Story 21 Celestial Path Chapter 3
Making my way to my second day of class, nothing of real note happened other than Gubbo the big kid I beat the shit out of yesterday giving me a glare with his nose clearly having been fixed but still sore as he winced as he snorted why walking past the desk that I took.
But now... I had power, I was now part of the Shadow Money Wizard Gang. I had the power of a single flick ending someone's whole career should I so feel like it.
A few minutes later with more civilians and clan born came in and took their seats with a Uchiha girl taking a seat next to me this time instead of that Yamanaka that wanted to scramble my brain.
I only sent my deskmate a nod as she folded her arms over her rather petite chest and I remained silent along did my deskmate until class time started with Hajime... Literally came out of the classroom's closet making the room go silent as everyone gave him weird looks that he ignored.
"Now as you should have noticed." He started with a stern look around the classroom that made a couple of students visibly shrink in their seats before he continued.
"Seven out of the fifty students from this class have already quit in the face of merely jogging or even just power walking a half dozen miles across more than two hours being given to them. If you are going to quit from mere exercise... Then do it now as things will only get harder as we teach you how to use chakra to enhance your body."
He let us digest that and seeing no one rise up to quit he smiled and nodded. "Good! Now, as much as I want to run you all into the ground all day I have to educate you all on the history of Konoha even for the Clan Born due to their clans having their own biases towards history that is close to seventy years long."
Hajime then began to monologue telling us how to this date officially Konoha had existed for seventy-five years give or take a couple of years due to how the ninja village wasn't properly established and the Uchiha and Senju clans had subjugated and enticed the other neighboring clans into joining the Leaf Village.
"During the short but brutal Unification War, the Daimyo blessed both Hashirama and Madara Uchiha with their dreams of uniting the Ninja clans of the Land of Fire in order to strengthen the land itself. With both of them receiving the Daimyo's blessings they were made all but untouchable by the other divines who supported the other clans and even noblemen who were the supporters of certain clans." Hajime explained as he drew a large tree on the chalkboard with a marker and began explaining.
"Just as the ninja village itself follows a ranking system, so do the very gods with Lady Amaterasu serving as the Land of Fire's patron goddess and highest power. Due to that fact, other divine powers are suppressed within this land unless being wielded directly by monk who acts as a vessel for the divine power. So with Lady Amanterasu's blessing being directed by the Daimyo, the two founders were made impervious to divine curses, transformations and even scrying."
Hajime took a breath and then continued. "First to be brought into the fold were the likes of the Yamanaka, Sarutobi, Nara, Akimichi, and Inuzuka clans. But more were soon pulled into Konoha's embrace and fell into the system of meritocracy with the strongest, most intelligent, and skilled climbing the ranks of the Konoha ninja system."
He then wiped down the tree that was explaining how Amaterasu was the head divinity within the Land of Fire along with her subordinate divines that were offically welcomed into the Land of Fire like Inari and some others.
And then he drew a line with four slashes through it and he began labeling it. "Now all ninja villages. Even the minor hidden villages that don't even truly have a Kage level ninja follow this ranking system."
He pointed at the line and then on the first level he wrote Genin and then put the letters E-D next to them and then on the next one he put Chunin with the letters D-C and then Tokubetsu Jonin/Jonin at B-A-S.
I raised an eyebrow as it was a little odd that Chunin was slotted as D-C rank... I think it was about missons maybe?
And my thoughts were right as Hajime said. "Now! Genin even ones that get a Jonin sensei are only expected to deal with E-rank and D-rank missions as they are dealing with either mundane things or doing missions around the village itself for a long while before they are allowed outside the village."
"Chunin's are expected to be able to defend themselves against other Chunin level threats and mostly bandit or Ronin extermination." Hajime gave us a dark look before he continued seriously.
"But even as a Chunin all strictly supernatural events are considered B-rank missons at the very least. A Chunin almost always lacks the power, skill, and experience to deal competently with Youkai who have possibly lived for millennia. Hunting humans even ninjas and demigods for sport."
To which he pointed at the last segment where the Jonin levels were and said. "To be a Jonin in any Hidden Village is to be an Elite. Someone who has stood up to monsters and walked away clad in the monster's blood with its head in tow. A Jonin is someone who leads squads of Chunin into battle and destroys Ronin groups and deals with spies and foreign ninjas to our land."
