章節 161: Chapter 161 - Trust & Truth 01
Daichi didn't let his guard down when Kakashi said those words. It was only after he received the quest completion notification message did he start to relax. He let out a deep breath of air and put the two daggers back in his pouch.
Once the adrenaline started to wear off, Daichi began breathing hard. He was completely exhausted. But unlike him Kakashi didn't appear to be in such a tired state.
"Well, you should get some rest and get home. You've pushed yourself beyond your limits in this short time. Take a few days off. We'll meet here next week." With those words Kakashi turned around to leave but Daichi's question stopped him.
"You can barely see straight, can you?" The boy knew Kakashi was only putting up a front. He knew the man was on the brink of collapse but didn't want to seem weak in front of his student.
"I'll be fine Daichi. It's nothing just some rest won't fix." Kakashi said and began walking away.
The young Genin narrowed his eyes and stood. He flexed his fingers and the next second chakra strings came to life around them.
Kakashi only took a couple steps before he felt something grab onto his back and pull him backwards. He didn't have the strength to move his hands let alone defend himself. "Daichi, you realize that I can escape anytime right?"
"If you had the strength, then you would be gone by now."
Daichi carefully pulled the man back and forced him to sit on the ground. He created two shadow clones and then walked up to his sensei and carefully removed his Jonin vest. Daichi placed his palms on the man's chest and concentrated. Green glow formed as healing chakra began emitting from his hands.
"You need to rest, kid. Don't worry about me." Kakashi said through haggard breaths.
"I'll be fine. Now stop being so stubborn and let me heal you." Daichi carefully scanned the man's body and took in its condition.
Meanwhile Kakashi took note of the two clones meditating a few feet away from him. 'I guess now's as good a time as any to get some answers.'
"The meditation you do… It increases your chakra reserves and you also use it to replenish your chakra and stamina during battle… don't you." Kakashi said, looking at the boy.
Daichi sighed hearing that. 'He was bound to figure that out…'
A short silence later Daichi answered. "Yes. The clones hide and begin to build up chakra. It also acts as a counter to the fatigue accumulated."
"I see…"
After a second of internal debate Daichi revealed another use of meditation. "I use shadow clones to train chakra related exercises such as control, nature training and improving the skill of my jutsu. By using my clones I can drastically reduce the time needed to learn a technique."
Kakashi was surprised to hear that. He thought about such a training method and after a short while came to some conclusions. "But something like that is only possible for someone with very large reserves of chakra. And if the experience comes with the clone then does that mean the fatigue also comes back to the user?"
"Yes. So I have some clones meditate to counteract the negative effects of such training."
Kakashi thought about the efficiency of such training and the results it would provide. 'Too bad I won't be able to do something like that.'
"You took two low grade Rations pills didn't you?" Daichi asked the man at that moment.
The Jonin sighed and replied. "Yes. These pills are not as powerful as the Military Ration pills used on missions but they did their job. It was the only way I could fight so long."
Daichi looked over his condition and healed his injuries. Aside from major chakra exhaustion the man didn't take much damage aside from a few minor scrapes and bruises. "Hmm… Your Sharingan consumes lots of chakra and prolonged fights with it puts a large strain on your coils… The pills are quickly starting to wear off, so that's why you're starting to feel such intense side effects."
At that moment Daichi's clones came up to Kakashi and began transferring their chakra to him.
Kakashi let out a deep breath of air as he felt his chakra rise. The real Daichi finished his medical checkup and took two pills from his pouch and gave one to his teacher.
"Here. This will counteract the rough side effects of the Ration pills."
Kakashi was hesitant. Daichi understood the reason and immediately reassured the man.
"Don't worry. You won't get addicted to this."
Kakashi nodded and took the pill. He looked it over and then without hesitation ate it. His movements were fast and he didn't allow Daichi to see his face under the mask. Kakashi internally smirked as he saw the small twitch in Daichi's eyes. He then closed his eyes and felt the pill take effect immediately. He felt much better and in a better condition.
"What is that?"
"Well it's something to combat the toxin build up after using the Ration pill."
"Toxin?"
Daichi nodded. "A Ration pill is made with powerful nutrients and stimulants that can be instantly absorbed into the body. When someone eats a Military Ration pill it nourishes the body and replenishes the chakra. While that's true, it's not the whole deal. They do supply the body with chakra but they also stimulate the cells and organs to release some of the chakra stored in them."
"What do you mean?"
