'Normal Speech'
'Thoughts'
'Bijuu/Summons/Gamer'
'Bijuu/Summons/Thoughts'
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, The Gamer, or any series for that matter. If I did the last thing I would do is write fanfiction for your amusement. I am also way too lazy to come up with new creative and funny disclaimers to post on every chapter, so I'll be copying this one and pasting it on every chapter. I've got better things to do with my time, like reading fanfiction, write fanfiction, eat, do work, work out, read fanfiction...you get the idea.
(P.S. Did you guys know I like fanfiction?)
Chapter 10
"Time sure flies…" I thought as I opened my eyes from my Meditation and took a deep breath. I looked around at the grassy training grounds and noted that my clones were still training with the elemental skills I had managed to obtain from various sources.
I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to sift through all that I had accomplished over the years. I opened them and decided to check my progress.
'Observe'
Name: Yorudan
Race: Human?
Level: Lvl 58 Next Level: 6,755/165,400
HP: 31822/31822 Regen: (636.4 per min)
CP: 76553/76553 Regen: (2067.0 per min)
CC: 96%
STR: 247.8
VIT: 260.4
DEX: 203.7
INT: 324
WIS: 318.6
ENGY: 570
Points: 387
Ryo: 875,348
"Good…but not good enough." I thought as I looked at my base stats. Just based on the numerical value, I was probably around low Jonin level based on the knowledge and observations I had gathered throughout the years. My stats would have been higher if it hadn't been for my staunch dedication in creating an improved healing technique. It wasn't like I had been lazy with my physical training, but most of my time had been spent studying and researching topics related to my goal.
While I wasn't particularly happy with my current strength level thus far, looking at my Chakra Control percentage couldn't help but make me nod appreciatively. Some time back, I had managed to increase my Natural Lightning Affinity to 100% and the moment I had done so, I had felt a subtle shift in my chakra. This change had allowed me to perfectly control my lightning and element and as a result, I no longer had the need to use hand seals with that type of elemental technique. Furthermore, it had increased my CC by 1% which meant that my past conjecture was correct.
"Increasing my elemental affinities to 100% will further help increase my CC…"
The amount of maneuverability and freedom this gave me was more than worth the amount of effort I had to put in and due to this, I had put in even more effort into fully leveling my other elemental skills. My water elemental skill was coming along nicely and I had almost managed to fully level my Natural Water Affinity.
As I continued to observe my status, I lightly tapped my chin in thought. Due to my incredibly fast processing capabilities in conjunction with Eidetic Memory, I was easily capable of remembering and calculating what my base stats were from the bonuses my skills gave me. Sometimes, however, I just didn't feel like having to go through that effort (however slight it may be) and I now wondered if there was a way to see my base stats.
Would you like to toggle [Stat Bonuses] on?
Y/N
I blinked. "That's…convenient…" I thought before clicking Y. Instantly, the display changed.
Name: Yorudan
Race: Human?
Level: Lvl 58 Next Level: 6,755/165,400
HP: 31822/31822 Regen: (636.4 per min)
CP: 76553/76553 Regen: (2067.0 per min)
CC: 96%
STR: 118 + (210%) = 247.8
VIT: 124 + (210%) = 260
DEX: 97 + (210%) = 203.7
INT: 120 + (270%) = 324
WIS: 118 + (270%) = 318.6
ENGY: 150 + (380%) = 570
Points: 387
Ryo: 875,348 ($87,534.8)
Well, this made things easier. I quickly roamed through my stats again and nodded my head. It had been quite difficult to break past the 100 stat point barrier for most of my stats, but in the end it had only benefited me. As a result for breathing through those barriers, however, I had unlocked new interesting perks from my stats.
Unique Muscle Memory (Passive) Lvl Max
Unique Muscle Memory is a skill granted to those with an incredible mind-muscle connection. It allows the user to rapidly improve upon all skills that require the use of the body. Increases the % training rate of body skills by the user's strength. (If the user has 200 STR then their bodily skills will improve by 200%)
Accelerated Analysis (Passive) Lvl Max
Accelerated Analysis is a skill granted to those with incredible processing capabilities and brain power. It allows the user to increase their processing capabilities by the full % of the user's INT stat. (If the user has 200 INT then their thought processes will be accelerated by 200%)
Empathy (Passive) Lvl Max
With great wisdom, you are able to understand the emotions of all living beings you come across. Empathy allows the user to grasp and know all the emotions and emotional changes any individual is going through. It has a maximum range equal to the user's WIS stat in meters and it can be turned on or off at will. (If the user has 200 WIS then this skill will have a maximum range of 200 meters. This range can be adjusted to the user's whims.)
Interestingly enough, I hadn't gotten a new skill for ENGY yet even though I had gotten my base stat up to 150. It made me wonder if I was going to even get any more skill perks or if I had to further increase my base stats to higher levels.
"Now then, that DEX though…" I wasn't sure if it was some odd obsessive compulsion, but seeing my DEX as the only stat that wasn't at 100 really bugged me, especially since I could actually see the numerical value unlike before when I had usually just calculated my base stats off of my percent multipliers in my head. It grated me enough that I contemplated using a few of my stat points for a brief moment… "It's only 3…"
And gave in.
Ping!
Congratulations, the skill 'Hawkeyes' has been granted by reaching 100 DEX!
Hawkeyes (Passive) Lvl Max
Hawkeyes is a skill granted to those with incredible natural vision. With this ability, every point the user has in Dexterity is a meter long increase to their natural vision range. It also allows the user to see in the dark. (I.e. a DEX stat of 200 [including bonuses] would increase your maximum vision range by 200 meters.)
