up on becoming a shinobi. You should know that a genius like myself won't be stopped by a small injury like that."
While he said that, Eiji smiled wholeheartedly for the first time since regaining his memories.
When Tenten saw that genuine and pure smile she blushed while keeping silent: "..."
"Huh, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing...anyway if that's your answer I won't lose to you!"
Then she suddenly ran away.
"Huh, I don't remember her being a tsundere...no, I'm probably just imagining things..."
Staying in the hospital was pretty boring.
If it were already Boruto-era I could play video games on a handheld to pass time.
Still, I could use the time to think things through.
First of all, not being able to use both hands to form signs is annoying...I didn't intend to use hand signs at first since I counted on my acceleration technique to carry me but that ended - let's just say trying to train that will make me the ultimate Deidara cosplayer...
I could still learn to use hand signs with one hand like Haku, but that will take a huge amount of effort that's why it is annoying.
When it comes to my failed experiment, I can say that the problem was my control: Some chakra went out of my fist as I intended, or else my whole arm would have been probably blown into pieces, while some rest chakra stayed in the fist and it got released there. Controlling chakra isn't already easy and if it's accelerated controlling it is really just too hard...
That means it has potential - BUT until I learn to control it fully I will probably be already on the other side just from training it.
I was conceited, I really should treat my body more carefully...
So after thinking I concluded that I should accelerate my chakra into objects instead, which will greatly reduce the risk to me.
But what would be a good object to use?
Well, I already thought of something...
After I woke up I only stayed a few days more in the hospital.
I got occasional visits from my mum and Tenten and even my dad.
When my dad visited me he was pretty calm and civilized, which wasn't really like him - seeing his bruises though I think it's obvious what happened...
Anyway now I want to leave my house but my mum is too worried...
"You know, after what happened you think I let you go train again?"
"But I don't intend to train, I just want to take a walk around the village."
"Actually I thought I should ground you as a punishment, but since you only go out to train it wouldn't be really a punishment...well, whatever, as long as you promise me that you don't go training it should be fine."
"Thanks..."
"Speaking like that isn't really like you...sorry, I know that you are still probably shocked...but you don't have to force yourself...we will love you the same even if you cant become a shinobi..."
"..."
Why do they all think not being able to use hand signs with both hands is such a big deal?
It's only annoying, nothing more...
Well, the injury does make me considerably worse in taijutsu though...
Anyway, you may ask why I suddenly decided to take a stroll?
It's because I'm searching for something - or rather someone.
Who am I searching for?
I also don't know...
The Jonin Standby Station...
It's the first time I have come here.
Here, the Jonin stay to await the Hokage's orders or when they are off duty.
I really hope I don't run into a main character like Kakashi here since I'm not mentally prepared right now and things would just get awkward.
There, two Jonin I don't recognize (thank god) stand outside as guards.
"Hey you brat, this building is only for Jonins."
"I know, I'm here cause I'm looking for someone"
"Who are you looking for?"
"Uhm, I want to know if there are any shinobis in Konoha who are proficient in kenjutsu..." [kenjutsu=swordsmanship]
"That's an odd question...why do you want to know?"
"Oh come on, you know how brats are, they all want to see us shinobis do some cool stuff...anyway we in Konoha don't have many kenjutsu-user...I know that in Kirigakure they have a lot..."
"Hmm, when it comes to Konoha, only Hayate comes into my mind..."
Hayate?
This name sounds familiar but I don't remember who that is...
"Could you tell me where I can find this Hayate?"
"Well, I think he should be inside right now..."
Inside the Jonin Standby Station:
"Hey Hayate someone is looking for you outside"
"koff...is it Yugao?"
"No someone else"
"?"
When Hayato went outside he didn't expect, that a little brat he has never seen before, wanted to meet him.
He observed the boy: he was only around 5 or 6 years old, had black hair and he had a grumpy expression and looked like he was a bit dumb. He wore brown shorts withsandals and had a white t-shirt which was a bit too big so it hung down. But what was most visible was that his right hand was covered in a hugeamount of bandages.
Overall he gives the impression of someone who always gets himself into fights - Hayate thought.
That couldn't be further from the truth though, since Eiji stays most of the time at home and he has only one friend...
"Koff, so why did you want to meet me?"
When the kid heard the cough it looked like he recognized something.
"Uhmm, I heard you are a kenjutsu-user and I wanted to ask you to teach me..."
"Huh? Why should I? Who are you anyway?"
"Come one, Konoha doesn't have many kenjutsu-user...shouldn't we as followers of the way of the sword stick together?"
"..."
What a cheeky brat - Hayate thought.
"Koff, with your age you are probably not even in the academy, so you don't even know the basics - so no, that would be just too much work."
"But I can already use some chakra...come one I'm a genius...wouldn't having a genius as your student be immensely prestigious?"
"Koff, you know there is a limit to how conceited you can be..."