Hajime visibly took a breath before continuing with a small frown. "And as of late, to even be considered for the position of Jonin you must have earned a blessing from either a Daiyōkai in a Greater Demon, or a blessing from a respected divinity."
He then stepped aside from that diagram to let us take notes and after a minute he continued his general lecture of Konoha that was sprinkled in with some good old propaganda about how all the other nations and their hidden villages were shit holes.
Land of Earth? Yeah terrible place to be, bandits and rouge samurai fucking everywhere due to the rocky terrain not being that suitable for large-scale harvesting which led to the Stone Village having alot of corruption over basic living resources that bred a lot of deadly competition to get them.
Not to mention the starving ghosts that were the result of the rather common famines that led to whole villages and towns disappearing sometimes.
Land of Water? Fucking terrible place to be a ninja with the rule of the strong being the only law with rape, violence and murder being a simple state of life there. It was also famous for its currently insane Kage which was the result of a daiyōkai Yuki Onna being raped and its spawn being becoming said Mizukage after becoming a ninja.
It was also a total shithole due to its particularly large population of Youkai spread across its islands and the horrors of the deep that made Kiri all but uninvadable due to the sea monsters being controlled to attack vessels that do not carry tokens of said divines.
The Land of Wind? A Desert, which although didn't have as many rouge samurai Ronin, it did have large numbers of Youkai across its massive expanse. And I noticed how the teacher didn't shit talk Sunagakure as much due to Konoha and them having an actually rather tight relationship with the Land of Wind being very rich in mineral resources and the Land of Fire traded food of all grades for mineral goods including high-grade salt.
The land of Lightning however with the hidden village of Kunogakure was back to the shit talking and boy did Hajime not hesitate to get into it.
The Stone and Lightning Villages were Konoha's biggest rivals and enemies with the most vicious battles between Konoha and the other Hidden Villages and it showed as Hajime spoke ever so darkly of Kumo.
Saying how Kumo was a monstrous Village obsessed with terrible forced breeding and was known for grabbing Youkai and Clan ninja's male or female it didn't matter. And would then drag them to Kumo and hold them in dark cells in which they would be used until they died or were culled after mentally breaking.
"Stone will just kill you and depending on how their superiors have been starving them, they may even eat you after they kill you. But Kumo... The Hyuga clan incident is proof enough of their completely monstrous ways as they tried to abscond off with several children from the Hyuga Clan." Hajime spoke coldly and I saw a number of the clan children nodding with disgust clear across their faces.
With that said Hajime coughed waving his stub that ended at his elbow, and then continued to speak about Konoha's history. Going on about how Hashirama and Madara built Konoha up over the years. But I noticed he very clearly didn't mention how Hashirama and Madara were 'retired'
Or otherwise, no one really reacted badly when Madara was mentioned. Which made me wonder, with how Kaguya got mind fucked into being a goddesses pet miko, did Madara and all the Zetsu's bullshit even happen?
But regardless I kept listening until Hajime seemingly perked up mid-conversation about the Nara clan with their strong connections with the local forest Kami to say. "Alright, that's enough yapping from me, everyone hustle on outside." He ordered with the sounds of five or so dozen chairs being pushed out ringing out as everyone got up to head outside.
As we were making our way out of the classroom and entering the hallways the Uchiha girl kept pace with me and she spoke coldly. "I want you to lose today in the first match."
I blinked hearing her say that so calmly and I even saw my classmates right behind and in front of me looked behind but the ones in front of us were cowed as the girl glared at them with an activated Sharingan.
'Kaori had an activated Sharingan as well... I wonder how these two got the first Tomoe?' I thought before I took in my deskmate's appearance and noticed that she herself looked a lot like Kaori honestly in the facial area even if she was more petite than her sister.
I was so sure of my thoughts that I asked frankly. "Is Kaori your sister or something?"
To which the girl's face twitched and she scowled darkly and after a moment she looked away from me as we continued onwards and finally she spat out. "Yes, she is!"
She didn't say anything else for the rest of the way outside and soon enough we were fully out in the hot outside with the now mid-day sun beating down on us as Hajime yelled out. "Alright, three miles easy run go!"
So we were off and I kept up a respectable pace intermingling with the more fit Clan Born but staying out of the line of more advanced in their physical training clan born in the Inazuka and some others who seemed to treat his running challenge as a race to do without chakra.
