Chapter 23: It Snows in the Shinobi World's Winter, Too
Just as Inoshita Rino had said, on the second day of the fourth year, the Three Academy Jutsu were added to their curriculum. For the current Kael, ninjutsu of this level was incredibly simple. After all, he was already beginning to grasp the fundamentals of chakra nature transformation. He mastered the three basic jutsu in a single day.
A few days into the new term, Inoshita brought Kael several ninjutsu scrolls, reminding him to keep them safe. In this era, even slightly advanced ninjutsu could be considered a family heirloom.
C-Rank Ninjutsu: Wind Style - Great Breakthrough
Wind Style: Weapon Enhancement
C-Rank Ninjutsu: Fire Style - Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
These were the three techniques Inoshita had found for him. Two were C-rank, while the other was less a formal jutsu and more a practical application of Wind Style for close combat. It involved converting one's chakra into wind with cutting properties and imbuing it into a weapon to increase its lethality. The power was directly related to the user's chakra reserves and their understanding of the wind element.
Kael was fascinated by the scrolls. He had been in the Shinobi World for a long time and had possessed chakra for a while, but this was his first real experience with the wonders of ninjutsu. From that day on, in addition to his chakra extraction, learning these new techniques became a core part of his training regimen.
Year 9 of the Hidden Hot Water Era, January.
A week had passed since the start of the new school year, and half a month had gone by since Kael had synthesized the D+ rank Wind Eagle. His body had long since recovered, and his chakra was replenished. He was ready to create his second D-rank Summoning Beast.
"Hah..."
Although winter in the Shinobi World wasn't brutally cold, it still brought its share of rain and snow. Kael breathed out a puff of warm air. He was only wearing a sweater, but his face was flushed with warmth. He stared out, somewhat mesmerized, as the world was painted a frosty white by the falling snowflakes.
In the other houses, villagers were gathered around their fires. He was the only one walking the empty streets, and a pang of loneliness hit him.
Rei is probably feeling lonely, too... he thought. On a day like this, his thoughts naturally drifted to her.
Might as well go see her...
Crunch, crunch...
He turned and began making his way through the foot-deep snow toward Rei's house.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Coming!" a clear, cheerful female voice called from the second floor of the small, two-story house.
Kael could hear the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor of the courtyard, followed by the crunch of snow growing closer.
Creeeak—
The main gate opened a crack, letting in a sliver of cold wind.
"Kael-nii-san, what are you doing here?" A rosy face, still full of youthful softness, peeked through the opening, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise.
"I was bored, so I thought I'd come see you," Kael said casually.
Rei quickly opened the gate and pulled him inside. She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and a pure white scarf, one end hanging short against her chest. Her silky, chestnut-brown hair, once short, had grown long and now cascaded naturally over her shoulders. Her face was flushed, her features delicate.
She's pretty cute, Kael thought, taking a moment to appreciate her appearance.
"What is it?" she asked, flustered by his gaze.
Kael just smiled faintly.
Upstairs in Rei's house, the two of them sat around a charcoal stove. Kael lay contentedly on the floor, basking in the waves of heat. Compared to the cold emptiness of the streets and his own house, this room felt incredibly comfortable.
"So cozy!"
"What's wrong, Kael-nii-san? Is it not comfortable at your place?" Rei asked, tilting her head curiously.
"There's no one at my house, and Little Wind broke the roof. I just patched it up with some boards, so it's really drafty. Besides, I'm too lazy to make a fire for just myself. It's not as warm as it is here." He was too embarrassed to admit he had been feeling lonely.
"Heehee! Well, you can come over whenever you're free, Kael-nii-san. After all... we're both alone," she said with a sweet smile, but a shadow of sadness flickered in her eyes at the end.
"Who says you're alone?" Kael replied, his own eyes twinkling. He saw tears welling up in her eyes again and quickly wiped them away. "You're eleven years old now. Why are you still such a crybaby?" he grumbled, though his touch was gentle.
They chatted for a while longer, then fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the rare moment of warmth and peace. Kael lay with his hands behind his head, watching the snowflakes fall outside the window, feeling an indescribable sense of calm.
But the quiet was soon broken.
"Kael-nii-san, did you hear? Murakami Rin from our class applied for early graduation, but Rino-sensei rejected him."
"Why?" Kael frowned slightly.
"I heard he wants to become a ninja as soon as possible to avenge his father."
Kael: "..."
He sighed and shook his head without saying anything. He got up and picked up a cup of hot tea from the stove, but it was too hot, so he set it back down on the floor.
"With his current skill level, he hasn't even mastered the Three Academy Jutsu. Graduating early is a bit of a stretch for him..." Kael said flatly after lying back down.
"Yeah. But I heard his father was killed recently while tracking the Jashinists. It was probably their doing," Rei said softly.
"Those guys... they might be making a move again," Kael said, his brow furrowed. He thought about how Inoshita had been acting strangely in class the past few days, and a bad feeling crept into his heart.
Just then, they heard footsteps from downstairs. They exchanged surprised glances. They were both orphans; who would be visiting them on a cold winter day like this? The footsteps grew closer, clearly heading for Rei's house.
Kael got up and peered out the window. His eyebrows shot up.
"Uncle Rino? How did you find us here?" He was about to go down and open the door, but then he had another idea and shouted out the window, "I'm too lazy to come down! Just jump in!"
Outside, Inoshita Rino's face twitched. He saw Kael pull his head back from the window with no intention of coming down. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Ungrateful brat!" he muttered. He had no choice but to hop over the courtyard wall.
After taking off his coat and shoes, Inoshita came up to the second floor. As soon as he entered, Rei greeted him with a polite bow, apologizing for not being able to receive him downstairs.
"Sorry for the intrusion!" Inoshita said, smiling and nodding at her.
He then turned to Kael, who was lying lazily on the floor with his hands behind his head, not even bothering to look at him. A wave of irritation washed over him.
"Look at Rei, and then look at you! You have no manners at all! Is it that hard to come down and open the door?" Inoshita complained.
"Can't be helped. I'm just a village kid. Manners? What are those?" Kael said with an indifferent expression. In his past life, he'd worked a 996 schedule, bowing and scraping to his bosses for a meager salary. He was done with that kind of life. He preferred to be free and unrestrained.
"How did you know I was here?" Kael asked, glancing at him. The old man definitely hadn't come to see Rei, which meant he was here for him.
"I went to your house and you weren't there. I looked around the village and couldn't find you. Besides Rei's place, I couldn't think of anywhere else you'd be," Inoshita sneered, walking over to the stove and sitting down cross-legged. The warmth of the fire chased away the chill from his bones, and he closed his eyes in comfort.
"I'm getting old. On a cold day like this, if I don't sit by a fire, my whole body aches..." Inoshita said with a sigh.