CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
Kaya stopped walking as soon as she spotted a tree big enough to hide her from the sun. Having walked hours, her feet were screaming for a rest. She leaned against the tree and dug out a water bottle from her backpack, noticing how there wasn't much water left but she drowned the remaining liquid anyway. Lucky for her, Kaya wasn't far from her destination. She closed her eyes and rested for a few moments. A soft breeze brushed against her skin and she smiled upon remembering a similar moment like this three years ago.
In the three years that she had been away, Kaya hadn't come into contacts with humans at all, only having conversations with Sōjōbō and her summons, and she wondered if her social skills had deteriorated during that time. She missed her friends and even though Sōjōbō allowed her to communicate with the outside world using her summons, Kaya refrained from doing so, claiming that she didn't want any disruptions to her training. Training with the Tengu King was difficult, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. In fact, she found training with Tsunade ten times more horrid compared to the training Sōjōbō gave her. The Sannin was merciless and wouldn't hesitate to beat the living daylights out of Kaya if she didn't reach a certain level. Sōjōbō was nowhere as terrifying as the Senju descendant.
The now eighteen-year-old smiled at the brief flashbacks inside her head and pushed off from the tree, her feet resuming their job of taking her back home. Over the years, she still wore a grey sleeveless kimono shirt, tied tightly by a dark purple obi with her forehead protector secured at the side of the strip of material. Her shorts were still black and even she no longer used a shuriken holder, her kunai pouch was still in place, though it did grow in size to cater more tools. The heels of her knee-high sandals increased in height, bringing her a more feminine look while her agility also increased. Though her clothing style remained mostly the same, it was her physical appearance that seemed to have changed.
Her purple locks were a lot longer, now reaching her lower back in their usual gentle waves. Kaya liked her waterfall braids, mostly because it was Tsunade who initially styled her hair in that way, so she opted to keep her hair in the same style. She now stood with a height of 166 centimetres and had curves at the right places. Her chest was fuller, and though she wasn't any larger than the average size of girls her age, her shirt was slightly more revealing, giving sneak peeks of her cleavage every now and then. Her hips were slightly wider but her waist remained slim. Her limbs were stronger, not in a buff way but in a healthy and toned way. At some point, Kaya did wonder if Sōjōbō had any knowledge about female anatomy because his training did help her develop in a more feminine way than a just overly muscular.
As for her face, nothing much changed. Only her cheeks seemed to have slimmed and her eyes held more emotion than before. One would definitely not have any problems in recognising her if they knew her from three years ago.
The sight of the open entrance greeted Kaya not long afterwards. A smile appeared on her face as she looked beyond the gates, finally seeing her home after so long. The village looked largely the same from the outside, though she could see the roofs of a few new buildings here and there. Upon reaching the gates, she looked over to the small cabin to the side and found two familiar faces – the faces of the first shinobi she ever met in Konoha.
"Kaya-san, is that you?" Eito, the guard who had led Kaya to the Hokage's office three years ago, spoke with surprise. "Welcome back!"
"Thank you, Eito-san and Kiru-san," Kaya gave the two males a polite nod of acknowledgment. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Kiru laughed as he scanned the girl from head to toe. It was always amusing to see children grow into teenagers, and then growing into young adults. From the looks of it, Kaya was growing beautifully, and Kiru only looked forward to seeing her grow further into adulthood.
"Three years, right?" Eito asked and the girl responded with a nod. "Well, I guess this time you won't need me to take you to the Hokage's office."
The trio shared a small laugh before Kaya respectfully excused herself. The guards sent her off with smiles on their faces, happy to see the girl return after so long.
As Kaya made her way to the Hokage Tower, she observed the village like the first time she arrived. It was around the same time of the day three years ago and the village was still as busy as always. She had expected to run into people she knew, but before she was able to, she arrived at her destination. Even though she was slightly disappointed, she knew she had plenty of time later to catch up with her friends.
She ascended the outer stairs slowly, her mind wondering what would happen when meeting the Hokage. As far as she knew, there wasn't a new Hokage, so she imaged seeing the Third sitting behind the desk with his pipe in his mouth as he welcomed her with a warm smile. En route to the office, she passed a couple of older shinobi and she made sure to greet them properly with a bow even if she didn't know who they were. In return, she received a few curious gazes, but were treated politely, nonetheless.
