Chapter 11: Chapter 11 – I’m A Kunai…

I'm a kunai... sharp and strong.

The echo of my footsteps against the compound's stone-paved road reached my cold-bitten ears, a surprising indication that I still have legs. Yet I couldn't be surprised.

I'm a kunai...

If I had a shred of energy left for such a thing, I would instead be shocked that those ghostly shaking legs are still moving, that I didn't faint yet, or that I only puked five times.

... sharp and... and... sharp.

I don't know when, but the sun had set, putting a dark veil over the world. And with my blurry vision, I can hardly make out the shapes of the walls. I know the way, however, enough to walk without thinking. Good. Not many thoughts are in my head anyway, other than how a kunai isn't supposed to have legs. Ludicrous.

My consciousness surfaces after I get an impression of the same wall for the third time. I'm going in circles.

My lunges are cold, my dry throat is painfully burning, and I don't feel my legs. The initial energetic sprint had long been broken and reduced into an awkwardly ridiculous trudge.

Soon I reached the door of the samurai-like house I'm squatting in. Yet it has been so long since I've been running that I've forgotten how to stop. I don't even know if I should even stop in the first place. I've been fighting that bewitching word out of my mind for too long, and now it feels like a trap.

I strode in circles outside the entrance for a couple of minutes before I could finally regain most of my senses. I want water. My mouth is so dry that it feels like my tongue will crack.

I slid the door open and got in.

"I'm home," I said with a hoarse voice as I tried not to recoil at the words leaving my mouth. While I'm certainly pro-politeness and fully understand and exercise the principle of 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'; it just sounds wrong to me, no matter how many times I say them. Yet I reluctantly said them nonetheless, since the grim alternative of not doing so is not something I want to experience.

"Welcome back," the soft voice, almost hushed, of my aunt, greeted me back. She walked from the first doorway to my right, leading to the dining room. She eyed me for a moment, and then her slightly furrowed brow relaxed. "You must be tired, Izuna-kun? I already prepared your special bath at the back. Go, wash up quickly while I heat up your dinner."

I tried not to flinch at the mention of a 'special bath' as I removed my shoes. "Isn't it a bit late, Baa-chan?"

"It is," she nodded with a soft smile before furrowing her brow slightly. "You should hurry up then. I made the beef curry you like so much; it will be nice and warm in one minute," she said, immediately turning around and heading to the kitchen.

That isn't what I meant.

I didn't dwell much on it, however, and forced my overworked legs to take me to the next torturing session. Soon I found myself standing in the backyard's engawa.

It is indeed late...

Usually, right after dinner, Kyouka would train for three to four hours here in the backyard before either going to bed or starting her night shift. Now, however, the dirt backyard is desolate, with only the occasional cold breeze disturbing the silence by playing through the trees and bushes.

I didn't halt to appreciate the silent night like I sometimes do and tottered, still on the engawa, to the remote corner, where lay a relatively large wooden container with water in it... and ice, a lot of ice of different shapes and sizes.

"..."

No, let me rephrase that. A large wooden container filled with ice and a bit of water.

Closing my eyes, I bit my lower lip, trying to find anything, anything at all that would help me cope with the atrocity that is to come. Yet to my great regret, I found nothing. Anything remotely helpful was either sweated out or vomited during the earlier sprint.

Tsk. Bad luck.

I opened my eyes, my focus was instantly drawn to the floating ice, and my breath quickened. Am I afraid of the ice? Certainly not. Ice is great, in fact, I love snow and ice cream, but... but that won't save me from what is to come, wouldn't it?

I haven't said my last words, however.

I raised my left hand in front of my face, with the index and middle fingers extended and the others curled. My lips contorted into a frenzied grin.

Humph. You need to try harder if you want to keep me in this Genjutsu.

"Kai!"

As my voice echoed in the quiet courtyard, the minty slithering of my chakra stopped abruptly before easily flowing with significantly more force and the intent of breaking this humorless Genjutsu.

"..."

The wooden container, however, is still here with the ice still in it and the water in it is... I dipped a finger in. The water is freaking freezing.

"Kai!"

My desperate voice rang once more as if what I'm realizing is too inconceivable for the human mind. I tried again and again.

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

But nothing changed. This is bad. It means that this is either the fucking reality. A reality where I would willfully torture myself. Or a Genjutsu so powerful that even I can't break from it, which isn't likely. While I certainly am not the best of the best in Genjutsu yet, my talent and grasp of it are way higher than anything I've tried to this day; even the doctor hinted at something similar. Furthermore, it was my main focus of training all this while.

