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Naruto: The Outsider's Resolve: CH_283
🕑 Added 2024-08-07 03:50:43 +0000 UTCMaruboshi and Takuma fought a few more times before Maruboshi was ready to share his thoughts.
"You're too aggressive," Maruobshi started with a negative. "I understand you want to be in control, but your tendencies are plain reckless. I had several opportunities during our spars to grievously injure you... You need to decrease that inclination to push and push to overwhelm the opponent."
"I don't think I can do that," Takuma shook his head. "I need to be aggressive to be effective. I understand that I'm putting myself at risk, but it's just the way I fight. I can't be afraid to trade damage, or I'll lose fights... It's just the way I've been trained."
He had brought himself up in the Ring, which had become a part of it. The way he fought as Scars was the only way he knew, and it was difficult to ditch those habits suddenly because those habits were what made him what he was.
"You don't have to fight that way," Maruboshi countered, utterly unconvinced. "You have the tools; you just need to learn how to use them properly. Work with me, and we can adjust how you fight with your usual aggressiveness but without making reckless decisions that could lead to your death."
Takuma sighed because he had tried to fight more conservatively but had failed to be effective. But he had asked Maruboshi to train him, so he was going to follow the directions, and if it worked, he would benefit from it.
Maruboshi then moved on to a positive point. "I'm impressed with how you use your weapons, Takuma. The combination ninjutsu and the variation of the chakra augmentation was excellent. I'll wholeheartedly suggest that you increase the use of genjutsu in your combat. Lean into it. People tend to use only one delivery method, but Uchiha Mikoto has trained you to target all the senses."
Takuma agreed. Now that he was back home, he could invest, explore, and research ways to expand his genjutsu repertoire and seamlessly add it to his combat style. He wanted to take it slow because adjusting his combat style was one thing, but adding a new major element to it needed to be done with care, as he could end up being weaker than before if he made the wrong decisions.
"By the end of the week, I promise you'll see promise in the changes I suggest," said Maruboshi confidently.
"Okay."
"But we'll need help."
"What do you need?" asked Takuma, thinking Maruboshi was going to ask for equipment.
"You'll need different sparring partners."
———
.
The Uchiha compound was a section of the village reserved for the Uchiha Clan. It was relatively new, only created a little under a decade ago after the Nine-Tails' incident, which resulted in countless deaths, including that of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
For those in the know, the history of the compound was clear. The Uchiha clan was relocated to the compound along the village's outskirts on the pretext that it was a necessary step in the Hidden Leaf's reconstruction. In truth, many in the village were convinced that the Nine-Tails' attack was the first manifestation of the Uchiha's long-simmering dissatisfaction, and they needed to put the entire clan together to monitor them and prevent any additional attacks.
However, in doing so, they had given the Uchiha clan near complete control over the compound. Nothing changed in the compound without the clan's permission, and any attempts to alter it were thoroughly rebuffed. The Uchiha had turned their compound into a fortified area that belonged to them and only them.
A year ago, Takuma frequented the place five times a week for his genjutsu lessons. His return to the compound brought up various complex feelings. From the day he had found himself in the world, he had believed that Uchiha were the walking dead and would perish just like he had read. He had even staked his career progression in the Police Force on the clan extermination.
Takuma rang the bell on a beautiful traditional home and waited at the gate.
But that changed on the day he left the village for the Steam-Frost war.
The door opened, and a beautiful middle-aged woman with long black hair, bangs on either side of her face to roughly frame her cheeks and onyx eyes stepped out. She dressed like a housewife, yet the woman was behind everything he knew about genjutsu.
"Look at you," she smiled, "haven't you grown a lot."
Uchiha Mikoto was the reason he sent a letter that changed the course of the future and possibly damaged his biggest advantage. He didn't want the woman before him to die, so he took a step that had kept him awake at night for a week and still visited him from time to time. However, as he gazed at her, Takuma felt the letter was a hundred times worth it.
"...It's been too long," said Takuma.
"It has been. Come in so we can catch up," Mikoto smiled.
They settled in the same room where they conducted the genjutsu lessons, and Mikoto served tea and snacks as always. The genjutsu lessons were a time of peace during his stressful days at the Narcotics Taskforce when he was struggling to keep his position as the leader. And he hadn't found a replacement for it while he was in the Land of Hot Water. Just being back in the room relaxed him.
