Preparing for War

In the mountains...

Clad in clothing befitting kunoichi, Matsuri and Renge trained hard under the guidance of the clan on Kurei's orders.

Outside training, they would join the other women in bathing by the river, doing the laundry, or foraging for food for themselves while the other women forage for their families while the men tended to the farms, other than staying in shape, or working in producing weapons.

Since Matsuri made it known to Renge she can blow stuff up and make ice while Renge can use flames, the matter of fact was Renge's flame has no true form and it was weak, unlike flame-wielding clansmen who are the only ones who can become Clan Leaders but it can be trained to grow stronger. They didn't need Madougu to defend themselves.

They do NOT need to know she can do magic, thank you.

And with Matsuri's very advanced mind, she 'got creative'.

Florence Potter was born in 1980...and died at 119 years old. In year 2099.

And she reincarnated BACKWARDS somehow, to year 2005. Instead of a normal birth, she was a clone.

She wondered, why!

Shouldn't she reincarnate in the future or something?

'I have my mind intact at that, this is strange.' she mused one moonlit night while in their shared room, Renge was fast asleep, exhausted from training and like any child, she was a sloppy sleeper who moves a lot in her sleep.

In fact, she woke up when she felt a LEG on her stomach!

Idiot girl has her legs spread open.

In this village where life is so old history, their underwear, was that barely-there fundoshi. Barely-there indeed, thongs covered more!

No bras either. The ancient people never used such a thing as a woman's beauty was also a weapon.

They trained under the village kunoichi who taught them how to be one.

Trained in acting skills, improvised weapons, ninjutsu, combat skills, assassination skills, refining their techniques...

It has been almost a month and one week since they were born.

But the next morning, they were summoned to a room where three village elders were present, along with a newcomer.

By this weird guy in a hat that hid half his face.

'Heya ladies, how's it goin'?' he asked in very thick kansai accent. 'I'mma one o' Kurei-sama's Juushinshuu, Joker!' he greeted jovially, while carrying Taishaku Kaiten. 'We are now Ura Hokage Uruha and Kurei-han has called you to join us.'

'How can we be so sure oniichan's the one calling and not father?' Renge huffed with an armfold. 'You could be tricking us!' she demanded in annoyance.

'That's mean! Only the very few truly loyal to Kurei-han knows this village! Kurei-han and Raiha-han triple-check before lettin' anyone know this Hokage Village, see?' he whined. 'Only Kurei-han, Neon-han, Jishou-han and me knows this place, courtesy of Raiha-han!'

'...so presuming we join this Ura Hokage-thingy...what does aniue wish of us to do?' Matsuri asked while frowning.

'Weeeell we gotta big problem yanno? Mori Kouran found the sealed Madougu...Tendou Jigoku.' Joker said as grimly as possible. The elders and the girls stiffened.

'That madougu...that makes its user immortal in the evilest vilest ways possible...there's a reason it was sealed!' an elder sputtered. 'And some outsider human found it?!'

'Afraid so...been stalking em' for days.' said Joker. 'He was gloatin' on how he found 'the sealed lands'. He used a madougu crystal on an ancient tree trunk and a cave opened...'

This alarmed the elders.

'This, is bad...' the second elder choked. 'He must be stopped. Or we'll have an immortal monster terrorizing this Earth!'

'Is there anything else of note though?' Renge asked him.

'Yeah...we investigated the laboratory you girls are in.' said Joker. 'Kurei-han was so angry he burned the lab beyond repair hours after Raiha-han took you here. However, we saw an unknown girl with Kouran. We don't know if she's from another laboratory but she can also use flames.' he said grimly. 'Makes us wonder how much of Kurei-han and Kurenai-han's cells he's got to make all this possible...though initially, when we watched, Kouran was pissed one of his labs was destroyed and most of his clones gone when one of them could be a Flame Master. Kurei-han only burned the lab when Kouran and Genjuro saw it first and Kurei-han is out of suspicion as the scientists blew up from within and the clones' bodies are too rotten to be usable. But we knew he'd try again and he wasn't kidding.'

Joker showed them a stolen shot of Kouran accompanied by a girl that is eerily similar to Renge in looks. And wearing an outfit similar to Kurei's at that. But unlike Renge, her hair is not spiky.

