A/N - Thank you, Connor Higdon, & SmilingDemonZ for becoming Azure Awakening Patróns!
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"I did it!" Kaoru shouted, his voice breaking the heavy stillness of the cavern as it echoed off the damp stone walls. He jumped to his feet, grinning ear to ear, but there was no one there to witness his moment of triumph. The empty chamber swallowed his excitement, returning nothing but the faint repetition of his own words.
"Oh, they still haven't come," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Only then did he realize how much his hair had grown during these past months, the strands brushing against his neck, longer than he ever had.
"God, it feels so good…" he let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head. "Six months… six damn months just to create the reservoir."
The laugh that followed was half triumphant, half self-mocking. In truth, his progress was far beyond what should have been possible. Even Ogashi and Iseki had been forced to adjust their plans when they realized how quickly he was advancing. Originally, they had intended to help him build only the foundation for the chakra reservoir, giving him basic guidance before sending him back to Takimura to continue on his own. But now they were telling him he would need to stay for at least another year.
'The old geezers lied to me,' Kaoru mused with a crooked grin. 'They planned to cut it short and dump the hard work on my future self, but now they want to milk this progress while I'm here.'
And yet, despite everything, despite all the hard work, sleepless nights, calluses on his hands and feet, bruises or collapses from chakra strain and Suijingan backlash, Kaoru was happy. Genuinely happy. Even if the chakra reservoir he had created wasn't like Tsunade's or Sakura's, where raw strength and healing were amplified by it. He was still damn happy.
Kaoru's chakra reservoir was exactly what the name suggested - a hidden vault to store chakra. Every day, he would store a bit of chakra into it, slowly building a supply meant to be used only in critical moments. It was a trump card, a silent weapon he would keep tucked away until the moment he truly needed it.
As his pulse finally settled and the initial surge of excitement faded, Kaoru's resolve only grew sharper. The fire in his eyes didn't waver - it intensified.
With a deep breath, he stretched his limbs, muscles aching and stiff from the long hours spent in stillness. The meditative posture - legs crossed, hands resting calmly near his abdomen - had become second nature to him, but it left his body craving movement. Now it was time to switch gears.
Ogashi had already entrusted him with one of the old taijutsu scrolls, a technique passed down to the Takime clan long ago, back when Leviathans still personally trained the Takime heirs. Both Ogashi and Iseki had often wondered aloud why the clan head who led the migration to the mainland had abandoned these superior methods entirely. Neither could offer a clear answer.
'I can't believe we had such refined taijutsu and simply stopped using it,' Kaoru thought, narrowing his eyes as he visualized each stance in his mind. 'There must have been a deeper reason behind it… something we don't know yet.'
He approached the wooden dummy standing at the far end of the training cavern and began his drills. His strikes landed with sharp, heavy thuds, the solid resistance sending jolts of pain into his hands and forearms. The sensation stung, but it was oddly gratifying. Each flash of pain was a reminder that his body was changing, hardening.
Ogashi's words echoed in the back of his mind, words the old Leviathan had repeated to him time and time again whenever the training pushed him to his limits:
'With pain comes progress.'
Kaoru clenched his jaw, a smile of determination carving across his face. He kept going, strike after strike, allowing his mind to slowly empty as his body moved on instinct. His muscles burned, but he welcomed the sensation. Only when his strength finally gave out did he stop.
'Now it's time to return to chakra training.'
…
Kaoru's life had long since settled into a relentless cycle, one unbroken routine of training and discipline. Each day was consumed entirely by his regimen, with no room for anything else. Outside of eating, sleeping, and fulfilling the most basic needs of his body, there was only one thing that defined his existence now: growth.
His mornings always began with grueling physical drills, designed to toughen his body and push it to its absolute limit. Afterward, he would shift to perhaps the most dangerous part of his training - molding new chakra pathways inside his brain. That part of the training was strictly supervised by both Iseki and Ogashi. The two old Leviathans stood over him every time, carefully observing his every movement, ready to intervene the instant something went wrong. One small mistake could cripple him, and they both knew how delicate the process was.
Once that stage was finished, Kaoru would take a short break to eat, refueling his worn-down body. But even that brief rest offered little reprieve. The moment his meal was done, he shifted into the next segment of his training - his chakra reservoir. This step would often last several hours, forcing him into a deep, quiet state of focus as he slowly built up the hidden storage he had worked so hard to construct.
Afterward, with his mind drained from the concentration, Kaoru would pivot back to physical exercises again, to allow his mind to recover while keeping his muscles active. He found a strange comfort in that shift, as though striking the training dummies helped shake loose the mental strain that had settled in his head.
Finally came the last stage of his daily regimen: chakra control. After that, the final three or four hours of his day were the only part of his schedule where he had any freedom to choose his focus, but even then, Kaoru never wavered. He always spent that precious time drilling the techniques he had been developing - his domain technique, wind release, and refining his mastery of the jutsus he already possessed. Every evening, after the training was complete, Kaoru would sit down with one final task: writing to Mizuki.
He carefully pulled out the notebook they used to communicate, always hopeful that a new message would appear in return.
Yet again, the page remained empty.
'There's still no response.'
The worry that had quietly haunted him these past few days clawed a little deeper. It had now been five days since Mizuki had last replied, and though he tried to stay calm, it was becoming harder with each passing night.
He decided to check Mizuki's last reply one more time, clinging to a faint hope that maybe he had missed something, some clue that would explain her sudden silence.
