Chapter 42 - A conversation in the night.

Giving back the scrolls with the bodies to the head monk I stayed the night, first in case my hunch about Hidan was a ruse, and second because the night sky is beautiful today.

I was observing the night sky while enjoying a cup of sake, seeing the light of the moon illuminating a beautiful landscape composed of yellow trees creating a beautiful contrast with the night sky filled with stars, truly a fresh and clean world. You can't even compare this with my previous life everywhere you look was concrete huge skyscr.a.p.ers or something, but here nature has a bigger presence making little moments like these memorable.

While I was immersed in my thoughts the head monk cames and sits at my side, we stayed in silence for some time until the monk asks me a question:

''How do you feel being a ninja?'', said the monk looking at the star-filled night sky with an unreadable expression. not thinking much about it responded '' It is magnificent, just being able to Jump so hight, walk on walls, or even alter the landscape due to my whim,s it is a wonderful sensation something that I always dreamed about''.

Silence returned the monk remained calm, contemplating my words, after some time he asks me ''But with all this power, has it changed you?no no.... how much has it changed you?'', I let out a contemplative *sigh* and after some time answered ''How much?... I don't know. Before everything I lived in mediocrity, anything you could find about me was average and sometimes even below that, my reality disappointing, mundane. But one day I was offered an opportunity, something I only could dream about, and I took it, even enduring unimaginable pain, never would I imagined I was capable enough to handle that, till this day I am surprised with myself being able to go through it.''

The monk still looking at the night sky smiles at me and says: ''Humans are really wonderful creatures, sometimes just tripping down the street and hitting your head could kill you. other times not even 28 stab wounds will be able to claim your life'', ''You are right, humans are indeed incredible, the wounds I've seen some people survive during the war... even with something like chakra it would've been impossible, but sometimes a miracle plus a good medic can make a huge difference''.

Using a seal I summon another cup and offer some sake to the monk which he readily accepts, we continued having some small talk until I decided to ask something that's been on my mind for some time ''Head monk, there is a thing that's been bugging me for some time, it is related with the change you asked me prior, since I have been becoming more and more powerful my mentality has been slowly changing I've been more and more inclined to use force to solve problems that require just some patience, my first thoughts are always about using my power in some shape or form, it is like I think power first, reason second. A day it really scared me, I was having some trouble getting an old type of armor due to some random law the daimyo has, my first thought was 'how annoying I should just do whatever I want and if he tries to stop me I could always substitute him with a hanged clone, I can do a better job than him anyway' do you know how scary that thought process is, my first option was to kill a seemly innocent man and take his position arrogantly thinking I could do better. it really frightens me''.

A silence permeated the ambient, but not bothered by my thought the monk spoke '' For your problem, I will repeat something my master, the previous head monk, said to me 'if you define yourself by the power to take life, the desire to possess, to dominate then you have nothing.'. In my youth, you could say I was extremely talented everything was easy, so I swiftly rose in strength and arrogance my thought process became something very similar to yours I was thinking i could change the world do this and do that until my master seeing my predicament talked to me and said that phrase if you define your life just by those things the life you worked so hard in became really empty, principally when you reach the peak''.

This made me contemplate a lot what he says makes a lot of sense but before I asked any more questions the monk added ''But don't mistake this as an excuse to weakness, there is a lot of evil in the world that needs strength to deal with it, sometimes the power approach is the correct one what is asked of you is to not lose yourself in it, basically just don't go overboard''.

''Well as we are talking i may or may not have seen the secret mural in the secret chamber containing a secret technique of yours'', hearing me the monk just laughs, his laughter continued for a long time until he sees the confusion on my face so he decided to explain ''That is not a problem, that technique is open to anyone who wants to see it, you just have to ask'' seeing the surprised expression the monks give me a snicker and says ''The technique is on a secret chamber just to avoid the mural destruction, and about learning it every monk here knows it, but that technique needs a lot of effort and a Buddha-like mind so currently only me can use it right now''.

''You ninja always thinks of stealing first, talking later. Sometimes all you have to do is ask''.