As evening dissolved into the dark of night, a haunting orange hue draped the village with a hazy ambiance. Within a concealed alley of the civilian quarters, a sinister, otherworldly hole appeared, tearing through the fabric of space. Its existence defied all natural order, sending a shiver down anyone's spine who dared to witness it. Yet, it remained eerily silent, devoid of any audible presence, until a figure emerged from its depths. The enigmatic man donned an unsettling mask-like accessory upon his face, adding to his air of mystery.
"Ah... my control improves with each teleportation. But traversing great distances exacts a toll," the man murmured with a chilling, darkened voice.
With an effortless leap, he ascended to the rooftop of a nearby house, his gaze fixated on the northern gate of the fortified walls. The stationed guards stood vigilant, their watchful eyes scanning the surroundings. "Three atop, and two below... a total of five sentries," he mentally noted.
He headed towards the Hokage Mountain and stopped at the Hokage mansion. Concealing his chakra flawlessly, he cautiously peered through a window, beholding a woman bustling about the kitchen, her hand tenderly cradling her swollen belly. He observed her for a lingering moment, contemplating, 'Only six more months, huh...'
He moved away from the window and faced the Hokage Rock and uttered,
"Soon..."
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"Finely and Sharply..."
His mind visualizing the chakra grinding against itself, moving in undulating waves without making direct contact. With anticipation, he opened his arms, eager to witness the outcome.
"ITS HALF!!!..." Shin exclaimed, his voice resonating with excitement.
Over the past five and a half months, his control over nature chakra had steadily grown, leading to this moment of accomplishment. He had finally completed the first part of the Wind nature exercise. Elated by his progress, he immediately sought to replicate the result. With his chakra having grown significantly during this time, he could now attempt the wind cutting technique at least five times before depleting his reserves.
"Right... Lets go again..."
The subsequent tries all succeeded, his confidence level soaring each time.
"Lets try to pop the balloon at least fifteen times today...', With the next goal set in his mind, he retrieved a water balloon set from his backpack, and began filling them up with water.
Taking the first balloon, he infused a small amount of chakra into it.
"Now, the first tempo." The chakra within the balloon started rotating at a rapid pace. Gradually, he added more chakra, causing the rotation to initially slow down before regaining its former speed. Carefully monitoring the accumulation of the right amount of chakra, he spoke with utmost concentration, "Second tempo."
The chakra inside the balloon spun faster and faster, creating intricate rings in a full 360-degree rotation. As the strain reached its peak, the balloon finally burst.
Shin had a smile on his face after completing the first pop. He picked up another balloon and repeated the popping exercise another fourteen times. During the last balloon, he could feel himself reaching his limit as he sensed his loss of control and concentration. However, he buckled and managed to complete the goal he set for himself.
"...So weak... I still cant complete the full fifteen tries with enough chakra left over to continue" he lamented, feeling the effects of his depleted energy. Assuming a meditation posture, he began infusing chakra, finding solace in the gradual replenishment it provided. After another ten minutes of accumulation, he let out a sigh of relief.
Looking outside at the Dawn soon approaching, he felt a sense of amusement, "It would have been a miracle in my previous life to wake up at 5 am in the morning, now it is almost a daily occurence and today I even managed to wake up at 3."
He went to the bathroom to freshen up. After taking a shower and removing all the sweat covering his body, He went to Akiko`s room.
"Khah...phurrr... khah...phurrr." As he heard the synchronized snoring of the two brothers, Shin couldn't help but snort. Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs and throat and yelled, "WAKE UP!!!!!!!!"
Akiko jolted awake, startled from his sleep, and accidentally smacked his head against the side wall. "Hah...huh...wah!" It took a moment for Akiko to comprehend what was happening.
After regaining his senses, he looked at Shin in horror. "No way, you can't be serious... it's still dark outside."
"Wake up now, or else"
"No way, you`re not getting me out this early."
"Come on, you promised... You wanted to train, right? Well, it's best to wake up early in the morning for training," Shin instructed with a tone beyond his years. "Besides, didn't you want to join the ninja academy exams this year?"
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"Yeah," Akiko replied in a low voice.
"So... let's go! Take a shower, and I'll meet you in the dining hall in fifteen minutes. And wake up Hiro as well."
"Ah, okay." Akiko got up and headed to the bathroom, while Shin exited the room, quietly closing the door behind him. With a mischievous smirk, Shin began making footsteps noises outside the door. He prepared two water balloons, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Opening the door again ever so gently, he confirmed his suspicions.
"I knew it". Akiko had already retreated back to his sheets, swiftly falling back to sleep. Approaching him, Shin marveled at the boy`s ability to doze off so quickly with a mouth bubble forming so fast. He readied the balloons with his chakra still inside them rotating at high speeds. With high precision, he sent the balloons flying towards both Akiko and Hiro`s faces.
The balloons burst upon impact, drenching their targets instantly, followed by immediate screams of surprise and discomfort.
"Ah, you monster!" Akiko bellowed. "You dare harm your big brother?". His face depicting a scene of tragedy.
With another water balloon in his hand, Shin smirked, "Yes, big brother. Are you waking up or not? Or do I have to convince you again?"
