"How long did it take him to learn the method?" Iseki asked, tearing a generous bite from the roasted octopus tentacle. It had been marinated to perfection and roasted until the glaze turned into a caramelized crust, exactly how the old Leviathan liked it. Sweet, savory, slightly smoky.
"One week," Daki replied, still sounding like he didn't believe it himself. His gaze remained fixed on the bowl of tentacles in front of Iseki, his mouth watering from the scent alone.
Iseki snorted, catching the way the boy was eyeing the food. "Brat, if you wanted some, you should've ordered your own. I'm not sharing now."
But even as he grumbled, he slid the bowl over without looking, as if his hand had betrayed his words out of pure habit. Daki didn't hesitate, he was already leaning forward by the time the bowl stopped moving, digging in with unspoken gratitude.
"Do you know why this is so good, Grandpa Iseki?" Daki mumbled through a mouthful, barely managing to speak without choking. His cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel preparing for winter.
"Oh? Why?" Iseki replied with a raised brow and a sly grin. Despite the gruffness, the fondness in his voice was unmistakable. Daki wasn't related to him by blood, but that had never mattered. The boy had wormed his way into Iseki's heart with the same stubborn tenacity he applied to everything else.
"Because it's caramelized!" Daki declared with childish pride. "There's nothing tastier in the world than sugar!"
That earned a snort from Iseki, who immediately reached toward the bowl in mock retribution, as if punishing Daki for committing the heresy of praising sugar above all else.
"Hey, hey! You dragged it over here yourself!" Daki yelped, pulling the bowl closer like a dragon hoarding treasure. "Don't be like that! You offered, so now let me eat!"
He was grinning from ear to ear, bits of octopus clinging to the corner of his mouth, utterly unbothered by the mess he was making.
Iseki huffed but ultimately let the bowl go. Instead, he raised a hand and signaled Anya, who had been quietly observing from a few paces away. Unlike most, Iseki's tone turned unusually respectful as he addressed her.
"One more bowl, please," he said, voice laced with rare warmth. Anya gave a soft nod before turning away, the sound of her steps fading toward the kitchen. Everyone in the village held her in high regard, but for Ogashi and Iseki, their care for her bordered on the paternal.
"Now," Iseki continued, turning back to Daki once Anya was out of earshot, "you're saying he's almost mastered the first stage?"
His voice had lost its teasing edge. There was seriousness in his tone now that made Daki glance up between bites.
"Yes," he said after swallowing. "It surprised me too."
"Even for a Suijingan bearer, one week is absurdly fast," Iseki muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Especially considering he started with the wrong method. Breaking a flawed approach and retraining the mind alone should've taken a week."
He paused, eyes unfocused, letting silence settle between them. Daki didn't interrupt. He recognized that look on the elder's face, the same one he'd seen when Iseki was deep in thought, arguing with himself.
'I was certain it would take at least a month,' Iseki mused internally. His expression softened into something rare - pride that ran deeper than words.
'This isn't just Kaoru's success. It's a turning point for us.'
If Kaoru could reach this level of control so quickly… If he could grasp the next steps of Suijingan's potential, then he wasn't just another prodigy. He was a foundation stone for the future of their race.
'If the boy listens, if he trusts us enough to learn senjutsu… I have no doubt he'll become one of the strongest Takime in clan history.'
A shiver ran through Iseki - not from cold, but from anticipation. The kind of anticipation that only came once in a lifetime. Because in that moment, he wasn't just imagining a powerful warrior. He was imagining a legacy. One he would help forge with his own hands.
And for someone like Iseki, who had spent centuries watching old powers fade and bloodlines thin, there was no greater honor than being the one who helped awaken the monster lying dormant within Kaoru's bloodline.
Iseki's face was so lit with joy that even Daki paused mid-bite, blinking in surprise. For all his gluttony, even he understood that something unusual was happening. But it wasn't just Daki who noticed.
A few steps away, another Leviathan watched with even greater disbelief - Ogashi.
"What are you grinning at like a fool, Asike?" Ogashi called out with a bark of laughter as he approached the table, pulling out a chair without asking and plopping down with the confidence of someone who knew they were always welcome… even when they weren't.
The moment Iseki heard his younger brother's voice, the grin on his face froze. Then, slowly, the warmth drained from his expression.
"Seems I'll have to reteach you some manners," Iseki muttered darkly, voice far too threatening considering he was speaking with his own brother.
Ogashi didn't flinch. He didn't even acknowledge the threat. Instead, he leaned back with that familiar air of mischief and contentment that only showed when he was in an especially good mood.
"I thought you'd be gone already. The brat made it clear he will never trust Kadi anymore. What were you thinking when you came up with this plan? Tricking Kurara like that… Shouldn't you be back managing your tribe by now?" he asked, tilting his head and showing a sly smile. "Or have you finally hit the age where no one needs you anymore, and now you're just wandering around aimlessly like a retired relic?"
"Enough," Iseki snapped, the humor gone from his voice. It wasn't that they couldn't exchange barbs. They'd done it their whole lives. But here, in public, with eyes and ears all around, things were different. They were both elders now. Their words carried weight, and even a stray insult could echo through the ranks.
