Chapter - 7 - Hidden Bloodline
Rasa woke up early the next morning. He didn't bother completing his morning exercises today. After getting ready and grabbing a bite, he set out towards Arashi's home in a low jog.
The sun had not become visible yet, but twilight had begun to light the horizon, so it was not pitch black. Sunagakure was built inside a crater that appeared to be formed from a meteor impacting a Rocky Plateau. So it is surrounded on three sides with only a Natural Opening on the East Side and an artificial, narrow opening on the West Side.
The village must have looked like a speck that is going to be devoured into the maw of a big desert monster from above. But still, Sunagakure is one of the most well-protected villages with a robust natural defence. The Plateau also provides cover from scorching wind and sandstorms. There is also plenty of water. Groundwater gets stored in the deep basins of the Rocky Plateau. So water is not Suna's main concern.
Whoever picked this location for building the village had some serious head on his shoulders. Suna is really a natural fortress. While thinking of these unimportant things, Rasa reached his destination. He expected that he would need to wake up Arashi before anything could start. But the old man surprised him again. Arashi was lounging on the veranda with a familiar sake bottle in hand.
"Good morning, Mr Arashi-san." He greeted the old man as politely as he could. "You can call me sensei from now on," Arashi replied nonchalantly while taking a sip from the bottle. "Being so polite makes me feel old" Rasa was annoyed inside, but he still kept his expression neutral, and his twitching facial nerves betrayed his annoyance.
Arashi looked kind of pleased while seeing his minor reaction.
"Okay, kid, tell me what Hikari has been teaching you?" he asked while taking another swig from the sake bottle.
Rasa explained the training so far, which included Games of Observation, Sleight of hand and basic Taijutsu Katas. Arashi asked detailed questions about how it was conducted, what the motive was, and what the result was. He answered as much as he could. The old Rasa's memories were also his now, so it wasn't so difficult. It also felt like he was testing his reasoning capabilities and way of thinking by asking pointed questions
After hearing the explanations, Arashi reached out with a hum... showing no approval or disapproval.
He then put the sake bottle in the holster on his left hip. "Wow..." He never noticed before; it was the first time he saw a holder for a sake bottle. It looked custom-made and even fitted the bottle perfectly! He was distracted for a moment there.
That was a mistake.
"Kid, let me examine your physical condition." With a woosh, he disappeared. And before he could react appeared right in front of him!
After Arashi put a hand on his shoulder. He really wanted to complain. Rasa already knows that Arashi is a Jonin, and he believes that Arashi at least remembers it. What is the reason for all this showing off? Can't he just walk in like a normal person?
He felt Arashi's right hand on his shoulders and something invading his body. He tried to resist instinctively. "No point in resisting, kid, let me examine you thoroughly, heh...heh...heh" Arashi wreathed in laughter, which actually calmed him down.
After some time, he relaxed his hands. "Hmm... You have inherited some part of your Father's physique, but not completely. Maybe that is also a good thing ...." He muttered the latter part quietly, but Rasa could still hear it.
Rasa didn't know that his family had any special bloodline. He wanted to ask Arashi further, but before it Arashi beat him to the punch.
"Ye kid, your father had a bloodline. Your grandfather was an Uzumaki who got settled here after Suna's establishment, and your father inherited the physique of your grandfather. And you inherited some of it."
"Then why do you say that not inheriting Uzumaki's physique fully may be a good thing?"
Arashi looked at him for a moment, then replied
"Sharp ears, kid, good, I will humour you today… Well, there are a few things you shouldn't know now, but still… Do you know what they say about Uzumaki clan members outside?" Arashi asked with a mischievous grin.
Rasa wanted to say they are good at sealing technique or something, but he stopped himself, "Don't know", he replied
"ha... ha... Let me explain. They say Uzumaki people are monsters born with a screw loose from birth, and they spend half their time figuring out how to tighten it." Arashi promptly fell down on the ground and started to belly laugh.
Rasa also found it funny. "The whirlpool symbol makes perfect sense now!" he blurred out without thinking, caught up in the moment.
Arashi paused his laughter for a second, then looked at Rasa and started laughing this time with more vigour. Rasa also started to laugh with Arashi. That was his first genuine moment in this world,