AN: I do not own original Naruto characters and jutsu. They belong to the main man, Masashi Kishimoto. But, Saphiro Kimza and other created characters and jutsu do belong to me. Please enjoy my fic.
Naruto: Kimza Chronicles:
Chapter 26: The Tragedy of The Kimza: Part 6
After the tender night between him and Hiara end, Renji knew what had to be done. He had to master the Gridlock Sealing Jutsu as soon as possible. The problem was that this particular jutsu was very complicated to master. It took a minimum of 6 years to learn how to create and stabilize the grid seal, an extra 3 years to learn how to create and stabilize the chakra cage, and another 10 years to master the jutsu all together. But Renji didn't have 19 or 20 years left to defeat Ezekiel. He had to defeat Ezekiel at least before his child was born. So he knew he didn't have time on his side. Plus, because of his marriage and his pregnant wife, he had to spend less time training. Plus, he knew that Bukarok could've been teaching Ezekiel an abundance of jutsu. So, he knew he didn't have experience on his side either. He soon started to slowly lose hope.
After a few months, the threat of Ezekiel became more apparent. The village council knew that they had to make preparations. After a while, there were drills that every village citizen partook in every day. Students in ninja academy took a special class to learn how to use jutsu that they could use to their advantage during a battle with a Kimza. The council had a meeting every week to create more plans and safety procedures. There was a draft for the ninja army for a while. The council recruited ninja as lowly ranked as Chunin and as young as young as 14. But that was soon ceased after a vote by the council. This time of urgency encouraged Renji to train harder. But, he still had his doubts about the situation about Ezekiel.
Hiara was just entering her eighth month of pregnancy during this time. She soon became worried about Renji. She was usually wondering if he would have enough spirit to take on his older and more powerful brother. Because of her condition, she couldn't train Renji during the time. But that didn't stop her from coming to see her husband train with Zoka. She would usually shout out insults about Renji's fighting technique. She was pregnant, but she was still an elite warrior. That usually pushed Renji to fight harder.
Zoka, on the other hand, didn't seem worried that much about the Ezekiel threat. He usually couldn't wait for his bi-weekly sparring session with Renji. He was proud and trilled that his own brother-in-law became such a powerful warrior. He had to fight with his best abilities to keep up with him. But, just like Hiara and Renji, Zoka was worried about the threat of Ezekiel as well. Thanks to his position as Suzokage's apprentice, Zoka was allowed into the weekly council meetings. He would mostly hear about how Ezekiel was usually seen by tracking ninja going all over the ninja world. It seemed to Zoka that Ezekiel was hunting any Kimza that escaped from the Canyon Village after the incident that took place 8 years earlier. It was also disturbing to him that the council never told Renji anything about the situation. He usually got a jolt of courage to tell Renji all about Ezekiel's activity, but he usually lost his cool and tossed the subject to the side. He eventually decided to keep what was going on to himself.
One day, Renji and Zoka decided to have a sparring session together. They went to their usual training spot in the field beyond the forest of bamboo. Hiara tagged along to observe her husband in battle. As usual, Zoka put his fighting face and gave Renji a few words of 'encouragement'.
"I really you're ready to go all out," he laughed, "This time, I'm not going easy on you. Put those Kimza skills to the test!"
Renji smiled and got into a fighting stance, "I didn't ask you to go easy on me," he retorted, "I'm going to beat you as badly as I did last time. Now come on before I fall asleep!" He closed his eyes for a brief moment and begun to open them. When he opened them fully, they were flashing the full glory of the Nokerrogan. He smiled again and chuckled.
"It's your defeat!" Zoka shouted as he ran towards the Kimza and cocked his fist back. As he got closer, he swung a mighty blow towards Renji's head. Renji quickly ducked the attack and swept his leg across the ground to trip Zoka up. He planned to finish him off with a war stomp.
Zoka, being a strategic genius, knew exactly what's going on. He jumped over the kick and launched himself over Renji. Then, he clasped his hands together to attack Renji's head with a doubled-fisted hammer blow. Then, as nimble as ever, Renji reached his hands out and grabbed Zoka's arm. He started to spin Zoka in a rapid circle. Then, he let him go. Zoka was sent flying into the small mountain not far away.
Zoka smiled and made a few hand signs, "Earth Style," he shouted, "Giant Gauntlet Jutsu!" Then, a pile of large loose stones quickly converged around his arm as if they were magnified. Then, in no time at all, a large stone fist was created. Zoka cocked his giant rock glove back and fired it into the mountain. At the point of impact, the mountain was smashed into a pile of rubble. Zoka landed on his feet and lifted up the rock glove skyward in triumph. The jutsu was larger than Zoka was. It was a little more than twice his size!
"Whoa," Renji said impressed, "That's a new one."
"Sure is," Zoka laughed, slamming the huge stone fist into the ground, "I worked on this jutsu all week. It took me a while to learn how to suppress the weight of this huge thing. But it was worth it."
