PinkiePieParty122894: Once again I'm glad that you liked the chapter and I hope that I continue to impress with this one :)
zero fullbuster: Awesome I hope that this one is up to expectations.
Unsan Musho: The Toad Sage wanted be assured that the prophecy would work out rather than just trust in the involved parties. He meddled where he shouldn't have but was just trying to assure that the prophecy child would be capable of fulfilling the prophecy. He didn't go about it the right way, but his intention was to save the world not bring chaos so he's not part of an antagonistic organization per say even though he is kind of an antagonist.
thor94: Yup the toads received their punishment and it was somewhat fitting I think. Maybe I was a little harsh.
Animaman: I'm happy that I was able to set myself apart with the Toad Sage twist. The reason in specifics for Naruto needing to be hated will come out during the fight with Naruto vs Tsuranabi. The Great Toad Sage really wasn't anticipating Jiraiya's journal coming into play. The journal caused everyone to look deeper and unfortunately the Toad Sage had to answer for his actions. I like the ideas about Tsunade and Orochimaru talking to their summons about the origins of the legendary three summons. I am very intrigued by the Kakashi idea.
the1turtle: I'm sorry that you didn't like it. I know that it is kind of rough to read early on but I really think it gets a lot better as it goes on.
Ryu wolf: Appreciate the review glad that you liked it.
Natzo: Yeah it is a bit of a cop out but I had a really big hole to close. As for the twins, they are 100% evil and insane kids. They are only influenced by how they were raised.
(Shinigami's Blade Base)
Sashira sat on her bed in her room staring at a picture. Her white hair was braided in its normal style falling over her left shoulder. She sat in a white tank top and black shorts. Her breathing was calm but sad as she stared down at the picture in her hands. The picture was one of her being hugged by Sera. The blue haired swordsman was smiling in a goofy fashion while she had a surprised look on her face at the contact. It made her chuckle but also caused a tear that she had been holding in to finally run down her face. Every night she would relive her memories with Sera. All of the feelings that she experienced with her. Surprise, awe, confusion, betrayal, but the strongest among them was love. It was the feeling of love that stabbed at her heart every night and day, a feeling that would not leave her until Sera's soul received justice.
Laying down on her back but still clutching the picture of her and Sera close to her chest, she started to once again reminisce and go through the memories that she held with her Aqua Knight.
(Unknown Land)
A group of large wolves had cornered Sashira. Her face was bleeding along with her right shoulder and left leg. Behind her was a cliff where nothing but a watery death awaited. Gritting her teeth, the white haired woman gripped a moderately well made spear tightly as the wolves began to close in. They were obviously in a hurry to enjoy their meal. Taking a deep breath, Sashira narrowed her eyes and quickly identified the alpha of the pack. She knew that she was probably going to die today, but she was going to make sure that these wolves remembered her.
Letting out a battle cry, Sashira ran with all of her strength at the alpha wolf and jumped into the air. Shifting the spear in her hand, she held it tight and slammed the sharp edge into the shocked still alpha's head. Landing hard in front of it, she watched as blood started to flow quickly out of its wound and waited for the other wolves to attack her from behind. Seconds passed and she felt no additional bites, just the sting of her previous ones. Slowly turning around and momentarily ignoring the formerly alive alpha, she was met with an unusual sight. Five large wolves surrounded her and looked to be wanting to move but they just couldn't. Their movements were reduced to twitching as if that was all that they could accomplish.
Tilting her head for a moment, she was back on guard when the sound of clapping made its way into the area. Looking around, she tried to locate the source of the sound. While she looked around, a blue haired woman slowly moved her face right next to Sashira's. "Whatcha lookin for?" the blue haired woman asked. Sashira, who was looking in the completely opposite direction, slowly turned her head until she met the newcomer's eyesight. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Sashira screamed and jumped backwards only to fall down due to her injured leg.
The blue haired woman gave Sashira a funny look before slowly approaching her. "Damn, that doesn't look like it feels to good" the woman commented while Sashira grimaced in pain as if to emphasize her point. As the woman continued to approach, Sashira reached for her spear and quickly turned it on her. The woman stopped and put her hands on her hips while a pout made its way onto her face. "Hmph, is this how you thank all of the people who save your life? After all, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have been able to kill that wolf. Not to mention that all of these guys would be chewing on your intestines right about now" she said waving an arm towards the wolves that were still twitching.
