The land of Nippon was still in turmoil due to the awakening of Orochi, the great eight-headed beast, yet today was a peaceful day for great Amaterasu and her budding sidekick, Issun.
…Well, it should have been.
As the great goddess sat up, Amaterasu yawned loudly after taking a nap on the green grass of Shinshuu Fields. The bug-sized Issun jumped on her shoulder and scowled at her after she smacked her lips for a bit. "You really should act more lady-like, furball!"
"I just want to rest today!" the white-haired girl whined. Her hair tuft twitched a bit. "All this fighting has gotten me really tired…"
The bug-sized Issun leapt onto Amaterasu head and bounced nonstop. "I know, I know…but you relaxed enough! Nippon isn't going to save itself, Ammy."
Amaterasu didn't care to listen to Issun; not today at least. She was about to lay back down, but a huge crackling sound boomed throughout the fields. Amaterasu jumped onto her feet quickly and looked around cautiously.
"Over there!" Issun exclaimed, pointing towards the hills. "It looked like something struck Kamiki Village!"
With no second thoughts, Amaterasu sprinted towards the village upon the hill. Finally reaching the village, she looked around and saw Mr. Orange shaking vigorously. "What happened, old man?" Issun asked as he hopped down onto Amaterasu's shoulder.
"A flash of light hit the Konohana Tree! I do hope Sakuya is alright…" the old man said worriedly. Amaterasu and Issun nodded towards each other. Once Issun got back on the young girl's head, Amaterasu ran as fast as she could towards the Konahana Tree where the tree spirit resided. Once the two finally reached where the divine tree was, it looked like nothing was a problem. "It doesn't look like anything happened here," Issun said, looking at the Konohana Tree, "but something seems a bit off…"
Amaterasu looked around the base of the tree, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. After checking several times, Amaterasu and Issun wondered if they should bother with the problem. Suddenly, the tree started glowing, and the image of the great tree-spirit Sakuya appeared. "Oh! Is everything alright, Sakuya?" Issun asked, but Amaterasu's worry of the flash concealed Issun's question.
"What was that booming sound?" the white-haired goddess asked. "Mr. Orange told us that something struck you, so I hope you can help us in any way, Konohana-Sakuya."
"Great Goddess Amaterasu," the tree spirit Sakuya nodded back and forth as she spoke, "a strange light struck my roots and it seems like a portal to a mysterious place has been opened. Though I do not think it will bring harm, I am worried and I would like it if you could please check it out. At the base of the statue of Nagi, the portal that cannot be seen by many is there. Please be careful!"
Amaterasu nodded and went under the roots of the divine tree. Jumping down to the base of the statue, she saw a dim light flickering. "Should we really do this, Ammy?" Issun asked as he broke a few sweats.
"Who's the one who told me to leap before you think?" Amaterasu asked. She smiled, trying to hide her excitement and slight fear of the unknown. "Let's go!"