Hiara was impressed at Zoka too, "I thought that our clan couldn't use earth style jutsu," she said, curious about how her brother learned such an impossible jutsu.
Zoka shrugged, "I thought we couldn't either. But I did. I guess that makes me a legendary Tokomiya, eh? But enough of this chat. It's time to finish this!" He quickly ran towards Renji and spun in a circle to strengthen the blow of his attack. Renji quickly jumped into the air and attacked Zoka with a shower of Kimza Arrows. Luckily for Zoka, he managed to thrust his stone arm into the air to block the rain of chakra blasts. He then, threw an uppercut towards Renji. Renji opened up a vortex and jumped inside. He reappeared from another vortex below Zoka and blasted him with more chakra blasts. Zoka jumped out of the way and swung his stone glove towards his opponent. Renji then jumped into another vortex and closed it. For a while, it was just Zoka on the battlefield.
But Zoka didn't have to wait long because Renji reappeared from a vortex above him. He was charging up a Kimza sword attack. Using his stone arm for power and balance, Zoka launched himself into the air towards the Kimza. Renji then slashed towards Zoka with all his might. The chakra blade collided with the stone arm and created a shower of sparks. To his dismay, Renji saw only saw a large, but every ineffective slash scar on the stone glove. Zoka, using Renji's failure and surprise to his advantage, swung a slow, but powerful punch towards Renji. The stone fist connected with Renji's torso and threw him into the ground with a slam. Zoka landed on the ground and started to tramp around victoriously when he saw that Renji was still lying on the ground. He rushed to his friend and tried to wake him up by shaking him. The attack must've knocked Renji unconscious. He finally gave up and set him gently on the ground.
"Renji!" Hiara shouted, running towards her husband. She kneeled next to Renji and stared at Zoka. She growled at him and punched him in the side as hard as she could, "Zoka, you hit him too hard!"
"What are you talking about!?" Zoka said, trying to tell his side of the tale, "Sure I punched him kinda roughly, but he knew it would've happened. I told him we were going to go all out!"
Hiara wasn't actually listening to Zoka. She decided to wake Renji up. She pulled him up to her lap and tried to shake him awake. After that failed, she tried a wide assortment of procedures. After a while, she finally knew what to do. She asked Zoka to bring her pack. After Zoka handed the pack to her, Hiara pulled out an orange candle and lit the wick with a simple fire jutsu. After allowing some of the candle's wax to melt into a liquid pool, Hiara placed the candle to Renji's nose and wafted the fragrance into his nostrils. The candle's scent had smells of orange, cream, and cinnamon. Shorty after smelling the candle, Renji eyes twitched. Then they slowly opened and zipped in different directions to get used to the light. She looked up at Hiara and smiled slightly.
"What just happened?" he asked quietly.
"Zoka tried to kill you," Hiara said as she gave her brother a threatening glare. Zoka stepped back instantly.
"I'm sorry bro," he said, trying to make amends with Renji, "Are you okay? Did I knock anything out of place?"
"I'm okay," Renji chuckled, "It wasn't your fault Zoka. That punch was going pretty slow. I could've dodged it, but I just had something on my mind."
"What did you have on your mind?" Hiara asked.
"I guess it was about the Hidden Canyon Village. It's been years since I last seen the place. Even though it's a pile of debris now, it was still my home. I was thinking about going back there to recharge my batteries. Maybe then, I'd finally be able to use the Gridlock Seal. Then, whack, I was knocked out cold."
"You never tried to use the Gridlock Seal since I knew you," Zoka explained, "Well, at least not around me. Give it a try now. Maybe you'll be able to do it."
Renji sighed at Zoka's suggestion, but decided to give it a try anyway. He walked at least 30 feet away from Hiara and Zoka, made 9 hand signs and started to charge his chakra into the earth below. When he did, a large 5X5 square grid appeared beneath him. Renji felt a surge of accomplishment. Confidently, he raised his hands into the air, preparing for the final step.
"Kuguari Style: Gridlock Sealing Jutsu!" he shouted as he slammed his hands into the ground below. But then, the grid below Renji started to go haywire. The electric energy from the grid started releasing itself all over the battlefield. When the energy collided into a solid object, it created a crater over 4 feet in diameter. Suddenly, a large bolt of electric energy rushed to Hiara. Renji was too far away to save her. If the lightning struck her, she and the baby would die.
"Hiara!" Renji shouted, "NO!"
In the nick of time, Zoka slid in front of Hiara and covered her and himself with his stone glove. The electric bolt struck the glove and blew out a large portion of it. Luckily, Zoka wasn't affected. He lifted the glove to his face and was left in shock. More than 3/5 of his stone glove was blasted into dust by the electric energy of Renji's grid. He stared at Renji and shook his head to advise him not to do it again.
"You see?" Renji said, kicking the ground, "My sealing grid is not stable enough. If you didn't slide in Hiara's way when you did, she would've been dead. That's why I'm thinking I should return to the Canyon Village for a while. Perhaps there I can learn the jutsu within a shorter time limit. Plus, I got to start rebuilding my village. Perhaps I can call for some help from the Star Village."
