Whirl of the Light!
I don't own Naruto
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"Talking"
'Thoughts'
&-&- Scene change
(----) Different point of view
(-/-/-) Flash back
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Chapter 18
(----Koichi----)
It's been a good two months since Jeri's team and a few others headed north to Hidden Leaf. Also teams from Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand were arriving too. So a total of eight Light teams were going north as five Hidden Sand teams and ten Hidden Leaf teams coming south into Light village.
It also turns out that Hidden Leaf now has a herd of Kir!ron numbering eleven members with Depth as the herd leader and Rabbit as herd speaker. Not only have eight Kir!ron have immigrated to Hidden Leaf, but also six Water Drakes, twenty-two Fell'Tor$, eighteen CerYo, and ten Arace. It seems that the treaty is finalized or there wouldn't be members of the nonhumans going north. For this year is the first time since the original population left that immigration is now aloud.
It also means that some non-ninja were also thinking about coming south, they were mostly farmers and some craftspeople. He knows that none from Light village were thinking about going north, they heard about how wars between Hidden villages were sometimes too common and they didn't like that at all. Also Light village always needs new ninjas for missions into the mountains north of Light village. They don't have a map of the mountain range and the dangers of mapping them tend to be too much for a team to spend time mapping them. In his opinion, they need to send at the least, eight teams to do a single area and he doesn't know how many would come back from that trip either.
He pauses and as he finds tracks from some northern ninjas that were trying to make off with some gold bars and silver rings that they raided from the mining town. He grins a bit and summons Shoji. The yellow winged owl has grown over the years as he had.
"You mind having a look around? Some northern Nins are making off with some stuff from the mining town." He tells the owl. "They'll most likely spooked out of their minds by now. Fools." Shoji comments as he takes to the air. He nods in agreement with that observation, knowing that Shoji can see him.
He then looks back down at the patch of dirt and nods as he begins to follow the tracks. He counts about a good eight nins were who he's trailing and it adds credit to the story from the young boy who witnessed the robbery. He wonders which village they come from as he moves silently over the rocks.
Shoji appears to his right and says as he hovers, "Eight Mist nins and their being trailed by a stone bear." He looks surprise and says, "So I might get a bear rug out of this. Wait to stick around or leave?" Shoji says dryly, "I wouldn't mind seeing you take on a stone bear." He grins and nods as he then continues on. Shoji then climbs into the air to watch.
He soon finds the group of Mist ninja trying to kill the stone bear, but not succeeding. He sits on down and watches as the nine foot bear with grey coat with hints of black and white fur rears up on it's hind legs and roars as the bear takes a swing at one of the enemy ninja. The bear stands a good twelve feet in height, towering over everyone's head.
He watches as the kunai fall from the toughness of the muscle and fur. The bear disembowels the ninja, the guts coming out. The bear then shots forward to bite the ninja's head before the ninja hits the ground. He snorts as one of the ninja tries to flee under the belly of the bear.
Without looking, the bear's paw sends that ninja into the air and he bets that the ninja has broken ribs from that swipe. The bear turns to the remaining six ninja and growls as it falls onto its front paws. The bear begins to climb up to follow the six humans up the hill.
The nins try explosion notes into the bears face. The bear roars and charges quickly over the feet separating them. He moves forward as the bear attacks the six ninja. He then hears them plead for his help as he picks up the fallen nin's packs. He finds the packs filled with three gold bands and some silver rings.
"Please! Help us! We don't want to die!" He hears one says. He turns to face them and answers coolly, "Your getting what you deserve. You think you can just attack our land and raid an important town? You were died from the moment you crossed the mountains." The bear soon finishes killing the enemy ninjas and turns towards him.
He begins the hand seals to summon a beast made out of water. It takes the shape of a snake and it begins to warp itself around the stone bear. The bear tries to attack the water snake, but the more it attacks the water snake the more it gets splashed with water. Soon the jutsu finishes and it drenches the bear in with water.
He then does an ice jutsu he learnt from Haku. The bear then freezes solid and he continues to ice jutsus over and over again. After a good twenty minutes, he does a slow fire jutsu. When the bear unfreezes, it's very died. He then takes out his short sword and does a jutsu to make it supper sharp. He then begins to skin the stone bear.
He looks to find Shoji disappear as he starts on one of the front paws. It takes him a good four hours to skin the bear and to take the claws. He then rolls the skin up and then begins to collect the other packs with gold bands and silver in them. He separates the gold and silver into two different packs and then use the spare packs to double bag the gold and silver pack. He then searches for rope to tie up the skin up and to create straps to help carry it.
He then nods in satisfaction and begins to head towards the mining town to return the gold and silver. He hopes to make it before midnight and to have a warm room to sleep in before heading back to Light village with his bearskin. He'll have to tan it right after he reports in with the council. He wonders what Hinata's reaction will be to the skin and claws. He knows that Hinata's never seen a stone bear, heck today was the first time he ever seen one either, but his proud to be one of the few to kill a stone bear. He's only heard that only twenty-three Light ninja have ever been able to boast of the feat.
(----Hinata----)
She sighs as she looks into Koichi's unofficial room. She didn't know what's keeping Koichi for she knows that he shouldn't have had trouble finding the raiders and taking them out. She knows that he's fine or she would have had a vision of him in trouble.