"Mmm, no, NO! You made your point... alright, alright, I am waking up."
Sporting a sour expression, Akiko got up and hurried to the bathroom. Shin called out, "There better be the sound of running water soon, or I'm coming inside to give you a shower with the water balloons."
Before long, the sound of running water emanated from the bathroom. Shin breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the still drowsy Hiro.
"If you get ready quickly, I'll race you two times today," Shin whispered in Hiro's ear.
Hearing the long-awaited words, Hiro's eyes shot open. He looked at Shin with a mixture of energy and enthusiasm.
Observing Hiro's intense gaze, Shin felt a bit creeped out and pointed to his own room. "Go, you can use my bathroom."
Hiro nodded silently and rushed to the bathroom.
"What a hassle..."
Remembering his previous encounter in the playground, Akiko had already noticed his unusual beaviour the past couple of months. When confronted about it, Shin told him that he was training to becoming a ninja. Akiko had also set his sights on joining the ninja academy this year. Seeing his systematic way of training, Akiko requested to train as well. He had already been training himself ever since the kid fight in the playground. So, he was already used to doing a little bit of daily exercise. Shin agreed and thus the current situation followed. Hiro also overheard the conversation and insisted on joining in the training plan.
After twenty minutes, Akiko walked into the dining hall, drowsy still, even after taking a shower where as Hiro was a picture of energy and enthusiasm blended together.
"Lets go..."
Everybody arrived at the Training ground 8 together. Shin immediately led the two boys to his favourite training spot.he area was surrounded by thick trees, with a large stone at its center, camouflaged by overgrown shrubbery. The area observed very little traffic of ninjas in its surroundings.
Once they reached the training ground, Shin wasted no time and immediately initiated the boys' training. They began with stretching exercises, followed by strength exercises. After just two sets, the new protégés were already exhausted and in need of a break. Shin took advantage of this break to complete his morning run.
Returning to the campsite, Shin intended to train Akiko and Hiro to practice their Taijutsu. He called out to Hiro, "Come over here, Hiro."
"Me? Ah, okay," Hiro replied, approaching Shin with curiosity. "So, what do I do?"
"I'm going to teach you both the proper way to perform punches and kicks," Shin explained.
"But we already know how to do that," Akiko interjected.
"Yes, but there's a proper technique to it, right?" Shin said with a stoic expression. "Now, I'll demonstrate some kicks and punches, and Hiro, you'll be receiving them."
"Huh, Why me?", Hiro protested.
Suppressing his laughter, Shin replied, "Because Aki needs to watch this."
"But I want to watch too," Hiro chimed in.
"Don't worry, I'll do it again with Aki," Shin reassured him.
"Oh, okay then," Hiro said, satisfied with Shin's explanation as he stood ready.
"Alright, first, when you punch, you need to maintain the proper posture. Tilt your body forward, pull your hand back, and then punch forward while also moving your body," Shin explained, demonstrating the technique. He held back his strength, but Hiro was still pushed back by the impact.
"Ow... thwat was so whard."Hiro spoke while rubbing his face.
"That just means its working.", Holding back his laugh, Shin replied. "Now, Aki. you try it".
After getting another punch from Akiko, Hiro became excited at the prospect of his turn.
"Now, you two practice on your own, and after lunch, we'll have a sparring match," Shin instructed, trying his best not to look at Hiro.
"No fair, You didnt practice with Aki", Hiro protested, his face turning red.
Shin turned back and uttered like it was the most natural thing, "Well, you already know of it right, I showed you two times already. If you didnt get it by now, Then does it mean you are stupid?."
"Well... no",Hiro muttered.
Immeditely, Shin faced beamed with a refreshing smile, "Thats right, Youre smart right. I know you will master it soon"
"Yes... Yes I will", Hiro replied, smiling with newfound determination.
While they were practising, Shin removed himself from the area. After five minutes, Hiro and Akiko heard a sound of loud laughter like someone was holding it in for a long time.
-----
Shin returned after completing another round of running. Akiko and Hiro were both exhausted, sitting on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Alright... that's enough for the morning exercise. Let's go back and have breakfast."
Overjoyed at the prospect of a respite and the promise of food, Akiko thanked the heavens, while Hiro completely forgot to challenge Shin to another race. At that moment, all they wanted was to devour some much-needed sustenance.
Observing their exhausted state, Shin couldn't help but think, "It's going to be a long month."
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Author Comment:
This is the end of the First Volume: Acclimation
Hiatus Notice: This novel will be on a hiatus for a month due to personal reasons such as exams and shifting places again. I have already started the Second Volume: Disaster & Aftermath and I will release it starting from next month, whenever I am able to.
Also, I will post any updates about the novel on Patreon. I will also add 2-3 advanced chapters on Patreon before uploading here starting from the second volume.
Anyways Enjoy.
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Author Note:
Join and support me on my Patreon pa treon.com/Admirers_Quill
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Thank you dunkinb, Paradoxmind, Aurora_borealis12, serzh_ghazaryan for your power stones.
If you like the story so far, please review, comment, and yes please send power stones. A good comment is always a great morale booster and motivator for writing new chapters.