Chapter 6: Big Fish
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, The Gamer or any other familiar characters.
Chapter 6 – Big Fish
'Auch.'
I cut myself in the cheek for playing with a floating kunai. Yeah, that was difficult. A free-floating object, held only by some sort of magical magnetic force I could somehow create, was obviously more difficult than sticking a leaf to your head. But the chakra cost was minimal; I could keep a kunai floating for an hour before having to stop.
My Magnet Release (Iron Sand) began to grow.
Magnet Release (Iron Sand). Lvl 1. (2%)- The famed third Kazekage's version of the kekkei genkai. By controlling magnetic fields, ferromagnetic iron sands obey your commands. Control, sand amount and Chakra cost are variable, depending on skill level.
And so, a month passed surviving the boring academy, training and killing rats. Interestingly enough, I could throw a kunai pretty decently with my magnet release, but trying to juggle them around myself before throwing them fucked my aiming. Shuriken were easier, I just had to impart some rotation on them and fling them.
By the end of the month I finally leveled up and got an extra point to VIT because of all the physical training.
Name: Kioshi Shirasu
Title: Academy Student.Age: 5Gender: MaleLevel 4 (60/1200)
HP: 90/90SP: 105/105Chakra: 242/242Chakra Control: 34%
STR: 7DEX: 10VIT: 7INT: 13WIS: 11CHA: 7/10Points: 6
Money: 9500
I also got a Title when I was accepted at the academy, one that would help me with my training.
Title: Academy Student.10% faster Skill growth.
My skills were advancing nicely!
Meditation. Lvl 21. (86%)- Achieving a mental state of self-awareness and emotional serenity.Increases HP, SP and Chakra regeneration by 70%.
Observe. Lvl 36. (13%)- Observing what's around you is a great way to obtain information. At higher levels, more information is revealed.
Leaf Concentration Exercise. Lvl 8. (92%)- A staple of shinobi training.Increases Chakra control percentage by 8 percent; number of leaves to hold: 2.Cost: 8 Chakra Points per minute.
Beginner's Bukijutsu: Short Blades. Lvl 14. (24%)- The basics of any respectable blade style.Increases damage and accuracy by 14% when using kunai and other short blades.
Shurikenjutsu. Lvl 11. (23%)Increases shuriken damage and accuracy by 11%.
Beginner's Taijutsu. Lvl 19. (75%)- The foundation of any respectable style.Increases unarmed damage by 19%.
Stealth. Lvl 5. (11%)- The shinobi art of concealment.80% chance of going undetected, -1% per each level below the target.
Magnet Release (Iron Sand). Lvl 3. (33%)- The famed third Kazekage's version of the kekkei genkai. By controlling magnetic fields, ferromagnetic iron sands obey your commands. Control, sand amount and Chakra cost are variable, depending on skill level.
Throwing kunai and shuriken with my magnet release also trained their respective skills, so that was some positive reinforcement right there. My meditation was going well, and my observation skill was even better since sometimes all I did was 'Observe' from the academy's window. Fun fact about shinobi patrols around Kumo: they are not timed concisely; guards went running above the academy every 20 to 30 minutes, sometimes even less. It made sense not to have a regular patrol schedule, it made them somewhat unpredictable. Kumo was a well thought village.
My jutsu were going great too, specially the genjutsu.
Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. Lvl 5 (13%).D rank- A simple genjutsu that shows the victim its greatest fear.Requirements: 20% Chakra control.Cost: 15 Chakra Points.
Transformation Technique. Lvl 2 (4%).E rank.- An illusion technique.Requirements: 10% Chakra control.Cost: 4 Chakra Points per minute.
Clone Technique. Lvl 2 (55%).E rank- Creates and an illusionary copy of yourself.Requirements: 20% Chakra control.Cost: 19 Chakra Points per clone.
Rats didn't drop any item in particular, just money and some shuriken. The dungeon boss was already very easy to defeat with my stats, I had to find a new dungeon.
"You need a haircut, munchkin," Sadako said one day walking home from the academy, "do you want me to cut your hair?"
Indeed, my grayish black hair was reaching my shoulders now; it was the first time ever that I let my hair grow this much. It was straight with some weird curves. I looked at her and her hair, it looked okay, but if her cooking abilities say anything about her excess enthusiasm in lieu of her lack of skills, I had to tread carefully.
"Do you cut your own hair?"
"Even if I tried, I couldn't, could I? My mom cuts my hair and I cut hers." She was looking at me with big bright eyes.
"Sure, why not, thank you." What was the worst that could happen? Worst case scenario I'll have to shave my head. Meh, I didn't care.
Back at home, Sadako made me sit on the floor. She took a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer and laid a towel over my shoulders. Snip, snip, snip, she began.
