Chapitre 155: CH_5.12 (155)
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———
.
"Biding a chunin in a genjutsu. You have come far," said Mikoto, smiling. "I remember the last time you couldn't exclude others from getting trapped by the genjutsu. Isn't it good that we worked on that?"
"The genjutsu would've been useless if I caught my teammates in the genjutsu." Takuma sipped on the tea he had gotten so used to drinking for the past several months. He didn't like tea. At first, he couldn't refuse because he didn't want to offend Mikoto, but by the time he got comfortable enough, he had developed a taste for it.
Takuma sighed. "But, in that fight, I didn't feel like I had enough range. I know you said to train with the five I have, but I really need a couple more genjutsu of the visual, audible, and olfactory jutsu. Flower Hill is a momentary trap, and Mist Servant is better for crowd control than going against a stronger opponent."
"Are you saying you don't consider those two jutsu useful?" she asked.
"I didn't say that. They have different uses, which I just mentioned. But I felt like I needed more options…. That guy bull-dozed anything I threw at him. Sure, I was chipping away at him, but he was doing the same, and he had much more wood to chip away than me. The genjutsu gave me the key to put him down, and I need more jackpot keys like that."
Ever since he had started training under Mikoto, she had restricted him to the five genjutsu he knew. For the past nine months, he only trained those five genjutsu and nothing else. Between theory lessons and having deep discussions about the philosophy behind genjutsu, Mikoto had made sure Takuma could cast the five genjutsu in his sleep.
"I can't stop you if you want to learn more, but I believe it's time to move to the next stage," she said.
"Next stage?"
"You like Haze, right?"
Takuma nodded. Genjutsu: Haze was a tactile (touch-based) genjutsu that worked through contact. He couldn't use it because of the restrictions around a touch-based genjutsu during a battle, but he found the distorted vision caused by the genjutsu just so useful. He wished Haze had been a visual or auditory jutsu.
"It's time for you to learn how to change the connection component."
Takuma perked up, sitting up straighter. The connection component was the sense target to plant the genjutsu. Bell Clone Jutsu was an auditory jutsu, meaning it used sound to cast the genjutsu— but the connection component could be changed.
"You should change Haze's connection component from touch to vision," said Mikoto.
They had talked about the topic several times. Takuma knew they would be doing it somewhere along the line, but he didn't think it would come soon.
"Shouldn't I first learn a few C-rank genjutsu?" he asked.
Mikoto sighed. "I can't stop you, but as we discussed, pre-made genjutsu are crutches. You have to create your own and to do that, you need to understand the components. These five genjutsu are a good sample set. Experiment with them, and see what you can make from them before deciding if you want more practice material." She smiled. "I'm here to help you start your genjutsu journey. I'll be there to help you along every step until you're ready to spread your wings and take flight."
Takuma clenched his fist as his breath hitched for a moment.
'Don't… you know how it would end.'
He looked up at the woman before him. She was the only other person after Maruboshi to have taught him as a teacher. A few more months more, and she would have taught him as long as Maruboshi had done. She even knew his secret like Maruboshi.
But she wasn't as close to him as Maruboshi was… he hadn't let that happen.
"Thank you, ma'am… for everything."
———
.
A figure sat atop the colossal sculpture of the Fourth Hokage's face carved into the Hokage Rock. The mountain's shadow hid him from view as he gazed upon the Hidden Leaf village. One red eye stared from behind the one-eyed orange mask with black stripes. The mask was framed by long black hair that reached the mid-back.
Uchiha Obito, or was it Uchiha Madara now… stared at the village that was once his home. The village was peaceful. The people went on enjoying their lives. Even when she was no longer in the world, they continued to live on as though nothing had changed. He looked around the village. Anywhere he looked, a memory or two would surface. Happy memories… or at least, they were once happy. Now, everything seemed washed with an unfeeling grey. No matter where he looked, a sickening feeling grew in his heart.
He placed his hand on his heart. It had been a while since he had felt anything; even though it wasn't pleasant, he was glad he felt anything. His feelings were a reminder of his goal.
To rid the world of the ugly.
To achieve absolute peace.
"Are you sure it was wise to join hands with Shimura Danzo?"
He glanced to the side to see a black head of Zetsu poking out of the mountain stone. The strange creature was his closest ally and had been with him since the day he had been "reborn." He was among the only few who knew the complete secret of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"Perhaps it was not," he sighed.
He had wished to exact some revenge on the Hidden Leaf and thought approaching Danzo would be the way to go. He had heard much about the old fossil's reputation and knew about his desire to become the Hokage. And he also knew that Danzo was the opposite of everything the Hidden Leaf's Will of Fire stood for— and placing Danzo as the Hokage and seeing him twist it into his image would be a perfect revenge. It wasn't as straightforward as having the entire village and its people crushed to the core, but he thought it was enough.
