ebookland Chapter 23: Kensei's Motives and End of Training.
Chapter 23: Kensei's Motives and End of Training.
Chapter 23: Kensei's Motives and End of Training.
Daichi felt the cool water cascading down his body. It helped him relax after the intense sparring session he had with his grandfather. He was looking over and closing the piled up notifications that appeared during and after the fight.
Several skills and stat points have increased due to the intensity and length of the fight. The notification of the quest completion for surviving the spar was also dismissed after being looked over.
Daichi got out of the shower, put on some new clothes and meditated. He felt the aches and pains throughout his body disappear. His stamina, chakra and health points slowly regenerated.
When the time came he met his grandfather downstairs and both of them headed out. It was past 6 in the evening. Both of them slowly walked through the village.
Daichi noted the somber and almost quiet atmosphere when he walked through the village. It took him only a few seconds to realize the truth of the matter. It was October 9th today. Tomorrow was the 5th anniversary of the nine tails attack.
It didn't take long for Kensei and Daichi to reach the BBQ restaurant. A large restaurant with wide windows and multiple green seated booths. The menu was plastered on the wall. Each table had a charcoal brazier built in the center and was equipped with tongs for cooking. A restaurant with a Gy-Kaku style form of dining in which the customers cook their own food after ordering it.
Daichi and Kensei found an empty booth in the corner and sat down. They gave their order and waited for the food.
After a few seconds of silence Kensei spoke. "You've gotten a lot stronger during these last few months. In your current strength I'd say you'll be able to handle a 2nd or 3rd year student of the academy."
Daichi wasn't surprised at the evaluation. He visited the academy a couple of times during the last few months. And he observed any kid he could find. Their levels showed that he was stronger than most of the first, second and some third year students. Daichi simply nodded.
"I know you're still holding back quite a lot. You didn't use chakra to strengthen your body did you?" Daichi asked.
Kensei shook his head. "No. If I had used that now, our spar wouldn't mean anything to you since you won't even be able to touch me. Although I'm surprised you knew about such a technique."
"I read about it in the chakra theory book you gave me. It's a skill that can only be learned after someone has had extensive chakra control training. Like mastering the water walking." Daichi replied.
Kensei nodded. "Yes. That's true. But you're nowhere near ready for that."
"I know gramps. I'll take it slow. One step at a time." Daichi wanted to completely master the leaf concentration exercise before moving on to the next one.
"Daichi. I want you to take the next few days off. No training for another three or four days."
Daichi usually only took a single day to rest in a week. He already planned on taking a rest tomorrow but he didn't understand why the old man extended the recuperating period to more than one day.
"I was already planning on taking a break tomorrow but why more?"
"All you've been doing is training. Even though you cook and paint sometimes during your break it's still not enough. I know I've said this before but now is the time for you to enjoy being a kid. Go out, play, make some friends or simply enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the village. Whatever you wanna do except training. It will do you some good."
"But I like training." Daichi said in a somewhat whiny tone.
Hearing the childish whiny tone of his voice brought a smile to Kensei's face. "Now you're acting like a brat your age."
At that moment their order came.
Kensei ordered the premium buffet. He knew Daichi had a pretty big appetite. Especially after a fight. He watched the appetizers being placed on the table.
Daichi looked at the various dishes and couldn't help gulp his saliva. He was extremely hungry and the tantalizing smells of the food was only making it more difficult for him to hold back. He used 'observe' as the waiter placed the various dishes on the table.
[Minced beef Katsu]
[A panko coated deep fried ground beef cutlet with layered cheese filling. It is served with tonkatsu sauce, shredded cabbage and a small portion of rice. A delicious dish made by chef Joren.]
[Chicken Karaage]
[A bite sized chicken thigh coated with flour and a special blend of spices and deep fried in hot oil. When done the chicken is coated in a crispy shell with the tender and juicy meat preserved inside. An exceptionally flavorful, crispy and juicy fried chicken. 4 bite sized pieces served in a decorative bowl.]
[Beef Okonomiyaki]
[A popular pan fried dish that consists of batter and cabbage. Beef is the main ingredient with several vegetable toppings added. This is a dish that is grilled on an iron griddle and prepared by chef Hanshi.]
