We'll Get Home, I Promise
(You know, this story deserves a theme song. Just listen to Wonder by ONE OK ROCK and let the imagination flow.)
Chapter 11: Up the Ante - Part 1
It had been two days since Team 7's mission to meet with Shinki's team. Two days since their close encounter with three of the Nana Deshi (Seven Disciples) of Jashin. Two since they all almost died.
These were the thoughts that occupied Sarada's mind. The young Uchiha girl was making her way towards Konoha Hospital. Despite managing to actually destroy the arm of, what Shina and Arata actually told her when she visited them the day after their mission, the strongest of the Nana Deshi, Sarada still felt weak.
She did start training in her Sharingan which now had two tomoes thanks to the recent mission. However, recalling how she earned it made her frown. Recalling how Shinachiku and Arata rushed over to protect her and were pierced all over. The memory was so fresh.
Sarada shook her head.
'Calm down. They're alive and recuperating. They're way tougher than that.' Sarada said with a serious expression. 'Tougher than me.' Sarada thought with a saddened expression again. 'So tough… so far ahead…'
"What's got you down?" Boruto asked as he suddenly appeared beside Sarada, causing her to jump.
"D-Don't sneak up on me like that!" Sarada shouted at Boruto.
"Seriously? I sneaked up on you? Man, now I know something's up." Boruto said with a teasing grin. He then noticed Sarada looking to the floor with a somber expression. "You… okay?" Boruto asked with concern.
"Do I look it?" Sarada questioned with a dull expression.
"You're beating yourself up too, huh?" Boruto guessed with his own frown.
"Yeah." Sarada said as she looked back to the ground with a saddened frown as she and Boruto started walking again. "I knew Shinachiku and Arata have faced some really overwhelming forces before, but I never expected those forces to be so…"
"Monstrous? Yeah, I noticed." Boruto said with an annoyed frown. "Those guys… they were just playing around with us. Especially that boar of a lady." Boruto said with his brow furrowed.
"We were nothing to her. She saw none of us as opponents. She saw us as pests. Bugs to squash." Sarada said with a frown and a glare. "We were worthless in her eyes… that just pisses me off so much."
"Yeah, well at least you actually did something. You shredded her arm to pieces while I stayed in the background." Boruto said with a disappointed pout.
"You were the reason our mission was a success, remember? If you didn't use the Hiraishin Switcheroo (Flying Thunder God Switcheroo) on the scroll, then they would have gotten it for themselves." Sarada reminded the blonde.
"Still though… I wish I could have given her a good hit for all the crap she put us through." Boruto said.
"Well, can't say that I blame you. It really was satisfying to know I did some damage to her. Even if she just regrew her arm a moment later." Sarada responded.
"Sure, rub it in my face a little more why don't you?" Boruto complained with his head raised high, causing Sarada to giggle. The two continued their way to the hospital in silence for a little bit. "They were holding back." Boruto brought up.
"You're not talking about those cultists right now, are you?" Sarada asked, rhetorically mind you.
"I should be used to this by now, but just knowing that the gap is even wider than we thought… maybe even wider than we could comprehend… it's so damn annoying. I want to be able to match them, dattebasa! I want to stand by their side as an equal instead of seeing them from behind!" Boruto complained.
"You too, huh?" Sarada said, catching Boruto's attention.
"… You gonna be okay?" Boruto asked, concerned for his teammate.
"Yeah… we just need to train harder is all." Sarada said with a determined expression.
"Yeah. We'll make it there." Boruto said with a determined expression of his own.
The two nodded to one another as they continued on their way.
They soon made it to the hospital to visit their hospitalized comrades.
"Hey guys." Naruto greeted the pair as he walked form the other end.
"Tou-chan? / Nanadaime-sama?!" Boruto and Sarada spoke in surprise to see the golden blonde Hokage there as well.
"What are you doing here?" Boruto asked.
"I came to see Shinachiku and Arata. Sakura-chan sent a message to me that they were being released today." Naruto answered.
"Seriously?!" Boruto questioned with shock.
"How did they heal so fast?!" Sarada questioned with surprise and concern.
"Well, seeing that Shinachiku has a portion of… a special source of chakra, along with his body's biology from having DNA of both the Uzumaki clan and… another source, he was able to heal much faster than even me at his age. Although, he kept on trying to heal Arata as well to speed up his recovery too, dattebayo." Naruto explained.
"Even when he's hospitalized, he can't help, but focus on the health of others more than his own. That guy." Sarada said with smile.
"He is stubborn to a fault." A voice spoke, causing the three to turn to see Arata walking towards them, dressed in a copy of his previous attire, which was now in tatters. "He gets that from both his parents. Especially his father." Arata added making Naruto chuckle with embarrassment and rubbing the back of his head.
"Yo, Arata. I see you healed up quickly." Boruto greeted his half-brother.
Arata unzipped his jacket and pulled it open to reveal several Iyashi-satsu (Healing Tags) attached onto himself.
"Once Shina was good enough, he had clones bring these over from the compound. He put several on us, but every time he had healed up enough chakra, he used medical ninjutsu on me. Guy's so stubborn when it comes to healing people first that he would give his own chakra to another even if he was laying dying." Arata said as he zipped his jacket back up. "Sorry for the morbid statement, but it's unfortunately accurate. That's just how my friend is."
"You can say that again." Another voice spoke, causing the rest to turn to see Sakura and Tsunade walking out of the hospital with Sakura having a frown on her face. "That boy… truly is something else." Sakura said with a sigh.
"Mama, Tsunade-sama, hi." Sarada greeted her mother and the Godaime with a bow, mainly to the latter. "Where's Shinachiku?" She asked with curiosity and also concern.
"He's off healing the others with the help of his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." Tsunade answered.
"Didn't he just get checked out?" Sarada questioned with a frown.
"Yes, and the first thing that boy is doing is using up his chakra to heal the rest before leaving. He just got the A-OK and now he's already putting stress on his body by splitting up his chakra and giving it up for the others." Sakura said, still frowning as she pressed her fingers against her forehead as she then sighed, again. "I'm proud of the kind soul that he is and always willing to heal others like any medic would do, but the way he jumps at it with disregard to his own health, no hesitation I might add, as if it didn't matter does not ease my mind in the slightest."
"I'll say." Tsunade said with her arms crossed. "To be honest, from what I've seen so far, that child is more stubborn than you and Naruto put together, and I didn't even believe that was possible."
"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura exclaimed her master's name, feeling embarrassed by the claim.
"She's not wrong. Especially considering what's usually the first thing Shina does after he walks out of the hospital." Arata said, catching everyone's attention.
"What do you… Oh no, He Better Not!" Sakura shouted right before someone came out of the hospital entrance.
"Alright! Time To Train! Cha!" Shinachiku proclaimed with pure determination radiating off of him as he performed a pair of fist pumps.
"No way you are… that can't be what I think it is." Sakura said with a look of shock and discomfort as she and the rest, minus Arata, stared with wide eyes as Shinachiku's outfit, though consisting of a copy of his previous jacket and beanie atop his head, was now that of a green jumpsuit.
"Isn't that what Metal usually wears?" Boruto questioned with wide anime eyes.
"Lee-sensei is a big influence on Shina. Right after his parents, sensei is the one he looks up to the most." Arata explained.
"Oh." Naruto started.
"No." Sakura finished.
Both the Hokage and Head Medic had worried and uncomfortable expressions on their faces as their eyes were wide, anime-style.
'Well, this must be one hell of a sight for them. Even if they aren't technically his parents, the parental fears are real right there.' Tsunade noted as she looked to the expressions her predecessors had on their faces.
"Intense training today, huh?" Arata questioned, rhetorically.
"You know it! I never put this on unless I'm ready to push pass my limits with two-hundred and ten percent worth of vigor and youth!" Shinachiku said as he flexed his left bicep and grasped it with his other hand.
'He Even Says Bushy-Brow's and Bushier-Brow Sensei's Phrase! Kami Why?!' Naruto mentally cried out as he grasped the sides of his head in fear and horror.
'What did I ever do to deserve this?! Was it all the times I was mean to Naruto?! Ending My Friendship With Ino When We Were Kids Over Sasuke?! Whatever It Is, I'm Sorry Oh Mighty Kami-sama! Please Forgive Me!' Sakura mentally cried as she was literally crying as well with anime tears.
Shinachiku blinked his eyes as he noticed his parents' counterparts' sudden behavior.
"You're freaking out again." Shinachiku said with a frown.
"Again?" Sakura questioned as she and Naruto looked surprised.
"My parents always get concerned and worried whenever I wear this, especially with pride, so I usually hide it under my clothes until I get out of the house. I was hoping it wouldn't have to be the case here, dattebaro." Shinachiku said with a disappointed frown and his eyes closed as he scratched the side of his head.
"Well, I mean… it's not like we're freaking out or anything." Naruto started with a nervous smile and his hands up in defense.
"It's just… we're shocked. Though… not in a worried way or anything." Sakura said with a nervous grin as she also had her hands up in defense as well.
'Liars.' Shinachiku thought with a pout and looked to them with half-lidded eyes.
"Yeah, um… so… this really is working for you, huh?" Naruto asked, trying to show… support? At least, he's trying to stay on Shinachiku's good side, that's for sure.
"Well… yeah. It makes me feel powerful." Shinachiku said with his hands on his hips as he held his head up high with pride. "Also, it looks really cool, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku added with a smile as he lightly pulled on the front of his jumpsuit.
"… Okay, now I am concerned." Naruto said with a dull expression.
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded her teammate, but after he looked to her with an unchanged demeanor, she sighed with her shoulders slumped. "Oh, who am I kidding? So am I."
"Mama!" Sarada exclaimed, surprised by her mother's behavior.
"I'm sorry, that's just how I feel." Sakura said nonchalantly with a shrug.
Shinachiku just stared at his parents' counterparts with a dull expression and a bit slumped over.
"Okay, I'm just gonna head out now, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said as he then leaped away.
"Hey, hold on! You just got out! Don't push yourself too far!" Sakura called out to the young Uzumaki, who continued to head off. Sakura then groaned as she grabbed the sides of her head. "Why? Why did Lee have to be such an influence on him like this?" Sakura complained with a frown.
'She's still on that?' Sarada and Boruto thought with frowns on their faces.
"Just let it be. It'll make things easier." Arata said.
"Letting him parade around and getting used to training in that get-up is something we should let happen? I'm sorry. I know Sakura-chan and I don't sound fair, but how does letting him emulate Lee so much make things better?" Naruto questioned, still frowning over what he just witnessed.
"Especially since he just got discharge from the hospital." Sakura added with a frown and her arms crossed.
"I said it'd be easier. Not better." Arata clarified.
"Fair enough." Naruto said as he rubbed his chin in thought. Naruto blinked his eyes as he suddenly remembered something. "Ah! I forgot! I wanted to talk to Shinachiku about something!"
"Well, you're gonna have to wait a while. After the conversation that took place, he might not want to see you and Uchiha-san for a while now." Arata said, making Naruto and Sakura moan with disappointment, mainly in themselves.
"That kid really is like his mother." Naruto muttered to himself.
"Excuse me?" Sakura questioned as she narrowed her eyes at Naruto, making him flinch.
"I'm just speaking from experience! Remember how many times I ticked you off and had to wait until the next day for you to calm down? Just saying, is all." Naruto said with a nervous smile and his hands up in defense again.
"Luckily, Shina just needs a few hours." Arata said.
"Yeah, a few hours of no doubt pushing himself very recklessly like his father." Sakura said with a frown and her arms crossed.
"Hey~." Naruto whined with a frown.
"Just saying, is all." Sakura said with a shrug, causing Naruto to groan with a pout. "You're not going to push yourself today, are you, Arata-kun?" Sakura asked the bandana wearing shinobi.
"I'm just going to relax. Perhaps take a walk. I'd rather train when I know my body is good and ready." Arata responded. "Besides, I need to head home and feed Kenzou and the chickens."
"Oh, I handled that yesterday for you." Sarada said.
"Arigato, Sarada." Arata thanked his half-sister before turning to Sakura and Tsunade. "Thank you for assisting in our recovery." Arata thanked the two medical shinobi.
"Thank you for listening to our instructions." Tsunade said with a soft smile.
"I wish Shina did." Sakura said.
"I don't think you mean that." Arata said to Sakura, surprising the pink haired woman. "I know you wanted Shina to recover properly, but I can tell you're proud of what he was doing. A medic should always heal others if they have the strength. Personally, despite how annoying his disregard for his own health can be… I wouldn't have Shina any other way, and I'm sure you feel the same." Arata said before turning and walking away.
Sakura blinked her eyes, before looking down with a soft smile.
'Hate to admit it… but you're right, Arata-kun.' Sakura thought with a proud smile. Though he may be more stubborn than her and Naruto, he's got their golden heart all the same, and puts all that effort into being a medic. How could she ever not be proud of Shina as he is now?
"Hey, um, mind if I come walk with you?" Sarada asked Arata. "At least for a bit."
"Sure." Arata answered before he then turned to Boruto. "Boruto, you mind doing me a favor and keep an eye on Shinachiku?" Arata asked his half-brother.
"Uh, sure, but is that a good idea? Shina looks like he wants to be alone after… well, that." Boruto responded.
"Whenever he puts on that jumpsuit, he goes on an intense training spree that'll leave him on the floor for hours on end. Despite the amount of trust I have in him, when it gets to this level, even Lee-sensei and Gai-sensei would say he's doing too much, and that's a lot coming from them of all people." Arata said, shocking the Naruto and Sakura at hearing this.
"Boruto, go." Naruto ordered his son.
"Huh?" Boruto looked to his father in surprise.
"No questions, just go and make sure Shina doesn't kill himself." Naruto ordered with a stern expression.
"T-Tou-chan…" Boruto was surprised to see how serious his father was right now.
"Just make sure he doesn't go too far. Luckily, Mamoru makes sure he doesn't destroy his body, but there's only so much a tailed beast can do within their host's body." Arata said.
"Uh, yeah, okay." Boruto said, rubbing the back of his head, still surprised and confused from all this seriousness.
"Boruto." Sakura spoke up in a stern tone, earning the young blonde's attention.
"Yeah, obasan?" Boruto responded, looking to his aunt with a bit nervousness from her tone and posture.
"In case it demands it… I'm giving you permission to knock Shinachiku's lights out to keep him from killing himself." Sakura said with a serious expression as she had her hands on her hips.
"Wait, seriously?!" Boruto questioned with utter shock. 'Man, this is no joke then. I better hurry off.'
"Boruto." Arata spoke up, earning the blonde's attention as he activated his Sharingan, catching the whiskered Uzumaki into a small genjutsu that he immediately deactivated, causing Boruto to blink.
"Oh, thanks, Arata." Boruto said before hopping away.
"What exactly did you do?" Tsunade asked.
"I used my Sharingan to show Boruto the places Shina trains at, so he doesn't have to waste time running around the village looking for him." Arata answered.
"We can deliver those kinds of messages with our Sharingan?" Sarada asked with shock.
"You can have an entire conversation with someone within their mind using a genjutsu. You can spend what feels like five minutes or even ten within someone's mindscape, but in reality, it all takes places in a second. You still have to master both the power and control of your eyes first to pull it off efficiently. As you are, you can achieve this, but only to deliver a direct message or signal. Once you have more control over your recently evolved Sharingan, then you'll be able to extend it for much longer." Arata explained. "Speaking of which, how was training with your father?" Arata asked as they started heading out.
"Good! He tested my Sharingan out and it improved… though the exercise we did was pretty painful." Sarada answered with a tired smile as she remembered the workout she had yesterday.
"The barrage challenge, right? That's pretty tricky. At first at least. Instead of trying to focus on all of them, take into account the ones that will most likely get in your way as you dodge and try to calculate how efficiently you can dodge which ones. A trick to that would be to identify and get in front of the projectiles you can dodge that won't have any more too close to them to meet you too soon after you've succeeding in avoiding being hit. If you just rush forward and only try to dodge the ones solely in front of you, then you're bound to be struck since the distance between each projectile constantly varies." Arata explained.
"Huh. So instead of just dodging what you see, be in the way of what you know you can avoid." Sarada simplified.
"That is the summarized version." Arata said as the adults watched the two head off.
'Look at that. It hasn't even been a full month and they're as close as any other siblings.' Sakura thought with a warm smile.
"Got to say, I'm pleasantly surprised." Tsunade said.
"That they're this close?" Sakura asked.
"No. That he's so polite. I figured he'd take more after his father." Tsunade answered with a smirk.
"Is that because he looks just like Sa… him?" Sakura asked.
"No. Naruto looks like his father, but we've seen how he acts." Tsunade responded.
"Still here." Naruto said with a frown.
"It's just, well… I don't want to sound mean to anyone, but considering who his mother is, I thought his father would have a bigger influence on his life than she did." Tsunade said with a shrug.
"Oi. Hinata isn't passive or anything, dattebayo. At least, not like before." Naruto said with a frown.
"Well, yeah, but you're easier to deal with." Tsunade retorted.
'And like that she just insulted both of our spouses.' Sakura thought with a dull frown, half-lidded eyes and her arms crossed. 'Sadly, she's not really wrong.' Sakura mentally admitted as she thought about her husband's usual behavior.
"Between how they both act, I didn't expect such a well-mannered and kind young man. The best I could think is that in their world, his mother got tougher while his father got softer. At least, compared to the ones we know." Tsunade said.
"Hinata's tough." Naruto muttered with a pout.
"I know she is. However, there's a real difference between not just who she ended up with, but who she pledged her loyalty to. Not just to a spouse, but to the name behind it." Tsunade explained, causing Naruto and Sakura's eyes to widen as they started to understand where Tsunade was coming from. "I still don't know how things go in this other world but seeing how this Arata boy is… speaks a lot." Tsunade said with a smile.
"Yeah. I guess it does." Naruto said with a smile. "But hey, what do you expect? I mean, look how well Hinata raised Bo…" Naruto stopped himself, quickly noticing what he was saying before noticing the dull looks on Tsunade and Sakura. "Himawari! She's one sweet little flower! So it doesn't surprise me how in another world she can raise seven great kids, dattebayo." Naruto quickly said with a grin and his arms crossed.
Tsunade's eyes widened to a great degree.
"Seven kids? The alternate versions of your significant others had seven kids?!" Tsunade questioned with shock. "How the hell are neither of you boiling mad at this?"
"Oh, I was pissed. Believe me." Sakura said with a miffed frown and her arms crossed again.
"Same… but also a little disappointed in myself. I mean, if I wasn't so busy all the time, who knows? Maybe Hinata I could have gone for three like the other Sakura and other me." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Three, huh? Not going to lie… I expected you two would have more." Tsunade admitted, causing both Sakura and Naruto's eyes to bulge as their faces turned neon red and steam came off of them. "The universes work in such mysterious ways." Tsunade said with a shrug as she walked back into the hospital.
Naruto and Sakura watched their shared predecessor walk back into the hospital before looking to one another, still in shock. They both blinked their eyes, before Sakura started to shake with frustration.
"What is with everyone expecting that kind of stuff from us?!" Sakura shouted out with annoyance.
"Well… I kind of get it." Naruto admitted as he looked to the side, rubbing the back of his head.
"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Sakura questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Well, it's not like it's a bad thing, is it?" Naruto questioned.
"… I suppose." Sakura said with her arms crossed again as she looked to the side. "I just wish people were… I don't know. More surprised?"
"Maybe… it's just that easy?" Naruto guessed with a shrug.
"… Yeah. I suppose it is." Sakura confessed. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to Shinachiku about?" Sakura asked.
"I was hoping he could use his fūinjutsu skills to help with something." Naruto answered.
"And what would that be?" Sakura asked with curiosity.
