5 05 - War Traumas

Kosuke stands up calmly in his awakened mode.

"So that's what you told me? Let's see if it's true" Inara says.

Inara creates his characteristic chakra cloak on both hands and feet and moves quickly towards Kosuke, Inara moves in a zigzag pattern, noticing that Kosuke is not following him with his eyes.

When he finally comes very close to hitting Kosuke, Inara sees that Kosuke is looking deeply into his eyes.

Inara can't hide his surprised expression.

Kosuke hits the top of Inara's wrist, redirects his kunai blow in his direction, and uses the momentum of the move to somersault forward to land a kick on Inara's back.

Inara recognized the blow and at the same moment he saw it coming, he released his kunai and used the support of the tree to project himself away from Kosuke's blow.

*THUM

Kosuke breaks the floor with the kick.

"Surprising Sensei..." Kosuke says in a perverted tone with a smile at the corner of his face.

"I say the same Kosuke, but you're still very naive" Inara says.

Kosuke loses his expression, claps both hands together and says.

"Suiton: Suishouha"

"What?" Inara exclaim.

A huge wave suddenly appears in front of Kosuke, varying between 10 and 15 meters in height and heading towards Inara.

Inara makes signs with his hands and says.

"Suiton: Suijinheki"

A semicircle of water forms around Inara, protecting him from the tsunami.

Inara watches attentively as he waits for the torrent of water to subside until Kosuke appears in front of him, preparing to land a blow on Inara's chest. Inara steps out of the jutsu formation, concentrates his chakra on his feet, and performs a backflip, hitting Kosuke in the middle of the move.

The move hits Kosuke right in the face, but turns out to be a water clone.

"A clone?" thinks Inara.

Kosuke appears behind Inara after the killing blow and when he finally manages to surprise his sensei with a blow to the back.

*Splash

*Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank

Because Inara's barrier had ended, all the water around them fell on them, but as the wave ended, right after the water stopped, it was possible to see Inara Sensei with a water sword competing with Kosuke's steel umbrella.

This umbrella is very similar to Suzaku's Lotus from Sekiro.

Inara realizes the use of the weapon, so he puts all his strength into his fist and attacks the umbrella.

*Tchimm

The sound echoes through the forest, pushing Kosuke back slightly.

"Very strong... but he still has a lot to learn" Inara thought.

"Okay, I've seen what I need to" Inara announced loudly.

Kosuke's eyes slowly returned to normal, but he stayed still and listened to what Inara said.

"You have a lot of potential, I can understand very well why Hanzõ chose you, but your discipline is very weak, you waste too much of your energy on unnecessary moments and when you finally meet someone who will make you reach your true limit... you will fail" Inara says.

Kosuke asks.

"How do I solve this?"

Inara replies, silent for a moment.

"We'll see tomorrow, your real training starts tomorrow, I saw that you made good use of that suzaku, I liked the way you used it."

"Oh, I love it" Kosuke says and puts it away.

*Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank Tchlank

Suzaku recoils from Kosuke's fist.

Inara says.

"I want you here tomorrow at 8 a.m., we have a lot of work to do."

"Yes Sensei!" Kosuke exclaims.

In the rainy village

Kosuke had returned home and in the middle of his journey, he thought.

"The war has just happened, I wonder how long this period of peace between the nations lasted before the 3rd Ninja World War happened... what?" Kosuke says in shock.

Kosuke looks at a slim figure with reddish hair.

"Is that... Nagato?" Kosuke thinks.

The strange boy Kosuke was watching noticed that he was being watched. Kosuke wasn't sure how to react to the situation and seemed to be in some kind of trance, watching the boy and trying to make sure that it was really Nagato.

When the boy turned and looked at Kosuke, his eyes did not deceive... there were two Rinnegans.

Kosuke is shocked, even though Nagato was expected at that time in the story, it was surprising to find him there at that moment.

As soon as Nagato noticed that they were looking at each other, he approached and asked.

"Is everything all right?"

"Ahh yes, I'm fine, and you ?" Kosuke said shaking his head to get over the shock.

"I'm hungry to be honest, these hard times are very cruel to me..." Nagato says.

"Oh really, before he met Yuhiko and Konan, he was really begging for food... too bad this village and the climate are all kind of cold and therefore insensitive..." Kosuke thought.

"I can help you !" Kosuke said.

"Woof!" A dog barked a bit away from us.

This dog was a very thin puppy.

"Chibi !" Kosuke says without hiding his excitement.

"Oh... how do you know its name?" Nagato asks.

Kosuke realizes his mistake and explains it.

"I'm sorry, it's just that he looks a lot like a puppy I named Chibi..."

"Oh... I see" Nagato says confused.

"Let's get something to eat, I'll buy it for you" Kosuke says.

Nagato smiles slightly, relieved.

"Thanks! ! !" Nagato says.

In Maruki's restaurant

"Maruki !" Kosuke says.

"Oh oh, if it isn't Kosuke, how are you?" Maruki says.

"I'm fine, I brought a friend here today to eat the best ramen in Amegakure" Kosuke says.

Nagato doesn't know how to react to being called a friend.

"You can order whatever you want, it's fine" Kosuke says.

Nagato and Kosuke place their orders and talk while they eat. In the middle of this conversation, Nagato tells his life story.

"My parents were killed by ninjas from the Leaf Village, they died because of a senseless war that had nothing to do with me and my family, and yet... I lost them..." Nagato says dejectedly.

"I'm sorry Nagato..." Kosuke says.

The starving puppy stops eating and cries, looking up and trying to get Nagato's attention, sensing his sadness.

Nagato caresses Chibi and as he picks him up, he says.

"As soon as my parents were killed, I was seized by an absurd rage, I don't know how to put it, but I remember fainting at that moment and waking up some time later to the ninjas outside my house..." Nagato says.

"He's probably saving the fact that he killed two ninjas from Konoha for fear that it would have consequences for him, smart coming from a child in a vulnerable situation..." Kosuke thought.

"But after a while of living out of my own house, the food ran out... and I ended up homeless, plus my own house had 2 dead bodies that I refused to look at anymore, and the electricity was about to be cut off as well" Nagato says in a desperate voice when he mentions the 2 corpses.

"Aff... Being such a small village... we don't get any support from any institution, the village leaves those affected by the war completely helpless... I know it's not our government's fault that these wars are happening here in our territory... but I think they could have done more for us..." Nagato says.

Kosuke has an epiphany.

"I have an idea..." Kosuke thinks.

//

Author note

10 chapters ahead at p@treon.com/persima