Kaminari had come across many things in her long lifetime. Even before her imprisonment, she had experienced the odd quirks of life many times again and again. However, nothing had prepared her for listening to a little blonde shinobi talk about ramen for nearly an hour and a half. The little twit had gone on from describing his favorite ramen flavors, to how they were made, and even how he had experimented in creating different ramen flavors.
Feeling her claws digging into the palms of her hands, she bit back another growl. The silver haired one had held a kunai to her throat when she had threatened the blonde the first time with imminent death. She had bit her tongue and kept quiet after that.
Now she was beginning to feel that tell-tale pulse of the vein in her left temple. This idiotic boy really had no idea how much Kaminari wished for his quick death.
And where in the hell were those two other brats? They had left to find the Third Hokage in little less than two hours ago. How long was it supposed to take for them to track their leader down?
Naruto, as he was called since she finally paid attention to what Kakashi called him, was still talking and quickly pushing her to her limits. She turned to Kakashi, "I wasn't under the impression that you wanted me tortured while we waited for your Hokage."
Kakashi looked up from the book he was reading. Kaminari had read the title and quickly deduced that it was a perverted novel by the name of Icha Icha Paradise. Humans were disgusting.
"That wasn't my intention, but it's very entertaining.", Kakashi grinned with his unique eye smile. Kaminari narrowed her eyes, "Just wait until I'm free scarecrow."
It was supposed to be a insult to his name meaning, but Kakashi brushed it aside. Instead he chuckled dryly, "By that implication, it seems you think we're actually going to let you go freely. You're underestimating our intelligence." He cast a knowing glance at her. It had been apparent from her impression that she held contempt for them. It was safe to say that it would be unwise to just allow her to walk around the village freely.
She then stated venomously, "I will find a way to free myself." In return, he waved a hand lazily, "Highly unlikely, those chains look to be chakra suppressors. You won't be going anywhere unless we release you, and I doubt the Hokage will allow that without some guarantee that you won't harm anyone." He yawned afterward, if only to infuriate her more.
Kaminari shook her head in anger before turned to the chattering blonde and spitting, "Will you stop talking about ramen? I've never had this disgusting dish, therefore I have no idea what you're talking about."
Naruto gasped and his hands flew to the sides of his face in horror. "You've never had ramen! Kakashi-sensei, can you believe that!"
The man merely looked up for a second. "Naruto, she's been down her for quite a while, probably before ramen was ever created. So yes, I can believe it."
The genin crossed his arms with a pout. "Well, it's unbelievable to me! Kaminari-san, as soon as you get out of here, we're going to Ichikaru's for a big bowl of miso flavored ramen! Believe it!" He gave her a thumbs up and a wide smile, to which she deepened her snarl.
"Yeah. Alright kid, I'm waiting on baited breath." She huffed in sarcasm. Kakashi shot her an amused glance before going back to reading. Naruto, not picking up on her sarcasm, started talking about his genin missions to her displeasure.
Thankfully, she was spared from his long, one-sided conversation by another presence disrupting her chakra field. Two were vaguely familiar, she concluded them to be the other genin from before, but three were new. This had to be the Hokage of these shinobi and possibly two guards. Kaminari grinned toothily, 'And now the fun begins. . .'
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Sarutobi Hiruzen was no fool. He had been informed by the former Nidaime, before the man's death and the announcement of his successor, that a being had been stored away under the mountains of Konoha. The exact details of her imprisonment had been stored away in a scroll in a secret chamber that was located in the Hokage Tower.
He had visited the chamber when the two small genin had informed him of their findings in the tunnels. Now with the scroll in his hands, he walked down the tunnels, quietly reading the scroll as he approached the creature's location. The ANBU shinobi that he had recruited to accompany them perked up in alert as they passed through a chakra field. Sarutobi also felt it, but kept calm as they moved. Sasuke and Sakura seemed to pass it without a care, not noticing it's presence.
Finally, the genin lead them to a doorway. Naruto Uzumaki's voice could be heard emanating from it, talking at maximum speed. Sarutobi sighed, 'Out of all the genin that could have found it, it had to be Kakashi's team. And no doubt Naruto has been annoying it the entire time.'
The old man walked into the dimly lit room, gave it a quick look around, and noticed Kakashi and Naruto immediately. Kakashi raised his hand in a two finger salute, lowering his orange book as he did. "Hokage-sama, good to see you. As I'm sure Sasuke and Sakura have told you, we have a bit of a situation on our hands." Kakashi gestured to the wall Naruto was facing, and Sarutobi saw the figure chained up against it. The woman had an enraged look on her uniquely featured face.
"Thank you Kakashi, if you could dismiss your team, your presence would be greatly appreciated while we figure this matter out.", the Hokage smiled sagely. Kakashi nodded and gave his team the gesture to leave. "I will meet you three tomorrow afternoon at the usual bridge. For now you're free to go." Sasuke and Sakura, though curious, followed the order, and left the room. Only Naruto had a problem with what Kakashi-sensei ordered.