My eyes widened as I felt them change. It was such an odd and disorienting feeling to have my vision suddenly become better and clearer by multiple times that I had to blink multiple times in order to get used to it. After a few seconds, I finally managed to adapt to my improved sight and took in the surroundings eagerly. "This…"
The color.
The detail.
The resolution.
Everything looked so much more vibrant than before and I could see and notice slightly different shades of color and texture that I hadn't been able to prior to awakening this skill. The experience of Hawkeyes was almost as intense as the first time I had gotten the Empathy skill.
"And I ruined the mood." I thought as less than pleasant memories resurfaced.
Even with my emotions dulled by 90%, the intense emotional backlash I had received from experiencing the emotions of every sentient being within a 265-meter radius was not one I wanted to experience again. It was only thanks to the fact that I could control its range and that I hadn't been in the center of town that kept me from breaking down from enduring all those weird and random emotions at once. For that reason, I usually kept my 'Empathy barrier', so to speak, at a 5-meter wide area around me just so that I could only feel the emotions of the people in my immediate vicinity. The other skills I had gotten had been much easier to manage and there hadn't been much I had to or even could do to keep them in check.
I leaned back against the tree I had been meditating on and picked up the book I had been studying titled 'Chakra Theory in Biology'. It was an advanced level chakra theory book which went into great detail about how chakra improved upon the various biological processes of the body and was written by none other than 'The Professor' himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi. This past year and a half or so, ever since my first mission, I had been researching pretty much all of the books that had anything to do with Natural chakra and Chakra theory all in order to create a medical skill that could regrow limbs.
While I hadn't made a major breakthrough as of yet, I had come up with many plans after running countless variables in my mind. The most promising one had to do with creating a seal that absorbed and controlled the input of natural energy into the technique at just the right proportions. The only issue with this had been that I hadn't had a single clue about how to sense and gather the natural energy with the seal, but luckily, I had Minato to help.
The backbone for the seal had been mostly completed with his help, but there were a few logistical issues that had to be worked out such as creating a system to prevent the Natural Energy from mixing with the user's chakra. Another issue was matching the input of Natural Energy to the output of chakra that the user was using for their technique. Since I was planning to improve upon the traditional Mystic Palm Technique, which already required immense chakra control, the modulation of Natural Energy had to be perfect.
Besides those, I had found a medical technique in Konoha's library that had served as the backbone for my seal.
The Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique.
It was an extremely complex medical ninjutsu with a low success rate and it also required teamwork between the users for a successful treatment.
However, more important than that was the fact that it used a unique Fuuinjutsu seal as its basis. The seal used was square in shape and would be drawn on the floor while the patient would be placed at the center.
It worked by taking a portion of an injured individual's body as a medium (from skin cells to hair cells) and converting those cells in order to regenerate missing sections of the body.
It required immense chakra control to match the chakra into the proportion of cells and treatment took a long time, however, it was more than a perfect start for me.
With that, I lightly sighed and leaned back on the tree while continuing to slowly flip through the book. There were just some instances where I wanted to sit down, relax, and take it slow. The book in and of itself was interesting enough that I quickly got absorbed into it and continued to read it at a steady pace.
My mind eventually drifted as I thought about something else that had been on my mind for a few months now.
Reaching level 50.
I had found out more about my abilities and the level of my growth as soon as I hit level 50, for example, before my HP used to be calculated by my VIT stat multiplied by 50 plus other bonuses, however upon reaching level 50, I had gotten a few messages from my ability, one of which told me that my base HP would now be calculated by
50 + (Vitality * Level)
Instead of the previous
50 + (Vitality *50)
And the same thing occurred to my CP growth.
More than that, however, I had obtained other messages after reaching level 50 which had given me pause. They allowed me to realize that my ability was much more complex than it had initially seemed and that I actually didn't know as much about it as I thought I had.
Before I could delve deeper into that thought, I suddenly raised my right hand and caught a senbon that had been thrown at me. "You know I can sense you, Teacher, why do you even bother trying?"
"I need to make sure you're always on your guard and not slacking." A voice said before the figure of my trainer, Kotoe, appeared in front of me.
Keeping my gaze on my book, I flipped a page before asking, "And? I doubt you came here just to 'keep me on guard'. Is there something pertinent that requires my attention?" Suddenly, I could feel the atmosphere change around her as it became much more serious. "Well?" I asked looking at her.
"I'm not sure how aware you are about the developments in the war, so I'll give you a brief rundown of what you need to know." She said
I slightly shifted to attention and listened as she continued to speak, "Not long ago, the Tsuchigumo Clan formed a pact with the Third Hokage due to the fact that the clan's leader, En no Gyōja, developed a technique that could wipe out an entire village. By terms of the pact with the Third Hokage, En no Gyōja declared the technique to be forbidden, in exchange for protection provided by Konoha in times of need."
"I do recall hearing something about that…" I said, though keeping my eyes in my book, yet I could help but ask, "What about the technique made the Third Hokage declare it forbidden?"
Kotoe sighed solemnly, "From what Lord Danzo explained, it's called Fury and it utilized Natural Energy to power the technique. From what I've heard the damage it caused was quite immense."
Suddenly I froze, my hand which had been motioning to turn the page stood still in the air.
"…How?" I asked.
Seeing her confused look, I elaborated, "How exactly is the natural energy gathered for the technique?"