But who knew that despite Danzo's reputation, the old man would possess a twisted sense of protection towards the village. He wanted the Hidden Leaf village to remain the strongest, and anything that threatened that, Danzo would go to great lengths to eliminate it.
"He wouldn't allow us to destroy the village. After all, what kind of king would want to rule over a broken kingdom."
Obito had no desire to go against Danzo at the current point. The Akatsuki was currently busy with working missions to amass funds, plant spies, and ensure the members were happy so they would continue to remain in the group— not all were like Kisame, who truly understood the importance of their mission.
"You should have given Orochimaru's words more thought," said Zetsu.
Orochimaru had warned him against Danzo. The Snake Sannin had told them that if Akatsuki was to engage with Danzo in dealings, they needed to be very careful because if they gave Danzo any chance, he would backstab them if it benefited him in any way.
"At least we have him as an ally for now," said Obito.
Danzo had hired the Akatsuki for some matter involved with the current proxy war between the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Storm. It wasn't as big as Onoki had them do for the Hidden Stone, but Danzo was a new customer, and it was normal for him to be cautious.
However, Obito had no desire to help the Hidden Leaf. Akatsuki would complete Danzo's request and increase his political influence based on his war achievements, but they would also make sure the Hidden Leaf suffered deeply in this war— deep enough that it would hurt, and they would have to work for years to right.
Obito looked down at the village and suddenly spotted a child with bright-yellow hair running in the streets with a shinobi on his tail.
Uzumaki Naruto…. His sensei's beloved child.
If it were in the past, he would've felt something, but now, as he watched the child, he felt nothing in his heart.
"It's not your time yet."
His whispered words flew with the wind.
———
.
In a plain room with chairs (with built-in desks) a group of four young early teens sat facing a cork board with an adult man addressing him. All the people in the room had emotionless faces.
"This is the target for your mission." The man used a telescopic teacher's pointer to point at an image. "The target's name is Takuma. The target is a genin of the Hidden Leaf, and currently serves as a Senior Officer in the Leaf Military Police Force. He is in charge of the Narcotics Task Force. Your mission is to assassinate him. The dossiers in front of you have some basic information about him, but as part of this mission, you will be required to collect intel on your target and use it to complete the mission as efficiently as possible."
One of the teens raised their hands up. "Why is the target being assassinated?"
The man stared at the young teen for a moment. The children here hadn't been through their final initiation yet and had yet to be turned into perfect soldiers. And the one who asked the question was the youngest and apparently needed some more guidance. He made a mental note to communicate it to the master instructor.
"The target moonlights as a prizefighter and has built connections with the Hidden Leaf underworld. Our intel tells us that he has been taking bribes and is a deeply corrupt officer. He has let several groups operate without fear from the Police Force and is illegitimately profiting from it. The foundation has decided it has become imperative to remove him and set things right."
It was all false as the target had been culling drug groups inside the Hidden Leaf at an unprecedented rate. But it was bound to cause problems to the foundation sooner or later. It was better to remove the head and let someone less effective take the position. Until the trainees stopped asking unnecessary questions and completed their training, painting a negative narrative was an effective method to have them cooperate.
"Understood," said the young teen trainee.
The man nodded. "The target is proficient in genjutsu, utilizes Earth and Water Release ninjutsu, and is a genjutsu user. His experience as a prizefighter has earned him extensive experience in unarmored combat; expect him to have great close-combat defense. The combat recommendation against the target is to always work in duos to minimize the danger against genjutsu.
"Do not underestimate the target. He has actual on-field combat, and once traversed through an enemy state on his own after a mission with injuries, giving him some survival ability."
He didn't think the four trainees were ready to be on active duty as ROOT operatives, but taking a single genin was well under their ability. If there was one thing he could think as a point of difficulty was the location.
"The target is situated in the Hidden Leaf, which means based on where you decide to assassinate him, you risk external interference from other shinobi. Take that into consideration while drafting your plan and more importantly, your exit strategy. You can't leave any evidence behind."
The man gazed at the four trainees. Within a year, only two of them will survive. And the two who would survive would need to kill the other two to become true operatives. He wondered which two of the four would move onto to the final stage of their training.
A memory of a boy flashed through his eyes, but it faded away as soon as it came up. The memory once felt like he had been stabbed in the heart with a thousand needles, but now, it just elicited a dull feeling.
He had done so and so will these boys.
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
Chapitre 156: CH_5.13 (156)
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @
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The link is also in the synopsis
———
.
"Why didn't you order anything," said Sango after handing the menu to the waiter.
