Enchantress
Chapter 9 – The Ternion
A/N: Sorry for the super 5-month update waiting period however; I have a good excuse for that. For the better part of August I was bedridden due to frequent bouts of acute heat stress, which unfortunately led to sporadic nights of insomnia. College has also been in effect for the last 4 weeks as well just another contributing factor to my lack of dedication to my stories…not just this one. I hope that I'll still be able to create a good chapter for all you guys who continued to wait patiently for this story. All of your reviews mean so much to me!
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of mangaka (comic artist) Masashi Kishimoto. This story implies nothing about the characters nor does the plot of the story have any effect on the manga volumes (or the anime) themselves. This story is pure fiction.
Note: From this chapter and onwards, there will more than likely be direct references to official Naruto: Shippuden material which some readers may view as spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you.
——†——
It had been a few weeks since Minako had officially settled down within Konoha's walls and so far, things were going (surprisingly) smoothly. Her medic lessons with Tsunade, although sometimes quite stress-inducing (to both parties) had proven to be quite successful. While never really bothering with the concept of medical science to begin with, Minako was quite surprised at just how interesting the subject could really be. Although as fascinating as some subjects turned out to be (such as human anatomy and medicinal compounding), the sheer complexity of the theory behind each of them sometimes drove the young blonde towards the brink of insanity. She was still amazed at how Tsunade was able to dedicate her life's work to such a subject for a good 40+ years (and counting) and still manage to understand and answer any question at the drop of a hat. She even had a new found respect for medic-nins as a whole – namely Sakura and Ino in particular – for realizing just how much work and effort was needed to be put into becoming one; not to mention the high demand of practicing medics in all countries, both inside and outside of the hospital.
However, the girl's fast-tracked success was not without its obstacles. While Minako had done exceptionally well during her practicum sessions, the theory was her Achilles Heel, resulting in endless scorning bouts from Tsunade herself. For some reason, the girl just couldn't comprehend textbook facts or articles as fast as a normal person would.
'She's only Naruto…she's only Naruto…she's only Naruto…'
Tsunade often recited this little mantra (silently) every time Minako would answer one of her lecture questions incorrectly – which happened on an above average basis much to the Hokage's dismay. She had hopes of the girl improving as their lectures continued on, but there wasn't much of a chance for that happening any time soon. She was however greatly impressed at the girl's performance during their practicum sessions, which was to be expected as her 'male counterpart' had a drive like no other when it came to learning new ways of utilizing chakra. For example, in only their second session, the girl was able to restore a massive Yellowfin Tuna fish (which was nearly 3 feet long) to full health without succumbing to fatigue; comparable to Sakura and Ino who were only able to restore a regular trout fish (about half of the size of Minako's Tuna) after roughly 3 weeks of practicum lessons. Now as week 4 was drawing to its close, Minako was slowly but surely getting the hand of bone re-attachment and chakra-induced anaesthesia, two of the more advanced medic-nin skills proven to be of high priority in both the operating room and on the battlefield. Since all three of these techniques require the transferral of large amounts of chakra at a slow and careful speed to operate properly, it can take up to four months (minimum) of intense practicing and training for a learning medic to accomplish these feats a sub-par level collectively. Seeing Minako perform at such exceptional standards had sometimes left Tsunade gaping in amazement. The young blond truly was the Number 1 Unpredictable Ninja…and gender didn't damage that reputation in the least.
As for her life outside of the classroom, while continuing to get along well with the teenagers that she had grown up with when she was still male, Minako couldn't help but marvel at just how much attention she was actually receiving. Minako had to admit that although it felt a little strange to re-introduce herself to everyone (using fake facts about herself nonetheless) the awkwardness of it all sort of grew on her after a few practice trials.
At this very moment, Minako was currently standing in front of the Hokage's desk, receiving her mission objectives along with two other assigned team-mates.
"Now I want the three of you to make sure that you stay focused to ensure that the mission occurs both efficiently and swiftly. We do not want to have any unnecessary delays as it is essential that you arrive both on time and ready to begin your work immediately."
The three teens nodded in approval.
