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[NTU] [ARC-03-GENIN] Chapter : 51
🕑 Added 2024-05-30 16:23:53 +0000 UTCHe reached into his pocket, pulled out a tissue, and wiped the bloodstains from his face after killing the bandit leader.
"Asuka! Clean the blood off your face!" he called, handing another tissue to Asuka, whose face was also splattered with blood. He pointed to her cheek, indicating a spot she had missed.
With the bandits eliminated, they could finally relax a bit and attend to other matters.
"Kirishima! Check on the women," Toshiro instructed Kirishima, feeling slightly weak but unembarrassed about giving orders.
Meanwhile, Toshiro's eyes scanned the settlement, searching for something. His gaze settled on three spots: the shadow of the wooden house at the center, a nearby rock, and a large tree a bit further away. After focusing, he identified a presence in the canopy of the tree, about twenty meters away.
"Satoshi-sensei! I see you. No need to hide in the shadows," Toshiro said, his tone laced with frustration. His sensei’s stealth tactics were irritating him.
Asuka, wiping her face repeatedly with the tissue, snapped to attention at this revelation.
"Is Satoshi-sensei here? Where?" she asked, her eyes following Toshiro's pointing finger. She had suffered a lot during the mission and had numerous grievances that needed airing.
'He actually found my hiding place! How? Could this kid have a stronger talent for sensing chakra than I had imagined?' Through the leaves of the tree, Satoshi watched his two disciples look directly at his hiding spot. 'Impressive!'
He couldn't help but marvel at Toshiro’s talent in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and medical skills. 'If he could train them further, he would be a perfect ninja with no weaknesses!'
Toshiro's ability to detect Satoshi wasn't entirely coincidental. Since the age of four, he has trained himself to be attuned to nature, hoping to one day master senjutsu. His diligent efforts over the years had enhanced his chakra control, mental focus, and senses, though he still couldn't sense natural energy directly. His enhanced perception had detected the slight oddity in the tree where Satoshi was hiding.
As Satoshi stepped out of his hiding place, he observed his disheveled disciples. Both Toshiro and Asuka were covered in blood and debris from the explosion, their appearance reflecting the brutal happenings of their mission. Despite some cleaning, dried blood still stained their clothes and bodies.
'They finally look like real ninjas!' Satoshi thought, noting the change in their eyes, which showed a transformation from the kind and naive children of Konoha to warriors bearing the scars of battle.
Approaching Toshiro and Asuka, Satoshi ignored Asuka’s mix of complaints, anger, and hidden sorrow. With a gentle smile, he addressed Asuka, his niece, first: "Were you scared? It's okay. We'll get through this."
He reached out and patted her head reassuringly. At his touch, all of Asuka’s suppressed emotions burst forth. She clung to Satoshi, burying her head in his chest, tears streaming down her face. Despite being a ninja, she was still a little girl, barely eight years old, seeking comfort from her mentor and uncle.
Toshiro, sensing the emotional moment, didn't linger to make light of the situation. Instead, he nodded to Satoshi and began searching through the debris for his lost Tanto. The recent chaos has made finding it a daunting task. Even though he had lived through two lifetimes, the gory scene of body parts left him feeling overwhelmed and nauseated.
Kirishima, sent to check on the rescued women, also felt relieved at Satoshi’s presence. The sensei's arrival provided a much-needed sense of strength and assuredness.
By the time Toshiro managed to retrieve his weapon from the rubble, he saw Satoshi standing with Asuka and Kirishima, their sense of camaraderie restored.
**That Night**
In the dark night sky, a meteor streaked across, leaving a phosphorescent blue tail. On this starry spring night, Toshiro gazed up at the sky, feeling a rare moment of peace amidst the weariness in his mind. The surrounding grass and soil, full of nature's essence, provided a temporary solace for his troubled mind.
As he stared at the bright galaxy, his thoughts drifted back to that morning when he decapitated the bandit leader to save Asuka. The severed head flew off with the force of his strike, and the headless body stood briefly before collapsing. Bright red blood spurted from the neck, soaking his head and face, and the metallic smell filled his nostrils. This gruesome scene replayed in his mind like a slow-motion nightmare, haunting him continuously.
Sitting by the extinguished bonfire, silently wrestling with the pangs of conscience. Unlike Asuka and Kirishima, who had grown up in this harsh ninja world, Toshiro, who had crossed over from a more peaceful world, found it harder to accept his role as a killer. Since nightfall, he has been plagued by the same visual of killing the bandit, unable to sleep despite his exhaustion. Asuka and Kirishima had eventually fallen asleep after some tossing and turning, but he could not find peace. Reluctantly, he took over the night watch, trying to distract himself from the horrific images that surfaced whenever he closed his eyes.
In his previous life, he had lived in a relatively peaceful world. The concept of being a murderer was alien to him, something far removed from his everyday reality. He only saw fish being killed at the market, that hadn't prepared him for this. Although he knew such a day would come in this new world, the reality was far more overwhelming than he had anticipated.