So, Ogashi let it drop.
"Where's Kaoru?" Iseki asked after a moment, his gaze sweeping the area as if expecting the boy to appear from behind a pillar.
"He just finished training," Ogashi replied, his tone shifting into something more grounded. "Went home to clean up. Actually… that's part of why I came looking for you."
Iseki tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes in curiosity. But before he could say anything, Ogashi reached out and grabbed one of the remaining octopus tentacles from Daki's bowl. It was so fast and smooth that Daki didn't even react until it was already halfway to Ogashi's mouth.
"That was mine!" Daki protested, though his voice lacked real bite. He knew better than to argue with the two most senior Leviathans in the room. Still, he glared at Ogashi like a betrayed child.
Iseki smirked, already halfway through preparing a smug retort. "So you've finally accepted reality, little brother? You realized that your tribe can't raise a true Takime alone, and now you've come crawling to your elder for help?" he asked with mock gravity, theatrically placing a hand on his chest. "Fine, I accept. I'll bear this terrible burden for the sake of the tribe."
But Ogashi didn't rise to the bait this time. He didn't laugh or scoff or toss back another insult.
Instead, he sat forward, just a little, and let the moment stretch.
"I want you to teach him senjutsu."
Iseki's amused expression faded. There was a brief pause as he considered it fully. The laughter and the teasing were gone now.
"…You're serious?" Iseki finally asked.
"I wouldn't have said it otherwise," Ogashi answered instantly.
"And you think he's ready?" Iseki asked after a pause, his voice quieter now. "You know better than anyone how demanding it is. The strain. The balance. He's only just begun sensing…"
Ogashi didn't respond right away. He glanced at the empty bowl beside Daki, looking at it without purpose.
Then he said, flatly, "Lady Enia had a vision."
<<<>>>
Kaoru sat in the bath, only his head visible above the steaming water. The rising heat fogged the air around him, softening the outline of his face and blurring the walls like a dream.
'Damn, this feels amazing. Especially after that training…' His body, bruised and sore from constant strain, sank deeper into the warmth with a content sigh. 'Feels like my limbs start healing the second I dip in here.'
If it were up to him, he'd have spent the entire day soaking in this bath, drifting between sleep and daydreams.
The door creaked open, and a familiar voice called out.
"Kaoru? What are you doing here? I thought you were still training."
Kaoru blinked, then looked up as Soma stepped into the room, covered by the red towel unlike Kaoru's white one.
"I just finished. Thought I'd relax for a bit before heading out for round two tonight," Kaoru replied with a tired smile. The training under Ogashi and Iseki had been brutal - physically demanding, mentally draining - but Kaoru didn't mind. The results were showing, and every day felt like a genuine step forward.
"I haven't seen you or your sister around in days," he added, resting his chin on the edge of the tub. "Where've you two been?"
Before Iseki and Daki arrived, Soma and Sona had been Kaoru's main sparring partners. He hadn't realized just how much he missed them until now.
"We were out hunting," Soma explained as he lowered himself into the water across from Kaoru, his muscles relaxing almost immediately. "From time to time, we clear the surrounding territory of predators. Keeps them from stealing our food stocks."
Kaoru nodded, but Soma leaned in with a smirk and dropped his voice.
"Don't tell Sona I said this… but she wouldn't stop complaining about how you'd become best friends with that kid and ditched us."
Kaoru chuckled, the sound echoing softly in the tiled room. At first, he hadn't liked Sona much. Her constant antics, random outbursts, and unpredictable temper had rubbed him the wrong way.
But the more he got to know her, the more he realized what was underneath all that noise - a fiercely loyal, sensitive Leviathan with a soft heart buried beneath her chaos.
"By the way, you're entering the tournament too, right?" Soma asked suddenly, catching Kaoru off guard.
Kaoru paused, furrowing his brows as he tried to remember if Ogashi had mentioned any kind of tournament recently. Nothing came to mind.
"I don't think so. Grandpa Ogashi hasn't said anything about it," he replied with a shrug. He didn't care much either way. Now that his training was finally showing results, he preferred to spend every spare moment honing his progress, just in case a break slowed down his momentum.
"Hmm. That's surprising," Soma mused, rubbing his chin.
"Why?" Kaoru tilted his head. "Is there some kind of rule that says I have to join?"
He wasn't interested before, but Soma's reaction had piqued his curiosity.
"The winner gets a few chakra crystals, unrestricted access to the library for a whole year… and most importantly, the right to view one secret technique from any tribe - but you only get to pick one."
Kaoru's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Okay, I'm in. I'm telling Grandpa Ogashi right now," he declared without hesitation.
The moment the words "secret technique" left Soma's mouth, Kaoru's priorities realigned like stars in formation. He could barely sit still now, his mind already racing with possibilities. One look at those scrolls, and he'd know exactly what each tribe had been hiding. And if he chose right… maybe, just maybe, he could make one of those techniques his own.
**
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