Rank Advancement

Natsume watched his chakra fade away into nothingness. Her sharingan deactivated on its own as she returned the gates to their original closed state. The fatigue assaulted her immediately. She understood the concept of the eight gates but experiencing it herself was completely different. Although her physical body was well developed over the last year of training, she was still only 12 years old. Natsume barely controlled her descent and went to one knee.

"Meme-chan!" She heard a muffled voice followed by a torch light behind her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her muscles locked up. The side effects from the first two gates weren't enough to knock her unconscious, but all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep. Natsume tried to adjust her position but lost her balance. Her shoulder hit the hard ground, giving her a short jolt of wakefulness.

Seeing the small white figure kneel in front of her gave Natsume a strange sense of relief. Hikari's face was full of worry and genuine emotion. She could vaguely sense someone checking the body stuck to the wall before her consciousness faded. The darkness did not last long. Her dreamless rest ended with her opening her eyes in a poorly lit room. Her body was still aching at every joint, so she sensed around her as best she could. Feeling no one else in the room, she fell back asleep.

Natsume repeatedly woke up and fell asleep for an unknown amount of time. Finally, she woke up to the sound of water sloshing around. She felt a presence next to her and jerked up to defend herself. "Meme-chan, its me!" The little voice broke Natsume out of her defensive state and she relaxed her body. Glancing at the side, she saw that Hikari brought a washcloth with her.

"Hello, Hime-sama." Natsume said calmly, as if nothing had happened.

"Hmph!" Hikari pouted, "I took care of you for a whole day!" She was trying to make Natsume stop treating her so coldly, but the opposite effect happened. Natsume made a weak fist and put it up to her chest.

"I will repay this favor, Hime-sama."

Although Natsume had no problem getting close to the strange girl, the reactions were more interesting when she replied like this. At some point, Natsume had internally acknowledged that her attitude was on purpose. Seeing Hikari wring the washcloth in her hand out of frustration gave Natsume a feeling of satisfaction. After Natsume's talent was discovered, she trained continuously and became rather estranged from her childhood friends. Therefore, after meeting Hikari, a strange bond had formed. Hikari felt like a little sister and teasing her was a rich experience.

"Little lass, don't tease my daughter too much." Natsume didn't see who walked in, but she could tell who it was from his voice and presence. She sat up and cupped her fist, giving him a light bow.

"Hello, Grandmaster." Natsume was very respectful, and it made the man nod.

"I appreciate the greeting but calling me grandmaster is not very appropriate anymore." Hearing this, Natsume's first reaction was that she was kicked out of the dojo. The way he had called out to her early gave her a strange feeling, but she began to confirm her conjectures. "It seems you already have an idea. Well, you probably guessed the worst. In truth, my father has taken you directly under his tutelage. You can directly call me Hiroshi in the future."

"I see, thank you, Hiroshi-sama." Natsume's calm response made Hiroshi sigh. It only further convinced him that the decision to not let Hikari train had been correct. A child the same age as his daughter was too mature. Although he noticed that Natsume has been teaching Hikari about chakra, he didn't stop them since she would eventually need to learn how to protect herself.

"Suzume-san, once you've recovered, head to the main hall. Your master will give you some instructions." He messed up Hikari's hair and left the two alone.

Natsume wondered why they continued to trust her so much with such an important person. Perhaps Yori's testimony was just too convincing, or maybe they realized she only wanted to learn from them and not cause any trouble. Regardless, Natsume would continue doing what she wanted. Unless someone could instantly destroy or seal her eyes, she would be able to flee.

"Meme-chan, look!" Natsume unconsciously turned to look at Hikari and saw a wooden spoon stuck to her forehead. Natsume's persona nearly cracked at the silly looking Hikari. Instead, the corner of her lips turned up slightly. Seeing a positive reaction, albeit small, Hikari beamed with happiness. She removed the spoon and brought up a warm bowl of soup. "You must be hungry, let me feed you!"

However, Natsume took the bowl and spoon from Hikari and started to eat on her own. Hikari pouted but sat in silence staring at Natsume. The soup was very simple and bland, but Natsume was used to eating worse on the road, so she didn't mind. After finishing the bowl, she stretched her back and felt a few pops as the soreness was temporarily relieved.

"Hime-sama."

"Yes!" Hikari set up straight when she was called.

"Move the bedding material to the wall." Natsume instructed as she got up and continued her stretches. Every muscle in her body felt stiff from sleeping so long. Hikari quickly got to work and pushed the soft futon to the side wall. "Good. Now, put chakra on your feet, and stand on the wall without falling."

Hikari realized that she was being taught again, and immediately began to practice. Just like with the grass, she failed to stand on the wall and fell onto the bedding. Natsume didn't even check her technique before directly going behind the screen to wash herself. She decided to take a long bath while listening to the frustrated grunts and thuds coming from Hikari. Natsume smirked but she was really proud of the hardworking princess.

After all the heat left the water, Natsume got out and dressed in her training uniform. What she saw was really impressive. Hikari looked like a frog stuck to the wall, with her hands holding the wall between her feet. She was panting and covered in sweat, but she managed to hold on for several minutes before falling over again. She shook her head and headed toward the main hall.