10: Training Partner
"This is the reality of the world." Her dark eyes surveyed the battlefield; wherever she looked, corpse after corpse lay, piled up on one another like small hills as far as her sight reached. Rivers of blood began to form, aided by the torrential rain falling over the scene.
Some of them belonged to Konoha ninjas, others to ninjas from different villages, but regardless of whose body it was, they all shared something in common:
A look of grievance and reluctance etched on their lifeless faces.
"This is the world I will live in." It wasn't a question but a statement to herself. Even so, a voice reached her ears, making the desolation inside her intensify even more.
"That's right, Izumi. I want you to remember this well and never forget what you've seen here today. Ninjas are beings who fight."
Upon hearing those words, something inside her stirred, and two streams of tears began to flow from her eyes uncontrollably. At the same time, a warmth unlike any other started to assault her retinas, like red-hot iron on skin, causing sharp, burning pain. She felt her chakra stir, and something changed within her. It was a terrifying sensation, and for a second, she was tempted to close her eyes, but she didn't.
She allowed that strange power to keep flowing until the world around her became clearer, sharper, much more detailed, much slower. Yet, even then, the scene before her remained unchanged. It was still that hell.
A hell that would be etched deeply into her memories forever.
'I will change it.'
She didn't know from where or why, but that desire was born within her. Maybe the world she lived in was hell, but she didn't want to sit by and do nothing; she didn't want to simply accept it.
She refused to.
'I will change everything!'
That thought echoed within her, reverberating in her being, until the reality around her began to distort, and the image in front of her started to shatter into a thousand pieces, plunging everything into darkness. Suddenly, Sukuna felt his consciousness return, and slowly, he began to regain his senses.
'What was that?' Those weren't his memories.
'Did I absorb too many negative emotions from that girl?' Something like that had happened to him before, but never in such a detailed and vivid way. After all, negative emotions held the grudges and grievances of those who generated them. Normally, a sorcerer only had to deal with their own "negative memories," but Sukuna had learned that by devouring the negative emotions of others, he could "see" and "feel" some of the things that caused those negative emotions to be created in the first place.
It was bothersome, but usually avoidable by instantly converting such emotions into cursed energy. Only when fragments of them remained unused inside him could he see traces of those "memories," but just as vague images or distant sensations, nothing more than minor annoyances that would fade once he consumed them completely.
But this was different. It wasn't vague or distant; it was as if he had been there, as if he had lived through it himself.
Every feeling, every moment in that place.
It was unpleasant.
Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the blue sky, with the sun still close to the horizon.
Then, that view was blocked by a familiar face, and his green eyes met a pair of dark eyes.
"You're awake."
Sukuna blinked, looking at the girl for a moment before standing up and stretching, feeling his body sore and noticing that his wounds were now covered with bandages that hadn't been there before.
It seemed he had been treated while he was unconscious.
"How long was I asleep?" At his sudden question, Izumi, who was sitting not far away, watching him stretch, calmly replied.
"Almost two hours."
Well, that was longer than Sukuna had expected.
"Alright, in that case, see you later." He had something to do that day, and it would be troublesome if he missed it.
Upon seeing him, they began to walk away without any concern. Izumi blinked, confused for a second. Then, she suddenly stood up and quickly planted herself in front of Sukuna, blocking his path.
"Huh? What's up?" Seeing her appear so suddenly and staring at him with such intensity, Sukuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. This girl… could she have fallen for his amazing self or something?
"Your jutsu... you said if I won, you'd teach it to me."
"Oh, right, I guess we agreed on something like that, didn't we?" At the time, he had only accepted to motivate her to fight harder. He really hadn't thought he'd lose, and now he seemed to be in a bit of trouble because of it.
"You're not going to back out, are you?" Hearing this, Sukuna scoffed.
"Hey, let me make something clear, Brat. I never go back on my word. If I said I'd teach you, then I will."
