"Among the heavens and the earth, I alone am the Honored One."
That was my first audible sentence in my new life.
To be fair, the full power of Gojo Satoru is... well, incredibly overwhelming. The Six Eyes allowed me to see the world for miles, literally for miles, all around me. I could see every tree, every leaf, every person, every ant, everything, all over.
It is beautiful. Absolutely, painfully, stunningly, beautiful.
The clouds look amazing. That big blue sky.
"Well, someone's pretentious." Ino's mocking voice next to me replied as I lazily sat up, looking at her while giving the least amount of effort to do so.
I shrugged lazily, ignoring her remarks. Ino Yamanaka was definitely a character. She was always trying to provoke a reaction, constantly trying to get me and Choji to do whatever she wanted. In a way, Ino was really just mimicking her dad's behaviors, likely applying the lessons of what it meant to do T as a way to probe those around her. It's just that her skills were woefully obvious, because she was a novice in the art of provoking a response.
So many Clans tried to teach their children theory early, trying to get the good habits in before the bad habits developed, in order to nurture the next generation. With Itsuki's casual slaughter of the Uchiha Clan, the Academy's graduation age had been set back to 16, as if to say that an extra four years here would somehow help create a better foundation for their killers for hire to not be broken enough to attack the hand that fed it.
I was painfully aware of just how fucked up and barely functional the current system was. Better than the Clan Wars, if you consider the lower death toll for civilians and children under and around the age of 5 better. The higher death toll for shinobi, the barely tolerated trade from civilians across the countries, the corruption among the nobles, and all the other things truly didn't spell good news for the system's future health.
No, this world still operated under the same doctrine as the one I had left. The might makes right, and the weak hope to be able to carve out something out of the leftovers, if the weak don't cannibalize each other first.
Tier 5 Shikaku Nara meant that there truly wasn't anything I could learn from my father, being that I had the skills and abilities of my father as he was in Shippuden. It truly was more meant to hide that I had traded away my own affinity for shadows for Gojo's much greater skill, but it had potential if given the time to train fully, but in truth, I had another Template I'd rather train.
[Template Stacking II] for Accelerator. It put me at Tier 5 for Accelerator, which was a far cry from Accelerator's own Tier 8.
Which is why the importance of what and who you utilize for your Templates and your Base actually matters. A Tier 5 Specialist is significantly stronger than a Tier 5 Generalist, but a Tier 7 Specialist can be beaten by a Tier 5 or 6 Generalist that has mastered abilities that are a weakness for Tier 7's. It was why Link, a Tier 5 or a Tier 6 depending on the game, can beat Ganondorf, a Tier 7. A Specialist has holes in their abilities, weaknesses that Generalists can exploit.
Shikaku Nara is a Tier 5 Specialist, whose information gathering, tactical knowledge, and ability to read five to ten steps ahead of others if given the right understanding of the opponent, allows a full usage of a bloodline inherently meant to act as a way to stagger enemies to put them right into the paths of stronger foes.
Gojo Satoru is a Tier 7 Generalist, being a Jujutsu Kaisen Sorcerer who has fully mastered the Six Eyes and the Limitless, as well as Cursed Techniques and Reversed Cursed Techniques.
Accelerator is a Tier 8 Generalist, an Esper who has fully embodied the power of being the 'One Way Road', the 'One Who Wields The Power of God'. A man, with the aide of some help, had been capable of shaking the entire galaxy by creating and implanting a third metaphysical tree that governed reality, the artificial tree of mankind, into the universe he had lived in.
In short, I was planning on fully training up my Accelerator Template to it's greatest potential, while also relying on my current Tier 7 skills of Gojo Satoru to survive the 'early stages' of Naruto. Thankfully the Template Framework also meant it'd be easier to learn and regain Accelerator's lost skills at a much faster rate than it would be normally.
Of course, while I had Accelerator's power, I wasn't Accelerator. Accelerator's brain on it's own would be capable of beating ten supercomputers working against him, and the Misaka Network, of 10,000 ish Level 3 Espers, were all incapable of replicating even half of what Accelerator had been capable of doing with his calculations.
