CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Duuude... you shouldn't forget I'm only human.
Apathetic Silence: Well you told me you were almost done, so I told you to finish it soon.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: If I catch a cold, I'm blaming you.
Apathetic Silence: Yeah, yeah. You won't. Just sleep it off.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Feh...
Not even the cold air or the harsh ice could hide the scent of blood.
But to not know whose blood it was made it much more terrifying.
One could not exactly tell if it was a human who was killed or devoured, for there was no carcass or skeleton to verify the assumption.
Not all monsters that dwell in Midgard have blood, not to mention that there wasn't a single trace of struggle.
Trudging through the deep snow, an armor-clad Knight hiked up to their Chief. He stabbed his spear on the snowy ground and looked up at the back of the taller and bulkier man.
"Sir, what do we do?"
The Paladin who led the team of Knights up in the mountains glanced at the younger adventurer.
"The others have searched the perimeter, but there's no sign of what or who did this."
It took a few seconds to pass before he replied to the Knight.
"We need to warn the townspeople of Xmas Land." He murmured with furrowed brows and eyes staring at the browning bloodstain. "Also, send a messenger to travel to Prontera and inform the King."
"Understood." The Knight went back to the rest and told them of their Chief's orders.
As the Paladin listened to the cries of Peco-Pecos, and how their talons kept them from submerging beneath the thick snow, he traced the large scar on his face and grimaced at the memories of the harsh battle he and other adventurers have had against Satan Morroc.
"Surely, this isn't another summoning of a demon." He closed his eyes and knelt down on one knee before the spilt blood. "My dear God, please, send your angels to protect us, send the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us strength."
Close Proximity
"Baphomet's Curse"
Blessings bring Joy while Curses bring Sorrow
Like any other spells, there will always be a way to counter.
He twitched as three sets of puppy dog eyes pleaded him non-stop.
"No." he said yet again.
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please..?"
He just kept his mouth shut and glared at the three First Jobs who sighed in defeat.
"Come on! You tanked us last time!"
"Hn." He closed his eyes and chose to block out Kishiro (now a Thief) and the Takezawa twins' (Seika being an Acolyte and Seiko now an Archer) voices.
Normally, the younger twin, Seiko, would be quiet and obedient, but this time, he was very persuasive.
Kishiro shouldn't have told him what had happened when those three Ninjas attacked.
"Sasuke!"
He nearly jumped from Naruto's loud voice.
"Ch. Dead last." He grunted and pressed the communicator that was against his ear. "What?"
"We're needed by the old geezer!"
"Hn. On my way." He looked back at the children. "I need to go; you three better not cause trouble."
"Who do you think I am? Konohamaru?"
"Hn." He tossed Kishiro an apple to pacify the kid, as well as two more to the twins. "Don't even attempt to play Thief again." And he jumped towards a rooftop and hopped to another, repeating the process until he reached Prontera castle.
As always, since he wasn't part of the Acolyte or Swordsman class, the two guards needed to check the items he had with him, as well as made him discard his weapons.
He followed wordlessly and kept the Jurs in his backpack, afterwards walked inside while taking long strides towards the throne room.
He expected to see the other members of Siege Breakers, but as soon as he was getting closer to his destination, he sensed only a few people present, and he wondered why.
"Sorry to call you back once more."
"It's fine." He answered the King who stood up as soon as he set foot into the room.
Sasuke's eyes scanned the area, seeing Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata present.
"Well then," Sarutobi cleared his throat once again, ridding the itch that was irritating him. "I just received word from Xmas Land." He gave a solemn look. "And… it's tragic news."
"Why?" Hinata asked in a soft voice.
"There have been a number of deaths occurring in the cold mountains, yet the Paladin in-charge for the town's security can't confirm if the victims were humans or smaller monsters." He rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Maybe pets of the townspeople…"
"Wait, isn't there any evidence?" Naruto asked with furrowed brows. "And who could be responsible for such an act?"
"There have been sightings of the monster, a creature so large and deadly, horrifying…" he mumbled. "From what the witnesses have claimed, the Paladin assumed it to be a Baphomet."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "That can't be."
The others turned their attention to him when he spoke.
"Baphomets don't appear in cold areas, they can't survive the climate."
"Yes, and surprisingly, this one did, and I doubt it's an ordinary Baphomet." Sarutobi gave a silent sigh. "Those creatures may attack humans, even kill any living being, but Baphomets don't feed on them, right?"
"As far as I know," Sasuke lowered his head in thought. "Baphomets feed on animal meat, more known as Pet Food to pet owners." He crossed his arms and turned back to the King. "Did Orochimaru say anything about this?"
"I asked, but even he's stumped, why else do you think I told Naruto to contact you?"
"An Assassin that can rival the intelligence of a Professor or Biochemist…" Naruto muttered under his breath. "Geez, you ought to be a Hybrid, teme."
