It was several hours before the guards returned, and we took the time to nap and talk.
"Why isn't it night yet?" Sasuke asked, looking at the shadows cast in the area.
"We didn't just travel a few hundred or thousand miles, we're on a different world. Their days and nights last longer here. There's more oxygen as well, which is why all the invertebrates get so big."
Sakura nodded while Naruto's face scrunched up.
"Bugs, spiders, insects and the like," I explained.
"Oh."
This time the guards came in greater numbers. I could see regular troops from a few different companies among them, as well as a captain. Apparently I was getting the red carpet treatment, such as it was. I betrayed nothing as we watched them approach, but did give some last minute advice.
"Okay, remember: Be polite. Be nice. In fact, try to stay silent for the most part. They don't like me here and they outnumber us."
Sakura nodded, as did Sasuke, though he frowned. Naruto clicked his jaws in annoyance.
"We can't really fight like this, ya know, if we have to," Naruto grumbled. Ringumo huffed.
"Can't fight? What are you implying, huh?"
"Quiet Ringumo, we'll take care of that later," I hissed. I scuttled around in front of my students, making sure I was in front of them. It wasn't a matter of intimidation though, even the smallest Mizugumo was at least twice the size of my Jorou spider form.
"Tsume Andoryuu," the captain spoke. "The Spider Sage himself! Aren't you confident, coming to us in such a form?"
When I was young, I marveled at how small dogs like chihuahuas would bark at big dogs or even humans that could sit on one and kill it. I thought they were either brave or stupid, not knowing just how small they were.
Now I know that small dogs are acutely aware of how tiny they are, and they bark all the louder for it.
If this seems a non-sequitur, know that the same often applies to people. And spiders.
I would have liked to frown, as this was likely a newly promoted captain. Eager to show off and swing his palpal bulbs around. Experienced officers were either more professional, or at least would wait until they knew they had you over a barrel before becoming assholes. This was unfortunate, but I could turn the other cheek for the mission.
"I come as a Sage, not as a soldier," I said calmly. "I believe your orders are to bring me and my party to Mizutoushou?"
The captain hissed, and ground his fangs together menacingly. I showed no reaction.
"Do not presume to tell me what my orders are, Fish Killer! Frog Hunter!"
Ringumo hissed angrily behind me. "Don't you dare call him that, Soft-Shell!"
The other Mizugumo troops hissed angrily back. I sighed, and focused my killing intent on the whole lot of them. I may not have had access to almost any of my jutsu, but I could still wield my chakra effectively. That gave them pause.
"The war is over, captain," I said calmly. "And your leader recognizes me as the Sage, just as the other clans do. So, will you do your job, or not?"
The captain hissed again, but his stance became less aggressive.
"Follow," he said. He backed away, and the other spiders fanned out in a circle. I looked back over at my students.
"Come on," I said in Common. Naruto looked suspicious, as did Sasuke. Sakura looked nervous, and Ringumo was livid.
"Come on!" I repeated. They shuffled out of the house, right into the center of the Mizugumo. Their defiance was good, as long as they didn't say anything.
"You know the way, don't you Web Cutter?" Hissed the captain.
"Yes, but by all means, lead on."
The captain hissed again, and turned to scuttle off. Our escort followed, and we headed off.
"They really don't like you," Naruto whispered.
"What were they saying?" Sakura asked. "We're spiders but we don't understand the language..."
"Well of course you don't," Ringumo said. "Just turning into a spider isn't enough. And those jerks were-!"
"I overturned a superpower. They're understandably bitter. Let it go," I said.
Ringumo huffed. Naruto pestered her a little more as we ventured deeper into Mizugumo territory. We came out of the town and went along the road, the lamps of another bridge coming into view after about half an hour. Our escort said nothing, every one of them with a spear ready to let fly at the slightest wrong move.
It was a little funny, I suppose. Their cultural mindset made it clear that dangerous enemies were personally powerful. As in, giant spiders capable of burning down or wrecking their villages. That they considered me so dangerous when most of the damage I'd done to them was through the direction of guerilla warfare, well... What did they think I was going to do? Produce an army from my ass?
Well... given the Jorou Spiders' shapeshifting, that wasn't entirely impossible. And I'd done stranger things during the war.
••••••••••
The rest of the trip was boring. There wasn't much to talk about, and with all the Mizugumo constantly watching us, our enthusiasm for conversation died pretty quickly. Naruto took to making faces at the guards, but he wasn't very good at it. And while the captain was kind of an asshole, the other troops were very disciplined. They didn't react at all.
