Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sonic The Hedgehog.
ITAOJ
The Ruins Within The Mist
Previously on In the Aftermath Of Judgment,
"What the hell happened here!?' That was to be what was on everyone's minds once they reached their 'destination'.
"I thought you said this was where the Land of Water used to be Sensei? And we went to Wave, this place can't be our former neighbor!" Sakura shouted at Kakashi who just stared at the sight to behold.
"Four thousand years. Is that enough to create a new land altogether?" Kakashi could only mutter while the other Shinobi and otherwise all current Konoha residents were trying to get a good glimpse from their floating island that held their entire village.
Meanwhile, in another place in the former 'Land of Water'. There was some kind of ruin and from the top room that had an open window, was a telescope peering in one certain direction. As the sun shined on the ruins, it was revealed to be a man with the same uniform as the G.U.N. soldiers back in headquarters. By him was some king of communication device while on the other side were any other survival gear and supplies needed for a stake out; rations, water, flashlight, heater device, the works.
"So that is what SS 03 04 59 had issued and explained in their report, well now it is time for my own to carry out." That soldier said and placed his telescope back with his supplies and turned to his communication machine. After turning it on and setting to a certain frequency and then attaching the headphones plus speaker com piece on his head, the soldier started to talk into the speaker. "Yeah this MR 93 58 14 and the package is in sight and heading in the location that Commander Tower had informed us of. Please inform Commander Tower and undergo our next set of orders. Over."
After some garbled speech through the speaker, to prevent any unwanted ears from getting the responses easily, the soldier nodded. "Roger. MR 93 58 14 out!" The soldier then deactivated his communication device and returned to his usual spot to do his usual role as lookout from wherever he was posted. 'I can't wait for the fireworks and fun to happen so I can record it for a party in just two more weeks. I can't wait!' He though off with some much excitement that a strictly trained lookout like himself can barely contain.
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"Commander Tower!" A G.U.N. solider had finally found the boss under Naruto and Hinata. "We just received a report from the Mystic Ruins in the Swamp Zone! A large floating object with a village on top that matches the profile of Konohagakure is in sight!" Soldiers are, unfortunately for themselves, expected to give their report in one breath since, even in times of peace, time is money. Money that people like Commander Tower can never afford to waste.
"Very well. Tell our operatives there to move with the plan while I inform the Master. Got it?" Tower gave his orders and the soldier nodded before hurrying off to make it happen. Meanwhile, Tower took his own walk; to the private room that he included in the plans for G.U.N. headquarters. It the room that Naruto and Hinata can have some privacy and yet still overlook the organization.
"Master." Tower said seeing the two people he wanted meet. "Glad to have you back, the plan is working and we are waiting to undergo the next stage."
"Very good Tower." Naruto simply said. "Don't worry about the clan heads, we sent Minato and Henra to them." Tower was surprised for some reason he was glad to verify.
"Your latest son, Minato, I am sure Master but what about your latest daughter? Does she despise them?" Tower asked while hoping that he wasn't to disrespectful. Only to hear Naruto and Hinata both sigh.
"Yes unfortunately. She has the genes of her father's side of the family while Minato still holds what brought their mother's side together. But it was necessary." Hinata took a turn at explaining and Tower nodded without as much as a moment of hesitation. After all, he was still a soldier and he learned that life sometimes does the most horrible of things that are also labeled as necessary; once you are a soldier, you always are no matter who you turn into once you outlived your service.
Of course that is Tower's opinion on all this but to the couple, they hated it all. Another thing that brought them together by the gods above is that both of their lives, there were a lot of cruel 'necessaries' that made them wish for another home and another life entirely. And now they have both of them, it is time for them to reveal the cruel 'necessaries' but for all those who had spoiled and corrupted their former home. It was something they had to live with for four thousand years.
Back with the Konoha Shinobi, they were suddenly like statues as they gazed on something that terrified them somehow. They were at a point that they could see what is commonly called the Mystic Ruins. It was supposedly the site of another Shinobi Village but that one had eventually died out when the years turned cold and cruel.
And in the place of the village ruins were the signs of other civilizations that tried to fill in but they soon fell as well. And over four thousand years, the area was thought to be cursed as more civilizations were born there and died easier and easier with the coming centuries. Pretty soon, nobody wanted to live there or even enter the Mystic Ruins.
That is how the area got its name, that it was littered with ruins of all types and from all centuries. But there was something else, a dense fog that never lets up or even getter thicker. Most fogs will be affected by sunlight, heat and wind but not in the Mystic Ruins. The fog there is constant as far anyone can remember. Or at least, anyone that enters and lives.
