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A/N - Thank you, Juan Arizmendi for becoming Azure Awakening Patreón!
<<<>>>
After his talk with Sugeru's mother, Kaoru needed time to reorganize his thoughts. The promise he had made was impulsive, but even now it still felt natural, something he truly wanted to do. However, a thought kept bothering him.
'Is becoming the strongest shinobi enough? Both Madara and Hashirama were the pinnacle of the shinobi world, yet wars still happened, and neither managed to create lasting peace.'
Kaoru pondered as he walked deeper into the forest. 'Neither the Senju nor the Uchiha clans benefited from their individual strengths in the long run. Maybe that's the issue. Maybe instead of focusing solely on my growth, I should try to strengthen the Takime clan and Takimura as a whole…'
He moved slowly through the forest, taking slow and deliberate steps as he tried to organize his thoughts. Kaoru wasn't wandering aimlessly, he was searching for a spot to train. He needed to exhaust his chakra. Otherwise, the effects of the premium soldier pill could damage his chakra pathways. While chakra exhaustion was dangerous, chakra overflow was even worse, as it could cause irreversible harm.
'This is a good spot,' thought Kaoru, stopping in a small clearing surrounded by trees and plants. He closed his eyes, focusing for a moment, before opening them again. The Suijingan was already active, his eyes glowing a faint cyan.
'I'll develop this technique next,' he decided, concentrating his perception on the water particles around him. He focused on a nearby plant, and as the glow of his Suijingan intensified, the plant withered, its moisture squeezed dry.
'I've been neglecting this technique because it felt inhuman to drain people, but that was a naive thought. There's no honorable or kind way to kill someone. If I'm resolved to take a life, I should use the most efficient method at my disposal.' Kaoru clenched his fists, recalling the image of Suiren's pale, lifeless body.
He continued practicing his water extraction skills until his chakra reserves were halved. Then he stopped, unwilling to empty them completely. Even though the likelihood of the war continuing was low, Kaoru didn't want to take any risks. He could resume his training in a few hours once his reserves were replenished.
As he turned to leave, a faint smile crossed his face. "Sensei, are you going to stand there even when I leave?" he asked with a faint smile.
Shin stepped out of the shadows, he looked calm but concerned. "How are you doing, Kaoru?"
"I'll be fine, Sensei…" Kaoru responded with a faint, sad smile, his eyes growing slightly blurry. Then, he quickly changed the subject. "Sensei, I heard you fought the Mizukage. How strong is he?"
Shin noticed Kaoru's attempt to divert the conversation but didn't press. "Much stronger than me, that's for sure," he admitted, unconsciously touching his chest to check his broken ribs. "Kaoru, let's spar. Use only taijutsu and kenjutsu."
Kaoru was surprised by Shin's request but didn't mind. If anything, he was glad for the opportunity. He summoned Nagizume from the storage seal on his arm and took a fighting stance.
"Come at me," Shin said, readying his blades. He was using ordinary swords instead of the Kiba blades to keep the fight balanced.
Kaoru formed the tip of Nagizume into a halberd shape. 'I need to use my reach advantage against him,' he thought, his grip tightening.
Kaoru charged, not relying on flickering but on his raw speed, which was already impressive. Shin prepared to deflect the attack. With a single, swift motion, he altered the trajectory of Kaoru's weapon, narrowly avoiding it. Then, he followed up with a kick aimed at Kaoru's stomach, but Kaoru had already sidestepped.
Shin's leg missed its target, creating an opening for Kaoru. He swung his weapon, aiming for Shin's other leg in an attempt to throw him off balance. However, Shin leapt forward, landing on his extended leg and avoiding the strike.
Kaoru did not let up and charged. He closed the distance just enough to reach Shin as Nagizume flashed arcing toward his shoulder. Shin raised his weapons to block the attack, but the impact never came. Instead, Kaoru's left leg was closing in from the side.
Shin smiled and jumped slightly, using Kaoru's attack to flip backward.
'His kenjutsu has improved significantly. His attacks are more refined with almost no wasted movements,' Shin thought as he landed, pleased with Kaoru's progress. He had seen the training routine Guy had created for Kaoru and deemed it superior to his own. As a result, he had let Kaoru follow it without interference.
"Kaoru, are you using the chakra rotation technique right now?" Shin asked as he readied himself for the next exchange.
"Yes, Sensei, but I'm suppressing it as much as I can. I can't stop it completely, though," Kaoru replied. If he deactivated the technique, the cells that had adapted to functioning at maximum capacity would slowly return to normal, and he'd have to endure the intense chakra consumption again when reactivating it.
"Stop suppressing it. Actually, from now on, act like that's your normal condition," Shin instructed. He had studied the technique's effects on Akane and was shocked by how powerful it was. "I think the method becomes significantly more effective after you pass the fifth step - the body. I've noticed that each step provides greater benefits than the last. The effect is likely amplified because it links more pathways, and since the body connects the four limbs, the overall impact should be enormous."
Kaoru thought for a moment before responding. "Sensei, what do you think about making the kids learn this method? I was considering implementing it in the Takime clan, since I'm…" He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, but Shin understood what he meant.
As the new head of the Takime clan, even with Akura acting as regent, Kaoru held significant influence and power. The council would definitely listen to the strongest shinobi of the younger generation and the new head of the clan if he suggested a new training method.
"I was actually planning to ask you to do that," Shin said, nodding in approval. "I asked Akane the same thing, and she said that since you were the one who discovered the technique, you should decide what to do with it."
