Kira's smirk widened as she saw Kenshin finally collapse, his breathing heavy and shoulders slumped. She strolled up to him, her grin practically gleaming with smug amusement.
"Well, well, looks like Mr. Shinobi is finally done for," she teased, folding her arms as she looked down at him.
"Humans really are so dumb, aren't they? Always trying to force things to go their way. I saw you trying to tame that nature energy earlier today, forcing it to submit, and the second it slipped, you lost it completely. And now, here you are, trying to hold wind chakra in place, like tying a leash around a storm."
Kenshin listened, slightly confused at first, before something clicked. As she continued her teasing, he found himself zeroing in on her advice beneath the mockery.
"If you would just shape its path," Kira added, enjoying what she thought was a diminishing blow to his spirit, "and stop trying to hold it back, you'd already have control."
She shrugged, her tone full of feigned pity. "But hey, maybe that's just too advanced for some humans to grasp. I mean, you're just 15, an infant compared to us."
For a moment, she waited for him to respond with frustration or some sort of defensiveness.
But Kenshin surprised her, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes as he leapt to his feet. "That's it!" he exclaimed, ignoring her taunting entirely. "I am seriously dumb for not realizing that sooner! Thank you, Kira. That's probably the best advice anyone's given me in both my lives!"
"Wait...both your what?" Kira began, confusion replacing her smugness for a moment. But Kenshin was already refocusing, determined to put her insight to use.
He inhaled deeply, then gathered his wind chakra, visualizing it flowing around him in a natural, unrestricted stream instead of holding it tight.
This time, instead of pushing against the chakra's natural flow, he guided its path, letting it swirl and condense without forcing it to stay in one place. Gradually, the chakra layer thickened, stabilizing in a way he hadn't achieved before.
With visible satisfaction, Kenshin looked back to Kira, his expression warm and grateful. "Kira, that really did work. I can't thank you enough. I've been working on this thing for years!"
Kira's expression shifted immediately into an irritated frown. She huffed, turning away sharply. "Don't get the wrong idea," she snapped, storming off. "I wasn't trying to help you, you know. Stubborn human."
Her tail flicked in annoyance as she left the courtyard, but Kenshin could still sense a trace of intrigue beneath her irritation.
The next morning....
The morning sunlight filtered through the courtyard as Kenshin prepared himself for another round of training under Aruna's guidance.
After breakfast, they'd returned to the same spot, and Kenshin braced himself as Aruna stepped close, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into another deep kiss.
Her tongue slipped into his mouth, carrying the dense wave of nature energy he needed to synchronize with his chakra.
While the transfer made controlling the nature energy easier, a pang of guilt surfaced in Kenshin's chest. He felt like he was betraying Akane in a way, his mind flashing to her for just a moment.
But he quickly brushed the thought aside, reminding himself that this was simply part of his training—nothing more. 'Focus', he told himself, feeling the energy settling into his core. 'this is just training. I'm not like those harem protagonists.'
The training was intense. Every time Kenshin tried to blend his chakra with the nature energy, the balance slipped just out of reach, and his features took on a feline edge. Whiskers, pointed ears, even claws—it was clear he was still tipping too far toward nature energy.
Each time, Aruna's tail would lash out, snapping across his back to whip the nature energy out of him. Her methods were as stern as they were effective, and by midday, his back stung from repeated strikes.
Kira watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, with a smug grin never leaving her face. She seemed to savor every failed attempt, each flick of Aruna's tail bringing her visible satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Sora sat nearby, her gaze filled with concern as she observed Kenshin's struggles.
She remembered how, before training began, Katsuyu had warned Kenshin that he couldn't stay in Shikkotsu Forest for more than a week; he'd need to return to the Leaf soon to address the issues regarding the Akatsuki and Danzo.
"Come on, Kenshin!" Sora finally called out, trying to encourage him. "You're getting closer! You can do this!"
He gritted his teeth, taking her words to heart. Breathing deeply, he focused again, aiming to let the nature energy flow without overpowering his own chakra.
