Chương 328: CH_9.13 (328)

None of the recruits passed all their tests at the ANBU's recommended levels. Everyone had either failed or attempted at a level lower than the recommended. Takuma was no different. He passed 10% of his mandatory criteria at levels above the ANBU recommendation, 70% at the recommended level, and the remaining 20% below the recommended level. However, since he had agreed to exit training in six weeks, Takuma decided not to shore up his lacking skills.

While Tapir and Ant told the recruits that not everyone relied on the criteria test results, this was a difficult decision for him. Takuma carried a resume of his skills with him and wanted to build an internal ANBU version of the document. The only reason he was satisfied with leaving after six weeks was because he had a ton of additional, optional skills to make up for it. Amami and Utamatsu had similar ideas.

Amami took her tests at the recommended difficulty level and then applied for retesting her failures at a lower difficulty level, which she passed. Utamatsu took one chakra theory course because he had already enrolled in it before switching to the Amami's strategy. Both of them were planning to leave training after four weeks. The remaining guys all enrolled in courses to bring up their levels to the recommendation. However, Takuma did opt for an additional course eligible for training.

He figured it would be a bad look if his potential team learned that he spent six weeks in training without taking a single course when testing was all done early. He needed a reason to stay in training for six weeks, so he chose a new skill he hadn't learned before. During the third week of training, he faced an ANBU-nin no taller than 5 feet 5 inches. He was dressed in the standard black-and-grey Leaf ANBU tactical gear and had a sword strapped to his back.

Takuma had experienced what jōnin felt like when they didn't hide their presence; the man's presence was nowhere that of a jōnin, but it felt just as imposing. He walked up to Takuma wearing a 'duck' mask with khaki-coloured patterns.

"Greetings, Takuma. My codename is Campbell. I will be introducing you to kenjutsu." ———. It all started when Takuma was trying to figure out which skill course to pursue.

"What seems to be the issue?" Maruboshi asked as he sat opposite him under the warm kotatsu with a cup of steaming tea. Takuma glanced at his teacher and landlord and was reminded that Maruboshi used a prosthetic for his lost left leg. He owned two models: home and tactical. The tactical model was made for combat and had a hidden blade concealed within that he used to strike with deadly precision. He had never used it against Takuma, who was never a challenge enough to warrant it.

He also used a tantō, a short blade, as his primary weapon of choice and was well-versed in the sword arts.

"Do you think I should learn kenjutsu?" Maruboshi raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you weren't interested." They had previously discussed him learning a weapon, but the conversation happened when he was rapidly climbing the ranks in the Ring and was obsessively focused on improving his taijutsu and refining his fledgling chakra augmentation, which had brought him his success. Back then, he had no time or desire to learn a weapon.

"I am still not sure," said Takuma, gazing at his hand as he clenched his fist.

"My combat style revolves around my taijutsu and my chakra augmentation is my greatest weapon. I won't be able to use it as well if I am holding a sword—or be able to grab someone when they get too close. I use kunai, but it's not like I can throw a sword at my opponents... It just doesn't feel like a sword matches my style. It honestly feels like I would be abandoning everything I've built till now, and I know—I know that I'm trying to change my combat style, but I don't want to dump my foundation."

He wondered if he was resisting the idea because he had gotten comfortable and didn't want to face such abrupt change because it meant heading into the unknown. However, after thinking about it, he didn't believe he was averse to change. If abandoning his style and rebuilding it around kenjutsu was the right choice, he would've gone full steam ahead.

"I think you're misunderstanding something, Takuma." Maruboshi set his cup down.

"Learning kenjutsu doesn't mean abandoning your current style. Does learning genjutsu mean you're abandoning ninjutsu?" Takuma frowned.

"No, why would I? They are two different things that serve different purposes."

"Learning kenjutsu doesn't mean you stop training your taijutsu or stop using it in combat. I draw my tantō when I think it will give me an advantage over my opponent, but if I judge taijutsu to be the better option for the situation, my sword will rest until I have a use for it." In Maruboshi's words, if using a weapon was superior to bare-handed taijutsu, then every shinobi would be learning a weapon. But it wasn't true, and taijutsu, like everything else, had its strengths and weaknesses.

The real skill was recognising those strengths and weaknesses to determine which to use.

"You're still unsure," Maruboshi commented. Takuma nodded.

"I have to fix my style, learn new ninjutsu, progress with my genjutsu training, fix the energy imbalance, get better at what I already know, learn new skills, and start a new job soon... there's so much to do; I don't know if it's the right time to pick up kenjutsu." He sighed. There was already too much on his plate, and it felt like the mountain of things to do would topple if he kept on adding more. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"I have to agree with you there. Sometimes, doing less is doing more. However, I believe learning a weapon, it doesn't have to be the sword, can be helpful to the current you."

"How so?"

"Kenjutsu and taijutsu are different skills. You want to change your combat style. Learning something new, which is so different from what you currently know, will force you into a direction you've never ventured into. The new discoveries may inspire you in positive ways precisely because they're so different. Your kenjutsu might benefit and influence your taijutsu, and the same will happen the other way around." It was akin to bringing a fresh perspective.

Takuma's taijutsu had become stale after not developing beyond the Ring and learning to use a weapon would bring in a direction to revitalise his stagnating progress.

"Please… help me," Takuma said as he bowed his head.

"You don't have to ask. However, let's not spar as much. These old bones are not what they used to be," Maruboshi smiled. Takuma smiled as he gazed down at his calloused hands. His fingers felt weak for a moment, but he clenched into a fist to regain strength before they could tremble. There was no time to get overwhelmed. ———. Takuma quickly enrolled himself in a kenjutsu course and received a teacher in three days.

