Chapter 10 - 入世 (Earthly Descent)

Five hundred years before the Cataclysm

A touch of sunlight broke through the horizon, painting the dim sky in the colour of cream. From a distance, it looked as if a white carp had turned its belly in the murky water.

But a shadow was brewing underneath, cutting through the tranquillity with its writhing figure. The shadow slugged through the forest, seemingly shifting its shape with every movement it made.

One second, the black smoke gathered to form a tiger's head, growling in anguish. A second later, it spread apart like a horde of birds. Now, the shadowy wisp stretched forward, resembling that of a human arm grasping in desperation.

The shadow was running from something on instinct. Yet, it did not know how to hide its tracks, leaving behind a trail of lifeless remains in the forest that was trying to regrow from a landslide. To feed, to take, and to devour - that was also its instinct and it did so without any restraints.

A moment later, the cloud parted as two dragons dove down from the sky. Their speed made them look like ink strokes that cut through the pale canvas.

"The Devastation returned, how unprecedented," the black dragon exclaimed, encompassing the sound of waves and the melody of raindrops within each syllable.

"No, it's not the same. This one is newly formed," the other dragon - the one with scales the colour of steel - corrected. The Devastation that they cleansed five days ago was born out of the aspect of erosion and decay that stemmed from the natural phenomenon of landslide. It certainly did not look like this mess; like this aggregation of creatures in agony.

"Regardless, we must cleanse it before it devours more of Nature." As the steel dragon uttered the last syllable, the two of them broke off. One descended further to catch the Devastation roaming the land, and the other lifted its head and ascended higher in the sky.

The steel dragon zoomed toward the mass of shadow, catching up to it in an instant. Whirling winds cradled his body, crushing the brittle remains of what used to be a forest when it got too close to the ground.

For a moment, the Devastation shrivelled up as if it was overtaken by fear. But it had no such emotions, so this was merely a reflex before it lashed out with an even stronger force. Black shadows rushed out towards the steel dragon, continuing to devour what was left in its path. That was until it hit a block that it couldn't chew through.

The black mass scraped against the steel-coloured scales that glowed under the impact until claws slammed into its supposedly formless existence. It tried to slip through the talons but had no success. Formless energy surrounded its body like a dense layer of glue, drowning its existence little by little.

Immediately, the Devastation ditched a part of itself to be smouldered under the dragon's claws, while the majority of it escaped in a hurry.

It was then that the black dragon reappeared from the clouds, bringing along a blanket of water around its winding body. She let out a roaring breath, sounding like the sighs of ocean waves, and the water heeded her commands and rained down like pearl beads.

The droplets doused the black shadow no matter how erratic it tried to move and where it tried to escape. The water looked clear and harmless under the sun, but it might as well be poison to the writhing Devastation.

More water converged towards the Devastation, pressuring the runaway wisps back together with no mercy. As if on cue, the two dragons circled the Devastation and rushed in from opposite directions.

The steel dragon bit into the Devastation with his sharp teeth and the black dragon dragged her claws through the pulsing mass. The black shadow was torn apart in a second and the water swallowed up the dusty remains until the Devastation was fully vanquished.

As the steel-coloured dragon circled into the sky, observing for any remnants that needed to be dealt with, the black dragon landed on the withering earth with a soft thud. The rain that she had called upon was already soaking into the fragile soil, trying to rejuvenate the deadland.

Still, the Devastation - not one, but two in such a short period - had taken so much energy from this area that the rain made no visible improvement. Shaking her head, the black dragon leant down and sent out a breath filled with the essence of Nature into the lifeless land. It would take time and they'd have to return often, but at least the Devastation had yet to turn the land into a crumbling void.

"Nothing else here is worthy of our attention," the steel dragon concluded as it also descended onto the earth. His face twitched, making what looked like a frown, as he added, "The new Devastation must be the agglomeration of untimely deaths in the area."

The black dragon thought back to the shifting shapes that the Devastation had recreated unconsciously. True, lots of creatures in the area would have been buried by the sudden landslide. "That's still a very short time for the imbalance to fester and the Devastation to form."

At first, the steel dragon didn't answer. He merely looked in the direction of the East and when the black dragon followed suit, she understood his point.

"The warring humans near the area must be feeding into it." There was no doubt a trace of contempt in the steel dragon's voice. His companion, while not showing much of an opinion, also didn't find the human deaths that got swallowed up to be sympathetic.

The humans in this era waged wars often with each other. The black dragon couldn't fathom the purpose of fighting against their own species, especially since the reasonings behind the aggression - the ones that she eavesdropped through Nature, anyway - were so insignificant compared to the noble cause given to her species.

The steel-coloured dragon said nothing else, already turning its body upwards for the return journey, only to be stopped by his companion who had hooked her tail onto his.

"Wait, you promised," the black dragon demanded, making the other one hiss in annoyance, but she was insistent. "You promised to take me to the human settlement near here as soon as I'm adequate with their language."

"And are you?" the steel dragon snorted and the black dragon nodded with confidence. Well, she was adequate, or as adequate as she could be from the snippets that the wind would bring from the human villages - when the elders taught their young ones; when parents corrected their children.

"You go there often, so what's the issue? Unless … you're doing something you shouldn't in the human villages," the black dragon dared as she nudged her body closer.

"Don't sprout nonsense." The steel dragon turned around and nudged his companion to the side. "Fine, if you so wish." Now, the black dragon looked satisfied.

"When did you even collect these?" The black dragon, now in the shape of a human, asked as she secured the outermost layer of her clothes. As expected, the human speech sounded raw and unnatural in the rhythm, but at least she knew the words.