"Now…seeing as how all of you will be essentially working within your areas of expertise, this mission should not prove to be too difficult given your current academic achievements. Irregardless, it will require time, patience and all that you have learned to accomplish it successfully."
"We won't fail you Tsunade-sama."
The eldest blond nodded. "I expect you all to return by no later than the designated completion date that I have marked down for you; which will take place in exactly 9 days starting tomorrow." She was greeted again with a uniform nod. "I have also taken the liberty of assigning an elite Jounin ninja to be your bodyguard as the safe return of all three of you is the most crucial point of this mission. He has already been pre-informed of your objectives and has agreed to meet you all at the village gates by no later than 6 am, sharp." The Hokage took a few moments to observe the expressions of her three subordinates for any signs of question or concerns. After finding none, she made her concluding statement.
"No matter how stressful your tasks may turn out to be you must not, under any circumstances, rush your work. You may have been given a set time interval as to when your mission is to be completed but that is no excuse for trepidation. Doing so will endanger the lives left in your care, inadvertently tarnishing Konoha's reputation as the world's leading country in medical expertise. Should you require more time, immediately inform your bodyguard of the request and he will dispatch a permissive Letter of Extension back to me. Although given the combined talents of all three of you, I don't believe it should come to that alternative."
Small smirks and light gloating laughs were shared among the three teens.
"You know what you must do. Go in peace, and please…be careful."
With one final nod, the three teens exited out of the Hokage's office and made their way towards their homes to get a full night's sleep and pack up for their departure the following morning.
——†——
Surprisingly enough, the four ninjas had arrived at the Hidden Sand Village's gates a little bit earlier than anticipated. According to the Hokage's calculations, the group was intended to arrive at the hidden village approximately 4 hours from their present time. But since the group had not encountered any enemy ninjas along the way – only having to wait out a strong but particularly short sand storm – they were able trek the (roughly) 500 mile travel distance in only 44 hours.
After booking their rooms at a local inn and with the bodyguard quickly dispatching their arrival letter back to Tsunade, the four ninjas immediately made their way to the Kazekage's office to both inform him of their arrival and to follow up with their mission objectives.
The stern pale green eyes of the Hidden Sand Village's Kage quickly scanned over the contents of the mission folder while glancing back at the four Konoha ninjas before him. Standing on both sides of the Kazekage were two of the Sand Village's most esteemed elite Jounin ninjas, which also happened to be the red-head's older siblings.
——†——
Caption: Request of Temporary External Assistance in The Hidden Sand Village's Medical Ward
Rank: B
Scope: A platoon of fifteen Sand Ninjas (twelve Chuunin and three Jounin) has been mercilessly ambushed by unknown assailants during an A-rank assassination mission in the Thunder Country. Many of the soldiers have succumbed to serious bodily damages – both internally and externally – to the point at which immediate medical assistance is not an option. The selective few who have not sustained obvious physical damage have been seemingly injected with an unknown poison in which the presiding symptoms have been shown to mismatch any of the curative properties of any (presently) known administered antidote. Sand Village medics and toxicology experts have stabilized the incapacitated patients but are in need of extra assistance from highly-trained medics in order to ensure their complete recovery. An emergency carrier pigeon was dispatched to the Sand Village for the request of a recovery team from the platoon leader: Okina Motoki.
Course of Action: A request to Tsunade, Head Medic and current 5th Hokage of the Village of Konoha, for external assistance in regards to the previously mentioned anomaly has been dispatched at 9:08 on the evening of July 16. A confirmatory reply of approval has been received from the Leaf Village's Hokage at 7:33 on the morning of July 17.
Personnel Involved:
Haruno Sakura – 1st Class Medic. Certified toxicologist, Surgeon and learning Cardiovascular Physiologist. Specializes in surgical operations and medicinal compounding.
Yamanaka Ino – 1st Class Medic. Certified toxicologist, Elite Class Combat Lifesaver and learning surgeon. Specializes in bone and muscle reparations and toxicological treatment.
Honda Minako – 3rd class Medic. Certified Combat Lifesaver and learning toxicologist. Specializes in primary healing and anaesthesia.
