Chapter 16: Memory Seal *Revised

My enthusiasm seemed for training seemed to affect my father, Hakor. Because soon after declaring my ambition, he decided to leave the task of refilling the pantry to my mother and began to take me deep into the mountain range.

Jogging through the open path, we trekked through the dense forest foliage for three hours before suddenly stopping at a small lake at the bottom of a cliffside.

"Here, we will stop here and rest for a moment before continuing." He declares, nonchalantly setting his pack down and glancing back at me.

Seeing me standing there, not even a drop of sweat laying on my brow and breathing as steady as a rock, made him nod and admire me for a minute.

"You're doing great, Kekkai! You can take a breather momentarily to recover your Chakra; this lake will do, for now, to begin your training." He advised while taking out a few scrolls from his bag and began laying them out on a patch of grass.

Each of the scrolls was marked differently, covered with strange kanji symbols heavily coating the borders of the scroll.

"Are those Sealing Scrolls?" I ask with curiosity and standing next to him, ignoring his advice on taking a rest.

Rest? What need do I have for rest? That was a light Marathon to me now, and I even had enough energy while running to experiment more with my Chakra.

I attempted to perform several alternatives to the Flesh Carves stone exercise during our run, most leading to some success and also some mishaps

I've only refined Chakra for half a day, and the novelty of experimenting hasn't worn off, and I don't think it will for a long time.

Seeing him bring out these storage scrolls from his bag interested me; you should know, Fuinjutsu is an awkward subject for me; from what I've read in the School library, it and its counterpart Juinjutsu lie in opposite directions of performance.

Juinjutsu is said to be a Ninjutsu that focuses on what mainly affects the body, while fuinjutsu is a branch of Taijutsu that reacts to the world around you, Which I had no clue why they divided it like that. And when I tried to look for more information on the subject, I only to find out there was none; the clan school never gave anything but a brief explanation how what each jutsu looked like.

"Yes, you'll learn about these later in your training, but these scrolls are mainly supply and Barrier seals. They will prevent local beasts from coming too close and disturbing your training."

"Speaking of Beasts, how come we haven't seen any on our run? We've passed a few mountains out of the clan land, and I haven't seen any birds, much less other animals. I expected it during the winter, but it's spring now, and most should be active, strange." I ask, finding the air was absent of everything but the sound of insects buzzing in the background, not a single bird song, no rustling of bushes, nothing else.

"They're there, just that most animals in this area want to keep their noise minimal. In other areas, it's ok, but here, not so much." Hakor explains while taking a look at the surroundings for a moment, stopping his gaze on the lake for a long moment before turning back to his work.

Though he pretended to be nonchalant, the slowly expanding grey smoke from his Chakra told me differently because as his chakra puffed out, another weak grey smoke began to leak from the lake's center.

Slowly rising out from the center and lightly drifting closer, as it did, my father's aura began to puff even more, and he lightly grunted in displeasure before suddenly chucking a rocket into the lake.

The sudden stone toss made the rising smoke vanish as whatever was within it decided to stay put.

Well, there goes my answer. There was one such predator or predator lying in wait within the lake. And whatever beast in it has Chakra as well.

"What was that?" I inquire, deciding to slowly back away from the lake. Not wanting to disturb whatever it was that lay beneath the murky water.

"Nothing much, just a juvenile beast. This place is probably his territory, which is even better as that means we can use this area without much disturbance." He dismissed with a shrug of his shoulders, not even bothering to look back at the lake when he saw that the beast refused to surface

"You're just going to leave it there?" I ask while watching the lake

"What? We are in its territory. Do you expect me to get wet and disturb something that hasn't bothered us yet?" He asked as he stopped, setting the scroll down, and turned to me with a weird stare.

"Ugh, I guess not. Sorry, you continue!" I scratch my head in slight embarrassment before waving my father to continue.

