[Current Balance: 11,888,530,000 R]
---Time Skip, November 2---
Two months had passed since Alaric and everyone arrived in Philadelphia.
The first week after their arrival was a whirlwind of activity. Alaric, true to his word, began a meticulous screening process. He met with every individual, from the seasoned Auditore Assassins to the newest Kenway household employee, even the former slaves Thulani had brought.
Using his Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he asked a series of simple, direct questions, gauging their honesty, their loyalty, their discretion.
He made them promise to keep the secrets of their newfound community, the secrets of his abilities, sacrosanct.
To his surprise, and considerable relief, no one failed his scrutiny. The Mind's Eye was indeed a remarkably useful tool for discerning truth from deception, making the entire process swift and efficient.
And when it came to training? Oh boy, it was fruitful.
---Flashback, September 9---
In the sprawling grounds of Pennsbury Manor, hidden from prying eyes by the dense woodlands Penn had ensured surrounded the estate, Alaric had set his grand training plan into motion.
First, in secret, he created seven shadow clones. Each clone was imbued with the same advanced Fuinjutsu seals he'd used on the Havana distribution team... seals for enhanced durability, making them far more resilient than standard shadow clones; seals for a permanent, unbreakable link to him, preventing them from dispelling due to distance or minor injury; and seals that allowed them to passively draw and convert natural energy into usable chakra, making them self-sufficient for extended periods. Their linked storage seals were also active, though not currently filled with merchandise.
Before the training officially began, Alaric, with Kassandra often observing with a mixture of fascination and amusement, had discreetly approached the elder members of his family and the most loyal, long-serving members of his staff.
He offered them the Asura's Crest, the same powerful Fuinjutsu seal that enhanced strength, speed, and regeneration, and for those who desired it, the Hourglass of Samsara to reverse the physical toll of years.
His parents, his aunt and uncle, William Penn, Sebastian, and several of the older groundskeepers and cooks gratefully accepted, their renewed youth and vigor a quiet testament to Alaric's power.
He also reapplied and strengthened the Asura's Crest on Thulani and Reuben, ensuring they were at their peak. Everyone was going to be trained; no one was spared from the grueling regime Alaric envisioned.
The clones, once created and briefed, Henge'd into various appearances... a stern-looking drill sergeant, a patient martial arts master, a nimble fencing instructor... to maintain a degree of separation and perhaps prevent Alaric from being mobbed with questions constantly.
Clone #1, taking on the persona of a grizzled, no-nonsense mercenary captain, was tasked with the most intense group: Reuben, Thulani, Jonathan Hugh, William Penn... who, with his renewed youth, attacked the training with surprising zeal, Sebastian... equally revitalized and proving to have a hidden well of determination, Flavia Auditore, and Maestro Matteo Auditore.
Their training was brutal, focusing on pushing their already considerable skills to new heights, sparring, advanced weapon mastery, and tactical coordination.
Clone #2, appearing as a calm, methodical former military officer, took charge of the Kenway elders: Leonard, Bernard, Eleanor, and Linette, along with Elizabeth Scott and Aveline. Their training was less about raw combat and more focused on self-defense, situational awareness, physical conditioning, and basic weapon proficiency... enough to handle themselves if trouble ever found them directly.
Clones #3 and #4, disguised as seasoned Assassin instructors from a non-existent European Bureau, were assigned the thirty Auditore Assassins. Their regimen was designed to refine the Assassins' existing skills, introduce new techniques Alaric had gleaned from his… unique knowledge sources… and push their stealth, agility, and lethality to unprecedented levels.
Clones #5, #6, and #7, taking on the forms of patient but firm overseers, were responsible for the largest group: the nearly two hundred and fifty Kenway household employees, including the maids, cooks, groundskeepers, former guards, coachmen, and the families of the former slaves.
Their training was the most varied, focusing on basic fitness, self-defense, teamwork, and for those who showed aptitude, more specialized skills like basic first aid or scouting. The clones were instructed to be somewhat lenient, focusing on building confidence and a baseline of capability rather than forging elite warriors.
Alaric himself, however, reserved his personal attention for Kassandra.
---September 10, 1714---
Alaric's training with Kassandra was… different.
She possessed millennia of combat experience, a demigod's physique further enhanced by the Staff of Hermes, and an innate understanding of warfare that put everyone else in their burgeoning community to shame.
He'd already applied the Asura's Crest to her back, a surprisingly intimate process that had led to… extensive physical testing of its regenerative properties afterward. She was, without a doubt, far stronger now than she had ever been.
What she needed wasn't more fighting skill, but something new, something to complement her already formidable abilities.
They sat in a secluded grove deep within the Pennsbury woods, the late summer air warm and still.
Kassandra was seated in a perfect lotus position, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and even.
Alaric sat behind her, his hands resting lightly on her back, just over her chakra core, continuously channeling a gentle, steady stream of his own potent chakra into her.
That's right... Alaric was attempting to awaken Kassandra's own latent chakra.
He had a theory.
Chakra, in its most fundamental form, was the combination of physical energy, drawn from the body's trillions of cells, and spiritual energy, derived from the mind's consciousness and will.
It was, in essence, life energy.
His theory was that every living being in this world, not just those in the Naruto dimension, possessed this energy; they simply lacked the genetic predisposition or the specific training to access and manipulate it.
If his theory was correct, if he could awaken Kassandra's chakra, then potentially everyone… Reuben, Thulani, his family, the Assassins, even the staff… could learn to wield it, at least to some degree.
