Chapter 5

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The winter had been brutal.

It was colder and more unforgiving than any previous winters recorded. Not only did it halt the fishermen from setting their sails by freezing the shores,the sudden temperature drops also led to greater loss of life in both humans and animals.

There were some gossips amongst the civilians speculating that this was the work of the Yuki clan. That they were the ones that were freezing the waters and causing the temperature to drop at random times. Ice demons, the villagers called them.

" Ice demons huh? I wonder why they are called that? " Shiro thought to himself as he walked to the library.

" Good morning shiro. Have you got any particular book you want to read today ? " The librarian asked me.

It had become somewhat of a daily ritual for the old woman to greet him everyday. Asking him about what he wanted to read had become something of a norm. I guess coming here everyday since he could walk was bound to give him some privileges that the rest didn't get. Sometimes she would even allow him to take some books home with him too. However, That was only if he promised to bring them back undamaged. A no brainer, of course.

" Eh yeah granny. Do you know why the Yuki clan are called the ice demons? " Shiro asked the old librarian.

" Hehehhe. Heard about them didn't you? I suppose the recent weather changes have caused a greater animosity between the civilians and the Yuki clan than I thought. Oh well, I guess you might meet them soon. So you might as well learn about them and the other ninja clans. Normally, you would have to be a Genin to be allowed entry to where I'm about to take you, but I'm sure that the higher ups won't mind since Your teacher did tell me that you got promoted to the last year of the academy. " She said to me as she motioned me to follow her.

" Wait. How did you know about that ? You know sensei, granny ?? " Shiro asked her with a confused expression on his face as he walked through the tall book shelves.

" Why wouldn't I know about my beloved student Shiro chan ? " She asked me as she glanced back at me.

" HUHH????? Student ????? You were a ninja , Granny ?" Shiro asked her with a baffled expression on his face. Never had he thought that this kind looking old lady was a ninja that was capable of taking a life. She looked so sweet and innocent.

" What do you mean WERE a ninja ? I'm still one. You don't always have to wear a headband to prove that you are a ninja. " She said to me with a sly look on her face.

' That is an interesting way to view things. So not all ninjas wear their headbands. Actually what she said made a lot of sense. Why do ninjas wear their headbands? ' Shiro thought to himself.

" We are here, Shiro chan. " The Old librarian came to a stop in front of a large painting hung on the wall.

" Where is here exactly? " Shiro asked her as he looked both ways to see if there was anything different.

All around us there was nothing but bookshelves and they were all empty. Not a single book was on those damn shelves.

" Let me give you some advice on how to be a Ninja Shiro chan. What Do you see in front of you? " She asked me.

" What do you mean? Isn't it a painting ? Or is it ? " Shiro muttered to himself as he touched the painting. He could feel the texture of the canvas on his fingertips and the smell of paint lingered on his fingertips as he brought them closer to his nose to smell them.

Shiro glanced at the old librarian.There was a small smile forming on her face.

' No. Something is wrong. Why would she be smiling at me like that? Why would she even ask me that question if the answer was something as simple as what is shown in front of my eyes. Think. Deception is what being a ninja is all about. ' Shiro thought to himself as he closed his eyes just like the many times he did so when he was training.

This feels wrong.

That was the first thing Shiro thought to himself as spread his senses outward. While he might not yet be able to fully awaken his observation Haki. It didn't mean that the countless hours of hard work he put into his training failed to bear any fruit.

In fact it did.

Even though the said fruit he got from his labor was impractical to use in a real fight and would for sure get him killed if he used it. It seemed to be somewhat useful in a situation like this where he could stand still and get a feel of the world around him.

Shiro didn't know how he was doing it but whenever he closed his eyes and spread his senses he would get a mental image of everything around him.

It reminded him of an ability the bats had, Echolocation. Except for one glaring difference.Unlike the bats he didn't have a range that spanned kilometers. No. He could only see things that were five meters away from him. Any further than that the image starts to get blurry.

The image that was formed in his head and the one he saw with his eyes were almost identical. Except for the fact that there was no painting in the image that was formed from his echolocation.

' It was almost as if it's an illusion.' Shiro thought to himself.

'OH'

' OHH'

' So what it is.' Shiro thought to himself as he opened his eyes and walked up to the painting.

Just like how he practiced in his class he made a hand sign and pushed chakra out of his body.

" KAAIIIIII " Shiro shouted out.

The painting began to disappear leaving behind a simple wooden door behind.

" Is that what you wanted to teach me? " Shiro asked the old librarian with a smirk on his face.

" hohohoho. So you figured out that it was a Genjutsu Good. That was part of what I wanted to teach you. Although I wasn't aware that you were a sensor. It seems like my Careless Student also wasn't aware of this fact. Otherwise, He would have told me. Sensors are a very valuable asset to the village due to how rare they are. It is not something that you can obtain by simply training for it. You must have an inborn talent towards the art. It seems like you are going to be promoted to the special class, Shiro chan. Such a talent has to be cultivated. " She said to me with a complicated look on her face.

" Oh. What is so different about the kids in this special class? " Shiro asked her.

Shiro watched as the old lady looked deep into his eyes.

" Luck. They were blessed with lady luck. Some were born into influential families. Some won the genetic lottery of being born with a Kekkai genkai( Bloodline limit) . Others like yourself were born with a rare talent that is seen once every few generations. " She said to me without even blinking once.

" I see but what is a bloodline limit? " He asked her. A little creeped out by her unblinking eyes.

"AHH. jhahahhahahahha. That my dear Shiro is what we are here for today." She said to me. Finally breaking eye contact and laughing.

Shiro watched as the old lady bit her finger in one fluid motion before. blood squirted out of the tiny wound she made on her finger.

He watched as she walked to a nearby bookshelf before smearing the blood on the side of it.

" What are you doing?? " Shiro asked, alarmed by her actions.

" Watch. Shiro chan. Just like how you know now that not everything you see and feel are real. The conclusion you come to might be nothing but a trap that serves to distract you from the real prize. Lesson one, Dear Shiro chan. To be a true Ninja. You need to look at what's underneath. If you want to become a good ninja, You shouldn't just be deceptive. No. You need to become deception itself. Even the strongest Warrior can fall to someone who has the knowledge and the resources to take him down if given the time. " The old lady said to me.

' Become deception…. What does that even mean? ' He thought to himself.

*ZRRRT*

His musing was cut short as he began to hear a static noise. The blood that was smeared was now glowing in an ominous red color and soon the stone floor began to shift and a staircase that lead underground was revealed.

' HOLY FUCK...…' Shiro thought to himself as he tried to process what just happened.

" Come young one. There is more to this world than you could ever imagine. " The old lady said to me as she descended down the stairs with me following right behind her.