Hiara thought about what Renji just said and smiled. She walked to him and placed her hands on her swollen stomach, "Perhaps I will come as well," she said, "And what about Raioku and Sagi? They'll want to come too. I am a Kimza too after all. I'm just saying that I want you to be with me when the child is born. It wouldn't be the same without you."
Renji smiled at his wife and respected her decision, but he knew it could be dangerous. He placed his hands on Hiara's belly and smiled regretfully, "I know you want me to be with you when the child's born," he said, "Don't worry, I will be. But, I can't allow you to come with me. Ezekiel may be still out there. I'm not bringing anyone with me. Not even Raioku or Sagi. Even though I'm sure they don't want to go anyway. I don't want to endanger anyone's life. Especially not yours."
Hiara pressed herself against Renji and stared to weep, "But you're endangering your own life," she sobbed, "Please don't go alone. If you have to go to the Canyon Village, take Zoka at least. Just be careful. Both of you."
"Okay," Renji laughed, "You've persuaded me. I'll bring Zoka too. And don't worry. I'll make sure that neither of us get hurt, let alone killed."
"It seem that you care for me," Zoka jeered, "How sweet Hiara."
"Of course I care about you jackass!" Hiara scowled, kicking Zoka in the shins. This caused Zoka to lose his balance and fall with a loud thud. Renji had to cover his mouth to prevent his laughs from escaping. Hiara turned to Renji and smiled. She could sense that Renji was worried about what could happen while he was gone. She promised to herself that she would keep everything, including her worries about him, under control.
The next day, Renji was ready to go to the Canyon Village. Renji had a lot more companions than he initially had the day before. Some included Raioku and Sagi, who became more courageous over the years, wanted to accompany Renji. Plus, a few Kimza who dodged Ezekiel over the years and came to the Volcano Village decided to come with Renji as well. Even a few Volcano Villagers wanted to come along to help with the reconstruction project. What started as 2 traveling companions became a group of more than 20 people. The group gathered at the village gate to begin their journey. Renji, who was the leader, turned to the group.
"Okay," he said, "As you all know, we are going to the Hidden Canyon Village. We are all going there for different reasons. But we all have a reason that has the same origin. My brother Ezekiel is that origin. He is the reason that the Canyon Village is destroyed. He's the reason the entire Land of Sky is in this state of confusion. But I ensure you now, that after Ezekiel is defeat, I, the Nurmakage of the Canyon Village will return this nation to its state of peace. The Land of Steel should be our sole concern."
As soon as Renji said that, the entire crowd exploded into cheers. Renji could feel his confidence rising. He never felt this feeling of leadership in years. As he and the group left the village, Renji felt as if he could do anything. He felt that not even Ezekiel could stop him.
After about 2 days, the group finally made it to the canyon where the village was nestled in. The entire canyon was filled with a large dark cloud. The cloud would spawn lightning which shot in any direction. The cloud was there as a result of the energy of the Kimza Dragon attack Ezekiel created interrupting a storm cloud above the village years earlier. The cloud was already there when the Kimza Dragon destroyed the village. The energy from the jutsu caused the cloud contain chakra and not water vapor. Ever since then, the cloud stayed there, never bringing rain, but shooting lightning at everything. The cloud made it difficult for anything to reach the village.
Because of the cloud, it took another 2 hours to reach the village. The group had to scale the canyon's wall in order to prevent from being struck by lightning. The Kimza could've used the Vortex Jutsu to transport the group there, but they found that risky too. Because a Kimza needed to see their destination in order to use their jutsu properly, using it without visual aid was dangerous. Using a vortex without seeing one's path of point of exit would result with the problem with never being able to exit the vortex. Climbing down the canyon was the safest way.
Once the group reached the village, they found out that it was in the same condition it was in when it was destroyed 8 years earlier. The west gate, the gate where the group was, was closed and locked. Fortunately, all Renji had to do to open it was lightly touch it. The gate fell to the ground and nearly crushed Zoka, who moved away in time. Once the group was in the village, they were awed by the degree of destruction.
"Wow," Zoka exclaimed, "This place is in bad shape. It looks as though the Plateau Village attacked it with all their shinobi."
Renji just turned to Zoka and shook his head, "The Plateau Village wouldn't have been able to make this much destruction in one attack," he said, "Only a powerful shinobi could've done this."
"Well then let's get started," said a Volcano Villager, walking towards the area where the temple used to be. He was then stopped by a Kimza blocking his path.
"What are you thinking?" the Kimza said, glaring at the Volcano Villager, "Ezekiel could be here. He could kill all of us in no time at all. But you are willing to go alone? We have to stay and wait for Lord Nurmakage's orders."
"Are you both insane!?" another Kimza said, walking to the other Kimza and the Volcano Villager, "Even if Ezekiel isn't here it'll take years to clean this place up and rebuild it. Personally, we should either get more help or we should just find another area and build a village there."
