"Hmm, okay then let's go. My clan compound isn't that far from here." She started walking in front of me without looking back.
I watched her back for a moment, noticing how the afternoon light caught in her hair, then started to follow her in silence with some distance between us. The quiet between us wasn't awkward exactly, more like get ready to get pounded.
----------
20 Minutes Later at the Senju Compound/
As we approached the entrance gate of the Senju compound, I could see it from a little far away, two ninjas wearing jonin vests standing guard on each side like statues, their eyes scanning everyone who passed through.
"Ohhh, Princess-chan, you're back!" One of the guards, a middle-aged man with a beard, smiled warmly as we got close enough.
"Ah yes, Uncle Kanaka," Tsunade's voice was lighter and more relaxed. "Is my grandma in her place?"
"Yes, she's resting in her chambers and informed me that she is waiting for you to bring her the guest quickly." The guard glanced up at me for a moment, raised an eyebrow and then nodded which I nodded back.
Tsunade thanked him and we continued walking, leaving the gate behind.
I looked around the compound, kids playing and laughing, parents working with smiles on their faces, families eating together and living their lives. It was beautiful honestly. The kind of peace that people fought wars for.
Wish my own clan was like this too.
There weren't many left in the Hatake clan now. You could count the members with two hands and still have fingers left over, and I didn't see the point of me being the heir or the clan leader when there was no one left to lead, and I had no influence in the Konoha council anyway. Everyone at this point knew we were just a dying clan with no hope of getting back on our own feet.
Well, the Clan Restoration Act could actually help with that, but I wasn't interested in becoming a baby making machine. I have dignity.
I walked like this with Tsunade, letting the sights and sounds of the compound wash over me until the mansion slowly came into view up on its hill, a big building made of stone and wood covered in vines that looked like it had been there for some time.
"Beautiful, right?" Tsunade puffed out her chest with pride, even though there wasn't much there to puff... sadly.
"Yeah." I replied blandly, not letting this beauty blind me from what I knew was waiting inside.
Tsunade just pouted at my reaction, her lower lip sticking out in a way that was probably supposed to make me feel guilty. We walked forward until we were in front of the entrance gate, and she pushed it open.
"Welcome to my home!" Her excited voice echoed through the grand hall.
"Hmmm." I nodded calmly while scanning the room, cataloging exits and potential threats like my instincts were screaming at me to do right now.
Then–
*SWOOSH.*
I moved faster than thought, jumping backwards and landing on my feet with my Niko stance already up and ready to fight. But in front of me, where there had been empty space a second ago, there was only an old woman.
'What the hell?!' I shouted in my mind as this old woman had appeared before me like a ghost. 'She is strong.' I thought cautiously, narrowing my eyes and getting ready for whatever was about to happen.
"Ohhh, your instincts are very good for someone who has no chakra. I can barely tell that you even exist or not hoho~" The old woman nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Toka Obaasan, please don't do that! You're scaring my friend you know!" Tsunade's voice tinged with embarrassment.
"Hoho~ Tsu-chan, is this the boy you are interested in?" The Toka woman said with a knowing smile that made me instantly uncomfortable.
"WHAT are you talking about, Toka Obaasan?! He's just a friend of mine!" Tsunade waved her hands frantically in front of her, a huge blush spreading across her face.
'Did I just get friend zoned? Nahhh, her sorry ass is mine for eternity since I said so.' I thought with a frown as I slowly relaxed out of my stance.
"You don't need to be shy, Tsu-chan. I know you like him too, you can't deceive my eyes." Toka's smile turned wistful. "I remember when I was your age, many men we–"
And then she was off, telling stories about her younger years and how her husband was this and that, the kind of nostalgic rambling that old people do when they want to remind you that they were young once too.
-----------
5 Minutes Later/
"You understood now, my little girl? You need to be bolder and more straightforward in these things." Toka finished with a small smile that held years of wisdom.
I looked at Tsunade with my arms crossed, no emotion visible, watching her cover her face in embarrassment like a little kid caught sneaking sweets. She had no idea what to do, just standing there with her hands over her red cheeks like that would somehow make the situation less awkward.
