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Kaoru had just finished his breakfast when he heard a knock at the door. Unlike Anya's quick and soft taps, this one was slow but powerful. He stood up immediately and opened it.
It was Ogashi. And based on his furrowed brows, he was in a bad mood.
"You're late," the Leviathan scolded, tossing a small leather bag toward him. "Open it and put on the seal."
Kaoru caught the bag, still confused. Ogashi was acting like a completely different person.
'Is he grumpy in the mornings? He must hate waking up early,' Kaoru guessed, nodding to himself as he placed the bag on the floor and opened it.
Inside were several seals, books and scrolls, and multiple sets of clothes.
"Change your clothes and put on a seal that has 20 kg written on it. We'll talk after," Ogashi ordered as he stepped inside, scanning the room like he was searching for something.
"Did Ema not bring you fruit? That kid's memory is still useless…"
'Ema? Does he mean Anya?' Kaoru blinked, already pulling on the new clothes. It wasn't easy to keep up with Ogashi's ever-changing names.
"She forgot, but it's fine. She said she'd bring some today," Kaoru replied as he put on the new outfit.
He wore soft black pants, way more comfortable than the stiff material shinobi gear was usually made from. The gray shirt was simple but light and easy to move in. The shoes weren't sandals, but closed, with much better grip. And the robe, or rather the cloak, was a dark wrap with the Takime clan's symbol etched into the back.
"Elder Ogashi, this outfit is amazing. Even my own clothes aren't this comfortable," Kaoru said, inspecting the fit in the mirror with genuine excitement.
"That's what your clan used to wear in the past. We just adjusted it to your size," Ogashi's voice softened a little as he spoke, like he was remembering something very pleasant.
Then, just as quickly, he snapped back to his previous firm tone. "Alright, Akaka, let's go."
'Akaka? Seriously?' Kaoru frowned but said nothing, stepping out and following behind.
…
"Elder Ogashi, what's this place called?" Kaoru asked, realizing he still didn't know the name of the settlement he'd be living in for who knows how long.
They were walking toward the far edge of the village, where a tall, cold cliff overlooked the entire area. The training ground was carved directly into the cliffside, cut out by Leviathans themselves. Despite its size, it somehow felt quiet and tucked away. A massive but peaceful space.
"We've never named it. We just call it home," Ogashi shrugged like it didn't matter. "More importantly, stop calling me 'Elder.' I'm going to be your teacher now, so that title doesn't work anymore."
Kaoru had already picked up on how much the Leviathans valued customs, titles, and tradition, so he wasn't surprised when Ogashi brought up what to call him.
"How about sensei?" Kaoru offered.
"Don't you already have a sensei?" Ogashi frowned, though the spark in his eyes gave him away. "You can't call me that when you already have one. How about… grandpa?" He coughed and looked off to the side, trying to play it cool.
'I had a grandpa too, you know…' Kaoru facepalmed inwardly. But seeing the old Leviathan awkwardly trying to act indifferent about it made him give in.
'I don't even remember my grandfather, so it won't feel weird,' Kaoru reasoned, amused by how excited Ogashi was at the idea.
"Sure, I'll call you Grandpa Ogashi from now on," Kaoru said with a grin.
'Maybe if I say it enough, he'll give me more scrolls as gifts,' he thought, as his grin curled into something a little more devious.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Ogashi raised his brow. His smile froze the moment he saw Kaoru's expression.
"Hehe, nothing, nothing. Grandpa Ogashi, can you explain how my training's going to work? Will you teach me any cool techniques?" Kaoru quickly changed the subject, steering the conversation back to what he actually cared about.
"What cool techniques?" Ogashi huffed. "You can do anything with water. Your only limits are imagination and chakra reserves. So we're going to focus on that."
He raised a finger, counting off Kaoru's weaknesses.
"First, we're going to remake your chakra pathways. Ideally, you'd do it yourself, but the ones you've already created are a mess. I'll fix them."
His voice was regaining that firmness as they reached the training field.
It was underwhelming.
There were just a few wooden dummies and a single pond. No complicated setup. No fancy tools. Just water and silence.
"You'll come here every morning at six a.m. sharp. Sit in that pond and work on sensing water," Ogashi stepped forward and dipped a tentacle into the water where Kaoru would be meditating in the future.
Kaoru activated his Suijingan and immediately saw what Ogashi was doing: an enormous burst of chakra flowing into the pond.
"I need you to be able to sense every droplet around you without relying on sight. The way you use your eyes now is like wasting their potential."
He motioned for Kaoru to step into the pond.
"First, I'll show you the sensation you'll be chasing. My chakra has a high water affinity, so it should be easy for you to feel. We'll start from this, and each day I'll reduce the amount until you're sensing the water itself."
The explanation was clear enough, but Kaoru still wasn't sure how he was supposed to "sense" something without actively focusing on it.
Then he stepped into the pond.
Ogashi's chakra wrapped around him like a second skin, forcefully invading his body. He didn't need to search for it, it was already there, impossible to ignore.
'Yeah, I don't need to focus to sense this, but water particles won't invade my body like his chakra does, they won't be as active.' He still did not understand how he was supposed to sense without focusing, but he trusted Ogashi.
"After this, you'll train your body," Ogashi continued. "The 20-kilogram weight seal I gave you should be enough for the first week. After that, we'll increase the weight every three days."
His voice had changed again, no longer the calm and grumbling Leviathan Kaoru was used to. When it came to training, Ogashi was someone else entirely. Sharp. Focused. Strict.
