As promised, here's the first chapter of 2020, and we're kicking things off with a bang!
I do not own anything.
Poison Dove & Maelstrom Fox
Chapter 22 - A Dove Amongst the Leaves Pt.3
It'd taken some time for Kakashi Hatake to grace his students with his iconic Sharingan Eye during training battles. To be entirely frank, he never thought that he would as they were far from a capable team when he first met them. Just his low-grade bag of tricks had been enough to confuse and confound them to the point that it was almost too easy.
But it was the smallest things that usually heralded the biggest surprises, and the most pleasant ones. Bit by bit, they'd grown forcing him to up his game, arguably reaching its zenith during the village-wide battle royale barely three months after Tsunade had been formally inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage. Naruto and Sasuke had certainly given it in their all, forcing him to reveal his red and black-colored eye to face them on semi-equal footing.
And now, he was facing Naruto and Sakura…and they'd forced him to bring his A-game in the first ten seconds of the battle.
Yep! Lady Tsunade has definitely been working with her! Thought the masked jonin with a weak chuckle as his heart raced in alarm and slight fear. Such were the feelings of a teacher, pride was to be expected, but so too was a bit of horror when one realized how terrifyingly powerful their students had become. Especially when that power was directed toward them in something like a sparring match! With a shudder, Kakashi realized what he'd just seen wasn't going to be a one-time thing, it was going to be continuous. If Sakura found the titanic strength, then Naruto, I wonder where that-!
The Copy Ninja's thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as he sensed a presence behind him, along with a great sense of danger. His response was reflex, pure ingrained fighting reflex. The kunai he drew out immediately crackled with whitish-blue lightning, which was the only way it was able to stand up to the sheer force of the attack that Naruto threw at him. Even then, Kakashi felt his body being propelled downward, his right arm ringing from the aftershock of the parry that had lasted for no longer than four seconds. Those four seconds could have been the end of the sparring match if Kakashi hadn't acted fast.
What that led him to was without a doubt going to be a long struggle that would force him to get serious. Which was just what he wanted from his students.
As he slid across the ground, he spotted Sakura already moving into her next attack. It was rather straight forward, but demonstrated that she'd grown from the "frail flower" that she was years ago. Lifting a boulder-sized mound of rock, she grinned at him, then hurled it his way as if it were a softball. Kakashi nervously chuckled at the extremely blunt manner of attacking; there was no way that was all and he knew it, even as he jumped to the right to dodge the oncoming projectile. He was proven right as an orange-tinted blade impaled itself in the ground beside him. Some strange liquid sipped into the earth, causing it to turn a horrid shade of red, sparks of electricity rising from the poisoned earth; in a flash, they began to leap at him as the contamination grew. Kakashi slid to a stop and prepared to move, but his attention was directed upward as the second blade came at him hot and fast.
It wasn't fast enough that Kakashi couldn't avoid it, something that Naruto had somewhat been expecting. He grinned at his teacher as he stepped back, avoiding the magically-crafted weapon by just a few centimeters. Naturally, he had a follow-up waiting, which was the left blade that had impaled and rotted away the ground. Ripping it out, he made a vertical slash that the Copy Ninja also dodged, but again, by a hair. Their dance continued, one attacking and the dodging evading by a narrow margin.
You've also been fast, but no, Naruto, you've gotten so much faster! And you're coming at me with something besides your bare fists as well! Thought the gray-haired ninja in amazement as he genuinely found himself on the defensive, something he hadn't been expecting to happen this early in the training session. But he was also happy for it as well. It's clear you're not aiming for the bell, you're just trying to show me what it is that you've learned, Naruto. Thought the war veteran as he found himself being pushed back towards the tree line as a result of Naruto's nonstop attacks. While they were indeed furious, that they were so much so that Kakashi had to struggle to find an opening in his attacks, and those he did find he realized were feints. His blonde-haired knucklehead of a student was baiting him.
Until he wasn't.
Naruto smirked, then vanished in a blur of speed, in his place came a charging Sakura, fist drawn back and ready to drive it directly into Kakashi's face. By sheer reflex, he ducked, rearing his own fist backward in prepared for a punch of his own, only to stop when he felt danger coming his way. Spinning on his heel, he was momentarily surprised to find that Sakura was grinning as two orange-colored mass of pressurized wind came speeding her way. Only at the last second did he realize why that was.
Boom!
Kakashi had just enough time to throw up his arms in defense. It was the best he could do in the face of the deafening explosion of wind that flowed; the ordinarily explosive blast of the shadow clone disguise as Sakura had been magnified by Naruto's two projectile attacks, a smart tactic that was right up the whisker-faced blonde's alley. The jonin felt his feet leave the ground and his body go numb, and not just from the pain. In a second, he realized that the air he was sniffing was mixed with something, something poisonous. The Copy Ninja cursed, but he also praised his blonde-haired student; Naruto had learned some new tricks over the course of his journey.
As he skidded to a stop lying flat on his backside, he was giving a bird's eye view of Sakura descending towards him. There was an all too wide smile on her face as she came closer and closer toward. Clearly, she was looking forward to giving him some wounds to be healed overnight; Kakashi imagined Naruto was as well. He supposed he was lucky that Sasuke wasn't with them. Otherwise, he'd be with them and he'd have who knows what needed to be healed overnight.
If he didn't act fast, he was going to be in quite a bit of pain. It'd be so incredibly easy to take the bells hanging from his waistline. Shutting his eyes, Kakashi focused his chakra throughout his body, using it a desperate attempt to fight off the paralysis agent that had rendered him defenseless.
Sakura's descent came closer and closer to reaching its end. He was running out of time!
Boom!
⊲ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ
Naruto watched from the distance with a crooked smile. Semi-chan is venom incarnate…and Sakura's brute strength. Between the two of them…I'm screwed. Pieces of shrapnel flew outward as the ground cracked beneath the pressure of his teammate's fist, a force like a boulder crashing down. He shuddered to think what it felt like to be on the receiving end of such an attack. Something in his gut told him that a day may come when that was the position he was. An irritating voice in the back of his head told him that such a day wasn't too far off given his luck with women. Pushing the thoughts to the side, Naruto stepped forward, minding the cracks and fissures that had come about as a result of Sakura's punches. "He got away?"
"Got to give him credit for that though." The pinkette said, throwing her gloved hand to the side, flicking away the dust. "Naruto, that jutsu…that was a wind-style jutsu, a wind clone." She said in noticeable amazement.
Naturally, Naruto soaked it up. "Yep! Fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning, the five basic chakra natures! Turns out, mine is wind! Imagine that!?" Boasted the teenager before looking to the crater where their teacher had once lay, courtesy of his paralysis spell. He'd been hoping that it'd be enough to keep Kakashi paralyzed, but he'd fought through it and managed to not only dodge Sakura's attack, but make what amounted to a clean getaway as well. Still, it showed that he was worthy of his country-spanning reputation. "If I had some blood, then I could track him."
"Blood? How?" Sakura questioned.
Grinning, Naruto held up the two single-edged blades that he'd used in his first attacks. Sakura had to admit, she'd been curious as to what they were and where her teammate had learned how to wield them. While shuriken and kunai were one thing, she'd never particularly known Naruto to be a weapons-user. In fact, of all of her friends, he was one of the last ones she ever expected to pick up a weapon and incorporate it into his fighting style. Apparently, it was one of the many things that had apparently changed over the years-long training trip that he'd undergone. If she had to guess, it was also one of the changes brought about by his contact with that black-haired woman from another world, Semiramis.