This time, remembering Kira's unexpected advice last night, he took a moment to truly feel its movement instead of trying to hold it rigidly in place.
Slowly, his chakra and the nature energy began to merge, inching closer to the balance he sought.
Aruna, sensing the change, nodded approvingly. "Good. Let it settle. Don't force it, let it flow." Her voice was firm yet encouraging.
As Kenshin was just about to get it right, he lost the control again, his canine teeth suddenly becoming fangs.
Aruna's tail lashed out immediately, whipping the nature energy out of him. But it had left a permanent change, as his fangs remained, barely concealed by his lips.
Kira's laughter rang through the courtyard, cutting sharply into the moment. She doubled over, hardly able to contain her amusement as she pointed at Kenshin's fangs.
"Oh, those fangs look ridiculous on a human! Guess that's what you get for getting too ahead of yourself," she sneered. "It's a hundred years too early for you to become a sage."
Her mocking words stung, and Kenshin clenched his jaw, the sharp tips of his fangs pressing against his lower lip. But before he could respond, Sora stepped forward, unable to hold back any longer.
"Kira, that's enough!" Sora's voice was sharp, her eyes filled with frustration. "Unlike us who were born with nature energy," she snapped, "Kenshin's trying to learn something entirely new. It doesn't matter how you view humans; you should at least respect someone who puts in honest effort."
Kira's grin faltered, and for a moment, her golden eyes flashed with something unreadable. She crossed her arms, her expression twisting into something almost defensive.
But she didn't respond, instead rolling her eyes and huffing as she looked away, muttering under her breath.
Kenshin, still recovering from the last lash of Aruna's tail, let out a dry chuckle, surprising both sisters. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sora," he said, giving her a small smile despite his fatigue.
His gaze then flickered toward Kira, his eyes calm but unwavering. "And to you too, Kira. That advice last night actually helped."
Kira narrowed her eyes, as if gauging whether he was making fun of her, but Kenshin's expression remained sincere. She huffed, clearly irritated, and looked away. "Don't think I did that to help you. I just... couldn't stand watching you stumble around so cluelessly."
He smiled, glancing back at Kira, "Still... thanks, Kira. Maybe you're right—I've got a long way to go. But I'll get there." He gave her a genuine smile, which only seemed to deepen her scowl.
With an annoyed flick of her tail, Kira muttered, "I didn't intend to help you, stupid human," before storming off, her steps quick and clearly agitated. But Kenshin could notice a faint blush on her cheeks as she disappeared from view.
Sora, watching her sister's retreating form, chuckled softly. "She'll come around," she reassured him. "She just needs time."
Letting out a slow breath, he once again recalled Kira's words about shaping the wind chakra's path rather than restricting it.
Gently this time, Kenshin let the nature energy flow, guiding it with a soft, controlled current instead of a forceful hold. He could feel it beginning to align with his chakra, his control steadily improving. It was still far from perfect, but it was progress.
Kenshin's new fangs pressed uncomfortably against his lower lip, making it difficult to fully focus on his training. Frustrated but determined, he tried to push past the distraction.
Just then, a servant called out, announcing that lunch was ready, and the group reluctantly paused their training to head inside.
After the meal, they returned to the courtyard, where Aruna resumed guiding Kenshin through his nature energy training. This time, Kira watched from a distance, her mocking tone quieted.
Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration for Kenshin's progress. In just two days, he'd achieved a level of control over nature energy that even the most skilled of her kin would have taken years, if not decades, to reach.
She reminded herself of the vast difference in lifespans between humans and her tribe, but it still seemed unreal.
Suddenly, a shimmering portal materialized beneath Kira, catching everyone off guard. In an instant, it expanded, and Kira's startled yelp was cut short as she was sucked into the void.
"Kira!" Sora shouted, lunging forward, but the portal began to close too quickly. Kenshin, reacting on instinct, threw himself after Kira, diving through the portal just before it sealed shut.
As he emerged from the other side, Kenshin found himself hurtling through the sky alongside Kira, the ground dangerously far below.
