More Secrets Revealed:
A day later, after my hospital treatment was concluded and I finally got to sleep at home, I woke up with a pressure on my chest. It wasn't a lot of pressure, but it was consistent and it was purring. I had been trying to take up Tenten's advice and figure out a way to control my ability while still in the hospital, now with this new day I was going to try and put into practice a few theories I have. I could not let my ninjutsu training be for nothing, I wanted to remain the blood ninja but I did not want that title to come at the cost of my friends or my own safety within the Leaf.
Waking up to the sound of a weight purring on my chest, I listened to its soothing rhythm before fully regaining awareness, the vibrations echoing into my breath settled the tension in my breathing. I opened one of my eyes, reluctant to disrupt my even rest, concluding that despite the bliss this body in my room wasn't what I had grown to accept. The cat at my chest held its self with an elegance and poise, in structural perfection it almost looked like a porcelain ornament and just as porcelain its intricate charm shattered when I grabbed hold of it in bewilderment and over joyed excitement.
"Kinjo!" I hugged so tightly to the fur that I dishevelled the kempt surface, much to my summons distress and displeasure.
The cat like creature, Kinjo, hissed with remorse for ever having shown himself "Crrrr!" clawing at me with wild abandonment, I let go with trepidation cautious of the ramifications of upsetting a summons.
"Sorry, I'm just so glad to see you. Does this mean my guardians are alright?" It was quite early in the morning; about 2 o' clock, the star dust had yet to leave my eyes. I looked around almost expecting to see my Guardians with the summons, no!? "Where are they Kinjo?"
"I am not here for that child, your questions are of no importance to me" I gulped worrying that these may be the ramifications for upsetting Kinjo, that I wouldn't know where my guardians were and I would lose my link with my summons. "I have a delivery for you" Kinjo turned to reveal a leather purse strapped to his side.
I took the note, I found, out of the leader strapping, it had a seal on it. It was a very odd seal but strangely a familiar one, I couldn't quite remember until I recalled the Chunin exams and the scroll my Aunt wrote in. The seal showed the same markings as the markings around that scroll, the scroll that I could tell was not from the Leaf, it was uniquely my guardians or maybe my peoples seal.
"Kinjo, what is…" Before my sentence could be ended, my summons puffed out of existence, leaving me lost in my room to read the letter alone. I broke the seal and read.
'Arjies.'
'Arjies Ages.'
'Arjies Ages our Nephew'
My Name, The Title, their nephew, these words spun around my mind like a serpent, its venom attacking my central nerves system rendering my senses under its control. The letter, which burnt to a flame while still within my hands, was a trap, a genjutsu message trap! The world around me blanked out into black and a vision appeared, played out to me in word and scene.
In the beginning, The Vanishing Village was only a clan; born from this world as only a few, the wondering winds; an insignificant clans people. They travelled the world to expand on their awareness, often trading and sharing what they knew to better the people they met. They were a clan with a lust for knowledge, but! Some saw this as an opportunity and when a wonderer came to their village to trade in knowledge, they would attack and imprison them. As a result wondering clans people became suspicious of the world around them and because of the great wars and many of their kind vanishing, they became harder and more stern of the kindness they shared so willingly. Over the stretch of time to follow their collective knowledge and ninja arts grew vast and so removed from out of the reach of other clans that they became known as the one hundred impossible techniques; the most difficult and valued skills. During the Shinobi wars a need for such skills became paramount to winning the war, and as such, the wonderers' themselves became a scarce resource.
This went on for many years, and many clans' people and wonderers died, to avoid annihilation the wondering winds clan developed ways of overcoming their extinction throughout the great wars, yet still their numbers grew short. Over many years of such attack, their powers and skills came to proof their love for knowledge, defending them with the kichi forth sight. The kichi(Peril) forth sight told ahead of time the dangers in the paths they chose. This awareness allowed the sense of peril, when a wonderer found a split in their path, they were able to sense the peril found on each journey and determine the safest choice. Through the use of shrouds and mystic arts, they became the Vanishing Village. We still travel the world seeking new arts, but we are a secretive suspicious people now, for we know what perils lay ahead.
Now that you know of our people Arjies, know why we are.
In the Leaf and on missions we are not able to choose our path, which is why the kichi forth sight works in unexpected ways within a village, seeing instead the many possible futures. The kichi forth sight is made for the wonderer, making it weaker and even a hindrance for the ninja who stays at home; reverberating dreams of the impending future, possible futures and your ever encroaching death. The futures we have seen have been grim, although we were unable to see the last invasion we have seen ahead to the new war. We chose this path for you Argies, learn from the leaf while they still value you as a friend, then come to us when you are stronger. Summon Kinjo but be watchful, be wary, be ever constant in your distrust for its will guild as always. Let this be your secret, let no one hear of it, for we are destined to be seers ever watchful of what is yet to become.
…
A day later the young boy Arjies, who was only 12 at the time of the chunin exams, set up traps for a secret meeting and council, just as he did a few months ago in the Forest of death awaiting his guardians return. Now alone, without his Aunt and Uncle to teach and protect him, he realised just how young and vulnerable he is… Sitting in the Forest Of Death, the last place he thought he could feel safe.