Under the Supervision of (if applicable): Hatake Kakashi – 1st Class Jounin and former Elite ANBU Squad Leader.
Comments: Honda Minako is the most recent addition to Tsunade's own personally trained team of learning medics. See the attached facsimiles for a detailed record of the correspondents' lists of notable achievements. (1)
——†——
As calm as her other three team-mates were, Minako couldn't help but fidget as she was caught under the intimidating gaze of the Sand Village's Kazekage; Sabakuno Gaara. While the red-head scanned over the obedient forms of Konoha's representatives, Minako couldn't help but come to the suspicion that Gaara's seemingly 'observant stare' lingered on her for just a little bit longer than anticipated; resulting in the uncomfortable belief that Gaara had discovered her secret already.
No…no I'm probably just thinking too much on it. Yeah…that's it.
As Minako pushed that thought out of her head, the blond cleared her throat, regained her composure and stood up straight, appearing as calm and collected as the rest of her team-mates. After the Kazekage finished reviewing the necessary details, he presented them with his concluding statement.
"I trust that you three," Gaara gestured to the three female medics before him, "have been properly informed of your duties in regards to your mission correct?" The girls gave a collective 'Yes!' in approval.
Gaara nodded to his sister (who stood to his left) indicating her to continue on. "Now…as for your actual tasks, each one of you will be working directly with the head of a specific department – alongside his or her colleagues/apprentices – whose area of expertise is most compatible with your given abilities."
"Haruno Sakura."
Temari held out a thin manila folder (marked "Objectives") for the young kunoichi to take, which she did. "You will be working in Operating Rooms 114 and 115, located at the rear of the main floor, and corresponding directly with Dr. Matsumoto Ruki and her colleagues. Everything you will need to know for your tasks will be located inside of that folder; which Dr. Matsumoto herself has kindly taken the liberty of preparing exclusively for you. "
"Thank you." After the two women nodded to each other, Sakura went back to her place between Kakashi and Ino.
"Yamanaka Ino." Spoke up Kankuro. The young puppeteer, in one of his rarer moments, was out in the open without his trademark face paint and hood. "Your workplace will be on the 2nd floor in the musculoskeletal division of the Physical Ailments and Maladies department, under the direct supervision of Dr. Utada Tezane. Unlike Sakura-san, you will be required to help coach a few of the new learning apprentices on how to properly administer medical bandaging to speed up the long-term healing process."
"Understood…" Ino gently took her own folder and stepped back in line.
Minako gulped down the lump in her throat when she realized that her turn was next. It didn't really help her situation when she also realized that she was being addressed to by none other than Gaara himself. "Honda Minako…" The blonde hesitated before taking her folder. Gaara noticed the action but showed no signs of making that fact known and simply spoke in his usual authoritative tone.
"Your designated work area will be in the General Clinic, a completely separate building roughly 2 blocks away from the main hospital; which is where your team-mates will be working at. It is only about a 5 minute walk north from the hospital, more or less, so it is not too far. Dr. Kimura Namie, a Family Physician and co-owner of the Clinic itself, will be the specialist that you will be working with."
"Understood…" Minako let out an awkward hem hem from her throat shortly following, which resulted in a few questioning looks from the other occupants of the room. Without another word, Minako went back to her place at the end of their 'line up' beside Ino.
"All three of you are expected to be in your assigned areas by no later than 1pm of this afternoon; giving you girls 2½ hours to read over your objectives and to properly prepare yourselves by whatever means necessary." said Kankuro.
"We have faith in your abilities and we shall continue to express our gratitude for responding to our village's request on such short notice." said Temari. "Your lives are in their hands."
"We won't fail you!" exclaimed the three medics. Minako ended up surprising herself at the sudden bout of confidence.
"Very well, you are dismissed…" concluded Gaara.
As the girls were just about to make their leave out of Gaara's office, something caught Minako's attention which subsequently caused the other two to stop in their place.
"Aren't you coming with us Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi simply responded with a cheerful look back. "Don't you girls worry about me. I'm not only serving as your bodyguard, but I have also been requested by the Hokage herself to perform a mission of my own while you three follow through with yours. You didn't think that I would just sit around and relax all week while you girls were busy at the hospital now did you?"