Sasuke ignored Naruto's comment. "So you want us to investigate, correct?"
"As what Naruto said, you are as smart as the Professors and Biochemists." Sarutobi smiled slightly. "What do you think of the people Naruto has gathered?"
Sasuke looked at the Crusader, Monk, and Priestess.
"Risky but effective." He said. "Naruto can play as both offense and defense, whereas Hinata plays offense and Sakura is on defense, but…"
"But what..?" Naruto asked, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Hn. We're dealing with a demon type of monster here, so I don't really understand why you called for me."
"Eh? But-"
"Sakura and Hinata have a better advantage of taking down the monster, and Naruto can tank them until it is dead; I won't be doing much damage to that thing."
"Yeah but…" he frowned. "Come on teme, it's no fun without you! Besides, we'd be much more at ease having you around!" he grinned, and Sakura slapped her forehead at that. "Erm… what I mean is… no, we're not that dependent on you and… well… uh…"
Sarutobi chuckled. "Sasuke, really, you forget how much Naruto secretly wants to be like you."
Sasuke smirked. "Does he?"
"Ahhh shut up teme!" Naruto fumed. "It's not true alright? I just happen to want your opinion! But who cares? Not me!"
"Hn." He glanced at Sarutobi. "And what does your highness think of this arrangement?"
"To put it bluntly," he eyed the three. "They'll have a higher chance of survival if you tag along, because from what I've been told, you are ahead of them in terms of experience, skill, and level."
"You're not a very good liar, sir."
Sarutobi just smiled. "I'd rather not be too blunt."
"Huh..? What?" Naruto blinked. "Come on 'ya old man! Tell us your honest opinion already!"
"Very well." He coughed once more and gave them a serious look. "Naruto, you're brave but reckless. Hinata, you're strong, but too shy and hesitant to test it out. Sakura, you're smart but helpless on your own."
"And teme?" Naruto grumbled, teeth gritting.
"I would have said he needs to rely more on teammates or support, but Kishiro has already taught him that two days ago, correct?"
"Hn."
Hinata nodded, accepting what the King said while Naruto complained about his. As for Sakura, she just chose to remain quiet and lower her head.
"I'm helpless, huh?" she sighed. "Even against a Phreeoni, I had to rely on Naruto and Sasuke to save me, not to mention back then… I always stood by and watched them get rid of the monsters…"
"Also, there is one weakness all of you share that can become your strength." He gave a mischievous smile. "However, I will not tell you what it is. You must find out on your own."
"Hmph." He kicked a pebble on the way. "He thinks he's sooooooo wise with his lectures and stuff and… bah!"
"Naruto, give it a rest."
"Easy for you to say, teme! He didn't say anything bad about you!"
"Hn. He would have if I hadn't gone with Kishiro and the others."
"Why are you always ahead of me anyway? For once I'd actually like to catch up to you, you know?"
"Whatever." He stopped walking once they reached the Kafra of Prontera, who greeted them all kindly and asked what they needed.
"Just him, we're good." Naruto said while pointing at Sasuke, afterwards, went to talk to Hinata and Sakura, the former nodding once in a while whereas the latter just kept quiet.
As soon as Sasuke was done with his equipments and the necessary items for the trip, he turned back to his guildmates.
"Here." He tossed them each two Elite Siege Boxes, an item which contained fifty white potions and thirty blue potions per box, all contained in small test tubes.
White potions were to restore health or heal wounds, whilst blue potions were for mana regeneration: something crucial for adventurers who rely on their skills more, and apparently, Sasuke is with three people who specialize in magic attacks than physical ones.
"Um… where did you get these?" Hinata asked. "I remember these were only given to those who won some sort of contest…"
"Hn." He took another item out of his bag. "You mean the Valentine's Day contest last year."
"Right, that one." The Monk nodded, and then stopped upon realizing something. "Oh… okay."
Sakura turned a bit red at that yet still remained quiet, whereas Naruto just gaped.
"But… but…" he pointed at Sasuke. "Only five guys are able to receive these boxes!"
"Hn. Twenty boxes of them to be specific."
"Then… you were part of the top five guys!"
"Hn. Top one."
"What?" Naruto cried out. "You? Top one? ONE?"
"Can you be any louder?" he handed them each a Fox Mask. "Anyway, I bet Naruto didn't tell anyone about this."
Naruto took the mask and cursed. "I forgot about this."
"What's with the masks?" Sakura asked, letting hers hang from the side of her head.
"Only a handful knows who the members of SB are, especially since Sarutobi-sama gave us a special mission." He looked at Naruto. "Which, again, you forgot to mention."
"Alright already!" He grumbled. "I'll contact the others about it…" he tapped his communicator and pressed the first button so that the message he'll be saying will be heard by guild members only.
