NARUTO
Wild Hunt
Ghosts from the Past
(A day later)
The rest of Naruto's trip up North remained relatively uneventful, save for a brief encounter with an oversized boar running along the edge of the forest. Seeing as how the creatures were quite common in the area, the blonde Ryōshi was able to dispatch of it quickly and efficiently- inadvertently catching himself some lunch for the break during his trip.
After cooking up a chunk of the beast's hide and eating it under the shade of a tree on a hill overlooking the valley with his fox companion Kurama- the boy then collected his gear and carried on. It was probably only an hour of more walking that the child finally happened upon the familiar wooden gates and stone wall surrounding the enormous township of Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves).
Unlike all the other shinobi villages across the continent, the hidden leaf stood out as not only a centre for trade, commerce, and culture in the mainland, but also as the birthplace of the current feudal system governing the surrounding nations, and the starting point for many legendary figures throughout history. The most standout members of course had been individuals like the Hokages, all of whom gained much of their reputation before and through their respective leaderships. The same could be said of people like the Legendary Sannin, the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio, and members of vaunted clans like the Hyuuga, the Sarutobi, the Inuzuka, and the Uchiha- the latter of which boasted some of the most prominent shinobi in the past three hundred years, including Madara Uchiha, Naori Uchiha, Kagami Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Shisui Uchiha- all prodigies of their respective fields.
Speaking of which…
"I wonder how Naori and Izumi-chan are doing," Naruto wondered, being familiar with these two through previous encounters and business dealings with them.
Due to his line of work as a Ryōshi- a freelance hunter for hire and a neutral party in this world- the blonde had been able to deal with almost every faction and ruling body out there. These included members of the hidden villages and the communities living beneath their banners.
Despite the number of states and provinces dotting the landscape, there were currently two main powers that ruled over them and kept the world in motion- chakra and chaos- the latter of which became better referred to as magic. Almost everyone across every corner of the globe was in some way aware of these two forces and the history of how they came to be.
Chakra had existed in this world since the dawn of civilization and has often been regarded as the building blocks to society. It was only about a millennia ago when the energy source really came into prominence on the continent, when the legendary founder and tamer of chakra- Kaguya Otsutsuki- ate from the fruit of the Shinju (God Tree) and gained control of its power in order to protect the world from an overwhelming, invading force. She then passed the knowledge and power of chakra on to her family, who later branched out and taught the rest of the world about the energy source and how to harness it.
It was through this education that the celestial princess and her descendants hoped the world would become able enough and strong enough to defend themselves from the second power- magic.
Magic appeared in this land during the early years of Kaguya Otsutsuki during a calamitous upheaval, which scholars later called The Conjunction of the Spheres. The resulting catastrophe caused this world to intertwine with another, allowing forces, people, and creatures from other dimensions to slip into their domain, and begin populating the planet in the hundreds of thousands. Magic was the primary offspring of this cataclysm, which went on to touch every part of the known world and warp it to the point that it bled seamlessly into the soil, air, and space all around.
The only reason people know so much about Magic today is thanks in large part to the people that entered the world because of the Conjunction. The races that emerged thanks to the rifts included not only humans from another realm, but elves, dwarves, halflings, hybrids, orcs, and other sentient creatures.
Since both forces originated from two completely different plains of existence, Magic and Chakra have remained separate entities from one another. It was a well-known fact that anyone who practiced chakra was unable to learn how to use magic, and anyone who practiced magic was unable to utilize chakra. Consequently, anyone who wielded chakra was unable to effect beings or beasts who possessed magical based abilities- as magic was immune to the foreign force's effects. This was due to the mystical nature of the energy, as it didn't register the same way as chakra did, nor did it share the same chemistry. Not even close.
Anyone who tried to bridge the two together, ended in catastrophic failure.
There was only one breed of people in the world that could master both simultaneously- and those were jinchuriki- people blessed with the raw, regenerative chakra of biju spawned from Kaguya Otsutsuki's life force, who were also mutated through multiple rituals in order to be able to wield the two forces in the same body. This allowed them to battle monsters and men from worlds across the multiverse, as well as effectively fight back against the evil forces that threatened the communities on the continent.
These jinchuriki- trained in special schools that used the biju as their respective sigils- became known as Ryōshi, specialist monster hunters and slayers, who were responsible for giving rise to the greatest warriors in the world. Over the last thousand or so years, the job transformed from a steady career for members of these schools to an eventual way of life.
This of course leads neatly along to Naruto- a prodigy fighter, the youngest Ryōshi to ever be produced, and member of the School of the Fox- the legendary group who used the famous Nine-Tailed Kitsune- Kurama- as their sigil. Members of this troop travelled everywhere from the west coast to the east islands but were best known around the southern nations and Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire).
Their group also had a long-standing association with Konohagakure, which as Naruto would find out was a relationship that still held true today.
After making it down the main road towards the Southern Gate, the blonde saw that the archway was currently under the careful watch of a pair of Chunin sitting inside the guard box. Noticing that they were presently chatting to a passing farmer traveling in on a horse and cart, the blonde Ryōshi figured he wouldn't bother them and tried to walk past.
It was only when he crossed the threshold that he suddenly heard one of the men speak up.