She looked at me intently before explaining, "…I recall Lord Danzo mentioning that it was a type of Fuuinjutsu seal. As a matter of fact, Minato was his first option to take the mission but since his team was currently-"
I slammed the book shut, effectively cutting her off before I stood up. "What's the mission?"
She rolled her eyes at my antics before handing me a mission scroll. I quickly opened and memorized the contents in less than a second after which I tossed it into the air and went through a few handseals in rapid succession. I kneaded my chakra inside my body before converting it to fire and expelling it out of my mouth as a stream of flame towards the scroll, all of this occurring in a seemingly single smooth motion.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Active) Level 40
The Great Fireball Technique allows the user to knead chakra inside their body and convert it into a fire before expelling it from the mouth, either as a massive sphere or as a continuous flame-thrower. The scope of this attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered.
Maximum Range: 80 meters
Damage: 520% ENGY
Cost: 1250 CP
There were only ashes remaining of the mission scroll after my technique ended, so I dusted myself off and started walking forward.
Ping!
Quest Alert!
The Power of Fury!
The Tsuchigumo clan has recently come under a series of attacks from small groups of other villages due to their possession of a powerful Kinjutsu that could influence the war. Officially you are to protect them till the attacks subside substantially enough that they can hold their own, unofficially, you are to obtain the schematics for the technique with your mastery of seals.
Objective 1 Reward: 300,000 EXP & 50,000 Ryo
Objective 2 Reward: 100,000 EXP & 'Fury' Schematics
Failure: Death and/or torture
"…You seem awfully eager to complete this mission Yoru." Kotoe said from behind me, her tone intrigued.
"You have no idea."
"That's fine and all…" she started before continuing in amusement, "But do you even know where you are supposed to go next?"
I froze mid-step. "No…"
The woman had the audacity to laugh at my predicament before shaking her head, "You usually so act much more mature than your age that I sometimes forget that you are still just a kid."
My eye twitched. "…just lead the way."
"Sure thing kiddo, but just make sure to follow behind me." My instructor said as she walked up and ruffled my hair. Before I could slap her hand away, she removed it and chuckled to herself before jumping in the tree lines, so I followed her.
"…Women."
"Good, you're all here." The Hokage stated as he looked at the forms of Dove, Turtle, me, Boar and his two teammates, Monkey and Tiger, Viper and finally Wolf, all standing at attention while Wolf was still out of commission. We had all come in at around the same time, all prepped with our Anbu uniforms and other attire.
The Hokage stamped a few pieces of paper before neatly stacking them and laying them on the table. "First and foremost, I expect your mission to protect the Tsuchigumo clan to take priority over your other assignment, is that understood?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" We immediately chorused.
The Hokage nodded in approval, "Good, now our client and his personnel are already here, keep yourselves at attention."
No sooner did he say that did the door to his office open allowing 4 discernible forms to enter the room. I quickly scanned all of them with a quick Observe and Empathy while taking in their forms.
The first one notable was a young girl around the age of 12-13 who had fair skin, dark-green eyes, and long wavy blonde hair with a widow's peak, reaching her back. The girl wore a violet-colored kimono top with white trimmings tied by a black obi.
Hotaru, Tsuchigumo Shinobi
Lvl: 20
Rep: 0
The next individual of note was an elder man who seemed to be in his early 50 or so with long black hair with grey streaks that formed into a mustache and beard. He also had small black eyes and wore a baggy tannish-colored robe.
En no Gyōja, Tsuchigumo Clan Leader
Lvl: 90
Rep: 0
Next to him was a man who appeared to be in his late 30s who had short spiked up black hair. He wore a grey outfit with a silver sleeveless haori which had grey trimmings, a long sleeve grey shirt inside and long pants, a black bracelet on each wrist, and black shinobi sandals.
Hāto, Tsuchigumo Shinobi
Lvl: 75
Rep: 0
Finally, next to Hato was a young man at around 18 years of age with black shaggy hair with bangs that hung over his eyes and framed both sides of his face and pronounced creases underneath his black eyes. In addition, he was tall and well-muscled wearing a high-collared blue cloak, a black top that ended mid-chest and dark casual pants. His gaze was calm and seemingly apathetic as he stood there patiently.
Shiranami, Tsuchigumo Shinobi
Lvl: 65
Rep: -20
I had to prevent my brows from slightly furrowing as I felt the negative emotions coming off of him with my Empathy. No sooner did Kotoe gently place a hand on my back almost to comfort me, however, I knew that was not the case as her fingers rhythmically tapped on my back in certain patterns and durations.
"Morse code…" I thought as I deciphered her message.
Kotoe: "What can you feel?"
I stealthily reached behind my back and tapped the back of her palm with my fingers.
Yoru: "Girl and two older men. neutral. The younger man. Anger and hatred."
She tapped me a few more times.
Kotoe: "Good, keep a close watch on him."
And with that, we went to our former positions, our interaction lasting no more than a few seconds. I had, of course, told Kotoe about my Empathy skill soon after I had gotten it because I knew how important such an ability would be on missions. It could even save a life one day if our ranks were infiltrated and I sniffed them out, not to mention it made interrogation much easier if I could tell their truths from lies. Some things, however, like the true nature of my full ability, would always remain a secret.
The time it took for me to observe them and for Kotoe of message me had been no more than a few seconds during which they had also been observing us. En no Gyōja, the clan leader, slightly inclined his head in approval after giving us a more than a cursory glance while stroking his beard. "I see, so these shinobi are to be our helping hands against the upcoming storm. I assume they are all well prepared for the adversities ahead?"
