6 Months Later, Benihime Lake: Senjutsu and Chakra Control
"Congratulations, Your Taijutsu has reached A-rank." Said the familiar, soft voice of Ariana. I let out a groan in response, dumping my face into the cool water of the Benihime Lake and coming back out, wiping my face clean of sweat and grime. "Man, how have I not lost my mind being out here for so long?" I asked rhetorically to no one in particular. It's been roughly a year, maybe a year, and some months since I came here, I made this place my home and began my training. I am quite impressed with my progress and even more impressed that Ariana agrees. It's been some time since I had anyone I could trust, perhaps I've already lost it if I am considering an augmented reality game system to be my friend, even gave her a name. "Damn, I must've gone crazy a long time ago..." I said in thought.
"You are perfectly sane," Ariana chirped up. Was that sarcasm? Am I rubbing off on her? "Hm, every day...more lies," I scoffed out with a faint smile, once again caressing my hair, getting any sweat and dirt out of it, treating it like it's the most precious thing I own. "You are sane when you are calm, that is," Ariana continued, earning a slightly melodic chuckle from me. "Well, you're definitely gonna see reason after I get back to training," I said, getting out of the water before channeling my normal chakra to dry myself off instantly. "Oh, and what are you doing now?" Finishing my hair by brushing it with my fingers and tucking some of the strands behind my ears, I responded, "I still need to train in senjutsu control."
A moment passed before Ariana asked, "But haven't you already used it before without much problem?" I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, thanks to my decent chakra control and lower reserves, at least when I began last year. But, like with all that I am training in, that because I am at a higher rank with my skills doesn't mean I am automatically an A-ranked or S-ranked threat. A child with a powerful gun is still a child with a powerful gun, maturity and experience will still be something that I need to work on." I responded before continuing, "With more practice, in time, I will be worthy of maintaining my freedom from other villages," I finished before putting on my training clothing, a simple t-shirt, and skin-tight shorts. Another moment passed before Ariana asked again, "You know, I wonder, why not try manufacturing guns, many shinobi will likely be taken off guard with such a contraption?"
With that, a grim look crossed my face as I stared into the distance at a hawk landing in a tree near my nest, "Indeed, it would be a powerful tool, however..." I trailed off before sighing, "This world...this world already has so much pain and suffering...honestly, how far do you think this world would've gone without the introduction of chakra to humans? Would this world be even more like my old world? Would the people of this world be more focused on science or technology that can help the world, instead of shooting fireballs from their asses?" I continued before caressing my hair again subconsciously, "I really do not want to introduce such a powerful weapon to an already power-hungry world. In my old world, from the bushes to the trees, even kids had guns and the potential to kill a well-trained soldier if said soldier was taken by surprise. In a warzone, no one, nowhere, not civilians, not even the orphans, are safe. If it's not a random bomb or a terrorist attack, it may be a stray bullet or starvation. I just want enough strength to protect my freedom from enslavement from those who benefit from this world of pain, the Kage and especially the Daimyo's." I answered back.
"Introducing such a weapon in this world may make this world too similar to my old one. Who's to say that somewhere down the line, it's no longer Madara that the world has to worry about, now every major village is threatening to drop a nuclear bomb on one another. And...all of that...was because of me...I...I don't think I could live with myself if something like that became a reality. Where I further contribute to the endless cycle of violence and pain of this world or even my last one." I finished with my voice shaking somewhat with suppressed emotion, remembering the Yazuka massacre that I committed. I sighed tiredly before beckoning my wings to form and flying to the canopy of a nearby tree, before sitting down in a meditative manner. "I shouldn't think about those things now, I've got more training to do. Ariana, you ready?" I asked, ready to get started on senjutsu training. "Indeed, I will be on standby for healing," She responded. "Yosh! Let's go!" I said excitedly before closing my eyes and relaxing my hands into my lap.
A breath in...a breath out...a breath in...a breath out...another breath in...and another breath out. After a few moments of silence, the feeling of tranquility once again washed over me again, making me forget some of the thoughts of before. The familiar chirping of the birds in the nest in the tree next to me sounded like a song. The light breeze fluttered about around my skin, causing my hair to move slightly. Once again, I felt the nature chakra around me and beckoned it to come to me. Slowly, the energy made its way inside of me, and the euphoric feeling returned like the first time. The nature chakra slowly combined itself with my chakra, making its way around my body. I immediately felt my chakra coils start to burn slightly, it wasn't painful but it was like a dull sensation. "Katomi, keep going for a little longer, that burning feeling is your chakra coils getting slightly larger, I will tell you to stop once you get to a dangerous point." Ariana's voice stated.
