Chapter Eleven
I stood in a cosy log cabin in front of a fireplace as Taka, the boy I met in the forest, dragged his father over to meet me. As he laid his eyes on me and my uniform, he pulled the child behind him and pulled out a kunai. I slowly uncrossed my arms and put them at my side and waited. He studied cautiously before Taka stood in front of him and said to his dad, pushing him back.
"Dad, it's okay this is the person I was talking about. She needs help dad and only I can help her." He tried desperately. The man looked up from his son and stared at me.
"Then explain that chakra she has." He said dangerously.
'Aw shit, I forgot about that. IDIOT!' I screamed at myself. He threw the kunai at the centre of my face and I just twisted my head to the right to avoid it. He started digging for another one and I decided this was my chance to talk before he tries to kill me.
"Uzumaki- sama, I will explain everything if you give me the chance. I really need your sons help." He threw another kunai and I spun to the left as it just missed my heart and carried on behind me.
"Fine, explain. You have ten minutes before I kill you." He snarled
I began with saying that it was okay if he didn't believe my story. I then told him about the Jyuubi and half of it being sealed inside of me but something went wrong with the sealing and only a master could help me. So I left out details but told him enough to believe my story.
"Okay." He said twirling a kunai between his fingers. "I would like to study the seal with my son, all of it and I will give you an answer." He finished steely. I closed my eyes and let out a breath as I ducked another of his kunai without thinking about it.
" I will need to take off my top and I will lay down on my stomach for you to study my seal with your son." I said embarrassed. He grabbed my wrist and led me to a room with a large double bed in the centre.
" I will give you one minute before I return with my son." He said closing the door. I quickly unclipped my skirt belt and dropped all of my weapons and tugged my shirt off and dove onto the bed as the door opened.
Taka and his dad sat on either side of the bed and placed their chakra-enhanced fingertips onto my seal. They were discussing something about it but I couldn't think because I was blushing so hard.
"Miss?" Uzumaki-san called me.
"Yes?" I replied turning my head to him.
"I cannot see anything wrong until I study the seal further and notice the imbalance but my son says he could see it straight away. Is this what he told you?" he asked still looking at my back.
"It is sir, and he only saw my shoulders. I believe he will become a seal master and be able to help me." I said seriously.
"Okay." He said getting up and kneeling next to the bed to stare at me right in the face. "I will continue to train my son into a fine seal master and will help you if you swear allegiance with the Uzumaki and Senju clan. What do you say miss?"
"I, Sonea Storm Shadow, swear my allegiance to the clans of Uzumaki and Senju in payment of fixing my seal." I said seriously, staring into the man's eyes with honesty.
"Get dressed and come back into the living room. I have much to tell you and you have much to tell me to." He said and I blushed and looked down at the sheets as he and Taka walked out to let me get dressed.
Opening the door to the living room, I again had to dodge a kunai as it sailed at me again. I sighed. This man was definitely a sadistic one. Sitting on the couch across from him in a armchair he began to talk.
"My name is Uzumaki Kenjin (wise man) and it is a pleasure to meet you. How did you know that your seal was unbalanced and needed a seal master to find the solution?" He asked straight to the point.
"One of my Sensei's old friends. I stayed with him after the sealing to train and I passed out for a long time. He worked frantically to find a solution but only found a temporary one and he told me to find one before he died. So that is what I did. Unfortunately the Senju clan may not want to see me after I butted my nose into their war." I said sheepishly, scratching my cheek again. Kenjin just seemed to smile at this.
"You decided to stumble onto their war? What happened?" He asked with childish curiosity, sitting forward on his seat. I couldn't help but smile.
"I told the two leaders, who were fighting over whose side I was on, that they are a bunch of apes and could carry on like barbarians after they give me directions to a seal master. I even had the nerve to point my katanas at their necks." I finished, trying not to laugh at how stupid it was. Kenjin, on the other hand, was now rolling on the floor with tears streaming down his face. He was clutching at his stomach and I was afraid he might have died when he went limp on the floor but he still had giggles escaping his mouth.
"Wait 'til I tell him about this at our next meeting." He said regaining his composure and sitting on his chair again.
"I'm glad you find this funny Kenjin. Is there anything else you want to know?" I asked. His face turned serious again and it didn't look good for me.
"What is your kekkei genkei?" he asked the dreaded question. I sighed, it was going to be a long night.
"I have a kekkei toura of water, lightning and air, the storm release." I decided to start there.
The sun had risen once again as I finished a detailed explanation of my clan and their abilities. Kenjin just sat in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't even interrupt me or move. He just listened. When I had finished, he shifted in his seat and spoke absent-mindedly.
"I need to make breakfast for Taka." And he got up and walked to the kitchen. I lay back on the couch and closed my eyes and fell asleep.
I woke up without opening my eyes and having to stop a kunai, from ramming into the right side of my face, between two fingers with my right hand. I sighed as I sat up and twirled the kunai in my hand and settled my eyes on Kenjin in his armchair again.
"That was a lot of information to process this morning." He said calmly. I sat and listened as he talked. "And I believed everything you said as true and I accept that there are certain things you don't wish to talk about but you have honestly gave me everything that I needed to know what type of person you are and you told me the truth and I will help you to the best of my abilities." He finished, smiling at me. I smiled back.
"You will need to wait a few years as I train my son. He will need another ten years to complete his mastery but we can start looking into a solution for now but I cannot guarantee anything." He said sadly.
