Keeping Up with the Inuzuka (1)

In a small room at the back of a huge mansion, a brown-haired girl stirred awake.

Dawn had arrived.

It was best to start a day in high spirits, but the girl couldn't stir herself to do so. To start with, there were five white-furred tails with a splash of tan at their ends swaying restlessly on her back...

"Why are you so gloomy?"

The image of a white, five-horned, horse-like creature with the face of a dolphin appeared in front of her. Five tails identical to her own jutted out from its back.

She let out a sigh.

"Nothing. Just feeling that life is complicated..."

The revered Five-Tailed Beast, Kokuo, and its Jinchuuriki. That was the duo's identity. Currently, they were taking refuge under the roof of the Inuzuka, a clan living in Konohagakure.

Of course, the clan had no idea about Kokuo's existence.

Yesterday, the head of the house, a wild-looking woman named Tsume, had introduced her to her family and a few other influential members of the clan.

The main family consisted of three people. The clan head, Inuzuka Tsume, and her two children, the older daughter Hana and the younger son Kiba. Coincidentally, the son was the one who had brought the girl back when she had fainted at the creek.

When asked why he had helped her, he just replied nonchalantly,

"Because Akamaru seems to like you."

Akamaru was the small pup that followed the boy around. Actually, its fur was completely white. The name didn't reflect reality at all.

"And thus, this kid will stay with me for the time being. Any objection?!"

The last question was asked with such intensity that the rest of the clan couldn't retort. It seemed that Tsume was held in high regard within the clan. Whether it was because they genuinely revered her or just feared her fists was a question for another day.

"You can stay in the back room. It's a bit dusty, so clean it yourself! Also, I won't let you stay here as a freeloader!"

Since Tsume and Hana were getting busier with their work, the house was getting neglected over time. Kiba was of no help, so the burden fell to the new addition to the house.

In short, she was hired as a servant...

"By the way, can I ask something?"

Since she had the chance now, the girl asked for a map of the region. Tsume didn't think much about it and showed her a copy.

What she saw was discouraging.

The shape of the continent was different, and not in the 'a thousand years had passed and the continent had moved' way.

The Land of Earth, which he'd mistaken as U-Tsang before, looked nothing like Tibet.

Where is the central plain? Where is the lush region of Nanman? Why is Goguryeo shaped like a hammerhead?

The final resistance to that weird idea in her head had finally crumbled.

It seemed that she wasn't thrown into a different era... more like she got transferred to a different world altogether!

Damn it! What use was her knowledge from her past life if the underlying principle was not the same? Could she even cultivate at this rate?

She was shaken so hard that she puked out blood before fainting again...

Anyway, what's done is done. Nothing she could do about it.

A new world, a new identity... although, the old soul inside was still the same.

"Either I adapt or die trying. At the very least, I should see whether cultivation is still possible."

She got up, and then changed to the clothes that Tsume had given her the day before. Just a simple set of dark-colored robe, not much different from her old life's style of clothing.

"Thankfully some parts are similar."

Women's clothing though... she had to fumble a little bit before she somewhat managed to put it on properly.

"Better go now. That rowdy woman is waiting," Kokuo remarked.

"Yes, yes..."

Still in low spirit, Hikari scurried out to do the day's work.

---

Even though it was part of a bigger compound, the main house where Inuzuka Tsume's family resided wasn't as big as the courtyard-style residence of her previous world. It merely consisted of a traditional house and a garden. It didn't take her long to finish cleaning.

"You're... rather good at this," Kokuo commented.

"It's a disciple's duty to take care of everyday chores. Back when I trained with my master, I also did the same work."

It was more spartan in that era. The sect's training ground was unbelievably huge. Compared to that monstrosity, this house was a walk in the park.

Dusting, mopping, taking out laundry... she finished them all in record speed, like a seasoned veteran of housekeeping.

When she went to check on the girl's tasks, Tsume didn't know whether she should laugh or cry.

"Good work. You're free to do whatever you want, but don't make any trouble, understand?"

If she said she didn't, would she even live to tell the tale? She could only nod in response...

Alright, cultivation time!

The body she was in right now was still young, perhaps no more than eight years of age. It was a good period to cultivate since the physical body was still highly malleable and sensitive to qi.

Just like before, she should start from the Elementary stage.

"What's that about?" Kokuo asked, its eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"The name is fancy, but it's actually just physical exercises to strengthen one's body."

There were a lot of different methods available to blaze through the Elementary stage, but most of them required specific tools. With their currently-limited budget, she should go with the free and natural way.

Running.

"...Just that?" Kokuo sighed. It had gotten excited over nothing.

"Never underestimate running. With correct posture and disciplined breathing, you can build your lower body muscles, which will strengthen your martial stance in the future."

Her master also forced her to run in the old days. She only understood way later that such a lame activity would be critical in the later stages of cultivation.

Definitely should not underestimate running!

