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  [You have used your first Iature jutsu.]

  [You have acquired the skill Ice Affinity.]

  The two notifications brought a smile to Daichi's face. He wao check out the details of his new skill but before he could Kakashi spoke.

  "It seems your method of using Fire Nature to create id the for your Ice teiques work…"

  "Yeah… Hey, since you had your Sharingan osu I just used, what you tell me about it?" Daichi asked his teacher.

  "Well the truth is even though you've mimicked the Yuki 's ability, the strength and efficy of your Ice style is far from the real thing. I saw you use a lot more chakra than what you've used for your other nature jutsu but not to the same effect. You expended more energy but the Ieedles you created were a lot weaker than they should be. Do you know why?" The Jonin asked his student.

  Daiodded his head. "It's the first time I'm using this teique and because I didn't add Wind chakra nature to create and strehe ice."

  "Precisely. Right now what you have is a copy. It is nowhere near as strong as the inal… But don't let that bring you down. There aren't many people who could do what you did. And you've only just begun." Kakashi khat even though Daichi's Ice style was weak at the moment, it would only get stronger.

  The Genin was well aware of that. 'Right now this skill should be at level 1. With time I'll get it to max and then… Oh boy… It will be one hell of an ace up my sleeve'

  "Since our training with Fire Nature is pleted, are you going to try it with Wind Nature ?"

  Daichi fell silent a out a deep breath of air. He recalled the st several weeks and thought about what to do. 'I've been going at it hard with little rest for almost two months now. One month in the dungeon and one here. It's better I take some time off and rex.'

  He looked at his sensei and spoke. "I will but nht now. I've been training hard non-stop and I think it's time I take a small break."

  The Jonin smiled hearing that. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Training is good but without proper rest for the body and mind we will only hinder ourselves. There won't be any missions till the end of this month. So have fun." With that Kakashi used body flicker ahe training ground.

  Daichi looked at himself and saw that he was covered in mud and dirt. 'Man, I really need a shower.'

  He dove into the ke and swam around for a few minutes. He felt his body rex and soon got out of the water. 'Time to chey new skill.'

  The Genin opehe skill list and looked at the details of the new skill as he put on new clothes.

  [Ice affinity - (Active/Passive)(LV. 01): Ice Release is a bination nature transformation of Wind and Water. It is only affiliated with Dog hand-seal. Most Ice jutsus are far strohan Water jutsu or Wind jutsu that use the same amount of chakra. ]

  [Note: You have created Ice without the use of Wind chakra nature and thus your jutsu will be weaker than normal. There will also be a level restri. Users ot level up this skill beyond LV. 25 until the needed ditions are met. Users remove this restri with two methods.

  The user has learo bine Wind and Water chakra natures to create Iust gain absolute mastery of Water Nature on all its aspects.]

  [Effects: ]

  [1% Power Increase iack jutsu.]

  [1% Defense Increase in Ice defesu.]

  [2% Increase in success wheing Ice style jutsu.]

  [1% Decrease in Chakra Cost when using Ice style jutsu.]

  Daichi looked at the details of the new skill and sighed. 'I had a feeling it would be like this. I khere would be limitations. I couldn't bih natures so I used a shortcut. I use Ice jutsu but not to its true potential. Not until I learn to use both chakra natures at the same time anyway. That's going to be tricky but I don't think it's impossible. I just ime and effort. I've e this far… Hmm… So if there is a limitation like this on Ice Affinity then there would be ohers as well. I need a way to get around this problem.'

  Daichi headed bae thinking about how to solve his new predit. 'I o learn how to use two natures simultaneously. But my body currently doesn't have that skill. So how do I acquire it?'

  'This isn't like the gamer story where I just buy a skill book a a new skill.' As he neared his home Daichi suddenly came to a halt. An idea popped. 'Training is ihe answer… Hmm… Yes. That might work and I might get the skill I need.'

  Daichi crossed his arms and thought about the other option. 'But bining Wind and Water is oion. The other is getting such mastery over Water Nature that I manipute it down to its molecules without any help. The water skill says that after crossing level 85 I manipute it down to its molecules and I … but it takes time and lots of energy. But I have a feeling that if I plete the final step of the 3rd stage I'll be able to create Ice with just water Nature… I o test it out when I get the time.'

  With a pn in mind Daichi moved forward and soon reached his home. He found his grandfather tending to their garden.

  "Hey Gramps. Did ya miss me?"

  Kensei sehe arrival of his grandson and turo look at the boy. "You've certainly grown. I take it that things worked out…"

  The Genin smiled ao a nearby bucket of water. He made two seals and pced a hand on the surface of the water. In seds the water in the bucket became frozen solid.

  The old veteran ninja was surprised as he saw the water turn to ice. "You did it. You actually created ice from water."

