Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kaen woke up with his cat Ash sitting on his head. He groaned in annoyance and shooed Ash away. In a way, Kaen was thankful that Ash woke him up as he was having another nightmare. Time was running out. About one more year until the faithful day was left. The nightmares reminded him of it well.

Kaen poured water into one bowl and put canned cat food in another. Kaen listened to Yugao and bought cat food for Ash, even if Ash only liked the wet cat food in cans. It was pretty expensive, but seeing his cat eagerly devouring his food, he didn't mind. As long as his light grey cat was happy, he was pleased too.

After Kaen had washed up and eaten his breakfast, he went to the weapon shop to pick up his new bow and vambraces. The bow made of wood started to break too often as he couldn't get as much power as he wished. It was time for an upgrade, and Kaen had saved up quite a lot of money. His salary as a police officer was extensive, and he didn't have anything to spend it on.

In this early morning, the market had just started to open up, and only dedicated people came to buy the freshest food before it was sold out. So, the streets were relatively empty, but Kaen didn't mind it. He liked this time of day the most. The silence and lack of people made his stroll to the weapon shop pleasant.

"Hello," Kaen said as he entered the shop. "I am here for my order."

"Oh, the bow made of chakra metal," The shopkeeper replied, seeing Kaen. "If you asked me, it is a waste of precious metal. Well, it is your money, not mine."

"So, is it prepared?" Kaen asked.

"Yes, it is. It was delivered yesterday," The shopkeeper said. "The body and string made of chakra metal, three scores of arrows made of chakra metal, and your wrist guards with a hidden blade inside."

Kaen took the weapons and sealed them into his scroll. He would need to inscribe the seals on his wrist guards once he is home to have better access to his weapons and other things. Kaen paid a lot to make a bow and arrows made from chakra metal, and he was excited to try them out. He wondered how much more power would the new bow provide.

Too bad he didn't have time to do it before his shift started today, so he pushed it back to the evening. For now, he went to the police headquarters to report for his duty and take his uniform. Afterward, he would spend all his day on patrol. Kaen didn't mind his job too much. The only part he didn't like was his inability to train until his shift ended in the early evening.

…

As his shift ended for the day, Kaen went to look for an excellent place to try out his new bow and arrows. From his experience, he knew he needed an area near a river. The first time he coated his arrows with fire chakra, the forest almost went ablaze. He didn't want to repeat it ever again. Good thing he knew nearly all the places he could train in.

Kaen was excited to test the power and the distance the arrows could travel with his new bow. The bow made of yew wood had power only to fire an arrow three hundred meters. Kaen wanted more. His eyes could see the far more considerable distance in such fine detail. But the bows would break if he put any more power on it. That is why he saved up and bought a bow made of the most precious metal.

The chakra metal was not only terrifically sturdy but once infused with chakra, it became flexible enough to use as a bow. Since now his bow and arrows were made of the same material, it would be much faster and easier to coat them with elemental chakra. He had already thought of some jutsu that he could create to enhance his bow capabilities.

As Kaen arrived in the woods with a river running through it, he quickly jumped on the tallest tree to see if anyone was nearby. Kaen wouldn't be surprised if he found someone training inside the woods. He wasn't the only one who wanted to train in solitary. Yet Kaen was surprised to see a blond kid throwing stones at self-made targets.

For a good minute, Kaen watched as the kid ran around the woods and threw stones. The technique was horrible, to say the least. Even if the kid hit the targets, they never were in the center. Seeing the kid struggle, Kaen took pity on him and jumped next to him. The blond kid with whiskers-like scars on his face fell to the ground, startled to see Kaen.

"You," The kid said, pointing his finger at Kaen.

"Me," Kaen replied. "I saw your training, boy."

"And? Was I amazing? I hit every target."

"It was pathetic at best, boy," Kaen crushed the boy's hopes. "Let me show you how it is done."

Kaen took a sealing paper and unsealed a dozen of kunai and shuriken. He threw all of them in mere moments, hitting every target in dead center. The boy looked impressed for a second but then turned his face in disgust.

"That all?" The boy asked. "I could do it too if I had actual kunai and shuriken."

"Really, how about a bet, boy?" Kaen said. "Take the ones I threw, and if you hit at least one-quarter of targets in the dead center, I will make you dinner. If you can't, you make me dinner."

"Deal and I am not a boy. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sure, boy," Kaen liked teasing the blond kid. His reactions were always exaggerated.

"I'll show you."

The boy quickly went and collected the kunai and shuriken before returning to me. He took a throwing stance, probably trying to copy something he had seen. It was a wrong stance, yet Naruto didn't know, and it showed when he threw three kunai, hitting nothing. Kaen felt appalled that the boy could be so terrible, so he kicked him in the back and let the boy fall to the ground face-first.

