NARUTO: MAOYŪ
The Wind Demon
The Ritual
(The next day)
Out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by patches of evergreen forests, sweeping empty wastelands of desert, and multiple mountain ranges, three figures could be seen standing on top of one of the many plateaus and looking over the scenery. The eyes of the Crimson Star gang glued to the horizon as a fierce wind blew across their lookout, cooling them off while also giving them some feeling in this empty, tranquil land.
And lying nearby, tied up in ropes and unconscious, was the blonde haired form of Amaya- the daughter of Hanzo Hattori. Still dressed in the same pink kimono she'd been kidnapped in the night before, the girl didn't utter a single sound, other than the quiet, gentle breaths of a peaceful slumber.
Glancing over his shoulder, San Fuma looked down at the sleeping girl and smiled. "She seems to be having a nice nap." This much was evident from how little noise she was making.
"Of course. She's a guest of honor on this little trip of ours," Shen replied, keeping his arms crossed and attention set on the distance. "We wouldn't want her to be uncomfortable."
The man in the top-knot looked back at their team leader in confusion. "Why did sensei want us to bring her along again?"
It was now Mei's turn to speak up, with the tallest member of the group lifting her head high. "Master wishes to have an audience for her ascension ceremony… and what better way to bring an audience than by kidnapping the daughter of the previous generation's most powerful shinobi in the world." A smirk then tugged at the corner of her lips. "This should be more than enough to get the attention of the other hidden villages."
After staring at the child for a couple more minutes, San then looked back around and folded his arms with a grunt. "I sure hope you're right, otherwise we're going to have our work cut out for us."
A few seconds after the man had said this, the trio's eyes then snapped to the side when they sensed another figure arrive on the scene. When they saw the familiar form of their sister Yu rise out of one of the large shadows behind a boulder and step out into the open, they saw the woman dust down her arms while holding her still unfolded Fuma Shuriken in her hand.
Snapping it shut and sheathing it onto her back, the young woman with the ox horn cut turned to her compatriots with a chirpy grin. "Hey guys. What's up?"
"Welcome back, Yu." Observing her slightly grungy state for a moment, the few tears in her black top and the prominent bruise on her cheek, Shen narrowed his eyes attentively. "Did you have fun playing with those Akatsuki brats?"
"Hm?" Blinking in confusion, the orange haired girl then gave a loud chuckle and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh. Yeah. Those kids were a lot tougher than they looked. They had me on the ropes a couple of times during that fight… especially the cute one with orange hair."
Mei raised an eyebrow. "And? What are they doing now?"
A dark look then crossed Yu's eyes as she looked back over her shoulder thoughtfully. "Oh, I imagine they're all lying in the forest on the muddy ground, experiencing varying levels of pain and discomfort."
That being all the answer they needed, the three other members of the group looked back over the horizon and continued on waiting. They trusted their teammate to have handled her opponents well-enough, even if it had taken her a few hours. Though it was clear she'd legitimately had a hard time holding off and eventually defeating her enemies, as long as they were no longer right behind them they had nothing to worry about.
Their sense of duty in this area as well as accomplishment came full circle shortly thereafter when, from up high, they spotted a little twinkle in the blue sky thousands of feet above them. When their eyes and senses craned towards the flash of light, they saw it again… and again. Seconds of watching later, the group then saw a tiny ball of light shimmer into view, trailing fire as it streaked towards them from the stratosphere. Breaking through the clouds, the ball of flames roared down through the infinite blue as it punched through the sound barrier, causing loud shockwaves to echo over the landscape.
A minute later, the Crimson Star bandits saw the ball of flames change course and begin rocketing towards them, getting closer and closer by the second. By the time it was only a hundred feet above the ground, the flames dispersed with a blast of wind, ejecting a black figure from the smoke, who performed a fancy aerial summersault, before dropping to the plateau beneath them.
The figure performed a perfect super-hero landing directly behind the group with a loud thump, sending dust into the air as they remained kneeling for several moments. Once the cloud dispersed, the figure stood up to reveal themselves to be none other than Fuma Kotaro, who flicked her length of white hair back and looked behind her at her crew, all of whom were staring at her with intent.
"Master," Shen greeted with a nod.
"Did you get what you wanted from the moon folk?" Mei asked immediately afterwards, completely disregarding the fact that their teacher and leader had just dropped down from planetary orbit to land directly in front of them.
And she didn't even have a single scratch or burn on her.
Cracking a smile, the white haired woman in the revealing purple kimono reached into her obi and, after a quick fumble, pulled out the object she'd sought after on the moon. Opening her palm, she revealed the white lotus cradle and the two Hoju stones in her possession, which caused the members of her gang to stop and stare in awe.
"My journey to the Otsutsuki Clan's hideout has born us some very tasty fruit. Now that we have the cradle in our possession, it puts us one step closer to our ultimate goal," Fuma informed with a cheerful smile, upon which she lowered her hand and gestured to her followers. "And… what about you four?" When she saw the four members of her gang look across the plateau, the woman followed their gazes to see Amaya lying on her side nearby.
