"Hey dad." Shikamaru said sheepishly.
"I never would have expected you to be the one to cause me a headache. How troublesome!" Even though Shikaku said those words he had a small smile.
"So how much trouble are we in?" Shikamaru asked.
"You'll find out once you meet the Hokage." Shikaku answered. He then looked at the children of his former teammates. And then to the other three accompanying them.
"Ino! Choji!"
"Hi uncle Shikaku" Ino and Choji greeted him with a small smile.
"It looks like all of you had an exciting day. Come on. Let's head to the office." He said.
The group looked at each other and silently nodded. They decided to keep their mouths shut about Daichi and Yota. They started following the Jonin to the Hokage tower.
"By the way, don't worry about Daichi. I'll wait for him here till he gets back." Shikaku said wanting to see their reactions. And they didn't disappoint him. He internally chuckled watching their surprised faces.
"I should have known you'd know." Shikamaru sighed knowing his father probably figured out everything that's happened.
"Wait, you know about that?" Naruto was the first to speak.
"I do. As does the Hokage. Now come along. We don't want to keep him waiting." He said, leading the group back to the village.
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A few minutes ago.
Daichi left after giving Shikamaru a nod. Since he was traveling without the group he was able to quickly put a great distance between him and the border.
'We crossed the river. So why hasn't the quest been marked completed?... Maybe we haven't gotten far enough yet…?' Daichi picked up the pace and kept going.
As Daichi was jumping across the trees he heard Yota's belly growl. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a couple rainbow dumplings from his inventory.
He didn't want anyone to know his inventory ability so this was how he took small things from his dimensional space whenever he was in public. A habit he made since his very beginning here. A habit which coincidentally saved him from the prying eyes of the hokage.
Daichi jumped and landed on the ground. He let the boy down from his back. "Here. Eat these. They're delicious. You'll need your strength." Yota ate the dumplings and had a smile on his face. Daichi could see that the snow around them had thickened.
Looking at the small boy, Daichi couldn't help but ask. "Where will you go?"
"I'll be free when I leave here."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, the truth is… I was already dead when I met you all. I was brought back to life by Orochimaru before I came here." Yota began telling him his origin.
"What?!" Daichi was shocked for a few seconds and then he calmed down. 'Oh! Right! This kid's a reanimation. I completely forgot about that detail in all this mess. He behaved like a normal kid so much that I didn't even think about it. I can't let him go back to Orochimaru.'
"Yota. Listen to me. Orochimaru is a very bad person. You can't go back to him." Daichi was completely serious.
Yota was smiling at Daichi as he heard him. "Don't worry. I won't."
"Good." Daichi sighed in relief.
Yota looked at Daichi and began telling him his story. "You see, I was born into a clan with the ability to control the weather. We made a living traveling from village to village selling weather."
"That explains the weather for sale sign." Daichi thought back to the sign he saw when he first met the boy.
Yota nodded. "Even among my clan I was very good at controlling the weather. But I was born with a weak body. During my travels I caught a disease and I died."
Daichi lowered his head as he listened to his story.
"But then someone brought me back. Snakey and Four eyes said they were testing the reanimation jutsu and left me outside your village." Yota said.
Daichi was startled as he heard it. 'Four eyes?? Does that mean Kabuto was with Orochimaru?'
"Yota. Are you telling me there was someone else with Orochimaru?"
"Hm." Yota nodded.
'So Kabuto already betrayed the village huh. That means he killed that orphanage matron. Damn it, I don't remember the details clearly. Wait… I have to make sure it's Kabuto.' All of these thoughts went through Daichi's head in mere moments.
"Can you describe the person who was with Orochimaru?" He gently asked.
"Um! He had gray hair and wore round glasses. He was also wearing a purple shirt. I don't remember anything else."
"No. It's alright Yota. You did good." 'It's definitely Kabuto. I'm sure of it.'
"Mmm these dumplings are delicious." Yota said happily.
"I'm glad you like them. Come on, it's time to go. We need to get a bit further." Daichi wanted to move further and get Yota to safety and thus complete the quest. But young Yota had other plans.
"I'm glad I met you Daichi. You and the others. I'm really happy. It's time for me to leave." The snow started falling harder and started to cover the young boy from head to toe.
"What are you talking about Yota? What's happening?" Daichi was unsure of what was going on. He tried to get closer to the boy but the strong winds kept pushing him away.
"Daichi! Thank you. I'm going to be free now. I have no regrets now."
"Hey wait a minute. What are you doing Yota?" Daichi screamed as he tried to get closer.
"Daichi. When I first met you, I could tell that you were like me. You were feeling lonely too weren't you?"
At this question Daichi stopped struggling and looked at him. It was true. Even though he told himself and Kensei that he didn't want to waste time on making friends, he did want to make a few. To play around and laugh with. But his loner personality coupled with the title of genius at the academy didn't get him any.
"Daichi. Remember the bonds you made that day. And the friends you've made... Look after them… Tomorrow, let it be another sunny day." Snow completely covered Yota. The next instant a lightning struck it, completely destroying the snow and the boy inside.
Daichi stood there shocked at what happened. "Yota…!"