"Guys, I keep forgetting to tell you what SB's main goal – or rather, secret mission is." He waited for a few responses from some members before continuing. "We'll be acting as vigilantes from now on, but before we spring into action, we need to wear Fox Masks. If you have one, then bring it with you wherever you go, and keep in mind to wear it each time you plan on saving someone. Also, I've heard rumors about a few Swordsmen classes throwing their weight around on bystanders, kids, the elderly, and novices, including the first jobs."
"I didn't know about that." Hinata said softly.
"Since Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke and I will be out on a mission in Xmas Land, I'll leave everything to you guys, alright?"
"One question," Kiba spoke from the communicator. "What if we don't have Fox Masks?"
"Look for Nika, Kosui, or Yoriko." Sasuke answered for Naruto. "They'll provide you with them while I'm gone."
"Exactly how many of those things do you have?" Naruto asked, bewildered.
"Excluding ours, twenty-five."
"Why?"
"Hn. Guild provides it in case they break."
"And you're giving it away for free..?"
He smirked. "Says who?" he then extended out his hand to Naruto.
"…How much?" he asked begrudgingly.
"Five hundred thousand."
"W-What?"
Sasuke raised a brow. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to gather 999 ninetails? The monster itself doesn't appear often."
"I thought you said they were from your Assassin guild?"
"They are and I come from that guild. So obviously, we do the quest."
"This is too costly." He paid the right amount, muttering how he's left with only twenty thousand.
"Hn. If you buy that elsewhere, it would cost you almost a million."
Hinata wordlessly handed her payment, but Sasuke shook his head.
"Neji paid for yours."
"I'd have to pay him back then."
"No need to, it was from your father."
Hinata just sighed and gave a small smile, saying how her father will never change.
Sakura tugged on Sasuke's scarf lightly yet kept her head lowered.
"Um… yeah, can I… pay you the rest some other time? I only have fifteen thousand right now."
She didn't expect to receive a pat on the head from him.
"You don't have to worry about it."
Naruto's ears twitched. "TEMEEE! WHY DOES SAKURA GET HERS FOR FREE?"
"We better get going."
"TEME DON'T IGNORE ME!"
"Sir!"
The Paladin immediately tugged onto the reigns of his Grand Peco-Peco and glanced at the Knight who was fast approaching him while riding the same creature yet of lower breed.
"What is it?"
"Another sighting has been reported, and with it, another victim!"
His brows narrowed but his eyes widened.
"Up until now, witnesses can't tell if the victim was a human or another animal!"
"Take me to the site, right this instant!"
"Yes sir!"
The Knight led the Paladin towards the exit of the village, passing by people who all turned their attention towards him, already knowing what has happened yet again.
They arrived further up the mountains, and trails of blood soon came into sight, as well as hoof prints.
"So it really is true…" a trail of sweat trickled down his cheek. "It has risen from its slumber."
"There!"
He looked up at where the Knight pointed, and they were surprised to see the three Knights that were assigned to keep watch no longer there, yet their swords and spears lay on the snowy ground. Feathers of Peco-Pecos were scattered and even torn capes and wrecked armors were lying motionless on the surface of snow.
"Good Lord…" The Paladin uttered, both he and the Knight unfeeling towards the cold climate, for they were overwhelmed with sorrow for the lost of their comrades.
"Sir… what do we do?"
"We…" He steadied himself and narrowed his eyes at the trail before them. "We find that cursed monster and end its life, once and for all."
"But sir, you and I both know we don't stand a chance against it on our own."
"It won't matter," he drew out his sword. "I refuse to wait for it to feast on its next victim." He kicked the sides of the large bird he rode, and the creature cried out first before running towards the path it was led to go to, the Knight wordlessly following behind on his own Peco-Peco.
The expression on his face did not change as they continued hiking up the mountain.
Since he wasn't familiar with the route towards Xmas Land, he had no choice but to follow his friends instead. Problem is, the girls didn't know how to get there except via teleportation, and apparently, Sakura still has no stock of Blue gems. And even if she did, she only had warp points in Prontera, Morroc, Amatsu, and Geffen. As for Sasuke, the only path he knows is through the mountains, which, for Naruto, is kind of hard to believe, since people can get lost when trekking.
"Are we there yet..?"
"No."
He frowned at the negative response from the Assassin.
"I should have brought my Peco-Peco."
"It'll only have a hard time traveling."
"And how do you know that?"
"Because it hails from Prontera and is not used to this terrain." He glanced at Naruto. "Any more questions?"
"Don't be such a grouch."
