CHAPTER 3: Matatabi the Nibi
MY EXAMS ARE OVER. YESSSSSSS. THAT MEANS MORE TIME FOR THIS BELOVED STORY :) Sorry for keeping you guys at waiting. Oh, and I'll be gone for another week or so, but expect the next chapter after New Year….so MERRRRY CHRISTMASSS! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Oh, and I'm writing a MadaraXOC fanfic YAAAAAY. Because, let's face it, the guy needs a love-life. He seriously needs one. And I'm sorry, fangirls. Really sorry. Expect it to be posted together with this one's next chapter. :)
When I first wrote this chapter, like I always do, I write the first draft on paper. I didn't finish the paper version, so this one might be a little rough. And to make it worse, the first typed draft WAS DELETED. So my apologies if you see any misspelled words and proofreading errors. I'll be pretty sure there are a lot here though. :/ I'm sorry if I post late after this. You'll probably see the next chapter in a week (I CAN'T MAKE ANY PROMISES).
I was pretty happy writing this, since Matatabi's the only girl in the Bijuu group. And Yugito's the bold independent kunoichi that I always saw as ultimately sharp and strong. I love them together! They're a fun cat-duo. :) And Jiraiya lacks pervy-ness….the thing that actually makes Jiraiya "Jiraiya". You'll love him here.
Extra special long chapie for you guys here, for the long wait. :) So, here we gooooo.
Disclaimer: Nothing owned, so nothing has been harmed.
CHAPTER 3: Matatabi the Nibi
Right as the jinchuuriki went into the bath-house, night started to rein the skies. In Konoha, it was night as well; a dark blanket of blue studded with stars and a crescent moon replaced radiant colors of sunset. No matter how dark the sky was, Konoha would always remain radiant because of its bright city-like lights. Shinobi and other common pedestrians and passerby treated it like a normal night, going around shopping sprees, eating out at canteens, or even just taking a lovely night stroll. Everything was calm, and even winds from the east soothed souls.
Tsunade sat nonchalantly in her office, her head propped up against her elbow-supported left arm. Her right was holding paperwork and she signed them, reading of what appeared to be contracts and treaties and mission reports and files. All of a sudden, Shizune burst through the door, carrying three scrolls that seemed to be very important. She bowed politely then set them on the table.
"These came in, Lady Tsunade," Shizune said as she put them down. Tonton at her feet gave an "Oink" in approval.
The Hokage scanned the scrolls. Each of them was bound in a different container than the transparent ones that usually came from reports. One was in brown, another yellow, and a blue one. The emblem printed on each of them was different too. The brown one bore the symbol for earth or soil (土), the blue one for water (水), and the last, which was yellow, with the emblem for lightning or thunder (雷). Tsunade took one look at them, and she knew who they were from. Her eyes widened.
"There was a message with it that said that it was for your eyes only…." Shizune said.
"Yeah…" Tsunade replied. "Thank you, Shizune. And bring me tea."
"Y-Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune stuttered, bowed then left the room.
Tsunade hesitated, but she had no choice but to read and know what was in them anyway. They were letters from three of the Five Kage after all. She requested them a few days ago, and Gaara was writing his just about now. She wondered which one she should read first, so she looked away and picked one at random.
The first she picked up was the blue one, the one with the water symbol (水) on it. Letter from the Mizukage, huh…..now, who were the jinchuuriki from the Land of Water….? That's right, the missing-nin Utakata and the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. None of them have come. Wonder what the Godaime Mizukage Terumi Mei had to say about this.
With great hesitation in her mind, Tsunade removed the scroll from its blue container and read its content.
The Godaime Hokage Tsunade,
My finest of salutations to a fellow Kage. It's been a while ever since I wrote a letter to one, and I have you in my thanks for giving me this opportunity. It was a truly enjoyable experience, being together with the other Kage in meeting.