"So, I'm close to keep the leaf against my forehead, been practicing it for more than a year now. I have to master wall walking this year to graduate and maybe be able to start nature transformation exercises. Agh! Some of the girls could do it pretty quickly, but I can't do it right. I'm better than them in shurikenjutsu anyway, so that's a thing-"
"The leaf concentration exercise?" I interrupted. Her voice sounded miserable, the poor kid.
"Yep, that's the one. They'll teach it to you next year once you unlock your chakra. Wait, did you already unlock your chakra? You've been reading an awful lot of shinobi books."
"I can do the leaf concentration exercise already."
"What! Really? Munchkin you're amazing!" She hastily knelt in front of me, with watery eyes and a hopeful expression "Can you help me? Please? Pretty pleeeease?"
I looked at her, her hopeful expression, her cheerful and never-give-up attitude.
"Of course… how can I help?"
"Oh, well… why don't you check how I do it and tell me if I'm wrong? My mom doesn't really tell me stuff; she says I got to figure out things by myself. I hate it; I'm not as smart as her or dad." She got up and went to take a leaf from the bush at the corner. "Look, this is how I do it. I concentrate chakra on my forehead and, well, stick the leaf and try to keep it there."
It wasn't like I could see her chakra or something, but judging from her explanation and the fact that her face was red and scrounged up, like pushing something, I deduced one thing.
"I think… maybe you are looking at this the wrong way," I said to her watching the leaf fall down after some seconds, "you are releasing chakra out from your forehead. Try to imagine your chakra covering your forehead, but not pushing it away, like covering your forehead with a thin layer of oil or something like that. I believe you are forcing too much chakra and pushing the leaf away from you, when it should be the other way around… it's a control exercise."
She looked at me with squinted eyes and nodding her head. This time she took a deep breath and placed the leaf on her forehead, her eyes closed and her strained expression gone. And just like that, the leaf stuck and stayed there for a full minute.
"Holy crap munchkin, you were right! Argh! I was trying to force it the wrong way!" She hugged me hard. "Thank you, you precious little thing," she added pinching my left cheek, "now, your hair!"
I sat down again, and she resumed cutting my hair and talking about a lot of other things.
Was she being neglected at home too? I didn't think so; she did talk about training with her mother. Maybe her parents really wanted her to overcome her own obstacles, but struggling with that exercise for more than a year? … Maybe they were expecting too much from her when she just needed a better explanation. Maybe she wasn't a kinesthetic learner or maybe she really wasn't such a genius as she said her parents were. Effort, nevertheless, was normally wasted if you didn't have someone to guide you through the basics. That didn't say anything good about her teachers at the academy either.
"Hey munchkin, you've got a scar in the back of your head."
My hand snapped immediately to the back of my head. There, in between my now shorter hair, I could feel a scar. The same scar I got in the real world because of my first seizure. 'Old soul,' I remembered, 'some things are carried over.'
I also went to the taiyaki stand that afternoon. I was a little fed up with the training routine, being alone at the academy and getting the stinky eye from the other kids, cleaning after dad, having no one to really talk to… I needed coffee, or tea if it didn't exist here, and something sweet, pronto.
"Hello kid, welcome again! Tea and a couple sweet ones to go again?"
I looked at the small billboard. They didn't have coffee, but they had black tea. 'Close enough.'
"A big cup of black tea, a chocolate taiyaki and a red bean paste one. Not to go, please." I smiled to the owner, sitting in one of the tables.
"You're in a good mood today kid," he said to me amused, "coming right up!"
It wasn't coffee, but it was good enough.
I was smiling, sincerely. For the first time in months I was smiling. The birds stopped singing a couple months ago and the few trees around were losing their orange color, their last leaves dancing in the wind and susurrating the last of heir comforting melody. The sun was bright up in the sky but the chilly wind permeated to the bones, the coldness of winter was already setting in Kumo. It was a fucking good day anyway, and I decided for the first time since I woke up here to venture out my street by myself. I needed to clear my mind before starting another training session and adding kunai levitation to my already packed routine.
So, I walked past the burned house with the rats and kept strolling down the street. Now that winter was coming, children and old people were strolling around heavily covered but with a smile on their faces, enjoying whatever ray of sun they could still get to their faces.
After the first connecting bridge, I arrived at a commercial area. A dozen small stores and a small group of restaurants surrounded a plaza with a decent-sized statue of the first Raikage at its center.
"To the founder of the village A, Shodaime Raikage.To protect the Land of Lightning and for the glory of Kumogakure."
The smell of food saturated the chilling air, the sounds of people talking and laughing, of children yelling and vendors shouting their wares gave me a nostalgic feeling of the little neighborhood I grew up in back in the real world.
I went inside a general shop first; I needed a map of the village and, well, every other map I could find. I found a detailed map of Kumo and another of the Land of Lightning, mostly centered on tourist spots and notable landmarks.
Ding!
Maps added:Kumogakure.Land of Lightning.
Nice, I didn't have to buy them and thankfully they didn't disappear when I opened them.
