The silence in the room was almost sacred, an atmosphere charged with anticipation enveloping the young children.
The flames in the lanterns flickered softly, casting dancing shadows on the worn walls of the building.
Jesé, sitting cross legged at the center of the room, his beard lightly brushed by a nocturnal breeze coming from a half open window, waited until each child's attention was fully captured. His narrowed eyes, filled with wisdom, slid over every attentive face.
"Very well, my little ones," he began, his deep and gentle voice resonating like a distant drum.
"Before we talk about our clan, let us talk about the great villages and the countries that shape this world. That will help you understand where we stand."
Hiro, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, timidly raised his hand. "Grandpa Jesé, you mean like Konoha, the village of the god of shinobi?"
Hearing Hiro, Jun turned toward him, curious. 'Hmm, he really likes ninjas, he even knows about Sarutobi, I seriously shouldn't underestimate children, especially in this world…'
Jesé let out a light laugh, his shoulders shaking under his kimono.
"Exactly, Hiro. Konoha, or the Hidden Leaf Village, is one of the five great ninja villages. It belongs to the Land of Fire, which is known for its fertile lands and its military power."
"And yes … it is in this country that the kage, called Hokage and who is also the leader of the village, is nicknamed the god of shinobi"
At that moment, Hiro replied in an impatient tone. "So that means there is a kage in every village ? And are they all strong, grandpa ?"
Hearing that enthusiastic remark, Jesé chuckled lightly before confirming.
"Well my little Hiro, indeed, each village has a Kage to lead it, and they are all very, very strong..."
A little girl with braided black hair, sitting not far from Jun, tilted her head to the side. "And the other villages, grandpa ? Are they all as strong as Konoha then ?"
Jesé nodded, crossing his hands on his knees. "They are all powerful in their own way. There is Suna, the Hidden Sand Village, in the Land of Wind. Iwa, the Village of Stone, in the Land of Earth. Kiri, the Village of Mist, in the Land of Water. And finally, Kumo, the Village of Clouds, in the Land of Lightning."
"Although there are also smaller and less powerful villages, they are no less important."
He paused, observing the children murmuring among themselves, their minds visibly absorbed by the exotic names.
Jun, his arms crossed, intervened in a thoughtful tone. "But grandpa, what about the clans ? Like the Uchiha or the Hyuga ?"
'Maybe there are clans I don't know about, after all this world is very real, and I can't rely entirely on my knowledge, I had never heard of the Asai clan before being reborn…' Jun thought while observing Jesé.
A proud smile lit up Jesé's face. "Ah, very good question, Jun. The clans are the pillars of these villages.
The Uchiha, in Konoha, were famous for their Sharingan, a legendary dojutsu. The Hyuga possess the Byakugan, allowing them to see chakra flows. There are many others, and if you want to know more, we will discuss them in a future lesson."
Another boy, visibly younger than the others, raised his hand, his gaze filled with excitement. "Was our clan as strong as them too ?"
Jesé took a deep breath, his features hardening slightly. "Our clan, the Asai clan, was once equal to the Hyuga and the Uchiha. We do not have a dojutsu, but we possess a rare and precious form of chakra mastery as you know, crystalline manipulation."
Murmurs resumed, mixed with admiration and surprise.
Jesé continued, his voice tinged with slight melancholy. "We lived in a sacred place, near the borders of the Land of Tea and the Land of Fire.
Our lands were blessed by nature, surrounded by crystal rich mountains that we used to develop our techniques, we were one of the great clans of the Land of Fire."
Hiro frowned, looking perplexed. "Then… why did we have to leave, what happened ?"
'Did the same thing that happened to the Uzumaki happen to us ? A catastrophe maybe ?' Jun thought.
Jesé closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching for his words. "A long time ago, our prosperity, our techniques, and our knowledge attracted the envy of several clans.
Covetousness bred jealousy. They united their forces to attack us. It was about a hundred years ago now, so I do not know all the details. And despite our valor, we could not resist."
The room sank into a heavy silence, the children listening to every word with an almost palpable intensity.
A little girl whispered, barely audible: "A lot of people died, didn't they ?"
Jesé slowly nodded his head. "Yes, many. But we survived. Our ancestors made a difficult but necessary decision: to abandon our sacred lands and seek refuge elsewhere. That is how we joined our current location and rebuilt our lives."
A young boy, visibly older than the others, clenched his fists. "But we could take back our lands one day, right ? Become as powerful as before ?"
Jesé placed a calming hand on his shoulder after stepping closer. "Maybe, Eiji. But true strength does not lie only in land or techniques. It lies in our unity, our perseverance, and in never forgetting where we come from."
He swept his gaze across the room, his tone becoming more solemn. "That is why it is important to pass on our history. You are the future of the Asai clan. You carry our heritage within you, and one day, you will pass it on in turn."
The children nodded, their eyes shining with pride and determination.
Jesé sketched a smile, breaking the tension. "Now, enough talk of sadness. Does anyone want to guess what the first crystalline technique invented by our ancestors was ?"
Hands shot into the air, and bursts of voices filled the room, bringing a bit of lightness back to the atmosphere. Jesé, amused, listened to the far fetched answers and let his smile widen.
The evening continued like this, mixing anecdotes, teachings, and laughter, but the seeds of the Asai clan's history had been planted in the heart of every child present…