So, regarding the jinchuuriki. The Land of Water has two, as you know. Utakata, and my predecessor, the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura. Utakata is a missing-nin who houses the Rokubi, and Yagura, a young Mizukage, who holds the Sanbi. My information of these people is very scarce, even with the hunter-nin and ANBU information I was able to retrieve.
Utakata is, as mentioned earlier, a missing-nin from here. His master and sensei was known to be a shinobi named Harusame. For reasons I cannot fathom, he has left the village and killed his own master in the process. Many hunter-nin have been sent to kidnap him, but their missions always go unsuccessfully. With this, they've gathered his information about his justu. He uses Water Style, bubbles, more apparently, that explode at his will. He specializes in poison, sometimes stuffing it into his bubbles and letting them explode too, immobilizing his target. Other information about this is apparently unknown.
Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage, has an even vaguer background and description. He became Mizukage between the ages of 11-13, although I can't be certain. Since he earned the title of Mizukage at a young age, I can assume from here that he was exceptionally powerful and a prodigy at his jutsu, and, since he's a Mizukage, he probably has Water Style as well. He was depicted as carrying a hooked staff with a green flower propped up on it, although the purpose of this tool was rather unknown to most shinobi.
For now, that is all the information I have gathered. I shall search for more and send another letter to you once again had I found other info. "We fight the beast hunters using the power of the beasts themselves." Best of luck to the Shouri and the Toad Sage on their mission.
Until then, Tsunade.
Terumi Mei, the Godaime Mizukage
Tsunade sighed, put the scroll back, then picked up the brown one with the symbol of soil (土) on it. The Tsuchikage. The Tsuchikage was probably on-board with "The Shouri" idea, figuring that he was able to give both his jinchuuriki to Tsunade. Turns out he was pretty confident that they'd win this, and probably, they might as well win. Again, Tsunade read it.
The Godaime Hokage,
Greetings! I would like to take this opportunity, as you required from me, to explain the abilities of the jinchuuriki from Iwagakure. They're only two, Roushi and Han.
Roushi was a jinchuuriki of the Yonbi for over forty years, and was one of the rare people to master the power of his Bijuu. When he asked that he leave the village to train with his Bijuu, I said no, fearing that he would risk it going into Akatsuki hands. When he finally gained my approval after so long, he came back with full mastery over the Yonbi and a new Kekkei Genkai, the Lava Release, which is a combination of Earth and Fire Style. I had to say that I was impressed. I never denied anything from him again. He turned out to be quite the shinobi.
Next is the jinchuuriki of the Gobi, Han. He was a silent and broody fellow, and he didn't seem to socialize with anyone, apparently, and he liked to meditate alone in his childhood. He escaped from his village at one point on his life, and he, also with Roushi, harnessed the power of his Bijuu. He also crossed paths with Roushi once too, seeing that the two were very close to each other when they came back.
I hope that they remain safe in Jiraiya's care and that they can control their power even more than I imagined. Best of luck to you and the rest of the jinchuuriki! We can win this, because we have the Bijuu on our side. We can't afford to lose.
"We fight the hunters using the power of the beasts themselves."
Ohnoki, the Sandaime Tsuchikage
Tsunade shut the scroll again. She sighed again and put the scroll back as she put it aside with the Mizukage's. There was one left. They yellow one with the thunder seal (雷). And it was addressed from the Yondaime Raikage. He only gave one jinchuuriki, oddly, and it was Yugito, the Nibi. Even odder, he hasn't given the other one, the Hachibi, probably for overprotective reasoning, figuring that the jinchuuriki was the Raikage's adopted brother. She at least had to know what he was supposed to say.
Tsunade the Hokage,
Greetings. As requested from you, I'll list down the jinchuuriki of Kumogakure and their abilities.
