Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Utakata woke up to the sound of the waves crashing into the wooden frame of the ship. The rocking made it impossible for him to return to sleep. He observed the room he was in. It was a simple and small room with one bed and cabinet. Utakata's hand hurt as he tried to clear his eyes. Even though his hands were already healed quite a bit, they still were stiff.

Utakata's legs were wobbly as he stood up. He had to lean on the wall to walk through the ship if he didn't want to fall. The rocking of the ship was quite intense. The thunder coming from outside only confirmed Utakata's suspicion about the storm. Utakata felt dizzy from all the rocking, but his thirst propelled him to leave this place.

Utakata tried to find his way to the deck. But he felt pathetically weak. He could feel his chakra, but it was weak and chaotic. Utakata didn't think he could use a jutsu right now, no matter how hard he tried. It has been a long time since he felt so defenseless. As Utakata stepped forward, his legs gave up on him, and he lost balance. Before his face hit the floor, soft hands held him.

"You shouldn't be awake yet," Utakata looked at Mei Terumi holding him.

"I shouldn't be alive," Utakata replied before feeling his throat sore. "I thought you said you wouldn't come back for me."

"I said that if we win, we wouldn't come back for you," Mei said. "We couldn't afford to lose both the war and our Jinchuriki. You should return to your bed. You experienced chakra exhaustion, and your wounds need more time to heal."

"Water," Utakata's voice was raspy. "I want water."

"I will bring it you."

Mei helped Utakata return to his cabin and lay him back on the bed. Utakata didn't think he could fall asleep with all the rocking and wild storm raging outside. Utakata wasn't surprised that they lost; they were in a foreign land, and the Cloud shinobi would rather die than let them wreak havoc in their homeland. They didn't forget the eradication of the Paradise Isles. To the Cloud, they were monsters.

All the blood the Mist spilled was for nothing in the end. Both the Leaf and the Cloud have pushed them back. They lost, and nothing will change that. They would return home to be blamed for losing, so the village leaders would get scot-free from their responsibilities. Then, the shinobi from the clans will blame nameless shinobi for being useless, and so on.

"You shouldn't try to move for at least a few more days," Mei Terumi brought a jar of water and a cup. "Even if you are a jinchuriki, you still must mind your chakra and injuries. We should return to the village in a few days, so rest."

Once Mei left, Utakata drank the water to the last drop. Laying on the rocking bed didn't do much for Utakata's rest. He could only look at the ceiling and think of the battle he had. He was closest to death at that moment, and it made him realize that even though he didn't fear death, he didn't want to die. No matter how hard it was to live sometimes, Utakata still wanted to struggle to the very end.

He didn't think he made any mistakes while fighting Yugito and did everything he could, but that was the problem. He couldn't do much; she was only three, maybe four years older than Utakata, but she could already use her tailed beast's perfect mode, even if it were for a moment. He needed to get more powerful, and he needed to do it fast.

…

Utakata's wounds barely healed, and he still needed more rest to get to his top condition, but he returned to the village. It was over a year since he was here, but the village hadn't changed much. It was still misty and gloomy, and with the losses they had experienced, it would only get worse. More and more orphans will wander the streets looking for scraps of food.

Utakata returned to his Master's place. Utakata had to wonder what the old man was thinking as he awaited him. It was, as always, hard to tell what Harusame was hiding behind his expression. Was he angry that Utakata had failed or because the higher-ups put more pressure on him? It didn't matter either way. What is done is done. Nothing will change that.

"Welcome home," Harusame said. "You pushed yourself."

"Not enough, it seems," Utakata replied grimly, waiting for his master to lecture him.

"It never will be enough," Harusame said, not quite what Utakata expected. "Take a rest. I will see how much you have improved since our last meeting later. So I want you to be in your best condition."

Utakata nodded. It was better to take good care of his body. He would need to show the best of his abilities so the village wouldn't blame him for losing to the Cloud. Harusame would need to see that Utakata has reached his limits and would need more time to improve. There was no doubt in Utakata's mind that it was a test.

Sleeping in a soft bed and warm room was uncomfortable at first. The difference between this and the battlefield camp was like day and night. Utakata couldn't find a comfortable sleeping position for half of the night. And even then, he only slept for a few hours before waking up. It will take time to get used to it.

…

Harusame looked frustrated at Mei Terumi, the Head of the Terumi Clan. She was young and hot-headed, but he couldn't deny her capabilities and could sympathize with the responsibilities on her shoulders. But Utakata almost died because of her decision. If she were a moment too late to save him, Harusame would be lucky to see his dead body.

"Yugito Nii," Harusame muttered the name of Two Tails jinchuriki. "I didn't expect her to possess such power already."

"It is nothing surprising when you see Utakata," Mei replied, as she herself was surprised by the Cloud's two tails jinchuriki. "He is only ten years old but already could hold a whole line by himself."