Minako blushed in embarrassment. He has a point. "N-no…sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking."
"Don't you worry about it Minako-chan. Now hurry along. The Kazekage and his cohorts have already finished presenting you with the necessary details. Although I am grateful for the gesture, there is no need for you girls to waste your time into worrying about little old me."
"You're right Kakashi-sensei. Come on girls." said Sakura.
As the girls vanished from the doorway, assumingly towards their room at the inn, Temari looked towards the two guards that were stationed just outside of the double-doors.
"Leave us be…"
The guards obediently shut the doors upon Temari's request as Kakashi listened intently to the details of his own mission.
——†——
After spending the end of their working day enjoying a late evening meal at one of the local eateries, the three girls decided to end their day by taking a quick stroll around the Sand Village's marketplace before turning in for the night; occasionally stopping at a nearby stand for Minako's snack cravings, to which the blonde strictly blamed on a 'heavily active metabolism'.
"So Minako-chan, how do you like the Sand Village so far?"
"Uh…I'm sorry?" Minako said with a partial mouthful of dango.
"Well…this is your first time here isn't it? At least on official business anyway right?"
"I…er…" After swallowing, Minako let out the first thought that came to mind, albeit slightly louder than intended. "Y-YES!" She cleared her throat at the confused looks from her companions. "Uh…I mean you know, liking the Sand Village. In fact, I've only ever heard about it a few times through my friends – who've had parents that did their missions here – and my grandfather." Minako convincingly glanced around at the nearby structures, feigning a look of quiet amazement. "Never would I have imagined that the majority of the buildings here were actually made out of sand. Simply…amazing."
"Isn't it?" said Ino with a smile. "Sakura and I have been here a few times on duty but to be honest, they've lasted no longer than a few days."
"That's right," followed up Sakura, "Our being stationed here for an entire week will be a new record for the longest stay within the Sand Village's walls."
"Is that so…?" Minako hid her slight disinterest by taking a bite out of her last chocolate-filled taiyaki (2). The three girls walked around for a little bit until…
"Hey look at that!"
Ino's sudden outburst almost sent Minako into a choking frenzy. After Sakura patted Minako on the back to cough out her temporary moment of asphyxiation, the two girls made their way over to their pony-tailed companion who was comically pressed up against the window of a local shop, hungrily staring at the elegant calligraphy written on the five tatejiku (3) displayed behind the glass windows. Sakura noticed that when all five scrolls were read one after the other, moving from right-to-left, they combined together to create a very heart-warming love poem.
"I MUST BROWSE!"
Without even waiting for a second opinion, the bubbly blonde dashed through the double doors of the shop in the blink of an eye. Minako subsequently broke the odd silence that fell between her and Sakura shortly following Ino's disappearance into the store.
"Um…do you think we should go get her?"
The response that came out of Sakura's mouth however turned out to be one that Minako had least expected.
"A-actually…I was kind of thinking of going in and taking a look as well. It wouldn't hurt to do a little harmless browsing after a long day at work right? And who knows, maybe we might even find something worth purchasing. "
Minako could only stare dumbfounded at the girl with whom she had always looked up to as somewhat of a sisterly figure. "Y-you're not serious are you?"
"But of course I am." Sakura calmly made her way into the store as well.
Minako sighed in defeat as she realized that her only options, other than joining in on the shopping, would be to either wait outside for them to finish for an unprecedented amount of time or to find her own way back to their room at the inn. Rather than bore herself to death with mindless waiting or ending up lost in the massive village at this time of night, Minako took in a deep breath, held her head up high and made her way through the double-doors.
——†——
Although the exterior of the store looked very much like any other building within the village, the girls (despite entering at different times) were blown away from the extravagance of its interior.
