Ryoku could faintly here the sound of Hera muttering to herself. He couldn’t make out exactly what she was saying, but he did clearly hear the words “reckless” and “idiot.” It was then that he realized that he wasn’t conscious seconds before. ”Oh thank the heavens, you’re finally awake,” she said as she noticed Ryoku shifting and slowly opening his eyes.
“Wow,” he said as he became painfully aware of the headache that felt like it was using his brain as a punching bag. “What happened? Where am I?” he questioned as he struggled to sit up.
“Calm yourself child! You’re back at the Ishi clan house,” Hera said as she placed her hands on Ryoku’s chest, attempting to keep him from trying to move too much. “What happened is that you decided to try to fight the ANBU sennin on your own and you lost!”
“What are you talking about?” Ryoku asked, a perplexed look on his face. “Last thing I remember, I was fighting that big black monster. I remember he charged up a lightning attack, and...” he paused for several seconds to think. “I can’t remember anything after that.” He looked up at her, hoping for answers.
Hera sighed before speaking. “Well that, ‘big black monster’ was Yukio-sama fused with his legendary weapon, Chinatsu.” She channeled chakra into her hands and began healing Ryoku as he lied down.
Ryoku’s eyes widened at the statement. After several seconds of the information sinking in, a smile widened across his face. “That explains a lot!” He said lying back and looking up at the ceiling, trying to relive the moment. “That was awesome!”
“Aren’t you curious about the exam results?” She said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah!” He said turning his body towards her, awaiting her response.
“Well, you passed.”
“Cool. And the students?”
“All official shinobi of the Leaf.”
“Nice,” Ryoku said, lying back again and looking up at the ceiling with a large smile of satisfaction on his face. He was impressed with those kids and he was glad that they passed. He didn’t care as much about his own results, but at least he could take on more exciting missions. “I fought a Sennin,” he giggled to himself, prompting an exasperated sigh from Hera. “Hera-chan! I need you to help me get strong enough so if I get the chance to fight him again, I actually remember it!”
“Of course. In fact, that reminds me of something,” she responded, retracting her glowing hands and materializing a black dagger out of thin air. “This dagger is known as Gaia’s Fang, and it will help you channel your natural energy into taijutsu attacks. When you do..” she began, grabbing the dagger by the hilt. Shortly after, blue glyphs appeared along the blade and it emanated a new type of aura that Ryoku wasn't familiar with, yet it still somehow seemed familiar. “These glyphs will appear and you will feel the difference in the power.”
Ryoku sat up, which he now found easier than before and looked at Hera with a very confused look on his face. “My ‘natural energy?’” he repeated. “I’m sorry but I don’t know what that is.” He gave an awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, most shinobi must learn how to channel natural energy before they are able to use it, but those with Senju blood are naturally connected to this energy source, so you should be able to use it much easier.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down,” he said, holding his hands up towards Hera. “What makes you think I have Senju blood? Neither of my parents were even shinobi.”
“I felt the natural energy in you since the day we met. Children that age don’t just have that much natural energy stored in their body unless they have been trained in the Sage Arts, or they are of Senju descent,” she said as she dematerialized the blade. “Why did you think you had so much more chakra reserves than the other kids your age growing up?”
Ryoku thought back to the words Kenshin-sama said to him when they first met. “I don’t know, I thought I was just ‘attuned to my chakra’ or something. I thought it was just the luck of the draw, I didn’t know it was genetic.” Then the pieces started to fall in place. That was why Wood Style ninjutsu had come so easy to him. That was why he had so much extra chakra and why he had such fine control over it. That was why the dagger’s aura felt familiar. “Can you teach me to control it?”
“Of course. Luckily, you do not need to be able to move to learn these techniques,” she said in reference to Ryoku’s injuries.
WC: 811
“Wow,” he said as he became painfully aware of the headache that felt like it was using his brain as a punching bag. “What happened? Where am I?” he questioned as he struggled to sit up.
“Calm yourself child! You’re back at the Ishi clan house,” Hera said as she placed her hands on Ryoku’s chest, attempting to keep him from trying to move too much. “What happened is that you decided to try to fight the ANBU sennin on your own and you lost!”
“What are you talking about?” Ryoku asked, a perplexed look on his face. “Last thing I remember, I was fighting that big black monster. I remember he charged up a lightning attack, and...” he paused for several seconds to think. “I can’t remember anything after that.” He looked up at her, hoping for answers.
Hera sighed before speaking. “Well that, ‘big black monster’ was Yukio-sama fused with his legendary weapon, Chinatsu.” She channeled chakra into her hands and began healing Ryoku as he lied down.
Ryoku’s eyes widened at the statement. After several seconds of the information sinking in, a smile widened across his face. “That explains a lot!” He said lying back and looking up at the ceiling, trying to relive the moment. “That was awesome!”
“Aren’t you curious about the exam results?” She said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh yeah!” He said turning his body towards her, awaiting her response.
“Well, you passed.”
“Cool. And the students?”
“All official shinobi of the Leaf.”
“Nice,” Ryoku said, lying back again and looking up at the ceiling with a large smile of satisfaction on his face. He was impressed with those kids and he was glad that they passed. He didn’t care as much about his own results, but at least he could take on more exciting missions. “I fought a Sennin,” he giggled to himself, prompting an exasperated sigh from Hera. “Hera-chan! I need you to help me get strong enough so if I get the chance to fight him again, I actually remember it!”
“Of course. In fact, that reminds me of something,” she responded, retracting her glowing hands and materializing a black dagger out of thin air. “This dagger is known as Gaia’s Fang, and it will help you channel your natural energy into taijutsu attacks. When you do..” she began, grabbing the dagger by the hilt. Shortly after, blue glyphs appeared along the blade and it emanated a new type of aura that Ryoku wasn't familiar with, yet it still somehow seemed familiar. “These glyphs will appear and you will feel the difference in the power.”
Ryoku sat up, which he now found easier than before and looked at Hera with a very confused look on his face. “My ‘natural energy?’” he repeated. “I’m sorry but I don’t know what that is.” He gave an awkward chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, most shinobi must learn how to channel natural energy before they are able to use it, but those with Senju blood are naturally connected to this energy source, so you should be able to use it much easier.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down,” he said, holding his hands up towards Hera. “What makes you think I have Senju blood? Neither of my parents were even shinobi.”
“I felt the natural energy in you since the day we met. Children that age don’t just have that much natural energy stored in their body unless they have been trained in the Sage Arts, or they are of Senju descent,” she said as she dematerialized the blade. “Why did you think you had so much more chakra reserves than the other kids your age growing up?”
Ryoku thought back to the words Kenshin-sama said to him when they first met. “I don’t know, I thought I was just ‘attuned to my chakra’ or something. I thought it was just the luck of the draw, I didn’t know it was genetic.” Then the pieces started to fall in place. That was why Wood Style ninjutsu had come so easy to him. That was why he had so much extra chakra and why he had such fine control over it. That was why the dagger’s aura felt familiar. “Can you teach me to control it?”
“Of course. Luckily, you do not need to be able to move to learn these techniques,” she said in reference to Ryoku’s injuries.
WC: 811