, it might have been even worse.
My inner nerd for Chakra control couldn''t take it any longer and I stepped out of my hiding place. She didn''t notice me at first and was in the middle of finishing her third try when she finally did, she was broken out of her focus and launched the spears of water right over my head and into the air. I''m sure they would have hit if she were not this bad at controlling the Jutsu.
¡°Hi, sorry if I have startled you,¡± I began with an apology.
She glared and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Hmph, who says I was startled. I aimed into the air, otherwise, the ground would be destroyed.¡± She then nodded with her head, as if she was praising herself for her excuse. But then she snapped out of it and continued to glare. ¡°You''re that Genin from Konoha, right? Senju something.¡±
I almost called her out on the bluff, but that would probably be counter-productive. Instead, I tried to keep the conversation going. ¡°Yes, I''m Senju Kenshiro, you are Kaguya Rune, right? What are you doing here? Isn''t this a training field reserved for foreign Ninja?¡±
She starred at me and said nothing for a long moment, then her pale face turned a little bit red. I wasn''t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. ¡°I''m always training here, someone must have forgotten to tell me that it will be used during the Chunin exam.¡± She did not confirm or deny that she was that Rune, she must have forgotten in her anger.
¡°Well, sorry then. My Sensei has rented this field for the whole month. My team and I train with him here,¡± I began and saw that she looked sad at not being able to train here any longer. ¡°But you can train at the same time as now, we have stopped training half an hour ago,¡± I added.
She smiled a bit in relieve but then caught herself smiling and glared at me. ¡°And why then are you still here? Have you been spying on me?¡± She asked angrily.
¡°Not really, I am still here because I wanted to train some more. Then I felt how you approached and hid, you''ll never know who might attack you.¡± She mumbled something, lip-reading made it look as if she was agreeing with me.
¡°Anyway, I saw you using that water Jutsu. And while you have the hand signs correct you are lacking in Chakra control,¡± I wanted to teach her how to do it better, maybe even give her a weaker training exercise, but she interrupted me before I could continue.
¡°So what? The Jutsu works and is a lot stronger than the normal version. Have you ever seen someone shooting water spears?¡± It was obvious that she was embarrassed about her lack of control, cue dusted cheeks, but her pride wouldn''t allow her to admit it. I wouldn''t as well, not with a Ninja that is from a different village and on top of that one I might have to face in the finals.
¡°Well yes, it is stronger. But that is only a side effect of the Chakra you are pumping into it. I didn''t mean the strength, that was good. I meant the number of spears, as well as their piercing power,¡± I tried to explain and almost started to list off what else was lacking. Like form, speed, precision, angle and a few more smaller things. However, I remembered, just in time, that Tsunade sometimes told me that I was sounding condescending when I do that.
¡°Ha, and let me guess, you can do it so much better, don''t you?¡± She asked mockingly.
¡°I don''t have a water affinity, but there is a Wind Jutsu that does something similar. It has the same principle. Do you want me to show you what I mean?¡± I asked. By now I was indifferent to teaching her. It would be nice to teach someone my Chakra exercise methods, but her constant angry rebuttals were annoying.
Instead of speaking she just gestured for me to show her. So I faced a tree, a bit away from her, but still close enough for me to keep her in my sight, and then went through the signs for Wind Needles. ¡°First to show you that it is basically the same Jutsu,¡± I began and fired off a series of six spear long wind needles. Each as thick and wide as her water needles. They plunged into the tree and left six holes.
She said nothing and I didn''t look away from the tree, so I started with the finished Jutsu. ¡°And this is what it looks like with better control, Wind Needles!¡± Dozens of spear long wind needles flew out of my mouth. Each was visible, by choice, and flew with blinding speed at the tree. The first hit the tree and went right through it and the next and the one after that as well. More and more needles punched through the trees and soon it was too much for the wood and tree after tree began to topple. With a loud rumbling noise, they fell to the ground and were then shredded by the ongoing stream of wind spears.
