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"Lord Ao, what do you think about her?" Kaoru asked after explaining everything that had happened in the cave.
"I agree," Ao responded, scratching his jaw as he mused over Kaoru's words. "It's unlikely she was from Kiri. Earth Release isn't something we're known for. And if there were someone that talented in our… in Kiri, I'd have heard of them."
He paused, his tone growing more thoughtful. "At first glance, it did seem like Kiri's doing… which is why I wasn't too concerned about capturing them alive. But now it doesn't sit right."
"That's why I didn't want to wait for Maki," Kaoru murmured, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "She would've killed them all and blamed Kiri without hesitation. After everything Yagura did to our village, it's easy to assume anything terrible leads back to him."
Ao glanced sideways, looking at Kaoru. 'Even though he failed to capture her… and even failed to notice I was tailing him… the plan itself wasn't bad.' His eye narrowed slightly in thought. 'He just relies on his dojutsu too much. Still, he's thinking. That's more than I can say for most kids his age.'
…
Kaoru walked beside Ao, Mizuki silently flanking him on the other side. Now that the war had ended, and his next path was set, he knew there was something he had to say, something only meant for Mizuki. He slowed his steps just slightly, enough to widen the gap between them and Ao.
Mizuki shot him a brief, confused glance but said nothing. She simply matched his pace, keeping close.
'Looks like the kids want some space,' Ao thought, smirking to himself. He picked up his speed slightly, giving them distance. He was in a rare good mood. Not only had Maki ended the war with Kumo, but the Cloud approached Takimura first, something Ao had not expected. It reaffirmed what he already believed: Takimura was the future of the Land of Water, and the Takime siblings were at its heart.
'I'll guide them however I can. That's what I promised you, old friend.' His smile faded slightly as Meruem's face crossed his thoughts, along with the memory of his final sacrifice. But Ao didn't let the sadness linger. He was a shinobi, he understood the danger of their path. They lived in the shadows so others wouldn't have to. Sacrifice was part of the job.
Kaoru didn't see things that way, not entirely.
His view of the shinobi path was shaped by something far more ominous. He knew what was coming, what would arrive in less than twelve years. The Fourth Great Shinobi War. The resurrection of Madara. The chaos Obito and Kabuto would unleash.
He had no intention of letting the fate of the world be decided by Naruto and Sasuke alone.
'When I first remembered what was coming, I just wanted to survive. Just grow strong enough to stay alive,' he thought, looking into the distance. 'But that's no longer enough.'
He glanced at Mizuki beside him. Her expression was calm and emotionless.
But not to Kaoru.
He could see the faint hints of peace on her face, the way her eyes softened, how her steps fell just slightly in rhythm with his. She was enjoying the walk, even if she'd never admit it.
And Kaoru wanted to protect that.
He wanted to protect Maki, Mei, Akane… all of them. His clan. His village. Everything Takimura had become.
'I can't afford to be content, not even with reaching S-rank, not with just being strong enough.' His gaze sharpened. 'I need to understand everything about my Suijingan. I need to learn from anyone who can teach me… and that creature Maru spoke of might know more than anyone around me. I can't miss that chance.'
He took a deep breath and turned to Mizuki.
"Mizuki," he began, voice soft but warm. "Now that the war's over, I'll be leaving the village. There's someone I need to meet, someone who might help me get stronger."
There was no hesitation in his voice, but there was a trace of regret. It wasn't a secret anymore. Not to him, not to her. He knew Mizuki liked him, and Mizuki knew that Kaoru liked her back.
"For how long?" Mizuki asked in a calm voice as she pushed down the unease tightening in her chest.
"I don't know," Kaoru replied slowly. "It might be… months."
This was why he had always avoided speaking about his feelings. He didn't want things to progress between them, not when he knew separation would only bring pain. But even now, without saying anything deeper, he could feel he was already hurting her.
"I have to do this…" he added, quieter. The choice had already been made. Their priorities were clear, and both of them knew strength had to come before everything else.
"I understand," she murmured, lowering her gaze to the dirt path beneath their feet. "When?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe a week, maybe sooner. We need to return to Takimura first. Akura-san's summon is the one who'll take me."
"I see…" Mizuki let out a soft breath, composing herself. Then she looked up at him with a small, determined smile. "Let's both become stronger than we are now. Shin-sensei told me to form a summoning contract. I'll be busy too."
Kaoru nodded, warmth settling in his chest at her resolve. "Yes. We need to grow stronger… for Takimura, for our clan."
A moment passed before he glanced at her again. "Mizuki, did Shin-sensei ever tell you anything about Senjutsu?"
"No, what is that?" Mizuki asked, her brows lifting in surprise.
'This is where my memories come in handy,' Kaoru thought, hiding a small grin as he began explaining.
"Senjutsu is the ability to draw in and control nature's energy," he said, remembering the details as he spoke. "It's not something humans can teach. Only certain beasts, ones you form contracts with, can guide you through it. But you have to be careful. Not every creature knows Senjutsu, and even among those that do, the methods vary."
He kept it brief, giving her only the essentials. 'If I remember right, Hashirama Senju managed to learn it on his own... but comparing him to normal shinobi is pointless.' Kaoru still considered Madara the strongest, but he believed that Hashirama wasn't far behind.