While stretching branches strapped with barbs and fastening taut lines of ninja wire strung with Kunai, he let his mind sink into the fact that he was truly alone. That if he was discovered in this secret meeting that he would have no one to fall back on for protection, no place of hiding he could shelter by. He let the day pass into night before bringing himself to this moment, before the summons, he needed to compile his thoughts and rearrange his emotions for the questions he would ask in the dark.
Are they truly spies? Are they malicious as well as strict? Were the tales of my people only a cover, only a lie to the truth that we are from the Land of water, that we are Ninja of the Village hidden in Mist?
'Drifting in mist, wondering in winds' these words he would often hear his guardians utter, how they denoted their secrecy, sounded like code to him now. Those traits of his Aunt and Uncle that made them unique now made them conspicuous.
Drifting in mist wondering in winds, what could they mean? Tsunada said they were an infiltration unit from the land of Mist who were trying to ally themselves with the land of Wind! No I can't believe that my guardians could lie to me about a whole Village, my origins, just as cover. They wouldn't, they didn't have the patients for it, it's not-not possible that they could have cared enough to lie to me, could they?
Argies had waited for the night to pass so that he could compile his thoughts and rearrange his emotions of relief mixed in with shock and joy. His main concern is that his guardians truly are spies for the Mist.
Could it be, is that why they never taught me any ninjutsu, because all their jutsu arts would be uncovered as mist ninja techniques? Why they taught me to develop my own unique skills, because they couldn't risk their mission by revealing any aspect of their true abilities? Mist ninja! Is my gentle breeze just another Mist village technique handed down to me but passed as a clan jutsu instead?
Argies struck his hand to the ground, the summons pattern formed, rings of chakra emanated from the earth before the creature appeared. Kinjo the family summons, the cat like creature yawned before stretching into a bow.
"Young Ages, it has been far too long since my last summons" The summons returned it's self from its stretch, composing its body to sit poised on its hind legs.
Argie's formed his tongue around the words, seeking to redeem his brash embrace that may have pushed aside the summons favour. "Kinjo, I know it is late, but my mind could not deal with what news you may have. It is only until now that I have found the courage to hear what you have to offer, whether it be grave or grand." The young ninja bowed to the poised cat like creature, returning to face the creature once again, feeling his redemption felt.
"I can sense the structures about us, my cat eyes glare with approval for the concealment of this place, but I see another way" The creature purred and looked around, whispers in the wind, fading its senses into the distance it shut its eyes to hear ahead for any intruders near this private place. "A scroll, the book, the parchment. Your Aunt's manuscripts were left behind, hidden, we could not let them fall into a hand that was not of the Ages"
"My, Aunt's, Manuscript" Argies broke the words, not knowing what the summons spoke of, before the thought occurred to him. "The scroll my guardians would not let me see?" He questioned, not truly believing that that scroll could be the same for mentioned item. For he did not believe his guardians would be so trusting of him.
"Manuscript, the scroll sealed with the Ages mark. It holds many secrets, which is why we could not go with it. To fall into the enemies' hand" The cat hissed slightly before glaring at Argies, making sure he understood the importance of this scroll.
"What enemy!? My Guardians, where are my Guardians Kinjo, you would not answer before." The level in his voice rose to the concern, once again worrying to the fate of his guardians.
Leaves blew through and the skies above grew grey and darker still to the sound in Kinjo's whisker lipped words "A secret group of Shinobi, have willingly accepted your guardian's invitation." The words filled into Argies ears but he could not understand the cat's twisted talk until… "They have captured you Aunt and Uncle"
"Captured? Captured! Why are you telling me this only now!" Argies felt his feet leave the patch of earth he had been rooted to, counselled in meeting with Kinjo, but a paw snatched out and cemented them to the earth once again.
"They wish for things, you find your mind not walking so quickly to, that you should learn more of our abilities. Learn from the scroll, before you learn of the truth of your guardians." Kinjo purred and smiled, a cat like grin both vicious and malicious.
Argies considered, his words stuck within his frozen thoughts "…But they are alive?" His face turning red, the venturing for a plain to act, a word to say, grasping for a place to build sense of the summons reason; made his hands reach out to grab the creature like cat.
"Krrrr" The screech from the cat once again reminded him, the summons did not like to be touched, Argies let go from the moaning growl. "Yes, they are alive, how could you doubt that. Your Aunt and Uncle have survived throughout, ALL, the great wars."
"How did they know I wasn't captured?" A question that worried Argies both on his travels and now when he heard what the summons had to say, still a further thought struck him "All the Great Wars?" It was a fact he knew of but one he had only now analysed as odd.
"On the second day of your absents I was summoned to track you down." Argies could feel the soft fur of Kinjo under his cupped hand, the cat like creature enjoyed brushing up against people like any other cat. "A day after I found you in the desert, the companions that kept you showed no intent of hostility towards you" Kinjo's words whispered with purrs and meows. "Your guardians envisioned your return, and having no fear for your loss, did not wish me to interfere with your journey"
"They knew I wasn't captured because of you? The letter makes no mention of them wondering where I was, or if the threat of the this secret group could follow me" This was one of the questions Argies has composed the night before, one he did not think would include a mysterious group, a group that could capture his Aunt and Uncle.
