Hello my dear friends. It took me a little longer to write the story chapter this time, but here it is. I hope it was worth the wait and you enjoy my story.
"This is torture." I yelled as I sat on my futon starting to lose my temper with my chakra. It had been a little over a week and I still had no access to my chakra nor was I close to succeeding with the leaf technique. There was a list of things in the academy books that could be tried to make it easier to access the chakra, which was getting shorter and shorter. Next on the list, almost at the bottom, was meditation, probably because little ones can't be expected to sit still for long and empty their heads while their minds are teeming with hundreds of questions. I've never tried to meditate, people usually meditate to relax, sometimes it's recommended for mental problems. I didn't mind trying, when I didn't have much smarter work to do.
I started to write some of the stories from my dimension, modified them a little to fit in this era, and mostly for children and teenagers I could use my phone. Yes, I still have my phone with me, but since I'm under surveillance, I can't use it without someone noticing it, and then more questions follow. Of course Inoichi and Hiruzen would understand because they saw it in my memories but the others would be hard to lie to. However, the selection of books for older and young adults was huge, while the selection for children and younger people was very small, almost non-existent. Mostly there were books with animals, plants, two or three stories about war heroes and that was it, no fairy tales, fables, songs, nothing. So I came up with the idea of how to solve my problem with money, my excess free time and my creativity.
For reasons like these, I'm glad that our elementary school had a writing section that taught us to solidly compose essays, stories, treat themes... I managed to compose The Lion King in one day, believing that this is the safest way to start, not to mention that it is full of lessons that children will need for life. Then I decided to include the legend of Mulan and the Bear Brothers, which were one of my favorites when I was little.
But now I have to work on my own stupid chakra instead, and Kakashi said I shouldn't ask for further lessons until I've mastered this, as if I could. That guy really has big trust issues, and I don't blame him. However, I've decided to try meditation if it doesn't work I'll ask Itachi for advice when we meet again or Mikoto the next time she comes over for tea
. Anyway, I settled comfortably on my futon, sitting in an Indian seat, and then put my hands in my lap and started to empty my head of thoughts, controlling my breath, which was getting longer and deeper. I tried to completely isolate myself from the outside and focus on what is inside me. I also tried mantras to focus better, but nothing happened, as if the chakra is simply allergic to me and runs away from me in every way. After what seemed like a good couple of hours, I started to lose my temper and patience from not moving. "Come on, I'm giving up!" I shouted and jumped out of my futon, walking around tired of staying still, wondering what I'd been doing wrong all this time.
When I took a few breaths to calm myself down, I decided not to lose my head about this and try one more time before I write this item off the list... Turning towards the futon, a large and at that moment frightening sight awaited me.,, Is that me." I looked at my "clone" in fear, not believing what was happening in front of me. The girl had my red long pixie cut, wore the same evergreen green baggy t-shirt with black knee length shorts and sat in the same position as me while meditating. When I tried to touch myself, I jerked out of my rapid breathing meditation with a little more jolt than the scene a few seconds ago. It seemed like I was out of my body, but I was sure that I saw my body moving, ie. breathing, so the only thing that came to my mind was, Astral Projection.
To be sure, I repeated all the steps from the beginning. To be sure, I meditated longer, and then got up and saw my body behind me again, but I did not approach, wanting to explore this newly acquired ability. I looked around without seeing any differences like when I'm in my own body, the brightness was the same, the feeling was the same, but I shouldn't jump to conclusions. Approaching the window, I tried to remember what my friend Jena had said about astral projection, as well as what to expect from it. The world outside looked exactly the same as it had every dusk before, my front garden was the same as when I left it that morning with a couple of freshly planted hydrangeas along the fence where it gets shade for most of the day and colorful periwinkles planted around my porch where for the most part the sun is shining during the day, especially at noon.
I decided to go down the stairs and try a few things on my mind, and the first place on the list was the bathroom. As I arrived in front of the bathroom I decided to test my friends two theories and one of them was if I could pass through objects. I stretched out my hands with thoughts in my head that I wanted to be able to pass and then I moved my hand towards the door hoping it would work, although it would be cool if it didn't. The next second my hand was about to make contact, it simply went through the door causing an unusual but not unpleasant sensation. I started jumping up and down with excitement and happiness because it worked.
While I was rejoicing, I noticed that my jumping didn't make any sounds, and when I think about it a little more, I couldn't even hear my going down the stairs. Of course, it will not be heard when I was in my astral body, which has no physical form, but only a spirit-like form. Although Jena mentioned to me a couple of times that physical objects can also be used, the one infatuated with these phenomena, lucid dreams, paranormal and many other things. In fact, thanks to her, I learned to dream lucidly from an early age, which has helped me a lot throughout my life, especially when the nightmares from the trauma should have subsided.