"Oi! You there! Where do you think you're going, kid?"
Stopping in his tracks, the scarred, whiskered hunter let out a sigh and turned, watching as the young man with the brown hair and bandana sauntered out of the post and over to him. When he moved to stand in front of the boy, the Chunin in the shinobi vest and uniform placed a hand on his hip.
"This might be new to you, lad, but all travellers going in and out of the village need to check in at the guard post," Izumo began as he got a good look at the visitor, watching as he reached up and pulled down his hood. "All goods and documents need to be inspected as well. The only ones exempt from this procedure are… are…" He then trailed off, shaking his head when he noticed the child's blonde hair, red eyes, the twin katana at his belt, and the small fox staring at him from his shoulder. "Wait… are you-"
Naruto, smirking at the befuddled expression that came over the man's face, then let out a chuckle. "Forgotten my face already, Izumo? Damn. Has the endless days of gate watching duty finally gotten to you?"
It was then the Chunin finally snapped out of his funk with a surprised exclamation, "N-Naruto?!" When he saw the boy nod, the young adult grinned. "Ah! It's you! Geez, kid! I almost didn't recognize you in that get-up."
"Yeah. Sorry about that," Naruto chuckled, at the same time shrugging at the armoured shoulder plate he was sporting. "I had this one made while I was passing through Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth). Guess I shouldn't have walked in with the hood up."
Izumo shook his head as a result and gave the youngster a genuine smile. "Wow. It's been a few months since you were last in the village. Still alive and kicking, I see."
"In a way. Had a few close calls though, but nothing major," Naruto answered, before then pointing at his face and gesturing to the scar across his whiskered cheek. "On the other hand, I managed to get a few new scratches to add to the collection."
"I can tell," the Chunin remarked, letting out a breath before nodding to the youngster. "Must've had quite a number of adventures while bouncing from country to country. Monsters giving you trouble?"
Naruto shrugged, "Every day."
"That's putting it mildly," the little fox perched on her partner's pauldron remarked, earning a chuckle from Izumo.
Upon greeting the little kitsune with a courteous bow, the Chunin then looked between the two before addressing the hunter once again. "So, what brings you two back to Konoha? Gonna stick around for a while… or are you just passing through?"
"Remains to be seen," Naruto answered, before then gesturing towards the town just up the main path. "Word on the highway is that you guys are having a monster problem. People have been… disappearing? Did I hear that right?"
Smile fading, Izumo quickly recalled the events that'd taken place recently and nodded. "Aye. They have. Though I haven't gotten many details about it, they say that several kids across the village have just vanished into thin air. A couple from the academy too. It's almost like they've been… spirited away or something."
"Hm. Sounds like quite the predicament," the jinchuriki commented, before then giving the man a brief wave. "I'll go up to see the old man. Maybe he'll have some more details."
Giving a nod of understanding, the Chunin then saluted the child good naturedly as he began marching up the path. "Good luck, kid. Keep safe."
"Thanks."
After an exchange of pleasantries, the Ryōshi was able to carry on into town without a fuss. When he eventually passed through the edge of town, the blonde saw that very little had changed in the time he'd been away. Aside from a couple new buildings, all the shops, restaurants, and landmarks he'd come to identify from the hidden leaf village had remained largely unchanged and unrenovated. The square where Ichiraku's Ramen stood, the famous bar where his number one favourite food on the entire continent was served, was still there- right where he remembered it was.
He made a mental note to stop by to grab some dinner after his mission here was done.
As he continued to follow the main road to the other end of the village where the administration sector stood, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the civilians that were currently out and about were giving him multiple glances of surprise and whispers of awe. Though it'd been a while since he was last in town and in public, thanks to the reputation he'd built over the years, the equipment he was sporting and the unique mutations he displayed, almost all the adults and children in the community recognized who he was right away.
Though most of the remarks and statements he managed to pick up through his heightened senses were in respect and admiration of his profession, there were unsurprisingly one or two elders and adults who made several disgusted comments when they caught sight of him. While Naruto's job had indeed managed to keep many people safe in multiple prefectures across the continent and earn him a good standing with many leaders, there were still a lot of villagers out there who regarded his kind as an aberration. A stain on humanity and a freak of nature that shouldn't associate with "decent folk."
As upsetting as it was, Naruto was more or less used to this kind of scorn. It created an interesting balance in his life between both his social life and his work life.
Anyway, upon disregarding the many spiteful remarks he heard on his way down the street, the boy soon came within sight of both the Hokage Tower and the Hokage Monument- both of which peeked through the gap between the buildings running along the road on either side of him. Smiling when he caught sight of the familiar edifices, the hunter adjusted his swords and quickened his marching pace, till he was eventually climbing the stairs to the top of the village's red keep.
Upon entering the tower and passing through the hallways, the child eventually happened upon the entrance to the office. Sensing there were a couple of people on the other side, Naruto waited for a moment as he listened in, before being forced to side-step when the door opened suddenly.
"This is taking too long!" a man with pink, cherry-blossom shaped hair shouted as he exited the room and walked ahead at a hurried pace- turning the corner so fast the tail end of his top whipped against the door handle. "I know our little Sakura is around the village somewhere! She must be! There's nowhere else she could've gone!"