"Oh, come on old man! I promised Kaminari-san that we would get some ramen! Besides, I'm not leaving her until I hear what you're gonna do with her! Believe it!" Naruto crossed his arms defiantly. He liked this woman, even though she didn't like him. He wasn't stupid, he knew that she was really irritated with him, but Naruto was a firm believer in smothering people until they accepted his friendship. If what Kakashi-sensei said was true, she had been down here for a long time. It must have been really lonely. If Naruto understood anything, it was how far down loneliness could drag a person. He was firmly set in becoming Kaminari's friend, even if the old man didn't like it. Plus, he really wanted to see if she could really fly. Totally cool!
The Hokage peered at the young blonde in consideration. Giving the events that were probably going to take place, it might be in Naruto's best interests to view it. After all, if what he read had been correct, they were dealing with a being that held the same amount of power as a tailed beast. Perhaps some good could come of it for the blonde genin. "Fine. Naruto, you may stay, but only under the circumstances that you remain silent throughout this. You seem to have already befriended-" Kaminari snorted in disagreement. "-this woman, but you don't fully know who she is, which is what I'm about to address. Is it understood that you will remain quiet Naruto?" The blonde nodded an affirmative, made a face that showed pursed lips in silence, and proceeded to sit down cross-legged.
Shaking his head at his genin's antics, Sarutobi pulled the scroll out fully and unrolled it. He stepped up to face the figure, tipping his head in respect. "Well Kaminari-sama, it seems that you have finally awakened." The four other shinobi in the room raised their heads in attention at the honorific the Hokage used. Surely this woman didn't deserve the respect of the Hokage himself?
The woman on the wall gazed at him distastefully, despite the show of respect to her station. Though this human appeared to be old, he gave off the feeling of being a leader, similar to Kakashi. A wrinkled face peered up at her with wise, aged eyes. Behind him were two other humans, dressed in black shinobi gear and with oddly painted masks covering their faces. Humans were strange creatures, she made another note. She restrained herself and forced out her words with a slight tone of polite respect. "Yes, I have. If I'm correct, you are the Third Hokage of Konohagakure?"
Sarutobi nodded, "Yes, I succeed Senju Tobirama. His brother, Hashirama, was no doubt the Hokage of your time, correct?"
Kaminari hissed at the mention of the Shodaime's and Nidaime's names but answered nonetheless. "Yes, they, Madara Uchiha, and the rest of the Senju and Uchiha tribes were the ones who imprisoned me upon my capture. Are you informed of who I am?"
The Hokage scanned the aged scroll in his hands and spoke. "It says here that you are part of the Ryuu clan, a group of dragons that lived in the forest surrounding Konohagakure. You are the last surviving Ryuu. The others were killed in a battle over land disputes with the Hidden Leaf Village during the creation of the village. You were captured as a prisoner and imprisoned in the room in the middle of the battle. Am I correct in saying that you are the daughter of the head of the clan?"
Kaminari had shown many emotions during the Hokage's reading. Anger, sadness, and then pride when the Hokage had asked his question. She was the daughter of Sora and Yakusa Ryuu, both dragons of great might. Her father had been able to create typhoons with a swish of his great wings, while her mother could create lightning from the tips of her claws. A great pair the two had been. Their tribe had consisted of her parents and her siblings, the other dragons had spread out over the surrounding lands when the humans had invaded. Her family had been the only ones to stay and fight. And now, she was the only one left.
"Yes, I am she. You humans wiped out my entire family when you came to our lands. The other dragons of my tribe fled and migrated to different lands. I presume that they were either killed or have hidden themselves well. What will you do now leader of the Leaf Village?" Kaminari set her gaze pointedly at the old human in front of her. She was not stupid, she knew that there was no way the humans would let her go, now that they knew what her identity was. At the most, they would try and use her power against other humans. It was in the nature that human's held to do such things. The imprisonment of Kurama showed that to her.
Hiruzen stroked his beard and puffed on his pipe for a few seconds, deciding on the right choice of action. There was only one jutsu that he could think of that could make the situation pleasing to both parties. Or at least, somewhat pleasing. He had no doubt that Kaminari wished for freedom, and anything too restrictive would result in her refusing the offer made. He could not seal her like the Tailed Demons, that would be at the cost of a human life and the drastic change of a baby's future. Much like how Naruto's future had been changed upon the Nine-Tails sealing. He refused to acknowledge that avenue if there was another option. He had seen what could happen to a child that had something powerful sealed within it. Fuinjutsu was such a lost art that little of the general population understood how storage seals, let alone the sealing of a Tailed Beast, worked. Naruto was a fine example of how good intentions could go wrong.
No, that was out of the question. And the thought of killing Kaminari was quite displeasing. Not that he wouldn't order it if it would protect the village from her. However, he would rather not have to come to that conclusion. There seemed to be only one choice he reasoned.
There had been a certain jutsu that the Fourth Hokage had come upon while researching the sealing of the Nine-Tailed Fox. It obviously wasn't strong enough to hold the beast, but that had been because the Tailed Beast didn't have a physical body. Anytime one of them manifested, what appeared was simply chakra, condensed to the point that they gave the semblance of a body. The dragon before him, on the other hand, had no such luck. It was very probable that the jutsu he had in mind would work perfectly with her.