Minako spent a few moments near the doors just visually soaking in the ambiance of the large room before her, which in her own (silent) words was 'MUCH bigger than it seemed from the outside'. The sleek mahogany-floored shop had its walls covered with large scarlet silk draperies complete with golden coloured ropes and tassels for their finishing touch; resembling more of a palace treasury than a store. To further add to that analogy, the store was filled with racks of top-quality armour and weaponry, hundreds of pieces of finely made clothing and jewellery, countless numbers of magnificently crafted sculptures, and shelves (along the entire length of the side walls) with an almost infinite-looking supply of tomes and scrolls all categorized by core function.
It was quite surprising to realize that there was still plenty of walking space in between all of the displays that it only seemed to add to the sheer vastness of the temple-like room. Located along the back most wall were twelve elegantly painted tatejiku, much like the ones in the display windows, but this time with each one depicting the picture of a specific flower (or tree) along with its respective month (according to the typical calendar year) written in calligraphic print (4). Minako also noticed a long but empty table at the base of the back wall where she assumed was where the shopkeeper would be had they been present.
Probably busy in the backroom somewhere…oh well…might as well make the most of it.
——†——
Minako first began her browsing journey by heading for the weaponry department; which took up the majority of the left side of the room. Her main reason for doing so was simply because it was nearby. Never in her entire life had she seen such an impressive arsenal. Weapons of all sizes and types, both for bruising and slashing, littered the racks by the hundreds with each one effortlessly satisfying the young blonde's fascination as she continued to move up and down the aisles.
After admiring the fine craftsmanship of a black-poled Naginata, Minako noticed Ino and Sakura busying themselves among the jewellery and sculpted artwork, respectively. A quick glance to her right made Minako (by default) decide to check out the massive shelves of scrolls and books situated along the left wall in the hopes of receiving the same amount of interest as she had done with the weaponry only moments ago. Had it not been for the vast variety of reading material that the texts were organized in, Minako would have easily moved on to something a little more interesting. As she swiftly skimmed over the various titles, a very peculiar dark brown book had attracted her attention so much that she couldn't help but open it up; entitled: The Age of Anarchy.
As she started to read the first chapter of the book, Minako nearly jumped out of her skin when Sakura and Ino surprised her from behind.
"Find something interesting?" asked Sakura.
"Er…um…yeah! Yeah, something very interesting might I add." Minako slightly raised the book up to breast level to present the other two with a better look at her reading material.
"Hey I know that picture."
Minako and Sakura looked towards Ino's pointed finger directing their attention to the full-page illustration located on the left page. It showed a picture of a very beautiful woman, facing towards them, standing barefooted on top of a watery surface. Her eyes were closed as her long flowing blond hair was drawn to look like it was swaying in the wind. The woman's clothing however was nothing more than a large, white piece of cloth situated around her breasts (with trailing ribbons at the back), a long white ankle-length dress (slit from both sides of the hips all the way down to the hem) and two arm bands around her biceps (also with trailing ribbons). The object that the woman was holding in her hands, just in front of her exposed mid-drift, looked like a moderately-sized circular mirror surrounded by a simple but elegant white frame. While Sakura was impressed by the simplistic beauty of the illustration, Minako on the other hand felt a very strange and awkward sense of déjà vu; coming to the impossible conclusion that she had seen this woman before.
"Really? Who is she Ino?" inquisitively asked Sakura. "Y-yeah…" Minako hesitantly added.
"Are you two serious? Do you mean to tell me that neither of you have ever heard the story of Michiko the Enchantress?" (5)
The clueless looks on her team-mate's faces answered it for her. With a somewhat exasperated sigh Ino began to elaborate.
"Michiko is one of the most famous legends in ancient history to date! In fact, some people believe that Michiko herself once existed hundreds of years ago, during the feudal era. She has been infamously branded as both the mastermind and the villain behind the Nine Bijuus of the world; the latter of which everyone knows, with solid proof, are quite real."
As Sakura stood in silent interest, Minako voiced out the question that arose as a result of the other blonde's anecdote.
"Mastermind and villain? Wait…do you mean to tell me that Michiko is the creator the Bijuus?! They weren't just demonic creatures that had somehow existed for centuries?"
