(Welcome back! When Team 3 arrives in the Valley Country what kind of reception will they get? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
Team 3 arrives in the Valley Country two and a half days later. A wide open land filled with green grass, wild plants, and rolling hills the country is largely untouched by human hands. There are a number of small villages, but they are many miles away from each other and almost all of them consist of farmers who work the land to survive. The country lives up to its name, as there is are plenty of small valleys throughout the landscape, but the biggest one of all is in the center of the country and stretches for hundreds of miles. It takes the team another half-day to get to the far end of the country where the King's manor is situated. When they arrive they are greeted by the friendly staff and escorted inside the grounds.
"Whoa, this place is huge," comments Sakura as they walk up a stone path towards the main house. Pristine and well-groomed green grass covers the grounds along with an abundant amount of cherry blossom trees. As they come close to the manor she gets the feel for how large it actually is. "I've never seen a home this big," she says awed by the sight, gazing in wonder with her eyes wide.
"It isn't that big," scoffs Jando, unimpressed by the sight, "The Hyuga compound back in the Leaf Village is about the same size. This place just looks a lot bigger because of all the space around it."
"Yeah, but more than one family lives in the Hyuga compound. This is all for the King and his daughter," she counters.
"Look, that is the King up ahead," says Kuroda motioning towards a large man up at the entrance to the main house. The king is very tall and by looking at him anyone could tell, from his large belly, that he lives a comfortable life. Though physically imposing, his gentle and warm face dissuades the idea that he could be in any way dangerous.
"Hello, your majesty," says Kayo, stepping to the front and giving a polite bow.
"Welcome, welcome," replies the king in a large and booming voice.
"We are the team sent by the Leaf Village to accompany your daughter while you are away. I am Kayo Yuhi and this is Sakura, Kuroda, and Jando," she says, motioning to her students.
"I'm so delighted you could come," he responds cheerfully, his face warm with kindness, "Did you have any trouble on the way here?"
"It was an uneventful journey," she murmurs in response.
"Good, good. It is great to have you all here," he says, his voice echoing out for miles, "And I am especially happy they sent you Miss Yuhi. It should be a great experience for my daughter to be in the company of a mature woman such as yourself."
"I look forward to it," she replies with a thoughtful smile.
"Well, why don't I introduce you right now," he says, "Come out and meet your new friends, my daughter."
Slowly the young girl steps forward from behind her father. He is so massive that she was easily able to completely conceal herself behind him. She is wearing a pink-colored kimono decorated with flower patterns and accompanied by a light orange sash. She also wears traditional Zori sandals and holds a white Uchiwa fan. Her hair is a soft black color; pink ties hold it in a pigtail style that reaches down past her waist. Her eyes are a purple/blue color and are filled with curiosity and fascination.
"I am Kyoko, it is very nice to meet you," she says in a formal manner, but with a hint of shyness.
"It is an honor to meet you," says Kuroda as he steps forward to take her hand and kiss it, "I hope we can become good friends in the short time we will be spending together."
"Yes," she replies with a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. She is instantly fascinated with Kuroda because of his looks and his serious yet relaxed personality. She is also surprised by his knowledge of formal manners; having thought before that all ninjas were ruffians.
"Although Princess Kyoko is only a few months younger than Sakura she doesn't seem to be as mature," thinks Kayo as she observes the girl, "It is probably a result of being born into such a privileged family. Judging by all the people we have seen so far, I don't think she has very many friends her own age. Hopefully I can get Sakura to connect with her so that we can build a future relationship like the Hokage wants."
The group walks inside and the King brings them on the grand tour of the manor that takes up the rest of the day. It appears to be even bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. It even comes complete with its own hen house, horse stable, and private hot spring. The last stop on the tour is the living quarters in which they will be staying. Kayo and Sakura each receive their own room; however Jando and Kuroda are forced to room together.
"So what do you think of the princess?" asks Kuroda as he and Jando lie down in their room after dinner.
"Who cares?" responds Jando sourly as he throws himself face first into the pillows on his bed.
