And here we go again.
Short one, I know, but we're transitioning arcs. I think I could get away with giving you guys a short one though, because I've refined the outline for this story, and I may have a better grasp on what to with it.
Chapter 14: Two Bottles of Bijuu on the Wall
Porcelain masks stared down at the lifeless corpse of Nii Yugito. Despite the Kumogakure ANBU's penchant for stoicism, all four of them couldn't help but feel unnerved and saddened.
"Who... or what could have possibly done this?" the ANBU Captain of the group mulled out loud. He wasn't greeted with any responses, but he spoke what they were all thinking at the time.
The four ANBU knew that Yugito's death and the fact that she was a Jinchuuriki were not a coincidence. Yugito's death was an unfortunate incident and the loss of an excellent ninja, but the real problem was the status of her Bijuu.
Team Samui had reported to the village superiors of the strange figure that claimed to be a "Bijuu", even though he existed in human form as they knew it. That individual's true identity and abilities were unknown, but Team Samui had reported that he claimed to be after the Nibi. The only thing to do know what to bring the corpse of Nii Yugito back to Kumogakure and determine whether the Bijuu has been purged from her body.
If it has, then it would be safe to assume that the mysterious individual achieved his goal. And given the signs of battle and the fact that the two Bijuu could even be seen from the village...
"Report to Raikage-sama immediately!" The ANBU Captain barked at one of his nearby subordinates. "The rest of you, take Yugito-san's body to the hospital. Find the greatest medical and fuuinjutsu specialists available, and have them analyze the corpse. At this rate, the enemy may still be within striking distance of the village. Kirabi-sama will need to be informed that something out there is targeting Jinchuuriki. We may need to put the village on lockdown!"
The other ANBU gave a quick salute, before they disappeared in a puff of smoke. The final one made sure to pick up Yugito's body, before he too disappeared. The ANBU grit his teeth underneath his mask, not able to help the feeling of worry in his gut.
This was the worst possible situation for Kumogakure. Their two Bijuu were an integral part of the military power in the village. If they lost one, it would mean sudden inferiority to the other Five Great Shinobi Nations.
If this information leaked, invasion by another nation could be a distinct possibility.
Meanwhile, the Raikage was pacing back and forth in his office, after barking out a series of orders to anyone he could possibly find. He had recalled Bee from wherever he was, and when he got back, he would be staying in the village until further notice. His brother's team had stormed into his office with their report, but he wasn't stupid. He could see the battle unfold from his office.
He knew that Bijuu well. It was a new one that had arisen under mysterious circumstances just over a decade ago. Konohagakure had apparently gotten their hooks into it early despite protests from the other nations.
A hated how it had happened. Konoha completely ignored the terms of the founders to create a balanced pact, which was especially idiotic because the Shodai Hokage was the one to lay out those terms.
A puff of smoke in the middle of his office interrupted his thoughts, and he laid eyes upon one of his trusted ANBU. A already knew that he was reporting in, especially since it seemed that the battle was now over.
"Raikage-sama!"
"What of Yugito?"
The silence and hesitation told him all he needed to know, but the ANBU gave his report anyway.
"Yugito-sama has passed away. Her Bijuu, the Nibi no Bakeneko is assumed to be captured by the one who killed her. Reports from Team Samui indicate the mysterious figure was indeed after her Bijuu..."
"I could recognize that Bijuu even from this distance. If I recall correctly, that is a new Bijuu that has been dubbed the Reibi. Reports tell us that Bijuu should be in the control of Konohagakure at the moment..."
"Raikage-sama, if the Reibi is supposed to be under the control of Konoha, does that mean that they are the ones who attacked Yugito?" the ANBU asked. The Raikage grimaced and let out a low snarl.
"Send a message to Konoha immediately, demanding the situation! If this is their doing, then it is clearly an act of war!" The Raikage snarled, pointing a finger at the ANBU. The ANBU fumbled a salute, clearly distressed by the amount of anger present in the Raikage's voice.
As soon as the ANBU left, the Raikage banged a fist against his desk, scattering a few loose papers as he nearly split it in half. Without one of their Jinchuuriki, Kumo's military power would be reduced, and there was no telling whether his brother would be next.
In a cave somewhere in Tsuchi no Kuni, a large plant protrusion emerged from the ground. The venus flytrap mouth opened slowly, revealing a red and black cloak to go with a strange man that seemed to two separate halves, one albino and the other pitch-black.
