Minato had entrusted these people with his wife's safety. She would be here, alone, for a few nights. Vern and he went over the map once more. Wind Run wasn't too different from Konoha, save size. The walls were much shorter, less of an issue, and judging by their units of measurement Wind Run was barely a tenth the size of Konoha.
Such a thing wouldn't necessarily had qualified it as a settlement in his world. However, in this one, the more he learned about The Grimm he figured it was a miracle human life kept a foothold. Examining all of the angles, even seeing the hand drawn three-dimensional map.
"If this Moby character has sixteen members in his crew, more than likely they're focused on a central building. Most buildings here are one story, but there's a couple two- and three-story buildings. My money that the former Mayors Office as Vern called it is their base. Moby will be there; I can come in from the north." Minato planned to himself, getting a pen out and marking his entry point.
He draws a small line toward the government building, and then took a deep breath while planning. "I should expect three guards at the gate minimum."
"Excuse, me Minato-san," Minato sat upright and turned to face Tori. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir. I am hearing that you're heading back to Wind Run."
"That would be correct young man," The blonde confirmed before folding the map. "What can I do you for?"
"Wow, you've really picked up on our language." Tori complimented before shaking his head, "That's right not the point…I know this sounds like a terrible idea. But I want to go with you."
"You're right, it's a really terrible idea. Just because you know how to throw kunai, doesn't mean you're able to fight on my level. You'd get in the way," Minato lectured him before crossing his arms. "Why would you want to go with me?"
"My sister's medicine stash is there; she's running out of her medication. If I don't do something soon, she may die from her infection." The little boy told him while standing there, "Please let me help at least guide you."
He sat there, thinking about it before sighing.
"Okay, Tori, only to guide me. You don't engage anyone, or anything, am I understood?" Minato inquired while standing up from the chair.
Tori nods his head, giving a small smile, "Yes sir."
"Good," Minato replied before walking with him out of the tent, "Go and get ready."
Tori salutes and runs toward the tree he had been using for practice. Kushina walked up to her husband, wrapping her hand around his. She places her head on his shoulder, obviously the mood was somber. After all of these months of trying, only their luck would let them find out they are pregnant in another world. She turns him to face her, looking deep into her azure eyes.
"You come back home to us," Kushina told him before pacing his right hand on her stomach. "Don't let that boy get in over his head as well."
"I'll be back in no time," Minato replied before bending down to kiss her forehead, "Kushina-hime."
Walking away from his wife, and grabbing the map, the young man saw Tori grabbing a brown coat. The young one also had several kunai knives in his beltline. Which made Minato frown, but he decided that if anything happened, he'd be able to keep Tori safe. So far, at least for now, those creatures which put out humanity here haven't been too much of a challenge.
He could see why they held fear for them, they weren't naturally occurring beasts. Someone, or something more than likely, was creating them. The people of the camp, all of them, stood out of their usually spots. Watching as Minato put a cloak around himself, pulling the hood over his head. Kushina watched from the distant with bated breath as Tori and her husband made the journey to the west.
Rubbing her stomach, the young woman sat in a chair. She knew the camp would be moving tomorrow, having faith that Minato would uphold his word. She bent her head down, saying the same silent prayers she always did when he went off to war. Vern noticed this, coming over to her.
"Is everything okay?" He inquired, sitting next to her.
"I'm watching my husband march off to a war, yet again…" She sighed out, slightly broken hearted as the duo crested a hill, and became out of eyesight.
"Again," Vern pondered what she meant, "What do mean again?"
"On our world, prior to us accidentally coming here, we had just finished a massive world war. Thousands died, all for stupid things because our leaders couldn't agree to have common decency. I often fear my husband would make a mistake, because in our world, a single mistake is death." She told Vern, rocking in the chair a little bit.
The older man sighs, "Your world isn't perfect too?"
"Are any worlds I wonder?" Kushina questioned while looking up into the sky, "Too many people fight over the wrong things. Evil prevails because good men do not act."
