The next morning, Riku spent 5 minutes getting Fū off him without waking her up before leaving Nariko's barrow.
Riku had decided to stay here for a while and try to learn how to use the Kumarai's white spark manipulation.
Making his way over to Raiden's barrow personally, knocking on the door then walking in.
"Raiden, I would like to ask you a question." Riku made his way deeper into the office as Raiden looked at him.
"Yes?" Raiden asked back, his face soft.
"I would like to learn your white spark manipulation." Riku asked while looking directly into Raiden's one beady eye.
Raiden let out a hearty laugh before looking Riku back right in the eye, "Are you sure you can handle it?" He said with a grin.
…
Later that day, in the Raiden's personal training ground there were three people.
Raiden,
Riku,
And Yuji?
Riku didn't expect Yuji to be here, so he asked "Raiden, why is Yuji here?" Riku spoke with genuine curiosity.
"He completely mastered all of our claw and enhancement techniques, so he has been given the opportunity to learn my kekkei genkai, White Spark release." Raiden's reveal left Riku shook as he thought that animals couldn't use jutsu.
Raiden noticed Riku's look and laughed, "Most animals can't use their chakra, but all Kumarai are born with a chakra network just like humans." Raiden responded, it was rare for beasts to use chakra but Raiden's sentience was enough to relieve Riku's doubts.
"I look forward to training under you, chief Raiden!" Yuji shouted, leading Riku to cover his ears.
As for Fū, she was going to the academy with Karah in hopes to learn the claw projection technique Riku had told her about.
…
Nearly 5 months went by, yet Riku had barely learnt anything.
Due to Riku not having the physicality of a Kumarai, learning their kekkei genkai was near impossible.
He had learnt that their white lightning was an application of using Yang release to infuse regular lightning manipulation, which Riku couldn't even do.
Riku, for some reason could use Yang release as if it was natural, but he couldn't use lightning release almost at all.
The most he had been capable of doing was infusing White Sparks into his claw projections and even his sword, but this wasn't enough.
Riku could already infuse his monoflame into his sword and claw projection so he didn't need the white sparks on top of that.
However, there was another reason for this.
Lately Riku had discovered there was more to his kekkei genkai, he had originally thought that it was just an advanced elemental kekkei genkai, but as it turns out…
Riku's kekkei genkai was more like a Dōjutsu that allowed him to manipulate his monoflame, like Ranmaru's ability to create and manipulate his 'red dust'
Riku had spent most of the past 5 months getting accustomed to his new eyes.
Nothing much had changed other than the fact that he could now see the chakra circuits of every living being, like the Byakugan.
However, different to the Byakugan, he could also determine the nature affinity of whomever he was observing, and thanks to his experiments he had found that nearly every singular Kumarai had a 100% Lightning release affinity and the rare few with a Yang affinity like Raiden's family and Yuji.
When Riku looked at his arms and body, looking at his chakra circuits, his understanding of his lack of talent in lightning release was evident.
Riku's chakra affinities were
Fire : 70%
Water : 5%
Earth : 5%
Lightning : 5%
Wind : 15%
Yin : 100%
Yang : 100%
When Riku first discovered his absurd affinities for Yin and Yang chakra nature manipulation, he was excited, but over time his excitement grew into confusion and frustration.
Where could he even start to begin learning how to manipulate Yin or Yang manipulation? He couldn't just summon hagoromo to teach him how to use YinYang release.
Another ability granted by his eyes was the eye of insight similar to that of the sharingan, granting him incredible clarity of perception, giving him the ability to read lips and even see the slight of hand, however unlike the sharingan, Riku's dojutsu didn't enable him to copy the jutsu of his opponents.
As for genjutsu? Riku didn't know where to start when it came to genjutsu so he would leave that to future Riku.
As for his scales, Riku had yet to use them in battle due to Kokuenryū's warning.
Kokuenryū had told Riku to not use the scale armour until he was at least 14 years old and had a body well trained enough to withstand it.
Kokuenryū had explained that if Riku used the scales in battle and sustained a hit, the scales would only hinder his healing and could even destroy his insides.
Finally, the wings, Riku had been going out once a week in the night, attacking some bandit camps and then flying back up the Kumarai mountain in order to train his wings.
So far he had taken out approximately 13 bandit camps all whilst flying midair.
His affinity to flying was genuinely monster like!
