Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any portion thereof, and make no claims on its copyright. However, all original characters and events are my own property.
Author's Notes: So, new chapter, and Christmas break has started, so hopefully I can keep things going while at home. Anyway, this chapter continues Ise's tale, and adds some important explanation.To the reviewers: The Mizuho power as used in this story is not precisely the same as in Behind Killer's Eyes. The time continuums of the two stories are not the same. I'm using Mizuho because I felt it was a cool idea, and because it greatly fits the themes of this piece, in addition to providing impetus for the essential journey. This chapter and subsequent ones will explain just what's going on it this story, but basically the power will function in similar ways to behind killer's eyes, but the background will be different.
Chapter 2- Leaving Shore(immediately following)
Ise stepped out of the Warlord's office with his thoughts whirling. He was still trying to absorb what he had been ordered to do. I have been sent beyond Mist for the first time. It is hard to believe. For a long moment he stood at the door, catching his breath and gathering his thoughts. The Warlord's presence had rolled over him during the conversation, and he had not truly absorbed what had been said. I am to find the Mizain clan. Such was his mission, but Ise could not understand why. What reason is there to bring back a single ninja of some hidden clan? And a bloodline limit to boot. There is no need for bloodlines here, my own is more than enough.
Then he remembered the name of the bloodline: Mizuho. The water fire ability? A strange power, why does the Warlord want it? Ise thought for a moment, and then he realized the answer. Akai is preparing for something; he concerns himself only with war. With that Ise grasped a key piece of the puzzle. Three years…there will be war in three years, and we must have the Mizuho before then. The importance of his mission crashed down on him with a suddenness, and Ise knew that he must maintain the words he had told the Warlord. Failure could not be allowed.
The chuunin's revere was broken by the approach of another ninja. There were many ninja in this building, but this one approached the Warlord's office directly, and there was something odd about her. For a moment Ise thought she was injured, for her motion was strange, abnormal. The ninja was a young girl, likely not more than thirteen, but she moved like no one he had seen before. It is inhuman, how can a person walk like that?
Walking was not perhaps the correct term to describe the disjointed hopping, sliding motion the girl engaged in to maneuver. It was a choppy motion, lacking rhythm and flow, but it conveyed alien lethality from the very basis of its movements, and Ise soon realized what he was seeing. The Stomatoa girl, this is the prodigy, Saki. Ise had heard of her of course, they all had, the girl from the strange, all but forgotten family who had defeated her academy instructor in battle on her first day in class. He wondered at her presence here, coming to the Warlord. She had risen to the rank of genin merely days in the past; it shocked him that she should be meeting personally with such a powerful ninja.
Saki slid next to Ise in the next moment, and he could not resist the impulse to say something. "The Warlord has called for you?"
It was a foolish question, and both ninja knew it. Saki need not have bothered to reply, but she did, turning up to face the much taller Ise. The shark-blooded ninja was reasonably tall, but Saki's shortness surprised him. She is small, compact, hardly what I expected. "Have you become his door guard, Chuunin Hoshigake Ise?" She asked him seriously. Her voice was unexpected; it was simple and kind, a contrast to the deadly image of her frame.
"No, no," Ise felt foolish. "I'm sorry, but your presence surprised me. It is not normal for a genin to be summoned here."
"Yes," Saki replied. "I do not know why this has happened, but I have been called before the Warlord. I was told he was to supervise me for the next three years himself."
Supervise her training? Three years? Ise's face darkened. He looked down at Saki, a girl with a peaceful face, but an obvious knowledge of death dealing. They say she is a true genius, youngest child of the Stomatoa, trained since before she could walk in their inhuman art. He looked at her with sadness now, knowing what was coming for certain. In three years there will be a war, and this girl is to be a champion of Mist, as is the one I am to find. Ise felt a great deal of fear then, for he had learned ninja history as had all chuunin. The wars of the ninja were sudden things, prone to launching at the whimsy of daimyo or sudden shifts in the power balance. How can they know a war is coming so far away? What has happened? Though this all worried him greatly, he kept it from his words. "Three years you say? I have just been given a mission of the same length by the Warlord. Perhaps we shall see each other again when the time is done." He offered he a light smile.
"Perhaps," Saki replied. "That might be nice."
A simple comment, but Ise could read depths beneath the words. This is no normal ninja girl. She is something different, a creature apart, like me. He could recognize the alienation now, having lived for six years in the shadow of his uncle's treachery. I see why Akai has taken her for war. Silently he wished Saki luck, for he knew her road ahead would be hard. Likely harder than my own voyage, Ise grimaced. "I'm sorry, I must be going, and I should not have kept you from your meeting. Feel free to blame me if he's angry," Ise turned away from her. "Good luck in your training, I shall expect to see great things by the time I return."
"Good luck to you as well, Chuunin Ise," She smiled and waved as she said the words, but there was a deep sadness in Saki's eyes Ise could not possibly miss.
Good luck indeed, I suspect we shall both need it.