"Zetsu... why have you called us all here?" a deep voice from an astral projection commanded. The being called Zetsu unzipped his collar slightly, the white half looking around to see eight other astral projections alongside the one with the commanding voice.
"Nii Yugito has been taken out, and the Nibi is no longer within our grasp..."
The strange whirling eyes of the leader narrowed at the plant man, who was simply giving his report after being stationed in Kumogakure. The organization known as Akatsuki had been on watch ever since they learned that the Ichibi simply disappeared.
"That really is somethin', un. What the hell do we do now? Our objective was to capture all the Bijuu, right? Now there's two of them that are gone..." a more obnoxious voice stated.
"It's not a problem, Deidara, at least in the manner that you are speaking of. Zetsu was there when the Ichibi was taken, as well as when the Nibi was taken as well. The information he gives us on this "new Bijuu" should tell us all we need," the leader said.
"We were unable to get particularly close to the beasts as they battled, but they thankfully conversed with one another as they battled. This new Bijuu that we now know as the Reibi is taking all of the others' power for itself," black Zetsu said in his scratchy voice.
"What you mean to tell me is that the Bijuu's power is still in fact out there. It is now just contained within one individual body, correct?" a polite voice rang out. The leader seemed none too amused at the implications, however.
"Quiet, Kisame! I won't have any of you growing lazy on my watch! We will continue to gather the remaining Bijuu, but we will have to make arrangements to deal with this new thorn in our side..." the leader said.
"Well, at least we should know his goals. This new Bijuu is seeking out the rest of them like us. As long as we find the other Jinchuuriki, we should find clues that will lead us right to this new Bijuu. Nevertheless, we can't rely on that going so smoothly; we need to be able to know his next target if we want to find him," Kisame pointed out.
"We know," black Zetsu began, "But the new Bijuu appears to be following a specific pattern in the Bijuu he has targeted. He went for the Ichibi first, and then went straight for the Nibi even though there would be several others closer to his vicinity. Unlike Akatsuki, he has targeted them in the order of their tails, and logic dictates that he will be going after the Sanbi next..."
"I see. Good work, Zetsu. We will continue the plan of going after the remaining Bijuu, but we will also capture this interloper and regain the Ichibi and Nibi's power that we so desperately need. Let me make this clear to all of you, we will not allow this being to gather all of the Bijuu's power and then capture it at full strength. We will continue with the original plan as stated..." the leader ordered.
"And the new Bijuu? We need a plan to deal with this thing, un?" Deidara piped up again. The leader closed his strange ringed eyes for a moment, as if he were casually thinking something.
"It's no issue; we know his path of action. Zetsu will continue to monitor him to the best of his ability, and when the new Bijuu becomes active once again, we will have a plan..."
Naruto had left the Kaminari no Kuni without being tracked. Like always, remaining in his big, bulky Bijuu form would make him easily trackable, but his human form was essentially a fly on the wall with its ability to camouflage perfectly with its surroundings.
The lizard-like "human" had simply retraced his steps, and was now back within the confines of the Hi no Kuni, and preparing to take part in his next excursion.
Logic would dictate that his next target was the Sanbi. As Naruto pushed his way through some tall grass on the way out of Kaminari no Kuni, he thought about his plan of action. The obvious thing would be to do as he did on finding the Nibi, but the young Bijuu admitted that he lucked out with that one.
He heard the caw of an eagle directly overhead, and the young "man" fell directly onto his back, landing in the soft, brown grass as he stared up at the foggy sky.
He cursed his appearance, in both Bijuu form and human form. They were the entire reason he was setting out on the quest for power in the first place. If he could just get his human form right, he wouldn't have to do this. But as it was, he looked too much like a lizard, and he would be hunted as a freak even if he tried to live peacefully.
His Bijuu form had already been hunted down by Suna, and he was in a Jinchuuriki in Konoha. If he went gallivanting around in his true form all the time... who knows what would happen?
If he became the most powerful being in the world, there was no one who could tell him what for. He could be free. If the ninja villages dared to capture him at that point...
The one thing he lacked from information, and if he truly wanted to free, then he would have to make some dubious risks to get the information he needed. He lucked out with the Nibi and the Hachibi for the future, but he couldn't rely on questionable information from this point on.
