Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell
Chapter 3: Vitality
I do not own Naruto.
Enjoy!
Two months after Jiraiya had left the village, the trio has been hard at work and their training ground has never been as lively. It took several hours for the trio to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu after Jiraiya had left, and they have been exploiting the benefits of such a powerful technique since then.
"Okay boss, what do we do today?" Naruto asked Naruto.
"Get thirty clones and work on the chakra control exercises, baka! Same as yesterday!" Naruto ordered Naruto, sending him away.
The once lonely and peaceful training ground was now full of life as three-hundred clones were now present. After testing their limits two months ago, the trio found the perfect balance of clones that wouldn't immediately drain all of their chakra at once and had them split up in groups.
Ninety clones were working on regular chakra control exercises, each one adding more experience to the ever increasing control the trio possessed. These clones would only expel at the end of the day, once the sun had set.
One-hundred and twenty others were tasked with practicing elemental chakra, forty clones for each member of the trio. Naruto's worked on Fūton, Shikamaru's worked on Katon and Shino's worked on Raiton. As it turned out, elemental chakra training was extremely difficult for the trio and the reason for that was due to the seals Jiraiya had placed on them. Thanks to the seals, the trio shared the same experience when they would practice their chakra control – well apparently, the same went for elemental chakra training. Although it may sound like a benefit, it was quite the opposite. The techniques used for each individual elemental chakra nature clashed with one another, unfortunately, meaning that the clones had to somehow dig through the experience until they found what worked for their chakra type. To practice with elemental chakra, they used the leaf exercise, where they would each focus chakra on to a leaf in hopes of cutting it (Naruto's Fūton), burning it (Shikamaru's Katon) and finally, wrinkling it (Shino's Raiton). Progress was slow, but that was to be expected.
Off in the sidelines, Yugao was instructing six clones on the tree walking exercise, where the clones had to use their chakra to "stick" to the tree with their feet and walk up and down the trunk. Yugao was happy to report that the clones had little to no problem in doing the exercise and would have them run instead of walk in several days.
The rest of the clones were working on the three basic jutsu Jiraiya had tasked them to complete: Kawarimi (Body Replacement), Shunshin (Body Flicker) and Bunshin (Clone Technique). These techniques were simple to learn and master, even more so due to the vast amount of clones working hard simultaneously. These three techniques were expected to be mastered in a day or two.
The trio's chakra control was impressive for their age, but not unheard of either. It would still be a while before it became something to brag about.
Two months later…
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball!)" Shikamaru pulled the necessary hand signs before releasing a small fireball from his mouth. The ball traveled through the air before it dissipated into nothing.
Naruto laughed. "Great fireball jutsu? More like "meh" fireball jutsu!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Bite me, Naruto. This is hard to pull off."
"Sure, sure." The blonde shrugged.
"Tch. Then why don't you show us what you got?" The Nara challenged the blonde, who then accepted.
"I'll show you, Shikamaru!" Naruto warned before inhaling air and made several hand signs. "Fūton: Kaze no Perretto (Wind Release: Wind Pellets!)" As he exclaimed, Naruto shot three pellets of air that collided with Shikamaru's chest.
Shikamaru looked unimpressed. "Ouch! The pain! You sure showed me, Naruto-sama!" The sarcasm dripped off of his words, sending Naruto on a rant.
Shino and Yugao shared a grin at their teammates' antics.
"Let's see what you have, Shino." Yugao offered.
He nodded before performing several hand signs. "Raiton: Denki Shokku. (Lightning Release: Electric Shock.)" A spark of energy formed around Shino's hands before he pointed at his friends with his index finger, launching the electric current.
"Gyah!"
"Gah!"
The two boys yelped in pain from the small shock.
"Shino!"
Yugao let the boys fight with their pathetic attacks as she looked around the training field. Hundreds of clones were at work, training in various ways. Some were practicing their fighting stances and techniques while others worked on chakra control and elemental chakra practices. Off in the shade, several clones were reading books on who-knows-what, and a few others were practicing their jutsu just like the originals were.
It seemed surreal to Yugao; all the progress that was done thanks to these clones was just hard to comprehend. The trio could perform the jutsu listed in the books, but they only needed practice to get the real results. At the rate they were going at, they'd be finished before Jiraiya returns. She then looked at the clones practicing water walking and was glad to see that they were able to jump on the water without sinking.