Kokuo, who had 'utter disappointment' painted on its face: "...Whatever floats your boat."

She didn't dare to go out to the village just yet, so she just ran around the vicinity of the house. And again. And again. When she was out of her breath, she stopped for a bit, returning her breathing rhythm to normal, and then continued forth.

Rinse and repeat until night fell.

"Oi, you already skipped lunch, do you want to die?! Eat your dinner!"

When she caught sight of the girl laying limp from fatigue in the backyard, Tsume threw her inside like a sack of potato. In the end, she managed to crawl to the dining table and eat with the rest of the family.

The next day, the same routine continued. Do housework first, then start training at noon.

"Alright, I know my limit now. Let's work on extending it."

"Running again?" Kokuo yawned.

"Cultivation is constant repetition, constantly moving even if it's just a tiny step further than before. You can only reach the peak with patience."

"..."

'Won't you die before you finish your training with that mindset?'

Kokuo wanted to complain out loud, but didn't have the heart to.

The second day ended up just like before, except this time Tsume didn't have to forcefully haul her in.

On the third day, she asked for permission to run around the village, which was given without much difficulty. While she trained her body, she also familiarized herself with the streets around the Inuzuka clan's compound.

The same boring routine continued until the seventh day.

Right before she was going to start her jog, Tsume suddenly called for her.

"Hold it. I got something for you to do."

"Hmm?"

The woman smirked.

"My idiot son keeps on botching his class to play with his dumb dog. Do something so he'll at least train on his own, would ya?"

"..."

Wouldn't it be better if she did that herself as the mother? Before she could retort, Tsume had already walked away.

...Oh well.

The boss of the house already gave the words, so she could only try.

"Where did that brat go? I've never seen him around the house around this hour."

Maybe in that academy thing that they said he was attending? But Tsume did say that he skipped a lot...

"That creek, mayhaps?"

Kokuo suggested.

While their meeting a week ago was just a coincidence, the beast had a feeling that it wasn't the first time that the boy had sauntered there. The place was also a great spot to hide from the hustle and bustle of the village.

Since they had no other lead, Hikari decided to just give it a try.

Lo and behold, she did find the wild-haired boy at the creek.

The boy's sense was extremely keen. He raised his head when he heard the girl's feet crunching on fallen leaves in the distance.

"Oh, it's just you..."

His tensing body began to loosen up when he noticed that it wasn't his mother who had come. He continued to play with his pup.

Akamaru, on the other hand, was getting excited upon noticing the girl's scent. He slid off the boy's grip and ran toward her.

She wasn't a dog lover, but as a human being, there was always a spot for such a cute creature. She gave the pup a pat, which was replied with an energetic bark.

"You're... Hikari, isn't it? It's rare that Akamaru could get attached to someone so easily."

"Hmm," the girl just nodded. "Lady Tsume told you to train."

The boy tensed up again.

"Why do you keep on skipping lessons anyway?" She pursued further.

He turned away while muttering,

"...It's boring."

"..."

Boy, cultivation is boring. If everyone stopped cultivating just because it was boring, there wouldn't be any immortal flying in the sky!

Hikari gave it some thought. Tsume had handed her the job, which meant that the woman herself had failed to rouse this kid's interest in training. The usual method might not work.

She looked down. The pup was sniffing her feet while wagging his tail.

She suddenly had an idea.

She grabbed the puppy, and then put him on top of her head.

"..."

Both Kokuo and the boy gave her the thousand-yard stare.

"Okay, I'm off."

Before they could react, she had already started running away into the distance.

It took Kiba a few more seconds before realization clicked in.

"Oi, wait! Give back Akamaru!!!"

That was the first time that she had witnessed the boy's physical prowess. Goddamnit, he was fast! She wouldn't be able to shake him off if she just jogged like usual!

She ended up raising her speed beyond her original intention. Nevermind the after-effect, she couldn't afford to get caught by that wild beast behind her right now. She had a bad feeling about it!

Thus, a girl with a pup on her head and a boy in hot pursuit were seen running circuits around the village like a pair of mad ducks. Everywhere they go, small whirlwinds would be left and dust clouds would get thrown into the air, causing the people around to cough.

"What's... that?"

"That's the Inuzuka boy, isn't it? Who's the other kid?"

Ignoring their confusion, the two kept on running, or more like, the girl was escaping for dear life while getting chased by the boy.

By the time that the crows cawed, the two kids were planking on the Inuzuka house's backyard, their legs almost popped off after an entire day of running.

On the other hand, Akamaru had had a blast. He let out thrilled barks while jumping around.

"You kids are finally back. Dinner's ready! Come get some!"

When Tsume saw the two dying kids sprawled on the grass, she cracked a satisfied grin, and then hauled them inside.

Hana's lips were twitching. She was worried about the kids' condition, but seeing that her mother wasn't against it, she couldn't do anything but sigh.

Whatever, if they really got hurt, she could just heal them later...