First Mission: Tori no Kuni
In the Village of the Two Rivers, in the shop of the Master Metalsmith, Ji-Yeong Moon, there was quite a bit of work going on, the hammers of the workers just never seemed to cease. Near the back at one of the forges, was a youth, he was in his early teens if looks were anything to go by, with crimson-hair, held in a ponytail, he was wearing a stained, burn resistant jumpsuit. He was working on the finishing touches for a commission for Moon-sama, a brass fitting for the compass on a river vessel. He had just made the last adjustment he needed, finishing the project before quenching it. He studied it critically, then made his way over to the Master of the shop. A buxom, statuesque, well-proportioned woman, with violet-hair and even more muscles than Haru-kun and Sakchai combined, yet her physique, well-earned from years of working in the metal industry, served to make her, quite beautiful.
The youth, walked over to her, handing over the finished product for inspection, as master of the shop, even if he did make it, her reputation rode upon every job that came and went through her door. While he knew, he did good-work for an apprentice-level metalworker, he also knew, that he still had a lot to learn as a journeyman. He laid his work on her table for her inspection, she took it up, without so much as a nod of thanks and began inspecting the metal-piece. The young man, waited with bated breath, wondering if he did a good job, or if he needed to do a little more work on it. Ji-Yeong looked up at him and smiled, then began to tell him what he needed to improve upon, and how he should approach work such as this. All-in-all there were fewer critiques than he was expecting, and a little more praise.
"Really, Naruto-san," despite their fondness for each other as good friends, they liked to keep things professional while in the shop, "this is pretty good work," then with a pretty smile added, "when you finally decide to open your own shop, please as a friend, open it somewhere away from Two Rivers. If not, you'll steal all my customers with how good you are," she chuckled, but she was only half-joking, while his work was still journeyman quality, she could tell, that he was already advancing quite well in skill, she could extrapolate from his work now, just how good he was going to be, in the years to come. In her opinion, she was looking at someone who would someday, be a world authority on metalwork.
Naruto merely bowed, having a small smile on his face, "Arigato, Moon-sama," he took more pride in his skill at working metal, than he did in his ninja-skills, and he was damn proud of those. He rose and looked at the clock, "it's time for me to shove-off for the evening," Naruto bowed again, "I'll see you in the morning, unless I'm going on a mission."
"If you do, just be careful, Naruto-kun," Ji-Yeong admonished him, "I wouldn't want your side business to distract you from your real profession," she winked?
"I will, Ji-chan," Naruto said, giving her a quick hug before walking through the door.
She watched him go with a wistful expression, "I get the feeling, that he'll be as famous for his ninja-work, as he will for his work at the forge, and that I've just seen the last of my friend. May the Three, protect you, Naruto-kun," she stated sadly.
The Cursed Warrior
Naruto was making his way back to Ryōzanpaku, it had been a little over a month, since his return from the year-long mission to gamble away Tsunade-chan's debts, and exactly a month since she returned to Konoha. Tsunade wrote him once, to let him know what she had done to the orphanage that had evicted him, when he was four. He felt pity for them, because of the abuse they received, from the whipping they had gotten but not much. After their treatment of him, his sense of mercy was reserved only for the orphans that now had to start over with new caretakers.
It has also been a month since he found out he was the son of Minato Namikaze, which meant his great-grandfather was Tobirama Senju, which explained what happen when he hugged Tsunade's true self that time. It had apparently awakened his Senju genes, and another Bloodline Limit. To nearly everybody in the world, the Hiraishin, was a Space-time Fuinjutsu, that Tobirama invented along with many others. What it truly was, was part of the name Tobirama gave to an extra-dimensional power, he called it, Hiraishin no chikara (the Flying-Thunder God's Power). With it, the user could move at unimaginable speeds, and it did not cause any deleterious effects, on the user's body or the environment they passed through, the only thing the seals on Minato's special kunai were for, was so he could have something for him to aim for. It was hard to stop, when one wanted to go from standing still, to the speed of sound and back again, within the span of milliseconds.
Naruto had found his own method, finally finding a use for his Eye of Magnetism, which was, and was not, a dojutsu. When, Naruto was eight, and still learning about his bloodlines, he allowed his magnetic-chakra to flood his eyeballs, and nervous system, like he would with normal-chakra for muscles, he discovered that it sped up his perceptions and nerve conduction to the speed of light. It was not really useful in a fight, where it would just add an extra thing he had to think about, when he should be worrying about winning the fight or overall strategy. When he began practicing the Hiraishin, with Hayato-oji-kun, while he did start out using his father's special kunai, it was not long before he discovered the use of his Jiki no me. While he moved well passed Mach-10 in Hiraishin-mode, his perceptions moved at the Speed of Light, much faster than how fast his body moved. It was a dojutsu, because there was a faint, bluish afterglow that could be seen from his eyes, when it was active. It was not a dojutsu, because nothing else about his visual perceptions were altered, he still saw into the same spectrum of light that all other people in the world, without an eye technique perceived.
Naruto had learned all of the techniques Tobirama invented, which he had left with his Namikaze family, as well as in the Sacred Scroll of Sealing in Konoha: Shadow-clones and Summoning: Impure Rebirth, were the ones he found the most useful, though he did modify all of Tobirama's elemental jutsu for use with his own elemental affinities and bloodlines. Kage Bunshin, drew upon Naruto's Yin-chakra to create form from nothingness, and created solid clones of the caster. While Naruto could use his Metal Clones anytime, he preferred to use the Shadow-clones because he could make more of them. At most, he could make fifty Kinzo Bunshin, where with Kage Bunshin he could make into the thousands. Edo Tensei, on the surface looked like a jutsu that returned the dead to the world of the living, which was true when Naruto himself used it. It required, the DNA of the person to be resurrected and a sacrifice, but luckily, any animal would work, it did not have to be human. The jutsu, rebuilt the DNA of the sacrifice to match that of the donor, then summoned Yin-chakra from the environment and brought them back to this Impure World. Naruto actually met his father and mother this way, and they had a family reunion of sorts. Naruto looked like a masculine version of his mother but seemed to have inherited his father's intellect and emotional maturity. They bequeathed him their worldly possessions in Konoha, and Kushina willed him the entirety of the ruins of Uzushiogahkure, if he should ever go back to those places, and their nindō as well. There was not any DNA of his grandmother, she died in Konoha after giving birth to Minato, and nobody knew who his grandfather was, not even Minato was able to uncover anything about his father of which, the only thing Minato had inherited from him, was his spiky-hair.