"Hn. You're distracting me." He stopped for a while and eyed the area, aware of how both Sakura and Hinata were shivering from the cold. "Sakura is prone to cold temperatures, whereas Hinata hasn't been here more than once, so she has yet to adapt to it." He glanced at Naruto who seemed pretty warm underneath the thick and heavy armor. "No problem with the dobe, and as for me…" he watched how his breath formed a white cloud due to how cold it was, and he grunted. "It doesn't bother me much, provided I keep moving." He closed his eyes and sighed before turning to the three. "Judging from how it's getting darker, we'll arrive at Xmas Land by dawn." He stopped to look at the sky. "But only if we keep moving."
"What do you propose then?" Hinata asked while rubbing her arms like what Sakura was doing.
"Until we find a cave, we can't rest." He untied the knot of his scarf while Naruto removed his cape and had it wrap around Hinata's form. "So for now," he approached Sakura and wrapped the material around her neck. "We keep moving."
"Thanks Naruto." Hinata murmured to the blonde who just grinned.
"W-What about you?" Sakura asked once Sasuke was done securing the scarf around her neck.
"I'll be fine." He knelt to the ground on one knee and set his backpack down. "In the meantime, we'll need eyes for an upcoming snowstorm – Xmas Land is famous for blizzards at night."
Naruto blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened when Sasuke took a small Incubator out of his bag. "You have a pet?"
"I get bored when I'm not on a mission." He answered, and then took out an egg. "I guess this will have to do."
"What do you mean this will have to do? Exactly how many pets do you have?"
Sasuke didn't answer for a while, since he seemed to think about the answer to the Crusader's question.
"An Anacondaq from a Gunslinger friend, not Suigetsu." He said, seeing Sakura's questioning gaze. "A Sohee from Tazuna-san, a Baby Desert Wolf from Kakashi, and I caught the remaining two."
"Why the heck did you capture two more if you already have three?"
Sasuke smirked at Naruto. "Would you pass up the chance to try and catch a Baphomet Junior and a Baby Garm?"
"HOW THE HECK DID YOU CATCH THOSE?"
"It wasn't easy." He placed the egg in the incubator and waited a few seconds for the shell to crack.
As soon as the egg hatched, out came a Baby Garm, a wolf-like creature made of ice, with a Garm as an MVP boss monster, whereas the baby was an aggressive one.
The pup-like monster didn't have a tail, though it had a pacifier in its mouth and a bib around its neck. It looked up at its new owner and immediately announced in a tiny voice that it was hungry.
"It talked!" Naruto yelped.
"Monsters can talk once they've been tamed." Hinata reminded the Crusader. "Though their words are limited, they are able to communicate with their owners, or masters as they'd call them, properly."
Sasuke took out some Pet Food and hand fed the monster until it gave a satisfied bark.
"It's so cute..!" Sakura immediately knelt down next to it and picked it up. "Eep!"
"It's made of ice, Sakura, of course it'll be cold."
"Thanks for the warning…" Sakura mumbled to the Assassin while rubbing her hands together.
"Hn." He stroked the Baby Garm's head for a few seconds before getting up. "Anyway, you're going to need gloves if you want to carry him, much less pet him." He motioned at his gloved hands, except they were a fingerless type.
"Right." She looked down at the baby monster as it stood on all fours and waited for what it would be told to do.
"I need you to keep an eye out for us if a blizzard hits, alright?"
"Yes master." It barked, before following Sasuke who started to lead the way once more.
It took almost an hour for them to reach the very top of the mountains thanks to Sasuke's pet telling them where to go.
The Baby Garm was used to cold terrains that even if they didn't hail from Xmas Land they can find their way around.
"You mean to tell me we would have been lost if this guy didn't lead the way?"
"Relax idiot." Sasuke muttered while rewarding his pet with some more food. "He only led us to a shorter route; it's much more convenient that way, don't you think?"
"Yeah right teme."
"Let me at him! Can I bite him master?"
Naruto twitched at the Baby Garm. "Why you little-"
"Don't make me say yes, dobe."
"Hmph."
"If it's the first time you got him out of its egg, why does it seem loyal too soon?" Sakura asked while smiling at the Baby Garm that jumped onto the Assassin's shoulder before climbing atop his head, its front paws and head using his hair as a pillow, while its hind legs steadied its body on his shoulders.
"I have a way with animals." He smirked and stood up. "Why else do you think I get along with you?"
She clenched her fists yet kept her smile. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Sasuke."
"Baphomet."
"Why you-" he instantly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Seriously." he said with narrowed eyes directed below the mountains.
She looked at where his gaze was directed at, and soon followed his lead in crouching down to the ground upon seeing the large monster.
"Master…"
"Sshhh." He told his pet. "It's alright, we're not in his range of hearing or sight."
"What about smell?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"The direction of the wind is towards us, so we're safe – unless we have the scent of blood on us."
"Phew."
Naruto and Hinata turned to where the two were looking at and also crouched down.
"What do we do teme?"