'Geeeeh?! She looks just like me! Nandeee?!' Renge freaked out whiningly.

'Well, he seems to like using the template of your genetic donor TOO much...as a blatant attempt of psychologically-attacking Kurei-han. Another reason he's pissed.' Joker shuddered. 'This girl's name, is Sakura from what I heard while sneaking around.'

'We got another sister somehow...and unlike Renge, we can't save her because she has mental implants by now as father intends any flame-wielding clone gets subjected to.' Matsuri shook. 'We can only put her out of her misery.'

'That sucks oneechan...being free and living free is really nice too...' Renge twiddled with her fingers. 'And she won't get to be free?' she asked in dismay.

'That sister didn't have a choice...when I woke up, the scientists were onto me immediately. At birth, we have little understanding of the world we came to. They took advantage of that. Only, I was smarter than they thought and I was born with other powers, not the flame their employer wanted.' Matsuri growled. 'We will come, if only for us to face that girl.'

'We kill her, oneechan? Our little sister?' Renge asked her glumly.

'She's beyond help because of the implants. A life of slavery is not living at all.' said Matsuri flatly. 'She has no idea she's a mere puppet, weapon and a slave. What she does everyday she thinks as normal. Aoi, our older sister is probably the same even if she's flameless.'

'That's settled.' Joker grinned. 'You're coming with me ladies~!'

'Try anything funny and you're dead.' Matsuri reminded him with the flattest expression she could make.

'So cold!'

'Mm. Matsuri, Renge.' said the first elder. 'You must succeed no matter the cost.' he sounded almost pleadingly. 'Aid Kurei-sama in destroying Tendou Jigoku. The only good thing about it is that only a truly irredeemable person will be accepted by that living madougu as its wielder as only a truly evil person can wield it. But let's not wait for that to happen, it must be destroyed or if it cannot, kill all intruders and seal the Sealed Lands once more. Even we failed to destroy that thing and lost friends to its curse!'

'Hai, jijii-sama.' the girls bowed in dogeza. 'We'll work with aniue/oniichan!'

xxx

In a hotel...

'Raiha-han, I brought the girls over!' Joker told Raiha who nodded. 'But hey, where's Kurei-han?'

'Right now...its not safe to go near him.' said Raiha grimly. 'He was barely lucid in his rage and anger when he gave me that warning...but we all have one goal.' said Raiha. 'Go to the Sealed Lands, he said. 'Your job is to lead the Hokage Team there while I find Neon-san and her sisters.' he instructed. 'Matsuri and Renge can stay here until we all gather here.'

'Uhm...why is oniichan angry?' Renge asked Raiha.

'Kouran...has committed two unforgivable crimes.' said Raiha stiffly, his fists clenching. 'Those two crimes being attacking Neon and threatening his mother's life. After everything, he was ready to let things go and live a normal life...but he had to become a demon to protect what he had left. He had left Neon-san to recover in a small clinic in some rural village. He didn't specify where for security.'

'Oh...'

'Matsuri, Renge, while we are gone to do our jobs, defend yourselves well.' said Raiha. 'You two are now members of our clan. Being captured and dying is not an option.'

'Hai!' and the two men left.

'Ah, two packages for us.' Matsuri noticed two paper-wrapped things on the coffee table. There was also a thick wad of money for Room Service.

'Waaai! Presents, presents!' Renge squealed happily as they tore the packages apart to find outfits.

Matsuri twitched.

"T-this really takes me back!" Matsuri inwardly cracked.

After the war, she decided to live the life of a normal muggle teenager, studying how they live as she wanted a normal life so badly.

She discovered computer games. Playstation actually.

She took to 'living muggle' to play video games since, and going out to fun places much to everyone's disbelief.

And this outfit?

"Whose fetish is this?! Clearly not Kurei's dammit!" probably that guy, she thought murderously of Joker.

Only, instead of navy and dark blue with brown boots, it was in red and black colors...of the uniforms of The Dolls in that Street Fighter game. And instead of yellow silk ties, it's orange. The gauntlets are pink, and gloves black.