.
.
Arata and Sarada were walking into the village now, just minding their own business and talking to one another. One walking with his hands in his jacket pockets and the other walking with her hands behind her back.
"So, your father left last night?" Arata questioned.
"Yeah. He said he needed to talk to someone he spoke to while we were on our mission. Said it was very important." Sarada said with a small frown.
"If it wasn't he wouldn't have bothered leaving." Arata said.
"That's true. Papa isn't someone who would waste his time if there wasn't something important involved." Sarada said as she looked up and thought about her father.
"That is how he works." Arata commented.
"Hn." Sarada agreed with a nod.
"Says a lot about the time you spent together yesterday." Arata added, causing Sarada to smile.
"Yeah. I guess it does. Thanks." Sarada said, smiling to Arata.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response. "Did you train in anything else yesterday?"
"Not really. I tried attempting the Chidori (One Thousand Birds), but papa said I should master the new state of my Sharingan first before I'm ready to wield it." Sarada answered.
"He is right. I tried to see how it felt using it without the need them, and I couldn't perceive much outside of what was in front of me, such as a counter for those who manage to avoid it." Arata explained.
"You didn't use it in an actual battle, did you?" Sarada questioned.
"Of course not. Despite just using it on a boulder, I could tell how things would go if I used it on an actual target." Arata clarified. "And that was with an ordinary Chidori."
"Right. You have that variant of yours. If I remember correctly, since it also uses part of the practice of the Jū… practices of your mother's side of the family, that makes it even more dangerous, correct?"
"Hn." Arata confirmed with a nod. "I have to use my second stage for that, otherwise I'll be partially exploding someone from the inside out."
"Jeez. I knew that it was no joke, but that sounds like hell if used by someone unqualified." Sarada said, scared at the thought of being on the other end of such a technique.
"Same with the variant of what you can create." Arata said.
"A variant that… I can create?" Sarada questioned with surprise.
"Hn." Arata nodded. "If you recall on our mission, you completely destroyed Kana's arm from the inside out by using both techniques Shinachiku and I have taught you. By sending in lightning chakra through your punch, you forced the inner workings of her arms to fail, destroying her cells, and breaking it apart similar to how destroying the support beams to a house causes it to collapse in on itself. Followed by an immediate explosion in consideration with your lightning nature put into the mix." Arata explained.
Sarada just stared at him with very wide eyes.
"Okay." The female Uchiha said with a bit of a higher pitch to her voice, clearly shell-shocked by the power and deadliness of a technique she just unleashed on the fly as a result of her anger.
"And that was just on the fly. If you master it, I have zero doubt that with just a single blow you could completely eradicate someone. In destructive power, you surpass both your father and I when it comes to lightning release techniques." Arata said, causing Sarada to stare at him, speechless. "To be honest… I'm lucky we're on the same side."
"Oh…" Sarada was still very much surprised by what Arata was saying. "I'm still not as strong as you are though."
"You're not really that far off from reaching my level to be honest. It hasn't even been a full month yet, only around half of one, and you already have showed an incredible amount of improvement from when we first met in Kiri." Arata said.
"You really think so?" Sarada asked with a flattered, bashful smile.
"It's a fact, and you're nowhere near hitting your limit. Not anytime soon and not even a long time from now." Arata added, causing Sarada's smile to widen as her cheeks heated up from being praised by her paternal half-sibling.
"S-Speaking of limits… you weren't near reaching yours in that battle against that woman, weren't you?" Sarada asked, albeit rhetorically, but still curious on Arata's max.
"No but going all out would have been more detrimental for myself and Shina regarding that once done we would be completely useless. You saw how out of it I was when using fifty thousand volts of Raiton Chakura Mōdo (Lightning Release Chakra Mode), and that wasn't even the highest I could take it." Arata explained.
"What… would be the highest?" Sarada asked.
"It's something I refer to as Raiton Chakura Mōdo: Ka Fuka (Lightning Release Chakra Mode: Overload)." Arata answered.
"Ka… Ka Fuka?" Sarada questioned with shock as she blinked her eyes.
"I surge with lightning release chakra so powerful that my body goes into overdrive both mentally and physically, to the point where my subconscious thoughts can cause my body to act and react a moment before my consciousness can do so, as my nervous system can deliver electrical impulses throughout my body within the span of a microsecond. My speed goes beyond the speed of lightning itself; my offense is so great that even constructs of stone are sliced like rice paper when I use my chokuto, and my defense is highly impenetrable and scatters bolts of lightning that makes contact with other electrical sources within a five-meter radius, forcing others to keep a distance from me." Arata explained, shocking Sarada.
'Sugoi.' Sarada thought with shock and awe.
"However, as you can imagine, there is a major drawback. Because my senses go into overdrive, once I exit the mode, I will be a sitting duck. My nervous system would be extremely weakened that I can't even send the proper signals to blink, my mentality would be drastically stunted that I won't be able to make a thought, let alone tell what would be happening around me, and, of course, my body would be not just be fatigued, but also greatly damaged both inside and outside from exerting so much power all at once. When I referred to the evolution of the Raiton Chakura Mōdo that I created is equivalent to the Hachimon (Eight Gates), I meant it. While my body won't be destroyed to the same degree, the drawbacks are just as damning as both my mentality and physicality would be shot for a limited time, leaving me absolutely vulnerable for attack." Arata explained, shocking Sarada even further.
"Wow… no wonder you didn't go all out." Sarada said as stared at Arata with awe, before a thought came to mind. "Wait, but if you had that kind of power, then why didn't you use it on Saisei? With a technique like that, you would have been able to destroy him before he even realized it."
"True, but like I said, I would be a sitting duck." Arata retorted.
"But you already had him on the ropes, even pushing him to his limits with your lesser forms of strength. Surely going all out would have defeated him permanently." Sarada said.
"True, but as I said, I would have been a sitting duck, and despite Saisei being our shared enemy at the time, once it was all handled, there wasn't a guarantee that I wouldn't be waking up in a jail cell once I finally came to. Saisei made us allies to you, but not to Konoha or Kiri. Could you really say the chances of being forgiven and welcomed with open arms was absolute?" Arata explained.
"No… certainly not." Sarada said with a frown, now understanding Arata's point. "But you would have died if you hadn't."
"True. To be honest, I think a part of me had lost my spirit to give it my all considering… what had happened beforehand." Arata said with a frown as he looked to his left hand with somber eyes, immediately recalling the warmth of blood he felt that day on it.
"I'm sorry." Sarada said with a frown.
"No need for you to apologize." Arata said with his eyes closed as he put his hand back into his jacket pocket. "Recalling the event, I feel a little disappointed in myself at the idea that I felt more comfortable with falling together with Shina instead of fighting to live for him. How gutless of me." Arata said with a self-disappointed frown as he glared to the floor.
"You suffered something that no one with as great a heart as yours should have. How can anyone blame you for something they would also fall victim to? Especially considering the circumstance of you both… very far from home." Sarada said with a saddened frown as she gently placed a comforting hand on Arata's shoulder.
Arata sighed in response with his eyes closed.
"Still though… I expected better from myself." Arata said, still frowning as he gently placed a hand against his forehead. "It was almost like what happened with Tsukia all over again."
"What do you mean?" Sarada asked.
"You know that I have attained the next evolution of our shared trait, correct?" Arata asked, rhetorically.
"Uh huh." Sarada answered with a nod.
"Do you know how we attain it?" Arata asked, this time genuinely wondering.
"Not… really. No." Sarada said with a frown.
"It is attained when one of our own has suffered a tremendous loss. One we feel cannot be regained. In other words… the death of someone close to us." Arata answered, shocking Sarada with horror. "During the Chunin Exams, the final match was interrupted by members of the Ōtsutsuki. Their names were-"
"Momoshiki, Kinshiki and Urashiki! Yes, I know of them! They did the same to us!" Sarada quickly said.
"Then I don't need to go into too much detail. I doubt they were different from the ones we encountered that day." Arata said with his eyes closed. "When they kidnapped Shina's father, we managed to get their first because Shinachiku and his father were both connected by their inner power and by Hiraishin marks left on their body. It was a foolish move for us, Shina, Tsukia, and I, to go rescue Shina's father without back-up, but thanks to their assault on the village, Oni Zetsu had managed to get pass our defenses, forcing us to prioritize the lives of our people over our leader. It was a well-made distraction. The mission was simple. Grab Shinachiku's father and immediately leave. They didn't make it easy for us. Despite back up arriving, things were still very difficult." Arata's eyes softened as he recalled a certain event. "I… I thought I lost my sister. My eyes awakened to the next stage, and I went on a bit of a rampage. Wanting nothing more than to kill the… thing that I thought ended my sister." Arata confessed with a frown. "Of course it was a trick as apparently Tsukia told Shinachiku to lie about her death in the hopes that I would awaken them."
"Wow… that's harsh." Sarada commented.
"I'm still not over it. Nor will I ever. No way I'm letting those two live that down, even if it did assist in making me stronger." Arata said with a frown.
"I don't think you should either." Sarada agreed. She then looked to the ground with somber eyes that also displayed discomfort. 'So, that's how you gain the Mangekyō. No wonder papa doesn't want me to get it.' Sarada thought with a frown.
"I don't think you really need the Mangekyō, by the way." Arata said, surprising Sarada.
"Huh?" Sarada looked to him with surprise and confusion.
"I honestly don't think you really need it. Sure, it would make you even stronger, but considering what you have the potential to be capable of, it wouldn't really be a necessity for you." Arata clarified.
"O-Oh! You really think so?" Sarada asked, still surprised.
"I wouldn't state it if it wasn't a fact." Arata said, causing Sarada to smile in response. "Once you attain the Raiton Chakura Mōdo you'll be an extremely powerful shinobi, and once you master it, you'll practically be around kage level."
"You really mean that?!" Sarada asked with shock and excitement.
"As I said before." Arata responded. "I could even teach you how to use jutsu like Kirin or the Chidori Arashi. You'll need these though." Arata said as he took out a few of his Storm Pellets, showing them to Sarada.
"You… you really think I can?" Sarada asked with shock.
"I know so." Arata answered as he then handed her the storm pellets, causing Sarada to have the biggest smile upon her face. "However, we still need to work on your Raiton: Ōbādoraibu (Lightning Release: Overdrive). So far you can surround it to your feet, but we need you to be able to surround it throughout your entire body before we take it to the next level."
"Alright!" Sarada said with a nod and an excited smile. "Hey, speaking of the next level, I remember you using a white variant of your Raiton Chakura Mōdo back at Kiri."
"Oh, that wasn't lightning release chakra I was exerting. It was storm release. What you saw was my Ranton Chakura Mōdo (Storm Release Chakra Mode)." Arata corrected.
"Ranton?!" Sarada questioned with shock. "How… where… how did you learn that?" Sarada asked with much curiosity.
"It happened during a mission. I was facing off against a shinobi who had storm release. Despite being part of its property, lightning release is very different from storm release, so I seemed to be at a disadvantage against it, especially with trying to manipulate it myself once making contact with said shinobi. I still pushed forward and upon taking in another shot of it, I managed to properly control it, albeit briefly, and used it to achieve victory. After that, I trained to properly wield it. However, it requires more chakra to use than the Raiton Chakura Mōdo, as you would guess. I'm just lucky that I had a small affinity for water." Arata explained.
"You have a water affinity?" Sarada questioned with shock.
"It's minor. See, although both my parents have fire and lightning as their main natures, my sobo (grandmother), that being my haha's (mother's) mother, had a water release nature and lightning release nature. Although my haha gained fire and lightning as her main natures primarily, she did inherit a lesser affinity to water release, which was then passed onto us, her own children. It's the biggest reason why I was able to gain Storm Release, despite it still being so small and my control over it isn't as efficient as when I use Lightning Release." Arata explained.
"I see." Sarada said as she rubbed her chin in thought. "Wait, but isn't Storm Release a Kekkei Genkai?" Sarada asked.
"Having a portion of 'their' DNA within you makes wielding something like that easier. Though, it does present you with mixed feelings. Even more so for Shina." Arata answered.
"So, given my nature… I won't be able to accomplish that technique." Sarada deduced with a frown.
"Correct." Arata simply answered, causing Sarada's frown to deepen. "However, that doesn't mean you wouldn't be able to attain something equally, or perhaps even stronger than that." Arata added, shocking Sarada.
"What… do you mean?" Sarada asked with surprise and confusion.
"You know that to achieve Storm Release you need Lightning and Water Release, as explained before. However, it's not the only one of its kind to combine two or even more nature transformations together. Hyōton (Ice Release) combines water and wind, Jiton (Magnet Release) is wind and earth, Yōton (Lava Release) is fire and earth, etc." Arata explained. "What are your natures?"
"Fire and lightning." Sarada answered, as then her eyes widened in realization of what Arata was getting at. "Wait… what would that make?" She asked with curiosity and rising excitement.
"Plasma. Otherwise known as Kesshōton (Plasma Release)." Arata answered.
"K-K-K-Kesshōton?!" Sarada repeated with utter shock. "Is… is that really possible?!" Sarada askeredasked, still in shock.
"It is. I made a technique that's Kesshōton based. However, it requires a lot of chakra and control. After all, you are mixing the two elements within the wheel that are known as the most destructive of the five, so combining them together is no easy feat." Arata explained.
"Sugoi~." Sarada said with shock and awe as her eyes twinkled a bit. "Wait, you're going to teach me to use a whole new variant of the Raiton Chakura Mōdo?" Sarada questioned, now started to take in what she was told.
"It'll be very difficult. I haven't even begun to train in it myself." Arata said.
"Wait, then what makes you think that I'll be able to do it?!" Sarada questioned, not seeing the logic.
"Can't say I have concrete evidence, but I know you'll be able to. Not only are you learning medical ninjutsu from Shina, but I'm seeing you inheriting something from him. Something that he shares with your own mother and the Hokage." Arata explained, shocking Sarada.
"Mama and… Nanadaime-sama?" Sarada spoke, shell-shocked at the idea of sharing something great with the Hokage.
"Most importantly… I know it right here." Arata said as he gently pressed his thumb against his chest.
Sarada blinked her eyes before she then covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. Arata just smile as he started to get the giggles too. The pair of Uchiha then let loose their laughter.
"Seriously?" Sarada questioned as she continued to laugh. "You sounded just like-"
"I'm well aware." Arata said as he continued as well. "Spending way too much time with Shinachiku really gets to you."
"I better pray the same never happens to me with Boruto!" Sarada said as the two laughed more. The two continued to laugh a bit more before calming down enough and continued to enjoy their walk. "So… you're going to help me achieve it?" Sarada asked.
"I'll guide you the best I can, but in the end, you're going to have to be the one to awaken it to its fullest. It's going to be a jutsu all of your own." Arata said.
"I see." Sarada said with a small frown, but then she felt a gentle hand placed upon her shoulder.
"Don't be so glum. You're going to the Hokage someday. In fact, Boruto's father had to deal the same type of dilemma when working to create his famous Rasenshuriken." Arata said with an encouraging smile.
"Na-Nanadaime-sama? Really?!" Sarada questioned with shock.
"Hn." Arata nodded in confirmation. "The Rasenshuriken is the complete form of what the Rasengan was originally meant to be, and with some help from his teachers he was able to achieve it and later perfect it down the road. If he, the man who went from the dead-last to the Hero of the Shinobi World, can accomplish that, then there's no reason to believe you won't be able to do the same with this." Arata said with his smile still showing unwavering support and encouragement.
Sarada blinked her eyes in surprise by his words, before smiling with a tint of pink on her cheeks.
"Thank you… onii-chan." Sarada thanked her elder half-brother, now with a bit of a bashful smile and blush.
"We can start right after I feed the chickens and rooster." Arata said.
"But don't you need to rest?" Sarada questioned.
"The only exercise I would do as a result is simple demonstration. It won't put any real strain on my body, so I won't be going against doctor's orders." Arata responded.
"Unlike Shinachiku, huh?" Sarada said in response with a small frown.
"When he's motivated, he's motivated. Nearly nothing will stop him, but don't worry. Mamoru will make sure he doesn't kill himself." Arata explained.
"And Boruto?" Sarada questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"To be honest, I sent him after Shina more for his own progress." Arata answered, causing Sarada to raise her eyebrows in surprise and a bit of confusion.
.
.
Boruto was leaping from tree to tree as he was nearing his dad's old training ground, which was one of the places where Shinachiku usually trains.
'Usually the first spot it where you'll find them. I just hope he is there, because he has way too many training spots.' Boruto thought to himself. He then heard the sound of something making impact with the ground, followed by something else. 'The heck is that?' Boruto wondered as he picked up the pace.
As he was drawing closer and closer, the sound got louder and louder, no doubt now being something heavy making impact with the ground.
Once reaching the spot he heard someone… counting.
"Fifty-one!" Followed by something heavy impact with the ground. "Fifty-two!" Followed by another impact. "Fifty-three!" Impact.
"Shinachiku?" Boruto spoke his fellow blonde Uzumaki's name as he made his way closer only to see one hell of a sight. "Holy Crap!" Boruto shouted with a shocked anime expression.
There he saw Shinachiku in between two large trees that had a pair of long, thick ropes wrapped around some branches, with one end of each of them wrapped around Shinachiku's arms and grip, while the other ends were tied to a pair of giant iron statues in the shape of toads, with sealing formulas written all over them.
"Fifty-four!" Shinachiku shouted out as he pulled his left arm down, bringing the left iron statue up before bringing his arm up, therefore, bringing the statue back down where it made heavy impact with the ground. "Fifty-five!" Shinachiku called out as he pulled his right arm down, bringing the statue on the right up, before bringing his right arm up, causing the right statue to come back down to the ground with a heavy thud. "Fifty-five!" He repeated the process with his left arm. "Fifty-six!" He then did so with his right.
"What the hell?" Boruto said with utter shock as he recalled Arata's words from earlier.
"Whenever he puts on that jumpsuit, he goes on an intense training spree that'll leave him on the floor for hours on end. Despite the amount of trust I have in him, when it gets to this level, even Lee-sensei and Gai-sensei would say he's doing too much, and that's a lot coming from them of all people."
'He wasn't kidding! I've never seen anyone train like this before! No wonder he's so damn ahead of me!' Boruto thought with utter shock. He suddenly gritted his teeth as he clenched his hand into a shaking fist. 'So… this is the strength of a kōdona genin (advanced low-ninja).' Boruto thought as he then bit his lower lip. 'Dammit.'
"Sixty-one! Sixty-two! Sixty-three! Sixty-four! Sixty-five!" Shinachiku then stopped as he looked to a stewing Boruto. "You gonna stew over there or are you gonna do something about it?!" Shinachiku called out, causing Boruto to flinch.
"Say what?" Boruto questioned with confusion and surprise.
"If you're that pissed at how much I can do with three fourths of my chakra locked away and my weights now increased by five times then do your own training to surpass me!" Shinachiku shouted out with an intense tone and expression.
'He locked away three fourths of his chakra and increased his weights by two more times?! He Is Crazy!' Boruto mentally shouted with shock and a little bit of fear, with an expression that displayed it all.
Shinachiku continued to do his workout while Boruto just stayed there watching him with wide, shocked eyes, still having a hard time grasping what Shinachiku's intense workout looked like.
"One hundred!" Shinachiku shouted out as he finished his workout. He released his hold on the ropes and walked over to Boruto, patting away imaginary dirt from his hands. "Who asked you to come here?" Shinachiku asked, looking to Boruto with a bit of a stern expression.
"Uh… Arata." Boruto answered.
"Good. I would hate for it to be my parents. I mean your parents. I mean… oh screw it, dattebaro!" Shinachiku said with a frown as he placed his hands on his hips.