"We can't attack, that's for sure, but we have the element of surprise on our side if we time our move properly."
"What you just said is contradicting."
"I mean we can't charge." He clarified. "But if we have to, then we have an advantage, but we'll need to be careful."
"Oh…"
"You really are an idiot."
"Sakura..!"
"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed at the blonde Crusader. "We need to tone down or it might hear us."
"But you just said-"
"Normal level of voices won't get to it, but try screaming and you'll have that thing attack us."
"Okay… so what do we do?"
"You stay here with Sakura."
"Huh? Why?"
"I need you to cast Devotion on us, this way, if Baphomet does attack, Sakura can easily heal you while Hinata and I try to knock it out, or at least weaken it for easier investigation."
"Alright, but the moment Devotion wears off, I'm coming right in."
"You'll need to."
"And what about me?"
Sasuke took a clip out of his bag and handed it to Sakura. "It's a Clip of Cloaking, you can use the Cloaking skill when you equip it." He gave her a serious look. "You need to be fast in supporting us, at the same time, activating the Cloaking skill to hide from the Baphomet's sight."
"O-Okay…"
"And stay as far away from it as possible."
"And me, master?"
"Sorry." He picked him up and lowered him to the ground. "You need to stay here."
"But master! I want to fight!"
"You're still too young for this, so you need to be at a safer distance."
"…Alright."
As the four of them prepared themselves and reviewed the plan, the Baby Garm's nose quivered a bit, and it barked to call its master's attention.
"What is it?"
"Two people are in danger!"
The creature swung its scythe at the Knight and Paladin, both adventurers managing to dodge the fatal attack.
"Sir! We can't defeat this thing!"
"We have to try!"
The Baphomet roared and stomped the ground, causing the two to fall on their backs and look up as the monster prepared to bring down its scythe.
"EXTREMITY FIST!"
A Monk punched the ground to deliver the powerful attack, and it caused the Baphomet to stagger backwards a bit.
"Come on, hurry!" The two men got back on their own two feet with a Priestess' assistance as she led them away from the battleground.
"Sakura!"
She turned to the blonde Crusader who called her name and immediately performed Heal on him to keep him alive.
"Get them away from here." An Assassin said as a Baby Garm jumped off of his shoulder and turned to the two wounded men.
"Follow me, quick!"
The two were assured by the Priestess that it was alright, so they tailed the wolf-like creature, the Priestess right behind them.
"Who are you?" the Paladin asked as they continued running.
"We're from Prontera, the King sent us to hunt down the Baphomet that has been responsible for the casualties."
The Knight was stunned. "Transcendent jobs are already having difficulty battling a Baphomet, how can a party of second jobs be able to win over it?"
"I'm sorry for my subordinate's rudeness, but I have to agree with him." The Paladin said. "I'm a transcendent job, and from what you've seen earlier, I couldn't even do much damage."
Sakura gave a smile to them. "Our Crusader's too stubborn to die, don't worry. Our Monk is from a well-known clan of the same class and Champions, the Hyuuga clan, and our Assassin is getting close to reaching the requirement to be a transcendent class."
"Hyuuga clan…" The Paladin echoed. "And you?"
"Well… I'm just about the best Full Support Priest in Prontera."
The Baby Garm stopped running and turned to the three adventurers.
"Great job." Sakura commented while kneeling to the ground and feeding him another piece of meat.
It yapped happily and soon ate the reward it received.
"How did you manage to capture that?" the Knight asked in bewilderment.
"Oh, he's not mine." Sakura said. "He belongs to our Assassin."
The Baby Garm finished its food and raised its head to the direction where they came from.
"Master!" It then ran towards a group of three adventurers who were walking to their direction.
"I don't believe it…" The Paladin murmured.
Sakura quickly stood up and checked their status.
Hinata seemed fine, whereas Naruto got a few scratches and bruises while Sasuke sported a cut on his left arm and right cheek.
"Oh geez, did you two play macho men again?"
She only got a sheepish grin and a smirk.
Four mugs of hot cocoa were placed on the wooden table as the female Monk and Priest thanked the woman who served them the drinks.
"Hold still." Sakura told the Assassin while carefully applying some ointment on the cut on his face.
"Ch." His right eye automatically shut tight from the sting.
She grinned. "Too painful for you Sasu-chan?"
He glared at her. "Hn. Very funny."
She just smiled and placed the square bandage on the cut. "There we go." She leaned back on the chair and lifted his left arm. "That's one nasty wound."
"It's a Baphomet's scythe, what did you expect?"
"I don't know," she smiled. "Maybe for you to dodge?"
"I tried to."
"Oh, so you miscalculated your footing and tripped?"
"No," he said. "I took the blow or it would have gotten to you."
And the smile was wiped off her face.