"We'll find her, honey. Don't worry," a woman with dirty blonde hair and wearing a white qi pao dress exclaimed as she followed in the man's footsteps. "We just need to keep a clear head… and think positive. If we don't find her, then I'm sure the Hokage's shinobi will. Just be patient."
"No! I can't wait anymore! I'm going out to look for her again! And I'm not gonna stop until I find her!" the man barked back while continuing to walk briskly down the hall, not even bothering to look back.
As the pair and their voices disappeared down the hall, Naruto- who had been behind the door at the time it'd burst open- stepped out from around it and blinked after the retreating figures.
"They must be the parents of one of the children who disappeared," Kurama whispered, looking up at her partner at the same time with a concerned look on her snout.
"Yeah," Naruto whispered back, his voice breaking momentarily as he sensed their presences vanished. From the way their hearts were racing, and the way their voices were trembling, the boy knew that the two of them were incredibly distressed. What loving parent wouldn't be?
Figuring he'd waited enough, the child with the twin katana at his side and jacket stepped in through the door and swung it closed behind him. The moment he stepped into the chamber, across the shimmering floorboards and in front of the wide, open window looking out over the village, he saw the familiar, wrinkled face of the town's oldest and most respected shinobi. Seated behind his enormous desk with a pile of unopened scrolls beside him and his robes looking a bit creased in places, the tired face of one Hiruzen Sarutobi peered up from under the rim of his cap, where he immediately spotted the familiar, blonde form of Naruto sauntering towards him.
Upon recognizing the cheerful smile under the boy's scarred mug and bangs hanging over his cheeks, Hiruzen felt a new smile tug at his cheeks. "Naruto-kun. Good to see you. I didn't know you were in town. When did you arrive?"
The child chuckled as he stopped before the desk and slipped a hand behind him. "Just rolled in. Came up from the southern peninsula chasing up a few contracts that'd been posted a while back and hadn't been answered. Had a bunch of clients to deal with." He then bowed politely to the elder as Hiruzen stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the floorboards as the old man slowly made his way around his desk. Naruto then addressed the scrolls piled up nearby. "I can see the paperwork is still keeping you busy."
"Oh, this?" the Third Hokage chuckled while gesturing to the lot sitting next to him. "This is just the warmup round for this morning. Budget reports. Counsel requests. Stock takes. The usual. And this is all before the new slew of mission requests start pouring in." He then paused next to the boy that was about half his height and beamed down at him- taking note of both his newly acquired uniform, the scars on his face, and the fox perched comfortably on his shoulder. "But this load of paper is nothing compared to what I'm guessing you must've been through in the last month. How have you been, child?"
"Good. Though I had a few close calls here and there with a couple of monsters, things have been pretty smooth. You could even say I was on a roll. Turned over a lot of happy customers," Naruto answered politely, a smile remaining on his face as he quietly reached up to scratch Kurama under the chin- the fox giving a pleased purr as her fluffy tail wagged behind his head. After a moment, the blonde's smile faded slightly as he then removed the hand behind his back. "Speaking of jobs, while I was down in Maiyama Farm, I came across this."
Holding his hand out, the Third felt the boy deposit a large scroll in his palm. Blinking, the elder quickly unwrapped it and opened the parchment, the text of which he read had him balk in surprise. "This is… the assignment scroll I gave to Rimura Hyuuga and his team. They were supposed to report back to the southern outpost a few days ago, but neither of them showed up. Not even a carrier pigeon or messenger animal was sent," Hiruzen spoke, before then looking up at Naruto. When he saw the rather grim look reflected in his red eyes, the village leader knew right away the implications of the Ryōshi's discovery and felt his heart sink. "They… didn't make it… did they?"
Naruto shook his head. "I found their bodies ripped apart and disembowelled in a Basan nest. Their wounds suggest the beast wounded them, knocked them out, then carried the four of them to its nest to feed. Sorry to say they might have suffered a little before dying." When he saw Hiruzen glance down at the dirty scroll in his hand, the blonde let out a sigh. "Why did you do it, jiji? Why did you allow them to go on that mission?"
After allowing a moment of silence to perforate the air, Hiruzen murmured under his breath before speaking in a hushed voice. "It was Rimura-san who offered to take the job in the first place. In fact, the lad insisted upon it. When he heard how desperate the farmer requesting the mission was, he thought he and a small squad would be enough to chase down the monster terrorizing the townsfolk. Maybe drive it out of the area. He swore that if his team came across a creature that they were unfamiliar with or were unsure they could handle; he would pull out of the area and call for help. But I guess the monster got to them before he could make a decision." His lips tensing up as he clenched his jaw tightly, the Third took a few deep breaths to steady himself, before then exhaling.
Naruto, nodding in understanding of the elder's reasoning, then raised a hand as he quickly summarized his findings and knowledge. "Basans aren't like other draconid species. Though a wyvern can cause havoc to a platoon of Chunin, a single Basan can decimate an entire battalion of troops with a single fly over. Even if your men knew what they were going up against, it wouldn't have helped them in any way. To a ninja, fighting a Basan is like trying to stop a teleporting bull with their hands and legs tied behind their back." After dropping his hand and seeing Hiruzen contemplate the papers in his hand, the blonde youngster then shrugged. "If it's any consolation, I was able to avenge them."
