Naruto : a hero's journey

As Satoru waved goodbye to Danzo, he tucked away the scroll containing tips for the Wind Style: Breakthrough jutsu and made his way home. When he arrived, he was surprised to find Hajime waiting for him.

His clone had already filled him in on the earlier events, and Satoru's frustration toward the Uchiha clan simmered beneath the surface.

It wasn't the deal itself but the underhanded tactics that gnawed at him. Blackmailing someone just to get what was agreed upon in the first place felt insulting.

Hajime, sensing the tension, spoke up. "I know you're angry. I admit the clan tried to cheat you, but I still want to do business with you."

Satoru, without even acknowledging him, opened the door to his house. He had no desire to entertain any further conversations with someone who represented deceit, at least for the moment.

As Satoru stepped inside, Hajime persisted. "Trust me, Satoru."

Satoru turned, frustration in his eyes. "Why should I? You tried to scam me like I'm some idiot off the street."

Without hesitation, Hajime reached into his pouch and pulled out the recorder—the very one that Satoru had used to blackmail the elder. He handed it over without saying a word.

Satoru raised an eyebrow. "Why are you giving this back?"

"Because I need you to trust me," Hajime said sincerely. "You're too important to me, more than you realize."

Satoru was silent for a moment, "Important? How?"

Hajime exhaled, glancing away briefly before answering. "Ever since you met Hiten, something changed. He's no longer jealous of me. He's growing, faster than he ever has. You helped him awaken his Sharingan, Satoru. You did that.

He saw me as strong while he felt weak. And now, because of your help, he's starting to reach his potential. That's why I gave you those two jutsu—because I owed you."

Satoru's mind wandered to the two secret Yotsuki clan jutsu he had received. He hadn't thought much of it initially, but now that Hajime mentioned it, those techniques were strangely well-suited for him.

"So, you gave me the best techniques you could find?" Satoru asked, his skepticism softening.

Hajime nodded. "I did. And I didn't need to. I want to keep working with you, Satoru."

There was a moment of silence as Satoru considered his options. After a long pause, he extended his hand to Hajime.

---

Satoru sat cross-legged on his bed, the room dimly lit by the evening sun filtering through the window. His room was packed with scrolls—an array of knowledge he'd accumulated over time.

Some were old, worn from constant use, while others were newer and still smelled of fresh ink. His mind, as sharp as ever, processed the vast amount of information he'd gained.

To his left, a small pile of scrolls from the Zen'in clan sat untouched for some time now. Satoru had spent months mastering their sword techniques, from basic forms to advanced chakra augmentation and chakra flow.

He'd pushed his limits, and he now felt he had reached the end of that road. The Zen'in clan's chapter in his life was closing.

'I can't learn anything more from them,' he thought, his fingers brushing over the scrolls with mild disinterest.

Next, his attention shifted to the scrolls of the Yotsuki clan. Unlike the Zen'in, this set intrigued him more, especially with its emphasis on poisons and medical techniques. He opened one of the scrolls, carefully unrolling it on his lap.

[Chakra Pulse Sensing.]

He read the description: Allows the user to send out a chakra pulse into an object or person and receive information about their structure.

Satoru raised an eyebrow. "It's like sonar, but with chakra," he murmured to himself. He could see its applications—scouting, diagnostics, combat analysis. It was efficient and potentially dangerous in skilled hands.

His eyes drifted to a scroll given by Mitsuki-sensei. It contained guidelines on learning Yin and Yang Release. Despite his best efforts, Satoru hadn't made much progress with it.

Yin and Yang Release was notoriously difficult, requiring an understanding of both the spiritual and physical aspects of chakra manipulation. While he had a good grasp of theory, practical application was another story.

'I still don't get this yet,' Satoru thought with a sigh, setting it aside for now.

Finally, he picked up one of the secret Yotsuki clan jutsu scrolls. This one caught his attention right away.

[Artificial Cell Formation.]

Allows the user to create new cells using chakra, bypassing the accelerated aging weakness of medical ninjutsu. When mastered, it allows the user to create tissue and even reconstruct organs.

Satoru's eyes widened slightly as he read on. "So, this jutsu fixes the biggest issue with traditional medical techniques," he muttered. He had always known that standard medical ninjutsu sped up the body's natural healing process, but at the cost of faster aging in the long run. This technique, however, presented a workaround—a way to heal without damaging one's lifespan. It was revolutionary.

(this is not an original jutsu , it was used by shizune to create a artificial kidney or something for a kumo ninja)

He could only imagine what mastering such a jutsu could mean in a battlefield scenario. Someone with this technique would be nearly unstoppable, capable of regenerating injuries without fear of long-term consequences.

Then, he opened the second Yotsuki clan secret jutsu.

[Poison Transmutation.]

Allows the user to transmute their chakra into poison, removing the need for external physical poisons. Even physical contact with the user can poison the victim. The drawback is that the user must also be immune to the poison, or they will die alongside their victims.

Satoru smirked. The sheer audacity of this technique was awesome. Turning one's chakra to have poisonous properties was both genius and reckless.

The potential for devastation was immense, but so was the risk. Only the truly skilled could even attempt to use such a technique without endangering themselves.