I stopped after a few seconds and looked at her. She was gaping at the destruction, but then snapped out of it. ¡°I could have done that as well,¡± she then said with an upturned nose.
¡°Well yes, but not with only one use of the Jutsu. Currently, you are wasting too much Chakra and probably need to focus too much on the effect of the Jutsu. With more control, it will become easier to form the needle, as well as influence it. Adding more is only a question of practice. I''m sure you would have archived it with enough repetitions.¡± I agreed, I used the same amount of Chakra as she did.
If I judge her correctly then she will now act as if it was obvious for her to manage the same I did. Only that she would then forget that she needs to train a long time to get the same result. Control makes it easier to learn and allows someone to keep fighting for a longer time.
She nodded and looked as if I had agreed with her. ¡°I told you I could do it, I just learned that Jutsu today. It''s only natural to not be perfect in something you haven''t known for long.¡±
¡°Yes, that''s right. But what I wanted to say is that with more control you will also be able to learn new things quicker. I just wanted to give you some tips,¡± I said with a shrug.
Again, she mumbled something under her breath. I couldn''t quite make out what she said, something about teaching and anyway. However, to me she said. ¡°Why should I need your help? You''ve already said it, I will get it with enough training.¡±
I sighed, maybe she was too stubborn to learn. ¡°I can''t force you, but okay. I''ll be here tomorrow, same time, if you decide to learn. I like to train Chakra control and helping others getting better in it is a form of training for me. Maybe until tomorrow,¡± I said and tried one more time. I won''t lose anything if she does not come. Might even be better, who knows what she will do with the tips I can teach her. She still is a Ninja from a different village. I just thought she''d like to have someone to speak to, I don''t think her life as a Jinchuriki is pleasant.
Chapter 38, A Month of Preparation 3, Chakra Control is Important
Before I could leave for the training ground I got intercepted by Jiraiya. ¡°Hey Senju-san, ehm, I.., you''ve said you''ll show me a Jutsu.¡± He started confidently but then got nervous when both Sakumo and I were staring at him.
¡°Sure, but I will have a Shadow Clone teach you, Sakumo-kun and I need to train for the finals,¡± I replied and made a Shadow Clone.
¡°K, follow me. The Jutsu is not destructive, I can show you inside our room. But don''t touch anything,¡± the clone then said and gestured for Jiraiya to follow him. Jiraiya, not having really known what Shadow Clones are, looked confused between me and my clone, before sighing and following after my clone. He must think I won''t hold my promise.
¡°What Jutsu are you going to teach him?¡± Asked Sakumo on our way to the field.
¡°I''m giving him the choice between a Chakra exercise that will greatly help him in his control over fire or the Sexy no Jutsu. I''m sure he will choose the latter, but hope for the former. It would help him more to get better with his control. It''s not abysmal, but could be a lot better,¡± I answered with a shrug.
¡°Not everyone can be as freaky as you and your sister. Ariha-chan and I are also only this good thanks to your help,¡± reminded Sakumo. True, he and Ariha-chan are already at high Chunin level in Chakra control.
I was about to answer when I got the memories of my clone. Sakumo noticed my pause and waited expectantly. ¡°Well, he first wanted the Jutsu, but my Clone reminded him that I will literally kill him if he were to ever use it and transform into Tsu-chan or Ariha-chan. I think he realized that he wouldn''t be able to restrain himself and then decided to better be safe and take the exercise.¡±
Both of us could only laugh, it was a great way to start the day. Sakumo got a little bit farther with his training in cutting Chakra strings and I got more proficiency in moving my strings, as well as forming elemental strings.
Sakumo was then fetched by Kagami-sensei, who later came back for me and we trained like yesterday in general Ninja knowledge and hand to hand combat. His Sharingan has helped him memorize numerous fighting styles of enemy Ninja and those were now helping me finding counters against their user.
At the end of the month, I will have ways to fight every more known fighting style in the world, from the wind-like dance of the Suna Ninja to the heavy and robust combat of the Iwa Ninja. He even had a few specialized styles from Bloodline users.