Reaching the familiar red door, she raised her hand to knock on the wooden door. She heard a faint 'enter' and took the cue to enter after taking a deep breath. The door was still as heavy as she remembered it but she had no problem in moving the hard wood.
As per her prediction, the Third was sitting at his desk, his pipe between his smiling lips. However, she since her excitement of returning overwhelmed her sense, she was surprised to see another person in the room. The person had his back to her, but with only one look, Kaya knew instantly who it was with a jump of her heart. After all, there wasn't a lot of people with hair like his.
"Welcome back, Kaya," Hiruzen said with the same warmth as always. His rough yet gentle voice brought Kaya back to reality from thinking a little too much about the flip in her heart and what had caused it.
"It's good to be back, Hokage-sama." She bowed politely before turning to the other person and feeling her heart skipping a beat again. "I see you haven't broken your promise, Blondie."
"I can say the same to you, Fluffball," the blond said with a grin, his blue eyes taking in every detail of the girl in front of him. He had been anticipating her appearance since he sensed her presence the moment she stepped into the village. "You haven't changed one bit."
"How rude," Kaya gasped dramatically. "You shouldn't say that to a young maiden." She glared at him playfully before hearing the Hokage laugh at their interaction. However, since the elder didn't make a comment, Kaya took the time to properly look at the blond.
The first thing Kaya noticed about him was his growth spurt. Through the years, he had grown much taller than herself, even though she grew as well. His form was more muscular, though he had always been rather lean than buff. His blond hair was still as wild and bright but at a longer length, and his eyes were still as clear as the ocean. However, beneath the surface, Kaya could see the sharpness of his eyes. Seeing the childlike features gone from his face, Kaya had no doubt the person standing before her was a man.
Instead of his tracksuit, Minato donned the standard shinobi outfit of the Leaf – a dark blue long-sleeved top, a green flak jacket, blue bottoms and matching blue sandals – the only difference was the two white bands on each of his sleeves. His forehead protector was securely fastened around his head, and he looked every part the full-fledge shinobi he was.
"Now, now, Kaya, how have you been in the past three years?" Hiruzen asked with interested eyes, cutting Kaya's 'Minato appreciation time' short. Hiruzen would have let the two teenagers chat for a little longer, but it seemed as if he was rather eager to know more about the legendary powers of the Tengu that was only known through tales and myths.
"The training was rather tough but compared to Tsunade-ba's training, it was nowhere as scary," Kaya began and Hiruzen let out a full-on laugh at the mention of his beloved disciple. "But, I have learned many things during this period. I have come to keep the Tengu powers under complete control and I have no problem in relying on that chakra when I need to. In the words of Sōjōbō-sama, my training is 'complete beyond expectations'."
Hiruzen's heart swelled with pride and he didn't hesitate to show it in his expression. The time she was away from the village was not short, nor long, but to see such growth in that time was exceptional, even to a shinobi at his level. "I am truly glad to hear that," Hiruzen said.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kaya beamed gratefully, proud to hear the man's praise. She caught Minato's gaze and grinned in return, knowing the blond shared the Hokage's feelings.
"Unfortunately, as much as I would love to chat with you two, I do have a meeting to attend," Hiruzen said dejectedly. He was more than disappointed about being in a meeting with two geezers instead of two younglings. At least the young ones had interesting and new things to tell and share, while all the geezers talked about was the past, and Hiruzen was growing beyond bored of the same things they repeat over and over again.
"Minato, you have done well for the mission, take a two-day break," Hiruzen said. "Kaya, you will be back on duty in two days' time – I am sure you have a lot of catching up to do."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. We will excuse ourselves," Minato said for the both of them as they bowed respectfully before exiting the room.
Hiruzen watched the pair leave and smiled at the thought of seeing them work together again. Although he never voiced it, but those two were more likely the strongest out of the group of ninjas of their age, perhaps even stronger than some veterans. Together, those two have achieved many things, and Hiruzen only looked forward to seeing how the future would unfold in the hands of Namikaze Minato and Tengu Kaya.
It wasn't long before the pair of teenagers walked under the blue sky. After leaving the Hokage's office, Kaya had mentioned she wanted to take a stroll around the village and with Minato on break as well, he offered to accompany her. It felt weird walking next to him after all these years. His presence was different but familiar at the same time, but Kaya was nonetheless pleased to be able to see him again. Perhaps that was they called 'absence makes the heart fonder'?