"We can't just abandon our native home," Raioku objected, "The Kimza Clan has lived here ever since they were the Kuguari Clan. We lived here for more than 100 years. Leaving this place is just as bad as treason!"
The Kimza who was yelling at the other Kimza and the Volcano Villager turned to Raioku, "We were absent from this place for almost 9 years," he explained, "We already committed treason if you can call it that. So, don't talk about us leaving our 'beloved' home!"
The Volcano Villager stared at the male Kimza, "We can still fix this place up,' he said, "It might take years, but it'll be worth it!"
"So what!?" the Kimza continued, "Ezekiel might come here again and destroy it over and over. There's no point in rebuilding this place."
"Well that doesn't mean we can't try!" Sagi yelled, jumping into the situation.
Renji just stared at the others argue. Soon enough, he finally had it. He walked behind the disputing crowd and charged his fingertips with chakra. He then fired a Kimza Arrow at a pillar a few feet ahead of the group. The pillar was blown apart by the attack in a matter of seconds. The group, obviously knowing that Renji wanted their attention, stopped their skirmish and turned to him.
"You guys need to stop fighting," he said, "I used my Nokerrogan and found out that Ezekiel isn't here. Now that one situation is over, we can stop another. Here's what we can do. We can either go off to find Ezekiel, now that I can use the Gridlock Seal. Or, we can stay here and start the reconstruction project."
The male Kimza walked up to Renji and started to laugh, "You learned how to create and use the Gridlock Sealing Jutsu?" he laughed, "How did you learn that? First of all, 20 elders from the Canyon Council were needed to create such a powerful jutsu. And second of all it won't work if you did learn it. The elders tried it against Ezekiel and Bukarok 8 years ago and failed. Your sealing grid will be even weaker. Besides, you're a Kimza not a Kuguari!"
Renji was both angered and encouraged by the Kimza's statement. He was right because 20 elders were needed for the full powered sealing grid. If he tried to use it alone, it could go haywire again and kill someone. But he felt a purge of confidence within him. He was the Nurmakage. He had to be able to do any Kimza Clan or Kuguari Clan jutsu alone. He decided that he would give the Gridlock Seal another go. He walked to the Kimza and smiled brightly.
"How about we do a bet?" he asked the Kimza, "If I can make a perfect Gridlock Seal, you'll have to be the one to guard the gate area alone. But, if you win, I have to guard the gate and I'll have to relinquish my title of Nurmakage to you."
The Kimza smiled at Renji and laughed, "You got a deal!"
"Renji!" Zoka yelled, "What are you doing? You couldn't use a Gridlock Seal before. What if you can't do it now!?"
Renji didn't respond to Zoka's warning. He walked at least 40 feet away from the group and turned around. Then, he slowly made the hand signals in the order of Dog, Hare, Dragon, Hare, Rooster, Tiger, Ram, and Horse. During that, he charged his chakra into the ground. In no time at all, a large 5X5 grid appeared in front of Renji. His hands were charged with chakra. He knew that it was time to initiate the seal. If he did it too late, it could go haywire. In fact, he was surprised that he made it that far without a screw-up.
"Here goes nothing," he yelled, "Kuguari Style: Gridlock Sealing Jutsu!" Renji then lifted his hands into the sky and slammed them into the chakra grid. When he did that, the grid glowed brightly and created a large chakra cage. On each side of the cage was the name of one of the 4 founders of the Canyon Village. The names were Seto Kuguari, Ayako Kuguari, Mikozu Kuguari, and Iro Huzen. The name Iro seemed very interesting to Renji. The cage and the grid soon died out because there was no other chakra clashing it to seal. Renji walked up to the male Kimza and laughed.
"I guess you got guard duty," he chuckled triumphantly.
The Kimza growled at Renji and walked away to the gate of the village. Zoka walked up to him and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Nicely done," Zoka laughed, "I knew you could do it!"
Renji just stared blankly at Zoka, "I'm sure you did," he said, smiling a little. He then turned to the female Kimza walking to him. She bowed to him before speaking.
"We decided that we will do both," she said, still bent over, "Your Gridlock Seal is the most powerful I've ever seen. We now know for sure that you are able to defeat Ezekiel. You can lead a team into the Land of Sky to find Ezekiel while the rest of us work on the village."
"Well I'm coming with you," Zoka said, cracking his knuckles, "And not because Hiara gave me 900 Ryo to promise me to stay by your side, and if I failed she'd behead me. Because you're my brother and we gotta stick together."
"I'm coming too," Raioku said as well, "Eight years ago, I was a coward and I was too afraid to face Ezekiel. But now, I want to help you any way I can. I want to be brave."
"I'll come too," Sagi added, "I'm now 16. I want to fight the one responsible for destroying our home! I won't stop fighting until Ezekiel gets what's coming to him!"
