The Hokage tower was…kind of underwhelming. Which, to be fair, you could say about basically all of the buildings in Konoha. It was a VILLAGE, not a city, and the really impressive structures were about twenty years out. Still, you'd expect the spiritual leader of a ninja village to hang his weirdly shaped hat somewhere a little swankier.
When I arrived at his office, I was greeted by a bland looking man in a professional outfit with a blank smile. "Mikado-san," he nodded as I approached. "Hokage-sama has been expecting you."
He gestured formally to the door behind him, and I nodded as I stepped forward, opening up the entrance and slipping into the room surreptitiously.
The first thing I noticed when I entered was how…normal it looked. Like I'd seen the Hokage's office in the anime, and I knew it was pretty spartan, but this was different. A little old man in baggy robes sitting behind a desk doing paperwork, a pair of windows behind him to cast warm golden light onto the wooden edifice he sat at.
Once I was inside, I stood formally with my hands behind my back until he finished writing, and then looked up at me with a smile. "Ah, Mikado-kun," his voice was warm and friendly, and he gestured to the seat in front of him. "Apologies, I got a little sucked into this paperwork." He held up a small bowl. "Plum candy?"
I was a sucker for sweets, so I nodded, taking one of the small hard candy spheres and popping it in my mouth. My eye twitched. "That's…very sour."
He grinned impishly. "I like the really sour ones. I always offer them to visitors, but anyone who's been here more than once or twice knows to say no. Just my little joke." I nodded quickly, forcing myself to swallow, and he leaned back with a pleased look on his face. "Now, I hear you've taken an interest in our resident troublemaker." The kindly grandfather melted, revealing a razor's edge of suspicion and ruthlessness. "Explain to me why I shouldn't assume you are a threat."
I shrugged. "I wouldn't dare to presume to tell Hokage-sama who to be suspicious of," I said in an exaggeratedly formal tone. It took LITERALLY everything I had in me not to point out that a little MORE suspicion would probably have been healthy. "I can only make clear my intentions. I like Naruto. It makes me sick to see how the villagers treat him, and I think this village owes him a debt almost too great to pay for what he's done."
That brought him up short. I saw some suspicion flicker across his face (thank you Allsight) but it was gone almost too fast to track. "What he's done?" he said clinically. "You mean destroy the village? He IS the jinchuriki of the nine tailed for. It did a great deal of damage."
"Yeah, and if I run my finger along the blade of my sword it'll cut me," I said derisively. "Doesn't mean I should throw out my sheath. With all due respect Hokage-sama, that's nonsense."
He barked out a laugh, the grandfather vibe returning. "Indeed it is, Mikado-kun. And it gladdens my heart to hear you say so. I'll have Kakashi-kun keep an eye on you, of course, but I think you might be good for Naruto. Now, let's talk about the OTHER change." His expression became sober, but not cold. "You're grown quite a bit in the last year or so Mikado-kun. I remember your Chunin exams. Hana and Maruten, if you'll forgive my bluntness, carried you through that test."
"They did," I admitted with a sigh. "I wasn't suited for any of the things I tried to apply myself to. My grandfather recently came to town to teach me the family taijutsu style, and I apparently had a knack. It's…it's an amazing feeling, really. Finding something you excel at. Failing at everything is so demoralizing, but once you prove to yourself you can really do something, it gets so much easier to apply yourself to everything else!"
My voice was engaged and animated, my expression bright, and I was even telling the truth. Of course, I was telling it in the way most likely to cozy up to his ideals, and I knew it. But then, so did Hiruzen, probably. Still, despite what I imagined was a healthy dose of caution, I could see his eyes warm. "That's very true Mikado-kun," he said happily. "Each of us have a way we can serve the village and keep the Will of Fire burning. Finding that is often the first real step on our journey as shinobi.
"Not everyone finds it as a Genin," he reassured me. "Some people spend their whole lives looking. Knowing you've ignited that spark within yourself is wonderful to hear. Yes. I think you'll be very good for Naruto indeed." His eyes flicked back down to the papers. "Though, I had one more question. You said your grandfather taught you taijutsu. Once I asked around a bit, I found that he too was fond of Naruto, but try as I might, I couldn't seem to locate him. Might you introduce us?"
I grimaced. "Sorry Hokage-sama. My grandfather left town. He had an emergency back in his home village and was forced to return to deal with it. I'd be happy to introduce you if he comes back to town though!"
"I see," he said with a small frown. "I confess, knowing such a potent taijutsu master entered and left the city without notice is…concerning. Not that I doubt your grandfather, Mikado-kun, but you understand it's not a precedent we like to set, high level combatants coming and going without notice."
I did my best to look chastised. "I understand, Hokage-sama. My grandfather was a low key person. He looked like a civilian most of the time, and most likely the guards didn't notice him because of that. He wasn't too skilled at ninjutsu or genjutsu. Kind of like Lee, actually. They remind me quite a bit of each other,"
That seemed to intrigue him. "What a fascinating man. As I mentioned, should you see him again soon I'd be delighted to meet him."
Of course, that was a good segue for what I'd been working up to until now. "Hokage-sama," I said slowly. "I have a request. If it isn't too much trouble." He raised an eyebrow at me. "I…I'm not much good at ninjutsu, my chakra control is improving but is still fairly unimpressive, despite my high reserves. But my taijutsu and physical fitness have risen by leaps and bounds. I find myself eager and ready to contribute to the village, but unsure of my ABILITY. Guy mentioned a kinjutsu he and Lee practice…"
That was true. Guy HAD mentioned the Eight Gates. Of course it had been after weeks of subtle probing and I'd only barely weaseled it out of him without suspicion. But he had mentioned it, and because of that, I was sure if Hiruzen asked he'd back my story.
The old man's face went blank. This was…delicate. The thing was, if I was going to ask for ANY kinjutsu and get it, it would be this one. The Eight Gates were, at their core, a technique of sacrifice. They could not be used casually or repeatedly. If you used the gates, it was with your life on the line. A life I had just finished reaffirming belonged to the village. And if he'd been watching me, which I knew he had, there was no way that he couldn't imagine the kind of devastation I could unleash on his enemies with those gates open.
