Kirigakure Gamer : Rise of the mist

The next day, Takeshi walked through the settlement. Wooden pillars had been built on top of the highest point of the mountain, allowing the patrols to have complete vision over the rest of the island.

'Well, when there is no fog, that is', Takeshi thought inwardly

Some shinobi were sleeping in their tents, waiting leisurely before their next assignment. Others were checking on their supplies. Kunai, shurikens, katanas...Without maintenance, they would turn dull, especially with the humid weath of the Land of Water. 

A small minority, however, was training. 

Takeshi was observing two chunins fight.

[Hitori Nazuka - Level 45 Chunin]

[Naya Tori - Level 40 Chunin]

One was a ninjutsu specialist, the other, Naya, a kenjutsu specialist.

The spar, however, was brutal.

Wind Breakthrough

It could not even be considered a spar. As soon as Naya got close, Hitori would cast a huge C-rank jutsu on her face, blowing her and repelling her charges repeatedly. After two or three tries, Naya was covered in small wounds.

"I surrender", she admitted, her ego clearly more wounded than her body.

Takeshi smiled with bitterness. After training with the crazy elder Otuka, he had allocated a large part of his training on kenjutsu. It made sense, since he had Swordsmanship Talent (High) and unmatched resources, with a grandmaster personally teaching him.

However, the last patrolling mission was lingering on his mind. Against all odds, he had managed to stand out thanks to his ninjutsu capabilities rather than his kenjutsu skills. He had not even displayed half of what he could do in close combat, his enemies too weak to handle more than one blow.

'Sigh...', he analysed, 'Thinking about it, there is a reason why no kenjutsu specialist ever reached the kage level. Be it Hashirama or Madara, they can change a battlefield in one blow, something that is impossible with regular sword play'

Just as Takeshi was doubting his strength, he shook his head. 

'Just because there are no kage-level swordsmen does not mean it is impossible. Kisame, in the future, will surely reach this level with his immense chakra reserves and the lengadary blade of the mist Samehada'

Experience.

At the end of the day, he needed to become stronger, faster. Ninjutsu had huge impact because of his stat imbalance. Ever since he transmigrated, he had invested all of his free attribute points into chakra, for the simple reason that it improved all of his specializations. The Haze Kenjutsu Art became more lethal as it relied highly on chakra waves. His ninjutsu became fiercer, denser. And lastly, his shurikenjutsu became faster and sharper.

But, it was not the solution to everything. Without strength to support it, his kenjutsu was often falling behind despite his proficiency in the skills. Without speed, he could only take enemies by surprise. Without vitality, he would often collapse after overtaxing his own body.

That's it. 

He needed to balance his body more.

"Something in your mind?", Naya asked.

After her loss, everyone had made their own way. The settlement was full of activities, even if there was nothing mandatory to do. In a prolonged war like this, the worst thing to do was to let thoughts run wild. That's why people would often bring up childhood memories, develop obsession with supplies and seals, and many more time-consuming activities. Half of the shinobi had PTSD from the war, the rest was crazy.

Takeshi looked at her.

[Naya Tori - Level 40 Chunin]

Naya was level 40. Her stats were probably much higher than his, though her kenjutsu specialization probably stemmed from her inferior ninjutsu skills. Otherwise, she would not have lost so easily in the combat with Nazuka.

It was easy to see that her ego was wounded. Her eyes were slightly red, and her lips were trembling slightly from the loss. Her uniform was clean, but her skin was riddled with small cuts that reminded her of her defeat. In the misty Steel Island, her green hair stood out. Her name indicated she did not come from a clan. Maybe she had ancestry with one, but her lack of resources showed otherwise. Her chunin vest was the most valuable resource at hand, and her Katana was probably upper D-grade or lower C-grade at best.

Takeshi smiled at her.

"Could you take me in your next mission?", Takeshi asked.

If he wanted to become Mizukage, he needed to accumulate merits and allies.

Naya Tori was poor and average. The odds of her becoming a jonin in her lifetime were low, not to mention elite jonin or kage-level.

However, Takeshi was a catalyst. People were drawn to him. Arya from the Yuki Clan, Biwa from the Funato Clan...Both were talented, but would have never showed such strength at a young age if it were not for Takeshi. 

Just as his thoughts of making her an ally popped in his mind, a mission was generated.

'As always, the missions are tailored to my desires...', Takeshi analysed

[Steel comrade - C-rank mission

Naya Tori is a chunin who worked her way through the ranks, with deep loyalty to the Hidden Village of the Mist. Though hard-working, her average talent and lack of resources slowed down her progress. Despite being nearly twenty-years-old, she is still inferior to her peers, and with that, her dreams of becoming a jonin one day are slim. You have seen in her the potential of a kunoichi capable of utmost loyalty and asked to enter her life.

Task - Earn Naya Tori's acknowledgement (12%)

Reward - 500 EXP, 1000 Ryô, +10 Reputation points with the Steel Shinobi Platoon, +20 Reputation with Naya Tori]