She finally removed her hands and looked at me with an apologetic expression before turning toward Toka. "Toka Obaasan, I understand, but my grandma is waiting for us. We must hurry and go!"
Before anyone could say another word, she grabbed my arm and pulled me as I let her go deeper into the mansion.
"Hoho, youngsters these days." I heard the old woman's chuckle fade behind us as we disappeared around a corner.
*Step step step.*
We walked through huge halls, passing by painted screens and vases filled with flowers.
Finally, we stopped in front of a big door that I assumed led to Mito's room.
*Knock knock.*
"Grandma, we're here!" Tsunade called out.
We waited for a few seconds until a gentle voice answered from inside. "You can come in."
Tsunade looked at me for a second, something flickering in her eyes that might have been worry or might have been warning.
"Be polite, she doesn't like obnoxious people." She said with a frown and I nodded.
Then she pushed the door open and we walked inside together.
The room was huge, tennis stadium huge, but aside from its ridiculous size, there wasn't much special about it at first glance. The floor had soft woven mats, and the ceiling was adorned with ornate wooden beams that looked like they had been carved by someone who really knew what they were doing.
In the middle of all this space was a fancy bed with beautiful silk sheets and paintings hanging above it. The room had special things scattered around, painted screens that written on them things in a language I couldn't read, pretty vases with flowers, and small well-kept bonsai trees that looked like they had been growing for decades.
The walls had seals on them, lots of seals. The kind that made my skin prickle just looking at them.
And finally, I turned to look at Mito–
*KRR KRGGH!*
Mito raised her arms and Tsunade dashed forward, falling into her embrace like a little girl who just came home from school. "Welcome back, my little granddaughter. It seems you have brought a guest back with you too!" Her voice was gentle and soothing. The kind of voice that made you want her sing some soft songs while you slept.
Tsunade nodded and looked at me with something in her eyes that I couldn't quite read.
"Now, my little granddaughter, go out until I call you back in again, okay?" Mito told Tsunade with that same gentle smile still adorning her beautiful mature face.
"But Grandm–" Tsunade tried to protest, but a slight glare from Mito shut her up instantly. She nodded silently and slowly walked out, looking worriedly at me with every step until the door closed behind her with a soft click.
The moment Tsunade was gone, I couldn't hold back my instincts yelling at me with all its might to attack right this instant!
Then my body went autopilot.
*KRGGH VRR KRR*
Monster Form 50%
-----------
Mito's POV/
*Knock knock*
"Grandma, we're here!" I heard my granddaughter's voice from behind my room's door.
That unmistakable dark aura, I can sense someone with her, someone I had long wanted to meet again and have some of my questions answered.
"You can come in." I replied calmly.
After I gave my permission, Tsunade and a tall muscular boy entered my room. I spread my arms and Tsunade quickly ran toward me and gave me a hug, which made me smile gently at her.
"Welcome back, my little granddaughter. It seems you have brought a guest back with you!" I said gently to Tsunade, who nodded and then looked at the boy who was becoming restless, and barely keeping himself together from the moment he laid his eyes on me.
"Now, my little granddaughter, go out until I call you in again, okay?" I told Tsunade gently.
"But Grandm–" She wanted to retort, but a slight glare from me made her quiet. She nodded silently and slowly got out while looking worriedly at IT.
*Click*
The moment Tsunade left and closed the door, a shocking scene happened in front of me. The boy's body started cracking and shifting with an uncomfortable sound like something was breaking free from inside a cage.
*Krrkrkk*
He began to transform. His hands twisted into claws, his teeth elongated into sharp fangs before armor covered it. Armor-like skin crawled across his body, covering him in something that looked harder than steel. Glowing veins pulsed along his arms and chest, and even his hair was coated in that same armor. Spikes grew from his shoulders, jutting out like jagged blades meant to tear through anything that got close.
I watched in surprise as this unknown being stood before me, and I couldn't quite name the emotions welling up inside me. Fascination? Curiosity? Perhaps something deeper that I hadn't felt in a very long time.
Is he really not human? Is it the thing that I suspect him to be?