"It isn't only because of his power," Harusame said proudly as he read the battle report. "Utakata's battle sense is way above his age, and with the experience he accumulated, there was little chance that the little girl from Cloud, who hasn't even seen a battlefield, could defeat Utakata easily."

"There is no way the world will not notice Utakata now," Mei responded. "The new bingo addition will have his name."

"The mist needs heroes now more than ever," Harusame agreed, but he thought of the positives first. "We need to push lord Mizukage to make Utakata one of the Seven Swordsmen."

"It won't be easy. The criteria for the next Seven Swordsmen would be even stricter than before," Mei replied. "Utakata is still a child. There are plenty who are stronger and better suited."

"Leaf has Kakashi," Harusame said. "A child prodigy, son of the White Fang, and student of the Yellow Flash. We need something like him on our side, too. The best we have is Zabuza, and even though he is powerful for his age, his attitude is severely lacking."

"The biggest problem is that Utakata doesn't have a name," Mei responded sharply. "There is no way lord Third will agree to it."

"All we can do is try," Harusame replied before leaving.

Harusame knew that with the position in the Seven Swordsmen came status. And Utakata severely needed status. Otherwise, he will again be used on the battlefield without regard to his life. Even if it would give Utakata more responsibility, Harusame couldn't let the Third Mizukage throw away Utakata. Once Mizukage returns to the village from the Land of Fire borders, Harusame will gather all his connections to convince him to make Utakata one of the Seven Swordsmen.

…

It took another three days for Utakata to feel like he was in top condition. Fresh food helped quite a bit. He had almost forgotten what food tasted apart from the cold and tasteless rations they were given on the battlefield. He felt refreshed after so long but couldn't relax yet. Harusame would test him today, so he needed to do his best.

"Even though I have retired from active duty, I am still a capable shinobi who has survived countless battles," Harusame began once they arrived at the training ground. "You better try to kill me from the start, or you won't have a chance to do anything."

Utakata nodded, taking out his new tanto blades, and readied himself. Once Harusame signaled the start of the match, Utakata covered himself with a chakra cloak with three tails. Even if he had to push it by force, he had to show his most powerful form from the get-go. He knew he couldn't defeat Harusame, so he didn't hold anything back and leaped at him.

Extending his arm, Utakata tried to cut Harusame, but Utakata's master dodged it by sidestepping. Utakata wasn't surprised and even expected it. That's why he left a trail of steel wire behind. Utakata moved as fast as possible, trying to find an opening or force one, but Harusame easily dodged all his attacks and only observed.

Seeing he had no choice, Utakata stepped back and held his hands into a sign, mending his chakra. He let his chakra travel through his weapons and steel wire. He had enough of it to waste. Utakata pulled his arms back, letting his wire rise into the air, and using Mist Blade jutsu, he covered the wires with thin but sharp mist before moving his arms to bisect Harusame with the wire.

It gave Utakata a lot of satisfaction to see Harusame's eyes widening with surprise. He might have expected the wire, but he couldn't have considered Utakata using Mist Blade jutsu this way. While keeping his distance, Utakata moved his wires. But even though Harusame couldn't block the wires without cutting himself, he could still dodge them with minimal movement.

"Good," Harusame smiled somewhat proudly. "You almost got me there. But your speed and strength are still lacking, but the control you have is commendable, especially for your age. But even if Mist Blade is a basic jutsu everyone learns in the academy, you still haven't fully utilized it. Let me show."

Utakata's eyes narrowed only to see Harusame cover his hands in a mist before swinging them. Utakata's wires got cut with a touch. Utakata bit his lip in frustration. He was tired of people being able to disregard his abilities so quickly. But Utakata calmed down immediately; he could do nothing about it now, so he should focus on other things.

Throwing his tanto blades at Harusame, Utakata tried to use the time before Harusame got to him to weave a set of hand signs. But Harusame was already in front of him before he finished, kicking out his hands and interrupting Utakata's jutsu. With one punch in the gut, Utakata was sent flying into a tree.

"Ugh," Even with his chakra cloak, it hurt like hell.

"That's enough, don't push yourself too much," Harusame said. "You improved quite a bit in the past year, but you could still improve some things. Rest for now. From tomorrow onward, I shall teach you how to master the jutsu you have, to the point when you would only need one hand sign to use it."

"Yes, master," Utakata replied while standing up.

Learning more about jutsu would be preferable for Utakata. He was already thinking that he lacked in that aspect. He would always find himself too slow to use certain jutsu if caught off guard. For now, Harusame seemed satisfied with his performance, which would mean the village would be happy, too.

The old man's wisdom and experience were invaluable, and Utakata was quite excited to learn under him again. An opportunity to refine his techniques and deepen his understanding of the mist-based jutsu couldn't be missed. It was his chance to push himself through the wall that had plagued him for a while now. It certainly should make him stronger.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852. And if you have any requests for stories, I will only take them on my pa treon.