"Close enough to the current era, when you're busy fooling around with those foxes of the Verdant Valley." The steel dragon replied as he examined his companion carefully, making sure that there was nothing outlandish with her disguise. When he found everything acceptable, he let out a satisfied hmph.

"Now, don't talk to anyone with that unfamiliar tone of yours, don't attract any attention and just … don't interact with any human," the steel dragon warned, but the black dragon found it to be counterintuitive - how could one avoid the humans in a human village? - yet, she went along with it to prevent annoying her kin even more.

The steel dragon split off from his kin and left her to her own device as soon as they entered the village. She had always known that the steel dragon collected trinkets of human creations - whether it was physical items or immaterial performances. She didn't quite understand what use he had for them, just like how she couldn't explain the curiosity she had for the human society that had taken a firm root in Nature.

Everything about them seemed to change so fast even though their lifespan was abysmally short. They were still considered a species born out of Nature, but they had created so many things that seemed foreign to Nature before their time.

It was a different experience, to be hearing the whispers of human lives through her ears instead of through the whispers of the wind. The sudden influx of human noises - so close and so loud - was unexpectedly overwhelming, making her pause at every other step.

"The best meat buns in the village!" A man yelled, his beard trembling from the sheer volume of his breath. The woman across the street, however, wasn't having any of it.

"Bullshit, mine's better!" The woman shouted back as she tapped the giant steamer with the wooden utensil. The fight over the title continued into a stalemate and the crowd laughed at the commotion. That seemed to attract the attention of even more people, some even stopped to grace the stalls.

"You, girl!" The black dragon was startled by the sudden gaze of the woman who ran the meat bun stall. "You look like you want a meat bun - the best ones in the area," the woman emphasized, her face stuck in a mixture of disgust for her competitor and happiness for the influx of customers.

The young dragon shook her head and before the woman could continue her persuasion, she lifted the hood over her head and ran the other way. Still, the novelty didn't stop there.

"It's the wool from the Northern plains, guaranteed to hold over the winter," a merchant whispered in an alley, holding out a sack for the other party to examine.

"How did you get them with the wars being waged?" the buyer exclaimed in a hushed tone and the merchant's expression soured at the mention of conflicts near the region.

"It's very difficult. I have to put my life on the line, so I'm sure you understand why I want worthy compensation." In a few words, the merchant framed the narrative in his favour. She didn't stay for the endless haggle that came later.

"Sir! Stay for the night," sweet voices seduced as a group of women latched onto the soldiers passing by. They ran their hands over the soldiers' leather armour, unravelling their desires with dreamy eyes. The building behind them had the most lavish decorations and music was pouring out of windows, along with other noises that were carried by the wind.

The black dragon learned this time, making sure that she never stared for too long. So, before her presence could be intruding, she took a turn and exited the busy street. However, Nature seemed to have its own plan.

A group of soldiers walked past her, dressed in the bare minimum of armour and surrounded by the thick scent of alcohol. One of them eyed her with a lazy gaze and immediately, his brain was overtaken by a rash impulse.

"Hey, wait up, miss," the soldier called out as he took a step to the side, blocking her path. "It's dangerous for a young lady to be wandering alone, why don't we escort you home?"

"Come on, tell us where to go, we promise your safety." Another one knocked his chest plate cheekily, but the glances he threw in the direction of the pleasure house betrayed his words.

Desire, lust, and greed. Their eyes spelt their intentions loud and clear. Yet, the black dragon hardly felt threatened by the farce of those humans. Their strength was so small, and those emotions were so insignificant compared to the Devastation that grew to hundreds, even thousands of times that intensity.

So, the black dragon kept her silence and waited for the soldiers to realize the futility of their actions and leave. That seemed to both confuse and unsettle them.

"Does she even understand? Are you sure she's from a pleasure house? Could she be a foreigner from the Northern Plains?" Another one whispered at the back, but the soldier who started this shut him down to defend his pride.

"Only a girl from the pleasure houses has a face as dolled up as this! Even if she's a foreigner, she must be sold here," the soldier insisted. The silent girl in front of him was grating on his patience and pride. Irritated, he walked forward and was ready to drag the girl along.

Ah, I didn't see that coming. The black dragon blinked, trying to understand how these humans could be so foolishly brave and think of a way to get out of this without attracting attention. It would prove to be a hard task.

Just then, a hand grabbed onto the soldier and pulled him back. The force continued to throw the man back until he was slammed into the alley wall, even creating a gust of wind that blew the hood off of her head.

The soldier was ready to curse his gut out, but a look at the intruder made him weak in his knees and sober in the head. Immediately, the group of soldiers knelt down - minus the one that was already on the floor - and shouted, "General!"

"I don't remember condoning my soldiers to treat the civilians with disrespect and violence." The General narrowed his eyes, making his soldiers bury their heads even lower. "I don't give a damn if you spend your off-duty night in the tavern or the pleasure houses, but not this."

"Yes, General." "Understood, General." A chorus of words sounded one by one, including from the soldier that tried to grab the black dragon. Still, the soldier raised his head and looked at her as if she was to blame.

"Forgive me, General, I was just worried that she might be a spy from the Northern Plains," the soldier said, his words stirred a wave of uncertainty and suspicion from his fellow soldiers who had witnessed the girl's unresponsiveness.

