Chapter 83: Chapter 81: Storm Training (end)

-  Huff! Huff! (This is ridiculous!)- so were the thought of a distressed Homura.

The opponent he chose to face was not only a swordsman but perhaps calling him a god was closer to the feeling Homura was experiencing as he held on to dear life to not be sucked away by the 3-meter wide black hole his opponent had somehow conjured.

It came as a shock, that the character he chose to fight was so strong that he could even create a black hole.

And that black hole was definitely no illusion.

The black hole was mercilessly swallowing and crushing everything that made contact with it.

He thought that the man in front of him was a normal swordsman, but he was something far more than just that.

For starters, he was no man but probably some sort of monster.

A monster sporting some sort of identity disorder, his voice changed and even his appearance did the same ever so slightly.

He even called himself something else, then the name Homura knew himself as.

The whole thing was surreal to Homura, but he cared very little.

Especially at the moment, when all he was busy with was making that the kunai he stabbed on the floor could hold on enough as his legs and entire body were being dragged away by the wind pressure coming from the black hole behind him.

The giant orb of complete darkness that no light seemed to be able to escape from appeared by literal magic.

Homura did not know who the slender man wearing glasses might have been but he seemed to either be able to create anything or affect reality or create illusions that are so real that they seemed indistinguishable from reality.

He seemed to be able to materialize anything and even change the terrain at will.

If those abilities did not belong to a god what else could they be called?

Though, from his initial clashes with the man, it seemed that he was a great fighter only held back because the speed of characters inside this game was comparable to one another, so Homura was still able to counter some of his foe's attacks even though he probably shouldn't have been able to do.

There was a sense that he wanted to strike Homura faster than he physically could but was too heavy and slow to achieve it.

It was an odd spectacle, to say the least, but the skill the man showed with a sword was simply beyond what Homura had ever experienced so far. Though the man was good at wielding any sort of weapon, as he so expertly wielded chakrams previously.

- (I can't believe I have avoided fighting Pain because of shenanigans like his, only to end up fighting his crazier cousin from another world!)-

A discontent Homura could not help but complain as the force pulling him away became stronger, so much so that parts of the ground near him, seemed to be peeled off.

Making Homura realize just how screwed he really was, he could not fight an opponent who could perform these kinds of shenanigans at the drop of a hat.

-(Damn it! I chose him because he looked gentle and easy prey but he is just a god damn monst-!) Sh*t! - Before Homura could finish debating what to do next, the area he had used to stab a kunai with his right hand was peeled away by the powerful winds around him.

Homura couldn't even hold on to his weapon as he watched it be obliterated in an instant as soon as it made contact with the black hole as if space distorted the object to oblivion until it was gone from this world.

- (Sh*t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Leaving a dumbfounded Homura fearful of what would happen to him as he let go.

Immediately after witnessing the gruesome scene that transpired behind him, used his now-freed hand to join his other hand to hold onto his last remaining kunai as he tried to hold on for dear life.

- I- I give up! End the match! End the match!!!!

As if by magic, blue sparkles of data enveloped everything within sight, and the created black hole and the character who created said black hole, were now nowhere to be seen.

Leaving a tired and beat-up Homura to drop on the ground, too mentally tired to even try to avoid the short fall.

until finally he too was covered in blue lights which restored him to his initial appearance.

Not his real form as that of a child.

But his Shinobi strikers avatar that he had used all this time.

Homura who had hit the ground face-first, turned his body around so that he could metaphorically take a breather.

He was once again back in Konohagakure.

It would be more accurate to say that he was back in the middle of a normally busy street in Konohagakure.

Though being a simulation it was eerily calm, so much so that he could easily hear the wind blowing.

And above him, he could see the bright light of the sun coming from the east.

A blue, bright sky was as bright as he remembered witnessing most days, and he could feel the warmth that the sun always provided the village.

But Homura could not enjoy such a sight.

His heart was shaken by what had transpired beyond belief.

He could barely stop himself from shedding tears, but his mind was barely holding it together due to pure shame and pride.

Though Homura had the memories of his previous life, he still had the body and unstable mental state that comes from being a child.

Once he became overwhelmed by fear, all the bravado he was capable of, just disappear.

Which was probably true for anyone.

Most adults if not all, would panic or outright despair at the thought of being annihilated by a black hole trying to suck them inside itself.

Having experienced such a traumatizing event, Homura stood completely still for over 10 hours straight.

He was mentally exhausted.

Only coming back to his senses when he learned that he only had ten minutes left.

Which prompted him to finally move ever so slightly.

- ...C... turn off the program.

A tired Homura ordered C to cancel the program which turned the background to its original state.

Homura then looked at the counter to his left, decreasing ever so slightly.

-(I only have a few minutes left.)