'Menu.'
Menu:
StatusSkillsInventoryQuestsMapRelations
'Maps!'
Map:Local maps are shown in detail. Other maps are also accessible.
Kumogakure.Land of Lightning.
'Kumogakure.'
A mini map appeared in the upper left corner of my range of vision, just like a game. Ironic, I know. Focusing on it opened a bigger version and, finally, I had an idea of the overall shape of the village.
Kumogakure was built over high altitude stone peaks and their surrounding small valleys, all interconnected by bridges and stairs. The northern portion of the village mostly comprised those rounded structures hugging the stone peaks; they were all marked as administrative and commercial buildings. There was a museum, some wealthy districts and expensive luxury stores pointed on the map. The Raikage's office was at the northern tip, higher than any other building, it seemed, and the shinobi academy was nearby.
The other part of the village was mostly set in the surrounding small valleys between the peaks, all still above the line of clouds. Most likely, the lack of a cloud cover explained the darker skin of Kumo shinobi. Kumogakure - the village hidden in the clouds - was a fitting name. Although it was bigger that you may think when calling it a village, it was a small city. The residential neighborhoods were all clumped together on those small valleys. I lived in one of those, and from the modicum number of streets and parks, it wasn't a wealthy one.
Kumogakure had only one entrance, from the west. A long steep road finished in a wide staircase, which in turn led to the gates of the village.
The training grounds were located to the east. They were labeled from 1 to 13 and occupied three small valleys. Some had small buildings surrounding them.
I closed the map, deciding to go to those training grounds and look for another dungeon. The rats were too easy now and I needed a better challenge. Low level RPG dungeons were always full of animals and the best part to find animals was away from civilization.
Looking at the sun, I still had a couple of hours before nightfall. I headed to the training grounds; it was a 30 minute walk.
I arrived at the bridge connecting to the training grounds. At the other side of the bridge, a small orb floated, gleaming with that eerie blue light just like the rat dungeon. I approached the orb.
Dungeon Found!
Dungeon level: 3.Enemies: ?
Level 8 required to enter.
'Crap.' I didn't have enough experience yet.
"Hey kid!" A shouting interrupted my thoughts. "You can't be here, only shinobi are allowed in the training grounds, you might get hurt."
The feminine although low-pitched voice came from a long haired shinobi walking in my direction from the training grounds. She had blonde hair tied in a long ponytail and wore black pants and a purple shirt, a standard issue vest over her chest. Her arms and lower legs were bandaged heavily, and she also wore a chain of bluish beads around her left hand.
My eyes widened. That was Yugito Nii! Holy crap, the two tail's jinchuriki!
'Observe.'
Name: Yugito Nii.Title: Jinchuriki.Level: ?Age: 17Yugito is the jinchuriki of the Two Tails, Matatabi.Relationship level: Neutral.
She was heading in my direction with an emotionless expression and a thin layer of sweat covering her face. "Did you hear me kid?" She asked.
"I- I'm sorry, I was looking for a place to train." I stammered a little.
"Oh, you are a student?" She asked. "How old are you?"
"I'm five, a first year student."
She looked at my eyes for some time with a slight wince of sympathy. "Regardless, you shouldn't be here. Train in the academy's training halls until you graduate."
She moved past me with her eyes on the ground before stopping and turning around. "Listen kid, just-" she hesitated for a second and shook her head, only to continue walking.
I watched her walk away with her hands on her pockets and a sad sauntering. Those eyes... they looked tired, mentally tired, and alone. It's the destiny of all jinchuriki, it seemed, to wander alone, to be shunned by society until they can prove themselves. She was just 17, but her vacant eyes… I've seen those eyes in suicidal people, people grasping to the last of their willingness to live, broken, abandoned, tired of their masks and betrayed by their own minds. That's a heavy burden for such a young woman, that's a horrible burden for anyone.
She looked decisive and when depressed eyes turn to decisive ones, you knew they made that decision.
"Hey lady!" I shouted in her direction. I had to say something, anything, I had to do something. She was too young to have those eyes. "Thank you, for your sacrifice."
She turned her head and looked at me with wide eyes. She nodded her head with understanding but the same empty look as before on her face. She shunshined away.
'Fuck.' My comment felt like a final word, like a bad good bye. Did I make it worse?
I was staring at the other end of the bridge where she disappeared. The manga didn't really show too much about her or her history. Maybe I already fucked the timeline with that comment. 'Will I ever see you again, Yugito?'