"Don't overwork yourself worrying about it. There might be some benefit for having such a creature here, you focus on recovering for now, and when your stamina is sufficient, we can start on your training." Hakor placated, still pulling out more scrolls from the bag.

"Here? I thought we would go farther, and you said we would be traveling for a couple of days, not a couple of hours." I ask, looking around and observing the small lake

"The training began the moment we left; our destination is a test, but the journey there will train you for what lies ahead, for what's there. If you succeed, you get early access to the blessing of Ida and your first Shikigami." He explains

"Huh? But that's not what happened when Akane and Akiko told me they learned wilderness survival and Chakra control. What's this thing about a test?" I question, confused

When those two left for training, they told me it was a few weeks of familiarizing them with terrain, herbs, and medicine and an initial introduction to Chakra and Chakra Natures.

It sounds pretty simple, but there was a sizable boost to their strength after their training ended, which was even more absurd to all of us when I managed to catch up to their Chakra-enhanced power in only two weeks.

It hit the two girls hard, but I convinced them it wasn't that they weren't substantial; I was just a freak of nature.

I admit, I believe that I am a freak! I don't know what it is, but the threshold of strength and stamina that my body has is beyond imagination!

At first, I thought it was because of the Berserker constitution and the ancient society of the Naruto world without all of the modern advancements, generational inbreeding, pollution, and weakening bodies that the Modern Earth people have.

But it is not like that at all, although it is true that there is a massive boost in early intelligence, strength, and maturity of children. So much so that Akiko can practically take high school AP classes at the age of five, and Akane has enough brute strength; I believe even her lighter punches will send trained Marines howling for their mothers in pain; I've even seen her severe strikes shatter rock!

Each is already well into superhuman at such young age, all due to Chakra and other mysteries. Sometimes I can't help but nod and admire the feats they could accomplish at such young age.

But what does that say about me? Who can already beat them without Chakra?

First, I didn't try to get familiar with Chakra early because of my reservations against the power. Instead, I took the route of Bodily refinement.

From the age of two, I planned out a route, using my knowledge of being a fitness enthusiast in my past life and from the books of the clan school library.

Researching everything I could about my environment, the game, and training techniques that were reserved for the young clan members, and finally, at three years old, I started immediately.

I started a Highly disciplined Diet filled with High Protein Meat, Calcium, and other minerals that I could find that focus on promoting bone and muscle growth and development as soon as possible such as goat, sheep, fish, nettle, wild nuts, and mountain yams.

I practiced Muay Thai, Jujitsu, and Taijutsu forms that my Grandfather taught us daily in the morning; besides that3, the total days out of my week were utterly devoted to making breakthroughs and progress in strength, speed, and explosive power!

Sit-ups, Lunges, Squats, Push-ups, and various agility exercises. 50-100 for each set and three sets a day! I refused to stop until I finished each one! No matter how much the burning sensation of muscle strain filled my body, each time I did, it became more accessible and more manageable after each night of rest.

It got so easy that I could finish a set within an hour, so I decided to up the anti and started adding weight and had a local merchant have makeshift resistance equipment crafted for me.

After more weight and resistance tools to my exercise, I can now squat double the importance of a grown adult, lift close to 300 pounds, and drag it up a hill with ease, at base I can jump nearly my height without a stance and jog/run 12-14 mph consistently for long periods.

This three-hour run was easy because I had already conditioned myself to accomplish such feats.

Now that I have refined Chakra, I don't know my limits and plan to explore more during this training, but now there will suddenly be a test.

The sisters didn't tell me anything about a test after training!

"They didn't tell you because they didn't remember it." He said

"They didn't remember? What do you mean they couldn't remember?" I asked, baffled about what he was talking about

"Their tests and yours will have you swear secrecy along with a seal carved onto you before the test to restrict your memory." He states, but as my eyes opened wide and opened my mouth to protest, he silenced me with a raised hand and continued, "This is for your safety as well as the clans, there are many enemies that strive to obtain information about our methods, and this prevents some of the most elusive methods that they use.