"Did you find evidence of her passing information to the enemy army? Or did you base it on the fact that she ignored your offensive comments?" The General mocked, pushing the soldier's attempt to sabotage back to himself. "Even if she is a foreigner from the Northern Plains, she's just a civilian in this town until proven otherwise."

When the soldier seemed to have nothing else to say, the General concluded, "Go receive your disciplinary punishment from your supervisor. I'm sure you've had your fill of rest already." Red with shame, the group of soldiers scurried off without raising their heads.

Only when the exchange was finished that the black dragon realized that the smart thing to do was to slip away when their attention was occupied. Nevertheless, she found herself distracted by the conversation that unfolded in front of her. Before she knew it, the General focused his attention on her and the chance was lost.

"Are you alright?" The man asked. The heavy and regal armour on his body made his shadow look much bigger than his soldiers. When the girl didn't answer, he asked again, "Are you lost?"

Again, no answer. But instead of becoming impatient, the General merely furrowed his brows and said something else. The black dragon blinked, having no idea what the man was trying to say. Still, the unfamiliar syllables stirred some memories in her head, reminding her of the tongue used by the people in the North - the other part of the human species that the soldiers here fought against - that she had heard through the wind.

The General tried a few times, tweaking his tones slightly each time, as if he wasn't certain if his pronunciation was correct. Eventually, he had to admit defeat with that approach and went back to his mother tongue.

"Are you able to get home safely?" the General asked. Finally, the black dragon was starting to realize that perhaps not responding was not the correct way to go at it despite the warning from her kin. "I mean it in the most respectful way, but do you know the direction of your home?"

It was strange. She was so confident in her attempt at human language before, but now, she hesitated to make a sound that could expose her abnormality in this part of the world. Hang on, she couldn't avoid interacting with the humans, but maybe she could do so without her half-assed words.

The black dragon raised her hand and pointed in the direction behind the General and above the horizon. Immediately, with a sigh of both relief and contentment, the General turned around and eyed the direction marked by her finger.

"Is that the direction of your home …" His voice died from the confusion when he saw the clouds at the end of his sight. The General turned around, asking, "Are you certain?"

There was no one else left in the alley.

"You followed my words, didn't you?" The steel dragon questioned as he dropped the garments into a hole in the tree, tiny in the claws of his gigantic body. "You didn't raise any attention or run into any trouble, right?"

The black dragon thought back to the exchange in the alleyway - to the General that she had answered. She replied with a firm shake of her head, "Of course not."

Quickly, she glanced at the collection of trinkets that her kin had hidden in the forest, including a new novel that he had brought back this time, and changed the topic. "Are you sure you want to keep your collection in the forest? It can get swallowed up by natural disasters and even growing Devastations in an instant."

"If they get destroyed or lost, I'll simply collect new ones." He gave her a strange look as he waved his tail at the tree, commanding it to close the secret cave inside and hide it with thick leaves. However, before they took off into the sky, the steel dragon paused and met the gaze of his companion with seriousness.

"These are merely distractions to chase off the boredom, and the same applies to their creators," the steel dragon said, his eyes hardened and examined for any signs of disagreement. "Human settlements thrive and decay every hundreds of years. Their dynasties rise and fall even shorter than that. Their affairs - their desires, their ideologies, and especially their wars - are insignificant compared to our mission given by Heaven."

"So, do not linger."

Against the heavy warning, the black dragon replied light-heartedly, "That goes without saying." She cast a glance towards the direction of the village and added in reassurance, "As with you, my visit is just pastime. Nothing more."

-o-o-o-

Sumie squinted her eyes when the sunlight brightened. She raised a hand to shield her face from the searing heat, hoping for the clouds to cover up the burning sun. Rin did mention that the summer in Konoha - and a large part of Fire Country - came fast and flashy.

The clouds didn't take pity on her. So instead of staying by the window and continuing to torture herself, Sumie closed the window and pulled the curtain, dulling the sound of celebration from the outside.

The war between the shinobi villages had finally ended. At least, that was the simplified and optimistic version.

It wasn't long before the faux sense of tranquillity was broken by the click of a key. The door was pulled open, entering its rightful owner along with a rush of baked air. Young Kakashi-kun saw Sumie the moment he stepped in. For a second, he looked surprised and caught off guard, as if forgetting that another soul was staying in his house.

Quickly, the boy pulled his composure back up and gave her a nod - perhaps to acknowledge the fact that she hadn't wrecked his living space, caused any trouble, and might even be helpful during his absence - then he went straight to the bedroom without looking back.

Very slightly, Sumie frowned. The apparent lack of puppy hostility and the fact that the boy didn't pay attention to her scent meant a lack of concentration. The boy was distressed.

"Sumie-chan! I come bearing gifts." Sumie turned her attention back to the entrance and saw Jiraiya dangling a few bottles of sake all so cheerfully. A mob of golden hair peeked out behind the man, belonging to none other than the talk of the town, Namikaze Minato.

"You know that I can't get drunk." Sumie wasn't impressed with the choice of gift, but she nevertheless cleared the table to make space for Jiraiya and Minato, which the former took in strides.

"No, but the taste of sake can still be enjoyed, am I right?" Jiraiya replied, completely forgetting the fact that he was not the owner of this house with how comfortable he acted. Sumie wasn't sure if the actual owner agreed with that assertion.

"Sorry about Kakashi. He's been through a lot these past few days," Minato said when he noticed Sumie's attention lingering in the direction that the boy disappeared. "I want to thank you for helping Jiraiya-sensei and Rin-chan. Truly, I can't be grateful enough."

"There's no need. I asked for something in return." Sumie shook her head, not finding herself to be worthy of the gratitude. Her motivation was never that pure, to begin with.

