AM: Here goes chapter 2. Minor spoiler for a minor element here with a question. There will be music said to bring an image to mind as it is heard during this chapter. Sometimes when I am listening to music I get this image in my head of certain things, such as an old record spinning on its player, or a flag flying in the wind, a fishing rod being cast out into the water, small things like this. Does anybody else get these little hints at a mental image when they're listening to music, or is it just me? I chose my categories after posting the first chapter and I want to narrow down one of them. The hurt/comfort in this is mostly dealing with past trauma for the current mc and how he has and does come to grips with the past and made life livable in some way shape or form, as well as passing some knowledge along to those around him when he feels a helping nudge is needed, such as how kakashi passed along the trash and worse than trash from obito. Some things I change are simply because i wanted to see how it'd work out, not everything has some great meaning behind it, the gender change for gaara is one. I don't have any major plans for that currently but may find something interesting to do with it later. A lot of backstories are going to be slightly changed with this story and certain things may or may not be there at all now. I plan to do my best to keep with the base theme of having some form of scientific explanation like with how kimimaro's bloodline ability was based on scientific detail, however not everything can be done with that. I hope to get some reviews with this story for a source to draw inspiration from and or motivation when I need it. Nothing works better than hearing how a certain thing made somebody more interested or happy or sad. Generally I do the most after I read a review or two that make it feel like this isn't a complete waste of time that I could have spent on something else since I do genuinely enjoy writing and thinking up stories. Well I feel like I'm starting to ramble so I'm sorry for that but I feel like a good ramble every now and then is warranted. OH! Before I forget, I'm using word from online and not the base program so when I checked how it came out after publishing it I noticed how none of my indents carried over to the actual chapter and I currently don't know how to fix it but I'm working on that. If I cannot figure this out by the time this chapter is posted, I would greatly appreciate any help my readers would be able to give me since it's bothering the heck out of me that it came out wrong somewhere.
Yang: Animemonk Doesn't own Naruto or most of the things he uses in this story or any story he writes on this site, however he is planning to write his own novel one day.
Warning for explicit language in this chapter.
Chapter 2: A Step Onto the Path
Yang glanced at temari uncertainty before turning his gaze back to what lay in front of him. He gazed at the one of the few massive buildings in town as the setting sun turned the alabaster white walls a rusty red shade. Standing in front of the door was a relatively well built man who would appear menacing to nearly anybody who met him, though by his senses the man couldn't have been more than a chunin in strength if he was being generous.
"Excuse me, is Junmo here today?" Yang asked as he took a step up to the man.
The man looked yang up and down for a moment, sizing him up with full contempt on display, before simply nodding without a word.
"Could you please inform him that Yang is here to see him?" Yang asked as he felt uncomfortable dealing with the situation after being alone in the desert for so long.
The man placed a finger to his ear before muttering incomprehensibly. After a moment his face went pale as he furiously muttered, slowly looking yang up and down as if burning his image into his mind. With an audible swallow the man looked directly at Yang's shrouded face.
"I-it's a p-pleasure to have you visit us. Mr. Junmo is glad that you decided to f-finally take him up on his offer after all these years. Everything is on the house tonight and he hopes you enjoy your night. He is also hoping to meet with you briefly on the second floor if you wouldn't mind seeing him," the man said in a slightly choked high pitch voice.
"Thank you," Yang said as he gently placed a hand on Temari's mid back and led her into the building.
His eyes flicked around the interior of the wide open floor, taking in the bar in back, the dance floor, the small band playing a small assortment of different instruments, and a small fountain recycling water to give a touch of flair. He immediately noted a door off to his left that led to the second floor and guided temari towards it.
"A rule from an old man to a young kid, if you ever take somebody up on an offer such as this, it is not only polite but regularly expected that you meet with your acquaintance that originally made the offer," yang said as he was immediately let through the door by a man who was on the other side.
"I'll be honest here, I didn't actually think you could get us in." Temari said as they walked up the stairs.
Yang glanced at temari before taking in the new smaller room. There was a young man sitting in a large leather armchair behind and exquisite desk with his arms folded as he leaned back as well as an old man clearly nearing the end of his life who sat in a corner on a much less exquisite but comfortable looking plush recliner with his feet up and a glass of water on a small table beside him. Without a second thought, Yang walked over to the old man and gave one of his rare smiles as he held out his hand.
"I'm surprised you're still alive, you old bastard. You look like shit that's about to draw flies, unfit to go into the compost heap,"Yang said as the old man smiled and shook his hand.
"And you look like you finally took a bath for the first time in years after having rolled around in the piss and shit of every goddamned creature you could find in the desert while drunk off you ass," the old man said with a feeble laugh as temari went pale.
"How can you simply walk in and degrade this old man out of nowhere in front of your friend?!" temari shouted in shock.
"Who's the broad? I assume the rug rat is with you since she came up with ya and all, but she's killin me here," the old man said with a frown.
"This is Temari Sabaku, the eldest daughter of the fourth kazekage, as well as my date for this evening. Before you get any thoughts you bastard, im merely treating her for listening to an old man and what little wisdom he had to share when it came to what he's learned in life. Now Temari, the brat behind the desk isn't my friend, never seen that kid in my life even. The about to be deceased sack of shit on the other hand is Junmo. I saved his dumb ass from bandits eighty years ago in the desert. Bastard followed me for a month after trying to make me accept his money for it before he finally took a hint to fuck off," yang said with a caustic smirk.
