276 Chapter 51
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Title
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The land of lightning is located on a peninsula north east of the country of fire .
In the center of the country, there are vast Mountain ranges, whose many thunderstorms are said to give the country it's name. From these Mountain ranges, many rivers flow to the sea, creating a very crooked coastline that displays an impressive oceanic beauty.
Unlike the beauty of the islands of the Most Country, these one was a beauty that came from it's many mountain tops. Mist country had its islands while Lightning country had its mountains.
I had been here for close to two weeks now, just taking in the sights and admiring the work of nature while also looking for someone suitable to become the first Raikage.
I had had an urge to just use my Divine sense to just scan the entire place and find someone with suitable affinity toward lightning but then I thought, "I have close to two decades before Hashirama and Madara would even begin the first steps towards their goals."
With that thought I decided to go about it the cultivation world style.
-Act like a senile old man at the road side while asking anyone that comes around if he would like to become my disciple-
This had been the plan but two days ago, I heard about a certain temple dedicated to the God of Lightning, Kami Raijin. Kaminari Den, literally meaning Palace of Thunder.
I reached here two days ago and discovered that this Kami Raijin took on a guise as Yakusa no Ikazuchi no Kami, The Eight Thunder Spirits.
Monks here dedicated their lives seeking enlightenment and preserving the Jutsus associated with Raijin.
That made me wonder, when the hell did this world begin nurturing Gods without my knowledge? I get the incident of demons but God's? Or Spirits?
Normally, curiosity would have gotten the better of me but I curbed it down and left after seeing that the monks were basically living like that, Monks.
The only intriguing things was that they seem to practice the art of using lightning without handsigns, basically following my ideal path, the Avatar world style.
Normally, handsigns are something akin to a crutch, it's good in the beginning levels but one is supposed to get used to the paths their Chakra will flow for a particular technique, with constant practice, they could then shorten or hasten that process without letting the enemies know you're about to unleash a technique on them.
This was good. I had noticed other temples of this kind in both the country of fire and air, I hadn't had the time to check out whether there was an earth temple or water temple.
At least these three temples are following the no handsign way but being monks isn't the way to go about it. One had to be intuned to their respective elements.
Not that I'm gonna tell them that, the MF that got these idea and started this up should have known this.
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On a particular clearing, a young man sat tranquil with his eyes closed. Silence and Tranquillity. That was all that could describe the place. The only noise that could be heard was the skittering of insects and sounds of flowers blooming.
Tall trees and , Green undergrowth, bubbling creeks and running water. The Very place could be said to be a picture out of ones imagination.
All of a sudden, the young man sneezed, destroying the perfect image of his domain he had created.
"Hmm? Who is cursing me now? I haven't done anything to draw unnecessary attention to myself during this live have I?" He thought to himself.
"Weird. Maybe Izanami? Nah..she'd contact me as soon as she needs to vent. Dad? He shouldn't be..right?" He asked in uncertainty.
"Oh well..."
Thinking that, he closed his eyes and went back to his mediation.
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In my two weeks of observing the children around this place, I had noticed that there were lots of children with potential to be great but I wasn't looking for that...
I was looking for someone with a heart. A heart of a leader, not just any leader, but a good one. Someone who actually cares for those he leads into battle.
It may sound contradictory but it is what it is.
War. What was it? Why was there a need for it? In its very essence, What was war?
Every living being is in a constant state of War, whether they be good or bad, but actually knowing what war entails and still deciding to delve into it, needs something, something I was looking for in the children I asked some random questions.
"Why do you fight?"
A simple question that has a lot of answer. Out of Seven billion people, half will give you different answers the others would answer, "I don't know,"
That is a fact.
Most people don't know why they fight. They just do so because that's the way they're brought up.
I was looking for someone that had a will of their own. Someone with a dream, a grand dream.
Maybe in that way, he could add some certain things to make that dream all encompassing.
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"Hey kid." I called out to a dark skinned boy walking with his head down, looking contemplative.
The kid looked at me and then looked around him before pointing at himself as if to ask, "Me?"
"Yes you, come over here." I said and beckoned on him to come forward with my hand.
"Why do you have that look on your face?" I asked as he reached me.
"What look?" He asked. I could see in his eye, confusion at what I just asked.
"You looked like you had the fate of this world on your shoulders." I said. "The fate of the world?" He asked in confusion.
"Yeah, the fate of the world. Tell me, what's troubling you?" I asked with a smile. Children would always be one of my softest spots, no matter how strong I am.
Children were without faults. Blank sheets, if I may.
Similar to how ones mastery with the pen, or brush, would determine how beautiful or elegant an ink turns out, environment determines how a child grows up.
So as children, despite their advanced state of maturity due to chakra, they still held that pure heart that could only be affected by the world.
The boy sighed and averted his gaze from me. I looked like any kind grandpa you could find around so despite his vigilance at first, he became quite relaxed after giving me a good look.
"It's nothing, it's just... Sigh..." The boy started but sighed.
Raising my walking stick, I expertly hit him on the head despite his attempt at dodging. "You're far too young to be sighing like an old man. C'mon out with it, it'll only get better if there's someone to share your worries with."
He looked at me in annoyance while rubbing the stump that grew out of his head before his gaze became weird. "And that someone is you?"
"Hmm? You don't want to confide in me? That's good too, just find someone to talk to and will listen to your rambling. I'm far to old so what better listener than me?" I asked.