"Right, speaking of which. Haru-san already made it out of Konoha undetected. My informants confirmed that she has arrived at the intermediary location and it's completely up to her where she wants to go next," Jiraiya said, already popping a sake bottle and pushing another one in front of Sumie. "As for those shinobi that you're worried about, their influence won't stretch that far outside of Konoha, especially when they're busy cleaning after themselves."

Sumie accepted the bottle of sake, just like she accepted Jiraiya's repayment. She never made it explicit that the ones that made her wary were the faction belonging to Elder Shimura. But as she said, Jiraiya's ability to read beneath the lines was almost too reliable.

"Elder Shimura's faction got in trouble for what happened with Rin?" Sumie asked all of a sudden. At the same time, she wondered where she stood with this 'Namikaze faction' after what happened with Rin.

Thankfully, Jiraiya nodded easily, showing no sign that Sumie had overstepped her boundaries. That gave Sumie the audacity to continue asking, "Then would his situation be improved if it was his faction that sealed the Tailed-Beast instead of you, even if there would be considerable casualties?"

"The short answer is yes." It was Minato that answered Sumie. "Shinobi culture values results, making failures and success both important in the equation. The faults of Elder Shimura and Root lay in their mishaps with the spy that infiltrated their ranks, but it's also true that they were able to bait out the sleeper agents - which could have remained undercover for many more years - and acted swiftly. Spies are not uncommon, rather, it's about how we deal with them."

"You think Elder Shimura knew about the spy in Root and deliberately let them contact Rin, just to bait out the accomplices," Sumie concluded. The blonde-haired man didn't disagree, but Jiraiya couldn't help but click his tongue in frustration as he gulped down a mouthful of sake.

"It can't be proven, so only he knows what he did," Jiraiya said. There was no point hiding the divide between Elder Shimura and Minato, not when Sumie had clear benefits by associating with one side.

"Rin's seal being tampered with by our enemies spoke against Minato's ability as well. If it were Root that sealed the Tailed-Beast, then it would be another credit to erase their failures and another point to suggest that Three-Tail cannot be contained safely as Minato suggested."

Right, Shinobi culture valued results. If Jiraiya wasn't even given a chance to seal Three-Tail, there would also be no results for him to provide. No one would ever know if the rampage could be stopped with no casualty unless the same situation happened again - which, even Sumie knew that Konoha would never allow, even if it was at the price of a girl's rights and freedom.

"But that did not happen!" Jiraiya raised his voice suddenly as he smacked the empty sake bottle onto the table - Kakashi's table. "The Tailed-Beast was suppressed with the help of Rin's willpower. The victory at the Konoha-Kumo battlefront ensured that Minato would have results that couldn't be overridden. Root is being reprimanded and they'd have to work hard to provide other forms of success - digging up more spies or retrieving more intels - to regain their status."

And with that, the power balance between the two politically opposing factions has tilted to one side, no matter how temporary it is.

"Right, congratulations, by the way," Sumie said as she raised a bottle of sake at Minato. This man had been the talk of the town, being the elevated war hero who was declared the next Hokage. Asano-san even gave all the workers a day off on the day of the inauguration so that everyone could enjoy the festivities and the celebration.

"Thank you. It seems that you're catching on to Konoha's customs quite fast." Minato accepted Sumie's congratulations and returned a light smile. There was an air of calming composure surrounding the man - an aura that would make the people gazing upon him feel reassured by his leadership.

But deep in his eyes, Sumie saw the glint of ambition and determination, telling her that he knew what he wanted to do with the title and power that were about to be granted to him. This is a man of belief, Sumie thought. It would be a curious sight to see what he would achieve in the coming future.

"Rin-chan has been accommodating during my stay here. She's a very good guide." Unlike a certain somebody, Sumie might have given a pointed look to Jiraiya, making him choke a little in the midst of drinking his second bottle.

"Now that Elder Shimura won't have the attention to waste on your case, we're thinking of placing you under Jiraiya as part of his spy network - that's the official cover, anyway. Unofficially, you'll be able to disappear into the background in this network of anonymity. Of course, the seal on your back would be erased," Minato said as he finally joined the drinking club and sipped on his bottle of sake. "Is that acceptable for you, or rather, what's your plan from now on?"

Sumie stayed silent for a moment, letting the taste of sake savour in her mouth like she was savouring her experiences in Konoha. "I'm going to leave Konoha soon, so I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your plan."

She nodded at Jiraiya and continued, "As you've suggested, I'd like to see more stories. A different flavour in every tavern, was it?" Jiraiya cackled at her words, but he looked happy that Sumie had taken his drunken speech to heart.

"Also, after my conversation with the Great Toad Sage and thinking back on my own … experiences, I have some questions about Nature that I'd like to pursue," Sumie added after a second thought. It wouldn't be nearly as relevant or relatable to Jiraiya and Minato, but if it would put their mind at ease, then why not.

"If you don't mind me asking, is it possible that you've regained some memory?" Jiraiya asked. A fair question, given that Sumie literally showed some sort of evolution during Three-Tail's suppression.

"No, not really." Unfortunately, Sumie still had no plan of sharing her past with anyone. "What I can do is probably a mixture of intuition and muscle memory." So, it would have to be one lie after the other, occasionally with some omission and partial truth sprinkled in, all to maintain her narrative.