"Yes, they sensed it even before. The bond between guardian and child is great, the seals placed within you strong" Something flickered in Argies head on hearing what the summons said.
"Seals within me?" His words buffered the cat summons away from his hand, the fault not wilfully given up.
"That is not to be told until you developed further in your journey. Drifting in Mist, Wondering in Winds" Kinjo repeated the saying, the words that shut out any wiliness to reveal the truth, making Argies mood sour with resentment and bitter with anger. He knew he would not be able to break that truth from Kinjo, or any other that wasn't already wilfully given, for a summons could not be tortured (he would only disappear, Argies thought dryly to the undertaking).
"What group could have taken my guardians?" Argies thought partly to himself but voiced his mind in hope that it would trigger another mystery that should not yet be told by his summons. "A secret group, of the groups I know of I can only think the Anbu were responsible." In that he only knew of one to begin with.
The Leaf is responsible.
"Do not be so quick to point blame at the Village you reside with!" Kinjo flicked his tale, patting the ground with warning and the air with caution through the meow he growled. "There are many Villages that hold secret ninja and yet more ninja who hold secrets that belong to no village. Your guardians did not grant you this opportunity for you to cast blame for their choices"
"How can you tell me not to focus on who captured my guardians?!" Argies protested, losing the will to remain calm to Kinjo's counsel, he turned away to look at his surroundings. The Forest of death was wilder that day, the 7 days of that exam, now it appeared calm to the upheaval in Argies thoughts.
"Enough of this! If you will not contain your manner within my presents then I will be gone" In a nimble bound Kinjo leaped onto Argies Shoulder to whisper before vanishing. "Search for the manuscript of Ages, you will find it hidden in the hearth of the breads your guardians so loved"
"Poof!"
Argies had been so concerned for where his Guardians might be and what trouble they were in, that he had forgot to request a resolution to his doubt in self 'Are they spies?'. For what was he doing in the Leaf if he was the son of conspiracy, to plot against the place he had grown in, and how could he now defend against accusation when he was uncertain himself.
…
In returning home from my counsel with Kinjo, I found the scroll of Ages hidden in the wood burning stove my Aunt and Uncle used to use to bake their breads. In unrolling the scroll the first thing I saw was a Diagram of the organs in the human body, and illustration of how they were responsible for the 5 main elements of chakra used in all the body's different functions. Like my study of the creation of existence by the Great Kami, I read over the different elements.
Fire
Wind
Lightning
Earth
Water
The Five primary elements that make up all of ninjutsu, but this diagram was different. Instead of the elements I knew, this illustration showed not the primary elements but the chakra generated by the five main organs of the body.
Heart brings forth Fire
Spleen brings forth Earth
Lungs brings forth Metal
Kidneys brings forth Water
Liver brings forth Wood
The Scroll showed so much more of an understanding of ninjutsu then what was taught of us, what was available to use at the academy and in the ninja library. It showed what it meant to uses ninjutsu, how it worked, something that was never expected of us. To know.
Chakra control was a person's ability in reducing the amount of chakra expended and wasted, it was also in maintaining and holding a jutsu as well as supressing and condensing our chakra to hid or maximise the amount we could hold.
What this scroll taught was that the actually execution of ninjutsu was not just in controlling chakra in order to maximise effect, but in that ninjutsu could only be when mixing different elements of chakra within ourselves and though our chakra networks. That our five main organs held these different elements and through controlling and mixing them our organs are responsible for our jutsu arts.
Of course it made sense. How is it that I have never seen this before, that for some reason I just believed using certain hand seals created different effects and somehow I could create an illusion, substitution, generate a force and make something out of nothing.
Hand seals trigger the chakra networks in the body to mix the elements that the organs generate. When two elements are mixed a new element is made, that was what ninjutsu was; a new element. Using chakra a ninja is able to bring this new element out and manipulate it; which is what a ninja technique is.
Further into the scroll I discovered with rapture something I always wanted to learn, Fuuinjutsu! Fuuinjutsu explained could only be done knowing what I knew now. That all that Fuuinjutsu was is a chakra network on paper, mixing the elements within you in order to make the seal work.
It all made sense because from my knowledge I knew that blood limits were just Fuuinjutsu seals placed inside the DNA of a blood line. That Byakugan, Sharingan and all those other hereditary abilities were all just new chakra networks placed inside the DNA structure of children so that their bodies possess a new ability. A new means to mix different elements that their bodies already possessed, which is why they were so afraid of their dead being captured by the enemy and their techniques stolen… because they could be stolen, in theory at in any case.
Further illustrations demonstrated how to write chakra seals. I was just beginning an understanding, sitting down to practise the hand seals alongside the seal drawings, when!
I heard a knock on the door!
…
The morning had just begun when I was handed the map to his home, far out of the inner quarter of the village and instead alone and far away from the other residents. It was very strange for a place of business to distance it's self from its clients.
"Hello is anyone home?" Kunai I hate kids, what could be taking him so long "I know your home so just hurry up and answer your door!"