Immediately, she placed her to be the designer of the falchion-like weapons that her teammate held in his hands. Weapons that glowed with a visible orange aura like weapons being possessed. A stray thought in Sakura's head led her to believe the weapons were possessed; the unsettling feeling that Semiramis gave off was certainly something she took into account as she eyed the details of the twin blades. Without a doubt, they resembled a beast's fangs crossed with swords, or rather, fangs shaped into swords.
The blades were likely no longer than three feet each, but three feet of razor-sharp steel that glowed with red markings at the base of the blade and ran half-way up. Each one had a slight curve, making them ideal for slashing, which Sakura had witnessed with her own two eyes; without a doubt, a direct hit would have surely had their sensei holding his shoulders or chest in pain. Somewhat eye-catching was the guard, which was a gold-colored bar that curved upward on one end and downward on the other, a style that Sakura couldn't recall any sword she'd ever seen having. What drew her attention the most though, was the-
"We have to move, now!" Called the whisker-faced teenager, catching the pink-haired girl's attention. Alert, she looked to their six o'clock and cursed.
Rather than coming above ground, it was the ground itself, now being used against them rather than aiding them. Spires of rock darted up and chunks of earth sharpened themselves and pointed upward in and advancing wave that would no doubt cripple them if they didn't get out of the way. Sakura quietly weighed their options - counterattack with a move of her own or attempt to get out of the way. Between the two, the latter would prove more difficult as this was without a doubt the kind of wide-spanning attacking that would force them to sprint if they went with evasion.
"For the record, this is just to avoid the attack, not for anything worried!" Came the blonde's voice again. Sakura had little time to question him before he grabbed her by the waist and brought her in close. "Wind Style-Soaring Step!" He finally finished the hand sign, completing the jutsu. Around his feet the wind coiled and condensed, then erupted into an upward geyser of force that propelled the two teenagers skyward. One of them yelped in surprise, the other took quiet glee in her response. While he was trying to focus on the battle, he had to admit, a part of him was still enjoying this just a tad bit. Plus, Sakura was far too stunned to take stock of how close together they were. His glee was short-lived as he heard the oncoming attacks, a reminder that he and his teammate were still in the middle of a battle. In a heartbeat, he calculated the trajectory of the fireballs coming at them then looked to Sakura. "I'm going to swing you right at him!"
His voice brought the medical ninja out of her shock and back to reality. She looked at Naruto and understood his plan an instant, then nodded her acceptance of it. Naruto, he's…changed a bit more than I thought he did! He swung his left blade at the oncoming attacks. Not a blast of wind but solidified chakra, a blade-wave attack that she'd seen a few blade users such as Asuma Sarutobi perform. Doing so took a certain amount of skill and refinement so what one fired off was something capable of doing damage and not just pretty-looking. Sakura saw her teammate was capable of just that as his attacks collided with the fireballs, causing burst of flames and wind to fill up the sky. Seeing the flames, she felt no fear at the thought of dive-bombing through them; Sakura had a feeling that's exactly what would happen as she placed both her feet against the side of Naruto's outstretched blade.
And then she flew.
Alright, he's gotten way stronger too! Thought the gloved girl as she sped through the flaming cloud, through the tree line towards where they believed their sensei to be hiding. But he's still not as strong as me! She boasted with a smile before catching sight of the surprised jonin with wide eyes. With a roar, she launched her fist forward, plowing through him, and the tree branch he was on, and the next several before hitting the ground creating a small impact crater.
"How'd it go?!" Naruto called. "Did you get him?!"
Standing up, she looked down at where her supposedly comatose sensei was supposed to be. Sakura couldn't say that she was surprised to find a collection of splinters lying before her. Once, it might have been a complete log. But now, after coming into contact with her fist, it was no more than a pile of broken wooden fragments. "Naruto, keep your eyes o-!" Her heart skipped a beat in alarm as she realized her entire right arm was frozen stiff. Sweat quickly collecting on her brow, she moved her eyes to the limb and found a series of curse mark-like symbols spreading up to her elbow. "S-Shit…t-t-this is a little more than what I was expecting."
"Well, to be fair, you guys are coming at me with some pretty impressive moves and power, so I need to respond accordingly, even if this is just a sparring session." Came the voice of the Copy Ninja from beyond her field of vision. Sakura immediately guessed he was hiding out somewhere, either in the bushes or perhaps underground. Somewhere safe and sound where he could watch. "Obviously, my first step is to stop you from using those boulder-busting punches of yours. Speaking of which, nice work so far! It seems you've taken to Lady Tsunade's training rather well!" Kakashi chirped in.
In spite of the annoyance caused by the paralysis, Sakura laughed as she made a determined look along with her smile. "Getting this level of strength wasn't easy, I can tell you that. Don't worry though, I've still got plenty of strength left to go toe-to-toe with you, Kakashi Sensei."
"Hm, that's good to hear. But just a heads up, you may be doing it-"
SLISH!
Both student and teacher were caught off-guard by the sound, and in Sakura's case, the sudden burst of wind that came with it. While still struggling to move her right arm, she moved her gaze upward, to where the tree line ended. She felt a familiar chakra flare-up along with the dispelling of another.
Figures, right around the time Kakashi-sensei caught me, he set up a genjutsu to lure Naruto in. And he came…but he actually broke it! Realized the kunoichi with surprise expression.
"Sakura! Sakura, are you…he bound your arm?" He'd came bounding through the bushes, heedless of any other traps or surprises that could have lain in wait. Then again, this was only a sparring match so Naruto probably believed that their sensei would only go so far.
"Yeah, still, it was a good plan we came up with." She admitted with a smile before turning her attention back to the sealing jutsu now working its way up her right arm. She'd managed to stop it from spreading, but she couldn't afford to hold it back while expanding chakra in doing so, especially not with their sensei hiding out somewhere. "Don't worry, I can handle this, you go-"
"Actually, let me handle this. These blades are good for more than just slashing physical things, though after what I did something tells me you have an idea of that." He dismissed his left-hand blade so his hand was freed up; it was used to hold up her arm. Blinking, Sakura was silent as he stared at her with blue eyes gleaming with maturity. "Sakura, trust me about this, I-"
"Naruto," she softly cut off, then smiled. "You're my teammate, my friend…whatever you're gonna do, I trust you."
Something inside of Naruto…jumped when he heard that. It wasn't like his heart was now jumping in joy at hearing his crush say such words; it was something a tad more…subdued. What was rushing through him was a feeling akin to relief with an undercurrent of platonic joy. Whatever it truly was, it steadied his hand as he held his Kitsune-ken over his teammate's arm, the glow of the blade changing from orange to a fiery red. The glow grew, eventually shaping itself into a bladed edge that he ran over Sakura's paralyzed arm. He didn't blame her for shivering as he did so, Naruto himself had been extremely nervous during the first few times he'd done this, and those had all been in practice sessions with his teacher who could easily undo the sealing jutsu placed on him with Semiramis close by. Technically speaking, this was a training session, albeit a more frantic one.
