Chapter 3

"Finally!" I exclaimed as I received the memory of my shadow clone indicating that it had finished the last book in the library. The knowledge gathered from the books significantly boosted my understanding of the ninja world, but I soon realized that knowing about something and being able to do it or apply it were two different things as I found out the hard when tracking a bear in the forest. Realizing that practical experience was crucial, I decided to extend my date of departure from one week to four. My goal was to complement my theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience in various domains such as farming, crafting, and cooking, which I could practice in the town. I sought the help of the villagers, disguising myself under a shell of chakra like Naruto to present myself as a teenager of 16 years passerby in the village asking if they would give me advice in exchange for my help with their tasks. Despite their strong dislike of outsiders, it seemed that because they didn't have enough hands with the recent order in preparation for the war becoming too overwhelming for them reluctantly allowed them to work alongside me offering me advice on what I was doing wrong. I spent the rest of the time chopping vegetables and learning about the spices and flavors that were unique to the ninja world. At the end of the month, I learned all I could about different materials, tools, and techniques used in crafting, as well as how to plow fields, sow seeds, and tend to crops in a land as unique as the land of rain. Each day, my practical skills improved as I absorbed the knowledge and my understanding of these domains would grow deeper through hands-on experience in the future. Other than being focused on gaining practical experience to complement the theoretical knowledge I had acquired from the books the day. I had ventured into the mountains to hunt for food, honing my tracking and survival skills on the animal instead of a ninja the night. I also continued engaging in rigorous physical training pushing my body to its limits as improving my stamina, speed, and strength became harder. I was able to sell the weapons I took months earlier and resell them for a good sum of 2000 Ryo, the iron started to become costly so fonding poor weapons to produce more kunai was a good way to collect iron again. Before departing I decided to take a detour and look at the poorer side of the town. As I walked through the narrow, dusty alleys, I couldn't help but notice the many worn-out wooden shacks that were in pitiful condition, having either windows or doors broken and their roofs destroyed in shambles. With a cold mask, I passed the children old people, and women selling themselves with their hopelessness-filled eyes, my attention was then caught by a group of kids eyeing me like a piece of meat, surely looking for any value they could take and it was only when they looked in my eyes that the smarter one stopped and ordered to the other to fleed. It seemed that the town had quite a few good seedlings in the shinobi path and I made note of it, if I manage to create a network then I may use these people. The sight of these people reminded me of why Nagato tried to form the Akatsuki and I couldn't help but ponder if it was, in fact, the path I should take, despite Nagato doing nothing for Ame after becoming pain I could help them, taking the place of Hanzo as a Kage and growing my power over the nation should help me more than being a wandering ninja. Deciding that this path would be quite suitable I allowed the idea to form a seed in my mind knowing that I could still benefit from the war without creating the Akatsuki was a good idea too.

I suddenly sensed a large source of chakra approaching the town and my mind screamed 'danger' despite the rational part of my mind saying it was okay and they were only ninjas from Ame passing. I fleed to my hideout without any hesitation and quickly packed the tent and all the rest of my belonging in a storage scroll which contained shuriken, kunai, and ration among other things, and made my way to a secret exit I discovered after exploring the forest during my stay. As I moved through the shadow of the tree and bushes with a flow of chakra passing through my feet, my senses were on high alert because the presence of this chakra was still palpable and my instinct would not stop keeping me on edge.

Hours passed, and no one came. The chakra source seemed to have moved on or disappeared entirely. I tried to calm my racing heart, but the sense of danger lingered. I decided to try to sleep, keeping a vigilant watch over my surroundings.

As I woke up in the morning, I realized with a start that I had fallen asleep despite my heightened sense of danger. I quickly scanned my surroundings, but there was no apparent change in the ground. My instincts were still on high alert, and I knew I had to regain my focus to do that I decided to meditate, I first cleared my mind and calmed my senses. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, allowing my chakra to flow freely and attuning my senses to the environment. With each breath, I let go of the tension and fear that had gripped me and focused on the situation present.

After a while, my instincts began to settle, but deciding to be safe I checked if I could still sense any chakra nearby, and to my relief I senses none. Despite sensing none I didn't let any relief show and remained on high alert, I still didn't know much of the shinobi art and some memory of being able to evade chakra sensing didn't help my case. In the days that followed, I remained on high alert, listening to any sound and always keeping an eye out for any unusual signs. As I traveled to another town in the following days, I was suddenly confronted by a group of bandits(again). It seemed like they were from the land of Fire and had wandered into the area of the town to collect money during the ongoing war. I decided to ignore their stupidity and ignorance of the world. Without hesitation, I sprang into action, using some of the Jutsu I was able to recreate after my departure which included shadow clone, henge, and the exploding clone jutsu. I formed several shadow clones, using henge to create illusions and confuse the bandits. With precision and speed, I maneuvered through their attacks, using my explosive clone jutsu to dispatch them with a single strike. I made sure to erase all traces of battle after practically taking all the objects of their encampment as long they could sell for some Ryo. I sighed as I recalled all the bandits I had to kill just to go to one town, I hope that the information I found in the book concerning a town receiving the direct support of the daimyo because he had his son there was true because if it was false I think that I may kill people in an impulse.

As I gazed up at the night sky, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the moon that glowed through the rainy sky. Her ethereal glow cast a soft, silvery light over the land, illuminating the landscape below and creating some silver reflections. In my old world, it would have been a breathtaking sight, and even in this new world, it was still a sight to behold. The fact that the moon was not an ordinary celestial body but an artificial one created by the sage of the six paths and his brother was not lost on me for she held a being that is said to be a god - Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, their mother.

The moons in the sky reminded me of the world beyond this one, whispering of mysteries yet to be unraveled and adventures yet to be embarked upon. I vowed to continue my training, honing my skills, and explore this universe.

Under this moon, at four years and four months old a young child vowed to become a figure that the Ōtsutsuki clan would only dream to touch.