More than that, though. I was a shinobi of Konoha. Besides a few irregularities this year, which I'd just finished framing in the best possible light, I was born and raised in the village. They don't give people Chunin promotions if they're not loyal, at least not unless those people are VERY wealthy or well connected. I wasn't stupid enough to think that Hana and Maruten hadn't gone to bat for me to push me through, but I was, ultimately, a civilian. Competence they might be willing to fudge, but loyalty they never would.
"Mikado-kun," he began slowly. "Do you understand what you're asking me?"
I nodded solemnly. "I do. I know what the Eight Gates are. I researched the technique thoroughly after Guy mentioned it. It's dangerous and harmful, but it's my only real hope. If I want to be of help to my Team, to my village, even to you, Hokage-sama, I need to be stronger. I need more strength to carry the burdens that are required of me. Will you lend me that strength, so I can use it for Konoha?"
My eyes were pinning his, and I put…everything into it. All my fear, my anxiety, my desperation. All the slow creeping dread I ignored day to day that kept me awake for a full two hours every night when I lay down to sleep. The burden of knowledge.
I don't know what he saw. Maybe it was what I meant to show him, maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, it seemed to resonate with him.
"I can't reassign Guy to teach you," he warned. "He has his own team, and so do you. Shadow clones won't work for Gate training. Not one that you could make, anyway. You'll have to make time to study on your own. And I expect you to act with deliberation. Your duties as a sensei come first, and should you injure yourself too badly to teach, I will repossess the scroll I am about to give you. Is that clear?"
My eyes widened in excitement, and I nodded along. "It is, sir. I can be responsible."
Turning in his chair, he reached up for a painting on the wall. Lifting the frame, he revealed a small cubby behind the image. Pulling out a small black box with a lacquered surface, he opened it carefully and withdrew a small scroll casing. Turning, he held out his hand. When I reached for it, he pulled it back. "You need to understand something. This technique, once you have perfected the early stages, is a last resort.
"Once you get past the third gate or so, there will be no recovery. No second chance." His eyes pinned mine steadily. "If you use this jutsu to its full potential, you will die. Not might die. Not be injured. Your life will cease. If you use it to even half of its capability, you will never recover. You are a shinobi of this village, Kai. That doesn't just come with responsibilities you have to fulfill, it comes with responsibilities that we, as your village, have toward you.
"I am giving this to you because your passion has moved me, and because I hope that if the day comes where you have no alternative, you can accomplish your goals before you pass from this world." He set the scroll case down in front of me. "But as your Hogake, and as an old man who saw you struggle through your exam with more guts than sense. I hope that day never arrives."
I picked it up, swallowing hard. "I appreciate your trust in me, Hokage-sama," I said sincerely. "I promise you. I will only use this power for the good of the village. To protect our people and keep the Will of Fire burning."
And I meant that. Because I was determined that when the Chunin exams came, when the Konoha Crush happened, I would do everything I could to keep this old man alive. Hiruzen wasn't perfect, but he was a hell of a lot better than some of the alternatives. And more than that…I liked him. He'd really meant it when he said he was worried about me. He might make mistakes, but he cared. And that was worth a whole hell of a lot. I just hoped that it was worth as much when I tried. Because it would take a damned miracle to save him.
AN:// I LIKE Hiruzen. Some people don't, I do. He wasn't perfect, but he did his best. That old man lived longer than he should have had to after suffering an endless string of heartbreaks. A lot of people love to point out how he failed Naruto, and yeah, Danzo outmaneuvered him, but people also forget that Obito straight up murdered his wife THE SAME NIGHT after she finished DELIVERING Naruto, so he kind of had other shit on his mind. The same night he lost his successor, his sensei's wife, and saw hundreds of his own people brutally slaughtered before being shoved back under the hat out of nowhere after a year or two of retirement. It was a bad night for him. Anyway, I don't character bash, so Hiruzen isn't some evil manipulative old sociopath, even if he IS very scary when he wants to be.Last edited: Dec 24, 2025 Like ReplyReport Reactions:Hiroshima911, Taylor Klatt, Tsureai and 970 othersMalcolm TentDec 24, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 13 New View contentMalcolm TentMonkey with a typewriter.Dec 26, 2025NewAdd bookmark#974It was time for my next summoning. I hadn't mastered the eight gates, even with clones that wasn't going to be quick or easy…as I was now. But I had options now. The first thing I did, obviously, was make a copy of the technique manual. I was very careful to draw it out exactly in perfect calligraphy. Kai had grown up around clan kids, and Hana had insisted I learn to write better.
Once I was done, I started on calculating my summon. This one would be closer to my limits, I was pretty sure.
My target this time was a man named Lee Shi-Woon. A disciple of a dangerous and powerful martial artist who had taken an experimental medicine and had nearly unlimited amounts of ki. Ki, in this case, was either chakra or the physical component of chakra, but either way, if he had too much it would make the summon impossible.
Luckily, based on the story, his ki was less 'unlimited' and more 'limitless'. He didn't appear to have infinite reserves so much as he had unending ones. Even the so called 'Real Masters' of his world could only accomplish things that high level Genin could do here, so he should be within my summoning limit, even if barely. Still, I was VERY careful drawing out the reference symbols.
The reasons for that were twofold. First, I needed Shi-Woon, but I needed a LATER version of him. If I snagged him from early in the story I'd be looking at an inexperienced noob with no martial arts skills. Sure, he could still give me one of the things I wanted, but he had a lot to teach me, and I didn't want to miss any of it.
After triple checking the formula, I was finally ready. Cutting myself, I introduced my blood to the summoning symbols, and waited.
Unlike Bang, who was mostly just a monstrously powerful old man, Shi-Woon had something analogous to chakra. It wasn't unlimited, or even limitless, as it turned out. Because of how constant the output was it acted a bit like B-rank reserves, which made the summoning VERY tight.
Tight…but possible. By the time it ended, I was panting with effort and barely standing, but I managed to pull him through.
There was the same puff of smoke as usual, and then, standing within the circle, was a man.
Well, a boy really. About my age. But he looked deeper than that. I could see why the Sunwoo clan followed him. His eyes had this edge to them. Not cold, but hard. Necessary. He stared at me calmly, glancing around the room…then spoke. In Korean. Which I didn't speak. Fuck.
