Teaching (Part 2)

Seeing that Hotaru had practiced the hand seals well enough, Sōji gave a slight nod and said, "Alright. Next is chakra control."

At his words, Hotaru froze, then slowly lowered her head and unconsciously touched the back of her neck, where Rage Hair Heaven was sealed.

"I... I don't know how to use it..." Her little face scrunched up in dejection.

Sōji saw her hesitation, and his tone softened unusually.

"Don't worry. The Tsuchigumo Clan's sealing technique is reliable, and with me here, there won't be a problem."

"Do as I say. I'll teach you how to extract chakra."

Sōji gently placed a hand on Hotaru's head and said calmly, "Close your eyes. Feel that warmth. It's flowing, circulating, like water."

At his words, Hotaru closed her eyes.

The wind swept across the Gobi, stirring up fine sand that rustled against their robes.

Sōji watched her. Through the Six Eyes, the chakra pathways within Hotaru's body were clearly visible—thin and faint, like newly sprouted seedlings.

But they truly existed, slowly flowing through her pathways and circulating around the complex sealing formula on her back.

"Can you feel it?"

"A... a little..." Hotaru frowned. "It's like... like there's a warm current moving inside my body..."

"That's chakra. Now try to make it move. Follow the order of the hand seals and send it where it needs to go."

Hotaru pressed her lips together. Fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead as chakra began to move within her body.

It was very slow, very clumsy, like a child who had just learned to walk, stumbling forward step by step.

Sōji did not rush her.

He had seen Shizune teach people, and he had seen Tsunade do the same. He knew teaching was not something that could be hurried.

Second by second, time passed. At last, a faint blue glow lit up on Hotaru's hand, so pale it was almost invisible, like the tail of a firefly.

"I... I did it?" Hotaru was overjoyed.

"Mm!"

Sōji nodded, unwilling to dampen her confidence. "You did. Perfectly."

Hotaru stared at her hand, at that barely visible thread of blue light, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

"I... I can control chakra too?"

"Mm, very good!" Sōji smiled generously in praise.

Hotaru nodded hard, tears nearly falling. Ugly Treasure poked its head out from Sōji's waist and let out a soft whine, as if congratulating her.

Looking at it, Hotaru could not help but smile too. It was a small, restrained smile, as though she was afraid of disturbing something, but her eyes truly shone.

At noon, the two sat in the shadow of Wind-Eroded Rock, chewing on dried rations.

Hotaru ate quickly, as if afraid the food might run away. Sōji said nothing, merely broke half of his own dried meat and handed it to her.

Hotaru paused, then accepted it. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Th... thank you..."

Sōji did not respond. He merely looked toward the distant dunes. "Have you been away from home so long that you miss your family?"

Hotaru's hand stiffened. "...I don't know."

"Then do you want him to come looking for you?" Sōji turned to look at her.

Silence. A long silence—long enough that Sōji thought she would not answer. Only then did she speak, her voice muffled.

"Grandpa... he sealed that thing inside my body."

"I know."

"The people in the village were all afraid of me. They wouldn't let me leave, so I could only stay alone in that little house..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. "Grandpa came to see me sometimes, but every time, he only sighed and said he was sorry. He said it was for the village..."

Sōji said nothing.

"I know... of course I know he did it for the village."

Hotaru buried her face in her knees, trying hard to control her emotions. "But... but I wanted to go outside too. I wanted to play with the other children. I wanted... wanted someone to talk to me..."

Ugly Treasure crawled down from Sōji's waist and slowly wriggled over to Hotaru's side, brushing its soft body against her ankle.

Hotaru did not look up, but she reached out and hugged it.

Sōji watched her.

A small, thin figure hugging a purple caterpillar curse spirit, curled up in the shadow of the rock.

"Your grandfather..." Sōji said. "He'll come looking for you."

Hotaru's body shifted.

"Not only because of the secret technique inside you, but because you're his granddaughter."

At that, Hotaru raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed. "H-how do you know...?"

"A guess."

As he spoke, Sōji stood and dusted the sand from his robe.

"But before your grandfather comes, stay with me. I'll teach you a few things while we're at it."

Hotaru stared blankly at him. "Teach... teach me what?"

"Chakra control, the basics of the Three Body Technique, and..." Sōji thought for a moment, then said seriously, "how to protect yourself."

Hotaru opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end she only nodded vigorously. "I... I'll work hard!"

Sōji gave a casual hum, pulled a waterskin from Ugly Treasure's mouth, and tossed it to her.

"Drink. We'll continue this afternoon."

Hotaru caught the waterskin and held it to her chest, watching Sōji's back.

The sunlight was fierce, shining over him. His short silver-white hair glowed softly in the light and shadow.

She lowered her head, hugged the waterskin, and quietly said something.

Ugly Treasure heard her and rubbed its head against her hand.

The wind was too strong for Sōji to hear it.

But the Six Eyes saw the fluctuations of chakra within her—light and gentle, like a seed that had just broken through the soil.

By evening, the two returned to Sandview City.

The market had not yet dispersed. The scent of grilled meat mixed with spices and drifted through the streets. Hotaru looked around curiously, but she stayed close behind Sōji, afraid of getting lost.

Sōji stopped in front of a general store and bought two things. One was a cheap wrist guard, grayish-brown and stitched from rough hemp cloth; the other was a kunai, an ordinary standard model sold at every blacksmith's shop.

He turned and handed the wrist guard to Hotaru. "Put it on."

"Okay!" Hotaru took it and awkwardly tried to pull it over her wrist.

Sōji could not bear to watch any longer. "Hold out your hand."

Hotaru obediently extended her hand. After Sōji secured the wrist guard for her, he placed the kunai in her palm and adjusted her grip.

"Press your thumb here, keep your index finger close, and curl your other fingers naturally. But don't grip it too tightly. That'll limit your force."

Hotaru nodded seriously, staring at the kunai in her hand as if it were some priceless treasure. "Can I really use this?"

"Not use it." Sōji corrected her calmly. "Practice."

"Starting tonight, practice your grip a hundred times every day. Once it feels natural, you can start practicing thrusts."

Hotaru nodded hard. "I'll practice!"

Sōji gave a hum and turned to walk back. Hotaru hugged the kunai and followed behind him. After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something.

"Um... Mr. Yamada?"

Sōji paused but did not look back. "Mm?"

Hotaru stood behind him, hugging the kunai and looking up at him in the twilight. "Thank you."

She said it earnestly.

Sōji fell silent for a moment. "Mm."

Then he continued forward. Hotaru followed behind him, but after a few steps, she suddenly felt an itch around her wrist.

Looking down, she saw that Ugly Treasure had crawled over at some point. Its soft body was wrapped around her wrist, neatly covering the cheap wrist guard.

It raised its head and let out a soft "Wuu."

Hotaru froze, then could not help smiling. "Are you afraid I'll lose it?"

Ugly Treasure blinked. Hotaru extended a finger and gently poked its head.

It was very soft.

Soft as a cloud.

She looked up at the silver-haired back ahead of her, then down at the kunai in her hand, and then at the purple caterpillar curse spirit around her wrist.

Suddenly, she felt that running away from home had not been quite so terrible after all.