บท 4: Chapter 4: Awakening the Storm
The river had become Ei's second home. Every morning, just as the first light of dawn broke over the mountains, she found herself standing at its edge, eyes focused on the moving water. The challenge of walking on its surface no longer felt daunting; it had become part of her routine. But routine didn't mean easy.
The lessons her father drilled into her mind were clear: mastery wasn't about doing something once. It was about doing it flawlessly, over and over again, until failure wasn't an option. And Ei had learned that lesson well.
Her feet hovered over the surface of the water, chakra pulsing beneath her skin as she channeled it with growing precision. The energy vibrated, crackling faintly in the air around her. Her movements were careful and controlled, each step deliberate, every bit of chakra placement methodical.
"Don't rush," her father's deep voice rumbled from the shore, where he stood watching, arms crossed. "Your chakra flow is still unsteady."
Ei nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. She could feel it, too—the current of chakra wasn't perfectly aligned yet, not as steady as it needed to be. But it was getting better. Her improvement, though slow, was real.
Step after step, Ei moved across the water, the river parting slightly beneath her feet with each surge of chakra. She managed a full twenty paces before she felt the familiar slip—the moment where the energy wavered, faltered for just a second too long.
Before she could stop it, her foot sank beneath the surface, and her body followed, plunging into the cold water with a loud splash.
Ei surfaced quickly, gasping, pushing her soaked hair out of her eyes. But the frustration bubbling inside her was harder to clear. She dragged herself back to shore, her young body trembling with both cold and fatigue.
Her father said nothing as she stood in front of him, drenched and shivering. His gaze was unreadable as always, but Ei could sense his unspoken expectation. He wouldn't offer her praise, nor would he offer comfort. Kumogakure wasn't a village that coddled its warriors, and she wasn't just another child. She was his daughter, the future Raikage.
Giving up wasn't an option.
Without waiting for his command, Ei turned back toward the river. Her limbs ached, and her chakra reserves were dangerously low, but none of that mattered. She would keep going until she got it right.
The next few hours were a blur of relentless attempts. Step by step, she pushed herself farther, her chakra control improving with each repetition. She could feel it in her core—a storm that had once raged uncontrollably now beginning to settle. The raw power of lightning chakra flowed more naturally through her veins, but learning to command it still required effort. Every step was a fight between the storm and her will, but Ei refused to let the storm win.
By the time the sun reached its zenith, she was exhausted, her legs shaking from the strain of constant focus. Still, she forced herself back onto the water, her steps steady but slow. She made it halfway across the river before the familiar slip of chakra sent her tumbling into the water again.
This time, as she resurfaced, her father's voice rang out.
"Enough."
Ei's heart sank at the word. She climbed out of the river, her chest tight with a mixture of disappointment and frustration. Had she failed? Was she still not good enough? She looked up at her father, but his expression remained as impassive as ever.
"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to a nearby rock.
Reluctantly, Ei sat down, wringing the water from her clothes. The Raikage stood before her, towering like a mountain, his golden eyes sharp with an intensity that made Ei's stomach twist. She waited, unsure of what to expect.
"You've improved," he said finally, his voice low but firm. "But you're still holding back."
Ei blinked, taken aback. Holding back? How could she be holding back when she had been pushing herself to the limit every day? Her muscles were screaming, her chakra was nearly depleted—what more could she give?
"You're too focused on control," her father continued, his gaze piercing. "But control means nothing without power. You're walking on the water, yes, but you're holding back the lightning. That's not who you are, Ei."
She opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it again, understanding dawning on her. He was right. She had been so intent on mastering the control of her chakra, afraid of losing it, that she had forgotten the raw, destructive power that was hers by birthright.
Lightning wasn't meant to be tamed. It was meant to strike.
The Raikage knelt down in front of her, his large hand coming to rest on her small shoulder. His touch was firm, grounding her in the present moment.
"You're my daughter," he said quietly, though his words carried the weight of an oath. "You were born to wield the power of the storm, not run from it. I haven't trained you to be careful. I've trained you to be strong."
His words lit a fire in her chest. She had been afraid of losing control, afraid that her lightning would lash out uncontrollably and that she wasn't ready to wield it fully. But that fear had held her back. And in Kumogakure, fear was unacceptable.
Ei met her father's gaze, her violet eyes blazing with newfound determination.
"I understand," she whispered.
The Raikage stood and took a step back, nodding toward the river. "Then show me. Show me the power of the Raikage's daughter."
Ei stood, her legs steady now, despite her exhaustion. She turned to face the river, her mind clearing of everything except the storm raging within her. She could feel the raw potential of her chakra, sparking under her skin, waiting to be unleashed.
This time, she didn't focus on suppressing it or keeping it in check. She let the lightning flow through her body, wild and untamed, allowing herself to become the storm rather than fear it.
With a deep breath, she took a step onto the water. The river crackled beneath her feet, the surface rippling with the energy coursing through her. But she didn't falter. She kept walking, each step igniting small sparks around her, the water hissing as lightning danced along the surface.
She made it across the river without a single misstep.
When she reached the other side, she turned back to look at her father. His expression hadn't changed, but there was a subtle shift in his stance—a quiet acknowledgment of her progress.
"You've learned the first lesson," the Raikage said, his voice steady. "But this is just the beginning. You must master the storm inside you if you wish to become the Raikage."
Ei nodded, her heart pounding with excitement. She could feel it now—the power of lightning that ran through her veins, the storm that had always been part of her. And she knew, without a doubt, that she would master it.
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End of Chapter 4.
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