Vern looks at her in surprise, "You've been reading Burke?"
"It's how I learn to talk as well as I do," She admitted before leaning forward. "I find your world's works of literature interesting."
"Do you not have poetry in your world?" He asked while leaning back.
"We do, it's called Haiku." Kushina replied before smiling, "Do you wish to hear one of my favorites?"
"Well of course," the old man laughed. "Poetry is a gateway to cultural understanding."
"Spring moves toward Summer. The young flowers start to bloom. Fall finds Winter anew." Kushina spoke with a smile, watching as Vern rubs his chin.
He snaps his fingers, "Its about the progress of time!"
"Yes," Kushina confirmed for him with a nod, "It's also a poem written by my clan."
"Clan, you mean you have clans back where you're from?" He inquired, surprised at this detail.
Kushina smiles before sighing, "My clan is long gone…they killed each other before some else killed them."
"Oh…" Vern became downtrodden with that, "Why?"
"I don't know, but it had something to do with the same thing we used that accidentally brought us here. It's better leave sleeping dogs lie as they say," Kushina told him before rubbing her stomach. "My child won't know wars upon my world…but he'll know struggles."
"The other day, when you demanded that you two weren't worshipped…you have to understand that in this world people can't do what you do." The older man told her before rubbing his chin hairs. "People view these things in different lights, some with reverence, some with study, and others…fear."
"I'm used to people fearing things they can't understand," Kushina admitted to him before watching children start target practice with the remaining kunai again. "Minato and I just want to help you all, after that…I don't know what we'll do."
"Can't you just go back home?" Vern asked.
"The seal matrix took him seven days to write, and one error could kill us. I don't doubt that he couldn't rewrite it, but you see…when don't know what connects to what there. We were just lucky to end up here, in a world not too dissimilar to ours." Kushina explained before thinking those things called pine trees, "Hard to believe you use those needlelike trees as celebrations."
"Different strokes for different folks," Vern joked while leaning back in his chair. "I'm sure your husband will be okay. Tori seems to have taken to him...poor lad lost everyone minus his sister."
"I've noticed that too," Kushina watched as some of the children started doing hand seals from the open scroll Minato wrote and then saw Midori doing the same thing. "Perhaps…we can teach you our ways to defend yourselves in the future?"
"I think we'd accept."
"Rabbit, bird, tiger, ox, dragon, snake, horse, dog, rat, boar, monkey, and ram!" Tori yelled out as he contorted his hands into the seals. "Am I correct, Minato-sensei?"
"Sensei, is it? Yes, you are correct. I'm surprised, Tori, normally children even from my world don't catch on as fast when it comes to the hand seal lessons." Minato praised the young man as the duo walked along a game trail.
They had traveled for a day now, with Minato taking care of most things. Tori's only jobs was maintaining a campfire, cooking, and then studying the hand seals Minato taught him. Both student and master shared a lot about themselves ever since starting the journey together. Tori himself was surprised when Minato showed worry for the first time but trusted that his new friend and teacher was okay.
"Sir, about the other day, when we all were ready to worship the very ground, you walked on…" Tori sighed before biting his lip and continuing, "It's because we have very little things that happen to us that are good."
"I know, desperation breeds the need to rally behind anything. People from my world started to view me a little as such, I had to set the record straight with them too. What is it that you said, a catch twenty-two?" Minato questioned, and smiled when Tori nodded, "I'm still learning slang."
Tori giggles while continuing his hand seal practice, "You'll catch on."
"I think I have, haven't I?" The blonde man chuckled before stopping, "We're being watched."
"How can you tell?" Tori inquired while looking around.
"Call it a gut feeling," His master replied before getting out a special kunai. "Show yourself!"
Three men with swords walked out of the woods. One of them, having a scar down his right eye chuckled. Tori realized who they were, standing at the ready a kunai drawn out to throw. Minato went to order him to stop, only for the boy sling it forward. it whistled into the air, only to get easily get blocked by the man with the scarred face.