With a bitter feeling in my mind, I ambled back to the commercial district. 'How much time do I have in this world?' I wondered. I knew I shouldn't change the timeline too much; Naruto and Sasuke had to achieve monster-like status and receive Hagoromo's chakra. For that to happen, Kaguya had to be revived. That was the only way to ensure the other Otsutsukis will be defeated when the time came. I couldn't hoard all the power and make everyone depend on me. Fuck, I could wake up any time from this world. At least, I knew this story will have a happy ending, or an ending. This wasn't my story, it wasn't mine to take, but I was here and this was my opportunity to do something valuable for the world -a world. Maybe save those who will die in the fourth war and help maintain peace in the elemental nations afterwards if I live long enough. Maybe I could stick to the shadows and try to make everything happen according to the original story, Black Zetsu style. Maybe I could do something valuable for a change.
Nevertheless, one thing was on my mind. 'Yugito Ni...'
Back in the commercial district, I took the opportunity to buy some clothes since the ones I had were already too small for me. The good thing was that clothes were really cheap here, so I bought a bunch to have spares in case I shred them during training. They cost me only 1000 ryo! Black, blue and dark green pants and shirts, a pair of simple ninja-like boots and a simple overcoat, dark green; your inconspicuous collection of everyday clothes.
When I was walking back home for the day, something caught my eye: a blue orb was floating in an alleyway next to a decent-sized flower shop.
Dungeon Found!
Dungeon level: 2.Enemies: Beetles.
Level 5 required to enter.
That was the next dungeon! I just needed one more level! The desire to train came back again.
For five more months I spun kunai alone in my room at nights; in one direction, then another, then another, then more than one kunai and even shuriken. I launched them to the wall with different results. At first, they slammed randomly, but after a few weeks, they stuck, pointy end first.
Magnet Release (Iron Sand). Lvl 14. (62%)- The famed third Kazekage's version of the kekkei genkai. By controlling magnetic fields, ferromagnetic iron sands obey your commands. Control, sand amount and Chakra cost are variable, depending on skill level.
I could also sense metal around me; the knives and spoons in the kitchen, the metal of the doorknobs, the weapons inside dad's weapons cache and even the iron pipes around and below the house.
The academy was the same as always, some days we had to run around an obstacle course and some other times they tested us on basic mathematics, history and shinobi codes. I aced all of them, but it was boring as hell. I didn't learn anything I didn't know before, be it by reading at lunch hour or at home. And basic maths... I mean, come on. I could do differential calculus in my sleep and they were trying to teach me angles. Even their applicability to estimate the trajectory of a thrown weapon was dubious; muscular memory was much more important for a full-fledged shinobi. But, well, they were just kids and first they needed to learn the concept, then the applicability. Nevertheless, a minimum 90% attendance was required to be able to graduate the first year, so I was stuck there for the time being.
By the end of those five months, I leveled up. All those now boring Sunday morning rat-killing sprees were worth something besides the money and the occasional kunai or shuriken drop.
Name: Kioshi Shirasu
Title: Academy Student.Age: 5Gender: MaleLevel 5 (660/2500)
HP: 110/110SP: 131/131Chakra: 274/274Chakra Control: 36%
STR: 9DEX: 11VIT: 9INT: 13WIS: 12CHA: 7/10Points: 8
Money: 12200
I trained my stats enough too, focusing on augmenting VIT. Also, two things happened; I maxed out the leaf concentration exercise after level 9 and my Beginner's Taijutsu skill when it reached level 20.
Leaf Concentration Exercise. Lvl Max.- A staple of shinobi training.Increases Chakra control percentage by 10 percent; number of leaves to hold: -.Cost: 8 Chakra Points per minute.
Beginner's Taijutsu. Lvl Max.- The foundation of any respectable style.Increases unarmed damage by 20%.
So, I tried to climb a wall in my house and, not surprisingly, I got the skill.
Wall Climbing Exercise. Lvl 0. (1%).- Another staple of shinobi training.Increases Chakra control percentage by [Lvl] percent.Cost: 15 Chakra Points per minute.
Given my chakra control, I could stand on a wall or a ceiling for a little more than 6 minutes before I had to meditate for an hour and some minutes to fully recover my chakra. All that control training was paying back.
I needed another taijutsu book or scroll to begin training, and there weren't any in the academy. Thus, I went to old man Yataro and directly asked him. He gave me an old and dusty book, containing everything from advanced katas to detailed explanations of some intricate movements; hits, kicks, blocks, throws and such.
Advanced Taijutsu. Lvl 1. (1%)- The advanced forms of any taijutsu style.Increases unarmed damage by 1%.
"Good afternoon." I greeted the old man that day.
"Hello kid."
I sat on the chair beside him and watched the cold winter scenery; winter lasts a long time here in Kumogakure from what I've read. A thin layer of snow covered the rooftops, still remaining from a late night snowfall. From time to time, it seemed, the clouds would rise above the highest peaks of the village and empty themselves over the village. Still, the warmer winds of spring could already be felt and would melt the snow away in just a few days.
"Where can I learn more about taijutsu? I think I already mastered the basics." I asked giving him a steaming cup of black tea.
"Did you, now?" He looked at me with quizzically. "I have something you can read." He stood up and entered his house. "C'mon inside, kid."