Something that surprised me was that he even gave me tips on fighting the Sharingan, it held no actual weakness of their eyes power, but stuff that was more known, like speed or little use of Jutsu. Such things and how to actually do them was helpful. Because while it is easy to say, ''do no Jutsu that uses hand signs'', actually doing so mid-combat is not as easy.
Anyway, the day was spent with learning and once Kagami-sensei left I stayed behind to continue some training of my own. And like yesterday the Chakra signature of the Kaguya came closer to the training field.
This time I did not hide and allowed her to see me from the start. At first, she stopped and watched me from behind a tree. Her stealth was okay, for a Genin, maybe even Chunin, but her Chakra was like a massive beacon for every sensor.
¡°You have to hide your Chakra if you want to spy on me,¡± I called out to her while working on forming geometric forms with the string. So far with mild success. Each time the string touches itself it shreds the connection. On the plus side, it shreds everything else it touches as well.
She came out from behind her tree, face a little red and an excuse already on her lips. ¡°I..I wasn''t spying. I was just walking at civilian speed. It is you who thought that my slow approach was an attempt to try and sneak up on you!¡±
I have never seen a real-life tsundere before, this is only half as endearing as it was always made up to be. Someone who constantly argues against everything you say is mentally tiring.
¡°Did you come to take me up on my offer? Or do you just want to train?¡± I asked instead of calling her out on her excuse. Ignoring the excuse of a tsundere should be the best in most cases.
She stuttered something inaudible, then huffed and started again. ¡°Of course to train.¡± She walked over to a corner of the training field, but kept me in her sight at all times, even while doing stretches.
I shrugged, it''s not me that needs help. ¡°Just ask then.¡± She said nothing, instead, she started to train her Water Needles. Needless to say that improvements were slow.
I don''t really know why, maybe because it pains my inner Chakra Control nerd, maybe it''s because she is pretty, or because she is a Jinchuriki and I pity her, but I decided to stay and try another approach.
So far she wasn''t really hostile, more guarded. That''s why I stopped with the forming of Elemental Strings and began the early stages of a Chakra exercise for Water control.
It''s a more known exercise, all you need to do is move the water inside a puddle. It doesn''t matter in what direction or how quickly. Of course, more tricky moves, as well as a faster flow, will make the exercise more profiting.
Admittedly, my control over the water was practically none existent. Which made the training all the more rewarding and fun. Moving the water, even forming small waves, was not easy. My experience with Wind and normal Chakra was speeding the learning process up, however, water and wind are not the same and each needs a different approach.
There are of course harder exercises. Right now I''m only moving the water. The next step would be to move something through the water. First a paper boat, then maybe wood or rocks. In between these steps are of course the increase of size, speed and weight of the objects the water has to move.
After that I could imagine moving water upwards, possibly levitating it. Maybe not at first possible, but with the knowledge that there are tiny water molecules in the air that can be used as stepping stones. Chakra can do that kind of bullshit. Who cares if thirty litres of water are hanging off of a single water molecule. Chakra can hold it!
¡°Doesn''t look like much,¡± commented suddenly the voice of Rune from a few feet away. I looked up from the puddle and smiled sheepishly.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
¡°I''ve told you, I''m not good with water, my element is Wind.¡± She didn''t look convinced but didn''t press as well.
¡°What is this supposed to do anyway?¡± She then asked after a pause, where she simply watched while I did my best to move the water to my intent.
¡°Are you familiar with Chakra and its manipulation?¡± I asked, depending on her answer I might have to start at the beginning.
She looked as if she was first embarrassed, but then took a mien of slight arrogance. ¡°Of course I do. But maybe Konoha has a different take on it.¡±
I sighed silently. Admitting one''s own shortcomings would be so much easier. Not that I don''t understand her. I don''t want to look stupid as well.
Still, I made sure that she knew I knew about her lack of knowledge, while not pointing it out too obviously. ¡°Well, in ''Konoha'' we think that Chakra is made out of two components. The physical energy and spiritual energy. Mix both together and you get your general none elemental Chakra. You can increase both of the energies through training.