Renji nodded at his companions, "The rest of you can start with rebuilding the temple. We'll be back within a week at least. And oh yeah, tell the guy at the gate he can return from his post within a few hours. Zoka, Raioku, Sagi. Let's go."
Meanwhile, Hiara was trying to adjust herself during her final month of pregnancy. She was never without Renji before. That thought kind of worried her. She decided that she would only worry when she was in labor and Renji wasn't around. Most of the time, she would roam around the village, talking to her friend Miyu. Miyu was a very talkative person. She especially loved children. She would usually suggest names for the baby. She would carry around a large book full of baby names and their meanings. Hiara, unfortunately, didn't like any of the names Miyu suggested. They were either too modern or too common.
One day, Hiara and Miyu were at the park in the center of the village. As usual, Miyu had her large smile, indicating she was going to start a conversation. She pulled her large baby book out of her backpack and opened it.
"Well," Miyu suggested, "How about Ayano?"
Hiara, who was gazing into the sky, stared blankly at her friend, "I don't like that name." she said.
"How about Chihiro?"
"No."
"What do you think about Kotone?"
"Try again."
"Um, Nana?"
"Nope. Not at all."
Miyu sat in front of Hiara and smiled like an excited child, "How about Miyu?"
Hiara sighed and fell onto the grass hill she and Miyu were sitting on, "I don't like any of those names," she sighed again, "And what makes you think the child will be a girl?"
Miyu gasped at what she heard, "You think the child is going to be a boy?" she asked, "Why didn't you say so!?" She quickly flipped the pages to find the boy's section, "Hiara, what do you think about Kaito? It's a great name for a boy with blue eyes."
Hiara wasn't really paying attention. She was staring at the volcano north of them. She then turned back to Miyu, "Hey," she questioned, "Who was the founder of Volcano Village."
"Oh," Miyu said, angry at Hiara's question, "Everyone knows who the founder of the Volcano Village is. The founder is Sapheru Tokomiya. She was the very one who prevented the volcano near us from ever erupting again. Wow Hiara, your baby is making you forget things. Why did you ask?"
"Maybe if the child is a girl," Hiara said, her eyes sparkling, "I will name her Sapheru. That name is full of possibilities."
"What if the child is a boy?" Miyu asked.
"Then Renji will name the child. I don't care what gender the baby is, as long as my baby is healthy and strong, just like Renji." Hiara sat up and smiled at Miyu.
"I hope the baby isn't as mixed up in Renji as you are," Miyu sighed, "You are totally in love with him. Even you dream about your children looking like him."
"You'll find someone like Renji someday," Hiara giggled, "Or perhaps like you. I'd love to see a man who loves the same things you do."
Miyu decided not to respond to Hiara's joke. She just smiled and continued to suggest baby names. Hiara immediately resumed to her denial of every name that came her way.
Meanwhile, Renji, Zoka, Raioku, and Sagi were journeying around the Land of Sky to find Ezekiel. After checking the entire nation, they decided to go back to the Canyon Village. If they went too far west, they'd run into the Land of Steel, and the Plateau Village would stop at nothing to kill the group. And if they went too far east, north, or south, they'd enter the Land of Caves, a nation that was an enemy of both the Land of Sky and the Land of Steel. Renji came to the conclusion that Ezekiel went to another nation with Bukarok.
When they returned to the Canyon Village, the group was in for a gruesome surprise. The village was scarred with more battle marks. Many buildings that were partially spared after the attack 8 years earlier were totally destroyed. As the group wandered through the village, they found a Kimza that was still alive. She was on the brink of death, but they could still get some information from her.
Renji kneeled next to the Kimza and put a bottle of water, "Here," he said, "Drink this. Then tell us what happened here."
The Kimza drank the water and coughed, "Well," she said, her voice a little hoarse, "This happened about a few hours ago. We were busy with reconstruction. About a week after you left, we were all swamped with work. Then one day, I noticed the guy who you gave gate duty was gone. But we thought that he went to get more help, so we didn't care. Then, he came back with….with…"
"With who?" Renji asked, "Who!?"
The Kimza coughed again before speaking, "Ezekiel. He came and slaughtered everyone. I was the only one left…." The Kimza then rolled her head to the side and closed her eyes. She was dead.
Renji stood up and punched the nearest inanimate object to him, a marble pillar. He growled and stared at his teammates, "We left this area looking for Ezekiel," he huffed, "just to find out that he came here after we were gone!? Now I know I'm not a good leader. I feel foolish." He slumped to the ground and refused to get up.
Zoka pulled Renji up and shook him, "Hey dude," he said, "You're going to be a dad! You can't be saying this I can't crap. Don't worry; we all screw up from time to time. You are a good leader. You made me a stronger person other than a stronger warrior. Now don't fret. We'll just bring another group in to rebuild the village."
Raioku and Sagi nodded in agreement. They knew exactly what Zoka was talking about. They knew that what happened was just a mistake. They knew that Ezekiel was still going to be defeated.