If something was hard enough to make a child like this sigh, then he either doesn't have a family to protect him or doesn't have someone trustworthy enough.
Wait, what am I thinking? He's but a child.
"Sigh.-"
Thwack!
"Ouch! Old man what's your deal?"
"No sighing like that. It'll make you get old quicker."
"Really?" He asked fearfully.
"Yeah. How do you think I got this old at such a young age?" I asked.
He looked at me and then said. "Drugs?"
"Wha-?" That caught me completely off guard.
"Drugs? Where'd you hear that from kid?" I have him a look.
"I dunno, some adults were talking about it and I overheard them." He answered.
"Really?" I asked skeptically, "Of course." He nodded seriously.
"Hmm, I see... And no, it wasn't drugs, it all started years ago, when I was a young man, stress of life hit me hard and at every moment of the day, you'd see me sighing for basically everything and before I knew it, I was old."
"You sure it's not drugs old man? Those adults said you'd get high as a fly when you take it, whatever it is." He sighed again.
Thwack!
"Don't spout nonsense brat, I'm telling you the reason for my old age. What? You don't believe me?" I asked menacingly.
"Humph, don't try to scare me old man, I'll have you know that I'm pretty strong so you can't lie to me," he said with his hands on his waist.
"What? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked. I almost felt some brain cell die listening to this brat.
Oh, they can't really die, but I'm pretty sure they shut down for a moment right there.
"Sigh, kid, out with it, what's troubling you?" I asked again, this kid must have a sort of mental issues brought about by the harsh upbringing they get at this age.
The kid looked forlorn for a moment before he shook his head and said. "My name is Enel.."
Now, that got me to raise an eyebrow. A suitable name if he were to pass my test. God Enel, the first Raikage, a good name indeed.
"Raika Enel, that's my name. It is believed we're the clan most blessed by the Kami Raijin, hence our noble status. Yet, we still have to go to war for things I find unnecessary." The brat, Enel said and then chuckled.
"I don't know whether it's because I'm a child but whenever I talk, they always laugh and say I wasn't fit to be from the Raika Ichizoku(clan or family)," he laughed derisively. "We're a clan favoured by lightning, hence we should be like the lightning, strike with full force and then think later."
"I don't see a good future for my clan if things continue this way. Perhaps it's just me being a child or perhaps it's because I don't want my big sister to die unnecessarily but I want this war to end." He finished and then sighed again.
"Why are you sighing again?" I asked as I raised my stick only for him to flash away. "Sigh, kids these days. Why are you sighing? Do you think anyone would take pity on you? No. No one would. No one cares except you."
"I once met these two kids who had a dream. Do you want to know what their dreams was?" I asked the boy.
He nodded as he gave me his rapt attention. I guess the earlier words did do some good then.
"Well, at first it was a childish and brotherly protective side speaking then, they wanted to protect their little siblings. Later, they made a promise to eachother that they'd get stronger and later build a village where all children wouldn't have to fight anymore. That was their dream." I said with a smile.
"That's... wonderful." Enel said after pondering for a moment. He then smiled and said, "They're admirable, wait, how old were they?"
"I guess around your age now?" I asked back.
"Don't ask me, I don't know them, you tell me." Enel said in annoyance.
"Well, they should have been your age now back then." I answered with a 'hoho' laugh.
"Then did they achieve it? Their dream?" He asked hopefully.
"Hahahaha, no, not yet. They're still working towards it right now." I said.
"Then that's good. It would've been a shame if they were dead." He said.
"Why do you say so?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because then, the adults in my clan would've been right and they didn't know how the world works." He answered causing me to look at him weirdly.
"What?" He asked.
"For a moment I thought you were actually matured, but now?.." I shook my head.
"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked confused and a little angry.
"It has everything to do with it. So what if they were still alive? So what if they're dead? And who gives two fucks about what the adults say? Let me ask you Enel, why do you fight? What is your purpose? Answer me this." I asked seriously.
My initial thoughts on this kid was actually that of a rational and mature child who could reason beyond his age, but now...
3rd POV
Enel listened to what the old man in front of him had just asked.
So what if they were still alive?
So what if they're dead?
Who gives two fucks about what the adults say?
The first two questions were good and all but what does it mean to give 'two fucks'?
Also, what was his reason for fighting?
Of course it was because it was expected of him.
That was what he was going to answer but he felt that that was wrong. This wasn't why he was fighting. Yes, it was expected of him to fight for his clan, but is that his real reason for fighting?
The clans practice, No. The world at large was wrong in the way it was going. His elder sister was frail but still managed to raise him after their parents died 'for the clan' leaving two kids to fend for themselves in this harsh world.
At the deep recesses of his mind, he had always asked himself this question. No. He had always wanted to ask his parents, "Why did you fight?"
For the clan? Was the clan more important than your children? He didn't have the answer to that, even Mina, his elder sister didn't have an answer.
The adults in the clan however, had the answer. "We fight for the clan."
The clan is a family. An extended family but he didn't feel any sense of family from them. Only his sister mattered but his sister was also part of the clan, he too was part of the clan.
Leaving the clan was not advisable as you'd be treated as an outcast wherever you go...if you aren't hunted down, that is.
Mulling over the question he had always asked but had now been asked him, he firmed his will and looked at the old man in front of him and said. "I..."