Anyway it's time for test number two which is to try to open the door this time and not go through it. This time I concentrated on solidifying my astral body enough to hopefully open the door. I took a few breaths ready to move and put my hand on the bathroom handle and I could feel its smooth surface as well as if my hand wasn't going through it. The next second, I opened the door wide, then entered the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror in disbelief. According to my observations , I can walk through things and touch them, and I'm also invisible.
This was better than chakra control, this was awesome because it could be applied to countless different situations, but it also had its flaws. Like for example, my body was exposed and vulnerable in this state, and I was out of sight so if I was attacked I probably wouldn't be able to react in time. But if I overcome and erase all the advantages of astral projection and remember everything that Jena told me, there is a chance that I can minimize the possibility of anyone harming me.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door. I started to panic for a moment because I wasn't expecting anyone today, so I had to be careful and quickly get back into my body. The moment I wanted to return to my body, I simply teleported back, as if I was in a dream and suddenly woke up. My breathing was more normal this time than the first time, probably because I was surprised and technically scared.
The knocking was repeated once more so I had better go downstairs and check what was going on taking one of my kunai in my hand so that if there was trouble I would have something to protect myself. When I went down to the door, I could already hear footsteps starting to move away, but I carefully opened it, seeing who had come to visit unannounced. Tenzo turned to the door, seeing me peeking out from behind it, surprised and nervous. ,, Uzumaki-san?" he asked quietly and uncertainly, and I opened the door wide, leaving the kunai on the shoe rack, surprised not expecting that of all the shinobi he was the one to come. ,, It's okay you can call me Maxi." I looked at him curiously as he stood on my porch, unsure of what he was going to say next, so I took the initiative. "You can come in if you want to talk?" I told him to which he just nodded and followed me back to my living room where he sat at the table while I went to the kitchen to get the cookies I baked yesterday and some lemonade.
Tenzo scans with his eyes the room as if he was looking for a something, probably a hidden weapon or perhaps seals of some type that most shinobi have in their houses. His gaze lingered on the ceiling, which had realistically painted beech leaves moving from the ceiling censer around the chandelier. lowered to half the walls, becoming rarer and smaller, "It's pleasant here." He commented looking back at me as I put the refreshments down on the table and then sat across from him smiling. "Thank you, but I still haven't picked up your name." I told him, to which he immediately blushed and bowed his head with a higher voice than a moment ago with the words, "I'm sorry for intruding like this, My name is Yamato." He looked so cute and irresistible so too polite all nervous about forgetting to introduce himself. In the end I couldn't take it anymore so I started laughing, to which he straightened his head looking at me even more uncertainly. It seems that due to his constant stay in anbu, he is not used to interacting with people outside of operatives without a mask. ,, Alright Yamato-chan. I'm glad we met. Just is there something specific that brings you here?"
Tenzo looked me in the eyes, becoming serious as he gathered up the courage to say something to me. ,, Itachi-san didn't tell me everything that happened while I was unconscious. I am immensely grateful to you for that." This was already a little too much and I started to feel a little uneasy for several reasons. Firstly, because I didn't do anything that other medical ninjas wouldn't have done, and secondly, as far as I remember, both operatives didn't leave the door thanking me like this.
,, There's no need for you to be grateful to me for anything. If nothing else, I should apologize for stealing your mask and eventually breaking it." I told him in a comforting tone, not liking someone thanking me for doing the right thing, I mean not like this. but when I think about it a little better, Itachi also thanked me, so I didn't understand what was so special about all that. ,, You see Maxi-san, you shouldn't have been involved in all of this in the first place. Like I said before, Itachi told me everything, so I know you knew what you were getting yourself into the second you saw each other, but you all got involved in our mission. You see medical ninjas are forbidden to be involved in the front line of combat, especially in our type of missions."
It was becoming clearer to me now and brought back a few things from the series. Tsunade forbade medical ninjas from going into direct combat because their training takes a long time and requires incredible chakra control to master medical ninjutsu. "You also took the enemy that was hunting me and dragged them away from me and my hiding place." It must have really hurt his pride when the then non-ninja took over the chase that was meant for him. But if they had found him instead of me, he wouldn't have stood a chance and Kiri would have gotten hold of his unique wooden style, and I don't even want to imagine what would have followed.