Ino had to think on that for a few moments before answering. "Hmm…well, despite the popular belief that Michiko was indeed a real person, textbooks and articles from around the world are quite uncertain of whether or not she actually was the so called 'Mother of the Demons'. There is one major thing however that a lot of scholars will agree upon that has furthered the notion of Michiko being the great heroine that so many generations have believed her to be. Do you see that mirror she's holding in her hands?"
Minako and Sakura glanced back down at the picture.
"That mirror was the key element used to seal away all nine bijuus, in nine specific corners of the world, for hundreds and hundreds of years. That is, until about a few decades ago when all of them were released from their prisons by power-hungry humans. Thankfully the ritual of sealing a bijuu within a human being was eventually discovered. The world would have been a very quiet place had it not been for people like the Fourth Hokage."
"Wow…" softly exclaimed Sakura.
Minako on the other hand felt a strange mixture of pride and confusion. The latter emotion was for learning – despite its mythological heritage – that her fate as a jinchuriki (6) could have possibly been stemmed from the workings of a single woman who existed long before her time; where as the former emotion was for the other blonde mentioning the Fourth Hokage's most legendary achievement. Father…
Before Ino was able to continue explaining the legend of Michiko to her comrades, the soft clunking sound of getas (7) made the three girls direct their attention towards the origin of the noise. Fluidly approaching their grouped form from the right was a balding elderly man with a gentle look on his face. In addition to having his hands positioned behind his back, the old man's dark blue hakama (8) and matching blue top, comically reminded Minako of the stereotypical 'old master' that one would believe to live in a solitary dojo high up in the misty mountains; miles away from civilization and training only those who were able to find him so long as they were also worthy of his wisdom and time.
"Good evening young ladies."
"Good evening sir!" the girls responded politely.
While in mid-nod, the old man froze entirely after getting a good glimpse of the blonde-haired girl dressed in dark yellow. I-impossible…!
Much like the illustration, Minako once again got the eerie feeling that she had somehow seen the old man, a complete stranger as far as she knew, from somewhere before as well. Oh for crying out loud! With a noticeable clearing of her throat, Minako chose at that moment to end the awkward silence that had fallen between the four of them.
"So…um are you the shopkeeper of this outlet?"
Sakura and Ino couldn't help but glance over at Minako with concern, also noticing the analytical look that the old man had been observing her with.
The old man snapped out of his trance as well. "Y-yes I am young lady," the old man cleared his throat, "I serve as both the shopkeeper, proprietor and somewhat of a guardian to this little outlet. I may be old, but I can still prove to be quite the security guard."
Minako was overcome with sudden amazement. "Oh wow…really?!" she stared at the old man with wide eyes, "You do all of that?! Alone?! For ALL of this?!"
"Remarkable…" said Sakura and Ino admirably.
"All in a day's work! And please young ladies, call me Masato."
"I am Honda Minako. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Masato-jiisan."
"Likewise! Haruno Sakura."
"Yamanaka Ino sir!"
"It is a pleasure. I heard voices from my place in the backroom so I decided to come back out here to see if anyone needed any assistance. Never would I have expected to interrupt at what seemed like a very important history lesson." Masato smiled.
Minako blushed. "O-oh that?! Hee hee…w-well…well it was…um…"
"Forgive her Masato-jiisan, we've all had a long day at the hospital and today in particular was Minako-chan's first 8-hour straight shift." Ino smoothly followed up. "We meant to return back to our rooms after we finished eating, but I couldn't help but indulge myself in your store after seeing your window displays."
Sakura glanced over at Ino with slight amazement. Nicely done…
Upon closer inspection, Masato noticed the Konoha headbands that the three girls were sporting.
"Ahh! Fire natives are you? Busy in mission work I presume?"
"Yes. It's going to be an exceptionally busy one for us since we're stationed in the Sand Village for an entire week," said Sakura.
"Impressive…well you three girls look like bright and smart young medics, I'm sure that you will perform exceedingly well during your time here."
The three girls smiled. "Thank you Masato-jiisan."
Masato nodded. "Oh and by the way, young lady…um…Ino I believe it was?"
"That's correct."
"I couldn't help but overhear at how informative you were about Priestess Michiko's story," he gestured towards the book held in Minako's hands.