⊲ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ
Watching from behind the signs, Kakashi had to admit, he was impressed…and he was proud. Naruto, He thought as an array of electrified ninja tools crackled before him. Your mother and father would be proud of you. A sad smile graced the Copy Ninja's masked face as he thought back to his beloved sensei and his wife. Kakashi had a great many things he would have given anything for, one of them was the return of the two people who'd been somewhat surrogate parents to him. It was funny to think he'd passed into an almost similar role regarding their son; funny and tragic when he truly gave it some thought. Drawing him out of his nostalgia stupor was the sound of his students' voices. They reminded him that he was still in the middle of a fight testing them. Pushing away the past, he focused on the present. Alright, guys, let me see you how you handle this! With that thought, he launched the string of kunai and shuriken directly at the pair.
Both were alerted by the loud whistling and crackling of lightning. Naruto spun in his heel, summoning his other blade and throwing both out in front of him. There was no time for him to speak to Sakura, all he could do was focus on what was in front of him, which was danger. Orange light sprang from the kitsune-ken and shaped itself into a circular barrier around the two ninja. It was ideal protection against the barrage of electrified weaponry that would have left them on the ground screaming in bloody pain. Naruto grinned, hearing the gasp of his female teammate as well as feeling a sense of accomplishment at what he'd just done. Barely a second after the barrage ended, Naruto spun both weapons in his hands then slammed the two of them down, sending forth a wave of corrosive chakra in the direction he'd seen the shurikens coming from. Beyond his physical eyesight, he heard a yelp followed by a rustling of greenery. Sakura did so as well and made a run for it with the blonde jumping to his feet then following after her.
Whatever power that dwelled within Naruto's blades, Kakashi had to give it credit for being something to be feared. Had he been a second too late and he would have been caught in the super-heated cloud of gas that forced its way up from the ground. Just from the smell alone, the white-haired ninja knew that if getting enveloped in the stuff would have been painful, not to mention it might have left him with an unpleasant odor needing to be washed off. He'd avoided that situation only to find himself in a more pressing one right before him - his two charging students.
Hand signs were weaved and his hands were pushed out, palms facing them. "Wind Style-Great Breakthrough!" Like a howl, the sudden storm pierced the once tranquil afternoon air, and like a blade, it ripped through the ground heading directly for the two teenagers. It hit them faster than they'd been expecting, forcing them to a stand-still and their arms up. As Kakashi had expected, Naruto swung both his short swords to the side, the chains anchoring him to the ground, and eventually Sakura as she was blown into his chest. Were it not for him, she'd have been blown away, and were it not for his chains, Naruto would have been as well. Both were immobilized just as Kakashi had hoped.
"I hate this jutsu!" Shouted the Leaf Village's Jinchūriki. His voice was barely audible over the vicious storm that was gradually pushing him and his teammate back inch by inch. Memories of the Forest of Death flashed through him, empowering him with energy which he funneled into his chains, which hummed with chakra. One thing that had been drilled into his head was the focus needed to properly use his magically-forged weapons. The training had been grueling, but the end results had always driven him, and when achieved he'd been proud, as had his teacher and his Servant.
From him and through the chains, chakra flowed along with his will. The ground around the impaled blades turned sickly red; a line formed from each weapon and began heading in one direction.
Which Kakashi was vastly aware of.
Smirking, he ceased his whirlwind attack, and moved onto another. "Fire Style-Fireball Jutsu!"
"Eh!?" Shouted Naruto while Sakura cursed in alarm. Both scrambled to get out of the way of the oncoming fireball, which easily dwarfed the two of them. They broke in different directions, their bodies awash in the heat of the aftermath of the attack. The panicky dodges quick became combat rolls that ended with the two teenagers sitting in upright fighting positions.
Naruto drew the unlucky, or perhaps lucky straw. A shadow loomed over him, putting his instincts on full alert. Throwing up his Kitsune-ken, he met the sharpen mass of rock and stone that was his sensei's weapon. Though he was under pressure, the blond grinned in excitement. Same as ever, Kakashi-sensei!
Naruto, you've gotten sharper! Grinned the copy ninja, shutting both eyes as the flash bomb he'd had dangling at the end of his stone sword went off, temporarily blinding his hyperactive pupil. With him momentarily disoriented, Kakashi seized his chance to strike, raining down blow after blow on his student who was helpless to respond.
But not his teammate, who'd waited and listened. Sakura was no fool, she knew that Naruto was loud and boisterous, but he was also tough, mentally and physically.
She came crashing in with a flying sidekick that the Copy Ninja gracefully moved out of its way; to him, it seemed as if her leg were moving in slow motion. The same could be said for her punches, all of which Kakashi knew could leave him in serious pain if they connected. Luckily, none of them did as now that he was back in control, he could dodge to his heart's content, which was exactly what he did. Sakura's face showed brief frustration, but somewhere inside she'd seen this coming and responded in the only way she could have - by keeping up her attack in hopes of breaking through his defenses.
"Shinobi Battle Skill number one…taijutsu!" Shouted the red-eyed jonin as he caught Sakura's oncoming left fist and used the momentum behind it to flip her onto her backside. Were this an actual battle, he'd had gone for outright twisting her arm to render it useless, but it wasn't. And Kakashi had another issue to worry about.
Having heard him, Naruto decided to play along. Gone were his mystical blades, leaving him with nothing but his fists. He was unarmed, but no less deadly without them.
Though his punches lacked the raw power of his female teammate's, they were still something to be feared. Kakashi noted they were just as fast and fierce as ever. Briefly, Kakashi wondered exactly how strong Naruto's punches would be compared to Sakura's, it was a question he hoped he wouldn't find out this session around.
When he pulled back, Kakashi knew that Sakura was coming at him next; his ears told him from where. He spun out of the way of her attempted right hook, then brought his arms up to protect himself from the blonde's overhead ax kick. Catching his leg, he grabbed him then brought him down, right on top of the clone that was making a beeline for him. Still holding onto him, he swung the teenager right, directly into the path of his oncoming teammate.
"Woah! S-S-Sakura, s-s-top! It's me!" Screamed the flailing blond. It seemed his fears were about to be realized so soon after contemplating them.
With a grin, the pinkette slid beneath her teammate and continued toward her goal. The bells were within reach and she went for them, her emerald eyes gleaming as she did so.
Alas, it wasn't to be as Kakashi immediately let go of Naruto and took just a single step back, putting him out of her reach. With the speed that proved he was on par with a certain jumpsuit-wearing individual, he kicked off and rammed his fist directly into his student's abdomen, sending her skidding backwards into the arms of Naruto, or one of them. Several others surged forward, much to Kakashi's delight. They all gave as good as the original, and they got as good as Kakashi was willing to give in response. Countless poofs of smoke shot up from his attacks, several of which ended up hitting the right place with enough force to dispel the clones in a single shot.
Ultimately, Kakashi found himself in a sea of dissipating white smoke. "Now, Naruto, I hope you know this won't be enough to stop me." Chuckled the jonin, scouring his surroundings with his Sharingan.
"Then how's about this!" Came a multitude of voices above him. Naturally, the source was undoubtedly a swarm of orange-clothed Narutos that were falling fast upon the Copy Ninja.
Seems like we've moved onto the next lesson, ninjutsu! Thought the gray-haired jonin, going through the hand signs that ended with him slamming his palms against the ground. From them went a surge of chakra that shaped and molded the terrain beneath him. "Earth Style-Sky-Piercing Fangs!" At his command, the earth rose, sharpen spikes and pieces of shrapnel that shot upward, directly toward the descending swarm of shadow clones. As with the previous batch, they all went up in puffs of smoke.
