Chapter 57
Evening of the 186th day.
Kenshin had just finished picking blue sage, and was sitting at a small wooden table that he had made a while ago with the help of his sons. Across from him sat two beautiful girls, Aya and Natsumi. The girls liked to walk around in the evening in the company of their beloved husband, and breathe fresh air, so at the moment they were sitting and drinking delicious tea, enjoying a nice conversation.
After Kenshin had fortified the perimeter of his base even more, he finally allowed the girls to leave the dwelling and rest in the fresh air, not far from the house. No one could see them from afar, for the formation made it impossible for anyone further than two hundred metres away to see anything of note.
Kenshin was indeed enjoying a rest with his two beauties after a hard day's work. It had been a particularly hard day, for he had not used his hands in gathering the blue sage on principle, but had relied on telekinesis alone. It was difficult, but it helped him increase the strength of the ability a little more. Now he could carry a five kilogram bag of blue sage in the air without any problems.
He contemplated fusing his psionic power with a defence formation, but realised that it was an incredibly difficult task, hardly accessible with his current skills in creating formations, and definitely not accessible with his current psionic power.
Kenshin realised that his power was not exactly the classic psionics from the science fiction books he had read while at home, but for convenience he decided to call it just that. Telekinesis and telepathy were harnessed by the power of thought, with an energy unknown to him. He could not feel it or register it, but he was completely sure of its existence. The most difficult task in the coming labour was to find this energy, and to create a symbiosis of formations and psionics.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, the girls smiled sweetly and enjoyed his pensive expression. The two beauties adored their husband madly, and could watch him for hours.
Suddenly, Natsumi turned her gaze to the right, and noticed something, in the rays of the setting sun.
- Wow, Kenshin, isn't that your falcon? - She said with surprise. Aya in turn turned her pretty face and stared in that direction.
Kenshin recovered from his reverie, and looked where the girl was pointing.
- Looks like him. Would you like to pet him? - He asked both girls with a smile.
- Of course! - Both girls answered in unison, and looked at each other and laughed.
Kenshin mentally activated the formation knot tied to his clothes and ordered the falcon to fly towards them, but apparently that wasn't necessary. The bird was already heading towards its master.
As soon as the falcon flew closer, it immediately began to descend, and after a few seconds, it clawed its thick talons into the sturdy wooden back of a long bench.
Kenshin stroked the bird's soft feathers contentedly, and at the same moment he felt a signal telling him that the falcon had found something "interesting". The bird lifted its beak to the table, and spat out a small, bloodstained and fluffy scroll case.
He immediately reached out his hand in interest, and picked up the item he was interested in. Both girls grumbled, and Natsumi scolded the naughty bird.
- Bad falcon! You can't eat small and defenceless pigeons! - The bird stared at the girl with its night-black eyes and blinked several times.
- What do you mean you can't? Don't listen to her, kid. You can eat pigeons, and you should! Besides, they're delicious. Grandpa used to catch them often, and grandma could cook almost anything from these little weasels... - Aya said dreamily, remembering the times of her carefree childhood.
- God, Aya, what are you talking about! - Natsumi exclaimed in shock. She couldn't believe that her best friend could have the traits of a gentle and cruel girl coexisting in her.
Kenshin opened a small case and took out a scroll. As soon as he unrolled it and began to read, he couldn't hold back a shout:
- Holy shit! - The curse that came out of his mouth instantly distracted the girls from the argument, and they approached their husband in surprise, staring with interest at the short text.
- What?! Nara Kasumi?! The niece of the clan head?! - Natsumi exclaimed in shock, unable to believe her eyes.
- Wow... The clan head's niece is trapped five kilometres from our home... How reliable do you think this letter is, Natsumi? - Kenshin asked with interest.
- Hmm... The seal seems to be authentic, we spent two years at the academy learning the complex political interactions, clan etiquette, and of course the rules of documentation. Nara's seal is exactly like that..." Natsumi said, hesitant to say whether the letter was true or not.
- Even if this letter was concocted by the Nara clan's ill-wishers, they would have to be either idiots or incredibly powerful enough to take out the few Jonin sent to investigate, and if it was Shikaku's niece, it was possible that he'd come in person, and even a dozen Jonin would have little chance of escaping. He's an elite Jonin, isn't he? - Interrupting his thoughts in listening, Kenshin asked Natsumi a question.
- Sure. If not higher... All the heads of the major clans in Konoha are at least Elite Jonin, and some can stand up to Kage! Otherwise, why else would they hold the position of head if they weren't Elite Jonin? - Natsumi said with a smile, fully convinced of the letter's authenticity after Kenshin's musings.
- Have you ever seen an Elite Jonin in action? - Kenshin asked with interest. He was desperate to know at least the approximate strength limits of high-level shinobi of that level.
- Erm... No, I haven't. Elite Jonin are extremely rare, no more than once every few years unless there's a war going on. Any battles they do usually leave huge repercussions on the ground, hundreds of metres of uprooted forest, and many metres of craters in the ground. I've only seen a battlefield like this once, a month after the battle. And it made my blood run cold..." She shuddered, remembering the incredible destruction of the terrain after the two elite Jonins had fought.
Kenshin immediately put his arm around the girl's waist and sat her on his lap, kissing her silky neck and stroking her prominent belly. Natsumi purred contentedly under the caresses of her favourite man, and arched her neck, placing it under his loving kisses.