"Hn." He looked elsewhere, trying to ignore Naruto's snickers. He did gain a bit of satisfaction when the blonde had yelped from the stinging ointment Hinata applied.
"But… how did…"
"That's not important."
"It is to me."
"Hn."
His pet suddenly jumped onto the table. "The scythe was supposed to hit your back but master took it for you!"
Sasuke's cheeks turned red as he averted his gaze to his pet. "You. Shut. Up."
"But she wanted to know." The Baby Garm exclaimed.
"Ch."
Sakura managed a small smile before applying some ointment on his wound, and again, he flinched. "I'd heal it if only Xmas Land's Bards would get rid of the silence spell they cast."
"It's fine." He muttered.
She wrapped the wound up in bandages and smiled. "Thank you." And he didn't expect her to place her lips on his cheek – right where he was wounded.
For some strange reason, it no longer stung.
"How are you troops holding up?"
The four looked up at the Paladin who smiled slightly at them, and Naruto instantly grinned and raised a fist. "Just fine!"
"That's good to hear." He took a seat next to Sakura and glanced at Sasuke. "Sorry if I'm mistaken, but could you be… Uchiha Sasuke?"
The group's eyes, save for Sasuke's, widened.
"Who wants to know?" the Sin asked.
"I do." He said. "It's just that… you share a great deal of resemblance to Uchiha Mikoto-san, that's all."
Sasuke kept his gaze on the Paladin for a few moments before looking down. "She's my mother."
Silence engulfed the room, and the tension turned pretty thick from the sudden revelation.
"I… I see…" the Paladin coughed. "I'm sorry about… what happened to the clan."
"Hn." He grunted. "Why? Are you responsible for their deaths?" he stood up, and his pet immediately jumped onto his shoulder. "I don't want to hear an apology from someone who isn't guilty of the crime." He turned to look at the Paladin with narrowed eyes that were threatening to shift to red. "And even if you were guilty, I won't accept your apology." He started to walk off, with Naruto asking where he was going but received no answer.
Hinata bit her lower lip and looked at the Paladin who sighed softly.
"I supposed I should tell you what I know?"
"Normally, I'd say 'who cares', but right now, I'm curious." Naruto said. "Especially if that got the teme so pissed off to walk out."
The Paladin nodded. "To start things off, my name is Juugo." He faced the wall before him. "When I was only six years old, a young Ninja found me on the streets of this place." He closed his eyes to reminisce the past before continuing. "That Ninja gave me a purpose, and she helped me become a Swordsman, a job she believed would suit me."
"Did she say why?" Hinata asked in a quiet voice.
"She said I had eyes that didn't seem to lose hope, no matter how much despair would wish to devour it." He glanced at the three young adventurers. "I clung onto those words until I became a Crusader. I was part of the army who protected the villagers here, and at that time, she came by to visit to see how I was doing."
Sakura had a feeling who the Ninja was, and she could only assume what came next.
"She told me how she would love it if I became friends with her sons, one about to become an Assassin Cross, the other successfully becoming an Assassin." He looked at the expressions on both Naruto and Sakura's faces. "Yes, that Ninja was Uchiha Mikoto."
"Holy…" Naruto trailed off. "Wait, when teme became an Assassin… that was when…"
"That's right." Juugo nodded. "Mikoto-san informed me that she had to cut our meeting short, because she just received word from her husband about Satan Morroc destroying the town. I offered to help, but she said my place was here and that she'll come back someday, though her sad smile told me that it would be the last time we'll see each other." He shut his eyes from the memory. "I kept hoping she and her family would be safe, I never stopped praying, and when a messenger arrived to inform us tragic news of Satan Morroc's destruction, it was the first time I lost hope."
"Juugo-san…" Hinata whispered.
"I stopped believing at some point, and that weakened me greatly, yet I didn't seem to care." He clenched his fists. "I remember questioning God then, asking why He didn't protect Mikoto-san and her family, as well as the innocent townspeople of Morroc, even the adventurers who fought bravely." He gave a heavy sigh and regained his composure. "The following year, I didn't expect Xmas Land to be invaded by the Z Gang, a notorious group of adventurers who have decided to put their skills for evil instead of good, and for a moment, during my weakened state, I apologized to Mikoto-san for letting her down, as well as to the townspeople for not protecting them, but then…"
Naruto gave a small smile. "Let me guess, the Assassin guild?"
Juugo laughed lightly and nodded. "I didn't expect to see those Sins, and I didn't think they actually cared."
"Feh. They have their own definition of caring." Naruto snorted.
"Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that their intention is good." Juugo said. "Our army cheered behind bars as the Sins were able to corner all the members of the Z Gang, the Guild Master of the Assassin Guild was present as well, and he was the one who captured the leader of the Z Gang, with the assistance of…" he smiled lightly. "Of Mikoto-san's youngest son." He turned to the group. "Quite an unexpected turn of events actually…"
"How did you know that teme is her son?"