Takuma took a sip of water. "I don't like to eat immediately after fights," he said. He had just finished a ninjutsu fight at the Ring, and instead of taking her usual payment, Sango had asked him to treat her to a meal. He didn't mind taking his iryo-nin to dinner.
"Nutrition and rest— two cornerstones of recovery. You should ensure that your body has enough resources to heal," said Sango, nagging as usual when it came to personal health.
"I'll eat when I return home, not just now," he sighed. The fight had been boring as usual— boring was good, thrill-seeking risk was overrated— but he wanted a challenge, or what use was him fighting in the Ring except for ryo and mission points. Well, it at least kept his body, mind, and instinct sharp; it didn't take much time for those things to dull.
"Rest well today, and do not forget to drink the mixture I gave you with hot water before you sleep," she said.
Takuma shrugged. His opponent today had already fought him twice before, and Takuma no longer had any secrets (except for his genjutsu) in the Ring. All of his ninjutsu were already noted by the various teams across the Ring. They had been devising tactics to defeat him, and because he fought more fights than any other fighter of his class, they had plenty of time for trial-and-error improvement.
In some ways, Takuma influenced how the upper hierarchy of the Ring fighters fought.
His opponent today was a skilled Lightning Release ninjutsu user, the worst compatibility against Takuma, who was proficient with Earth and Water Release. Injuries were inevitable in the Ring because of the flimsy leather armor they allowed in the ninjutsu category, but today he had been squarely hit by a C-rank lightning jutsu in his chest. He had won the fight, but even after Sango's treatment, he still felt the burn, sting, and pain in and out of his chest. According to Sango, it would take a couple of days before he felt comfortable.
His pain tolerance threshold had improved leaps and bounds ever since he had joined the Ring— but even if he could tolerate the pain, it didn't mean it didn't hurt. He hated when his body didn't behave how he wanted it to.
'The bastard pulled a new trick today,' he spitefully remarked.
When several Ring teams were planning to take him down, it was obvious they would come out with good plans. Every few fights, one strategy was bound to work, and Takuma had been grateful that they did. The more flaws his opponents discovered, the more he could weed them out and improve himself.
He was the sword, and the Ring was his whetstone.
"When was the last time you met Enomoto-sensei?" asked Sango.
"I met him in passing a good while back," Takuma replied. The last time he met him was a month back. Even though Sango was Enomoto's apprentice, Takuma, and Enomoto's dealing were private. It was the only way for their secret to remain airtight. Both Enomoto and Takuma would suffer loss if their secret was to be leaked.
Sango hummed idly as she gazed at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You have changed."
"How so?"
"You're calmer than before. Back when you were just entering the weapons-category, you were much more… twitchy, as if there was a threat behind every corner, ready to pounce at you. You seem settled down now; it's a welcome change."
Takuma quirked his brow before sighing. He could see her point. Ever since he had taken over the command at the Narcotics Task Force, he had to manage a team of people. Working alone was easier than managing a group of people. He was so concerned with building the task force, introducing and training his subordinates about the drug trade in the Hidden Leaf that it left no time for him to worry about the other problems.
"I will be leaving Enomoto's apprenticeship soon," said Sango.
"Really?" The declaration took Takuma by surprise. As long as Takuma had known Sango, she had been Enomoto's student. He hadn't seen him train her as they usually met in the Ring after his fights— but he assumed he was doing something akin to a teacher.
"An opportunity that I've been aiming for recently opened up. I got the offer recently… I got in," she smiled.
"Congratulations!" Takuma was genuinely happy for her. She had been there every step of his journey through the Ring, having seen him through all his lows and highs. He was delighted that he got to be there to see her accomplish a goal. "What's the new gig; when do you start?"
"Takuma… I'll be leaving the Ring. I won't be able to heal you any more after the fights," said Sango.
Takuma's smile slipped after the moment of confusion passed. He leaned against the backrest and stared at Sango. The thought she would be leaving him hadn't crossed his mind. He was still very much happy for her, but he couldn't ignore how Sango leaving made him feel. He wasn't averse to change, but this change made him uncomfortable.
"You don't have to make that face," Takuma said to Sango upon seeing her worried face. "I will be fine. I'm in the ninjutsu-category now. The Ring will provide me with as much healing I demand from them…. I'll just have to get used to trusting my body to another iryo-nin— that's going to be a pain."
"I'll recommend you a good one," said Sango. "They aren't as good as me, but they'll do just fine."
Takuma smiled.
"Don't be a stranger, okay," he said. "Drop by time-to-time. In some strange way, I'll miss you extorting me for exorbitant meals."
"Call me anytime you want to spend time with a lady," Sango grinned.