Time was ultimately about to run out, Homura had stayed here for so long and could not reconcile that he would forget for the most part all that had happened, it would remain a vague series of memories inside his subconscious.

It felt surreal.

He wasn't sure that he wanted to remember it, but losing all the progress he had made and all he had endured seemed like a waste to simply let go.

But he now was oddly at peace.

- (Is this what people meant by being reborn?)

The odd state of Homura's psyche was truly getting to him.

How he seemingly had accepted that he would forget everything, but C was going to show what happened to him after he would wake up in the real world.

-( It is still weird that I don't remember anything prior to meeting Anko and Shisui-san about 2 weeks ago. A big event should have happened place before that. The acceptance letter gave us a week time limit to move to the dorms, for those of us who might need a room...did I not do that? )

But before he could get his answer the entire area started to brighten and Homura was engulfed by a pleasant sensation and then nothing.

The bright light had completely engulfed everything within reach of his sight.

Till nothing remained.

...................

.............

........

......

...

*chirp* *chirp*

Hearing the sharp noises of birds chirping nearby.

Homura slowly started to regain consciousness, almost opening his eyes due to the noise he heard coming from outside.

-.... hm....!?...

The bright light from the sun entered the room he was sleeping in until he could no longer had any other choice but regain conscience.

-*YAWN!!!!!!!* Aie!

Homura started to stretch his arms as far as he could until he felt a sudden painful sensation coming from his right hand.

There was some sort of small craft in the shape of kunai that he was holding, and traces of blood seemed to be on the object.

In fact, Homura's hand was bandaged ever so slightly to avoid any more blood loss.

Which confused Homura for a few moments until a jolt of memories came to resurface inside his mind.

- !? that's right I was trying to... Ha!... C, was I able to do it! - exclaimed out loud Homura as he remembered everything that occurred last night.

He tried to have lucid dreams, though he could not really recall having such but he had several recordings inside his mind of those.

- Yes, host. Should I play it, and fast-forward to the parts of interest? (C)

- Yes.

Homura was able to get the gist of what happened from basically watching what went on last night inside his mind, though watching so many times himself losing was certainly something he could not easily ignore.

He found himself rather weak, and not really up to real combat, but the people he thought were all monsters in one sense or the other.

- Alright c, that's enough!... I will go through the rest later.

Though this was the first time a recording showed him fighting inside his mind, even if he succeeded in winning was there a point to it?

He thought he would remember at least a fraction of the events that happened in his dream, but he just has almost no recollection whatsoever.

Just a few hazy feelings that he may have been in danger.

-*Yawn*, ... what a mess.

After yawning, Homura looked at the room he was in and could not stop himself from wondering how someone who had so little could make so much of a mess.

Besides the bed he was currently on, the room was filled with boxes and several books, items, and even weapons; scattered all over the floor.

- That's right, I said I'd clean up when woke up. ( I was too tired to tidy up last night).

Normally Homura wouldn't be able to make such a mess, without acquiring the wrath of his roommates or sister Kasumi's.

However, Homura had no longer any roommates or had to worry about angering sister Kasumi any longer.

In fact, the room he found himself him only had one bed and everything in it belonged to Homura except for the furniture.

The place Homura found himself in was not the bedroom he shared at the orphanage, since yesterday, he found himself living in a rented apartment provided by the academy.

It was a simple apartment.

It had one living room, one bathroom, a balcony, and a living room that doubled as a kitchen.

Originally, it was almost completely empty besides having the bare minimum for him to live in, so, Homura had to receive an allowance to buy or coupons to receive certain supplies he was granted by the academy.

He spent the entire day going around Konoha to gather the needed items he needed to settle in and for studying at the academy.

Thus why his room was filled with books weapons and other sorts of things that he needed to study at the academy.

But since Homura made a series of blunders within his application, he had to do everything at the last minute.

Though he was partially sad about having left the orphanage he lived in for his entire life, he was nonetheless content with having gained a bit more freedom for himself, even though now it meant he would have to do everything himself in order to not starve to death or having nothing to wear.

It was a whole new challenge.

But one that he would have to get used to very soon.

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-.. Man, I'm hungry.

Homura finally got out of bed and after treading through a sea of dangerous weapons on the floor he made it to the bathroom and started brushing his teeth while using the mirror to check on his appearance.

He had bags under his eyes, his appearance didn't indicate that he was very well-rested.

However, he had no time to waste and started brushing his teeth.

- *brushing* *brushing* (Seems, that having to force myself to lucid dream for that long; isn't really good for my body. I should try it once or twice per week.)*spit*- Homura spat on the sink as he was brushing his teeth but still processing all the new information available to him

Homura could not help but remember what he had seen inside the recording C, had shown him.

