En Oyashiro let out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing in a cold sweat. That technique couldn't be real. His eyes widened with disbelief as he recognised the jutsu. It was the signature technique of his long-dead follower, Nowaki.
Meanwhile, Tokuma had just joined Itachi. Without Nowaki to share the burden, the combined strength of the two prodigies proved too much for Chino to handle. Together, they quickly subdued her.
Suddenly, a scream echoed across the battlefield, sending a chilling ripple through everyone present. There was no doubt—it was the voice of the Arms Dealer.
Even Hayama, who had been calm until now, turned toward Enso's direction, beads of sweat sliding down his temples.
En Oyashiro stared at Enso, who stood still, clutching his head. His lower body had already been shredded—minced beyond recognition. And yet, with a trembling voice, En Oyashiro still managed to speak.
"Kill me if you must," he gasped, "but please… look after that little girl. She's all I have left in this world."
Enso didn't respond.
He brought his knee up and drove it into En Oyashiro's face repeatedly, without mercy. The man's face quickly became a mangled mess, flattened beyond recognition. Once it was done, Enso calmly absorbed his soul.
Without hesitation, Enso tore a piece of cloth from En Oyashiro's robe and fashioned a makeshift bag. He knelt, gathering the scattered remains of Nowaki. Then, he walked over to the tree, pulled his Vajra Blade free, and grabbed En Oyashiro's half-mangled corpse by the hair.
Everyone froze as Enso approached, eyes locked on the horrifying sight of half a corpse dragged behind him, leaving a blood-stained trail on the ground.
Enso stopped before Tokuma and looked him straight in the eye.
"He summoned your opponent," Enso said quietly, "and used him as a human shield against my blade."
Then he handed over the bag containing Nowaki's remains.
"Please bury him."
Tokuma took the bag, nodding solemnly.
Enso turned toward Chino. He untied her bindings, but she didn't move. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the bag in Tokuma's hands. That bag contained her only friend in the world. She crumbled to the ground, sobbing.
"Please help him with the process," Enso said softly, sensing the overwhelming grief that consumed her. It reminded him of the Nine-Tails Incident, a time when he had once found himself in a similar situation.
With that, he sealed En Oyashiro's upper body into a scroll and turned to check on Hayama.
Elsewhere, Itachi gathered the remaining children—the ones who had been controlled by En Oyashiro. He released them from their bindings and addressed them directly.
"I'm from the Hidden Leaf," he told them. "You're free now, but I offer you a chance to join us. I can promise you a better life."
The children looked at each other. The man who had controlled them was dead, and none of them had a home to return to. It wasn't much of a choice, really. Itachi hadn't said what would happen if they refused—but after watching a body get sealed into a scroll, none of them wanted to find out.
Quietly, one by one, they nodded. Without hesitation, they followed Tokuma and Itachi, helping to clean up the area and erase all traces of the battle.
Enso took Chino aside and knelt in front of her.
"Will you join the Hidden Leaf as well?" he asked.
She looked at him with tear-streaked cheeks and trembling lips. "Only if I can stay with you."
But Enso shook his head.
"I want you to take on an important job," he said. "You'll become the babysitter for Lord Fourth. I won't be around much, but I'll drop by for dinner now and then."
Chino stared at him for a long moment, unsure whether to be angry, confused, or grateful. But she said nothing more.
On the journey back, Chino quietly slipped her hand into Enso's. She held on tightly, refusing to let go. Enso didn't have the heart to pull away. After all, he had just killed her father—and her only friend.
He found himself stuck in a painful dilemma: Should he tell her the truth, or hide it forever? Either way, the burden would be his to carry.
When Chino finally fell asleep from exhaustion, Enso gently passed her over to Tokuma.
"Carry her for me," he said softly.
Their group travelled through the night, not stopping until they had crossed the border into the Land of Lightning. Once they were safely past the frontier, they finally paused for rest.
They rented rooms at a nearby hotel and treated the children to a well-deserved meal. Every single one of them had gone two full days without proper rest or food.
But it wasn't as if they hadn't slept at all. The kids had worked out a system, taking turns being carried so one could rest while the others kept moving. Hayama was genuinely impressed; their coordination and teamwork surpassed that of most Chūnin, despite their young age.
After dinner, Enso made his way to the bathhouse. He washed off the blood, the dirt, the sweat, and the weight of what had just happened. He has grown stronger once again, having absorbed En Oyashiro's soul and Nowaki. But he doesn't feel the usual excitement, and if anything, he feels quite conflicted.
Would that little girl seek revenge against him in the future? The thought lingered in his mind. It would be a tragedy if the last surviving bloodline of the Chinoike clan ended by his hand.