Ino's eyes lit up, "Are you kidding me?! Michiko-sama is my hero! There is not a single moment written about her that I can't both mentally envision and recite by heart!"
Masato looked delighted, "Tell me…what moment during Michiko's life would you personally consider to be the most memorable?"
Minako and Sakura looked towards Ino's thinking form. "Hmm…well, there are quite a lot to choose from…but I will say that the most significant one, to me at least, would probably have to be the fall of 'The Ternion'. Not only did it mark the end of the Black Lotus War but it also signified the world's the first era of peace."
"Ahh...the Ternion...of course. Both a tragedy and a blessing..."
Minako looked towards Ino and Masato with a slightly clueless look on her face. "Um…I don't mean to be rude or anything but…um…what was that 'Ternion' thing that you two mentioned?" Her interest had been piqued.
Sakura did what she could to enlighten both her and Minako's uncertainties, "Well…the normal word 'ternion' means 'a group of three'…so…I'm assuming that it probably had something to do with the fall of Michiko herself, as I inferred from your last comment Masato-jiichan, and the fall of two other very important figures during the Black Lotus War correct?"
Masato nodded. "You are indeed correct young lady. Very impressive."
"Interesting…" said Minako.
Just then, Masato had a brilliant idea. "Hmm…I have just the thing that I want you three ladies to see if you're still interested in discussing Michiko in the Age of Anarchy. Do you have a couple of more moments to spare?"
The three girls exchanged looks as Sakura took a brief glance down at her watch.
"Well…we don't start until 10 tomorrow, so I guess we can stick around for a bit."
"GREAT!" exclaimed Ino and (surprisingly) Minako in unison.
Masato gave a light chuckle. "Excellent. Now follow me…" The girls did as they were told and eventually made their way towards the long table, which was empty when they first entered, in front of the back wall. With both parties standing on opposite sides of the table, the girls were directed towards a particular section where a large pedestal stood awkwardly empty behind Masato.
"I only show this precious treasure to those who are as well immersed with the story of Michiko as much as myself."
Ino made a faint chuckle as she lightly nudged Minako in the ribs. After watching Masato perform a few hand seals, a most impressive thing happened: the lustrous shine of what looked like rose-coloured glass began to materialize, seemingly out of no where, on top of the once empty pedestal in a hypnotic swirl. Once the illusion was completely dispelled, Masato unveiled a large crystalline statue, standing at a visually impressive height of just over three feet, consisting of three distinct figures: two humans and a large animal. Masato courteously moved to the side a bit to present the girls with a clearer view of the magnificent sculpture.
"There it is…an artist's depiction of 'The Ternion'"
"W-wow! It's gorgeous!" Ino was practically gushing.
Although she was just as impressed as Ino, Sakura couldn't help but ask Masato a few questions.
"Masato-jiichan, how come you covered up this magnificent statue in an illusion?"
Masato laughed light-heartedly. "Well…despite being surrounded by lots of expensive-looking objects, this one in particular," he gestured to the statue, "is the only one that has actual sentimental value to me. I wouldn't know what I would do should anything happen to this statue…"
"Oh I see. So is it something along the lines of a much cherished gift or a priceless family-heirloom?" Sakura gazed admiringly at it as well.
"Such detail!" Ino somehow managed to sneak over to the other side of the table, next to Masato and in front of the statue, unnoticed. "And so realistic too! It's almost as if they could just spring to life at any moment!" The enthusiastic blond made a very gentle flick at the statue, letting its song-like resonance flow through their ears. "And it's made out of real crystal!"
"Something like that…" Masato continued to look at the statue, not minding Ino's excitement in the least.
Masato turned back to face Sakura but also took a hopeful glance towards the other blond-haired girl, whom he remembered being named as Minako. All other sounds seemed to drain away as the yellow-clad kunoichi continued to stare at the statue as if it was the only other thing in the room.
The bottom-most figure was a large canine-resembling animal, standing up on all fours, with its entire body facing east. The creature was positioned as if it were about to attack an unwanted trespasser; the barred fangs and elevated back fur inadvertently verified that assumption. Judging from its realistic ferocity, Minako assumed that the animal was a wolf but its slightly slender body made her think otherwise. The strangest part about the large animal was that it seemed to have no visible tail sculpted on to its posterior.