He just mocks the boy with a laugh, "Really boy? Moby's gonna be pissed that you're still alive and kicking."
"Gunther, who is that blonde bastard right there? Is he a Huntsman, if so, perhaps Mistral answered an S.O.S from these pathetic bunch of scum suckers." One of the other men commented before pointing a sword at Tori, who got another knife out.
Minato simply stood there, looking at them. He then took a deep breath, "I'm assuming you're a part of the bandit group that attacked their home?"
"Fuckin' smart one this'n? Where's your team at? If you tell us I promise, we'll make the kid's death quick!" The scarred man offered with a shout, pointing his blade toward Tori. His face contorting to a malicious grin, showing filed teeth.
Minato walks forward and stands a few feet away from the men. They eyed him up and down, laughing and jeering at him. "Look at 'em, he's a pretty boy! You know with some of those villagers back there, ones we got…you'd make a good trade on the trafficking markets!" The scarred face man yelled out with an evil smile.
Tori growls at them, "I'll kill you for what you did to my mother!"
"Oh, come now boy, she wanted it! Son of a whore, that's what you are!" The man barked, laughing as he got the desired effect of making Tori shed some tears.
"Tori-san," Minato took a deep breath, "You don't have to see what comes next…close your eyes."
"No," Tori yelled while glaring at them, "I want to see it!"
"Oh, pretty morbid there, kid, we'll drape ya in guts later on before we gut you too!" The Scarred Faced Man laughed before walking toward Minato. "Okay, Huntsman, time to die!"
As he swung down, Minato slung up with his kunai coated in wind chakra. The man's hand fell down, while the stump of his wrist remained. He shuddered, confused on why his sword wasn't buried into the blonde's clavicle. Then he looks down to his stump, shuddering. He backed away, only for Minato to step forward and drive his kunai into the man's throat and slash outward. The man grabbed at his eviscerated throat, falling to his knees.
Blood sprayed on the snow from the kunai being slung to the side. The man's second, wielding a spear, stabs at Minato who easily dodged each strike, twisting his body to allow it to sail under his armpit. Grabbing the pole of the weapon with his joint, he pulled his attacker toward him. Headbutting him before kicking him away from his own weapon. Minato turns, spinning the spear in one hand to block a sword strike from the dead man's third partner. He then threw the spear into the sternum of its former owner, pinning him to a tree!
Minato moves slowly to the last opponent, watching him back away.
"Screw this, I'll get the boss! You'll be sorry, just you wait!" The man wailed before trying to run.
The kunai sailing past him was then caught by the same man, who appeared in a yellow flash in front of him. He didn't get a chance to think as Minato careened forwards, stabbing him in the chest, and knocking him back a few feet. He rolls forward, clutching at his wound. Minato walks slowly up to him, kicking his sword away.
"I am no demon, but men like you deserve hell." Minato stated before kneeling down, "You'll tell me how many people are in that village…how many armed and with what."
"Fuck you!" The man screamed before Minato put his finger in the man's wound, making wail in pain.
"I don't believe I requested. I am demanding." He told the bandit before hooking his finger in the wound, "Now how many people?"
The man thrashes about, only to get held down by Tori, who glared into the eyes of the man who killed his mother. He breathed rapidly, holding a kunai knife just above the man's eye, making him stop. Yellow snow formed around the man, making him shiver with realization and humiliation.
"There's twenty-six of us, some of us infiltrated the village prior to taking it over. Last that I counted we have…had…thirty captives. Some of them get yappy, and Moby usually makes a head roll to keep them silent! We got guns, rifles…machine guns, even a bazooka." The man shook in the snow, "Mo-Moby stays in the mayor's house, Vern that old bastard actually got the message out before he escaped…didn't he?" The bandit revealed to them while whimpering.
Minato nods and then got up, pulling Tori up with him. The young boy was confused until they heard all too familiar growl, turning to see a Beowolf that wondered into the area. It sniffed the air, growling at the trio before seeing two of them back away from the one injured on the ground. The bandit screams out to them to save him, begging them!
