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  Daichi felt the cool water casg down his body. It helped him rex after the intense sparring session he had with his grandfather. He was looking over and closing the piled up notifications that appeared during and after the fight.

  Several skills and stat points have increased due to the iy ah of the fight. The notification of the quest pletion for surviving the spar was also dismissed after being looked over.

  Daichi got out of the shower, put on some new clothes aated. He felt the aches and pains throughout his body disappear. His stamina, chakra ah points slowly regeed.

  Wheime came he met his grandfather downstairs and both of them headed out. It ast 6 in the evening. Both of them slowly walked through the vilge.

  Daioted the somber and almost quiet atmosphere when he walked through the vilge. It took him only a few seds to realize the truth of the matter. It was October 9th today. Tomorrow was the 5th anniversary of the ails attabsp;

  It didn't take long for Kensei and Daichi to reach the BBQ restaurant. A rge restaurant with wide windows and multiple greeed booths. The menu stered on the wall. Each table had a charcoal brazier built in the ter and was equipped with tongs for cooking. A restaurant with a Gyū-Kaku style form of dining in which the ers cook their own food after it.

  Daichi and Kensei found ay booth in the er and sat down. They gave their order and waited for the food.

  After a few seds of silence Kensei spoke. "You've gotten a lot stronger during these st few months. In your current strength I'd say you'll be able to handle a 2nd or 3rd year student of the academy."

  Daichi wasn't surprised at the evaluation. He visited the academy a couple of times during the st few months. And he observed any kid he could find. Their levels and stats showed that he was strohan most of the first, sed and some third year students. Daichi simply nodded.

  "I know you're still holding back quite a lot. You didn't use chakra tthen your body did you?" Daichi asked.

  Kensei shook his head. "No. If I had used that now, our spar wouldn't mean anything to you since you won't even be able to touch me. Although I'm surprised you knew about such a teique."

  "I read about it in the chakra theory book you gave me. It's a skill that only be learned after someone has had extensive chakra trol training. Like mastering the water walking." Daichi replied.

  Kensei nodded. "Yes. That's true. But you're nowhere near ready for that."

  "I knos. I'll take it slow. Oep at a time." Daichi wao pletely master the leaf tration exercise before moving on to the one.

  "Daichi. I want you to take the few days off. No training for ahree or four days."

  Daichi usually only took a single day to rest in a week. He already pnned on taking a rest tomorrow but he didn't uand why the old maehe recuperating period to more than one day.

  "I was already pnning on taking a break tomorrow but why more?"

  "All you've been doing is training. Even though you cook and paint sometimes during your break it's still not enough. I know I’ve said this before but now is the time for you to enjoy being a kid. Go out, py, make some friends or simply enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the vilge. Whatever you wanna do except training. It will do you some good."

  "But I like training." Daichi said in a somewhat whiny tone.

  Hearing the childish whiny tone of his voice brought a smile to Kensei's face. "Now you're ag like a brat ye."

  At that moment their order came.

  Kensei ordered the premium buffet. He knew Daichi had a pretty big appetite. Especially after a fight. He watched the appetizers being pced oable.

  Daichi looked at the various dishes and couldn't help gulp his saliva. He was extremely hungry and the tantalizing smells of the food was only making it more difficult for him to hold back. He used 'observe' as the waiter pced the various dishes oable.

  [Minced beef Katsu]

  A panko coated deep fried ground beef cutlet with yered cheese filling. It is served with tonkatsu sauce, shredded cabbage and a small portion of rice. A delicious dish made by chef Joren.

  [Chi Karaage]

  A bite sized chi thigh coated with flour and a special blend of spices and deep fried in hot oil. When dohe chi is coated in a crispy shell with the tender and juicy meat preserved inside. An exceptionally fvorful, crispy and juicy fried chi. 4 bite sized pieces served in a decorative bowl.

  [Beef Okonomiyak

  A popur pan fried dish that sists of batter and cabbage. Beef is the main ingredient with several vegetable toppings added. This is a dish that is grilled on an iron griddle and prepared by chef Hanshi.

  [Chili Cheese Fries]

  These chili and crispy potato fries topped with homemade beef chili and cheese and then baked to perfe. A tasty snack perfect for an appetizer.

