Still getting lots of follows and the like. That's very satisfying.
JigokuShoujosRevenge: Komaru looks interesting, I'll probably use him as a side character if I can come up with an interesting fighting style.
It took a while, but he had managed to give them the slip. For all his years as a ninja, Zabuza Momochi never once ran into a more bizarre collection of weapons. Everything from a flail to a chakra blade was used to try and kill him in one way or the other, the only reason he survived being the fact that he essentially grew up with his own blade, having the edge of experience. When you're assaulted by a thin, barely of age kunoichi who likes swinging a giant warhammer around, you find it fairly difficult to contain your distaste for the situation. In fact, killing someone becomes a very, very tempting action.
At least he got away. If there was any doubt that Haku would hear of his mistake, it was completely gone now. The demon of the Mist made a genin mistake, getting heat on him far earlier than planned. Still, while the units sent after him were more a show of quantity than quality, he did get a good workout in. Perhaps, if the village of kunoichi actually took him seriously, he'd get something worthwhile from this whole cluster-fuck.
Tired, the swordsman crawled into his earth-style shelter, throwing up a healthy amount of cover to hide his presence there. He'd surrounded the camp with an unhealthy amount of traps, meant for both animals and people. If something came within 50 meters of his encampment, it wouldn't go anywhere else, he made sure of that.
Slowly, the fatigue got to the man, sending him into a fragile sleep. As a shinobi, especially one acting alone, you sacrificed a good night's rest for safety. No matter how much you'd appreciate a good nap, you simply couldn't afford something like that. Better tired than dead, or so they say.
He dreamt. They weren't meaningful dreams, meant to reveal something he's been missing, or even the simply chaotic ones that the human mind sometimes used to cover up the fact that it was swamped with information. No, Zabuza's dreams were simply memories. And most of the time, they were memories of a time he thought was better left forgotten.
Back in the day, when the Yondaime Mizukage only gained power, the seven swordsmen were often used as war deterrent. The mere presence of these shinobi would be enough to dissuade potential uprisings, or in the case that the uprising has already begun, to squash them. One particular mission had all seven of them gathered, travelling to the island where the whole thing started by way of barge.
"You're a goddamn cheat, Mangetsu!" Roared the short, yet bulky man known as Jinin Akebino. He was known as the most dull of the seven sworsmen, even though he was the wielder of the deceptively effective Kabutowari, the helmet splitter.
Around him sat four other members: Jinpachi and Kushimaru, two men who had become infamous as the 'heartless pair', as well as Fuguki, the colossus that used the Samehada. On the other side of the table sat Mangetsu Hozuki, who acted as the dealer this round.
"Oh, come now. It's not my fault you don't know how to play. Take a page out of Jinpachi's book. He seems to be doing well."
The short man rolled his eyes, shooting both men a look of disgust. "It's because you're in this together. Everyone knows that Jinpachi is the greediest son of a bitch ever to come out of Kirigakure."
The man in question, one eye hidden under his eyepatch, only cocked an eyebrow. "Careful Jinin, I might take offense to those ungrounded accusations."
"Like I give a fuck!"
Meanwhile, a ways' off, Zabuza Momochi was leaning on the fence, staring into the distance. He never was one for card games, losing his temper all too quickly. Next to him stood Ameyuri Ringo, the sole kunoichi of the sworsmen, and perhaps the most dangerous woman in the hidden Mist village.
"Aww, come on Zabuza-kun... I'm feeling so terribly lonely..." Some men came to call her the black widow, partly due to her reputation as a seductress, partly due to the fact that she used the 'fangs'. Of course, no one in their right mind would call her that directly.
"Get lost." Grunted the man that was known as a demon.
The kunoichi gave him a hurt look, then turned around and walked away. "Alright Zabuza-kun... I guess I'll just have to find someone else to play with..."
At the time, he had only a vague desire to change something about the village. He didn't know that the mission he was assigned to along with his fellow swordsmen was the one that would define his life as a ninja. So much blood was spilled that day... too much.