Renji smiled and looked upward towards the gray sky, "Well," he said, "I guess we gotta get back to the Volcano Village so we can—" Renji was interrupted by a Volcano ninja entering the village. The ninja stopped to catch his breath.
"Well that was kind of quick," Renji said smiling.
"Lord Nurmakage," the ninja said after regaining his breath, "I came here to tell you about your wife."
Renji's breath stopped when the ninja mentioned his wife, "What about my wife?" he asked concerned.
The ninja smiled at Renji's reaction, "Your wife is in labor. She's having her baby. She contacted me on my way here. She wants you to come home."
Renji's face turned from concerned to surprised, "I'd love to go," he said, "But we have some bodies here that need immediate attention."
"We'll handle the bodies," Raioku said, putting his hand on Renji's shoulder, "You and Zoka have to go now! Sagi and I will stay."
Renji nodded at Raioku and created a vortex in front of him, "Let's go Zoka," he said, "We can use this vortex to get to the village faster."
"But we might get trapped in that thing," Zoka warned, "You can't see the Volcano Village from here!"
Renji just stared blankly at Zoka. He didn't say anything at all.
"Fine," Zoka sighed, jumping into the vortex, "You better get us to the Volcano Village!"
The Volcano Village: 6:32 PM….
Meanwhile, at the Volcano Village's hospital, Hiara waited for Renji to return. She was being wracked by labor pains. Every now and then, she would look out the window, hoping to gaze upon Renji. She would usually stop when a contraction started and would begin looking again when it ended. Luckily, she wasn't in the room alone. Miyu was in the room, as well as Suzokage Hisomaru himself. He was Hiara's eldest uncle, so he was allowed in the room.
A medical ninja soon entered the room with his assistant. He charged his hand with chakra and waved it over Hiara's abdominal area. He then shook his head and looked at Hisomaru.
"I'm sorry Lord Suzokage," he said, "But Hiara is only 4 ½ centimeters dilated. She needs at least 6 more until we can start." He then said a few words to his assistant before they both walked out of the room.
"Please Renji," Hiara moaned in pain, "Hurry up."
The Land of Sky: 6:39 PM….
Meanwhile, Renji and Zoka were inside of the vortex tunnel. They were still at least 5 hours away from the village. Renji had to find a way to get to the village faster. He then smiled at Zoka. Zoka caught sight of Renji staring at him and jumped back.
"Okay," Zoka said, "What's up now?"
"You're going to be a Kimza for a minute," Renji explained, "I need you to charge your chakra into the vortex tunnel. Perhaps if we use enough chakra, the tunnel's expulsion will speed up."
Zoka nodded at Renji's suggestion, "It's worth a try," he agreed. He then made the ram seal and charged his chakra into the chakra tunnel. Renji also poured his chakra into the vortex. The two shinobi could feel their energy drain rapidly. But it was worth it. Just as Renji predicted, the vortex felt the presence of a large amount of chakra started to expel it faster. Renji could see the Volcano Village ahead. He didn't have enough chakra left to create another vortex, but he had to do something.
I'm coming Hiara, Renji thought, Hold on until I come. Won't be long now.
The Volcano Village General Hospital: 7:24 PM….
Hiara's contractions were getting more intense and frequent. Because of this, she wasn't able to watch for Renji anymore. Luckily for her, Miyu decided to do that job for her. Slowly, Hiara started to lose hope. She started to think that Renji died in the Canyon Village. She then burst into tears. This made Miyu jump from her post and run to her friend.
"What's wrong Hiara?" she asked.
"He's dead," Hiara sobbed, "Renji is dead. I've been in here for three hours and he's not here yet. Zoka, Sagi, Raioku are too. I want to believe they're alive but it's so damn hard!" She cupped her face in her hands and cried in a way she never did. Miyu hugged her friend. She was unable to say anything.
Suddenly, a Volcano Villager ran into Hiara's room, "There's a vortex outside the hospital! The Nurmakage is coming!"
As soon as those words were said, Hiara's eyes stopped watering and she smiled. She then looked at Miyu with a sense of urgency, "I need you to go outside and keep watch at that vortex. There's a chance that the vortex outside could belong to Ezekiel Kimza."
Miyu stared at Hiara frightened, "Ezekiel Kimza!?" she exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere near that vortex if it belongs to him!"
"Please Miyu," Hiara gasped, "You are one of the best shinobi in the village. If it is Ezekiel, I'm sure you can keep him at bay until help arrives. Besides, there's a large chance it's not him. Please Miyu?"
Miyu finally submitted to her friend's request, "Fine," she sighed, "Lord Suzokage, could you come with me? Ezekiel might be too powerful for me to take on alone."
Hisomaru smiled and nodded, "I'll come. Let's go."
Outside, Miyu and Hisomaru along with 4 medical ninja kept watch of the vortex. As they kept watch, they noticed that it was glowing brighter. Then, it started expel a large amount of chakra. The group stood their ground, ready to attack if its user was Ezekiel. Then, the vortex opened up wider. It was ready to expel its creator.
