“So embarrassing…” Cringing, Satoshi facepalms.

  The indifferent Mai reaches for a slice, sighing, “Definitely not schway.”

  Later that night, Jin followed through on his suggestion and got takeout for supper; it is one of his favorite foods from his previous life, pizza. This marvelous dish was made by a reincarnation who was, in fact, made by a reincarnation from Canada; when she arrived, she stated that she had no desire to be a ninja and wanted to open up a restaurant instead. The only information she had to offer was of a game new to Jin called, Storm Connections; they were told Nanashi’s true name is “Hikari Uchiha.”

  “What’s not schway?” Jin asks before taking a bit out of his pizza wedge. …She may be Canadian, but the woman knows how to make one helluva pizza…!

  His eyes are twinkling stars, the nostalgic Onikage is left in awe of the sublime palate; the melted cheese, tangy tomato sauce, slightly salted crust, and assortment of toppings come together, blending into a rich, savory flavor. It reminds him of Papa John’s and mixed with a little of Pizza Hut.

  “You actually princess carried mom into the village,” The elder sibling whines. “Some of my friends were there… And they took pictures!”

  Pakura pokes her son in the chest, playfully. “You should be overjoyed that your parents still express their love for each other.”

  “Yeah, don't be such a meanie.”

  The one who said that sits just left of Jin, she is none other than his six-year-old niece, Yukie Uzumaki, the daughter of Rito and Hikari. Her parents, occasionally, become extremely busy with work, so Jin and Pakura babysit her when that happens.

  “Can I have another, please.” Yukie asks, politely.

  “Sure thing!” Pakura answers while reaching for the pizza box.

  “Yo, Dad…?” Takato speaks up, looking directly at his father; a beat of sweat runs down his face while he scratches the side of his face. “I was wondering… c-can you… teach me the… R-Rasengan…?”

  Upon hearing the question, conflicting emotions have welled up in the Onikage’s chest; he’s delighted that Takato would request for his aid, but at the same time he is somewhat heartbroken that his son feels so reluctant to ask.

  Jin sets down his food and looks directly into his middle child’s eyes. “Takato, I’m your father, there’s no reason for you to be nervous. You can ask me for anything.”

  “Hey wait!” Mai abruptly shouts, entering the conversation. “If he’s gonna learn the Rasengan then you have to teach me the purple lightning technique.”

  “Calm down, Sweetie. I’ll teach you Purple Lightning.”

  “So, Satoshi? Do you want your father to train you as well?” Pakura queries, handing the adorable Yukie two more slices.

  Cutting up his pizza, the eldest son politely replies with, “Thanks, but no thanks, I think I’ll train with Big Sis Ayanami this time.”

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Hours later, Jin is sleeping peacefully in bed, next to his wife when his REM cycle disturbed.

  “C’mon, Dad, wake up!” Takato whispers, nudging him up.

  An unusually ecstatic Mai is there too, poking and prodding him. “You said you’d train with us.”

  “Your kids are awake…” The now half-awake Scorch Style-user softly whispers, flipping her body around to the other side; her eyes remain closed.

  Eyes still shut, the village leader mutters, arguing, “Until the sun rises… …they’re YOUR kids…”

  Their children proceed to increase the intensity of their nudges and prods, annoying their father, he slowly opens one eye to find them staring back at him with great impatience, they’d even gotten his clothes ready for him.

  Jin drowsily rises, yawning, “Okay, okay… I’m up, I’m up… *YAWN*”

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  This is actually way harder than it looks…! A strained Takato thinks to himself; several beats of sweat are running down his face while a vein in his forehead bulges.

  The Storm Genin’s father had taken him and his sister to a rocky and mountainous area just North of the village. Four hours into his Rasengan training, Takato has only been able to get the water balloon to spin in two directions; the muscles in his right hand have tensed up to the point of aching.

  “The first step shouldn’t be taking this long…” A hunched Jin sighs, looking up from his sketchbook; the Onikage sits atop a boulder just a few yards away from his son, passing the time by drawing. “Hey, Sport, which way are you spinning the water?”

  “Clockwise, why?”

  Pointing at the genin with the eraser of his pencil, the village leader waves it in a circle, going leftwards. “Try turning it counterclockwise.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Following his father’s suggestion, the red-headed ninja spins his chakra to the left; the balloon’s shape distorts, it stretches every which way until it finally bursts, and splashes Takato in the face; his jaw drops with awe.

  He turns to face his father. “But how…?”

  “Everyone’s chakra naturally rotates either to the left or the right, you're a left rotation type. By spinning your chakra clockwise, you had it working against itself.” His father explains.

  “Ohhh, that makes sense…” Takato slowly nods.

  *BOOM!*

  Startled by the sudden explosion, the Genin whips his head around and peers into the distance; his twin sister stands dead center at the source of the loud, earth-shattering detonation.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Breathing heavily, Mai stands before a large boulder, several times her size. As the violet electricity coating her right hand gradually fades, she gazes into the gaping hole she made; the young kunoichi had just punched a hole clean through to the other side with her jutsu; the rocky and barren terrain can be seen with the tiniest sliver of sky.