Increasing the physical aspect of your Chakra is rather easy. All you have to do is train your body. While for training the spiritual energy requires the training of your mind. Usually, that is done by playing shogi, reading books or going through mental exercises. Decoding or doing puzzles help as well.¡± I looked up from my puddle and saw that she had sat down and was listening to me.
She noticed me looking and was acting as if she wasn''t hearing anything new. But the flow of her Chakra told me that she was both interested and angry at something, however, not at me. ¡°What happens when you only do one of that?¡± She asked. She was a bit out of her role as a tsundere. The topic must be too interesting for her. Which made it even more obvious that her whole act was a form of defence against people new to her.
¡°The physical aspect of our Chakra gives our techniques more power, size and strength. It also strengthens our bodies and allows us to get as resilient as we are. Theoretically, with enough physical energy, it is possible to have a body strong enough to withstand the strongest attacks. That, of course, is not truly possible, but more physical energy does make you harder to wound.¡±
¡°That''s why the civilians are so much less sturdy than us Ninja,¡± she said with a nod. She was again in her role and spoke as if her conclusion was something she has known for a long time.
¡°Indeed. And if the physical aspect is for strength, speed and size, then it''s easy to say what the spiritual energy does.¡±
She nodded and happily finished for me. ¡°Naturally, it''s for control, energy consumption, and precision.¡± I have learned that explaining everything wasn''t always the best to do. Sometimes people want to come to their own conclusion, even if such is rarely hard to do with the explanations I have done beforehand.
¡°Exactly,¡± she smiled happily, ¡°but it does a little bit more. Spiritual energy does exactly what you''ve said, for Jutsu. But it also has an effect on our body. For example, it is easier for us to concentrate, it allows us to identify Genjutsu more easily and gives us a clearer mind in stressful situations.
People with a high discrepancy between their spiritual energy and their physical energy are often easy to anger, restless, unable to sit still or overlook obvious traps and problems.¡± Here I did not pointedly look at her. Even now, while she was sitting, she was moving around. Either repositioning her arms or tapping one of her feet on the ground.
¡°But let''s get back to our initial topic. I am mixing both aspects of my Chakra and am trying to infuse it with the water. By doing so I get a better understanding of the water and how its own Chakra is flowing. Once you have a feel for the Chakra of the water you can mimic it within your own body and use Water Jutsu.¡±
¡°Water has Chakra?¡± She looked at the tiny puddle with little belief.
¡°Yes, everything has Chakra. It''s a bit more complicated, but you can basically say that everything has some form of Chakra, it is called Nature Chakra. It too is made up out of more than one component.¡±
¡°Which ones?¡± She asked. She was eager to learn and it showed a bit. But I kept trying not to look directly at her. I''m sure that she will fall back into her role as a tsundere if she were to notice that I have noticed her change in behaviour.
I am a sensor type, I can feel Chakra more easily than others can. Which also makes it possible for me to feel how much spiritual energy and physical energy someone possesses if I concentrate. And hers was heavily tipped into the physical aspect. She must have only been trained physically. Maybe they don''t want their Jinchuriki to think for themselves?
¡°I''m not so sure yet about Nature Chakra, it''s energy that has been hardly studied. You''ll have to ask a summon if you want to know. All I know is that Nature Chakra can act instead of normal Chakra. It is composed of every element and seems to have some unknown qualities as well. Some good others bad.¡±
¡°Like what? If it''s in everything how comes I haven''t heard about it?¡± I glanced at her, the words were doubting, but her tone only curious. She noticed and blushed, before looking away.
¡°Nature Chakra is hard to use, it isn''t formed like normal Chakra, but instead by the nature around us. You have to absorb it if you want to efficiently use it, however, most have not enough Chakra of their own to balance the Nature Chakra, it is really dangerous and volatile for our body. High control over your own Chakra and high reserves are needed for using Nature Chakra.