"Prepare to attack," Hisomaru announced, "If it's Ezekiel, stop at nothing to kill him."
The vortex opened up wider and wider until a burst of chakra expelled two people out of it. To everyone's surprise, it was not Ezekiel who created the large vortex. It was Renji and Zoka. They were both suffered a fair amount of fatigue from using their chakra to make the chakra tunnel expel faster. They laid on the ground for a moment. Then Miyu walked to Renji and kneeled to him.
"Hiara was worried sick about you Renji," she said, "Come on. She's waiting for you in room 239." She then pulled the Kimza to his feet and ran into the hospital. Renji was pulled along by Miyu. Zoka, however, was still lying on the ground.
"Great Miyu," he sighed, "Take Renji and leave me here."
Hisomaru laughed and pulled Zoka up, "Come on," he said, "Soon enough, you'll be an uncle."
When Renji got to the third floor, he directly ran for room 239 in the Maternal Ward. Then, when he opened the door, he saw that Hiara was waiting for him. He sat on the bed and hugged his wife securely. He stroked his wife's long upper back length hair before kissing her. Hiara let out sigh of relief and kissed him back.
"I thought you were dead," the Tokomiya said, staring at Renji to make sure she was not hallucinating.
"I would never die on you," Renji responded, "Unfortunately; most of our traveling companions were killed by Ezekiel. I, Zoka, Raioku, and Sagi were the only ones left. I was so confused and frustrated I didn't—" Renji was shushed by Hiara kissing him softly.
"Let's talk about that later," Hiara whispered, "Now, this is a tender moment for you and me. Our first child is coming." Hiara was then wracked by another wave of pain. She rested her head on the bed and puffed. After a while, the medical ninja returned and used his scanning jutsu on Hiara again. He shook his head at the couple.
"You're now 8 centimeters dilated," he explained, "But you still are not ready. We might have to wait another hour." He then talked to his assistant who just walked in. Then they both left. Zoka and Hisomaru entered the room afterwards. Then the entire group started to wait.
About an hour later, everyone but Renji, Hiara, and Hisomaru fell asleep. Renji clasped one of Hiara's hands in both of his own. As he stared at Hiara, he felt a sense of pain within him. He never wanted for any of his children to be born into a world of war. But hopefully, soon enough, it would end with the resealing of Bukarok. He then got a worried look on his face as he saw Hiara puffing and moaning.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I think the baby is ready to come out," Hiara moaned, "I have the urge to push any minute now."
"Hello!" Renji shouted, "I think the baby is ready to be born! Can I get some help down here!?" Renji's yelling alarmed Zoka and Miyu and woke them up. But it also brought the medic and his assistant in the room. He scanned Hiara's abdominal region and nodded to his assistant. He then got into position in front of Hiara. He spread her legs open and pulled her medical robe up. Hiara was prepped for delivery before Renji arrived.
"Okay," he said, "It's time to begin. I'm asking that all but the father leave now. Lord Suzokage, you can stay if you want."
Zoka smiled and kissed his sister on her forehead, "I know you'll do well Hiara!" he said, leaving the room to return to the waiting room. Miyu soon followed behind.
Hisomaru kissed Hiara's cheek and hugged Renji, "This is your moment," he said, "Do well Hiara. And help your wife well Renji." He then walked out the room, leaving Hiara, Renji, the medic and his assistant alone.
"Okay," said the medic, "Lord Renji, I want you tightly clasp Lady Hiara's hand and don't let go until we are finished."
Renji gripped Hiara's right hand in both of his hands, "I'll never let go," he promised.
"Now Lady Hiara," the medic explained, "When I count to five, I want to push. But do not too rash or too roughly. And I want to you to continue to push until I count to ten. I know it might be painful but try to keep it up. Afterwards, you can take a break for a few seconds, then we start again. Are you both ready?"
Hiara and Renji nodded in unison.
"Right. One, two, three, four, five, push!"
Hiara took a deep breath, strengthened her abdominal muscles, and pushed. At the same time, Renji kissed her hand to let her know he was there for her. The medic counted every second to make sure it was scheduled.
"….Eight, nine, ten. Okay. Take a break." The medic then got a dry towel and dried the sweat from Hiara's sweating forehead. Hiara let her head rest against the bed as Renji continued to kiss her hand. After about 15 seconds, the medic looked at the couple.
"Okay," he said, "From here on, I want you to push for 15 seconds. Ready? One, two, three, four, five, go!"
Hiara took a breath and pushed again. As she pushed, she felt her vaginal entrance open up and expel a round object. The medic stopped counting and stared at the object. Then he looked up brightly at Hiara and Renji.
"The baby's head is crowning," he explained, "You're doing great Lady Hiara. Keep this up, and the child will be born in no time."
Renji kneeled towards Hiara and kissed her forehead, "You can do it Hiara. You're a strong woman and I know you can."
