CH_8.18 (283)

CH_8.18 (283)

Maruboshi and Takuma fought a few more times before his master was ready to share his thoughts.

"You're too aggressive," he began. "I understand you want to be in control, but your tendencies are reckless. I had several opportunities during our spars to grievously injure you. Decrease that inclination to push and push to overwhelm the opponent."

Takuma shook his head. "I don’t think I can do that—my aggression makes me effective. I understand that I'm putting myself at risk, but it's just the way I fight. I can't be afraid to trade damage or I'll lose."

He had brought himself up in the Ring, which was part of the reason behind his style. The way he fought as Scars was the only way that ever brought him any success and it was difficult to ditch those habits.

"You don't have to fight that way," Maruboshi countered, utterly unconvinced. "You have the tools; you just need to learn how to use them properly. Work with me, and we can adjust how you fight while maintaining an aggressive combat style without reckless decisions that could lead to your death."

Takuma sighed because he had tried to fight more conservatively before but had failed. That said, he had asked Maruboshi to train him, so he was going to follow his directions.

"Moving on, I'm impressed with how you use your weapons, Takuma. The combination of ninjutsu and the variation of the chakra augmentation was excellent. I'll wholeheartedly suggest that you increase the use of genjutsu in combat. Lean into it, even; people tend to use only one delivery method, but Uchiha Mikoto has trained you to target all five senses."

Now that he was back home, he could invest, explore, and research ways to expand his genjutsu repertoire and seamlessly add it to his combat style. He wanted to take it slow because adjusting his combat style was one thing, but adding a new major element to it needed to be done with care, as he could end up being weaker than before if he made the wrong decisions.

"By the end of the week, I promise you'll see promise in the changes I suggest," said Maruboshi confidently.

"Okay."

"But we'll need help."

"What do you need?" asked Takuma, thinking Maruboshi was going to ask for equipment.

"You'll need different sparring partners."

———

.

The Uchiha compound was a section of the village reserved for the Uchiha Clan. It was relatively new, only created a little under a decade ago after the Nine-Tails' incident, which resulted in countless deaths, including that of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

For those in the know, the history of the compound was clear.

The Uchiha clan was relocated to the compound along the village's outskirts on the pretext that it was a necessary step in the Hidden Leaf's reconstruction. In truth, many in the village were convinced that the Nine-Tails' attack was the first manifestation of the Uchiha's long-simmering dissatisfaction, and they needed to put the entire clan together to monitor them and prevent any additional attacks.

However, in doing so, they had given the Uchiha clan near complete control over the compound. Nothing changed in the compound without the clan's permission, and any attempts to alter it were thoroughly rebuffed. Their compound was a fortified area that belonged to them and only them.

A year ago, Takuma frequented the place five times a week for his genjutsu lessons. His return to the compound brought up various complex feelings. From the day he had found himself in the world, he had believed that Uchiha were the walking dead and would perish just like he had read. He had even staked his career progression in the Police Force on the clan’s extermination.

Takuma rang the bell on a beautiful traditional home and waited at the gate.

But that changed on the day he left the village for the Steam-Frost war.

The door opened, and a beautiful middle-aged woman with long black hair, bangs on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks stepped out. She dressed like a housewife, yet the woman was behind everything he knew about genjutsu.

"Look at you," she smiled with warm, dark eyes, "haven't you grown a lot."

Uchiha Mikoto was the reason he sent a letter that changed the course of the future and possibly damaged his biggest advantage. He didn't want the woman before him to die, so he took a step that had kept him awake at night for a week and still visited him from time to time. However, as he gazed at her, Takuma felt the letter was worth it.

"It's been too long," said Takuma.

"It has been. Come in so we can catch up," Mikoto smiled.

They settled in the same room where they conducted the genjutsu lessons, and Mikoto served tea and snacks as always. The genjutsu lessons were a time of peace during his stressful days at the Narcotics Taskforce when he was struggling to keep his position as the leader and he hadn't found a replacement for it while he was in the Land of Hot Water.

Just being back in the room relaxed him.

Takuma nodded. He picked up his teacup, drained the delicious tea, and was about to ask for another cup when he noticed Mikoto staring at him.

"What is it?"

"I will get my annual promotion slot in four months... Do you want me to promote you, Takuma?"

Mikoto was a jonin and all jonin got to promote one shinobi to the rank of chunin every year. Takuma was surprised because he didn't think a jonin—let alone the lady of the Uchiha clan—would offer such a precious commodity to an outsider.

It wasn't something that could be given to him just because they were close.

"What's the catch?" asked Takuma carefully.

A satisfied smile appeared on Mikoto's face, as though she was testing him. She refilled their cups and made Takuma wait for her reply.

"You stay in the Police Force," she replied as she picked up her teacup.

"Of course," he said—that made sense—but that couldn't be all. “What else?”

She leisurely took a sip of her tea before continuing. "And you become a shinobi affiliated with the Uchiha. Do you know what that means?"

Takuma paused for a moment before nodding.

Masaaki was a shinobi affiliated with the Akimichi Clan. The clan sponsored his growth as a shinobi, and in exchange, he was basically employed under them. They funded his training, provided him with jutsu, set him up with good missions to boost his resume.

Not to mention the reputation of someone affiliated with a prominent clan. In return, any time the clan required his help, he would provide it. It was a give-and-take relationship, but the power dynamic was heavily skewed in the clan's favour. In a hypothetical worst-case scenario, they could ask Masaaki to do something he disagreed with, but he would have to follow their orders because he was burdened by the substantial support they had given him.

Of course, not all relationships were like that, and Masaaki seemed like he was part of the family with the Akimichi clan. The benefit was too big for anyone to discount and getting the backing of any clan could change one’s life overnight.

Getting the support of the Uchiha Clan would be life-changing.

Takuma folded his arms. "That's a big commitment."

"And it will come with a lot of benefits," said Mikoto. "It won't end with just a rank promotion. The clan will sponsor your needs, use our connections for your benefit, and pave an easier path for you to progress in your career. You know what? Stay in the Police Force for a few years until the external hiring stabilises and then, if you wish to leave, you can pursue any field you desire—I promise you that.”

“Really?” Takuma asked.

She nodded with an ever-growing smile. "Because I'm the one bringing you in, I get to set the rules. I'll guarantee you ample freedom. However, you’ll have to support the Uchiha clan when we call upon you."

"I'll need to think about it," said Takuma, truly not knowing what to think of her offer.

The affiliation would be a lifelong commitment, and the only way to get out would be to burn bridges and make enemies with the most prominent clan in the village, ruining his relationship with Mikoto—something he abhorred even thinking about.

"Take your time. I'll keep this to myself until you make a decision," said Mikoto calmly. "But Takuma, please don't think you must accept just because I'm offering or that rejection will offend me. Think about what's best for you and make an informed decision—our relationship remains the same regardless, alright?"

Takuma could only nod in response. Until a few days ago, he thought that he would need to participate in the Chunin Exam to get a rank promotion, but now he had three potential ways he could achieve said promotion.

He should have been happy, but the recent events only left him confused.

But for now, he focused on his company. Takuma took another sip of his tea before raising his cup to Mikoto.

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