A beautiful sea-blue fur carpet met her feet as she got off of her turtle themed waterbed and greeted the morning sun from her window. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she let a small, satisfied smile form on her face as she thought about her life, today on her and her friend's 16 birthdays, and how far they've come since those fateful weeks 8 years ago. Those months spent in the outside world, powerless and unable to defend themselves, was worse than any of the training their teachers could come up with, and their senpai, the man that sheltered them, trained them? He was a very aggressive teacher. She still hadn't paid the Mavericks back for what they put them through, and though two were dead, 6 still remained.
Thankfully, those monsters never sent anyone competent into the borders of Tohno Village, and their lackeys were swiftly dealt with, if not by the Shinobi that lived here, but the retired locals that earned the right to live the rest of their days in peace and solitude. It also helped that there was little to no modern technology to be found within their borders, as was designed by the founders of Tohno themselves.
Having been to the city and seen it firsthand, it was like a blast of cold air hitting her directly in the face when she saw her first car. The buildings were bigger than she thought, the night skies were starless, and there were so many people that it was suffocating. Technology had become fully integrated into the daily lives of the outside world, something she'd already known thanks to her various paraphernalia, and the tutelage of the retired Shinobi that lived within the village's borders, but seeing it for herself was intoxicating, and the amenities they had for all ages were so addicting, and these 'cell phones' were so fun to use!
And then Senpai took it all away, instructed them on the dangers of government surveillance, and Tohno Village was just as technologically empty as it was before her and her friend's banishment. That wasn't to say she didn't authorize a few outside luxuries, however, though not enough to severely upend the lives of the residents, or to attract the attention of the Japanese government or the Mavericks trying to find her home once more. And even if the latter organization did find Tohno Village once again, they didn't have Saginata's worms to tip the odds in their favor.
Nachi walked away from her window and to her dolphin themed dresser drawer, crafted by Senpai after she bugged him enough. "Mavericks." She whispered in disdain as she brought out a white-blue frilly dress and beige sunhat. Just the word Maverick made her sick to her stomach, and sadly, it wasn't the rage and anger she should have felt towards those monsters. Her Shinobi group, the Tohno Tengu Shinobi Alliance, wasn't like Senpai's #1 groupie, whose training was unbelievably horrific, enough to let Senpai realize he had the ability to vomit. Little Hyōki-chan would have probably been able to handle what Saginata did to Tohno, but the five of them were just starting out back then. They were naive to the ways of the world, and seeing the flesh of the ones they were being trained to protect warped and bulged….. If what Senpai said was true, then Saginata was being rebuilt at this very moment for the purpose of what he called a 'Boss Rush.' Revenge was going to be quite satisfying.
Her dress was nice and snug on her, and her hat was on her sofa. Her scrolls and weapons were properly concealed on her person, and her decoy money was safely in her sea blue purse. Having fake money on hand was at one point something she considered almost sacrilegious, but when you lived in a neighborhood as pad as Kodama Town, it was a necessity that she hadn't yet learned to cease.
She looked at herself in the mirror as she combed her hair to perfection. Self-consciousness was something she and her friends learned to hate in Kodama Town, but it was mostly Yuyaki that bore the brunt of the bullying they endured. Nachi endured an almost equal amount, because of her blue hair, better than average looks, and the fact people assumed she couldn't see. Oh how wrong they were. She had no idea why she preferred her eyes closed, but it didn't hinder her vision nor did it help her. Even now, with her eyelids shut, she could see herself perfectly fine in the mirror. Skincare and basic body upkeep was easy for a Shinobi to perform once you reached her level of skill. Once you did, your body kept your skin and hair mostly healthy, though it wasn't like you didn't have to put effort to keep yourself looking good, that was silly. And Nachi? She kept herself to an impeccable standard.
Pearlescent white skin tinged with a peachy hue that didn't require an extraneous amount of vaseline or skin care cream like most outside girls, combined with long, waist length blue hair that shined like the water she loved so much. Her figure was modest, at least that's what the dress would make one assume. Her 94cm G-Cup breasts were hidden to look 4 cups smaller, something that didn't stop the occasional snapped bra, but it helped a lot whenever she had to leave the village for whatever reason. After all, a Shinobi's true worth wasn't just determined by their power, but also their cup size. Though that wasn't the reason Senpai gave them design documents to fashion clothes like these. Oh she could hear the words coming out of his mouth right now…
'What do you mean they're just gonna rip off if you get hit?!'
Kumi shrugged as she ate her cereal. 'It is what it is. Shinobi Tenshin's only meant to amplify whatcha got.'
'And by that end, it does nothing to protect your modesty.' Nachi said as she ate a TV dinner, the most expensive thing they could afford at the moment. 'Honestly sensei, I don't understand why you have such a problem with that.'
'You're eight!'
'And?" Kumi's response caused his heat to literally spin 360 degrees, one of the few reminders that he wasn't human. And when he righted himself, his pupils shrunk in horror.' 'Uhhhhh…' And Kumi was frozen in terror like a frightened dog, Nachi realized he may have been getting the wrong idea on how Shinobi culture functioned.
Ah, nostalgia. They didn't even know how to perform Shinobi Tenshin yet, and it perfectly explained his behavior when they taught him all about Shinobi culture. A few explanations later, and Senpai finally had the misconception that the Shinobi world was filled with a bunch of pedophiles cleared up. Good lord, the man was so high strung sometimes.