'This is so weird, neechan...we're gonna fight bad guys in a swimsuit and stockings?' Renge blinked owlishly, stating her question incredulously as she held up their costumes.

'It's clearly Joker's fault...I don't see Kurei dressing us up like this at all.' Matsuri grumbled. 'His taste was more...conservative.' she said. 'For now we stay in our kimonos. And they left us money to buy food, thankfully...'

'But neechan, we can't go out for now...' Renge pointed out, not knowing what Room Service was, a perk available in a swanky Hotel.

'Umu. That's why we'll rely on this Room Service thingy.' Matsuri held up a booklet. 'We'll use the money carefully, no idea when they'll be back for us.'

'Umu.'

xxx

'OK, our next job is tellin' Kurei-han we got the girls.' said Joker to Raiha. 'But Matsuri insists Aoi and Sakura be their job. Mercy kill sorta business.' he stated glumly. 'They feel responsible as family to set their sisters free.'

'That's a sad thing to hear.' said Raiha somberly. 'But those girls have no future indeed unless a miracle happened somehow. Matsuri and Renge are lucky to get away.' he took out a communication Madougu. 'Kurei-sama.'

/...what is it?/

'We will now locate Neon-san and her sisters. Joker's got the girls from back home. They request they be the ones to deal with their fellow clones out of mercy-killing to free them.'

'Yeah, Matsuri-han fears that with the implants, the girls are no better than helplessly hopeless puppets living a life nobody would want.' said Joker. 'Its mostly Matsuri-han's idea, Renge-han just goes with what she says.'

/Very well. Renge still has a lot to learn. I will grant Matsuri her request./

'Hai.' said Raiha. 'We will meet as planned in the Sealed Lands after we do our jobs. Joker will guide you to the Sealed Lands until then.' and the tool stopped glowing.

'Oh yeah, what about that secret job you did?'

'I'm glad I succeeded, otherwise I'll pay for it with my life. It was a 1/10 gamble...'

xxx

It took two days for Raiha to return, and they are to rendezvous with Neon and her sisters. They all hid in the Hokage Village until then.

'So those two are...' Aki asked Raiha anxiously. 'The other clones?'

'Yes. But they are on our side.' said Raiha. 'They wanted freedom than what was in store for them. Free they may be but...they cannot live in modern society.' he said somberly. 'Here, because supernatural powers exist here as normal, they can freely live here.'

The clones Mori Kouran had made are very superhuman, genetically modified to be strong and powerful. Strength and reflexes aside, they had been genetically tweaked to be perfect beings without any form of biological flaws like humans. It was why they will hide with the Ura Hokage Clan...Raiha's clansmen that were deeply ashamed of their ancestors upon learning of their history, and they have immense pride that they wish to restore. If it meant aiding Kurei, one of the last of the honorable clansmen in destroying Tendou Jigoku, the clan's sole wish, so be it.

For now, Kurei and Neon will have to recover first.

Kurei had only been running on fumes of his anger back at the Sealed Lands and he was now exhausted physically and spiritually he mostly sleeps and only wakes to eat. Neon was still healing from her injuries inflicted by an assassin sent after them. As it was summer now, it was the season for Eel.

A bony fish nobody wanted to eat, but food was food...but Matsuri being Matsuri, had ways to prepare the Eels that its blood-free(eel blood is toxic) and very edible, as well as bone-free. A skill she taught the village women that Eel became popular as of a few days ago when before, it was very reluctantly eaten.

And so...

'Uhyaa! Eel in a place like this! Yum!' Joker was...quite happy. On their table was Shirayaki Eel for dinner.

'Neechan taught us girls how to make it.' said Renge. 'She taught us Kabayaki, Kimoyaki and Shirayaki.'

'Heee...you learned how to cook, Matsuri?' Raiha asked, intrigued.

'Well, I had nothing else to do.' said Matsuri. 'And I had flashes of...watching a man preparing Eel which I see in my point of view even though I'm only a few weeks old with no experience.' she fibbed out. 'And when I saw the girls chop up eel into chunks...my memory thinks, 'not that way' in protest.'