"You're pretty miffed at them just for dissing your look?" Boruto questioned with a frown.
"Why wouldn't I be?! This was given to me by none other than my Jonin sensei, Rock Lee! It is a sign of trust, camaraderie and the utmost belief my sensei has in me! To discard it would be a dishonor, equal to spitting the most putrid bile in my sensei's face! I would never insult it, nor have it insulted in any way! With it I grow stronger and if I am buried in it then so be it, for it is the upmost perfect treasure to be with for all eternity! IT IS A SIGN OF MY YOUTH!" Shinachiku cried out as he immediately activated the fifth gate, sending Boruto flying far with him screaming all the way until he skipped against the water, making it all the way to the other side where he promptly smacked into in a tree. "Oops." Shinachiku flinched as he quickly deactivated his gates. "Sorry, Boruto. I get kind of excited whenever I put this thing on. It's a pretty 'explosive' habit I have. Gomen." Shinachiku said with an embarrassed grin as he rubbed the back of his head and had his eyes closed.
"I can tell." Boruto said before falling off of the surface of the tree, revealing an imprint of his form in it. Boruto groaned as he sat up and patted away dirt from his jacket and shirt. He then noticed Shinachiku arriving in front of him and offering the younger blonde his hand. "So… this is what you do after you face a super strong opponent?" Boruto questioned as he took Shinachiku's hand, allowing the green clad blonde to help him to his feet.
"Mainly ones who are leagues ahead of me. Knowing the strength they have I can't help but push myself as far as I can go and then go even farther." Shinachiku said as he looked to his hand. "Knowing someone out there is just that strong and coming back soon… I can't afford to hold back on my training." Shina added as he had a determined glare as he tightened his hand into a fist.
"Yeah, but isn't that a little… excessive?" Boruto asked with a worried frown.
"Yeah, to a regular person, but my body is rather… different. Even for an Uzumaki, dattebaro." Shinachiku said as he brought up his fist and lightly rubbed his wrist.
"Right." Boruto said as he looked to the side with a frown.
"Hey, no sulking. Train instead." Shinachiku said.
"What exactly am I supposed to train in to beat that woman?!" Boruto questioned.
"Hmm? You mean Kana?" Shinachiku questioned.
"Who else would I mean?!" Boruto retorted with a raised voice. "I mean… there was also that other woman with her mouth and chest missing and the weird black things."
"Ahmya. Her name is Ahmya, and she sure is a creepy one." Shinachiku said as he shivered a bit just thinking about the magenta haired cultist. "Let me guess, she did that thing where she admired someone's beauty, mainly the women, and wanted to suck them dry."
"I guess that's her schtick, huh?" Boruto rhetorically asked with a frown and her shoulders slumped.
"She does that to Tsukia whenever she sees her. I mean, I know she's pretty and all, but still, it pisses me off whenever she does that to her. Tsukia's always creeped out whenever she has her eyes on her and I can't help but want to punch that woman's jaw off! Literally!" Shinachiku said with a very annoyed frown as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Tsukia… that's Arata's sister, right?"
"Well, she's your sister too, remember?" Shinachiku said.
"Y-Yeah." Boruto said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, um… how tough is she, exactly?" Boruto asked, wondering if Tsukia was just as strong as Arata and Shinachiku.
"Oh, she's the strongest kunoichi I know! At least, from our generation. With just one single activation of her Sharingan, she can put a whole battalion of people and even Oni Zetsu in a genjutsu! You don't even need to look her directly in the eyes like other Sharingan! You catch that gleam, and it's over! Whether you're directly in front of her or in the line of her peripheral vision, she can put you in a genjutsu like no other! And that's with just a regular Sharingan! When she uses her Mangekyō, not only is her genjutsu even further amped where she can put people in layered genjutsus, but she can use Tsukuyomi (Moon Reader)! The same technique her uncle used to possess, dattebaro!" Shinachiku explained with a huge grin as he talked about his teammate's abilities with pride.
"Layered genjutsu? Mangekyō? Wait, she has the Mangekyō Sharingan too?!" Boruto questioned with utter shock.
"Oh… yeah. That, uh… was a story." Shinachiku said as he looked to the side with a frown as he rubbed the back of his head again.
"Man… you guys are amazing. I swear, you guys are almost like monsters or something." Boruto said with a flabbergasted expression as he hunched over with his arms hanging.
"We… have been called that." Shinachiku said with a nervous smirk as he continued rubbing the back of his head.
"How the hell… how am I even going to…" Boruto then shot up screaming as he grabbed the sides of his head. "Dammit! Where can I go from here! I need a true powerhouse of a jutsu that can blow all you guys away, dattebasa!" Boruto screamed out as he scratched the sides of his head.
"By us guys, you mean-"
"You, Arata and those cultists! Especially that gorilla woman!" Boruto exclaimed as he had a serious expression on his face.
"Pfft. Gorilla woman." Shinachiku said as he laughed.
"Dammit, isn't there anything you know that can help me send that woman flying? Something real powerful?!" Boruto asked, wanting to be so much stronger already.
Shinachiku blinked his eyes as he thought it over.
"Well… there is this one I made." Shinachiku said with his arms crossed. "But it's no joke. It's a real difficult jutsu to even use properly, let alone master."
"Wait, really? Have I ever seen it?" Boruto asked.
"No. This one doesn't require a power-up stage. However, it's still very difficult to achieve." Shinachiku answered.
"How powerful is it?" Boruto asked, now getting excited and hopeful.
"While it's not on the level of tou-chan's Rasenshuriken technique, it has the power to match and even negate his Chōōdama Rasengan (Ultra-Big Ball Spiraling Sphere)." Shinachiku explained.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Boruto shouted out with utter shock as his eyes were wide and jaw was dropped. "Teach it to me! Teach it to me, teach it to me, teach it to me, teach it to me! Come on, come on! I'm your brother! Help me out here!" Boruto begged Shinachiku.
"Alright, alright, but you can't use it. At least not as you are. You need to build up your reserves, strengthen your body and most importantly, properly control your strength, that especially includes your chakra. Without pitch perfect control, this jutsu could literally blow up in your face. Believe me." Shinachiku warned as he rubbed his face, recalling all his failed attempts.
"Just hearing this makes me want to learn it even more." Boruto said with an excited, dopey smile as his eyes sparkled like stars.
"Figured as much." Shinachiku said with a frown and a sweat-drop.
"Oh, man, this is going to be so cool, dattebasa!" Boruto cheered with a huge, excited grin and a pair of fist pumps, but he stopped and blinked his eyes as a thought came to mind. "Wait… if it's really so powerful, how come you didn't use it the other day on that Kana woman? Heck, why didn't you use it on Saisei?" Boruto asked.
"While it is powerful, there is some downsides to it. For one, without perfect control, you'll the be the one who will be harmed in the process. Second, if your opponent is fast enough, they can dodge it, which leads to the third flaw, it uses a hefty amount of chakra, which means that if you miss, you'll be drained of a good portion of your chakra and be left at a major disadvantage." Shinachiku explained.
"Seriously? So if you miss, your opponent gets off scot-free?" Boruto questioned with surprise and confusion.
"I never said that. So long as the jutsu makes contact with something, it'll unleash its devastating effects. While your opponent might not feel the brunt force of the attack, unless they're way too fast to get out of it, they'll still be in attacked while in its radius." Shinachiku answered.
"What is its radius?" Boruto asked with growing curiosity.
"About a mile at best." Shinachiku answered with a shrug.
"A MILE?!" Boruto screamed out with bulging eyes.
"At best. Weakest would be half." Shinachiku said, causing Boruto's jaw to drop greatly.
'Must. Learn. Awesome. Jutsu.' Boruto mentally said as he was now brimming with uncontrollable excitement.
"You got that look in your eye." Shinachiku said as he noticed an oh so familiar gleam in Boruto's eyes that made him think of someone else, causing him to sigh. 'Maybe he really is more of Hanami's counterpart than mine.' Shinachiku thought to himself with a small frown.
"Teach it to me man! Please~!" Boruto was practically begging like a little puppy as he had a huge, excited and hopeful grin on his face.
"I already said that I would." Shinachiku pointed out. "First, show me your Rasengan." Shinachiku ordered.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure!" Boruto said as he then focused chakra to his hand and created a Rasengan.
"Okay, decent sized. Kind of. And I noticed that you're able to make a bigger one with the help of a clone, just like tou-chan. So now, I need to see its power in action. Hit that stone over there with it." Shinachiku said as he pointed to a nearby large rock.
"You got it!" Boruto said with a grin as he then charged over with his Rasengan cocked back. "Rasengan!" Boruto screamed out as he slammed his jutsu into the surface of the stone.
Shinachiku watched as Boruto's Rasengan drilled into the surface of the stone before a force was unleashed creating a cloud of dust as Boruto moved back, only to reveal a decent sized hole.
Shinachiku blinked his eyes as Boruto stared at the hole with a frown and disappointed half-lidded eyes.
"Uh-huh… you're going to need more power than that." Shinachiku said.
"Dammit!" Boruto cursed with annoyance. "What does the Rasengan have to do with this technique anyway?!" Boruto questioned in frustration, looking to Shinachiku.
"Because it is the basis of the technique that is require to even form it." Shinachiku said.
"The basis?" Boruto questioned with surprise.
"Tell me, have you been able to evolve your Rasengan pass it's big-ball state?" Shinachiku asked.
"Evolve it pass? What do you mean?" Boruto asked.
"Before you tackle this technique, you need to achieve another one first or else you'll never be able to use it." Shinachiku explained. "First, you need to master the Fūton: Rasengan (Wind Release: Spiraling Sphere)."
"Fūton: Rasengan?" Boruto questioned with shock.
"Not only that, but you need to be able to form two in each hand. That's what's called the Fūton: Rasenrengan (Wind Release: Spiraling Serial Spheres)." Shinachiku added.
"Fūton… Rasenrengan?!" Boruto exclaimed with shock.
"First, before then, we have to increase your chakra reserves." Shinachiku said.
"How do we do that?" Boruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well… I was thinking on something while in the hospital to help with that, for both you and Sarada." Shinachiku said, rubbing his chin with a smile on his face. "Though, we can save that for tomorrow."
"Aw, come on~. Seriously?!" Boruto complained.
"No worries, it's still possible to create a Fūton: Rasengan for you. You already have a good grasp on your affinity for wind techniques, which means you're already halfway there. You just need to perfectly sync it to your Rasengan." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"I need to sync it to my Rasengan, huh?" Boruto said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Um… you're pretty busy right now, aren't you?" Boruto asked.
"Well, I can postpone my own personal training for now." Shinachiku said.
"I… I don't want to you to do that." Boruto said, surprising Shinachiku. "I want to become stronger, and I definitely want to surpass you, but not at the cost of stunting your progress, dattebaro."
Shinachiku blinked his eyes, before smiling.
"You're not halting my progress at all. With the free time we have been given, I can catch up on my regime in no time. Besides, you think you're the only one who wants to see you catch up to me?" Shinachiku said with a smirk, causing Boruto to look to him with wide eyes. "Alright, first and foremost, we need to go over your chakra nature-"
"Hey, uh, maybe we can save that for another time. I want to build up my chakra. Is there any way you can help with that now?" Boruto asked.
"Well… there is one way I can do that now… but just letting you know; you'll be in for it." Shinachiku warned.
"I'll take whatever you can give!" Boruto said with a determined expression, causing Shinachiku to smile.
.
.
It was now nighttime.
Making their way down the street were Arata and Sarada. The female of the two was looking to her left hand as she generated some sparks.
"You're improving." Arata said.
"Yeah, but I wish I could improve faster." Sarada said with a small frown.
"Take too much in too fast and it'll all be hard to handle. If anything it would require double, perhaps even triple the work to control it." Arata responded.
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" Sarada questioned with a smirk.
"Not everything, but I always try to be as astute as I can be." Arata answered.
"Well, you're very good at it." Sarada complimented before looking back to her hand. "So… your assessment earlier, about me mastering a Kesshōton-"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." Arata answered, causing Sarada to softly smile.
"You're definitely just like papa." Sarada commented with some amusement.
"So are you." Arata said back, causing Sarada's smile to widen.
"I hope in a good way though, because it's hard to say if that's a good thing." Sarada said with her head held high and an amused smiling with her hands behind her back.
"Hn." Arata responded as he had his own amused smile on his face.
'Speaking of papa, he had to leave yesterday for something important he said. It's always something important.' Sarada thought as she looked back to her hand which coursed with lightning again. 'I hope he'll be back soon. I want to get stronger with his help, along with both my onii-chans.' Sarada thought as she clenched her hand into a fist.
The two soon enough made it to the apartment where Sarada and her mother were staying at.
"Thanks for walking me back, onii-chan." Sarada said to Arata with a smile.
"You're becoming more comfortable with that word now." Arata said, still smiling, causing Sarada to flinch a bit.
"S-So what?!" Sarada said back with a pout and embarrassed blush.
"It's nothing. Just pointing it out." Arata said, as his smile widened a smidge.
Sarada couldn't help but smile back. Though it wasn't blatantly said, she could tell that Arata was actually happy that she was getting comfortable with calling him her brother. She then noticed Arata looking to someone behind her, making her turn to see her father walking towards the apartment.
"Papa! You're back!" Sarada called out with a bright smile.
"Hn." Sasuke responded.
'Yup. He and Arata are so much alike. No doubt more in common with one another than I have with either of them.' Sarada thought with an amused smile yet having a sweat drop.
"I see you're back up on your feet." Sasuke said to Arata.
"Everything go fine with your meeting?" Arata asked.
"More or less." Sasuke answered.
"Meeting?" Sarada questioned.
"From what you've told me he's only been gone a day, so it's most likely he went to meet with someone." Arata said.
"Who?" Sarada asked.
"Someone who could help. Most likely for information on what we all want. Including 'them'." Arata explained.
"O-Oh. Really?" Sarada questioned in surprise.
"Unfortunately, we have to wait before we get any information from them." Sasuke said.
"Figures. This is supposed to be well kept if all five nations were trusted with such a thing before the days of peace." Arata said with his eyes closed.
"If we're talking about what I think we are, how come we didn't bother knowing about them before?" Sarada asked.
"Apparently it is forbidden by law shared among all five hidden villages that no information about the scrolls should be shared with anyone, not even amongst the kage. Doing so should result in severe punishment." Sasuke explained.
"Seriously?" Sarada questioned with utter shock.
"It doesn't surprise me considering that 'they're' after it. Anyway, I think that's enough for tonight. I'm gonna be heading home." Arata said as he started to leave. "Oyasumi." Arata gave a wave without turning back as he continued to walk away.
"Oyasumi, Arata-onii-chan! Arigato!" Sarada called out with a bright smile and wave.
'Onii-chan?' Sasuke to his daughter with confusion hidden behind his stoic expression.
Sarada and Sasuke started making their way up the stairs of the apartment.
"You've been training since I've been gone." Sasuke stated as he clearly noticed the fatigued and scuffled state his daughter was in.
"Yeah. Arata helped me out today." Sarada said with a smile as she looked to her hand.
"You mean your 'onii-chan', correct?" Sasuke teased his daughter.
"P-Papa!" Sarada complained, causing Sasuke to develop a faint smirk.
The two made it to their apartment door and went in where Sakura was in the kitchen.
"Welcome back… Sasuke-kun? You're home?" Sakura was surprised to see her husband back so early.
"Sorry it took so long." Sasuke said.
"No, no. In fact, quite the opposite." Sakura said with a smile and blush. "Uh, I'm just about done with dinner, so just wash up, the both of you." Sakura said as she resumed the task of cooking.
"Hn." Sasuke nodded in response as he headed for the bathroom.
All the while, Sarada was smiling, happy that her family was together again so soon and about to sit down for a meal.
After washing up, the family sat down to dinner.
"So, Sarada, you walked in here a bit scratched up. May I ask why?" Sakura asked her daughter, despite already guessing the answer.
"I was training with Arata-onii-chan." Sarada answered.
"Hold on, I thought he was going to take it easy today?" Sakura asked. 'Unlike Shina.' She mentally added with a frown.
"Don't worry. The only times he did anything physical was to show me a demonstration. He isn't as reckless as two others I can think of." Sarada said with a smile.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was kind of worried he would be stubborn like your father as well." Sakura said with a relieved smile.
"I'm not one to recklessly exert myself after a lengthy hospital stay." Sasuke said.
"True, but when you want something so bad, you do throw even logic out the window." Sakura retorted with a smirk.
"Hn." Was all Sasuke's response as he took a bite of his meal, causing Sakura to giggle with a pair of eye smiles. "So… what was Arata teaching you?" Sasuke asked his daughter.
"He was helping me to improve my Raiton: Ōbādoraibu. I managed to start coursing lightning chakra to my arms now, which means I'm one step closer to achieving Raiton Chakura Mōdo." Sarada shared with a bit of a bashful smile, but then she frowned as she looked down to her meal. "Still… it'll be a while before I can attempt a Kesshōton Chakura Mōdo."
"Kesshōton?!" Sakura questioned as she and Sasuke looked to Sarada in shock. "Wait, is that even a real chakra nature?"
"Yes. It's a combination of fire and lightning release, kind of like how lightning and water release together make storm release. Arata managed to pull it off. Not a mode similar to his Raiton Chakura Mōdo or Ranton Chakura Mōdo, but he did manage to create a jutsu that uses Kesshōton. Although, he says it's a difficult jutsu to manifest, but he says I can do it." Sarada explained with a bit of a blush as she recalled Arata's statement of her managing to accomplish what possibly no one else in her universe has ever done before. Possibly anyway.
"I'll be damned… and he even has storm release… that kid is a well of surprises." Sakura said, still in shock.
"Hn." Sasuke agreed as he drank some tea.
"Yeah… but it wasn't easy gaining that strength. He's clearly faced more serious threats than I have. I know it sounds weird to say this… but I'm kind of jealous that he did." Sarada said, surprising her parents. "I mean, I don't want to sound like a masochist or anything and I don't want to experience the pain necessary to achieve the Mangekyō, but they do say hardships make the person, especially in strength and… I just wish I was that strong is all." Sarada explained herself.
"… He told you how the Mangekyō is achieved, did he?" Sasuke rhetorically asked.
"Hai." Sarada said with a nod and frown. "I… I don't want to earn it. Not anymore." Sarada said as she started gaining a determined expression. "From now on, I'm going to rely on the strength that I have now with my Sharingan. Even if it can get stronger, no way will it be worth the risk! I don't need it!" Sarada proclaimed with pure determination.
"… I'm glad." Sasuke said as he gave his daughter a smile.
"Me too." Sakura said with her own smile.
"Honestly, I might not need it anyway. From what Arata told me, I could pretty much just plow right through a Susano'o on my own if I manage to master the Raiton Chakura Mōdo. Especially with what Shinachiku taught me." Sarada said with a smile.
"That being?" Sasuke asked.
"The Chakura no Mesu (Chakra Scalpel)! And he taught me how to even transfer it into a being with the force and chakra control I learned from not just mama, but also the extension of it that he created called Naibuken (Internal Fist)." Sarada explained with a proud smile.
"He did what?!" Sakura asked with utter shock.
"Oh, yeah, I guess you never had the chance to find out. Shinachiku managed to accomplish an extension of the fighting style Tsunade-sama created by instead of releasing the chakra upon impact to increase the force of the blow, you instantly infuse the buildup into someone or something, literally breaking it apart from the inside." Sarada explained, shocking both her parents.
"That's… I can't believe… he would ever…" Sakura was in utter shock.
"I can see why. Lately, I've been discovering those creatures they call Oni Zetsu travelling around the Five Great Nations. They're tough and it is essential to learn techniques to land a fatal blow to them. Literally destroying them apart from the inside sounds like the best way to do so." Sasuke said.