,, And there is the episode with Taichu Inu. Everyone froze from the KI he dropped as well as almost slitting your throat. After that, no one ever dared to approach him in that state when he goes on pure instinct and you somehow succeeded. Besides, you took it upon yourself to bring us home in one piece so I thank you again and if there's anything I can do for you." Ahhhh... It was crystal clear to me now. Kakashi's reputation seemed to have improved so much that he the commanders outside his team don't dare to approach, not even the commanders in his "beast" state. But this is all a messed up situation, the medical ninjas are not allowed to come to the rescue, their almost suicidal mentality which unfortunately leads them through the mission and Kakashi's reputation and the PSD that follows them. This team is more chaotic than any other in the ambu village, but at least it's never boring with them.
,, I'll say this again Yamato-chan,, you have nothing to thank me for. . You said it yourself, it was my decision and I knew exactly what the consequences were... And I'm glad for that, despite the episode with your Taichu, and I tell you that if I could make the choice again, I would choose the same again." Tenzo looked at me with disbelief in his eyes, acting like what I just said was a sweet lie but he knew it was the truth. That there were people who are not afraid of Kakashi's friends killer, nor are they afraid to come to help despite the fact that they were S rank and that the probability of death is ridiculously high.
Tenzo looked like he wanted to thank me again and started to lower his head again but I yelled back. ,, No thanks enough and please call me One-san." I know I'm exaggerating this but Tenzo has literally no one to rely on for his own life outside of Kakashi, being a mokuton user, an experiment with no family, and I won't mind either that I have someone else besides Itachi and Mikoto-san. And Tenzo reminds me a lot in these looks of Mai, who is always anxious when she meets new people or has to talk to them for the first time.
Tenzo looked like he was going to cry now here in front of me because of my words. This must have been shocking for a teenager who survives such horrors almost every day, with no one but his Taichu who can't help him much, which is more than most do. I got up and walked up to Tenzo, who began to tremble from all the pent-up emotions that had accumulated over the course of his life, triggered by our conversation. ,For God's sake, he was on the verge of death until two weeks ago, I bet he saw the Shinigami's face up close.,
,, You know Yamato-chan, if you ever need advice, medical help or just a listening ear, you already know my address. That goes for you and your friends, any time of the day or night, I won't ask questions, I won't judge. OK?" I told him in a gentle whisper as I ran my fingers through his hair stroking his head, giving him at least some comfort. His arms suddenly wrapped around me not caring how much power he was using, I think even my spine was crushed in an inappropriate way, while his head was pushed into my stomach. I could barely hear his weeping into my shirt, knowing that he was still holding back, I addressed myself. "You can let it all out, you don't have to be afraid here, I have you." I said as I hugged back as much as I could, letting him cry as much as he needed, not promising him that anything would be okay because I knew that he won't, but at least now he knew he had one more person he could rely on.
We stood like that for almost an hour until finally Tenzo had used up all his tears and then a little later he didn't want to touch me as if I would disappear in front of him in a thin the air. The silence was comfortable, calming as the golden rays of the setting sun gave warmth and a subtle smoky lighting that matched the whole atmosphere. Some time later Tenzo finally decided to loosen his grip which allowed me to move a little further and get a closer look at his face.
His eyes were red and swollen from crying, but the tension in his body was completely gone, as if he finally felt safe after a long, long time.. ,, Are you feeling better?,, He simply just nodded his head a bit embarrassed that he cried like that to a person he barely knew for a few hours, worrying how his commanders and Taichu would react when they heard about this. His gaze was fixed on my shirt which was soaked in his tears, making the marks of guilt appear on his face.
"Don't worry, it will wash off easily." But tell me how things are going after the mission." I asked him and we started talking about his teammates, of course there were superficial things that would give away the identity, how the situation with the other nations is still tense, especially since Konoha is still recovering from the attack of the nine-tailed fox... We literally jumped from topic to topic, some were better than others, but I was glad that he somehow came out of his shy shell and started talking , nor did I have time between training, arranging the home, writing, covering the material for the academy, working in the garden... It was simply overwhelming and I didn't have any time for socialization until now.
,, ... also Taicho said that you literally drugged Genma with your bombs, Genma the poison user. How did you manage to do that without him noticing." And finally we got to the heart of the matter where Kakashi was gossiping to his beloved kohai about my ridiculous style that had no defined basis but was a jumble without any order, my monkeying around with the bo staff when I should have shown off my skills with the katana as well as my unexpected prowess in making smoke bombs that I activated every time Genma was near me. If I didn't know better I would have thought that Kakashi had sent him to kill me because of how close he came to stabbing me with kunai and his senbo needles.