  "Yeah. I use Ice style jutsu but I o turn water into ice first. There are some limits." Daichi replied.

  "Still, this is very impressive. Rarely a shinobi who isn't part of a use their teiques. You should be proud of your achievements."

  "Thanks Gramps." The Genin sat down near his grandfather and both of them recalled what they were up to st month.

  "Hey gramps. The Rinival is in 3 days. Did you get the items I wrote down?" Daichi asked.

  Kensei nodded with a small smile. "Yes. They're in your room. I just received them a couple days ago."

  "Alright, let me get to work. I've missed the st couple of festivals here so I'm kinda looking forward to this. I'll be inside if you need me." With that the young Geni inside.

  The Rinival is a winter holiday celebrated i week of December in the Leaf vilge and other parts of the world. It is a time for praying for the deceased and praying food fortunes in the ing year. Daichi had made his grandfather certain requests the day he headed out to training.

  The Genin opehe door to his room and saw several boxes on his bed. Daichi opehe boxes and a smile formed on his fabsp;'They're beautiful. She'll love these.'

  There were also several scrolls and painting equipment nearby. 'Hmm… These should do nicely. The Rinival is in three days. I better get to work.'

  —-

  Daichi made his way to a pce he hadn't visited in a long time. He walked up to the gates of Aiko's Orphanage and soon was led io her office.

  Miss Aiko smiled as soon as she saw the boy "Daichi! It's so o see you again. I missed you."

  "I missed you too." Daichi smiled and the kind matroook off his sungsses and pced them in his pocket. The Genin took a closer look at the matron and noticed the wrinkles being more pronounced on her fad the grays in her hair. It saddened Daichi that he couldn't e to this pce more often. "How have you been?"

  "Good, Daichi. The work here keeps me busy but I'm quite happy." The matron of the orphanage replied. "How's yrandpa? He came here a month ago but I haven't seen him since."

  "The old man's at the cemetery visiting his family. He'll be there for a while and theurn home."

  Aiko thought about Kensei's family and the smile on her face dimmed. But she didn't dwell on it for much longer and put on a cheerful face.

  She smiled at the Genin in her offid spoke. "How's your life as a ninja? I know you wao be one long before you left here. So how is it? Go on any iing missions?"

  Daichi chuckled thinking about the st several missions. "Let's just say it's been aing few months for me and my sensei."

  "I'll bet. I heard that you're part of a special two man team. That true?" Aiko asked the boy.

  Daiodded his head with a smile. "Yeah. My skills were assessed to be much higher than my teammates and this way I'll be able to train at my own pad take missions more suited to my skills."

  Aiko smiled hearing that but Daichi saw a hint of sadness on the middle aged woman's face. "What's wrong?" The Genin asked the caretaker.

  Aiko sighed and replied. "It's just… When I was a Genin I art of a team with two others my age and… the bond we created through the good times and bad… I could always t on them. We shared our happiness and sadogether. Training with them and pleting missions with them… It was some of the best days of my ninja life… I'm just sad that you didn't get to experiehat."

  Daichi uood where the woman was ing from. "Yeah. It would have been o have teammates but I think for me this is the best option. I still have friends. And if you're worried about someo having my back, don't be. I made a few friends during my missions and besides, my cssmates will graduate this Mard I'm pretty sure I'll be going on joint missions with them."

  "I'm happy to hear that Daichi…"

  Daiodded with a smile. He then took a scroll and gave it to the matron.

  "What's this?" Aiko asked.

  "It's a few small gifts for the kids here. Some new clothes, dies and toys. The Rinival is ter today and I thought I'd buy the kids here something nice."

  "Daichi, that's sweet and I really appreciate the gesture but you didn't have to do that. You should be saving your mission payments." Aiko was happy with the boy's kind generous feature but she wanted him to save his money for the future.

  Daichi smiled as if he knew what she was thinking. "If you're worried about me not having any money, you're in for a surprise."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I retly pleted a mission with a reward that came in the millions…"

  Aiko's eyes widened hearing that. "What? How? What mission did you plete?... Wait? you even talk about it?"

  Daichi smirked and reyed the details of the Phantom Thief's hidden Treasure and the mission he pleted. He also recalled the few other ks he did during the st few months.

  Aiko smiled hearing Daichi's missions. "Wow. That's amazing. Not even a year and you already started out with way more exg missions than what normal Geni."

  The two fell into a fortable silence for a few moments before Aiko spoke. "I know you didn't e here just to check up on little old me. You want to know about her don't you?"

  Daichi had a small smile on his face. "Yes. There is something in that scroll specifically for her… Reo will turn 5 month, so I had it made just for her."

  Aiko pced the scroll on her desk and ope. There were several gifts but one caught her attention. It was a much rger box thahers with a small tag with the name Reo on it. It was covered in a beautiful ornate ing paper.