Iruka eventually came in and yelled at the class to shut up and sit down, some things just don't change, and I lazily lifted my head as Iruka began to announce the Teams.
"Team 10, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi."
Gotcha. I was still under the same team as Canon. I frankly couldn't give a shit either way, but at least it's nice to know my current existence hasn't already derailed something on it's own.
What interested me was that the classic Ino-Shika-Cho formation truly didn't apply to me anymore. Oh, I had all the skills and abilities required to perform my role, but why limit myself when I could fully expand the limits of my jutsu to unheard of heights? Why would I need to just stand around when I could just as easily crush the opponents using my Limitless?
To be a Jujutsu Kaisen Sorcerer, is to be selfish. To open yourself to dangers from within and without, to fully realize your sense of self beyond all limitations, even if the world should raise themselves against you. Jujutsu Sorcery is an Individual Sport, not a Team based one.
Gojo Satoru and Sukuna were not all that different from one another. Both heavily asserted themselves as 'The Strongest' that it became a core part of their identity, and while Sukuna would turn to fully mastering 'True' Cursed Techniques, Sukuna had abandoned his core principles in the end, by utilizing the Ten Shadows after taking over Megumi's body to fight Gojo. In short, he relied on someone else's Jujutsu in order to win, thereby indirectly abandoning the idea of holding himself up as 'The Strongest'.
Gojo Satoru hadn't. He fully embraced his principles, his beliefs, and his sense of self, in all aspects of the word. Gojo Satoru had used his Limitless and the Six Eyes to the absolute limit, and while he had some help for his starting attack, he'd faced off against Sukuna at nearly his fullest strength, in conjunction with Megumi's own Jujutsu, alone.
It didn't matter if Gojo Satoru died facing Sukuna in the fight, because in the end, Gojo Satoru had won, in all the ways that had mattered to him. To Gojo, he was truly 'the Honored One'. The one who set the standard on what it truly meant to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
It was why I doubted I'd stay in Konoha. I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't respect the Third Hokage's inability to hold Orochimaru and Danzo accountable. I didn't respect the shinobi world's system of constantly fighting amongst one another, teaming up to annihilate the strong, and constantly lying to themselves by refusing to recognize that their principles, their dogma, were all lies.
My father will be devastated. My mother will be horrified. My Clan will disown me. Konoha would never trust me. I'd be abandoning the village I had been born and grown up in.
So, why was I smiling? Why did I feel content? I didn't feel regret or fear or guilt. I just felt... at peace with myself.
Among the heavens and the earth, I alone am the Honored One. Embrace the selfishness. Embrace the magnificence of what it means to stand against the world that has caused so much atrocities, and when the world tries to end you, tries to change you, you laugh at the world and force it to change to fit your desires, your dreams, your ambitions. Embrace that, as the Honored One, this world will bend at your will. Or it will break trying to stop you.
I even had a perfect point in which to leave. The Sasuke Retrieval Arc, or now it'd be the Sayuri Retrieval Arc, I suppose. By that point, they'd probably write me off as a loss, someone who died trying to retrieve Sasuke. After that, I could buy 'Appearance Modifier', and become someone else.
Huh. Would this be considered pulling an Obito? Maybe. However, the freedom of not being bound to missions, a central location, alongside being fully capable of Stamping anyone I wish, it'd be easy credits.
I could even sell the Ichibi, since Shukaku tended to temporarily free himself from Gaara when Gaara went to sleep. Bijuu were worth way more than the Jinchurriki they resided within.
Sure, it'd mean it's impossible to capture the Ten Tails, since the Ten Tails wouldn't be revived without at least some chakra of all the bijuu, but the Ten Tails itself was only worth 200 Points. Hardly worth it when all nine bijuu were worth 900 Points all together.
Also, I can infiltrate the Akatsuki far easier as a Missing Ninja/Dead Ninja on record than I would as a regular shinobi.
Thanks to my HUD purchase, it was easy to take 'pictures' of each class mate as well as Iruka. As the Jonin came by to collect their students, I was able to tag them as well, until Asuma arrived to pick us up.