"Since ninjutsu is now on the menu…" Came the excited voice of the blonde-haired teenager from beyond the veil of smoke. "Wind Style-Tempest Dragon!" The jutsu's name caught Kakashi by surprise, as did its manifestation. It also caught Sakura by surprise as well; her jaw hung open in shock as she watched a mass of wind coil around her teammate, shaping itself into a dragon that reared its head back and roared. Then it launched itself directly toward their sensei.
Determination colored behind his mask, Kakashi responded with a wall of hardening earth that stretched close to twenty feet high.
⊲ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ
Sakura looked at Naruto; her intuition told her that he had something else planned. She was right as Naruto held up his two short swords in a cross position. Upon making a slashing motion with the two of them, she watched as the once light blue winds changed color to a rusty red. She connected the dots in an instant; looking ahead, she saw the rock wall that Kakashi had put up was quickly corroding away. Sakura took a whiff of the air and her face wrenched unpleasantly.
On some level, Sakura braced herself. She knew that whatever those blades were, they were now a part of her teammate's fighting style, meaning she'd be seeing a lot more of them. Given what she'd seen so far regarding their abilities, they seemed to possess some control over the powers of contamination and poisoning. The pinkette supposed she wasn't surprised given their creator had introduced herself as her world's first poisoner. As a medical ninja, she supposed that it was some sick sense of irony.
And just think, you're just seeing her handiwork. You've yet to actually interact with the woman herself. Imagine how fun that'll be. An insidious voice in the back of her head whispered. It honestly surprised Sakura, surprised and worried her. Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away and once more focused back on the present in front of her. Their teacher's rocky defense had been corroded away and he himself had fled underground, a tactic that Naruto had come to expect. So too had she.
Before either of them could decide on a course of action though, he went on the offensive yet again.
Beneath their feet, the ground began to heat and crack. The teenagers looked to one another, and then promptly bolted in their respective directions. It was just in time as the ground around them, a good seven meters of earth, erupted into a fiery inferno. Naruto and Sakura looked at the blaze with narrowed eyes. The flames crackled and twisted, shaping themselves into a pair of canine heads with glowing eyes that growled at the two of them. Neither of them was surprised as they'd learned after the Land of Waves, their sensei was a dog person. Sakura had once remarked given his choice in literature, it wasn't at all surprising.
Sasuke had likened him more to a wolf than a household canine, something that the cycloptic ninja hadn't exactly denied, but affirmed that he found dogs a bit more his alley. Naruto had given the subject some thought as well, agreeing with his rival that he was more like a wolf, particularly when he was in battle.
Now, years later, Naruto held fast to that reasoning as he was seeing more of what his teacher was able to do.
The wolf heads snarled, then with air-shaking roars, pounced on the pair of teenage ninja, who stood firm and ready for the oncoming attacks.
"Hm, I suppose that'll do for now. No need to go overboard, especially since there's not too much furniture to fill up the place. Not yet anyway." Added the Servant with a laugh as she closed the door on her Master's apartment. From an outside perspective, all seemed normal, which was exactly how Semiramis wanted it to stay. How long that would be the case though was something that was up for debate.
Leaning against the door, she quietly pondered to herself for what was feeling like the hundredth time how her life had taken such a bizarre turn. Or her next life to be precise. It wasn't like she was alive, not truly alive. She was still a Servant, a familiar, but she was doing something that wasn't the norm for her kind - living. Semiramis wasn't exactly complaining though as she quite enjoyed living life when given the chance, and any who stood in her way would feel her wrath. And the same now went for any who dared to cause harm to her Master, who himself was off sparring with his old teacher.
While she'd kept an ear open, she'd mostly focused on sprucing up the apartment that he called home. As with many other things in the Leaf Village, she'd seen it all for the first time. His apartment, for the record was…well, Semiramis couldn't say that it was disappointing. It was normal, average, which was to be expected of her Master who lived like an average citizen even though he was this village's equivalent of royalty.
In several steps, she stood atop her Master's apartment building, giving her a good enough view of the surrounding village. Was she trying to get a feel of what her Master had felt? A better grasp of the memories that had infected her mind during that faithful year and a half that she and Naruto had bonded together?
Without a doubt, the Leaf Village was by far the largest settlement that she'd come across so far. From what she'd learned from Jiraiya, it was at one point the strongest of the Five Shinobi Villages with its deceased Third Hokage the strongest of all the current Kage. All of that, however, was in the past.
What lay before her was the present, and in her opinion…it wasn't so bad.
Catching a flight on one of her doves, she took a bird's eye view of the village as she'd done before. Her last flyover had been little more than a few hours at best, yet here she was again. And while her Master was off getting into who knew what, again. A smile grew along her face at the thought, and perhaps at whatever excitement Naruto was feeling. It was faint, but she could feel it - his pounding heart and the euphoria racing through him like water down a hill. He must still have been battling his old teacher; Semiramis couldn't tell if he was winning or losing, only that he was having fun. She supposed that was what mattered the most.
Her dove took her on a familiar route toward the Hokage Building, which she'd been in more than an hour ago. Silently, she dropped from the white-feathered beast's back to stand on the rooftop. It offered an impressive view of the Hokage Stone Faces, which Semiramis suspected was the point. She pondered how many times the five faces above her stood where she was in contemplation. She knew that the Third and Fifth Hokages had lived long enough to see their faces added, no doubt being there for the process no doubt. She also wondered if the man between them lived long enough to see his face carved into the stony mountainside. Semiramis rather optimistically liked to think yes.
Generally speaking, she believed the stone face captured the look of Minato Namikaze. Granted, one couldn't tell that he and Naruto shared such a close facial resemblance. For the hundredth time, she honestly wondered if one looked at the two side by side, would they be able to place the connection. Common sense should have rung some alarm bells; alas, Semiramis knew that from time to time the average man wasn't even capable of grasping the obvious. Then again, Semiramis also knew that when personal emotions were involved, especially grief, the ability to think rationally went out the window. Not that she had much personal experience in such a matter. Instead, she'd been an observer of such things.
And now, an observer she was again, along with at times an active participant in the events that were to come.
Her arms crossed as she attempted to visualize the Yellow Flash judging her. What would he think of her? What would his wife? She liked to think she'd worked with Naruto enough for them to at least give her a pass to continue being with him, not that they would have had much choice. She might have had to actually fight his wife; such a prospect was one that Semiramis would have found intriguing, but given what she'd learned about Kushina Uzumaki…they were as opposite as oil and water.
Except for maybe their hair.
The Assassin's thoughts came to an end as she felt a presence behind her, and felt a pair of eyes on her. It was absolutely startling considering that she was a Heroic Spirit of Stealth, albeit her abilities as an Assassin weren't exactly "standard". It wasn't like she was an expert at hiding away in the shadows, completely erasing one's presence. She was a queen thus she always made sure to hold onto some sense of presence, and an imposing presence.
Standing behind her was someone who had a bit of that as well.
It's not like I can keep ignoring him forever. If the person is who I think they are…then I might as well get this over with. With her back turned, she took a quick inhalation of air through her nose. Silently, she turned around, her heels clicking on the rooftop. The last of her Presence Concealment dropped, fully revealing herself to the man who'd joined her on the rooftop.
"Finally, face-to-face." Spoke the village elder in a monotone.
Semiramis responded in kind. "Yes, we were bound to encounter one another at some point. Now, if this encounter will end with you curled up on the ground at my feet depends on what you have to say to me."