Progress was good.
Two more months later (Six months since Jiraiya left)
Yugao was lounging around with the trio as the clones practiced what they needed to do. Normally, she would be against this kind of laziness, but then again, they were technically doing several weeks' worth of training per day.
So, yeah. Yugao shrugged and wondered if Shino had any extra sunglasses she could borrow to relax/supervise better. Instead of asking, however, she decided to check up on their progress.
"So, how goes it with the books?" She asked as a Naruto clone fanned her begrudgingly.
"I now know a little more than half the book." Naruto – the real one – gushed, earning a nod from his friends.
"Same here. Should we increase the amount of clones to work on the book?" Shikamaru suggested, only getting a negative from his sensei.
"Don't overdo it. Besides, half the book is impressive." She yawned as she motioned for the Naruto slave- I mean clone, to fan slightly harder.
"Wow Yugao-sensei, you got lazy." Naruto joked as he accepted the bowl of berries his clone brought.
"I resent that. Don't you know that all this time I have been – Naruto, what… what are you eating?" Yugao turned a pale white as she eyed the bowl of red berries in his hands.
Naruto looked confused. "Berries, why?" He grabbed one and motioned it to her. "Do you want one?"
Yugao slapped the berry out of his hand. "Naruto those berries are poisonous!" Yugao stood up and kicked the bowl out of his hands with her good leg.
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "But I've always eaten these!" He tried to explain casually as he picked up three off of the ground and popped them into his mouth.
"No, Naruto!" Yugao was a ghostly shade of white.
Naruto didn't buy it. He's been eating these berries since he was a little kid and nothing about them was bad. Shikamaru and Shino could vouch for him – even if they never tried one when he offered them one.
The horrified look on his sensei's face when he began to chew worried him though. But the berries were safe to eat, right?
Right.
He swallowed.
xxOxx
The head doctor at the Konohagakure Hospital walked around the first floor, smiling happily at the patients and getting smiles in return. It was a peaceful day inside the hospital; no deaths, no emergencies or shortages of any kind.
He stopped before a crying child and knelt down. "Your father will be fine." He reassured her, causing her to smile back at him. He stood up and walked to the lobby where he chatted with the pretty receptionist.
Calm indeed.
Then the door slammed revealing a Jōnin holding someone the doctor recognized. The purple haired woman looked worried as she looked around in a panic. The doctor hurried towards her.
"What seems to be the problem, miss?" He asked as if to calm her. For an answer, she took out several berries from her pocket. "Oh my…" The doctor sighed.
Those berries were a biological mystery. They were recently discovered (about eleven years ago) by villagers. Animals avoided them, insects would not eat them, when they grew they would fall but would not rot instead they would harden. No use has been found for them.
That is, except for extremely effective toxins.
Ever since their discovery, over fifty fatalities have been reported due to poisoning by consumption of this deadly toxin. As unfortunate as it was, most of these cases were of toddlers who mistook the bright red berry as candy. No anti-toxin has been made for this as of yet.
"Hi doc, how you doing?" The blonde asked casually as he was seated in one of the various emergency rooms.
"I'm doing fine, Naruto." The doctor replied just as casually. He knew Naruto from his father.
'That man's medicine works miracles…' He thought with gratitude. The hospital called upon Keima when there was an extreme shortage on medicine several years back. Keima saved more than a handful of lives that day and did not accept any monetary compensation for his effort.
"So, Naruto, you ate one of these?" He held out the berry.
"Today? About eight of them actually. I've been eating them for years though; I'm fine." He answered back.
The doctor nodded slowly. "You know about toxins, correct?" Naruto nodded. "Then you could identify this?" He asked as he held out a small dish holding a red liquid.
Naruto grabbed the dish and tilted it slightly to see the viscosity of the liquid. "It doesn't have a scent and it flows like oil… it's cohesive…" He showed the doctor as he tilted the dish. "The liquid doesn't leave a drop behind." He raised an eyebrow.
"I'd say this is a neurotoxin. Low quality, but could be crippling if it were in a greater quantity." Naruto concluded.