Kage Bunshin no jutsu and Edo Tensei no jutsu by themselves, were useful to Naruto, but when a Shadow Clone used, Summoning: Impure Rebirth, without any other DNA present, something very interesting happened. Kage Bunshin are nothing but pure Yin chakra, that is an undisputed fact, it is why they are so fragile and easy to destroy. When a Kage Bunshin uses Edo Tensei, however, they summon an equivalent amount of Yang chakra from the environment, and they become a truly living copy of their creator. These clones have all of the benefits of the original Shadow Clone technique, except they are just as robust and durable as the true Naruto, but when they dispel – luckily there is no actual body, they still poof away in smoke – in addition to the information exchange, as with the original clone technique, Naruto now receives physical benefits. He must no longer waste time exercising, when he can create a clone to do it for him and receive the benefits of the physical exercise without the aches and pains, and fatigue associated with his physical conditioning. There is a drawback to using the Shin Bunshin, or True Clones, as Tobirama named them, upon accidentally discovering them, if they are killed instead of dispelling them, the original creator will feel the physical sensations of what finally killed the clone. Tobirama, also recommended using them sparingly for physical conditioning, and dispel them a few at a time, otherwise it will feel like one's body is being ripped apart when they receive the stimulus from the clones. Shin Bunshin had not been included in the Scroll of Seals in Konoha, Tobirama left it only with his Namikaze family, as a clan jutsu.
Naruto promised himself, he would never use the Shin Bunshin for training, otherwise it would make him lazy. He did not allow himself to take short-cuts during his training at Ryōzanpaku, or in his training with Moon-sama, he would not allow himself to take short-cuts using these. He would use them to scout and fight, only, he basically had an instant army technique at his disposal.
Naruto came out of his musing when he felt someone following him. He continued on his way toward Ryōzanpaku, he felt the person following him, but did not feel any malice coming from him. He caught glimpses of the one following him, it was a young man, only slightly older than Naruto, himself. He had brown-hair, and dark-eyes, behind circular glasses, and was in a purple yukata and hakama. Naruto and his tail were approaching the gates of Ryōzanpaku, Naruto's residence while he remained in Two Rivers Village, even if Hayato and Miu were now his relatives, he refused to be a mooch, and even if they insisted it was not necessary, Naruto still compensated them for room and board. He even still helped out with chores, especially since Miu and Kaname, were in their third trimester of pregnancy. Fun-fact about pregnant women in their third trimester: they could not use any chakra, all of it that was not used for their own life-force, was dedicated to bringing their child into the world. That took Naruto down a train of thought, just because the one following him meant no harm to him, did not mean he was harmless.
"Hiraishin," Naruto muttered, engaging his speed-force, and blurred into the distance, he literally ran around the whole village, just to end up behind the one following him! Naruto tapped him on the shoulder, and the kid almost jumped out of his skin, he had been so engrossed in watching the spot where Naruto disappeared from, he never even felt Naruto approaching him from behind. "Calm down, man," Naruto admonished him, "take a few breaths," he ordered, the isha-nin in him taking over, "then you can tell me, why you were following me?"
He took his time getting his breath back, and Naruto waited stoically the whole time. Finally, the other man calmed-down and answered, "My name is Chishima, I am the assistant of the Chief Advisor to the Daimyō of the Land of Birds, Lord Moso, I was sent on a quest to get help, for a rash of sightings of an apparition, in the form of a cursed warrior," he said with some urgency! "The entity is terrorizing the people and giving rise to vicious rumors," Chishima further explained.
"You want me to go catch a ghost," Naruto asked in incredulity?
"Actually, I first tried to go to the Leaf village," Chishima admitted sheepishly, "but the new Hokage said it was too far to go on such a wild-goose chase, then I showed her my resolve," he said with fierce pride. "I was ordered not to accept 'No,' for an answer, then begged her to accept the mission," then deflating, "but she said the amount of money I was offering, just wasn't enough, and would be an insult to her village and any ninja she could dispatch for the quest."
"How much were you offering," Naruto asked curiously?
"Ʀ5," Chishima answered?
"Thousand, that doesn't sound like the Tsunade I know…" Naruto began but was interrupted.
"No, 500-ryo, it was all that the Land of Birds could afford, as well as all of my own life-savings, which brought the total up to an even 700-ryo," Chishima informed Naruto. "She said, it still wasn't enough, but instead of turning me away, gave me directions on finding a Ronin by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, in Two Rivers Village. She gave me a description," Chishima stated looking Naruto over, "red-hair, violet-eyes, cute whisker-marks on his cheeks."
"Hm," Naruto said, "well, you did a good job tracking me down, and you're right, 700-ryo wouldn't be enough for a Village like Konoha, or most ninja either." Chishima looked crestfallen, when Naruto smiled, "but this would be a perfect mission for a Ronin like myself to begin his career on," Chishima became elated, and went into his pocket for the money, when Naruto staid his hand. "I won't accept payment until after I'm satisfied with the mission's outcome," Naruto stated, "if you cover our travel expenses on the way to Tori, I'll consider that, the down-payment." Naruto placed himself in the bowed position, and smiled disarmingly, "Deal?"
"Deal," Chishima returned the bow with a smile!
Naruto raised his head, "Then, Chishima-san, you've got yourself a ninja."
That night was Naruto's last night as a resident of Ryōzanpaku, while he would visit with them from time-to-time, they were his family after all. Even the ones not related to him by blood, but the time comes in most families for children to leave the nest and this was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze's time. His Ronin shinobi license, and Metalsmith Guild credentials had been altered to reflect his full-name, he would honor both sides of his heritage, even if said ancestor was an evil person, they all served to make Naruto, the man he was today.