"I didn't know that…" Mizuki murmured, musing over Kaoru's words. "Is Senjutsu really that powerful? Do we have anyone in the village who can use it?"
Kaoru shook his head. "No, not yet. But Konoha's legendary Sannin - Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru - all learned it. It's a big part of their strength."
He shivered slightly, remembering Orochimaru's cold, unblinking stare. 'That man always gave me the creeps. He is a genius, but a disgusting one…'
Kaoru explained to Mizuki that Senjutsu isn't the same power for everyone. It manifests differently depending on the creature that teaches it. Some focus on physical augmentation, others on chakra sensing or raw destructive power. It all depends on the contract and the user's ability to harmonize with nature.
As they neared the camp, the atmosphere changed. They met Maki, Shin, and Mei who were flickering toward them nonstop with pale faces, looking almost white under the moonlight. Their expressions were carved with worry, making it clear what would happen next.
'So… she already knows Scorpio tried to kill me,' Kaoru sighed, bracing himself for the storm that was about to hit.
"Every time I leave you alone, you either disappear or end up nearly dead!" Maki shouted, landing hard in front of Kaoru. Her expression was a chaotic blend of worry and fury, her voice nearly cracking.
"I'm fine now," Kaoru replied, offering a sheepish smile as he realized she wasn't wrong. "I'll try to be more careful next time… and good job on the negotiations, by the way. I heard you made Kumo back off." He chuckled, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.
But Maki didn't respond. She turned to Ao instead, completely ignoring his attempt to lighten the mood.
"Do we know who ordered the attack?" she asked flatly.
Kaoru blinked, then turned to Mei, trying his luck with someone who usually kept a cooler head. "Why is she so mad? The war's over and I'm still breathing."
Mei looked at him, one brow raised, and then snapped.
"Lady Orihime told us what condition you were in," she said, voice rising. "If Akane had been even a few seconds late, or if we didn't have those scrolls from Lady Tsunade, you'd be dead. Do you understand what your death would've meant?" Her outburst was sharp and uncharacteristic, and it caught Kaoru completely off guard.
'Shit. Wrong person. Should've asked Sensei.' Kaoru glanced toward Shin, whose expression hadn't changed in the slightest. He was as calm and composed as ever.
"It's not like I did it on purpose," Kaoru muttered. "She used some kind of poison. I just turned my back for a second. In a real fight, she wasn't even close to my level. I just… didn't expect the poison, that's all." Kaoru struggled to find words to justify himself but the problem was that he didn't feel particularly guilty. All he did was put his own life in danger, not someone else's.
"So you don't think this was the Mizukage's doing?" Maki's question attracted everyone's attention.
"No," Ao replied calmly, crossing his arms. "Based on Lord Kaoru's information, I'm nearly certain someone else was behind it. But who, I don't know yet."
"It wasn't a bounty hunter either," Kaoru added, stepping closer to his sister. "The other three from Scorpio's team kept talking like they were forced into it. She didn't seem like she was acting of her own free will."
"Alright, let's head back. We'll discuss the rest later," Maki said, addressing the group before turning to Kaoru again. Her voice softened, though the concern still lingered behind her eyes. "I'm seriously considering not letting you go meet that creature. You've got a talent for attracting trouble, Ru."
She sighed and ruffled his hair, unable to hide the affection beneath her words.
"You know as well as I do that it's impossible to live as a shinobi without walking into danger," Kaoru replied firmly. "And I've already figured out a way to make myself immune to poison." He said without lowering his voice, making it clear that he trusted everyone standing there.
Other than Maki and Shin, who were already familiar with the Suijingan's potential, the others looked at him in surprise.
"How?" Ao asked, eyes narrowing with genuine curiosity.
"We'll talk about that later," Kaoru said, brushing the question aside for now. "More importantly, when are we heading back to Takimura?" He was already imagining the giant eagle that was supposed to take him to this mysterious creature.
Despite everything - near-death experience, the difficulty of parting with Mizuki, the worry he caused for Maki - Kaoru's focus hadn't wavered. He needed to leave, or rather he wanted to. Because deep down, he understood something none of them wanted to admit.
'As long as I stay surrounded by people who love me, I'll never grow the way I need to.'
Kaoru wanted to experience life as a shinobi without a safety net. Right now, it was Maki who faced the toughest decisions, Maki who solved the problems, while Kaoru was the one being protected, again and again. His strength wasn't lacking, not really, but he still depended on others too much. And that was what he wanted to change most of all.
'Every shinobi who reached the level of a natural calamity carried the weight of others.They had no one to lean on, and it was that isolation that drove them forward.' If Kaoru wanted to master his Suijingan, to truly understand its potential, he needed more than training. He needed to grow into someone others could rely on… not the one being saved.
'I have to leave Takimura not just to master my dojutsu, but to become someone my sister can trust to stand beside her, not behind her.'
He glanced around, eyes burning with resolve.
'I want all of them to count on me. I want them to believe in my victory, no matter who I'm up against. And I will become that person.'
**
A/N -
And just like this, Kaoru grows as a character. He wont be chasing some vague dream of being strong. Instead, now he has a clear goal.
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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