'What the hell is that abomination!! Kill him woman! Quick!' A deep hoarse voice screamed in my head suddenly, sounding frantic and desperate much to my amusement.
Even Kyuubi is surprised by this boy. I have never seen Kyuubi lose his cool like this before.
'What do you know Kyuubi? Do you know what he is?' I asked with curiosity.
'You don't understand woman!! I said KILL that thing right now!" Kyuubi yelled again with that annoying voice of his without explaining anything, his hate too deep to give me anything worthwhile.
'You shouldn't judge just because you sense a sinister and evil aura surrounding him. Maybe he is hiding something we don't know.' I replied while looking at the terrifying creature that sent chills through me for some reason I couldn't explain.
'Smooth brain!! That isn't a fucking human! There are many things in this world that you are not aware of! Just kill IT!!' The fox screamed with disdain, and I narrowed my eyes at that.
'Many things I don't know? I doubt that Fox. I have lost count of times being disappointed because of knowing.' I said while watching the Thing move toward me with a peculiar footwork that I had never seen from anyone. It was fluid, almost hypnotic, like watching water flow downstream.
'Hmph! You will regret this human!' He said, and I tightened the Adamantine Chains around the fox to cause him pain.
ROAR! He cried out in pain, and I cut off the connection to focus more on the thing in front of me.
I raised my hand and placed some seals around the room like reinforcing seals and silencing seals. No one outside would know what was happening here.
It approached me fast, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The moment it was in front of me, it delivered a punch aiming at my face with a beastly cry "RGHAaaa!"
*Bam!*
"How interesting." I muttered while blocking its punch with my palm covered with a tiny bit of chakra, the shockwave making a mess surrounding us. I wasn't even fazed by it in the slightest. The force behind the blow was considerable, it could have obliterated someone on the level of Tsunade or low chunins, but to me, it was nothing more than a child's tantrum.
"RAGHHHH!" It let out another cry and started to relentlessly punch me from every angle. Every punch was precise and refined despite the thing having lost its mind, moving with a purpose that amazed me. There was intelligence behind this violence, a deep understanding of combat that most shinobi never achieved in their entire lives.
*Paw paw paw bam bam bam paw!*
I raised my palm and blocked every punch he delivered with ease while being mesmerised by its beautiful movements. The way its body flowed resembled water, gentle yet carrying the promise of destruction.
"How beautiful~ It looks so gentle like water but deadly like a wave. So elegant yet destructive. Did you create this yourself?" My eyes sparkled at its taijutsu as I tucked my chin a little and avoided a kick that was a breath away from hitting my jaw.
It didn't wait and delivered a circular 360-degree kick at my abdomen, which I blocked easily with my palm before putting a little force into my hand and throwing it away across the room.
It quickly rotated in the air and landed on its feet safely, crouching low like a predator ready to strike again.
"Is that's all you have got?" I taunted it, hoping for some reaction, but got nothing much to my disappointment.
What's the cause of this? He was normal for a brief moment until he met me.
"Hyper sensitivity. Your senses upon seeing me awakened some primal instincts in you, right?" I asked rhetorically.
'I need to make it come back to its senses, it seems.' I thought as I clenched my fist and waited for it to come closer.
*Swoosh!*
"RAGHHH!" It cried again and started a series of complex punches, each one flowing into the next like a river finding its path, but I didn't let them hit me and I threw a chakra-enhanced jab at the thing's jaw causing a big shockwave that rattled the room, cracking the armor, and it flew away like a bullet and hit the wall, cracks spidering out from the impact.
*Boom! Crack!*
"Huuh?" I heard the thing mutter as it hit the wall.
Then I waited eagerly for what came next.
-------------
Garou's POV/
"Ahhh shit! My head!" I shook my head to remove the numbness spreading across my skull, then looked around the room for a second before I remembered everything.
I looked at Mito, who was staring at me like I was a new toy she had just discovered and wanted to take apart to see how it worked.
*Shudder!*
That insane aura! What the hell!
"So you can speak!" She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
I remember now.