"I might be leaving the Police Force," Takuma said after the discussion about the war ended. "My contract ends in less than a month, and then I look for new opportunities." He couldn't tell anybody about his ANBU offer except for Maruboshi.
"Might?" she asked.
Takuma shrugged. "I'll stay if they meet my stipulations. I don't think I'll get them, though."
"I hope you're not asking me to pull some strings," Mikoto smiled.
"I don't want to put you in an awkward situation," he said. Despite being a Uchiha, Mikoto had never worked in the Police Force and had no direct influence over it. If she, as an outsider, wanted to make something happen, it would need to happen through someone else, and thus owing them a favour; he didn't want to put her in the position for him.
Mikoto gazed at him in silence for a moment. "You have an offer from someone else, don't you," she said with a knowing smile.
"Not yet," said Takuma, which was true because ANBU had only expressed their interest.
"You should use it as leverage to get what you want in the Police Force."
"I would do that if I still wanted to work there."
"You don't?"
"Should I? After they stole my work."
"If you go somewhere else, you'll be building everything from the ground up. In the Police Force, you know how things work, you have contacts, people know your work, your accomplishments will mean so much more, and you have a positive reputation that you can rely on. In my opinion, continuing with the Police Force makes more sense when you already have a solid foundation."
Takuma recognised that Mikoto was a Uchiha and that she would like him to stay in the Police Force. He didn't mind her attempt to convince him. Her words weren't anything new; he had considered the same benefits after his meeting with Setsuna. If he went somewhere else, he would need to establish himself in the eyes of his peers and higher-ups, but in the Police Force, everyone was already aware of that.
"I don't have two sides to compare yet, so there's no use thinking about it," Takuma sighed and changed the topic. "How's your family doing? If I remember correctly, Sasuke's in his fifth year?" He consciously said the wrong year.
"Fourth year," Mikoto corrected and continued with a proud, beaming smile. "He's consistently at the top of his academy class. The teachers in the clan also praise him for being able to fight children older than him. I'm very proud of him."
"He is a bright child," Takuma nodded. Internally, however, he was drowning in the thought that he might have stunted Sasuke's future growth. One of Sasuke's main character motivations was his undying, intense desire for revenge against Itachi. It had him live life single-mindedly, focused towards his goal of vengeance, and motivated him to take risks and choices that pushed him to greater and greater heights as a shinobi.
But now, the Uchiha Clan was still alive, and the massacre didn't seem to be in their future as Shimura Danzo, the Uchiha's greatest hater, was excommunicated from the Hidden Leaf and declared a criminal and wanted rogue-nin—all because Takuma had written a letter to Mikoto. He had no idea how his actions impacted the future. The thought of Sasuke not reaching his full potential due to circumstances scared him because, in his opinion, the world needed prime Sasuke to survive.
He didn't want to take responsibility for the dooming of the future, so he chose to focus on the positive. With the Uchiha Clan's tragic fate evaded, the Hidden Leaf village would be in a stronger position. And who knew, maybe having his family and clan part of his life would be enough for Sasuke to reach his full potential.
"What about Itachi?" Takuma shook his head in disbelief. "It's amazing he's a jonin. I don't know if you know her, but there's one Uchiha Izumi in my batch, and she got promoted in the Chunin Exam before the latest—but your son has been a jonin since I was a shinobi, and we're the same age. That's frankly unbelievable sometimes."
"Itachi has always been different. As awful as it may sound, sometimes I wish he hadn't been so much of a genius... he grew up too quickly," Mikoto sighed with a rueful smile. "But he's been doing well as always; he's busy with work..."
Takuma wondered how much of that was true. He had thrown Itachi under the bus in his letter, claiming him, along with Shisui, to be traitors to drive the point in. It was only momentarily, but he noticed the complex emotion in Mikoto's eyes before she hid them. It seemed that his letter affected her relationship with her son. He didn't know how much of the letter was disclosed to the clan, but if they knew about what Itachi and Shisui were doing, they would be only seen as betrayers to the clan.