-(Although, the Naruto A.I. I fought may not reflect Naruto's true strength, he was still a far better fighter than me. None of my moves worked at first. What Guy-san has taught me may not be very practical... I should try to use my own brand of taijutsu or find my own rhythm at some point otherwise I fear the worst. ) *gulp*

Homura, finished brushing his teeth but then drank some water from a water bottle he had left in the bathroom last night. And once again started to check the bags under his eyes as he tried to wash them off with cold water somehow.

-(Knowing what I know now, If we fought once more as I did at the end...would I still lose hundreds or thousands more times? Since I don't really remember anything that happens after I wake up, it might be a possibility.) *sigh*

Seeing that the bags under his eyes were not going away anytime soon, he let out a tired sigh and started washing his face with a nearby towel as he continued to ponder over which course of action to take in the near future.

- (I may need to focus more on something else, besides the strong fist. It is not really effective against opponents all-rounder like Naruto... maybe a fighting style that focuses more on technique or disturbing opponents' moves... Perhaps grappling techniques? That could work... something that lets me use my foes' strength against themselves...but the shinobi style of combat focuses more on speed and dealing quick strikes to K.O, opponents... what to do...? )

After he cleaned up his face quite well with the towel Homura could not stop pondering if his hair had grown a bit too long as of late.

- Hm... my bangs are too long now...(my hair was flatter and a bit curly but ever since I used that Uchiha DNA on myself it became spikier).

He had in fact wanted to continue growing his hair out as he wanted to keep DNA samples of his own unaltered DNA prior to adding more outside genetic material, but he failed to do it slightly so.

His DNA now was a far cry from its original form. Even if the people he took DNA from belonged to the same clan and probably shared a lot of similar genes, his DNA had already been changed to some degree his hair is proof enough of that.

His hair used to be dark with a few strands of gray hair now it was more of 60 to 40 ratio.

- ...I want to appear cool for my first day at the academy a new haircut might be needed to make myself appear cool. That blond guy at the end and the black hole guy had that cool/serious rival haircut that girls like...I wonder if it will look good on m-!

*ringing noise*

But before he could finish he heard the doorbell ring.

- (Is it mine? No, that can't be. I haven't told anyone where I live yet...maybe it is coming from next door. Yeah that gotta be it.)

Homura remained in the bathroom waiting that the person in the apartment next door would finally open their door to prove him right, but such idle thoughts were proven to be wrong.

*Ringing noise*

-....(Why did doorbells have to be a thing? I can't believe they existed this early in the timeline, I thought it was a Boruto-era thing.)

Another 20 seconds later, and the doorbell rang one more time. Finally confirming to Homura that he wasn't hearing the doorbell from his next-door neighbor's apartment rather coming from his own apartment.

*Ringing noise*

- (Yep! it is mine alright... who the f*ck is ringing no-! Cr*p maybe is someone from the academy I'd better hurry up!)

Homura quickly got off the bench he used to reach the sink in order to brush his teeth in the bathroom; since he was still too short and the appliances in this apartment were meant for adults and quickly headed for the door.

As he opened the door he got a shock of a lifetime.

The image of a very familiar light green or bordering on blue-haired girl was at the door.

- Geh! S-Saya!?

- Hi Homura, welcome to the building.- said Saya while presenting Homura with a basket full of vegetables that he didn't like, but rather than focusing on that part and complaining to her, her words made him not really pay attention to the basket in front of him.

-  Thank y-! Wait, what?!- Homura could not finish his sentence, rather he started to panic about the implications her words carried.

- We're neighbors. (Saya)

- We are!?(Not again! I thought my nightmare was over.)

An internal shockwave suddenly hit Homura as he tried very hard to comprehend what he just heard.

- Technically we live in the same building, but I live on the 5th floor. (Saya)

- I guess, that is true. (I live on the 3rd floor though.) Wait!? How did you know I was here!?

- How? Well, your name was written next your mailbox downstairs. Besides I am not the only one here, a lot of academy students that entered this year are here too. There's Uryuu-kun, Sayori-chan, Yuna-chan, and some others though Zen-kun isn't here though. (Saya)

-...is that so? (...I don't know who Sayori-chan and Yuna-chan are though...but Uryuu is here, huh? Just hope it doesn't get weird.... weirder.)

- B-But why are you here though?

- I figured as your Onee-chan I could help you settle in. (Saya)

- Why? I didn't help you. (In fact, I made sure to run away when they said you were looking for me after the farewell party at the orphanage.)

- It is fine. I only bought the essentials. (Saya)

- Huh?

- I was going to wait for you to help me and carry my appliances. (Saya)

-(*gulp*)

- I've only been window shopping so that I could compare prices. Wait, have you already bought your appliances with the money they gave you? (Saya)

- What?! I-I wasn't supposed to? N-no, what do you mean I'm supposed to carry your stuff!? Don't you have friends!? What happened to that Yuna something?! Or the other girl?! Use them! Not me!

