Chapter 2: Roots of Stone
The morning sun crept over the jagged cliffs of Iwagakure, painting the village in shades of gold and stone. I woke to the sound of bustling streets below, my body still feeling strange, as if it weren't truly mine. My limbs were quicker, lighter, and yet my mind carried memories from another world—memories no one else here could even imagine.
Today was my first step into the Shinobi Academy.
The Ishiguro clan wasn't one of the greats. We weren't the Tsuchikage's line or the Kamizuru with their insect mastery. But we were steady, respected—a mid-level family rooted in earth-release ninjutsu. Still, no one knew yet what I, Ishiguro Daichi, would become. Not even me.
As I walked the stone-paved streets, shinobi patrolled rooftops above. It reminded me: this world wasn't fiction. It was survival.
Inside the academy, I sat among children who laughed and whispered when I entered. The sensei—a scarred, broad-shouldered man—commanded silence before handing out chakra paper.
"Each of you will discover your chakra nature today," he said.
When the paper reached me, I swallowed hard. This is it.
I pressed my chakra into the slip. At once, the paper crumpled in my palm, but the edges grew damp as well.
The sensei's eyes narrowed. "Dual affinity?" he muttered. The class erupted in whispers.
Earth and Water.
My pulse quickened. Earth plus Water… Mud Release. Maybe even Lava Release, if I can push further. But excitement cooled quickly. I was still weak. I had only scraps of knowledge, and no mentor.
The sensei fixed me with a hard stare. "Promising. But don't get ahead of yourself, Ishiguro Daichi. Chakra control without strength is meaningless."
Training after class pushed me to my limits. While other kids swung wooden kunai and fumbled through hand signs, I returned to what I knew best—chakra control. I clung to trees, walked up walls, even tried balancing pebbles on my head while letting chakra flow evenly through my body. The other students laughed, but I ignored them
Taijutsu and chakra control—that's my edge. If I can't shine with ninjutsu yet, I'll carve my place with precision and stamina.
That night, bruised and drained, I sat alone on my clan's rooftop, staring at the stars.
"I'm just a nobody here," I whispered to myself. "But if I play my cards right… I can change that."
And as the wind whistled through the mountains, I swore the stones of Iwagakure were listening.