Naruto: The Outsider's Resolve: CH_324

Takuma walked with Hiruzen, feeling nervous to be alone in the company of the Hokage. Even the ANBU guards had fallen behind to give them space.

"I am aware that you will be joining the ANBU soon," said Hiruzen.

Takuma wasn't supposed to do his employment with ANBU with anyone, and if asked him, he would have outright denied it, but this was the Hokage speaking. There was no use hiding it for him, and lying to him was a crime written into the law.

"Yes, sir," Takuma nodded.

"Are you ready for the challenge? Being an ANBU-nin is not easy."

"I'm prepared to do my best."

"What if your best is not enough?"

"Then I will just have to grow my best until it's enough."

Hiruzen chuckled. "That's a good attitude... I was surprised when I found out you had joined the ANBU. I clearly believed you would stay with the Police Force from your relationship with Lady Uchiha."

"I'm grateful to Lady Uchiha for all she has done for me, but my time at the Police Force had come to a natural end. It's time for me to do something else if I want to grow as a person and shinobi—the opportunity from ANBU came at the perfect time. I'm honoured to have the chance to serve the village and nation. I will not disappoint!"

Takuma chose his words carefully. He couldn't insult his previous employers openly or be blunt and say that he joined ANBU because they were the highest bidder. But he also didn't lie completely; he cared about the Hidden Leaf village and the Land of Fire because they were his home, and as a citizen, it was his duty to keep his home safe. He wanted to survive the future, but what good was survival if he couldn't live in peace and enjoy his life—and a safe home was vital for that to happen.

"Did you factor in that working for ANBU will bring you closer to ROOT?" Hiruzen asked a startling question.

"Pardon?" said Takuma, not expecting the question.

"I assume you are aware of the ROOT."

"... Yes, sir, I do."

"You had a surprising number of run-ins with them in the past two years. They have even tried to kill you once... Joining ANBU could potentially have you face them more in the future. They might target you once again."

Takuma had, of course, considered it. It was yet one of those things he couldn't say to anyone, much less the Hokage. He didn't want to avoid them; he wanted to be close to ROOT. He wanted revenge in the form of blood and lives. It was one of the big reasons he was joining ANBU in the first place.

"They will target me regardless," Takuma replied after a pause. "I don't believe in running away from a problem. The only way to get rid of this is to get rid of ROOT. I'm sure ANBU is working hard to make that come true one day, and if they allow me, I will do my best to contribute. It would be best for the village for ROOT to stop existing."

When the Hokage was concerned, regardless of the situation, the correct answer was to put the village front and forward before anything else. Despite the risk of being perceived as someone who picked the 'right' thing to say instead of his true thoughts, it was undoubtedly the safest option.

"Do you hate the ROOT? For their attempt to kill you?" asked Hiruzen.

"It would be strange not to. I was in the hospital for months; I had to relearn how to walk. They also made my time in the Land of Hot Waters much harder than it needed to be. When you combine that with their crimes and defection from the village, I feel a deep dislike towards them."

"The Steam-Frost war, yes. I heard from Chunin Anko that you were assigned to her team."

"Yes, we were under Jōnin Toridasu's command."

"Toridasu," Hiruzen smiled. "That old man continues to remain active. The village is grateful for his efforts. I must remember to invite him to a meal when he returns home."

"He would be delighted," said Takuma.

"I was glad to see Anko enjoying herself. Her life had been difficult because of that foolish student of mine," Hiruzen sighed, the shadows of his hat aged him ten years for a moment.
"Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin," said Takuma, thinking about one of the most heinous people in the world.

Hiruzen nodded with a hum. "His actions hurt everyone close to him; she was perhaps hurt the most. So, I was happy to see her enjoying herself back there. She praised you quite a lot, which is rare for her if she feels uncomfortable about the person. I'm glad to see her open her heart to others again."

"She will grow now that she has joined T&I," said Takuma, happy for his dear friend. He couldn't remember if Anko was a Chunin or Tokubetsu Jōnin in the source material, but considering that Orochimaru trained her and experimented on her, her potential had to be great.

"That's all I wish for her," said Hiruzen with a smile.

"Lord Hokage, I've saved my mission points, and now that I'm a chunin, I will choose a B-rank jutsu when I get the opportunity... May I get some advice on how to improve my skills with ninjutsu," Takuma asked. After Gai, he had gained some confidence and wanted to gain some golden knowledge from the "Professor", but he hadn't gotten the chance to ask him when they were inside.

"I like your spirit," Hiruzen said approvingly. "Do you know your primary affinity?"

"It's Earth Release, sir. However, I believe Water Release is just behind, if not equal," Takuma replied eagerly.

Hiruzen remained silent for an extended moment; his expression suggested that he was deep in thought.