It was nightfall before we made it to a gigantic lake. A small group of female Mizugumo washed clothes in the distance, and the younger ones waved to the soldiers. The captain turned to us.
"It will be here soon. Do not move," he ordered. He turned and scuttled onto the water, soon vanishing into the mists.
"What'll be here?" Naruto asked.
"The diving bell," I replied. "Mizugumo have surface villages, but most of their communities are underwater."
"Oh. Wow, that's so neat!" Naruto said.
"Yeah, but they have to live in cold water, ugh," Ringumo said. "It's very unpleasant..."
The surface of the water parted, as a large shape began to rise. It was circular, and from the dim light still remaining filtering through the trees and fog, it was easy to tell it was built from massive amounts of silk.
Revealing it's form to be that of a giant sphere, Ringumo's eyes went big and shiny.
"Oooh~! Ball!"
I got the feeling my students would be rolling their eyes if they could. The diving bell's top opened, and the captain from before emerged.
"Come on, everyone in!" He shouted. I walked onto the water, using my chakra to keep myself afloat. I produced some silk and jumped up onto the side of the diving bell, and crawled up while laying the trail.
"You heard him, let's go," I called. Naruto came first, gripping onto the silk and pulling himself up onto the bell easily. Sasuke followed, heading up halfway before he jumped onto the bell. Naruto muttered "show off", and I fought a smile.
Sakura and Ringumo were last, both climbing up and reaching the top without any trouble. We crawled down into the interior of the diving bell, and settled in as the hatch on top closed. The vehicle shook, and we all felt ourselves begin to descend.
"Wow... Hey, how does it keep the water from coming through that hole in the floor?" Naruto asked, pointing to the center of the diving bell.
"Internal pressure, I think," Sakura said. "The air inside would have to go somewhere before the water could take its place, and unless we went really, really, deep, the air will keep the water from pressing in."
Naruto seemed to ponder that for a moment. "So since things can't be in the same place, the air would have to move, but it's trapped?"
"Yes."
"Oh… Why couldn't classes be that simple?" Naruto asked, looking around. "These guys must be pretty smart to build stuff like this then, huh?"
"Yes, they are," I said. The captain just continued to glare. Finally, the diving bell changed directions, moving sideways. It stopped again, before slowly, it began to rise.
"Ack... What the hell...?" Naruto asked.
"The diving bell must be on some kind of track, or a rope system," Sakura explained. "It goes down, then sideways, then it's pulled up into the city!"
Naruto looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded. Sasuke huffed. The water dropped down from the center of the diving bell, and there was a significant breeze flowing through the vehicle now, as well as a lot of light from below.
"Come on," the captain said, as he jumped down through the hole. I followed, landing easily on the floor. My students and Ringumo all followed, landing easily on their eight feet. I turned back just in time to see the expressions on their faces. It was well worth it.
"Wow..." Naruto murmured.
"No way," Sakura said.
Even Sasuke looked impressed.
"Oooh...!" Ringumo squealed, reminding me it was her first time here.
The city was composed of gigantic, mostly translucent spheres, all lit up internally with bioluminescent fungi. Bound together with silk and wood and rock, they formed a great double helix, which circled a central sphere like the rings around Saturn. You could see Mizugumo everywhere, of all shapes and sizes, going about their business in the vast metropolis.
"Welcome to Mizu-Kyo, kids," I said with a smile.
"You've been here before?" Naruto asked.
"Once or twice," I said guardedly, as the captain seethed. More guards greeted us, all of them carrying twin spears.
"Mizutoushou-sama will see you now, Suzumebachi Andoryuu," the leader of these guards called.
"Of course," I said.
The captain gave us a final hiss, before he scuttled off.
"Oooh! The nerve of them calling you that! Suzumebachi indeed!" Ringumo hissed. "Web Cutter! Fish Killer! Oooh!"
"Suzumebachi is the official title they gave me, might as well let them use it," I told her.
"It's an insult!" Ringumo growled.
"It's a little more complicated than that, Ringumo," I said tiredly.
"Geez... Suzumebachi? Web Cutter? How many names did these guys give you?" Naruto asked.
Privately, I agreed. I was starting to know how Aragorn felt.
"Naruto!" Sakura admonished. Naruto gave the spider version of a shrug.