"Hm. It's small comfort… but welcome comfort nonetheless," Hiruzen murmured, looking off to the side and sighing. "Looks like I have a couple more families to write to this morning, as well as condolence letters to fill out and visits to make later in the day. News of losing one of his clan's main family members certainly isn't going to sit well with Hiashi either. That I can guarantee." He then looked back to the boy and smiled at him. "Sorry for troubling you with this, Naruto-kun. Next time, should anything like this come up again in the mission pile, I'll have it sent straight to you by carrier hawk."
Hearing this drew a nod of appreciation from the child. "Thanks. Better to leave monster hunting to the specialists. Makes things a lot easier for everyone involved." Pausing momentarily, Naruto then tipped his head. "Speaking of which, I heard the village is having problems with one."
"Mm. You heard right. And the timing of your arrival couldn't be any more perfect," Hiruzen remarked, casting his eyes down before glancing up again. "About a month ago, the owner of the fruit store in the market square- Miyumi-san- went missing. Her husband reported her disappearance and immediately requested a team of shinobi to search for her. At first the investigating team suspected she may have gotten lost in the surrounding forests looking for new herbs and greens to sell. But as the days and nights rolled by, more and more people started vanishing- from farmers, to shinobi… to children. And each one of them vanished within three or four days of one another."
"Huh. Interesting," Naruto murmured, bringing his hand up to his chin and scratching it as his gaze cast downwards. When he looked back up, his expression tightened to one of intense thought. "I'm going to venture a guess that none of the people who disappeared are related to one another in any way."
"No. All of the victims came from different families, clans, and districts of the village. Aside from two of them, neither of the adults or children who disappeared had any association with one another. There is no pattern, character, or motive to speak of. When looking at the map of Konoha, neither of these incidents occurred in a single vicinity either," Hiruzen answered, slipping his hands behind his back as he focused his gaze on Naruto. "There is one element worth noting, however. In our investigations of the affected areas and through interviews with relatives and bystanders, we discovered that all those who went missing were last seen entering isolated places and locations out of sight of the public."
"Common as far as disappearances are concerned," Naruto remarked, before then deciding to begin broaching questions related to the cases. "What makes you think a monster's responsible for these people vanishing?"
Hiruzen raised a hand in front of him. "The manner that these people went missing and the complete absence of clues, of course. My Jonin are able to spot even the faintest of tracks left behind by other shinobi and beasts. But whatever has been snatching up people across town has left no trace, trail, or indication of its presence. The time frame between the last sighting of these people and their eventual disappearance is also frighteningly narrow. When one of the victims- a Chunin- returned to the onsen's change room to dry off- his colleague followed him a few seconds after, but then saw that he was gone. It's almost as if a ghost had taken him." The man then lowered his arm and frowned. "We also have one eyewitness who claims she may have seen something at the location of the most recent disappearance. A student from the academy- Ami."
Naruto nodded, "Good. If I talk to her, I might be able to pick up a detail you guys may have overlooked." He then gave the Third Hokage a thoughtful look. "Who were the most recent victims? And where were they last seen before they went missing?"
There was a brief pause before Hiruzen eventually came back with an answer. "Three children- two girls and one boy. The two girls- Sakura and Ino- were last seen entering a bathroom inside the academy grounds, but never came out. Ami was the one who reported them missing. A couple days later, a young Genin- Neji Hyuuga- was out on a mission with his squad clearing out a storage warehouse with their Jonin teacher. When he went into the far back to get the last boxes, he disappeared."
Sharing a look with Kurama and quickly processing the information, Naruto then gave one last nod before giving Hiruzen a firm look. "I'll look into this. But not for free."
"That goes without saying. Jobs like this are your bread and butter," Hiruzen replied with a small smile, before bowing to the young man waiting expectantly in front of him for a sum. "I promise you will be well compensated for your services, Naruto-kun. You have my word."
"Then I accept the contract," the whiskered child answered, straightening up and propping a hand over the two swords at his belt.
"Oh, before you go, here," Hiruzen quickly added, reaching behind him and pulling out a small clip, which he then dropped into Naruto's hand when he extended it to catch it. When the child looked down at the thing he was given, he saw that it was a clip of notes, all amounting to a few thousand ryo. "For returning the scroll… and completing the mission the group was sent out to perform."
"Thanks," Naruto answered, slipping the cash into his pocket before smiling up at the elder.
"If you wish to speak to Ami, she should be in class right now in the academy's main building. Third floor, room one," the Hokage answered, before slipping his hands behind his back. "I'll inform Iruka that you'll be dropping by."
With that said, Naruto exchanged one last bow with the village's most respected member, before promptly turning around and heading out of the office. Making sure to shut the door behind him as he left, the child then started a quick march down the hall and stairs, passing by a couple of shinobi heading up to see Hiruzen. Along the way, he became aware of Kurama's tail whipping behind his head- indicating that the kitsune was well and truly awake now.
"What are you thinking, runt?" the fox asked, at the same time giving her Ryōshi partner a firm look.