I''ve heard that you need Kage-level Chakra amounts to even start the training. You also need someone who trains you, which usually are the summons of your summoning contract. They are the only ones who can take in the Nature Chakra naturally. Us humans have to mimic them and learn it the hard way.¡± I looked up from my puddle to look if she was still following me.
She was, with rapt attention. She was studying me intently, both my words and myself. I looked back down and continued with my own exercise and the explanation before she noticed. ¡°The downside of Nature Chakra is that it can petrify you, literally. If you take in Nature Chakra incorrectly it turns your body into stone and once you start to take it in you can''t stop, at least not without training or some special method only the summons know of.
That in itself is a great deterrent and most who can learn are already at Kage level, they don''t need the boost of having Nature Chakra as well. Even if it gives a tremendous boost in speed, endurance, strength, Chakra and other special stuff specific to your summoning clan.¡± I finished my explanation of Nature Chakra and noticed that I have ventured way off-topic.
I chuckled a bit and looked at her. She looked startled, but only for a moment, before she was back in her indifferent personality. ¡°What?¡± She asked, now also guarded in her tone.
¡°Nothing, I just noticed that I went way off-topic. You wanted to know why I''m doing this exercise, not some unimportant stuff about Nature Chakra.¡±
Her next words were mumbled and I almost didn''t get it. ¡°It was nice to have someone explain stuff to me.¡± The moment she finished she noticed what she had said and looked at me, trying to see if I have heard her.
I had and she knew, but I didn''t react on it and instead tried again to explain, hopefully without losing the topic again. ¡°Well, the reason for this exercise and really any Chakra control training is simple. It gives you, as the name says, control over your Chakra. These exercises are there to help you to get a feel for Chakra, for its make-up and how it reacts in different situations. What it wants and needs to flow to your will.
It may be easier to understand if you compare your Chakra with a muscle. Training will give you easier control, makes you faster and more precise or flexible. This exercise is like lifting weights or running around, only for your Chakra. Without training, you are wasting a lot of energy or use it in harmful ways.¡±
¡°Like Chakra burns?¡±
¡°Exactly, Chakra burns happen when you push too much Chakra out of your body too quickly. You can use larger bursts with training. Repeated use of your water needles might have left your mouth with mild Chakra burns. It''s a sign of your body to rest and heal or to take a different approach. Like an aching muscle or cramps, they too are a sign of overuse of your muscles.¡± I finished my explanation and was now only fiddling around with the water exercise. It got silent between us, uncomfortably so.
¡°So yes, that''s it. You do Chakra exercise to gain control over your Chakra and Jutsu in general. Any questions?¡± I asked, hoping that she would give me something to speak about. I don''t think that she is the type of person to naturally keep a conversation flowing, neither am I really.
I glanced at her, she was contemplating something, occasional looking at me and then back to the ground. Sometime later she has made up her mind and looked directly at me. ¡°W..would you teach me..h..how?¡±
I smiled at her and nodded, she blushed a deep red and averted eye contact. ¡°Sure, I''d like to show you. However, this is like any other training, visible results won''t happen after only a day of training. You might want to train this for a couple of days and only then test the water Jutsu again.¡±
She nodded and I began to explain how she has to do the exercise. She struggled a bit but was quick to grasp the idea and slowly started to form small waves. At the end of the day, she was able to form a wave that travels from one side of the puddle over to the other.
The first time she managed she looked up from the puddle and smiled brightly at me, before catching herself and looking back down on the puddle. ¡°That was good, I needed a lot more practice to do that,¡± I praised. The only indication of her hearing me were her now slightly rosy cheeks.
Still, if I don''t go soon Kagami-sensei will come and look for me. ¡°Sorry Rune, I have to go now,¡± I then said and stood up and stretched. Both of us have sat for quite some time now.
¡°Will..will you be here tomorrow as...as well?¡± Mumbled Rune, she was still sitting and wasn''t looking up.
¡°Of course, I still have to show you the next step of this controlled exercise. Believe me, the last one will be really funny,¡± I answered.