And Yagura... goddamn Yagura wouldn't listen, wouldn't change. He only listened to that masked freak he called an advisor, and simply kept turning a blind eye to the fact that this way of life would one day surely break the village. The bloodline purges were bad enough, what would happen if any of the other great nations actually decided to mobilize against the Water? Sure, they would hold them off for a while, but soon enough, someone would bring Yagura and the fleet down, and the Mist would be left sitting wide open, bleeding from years of internal strife.
They would all die. The place Zabuza had known as his home would be razed to the ground, occupied by foreign forces that saw it as nothing more than a convenient strategic point. They would know nothing of its' history, of the blood that had shaped it into what it was... of the sacrifices that were made to enforce the peace. Nothing would matter anymore, all of it would be gone, washed away in one last wave of blood and death.
The mission to the island of grey sand was the last one he would take as a member of the seven swordsmen of the Mist. Afterwards, Zabuza would slowly gather supporters, taking meaningless missions such as border and island patrol in order to stay close enough to the village. Over time, he'd amass a respectable fighting force, picking a fight near the Mizukage's palace. He would make a mistake that day, and he would pay for it later with years of exile.
But even then, even on that day on the barge, Zabuza knew that he needed to do something for his village. Something to give meaning to all this fighting. A fight was what he lived for, but not when it didn't have purpose, when the only reason was hatred. A fight out of hatred was barely a real fight...
"Would it not be...inappropriate?" By this point, Haku was ready to grasp at straws. The sheer absurdity of the situation was getting to him. Was the girl that strange due to the fact that the village was so matriarchal? Did the way she was brought up simply prevent her from realizing how strange her claim that they would share a bed was?
"I see no problem. You are my responsibility, after all." The girl said, taking a seat on the bed, slowly taking off her armor and letting her hair down. She had noticeably long hair for a kunoichi...unless she had a way to use that to her advantage. Haku knew of some jutsu that would allow the user to harden and manipulate their own hair as a weapon; in fact, one of Zabuza's former comrades, a swordsman of the mist, used such a technique.
"Could it be..." Haku murmured to himself, coming to the realization that perhaps the whole village had mistaken him for a girl once more. While his androgynous appearance was convenient for infiltration missions like this one, it often created fairly uncomfortable situations.
"You do realize that I am a boy?" He asked, hoping that his guess was correct.
"Of course I do. Most Yuki do look pretty feminine, though. That's what my teacher said anyway. Besides, the interrogation guys mentioned that you are indeed a boy."
Haku sighed. Acting as a shinobi had brought him some truly fascinating experiences, this one pretty much taking the cake. Fighting off hunter-nin was a breeze in comparison to dealing with village nobility...
"Very well. Since it does not bother you, I have no right to protest. I am your guest after all."
The girl had finished taking her armor off, leaving only a bodysuit and standard ninja slacks. Apparently, she was an early bloomer.
"Alright then, let's go do some training. I'm dying to see what that Ice Style can do." She started, standing up and beginning to drag him out of the room and down the stairs, towards one of the many training floors her tower had.
Haku stayed silent, realizing that the best way to complete his data-gathering mission was to play along with the Nadeshiko princess's demands. And besides, he needed to get his training done anyway, why not use it to fortify his cover?
They made their way down the hardwood stairs, descending a couple of stories until a noticeably spacious sparring hall came into view. Exchanging nods, the two teens took positions on opposite ends of the field, slipping into stance. Haku tied back his hair, raising one hand, readying it for eventual hand signs.
"A word of advice, you'll want to dodge."
"While I appreciate the tip, I'm afraid I can't use it."
"Huh?" But before she could continue the conversation, the boy's hands flipped through a series of hand signs, sending water from the sparing hall's pool rushing at her, formed into dozens of what appeared to be sharp needles. Shizuka could only barely catch the words coming out of the Yuki's mouth.
"...of death."
She leapt back, working her own signs, readying the kunai sealed away in her gloves. With a spin, she pumped wind chakra into the weapons, sending them flying at the boy at high speeds and irregular patterns. If he's not going to move, she'll just make him move.