The implications were staggering. He might debate teaching them elemental ninjutsu, but even basic chakra enhancement for physical abilities would be a game-changer.
The "Madara Uchiha's Visionary Tactics" scroll he'd purchased from the System years ago contained a wealth of information, including techniques for safely, yet forcefully, awakening dormant chakra pathways in individuals... methods the Uchiha and other clans had used during the Warring States Period to rapidly bolster their numbers, even sending children to war.
Alaric, of course, had no intention of sending children to war, but the principles were sound.
"Focus, Kassandra," Alaric murmured, his voice calm and steady. "Feel the energy I'm sending you. It's warm, yes? Like a river flowing through you. That's chakra. Now, try to find that same river within yourself. It's there, at your core, waiting."
He continued to channel his chakra into her for several minutes, letting her become accustomed to the sensation, to the feel of active life energy coursing through her.
Then, slowly, he began to withdraw his own energy, cutting off the external flow.
Kassandra frowned slightly, her brow furrowing in concentration. "I… I feel nothing now, Alaric. Just… emptiness where your energy was."
"It's not empty," Alaric encouraged. "It's just quiet. Your own chakra is there, but it's dormant, like a sleeping spring. You need to reach for it, coax it awake."
"Maláka..." She tried, her breathing deepening, her focus intense. Minutes passed. Frustration began to creep into her expression. "I can't… I can't find it. I don't feel anything."
Alaric knew this would be the hardest part.
Awakening one's own chakra for the first time without external stimulus or a life-threatening situation was incredibly difficult. He focused his own senses, his Mind's Eye of the Kagura and his base chakra sensing, searching within Kassandra.
He could feel it… a tiny, almost imperceptible spark deep within her, her own nascent chakra, dwarfed by her immense physical and spiritual vitality derived from her Isu heritage and the Staff. It was too faint for her to easily detect on her own.
'Alright, time for a little nudge,' he thought. He carefully extended a minuscule tendril of his own chakra, not to overwhelm hers, but to gently… feed it, to make it flare just a little brighter, a little more detectable to her own senses.
"There," he whispered. "Can you feel that? A tiny warmth, deep inside? That's you, Kassandra."
Kassandra became very still. Her frown deepened, then slowly, her eyes widened slightly beneath her closed lids. A small gasp escaped her lips.
"I… I feel it," she breathed, her voice filled with wonder. "It's… small. But it's there."
"Good," Alaric smiled, withdrawing his chakra completely now. "Hold onto that feeling. Nurture it. That's your chakra. Your own power."
She remained silent for a long while, completely absorbed in the new sensation.
Alaric leaned back against a tree, watching her. He activated his Sharingan, the world shifting into sharper focus.
And there it was, a small, faint but distinctly visible swirl of blue energy in the center of Kassandra's abdomen, her own chakra, now awakened and slowly beginning to circulate.
---End of Flashback---
Now, two months later, the results of the intensive training were evident.
The Asura's Crest, with its potent regenerative abilities, had allowed everyone to push their physical limits day after day, healing from strains and minor injuries overnight, leading to astounding growth in strength, speed, and stamina.
Even the meekest of the Kenway maids now possessed the physical prowess to handle multiple experienced men in a brawl, much to their own surprise and quiet satisfaction.
The fastest learners, aside from Kassandra who was in a league of her own, had surprised even Alaric.
Flavia Auditore, with her Assassin training and fierce determination, had blossomed. Eleanor and Linette Kenway, Alaric's mother and aunt, had discovered a surprising aptitude for combat and an unyielding will, perhaps a latent trait of their own line of family.
And Aveline Scott, driven by a quiet desire to protect her niece and mother, had proven to be remarkably adept. These four women, Alaric estimated, were now easily on par with Reuben and Thulani's capabilities back in 1712, before they had received their initial Asura's Crest enhancements.
Today, Alaric stood in the center of the now familiar training ground within Pennsbury Manor's woods.
The seven clones had been dispelled days ago, their mission complete, their knowledge and experiences reabsorbed by the original.
Facing him was the core group, the ones who had requested more power, and the ones he deemed ready for the next stage.
Kassandra stood at the forefront, a predatory grin on her face, the Staff of Hermes held loosely in one hand. Beside her were Reuben, with the Sword of Dikastes, and Thulani, his grip firm on the true Excalibur.
Jonathan and Sebastian, looking remarkably younger and fitter, stood ready, simple practice swords in hand.
William Penn, his Quaker sobriety warring with a newfound warrior's glint in his eye, held a similar practice blade.
Flavia and Matteo Auditore, their Assassin focus were absolute, and were armed with their preferred combination of swords and daggers.
And finally, Leonard, Eleanor, Bernard, Linette, and Aveline stood a little further back, but their stances were confident, their eyes determined.
"You guys ready?" Alaric grinned, his own excitement palpable. He cracked his knuckles. "Remember, I'm evaluating your progress individually... but come at me as a group. It's easier that way."
A collective, eager glint appeared in their eyes.
"You asked for it!" Bernard Kenway boomed, a wide, challenging smile spreading across his face as he hefted his practice sword.
The thirteen fighters spread out, forming a loose semi-circle around Alaric, their expressions were a mixture of grim determination, nervous excitement, and in Kassandra's case, predatory amusement.
William Penn, bless his Quaker heart, looked the most reluctant, holding his practice sword as if it were a particularly offensive fish, but even he had a spark of resolve in his eyes.
"Alright, round one!" Alaric announced cheerfully, beckoning them forward with a casual wave of his hand. "Hand-to-hand only. Let's see those new muscles."
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