"I assure you, they are more than competent for this mission." The Hokage affirmed, fingers interlaced as he rested his hands on his desk.
The Tsuchigumo clan leader smiled lightly before slightly inclined his head, "Thank you old friend for extending your aid in our time of need."
"There is no need for thanks." The Hokage said, slightly shaking his head yet keeping a small smile on his face, "As per our previous arrangement and as a matter of principle, the Leaf will always be there to help your village in its time of need. If there is anything further you need, do let me know."
"No, we should be able to make due-"
"Actually there is something I'm curious about." A calm sounding voice spoke up, effectively cutting En no Gyōja off.
"Shiranami!" Hato spoke up, slight irritation visible on his visage.
The young man continued nonetheless, "Is this truthfully the best that the Leaf can give us? Even after everything my clan has had to go through because of your war? They even have a child with them."
"Shiranami enough!" The older male Hato spoke up, his expression now more irritated. "We should be grateful for the help we have been offered. You should not be rude towards-"
"No, it's understandable." Hiruzen spoke up before continuing, "Our forces are quite thin, but I guarantee you that these are some of the finest groups we have. You need not worry about their capabilities. However…"
Here the atmosphere changed as a primal feeling of dread overwhelmed my being. My eyes widened and my body leaked sweat from my pores as the Hokage continued, a calm but dangerous look on his face and a slightly visible blue aura around him. "I would ask that you refrain from speaking out of turn boy."
I could tell that even that kid's impassive visage was cracking as sweat streamed down his face, yet he found the strength to nod nonetheless.
"Please calm yourself Old friend." Gyoja spoke up with a slight smile on his face yet I could feel his annoyance at Shiranami as he explained, "You should know how emotional children can become. You will save me face, won't you?"
Almost immediately the pressure that had been around the room disappeared almost as it had never been there to begin with and the Hokage returned to his usual genial facade, "Of course, children can be unruly at times, which is why it is our duty to teach them discipline."
The Tsuchigumo clan head chuckled lightly, which Hiruzen followed, after which he stated, "As to your earlier supposition, you have helped us more than enough. We'll be taking our leave as soon as possible."
"Then I wish you the best." Was Hiruzen's reply.
Gyoja nodded and turned, walking out of the door to which the little girl Hotaru, the middle-aged man Hato, and the young man Shiranami followed. Before Shiranami left, however, he gave us all one last look before narrowing his eyes at me and leaving.
I looked at his retreating form blandly before thinking, "…he's such a ball of sunshine."
"You shouldn't look so distracted Yoru, it's unlike you." Kotoe said beside me as we hopped from tree to tree towards the Tsuchigumo Village.
"…I'm never distracted." I stated simply, hopping off another tree and feeling the wind on my face.
I could almost feel her roll her eyes as she's replied, "I've been with you long enough to know when your blank face is simply blank or if you're in deep thought so I know something's been on your mind…that and you were pissing out your pores in the Hokage's office."
"…Funny you should mention that." I started. "Because J could have sworn I smelled a little piss on y-"
"Yoru!" Kotoe said heatedly, "Do not complete that sentence!"
"…You really shouldn't be embarrassed it's a natural biological process that many animals go throu-" I hastily ducked as a barrage of shuriken flew towards me aimed at my head and looked back blandly. "…That's unprofessional."
"Tsk, I was just making sure you were aware of your surroundings." She said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"I would advise you both not to have a lover's quarrel in the middle of the mission." Wolf's voice sounded out in front of us as she gave us a side glance. "It will reflect poorly on us as Konoha shinobi if-"
"You know, I sensed you were frustrated earlier in the Hokage's office and…was that Shark I smelled on y-" My eyes widened as a barrage of kunai flew my way and I immediately substituted myself with a log right before it was shredded by the projectiles. I appeared a few meters away on a tree branch and immediately jumped up as a Demon Wind Shuriken cleaved the tree I had been on.
With a small flip, I landed on a tree branch and continued my tree hopping as I Looked at Wolf who was giving me a hard glare. "You will not finish that sentence."
"Women…" I thought blandly as we continued onwards at a fast pace. Due to the fact that the Tsuchigumo clan leader was a prime assassination target, Boar, Monkey, Tiger, And Viper had gone on ahead with Gyoja and his entourage in addition with a Kotoe clone since she was such an incredible sensor. With that they could scout for attacks up ahead while we would lag a little behind, but not by much. Just enough where we couldn't see each other but enough where even I could sense them.
Before I could ruminate any further, I heard Kotoe speak up from behind me, her tone serious, "It seems like we won't have such an easy mission this time around: Small party of around 6 all around Low-Jonin levels."
"Jeez." Turtle, who had been silent the whole time finally spoke up, "I can't believe that they're already willing to send such high-grade ninjas."
"We, unfortunately, don't have much time to worry about that." Kotoe said looking up at the sky for a moment before continuing, "Turtle, send one forward to warn the others that they are coming from our 9. We should be able to hold them off or even beat them if we play this right."
The man nodded and sent a clone ahead before Wolf spoke up, "I believe that we should ambush them before they come towards us. It seems like they are expecting to see us but not expecting us to see them. Correct me if I'm wrong."
Kotoe shook her head, "No, you are correct, from their trajectory they seem to know our general area but nowhere concrete. We can use this against them quite easily and pick them apart." With that said she landed on a branch to a stop.
We all followed suit after her before Kotoe stated, "Follow my lead and stay close. You should be able to sense them by now, right Yoru?" At my nod, she continued, "Good you'll lead with me."