However, before any of the weapons could cross half the field, the boy had already pressed his hands to the ground. "Ice Style: Ice Wall Jutsu."
As expected, a respectable wall of ice materialized from the ground, taking the knives. Most managed to cut in halfway, but not one was even close to actually endangering the boy. He smirked, pushing more water to the girl's side of the field. He'd follow it up with a barrage of senbon, but due to the chain of events that led to this spar, this was obviously not an option.
Shizuka gave a grunt, dodging the water the boy was sending at her. Her situation wasn't too promising, mostly due to two reasons: First off, he's obviously a ranged fighter, meaning that staying at this distance would not only exhaust her more than necessary, but also keep her from trying to bring him down with her hardliner assault. Secondly, she couldn't really get in close; the boy had already proved that he only needs a moment opening to flash-freeze a close-range attacker.
Unless she came up with something quickly, this battle wasn't going in her favor. That much was apparent.
"If I understand correctly, law of Nadeshiko village states that a kunoichi must marry the one who defeats her in battle. Since I am not interested in pursuing marriage just yet, should I surrender?" Although he didn't mean for it to sound like one, his question came out as a taunt. Naturally, this annoyed the kunoichi greatly.
"That's only when she leaves the village to seek a husband! And I'll show you why dozens of boys challenge me every day! Take this!" Another salvo of kunai left her gloves, meeting another wall. However, this time Shizuka used the barrage as cover to get in close, dodging the first reactionary attack, and letting the explosive tag kunai she threw redirect the other one. Channeling chakra into her fist, she readied her assault...
OST: Hinata vs Neji
Yagura sat in his office, leaning against the big glass window. Fuinjutsu of old was used to make that glass into something nearly impervious to damage, so long as it stayed within the array. From that point, he could see most of the village, most of his people, most of the blood...
No, there wasn't any blood now. Now they had peace. All it took to keep that peace was a few clever lies. Lady Ameyuri didn't die to her comrade's blade, but to a sickness. Kisame didn't kill master Fuguki, for Kisame was still doing an undercover assignment abroad. Zabuza Momochi wasn't returning to the water...
Zabuza Momochi wasn't returning to the Water. It was a lie like all the others, but why did this one taste so differently? All lies taste the same, and his tongue had long since lost feeling for their taste. So why is this little lie so hard to swallow and keep down? It was meant to protect the people of the village, to shield them from the harshness of reality. The realities of the world were too dark...too gruesome. The villagers were better off not knowing the truth...
Yes, blissful ignorance. That was what they got, and they were happy with it. Why would this man come back after everyone had all but forgotten him? What business did he have with the Land of Water? Why would he come to disturb peace?
Yagura had worked so hard... He had gotten rid of the bloodlines, eliminating their preference for conflict. He had gotten rid of any unsavory characters with ideas of commerce and diplomacy. The Water was self-sufficient, made that way by the Sandaime, despite the times of war. The Sandaime only ever wanted what was best for the village. He made sure that only the top percentage of shinobi became Kiri shinobi...he spent his life making sure that the village would have peace.
So why? Why would the boy come back after all these years? Was he intending to return the sword, perhaps? The seversword is indeed a valued treasure of the village, and would surely raise morale if it was recovered... but something told him that that wasn't the reason. No, the Demon of the hidden Mist was coming home with only one purpose - revenge.
He walked over to the table, picking up the Mizukage hat and placing it on his head. It soothed him, reminded him of the village. Told him the reason why he was doing all of it. The reason for the blood, for the lies, for the abductions. It told him that everything was going to be alright.
Zabuza Momochi wasn't returning to the Water. A man with no past, no true purpose was coming in his place, wielding his sword and wearing his skin. This was no noble swordsman, no skilled shinobi. This was only a threat to the village's peace, its' stability. As all threats, he would be dealt with... and since he had handed him that sword personally, it was only fitting that he would be the one to take it back.
The Mizukage closed his eyes, withdrawing into his own mindscape, the one place where he could speak with his 'tenant'. It was a wide beach, with waves soothingly rolling against the coast. Off to the side was the giant sand pit in which the turtle sat. It had long since given up on trying to break out; the sand would only keep pouring down, keeping it trapped.