"Earth and Water, you say," he finally spoke. "A handle at two natures at your age is impressive."

"Thank you, sir. I believe I'm currently more skilled with Water Release as most of my frequent jutsu are Water Release." Takuma had much more practice with Water Release due to his frequent use of Eight Tentacles, Wild Water Wave, and Water Clone jutsu, along with the recent addition of the Spirit Water Wave. He had not used Dome and Earth Tremor Sense jutsu all that often.

"Are you aware you can't just learn B-rank jutsu by reading the scroll?" asked Hiruzen.

"I do. I would have to prepare first before I can learn the ninjutsu," said Takuma. B-rank ninjutsu and beyond required advanced chakra training before someone could actually train the ninjutsu itself.

"My first recommendation is not to rush through the advanced chakra training. Take your time, truly understand what you're doing, and perfect it before you move," said Hiruzen as he stroked his goatee. "People who try to rush through the advanced chakra training are harming themselves. If you do it properly, not only will your skill with your existing lower-rank jutsu improve, but you will also have an easier time learning the B-rank jutsu, and it will even make learning ninjutsu in the future easier as you will have a solid foundation. Building that foundation is perhaps important as it gives the largest benefit."

Takuma nodded. Some part of him needed to hear that. The allure of B-rank jutsu was strong; he recalled Bishop using his Fire Release B-rank jutsu, which had boosted his power by such a large amount. Even though Takuma had emerged as the victor, the end result was him being substantially injured, while Bishop had only fainted from chakra over-exaggeration.

He craved that boost in combat potential, which, when combined with his worries about the future—he could see himself rushing through the advanced chakra training to 'officially' add a B-rank jutsu to his arsenal. But with Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Professor, the master of all five basic natures, saying to focus on fundamentals, he would do just that.

"My second piece of advice would be to experience the two elements. You must learn more about earth and water. Learn about their characteristic quirks and their part in the world. Many ninjutsu were created from inspiration taken from observing their element in nature. The better you understand earth and water, the better you will understand Earth and Water Release."

"... So, I just observe water and earth? Like water from a tap and the earth in the backyard?" Takuma asked with a frown. He didn't understand how that would help.

"Yes. I believe you can learn a lot about water from a running tap. But visit river streams, waterfalls, ponds, seas, and oceans if possible. For earth, observe different kinds of soils and stones. How is the rocky stone of the Hokage Mountain different from farmland? There is so much you can learn from things you would pay no attention to."

"Understood. I will try to learn more about them," said Takuma.

"And finally, practically speaking, knowing how to utilise the jutsu depending on the situation's requirements is perhaps just as important as anything else. You must understand the jutsu at a high level and possess the skill to gain the freedom to adapt to the situation," said Hiruzen with a strong insistence in his words. "I understand that ANBU gives their operatives open access to their jutsu archives, and I'm not telling you not to take advantage of it—but don't fall into the trap of believing that learning more jutsu is the path.

"A shinobi who has mastery over one jutsu would often be more dangerous than one who has half-heartedly learned ten," said Hiruzen with a wise smile.

Takuma couldn't agree more. His experience with Eight Tentacles made him understand the importance of practical application. Learning to cast the jutsu meant nothing if he couldn't use it effectively.

"Thank you for your time and knowledge, Lord Hokage," Takuma said, bowing.

"I have one question from my side... I am curious: what is the 'Will of Fire' to you, Chunin Takuma?" asked Hiruzen as they arrived at the end of their walk.

Takuma was not expecting the question. He had never thought about what 'Will of Fire' meant to him. He knew what it meant to Hiruzen. He believed the entire village was a large family, and every Leaf shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village, as previous generations had done before them. It was what allowed Leaf shinobi to overcome the odds and build character, as they had something to protect.

He gazed at the path they had just walked, which led to the hall where people had come to share in his happiness. He remembered the pure joy on their faces as he received the flak jacket from the Hokage. Seeing him happy made them happy, and seeing them happy made him happy.

"... It's my desire to protect the people I love," Takuma replied.

He did not like this world. It was not like the world he had grown up in—perhaps it was the same, but he had been shielded from the ugliness of it all. However, he had seen it now, and he did not like it. When he arrived in this world, he felt like a foreigner who did not belong; it had been four years since then, and he didn't think it had changed—but it had certainly improved, and it was because of the people. He had made genuine connections that made him feel like he belonged.

He wanted to protect them.

His goal had been to survive the future, but it would be meaningless if these people weren't there with him.

"I will not let them see harm," said Takuma—no matter what that took. "I don't know if I am right; maybe it will change in the future, but right now, that's what the Will of Fire means to me."

He looked at Hiruzen, who was smiling gently.

"That's more than enough," he said.