Ino grumbled having to deal with me and Choji, but I tuned her out. Ino Yamanaka may be 16, but she hadn't truly learned the hard truths of the shinobi world aside from the snippets of what Inoichi told her in stories or lessons.
Taken to Training Ground 10, Asuma told us that in order to qualify as Genin, we had to at least hit him once. How we did it, didn't matter as long as we got even a glancing blow.
"I'll give you guys a few minutes to plan, but then you have to find me and try to hit me." Asuma said easily, before he went into the trees nearby.
Ino and Choji looked at me. Waiting for a plan. I was the brains of the operation.
I took out my Stamp. "I'm using this on the back of your hands, Ino, Choji. That way we can tell if Asuma tries to pretend to be one of you."
Always plan for failure and sabotage.
It spoke to how much they trusted me that they immediately agreed, as I stamped them both.
Once I did that, I said seriously. "Choji, stand guard over Ino. Ino, try to find a bird perch or nest. Take to the skies, and release the technique once you find Asuma."
Ino's eyes widened, as she looked stunned that she had never thought of the idea, before groaning. "Why did I never think of that?!"
I shrugged. It just made sense to take advantage. We lived in a forest for Kami's sake.
Naturally, that plan went bust two minutes later as Ino woke up, looking embarrassed.
"I, uh, don't know how to fly as a bird." She admitted quietly.
I sighed. "Of course the Mind Transfer Jutsu doesn't let you take advantage of an animal's instincts. We do this the hard way. Ino, get on Choji's back. Choji, we'll be scouting to find Asuma. Once within range, I'll shadow bind him, then Ino can transfer her mind, allowing me to get over there and Stamp him as a 'hit'. If Asuma breaks out of the mind transfer, you can release Ino in a moment's notice to use the Human Boulder Jutsu."
They nodded, with Ino looking thankful that we didn't get upset at her inability to fly.
'Somehow' we found Asuma, and the plan was a success. Really, Asuma wasn't truly trying his best. He was really just trying to get us to work together and see what he had to work with.
Once that was done, I had moved the Stamp to the lower back of the team, meaning they wouldn't notice it during the three days it took to apply, and, per the Company, would ignore the Stamp during and after it's completion.
Afterwards, Asuma treated us to a barbecue as a way to celebrate our success at becoming Team 10. Ino looked like she was hardly going to eat before I spoke up, my voice serious.
"Ino. You don't have to eat as much as Choji, but you need to prioritize eating meat. Eating meat will allow your muscles to grow, but it also allows you to develop faster and better. Trying to starve yourself will hinder not just yourself, but the team in the long run. Without proper food, you'll be exhausted faster, you'll be weaker, your hair will fall out, and you'll never grow beyond what you look like now."
Ino's face paled as I didn't mince words, a combination of [Communication Talent] and [Inculcation Talent] working together to make Ino really rethink her dieting plan.
Asuma looked surprised for a moment, but nodded with approval. "He's right Ino."
This wouldn't be the last conversation, but eventually Ino would give up the dieting once she saw the results.
After eating, Asuma paid the bill and told us to tell our families the good news and to meet him at training ground 10 tomorrow around 8.
Ino and Choji left soon after, and I waited a few minutes before heading in a different direction from home.
The Six Eyes made it easy to recognize the absolute miasma of Cursed Energy that lingered in the Uchiha District. The immense negative emotions, the loss, the agony, all was easily felt even at a distance.
The lack of guards, the emptiness, all of it pointed to just how silent the district was. Houses filled with laughter and families, lay silent and cold.
If this place had been in Jujutsu Kaisen, the Cursed Spirit would've been on par of Jogo that came out of this place.
Silently moving through the empty streets, I eventually arrived to Sayuri's home. Here, the Cursed Energy was at its peak. The agony was concentrated here, and the misery that clung to the house was immense.
No wonder Sasuke became the way he did. Between the PTSD, the trauma, the miasma of negative energy, all of it practically crushed out all positivity out of him.
