Chapter 40: Second Kazekage

Both Hoka and Mieko had arrived in the library sometime after Fujin. Unlike Fujin, they had guidance from their ninja parents. As they were talented enough, they were also guided by their respective clan elders. So they hadn't visited the village's library before as all their jutsus were directly taught to them. However, this time, respecting Renjiro's wishes, the elders allowed these kids to go and research in the village library. Of course, they would discuss Mieko and Hoka's plans with them before they talk to Renjiro.

Hoka was reading the scroll on Body Flicker jutsu in section D. He thought, 'Sigh, the library is full of Ninjutsu. I tried reading scrolls on Taijutsu, but they suck! Nothing comes close to our Gentle Fist style. Sigh, I don't wanna waste my time on Ninjutsu. I'll just tell sensei that I will learn Body Flicker jutsu. It was very cool when Fujin just blitzed everywhere. Also, if my enemy knows this jutsu, I won't be able to even touch him. Though father would probably still yell on me. Can't they get that I want to focus only on Taijutsu?'

Mieko, on the other hand, had directly arrived in section C and began looking for more Fire release jutsus. She thought, 'Why did my father make me search through jutsus here? Couldn't they just teach me stronger jutsus?' However, while searching, she found something that surprised her. She thought, 'Fire Release : Four? Why is this jutsu in section C? Shouldn't it be a rank B jutsu and Fire Release : Five jutsu be a rank A jutsu?' She took the scroll and began reading it. On reading it, she was very satisfied, she thought 'Finally! This jutsu finally has some power behind it.' The Fire Release : Four jutsu was similar to Fire Release : Two jutsu. Point 2 fingers and release a heat ray. However, in this stage the power was much higher. It was comparable to using a very hot kunai. Mieko thought, 'With this, I could compete with Hoka and Fujin in close combat. Getting hit by this will be very painful and it'll be very hard to dodge in close range. Though I don't like to admit it, both of them are much stronger than me physically. And Hoka's Gentle Fist style is difficult to counter despite having Sharingan. With this jutsu, I could become as strong as them in close combat and I am already superior to them in ranged combat.' She then looked for other jutsus. And decided to learn Flame sphere jutsu and Fireproof jutsu thinking, 'I don't have any defensive jutsus. So these might be a bit useful.'

Still, the First Great Ninja War was so brutal. At the end of the war, every village had to elect their 3rd Kage. Only Tobirama and the 2nd Raikage were alive, but they were killed during the peace talks when the Gold & Silver brothers revolted. Probably that's why the next wars weren't that intense. No Kage died in the Second Great Ninja War and the 3rd Raikage was the only Kage to die in the 3rd Great Ninja War. I guess they did learn some form of constraint. Makes me wonder if the first war is the reason why Hiruzen talks so much about peace and why Onoki chose to just watch and be known as the fence-sitter instead of being more proactive.'

On validating the potential of the jutsus, Fujin decided to read one scroll up entirely to understand how the jutsu should be learnt. After analysing, he decided 'I'll start with Faithful Wind Blade jutsu. It should assist in my Samurai Saber Techniques training with Renjiro. Though, I'll need to confirm it with him first.'

Mieko and Hoka had already left the library when Fujin was searching for information on the Kazekages. When Hoka reached home, his father asked, "So what have you decided to learn?" Hoka put up a very serious face, and said, "Father, I have decided to learn Body Flicker jutsu." And then he paused. His father kept waiting to hear his son's further plans, but Hoka didn't speak. He asked, "And?" Hoka showed a confused expression and asked, "And what?" He impatiently asked, "What will you learn in addition to Body Flicker jutsu?" Hoka again put up a very serious face and said, "I'll learn more Taijutsu." This statement finally broke his father's stoic expression, and got Hoka, a punch right on his head. He then dragged his son to his clan's library to pick out more jutsus for him.

A similar scenario took place at Mieko's home. Her parents were happy with her choice to learn Fire Release : Four jutsu. But for the rest, her mother told her, "Those 2 jutsus don't provide much defense. Flame sphere will at best help you defend against 1 attack, and Fireproof jutsus will only make you immune to Fire Release jutsus. Actually, Fire element doesn't provide a good defense. Why don't you learn Earth or Water Release jutsus for defense?" Mieko thought about what her parents said and agreed. She said, "Alright, but I also want to learn Flame Sphere and Fireproof." Knowing their daughter's talent, her parents agreed. They then went to the Uchiha library to pick more jutsus.