04 - Opportunities

In Hanzõ's chambers

"If you want to serve the Rain Village, I need to see that you are really worthy of such a feat, don't see what I'm doing as a charity, but rather as an opportunity, if you disappoint me, I'll fix you myself..." said Hanzõ with conviction.

*Gulp

Kosuke swallowed dryly.

"How should I call you? Lord Kage..." Kosuke said

...

Hanzõ's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I know when you disrespect me" Hanzõ said.

"I have seen that you are in the ninja academy, I recognize and strongly believe in the strength of the shinobi alliance of Amegakure, but for you, I will give you a private tutor, in view of your amazing abilities, but don't be satisfied with that..."

"Talent without conviction is nothing but a depressing waste. With this in mind, I will assign you to be trained by Inara, my loyal elite shinobi."

Kosuke rolls his eyes in surprise.

"I know Inara, he helped me."

"Hm... that saves me the formalities, I'll give you a salary of 15.000 Ryos per month, that's enough to get by, and I'll come and watch your progress from time to time, again... don't let me down" Hanzõ said looking deeply at Kosuke.

Hanzõ leaves an envelope on the table and says.

"Tomorrow at 09:00 in this training camp, if you don't show up, don't even think about coming back."

Hanzõ left.

The envelope contained 15,000 ryos and the location of the training camp.

"So much has happened in such a short time, and yet... I'll have to work even harder to become a worthy ninja, (looking at the marks on his arm) if I can't control it..."

...

"I won't be a waste" Kosuke thought and made a fist with his hand.

The next day, at the training camp

Inara was already there waiting for Kosuke, Kosuke spotted him from a distance and called out.

"Inaraa! ! !"

"Ah?, ah hi, come soon! ! !" Inara said.

Kosuke approaches and Inara says.

"Hello Kosuke... I'm sorry about your sister, I took her as fast as I could but it still wasn't enough..." Inara says sadly.

Kosuke says.

"It's okay... I know you did what you could, I want to get stronger so that I can make no more mistakes and also to have no more regrets"

"He seems determined with this decision, let's see how far he goes" Inara thinks.

"Your first training session will be on chakra control, Hanzõ told me that you seem to be able to perform some suiton style jutsus, do you have any knowledge of chakra control? that's unusual for a student who has been in shinobi training for four days."

Kosuke shows a desperate expression, the power that was unleashed the moment he was threatened by the general was nothing more or less than an uncontrolled emotional thing for Kosuke, confused about what to answer, Kosuke says.

"Sensei... I'll be honest with you... when I feel threatened or in a risky situation, my emotions take over along with a separate consciousness in a way, it's as if I know how to fight, how to perform jutsus and control my chakra only at the moment when I need help, right after this lapse passes, I return to my normal consciousness and lose this mode..."

Inara Sensei stares at Kosuke for a moment after his speech.

"A mode where he loses consciousness and acquires new abilities... that's something I've never seen in my whole life as a shinobi..." Inara thought.

"Can you feel the blows and make decisions in this mode?" Inara asked.

"I feel like I'm an improved version of myself right now, I just can't tell you that I'm making these decisions for myself" Kosuke explained.

"Kosuke, we're going to learn to control this energy of yours, it can be very useful when you need to survive" Inara says.

Kosuke is inspired and proud of his potential, but his smile is short-lived.

*Tush

Inara hits Kosuke in the face with a vicious kick, sending him rolling a few meters away.

As soon as Kosuke stops rolling, he yells.

"What the hell is this Inara?" Kosuke says, holding his face red from the marks of Inara's sole.

"First, boy, I need to see what you are capable of, to see if you are worthy to be my apprentice" Inara says indifferently.

"Another damn test? Please, I can't take it anymore..." Kosuke exclaims out of breath.

"If I'm going to teach you how to control this energy... first, I have to see what it is..." Inara thought and watched.

With a summoning jutsu, Inara summons several ninja weapons from the ground.

*Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff Puff

"You can use everything you see, all this ninja equipment is legitimate, if you can attack me once, you can be my student" Inara says.

Kosuke looks at the weapons with a still slightly red face and exclaims.

"An umbrella, man? What are you talking about? I'm going to die fighting the rain?" Kosuke complains.

"All of a sudden, Inara throws a kunai with a paper bomb in front of Kosuke, who sighs in fear and jumps backwards.

"Ah!! " Kosuke exclaims.

*Boom ! !

As Kosuke jumps back, Inara says right behind Kosuke.

"Too slow" Inara says and throws a punch at Kosuke's lower back.

*Thump

"Ah" Kosuke cries out in pain.

Kosuke, though hurt, quickly turns and delivers a blow with his kusanagi.

*Tchlank

Inara holds Kosuke's sword, a kind of chakra cloak around his hand.

"Your cut is weak and misaligned" Inara says.

Kosuke loses his momentum and finds himself vulnerable in front of Inara.

"Not even the sharpest sword in the world would be able to cut me with this execution" Inara says, breaking the sword with his hand in front of Kosuke.

*Tchlink the sword breaks

Inara concentrates a chakra cape on his right foot and kicks Kosuke in the ribs, knocking him into a tree.

"Ah" Kosuke exclaims out of breath.

*Thud

Kosuke hits the tree.

Inara watches Kosuke from a distance for a short moment, seemingly unconscious.

... ...

"Have you given up on being a ninja?" Inara says.

... ...

Kosuke gently raises his head and reveals his awakened state from the corner of his eye.

"It finally looks like it's going to be fun" Inara says.

Kosuke Awakened

//

Author note

10 chapters ahead at p@treon.com/persima