"Neurotoxin, eh? Tell me then, what would be the effects if somebody were to get afflicted with this?" The doctor asked as he put the dish away on the nearby table.
Naruto thought about it. "Well, when it comes to neurotoxins it all depends on how they are tweaked. Adding certain types of ingredients can change the results dramatically. Just this by itself, with no modifications, makes for a potent toxin that can cause nerve damage depending where it is implemented. If it were to be digested, however, the stomach acid will cause for the toxin to boil, corroding the intestinal wall and then a slow death. With the right modifications, this toxin can be made into a paralysis neurotoxin that can stop movement. Mind if I asked how you got it?"
The doctor rubbed his hands together. "Naruto… that toxin is the result of crushing one of these…" he held up the berry "…and diluting it with half a gallon of water."
The silence inside the room made the rest of the team outside nervous.
"W…What do you mean?"
"The amount that you ate should have killed you, Naruto. It's unbelievable that you can still breathe and have a normal conversation with me."
The doctor began to think. 'There are rumors that the berries were a result of the Kyuubi's chakra that it released when it attacked. Could that have anything to do with this?'
The doctor walked to a cabinet and took out two slips of blue paper. He dipped one into the red liquid and watched as the paper turned a dark red.
"Naruto, this litmus paper is used to determine if a substance is acidic or basic based on its' properties. As you can see, the blue paper turned a deep red when it touched the toxin. It's going to sound odd, but can you focus your chakra onto your hands and then touch the paper?"
Naruto grabbed the paper nervously and gathered chakra.
Several seconds passed before the slip of paper fell on to the floor.
The dark red color of the paper contrasted with that of the white floor.
~ xxOxx ~
"It appears his chakra took the same effect the poison did. It might have been the demon that protected Naruto from getting poisoned and incorporated the poison into his chakra system." The doctor explained to Yugao.
"And the other two?" She asked; the doctor was up to date on their situation. "Is their chakra poisonous too?"
The doctor shrugged. "We tested them and they seem to be in the clear. It appears to just be Naruto. He doesn't know…does he?" The doctor asked sadly and received a negative for the answer.
"Until he does find out, just say it is a bloodline he has."
"Will it do the same for any poison?"
"That I do not know, but I'm assuming you're not really willing to find out, are you?" The doctor asked with a small smile.
She chuckled.
~ xxOxx ~
"So… you have a Kekkei Genkai that… makes your chakra as potent as any poison you swallow?" Shikamaru asked as he began to use body flicker to quickly move across the field.
"That's right." Naruto confirmed as he made about ten Bunshin and ten shadow clones.
"That seems… extremely beneficial." Shino commented as he sparred with one of his clones, demonstrating the kawarimi as a clone hit him from behind.
"Yeah, I just seem to get better every day." Naruto mock-gloated, earning a laugh.
Six Months Later (One year since Jiraiya's departure)…
It was raining again.
The trio was waiting in front of the main gates, each holding an umbrella to cover them from the rain. The expressions they had were mixed. They gripped the handle of their umbrellas tighter before walking away from the main gates.
He still hasn't come back.
~ xxOxx ~
"He did say it could be a year or two, y'know." Yugao sighed as she oversaw the trio sparring with one another in the rain. Her team had been standing by the front gate every day of the month early in the morning only to come back disappointed every time.
"He could write though…" Naruto commented as he caught Shino's fist with his hand and then punished the Aburame with a leg sweep, causing Shino to fall on his back.
"Maybe he can't, Naruto. Who knows what kind of business he's doing right now." Yugao tried to explain as she saw Naruto straddle Shino's waist before delivering several punches to the Aburame's face.
The thunder began to pick up again, as did the rain.
"Knowing him, his only business is at a brothel." Shikamaru half-joked as he ran towards his friends and smashed his knee against Naruto's face; launching the blonde several feet away. Yugao winced when Naruto got on his feet and popped his jaw.
"I do not doubt it." Shino – still on the ground below Shikamaru – commented before he quickly got on his knees and punched the Nara in the stomach, causing the boy to hunch over in pain. Shino stood up on his feet and wrapped an arm around Shikamaru's head before he swept the Nara's legs and pushed forward; slamming Shikamaru's face onto the ground.
"You three sound like worried wives waiting for their husband to come back from a trip." Yugao laughed from her position in the tree above.
