Blended Dreams
Chapter Four: Turfucken
"Ngh," groaned Kasa, face against a disgusting wet ground as she struggled to grasp at consciousness.
Her fingers twitched as she did her best to push herself onto her knees, but regretted immediately as pain seared through her forearms. Blue eyes snapped open as she searched for the source of the pain, only to find black seals scarred over her arms.
"Ow..." hissed the red-haired child as she clenched her fists tightly to endure the pain.
Memories of her parents fleeing Amegakure with her in tow rushed back to her as she recalled the when her arms were last bare and without pain. Somoku, her mother, had burned the seals on her arms as —what Kasa assumed—a final act of love... followed by a prompt unknown jutsu that shot her off to who knows where.
"…I want to go home," muttered Kasa pathetically as she pressed her forehead against the ground to push herself to her knees without the use of her arms.
The pain was almost enough to knock her unconscious, but she persevered until she was on her knees and stumbled onto her feet. Cold, tired and utterly lost, she glanced to the sky in hopes to see the position of the sun. If memory served her right, Ame was to the west in the geography of the elemental nations, unless she wanted to get captured, heading that direction would be reckless.
Not to mention, it would be hard for her to survive on her own in this climate. Her best bet was to head east for the Fire Country, but to her misfortune, the sun was directly overhead.
"Great," muttered Kasa under her breath as she took note of her surroundings. Every direction looked the same as the last. "What I wouldn't give for a—"
BOOM!
As though answering her prayers, an explosion ripped through the air and shook the ground she stood on briefly. The girl gave a startled yelp as she caught her footing and glanced towards the source with alarm and disbelief on her face.
"Okay…Not what I expected, but I'm assuming that way is no good," noted Kasa slowly as she turned her heel and walked the opposite direction to the explosion.
Kasa took a deep breath as she did her best to ignore the stinging pain on her arms. She preferred to run for her life if possible, but with her current state, she was lucky to be able to move at all. The distance she managed was negligible at best. From the time she heard the explosion to hasty steps behind her, there was no time allotted for her to hide.
"Well, it was a good run I suppose, if a bit short," muttered Kasa woefully in her native tongue as she hesitantly turned to face whoever came her way.
Death, pain and torture were among the few things that came to mind when Kasa resigned to her fate. What she didn't expect was a team lead by a silver-haired man with the familiar leaf spiral hitai-ate. She clung to her arms protectively and took a hesitant step back as they stopped in front of her. While Konoha was considered one of the nicer shinobi villages, it meant little during war.
"What's a child doing all the way out here?" murmured the other Konoha-nins before the silver-haired man raised a hand to silence them.
"Hello there," said the man gently as he knelt down to her eye level to not frighten her. "You don't have to be scared of us. We're not going to hurt you."
"I—I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," lied Kasa weakly as she tried to distance herself from them. Not that it mattered. If they wanted to kill her, she was powerless to stop them.
Regardless how nice they were, she cannot forget her parents were not Fire Country natives and more importantly they were missing-nin from an enemy village. She wracked her brain to think of ways to avoid talking about her parents, but her mind came up blank each time she tried. Any excuse would have been better than none. It wasn't until she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder that she realized her body shook in fear and panic.
"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid," said the silver-haired man soothingly before Kasa snapped her attention to his dark eyes. "We're a little concerned since you're all alone out here. Where are your parents?"
"I don't know, we got separated…I'm… alone," Kasa meekly, using the chance to play up the role of a scared child. Not that she needed much help in the scared department. She was plenty scared already.
"What's your name?" asked the man gently after he gave her a moment to gather her thoughts.
"Kasa," mumbled the girl. She viciously stomped down on the bubbling joy that the man didn't ask further about her parentage. Maybe she could make it through this alive.
"Kasa," repeated the man as though testing her name. "Do you want to come back to Konoha with us?"
"Sakumo! You can't be serious!" protested one of his teammates in disbelief.
"You would leave her out here alone?" challenge Sakumo in turn.