Ise jogged out of the building then, knowing he would have to hurry to pack his equipment and say goodbyes to family and his comrades. The prospect made him slightly sad, but not greatly. As the great traitor's cousin he had few friends, only a few ninja teammates he served with. Likewise his family was not so close. His mother had not been the same since Naki was slain by Kisame, and his father had always silently cast the blame on Ise for his older brother's death. It was an old wound, one that time had worn mostly away by now, but Ise would not mind leaving the household behind. I have been sent abroad for the first time, into the land my uncle roams, a traitor and a criminal. I must be prepared, and I will keep my promise to the Warlord. Ise knew the debt he owed the Warlord well, the man had saved his life six years before, and the shark-blooded ninja had not forgotten. This mission may have little chance for success, but I cannot fail Akai's trust in me, even expendable as I am. I will not fail!
The origin of most bloodline abilities is lost to history. They originated in ancient times, before the great ninja wars that racked the land prior to the formation of the hidden villages. At the end of those wars survivors came to rest in each of the villages, and their bloodlines carried on within that framework. Not so the bloodline of Mizuho, carried by the Mizain family. It was born in a recent era. The power was first recorded in a village-less ninja only sixty-two years in the past. That ninja's name was Mizain Lee. Lee's power garnered him notoriety, and he joined the village of Mist only a year later. Soon after he married and his children showed the signs of the bloodline.
Mizain Lee's service to Mist was excellent, but his powers through Mizuho were weak, so much so that he rarely used the abilities of the Bloodline and relied on more traditional techniques. It seemed the power would be of little note. Yet, Lee's oldest son, Mizain Mihiro, demonstrated a power in the bloodline that far outstripped his father's, and his younger brother, several years later, likewise demonstrated greater faculties. This was little remarked at the time, for Mihiro became a ninja during a ferocious war with the Lightning, and fighting raged for years. Yet thirty-nine years ago, when the fighting was done, Mizain Lee was dead, and Mihiro and his six younger siblings were all alive. Each one had a power greater than their father.
Mihiro and his siblings married, and their children in turn inherited the power of Mizuho, and when they became ninja they were also stronger. The power was now a force to fear, and the first whispers of its other, darker, name could be heard at this time "Demon Fire." The whispers were kept quiet, however, for at this time the bloodlines ruled the village of Mist, as they did most other villages, and none questioned them. It would take nineteen years for the situation to change.
History records elsewhere the story of the rebellion against the corrupt bloodline rulers of Mist, and the purges that followed, a necessity for the rebellion to succeed. Most bloodlines fell in that bloody time, with ninja of all villages turning on those who bore inborn gifts, and hunting them down. Only those bloodlines that made deals with the new leaders and swore away leadership survived, and those like the Mizuho, who fled.
Mizain Mihiro had intended to fight the rebellion, for he had risen high within Mist by that time, but it was not to be. Mihiro, like many of the bloodline endowed leaders, had become lazy and was vulnerable. In this case it was not the un-blooded rebels to who Mihiro was vulnerable, but a member of his own family, his youngest son, Mizain Yuki. Yuki was a mere ten years old, but he was already a ninja of great power, his mastery of the Mizuho was far greater than any other who came before him, and perhaps any who has come since. He challenged his own father and smote him down with Mizuho, taking leadership of the clan by force. Though reluctant to follow a ten-year-old boy, none dared challenge him, and many were secretly relieved when he gave the order to flee rather than fight.
To a ninja the Mizuho vanished, taking with them all the spouses and relatives who did not bear the power as well, a desertion of several score ninja. It is not known where they went at that time.
Since the purges ended I have been the Mizukage, leader of all ninja in Mist, and all reports are open to me and all rumors find their way to my desk. Yet in that time I have seen but three mentions of the Mizain family or the bloodline to which they are heir. They have hid themselves well, and I believe the reason is clear. Mizain Yuki grasped, as his father had not, that the bloodline's power was growing with each generation. He has hidden his people until they grow to such strength as none can challenge him. Having seen the powers of Mizuho in use, I dread the coming of such a day. I am uncertain how we can stand against such power. As always, this confirms to me that Akai and I made the correct decision those twenty years ago, bloodlines should all be destroyed.
In twenty years there have been but three reports of the Mizain, and these are the only clues we have as to their whereabouts. The incidents are as follows: a spy received a letter from Mizain Yuki, or at least signed in his name, acknowledging my position as Mizukage, but that they were no longer Mist ninja, and so had no intention of returning. This was nineteen years ago, and the spy was in the western Fire country. Twelve years ago one of our allies in Hidden Rain reported seeing 'the rain fall as fire' upon a group of grass ninja along the Rain/Grass border. Most recently, a sand ninja was found dead in the grass country with a series of dot-like burn marks upon the body after an unknown ninja was reported prowling the area. This took place two years ago in southeast Stone country. I believe the wounds are the marks of Mizuho use. There have been no more reports, but these incidents point to a region near or possibly within Grass country.
All reports of the appearance of any known Mizuho wielder are twenty years old, and therefore useless, but the bloodline does have significant marks that reveal those who inherited its power. Wielders of Mizuho have reddish hair streaked with aquamarine, and had a tendency to wear it long, though this may no longer be the case. All Mizains also had red eyes, a very distinctive marking. The Mizuho itself is impossible to confuse with anything else. The power to make water burn is distinct, unique, and terrifying.
