Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja-Chapter 372 - 367: Promise

(A.N: Due to your awesome support, tomorrow I will do a mass release ^~^)

"Why don't we have a walk, Kaida?" Jiraiya asked, his voice filled with genuine care.

"Sure, Sensei," Kaida replied, as they slowly made their way to a peaceful walk around the lush green surroundings and rugged paths of Mount Myoboku.

"How are you, Kaida?" Jiraiya asked after they had been walking for 5 minutes.

"I am feeling better than ever, sensei, like I am an all-powerful deity. Maybe I could even defeat you now," Kaida said, giving away a cheerful smile.

"I'm not talking about your body, boy. I'm talking about you—how are you feeling inside... there's no need to suppress it, Kaida. No one is going to judge you; it's okay to let out emotion, it's okay to be vulnerable," Jiraiya said.

"That is not why I am suppressing them, Sensei... from the moment I saw the dead body of Ryota in front of me, I have been feeling an immense amount of bloodlust. I don't know how to control it other than suppressing it," Kaida said, his previous mask of joy broken with an expressionless face left behind.

"There is no need to suppress your emotions, Kaida. If you do that, you will only hurt yourself," Jiraiya said, but then a thick red, almost tangible bloodlust filled the surroundings, like a demon was appearing behind Kaida.

"But sensei, if I don't suppress it, I will not be able to stop myself from going on a senseless killing in Kumo and Iwa," Kaida said with a mixture of pain and anger visible on his face.

Jiraiya was not affected by the bloodlust, or he didn't care if he was even affected. He placed his hand on Kaida's hand and said, "I know how you are feeling, boy, trust me I know, but this is not how you or anyone can live their life. Giving in to anger is not good for anyone, especially for a ninja.

Think about the family which is waiting for you in Konoha. Your mother Hae has been pestering me daily about your health for the last three days. Your girlfriend Yomi, though in bad condition herself, accompanies her to know about your health. A young brat is also waiting for his big brother to come back.

And a big brother who almost performed treason by not following Hokage's order to come and meet you when he was informed about your condition. Having such a family, how could you even think about putting yourself in danger and leaving them behind? So calm down and think about things clearly," Jiraiya said, seeing the bloodlust going down slowly.

Kaida turned, seeing the far distance in the valley in front of them like thinking something.

Jiraiya also went silent, letting Kaida come to terms with the situation. 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 15 minutes... time kept passing but both of them remained standing silently, watching the scenery in front of them.

"I am fine, sensei," Kaida said, still looking ahead.

"Good to know," Jiraiya replied as a small smile came on his face. Now that this was out of the way, he asked the second question that was bugging the mind of Hiruzen and Shikaku along with him as well.

"Why did you let a single ninja run away that night?" Jiraiya asked.

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"Because... he didn't kill anyone," Kaida replied.

"What if he tells everyone about you? They will come after you with their full power," Jiraiya said, thinking it was because of softness of the heart.

"I don't have any problem with that, as I had already sent a message with that Chunin that there will be only three major villages in the future," Kaida said, his expression as calm as ever, but Jiraiya's turned weird like he heard a joke he didn't know how to respond to.

But then he released a sigh. "It's okay, Kaida, we all do dumb things in anger," he said.

"I was completely serious about that then as I am now. I had promised my deceased friend and brother, there will be only three great villages in the future. I will do everything in my power to keep that promise, sensei," Kaida said.

"Kaida, I already taught you that anger—"

"I am not angry, sensei, but that doesn't mean I am going to break my promise, not until I die," Kaida said, his words leaving no place for any doubt.

Jiraiya looked toward Kaida for quite some time, trying to see what value those words held in the heart of his student. He once again sighed after a few moments.

"And how are you going to do it, kill every ninja in those two villages?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, I promised my friend that those responsible for his death will pay the price. It has nothing to do with innocent people, whether they are ninja or not doesn't matter. I don't know how I will do it for now, but I will do it for sure, sensei," Kaida said.

And this time Jiraiya was proud of his student. Even at such a time, he was still rational—very few people in their world could achieve something like this.

"We will discuss about it after you rest some more. For now, let's go back; your family is waiting for you," Jiraiya said, at which Kaida nodded his head, as he had something important to do as well.

...

"Are you fine, Kaida? Were you injured? Where were you? Are you feeling pain anywhere?" A barrage of questions came toward Kaida as soon as he returned home. Hae was waiting for him in the house, while Yomi was behind her, her head low like she couldn't meet his gaze.

"I am fine, Aunt. I was just... exhausted, but now I am fine, fine and hungry. I have missed your food so much these past few days—can you please make something for me?" Kaida asked.

"Sure, go and take a bath. Food will be ready soon," Hae said and went to the kitchen to prepare food.

Kaida walked toward Yomi after only they were left in the hall.

"I will go and help Aunt," Yomi said, still not looking Kaida in his eyes, but before she could run away, Kaida gently caught her hand.

"It was not your fault," was the only thing he said, not because he was worried about Yomi, no—he said it because it was truth.

"How was it not my fault? You said to not take the mission, you asked us to stay here, but I was a stubborn fool. I was the one who wanted to grow... and that stubbornness cost us our friend."

"No, it was a perfectly logical decision to follow orders of Lord Third, and what would be the use of all that training if we stayed hidden in our house at every indication of threat? Also, Ryota didn't give his life for no reason—he sacrificed his life for his friends. You shouldn't demean it by saying it was a loss; rather be proud to have such a friend like I am. I will try to become as courageous as he was, and you do that too," Kaida said, hugging Yomi in the last part. He could feel his shirt becoming wet, but he didn't pay any attention to that and kept in that position for long enough for Yomi to calm down.

Hae heard this from the kitchen, a small smile formed on her face as she continued cooking.

***

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