"You gave me what I wanted, so I won't kill you…but I will not save you." Minato merely said before grabbing Tori and taking off into the woods.
The bandit turned to see the Beowolf right in his face, he whimpered before the demonic pounced on top of him!
Screams getting cut short, but still echoing throughout the small patch woods around the clearing.
Tori was sitting by the campfire, stoking it, Minato came back to the camp with a few rabbits in his hand. Already having cleaned, gutted, and butchered them before coming back. He put the meat on sharp sticks, hanging it over a fire. Tori looked away before sighing.
"Why wouldn't you let me do it?" Tori inquired before looking up at Minato, "How am I ever going to defend my sister if I can't kill those who'd harm us?"
"Because killing should only come to those who refuse to talk. Killing has no take backs, Tori-san, it is something that stains you forever. Killing out of revenge is even worse because you do so out of hatred…not justice." Minato lectured him before turning the sticks over.
Tori then scrunches face up, "Killing at least one of them would've been my justice!"
"Would it have brought back your mother?" Minato asked while looking him in the eye, "I killed those who killed my father…he never came back."
"Okay, but how am I supposed to learn to handle it if I don't do it! I want to learn from you, because I want to be what you are, a Shinobi!" Tori proclaimed, hot tears falling from his eyes, "and I can't do that without taking out vengeance for my parents!"
"What about the other children's parents, do you take a bandit's life for them as well? If you can't sit there, and think of doing so for others, then your intentions are selfish…thus revenge…not justice." Minato continued before looking at the rabbit meat. "It's almost done, you must eat."
"I just want to get this over with," Tori said before looking up. "I'm sorry, I'm just so…"
"So full of anger," Minato finished for him before reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Allow me to carry that burden for you, that burden of hatred, because any action you take without it is justice."
"Why?" Tori started to cry before sobbing, "Why do people do these things to others?"
The man smiles softly before bringing the boy in for an embrace, patting his back. He let him sob it out on him. Clutching the child, giving him comfort, something to release the emotions he had been feeling for months now. He had to be strong for his sister, thusly never getting the chance to release himself. Now here, alone with Minato, Tori got that chance to finally lay down his burdens.
No child should carry the weight of vengeance in their heart…
Minato took to the art of teaching well. Two days have passed since the encounter with the bandits. They were on a road now, nearing the village of Wind Run. Tori was rapidly going through the hand seals, naming one right after the other. Quickly finishing through the twelve and restarting. Minato took this moment to stop, looking around.
Just over the horizon he saw it, the small village, just down the hill. It was morning, too early for an infiltration. He and Tori walked toward the woods, setting up a small shelter just underneath some shrubs. Minato got out the map he had been carrying since leaving the camp and studied it.
"Tori, you said that the village's main gates are heavily secured. If I was wanting to sneak into it, where would you go?" Minato inquired while looking at the map.
Tori saw the three-dimensional map, studying it. He had snuck out of the village several times, and then smiled when he saw something toward the opposite side. Unknown to most of the village, underneath the southern western wall, there was dirt patch that had been dug up. It was small enough to fit a child, maybe not a full-grown man.
He cursed under his breath, earning a look from Minato which made him chuckle nervously.
"Sorry, just thought I saw a good place to sneak in, but it can only fit me." Tori admitted before leaning back on the tree bark near their shelter.
Minato smirks before standing up, weaving a single hand seal. In a puff of smoke, he transforms into a child that was about the same size as Tori and looked incredibly younger from his adult self. His yellow hair wasn't as long, only coming down to his ears. His features must softer, with baby fat around his face.
"Holy hell what the heck happened to you?!" Tori nearly yells while pointing a finger at Minato, "H-how in the world are you younger now!"
"Tori-san, this is what a transformation jutsu, in my language it's called henge. This technically is just an illusion, but I use my chakra to form my body into a shell around the illusion. Go ahead, punch me." The younger looking Minato instructed, "Don't worry I promise you it wo-ack?!"