The first is Nii Yugito. She's a bold kunoichi who was made jinchuuriki of the Nibi from the age of two. She trained hard, and was able to harness the power of the Nibi and use its power for her will. Little did she speak about her Bijuu, but I feel that both jinchuuriki and Bijuu respect each and one another. She has exceptional Fire Style; using blue flames that scorch whatever target it locks on and spiting them out of her mouth like a hairball. Even Killer B stated that she was a brilliant and amazing kunoichi, and it's odd for B to say that about other people other than himself.
The second is my brother, Killer B. He houses the Hachibi, and, as I stated before, my adopted brother. He tends to be as brash and as exuberant and proud as ever. He has this ultimately annoying rap sensibility, but other than that, he remains righteous. He was one of the few jinchuuriki that mastered the Bijuu power. And my recent apologies that I wasn't able to send him. I couldn't because he wouldn't agree to the idea, and that I myself didn't either, being the protective jerk I am. I plan on sending him a few days from now, to where the Sennin Jiraiya and the other jinchuuriki await.
I hope we can win this one. We always will with the Bijuu on our side anyway. "We fight the hunters using the power of the beasts themselves."
The Yondaime Raikage, A
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, trying to rest her head and put her hand to her forehead. She was interrupted when Shizune brought her tea proper up on a tray.
"L-Lady Tsunade?" she stuttered, bringing in a tray with a cup placed on it.
"Shizune," she said, "bring me stationary for the Five Kage, the one with the red container."
Shizune briefly bowed, then returned with three of these red cylindrical containers bearing the emblem of fire (火) on it. Inside were sheets of paper, like what the three other Kage had. Tsunade requested Shizune to leave, unraveled the scroll and twiddled and played with a brush on one hand, thinking of what to reply.
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"Ero-sennin..."
Naruto groaned, exasperated. He tried to look through the small crack in the wooden wall that separated the male bathing with the mixed bathing. Naruto was able to see the Sage laughing with his face red in the steaming pool, cloaking and putting his arms around giggling naked girls.
Of course.
Naruto just groaned again. He knew it. No matter what Jiraiya would agree to, there would always be some of his "research" in their quests and missions or whatever for that matter. Then images flashed before his mind. He remembered that village, Yugakure...some hot-spring village tourist spot. He was extremely dissapointed that Jiraiya and Naruto didn't do anything, but stay in the bath-house because Jiraiya had to do "research". Even way before this, when he was twelve, he remembered that Jiraiya also took him to train him to do the Rasengan. They went to a town, and he even remembered that moment when Jiraiya spent all his money in Gama-chan, which was all his mission pay, for his own pervert beneficiaries. Naruto spent days trying to master the balloon technique, the rubber ball technique, and finally mastered the jutsu. Jiraiya did help him, but Naruto still couldn't forgive him for lollygagging around with a bunch of ladies that helped him in his "research". It was unforgivable, but Jiraiya was Jiraiya, and he had to get used to it soon anyway.
Naruto deadpanned at his thoughts. The sliding door of the pool's entrance opened, and it was Roushi standing at the doorway, dressed in a light-red kimono-like shirt with his mesh outfit beneath it, also sporting grey pants and the shinobi sandals with his headgear off.
"Done yet kid?" he asked.
"I was done a long time ago…" Naruto said as he got out of the pool and wrapped a towel around his midriff.
After Naruto put on a white bath-robe and got his clothes, slippers, and headband, Roushi guided his up to their room. The two jinchuuriki walked into a dinner, where Gaara, Fuu, Yugito and Han (who apparently wasn't eating) were at a table with rice, tempura, takoyaki, teriyaki and tekkadon.
"Is the Sage done yet?" Yugito asked, obviously exasperated.
"Barely," Naruto said as exapsirated as she was as he sat at the table and took chopsticks and a bowl of rice.
"Is he always like that?" Roushi asked, sitting opposite as Naruto.
"Yeah," Naruto said as he stuffed a teriyaki into his mouth with rice. "Ever since I could remember."
Roushi laughed. "You have one hell of a sensei, Naruto…." He sighed then reclined. "Can't believe it, a pervy shinobi like him supposed to be one of the Sannin."