"Not that I think you're stupid or anything, but there would be a lot of people obsessed with your regeneration, immortality, and what you can do with Natural Energy, even more so outside of Konoha." What you have done while fighting Three-Tail can't work again. Jiraiya warned with the best intention in mind. It wasn't just about Sumie, but also the cover that the Namikaze faction had worked hard to set up for her.

"I understand. Believe it or not, I don't like regenerating from critical injuries nor coming back from the dead, even if doing so would help unlock my powers faster." Sumie didn't miss the subtle glances Jiraiya kept on stealing in her arms, trying to catch the mysterious black seals that he had seen.

"Even if it would give you unrivalled power?" Minato confirmed again. They were side-tracking for sure, venturing closer to the discussion of Sumie's ideology. Evaluation and understanding who one could work with went both directions.

"Call it intuition, but my ability to regenerate from the dead does not feel like the definition of 'everlasting'. What would happen when all of the seals were lost? Who would I become? Would I lose anything I don't want to? Do you know? Do I know?" Sumie shook her head without giving the other party any chance to speak.

At least this part wasn't a lie. The binding came from Heaven - the last bit of Heaven's presence that remained, actually. Once it was gone, it was gone, and Sumie wasn't sure what else it would take when a part of her will - and who knew what else - was literally shaped by Heaven.

Of course, just breathing and staying in this new world eroded her bindings, even if it was slow. So, an ending in the uncharted territory was inevitable. Sumie wasn't going to evade it, but she also wasn't going to run toward it.

"People fear death because it's an end to known existence and an entry into the realm of the unknown, is it not?" Sumie muttered as she looked at the sake inside the narrow-necked bottle. The surface of the liquid was glistening like stars reflected in a deep well. "Well, I have my own definition of that and I'm fine with living my 'life' to its natural expiration date."

She raised her head and downed a third of the bottle. "Besides, you already know what I can do. That's more than enough for most non-shinobi things."

"Indeed, I sure do," Jiraiya laughed, raising his bottle as well. Just Sumie's use of Natural Energy for stealth was enough to evade most detections, especially when the connection to senjutsu was a rare occurrence in this world.

"Need help preparing for your journey or finding a direction?" Jiraiya asked in a light-hearted tone. "I have some recommendations for the best sake of the continent if you're out of ideas."

Sumie let out a laugh. She shouldn't have expected Jiraiya's seriousness to last more than a few minutes. But with those words, it was a sign that she'd have his best blessings for wherever she'd like to go. Besides, she really didn't have a direction—

Sumie snapped her head towards the direction of the backyards. She ignored the obvious confusion at the table and tried to catch the fleeting whispers of the depth.

"... Intrusion … Unnatural …"

This time, it was accompanied by a specific presence hiding in the distance, blending in with the natural canopy. Without wasting any time, Sumie pulled open the door and stepped into the grassy ground, all to get closer to Nature's embrace.

"Please, keep it there for me," Sumie whispered as she pressed her hand onto the ground and let Natural Energy flood into the earth. Like a slumbering beast waking up in the deep current, the inorganic earth came alive below the surface.

"I might have a lead and you have something weird near your village border." Sumie spared a sentence for Minato and Jiraiya. Not nearly enough to explain her strange actions, but enough for them to make quick decisions.

Minato threw a three-pronged kunai - handle first - with seals wrapped around its handle and Sumie caught it. The earth could only hold the intruder for so long; Sumie already felt its violent struggle pulsing through the ground. So, she started running.

Kakashi's house was already near the edge of Konoha. It was only a few hundred metres from the dense strip of forest that enshroud the village border, merely a few seconds for a breeze of wind to reach across.

It was like clockwork that the moment Sumie stopped moving, Minato teleported over with both Jiraiya and Kakashi in tow. She supposed that the commotion either piqued the young boy's curiosity or that it made him more irritated than he already was.

Scale-like tattoos emerged from her forearms, expanding and contracting in tune with her muscle movement. Sumie slammed her hand into the ground and it went into the cold, hard soil like butter. After a split second of searching, she yanked her hand out of the earth, along with something else in her grasp.

It had a humanoid shape, but it didn't look or feel human. Its skin was covered by the colour of parched white bark and its face contorted under Sumie's clutch. Before she could say anything, the creature rolled its eyes at her ominously.

Sumie had a bad feeling when the humanoid creature flinched its limbs. In front of her eyes, ash-white branches sprouted from its limbs and flew towards her in all different directions. Sumie pushed her foot into the ground and the earth rose as a shield just in time, swallowing the branches that didn't break upon the impact.

At the same time, a series of kunai and shuriken took care of the stray branches that curved around her. As a reflex, Sumie tightened her hand on the creature's neck and strengthened her hold using Natural Energy.

It was meant as a prison, but to her shock, the white creature expanded uncontrollably. Its body started to lengthen and harden until the texture resembled actual wood. Layers and layers of greeneries started to sprout from all over the surface. Sumie didn't need to ask the earth to pull the intruder down, because it was already digging into the soil like actual tree roots.

Sumie had no choice but to let go of her hand. Still, the transformation was irreversible. In the span of a few seconds, the white humanoid creature was replaced by a large tree that rooted itself deep into the ground. The ash-white shade of the barks painted an eerie image amidst the silent forest.

Silent, because Sumie no longer faced any resistance. Silent, because Nature stopped whispering to her.

"What the hell was that? I didn't sense its signature until it started attacking!" Jiraiya was stunned, even more so after he examined the transformed tree cautiously.

"Konoha would have to examine this … abnormal vegetation more carefully, but right now, it just feels like a tree," Minato concluded. He waited for Sumie to offer any input from the perspective of Natural Energy. She didn't object, making her silence an agreement.