  [Wakame Sad]

  This simple yet tasty dish is made from an edible seaweed widely used around the world. This dish tains , tomato, dried seaweed, sesame seeds and thinly chopped carrots. It's highly nutritious and ri fiber, calories, calcium and protein.

  Daichi didn't waste anymore time and started eating. Kensei joined and after about a dozen minutes all that was left were empty ptes.

  "Oh wow. That was delicious."

  "Ihis is one of the few pces in the vilge that match Shi's restaurant taste quality." His grandfather said.

  Daichi took a moment a himself rex. He took a moment and looked at his grandpa. "Hey gramps. Are you thinking about tomorrow?"

  Kensei sighed. "Yeah. Tomorrow marks the 5th anniversary of the ails attack." He had a somber expression. The images of his son, his daughter in w and his wife came to mind. All of them, taken before their time due to the tragic event.

  Looking at the old man's face Daichi stayed quiet. He didn't have any memories of his parents from this life. He didn't have any particur attats to anyone aside from his grandfather Kensei, Matron Aiko and Jozu at the orphahat too was a small bond courtesy of the respect he felt towards them for taking care of him.

  Right now his miowards another orphan. Someone burdened with a heavy duty and shunned for something that wasn't his fault.

  'I wonder how you're doing… Naruto?'

  'Should I visit the pyground? He would definitely be there… No. He would definitely have guards. It would be suspicious if I went and decided to bee friends with him out of nowhere when everyone else stays away. I would get on the radar of all the people I definitely don't want to.'

  Daichi sighed. He didn't think about it anymore.

  "We'll go pay the cemetery a visit early in the m tomorrow. By noon and till evening it will be somewhat crowded." Kensei said to Daichi.

  He just nodded and quietly sat. Both of them, thinking about various things. In a short while the main course came and was served. Several ptes of various cuts of beef and chi were pced. Daichi didn't bother with using 'observe' this time and just grilled and ehe food.

  Both of them ate while discussing various topid left the pce after about an hour a bae.

  —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  It was October 10th early in the m. Daichi and Kensei were standing in the leaf vilge cemetery. It was located at the outskirts of the vilge. The cemetery had a sculpture resembling a fire at the front. It represehe will of fire of the vilge and had the kanji for Hokage inscribed on its base.

  Both of them were in front of a gravestone. Oohe names of Kensei's te family. They were buried together due to Kensei's request. After a few minutes Kensei spoke. He had a slight angry tone in his voice.

  "Hotaru was talented. And the vilge took advantage of that. They brainwashed him with propaganda and ideals of the vilge so much that he and I became estranged. And his death was what caused my beloved Fumiyo's untimely demise."

  Hearing the old man’s words, curiosity got the best of Daichi and he used 'observe' on the headstone.

  [Headstone - Fumiyo Yasaj

  The grave of Fumiyo Aya. The te wife of Kensei Yasaji. She was a in whe Kensei. He saved her during a dangerous mission and they formed a retionship thereafter. She had a son named Hotaru who died during the ails attack. The loss of her son affected her mentally and physically. Slowly weakening her heart with each passing day. She died two years ago at the age of 58, in her sleep.

  [Headstone - Hotaru Yasaj

  The grave of Hotaru Yasaji. The te son of Kensei Yasaji and Fumiyo Yasaji. Hotaru was a talented shinobi during his time. He graduated from the academy at the age of 9 and had participated in the 3rd world war. Due to the number of missions he pleted and the merits he received during the war, he was quickly promoted to Jonin. Later at the end of the war he married his childhood sweetheart Eriko Hatsmi. During the st few years of his life he had aranged retionship with his father due to their trasting philosophies regarding the vilge. He was 26 when he died in the ails attack 5 years ago.

  [Headstone - Eriko Hatsm

  The grave of Eriko Hatsmi. The te wife of Hotaru Yasaji. She was an average shinobi who worked in the administrative department after being a in. During the end of the 3rd world war she married her childhood crush Hotaru Yasaji. She was 26 when she died during the ails attack 5 years ago.

  Daichi reading the details felt like he had a better uanding of Kensei. 'No wohe old ma talk about his son all that much. He might probably still be bming his son for his wife's death. That's a whole of worms I'm not gonna open any time soon. But still…isn't being angry at a dead man still pointless?'

  It was sometime past seven in the m when they reached the cemetery grounds. They prayed and stayed there for sometime before pg the bouquet of flowers Daichi made from his garden oone a shortly after. They ate some breakfast from Shi Fang's restaurant a home.