The burning sensation almost doubled as I let out a low groan of pain after her statement before she said, "Stop!" I immediately stopped, panting slightly at the ordeal. "I have activated your healing, try to remain still for a few minutes, and do not use any chakra," Ariana warned. I remained silent and still in my meditative position, slowly calming down. "This is gonna be painful," I said in thought, slightly intimidated at the daunting task of increasing my chakra capacity along with gaining control over senjutsu. I'm going to need powerful ninjutsu, specifically long-ranged wind-style techniques in the future and since the war is coming, I don't have many other options for increasing my capacity outside of brute strength and abusing my gamer's body healing ability.
6 Months Later, Benihime Forest: Journey to Maverick
"What a strange woman." I thought to myself while looking at the picture of my mom, laying on my futon inside of my now expanded nest. During my taijutsu training, I thought it would be a good exercise to expand my nest, which, now resembles more of a tree house if anything. Today is my 7th birthday, and I shall spend it doing something that I would've never imagined before, flight training. While I may now be decent in terms of basic movements; if I want to survive and thrive in an ability that is rare and would provide a major advantage in this world, I need to seriously improve my overall ability. I rose from my resting position while placing the picture on my table, then subconsciously started caressing my hair with my right hand and flipping it to my back. Glancing out of the window and seeing the rising sun once again, I curled my right leg and allowed my hand to wrap around it while allowing my left hand to support me.
"It seems like you're ready for the day. May I provide some suggestions?" Ariana asked. "Sure, whatcha got for me?" I asked with a smirk, taking some time to glance at the crow that landed at my window. I paused as if I could already feel the mischievous smirk on Ariana's nonexistent face before she answered, "Well first, you'll spend 6 hours training in maneuverability, from 5:00 to 11:00, then rest and eat. Then you will train for another 6 hours in speed. This will be done daily and nightly for the next week. Then you will do some slight training in poisons before finally moving on to ninjutsu." Ariana declared, earning a blank look into the distance from me, "Well damn." I responded dumbly before continuing, "I won't be able to do ninjutsu yet until I manage to acquire scrolls from Suna, but I'll move on that later." "Understood," Ariana said.
With a sigh and a small smirk, I went to put on my red and white kimono and grabbed an apple for a snack; I then made my way onto the tree branch that operated as a porch. With a mental beckon, Karasu, my new crow friend landed on my shoulder, immediately staring at my apple. With a dramatic roll of my eyes, I channeled chakra into my nails to sharpen them, easily slicing a piece of the apple to give to my gluttonous companion. "Hm, fatass," I mumbled under my breath as Karasu took the fruit piece and ate it before squawking indignantly at my comment, earning a smirk as I turned my head and kissed him lightly on the head in return. Remembering my next plan, I mentally commanded, "Karasu, gather your closest allies and make your way to Sunagakure. Scout out any guards or patrols for the next week. I'll be in Suna soon after my flight training." Karasu nodded, in his own birdlike way, and flew into the tree near my own.
After finishing the rest of my apple, I summoned my wings and flexed them like a hawk ready to take flight. Staring ahead at the dense foliage that spanned kilometers in each direction, I crouched in a pouncing position. With a powerful flap of my wings, I launch into the air with great speed, dodging some of the nearby branches with a flip above them. I dodged another branch and turned to fly toward the lake, tucking my wings in slightly to squeeze through a narrow passage of trees. After some moments of dodging trees and flapping my wings more, I finally made it to the lake and landed at the edge. I let out a sigh, then readied myself for the training session after the warmup, and took off once again.
One Week Later: The Ace Maverick
A shadow moved through the dark, pre-dawn sky with such speed that not even the nearby leaves were rustled in any manner. The shadow moved and danced around and in between the dense foliage of the forest with little effort. Without warning, the shadow finally took to the sky, now showing her blazing red eyes glaring into the heavens. Her hip-length, dark brown hair blew behind her as she made her way quickly into the clouds.