"I'm almost there just… hang on I was busy." Kunai! Don't tell me he was doing something freaky until I disturbed him, I shouldn't have knocked. 'Almost there?!' Sounds too much like that, but what am I saying his just a dumb brat…hmm tasty. 'hang on', wasn't that what my old sensei used to say when he wanted people to leave him along cause…
In the middle of my thoughts I was interrupted, "Who are you?" the young boy I was assigned to retrieve opened his door, the bottom half of his uniform was missing; pants-less.
"The names Hatari" I bit my lip thinking back to where I was before, in my thoughts.
"And?!" The ninja in front of me stood in his door way like he was trying to block me from entering.
"What are you hiding in there?" I couldn't help the smile that fell on my lips, leaning forward I tried to take a closer look over his head squinting my eyes. 'Maybe there is still something dirty in there'
"Just what are you trying to look at Ms, and why are you here!" The young boy took himself too seriously, I could tell that now. 'Looks like I won't be able to have any fun just yet'
I returned to a straightened stance and squinted at the kid before continuing my mission. "This is a call to duty, you are requested at the Hokage's office immediately for a brief inter-village mission" I let the smile slide onto my face as I licked my lips and cracked my knuckles at my side "and I am your escort, get dressed!"
...
I had to change into something that resembled sleeping attire before the Lady at my door became restless and instead peaked in through a window. I quickly hid the scroll of Ages, and removed my wet pants so that I could perhaps make it seem like I was asleep instead of on a secret council in the wet dew of night. Although it was already far into the morning, the dirt and damp of the Forest Of Death still stuck to my cloths and the quickest solution was to remove them.
It appeared I hoped, that I was still in my sleeping cloths when the Lady showed up to greet me. Usually as a person of my clan's people we slept fully clothed, to greet someone at my door without my pants felt uncomfortable but it was the pretence of normalcy I hid behind to conceal the truth. Anyhow I decided to be fully equipped seeing how I could no longer rely on my blood jutsu arts because of the incident. I made sure to put on two pouches, one with smoke bombs and flash bangs and the other with Shuriken and kunai. I had never used paper bombs on a mission before, so I rolled up a few of those and tucked them into one of the pouches.
The lady I followed was quite an odd looking ninja, I mean not that it was unusually to have an odd ninja. I think Gai sense can attest for that, but she has piecing's. I wonder if they hold some sort of function, does she use them in her abilities or maybe to uhm sense things like hair? Hmm I know that some ninja grow their hair slightly longer because it helps with sensing changes in the wind or sudden movements from the enemy when you can't see them in close combat. Even though longer hair can be a disadvantage in a fight, because an enemy can use it as a holding place and control you, its advantages out way the negative. Do her piercings somehow function in that manner too, because if I were in a fight against her I would instantly see them as an opportunity to cause pain. On each ear she had one piecing with a metal ring on the top and bottom of her ear, one in the earlobe and the other in the cartilage.
"Hmm"
"You better not be staring at my butt, besides we're here"
"What? No!" I looked past her at the Hokage building, it was extraordinarily busy, people were running in and out of it like it was on fire and they needed more buckets of water to put it out. "What's happening here today Ms Hatari?"
Hatari looked off at the Hokage monument of all the previous Leaders of the Leaf, straightening her back an atmosphere of pride emanated from her. "The Hokage is hosting the land of Iron today" and then as easy as clicking my fingers her tone became sarcastic "That is what everyone is so excited about"
…
"Right!" An Chunin officer I had never seen before paced the corridor in front of us, giving orders in preparation for the escort from Iron "I want nothing over looked today; every detail, every angle, every person, every twitch out of place must be carefully watched" he grit his teeth and darted his eyes from left to right at the Chunin on his either side of the corridor. "Don't let your guard down not even for a second" he lunged forward at that and brought up a kunai to the throat one of the Chunin, who Straightened lightly more now with the threat at his chest.
"Yes Officer!" The Chunin barked in response.
Hatari stopped in front of the officer "Hatari second division reporting Sir" She saluted but I caught the hint of distaste in how she said 'sir', maybe it was that she did not like authority or maybe this ninja in particular. I looked up at her in thought of this, not fully paying attention to the Officer who looked down on me.
"Is this your stand by?" The Chunin officer slanted his eyes and raised an eye brow, his statement was slander but yet somehow not only of me. I knew when to shut up, so I remained silent despite how much I want to start a fight right now.
Ignoring the comment Hatari continued "The Hokage mentioned an additional member whom would join my party after my retrieval of Argies." Everything she said was rather formal and neutral, until "Where might he be, Sir?" she added her address of his tile once again, sarcastically if I caught the hint of that right.
"The addition I've assigned to your team is from the Land of Winds" The officer turned to called someone from behind himself "Naoki!" he swung his arm into himself enticing the character I barely recognised.
"Is this your stand by?" Hatari welcomed him with the same slanderous warmth I received from the Officer previously. Naoki who I remembered wearing a Kimono, now wore the standard clothing of a Chunin. It fit to his body quite well, despite it holding the symbol of Leaf instead of Sand.