"It's okay, I have all the time in the world." I smiled at him.
"I must explain everything to my son now. I will go and call him and explain the situation." He said getting up from his chair to find his son. I sat on the couch and watched the fire dancing in the fireplace. It was a while before Kenjin came back with Taka and sat him down next to me. Taka took on a serious expression as his father explained the important thing to him about my seal and curious power. Their expressions mirrored each other as one listened and the other talked.
At the end of it, Taka looked down at the floor in thought while he swung his legs. If he didn't stop scowling, he was going to get wrinkles at an early age. He finally looked at me in intense concentration before giving me a goofy grin and hugging me over the top of my arms.
"I'll start with what I know right now and work from there. I'll help you as quickly as I can. You'll see, you will be able to not worry anymore." He said letting me go and smiling again.
It has been three years since I found the Uzumaki's and begged for their help. During this time, Taka had grown to be a nine-year-old, dedicated to his work of seals. I went to clan meetings with Kenjin and Senju Butsuma's face was a picture when we saw him again and Kenjin told his friend about his little war mishap that included their new ally. I realised very quickly that Kenjin was the leader of the Uzumaki clan and they were on very good relations with the Senju's and that they are distant relative clans. It explains the outrageous hair of the Sennin's to the Uzumaki clan and the Wood release of the Senju.
They welcomed me with open arms but warned me about the Uchiha's. They had been two warring clans for as long as they could remember. I wouldn't be surprised if it started during the brother's time. They explained that they had been using the Bijuu as puppets with their powerful genjutsu, using their eyes. This made me furious but they couldn't see that as we kept who I really am a secret.
Kenjin knew that they would want to use me to massacre the Uchiha's and knew that I wouldn't and couldn't do it, even if they were using the Bijuu so horribly that I did want to kill them. I needed to stay as neutral as I could so that I didn't mess with the time line so much.
We got back from a quick meeting to find Taka studying hard in his room. I felt sorry that I messed with this kid and now he is working instead of being a child like every other nine year old. I decided he needed a little bit of distraction from 'work' and pulled out the three coded journals and snuck into his room during his break.
"What do you want Sonea?" He asked without turning from his desk.
"Well, I just kinda thought that you would like to work with other seals that have intrigued me for the most of my life." I said standing on his right now. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously.
"What seals?" He asked a little curious. I took the journals from behind my back and handed them to him and I got down on my haunches to watch him.
"What are these?" He asked.
"Just open them and look." I said impatiently. As he opened the blue one, the first one, his eyes widened with excitement and I started to grin.
"Wow, this is awesome!" He shouted and hugged me tightly around my neck.
"I thought you would like it. Just promise to show me when you figure it out, okay?" I asked smiling and pulling him off of me.
"Of coarse. It may take me a few years but I'll figure it out eventually." He smiled as he turned back to his desk and I began to walk out. I knew he would eventually get the answers he needs.
A few weeks later I escorted Kenjin to the Fire country for a clan meeting, leaving Taka to his work, leaving a few of my ancestors' books with him to figure out my seal.
Senju Butsuma was happy to see us again, especially after the birth of his first son, Kawarama. He was the cutest looking two year old I have ever met and I looked after during the meeting around the fire pit in the middle of their estate. The kid was definitely his father's son as he escaped from my arms multiple times.
"Sonea, please catch Kawarama quickly and come and sit down. We have much to discuss." Butsume called from the fire pit.
Finally catching the kid with my white tail, I carried him over with me, still wrapped in my tail and placed him in his mother's lap and I sat down next to Kenjin, across from Butsuma. Kenjin turned to me and looked at me solemnly.
"What's going on?" I asked cautiously, jumping between Kenjin's and Butsuma's faces.
"The Uchiha's have declared war on us again after finding out about your loyalties. Tajima is saying that family sticks with family and you rightfully belong with them. We know the truth of coarse, that you are nothing like them and do not belong to them like a prized possession or weapon. We do not want to force you into this type of situation but if it could save lives, do you think that there is anything you can do to help?" Butsuma seemed desperate as he pulled his son onto his lap and began tickling him. I was furious to say the least.
"I will not be treated like someone's pet like they are doing to the Bijuu. Even if I turn myself over to them I have a feeling that they will just find something else to go to war with. However, I will walk into the Uchiha's compound and 'talk' with Tajima and tell him where his place is. I need directions and don't worry I will return and I will unfortunately bring war with me no matter what. I apologise for putting you in this position Butsuma." I said destroying a nearby tree with my bare knuckles and Butsuma stood up with Kenjin, putting his son down to run around again and began to talk again while I licked away at my bloody knuckles.
"You are absolutely right, Sonea. This is not because of you, but because of our clan's rivalry. I will allow you to start this war with back up waiting for you on neutral grounds. You will leave tomorrow morning, come and see me for directions as soon as the sun rises." And the Senju family left for home. I sat down on a log again and Kenjin followed. What did I just get myself into? Kenjin placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke softly.
"You're doing the right thing here Sonea. You are stating your rights and standing your ground. I am proud of you but I do not know when you will return to Uzushio again after you light the flame for war. I have decided to leave my son in Uzushio and continue his training and I will be leading the Uzumaki clan into this war with our brothers. Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked, sadly placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Yes, I am ready to put them in their place for messing with my Bijuu." I said hard with my eyes glowing red with anger.