"Four thousand years…" Kakashi said once again. "This proves what all that time can do to the land."
"Who cares!?" Kiba shouted. "What I want to know is why we are here!? And don't tell me that Hinata-chan is waiting for me here!"
"Shut it Kiba. We have heard enough." Sasuke shouted and before Kiba could loudly retort, the latter was met with the piercing glaze of Kakashi.
"In case you haven't realized it yet Kiba, we are here to find out what else has happened to the other Shinobi Villages from our era." Kakashi continued. "Once we do, then we will have expanded our horizons to where Naruto and Hinata are. We haven't seen them since we woke up."
"I just hoped it works. I can't stand that the fact that the dobe is somehow still alive after all this time and still with my girl!" Kiba shouted, stubborn like always. "Then I will get my girl once and for all!" Kiba had started to rant once again and this time, no one told him to shut up. They all just got tired of doing just that.
"Anyways, you will just come with me, Shino, Sasuke, Sakura and Lee as we scout out these 'Mystic Ruins' for any sign that someone has been there recently. If not then we will move on." Kakashi said with a glare that left no room for argument from even someone like Kiba. He just wants to get this over with and find the 'man that stole his girl'.
But what anyone is going to find in the Mystic Ruins will be something that will defy all their expectations. And that is because it is something that has defied even the passage of time.
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And when Kakashi took a team of the remaining Konoha Shinobi to the Mystic Ruins, the same soldier in his outpost had been watching the whole thing. From his hideout and with the binoculars still at his eyes, he smirked. "I guess that there is no reason to wait any longer. They won't see this coming and when they do, I can't wait to see the look on their faces."
The shoulder then turned past his communication device and past the rations to something else entirely. It was something entirely different, making it hard to describe. The only thing worth mentioning was that there was a wire clearly connecting its back to something outside and at the top of the hideout and lookout. "Show time." The soldier said when he started to type a sequence of buttons and moved some levers.
Then the device started to beep and hum rather loudly. Meanwhile, the wire seemed to connect to some satellite dish that started to move. It moved in a full 360 degrees and released some dense and invisible wave given that the air around the satellite dish had begun to ripple. But the soldier didn't seemed affected and moved to his communication device, "Next step." The soldier then seemed to have developed a different voice or at least, spoke through some kind of voice changer right into the receiver.
Meanwhile, deeper in the Mystic Ruins,
"This fog is ridiculous!" Kiba shouted, simply the only thing that he is good at for the time being. "What are we supposed to find in this stupid mist!?"
"It was a stupid mist that made a certain bastard a threat because he could kill a squad with a fog lighter than this." Sasuke brought up and Kiba just huffed stubbornly.
"Enough you two. We only have a few more blocks to explore then we can move one." Kakashi said with an empty scroll that he brought along to make a map of the Mystic Ruins. And anyone that could see him in the dense fog also saw that the map was nearly filled out.
"I sure hope so because I have been trying to tell Ino-san about this for a while since we started. And I have been getting nothing but static." Shino said with his fingers at his neck, where Shinobi communication bands were placed. And in the fog, the others tried to get to the village too but they heard the same thing as Shino. "That is odd."
"Maybe we are just too far and once we are done with Sensei's map, we will get back to Konoha." Sakura said but those hopes were dashed when,
"Hey! I can't see where Konoha is!" Kiba shouted and pointed at the sky and everyone didn't see the large shape of their floating home either. No matter which way they faced their eyesight to. This drove them to slight panic so they used some of the ruins and other foot lifts to get some attitude. And they saw it,
"Hey! It is leaving! Without us!" Lee shouted when he finally saw where Konoha was floating, away from the Mystic Ruins!
"WHAT!?" They all shouted once they were alerted to such news. What was the meaning of this?
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By the time Kakashi and his team had finally got back into range of the floating Konoha, they tried to get in communication with them. But instead. They found the island floating above some kind of city that was above a lake by multiple pillars. It was like the village was made of stone and built over the lake for some reason.
"Look at the water!" Kiba shouted, about something other then 'his girl' and Naruto so everyone was slightly shocked at that. But soon the Konoha team from the Mystic Ruins had seen what Kiba was doing as well; whirlpools. The entire surface of the lake, around each other pillars were whirlpools!
"How are we going to get there and why hadn't they moved closer to us!?" Sakura screamed and her teammates just shook their heads. They had no idea and they don't know if they want to find out or not.
End of Chapter 10.
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