"Even when someone has chakra exhaustion their cells and organs would have some chakra in them so that they could function. It's the reason ninjas recover from chakra exhaustion without deadly repercussions with just rest and food. Well, most of the time anyway. The chakra stored in the cells and organs helps keep the body alive long enough for the person to recover."
Kakashi was beginning to understand where Daichi was going with this. "So then the pills force that stored chakra to be released into the coils to be used."
"Yes. It's how a person would be able to keep fighting for two or three days after taking a high grade pill. And that same reason is why they go into severe cases of exhaustion once the effects wear off. And the forceful extraction of chakra throughout the body creates toxins that would become harmful to the body if not treated."
"I see. I read about some cases where some dropped dead a couple days after taking the pill. But they didn't get the proper treatment in time." Kakashi added his thoughts.
"Yes. If the right treatment and capable medic ninjas arrive before the time runs out, then there is a good chance of survival. But it's still a risky gamble."
Kakashi nodded. "It's the reason why most ninjas don't take those pills unless absolutely necessary. There is also the chance of getting addicted to it due to some of the narcotics used in the creation of those things. It's why the village has strict control over the distribution of those pills."
"Yeah. It's why I made sure to make my pill non addictive and with non lethal side-effects. Here." Daichi handed the second pill. "These should help with the recovery and healing muscles. It's also something of my own design. It contains the necessary minerals, vitamins and proteins needed for cell repair. It works slow but it has no negative side effects. The only downside is, you'll need to rest properly for a day or two and drink plenty of water."
"That doesn't seem so bad."
The boy smirked at that. "I told you."
Daichi's face then turned slightly serious and asked a question that's been on his mind since the beginning of the test.
"Hey sensei… Why did you put me through this? You know that an ordinary Genin would never have passed something like this right! Heck I doubt even Chunin ninjas could have survived."
Kakashi sighed as he thought about how best to answer the question. He remembered the Hokage telling that Kensei had probably informed the boy of Danzo and a possible attack from him. 'Should I keep this from him or… Lord Hokage didn't specifically tell me not to say anything… Trust is a two way street.'
After thinking about it he made a decision. "I'll tell you the reason if you honestly answer a couple questions of mine."
Daichi frowned but nodded his head. "Seems fair I guess." 'Still the answers I give will depend on the questions.'
"Glad you think so. Now the first question. Why did you hide your strength in the Genin exam? If you had shown this much skill and strength, you would have been made a Genin regardless of what had happened."
Daichi was silent when he heard that. He looked at Kakashi and after a short internal debate decided to answer honestly. "There are two reasons for that. One. People think being a genius and graduating early from the academy is a good thing. They're wrong. While it may open doors that will be useful to your career, Unofficially it's like painting a giant orange metaphorical sign on that person's head saying 'Here's a kid with great potential. Come and kill him before he becomes a threat.' I don't want the wrong kind of attention from someone dangerous."
Kakashi internally winced when he heard that. 'It's a bit too late for that kid.'
Unaware of Kakashi's thoughts, Daichi continued. "I know that it's impossible since I'm a student of one of the Sannin. But if I openly flaunt my strength to anyone I meet then trouble will find me sooner than I would like."
The man nodded in understanding. "And the second reason?"
"I wanted to pass. But I also needed to see if I could trust my teammates. I wanted to see what kind of people they were. If I had shown my real strength, then as you've said, I would have passed. But I might have been on a team with those two. And the gap in our strength and lack of concrete trust would have caused problems in the future." 'There was also the fact that I needed to see what kind of a man you are. If you were like your canon counterpart or someone different…'
The Jonin nodded. "Thank you for being honest Daichi."
"Yeah. You said you had a couple questions? What's the second one?" Daichi asked.
"Well, not to brag but, I have powerful senses similar to yours. So during the test, when you created 7 shadow clones to meditate, I managed to find all of them… But there was one more clone. One which evaded my senses. That's very rare. So my question is, how did you do that?"
Daichi smirked as he heard that. "Ohh that? Well there's a trick to it. It's something I learned to do during my time with Lady Tsunade."
"I'm listening." Kakashi wanted to learn the secret to such a perfect hiding technique.
"There are 4 main factors that come into play. A good Location to hide, masking your chakra, trick the nose of your tracker and the final one."
Kakashi already figured that Daichi employed the first three. And slightly narrowed his eyes as he listened to the fourth.
"You need to be indistinguishable from a corpse."
The Jonin was perplexed at that. "What do you mean?"
Daichi smirked. "I'll explain from the top. First you need to find a good hiding place. I chose to hide underground, right below a giant boulder. Now before you hide there's something you have to do."
As Kakashi listened, Daichi took out two pills from his ninja pouch.