He noticed a cloud lazily moving across the sky; it was shaped almost like a leaf. A reliable source of information... as much as he hated to admit, there was one place he knew where he could get information on the Bijuu.
It wasn't a stretch to think that any of the ninja villages had archives about the Bijuu, but depending on the village, Jinchuuriki could've been a top-secret matter.
All he needed to know was which village controlled which Bijuu, and the names of the Jinchuuriki could come later. What better place to find information on that in the village he was born in. To go further, even his old house had a book on the origins of the Bijuu. He knew the village of Konoha well, and could find the information he needed efficiently and without being noticed.
Going back to Konoha would probably stir up some bad memories, however...
Sighing, the faux human kicked his feet out, using the momentum to climb into standing position as he rubbed his shoulders. Sneaking back into Konoha wouldn't be easy; his appearance made him stick out too much.
He scratched his chin, before his face split into a wide grin. Getting the proper information would be a challenge, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat looking forward to returning to Konoha, even if only to spite them.
The Namikaze sisters were silent as they walked through the forests of Hi no Kuni, their top-secret mission playing out in their heads. For Yukiko, it was far more challenging to keep her mouth shut.
Yukiko herself hadn't been fully briefed on their mission yet, so she was just following her sister everywhere she went. The older girl was silent, until they reached a specific section of the forest.
"Alright, Yukiko. Here is good..." the second Namikaze child said, stopping in the middle of the road where the trees began to thin slightly. There were no settlements around for miles, and this area was unlikely to receive any travelers.
"Here? Good? For what? I don't even know where we're going. Dad didn't brief me on this mission; all I know is that we need to find the Reibi and reseal it in me. We don't even have a tracking specialist or any sort of lead..."
"I know. Dad won't be the one to brief us on any mission details. Before we were put on this mission, he contacted several old friends that we're going to meet up. They'll provide us with supplies, help, and the information we need."
"Old friends?" Yukiko asked. Haruki didn't answer her, instead reaching into the top of her flak jacket, pulling out a scroll that was contained between her large breasts.
Yukiko watched the scroll in confusion as Haruki set it on the ground and unfurled it, revealing several characters on the paper. She put her hands in a seal, and the scroll starting glowing blue with her chakra.
"I'll take us there right now! This reverse summon will take us to exactly where we need to go. Mt. Myoboku, the ancestral home of the toads!" Haruki said, and Yukiko blanched.
"The toads? Aren't those the summons that Dad and Jiraiya-oji-san use? Why do we need to go to the ancestral home of the toads if we're looking for a Bijuu?
As always, Yukiko's aloof older sister didn't answer her question, though this time it had more to do with the puff of smoke that both girls disappeared into at the exact same time.
Less then one second later, and the two Namikaze girls were in a new location. Questions burst into Yukiko's mind, but they died on her lips when she tasted the humid, swamp-like atmosphere of what was apparently Mt. Myoboku.
The sun was high in the sky, and it had shone down on them while on the road from which they had been reverse summoned from? Now, they were in a shady spot, and only then Yukiko noticed the large, tropical leaf shading them from the heat.
Yukiko's eyes widened and she almost shrieked when a large orange and red toad leaped magnificently off the top of the plant it was apparently reclining in, creating a massive ripple as it jumped into the clear pond over to the side of them.
"Where are we?!" Yukiko asked, for some reason forgetting that her sister had already told her. In addition to the large plants, there were several tan, conch-like spires sticking out of the landscape, water flowing from their tips.
"I told you already! Mt. Myoboku! The ancestral home of the toads!" Haruki said in annoyance. "I know it looks a little weird, but just deal with it! The person we need to talk to lives here."
A bead of sweat ran down Yukiko's cheek from the humid atmosphere, and she followed her sister up the spiraling mountain that was the area's namesake. Who was up there, she didn't know.
By the time they had reached the summit, they were looking at what appeared to be a large, Buddhist temple, painted red with the traditional architecture. Haruki didn't even bother knocking, instead opting to bow before opening the heavy door with a loud creak.
"There she goes again... waltzing right in like she owns the place..." Yukiko thought to herself. She probably even know that the temple was a sacred place, and just didn't care.
"Ohhhh... ya are Minato-chan's children, right?" an old, creaky voice came from within the temple. Sensing the amiability of the voice, Yukiko felt it was alright to follow her sister and enter the temple.
