CHP 15: Konoha, is good...

~ Jacob's Pov... ~

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'So this is Konoha in the flesh...' I remembered it all vividly from my set of memories, and from different perspectives. Looking to the left, I saw some of the kids playing in the playground...

coupled with the homes and the scenery...

'It's, beautiful...' I took in the humbleness this place had. Even if it wasn't much in it's appearance in the typical sense, it was, nice... Calming even, It's just in hindsight what goes on in the shadows of this place. Not that it's any different from the my world...

"You can't catch me! Hehehe!" 

Looking ahead. I heard a little girl screaming happily, as if she was running away from someone, plus, her words were a decent indicator too, though, she should look ahead while she does... 

However, a realization struck me – she really wasn't paying much attention to where she was going... "She's still not looking ahead of herself," I mumbled under my breath, in fact... 'She's actually about to run into me... In 3, 2, 1...'

Anticipating the collision, I moved swiftly, intercepting her path just in the nick of time. In one fell swoop, I scooped her up into my arms, her laughter abruptly replaced by a surprised gasp.

I could see her wide-eyed, processing the sudden change in her trajectory...

"He... You should be a bit more careful." I told her, ensuring my voice carried a gentle tone. I wanted to show a sense of caution without dampening the playful spirit that she had her eyes...

I saw her catch her breath, then she looked at me in what I could easily point out being, awe... The good kind, I hoped... "W-Woah! Mister, you're so tall!" She added with glee.

I smiled, "Yup, I'm super-tall-"

"Rika! Rika!! Where did you go!!!" Before I could even respond, I heard a female shout from the same direction the little girl had came from, piecing it all together, I could tell whoever that was, is likely her guardian...

"Hey! Auntie Kurenai, I'm over here!" Rika exclaimed, her eyes were filled with excitement. As soon as she said so, I watched as a figure approached, and soon enough, 'Kurenai' appeared on the scene.

'That's this kid's auntie? She's, beautiful...' That was the first word that came to mind when I saw her...

As soon as she saw the little girl, I saw her face light up with a mix of both relief and gratitude. 'She was, her auntie... She seems quite capable too.' With my eyes, I could see her chakra and sense it as well...

Although she was keeping it hidden, it wouldn't work much on me with my abilities. This lady Kurenai had more chakra than even myself, and had quite the edge to her presence I couldn't describe either, despite how gentle she came off...

Still, her name did ring a few bells in my head, though, not much. I still kept my smile to not seem suspicious, or dangerous, since it helps...

"Rika, you had me worried there!" She released, she looked at the girl with eyes that I was familiar with, parental danger, but from the title, she wasn't her parent...

"I'm sorry aunt Kurenai... B-But, this pretty stranger kept me safe." 

'Handsome would be more like it, men aren't supposed to be pretty, but thanks for the compliment, I guess...' I smiled outwardly to ease the tension between them a bit.

I felt Kurenai's red eyes meet mine, but she quickly turned away as soon as we made eyes contact, bowing seamlessly. I'm a little impressed by that actually...

"Thank you so much, really; for keeping her safe." She expressed her gratitude, addressing me with a warm smile. I smiled back. 

"It's fine, I understand, kids can do that sometimes..." I didn't want her to feel any worse than she likely already was for making this happen...

"Yes... Rika, gets away from me sometimes, and when it happens I tend to question myself a little." She said with a smile.

"I see... Well, Maybe I'll see you guys around sometime." I gave her a slight nod, and waved to the little girl as well. They seemed like nice people, but, I needed to get a decent flat, and a cheap one at that...

"Wait...!", Did she want something else? "Yes?" I answered.

"I-I feel as if, I should repay you for this... Would you be interested in grabbing a cup of tea sometimes? As a token of gratitude for helping me find Rika," she added with a hint of shyness, her smile taking on what looked like a subtle invite.

'Is... Is she asking me out on a date?' This soon? I didn't have much time to answer. Though, it definitely couldn't be for now. I had things to do. Still, this was a first for me.

