185Shirou discreetly sent a glance at Konan's direction as he leisurely pulled the cart he had confiscated from the bandits he had encountered a couple days prior.
Filled with food, the cart was considerably heavy; yet with someone of his abilities pulling it, it didn't matter much in the long run.
His body was fleshing out at this point, probably from the influx of nutrients it was now getting. Different from molds and stale bread, the food he ate from the cart actually settled in his stomach, giving him a pleasant feeling of contentment.
Clearly, this was even more so for Konan whose pale complexion had now begun to colour.
She sat quietly on the cart, nibbling on a piece of cheese as she began storing food into her pockets by habit. He said pockets, but the rags she wore did not have any. Instead, she was holding the hem of her clothing with one hand while placing the food in the groove formed in-between; kind of like a pouch she then sealed by rolling up the fabric.
It made for an odd sight, but he didn't comment on it seeing the inexplicable happiness on Konan's face. Instead, he began to mull over other matters concerning her.
Namely, what he had discovered after seeing her practice folding paper into origami by infusing Chakra into it.
[Konan: Orphan of the Village Hidden in the Rain.]
[Nature Transformations: Wind, Water, Earth, and Yang Release.]
[Recommended Training Path: Beginner Chakra Control.]
Other than a few other things, he was provided an entire summary of what she had been through and even more extensive knowledge to supplement her growth. Be that as it may, he found this sudden influx of information odd as he had already seen her infuse Chakra into origami before and he didn't get such an outcome. She had done it by habit when she was still recuperating in the temporary shelter he had found prior to the incident with the bandits.
In which case, there was only one answer.
[Book of Knowing.]
It was one of the items he had obtained as a result of defeating the group of bandits along with Knahsou and Bakuya.
He didn't know its use at first as unlike Kanshou and Bakuya who had a small description of their use, the Book of Knowing just assimilated itself within his mind without warning; leaving him at a loss while trying to understand what exactly happened.
Clearly, the answer was before him.
Upon seeing Konan utilize her Chakra, only then did the information about herself come to light one by one.
Her parent were killed by Shinobi; individuals who were raised in villages known as Hidden Villages and able to utilize the Chakra in their bodies. He wasn't sure on their structure and hierarchy yet because the information he obtained was only what Konan knew herself. However, he drew a line when he discovered that it wasn't uncommon to use child-soldiers.
What he would do with the information, he didn't know. Even more so with what to do with Konan.
His initial plan had just been to find a good place for her to live, and then to leave after making sure that she was well cared for. However, that plan was bound to fail when he discovered the situation regarding his current environment.
War.
No place was safe as even just one Shinobi could level a town of civilians to rubble.
The ghost towns he had passed were more than enough proof.
The fear in Konan's eyes, all the more telling as she stayed clear away from the shadows; choosing to sit directly in front of the fire whenever he'd start one to keep themselves warm.
He didn't have to think too much to understand her action.
Shinobi were deceptive, and their Jutsu frightening. It wouldn't be unexpected if a Shinobi were to use the shadows to suddenly spring an ambush. Therefore, Konan liked to stay near the fire, having a clear sight of everything around her.
It was an action that if met by an actual Shinobi would make no difference, but he had seen that it helped her keep calm during the cold nights. Therefore, it wasn't something he was going to call her out on.
Staring at her now marveling at the sight of all the remaining food in the cart, her mouth opening and closing in delight, the weight of the kind of life she lived finally sunk into his mind.
In this world, strength and wit was the answer to leading a peaceful life.
To be weak was to leave one's life in the hands of others.
For that, it was best to train Konan so that she can decide her own path.
But in the end, it was still her choice.
Noticing him staring at her, Konan paused in her actions and returned a quizzical gaze. Her cheeks then began to redden as she realized what she must look like in his eyes as a result of her actions with the food.
He ignored that though, instead, asking his own question.
"Do you want to be strong?" He asked.
"Yes," she said, saying nothing else.
He was almost surprised with how composed her answer had been.
Konan was a smart girl, and had ended up thinking her answer through before voicing it.
Standing still, she waited for his answer with her head tilted towards the side. After all, he was the one who proposed the question from out of the blue, thus it was only natural that he elaborate.
"We'll stop here for now," he said, easing the grip he had on the cart's handle.
From the result of the past few days, he had found no one in the area in which the food he had acquired from the bandits may belong to. By continuing to travel around, he risked soaking the bread and other foods he had covered with a dirty tarp filled with holes. He didn't really mind soggy bread, but the moisture itself could provide an environment for harmful bacteria to grow.
Getting sick with the situation he was already in was not something he wished to see happen.