I tried to talk to him in Japanese, and he just looked confused. I sighed. I probably should have seen that coming. Luckily, he was a modern high school student and pretty close to an actual political official. Pushing Kai aside for a bit, I focused on older memories from another life and switched to English. "Can you understand me?"
He blinked. "Yes," he responded in the same language. "I can understand. Who are you? Why did you call me here? HOW did you call me here?"
"I called you because you know things I need to know," I said bluntly. "As for how…that's a longer story. Suffice to say you're in another world. I can and will send you back, but I'd like to negotiate for a few things first. I'll list out my desires in order, and then list what I can give you in return. To clarify something first, your mother is alive, right?" That was important. I'd plucked Shi-Woon from before Eternal Force. Strong and influential, but not alone. It had been a delicate balance to hit because I needed him to be already healed but still not an orphan.
His face hardened. "She is. I take it this is not a threat?"
"Not at all," I assured him. "In fact, you could say it's the opposite. But I'll get to that. Firstly my name is Kai Mikado. Things I want. First, I want the Black Heaven Art. Second, I want your techniques. Third, I want the Outer Body Training Method, and fourth, I want the One Moon Divine Dan. I realize that last one might not be doable, but I know you're in a position to acquire something similar if less powerful."
His expression was guarded. "Putting aside how you know any of those terms, why exactly would I give you any of those things? If you're planning to threaten me or my mother-"
"I told you, it's not a threat," I repeated. "It's the opposite. But like I said. I'm not done. I have things to offer. Only two of them, but they're VERY valuable. First, I have this." I set down the manual for the Eight Gates. "This is a manual that describes a dangerous forbidden technique that I believe will work with ki. It essentially removes limiters on your body to dramatically increase strength. It can be used, as far as I know, by anyone."
This was important to my negotiations. I actually could have gotten the techniques without it. My other offer would absolutely have convinced him to do anything I wanted. But it would NOT have convinced his clan. Shi-Woon was the head of the Sunwoo clan, a powerful martial arts faction within the Murim in his world. But the clan had elders, and he wasn't a dictator. He had to justify his decisions, especially ones like spending clan resources on pills that I needed.
Part of the reason I'd picked Shi-Woon was that in his world, medicine could do amazing things, at least for martial artists. Pills could introduce ki into the body in such a way as to produce miraculous healing and training. It was a key aspect of my plan.
"The second offer is more personal," I continued, noting his interest but not amazement. His clan was in a bad spot and being able to make super soldiers would be useful, but the technique obviously had lots of issues. Which was why I'd introduced it in combination with the next part. "I can teach you how to heal with ki."
He froze, his eyes locking on mine. "Elaborate." His voice was cold now, but very focused.
"Like I said," I gestured to the floor. "You can obviously see that the abilities I use aren't the same as yours. My chakra is most likely very similar to, but slightly different to your ki. But it's close enough that I believe our techniques should be mutually accessible. That's why I summoned you. I don't actually know medical ninjutsu, to be clear, it requires ultra fine chakra control, which I don't have…but I could."
"The Black Heaven Art," he said bluntly. "You're saying that if I pass the Black Heaven Art to you, you can learn this…medical ninjutsu, and then teach it to me."
I nodded. "I can and will. My plan requires pills, and for those I offer the Eight Gates Technique for your clan. But for you, to earn the right to learn your lineage's forbidden breathing method, I offer something else. I offer hope. What modern medicine can't fix, perhaps medical ninjutsu can. You're a Black Heaven Practitioner. Your control is perfect. Learning medical ninjutsu should be no problem for you, or for me once I've got the breathing method."
Before he could answer, I held up a hand. "To clarify, this won't be quick or easy. There's a quick and dirty fix that should stabilize your mother, the mystical palm jutsu, and you should be able to learn that quickly, but becoming a full fledged medical ninja takes years. I don't know how well the mystical palm will be able to help your mom, or even if it will. I can't make any promises. Like I said. I can offer hope. Hope is not salvation. But even if it can't fix her, and I have no reason to believe it can't, it CAN still heal others. Your friends and loved ones are in constant danger. Imagine what this technique could do for your clan."
He stared at me. I could see the war going on behind his calm eyes. Shi-Woon was nobody's fool, but he WAS in a bad spot. He was barely holding on as clan leader, and his CLAN was barely holding on in the Murim. They had pissed off a lot of people and the wolves were circling.
"I can't get you the One Moon Divine Dan," he finally replied. "I don't have the resources. My…the man who got me the one I used was a singularly powerful person, and he pulled strings I can't pull. The One Moon Divine Dan is a generational medicine. There are only about three of them, and it costs billions to get one."
I shrugged. "It's a wishlist, I can be flexible on that. If you can't get those, I'll take the Great Origin Rejuvenation Pills. They're good enough quality to accomplish what I need. Also, a small note. The mystical palm works by accelerating the body's natural healing with chakra. It should work with ki, but if your mother doesn't have any, that might pose a problem. My suggestion is to give her some low level ki medicine to infuse her body with energy. Not too much, because it could kill her, but it should give you something to work with."
Ki medicine in Shi-Woon's world was amazing. If you were a martial artist. At the highest level it allowed people who could process and withstand the ki it contained to heal almost anything. Ki, at the levels possessed by someone like Shi-Woon, could give someone a Naruto like healing factor, not to mention could literally RESHAPE the body. The phenomena was legendary there. It was called "Overhaul Rebirth" and it was exactly what I needed. Ki medicine was pretty limited in what it could do and to who, but within its very limited scope, it was unparalleled at what it did. And that was something no medical ninjutsu was capable of. Something that would, I was hoping, let me break the rules of this world.
After a few moments of deliberating, he sighed. "I…I can't turn that down. Not for me, or for the clan. I suppose that the rules of inheritance don't really apply here in any case. This IS another world." He glanced out the window at Konoha. "Or at least, you've gone to great lengths to present it as such. But past a certain point, questioning the unbelievable become pointless. You teleported me here.
"I will pass you my techniques. All of them. It will take time for most of them. The Black Heaven Art grants perfect control of ki, but you still need to LEARN to use it." His voice was wry as he took in my dismay. "You have perfect control of your arm, for instance, but you still need to be taught to throw a punch."