I followed him inside. His house was very similar to mine, as most of the houses in the street were: small, comfy and fairly maintained. Bookshelves covered almost all the walls, filled up with books of shinobi related material and, judging by the names, some fiction and history treaties. A few books caught my attention; scientific books about the elements, chakra, biology, human anatomy and mathematics… It was quite a collection.
"I collected most of them from working for the Shinobi Research Institute of Kumo," he said looking between the books on a different shelf, "ah, here it is." He pulled the old book and sat on a cushion at the table. His ability to walk and sit smoothly even with a wooden leg was remarkable.
He opened the book and flipped some pages. "This is and advanced taijutsu book, the one I learned with. It's very detailed and should correct some positions you've already learned." He pointed at several scribbles at the edge of some diagrams showing a human body in a blocking stance. "It also has some of personal notes there. You might be too small yet to apply some of the concepts, but it will help you for now. After you are done with this, come back and I'll give you something you might find interesting." He added closing the book. He handed it to me and walked to one of the bedrooms. "You've got a lot to train and practice ahead of you boy," he said loudly from the other room, "don't disappoint me."
I stared amazed at the book. "Thank you, old man. I appreciate this, all of this."
He came back with his wooden pipe filled with tobacco . "Now," he said walking to the door, "tell me about your training."
We talked outside for an hour about training, tea, food and shinobi life. I learned he was heavily injured during the second war and had to retire. He lost his right leg and his ability to mold chakra correctly, so he started working for the Intelligence Department of Kumo in some things he didn't want to –or couldn't- speak of. After that, he worked with the Shinobi Research Institute developing shinobi codes, political decrees and regulations, and also researching on chakra theory and applicability. He retired some years ago. That was an interesting life, but old man Yataro never married and lost his only brother in the war, so he was mostly alone in the world. He seemed satisfied with it, though.
I talked about my life in this world, about the academy, about my training, about tea and how I wanted something stronger. I talked about Sadako, to which the old man offered to help her if she had any issues with things too advanced for me. I was grateful for having him in my life, a connection with another human being, one who didn't treat me like a child, but like a man.
Two weeks later, I sent Sadako to old man Yataro's with questions about nature transformation I couldn't answer.
Finally, it was time to enter the new dungeon. I had my kunai, shuriken and my gloves, all at the ready.
I walked to the florist and there, in the alleyway, floated the blue orb.
Ding!
Quest Created:Waiting for the windshield on the freeway.Clear the beetle swarm.
Rewards:1000 Exp, leveled loot.Accept?
That was a lot of experience! 'Accept.'
I appeared instantly in the middle of the flower shop itself. The store was large, with shelves after shelves full of plants and vases with flowers, the walls covered with different products, fertilizers, tools, etc. Three closed wooden doors stood in the back wall.
This dungeon was not abandoned or boarded up like the rat one was, this place was bright. Light entered through various windows in the walls and from the big crystal roof on the center of the ceiling, bathing everything in a yellow glow and a warm atmosphere.
This was a dungeon, however, so I summoned a kunai to each hand and took my first step.
To the left, a vase fell and broke against the floor. A dark blue beetle the size of a small dog scurried from behind a shelf, snapping a pair of huge pincers at me.
'Observe.'
Giant Blue BeetleLevel: 5- A mutated beetle with strong jaws.
Instantly, I threw both kunai at it and immediately summoned two more to my hands.
Hit!21 DMG.
Hit!21 DMG.
One pierced the beetle in its central thorax and the other cut off one of its legs. Still, the bug jumped at me. I dodged to the right, crouching to my knees and shoved a kunai to its head.
Hit! Critical x5105 DMG.
Giant Blue Beetle Killed.20 Exp awarded.
Before I could celebrate, something hit me hard on my right shoulder, splashing water to my face.
-10 HP!
'Fuck!'
A beetle was standing over a table between the flowers, its jaws clicking and pointing down at me.
'Did this bug just spit a water bullet at me?'
During my musing, another water bullet was sent my way. I rolled to the right and barely dodged it.
'Rule number one of close quarter combat: don't stop to contemplate if you are exposed under enemy fire.' Sending a kunai to the bug while standing, I cut off one if its pincers.
Hit!21 DMG.
Snake, Rat: 'Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.'
-56 Chakra.
The bug shivered and opened its small blue wings, moving its only pincer left in a threatening manner to an unknown menace to its left. I dashed to its side and buried a kunai between its tiny black eyes.
Hit! Critical x5.105 DMG.
Giant Blue Beetle Killed.20 Exp awarded.
I heard a spitting sound at the back and leaped to my left turning around. I summoned two kunai to my hands, just in time for a small water bullet to fly over my shoulder; another beetle over the table was clicking its pincers at me.
'These things are aiming for my head!'
Another bug bit me on my right ankle, and a stinging pain went up my leg.
-10 HP!