  "It's a kimono." Daichi said. "It's her birthday present."

  Aiko's eyes slightly widened in uanding. 'So that's why Kensei came here st month and asked for Reo's measurements.'

  Aiko's face softened as she looked at Daichi's sad face. "Daichi, why don't you go see her? Talk to her…"

  The Genin looked at the matron and she could see a sad smile was on his face. "You have no idea how much I want to. I thought about adopting her and bringing her home with me on more than one occasion. I want nothing more than to form a retionship with her. Teach her, guide her, tell her about her in…"

  Aiko could hear the yearning in Daichi's voice. She clearly uood that Daichi had lost sleep over this issue more than ohen why don't you?"

  Daichi looked up and the smile vanished from his face. "When Ren and Kimiko first introduced me to Reo, when they handed me their little baby, when I held her in my arms, the moment she looked at me and smiled, I instantly felt protective of her... I don't know how or why that emotion appeared i it doesn't matter. From that moment forward she was like a little sister to me. I promised those two that I would be a big brother to her and protect her… I want to meet her and form a bond with her so much that it hurts… But I 't be that selfish."

  Aiko looked at the boy and she could hear the sadness buried in his voice.

  Daichi tinued. "With all the things happening, if I form a retionship with her and any of my enemies found out about it, she would be in danger and if they discover her truth, she'll be in even more danger. I 't do that to her."

  Aiko narrowed her eyes and looked at the Genin. "That's not the whole truth, is it? What exactly are you afraid of?"

  Daichi became silent after hearing that question and looked down, deep in thought. 'Danzo, Orochimaru, Obito, Zetsu… With the pns I have in mind I would bee their enemy sooner or ter and if they find out about Reo they'll use her to their advahey won't eveate to hurt or kill her if need be. And if something like that happens…'

  The interrogation he had with Junichir the capital mission and the questions it roused in him came to the forefront of Daichi's mind. After a few seds of silehe Genin replied, still looking down. "I'm afraid of what those people might do to her but you're right… That's not all…"

  Daichi looked up at Aiko and the moment she saw the boy's eye's the retired kunoichi felt aion she hadn't felt in a long time.

  Absolute Terror.

  "What I'm more afraid of… is what I would do to them... The horrors I would unleash on my enemies should they dare y a hand on her, of the man I would bee should that happen… That's what frightens me more…"

  Aiko sat petrified, uo say a word. The Genin sighed seeing the terrified expression on the woman's fad stood from his chair. He went to the nearby window and looked outside. The children pying outside brought a small smile to his face.

  He put on his special bck gsses and looked at the matron. "I'll see you aime Miss Aiko. Sorry to put a damper on the good mood." With those words Daichi vanished from his spot.

  Aiko sat still and just after Daichi left she let out a deep breath of air. She looked at her right arm and saw it slightly shaking and held it with her left hand. The orpharon was still thinking about that moment.

  'When I looked into his eyes… I saw it. Hatred that would burn anyone and darkhat would swallow everyone in its path…'

  "I'm afraid of that too… Daichi…" The matron mumbled to no one as she sat in her office alone.

  —-

  It was night time. Daichi and Kensei were both home. The Genin had made a couple gifts for his grandfather as well. He gave the old man two scrolls and Kensei opehe first one.

  In it was a beautiful painting of Fumiyo Yasaji in the middle of a garden along with Kehe garden in the painting reminded Kensei of the one in the Fire capital.

  "This is beautiful Daichi. Thank you." The old man had a big smile as he looked at his grandson.

  "Open the sed scroll gramps."

  Kensei pced the first scroll oable and opehe sed o ainting of Kensei's whole family. Kensei Yasaji in the middle with his wife to the right and his son and daughter in w to the left and stly a painter was drawing them nearby. It was drawn as if they were posing for the painting.

  Kensei looked at the painting of his family and a tear escaped his eyes. It was then that he noticed another detail. The one drawing them in the painting. It looked like Daichi. The old man's smile widened as he looked at that.

  "Thank you. These are truly beautiful. Fumiyo would have loved them."

  The Genin smiled and spoke. "Don't get all mushy on me old man. e o's go watch the fireworks. It's almost time."

  The two went to their backyard and sat on the porch. As they looked up at the sky and waited, they saw several firewoing off…

  Everywhere in the Leaf vilge people were all praying for the departed and for a better year. They were all happily celebrating the winter holiday.

  Daichi's former cssmates were all at their homes smiling as they saw the fireworks in the sky. Kakashi and several Jonin were on the roof of the Jonin station enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. Hiruzen was in his office looking through the window and enjoying his tobacco while Jiraiya was he bath house smiling.

  None of them khat these few months would merely be the calm before the storm hits.