The sensation she had felt when Natural Energy washed over the creature was a strange one. It was as if the creature was reconstructed under the touch of Nature. Rather than a transformation, it felt more like … catalysis, one that pushed the process toward its rightful state.

Regardless, Sumie raised her eyes from the tree to a direction that stretched into the dense canopy. "It was escaping towards the West. That's where I'm heading next."

-o-o-o-

"Okay, I can sense your arrival so there's no jumpscare, but you've got to stop doing that." Minato let out a sigh at the face hanging down from his window, staring at him with a single uncovered eye. "My door is always open to you. Not sure how I feel about the window."

Of course, Kakashi just continued to stare at him with no remorse, until Minato took a step back and opened the window for him to sneak in.

"Oh, Kakashi-kun, have you eaten yet? Minato made braised beef today," Kushina yelled from the other side of the living room.

"Not yet, but …" Kakashi answered and before he could even finish the sentence, Kushina was already heating the stove. She always felt like she wasn't feeding the kids enough.

Still, Minato heard the hesitation in the boy's voice and it had nothing to do with the food. When he entered the house, he was already struggling to speak up about the reason that made him climb Minato's window in the evening.

But it was okay. Today, he had time to wait.

Minato filled a bowl of braised beef along with a serving of miso soup. He handed the late dinner to Kakashi and watched him devour the food with big bites.

"Slow down. We have more, you know," Minato said with a laugh, just before Kakashi fished out the last piece of carrot and stuffed it down his mouth. Quietly, Kakashi put the chopsticks down. He was finally ready to move on to his objective.

"Sensei," Kakashi started and like all the times he thought he was bringing trouble and disappointment to Minato, he lowered his eyes and hoped that it would be hidden under his hitai-ate. "The white thing that infiltrated the village today, I've seen the attacks before. The same withered branches, with the same ash-white colouring."

"Was it … no, it was the unaccounted enemy that you faced during the hunt for Kiri-nin." Minato changed the question halfway because he was certain of the answer.

Kakashi's report was full of unclear details and gaps in knowledge. It was understandable given the injuries he had sustained and the suddenness of the situation. It didn't help that he was the only one that came out alive after facing the unknown enemy.

Now, with what Minato had just witnessed in the forest, Kakashi's vague descriptions about the enemy's ability finally came alive and took shape.

"That's not all, Sensei. There was something that I've been speculating about, but I have no reason or evidence to support that theory." That's why, I don't know how to tell anyone about it. Kakashi cut his sentence short, swallowing the excuses and leaving only the facts.

"When I fought the unknown attacker, I felt the gaze of another sharingan. Not just any sharingan, but one that made my sharingan feel a sense of familiarity." Suddenly, Minato understood why Kakashi said that he had no reason to support the theory.

The boy sounded pained when he admitted, "Maybe there was a chance that Obito survived the fall of Kannabi Bridge. Maybe it was him that I saw that day on the supply route."

Just like Kakashi, Minato wished that Obito's death was merely a mistake. It would be a miracle that he was still alive. However, its nature changed when said the revival was accompanied by the acts of murder committed by his hand, testifiable by a witness.

"Have you told anyone else of your speculation?" Minato asked, but the answer was quite obvious.

"No," Kakashi answered. "I didn't want to. I know how Konoha works. I didn't want Obito to be labelled a missing-nin to be hunted when it's based on unreliable speculations."

If Minato was being honest, those words were bordering on insubordination and clearly against the inflexible teachings given to Konoha's shinobi. But Minato had long realized that Kakashi always got that rebellious bone in him. Obito's death merely broke the last piece of the cast that the boy placed himself in.

"Not even Rin?" Minato asked again.

"Not yet," Kakashi answered with a pause. "But she deserves to hear it, even if it would break her heart. Especially given what I'm about to request."

"I'm not going to like it, am I?" Minato muttered and Kakashi gave him a tiny nod. "Alright, let's hear it. What are you going to do with this information that you've kept from the village?"

"Let me investigate it first, Minato-sensei, before Konoha declared him a missing-nin and prioritize elimination over asking questions," Kakashi said. The clarity of his plea showed that it was practiced many times over. "And if that person was indeed a danger to Konoha, I will dedicate my life to eliminate them, no matter who they are."

Must you always be like this? Minato couldn't help but feel a little sad at how easily Kakashi bartered with his life - not as an inherent risk of being a shinobi, but as a punishment associated with having human emotions and biases.

"Other than the fact that you sensed Obito's sharingan, what makes you think there is more to the story than what's shown on the surface? What makes you believe that it's not just someone who pillaged his remaining eye?" Minato needed to know that he wouldn't be letting his student gamble his life - both literally and his future in Konoha - on a bet where everything was against him.

"There was a moment where they could have killed me with a stab through the heart. I would have died right there and it would take less than a second. Yet, they bashed me in the chest and threw me into the distance," Kakashi said, somehow sounding calmer than before.

He placed a hand on his chest, where layers of bandages were hidden by the fabric. "I broke three ribs, but I kept my life."

The logic wasn't the best, but it was enough to offer a sliver of hope for them to pursue. Furthermore, given what happened earlier today, Minato figured that there was something else that solidified Kakashi's idea.

"You plan to follow Sumie-san while she pursues 'anomalies' like that white creature." With that, Kakashi knew that he had gotten Minato's support. Sumie sensed that creature when none of them did. So if it was related to their mysterious attacker, then her pursuit might offer them a lead.

