[Extra chap despite failed challenge.]
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[I noticed a sound criticism in the reviews also saying that the description is vague sometimes which is confusing, and I slightly edited this chap and maybe will do so for the upcoming chaps.
So, Don't forget to give a review also and criticise my work, I can listen and adjust.]
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[ Essence Assimilated >> %10 ]
There is no worse nightmare than no longer being able to save yourself by waking up. Because what if waking is just trading one dream for another? What if the world you open your eyes to is itself a kind of sleep?
You begin to notice the distance between yourself and others.
They move through life seeming not to touch the ground, laughing, talking, and wanting things. But you watch them and wonder, do they know? Do they suspect that everything around them might be painted cardboard, a stage set held together by something beyond reason?
They seem so sure, so full of life.
Perhaps they are simply better at not seeing. Perhaps the world is a performance, and they have learned their lines so well they have forgotten they are acting.
But then you... you stand backstage and stare at the painted backdrop, and you cannot unsee it. The fake trees, the false sunsets, the scripted conversations. Everyone pretending that this is all there is, that this is enough.
Hell is not a place of fire.
Hell is the moment you realize you did nothing when you still could have, when you should have.
But what can you do when the ground beneath you is not ground at all, just a stage floor? What action matters in a world that feels constructed, hollow, made of glass that might shatter if you knocked too hard?
You keep touching the walls to see if they are real, keep asking questions that have no answers, keep feeling the thinness of everything.
In the end, you are left with this, meaning does not arrive on its own. It must be built, carried, and defended.
But how do you build on... sand?
"It's dangerous to use your whole vocabulary in two sentences," Gintoki suddenly said as he looked at his dumb son in the garden lying on the ground while looking at his hands again.
Garou turned to look at 'his' father for a second before frowning in displeasure. "You possess a mind that is remarkably unburdened by the complexities of thought– hmmm? Weird, why am I engaging in this stupidity?" Garou said and muttered to himself at the end.
Garou had always been someone straightforward. If he didn't like something then punch it until it becomes to his liking. He got angry easily, taunted people mid fight and cursed a lot.
He should have stood up and already lunged at the guy for annoying him and interrupting his existential crisis.
But this? This answer he gave 'his' father was so much like that guy...
Adolf Miller.
'How much did that guy influence me? Am I still myself from the One Punch Man World or now fused with this 21st-century guy from Earth?' Garou thought with a frown.
"Well I am trying to articulate on a level you could understand. Anyways, what's up with you again? So edgy these past few days." Gintoki asked while scratching his ass.
"..." No reaction.
"Seriously though, is it about real, not real, life, noodles, no noodles and type shit?" Gintoki asked with an eyebrow raised. He sniffed the hand he was scratching his ass with and gave an approval nod to himself.
"If you can't be serious then don't speak." Garou said harshly.
Garou was in a really bad mood. He just found out that he got reincarnated into this ninja world by some unknown entity claiming to be god without knowing how.
Better say, he was personally not reincarnated into this world, someone else by the name Adolf Miller got lucky enough to get a second chance at this.
And then Miller got power, the power of Garou from One Punch Man... HIS power. Not just a simple power but everything Garou achieved and had.
And that pissed him off.
For 7 or so years, his mind was in a semi awareness state inside Miller in this new world.
In that state, he felt these past 7 years as if dreaming... every single day of it. Sometimes he tried to move, to scream, to get out of that fuckery he was in, but it was to no use.
He couldn't escape, just barely feel.
3 or so days ago when that Essence assimilation or whatever hit %10, he immediately broke free from that dreamy state, and without much resistance, he took control of the body he was jailed in.
What was weird was, Miller didn't even try to fight for control, he just willingly gave the body to Garou. Miller could have the body to himself and I would have been erased or still trapped in that dreamy state of consciousness, but he didn't fight for the body.
He didn't know why that is.
'My memories, my memories are a mix between my original self and Miller. What's concerning is my own memories, I don't have all of them except for what was shown to Miller through the Essence.' Garou thought grimly.
'That fucking god, I can't even access my very own memories freely?!'
Gintoki looked at the irritated Garou who was day dreaming again.
"My Zombie looks different for a while now. Much less talkative, angrier, and impatient. I remember him asking about some bullshit also..." Gintoki mumbled.
"Hey Zombie, is this really about the world being an illusion or shit?" Gintoki asked loudly again.