Standing just behind and to the left of the 'wolf' stood the elevated form of the second figure: the bare upper body of a handsome young man facing west but with his eyes looking up towards the sky. While part of the young man's lower body (from the front at least and from about the knees and down) was covered up by the posterior of the 'wolf' the rest of it (from the waist down) was covered up by a swirling mass of what Minako assumed to be either wind or fire. The rosy color of the crystal that the sculpture was composed of made Minako believe that the unknown swirling mass was in fact fire – at least until she had been proven otherwise. The majority of the swirling fire appeared to fan out to the left side of the sculpture, looking almost wing-like in appearance.
Interestingly enough, Minako noticed that while the 'wolf' had no actual tail of its own, when looking at the sculpture directly, the wing-like flames that stuck out to the side of the statue appeared as if they compensated for the lost appendage. In a surprising discovery, Minako was able to count a total of nine tails to add to the 'wolf's' now complete form. Minako's breath had slightly hitched in her throat as this new insight had forcefully reminded her of the Nine-Tailed fox demon that lay dormant within her soul; effectively refuting her now childish 'wolf' assumption.
However; even amidst her recent discovery, the top-most figure that took up the remaining height of the statue nearly halted her breathing patterns all together. Standing proudly, at the summit of a mountain-like rock formation, with her right arm raised high above her head was the shockingly familiar form of a beautiful long-haired woman, wrapped among the tangles of thorny vines. Held vertically within the palm of her other hand, in front of her torso, was a circular object that looked like a very recognizable mirror.
Only one thing completely centered over Minako's thoughts:
T-THAT'S MICHIKO?!
TBC
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A/N: 6500+ words…which means that this chapter is EVEN LONGER than the previous one. Yay me! I was immensely surprised at how this chapter turned out. I totally didn't plan on it having literary elements highly reminiscent of the Inuyasha series but for some reason, now that this chapter has been written, I have realized that I have now been bestowed with more room for surprise twists later on in the story. I hope it continues to work out well in the end but what I really hope for is for all of you readers out there to continue liking my story now that this new angle has been added into the mix.
I have essentially made it my policy to make my chapters longer if the waiting period between new chapters exceeds the 3 month mark. I have a feeling that the majority of you found the 2nd half of this chapter to be MUCH more interesting than the blander 1st half. I know I did. I'll try to juggle putting forth quality chapters on top of school and extra-curricular activities. Stay tuned!
(1) For the sake of my story, these 'medic-nin ranks' are completely the product of my own imagination. I just used them so that the 'mission profile' sounded a little bit more official and sophisticated.
(2) Dangos are small, skewered, sweet rice dumplings with a sticky filling. Taiyakis are a Japanese fish-shaped, filling-filled cake. The most common filling found in a taiyaki is sweetened an (red bean paste). More modern flavours include custard, cheese, and yes even chocolate – as in the one that Minako was eating. If you're ever in Japan, try the chocolate flavoured ones. SOO GOOD!
(3) Tatejiku – The anglicized term that would most closely fit the description of a tatejiku would be a 'Wall Scroll'.
(4) For a clearer visual depiction of what I was getting at, research 'Hanafuda' – a popular card game in Japan.
(5) I got the name Michiko, not only from one of my favourite seiyuus, Neya Michiko, but also from the current empress of Japan, whose name is also Michiko. Stay tuned to find out how she became both famous and infamous!
(6) For those who are unfamiliar with the terms 'Bijuu' and 'Jinchuriki' they are defined (and literally translated) as 'Tailed Beast' and 'The Power of Human Sacrifice' respectively. A better definition for the latter choice would be a 'Spiritual Medium'; in other words, the human host for a supernatural being.
(7) Getas – Visualize the footwear that Jiraiya wears in the Naruto series; those are getas.
(8) A Hakama is a type of Japanese clothing, worn on the lower body, that resembles a long and pleated skirt. A good visual would be to look at the uniform that both the students and the senseis wear when practicing the martial art of Aikido.