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Pokénin 007
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 19:19:34 +0000 UTCWalking up to the Toad Sage, Tekai took in the tall, white haired man.
It was kind of surreal seeing young Jiraiya. He considered telling him about Nagato, but ultimately held his tongue. At the end of the day, the Land of Fire was a separate nation from his.
The history of the land was tumultuous, and it was naive to think of Konoha as the ‘good guys.’
There were a few kind people from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But it was important to keep in mind that they were the ones who standardized the Anbu, dragged peasants into the ninja world, and committed war crimes the same as any other Hidden Village.
So while Tekai wanted to suck up to one of his favorite characters, he decided to just trade for what he wanted instead.
“What is it, pipsqueak? You've been staring for a good minute. Just because we share the same hair color doesn't make me your daddy.” Jiraiya scoffed, and waved his hand in front of Tekai's blank face.
Blinking his eyes, Tekai took out the Black Apricorn, and held it in the palm of his hand for the Pervy Sage to see.
“Ah ha, I mean sure, I could pretend to be your dad for a day, anything you say kid. Say, why don't we make ourselves a deal? I've got plenty of cool different fuinjutsu tags that could come in use~.” Jiraiaya performed a 180 from dismissal to endearing. The tall tanned man then reached into his pocket, and began to show off a few different fuinjutsu tags like a practiced salesman.
“B-rank explosive tag, B-rank storage scroll 3 uses plus 10 square meters of space, B-rank absorption paper can absorb any B-rank elemental attack, and a handful of chakra paper to test your nature. What’dya say kid? Sounds like a deal, right?” Jiraiya flashed a booklet full of seals, and tried to shove them into Tekai's hand.
Tekai pocketed the apricorn, and crossed his arms.
“I want jutsu.” Tekai demanded.
“Jutsu, ehh? That's a tall order. I'm a ninja, I can't go around betraying my secrets, or my Villages secrets like that. Sorry kid, it'll have to be something else, or no deal.” Jiraiya mimicked Tekai, and crossed his arms.
“I want three jutsu. Shadow Clone, Eight Gates, and Mystic Palm.” Tekai held out 3 fingers, and imperiously demanded. Adding Mystic Palm on top of his demands so if he had to pull back, he could go after the two skills he was really after.
“Pfah! You can't be serious. Hey, you’re not one of those weirdos who wants to do lewd stuff with their own clone are you?” Jiraiya wiggled his fingers and shivered.
“One B-rank, and two C-rank jutsu. I saw a merchant offering enough money for an A-rank mission earlier. Surely this is worth less than his offer?” Tekai cocked his head to the side, and gave Jiraiya the ‘truly, you are pathetic’ look.
“Well, none of them are all that secret, and are known throughout most Villages…it's not like I can't get you the Shadow Clone, but it could be dangerous for someone at your level. Otherwise, I’m not really well versed in the Eight Gates or the Mystic Palm.” Jiraiya embarrassedly scratched the back of his head.
Tekai sighed, and put on an exaggerated look of disappointment on his face.
“That's too bad, I was really hoping to trade with you. Everyone says how valiant Tsunade is, or cunning Orochimaru is, but no one in the rumors is ever saying how manly Jiraiya is. I thought, if anyone would benefit from an enhanced Yang, it would be you, right?” Tekai looked up at Jiraiya with all the youthful enthusiasm he could muster.
“Gee, me, manly? I'd prefer a hot chick said that to me, but I appreciate it, kid.” Jiraiya grinned with an exaggerated thumbs up.
“Hot chick? Uhm, like torchic?!” Tekai looked at Jiraiya with an ‘ah, I understand now’ expression.
“Ah, seriously, what are they teaching the kids out here in the boonies?” Jiraiya swiped a massive palm across his face, and muttered to himself.
“Sooo. Does that mean you'll help?” Tekai offered a wide grin.
“Twisting my arm, kid. Twisting my arm. I'll see what I can do.” Jiraiya shook his head, then left to go beg/borrow from Tsunade and Orochimaru.
After about 10 minutes, the Legendary Jiraiya came back sporting a black eye, and a sour look.
Tekai opened his mouth to say something, but Jiraiya held up a hand, stopping him.
“Don't ask, and don't think I didn’t notice you trying to manipulate me, smarmy brat. Besides, Mystic Palm is an A-rank technique, you're lucky Tsunade is such a bleeding heart and thought you were cute. Now take your damned jutsu, and hand over that apricorn.” Jiraiya tossed three scrolls at Tekai, and held out his palm in a surly mood.
“Thanks Pervy Toad Sage!” Tekai bowed as he caught the scrolls, then tossed the fruit at Jiraiya, and ran away.
“Pervy Toad Sage, huh? Hey, that's not half bad. I like it.” Jiraiya muttered to himself, and rubbed his chin with a goofy smile on his face.
The Toad Sage then winced as the pain from Tsunade's right hook really started to set in.
“Damned kid.”