Because he was the only one among the recruits taking the course, it was to be a one-on-one tutelage—a boon, in his opinion.

"Do you have any prior experience with swords?" Campbell asked, looking Takuma over. His voice was flat but strong, and he sounded like he didn't care for whatever the answer would be.

"None," said Takuma before adding: "Well, I did use a sword to behead a man once." He killed one of Kon's lackeys with a sword but didn't remember much of the fight; his memories were all a blurry mess. Campbell tilted his head and had a pause for a moment.

"... I see? Okay, well, let's make something clear. These lessons will not make you a beginner, much less a master. Bar a few of them, most of these training courses are supposed to be gateways. I'll introduce you to the fundamentals, and then it's up to you to how much you practice them. Finally, I'll be straight with you: unless you're a born prodigy, you will not be skilled enough to pass the lowest difficulty—so, if you're in this to earn a skill to put on your record, quit now and save us both some time.

I will sort it out with Tapir, and you can choose some easy stuff."

"Do you not want to teach me?" asked Takuma.

"No, I don't want to waste my time. If you want to learn, I will teach you to the best of my ability."

"Then I want to learn."

"Great." Campbell delivered the response with all the enthusiasm of a deflated balloon.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"How long would it take for me to reach combat viability?" Knowing the moves wasn't enough. He could learn the correct stance and train in the proper technique, but it was less than worthless if he couldn't defend himself or kill someone in a fight.

"That, once again, depends on your knack for the sword and how much effort you put in sparring and learning the techniques." Campbell tossed one wooden sword to Takuma and brandished the other.

"Effort isn't all it's cracked up to be, but it won't disappoint. So, familiarise yourself with that sword because that will be in your life for a long while." The wooden sword was uncomfortable in his hand; it was so different from kunai. For someone who fought barehanded, the weight distribution was wildly unfamiliar. Takuma couldn't imagine how long it would take for the sword to become an extension of himself. ———.

In an unidentified location in the Land of Fire, the ROOT agent codenamed Kon, knelt on his knees. One of his sleeves was half-empty from getting his arm hacked away at the elbow a few months back during a mission.

"You don't look well, Kon." Kon pursed his lips. He had lost weight, a significant portion of it in muscle, and was much frailer than before. Maintaining their physique was drilled into ROOT agents's bones, and they were punished if they failed to pass their physicals. However, since Kon had lost his arm, he had let himself go and didn't look like a ROOT agent from any angle.

"M-My apologies, master," Kon lowered his head.

"What do you want to see me about?" asked Shimura Danzo, the founder of the organisation known as ROOT, formerly part of the Hidden Leaf. He was the Shimura clan's leader, the Second Hokage's student, one of the prime candidates for the Third Hokage, and an esteemed jōnin and elder feared by everyone. Kon swallowed, his mouth dry from nervousness. It was his first time doing something like this; a few months ago, he wouldn't have even dreamed about it, much less daring to think about it.

"Do not waste my time," Danzo warned. His narrow eyes bore down on him as if analysing his existence and considering his worth. There were two ROOT agents in the room, and a twitch of his finger would be enough to end Kon's life.

"M-My arm, master," Kon trembled, and so did his words.

"Yes, you lost your arm... Genin Takuma, was it? The one who took away your arm. That boy, whose voice has barely cracked, handed you one defeat after another. So many of our plans failed. I'm not pleased, to say the least." The more Danzo spoke, the more Kon trembled in fear, every orifice of his body pouring sweat. ROOT-nin didn't demand anything from their leader; they were supposed to be happy and content to have the life and purpose they were given.

Danzo continued, "Your arm is gone, so I assume you want to substitute it with one of our experiments?" Kon remained silent. His real arm was gone, crushed into a pulp. There existed development projects in the field of iryōjutsu that could help him recover an arm. He didn't know what specific procedure would work for his specific case, but seeing that he had been once heavily involved in managing many such developmental projects, he had some preferences.

As long as he could get the approval, he could pull some threads to ensure things went his way. The process would be difficult and with no guarantee of success, but he would take it as long as he had a chance.

"Very well. Despite your mistakes, you have served the foundation well, and I wish to reward you for your loyalty and dedication," said Danzo. Kon's heart swelled. Getting his arm was the first step to returning to his previous status and taking back everything stolen from him. And once he had the power and influence to move, he would take his revenge.

"But you must prove that you remain worthy because your failures don't inspire the investment during these... turbulent times," said Danzo. After their ex-communication from the Hidden Leaf, the ROOT lost their funding and now had to survive as an independent organisation, which required huge, sweeping changes. They had to attain stability as soon as possible to secure their safety and achieve their new purpose.

"You must prove your worthiness. Here, take this," Danzo held up a mission file. Kon received the file before kneeling again. He read the contents, only to be shocked to find that it was a type of mission given to trainees early in their training—something a kid could do in his sleep. Asking him to do such a mission was a slap in the face.

"Master, this..."

"You will start from the bottom and climb your way back up. Show me that you're still dedicated to our cause. When I see you that you still possess the drive you did back then, you will get your arm back, and that will be the day you will rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Until then, prove to me that you are one, son." The words made Kon's feel like he could soar through the sky.

Danzo had never spoken to him like that, nor had he heard him speaking to others like this; the encouragement and warmth in his words made Kon realise how much he must believe in him. All of the pain and suffering he had experienced till now was just for this moment. He wanted to be called ' son' again. Blood roared in his ears.

"I will not disappoint!" Not only would Kon return to his peak, he would also recover everything the ROOT had lost because of him. He would show that he was the most loyal, and to prove that, he requiredTakuma's head to complete not only his revenge but to send a signal. To prove even though ROOT had changed their home, they were just as strong.