"I miss you. I miss Takimura and our friends too. Master says I need to stay two more years. She told me I have a rare potential to learn their senjutsu, and if I leave now, I'll lose my chance forever. Once my body fully develops and I turn fifteen, mastering it would become impossible."
"Sorry for complaining. I know you have it difficult too, but… you're the only one I can speak freely with here."
"Haha, I reread my letter now and I sound like everything is awful, but that's not true. Master is super helpful and kind, and her daughters are very friendly. We just… don't have anything in common. Especially not when it comes to food…"
"I have to go now. I'll finish this letter later today."
Kaoru stared at the final words for a long moment, the last line hanging heavier than ever. She never finished it.
The only reason he hadn't fully spiraled into panic was because of the necklace he had given her. That necklace served as her last resort, a beacon that would signal him if she was ever in true danger.
Kaoru clung to the hope that, had something serious happened, she would have used it.
'I won't even consider the alternative,' he repeated, pushing away the worst scenarios that tried to creep into his mind. 'She would use it if she was in trouble... she would.'
Still, another explanation tugged at his thoughts.
'It must be her master. She always hated that she got distracted talking to me.'
He had told himself the same thing for four days now, repeating it like a mantra, trying to shield his mind from darker conclusions. With a heavy sigh, Kaoru carefully set the notebook aside and laid down.
'Tomorrow is a new day, but nothing will change - same training, same routine.'
Despite the repetitive grind, he didn't resent it. In fact, the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint, tired smile as exhaustion slowly pulled him under. Even with the growing weight pressing at the back of his mind, a creeping dread that whispered Mizuki might truly be in danger, he allowed himself to drift into sleep.
And so, the cavern fell silent once again, leaving only the rhythmic sound of his steady breathing as Kaoru disappeared into uneasy dreams.
…
Nine months had passed.
"Kurara, I'm telling you, there is no way!" Ogashi's voice echoed sharply through the cavern, his tone strained with both frustration and worry.
"But you said it's in the south! I can go, at least try!" Kaoru shouted back, his voice louder than usual, carrying the kind of anger that had been building inside him for months. "Nine months ago, you asked me to give you time. You promised you'd find the location. I waited. And after all this time, the only thing you've managed to tell me is south. That's it. And now you're even telling me not to go? To just sit here while she's trapped in that fucking place?!"
Iseki's gaze narrowed sharply at Kaoru's tone, his cyan eyes flashing with warning, but before he could say anything, Ogashi stretched out his arm, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder. The silent gesture was enough - he was telling him to let it go.
"Kid," Iseki spoke calmly. "We are not telling you to abandon her. We are telling you that there is absolutely no way that you'll find her right now. Not even a sliver of hope exists."
Still, Kaoru didn't back down. His breathing quickened, his chest rising and falling as the heat inside him refused to settle.
"Still," he growled, his voice cracking slightly, "I have to try. I have to…"
The next moment, the sharp slap came out of nowhere. It struck him clean across the face, knocking him slightly off balance.
Ogashi's hand was still raised when Kaoru steadied himself, wide-eyed from the sudden force.
"If I have to," Ogashi said, his voice carrying a cold steel that Kaoru'd never heard, "I will knock you unconscious and keep you here myself. But you will not leave this cavern in the state you're in. Pull yourself together and think. Think! Where exactly are you going? How will you get there? What do you even know?"
The sheer weight of Ogashi's words slammed into Kaoru, cutting through the flood of emotions clouding his thoughts. Even Iseki flinched slightly, stealing a glance at his brother, surprised by the rare eruption of fury.
Kaoru stood still, breathing heavily, eyes cast down. Slowly, his shoulders loosened, the storm inside finally quieting.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa Ogashi, it's not your fault. I know that," he whispered. His voice was low, worn thin from exhaustion and guilt. "It's Mizuki's birthday today…"
Ogashi exhaled, his expression breaking apart. Iseki stepped closer, adding his voice, softer than before.
"Kid, listen," he said, sitting down beside Kaoru. "I don't know what's happened to the girl. None of us do. But there is one thing I can tell you with certainty - there's no beast in existence that would harm a human they've taken as a student. Not after they've given their word, not after allowing themselves to be called a master. That's not how our kind works."
He had said the same thing many times before, but somehow, tonight, the words finally landed. Kaoru's clenched fists loosened as the truth began to settle in, though the weight on his chest remained heavy.
"It's been nine months," Kaoru muttered, his voice softer now, but no less heavy. "Nine months, and not a single word. I've spoken with Yko, with Maru… everyone I could think of who might help. No one knows where she is."
That was the true reason behind his progress - how he had improved so unnaturally fast. He wasn't chasing strength alone. He was drowning himself in it. Pushing his mind and body to their absolute limits had been the only way to silence the gnawing dread that never left him.
Ogashi stayed silent. There was nothing more to say. Iseki placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder, the gesture heavy with quiet understanding.
"Kid," Iseki finally said, "you'll have to wait. That's all we can do. For now."
The words stung, but Kaoru nodded slowly. His eyes, however, still burned with a new, sharper resolve. He exhaled deeply and pushed himself up to his feet.
"Three more months," he declared. His voice was steady now, controlled. "Three more months. Then I'll return to Takimura. Once I'm there, I'll decide what comes next."
Without another word, Kaoru walked toward the wooden dummy standing silently near the far wall. His body moved automatically as he dropped into his stance, fists tightening. The hollow sound of his first strike echoed through the cavern.
He had no intention of wasting even a single breath.
**
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