"You're one to talk, Yugao-sensei!" Naruto scolded as he drop-kicked Shino in the chest.
"W-What?"
"Naruto is right, Yugao-sensei. Don't think we haven't noticed you hiding near the front gate everyday behind us." Shikamaru agreed as he kicked Naruto's chin, launching the boy into the air.
"Wait…"
"Today you were behind the big tree around the corner." Shino added. He dodged Shikamaru's attacks and parried with his own.
"Hold on…"
"Yesterday you were on the rooftops behind us!" Naruto body slammed Shikamaru onto the ground before getting his ribs punted by Shino.
"Stop…"
"And the day before that you were…" Shikamaru got cut off.
"E-Enough!" Yugao – now thoroughly embarrassed – stopped both the sparring and the conversation before it got any worse; for her and for them.
"I-It's been a while, is all…" She sighed as she looked up at the sky. The rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon.
The team had grown since Jiraiya's absence for the past year. The books he had assigned were all completed simultaneously; showcasing several E-Ranked jutsu that can become stronger once some amount of elemental chakra training has been completed, while the rest of the book gave insights on how to create new techniques using information provided. Thanks to the large amount of clones practicing elemental chakra control every day, the trio was able to channel their chakra's affinity with little to no problem and as such was now in the process of creating their own custom jutsu.
Aside from the elemental chakra, the trio worked on their own individual projects to pass the time.
Naruto had begun three new subjects to master in the last couple of months. The first subject was Fūinjutsu.
Ever since the trio received the seals that blended their chakra pools together, Naruto's interest with the sealing arts skyrocketed. Borrowing books from the ninja library, Naruto had his clones read and memorize every little detail in practice and theory. After he read every book he could find, he had his clones practice the calligraphy required before he had them practice real sealing formulas. Fūinjutsu was difficult in its own right, but Naruto was extremely adept on the subject and thus learned quickly from his mistakes.
Secondly, Naruto began to utilize his newly discovered Kekkei Genkai with his techniques to create some nice possibilities. Naruto's ever growing talent with alchemy has rewarded him with potent toxins that could paralyze, numb, or knock out an opponent quickly. He simply had to ingest one of his toxins and the effect would be implemented to his chakra. Naruto's wind pellet jutsu – now heavily improved since he learned it six months ago – was a prime candidate to abuse his new ability since it could be used from long range.
Finally, Naruto had begun to learn his father's unique fighting style known only by those from the Kizaki clan. The fighting style was unique due to the unpredictable nature it had since there was no real foundation. An attack had to be followed by another, then another, and another, and another. For example, a punch would have to have at least three different follow ups such as a leg sweep, tackle, or headbutt, which in turn would require another three different follow ups. The moves used all depend on the situation at hand. In short, this fighting style is relentless, all out, hyper offensive, high risk high reward. A large amount of stamina, flexibility, agility and conditioning are required in order to successfully pull off this style.
Shikamaru had a unique question when he chose what he should learn: "What can maximize my techniques and my teammates' abilities?"
The answer?
Ninja wire.
Used primarily for traps, ninja wire is extremely durable, resilient and – if need be – sharp.
Shikamaru chose to master this handy tool in order to benefit his shadow possession jutsu, Naruto's toxic Fūton jutsu and Shino's destruction beetles. By confining an enemy inside a web of ninja wire, he/she would not be able to move; leaving them vulnerable to the trio's jutsu. Shikamaru would make clones and have them create intricate webs with him inside where he would then try to find any gaps someone could escape with.
Besides the ninja wire, Shikamaru began to have fun working on his clan's shadow techniques. The Nara clan required precision with their chakra control in order to successfully use their techniques. As of right now, Shikamaru's chakra control was getting better and better every day and to add to his abilities was the higher than average chakra pool he possessed, allowing him to do more than his other clan members. Shikamaru was able to move his shadow more than one hundred feet and was able to hold a shadow possession for nearly half an hour.
There's a certain rush that comes from a well-placed explosion, and Shino discovered that first hand several months ago. After wondering what he should work on in his free time, Yugao suggested the art of making things go boom and got Shino's undivided attention. The adrenaline brought on by an explosion aside, Shino worked with explosives due to how well they mixed with his friend's abilities. After all, a paralyzed or shadow possessed opponent cannot exactly argue with a high powered paper bomb, right?