While the large man was busy muttering to himself, Tekai had already moved on towards his second target.
In an upbeat mood, he approached the tired middle aged monk who had been offering a chakra weapon among other things.
The monk was trading three items: 1) A chakra conducting staff, 2) an Energy Root-a rare item that he claimed could restore chakra-and 3) a kasaya (an article of clothing) which he said resisted Ghost type attacks.
Out of the three items offered, Tekai recognized the Energy Root from the games, and had read that it could be used as a rare ingredient in Berry Blending.
Unfortunately for the monk, Berry Blending was not a popular profession in Dragon Country, at least, Tekai, with his limited social circle, wasn't aware of any Berry Blending masters in Blackthorn.
In general, the monk almost looked like a yakuza. He was a huge man with a bald head, an ugly face, and a rough beard. While no one took more than a second glance at his goods, the monk didn't seem to mind.
“Hey old man, what does a monk like you need so much pure Yang energy for anyway?” Tekai walked up to the monk, and enquired.
“Greetings, young master of the Ryu Clan. This old monk is known as Exorciser Li, the old man humbly introduced himself, and bowed. “As for the use, I am afraid it is a private matter.” Li kept his face expressionless as he rose from his bow.
“Fair enough, Exorcisor. I'm looking to trade this Black Apricorn for that staff. But I am concerned as to the durability of the weapon.” Tekai held out an apricorn to show he was interested, then pocketed it to wait and see how the monk would respond.
“The young master would like a demonstration? Here. Strike Li as hard as you can.” Li tossed the staff to Tekai.
The staff was out of the ordinary, in that it had a curved hook-like tip, and the bottom portion of the staff ended in a teardrop pattern similar to a spike. It appeared that it could be used to grab ahold of people, or even wielded backwards as a piercing weapon.
Catching the staff in surprise, Tekai looked up, and saw that the monk had removed his robe, and turned his back to Tekai.
Li's back was a mass of scars, indicating he had been through some extremely tough times. Whether it was via torture, war, training or penance, Tekai didn't know, but he respected the man who could keep going with such a heavy burden.
“Well, are you sure, Li? I mean, I won't be holding back. I have to swing this thing with enough force so I know it won't break on me mid fight.” Tekai eyed the monk, slightly worried.
“Thank you for your concern, young master. Please. Go ahead.” Li gestured.
“Aight. Here I go.” Tekai shrugged his shoulders, then started to warm up.
Taking a deep breath, Tekai began to perform the Dragon Dance.
Slowly but surely, he started to get into the flow of things, and the purple lightning started to form around him.
He felt a little panic, fear, and excitement as the pain entered his system.
After the third strike of purple-azure lightning, Tekai felt his chakra ignite, and he knew this was the critical stage. If he fucked it up, he'd be lying on the ground again with charred flesh.
‘Rage. I am rage.’ Teksi hyped himself up.
Electricity cracked in the air, and a fourth bolt struck him in the shoulder, almost causing him to black out.
Using the pain, and negative emotions associated with failure, Tekai fueled his anger to new heights.
‘Murder. Destroy. Conquer!’ Gil fed his own emotions of destruction through their bond, helping push Tekai beyond the threshold necessary to enter the Dragon Rage.
A moment later, a purple-blue baleful aura suffused Tekai's form completely.
Gripping the staff tight, Tekai felt his external aura flow into it as if he were filling up a bottle of water from a faucet. After a second, the ‘bottle’ felt full, and the weapon started to glow a deep malignant purple. About 25% of his chakra had entered into the weapon at this point, and every five seconds, it felt as if he were burning 1% of his total chakra reserves.
It would seem he could only maintain this state for about 3-4 minutes before he was drained to 50% of his total chakra. That only meant he had to make every second count!
Twirling the weapon, Tekai got in a somewhat familiar ‘baseball’ stance, and clobbered the monk on the back with the hardest hit he could manage.
An explosion rang out, and purple-blue fire covered the man in a cone, then continued forward until it collided with the wall.
A boom shook the building's foundation, and the lights vigorously swayed from left to right. Black stained the far wall, yet due to the special materials used in its construction, it withstood the blast.
Holding the staff close to his face, Tekai marveled at the destructive power of that attack.
He really couldn't wait to use some Shadow Clones, and push his research to the limit. If he could improve his chakra control, or at least adjust it to better suit this transformation, then perhaps he could decrease the total drain on his reserves!
However, that would have to wait for another day. He had a weapon to claim.
“Exorciser Li, I'll take it!” Tekai enthusiastically bowed toward the monk with a smile.
“Hm? Mister? Monk Li?” Tekai raised himself from his bow, and saw that the monk was on the ground knocked unconscious. A serious flame mark clung to his skin, scarring his already ruined flesh even further.
Feeling guilty, Tekai snuck the fruit into the monk's robe, then turned around to go about his business as if nothing had happened, and went to the exit since he had nothing more to do here.
Although, it wasn't as if such a loud scene would go unnoticed. Pretty much everyone in attendance had turned to stare at what had happened.