Sashira once again looked at the wolves before asking the obvious question. "What's going on with them?" the white haired woman asked. The blue haired woman barely looked over her shoulder as her smirk grew. "Let's just say that I have a certain relationship with water that allows me to go so far as controlling the water in other creatures. It comes in handy from time to time" the woman said chuckling at the end. "By the way, my name's Sera, can I get your name?" Sera asked, her smile growing wider.
The white haired woman looked at Sera closely while staying on guard which was becoming increasingly difficult by the second. "Sashira. What do you want?" she said abruptly trying to get Sera to leave her alone as soon as possible. Sera eyed Sashira up and down before starting to approach her. "Let's just say that I was pointed in the right direction by my boss to find someone that'll fit in with us. You're definitely a fighter. You're stubborn, you have a strong will, and you don't even consider the notion of losing" Sera said coming to a stop just in front of Sashira who was still holding up a front.
Before Sashira could respond, the pain from her injuries suddenly became to much as she started to fall. She would have hit the ground if not for Sera catching her in a firm but gentle hold. "Easy girl. Let's go ahead and take care of these bites" Sera said lowering the woman down to the ground slowly. Laying Sashira on her back, Sera stretched out her right arm and in an instant a beautiful gold handled silver sword appeared in her hand. Sashira started to squirm to get away thinking that Sera was going to kill her only to grunt in pain at the attempt.
Taking a deep breath, Sera concentrated on the ability given to her by her sword. Water started to rise into the sky directly from the large lake that was below the cliff. Sashira watched not quite believing her eyes as a mass of water formed in the sky and felt the power eminating from her blue haired counterpart. The water eventually stopped rising and came together to form a sphere of clear water in the sky. After the sphere finished forming, it started to move towards Sera and Sashira. Taking another breath, Sera clenched her grip on the sword tighter making the sphere stop directly in front of her. A second later, four streams of water started to flow out of it and rush to cover Sashira's body. It didn't take long for all of the water to create a thin layer covering all the way up to Sashira's neck.
Sera raised her left hand after the process had completed itself. Whispering a few words, the water started to glow and the wounds that covered Sashira's body started to fade. After about twenty seconds of glowing and healing, the water fell off Sashira leaving her dry, as if she had never been covered in it in the first place. The white haired woman stared in awe as Sera got up off of her knees. In an instant, Sera was at the edge of the cliff while the wolves behind her all fell simultaneously with numerous cuts to critical parts of their bodies.
Slowly, Sashira got up and approached Sera. "If I join, will I become as strong as you?" Sashira asked still in awe at what she had seen. Sera looked at Sashira for a while and her sword disappeared in an instant. Throwing her arms behind her head, she smiled. "Nope" she responded making Sashira fall down on her face. Sera chuckled. "But, you will definitely get strong that's for sure and honestly, that's enough. It's pretty understandable to want to be the strongest, but just having the power to protect what you love is enough to be happy. If you join with me and the boss, you will gain the power to protect all that you love and never feel weak again" the blue haired swordsman said holding her hand out.
Thinking for a moment, Sashira gained a determined look and took Sera's hand.
(Three Months Later)
Sashira was practicing her sword stances on the training ground of the Shinigami's Blade base. In her hands she held a blueish grey katana that had become a close companion to her. She had a new home courtesy of a reluctant Tsuranabi who had to be convinced by a persistent Sera. The thought of the blue haired woman that saved her life brought a slight blush to her cheeks. Sera had spent the entire first month and a half, every day, helping her acclimate to the ways and ideals of the Tsuranabi's Blade. Also included were the constant swordsmanship lessons that she impressed upon her. It had taken practically no time at all for Sera to turn her into a more than competent swordsman. That combined with the gift of a very special weapon courtesy of her leader had turned her into someone to be feared and completely eradicated the previous woman who was so helpless against a pack of wolves. She would always be thankful to Tsuranabi for his allowance of her into the Shinigami's Blade and her sword, but deep down her loyalty was to Sera. She had saved her life and believed in her. Sera had wormed her way into her heart and Sashira didn't mind one bit.
"You know, if you wanted to train you could've waited for me to get back" said an amused voice that caused Sashira to smile. Quickly changing her smile into a smirk, she turned to face Sera and crossed her arms. Her blue haired counterpart stood in a basic blue short sleeve shirt, black pants, and a blue coat hanging on her shoulders. Shaking her head, Sashira gave a quick sigh. "What's the point when we both know that you'll win like you always do. How was the mission?" Sashira asked.