"..."
"If you wanna know if the world is an illusion or not, picture yourself being bound in chains and some fat ass horse approaches to–"
Garou immediately ignored the absolute shit that was coming out of that mouth.
He had access to everything Miller went through, said, and anything in-between in both Miller's lifetimes, so he knew what came out of Gintoki's mouth next wasn't even worth receiving.
Then Garou sat cross legged and closed his eyes to meditate. Something his master Bang taught him to do.
He needed to calm down and focus. This wasn't like him. Existential crisis? Fuck that shit! I am fucking Garou! Not some edgy dude who has read two pages of Nietzsche.
The day passed by like this. Garou meditated and Gintoki...
"Back and forth, baaaaaack and forth until you wake up from the illusion–"
Better not say what Gintoki was reciting to a meditating Garou.
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Bam!
The door flung open by a kick as a man lazily strode forward.
"Sighhhhhhhh," Hiruzen let out a long tired sigh. The scene aging him twenty years.
"Wazzup!" Gintoki said with a smirk as he sat down on a chair in front of Hiruzen's office desk and rested his legs on it without a care in the world.
"Been some weeks since I saw you, friend. How is everything going?" Hiruzen asked with a gentle smile, trying really hard to ignore the lack of decorum.
"Me? Mehhhh! Life is good." Gintoki said as he stared at the ceiling boredly.
"Good to hear, friend. How about Ayaka and your son?" Hiruzen asked, this time with suppressed sadness.
In the past, he had a small crush on Ayaka, but it seemed fate didn't care about that and Ayaka got together with Gintoki instead of him.
It didn't help that they were from different clans also.
It was the past, so he really didn't care about that anymore. Every teenager goes through something like that, it's a canon event.
"Wife is good, but son is a little retard. Anyways, why did you call for me Hiruzen? You know that I don't like these stuff, so be quick, I have important things to do." Gintoki said with a serious expression.
'Bullshit!' Hiruzen thought while smiling gently at Gintoki. He knew the only 'important' thing to Gintoki was his sleeping pillow or reading newspapers inside the toilet.
"Well, friend, we have a problem." Hiruzen didn't beat around the bush and spoke seriously.
"..."
Seeing Gintoki silent he continued. "The Fire Daimyo, Date Masamune has been suppressing Konoha. Fewer merchants arrive in Konoha, roads being closed off by Samurais, many Ashigaru soldiers surrounding Konoha's territory, people outside are being told not to issue missions to our village..."
"...!"
"If not for being a little fearful and very cautious, especially since Mito-sama is still here, I am sure Date would have marched to conquer Konoha right after Tobirama-sensei sacrificed his life for us." Hiruzen mentioned Tobirama so he could at least have a better chance to convince Gintoki.
"Date? It has been a long time since I have seen his face. That bastard must be enjoying having a harem I am sure!" Gintoki said with suppressed jealousy.
"Cough, So, you have a good relationship with that guy. Can you please help us out in this one? I am not demanding or asking as a Hokage, but as a friend and comrade who have fought alongside each other for years." Hiruzen said in a pitiful tone.
Gintoki gave a quick look at Hiruzen who was acting like an old man to gain his pity. Fortunately, his well of pity has long since dried up. This young fox ain't gonna make him suck.
"Hehehe, guess you really have a tough time with these clans who want to grab a hand on your ass!" Gintoki said with a light chuckle as he looked at the twitching lips of Hiruzen who didn't know what to say.
"I have already seen the effects. The other day I wanted to have a family time, but ended up begging the Akimichi to sell us some food scraps. I was so pissed off!" Gintoki said in irritation as he remembered himself and Garou going around asking for food while Ayaka just went back home simply and didn't bother to suffer with them.
Garou and him ended up getting something barely called a soup a fat woman from Akimichi who was kind enough to share.
They ate dog food basically that day.
"Sorry to hear that, but since you have experienced the pitiful state of Konoha, then you know what I mean. So please, I kindly ask you to lend a hand, civilians will starve to death soon if this great issue doesn't get fixed." Hiruzen said with clenched hands.
"Hmmmm," Gintoki started to think as he rubbed his chin, his legs still resting on the desk.
"Okay I will help, but I want something in return." Gintoki suddenly asked, surprisingly serious.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "As long as it's within my power then I will try my best to reach your demands."