"It was an easy enough venture. We bombed Hanzo's home and killed his bodyguards. But we're positive the man is still alive," Shen informed with a serious look on his face.
"Not to mention incredibly pissed," San followed up, turning to look across at his master with a serious glare. "Since we pretty much broke into his home and stole his daughter right out from under him, odds are he's going to be coming after us with the intent of filleting each of us like fish… an encounter I'm sure you're especially looking forward to."
"Oh, absolutely," Fuma replied, glancing back at her crew with what was clearly excitement burning in her eyes. "One does not get the chance to battle the current strongest shinobi in the world next to Hiruzen Sarutobi. With his raw fury and power, I'm sure the legendary shinobi of the rain will make for an interesting opponent." She then saw her second in command Mei step forward- pulling a hand from her pocket and holding it out to her.
"More importantly, we also got this from his daughter," the tall woman stated, flashing the bud-shaped stone attached to the string to her master. "When we noticed it hanging around her neck out in the open, we knew we got the right girl… and not some decoy."
Eyes lighting up with joy, Fuma reached forward and gingerly took the object from her subordinate. As soon as she had it nestled between her thumb and fingers, the white-haired monster of a kunoichi raised it up towards the sky and, drawing a steady breath, spoke in a commanding tone. "Jiēshì!" (Reveal)
Almost instantly, not only did the one rock light up, but so did the other sacred treasures in her hand. Her entire crew had to shield their eyes from how brightly the objects shone, with the one Fuma had above her shining a brilliant ocean blue. The luminous gem stones reflected off of the kunoichi's eyes like some epiphany, as if she were staring at the greatest answer to all of life's problems itself.
The truth wasn't that far off as the pale woman grinned and, after seeing the glowing stones fade, ripped the string off of the final one and brought them all together between both her hands.
"It's time."
Turning around, the woman moved over to the direct center of the plateau that they were all standing on. With her four subordinates flanking directly behind her and Hanzo's daughter still lying asleep nearby, Fuma dropped down to both her knees, placed the lotus cradle atop a large boulder, and arranged the three Hoju stones on top of it. From there she then pulled out a couple of incense stick, lit them, and slipped them into a long wooden holder and placed them on the rock in front of the stones.
Once she'd finished putting the artefacts together, she paused for a moment, before glancing behind her at her cronies. Upon seeing her look at them, the entire gang dropped down to one knee and bowed, awaiting her next instructions.
"This ritual will take a couple of days to complete. I will remain here and guard the Cintamani until the bonding process has finished. In the meantime I want all of you to go out there and find those four Konoha shinobi that were sent after me earlier," Fuma informed, causing her team to look up at her in surprise. "You will fight them with all the strength and skills in your arsenal. Give them everything you have and more, and once you have finally deemed them to be worthy, you will let them come to me."
Thinking on it for a moment, Yu then looked across at the little girl lying nearby. "What about her?"
"The heiress will stay with me," Fuma replied, also looking over at the child with a considerate look on her face, "As both witness and insurance." Once she was certain her subordinates understood her motivations, the woman looked back towards the altar she'd erected and placed her hands together in Anjali Mudra prayer position. "The light generated by these stones will draw all the nations of the world to this very spot- Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure and Kumogakure. By now they would've likely sent a couple of armies to stop me…" Her smile then widened with excitement. "And I will be here to greet them when they arrive."
After glancing at one another silently, the four brothers and sisters then looked back at their teacher and lowered their heads once again in understanding.
Without further ado, Fuma proceeded with the ritual. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to chant in Sanskrit.
"Namo ratna-trayāya"
"Nama āryā-valokite-śvarāya bodhi-sattvāya mahā-sattvāya mahā-karuṇikāya"
"Tadyathā:"
"Oṃ cakra-varti cintāmaṇi mahā-padme,"
"Ru ru tiṣṭha jvala, ākarṣāya"
"hūṃ phat ̣svāhā"
"Oṃ padma cintā-maṇi jvala hūṃ"
"Oṃ varada padme hūṃ"
While the words of her incantation were completely incomprehensible to her followers, to the leader herself they were spelled out clear as day.
"Adoration to the Three Gems"
"Adoration to the Noble Lord who gazes down upon the world"
"The enlightened sentient being, the great sentient being, the great compassionate one!"
"Through this, please turn the wheel of the wish-fulfilling jewel and the great lotus"
"Through your unending flame, I call upon the holy mind to destroy all obstacles"
"Om! Lotus and wish-fulfilling jewel, burn, hum!"
"Om! Boon bestowing great lotus, hum!"
The moment she started repeating these lines of mantra over and over again, the sacred treasures in front of her started to glow and pulse. Seconds later, as the words of her spell continued to flow freely from her lips, the embers at the ends of the incense sticks suddenly exploded into two enormous balls of fire, which caused the four members of the Crimson Star gang kneeling behind their master to stand and back away in shock. Moments later, a blinding white light shot straight up into the sky from the lotus cradle, swallowing up the boulder altar while punching a hole through the clouds.