But not long into my run of what was going to be twelve laps around the track that Uchiha girl ran up next to me again. And before she could say anything I said flatly. "No. I am not throwing matches, as not only will that hurt my chances in the future with how our teacher is. But your sister promised to teach me on her own time and I don't want to lose that chance."
I may now have the ability of not fucking dying and the ability to mess with someone mentally or attacking on the inside but that didn't remotely mean I was all-powerful. Especially when anyone could just stick a blender into my brain and keep my immortal ass on ice for eternity.
The Uchiha girl frowned and after a moment demanded quietly. "What did my big sister offer you?"
To which I gave her an odd look and asked with honest confusion. "What the hell does it matter to you? Genin aren't teaching you clan-born martial arts to begin with? It's not like I am making you lose out on anything?"
She gave me a dirty look that honestly was making me irritated with her at this point before she said darkly. "It's a clan issue civilian... So what is she offering you? I will offer more or better!"
My lips twitched as I retorted calmly. "Considering she is an actual ninja I think her teaching is worth more and that's all she offered."
But as the girl was fuming about the truth in those words I felt the Celestial Grimoire inside me stir and I felt it reaching into the canopy of stars that were its blessings, perks, magic, and treasures, and while I honestly thought it wouldn't succeed due to running out of energy to give me my previous blessing I blinked as it grabbed a dim star and brought it down.
And as its information filled my brain... I felt like a film was removed from my brain and even from my eyes as I could just see better!
[Mind's Eye ] [Your affinity to Secret Histories manifests through your sight, allowing you to see in low light conditions and through supernatural illusions without fail.]
'Holy fuck does that mean genjutsu doesn't affect me?' I thought in wonder before mini Kaori spoke with annoyance. "Fine... I can't offer better training compared to my older sister. And you seem remotely intelligent so you wouldn't accept my pocket money for such a deed. I will remember your refusal though."
I shook my head and I said with my annoyance clear on my face. "Alright, do what you want."
And as she scowled and sped up her slow run I knew I had made something of an enemy out of her. Why does she want me to throw some fights? I had no fucking clue. But I knew that purposefully losing sparring matches was only going to make me look bad as I had no idea how to properly throw a match and not just look like a dumbass even if I wanted to.
To say nothing of the value of having an actual ninja, a clan born from the Uchiha being willing to teach me a fire jutsu and some actual Taijutsu.
So with the angry-looking mini-Kaori running off, I just kept a good pace for the rest of the run until I finished and then went and got into position in our lines at Hajime's order once everyone's laps were finished.
"Same deal as yesterday! You guys split off and I will be watching as the Genin teaches you how to fight!" He called out and in an instant, I saw a blur as knowing where the Genin were supposed to come from this time I saw them come from atop the school building and I saw the beautiful, black-haired young woman that was Kaori land beside me, and grab my shoulder just before a couple of guys could get to me in time.
With Kaori giving the two unrepentant boys a glare as she scowled and said coldly. "I already told you I called him."
The taller of the boys just shrugged and said bluntly. "Dibs don't count when it comes to completing a mission. You know better than to bother with that."
Kaori only gave another glare that I think was the trademark between the two sisters as she gave my shoulder a squeeze before leading me off to the side.
"My sister wanted you to throw your fights... I thank you for refusing even if it wasn't in your best interest." She said without much emotion as she had me back punching the standing rope-wrapped pole.
"You are clenching your fists too hard Akari." She stated and I changed my hands tightened.
But as I continued punching the post, I asked under my breath. "Why does she want me to throw my fights?"
There was a moment of silence before Kaori audibly sighed and said coldly. "It's none of your business... Is what I would normally say, but to put it simply clan politics, and one of us will be forced to marry outside the clan to a nobleman or powerful merchant with our bloodlines being sealed."
She shook her head while I kept my surprise to myself as I was reminded about how this world was still a feudal world. Noble Samurai Clans and Noblemen altogether ruled the land beneath the gaze of the Daiymo
The Uchiha clan was very much a noble clan which meant it wasn't uncommon for arranged marriages. Though... I was now curious about the bit about a bloodline being sealed.