They all turned out in front of the gates to the school, well the instructors did, the other students had said good-bye to him the night before. Naruto was in the same outfit as when he went to collect the Bounty of Gosunkugi, only now, he had added earth-colored knee and elbow-pads, and a dark pair of fingerless-gloves. On his back, he carried a thick scroll, containing all of his worldly possessions, on his left hip he carried Tokichi, the sword he took from Gosunkugi, and had named after its maker. Also, down his back in its own scabbard was the Raijin no ken, his great-grandfather's sword, an interesting phenomenon was discovered about the famed sword is that it adapts to its wielder. When normal chakra is channeled through it, it converts it to raiton-chakra, however when different chakra is used it produces a blade made of that chakra nature. Naruto's Earth release, produces a pure diamond blade; fire produces a flaming sword, like the wrath of heaven; wind produces a blade made of wind, that can cut through anything; there are other configurations, but the one Naruto uses it with the most, which has almost become its default setting; his kinzoton blade, made from the metal alloy Naruto invented: Mangalloy-titantung, or titanium-tungsten-manganese-steel alloy, bathed in electricity. He also remade Tokichi to use mangalloy-titantung, which is as hard as a diamond, and stronger than any metal known to this world, except for maybe Orochimaru's famous Kusanagi.
Kaname stepped forward, "the day I met you, will always be the day my life changed for the better," she began without preamble, "I look back now and see where I was headed, nowhere, and I'd probably still be there, or dead, or worse, married to a sociopath." She smiled, and leaned down to give him a hug, "I cleared what I'm about to do with my husband and sister-wife, so don't worry," before he could even get a confused expression on his face she lunged. Kaname Kugatachi-Namikaze-Shirakawa, kissed him long and hard, and even added some tongue, she stepped-back, turned, and waddled her severely, pregnant frame, back to her husband.
Naruto was blushing as red as his hair, before looking at Kyōi Shirakawa, "you, are one lucky son of a bitch!" Naruto hardened his eyes, "make sure you remember that, and treat her," he said, pointing at the woman in his arms, "and Miu-itoko-chan," shifting to point at his cousin, "as if you could lose them at any time! Just remember I can resurrect the dead, after she, her grandfather, and the rest of the family kill you, I'll bring you back, just to kill you all over again!" Kyōi just smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
Miu came forward and hugged Naruto, "be sure you come back and meet your nephews in a few months, they'll need a strong, male role-model in their lives besides their father, to see as many ways to be a good man as they can get."
Naruto smiled, and looked appraisingly at the other men present, "with this crowd, including a pervert and a drunkard, you can be sure I'll be back, he's a Namikaze after all. We take care of our own," he concluded with a wink.
Sakaki and Ma took Miu's place, "Ungrateful whelp," Huan raged, "you should show your sensei some respect!"
"That's right," Haru loomed up over Naruto with his arms-crossed, "after we got you that easy, yearlong assignment to fulfill your obligation to the school, instead of going on a bunch of different missions! You should be groveling at our feet," the taijutsu master declared.
Naruto scoffed, "you two still owed me from the last time we played poker, seven-thousand-ryo to be exact," Naruto reminded them, then smiled, when he saw them cringe, hoping he had forgotten that, "as far as I'm concerned getting that mission squared us, I'm calling our debts even. Now, give me a hug, you bastards," Naruto's voice became gentle, "it won't impugn your, oh so precious, masculinity. It might even make you more appealing to the ladies," Naruto stated to sweeten the deal, "it'll show your sensitive-side, the ladies like that, or so Kaname and Miu have told me." The two of them gave Naruto backslapping hugs, before turning to walk up the street to their favorite bar, as they walked away people gazed at them derisively from behind. Something was written on their backs, both messages read, baka-chan.
Mai and Sakchai came forward, Sakchai was playing the part of crying mother, though even the ever-emotionless Queen of weapons was allowing a tear or two to fall. Mai, Sakchai, and Naruto looked at each other, and except for Sakchai's tears there were no words to be said between them. Then with a fierce hug from both of them, and a kiss on the cheek from Mai, they turned and went back through the gates.
Kōetsuji-san walked over, and Naruto bowed to him with profound respect, Susumu had taught Naruto so much more than strategy. How to live with the tragedies of life, to live with the lives a ninja will inevitably take, Hell just how to live Life in general, Naruto realized he was wrong about Tsunade, being his first best-friend. It was Susumu, who was Naruto's first best-friend. Kōetsuji placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, who rose upright, and found Susumu's hand extended. Naruto took his hand and they shook hands, "you take care of yourself, Naruto, I'm really tired of burying friends, and don't want to move on to burying brothers."
"I will, brother," Naruto replied, Kōetsuji retracted his hand, then turned to walk back inside.
Naruto turned to the Elder, this man was like a father to him, and acted like it even before Naruto found out about his paternal heritage. Hayato looked at Naruto with a mixture of familial pride, and actual love, he truly felt like his son was leaving home. The Namikaze Elder looked at this young man as he looked at Miu's fertile womb, as the future of the Namikaze clan, she would carry it forward into the future, and Naruto, would add glory and honor to the name. This time it was the Elder who bowed, "thank you, Naruto-musuko-kun, for allowing our family to become whole again, and allowing this old man to see the future of his clan unfold. I watched as a good boy, who by all rights should have become bitter and hateful to the world, grow into the good man standing before me, who not only cares about the world, but loves its creatures, even the ones that hurt you."
Naruto returned Hayato's bow, "I promise, that I will never do anything to cast dishonor upon this place and will carry everything you've taught me, as a standard for all Ronin to live by, so help me, Pillars." At that Naruto stepped-back, and bowed again, "I'll be sure to come back for a visit as much as I can, and I'll definitely be here in time for the birth of your great-grand-kids, I promised Miu, after all." Hayato Namikaze merely nodded, before turning back into the gate with the rest of his family, while Naruto hefted the scroll onto his back, he looked at Chishima, "Let us go, the cursed warrior, isn't going to lay itself to rest."