I immediately jumped backwards over one of the tables at the center of the store, just to see another water bullet flying to my head. 'These things are fast!' I jumped to yet another table, dropping some vases in the way, and went on the offensive.
I could hear the bug that bit my right ankle scurrying around in the floor, so I focused on the one in front shooting water bullets at me.
I hurled a kunai in its direction, only for the bug to sidestep it. But it gave me time to summon a special kunai, one with an exploding note tied to its ring.
I prepared them in advance early this morning using the notes I got the first time I cleared the rat dungeon. I ran a bit of chakra through the paper to activate it and swiftly threw it at the bug. It went through its exoskeleton and lodged itself between its wings; a fraction of a second later it exploded with a massive bang.
-42 HP!Stun applied.
The tables and flower vases were blasted away, smashing to the walls and the floor. The windows exploded outwards and the glass ceiling collapsed, showering everything in small glass shards. I was blown back over the table behind me and fell hard to the floor on my side, my ears ringing.
Hit!200 DMG.
Giant Blue Beetle Killed.20 Exp awarded.
'Fuck,' I said to myself trying to stand up. My head was spinning, and my ears hurt. There were broken pieces of vases and flower petals everywhere, some of the tables were turned and broken and there were glass shards everywhere. 'Note to self, do not detonate an exploding note in a small closed environment.' I should have known, to be honest.
I got to my knees just in time to see the other bug slowly crawling in my direction. Four of its legs were missing and one of its pincers was ripped from its mouth, red blood gushing out. Shaking what was left of its jaw, it shot a bloody water bullet in my direction; the missile hit the table at my left, missing by a big margin. I hastily summoned a kunai and threw it, only to miss too, so immediately I summoned three shuriken to my right hand and threw them all together -one had to hit.
Hit!10 DMG.
Giant Blue Beetle Killed.20 Exp awarded.
'Fuck!' I stood up shakily and checked my HP; I've lost 52 points of life, more than a third of my health pool. I wanted to lie in the ground and wait for the dizziness to go away, but more bugs could be lurking between the flowers and rubble on the floor. 'Fuck that explosion.' Also, those water bullets were small but packed a punch, I had to be careful. This was my first encounter with elemental jutsu -or any type of jutsu really- in combat situation.
I scrutinized around the flower shop, focusing my eyes, ears and nose on any sign of more bugs lurking somewhere behind the ruble. I was panting slightly; my SP points were reduced to 60 points, almost half of my max. I was convinced the stun from the explosive note was responsible for a good portion of those lost SP points, that explosion was something impressive but double edged, more so in a closed room.
After I was fairly sure there were no more bugs in this area, I sat down with my back against a wall to wait for my HP and SP to recover. I wasn't going to meditate while in a hostile environment. My right shoulder hurt, but it was fine nevertheless. My ankle was still dripping blood though, so I applied pressure on it with my hand and waited. The pain I felt when the beetle bit me lasted only a second and was replaced by just a stinging sensation. Thank you, gamer's mind.
This fight was too chaotic for me to use my kekkei genkai; I felt that I still needed a certain degree of concentration to effectively direct kunai and shuriken with the magnet release. But this wasn't training or a controlled environment, and I needed to get used to fighting under harsh conditions and test its applicability in real combat.
After half an hour, I was completely healed; my HP, SP and Chakra points were all filled. I, of course, went to check the bodies of the bugs for loot and just like the rats, they dropped money. All four dropped a total of 1600 ryo. All that was left of the bug I killed with the exploding tag was a splotch of blood and the faint beam of white light revealing the loot.
I recovered the kunai and shuriken I used, locating them among the rubble with my kekkei genkai. Two kunai were broken; one, the one with the exploding note attached I believed, was shattered beyond recognition. I still had 22 kunai left, three with explosive notes tied, and all my shuriken stashed in different boxes in my inventory.
Only the three doors on the back were left, but I was cautious. If these bugs showed me anything is that they could hit hard and viciously.
Before walking to the doors, I created a clone in the center of the room. It was a mere illusionary clone, but I was confident they would be enough to fool the creatures.
-56 Chakra.
I crouched next to the hinges of the door on the right, going into stealth. I reached for the doorknob and quickly turned it and pulled the door open. Immediately, a water bullet shot towards my clone while another bug hurried across the rubble in its direction. I quickly slammed the door shut and dashed to the scurrying bug. With a hard kick, I sent it flying to the opposing wall.
Hit!16 DMG.
I threw two kunai at the bug, this time focusing on pushing them with my magnet release. One flew long and missed, but the other pierced its thorax, impaling the bug to the wall and burying itself up to the handle.
Hit! Critical x5.105 DMG.
'Hell yeah, gotta love that speed!' I thought impressed. My magnet release wasn't perfect yet, but it was awesome if one kunai hits its mark.
Giant Blue Beetle Killed.20 Exp awarded.