I conceded the point. Shi-Woon had trained for months to learn his techniques, even with the Black Heaven Art. But that was fine. I was willing to work. As long as I had a goal. "I understand. So, are we doing this, or not?"
Staring at me hard, he seemed to hesitate for a bit…but then glanced down at the scroll. "I'll do my part. As for the clan…"
"I'll copy the method for opening the first gate into english. It provides a notable power boost, and for martial artists at your level should be easy enough to withstand." I grinned at him. "Once they've seen what the first gate can do, they'll be tripping over themselves to hand over the medicine to get the rest. All you need to do is accept delivery."
He snorted. "You're a devious person, Kai-nim. But it seems like it will benefit me. I'm taking much on faith here. I hope you don't disappoint me. Turn around and take off your shirt."
My eyes widened at the instructions. This was how the inheritance was passed for the Black Heaven Art. The ultimate breathing method. The martial art that bequeathed perfect control. I followed his instructions and sat down, pulse racing. Learning from Bang had set the foundation, but this? This was going to be the beginning of my evolution. I was stepping down a path that I believed would lead me to the top of the ninja world. I couldn't wait.
AN:// Man I am SO excited about this one! Shi-Woon is from a manwha called 'The Breaker' for those unaware, and I highly recommend you read it (the first season's art is a little rough, not bad but kind of goofy in places, but it gets better as it goes on). Shi-Woon represents the phase of his training aimed at Chakra Control, though there are a LOT of things he's going to be learning from him, so expect him to be around for a while. Of course, there's still lots going on, so the training will also be spread out, but he just had a good training session in the today's advance chapter, so I'm not leaving you hanging for too long. Merry christmas to everyone who celebrates and I hope everyone is as pumped for the upcoming arcs as I am!Last edited: Dec 31, 2025 Like ReplyReport Reactions:Hiroshima911, Taylor Klatt, Tsureai and 1,003 othersMalcolm TentDec 26, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 14 New View contentMalcolm TentMonkey with a typewriter.Dec 31, 2025NewAdd bookmark#1,073The feeling was…indescribable. Ever since I'd arrived here, my chakra had been a constant rush beneath my skin. It wasn't always obvious, in the same way you don't usually feel your blood running, but if I looked it was there. I could tap into it, but it was kind of like opening a hole in a pressurized water tank. Too much, too fast, and barely controllable until I covered it back up.
Now though…I could feel all of it. Every second, every inch, all flowing through me. And paradoxically, that very sensation PROVED how controlled it was now.
It wasn't rushing now. Wasn't rapids. It felt like a gentle stream winding through my veins, and if I wanted to use it, I could just scoop a little up. Easy as pie. I stared at my hands in wonder, in disbelief. It was like a muscle I'd never been able to even flex before had suddenly become much stronger. I could make my chakra do anything I wanted. It would be easy.
"A warning," Shi-Woon cautioned when he saw my expression. "It FEELS easy. Like you can do anything. But like I said before, control is not mastery. Ki is complicated, and I assume this…chakra, is no different. Being able to perfectly direct your energy doesn't mean you don't still need to know WHERE to direct it. Martial arts still require practice and learning." He grinned wryly at me. "Even if feels like they don't."
Which was honestly a good point. I might have perfect chakra control, but I couldn't SEE chakra, so I couldn't exactly learn jutsus in an instant. I still had to actually learn them to use them. More's the pity.
Still. I stood fluidly, walked over to the wall, placed a foot against it, and smoothly stepped up onto the surface. I walked up the wall then up onto the ceiling, and I didn't even break stride. Wallwalking was a basic exercise, but it still took EFFORT. Or it used to. Know it was just like…breathing. Jutsu might take time to learn, but chakra molding like this was effortless now.
Shi-Woon just stared at me blankly. "Is that…what is that? How are you doing that?"
I blinked. Right. He wouldn't have seen this. "It's an application of chakra control. Honestly, I might be able to teach you. I picked you to summon because your ki is pretty similar. A normal martial artist probably couldn't learn, but you've got a huge amount of ki and pinpoint control." I let myself drop, turning midair to land gracefully. "Why don't I see if I can teach you? No extra charge, just consider it a friendly gesture."
He laughed wryly. "Not like there's anything else I could give you. But yes, I think I'd like that. How does it work?"
So I spent the next hour or so teaching a teenaged martial arts mob boss how to wall walk. It was harder than I expected. His 'immense ki' reserves were big for his world, but were mostly just about Genin sized. If not less because he was using only physical energy. He did get it eventually though, and I was kind of pleased to see the kid smiling for the first time since we'd met.
"So, you think this will be enough?" I nodded to the copied scroll. "Because I NEED those pills, man. Like my plans don't work without them. Honestly I need the One Moon Divine Dan more, but that…that'll have to wait."
The One Moon Divine Dan was a miracle medicine made only a few times in history. Shi-Woon's had come from his old master, who was pretty much the strongest person in the world. The Great Rejuvenation pills would be enough for me to take the first step, but past that I'd need the Divine Dan.
"I'll make sure of it," he promised. "I believe you about chakra. I can make them see the usefulness, especially with the healing technique on the table. As for the Divine Dan…I wouldn't know where to start. It's possible with the extra power and ability granted by your technique we could get into a position to buy one. I can't make any promises, but if you can help me fix my mother, or even give me hope for it I'll do all I can."
I grinned at him. "Sounds like a deal. Now. I assume we won't be able to train in any martial techniques for now. But meditation is another matter. Can you teach me the Outer Body Training Method? Or would it require too much time?"
He hummed consideringly. "I think you could get it down before I leave. It's supposed to take ten years to master, but mostly that's because people don't have enough ki and aren't good enough at harnessing it, neither of which are issues for you. I got it down in a day, and you have more…whatever you want to call it, than I do. With the Black Heaven Art to manipulate it, you should be able to crack it within a few hours.
"Now," he said as he sat down, crossing his legs lotus style. "Get into position and close your eyes. No not like that, the other way." I grumbled as I got into the stance he mentioned and then closed my eyes. "Now. This is, as you might have expected, NOT just a meditation technique. It's a ki meditation technique. Which means there's a ki pattern that goes with it. So I'm going to walk you through the process slowly."