Like a beacon, this pillar of ethereal energy lit up the entire region, startling the nearby animals and prompting them to look upon the glowing tower with interest and intent. The land swayed and the winds blew under the sheer majesty of the spectacle. But even with the terrifying magnitude and breadth of the pulsing spear of heavenly chi, no damage or destruction was done to the surrounding environment. Everything remained still and at peace, as if nothing was even happening.
However, in the heart of the beam of light originating from the plateau, under the chanting of Fuma Kotaro, the lotus cradle and the three Hoju stones levitated upwards and, through an unknown mystical force, the trio of rocks began to orbit one another.
And so the spell continued, with Fuma Kotaro continuing to mumble under her breath the same mantra over and over again, compelling the sacred artefact to react to her calling.
The Crimson Stars meanwhile, after watching their master proceed with the ritual, then stepped back and looked at one another. Seeing as how none of them had anything else to say, nor could they say anything else lest they interrupt their leader's incantation, there was only one course of action they could take.
"Let's go," Shen instructed, earning nod from the other three before they all vanished in four respective shunshins.
In their wake, the four warriors left their master kneeling atop a mountain, with an enormous pillar of light reaching into the heavens, which could be seen for miles around.
Odds are, it wouldn't be long until somebody else took notice of it…
OOO
(Sometime later)
(Back in Amegakure)
As it has been since its inception as a nation, the rain continued to pour down upon the small but powerful country of Amegakure, beating down on the towering metropolis that was its capital, as well as the rocky, forested terrain that was its surrounding landscape. Though everything seemed peaceful and serene against the waterlogged backdrop, through the mist and the mud, a rather unfortunate turn of events had befallen the young peacekeeping group known as Akatsuki.
Inside one of the land's many large forests, an entire area of wood and rock could be seen reflecting the fresh scars of an awesome battle. Oaks had been fallen, boulders had been split in half, and large craters had been punched into the earth at random points all across the once lush and untouched wilderness. Even with the weather beating heavily upon the earth in this very spot, the telltale signs of smoke could still be seen belching out of the charred fissures.
Furthermore, scattered across this battle torn area, the bodies of multiple fallen men and women could be seen.
While some of them appeared to be doing alright, only bearing a handful of bruises and possibly several cracked bones, the majority of them weren't doing so well. The bulk of the Akatsuki force looked as though they'd been cut down by some sort of monstrous beast with an enormous, bladed weapon, with a couple of the stronger members also carrying several shuriken and kunai lodged into random parts of their bodies. Those who'd been able to remain conscious after receiving their injuries were all groaning and groveling in the dirt, trying their best to ignore the fact that they were bleeding out and getting soaked by the rain.
As for their leaders, well, their conditions seemed to reflect a direct correlation to their importance in their group.
Yahiko, having lead the charge in the battle and lasted the longest, was lying against a boulder with a broken arm, his broad sword lying uselessly at his side, and a large Fuma Shuriken impaled in his gut. With blood also trickling down from his hairline, the boy was trying his best to maintain consciousness, as well as nurse the various other cuts and bruises he'd taken.
Nagato was lying on the other side of the field in a broken mess, with multiple kunai lodged in his back and various slash marks drawn across his person. He was unconscious just like the rest of his friends and wasn't in a state for any kind of communication.
And last but not least was Konan, who was lying near Yahiko's position in a crater, surrounded by over a dozen sheets of paper that were slowly breaking apart under the constant downpour. She got off easy with a couple of shuriken in her shoulder and stomach, as well as a cut over her right eye, which was shut from all the blood trickling down her face.
Removing the weapons from her gut, the young woman hissed as she tossed them away, before then resting her hand over her wounds and giving a well-deserved groan of pain. When she looked across the field to where she could see Yahiko lying, the blue-haired beauty then called out to him.
"Yahiko-kun… h-how are you doing?" the origami kunoichi asked in a slightly shaky voice.
Hissing as he slowly attempted to pull the giant Fuma Shuriken from his stomach, a miraculously still alive leader cracked a smile and peered across the field at his teammate and girlfriend. "So far, so good!" His remark earned a light giggle from Konan, who immediately went back to groaning along with her boyfriend. Taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, Yahiko then turned his attention to the rest of the field. "Alright… who's not dead? Sound off!"
Almost immediately the area was filled with a series of loud moans and mumbles, as several of the still conscious members of the team painfully raised their hands to let their boss know that they were fine… in a manner of speaking.
"Okay. Good," Yahiko replied, resting his head back against the rock as he then went back to slowly drawing the blade from his stomach. "Damn. This is going to ruin my whole day."
"Remember… if it's deep, leave it in. If it's bleeding, keep pressure on it," Konan called across from her crater, attempting to sit up but then giving a quiet yelp and dropping back to the floor. Yep. She was pretty sure she had a couple of broken ribs. Deciding that moving was a no-go, the bluenette then moved on to another topic. "That woman… she was so strong… and fast. I couldn't keep up with her."
"Yeah. Even Nagato was having trouble… and he's got the eyes of a freakin' demi-God," Yahiko breathed back, his head still reeling from how chaotic that fight had been. As soon as they charged that Yu woman, she came at them like a veritable whirlwind of death. Her giant Fuma Shuriken spun like a top as she danced between them gracefully, cutting down and smashing away every single person that came at her. When she found herself cornered, she either took flight into the air or disappeared into the shadows… literally, before then springing back out of another shadow and taking her opponent completely by surprise.