How? Sukuna had no idea. Well, actually, he did. Theoretically, now that all his cursed techniques and sorcery abilities were fueled by chakra, he could teach them to others by simply showing them how he performed them. Of course, that was easier said than done.
After all, there were some things that just came with experience and instincts and teaching them was not so simple.
If it were any other technique, he could have tried to take the easy route and let her copy it with her Sharingan. The problem was that The Simple Domain negated that ability of her dojutsu when used, which is why Izumi hadn't copied it in the first place and needed him to teach her personally.
'Well, I guess I'll have to put in some effort.'
Izumi narrowed her eyes at seeing him so thoughtful, although internally she didn't doubt that he was telling the truth. They may not have known each other for long, but somehow she felt she could understand him on a strangely deep level, a kind of closeness that was hard to describe with words.
At the same time, she also felt a sort of distance, as if she had only skimmed the surface of something far more complex. It was contradictory, and she wondered if he felt the same or if it was just her.
"In three days, meet me here, and I'll teach it to you." Sukuna's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.
"Three days?" Seeing her doubt, Sukuna simply shrugged.
"I'm injured, you're injured, and besides, your chakra probably hasn't fully recovered either. Learning a jutsu in these conditions would just slow things down. So yes, three days, first thing in the morning, here."
Izumi thought about it for a moment before nodding. Three days—neither too much nor too little—was enough time for a ninja of her caliber to recover from the state she was currently in and return in her best form.
With that said, Sukuna walked past her with his hands in his pockets, starting to head toward his destination before it got any later. Izumi watched him leave before disappearing as well, beginning her journey back to the Uchiha complex.
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The soft sound of the brush soaking in ink and gliding over the paper filled the room, while the smoke from a pipe floated in the air, accompanying the calmness of the moment.
Hiruzen inspected the writing with a critical eye before nodding in satisfaction and preparing to continue, but before he could, a soft knock on the door interrupted him. Without turning to look, he spoke to allow entry.
The door opened smoothly and silently, and a short figure approached the Hokage's side with light steps, sitting on the empty cushion that had been beside him.
"You're a little late, Sukuna-chan."
Sukuna nodded and looked at the blank paper in front of him before taking his own brush and dipping it into the black ink that had been prepared for him.
"I met the genius of the Uchiha clan. I couldn't resist and challenged her to a fight." At those words, Hiruzen blinked and finally turned, noticing Sukuna's battered state.
"First Anko and now her? Do you have some kind of masochistic desire in you, my young apprentice?"
Sukuna laughed.
"Maybe, although I really just wanted to know the difference between her and me."
"From the way you look, I assume you know now." Sukuna nodded.
"Yes, she's tough. I used a lot of what you taught me, and I still lost." And upon hearing that, Hiruzen wasn't surprised. Being able to beat Anko was one thing; if Sukuna had also beaten Izumi Uchiha, then Hiruzen would have doubted even himself.
Of course, even if he had "won," Sukuna wouldn't have admitted it so openly. The fact that he technically lost simply made lying unnecessary.
"I hope this helps you understand that trying to run before learning to walk will only lead you to stumble. Patience is the key to progressing properly. You haven't even entered the academy yet, and you're already several steps ahead of the other kids in your generation. I understand that might make you feel a bit anxious, but rushing is never the right choice."
Sukuna accepted the "reprimand" without complaint. After all, in the Hokage's eyes, his actions seemed to stem from his "genius" status going to his head, causing him to aim too high, only to stumble and fall.
"Walk and not run, huh? You might be right about that, old man," Sukuna said, though he had no intention of holding back if another interesting opponent appeared in front of him. After all, it had already been half a decade since he arrived in this world—he'd been patient enough, hadn't he?
Being called "old man," Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh. Whether it was Naruko or Sukuna, neither of them seemed to give him the respect he deserved. Even so, he didn't complain. In a way, he was also tired of the formalities, and having something different was always a breath of fresh air for his old body.
"Alright, enough idle talk. We may have lost some time due to your tardiness, but we still have enough for today's lesson. We'll continue where we left off last time—Fundamentals of Fuinjutsu, Volume Two."