  “Looks like you’ve learned it. Congrats! Now, you just need to master it.” The Onikage stands beside her, holding out a towel.

  “*Ptoo!*” She spits out her finished lollipop while taking the piece of clothes to wipe the sweat from her brow. “Dad, can you tell me more about the Purple Lightning?”

  Her father explains with, “Sure! It was created by the 6th Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, to be a safe alternative to the Chidori and Lightning Blade.”

  “Why go through all the trouble to make a ‘safe alternative'?” Tilting her head, Mai makes air quotes.

  “Both the Chidori and Lightning Blade require the user to run at high speeds which is, in fact, a MAJOR drawback,” Jin continues with his clarification. “It causes tunnel vision, you’d need a dojutsu like the Sharingan or the Byakugan to compensate. Oh--and unlike those 2, Purple Lightning can be used as a projectile.”

  Fascinating…! Wearing her usual deadpan expression, auctorial kunoichi pulls out a pen and notebook, jotting her father’s words down. “There’s something that’s been bugging me for some time… Where’s Mileena-nee? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  “Oh, she’s on top secret, super important mission.” Jin answers, curtly; he swiftly looks away, avoiding eye contact.

  “That’s so UN-schway.”

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Meanwhile, in the Hidden Storm Village’s Hyuga estate, Satoshi enters the main building, his goal is to speak with the head of the Hyuga Clan and aunt figure, Ayanami Hyuga. He walks through the door that leads to the dojo, and finds the clan head training with her son, Kurama; they both give him a surprised look due to not expecting to see him.

  “Oh, Satoshi, it’s good to see you!” Smiling warmly, Ayanami greets her surrogate nephew with a polite bow. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  With a determined look, the green-haired shinobi gets down on all fours and bows. “Lady Ayanami, I’ve come, seeking your tutelage. Please, train me!”

  Taken aback by this most atypical request, the Hyuga Kunoichi and Kurama quickly glance towards each other before returning their gaze to Satoshi; an odd and confusing tension emerges surrounding them.

  “I-I… I won’t say no, b-but…” Ayanami stammers, awkwardly. “W-Wouldn’t you be better off… training with your f-father…?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to. However, as you know, my… abilities are more like your own than my dad’s.”

  The eldest son of the Onikage looks up from where he prostrates himself and meets the clan head’s gaze; there isn’t an ounce of doubt in his brown eyes, but instead an unwavering fire that burns brightly.

  “Very well,” Scratching the back of her head, Ayanami closes her eyes and sighs; she gives her nephew a stern look. “But be warned… Know that I won’t go easy on you.”

  “Thank you, ma’am!!” With the biggest smile, Satoshi excitedly sits upright.

  “What the–?! Mom, you can’t be serious?!” A flabbergasted Kurama protests.

  “I’m dead serious.” The Hyuga Clan head takes a fighting stance, gesturing to her new apprentice to get over here. “Come at me! I need to see what I’m working with.”

  Jumping to his feet, Satoshi builds up his chakra. “Right!”

  The Onikage’s eldest child rushes forward, engaging his new master in a fierce sparring match; his eyes shift from brown to an intimidating blank white with the veins surrounding them bulging.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  “The Chunin Exams finally start tomorrow… are you prepared?” Itsu asks with arms folded; the air she gives off is calm yet stoic.

  Five weeks later, in the middle of the night, Jin stands at the train station with his children, Ayanami, Kurama and his squad, and surrogate younger sister. The time has come for Satoshi, Takato, and Mai to make their way to the Hidden Leaf; the Onikage is here to see them off.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Mai nods, replying with cool indifference.

  “We six vow to win,” Satoshi stands tall with burning resolve. “I promise to bring honor and glory to both clan AND village.”

  Nice sentiment, but I REALLY wish he’d pull that stick outta his ass… The Onikage ruffles his eldest son’s hair. “Learn to relax, Satoshi. I’d be more focused on the shinobi of rivaling villages if I were you.”

  “They’ll all be feelin’ the mode when we’re done with ‘em!” A confident Takato exclaims.

  “Even so… Stay safe, good luck, and most importantly… Do. Your. Best.” Jin smiles warmly, giving the group a genin a thumbs up.

  “““Yes, sir!””” His two sons smile brightly, returning the thumbs up, even Mai’s deadpan expression shatters, cracking a slight smile.

  As the kids walk onto the train, Jin tells Itsu, “Take care of them. We’ll set out as soon as we’re done with our work.”

  “We should reach the Leaf sometime between the 1st and 2nd rounds.” Ayanami adds.

  Before stepping onto the train, Storm Jonin places her right hand over her heart and gives a slight bow. “You have my word.”

  *Choo!* *Choo!*

  *Chugga-Chugga* *Chugga-Chugga* *Chugga-Chugga*

  And like that, the train takes off into the night, the two reincarnations watch it go and go until it disappears into the horizon.

  “Were my words of encouragement enough? Should I’ve said something more… I dunno--inspiring?”

  “What you said was fine…” Patting him on the back, Ayanami tries to reassure her friend. “Stop doubting yourself so much!”

  “You really think so, ‘Nami?” The Onikage rubs his neck.

  With a nurturing smile, the clan head reaffirms. “I KNOW so.”