Sera chuckled and walked forward. "The mission went fine. We have a new member named Karasala. The guy gives me the creeps and seems like an asshole but Tsuranabi likes him so mission accomplished. Now stop deflecting. I believe that one of the first lessons that I taught you was that the only way to get stronger is face a challenge. To go against unfavorable odds without an ounce of fear or hesitation. Now, you better come at me with the intent to kill" Sera said as she stretched her arm out. In an instant, Sera's sword appeared in her hand with a spray of mist surrounding it. Narrowing her eyes, Sashira raised her sword and took off towards her friend.
Sashira swung her sword down with both hands in a heavy slash only for it to be blocked by Sera one handed. The two met each other's eyes, Sashira filled with determination to put up a fight and Sera with a look of amusement and slight curiosity. Sera smiled and gripped her sword tightly before pushing Sashira backwards with minimal effort. The white haired swordsman was thrown back with practically the flick of the wrist of her teacher. Her arms were throbbing from having all of her strength thrown off. Sera examined her friend before shaking her head. "The sword is an extension of one's self. The relationship between you and your sword should be symbiotic because a swordsman without a sword is not a true swordsman and vice versa. Work with your sword, don't just swing it around hoping that your strikes will land a hit. Now, show me your true strength Sashira and don't hold back or else I might just cry" Sera said with a mock pout that irritated Sashira. The blue haired swordsman always knew how to push her buttons.
Taking a deep breath, Sashira rose her sword to the sky as it began to glow. Seeing this, Sera grinned widely. Taking one last breath, Sashira looked at Sera. "Remember, you asked for this Sera. Divine Mirror Shot!" Sashira shouted before disappearing and reappearing three feet away in front of Sera. Sashira swung her sword seemingly hitting nothing but air before disappearing again, this time reappearing in the air about five feet directly above Sera. Committing the same act, the rate of speed that Sashira started to disappear and reappear began to quicken. Soon, she was nothing but a blur appearing to be everywhere at once. After a few more seconds of slashing at the air, Sashira reappeared back in her original spot across from Sera who was still smiling. "Mirror close" Sashira said as all of the slices in the air around Sera started to glow. A second after glowing, the slashes started to advance immediately towards Sera.
Sera looked up with a smile. "Aqua Mitosis" were the words that came out of the blue haired woman's mouth before all of Sashira's slices converged on her. Each slash hit, and with each slash landed another on the opposite side of Sera's body thanks to Sashira's sword ability. After almost a full minute, Sera stood, still smiling but with an uncountable number of sword slashes on her body. Not an inch wasn't covered in a slash or blood. The sight caused Sashira's eyes to widen in worry before the form of her friend exploded into a mix of thousands of blood and water droplets. Out of many of these droplets formed a still amused Sera who looked as if nothing had happened to her. More and more forms of Sera began to form until around twenty of them filled the training ground. Sashira's jaw dropped. She had never seen this ability of Sera. "What are you?" Sashira asked shakily as her sword fell from her grasp. Her will to fight dimmed at seeing how outclassed she was in this spar. Sera watched her white haired friend drop her sword and instantly appeared in front of Sashira with her sword to her throat.
The blue haired swordsman was flanked by her other duplicates and each one looked at Sashira with disapproval. "Is that what I taught you? To give up even though you know that you probably won't win? No! I taught you to keep fighting with everything that you have. You disrespect not only your opponent but yourself by surrendering any time someone comes around who is stronger than you. Never drop your sword in battle. I brought you into the Shinigami's Blade because I admired your will. I still see your will as one of the strongest I have ever seen so don't ever disappoint me by just giving up like that. Got it?" Sera said in anger. Sashira just silently and obediently nodded. Seeing her agreement, Sera's face immediately changed from one of anger to her usual smiling expression. "Good because I'm hungry now. Come on, let's get something to eat" Sera said turning around and starting to walk back into the base. Sashira was quiet for a moment before snapping out of it and jogging to catch up to her friend. "Sera, how did you get so strong?" Sashira asked to which Sera just laughed loudly and kept walking. Back in the training ground, all of the Sera copies collapsed into water.