Up towards the front of the line, Tekai met eyes with Lance, and the reddish-pink haired man slightly inclined his head. The pair of elders looked spooked, and his grandpa had a wide grin on his face, as if Christmas had come early.
It was when he was about to take his leave that he bumped into a familiar big bellied man who reeked of alcohol.
“Uncle?” Tekai questioned.
Wasn't he just sitting up on his dias drinking without a care about a moment ago?
“You really are your father's son.” Uncle looked at him strangely. Almost…threateningly?
“Haha, sorry for the damages here, I'll pay for them now.” Taking a step back, Tekai nervously chuckled and pulled out the salary he had been paid with just moments ago.
Yet an iron clad hand gripped onto his wrist, holding him in place.
“Ah, Uncle, you're hurting me.” Tekai winced.
“Hrm? Oh. My mistake, Tekai. I was simply overwhelmed with emotion. I was relieved when you hatched a magikarp, that you followed my instructions against learning jutsu before the ceremony, and your status as a cleaner kept you out of the limelight. It was all so perfect, but now…” Uncle paused and took a big swig of his gourd. “Now people will want you dead. It's bad enough for them that Lance and Cynthia are two successful Rising Dragons. Our enemies won't suffer a third, just like with Yuria…” Uncle spoke in a slurred, bitter, melancholy tone. He was very clearly heavily intoxicated, and was blankly staring off into nothing.
Wiping some fluid from his chin with the back of his arm, Uncle then gave Tekai a complicated look.
Tekai silently stared at his Uncle. It only now occurred to him just how dangerous this man could be. He always knew he was kind of a suspicious character, and wasn't entirely surprised when he sat next to two members of the Elite Four. Yet it seemed that when Tekai revealed his Dragon Rage, Uncle Borah had a bit of a mental crisis?
Uncle must have recognized something, and belatedly let go of Tekai's wrist, then took an awkward step back.
“Wwwell, anyway…You can come to me if you ever have any questions, but I expect I'll be busy for the next couple of months guarding the border…Oh, and congratulations, I left something for you in your new home to celebrate your success. I'll talk to you later, Tekai, I have to think for a while.” Uncle belched, then drunk-walked his way out of the building.
Tekai stared blankly at Uncle as he left. Had he been protected this entire time?
He thought, since he was the bastard kid of the previous Clan Lord, that the way he was treated was to be expected. But was it by design? That the only person he would come to love, trust, and rely upon in this clan had engineered this outcome all along?
To what, raise another weapon? Was he being Danzo'd? Or more likely, he was being treated like how Hiruzen treated Naruto?
Was their relationship a lie? Or had Uncle genuinely tried to safeguard his life from the horrors of ninja society?
Tekai felt as if he had been stabbed in the back as he realized this second life was much more complicated than he had imagined.
This entire time, he was so excited to get a Pokémon, and learn some jutsu.
Yet his joy for learning had transformed into one massive, reckless maneuver.
Based upon what his Uncle had said, the knowledge in the scrolls and the lesson taught by his ancestor, Dragon Rage was something special.
Tsunade had referred to him as a Rising Dragon earlier at the Egg Ceremony when he had failed at his Dragon Dance. Just now, Uncle had done the same, comparing him to Lance & Cynthia.
Holding a hand to his forehead, Tekai sighed. He had never done something so monumentally stupid before.
He imagined he would now be a target, like Itachi or Kakashi when they were kids.
Unfortunately, being lowkey wasn't exactly in the cards for him anymore.
‘Fight. Win. Together!’ Gil channeled positive vibes, somewhat cheering Tekai up.
At least he had a Pokémon companion. If the anime and games taught him anything, as long as he showed a Pokémon love and respect, they would never betray him.
Unlike people, Pokémon were what they presented themselves to be.
Tekai respected that.
Looking down at the floor in reflection, he was surprised when a soft hand held him by the chin, and raised his head.
“Do not despair, Tekai. That mission scroll in your pocket are orders that I am to be your mentor for the next two years. I wasn't so sure about you before, but now, I am convinced. Stand tall, own the moment.” A cool, calm, and collected voice soothed.
“Yeah, big sis is going to be our sensei! We're going to learn all sorts of cool new things, and spar together every day!” Zinnia ran up from the side, and tackled Tekai into a rough hug.
“Our?” Tekai glanced to the side, and saw Clair crossing her arms, and turn away with a ‘hmph!’
Raising his head from Zinnia’s tight embrace, Tekai beheld a young, blonde woman who absolutely oozed confidence and control. Holding out her hand, she offered a small smile.
“Welcome to Team Cynthia.”
Comments
AlthePal
I’m really enjoying this so far! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us mate xD My only nitpick in this story so far is the Cynthia reveal, it’s right there in the title so i’ve been expecting it before I even read the story. I feel like it would have hit much harder and blown my mind if I didn’t know of it before hand. But that’s a very minor thing and didn’t really detract from the story itself :)