Clenching his jaw, the scar-faced, master hunter let out a murmur that was more troubled than confident. "Well… from what I can tell, it's not a lesser vampire or a noon wraith. Those kinds of monsters wouldn't scorn attacking multiple people directly. And considering some of these people disappeared within speaking distance of others without so much as a whisper, suggests we're dealing with a very tricky, malicious, and powerful entity," Naruto muttered, before then narrowing his eyes as he descended the stairs. "A higher vampire… or a superior spectre seem the most likely case."
Kurama's face scrunched up when she heard this. "But… aren't those creatures incredibly rare?"
"Yeah… but not unheard of," Naruto answered, his grip tightening around the swords at his side as an uncomfortable chill ran up his back. "In either case, I suspect the monster I'm hunting isn't going to be an easy one to wrangle."
In fact, judging from the information Hiruzen had already given him, the creature the blonde was set to go after was more than likely capable of killing him…
OOO
(Sometime later)
The atmosphere in Iruka's class was relatively calm at around this time of day. Considering the frightening incident that'd occurred just a few days ago, in which two of the group's members had been seemingly spirited away by some otherworldly force, all the boys and girls currently attending the lecture were still able to keep a level head, while at the same time listen in as their instructor went about revising their exam material.
Maybe it was because there were so many people gathered in the same room that the environment was so peaceful? That they had little to worry about in getting kidnapped in a public area? Or maybe it was because everyone was worrying more about the upcoming Genin exams than about some phantom that was randomly grabbing up people in selective spots across town. Point is, with so much going on at the moment, most of the kids in that room had very little fuss to make over the absence of two of their companions, and were more or less worried about getting on with the work that would decide their future courses in life.
Though one or two of the girls in the class were understandably a little shaken up over the fact that Sakura and Ino had been taken from a place they often frequented, their disappearance didn't excuse the others from being distracted. They were a tough, diligent society after all, and all the kids in the room knew that they had to expect the unexpected if they were going to survive out there in the world as shinobi.
There was also the fact that the Hokage had openly announced that he was currently taking care of the issue of the disappearing villagers. Since he had his best agents on the job, neither of the kids had any reason to fret or bother themselves with the investigations.
Still, the incidents did provide something of an opportunity for discussion- particularly around the more socially active members of the troop.
As Iruka went about jotting down notes on the board for the kids to copy down in their prep books, Kiba- who was sitting in the middle row beside Hinata- leaned over and whispered to the dark-haired girl.
"Do you think your cousin is alright?" Kiba asked, while glancing across at his friend- who currently had her arms folded and a firm look on her face. "Neji, I mean. I heard he got snatched up while he was out on a mission with his squad."
Pursing her lips, the tough-looking Hyuuga heiress didn't even bother glancing across at the scruffy Inuzuka as she continued to listen to Iruka's talk. "I'm more worried about Ino and Sakura than Neji-neesan. He's strong. He can take care of himself. Whereas the other two-"
"Hm. Yeah. They're not exactly the strongest from our group. They're the exact opposite," Kiba replied under his breath, before moving back and exhaling sharply. "Even so… this phantom thing or whatever it is… it's even managed to grab a couple of full-grown shinobi. A Chunin AND a Jonin. If you ask me… I'd say we've been pretty lucky so far."
"Hmph," Hinata grunted while tilting her head to the side in a bored manner. "It's annoying that the teachers are making us go to the bathroom in threes now, instead of twos. Having to give up time for someone with a weak constitution every damn day is starting to get on my nerves."
"You can say that again," Kiba answered with a sigh. "I mean, I had to go with Choji twice this week. Sasuke and Shikamaru too. Bloody hell." The boy the scratched the top of his head, being sure to avoid scratching Akamaru as his puppy companion remained perched on his cranium. "I sure hope they catch whatever creep is doing this soon, otherwise I'm gonna have a fit."
Hinata shut her eyes when she heard the boy say this. "With the way things are going, I highly doubt it."
As the students were sitting quietly or whispering to each other as per usual, watching as Iruka finished writing down stuff on the board, the entire group suddenly heard a knock at the door. With the rap causing the Chunin and everyone to turn towards the bottom floor entrance, both the adult and the children then watched the entrance slide open.
When at first everyone thought a newcomer to the class was stepping through, everyone then frozen when they saw a boy with scars on his face, whiskers, blonde hair, wearing vagrant armour, and twin swords at his belt step through. Observing him as he ambled across the floor towards the front allowed everyone enough time to get a good look at the arrival, which in turn had many of the kids' jaws drop and eyes widen.
A clamour immediately started up amongst their ranks when they saw the blonde glance across at them and the fox-shaped medallion flash against his brown shawl armour.
"Hey. Who's he?"
"I haven't seen him around here before."
"Wait. That medallion… and those katana… is he a-?"
"Yeah. Gotta be."
"A Ryōshi?"
"No way."
"There's one here at the school?"
Catching all the usual whispers he often picked up out in the streets, Naruto made his way all the way to the front where Iruka was standing and greeted him with a nod. "Are you Iruka-sensei?"
The Chunin with the scratch over his nose smiled and nodded. "I am. Final year homeroom teacher and examiner. And… you must be the special visitor Asuma-san told me about. Naruto-san, right?" The young man then pointed over his shoulder. "He came in just a few minutes before you did."