While Hayate still spoke, Eiji already gathered chakra into his feet and then suddenly charged at him and threw a kick.
Hayate was slightly surprised but instantly saw through his move and decided to block it...but then Eiji used the arm, with which Hayate blocked the kick, as a springboard and shot back like a canon.
Even though it shot Eiji back, the force of that "jump" almost blow Hayate also away if he didn't concentrate his chakra into his feet.
That's a pretty good chakra-control for such an age - he thought.
"That was pretty rude to suddenly jumpat me..."
"Well I wanted to show you how much of a genius I am"
This kid is kinda annoying...
But his skills are real...to develop such chakra-control you need to have a good concentration; most children his age have problems to even sit still for some time without fidgeting orsomething because they would be bored...that's why the academy takes most of the time only older children.
"Koff, what's your name kid?"
"Eiji Nakamura..."
"Eiji, you know if I wanted students I just could get a Genin-team..."
"- Come one just teach me a bit and I will figure the rest out myself!"
"...alright. I don't mind showing you some sword-basics, but I don't have the time to teach you beyond that, are you okay with that?"
"Yeah"
"So do you have a sword?"
"Nope"
"...koff"
"Didn't you call yourself a follower of the way of the sword?"
"I have a sword in my heart"
He is really cheeky and shameless for his age...this will be a pain... - Hayate thought.
Why did I choose the sword?
Because I can gather my chakra into the scabbard and then release it when I draw the sword!
Like that, I won't have to worry about blowing myself up!
Why do I ask someone to teach me with a normal sword-style when I want to focus on sword-drawing?
Because I honestly don't have any ideaabout swords!
I don't even know how to hold one properly, so knowing the basics is a must no matterwhich style I want to use!
About this Hayate though...I now remember him...wasn't he one of the proctors during the Chunin-exams?
I somehow feel a spiritual connection with him since he ends up as cannon fodder - a fate I try my best to escape...
Anyway, I now have to get a sword fromsomewhere...
"Jo mum can you buy me a sword?"
"Hell no."
Shit.
"But I really need a sword..."
"You are probably thinking about starting to train again, but I won't let you train alone anymore. Tomorrow I don't have guard-duty so I can oversee you so you don't injure yourself. And if you want to use a sword, I will let you have one only when I see that you are ready to handle one."
"You really don't trust me huh? That was an accident which only happened because I tried to do something ridiculous, which I won't do again so don't be so creepily overprotective. I mean, when I used Tenten's kunais nothing happened either, right?"
"I don't trust you precisely because you always try something ridiculous...Tenten's mother told me not long ago that Tenten showed her a dangerous kunai-technique. When her mother furiously asked her where she learned that, she answered that it was your idea."
"She lied. It was her idea alone. I even told her that it's too dangerous but she didn't listen to me..."
"You know, when you lie you should at least act as you believe yourself what you are saying...anyway I won't let you train without supervision anymore and I will definitively not buy you a sword."
"So the problem is, that there is no one to supervise my training? Well funnily enough when I took a stroll right now I somehow got a Jonin, who specializes in kenjutsu, to agree to train me...so which colors can I choose for my sword?"
"..."
After convincing her, my mum finally bought me a sword.
But somehow I think she is pissed off about something because she bought a really cheap one but even worse is the color.
IT'S PINK!!!
Why are there even pink swords?
Seriously, who would even buy them?
At least the form is normal, it's pretty much a standard katana.
But it's still pretty awkward...
Right now I'm with that Hayate guy at a training field, and when he saw my sword the only thing I got was silence and a cough.
ARRGGHHH THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING I WANNA DIE!
Well, when it comes to things like that it's best to keep a poker-face.
"..."
"..."
"Koff, I think I didn't really introduce myself last time. I'm Hayate Gekko, a special Jonin. So anyway since you want to learn the basics of kenjutsu let's start from the beginning. First of all, contrary to Kumogakure or Kirigakure, Konohagakure doesn't put a heavy emphasis on kenjutsu. But it doesn't mean that our kenjutsu is worse, it's just not on a large scale. Most kenjutsu users of Konoha are in fact Anbu members. Many of them start learning kenjutsu only after joining the Anbu though, so why do you think they do this?"
"I guess it's because it's a silent and efficient way to kill?"
"Koff, most kids your age would have answered something like its cool or something...is your head really alright?"
"Come one, I'm just a bit smart for my age, no need to think I'm a psycho. Anyway is my answer right?"
"Well partly yes, but the more important reason is that even members who specialize in mid or long range-fights have the means to get an advantage in close-combat. Even though they could use kunais or taijutsu, the advantage of a sword in close-combat is too big. Koff...anyway I think we should just start. I will show you now the basic posture and movements..."
"Yes, sensei!"
"No need to call me sensei, I'm just showing you the basics...by the way what's with your injury? How long will it take to heal?"
"Just one or two weeks."
"Koff, till then I will just show you the basic movements which only need one arm."
In the Hokage office.