"Come on!" I growled out, powerfully flapping my wings until I finally made it above the clouds in record time. I halted my actions and turned my body to be parallel with the fluffy clouds below me, allowing my arms to spread out in a relaxed manner while keeping one of my legs straight with the other one slightly bent like a ballerina. A true feeling of tranquility came over me, similar to when I channel senjutsu, but, more...potent...more...real. With senjutsu, it's like my body has become water, but this feels more like my spirit has become a floating leaf. The feeling of weightlessness increased as I closed my eyes, allowing myself to plummet back toward earth, staying in my ballerina-like pose, like a falling angel. "Breath in...hold...breath out...breath in...hold...breath out...breath in...hold it," I said in thought as my body now fell below the clouds. "Hold it...a little more," I continued, as a small amount of the rays from the rising sun finally came up, illuminating my face slightly. "NOW!" I shouted before turning around, flexing my wings, and diving straight downward, now resembling a peregrine falcon when it's diving.
"Fuck yeah!" I shouted excitedly, feeling the rush of the wind as I neared the surface of my favorite lake. Closer and closer the surface came as I finally opened my wings, changing my trajectory from downward twist attack to being parallel with the lake. With a powerful swoosh of air and the rippling of the water's surface violently, causing the water to flood the shoreline for several meters. I continue my flight, aiming upwards again towards a tree canopy, coming in for a landing. After a few moments, I finally came in for landing, breath slightly haggard from the adrenaline rush as I was crouched slightly on top of the tree, now seeing the sunrise. "Congratulations Katomi, you have achieved Aerial Maverick and are now considered the fastest flyer alive," Ariana responded earning a slight chuckle from me, "Fucking A right," I answered back. "Hey Ari, how fast was that? That had to have been at least a couple hundred km/h?" I asked while trying to calm myself.
"While you were still near the ground before taking to the skies, you were traveling at approximately 544 km/h a speed that most, if not, all jonin or high chunin would struggle to keep up with," Ariana answered. I looked dumbly into the distance at the revelation, "Wow, and what about after that?" I asked. "When you took off, you were traveling roughly around 455 km/h. And while diving, you peaked at 888 km/h, which realistically, no one can keep up with in the air, not even the Kages of this world."It's official, I am the fucking Queen of the skies. "Before you get too ahead of yourself, you are the apex predator of the skies, not the ground. Your ground attacks and overall experience still need improvement," Ariana interrupted my parade. I sighed before smirking, "Yeah, which is what we will work on back at the nest, right?" I answered back. I paused while standing straight up before asking once more, "But how the hell can I fly that fast? That's damn near Mach 1 if I remember correctly."
"Correct, however, it is simple physics. A fully grown female peregrine falcon can weigh up to 910 g or nearly a kilogram and can reach speeds up to nearly 400 km/h. Whereas you, as a moderately tall 7-year-old human, weigh roughly 24 kilograms. With you being heavier than a falcon, gravity affects your velocity more, therefore making you far faster." Ariana responded. I nodded, I was never very good at math, but I could at least understand the basics. "I assume if I want to go faster I'll have to figure out more ways to cut drag?" I asked. "Indeed, perhaps if you tucked your wings in slightly more and went to a higher height, you may have gotten to the speed of sound, possibly surpassed it." She answered back. I sighed again before adopting a serious expression, "Noted, but, it's about time we move along with our plan." I said before spawning my wings once again and taking off in the direction of my home.
Katomi's Treehouse, Benihime Forest: The Next Move
Landing on the ground by the tree that holds my home, I decided to check my complete stats first before trying out an idea. "Ari, can you show me my full stats again? I have an idea." "Sure Katomi." She responded as I now saw my full stats page.
Name: Katomi Misamoto
Nickname: Yami's Favorite Peacemaker
Race: Human/Avian (Raptor) Hybrid
Age: 7 (Physically)
Level: A-Rank (Overall)
Vitality [VIT: SS-Rank (Gamers Body Attribute)
Charisma [CHA: S-Rank
Nature Affinity [NAT: Wind(Primary), Fire(Secondary)
Chakra Capacity [CCP: A-Rank (Base)
Chakra Control [CCO: S-Rank
Taijutsu Rank [TAI: B-Rank
Ninjutsu Rank [NIN: E-Rank
Genjutsu Rank [GEN: B-Rank (Gamers Mind Defense)
Kenjutsu Rank [KEN: B-Rank
Senjutsu Control Rank [SENJU: A-Rank
Flight Ability Rank: Aerial Maverick (Able to do advanced aerial movements, attacks, and evasions at high speed.)
Attributes and Perks:
Nickname Perk: Yami's Favorite Peacemaker [Peacemaker Perk] Grants player a mental amp when in battle along with automatically heightening all senses, perception, speed, and agility. Upon activation, this perk immediately activates the user's killing intent. Be warned that when this perk is active, it causes the user to lose control of emotions and rational thought due to enhancing the user's bloodlust and rage.