I heard a crackling sound behind me. The bug that shot the water bullet to my clone and to which I slammed the door in its face, was violently gnawing at the wood. Leaving the clone where it was, I repeated the process; I hid beside the hinges and opened the door. The bug zoomed out, running through the rubble in the direction of the clone.
Summoning three shuriken in each hand, I flung them in front of it. The bug halted, turning around just in time to receive a hard kick to its jaw.
Hit! Critical x5.88 DMG.Stun applied.
The bug slammed hard against the opposing wall, just left of where its friend was impaled, and fell to the floor on its back, its legs up in the air contracting, its head caved in and its jaws broken and bleeding.
Giant Blue Beetle died because of bleeding.20 Exp awarded.
'That was a nice kick!'
Again, I collected the money they dropped. The kunai I sent with the magnet release were logged in the wall so deep I couldn't recover them.
The room where those bugs came out was a small closet crammed with vases, pots and other containers, but nothing worth taking.
With two doors yet to open, I crouched besides the one in the middle and opened it. Nothing came out and, after some seconds, I peeked inside. The room was also a closet with some gardening tools and nothing else.
I repeated the process and opened the last door, only for the same thing to happen again; no bug and no attack. Taking a look inside, it was a simple office with a desk and some files on top. There was a small window high on the back wall and, on the corner, a small plant that, ironically, was dead.
I took a moved to enter the room with the idea of looting the desk and the bookshelf on the right when a loud buzz came from behind the desk, just where an office chair would be. I hesitated for a fraction of a second before diving left, right on time for a big gold and blue thing to blur past the door.
Quest Created:Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.
Defeat the Beetle King.
Rewards:500 Exp, leveled loot.Accept?
A big blue beetle, at least twice the size of the others, with golden pincers and big wings opened, was now hovering at the center of the store, buzzing loudly and snapping its pincers at my clone.
'Observe.'
Blue Beetle King.Level: 7.- An elemental creature with dubious claims to the throne.
I was crouching next to the door of the office in full stealth mode with wide eyes. That thing was two levels higher than me for fuck's sake! I quickly planned my next attack, and just in time.
After flaunting its size, the Beetle King dove pincers first to bite my clone's throat, but went through the illusion and slammed against the floor. Hastily beating its wings, the bug immediately hovered over the rubble looking for the real menace. When its eyes roamed in my direction, I acted.
Snake, Rat: 'Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.'
-56 Chakra.
The Beetle King dropped over a piece of rubble and bared its pincers to an unknown assailant. The buzzing was gone, replaced by a dreadful snapping sound.
I already leaped in its direction with a kunai in hand. With all my weight, I rammed the weapon into the bug's thorax, though I was aiming for the head.
Hit! Critical x5.105 DMG.
Immediately, I stepped back but the beetle was faster. Two consecutive water bullets hit me right in the chest. I was thrown back and landed heavily on my back over some broken vases among the rubble.
-30 HP!
-30 HP!
I spat some blood. I lost more than half my life to those bullets, but I did it; even though I couldn't kill it in the first movement, the Beetle King couldn't fly anymore and my kunai was lodged in its thorax.
With a furious clicking noise the bug came scurrying to me. I lifted a hand in its direction and stopped it in its tracks. With my magnet release, I controlled the kunai embedded between its wings and flung the Beetle King to the opposite wall.
Hit!40 DMG.Stun applied
I maintained the bug hovering against the wall while I knelt and summoned four more kunai to my hand. Concentrating, I levitated them in front of me and flung them with my kekkei genkai. Two connected with the bug.
Hit! Critical x5.105 DMG.
Hit! Critical x5.105 DMG.
Ding!
Dungeon Boss defeated.Quest Completed.
Rewards:500 Exp,2500 ryo,Golden Pincers,Kunai Set.
Ding!
Dungeon Cleared.
Rewards:1000 Exp,3000 ryo,5 sealing scrolls.
I plopped down holding my chest with one hand. I couldn't breathe properly; those water bullets to the chest at point blank hurt like hell. I spat some blood trying to catch my breath and checked my status screen. My HP and SP were low, but were now slowly regenerating.
The rewards from the dungeon were simple enough; a kunai set and some sealing scrolls. The Golden Pincers were just decorative items, so I kept them in the inventory for now.
Golden Pincers- A trophy made of iron and covered in gold. Can be sold for a high price.
After looting the boss and the building I changed my clothes to the spare I kept in my inventory before exiting the dungeon.
I finally had a new dungeon to grind experience and items from, and the next months were again a mixture of training, enduring academy life and killing bugs.
By the end of the year, the train-dungeon-study routine again showed its fruits. The wall walking exercise was halfway through if the maximum level of the leaf concentration exercise was anything to go by. I could walk on walls and ceilings, but the chakra usage on my feet still seemed somehow flawed.