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"I want to retire." Gintoki said after a moment. His expression suddenly so dull and dark Hiruzen got a chill down his spine.
"You don't want to be a ninja anymore?" Hiruzen asked with an eyebrow raised and a little alarmed.
Hiruzen couldn't afford to lose an Elite Jonin like that. Elite Jonins don't just fall from trees, especially ones who are on his side... maybe?
"But Gintoki-kun, I...I," Hiruzen wanted to say something, but looking at that lifeless expression he couldn't bring himself to say it.
What was the point of convincing a man who can barely support himself? He recognised that look.
This man was beyond tired.
"Sighhhhhhh, I understand. Your retirement papers will be sent to you via an Anbu." Hiruzen said tiredly while rubbing his forehead. Lamenting the loss of a strong combatant of the village just like that.
"Thank you Hiruzen." Gintoki said as he gave a tired smile before standing up and walked outside.
Hiruzen looked at Gintoki's reatreating back as he went into deep thought.
"War is loss, nothing more." He muttered and then started to look at the mountain of papers on his desk that gave him a migraine.
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The path was small and cut into the mountain. The rocks were tight around them. Bang walked in front and moved slowly with Hands behind his back, and Garou who looked irritated followed behind.
They came to a small place with stone walls with a waterfall fell into a dark pool. It was not big but the water came down fast and it hit the rocks hard.
The sound of the impact between water and the rocks filled the air.
Bang then sat on a rock and he looked at the water with Garou standing nearby who only watched and did not speak.
"Look how it falls fast and strong while It hits the rocks." Bang pointed to the waterfall.
The water fell from above and It hit the sharp rocks then it splashed everywhere.
Then Bang pointed to where the water left the pool and it went into a small crack in the rocks which made the water change then It became thin and long, and finally, It squeezed through the tight space.
"Now see? The water finds a small crack. It cannot fight here, so it changes and makes itself thin. So, it goes where the rocks let it go."
The water moved through the crack, then on the other side, it opened up again and it became calm then finally kept flowing down.
"The rocks tell the water where to go, and the water has no choice and just follows because it depends on the land and it depends on outside things."
Garou watched while his face showed nothing.
Bang picked up a small stone then he threw it into the pool.
Plish!
The water moved and circles spread out.
"See that? The stone hits the water and the water moves because It is pushed by outside force."
They waited and after some time, the water became still again and the circles went away.
"But the water goes back to how it was. It does not stay disturbed and it returns to itself." Bang said calmly.
Bang picked up another stone but this one was flat then he threw it differently. The stone skipped on top of the water and it touched the surface but did not go in, but bounced and flew to the other side.
"The stone passes over and the water does not try to catch it and it does not fight it... it just lets it go and the water stays water."
Garou looked at this and still did not speak.
"The rocks shape the water..." Bang went on.
"The stones hit it and the wind blows it. Many things push it around and they change where it goes and they change how it looks for a moment."
Bang looked at Garou.
"But water is still just water. It can be pushed and It can be split apart or it can be forced into small spaces, but it never becomes something else, and It never becomes rock, nore It becomes stone. It stays as water, Always."
Bang then stood up and looked at the waterfall and took a breath.
"The rocks will change one day, they will break down, then land will shift, and the mountain will not stay the same, but the water will still be here and It will still be water. It will still flow like always." Bang said softly.
He turned to Garou.
"Outside things push us and they shape us. It can make us go certain ways, but inside, we are still what we are, and If we know this, then we will be free. Free to move through cracks, free to take hits, and free to return to stillness Because nothing outside can change what we really are."
"Become water my dear diciple." Bang finished with a small smile as he looked at Garou gently.
Bang did not wait for an answer, he turned and walked back into the path.
And Garou stayed there for a second, then he looked at the water.
It was still falling, still hitting rocks, still squeezing through cracks, still getting hit by stones, but it was always water.
Always the same.
He then looked down at his own hands for a moment before clench and unclenching it.
He looked up at the waterfall one last time then he turned and followed Bang into the path.
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"A dream?" Garou woke up in the middle of the night in his silent room.
[ Essence Assimilated >>> %11 ]
"Maybe not." He muttered.
The End.
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( A/N: Btw Date Masamune is a real life dude (1567–1636): Known as the "One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshū," he was a powerful leader or Damiyo I think who founded the city of Sendai.)