During the day, he could distract himself by talking to his friends to keep his mind occupied, but at night, there was no escape. He could only bear the burden of his actions alone under the dark sky, the stars, and the crescent moon above. His thoughts drifted to his previous life, to the people he had loved and the friends he had left behind. He was thankful he had no immediate family depending on him, but the friends who had supported him during his hardest times weighed heavily on his mind. 'I'm sorry! I really can't go back!' he thought, hoping they would find peace without him.
Since realizing he had crossed over into this world, Toshiro has tried to avoid thinking about his past life. Every memory brought a pang of guilt, and he had been trying to forget. Yet tonight, memories flooded back uncontrollably. He remembered the carefree days of his childhood, the struggles after losing his parents, and the hard work to carve out a life for himself. Each memory felt vivid, as if it had just happened, making his mood increasingly somber and triggering unexpected changes in his body.
"Toshiro! Your eyes!" Satoshi, suddenly awake in his sleeping bag, exclaimed, staring in disbelief. A scarlet light flickered in Toshiro's eyes.
"Eyes?" Toshiro hadn't noticed at first. After Satoshi's remark, he realized his vision had changed. Even in the dim light of the night, he could see the details of his palm clearly. He had awakened the Sharingan, the bloodline limit coveted by many ninjas, which had made the Uchiha clan legendary.
On this night, he had awakened his Sharingan, but instead of joy, he felt an overwhelming sense of loss. This starkly contrasted with Satoshi's excitement. 'Is this the Sharingan? Eyes that require blood and tears to awaken!' Toshiro thought, watching Satoshi approach. He was unsure right now about how to feel about his newly awakened power.
"That's right! It is indeed the awakening of the Sharingan! And you've opened it to the two-tomoe level! What incredible talent!" Satoshi exclaimed, noting the two symmetrical tomoes in each of Toshiro's eyes.
"This is truly unexpected!" Satoshi thought, seeing his subordinate successfully awaken the Sharingan. He was genuinely excited. Typically, the Uchiha's Sharingan awakens through painful experiences, such as the death of a loved one or a respected comrade. This often brings a mix of joy and sorrow to the awakening, making it a complex milestone.
For most Uchiha, this awakening can cause tension within their teams. Surviving teammates may look at the newly awakened Sharingan with a mix of envy and unease, which doesn't escape the perceptive eyes of the Sharingan user. This can lead to conflicts and even self-doubt, causing some to resent their own bloodline.
However, Toshiro's awakening was different. Satoshi assumed it was the morning's event—when Toshiro killed the bandit to protect Asuka—that triggered it. He saw Toshiro as a kind child, not realizing that the awakening was due to multiple factors. Toshiro's background as a transmigrator, his extensive meditation practice, and the emotional turmoil from that morning all contributed to his awakening. Additionally, frequent use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu played a role in enhancing his spiritual energy, similar to how Naruto rapidly advanced after learning the technique.
Under these combined influences, Toshiro awakened his Sharingan. "Toshiro, feel the changes in your eyes carefully. Next, I'll teach you how to control the opening and closing of the Sharingan," Satoshi instructed.
Teaching him to control the Sharingan was crucial. Without guidance, Toshiro might struggle like Sasuke Uchiha did, who only managed to reopen his Sharingan days after its initial awakening.
"How does it feel? Do you notice anything unusual?" Satoshi asked.
"Hmm, I can feel it slowly consuming my chakra," Toshiro replied, "and my chakra feels more abundant and pliable, as if it's increased in quantity and strength."
"These are normal changes after the Sharingan awakens," Satoshi explained. "Now, try to cut off the chakra supply to your eyes and close the Sharingan."
"Okay, sensei!" Toshiro successfully managed to control the initial activation and deactivation of his Sharingan, though mastering its full potential would take time. The Uchiha clan had developed a comprehensive system to maximize the Sharingan's abilities, including physical training methods to enhance speed, reaction, and flexibility to match the predictive abilities of the Sharingan.
"Sensei, even after I close the Sharingan, it still absorbs a small amount of chakra," Toshiro noted.
"Your senses are sharp," Satoshi praised. "This is normal. After awakening, the Sharingan will continue to absorb chakra as a form of self-maintenance. At first, it may feel uncomfortable, but your body will gradually adapt to this change. This is one of the burdens of the Sharingan."
"I understand," Toshiro said, realizing that the Sharingan's burden might involve more than just chakra absorption. It seemed to draw small amounts of his physical energy as well, a subtle change he could only sense due to his extensive meditation practice. He thought of Kakashi Hatake, who struggled with the Sharingan without Uchiha blood, and appreciated the difficulty he would have faced to master it.
Satoshi's guidance and Tohiro's innate talent would ensure he harnessed the Sharingan's full potential, despite the burdens it brought.