"You have to admit though," Gaara said, putting his hands on the table. "He's seen to be a powerful shinobi."
"Yeah," Naruto said again.
"Who's next in line?" Fuu asked. "I mean, for the 'Bijuu consultation'." Here she used finger quotations.
People waited for a volunteer until a "Me" chorused from a kunoichi. It was Yugito, raising two fingers and stuffing a tekkadon piece in her mouth.
"You have a cat as a Bijuu," Gaara said, crossing his arms. "You should have it easier than I had. I have a psychotic tanuki as a Bijuu anyway."
Yugito stroked her chin in thought then said, "Any advice you could give me, Kazekage?"
"Only one piece of advice," he said. "Stay to your goal. Bijuu'll do anything to knock you off your guard and sway you off your goal."
Yugito nodded and stuffed another bite of tempura in her mouth.
Naruto grinned and said, "Good luck, Yugito!"
Yugito just had to grin back.
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The next morning, the jinchuuriki woke at the break of dawn while the entire town was asleep. They checked out of the bath-house and set off to a location of a near-border town, except this one was at the Land of Lightning. It was dusk when they reached it and they went to find a place for Yugito to meditate afterwards. And guess what…..it was night when they found it.
The Sage and the jinchuuriki were climbing a small mountain; too tall to be called a hill and too small to be called a mountain. Jiraiya held out a lamp in front of him while the jinchuuriki followed, hiking up a narrow mountainside path that led to a graveyard close to the summit. There was a cottage in the graveyard which housed an old stone-cutter and his wife, and they welcomed the tired shinobi into their home with some bread and tea. They all sat at the veranda of the cottage, which was lit by lanterns, looking towards the eerie graveyard while they conversed with the house hosts. Jiraiya, after eating his bread and drinking his tea, he got light from a lantern of the veranda, lit his lamp, stood up and picked it.
"Yugito," he called. "Are you ready?"
Yugito, who was just finishing her tea, nodded with hesitation and stood up to follow the Sage through the graveyard. As he guided the way into the middle of the eerie landscape, Yugito tried to observe her surroundings, trying to figure out why the Nibi even liked this place.
It was dark. A small fog blanketed the area like floating flood, clear enough for you to see the gravestones of the shinobi and innocent civilians who were called to the Other Side. A small round circle of cement lay in the middle of everything, ominously lit by a full moon. It was probably meant for meditation. As they got closer, her stomach started to heat up and cramp and she had to lean forward so that she could be at least a tad bit comfortable. With each step, her senses started to accelerate. Her vision became clearer, her sense of touch more accurate, her hearing sharper, and she felt her muscles tense. She could clearly here the sound of the cicada and cricket night songs, the crunch of dead grass below her feet and even the jinchuuriki conversing in the cottage far behind her.
"Why a c-cemetery?" she heard Naruto obviously stuttering. "I-It's so creepy!"
"Relax, boy," came the voice of the stone-cutter's humble wife. "There's nothing to be afraid of here."
"Well," Fuu said, "it just might be that this place messes with your chakra system."
"Either that," Gaara taunted without expression. "Or he's just scared."
"Hey, I'm not!" Naruto protested.
"Is it because the Nibi likes ghosts?" Fuu asked. "She chose this place after all."
"Not because the Nibi likes ghosts," Roushi clarified, "but because it is one."
"Huh?" Naruto asked confused.
"It's just because of rumor," Roushi explained. "Like the Ichibi was rumored to be the spirit of a corrupted Suna priest." She felt Gaara nod. "So the Nibi is rumored to be some monster cat or some ghost, like some kind of fire phantom."
"Cool!" Fuu remarked.
The conversation made Yugito feel uneasy, so she drowned it out. Jiraiya sat on the cement circle and put the lantern at the center in front of him; he asked Yugito sit in front of him. She felt nervous for reasons unknown, and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself before she actually sat down. Jiraiya noticed that she was nervous.