'If the Yotsuki clan had handled these jutsu with more care,' Satoru mused, 'they could've been a hotshot clan like the Ino-Shika-Cho.'

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The Yotsuki clan had so much untapped potential, yet they were held back by their own carelessness or perhaps arrogance. Satoru could see their fall coming from a mile away.

Satoru heard the light knock and instinctively glanced at the pile of scrolls. Quickly, he packed everything away, rolling up the secret jutsus and placed them on his study table. When he opened the door, Keiko stood there, smiling.

"Dinner's ready," she said cheerfully. "Come join us.

Satoru nodded. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Just need to change."

Keiko's gaze flickered past him, briefly settling on the mess of his room, particularly the new scroll lying open on his study table.

Though her face remained neutral, curiosity flickered in her eyes. She acted as if she hadn't noticed and left without a word.

However, her thoughts lingered on it. 'That scroll looked like a jutsu scroll, how did an academy student receive a scroll like that?' she wondered. She mentally filed the thought away for another time.

In the kitchen, Keiko called out for Tatsuo and Dai to help her prepare the meal. Tatsuo jumped in right away, sliced vegetables while humming. Dai, on the other hand, fumbling with the ladle as he tried to stir the pot.

"Careful, Dai," Tatsuo said with a grin. "You're gonna spill that everywhere."

Dai, determined, didn't stop. "Youth requires persistence!" he exclaimed, his face scrunched in concentration as he finally managed to keep the soup from tipping.

He took his seat at the table, and soon enough, everyone else joined. Tatsuo set the plates down, while Keiko served the food. Dai, proud of his contribution, couldn't stop grinning as he passed the dishes around.

As they all began to eat, the usual chatter filled the room.

While eating, Dai grumbled, "Why didn't Satoru help with the cooking? We could've finished faster." He glanced at Satoru, his frustration clear.

Keiko, in her usual calm tone. "Satoru did all the work yesterday by himself, taking care of both your tasks and Tatsuo's. He's earned a break for today."

Satoru shot a smug look at Dai, the corners of his mouth lifting in a playful smirk. He leaned back slightly, enjoying the moment. "You heard her," he said casually.

Dai groaned, his eyes dropping back to his plate. "But because I had to help cook, I couldn't even get to finish training done today!" he whined, poking at his food with a chopstick. "Now I'm behind on everything."

At the mention of training, Tatsuo's expression shifted, "That reminds me of the tournament at the end of the year," he said, looking directly at Satoru.

Satoru raised an eyebrow, not immediately recalling what Tatsuo was referring to. "What tournament are you talking about?"

Keiko spoke up again. "Tatsuo's talking about the same tournament I fought in two years ago. You know, the one where you first met Hiten."

Satoru's eyes widened in realization. "Ah, that tournament," he said, leaning forward slightly, "I remember now. It was quite something." He paused, then asked, "How much time do we have left to prepare?"

Tatsuo, already calculating in his head, answered, "About two months. Not a lot of time, but enough to get into shape."

Satoru nodded thoughtfully. "Two months, huh? Guess we better make the most of it."

Keiko smiled at their determination. "You three will do great. Just keep at it."

---

Satoru was at Mitsuki-sensei's house, deeply immersed in a new training exercise. He sat in front of a wilted flower, pouring his chakra into it, trying to figure out how to channel the yin aspect of his chakra.

He focused intently, hoping to revive the lifeless plant through healing. His brows furrowed, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, but the flower remained still, limp in its withered state.

Across from him, Mitsuki-sensei casually sipped her coffee, watching his efforts with an amused smile. Her usual laid-back attitude concealed the sharpness of her eyes as she monitored his progress. She waited patiently, but soon, a mischievous idea popped into her head.

With silent steps, she sneaked up behind Satoru. Just as he was about to make another attempt at pouring yin chakra into the flower, she leaned in and yelled, "BOO!"

Startled, Satoru jumped, his concentration completely shattered. His chakra surged wildly, losing its control. For a moment, he thought they were under attack. His heart raced, and his body instinctively flared with chakra. But then, he heard Mitsuki's laughter echo through the room.

Satoru turned to see his teacher rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. "Sensei!" he said, frustration mixed with confusion. "What are you doing?!"

Mitsuki pointed weakly at the flower, still chuckling. "Look!" she managed to say between fits of laughter.

Satoru turned back to the flower, and his eyes widened in disbelief. It wasn't wilted anymore. The once lifeless petals had regained their vibrant color, standing tall as if it had never been touched by decay.

"How…?" Satoru muttered, still shocked. "How did that happen?"

Mitsuki, regaining her composure, stood up and dusted herself off. "Medical ninjutsu and healing aren't just about techniques or control," she explained, her tone softening. "They require intent, a genuine desire to protect or restore."

Satoru looked at her, still confused. "But I wasn't even focused when that happened. I thought I was under attack."

"That's the point," Mitsuki said, smiling. "When you got scared, your body instinctively wanted to protect itself. Your chakra reacted to that emotion. It flowed into the flower with the intent to protect, and that's why it healed."

Satoru stared at the flower, deep in thought. "So, healing is more than just technique…"

"Exactly," Mitsuki nodded. "It's about feeling, motive, and purpose. Your chakra has to reflect your will to heal."