He was certain he now possessed his first dōjutsu, the Ketsuryūgan. But for some reason, it didn't manifest in his pupils. Perhaps its power wasn't enough to affect his overwhelmingly strong soul. Either way, it was for the better—he wouldn't have to hide his newly acquired dōjutsu in public.
Enso let out a weary sigh. He knew, without a doubt, that even if he were sent back in time, he would do it all over again. The only thing he'd change would be stopping that summoning jutsu before it ever happened. Such is the life of a Shinobi—sometimes, you simply don't get to choose.
When he finally climbed into bed, sleep came fast.
For the first time in days, he closed his eyes without the sound of screams in his ears.
And for a while—just a little while—there was peace.
The next day, after a week-long mission, the team finally reached Konoha. They made their way to the Hokage's office to report the situation in full.
Danzo was already waiting. Without wasting time, he requested that the rescued children be sent into Root Anbu for further training. Hayama, however, objected strongly. Itachi had promised those children a better life, and as their sensei and the leader of Team 1, he intended to honour that promise.
Minato, understanding the gravity of the situation, took charge. He arranged a large house for the eight children, providing them with a stable environment to live and grow. At Enso's request, Minato also accepted Chino into his family. Danzo, clearly displeased, stormed out of the Hokage's office after Minato flatly denied his proposal.
Despite the tension, those children were placed under the Hokage's personal security team, where they would receive advanced training before eventually joining the ANBU. These children were far beyond the level of the Ninja Academy; forcing them into basic classes would be a waste of their potential.
"We witnessed Orochimaru trying to buy some of the children from En Oyashiro," Hayama reported calmly.
Minato's expression darkened as he rubbed his forehead. En Oyashiro's death had cut off their best lead in the investigation of Orochimaru's crimes.
"I'll assign ANBU and ask Lord Third to look into it, but I doubt it'll lead to anything. Orochimaru is slippery, and without solid evidence, there's nothing we can do against a Sannin," Minato said, with a heavy heart.
Another A-rank mission was added to Team 1's growing resume. The mission's completion earned them a week off to rest, especially since Hayama was still recovering from the effects of Genjutsu. On the return trip, Itachi and Enso took turns carrying him back to the village.
That evening, Enso joined Kushina and Minato for dinner. However, this time, he wasn't in the mood to discuss the mission. The weight of the recent bloodshed hung heavily on him. As their mentor, both Kushina and Minato could sense the shift in his mood, but they didn't press him to speak. They respected his silence, knowing all too well the weight of such experiences from their own pasts.
The next day, Enso made his way to the Fire Temple. It was time to make use of the personal reward granted to him by the Daimyō of the Land of Fire—a rare opportunity to further refine his skill set.
Enso had another goal in mind: to immerse himself in the temple's Buddhist scriptures. After the bloodshed of the recent mission, he hoped that quiet study and reflection might help cleanse the lingering killing intent that clouded his mind.
Normally, guest trainees weren't granted access to such sacred techniques. However, the Fire Daimyō had written a personal letter requesting an exception be made for Enso, acknowledging his exceptional contributions during the escort mission and ensuring his request would be granted.
Upon arrival, Enso was presented with a black prayer bead necklace—a symbol of his association with the Fire Temple and the key to unlocking the Seal of the Iron Wall. Bansai, head of the Ninja Monks, welcomed him personally and led him on a guided tour through the temple's sacred grounds.
"The Lord Daimyō has asked us to teach you our ultimate techniques: 'Gift of the Hermit Group' and 'Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder,'" Bansai said with a sigh. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't allow this. But the temple has survived for years thanks to his sponsorship."
Enso bowed respectfully, fully aware that the monks were clearly bending their rules for him.
"You're the second person we've made an exception for," Bansai said as they reached the library. "The first was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He once used what he learned here as the foundation for his Wood Release Ultimate Technique. As for you, I sense a heavy killing intent. I won't say you can't master the technique, but it won't be easy."
With that, Bansai left Enso alone to study.
As expected, Enso struggled. He couldn't even begin to grasp the full depth of the technique. He browsed through countless related scrolls and ancient texts, but his efforts met a dead end. No wonder the monks had allowed him access to their sacred techniques; he had underestimated their cunningness.
He considered asking Chiriku, one of the senior monks and a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, to demonstrate it for him. Without a practical example, relying on study alone could take years before he made any meaningful progress.
Then, he remembered something from the earlier tour: the Graveyard of the Fallen Monks.