As she'd heard, there was barely a hint of emotion on the old war hawk's face as he received what very well could be counted as a threat. "That's quite a thing to say to an elder of this village."
"If an elder as in a senior citizen, then yes. However, an elder in terms of political power, I believe that is not so. From what I understand, the Third Hokage stripped you of your political power after the night of the Uchiha Massacre." Pausing there, Semiramis waited for any sort of reaction on the part of the war hawk. As she'd somewhat been expecting, there was none, or at least not great emotion. "I understand that you have designs to use Naruto as a human weapon."
"He is a jinchūriki thus that is his natural function in life." Replied the one-eyed man in a flat tone. "From what I understand, that should not come as a surprise to you, especially since you yourself are meant to be used as a weapon as well."
Even if the words were technically true, they made Semiramis' anger flare. Not greatly, just a small tick up. Not that she let her opponent see that; she knew all too well that revealing her emotions too early would give herself away. Not to mention, she didn't want to give the wrinkled old geezer in front of her the satisfaction of knowing he'd hit a sore spot. "Naruto is Naruto, his actions are his own and I will not allow anyone else to influence them."
"…Except for you, correct?"
Not a sound was made from the Assyrian Queen, nor did her face betray any emotion. "My duty is to serve as Naruto's advisor. Nothing more and nothing less." There was a beat. "That and his bodyguard I suppose."
The lone eye that was visible narrowed. Without a doubt, the war hawk was taking apart the words she'd just spoken. Certainly, he'd taken note of the fact that Naruto had been the centerpiece. Him, not the Hidden Leaf Village. Such a thing was something to take note of, and considering who it was she was speaking to, it made all of the difference. It was cause for worry, and cause to treat the Servant woman with even more suspicion than what was already warranted.
In turn, Semiramis was fully willing to treat the man in front of her with absolute caution.
"When we get back to the village, there's one person who you'll absolutely have to watch out for. He's a man who was close friends and rivals with the Third Hokage…but even the old man knew to keep him at arm's length. Especially after the Uchiha Massacre." Jiraiya had told her as they were resting up at a village. It was about one month before they were set to return to the Leaf.
Semiramis had stared at the formerly gloomy sky, then looked back at the Toad Sage. Seeing how serious his face was, she knew to take his words to heart. "I take it this man will give me a hard time when we arrive?"
"For more reasons than one, especially once he learns of your…personal history. Semiramis, this man is the type who makes use of anything and everything he can to advance his own agenda, which he'll swear is done in the service of protecting the village." The white-haired ninja responded, crossing his arms.
Hearing that got a chuckle out of the Assassin. "Sounds like I'll have a worthy opponent."
Briefly, Jiraiya smiled, then his face fell as a shadow fell over him. His next words mirrored his grim face. "These battles are going to have Naruto in the middle of them. I hope you realize that."
Outside, the sun had come out after a day of heavy rain. With such a mood, people began to come out and enjoy the surprisingly hot and humid air, as well as the rainbows that dotted the sky. The environment outside was a sharp contrast to the high-rise café that the Servant and the Sannin were sitting in; or more accurately, the team they sat at, one wouldn't be off base to say that the stormy rain clouds still lingered over the two of them.
"This man, what is his name?"
"Danzō Shimura, the Shinobi of Darkness."
"What a positively inspiring name. I'm sure the man will be an absolute thrill to meet him in person."
That conversation had ended in laughter. However, it was the laughter lacking humor he usually has in the others he did in the past. At that moment, Semiramis couldn't help but feel that uncharacteristic laughter was silently, and warningly, telling her there was no laughing matter about Danzō. After he stopped laughing, Jiraiya told her that when they meet, she'd see what he meant.
The sage's words were spot on. At the very least, the war hawk looked like he'd seen combat, perhaps a bit too much of it considering that he was missing a right arm and an eye. The wrinkles on his face spoke of a man who'd lived through several stressful periods, some of which he likely hurled himself into. Semiramis immediately took note of the fact that the man was quite open regarding his deformities. They were quite eye-catching, which she theorized to be the point; Danzō wanted people to know that he'd been through the worst and came out alive. Alive, but not whole.
At least, that's the feeling she got.
This feeling that comes over me when I look to his right side…this tension. Could it be you're not as crippled as you want everyone to think you are? It was nothing but a hunch, and Semiramis was doing her best to keep those hunches in reserve. Not to mention, she was very aware that ultimately, she had very little political power…and the man in front of her probably had enough of it he could make her life, or Naruto's life, hell. And what was worse was that from what she'd heard from Jiraiya, he'd been taken off the village council; that no longer held quite as true now that the man who'd done so had gone to the hereafter and the village had to endure several long months of crisis. In had stepped the war hawk when he felt he was needed. She knew for a fact that her arrival could be looked at with suspicion and doubt, two things that the cycloptic man in front of her was eyeing her with.
His cane hit the rooftop ground. "I will simply say this, Assassin. Should you prove a threat to the safety and security of the Hidden Leaf Village, I will take steps to contain you."
What a polite way of saying you'll try to kill me. Sarcastically thought the poison-totting Servant with a mental chuckle behind a stoic face. "I shall repeat myself, my goal is securing Naruto's safety."
"Which can run counterproductive to what is best for the village." Said again the war veteran, not giving an inch or hint of emotion on his face. "Ultimately, a person of your status cannot be bound to one as short-sighted and foolish as him. Not unless you have done something to correct the mental…shortcomings that he possesses."
Yet again, her temper flared up, though the Assassin kept such feelings hidden away. Even then, something told her that Danzō knew he'd hit a sore spot with her. The man wasn't a stupid as she would have liked to believe. "What he is now is who he is, I have merely given him advice and mentoring when needed. Along with the teachings of his master-"
"Who himself is a fool, and inherited the worst traits of his teacher."
Finally, a crack formed, and through it the serpent within could be glimpsed. It glared in anger at the cycloptic man. "What a way to speak of your old friend."
"Hiruzen was my friend, yes, but he also had more than his fair number of shortcomings. Shortcomings that were passed onto Jiraiya, and I believe they have been passed onto Naruto thus putting the village at risk." Danzō fired back in a cold and calculating tone that made Semiramis' face twisted in annoyance. Now that he'd seen how to get under her skin, he was going to push that angle as far as he could. Even more, he'd found yet another reason to dislike her in seeing her response to his goading.
"And what, pray tell, were those shortcomings? Why was it he was chosen as Hokage over you?" It was now a case of fighting fire with fire. Semiramis saw it, even if it was only brief. Just as her newly identified political enemy had left a crack in her defenses, she'd done so in his. "Look, if your ego is still wounded, then I'd advise you to keep from taking it out on my Master. Should he achieve his dream, I will be at his side as one of his advisors ensuring that he and the village remain on the correct path." Spoke the Heroic Spirit in a dismissive tone that was aimed at riling up her opposition.
It failed. "And I am supposed to entrust my village's fate in your hands? Not to mention you're making a big assumption in that the boy will one day be able to hold the position. Given his current state, that is far from likely to happen." Again, his walking stick hit the ground; the sound echoed through the open sky like a ringing bell. The old war hawk met the Servant's narrowed gaze with one of his own. "He isn't even half the shinobi that his father was, and Minato was far too idealistic to hold the Kage hat. Had he had time to grow, that might have changed."