And he did. Once. Twice. A dozen times. Shi-Woon was a shockingly patient teacher for someone who had literally run himself to death to prove a point once. That wasn't an exaggeration. When given a test by his former master, the kid had literally run until he forced himself to have a heart attack trying to reach the required number of laps.
But when teaching, he was patient, understanding, and easily the most compassionate person I'd ever worked with. Bang had been supportive, but very no nonsense. He taught without mercy, you kept up or you suffered. Shi-Woon taught like a gardener. Patiently watering his plants and waiting for them to flower in their own time. It showed me a lot of potential avenues of growth for working with my kids.
It took me eight hours to finally crack the meditation technique. At that point, Shi-Woon had to rush back, because his clan was probably about to riot. We synched up our timezones (he had a watch) and made plans for his next summoning, and then I dismissed him, leaving me alone in my apartment.
Slumping back onto my couch, I went over the experience I'd just been through. It had been…a lot. Gaining what was basically perfect chakra control gave me SO many advantages. Genjutsu would bounce off me like rubber, medical ninjutsu would be infinitely simpler to learn (at least the basic stuff, the rest required medical training), any future jutsu I learned would be ten times easier to master. It was such a huge advantage.
Of course, it was also a liability. The Black Heaven Art wasn't really perfect. Yes, it allowed unparalleled control of energy, but only as long as you KEPT that control. If your state of mind became too disturbed, your control, even as ingrained and perfect as it was, would slip. And then…
The Black Heaven Art was rare as hens teeth in Shi-Woon's world, despite its power. That wasn't for no reason. The ultimate form of the technique was a state called the "Black Origin State". Crossing the Black Origin Threshold meant allowing your mental state to become erratic enough to disrupt your control. Except the Black Heaven Art wasn't just any old method. It gave you PERFECT control. So instead of just breaking, when you lost it, your ki flow didn't scatter. It went BACKWARDS.
Inverting the flow of ki shifted the user into a state of mindless violence. Strength, speed, power, they were all massively amplified, but at the cost of rational thought. The Black Origin State turned the user into a rabid animal that couldn't be stopped.
Luckily, there were ways around that. One of them had been the technique I'd just learned. The Outer Body Training Method. The personal training technique of the Artist's Society. It was, without a doubt, one of the most effective training tools in all of fiction as I knew it. In fact, access to the Outer Body Training Method would have justified summoning Shi-Woon even if he hadn't been willing to give me the Black Heaven Art.
It came in two parts. First, the Three Blossom Meditation Art. Basically, it was a simulated space inside the users mind. Close your eyes, and you manifest inside that space. As does someone else. Anyone you've fought before or seen fight. And then you fight them. It seemed simple, but it was devastatingly effective. Especially given the second part.
Part two was 'Abyssal Insight'. A deductive memorization ability that let you internalize and analyze combat techniques. By using Abyssal Insight on enemies, even people you'd only seen fight once could be rendered in your simulations.
Combined with Allsight, it would render me capable of memorizing and fighting against almost anyone. And the Outer Body Method was more than just that. Inside the simulation, your body could reset and heal as many times as you wanted. You could try any combinations of moves, confront any enemy until you beat them. It was the ultimate grinding tool. And the ultimate training tool.
It ALSO solved the major problem with the Black Origin State. Instead of just getting swallowed when your ki flow reversed, you'd retreat to your simulation chamber. Your body would also learn via Abyssal Insight, adapting to combat in real time as your mind was busy fighting over and over, adjusting to your enemy. It wasn't perfect control, but it was a LOT better.
More importantly, it would allow me to learn taijutsu styles from people I'd fought against before MUCH more quickly.
So, because I was already home for the night apparently, I snapped off a clone to go check in with everyone and then sat and closed my eyes, returning to the Outer Body Training space easily enough.
Which, to be fair, didn't look like much. My training space, at the moment, was a black void inside my brain.
Of course, I didn't intend to LEAVE it that way. I was planning to get some training in tonight while my body rested, and I'd be damned if I did it in an empty void. It took me about twenty minutes of fucking around in my brain to figure out how to change the appearance of the void. I'd summoned a bunch of people to test it, and then expanded to summoning them with gear. Then just the gear. Then furniture. Then natural features.
After about an hour of tweaking, I finally ended up with…training ground seventeen. Not a huge surprise. I'd done most of my training at the waterfall, and I was comfortable there. Plus I was able to cheat importing it because it had been part of my last fight against Bang. Speaking of which…I focused on the other side of the river, and without so much as a whisper, a familiar form appeared.
Bang looked just the way I remembered him. I didn't need Abyssal Insight to face my master. I'd seen him in combat far too often to have any doubts about what he could do.
He nodded to me amiably, and I wondered how aware the copy was. But it didn't matter. In the end, this wasn't Bang. This was someone here for me to fight against. So I set my stance and waited. He raised a brow at me, seemingly expecting me to attack first, then shrugged and FLOWED forward towards me. My face split in a manic grin as I put all my time training with Guy to work against him facing my teacher for the first time since he'd returned home. I'd really missed this. Like ReplyReport Reactions:Hiroshima911, Taylor Klatt, Tsureai and 996 othersMalcolm TentDec 31, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 15 New View contentMalcolm TentMonkey with a typewriter.Jan 2, 2026NewAdd bookmark#1,131I was in a great mood when I went to training the next day. I felt invincible, unstoppable, like I could take on anything…until I got a message from Kakashi to meet him at the gates. I wasn't so much annoyed at him for not warning me as I was terrified by what I was pretty sure was coming. And sure enough, once I reached the gate, I found Kakashi waiting there with the kids…and an old bearded guy with glasses. Tazuna. Fuck.
My stomach dropped out. I wasn't fucking READY for the Wave arc yet. I was a badass, sure, but I'd JUST gotten my chakra control up to snuff. I hadn't had a chance to learn any new jutsu, or any of Shi-Woon's techniques. I hadn't even gotten the chance to do that training with Kurenai yet.
"Kakashi-senpai?" I asked him as I approached. "What's this about?"
He beamed at me. "Ah, Kai, there you are! This is Tazuna, a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. He hired us for an escort mission. Nothing too stressful, just a simple C-class. Between the two of us the kids are in good hands. Sadly we're going to have to push back your little training exercise with Kurenai. I already reached out. She understood of course. The mission comes first."