  When they heir house Daichi asked Kensei what was on his mind.

  "Hey gramps. Are you still angry with your son?"

  Kensei was slightly startled by the question but then posed himself and answered.

  "After his death all I felt was regret for not unig with him. But when Fumiyo died I wao bme someone. And he became a ve scapegoat. It was his death that caused her to die after all. But after some time I came to the realization that I was mostly just angry… So to answer your question, No. I'm not angry at my son."

  "Then who are you angry at?" Daichi asked this question because he wao know if the old man's anger was mispced onto Naruto like most of the vilgers.

  Kensei answered his question with a question of his own.

  "Daichi. Do you know why I'm training you like this even though you're only just 5 years old?"

  "To get me strong and make sure I'm at the top of my css…?" Daichi replied in a somewhat unsure voice.

  "I graduated from the academy just a year after the third graduated. I've participated in three wars. I've traveled all over the world. Met all sorts of people. And I learned one important fact.”

  Daichi's eyes slightly narrowed as he listeo Kehat's when he heard something that surprised him.

  “The leaf vilge isn't the ter of the world.” Kensei said with a strong voice.

  “I was like most people at the beginning. I believed in the will of fire and philosophy of unity of the vilge. But over the years I've seen the dark twisted side of the vilge.”

  “I saw teammates killing teammates to keep the secrets from spreading on the orders of the higher ups. There was even a time when I was attacked by ninjas of this vilge because I was at the wrong pce at the wrong time. You say that I've opened my eyes to the truth of the world. There is nht . Only those with strength make their own path.”

  “My philosophy regarding this pce ged. But my son was someone who believed in this pce. He would have given his life for this vilge without hesitation. And that was what created our rift. I wanted him to put his life above all else. Even the vilge. He disagreed. Our ideals cshed and we drifted apart."

  Kensei sighed and looked at Daichi. He tinued.

  "My father was a traveling mert. When I was a child it was my dream to travel the world. But fate had other pns. I became a ninja and dedicated the prime of my life to this pce.”

  “The reason why I'm training you and pushing you is because you are someone like me. I uood that from the first day we met. You want to bee strong so that you leave this vilge without fear of death, don't you?”

  Daichi was stunned when he was asked the question. For a split sed he thought about lying but then decided against it.

  "Yeah. I want to travel the world. But if I leave the vilge without being a ninja I'll probably be killed by someone on my journey because I was too weak to defend myself and if I bee a ninja I'll be decred a missing nin the moment I leave and be marked for life. The only way to avoid all that is to bee strohan everyone else."

  "Precisely. That's why I'm training you. I want you to have the ce I never had. Daichi. Whatever path you choose… whether it's to stay in the vilge or leave, I want you to be strong enough so that it's your choice. And to answer your earlier question, no one. I’m angry at no one. Not anymore anyway."

  "You know, for a moment I thought you hated the vilge because of what happeo your family." Daichi said to him.

  Kensei had a small sad smile when he heard this. "Hate is a strong word. I do hate some people within the vilge. I hate some policies put i...I don't hate the leaf vilge itself. Despite everything that's happehis pce is still my home. And I would protect it if the need arises."

  Daiodded when he heard this. After a few seds of silence Kensei spoke. "Daichi! Promise me something."

  "What is it?"

  "I know I told you that you choose whatever path you want… but… promise me that wheime es it won't be ohat will harm the vilge." Kensei had the face of anenius in mind as he asked this of Daichi. A powerful ninja he once worked with and now a traitor to the vilge.

  "I won't do anything to hurt the vilge or its people. You have my word." Daichi said with as much seriousness as he could. He wao make sure Kensei knew he wasn't a threat to this pce.

  Kensei was carefully looking over the boy's chakra and he was satisfied with the answer. Both of them talked for a while and soon they were nearing their home.

  Daichi felt like he uood Kensei much better now. He simply o his grandfather's words. They soon reached home.

  Daichi did as his grandfather told him. He took a few days off from his training to enjoy himself. He created some beautiful artwork and made some dishes to cheer up the somewhat depressed old man.

  After a few days of rest and recuperation he resumed his training. The remaining 6 months passed by in a blur. Before long it was the st night of march. Tomorrow he would start the academy.