"What are those?" Kakashi asked.
"These are the pills I used to mask my scent… You see, your body odor can change depending on what you eat. Depending on the proteins and minerals that go inside you, your body could exude a good smell, bad smell or no smell at all…" Daichi said with a smile.
The man's eyes widened as he heard that information.
"But there's more. During my time learning about the various medicines and herbs I figured out that a combination of certain plants when ingested can change the body odor to one of soil scent. Another where they change the body odor to vegetation and plants. The first few combinations I made during my training took a few hours to take effect but with time I perfected it. Take a couple of these pills and in just a minute my scent would change and be indistinguishable from that of the one given out by the earth."
Kakashi was impressed. "You found an ideal location to hide and then took the pills that would change your scent to one resembling the environment you were in."
"Exactly. But there were still two problems. My chakra. A skilled sensor would still be able to find me. So I suppressed my Chakra to near undetectable levels."
Kakashi rubbed his chin as he thought about that. "But that still leaves a problem. I can use a certain jutsu and detect if there are any living creatures underground. I used this along with my other senses to find you. So I should have sensed your presence even if you had done all that."
"And therein lies the fourth aspect. Breathing. I controlled my breathing and brought down my pulse and body temperature. It's something I learned during my training. The shadow clones are made of chakra but when they are created they have chakra made organs inside them mimicking the real thing. I laid still, brought my temperature down and reduced my pulse to little over a few beats per minute. I essentially became a corpse. That's how you couldn't detect me… If I had used a jutsu to hide myself then your Sharingan would have picked up on it. So I had to do things this way."
"That's smart… Tell me. Did you instruct that clone to only come out of that state if all the others were dispelled?" Kakashi asked.
Daichi nodded in affirmation. 'There is also the stealth skill that came into play but I don't need to tell him that.'
"I can't believe you came up with something like that." Kakashi was impressed.
"Yes. Bask in the glory of my Genius. Muahaha…." Daichi stood in a dramatic pose and laughed with his hands raised in the air.
Kakashi sweat dropped seeing Daichi laugh to himself like an idiot. 'I think all those blows he took knocked a few screws loose in his head.'
Daichi looked at his sensei and spoke with a grin. "Any more questions sensei? Maybe about how I look so good everyday or maybe some cooking tips?"
The Jonin sighed and replied. "I'm good. Thanks." ,
Daichi just smirked at that answer. "Your loss. Alright now that I've answered your questions, it's my turn."
"Actually I just had one more question for you." Kakashi said.
Daichi nodded and waited for the man to speak.
"Do you know about the organization known as Root?"
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章節 162: Chapter 162 - Trust & Truth 02
The grin on Daichi's face vanished as he heard that question. He kept silent and looked at his sensei.
'What do I tell him? Me remaining silent is already an answer to that question. Gramps told me that knowledge of the Root organization is known only to the upper level ninjas and even they don't know the full details.'
Daichi recalled the conversation he had with Kensei after his encounter with the Root ninjas.
Flashback.
"Did they have any kind of identification marks?" A concerned Kensei wanted to know every detail he grandson could recollect about the attackers.
"No. They also only used the standard jutsus. There was nothing in their techniques that pointed to any clan or organization." Daichi replied.
He kept a calm face but internally he was unhappy about lying to the man. Daichi apologized to Kensei in his heart for the deceit. 'I'm sorry Gramps. But I have plans for those bodies. And I can't reveal info that I got from Observe.'
Kensei was silent and after a few minutes spoke as he went over what just happened. ''Since we don't have concrete evidence, their real identities will remain unknown but I'm positive they attacked you under Danzo's orders. Based on the information and their strength they are most probably Root ninjas."
Daichi nodded. ''What do I do now?''
''For the moment, nothing. Hiruzen won't let something like this slide. And since the attack failed Danzo would definitely not plan another. Not with the scrutiny he'll be under.''
"You said that knowledge of his organization exists on a need to know basis. Since an academy student like me shouldn't be privy to information like this, what do I do in the event that the Hokage questions me? I'm not sure I can lie and get away with it."
"You probably won't. Tell him the truth. I'll take the blame. If Hiruzen questions you, tell him I'm the one who told you about him and his agents."
Daichi slowly nodded.
Flashback End.
Kakashi was intently looking at his student's expressions. 'So he knows. But will he admit it?'
Daichi let out a sigh and replied. "Yes. I do."
"How?"
"My old man told me. The wrong attention that I said I wanted to avoid. It's from the man leading that organization." Daichi replied.