It was a miracle Sasuke hadn't committed suicide. Hell, the boy had likely been subconsciously suicidal, having aimed to take on Itachi while hoping for an honorable death to say he had at least tried to avenge his Clan.
Sayuri was training in the back of the house, near the lake as she practiced her Fireball Jutsu.
Say what you will about Sayuri, she's dedicated to her training.
Clasping my hands together, I appeared directly behind her, knocking her out with a swift blow to the back of her neck.
She collapsed almost instantly, unconscious. She'd exhausted herself to the point that she'd been easily handled.
A Stamp to the lower back, and I quickly went into the house to put her to bed with a quick contract written down.
'If you want to unlock the Sharingan, you need to be put in a life or death situation. If you want the help of a friend, sign the Contract and wait for me in the backyard three days from now late afternoon. The answer to Kakashi's Hidden Test is teamwork.'
I left the Uchiha District, heading for another potential individual.
Once I was within range, I could see Naruko was currently grumbling to herself in her apartment. I knocked on her door, surprising her inside as she eventually went to open the door.
"Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" She said aloud, confused.
After all, I had never been to her apartment, and I hadn't really interacted with her much in class or earlier.
[Covert Talent] made it easy to make me seem nervous, but excited.
"Naruko, I want to make a bet with you. I bet that I can make a better ramen than Ichiraku's."
Naruko's eyes widened before she pointed at me, her face turning red as she proclaimed. "Never! Ichiraku's is the best."
My smile widened as I grew confident. Or at least, pretended to grow confident.
"I want to write up a contract. If I can make better ramen than Ichiraku's, you have to swear undying loyalty and love to me. And I get to go out on a date with you."
Naruko's indignation turned full embarrassment, her face turning cherry red. Her mouth opened silently multiple times before she squeaked. "D-date?"
I nodded solemnly. "Yes. A date. Because while I think you can be stupid a lot of the time, you can be quite rude and abrasive, you are as stubborn as a rock, you don't pay attention to the details..."
Naruko's red face darkened in anger as she bristled at how bluntly I brought up her flaws. I continued, relentless.
"I also think you are passionate, because you always go for what you want. I think you're funny, I always get a laugh out of your pranks when it's not aimed at me. I think you're so much stronger than anyone takes you credit for, because despite being an orphan and alone, you were able to keep up with us even when you were skipping class. I love how passionate you get, because you never back down when you want something. I think you look incredible, just the way you are. While I don't know you completely, because who you are in private may well be different than in public, I'd love to get to know you, Naruko Uzumaki. Because I like what I see, and I want to know you even more."
Naruko's anger melted and her face flushed as her eyes widened as her lips opened slightly in surprise.
"I, I didn't know you felt that way about me." Naruko's voice spoke softly, her blue eyes looking at me carefully, no doubt trying to see if there's a prank or a lie.
"What do I get if I win?" Naruko spoke up, her face set in a small grin as she thought back to the contract/bet I was offering.
"Whatever you want." I said bluntly. I was very confident.
Naruko nodded. "Okay. Shikamaru. Write up the contract and we'll both sign it. If I win, I want..." Naruko bit her lip for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me.
"No judging me for what I say." She ordered and I nodded easily.
"If I win, if Ichiraku's is better. We'll take five bowls of ramen from Ichiraku's to go, and I get to eat it with you... [sub]and maybe a kiss."/sub]
I made it a point to nod, but I had to admit, the fact that Naruko was that worked up over a kiss said a lot about how little physical affection she had.
"A win-win."
The sounds of Naruko moaning so lewdly as she slurped the noodles I had made an hour later after returning with some fresh groceries was worth it. Especially as she, cherry red and looking mortified, declared her undying love and loyalty to me before begging for another bowl.
The fact that my mother saw the wide grin on my face later, and then learned that I, lazy bones Shikamaru, had cooked for someone to impress them on a date, had her demanding I bring Naruko over for dinner tomorrow, it was still worth it.
Well, shit. Might have to rethink the whole pretending to be dead thing later. Eh, it's not like I can't reform Konoha from the inside out.
And yes, I was picturing fucking Naruko over the Hokage desk. Who wouldn't?