(Two Months Later)
Sashira and Sera sat on the bank of a nearby river. Both sat with their feet in the water, staring up at the sky. The sun was starting to set and the sky was a beautiful mix of blue and yellow from the sky and the sun's light. Sera was the first to break out of her stare and turned her attention to the white haired woman beside her. It wasn't long before Sashira stopped looking at the sky only to be surprised that Sera was staring at her. It made Sashira's face turn red quickly and caused her to look away immediately. "What are you staring at?" Sashira asked still red faced.
Sera was quiet for a moment, choosing to keep taking in the image of Sashira instead. "Sashira, what is your dream?" Sera asked after a few more seconds. Sashira looked up at her friend still flushed but with a confused look on her face. "I don't know. I guess I've never thought about it before. What's your dream Sera?" Sashira asked. The blue haired swordsman took a deep breath before looking at the river in front of her. "My dream is to unite the world. To help bring a new age of peace. To change this world and make it into a place that suffering will become no more. I don't know how I'll pull it off right now, but I'm going to get it done. I'm sure of it. That's part of why I joined the Shinigami's Blade. Tsuranabi want's world peace and I figure that I'll need all the help I can get to pull this off" Sera said with a soft smile still looking at the river.
Sashira stared at her friend in slight awe. A strange feeling started to bubble up inside of her. Before she could stop herself, she blurted loudly, "Wherever you go, I'll help you I swear." Sashira's mouth zipped close after her shout. The declaration caused Sera to turn her attention to Sashira with a surprised look. That look eventually turned into a smile. It made the weird feeling return to Sashira but before she could act, Sera crashed her lips upon Sashira's. The white haired woman was taken by surprise for a second before her eyes closed in happiness. Sashira wrapped her arms around Sera's neck and continued the kiss. Throughout the kiss, one thought pounded in Sashira's head which would continue to stay in her head for the rest of the night. I love you Sera.
(Two Weeks Later)
The white haired swordsman waited in the living room of the Shinigami's Blade base. She had been sitting there for the entire day waiting for Sera to return home from her mission. To return back to her. It had been an amazing couple of weeks since her first kiss with Sera and the two had shared many more since then. Just the thought of the blue haired woman brought intense butterflies to her stomach. Never before had she felt this way with any other human. Never had she felt so weak yet so strong. In her mind, all Sashira needed to be happy was to be with Sera.
Sashira's inner thoughts were broken when someone entered the living room. Looking up, Sashira started to smile knowing who it was, but the smile immediately turned into a worried frown. In walked Sera covered in blood. Her blue hair was stained reddish brown with dried blood and ruffled in a mess. Blood stains covered the woman's entire body, not a single spot of her body or clothes were without blood. Sera herself had a blank look on her face and after looking closely, Sashira could see that she was shaking. Immediately getting up, Sashira rushed over to Sera. "Sera, what happened?" Sashira asked in a worried tone. She received no answer. "Sera, what's wrong?" Sashira asked only to get more silence. Sashira reached out and gently placed her hand on Sera's exposed blood covered shoulder only for Sera to scream and jump back. Now shaking more, the blue haired swordsman started muttering "I'm sorry" over and over. Finally having enough, Sashira disappeared only to reappear behind Sera and with a chop to the neck put her to sleep.
Catching her before she could fall over, Sashira lifted Sera in her arms and carried her to their now shared room. Gently putting her on the bed, Sashira got in immediately afterwards. Sashira pulled Sera into her and held on to the still shaking woman. Hopefully when Sera woke up, everything would be better. Watching her lover sleep caused Sashira to become sleepy as well and it wasn't too long until sweet slumber consumed her as well.
(A few hours later)
Sashira awoke from her nap only to be met with the sight of a missing Sera. Slowly sitting up, Sashira looked around for Sera before her eyes focused on a piece of paper on the bedside table. Seeing it brought a chill to her gut. Sashira quickly grabbed the paper and began to read.
Sashira,
My heart hurts just writing this. Know that my intentions are not to hurt you when I say this. I'm leaving the Shinigami's Blade. I have recently discovered that it is not the group that I thought it was. I want to bring peace but all the Shinigami's Blade will bring is chaos and destruction. It is my role, passed on by many before me to fight against chaos and evil. I plan on stopping Tsuranabi. If I fail then I will find someone who won't. You know me, I'm resourceful. I wish I could take you with me, but our paths diverge here. I must do this alone. I pray that one day we see each other again. I love you Sashira, my beloved Winter Queen.
