The road to Senju Park seed longer than ever. Itachi's words still echoed in my mind. "Sacrifices. Choices. Truths." It was as if every step I took was accompanied by that cold, piercing gaze, as if he were watching even from afar.
'Okay, where do I begin?'
I began to explore the park, walking along the paths I knew so well, looking for an area where I could be sure I wouldn't be disturbed by anyone. As I reached a more secluded part of the park, where the vegetation thickened and the trails disappeared, sothing began to feel off.
The air grew heavier, almost as if the forest itself was observing .
That's when I noticed a path I had never seen before. The leaves covering the ground seed to form a pattern, guiding into a denser area. The trees around rose taller and pressed closer together, nearly blotting out the sky.
The isolation was suffocating, yet oddly familiar — like the place was calling .
After a few minutes of walking, I ca to a clearing. In the center stood a gigantic tree, larger than any I had ever seen. Its bark was marked with strange patterns, almost as if symbols were carved into it.
"What... is that tree?" I murmured, approaching cautiously.
Before I could touch it, the system flashed again.
*
[Ancestral Tree Detected]
Description: This tree is directly connected to the legacy of the Senju clan. Secrets that have been passed down through the ages can be discovered through it.
*
I sighed. "Of course it wouldn't reveal all the secrets right away, would it?"
I began to explore the tree, examining the kanji I couldn't quite identify, except for the one aning "Senju." The tree also seed to connect with in so way.
'Maybe if I just...' I thought, bringing my hand closer to the bark.
When I touched the bark, a wave of energy ran through my body, as if sothing had been awakened inside . Images began to flood my mind — scenes of Hashirama Senju in battle, creating entire forests with a simple movent of his hands. Scenes of the Senju clan building Konoha alongside the Uchihas.
And then, a different scene. A hooded figure with eyes that seed to glow in the shadows. He stood before the Ancestral Tree, his hands touching the bark.
"You're not ready for this, boy."
The voice echoed through my mind, but when I opened my eyes, no one was there — only the tree.
A mixture of emotions surged through , and sothing told this was only the beginning.
The weight of the Senju legacy was heavier than I had imagined. Sohow, Itachi had been right — it wasn't just a skill or a na.
It was sothing far deeper — sothing I needed to understand quickly.
I tried again to have those visions while touching the tree, but nothing happened. That's when I decided to stay and train, since the area seed ideal for honing my skills.
The training was long and exhausting as usual, but it paid off when I saw the system screen in front of indicating the level I had reached.
[Congratulations! You have advanced to level 4!]
[EXP: 570 / 750 to the next level.]
'Still level 4... but I gained 2 levels just from this session. I'll definitely need to complete more missions to level up faster. The EXP I get now is too low compared to how much I need,' I thought, wiping the sweat from my brow and catching my breath.
After a few minutes of analyzing which techniques would be best to choose, I decided it was ti to go ho. Night was falling, and my stomach was rumbling loudly.
The walk ho was short, but it kept thinking. The clearing, the Ancestral Tree, the glimpses of mories, and that hooded figure... it all seed like pieces of a much larger puzzle.
"You're not ready for this," the words echoed in my head like a dark warning.
When I finally got ho, my mother was in the kitchen, stirring sothing in a pot, while my father was reading ancient scrolls at the table.
It was a familiar scene, but after what I had just experienced, everything seed a little... different.
"Welco back, Riku!" my mother said with a warm smile.
"Hi, Mom," I replied, trying to hide the ss in my head.
My father looked up from the scrolls and gave a curious look. "You're quieter than usual. Did sothing happen?"
For a mont, I thought about telling them about the Ancestral Tree, about what I had seen and felt.
But sothing told it wasn't the right mont.
"No, just thinking about tomorrow's graduation," I lied, forcing a smile.
He watched for another second before returning to his scrolls. "It's good that you're thinking. Tomorrow is an important day, and you must be prepared."
My father was strict with , even though he was careful and wanted the best for . My father was strict, but also thoughtful, and he always wanted the best for .
This ti, he seed a little more firm in his words, which I didn't quite understand.
Later, in my room, I sat on my bed and opened the window to let the night breeze in.
I started thinking about how I could learn more about the Ancestral Tree, or who that person might be who had spoken to during the missions.
That's when I ca to a conclusion that seed obvious.
"Konoha Library," I muttered to myself.
It was a place I'd visited before, but never with the goal of truly understanding my clan or its legacy.
I decided I would go there the next morning, before graduation. If there were answers to be found, that seed like the logical next step.
As I sat there on my bed, staring at the screen in front of , I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door.
"Can I co in, Riku?"
It was my father.
I got up quickly, trying not to look as lost as I felt.
"Sure, Dad."
He entered calmly, carrying sothing rolled up in his hands — an old scroll, worn by ti. His gaze was serious, as if he were about to give a lecture or sothing. He sat down on the chair next to the bed and watched for a mont, as if trying to decide where to start.
"I saw you training last night, Riku," he said.
"Yesterday?! What did you see?" I said, a little worried. I hadn't had the chance to tell my parents about Mokuton, and I didn't intend to — not at that mont.
"I saw you channeling your chakra into the earth and creating branches. Mokuton. Do you have that kekkei genkai?"
Damn... he knew.
...
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