Reacting swiftly, he extended his adamantine sealing chains, wrapping them securely around Kira and pulling her close to him. With one arm around her, he formed the hand seals for Wind Burst, releasing a powerful blast of wind to slow their descent.
The force of the Wind Burst slowed them enough to shift their plummeting trajectory into more of a controlled glide, though it was still far from safe.
"Hold on!" Kenshin yelled over the rushing wind, clutching Kira tightly. "I'll slow down our fall."
She clung to him, visibly shaken but masking her fear with a scowl. "If we die, I'm blaming you, human!" she snapped, though her grip didn't loosen.
"Blame me later," he replied, gritting his teeth as he directed another Wind Burst, hoping to bring them closer to the ground safely. "I'm not letting you die,"
As Kenshin prepared to release another Wind Burst to further ease their descent, something invisible suddenly slammed into them with tremendous force. Kira was ripped from his grasp, sent spiraling into the distance.
"Kira!!" Kenshin instinctively tried to reach out with his chains, but a second invisible blow struck him, sending him hurtling toward the ground.
He managed a single Wind Burst at the last second, reducing his speed just enough to avoid a fatal impact, but the landing was still brutal.
Pain shot through him as he felt several bones snap, leaving him laying on the ground and barely conscious. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, channeling chakra into his right eye to initiate his healing ability.
Over the next twenty minutes, he endured the uncomfortable sensation of his bones mending, his body gradually knitting itself back together.
Once his injuries were fully healed, Kenshin forced himself upright, his mind focused solely on finding Kira. Sprinting up a nearby tree with ease using the tree-climbing technique, he activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to scan the surrounding area.
In the distance, he spotted a towering mountain, the general direction in which Kira had been flung.
His pulse quickened, a sense of urgency pressing down on him. If he had taken this much damage even after using Wind Burst, he worried that Kira, despite her enhanced abilities, might have sustained serious injuries.
He couldn't afford to waste a second; failing to find her could mean facing Sora and Aruna with the weight of her death on his conscience. No parent should have to experience their child's funeral.
Summoning a vast swarm of shadow clones, nearly a thousand of them spread out in all directions, each one diligently scouring the landscape.
He remained tense as he waited, feeling the passing seconds like the ticking of a countdown. Finally, after about half an hour, one of his clones dispersed, relaying Kira's location back to him.
Without hesitation, Kenshin deactivated the remaining clones, absorbing their knowledge and experiences. With a renewed burst of speed, he sprinted towards her location, pushing his body to its limits.
He made a single shadow clone, instructing it to make more and find shelter, prefarably a cave. The clone nodded and split off, as Kenshin kept hearing towards Kira.
As Kenshin approached, his heart sank when he saw the faint, white light radiating from Kira's body, signaling that she was dead. His mind racing, he didn't waste a second, activating his right eye's ability and focusing all his chakra into the process.
Slowly, he watched Kira's broken form start to mend itself—bones snapping back into place, bruises fading, and the wounds on her skin closing up.
As her body began to heal, the light shifted from white to blue, indicating life was returning to her. After what felt like an eternity, the glow disappeared fully, signaling her full recovery.
He gave a relieved sigh, knowing she was no longer at death's door, but she was still unconscious.
Soon after, one of his clones dissipated, revealing a nearby cave location, just enough distance away to offer cover without being too far to reach.
Dismissing his other clones, Kenshin created one more and instructed it to form a defensive perimeter with other clones, spreading out in all directions to monitor for any approaching danger.
Satisfied with his precautions, Kenshin carefully lifted Kira in his arms, her unconscious form feeling unexpectedly light. Without delay, he carried her toward the cave, his steps swift but cautious, aware that the area might still pose unseen threats.
Upon reaching the cave, Kenshin gently laid Kira down on a soft patch of moss and set to work, arranging stones and branches to form a makeshift fire pit near the entrance. He then created a few more clones to gather firewood and patrol the cave's surroundings.
As he waited, he couldn't shake the memory of those invisible strikes, wondering what—or who—had targeted them so precisely. It didn't feel random.