"The Mēkā clan does not usually deal with average humans like bandits, samurai, and ninjas. We fight the monsters that result from such people!" He explains with a severe face, looking very grim as he says such things

"The Yokai? Like the ones from the Viewing Jadeite?" I guess, remembering the scene of the horrors that poured out from the earth.

"No! The Mēkā try to protect the Yokai, and they are actually rare and far between, mostly spirits of the dead, guardian beasts, mystical creatures, icons, or even objects of minor or great importance that create them. Their power is mysterious and can take on many forms. But they have little effect on the world at large, not even close to as disastrous as the Abberants and Anomalies that appear when some Mad men are left unchecked. As your grandfather stated, mostly the Uzumaki dealt with such things before they abandoned their duty. We took their duty as our own, but the Mēkā still have our original mission, which takes priority over everything else! That's to hunt down the monsters and demons that result from the pollution of Chakra!"

"Chakra… Pollution?" I whisper

"Yes! Kekkai, Chakra, is the lifeblood of our world, and everything has it, from the tallest trees to the smallest insects. Chakra allows us to mold the elements and bring balance to nature. But it is also a powerful force we must treat with respect and fear! Too much chakra concentrated in one place or being can have unintended consequences. A saying exists to describe 'Chakras balance is Shaken, a strange shape is Awoken'!Abominations, strange events, and even monsters. When a chakra becomes severely unbalanced, it distorts nature and creates chaos!" He describes slowly

"The plague shown in the Viewing Jadeite was such an occurrence! When the Daimyo's summoned their God's servants to the Battlefield, their over-abundant Chakra polluted everything it touched, spreading sickness and disease to everyone there. There was little to nothing anyone could do, whether by Divine intervention or even mundane, to save civilians caught in the crossfire! Although such events are rare, they are not rare enough!" He utters, his face twisting in disgust and, although I didn't understand why, self-loathing.

Hakor had stopped working, his face wholly set into a scowl and his eyes bunched together. Throwing down his scrolls in frustration, he sat there brooding, quietly watching the lake.

Now that I Caught on to the fact that I somehow made my father extremely upset, honestly, to tell the truth, I've never, ever seen him get mad at me or anyone else before.

The man was your fundamental Stone-Faced Chad, a tall, Quiet man who didn't get upset at anything at all, no matter how you bothered him, which happened a lot since I was one of the Rowdy bunch in the clan, much to the dismay of the parents, who tried their best to control or put a leash on our rampant energy. Still, all they did was complain, not bothering to do something about it. Only this guy recommended me to direct their energy elsewhere, like training, crafting, or anything else that could be useful and entertaining.

He's funny, likes to hang out with me whenever he's not on a mission, and is no slouch when it comes to training, and when someone asks him to get something done, he will get it done no matter what at the end of the day.

The man is all action, no words or excuses, which I appreciate and love about him, but seeing my dad get like this shut me up real quick.

"Umm, Dad? Are you ok?" I asked

"….." He didn't answer. Instead, he just looked over the lake blankly and stared.

-Not ok, got it. Alright, Dad, since you want to play that game, I'll play too! Let's see how long you can hold on to your Emo phase before me!- I grumble in my heart

"…." I slowly walked over to his side, avoiding stepping on the various scrolls littering the ground, and sat down next to him quietly, my back lying on his shoulder.

Sitting against my father's shoulder is the position I usually sit in when my mother wants to go for a family cuddling session. Mentally I'm even older than them. It usually does the trick for all of us when we need a mood pick-me-up.

And it worked like a charm, Hakor didn't say anything for ten minutes straight, trying hard to insist on his Brooding mentality, but I could see the corner of his lips twitching.

-Give up! My Old man, don't think you can resist! I've been around you for too long to know you're not built to resist when your flesh and blood want to cuddle and relax together!- I goad childishly in my mind

And lo and Behold, Hakors sulking demeanor broke soon after I thought this as he smiled and shifted his arm to grab me and bring me in for a hug.