At that, Sukuna got serious and nodded, focusing his full attention.
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The lesson soon ended, and Hiruzen dismissed Sukuna, watching him leave. He then returned to his office, ready to continue his work. He would have liked to dedicate more time to properly teaching the boy, but for now, he could only do so occasionally during the week and for limited periods.
Despite that, Sukuna made great strides, absorbing everything he was taught like a sponge. His potential was enormous, and with the right guidance, his future seemed unimaginable.
But that guidance wasn't his to give, which is why, even though he taught him a few things, he hadn't made the decision to officially take him as his disciple. He had already had disciples before, and the facts about them were clear—a psychopathic traitor, an alcoholic gambler, and a pervert who spent his time traveling from place to place.
Well, maybe Jiraiya didn't fully count, but it was undeniable that Jiraiya taught himself more than Hiruzen ever did, as he had favored Orochimaru at the time.
Age gave perspective, and Hiruzen would be a fool if he couldn't see that, as a teacher, he hadn't truly achieved real success, despite what people said about him.
'Still, I'm not completely useless yet,' his eyes narrowed as he sat in the Hokage's chair, staring at one of the corners of the office until a dark figure revealed itself, stepping out of its concealment.
"I hope I didn't make you wait too long, Danzo." At his words, the man with half of his face covered in bandages stepped forward until he was standing in front of the Hokage's desk.
"As Hokage, dedicating your valuable time to giving lessons like an academy teacher is just a waste. How long will you continue with this, Hiruzen?"
At the attempted reprimand, Hiruzen scoffed.
"How I manage my time or not is not something you have a say in, now if you're not here for something important, I would advise you to leave, after all, my valuable time should be dedicated to things that matter."
In the past, his relationship with Danzo had been more friendly, more harmonious, but recently that relationship had soured for a particular reason.
Unaffected by the biting comment, Danzo continued.
"I heard the boy defeated Anko, an exceptional feat considering his young age. Geniuses like him deserve more than just private lessons. They deserve—"
"Get to the point already," Hiruzen cut him off before he could continue his speech. The man's visible eye narrowed slightly, but without missing a beat, he pressed on.
"What I mean is that we're just wasting his time by sending him to the academy. With the change in regulations and the new minimum age limit for graduation, we'll have a more-than-capable shinobi stuck within our walls for no reason. That boy deserves more than that. He needs real training that can unlock all his potential to serve the village as a proper Konoha ninja."
The room fell silent for a moment before Hiruzen spoke again.
"And let me guess, the Foundation can give him all of that, right?" Danzo nodded, and the Hokage sighed. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, unleashing an intense sharpness from them as his chakra flared to life, beginning to exert an invisible pressure on the environment, causing everything in the room to start trembling.
Danzo frowned as he felt the weight on his shoulders increase suddenly, his knees nearly buckling. With his one eye, he looked seriously at Hiruzen, who wore a deadly expression on his face.
"I thought we had already made this clear, Danzo. Sukuna will go to the academy, he will graduate at the minimum required age, and he will have a team with a teacher and comrades like all the other kids his age. No matter how much of a 'genius' he is or how skilled he becomes, this will not change!"
"You...!" Danzo growled through clenched teeth, then shook his hand, making the pressure on him disappear. Hiruzen also calmed his chakra and relaxed in his seat.
"The war is over, Danzo. The practices and methods used during those times are no longer necessary in this era of peace that we worked so hard to achieve. Remember why the First Hokage founded Konoha—continuing to allow children so young to become ninja is only dishonoring their memory."
Hearing this, Danzo scoffed inwardly, though his outward expression remained unchanged. He then turned and began to leave.
"You may think you're being kind to him, but your actions are only dragging his potential down. Don't say I didn't warn you." Leaving those final words behind, Danzo exited the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen shook his head and sighed again, feeling his shoulders slump. How had things gotten to this point? Where had their paths diverged so much? These questions had been on his mind for a long time, with no answer in sight.