Kasa's brows furrowed, something about the man's name sounded familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall why.
"We don't have time—you know what, fine! Do what you want," said the other in exasperation as he threw up his hands in defeat.
"How about it Kasa-chan? Do you want to come back to Konoha with us?" asked Sakumo with a gentle smile.
Kasa stared at him for a long moment uncertain how to take in the situation. It sounded too good to be true. What were the chances she was found when she was lost and given safe passage when she had no means to defend of care for herself. There must be a catch. People weren't naturally this nice…were they?
"…Why are you helping me?" asked Kasa with caution, still unable to accept this strange bout of luck at face value.
"I have a daughter about your age," replied the man congenially. "If it was her lost out here, I would want someone to help her too."
"Oh…" mumbled Kasa, uncertain how else to respond. The man sounded genuine and on her lonesome, she wouldn't last a week. Who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth? Safer to take a chance with the silver-haired man than to risk the unknown alone. "Is she as nice as you?"
"How about you meet her and see for yourself?" A bright smile crossed the man's face as he ruffled her hair fondly. "Midori could always use another friend since her brother's been away on missions."
Kasa found herself liking his smile a lot, though she wondered if this was an early onset of Stockholm Syndrome or a strange case of imprinting; either way, the man felt safe and it was all she cared about after what she's been through. Except, her time with the man end before it even began.
She barely registered the whistle of a kunai flying overhead before Sakumo snatched her from where she stood and shouted for his team to take cover. From when the silver-haired man drew her into his arms, to when he draped his body to cover her from the blast, Kasa didn't have any time to brace herself.
Her ears rung through the explosion and the world spun in her vision. Vaguely, she saw Sakumo shouting to his teammates as he scrambled to his feet. Her body hung limply in his grasp while he evaded an onslaught of attacks. At some point, Kasa found herself snatched from Sakumo's grasp as the mysterious assailant sent what seemed like a flurry of seals at the man and his team.
Kasa watched in morbid fascination as the men writhe with silent screams. Despite the temporary loss of hearing and the sickening bout of disorientation and vertigo, she could still follow the chaos around her. The assailant wasn't after Sakumo and his team. Otherwise, they would be dead the moment he incapacitated them.
No, he was after her…Why? What did she do to garner such attention? She had no clue, but he seemed to be more interested in securing her rather than eliminating potential threats. Dread seeped into her very being as she tried to call out to the only person she could. Unfortunately, the world turned dark before she could.
It took a moment for her to realize she wasn't unconscious. She could still feel the rough fabric against her face where her captor tucked her, the body heat emanating from his body and the dank smell of mold and dirt. They were somehow traveling underground. It was unclear for how long and how far they went in the underside, but when they returned to the surface, the ringing finally stopped and she regained her ability to hear. The thought did not reassure her in the least.
"You're awfully quiet for Somoku's kid," commented her kidnapper.
Kasa flinched at the mention of her mother's name and held her tongue. She had no clue who this man was or what he wanted. As far as she knew, both her parents were probably considered missing-nin for deserting their village.
"Come on, you don't have to be scared. I'm not going to take you back to Ame," sighed the man as he set her down carefully and knelt to her eye-level. "I may not look it, but I'm your uncle of sorts. Your mom and I are cousins… well, sort of. You see we're a bit far removed, but family's family and I'm not the type to abandon them when they're in trouble. So… trust me. I'm going to make sure you get back Somoku okay?"
Kasa shifted uncomfortably as she studied the man before her. The shadows from his hood shrouded his eyes down to the bridge of his nose. His lips were chapped and his deathly pale skin was littered with dry cracks. Clothing-wise, he wore nothing fashioned to Ame's inhabitants. Donned was a generic looking brown cloak and underneath, black shinobi gear with no affiliation of any sort.
Even so, it didn't take away from the familiar carefree smile he gave. It was the same she seen many times before on her mother's face. Gnawing at her lower lip she debated whether or not to trust this stranger. As far as she knew, the destruction of Uzushiogakure dispersed the surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan to the four corners of the world. Those the she could recall from her memories were either already in Konoha or misguided enemies, but all in all, they weren't bad people.