Gamer Body and Gamer Mind: Provides the user immunity to all physical attacks, lethal or forced trauma, and poisons. Grants the user the ability not to need sleep or food, although the user can still sleep or eat like normal if chosen. Gamer mind grants user immunity from external mental attacks, but not major internal self-attacks. Gamer body also provides the user with a map of the environment and of possible enemies and allies, enemies are red while allies are green. The darker the color, the more intense their inner emotions are towards the user.
Misamoto Clan Heritage: Grant's user flight with chakra wings at birth, enhanced perception of all senses, enhanced stealth, enhanced speed, and the ability to communicate with Avian creatures of all kinds.
I nodded to myself before placing my hands in a familiar cross-hand sign, manipulating my chakra, and imagining a clone of me coming into existence. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," I mentally thought as I immediately felt my chakra reserves go down by a little less than a quarter. A popping sound caught my right ear as I turned to see beside me, another me. I stared in puzzlement, not yet used to seeing another me, "Damn, no wonder this jutsu is supposed to be forbidden." I mentally said while checking over the other me, who looked slightly creeped out by my actions. "Uh, can you not get so close, please, I am you, but I am also another being." Katomi number two said as she backed up slightly. A hot feeling started making its way to my cheeks and ears as I backed up further out of her personal space, "Ahe, please forgive me, I forgot that shadow clones acted as an individual." I said as my hand quickly reached up to caress my hair nervously. She nodded with a small smile in return. I looked away in embarrassment seeing that I actually looked kind of cute when I smiled, "Ah shit, Ari, am I becoming a narcissist?" With that, my doppelganger glared at me for my mental comment. Apparently, I forgot that clones can communicate telepathically.
"Maybe a little, however, it is always healthy to recognize your own beauty." At that, the heat I felt on my face and ears increased as I quickly shook my head, "l-let's just get to my other idea." I spluttered out before turning back to my other self. "Can you see if you can transform into a crow or any other bird? I believe it's the tiger hand sign." I asked, getting a nod in return as she started focusing her chakra. After a moment and a quiet puff of smoke, my doppelganger was now the form of Karasu or at least a look-alike. She then transformed back to normal with a pensive face. "Before you say anything, let me try to dispel you and see the memories, is that alright?" I asked, getting a nod of affirmation in return, I then decided to mentally dispel her. After another puff of smoke, I received the memories of my clone, making me feel slightly disorientated for a moment before what I assume was the gamer's mind, helped clear my head. "I see, changing into an animal is not as easy as I thought, but, I guess practice would help," I said before turning my attention to my home above me and making my way to it, sticking my feet to the tree.
Finally making it into my home, I closed the small door and sat down in a meditative position by my small table, grabbing my Wakazashi blade and looking it over absentmindedly. "Alright, to start, with the war starting up soon, Suna will be more guarded at the borders near Fire Country while likely having some outposts near the border with the Land of Rivers," I said, remembering the plan. "I first need to acquire some blank scrolls, which I could probably find in town, but, I do need more experience, so some bandits will do for good practice. With phase two, I'll infiltrate the village along with Karasu and allies and make my way to a safe point for phase three. Phase three, find the building or buildings with the scrolls, take out any threats, copy the scrolls, and get the hell out of town as soon as possible." I finished out loud. "Will you be enacting this plan at night? Your biggest threat is the Kazakage, I assume you will be mobilizing when he is sleeping, correct?" Asked Ariana. I nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, I'm nowhere near capable of dealing with him while on the ground or in close spaces, however, in the worst-case scenario, I need to take off as soon as possible."
"If I may ask, why copy the scrolls instead of taking them?" Ariana asked. I chuckled slightly before answering, "Well, I would like to avoid making enemies with Suna for now at least, however, if time is tight, I may have to do with taking the scrolls outright." "I see, and it would be quite hypocritical to antagonize a village when you made it clear that you want to be left alone," Ariana answered. I nodded and sighed before speaking, "Well, that's just for now, remember, this is a power-hungry world, and once word gets out about my abilities and power, I will likely have some unwanted house guests." I said before slipping my Wakazashi back into its scabbard and getting up to prepare for departure. Looking out of my window, I saw that the sun was now shining bright, nearly at its afternoon zenith. "I guess for now I should get ready for some bandit hunting." I thought to myself in excitement.