Never in his life had the Akatsuki leader seen a shinobi with abilities like that. It was almost unnatural. But considering who her boss was, Yahiko could assume that all four members of the Crimson Star gang had some outrageous abilities.
Since this was their first real defeat since they started out as a unit, it was clear to see that they were still feeling a tad bit overwhelmed and shocked.
"We're definitely not going to be able to forget this any time soon," Yahiko thought, gritting his teeth before finally, with a grunt and a shout, he removed the giant Fuma Blade from his stomach. Throwing the weapon away, he immediately ripped off the sleeve around his arm and tied it around his waist, doing a quick patch job on the flesh wound before going back to lying where he was. "Fuck. It's a good thing I've got such magnificent abs." A cheeky smile crossing his lips, he then looked across at his teammate. "Don't you agree, Konan?"
Blushing brightly as she kept her hand pressed over her injuries, the kunoichi looked away. "Not a good time, Yahiko."
"Aw, come on. We're obviously going to be here a while… so why don't we try passing the time over talking about how cool I am…"
Shaking her head at her boyfriend's ego and show of humor, the blue haired beauty then glared back at him with a grin. "You're an idiot." When she heard him chuckle over the rain, Konan then went back to lying where she was, hoping against all hope that some farmer might pass through the area and help them out.
However, just as she was starting to think about the possibilities of a rescue and who might turn out to aid them, the last person in the world she expected to run into suddenly made an appearance on the scene. Noticing a shadow fall over her, the wounded Konan glanced up to see who it was, only for her eyes to widen when she saw the familiar, white haired form of her former teacher, Jiraiya, standing over her.
The sight of the older-looking shinobi caused her jaw to drop, before she slowly sat up with a renewed sense of energy. "S-Sensei?" Her exclamation had Yahiko look across at her with a start, as he too quickly spotted the Toad Hermit standing beside his fallen friend.
Kneeling down beside the wounded kunoichi, Jiraiya immediately checked the wounds to her upper body. At the same time he gave his former student a smile. "Long time, no see, Konan. How have you been?"
Staring at the man in silence for several seconds, the kunoichi quickly shook herself out of her daze and cracked a wry smile. "Well… I've had better days-AH!" She yelped when she felt her sensei graze over one of her broken ribs, which immediately led to the man pulling back and whipping out some bandages.
"Clearly," the Sage replied before frowning deeply as he felt the rain immediately soak his supplies. "Damn it. Sometimes I really wish I could brand Tsunade with a summoning seal for emergencies… but she punches me every time I make that suggestion. What's so bad about having the best medic ninja in the world on speed-dial?" The man then looked across at where Yahiko was lying and called out to him. "Are you doing okay over there, little croaker?"
Giving a laugh at hearing his teacher's old nickname for him, the orange haired leader shot back. "You ever wonder what it's like to live life as a jam-filled bun, sensei?"
Jiraiya smirked at his student's sense of humor. "Got it. Don't worry. I'll get to you next." He then glanced back down at Konan, whom he immediately started to bandage up around the shoulder and chest. Making sure he was careful not to agitate her injuries, the white-haired Sage then spoke. "Where's little Nagato? Is he with you?"
"Yeah. H-He's over there," Konan replied while nodding across the field towards the far end, where she could barely spot the top of red hair that was her third teammate. "Since he was fighting from the back at long-range to support the team, the woman went after him first. He got taken out early on with the first group. I was the second to go."
"I see," Jiraiya grunted while resuming his amateur first-aid procedure. "You guys went head-to-head with a dangerous S-Class group and came out alive. That enough is worthy of praise."
Wincing when she felt Jiraiya begin to tie her off, the blue-haired kunoichi looked up at him. "They got Hanzo's daughter." Seeing the Toad Hermit stop and look up at her with a start, Konan continued to relay him the information. "The team snatched her from his home and ran into us out here. They then took off to the East while only one of them stayed behind to take us on." She then grunted when she felt another sting in her side from the injuries she'd sustained. "Even with over a dozen on our side, we didn't stand a chance."
Frowning deeply at this news, Jiraiya quickly finished up his work and looked up. "This is bad…"
If the gang got to Hanzo, then that meant the current most powerful ninja in the world was going to go after Kotaro's gang with the forces of hell at his back. That was bad news for everyone.
What's more, if news got out that his daughter had been taken, then every other village in the area would be scrambling to go after the Crimson Stars; both to stop them and for the opportunity to take Hanzo's little girl hostage for themselves, as leverage over Amegakure.
From this information, Jiraiya knew that he had to work fast. So, after making sure Konan was going to be alright, he quickly went over to Yahiko to give him first aid as well.
He had a lot of catching up to do…
OOO
(Evening)
Miles away from the chaos that was unfolding across the world, in their own little slice of paradise in the very heart of enemy territory, Minato, Mikoto and Kushina were still resting in the tent set up in the small patch of forest by the river.