True, the man had attacked Sakumo and his men to kidnap her, but he did it out of familial connection. She couldn't fault him completely for his actions and… he genuinely sounded like he wanted to reunite her with her mother.
Kasa glanced to the man with hesitation before she held her hands to her chest to emulate a vulnerable and timid appearance. Since she couldn't decide on face value on whether or not to trust the man and she had no other options, the best she could do was play along and see what he does.
"Um… okay?" She mumbled meekly as she glanced up at him shyly. "W-what should I call you?"
"Me?" smiled the man as he patted her head fondly. "You can call me Uncle Naki."
"Uncle Naki," repeated the girl as she tried to remember anyone by the name, but her mind came up with blank.
"Come on, let's get going. It's not safe to stay out here for long," said Naki as he hauled her into his arms once more.
The scenery sped past them in a blur. Kasa held onto her self-proclaimed uncle as he took her to the unknown. For several days, everything seemed normal. Naki fed her, housed her and did everything an uncle would do in such a situation. There was no reason to doubt him or his actions. He even went as far as giving her training on the off chance they get separated.
The seals her mother burned onto her arms came to be a very useful training manual as it held much useful information. There were scant few jutsus she could do with her current age and skill level, but the arsenal of seal design and theories were in high abundance and it seemed Naki was quite the seal master.
"Since you're a bit young and on the tiny side, there's not much we could do if someone decides to snatch you up and whisk you away," chuckled Naki sheepishly. "But, you seem to have a pretty good grasp of activating seals even if you can't really draw them."
"Uh…huh…" replied Kasa sullenly.
"Don't look so down," chirped Naki as he ruffled her hair and dropped a small box into her hands. "I got these made for you!"
The girl glanced curiously at the box as she opened to a set of stamps with inverted seal designs. Her eyes widened in surprise as she worked to I.D each seal pattern and what each one did.
"It's only a temporary measure and you still need to make the ink yourself for compatibility, but this should work for now until we figure out how to work around your seal drawing deficien—"
"Thank you!" breathed Kasa as she clenched onto the stamps gratefully. He gave her a fighting chance to survive in this crazy world. Never mind it felt a bit deus ex machine, but there was nothing more she could ask for. She wanted so badly to trust the man that gave so much effort to help her.
Except… she couldn't.
While Naki was nothing but kind to her for the short week she's been with him, it was promptly dismissed and thrown out the window at the sight of a familiar plant-creature melding from the ground.
"I see you've picked up another stray," said the plant-man
Kasa paled as she took a step back. Her eyes drifted to the still figure lugged under the other's arm and she suddenly realized the severity of the situation she was in.
"Ah, no need to be scared Kasa-chan, Zetsu is a friend," said Naki reassuringly as he ruffled her hair, but the once comforting action turned cold. "Did you have much trouble?"
"Not really," replied the plant-man in his distorted voice. "They had Jiraiya the sannin with them, but I was gone before they realize I was in their midst. They had their hands full with the team they were escorting."
"Heh, the look on their faces must've been priceless," laughed Naki, slapping his leg as though it was the funniest thing in the world. "I wish I could've been there to see it!"
"I'm glad you find this hilarious," said Zetsu dryly.
"Of course! It's not every day someone manages to…"
Whatever words the two traded next was drowned out by the blood pounding in her ears and her breath slowly escalating into hyperventilation.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! She was fucked! Naki was on the opposing side, she was taken by the opposing side! Kasa pressed her hands against her mouth as she did her best to calm down, but she couldn't. She was on the wrong side!
"Kasa? Are you okay?" Naki's voice snapped her out of her thoughts when she felt his heavy hands on her shoulders.
"I-I'm," stuttered Kasa as she glanced between his smiling face and Zetsu with his passenger.
"Come on, I told you Zetsu's a friend. You don't have to be scared," said Naki soothingly, but the calmness of his voice did nothing to alleviate her panic.
