The supervisors informed us that for the third part of the exam, we would have a month off, so we could do whatever we wanted.
Even though I knew that sometimes they gave us a month off, I really have no idea what to do.
Should I look for more insects?
Would it be better to make weapons or even develop something else?
I could also use it to train.
...
...
...
I think I'll do biological experiments while I train, because as I recall, Hanzo the salamander got his poisonous breath from consuming a salamander... or was it his chakra? I don't remember well.
But I feel like experimenting with something I have in mind, so after they give us a card to prove we passed and sign us up, I go home immediately.
"Hey, Kenji."
Hm?
I turn to see who is calling me and see the masked boy Kakashi coming towards me.
"What do you need?"
I see that Kakashi has a look on his face that suggests he wants to ask me something.
Then he speaks.
"I'd like us to train together this month."
I don't see why not.
"Bring Obito and Rin along too, so there will be more of us. We can do something else after training."
I'll take the opportunity to see if I can get Obito and Rin together... Although I doubt it, since
Kakashi is more Rin's type, but it's worth a try, so Obito won't hold a grudge against me when he goes to the dark side.
Hehe, dark side... I am your father.
I shake my head, realizing that I've strayed from the topic in my thoughts.
"All right," said Kakashi, turning his head slightly with some confusion.
"Come to my house tomorrow, the three of you, and I'll take you to the people who train me, but after that you can stay, since I'll have other things to do."
Kakashi nods and proceeds to leave.
For my part, I also head back home, as I have a few things to prepare before starting my training.
While Kenji walked with his head full of plans, elsewhere in the village someone else was thinking about him.
Danzo Shimura was planning how to get Kenji under his command, as his methods are very similar to what he would have done if he were in the same situation.
Apart from how he killed his opponents, the Root ninjas reported that Kenji collected the belongings of the fallen shinobi and destroyed the corpses by feeding them to his beasts.
They also reported that he took some bones, such as femurs and skulls, but what would he use them for? They did not know, but they did not pay much attention to it, thinking that it was perhaps just one of his oddities.
No one in Root knows how he tamed those ants or where they came from. Not even the Aburame, who would be the closest to knowing.
"Are they from another country or an experiment?" Danzo wondered.
But what interests him is taking him under Root, no matter if he has to convince him or force him to join.
He had already killed his mother, which was what Danzo considered to be Kenji's connection to the Uchiha clan and the "outside world."
However, he did not see coming that the Uchiha clan itself would treat him as one of their own, because knowing them, he believed they would send him to an orphanage since he was not their problem.
Once at the orphanage, he would extort the director, Yakushi Nono, into handing Kenji over to him, but that simple action thwarted everything.
"Those evil Uchiha will lead him astray," Danzo whispered to himself. "If he comes to the root, I will take advantage of his full potential.
And while Danzo was thinking about how to lure him in, he remembered that the boy also had a friendly relationship with the nine-tailed jinchuriki and with Tsunade, in addition to the fact that the white fang was his teacher, so he first had to plan how to get rid of Sakumo, as he was both an obstacle to obtaining Kenji and a potential rival for the position of hokage.
So he planned not only to frame him for ruining the mission, but also to make sure that, apart from abandoning the mission, those who accompanied him would die anyway, as it was a sacrifice he saw as worthwhile.
Letting two or three Root agents die to get a talent like Kenji at the root and possibly the rest of the orphans from his home to experiment on them was worth it.
"We'll have to clear the way... even if it means losing some valuable pawns.
But now the problem would be Tsunade and Kushina, because those two won't leave him alone.
Those two treat Kenji as if he were a younger brother or nephew to whom they feel close, as if there were a natural closeness in their blood, as if he were part of their family.
Tsunade had already sensed that Kenji's chakra was quite dense, so she had her suspicions and began to investigate the matter, but all she found out was that his biological mother had died in a bandit raid on the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Lightning.
But that doesn't answer the question, because Tsunade knows that the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed at least two years before Kenji was born, but she doesn't know if Kenji is actually an Uzumaki, because he doesn't have the red hair that characterizes them.
However, she does not rule it out, as she herself is a descendant of Uzumaki Mito and does not have red hair either.
Furthermore, the only person who saw Kenji's real mother is now dead, so she cannot go and ask her.
In the end, Kenji's origin remains a mystery, but according to Kenji's adoptive mother, he was born in the Land of Lightning.
Something Tsunade notices is that somehow, Kenji's hair is getting lighter as time goes by, so she's not sure what it will look like in the end.
But while three people are thinking about Kenji at the same time, he himself is oblivious to their thoughts.
I arrive at my house to pick up the things I need for my training, and Maki greets me warmly.
"Welcome back, young master. Would you like a bath, food, or something else?"
...
I look at Maki with an uncomfortable expression, because although those are the lines of a sweet wife hinting at reproductive actions, Maki is not that type, as her expression remains the same.
Besides, knowing her, it's obvious to me that she's not talking about that, because I'm not even old enough for that.
"Prepare a bath for me and a meal after the bath," I pause for a moment and look around the rest of the house.
I notice that Maki had already anticipated that I would arrive at around this time, as everything is clean and the rest of the servants are busy with their work.