And with that she leaped ahead towards our enemies' general direction, prompting us to follow. Within a few seconds we crossed the kilometer gap separating us and our enemies, but right before we made contact, Kotoe suddenly split one direction and I split another Turtle and Wolf following her and me respectively.
I flashed a few hand signals telling Wolf to wait for just a moment and no sooner did I see multiple figures jump right ahead of me all in black clothing and with Anbu masks on.
"…Kirigakure." I thought as I saw the mask designs, but I didn't question it any further and quickly charged lightning in my hands before releasing a beam of electricity in the form of my Lightning Strike from my palms. All without handseals.
The sudden attack blew one of them from midair as the individual crashed through multiple trees and came to a stop.
-6505
HP: 23495/30000
"Enemy attack!" One of them yelled, however before they could regroup, a blur flashed by and brutally slammed itself against one of the enemy shinobi, throwing him/her far away.
That was soon followed by a volley of senbon, courtesy of Kotoe, that rained down upon the remaining four individuals who all split up in order to avoid the needles. Before they could even get their bearings, Wolf finally moved forward agilely and slashed at two of the unsuspecting enemies with her tanto.
I decided to quickly focus my attention on the remaining two Kiri Anbu and slipped into stance while also remembering about the one I had attacked earlier. With a kunai in hand, I dashed forward towards one of the enemies, Kotoe having moved to engage the other, but before we could make contact, both of them expelled mist from their mouths which quickly spread to the surroundings.
"The Hiding in Mist Technique…this is somewhat troublesome." I thought as I tightly gripped my kunai and turned my head to look all around me. The issue with this jutsu was that the mist was created by the user's chakra and so since their chakra was pretty much everywhere around me, I could not accurately sense their energy 'resonance' with the surroundings.
"However…" I said as I jumped to get an aerial view of the battlefield. "I can still feel your emotions." Without missing a beat, I flipped through 5 handseals while inhaling air into my lungs and molding my chakra.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (Active) Lvl 38 [65.25%]
The Wind Release: Great Breakthrough is a technique that creates a gust of wind, whose scale and usage varies depending on the user.
Maximum Range: 114 meters
Damage: 570% ENGY
Cost: 1500 CP
With a thought, I expelled a gale of wind from my mouth which quickly blew the mist away. What I saw, while gravity took a hold on me, was a battlefield devoid of enemies, only Kotoe and Wolf visible on the ground floor. I landed softly on the ground while noting that they were out of my detection range.
I looked at Kotoe who shook her head in the negative, "I can sense their retreating chakra signatures, but it would be unwise to go after them especially since their heading the opposite direction. We've already warned the team ahead so what we can do now is catch up and-"
"I'm back!…and what did I miss." Turtle said as he ran into the clearing noting our forms.
"Our enemies escaped and it is now imperative that we catch up to the main group." Wolf said as she sheathed her tanto and looked at Turtle. "How about yours?"
"Well…" The man started, scratching his head, "he turned his body to water and just disappeared in the soil. I kind of didn't expect that so I was at a loss."
Wolf nodded, "It seems like this job is going to be a long one. Turtle you think you can lead us to the group with your clone that went ahead earlier? I'm sure they must be out of your range by now, Dove."
Kotoe nodded, "Unfortunately so. While we do know the routes they are taking, it's safe to assume they may have chosen to deviate due to our warning. It's best to err on the side of caution."
"No worries." Turtle said before closing his eyes and opening hem a second later, "I just dispelled it, follow me." He jumped up to the trees and, likely using the information he got from his clone, lead us through the forest.
We vigilantly made our way towards the other group, making sure to be acutely aware of our surroundings. In little time we eventually caught up with the other group up front. I noted how their previously tensed forms relaxed as they saw our figures, furthermore, they were stationary in a clearing of the forest.
"We figured something must have happened when you dispelled your clone Turtle, but seeing as Dove's clone was still here we didn't really have to worry." Boar said with a light sigh before he scanned us once more, "Regardless, I'm glad you all are alright."
"Likewise." Kotoe said before dispelling her clone. "Though I have to ask why you decided to pause here? With enemies on our trail, it's imperative we get to our destination quicker."
"We would have continued on, but…" Boar nodded his head to the side towards the individuals from Tsuchigumo, more specifically, Hotaru. "The little one got tired. I figured I would wait for you guys as reinforcements and continue with her on my back."
Now that he mentioned it, she was really flushed in the face.
Kotoe sighed and tried to pinch the bridge of her nose, before remembering she had a mask on. "Really, why didn't you just do that before?" At Boars somewhat sheepish expression, she looked at the Tsuchigumo clan leader who had most likely been listening in. "Why exactly did you bring an untrained child here in the first place? She would have been much safer in the confines of your village walls."
"That…" the clan leader seemed to pick his words carefully as he explained, "She's…too important to be without my supervision."
Kotoe gave him a look for a moment before shaking her head. "Fine, but she'll only slow us down on her own two feet. Boar."
The bulky man nodded and went on one knee, his back facing the girl, "Come on kiddo, let's get you home quickly."
Hotaru looked at En no Gyoja who nodded his head. She then shyly climbed up Boar's back causing Kotoe to state, "alright, let's get a move on. There are no enemies within my detection range, but that may change soon." With that, she jumped up into the trees with the rest of us right behind her.