…
…
Riku exited the training ground with a sigh, Yuji had already learnt how to infuse the white sparks into his fists and could even manipulate it with precision, Riku didn't let that bring him down since Yuji was naturally gifted in lightning chakra manipulation and even had some Yang chakra affinity too, thankfully that wasn't as high or else Yuji would've probably already leant the White Spark chakra cloak.
"Riku!" Riku heard a shout from his right side, turning he saw a petite girl with long mint hair and glowing orange eyes running towards him with a grin.
"Happy birthday!" Fū said while shaking Riku's shoulders rapidly, leaving him dazed.
'It's my birthday? What the hell? how does she even know that, I don't even know this!' Riku thought with a dumbfounded face.
"My birthday? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it's actually YOUR birthday today." Riku responded, his voice skeptical.
Fū's face turned a bright red, "H-how did you know!?" Fū nearly shouted but stopped herself and spoke low.
Riku giggled, "You wouldn't shut up about it all week, silly." Riku began to laugh uncontrollably.
Fū's face became even redder "S-shut up!" Fū was about to storm off, but Riku spoke up.
"But yeah, today is my birthday too then. You can be exactly one year older than me I guess." Riku wiped the tear from his eye as he attempted to stop laughing.
Fū's fluster lessened as she raised an eyebrow, "Ha! Exactly, I'm older! So you must rely on me, little brother Riku." Fū smiled manically as she began to giggle at the thought of Riku calling her big sis.
"Hmph, you can't even learn the claw projection technique I learnt in such a short time, so why would I rely on you!" Riku spat, being childish despite his old soul.
"Anyways, come to the lake in 4 hours! I'll be there." Riku told Fū, he had something in mind for her birthday, she was 10 now after all.
…
…
Takigakure, village head office.
Shibuki, a young man no older than 16 was massaging his temples.
5 months ago, their only Jinchuriki, Fū, had gone missing and today was supposed to be her birthday.
'Cloud she have ran away? The village did treat her with fear but knowing her personality she should've been able to withstand their criticism.' Shibuki thought as his head throbbed violently.
Despite Fū being avoided by everyone in his village, he tried to have a friendly relationship with her, but was it not enough?
Shibuki was worried about Fū after all. In the end, she was his village's only Jinchuriki, which means she would become a cornerstone of their village in the future.
Shibuki sighed, then muttered "I should send a group of shinobi to search for her." But the issue was, he didn't know where to even start.
…
…
Later that night, at the lake on the outskirts of the Kumarai village.
Riku sat, looking up at the moonlit sky, the beautiful stars reminding himself of his past life, it was tough, but it was also fun.
Riku liked to fight, and so.
He delved into his memories, to his first battle.
…
6 year old Ren Arden, in a butler outfit running around the manor belonging to the Arden patriarch, cleaning every nook and cranny in his sight.
His long messy brown hair given by his father flowing as he ran through the corridors dusting the corners of each ceiling with a leap.
His golden orange eyes scanning every room to determine the amount of cleaning necessary for his patriarch to be proud of him.
However,
*bump*
Ren hit something sturdy, a droplet of blood flowing slowly from his nostril which he wiped with the white cuff of his shirt.
Looking up, he saw the 4th son of the patriarch of house Arden, Dylan Arden, a protege with the sword, born with a rare talent of accelerated perception, which allowed him to see the world around him as if it was moving in slow motion, allowing him to predict and counterattack the slightest of movements, But unbeknownst to him, it was much more complex.
This talent was portrayed by the strange pattern in his left eye.
"You… little bastard!" Dylan shouted as he punched Ren back, making the blood dripping from his nose overflow.
"Father should've killed your whore of a mother from the beginning, you disgust me!" Dylan continued to shout and hit Ren.
"I apologise your highness." Ren spoke with a straight tone, he was taught not to cry through long hours of torture.
But due to Ren's nonchalance, this only fueled Dylan's desire to see the child crack.
Thanks to this, Dylan made Ren join the war-slave training programme instead of being a butler inside the manor.
___
Months went by of Dylan's abuse, day by day it only got worse and worse. And the day came, the day of the Arden family festival where all of the children of the noble family would have duels for the fun of it.
Friendly battles raged on all day, until.
Dylan stood on the dueling ground, and point out Ren, who he requested a duel from.
Ren went down, his face as calm as ever as he obeyed his masters command.
And with that, the grand courtyard in the dukedom of Arden was loaded with anticipation. From nobles to commoners, the stands were packed-the largest concentration, of course, was on the two fighters standing at the middle. The setting sun shone bright above them, sending a golden hue through the polished stone, as the air buzzed with excitement and tension. Through the throng of people, the whispers of the impending duel filtered through to every spectator who was dying to see the battle that was about to take place between a genius swordsman, Dylan Arden, and Ren-the quiet bastard son who had lived in obscurity.