Her head snapped up to look at me, a strange expression on her face before she gave me a small smile of her own. She nodded once and then went back to her training, a determined expression on her face.
I chuckled lightly and left with a wave. This Jinchuriki is really starved for a friend if she reacts this way to a friendly foreign Ninja.
Chapter 39, A Month of Preparation 4, Brittle Bone
Over the course of the next few days, I met Rune after my usual training. Usually, I helped her with her control training. There was some progress, but not much, enough to notice a slight difference. And then after one week, it was time for her first use of the Water Needles after the start of her control training.
She prepared the necessary hand signs and activated the Jutsu, previously there would have been a couple of massive spear sized water bullets. However, now with a bit of badly needed control, there were six half of a meter long water jets.
Definitely an improvement over her last attempt. Once the Jutsu ended she turned excitedly around and looked at me with a wide happy grin. ¡°Did you see that Kenshiro? They were faster and smaller and there even were two more!¡±
¡°Good job Rune, I knew you could do it.¡± She smiled happily and skipped over to me. Over the week she has lost most of her tsundere behaviour, thankfully. I haven''t called her out on it, as I don''t want to risk her falling back into that role.
She blushed a bit and sat down next to me. ¡°So what is next? I am pretty good at making waves now,¡± she asked while demonstrating her newfound skill over our training''s puddle. She concentrated a little and then small waves began to form on the serene puddle. At first, only one, but then more and more, until the whole puddle was filled with waves that splashed against each other.
She looked at me and I nodded approvingly. It was way better than her first attempts. I had tried to raise my control over Water Chakra as well, however, it seems as if I am not able to. It does not matter how much I train the skill won''t gain EXP.
However, that does not mean that I am unable to do it or use Water Jutsu. Only that every single point of Chakra converted into Water Chakra costs 2 points of Chakra and that every Jutsu needs a lot more concentration.
I had mastered that stage after an hour of experimenting inside a bathtub. Her progress was hindered by her massive Chakra reservoir and lack of any former training. Seriously, it''s as if they have only shown her how to add Chakra and that''s it.
¡°What now?¡± She asked excitedly. Instead of answering I unsealed two pieces of paper and gave her one of it.
¡°Now we have to make paper boats,¡± I said with a smile and held up my piece of paper. She looked at her own and frowned, it was obvious that she didn''t know how, but at the same time also did not want to ask. ¡°I''ll show you how. Not many know how to do it.¡±
She looked confused. ¡°If it''s part of the exercise, then how is it that not many know how to fold a paper boat? There must be at least some people in Konoha with a water affinity.¡±
¡°There are, however, this exercise was invented by me. I haven''t shown it to many others, at most four people. You are the fifth,¡± I answered with a shrug and began with the first fold. Once done I looked up and showed her, but she seemed to have watched me and not the folding.
¡°Is something?¡± I asked. She snapped out of her stupor and shook her head in no, before copying me in folding the piece of paper. During the folding, I explained to her that the next step would be to use the water to propel the boat forward and later manipulate to one''s own wishes.
We were almost done when I noticed a Chakra signature that was coming towards us. It wasn''t anyone from Konoha and Rune has never been picked up before. ¡°Rune, there is someone coming,¡± I warned quickly.
She looked startled and up from her almost finished paper boat, it was a hat right now, but then nodded and quickly hid inside the trees. We had spoken about people who might walk in on our training. We agreed that she would hide while I drive them off. This was, after all, a training ground for the Konoha delegation.
I placed a few Genjutsu around the area and on her tree. Whoever comes might notice them, but he has to actively end them to see her, which will give me time to argue against interfering with my training.
A moment later a man in his late thirties landed in front of me. He dismissed me completely at first and eyed the surrounding for a moment before his cold grey eyes settled on me. He had the same markings of a Kaguya and was dressed in their normal clan clothes. A white obi with a black sash. His hair was black and done in two thick knots at each side of his head and lastly the two black tattoo dots above his eyebrows.