Shisui was dead with his eyes stolen, so he was probably saved from his image tarnished. As for Itachi, Takuma had no idea how much of the letter Mikoto had disclosed—there were real chances that she and her husband would keep certain parts of the letter a secret to protect their son, who didn't have a great reputation among the clan to begin with.
"So, what are your plans for now?" asked Mikoto.
"Chunin Exams. I think I'll get a rank promotion if I perform decently," said Takuma. You didn't need to win in the Chunin Exam for a rank promotion. According to Maruboshi, he had enough that he would get a rank promotion as long as he reached the final round of the exams.
"We can resume our lessons if you wish. I'd like it if we resume them," Mikoto offered.
"Yes, please," said Takuma, eager to get back into learning genjutsu with her. "But let's start next month. I'll be leaving the village to visit some friends next week for a couple of weeks. We can start after that if you don't mind."
"I don't mind it at all," she smiled.
Takuma nodded. He picked up his teacup, drained the delicious tea, and was about to ask for another cup when he noticed Mikoto gazing at him.
"What is it?"
"I will get my annual promotion slot in four months... do you want me to promote you, Takuma?" asked Mikoto, absolutely shocking him.
Mikoto was a jonin, and all jonin got to promote one shinobi to the rank of chunin every year. Takuma was surprised because he didn't think a clan jonin would offer such a precious commodity to an outsider. It wasn't something that could be given to him just because they had a close relationship.
"What's the catch?" asked Takuma carefully.
A satisfied smile appeared on Mikoto's face as though she was testing him and was happy with his response. She poured tea in their cups and made Takuma wait for her reply, which was agonising when faced with such an offer.
"You stay in the Police Force," she replied as she picked up her teacup.
"Of course," he said—that made sense—but that couldn't be all.
She leisurely took a sip of her tea before continuing. "You become a shinobi affiliated with the Uchiha. You know what that means, correct?"
Takuma paused for a moment before nodding.
Masaaki was a shinobi affiliated with the Akimichi Clan. The clan sponsored his growth as a shinobi, and in exchange, he was basically employed under them. They funded his training, provided him with jutsu, set him up with good missions to boost his resume, and gave him a beneficial reputation as someone affiliated with a prominent clan, among other benefits. In return, any time the clan required his help, he would provide it.
It was a give-and-take relationship, but the power dynamic was heavily skewed in the clan's favour. In a hypothetical worst-case scenario, they could ask Masaaki to do something he disagreed with, but he would have to follow their orders because he was burdened by the substantial support they had given him. Of course, not all relationships were like that, and Masaaki seemed like he was part of the family with the Akimichi Clan and got along well with them.
The benefit was too big for the shinobi. Getting the backing of a clan could literally change careers overnight.
Getting the support of the Uchiha Clan would be life-changing.
"That's a big commitment."
"And it will come with a lot of benefits," said Mikoto. "It won't end with the rank promotion. The clan will sponsor your needs, use our connections for your benefit, and pave an easier path for you to progress in your career... You know what? You stay in the Police Force for a few years until the external hiring stabilises, and then, if you wish to leave, you can pursue any field you desire.
"Because I'm bringing you in, I get to set the rules. I'll guarantee you ample freedom. However, in return, you support the Uchiha Clan when we call upon you."
"I'll need to think about it," said Takuma, truly not knowing what to think of her offer. The affiliation would be a lifelong commitment, and the only way to get out would be to burn bridges and make enemies with arguably the most prominent clan in the village. It would, for sure, ruin his relationship with Mikoto, which he didn't want.
"Take your time. I'll keep this to myself until you make a decision," said Mikoto calmly. "But Takuma, please don't think you must accept just because I'm offering, and that rejection will offend me. Think about what's best for you and make an informed decision."
Takuma could only nod in response. Until a few days ago, he thought that he would need to participate in the Chunin Exam to get a rank promotion, but now he had three potential ways he could achieve said promotion.
He should be happy, but the emotion he was feeling was probably confusion.
———
.
"Another option opens up" — FictionOnlyReader
Comments
Colby Last
Remember, there are multiple ways of being promoted. On top of a certain amount that simply die and never become a chuunin as well.
