The Eyes That See Chakra (3)

10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven

===

Kurama stared at me with a quirked eyebrow. I had been staring at him silently for quite some time, but the furball didn't seem to get the cue. I knew he was just trying to irk me as he was not stupid. I wanted to keep this charade as long as he wanted, but I had to end it. I needed to know what he had done to my body.

"What did you do?"

"Some tinkering."

"What is it?"

Kurama scoffed. "Feel it for yourself, you ungrateful bastard."

"I have zero clue. That's why I asked you, dickhead," I scowled.

"Hoh? The genius Uzumaki finally has something he doesn't know." Kurama smirked. "Fine, I will tell you." I crossed my arms and waited for the explanation. "Think about that one-eyed Sensei of yours—what he does to his eye."

That explained everything. I hadn't noticed anything different ever since I used Ranmaru's eyes. I should be able to see Chakra like a Byakugan user, but I had yet to enjoy that privilege. The deductive reasoning for that would be the surgery was a failure, but that could not be the case. I would have been blind if that was the case.

I consciously channeled Chakra into my eyes and everything changed. My brain went into overdrive, but it was different from the usual overdrive. My brain didn't only process information faster but also took in more information. I could observe more details and most important of all, I could see Chakra.

"You are a wonder, Kurama," I remarked slightly in fascination. "You are just a talking bundle Chakra."

"Told you," Kurama scoffed.

Kurama was a massive fox-shaped, brightly burning orange flame in my eyes. There were no Chakra pathways whatsoever. He was truly a massive lump of talking Chakra. It made me wonder if Chakra was sentient in the very first place, but I stopped myself since I didn't want to get into the rabbit hole unnecessarily.

"So, you made a faucet mechanism to block Chakra from my eyes," I concluded.

"It is not as simple as that," Kurama snorted, looking offended. "I forced your cells to change to accommodate the eyes. Since you don't share the same DNA with that brat, your body naturally rejects the eyes. At least, that was the case until I modified your cells. Well, I technically didn't do anything since your body did all the work after I stimulated your cells with my Chakra."

"The worst thing that could happen if you didn't tinker with my cells was Ranmaru's eyes activating against my will. I could easily tackle that problem with Fūinjutsu, but even if I didn't, I am confident I would be able to bear the constant Chakra consumption," I voiced out.

"Chakra wouldn't have been the problem," Kurama scoffed. "You almost fried your brain more than once for stimulating it with my Chakra. It takes time to get your brain, the most delicate part of your body, used to such a burdening activity. Unlike you, however, that brat's Dōjutsu's nature forces his brain to develop resistance to burdening activities since birth."

Kurama shrugged.

"I am sure you would get used to it eventually, but given your body's resistance toward the foreign DNA, it would be a long and painful journey for you. I know you would tank the pain like the psychopath you are, but I bet you would bitch about it every day."

"… Your vocabulary has gotten more colorful."

Kurama smirked and then lay his head on his hands. The furball ignored me and then closed his eyes with a satisfied smirk. My connection with him had allowed me to be more empathetic, but these eyes gave me a deeper insight into emotions. I could feel his contentment and relate to it. It was a bizarre feeling.

"The ability to feel people's emotions, huh?"

I was afraid my empathy would make me dull.

…

"Naruto-san!"

When I came out of the unsealed cave, Ranmaru threw himself at me. I knew he had changed, but his chumminess still surprised me. I didn't know what I had done to make him… respect me that much.

Aren't kids so easy to groom?

I sounded like a pedophile, didn't I? Anyway, I gave Ranmaru a once-over. He looked healthy. My eyes fit perfectly in his sockets and he didn't seem to suffer from any discomfort whatsoever. In conclusion, I did a good job. When Ranmaru separated himself from me, I asked him how he felt. He merrily told me about what he had done in the last three days.

My conclusion to his experience was that he was well-integrated into Sanshō's family. It was a relieving thing since that meant I could leave him in their care. When we arrived at the inn where we stayed, we were greeted by Sanshō and Karashi. Some excited villagers were also there, but I ignored them.

"What is the occasion?" I asked.

Sanshō seemed to notice something different but immediately ignored it. "Our house has been rebuilt. We are ready to go back!"

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" I smiled lightly.

With Karashi in the lead, we walked to the rebuilt Curry of Life shop. The villagers accompanied us, using this chance to have a conversation with me. They showered me with gratitude and offered some gifts which I didn't decline. I rejected all of their marriage proposals, though.

Once we arrived at the house, Sanshō offered to make everyone curry. The villagers immediately retreated, telling me to have a good rest. Sanshō was quite dejected, but she immediately perked up when I told her I would have her curry. We ate curry at the same table while the sun went down.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye and my time to leave had come. Ranmaru looked regretful that my stay had to come to an end but didn't hold me back. He was well aware his presence would only hold me down. At least, until he got powerful enough.

"Naruto-san, I would get stronger and become a Ninja to help you," Ranmaru declared.

"Take it easy, Ranmaru. Your body needs time to properly heal," I said as I ruffled his hair. "Your eyes may no longer hamper your growth or mess with your Chakra network, but you should not push it past its limit. At least, until it is ready, which will not be anytime soon."

"I am sure it will be. Baa-chan's magical curry will help me."

Having experienced the magical effect of the curry of life, I didn't refute him. It was minuscule for me, but it might not be true for Ranmaru. His weak body might improve faster than I expected. Turning to Sanshō and Karashi, I gave them a nod. It was not for their hospitality during my stay but for their willingness to take care of Ranmaru.

"Um… please, visit us sometimes, Naruto-san. The villagers will be glad to see you," Karashi said with an awkward smile.

"You didn't sell my name to get laid, did you?" I asked pointedly.

"How could I!? I am just afraid they will kill me since the only thing preventing them from doing it is my connection with you," Karashi clarified.

"So, where is the problem?" I quirked an eyebrow.

Karashi merely mumbled my name while trying his best not to cry. Ignoring him, I bade everyone goodbye and left the village. There were still ten days until the finals of the Chūnin Exam and I was not planning to go back soon. Therefore, I decided to pay my friends in the Land of Spring, formerly known as Land of Snow, a visit.

On the way, I kept my eyes active. I wanted to get myself used to the stream of information entering my brain. Other than that, of course, I was giddy to put them to use. I had always relied on my senses to detect Chakra before. However, thanks to these eyes, I could easily detect Chakra and see them as if they were tangible.

"Okay, I think I should name these eyes," I thought aloud. "Meh, let's just go with Sekigan. It means Red Eyes—nothing special, but perfectly describes my eyes."

Some presence entered the perimeter, causing my lips to twitch upward. Some Kari-Nin (Hunter Ninja) had decided to try their luck on me. Their masks told me they were from Kiri. I didn't think it was a coincidence, so my feat must have reached Kiri. I might consider giving Kiba to them if they offered something of equal value.

Swish!

Unfortunately, they wanted my life. I knew it the moment I saw them with my eyes. Their Chakra couldn't lie. I responded in kind. I took out Kiba and let lightning course throughout my body. The Kari-Nin immediately exuded fear. I chuckled in glee. They knew their fate was sealed.

Slamming Kiba into the ground, lightning charged at the Kari-Nin duo. They managed to avoid fatal harm but were still stunned. I wasted no time and shot some lightning spears at them. The spears hit them effortlessly and their charred corpses dropped to the ground soon after. It was fun.