Tsk. This is no Genjutsu.

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I shook my head. Trying to deny reality is not mature behavior, but then I realized that had I plunged in as soon as I arrived, I would have already finished this daunting task instead of foolishly wasting time.

Come on, you can do it—if not for yourself, then for the warm beef curry waiting for you.

The thought of the culinary delicacy of my aunt did put some fuel in my limbs.

Licking my dry lips, I removed my pants and hoodie and put them beside the towels.

"I'm a kunai, sharp and strong."

Steeling my nerves with the dubious magical incantation. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and then, without delay, mercilessly immersed my body whole. Instantly, my breathing went out of control, my heartbeat picked up, and I felt a wave of panic overcome me.

But it isn't over yet. If I kept still, the water that was in contact with my skin would warm up, creating a shield, and that wouldn't be fun, now would it? No, it needs more spiciness.

I'm a kunai, sharp and strong.

So I started moving around, immersing my head from time to time.

The freezing water seemingly grew sharp teeth, biting mercilessly on my skin, as if a thousand tiny needles were piercing me in all different places. My lungs tightened, and my chest felt like it was being compressed by an invisible giant hand.

I'm a kunai, sharp and strong.

Why the fuck am I doing this?

The perpetual question that accompanied me during all of my training reared its head. Why am I doing this? Of course, it's not to be the weakest.

'not to be the weakest'? Why not 'to be the strongest'?

The strongest is relative. No matter how strong you are, there is always someone stronger than you; everyone knows that and everyone says that. Besides, it isn't mathematics. If [A] beets [B], and [B] beets [C], then does that mean that, by deduction, [A] is stronger than [C]?

No, it isn't. There are so many factors to account for, and with so little information, all presumed deductions can't be higher than a burned peanut.

The world isn't a straight line, and strength isn't mighty.

Then why even try... this hard?

Because I'm a fucking transmigrator, and apparently putting the soul of a grown-ass man in the body of a kid isn't without disruptive consequences.

... still, this is too much; take a break.

I'm a kunai, sharp and strong.

You are doing more than required; the medical-nin only instruction was to preferably ingest the medicine while the chakra reserves are less than half full, but you are going overboard...

I'm a kunai...

The ice baths aren't even a requirement but a suggestion.

... sharp and strong.

Come on, it's time to take a break. Today was the first day at school; you should take it easy and be in good shape for the second.

Giving up all attempts at regulating my shallow breathing, I closed my mouth and eyes, then further submerged my head, hoping the glacial water would dampen that annoying voice.

I'm a kunai... sharp... and... and...

"..."

The freezing waters were successful at shutting down the voices... a bit too much, in fact. It was only after I started to feel sluggish, oddly warm, and sleepy that an alarm rang in my head.

I jerked instantly out of the tube, coughing, gasping, and trembling.

F-fuck, fuck, I could have died just now; fuck. I reached for the towel, but it dropped. Fuck. I swore again and again as I tried to pick up the shitty towel multiple times with fucking no success. My numb fingers aren't answering me anymore; they aren't moving; they are frozen.

I kneeled and tried to use both arms as chopsticks to grab the damn thing, but an announced hand was faster. My aunt, with a somber face, picked up the towel and wordlessly started to dry the hell out of me, starting with my hair. And she isn't going easy on it. I feel like a wet kitten scrambled in the hands of a bald bouncer who has a secret side of loving small, cute things.

This is bad. And it's not the fact that I compare myself to a cat when I'm a dog person that I find concerning.

This is the second time I take an ice bath, and the first time I almost had to fight so that this worried aunty of mine doesn't stay scooping by my side for, uh... motherly reason? Not that I have an issue with her in particular. It's just that I have an issue with all of them. Whenever they act concerned, worried, or caring about 'me', it feels strange, and I dislike it.

Fortunately, she didn't start an argument to accompany me. It would be more restrictive than helpful. Instead, after she made sure all the cold water left my skin, she stood, turned around, and said in a low but cold voice. "Put your clothes on quickly, and come eat dinner," before she headed inside without waiting for my reply.

I nodded and did as I was told. My body is still shivering, but luckily, I have slightly recovered the use of my fingers. I confirmed the still attachment of my toes to my feet, gave the ice tube a last glance, and then headed inside to reclaim my due reward.

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