"So," Kaya started as they walked through a lively area, "Are you and Kushina…" she held up her pinky finger and smirked at the blond.
Minato's face almost exploded as he looked away shyly, the colour of his cheeks almost matching the said girl's hair. He cleared his throat and took a breath. "We may or may not have, uhm, started dating…"
Even though his voice was small, Kaya had no problem in hearing his every word.
"Oh, good lord!" she exclaimed, an excited grin plastered on her face. Although her smile was wide, she had to subconsciously push away the ache in her heart to feel genuinely happy for her friends. She didn't need any unnecessary feelings getting in the way of her friendship.
Minato's eyes widened at her loud voice and couldn't be faster at covering her mouth with his palm. Hissing lowly with a red face, he pleaded her to quieten down, obviously not wanting his love life to be broadcasted throughout the village.
The girl rolled her eyes at his antics, chuckling under his hand as he hardly even touched her face. However, for him to see her so carefree about teasing him only made him even more flushed. They gained a few speculators with their strange actions and the blond ignored the looks they got, promptly pulling Kaya away from the busy street and onto a side road that lead to the riverbank. It was only then that Minato let the purple-head free, giving her the chance to playfully bite him on the hand.
"What was that for?" Minato yelped in pain, holding his bitten hand to his chest as he looked at his counterpart accusingly.
"What was that for?" Kaya repeated, frowning as her lips turned into a pout. "Thanks for the welcome back, Blondie. So nice of you to drag me all the way over here!"
"You didn't have to be so loud in the middle of a crowd!" Minato argued. "That was so embarrassing!"
"What's so embarrassing about your relationship?" Kaya questioned, raising a brow. "It's not like you two are dating in secret… or are you?"
Minato's cheeks turned red in a split second. "No!" he quickly replied, then biting his lips to stop himself from another outburst.
"Blondie, you're so weird," Kaya commented casually as if she was merely reminding him of his strangeness.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Fluffball," Minato returned, shaking his head.
The purple-head narrowed her eyes at the blond but once she figured she didn't have anything better to say, she turned and sat on a nearby bench, which happened to be the same bench she said goodbye at three years ago. She could sense the blond following her and settling beside her, both of them facing the calm river under the soft morning sun.
"Shut up, Blondie," she said with a small huff, meaning nothing but to end the argument. "I just got back after so long, you should treat me better."
Minato only laughed at her words and shook his head, finding himself missing her company more than he realised. After spending a few minutes with her, he noted that Kaya was still Kaya, no matter how much she changed physically. She might have matured, but her personality remained the same playful and cheerful girl he met three years ago.
The pair sat in a comfortable silence, basking in the warmth of the sun while listening to the natural sounds of their surroundings.
"Tell me about your training," Minato spoke after a while, gently breaking the silence. "What did you learn?"
It took Kaya a moment or two to gather her thoughts before turning to the blond. "You know about the Tailed Beasts' powers, right?" Minato nodded, cueing Kaya to continue, "The Tengu's chakra is very much similar…"
It took Kaya three days to finally arrive at the entrance of Sōjōbō's homeland. She had been told by the Tengu King that his land did not exist on the dimension humans lived in, but in a completely different dimension that only the Tengu had access to.
"Since no one but the Tengu can enter, then where did the war with the Dragons take place?" Kaya asked as she entered the thick forest.
"We fought in the skies of the human realm," Sōjōbō replied in her mind. "The Dragons, like us, had their own dimension so we could only fight in a place where both of our clans could enter."
Kaya hummed. "So that's why the Sage of Six Paths was able to intervene with the war."
"The entrance is before you," Sōjōbō stated. "Now, draw out my chakra from within and think only about entering the Tengu's dimension," he instructed. "My chakra will allow you to enter."
The girl stilled and closed her eyes, picturing the flow of chakra coming from her deepest reserves. A cold, yet familiar energy pooled in her stomach, slowly spreading out and pushing away her warm chakra as it took over the chakra networks in her body. She shivered at the sudden change in the temperature of her body but she adjusted quickly as she knew it was the Tengu's chakra that surrounded her.