I asked old man Yataro for advanced books on bukijutsu and shurikenjutsu once I completed the beginner skills, and he lent me some decent ones. My kekkei genkai was leveling slowly but steadily and was becoming increasingly useful for my dungeon crawls.
In time, I even entered the dungeon I found at the entrance of the training grounds. It was full of fire spitting lizards, which were a bitch to kill, and a big fucking Komodo dragon was the dungeon boss. That was a tough fight the first three times; it had the habit of burrowing underground when its HP went low enough and had a poisonous bite that hurt like hell. But I got some awesome drops from it too.
Sadako graduated, and her megawatt smile lasted for days. We even went for tea together with old man Yataro to celebrate. She was put into a genin team with two other recently graduated kids; a quiet boy with an aptitude for genjutsu and another taijutsu oriented boy that 'I'm sure he has a crush on me!' -her words. Her sensei was a random tokubetsu jonin. Together, they were named team 7 and, despite the cursed number, their first C-rank 8 months later went out flawlessly. Nevertheless, Sadako started visiting me only in the mornings before team training.
The second academy year was easy too. I demolished everyone on taijutsu, even the top class stuck up girl. She did land a couple of hard hits on me, which taught me more than training by myself. She hated my ass, and I didn't really care. Shinzo sensei was also impressed that I was able to hold a leaf to my forehead perfectly at the beginning of the year. My aim with shuriken and kunai was spotless, too, and I got praised for it. Slowly, the kids abandoned that belittling attitude towards me and the looks of disdain diminished. Still, none came to talk to me after school.
Dad's alcoholism became worse; I had to clean up the empty bottles around the house and pick up his uniform from the ground. I even learned to use the washing machine to clean his clothes every other day. I dreaded going home too late at night and find him passed out on the floor, sometimes crying and whispering gibberish. I was worried, I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't know how to approach him. At least, and I checked, all the bills were being paid and Sadako's too. She has been receiving a small amount of money for keeping an eye on me since my mother died.
One summer night, by the end of that second school year, dad didn't return home and I got worried. Some nights he didn't sleep at home, usually arriving the next morning reeking of cheap perfume and booze, only to take a shower and head out again. Sometimes he didn't come back until the next night.
But he had not been home for three days straight and that night there was a knock on the door. A tall shinobi, red haired and with blue eyes, was looking down at me with sad eyes.
"Kioshi Shirasu?"
I nodded.
"I'm sad to inform Denji Shirasu has died in the line of duty. As the next of kin, you are required to accompany me to the shinobi administrative building to identify the body and start the due process."
'What the fuck?' I was speechless. Dad died on a mission? He only took local guard missions since mom died. 'What the fuck had happened?'
"If you need some time, I can come back tomorrow and-"
"No," I interrupted him taking a deep slow breath, "I'll go."
He shunshined me six times to the Raikage's tower. I didn't care about the new gut-wrenching feeling of being shunshined continuously, not then anyway.
I followed the shinobi through the entrance door and around some hallways. I didn't pay attention to anything, I couldn't. My mind was blank and my eyes felt heavy.
He finally opened some white double doors that led to a cream-colored room with metal drawers in a wall. A morgue. It was chilling, it was depressing, and it smelled of disinfectant and death. And that fucking color again.
"Number 23." The red haired shinobi said to a man in a white robe and a medical head cap.
Said person looked at me with an expressionless face and walked me to a metal gate marked '23'. He pulled the handle and a stainless steel tray came out. Over it, a body covered by a thick black blanket.
Before I could say anything, the doctor pulled the blanket.
My dad's lifeless body lay there, his left side badly burned. He was missing an arm under the shoulder and a leg under the knee, deep cuts covered his chest where the white of the bones underneath could be seen. The pained expression etched on his face and the gritted teeth told of an agonizing death, a slow death. The smell, oh my god the smell…
I didn't break down. I didn't know why, but I didn't break down. It was the first time I've ever seen a dead person, the first time someone somewhat close to me died. But I didn't break, even if I wanted to.
It realized on me later that night; the fucking gamer's mind impeded me from feeling the worst of it. The feeling of loss, of tragedy, they were there but I couldn't cry nor scream.
A hand rested on my shoulder. "Can you confirm it's your father?"
I nodded, looking up to the shinobi. "What happened?"
"We are going to see the Raikage now, he personally asked for your presence."
Two flights of stairs after, we were outside the Raikage's office.
"Oh, go ahead. He's waiting for you." the secretary behind a desk said to the shinobi guiding me when she saw us.
And without knocking, he opened the door.
Author's note:
I didn't want to end the chapter there, but it was getting long and I really wanted to give you something to read during the weekend.
I've been studying a lot about time skips, verbalization, differences between UK and US English and... a lot of other things. Did you know that lay is the past tense of lie and laid is the past tense of lay? Also the singular form of shelves is shelf and not shelve, which also exists...
Thank you all for your reviews and comments!And keep pointing out mistakes!