"Yeah. Got lost on the way down. Sorry," Naruto replied, Kurama remaining quietly perched on his shoulder as he turned his red eyes towards the kids sitting behind him. Quickly scanning the crowd of young, curious and surprised faces, the blonde then spoke again. "I'm looking for one of your students. Ami. Heard she was in this class."
Nodding in understanding, Iruka Umino looked towards the kids gathered in the rows and waved towards the middle. "Ami. Could you come down to the front for a moment, please?"
When everyone's eyes looked towards the purple haired girl sitting in the centre row, they saw the girl stiffen at being addressed, before rigidly rising out of her seat. Apologizing as she meekly shuffled her way out of the aisle between other students, she then hurried down the steps and stopped before Iruka and Naruto, the latter of whom stepped towards her and greeted her with a polite nod.
Doing so allowed both the girl and the rest of the academy students to see that the master hunter was almost the same height as her. However, the stark contrast in their appearances from their choice of uniforms to the weapons they were sporting made for an interesting comparison.
The boy with blonde locks was clearly the more intimidating of the two. His naturally resting scowl was more than enough to send a slight chill down a couple of their backs.
Expression remaining passive as usual, despite its ruggedness, Naruto addressed the girl with the same grace he would a normal client. "The Hokage told me that you were in the area at the time your friends Sakura and Ino were last seen," the Ryōshi said. "Could you tell me what happened?"
Swallowing nervously as she looked between Naruto and the tiny fox he had seated on his shoulder and watching her, the girl in the fishnet stockings and black shirt reached up to rub her arm. After a moment of gathering her confidence, she slowly answered. "Y-Yeah. Though… I wouldn't exactly call them friends…"
Naruto shrugged, "Anything you can tell me would be really helpful to me."
Giving a nod, the purple-haired youngster proceeded. "Well… when I spotted Sakura and Ino walking into the girl's toilets together from across the courtyard, I decided to head over to see what they were up to. Maybe I could catch them in the middle of one of their little schemes or arguments. Since the two of them really like to bicker with each other, I figured I could get a few shots in. Mess with them a little more, y'know."
The blonde cocked an eyebrow at her while Kurama swished her tail, "Are you a rival of theirs or something?"
"I'd like to think so," Ami uttered back, before dropping her hand back to her side and beginning to speak with a bit more gusto than before. When she realized the whiskered boy didn't have any ire to direct towards her, the girl was able to carry on with a more normal sounding tone. "Though the two of them fight with each other every day, I know they're still really good friends. Even when they start calling each other names and poking fun at the other's looks, neither of them really means anything by it-"
"Okay. Noted," Naruto replied, before then raising a hand and spinning it forward. "But let's try to stay on track here. What happened next?"
"Oh. R-Right. Sorry," Ami replied, blushing slightly at going off on a tangent before continuing. "A-After I got close enough to the bathroom to hear them talking to one another, I swore I heard another voice echoing from inside the room."
"A third voice?" Naruto replied, before narrowing his gaze. "There was another girl in there with them?" He didn't hear about this from Hiruzen. Nothing in fact. Maybe he missed someone.
Ami shook her head quickly. "No. It… It didn't sound like a girl. It was… more like a man's voice. Very deep and… and gravelly. Like it was in pain," the girl stuttered, looking down for a moment as she attempted to best describe the tone she heard. "Maybe it was some pervert playing tricks on them or something."
"Hmm… unlikely," Naruto remarked, glancing down at Kurama for a moment to see the fox look back at him with an equally troubled expression. "What did you do then?"
"Well… when I heard Ino say that she and Sakura were leaving, I went to the entrance to catch them. But as soon as I walked in, they were gone," Ami answered, looking back up at the blonde with a firm look. "They just… weren't there anymore."
Naruto frowned and focused his gaze on her. "Did you see anything else in there? Notice anything strange or off about the area?"
The girl shrugged, "Well… when I walked in, the air was really cold and tangy… and there was some frost on the glass. I thought that was pretty weird. But then it got warm again moments later and everything went back to normal." Ami appeared very perplexed by this memory. "Maybe the bathroom vents were backfiring?"
This immediately struck the blonde professional as something odd, which in turn had the whiskered hunter's fingers clench. "Doubt it." He then bowed his head to the girl in a grateful manner. "I think I've heard enough. Thanks for your time, Ami."
"Y-You're welcome," the academy student answered back, smiling back at the boy when he gave her one of his signature, small, yet dashing grins.
From there, Ami and the rest of the class watched as the blonde boy with whiskers nodded thanks to Iruka, turned, and then strolled out of the class. When the door eventually slid shut behind the young man, silence promptly reigned over the area. During which time, the teacher quietly bidding his stunned female student back to her seat, and the rest of the class simply gaped after Naruto's retreating shadow.
There wasn't a single person in the room that hadn't been deeply affected or thrown by the arrival and departure of the monster hunter. In some way, shape or form, every student had been swept off their feet, with even guys as stoic and lifeless as Sasuke and Shikamaru staring after the blonde long after he'd gone. It was only after Ami clumsily returned to her seat and sat down that life returned to every boy and girl present, with entire rows of children quickly beginning to jabber over their surprise guest from afar.