"You've seen them too, papa?!" Sarada asked with shock.
"All over the Five Great Nations?" Sakura questioned with shock as well.
"Hn." Sasuke nodded in response. "They're really annoying creatures."
"The spores! They break down into spores! Did you-"
"Not to worry. I had a feeling that would cause more trouble, so I promptly sealed them away." Sasuke said.
"Good." Sarada said with a sigh of relief.
"I've read up on those things from the book Shina gave to us. Apparently, they're comprised of wood release just like the Zetsus, but are also made up of both the lingering chakra left behind by the fallen of the past and nature chakra, allowing them access to any elemental affinity they have absorbed and even ones only found in kekkei genkai, like Hyōton." Sakura said.
"Yeah… and Shinachiku and Arata have to fight these things every time they leave the village." Sarada said with a frown.
"The question now is, will this be our fate as well." Sasuke said, surprising and worrying his wife and daughter.
Sarada looked down to her plate with a worried expression, but it soon transformed into a serious and determined one.
"That just gives me more of a reason to train. No way someone who is going to be Hokage is going to slack off while those things roam around their home." Sarada said with a determined expression and tone.
"I expect no less." Sasuke said, earning a smile from his daughter.
"AnwayAnyway, let's move on to something more positive. It's not often that we're all together like this." Sakura said, offering a smile, wanting to move the conversation to a more lighthearted subject.
"Oh, um, well… how are the others doing? At the hospital I mean. I remembered that Shinachiku was busy helping them heal before he left today." Sarada spoke up.
"And that he did, and with a find job no less. They'll be out soon enough. Perhaps even by tomorrow." Sakura said with a smile.
"Good." Sarada said with a smile and nod. She then gained a small frown.
"What's wrong now?" Sakura asked with her own frown.
"It's nothing. I was just imagining how dumb Shinachiku must have been when healing Mirai-san." Sarada said with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, confusing her parents. "I'm pretty sure he was all giddy with a stupid look on his face. Possibly the biggest you'd ever see on his face. How stupid." Sarada said as she stuck her bottom lip out a bit, continuing to frown as she raised her head high in annoyance.
"Does… Shinachiku have a crush on Mirai?" Sakura questioned with surprise and blinking eyes.
"To an annoying degree. He gets all gaga, puts all his attention on her first and foremost, praises her every chance that he gets, and you can just feel those giddy emotions radiating off of him. As if it wasn't enough that it was as clear as day that he has feelings for her. Man, it gets on your nerves real quick." Sarada listed as her frown deepened a bit.
Sasuke and Sakura stared at Sarada, with the latter having widened eyes.
"Who knows where he gets that from." Sasuke said, looking to Sakura, causing his wife to flinch.
"B-Beats me." Sakura said with an embarrassed smile and eye smiles as she rubbed the back of her head and chuckled nervously, causing her daughter to look to her in confusion while Sasuke just drank from his tea again.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the Uzumaki household, Hinata was finishing making dinner. She turned her head to see Naruto playing with Himawari in one of those Extreme: Shinobi Picture Scrolls, and badly losing.
"Dang it~. I don't get it. How can some of the cards I'm in are crap compared to the other ones of me?" Naruto whined with a pout.
"Papa, that one you use was you as a genin. You can't expect it to be as great as the Hokage you." Himawari said with an amused smile.
"Yeah, can't argue there, dattebayo." Naruto said with an embarrassed grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
Hinata couldn't help but smile with warmth and joy to see her husband around more, spending time with his family.
The doorbell then rang, catching everyone's attention.
"I'll get it." Naruto said as he headed for the front door. "We're not done here, Himawari-chan." Naruto said to his daughter as he continued walking to the front.
"Okay, daddy." Himawari said with a grin.
Naruto made it to the door and opened it to see none other than Shinachiku and Boruto, with the whiskered one of the two leaning against the sunshine blonde with his arm wrapped around his neck for support as he was rough up and clearly fatigued. His clothes also seemed to be dry and rigid, as if he had gotten wet earlier.
"Whoa, Boruto! The hell happened to you?!" Naruto asked with concern for his eldest son.
"Training… intensely…" Boruto managed to speak up, clearly exhausted.
"Suman. I was helping him today and I held nothing back." Shinachiku apologized with a small bow.
"I can see that." Naruto said as his eyes then looked from Boruto to Shinachiku, who was scuffed up as well. "You look to be in the same boat too, 'ttebayo."
"You can't move forward without expecting to trip up here and there." Shinachiku said with a bit of an amused smile.
"Tripped up my ass. I can't believe you didn't kill yourself, dattebasa." Boruto said to his elder half-brother.
"Eh, it's nothing I haven't done before, dattebaro." Shinachiku said, brushing it off with a grin.
"… You worry me." Boruto said with half-lidded eyes and a frown.
"Anyway, just came to drop him off since I doubt that he would have been able to make the trek here on his own." Shinachiku said as he handed Boruto over to Naruto.
"Especially with me carrying several times my own gravitational weight." Boruto said as his father supported him, who raised an eyebrow at this.
"I undid the seals already. Stop complaining." Shinachiku said with a shrug.
Naruto blinked his eyes in confusion at this but decided to question this later. Thanks to the mention of seals, Naruto remembered what he wanted to discuss with Shinachiku earlier.
"Shina, there's something I wanted your help with, but seeing as how late it is and how much you pushed yourself, we can hold it off for tomorrow. Just come by my office the first chance you get in the morning, okay?" Naruto said.
"Oh, okay, tou-, I mean, Hokage-sama." Shinachiku said with a surprised expression, but nodding, nonetheless. "Well, see you guys tomorrow." Shinachiku said before he flashed away using the Hiraishin.
Boruto groaned as his father helped him inside, closing the door shut with his foot. Naruto took his son to the couch, where the younger blonde's mother and sister noticed his condition.
"Boruto, what happened?" Hinata asked being very concerned for her son's wellbeing as she and Himawari made their way over.
"Training… with Shinachiku… he gets very intense… thankfully more with himself than me." Boruto answered as he lied on the couch exhausted.
"What did do to you specifically?" Himawari asked.
"Well…"
.
.
"These are going to help me build my chakra?" Boruto asked as Shinachiku was using an ink and a brush to make seals upon Boruto's arms and legs, specifically the forearms and shins/calves.
"And your strength. They'll just be for today until I get the weights tomorrow, dattebaro." Shinachiku explained.
"So… how do these seals work, specifically?" Boruto asked with curiosity.
"They increase your gravity by three-fold." Shinachiku answered.
"Wait, what?" Boruto questioned with widened eyes.
"You'll be carrying three times your own weight. If you're not precise with your chakra control on this one, you'll feel the full brunt of your increased weight and be laid out on the ground for the rest of the day." Shinachiku added.
"Nani?!" Boruto exclaimed with a new sense of worry.
"There, finished." Shinachiku said as he then sealed away his brush and ink into a scroll and pocketed it into his jacket. "You ready?" Shinachiku asked as he made ram seal.
"Wait, can we go back a bit. My own weight is going to be increased by three?!" Boruto questioned with shock and a slight sense of fear.
"No, no, your center of gravity will be. It'll feel like you're carrying two of yourselves as you move, but so long as you use proper chakra control, flowing your chakra properly throughout your system, you'll be able to stay on your feet. You'll still feel the weight though, but nothing's ever gained the easy way. At least, nothing worth gaining, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Can I have a minute or two to prepare myself?" Boruto asked with a bit of fear in his tone.
"Are you scared?" Shinachiku asked.
"No!" Boruto shouted out, putting on the bravado.
"So, why not do it now? We're here to train after all." Shinachiku said causing Boruto to gulp in response. "Just take a deep breath and exhale." Shinachiku said, earning a nod from Boruto.
The golden blonde took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled out his mouth.
"Okay, ready!" Boruto said, now with determination, but still feeling an underlying sense of fear.
"Seal!" Shinachiku called out as he activated the seals on Boruto's arms and legs, causing them to glow blue before Boruto was slammed into the ground instantly by an invisible force. "How are you feeling?"
"Is there a hippo on me?" Boruto managed to grunt out as he felt a strong weight upon himself.
"Just remember what I said. Focus on your chakra control." Shinachiku said.
"It's really hard to do it when you're carrying three times yourself." Boruto said.
"Exactly. This isn't just a physical exercise; it is also mental. The more pressure your body feels, the more your mind will do so as well, even more so in fact. Chakra is strengthened through physical exercise and spiritual exercise. By taking the time to be at ease with yourself during such a strenuous endeavor, your inner strength will increase. I know this is pretty intense, compared to what you're used to, but by advancing this way, your strength with increase in many ways. You just need to grasp the true strength of your mental state. Don't just ignore the pain but embrace it. Let it push you to the level where you are being constricted and break on through!" Shinachiku explained with a determined expression and bringing his fist up.
"Easy for you to say." Boruto grunted out.
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! YOU INHERITED NARUTO UZUMAKI'S WILL OF FIRE JUST LIKE ME! NOW FOCUS DAMMIT! CHA!" Shinachiku screamed out with an intense, even pissed, expression on his face.
Boruto flinched, or as best as he could, as he looked to Shinachiku with wide fearful eyes.
'Shina… is actually really scary, dattebasa.' Boruto thought with new fear for his inter-dimensional half-brother. 'Okay… just calm down. Don't mind the back breaking pain. Just focus on your chakra. Your chakra. Nothing else. Just… your chakra. Chakra.' Boruto closed his eyes as he started doing some Zen-like breathing, focusing on his chakra. Letting it flow properly in the right places.
Soon enough Boruto was managing to rise up, albeit slowly. He managed to get back onto his hands and knees, then started to get to his feet. Slowly, but surely, he started to stand up straight until he was fully standing erect.
"Good work." Shinachiku said with a smile and thumbs up.
"Yatta~." Boruto said with a big yet tired smile.
"What The Hell Is That?!" Shinachiku shouted out, pointing to something behind Boruto.
"Nani?!" Boruto turned with wide eyes, only to see nothing right before he instantly slammed into the ground. "Ow~…" Boruto whined with a pained frown. "You tricked me." Boruto said in a tired tone that still echoed with annoyance as the golden blonde managed to look up and glare at Shinachiku.
"This is another part of your training. Whenever the body becomes alerted to something, instincts kicked in, which in turn kicks up the chakra flow, throwing off of your concentration. Constant concentration, even in the face of danger whether in your face or out of view, is key to perfecting your chakra control. Always expect the unexpected and what's underneath the underneath." Shinachiku explained. "Now, get back up. You still need to give me laps."
"Laps?" Boruto questioned with a sense of new fear.
"On that creek. Ten times back and forth. Hope you're prepared to get wet." Shinachiku said, gesturing to the large creek in the training ground.
'… I think he's trying to kill me.' Boruto thought with a look of fear as he had wide anime eyes.
.
.
"Luckily, he kept a clone right by the bring me back out of the water. I did other equally and more grueling training methods that he said. I don't want to get up in the morning, dattebasa." Boruto said with a tired frown.
Naruto, Hinata and Himawari stared at Boruto with shocked expressions with their eyes wide.
"Well… no pain no gain as they say, dattebayo." Naruto said.
"I hope I get a lot of gain then." Boruto said with a tired frown. "I want to get strong fast, but I didn't expect him to push me so far, 'ttebasa." Boruto complained.
"It just shows how much he believes in you, onii-chan." Himawari said with a smile.
"Yeah, maybe more than I expected." Boruto said, still frowning, but then gained a faint smile as he thought about how true his little sister's statement was. "Oh well, at least he didn't give any of his own training regime to me. That was just insane. I still can't believe he's able to stand on his own two feet let alone bring me back here."
"Um… what exactly is his training regime?" Naruto asked with curiosity and clear growing concern for Shinachiku.
Boruto blinked his eyes as he thought it over and decided to tell his father.
"Well…"
It was like ripping off a band aid.
"WHAT?!"
A very painful one.
.
.
Shinachiku now sat on the bed of his designated room within the Uchiha compound, using a very heavy set of dumbbells, which were each originally weight two-hundred fifty pounds, but he used his fūinjutsu to increase them by three, making them seven hundred fifty pounds.
'One-hundred ninety-seven. One-hundred ninety-eight. One-hundred ninety-nine. Two hundred.' Shinachiku finished counting as he then slowly lowered his dumbbells and gently placed them upon the ground, giving a sigh of relief as leaned back, pressing his hands against the bed.
"Your definition of a light workout before bedtime is nonsensical. Your sensei would be proud." Mamoru commented.
"You think so?" Shinachiku asked.
"That's a dumb thing to ask." Mamoru said in response, making Shinachiku chuckle with a small grin.
Shinachiku then grabbed a scroll, unfurled it to reveal a sealing formula on it, went down in a push-up position, and managed to place the scroll over his back.
"Kai!" Shinachiku called out as then a large iron statue of a toad appeared on his back.
"You'd be dead by now with all this intensive training without me." Mamoru stated as Shinachiku's body was trembling from the weight of the statue on his back, but nonetheless, started counting as he did push-ups.
"One… two… three… four… fi- oh." Shinachiku noticed Arata at the door of his room. "Hey Arata… what's up?"
"I'll just get the point so you can get back to your workout. I was hoping you could help me with something." Arata said, making Shinachiku raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
.
.
The next day, Sakura had decided to go out for lunch during her break. She was currently walking down the streets of Konoha, looking for a nice place to sit down and have a meal.
She didn't need to search much since she had then heard someone call out her name. Well, sort of.
"Oi~, Dekorin~ (Forehead Girl~)! Over Here!" A familiar voice called out to her, causing a vein in Sakura's forehead to bulge in anger.
'Damn Ino-Buta (Pig).' Sakura thought with an anime glare as she turned to see Ino sitting at an outside table with Hinata, Tenten and Temari at a dango shop.
"Come sit with us!" Ino called out to her longtime friend with a smile and wave.
Sakura sighed at her best friend's behavior.
'Oh well, at least I'll be spending time with friends.' Sakura thought with a smile as she made her way over. "Hey guys."
"Sit, sit. We haven't ordered anything yet." Ino said with a bright smile as she gestured towards a vacant seat at the table. "So~, how've you been?" Ino asked.
"Fine, I suppose."
"Something bothering you?" Temari asked.
"Just, um… him." Sakura answered.
"Oh, you mean the green eyed one of the pair? I heard he and the others of Konohamaru's team were in a real bind on their recent mission." Ino said.
"I saw them that day." Tenten brought up, catching everyone's attention. "Metal's team along with Inojin and his team helped get them to the hospital. They were all banged up, but none of them looked worse than Arata and Shinachiku."
"Well, your eyes didn't deceive you. Those two were damaged inside and out. Their own chakra network was damaged. Especially Shinachiku's! That boy! He just had to have abilities that worked as double-edged swords! If he pushed it any further, Kami-sama knows where he'd be right now! No doubt in intensive care! That baka!" Sakura complained, surprising her friends.
Suddenly, Hinata giggled, surprising the rest.
"It's so odd how easy it is to worry about him, isn't it?" Hinata said to the pink haired medic with a smile on her face.
"I guess the same is said for you and Arata, eh, Hinata?" Sakura questioned, rhetorically, with a smile as well.
"Mm." Hinata nodded in response as she and Sakura laughed a bit at this.
"Aw~, look at that. Guess bonds can be strong enough to surpass different realities." Ino said with a smile and resting her cheek upon her hand.
"Don't speak too loudly about it." Sakura said frowning to Ino.
"You know, I only came across them once and they were so polite. Shockingly so given who their father is. Although between the two, I'd say Shinachiku shocks me even more given who his mother is." Ino said with a teasing smile, causing Sakura to growl as she glared at her. "Still though, from what little I've seen, they're good kids and they definitely take more after their mothers." Ino quickly said, giving an innocent smile to her best friend.
"Sure, whenever they're not training or in a life-threatening situation. Then the resemblance is uncanny." Sakura said with a frown. "You should have read the diagnosis. They both exerted so much chakra that they were close to full on chakra exhaustion, but that wasn't even the worst of it. Apparently, they have access to these techniques that as a result damages their internal structure. Their chakra pathways, muscles, even nervous system took a hit from whatever they did. Though some earned more specific damage than the other. Shinachiku's chakra pathways has expanded to much, straining them, and his right arm was damaged with shredded muscle fibers, fractures, stress to the blood vessels and it was covered in burn marks caused by an intensive head along with damage done by something with tremendous force! Arata on the other hand, though he didn't suffer as much physical damage as Shinachiku, he used something that pushed his nervous system a bit too far, especially in the cranium. The poor kid was in a bit of a daze when he arrived. He wasn't as intuitive as he normally is. He actually needed time to process his surroundings, a few moments at best. It was like he was fighting to stay focused on whatever was around him. Those two… if it were any other shinobi, I'm sure they would have wound up dead the moment they arrived back here. Those two are just as reckless as Sasuke and Naruto. Hell, even more so considering they were okay with making techniques that could put them in critical condition! The bakas." Sakura complained with gritted teeth in the form of a frown and her arms crossed.
Ino, Temari and Tenten stared at Sakura with surprised wide eyes.
"I see. So it was that bad." Hinata said, causing the others to look to her to see her looking down at her lap with a calm, yet clearly worried look.
"Oh, uh, don't worry about it Hinata. I was just venting is all. Sorry about that." Sakura said with a worried and apologetic smile, along with eye smiles as she had a sweat-drop and her hands up a bit. "See, Shinachiku, well… he is his father's son." Sakura sighed. "He heals fast, but throughout his stay at the hospital he just couldn't help but use his regained strength to heal Arata and the others. Every time he thought he had enough chakra to spare, he spent it making sure everyone else was better. He didn't care how long his stay would be, so long as the others were just the closer to recovery. So stubborn… yet so selfless." Sakura said, and despite her complaints, she couldn't help but smile at Shinachiku's actions.
"You know that smile looks pretty proud right now." Tenten pointed out with a smirk, causing Sakura to flinch.
"You're seeing things." Sakura quickly said, turning her head away and crossed her arms.
"How about the other one?" Temari asked.
"Arata-kun, thankfully, follows reason. He focused on his own health and did as he was told. Thankfully he regained his senses as soon as we were done treating him, but he still had a bit of a headache, but that subsided soon enough. Granted, Shinachiku helped him heal faster, but still, I wish he would focus on his own recovery as well." Sakura explained with a smile.
"Going back to worrying over Shinachiku, and he's technically not even yours." Ino said, while whispering the last part at the end for only the table to hear.
"Like Hinata said, it's odd how easy it is to worry about him." Sakura admitted as she rested her cheek upon her fist.
"Yes, it is." Hinata said as she then softly smiled. "But we honestly don't need to worry much. From what Boruto has told me, they are extraordinarily strong for their age. So long as their opponents aren't on the level of these cultists, I'm confident they'll always make their way back home, and with everyone with them." Hinata said as her smile brightened up.
"Yeah, got to give them that. From what I've been told by Sarada, everyone was far worse for wear. If Shina hadn't had been there with his clones and tags, constantly healing everyone… I don't want to think about it." Sakura said, impressed by Shinachiku's medical skills, and all while being under attack by what Sarada and Boruto agreed was a Beast of a Woman.
"So, he's a medical ninja and can use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" Temari asked with her interest being piqued. "To be able to do both is no easy task. One requires excellent chakra control and the other a sizeable pool of chakra. The child must have trained hard to master the perfect balance for each practice."
"Well, he managed it, but from what I've heard it took him so long to reach that required balance. Apparently, he's been training since he was five." Sakura answered.
"Five? Well, no wonder he's so capable." Temari commented.
