Ryu Uchiha: The Beast Inside [Book 1]

Chapter Fourteen: Baiu's Proposition

Ryu just sat there, frozen as ice, until Baiu finished the story. Ryu stared into the eyes of the older and wiser Baiu, his face expressionless from the shock. Everybody in the room was turned to him, watching him, and waiting for any sudden movement. But they never got one.

     "I know that that was a lot for you to take in all at once, and I'm sorry for that, but you had to know," Baiu said. "Akahoshi wanted me to let you know. Now that you do, you can choose whatever you want to do with this information."

     Ryu opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again, and this time managed to ask in a low voice, "Why would he do this to me?"

     "He believed that you could tame the beast and bring peace to the village," Baiu said. "And for the past twelve years, I have been studying and trying to find out what attacked the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What I've found out is that the beast is called a Tailed Beast, and there has been ten in the past, each with a different number of tails, and the greater the number of tails, the greater its power. But there's never been a twelve-tailed before."

     "What are these Tailed Beasts?" Ryu asked, slowly recovering.

     "Apparently, they are living forms of Chakra, and have immense reserves of Chakra," Baiu explained. "When one gets sealed inside someone, that person becomes a Jinchuriki, and can draw power from their Tailed Beast. Because of that, the Jinchuriki also has a large reserve of Chakra."

     "So I'm a Jinchuriki," Ryu said. "So what should I do now that I know?"

     Baiu shrugged and smiled. "It's up to you. Anyway, let's drop this subject and talk about something else. I'm sure you'll find the answer."

     Ryu stood up and put his hands in his pocket before walking out the door. "I'm going to get some fresh air. Please continue without me."

     Ryu began walking around, like he normally did. Finding a quiet spot behind a boulder, he lifted his jacket and shirt up, revealing the Uchiha Clan mark on his stomach.

     That's what this was, Ryu thought. Then it's all true.

     "Then he was serious."

     Chi was standing on the boulder, looking the Uchiha Clan mark on Ryu's stomach.

     "Hey!" Ryu yelled, dropping the clothes back over his stomach. "A little privacy here."

     He jumped up on the boulder next to her, and he looked up. "Now what am I supposed to do."

     "We're similar, you know," Chi said.

     "What do you mean?" Ryu asked.

     Chi smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. Wanna head back?"

     "Sure," Ryu said. "Race you."

     He jumped to the ground and headed off back to the house. Chi, trying to catch up to Ryu, said, "Now you're the one making things into competitions."

     Ryu smiled and said, "I guess you're right."

     They arrived back at the house a few seconds later, and Ryu won by three feet.

     "You're slow as ever," he said.

     "I let you win."

     "Of course you did. And I let myself win, how about that?"

     Chi, out of anger, grabbed Ryu's jacket collar with both of her hands. "Will you just shut that annoying trap of yours?"

     Ryu pulled her arms way from his collar and began walking inside. "Let's go."

     Furiously, Chi marched back into the house. When they arrived in the living room, the found only Baiu there, alone. He was calmly sipping another cup of tea when they came in.

     "Where are the others?" Chi asked, looking around.

     "They went outside to train, and Kazuo left to go back to his home. You should go join them."

     They both turned around, and as they were leaving, Baiu called Ryu back.

     "I need to speak to you," Baiu said.

     Ryu sat back down, wondering the reason why. He sat in silence until Baiu finished his tea, and then set his cup on the table.

     "As you know, I was a friend of you grandfather's," Baiu said. "And since you are his grandson, I thought it would only be fair if I did something for you that Akahoshi did for me."

     "And what would that be?" Ryu asked.

     "Teach you how to use Lightning Style," Baiu said. "Akahoshi was my master, and he taught me when I first met him at the age of fifteen. He was a great master, and I thought that he would've wanted me to teach his grandson Lightning Style. Would you like to learn?"

     "Of course," Ryu said, bowing his head. "I'd love to."

     "Meet me here in the morning to begin training."