Right.
Throughout the year, Shino began to feel a side effect from his boosted chakra pool. The swarm inside began to grow at an accelerated rate thanks to the larger chakra supply, giving Shino an unprecedented allowance of beetles at his disposal. An Aburame's swarm has to maintain a certain size; if it was too big it could easily wipe out the host's chakra supply and cause harm, but Shino was different thanks to the seal that merged his chakra pool with those of his friend's. The swarm continued to grow inside, increasing his abilities.
Yugao had assessed them and categorized them by their abilities. Naruto was a close range brawler and staller for his fighting style would make him a force to be reckoned with once he mastered it and his toxins could definitely stall an opponent out.
Shino was a mid-range specialist thanks to his swarm and the explosive support he could dish out once he became proficient with them.
Shikamaru was deemed as a long-range fighter and strategist due to his shadow possession jutsu and strategist once he mastered the use of the ninja wire to trap opponents.
The team would definitely become a force to be reckoned with once they got more experience with their techniques. But as of now, they needed guidance and it was up to her to give it out.
Yugao jumped from the tree and landed before the trio. "All right, I know we were all expecting him to be back by now, but seeing as that is not the case, we will have to wait a bit more. However, this does not mean we can slack off until he gets back; quite the opposite, really." She began to pace before them, crutch still in hand. "I already gave you three my assessment on your abilities and gave you a path you could follow, but I'll say it once more. Naruto, you will work on your father's taijutsu, alchemy, fūinjutsu and everything in between. Shino, focus on your clan's techniques to fully utilize your swarm, work on the explosives as well and don't slack off when it comes to your taijutsu. Shikamaru, you are a long-range fighter so work on your clan's techniques, especially the distance and duration and finally, work more with ninja wire to improve." She took a breath.
"On top of that, you three will need to work on creating your own jutsu. All of that is what we will be working on until Jiraiya returns, understood?" Thunder hammered the sky, illuminating the area with a flash. The trio nodded.
"Then let's get to work." Yugao smiled.
Meanwhile in Hell
"What are you thinking about, Maou-sama?" Fero asked her king as he kept an eye on the champions.
Maou crushed the red gem in his hand, interrupting the visual feed of the training champions. "They'll be strong in due time if they continue along this path, that is certain." Maou shrugged before he placed a hand on his chin, taking the pose of a thinker.
Fero caught herself staring at him. "I-Is something the matter, my lord?" She looked concerned.
'Time is not on our side, Fero. Our people, my subjects, know about the champions' existence and are growing steadily impatient as to why I have not gotten them on our side. Tension is growing and I fear this will not end well…' Maou thought to himself, finding it better not to let Fero know what he knew.
"I am fine." He said with a genuine smile, making Fero smile as well.
'…and another civil war might rise from this…' He thought grimly before he rose from his throne and walked to the outermost balcony. From there he was able to see the entirety that was his realm.
The sky in Hell was a dark purple and always in a cloudy state of a brewing thunderstorm as benevolent as one could imagine. The Underworld, Nether, Hell; these were the names associated with Maou's realm by the humans of earth. Humans lived in the realm between Maou's and Kami's, one side deemed good and the other… deemed a place of malice and evil.
'If only they knew the whole truth…' Maou thought as he gazed at his realm once more, checking the four districts that composed it.
District Maria: The largest district in his realm and was therefore the most populated as it was located snuggly in between the other three districts. Maria was home to his "civilian" subjects – merchants, blacksmiths, townspeople, etc. This particular district was placed in between the others due to the importance it held to Hell, for it supplied the others with supplies, future soldiers and morale.
Maou scanned the district once before his mind began to process the information received. He smiled kindly. "Three billion, four-hundred and twenty-seven million, three-hundred and sixty-eight thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-seven subjects of mine…" (3,427,368,977)
As one might guess, this high of a population might be considered staggering for a single district, but that was not the case in Maou's realm. For, you see, Hell was flat unlike the round earth the humans inhabited. Maria was about the size of two human earths stretched out, and as such, Maria was a vast environment with forests, mountain ranges, oceans, tundra, deserts and the like similar to earth. Of course, the animals were different in appearance and size, but alas, that is to be expected.