Then I was reminded about the Hyuga and their Caged Bird Seals which was famous for ruining any Hyuga eyes taken from the host's body and acting as a suicide seal so their clan members couldn't be captured for long. As said members could be killed at a distance to save them from being tormented or worse.
My thoughts were cut off as Kaori continued to give me direction on how to improve my punches and kicking motions and then gave me some more advice on the proper way to kick people in the center of the chest to stop them from breathing.
With her asking a question that broke me out of thought. "What kind of martial art would you like me to teach you later today? I may not be a master but being an Uchiha, I have been trained in many."
I gave a slight hum and after a moment of thought, I answered. "A good striking and kicking martial art. I am not really interested in grappling."
To which Kaori gave a slight nod and replied easily. "Alright. Now just continue to win the minature tournaments the class put you in... If you keep winning you will be moved to a higher class."
There was a moment of silence before she said bluntly. "If you want to be a ninja of note... Make sure to reach Class-A, they are all guaranteed a Jonin teacher and to be put into three-man squads which put you on the fast track of life. Unless you can get a Jonin or a Tokubetsu Jonin that is willing to take you as their apprentice."
Her voice at the end had some form of introspection at the thought and I took a moment to breathe as I had been pounding that rope-bound log for like half and hour with no breaks besides adjusting my stance and it showed as my pants-covered shin were darkened with blood along with my hands being bloodied.
As I shook my hands to wean off a couple of moments of pain as they healed up back to perfection. I asked Kaori a question I had brewing in the back of my mind after her words. "So what is better. Being in a Genin squad or being someone's apprentice?"
Kaori exhaled and she honestly looked a bit torn before she nodded and said with a small smile. "It's a good question Akari... But it really depends on what you want, if you go the path of having a Jonin teacher in a Genin squad you are going to be able to do the Chunin exams which is the best way to rank up with the Village still being in peace times."
She took a breath and then continued. "On the other hand, if you are taken as an apprentice you will be afforded much more personal training and attention from your teacher. Though the chances of becoming someone of note's apprentice is slim unless you are as talented as the Fourth Hokage or Lord Jirayia."
I nodded in understanding and then after a moment of thought... I decided that with how I was basically a civilian, I needed more hands-on training then whatever books I could find along with Kaori's offer of some Taijutsu training along with learning the Great Fireball Jutsu.
As I knew that Kaori was going to dangle the Fire Jutsu as a carrot over my head as a reward for a while before she taught it and then offered another jutsu to me, to keep my motivation up... It's what I would do anyway.
So I made up my mind to see if I could find Guy or someone I knew I could wrangle to help me train. Hell with my endless stamina, I knew Might Guy would love me as his student to say nothing of how perfect I was for the Eight Gates due to my immortality.
But as I went to go back to beating the shit out of the poor post, I heard Hajime calling out. "Alright fall in! Same lines as yesterday!"
The civilians lined up and as I got into the line I gave a wry smile as Gubbo the huge teen from yesterday all but shoved another teen aside so he could stand in front of me with a glower.
"Split apart to give each other space you idiots! You did this just yesterday!" Hajime yelled out and the students quickly moved as the clan born had already began sparring at this point.
We quickly got into the meat of things with Hajime calling the start of the first rounds of fights and I squared up as Gubbo opened up his hands...
And then the fucker just charged at me with his arms wide open, clearly aiming to grab me fully.
'This guy's teachers must be trying to make me lose especially.' I thought as Gubbo charged me and I back my arm as though I was going to throw a falcon punch or something and as I went to bring it forward Gubbo swung his larger arms and hands at me with his hands coming to seemingly smash me in the face or neck.
But I didn't throw a punch...
As Gubbo charged at me like a damned fool trying to use his much large weight advantage to put me into the ground with a tackle or whatever sumo strikes he had switched to. All that weight and momentum meant he couldn't stop so easily.
And my legs had a much longer reach than either of our arms so with a dull thumping noise. My foot landed square into his balls and I watched as confusion entered his eyes... Followed by his eyes rolling back up into his head as he stumbled in his charge with myself quickly dodging to the side as Gubbo face-planted to the ground.
I heard footfalls coming near me and I looked over and saw Hajime a bit away from me with a tired expression as he said. "Gubbo you are out! Go... Crawl to the nurses or something."
And so the next couple fights were the same with the next fight being a girl who refused to fight me on principle as she won her last match by kicking her opponent in the balls herself. And the next fight was with a scrappy kid that was another slugging match that I won by writ of myself just not going down before he did.