- Rude. I don't use anyone. Besides, I told them that you were going to help them too, they were waiting for 3 days for you to move in. (Saya)

- Kuh!(So it is not just one harpy but 3 harpies that I have to pretend to like for a whole day...since I don't remember who the others are, they are probably just dumb kids as well. Why did I make that stupid mistake? )

Homura still vividly remembers the mistake he made with his application, it was a real pain in the ass for them to correct it, in fact, he was lucky that he got an apartment at all.

There were talks of him having to share one or even crash at some random old man for a term.

-... I see. *Sigh*(Arguing more would be a waste of time. My so-called big sister sells my services or forces me to volunteer in doing things that I don't want to do all the time... It is not going to change today even if I try to say no... it may in fact just anger her. And she is damn scary when she is angry.)- Homura resigned himself to his fate, as he facepalmed so hard as if subconsciously he wanted to black out to the end of the week.

- So, this is your apartment... it's messy. (Saya)

Before could figure out how to send Saya away she was already inside.

She casually passed Homura who was busy pretending he just heard the worst news of his life and didn't even notice Saya entering his apartment.

- S-shu-!

- Hm? (Saya)

Saya looked at Homura with eyes that seemed kind, but he knew he had to be very careful about choosing his next words.

He had memories of her so-called "punishments".

As the years went by she reminded him more of his hated enemy, sister Kasumi.

So, now Homura's fears tended to overlap whenever he tried to stand up against either of his foes. 

- Kuh! I-I mean I was going to clean up (eventually).

- If I let you do it, it might take next month for you to take care of cleaning everything. (Saya)

- Hmph!...(lucky guess.)

- So before we head out, let's clean this room first. (Saya)

-...

Having nothing to say that could make the girl in front of him change her mind, Homura resigned himself to putting his apartment in order.

It took them over 2 hours just to make the previously messy apartment, to feel somewhat close to being hospitable for a living being.

Homura had bought more training gear than appliances for him to comfortably live.

Homura looked at Saya's figure happily cleaning, the balcony, and could not believe anyone would ever go that far for him, even if they wanted something out of it.

In fact, Saya didn't need to help him do anything.

She could just demand it and Homura would be too scared to say no.

He still doesn't believe that he could take her on, in a full-on fight, and even if he could he would be seen as the bad guy.

Still, he felt a bit bad that someone who is technically much younger than him, had to worry about himself.

Homura may be irresponsible but he still had the maturity to introspect.

If Saya is going to become a shinobi in the future, she should devote all her time to mastering the techniques she will need to survive, and not waste time worrying about himself or others.

Since it was what he planned on doing.

He wished others would do the same.

-... Saya...

- Hm? What is it Homura? You look a bit strange. (Saya)

-...you don't need to check on me any longer. (We're not really family but forced to be together at all time, because we arrived at the orphanage almost at the same time.)

-...Eh? What do you mean? (Saya)

- You're training to become a shinobi, from now on you should focus on your training. You don't have to worry about taking care of others as you did at the orphanage.

- ? What do you mean? I like to spend time with everyone. When we are all together it is fun.  (Saya)

A surprised Homura could not help to twitch his left eyebrow slightly due to Saya's unique statement. He couldn't completely understand the logic behind her words.

He has forgotten how to have fun ever since he regained most of his past life memories and having to dedicate time to train in order to become a shinobi.

It wasn't exactly fun, to train but at this point.

It was all he could remember he did that could somewhat be considered as being fun, at least when he succeeded in his endeavors. 

So Saya's response was certainly strange for him to fully comprehend.

- fun, huh? ( A word often used by stupid people when they fail to express their true thoughts in a coherent manner.)- so pondered Homura who couldn't fully grasp Saya's answer-

- Muu! Homura, did you think something horrible again!? (Saya)

Saya got close to Homura so that she could get a good look at his lying face.

- N-no. I didn't! I think it is nice that you care so much about everyone.

-... Hmph! Fine. But you have to help me also go for groceries tonight, understood? (Saya)

- Yes, mam!

- *smile* good. Now let's finishing cleaning up, we have a lot of work to do today. (Saya)

After somewhat coercing Homura into having to go buy groceries later with her, Saya went back to cleaning. 

However, seeing Saya's face from this up close made Homura's memories 

Homura looked at Saya and was slightly reminded of something he saw recently, but he couldn't quite point out where exactly.

- (C. Try to find in my memories a character in Naruto with Saya's name.)

-(...No character found that fit the specific criteria.)  (C)

-...Weird, I could have sworn... meh, it doesn't matter. Saya is Saya after all.

Chapter end

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