Tori slugged him hard in the stomach, making him double over for a moment. In a puff of smoke, Minato transforms back into his original self, rubbing his stomach. "Wow, that's a nice right hook there…oof…gonna leave a bruise." He lightly complained before stretching his abdomen to relief some of the pain.
"I-I'm sorry," Tori apologized while rubbing the back of his head. "My dad always taught me to practice boxing, never knew when you'd need a good right hook."
Minato smiles and pats Tori's shoulder, "Your father raised you right."
The young boy tears up, smiling and nodding his head. "I'm ready to go get my sister's meds and save my home!"
"Not yet," Minato shook his head, "Dusk."
Minato got out a small scroll form his beltline, unrolling it, and pressing his palm on it. A puff of smoke revealed navy blue shozuko clothes. He handed them off to Tori, who looked confused. "Wouldn't be more sensible if they were black?"
"No, you see common misconception that the color black is harder to view at the night. In reality, black and brown stand out, navy blue naturally blends in more with the lower light. Especially since I'm going to teach you something." Minato instructed him before weaving three hand seals.
Three other Minatos stood after a puff of smoke, each of them looking no different than the other. they scattered into the woods, being sent to scout around the area Tori had pointed out. Minato sat down on the ground, motioning for Tori to do the same.
"You know about your people's aura, but do you know that chakra is similar? Can explain to me what you know, so that I can have you try something out?" Minato asked him while watching him sit down.
Tori bit his lip, and nods, "Aura is a manifestation of our souls."
"Manifestation of the soul, as I figured as much since I could tell that these people naturally have higher spiritual energy amounts. Still, just because the ratio is off in the body, it doesn't mean it can't be regulated. All living things have this aura, I assume, but that also means somewhere in there…physical energy mixes with the spiritual." Minato thought before holding his hand out in a tiger seal. "I want you to focus and call forth that power."
Tori eyes widened before he did as was instructed. Sitting down with the tiger hand seal out. Focusing with all his might, Tori felt something, even if it was small, reaching out to it proved difficult. Eventually, after a few minutes, he opened his eyes and sighed.
"Nadda," he said before frowning, "I can't reach it."
"You need to focus," Minato replied before flowing chakra into his hand. "Perhaps I can try to help you?"
"Ye-yeah, okay, sure. Hang on let me try it again!" Tori called out before closing his eyes again.
The young man reaches over to the child, flowing chakra into him. He then a green energy wrap around Tori's body, and he smiled as the youth smiles. Still having his eyes closed, Minato then instructed him to do one thing.
"The energy you feel flowing over you, that is spiritual energy. Energy derived purely from the soul, now, I want to you think about the energy within your very body. Not just the soul, but in everything solid. I want you to try and mix them together…" Minato instructed before applying some more chakra to help the boy, "Slowly…no need to rush this."
Tori stood in the void of consciousness, looking at his aura, a green energy sphere. He reached out to it thinking on Minato's words. Slowly, he thought about what he meant by the other energy inside of him. Realizing that he himself was the physical embodiment of his own soul, he is standing right here and now, was the physical energy.
He saw blue energy swirling up toward it, creating…lines? No, it wasn't just lines, but a network at the base. Walking toward it, he reaches his hand up slowly to his spirit. The soul of Tori slowly formed into his copy, shiny green and translucent.
All fear, all doubt, it all melted away when Tori took a step forward and melded together with his soul. It was an awakening, it was euphoria, his mental consciousness changed. Slowly, the void becoming that of life. Flowers, trees, and even grass bloomed in the mindscape. The trees interlocking their branches, networking each other.
Tori felt what spiritual energy had been outside of him go back into his body. Yet, for some reason, it remained there just at the surface. His body lit up for energy, his eyes of pure aquamarine shining brightly in the presence of this energy!
Elated, he sat the base of where his soul used to be…and closed his eyes.