"Kaminari, I would like to propose an offer to you.", Sarutobi said in a serious voice. "Would you be interested in serving the village in return of your freedom? That way we could assure the village's safety while also allowing you to roam at your leisure."
The woman narrowed her eyes. Serving the humans who had destroyed her life? How disgustingly low would that be? Even if she were allowed to run from the deserts of the west to the ocean of the east, it wouldn't be worth it if she were still enslaved to humans!
He interrupted her inner rage that was growing. "I understand that this idea is very displeasing to you. However, I am in the position of having to protect my people while also acknowledging your wishes. I know that the Village Hidden in the Leaves has not put itself in your best favor and that we have made errors, however, this is the only option I have where both the village and you can live in peace. Other than sentencing you to death, of course."
Death or enslavement? She growled in contemplation. There was no doubt that this old man would follow through with his words if she proved to be a threat against his people. In fact, she slightly respected him for that. It was the true mark of leader to protect the village's subjects so fiercely. However, that didn't mean that she still didn't wish death on every single human of Konohagakure, she merely respected their leader a little. However, if this was the only way to get of this hellish hole without dying, then perhaps she would have to stoop to that level. Even then, perhaps there was a way she could exact her revenge on the village.
"What are the conditions to this offer?", she asked through gritted teeth. The Hokage smiled, at least she was willing to listen.
"There is a jutsu that I gained knowledge of from a student of mine. It will tie you to a person of my choosing and that person will have the power to restrict your chakra and therefore leave you powerless. You will also be unable to move farther than a mile from that person's presence. To be blunt, you will be under that person's supervision. This will be a trial session of course, until we believe that you are of no threat to us." He looked to her face for her reaction. It was not a good one. Her lips had curled in a sneer, nostrils flared, and her brow had furled into a glare.
"Is that the only way you will let me out of this cell?", she spat the question. He nodded deeply, understanding her ire. There was nothing he could do however. Her face twisted, and she let out a whirlwind of curses and animalistic sounds of rage. Her wings, which were not tied down, began beating in anger, throwing wind currents around the small room. The Hokage stood as still as stone as this continued, allowing her to vent her frustration without bowing to her show of power. The others recoiled slightly and were prepared to render her unconscious if she made a move to the Hokage, despite her chains. Then, as suddenly as her outburst had began, she quieted and faced him.
Her face had changed from enraged to a sickening grin, with pointed teeth showing fiercely. She laughed weakly and with a self-deprecating tone, she spoke, "Fine. Who will be the poor soul I am tied to?"
Taking a deep breath, and praising Kami that she agreed, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to his left and looked at he silver-haired jonin still lounging against the wall. He had stood at attention of course when her sudden mood swing began, but had returned to relaxing as she agreed to their demands. "Kakashi, I am asking you to take on this mission. Would you consider being tied to Kaminari-sama?"
His choice was out of quick thinking. It wasn't a bad choice. If anyone could leash in a dragon, it would be himself, or someone close in rank. The closest person who came to that rank, in the village anyway, was Hatake Kakashi. The man had lasted longer than anyone in ANBU was supposed to. Not only that, but he had the intelligence of a genius. If Kaminari plotted to escape and cause havoc, the ex-ANBU would probably figure it out before it could happen. Yes, Kakashi would make the perfect keeper of the dragon for now. Plus, if anyone was going to be able to change the dragon's opinion of humans, it would be the ex-ANBU's student, Naruto.
Kakashi was not thrilled however. "Um, Hokage-sama, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Kakashi brushed a hand behind his head pseudo-bashfully. Sarutobi met his gaze, but said nothing, waiting for the man to continue. "I mean, I already have a genin team to train. How can I accomplish training them and keeping track of her?"
Naruto took that moment to break the rule that had been set, and spoke. "Aw, come on Kakashi-sensei! You can do it! Besides, it'll be awesome having a dragon on our team!"
Naruto's entire outlook on the strange woman tied to the wall had changed. She was now completely cool in his book, especially if she was as powerful as the Old Man implied.
Sarutobi shot a quick hard glance in Naruto's direction. "Naruto, I believe I told you to stay quiet." He looked carefully to Kakashi. "I understand your concerns. This jutsu will allow you to reign in Kaminari-sama's power in the flick of the wrist and as I said, she will be unable to move father than a mile from you. I am asking this of you because you have the most potential of handling her."
Kakashi glanced at the woman in question. She had become enraged again at the Hokage's choice and was glaring at him with a heat that could melt steel. Yeah, he definitely had the most potential handling that. He sighed in exasperation. Out of all the things the Hokage could ask of him, it had to be this? Then again, from the way the Hokage described it, the mission itself wouldn't be that hard. It was dealing with the woman's emotion's and attitude that could be possibly hazardous, but he had dealt with Naruto hadn't he? He should be able to handle an enraged dragon's anger, right?
"I accept the mission asked of me.", Kakashi said with a tone of defeat.