Kakashi nodded. "I can follow her without her knowing." It was nothing against Kakashi's ability, but Minato was a little skeptical of how viable that would be.

"Or you can ask for her help in providing a direction," Minato suggested instead and now it was Kakashi who was skeptical, knowing that Sumie didn't want to be involved in shinobi affairs anymore.

Still, Minato thought that there were leeways. "Let's think about our options. Sumie-san plans to stay until the inauguration and you're not going anywhere until your injury is fully healed." Only after the inauguration, would Minato be able to issue an order to Kakashi using the Hokage's authority, thereby shifting the responsibility to himself.

Kakashi pressed his lips together when he nodded. A 'thank you' seemed unnecessary and distant in this circumstance. So, Minato smiled and asked, "Do you want more braised beef? I definitely cooked too much."

A few minutes later, two more bowls of food were placed on the table.

"Sensei, you only cook braised beef when it's a special occasion," Kakashi said all of a sudden while Minato was chewing the brisket. It was true. Cooking braised beef was tedious and time-consuming. The meat needed to be marinated for three hours and then braised on low heat for three more.

"Ah, Kushina said that she wanted to eat braised beef," Minato answered, his gaze moving towards the direction where Kushina had retreated to at the beginning of their conversation. She must have sensed Kakashi's unease and figured that the simpler the setting the easier it was for the boy to let everything out.

That kind-hearted perception was just one of many things that he loved about her. So, it was with great joy and pride that he declared, "I'm going to be a father soon."

Clack. Kakashi's mouth hung open and one of his chopsticks fell on the table. The chair leg screeched when the boy shot up from his seat. "Con—congratulations!" It was only after Kakashi shouted the words that he realized he was overreacting. Embarrassment crept up on the boy's ears as he sat down and pulled the chair back.

Minato burst into laughter. "In around six months, you're going to be an older brother, Kakashi." He reached over and ruffled Kakashi's hair. "So remember to come back and see him for yourself, okay?"

After Kakashi left, Minato started cleaning up the kitchen just as Kushina returned. She wrapped her arms over Minato's shoulders and commented, "You're thinking about a lot more things than you told Kakashi-kun."

"Of course," Minato admitted with ease. While he agreed to Kakashi's proposal, there were a lot more things on his mind. Some were about how to rationalize Kakashi's secret mission so that Elder Shimura couldn't easily exploit it. After all, Rin's treatment, Kakashi's wish, and perhaps even Obito's fate relied on Minato being their support.

Moreover, there's also … "Should I expect Rin to be less stubborn after she hears about Kakashi's plan?" Minato asked and he could hear Kushina's laughter as she shook her head.

"Don't be stupid. Also, I wouldn't want her to be," Kushina said. They would pick up Rin from the hospital tomorrow after a few days of recovery and observation. "She was using chakra today. That's a good sign."

Indeed it was. After Rin had first woken up as a Jinchuuriki, Minato had noticed her reluctance to use chakra, even with the seal securing her control over Three-Tail. He worried that her trauma would worsen after what happened, but surprisingly, it seemed to be the opposite.

"You're right. Their stubbornness makes me feel hopeful." Minato agreed. He turned around to face Kushina and said, "In five days, I will be the Hokage. On that day, I'm going to make some controversial decisions."

"But I hope they won't stay controversial forever." Gently, Minato placed a hand over Kushina's belly, where a new life was created amid war but hopefully would flourish in the era of peace. A new era where people might accept that a shinobi had more than one way to be loyal, brave, and worthy; where there was more than one way for a shinobi to live than following the rules written by someone else.

Kushina placed her hand on top of his, as if catching both her husband and her child in an embrace. She whispered, "Wish us good luck, little Naruto."

-o-o-o-

Sumie left Konoha on the afternoon of the inauguration.

She stayed in the morning, watching the inauguration of the Yondaime Hokage from the edge of the village square. The cheering of the crowd carried a revitalizing but heavy emotion, spreading like wildfire under the searing sun. It was called faith.

Being a leader in a warring state was much more difficult than in a peaceful time. But what was harder than that was probably to be leading right after a turmoil. Best of luck to Namikaze Minato.

Sumie pulled back the reins and forced the galloping horse to slow down to a trot. The horse let out a strained neigh as its hooves hit the rocky ground. Gently, Sumie patted the horse on the neck and muttered, "Sorry, I'll return you to things that you're more familiar with."

Sumie rode out of the village on the same horse that she rode in with. However, it was clear that this horse was not used to galloping, having been trained to have steady but slow footings for towing the fields and carrying cargo. She'd have to sell it to someone more suitable and buy another horse trained for riding.

Just a few more steps and the full view of the town - a small one close to Konoha - occupied her entire view. Sumie stopped the horse and jumped down in one smooth motion. There were already some people at the gate who turned their attention to her, no doubt, forming an impression of who she was, where she was from, and what she wanted.

Fortunately, a shinobi would not be the first thing that they think of, thanks to the fact that shinobi saw horses as an inferior form of transportation.

It wasn't difficult to find someone needing a horse to carry additional cargo because the wind had sought it out for her. The merchant was complaining about how the horses here were so expensive. After all, he didn't need them to be able to travel fast or gallop for hours, as long as they could pull things on a path.

Therefore, he was pleasantly surprised and rightfully suspicious when Sumie found him and proposed the sale. Sumie didn't haggle much, which might be a mistake on her part because all it did was make the merchant warier of fraud.

Sumie waited patiently until the merchant had examined every last detail that he could think of and determined that the horse was in good health. Finally, the deal was finished when the man placed a bag of money in her hand and led the horse away.

