The Plan (20)

"Let's start with a basic step," Yamamoto begins, addressing Akiko's eye problem trying hard to not freak out with the amount of information he had heard. "Try to control the flow of chakra to your eyes." Akiko quickly follows Yamamoto's instruction, determined to understand this new eyes, its' ability and how to control it. With her attention now solely on stopping the chakra flow to her eyes, Akiko is pleasantly surprised to find that controlling her chakra feels a bit easier compared to how hard it was to control it when she had tried it before. 'Is it because of the eyes'

As Akiko focused on halting the flow of chakra to her eyes, Yamamoto's initial shock had subsided and he was able to fully process the information he had just heard. After carefully considering it, he was able to distill the details into two main points.

Firstly, he learned of a place where souls could pass on to reach the pure lands. From what he gathered from the speaker, it seemed that individuals could choose to either reunite with their loved ones or find peace in the pure lands. Yamamoto couldn't help but ponder the workings of this mysterious place.

In addition, he discovered that there was once a powerful clan with the ability to control time through their eyes. This clan was so formidable that it instilled fear in other clans, ultimately leading to their destruction. "When will a similar event occur again?" Yamamoto mused, pondering if history would repeat itself in the future. Little did he know, the events he had just learned about would occur not once, not twice but multiple times in the future, and his own clan leader had come dangerously close to making their clan meet the same fate.

After finishing summarizing the information, he turned to Akiko who was still struggling to control the flow of chakra to her eyes. He realized that she had a connection to this clan, and that woman who he had hypothesized to be her mother had recently unlocked it for her. This thought made him feel excited and grateful to have befriended someone with such a unique background and powerful abilities. He had no intention of using Akio, but rather felt fortunate to have met her and was even more determined to make her his disciple.

"I'm finished, Yamamoto-san,"Akiko exclaimed, proudly showing Yamamoto her eyes which had returned to their usual dark blue color. Akio exclaimed, relieved to finally show him that her eyes had returned to their usual dark blue color. "Good. Now, let's refocus on our main topic. We can discuss your abilities later, but first, I need to ask you a question," Yamamoto said, causing Akiko to adopt a serious expression as she remembered they were discussing something important before. "Since we will be heading straight to the capital city to meet the Daimyo, we won't need to visit any other cities on the way. This means you will have less time to practice the jutsu for your test. So, I will ask you one last time, do you want to become my disciple now, or do yoku still want to take the test?" Yamamoto asked, knowing that he couldn't force Akiko to become his disciple and wanting her to make the decision herself. "As we head straight to the capital city to meet the Daimyo, we won't need to stop in any other cities besides yours. This means you have less time to practice the jutsu for the test. So, I'll ask you one more time – do you want to become my disciple now or continue with the test?" Yamamoto asked, knowing he couldn't force her to become his disciple if she wasn't ready. Akiko fell into deep contemplation at Yamamoto's question.if it before when she didn't have this new Dojutsu, she would have still declined, believing that if she couldn't pass the test, she wasn't worthy of being a ninja. However, with her newfound power, she had a small sense of confidence that she could still excel as a ninja if she honed her Dojutsu abilities and maybe be a powerful ninja that could strike fear into those that heard her name. Thinking of such a situation Akiko couldn't help but chuckle childishly inside her mind but she quickly regains her composure realizing she still had to answer the question thrown at her "Please, accept me as your disciple, Yamamoto-san," Akiko said politely, bowing her head in front of him. She had made her decision – she would rather become Yamamoto's disciple than take the test. Yamamoto was overjoyed to hear Akiko's words and see her respectful gesture. However, he maintained a serious expression, hiding his inner emotions. "Very well, I accept. Rest up, and we will leave tomorrow to reach the capital faster."

After saying this, Yamamto exited the tent and headed off to tell the rest of the team about the planned move for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Akiko, who had gone to rest on the mat, struggled to fall asleep. Thoughts of her encounter with the mysterious woman continued to replay in her mind.

Team Iroh

Land Of Sound

At the moment, the team was trekking through a dense forest in the land of sound. As they traversed the unfamiliar terrain, Iroh remained composed, casually sipping on the tea he had brought for the journey. However, the rest of the ninjas remained on high alert, carefully navigating their way through the forest.

The team had been strategizing the most efficient route to reach the land of Iron, and ultimately decided to pass through the land of sound. Despite the potential dangers, it was deemed the quickest and most optimal path from their current location in the land of fire.

"What a peaceful journey," sighed Iroh as he gazed out at the surrounding scenery. "If only this wasn't a mission, I would have loved to stop at a nearby spring and relax my weary body." He gently stroked the horse pulling the carriage, enjoying the warm sun on his skin and the calming sip of his tea.

His companion, Arata, a skilled Jonin class ninja, watched Iroh with a growing sense of frustration. "While the rest of us are on high alert, you're here sipping tea and acting like you're on vacation," he thought, his irritation evident in the slight twitch of his eyebrow. "Even if you claim to be on a mission, no one would believe you." With a deep breath, he refocused his attention on the road ahead, keenly aware of the tension in the air as people lurked around the carriage from all directions.

"Oh?" Iroh exclaimed, his cup of tea dropping to the ground as he raised an eyebrow curiously. He scanned the carriage, sensing the presence of individuals surrounding them. The trees in the forest blocked his sight, but he could feel people were approaching them

"It seems we have some company," Iroh stated, jumping down from the carriage. The other ninjas present looked at him with questioning gazes.

"Go ahead, I can handle these goons. I'll catch up with you later," Iroh waved them off, prompting the ninjas to ignore the approaching figures in the woods and continue on their journey.

"Just make sure you come back and don't wander off somewhere we don't know," Arata shouted as he sped up the carriage, disappearing from Iroh's view.

As soon as Arata and the rest of the ninjas were out of sight, a group of rough-looking individuals emerged from the woods. Judging by their appearance and clothing, they were most likely bandits planning to ambush the group.

"Damn it, they got away and left this pot-bellied man behind," the presumed leader of the group spoke, eyeing Iroh contemplatively. "Well, we can always sell him as a slave."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening today, as I have a hot spring to catch up to," Iroh responded, beginning to remove his armor and clothes. He dropped them to the ground, revealing his toned muscles and abs. Iroh then started jumping up and down, roaring and flexing his muscles, loosening himself up for a fight.

"Now, let's dance," Iroh declared, getting into a battle stance.