Astral Aion
I’m not even sure what path I’d like to see takuma go between agreeing to mikoto or anbu imagining actually having to make the choice if I was takuma is brutal as a reader though both options are pretty interesting although the mikoto option does beg the question of wether an Uchiha coup is back on the table or not although if takuma does become affiliated to the Uchiha not sure how that would work out for him as I just don’t see him ever being loyal to the Uchiha maybe to a few people mikoto obviously being 1 of them but not the clan as a whole. As for anbu I do think it offers better field experience and a wider range of skills but the Uchiha option probably gives him faster track with ninjutsu and genjutsu with more time to actually focus on training probably better shuriken and kunai training too would need to find a way to get plenty field experience though. Biggest drawbacks on the Uchiha option tho is honestly takuma’s personality and the threat of another coup attempt
Siva Chandan Chakka
I have to this is the most well written SI naruto fanfic. Just a quick question. Will the MC at the end of all this stand at the top of food chain in terms of power or that is not the goal of this fiction?
Eduhund Stein
I mean there are many affiliated Clans to the Uchiha or people. But I do agree that one every year might be too much but once every ten does seem too little aswell.
Colby Last
Honestly, the jonin being allowed to promote someone once a year seems too easy to me. How many Jonin does the Uchiha have? At least 8. Meaning every year they can promote 8 people. This is odd to me because I don't think the Uchiha even has 8 new births into their clan every year. It would make FAR more sense if this was every ten years.
CMA27
I think Anbu would be huge! Unlimited C rank jutsu and top pay in the village to buy any B rank he wants plus the doors open up for A rank in future if he builds trust and gets promoted. Also he would be able to train with top talent like Itachi and pursue Root. Downside is limited training with Itachi Mom. Granted he already has a strong Genjutsu foundation and can edit sensory type so he would have a lot to work with if he had unlimited C rank jutsu to choose from.
CMA27
I want more 😭
Manoman
Keep the chaps coming!
Fastus
The fastest would be for Maruboshi to start supporting him. Still, old dude got his issues and it's hard to change when so old - habits and mentality don't change easily in general, but it gets worse the longer you had them.
Vyle
I would assume that ANBU would be better for training. No need to worry about not being prioritized because he's not a clan member. I would assume every ANBU member gets a lot of good training and they don't hold back jutsu and info as much since it makes sense to train everyone to make the organization stronger. That's already shown by how they allow members access to every c rank jutsu in their archive
SwiftFate
I like that he is being given options. The reality is, he needs to significantly improve in the next year or two, as events (not necessarily just canon) escalate. So Chunin is only really the first step. The real thing he needs is a way to train and improve his strength as a Shinobi quickly now. ANBU is probably the slower option if he ends up taking it to be honest, since the other options are likely to give him more direct support immediately, as opposed to him having to prove himself a valuable asset to the ANBU higher-ups where they would start to invest more in him. Another cool option for him would actually be as an Academy teacher/teacher assistant. What if he replaced Mizuki in Naruto & Sasuke's final year? Most teachers are Chunin, so if he gets a promotion and then works alongside Iruka, he could get some pretty cool benefits (I doubt they skimp on rewarding Academy teachers in this universe. They are basically asking Shinobi to halt missions etc to teach a bunch of brats. And Iruka is a perfectly capable shinobi, not a cripple or someone without the potential to improve). It would also give Takuma a chance to observe the differences in many of the 'main cast' in this AU and set his own goals down the line with more information
Cypha
Could he use his mist as delivery vector for genjutsu as well (maybe touch)? :) Great new option but ANBU still sounds more interesting.
Jordan
I think it was more about proving himself in the exams, he needs to know his effort meant something.
Green0Photon
> "Another option opens up" — FictionOnlyReader Yes! Moar! More options! Anyway, what another sweet sensei disciple relationship. > He should be happy, but the emotion he was feeling was probably confusion. Bruh doesn't realize he should have self worth. People around him are seeing him as a reliable guy who works hard, both at work and skill wise. It's very obvious that he'll eventually be a jounin and probable powerhouse. It's just that he's weak enough that he can't stand fully independently -- but that window is closing. Everyone wants to snatch him before it's too late. He's proven himself. In civil society and in war. He just hadn't realized his value yet. Classic thing for young people relatively new in their careers lol. Loving the career theme.
Lazybeep
Tftc fiction
