Chapter 101 - My SI Stash #1 - The Forges Fire by Btralox (Naruto) (2/2)

Meaning we were past the Kyuubi attack.

I collapsed back on to the ground in relief, thankful I didn't have to endure the attack of the chakra rage monster.

Gai and Dad talked back and forth, about what I wasn't sure. They were using a bunch of words I didn't know yet and Gai seemed to talk pretty quickly.

Though I did hear Gai say ”Sumi-san” at one point so I can be pretty sure they talked about my mother at some point.

Then I heard my name, which had Gai looking over at me before shouting something that I'm certain was to the effect of ”The Spring Time of Youth!” before giving me his ”Nice Guy Pose”.

I gave him a small wave and said ”Hello”.

I vaguely expected him to get down over my underreaction, but he just went back to talking with my father. I guess a three year olds approval isn't as important to him.

Gai left shortly after that with a very excited farewell that mentioned both my name and Dad's.

It was then that my father called me over as he stood in front of the oven that was melting the metal. Then Dad went through several hand seals in a very slow and very precise way, so much slower than the last seals I saw him do that I had no doubt it was because he wanted me to see them.

The last one in the series was a tiger seal, which if I remember right is usually indicative of a fire move, followed by him just lowering his hands....with seemingly no effect.

That is until he reached into the oven and pulled out the cup of now liquid metal with his b_a_r_e hands and poured it out into a mold for a long cylinder. Not sure why anyone would need a solid metal cylinder but okay.

Then my father proceeded to STICK HIS HANDS INSIDE THE MOLTEN METAL.

I actually stepped forward a bit and started to yell...but cut myself off as I saw my father....massage the molten metal like it was a damn batch of dough.

I stood there and stupidly watched him do that for the rest of the afternoon.

Epilogue 5

Dad and I didn't end up coming out of the workshop until it was starting to get dark and when we came inside it was to the wonderful smell of a stir-fry that my mother was no doubt making. The smell of it made my mouth water and it dawned on me just how hungry I was.

It was a bit odd. I had an appreciation for stir fry, and many other typical asian dishes, in this life, but I hadn't particularly cared for them in my previous one. I suppose different taste buds had something to do with it. That or my mother just made them better than anyone in my previous life.

I am personally inclined to believe the taste buds thing.

Dad and I walked into the kitchen to see my mother standing in-front of the stove on her one leg, mostly supported by a crutch under one of her arms while her other hand stirred the various vegetables in the pan.

With nary a word Dad came up beside her and gently nudged her out of the way to take over the task.

My mother glared at him for a moment before saying ”I'm perfectly capable of cooking it myself.”

”Yes, I known you are perfectly able to burn the food.” Dad replied, ”I'll handle this. You go check on Atsuko.”

That was a lie. Mom had never once burned the food in as long as I can remember, but it was an exchange that occurred almost daily, and it would always get my mother to get back in her wheelchair and do something else.

I knew it was just my father's way of showing he loved her, and I'm pretty sure she knew it too.

Though...the fact that Atsuko wasn't in here was unusual. Normally she'd be buzzing around mom offering to ”help”.

Curious, I followed after mom to see what was going on, to find Atsuko sat the dinner table with a bunch of papers scattered in-front of her, several ink stains on her cheeks and a brush in her hands. Atsuko looked up to Mom enter the room and waved excitedly with her hand holding the brush, resulting a bit of wild ink spatter as she shouted ”Mom! Come see! Come see!”

Mom rolled over and looked at the down at the papers on the table for a moment before taking on the high pitched voice that parents always took when congratulating small children and began telling Atsuko about how much she improved.

Was she drawing things? Just making a mess and being indulged?

I walked over to take a peek at the pages. I only managed to get a glance of the several sloppy and barely recognizable kaji before Atsuko suddenly swept the pages away and stuck her tongue out at me.

”No! This is for me. Mom said you aren't ready yet.”

The lightbulb clicked.

I was being taught blacksmithing today. Atsuko was being taught how to do calligraphy.

I knew my mother did calligraphy, we were occasionally allowed in the spare room where she did the work, but only with supervision. She was passing this on to Atsuko like Dad was passing on Blacksmithing to me.

Also...caligraphy...did my mom make seals?

If so...on the one hand, that's really cool and the munchkin in me did a little happy dance at my access. On the other hand...making things like exploding tags and sealing scrolls in the same house that you raise children in doesn't sound like a particularly good idea.

Wow....my house might be filled with explosives as well as sharp pointy objects.

Not sure how safe that makes me feel, especially with Atsuko around.

”Don't worry Dai-chan.” My mother's voice cut in, bringing me out of my musings, ”You and I are going to be doing something else tonight after dinner, okay?”

Something else?

Not...quite sure what that would be but okay, don't think its anything I'd be particularly against.