The Jonin ninja sighed hearing that. "So you know about Danzo…"
The boy nodded. "Kensei told me some things about him. It didn't paint a pretty picture."
Kakashi nodded. He knew what Daichi was talking about. 'That man came after my Sharingan once. So I have no doubt he would go after someone like Daichi.'
"Very well. Since you answered my questions honestly, I suppose it's only fair that I do the same."
Daichi was surprised. "Wait. Don't you want to know anymore? Like how much I know about him and The Root ninjas?"
The Jonin shook his head. "No. I'm sure Kensei told you everything you needed to know."
Daichi kept silent at that. He then repeated his earlier question. "What was the real reason behind this test?"
"That unwanted attention you wanted to avoid. I'm afraid it's too late for that."
Daichi's eyes narrowed. "So that Danzo guy is coming for me."
"Not Danzo."
Daichi was confused. 'Is there someone else? Who could be after me at this time?'
"I'm sure you've heard of him. Orochimaru." Kakashi told the boy.
Daichi was only slightly taken back by that name. 'So that Snake freak knows of me. I half expected it, since I'm an apprentice of his teammate. But I didn't think he'd be coming for me so soon. I need to prepare counter measures.'
"You don't seem that surprised." The Jonin noted Daichi's reaction and concluded.
Daichi crossed his arms and sat down. "I'm Lady Tsunade's apprentice. That title alone will garner me some enemies from hostile nations. I was well aware from the start what training under her would entail… I learned about the Legendary Three ninjas during the last few years. Orochimaru's name came up during one of my conversations with her. But she didn't talk about him all that much. She just told me that I should be careful if I ever meet him."
Kakashi agreed with that assessment. "You should be extremely vigilant if you're in his presence. He's not someone you can go up against… Well, not at the moment anyway."
"Where did you get the information about Orochimaru? Was it the Hokage?"
"Yes. But you don't need to panic. The intelligence that we received suggests that he has knowledge of you and has a mild interest in your capabilities but nothing more. And besides I'll keep you safe. It's my job as your teacher. So you don't need to worry." Kakashi gave Daichi an eye smile as he tried to ease the boy's worries.
Daichi nodded and both of them became silent for a few moments, processing the information they learned.
Daichi looked at Kakashi from the corner of his eyes. He still remembered the moment when his sensei asked him if he was willing to trust him. 'I can't sense any lies. Looks like I made the right bet. He's like his canon counterpart. He'll definitely try to protect me… I told him the truth when I said I trust him. But even so, that trust only goes so far. I'm sure there is still information Kakashi is keeping to himself. Blind trust is only something fools do. Even with you I won't completely let my guard down. I won't let anyone catch me from behind.'
After a few more seconds of rest Kakashi got up from his spot. "Well, I'm going home. I'm looking forward to some much needed rest. I'll see you next week Daichi."
The gamer ninja stood and nodded his head. He watched Kakashi walk away and decide to head home. He looked around the whole area and noted the devastation.
''Yeesh. I do not envy whoever has to clean this mess.''
Daichi went to where his weighted scarf was and put them on. He took a new pair of stylish sunglasses in his inventory through his pocket. 'Having spares was a good idea.'
It was then he looked at the numerous notifications piled up on the corner. He decided he would check them out once he reached home.
—-
Kakashi slowly made his way to the Hokage tower. Since it was midnight there weren't many people in the streets and he only saw a few patrol ninjas roaming by.
He soon reached the office door and knocked.
"Come in."
Kakashi went and stood in front of his kage.
"This is a surprise. I figured you'd show up a couple hours later with some random excuse once the test was over". Hiruzen spoke with a smile.
The man sighed as he heard that. He wanted to report the findings and then take a few days off to rest as quickly as he could.
Hiruzen then took in Kakashi's appearance and raised an eyebrow. "Seems you've had a very exciting day."
"That's one way to put it… That concern you had about Daichi's safety in the event of an attack… I don't think you need to worry that much." Kakashi said as he ruffled his hair.
Hiruzen smirked and nodded. "Yes. I gathered that much from your appearance and from what I saw."
The Jonin ninja had a feeling that was the case. "You watched the whole fight?"
"Not the entire fight. My work demanded most of my attention so I was only able to see pieces of your battle. Your assessment?"
Kakashi straightened and recounted the abilities he took note of. "His Taijutsu is strong enough to hold back and even take down ordinary Jonin ninjas and his chakra capacity is larger than mine. But not by much. But I suspect that with time it will grow at an exponential rate. His Ninjutsu skills are excellent for someone his age and I can confirm that he has mastered the second step of change in Chakra Nature of all 5 elements."