They had just reached the end of the street, when Naruto heard, "NARUTO," which caused them to look back and see, Haru Sakaki and Huan Ma, running up the street with enraged looks upon their faces!
Naruto just smiled, because having 'foolish little girl," inked onto ones clothes, was hilarious unless you were the recipient of the prank. "Let us now go, at Flying Thunder God speed," he grabbed Chishima's shoulder, and yelled, "Hiraishin!" Naruto, then became little more than a streak of light, red light, which is the form of visible light with the longest wavelength. So, one can still perceive red objects a lot longer than any other color, red will be visible long after their source has died.
Naruto decided to send a couple of True Clones on ahead, to learn the geography of Tori no Kuni, though he ordered them to only work at night. They nodded and would comply as long as it was feasible, they were still Naruto after all, and knew everything he did at creation. On the journey to the Land of Birds, Naruto and Chishima discussed the situation, Naruto refused to believe it was an actual ghost. He hated ghosts, as they were one of the few things that truly scared him. As far as Naruto knew, ghosts were immune to chakra-based attacks, which was life energy, something ghosts would surely lack.
There were a few things about Naruto's client that made the journey longer than it would normally be. While Chishima was young and in good condition for a person his age, he did not have the physical stamina of a ninja, and despite being relatively thin he had a huge appetite. He could polish off, five dishes of rice for Naruto's one, and they were good portions too, enough that one, is enough to satisfy even Naruto's voracious eating habits. Chishima had just finished his fifth rice bowl, and threw it down, then looking at his traveling companion, "Delicious," he declared, but still asked for more, "is it all gone?"
Naruto's eyes looked at him in disbelief, "you sure eat a lot for being so skinny," he commented, while handing him another rice bowl, Chishima was paying for it after all.
"I know, I'm sorry," he agreed sheepishly, "everyone's always wondering, where I put it all."
"So do your people, really believe in this cursed warrior person," Naruto asked?
Still with a mouthful of food, Chishima nodded, "many believe it's the disembodied spirit of Owashi-sama, the father of our Lord Sagi, the current Daimyo no Tori no Kuni, and my best friend growing-up."
Outside, Naruto remained cool as an Autumn morning, inside he shivered like a tree in a Hurricane, {I've always hated the word, 'disembodied,'" he stated in his mind.} [Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha," came the voice of Kyūbi no Kitsune, "that's rich, you're afraid of ghosts, the big-bad, Metalmancer is afraid of ghosts!" Then, to throw another log on the pyre, added, "if you get right down to it, I'm also a disembodied spirit.] {Shut-up, Fox," Naruto snapped in his mind, "I was trying not to think about that!} [Make me, meat-sack," the Fox challenged, sounding all the while like a sibling trying to goad his other sibling into a fight. Which, for the most part, was how their relationship was of late, they acted more like antagonizing siblings than prisoner and jailer.] {You don't think I can, fur-ball," the ginger asked, accepting the challenge, "you don't think I know, what annoys the fuck outta you?} [No, n-no, please, anything but that," the Fox pleaded, with its paws in prayer formation, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, just… anything but that!] Over the years, Naruto's mindscape had changed, his mind was now flexible and open, which allowed him to create an environment more suitable for his Fox friend, it was an entire forest but scaled to reflect the true size of a normal fox in the physical world. It was a complete ecosystem, like what one would find in any physical location, which included wildlife one would find anywhere in that kind of environment: including woodpeckers. Naruto decided to show mercy to his tenant, they did care about each other after all, and started to walk away, but the Fox, while shrewd and cunning and intelligent, was not very wise, it smirked and started running off at the mouth again, scoffing it said, [I knew you didn't have the stones…," but Naruto waved his hand, and all of the woodpeckers began hammering their beaks into nearby trees! Knock… Knock, Knock… Knock, Knock, Knock, knock-knock-knock-knock… "Nooooooo…] Naruto, shut the door on the part of his mind Kyūbi resided in, sometimes it could be as annoying as an actual sibling. Naruto's exchange took no more than a blink of Naruto's eye, "Let's forget about the ghost for now," Naruto suggested, "why don't you tell us more about the history of your nation, for some background?"
"Alright," Chishima agreed, "it's called the Land of Birds, because our capital is built on a lake, which attracts many species of migratory bird. It has always been a green, peaceful place to live, made fertile by the waters from the lake and the many canals which irrigate our fields. The first signs of trouble came with the sudden death of our previous leader, Lord Owashi. As for who would succeed our lord, it was between his son, Lord Sagi and his most trusted advisor, Lord Komei. Who argued that Sagi was far too young to assume the role of Daimyo, and many agreed with him. Still, Lord Sagi, was the one who succeeded his father, mostly because of my Lord Moso – our high priest, and my master – agreed to act as regent, and advise Sagi, to aid him in governing the country. Then, tragedy struck again, less than half a year later, Lady Toki, Sagi's twin-sister, died just as suddenly as his father. Since then, the Sagi I knew has become a completely different person. Retreating from view, seeing no one, governing the land from the confines of his palace. It was approximately then, when the cursed warrior, began to appear in the capital. Rumors began to spread about Lord Owashi's death, not being of natural causes. People began to say that the white warrior was the ghost of Lord Owashi, come back to reap vengeance upon the traitors who murdered him."
Naruto was thinking as Chishima finished his story, "I've gotta say, the rumors, might be right. Lord Owashi and his daughter's death, seem awfully suspicious, especially the timeline of their demise."
Chishima flinched back in surprise with widened eyes, "What are you saying, that Lord Owashi and Lady Toki…" Chishima gulped, "were murdered?"
Naruto just nodded, but noting the disbelief in Chishima's eyes, explained his reasoning, "in addition to metalwork and my shinobi skills, I'm also a medical ninja, and from my perspective people don't just get sick and die for no reason. There is always a cause, whether it was disease, intentional poison, or even just food poisoning, there are plenty of microbes that can cause people to die that way. In this case, it's highly unlikely to be disease or food poisoning, which leaves intentional poisoning."