'I guess its a memory from your donors...I doubt ancient Hokage of old knew how to prepare Eel like we would this way now so it must be Kurenai-dono's memory.' Raiha theorized. Not even modern-day Hokage knew what a Kabayaki was and he only knew when Kurei introduced him to it when he had cooks make it. And Kurei and Recca were betn in the 16th century. Kabayaki and Shirayaki only became a thing in the Edo Period. 'She must have eaten in a specialty restaurant at some point and watched the cook.' he said.

'I made a lot for aniue so he should recover faster I hope...everyone says while Eel is so bony and oily cuz' they make it wrong for years, its also nutritious so its reluctantly eaten for its goods. Oh, and you guys use Eel blood as poison too so they hunt Eel as a weapon.'

'That's true.' Raiha chuckled.

'Sooo here.' Matsuri took out a plate of rice clearly buried under Eel fillets while she gave to Aki. 'For Neon-san. Renge and I will feed aniue, OK?'

The Uruha gaped at how it looked.

'That's...way too much eel.' said Miki, sweatdropping because its an awkward pile of grilled eel on rice.

'Well, the more she eats the faster she heals, right? Aniue's eating more though.'

Later, even Kurei in his bed was baffled that he had seen too much Eel on his plate, he can't even complain how much rice he's got. But he bore it because he was recovering and preparing for war, he can't hold back his followers if Neon wanted to heal faster as to not hold HIM back. At least, they alternate Eel and Sweetfish...but he still had to eat grilled eel liver.

They were waiting for their recovery.

And so...

Days later...Neon had left with her sisters to find Jisho's Jisoutou madougu for her own use because as she is now, she was weak she needed a madougu and came back home with her booty. She also took to resting some more to heal more for their war and the clan medics further assisting both her and Kurei in recovery.

'They attacked the Hokage!' Joker exclaimed, having gone out to spy. 'They also took Yanagi-chan!'

'Incapable of even protecting a single girl...pathetic.' Kurei sneered at Recca's side of the Hokage's ineptness. 'Where are they headed?'

'To this place called SODOM. I had to hack into computers just to know where it was.'

'Good. We move out!' Kurei declared as Ura Hokage Uruha moved out.

They also discovered that they have to take down five fortresses to get to the most difficult place.

But unlike Team Hokage...they never found out about the disks.

'So with this choice, we will split into five.' Kurei told them as they looked over a map. 'Raiha, Joker and I will go separately.' he pointed at the domes per name mentioned, telling them their assignments. 'Neon will be with Miki and Aki...and Matsuri and Renge will pair up.' he ordered. 'Failure or death is not an option.'

'Hai!' and they all disappeared to split up.

xxx

'This is it oneechan...war.' Renge said nervously as they jumped through trees, this time, clad in much more decent outfits...if you can call a black minidress with blue accents(Matsuri) and red(Renge) with thigh-high boots, and matching add-on sleeves. Joker was having fun dressing them up in cosplay, as Matsuri saw the blatant reference to Fate Stay/Night's Rider. Only, it was very low-cut it was fortunate it was very firm and snug in the torso. They only have their powers as their weapons, like Kurei.

'Yeah. And also we have our own things at stake here.' said Matsuri. 'Our sisters. Moreover we must keep away Sakura and Yanagi. We lose if he gets even one of them.'

'Umu...if father ate Sakura-neesan, he's immune to our flames...and if he eats that Yanagi girl...he's immortal.' Renge frowned. 'Is long life that good?'

'Renge, for monsters like him who are also afraid of death, it will be so...but as long as there is life, death is just right behind, ready to take you if your schedule is up.' said Matsuri darkly, her eyes momentarily turning vivid, avada kedavra-green. 'Moreover nothing good ever comes out of cheating death.'

'Nothing good?'

'Yeah. You often have to give up your humanity for it, becoming a monster...like how that fool is doing.'

'Ah...oneechan, look!' the two quickly hid behind trees. 'Those guys in white...who're they...oh!' they also saw a large shadow stalking the group. A shadow they recognize from their memory implants.

'Kadotsu...we sure have lousy luck.' Matsuri swore nervously. 'We have no choice in the matter...' they prepped up their powers and fired, alarming the Kuu down below.

'Oi?!'

All hell broke loose.