"Hey Isobu, what do you think I should do with him?" The Yondaime wondered aloud, sitting down next to the pit's edge.
The turtle gave no response, only docilely staring up with the one eye it usually kept open. The only sign that it was alive at all was the fact that the shell moved up and down in a steady rhythm. He waited for a response for a while, eventually just letting the subject drop by shaking his head.
"We used to talk. Why don't we talk anymore, Isobu?"
Still the turtle gave no response, this time lowering his eye, staring straight into the sand that had kept it prisoner for decades. It wished to speak, but its' words would fall on deaf ears. The boy was too far gone now... there was no saving him. They would both die serving a mask, a hat. He should have warned him, all those years ago. He did not.
So the three-tails sat in silence, not bothering to spare a glance at its' jinchuriki. Once upon a time, it had had respect for the man who bested him in straight up combat. Then a boy, Yagura had a mind to rival a tailed beast, using weak little jutsu in ways no one before him could ever hope to. What was a simple wave became a devouring tsunami in the boy's hands, a simple coral would be a weapon.
A hooked staff, made from materials attuned to water chakra... a simple tool, but strong...no, versatile enough to bring even him, the three-tailed turtle, down. It was something worthy of respect. He had no such respect for the Yondaime Mizukage anymore.
"Alright then. I'll come at another time." Spoke the boy-in-appearance, standing up and walking away. Soon enough, the darkness had completely covered him, and his presence slowly rose above the eternal beach. The three-tails was alone once again.
"We will die, Yagura... We will die, and it is far too late to try and stop that..."
The light in the Mizukage's office was switched off, signaling the village-wide curfew to begin.
... but the boy was fast. She was used to speed, but this was something completely different. He had not only managed to duck under her blow, he somehow found the time to use another jutsu, freezing her feet to the ground. She was left standing there, stuck between two ice walls, staring into the impassive face of the Yuki refugee. The boy was a few motions away from defeating her.
"Shizuka, princess of Nadeshiko, do you give victory in this spar to me?" He asked, voice as cold and dull as the walls of ice around her. Just what did this boy go through to become something like this?
While she had her pride, she also knew when a situation was completely hopeless. Nodding her head, the girl admitted defeat. With a few quick signs, the boy released all the jutsu he had held, allowing the ice to crack and wear away, turning into water at an unnatural rate. He offered her a hand to help her up.
"T-Thank you..." She muttered, unsure of how to take the small bit of chivalry.
"You have potential, Shizuka. I have no doubt that you will become a worthy leader for your village one day, so long as you find your reason to be strong."
"My...reason?"
The boy nodded, giving her a harmless smile, "Everyone needs a reason to be strong. I, for example, train myself so hard in order to protect the life of those I care about."
She gave a weak nod, leading the boy absently towards the roof. She always liked going to the roof after a training session, and never really bothered on explaining the reason. It was simply...liberating.
A reason to become strong... Was it love? If she found a man to love, would that be her reason? The village held marriage in very high regard, a luxury of sorts, a privilege that only the worthy could enjoy. She could become such a person, couldn't she? She was the daughter of the village matriarch...
Inherited power rung hollow. If she really wanted to be strong, she needed to find and earn that strength on her own, though hard work and diligence. All her name could offer her was the first step on that road, nothing more.
It is because she had never been so soundly beaten before. Even when fighting older shinobi, expressly ordered not to hold back, she would at least get a hit in, if only due to her mastery of the Nadeshiko Style dances... Her inability to lay a hand on him was testament to the boy's skill. For the entire fight, he had only made a couple of steps, while she was jumping and dashing all over the field. Looking back, it must have looked ridiculous, a princess losing so soundly to a simple wanderer...
But the Hyoton was anything but simple, judging from this spar. Forming walls durable enough to stop chakra-enhanced kunai from thin air was an ability she didn't imagine possible. Nothing stopped her wind-loaded knives; they were meant to be dodged.