"Why can it not be disease, or accidental poisoning," the older boy asked, though from his tone he was putting the pieces together himself?
"Those two, don't correlate with the timeline between the two deaths, but for different reasons. Food poisoning would not have taken so long to kill its victims, in fact, multiple people would have been struck down at the same time. In fact, if Lord Owashi was like the other Daimyo on this continent, he employs food testers, and if they had gotten sick and died it would have raised a red flag, in anybody's eyes." Naruto waited for that information to sink in, before going on with the rest of it, "disease is eliminated, because there would have been symptoms, most debilitating ailments will let you know they're there, or your body will at least. Often meaningless, without a doctor's diagnosis, and I can't believe your Lord, would not have his own doctor to see to his physical health, it would be irresponsible not to, especially for the feudal lord whose son was not ready to succeed his father, according to Komei. Then, there is the death of Lady Toki, which came within four to five months of her father's death, while there are diseases and viruses that do work that fast, they also tend to ravage the body while doing so, and I don't believe something like that would have gone unnoticed. Also, those kinds of pathogens tend to be indiscriminate killers, if they were present, it wouldn't just be two people getting sick but the entire capital."
In addition to learning about the situation, Naruto also learned quite a bit about the ruling clan, from Chishima himself, who had a personal relationship with both royal family's children. "Sagi and I have been close since we were little," he told Naruto, "we were raised like brothers. I don't care that he's the lord of the Land of Birds, I care about my friend, because of the loss of his whole remaining family, Lord Owashi and his twin sister, Lady Toki, so close together, I am afraid that the friend I once knew, is like a different person. He refuses to show his face in town, even when I visit him, which worries the others because he is our feudal lord. I would do anything to help him, to bring him back to who he was before all of this tragedy, no matter what the cost!"
Naruto turned his face away to stare into the fire, "poisoning as a means of assassination, is both an extremely personal means of murder, or entirely impersonal and entirely political. At the moment, there are two main suspects, Lord Komei and High Priest Moso, both had motive to kill Lord Owashi, but I can see none for Lady Toki. The only motive to kill her, would be if she was in line to succeed, but that would only be true if Sagi died." Chishima nodded and went back to eating his rice, and Naruto looked at him from the corner of his eye. There was a whole lot about his suspicions that he did not share with Chishima. Of the two suspects, the one he suspects the most was High Priest Moso, because every motive he can think of leads back to only one outcome, and that is Moso gaining and keeping his position of power.
Poisoning Lord Owashi removes him, of course, and then coming-down in support of an ill-prepared and grieving son, to take over the reins of the fiefdom. Then you isolate him, and eliminate all other influences over him, Lady Toki, who probably had Sagi's ear as much, if not more than Moso, but unlike the priest, she could speak to him directly, without having to couch it in political or respectful tones. Someone you probably bathed with, until your body started changing, and going through puberty, chewed you out for being a meanie and slapped, the first time you walked in on them changing, is not going to be awed or swayed by your rank as a Daimyo. Plus, she could speak to you privately, behind closed doors, whereas Moso had to wait until you held court, to fulfill his role as regent. Naruto waited until Chishima went to bed, when he quickly summoned and almost instantly dispelled a Kage Bunshin, to let his Shin Bunshin know what he was told by his guide. Of course, everything was coming from Chishima, and it would be folly to take everything he said at face value, there could be a lot of things he did not know. Which was why Naruto sent his true clones ahead of them to get his own read on the situation.
The three true clones followed suit, sending him reports that Lord Komei had received a visit from the wandering spirit that very night. Which could apparently fly, not wanting to give away their secrets, the clones decided to follow it from the ground. Their description of the so-called ghost, was a being, clad all in white, with a halberd in hand, wearing the mask of an evil demon, and eyes of fire. They followed it to an abandoned temple, set back in the forest, it seemed to fade into the structure. Their Fox senses and metal sense picked up nothing human inside it, but after a few seconds the doors to the temple creaked open. As soon as the doors were opened, they witnessed an apparition, like what they saw flying over the capital, a few moments ago. They could still only see and hear him, they could not smell him, and their metal sense, was only able to sense the metal in the armor, and the tip of the halberd. There was no blood flow, nor could he sense the calcium from the skeleton, the sodium in the sweat, Naruto's conclusion was that it truly was a spirit.
Truth From the Grave
Naruto and Chishima arrived at the capital of Bird Nation, early the next morning, and went straight to the home of High-Priest Moso. Though sizable, within a walled enclosure, and behind a modest gate, the residence of the High-Priest was exactly the kind of home a humble holy-man would possess. There were bird feeders, birdhouses, with a babbling brook crossing through the property, and the room Chishima took him to was quite small. Looks however, were quite deceiving, because while not able to sense very much about last night's enemy, Naruto, very easily sensed the other people living on the property. He felt there presence with his Fox senses, as well as his metal sense, they were numbering fifteen and were quite close, on the other side of a shoji wall, painted with an aquatic bird scene. The fact that Chishima, did not mention them before meant, either he was not truthful with him from the start, something Naruto would have picked up on, unless Chishima was truly evil, or he was just unaware of their presence, which was not impossible, but not for the entire time he lived here, which means they had moved in while the High-Priest's page was on a ninja hunt.
Hm, the money he would have used to pay for ninja acceptance, was paltry to say the least, Naruto mused to himself, it wouldn't have been enough to pay for even a C-ranked mission. Which everybody knows, the rates of the ninja villages are not hidden, Naruto's suspicions of Moso were growing firmer by the minute, could it be, that Chishima wasn't supposed to succeed in his quest for ninja aid? If that's true, then Moso, despite being my client is not my friend, Naruto concluded, I'll have to play a little poker with this guy, and I cannot tell Chishima, unless my suspicions are proven.