Two seconds had passed since the merchant turned the corner, and not a soul could be seen in the quiet alleyway.

Some distance away, the boy with a mask tightened his eyebrows in a frown, only to be startled by a voice that came from behind. "Are you looking for me?"

Kakashi turned around sharply, only to find Sumie sitting on the eaves of the roof, hidden in the shadow, away from the sun. For a brief second, the boy looked thrown off as he scrunched his nose behind the mask.

"Ah yes, your exceptional sense of smell, but you'll need air to carry the scent. Too bad nature is not on your side," Sumie said, explaining to Kakashi why her scent trail no longer registered on his radar. "Aren't you underestimating me too much, thinking that you can follow me unnoticed like that?"

"Well, I tried," Kakashi said with a shrug. Sumie's curiosity was piqued when the boy pulled out a seal with a flip of his wrist. The boy bent his fingers into a hand seal and immediately, the paper started to burn.

Ah, that must be the signal, Sumie realized belatedly when a group of people teleported to Kakashi's side. All familiar faces as well. "Whoa, we have a whole party here," she commented as she ran her eyes through Minato, Jiraiya, and most surprisingly, Rin.

"Forgive us, Sumie-san. I have a favour to ask," Minato said while giving her an apologetic look. "Quite a big one, actually."

Sumie thought that Minato was supposed to be doing whatever the newly inaugurated Kage was supposed to do, which probably wouldn't involve this. But she supposed that having the ability to teleport gave a lot of leeways.

Sumie didn't sense any signs of nervousness or guilt associated with betrayals, nor did she feel their intention to resort to violence. So, she replied as she jumped down from the eaves, "Let's hear it, then, your request."

"Sumie-san, the kind of creatures that you're tracking might hold the clue to an enemy of Konoha." Minato paused a little as he looked at Kakashi and Rin. "It might also be the only clue to the fate of a boy that's important to us."

"If you're going to search for anything related to that creature - anything at all - let me follow you." This time, it was Kakashi that rushed the sentence out of his mouth. Belatedly, he added, "Please."

"Just you?" Sumie asked before answering. Her eyes landed on the young girl named Rin, whom she didn't meet after the incident to avoid any forms of suspicion. Sumie didn't know a lot about Jinchuuriki, but enough to know they were too important for shinobi villages to let go of, in more than one way.

"You can say that it's a plan to conceal Rin's location from threats both outside of the village and inside. The official statement is that she would be kept in the secret facilities established by Konoha Anbu, moving between different locations as necessary," Minato explained and Sumie immediately saw the ingenuity of that setup. It would not only allow flexible explanations for Rin's disappearance but also smoke out the enemy spies that weren't careful with their snooping.

"Please, Sumie-san. I want to know about the fate of our friend as much as Kakashi," Rin pleaded as she took a step forward to stand beside her teammate. "I can't stand not being able to do anything, not again."

If Rin was coming, then Jiraiya would also tag along for her safety and most likely act as the emergency teleportation into the Sage realm. As expected, the white-haired man gave her a shameless wave when she looked at him to confirm her speculation.

" … This is deviating really far from what I had in mind." Truly, Sumie had no other words for how the situation had come to this.

"No, but it'll be better," Jiraiya chimed in, with confidence from god knows where.

"I can't guarantee anything. For example, I haven't felt another suspicious presence since that day," Sumie warned in one last effort, but Minato merely shook his head.

"You have more leads than the entirety of Konoha. All we're looking for is a chance, that's all," Minato said. He placed his hands on his students' backs and gently pushed them forward. "I owe you a debt for this, Sumie-san. As you've said before, I'm willing to repay the favour as long as it's not against my belief."

There was no explicit agreement from Sumie, but it was clear that she accepted the request when she didn't walk away. There was also no grand farewell between the teacher and the students before the Hokage returned to his village, so Sumie knew that they already had plenty of time to set the plan in motion.

Perhaps Sumie should be angrier at being kept in the dark until it was sprung on her. But from the moment that she realized that she wasn't opposed to the troublesome request, her time in that shinobi village hidden in leaves was no longer a fleeting pastime.

This was what happened when one lingered for too long.

"Don't mind me, I have to go buy a horse, just as I planned to do before I got interrupted by a drastic change of plan." Sumie waved her hand as she started walking towards the stable.

"Why do you even need a horse when you can travel much faster?" Kakashi asked. Sumie thought that this was a good time to set some ground rules straight.

"Look, you're relying on me for direction, so we're doing this my way, including travelling like civilians," Sumie said, watching Kakashi swallow his protest for the sake of not pissing off their guiding compass. Somehow, Sumie felt a lot more satisfied, so much so that she teased, "You should learn horse riding. Because we'll be doing a lot of that in the foreseeable future."

Before Sumie even finished that sentence, the boy disappeared from the alleyway in a flicker of shadow, choosing to hide his head in the sand when fighting back was no longer an option. Jiraiya's chuckles sounded in the background while Rin fumbled with words, trying to cover for Kakashi's attitude for fear that Sumie would throw them back to their teacher.

Really, Sumie wouldn't do that. Not yet, anyway.

A/N: Yeah, 10 chapters guys! We're opening new maps (Obito retrieval mission? lol), but not everything from the old map is resolved, so don't worry, they'll come up again. The first part of this chapter is from Sumie's past, and I hope it's easy to figure out which dragon is which, and yes, we've also been introduced to the other one.

The title, 入世, means a descent into the earthly/mortal realm.