NOVEL WEB 19. The Letter System
It's been a month since the funeral of the 3rd Raikage. The end of war has officially been acknowledged by all five great nations. Shinobi are being called back home and the Third's son has stepped up to take his place as the 4th Raikage.
Everyone was crying their eyes out, Mabui was worried about me even when I told her I was fine. The only depressing thing about this funeral was the '4th'. This 6'5", grown-ass, behemoth of a man was crying his eyes out like a little girl before punching a hole in the wall and leaving. And if you look through it, you can see a trail of broken walls leading to the outside.
Riiiiiight...I forgot, in the manga, he had this kinda hobby. Let's make a mental note to never invite him to my house
After the funeral, the Third's apprentice called Darui, gave me a scroll with a Sealing Jutsu placed on it
"It was by his will that this scroll be delivered to you. I don't know what's inside but the will stated that it's his means of upholding the 'bargain' between you two. As for the seal on it, I believe it's a means of confirming you're ready. You must be the one to open it and no one else..." is what he says
I had almost forgotten that he promised to teach me Jutsu when I passed his little 'test'. But when I tried opening the scroll, I realized that it was built like a set of locks. Requiring even more fine tuned chakra control with each lock
Darui mentioned this scroll was created by the 1st Raikage and that the 3rd had only managed to open two of them
"Ngh...wow, that's difficult. The way I am now, I can't even open the first lock. It'll be some time before I can open all four of them" (Rei)
School lessons continued on into our third year and I definitely wasn't happy after a newspaper with a certain article came to my doorstep
"The 4th Hokage has died!"
Yup, Minato Namikaze is dead which means his son (and main character) Naruto is now officially in the story. In addition to that, I'm still what most would consider to be an extra
Listening to Osoi's lecture
"...and that's how you perform the 'Fūnyū no Jutsu'1Enclosing Jutsu! This common sealing Jutsu can put anything into a scroll. Whether it's a shuriken, food, or even people! Everyone uses it!" (Osoi)
While he was lecturing, a man entered the classroom
"Ah! Just in time!" (Osoi)
At the academy, Osoi had invited a new teacher to lecture us. A 64 year old Kumo Jonin named Rashii. He was an old looking man with long, grey hair and a bushy moustache.
"I need you all to pay attention! Today we're going to go over a vital system that's been around since the founding of our village! To emphasize it's importance, I've invited a very wise Jonin to explain" (Osoi)
"Hello everyone, my name is Rashii and I'll be lecturing you on Kumogakure's Letter System" (Rashii)
"This man is a treasure trove of knowledge and information so be sure to pay attention!" (Osoi)
I had a treasure trove of knowledge and information that was supposed to 'guide' me on this little adventure but instead...the asshole ditched me
"Letter System?"
"Yes, as some of you may have noticed, there are several ninja in our village who use a 'Letter' as their name. These letters are only assigned to certain individuals that have met a certain requirement" (Rashii)
"What requirement?"
"Being the elite of the elite! 'Letters' have been awarded to those who distinguish themselves in service to our village. This practice has been around since the era of the First Raikage. It is for this reason that all of the previous and current Raikage have the letter 'A' as their names" (Rashii)
Oh yeah...didn't that old doctor who tried to save my 'father' Keido have the name 'C'? Though I heard he died around the end of the war
"Our Jinchūriki2Power of Human Sacrifice guardians of Kumogakure have always become the 'brother' of the Raikage and held the letter 'B' as a representation of our leader's strength" (Rashii)
"Oooh!"
"So cool"
Well...If you look past the mistreatment, discrimination, experimentation, and having a chakra monster put inside of you. Yeah...it's soooooo cool
"Rashii-sensei, does that mean even we can gain one?"