"You should, you are going to be spending the next few weeks with her," Kuroda points out.
"I didn't sign up for a mission to babysit a little girl," says Jando.
"She isn't that young, in fact she is nearly my age," comments Kuroda.
"Which makes her two years younger than me," states Jando, "I could care less about her. I need to focus on my training. You and the others can take care of her."
"If that's how you want it," says Kuroda as he turns over to his other side and a smirk shows on his face.
The King remains for another day, but then takes off for his diplomatic mission in the morning. The remaining staff at the manor along with Team 3 and Princess Kyoko wave to him as his majestic horse-drawn carriage passes out the main gate.
"The King is an interesting man," Kuroda comments, "I hope we get to spend some more time with him before we go home."
"Yes, despite the Hokage's information he was not quite what I expected," Kayo nods in agreement, "I think our mission should be quite beneficial."
"My father is the greatest, nicest, most generous man alive," says Kyoko, "There is no one else that can even compare to him."
"Of that I am sure," replies Kuroda, with a warm, gentle smile.
Kuroda is standing in one of the larger and more open rooms in the manor examining an artifact inside a glass case. Other historical antiquities are displayed throughout the room, each with their own particular area of space to highlight their importance. He happens to be looking at a very old katana that seems to be on the verge of falling apart. The brown sheath is discolored and the blade has clear signs of rust. "The Sword of the Farmer," says a small voice coming up from behind him.
"Good morning, Princess," Kuroda replies as he turns around and gives a small bow.
"I bet you are wondering why it is in this room," she says without even looking at him.
"Yes, it does seem out of place considering the rest of the items here," he replies.
"Obviously it does not have a large monetary value, but we keep it because of the significance to our country," Kyoko explains, "It was the sword of the man who united the country hundreds of years ago. It was lost long ago, but found by my grandfather. Our family has wanted to get it restored, but experts have told us that any tampering would only destroy it faster."
"Maybe you can tell me the story of the first king some day," Kuroda says.
"If I feel up to it," she answers coyly, "Anyway, your name is Kuroda right? Where are the rest of your teammates?"
"They are out surveying the area so they can be familiar with everything in case of an attack," he explains, "I'm sure our Sensei has already done it on her own, but I guess she wanted us to practice."
"Then shouldn't you be out scouting too?" she questions.
"I have already finished, so I decided to look for you," he replies.
"You were looking for me?" she asks curiously, her face gaining some pink color.
"If I am going to be protecting you then I need to get to know you better," he responds.
"Well, I was just about to go start on my studies in the library if you wanted to tag along," she says, batting her eyelashes.
"I'd be very interested to see the library of a royal family," he murmurs, not revealing just how excited he is, "I imagine it has books that you can't find anywhere else."
"Yes, of course it does," she states proudly.
"Then lead the way, Princess," he urges.
Over the next few weeks the pair quickly becomes friends. Princess Kyoko takes a liking to him and she stays near him a majority of the time even coming to watch Kuroda teach Sakura a new Jutsu.
"So now that you know all the basics, theories, and strategies it is time to start applying them," announces Kuroda after finishing up teaching the initial lessons.
"Okay, I think I can do it," says Sakura nervously as she stands up and moves towards the center of the field.
"Don't be disappointed if you can't do it the first time. It may take a while to get the hang of it," he warns her, "Just remember to focus on solidifying your chakra."
"Right, just focus on solidifying my chakra," Sakura thinks as she performs the proper hand signs for the Jutsu. Her face scrunches up as she concentrates and gathers the chakra inside of her. "Okay, here I go, Shadow Clone Jutsu!" she announces as a large cloud of white smoke appears next to her. As the smoke dies away the product of her Jutsu becomes visible. "Yes, I did it!" Sakura shouts when she sees the duplicate of herself.
"It was a nice attempt, Sakura," Kuroda chuckles affectionately, from the sidelines.
"Attempt? What do you mean?" she asks, puzzled, "I made a clone."