The moment I entered and saw this woman, I tried hard to control myself but my body refused to listen or have any of that shit and instantly went into autopilot because of the sheer aura she was emitting.
My fight or flight mechanism got activated which made me go into a light coma while my body did its thing unconsciously.
Simply put, my primal monster instincts had awakened and taken over, and I could feel it... I could feel the monstrosity hidden inside her, staring at me with so much malice and sending waves of killing intent of magnitudes that would have made lesser men collapse.
But it only made me grin widely as I took in this spectacle.
"You really have something interesting inside of you, woman!" I told Mito with a wide grin, and she twitched her eyebrows in annoyance.
"Tell me, what are you?" She asked with a frown, probably thinking I would just answer like some obedient child.
"Oh, so you invited me to ask this? Don't you already know?" I asked back with a smirk hidden behind my armor-like skin.
"So you won't tell me, huh?" She put a hand on her chin while giving me a gentle smile that I knew meant promising pain.
Was I afraid? Not in the slightest.
"Haha, I was sleeping before your punch hit my jaw and woke me up. I'll have to thank you for that." I stretched my hands and back, getting ready for what was about to come.
"Sleeping?" She said, and I just smiled underneath my mask.
"Even if I go unconscious, my body will continue to fight if it was in danger. Quite an unsightly thing to see, but don't worry. I won't disappoint this time." I got into my stance with my hands loose, my back hunched a little, my fingers almost touching the ground.
Watchdog Man Style!
*Swoosh!*
I blurred out and appeared before Mito.
Combination Arts: Adamantine Void Boxing: God's Fist!
*PAW!*
My fist instantly appeared before Mito's face, the speed generating sharp winds around us, but she blocked it with her palm covered now in a thick chakra like it was nothing. Her hand didn't even have a scratch on it.
*Paw paw paw bam paw paw!*
I threw a series of boxing jabs and punches at her, but she blocked everything easily without moving an inch backwards. That annoyed me more than I wanted to admit.
I knew this was a losing battle, but there was no better time than this to refine and evolve myself, to become better and stronger. And I knew too that she wouldn't let me leave until she got answers to her questions, so I might as well go on a rampage until I couldn't anymore.
Ding...
[Assimilation: 21% > 22%]
I smirked as new memories of fights and experiences poured into me, filling my mind with techniques and new instincts.
I flipped backwards.
Combination Arts: Watchdog Man Flame Kata: Raging Fire!
[Picture]
My speed exploded to a level higher and I appeared before Mito again, throwing a punch aiming at her beautiful face. She lifted her eyebrow in a little surprise at my sudden speed increase, then raised her palm as expected to block it.
*Puff.*
It was a feint.
Phantom Pace!
I left an afterimage and appeared beside Mito, who wasn't paying attention to me. I threw a God's Fist that cut through the air, aiming at her side–
*Clank!*
Before my fist met her, I was thrown away by a long golden chain that hit my face. I slammed into the wall opposite Mito with enough force to leave a crater, but the walls seem to have been reinforced by some seals, so nothing much happened.
*Crack Spurt!*
I hit the ground kneeling, the lower part of my face armor breaking. I spat out some blood and tried to catch my breath.
"It's really surprising that someone with no tenketsu and chakra could actually achieve this level of speed and strength. That's all the more reason for me to get interested in knowing just what kind of creature you are." I heard Mito talk as I looked at her surrounded by golden chains that were moving around her wildly, like serpents waiting to strike.
'I need to break my limits quickly.' I thought with narrowed eyes.
*Clank Swoosh!*
The sound of chains cutting through the air came from everywhere, their pointed heads approaching me fast from all directions.
I calmed myself down and moved my hands around me, a blue aura visible around my extremities that resembled the flow of water. I stopped in a position that looked like a praying mantis waiting for its prey.
Without looking, I counted. One, two, three... twenty-four. Twenty-four chains surrounding me, then I moved my hands.
Water Stream Encampment!
[Picture]
My fists moved around me in a blur, creating a shield of deflections. Anything that entered was redirected or destroyed.
*Clank clank swoosh swoosh clank clank!*
I deflected the trajectory of the chain heads while ignoring the blood pouring down my knuckles from the sharp tips that cut through my armor.