"What? I'm just asking... And why Suzumebachi, anyway?"
"What is the natural enemy of spiders, Naruto?" Sasuke, to my surprise, asked.
"Um... Wasps, why do you... Oh," Naruto mumbled.
"What is the delay, Suzumebachi Andoryuu?"
Seeing the tension of the guards, I moved forward.
"My apologies, my young students are unfamiliar with your city and are a little shocked. By all means, let's not keep Mizutoushou-sama waiting."
The guards, as with the spiders above, formed a circle around us. The leader took point, and when he moved, we moved. Through a long tube towards the central sphere.
The lair of Mizutoushou, Lord of the Water Spiders.
••••••••••
Naruto
••••••••••
This whole place was freaky, but also kind of cool too. I mean, a giant underwater city built out of silk? It's like knitting a floating city in the air out of yarn!
Well, I mean, kind of. Anyway! We were led to the giant central sphere (which made Ringumo giddy, I could just tell), in which everything abruptly changed. By that I mean that it was suddenly very, very bright, and wooden. Kind of like a giant dojo, actually, except spherical. It was also much better lit, though my eyes didn't really notice. I think Sakura might have said something about jumping spiders having really good eyes, but I'm not sure.
In the center of the giant wooden sphere was a fountain that seemed to be made out of stone, and it happily burbled away. Sensei stopped a good distance away from it, just as the guards did. We (Sakura, Ringumo, and Sasuke) stopped too. I didn't really get what we were waiting for, so I decided to ask.
"Why'd we stop?"
Sensei pointed one of his arms up at the fountain. "Just watch."
The fountain began to spew even more water, to the point it began to overflow. The water hit the floor and a large puddle began to form, expanding quickly. I thought that was really weird. What was the point of making their home wet? They certainly couldn't drown us like that.
The water, however, didn't just begin to flood the floor, but the air. By that I mean it began to rise into the air. Just like Sakura said it couldn't. If I were human, my jaw would wide enough to catch flies. The water continued to balloon and expand into a massive shape.
A massive shape that became distinctive when six giant eyes began glowing out of the mass of water, and eight giant legs formed. My spider instincts began to scream as a truly gigantic monster spider took form.
"G-giant spider! Biiig spider! Kaiju Spider!" Sasuke began to whimper. Sakura trembled and covered her eyes with her legs, cowering. I have to admit, I was shaking myself. The giant monster above us began to grow "organs" inside, everything visible through the transparent water. I felt really, really sick. The armor was the last thing to come in, growing in with giant barbs of hair with wicked jaws and claws.
"Holy shit! Ahhh!" I scr- er... shouted. "S-sensei, what the hell?"
Our Sensei, in comparison, just sat there, looking rather unimpressed somehow. He said something in that weird Spider language, and Ringumo helpfully translated.
"H-he said 'There is no need for such dramatics, Mizutoushou-sama'," Ringumo said, stuttering a bit. I guess the giant spider was freaky even by the locals' standards.
Mizutoushou said something back. His voice in Spider Tongue was really grating and frightening. It's kind of hard to describe. Closest I can get is a bunch of violins being played with files, watermelons being smashed, and the screams of children being fed through a wood chipper feet first. I was really tempted to just curl up in a ball.
"Um, Mizutoushou said he so rarely got guests, he wanted to show off," Ringumo translated. "And that Ando-kun should appreciate such theatrics."
"This about the war again?" I asked. Ringumo nodded.
"Everything's about the war..." She sighed.
••••••••••
Andoryuu
••••••••••
Mizutoushou was not an unreasonable leader... well… not really. He had the perspective and sense of humor of an old man in his golden years, and despite being my enemy, he didn't hate me on a personal level. That was probably one of the only things that kept the war from going on longer.
But he certainly didn't actually like me, either.
"You have come to discuss the current dispute, have you not, Suzumebachi Andoryuu?" The giant spider asked.
"Yes. The clan of the other summoner, under your protection, I replied. This is not allowed under the terms of the treaty."
"They are under the personal protection of one of our families. They took them in seeing as their territory was destroyed during the war. Kyodaigumo merely wishes to recover her strength in peace."
So, it was Kidoumaru's summons. I knew it.
"Nevertheless, unless she is under the Sage contract, I cannot permit this," I said.
"Hmm." Mizutoushou thought a moment. "Can you not speak with the summoner?"