I focused on the emotions that the Tsuchigumo shinobi were outputting, more specifically, the ones Shiranami was projecting. "Absolutely nothing…" Aside from the tingle of negativity he seemed to have, there was no inward or outward change in his emotions that I could sense. He was just calm.
It wasn't weird or suspicious, but I had to note that even En no Gyoja and Hato had emotions of worry, most likely from the fact that enemies had already started coming after them, no need to mention Hotaru who was inwardly very frightened.
I shook my head, "There are more important things." I thought as I continued to move along the trees. I just had to remain vigilant and keep my guard up against as many eventualities as I could.
In little time, and without much suspense, we got appeared in front of the village doors. With a simple signal from the village leader who was traveling with us, the guards allowed us into the village gates. As we walked down the streets, my Empathy picked up trace amounts of…Well, not hatred but slight animosity from most of the village residents. Before I could dwell on it any further we suddenly stopped in front of a small building.
"I would first like to extend my thanks for your assistance." En no Gyōja stayed before gesturing towards the building. "This will be your place of residence for the time being. I apologize that it isn't much, however-"
"Master Gyoja!" A voice yelled causing us all to turn to the source. There I saw a slightly above middle age man with a bristling mustache and dark eyes. He wore a simple, v-neck, long-sleeved shirt with a sleeveless coat, a pair of pants and sandals.
"Tonbee." Gyoja stated as the man approached.
The dark-eyed man nodded his head. "I just received word that you returned so I hurried here as quickly as I could. How is lady Hotaru?"
The Tsuchigumo clan leader gestured towards Boar who was carrying the sleeping form of the blond haired girl on his back.
"I see." Tonbee stated, before looking at us all "I thank you for your assistance, but if you would be so kind…" Boar nodded and gently handed over Hotaru's sleeping form to the man who replied gratefully, "Thank you again for your aid."
With that said the man left, allowing En Gyoja to continue where he left off, "As I was saying, it may not be much but it has enough rooms to accommodate you all." Here he sighed before explaining, "The frequency of attacks has been increasing causing much of our previous infrastructure to be destroyed. Please be on alert."
"We will and thank you for your hospitality." My teacher spoke up eliciting nods of agreement from the rest of us.
Gyoja responded in kind and looked towards Hato and Shiranami before leaving the premises, the other two individuals following behind. With that, we entered the building and admired its interior before moving to the living room area. Entering this part of the building, I looked at the wall of the living room and noticed a dragon mural hung up on the wall.
"That's an interesting piece of art." Turtle said as he looked at the dragon head that was framed up on the wall.
I nodded my head in agreement, but couldn't help but feel something off about it. "Weird…"
"Another day….another mission." Viper said as he took off his mask, placed it on the table, and plopped on the couch.
"This is the way of life we chose, or are you having second thoughts?" Wolf asked as she followed suit and took off her Anbu mask as well.
I and the rest of the Anbu here did the same before Viper replied, "It's not that, it's just…sometimes I just want a vacation you know? Go to a foreign land, meet a foreign woman, get to know that foreign woman, maybe get laid by said woman…you know what I mean?"
"No." was her dull reply
Viper rolled his eyes, "Oh right I forgot, you already have your boy toy to play wi- woah!" He said as he jumped up from his seat, just in time to dodge the shuriken that embedded themselves on the chair he had been on.
As if she had done something insignificant, Wolf sat down on the tatami mat, legs crossed, and asked, "So, what's the plan this time around?"
"I suppose we can proceed as usual." Boar said as he too plopped down on the floor.
With us all eventually sitting in our most comfortable positions, Kotoe then replied, "So I create scouting clones and we all react to any unforeseen circumstances they detect?" She then shrugged, "I suppose that's best for this mission anyway."
"…I would also advise keeping an eye on the villagers as they don't seem to hold goodwill towards us." I stated, centralizing the attention on me.
"A lot of people don't like us." Turtle stated. "It comes with the job."
"I'm aware." I replied. "But it's best to be safe and exercise caution."
"Don't worry your sweet little head about that kid." Viper said calmly, though his body language indicated he was ready to jump at a moments notice. "You're practically preaching to the choir." With that said he kept whisking glances at Wolf who glared at him in return causing him to flinch back.
"Anyway." Boar started as he got up and stretched, "Keep your eyes peeled and don't lower your guard, like usual. I'm going get some shuteye so wake me up if something happens." With that, he left the living area and went about the house to go to his room.
Watching the guy leave, Viper couldn't help but comment, "I'm telling you guys that it's the sexual tension! I mean look, Boar never gets tired!"
"If you're so desperate for action just go to a brothel. You're acting like a desperate starved dog." Monkey, one of Boar's subordinates, stated as he stood up. "I'll be semi-conscious so give me a tap if you need me." Following him as he made his way out was Tiger leaving Kotoe, Turtle, Wolf, Viper, and me here.
"…If you all need to sleep feel free to do so." I stated at them, "I don't need it and I need to keep myself alert anyway since I'm a sensor."
"I'll shamelessly take you up on your offer." Turtle stated as he too got up. "Sorry to take advantage of you like this kid, but I really haven't gotten any good sleep in a while."
"No worries. It'll be best if you all are at your peak anyway."
"Ahh thanks, kid, you're a lifesaver." He said before patting my head and walking away.
"I can't say I trust you with my life, but I trust you enough to keep a good lookout." Wolf stated as she stood. "Well, I'm off. Hopefully, I see you all tomorrow and not in the middle of the night."
"Well unlike her." Kotoe started as she pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning on. "I do trust you with my life. So do me a favor and don't get me killed ok?" She said with a wink before leaving.