Well… resting was one part of their itinerary. Over the last several hours they'd spent out in the wilderness, there had been a lot more than recuperating going on in their off-hours. Any animals that happened to be close by or in the vicinity during their nightly sessions could certainly attest to this.
As it just so happens, the situation had not changed at all from last night. Under the lowering curtain of nightfall and the protecting of their canvas ceiling, the three Jonin could be seen lying in the tent- unrobed, unguarded, and unaware of the events transpiring hundreds of miles away. With Minato lying on his back in the buff, Kushina lying on his right and Mikoto lying across him on his left, the young adult male was staring up at the ceiling with a serene smile on his face, while the two main ladies in his lie were currently ogling him and each other.
With Kushina napping against her husband's chest and Mikoto running her fingers tenderly up and down the blonde man's abs, the scene was a reflection of post-coital bliss and emotional fulfillment. This was evident in the afterglow the trio was currently basking in, a gentle sigh leaving the redhead's lips while her raven haired lover teasingly tiptoed her fingers across Minato's stomach to walk over the jinchuriki's waist.
"And just where do you think you're going with those fingers?" Kushina asked without opening her eyes.
Stopping at the woman's question, a mischievous looking Mikoto couldn't help but giggle. "Well, I was hoping to that fine ass of yours, babe."
"Oh no you don't. You and I both know where that leads… and I'm too damn tired to go for another five rounds with you," the woman replied, which drew a light-hearted chuckle from Minato beneath her.
Kushina's response only had Mikoto's grin widen. "Liar." After seeing Kushina stick her tongue out, the Uchiha eventually turned her gaze up to the blonde Jonin she was lying on and, after gazing up at his handsome face, edged up a little more. "Did you have fun?"
A satisfied murmur left the ninja's lips. "Oh yeah. Definitely." Glancing down at the raven haired woman, Minato wrapped his right arm around the woman's voluptuous body and across the smooth of her back. "It's been a long time since we had a bout like this."
"You can say that again. Eighteen hours flat… that must be a new record," Mikoto breathed, enjoying the feel of the man's touch against her flesh as she continued to beam up at him. After swinging a leg back and forth in the air a couple of times, the Uchiha then propped her chin on the man's pectoral and smiled. "It's a shame we won't be able to do this when we get back to Konoha…"
"Hm? Who says we can't?" Minato asked, seeing the woman's expression change as an honest smile replaced his previous one. "I mean… even though we're eventually going to have to go back to our current lives… that doesn't mean we can't see each other anymore, right?"
Mikoto blinked as she stared at her lover. "But… aren't you worried that… we might get found out?"
Vigilant as ever, the blonde shinobi pressed on with a determined look. "Hey. If being with one another makes you happy, then I'm more than willing to work something out that can benefit the three of us." The man then gave a shrug, at the same time Kushina cracked open her eyes and glanced up at her husband. "Granted it will be difficult… and we'll have a lot of people to duck around and avoid, we can still make a situation like this work if we're subtle about it."
Feeling the disappointment of her previous thought vanish as she gazed into the confident, kind eyes of the man that she loved, Mikoto took a deep breath before allowing a warm look to fall over her gentle visage. "As much as I try to stop letting my heart get in the way of my duty… I just can't say no to you. I love you and Kushina too much to just let something like this go." She then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Minato's lips, which the man happily reciprocated.
Before anything else could be said, an intently listening Kushina then reached up and slapped her man on the chest. "Hey. Don't I get a say in any of this?"
Minato quickly looked back at the redhead, whom he could see was scowling at him. "Of course you do, honey. There's no way we could ever leave you out."
"Knowing how pushy you can be when it comes to being part of the fun, I doubt we could stop you even if we tried," Mikoto replied humorously from the other side of their mutual lover. "I mean… considering how frisky you were getting while you were grinding against me last night-" She then giggled when she saw the flush of embarrassment spread across the redhead's face, which was immediately followed by the jinchuriki reaching up to playfully slap at the Uchiha, who ducked down at the last second to avoid it.
"This is serious, Miko. Geez. Don't be dirty." Ignoring the lecherous glint in her friend's eyes, Kushina then looked back up at her husband seriously. "Remember… the three of us are married, and one of us has a family and clan waiting for her back home. If we really want to start doing something like this again, we have to remember to keep things hush. Because if anyone in the hidden leaf catches wind of this-"
Smiling, Minato gently pulled his wife up to him and, leaning down, gave her a deep, reassuring kiss on the lips. Feeling her gasp of surprise transform into a light moan when she reciprocated his action, the blonde then pulled away with a grin. "Hey. We're super elite ninja of Konoha. I'm sure the three of us can keep a secret."
A couple of blinks from Kushina was then followed by a sigh. Upon which the woman then frowned at him. "Okay… fine. We'll do it. But since I'm going along with the two of you on this crazy scheme, I only have one condition to add." Her expression then turned super serious. "I want to have a baby... and start a family." This statement had Minato and Mikoto stare across at the woman in surprise, where they observed the jinchuriki take on a stubborn set to her jaw. "It doesn't have to be right now or tomorrow. We can start trying after this job is done and dusted, and the three of us are safely back in the village. Deal?"