Dylan stood tall, the gleaming sword bathed in golden rays of the sun, while a sure smirk spread across his face. He was the picture of arrogance: a prince of manhood, and he could hardly wait to show off his tricks. His left eye glittered with an unearthly golden glow-a gift that allowed him to see the world around him in slow motion. He perceived everything, every movement, and he was sure to take full advantage of it.
Ren was a stark contrast to him: simple in attire, yet silent in intensity. The murmur of the crowd for him seemed no more than a hum heard from afar. He was focused, his heart pounding in his chest.
With the signal to begin the duel, Dylan muttered "Arden Swordsmanship : page 1, Lunar Arc!" Dylan the leaped forward in a deadly arc of steel through the air. Instinctively, Ren reacted, though for him, the world did not slow down. He dodged to the side with barely enough time; the wind from the blade ruffled his hair as it whipped past him. One unified gasp rose from the onlookers upward in a crescendo of thrill.
"You are quick, Ren," Dylan replied mockingly. "But quick will not save you from my blade."
Ren did not say a word; he was focused. He knew he had to bide his time, to wait for the right moment to unleash his experience as a champion boxer. Dylan continued his assault-launching a series of rapid strikes, each a little more aggressive than the last. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the courtyard as Ren expertly dodged and parried with his fists clenched tightly in his steel gloves.
The weight of the pressure on him grew with every passing second. Dylan was relentless, always keeping Ren on the back foot, on the defense. The crowd gasped in amazement as the two fighters danced around one another in a deadly, skillful ballet. Ren landed his punches incessantly, but the swordsmanship of Dylan turned out to be absolutely fearsome, slashing and thrusting and making Ren evade and block.
The battle wore on, his body wore from holding on. He could feel the weight of Dylan's sword strikes, each strike pushing him one step further from his limits. The crowd cheered, yet all Ren could hear was the pounding of his heart, along with the sound of metal striking against flesh. With each successful strike, Dylan was building his confidence, while Ren continued to back off.
"You think a few punches can bring me down?" Dylan spat, conceit oozing from his face. "I'll show you what power is!"
A feral battle cry tore from his throat as Dylan came down with a cleaving overhead strike to finally finish the fight. Ren, instinctively warned of the danger, tried sidestepping, but the speed of the attack was too much. The blade landed against his side, and pain tore through him as he stumbled back, gasping for breath.
The crowd gasped, their excitement turning to a concerns. Ren felt the blood trickling down his side, but he pushed through the pain, refusing to give up. He had been training for this moment, and he was not about to lose it.
Dylan could smell victory and pressed his attack. He lunged forward, his sword aimed directly at Ren's heart. Something inside Ren stirred at this moment. Despair and pain weighed in, a sudden surge of energy coursing through him and starting to fire deep in his soul. Lunar magic that had lain inactive within his body began to stir, its power stirred by desperation.
With a strange, new strength, Ren dodged Dylan's thrust as the world around him shifted. The air grew electrically charged, and Ren was able to land a mighty punch to the jaw of Dylan. The shock of the impact sent ripples throughout the arena as the crowd cheered.
Dylan stumbled backward, shock written across his face. "What just happened?" he panted, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. The moon glow enveloped Ren as he tapped into the unfurled power within him.
Ren's golden-orange eyes now had a bright white star within each iris.
"You underestimated me, Dylan," Ren spoke, firm and strong. "I am not just a shadow."
With a wild war cry, Ren launched himself at Dylan, striking with blow after blow that sent the swordsman reeling. The crowd watched in awe as the new abilities coursing through Ren's frame turned him into a whirlwind of power and determination. Literally, every single blow found its target with precision guided by the magic of the moon.
In a position of disadvantage, the attacks from Ren were getting stronger and speedier, which Dylan could hardly follow up with. Now the tables had turned, and the crowd could almost feel the shift in momentum. The punches that Ren was throwing were beginning to land with more and more regularity; Dylan was overwhelmed.
The longer the fight lasted, the surer Ren felt. He could feel each of his moves being enhanced by moon magic, telling him when Dylan was going to attack. Finally, with one strong punch, he struck Dylan right in the chest, sending him to the ground in defeat.
…
"Riku?" Fū spoke as she approached the sitting boy before her.