"And then there were two." Viper stated as he looked at the direction my teacher and Wolf had left before breathing a sigh.
"You aren't going to sleep?" I asked noting how Viper seemed to be in thought.
"I really can't." He said with a sigh, "It's been a while since I've had a woman to be with. Maybe Monkey was onto something…" He put on a thoughtful expression and muttered to himself before looking at me with narrowed eyes and stroking his chin. "Hey Yoru?"
"…Hm?"
"You've never been to a brothel am I right?"
I blinked. Twice. "I mean I'm seven and a half so…"
"Great!" He said clapping his hands before rubbing them together, "How would you like to experience the other adult aspects of shinobi life let's say…seduction?"
I gave him a blank look, "I'm seven…"
"Ohh don't be like that, girls dig cute kids!" He looked at me pleadingly before getting on his knees, "Please Yoru you have to help me!"
"…"
He smiled.
I sighed.
"…Fine. I'll leave a clone here and go with you. Just stop acting so…pathetic." "I needed to do recon anyway so this is as good of an excuse as any."
The man smiled before thrusting a fist in the air, "Yes! Thanks, kid, I promise you won't regret it!"
I looked up to the ceiling "I hope so."
"Ahh! He's so cute!"
"He really is! Look at those pretty silver eyes!"
"And his mask too! So mysterious."
"Ladies, ladies." Viper stated as he raised his hands in a placating manner, "Don't crowd around him like that or you'll scare my little bro."
One of the brothel ladies look at both me and Viper, likely noting the not so subtle differences in our skin tone, "But you two don't even look alike…"
"Adopted." Viper said offhandedly before giving (or at least trying to) a charming smile and placing his hands around two of the women, "Now then, why don't we go someplace more private."
The women giggled and felt upon the man before dragging him off to a closed curtained area and disappearing from view.
I sighed
"What a lost cause."
I stood up and looked around, listening to the music, whistles, and cheers of the surroundings. I had sent some clones to survey the village earlier in order to check for weaknesses in this place's defense. Additionally, there was a clone back at our temporary residence in order to monitor the area just in case.
With these thoughts, I gave the surroundings one more cursory glance before I paused and narrowed my eyes in a certain direction. "Did I see that correctly…that hair…and his immense chakra…" I thought as I tried to look past the crowd of people, but unfortunately, I was still young and therefore short. I sighed softly before closing my eyes and focusing my enhanced hearing in that direction.
"Hahaha ladies, ladies, please there's only one of me and so many of you. Why don't you come at me one at a time?"
"Didn't you say you were a 'legendary shinobi'? What, is a few women too much for you to handle Mr. powerful shinobi?"
"Or were you just all bark?"
"All bark?!" The first voice said, "ladies I'll have you know that I'm one of the strongest ninjas in my village. Even my other two teammates pale in comparison!"
"Ohh yeah?"
"Why don't you show us then?"
"If you're such a strong ninja then 5 women shouldn't be too much to handle."
"You can even be as rough as you want."
"Please hurry up!"
"Hehe, I'm going to have to teach you ladies never to underestimate a Sannin! Now, how about we start by-"
And with that, I stopped listening and blinked in thought. "That can't possibly be…but who else? And why here?…well at least this gives me something to do."
And so, since I wasn't going to get any answers sitting down, I stood up and followed the sounds of perverted giggling (granted there was a lot of that here so it took a while) and stood before a curtained room. A simple genjutsu made me invisible to the crowd preventing any heads from turning at the sight of a 7-year-old in a brothel. Though, considering I had seen some rag dressed children around, suffice to say that my presence would not have turned too many heads. Then again, I was too good looking for my own safety.
With those thoughts out of the way, I opened the curtain and peered into the room. "Jiraiya of the Sannin." I confirmed as I saw the visage of the man who looked to be in his early thirties.
My intrusion disrupted their laughter as all 6 heads turned towards me.
"A kid?" One of the women said
"And he looks so cute!"
"Ah! Look at his beautiful eyes!"
Ignoring the fawning women, I turned my gaze towards Jiraiya whose eye twitched continuously while looking at me and I heard him mutter, "Just when we were getting to the good part too…"
Ignoring that, I pulled down my mask causing the occupants of the room to gasp.
"Omigod so cute!"
"Look how pretty his face is!"
"If only he was ten years older…"
Jiraiya's eyes twitched again.
I sighed.
"Who would have thought being cute would be so troublesome…" So I ignored the peanut gallery and opened my mouth, showing Jiraiya my tongue for just a moment before putting my mask back on.
His face tightened at seeing the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal given to me by Danzo before I slightly bowed and made my way out, though not before hearing Jiraiya say to the women, "Well…shall we continue?"
As I waited in the area I had been in before meeting Jiraiya, I noted that the curtain to Viper's area opened with the women exiting soon after. As soon as they saw me, their smile brightened while Viper's looked somewhat strained.
"I'll see you again maybe?" Viper asked the women hopefully.
"As long as you bring him with you next time."
"I mean your adopted brother is just so adorable!"
"I won't mind seeing him again in 10 years, but by that time…"
Viper's facade began to crumble but not before the women left blowing me a kiss along the way.
"It's all your fault!" Viper said, giving me the stink eye.
I raised a brow. "…what exactly?"
Viper clenched his fists in frustration before giving me a hard look, "All they wanted to do was talk about you! 'Your adopted brother is so cute!' or 'How old is he?' Or 'why does he wear a face mask?' And one even had the opacity to say 'Tell him to visit again when he's older.' I mean what the hell?! You're seven! Why would anyone find you sexually appealing?! They don't even know what your face looks like! Hell, I don't even know what your face looks like!"