"I-I don't have a reason. Not yet." She said, her voice missing the tone of pride and status it had carried before. She had forgotten to put on her brave face once more.
The boy gave a shrug, staring at the now darkening sky. "I believe you will find one," he spoke, then left it at that.
No answer came from the princess. She was far too absorbed in her own thoughts.
Giving a silent sigh, Haku excused himself, returning to the training area below. The girl gave him a good warm-up, but he still had chakra to spare, so something more intense was in order. He slowly began working through his hand signs, feeling as the chakra within him changed and expressed itself in different ways with each sign.
This was the starting point. Only by mastering the purpose of each sign could the boy unravel the secrets of the Hyoton bloodline. Only through such diligent practice would he become strong enough to be of use to Zabuza once again.
"Alright... " He murmured, an array of signs coming into view in his mind. The snake sign, the dragon sign, and the dog sign. Those would be the three basic signs. After them came his own instinctive signs, leading up to one of his signature jutsu.
"Ice Style: Thousand Flying Ice Needles of Death."
The air became cold, and light shimmered off of the surface of ice.
They wouldn't admit it, but scientists would never really get anything done without the aid of people they consider inferior to themselves. Oh, they could talk of breakthroughs and revolutionary discoveries, but until his lab is sparkling clean, scrubbed down by the resident janitor, the scientists wouldn't get anything done.
So when the resident janitor of Orochimaru's southeastern lab caught wind of the fact that the boss himself would be coming by, he made sure everything was ready, clean, and in working order. He even took a risk, cleaning the room of that pale looking Kaguya kid the boss seems to like. The boy wasn't amused, but found ignoring the janitor far easier than getting up and killing him. Not that he doubted that he could kill him, mind you; he has seen the boy impale people from across the hallway with those bones of his...
When the boss himself, Orochimaru of the sannin, came to visit, the simple janitor simply had to find out what was the reason of such a sudden visit. He planted himself outside of the laboratory that the snake and the Kaguya entered, and made sure to be as sneaky as possible. He didn't know of the fact that both men had sensed him the moment he leaned against the wall, and that the only reason he was still alive was because Orochimaru admired the man's curiosity.
"...and I simply had to see for myself if the formula would work. It was such an...elegant solution."
"As you wish, lord Orochimaru. Should I drink it in one go?" Asked the less creepy voice.
"By all means."
There was silence for a moment, then the sannin spoke once more.
"I've given instructions to some of the staff to produce the medicine at three day intervals. Should you take it regularly, I believe your body will be able to recover enough for me to once again explore the possibility of choosing you as my next vessel." The snake finished.
Kimimaro was such a loyal subject. Simply because he was at the right place at the right time, he had gained perhaps his most devoted follower. Not for a second did the sannin doubt the Kaguya's claims that his only wish is to serve...
But the little paper airplane was sent with the sole equation required to create the cure for Kimimaro's illness. Outside of that particular case, the information that came with the airplane was useless. Just what angle did the mysterious benefactors shoot for? Was it a message that he should perhaps keep Kimimaro alive, now that his failing body is no longer an issue?
Orochimaru thought long and hard, dismissing the Kaguya and telling him to kill the janitor anyway. While boldness and curiosity is to be respected, stupidity like staying for the entirety of their conversation is to be punished.
As a man in his later years screamed for his life, the sannin made a decision to postpone the assimilation of Kimimaro. Besides, there was a young Uchiha with magnificent Sharingan eyes that needed his attention. All he needed was the right opportunity.
Ok, that's Nadeshiko 2/4 two more like this and the Mist Assassins move on.
I hope you didn't mind the OST insertion. It just goes so good with the scene.
Also, I'm open to suggestions. Anything you'd like to see in this story? Anything you wouldn't like to see? Maybe preferred pairings? Or some gimmicky new ability you think is perfect for (insert character)?
Bear in mind that all suggestions will be thoroughly thought over by the author. Should he see that something the majority of the viewers wouldn't like to happen is a key part of the story, he will still write said part, but will be laughing evilly while doing so.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Do leave a review; I found a convenient way of turning reviews into faster chapters!