Tori opened his eyes to find himself alone at the camp, he looked around. The sun was down, dusk setting in. Minato was gone, but he felt the cloak draped over his shoulder. He stood up, looking around, and realized that his master had left him here.
Not to abandon him, but to protect him. He looks toward Wind Run and bowed his head in a silent prayer. Not finding it adequate, Tori stood up tall before grabbing his kunai. The boy wouldn't allow his master to just march into a fight by himself, he couldn't!
So, with that, he ran toward the village's south entrance!
Minato Namikaze stood at the south entrance, having snuck in through the dirt patch by digging it out. His blonde hair waved in the wind as he launched himself onto a rooftop. He saw where people were gathered in a restaurant. Being forced to eat scraps, several bandits guarding over them. His scouts having confirmed the bandit's information from two days prior.
Seeing Two of the twenty-six guards walking under him, he acted. Dropping down behind them, he quickly wrapped his arms around their necks, jerking upwards. They went limp, falling to the ground to where he then dragged them into the building. It turned out to be an abandoned house, luckily, and moved the bodies into the bathroom. Closing the door, after locking it. He crouches down, walking just below a window, peering up at it.
He counted seven bandits in the building with all the people, three more on its roof. The other bandits were spread out along the wall. A big man, with a large war axe walked across the ground escorted by four people, moved toward the building. His pale skin, dark gray hair, and scaled body armor all pointed to him being seasoned.
That had to be the one known as Moby, their bandit leader. Running toward the door he had came in, Minato exited out and dashed toward the wall at blinding speeds. Getting up on the wall, running along it, he came to the first guard. He launched himself at him, tackling him off the wall. He saw that the other bandits were far spread out on the wall, a very big mistake. He threw three kunai knives, all aimed at each other.
In a series of yellow flashes, he emerged, slashing their throats out before kicking them off their perch on the walls. Having raised no alarm just yet, Minato took stock. Two of the bandits laid dead in that bathroom, he had just killed four more. That made six, with the majority in the little restaurant with all the people. Night began to fall quickly around the village, his cerulean eyes glinting off the moonlight as it began to dominate.
Targeting those on top of the room, Minato threw a kunai that went sailing right in between all three of them. They reacted to the flash but couldn't do anything as he slashes all of them. One of them, having leaned back, barely had his throat cut. His two friends weren't so lucky, falling down and clutching their now bleeding throats.
He was about to scream until Minato stabbed upward into his groin!
A silent scream escapes the man's lips as he fell forward, right into another kunai Minato held. Laying him gently onto the roof as to prevent thudding alerting those below. Taking a deep breath, Minato reached into his pouch, getting a ball of paper out.
Inside the ball of paper was miniature confetti with his seal pattern for The Flying Thunder God Jutsu inside of it. Taking a moment, he found the chimney to the building. He slams it down before hearing a massive banging noise from below followed by the screaming. Inside of the restaurant people were screaming bloody murder, their captors walking around blinded by the light. Moby himself, who was lucky to be looking away held his ears from the noise.
Confetti blew around them around, and then he saw the flashing yellow lights starting to emerge. They happened quickly enough that he didn't get a good look at the cause. Instead, each flash ended up with one of his men on the ground, dying from a cutthroat. One tried to squeeze a round off at a retreating woman. That's when Moby saw their assaulter, watching him cut the man's arm before stabbing him in the throat!
Moby saw some of the confetti float in front of him, bring his axe up in time block the stab meant for him. White aura formed around him, just in time to take a kick that sent him flying out of the restaurant. If he expected any kind of banter, he was sorely mistaken as Minato emerged in front of him stabbing downwards.
He brings his axe up again, blocking the strike. Countering by swing it at his head, hoping to catch him, but found another kick aimed at his chest! Backing off, Moby roared before stumping his foot onto the ground making the snow melt into water. He formed a wave in front of him, which he then launched toward the blonde attacking him.