"Pfft, a lady," Takuma chortled.
"Fuck off, short-stack."
"I'm still growing!"
Sango had her fill of food and drinks, and they eventually parted ways, but before they split up, Sango said,
"I don't think we will be strangers, Takuma. I will probably end up working with you in the future."
Takuma was confused, but before he could ask, Sango disappeared using the Body Flicker Jutsu.
"What did that mean?" he mused to himself to no avail.
The moon had pulled up into the starry sky by the time the meal with Sango ended. Takuma wanted to take a leisurely walk and take some alone time to retrospect, but he didn't have the time. He had to go home, have his meal, do meal prep for the next day, and complete his other chores. By the time he would do that, it would be time to sleep.
He could only enjoy the view of the village's nightlife as he briskly traveled atop rooftops.
Soon he reached the part of town where he resided. Not many people knew Takuma lived in a shady dump of a neighborhood. Not many would believe that a Senior Officer of the Police Force lived in a place like that. Takuma could've moved, but he liked his small apartment. It had begun to become a bit crowded with his ever-growing belongings, but Takuma managed. He enjoyed the secluded silence of the place even though it was offset by the low-grade locality. Takuma's house was only safe because people knew he was a shinobi and an officer of the Police Force because of his uniform. They didn't dare mess with him because what might he do to them if they did.
His keys jingled as he reached his door. As he slotted the keys, he heard a sound that he almost missed. He would've if his hearing hadn't been enhanced by relentless training. In a split second, his senses went into hyperdrive, pushing his entire being into combat mode.
He jerked to the side a moment before a kunai whistled past his ear, thumping into the wooden door. Before he could react further, another noise reached his ears. His eyes widened at the door, and he jumped back as fast as his body allowed it. As he jumped back, a sword pierced from behind the door, reaching for Takuma's gut. His eyes remained affixed on the glimmering blade as it narrowly fell short to reach his heart.
Takuma slammed into the wall of the open hallway.
Two, he thought— there were at least two assailants.
Takuma looked down at the bottom of the door, where a white paper sat undisturbed. The ends of the paper slip were stuck to the door panel and frame. Any attempts to open the door would rip the flimsy piece of paper— but the slip was still whole— and yet, there was someone inside his home. That could only mean three things: the assailants either came in through the balcony window, or they noticed the paper slip trick when they opened the door and fixed it, or they were observing him and knew that he put a fresh paper slip every time he left home.
He went for the worst-case scenario, the last option. He immediately assumed that the assailants had vital information about him.
As the thought had barely ended, Takuma felt a shiver go down his spine as two masked and robed figures emerged from the shadows in the hallway, one from each side. Simultaneously, the sword in the door was pulled back. The person behind the door was about to make their second move.
Takuma's mind raced. The hallway was too narrow, and moving either side would trap him between the two flanking him. If he jumped out of the hallway, he would be vulnerable in the air, unable to change his direction, giving the one who threw the first kunai to nail him with ease. He needed to get down on the street to have some space to assess his situation.
He couldn't go left, right, up, down, or back— which left only one direction. Takuma gritted his teeth and rammed his shoulder into his own door. The entire thing snapped off its hinges, and Takuma felt the door slam into the person behind it. He didn't have time to think; he stepped on the door (and the person beneath it) and ran deeper into the house.
Takuma clicked his tongue. It was clear that the group of assailants was either trying to kill him or at least capture him. He didn't want either. He wanted to grab more weapons, explosive tags, smoke bombs, and whatnot— but he, unfortunately, didn't have them in a ready-to-grab package he could yank in a second. He had to do with what he had on hand.
He rushed to the balcony and smashed through the glass door and jumped down into the narrow back street with the sound of glass shattering filling the silent neighborhood. It took a few mere seconds for two figures to jump down as well, but by that time, Takuma had reached the end of the street.
He weaved hand seals, and a clone appeared from a plume of smoke. Takuma turned right while the clone sprinted to the left. It was the Clone Jutsu, creating a simply illusory jutsu, but with nighttime and no street lights due to the poor locality, the limitation of "no shadow" was eliminated. Takuma's steps didn't make much sound, a discipline he had trained to use in conjunction with the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
He made sure they saw him, and now the only for them to pursue him was to split up
They outnumbered him, they might have planned about this, researched him— but they had chosen the wrong place to take him on. This was his neighborhood. He knew the terrain better than anyone else. No matter how much they researched him, as long as they were in his neighborhood under the cover of the night sky, he nullified their numbers advantage to some degree.
As Takuma finally had some breathing room to think, the question finally popped in his mind,
'Who the fuck were these people?'
.
———
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The link is in the synopsis!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
200+ Classement
Power Stone 
109 Power
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