*Stab!*
"AGHHH!"
Ding...
[Assimilation: 22% > 23%]
I grabbed the last chain that I missed, the one sticking into my right shoulder, and pulled it out with a wet sound.
*Splurt!*
Blood gushed from the wound, but I contracted the muscles around it to stop the bleeding. Slowly, I could feel it starting to regenerate.
"Oh, regeneration too?" Her eyes widened slightly and of course she would notice.
Huff... huff... huff...
I panted a little tiredly and looked back at the new memories I had just received, me fighting my master Bang and Bomb, getting beaten up badly before being kidnapped to the Monster Association base to meet the Monster King Orochi.
'This is useless to me right now.' I thought, since I didn't get anything useful except the phantom pain from me getting beaten by those geezers from the memories.
I can't keep up with her at my current strength. The Flow around Mito that I could usually sense kept getting interrupted and cut apart, telling me it was useless to try to gain the upper hand in this battle.
I need something new. My martial arts can't do anything to her with my current strength and speed. I need to get stronger, better. I looked at the chains surrounding Mito again while she stood in her place, not having moved an inch this entire time.
"You surprise me with something new every second. You can perform superhuman feats with only some unique taijutsu, and regenerate too. Is it your special body that gives you the ability to do this? What are you hiding from me?" She looked up and down my body in a way that creeped me out for a second.
I changed my stance quickly and moved both arms, a pinkish-red aura emanating from them.
I swung from downwards to upwards with great strength, creating a razor-sharp whirlwind pressure.
This is the first time using this martial arts in this world against someone.
Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist!
[Picture]
*Sssshhhhh!*
With my hands shaped like claws, I sent a huge very thin and sharp wind blade toward Mito that cut through the floor of the room like it was made of paper. She widened her eyes for a second, but to my disappointment, she just formed a hand seal in front of herself.
"Wind Release: Wind Dispersion." She said, and the wind slash I sent was dispersed like it was nothing.
"And now you manipulate the wind with only your body. Tell me, can a human truly do this?" Mito asked calmly with an intrigued expression.
'This is so fucking annoying.' I gritted my teeth.
Water Stream: Instant Movement!
[Picture]
I jumped at her using a special footwork, moving swiftly and fluidly as if I were flowing water. I moved in ways she wouldn't expect between the serpent-like chains, appearing in front of her while dodging the chains and aiming precisely for her vital points.
Combinations Arts: Water Stream Shigan: Piercing Fang!
With my trained fingertips, I hit the smallest weak point near her heart with a single strike of incredible accuracy. The move was smooth like water but carried enough power to destroy rocks.
*Stab!*
My fingers hit her chest.
But instead of the effect I wanted to have or blood being spilled, I only felt like I was stabbing an incredibly soft pillow.
"You are a pervert too." I heard Mito say with a light blush, and I immediately started sweating like a river. Then I felt an incredible force hit my stomach.
*BAM! Spurt!*
"AGHHH!"
I spat out blood and saliva and fell to my knees, clutching my stomach in pain as breathing becoming hard.
Ding...
[Assimilation: 23% > 24%]
I widened my smirk as new memories and experiences poured into me again. I shrugged the pain off and flipped back quickly, getting some distance.
This was it! The game changer. I was already right before recreating this when I was training by myself, but the Essence skipped the time for the process of recreating the martial arts and gave me the whole package immediately.
I stood in my place with my arms loosely in front of me as I took in a deep breath.
I straightened myself.
Left hand...
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist.
Right hand...
Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist.
This was the limit of what I could reach right now. The perfect offense and the perfect defense together. The first step toward reaching the ultimate art.
"Hmmm~ Oh I see... you combined your most powerful taijutsu right off the bat. I must say that I have never seen a genius of taijutsu like you. You used me as a stepping stone to refine yourself, right?" Mito put her hand on her mouth as if to hide her smirk.
I didn't listen and just continued to bask in my own enlightenment.
Whirlwind Water Stream: Roaring Aura Sky Ripping Fist!
[Picture]
The End