I nodded absently, my face paler than I'd have liked. This was too fast. I needed more time. I needed to train. I needed… to take a breath. I closed my eyes, drifting into the darkness, and suddenly, I was standing on the bank of the river. The sound of the wind, the roar of the falls, it underpinned the background, a discordant note of peace against the frantic tattoo of my racing heart.
This had been coming. For a while now. But I had been avoiding it. Burying myself in my training. I'd been so sure that I had this, that I was a motivated go-getter who loved this world enough that I was immune to the soulcrushing dread of this undertaking.
Turned out I wasn't. I was just good at compartmentalizing. Suddenly, there was a shudder in the world around me, and then I was back, standing at the gate, with Kakashi's hand on my shoulder. His eye was serious. "Look. This is a lot of responsibility." He told me gently. "I know it's not the same. Being responsible for kids and not just yourself. Even I'm a little nervous, and I've done this before. Just…take a beat. Trust your team. I'm here with you, and we'll get through this with everyone safe."
Because of course, he had no idea why I was scared. He thought I was freaking out about being responsible for the team, because that's what HE was worried about. Of course, he was right in some ways. But so wrong in others.
Still, it helped. Because he was right. I wasn't doing this alone. I wasn't going to have to single handedly save the world. I was getting too zoomed out, focusing too much on the big picture. Too focused on the forest, and if I didn't quit it I'd run facefirst into a tree. I let out a breath, nodding to him gratefully. "Thanks, Senpai."
He shrugged. "Oh don't thank me yet. You're my assistant, so you're going to be doing EVERYTHING on this mission. I'll just be following along reading my books." He giggled to himself perversely. "Icha icha Battleground's fifth volume just came out, and Nanami-chan finally awakened the kekkei genkai of her clan. The Hora Shogunate has declared war in order to acquire her rejuvenating breast milk so they can use it to create an army of super ninja."
I blinked at him in confusion. "Is…is that what those books are about?""
His hand still on my shoulder, he nodded gravely. "That and so much more. Once we stop to camp, I can lend you my copy of Icha Icha Tactics if you want. It's a classic."
"Kakashi-sensei!" snarled a nearly shaking Sakura. "We've been waiting here for Kai-sensei for twenty minutes! Now that he's here we can finally go, so don't waste time trying to convince him to read your gross adult books. My mom says those books are for degenerates, and she made my dad sleep on the couch last time he brought one into the house!"
I smothered a grin as Sakura outed her own dad as an Ichi Icha reader, but nodded approvingly. "She's right," I told her sternly. "Only disgusting perverts read these books." I saw Kakashi's eye narrow in irritation, but I ignored him. "We can head out right away. Naruto, I want you and Sasuke on forward guard. Range out and scout the road ahead. Make sure that you keep each other within sight, and that we can see you at all times."
The Demon Brothers were waiting in a puddle nearby, and I couldn't exactly point that out ahead of time. But if I had the kids on scouting duty, chances were good they'd catch it. Sasuke might not have his Sharingan unlocked, but Uchiha's were observant, and Naruto had the Allsight I'd trained into him.
As we set off, Kakashi hung back as Sakura escorted Tazuna, essentially sandwiching the most vulnerable of us between the other two groups. "That was a smart call. A bit cautious, but I can't fault you for that on your first mission leading Genin."
"Just seemed like the right move," I shrugged sheepishly. "Start as you wish to begin and all that. No point taking chances just because we're close to the village."
He nodded approvingly. "The places you feel safest are often the most deadly. Always look underneath the underneath." His eyes narrowed on Tazuna. "Speaking of which…does he seem a bit squirrely to you? He's got a full squad protecting him. A Jonin, a Chunin, and three Genin, and if anything he looks MORE tense than before we were assigned. That seems off to me. And I don't like 'off'. Keep an eye on him."
I would have asked why he didn't do it, but I knew. I was training the kids, but Kakashi was training ME. He might not be a great teacher, but he'd been a fantastic squad leader. He was showing me leadership skills that would be very useful in the future.
We walked for a while, but eventually we were stopped by a shout from ahead. There was a swirl of leaves, and Sasuke arrived, chibi edgelord that he was. "We've detected abnormal activity," he said imperiously. I could tell he was working his little heart out to sound cold and professional, but mostly he just came off kind of snooty.
Still, I nodded solemnly. "Good work, Sasuke. Report."
"A puddle," he said, his chest puffing up. "There's been no rain anytime recently, and no other puddles on the road." He hesitated. "Dobe was the one who spotted it. But he didn't realize why it was important."
"That's why we work in teams," I assured him. "You did good. And well done telling me it was Naruto's find. It takes strength to share credit. Take me to the puddle."
He smothered the smile I could see trying to bubble up at the praise, and nodded seriously, turning to stride off with purpose. I shared a grin with Kakashi and we followed him. Sure enough, not too far away, we found a single, suspiciously out of place puddle on the ground. Gesturing for the others to stand back.
I stepped forward and…sure enough, the puddle exploded outwards, a bladed weapon on a chain scything through the air towards me. It turned in midair, circling me, wrapping around me.
But that was a mistake. Allsight and Abyssal Insight, my two most useful traits overlapped, and I saw the attack before it completed. I slid underneath the noose of the chain, hands going up, one supporting the blade and one the chain as I used flowing water fist to redirect the attack.
It felt like…poetry. Like art in motion. My chakra was so fluid, so responsive. I'd used flowing water fist in my simulation, but it was based on my own experiences. This was my first time since I'd mastered the Black Heaven Art. The flow of chakra bled from my hand, painting itself onto the air, and between the movements of my hands, my footwork, and my body flicker, I felt like a brand new fighter.
The blade swirled, missing me completely, and I redirected it to one side, aiming it at the other blade from the other brother. The two weapons collided midair and bounced off each other, and for a split second, I could see the two demon brothers standing in shock. It was a second too long.
I flowed forward, sweeping down and around behind Gozu. Using all my momentum, I slammed both hands into his back, shoving him forward towards his brother and then spinning out and around again. Meizu raised his clawed gauntlet in reflexive defense, Gozu raised his, and I stepped between them. Forward momentum and sharp edges. I moved seamlessly, and the two just…tore each other apart. They couldn't stop. Couldn't even slow down. I captured them in the undertow and used them as weapons to dismantle each other.