"What was that for?" The boy cried out.

"Who taught you to throw the kunai like this?" Kaen asked.

"I learned it myself."

"You learned it wrong. Lister, boy, there is no unique stance for throwing, but you have to ensure your body is balanced. If it is not, your throws will not hit anything. The other thing to know is that you throw kunai and shuriken not with your arm but with your wrist. I'll show it to you one last time so focus."

Kaen unsealed another dozen of kunai and threw them. Once again, he hit every target in dead center, in the same spot. Naruto, this time looked at Kaen's hands as he threw them. Kaen threw them slow enough that even a kid could notice the movement of his wrist and then stepped back. Naruto quickly tried to do as he saw, his aim was better this time, but he still could not hit any target in the center.

"You lost. I will make a fire; you bring some fish and mushrooms," Kaen said.

"Fine."

Naruto listened and did as Kaen said. Kaen quickly gathered wood and made a fire. Kaen didn't know why he did so, maybe he felt terrible for Naruto, or he was tired. The stress and nightmares had a significant toll on him lately. Kaen needed to rest and alleviate some pressure from his shoulders.

Kaen spent the whole evening with Naruto. He taught Naruto how to descale and gut the fish. Then Kaen told him what kinds of mushrooms were edible and poisonous. Kaen felt like his problems have disappeared for a moment while teaching Naruto basic things.

"Something smells tasty," An old man came to the bonfire and started to sniff the fish and mushrooms.

"Ah, who are you?" Naruto was shocked to see an old man appearing out of nowhere.

"I am just a traveling old man," He said with his stomach grumbling in hunger. "You wouldn't mind if this old man joined you for dinner, would you?"

"Umm?" Naruto looked at Kaen.

"There is plenty of food," Kaen said. "Be my guest."

"Thank you."

Kaen stared at the Third Hokage as he took the fish and started to eat. Kaen badly wanted to ask what he was doing here. But seeing him and Naruto enjoying each other's company, Kaen sat back and ate too. He sat in silence as the Third Hokage and Naruto talked and laughed.

"Oh, look at those stars," The Third Hokage said as he looked up. "Each one of these stars is like our world's sun. This world is truly boundless."

"You sure know a lot, gramps," Naruto replied, amazed.

"Hoh hoh, but my knowledge and existence are insignificant compared to the world's vastness."

"That's not true," Kaen commented. "Every action you take is significant as it changes the whole world in one way or another. No matter how small or grand that action is."

"Really?" Naruto asked, and Kaen nodded before seeing the Third Hokage smiling at him. "Can I ask you something, Kaen-san?"

"No, I won't teach you any ninjutsu."

"That's not what I wanted to know," Naruto grumbled. "I wanted to ask why you are so kind to me."

"Why shouldn't I be?" Kaen asked.

"Everyone else hates me. They call me a monster and a demon," Naruto said, looking down at the ground.

"Naruto," The Third Hokage didn't know what to say.

"They call you so because you are a hero," Kaen said.

"What?"

"You are like the Fourth Hokage. While we call him a hero, the other villages consider him a demon."

"I don't understand," Naruto mumbled. "How can someone be a hero and a demon simultaneously?"

"When you grow up, you will understand, but now remember that while some will see you as a demon, there are people who will see you as a hero. It is up to you to show everyone who you truly are," Kaen explained to Naruto. "Well, it is time for me to go home. My cat is probably starving by now."

Kaen stood up and leaped to one tree and then to another, leaving the forest behind. He soon returned home, where Ash was waiting for his dinner. After feeding Ash, Kaen slumped on his bed and looked at his ceiling. For some reason, he felt sentimental today and didn't know if he liked it. Kaen tried to suppress his emotions most of the time as they only interfered with his training.

Today was different, maybe seeing the kid train alone reminded him of himself. He had another chance at life, and so far, he had spent it all to survive. Kaen spent every moment of his life thinking of how to be stronger, better, and faster. But at some point, he forgot that what he truly wanted was not to survive but live freely.

Kaen had stopped thinking beyond the point of the day of the Uchiha massacre. Today he was reminded that there was a life for him after that point. As Kaen lay on his bed, someone knocked on his door. He begrudgingly got up and opened the door, finding a member of the Uchiha clan waiting for him.

"Kaen Uchiha, the clan head, has called for you."

"So late in the evening?" Kaen asked.

"We couldn't find you before," The member of the Uchiha clan replied. "Come with me."

Kaen listened and did as he was told. Even if he wanted to complain about his abrupt summoning, he knew that the man before him was nothing but a messenger. Nothing would come if he confronted the man, it would be only a waste of his time.