At that moment the successful Quest completion notifications popped up adding to the already piled up system messages. But Daichi ignored them all.
Tears fell down his face as he looked to where Yota stood seconds ago. He waited for the reanimation debris to come back and make the boy whole again, but it didn't happen. After waiting for several minutes he understood that Yota was gone forever. So with a heavy heart he turned around and started making his way back to the village.
Daichi, not wanting to feel the pain of losing his friend anymore, opened the options tab and turned on the Gamer's Mind skill. The emotions running wild inside him calmed down. With an impassive face, he jumped to a tree branch and took off back to his home.
Hiruzen, watching Daichi's expressionless face through his jutsu, was saddened. 'I wonder how this experience will affect him? I suppose I'll find out after I speak with him.' He stopped using the 'Telescope Jutsu' and waited for their arrival.
Now that his Gamer's Mind has been reactivated, his emotions clearly felt muted. Daichi could feel the difference as if it was a tangible thing. He felt like he could think clearly and more rationally.
'Yota I hope you're happy and having fun wherever you are… Goodbye my friend.'
As Daichi was hopping through the trees he finally saw the piled up notifications on the side. He sighed and decided to look at them.
[Quest 'Rescue Yota' Completed. ]
[Rewards:]
[4000 Exp.]
[600 Exp.]
[Special Item Reward - Atamagai' Cloak.]
[Reputation increases with Hiruzen Sarutobi.]
[Reputation increases with Kensei Yasaji.]
[Reputation increases with 6 of the 'Rookie 9'. ]
[You have leveled up.]
[Skill Water walking technique's level has risen by one.]
[You have faced the killing intent of an enemy far stronger than you with your Gamer's Mind switched off, and stood tall without fear and challenged him. You have reached a special condition. Special Stat Indomitable is opened.]
[+1 INDOMITABLE]
[You have unlocked a special stat. ]
[Reward: +500 Exp.]
[+75 Exp.]
[Indomitable is a unique stat even amongst the special stats, as it is the only one that gives the player a skill when it reaches 50 points. This stat awakened due to the player displaying an Iron Will and Tenacity against superior enemies. ]
[This stat provides the Passive Skill: Unyielding Spirit.]
[Unyielding Spirit - Passive (LV. MAX) - Provides the Player resistance to Mind Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, Fear Manipulation and other foreign mental attacks at all times.]
'Another special stat is opened. I never could have predicted that the gamer's mind being turned off at such a moment would be a boon. A level up, the special reward and a special stat awakening. Looks like this venture was unexpectedly fruitful…'
'Unyielding Spirit skill looks a lot like Gamer's Mind… but it seems there are differences. Based on this it only shields me from external attacks and doesn't say about ones caused by me… I'll stick with Gamer's Mind for now but this is still a good alternative.'
'Now it's time to see just what kind of a special item I got…'
The special item rewarded for the quest was placed in his inventory. Daichi was a bit impatient and wanted to see what he got. He stopped on a branch and used 'Chakra Sense' to see if there was anyone around. Finding no one Daichi took out the reward from his inventory.
It was a dull silver cloak with the insignia of the Uzumaki clan on its back and two chameleons in red and blue colors on its right and left sleeves. It was bigger than Daichi and looked like it was made for adults. He used 'observe' on it and he was shocked as he read the description.
[Atamagai' Cloak] [Special Item: Rank A]
[An invisibility cloak created by the legendary seal master and tailor, Atamagai Uzumaki. This is a special item that shields the wearer and everything he/she directly touches from all prying jutsus and senses. This cloak was created from some of the most durable clothing materials available at the time and imbued with over five dozen intricate seals. The moment the cloak is worn the seals will activate and render the wearer and everything in contact with the wearer invisible to the world. No one will be able to sense the user unless he/she wants them to. This cloak has a limited ability to respond accordingly to the wearer's thoughts. Although this cloak is a perfect tool for stealth, it does have its limitations.
Only those who can use Mana energy can activate this cloak.
It absorbs and stores nature chakra and when activated, uses nature energy in conjunction with a small amount of mana energy from the wearer.]
[Note: Sages who are proficient in utilizing nature chakra can detect the cloak even when it is active.
Once activated the cloak will be able to shield the wearer for 3 hours continuously or at most 10 hours from the time it was activated if used sparingly.
Once the cloak is used it will take 29 days for it to be reactivated.]
Daichi's jaw dropped as he read the description.
As Daichi kept reading the long description his mind boggled and his eyes almost popped out of his skull as he reached the end. He was dumbstruck as he read the details.
'Holy smokes! This is like the ultimate tier stealth tool. And it's perfect for me.'
Daichi quickly came to his senses and put the cloak back into his inventory and resumed his journey. But his mind was on the item he just received.
'I can travel anywhere in the village with this and the only person who could find me is Jiraiya. And that too if he used Sage mode. And the elder toads too but I doubt they pay the village a visit regularly. I can definitely get into all sorts of places and if I want to, escape from dangerous situations. This is just what I've wanted.'
In a better mood than before, he resumed his journey back to the village.
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Author's Note:
Hit me up with some power stone guys. Let's get this story up the rankings.