Between one step and the next, my hands blurred and when I stepped out the other side, they collapsed backwards, blood fountaining out of them. Not fatally, of course. I'd been careful. After all, I had questions.
"Sasuke, Naruto," I called them. "Tie these two up. Make sure they don't bleed out. Sasuke, if you think they might, cauterize the wounds."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't interfere. Once we got them restrained, I had them dragged off the road to question them. In the original timeline, they hadn't been questioned. I assumed Kakashi figured that they were within the scope of a C-rank, and so they didn't merit interrogation. Luckily, I was being 'cautious' and so I had more than enough reasons to poke around.
"Gozu and Meizu," I said as I stood over them. "The Demon Brothers. Defected Chunin from the Mist Village. You're in the bingo books as being known associates of Zabuza Momochi." At Kakashi's surprised look from nearby, I shrugged. "I do my homework. I knew we'd get a C-rank eventually. Wanted to be prepared. So," I said turning back to them. "Why are the personal errand boys of the Demon of the Mist chasing an old bridge builder?"
They both froze, staring up at me in horror. "Y-you don't want to mess with us!" Gozu howled. "Big bro Zabuza will-"
"Shut up!" snapped Meizu. "He was fucking bluffing you moron!"
"I wasn't," I assured him. "I know you work for Zabuza. Which means Zabuza is involved in this job." I hummed in consideration. "Hey Kakashi-senpai, we're heading for Wave Country right?"
"We are," he nodded casually. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Just that Zabuza is a mercenary. He never works free. Wave Country is a pretty poor place. Mostly. But there's one guy there who I KNOW could afford to hire an asshole like that. Gato. The richest man in the world." I beamed as the two captured Chunin flinched heavily. "And that'll be confirmation."
Turning I stalked back out onto the road, storming up to Tazuna. I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to a tree, two fingers spearing out to stop right in front of his eye, the movement so fast it must have looked like teleportation to him. Naruto yelped in dismay and Sakura screamed, but I played my role to a T, my teeth gritted as I snarled at him. "So. Tazuna. I think maybe there's some things you forgot to tell us."
His face went pale, and internally, I celebrated. Because we were still VERY close to Konoha. I didn't believe they'd leave this mission incomplete once they heard the reasons for it, but I DID think they would beef up the team. It was like I'd realized earlier. I didn't have to do this alone. I had all the help in the world.
AN:// The legend begins! Gotta start laying the groundwork for all the out of context knowledge. How? Pretend to be sherlock holmes of course! Elementary, my dear Kakashi. Like ReplyReport Reactions:Hiroshima911, Taylor Klatt, Tsureai and 1,004 othersMalcolm TentJan 2, 2026NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 16 New View contentMalcolm TentMonkey with a typewriter.Jan 6, 2026NewAdd bookmark#1,234We were ordered back to the village. I wasn't shocked, exactly, but I WAS a little worried. The Wave situation was…complicated. Wave was a major trade center. While it was nominally just a small island off the coast of fire country, it was situated smack dab between us and Water, and between Hotsprings (one of the largest tourist destinations in the Elemental nations) and Noodles, whose Daimyo was about as rich as Gato.
The biggest strategic use of Wave, though, was the fact that we were ostensibly enemies with the hidden Cloud, and the land of Lightning was several countries over by land, and much closer by ship. Wave was a convenient straw man for deals between Leaf and Cloud, able to act as a neutral intermediary due to supposedly being another country (despite the fact that they had no Hidden Village and were too small to be politically important).
All of this was to say that Wave, while not an economic powerhouse or anything, was a key port for international trade in the elemental nations. That was how Gato had been able to make so much fucking money subjugating the place. The great Naruto Bridge (title pending) was essentially a stamp of ownership from Konoha without actually BEING a stamp, putting them under our protection in order to use them as a staging area for shipping concerns between the major villages.
Now, all of this might seem inconsequential at first glance, but in reality, it's a VERY important subject. While the Leaf wasn't a major exporter of any particular goods (Jiraiya's smut notwithstanding), we WERE a major exporter of one key resource. Ninja. Konoha conducted missions across the elemental nations (a major contributing factor to the Konoha crush, actually, because Sand was NOT happy about us stepping on their dick). Wave wasn't just a staging area for goods, it was also an excellent place for ninja on missions to blend in with ship crews and vanish from observation.
Spies, assassins, bodyguards, all the different ninja missions that the village relied on for its income required transport, and given how distant some of the other villages were, reliable access to sea routes opened up about half the continent for us.
I assumed that Gato must have been going out of his way to smooth things over for ninja passing through up to this point, and Konoha just didn't actually give much of a shit about a random corporate scumbag if it didn't affect their bottom line. However, given the massive undertaking currently happening across the elemental nations in the form of the Akatsuki, the chances of Gato NOT being involved with Akatsuki in SOME fashion (even just as an employer) were vanishingly small.
That last part I kept to myself, but the majority of my little monologue I shared with my students as we sat outside the Hokage's office waiting for him to finish his meeting with Tazuna. They were staring at me like I was some kind of monster for knowing so much, and even Kakashi looked impressed.
"Basically," I said in summary. "We can't afford to ignore Gato if he's getting this aggressive. Wave is almost universally considered independent…but everyone knows they pretty much belong to the land of fire. We make up their ENTIRE border with the main continent. Gato might be playing nice now, but if he gets entrenched, he could easily start instituting 'tariffs' or trying to install himself as a daimyo."
Naruto looked confused. "But this Gato guy already owns the whole place, right? Would becoming a daimyo really matter that much?"
"The short answer is no," Kakashi said thoughtfully. "But the long answer is yes, very much so. Daimyo only have as much power as they can bring to bear, theoretically, and getting the title isn't some sort of instant key to success. But it DOES open up avenues of political interaction not open to even the richest civilian. There are products and services that daimyos can avail themselves of that normal people will never be able to access.
"I have to admit, Kai, this is a side of you hadn't ever thought I'd see." His eye smile was the same as ever, but I sensed an undercurrent of suspicion. "I had you pegged as a meathead with a smart mouth. But between that little trick with the demon brothers and your summary of the political situation in Wave…you're incredibly well informed."