The remainder of his men, nine of them, were running toward him to give support. He was about order them when he heard a loud screeching noise! It was followed by a blue light that sent his water flow attack right back at him! He barely controlled it in time split around, but his men weren't so lucky as they got caught up in the wave.
"Who are you!" He demands with a roar, while preparing. "I said who the fuck are you?!"
Minato slowly walked toward him, looking at the man with his cold blue eyes staring into his soul. Moby moved back a little bit, watching as the younger man didn't seem to have a sense of urgency. He gripped his axe, transforming it into gun. He took aim, squeezing it off a round. Minato simply stood while angling his body to be flat and sliced the round in half as it came toward him.
A few squeezes of the trigger didn't matter, with Moby transforming his weapon back into the axe form. He roared, charging right at the blonde man. Launching himself up, holding his war axe above his head. He intended to slam it onto Minato's head, only to have man meet him in the air. His eyes widened when Minato sunk two kicks into his stomach, gripping him with his feet somehow before slamming into the ground.
He swung the axe, only to see it caught by Minato's open palm.
"You asked me who I was earlier," Minato bent down and looked him right in the eye. "I'm your executioner."
Moby's aura broke when Minato stumped his face, ripping his war axe out of his hands. He was about to strike Moby down but stopped when the bandits from earlier returned. One held Tori in his hands, a gun pointed right at his head.
"Stop right there, you blonde fucker!" He screamed out, "or this kid has his brains sprayed on the ground!"
Minato looked right at Tori, seeing the fear in the kid's face. He then smiled, suddenly exploding into a yellow flash and used the war axe he stole to slash the man's arms off when he turned to slash downward. The bandit screamed in surprise before having the axe buried into his face and kicked away. A glowing seal on Tori's shoulder shining in the darkness.
"I knew you wouldn't listen to me earlier, because I'd do the same thing." Minato thought before grabbing the kid and teleporting in the restaurant as gunfire rained down where he had been!
Moby's battle axe still in hand. He places it on the ground before smiling at Tori.
"I'm sorry I just got caught, and I…" Tori received a small smack across the head, "ow!"
"Don't apologize for trying to be brave, just be better next time." Minato told him before standing up, "All of you, how many?"
"There's about twenty-five of us here…sir!" A woman called out.
"Grab all of these guns on the ground and follow me." Minato ordered her before going out of the restaurant
The woman hesitated at first, watching as Tori started handing people the rifles and such. She grabbed and ran out to see their rescuer staring down Moby. The large man had his bazooka out, aiming right at them. He laughed, with his other bandit group members.
"End of the line Huntsman!" He screamed out, "Surrender and I'll not have my remaining scraping guts off the street!"
"Moby!" Minato yelled out, pointing a kunai at him, "This doesn't have to end with anymore bloodshed…you can simply walk away."
"Oh, walkaway? Sure, and abandon what I rightfully conquered?! You know what, just shut and die!" Moby screamed before pulling the trigger.
A rocket with a fire dust tip flew out of the tube. People screamed, but Minato simply slung four kunai forward. Two landed simultaneously in front of him while the other sailed toward the group. It happened within a split second as he pulled out fifth and held it out in front of him.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!" Minato yelled out as the rocket suddenly disappeared in front him, being absorbed into a small fold in space-time.
People gasp out, watching as it disappeared, Moby and his crew looked confused until the rocket popped out in the very middle of them. Where Minato had thrown the other two kunai, and they didn't have to react except scream in panic as it went off. The entire middle of the village got covered in a brilliant, fiery, red light as flames caught some of the area on fire.
Luckily the recent snow blocked most of the damage, leaving a boiling mess at the center of the explosion. Moby and the rest of his crew nothing but ashes scattered to the wind.
Tori breathed a sigh of relief, throwing his arms up, "He did it!"
"We're free!" He screamed at the people, "We're all free, everyone!"
The villagers dropped to their knees, some crying while others joyously screamed into the young night. Minato meanwhile just looked at the charred remains of one of the bandits, sighing. He turned around, and looked at Tori, giving him a thumbs up.