"Good afternoon, Hayate. What brings you here today? Aren't you off duty right now?"
"Koff. Lord Hokage, I came here to ask for information regarding a child with the name Eiji Nakamura..."
"Hmm, that's unusual of you. May I ask you why?"
"Well because I'm currently teaching him, but I don't know anything about him, so I want some basic background information."
"Hmm, I can't say that I ever heard of this child. But I don't think you just decided randomly to teach someone without a reason, right?"
"Koff, to be honest, he is pretty smart for his age and he didn't ask for a lot, he just wanted that I only teach him the basics, but..."
"But?"
"He is a bit odd. I don't know how to describe it, but behind his bratty attitude, there is some mature wisdom the way he approaches things, which wouldn't be possible with smartness alone..."
"Odd? Ahahahaha, well we certainly have many odd youngsters in our village...Ahahaha"
When the Third Hokage stopped laughing heartily he looked towards one of his attendants, the latter then nodded and disappeared.
Not long after the attendant appeared with a report.
Then the attendant summarized: "Eiji Nakamura, 5 years old, a normal background, the only noteworthy things are two incidents. The first where he ended up in the hospital almost dead because he consumed a brainpower-pill which his young body couldn't handle; the second is, where he also ended up in the hospital, the cause this time was that an accident occurred while he was training. Apparently, he injured his right hand, and the medical reports say that it was damaged heavily, so a future as a shinobi is unlikely. That's all."
"KOFF!KOFF!..."
"Are you alright Hayate?"
Just one or two weeks my ass!
What's a genius?
Most people would think of people with an immense amount of talents - youngsters, who despite being younger, often outmatch their seniors and learn anything at a shocking speed!
But it's not only talent that makes a genius.
Often they have also a sharp mind and intellect which sets them apart from their peers!
Currently, Hayate was eating dinner at Ichiraku Ramen with one of those geniuses.
Her name is Yugao Uzuki, she joined the Anbu when she was only in her childhood, trained later kenjutsu under Hayate, and is also his lover.
"Hey, I heard you are teaching some brat now?"
"Well, at the start I only wanted to teach him the basics, but honestly watching him train is fun so I keep teaching him."
"Hooo, so he must be special if he caught your eyes, right?"
"Koff, well it's hard to say. His talent is the definition of mediocre, not even comparable to you. So he isn't really a genius and his personality is a bit rotten..."
"Rotten?"
"Koff, he is pretty shameless and has a rude demeanor. He really knows how to get on people's nerves..."
"Then why are you teaching him?"
"Hmm, the thing is, even though his talent is mediocre his progress is still shocking for his age...I think the best way to describe why would be because of his mindset. When it comes to training, he somehow gets serious and shows some kind of professionalism. What I mean by that is, that he focuses on mastering the fundamentals instead of trying to jump straight into flashy techniques and he also trains efficiently: He doesn't train too much where it becomes detrimental instead. But most importantly, his standards when it comes to strength are pretty high..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Koff, well most would consider Chunin to be relatively strong while Jonin would be something unfathomable, the elite, right? Well, I can see it in his gaze, that what he considers to be strong, goes even beyond Anbu level!"
"Ohh, so he is a dreamer? Well, that's certainly good, since if your expectations aren't high, no matter how unachievable they are, this will only limit one pretty heavily. So shooting for the stars is a good habit."
"Koff, I agree...that's why it's so fun to see him grow. Someone who is mediocre, but still has a shocking growth speed similar to geniuses - a budget genius."
"A budget genius? Oh dear, you sometimes come up with really strange ideas, well that's a part I love about you though."
It's now around two months since I started kenjutsu training around Hayate.
He showed me a one-handed sword style because of my injury.
I already have understood most of the basic stuff when it comes to kenjutsu, partly because his teaching style was more or less learning by doing.
Means a lot of sparring - A LOT.
I don't mind though since it IS the best way to get a feeling about what you are supposed to do.
So I can proudly say that I'm already a swordsman!
But that's only for pure kenjutsu without the use of chakra.
He told me starting next week he will teach me how to implemented chakra into kenjutsu.
To be honest, I think he somehow forgot that he only wanted to teach me the basics...not that I mind though.
Other than kenjutsu training, I kept training my chakra manipulation - I even started to try the Tree Climbing Practice...but let's just say the results aren't as good as I hoped...
When it comes to the acceleration technique...I have to postpone it for now since I already have a full training-regimen and after using chakra for the Tree Climbing Practice, I just don't have enough chakra to do it.
But overall things progress smoothly.
To smoothly!
A wise man once said if life seems peaceful Truck-kun will come to get you when you least expect it!
Good thing that there are no trucks in this world...
Anyway, I somehow have the feeling I forgot something this whole time...
At the park where Eiji and Tenten trained.
There, a super angry Tenten threw a barrage of weapons towards practice dummies which had all faces of Eiji drawn onto them.
"I can't believe he forgot about me..."