The shrine was illuminated with a very low orange light cast from the sun through multiple windows, and there were only a few structures within the building itself. The first thing Yukiko noticed was the massive, wrinkly toad sitting in a briny tub of water in the very back-center of the room. His eyes were closed and he had a peaceful expression on his old face. He wasn't the one who had spoken, however.
There were two pedestals on either side of the old seer, where two much smaller, yet still very old toads sat. The green male one on the right was the one who had addressed the Namikaze girls when they entered.
"Who is there? Who is the one you call Minato-chan?" the old toad in the center bumbled.
"What do ya mean who's there? We already told ya about their coming, ya senile old fart!" the female toad on the left said.
"M-Ma! How many times to I have to tell ya not ta insult the Great Toad Sage!" the other toad said.
"What's with these guys?" Yukiko whispered to herself, though Haruki heard her complaints and shushed her harshly.
"Hush, Yukiko! The two on the side are the great toad elders, Fukasaku-sama and Shima-sama! The one in the center is the highly respected Great Toad Sage! We are here to see them about our destiny!" Haruki hissed back at her sister.
"Destiny? I thought we were here about the mission!" Yukiko shouted out. Learning about their destiny was a pretty heavy thing to take in all of a sudden.
"Don't ya worry about it, kiddo..." Fukasaku told the youngest Namikaze. "What your parents didn't tell you is that this mission you're about to go on is directly tied to a prophecy that was foretold many years ago."
Fukasaku jumped off of his pedestal and hopped up to the two Namikaze girls.
"Wait... don't tell me that the friend my dad was talking about...?"
"Fukasaku at yer service, kiddo! I can tell ya were probably expecting a human, well until you were brought to our humble mountain anyway. I can assure you though, that myself, Ma, and the sage will be able ta give ya more assistance than any ninja could..."
"These geezer toads don't exactly seem that reliable. I guess I have no choice but to go along with it, I guess..." Yukiko thought, grumbling to herself within her own mind. She noticed that Haruki was being oddly respectful.
"Ahh... you two girls... I believe I have called for you two!" the Great Toad Sage said in his floaty old voice, not realizing that he was already out of the loop with current affairs.
"Yes... Great Toad Sage-sama!" Haruki said, bowing respectfully, pushing her sister's head down in a similar stance.
"Now... listen very carefully. A few days ago, I have a prophecy concerning you and your family, one that will undoubtedly come true. From what I recall, it very clearly involved you two, but my prophecies are not always clear. As always, I wasn't able to get the full picture of what these events mean," the sage began, and everyone else fell silent.
"From what I see, this mission will test the very limits of your physical strength and mental fortitude. You will be aided by many allies, those that are known to you and those you will meet on your travels. After leaving Mt. Myoboku, I see you two will travel to a rocky land to the northwestern, before settling within the ninja village in this area. There, you will meet a certain someone who has been lost from your lives, though I cannot tell who. I also see a legion of white tails fanning in all directions; there appears to be another visitor in my dreams unrelated to your mission, but will appear in your lives regardless..."
"What does that all mean?" Yukiko asked, relatively confused. Someone who has been lost from their lives? Yukiko couldn't think of anyone like that off the top of her head.
She turned to her sister, and immediately noticed the downcast head and eyes of the older Namikaze girl. She seemed downtrodden, and became that way immediately after hearing the prediction.
"Haruki-nee?" the former Reibi Jinchuuriki asked, which didn't provoke a response. Did her sister know something that she wasn't telling her? Maybe she could understand the Sage's prophecy a little bit better?
"We're going now, Yukiko. We need to get to Iwa on the double. Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, I trust you two will help us as needed?" the older Namikaze girl said. Fukasaku nodded.
"Sure thing. Yer dad talked to us about this and we've agreed to help you with this mission. Unfortunately, neither of you have the ability to perform Sage Mode, but I'm sure the two of us can be of use while yer on the way there. We can start by reverse summoning you to a location closer to Iwa.
"But, Iwa and Konoha aren't exactly on the best of terms. Are you sure we can just linger there for however long it takes to finish the mission?" Yukiko asked.
Fukasaku was already unfurling a scroll, and Haruki looked prepared to return.
"Don't worry about that, kiddo. We have our ways of getting you into Tsuchi no Kuni without the permission of Iwa." Fukasaku said, putting his warty hands into a seal.
A puff of smoke later, and the two girls were no longer on Mt. Myoboku.
Alban55