"Naoki" I bowed slightly "It's good to see you again" Naoki bowed slightly too but remained silent, his expression mute. His reaction made me question the cheery attitude I had today, 'is it really such a good day after all?' I began to wonder if I too should be watching every detail with suspicion, not letting my guard down for a second.
"Right!" looking side to side the officer curtly nodded his head stepping one foot closer to us "You will be the stand by team in case all nine Chunin on guard today are killed" he said under his breath. "Stay alert but don't look it. We want them to think you aren't on duty, secretly watching them from the side lines" The officer stepped back, saluted and went back to his other duties.
I looked around myself wondering if there was more. In the corridor, down the stretch to the Hokage's lobby room, the door was guarded by nine Chunin. Nine Chunin on guard duty standing on either side of the lobby door, the officer that addressed us joined their lines making it ten. He must have excluded himself from dying just out of human nature, unconsciously not viewing his death as a possibility.
All nine Chunin are very tall and the same height, it is a normal tactic visiting countries implemented to make their nation appear stronger and to intimidate visitors or even to impress them; making them seem smaller by comparison.
The Corridor was still much the same otherwise. Windows across the whole arc of the circular passage way, carpeted with only the addition of a length of green carpeting leading to the Lobby, a few large white potted pot plants. Less than the average amount of traffic, cleared out for the guests that would be entering, and then there was us; Three ninja. We were all fully geared which wasn't uncommon and there would be no fooling any outside ninja that we weren't Shinobi, but we didn't look like part of the same unit. We weren't part of the same unit until a moment ago. I shared no real combat experience with any of them, especially not Hatari who I didn't even know the abilities of. If Naoki was trying to voice that this was odd, I think he is right.
I should be very suspicious and on my guard.
…
I have been in the Leaf Village for a while now, almost three months have passed since our mission together; Argies, Gaidra and my master. I didn't ask of it straight away, not looking to cast suspicion or draw regrettable attention, yet I wanted to be added to their mission files of the available Shinobi. Even though I am an ambassador here within the Leaf, I am also a ninja and no matter what I think of the Land Of Fire I am willing to accept coin for honest assignments.
They rejected me many times until presently, I opened up a smith workshop to keep myself occupied but that wasn't enough. Hammering steel kept me fit but what of my ninja tact and my own determination to test myself each at and every opportunity. There was nothing I could do to substitute a real ninja mission to sharpen the wit and strengthen the blade of a Shinobi of Sand.
Still, this mission captured my attention with uneasiness and raised the hairs on my arms. Why without any evaluation of my ability or past missions, am I assigned a guard mission? The summery assigned to me sounded simple enough, guard against what might happen and try and prevent it before it does, yet… There was something more, and intuition that told me there was a thickening in the waters below our bridge and a thinning of the platform we stood on. My footsteps fell very lightly into this assignment, and I was attentive of every creak and crack in my footing. Our task was to guard or guard against the land of Iron, but ambush rung louder in my ear than sabotage. Not from any party attacking the Land of Iron or the Leaf, but instead parties attacking I and the comrades assigned my trap fated mission.
I joint Argies in staring out a closed window at the birds. He was inspecting the blue sky with a perfect reflection of green carpeting on red, the glass window shinning the light off the floor and back into our eyes. An old ninja trick to see without seeing. We could see six of the ten Chunin from the reflection in the glass, when the escorts from the land of Iron passed we would see them too. Argies superior and my superior for this mission straddled around looking casually lost, she must be a spy. She made an art form of it, pretending to look like a clueless Shinobi in need of a guild to wherever she made out to be going. In reality she was better than us in this game, while we only had a single view she could turn her head and look anywhere under her pretence of searching for her destination.
Argies coughed into his hand and silently advised. "Shouldn't you take a different spot?" I thought of it for a second but I couldn't see any place where I could fit in, not as skilfully as our superior. If this where a different type of mission I would be able to use a genjutsu to blend into the environment, although I still didn't have my pencil so even that would make it hard. The fact was I wasn't a shinobi of the Land of Fire and I wasn't a spy, I didn't have the skills for this mission which made me even more uneasy about it. I didn't fit in; I appeared as a foreign ninja even if I wear the uniform of a Leaf Shinobi.
Why was I assigned this mission, and why is Argies here too?
…
Look at them, they have no idea what is about to happen, neither do I but at least I can say I'm expecting it. The land of Iron has never sent a message like this before, and I highly doubt they ever will. Why would they send a map detailing their location? They were able to remain neutral during the Shinobi wars because no one knew where their ninja Village was, they are still neutral unallied even now. It's their advantage, maybe their only advantage. It makes no sense for them to give it up to the Leaf for any reason. No, there can be no doubt, this isn't what it appears to be.
The Land of Iron holds many great warriors with legendary skills particularly in the use of weapons. Their smiths and weapon arts are greatest of all the Shinobi lands. Their warriors well known for their ability to capture, infiltrate and destroy ninja and ninja groups. They are feared for their ability to act alone as an individual land as well as their warriors acting alone in one manned operations. No I have no doubt that this is seriously wrong, they have no reason to be here.
What could the Land of Fire trade in exchange for the Land of Iron's location? Why would the Land Of Iron trade its location when it could trade its valued weapons instead? What would the Land of Fire need the Land of Iron's location for if not war? Why would they knowingly trade something that could cause conflict?