'Even if I discovered it, the technique belongs to the Terumi clan,' Kaoru thought, feeling a pang of guilt. Despite thinking that Akane had a greater claim to it, he hadn't even considered asking for her permission. But now that she had deferred the decision to him, he felt conflicted.
"Sensei, who do you think created this technique?" Kaoru asked, brushing aside his thoughts. "There was no name mentioned, but the scroll is quite old. No offense to the Terumi clan, but I doubt they had anyone strong enough to have mastered this technique." He finished awkwardly, uncomfortable with speaking about the Terumi in such a way.
"I doubt it was created by the Terumi clan unless the creator could not master it themselves," Shin replied, scratching the back of his head. Both of them had forgotten they were supposed to be sparring. "There are several shinobi who could have developed such a technique, but most of them are from Konoha. And I don't think Konoha would have given such a precious technique to the Terumi clan." Shin shrugged. "Anyway, since it's in your hands, use it to strengthen Takimura."
"Will do, Sensei. I'll bring it up with the council during the next meeting," Kaoru said, nodding firmly.
'From Konoha, huh? He likely means Tobirama… or maybe even Madara,' Kaoru's eyes narrowed. 'Wait, Madara manipulated the previous Mizukage, right? Maybe he had some ties with the Terumi clan…'
He felt he was close to uncovering the truth, but, Shin didn't let him think about it any longer. He charged toward Kaoru, reigniting their sparring session.
<<<>>>
Somewhere in the Land of Water, a man walked with slow, limping steps. A huge blade, covered in bandages, was strapped to his back. His eyes were tired and lifeless, and his clothes were ragged and worn.
'Even after being heavily wounded, he was still much stronger than me.' Zabuza gritted his teeth as he recalled how easily Yagura had destroyed his forces. 'I was naive to think I could take on Yagura. I wouldn't even defeat that Takime girl, let alone Yagura.' He was realizing how foolish he had been. Blinded by his desire to end Yagura's rule, he had underestimated the Mizukage's strength.
'The rebels who survived won't listen to me anymore. They'll probably join Takimura or try to hide from Kirigakure. This war is over for me.' Zabuza's emotions were conflicted. He hated the way Kiri operated, but that same way of life was a part of his nature. 'I'll leave this land. I'll let Takimura handle Kiri. They're much more capable anyway.'
As Zabuza walked aimlessly, still unsure of where to go, a boy in the northern part of the Land of Water was playing in the fresh snow. He was about six years old, his eyes still shining with the innocence of a child.
The boy loved watching the snowflakes fall. At first, they seemed dark against the sky, but as they got closer to the ground, they turned white. He was watching one such snowflake now. It was big, fluffy, and beautiful, but it fell into a small pond and melted instantly. The boy felt a little sad seeing it disappear, but what surprised him more was the pull he felt from the water, it was as if he had some kind of connection to it. He took a step forward, following the strange desire…
"Haku, come home! It's time to eat."
<<<>>>
"What are your thoughts about Kiri's offer?" Akura asked as Hakare left the tent. Takimura would be giving an answer in an hour.
"That's something Maki has to decide. It will ultimately come down to her facing Yagura, after all," the Noda clan head said, leaning back in his chair to get comfortable.
"It doesn't matter when it happens, I'll have to face Yagura anyway. Even if we don't take the deal, I'll still have to fight him," Maki said calmly. "We can't win against Kiri's forces, and if we don't fight against Kumo, those five hundred shinobis won't take our side..."
"But if we let Kiri fight Kumo alone while we focus on growing our forces, it will increase our chances way more than joining the war," Tereno chimed in.
"But what if Kiri can't handle Kumo without our help? We won't be able to deal with them either," Mei voiced her concern.
The council's opinions were clearly split. Ultimately, the decision would have to be made by one person.
"By not joining the war, we'll lose the chance to win over the shinobi who are loyal to this nation. Yes, we might gain some advantage this way, but we might lose a bigger one. Let's prove to those who are still hesitating that Takimura is a much better choice to side with than Kirigakure." Maki was adamant about facing Kumo, not because she wanted to fight them, but because she was sure Yagura alone wouldn't be able to handle A and B, especially while injured.
"How about we let Kiri make the first move, and then we join? That's reasonable, isn't it?" Tereno suggested an alternative approach that could satisfy both sides. "This way, we'll be sure Kiri won't attack Takimura while our elites are gone, and it'll give us time to rest and plan our actions better." His suggestion was received positively by most of the council members.
"I'll inform Ao about this conversation, and Tenma should also be returning soon with news about the Six-Tails Jinchuriki," Meruem said, looking at Maki. "Will you be taking your brother and the rest of Team Shin?"
"I'd like to leave Kaoru behind, but I know he and his friends are strong enough to come, so I'll bring their team with me. Besides, my brother is the strongest among us if we're fighting on the sea," Maki said proudly.
They'd all heard about Kaoru's achievements. He had even saved Mei from certain death. His reputation was now among the top, so leaving him behind made no sense. Even if Maki wanted to keep Kaoru safe, he was now the head of the Takime clan and needed to start acting like one. Maki wouldn't be able to protect him forever, so it was better to let him fight with her, where she could keep a close eye on him.
This decision would be one that the whole of Takimura would later thank the gods for.
**
A/N -
You must have noticed that Haku and Zabuza won't be meeting in this AU. Zabuza's life will develop in a completely different way and I've not decided yet about Haku.
Is it even worth bringing him into the story?
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