[Satou Claire's POV]
Well, I guess I ended up attracting plenty of attention anyway.
It should be good though. If Hiruzen notices the latent potential in me, he'll likely do everything in his power to protect me from Danzo, and groom me into a future trump card for the village. If I'm correct, I believe the 4th Hokage was actually an orphan? Just like me, and he was obviously talented. I assume he's been watched and groomed from the beginning, as he had no real ties nor family.
...Of course, that doesn't guarantee that I'll actually receive that kind of backing, in spite of my recent achievement.
That said, a 'healthy body' feels like an actual cheat. Elyxia said it was but a minor advantage, but then again, what would an actual advantage be? A system? Every single one of her words are doubtful. Perhaps she's trying to trick me in some way or form for her benefit, given her demeanor.
Or she wants me to think that for whatever reason. Either way, I didn't know chakra needed to be unlocked in order to unlock the full potential of one's development! That means one of my gift's main perks include having a body that is constantly at the epitome of what the body could naturally achieve
That leads me to another theory: if a 'healthy body' implies being at peak physical condition, then does it also imply having stronger immune system? That'd mean I would be able to adapt quicker to toxic substances and deadly poisons. It would be helpful for people like... like...
Who's that red-haired guy called again? Damn it, I still can't remember everything. Something about puppets and poison... forget it. All I know is that he's someone important in the future.
On the bright side, my chakra is finally available to me. This implies that I can now make proper use of it, train my control, access several branches of jutsu, and my growth will likely speed up greatly.
It was honestly really smooth when they had us unlock our chakra. They taught us how to enter a 'meditative' state, which even I struggled with, in part. Around ten minutes or so, and almost half an hour for the other children who didn't have theirs unlocked just yet.
They instructed me to focus and 'feel' the core. Figure out which way it was naturally spinning to, then swirl it with pressure that way, latching onto that pulse until you felt something just... open.
A mix between a cold yet scalding flow surged through every inch of my body. It was eye-opening how something so simple that took such little time, could do such wonders.
I'm not sure how much I have, though. I currently have no way to compare my reserves to set a baseline, so I'll have to make do with feeling alone.
Just hope that I don't end up having a pool lower than Sakura's. That would seriously suck!
Either way, I should probably plan on what to focus on now.
But first...
"Ne, Claire, how do you feel now? Having your chakra unlocked feels good, right?"
"I feel pretty darn good if I do say so myself, heh."
Currently, I, Yokka, Ren and the others were being taken back to the orphanage for a meeting. Maybe it was to celebrate us passing the exams and actually getting into the academy?
"...I still don't know why you didn't tell us sooner," Ren said with a sigh, slightly slumping. "It's kind of demoralizing how you were still ahead of us despite that."
"Sorry about that," I sheepishly said, shamelessly looking away. "I thought it was normal. To be honest, I was giving it my all from the very beginning."
I really was. Each day we trained, I pushed myself until there was no longer any feeling in my limbs, be it my arms or legs.
"Guess so~," Yokka singsonged, her eyes half-closed as we walked. "But now that we are in, I don't want to wait any longer. I wanna learn Fire Release as soon as possible! Have you seen how those Uchiwa guys do the fireball thing?! It's so cool!"
"Uchiha."
"Whatever, same thing!"
The matron looked back at us with a faint smile, probably enjoying our banter.
It lasted for ever so longer than usual. Almost bittersweet, as if she was holding back words she didn't want to say just yet.
Then, we stopped at our destination.
"We are here."
...The entrance to the orphanage. Albeit, she wasn't making us enter yet, for whatever reason.
Then, she turned to the seven of us. I could swear actual tears were forming, the way her eyes were glistening.
"...I'm so, so proud of you all," she continued, her voice cracking for the first time in what feels like years. "It happens so often, but every time, I can't help but feel the exact same thing whenever it's time for my children to step into the outside world. You've all done so well, and grown so much."
...What? I get she's proud, but the outside world? What could she mean?
We stood in respectful silence. Then, after a soft sigh, she pressed on.
"You've all made great efforts during the past months, and it all finally paid off. Especially you, Claire," she looked at me in specific. "I've never seen work ethic in a child quite like yours. And all of that without even telling me about your problem, though I knew about it... you're definitely going to be a little monster in the future, aren't you?"
"...Thanks?" I blinked, caught off guard by her remark. I guess I'll take it as a compliment?
"I don't mean it in a bad way. You're definitely a talent, comparable to..." she paused mid-sentence, before shaking her head. "Nevermind. All I know, is that you'll get far. If there's one last piece of advice I can really give you children before you're let go—
Don't let anyone find out anything about you. This goes double for you, Claire."
The way she said that sent a shiver down my spine. I nodded seriously, knowing what she was implying.
...I hope I made the right decision when making my first 'debut'.
"We'll all go in to eat something, and in the mean time, I will explain everything you will need to know. Because, from this point on, is where your independence will start developing."
Okay, I do not have a good feeling about this. Talking about letting us go, independence, those warnings—somehow I know that's not leading to anything good.
Oh well.
///
I laid down in bed next to Yokka in the girls' room, staring blankly at the ceiling, completely in disbelief.
Holy.
Crap.
Our meal was good tonight since we did have to celebrate and I ate plenty, but holy crap. Being told that I'd have to live on my own, starting next week?!
That was NOT on my bucket list. On firsthand, I'd have to do everything myself—maintenance, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning... What's next, you gonna have me fill out my own taxes?!
I'm not exactly complaining about going grocery shopping, since we did accompany the matron from time to time. The question is with what money, motherfucker?!
She explained that the academy provides a special stipend to children with no clan backing or family legacy—in other words, orphans like me. Kind of like how colleges provide dorms, only this time, it's an apartment system with enough allowance to scrape by. Dunno exactly how much Ryo it is, so I'm really not sure.
Luckily, someone will manage the documented stuff for us, since we're not expected to know jack about paperwork at this age. Rent, utilities, academy fees—all of that is apparently handled? She warned us that we'd have to start doing it past the age of 12 or once we graduate though, which I'm not looking forward to.
Good lord.
There are definitely some silver linings, though.
For starters, I'll have much more needed privacy. This means no one will go snooping through my belongings or notes, and more importantly, I'll be able to train certain exercises in secrecy. Unless, y'know, a ROOT agent decides to invade the apartment without my knowledge. That would be fun.
And also, silence.
Sweet, sweet silence.
I'm used to there being constant noise during the whole day, but part of me adored the rare times where there was, well, the closest thing to silence you could get in such a crowded place.
So, that's another one of the good things about living by your lonesome!
...
Yeah, no. That's definitely just me coping.
Being alone is not something I'm used to, neither in this life or the one before. Especially since technology is not advanced enough for quick communication.
Maybe it's time to change that? It's not like I won't be able to see Yokka or Ren, anyway. They'll probably be going to the same class as me at the academy.
Probably.
I sighed in defeat.
What a day to be alive, huh?
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