In which case, he decided to settle down for the time being until he could get adjusted to the world he suddenly ended up in. Coincidently, he had learned that this world was actually called the Elemental Nations with plots of land named after each element.
His current location was near the borders of the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth, a land of endless Rain. Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain.
Sighing, he motioned towards Konan to follow him into a home that wasn't as beaten down as the other places around. Instead, this one at least had a roof, a few intact walls, and even working doors. Near it was also a river in which he could go fishing from.
He wheeled the cart near the back of the house, and then quietly walked in, Konan following behind.
To grow strong was to have ample time to do so.
He had been debating what he should do from the moment Konan answered positively to his question. The answer he had come to was also one of the reasons why he decided to put aside his efforts in returning the food the bandits had taken. He and Konan would need it if they were to grow stronger.
With his mind focused on how to care and raise Konan to be stronger, something shifted from within him.
[User has begun the path of a Teacher.]
[Awarded a Single Use Barrier of Myths.]
[Access to shop: Granted.]
At the next moment, he found himself in an entirely black space staring at a list of items that appeared before him in a catalogue-like fashion.
One of the things listed at the very top was the very same Samsara Technique of Life and Death mentioned before. However, next to its description was an astronomical number of several millions. The other things above the technique were even more expensive such that he was left floored for a good few seconds.
When he finally adjusted himself, he noticed a notification at the corner of his gaze.
[Recommended Purchase.]
[Meditation.]
[Advanced Origami.]
[Chakra Knowledge.]
The two items specified were glowing with a dull light on the catalogue, next to which he then saw the price.
1 reputation point for Advanced Origami, but 10 points for Meditation.
They totalled 11 points, equalling the amount he currently had shown on the top left corner of his vision.
The difference between the two was obvious though as Meditation was a skill quite suited to him.
It wasn't a skill Konan could fully learn as it required Magic Circuits to use, but it could function to increase the purity of her chakra and gradually raise it with continued practice. It was a passive skill and its efficiency would only increase with Konan's own progress.
As for himself, it would do the same for the chakra in his body, but unlike Konan who didn't have Magic Circuits, he did. Meditation utilized the nature of Magic Circuits to convert the magical energy in the air into usable magical energy. In this case, Meditation allowed the output of this process to increase while diverting the energy of the world into his own chakra stores, increasing them.
Chakra Knowledge on the other hand was a free skill that registered within his mind the techniques necessary to train with chakra and its nature affinities.
More or less, he now had an idea about what he should do from now on.
As for the Barrier of Myths, the description underneath was straight forward, but also not very informative.
[Wards off all with ill intent using nightmares.]
Following that description was a small sub text.
[Defensive features decrease with distance.]
Squinting his eyes, he read it again, before coming to his own conclusions about why he would be provided a defensive barrier.
It was for time.
No individual could become strong without first having a time in their lives when they were weak. One needs to grow into power just as much as train for it.
The barrier was only there to give him a safe haven, but perhaps there was something more to it.
It was his subconscious desire to save the others suffering in the battle ground that was Amegakure. Konan was an example, but he knew that there had to be plenty more like her.
In that case, he wanted to save them.
With that thought, the Barrier of Myths activated as his surroundings once again returned to the home he and Konan had walked into.
In an area of several thousand meters, a dense circle of fog suddenly appeared; flashing with murky dark text in correlation to the activation of the Barrier of Myths, and thoroughly stunning the Shinobi currently fighting a war in the distance.
Meanwhile, he was staring awkwardly at Konan who had grown concerned at his sudden lack of movement when he visited the 'shop.'
She was directly in front of him, her hand still outstretched towards his head and frozen in place once she realized that he had opened his eyes.
There was a tinge of pink on her cheeks that revealed her embarrassment, but she quickly composed herself and sat opposite of him.
"How do I get stronger?" She asked, trying to put what happened behind her.
He was more than eager to follow her example.
"Come here for a moment," he beckoned.
He wasn't sure if this was going to work, but based on the theory in his head, it should.
As Konan drew near him, he raised a hand into a seal and watched as a flickering flame of blue enshrouded it.
The flame was warm, and had a comforting feel to it.
This was chakra, the energy that was originally born from something called the God Tree and given to humans by a man named Hagoromo as detailed in the chakra knowledge in his head.
Anyway, he wasn't sure if he would be able to bring it out right away as chakra operated in a different system than the system he utilized for his mage craft. Therefore, he was apprehensive at first, but clearly though, it had worked.
"This is chakra," he said slowly, watching intently as Konan's eyes glued themselves to the chakra in his hand. "It's in you, and in me, and I'm going to teach you how to use it."
With the sudden appearance of a dome of fog in the middle of Ame several weeks prior, it drew everyone's attention. This was also the case for two young boys cautiously walking along towards it.