The ruling Kages of shinobi Lands have done everything in their power to prevent wars ever since the balance of the Great wars was decided. Fuuinjutsu was outlawed to create a balance among the rule of clans so that the warring between newly developed Kekkai Genkai would end. The tailed beasts were contained and their power distributed within the Jinchuriki of the 5 great nations. Techniques which were seen as too dangerous or 'unfair' in the eyes of the Great Nations, were marked as forbidden; sealing away suicide jutsu's forever. Smaller Nations each grabbed hold of a diplomatic means of survival. The Land of Waterfalls had a healing slave which no other country could replicate and feared losing it to war. The Land of Snow is rumoured to have a machine that can control the weather, and by its geological location should not be a land covered in snow; they are protected by the fear of suffering climate catastrophe. The Land of Star is situated in lands no one wants to possess, but they are also protected by their strange mystic jutsu's which empower their ninja to fight even after death. Each Nation designated a reason for their existence as an separate land, and so the Land of Iron chose Isolation as its tool for survival.
There would be for no reason cause in disclosing their location now, and no want for them to do so. The Land of Fire could just as easily Decline the offer in order to keep peace. Fearing the annexing of their lands by any land, there could be no possible reason.
While getting detail directions from a guard, I watched them enter from the far side of the corridor. Lined in a five manned team arrow formation, their message bearer in front and guards at the rear, I waited for them to pass by me before I turned to proceed in analyse them.
First guard; no weapons, no armour. Second guard; no weapons, no armour and no utility pouch. Third; no weapons… For a nation known for their weapons I could see none, even their armour was either missing or unspectacular. What is this?
Only their message bearer had a hint of land of iron in the form of his shoulder pads, but in my sight they were more for the use of show then application. As I heavily watched the Land of Iron one of the nine Guards defending the Lobby doors stepped out blocking the door way. The Land of Iron stopped in front of him.
"Move aside we have important business with the Hokage" An escort officer broke from his formation to confront the Chunin in his way. The heavy set of intimidation and growl in the escort officer's broad chest rumbled in the room's open air. "I said move!"
Looking down the Chunin chuckled. "Funny" he said tilting up his head "I was going to ask you to do the same thing" Until now I was unable to see the Chunin's face or the reaction of the other guards, why did it seem like no one was stopping him. It wasn't our job to act until those nine guards were dead, but that face… it was Kabuto!
…
The ninja in the middle of the guards, the escorts and the escort officers, breathed out a thick black smog from his mouth and in an instant all his opposition lay on the ground paralysed. The power of his poison ninjutsu was so strong that their automated response to cough didn't even trigger. Now he stood there smug and casual, bending down to retrieve the scroll from the escorts limp hands.
"Looks like I won't be needing this disguise anymore" In a puff of smoke the purple of the Sound Villages clothing tainted the colour of red and green that matched the insignia of Fire and Leaf. The Leaf Chunin uniform he was wearing disappeared to be replaced just as easily as he put on his glasses. "Augh that's much better" He sharped his eyes to dart them off to his side at the ninja that were approaching. "Looks like my time here is done" He said before Crashing throw a window out of the building, heading up. The three ninja ran to where he was just a second ago, in time to be caught in the two smoke pellets that were thrown from outside in to assist his retreat.
"Kunai!" Hatari cursed extending the noun into something more than its meaning. She quickly turned to grab hold of the officer that handed her her current mission "Why didn't you do anything to stop him!" she held him up with a fist full of his Chunin vest.
"He… he was supposed to address the Iron, inviting them to the Leaf" She shoved the Chunin officer back down not pleased with his explanation after his own orders to be watchful. "You must go after them" the officer strained his voice to press through the paralyses of the poison. "…it is your duty"
"I don't see anyone else around Hatari" Argies the young ninja observed "We should convey a message of alert before leaving on our mission" Hatari glittered her teeth to turn on Argies, she was in charge and it was out of place for Argies to suddenly lead with any advice.
"I'll give you a message of Alert" Hatari jotted down a quick note and pinned it to the wall with a kunai. "Alright head after Kabuto, I'll follow"
"But what about the message?"
"A few flash bangs should do the trick" Hatari smirked "That ought to get the Hokage buzzing"
Argies, Naoki and Hatari fled the scene in search of Kabuto, followed by the sound and blinding light of a deafening repetition in pops. Sirens immediately followed the sound of the turmoil Hatari let behind, as they scattered to try and find a trace of Kabuto.
"Kunai!" Hatari cursed again "He must have changed disguises again, do any of you have a tracking trait?"
…
I looked from Naoki to Hatari, I shook my head too "I don't have any sensory abilities, how do we find this guy then?"
"Ariges!" Naoki called as we flew down from the buildings to settle on one of the lower roof tops. "Do you still have that pencil I gave you?" I opened one of my Chunin vest pockets to the place I kept the artefact Naoki gave me once.
"I haven't used it yet, I was saving it for something special" I handed him the pencil.
