__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
The chapter got you itching for more? Read ahead and get exclusive content before anyone else? Join me on Patr -e-on! Your support would mean the world to me.
( | [email protected]/FictionGoat | )
Read over 20+ chapters in advance.
. . . .
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
Now that he was a Genin—a full-fledged shinobi of the Leaf—he wasn't stuck with the public library anymore. Now, he had access to the Konoha Archive Library.
"ACHOO!"
Kaito sniffed, rubbing his nose. 'Am I getting sick? Or is someone talking about me?' Though he quickly shook off the thought as he stopped in front of a massive building.
Two Leaf shinobi stood at the entrance, their faces unreadable. And even though he couldn't see or sense them, he'd bet his life there were Anbu watching from the shadows. Of course, they were. This place held knowledge on just about everything, no way a building like this wasn't heavily guarded.
What bugged him, though, was that he couldn't pick up on the Anbu at all. Not even a trace. If he couldn't sense them now, what did that mean for the future? Someone could slip into his room in the middle of the night, slit his throat, and he'd never see it coming.
Yeah… that was a problem.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a sensory-type ninja. If he was, life would be a hell of a lot easier. But sensory abilities weren't something you could just learn like a jutsu. It was more like a Kekkei Genkai, either you had it, or you didn't.
Well… there was one way. But it was completely out of reach for him right now. 'The only way I'd get any sensory abilities is if I became a sage…' Yeah, not happening anytime soon.
With a sigh, he pushed those thoughts aside and headed up the stairs.
"HALT!"
One of the guards blocked his path, voice firm.
"What's your business here?" the shinobi asked, starring him down.
"Is this not the Konoha Archive?" he said, tilting his head. "I'm here to get a few things."
The guard's posture eased slightly. "Alright. Identification?"
Kaito reached into his back pocket and pulled out his ID, handing it over. The guard examined it closely before giving it back to him. Afterwards he patted Kaito down, quick and efficient. Once he was sure everything was clear, he gave a subtle nod."Everything checks out. Follow me."
With that, he pushed open the heavy doors, leading Kaito inside. They walked through a few halls, the silence only broken by their footsteps, before stopping in front of a plain, windowless room...just a table and a chair inside.
Kaito took a quick glance around as he stepped inside. It felt more like an interrogation room than a library.
The guard didn't follow him in. Instead, he stopped at the door, arms crossed. "Wait here. Someone will be with you shortly."
Kaito raised a brow. "So where are the books...?"
The guard didn't answer. Just shut the door behind him, leaving Kaito alone.
With a sigh, Kaito pulled out the chair and sat down. Guess it made sense. This place wasn't some public library, this was the Konoha Archive. They weren't just handing out access to anyone who walked in, even if they had the clearance.
He didn't have to wait long. The door creaked open, and in walked a tall, lanky man dressed in the standard shinobi uniform. He had brown spiky hair, with glasses perched on his nose, and a thick book tucked under one arm.
"So, what exactly are you looking for?" The guy got straight to the point.
Kaito leaned back slightly. "Not sure. First time here. Looking for some jutsu's and some Taijutsu scrolls."
The man rubbed his chin, eyes narrowing a bit. "Hmm… not to be rude, but that might be out of your price ran—"
"Don't worry about money," Kaito cut in, smirking. "I've got it."
The shinobi let out a small sigh, shaking his head before rolling with it. "Alright. Since you're after jutsu's… do you even know your chakra affinity?"
Kaito blinked. 'Oh. Right…'
"Nope," he admitted.
The shinobi let out a sigh. "Alright, want to buy a chakra paper to find out?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah, I need that."
The guy adjusted his glasses, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "Okay. That'll be one hundred thousand ryo." (100,000 Ryo... )
Kaito didn't even blink. "Alright." He reached into his back pocket, pulled out a checkbook, and casually wrote out 100,000 ryo like it was nothing. When he handed it over, the shinobi hesitated, clearly not expecting a kid to throw around that kind of money.
'Is this kid from a rich family?' The man cleared his throat, shaking off his surprise before taking the check. "I'll be back." With that, he turned and walked out of the room.
The door creaked open, and the shinobi returned, holding a small, thin piece of paper between his fingers. He set it down on the table in front of Kaito.
"Here," he said. "All you have to do is imbue it with chakra. The paper will react based on your nature affinity."
Kaito picked it up, running his thumb over the surface. It felt like normal paper—lightweight, almost fragile. Without wasting time, he focused, sending a controlled pulse of chakra into it.
A second later, the paper darkened, then crumbled into dirt, disintegrating between his fingers.
The shinobi nodded. "Earth Release. That's your chakra nature."
Kaito sighed, brushing the dirt off his hands. 'I would've preferred Lightning or Fire... but Earth is fine. It's not flashy, but it's strong, and if I train properly, I can make it work.'
He leaned back slightly. "Alright. Now, about those scrolls…"
The shinobi adjusted his glasses, giving the dirt remnants a glance before brushing them off the table. "So, you want Earth-specialized jutsu?"