"His medical skills and techniques were excellent. He's demonstrated that he's capable of using chakra scalpels in battle. He's able to heal wounds much faster than any medic ninjas I've seen in the field. And he can heal from a distance using chakra strings as medium."
Hiruzen was surprised to hear that. "He changed the properties of strings from ordinary chakra to healing chakra and connected them to the wounded area from a distance. That's smart."
Kakashi nodded. "His proficiency in Genjutsu comes last. But I only say that due to the number of illusion techniques he used. Most were D and C Rank and he didn't use much to conserve his chakra since he knew my Sharingan is a counter and it would only be a waste."
Hiruzen nodded agreeing with that decision.
"But I believe he's highly resistant or immune to Genjutsu techniques."
"What?" The old kage was shocked.
"Yes. Whenever I used Genjutsu on him, the chakra entered his system but was immediately flushed out."
Hiruzen leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Was it some kind of an automatic response from his body or was he aware that he was being attacked and was able to actively counter it?"
"Based on his expression and reaction, he was aware that I tried to use Genjutsu on him but the thing is he didn't need to do anything when he was attacked. He didn't need to disrupt his chakra flow nor did he inflict pain on himself to get free. It was as if he knew he was getting attacked and his body automatically responded to the foreign attack without needing him to take action."
Hiruzen was silent as he heard that. 'This is certainly interesting. Only people with special visual prowess can see through Genjutsu so efficiently. But Daichi isn't an Uchiha or a Hyuga. And based on the blood work Tsunade did, she didn't find anything that indicated that he was from any clan… It must be some kind of a special technique…'
Hiruzen was silent for a minute and then looked at the Jonin. "Kakashi. This information. When you complete the report, do not write it down. His resistance to Genjutsu must be kept an absolute secret. If this information gets out, there will be plenty who will have their eyes on him. Both in and out of the village. So keep this to yourself. And make sure to tell Daichi that he shouldn't reveal that ability to anyone."
The silver haired Jonin nodded his head. "There is something else. You were right. He knows about Danzo and the foundation. Kensei told him."
The Hokage sighed when he heard that news. "I figured. Kensei won't take any chances with Daichi after what happened."
"I also told him about Orochimaru." Kakashi hid a wince as he looked at the sharp eyes drilling into his skull.
Hiruzen looked at his Jonin with narrowed eyes. Several seconds later he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is a very delicate time Kakashi. Any information leak could be catastrophic to the plans I've put in place. So why did you do something like that?"
"Trust needed to be built. If I lied about why I put him through what I did then… It wouldn't have gotten us anywhere. Lying won't help us and he needs to know the danger so he can prepare." Kakashi made his judgment and he was going to stand by it. "And besides, I believe Daichi knows the value of keeping something like this a secret. He might tell Kensei but I'm sure he won't tell anyone else."
The kage sighed. "I will trust your judgment on this."
"Thank you Lord Hokage."
Kakashi gave a brief oral report on Daichi's abilities, skills, strength and weaknesses. Hiruzen was impressed with the boy's progress. Once the debriefing was done Kakashi left the office and headed home.
Hiruzen was in his office going through everything he heard. 'The Chunin exams are coming up in a few months. But it's going to be held in the Stone village. Should I send Daichi to take part? I can't send him alone. He'll need a team… Hmm… There is still plenty of time. I'll deal with this matter at a later date.'
—-
In a dimly lit room Danzo was standing near the window and looking out at the village. 'Hiruzen pulled back his surveillance and let go of the restrictions placed on me. So he didn't find anything after all. For the moment I can move somewhat freely and conduct business. But still… I need to be careful. He now knows Root isn't disbanded but he doesn't have any proof.'
He turned around and at that moment a ninja rose from the shadows of the room. The shinobi in black gear kneeled indicating his loyalty to his master.
"Lord Danzo. I've conducted a thorough review of all the candidates we've recruited last year along with some of the active ones who joined a few years prior. I didn't find any spies."
Danzo nodded and dismissed his agent. He sat down in a nearby chair and thought about the situation. 'The second Hiruzen learned of the attack he suspected me. It was because the attackers knew about Daichi and more importantly Tsunade's phobia. But 'he' made sure that all my agents hid as soon as Hiruzen took me into custody. His efficient work has made things easier for me. Making him my second in command was an excellent choice.'
'Since Hiruzen couldn't find any evidence of my organization being operational, I thought for sure that he would send someone to infiltrate Root. Seems I was wrong…'
His grip on his cane tightened just a bit. 'So then why do I still feel uneasy?'
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