"He was the one who freed me and some of my comrades from our prison, and I saw his resemblance to Mikoto-san, though I didn't quite get a good enough look to confirm it, until now."
"Whoa. So when you saw him that time…"
"Somehow, I started to hope again, I began to have faith once more. I believed that there were still members of the Uchiha clan alive, and perhaps some of the townspeople of Morroc, and I was relieved a month later to know the outcome of the Satan Morroc incident." He sighed. "Sadly, most of the men and women from the Uchiha clan did not make it, but there were… three who were well-known that made it."
"Teme, his brother, and some other guy."
"Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Madara." Juugo said. "All this time, I've been waiting for one of them to show up, or at least… for Sasuke-san to appear again, now that that has happened," he stood up and turned to Naruto. "Please, I would like to join your guild."
"Come on teme..!"
He was still ignored as the Assassin proceeded to walk forward, and Sakura and Hinata had to calm Naruto down, otherwise, he might start an avalanche.
Sasuke had kept his pet for now, since the morning light provided enough illumination for their eyes.
It wasn't that he didn't want Juugo to be a part of the guild, especially since it was Naruto's call, but it was more on because he needed to see what the Paladin can do first.
"Teme..! Sending Juugo alone in the Ice Caves isn't a good idea!"
"If he defeats the MVP there, then he's worthy."
"Why are you being so-"
"Don't forget what SB's goal is. If Juugo, a Paladin at that, can't even stand up against a Baphomet when with a comrade, then…" he trailed off. "Hn. Let's keep moving."
"Hmph. Don't I get to decide?"
"You asked me if he could, remember?"
"Oh shut up with the loopholes!" Naruto pointed. "Brrr… is it me or is it colder than yesterday?"
Sakura and Hinata also rubbed their arms up and down, the former glancing at Sasuke, tempted to ask if she could borrow his scarf again.
"That would be unfair though," she thought while rubbing her hands together. "I mean… I have long sleeves, while he doesn't."
The Priestess noted how Sasuke suddenly stopped and looked down, so she followed his gaze and gasped, earning both Naruto and Hinata's attention.
"H-Holy-!" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the pool of blood that seeped onto the snow-covered ground. "W-What… w-who…"
The Assassin didn't answer but just knelt down on one knee and scrutinized the blood.
It was still red, meaning that it has been there recently. Having killed many monsters and humans, he can tell just by the scent of the substance if it belonged to a person or a creature.
However, in order to be sure, he had to test the temperature, as well as the taste.
"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I'm cold and hungry, and now we see blood!"
"N-Naruto, please tone down, you're making it harder for Sasuke to concentrate."
"But Hinaaataaa!"
Sakura just gave them a sideways glance before walking over to Sasuke. She placed her hands on her knees and bent down slightly to him.
"Ne, Sasuke, it is kind of cold, so if…" she trailed off when she saw him touch the blood with his index and middle finger. "Sasuke?"
His brows furrowed after feeling a bit of warmth from the substance, no matter how faint it felt, meaning that the victim is of the mammal species.
Next thing he did shocked Sakura, because he suddenly closed his eyes and drew his fingers close to his mouth, afterwards, lightly flicked the blood with his tongue.
He let his senses take over as he compared the temperature, smell, and taste of the blood before opening his eyes halfway.
"Er… Sasuke?"
He lowered his hand and took a vial out of his pocket.
Sakura wondered what he was doing when he poured it over his fingers to clean off the blood from his hands. He took another vial, this time, the liquid inside was a pale blue color, and she wondered what it was when he downed the contents.
"Temeeee! Could you hurry it up already and-"
"Human blood." He answered after keeping the vial back in the pouch around his waist. "O positive, female."
"How…"
"It's a gross way to tell, but it's effective."
"You could get a disease for doing that!"
"I know," he told Sakura. "That's why Sins carry different types of antidotes for all kinds of poisons."
"Can't you just use Detoxify?"
He shook his head. "That skill is for poison from monsters and human made concoctions. It's not for human blood." He looked around the terrain. "As you said, I could acquire a disease from doing this, especially if the victim can't be found, so the guild's expert Sins invented different types of antidotes." He stood up. "And it's much faster to determine the victim this way."
"Um… one question…" Sakura murmured. "Did you or did you not kill the Baphomet?"
Naruto frowned. "We managed to hold our ground, but it eventually got the best of us, had Hinata not performed Extremity Fist to send it back a few feet."
"We ended up retreating." Hinata said in a small voice.
"You mean it's still out there?"
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "Well, we better hunt it down."
"Not a good idea." The Sin said while eyeing their surroundings. "Since it just ate, it's most likely a lot stronger than yesterday."
"So how are we going to finish this mission?" Naruto asked with a frown. "We can't exactly wait for back-up, it'll take days."