"And strong too. Don't let his appearance fool you. He may not look it, but he has his mama's strength, and he's proud of it." Sakura said with a wide, kind of cocky, smile as she flexed her right bicep and grabbed it with her other hand.
"You know you really shouldn't say that while giving that pose or else people might get the wrong idea." Ino said in a low tone with a teasing smile, causing Sakura to flinch.
"R-Right." Sakura said with an embarrassed smile and pair of eye smiles as she brought her arms down with her hands on her lap.
They all heard a sigh making the group turn towards Tenten.
"I'm kind of worried for the boy though." Tenten said with a concerned frown.
"Why's that?" Sakura asked with a half-lidded eyes that reflected suspicion.
"Oh, not because of… you know, but, well… see he came over to my shop yesterday to order some new weights for some friends of his to help them with training." Tenten quickly said with a nervous smile, eye smiles and her hands up in defense. "I was happy to help, but when I got a good look at him, I saw…"
"Let me guess… a pair of familiar green tights." Sakura said with a frown as she rested her cheek onto her hand again.
"No~." Ino said breathlessly as she stared with shocked, wide eyes.
"Unfortunately so." Sakura answered with her eyes closed. "Apparently, Shinachiku gets in this mood when he fights someone leagues above himself and wears it when he's prepared for intense training."
"Oh no, Lee, look what you've done." Tenten said in a low tone as she lightly palmed her forehead.
"I don't know, it also sounds like a Naruto move." Ino said in a low tone as well.
"Some things can be inherited, but others can be taught. If he's willing to put on that get up and walk around in public with no shame whatsoever, then clearly Lee has had a major influence on him." Tenten countered.
"What's worse… he actually thinks that outfit looks cool." Sakura admitted with a frown and pressing her fingers against her forehead.
"Say What?!" Ino exclaimed.
"Are you kidding?!" Tenten questioned in disbelief.
"I thought a child like that would know some form of shame." Temari said with a small frown.
"Everyone, we shouldn't be judging so harshly over something like this." Hinata pointed out.
"I suppose. It's not like Shinachiku emulates Lee completely. He just seems more enthusiastic over training." Sakura said.
"The question is, how enthusiastic. Lee takes training to an extreme and it makes you wonder how extreme Shinachiku's would be." Tenten pointed out.
The others blinked their eyes as they thought over what Tenten said. She did have a point. Did Shinachiku take extremes? If he did, what were they? Were they less intense, just as intense or, heaven forbid, more intense?
Sakura just groaned as she started rubbing her temples.
"Maybe we should move on to something else." Ino said with a smile, when a waitress came over. "Oh, perfect timing. Could we get five orders of dango and green tea, please?" Ino said, earning a nod from the waitress.
'Some dango should help alleviate my mind today. The sweet syrupy taste might just be what I need.' Sakura thought with a smile.
"Shinachiku! Stop!" A female voice was heard.
'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.' Sakura thought with a frown and lightly facepalming as she knew that voice anywhere. She turned her head, along with the rest at the table, to see Sarada running down the street with Mitsuki.
"That crazy idiot!" Sarada complained.
"Sarada!" Sakura called out to her daughter, making her stop, along with Mitsuki.
"M-Mama!"
"What happened? Where's Shinachiku?" Sakura asked with a bit of a stern expression.
"He's up there." Mitsuki said, pointing upward towards the roofs.
Sakura, Ino, Temari, Tenten and Hinata looked up, only for their jaws to drop, as they saw Shinachiku running across the roofs with stones tied around his arms and legs, along with a giant boulder strapped to his back. All the stones also had sealing formulas written upon them.
"Oh, What the Hell?!" Sakura screamed out with an anime styled look of aggravation as she saw Shinachiku hopping from roof to roof, before then hopping upon smaller structures like signs and bouncing off against poles, never decreasing in speed.
'Got to keep moving! Never lose your stride! Never lose resolve! Full On Youth, Dattebaro!' Shinachiku mentally proclaimed as he started hopping off of the tops of lanterns, acting as if he wasn't being weighed down by any of the stones attached to his person.
"SHINACHIKU, YOU BAKA! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Sakura screamed out as she shot out of her seat.
'Kaa-chan?!' Shinachiku flinched with an anime look of fear as his head immediately snapped over to see a very angry Sakura. However, this loss of focus cost him as he felt the entire weight of the stones, causing his whole body to dropped downward upon the current lantern he was on, snapping the wire it was attached to.
Sakura, Sarada and nearby people screamed out in shock and worry as they watched Shinachiku sped down towards the ground, slamming into it.
"Shina-Onii-chan!" Sarada called out the blonde's name as she, Mitsuki and Sakura rushed over. Normally, someone would have been crushed under the boulder once they fell from such a height, but to their surprise, they arrived to see that the stones had disappeared and were replaced with pillows. "Pillows?" Sarada questioned in surprise.
"Oh, I see. Very ingenious." Mitsuki said with an impressed smile.
"Ow~." Shinachiku said with a pained frown.
"You're welcome." Mamoru said to his host.
Shinachiku groaned as he managed to get on his hands and knees, tossing the pillow from his back.
"Maybe I should seal pillows into the front of my clothes." Shinachiku said as he patted away the dirt from his green jumpsuit. Suddenly, he felt a very familiar sensation when he was grabbed by the ear, which was roughly pulled. "Ow~!"
"You Baka! You Just Got Discharged Yesterday! Are You Trying To Pull A Naruto And Put Yourself Back In There?!" Sakura screamed out with an anime look of annoyance.
"Suman, Suman, Suman!" Shinachiku cried out with a pain and scared anime expression.
"Now I see the Naruto in there." Ino said with an amused smile.
"Mm hmm." Tenten, Temari and Hinata agreed with nods.
'Sad to say, but from what I've just seen, he's a little bit more extreme than Lee.' Tenten thought with a frown. 'Although, if Lee could do the same, he would.'
"Sorry, mama. I tried to stop him, but for someone carrying all those stones he sure is fast." Sarada said, apologizing to her mother for not being fast enough to stop Shinachiku's reckless training regime.
"Not to mention their weight were increased by fūinjutsu." Mitsuki added, still smiling.
"That a fact?" Sakura questioned with a frown and half-lidded eyes.
"I have to push myself if I want to get stronger." Shinachiku said.
"To The Point Of Killing Yourself?! For Crying Out Loud, You're A Medic, Dammit!" Sakura shouted as she pulled on Shinachiku's ear a bit more.
"That's what I've been saying!" Sarada shouted with as much annoyance as her own mother.
'So this how Hanami feels when kaa-chan and I gang up on her. Not a pleasant feeling, but I knew that already.' Shinachiku thought with gritted teeth in the form of a frown and anime eyes. He blinked his eyes when he noticed someone across from them. "Ehō?" Shinachiku spoke the boy's name, causing Sakura and Sarada to stop scolding him as they two noticed the boy.
Ehō had a serious look on his face as he stared at Shinachiku. He knelt, grabbed a rock from the ground and placed upon the back of his hand. Showing it off to Shinachiku, he focused chakra right underneath the small stone and caused it to travel along the back of his hand and then go right underneath. Ehō brought his hand up to reveal the stone was staying attached to his palm with nothing but his chakra.
"Whoa~! You did it!" Shinachiku said with amazement.
"I did it before you showed back up in the village. The other day I saw you all banged up and being carried by some tall genin with a red hat to the hospital. I tried to see you, but that lady pulling your ear told me that I should let you rest until you were out of the hospital." Ehō explained as he pointed to Sakura, who he referred to as 'that lady'.
"Oh. Sorry to keep you waiting." Shinachiku said as he felt Sakura release her hold on Shinachiku's ear, allowing him to rub it to ease the soreness. "Also, this isn't just any lady. This is Sakura U… chiha, the strongest kunoichi in the world who surpassed Tsunade-sama, one of the four heroes who saved the world from the Infinite Tsukiyomi, and world's greatest medical shinobi of all time, datte- is the truth." Shinachiku introduced the pink kunoichi beside him.
"She's Sakura Uchiha?! No way! I talked to a legend!" Ehō exclaimed with shock and awe at being in the presence of none other than the greatest kunoichi who ever lived.
"Nice to meet you." Sakura greeted the boy with a pleasant smile. She will admit, hearing such things did fill her with pride and clearly brought a smile to her face. "Impressive accomplishment with that rock there. Are you an academy student?"
"Not yet! I trained hard to do this so the Boss here could take me on as his apprentice!" Ehō answered, causing Sakura and Sarada to blink their eyes in surprise and confusion.
"Boss?" Sarada questioned as she looked to Shinachiku, who laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head.
"R-Right. I promised Ehō here that if he managed to accomplish that little exercise that I gave him that I'd take him under my wing just before we had to leave for the mission." Shinachiku said with a bit of a nervous smile as he also had a pair of eye smiles.
"I told you that I'd master it before you got back! I have Himawari and Yuina as witnesses too!" Ehō proclaimed.
'I'll be damned. Shinachiku just found himself his own Konohamaru.' Sakura thought with an amused smile.
"Oh, I believe ya. Anyway, I was in the middle of my own training, 'ttebaro."
"Hmm?" Sakura looked to Shinachiku with a raised eyebrow and stern expression.
"B-But I can hold that off for tomorrow if anything. After all, a deal's a deal and Uz… super shinobi always keep their word! That's lesson one, datte- should be remembered!" Shinachiku quickly said as he dared not look towards his mother's counterpart. "Anyway, we should start by going off to one of the training grounds. I want to see what you got so far." Shinachiku said as he gently grasped Ehō's shoulder and started guiding him away. "Oi, Sarada, if you're done with your rest, you can join us." Shinachiku said to the female Uchiha as he and Ehō walked pass her.
"Rest?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Today is my turn to train with Shinachiku-onii-chan. He holds nothing back. My body's been aching, especially in the arms." Sarada said with a tired sigh as she slumped over a bit with her arms hanging.
"Shinachiku decided to take this time to train his cardio, along with increasing his body's speed, as you witnessed with the very large stones that he had on himself some moments ago." Mitsuki added.
"He's been training the whole day with crazy training regimes! He had all this gear that no normal human could deal with! I'm starting to think there's something real wrong with his head!" Sarada complained with an anime styled look of annoyance.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down okay. Say, since you're taking a breather, why not have some lunch with your mother and her friends. I'm on break too after all, and I think we both need some nourishment." Sakura said, trying to ease her daughter with a smile and placing her hand on her shoulder.
"Fine." Sarada said with a sigh and her shoulders slumped.
"You can come too, Mitsuki." Sakura offered.
"No thank you. I don't eat. I'll just go with Shinachiku and his new apprentice." Mitsuki said with his usual mock smile.
"By the way, aren't you usually with Boruto instead of Sarada?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, but Boruto told me he just wanted to train alone with Arata today, so I decided to see what Shinachiku's training consisted of. Have to say, it's no wonder he's so powerful. The things he goes through makes me look more human in comparison. Ja ne." Mitsuki said before walking away towards the direction Shinachiku and Ehō left towards.
"He looks more human than Shinachiku?" Sakura questioned with confusion.
"The sad thing is what he said was pretty accurate." Sarada said with a frown and shrug. "I'm too tired to complain. I need to refuel." Sarada said as she walked over towards the table where Ino, Tenten, Temari and Hinata were, with her mother following, surprised by what her daughter had just said.
"Hi, Sarada-chan." Ino greeted the Uchiha-Haruno with a smile.
"Hello, Ino-obasan, everyone. Forgive my intrusion." Sarada said with a small apologetic bow.
"Oh, hush. Like your company would ever be unwanted." Ino said with a wider smile and dismissive wave as both the mother and daughter Harunos sat down at the table. "So~, spending time your 'older brother', I see." Ino teased with a small smile.
"Not right now. Normally he's so calm and reasonable, aside from his obsession over ramen-"
'Another thing he has in common with his father.' Ino thought with a smirk.
"But apparently, thanks to those stupid tights, it's like he's transformed into a crazed, training obsessed, energetic, stubborn fool with possible masochistic tendencies." Sarada complained as she leaned back in her seat.
"Sounds like Lee in a nutshell." Tenten said with a small pout as she rested her cheek against the bottom of her now enclosed hand.
"Oh, right. I forgot, Metal's father is… well, you know." Sarada said, now realizing where he must have gotten this intense habit from.
"How intense is his workout?" Temari asked with genuine curiosity.
"To the point that you could register it as suicide!" Sarada shouted with an angered expression, shocking the others, causing her to flinch in embarrassment. "Sorry." Sarada with an embarrassed blush, which turned darker as she noticed nearby customers looking to her with concern.
"I've heard." Hinata said, further shocking the women. "Boruto told us last night what his training regime is. It truly is something else and it explains how he is so strong… but it is rather concerning." Hinata said with a small frown.
"What… exactly is it?" Sakura asked, now concerned over Shinachiku's regime.
"Umm…" Hinata wasn't sure if now was the best time.
"Please, Hinata. I need to know." Sakura pleaded, causing the Hyūga to sigh.
"Sakura… try to stay calm as best as you can, please." Hinata pleaded in return, earning a nod from Sakura who had a serious expression on her face.
Hinata now knew how her son felt, being so reluctant to share it to one of the boy's parents' counterparts. She just got over it quick, like ripping off a band-aid.
"WHAT?!"
A very painful one.
Both mother and daughter had screamed out in shock to hear what the blonde's training regime was.
"I Only Knew About A Few Of Them! He Does Even Worse Than That?!" Sarada screamed out with a shock and annoyed anime expression.
"THAT FOOL! I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!" Sakura screamed out with a pissed anime expression.
"Uh, Sakura, maybe you and Sarada should keep it down." Ino said with a nervous smile and a sweat-drop as she noticed the surrounding people looking at their table with uneasy expressions.
"When I get my hands on that little baka!" Sakura growled out with gritted teeth as she brought up her hands, which were shaking with rage with her fingers twitching, as if ready to wrap around a person's neck.
"That idiot… How Could He Be More Reckless Than What I've Seen?! I Can't Believe He Makes Boruto Look Tamed! Why I oughta~…" Sarada growled out with gritted teeth just like her mother as she brought up a shaking fist.
"Like mother, like daughter." Temari said in a low tone.
"It's so nostalgic I'm kind of scared right now." Ino admitted, continuing to smile nervously with a pair of eye smiles.
"I'm sorry I had to drop this on you." Hinata said with a frown and apologetic bow.
"No, it's fine. It's Shina who should be apologizing for making us worry so much." Sakura said with a deep frown and her eyes closed as she slammed her hand onto her knee and other arm against the table.
"And Lee." Tenten added, causing the group to turn to her. "I figured he would have some sort of influence on him, but I didn't expect it to be this much." Tenten said with a deep frown of her own and resting her cheek on her hand. "Although, from just hearing that list alone I think Lee and even Gai-sensei would say that's too much."
"To accomplish all that, this kid's physical strength must be kage-level." Temari said.
"I think even kage would say that's insane." Ino said before turning to Sakura. "Guess it's a good thing he takes more after his mother in the strength department, huh?" She said with a smile, causing Sakura to sigh.
"But there's still plenty of his father in there too." Sakura said in a low tone.
"How about we move onto the other one. Make it easier on everyone." Temari suggested.
"Good idea." Ino commented with a smile. "So far from what I've seen he is very polite and has the most adorable smile I have ever seen! Aside from my precious little Inojin's of course." Ino said with a gushing smile as she held her cheeks.
"You're acting as foolish as you were when you were over the moon for Sasuke-kun." Sakura said with a frown and dull eyes.
"Like you were any better back then. I'm just complimenting on how perfect of a combination that he is." Ino retorted, still smiling.
"Show some shame. You're going to give people the wrong idea." Temari said with an annoyed frown.
"Oi, what the hell?!" Ino shouted with an annoyed anime expression.
"Actually, given Ino's behavior… I think that's the best way to describe Arata-kun." Sakura said, surprising the rest.
"What do you mean?" Temari asked with a raised eyebrow.
"When we were younger, we always had this idea of what Sasuke could have been. In fact, I dare say we fell more in love with that idea than the actual Sasuke when were younger." Sakura shared, causing Ino to chuckle nervously with an embarrassed blush as she rubbed the back of her neck. "We always like how mysterious he was, how he never showed his emotions, a very powerful and capable person destined to be a great shinobi, and how calm and cool he was, even in the face of Naruto, who was at his most obnoxious back in the academy days."
'Nanadaime-sama? Obnoxious?!' Sarada thought with utter shock.
"I can believe that." Temari admitted with her arms crossed causing Sarada to flinch and look even more shocked.
"However, that was what we knew. What we expected was someone who was kind to those who became his friends, was always on top of everything, never missing a beat, putting others and their needs before his own, never ignoring his friends or even others in need, always knew that love, compassion and the bonds you make are the strongest things of all, and most of all, not afraid to smile every once in a while, especially whenever he was with friends and those very precious to him." Sakura listed with a soft smile on her face, but then that smile turned upside down. "In actuality, he wasn't kind to anyone he deemed weaker or less in status to him, he put his own needs before others, especially when getting himself stronger was involved, he ignored us as much as he was able to unless we were needed for something, he only believed gaining power was the most important thing in life and bonds were a weakness that should be severed, and he only ever smiled when he felt superior to another or when an insult he found funny was jabbed at someone he had a low opinion of, mainly Naruto, and despite being on top of everything and never missing a beat, he constantly overlooked the obvious things like how he would find happiness and real strength with his friends instead of a creepy snake guy who promised to make him stronger and a fellow clansmen who masqueraded as an undead infamous legend and started a war that almost doomed us all. Far from what any of us expected when we were kids. A real piece of work." Sakura said with a dull expression and deep frown.
"Yeah. Definitely a far cry there." Ino said with an embarrassed and unnerved smile that twitched at the corner.
'And I once thought he was cute.' Temari and Tenten thought with deep frowns as they mentally berated themselves.
"That was papa?" Sarada asked with an unnerved frown.
"He's gotten better now, sweetie. Trust me." Sakura said with an embarrassed and nervous smile as she gently placed her hand on Sarada's shoulder. "Anyway, the point I'm making is, is that Arata-kun is what we all thought Sasuke would have turned out to be, and much, much more." Sakura made her point. "Boy, how wrong we were back then though." She added with slump shoulders and a disappointed frown.
"Mama!" Sarada exclaimed, shocked at her mother's sudden behavior.
"Sorry, sorry." Sakura said with a nervous grin and her hands up in defense. 'Thank goodness I never mentioned how her father was willing to kill me a few times. I don't need to start paying a shrink.'
"Sounds like you got a lot of baggage there." Temari commented. "Although, given this new information, it does keep bringing more and more questions on how Arata came to be." Temari said in a low tone as she looked to Hinata.
"It's not the first time I heard someone wonder that." Hinata confessed, surprising the rest at the table.
"What do you mean?" Tenten asked.
"Before they went off on their mission, otōsan (father) wanted Boruto to bring Arata-kun to the compound. Things went fine between he and Arata-kun, in fact more than fine, they got along very well. However, Hanabi was reluctant. It wasn't because she didn't like Arata-kun, just… his appearance kept her wondering how his mother would be able to come to love his father." Hinata shared.
"Did… you ever get an answer?" Ino asked.
"I did. Arata-kun had said that out of everyone Sasuke-kun is the most different." Hinata confessed, shocking everyone.
"He is?" Ino asked with shock.
"How?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well… for one, he only takes either a week or two a month to go out of village to do his job." Hinata confessed.
"What?!" Sakura shouted as she slammed her fists onto the table, cracking it a bit, causing the others to flinch, along with the waitress who arrived with their dango and tea.
"Uh, thank you for that." Ino said to the waitress, offering her a smile, albeit an embarrassed one, as she took the platter from her hands. "You mind if we get another order for the child."
