CH_10

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"Young Takuma, did you talk to someone about us?"

Takuma flicked his head up to rid the sweat-soaked hair from his face as he looked at Maruboshi. He stopped pushing the large sheet metal basket filled with heavy sand—

"Do not stop," said Maruboshi.

Takuma scowled and let out a frustrated groan as he went back to pushing the thing across wet mud, elevating the annoyingness of the task. Feeling the wet mud get between his toes made him hate that he hadn't saved enough money for a pair of shinobi boots.

"What do you mean?" Takuma's voice flared up as he dug his feet in, giving the box a heavy push.

"Someone came to ask me what relationship I have with you."

Takuma frowned and stopped pushing as he turned his face to look at Maruboshi—

"Continue pushing," said Maruboshi before Takuma could even relax his body.

"Don't talk to me then!" Takuma said, shouting with irritation. He resumed the pushing, feeling every step forward in his thighs. "There was a lady... Umeda something, I will have to look in my notebook," Maruboshi had taught him to carry a pocket notebook with him to note down information. "From Leaf Child Welfare Services... She came to my house to talk, and we chatted about how a typical day looks for me. I think I mentioned you there. That's the only time I can remember talking about you with anyone. Why did something happen?"

Takuma wanted nothing more than to put his hands down and use his shoulder or, better, his back to push the useless box of sand, but couldn't— stupid order from Maruboshi.

"The man who visited me was from the Leaf Genin Resource Command."

"What is that?"

"They are in charge of distribution, strategic talent management, personnel programs and services of Leaf genin. To put it roughly, they manage everything related to Leaf genin. Everything from ensuring the genins are being deployed for missions to issuing their paychecks," said Maruboshi. "You can stop now," he added at the end.

Takuma pushed no more and turned around to lean against the metal box. He wanted to hop onto it so he could sit, but he knew Maruboshi would tell him to remain standing.

"Why would they come asking?" Takuma asked. He wasn't a genin yet, not even close to one.

"I believe they also handle part of recruitment from the academy. You are in your last year; I assume you come under their purview."

"What did they want from you?"

"Nothing more than some answers. The man asked if I knew you, how we met, how long we had known each other, and why I was training you when I told him about us. The man immediately left after that," Maruboshi said, shaking his head.

"Am I in any trouble?" Takuma asked.

"No, I don't think so. From what I could tell, he was interested in knowing why I decided to train you. As for why they were interested, I asked but did not get an answer in return," said Muruboshi, sighing.

Takuma narrowed his eyes. He knew the lady was trouble when she started asking him about Maruboshi. He had to turn on his ten-year-old child's portrayal and act like a dumb kid when she started asking questions about Maruboshi. He didn't like her from the moment she refused to show him the folder— there could've been important details about his past in there, information that he would've loved to know. Takuma still knew jack about the boy's past.

"I believe they were simply concerned about what an unrelated adult was doing with a minor, an orphan at that," Maruboshi said with a bitter smile. "You see, young Takuma, there exist people—"

"You don't need to tell me about pedophiles, sensei," Takuma said with thin lips. He didn't like the sound of people suspecting Maruboshi as a filthy pedophile— he couldn't even imagine how Maruboshi felt, especially when he was just trying to help. "I, for a fact, am grateful that I came across you, sensei. I would have been screwed hard if not for you... pun not intended?"

Maruboshi didn't laugh.

"That's enough pushing for now; you will continue later," he said, making Takuma feel elated and despair at the same time. "Let's move; we will do something new today."

The master-student duo moved away from the mud swamp, and Takuma was delighted to step onto solid, dry ground. His dirty sandals and feet did put a hamper on the simple feeling of joy he was feeling, though.

"Face me and stand still," said Maruboshi.

He raised his hands and quickly weaved hand signs before opening his mouth to eject a jet of water from his mouth toward Takuma's feet.

Takuma was surprised and almost lost balance because of it. He stiffly stared at Maruboshi's mouth as he spouted liquid like a water fountain. He was entranced and alarmed by the sight in front of him. It wasn't his first time seeing a Jutsu; he had seen the 'Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu)' and 'Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu)' in the academy before. He had been startled by how real the transformations and clones looked; he couldn't imagine how people told the real apart from the fake.

But this was the first time he had seen an elemental jutsu.

The force of the water stream was high and tight enough that all the mud was stripped away, never needing Takuma to even wiggle his toes. The force made Takuma remember the danger of water he had seen on the internet. How pressured water could shear through metal sheets like a saw— or how sturdy houses were nothing in front of a strong flood wave as if they were made from thin pieces of plywood.

He could imagine what those things could do to a human body. He was made cognizant of the fact that people in this world could replicate those feats with enough skill. The pit of his stomach suddenly felt heavier than ever before.

Maruboshi stopped spouting water like a certain turtle pokemon and smiled, "Today... we learn about Chakra."

Takuma couldn't help but do a sharp intake. It had been four months since he had come under Maruboshi's tutelage, and never in those four months had Maruboshi brought up the topic of chakra on his own accord. It was always Takuma who initiated conversations about chakra and when Maruboshi was going to teach him about chakra; every time, he would get the same answer: "Now's not the time." It frustrated him a lot. There were days Takuma feared that Maruboshi wouldn't teach him how to wield chakra.