Tori returned it, grabbing a pill bottle from his beltline that he had hidden from the bandits that caught him.
"Not bad kid, maybe you'll listen more after you're trained."
Those Who Endure!
Several days had passed since The Liberation of Wind Fall. The camp members having returned to their village, finding that the bandits had done a number to everything. Although it was liberated, everything major was damaged. It would take months to repair, and with winter here…the chances of them continuing to survive nature let alone Grimm attack were low.
Tori was performing hand seals again, making sure he had them down. He focuses as he projected his energy out, pouring it out in front of him and splitting it from himself. In a puff of smoke, a very misshapen version of himself emerged. It looked awful, and he chides himself for the failure. Some of the kids saw this, running over to him.
It came quite to the surviving captives shock on who Minato was. Some having the same reactions of wanting to worship him, but once again it took him explaining to them that he wasn't. Vern looked around his village and sighed as Minato looked at him.
"It's not worth holding, Minato, between winter and others. I know you could stay here, but with most of our infrastructure damaged by those bastards it'll make life hell here. Granted life was hell on the roads and game trails, but at least we were near food. They raided our food stocks, pretty slaughtered our livestock outback." The elderly man growled while looking at his ruined home. "Bastards didn't care for what they took, and some of our people are still missing…possibly sold already."
"Our people?" Minato questioned with an eyebrow raised.
"I think you and I both know that these people would follow if you called upon them. You're their savior," Vern pointed out as he looked around. "I can't expect you not to seek better for you and wife…Mistral City is a three-week journey from here."
"Do you expect me to leave you all?" He questioned while watching Tori teach the other children, "Tori-san has a lot of heart, but he's learned something makes him my direct responsibility."
"I noticed," Vern observed as Tori formed another malformed clone, "So…we can do what you do?"
"With a lot of practice, but I think there's a tradeoff. I noticed that he had been struck in the head, it seems that he traded the use of aura for the use of chakra…and I don't think there is no going back." Minato looked at the boy, watching him retry the clone jutsu. "I feel like I gave him a gift and robbed him at the same time."
Vern strokes his chin, "If you we're impart more of your knowledge…perhaps make it optional if you want people to learn what you know."
"Ninjutsu," Minato told Vern, "It's called Ninjutsu."
"If they want to learn ninjutsu, whoever he should know what they'll give up. Yet," Vern patted Minato's back. "Perhaps this doesn't have to stop here, this world is full of hardships…perhaps you can do what you always wanted here."
"Kushina told you about me while I was gone, didn't she?" He asked.
The old man nods, "And you were a hero there as well."
"I've failed people before," Minato said while thinking of two students he had train under him. "They died because I didn't make it in time."
"Minato-san," Vern added the honorific in there with a smile, "With all due respect. It's not the failure that destroys someone, it's if they don't learn from it."
"You stand at the cusp of a new world. you've done nothing but save us. If we want to follow you, then let us follow your examples. Your lessons, your philosophy, and let us make a new culture from it. Cultivate the next generation to be heroes, people who'd do the right thing, no matter the consequences." Vern encouraged Minato while watching his daughter mediating over by a tree, "I think my daughter has taken to Tori's teachings."
"Heh," Minato chuckled while looking at the young boy's sister joining in. "He's hotheaded, but I have to admit…the child just wants to do the right thing."
"There's even a word that your wife told me, Taiyo, it means sun or sunrise. Perhaps that is a fitting name for what you could have us become, a new sunrise…Taiyo…" Vern said the word with curiosity, "Such a strange language your people have."
"Taiyo," Minato mouthed while looking at the children, "I think that fits them perfectly."
The duo walked toward the children, with Minato intending to continue forward. Kushina, his wife stood off to the side. Watching as he confronted Tori, who sheepishly was explaining to him why he had started teaching Midori, and the other children. A light tap across his head got the other kids laughing at him.
She rubbed her stomach, lowering her head.
"I hope that when you come into the world, my child, you inherit all of the love we can give."