When they neared their house Daichi asked Kensei what was on his mind.
"Hey gramps. Are you still angry with your son?"
Kensei was slightly startled by the question but then composed himself and answered.
"After his death all I felt was regret for not communicating with him. But when Fumiyo died I wanted to blame someone. And he became a convenient scapegoat. It was his death that caused her to die after all. But after some time I came to the realization that I was mostly just angry So to answer your question, No. I'm not angry at my son."
"Then who are you angry at?" Daichi asked this question because he wanted to know if the old man's anger was misplaced onto Naruto like most of the villagers.
Kensei answered his question with a question of his own.
"Daichi. Do you know why I'm training you like this even though you're only just 5 years old?"
"To get me strong and make sure I'm at the top of my class?" Daichi replied in a somewhat unsure voice.
"I graduated from the academy just a year after the third graduated. I've participated in three wars. I've traveled all over the world. Met all sorts of people. And I learned one important fact."
Daichi's eyes slightly narrowed as he listened to Kensei. That's when he heard something that surprised him.
"The leaf village isn't the center of the world." Kensei said with a strong voice.
"I was like most people at the beginning. I believed in the will of fire and philosophy of unity of the village. But over the years I've seen the dark twisted side of the village."
"I saw teammates killing teammates to keep the secrets from spreading on the orders of the higher ups. There was even a time when I was attacked by ninjas of this village because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. You can say that I've opened my eyes to the truth of the world. There is no right or wrong. Only those with strength can make their own path."
"My philosophy regarding this place changed. But my son was someone who believed in this place. He would have given his life for this village without hesitation. And that was what created our rift. I wanted him to put his life above all else. Even the village. He disagreed. Our ideals clashed and we drifted apart."
Kensei sighed and looked at Daichi. He continued.
"My father was a traveling merchant. When I was a child it was my dream to travel the world. But fate had other plans. I became a ninja and dedicated the prime of my life to this place."
"The reason why I'm training you and pushing you is because you are someone like me. I understood that from the first day we met. You want to become strong so that you can leave this village without fear of death, don't you?"
Daichi was stunned when he was asked the question. For a split second he thought about lying but then decided against it.
"Yeah. I want to travel the world. But if I leave the village without becoming a ninja I'll probably be killed by someone on my journey because I was too weak to defend myself and if I become a ninja I'll be declared a missing nin the moment I leave and be marked for life. The only way to avoid all that is to become stronger than everyone else."
"Precisely. That's why I'm training you. I want you to have the chance I never had. Daichi. Whatever path you choose whether it's to stay in the village or leave, I want you to be strong enough so that it's your choice. And to answer your earlier question, no one. I'm angry at no one. Not anymore anyway."
"You know, for a moment I thought you hated the village because of what happened to your family." Daichi said to him.
Kensei had a small sad smile when he heard this. "Hate is a strong word. I do hate some people within the village. I hate some policies put in place but...I don't hate the leaf village itself. Despite everything that's happened this place is still my home. And I would protect it if the need arises."
Daichi nodded when he heard this. After a few seconds of silence Kensei spoke. "Daichi! Promise me something."
"What is it?"
"I know I told you that you can choose whatever path you want but promise me that when the time comes it won't be one that will harm the village." Kensei had the face of another genius in mind as he asked this of Daichi. A powerful ninja he once worked with and now a traitor to the village.
"I won't do anything to hurt the village or its people. You have my word." Daichi said with as much seriousness as he could. He wanted to make sure Kensei knew he wasn't a threat to this place.
Kensei was carefully looking over the boy's chakra and he was satisfied with the answer. Both of them talked for a while and soon they were nearing their home.
Daichi felt like he understood Kensei much better now. He simply nodded to his grandfather's words. They soon reached home.
Daichi did as his grandfather told him. He took a few days off from his training to enjoy himself. He created some beautiful artwork and made some dishes to cheer up the somewhat depressed old man.
After a few days of rest and recuperation he resumed his training. The remaining 6 months passed by in a blur. Before long it was the last night of march. Tomorrow he would start the academy.