Chapter 7: Tutor
"And as for the other jutsus of the library, you can't just have them yet." Haruko poured cold water on Raijin's grin.
Raijin was bewildered. "What... not yet? So, I can only access information about the Sarutobi Clan and Konohagakure from the library?" He asked to make sure that what he had heard was correct.
"Yes, when your chakra increases, you will have access to clan jutsus but only with my permission."
He frowned with an obvious dissatisfaction.
"Last but not least, you will receive my…." She paused and continued "…or rather my shadow clone's guidance for your little training." Haruko smiled and added after a long minute.
Raijin was excited internally but didn't show it on his face.
"I'll help you with your Shurikenjutsu next week. On the second and fourth days of the week, you will be guided by me." Even if Raijin tried to hide his excitement, Haruko noticed it when she felt his chakra fluctuation.
"I mean, if your clone is doing the teaching, why only next week?" Raijin struck while the iron was hot.
"I told you; I am a busy person. I can't have my clone with you all the time." Sending a shadow clone each week was very possible, but due to Haruko's pride as clan elder, she didn't want Raijin to think of her as easy-going.
"I wanted to train in taijutsu and ken…" Raijin muttered in a low voice letting Haruko hear it.
"Okay, if you are so eager…You shall have 4 days next week with my clone," Haruko interrupted him. "If you managed to impress me, I would make sure to train you in taijutsu. Deal or no deal?"
"Deal," Raijin said with visible excitement. 'Not a bad deal, well, I wanted a mentor, and I got one.'
Before Haruko left, "Spend the rest of this week on the clan library. I will send you my clone from the upcoming week."
Raijin nodded.
After seeing Haruko off, Raijin went for a leaf concentration exercise inside the main hall and then went to take a shower. He took a break from his physical training and focused solely on chakra control for the next 2 days ignoring access to the library.
***
It was dark at 5 a.m., and the sun had not yet risen above the horizon. The air was cool and crisp, filled with the damp chill of the night's condensation. Birds were awakening, their soft chirps and tweets breaking the otherwise peaceful stillness of time.
Raijin, in his main hall, was practicing leaf concentration in the morning. He also resumed his usual set of training sessions today.
He had just finished a single session when he heard his bell ring. He quickly stood up to greet Haruko, as today was the day his training with a real teacher would begin.
"Welcome clan elder, Isn't it cold this morning?"
"Let's stop the chit-chat, here, carry this to your training ground."
Haruko handed a heavy-looking bag made of cloth to Raijin and walked towards the training ground.
Raijin carried the bag and brought it to the training ground.
"Raijin Sarutobi, let's start with checking your physical fitness."
"How should I start?" Raijin asked.
"First, run continuously using your full speed."
Raijin nodded and started the round at full speed.
Haruko wasn't moved by his explosiveness in running because his speed wasn't anything special. He was just average.
Raijin ran at his initial pace for about 30 minutes. He then continuously ran another 20 minutes, gradually decreasing his pace.
"Okay, that's enough." Haruko went over to the holding bag, untied the knot on the bag, and took out the wooden kunai and shuriken. "Dodge this."
She threw the wooden kunai at Raijin's thigh as soon as she said the words.
Raijin couldn't react to the incoming kunai, which hit him in the thigh. Raijin wasn't hurt, but he felt a tingling pain.
"You must learn to dodge the thrown kunai and shuriken…" She threw a shuriken at Raijin's left thigh.
This time, Raijin managed to react but couldn't dodge it because it was many times faster than the previous one.
She continued, "Shurikenjutsu isn't just about kunai and shuriken."
"It includes the throwing of kunai, shuriken, senbon, or any small-bladed hand weapon. It is mainly used to distract opponents. If used skillfully, it can injure, maim, or even decapitate an opponent. Shurikenjutsu has different styles depending on the person using it..."
Haruko explained the basics of Shurikenjutsu to Raijin.
Raijin absorbed everything Haruko told him. He learned how to handle shuriken without hurting himself and how to hold both shuriken and kunai in his hand theoretically.
After learning the basics, Haruko made Raijin dodge the shuriken and kunai thrown at him.
At the end of the dodging session, Raijin had many bruises all over his body.
'This kid hadn't complained yet and can hold up well.' Haruko praised Raijin inwardly. "Take a 5-minute break."
Raijin took a couple of minutes to catch his haggard breath and then walked over to Haruko's clone. "Why am I not allowed to throw shuriken?" Raijin asked with small cuts over his clothes.
"Do as I say, for now, don't get impatient…"
He nodded and stayed silent.
Clap…Clap…Clap…
"Time's up, get into position… you will dodge again until I say so"
Raijin repeated the breaks and dodged kunai and shuriken until 10 am. Haruko let his body recover its stamina occasionally and didn't make the training too hard for Raijin's fragile body.
"It's 10 am, that's it for my time. See you tomorrow."
Whoosh…Without letting Raijin speak, she disappeared.
Hah, that was productive.
Raijin freshened himself and after having a meal he went for a walk. He was wandering around the village gathering his thoughts on the recent developments in Konoha.
The fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato died. Konohagakure, Village Hidden in the Leaf, recuperating from the Third Shinobi World War has now become truly a weak nation.
Because of the Third Shinobi World War, the force of Konoha was in a dire state. Minato, although gained the moniker of Konoha's Yellow Flash and had stopped the invasion of 1000 Iwagakure shinobi killed 50 of them, Konoha couldn't help losing its forces during the Third Shinobi World War. Two of the three Legendary Sannins, Jiraiya and Orochimaru participated in the war, Konoha fought against Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure at the same time. Later the war ended after an armistice agreement between Konoha and Iwagakure.
This war caused a dent in Konoha's shinobi reserves, and after the Nine Tail attack, the dent was even deeper. The village not only lost its hokage but also its last remaining military force.
The suffering would probably have been mitigated with minimal loss. However, due to Danzo Shimura's interference in the Uchiha clan, Konoha suffered substantially. Danzo ordered Fugaku Uchiha to stand down and not deploy his clan's forces to aid in the defense of the village, which left the Uchiha clan as a mere observer during the crisis.
The Uchiha were already politically isolated from the rest of Konoha due to their growing distrust of the village leadership. The other clans and their elders became even more suspicious of the Uchiha, blaming them for the attack despite their non-involvement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage, who had just stepped down from the position, was forced again into it due to the current circumstances. After Kyuubi's attack (Nine Tail Beast) was neutralized, Hiruzen worked to restore order in the village. He addressed the citizens, providing reassurance and guidance during the aftermath of the attack.
Hiruzen organized a memorial service for the victims of the Nine-Tails attack, honoring those who lost their lives and helping the community grieve and heal. The memorial service was also an important step in the village's healing process. He then initiated plans for the reconstruction of Konoha, focusing on restoring the village's infrastructure and morale.
Konohagakure's beauty was dimmed because of the recent attack, but it still had the natural beauty over such a grimace. The Hokage Rock, envisioned by Hashirama Senju as a symbol that the Hokage would always watch over the village, was shining brilliantly.
Dark times fade behind, while bright rays find your palm.
Raijin glanced at the Hokage monument and wondered, "I wonder how much a carver is paid to redo all of the Hokage's faces once the new one is inaugurated. It must have been a lot." He paused looking toward the building of Hokage's office, "But looking at the financial situation of Konoha, they must be stingy with money."
He gave a long look over the monument and muttered, "Village hidden in the leaf, the name itself carries beauty."
Raijin planned to visit every place in Konoha today to familiarize himself with the village he was meant to live in for years to come.