After several days of high-intensity weight training, the muscle soreness reached a new level—a deep, bone-chilling pain that felt like tearing apart the adhered muscle fibers with every movement.
Shira knew that at this time, blindly practicing would only harm his body; he needed time for his body to recover and adapt. Moreover, he had another matter on his mind.
"Let's go see Uzumaki Kei and Karin."
In the morning, he stretched his still somewhat stiff shoulders, thinking to himself that he had entrusted Yashamaru to deliver the gift after returning from Konoha, and he hadn't yet visited the family in person.
I wonder how they're settling in Sunagakure. I always feel a little uneasy about that mother and daughter.
He changed into clean clothes and, following the directions Granny Chiyo had given him, headed towards the resettlement area in the village.
The wind was still the same, swirling up sand and dust that felt rough on the face. The houses in this area were simpler than those in the main street, but they were all quite tidy.
He quickly found the small house where the mother and daughter lived.
The door was closed, and the windows were closed.
Shira knocked on the door and waited a while, but there was no response. She knocked again, but still no answer. She listened carefully; it was quiet inside, as if no one was there.
"Hmm, went out?" Shira scratched her head. Was Uzumaki Kei going to impart knowledge of sealing techniques at this time?
What about Karin? He remembered Yashamaru mentioning that the village had arranged for Karin to receive literacy lessons. Could she be attending classes?
He had intended to go directly to Granny Chiyo and ask her, but stopped halfway there. Was he being... too dependent on that old woman?
Asking about everything is indeed not a good idea.
Moreover, the mother and daughter from the vortex were properly resettled by the village and are being looked after by professionals. What could possibly happen to them? I'm probably just worrying unnecessarily.
With that thought in mind, he changed direction and instead of going to Granny Chiyo's house, he wandered aimlessly around the village.
Before they knew it, they had arrived near the Ninja Academy. It was during the morning break, and the faint sounds of children running and playing could be heard from the school, along with the clanging of ninja tools hitting targets and the teachers' loud and clear voices.
These sounds, carried on the wind, reached his ears, familiar yet somewhat distant.
He stopped and peered through a low wall. On the playground, a group of students, some around his age and others perhaps a year or two older, were practicing basic Taijutsu under the guidance of their teacher.
Some moved stiffly, some were panting, while others looked quite professional, their eyes gleaming with a defiant light. They wore all sorts of clothes, and none of them had Forehead Protector on their foreheads yet.
Shira watched quietly, a strange feeling stirring within him. Long ago, he, like them, had been practicing the same things day after day, striving to graduate and become a ninja.
But now, he has graduated early, become Genin, carried out B-Rank Mission, been to Konoha, trained with strong ninjas like Might Guy, and even had the blood of enemies on his hands.
It seems like only a short time has passed, but the paths under our feet have already diverged.
He felt no pride, but rather a clear-headedness.
Graduating early doesn't mean you're much better than them. A ninja's path truly begins the moment they put on their Forehead Protector.
What you learn in school is just the tip of the iceberg. The real life-or-death struggles, mission choices, and lonely journeys come later. Look at your peers on the playground; many of them may not be lacking in talent, but they are just following the rules step by step.
As for myself, I was merely lucky enough to take the first step and embark on a more dangerous path that required even more strength.
" Rōshi, Rōshi, you can't let your guard down."
Shira whispered to herself, her gaze shifting from the playground, "A quick start doesn't guarantee a steady pace. A moment's slack will allow others to overtake you, or even... eliminate you from this path itself."
He turned and left the school area, the restlessness he felt from not being able to find anyone slowly subsiding.
As I strolled along, I passed a small shop. The shop wasn't big, and the wooden sign was somewhat blurred by wind and sand erosion, but I could vaguely make out the words " Scroll and Book Shop ".
This is a bookstore that also sells maps, stationery, and the like. There aren't many bookstores in Sunagakure, and this one looks quite old.
As if guided by fate, Shira walked inside. The shop was dimly lit and filled with the distinctive smell of old paper and ink.
The bookshelves were very close together, crammed with all sorts of scrolls and booklets, some of which looked very old and had damaged covers.
The shop owner was an old man with gray hair and reading glasses. He was dozing off behind the counter and only slightly raised his eyelids when he heard someone come in.
Shira hadn't decided what to buy, and just casually glanced at the category labels on the bookshelf. Most of them were geographical records of the Land of Wind, mineral atlases, publicly available basic Ninjutsu theories, historical legends, and many booklets that looked like novels or travelogues.
Shira wasn't very interested in the story right now, her gaze sweeping over the categories of "medicine," "human body," and "ninja tool analysis."
Suddenly, between the categories of "medicine" and "miscellaneous studies," a particularly worn-out booklet with a dark blue coarse cloth cover caught his eye.
The booklet had no name; it just sat there all alone, with no writing on its spine.
Shira pulled it out and patted off the dust.
The cover, written in faded ink, reads, " A Brief Introduction to Meridians and Illustrations of Common Acupoints".
Um??
Final exams are on February 4th and 5th, and we get a day off on the afternoon of the 10th. Next week is a 9-day week... Hmm, I need to stock up on my drafts in advance...