"Relax," he said. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner it'll be over with."
Yugito nodded, trying to be calm. Jiraiya put the sealing tag on her forehead and she closed her eyes.
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Yugito's eyes shot open. She was in a dark place, it was a large place, and she was sitting on another cement circle. She wasn't in the cemetery; Jiraiya and the other jinchuuriki were gone too. She noticed a path that led from the circle into the darkness forward and it was lined with dead candles on either of its sides. Yugito hesitated greatly. She didn't know where she was or what she was supposed to do, but she felt something inside her tell her to go to the pathway. So with a big sigh and heavy heart, she stood up and put a foot on the pathway. In an instant, they lit in sequence, starting from her position into the far darkness that awaited her. Yugito slowly walked the path of dimly lit candles that cast eerie shadows, and the walk wasn't that long either. The candle path stopped and split into a large circle. Yugito stopped at its sight then looked at the paper tag at her feet in front of the circle. A tag that had an image similar to that on her stomach. A sealing tag. And it was sealing the Bijuu in, so that must mean…..she was standing in front of the prison. Yugito stepped back and felt a sense of dread. Why should she be nervous now? She was a bold kunoichi far great and skilled! There was no way a Bijuu'll sway he off her guard. There was nothing to be afraid of!
That is until a creature stepped out into the light of the candles, so yes, there was something to be afraid of.
There was a large monster cat standing in front of her with blue flickering flames with swirly black marking instead of fur. It had a pointed snout, a right eye colored yellow, and a left green eye. It had, as the name implied, two tails sprouting behind it and they swished and moved like vines and snakes. It looked very bold among the darkness that surrounded it, and some small flames flickered out of it. Even if it was a cat, it had this certain fear factor to it, like it had some ferocity of a lion.
Yugito had to step back to look at it. Her dread multiplied by the thousands. She shouldn't be nervous, this is her beast! She had to, whether it cost her life or not. She was Nii Yugito, jinchuuriki of the Nibi. She had to. In her mind's eye, she pictured Naruto, smiling, urging everyone forward. Everyone who knew him were either very good friends with him or were changed because of his charisma. She imagined Naruto in her place. If he could to it, so can she. She felt the Nibi sit in front of her and the tag and incline its head slightly to gaze at her. And instead of a look of hunger, it was curiosity plastered on its face.
"Nibi…." Yugito whispered.
"Nibi?" the cat spoke with a female lady-like tone. "Please, my dear, that title is too formal for you to call me. You are my jinchuuriki so you can call me by my name."
"Your name?" Yugito asked. "I always thought they were just called by tail numbers."
"Well, sometimes," the Bijuu said. "Humans like you like to call us by their number because they don't know our true identity."
Yugito stepped forward. "Shall I call you by your name then?"
"Yes, Matatabi…..call me Matatabi."
"Okay…..Matatabi."
"So," Matatabi asked. "What have you come for, Yugito?"
"I think you know," the kunoichi replied.
"I do know. This Shouri thing has been heard by me numerous times. I have no reaction to it whatsoever."
"Really?" Yugito put her hands behind her back. "You're a Bijuu. You're one of the people to first have a reaction to it, so to speak."
"Well, I know that you'll try to drag me into it."
Yugito was dumfounded. "How?"
"Persuasive talk. I know you, Yugito. We've been together for twenty-seven years."
Yugito sighed. "Well, it's not much of a job then if you were to accept it."
"I can't guarantee I'll accept." Matatabi lowered her head. "I can trust you, but I can't trust the other Bijuu yet."
"Your point being?"
"My answer will be yes, I will join The Shouri. Only if all the other Bijuu will cooperate."
Yugito smiled. It was easy talking to her Bijuu. "Thank you, Matatabi. I will remember your name."
Yugito felt the Bijuu smile.