Glancing at Mikoto momentarily, the Yellow Flash of Konoha then looked back at his wife and smiled. "Yeah. Sure. Definitely."
Satisfied at her man's answer, Kushina rested her head back on her husband's chest and, after taking a deep breath, smiled tenderly across at Mikoto. "It's really hard to stay mad at this guy… especially after an evening like the one we just had."
"No arguments here," Mikoto giggled, while simultaneously snuggling up closer to her lover and pressing her ample chest into his abs. "With the way he operates, I bet I might just end up getting pregnant by accident."
"Heh. Yeah. And if that happens, then the three of us will really be in trouble," Kushina laughed, as the thought of Mikoto having a blond haired Uchiha child with blue eyes would be really hard to explain to their friends. It was a realization that stuck out for the other two members of their party as well, with the pair of Jonin also expressing their amusement with a series of chortles.
After their laughter settled down moments later, with Mikoto teasingly running her hand up and down the beautiful jinchuriki's back, the three continued on lying in each other's arms for the next several minutes. When night eventually fell outside their tent and the sound of crickets slowly flooded into their temporary room, a previously serene Mikoto then took on a concerned mood, and the raven haired mother glanced across their sleeping space contemplatively.
"Hey… Minato…"
"Yeah?"
"Your wound has fully healed now, right?"
"Uh-huh," the man replied quietly, at the same time his mind slowly caught on to where Mikoto was going with this. "I can't feel any more pain or numbness in that area… and my chakra levels are all back to normal."
Taking a deep breath, the woman then frowned sadly. "That means… we're going to have to start moving… right away." Her words caused the other two people in the tent to tense up, as they knew exactly where the woman was going with this next. "We still have a mission to complete. If Fuma Kotaro is allowed to bring the pieces of the wishing jewel together and succeeds in restoring it, there won't be a shinobi alive that will be able to stop her. The entire world will be under her complete control..."
Silence fell over the three for a moment. During which time, Kushina's fingers curled against her husband's stomach and an anxious look appeared on her face. "Before we can even think about fighting her, we have to take out her cronies first… and they're going to be a problem."
"On their own they're difficult to deal with... but not unbeatable," Minato stated, his brow creasing as he thought about how the members of the Crimson Star gang operated. Taking into account all of their abilities they'd witnessed in their brief tussle with them several days ago, the man steeled himself and concluded with a firm voice, "We'll need to separate them and take them on individually. No holding back. No restraints. If we're going to beat them, we're going to have to go at them with all our strength and skill."
"And with brute force, if necessary," Kushina added at the end.
Mikoto nodded and braced herself against the blonde, looking down seriously. "I won't let myself get caught off guard again. This time… I'll control the pace of the fight."
"Agreed," the redhead spoke.
"Then it's settled," Minato continued, looking down at the two women of his life to see them staring up at him. "I'll finish my fight with Shen… and you two girls take on Mei and Yu. As soon as we've removed them from the equation, we'll meet up and head straight for Kotaro. No doubt she will be waiting for us."
With that understanding made and with a great amount of reluctance, the three then got up and started getting dressed.
The next forty-eight hours were going to be long and tough, but they had to gut it out as best as they could. Because if they didn't, then the world as they know it would come to an end by week's close…
XXX
(The following morning)
Just a couple leagues out from the Northern border of the Land of Fire and just south of the northern mountains and the great peninsula adjacent to the Land of Earth, there lay a vast countryside of grass and scattered trees. Between the few plateaus and cliffs dotting the lush, green fields of safari, an enormous gathering of shinobi could be seen marching in military formation across the endless stretch of terrain.
Their footsteps resounding throughout the sky like a methodical drumbeat, the plus three-thousand shinobi and kunoichi, all wearing the long, grey uniforms, white, single-strap flak jackets, arm and shoulder guards, and the headbands aligning them to Kumogakure, could be seen proceeding with all haste towards the West. It was there, gleaming on the horizon like an enormous beacon from the heavens themselves, a pillar of white light jutting up into the sky and filling the atmosphere with a brilliant ethereal glow.
It was this very aberration that guided the troops across the continent like moths drawn to a flame from the Gods themselves. Being a sight that very few would've witnessed in the past, it was clear that the presence of this celestial tower brought a sense of fear and awe to all those who were approaching its base. This much was evident on the faces of all the soldiers now making their way at marching speed towards the horizon; sweat and uncertainty breaking out across their ranks.
And, leading the troops on this bold and treacherous path through enemy territory, was the immense, hulking form of A, the Third Raikage, who'd taken it upon himself to lead this contingent of soldiers into the thick.
With a main of long, white hair flowing down the broad, defined region of his back, and his dark-skinned, muscular body covered by a white flak, grey pants and a red rope obi, the leader of Kumogakure and its forces trekked across the field with a serious and determined look on his face. With a huge chunk of his forces following in his shadow and his unblemished, well-trained body in top form, the man was as ready as he could be to face whatever awaited them at the marker that lay ahead.
Three full regiments of shinobi headed by Kumo's most powerful Raikage up against one woman and four mercenaries. Clearly the odds were looking up for them.