I watched as the man raged about before I couldn't help but comment, "…Maybe they just didn't find you as charming and your fake smile definitely didn't help. Just be a better human being next time or something."
"…I'm going home." Viper said dejectedly as he slumped towards the exit causing me to sigh before following him.
After exiting the establishment, I told Viper, "Be careful on your way back, I have to stay here for something." He gave me a lazy wave still in his dejected state. With that, he continued to walk away back towards our place of temporary residence leaving me to wait outside the brothel.
With a tap of my feet, I found myself on the roof of the building and decided to take some time to practice my Meditation. It took 30 minutes before I opened my eyes and stated, "Lord Jiraiya…it took you a while."
"What can I say? The women just didn't want to leave the handsome and gallant Master Jiraiya alone. Well, I don't expect a child such as yourself to possibly understand." The man said offhandedly.
"What I understand…" I said, before turning around, "Is that they were doing their job."
That got him to regard me seriously. "I've been out and about away from the village for a while so I'm not up to date on what's been going on in the village but…" he looked me up and down. "I had no idea Danzo was picking them younger."
"A product of the circumstances." I said blandly. "The reason why I'm here and why I assume you're here as well."
Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "I suppose that's true." With that, he placed his hands to his sides and looked at me through half-lidded eyes. "So? Was there a reason you disturbed me from my job? You should know by now that the shadiest parts of town always have the brightest information flow."
I slightly nodded my head, "I simply wished to confirm if your mission was in conflict or cohort with ours and if you would want us to develop new plans taking your presence into consideration."
The white-haired man raised a brow, "You're a really diligent kid you know? Reminds me of that brat I taught, though you're much more uptight than he is…" he shook his head, "The only reason I'm here was that I was around the area and a contact told me about the peculiarities of this clan's kinjutsu. Needless to say, I couldn't just sit still after that, so I decided to see if I could get information on which individuals in this clan had access to it."
"…That's part of my team's secondary mission." I stated before asking, "Have you found anything useful then?"
"Nothing substantial yet…" Jiraiya paused and rummaged his pockets before taking out a scroll and tossing it to me. "A list of names and addresses of the higher ranking members of the Tsuchigumo clan. Not all of them have access to the kinjutsu, but a good majority do."
"Thank you…" I stated before putting the scroll in my inventory. "What do you plan to do now Lord Jiraiya?"
"I'll be around the area, after all, I have to make sure your team properly secures the objective. In the meantime, I'll see what other information I can obtain."
"I see…thank you." I said with a short bow.
Jiraiya waved me off, "No need kid, it's part of our job anyway. Anything else?"
I paused for a moment before I thought of something, "…As a matter of fact, there is."
"Oh?" The white-haired Sannin asked with a brow raised,
I looked at him plainly, "Shiranami, he seems to be the son of the man named Hato and I believe he is well respected around here. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you put some surveillance around him?"
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, "An enemy?"
"I can't be sure yet." I started, before continuing, "But he is hostile towards the Leaf and his father seems to be in a high position in this village. I would feel more secure is I knew what he was doing behind my back."
"I see." The Sannin stated before nodding, "Very well I'll watch him and let you know if anything pops up."
"Thank you." I said quietly.
"As I said before, it's part of the job." Jiraiya replied with a slight smile, "Alright, good night kid." And a moment later, he disappeared into a swirl of leaves.
I looked at the spot he had disappeared from before standing up and dusting myself off. I looked up into the night sky and ran through a couple things in my mind before I was snapped out of my reverie from the dispelling of my clones.
"They completely mapped out the place…" I thought as I reviewed my clones' memories and made a mental map of the relatively small hidden village. With this information, it would be easier for me to locate the individuals on Jiraiya's list.
I looked up at the night sky and thought, "I suppose I should get back…" before I jumped from the building to the next and made my way back towards my group's place of residence.
After arriving and entering the building, I felt around with my Empathy…and promptly regretted it.
"They all need to get laid…" I thought as I felt from them some deeply…amorous emotions. I was pretty sure they were all sleeping and I couldn't pinpoint which individuals had those feelings, but it felt really odd for me to feel the sexual frustrations they were experiencing.
I was only 7 after all.
Regardless, I sat down and reduced the range of Empathy to just the surface of my skin before opening my inventory and taking out the scroll Jiraiya had given me. With a quick read through, I memorized the names on the list and placed it back in my inventory for later. I would let the others know about this information tomorrow in the morning. For now, though, I would be keeping watch.
With a light sigh, I rested on the couch in a comfortable position and began to practice Meditation. I had never once stopped thinking about that man I had met that day. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew why I was here and he had the answers to many of my questions about my faulty memory and more importantly, who he was.
"Level 100 Meditation huh…?" I thought. I had never forgotten what he told me and I had been working towards meeting him again, but this skill hadn't made it easy. Compared to many of the other skills I had been training with, it leveled up much slower in its later stages and I wouldn't be surprised if it took me another couple years before I could get to my goal.
"However, nothing worth getting comes easy."
As for the Luck thing, I am inclined to agree. I have no idea what I had even planned to do with it earlier but I had it there anyway just because.
Weird, I know.
Regardless, I've taken your suggestions to heart and will remove the Luck stat from this chapter and all my previous ones as well. It really won't serve my story at all.
As for the stat points, you'll just have to wait : )