'Maybe it's time I do something about him…' Until now, he had allowed Danzo to act freely due to the turmoil the village had been facing since the death of the Fourth Hokage. However, it had become obvious to him that his old colleague had started to act behind his back more frequently these days. He knew this but hadn't stopped him because he thought it was necessary—or at least, he had believed it was necessary. Now, he wasn't so sure about that.
'I'll deal with it later.' Looking at the stack of papers on his desk, Hiruzen decided to postpone it for now. With his recent warning, Danzo would surely understand that he wouldn't remain as indulgent as before.
He had no idea how wrong he was.
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"What the hell happened to you!?" Naruko's shout made Sukuna grimace. The girl ran towards him, looking him up and down with clear concern in her eyes, which was understandable since he had forgotten to get rid of the bandages and heal his wounds before meeting her at their usual spot.
"Stop it! I'm fine," Sukuna finally got fed up and, with a quick motion, flicked his finger against her forehead, making her stumble back several steps.
"Hey!"
Naruko pouted, holding her forehead, but seeing him act like he always did, she relaxed. He didn't seem really hurt beyond being all bandaged up.
Still, she wasn't one to back down easily, and she wasn't going to let the matter drop just like that.
"Did you fight someone? Who was it?"
"Huh? Why do you want to know that?" At his question, she confidently pointed at herself, a toothy grin growing on her face.
"because I'll beat the shit out of them" No one hurt her only friend and got away with it.
Hearing her, Sukuna scoffed, making her frown and lose a bit of her confidence.
"I'll tell you what, if you can hit me, maybe I'll tell you," Sukuna smiled provocatively, making her eyes widen slightly.
"But…" Naruko hesitated. Normally, she would've jumped at the chance to train with him, but seeing his current state, she couldn't help but waver.
Seeing her doubt, Sukuna sighed and added something else.
"And I'll buy you all the ramen you can eat for an entire week."
At that, any hesitation in the girl's eyes disappeared, and in a flash, she lunged forward with all her might, ready to win this battle at any cost.
Sukuna saw her coming, but unlike his other fights, he didn't take a combat stance. He simply stood there, extending a hand and easily blocking the first incoming strike.
Then, almost like a whirlwind, Naruko unleashed dozens of punches and kicks against him, all of which were blocked and countered by Sukuna with just one hand, without him taking a single step back from his original position.
"Damn it!" Naruko gritted her teeth as she felt a fist connect with her gut, sending her flying backward.
A hit like that would have made a regular ninja vomit their lunch and collapse to their knees, but the girl's vitality was so strong that she merely grimaced before getting back up and charging forward again with even more intensity than before.
Sukuna smiled at her fighting spirit and allowed her to make a dozen more moves before ending the fight with a quick strike that sent Naruko crashing straight into the ground.
"Fuck!" She spat out dirt and got up, ready to continue, but Sukuna quickly stopped her.
"That's enough. There's no point in continuing this fight since the difference between us is clear."
"But!" Naruko tried to protest, but Sukuna shook his head.
"I've seen everything I needed to. You're improving, but it's clear to me that you need more than just training with me if you want to keep progressing." Hearing this, she frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You lack experience. Just training with me is conditioning you—I can see it in the way you fight. You're adapting to fighting me, but not all ninjas fight like I do, and that's dangerous." Sukuna actually had to be quite soft with her, often limiting the types of moves he used to avoid seriously hurting her.
For teaching her the basics, that kind of practice was fine, but for her to gain the experience of a real battle, she needed a sparring partner of equal level or at least someone as close as possible.
Naruko thought about his words, frowning. She could understand what he meant to some extent, but that didn't mean she liked it.
"So what do you want me to do? You're the only one who wants to be near me," her voice trailed off slightly, and Sukuna sighed, approaching her and ruffling her hair to reassure her.
"Well, that might not be entirely true. How about I get you a new friend?"
"Huh?" Naruko, who had been enjoying his hand rubbing her head, took a second to process his words.