”Good. Now lets get you two cleaned up before dinner is ready, okay?”

Aw crap.

I get that from their perspective I'm a little kid and it isn't that weird for my mother and sister to bathe with me.

In my perspective it was wrong on so many level I didn't even know where to begin. Thankfully I was way too young to experience any libido, but I was aware enough to feel the mind crushing guilt.

I pretty much spent all of every bath time gazing at my feet or keeping my eyes closed.

I did not need memories haunting me later on in life.

And I'm not going to bother running because...yep there it is. Mom picked me up and put me in her lap. She knows I'm not fond of bath time and thinks it because of some other toddler boy thing or whatever. I didn't particularly care.

There were many times I DID run...but having a one legged lady in a wheelchair have to chase after you is not a good feeling.

I heave a sigh and close my eyes. Lets get it over with.

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

After that ordeal that I decided to pretend didn't happen we were all sat down at the dinner table and enjoyed our meals. One of the few things I had an advantage on Atsuko over was here. I could reliably use chopsticks with a...mostly negligible mess. I wouldn't say I'm proficient with them, but for a three year-old I wasn't bad.

After dinner though my mother again picked me up and put me in her lap.

Now, I'm fine with physical affection and all, but I'm really looking forward to the point that this didn't happen so often.

I don't like being manhandled.

She wheeled the two of us into my room and sat me on the floor.

”Now, Dai-chan, I've got a surprise for you!” She said...or at least I think...not sure if that word meant surprise or gift.

Either way it resulted in Mom pulling a thin box about two hand-lengths wide out of...somewhere...not sure where. She proceeded to open said box and pull out a bunch of note card things.

”Its to help you learn words!”

THAT got my attention.

Communication is really what I need more than anything else right now. So heck yea, bring on the flashcards.

Some of my excitement must have registered on my face because Mom grew a big smile on her face and seemed to breath a sigh of relief.

She held up a card. On it was a picture of a tree and a kaji under it.

”Tree.” She said tapping the picture before repeating it once more. ”Now you say it Dai-chan.”

”Tree.” I replied. I had already knew that one, and I knew she knew that, but I'm guessing this is one of those moments of getting me use to the premise of the idea.

She took out another flashcard with a brightly colored koi on it. ”Fish”

And so my night went.

It was a pretty demeaning task but...I needed this. It hurt my pride but I've always held pride dosen't do you any good, especially if it prevents you from doing something that would be beneficial.

Epilogue 6

It's a really good thing this world doesn't have the internet or video games, otherwise I'd not have made near the progress I have in the last few months.

Boredom is usually a good way to make me actually work on something.

I feel like I'd come a long ways. I could actually string together a few sentences and could understand basically everything people were saying now. Which made me realize my parents think I have some sort of mental abnormality...which....isn't exactly wrong but I'm pretty sure they weren't guessing it was because their son has the memories of a twenty-four year old jammed into his head.

Hopefully they'd never find that out. That would make some thing pretty awkward.

I'd also managed to become physically stronger; I could actually mostly keep up with what Dad was asking me to do now. Though it was still the tasks I had started with on the first day. I don't expect to be given a hammer or be taught to breath fire anytime soon. As my language started to get better Dad started to explain the process of what he was doing more and more. For the most part I was doing a pretty good job of understanding what he was telling me too, the only parts I slipped up was when he started to use the word ”chakra” then he pretty much lost me. I'm guessing its something I'm going to have to get around to after I learn how to harness my chakra.

I also found out that I'm apparently going to the Academy eventually. At least that's what I'm guessing, because when I asked when I'd learn how to use my chakra I was told ”At the Academy.”

Which caught me by surprise. I had expected to be raised to be a blacksmith but Mom just gave a reply to that with ”Everyone goes to the Academy.”

So there goes lots of fan theories and fanfictions.

Well...maybe not. It's possible this isn't the world Kishimoto translated into manga.

Atsuko was also growing, though not as quickly. Her kanji were getting better, but they still looked like a child did them. Sometimes Atsuko would also spend time helping dad out in the workshop, but she always hated it and did whatever she could to get out of it.

My parents didn't try very hard to make her do it either.

I guess they figured only one of their kids had to learn the blacksmithing stuff.

So after the several months of our parents preparing us for our future we found ourselves in October. Today in particular was a rather...odd day. Mom was bustling through the house, cleaning to a level she didn't usually bother with, and she had a certain...stressed air around her. One I recognized from my previous life.

We were going to be getting a guest tonight.

A grandparent?

Possible...but unlikely. A grandparent would have been more active in our lives.

A friend?

More likely...but my parents didn't exactly get out and socialize a whole lot.

A client?

That...sounds right. Dad didn't have a shop, so he sold his wares to shops and they in turn sold the product. A few customers did come directly to him if they wanted to special order something or for him to do some maintenance on something.