They all heard steps approaching the door of the room, and stopped, Chishima turned to the side and slid the door open. On the other side was an elderly man, he was quite robust, with a bald head, a long handlebar mustache, and sideburns. He was dressed in simple, white and purple monk's robes, and carried a closed fan in his grasp. Oh, wow, Naruto thought, this guy is not an old man, so much for my suspicions, Naruto was caught staring, with a sheepish grin, and a scratch to the back of the head, "my apologies, Kōsō-sama," Naruto asked, while lowering his head to the ground, then looking up to address the 'old' man, "but you look like a guy I wouldn't look twice at, if he was serving me in a dumpling shop."
Moso just chuckled, "that's quite alright, young man, it is only the truly insignificant who base assumptions on physical appearance alone."
"I agree, Moso-kōsō-sama," Naruto stated, as he rose into seiza, "it's a lesson I should've learned a long time ago, since I myself, use it to make my enemies underestimate me, which so far has led to victories."
Moso merely nodded, like it was sage wisdom, then looked around, "I expected two or three more people to be travelling with a Konoha-nin, where is the rest of your team, and for that matter where is your hitai-ate?"
This is where Chishima cast his eyes down to the floor, "I apologize for my failure, Lord Moso, but the Hidden Leaf Village refused the mission. The Hokage, said the amount of money we offered just was not enough to justify even a C-ranked mission," he admitted, "she did, however, recommend Naruto here. He is a Ronin from the Two Rivers," the priest's page added.
At the mention of the word Ronin, Moso and several of the hidden presences' heart rates spiked, but he maintained his calm exterior, "a Ronin, you say, but how can one boy hope to get to the bottom of this mystery?"
"It's a ghost," Naruto stated, "I doubt there'll be very much fighting involved, I've read enough ghost stories, real or fictional, to know that the majority of injuries come from panic. Ghosts just cannot hurt you, unless it's a poltergeist," Naruto declared.
"Still, I'm afraid this will be too much for a child to handle, so I'm afraid I'll have to let you go…" Moso began. There was a blur behind him, and he felt the point of a kunai touching his throat.
"You don't have the power to fire me, I wouldn't take this mission unless Chishima, as your representative signed a contract with me under the seal of the Fire Lord," Naruto said to him, and watched Moso's eyes widen, "I can see you know what that is, Moso. Don't blame, Chishima," Naruto told him, "it's the law of Ronin, signed into existence to prevent Ronin from betraying their clients. Only your death would release me from that contract, but don't worry, in the contract language it states that I will complete the mission to my satisfaction, before accepting full-payment." Naruto pressed the kunai into Moso's neck, "unless you'd like to release me the other way, say with your death?"
"That won't be necessary," Moso informed Naruto, "I was merely testing your loyalty."
Naruto walked back to his original seat, letting the kunai dissolve back into his pouch, "I thought as much, which is why I didn't just kill you, as would be my right when my honor was being threatened."
"Please, make yourself comfortable, I have been a poor host indeed, I haven't even asked you your name," Moso said, suddenly the most welcoming guy in the room.
It was Chishima who answered, "my apologies, my Lord, allow me to introduce, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."
Moso grunted in thought, "Namikaze, Uzumaki, those names are quite famous in the neighboring Land of Earth, and the distant Land of Thunder, is there any chance you're related to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki?"
Naruto smiled, "quite a good one, they were my parents, and I was raised under the Namikaze, but that's not important, getting to the bottom of the Cursed Warrior mystery is," Naruto stated with finality.
"Your resolve is encouraging, young man," Moso commended him, "we've just installed a new feudal-lord, this is no time for unrest. Please, eliminate these harmful rumors of the Cursed Warrior, as soon as possible," he asked formally, while bowing his own head to the floor, "you are our only hope!"
Naruto left Moso's residence on his own, Chishima had his duties to attend to as the High-Priest's page, plus I think Moso wanted to give him an earful about entering into contracts without knowing all of the facts. [So, your first client is a scoundrel and a liar," Kyūbi observed, "but is he the culprit, behind the ghost warrior?] {Of that, I doubt it, the Cursed Warrior is stirring up the status quo, making people doubt the efficacy of the current governmental structure. Of the deaths of the previous Daimyo, and his daughter, I have no doubt about it," Naruto asserted, "the timeline of their deaths, occurred shortly after he entered the royal household, according to the information my clones uncovered.} Naruto stepped into a small restaurant for lunch and ordered chicken-wings.
[Yeah, that makes since," Kyūbi agreed with him, "so who do you think is responsible for the Cursed Warrior?] {My other suspect, Lord Komei," Naruto stated plainly, "he would have the most to gain if he were to destabilize Moso's current power structure, from the beginning, he has voiced his opinion, that Sagi is too young and inexperienced to become Daimyo of an entire nation.} [You agree with him don't you," the Fox accused, "you think it should've been this Lord Komei to become Daimyo!] {Yes, I do," Naruto stated, "at the very least, I believe Lord Komei should have been made regent over Moso, simply because of his loyalty to the country in the past. Sagi, has let his grief over his family consume him," Naruto stated unfairly, "and I'm sorry for being heartless, but Daimyo's are supposed to be made of sterner stuff. He isn't the only Daimyo to come to power in the midst of tragedy, and whether benevolent or despotic they never let those tragedies take them over like Sagi, where even his childhood best-friend no longer recognized him.} [Then do we allow the cursed Warrior to continue his pranks," Kyūbi asked, "or overthrow him?] {We follow the mission," Naruto declared immediately, "whatever my personal feelings are on the matter, I don't live here, maybe the rule under Moso is working. I don't know," Naruto admitted, "either way, it's none of my business. We were hired to find and take down the Ghost Warrior, and that's what we'll do, using any means at our disposal, no matter who it is, even if it's one of the Three.}
Naruto finished his meal, paid, and left; the first thing is to gather what we can of Lord Komei's movements since the Cursed Warrior showed up. Last night's sighting at his mansion could've been staged to throw off suspicion, were Naruto's thoughts and the Kyūbi was nodding its head, it was a good guess, but they needed proof. Naruto had to be careful here, he could not let himself become so fixated on his suspicions, that he excluded anything that disproved his reasoning. Huan and Susumu, made sure he would keep an open mind, and not take it personally if he was wrong, they beat that mentality into his head, almost literally. As he was finishing up, Chishima was walking by and spotted Naruto and hurried over to him, "there you are, I've been trying to find you, so I can assist in your investigation into Lord Komei."