"Honestly, it wasn't that difficult. I needed more flammable material and by the way the resin also has a strong smell when it catches fire so it hid the smell of valerian and ruse." To which Tenza laughed not believing what a simple and effective solution I managed to come up with while being chased by anbu shinobi who specialized in It's like you said, the snake bit itself and poisoned itself. ,, But you sure made a good impression on Taicho when he agreed to help you with your chakra training." And so Tenzo poked a sore spot that he didn't care for, destroying a part of my pride that I was barely holding in one piece anyway.
Tenzo noticed the expression my face and realized that something was probably wrong, so he asked me, "Did Taicho tease you somehow?" I just put my head in my hands, rubbing my forehead along the way because I could feel the ladies getting a migraine and my nerves started to fray just thinking about chakra or leaf technique. ,, Chakra teases me more than anything else in the world ototo-chan. I've been struggling with the damn leaf for almost two weeks now." I know I overdramatized my whining and regretting, especially when the kids here have been practicing this technique for a whole year and I haven't even been two weeks since I started. When I consider all that, I feel even more pathetic because I compared myself to small children and when you consider it, I didn't deal with this problem for a long time.
Tenzo looked at her with pity and took the napkin that was fucking under the now empty cookie plate, spread it on the table and then extended his fist over it. I watched him carefully as he lowered his hand and then raised it again with only this kiss of a napkin stuck to his palm, standing like that without any problems. "The first step is always the hardest."
Tenzo commented while I was still looking at his palm which still had a napkin stuck to it like glue. I then looked Tenzo in the eyes with a question clearly written on my face which he himself noticed, nodding his head. as a sign of approval to try to feel the chakra to satisfy my curiosity. The moment I touched his palm I felt his energy flowing through his hand attracting the chakra. It was Tenzo's chakra, it was not cold but somehow fresh was the traces of warmth that I found when I arrived in this dimension. It was as if it just naturally flowed through his body as if it had always belonged there. , Somehow it seemed familiar. I thought as my head tried to connect to the event, checking every corner of my mind trying not to eat something, until suddenly it hit.
When Jena and I were about twelve years old, she tried to convince me that all people have energy inside them that they can control. That same energy in different cultures carried different names, mana, aura, chi, chakra. She always managed to move the stones without touching them, very little but still enough to notice, but at the time I thought it was a trick and she was trying to be witty and mysterious like the rest of her.
Once she managed to get me to try to move the sheet just by holding my hand in front of me, to channel the energy that was supposed to be in my torso and abdomen. It took me some time, but I managed to concentrate somehow enough to feel the movement through my chest into my shoulder and then into my hand, but somehow I didn't let it reach my hand. The energy was strong, crazy, almost untamed, but at the same time it radiated a tenderness that somehow didn't let me worry about what was actually happening inside me. The heat then slowly disappeared, returning back from where it had been drawn without making a move except that I felt like someone with an outstretched hand waiting for a miracle to happen. That Jena told me that I have enormous potential and that it's a shame that I'm afraid of it myself.
She was right at the time I was having occasional depressive episodes related to my grandfather not to mention most things went south for me. Tenzo looked at me worriedly while I was lost in my thoughts, and then he suddenly took a few steps away from me, jumping up from the chair when I myself suddenly sat down with a determined look in my eyes and a new confidence and determination. I plucked a couple of fresh, larger basil leaves from my helper plant in the kitchen and returned to the table, arranging them side by side. "One-san." Tenzo called me, clenching his fists and silently showing signs of encouragement, "go ahead,, ,, you have this,, That's exactly what I needed at that moment, to know that I'm not alone.
,, This is now the moment of truth." I closed my eyes concentrating on my inner energy, trying to extract a small amount from the ,,core,, and distribute it throughout my body equally. I felt in the first few seconds a great rush of energy rushing through my body like a wild mountain river, just as fresh, but light and sharp like the autumn winds, full of warmth like the summer sun's rays, full of life. It took me a few moments to establish a constant and somewhat even flow through my body which was almost vibrating with excitement with the newly released energy.
Then I moved my finger over the first leaf, which immediately stuck like a magnet. Trying not to lose concentration, I placed it on my forehead and then weakened the flow in my finger and the sheet remained on my forehead without any help except the charm, barely touching my skin. I then placed another one next to the other on my forehead and two on each upper arm trying to practice control in my non-dominant left hand as well. I looked around, unable to believe that finally after so many attempts and hundreds of other techniques, I managed to hold not only one, but seven sheets at once without any problems. A smile literally shone on our face with joy, while tears of joy began to slowly flow down our cheeks, but with traces of sadness that Jena is not here, she sees all this and says to my face, Ah, I told you so. Even Tenzo's attitude and expression said he was proud to have helped me suddenly make this kind of progress with just a little demonstration. "Congratulations One-san