But still, she misses having him around her house. They started to live together during the war with Orochimaru by sharing a tent together. At first they were unsure on how to make it work, but in time they got into a routine and they then began to grow on each other too. In time they sometimes began to notice when one of them had long missions and then they would cerebrate when one of them returns unharmed.
She smiles as she remembers the nights they enjoyed together. She sighs and turns from the room. She'll read until she gets tired. She picks up the book and sits down on the couch as she begins to read from the page she left off.
(----Swartt----)
He grins as he listens to what Folrig, used to be Bear Sleeper, is telling him. He nods as Folrig describes the reactions among the general populous to the newest announcement from the newest leader, Shower Axe of the Iscea clan. Shower Axe is the puppet of Grey Water and them. Shower Axe is thirty-four years old and his mother is of the Nylea clan, it took prearrangements between the two clans when Shower Axe's father and mother decided that they fancied each other. The daughters of the union would be Nylea clan as the sons would be Iscea clan.
The union was truly blessed by Irhoka'Lemea for the union brought forth eight children, five daughters and three sons. Shower Axe's two brother are Fox Tracker, twenty-five years old, and Stone Tree, forty-six. As for Shower Axe's sisters, they were Young Dream whose forty-eight years old, Breeze is thirty-nine years old, Dawn Watcher is thirty-two years old, Patient Mountain is twenty-seven, and finally High Song is twenty-one years old.
He sighs as Folrig finishes reporting to him. He thinks about this and says, "Thank you, Folrig. I trust you know what to do next." Folrig smiles and nods as he says, "I'll begin tomorrow. Night, clan leader." He nods and says, "Nigh, Folrig." He watches as Folrig leaves the room and he returns to reading the book in front of him.
He already has some specially selected JenFe! begin to speak with TerCa about having them take up residence close to the city. So far, they're thinking about it and he doesn't mind, for he can wait and in no hurry to commit to anything just yet.
(----Depth----)
He looks over documents about the newest members of the population. Already babies were on their way as well as many trying to conceive. He also knows that he too can now start a family of his own, for that's one of the rights as herd leader. He now can decide if and when he'll have children as well as any stallions under him. He also has chance to select which of the hinds he fancies.
He knows that some of the older hinds already have stallions that they favour and that some of the stallions will eventually come to Hidden Leaf to be with them too. He wonders if the older stallions will be bringing their other consorts as well. He is grateful that they weren't coming already, for he needs time to get use to the idea of him leading a herd as well as time to get ready for any challenges that will in time rear their head, for there are stallions that prefer the old traditions of earning leadership by brute force, instead of being chosen by the other hear leaders.
He sighs and Hor'Ja asks, "What's wrong?" He replies, "I'm thinking about trials that will appear in time that will want to take herd leadership from me." Hor'Ja snorts and says, "I know for a simple fact that they'd have to be nuts to challenge you. You braved the wrath of the Grrroar tribe and even came within close contact with them. How many other stallions can boast that?" He peaks at hearing this and says, "A few of the older ones." "See, you're on your way of becoming a legend! And only fools rush to challenge someone like you. You're clever and you can improvise as you go. Also, even if they win the challenge, you'll have authority over them anyways, so it's a lose-lose challenge anyway. You're in an enviable position, my friend." Hor'Ja remarks.
He smiles and has to admit that on seeing it that way, he truly is untouchable. It takes a load off his mind and he then looks Hor'Ja over. "Your worried about courting some of the new arrives, huh?" He asks. Hor'Ja's head feathers rise up and Hor'Ja nods his head. "I'm old enough, but will I be found acceptable? I've haven't have spent much time with females of my kind, other then the mated pairs that came north. I think I might have forgotten how to court or impress the opposite gender." Hor'Ja says.
He snorts and says, "I think the females will be doing the flirting, Hor'Ja. You're an important male around here, same as me, and I believe you're on your way of becoming a pack leader. I'd speak with the older pair if you have any doubts, Hor'Ja. They'll be ready to give you advice about this better then I can." Hor'Ja's feathers fluff out and then relax when Hor'Ja comes to a decision. "I think neither of us has our minds on the task at hand, so why not pick up tomorrow morning?" Hor'Ja asks. "Good plan." He replies. Hor'Ja being the only one that has arms, collects the papers and puts them away.
They walk out the room together and then they split apart as they head in different directions. He'll have time to think about which hinds wouldn't mind being consorts with him, for they weren't in a hurry like some of the shorter lived races to have children. He now didn't feel pressed to start a family right away for fear of some stallion appearing and taking his title. He truly felt secure in his position.
To Readers:
Much like the creatures they resemble, the Kir!ron tend to have more then one mate, but they also tend to make a life commitment with those they have children with. Also, herd leaders do tend to have a great control over what happens when it comes to siring the next generation. Some stallions like that control and could decide that all of the hinds of the group will have at least one foal sired by him. But if the hinds and stallions don't like the leader and nobody can take the title from the stallion they can disband a herd by simply deserting into other herds.
Also, Depth truly can't be ousted from his position as co-leader of the nonhumans and in this way, he's untouchable and has more peaks then other herd leaders. All he can do to a would be challenger is threaten to deport them back south to get out of the challenge on the bases that he can't do his job if he's injured. Though Depth isn't one to abuse that power, but if those that don't know him that well think he would, they'd be fearful to challenge him.
I just thought you might more detailed info about what kind of position that Depth has. Also thanks for reading and hope you continue to enjoy reading my story.
To be continued …