"That was pretty cool," Shikamaru remarked while resting a cheek on his palm. "In and out like a pro."
"Honestly, I thought he'd do something flashier- like teleport out of here or something," Choji whispered back, his own chin resting on his hands. "You know, since he can do magic and stuff."
"Heh," the Nara chuckled before shutting his eyes. "I highly doubt a person like him would do something as juvenile as show off."
Remarks like this started bouncing between every boy and girl, with the girls themselves being particularly vocal in how cool their visitor had looked.
Speaking of which…
"Wow… that was… something," Kiba quietly exclaimed, having remained silent and stunted just as everybody else had. Leaning back in his seat with his furry, canine companion still lying comfortably atop his head, the Inuzuka turned to Hinata and grinned. "I gotta say, I don't think I've ever seen a living Ryōshi stroll through the village before- let alone our school. That kid looked to be around our age, huh, Hinata?" Beaming at his classmate, the boy waited for the Hyuuga to respond. When a few seconds passed and nothing, the boy's smile vanished. "Uhh… Hinata?"
As it turned out, the tough-as-nails, gruff delinquent of a Hyuuga princess, who'd previously been deflecting almost everything around her for the entire morning, was currently gaping after the hunter that'd come and gone from the room in a heartbeat. When Kiba peered over to see if she was alright, the boy found to his surprise the white-eyed girl's jaw slack and her pale cheeks red like tomatoes, which in turn had him do a double-take at the infamously strong girl's strange reaction.
Heck, even her posture had become less than dignified. The girl looked absolutely blown away and mystified.
Honestly, this was the first time Kiba had seen the girl act in such a manner… and it was bewildering.
"Hinata? Oi! You okay?" Kiba asked again, this time elbowing her in the arm to try and rouse her from her funk. The act of which caused the Hyuuga prodigy to jump out of her flabbergasted state and turn to the boy next to her with an alarmed expression in play, which in turn had the Inuzuka recoil. "Geez. You stopped breathing there for a few seconds. I was worried."
Hinata, realizing how she'd been acting a few seconds following the boy hunter's departure, shook her head quickly to rid herself of her flushed cheeks. She then looked away and huffed. "I… I don't know what the hell you're talking about. Shove off."
Not exactly buying the girl's answer, yet not wanting to tease her over it, Kiba wisely decided not to press her. Instead, the boy simply smiled in amusement and looked away, allowing the girl to keep her cold shoulder on him and pout at her leisure.
OOO
(A few minutes later)
Deciding his first and best action was to visit the classroom where the eyewitness to the most recent disappearance had been holed up, Naruto had headed straight down from the Hokage Tower and into the shinobi academy. Figuring that Hiruzen would use one of his super secretive, hocus pocus devices or methods to contact the teachers of the school ahead of his arrival- informing them that he would be on the premises- the youngster knew he didn't have any fear of entering the grounds and setting off alarms.
Hell, though he may look like one of the students on the outside, there was no way in hell he was one. Not even close. And to walk into an institute carrying two swords, a face covered in scars, and a talking fox on his shoulder, definitely raised a few flags in certain circles of society.
If Naruto was going to get on with his job, better to do it in peace than through interference.
With his prediction being right and his interview of the witness, Ami, passing by in record time, Naruto made short work of his stay inside the main building, and eventually headed out to the scene of the second most recent crime. Calculating that venturing all the way out to where the Hyuuga boy had disappeared would be a bit of a trek, the young hunter decided he would better focus on the area closest to him and went straight to work.
Noticing that the girl's toilets had been taped off by sealing markers and ropes- probably by the local shrine maidens at the behest of the Hokage- Naruto made sure to duck under the boundary before crossing into the lavatories. As soon as he entered the darkened room, he saw that the bathroom appeared just like any other bathroom.
It had five cubicles- each one with a recently cleaned toilet- and a line of four sinks, each with a paper towel dispenser. From the ceiling, to the windows, to the mirror, to the tiled walls and floor, everything about the place appeared completely normal. Nothing out of the ordinary to speak of. However, as the Ryōshi slowly made his way from the entrance and across the threshold, the fox-shaped medallion around his neck started to tremble, and the hairs on the back of the child's neck stood on end.
As his nostrils flared and eyes lit up red, a similar animalistic reaction was shared by Kurama. Her own hair standing on end, the little fox couldn't help but growl.
"Do you feel that?" the vixen asked.
"Yeah. Medallion is trembling to," Naruto answered, his eyes darting from left to right as he scanned the area in front of him and cautiously made his way forward. "Magical resonance. A disturbance in the dimensional wall. Something came through here recently. Something powerful." He then slowly walked forward, his posture appearing normal but his senses fully on guard. As an extra precaution, the boy rested a hand on the handle of his silver katana, which glinted in the dim light coming in through the slits above. After creeping forward a few more paces and approaching the last stall at the end of the room, the blonde paused for a moment. "Hm. There's a wall of cold air hanging here. Strange."
As both he and Kurama looked around, with the blonde exhaling lightly and watching the puff of hot air he let out fill the space before him, the child then moved towards the sinks. Glancing down at the floor, he saw through his heightened extra sensory perception two sets of footprints in the tiles a couple paces apart- both small and matching the size of two average, eleven-year-old girls.