Love,
Your Aqua Knight
The paper fell from Sashira's hands as tears immediately appeared in her eyes. Getting up as fast as possible, Sashira ran out of the room in the bare hope that she could catch Sera in time. Those hopes were dashed however when she entered the living room. There sat Tsuranabi, her fearsome leader. The man had cuts along his body and his breathing was labored. She had never seen him so injured, but those injuries soon started to disappear as the cuts all over his body quickly began to vanish. Most people would be in awe of the healing abilities displayed, but Sashira was focused on one thing. Sera. Knowing that she had to play her cards right to get the information that she needed, Sashira asked, "What happened Tsuranabi?"
Tsuranabi looked up at Sashira before standing up himself with some effort. "We have been betrayed. Sera has decided that our ideals are no longer one in the same. She has decided that she would rather live in a world full of destruction and pain rather than a world of peace by submission" the man said in a low voice. Steeling herself, Sashira spoke. "I will go after Sera and bring her back Master" the white haired woman said. Tsuranabi raised an eyebrow at her response before shaking his head. As he started to walk to his office, he spoke one last time. "No need. I inflicted a blow that will inevitably kill her. Then all her power will be mine" the man said causing Sashira to go rigid.
It wasn't until after the door to Tsuranabi's office shut that Sashira fell to her knees. Tears streamed down the white haired swordsman's face. She wanted to sob, she wanted to wail, she wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. The only thing that left her body were the streams of tears from her eyes. She was broken. The woman that she loved, the only person in the entire world that she cared about was gone. As she sat on the floor, her only thoughts were why Sera couldn't take her along. Surely the two of them could have taken on Tsuranabi together. And if not, at least they would have died together.
Rising from her sadness, a rage started to build within her. A rage that would only be put to rest by killing her lover's killer. Getting to her feet, Sashira stormed to Tsuranabi's office and slammed open the door. At that, her mind went black and she immediately fell unconscious.
A little over a year later, Sashira sat in her room. Her expression was filled with a dark rage and hatred that would scare any man, animal, or creature. After months of proving herself and rising up to become the best swordsman in the Shinigami's Blade by far excluding Tsuranabi, she had finally gained enough trust that her leader would come to her for advice and counsel. It had taken time but Sashira had put it in Tsuranabi's head that Sera would be necessary to the plan of peace by submission so he had finally relented to accepting her back. Sashira had just returned from looking nonstop for her lover when she had received the news. Sera had been killed by a boy whom she trusted as her apprentice. The anger and pure hatred that boiled within her would only be quenched with the death of the child who took her beloved away from her.
(Sashira's room)
Sashira was now asleep, falling into slumber over the cherished memories that she held with her blue haired lover like she did every night. And just like every other night, she fell asleep feeling cold and alone without her Aqua Knight to hold her.
(Menma and Narumi)
The two Namikaze siblings sat in their room, both unhappy. Every day that their pathetic brother continued to breathe was an insult to them and it was one that could not be tolerated. And on top of that, they were expected to continue to take orders from Tsuranabi. When Menma and Narumi had left the Leaf, they had decided that they would show the world the true power of a jinchuriki and rule over all mankind. No one would be above them for no one can be above the gods themselves.
Menma looked at his sister. "So it's decided. On the night that Tsuranabi goes to kill Naruto, we will take anything of value and leave" Menma stated. Narumi nodded. "I refuse to be led around any longer. We are gods Menma, we answer to no one. With all of the knowledge and resources that Tsuranabi has, we will be unstoppable. Not even Tsuranabi will stand in our way".
Author's Note: Damn, that was weird to write. I had to think about this one because I kind of kept changing the direction of how I wanted this chapter to go. I finally settled on giving the spotlight to Sashira and her relationship with Sera. I know that I will receive questions about it in the reviews if I don't state it right now so Sashira falls unconscious because of one of the abilities of Tsuranabi's sword which is not discussed really in this chapter. I plan on having a few more chapters at least three before the big fight between Naruto and Tsuranabi. One of the chapters will probably be how Tsuranabi became as powerful as he did. Nother might involve the Sera/Tsuranabi fight. Not sure yet. Sorry it took so long but with classes starting and work picking up even more, it's taking me a little bit longer to get the chapters out. I keep reiterating this because I want to assure all of you that I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY. I have come too far to not finish this out and I know exactly how it will end. It may take some time but I won't betray you guys especially when you've been so loyal. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter and I'll see you next chapter.