"Not unless they teleport." Hinata said. "But they'll need to find a Priest who can do the job."
"There are only a handful of Priests who are allowed to save a warp portal here." Sakura said. "So, it would take days for them to locate one."
"Then this may as well be considered a suicide mission." Sasuke said. "What's your call dobe?"
"Eh?"
"You are the guild leader, aren't you?"
Naruto frowned and weighed their options.
He knew they could die if they went head on at the Baphomet, but if they abort the mission, then more innocent people will be killed.
"What are the chances of our success?"
Sasuke smirked slightly. Naruto can be mature when he wants to be, it's just too bad that he only shows it on rare occasions.
"If we come up with a good plan, we can increase our survival rate from 15% to 46%." He answered after computing everything in his mind. "Granted that, dying is still most likely to happen." He got his Jur out. "And I'm willing to risk it."
Naruto grinned. "You took the words right out of my mouth."
Hinata nodded once and smiled to show that she would follow them all the way.
The three of them then turned to Sakura who was stunned by both Naruto and Sasuke's decision.
She knew that Naruto would put others first before himself, even at the cost of his own life. That was what made him a good Crusader. She didn't think Sasuke would do the same though, since he still wanted to locate his missing brother. She knew Sasuke was careful with every decision he made, especially when it was a matter of life and death.
For him to choose dying in this mission instead of living really had her shocked.
"Still…"
She smiled, and they took that as a yes.
"It made my heart skip a beat."
"Alright! Let's go hunt down that Baphomet!"
It took them that long to finally get what Sarutobi meant about their weakness becoming their strength.
Their weakness was placing their own lives before others – and it can turn into their strength by being united.
For that, the King's plan for the formation of Siege Breaker is almost complete.
The taste of the chocolate-flavored Pocky stick had her smiling as she hummed a happy tune. Her feet dangled from the corner of an inn's roof, her head swaying from left to right as she kept a watchful eye on the people below – both civilians and Adventurers alike.
She finished the single stick in her mouth and picked up another, unable to get enough of the treat.
Her eyes blinked a couple of times when she spotted a group of four – no, five – Adventurers, all covered in what appears to be green goo.
A grin formed on her lips when she recognized one of the five people, and without hesitating, she had jumped down in front of the teen and greeted him with a playful salute.
"Yo Taichou!" She kept her Pocky and continued smiling at the scowl he sent her. "Rough day?"
"Ch. Don't ask." He mumbled, turning to glare at the blond-haired Crusader who hid behind the female Monk they were with. "Someone here thought that cutting open a Baphomet's gut would be fun."
She cringed in disgust. "As much as I love gore like the rest of our class do, well, that goo isn't… pleasing to both the eyes or the nose."
"I know." He seethed.
The female Assassin caught the pink-haired Priestess eyeing her, and then at Sasuke, before a frown was etched on her face as she lowered her head.
"Ahaha… does Sakura think I like Sasuke?" She had to bite back a laugh. "So, Taichou."
"Nika, drop it." He warned.
"But it's fun calling you captain!" She smiled. "Okay, okay, Sasuke, there, happy?" She shrugged. "Master wants to see us later."
He raised a brow. "Odd, he usually just wants to see you, or just me."
"I know." Nika sent a quick glance over Sakura's twitching brow. "Weird, huh? Maybe he plans on sending us on another mission?"
"Could be, since your training and mine aren't so different."
"Which is why I can keep up with you, and you can easily predict my next movements." She nodded at that, trying to stop herself from laughing at how Sakura gave double meanings to her conversation with Sasuke. "Well, you go on ahead and get cleaned-up, I'll wait for you at our usual spot."
It was weird seeing Sakura glaring at Sasuke – yes, she was glaring.
Normally, she only did that when he called her a "Baphomet", but she's recently grown to the nickname.
But to see her looking at Sasuke as if he's committed the biggest crime on earth made them wonder what could have happened.
Sasuke either ignored it, or wasn't really aware of it.
"I'll meet back with you guys later." He told them after he was done fixing his attire. "In the meantime, Naruto, brief Juugo about SB."
"Uh… right, sure, okay…"
The dark-haired Assassin wrapped his scarf and turned to the window. "Just send me a message if something comes up." And he was out, not even sparing them another glance.
Naruto and the rest turned to Sakura, seeing her seething, before looking away with a huff, cheeks red and brows furrowed.
"Wow, she's got it bad for him…" Naruto murmured to Juugo and Hinata who both nodded in agreement.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: In some private servers I've been on, you can tame any monster you want and have them as pets. But in most servers, only selected ones can be kept as pets. For this story, there're going to be exceptions.
Apathetic Silence: I actually wish you can really tame Garms.
CrAzY-SiLLy-Me: Yeah. That would be cool.