¡°Where is it, Treehugger?¡± He asked while eyeing the nearby trees. His tone was more dismissive than hostile.
¡°Where is what?¡± I asked back. He was a Jonin stats-wise, most of his attributes ranged in the five hundred. Yet, there was no sign of him being an actual ninja of Kiri.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°The girl, idiot! I know that it trains here, where has it hidden?¡± He asked again, now more hostile and with a burst of bloodlust.
¡°I know of no girl, this is the training ground for the Konoha delegation, I would appreciate if you''d leave. I have to prepare for the Finals,¡± I replied without showing signs of being intimidated.
He snarled and it looked as if he was about to attack me before he then seemed to remember that attacking me would be a massively stupid idea. Instead, he grinned evilly and formed a hand sign. A quick burst of his Chakra showed me what the sign was meant to do.
Rune screamed up from her place inside the tree and lost her hold while clutching her right shoulder. I realized it was a pain seal and acted quickly. A sealless clone popped into existence and jumped over to catch Rune.
At the same time, I applied Chakra to the soles of my feet and rushed right at the man. He grinned nastily and raised his free hand and a bone dagger began to come out, very slowly. Just before I reached him I coated my feet again in Chakra and slid around him by applying my a buffer between my soles and the ground.
His eyes narrowed in surprise, but he turned and pierced down with his hand, the dagger was not yet fully formed. In retaliation, I formed a Rasengan in my own hand and let it crash with the bone.
This time his eyes widened when my attack effortlessly shredded his own. The Rasengan grounded his dagger to bone dust and then hit his hand. Blood got thrown everywhere from the rotational grinding of my Jutsu.
I jumped back and next to Rune, she was panting, but the pain seal was no longer active. I glared at the man, he was holding his stump of a hand and glared murderously at me.¡°I don''t appreciate it if someone spies on me and attacks me during training.¡±
The man snarled in disgust and then glared at both me and Rune. ¡°You won''t get away with this, Treehugger! You think protecting the little bitch will get you anything? I''ll have you executed for attacking a Jonin of Kiri.¡± He gave Rune and me one last glare before he used a Shunhin to get away.
A quick nod to my clone sends him out of the clearing and back to the hotel. He will fetch Kagami-sensei. Meanwhile, I turned around and inspected Rune for any wound. She was out of breath and still held her shoulder, where I could see the receding of a seal. ¡°Are you okay? That was a pain seal, why do you have one of those on your body?¡± I asked.
She must have it to keep her in line and as a precaution against desertion. Rune looked at the ground and said nothing. ¡°¡ãSigh¡ã, doesn''t matter. You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to. But we have to match our stories or else we might no longer be able to train together,¡± I said while going with a hand through my hair. This might become troublesome.
I was careful to have no one seeing me train with Rune, neither Konoha nor Kiri would like us to be friendly with each other. Especially as she is their Jinchuriki. ¡°What will happen to you? You...you destroyed Arashi''s hand, he is a Jonin,¡± questioned Rune in an almost silent whisper.
She was looking at me with slightly teary eyes. ¡°To me? Not much, he came to the training ground of Konoha''s team. He activated an unknown Jutsu while facing me and did not state his name. I was in my right to defend myself, I can simply argue that I thought he would attack me. Also, I''m a Treehugger, we are known for being compassionate. When I noticed that the Jutsu wasn''t against me but someone else I continued my assault to stop him. If we see someone in pain we help, I simply reacted to the unknown threat.¡± Damn, this is annoying. Now I have to explain to Kagami-sensei why I taught an ''enemy'' Ninja my control exercises.
¡°As for you being here, we can either state the truth and tell them that I was helping you, which is a stupid idea. Or we say that you have been spying on me for the finals,¡± I continued while sitting down. ¡°It is not forbidden to do and each Genin has to look out for spies on their own. It will give you an excuse for being on the training ground.¡±
I waited for a moment and decided that I will ask something personal. Over the week I have noticed that she does not like to speak much about her relation with others. She was looking sad when I spoke fondly about Tsunade or my team and always angry or used veiled insulting about anything related to Kiri.