"I-I know, sorry," amended the girl as she desperately tried to gather herself.
"Zetsu looks a bit scary doesn't he?" chuckled Naki as he ruffled her hair once more. "But don't worry, he's absolutely harmless."
"What about that… boy he's holding? Is he okay?" Kasa couldn't help but ask.
"Him?" thumbed Naki at the unconscious figure in Zetsu's hold. "He's just a little tired and hurt, but we'll fix him up. Zetsu saved him from some bad people, you know."
"I… see," said Kasa with a forced grin.
If not for the plant-man's presence, she might have believed him. He told lies as though they were truths and his smiles felt like it was from his heart. Idly, she wondered if she could flee, but then logic kicked in and she concluded she won't be able to get far.
"Oh… looks like he's actually a she… unexpected," commented Naki offhandedly as he hauled the androgynous girl over his shoulder. "No matter, come along Kasa-chan."
Kasa followed quietly, her eyes darted towards the unknown girl in her captor's hold. Aside from the kunoichi's androgynous appearance, the only other thing notable about the girl was the blue Konoha bandana hitai-ate. From what little she managed to gather from her previous encounters and Naki's exchange with Zetsu she's could barely piece together a cohesive timeline.
After what she's seen, it was clear Naki had no intentions of returning her to her mother. She could see the gears turning in his head with plans on what to do with her for the future. Her only chance now was to play the favored subordinate and hopefully jump ship at the first chance. Except… she sorely overestimated her ability to handle what's to come.
"Uncle Naki… I don't like it here," mumbled the red-haired girl as she shuffled behind him.
With the addition of Zetsu, underground travel had become the go to method for getting around. Even if she wanted to plot an escape, she wouldn't know where to run off to if the chance arose. However, it didn't take a genius to realize where they were with the amount of mist shrouding the area. Nothing good ever came with visiting Kirigakure, their reputation was even worse than the rainy village she came from.
"We won't be here for long," promised Naki. "Just a bit to pick up a pet turtle for our new friend."
Pet… turtle? A cold chill ran up Kasa's spine as realization sunk in. The man was talking about Isobu, the three-tailed turtle bijuu. More alarming, it seemed like he wanted to turn the unconscious girl into a jinchuriki. Kasa frowned at the thought as she glanced to the girl's features once more.
As far as she knew, Isobu had no other Konoha host aside from Rin Nohara. This girl was no Rin and Naki was no Tobi. Not to mention, the encounter she had with Sakumo over a week ago. If this was the Trojan jinchuriki incident with Isobu, the silver-hair man should have been long dead. Yet, he was alive.
Something wasn't right. What could have caused such a jarring difference?
"Kasa-chan!" sung Naki as he snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes?" stumbled Kasa as she glanced up to him only to realized they had reached what she could describe as a sacrificial platform.
A low table stood at the center before a towering jar strung up by shimenawa ropes and seals. Candles and the like littered around the set up in a circular formation with a number of others standing on the key points integral for the sealing's success.
"You're going to play the most important part in this okay?" chirped the man as he plopped the girl unceremoniously down on the low table.
"What? But I never done this before!" protested the girl.
"You're a natural, you'll do fine," waved off Naki as if having an inexperience child working with dangerous seals was nothing to be concerned over.
"Are the preparations ready?" a soft voice called out as a pink-eyed, grey-haired young man with a stitch scar down his face. A small entourage of shinobi all donning the Kiri hitai-ate trailed after him as made his way towards them.
"Do you doubt me Mizukage-sama?" replied Naki, a hand to his heart in mock-hurt.
"Enough jester, is there a reason for this child to be here?" The man was unamused by Naki's antics.
"Of course!" quipped Naki pleasantly. "You'll need her to active the seals."
"Her?" frowned the pink-eyed man as he glanced to the small girl.
"Someone needs to be a catalyst, unless you would rather do it yourself?" drawled Naki in dark amusement.
"I see…" murmured the man before he glanced to a Kiri-nin behind him.