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Yugito's eyes opened again. She was in the cemetery, and Jiraiya was smiling in front of her. He removed the tag and picked up the lantern. "Well," he remarked. "That was fast."
Yugito smiled. "Thank you. The Ni—I mean, Matatabi—agreed to it."
"She did?" Naruto shouted from the cottage. "That's awesome!"
"I did tell you that you would have it easier." Gaara smugly said.
The Sage and the Nibi jinchuuriki walked back to the cottage, where the stone-cutter smiled upon their entrance.
"The jinchuuriki, huh," he said. "Rumors will be spread about you these days."
Jiraiya smiled. "Pretty sure they will, sir." He looked at the jinchuuriki, where Han and Roushi were sitting on the porch looking at him. "So, who among you is next?"
Han looked at Roushi and so did he. After a long silence, Roushi raised his hand.
"Come on!" Naruto groaned. "Why not me?!"
"Because you have the Kyuubi," Fuu said, crossing her arms. "The most dangerous. Best save it for last."
Naruto deadpanned.
As the jinchuuriki thanked the old couple and left the cemetery, the moon had been covered by clouds. Two down, seven to go. Shouldn't be too hard now.
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It was the next day after the meditation of Yugito. Somewhere in the large sea in between the Lands of Lightning and Water, there was a small island full of animal meat, berries, and fresh water in a lake so it can be inhabitable for at least a year or two. There was a hill in the middle of the island, the highest point there. Breezes past the island. It was calm for a long time.
A young man was sitting and meditating on the top of the hill. His disheveled light grey hair was messed by the winds and covered a part of his left eye. Even if they were closed, a stitch scar ran through his right eye all the way to his cheek. He wore a grey shirt and mesh underneath it with the Kirigakure symbol printed in front with a turquoise sash. A large and loose green scarf was wrapped around his neck and a matching cloth was tied around his waist. He wore brown pointed boots and a black staff with a hook and green flower was strapped behind him.
Yagura….a voice called in his mind. Are you there? Sorry to disturb you.
"Isobu…not now," he replied.
I'm sorry, the Bijuu apologized. But I have to tell you something.
"Make it quick."
Okay. The jinchuuriki all over the world are teaming up and forming a group they call "The Shouri". They will unleash all their power upon the Akatsuki and finish them off once and for all.
"And how does this interest me?"
You remember that man, my boy? The one with the mask? The one who manipulated you?
Yagura paused. "His name…..he had no name. He called himself Uchiha Madara. But that isn't possible…the man is dead…"
Exactly. He's part of the Akatsuki.
Yagura's pupil-less pink eyes shot open. "What?!"
Yes! The closer you get to them, the closer they will get to the Akatsuki, and the closer you will get to solving the mystery behind all your delusions.
"They are not delusions, Isobu. They are manipulations."
But both are slowly corrupting your mind.
Yagura stayed silent and kept his eyes downcast.
Join them, my boy. They will help you and you will help them.
"I'm not sure…."
All of a sudden his vision turned blurry and a dark voice resounded in his mind. It wasn't Isobu. It was dark, scary, ominous….
"Yagurrraaaaa…" it purred. "You don't have to…you can stay here in your island paradise…..besides, it won't be your fight anyway…..it's theirs…."
Yagura tried to grasp his consciousness and he shut his eyes. He grabbed his hair and started tugging at it. "Stop it!" he yelled aloud. "Stop it, stop it, stop it! I am the Yondaime Mizukage…I AM NOT YOUR PAWN!"
The presence of the voice vanished from his mind, and his vision returned again. Yagura took a deep breath and felt the Sanbi in his mind again.
I told you. The beast said.
"I know, Isobu," Yagura said aloud.
So, will you?
"Yes. It has to stop. I will help the jinchuuriki."
No one could drive him off the goal now. He knew he had to return to the Land of Water or Lightning, whichever comes first. He stood up and gathered some berries and squirrel meat, then he ran off into the sea and sped off walking on it towards the mainland, and even farther yonder.