Kaito shook his head. "No. I want one C-rank jutsu from each element."
The man blinked, clearly surprised by the request. "You do realize that learning multiple chakra natures takes time, right? Most shinobi stick to their affinity for a reason."
Kaito smirked slightly. "I know. Just get them for me."
The man shrugged, turning toward the door. "Alright. Your money, your choice."
Just as he reached for the handle, Kaito spoke up. "Wait."
The shinobi turned back, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you have any books on Fuinjutsu?"
The man tilted his head slightly, considering the request. "We do. Not many people ask for them, though. Fuinjutsu isn't something you can just pick up overnight, it's complicated...very complicated. "
Kaito crossed his arms. "I'll take my chances."
The man let out a small chuckle. "Suit yourself. You want me to add that to your tab?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah."
"Alright, kid. Give me a few minutes." With that, the shinobi left the room, leaving Kaito alone with his thoughts. A few minutes later, the man returned with a stack of books, setting them down with a dull thud.
"These are the catalogs. Pick what you want, and I'll get you the scroll for it," he said.
He slid a book on Fuinjutsu toward Kaito, the one he had asked for. Kaito gave a small nod, flipping through the pages before glancing up.
"What about Taijutsu? You got anything on that?"
The man tapped the pile. "Already grabbed one. Look through it. If you want something specific, let me know."
"That all?"
"Yeah, that's it."
The man handed him a small bell. "Ring this when you're ready," he said before walking off, leaving Kaito to make his choices.
Kaito skimmed through the books, eyes scanning page after page. There were too many options. He honestly didn't even know where to start. Each book had a catalog of jutsu's, each one with a brief description of what it did.
Of course, he wanted to learn some jutsu's, he needed them for a plan he had in mind. But he wasn't just looking to just learn them. His goal was bigger than that. He wanted to create his own jutsu. And for that, he needed a solid foundation in every element. If he could break them down, understand their mechanics, and study how they worked, then he could start crafting something original.
It wasn't going to be quick. Like the man said, this was going to take time. But it'd be worth it.
Flipping to the Earth Release section, Kaito studied his options. The jutsu's weren't bad, but they weren't cheap either. Each scroll cost 500,000 ryo...a ridiculous price. But he was prepared for this. He made 1,000,000 ryo a month from book sales and had been saving up specifically for this moment. He knew these scrolls wouldn't come cheap.
Turning to the other books, he went through each element, picking out the jutsu that caught his interest.
After picking out his jutsu, Kaito turned to the Taijutsu catalog. Compared to the nature release section, this one was dry and just as expensive.
Most of the options weren't all that different from Earth-based martial arts. Made sense, though. Kishimoto pulled from real-world fighting styles, so a lot of techniques overlapped. But that didn't make them useless. He was still refining his own fighting style, and studying different arts would only add to it.
He skimmed through the list before settling on one that closely resembled Krav Maga. As for the Fuinjutsu book, it was just a basic instruction manual.
After a few hours of sorting through his choices, he picked up the bell and rang it.
A moment later, the door slid open, and the shinobi walked back in, adjusting his glasses. His gaze flicked to the pile of books before settling on Kaito.
"You done selecting?"
Kaito nodded. "Yeah."
The man picked up the order sheet, scanning it over before clicking his tongue. "Alright, the total comes out to three million ryo." (3,000,000 Ryo. )
Kaito barely reacted, already pulling out his checkbook. That was honestly a lot of money—spending that much money would leave him completely broke, but he'll make it back in a month. Without hesitation, he scribbled down the amount and handed it over.
The shinobi took the check, flipping it between his fingers before tucking it away. 'This kid must come from a rich family…' he thought, eyeing Kaito for a moment before shaking the thought away. "Alright, before I process this, you should know...when you buy these jutsu scrolls, you can't take them outside the library."
Kaito raised a brow. "Huh? Why?"
"Policy," the man said simply. "Higher-ranked jutsu are restricted. If we let people walk out with them, there's a risk of them selling the scrolls on the black market or leaking them to other villages...which is very illegal, by the way."
Kaito scratched the back of his head, annoyed but not surprised. "Tch… fine, whatever." He didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
The man nodded, then slid a book across the table. "You can take this one, though. Fuinjutsu books are more instructional than actual jutsu's, so they don't fall under that rule. The same goes for Taijutsu scrolls."
Kaito tapped his fingers against the table, thinking for a moment before looking up. "One more thing. I want a D-rank jutsu too."
The shinobi raised a brow. "You want a catalog to look through the options?"
Kaito shook his head. "Nah, I already know what I want." He leaned back slightly. "The Body Flicker Jutsu."
The man adjusted his glasses, nodding. "Good choice." He made a note of it on the order sheet before looking back at Kaito. "Alright, I'll get everything processed. You'll have your scrolls shortly."
Kaito gave a small nod. "Alright."
. . . . .
_________________________________
________________________________________________________
Leave a review and comment!
Read over 20+ chapters in advance, on P@treon.