Semiramis couldn't tell what was making her blood boil more, and she was finding it increasingly frustrating that it was running in the first place. She was never this…hot-tempered, especially on first encounters. All too quickly, the reason manifested, a smiling face of a dented but still optimistic young man and the nostalgic and melancholic smile of an old sage filled with regrets, both of whom had come near and dear to her heart even though she wouldn't say so. Taking a breath to calm herself before looking at the one-eyed and one-armed man sharply, she summoned a quarter of the near-divine wrath that she could invoke, throne or no throne. "Danzō, if you came here to insult the men who gave their lives for this village, then I'm afraid this isn't going to be a very productive relationship between us."
He gave a look of mock shock that had Semiramis toying with running her hands through his chest. And if not that, then poisoning him and leaving him to writhe in agony there on the rooftop before the vintages of the previous Kages, both ideas sounded rather enticing.
In his head, the Darkness of Shinobi must have been weighing his options, and realizing what lay ahead of him if he continued to press the buttons of the dangerous beauty before him. A shadow fell over his eyes, just as a cloud passed over the sunbathing the earth in temporary darkness. One might have said it was a sign of some sort, especially as it caused the tension between the two politicians to skyrocket. Open combat between the two was a very real possibility.
But it was one that wouldn't play out today.
It was a bold move, turning his back to the woman who could kill at a moment's notice, and without lifting a finger to boot. If Semiramis hadn't developed an instant dislike for the man, she might have been impressed. "As Naruto is an important asset to the village, not to mention your literal lifeline, I trust that you will do all that you can to keep him alive." Somehow, he managed to freeze the air itself with his next words. "That is…unless you come across a more…interesting prospect in terms of a potential Master."
That was it, the final straw.
Once again, to his credit, Danzō remained incredibly composed as a series of barbed, poison-soaked chains manifested around him, hovering around him like a pack of vicious snakes. The blades could almost be heard hissing, transmitting the venomous hatred that had blossomed within the Assyrian Queen, who remained where she had been, still as composed as ever. Hand-in-hand with the composure was a now visible aura of malice that sucked the life from the air around her. It was a miniaturized cloud of poisonous anger that actually left cracks on the tiled ground beneath her heels. Her reptilian eyes further narrowed, causing the cracks to grow as the aura intensified. Against it, the former rival of the Third Hokage stood firm. It was intense, but he must have seen its likeness before several times in his life, from a multitude of people who'd attempted to end his life. He was still standing, and it was his goal to continue to do so.
Needless to say, that goal just got a bit…tougher.
"Should I find some attempts to undermine my Master, or worse, undermine me, and I discover that you are the root cause, make no mistake, Danzō Shimura," growled the pointy-eared woman in a malefic voice that seemingly caused the wind to die down so that her words were the only sources of sound in the world. "I will make you suffer pain the likes of which you've never imagined." Her heels clicked as she took the necessary steps towards him. "You believe that you have endured pain through all these long years? Merely minor inconveniences, I assure you. Should you cross me, I will make you long for them. For that incident that cost you your right arm, for the agony that no doubt cost your right eye, such moments will seem like fond memories that I shall make you long for." Barely two feet of space separated them, meaning that the Servant's venomous aura was practically right on top of the old war hawk. He was keeping up a brave front, but that could only last so far. Her deadly-sharp eyes stared straight at his left eye and his right one behind the bandages. "Keep your claws away from Naruto. Is that clear?"
"…I shall take it under consideration." Came the stoic response.
That was the moment that Semiramis would have loved to have one of her chains take the elder's head off in a single whip. Alternatively, she could have speared his heart, grasped the old wrinkled organ in her hands and crushed it as easily as if it were a grapefruit. Again, both options were deeply appealing to her and she almost followed through on them, but a sudden alert from her Master's side reminded her that he was still actively battling his teacher.
"You have been warned." Semiramis snarled before taking a step back. Her chains fell away into sparkles of violet and her own began to shimmer. The last things to vanish were her eyes, snake-like slits that left no illusion as to what she would do if angered.
⊲ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ ᕳᕲ
Danzō stood there, alone atop the Hokage Building with the setting sun at his back and the stone faces of the men he idolized, including his deceased sensei and best friend to his front. Letting the tension roll out of him, he let out a previously held breath. Confronting the woman from another world had proved a tad more…taxing than he'd originally believed it would be. It seemed she lived up to some of the stories that he had heard of her. She was just as dangerous as he'd been led to believe. That made her both a potential asset and a threat, one he'd have to keep a close eye on.
Her words echoed in his head, "You have been warned".Directing his gaze to the spider-web cracks she'd made with her aura of poison, the war hawk whispered, "So too have you, Assassin."
"So, did I miss anything eye-catching?"
The two women visibly jumped when they heard her voice, something that actually caused Semiramis to chuckle in amusement. Naruto and Jiraiya had accused her of using her Presence Concealment to drop in on people when they were least expecting it. All she did was laugh in response and remind them that she was an Assassin, and remind them to be thankful that they'd earned her favor enough not to use that power to end their lives. Toad-themed master and student had learned that lesson well, and now it seemed time for the female half of the Sannin triangle to do so as well. It was going to be a journey that Semiramis looked forward to with amusement.
Tsunade and Shizune though? Probably not. Both ladies looked at Semiramis as if she were a ghost, which wasn't entirely inaccurate in a number of ways. It somewhat soothed her from the feelings of toxic anger and new disdain for a certain war hawk.
Of course, the Fifth Hokage was the first to recover and speak. "I must say, you and Jiraiya did some good work with Naruto. Apparently, you were able to teach him some elemental jutsu, giving him another means of protecting himself."
Turning to the sound of the commotion, the Assyrian Servant saw that the battle between teacher and students was still raging. It'd left its mark across the training ground in the form of craters, scorch marks, fissures, and puddles of water here and there. The clothing of all three combatants had been torn and wrinkled showing that no one had progressed through the battle without gaining an injury, and yet one look at their faces and Semiramis could see that far from annoyance, they were all having fun. Chuckling, she could only shake her head in amazement. Had it been her, she'd have been annoyed at the fact that the mock battle had stretched from the day into early nightfall. She wasn't expecting it to drag on any longer than that though, a sentiment she sent to Naruto's head via telepathy.
"It was...fortunate I suppose that his chakra nature was one that allowed for him to use long-range attacks. Using the very wind itself as a medium, it makes him quite a deadly combatant." Noted the long-haired woman. "Still, control was a bit of an issue."
"Naruto certainly seems to enjoy firing off massive blasts of wind. It was honestly a shock to see him use one of the dragon techniques." Shizune noted. Admittedly, her jaw had dropped watching her surrogate younger brother shape the wind around him into a ferocious dragon, whose composition he did altered using his two blades. "Still, he has the massive chakra required to not only use some techniques, but keep on fighting afterward."
"Yes, quite a periocular gift of his, one that Jiraiya and I realized he could make use of, yet he does run the risk of overusing it." Affirmed the Servant as she tracked the movements of her Master from beyond the bushes. He and his teammate were doing an excellent job of blitzing their sensei in hand-to-hand combat, at least until the latter decided to break off switch to ninjutsu. What caught her attention though was the continuous ringing of the bells attached to his waist. Pulling a long-distance memory, she looked at the Fifth Hokage, who was smiling in amusement. "All this time, and they've yet to make a grab for the bells?"
