Chapter 6.1- Oak

We moved across the grounds, heading towards each other for the umpteenth time. However, this time was different because our ace was ready. I could feel it underground, just at the edge of my senses, a sea that felt practically limitless. Of course, it wasn't limitless, but with how little I had gotten to use in the past week, it was heaven for me. It was a form of safety that I could not overemphasize. We moved at great speeds, and right before our blades were set to meet, I stopped. I stopped right at the end of his swing, and as he prepared to block an attack that would never come, sand rushed out from the ground beneath him and surrounded him as he stood there, shocked. Yellow, almost golden sand burst out, and my heart sang.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was home. I was safe. I took control of the sand as my duplicate ceded to my influence and I wrapped it around the first of the root anbu before he could overcome the surprise at the move. The second one, cold as ever, calmly dodged out of the way of the first few tendrils I sent for him, but after that, he found himself quickly overwhelmed by their speed and number. “Sand Burial,” I whispered to myself as I used Gaara’s signature jutsu for the second time in this life, but on two targets at the same time. As I dropped the crushed remains of their bodies, I felt myself drawn in by how the sand looked with blood coating parts of it. It was almost beautiful. No, it was. It had a beauty to it. Not of the traditional kind, but the kind of beauty one could see in art.

Donna Tartt's quote from 'The Secret History' came to mind: "True beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before." Reciting the rest of the quote that I had been obsessed with for so long, I found it calming, freeing, and beautiful. I turned away from the sand and searched out Baki, only to find him staring straight at me, having dispatched his own share of the root agents.

“Not a complete failure, then," he said as he looked at me with a glint in his eyes that I couldn't fully understand. In some ways, it was like he was seeing me for the first time. In others, it was like he wasn’t even looking at me at all, and was seeing into, and beyond me. Like he was beginning to recognize me. I pushed the thought out of my mind before I dwelled on his insanity and led myself to join him with my own hands.

“Still a failure, however. You realized the attack and moved to engage without bothering to ensure the safety of the client. Not just that, though, you also failed to seek out the client’s safety even after dispatching your first opponent.” I accepted the chiding with what I hoped looked like good grace to any onlookers, but inside I was boiling. Three Anbu ninja, and he wouldn't even acknowledge my efforts. Any child in my place would have been devastated. Me? I was just fucking pissed off. I could see what he was doing clear as day. He was trying to starve me of approval to ensure I craved it even more than any other drug or addiction. With Gaara, it might have worked. With anyone else, it would definitely have worked. With me? It was a waste of both of our time and a source of displeasure.

“Pack up your things; we return to Kaze no Kuni once the sun rises,” he said, and I had to do a double-take at the news.

“The attack has spooked Lord Chigiri, and he no longer seeks to visit his cousin in Mizu no Kuni. We will be taking him back to the capital, where he will return to his place in the Daimyo’s court.”

I nodded at the news. My first real mission, and it was a failure. A failure on my very first try definitely wasn’t the best start to a career that I hoped to crown with the achievement of becoming Kazekage. In any case, it didn't go according to plan, and it was not my fault. I'd done even more than I should have ever been required to. I’d done my share and then some.

I turned away from the bastard and dismissed my clone, returning the sand underground. I’d move it under our feet as we moved to ensure I’d never be so unsafe again, and when we returned to Sunagakure, I’d definitely have to look into sealing as a way to solve the weakness of not being much use outside the desert. I could already fantasize about the idea. Maybe a gourd with the same kind of seals as a sealing scroll, able to contain an actual ocean of sand. Or maybe even something like the bandages Sasuke had in Shippuden with seals on them to allow me to basically call upon sand right at my fingertips. Not bandages, of course; that would look stupid. But I could just imagine having a tattoo right on my palm, allowing me to use my sand wherever I went no matter what happened.

A notification to the side of my vision reminded me that I hadn’t noted all the improvements I gained during that attack or even the success of the quest itself. Being careful to ensure no one was paying much attention to me or seeking me for any purpose, I took control of the sand and formed a dome around me before plopping down in the lotus position. In my first life, I detested sand with a passion. It was itchy and had the infuriating ability to get everywhere. Now, sand felt like home. It didn’t itch, and it felt so fucking comfortable, even on my pale, soft skin.

I checked out the quest rewards first of all.

Quest Success:

Main Objective: Survive the Attack of the Root Anbu ✔

Rewards: 500 XP, Five Stat Points, One Rare Loot Roll.

Bonus Objective 1: Kill 1 Root Anbu ✔

Rewards: 250 XP, One Common Loot Roll.

Bonus Objective 2: Kill 3 Root Anbu ✔

Rewards: 250 XP, One Special Loot Roll, Increased Rep with Samurai, Increased Rep with Lord Chigiri.

Bonus Objective 3: Ensure Chigiri's Safety - Failed

Rewards: Nil

Bonus Objective 4: Kill Baki in the chaos - Failed

Rewards: Nil

Bonus Objective 5: Capture one of the Root Anbu for interrogation - Failed

Rewards: Nil

Well, the bonus objectives were a bit disappointing, especially since the game had been willing to reward me for killing Baki. I won’t lie that the idea did not cross my mind at all, but I weighed the odds and found that even making the attempt was not worth the risk. I’d keep it in mind for the next time we found ourselves in a situation like this one at all. I’d be getting Baki’s head sooner or later.

Now, the rewards. The XP gains meant I leveled up twice. 1000 XP from the quest plus another 200 XP from each of the anbu I killed was just barely enough to push me over the threshold for that double level up. That also meant I had an extra ten stat points to play with from the level up itself. All in all, it was a good haul, and that wasn’t even including the rolls. A rare loot roll was pretty much the holy grail. I could get anything from one of those. Well, not anything, that needed a legendary roll, but even the rare ones had some good stuff in them.

‘Game, make the rare roll,’ I thought at the game and watched as a wheel appeared in my vision. The wheel began to move at speeds I couldn’t keep up with, flashing intermittently during every spin. Eventually, it settled down, and I got a look at my reward.

New Affinity: Fire Type Affinity Unlocked.

Fuck. Niceeeee. A fire type affinity was going to get a world of use. I mean, it would be difficult to explain away, but I didn’t really care right now. I just wanted the ability to set shit on fire on demand. Besides, call me biased, but all the really cool jutsu in the anime had been fire type. Just look at that Fire Release; Great Fire Annihilation shit Madara pulled out in the war. I wanted to be able to do that kind of shit. The rare roll didn’t disappoint at all.

‘Game, make the special roll,’ I thought at the game next, excited for the possible rewards I’d get from that one. A different wheel flashed before my eyes this time, and I patiently waited for the reward to get chosen. This time it was a jutsu.

New Jutsu Scroll: Earth Release; Swamp of the Underworld.

I looked through the scroll and whistled appreciatively.

A/N: The first half of the new chapter. Have fun, kids.