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Kaito laid flat on the wooden floor, with hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. Kaito exhaled as he pulled himself up, his foot hooked under the edge of his bed for support. Sweat clung to his skin, as his breath came in rapid controlled bursts.
" Sixty-four.... " He grunted.
He lowered himself back down, feeling the familiar burn in his core. His body was awake, but his mind was still shaking off the last remnants of sleep. He stared up at the ceiling for a brief second before forcing himself back up.
" Sixty-five... "
The wooden floor beneath him creaked slightly as he moved, the early morning silence broken only by the sound of his breathing. Training before sunrise had become part of his routine, it was one of the few times he had to himself. Between the Academy, his jobs, and now learning medical ninjutsu from Hitori, free time was a luxury.
" Sixty-six... " He paused for a moment, letting his muscles cool down before lowering himself again. " Sixty-seven... "
His mind drifted back to yesterday's training, learning the Chakra Scalpel jutsu.
Well, kind of.
He hadn't actually pulled it off completely. The best he managed was a smaller version, only forming the chakra around his fingertips instead of shaping a full scalpel. It wasn't what Hitori had demonstrated, but it was progress. The fact that he could even get that much control meant he was on the right track.
Still, it was frustrating. If he could get it to stabilize properly, this jutsu would be insane in a fight. The ability to slice through muscle and tendons with just a touch? That was practically a guaranteed win.
So why didn't more people use it in combat?
He slowed his pace, frowning slightly. Maybe it was hard to pull off mid-fight? Maybe it drained too much chakra? Or—Kaito smirked—maybe Kishimoto just forgot the jutsu even existed.
Wouldn't be the first time.
Shaking his head, he pulled himself up for another rep. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. He was going to make it work.
" Sixty-eight... "
He clenched his teeth and pushed up harder this time. He couldn't afford to slack off. He was already ahead of his class in a lot of ways, but that wasn't enough. Not for what he wanted.The Academy and the real shinobi world were two completely different things.
Kaito might've been ahead of everyone in his class, but out there? That didn't mean much. He lacked the skills that would actually keep him alive on real missions. As much as he wanted to graduate quickly and move on, he knew he had to be patient.
His chakra reserves were about high-level genin—not impressive when jinchūriki's had Hokage-level chakra and beyond. Still, he had to work with what he had. At least his reserves had improved significantly after learning the Mystical Palm Jutsu.
Every time he used the Mystical Palm Jutsu, he felt just a bit stronger, like his chakra pool was expanding little by little. The jutsu drained a ridiculous amount of chakra, but in return, his reserves grew. When he rested and recovered, it was like his body refilled a slightly bigger pool each time.
At least, that's how Kaito saw it.
With one final sit-up, he flopped onto his back, struggling to catch his breath. ' So far, so good. I've got about five jutsu under my belt… well, four, since I haven't fully nailed down the Chakra Scalpel yet. ' He let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through his hair. ' And even then, most of them are just E-rank. Pretty much useless in a fight...except for Mystical Palm jutsu. '
Well, he couldn't exactly complain. At least he knew a few jutsu, even if they were just E-rank. If he was being honest, the only one he had truly gotten down was the Mystical Palm Jutsu, and it was insanely useful.
Kaito sighed, pushing himself up from the floor. He stretched his arms over his head, loosening up for the day ahead. Placing a hand on his stomach, he channeled chakra into his sore muscles, healing the torn fibers from training.
He glanced down at his abs, a small smirk forming. They looked more defined already.
Progress.
After wiping the sweat off his skin, he threw on a fitted black shirt that matched well with his gray pants. Time to get moving.
Kaito let out a sigh as he made his way to the kitchen, pulling open the fridge. Inside, right in the center, was a giant slab of meat.
' Good thing I took the time to hunt. Finally restocked my food supply… ' A satisfied smile crept onto his face. ' Best part? I even made some extra ryo after selling half of the boar meat to the butcher. ' At least for now, he wouldn't have to go to bed hungry.
He sliced off a portion and shut the fridge, then reached up to the cabinet, grabbing a few seasonings. Thanks to the money from the butcher, he had finally been able to afford some decent spices. His food was starting to taste way better.
After finishing up with the seasoning, Kaito set the meat in a basin and placed it back in the fridge to marinate. He gave a satisfied nod before closing the fridge door and rinsing his hands off.
He licked his lips slightly, already wanting that first bite. ' Two months. ' That's how long it had been since he had real flavor in his food.
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already mid-afternoon. Drying his hands, he made his way to the closet, grabbed his bag, and emptied out the weapons inside. Then, he headed to the table, scooped up his books, and packed them instead.