"Oh, they have, it's just Kakashi is showing them what he can be like when he's fighting at close to forty-percent of his true ability. Not an easy thing to overcome, even when working together." Stated the pig-tailed blonde with a knowing smile. "Then again, Naruto and Sakura aren't exactly trying as hard as they would normally be."
Semiramis looked back at the battle with narrowed eyes, a wall of flames collided against a rotating sphere of wind that deprived the opposing blast of oxygen thus nullifying it. In the aftermath, both sides retreated from the open, forcing the three ladies to move to better observe the action.
"Sasuke's a Uchiha, meaning he has a fire-nature."
"And Naruto possesses wind. That points him at a major disadvantage, at least if he can't learn how to manipulate the oxygen that comes with the usage of the air. I fear such lessons may be a bit…beyond his ability for now."
"Doesn't mean that we can't give it a shot. We have to or else Naruto will be in an even tighter spot."
A part of her couldn't say that she was surprised Naruto's chakra nature held some compatibility with his former friend and rival's. What was troubling was that it helped rather than nullified the wayward Uchiha's, at least on paper. It'd forced her to take an alternate route in upgrading the Kitsune-ken, making them more heat-resistant than they already had been. Even then, Semiramis couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that when Naruto and Sasuke encountered each other, something on her Master's end would fall short. Likely his willpower.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Sounds like they're back at it." Shizune noted.
"This will be the final push between them." Summarized the Wise Queen. "I believe they've had enough fun for one night."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the statement. "You almost make it sound like you have some inside knowledge."
"Hm, I'm just thinking that Naruto would like to do more than simply fight all night on his first night back home." Came the Assassin's response which caught the medical pair's attention.
"Plans I take it?"
Giving her a side glance, Semiramis responded, "He promised to take me to Ichiraku Ramen, show me what it tasted like. Naruto knows the consequences of breaking a promise made to me." Somewhat surprisingly, the two women laughed, especially Tsunade. Locking eyes with her, the Assyrian Servant smiled. "It wasn't easy, but I was able to install some manners into him."
"You've done a better job at it than that fool of a teammate of mine."
"Oh, and him too. I'm sure he's doing the noble thing and watching his student put all his training to work instead of sneaking off and doing something…foolish." Directing her sideways gaze to the forest, she waited for a snarky response, that was if the old sage had one up his sleeve. She was pleased when she heard a groan; only her sharpened ears could hear it, but her smug expression was enough for the two medical ninja beside her. The attention of the three was pulled away as they sensed a surge of the moment. All of them moved in sync, but made sure to remain in the shadows to watch what would possibly be the last clash between Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi play out.
All the woodland animals were making a mad dash from the sudden movement for the three combatants. They too could sense the tension in the forest was about to burst and wanted to be nowhere nearby when it did.
The two teenagers were descending on the gray-haired jonin, who'd braced himself for their next assault. He remarked how overconfident they were becoming, albeit their movements were very open and left so many holes in it.
Except they had no plans on making a physical attack. "Now, Naruto!" Yelled Sakura.
"Alright, listen up, Kakashi-sensei! I know the final plot twist of Make Out Tactics!" Declared the blonde-haired shinobi.
"What?!" Semiramis cried in shock, bug-eyed. That's it!? That's their plan!? There's no way it'll-!
What happened over the next five seconds shocked Semiramis to her core. The Copy Ninja covered his ears, only to realize that his Sharingan was still able to read her Master's lips. Left with no choice, he sealed both eyes shut in a desperate attempt to block out the outside world, which was exactly what the two teenagers had been hoping for. They grinned as they grabbed for the bells that hung from his waist, slapping their free hands against one another in triumphant glee.
Semiramis just stared, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she finally formulated her words. "He is…he is…one of the most capable ninja in this village and he…he is…"
"A pervert too, yes, he is." Tsunade softly finished with a sad, tragic look on her face while her assistant comically hung her head low in shame. "He's been corrupted by that pervert of a sage."
An offended, exasperated male voice called them. "I don't know what the big deal is! It's not like none of you have taken a peek at my books! I especially know that-!"
"Silence!" Barked the copper-eyed woman with a comedic vein on her head, her snarling lips and teeth aimed at where the Toad Sage still in his spot. "I had enough to deal with in regards to your blasted so-called literature while on the road! And now I find my Master's sensei is one of your followers!"
"You already knew that from seeing Naruto's memories, didn't you?" Called back Jiraiya from the confines of the tree branches. There was a chuckle that caused the vein on her head to grow. "And it's like I was saying, do you really have any room to criticize Kakashi when-"
"One more word and I'll find you and I will be ensuring you spend the rest of the night curled up in a hospital bed with every fiber of your body wracked in pain." Snarled the poisoner, her threat was met with a resounding chuckle that made her growl in the back of her throat. "Sometimes I wonder if this world works on any sort of sense of order. With the amount of perversion that runs through every other corner of life. Or maybe it's just the company I keep."
There was a round of laughter from the three shinobi, something that Semiramis couldn't say she was entirely against. After the tense confrontation with Danzō Shimura, she could admit, that she could have used the humor.
And deep down, she wanted to see Naruto's face. She wanted to see his face beaming with joy and pride; she wasn't disappointed.
Come to think of it, with him, the disappointments had been relatively few and far between. Seeing him hold up the silver bell and flash her the peace sign, Semiramis couldn't help but feel a surge of pride like a proud mother or older sister.
Her response didn't go unnoticed, but it did go uncommented on as all those present felt similar as she did, which showed on their faces.
Naruto was happy and extremely terrified. So far, things had started out well and good with him and Sakura managing to pass the bell test, and even being treated like equals to their sensei! That was enough to celebrate, which they were going to be doing!
Except without their sensei. And he was paying. For himself, his teammate, and his Servant.
In retrospect, you really should have seen this coming, runt. Grumbled the Nine-Tails within him. It was clear he was rather amused at the coming financial bombshell that was about to detonate in his face.
Gah, well, it's not like I'm broke or anything. Grumbled the teenager in response.
There was a feral snicker from the other end. No, but you probably will be after all of this is over with.
Three minutes later and a dim hope was offered in the form of Sakura bowing out, albeit that meant that it was just Naruto and Semiramis. The blonde hung his head in sadness while his Servant looked on with a dismissive expression. Honestly, the only reason why she wanted to eat with the pinkette was for the chance to further observe her. She supposed that was something that she could continue to do in the future, on her own time. For now, she was ready for dinner.
And it was to be had in perhaps the most unlikely place that she'd ever expected.
"Hey! Ayame! Old Man Teuchi! I'm back!" Happily called the blonde-haired genin, stepping into the ramen booth with a wide smile on his face and Semiramis following behind him. "Oh, and I brought a new customer!"
"Did you? Well, talk about a nice homecoming!" Came a jovial male voice that made Semiramis' ears buzz.
She stepped forward, just in time to see a young adult brunette embracing her Master in a hug. The feelings transmitted were entirely platonic, but no less heartfelt. In seconds, she saw the sisterly love that was on display when the Hokage's black-haired assistant hugged Naruto. Once more, Semiramis felt her lips tuck upwards into a warm smile that she didn't try to hide at all. And the look of the squinty-eyed man that sat behind the counter was one of warm greetings, very similar to a father welcoming home a child returning from a long journey. Those same eyes turned to her and a warm smile spread along his face.