But before she could ask what he meant, Sukuna vanished in a blur, and in the next instant, he reappeared—only this time, someone else was with him.
Eyes as white as the moon looked at Naruko's face with confusion and surprise.
"E-Eh!!?"
Then, the entire body of the girl who had suddenly appeared alongside Sukuna began to tremble, and for a moment, Naruko thought she saw white smoke rising from her head while her pale skin flushed bright red.
To her credit, the Hyuga girl didn't faint as Sukuna had expected, but she did tremble nervously while staring at the ground.
"Hmmm… I think I know you?" Naruko squinted her eyes, looking at Hinata, until something clicked in her mind.
"Aha! Now I remember—you're that weak girl from the Hyuga clan!" It had been several months, but she could recall her because of those eyes of hers, which had seemed pretty cool to her.
The girl in question appeared to suffer a critical blow from Naruko's words, as she stumbled backward. She wanted to say something in her defense, but the words failed to come out.
Seeing her act like that, Sukuna stepped forward and simply placed his hand on her head, absorbing some of the negativity within her. After all, his plan would be useless if the girl was so nervous that she couldn't even speak.
'Oh?' Hinata blinked in confusion as she felt the warm hand that rested on her, gently ruffling her dark hair. Suddenly, it was as if her fears and doubts vanished, and all the nervousness she had been feeling disappeared into thin air. Her body stopped trembling, and her face returned to its previous pale tone, with only a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Come on, Naruko, be nice. After all, she'll be your new training partner." Upon hearing this, both girls suddenly looked at him in shock.
"What?!"
"E-Eh?!"
Sukuna smiled as he saw the surprise on their faces. Initially, he hadn't planned to do this so soon. Of course, the idea had been in his head ever since the girl started following Naruko, but he thought it might be better to wait until they formally met at the academy. However, those plans changed because now he'd be a bit busy teaching Izumi The Simple domain technique, and he needed someone to keep Naruko entertained in the meantime.
And besides, making more friends would do the blonde girl good.
"why don't you introduce yourself? You probably already know our names, but we don't know yours." Hinata looked at Sukuna in confusion, who seemed overly kind. After all, she had been secretly observing Naruko and him for a while and knew how 'rough' the pink-haired boy could be when dealing with others.
She wasn't the only one who noticed. Naruko also raised an eyebrow in confusion at his 'unnatural' behavior.
Seeing their suspicious looks, Sukuna sighed. Contrary to what others might think, he knew when to be 'nice,' alright?
Besides, he didn't want to scare off Hinata and lose a potential training partner for his walking nuclear weapon.
Finding another wouldn't be so easy.
Even so, he quickly dropped the act and returned to his usual self, as it seemed pretty pointless to keep pretending, considering how long Hinata had been spying on them.
"Your name, now." Seeing him narrow his gaze at her, Hinata trembled slightly and quickly introduced herself, bowing respectfully to both.
"M-my name is Hinata Hyuga. N-nice to meet you."
Naruko raised an eyebrow at her stammering, confused by the whole situation, but having received some basic manners from Sukuna, she introduced herself as well.
"Uzumaki Naruko." Although Hinata already knew her name, hearing her introduce herself directly still made her happy. After all, she had been following the girl to get closer to her but never found the opportunity or courage to try.
Today, she had simply come to observe her and Sukuna, like all the other days, not expecting to be dragged out of her hiding spot. Though she knew Sukuna was strong, it seemed she had underestimated him, or maybe she just wasn't as good at hiding as she thought?
As negative emotions began to rise within her again, Sukuna sighed and placed his hand on her head once more.
"Alright, how about we have a chat? It seems like we need to clear some things up."
Explaining it would be annoying, but he needed to get them on the same page and clarify the situation before going off to do his own thing.
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Note:
And well, here's another chapter.
I don't have much else to say besides that, so feel free to comment on your thoughts, suggestions, or criticisms—everything is welcome. Thank you so much for the support, and see you in the next chapter!
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