"I need to talk to you when we're at the table, but for now I've come for a few things."
She nods and gives a slight bow.
"Understood, young master." There is no change in her expression, so I deduce that I am right.
I leave my ninja bag on a table in my room and take out the jars with the ants that took the larvae of those hornets the other day.
I open the lid and order them to go and build a colony inside Konoha, more specifically within the territory of my house.
I will use these hornets as security guards in case anyone wants to harm my servants.
I saved them and I have a responsibility to protect them, so this security measure is not unnecessary.
I also suspect that Danzo will make a move, as that old fox will not stay still at all.
As I think about it, I remember a little of my past life.
At home, I was completely alone, because even though my mother was alive and living with me, she never saw me as a son, because to her I was a mistake and a huge disappointment.
Although she was not a single mother, it does not change the fact that she raised me alone, because my parents divorced because my father left her for another woman.
I remember her crying every night in her room, and there were times when she would break things for no apparent reason, as if she saw the shadow of what she once was in those mirrors and photos of her when she was young.
As a child, I always wanted to do something for her, but no matter what I did, to her I was still a mistake and a failure.
Sometimes that thought catches up with me, even though I don't want it to, because even though we didn't have a positive relationship, she was the only person I had in my life.
I never had any friends, let alone a girlfriend... because I never felt worthy enough to even think about it. My mother's words had been deeply engraved in my heart, automatically seeing myself as a failure.
I never knew if that was the reason I developed social anxiety as well as misanthropy as a defense mechanism built by my mind.
Knock knock
The sound of the door wakes me from my thoughts and I turn to see that it is Maki standing in front of my door.
"Is the bathroom ready?"
Maki was silent for a moment and nodded.
I put the bottles back in their place and follow her to the bathroom....
Even though she insulted me and made me feel inferior, for some reason I miss her a little.
It's stupid and illogical, I know... but my stupid heart can't help it, because she was the only one with me at all times... Is it Stockholm syndrome? Or is it just my heart clinging to the only affection it ever knew, however twisted it may have been?
Come to think of it, it probably is.
Maki closes the door behind me when I get to the bathroom and starts taking off my clothes, then puts them in a basket and hands me a towel.
"Thanks."
Maki stays where she is for a few moments and then leaves to get clean clothes.
I get into the cold shower, and even though I like the temperature, I still can't help feeling a certain emptiness in my chest.
I miss my adoptive mother.
I can't help feeling sad after losing her, and even though I have her eyes as her legacy, it's still not the same.
She was the first person to tell me she was proud of me, the first to give me love even though her expression is so cold, and the only one who never told me I was a mistake or a waste of time and money.
I use my time in the bathroom to let off steam. The water in the bath and my already wet face help me hide the tears falling down my cheeks.
I shouldn't be like this, I have to be strong, I have to stay strong... but you have to admit that no matter how strong you are, there has to be a moment when you can release the tension, because metal breaks if it is purely hard but has no flexibility or substance.
I can't take it anymore and I break down in tears in the bathtub, venting my sadness and frustration.
-Kuh
Although I feel broken and heartbroken, I try to stifle my sobs, but it only makes it worse, giving me the feeling of a broken heart being beaten so that it can be released.
...
...
While Kenji was taking his bath, Maki stood on the other side of the door waiting for him to get out of the tub, but she couldn't help but hear Kenji's sobs from time to time.
Even though her face remained relatively unchanged, there was a trace of sadness in her eyes.
"If only I could do something for the young master," she muttered to herself in frustration.
She didn't know if it was okay to intervene to comfort Kenji or to let him vent on his own.
She was torn between what she wanted and what her young master might want, which was not to be interrupted.
As such, she didn't know what to do, but she hoped she would find someone who could be by his side without feeling like an outsider.
So she too had tears in her eyes, feeling helpless in the situation.
The sound of Kenji getting out of the bathtub caught Maki's attention, and she quickly wiped away her tears and pretended nothing had happened.
She put the clean clothes in the basket next to her and proceeded to dry Kenji with the towel she had left inside moments before.
But Maki couldn't help feeling the urge to hug him for a moment, so she wrapped her arms around Kenji as she dried him.
Even though Maki was only a maid, it was Kenji who had saved her from certain death, or perhaps something worse, and even given her a place to live after she had lost her home at the hands of bandits, so she had developed a strong affection and gratitude towards him, wanting to at least do this to ease his burden a little.
But Kenji kept his stoic expression, yet did not push her away, for it was something he needed.
Thus, Kenji has at least a little relief from his inner pain, so he resolved to avenge his mother.
But first he must grow stronger, else all effort would be in vain.
That was how Kenji arrived home, with complex feelings within his household.
A/N
I was having a bad time while i was writing this chapter? Yes, but I took advantage of the moment to capture those emotions in this story, something like: if I feel anger about something, I can better describe how the protagonist must feel in this situation.
Anyway, I appreciate every comment and power stone given to this story, as the comments give me ideas and the stones give me motivation to continue this story, but I still want you to comment on the story, as it helps me detect any errors and know what you think of the story, so I would be very grateful.