Days went by.
Weeks passed.
The seasons changed, and winter faded.
Kiba cleaned the snow using his Earth Release. He didn't use hand signs since he hadn't figured out how to apply them to the new jutsu he'd created from scratch, so he manipulated the chakra raw.
Kiba manipulated the earth to push aside the snow, but his chakra drained faster than expected. When his energy ran out completely, he had no choice but to clear the remaining snow by hand.
He wiped his brow as he worked, muttering to himself, "This is going to be annoying to clean," while shoving another pile of snow aside with his feet.
'I really wish I had another chakra nature,' Kiba thought, before reconsidering. 'No, if I had a different chakra nature, I wouldn't be this proficient with Earth Release.'
"But my low reserves will be the end of me," Kiba sighed.
After finishing his chores, he headed back to town to sell his fish and clayware.
As he entered the marketplace, an Inuzuka shinobi passed him on the street.
The Inuzuka gave him a look of disgust. Unlike the villagers, the clan valued strength and loyalty, so they wouldn't openly mock him but their disdain was clear.
Kiba ignored it, focusing on his sales. While waiting for the vendor to fetch his payment, he glanced at the Academy in the distance.
He counted his savings again.
"Tsk, still not enough," Kiba muttered, staring at the Academy gates.
He wanted to enroll, but if he did now, he wouldn't have enough time to earn money for survival.
He was supposed to be a student already, but his circumstances had forced him to drop out.
The old vendor returned, holding out his payment. "Here's your money," she said.
"Thanks," Kiba replied, tucking the coins into his pouch.
The old lady gave him a sympathetic look.
"See you tomorrow," Kiba said as he left.
She smiled warmly.
Kiba walked home, his thoughts heavy. 'If my situation doesn't change in two years, I'll have to find proper work at my age.'
He sighed deeply, his breath forming a small cloud in the chilly air.
. . . .
Two years had passed.
Kiba still sold his clayware, though he had stopped selling fish. He still caught them for his own meals, but now, his focus was on the cart he pushed, laden with beautifully crafted pottery each piece a testament to his skill.
Time had changed him. His muscles were more defined, his frame taller, and his hair had grown long, strikingly similar to Chung-Myung's from Return of the Mount Hua Sect. He wore simple clothes: a t-shirt and pants, practical and unassuming.
When he arrived at the shop, the owner greeted him with a worker in tow. The man inspected the latest batch of clayware, nodding in approval.
"Your work is as beautiful as ever," the owner remarked.
"It took me two years to perfect it. What did you expect?" Kiba replied.
"For a kid your age, you should work under me. I could pay you more," the owner offered.
Kiba shook his head. "I won't be making these anymore."
"Why not?"
"I'm attending the Academy. I've postponed it for too long."
"Oh? I heard you want to become a medical ninja," the owner said.
"That's correct."
The owner gestured to his worker to carry the pottery inside, then handed Kiba an envelope.
"If you ever make more pieces like these, please sell them to me."
"I will. Don't worry about it," Kiba said before turning to leave.
As he walked away, a grin tugged at his lips. 'Tomorrow, I can finally access the books for Academy students.' Two years of waiting were finally over.
Pushing his cart home, he remained unaware of the distant figure watching him, his sister, Hana.
She wanted to help him, but there was nothing she could do.
"Hana!" Her friends called, snapping her from her thoughts. With a final glance at her brother, she joined them.
When Kiba reached home, he stored the cart in the small garage he had built, securing the door behind him.
Then, he placed his hands on the ground, channeling chakra into the earth. A massive boulder formed under his touch.
Effortlessly, he lifted it onto his back and began his training walk along the riverbank.
After completing twenty laps, Kiba dropped the boulder onto the ground. Without pause, he began punching it strike after strike until the rock finally crumbled under the relentless assault.
'Fifty hits. I still need to improve,' he thought.
Once finished, he pulled the net from the river. This time, his catch was meager, but it didn't matter, he only needed enough for his meals.
He cooked the fish, eating as much as he could. The leftovers went into a container, saved for later.
Inside his home, he approached his desk. Placing a hand beneath it, he channeled chakra into the hidden seal. A puff of smoke erupted, revealing a bag of money.
Kiba added his latest earnings to the stash, then infused the same amount of chakra into the seal to secure it once more.
"Hmm, I should study other subjects too. The curriculum covers more than just this. If I want to graduate early, I'll need to pass every test including the Ninjutsu exam," Kiba muttered to himself.
With that thought, he left his house and made his way back to the library, determined to absorb as much knowledge as possible before class began.
'The fact that I have to relearn all of this…' Kiba sighed, staring at the formulas sprawled across the pages of the book. 'I'm cooked.'
Kiba scratched his head in frustration.
. . . .
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen sorted through the latest applications for the Academy. When he reached Kiba's paperwork, a faint smile crossed his face. After two years of waiting, the boy had finally enrolled.
"He's joining at last," Hiruzen murmured, stamping his approval on the form. "Though he'll have a tough time socializing."
— — — — —
Support me by,
Give me power stones
or
Pat reon.com/The_Undying_One
Currently 7+ advanced chapter available