Yeah. Probably some sort of business relationship.

As if my thoughts summoned it a knock came at the door. Mom takes a deep, calming breath before she wheels herself over to the front door. I keep my spot in the living room.

People don't usually appreciate kids rushing them as they come into a house.

So yeah, not going to run to the door.

”Hello....Jiraiya-sensei.”

I trip over myself as I make a dash for the door but mostly manage to stay up.

Spiky white hair? Check.

Colorful and exaggerated outfit? Check.

Geta? Check.

Red cheek tattoos? Check.

Lecherous personality?

”Sumi-chan! You've grown so big! And in all the right places! Motherhood's been good to you!”

....check.

How is she possibly his student?

Wait...he had a gennin team didn't he? Minato, that dark skinned guy, and....oh.

So thats who my mom is.

So...Mom was a ninja...which means her leg was probably lost in the line of duty.

I'm...not sure what to do with that.

”Ah! This must be Daisuke! I see he is stunned by the majesty of the great Jiraiya-sama!”

Oh. Right. Staring at him like an idiot.

Eh...Jiraiya could do with an slight ego deflating.

”Ka-chan, who's this dumb looking guy?”

Jiraiya let out this delightful squawking sound as Mom turned around with a cry of ”Dai-chan!”. But it was in one of those tones of voice where a parent is trying to get on to a child, but what they really want to do is just laugh.

I gave my best innocent smile as I asked. ”Did I say something wrong?”

Jiraiya had another moment of bl_u_s_tering before breaking out into a boisterous laugh. ”Yeah. He's Hada's kid alright!”

The comparison made me smile.

--------

Dinner was an incredibly awkward affair.

”So....what have you been up to lately Sensei?” Mom asked.

Jiraiya perked up, ”Oh! I just finished writing a book! Its about....uh...” He glanced at me then Atsuko, ”...stuff.”

”How interesting.” My father droned before placing some rice into his mouth.

You know those comfortable moments with a family where everyone could sit at the table and not say anything and be perfectly okay with it?

This was not one of those moments.

I even did the awkward cough thing just to fill the silence.

”So, Hada-san. How is work?” Jiraiya asked.

”Good. I got a contract with a shop a few months ago. Work's been pretty steady since then.”

”Oh...that's...good.”

You know the sounds of people eating rice, when you really listen, are very different from pretty much every other food. It has a pretty distinctive sound when-

”Why do you have those lines on your face? Did you get cut?” Atsuko asked.

Oh thank goodness.

Plus that was something I had wondered about.

”These?” He said pointing toward the red lines tattooed on his face. ”Nope! These are clan tattoos! Besides, noone could manage to cut the great Jiraiya-sama!”

Wow. He even got up and put a foot on his chair to do a pose. Props to him for commitment.

”You're part of a clan?” Atsuko asked with large curious eyes.

Jiraiya's face got a rather sad look on his face as he replied with, ”...no. No I'm not.”

...ouch.

That means either his family was killed, or he got them to be clan tattoos for his family...which he never ended up having.

”Then how are they clan tattoos?”

Mom and Dad gave a grimace.

”What? I just wanna-”

”Atsuko.” I cut in. She looked over to me and began to complain again but closed my eyes and gave a slow headshake.Thankfully I appeared sufficiently serious to get her not to say more.

Oh look, we're driving through awkward town in the awkward-mobile again.

”Welp! Thanks for the hospitality Sumi-chan, Hada-san, but I should be going. You know, countries to save, princesses to rescue.” Jiraiya said as he stood up, probably having decided that was enough of that.

”I'll see you to the door Sensei.” Mom said as she wheeled over to him.

I let the two of them go to the door alone where they had a quiet conversation, before Mom came back to clean up the table, the family dispersing to do their own thing.

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

I came across mom staring out the window later that night. Her gaze vacant as she looked out, and her lips slightly turned down.

I placed a hand on her arm. ”Mom...are you sad that the dinner didn't go well?”

She opened her mouth to say something...but seemed to change her mind and instead said, ”Yes, Dai-chan. I am.”

That had to hurt. A jonin sensei was a major part of growing up to a ninja. Like part of the family, if not even a parent. To not even be able to have a dinner with someone who was once so close must be...heartwrenching.

”I'm sorry.” I say.

”Its okay Dai-chan. That's just life. People change and their paths may split from each other. But it doesn't mean the bond between them has disappeared.”

She turned to look at me, both her hand coming to grasp my own as her eyes filled with a feeling I couldn't quite identify it was....

”I know that if I ever really needed him he'd show up, and I'd do the same for him. We don't need to be in eachother's lives. We are still very important to each other. That doesn't just go away.”

Melancholy.

The feeling was melancholy.