"Look closer," he says flatly. Sakura scoots closer to her clone and then circles around it for inspection.
"I don't understand, it looks fine to me," she mutters as she turns to examine her creation.
"Haven't you noticed that it hasn't moved one bit since you made it?" he asks pointedly.
"Oh yeah, you are right. Hey, what is wrong with you, clone?" she asks while she pokes it, "Oh no, it is as hard as a rock!"
While Sakura hangs her head in depression Kuroda explains, "You focused on making your chakra solid instead of solidifying it. There is a big difference between the two."
"Awe man, I just made a useless statue," she thinks as she ends the Jutsu and the failed clone disappears.
"Like I said, it may take a while to get it right," he says encouragingly, "Try again."
"Okay, I'll get it right this time!" she says determined to correct her error.
As the days pass by Sakura and Jando spend the majority of their time working on their individual training methods. They both feel the pressure to improve their skills and become more effective in the team. Kuroda advises Sakura in her training or entertains the young princess. Meanwhile Kayo is watching them all closely, mostly as a caring mentor but in Kuroda's case as a suspicious woman trying to figure out exactly what his plans are. The raven-haired woman twists her curly locks of hair around her fingers as she leans up against the wall of the manor in a, slightly hidden, quiet corner of the courtyard.
She watches Sakura from afar as the young Kunoichi tries to master a new Jutsu. Kuroda is nearby sitting in his usual place on the bench watching her struggle and guiding her towards her goal. No doubt that the young prodigy knows his Sensei is around, but he shows no interest in her. His face is an emotionless slate that gives away none of his feelings or thoughts. Kayo stares at him intently, trying to pierce his mind and dig into his secrets.
"Okay let me review what I know and try to see if I have enough information to figure it out," she thinks as she sees him brush aside his bangs and reveal the right half of his face momentarily, "According to his file he showed extraordinary potential when he first entered the academy, but then became the class clown and his grades fell towards the lower end of the spectrum. Then, after the sacrifice of the 7th Hokage, he disappeared into the forest for days and when he returned he got a perfect score on the final academy exam. After that he showcased elite abilities in his Genin test with Raj Fujo. So either something about the death of the Hokage or the days when he went missing caused him to change his attitude and set some sort of plan into motion."
Kayo's attention is drawn away when Sakura screams in frustration as her latest attempt to make a shadow clone ends in failure. As Kuroda gets up to comfort her Kayo continues her analysis, "Part of his plan includes getting people to sign blood contracts that allow him absolute control over them. If he found the contracts or designed them himself is something I'm not sure of. So far Sakura and I are the only ones whom I definitely know have signed the contract, but it is highly possible that the young Kunoichi from the Snow Country did as well. He also did some sort of ritual that transferred a portion of his chakra inside me. If the ritual was included in the contract or something separate I don't know, and exactly what it does also eludes me."
Kuroda returns to his seat and Sakura renews her training efforts. He glances over in the direction of his Sensei but soon returns his attention to Sakura. Kayo swats a bug away from her face and returns to her thoughts, "He also has a barrier inside his mind the likes of which I have never seen. I have never encountered an adult with that level of defense let alone a 12-year-old. Also his ability to defend against Genjutsu is superb, but strangely enough his offensive skills in that area are not even close to the same level. It could be some sort of Kekkei Genkai, but I have never heard of it and since he is an orphan I can't ask his parents about it. When we had our first team meeting he said his goal was to do his part and make sure the world stays a peaceful place, but I don't know if that was a lie or not. So he is highly intelligent, has superb fighting skills, is recruiting subordinates by means of a binding contract, and he has some sort of goal that he wants to achieve. But just what is his goal? Damn it, I just don't have enough information yet. How foolish it was for me to sign his contract just because of my insane curiosity in his mental defenses. I'm a trained Jonin, and I should have known better. But now I have to live with my choice and do everything I can in order to figure out what his plans are."
(A cute Princess, and eccentric King, and a stay in a luxurious estate. Everything looks perfect, but how long can this Utopia last? As always, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)