Northwest of Maria was one of the other districts: Rosa.
District Rosa: This district was home to one of the three military factions of Hell and was known as the most strategic of the three. Rosa had an approximate population of about 1.6 billion and was the size of a single human earth stretched out. Their planning and coordination was unheard of. Maou rolled his eyes when it came to dealing with members of this district due to their hyper inflated ego and quick wit; always challenging him in political affairs. As it stands, Maou has not lost a single debate with the members of Rosa.
Much to their annoyance.
East of Rosa and Northeast to Maria was District Andrea.
District Andrea: Home to roughly 1.4 billion inhabitants, Andrea is the smallest of the three military districts in population size, but was known as the strongest. Andrea was home to the fiercest warriors in Hell; their ruthless nature and bloodlust shocked foe and ally alike. Maou had no objections with this district, except for their constant demand for war to "test their mettle" or something along the lines of that. Their small population is due to the rarity of their characteristics; not many are born with such sadistic traits and as such, their district was the size of a single human earth stretched out.
South of Maria, Southwest of Rosa and Southeast of Andrea was the third and final military district of Hell; District Maya.
District Maya: The largest of the military districts, Maya houses approximately 2.8 billion soldiers. The location of this district was a strategic decision that was linked to its large population size. The larger military force balanced the distance from the other districts in case an attack occurred from the south. The inhabitants of this district lacked the strategic knowledge that the residents of Rosa had and also lacked the ruthlessness from the warriors of Andrea, but made up for their lack of skills with unmatched power when using magic. Maou enjoyed the atmosphere in Maya, due to the majority of the residents being airheaded, naïve and genuinely kind.
This was his realm; Hell. It has withstood the test of time so far, but every palace eventually falls. For every grain of sand that passes in the hourglass known as time, everything weakens and will eventually collapse.
Fero joined her king on the balcony and placed her hand on his, surprising him. "Don't worry Maou-sama; I will not let your realm go under!" She smiled, exposing a small fang.
Maou nodded. "I… I know."
'Rosa, Andrea and Maya want a war… It is unavoidable, but so soon? This will not end well unless I can satisfy them somehow.'
Maou closed his eyes. 'I need time.'
The wheels are turning with war at the end of the road and only time will tell whether or not bloodshed could be avoided.
~ xxOxx ~
"They're improving, wouldn't you agree, Kami-sama?" Lydia was watching the trio's progress with an interested grin.
"It will be only a matter of time before we get to personally meet them, Lydia-chan." Kami replied before she looked at a map of her realm.
Unlike Hell, Heaven was not separated by districts, but instead was one massive territory. The days were always sunny and the nights were fair; what one would expect from the title Heaven.
Kami sighed.
Kami loved all her subjects, she really did, but some of them… made it hard for her to believe herself sometimes. These subjects were categorized by three distinct groups that attempted to hide their presence:
The Overseers: A portion of her subjects completely convinced that they are superior to the humans of the mid-realm and thus, constantly nagged Kami into letting their organization descend unto the mid-realm and take charge.
The Sacred Blades: Consisting of members from all of the groups, this organization hated – no, detested Hell and all those that associated themselves with it. Wanting nothing less than total annihilation towards Hell, they use their numbers to demand for war. Kami gets annoyed by these the most.
The Rebels: Considering themselves to be a "secret" organization, this group wants to overthrow Kami and take over permanently. This group consists of several important personnel from the other two groups and thus made it the smallest one. Kami found them troublesome, but was not worried. Yet.
The only reason she was not able to disband these groups was due to the fact that the leaders of these groups carried weight in her realm and having them put down would increase the already high tension. Kami cursed the fact that she let these groups establish so many centuries ago.
"The weight a name can carry, huh?" Kami murmured out loud.
"Kami-sama?" Lydia asked with concern.
"It is nothing, Lydia-chan. Just thinking out loud, is all." Kami smiled to reassure her champion.
'I need the champions…'Kami looked back to their training. 'Their names and presence could stop a potential war and allow me to squash these so called "groups" once and for all…'
Kami pursed her lips into a smile. 'I am sorry, my darling little brother, but I can not lose this!'
One could practically hear Maou shudder.
~ xxOxx ~
One year and five months later…
It happened.