The topic of her family was a no go, something she made clear when I asked her about them a few days prior. She spat that she had no family and left right after. The next day I acted as if nothing happened, for which she might have been glad.
¡°He had the Dead Bone Pulse bloodline,¡± I stated while looking at her. She stared right back, her eyes showed that she was struggling with something.
Still, she decided to trust me. ¡°He is my uncle, tasked with watching me. They fear me for the strength of my bloodline. I''m more skilled than anyone in the clan,¡± Not much info, should I press? Better not.
Thankfully, I was saved from an awkward moment of silence when my clone came back with Kagami-sensei, Sarutobi and the receptionist of our hotel. The clone popped and gave me some interesting information.
¡°Kenshiro-kun, what happened? Your clone said you got attacked?¡± Asked Kagami-sensei the moment he landed. All three have also spotted Rune standing right next to me, the receptionist was glaring at her, Sarutobi smiled a slightly perverted smile, and Kagami-sensei rose an eyebrow.
¡°Yes, an unknown member of the Kaguya came and demanded me to know where ''it'' was. I couldn''t answer such a question without specifications and asked him to leave, as this training ground is reserved for us from Konoha,¡± I began to explain, ¡°he turned angry, targeted me with his bloodlust and activated an unknown Jutsu. At that moment he hadn''t stated his name, rank or affiliation.
I rushed him, not wanting to find out what kind of Jutsu he was going to activate, only to hear a pained scream coming from my side. Thinking that he hit someone innocent I continued my attack.
He proceeded by having a bone dagger coming out of his hand, which made me realize that he must be a member of the Kaguya-clan.
Our attacks clashed and mine overcame his, he lost his hand and vanished, but not without promising my death.¡± I gestured to the blood and bone pieces that were the remains of his hand.
¡°The moment he left I saw who has been hit by the Jutsu, it was Rune Kaguya. I made sure nothing happened to her and send a clone to get you. I thought leaving the training field before someone from Kiri could get a look on it wouldn''t be the best idea.¡± Rune nodded in agreement, yet said nothing, which might have been for the best.
Both Kagami-sensei and Sarutobi turned to the woman that came with them. ¡°You did right in assuming so,¡± said the Kunoichi, ¡°it is widely known for every Chunin and higher whom these training grounds belong to during Chunin Exams. He has had no business here. I will investigate your claims.¡± She then took a sample of the blood and turned to Kagami-sensei. ¡°You may go back to the hotel on your own, stay at civilians speed.¡± With that said she used a Shunshin of her own and was gone.
Now, only us four were left. ¡°And what were you doing here?¡± Asked Kagami-sensei Rune with a dangerous undertone.
¡°She has been training with me Sensei,¡± I answered before Rune could say anything. This had three results. Rune was starring at me in disbelieve, Sarutobi was now giving me a mild glare and Kagami-sensei has, again, risen an eyebrow.
¡°I see. Well, I think today''s training is over now,¡± he then addressed Rune, ¡°Kenshiro-kun might see you later.¡± Rune looked at me before she hesitatingly left the field.
¡°Follow us Kenshiro-kun, you have some explaining to do,¡± announced Sarutobi right after. I nodded and followed them back to the hotel.
Welp, I tried^^.
I tried to find the motivation to write, my new Switch and playing Baldurs Gate with a friend were in my way. I simply can''t find any interest in writing lately. The story is relatively easy to find, however, writing itself has become boring. So I''m gonna keep this ''chapter'' up until tomorrow and will then delete both this and the One Piece story. This way no one will find an unfinished story.
If I go back to writing then only after having finished both stories off-screen so that whoever remembers me by then can read all of it in one go.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Has been fun and maybe until later.
Edit: Welp, most people seem to want them, even if they are not finished, so I''m going with that. They will be on hiatus for an indefinite time. If I find my interest in writing again I''ll first re-write my first story up to One Piece. Finish that and maybe finish this one or go to my wanted original.