"Riiight," point made, Naruto said reluctantly, "the current Daimyo, Sagi, I'd like to meet with him."
Chishima was taken aback, "I'm sorry, but Lord Sagi isn't seeing anybody at this time."
"Are you and Sagi, not best-friends," Naruto pressed, "surely you know of a way to get in to see him, don't you?"
Chishima took Naruto to a secluded spot, he would go to with the feudal-lord's children. It was a place, just behind the Daimyo's residence, along the verdant shores of the lake. "Many of Sagi's fondest memories are of this lake," Chishima explained, then in a half-whisper said, "many of mine as well. When they were children, Sagi would always come here to play with his little sister, Lady Toki," he continued, "I figured, he might come around today with his attendants, if we're lucky."
Naruto smirked, "I've always been a little lucky," he said.
The storks patrolling the waters of the lake suddenly took flight, soaring into the air, which got Naruto's attention, as he looked to find the disturbance. He looked toward the lake, when Chishima spoke again, "Look, there he is," he said. Naruto turned in the direction Chishima indicated, and from the distance came the procession of Lord Sagi, he was being carried on the strong backs of oxen and several guards walked beside his transportation. {They weren't the ones that disturbed the storks," Naruto stated, "so what did…}
The procession stopped at the water's edge, one of his attendants turned to speak to him, he replied, just as Naruto suddenly moved out of his position, moving fast. This surprised Chishima until a flight of shuriken came whirling out of the water. Naruto formed several shuriken from the metallic-pellets in his pouch, they were already spinning when he threw them, intercepting the enemy shuriken in mid-air. The same motion that threw his shuriken, drew Tokichi from Naruto's left hip, but at the same time, he wordlessly summoned, {Shadow Clones}, into existence. They rushed in to engage the three Shinobi, who were ignoring them in favor of their target, the current ruler of the Land of Birds. The Narutos coursed in behind them, they did not need the Hiraishin to get the jump on these small-fry, almost as one they hamstrung all three-enemy ninja in both legs, forcing them to cry out. The two clones and Naruto coursed in behind them, before they could even fall, the clones and Naruto grabbed them by the hair, placing his blade under their chins. "First question, who are you, clowns," the ninja were silent, "who sent you after the Daimyo?"
One of them being more impetuous than the rest, said, "we'd rather die than betray our master, Satonin-scum!" Then all three of them ran their own necks along the blades of Tokichi, cutting their own throats, Naruto and the clones let them fall, but just before they left this world forever, Naruto ripped the mask from the man his blade had killed.
"I admire your dedication, dude-san," Naruto told him, "but I never said I needed you alive to answer my questions. I'll see you in a bit," he said, "after you're good and dead." Naruto let the man fall to the earth, before turning, and making his way to the intended victim, while tossing Tokichi to one of his clones, it would not do to approach a Daimyo with a drawn weapon in hand.
He reached the party just in time to watch Chishima, speaking to the feudal-lord, "Sagi-Osama, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm unhurt," Sagi answered, "thank you." Sagi has jaw-length, blackish, violette-hair and black eyes, thin eyebrows and a heart-shaped face. He wore the typical raiment, associated with Daimyo in Tori no Kuni.
"I'm glad," Chishima added to himself, and his lord, then turned to indicate Naruto, who had narrowed his eyes as he approached and sensed the person of Lord Sagi, "Sagi-Osama, it is my honor to introduce, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, a Ronin ninja from the Land of Fire."
Naruto bowed as deeply as her position dictated, yes, he felt with all of his senses that he was most definitely a she, "it is an honor to meet you, Sagi-Osama." His voice and his face conveyed an affable face, he was an excellent poker player.
"He has come to our land to help us find who the Cursed Warrior is," Chishima informed her. Naruto felt her blood-pressure spike at the mention of the Cursed Warrior.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, "he shouldn't have bothered. This was Moso's idea, wasn't it," Sagi asked?
"Yes, because he feared for your life, Sagi-Osama," Chishima answered, "and with very good reason. If he hadn't been here, then –
"Hold your tongue," Sagi ordered!
"You know, most feudal-lords, would kill for someone as dedicated to you as Chishima-san," Naruto rebuked her, "perhaps the next Daimyo no Tori no Kuni, will learn to appreciate the people that will dedicate themselves to them as freely and as fully, as him."
"I don't require his help," she bellowed. "How very annoying," she continued, "that friendship is now consigned to the past. I have become a Daimyo, but he remains the page now and forever."
"Then it's probably a good thing, Lord Owashi and Lady Toki are in the Pure World, now," Naruto adjudged, "they wouldn't have to watch as you treated the last remaining member of your family, like trash. I wonder, how very proud of their brother and son they would be?" Naruto turned back toward the corpses by the lake, "I will do one last thing for you, Lord Sagi, free of charge," Naruto took Tokichi back from the Kage Bunshin, and nodded his head. The Bunshin raked their finger and thumb along the edge of their blades, gathering the blood which was the DNA they needed for Edo Tensei, onto their fingers, and began moving through hand signs together, Tiger, Snake, Dog, Dragon, then clapping their hands, and pressing their palms into their own chests. "I'm going to give you, the people who tried to kill you, and may have assassinated your family," Naruto declared.
There was a puff of smoke and the Shadow Clones, morphed into two of the three enemy ninja, they had just killed. This was the original intent of using Kage Bunshin with Edo Tensei, and the whole reason, Tobirama invented Kage Bunshin in the first place, to be used together. Just like with Shin Bunshin, it siphoned the ambient Yang chakra from the eco-system and force them to henge into the person whose DNA they used as a medium. They have all of the memories of the original host but are connected to the will of the Kage Bunshin caster, they are as unable to rebel as Naruto's own limbs are to start hitting him on their own.