However, just as his troops were about to reach the final stretch of hills lying between them and the light shining from the valley beyond, A suddenly spotted something approaching from the south and raised his hand. His stoppage then prompted the rest of his troops to roll to a halt, with the captains of each platoon following their leader's command.
The moment they stopped and the dust settled, the entire army then saw what it was that had caused the Third Raikage to halt force.
Coming up from the south from beneath a winding ravine, a second military force came charging into view. When the thundering herd of unknown men and women then came to a screeching stop just a hundred yards from the army of Kumogakure, A and his men saw that they had just been joined by a force of shinobi from Kirigakure.
The sea of black uniforms with grey flak jackets and headbands immediately turned in the direction of the opposing force from the northern country. When the two armies confronted one another, an intense silence immediately fell over both contingents.
After waiting for several moments, the Raikage and his men then saw a lone figure break off from the force of what they estimated to be a force of two thousand shinobi. When all attention was drawn to this individual leaving the safety of his ranks, the men and women from the Hidden Cloud quickly recognized the raven haired figure wearing the silver battle kimono and pinstriped arm and leg warmers as the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure.
Eyes perpetually closed in their signature manner, the leader of the Hidden Mist forces, Arato, faced down the army of enemy shinobi, particularly their commander.
The two Kage and company glared one another down, their expressions steeled seriously and promising trouble. But then, just as the anxiety and pressure began ramping up to a boiling point, the pair of leaders then turned their attention towards the horizon.
The sight of the throbbing white light reaching up into the sky quickly put an end to whatever aggression or tension had been building between the commanders. After weighing up the stakes as well as their purposes here in foreign land, both Mizukage and Raikage looked back at one another, with A breaking the ice with a courteous nod to his fellow leader.
"Arato-san," the man spoke up, his gruff voice easily reaching the enemy force on the other side of the valley.
"A-san," the raven haired man replied firmly yet calmly. The silence of the region made it more than easy enough for both parties to hear the other. "Out for a stroll with your army?"
"You could say that." Taking a deep breath, the imposing leader of Kumo's force grunted in a dignified manner. "We'll settle last year's business on a later date. But right now, we have bigger fish to fry than you and your ilk."
"Same here," the Mizukage responded with poise. "We'll try not to get in your way... and in turn we expect you to do the same."
Truce established, A glanced to his men behind him and, with a firm wave, beckoned his soldiers to follow. He then sprinted ahead and was promptly followed by the rest of his forces. Upon seeing the Hidden Cloud forces take flight, Arato also gestured to his legion and, with his squads of the Hidden Mist's forces at his back, charged up the mountain as well.
The sound of over five thousand shinobi and kunoichi charging up the mountain caused the ground to tremble all around.
An incredible storm was about to hit the mainland of the Elemental Nations.
The question was though… for who?
OOO
(Meanwhile)
Sailing through the trees at an incredible speed East, keeping a tight formation and their companions in view of one another, Minato, Mikoto and Kushina, all back in fighting gear and fighting fitness, were on the trail of Fuma Kotaro and her cronies.
Despite having been out of the loop for the last few days, thanks to some very helpful correspondence courtesy of the Sannin Jiraiya, who had dispatched one of his toads from Amegakure to their campsite, the trio were able to get some fresh data as to the possible whereabouts of their quarry. But that wasn't the Sage's latest messages weren't the only clue they were given.
For one, there was a bright-ass pillar of light shining in the sky about a hundred or so kilometers away and over the mountains on the country's eastern border. If that wasn't a big enough clue as to where Fuma Kotaro was currently holed up, then they didn't know what was.
"Hey. That light... do you guys think that-?" Kushina began to ask as she caught another glimpse of the towering beam of mystical energy through the gaps of the canopy they were leaping through.
"Yes," Mikoto answered, her Sharingan narrowing intently as she did her best to keep a sharp eye on the forest around them. "Kotaro."
"She's found all the pieces of the Wishing Jewel," Minato concluded, his own expression serious as he continued leading the dash through the woods as fast as they could go. "We have to get to her… before she finishes whatever ritual she's started."
"Do you have any markers in that area to jump to, hon?" Kushina asked while hopping forward onto another branch.
"No," Minato replied, before quickly reaching behind him to his pouch and going for a kunai. "But… I can get us there faster…" His fingers wrapped around the handle of one of his unique kunai and began to draw it. But then, just as he was planning on chucking it and performing a group teleport, the blonde's eyes then widened when he sensed something up ahead and quickly put his game face on. "We've got incoming."
"Yeah. I see them," Mikoto spoke up, also spotting the problem for herself through her enhanced gaze. She also noticed something else coming their way in the form of a wall of chakra and, reacting as a kunoichi should, quickly reached for the tantō on her belt. "SCATTER! NOW!" She then broke left, at the same time Minato and Kushina sprang away, taking to the trees in opposite directions.
What followed just a split second after the group of Jonin took off was a powerful blast of wind, which ripped through the forest like a hurricane and sliced, ripped, and smashed to pieces every single tree standing in its way. A good twelve acres of land was utterly annihilated by the attack, which sent trunks, logs, branches and leaves tumbling across the countryside in a cloud of splinters. Soon all that was standing in place of that line of trees was a massive trench about three miles long, which widened the further it travelled from its point of origin.