"Good, something special just arrived" In a flash of technique and furious hand movements, he drew art into existence. "Meet our tracker" it was a floating eye ball. On closer inspection I saw the eye shift and masses of lead coloured eyes appear, they dripped off the eyeball like tears to finally reveal a crystal orb. Through the orb we could see the collective image of all the eyes that scattered in the air away from the graphite orb. "It's a limited ability, as the eyes travel they dry up their available chakra eventually shrivelling to nothing, but they allow me to see everywhere at once while staying in one place"
"Good job" Hatari jabbed Naoki on the shoulder "but we cannot stay out in the open while your jutsu does its trick, Kabuto could still be targeting us hoping to eliminate any threat"
"What do you suggest?" I asked looking over to the dark corners of overhanging structures, both in weariness from danger posed by Kabuto and in trying to find a place of hiding
"Not a problem" Naoki voiced, turning our attention back to his orb "I've found a ninja with the scroll we are after"
"Already?" Hatari pressed a hand on Naoki's shoulder to glance into his orb "That's the fastest tracking I've ever seen"
"The eyes speed up as they dry out, making them faster and better at their job of picking out the strange" Naoki's stern character perked up to the handling he was receiving from Hatari, maybe her rough housing reminded him of home.
"Where is that?" I pondered out loud, looking into the graphite grey orb "I've never seen it before" The place Kabuto was in, masquerading as a commoner, was dirty and gloomy. It had that shady atmosphere of one of the kind of places you try and avoid being seen in. Wooden flooring, drawn curtains, and beer being handed out by the jug full. The mood was cheered with giggling blushes and long stares.
"Ergh…" Naoki's face lit up "Never mind that he seems to be passing through" We all gazed into the image of the last remaining eye ghosting through this odd establishment seemingly unnoticed. Kabuto must have taken a detour through the crowded building in hope to lose us further, I certainly wouldn't have thought to go searching in a place like that. It is a good hiding spot though, judging by the glow of red in Naoki's face I think if I am ever hiding from the enemy I should go there too… maybe that's what all those men are doing there, and why they all look like Naoki because they are embraced about hiding from their wives?
"I know where that is" Hatari brushed a hand against her cheek wiping an expression, I didn't quite understand, off her face. "Come on we better catch up it's quite far from here, it's at the edge of town" Hatari leapt off but not before looking into the orb to curse under her breath. "Dirty Kunai beaters can't keep it in their pants" She pressed out with attitude. It was an arbitrary insult I hadn't heard before but now I understood that expression; it was a grimace of sorts.
Naoki looked up at Hatari leaping off and grabbed hold of my arm before I was able to follow "I can't move the orb once I've created it, we might lose him and I would have to find him again" I nodded but frowned not understanding what he wanted of me. "I will have to keep the pencil"
"Huh?" I admit I wanted to use the pencil but never did… I shifted my head to the side to see where Hatari was and if we could catch up "keep it I'll just get another from you later when we complete that mission to create your giant weapon, and finally spar together" I half smiled cracking my wrist bashfully at the same time. It was an unusual request because Naoki gave me his ninja tool, it was very heart felt actually. A ninja offering another ninja and in my case an enemy, a weapon, their personal weapon because they wanted me to be stronger. I felt very warm brotherly feelings for Naoki then, I was in the Sand Village feeling very Venerable to attack and he my enemy made me feel safe and strong. In fact it was more than that; he had only one weapon and was being trialled with treason, yet he handed me his weapon and now was within the Leaf completely without a weapon. In a way I was returning the favour, now with him inside the Land of Fire I handed him a weapon so that he too could feel safer and stronger.
We leapt off in pursuit of Kabuto.
…
I chased Kabuto down to the tree lines, although I don't think he has noticed me yet. Without my team I was able to travel much faster unseen, but now in finding Kabuto I cannot engage without the further aid of my squad. It would be unwise for a spy as formidable as him, his abilities are made for his duties. He was able to eliminate those fourteen guards and escorts along with the officer in charge, without any of them sounding an alarm or intervening to interrupt his execution. I am sure I could take him alone, but why would I risk that for the Leaf.
Kabuto looked around himself searching the boarders of his surroundings.
'Has he sensed me?'
Eventually he backed his way up to a tree and pulled the scroll free from where it was protruding out his vestment. He rolled it around in his hand until he found the Tetsukage seal of the Kage of the Land of Iron. Seals designed to be opened only by their intended recipient; I doubt he will be able to open it so what is he doing? Retrieving another object from his vestment, a piece of flint, he crouched down and gathered leaves creating a small flame. Concealing his flame in the early morning air, he let the fires lick at the object he retrieved earlier.
It looks like it's a stick of wax, but what could he be doing with it. Why would he risk staying here long enough to do whatever it is he is doing? The Seal of the Land Of Iron was a lie in a way, they did have a figure as powerful as a Kage but yet he was not a Kage at all. The purpose of the seal was simply, in a way, to follow the standard set by all the Great nations. It was a Fuuinjutsu created to insure no diplomatic messages could be intercepted and changed in order to create wars. The seal was also double purposed in that it could not be replicated by any other than the Kage of the lands it was sent by; written in such a way that the user had to be the authority of the symbol of the land marking it or the seal would sense the deception, and that it could be verified by other Kages to be the seal used by all Kages.