-Hiramitsu Osamu, 6th Mizukage
Ise read through the scroll again, he had lost count of how many times he had read the words, written in Mizukage's own hand. He rolled the scroll up again now, and placed it back in the pocket of his flak jacket, to sit alongside the other scroll the Warlord had given him, his travel money, and one other item. All we know about the Mizain family can be summed up in so few words. A bloodline that lived with us for over three decades, and this is all we know of them. Truly the ninja of Mist were reborn in the purges as it is said. The philosophical view was interesting, but it hardly satisfied Ise's needs. He was instead left to search without hardly any clues, save three disconnected and old incidents and a simple description. He had no idea how he was supposed to find ninja who had concealed themselves so fully for over twenty years. It seemed impossible. Now he understood why Akai had given him the full three years, it seemed likely that he was to wander about a great deal of the shinobi countries before finding the Mizain.
It will begin in Grass country; I must go there first. Ise had determined that much in the weeklong boat voyage from Mist to where he was now, docking on one of the few ports in the devastated Sound country. As the boat approached he could see the town was in poor shape, buildings scarred by fire and neglect dominated the waterfront, and the people seemed dispirited and withdrawn. It was a tragedy.
All ninja knew the story by now, how the ambitious lord of this unnamed region had taken a powerful ninja up on the offer to establish a hidden village in the country, and how that ninja had turned out to be Orochimaru, the infamous Sannin traitor of the leaf. Orochimaru remained at large so far as Ise knew, but his minions had been defeated and dispersed following an unsuccessful surprise raid on Konoha during the chuunin exam. Orochimaru had abandoned those servants, and now they wandered across the country as rogues and bandits. Other missing-nins had come to the lawless land as well, and all order was breaking down. The bordering Lightning country had threatened to invade simply to keep order if the mater continued, but the threat had done nothing to support the unstable land. Crossing Sound would not be a trivial task, especially alone, and Ise had given up all hope of an easy beginning to his mission once he saw the ruined harbor.
Now the shark-blooded ninja stood at the rail of the ship beside grim-eyed mercenary ronin who served as guards to the merchant captain. Ise's true mission was masked beneath a cover of serving as an additional guard for the merchant captain, who had feared to make the run to Sound without additional support. The young chuunin kept a tight grip on his spear as ropes were thrown and sailors scrambled over to make fast the mooring. The dock appeared secure, but Ise knew if a gang were to attack it would be now, when the crew was distracted.
When the ship was safely moored and no attack came Ise relaxed. He went to the captain to get his payment and nervous thanks, and then disembarked. As he walked down the gangplank and took in the town Ise remained unsure if the strong show of force had dissuaded an attack, or if there had been no attack in the offing. I must watch my back here, he decided.
As Ise walked about the harbor town, seeking a moderately reputable inn where he could stay the night, he was struck by an odd sensation. The people here did not stare at him. Always before, walking in towns outside Hidden Mist his strange looks drew shocked stares and horrified reactions from most. Ise was so surprised by the lack of such fear here that it took him a moment to remember the masking henge genjustsu he now wore at all times. He appeared as a dark-haired boy of absolutely no remarkable features now, and when he compared his new reaction to the old sadness crept sickly into Ise. The mask I hide behind now is better regarded than my true self, he reasoned with disappointment. How pathetic.
The lack of attention carried another message Ise found distasteful, one of foolish ignorance by the townsfolk. Though he masked his shark-touched features, Ise in no way concealed his identity as one of the ninja of Hidden Mist. He had expected questions from the people of the harbor, for he knew no Mist ninja had passed through the Sound country since Orochimaru's defeat, yet there was nothing. Everyone traveling the streets ignored him, even as he could feel eyes upon him from the shadows. I wonder if anything remains of the network Orochimaru established here. Ise considered cautiously. If so, then these bandit Sound rejects may be very dangerous.
Shadows stretched over the harbor town as the sun fell slowly out to sea. Having seen few other choices Ise doubled back to the harbor and sought lodging in one of the taverns there. The chaotic residences of sailors were not his first choice, as violence there would be less remarked. The mist ninja had no idea what level of control the sound country still held over this port, but he had no wish to find out whether it would protect a mist ninja disappearing in the night. I may have to avoid most cities until I get out of this country, Ise decided. It was a setback he did not need, for he would have difficulty gathering information until he left sound. Still, the road was safer.
Despite his concerns and nervousness, Ise passed the night in relative safety. He was brought to wakefulness only three times, and only once did he leave his room with spear in hand. There was no trouble for the mist ninja, however, only the unfortunate events of a town without law, as Ise witnessed a sailor knifed in his bed by ready thieves. He watched the thieves run clean by him and took no action, for it was neither his mission nor his fight. So this is what happens in a land where the ninja are not feared, Ise determined. How worthless. A current of cold fear, running up from the depths of his thoughts struck him. Should I fail, would Mist become a land like this?
In the morning Ise would depart, trekking across the poisoned land of sound with renewed resolve, but reduced hope.