Luckily the Konoha contingent had managed to get the hell out of the way before the blast of wind came clearcutting through the area. Once it was all over and all that was left was a wall of dust reaching up into the clouds, Minato, Mikoto and Kushina had separated.
Hiking up a nearby plateau resting in the middle of the woods, the blonde Jonin quickly made it to the top and took position on the edge. After a quick survey of the area and the destroyed area of forest lying just a few yards away, the man's head then snapped around when he sensed someone approaching. Looking across the gap towards a tor, he then saw the turban-wearing form of Shen leap out of the trees to land on its peak.
Large Fuma Blade drawn but unfolded, the leader of the Crimson Star gang chuckled as he looked across at Minato, who had all his attention fixed on him. "We were wondering where you three had been hiding. Got a little lost trying to track us down, huh? Yellow Flash?"
"You could say that," Minato replied smartly, at the same time standing up as he fully drew his three-pronged Hiraishin kunai from his pouch. "We had a couple of problems… mainly two of us coming down with a nasty case of stabbed-in-the-back syndrome and almost drowning after falling into a river… but we managed to recover." Spinning it on his palm a couple of times as he took a couple of breaths to compose himself, the Yellow Flash then smirked. "And now here we are."
"Yes. Here we are indeed," Shen chuckled, bringing his enormous shuriken up to tap against his shoulder. "As it so happens, our master wanted us to find you guys and put you through your paces… to see if the four of you are worthy enough to face her. She's itching for a challenge, after all." The man then nodded over his shoulder. "The ladies are having their reunion nearby and San is off hunting down Jiraiya of the Sannin as we speak, so you don't need to worry about any of your friends being left out." As cryptic as the man's words had been, Minato didn't even flinch. "Personally… after looking at your mid-term scores, I wasn't too impressed by your first performance. But, I'm more than willing to have you sit through a retest." A murderous glint then appeared in the green-haired man's eye. "Why don't we go straight to the end of year finals… just to be safe?"
Minato smirked. "Of course." Tossing his knife up and down, the blonde cocked his head to the side. "Is this going to be written answer or multiple choice?"
"Both," Shen replied with a shout, his massive blade snapping open at the same time Minato took a stance. "You may commence writing… now!" He then cocked back his massive blade and leapt across the ravine towards the Jonin, who in turn lunged right at him.
And so, Minato and his friend's rematches began…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: This is the next chapter of The Wind Demon prequel to Ronin, which reveals a little more about the changes that have taken place in the Naruto world and how the events of the past tie in with the future. For all those who are keeping up to date with Ronin and reading this story, I hope you're all following everything so far. I did a lot of planning for this.
Plus the Minato, Mikoto and Kushina thing... awesome.
Let me know what you guys think.
Cintamani – aka the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel and Wish Granting Jewel- and also spelled as Chintamani- is a sacred artefact in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, said by some to be the equivalent of a Philosopher's Stone in western alchemy. It is one of several Mani Jewel images found in Buddhist scripture, and is an object often seen wielded by multiple Buddhist deities.
The stone is often depicted as a single orb with a pointed tip, or as a set of three jewels, sometimes with a flame nimbus. This grouping of three probably represents the Three Jewels (Sanbo) of Buddhism: which are Buddha, Dharma (Buddhist Law), and the Sangha (community of Buddhist believers).
Known as the Hoju or Hoju no Tama in Japan, this jewels signifies the bestowal of blessings on all who suffer, for it grants wishes, pacifies desires, and brings clear understanding of the Dharma. This "equates" to wealth in Buddhist philosophy.
In the Naruto: Ronin storyline, the Cintamani shares a similar history to its real-life counterpart as being a sacred object that was once wielded by the deities of the primordial world to shape the laws of good fortune and prosperity, and laid the building blocks for farming and agriculture, which in turn would shape modern day civilization. The object ended up being stolen by an unknown force, eventually finding its way to a fox spirit who then gave the stone to the monks of an old temple. Realizing its terrifying power, the monks used an ancient Buddhist ritual to separate the jewel into four pieces and sent them to the far corners of the globe, never to be used by man.
The four pieces of the Cintamani include the three Hoju Stones and the Lotus Cradle:
The Buddha Stone: The golden stone that was given to the daimyo of the Land of Fire, and was used as part of the family's coronation ritual for centuries
The Dharma Stone: The red stone that eventually found its way to Iwagakure's Stone Monument, where the First Tsuchikage cast the rock into the pond in a hopes of concealing it
The Sangha Stone: The blue stone that, after being lost for some time, fell into the possession of Hanzo Hattori and his family. The shinobi gave the stone as a pendant for his daughter's birthday, hoping it would grant her protection and a long life.
The Lotus Cradle: A white dish that holds the three stones together atop its center.
When the ritual to bring all the pieces together is complete, the petals of the cradle close together and seal the stones inside, forming into a single artefact that glows with a fire of multiple colors that does not burn. From this object, wishes and true enlightenment of the universe can be attained.
Fuma Kotaro desires to possess this ultimate object for a reason that is yet to be explained.