The resurrected ninja waited for Naruto to ask them questions, "who are you, and who sent you to kill the Daimyo," Naruto asked?
"We are wandering shinobi, with no home to call our own, we wander the world, drifting from place to place, stealing jutsu from places like Konoha, Iwa, Suna, and other places. We were sent by the leader of our band, Hoki, to eliminate the Daimyo so we could take control of Bird Nation." There were gasps of shock from behind Naruto, as they finished speaking.
"How would your leader gain control of the nation, he would have to be in line of succession," Naruto asked, "wouldn't he?"
"Actually, he wouldn't," came the voice of the feudal-lord, "when a regent is appointed, the linear line of succession is made null and void, when I die, without an heir, the throne will pass to the regent, to Moso," she stated venomously.
Naruto nodded in acknowledgement, and continued interrogating the dead ninja, "tell me, did Hoki, aka, Moso, murder the previous Daimyo and his daughter?"
"He did," the two-ninja answered, "he entered this kingdom and beguiled the late feudal-lord, with parlor tricks and simple genjutsu, making him think he was a priest. Our leader boasts of how easy it was to do, Owashi was a willing dupe. When Hoki, was sure to have gained the trust of the Daimyo, he poisoned him, making it look like natural causes. The daughter, however was not a target, the current Daimyo was the intended target for assassination, she must have come into contact with the poison before her brother," the ninja answered further, "that was our master's first attempt to take control. It would've invalidated Lady Toki and anyone else in line of succession, making us in charge of the Land of Birds."
"One more question, before I return you to the afterlife, gentlemen," Naruto demanded, "I don't believe your leader is behind the Cursed Warrior, because it would upset his plans a little too much. He needs a stable government to inherit or he'll have a revolt on his hands," Naruto qualified his reasoning, "Does he know who it or what it is," Naruto questioned?
"No," they shook their head, "he was thinking it was, Lord Komei, but he knows it's not a ghost, if such things truly exist. He admits though, that it seemed a bit juvenile and out of character for his chief political rival, Komei seemed far too serious minded, to go in for such tomfoolery. This assassination attempt was to give Moso enough power to search for the Cursed Warrior or use Lord Komei as a scapegoat for the masses."
"Thank you, gentlemen," Naruto acknowledged, "I now return you to your rest, may the Three show mercy on you, as you come under their judgement." Naruto dispelled his Shadow Clones, the Edo Tensei, is the only thing that can prevent Naruto from inheriting the memories of his Shadow Clones, so when they dispel, they just dispel. Naruto turns back to look at the Daimyo's procession, "there you have it, Chishima let us go, we still have to find the Cursed Warrior, and I need to do it before my client is arrested for treason and murder, or I won't get paid, I won't even be able to bill his estate, since I won't have fulfilled my part of our agreement. My contract will be voided if he dies before completion."
"Wait," came a voice behind them, they turned to see the Daimyo climbing down from her conveyance! She looked at them with passionate eyes, but also uncertainty, Chishima still thought she was Sagi. She reached up and removed her head wear with one hand, revealing a tightly packed bun, at the same time, she reached up and pulled the bun out of her hair.
"Toki-chan," Chishima stated in a gasp?
"I am the Cursed Warrior, it was my brother who died, it was Sagi," Toki told them, "I knew somebody had murdered him, but I didn't know who did. I became the Cursed Warrior to try and scare the chief suspects into confessing."
"So, Sagi is…" Chishima asked, as tears welled up in his face, Toki silently nodded to his question, she was also holding back tears? He looked at her accusingly for a second, before it dissolved into a brave smile, "I guess the lowly page, doesn't even get to mourn for his friend," he said throwing her words, just recently uttered back in her face, "that's all I'll ever really be, right?" This caused her to whimper, and her eyes truly did begin leaking tears, "now, I am truly alone in this world, without even my brother to talk to," he bowed to Toki with all the respect due her station in life, "I will await my Daimyo's bidding, though without a real home of my own, I must now bed down in the company of vipers."
"Chishima, wait," Toki pleaded, as she reached out for him, but he pretended not to hear her, "Wait," she screamed at him! Chishima just started to run, for the first time he disobeyed his Daimyo, her arm still hung in the air, reaching out to grasp him.
"Well, what're you waiting for, Your Highness, and engraved invitation," Naruto chided her? "Get your ass down to him, you had almost a whole month to grieve, go be his friend, like he always was for you and Sagi!"
Toki gave the red-head only a brief glance before, she hiked-up her royal robes and took off after her one true friend in this world, one that she had hurt with her scathing comments about their relative stations in life. Her guards tried to go after her, but an erect stone wall, reinforced with his metal, rose between them and her, "let's leave them alone for a minute, they have some making up to do, don't worry I'll watch over them," he said before he Hiraishined after the fleeing friends.
He found them with Toki pushing Chishima up against a tree, they were talking heatedly, well, Toki was heated, the page was still treating her, like she was just his Daimyo. Naruto stayed back far enough that even his fox hearing only caught every other word or two, things like, "…for treating you so badly… please, forgive me…" It seems Chishima had somewhat of a stubborn streak, because he was not bending toward her at all, but talking to her, like he would to his feudal-lady only, he was apparently being infuriating, because she stood back with hands on her hips. He made to go around her and leave when she grabbed him by the lapels of his monk's robes, and with impressive strength, wrenched him back until she had pushed him up into the tree, hard. Her next move surprised Naruto completely, but probably not nearly as much as it surprised Chishima, she pressed her body fully into his, and kissed him. It was not long until he was kissing her back, it seemed she liked that because she pressed against him even harder than before. At this, Naruto ran through a series of hand signs, he muttered, "Earthen Shelter," and a structure rose out of the ground, reinforced by steel-rebar, it encapsulated the tree they were leaning against, and had an entrance just wide enough to let them out. It looked a little like an igloo, made of mud, but it was strong enough to shrug-off a meteor strike – maybe. Naruto remained where he was, but he felt they needed some privacy.