The final match of the day was me against a girl and this one... I looked down at her fingers that were dyed in red wiped off blood with her fingernails being a good bit longer than usual.
"Oii Hajime-Sensei are we allowed to use weapons?" I asked pointing at her bloodied fingernails and Hajime's face twitched as the girl with no expression said.
"I can't make a fist with my fingernails though? And cutting my nails makes me bleed everywhere."
To which Hajime finally spoke out with some annoyance in his voice. "Akari just fight. She has Youkai blood and those nails are part of her inheritance. She knows not to go for your eyes so just don't let her hit you in the throat as well."
My face twitched at that fucking bullshit before I exhaled and popped my knuckles as I knew I would need to win this fast... As I really didn't want to be sliced to fucking ribbons by this girl and have all my wounds heal within seconds.
I wanted to at least be a ninja before all my secrets go found out at least.
The girl advanced on me and then she blurred forward with those damn nails extending even fucking further to the point that they were like four or five inches long with her hands splayed wide open as she swiped at my shoulders and upper chest.
I backstepped away from the swipe and I realized that she even had a speed advantage over me. So knowing that, I just grimaced before letting her swipe at me and I felt a burning feeling over my chest as she got me but as her hand passed my chest I grabbed her wrist and lower forearm with both of my hands.
And then I wrenched her towards me with her slashing me across the side with her other hand making me wince but I kept going with the girl being thrown over my outstretched leg and then when she was in the air I pushed her into the ground.
She looked a bit dazed and had a bit of the air knocked out of her chest as she grunted at hitting the ground but then as she got up slightly to stand back up I just kicked her in the side and the stomach hard with enough force to make her get pushed back a couple feet.
With the fight being called there as she vomited with the kick to the stomach making Hajime call out. "Alright, Akari you win."
I nodded with a grimace and went over to the side where I knew Kaori would be coming to give me a run down as to where I messed up, but even as I did so. I bundled up my shirt a bit to fix the rents in the fabric from where her fucking claws had passed through it with no resistance.
But as I was moving to the side, I heard a sort of dinging noise in my soul with the Celestial Grimoire going off with a message. [Half Blood Youkai defeated for first time +100 CP]
'Huh, so the Celestial Grimoire isn't just based off of a time-based soul recovery? No it also seems to record achievements of note... I wonder if there are lewd ones?' I mused before shuddering as the Grimoire seemed to take note of my mental thoughts and reached for the stars within my soul.
And a bright star was pulled down and its information filled my soul as the title of the perk filled my head with meme of a name. [Is it possible to learn this power? Not from the protagonist.]
Then as I took a breath and relaxed as Hajime sorted out the other kids before calling back the other genin I went over this... Massive Perk that would change so damned much in my plans.
[Using your abilities to their fullest potential is child's play to you, and you can easily use several abilities you have in tandem to amplify their strength beyond what might be expected of them. What's more, you also have a talent at coming up with entirely new techniques and ways to use any powers you have for most any situation you can think of.]
[If you have the Fire affinity, you won't even need to think for a second before realizing that you can also use it to pull fire mana out of an object to freeze it, and having to shoot your enemies with twenty variations of elemental beams will be a thing of the past. You also possess the mental faculties to actually question how your powers work.]
My mind was all but exploding as I just... Fucking understood soooo much now. I realized what that constant head pain was when I messed around with my chakra after I took the Hourai Elixer.
With the powerful infusion of foreign energy, I busted open the first Chakra Gate in my head and that's why my chakra was so much more ample then any common civilian. And with my immortality regeneration, my body had healed the damage from the first Chakra gate being open in my brain so much that I had actually become immune to its effects!
And then it struck me, with this perk I could almost certainly recreate all the other elemental bloodlines as combining nature transformations would come ever so easily to me now with this perk.
However, I would probably need to focus on one special form of combination nature transformation... And with my regeneration making me look like an Uzumaki in disguise. 'What if I teach myself Wood Release?' I thought in wonder.
But my thoughts were put aside as a cough rang out with Kaori asking curiously. "Hnn, do you need some ointment for the cuts?"
To which I shook my head and said with a small smile. "Nah, they were light cuts as I made sure to dodge and they only bled a little."
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