Kaito adjusted the strap on his bag and stepped out of his apartment, making his way toward the library. It had been a month, and it was time to return the books he had borrowed.
Luckily, he had already transferred all the important information into his notebooks, so he didn't need them anymore. And there was no way he was about to waste money on late fees—he barely had enough as it was.
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The walk wasn't long. His apartment was fairly close to the library, so he made it there in no time.But just as he reached the familiar building, he slowed to a stop.
A large poster was taped up in the window.
Frowning, Kaito stepped closer, eyes scanning the words.
' A writing contest...? ' His brow arched as he kept reading. ' Reward...? '
From what he could tell, it was a competition where people submitted drafts of books over a period of time. The best one would win 700,000 ryo and a chance to have their work published for the world to see.
That kind of money… That was more than he made in months of working.
Kaito tilted his head as he reread the poster. He wasn't a writer. Hell, he didn't even know how to start. But that prize money…
Five months of rent, paid. And he'd still have enough left over for supplies—maybe even a few things he actually wanted instead of just what he needed.
That alone made it worth considering.
With a shrug, he turned away and stepped inside the library, weaving through the aisles toward the front desk.
As always, the older woman sat behind the counter, absorbed in a book. Her long black hair had a few more streaks of gray since last month, and the faint wrinkles lining her face seemed just a bit deeper. A simple blouse hung loosely on her frame, and a pair of glasses perched on her nose as she flipped a page.
"Ahem…" Kaito cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
The woman glanced up from her book, her expression briefly surprised before she raised a brow.
"Oh, it's you… Came to return your books?" she asked, adjusting her glasses.
Kaito gave a small nod, reaching into his bag and placing the books onto the counter. She picked them up, flipping through each one to check for damage. They were still in pristine condition.
"Hmm, alright… But," she said, looking up, "you're two days late returning them. Why is that?" Her gaze narrowed slightly, waiting for an answer.
' Oh… I forgot. It was due at the start of the month, ' Kaito sighed inwardly. It looked like he might have to pay the fees after all. "Well, I had school, and our teacher dumped a ton of homework on us. Didn't really have time to return them," he said, frowning slightly.
The woman stayed quiet, just staring at him. For a moment, he thought she'd press the issue, but then she sighed. "It's fine… It's not like it was an entire month late. I'll let you off this time," she said, grabbing the stack of books and tucking them under the desk.
"So, you planning on checking out any new books?" she asked, settling back into her seat.
Kaito shook his head. Aside from the ones he just returned, the rest of the library's collection was useless to him. "No, ma'am… But I do have a question about the poster on the window."
The woman raised a brow. "The writathon? …Are you saying you plan on joining?" Her tone was skeptical.
Kaito nodded. "Yeah..."
The woman stayed quiet for a moment, just looking at him before sighing and shaking her head. "Honestly, kid, you keep surprising me every time I see you. Kids your age are usually picking their noses or messing around... but you, you're different," she said, almost amused.
Well, it wasn't like Kaito was actually a kid. He was a grown man stuffed inside a little boy, without much say in the matter. So, for now, he was just stuck playing the part.
"I don't know what to say to that... thank you." Kaito gave a subtle smile and bowed slightly out of "respect".
The woman leaned back in her chair with another sigh. "Do you even know how to write a book?" she asked.
"Yeah... it's pretty easy," Kaito said confidently, despite having no clue what he was doing.
She raised a brow but didn't push. "Well, if you say so..." She paused, then continued, "All you have to do is write a short story—fairly long but still short enough—and hand it over to me. We'll read all the submissions and pick a winner from there."
Kaito shrugged, it seemed simple enough, " Alright, I can do that.. "
She nodded, " Good, you have around two months before you can't submit any stories anymore... "
'Yeah, I can make something in about two months. We're good.' Kaito nodded to himself. "Alright, thank you, ma'am. Have a good day," he said.
The woman gave a subtle nod before returning to her book.
With that, Kaito turned and left the library, backpack slung over his shoulder, hands stuffed into his pockets. He headed home, planning to squeeze in some chakra control training—and maybe start drafting his book.
'I mean... I don't have to come up with something completely new. Since I'm in another world, I could just plagiarize stories and pass them off as my own. Maybe something like Batman—but a shinobi version of that…'
He mulled it over, weaving through Konoha's streets on his way home.
' Maybe... ' Kaito mused, rubbing his chin as he turned down the alley leading to his street.
"DIE, YOU FUCKING BIRD!!"
A voice rang out from up ahead.
Kaito's steps slowed. He tilted his head and peered into the alley.
Three older kids stood there, laughing, hurling stones at something on the ground. A black bird. Blood smeared across its feathers, one wing bent at an unnatural angle.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
'...Tch.'
Without thinking, he stepped forward.
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