WebNovels

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Itsuki's request

Note: 'Thought' "Speech"

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It had been three whole years since Itsuki was reborn and a lot of things had happened.

First of all, he has roughly figured out the timeline. The first shinobi war ended seven years ago, and the second war will take place about twenty years after the first one.

This means that by the time it happens, he will be around sixteen years old and below twenty. He needed as much time as possible to become stronger and wasn't sure if by the time the war takes place, his strength will be enough.

Since his father was a low-ranked shinobi, he barely had a better head start than an average civilian. Itsuki has read almost all the books in the house, including shinobi-related ones, and felt frustrated at the scarcity of information about some ninja-related topics that were truly helpful to increasing his strength.

But it made sense; it would be unrealistic to be able to easily access some important information.

He wanted to find a solution to his yin imbalance apart from strengthening his body, which would automatically increase his yang/vitality to at least match his yin.

During these past three years, although he interacted with other kids occasionally, he never really had any friends or anything like that.

He mostly ignored them, which made his parents worry a lot about him, especially his mother. But he couldn't force himself to keep on interacting with some brats and pretend to have fun or friends just to reassure his parents.

'Why should I inconvenience myself just to please someone else?'

In this new life, he secretly vowed to himself never to live a life amounting to nothing like his previous two lives. He was going to live for himself, and no one else.

If someone disapproved of his choices, he wouldn't care. Although he cared about his new parents to some extent, it doesn't mean that their approval or expectations will let him cage himself in some self-imposed emotional prison.

If Itsuki were to be honest, Yuto and Hayami were simply too good to him, and he felt uncomfortable. He felt that way not because he was resistant to affection or true bonds; he was just afraid of plunging himself into the abyss of disappointment.

The harder he cares, the harder he will fall, should the unexpected happen. And for this reason, he seldom spends much time with them.

'At this rate, I will never be able to repay their kindness.'

He discovered that his parents had been saving money on the side for him to use when he was older to live a better life.

This was why they always seemed so poor. Although they live frugally, they never spared any expenses when it came to him.

Sunagakure, despite its importance, was notably poorer than the other major villages. This poverty was not simply due to mismanagement or political failure but rather to the harsh environment and geographical location of the Wind Country, where Sunagakure was founded.

Rain was very rare, and the soil was dry and infertile. Because of this, agriculture was almost impossible, and Sunagakure couldn't produce enough food or resources to support itself.

Furthermore, the desert climate and constant sandstorms made travel and trade difficult. Which limited Sunagakure's access to other markets and alliances.

It was already hard to make a living in such a village. With their silly actions, they made things even harder for themselves trying to secure a better future for a child who they didn't even know if he will be grateful or what.

Inside the round mudhouse of the Shiba family, Itsuki, Yuto, and Hayami were having dinner while chatting. Itsuki was quiet and only talked when they asked him questions; it was a normal thing they all got used to over time.

Itsuki thought it was a good time and cleared his throat, interrupting them.

"Ahem… Dad, can I ask you for a favor?"

They were both stunned and exchanged a glance.

"Of course, son, you could ask me for anything. It is rare for you to ask for something."

Yuto, though surprised, answered quickly with anticipation and happiness. His son was always too mature and never asked for much, making them feel inadequate as parents. The last time he asked was when he requested Hayami to teach him how to read and write.

'It is finally time to fulfill my fatherly role; please ask for anything, son. The harder the better.' He was elated.

"Can you please give me some shinobi training?"

There was a stretched silence.

'Is it too much to ask?' Itsuki thought with a bit of concern.

With his parents losing their brain cells when it came to him and how much they cared for him, he assumed that it would not be too difficult to convince them.

Yuto put down his chopsticks and gazed at his son with a rare serious expression, making him a bit uncomfortable. "You wish to become a shinobi?"

"Yes."

"So, when did you decide that?"

"It has been a while now." Itsuki said after some thought. It's not like he could be entirely truthful and say that from the moment he was born and freak the hell out of his poor silly parents.

"I see, it is a good thing to have a goal you're striving to achieve. Truthfully, I've noticed that you have an above-average chakra capacity and have the potential to become a ninja. Your mom and I discussed whether to introduce you to some form of early training multiple times to give you a head start and dropped the issue."

"Huh… Why didn't you ask me?" He was a bit surprised his usually silly father could tell he had an above-average chakra, but not much; he was still a solid chunin with experience after all.

He was also confused why they simply didn't ask him if he wanted to become a ninja or if he was willing to receive some training instead of discussing it themselves and dropping the issue just like that.

And it was a bit out of character for them, specifically his mother, to even consider letting him do something that could put his life in danger.

'Or did I misread something?'

"Son, I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but you are different from the other kids; you are very intelligent and act mature. With your character, we feared that the moment we brought up ninja training, you would overthink and assume that we wanted you to become a ninja, pressuring you to accept even if you didn't want to."

Hayami nodded. "Yeah, we didn't want to pressure you. We just want you to do what you want without any burden or weight of expectations. As long as you're happy."

Itsuki was at a loss for words and overwhelmed. He always thought of how he would only live for himself and sought no one's approval, and now his parents say this.

'Did they somehow read my mind or could tell what I was thinking?' But he dismissed that absurd thought.

He should have been happy, but he had mixed feelings. Why did his new parents have to be so…

"Tsuki-chan, are you okay?" Hayami asked, seeing him spacing out.

Truthfully, she didn't want her son becoming a ninja and risking his life in the future, but she knew that getting in the way of his dreams and goals would hurt him in the long run.

She thought about it.

Even if she prevented him from becoming a shinobi and he actually listened to her. Will he truly be happy with how his life turns out to be in the future?

The thought of robbing her own son's happiness suffocated her so much. She actually didn't care if he grew to resent her if it happened; as long as he was safe, that's all that mattered.

'But some people would rather die for their dreams and getting in the way of their dream would be like killing them.' She thought.

It was something she and her husband knew too well, as it almost happened to them. The burden of expectation, the crushing weight of disappointment, and parents' opinions and actions had once almost plunged Yuto into an abyss of despair.

They both didn't want such a thing to happen to their son.

As first-time parents, they did not even know if they were doing a good job with their son or what. They didn't even know if they were qualified parents, especially with a special child like Itsuki.

But if there was one thing they were sure of, it was not repeating the same mistakes their own parents did.

If Itsuki was going to dive into the dangerous shinobi path, they as parents should at least do their best to prepare him and give him an advantage, a head start to increase his chances of survival.

"I'm okay… I'm just surprised you considered a lot." Itsuki said.

'The money they've been saving was probably for my shinobi path, wasn't it?'

"Of course we have; it is our duty as parents to make life easier for you." Yuto said proudly.

"So when do you wish to begin?"

To be continued…

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AN: Known characters' ages

Tsunade: 11 years old

Jiraya: 11 years old

Orochimaru: 11 years old

Rasa: 1 year

Chiyo: 28

Ebizo: 27

How was the chapter? If you have any advice for me, please don't hesitate to comment.

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