Which I suppose he needed because of the crushing pressure his arms put me through.

"I'm sorry I made you upset." I apologized after he gave me a friendly bear hug.

"No, no, I'm not upset at you, not at all! It's just that your old man did something he isn't proud of in the past; he trusted somebody he shouldn't have trusted and got many of his family members hurt." Hakor dismissed my apology with a smile, although I could see a lot of pain hidden in his eyes.

"How?" I asked quietly

"Hmm, let's just say that I wasn't exactly the hardest worker when I was young. Instead, I relied on my natural talents in Ninjustu and Chakra capacity to make trouble everywhere; I was reckless when I did so, too, your uncle was different, though, tried to get me to stay on a path that the clan paved for me, and I rejected it. Still, when talent ran out, and my peers surpassed me, I got a little jealous and tried to Cheat my way into another path, which ended up damning my entire clan. Heh, guardians they used to call us, but now, because of a little mistake, a little bit of misfortune, our enemies found our weakness destroyed our patron, and devolved our clan into nothing but abominations to be hunted down or sold off as enslaved people!" His voice slowly began twisting in pain as he explained this, his grip tight on my shoulder before slowly relaxing.

"Does it have something to do with The Jackal? Of whatever mom called it? You confused Hati with it before and said he was something different." I inquired softly and slowly

"Huh! You could hear that?!" He asked while looking down at me in surprise

"Mhmm," I nodded

"Heh, look at you, sneaky boy, your ears must have gotten real long for you to be listening to an adult's conversation!" He chuckled before reaching out and tugging my ears, to which I responded with a swatting hand and a glare, which made him laugh even harder

"Well, you're right and wrong at the same time. [Hati] isn't what I thought, but he is extraordinary; I'll explain all this to you soon, but for now, we train!" He said before sitting up, pulling me to my feet, and patting my back with renewed vigor

"Training for a test, which will lead to someone sealing my memory if I fail it, hurray." I cheer with nowhere near as much vigor as the older man however

"Kekkai, you need this training even more so than the rest! It's not an option but a requirement!" Hakor states in response to my lack of enthusiasm

"What's so important about this test that it requires us to do it as soon as we practice Chakra? I mean, shouldn't we be allowed to get more familiar with it first? I've only refined it for a day, and you're already dragging me off to who knows where?"I said I was looking forward to training and everything, but the prospect of sealing being placed on me is as put off as anything.

"It's not everyone we bring out for this training, as not everyone has our condition or the condition that you and the girls have. You even more so because when you refined Chakra, it produced Nature Energy! Which is not Natural at all!" He declares

"I thought it was Chakra? Isn't it?" I inquire, confused again at what he is talking about

"Chakra is a lot of things; it's Physical Stamina, it's also Spiritual willpower and intent, but it's also the most dangerous connecting power of the world! It connects not only our minds and bodies but also our souls and worlds beyond! Chakra is Nature energy representing us and our connection in the physical world. If that energy is changed or even slightly altered, it can damage and change our bodies irreversibly! That is what we are trying to prevent, and because of the special circumstances of the location were are heading to and certain enemies that will do whatever lies in their power to get such information, the clan needs to make sure that our next generation can handle such threats early, if not, we prolong your training and seal the memories to dissuade any leakage of our secrets." Hakor tries to convey the importance of what the training was meant to accomplish, which I knew was necessary, and I get it, but the sealing of memory was a massive hurdle for me.

"Ok, ok, so all I have to do is manage to pass this test, right? And then I wouldn't need to worry about the seal. Right?" I conceded, finally recognizing that my father wasn't kidding and was dead serious about the importance of this test.

So all I had to do was knock it out of the ballpark, which is what I intended to do anyway, but I was only worrying because if, and that's a big 'IF,' I do fail, I would have to come up with my way to avoid the sealing spell or ask the Guys in my head, or instead my pocket.