Of course, I WAS a meathead with a smart mouth. But I was also a huge nerd who spent a large amount of time in the library. I had foreknowledge of key events that were coming up soon, and if I wanted to INFLUENCE any of them, I needed to start making changes, and preferably in a way that made me seem visibly competent.
To that end, I had been poring over books related to some key events, and the Wave mission, being the first one to come to mind, had been a big one. I didn't really have a PLAN for dealing with this, but bringing it to the village's attention ahead of time should be enough to establish me as credible. Especially given the hopefully massive power boost I'd be undergoing once I manage to learn a few jutsu to take advantage of my Black Heaven Art.
However, I was also aware that it looked suspicious as fuck from the outside. I'd insinuated myself into the life of their jinchuuriki and the son of the fourth Hokage, and now I was showing political acumen and interrogating enemy ninja. It wasn't out of character exactly, because I hadn't really ESTABLISHED a character to go out of with most of the village leadership, but it was a lot of things to reveal about myself very quickly.
I was counting on my meeting with Hiruzen and the good influence I'd been on Naruto to buy me the benefit of the doubt here, especially since I had saved the village from a costly false mission that could have killed several very important ninja.
"But why bring Old Man Tazuna back here?" Sakura said with a frown. "Aside from keeping Gato from raising prices, that doesn't seem like it would help the village."
"Because while the Wave is PRACTICALLY fire country property, it isn't LITERALLY fire country property," I said with a chuckle. "They have their own separate economy, otherwise Gato's little kingdom building scheme would have been directly infringing on our interests, which would have been extremely unwise of him."
Sasuke's face lit up with understanding. "The Hokage wants a piece of Wave's economy," he said exuberantly. "If he invests in the bridge, he can impose restrictions on who crosses, charge tolls, and leverage the whole project to provide a lot of long term income for Konoha through the Wave."
"That would be my guess," I nodded. "Konoha doesn't have very many industries outside of Shinobi work. And to answer your question, Kakashi-Senpai, I did a lot of research about our neighbors after leaving the academy. I knew that I couldn't count on a gate guard position forever. Eventually I'd have been forced to take missions outside the village, and there's no such thing as being overprepared."
The upside of the original Kai being a virtual hermit who only worked, was that any abrupt changes to his personality when I arrived didn't seem ABRUPT, because no one was close enough to him to compare it. Hana and Maru hadn't seen him for years aside from casual hellos, and the only other people he interacted with were his coworkers (his parents were dead), I was in the clear in terms of personality shifts.
This was important, because I had mostly tried not to make too much of an impression before gaining the power I needed, that way I could create any persona I wanted when I eventually did come onto the scene.
Obviously, the sherlock persona I had sort of stumbled into here would be tough to keep up…but I honestly kind of liked it, and it would let me explain away a lot of the shit I knew, with lazy half assed 'deductions' that couldn't be easily disproven, so it was better to solidify myself as credible now.
Weirdly, this seemed to assuage Kakashi somewhat. Kakashi had a competence bias, in that he automatically assumed that everyone operated the way he thought smart people should operate. That was an excellent way to approach combat, and given his poor showing as a teacher, obviously NOT a great way to approach being a sensei. It was, however, useful to me in this situation, because what I'd just said sounded like something HE would do, and so he assumed that it made perfect sense.
I was spared trying to justify my supposed five D chess moves by the door opening, and the Hokage gestured us all inside, where we found Tazuna sitting, pale and shaking, in a chair across from the old man's desk.
Hiruzen, it seemed, had NOT been happy that Tazuna had almost gotten his surrogate grandson killed on a fake mission. Good for him. I hoped he'd raked the old man over the coals. We were still going to help, from the looks of it, but I was a Leaf Shinobi now, and I was supposed to make sure we got a piece of the pie.
"Wait for a moment," Hiruzen said calmly, waiting for something.
Sure enough, within a few minutes, a familiar green clad ninja leading a team of teenagers burst through the door. "Dynamic entry!" boomed Guy with a cheesy shiny toothed grin. "Salutations, young genin, Hokage-Sama, and my hip rival! Oh, and you're here as well young Kai! I see you've dedicated yourself to the youthful pursuit of teaching. As expected from my student!"
I nodded and smiled. "Good to see you, Guy-Sensei." I saw Kakashi's eye twitch as I called him that and had to suppress an evil grin.
"Yes, it's very nice for us all to see each other," Hiruzen said patiently. "We can observe pleasantries later. We're on a tight timetable. The disappearance of the Demon Brothers is bound to provoke some form of investigation from Zabuza. As you know, they were handed over to T&I when you returned, and I received a messenger bird containing a detailed report just a few minutes ago. We have a much deeper understanding of the situation in Wave, and have decided to accept Tazuna's AMENDED mission. Or rather, missions."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "Missions, Hokage-Sama?"
"Indeed," he nodded solemnly. "Obviously we wouldn't dispatch Genin or even Chunin to face an S-ranked missing nin of Zabuza's caliber. However, Gato's henchmen are civilians of no particular skill, and will make an excellent training mission for our up and coming Shinobi. As such, we will be dispatching two teams."
He nodded to the Jonin. "Guy and Kakashi will be dispatched to deal with the S-rank ninja. The Demon Brothers alluded to a second, equally powerful combatant working with Zabuza. We don't have details, but they're apparently a subordinate. Just to be safe, Guy will be accompanying Kakashi on his search and destroy mission to eliminate the two of them."
My eyes widened. "Wait…Guy will be accompanying Kakashi?" I glanced around at the six genin who were all looking at me with expressions ranging from excitement to scorn. "Then who is going to be watching the kids?"
Hiruzen grinned at me. "Why…you will, Mikado-Kun. Of course, you won't be expected to supervise six genin all on your own. I'll be dispatching an Anbu to accompany you in case of any unforeseen trouble. But for all intents and purposes, this mission will be a test to find out how competently you can manage subordinates." His smile was reassuring, but hard. "I trust that won't be a problem for an instructor of your…caliber."
Well, it appeared I'd gotten what I wanted. I'd been noticed. And now I was being tested. I just hoped I would survive the process. I had a feeling that even with Guy and Kakashi handling Zabuza and Haku, this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. I guessed it was put up or shut up time