Hiara nodded at Renji. She then heard the medic count to five again, so she pushed. After a few seconds, the baby's head was fully peering out of her birth canal. Renji looked in that certain direction and smiled. The medic took a hold of the baby's head and nodded.
"Okay," he said, "One more good push should do it. One, two, three, four, five, push!"
Hiara drew back and pushed the hardest she ever did during the entire scene. She could feel the baby slide out of her birth canal. She then looked towards Renji, who was kissing her hand and warming it with his own. He must've noticed her watching him because a second later he stroked her face with his other hand and he stared into eyes. She then felt one last urge to push and she obliged it. When she looked down at herself, she saw the medic gazing down at something and he looked up. He had a smile of satisfaction on his face.
"Congratulations," he said, "It's a boy."
The medic then lifted up the baby. It was definitely a boy. He looked like an infant combination of his mother and father. He had brown and blonde hair, just like his mothers. He had his father's emerald green eyes and his father's thin and long lips. He also had his mother's ears and nose. He even had his mother's natural tan. The infant started to cry as he was set upon a small bed-like table. The medic placed a clamp on the baby's umbilical cord and made a hand gesture to Renji.
"Would you like to cut the cord?" he asked.
"Sure," Renji answered. He walked to the medic and was handed a small, but sharp clamp blade. He looked at the clamp and saw that there was a linking area, "Do I put the blade there and cut the cord?"
The medic nodded at Renji's question. Renji placed the blade in the clamp and pushed the clamp down. About less than a second later, the cord and the baby was separated. Renji smiled at his accomplishment and looked towards the medic who picked the child up. He placed a diaper on the infant and wrapped a warm blue blanket around him before handing him to his father.
"There you go," the medic said, "I'll let you have some time alone with him. I'll call your family and friends from the waiting room." He then left the room with his assistant.
Renji walked to Hiara's bed and sat on it. He stared at his son with a feeling of pride and achievement. He kissed the baby's forehead and then Hiara's, "You did great dear," he said happily, "This boy is a work of art. He's perfect and has your features." He looked at his son and smiled even wider when he heard the infant cry. He handed the boy to his mother.
"I think he's hungry," Hiara giggled, untying her hospital robe. She then directed the baby to her left breast. The baby latched onto it with his mouth and began to suckle. Hiara could feel what was happening and felt proud. She then looked up and Renji and smiled, "He's beautiful. He has some of your features too."
Zoka, Miyu, and Hisomaru soon came in with the medic and his assistant. Zoka knelt towards Hiara and stroked his nephew's cheek with his finger. He then straightened up and crossed his arm across his chest, "My nephew huh?" he said.
"Yep," Renji answered, "That's your nephew Zoka. And he's Ezekiel's as well."
"So," Miyu asked, "What's the little guy's name?"
"I don't know," Hiara explained, "I really want a name that original and his own. Perhaps a combination name."
Renji thought about what Hiara said for a while. He then had an idea, "What were you gonna name him, Hiara?" he asked.
Hiara looked at Renji, then the baby, "I was going to name our child Sapheru," she said, "After the founder of the Volcano Village. But that's a female's name."
"Hm," Renji pondered, "You know, I wanted to name the baby Iro, after the one of the founders of the Canyon Village. But you say you want a combo name. Hmmm. I got it. How about Saphiro? It's a combination between Sapheru and Iro. It may sound different, but that's an original name."
Hiara thought about the name for a while. Finally, she nodded, "That sounds like a nice name," she said, "Saphiro Kimza. Okay, we have his name. He will be named Saphiro Kimza."
Renji smiled at kissed his wife, "That sounds like a right name for a child of sacred blood." He gazed at his son. Saphiro finally stopped suckling on Hiara's warm breast and went to sleep. Renji was surprised he was now a father. He was more surprised that he became a father before Ezekiel.
Zoka threw his hands up into the air, "Let's celebrate the birth of the first Kimza born in 8 years," he said, "This is a special occasion! He'll be even greater than his uncle Ezekiel or his father Renji. He might be even better than his uncle Zoka. And I am a legend after all."
"Yeah," Miyu joked, "A legendary twit."
Everyone laughed at Miyu's joke, even Zoka. The long period of anxiety was finally over. Saphiro Kimza was the first child ever born with a combination of the Kimza Clan and the Tokomiya Clan's blood. Wow that Saphiro had been born, Renji could finally continue his training without worry. He knew that Ezekiel was getting more powerful and it was time for him to get back in gear. Now, the whole world, including his newborn son, depended on him. He knew this time; there was no room for failure. He had to be more powerful than his older brother.
To Be Continued….
AN: Whew that took a long time. Wow! More than 8000 words!? That's a new record for me! I hope this chapter can help you readers see the tender side of me. From here on, I think the story will have rated T content. But I gotta keep the M just in case. On the next chapter, Renji undergoes the most intense training of his life! With a wife and son to protect, he must be the greatest Kimza alive. Plus, he and Ezekiel start Round 2 of their struggle. Read all of this and more in Chapter 27 of Kimza Chronicles! See you around!