One wore a small rain-coat with strands of his messy red hair peaking out from an overly sized hood. The complexion beneath the hood was pale, and gaunt, the child not having had anything to eat in several days.
This was the same for the other boy who had orange hair and similar attire to his friend.
One was named Nagato, and the other Yahiko. Both were war orphans from the War with Ame as the battlefield.
"The Shinobi can't get in," Yahiko spoke while crouching back down to take cover in the rubble.
In front of him was a group of Konoha Shinobi curiously investigating the fog. As one of them drew close by reaching a hand forward, a sealing pattern repelled it away.
It didn't do much damage to the Shinobi, and it was clear that the Shinobi could venture further in, but if just touching it resulted in a reaction, then what would happen if one went in?
"But, I saw Chibi run in there," Nagato said in a panic.
Chibi was the dog Nagato found just when he was about to give up on life after his parents were killed in front of him. Thereafter, he met Yahiko who shared his food with him; the two travelling together ever since.
Currently, they had just left one of the nearby towns after stealing from a vendor and were looking for another town to go to. After all, the locals in the town they used to live in had already grown used to their appearance and would beat them away with sticks whenever they approached.
It was during this journey that Yahiko and Nagato noticed the sudden emergence of a dome of fog spanning almost the entirety of the ruined districts, and stopping just ten feet away from them.
Chibi had ran in, but before Nagato or Yahiko could follow, the Shinobi came, forcing the two to hide.
Yahiko frowned. "I didn't say we were going to leave him. We just have to wait for the Shinobi to leave first."
Nagato then nodded reluctantly.
The two remained silent and deathly still as the Shinobi continued their investigation. When one of the Shinobi forcibly entered into the fog and through the seals, Yahiko felt a shiver run down his back when only a severed arm was spat out.
There was something in there.
Nagato swallowed, his eyes tearing as he thought about what must have had happened to Chibi.
With the death of a fellow Shinobi, the Konoha Shinobi muttered between themselves before leaving to report the situation.
"Are they gone?" Nagato asked with a trembling voice.
It had already been several hours and Chibi had yet to return.
"Yeah," Yahiko said while slowly creeping out from cover.
Nagato was soon to follow, but his apprehension and panic was clear in the way that he stumbling on his steps.
"C-Chibi!" Nagato yelled out, not daring to enter the fog after what he and Yahiko had just seen.
Silence.
"CHIBI!" Nagato called again, his body shaking from the effort.
Silence.
Yahiko turned his gaze away from Nagato, his hands balled into fists. It had already been too long since Chibi had entered the fog. Most likely, Chibi was already gone, but looking at Nagato, Yahiko couldn't bring himself to say it,
Another moment of silence, and finally, Yahiko couldn't take it anymore after seeing Nagato fall on his knees sobbing.
Glaring at the fog, Yahiko took a step forward, much to Nagato's surprise.
"W-Wait!" Nagato yelled at Yahiko. "You can't go in there."
"We never know until we try," Yahiko said. Besides, Yahiko would rather brave danger than watch a friend suffer.
Yahiko took another step, and entered the fog.
There was no lightning.
And there was nothing else around either.
Yahiko furrowed his brows, not expecting this result.
Nagato was even more so, staring stupefied from his position.
"It's safe?" Yahiko said unsurely. He then shook his head. "I'm going in."
"I-I'll come too," Nagato quickly followed.
As the two walked in the fog, their vigilance was near the breaking point. All around them, they could hear sounds of breathing, but weren't able to see anything.
It was after walking a distance of around a hundred meters that the fog suddenly vanished in front of them, revealing the area of the ruined districts within.
Glancing at the fog at their back, both Nagato and Yahiko gave a sigh of belief now that they were out of it.
The fog was shaped like a dome from the outside, but it was hollow inside. In fact, from inside, no fog could even be seen, but it was clear that the fog was still there. After all, more Shinobi had come to investigate and Yahiko and Nagato could see them clearly. Yet those Shinobi couldn't see them.
"W-What is this?" Yahiko said bewildered.
"Paw prints!" Nagato said, more concerned about Chibi's safety.
On the ground in front of Nagato were clear signs depicted in the mud of just where Chibi must have had gone.
Regardless of anything else, Nagato quickly followed them.
"Hey, don't leave me behind!" Yahiko yelled.
Sending one last glance at the Shinobi on the other side of the fog, Yahiko then ran after Nagato.
The paw prints eventually led the two towards one of the ruined towns and directly towards a house near a river.
There, the two were rendered speechless to see Chibi sleeping in the presence of a blue-haired girl, and another boy.
Thanks for Reading!
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
Next update: Vasto of White, sometime tomorrow