As unceremoniously as possible, perhaps, but it still happened.
With a simple greeting, he interrupted their training; leaving the training ground eerily silent. With a simple nod, he confirmed that it was true.
It happened.
Jiraiya came back.
"J-Jiraiya-sensei…?"
"Kept you waiting, eh?" Jiraiya had his arms crossed and was flashing a knowing smile. His team was looking at him with a certain look in their eyes.
"I think we have some catching up to do, don't you think so?" At their nods, he clapped his hands together. "Let's take a break and go somewhere to eat, how about it?"
The restaurant they chose was soon filled with stories and laughter.
For the first time in what appeared to be ages, the rain finally let up.
A/N: Okay! This chapter is over and done with!
Sorry with the late update, but I had college finals that took up my time, then I had to move out of my college dorm… ugh… Anyways…
Next chapter will be the LASTtime skip and will be the beginning of the Wave Arc! You guys excited? Please let me know in the review section!
-TheRedGhillie
p.s. Omake ahead! J
Birthday Surprise! (ft. Shino)
"Fero, what day is it today in the human's realm?" Maou asked as he looked up from a book.
"Today is…" Fero scratched her head "…January 22nd, Maou-sama. Why do you ask?"
"It appears that one of the champion's has his birthday tomorrow." Kami answered Lydia's question.
"Birthday?"
"Yes, one earth year since the day of his birth will pass tomorrow and it is custom to hold a celebration for the event."
"Oh! I almost forgot what that was!" Fero smiled as she remembered the tradition.
Maou nodded. "Tomorrow will be Shino Aburame's birthday and I believe we can use that to our advantage."
"Oh? How so, Maou-sama?"
"Simple, all we have to do is send somebody down to their realm to attend his party. From there, somebody will deliver a gift as a way for him to keep an open mind to our favor…" Kami smiled a little too innocently.
"Who are we going to send, Maou-sama?" Fero asked as she tilted her head with confusion. Maou smiled.
"Get a nice dress tailored, Fero. You have a party to attend."
"Get a nice dress tailored, Lydia-chan! You have a party to attend!"
"Eh?!"
"Eh?!"
~ xxOxx ~
At the Aburame clan grounds the following day…
Fero huffed a breath out as she crossed her arms self-consciously. "They didn't have to make the dress so… daring!" She growled through clenched teeth.
Fero was asked to tailor a dress, but being the warrior that she is, she had no idea on how to sew. She nearly killed the tailor when she was presented the finished product.
A crimson dress that hugged her body and left little to the imagination was her apparel for this "mission" (if it could even be called that). The only reason she actually wore it was due to Maou telling her she looked good in it.
She blushed at the memory.
To not stick out like a sore thumb, Fero had used illusionary magic to trick the clan members into believing she was an old family friend visiting the birthday boy.
Speaking of the birthday boy, Fero was having a difficult time in finding the champion. "Where could he be?"
Someone tapped her shoulder from behind, causing Fero to turn and instantly fall into a battle stance.
"Looking for a certain champion, demon?" Lydia growled as she resisted the urge to stab the woman in front of her. Lydia was wearing a white dress designed to give a look of purity.
Fero glared daggers towards the opposing woman. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"That's my line!" Lydia tapped Fero's shoulder with force, but in doing so she revealed the small white gift bag in her hand. Lydia let out a yelp in surprise before she attempted to hide the bag behind her back.
Fero had a look of surprise before she distanced herself from the opposing champion. After blending in with the crowd, Fero put a hand over her ear and whispered a message.
"Maou-sama I have an emergency here! Lydia, Heaven's champion, is here! Do I engage?"
A few seconds later she received a response.
"Surely you must have anticipated this, Fero." Maou's words echoed in her head. "Do not engage in a fight. Make sure Shino gets the gift and get back here in one piece."
Fero nodded before she looked around once more.
The Aburame clan grounds had been furnished with a variety of tables, lights and chairs with a festive yet reserved atmosphere.
Weird combination, right?
Amongst the Aburame were plenty members of the Nara clan as well; the two families became close due to Shino and Shikamaru's friendship with one another and now both families fancied each other's company.
Fero began to search up for the birthday boy; saying hello to the various Aburame who greeted her while also ignoring the concentrated killing intent coming from Lydia.