"Unless the portal opened randomly, whoever opened it specifically targeted Kira. It was just pure luck that I managed to slip in, otherwise Kira would be dead permanently." Kenshin muttered, finishing the fire pit and igniting it with a fireball jutsu.
A chill ran down his spine, but he steeled himself, determined to protect Kira and find answers once she regained consciousness.
Over the next two days, Kenshin maintained a constant watch, eyes darting to every sound, every shadow, his sword unsheathed and resting on his lap.
His shadow clones kept vigil around the cave, vanishing and reappearing as they rotated shifts to ensure a steady perimeter.
He refused to rest, brushing off the ache in his limbs and the pull of sleep as mere inconveniences. There was too much at stake to lower his guard. Not just Kira, if he fell asleep at this point, they'd be completely vulnerable.
By the dawn of the third day, Kira finally began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her gaze locked onto Kenshin, irritation flickering across her face.
"Why the heck did you let me go?" Her tone was sharp, accusatory.
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, a flicker of frustration breaking through his exhaustion. He remained silent for a moment, then simply replied, "I didn't mean to. Something attacked us."
But Kira's expression only grew more annoyed. "This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't been in that forest, I'd have been with my mother when that portal opened. She would've saved me right away."
That was the breaking point.
The frustration and exhaustion he had been pushing down for days surged forward, and Kenshin's restraint snapped.
His voice was low but edged with anger. "My fault?! My fault?! I was the one who jumped through the portal first, not your mother, not your sister. If I hadn't used Wind Burst to slow us down, you would have been dead before I even had a chance to revive you. You were dead, and it was because of me that you're breathing right now!"
Kira blinked, surprised by the intensity in his voice, but he didn't stop.
"I used thousands of clones just to find you, scoured the entire area, and searched for shelter—and every time one of those clones dispersed, I took in their memories. That's thousands of separate inputs I had to process. Do you know how that feels? All for you!"
His voice cracked, the raw exhaustion seeping through. "I've been awake for two goddamm days straight since then, watching over you just in case something else came."
He stopped, his fists trembling as he forced his voice to steady. "I wasn't even asking for a 'thank you,' but maybe a little acknowledgment that I did everything possible to make sure you're alive."
Silence filled the cave as his words hung in the air, the firelight flickering against the stone walls. Kenshin's eyes, usually calm and controlled, now held an unmistakable depth of frustration and hurt, reflecting just how much he'd endured for her sake.
After a long moment of silence, Kira's expression softened, her previous annoyance slipping away as realization dawned on her. She opened her mouth, intending to apologize, to acknowledge his efforts.
But before she could get a single word out, Kenshin raised a hand, cutting her off. "Forget it," he said, his tone edged with resignation. "It was stupid of me to expect anything from you."
The words hung heavily in the air, laced with bitterness and finality. Without waiting for a response, he pushed his sword into her hands, his fingers brushing hers only briefly before he turned away.
"Get off your ass and keep watch," he ordered, his tone gruff but hollow. "I need some sleep. If you need anything, ask one of my clones."
Kira took the sword from him, her expression uncertain, watching as he sank down onto a bed of moss, exhaustion finally overtaking him.
For the first time, she noticed the way his face seemed paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes that spoke to the toll of the past days.
As he lay there, Kenshin's breath slowed, the tension in his muscles finally easing. Kira's gaze lingered on him for a moment, her fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, feeling the unfamiliar weight of it.
A pang of guilt stirred within her as she replayed his words in her mind. She hadn't considered the sacrifices he'd made, the lengths he'd gone to save her.
And now, with him lying there, vulnerable and worn, she realized that she'd been so focused on her own anger and fear that she'd overlooked everything he'd done.
Resolving to keep watch, Kira gripped the sword a little tighter and moved to sit by the cave entrance, her eyes scanning the shadows beyond.
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Once again, thank you everyone for your continued support and power stones. And as always, please give me your power stones and comment your opinions. They make a big difference and motivate me to write more.