"No, I cannot. He is an enemy of my clan of clans," I replied. The spiders had understood the idea of nations and city states for some time, but the old language had issues expressing some ideas. That, or I didn't know the language as well as I thought.
"Then you seek to gain advantage over him?"
I paused. "Over his clan, yes," I admitted.
"Then your concern is for your clan alone?" Mizutoushou pressed further. The old spider was hard to read.
"My concern is for the peace, my clan, and Kyodaigumo's clan," I replied carefully. "I have no desire to engage spiders in battle again. The master of her summoner is a deadly enemy who would not hesitate to sacrifice her or her summoner. Do you know of the Snake Summoner, Orochimaru?"
Mizutoushou stared intently at me, the full weight of his intent falling on me. It wasn't killing intent exactly, more like his awareness. Judging me, testing me. I stood fast, focusing my chakra to bend, but not break in the power of his aura. My students struggled to stay standing behind me, but I couldn't blame them for it. The only reason I was managing it was because I'd been through it before, several times.
At last Mizutoushou pulled his aura back in, and he carefully scrutinized me.
"He is known to me. Still, due to our laws and customs, a clan taken under our protection can only be turned over to another clan provided it can adequately defend it, Mizutoushou. In other words, Suzumebachi Andoryuu, you must prove yourself to the family in any way they deem fit."
He was too old a hand at this to smirk, but I knew he wanted to.
"I understand, Mizutoushou-sama. I wish to do that then."
"Good! I will allow you to travel to the home of the family in question, and have my guards guide you there. Should you succeed, you will be allowed to leave in peace."
"And should I fail?"
Mizutoushou paused a beat, as if surprised by the question. "Well, I don't know exactly what challenge they will present for you, but I suspect the long term results won't be of much concern to you should you fail," Mizutoushou said with a dark chuckle. "Unless you like your students. Send them home first perhaps?"
I gave the spider version of a nod after a bit of thought. "I understand."
He switched to common suddenly, his voice booming. "Good then. Now- Go! You have tarried long enough in our home."
I turned and scuttled out, my student following and our escorts all looking more relaxed.
"So, what, they just dragged us down here to tell you that?" Naruto asked. Ringumo had been translating for them, after all.
"Not exactly. There were other reasons," I explained.
"Like what?" Sakura asked.
"Bringing in their greatest enemy, and then sending him off as though he's nothing doesn't make Ando-kun look good, does it?" Ringumo asked.
"So, they basically did it to make themselves look good?" Naruto growled. "To impress everybody?"
"More or less," I said. "To save face. You and Sasuke bicker constantly because you both want to seem cooler than the other."
"I am cooler than him!"
"Sp-spiders... Giant spiders. MEGA-spiders," Sasuke whispered.
Naruto looked at his teammate before rolling his eyes. "Man! If I had hands, I'd fix them, I'd fix them good," Naruto grumbled.
"Relax Naruto," I said flatly. "They're beaten. Allowing them to save some face is no crime... And it got us what we needed. Diplomacy's like that."
"Well... It still sucks," Naruto grumbled.
"Yes, I agree. But sometimes it's better to take the insults if it gets you what you want," I explained. "It's a good lesson for an aspiring Hokage."
That made Naruto become quiet and thoughtful, all the way back to the diving bell. Then again, so was everyone else, but it was more due to the situation. Naruto though... I'm not sure what I'd just done.
Then again, did I ever know what I was doing?
More often than you might think…
I looked around. A white object had appeared out of the corner of my eye, but had vanished the moment I'd tried to get a look at it.
"Sensei? You all right?" Sakura asked.
"… I'm fine," I said quietly. "Just… fine."
What... was that?
••••••••••
It was getting to be dusk, and I wanted to be in good shape for whatever was about to happen. We were a few miles outside our destination, and I called a halt for the day.
"Really? I'm not sure I want to sleep as a spider, let alone, um…" Sakura trailed off.
"We've been up for 20 hours other than that nap earlier," I explained.
"Really? I don't feel so tired," Naruto bounced up and down a bit.
"It might be because we got new bodies from the fuinjutsu," I shrugged. "Anyway, I have to face some sort of test, and if I fail, you all are stuck here."
"Good night sensei! Pleasant dreams!" Sakura shouted.
Sleeping as a spider is perfectly fine. You don't lie down though. Just sort of relax. Like a horse in a stall. And since we hadn't been eating anything in these bodies, Sakura didn't need to worry about… anything else.