All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew towards her, rendering her sightless for a moment. In that brief second, Kaya felt the environment change. The air was lighter, the sun was warmer, and the ground beneath her was softer. Opening her eyes, she found herself standing in an unknown forest, one that looked completely different to the one she remembered being in. However, the foreign feeling only lasted for a second as she realised she was in the dimension of the Tengu.
"Welcome to my world, Mount Kurama, my child," Sōjōbō's voice sounded, though it was no longer in her mind. Kaya was puzzled as she was sure heard it with her ears and not her head. Sōjōbō chuckled and this time, Kaya was certain it was not in her mind. "While we are in this dimension, I no longer need to contain myself inside you as this is my natural environment. However, unfortunately, I cannot materialise physically for I no longer have that ability."
Even though he was not there physically, there was no doubt Kaya could feel his presence all around her. She looked up to the bright sky and smiled, knowing for sure the Tengu King could see her. Feeling relaxed, Kaya made her way through the thick forest, noticing how the plants were far bigger than the ones in the human realm. It was a sign of the Tengu's long history and their love for their home.
"In this world, nature is everything," Sōjōbō said, pride and dignity evident in his voice. "You are currently in the Holy Forest of Mount Kurama, which has been guarded generation after generation by the Guardian Tengu until the unfortunate extinction of our kind."
Noticing the sadness in his voice, Kaya softened. Being the last of a species must be lonely and she couldn't even begin to imagine how Sōjōbō lived that long without any of his clan around him. Her emotions must have shown in her expressions as the Tengu King chuckled kindly.
"Do not worry about me, my child," Sōjōbō said. "Right now, we should focus on your training. This is crucial if you want to continue being a shinobi."
The girl perked up at the mention of her training. Determined to complete her training, she gave the sky a firm look, conveying her wish to succeed to her guardian.
"Child, there is a path to your right; follow it and it shall lead you to the Holy Temple of the Tengu," Sōjōbō instructed. "Your training shall commence there."
Kaya's curiosity spiked as she followed the said path, walking deeper into the forest. "Is there a particular reason why the training takes place in the temple?" she asked.
Aware of the girl's nature and her tendency to always find answers to her questions, Sōjōbō chuckled. "The temple is protected by a natural barrier of this realm," he began. "While you are inside the barrier, it shall be easier for you to control my chakra, hence you are to train there before you are fully able to utilise my power."
Satisfied with the answer she was given, Kaya nodded in understanding. She continued on the earthy path until an opening of another path came into her vision. Grey stones lined up on the ground, forming a path between them and along the path, hundreds of Tengu statues stood high and mighty as if they were protecting the environment of their homeland. Each statue was unique and different, and Kaya was sure each of them had their own meaning and purpose. Above the path hung bright red lanterns, and even during the day, their brightness did not lose to the light of the sky. Kaya could only begin to imagine what this world would look like at night time with all the lanterns lit up.
The girl reached the end of the path and the beginning of stone steps. Her feet began to move and she quickly ascended the stairs, eager to reach the top. It didn't take her long before she laid eyes on a large set of gates. Magically, the heavy doors opened as she approached. Smiling, she walked through the gap and saw the first building. It was rather simple, plainer than she imagined but the presence of the Tengu was unmistakable. It gave her a sense of security and comfort as she continued on her way. Knowing where she had to go without her guardian telling her, she walked through the temple, and found a garden beyond it. The area was brightly shined on by the sun and many mysterious plants grew in organised layouts.
Looking onwards, Kaya saw the main temple in all its glory. It was easily the biggest temple she had ever seen in all of her travels with Tsunade. The structure of this temple was different from the ones she had seen in the human world, it was far grander and more majestic. Its appearance seemed traditional and despite its old age, it was very well-kept and looked as if it was newly built.
"It is the power of nature that kept the temple in good shape," Sōjōbō answered Kaya's unasked question. "The power of nature protects the temple even during the absence of our people. The story of the temple is long and old, but I shall tell at another time. Now, please enter the temple."
Heeding to his words, Kaya stepped through the doors of the temple, its marvellous interior rendering her speechless. However, what really took her breath was the golden statue that stood magnificently in the centre of the large hall.
"That is a statue of myself," Sōjōbō said, confirming Kaya's inner thoughts. "Beyond the statue is the door to the Holy Room. Your entrance has been granted and your training shall begin there."
