Cold Thunder
By Zach Alspaugh
And
Morgan Hutchens
1
It had been three years since the fourth Great Ninja war had finally ended; three years since Uzumaki Naruto cut open the Ten Tails, releasing all of the tailed beasts. In that time, seven new jinchuuriki had been made, sealing each beast away from the world. Also in that time, a Jonin by the name of Inozuma Raijin began to turn up again and again in the Great Nations, puzzling the five Kage and many of the Shinobi Alliance. Who was this Ninja? Where did he come from?
He was 19 years old, and he wore a black jacket with a large hood that drooped over his face, casting a dark shadow around his eyes. His hair was dark and spiky, which contrasted greatly against his pale white skin. Upon his head, he sported a headband with the most curious of symbols: a thundercloud with a lightning bolt jutting from it. Strapped across his back was a large scroll, with bore the same symbol. From afar, he seemed to have almost a frightening appearance. It was obvious to all those who came across him, Inozuma Raijin was not a Ninja to be fucked with.
At present, Raijin found himself standing outside of the famous and somewhat notorious Hidden Leaf village. He had been there once before as a child, before it was destroyed by Nagato and his six Paths of Pain. Not much had changed, save for the new statue that had been carved into the side of the mountain that sat behind the village. He guessed thus statue must be in honor of the Fifth Hokage, a woman of whom he was not familiar. Casually, he stepped past the invisible barrier that surrounded the village, alerting the Barrier team of his presence.
Shinobi surrounded him at once, ready to apprehend him if he attacked. He smiled to himself, Leaf Village Ninja had definitely stepped up their game since the attack of Pain. The tall one who stood in front of Raijin was the first to speak,
"Who are you? What business have you in Konoha?" His voice was scratchy, and very irritating.
"I'm making a pit-stop," Raijin said, looking the Ninja in the eye. The Shinobi adjacent to him spit on the ground.
"We can't trust you yet, we've no idea who you are. I don't even recognize what village you're from. I've never seen that symbol before." She said, regarding his headband. Silently, he mused over her light blonde hair that she wore all tied back, except for large bangs that hung over one side of her face, hiding one of her light blue colored eyes. Raijin sighed, nodding.
"I heard about the attack on Konoha a few years ago, I understand why you need reassurance. But, unfortunately my home village no longer exists, and thus I am merely a traveler. You can call my Raijin. Inozuma Raijin."
The scratchy voiced shinobi looked to the girl, asking if she thought Raijin was legitimate or not. She shrugged, nodding yes. Konoha must not have had many threats since the war had ended.
"To be safe, you'll be assigned a chaperone to accompany you throughout the village until you decide to leave. If you need an inn room, he will make the arrangements," the girl then smiled to herself, "I know just the man for the job."
The female shinobi brought Raijin to the door of a large house that rested in the middle of the village, upon which had a pendant with the insignia Akimichi. Raijin raised an eyebrow; the Akimichi clan was prized for their strength and unusual expansion jutsus, so why would such a shinobi of their stature stoop to chaperoning a traveler? Had the blonde shinobi seen him as a threat?
Before she could knock, the door opened. A stout shinobi stood in its place, rubbing his eyes. He seemed to have just awoken moments before, for his clothes had a disheveled appearance and his eyes had dark circles under them. He greeted the female shinobi wearily, smiling.
"Hey, Ino. Whats up?" he yawned. The girl, Ino, smiled back at him before turning to Raijin.
"Choji, this is Inozuma Raijin. He's a traveler and needs a guide to get him through the village. I figured as the next head of your clan, you could use the training." She winked at him, Choji nodded to her. Raijin again raised his eyebrow.
"Training?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
"Compassion is a priority in the Akimichi clan, and helping a wayward traveler is just the type of training if I am to lead my clan soon!" Choji said excitedly, pointing his thumb to his chest. Raijin shrugged, and Ino looked at Choji once more.
"I'll see you tonight, Choji," she said under her breath before turning to leave. Raijin watched her walk down the gravel path away from the house.
"She's an odd shinobi," he said to Choji, who had stepped onto the porch and shutting the door behind him. The Akimichi ninja nodded in agreement.
"I've never met one like her," he put his hand on Raijin's shoulder. "I'm guessing you came for a place to spend the night and get more supplies, right? Come with me, I'll escort you there."
"Okay, I need to get a bite to eat first. I've been traveling nonstop for five days now, I ran out of supplies some time ago. Can you take me to a market or grocery?" Raijin's stomach growled.
"Of course, come with me. There's a nice hotel in by the Hokage's headquarters, too. We'll go there after we eat and shop."