Squatting down, Naruto got a closer look at the light red haze the prints gave off through the mould etched into the floor. Even a shinobi with Sharingan wouldn't have spotted this above the other sets of footprints polluting the crime scene. "The sudden atmosphere and temperature change left the girls' sandal prints in the floor where they'd been standing. Whatever attacked Sakura and Ino appeared in an instant and vanished just as quickly," the blonde said out loud, before standing up and looking towards the mirror above the sinks. Reaching forward, he then ran his fingers over the glass and pulled it away. "Hmm… judging from the way the sandal marks are dragged across the floor, whatever appeared to them must've come from behind. They both pivoted around to look at it… and then it nabbed them."
Kurama raised an eyebrow at where the boy was looking. "It… came out of the mirror?"
"Yeah. Either as a conduit… or as an illusion," Naruto answered, narrowing his eyes as he then plotted the creature's path from the glass. Turning around, the youngster then walked towards the toilet cubicles and peered through the door. After a quick look over the last two stalls, he then walked into the last one and inspected the area. It was there he noticed the remnants of a dense condensation build up along the walls and crinkled his nose. "Melted spectre frost. The creature picked the two girls up, flew past the door, and vanished."
Looking around, the fox on the boy's shoulder frowned. "But… there's nothing here," the vixen spoke.
Medallion clicking as it vibrated against his chest had Naruto's expression tighten and fingers twitch. "Yeah. Nothing we can see. That only leaves one possible explanation. A dimensional rift."
Kurama blinked. "The monster can open portals?"
"Uh-huh," Naruto said, before inhaling deeply and letting out a raspy sigh. "Only very powerful wraiths can cause drastic shifts in temperature and open dimensional holes at will. And considering the concentration of magical energy left over and the fact that the people who've gone missing all vanished in isolated spots inside or directly next to washing facilities… I think I know what kind of spectre we're dealing with." The blonde then stepped away from the cubicle as his grip tightened around his silver sword. "The village is being haunted by an Aka Manto."
Kurama cringed when she heard this. "Shit. That's not good."
Naruto wanted to bang his head against the wall when he began recalling the information he had on this fiend. "Oh, that's not good doesn't cover it, Ku-chan," he said, at the same time looking back towards the stall and the toilet occupying it. "There are only two recorded cases in history involving this particular phantom… one of which Mito-sensei dealt with around eighty years ago. Most people think that this spirit is just an urban legend, but in truth it's a very rare, very powerful, and very malicious spectre. From what I remember, the one that sensei hunted, fought, and exorcised from Kirigakure (Village Hidden in the Mist) back in her prime, damn near almost killed her."
After a moment of tenser silence, the fox sitting on the boy's collar frowned. "So… what're you going to do?"
Rolling his shoulder and giving his neck a stretch, Naruto then put on his usual, cheeky grin. "What do you think? My job."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Bestiary:
Aka Manto (Red Cape)
"Though an urban legend speaks of this ghost haunting the Number 4 bath stall of every public facility, this is just utter nonsense. The true story behind this spectre is far more frightening." – Bestiary quote, a recount from a former Ryōshi
Also known as Red Cape, Akai-Kami-Aoi-Kami, or Aoi Manto, Aka Manto is a violent, highly territorial, wraith-like monster that is said to dwell in bathrooms and toilets. Described as a male ghost wearing a red cloak and mask, this phantom earned the unusual reputation of appearing in public and school restrooms to prey on unsuspecting victims.
Urban legends say that if you're in the last stall, you will hear a voice asking for "blue or red paper/cape". Pick blue, you will be strangled to death until your face is blue. Pick red, you will be ripped apart till your clothing is red with blood. Pick a different colour or wait too long to give an answer… and the Aka Manto will drag your soul to hell.
The trick to outwitting it- pick no paper at all.
However, all of this is just urban legend and folk myth. The truth is the Aka Manto is a very rare wraith born of the hatred of someone murdered unjustly and dishonorably in the sewers or bathroom. If the body isn't properly buried, a vengeful ghost is created. The resulting monstrosity proceeds to haunt a wide area of the village the victim was killed in, marking that space as its territory.
Highly aggressive and territorial, the ghost attacks anyone who lingers inside bathrooms, washrooms, old stalls, or anywhere where the sewer lines connect- as people are at their most vulnerable in the bathroom and thus easy prey. When hunting, it sometimes taunts its victims and utters questions to test their alertness. When they let their guard down, it pounces.
The wraith is capable of shifting through spaces. When it is born, it creates a pocket dimension inside the village that serves as its lair called an Astral Space. It is from this personal pocket dimension the ghost is able to teleport in and out around the village, allowing it to snatch up victims from multiple stalls. It then brings the victims into its dimension, where they are bound in refuse and waste that serve as cocoons, allowing the monster to feed on their life essence at its leisure.
Acting as an energy vampire, the ghost sucks the life force out of its victims to increase its power. The more vitality it drains, the stronger it becomes.
Active, the Aka Manto is nigh invincible. The only way to truly kill it and to make sure it can't revive itself, is to free the victims it has captured and lure it out into the open by burning the corpse of the person that was murdered, thus ridding it of the body tethering it to the living plain.