"A-And some black tea please." Sarada added with an embarrassed look and blush.
"S-Sure." The waitress said with a nod, offering a smile, albeit a nervous one, as she quickly walked away.
"Great. So I have the short end of the stick. Aren't you so lucky, Hinata?" Sakura said with a frown as she took her dango and chomped into one.
"I-I'm not the one who-"
"No, no, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just really steamed to hear that Arata's father is around more often than my husband." Sakura apologized to the Byakugan wielder.
"… I'm… I'm kind of glad." Sarada said, shocking the elder women. "I mean, I wish my papa was around more… but I'm glad Arata and the others don't have to deal with not having their own father around." Sarada said with a soft smile.
Sakura blinked her eyes in surprise at her daughter's words, but then smile warmly. She was so proud of her daughter for being so mature.
"Wait… others?" Tenten asked, picking up on what Sarada had mentioned.
"You mean Arata's not an only child?" Temari asked.
"Oh… no, he's not." Sakura said as she was back in a foul mood, chomping on more of her dango as she rested her left cheek upon her hand.
"Su-suman." Hinata apologized with a red blush as she looked down to her lap.
"Not your fault." Sakura said with a dull tone as she ate another piece of dango.
"Um… what the hell, I'll just ask. How many siblings does Arata-kun have?" Ino asked, very curious.
"Six." Sakura answered, still with a dull tone.
"SIX?!" Ino, Temari and Tenten exclaimed with utter shock.
"Five girls, one boy. Two pairs of them are twins with Arata being one of them. He's the eldest of the bunch." Sakura added, having a pout and half-lidded eyes that displayed her annoyance.
"Dang Hinata, way to go." Ino said to the Hyūga in a low tone with shock and awe.
"I-Ino, you know I didn't do anything!" Hinata quickly said with an embarrassed frown and blush.
"The other me and Naruto have Shina and two others. They didn't go for a fourth because from what I heard the other me threatened to have the baby go through him if it happened. Can't say that I blame her. Even going through childbirth once is a real pain. More than just literally." Sakura added with a frown as she took another bite of dango and drank her tea.
"You're starting to sound like a depressed drunk." Ino commented with a sweat-drop.
"You would too if your husband who said he wanted to recreate his clan only gifted you with just one child instead of taking the time to give you more." Sakura said as she turned away with her eyes closed and a pout on her face as her cheeks were red.
"Gross mama. I'm right here." Sarada said with a disgusted frown and half-lidded eyes.
"Although, Naruto did say that he would talk to Sasuke-kun about staying in the village more. Guess once again I'm relying on Naruto to solve my Sasuke-kun problems. To quote a Nara: What a drag." Sakura said, sticking her bottom lip out.
"Hmph." Temari chuckled with a smirk and her arms crossed. 'Poor girl does sound like a depressed drunk though.'
"I should be grateful then that Arata isn't just like his father." Sakura admitted, surprising the rest. "In fact, I pretty much am. More than that though, I'm very grateful that he's friends with Shinachiku, and that he's here with him, ready to always be there and never turn his back on him. It's funny. In many ways he's very similar to his father, and in so many others he's radically different. I just can't help, but smile knowing the person that he is. It just calms my soul that much. To know not only Shina, but even Sarada, are safe with him around… I can't help but thank Kami-sama that's he's around and he is who he is." Sakura confessed with soft eyes and a calm, happy smile.
"Whoa, Dekorin." Ino said as she and the other's stared at her in surprise.
"Look, I can't exactly explain the kind of person Arata is perfectly. He's just one of those people you have to get to know for yourself to get a real picture of. But I can tell you this much, he's a very good boy. That I'm confident I have to credit a lot to his mother." Sakura said with a smile as she then grabbed her teacup and raised it. "Here's to you Hinata." Sakura said in a low tone for only the table to hear.
"Um… thank you, Sakura-san." Hinata said with a small smile. 'Although, again, I had no part in him being the person that he is.' Hinata thought with a more humorous smile.
"Maybe I should have a conversation with this kid. I mean, if he's really that different from his father I want to know firsthand how different." Ino said.
"Well, for one, he's not afraid to smile." Sakura said, causing the others to laugh with her joining in as well.
"So, I hope it's not too much to ask, but how strong is he? I just learned how powerful the other one is, but what of Arata?" Temari asked.
"Well, for one, while Shinachiku's biggest strength is, well, his strength, Arata-kun's is his speed. Not just in travel speed and reaction, but also in attack. The boy's a kenjutsu (sword technique) specialist and he can deliver several strikes in an instance and still have time to sheathe the blade before you could realize he did something. Easily his skills in speed and kenjutsu are Jonin level but can increase to Kage level if he uses his lightning release to enhance his speed." Sakura explained.
"Lightning release as well? Interesting." Temari commented.
"What's more interesting are the tools he has me make for him. They're these little pellets with a chilled core that when cracked, the higher level of temperature that leaks into them causes enough friction to create smoke that he said he uses to create storm clouds." Tenten shared.
"Yeah, that's based on Sasuke-kun's Kirin attack. He uses his Chidori as a lightning rod to guide the lightning in the storm clouds into striking his opponent, which does devastating damage while keeping him from wasting chakra." Sakura added.
"I see. Of course!" Tenten said with an amazed smile.
"Well, not bad. Kid definitely sounds Jonin level. Perhaps Kage level if he was truly able to handle that 'special problem' back in Kiri with the other one." Temari said, impressed by what she was hearing, but still keeping a calm composure.
"Oi don't say 'the other one'. His name is Shinachiku. Say it right." Sakura said to Temari with an annoyed frown.
"Speaking of the kid, he's not going to put that boy with the scarf through too much, is he?" Tenten wondered. "I'm just praying Lee didn't influence him that much."
"I doubt it. Shinachiku may be acting very differently than how he usually acts, but I'm positive he wouldn't force any of his ideas of intense training on the poor boy." Sakura said.
"Speaking of training, I wonder how Boruto's training with Arata-onii-chan is going." Sarada wondered aloud.
"Boruto's training with him?" Ino asked with surprise.
"Yeah. We alternate. I train with Shinachiku-onii-chan today while Boruto trains with Arata-onii-chan, and we switch off the next day." Sarada answered.
"Since Shinachiku-kun is doing his own training, does that mean Arata-kun is doing the same?" Hinata asked.
"Quite possibly. He said he was taking yesterday off to rest before doing so, so most likely right now he's either doing exactly that or saving it for when he's not with Boruto. Either way, I am curious how he trains since it's clearly different from Shinachiku-onii-chan." Sarada said as the waitress then came back and placed a teacup full of black tea in front of it.
"Well, you can think about that later. Right now, you should enjoy your dango before it gets cold." Ino said with a smile.
"Yeah, you're right." Sarada said with a smile as she took the stick of dango into her hands and chowed down. "Still though, makes a girl curious on what kind of training he does to get stronger." Sarada said with a smile.
.
.
In a section of the forest, kneeling on one knee upon a small, circular piece of land in the center of a body of water, right in front of a waterfall, was Arata with his eyes closed. He held his chokuto at his side, fully sheathed, with his hand hover a bit over the hilt of the concealed blade. He also had his coat off, which was neatly folded and placed away near the edge beside the body of water away from the patch of land Arata was on right now.
Across from the body of water was Boruto, shirtless and in the center of a large circular sealing formula with three Shinachikus standing by the edges from across Boruto's sides and back, while a fourth one was busy painting a sealing formula upon the whiskered blonde's right arm, with more already written throughout his torso and other arm.
"What kind of training is he doing exactly?" Boruto asked, staring at Arata's kneeling form.
"The usual." The Shinachiku writing on his arm answered.
"And that would be?" Boruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You'll see. The other clones of me already tossed in one of the logs."
"Nani?" Boruto questioned with a raised eyebrow. After getting only silence, he looked back to Arata, who remained still. After a few moments, Boruto noticed something coming off the edge of the waterfall. It was a log that was coming down and falling towards Arata. Boruto watched as the log came close, expecting Arata to slice it up, but to his shock, the Uchiha-Hyūga allowed it to hit him, causing it to bounce off his now laid out form. "What the heck?!" Boruto shouted out in shock that Arata didn't defend himself in any way in the slightest.
"Yeah, it's going to be like that for a while." Said the Shinachiku focusing on finishing making the sealing formula upon Boruto's right arm.
Arata groaned as he started getting back up into his kneeling position and adjusted his chokuto back into its proper position with his hand hovering over the hilt again.
"I don't get it. Normally he would have sliced something like that to bits. If not, he would have at least dodged it, but he just stayed right there. I don't get it, dattebasa." Boruto said with confusion and still in shock.
"That's his way of getting stronger. Allowing what he misses to strike him so he can remember the pain and grow from it. You can gain anything without a rough reminder like that." Shinachiku said.
"That's just weird. Why would someone willingly let themselves get hurt like that?" Boruto questioned the insanity.
"To feed one's resolve. To strengthen one's mind. To make one's will stronger." Shinachiku said, confusing Boruto even more. "There, done." The Shinachiku said as he finished making with marking Boruto.
Boruto looked to his right arm, then all around his upper body, before looking to his right arm again, but this time he was looking to the diamond shaped mark on the palm of his right hand.
.
.
"It's A What?!" Boruto shouted out with utter shock.
"A seal that Ōtsutsukis implant onto other lifeforms that overtime overwrite their DNA to become their own. In an essence it's a form of resurrection. I call it their get out of death free card. Quite pitiful if you ask me, seeing as they tote themselves as the ultimate lifeforms." Arata explained.
"O-Overwrite? You mean this…" Boruto looked to the diamond on the palm of his hand with wide shocked eyes.
"Is slowly overwriting your body's DNA to become the Ōtsutsuki you had last encountered in their last moments within their original body." Arata finished.
"So, this means… MOMOSHIKI IS LITERALLY INSIDE OF ME?!" Boruto screamed out with fear.
"So, he is the one who marked you." Arata stated, theorizing that was the case before hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Boruto screamed out in horror as he grabbed his right arm. "I JUST THOUGHT HIS ESSENCE WAS ATTACHED TO ME, NOT HIM IN GENERAL! WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION THIS BEFORE?!" Boruto screamed at Arata.
"A lot's been happening. A lot. I may notice things pretty quickly but noticing a diamond shape mark at the center of the right palm of your hand isn't something you'd instantly notice. Especially when all you've been doing is non-stop missions. I only really got an actual glimpse of it back we were sparring back at the Hyūga compound." Arata explained, keeping his calm, stoic demeanor as always.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU MENTION IT THEN?!" Boruto screamed out with clearly frustration.
"In front of your mother?" Arata questioned, rhetorically, causing Boruto to flinch. "I let it slide then but made a mental note to handle it later. Unfortunately, we had our recent mission the following day, which led to Shina and my hospitalization that we were discharged from just yesterday. Couldn't handle it then."
Boruto looked down to the mark on his hand, frowning with despair at not just the idea of losing himself to it and the bastard apparently inside it as well (fuck that Momoshiki!), but also realizing the heartbreak his own mother would feel if she discovered that one of her children… might cease to exist. Possibly.
"Arata! You Got To Do Me Big Favor!" Boruto quickly spoke with urgency.
"I'm not cutting your arm off." Arata immediately responded.
"Why Not?!" Boruto shouted out.
"Five reasons. One: I don't believe in unnecessary acts of violence. Two: I don't enjoy making people bleed. Why do you think I always fight other living beings who aren't Oni Zetsu or psychotic immortal-esque foes with no respect for life itself with the blunt end of my blade? Three: I would never forgive myself for cutting off your arm, even if it was to help you. Four: I wouldn't be able to look both your mother and my own in the eyes after doing so. And five: There is another way to handle this without sacrificing a single body part." Arata listed off with a finger counting each reason.
"You sure?" Boruto asked with blinking eyes.
Arata took off his left glove and revealed to Boruto he too had the same diamond shaped mark at the center of his left palm, shocking the golden blonde haired genin.
"How do you think I know so much?" Arata rhetorically questioned.
Boruto blinked his eyes as he looked down to his own mark and then back to Arata's.
"Wait… I remember… that's…"
"Hn. It's Momoshiki's. The one from my universe." Arata answered with a nod.
"Right… he got you too?" Boruto asked, shocked by this new development.
"Actually, he had a choice between either myself, my sister or Shina. He decided to go for the one with the powerful body and fox spirit inhabiting his body. I got in the way." Arata answered as he looked to the Kāma on his left hand.
"You… you saved him." Boruto said, still in shock, but also in awe at Arata's sacrifice.
"Hn." Arata nodded in response as he then pulled back his coat sleeve to reveal more markings upon his forearm. These ones a pair of lines that wrapped around his forearm in a pair of rings with a pattern of several outlines in the form of circles in between the two rows. "This… is the answer." Arata said, showing the markings off to Boruto.
"Oh. Of course. Fūinjutsu." Boruto said, now feeling dumb.
"This sealing formula is made to repress the marks effects. It slows the rewriting of your DNA to a near standstill, allowing you to live a normal life as a human before the complete change in DNA is ever complete. However, it doesn't bare you from its use. You can still access the power of the mark, but by doing so, you run the risk of advancing the process of your DNA being rewritten. These circles here display how much you are pushing it. The seal will keep your DNA from rewriting too much, but the moment all seven are filled in, then the process will continue at its original speed. Overuse will increase the rapid pace. In other words, this sealing formula will still allow you to access the mark's power, but don't get used to it, unless you want to be more and more like those intergalactic freaks." Arata explained.
"I… I see." Boruto said as he then looked from the sealing around Arata's forearm, to the mark on the palm of his own right hand. "And what of Momoshiki?" Boruto asked.
"He's still in there. Unfortunately, an unexpected side-effect of the seal is that you'll be hearing him more often in your head, coaxing you to use the seal more often. If anything, not unlike your father back when Kurama wasn't on good terms with anybody." Arata explained.
"Ā otoko~ (Aw man~), like I wanted to be any more like my old man." Boruto complained with a frown as he had his hands behind his back.
'At least he's acting more like himself now.' Arata thought as he chuckled with an amused smile and eye smiles.
"Hey, the Uzumakis in your world are super-duper sealing masters, right? All of them. Not just Shinachiku and his father, right? That Hanami girl too?" Boruto asked.
"Arashi and Tsunade-sama as well. The latter never bothered with it to focus her talents more on the medical arts. Plus, she didn't want to paint a target on her back. Or at least, a bigger one than she already had. Finding an Uzumaki sealing master is luckier than finding several mines filled with nothing but gold at the same time." Arata explained.
"Right. They go for a pretty high price on the black market. At least, that's what Kaito said." Boruto said, remembering the old Uzumaki from Nami no Kuni.
"Given what it can do, it's not hard to see why, after all." Arata commented as he lightly tapped his finger against the sealing formula around his forearm.
"Yeah, that's the thing. If they're able to make seals that even screw with Ōtsutsukis, then why not-"
"We can't separate Momoshiki from our bodies. At least not easily." Arata answered, knowing exactly where Boruto was going with this.
"Dammit~! Why not?" Boruto questioned.
"Because that slimy bastard isn't just within our bodies, he's also attached to our souls. We are now tethered together either until our deaths or for all eternity if we let him take over for good." Arata answered, shocking Boruto.
"So… we can't get rid of him? Ever? There's no fūinjutsu that can help with that?" Boruto asked, now feeling fear again.
"I didn't say that. I said we can't separate from him easily." Arata corrected.
"How difficult is it?" Boruto asked.
"Considering it's a Ōtsutsuki, which has more chakra than the biju, it with take a vast amount of chakra to initiate the process alone, and it would take a considerable amount of time, since they would have to detach the soul bit by bit, making sure not to damage your own in the process. Like carefully removing stitches one by one, and if you remove the incorrect one at the moment, you'll damage the patient, very badly, and damage to the soul is not something that can be healed like a wound. Scars might be easier to fix than that." Arata explained.
"I see. So, it'll be way too much for me and the sealing master. It's not worth it." Boruto said with a frown, now forced to accept that he and Momoshiki were stuck together. Literally, in a spiritual sense.
"It doesn't suit you." Arata said, causing Boruto to look to him with a raised brow. "That sense of defeat. I thought Boruto Uzumaki never dwells on such things like that." Arata said, causing Boruto's eyes to blink in shock.
"Who the Hell Do You Think You're Talking To?! Me? Defeated? As if!" Boruto shouted out, putting on a tough disposition.
'There we go. Keep that willpower.' Arata thought with a smile.
"So, when do we start this process?" Boruto asked, gesturing to his right arm.
"Right now." A voice spoke as four Shinachiku's appeared, causing Boruto to jump in surprise. "All you had to do was ask." One of the Shinachikus said.
.
.
"Ready?" The Shinachiku that had written the sealing formula asked Boruto.
"Whenever you are." Boruto responded, earning a nod from the clone as it walked backwards and got into position.
The four Shinachiku clones made a four-point formation around the edges of a large circular sealing formula with Boruto standing at the center.
"This'll take some time, so be prepared." The Shinachiku clone said as he and the others brought their hands together, ready to go through the needed hand seals.
"Yo, Arata! After this is done, we'll start training, right?" Boruto called out to his maternal half-brother.
"If you wake up by then, of course." Arata answered without moving or opening his eyes.
"Wake up?" Boruto questioned with surprise and confusion.
"Oh, yeah, this sealing formula will need to connect with your chakra as well and force it into overdrive to assist with creating the seal, so when this process is done, you'll be out like a light." The Shinachiku clone said.
"Wait, what?! No one mentioned that!" Boruto complained with shock.
"Sāikō!" (Let's go!) The Shinachiku clone shouted as he and the other clones burst with golden chakra as the edge of the circular sealing formula glowed gold in response and created four smaller circles of seals right under the clones, who quickly started going through several hand seals.
Starting from the sealing circles the clones were standing on, more golden inscriptions came from them, creating a row that travelled along the ground and made it to the center where Boruto was, forming another sealing formula in the form of a circle.
Boruto was feeling a little nervous as he looked down to the golden inscriptions of the sealing formula.
All the Shinachiku clones started going through hand seals at a rapid pace as their bodies started radiating golden chakra, and soon enough the sealing formula on the ground was starting to glow golden light from its inscriptions.
Boruto looked around, a bit nervously, as he was shocked, amazed and worried about what was going to transpire. He did not expect such a show from fūinjutsu alone. He just thought it was all about just writing and stuff would happen. He never expected for it to be so complex and eye-catching! He's never seen a jutsu like this before! He's seen some super powerful mountain busting ones before, but none of those compared to what he was witnessing right now. It all just looked… otherworldly.
Suddenly the circle he was in created four new rows of golden inscriptions that then suddenly crawled up his body, surrounding him as the seals written around his own body started to glow as well. The inscriptions surrounding his body that came from both the formula on the ground and the one already written on his person started to shift, bend even, and come together, morphing into a brand-new inscription that glowed brighter than the sealing on the ground. Then suddenly the Kāma mark activated, spreading up his right arm to the right side of his face and upper body, only for the golden inscriptions to start going into Kāma, fusing with it as now golden inscription became one with it before it started shining into a white gold glow.
Boruto blinked his eyes as he had a look of shock and awe as he stared at the Kāma marks with golden inscription inside. It all then shined immensely bright as the inscription of the sealing formula upon the ground glowed an even brighter gold, enveloping a minor part of the area before a plume of golden chakra shot from the circle surrounding Boruto, encasing the whiskered boy.
Boruto shot up his head as he screamed out in pain with the golden chakra surrounding him. His Kāma markings then twisted and churned around his body, as if trying to fight off the effects of the sealing formula inside of it.
The Shinachikus remained strong as they continued to work on the seal, not budging an inch from the force of the torrent of chakra in the center.