••••••••••
They were called Tokougumo. "Far Spider". They were among the mightiest warriors of the Mizugumo, and among the most skilled. Their home was proof of these things.
Their fortress was built out of tree trunks, bent and arranged as a gigantic sphere suspended by spider silk from every angle. Below it lay a river, with tangled trunks poking out of it as they snaked through the earth. We had approached during the long night, and lanterns were lit all over, giving it a warm ambient glow, appearing almost like a huge paper lantern.
Then, they came. Down, down on web lines, giant warrior spiders descending to the earth like crows to a funeral.
Oh yes, that's just what I need, melodramatic metaphors...
Their eyes seemed to glow red and orange thanks to the torches of their home. The largest one, a nasty thing four times as big as my spider form, landed last. He was clad in chainmail that glittered in the light, and sharp blue plates covered his legs. One of his eyes was missing, but he had so many it was hard to tell.
"At last. Suzumebachi, we meet," this gigantic spider spoke. His "voice" was composed of harsh, low growls and groans, as well as intimidating hisses. I made no movement. Inside, of course, I was frankly terrified.
"Hanateregumo, I have returned. I have come for the Kyodaigumo Clan! As Spider Sage, it is in my rights to have them as part of my summoning scroll!"
"You dare to speak of your rights in our land, Web Cutter? Brood Culler?" Hanateregumo mocked. "You've already refused the rite of combat before! You have no honor to bargain with!"
Ringumo bristled up, indignant, but I held up a leg to calm her. I looked over at my students, and back at Hanateregumo.
Welp, this doesn't look avoidable. It's all part of the plan.
I hope.
"Very well. I'll gain some honor then... By defeating you in single combat," I called out.
Silence. Then, laughter. Not just one, or several, but every single one of my enemies laughed, knowing I was committing myself to death.
They at least understood I was a tactician at heart. These were warriors.
The laughter of spiders is not really a pleasant sound to a human. Mizugumo are so large, it's even worse. Imagine a whirlwind picked up 100 pounds of silverware and flung it down a stairwell, along with a dozen angry cats. That doesn't sound anything like spider laughter, but it's about as pleasant.
"You would fight me in such a form?" Hanateregumo asked.
"I wouldn't want to make it unfair," I challenged back.
Hanateregumo laughed again. "SO BE IT! We will duel tonight, under the lanterns of Toi! Here will you meet your end, Suzumebachi! Like a real warrior!"
"Well, it's definitely something to look forward to," I returned. I turned to my students as the Spider Lord's guards and the Tokougumo warriors warily eyed each other. Given how many eyes they had, that was a lot of looking.
Sorry, that was terrible.
I'm not sorry.
"So, you're going to be fighting him? Is that it?" Sakura broke.
I shrugged in a spidery way. "Looks like."
"You're going to get killed, Sensei! Did you hit your head or something?" The pink spider cried.
"It's what he has to do to win their respect," Sasuke said quietly. "This must be important, or you wouldn't be doing it."
I nodded. Naruto stared back and forth between us for a long time, before he shook his head.
"Sensei... this is really stupid."
I quirked an eyebrow. Naruto growled.
"It is! We're ninja, not samurai! You don't have to fight him! Let us find another way! A trick, a trap… something!"
"Sometimes-" I explained, "not very often, but sometimes, a ninja must be a samurai. Try not to let it happen to you."
Naruto frowned again. "That's stupid too!"
I nodded. "So we find a way for me to look like a samurai, but fight like a ninja. It's not going to be easy." I looked between them all. "There's something bigger going on here. I'm not totally sure what, but you need to be ready to act when the time comes."
"Act? Act on what?" Naruto asked irritably.
"When it happens, I suspect it won't be subtle," I said. I looked over at Ringumo. "You've been very quiet, Gumo-chan."
The spider's eyes filled with tears, and she pounced on me.
"Ack!"
"PLEASE DON'T FIGHT, ANDORYU! I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO LET YOU DIE!" She wailed. The guards around us were momentarily united in their disbelief and disgust at Ringumo wailing. I awkwardly patted her on the head with two of my legs.
"There there Gumo-chan. I've got a plan," I said.
Ringumo's crying continued, but she did it in spider. In human language, she asked:
"What kind of plan?"
"Well... I'm not really sure just yet. But when it's done, it'll be really, really clever."
I hoped.