The Fire Temple possessed a unique ability to preserve the souls of the deceased. Its graveyard was unlike any other, home to over a hundred conscious spirits of former monks who had mastered the temple's highest techniques. Learning from these souls, who had long perfected their art, would greatly accelerate his comprehension.
Without wasting time, Enso created a shadow clone to remain in the library and continue studying the theory behind the techniques. Meanwhile, the real Enso activated his invisibility and used "Assimilation of All Things" to slip into the graveyard undetected. Absorbing the knowledge and experience of the monks' lingering souls would offer invaluable benefits. The Fire Temple, after all, was renowned not just for its sacred arts but also for its mastery of Taijutsu and Fūinjutsu.
Unlike ordinary people, Enso could see the tangible forms of over a hundred monk spirits, their souls clearly visible to his eyes. These were no ordinary Ninja Monks; their chakra reserves were immense, a testament to the mastery they had attained in life. Only those of exceptional strength and discipline could leave their souls behind for so many years.
One by one, Enso absorbed their essence, invoking the adaptive and evolutionary traits of the Tyrant Dragon. Through this process, his own chakra reserves expanded significantly, and he finally succeeded in accessing the "Gift of Hermit Chakra."
In truth, the "Gift of Hermit Chakra" was not merely a technique, but a transformative process, one that refined the spiritual essence of chakra into something far greater. Since chakra is composed of both physical and spiritual energy, this refinement allowed the user to convert the spiritual aspect into the "Gift of the Hermit Group," enabling them to manifest divine beings such as gods and buddhas through the refined chakra.
It took Enso a considerable amount of time to sift through the memories of the deceased monks. These monks had lived extraordinarily long lives, and their experiences were vast, spanning centuries of knowledge and growth.
From the memories of the monks, Enso discovered that two souls had once attempted to refine their physical chakra using the "Gift of Hermit." Unfortunately, their efforts ended in failure. These monks had weak physical bodies, and that imbalance caused their chakra to become unstable. This instability led to their downfall. He realised that refining chakra was not as simple as just compressing the spiritual energy. It required a balance between the physical and spiritual aspects of one's chakra, along with the purity of their Chakra.
What struck Enso as particularly significant was a pattern he observed in their attempts. All of them tried to convert their chakra into the form of a Buddha, hoping to achieve enlightenment. However, their energy overlapped, causing them to lose control. Enso believed that had they tried to convert their chakra into a demon instead of a Buddha, they might have at least lived to see another day. Yin and Yang, God and Demon, these were two sides of the same coin. In his past life on Earth, Enso had gained a deeper understanding of such dualities, something the monks could never have fully grasped due to their confined training and meditation within the temple's walls.
Enso didn't rush into any reckless actions. While his body was stronger than most, he knew it was not yet developed enough to attempt such a dangerous technique. To refine his physical chakra, Enso would need to release at least 70% of his physical strength. Up until that point, attempting such a technique would have been futile, and he knew better than to try. He estimated that he wouldn't be ready to attempt it until after reaching adulthood.
Unlike most others, Enso's Buddha form was different. While the traditional form was the "Kanno Buddha Form," Enso manifested the "12-limb Mahavairocana form," a primordial Buddha who embodied the concept of emptiness. It was a form that reflected his understanding of Buddhism and his inner self. He didn't rest during the night; instead, he spent it studying the monks' memories, analysing every detail.
As dawn approached, Enso snuck back into the library, taking care to sort through the scrolls he had borrowed before returning them to their rightful places. As he worked, Bansai, the senior monk, came to check on him. With a gentle smile, Bansai invited Enso to join the others for breakfast at the cafeteria.
Over breakfast, Bansai casually asked about Enso's progress with the "Gift of Hermit Chakra." Enso responded that he had made some progress, though he knew it was modest. Bansai chuckled, clearly not expecting much from a single night's work. Still, the old monk was kind enough to ask Enso to demonstrate his progress and promised to offer some guidance.
*I feel like dropping this fanfic soon. People have no idea how much time I've put into writing it. While I'm confident in my ability as an author, I can't help but feel the work is underappreciated, especially considering the plot, fight scenes, and the effort I've poured into it. At first, I saw this as an opportunity to create something that could serve as a guideline for my original book. But now, it's starting to feel like a huge waste of effort, especially since I'm not getting paid for any of this.
Even now, I struggle to find a good Naruto fanfic to read. Most either repeat the same mistake I made in the past by leaving no room for growth, or focus more on the harem aspect than on the actual character journey. That's just my opinion, though. Maybe that's what people prefer.
Anyway, I'll keep writing until the Chunin Exam arc, which is pretty soon. If there are no new reviews by then, I'll take it as a sign from the universe that I'm wasting my life on this.*