"Senpai…"Nachi wistfully said to herself with a pleasant sigh. "It's almost-" She frowned, procuring a shuriken in a way that to the outside observer would seem like she made it out of thin air, and threw them at the wall to her right using her left hand. "That wasn't a very good hiding spot." She warned. "I suggest you reveal yourself, now." She had a hint that was far too easy, as if her voyeur wanted to be found.
"Hohohohoho, you've grown a lot, Nachi-san!" She was proven right as a very familiar elderly man in green robes appeared in front of her. "In more ways than one!" And who wasn't even pretending to look her in the eyes.
"Hanzō-sama." Nachi greeted like how Senpai greeted those greasy high schoolers that looked at them weird the first time. "How nice to see you….." Hattori Hanzō, one of the most prolific ninja in recorded history, and one of the strongest humans on the entire planet. "...Why are you here?" And the one person you don't say no to if you want to keep living. "In my room?"
"I'm just here to test the anti-Maverick defenses X-kun laid out." Hanzō chuckled at the shock on her face. If she ever opened her eyes, they'd be as wide as dinner plates. "Do you seriously think I haven't learned about the Mavericks?" He let out a laugh before sighing in resignation. "It's been a rough few years in the political sphere…" He sat down on her sofa, without her permission mind you, though her irritation gave way to worry as she saw the look of resignation on his face. "For you, those weeks hiding from the Mavericks had to be the worst moments of your life. For me, it's every day." He pulled out a scroll and activated, bringing out a glass table from the scroll's confines with six familiar, slithering friends that nearly made Nachi scream. They were massive, as big as her thumb, obviously metallic, and leaking a disgusting looking black liquid. "They were nowhere near you village, fortunately, but they're all over the surrounding cities."
"Saginata…" Mav-002, Reflex Saginata, the Maverick who took control of their village, and nearly succeeded in gift-wrapping the entirety of Tohno to the still unknown Akunin faction they work for. "How many of my men were infected?" If he was showing her this, then that meant the Shinobi she sent to the outside world were compromised.
"More than this." Hanzō answered, Nachi flinching at the uncharacteristic anger emanating from the man. And she nearly had a heart attack when he told her the full amount of infected Shinobi. "There were thirty-three infected Shinobi in total, ranging from ages 12-16. These were the only ones I could safely extract from their hosts without killing them."
"..." Well..this…this was… "This isn't it, is it? You have more to tell me?"
"Sharp as a tack, you are." Good lord, he looked so tired. "Three days ago, there was an attack in Kodama Town's red light district. There were over 360 casualties, and the energy signature was reminiscent of Zennin chakra." He shook his head with an angry smile on his face. "I almost fell for it, if our blue friend didn't give me the proper technology to weed out their little schemes that is"
"So it wasn't a terrorist bombing…" It didn't take long for the news of what happened on the Neutral Border Town to reach her ears. As the leader of a Shinobi Village, Nachi had ways of learning these things. "Then if that's the case, then it could only mean one thing.."
"An Energen blast." Nachi bit back a curse. Those robots were the only ones stupid enough to do something that brazen, and powerful enough to get away with it. "According to the scanner, it was a Type-C blast, reminiscent of what the device called a 'Maverick Hunter MAC-22 Artillery Cannon. But given how big those things are, I expect the source of the blast to be something smaller."
"A Buster." Nachi brought out her stress money and began squeezing it tightly. "Are you sure you weren't followed?"
"If I was, then they'd be searching in the wrong place." The stress of dealing with those machines may have weakened his body, but he wasn't going to be outwitted by their dropout Shinobi trackers. "I took a big risk coming here, and the reward is 100% worth it."
"And that is?" It was also pertinent to note that since this conversation began, the legendary Super Ninja had not once looked at her chest, and was staring her face to face.
"It starts with our Nukenin ally getting here." He said, holding up his finger. "As for the 2nd…" He held up a second finger, and gave an eager smile. "The return of our blue friend."
Nachi almost opened her eyes. "Senpai.." It couldn't be! "But how?"
"I have my ways. Interdimensional magic is a risky endeavor, but the things he shared with me made it very easy to contact him and get the ball rolling! I just need your half of the ingredients, and he'll be here by 12 today!"
"I.." Nachi's heart was beating a mile a minute. "Can I..can I-"
"Yes, it's safe to tell your team. By the time the sun rises, we should be ready for the transfer!" Nachi nodded dumbly and quickly left the room. And once he sensed her presence was far enough away, Hanzō leaned back and exhaled, letting out all the pressure that had been building up in him for the past three days. He may have exaggerated the ease in which he evaded the Mavericks. With three of their numbers down and the technology to rebuild them fully not being available to them, they had become far more aggressive, and with their technology supplanting their meager ability in the art of Ninjutsu and other arcane arts, it was getting harder for him to move around freely. It was only a matter of time before they fully integrated a Shinobi's chakra control into their soldiers, and when that happens…
'No.' That wasn't going to happen. Getting the Mavericks off of his trail while he returned to his world was hard enough, and hiding Tohno Village was even harder. And to save not only Japan, but the entire world, they were going to let the Mavericks know that Mega Man X was not only alive, but they were also going to find out where Tohno's exact location was. This was going to be the fight of a lifetime, especially if a Feraloid General was called in, which it 100% would be. "I hope you five are ready." Saginata was traumatizing to those girls when they were children, and what the other generals lacked in psychological and physiological terror, they made up for it in brute, overwhelming force. By the time the sun rose, either the Mavericks would be repelled, or everyone in this village would die, and X's body would be hand delivered to Eratoeir.
Either way, this was the end of Tohno Village as it was.