"...There are two ways to receive a 'letter'. Performing venerable acts for the village...or...a 'letter' bearer handing theirs to you. But remember...there are only twenty-six of them so getting one is incredibly tough. Most shinobi like myself go through our entire lives without getting one. But I promise if you do, the rewards for being a member of our greatest shinobi will not disappoint you!" (Rashii)
Everyone became excited when hearing this, many of them determined to get one
Making a weird grin, Sekiei raised his hand
"Rashii-sensei!" (Sekiei)
"Yes?" (Rashii)
"So anyone can become one regardless of their status?" (Sekiei)
"Yes, this system has been around since forever. You can get one no matter who you are" (Rashii)
"So...is it true that Kumogakure's 'Kin-Gin Brothers'3Gold and Silver Brothersalso received such a title?" (Sekiei)
The room suddenly went quiet, everyone had an awkward look
"Sekiei! You oughta to know better than to talk about those traitorous shinobi!" (Osoi)
"I'm sorry sensei. I was just curious..." (Sekiei)
"..." (Suzu)
Tai whispered to me
"Humph! 'Just curious' my ass...he clearly did that on purpose" (Tai)
"What's he doing?" (Rei)
"I don't know...but I don't like it..." (Tai)
Clapping his hands
"Now, now...no need to get all upset Osoi-sensei. Curiosity means you're invested and that's good" (Rashii)
"...Of course senpai4Honorific to identify an elder colleague or upperclassmen" (Osoi)
"While it's true they applied for it, they never received it. Even when they were loyal to the village, they acted with great conceit" (Rashii)
"Okay...thank you sensei" (Sekiei)
"My pleasure. Now moving on to more of our history, let's begin with the first assembly of the five..."(Rashii)
While Rashii was talking, I glanced at a smirking Sekiei to find out what he's been up to. It was then I noticed that he was looking at Suzu, who for some reason was trembling with a terrified look on her face
I was a bit astonished so see such a look on her of all people
Whispering to myself
"What in the hell is wrong with her?" (Rei)
[Maybe she ate something bad]
^*@$?! HOLY SHIT! I ALMOST SCREAMED!!
Gesturing to Osoi, I asked for permission to go to the bathroom
"Make it quick Rei" (Osoi)
"Of course" (Rei)
Making it the bathroom, I checked to see if anyone was inside, then locked the door
"WHAT THE HELL?!" (Rei)
[Sup Bitch!]
"WHERE IN THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!" (Rei)
[Getting in shape]
"Getting in shape..." (Rei)
[Yup, by the way...good work]
"What?" (Rei)
[I see you've been doing you're best at training. The original 'Rei' doesn't hold a candle to you!]
"And yet at the rate I'm progressing, compared to the main cast, I'm nothing!" (Rei)
[Really?]
"Even as a child, I can already tell this body won't become strong!" (Rei)
[It's that bad?]
"Yes, it's that bad" (Rei)
[...]
"Guide?" (Rei)
[Even compared to the pink thot?]
"Pink tho-...oh...yes...even compared to Sakura. Ugh" (Rei)
[Aw, well that's embarrassing]
"Maybe if you could do your damn job and not leave me hanging all the time...THINGS WOULD BE GOING BETTER!" (Rei)
[But I have been doing my job?]
"Oh really?! And how's that?! (Rei)
[By getting prepped for your first Lifeline]
"?! You were...wait...how did you know I wanted to use my first Lifeline?!" (Rei)
[Of course I know. I'm your guide after all. I always know what you need to know]
"Huh? You 'always know what I need to know'? What does that mean?" (Rei)
[It means what it means]
Right...it's been gone so long that I'd forgotten how much of a secretive dick it can be
"Alright, answer my first question then" (Rei)
[Tch tch tch. That won't work Rei, you have to formally acknowledge using a Lifeline or I can't answer. You know the rules...]
"..." (Rei)
[Any information that's not from the manga, novels, data books, or anime will cost you a Lifeline]
"Haaaah" (Rei)
[Remember. Lifelines don't just give you information, they make sure you'll complete your task]
"I know..." (Rei)
[Come on...say the words]
"Fine. Guide! I want to use a Lifeline!" (Rei)
[...CONFIRMED...]
[...NOW INITIATING LIFELINE CLIENT REQUEST...]