Boruto continued to scream as then the Kāma marking started to recede from his face and upper body, travelling back around the arm as it continued to bend and twist, morphing a bit into a different pattern as now parts of it broke off and formed a ring around the shoulder with several circular outlines scattered around the bicep and upper part of the forearm with another ring forming at the center of the forearm. The upper ring started to go down the right arm as the circular outlines started to shift, slowly coming together in a row that lowered as the top ring came closer downward, until the pattern of circle outlines stopped above the lower ring and the upper ring stopped above the row of circular outlines.
Boruto suddenly screamed even louder as it now sounded like two people were screaming simultaneously. An echo of white chakra surrounded Boruto in an intangible silhouette in the form of none other than Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki appeared, screaming alongside Boruto.
"DAMN YOU, YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!" Momoshiki screamed out as his silhouette expanded and burst into particles of chakra.
The particles scattered before coming together as they were absorbed into the Kāma seal, and with one last burst of shining bright light, the plume of chakra along with the shining golden illumination from the large seal upon the ground vanished from sight.
Boruto had stopped screaming as his eyes were now lazily staring upwards. His upper lids were heavy, covering most of his eyes, before they started becoming heavier and heavier. Boruto's body then fell backwards, hitting the ground as he now laid there, unconscious.
All the Shinachiku sighed with relief.
"Heh. Funny. That's how he was during your ritual, right?" The firs Shinachiku asked Arata with a smile.
"Hn." Arata responded with a smirk. His brow furrowed as he sensed another log ready to come down from the waterfall. He gripped the hilt of his chokuto tightly, but as it came down, he let out a small grunt of annoyance before impact. He groaned in pain as he started to get back to his hands and knees, then got back into his previous position. He took in a deep breath through his nose and exhaled calmly out his mouth. "Nothing brightens your day like a vile Ōtsutsuki's own being ruined."
.
.
Ehō let out a battle cry as he charged towards Shinachiku, who was in a Gōken, smirking. Ehō delivered a punch that Shinachiku easily dodged, but he quickly slammed his hands onto the ground and used the momentum to lift his body up and delivered a handstand kick that Shinachiku blocked with his arm, grabbed it and tossed him away to the side.
Ehō tumbled against the ground, but was far from accepting defeat as he quickly got to his feet, rushed back with his fist cocked back, but when he made it to Shinachiku, he used a feint punch in an attempt to trick the sunshine blonde, as he leaped into the air and went for a flying roundhouse, but just stepped back and leaned a bit as he used his hand to push the kicked downward, causing Ehō's momentum together with the small push to send him into the ground, where he was forced to slam his hands onto the ground to cushion his fall.
Shinachiku was already on him, grabbing Ehō by the back of his jacket and tossing him away again, sending him skidding against the ground on his back.
Ehō turned his body over, growling as he was now on his hands and knees. He noticed a rock on the ground, giving him an idea. After grabbing the rock, he quickly charged back towards Shinachiku, and as he was nearing him, he threw the rock towards the blonde, forcing him to move his head to the side to dodge it. Ehō let out a battle cry as he was ready to land a punch upon Shinachiku.
"Heh." Shinachiku gained a grinning smirk as he took a back towards the side, causing Ehō to miss his mark as Shinachiku was now facing his side and delivered a chop to the back of his neck, causing Ehō to fall forward, now defeated. 'Man, how nostalgic. He fights just like the Ehō I know. Well, before I started helping him out that is.' Shinachiku thought with a smirk.
Shinachiku walked over to Ehō, kneeled and gently placed his hand over Ehō neck and used medical ninjutsu to help wake the boy up.
Ehō groaned as he regained consciousness and got up on his hands and knees.
"Dammit~! Not even a single hit!" Ehō complained with a look of frustration as he sat up.
"Hey, no need to get so fussy. You may not have landed a blow, but you definitely showed creativity. Not many kids your age try what you did." Shinachiku said, offering support.
"And what did I try that was so different?" Ehō asked with an unconvinced frown.
"Believe or not, one of them being one of the most basic there is. Trying to force your opponent to make an opening. That stunt with the rock was clever, especially for someone who hasn't enrolled at the academy yet. Also, before then, you let yourself go with the momentum of your previous punch, so as to pull off a new attack with that handstand kick of yours. You did pretty well for a kid your age. Especially against a kōdona genin." Shinachiku explained with a smile.
"A kōdona what?" Ehō asked with surprise and confusion.
"Uh… nothing. It's not important. What is important is that you showed promise in the way of being a shinobi." Shinachiku quickly said.
"Yes!" Ehō cheered as he shot up to his feet and thrust his fists up in celebration.
"But it takes more than skill to be a shinobi." Shinachiku said.
"R-Right! It takes knowledge and willpower too!" Ehō quickly said with a cocky smile, trying to sound on top of things shinobi.
"Takes more than that." Shinachiku said, confusing Ehō.
"What… else would it take?" Ehō asked.
"Something that's not easily taught." Shinachiku answered as he stood up straight. "Sure, it can be explained, but to really know it… that's the hard part. There's nothing like the heat of the moment, dattebaro." Shinachiku said as he looked up, thinking about the many choices he made that were pretty controversial to what being a shinobi is. Or at least, what it's always seen as.
"Will… you be able to teach it to me?" Ehō asked, feeling a little nervous.
"I can explain it… but it's something you can only truly learn on your own, Ehō." Shinachiku said, looking down to the bow with a stern expression.
'So cool~.' Ehō thought as he stared at Shinachiku with awe.
"Anyway, for now, we'll focus on building your strength up, along with chakra control exercises." Shinachiku informed.
"Huh? Just that?! Why not anything flashier! Like those moves you used to take down that guy who had those fire gauntlet things?" Ehō questioned with disappointment that he wasn't going to be learning anything on that level yet.
"How do you think I was able to pull off all those techniques?" Shinachiku retorted with a smile and shrug. "I not only built up my strength, but also my chakra control to pull off those techniques."
"Seriously?" Ehō questioned with shock and some disappointment.
"Without proper chakra control you'd just be wasting your strength. Unless you master it, you'll never reach your fullest potential. I mean, just look at the Hokage. His chakra control was abysmal, and the only reason he was as powerful as he was when he started as a genin was thanks to his overabundance of chakra to make up for it." Shinachiku explained.
"Na-Nanadaime-sama?! Are You Serious?!" Ehō questioned with utter shock
"Mm hmm. Although, if he trained more in chakra control, then he would have been much more capable. He could have made more clones, he possibly would have been able to make a Rasengan without the aid of a clone, maybe even worked his way into making an Ōdama Rasengan earlier, he would have gotten a better handling of his Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique), and maybe if Kaka-ojisan did his job as a sensei more appropriately, he could have taught him a more varied arsenal of techniques, 'ttebaro."
"Whoa, Boss, you're a super fan of Nanadaime-sama or something?" Ehō asked, surprised by all this knowledge he was learning of the greatest Hokage there is so far from a foreigner of all people, who flinched in response, realizing his mistake.
"P-Point being! Chakra control is an essential strength. In fact, for me, it is the most important strength to master. That's why I made my intense training regime." Shinachiku quickly said, trying to put on a more dignified look with his eyes closed, but he had red cheeks on his face.
"Yeah, I wanted to ask about that. Was that boulder thing you did really part of your training, Boss?" Ehō asked.
"Yeah. Just some light cardio with weighted boulders is all." Shinachiku said with a smile.
'Light My Ass!' Ehō mentally screamed in an inner anime look of shock and disbelief. "Wait, weighted boulders?" Ehō questioned.
"Oh yeah, see, I'm a fūinjutsu specialist. One of the many fūinjutsus you can learn is increasing the weight and/or gravity of an object or person by several times. I made those stones and boulder weigh three times heavier than what they originally were." Shinachiku explained.
"Three Times?! And That's Light To You?!" Ehō shouted out with utter shock and disbelief, this time displaying it on the outside.
"Well, more or less. It's easier than some of my other practices." Shinachiku said with his eyes looking upward with a raised eyebrow.
"Um… I'm kind of worried to ask, but… what is the rest of your training regime?" Ehō asked, feeling unnerved as he felt he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear.
Shinachiku smirked in response as he was prepared to share his super-duper secret intense training regime for superbly youthful people!
"Prepare yourself, Ehō! Because I'm about to lay on you my Super-Duper Secret Intense Training Regime For Superbly Youthful People!" Shinachiku announced with a huge grin and extending one hand forward and open, while the other hand was on his hip, causing Ehō to gulp.
"O-Okay." Ehō said with a nod and a bit of sweat down the side of his head.
"You saw my Heavy Intense Cardio Training, but I also have much, much more! Like my Twin Iron Toad Training, where I tie rope around a pair of large iron statues in the shape of toads which had a weight of two tons and lift them up using the other end of the rope tied around him arms!"
"TWO TONS?!" Ehō screamed out with absolute shock.
"Each." Shinachiku added with a proud smile and finger up. "I nowadays use my fūinjutsu to increase their weight by three, even four."
"THREE TO FOUR?! That's Six to Eight Tons!" Ehō shouted out.
"I also lift up a single one of them, or even a boulder or two, along with several clumps of stones, in the same manner, but I pull them up in a different manner. With the twin iron statues I just pull each with an arm. With a single one I pull them with both arms, either just pull them down like before, but also, I turn and pull, similar to a judo throw, or just pull it over my back the best I can." Shinachiku clarified. "Then there's also using the iron statues or a boulder as a weight for my push-ups, leg raises, handstand-ups, squats; you know stuff like that. Speaking of squats, I even have my Sky-Rocket Squats, where I focus chakra to my feet and with proper control, I launch myself high up into the air like rocket, and once I land, I squat. I also like to do this while having a boulder or even iron statue on my person. I especially do this within a body of water. It's harder to move when you're in water, so rocketing up from the floor of a body of water and launching up into the air to take a big gulp of air before coming down back into the water and crashing into its floor."
"Aren't you afraid of drowning?" Ehō asked with wide anime eyes.
"I have a technique to help with that." Shinachiku answered. "On the topic of water, I also do push-ups on the floor of the body of water, sending chakra to my hands and feet to keep myself from floating above it. Also helps to have a weight on your back, but not only do I do push-ups on the body of water's floor, but right under its surface too! Sending chakra to my hands and feet like before, I attach myself to the underside of the surface of the water and every time I do a push-up, which I guess is literally in this, or is it technically a push-down? Either way, I always inhale whenever I push my face through the surface to get some air, and then exhale when I push… up or down, whatever, when I'm submerged back into the water. I also do this with a weight tied to my back."
"Doesn't that make it harder to do whatever it is to take a breath of air?" Ehō questioned with a worried expression. "In fact, how do you do push-ups at the bottom floor of water when you need to keep breathing for exercise?!"
"That's where my other training regime underwater takes hold. A little thing I call, Lung Control. The underwater push-ups at the bottom floor is an extension of this, but what I mainly do is sit upon the bottom floor of water in a meditative stance, whether by sending chakra to the bottom of myself to hold myself onto the floor or just use a weight like a boulder on my person, and I focus my chakra to my lungs, using it to control my respiratory system, controlling the flow of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, neon, hydrogen; basically all the gases that make up air and having it calmly travel throughout my system. This is clearly the hardest one, because if I don't send it at a proper pace, even sending it too fast, can disrupt my efforts and possibly harm me, forcing me to need to go above water for air." Shinachiku explained.
"Is that the worst of it?" Ehō asked feeling more uneasy the more he was hearing.
"The Lung Control? Yeah, but I guess the practices with piping hot coals is a close second." Shinachiku said, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Coals?" Ehō questioned, flinching.
"Yeah, see, I like to also do these exercises with burning red coals as well. I either making a large path of them and rush through them back and forth, bare foot. Then there's doing crunches and sit-ups with them on my abs, constantly being changed out for new piping hot ones as the previous ones start to lose their heat, then there's putting a whole bunch of them in something like a large pot or cauldron and striking them with several strikes, like normal punches, back-knuckles, snake strikes, leopard strikes, etc. I always surround the body parts making contact with a coating of chakra to lessen the damage from the immense heat they exert. Like for the Hot Feet part, I send chakra to the soles of my feet, for the Burning Abs, well, I send them to my abdomen, of course, and I cover my hands in a coating of chakra to lessen the damage for each blow."
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Ehō asked, now feeling very concerned.
"Then there's intense rope climbing where I climb up a rope with a boulder and stones attached to me. I do the same with to increase weight for pull-ups, upside down sit-ups. I focus on balancing on something sharp like a kunai with just a finger or even toe, using chakra at the end of the digit pressed against the tip, so as not to get pierced when I'm balancing on it, and then there's what I like to call my Bonfire Push-ups, where I make a bonfire in between two objects that I place my hands and feet on, allowing me to do push-ups over the open flame. Sometimes they can be something like blocks, but I also combine it with my previous exercise by balancing on a bladed tip with a pair of fingers and my big-toes and doing push-ups over the open flame again."
"WHY?!" Ehō screamed out with a worried and even scared anime look.
"Then there's the Instant Chakra Blocking exercise, where projectiles like stones or kunai are launched my way, I quickly try to block them with my body parts, instantly coating them in a layer of chakra before impact to deflect the blow. Oh, and there's also this one that I use where I take a giant mass of iron, fix it with fūinjutsu so that every time I hit it, the same impact I deliver it shot back at me. Every blow I land, I feel it back, shredding into my muscles and vibrating through my bones, all to build up both my pain tolerance and increase my power strength and durability, which helps since I'm always going to be faced with foes that hit harder, so it's in the hopes of measuring up and even surpassing that strength. I call that one my Resonant Gong exercise. I originally called it Backlash Resonant Gong exercise, but my friends said it was too long a name, so I dropped the Backlash part."
"Is there an end to this insane training?" Ehō asked with a deep, unnerved frown and scared anime eyes.
"Actually this one is my last training regime. I take a boulder, run several laps throughout the village and end it by attempting to leap to the top of the Hokage Monument. All I do is send chakra to my legs and rocket into the air, trying to make it to the top with so much weighing me down. If I can't accomplish this, then I shall continue to run by doing five-hundred laps around the village." Shinachiku said with his eyes closed.
"Five hundred? Seriously?" Ehō questioned, still flabbergasted by all this intense training.
"That's right, and nowadays, I do these exercises with weighted training, not just with boulders and other heavy material having their weight and gravity increased with fūinjutsu, but also with training weights strapped to my body that not only have their weight increased, but I designed them to now lock off three-fourths of my chakra, and it would be impossible to move my body if I didn't use the proper chakra control throughout them and my body." Shinachiku finished explaining.
'This Guy Is Insane!' Ehō thought with utter shock and fear. "You're… you're not going to have me do this stuff, are you?" Ehō asked with clear fear evident in his voice.
"What? No, of course not! That would be ridiculously irresponsible and stupid! I'm not insensible." Shinachiku quickly said.
"Says the guy practically killing himself with his own training." Ehō muttered, looking to the side with a pout.
"I… won't lie. My regime is stupidly intense. So much so, my sensei, who is all about training intensely, tells me it's too much." Shinachiku said looking down to his green jumpsuit as he remembered his sensei, Rock Lee. "But there are so many dangerous foes out there, always ready to not just cause harm and take lives, but those that are precious to me are always in the forefront with me. If I slack off in anyway… I don't think I would ever continue as a shinobi. Not proudly anyway. I'll keep training to have the strength to help others, but my mind will forever be on those I could have saved… if I just had a bit more strength… I don't want there to be another time that happens, dattebaro." Shinachiku said, looking to the side with a serious, yet determined expression.
'Whoa… Boss…' Ehō blinked his eyes as he was in awe of Shinachiku's words and demeanor.
"Besides, what works for me doesn't mean it'll work for others. For you, we'll be taking things a bit slow. For now, let's open today's training with some light exercise. Give me five hundred push-ups, followed by two hundred squats and sit-ups." Shinachiku said.
"Five Hundred?!" Ehō shouted out with shock.
"Oh, right, sorry. Forgot, not an academy student yet." Shinachiku said with an embarrassed chuckled and eye smiles as he rubbed the back of his head. "An even hundred between all three is good enough, 'ttebaro." Shinachiku added, making Ehō groan with annoyance.
'Well… at least I'll get stronger. Even if my new sensei doesn't know the definition of too much.' Ehō thought with a frown before going on his hands and feet and started doing push-ups.
.
.
Lying against a tree was Boruto with his jacket over himself like a blanket. He started to stir, moaning as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked down to himself to see his jacket draped over him. He grabbed his with his right arm and pulled it off to see his white shirt was underneath as well, but he stopped as he noticed the new markings on his right arm. Just like Arata, on his forearm were a pair of rings with a row of several circular outlines in between them. He gently grasped his forearm and calmly rubbed his thumb against the new sealing formula upon his skin.
"I see you're awake." A voice spoke, causing Boruto to look up to see a clone of Shinachiku sitting upon a nearby stone, looking to him. "How do you feel?" The clone asked.
"Stiff. Still a little tired. And hungry." Boruto answered as he grabbed his white shirt and put it on. "You got anything to eat?" Boruto asked, as his answer was a scroll tossed to him. He opened it to notice a sealing formula, which he undid to reveal a combo meal of a burger, fries and soft drink, which he quickly grabbed before it spilt. "Lightning Burger! Yes!" Boruto cheered with a huge, happy grin as he quickly grabbed the burger and chomped into it. "Bah! Spicy!" Boruto exclaimed as he stuck his tongue out.
"I heard that was your favorite flavor." The Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Arigato, onii-chan!" Boruto said with a big grin as he enjoyed more of his spicy burger. He heard crackling, making him look forward to see Arata in the center of four wooden towers that were surrounded by fire. "Ah! What's he doing now?!" Boruto questioned with a shocked expression with his jaw dropped, spilling some bits of his burger.
"He moved on from the previous exercise to this one. It's about staying cool under intense heat and pressure, but I'd say that should have gone without saying." The Shinachiku clone answered.
"Seriously, what's with you guys and pushing your luck when training?" Boruto questioned with a concerned frown. He became even more concerned when he noticed that Arata was shirtless, revealing his body was battered and bruised, no doubt from the logs. 'All that damage… and he's still so calm.' Boruto thought to himself with silent awe as he was amazed by Arata keeping his previous composure with his expression remaining serene. Suddenly a wave of fire picked up from one of the towers, burning Arata's back. "What the hell?! He's still not doing anything!" Boruto shouted out.
"Maybe not physically, but mentally is a different story." Shinachiku said, causing Boruto to look to him in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Boruto asked with confusion.
"Arata has mentally struck them, but his body hasn't met that same rhythm." The Shinachiku explained.
"He mentally struck… what the hell does that even mean?" Boruto questioned, clearly frustrated with the way Shinachiku has been explaining things.
"It means that though Arata's mind is sharp enough to know when to strike and how to strike, all with pitch perfect timing, his body needs to catch up with that mental image." The Shinachiku clone clarified.
Boruto blinked his eyes as he absorbed this information.
"So, his mind is just working faster than his body and he's trying to fix that?" Boruto questioned.
"Exactly." The Shinachiku clone said with a smile.
"Then you should have just said that, dattebasa." Boruto said with a frown as he went back to eating his burger.
"You really are tou-chan's kid, dattebaro." The Shinachiku said with a smirk.
"Shut up~!" Boruto exclaimed with minor annoyance as he resumed eating his burger. "He's been putting himself in front of these hazards for… how long have I been out?"
"A little over an hour and a half." Shinachiku answered.
"Two hours!" Boruto shouted as he quickly grabbed some fries and devoured them, before taking a good sip from his soda, sighing in relief when done. "He needs to move on to something else, dattebasa." Boruto said as he quickly got up from the ground. "Don't eat my food!" Boruto said to the Shinachiku as he passed by.