Kasa's eyes widened when she realized what Naki meant and attempted to run. However, barely two steps into running, she was snatched from the ground and hauled off to the low table next to the girl from Konoha.
"No! Let me go!" shouted the girl as she struggled against the Kiri-nin that held her. "I don't want to do this!"
"I'll leave the rest to you Yagura," said Naki with a flourish bow before he glanced to Kasa with a grin. "Play nice Kasa-chan!
"No!" screamed Kasa as she continued to struggle.
"Stop being difficult," snapped the Kiri-nin as he slammed her into the table.
"Why don't you stop being difficult and switch places with me?" snarled the girl as she winced from the impact. "Let's see how you like it!"
"Quiet!" snapped the Kiri-nin pinning her to the table.
The moment she touched down, the seals beneath them alit. Mentally, Kasa cursed her ability to activate seals at a touch. Red chakra bubbled through the cork lid in the jar in front of the table and snaked its way to her fellow prisoner. A scream ripped from the Konoha-nin's throat as erosive chakra sent her body thrashing in agony. Kasa's breath hitched as she felt her chakra being drained dry by the seals. If it continued, she was certain it will kill her.
She didn't want to die.
She didn't want it to end here.
The glow on the seals dimmed as her chakra waned and she neared death's door. However, before she could step through, the demonic chakra split and latched onto her. She bit back a scream as she felt the chakra burn through her system and creating a feedback loop into the seals beneath them.
"Fuck you and fuck Naki!" screamed Kasa. Her timid façade melted away as anger took over. "I swear to god if I get out of this alive, I'll fucking turn all of you into a ducks, shove a chicken up your asses and shove your heads up a turkey's ass and cook you all into turducken!"
Safe to say, logic no longer took precedence.
Author's Notes: …Please ignore my bullshit seal description. I'm not particularly good mixing science and anime physics into something cohesive. Pretty much the idea was that Naki created all the seals with an open circuit and Kasa was the last piece to close the circuit and create a feedback loop. She doesn't need to know how to work the seal, she just needs to be switch to start and keep it active.
Not much story progression, but I at least got another SI out of the way. Writing Kasa was surprisingly difficult for this chapter. Between slipping back into first person while writing it, I also had a problem in making her reactions believable and to her personality. Somehow she was harder to write compared to the other characters.
In addition, my brain didn't help when it decided to make character parallels to Final Fantasy XV instead of plotting properly. This is what happens when you dive into a new fandom while miserable and depressed. However, since I found it amusing, I will share what it came up with.
House of Nox Fleuret (Naras)
Natsumi and Shikako- At this point these two are pretty much the "oracles" of the story and the majority of the characters generally follow their lead. Though, Shikako would probably be a badass version of Lunafreya and Shikamaru ends up being Ravus by default.
Ignis Scientia
Shiori- If she could fight, then she would fit perfectly as Ignis with her cool-headed personality, cooking skills and mother-chocobo tendencies. And also "That's it! I've come up with a new recipe" sounds like something Shiori would say to people when she recreates a dish from her previous life.
Gladiolus
Kakashi would probably get deferred as the role just because he seems to get stuck with being the shield for most of the characters and his little sister Midori would end up as Iris.
Prompto
Kasa- Kind of self-explanatory since she's so much sillier than everyone else, but still have her serious moments and other… spoiler stuff (for people who hasn't finished the game or read Kasa's main story).
Noctis
Itachi, Sasuke & Naruto- I couldn't decide between the three. Prompto and Noctis are the same age, so Itachi would be Noctis if Kasa was Prompto. However, Naruto is the Chosen Child and the son of the Hokage (in which case Minato would be Regis) and lastly Sasuke… he just looks like Noctis xD
Aranea
Kei- Because Kei is a badass that's why.
Ardyn
Naki- Need there be more reason?
Sorry for the one-page end note, I just wanted to share the nonsense that is my brain. Silliness aside, next chapter won't introduce another SI yet, but hopefully we'll get some story progression in. Thanks for reading!