Now I watch Kabuto drop wax over the signet of the Land of Iron, letting the wax cool and coat the Land of Iron's imprint totally. Then retrieving an entirely different item from his vestment, he stamped the seal again. This was something I had never seen done before, could he now open the seal? It was then…
That the rest of my team arrived!
"Kabuto, stop where you are!" I felt a fool for announcing myself, but we could not risk surprising a spy like him. He raised his head before puffing away his disguise.
"I was wondering when you were going to show yourself" He said calmly, pressing his fingers to the lenses of his glasses to adjust them. "But you're too late if you're thinking of preventing me reaching my master Orochimaru" He stood up coolly from the ground, using a foot to snuff out the flames at his feet, he tucked the scroll back into his vest.
"Why do you want the scroll anyway" Argies asked, coming in from the left while Naoki came from the right. I remained dead center.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Argies" I flinched on the mention of Argies name, Kabuto smirked in response to my shock. Was this a setup, was Argies in league with Kabuto.
"Nice try Kabuto" Argies seemed unfazed "My comrades might not know it but I already know how you know my name. You were in the Chunin games, in my opinion you have been spying in the Leaf long enough already… and now your term is over" He wasted no time, throwing off a kunai at Kabuto before he himself revolving around his target to angle new directions of assault.
Naoki likewise initiated combat and it was just left for me to join in. It was a shame really; I enjoyed the conversation and that charming voice, we still didn't know what he was doing to the scroll or why he wanted it.
…
The three casted off kunai at their adversary in purple, but he effortlessly avoided their attack. Moving ever so slightly to the side moments before metal imbedded into wood, or paper bombs set to explode boomed. With one hand behinds his back holding onto the scroll he sealed twice, he was able to elude them as a serpent of dance making its path through the summer grass fluidly like a wavy lance.
When Naoki used paper bombs, Argies would instigate a switch in tact and instead retaliate with flash bombs. Hatari was level headed about her opponent and knew she would be unable to land any harm on him, as an alternative she set ablaze his retreat so that he had to change his tact. The field was alive with groans from felled trees, white light from carelessly thrown flash bombs darted with amateur ease, and fires burnt a new path clearing the green from the valley like a blighted breeze.
No one from the Village behind them called attention to their clash regardless of the destruction and clamour of their skirmish. It was a place demarcated for ninja to practise in privacy and no one was willing to intrude upon the possibility of a new technique gone awry with in the training fields of a Jounin Shinobi. Kabuto the spy ninja had selected his hiding spot with purpose, he did not want anyone to interrupt his escape and he was confident in his ability to outdo trouble.
Quickly he summoned up a substitute, a cadaver body, and vanished into the woods while the three wondered if the body they struck dead was really Kabuto. In discovering he had escaped them again, they chanced not to follow him immediately. Instead Naoki was assigned the duty of Tracking Kabuto Down.
The orb had been written into existence and so the match had been set once again, the charge made anew to find the spy in purple. This time however Naoki added something extra to his creation, he set an eye free with a message to the mission Desk of the Leaf. Their target was far more skilled and his pace set before they were able to follow, but Argies and Hatari knew the Leaf well. They knew there was a bridge ahead of the place to come, to where Kabuto fled. They could not send a message forward to the bridge detailing a spy was on his way, but they could send a message to the Hokage's office to a place that already knew of the events of the infiltration and chase. They knew as well by time Kabuto neared the bridge, he would change his appearance once again in order to pass the bounds without halt.
They were looking for a man with many faces, but they could not afford to lose him on those basics.
…
"We are nearing the bridge now" Hatari called over to me, Argies took to the right and I took the left in case Kabuto tried to flee the trap. My message sent to the Mission desk of the Leaf would have taken it's time to reach them, then for them to send a message to the Bridge… I can only guess that it worked but I have very little doubt that it did.
My pencil arts were greater than any other drawn technique because they came from my passion, my being, from the swath of my heart, my soul and my Harmony. Struggled from the works of my hands, in all my labouring for its creation and my sweat in its imagining, my drawn arts pencilled into existence from my mind's eye I breathed into life. Like Chakra, I fuel my artworks with my emotion, racked from my history, my pain and my sorrows, I pull out what is within me and make my fears, my dreams, my turmoil into tangible graspable reality. What I see, what you see, I grasp out of the shadows that is my mind, bringing phantoms of memory into colour, into dimensional living like an omen of despair I crack your existence with the thoughts in my cognisance. Never more to see her face again I cry in agony with the breath in my lungs for it burns in rage within me, that life stings my soul and stains my heart, my mind sits impaired to stare at beauty and wonder why not that it breaks and falls apart. For I cannot hold within my hand the world which we cherished and loved through time so long and far casted, because you are lost to me my love, my eternal heart…
I struck my pencil into air and chakra flowed from my body as I drew from my pain and sorrows.
…
Disclaimer:
All The characters created by the Author of Naruto belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto every other character belongs to I and those Authors that have lent me their characters.
Do not replicate or reproduce any of my works or the works of the artists that have lent me their ideas, original characters, writings.
All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent from the author. Naruto Belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.