"Roger." The Shinachiku clone said with a small salute as he watched Boruto walk away, heading towards Arata. "Like I would ever eat something that greasy. Ramen's still the best there is." The Shinachiku said in a low tone as he stared at the burger combo with half-lidded eyes.
"I Heard That!" Boruto shouted back, causing the Shinachiku clone to chuckle nervously with a pair of eye smiles. "Oi, Arata! Get out of there!" Boruto called out as he made his way close to Arata and the four burning towers, but too close so as not to be burned himself. Arata didn't respond. The Uchiha-Hyūga just remained silent with his eyes still closed, despite the searing pain he felt on his body. "Come on! Get out of the fire and spar with me!" Boruto demanded.
"Didn't you just eat?" Arata responded, without losing his composure.
"Wha-? How would you know that?" Boruto questioned, only for his answer to be Arata raising his left arm to show off his own seal. "Oh, right." Boruto said with an embarrassed blush and rubbing his right forearm as Arata placed his arm back in its original place with the left-hand hovering over the hilt of his chokuto. "Look, you've been doing this for like two hours. Just take a break." Boruto said.
Arata remained silent for a few moments, not budging or bothering to open his eyes. He suddenly brought his left hand up and made several one-handed seals and slammed his hand against the ground, causing rows of seals to come from beneath him and spread towards the four burning towers in four separate rows as they were then sealed away within four sealing formulas that then receded back underneath Arata.
After a moment, Arata slowly started to stand up on his two feet. He stepped off of the spot he was on to reveal that he was kneeling atop of a mat that had a sealing formula written on it. He knelt again and started rolling up the mat. Once it was fully rolled up, he picked it up with his arm wrapped around it, turned and started walking pass Boruto.
"Start you fish catching training." Arata said as he passed by a surprised Boruto.
"Say What?! Oh, come on~! Why not teach me some kenjutsu (sword techniques), 'ttebasa!" Boruto whined.
"A sword can always be sent flying. One's own arms, less so. So long as no one cuts or tears them off." Arata said as he continued on towards where Boruto was sleeping and where the clone Shinachiku was sitting upon the stone.
"But we already went over this training. I already managed to catch the fish." Boruto complained.
"A few times. Without being weighed down." Arata retorted calmly as he placed the mat against a tree, then turned to the Shinachiku clone, nodding to it, as it nodded back in return.
"Weighed… down?" Boruto questioned, not liking what he was hearing. The Shinachiku clone suddenly appeared behind him, placed its hand on his back while the other made a single ram seal.
"And lock!" The Shinachiku announced as seals around Boruto's wrists and ankles appeared, causing the golden blonde to scream out as he was slammed into the ground by an increase in gravity. "Remember the gravity seals?" The Shinachiku clone said with a smile.
"Dammit~." Boruto cursed with annoyance.
"Once you get back to your feet, go to the nearby stream and try catching fish with your hands. This will increase your speed, proficiency and sharpen your senses. Good for the Jūken." Arata said as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position, making sure not to press his back against the nearby tree, as he still felt throbbing and searing pain throughout his upper body especially. He noticed the Lightning Burger combo meal beside him. He took a fry and popped it into his mouth.
"Oi!" Boruto shouted out with annoyance.
"I only had the one." Arata said.
Boruto just groaned, still feeling annoyed with his maternal half-brother.
"Steam is that way." The Shinachiku clone said to the down Boruto, jabbing his thumb in the direction he was talking about, earning himself an annoyed glare from his paternal half-brother.
"Do you need help getting up, Boruto?" Mitsuki asked as he was suddenly on the other side of Boruto.
"Where Did You Come From?!" Boruto shouted out with shock and annoyance.
"From the trees. I've been watching." Mitsuki answered, still smiling.
'Creepy.' Boruto thought with a frown.
.
.
Sarada had finished her break. She had made her way towards the training ground where she and Shinachiku were training previously before he decided to do his 'light' cardio. She sighed, still in disbelief at his intense training regime that only an insane person would come up with.
Apparently, Ms. Tenten said her old teammate, Rock Lee, Metal's father, would deem it too excessive, and apparently, she also said that is saying something.
Sarada decided to not focus on that right now. She didn't want to arrive in a bad mood. Also, her thoughts were occupied on the boy from before. Ehō, she believes his name was. She was praying that Shinachiku was going easy on the boy. He says something just comes out of him whenever he wore those green spandexes (she shivered uncomfortably), and apparently it was a ludicrous drive to push his limits far beyond any realm of human reasoning.
She just hopes he doesn't kill himself before she arrives.
"Again!" She heard Shinachiku's voice call out.
'Here we go.' Sarada thought to herself, trying to prepare herself for whatever she was going to come across.
To her surprise, she saw Shinachiku just standing across from Ehō, who was panting as he got onto a knee, and held a kunai in hand. He let out a battle cry as he rushed forward towards the tree, which had several scratches on it, and started running up it. He managed to make pass the highest cut, which was halfway up the tree, but was forced to jump off. However not before he left a new scratch to indicate where he made it to, before falling to the ground, luckily onto his feet, but he immediately fell on his behind afterwards.
"Not bad. You made it more than halfway up this time." Shinachiku said with a smile as he looked to the new scar on the tree, indicating Ehō's progress.
"Thanks, Boss." Ehō said as he continued to pant.
"Maybe we should take a break." Shinachiku suggested.
"No way! I'm just getting started! Watch!" Ehō said as he quickly got to his feet and charged forward.
"Just like Hanami." Shinachiku said with a smirk as he watched Ehō running up the tree again.
"Hanami's like this too?" Sarada asked as she walked over to Shinachiku's side.
"Well, she's more zealous, and far more stubborn with way too much energy, but yeah. Imōto is pretty much the same." Shinachiku said with a smile as he watched Ehō hop off of the tree, managing to make it another inch.
"See?!" Ehō said, gesturing to his new cut.
"I do. Congrats." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Huh? What's she doing here?" Ehō asked, pointing to Sarada.
"Well, I was training her today before you came along, after all." Shinachiku responded.
"Yeah, about that, I wanted to talk to the original about something for tomorrow." Sarada said.
"You knew I was a clone?" Shinachiku, who apparently was a clone, asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It was a guess, which unfortunately I am right about." Sarada said with a frown and half-lidded eyes. "So, where is he?"
"Over there behind those trees." The Shinachiku clone said, pointing to a certain section of trees.
"Thanks." Sarada said as she headed for the spot.
"Again." Clone Shinachiku said to Ehō, earning a determined nod from the younger boy, who then charged back towards the tree with a battle cry.
Sarada continued her way until she started hearing someone counting.
"Two-hundred thirty-one. Two-hundred thirty-two. Two-hundred thirty-three." Shinachiku's voice was heard, counting.
Sarada walked closer until she saw… one heck of a sight.
"You've got to be kidding me." Sarada said with a dull frown as there was Shinachiku doing sit-ups with piping hot coals all over his abdomen. A pair of clones beside him with large iron pots beside them filled with piping hot coals, and beside those ones were other iron pots that had coals that were less heated. The clones had clamps that they used to replace the coals on Shinachiku's abdomen that had lost their heat with piping hot ones.
"Two-hundred thirty-four. Two-hundred thirty-five. Two-hundred thirty-six. Two-hundred thirty-seven. Two-hundred thirty-eight." Shinachiku counted as his clones replaced a pair of black coals with a pair of orange piping hot ones.
'Well… he's definitely motivated.' Sarada thought, still frowning. She then noticed that as coals were replaced, there was a coating of chakra over Shinachiku's abdomen, right before new piping hot ones were put upon it. 'Oh, I see. He's focusing his chakra to lessen the burning damage. Excellent way to help with chakra control.' Sarada thought, impressed by Shinachiku's skills even further. 'Still crazy though.'
"What can I help you with Sarada?" Shinachiku asked as he continued his sit-ups.
"I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." Sarada said as she walked over.
"What? You wanna skip training with Arata and work with me again?" Shinachiku asked.
"No, actually, I wanted to ask if Boruto and I could skip training tomorrow and maybe the day afterwards." Sarada suggested.
"Why?" Shinachiku asked, never ceasing.
"While I'm always grateful to learn under you and Arata-onii-chan, I was hoping to learn under mama, papa and Tsunade-sama as well." Sarada explained.
"Say no more. I think it's perfect." Shinachiku said with a smile.
"Really?"
"Yeah. While Arata and I are always happy to help, you should expand your knowledge with other sensei, and who else would be perfect to learn under than Tsunade-sobo-chan and kaa-chan? Oh, and your dad as well, but be prepared. Tsunade-sama and kaa-chan will not go easy on you. I think Sasuke-ojisan is more forgiving than them." Shinachiku said, causing Sarada to gulp.
"Well… that doesn't deter me!" Sarada said in response with a determined expression.
"I know it won't. You're the daughter of Sakura Haruno. Pushing forward when things get really rough is written in your DNA thanks to her, dattebaro." Shinachiku said.
'And yours as well, onii-chan.' Sarada thought with a smile. "Don't forget, I'm also Sasuke Uchiha's daughter as well."
"Then you'll pick it up quickly. You Uchihas usually do. It's kind of infuriating." Shinachiku commented as he continued focusing on his workout.
"Jealous?" Sarada teased with a smirk.
"Nope. Picking things up quick sounds really~ boring." Shinachiku responded, causing Sarada to giggle with a smile. "I got a clone with Boruto and Arata, and to a lesser extent, Mitsuki. I'll have Mamoru deliver the message."
"Well, until then, I'm still under your care. So, what do I do next?" Sarada asked feeling pumped.
"You got a bit of the Naibuken (Internal Fist) down, so we'll hold that off for now. Today, we're going to explore the other possibilities of your strength. Such as…" Shinachiku sat up, grabbed a less hot coal, crushed it in his hands and flicked his thumb, sending a piece of it straight into a tree.
Sarada walked over towards the tree to examine it, but then noticed that the piece of coal went through it and pierced the tree behind it.
"Sugoi~." Sarada said with awe.
"Get to it." Shinachiku said as he reached into his pocket and flicked a tiny scroll, which became covered in smoke, revealing a Shinachiku clone, who nodded for Sarada to follow him.
'I'm gonna get this down, no problem!' Sarada mentally proclaimed, before thrusting her fist upward. "Chanara!" Sarada screamed out, causing the Shinachikus to look to her, making her flinch with a red blush.
"Definitely kaa-chan's child." Shinachiku said as he and his clones grinned to Sarada, who looked down with her cheeks getting redder, but now having a warm, albeit slightly embarrassed as well, smile on her face.
.
.
Boruto groaned as he slowly trekked his way back home.
"Do you need help getting back?" Shinachiku's voice echoed within Boruto's mind.
"No~. I can make it back home on my own. Man, me and my big mouth. I should have just taken the free ride, 'ttebasa." Boruto said with a pout as he continued to trudge back home. Boruto grumbled all the way home right up until he made it to the front door. "Tadaima." (I'm home) Boruto called out as he opened the door.
"Yo, Boruto!" Naruto greeted his son with a smile, only to notice the state he was in. "Tired again, eh? At least you look better than yesterday." Naruto commented.
"Better than you think, old man." Boruto said as he made his way to the living room and kitchen area where his mother and sister were, with his father walking beside him.
"Onii-chan!" Himawari greeted her brother with her usual cheery disposition.
"Hello, Boruto. You made it just in time for dinner." Hinata said, smiling to her son.
"Yay~." Boruto said with a tired smile. "What'd you make kaa-chan?" Boruto asked as he sat at the dinner table.
"Sakana no Nitsuke with a side of korokke and rice." Hinata answered as she placed the dishes on the table, with Naruto helping her.
"Aw man~, why fish?" Boruto whined as he threw his head back.
"Not in the mood today?" Naruto asked as he sat beside his son.
"Arata had me doing that fish catching technique while those darn gravity seals were activated around my arms and legs! I somehow managed to catch one out of the water, but the damn thing smacked me in the face with its tail and got away!" Boruto complained.
"That practice will help improve your strikes with the Jūken." Hinata stated with a smile.
"Yeah, that's what Arata keeps saying." Boruto said with a pout as he rested his cheek against his knuckles. "Speaking of the guy, he's almost as insane as Shinachiku!"
"Really? I can't see that." Naruto said, surprised by this information.
"I saw it and I still can't believe it! I mean, all he did was this." Boruto got out of his chair and mimicked Arata's position earlier that day. "Just like this, the whole time, letting logs fall on him and fire burn him."
"Wait, Arata let himself get hurt?" Naruto asked as Hinata gasped with shock and concern for the Uchiha-Hyūga.
"He could have sliced them if he tried, but he didn't. He clearly saw it coming, but he didn't do a thing. He let the attack come at him. Guy was so banged up I can't believe he was still able to move, dattebasa." Boruto said as he got to his feet.
"He had to have had a reason. Arata-onii-chan wouldn't let that happen unless it was for a good enough reason." Himawari said.
"Shinachiku said it was because he was trying to remember the pain to feed his resolve, strengthen his mind, make his will stronger or something like that." Boruto said, waving his hand a bit.
"Ah~, I see what he means." Naruto said, rubbing his chin as he understood the meaning.
"Seriously? I still don't get it." Boruto said with a frown as he walked over back to his seat.
"Sometimes Boruto, pain itself can inspire us to reach greater heights. There is no feeling worth remembering than pain if your aim is to surpass what you are today." Naruto said with a proud smile as he raised a finger up.
"God, what is with everyone? It's like you're trying to give the Buddha a run for his money, dattebasa." Boruto complained as he took off his jacket and placed it upon the back of his seat.
"So, he let himself get hurt to remember the pain?" Himawari questioned, confused about the logic.
"Shina also said that his mind was able to react to it all, just that his body wasn't able to catch up is all, so he's trying to fix that." Boruto further explained.
"Oh. I see. So, he allowed the hits to take to motivate him to be faster, for his body to react in unison with his mental reflexes." Hinata said.
"I get it. He's trying to cut the time between his mental sharpness and his reaction speed. That's really difficult to do." Naruto said, now fully understanding Arata's training method.
"Well, if anyone can do it, I know Arata-onii-chan can!" Himawari said with full support as she smiled brightly.
"So that's what he was doing? Man, how odd. Doesn't the body and mind react pretty closely anyway?" Boruto asked.
"The body always takes a moment to react to what the mind picks up, but it's that second taken that always makes the diff- what is that?" Naruto noticed the new sealing formula on his son's right forearm.
"Oh, this? Shinachiku helped put that on me." Boruto answered.
"That's the same thing Arata has on his left arm." Naruto said.
"Yeah. Turns out he has the same thing that I do on the hand called the Kāma, and this thing is supposed to be make sure its negative effects go at a snail's pace. Apparently, it's meant to change me, but thanks to Arata and Shinachiku, I won't have to worry about my DNA changing. Thank goodness for fūinjutsu, am I right?" Boruto explained as he then dug in.
Naruto and Hinata continued to stare at Boruto with shocked expressions.
'This whole time… the answer was in our grasp. Dammit.' Naruto mentally cursed himself for not thinking of such a solution before.
"A-Arata-kun… possesses one as well?" Hinata asked with shock, causing Boruto and Naruto to flinch.
'That's right. Hinata didn't know about that.' Naruto realized, now feeling awful for keeping his wife out of the loop.
"Y-yeah. Actually, it's because of his own that he and Shinachiku knew what needed to be done. At least we don't have to worry about me becoming an alien or something." Boruto said as he started eating his Sakana no Nitsuke.
Hinata remained silent for a moment before gently biting her bottom lip.
'Arata-kun… arigato.' Hinata thanked the son she could have had with all the gratitude her soul could offer. Thanks to him and Shinachiku, her Boruto was safe from whatever harm came with that damn mark given to him by that monster Momoshiki.
"So, that's it? No drawbacks?" Naruto asked his son.
"Well, even though it slows its effects to a crawl, if I activate it and use it too much, I'll just increase its speed while active, so I got to get stronger so as not to rely on it. Which is what I plan to do tomorrow in my Rasengan training with Rokudaime-sama!" Boruto said with a grin.
"Kaka-sensei? He agreed to help you?" Naruto asked.
"Well… not yet, but why would he say no, 'ttebasa?" Boruto said, now with a slightly embarrassed grin.
'Definitely my son.' Naruto thought with a smile as Hinata giggled at her son's behavior.
"Plus I got a bit of a head-start in my Rasengan training anyway. I can already make a Ōdama Rasengan with the help of a clone, but thanks to these seals, my chakra reserves and control have to have gotten to a point where I can one all by myself, dattebasa." Boruto said with a smile.
"Maybe, but you have been training for only two days so far. Don't get ahead of yourself, Boruto." Naruto said.
"Right, right. You're starting to sound like Shinachiku." Boruto said causing his father to chuckle nervously while his mother and sister smiled in amusement.
"I wonder though how strong Shinachiku-onii-chan and Arata-onii-chan will become after all this training they're doing once your back on missions." Himawari said.
"Well, however strong they get, I'll surpass them all the same!" Boruto proclaimed with pride and determination as he gave a fist pump.
Naruto couldn't help but smile with pride at his son's enthusiasm.
'Does make me wonder though… how far does their strength go?' Naruto wondered to himself.
.
.
Shinachiku panted as he was sitting lotus style on his bed with his arms outstretched to the sides, holding a twin pair of iron statues from the bottom. He seemed so similar to a scale. He grunted as he felt his left arm starting to lower, putting him a bit off balance. He let out a groan as he managed to find the strength to raise his left arm back to its proper position, regaining balance.
Out in the backyard, Arata was practicing his kenjutsu against a large stone. He had his chokuto to his side, now in an iaijutsu stance. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose. He gripped the hilt of his chokuto, drumming his fingers against it once before tightly gripping it. The best he could at least as he felt a bit of a stinging pain when he did, but he fought through it.
After a moment of silence, Arata snapped open his eyes, suddenly unleashing a flurry of fast slashes, striking the large stone in front of him with the blunt end of his chokuto. After a few seconds, he quickly sheathed his blade back into the scabbard. Arata exhaled out his mouth as his stared at the stone's surface. He brought his hand up, gently placing his fingers over small grazes on the stone's exterior.
"Not fast enough." Arata said as he gently brushed his index finger against one of the grazes, only to flinch a bit. He pulled back his hand to see red markings on his palm and fingers. He blinked his eyes before getting back into his iaijutsu stance. He ignored the stinging pain as he gripped the hilt of his sword, then unleashed another flurry of slashes onto the large stone before him.
End of Chapter 11
I know what you're all thinking. All this time without an update and this is all we get? Well, believe it or not… or I suppose if you can guess with the Part 1 in the title, this chapter was originally longer. Much, much longer. So long that I had to split them into two parts. All together they were 80,201 words total. I honestly did not mean for this chapter to go on so long! I originally wanted it to be short, but, uh… yeah, I couldn't stop writing. At least you have this and the next chapter to look forward to. Since it's Saturday at the moment of this post, I think I'll post the second part next Saturday. Be prepared for that one. It's almost 50,000 words and there's a good chunk of action in it. Detailed too.
Anyway, I got to get back on my other stories, NaruSaku Birthdays. I spent so much damn time on this chapter because I deprived you of it for so long, that I decided to wait until after I was done to continue that one.
I'm not gonna focus on the next chapter until I do the belated Naruto chapter of my other story, and I might as well do Shinachiku's as well, since I at least want to post his chapter on his birthday. I at least want to post one of them on the right day, 'ttebaro. I mean, 'you know'.
Well, see you all next week and thank you so much for your patience. I genuinely appreciate you all. Thank you all again, so much.
Ja ne!
Takeshi1225, Out!