"Um, h-hello." Spoke the Assassin in a surprisingly quiet voice. It was unlike her to be this nervous, but she felt almost like an intruder in this reunion of sorts.
Then Naruto took her by the hand, causing her cheeks to flame up without warning. "Two orders of-!"
"If it's not too much trouble, could you make it three?" Spoke a male voice that both recognized, though only one knew the owner on a personal level. In a heartbeat, Naruto moved from his Servant to the newcomer, his excitement perhaps reaching new heights while Semiramis turned back to find the man who'd perhaps had the biggest hand in helping Naruto become the person he was today.
Just as she'd seen in her memories, Iruka Umino was…warm. Though he possessed a rather noticeable scar across his face, it was in no way horrid or deforming. His aura was that of a man of peace and generosity, one whose kindness apparently allowed for him to even accept the container of the monster that killed his parents. No, he possessed the ability to see the difference between the demon and the unfortunate soul whom it was sealed in, and able to show empathy to that soul.
"I take it you're the…partner that I've heard about?" He began, turning to her with a small smile.
Semiramis stood up straight, her natural instincts kicking in. "I see my reputation has already begun to precede me. Though I'm sure you know my name, I shall introduce myself. My name is Semiramis, and it is an honor to meet you, Iruka Umino." She bowed respectively.
He hadn't been expecting a bow, but the academy teacher accepted it, and returned it. "First and foremost, thank you for looking after Naruto." Rising, he saw the annoyed frown of his favorite student, but it quickly shifted into a happy grin. The blond was happy to see that some things never changed. "Where's Sakura, I heard that she was with you and thought she'd be joining you all?"
"She was supposed to be, but had some last-minute plans." Moaned the whisker-faced teenager with noticeable sadness. It didn't last long as he quickly perked up and took and patted the seat to his left. "But since you're here, it looks like I'll be paying for three like I originally planned to." He ignored the feral rumble in his stomach as his old academy teacher took a seat to his left and his Servant to his right. "Alright, Old Man, two of the house specials!"
"Coming right up!"
Yet again, it was all a far cry from what she was used to. Ever since her arrival, Semiramis could count on both hands the number of times she'd eaten in a place or manner befitting of someone of her station. The annoyance had been there at first, but it had faded over time as she accepted in spite of traveling with royalty, she was to walk alongside commoners and follow some of their habits. Semiramis was willing to admit that at some points, it hadn't been as horrible an experience as she'd feared it would be. In particular, the…joy, she felt was at its peak when she was eating in the company of her Master, such as how it was now. He was engrossed in full-blown conversation with his former teacher, Semiramis watched it with a thinly veiled smile as his face once more became extremely animated, a defining trait of his.
Though night has fallen, it seems the sun is still shining bright. Mused the ancient queen before turning her attention back to the chef and his daughter. They worked in tandem with one another as a remarkable team, which was no doubt a result of the years they'd spent running this modest establishment. Perhaps it was her Master's feelings bleeding into her, but something about the meager ramen stand felt comforting. Homey even.
She'd gone from lavish royal dining halls where the food was delivered to her to something admittedly more humble. That humility by no means meant a downgrade in quality, as she'd learned several times over. The second her nose caught a whiff of the freshly cooked far eastern dish, Semiramis felt her spiritual stomach grumble in desire. Thankfully, it was contained so that only she could hear, but still, it was the principle of the thing.
"And here you two go! We put a little more heart into these two since for you, Naruto, this is your welcome home present. And for you, Semiramis, a happy welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village!" Exclaimed the veteran chef, setting the two bowls down in front of the Master-Servant pair before he gave one more bowl for Semiramis.
The jinchūriki wasn't even trying to hide his mouth-watering. "Finally…the real Ichiraku Ramen. After all these years, after all the hard training…" He was damn near close to crying, a sight that raised a chuckle from the two seated beside him. "I dreamt of eating this ramen, sometimes I thought I'd never make it back here."
"Really? Then start eating! It's getting cold, ya' know!" Joked the ramen cook, happy to see the feisty young ninja that he'd known for years was still the same, and still a devoted customer.
Naruto looked ready to dive in, but stopped himself at the last second. It was a surprise to Iruka and the Ichirakus, who stared in confusion at the teenager.
Smiling, he looked at the black-haired woman to his right. "Semi-chan, you take the first bite. I promised you that you'd have a taste of the greatest meal in the village, and I'm going to keep my word."
Blinking, the Assassin felt an unfamiliar heat rush up to her cheeks. This…this boy…Building up a stoic face, the queen took hold of her chopsticks. "W-Well, you did make that promise to me, and here we are. Not to mention, it is better for ladies to go first." No sooner had the words left her lips did she take a bite out of the freshly prepared noodles that had been cooking in the pot obscured from her vision.
Naruto, Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame all watched with baited breath for the pointy-eared woman's reaction.
She was still as a statue, except for her hand. And her lips, all of which continued to move in a near robotic cycle. Slowly, a smile formed on Naruto's face, and Teuchi's as well. He'd heard some whispers that this woman was royalty and that she was somehow bound to the son of two of his most beloved customers.
Crossing his arms, the old chef stood proud as the woman from another world paused in her eating to look him in the eye.
She was blushing, quite profoundly.
Her Master was grinning like a fool. Iruka and Ayame were chuckling to themselves as they predicted what her next words would be to some extent.
"It…seems that much like my Master, I shall be…frequenting this establishment." Briefly, she glanced over at Naruto. She was half-annoyed and half-pleased with the proud grin he wore on his face. It was warranted in this case. "By the way, do you have any…spices or hot sauce?"
"You like it hot and spicy, do you?"
"I have a preference."
Teuchi grinned as he leaned forward, "Then, Semiramis, just tell me how hot and spicy you want on your ramen and I'll deliver." It was a promise made between a chef and a new loyal customer. A promise that would gradually spring forward into something a bit more as time went on and the Assassin's words held true.
This place…maybe it can become home. Maybe it can become…my home. Mused the dual-classed Servant as she nodded in happiness. The act caused Naruto to throw up his arms in triumph, then dive into his own bowl with Iruka following suit. Within seconds, the ramen stand was filled with the sound of happy eating, bowls being placed down, and new orders being pleased then happily followed through on.
The next chapter will be the last in the "Dove Amongst Leaves" mini-arc, which will also feature Naruto (and the rest of you) getting a look at a Semiramis-styled apartment. I wanted to include it in this chapter, but instead I decided to get Semiramis and Danzō meeting each other out of the way first. You all had to have known it was going to happen, and I'm pretty sure you all predicted the two were not going to hit it off. Will they get so fend up they try to kill each other? Will Semiramis get tired of his shit and just kill him herself? All questions that will be answered as this story continues on into the new year.
I gave what I feel is a decent enough demonstration of Naruto after being trained by Jiraiya and Semiramis. He's incorporated the Kitsune-ken into his fighting style, and yes, he's learned the basics of chakra natures and shape transformations and the rest of the assorted field. I figured once Semiramis got them down she'd make sure Naruto knew them as well (especially if he didn't know them already), she and Jiraiya taught him some jutsu, namely a few to defend himself and hit from a distance, which wind is pretty good at. He'll get the opportunity to show some more of what he learned as while Naruto's homecoming is going on, a certain former murderous psycho-turned paragon of leadership and compassion is battling a mad bomber with some…unusual hand features which will require some outside help. Oh, and some other things are in the wings, such as the next step in a hawk and a dove's rivalry!