"Ahh... Sure... But, I won't be available for... The next two weeks, is that fine with you?" I saw her think for a moment, but in the end she nodded. I made up a somewhat random timeframe, which should be enough time to get myself together. and settled for things to come...

"Hmm... That should fall on the day of the festival, so yes it, should be fine... How about we meet up at noon, sharp?" 

"Alright... I'll see you then." I waved to her, and back at Rika once more, biffing them farewell...

Walking for a bit, and thinking for a moment, to think just after a few minutes of walking in the village, I happened to score a date, with a strong and gorgeous lady too. Maybe, I'm finally going to have my first girlfriend...

'This isn't so bad, but why does the timing have to be so, horrendous?... Hell, am I even fit for dating with my current mental state, or at all?' Turning her down might have been the better option...

'I'll figure it out... For now, I just need to keep training, and keep tabs on who or what I need to absorb...'

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I walked around the village for a bit, searching for available rentals. Relying on my knowledge and considering my current income, my memories suggested that the west side of the village housed some of the more affordable apartments, which, according to my recollection, were decently sized.

Opting to explore this area a bit first, I strolled through the village, making mental notes of places of interest as I passed by. After a short while, I reached my destination...

'This should be the place...' I looked at an old open entrance, that had an old man sharpening his cutlass...

"Excuse me, sir!"

I saw the old man paused his work, looking up with a curious expression. His eyes looked as if they were weathered by time and experience, met mine as he set the cutlass aside...

"Yes, young man? What brings you here?" he inquired, his voice carrying a seasoned tone.

"I'm in need of a place to stay, and I heard there might be some affordable apartments around here," I explained, hoping my memories served me well...

I saw him give a nod followed from the elderly man. "Ah, you're looking for a place, are you? Well, you've come to the right spot. We've got a few vacancies. Follow me," he said, gesturing for me to follow as he led the way through the open entrance.

As we walked, he shared snippets of the village's history and tales of the residents who had called this area home. The apartments, though modest, had a certain charm about them. We reached a building with a sign indicating available units.

Still, the architecture was actually not bad despite the lack of industrial machinery in these times, so I appreciate it a bit more than I intended to...

The old man stopped, "If you're interested, have a look around. Feel free to ask if you have any questions," the old man said with a friendly smile, leaving me to explore the rest...

After some deciding, I choose the one to the far left of the foundation, since it had a decent view of the streets... I checked inside, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it was all well taken care of, this was good. Not many landlords cared for their unrented homes...

"I think... I'll take, this one." I pointed.

"Hmm? Not a bad choice... The rent is 3,500 ryo a month, is that fine with you?" He added, I nodded. It was really cheap indeed. And, it wasn't bad either.

"Alright, I'll make a down payment today. Since I'll be moving in right away..." I handed him the needed amount.

He nodded, "A-Alright, I'll leave you to it then... I'll head down and pick up your key..." He bowed, leaving me to my own devices.

With this out of the way, I guess I can start my training... I locked the door behind me. Sitting down on the floor in a meditative position.

'It seems I'm Already accustomed to this level of the weights...' I had grew quickly. My weights although still were quite weighty, had practically no effect on my current level now. It burdened my muscles yesterday, but today I was tip-top shape...

In fact, ever since my talent stat increased, there was a noticeable difference in how I perceived things around me, and not just around me, but inside of myself as well.

Even my current stats had increased a fair bit, with my strength, endurance and speeds having raised a good chunk too, while my chakra increasing by a thousand odd points. This was good for a way of training physically. And, I wasn't meditating or fully pushing myself physically either...

'Alright... I'll increase it to around 130 Tons...' I poured a bit of my chakra inside the seals, and once again, I had immediately felt the burden.

'Guh...'

It took a bit out of me to stand, but after a while, but I should be able to get used to this by tomorrow... With this kind of training, I could gain an infinite amount of Chakra, I just needed to constantly utilize the seals...

'Meditation should help as well. But, I can experiment if that increase my gain compared to yesterday...' With that being decided, I placed both my hands on the floor, lifting myself up, attempting some basic isometric exercises...

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END