"A question for you, young Takuma. What is chakra?" asked Maruboshi.

Takuma was quick to answer. "Chakra is an energy native to every lifeform on this planet. It is a product of combining a living being's physical and spiritual energies. By training these two energies, you can harness larger amounts of chakra." He thrust his thumb into his left chest: "The heart performs the function of integrating the energies to produce chakra— which can be then carried by the chakra pathway system inside the body, which functions what blood vessels do for blood. Chakra is the fuel for even the most basic of jutsu— without chakra there's no jutsu, and without jutsu, there's no shinobi... so without, there's no shinobi," Takuma bitterly stared down at his hand, no matter what he did, he couldn't invoke his chakra... And as he said, without chakra, he was no shinobi.

Maruboshi, unaware of Takuma's thoughts, smiled. "Very good. I couldn't have described it better myself. It's clear that you've read about chakra. I commend you for your efforts."

Takuma looked up at Maruboshi and glared, "I did it because you refuse to teach me!" After getting refused repeatedly, Takuma took matters into his own hand and explored the foreign topic of chakra on his own. He had already turned every page on the Introduction of Chakra booklet. Alas, when it came to the practical sides of things, Takuma couldn't sense the 'C' of chakra. It had caused him several sleepless nights and hours of horror-filled thoughts.

"It was not time," Maruboshi said simply, not taking offense at Takuma's accusation. "As you said, there can't be jutsu without chakra, and shinobi without jutsu. But here I would like to add that for academy students such as yourself, chakra doesn't hold a great importance."

"... D-Did I hear that correctly?" Takuma was stunned. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I agree with you on that. Chakra is the basis of everything. A shinobi is worse than a roadside bandit without it because even thugs like them can use some chakra."

Shinobi academy didn't hold a monopoly over the training of chakra. Rogue shinobi had long since allowed chakra practice to leak outside the military organizations. Some ill-minded people in the darkest corners of society did teach people without the discipline to wield chakra, who used it for anything but good. Then there were rare shrine temples dotting the lands that practiced non-combatant studies of chakra— chakra was present in religious cults— and in the swordplay of samurai... and many more communities and institutions that used chakra in their own ways.

"So young, so naive," Maruboshi sighed with a soft smile. Takuma didn't know if it was an old person thing, but Maruboshi had the tendency to say things that made his face twitch in anger. "With time, you will come to realize how a shinobi is much more than the chakra he wields. To be a shinobi is a way of life... I hope you will understand it one day."

"Your average academy student doesn't have enough chakra in their bodies. The children have not entered puberty, the growth stage, where the amount of chakra develops rapidly with the rest of the body," Maruboshi continued. "While Henge No Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu) and Bunshin No Jutsu (Clone Jutsu) are taught in the academy, neither is useful in the field. Shinobi are trained to see through the illusionary clones, and while transformation can fool the civilian eye, a shinobi can see right through the jutsu's disguise. Disguising oneself is an art form in itself that takes years to perfect."

'The transformations in the class could've fooled me any time of the day,' thought Takuma. He probably had a worse eye for it than even the most rock-headed people.

"They are taught to make the student get used to channeling chakra, get familiarized with hand signs, and because learning jutsu excites children," said Maruboshi. "Going beyond is simply not worth it when you can take the time to teach so many other skills necessary for competence and survival.

And you, who doesn't have much time before graduation, I would instead train your body and teach you skills that make a shinobi different from the average roadside bandit."

Takuma narrowed his eyes at the analogy thrown back at him.

"What about the clan kids? They train in their clan's shinobi arts from a young age," he said.

"Did you hear that from a friend of yours, one that belongs to a clan?" asked Maruboshi.

"N-No," sputtered Takuma. He didn't have friends.

"Then I will tell you what most of the children from shinobi clans will tell you. Yes, they do go through training of their clans, but believe it or not, most of it revolves around the same subject taught in the academy...."

Takuma was about to ask why they would do that, but he then remembered the existence of coaching classes and after-school tuitions many kids took back at his home.

"The academy isn't perfect, and the clans know that, so they prepare their children. They go deeper into the subjects taught and cover some more that the academy doesn't cover, things that might increase their children's chances of survival on the field. And yes, I won't deny that children from shinobi clans do learn their clan's shinobi arts— but in most cases, it's a special form of taijutsu or some knowledge that would help them practice their clan's special ninjutsu when they are ready in the future. Only a select few who showcase talent with chakra are encouraged to learn more advanced jutsu— clan or otherwise."

Takuma hung his head down. He, of course, didn't know any of that. The truth of the matter was that he just wanted to use chakra. It was chakra, after all! Anyone who had read Naruto even once had the thought of being able to use the mystic power.

"How do you know I'm not one of those select cases," asked Takuma with a tinge of defiance. He, after all, still wanted to learn chakra— and from what Maruboshi had said, it didn't look like he would get to do much of that in their training, at least, not as much as he would like.

"I do not know. Maybe you have gained some skill as you pursued it in your own time," said Maruboshi. "Can you use chakra, young Takuma?"

Takuma felt his face burn up. He felt stupid... really... really... stupid.

He shook his head in shame.

Maruboshi smiled, the kind one that he showed most often.

"Then let's remedy that."

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