"Today, I'll also fix those horrible chakra pathways of yours. What were you trying to build, a maze?" Ogashi frowned, then gestured for Kaoru to take off his shirt.
'Didn't he say that I did a good job?' Kaoru frowned but said nothing.
He obeyed, sitting cross-legged in the pond while trying to focus on sensing Ogashi's chakra in the water.
"I'm going to begin now," Ogashi warned. "No matter how painful it gets, don't resist with your chakra. You can strain your muscles, scream, cry, whatever you want, but don't push back with chakra, or I might hurt you by accident."
As he spoke, several of his tentacles extended toward Kaoru's back, slithering gently across his skin. They shaped themselves to match the exact layout of Kaoru's newly formed chakra pathways.
"Grandpa Ogashi, aren't you going to fix the pathways in my arms and legs too?" Kaoru asked, trying to keep his mind calm.
"No, those are fine. But your abdomen and chest are a disaster. That's what I'm going to fix." His tone grew more serious, eyes narrowing in deep concentration.
Kaoru shivered as he felt the thin threads of chakra, hundreds if not thousands, slipping into his body like needles. They linked with the network he had created.
The moment they connected, Kaoru's entire torso spasmed from the shock.
It was brief, but searing like someone had pressed red-hot metal against his back and ripped it away just as fast.
"Kid, that was nothing compared to what's coming," Ogashi warned. "If you're not confident, I can place you under genjutsu. You'll sleep through it. But if you stay awake and endure it, your progress will be better. Your choice."
"I can do it," Kaoru answered instantly, more from the desire to accept the challenge than confidence.
Ogashi paused, then smiled, satisfied.
"Alright then."
The moment the words left his mouth, Kaoru screamed.
Ogashi's chakra poured through his body like a wildfire. It didn't just damage his old pathways, it burned them out and carved new ones in their place. The pain wasn't something he could escape from. It wasn't something he could grab onto or shake off. It came from inside and the worst type of pain.
His hands trembled. His jaw clenched. Cold sweat soaked his body.
'I have to endure. I must endure.'
He repeated it over and over in his mind like a prayer.
And he wasn't the only one straining.
Ogashi was sweating too. His brows were drenched, and his muscles were tense from focus.
'I haven't spent this much chakra in over a century,' he thought. 'But I can't stop halfway. I'll help this kid reach the pinnacle, no matter what it takes.' His eyes narrowed again, full of a fire he didn't know he still had.
Kaoru screamed again as the pain intensified. Ogashi was no longer correcting his old chakra pathways, he was replacing them completely.
"Just a little more, kid," the old Leviathan said, his voice strained but steady.
Kaoru didn't realize it, but Ogashi was under just as much pressure, maybe more. Not only did he have to destroy and rebuild Kaoru's pathways, he had to simultaneously heal the surrounding tissue and keep his chakra perfectly controlled. Just one slip, one unbalanced pulse from a being with his power, and Kaoru's body could be irreversibly damaged.
Kaoru started to notice a pattern. Ogashi was working in layers, like carving concentric rings. He had started from the outermost edges of Kaoru's upper body and was slowly closing in on the center, toward the heart.
'He did this on purpose,' Kaoru realized. 'He waited to see if I could stay calm before moving toward the organs.'
Analyzing the method helped. For a brief moment, the focus took his mind off the pain.
'He's almost there. He's forming the pathways around the heart now,' Kaoru thought, eyes burning with determination.
But then came the worst part.
A sharp pressure clamped down on his chest like an invisible weight. His heartbeat no longer felt like a rhythm, it felt like it was bouncing around, smashing against his ribs. His lungs refused to obey. Each breath hitched and broke, replaced by a heavy, crushing weight.
'I can't breathe.' He wanted to scream, to force the pain out, but there was no air to scream with.
A single second of agony stretched like a lifetime. His body, desperate to defend itself, rejected Kaoru's control in an attempt to resist. His muscles flared, chakra started rising. Then, even his Suijingan activated, and for a brief instant, his power surged out of control, his chakra more violent and pure than ever.
But Ogashi had already finished.
"Haha… kid, you're energetic, huh?" Ogashi said from behind him, voice almost like a whisper, but still trying to sound amused.
Kaoru turned and froze.
The old Leviathan's skin was paler than usual, almost gray. Blue blood trickled from his ears, his mouth, even his nostrils and eyes. He was swaying slightly, body trembling from the immense toll he had just endured.
He had pushed himself too far.
"Eld… Grandpa Ogashi, are you alright?" Kaoru whispered, still stunned by the sight. Then, he finally snapped out, rushing to him.
Kaoru caught the old Leviathan easily and held him steady.
Ogashi blinked a few times, his gaze slowly sharpening again as the dizziness faded. He placed a hand on Kaoru's shoulder, then gently pushed him back.
"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," he muttered, voice low. There was a hint of shame in it, not because of weakness, but because he hadn't expected to falter.
'I knew it would take a lot out of me,' Ogashi thought, steadying himself. 'But not this much… No wonder Lady Enia insisted that no one else perform the procedure.' He realized then that her warning wasn't just about the difficulty, it was about chakra capacity. No other Leviathan had as much chakra as Ogashi.
He glanced at Kaoru, who was still staring at him with concern etched deep in his face.
"Relax, kid. I'm fine," he said with a faint grin, straightening to show that he had already recovered.
"Now we start the real training."
**
A/N -
Accidentally uploaded the chapter instead of scheduling -_-
I just could not resist this title xD
Let me know if this training scene felt "powerful" and natural. Also, if you did not like the chapter, please point it out in the comments. Your feedback will help with the quality of the chapters to come.
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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