After searching for several minutes, Fero finally found Shino at the entrance letting his friends – the other two champions – inside.
Fero paused. 'The three champions together?' She did not plan on meeting them all at once. She looked at the red gift bag in her hand with a frown. 'Is one gift enough?' Her thoughts were cut short when Fero saw Lydia approaching Shino from behind.
Her eyes narrowed before she hurried towards him as well.
"Shino-kun - oof!" Lydia attempted to call out his name but got pushed into the bush nearby by Fero.
Shino, who had his back turned at the moment, heard his name and turned to see an unfamiliar woman standing next to a rustling bush.
"Remember me, Shino-kun?" Fero asked as her eyes began to glow; placing the illusionary magic on herself to try to fool the boy before her.
"…My apologies miss, but I am sorry to say I do not remember making your acquaintance." Shino bowed in respect.
Fero was dumbstruck. Champion or not, illusionary magic was not supposed to be seen through the eyes of a human!
Fero thought quickly. "I-I do not let blame you Shino-kun, we did meet when you were younger." She smiled.
"I see…"
Fero was about to hand the gift over but stifled a cry when Lydia pinched her side.
"Tch… Don't bother the birthday boy (...bitch…)." Lydia whispered the last part as she twisted her fingers, pinching Fero even harder.
"!" Fero inhaled from the sting. "O-Oh you kidder!" Fero elbowed Lydia's ribs hard enough to make Heaven's champion reel back in pain.
Shino was confused. "Are you perhaps friends?"
Fero looked at Lydia.
'Friends with this flat bitch? Hell no!'
Lydia glared at Fero.
'Friends with this demon cow? Fuck that!'
They faked a smile.
"Y-Yes we are! Isn't that right, Lydia-chan?!" Fero slammed her elbow hard into Lydia's chest.
"H-Hai! We are great friends!" Lydia tightened her fingers to make the pinch hurt twice as much.
Shino could tell something was going on but disregarded it. "Please enjoy the festivities. Thank you for coming, Fero-san and Lydia-san." With a quick nod the eleven year old made his way back to his friends.
When Shino was out of ear-shot, the two rival champions broke the close contact and began to massage the pain.
"You bitch, that hurt!" Lydia hissed as she held her hurting chest.
Fero was rubbing her side where Lydia pinched. "Maybe if you had a bigger chest it wouldn't have hurt so much, you flat-chested wench!" Fero's smug look turned into one of agony when Lydia pinched her side again with extra vigor.
"Maybe if the fat from your cow udders were to go to the rest of your body, this wouldn't hurt so much!"
"Fero, do I need to repeat myself? Do not engage Lydia in combat." Maou scolded Fero telepathically.
"Lydia-chan, please refrain from causing a fight with Fero-chan!"
The two champions growled, but nonetheless stopped attacking each other.
"You have no idea how badly I want to strangle the life out of you."
"Don't worry, I understand perfectly."
They growled for a moment before Fero looked coy and asked "So… what did Heaven get for him?"
Lydia scoffed. "Why do you care?"
"I was just wondering. You don't have to be so rude about it, flat-chest."
Lydia growled at the nickname. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it is infinitely better than what Hell came up with, cow udders!"
Before another fight began between the two, Fero stopped to think. "So, you don't know what it is?"
Judging by the way she said that, Lydia realized that Fero was too unaware as to what kind of gift Hell came up with.
"D-Do you?"
Letting their curiosity get the better of them for the moment, the two champions each reached for their rival's gift bag to pick up the gift.
Lydia had picked up a dark red orb with her hand.
Fero picked up a white orb in hers.
"Fero, I suggest you get rid of that item."
"Lydia-chan, throw the orb away quickly!"
The orbs began to radiate a bright light.
The two champions looked at one another before they realized what the items were.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Well, shit."
The champions muttered before the orbs shot them upwards before two silent – but tremendous – multi-colored explosions occurred above the village, lighting up the night sky.
The crowd of people at the party looked at the explosions with awe.
Shibi looked at the explosions as the partygoers clapped at the sight. 'I do not remember ordering fireworks…'
"Perhaps the anti-holy orb was a bit too much…"
"Oops… Did the anti-demonic orb do its job too well?"
Omake End. :)