"Hey now you fucking fossil, it was only seventy three years ago! I'd be over a fucking hundred if it had been eighty! And on the topic of nearly deceased, how the fuck are you still alive? You were an old man back then already, hell you don't look a single damn day older than back then. If anybody's unfit for the compost heap it's you, only explanation how your old wrinkly ass isn't dead yet. The ground won't take ya so you became a fuckin zombie on me didn't ya. And you'll have to excuse my language here young lady, but i didn't come from a well off family as a kid, and now i got one foot in the fucking grave so i don't see any reason to be polite like i was after meeting this old mummy here,"Junmo said with a grin as he slapped his knee.
"Please excuse my grandfather, I fear more and more each day that he has gone senile. All he does is sit in that chair drinking water and eating odds. He always kept saying that today would be the day that the person who saved his life would come to visit. In all these years I never believed it'd actually happen though. Now sir, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Junmo the third and it is truly my pleasure to welcome you to the Oasis. I'm the current owner of this establishment since my grandfather there has retired. I hope you enjoy yourself here tonight and please know that anything you need or want is yours tonight and you'd need only ask and you shall receive," the young man behind the desk said.
"For fucks sake boy, if you prattled on any more both of us olf foggies will be dead before you finish. Look at this fucker here, he's in the golden years of his life with a beautiful piece of ass to hang on his arm for the night. If this fucker died tonight he'd die happy and satisfied as he died a real man's death with such a beauty on his arm. Also, both of us are grizzly old men at this point, all that calm polite bullshit you're shouting is just wasting what little time we got left," Junmo said with a racious laugh.
"I think you need to stop wearing your ass for a hat and clean the cum out of your ears, as i said it isn't like that with her. I brought her here since she listened to me and took a new step in her career as a kunoichi," Yang said with a fierce grin.
"Really? Well then miss truly do excuse my language. Allow me to sing his praises for a brief moment. I didn't get to see much and it was so long ago, but it remains clear to me even to this day. This man is a master of what he does. I've seen jonin that couldn't hold a candle to this man in a fight, what with the way he moves like a flash of lightning to utterly and brutally destroy those that oppose him. This man appeared out of nowhere when i was surrounded by thugs with steel in their hands, ripping them to pieces as if they were made of fucking paper. He dyed the sand red with their blood faster than I could see and then simply tried to walk off as if nothing happened. He didn't say a single god damned word, only looked me up and down for injuries before walking in a random direction. This man didn't just save my life that day, he set a new record. I saw the yellow flash back in the day and let me tell ya, he doesn't even compare to this man you're with tonight," Junmo said as his face lost all traces of joking around.
"Again you'll have to excuse my grandfather, clearly his advanced age has addled his mind. What would such a man even be doing wandering the desert if he had such skill. He would have made himself a fortune in one hidden village or another if he truly had that skill," Junmo the third said sadly.
"Now listen here boy! I may be old and wrinkled now but I know exactly what I saw that day, and I couldn't mistake it for the world, this man is beyond comprehension! Now ya old fuck, now appears to be a good time for you to head on down and enjoy yourself, maybe play some of that shitty music you use to play. I'm going to take this chance to re-educate my ungrate belligerent grandson who can't tell the truth from a horse's ass until he can finally see what's lookin him in his goddamn eyes," Junmo said as he glared at his grandson.
'It's not my place to do this anymore, but if not now, I'll never have the chance again I feel,' Yang thought as his old friend attempted to wave him and Temari away.
"Before I go I just have one last thing to say to you Junmo," Yang said as he went fully serious.
"Alright, but make it brief or I'll keel over before you finish," Junmo said as he briefly looked away from his grandson.
"May kami grant you peace for what time you have left, and look upon your past with an open heart and forgiveness that you may walk upon the path to her sweet embrace in the end of your days. May you be granted a place of rest and relaxation when your mortal coil has failed and your spirit walks free through the halls of the afterlife. May your every want be met when you have found your place in the heavens and rejoined those that came before, and may the times be pleasant as you await those that have yet to come. You were a good man in your life, though your mouth has always been foul. May you be remembered not only by those that you helped to bring into this world, but for generations to come as a man who first brought relief from the troubles of a hard life after having experienced them yourself here in this desert wasteland. In Kami's name I bless you with these boons that even when your journey has ended, you may step once more upon your rightful path,"Yang said softly as he gently placed his hand upon the head of his old friend.
"Funny, I actually feel like that meant something, even if it came from a retarded shit head like you. I may not be into the whole concept of the gods existing or nothin, but thank you Yang, I appreciate the sentiment and what it may mean to you," Junmo said with a relaxed sigh before once more waiving his old friend off to go enjoy himself.
Yang gave one last surly grin before he turned around and led Temari back to the first floor. The moment the door shut behind him, his smile went from a surly old man's smile to that of somebody smiling sadly at times long past.
"What was that?" Temari asked a few moments later once her mind fully comprehended what had happened in the last few minutes.
"Sorry for the language, but old men like him no longer care for subtlety and straight up name calling comes more easily. Seeing how little chakra he has left, and how it was physically dwindling at a slow rate, I doubt he shall last the week," Yang said with a tired sounding sigh.
"Wait, you can tell how long he had left just by looking at him?" Temari asked skeptically.
"It takes more than simply looking at somebody to feel their chakra for almost everybody. There are some dojutsu that would allow that such as the hyuuga clans, however for most people it's easier to feel it than see it if they have the talent," Yang said simply as his hand slipped into his hood to find and gently rub Koneko's fur.
"Okay, I suppose that's something you've learned to feel through your time wandering. How exactly did you meet that guy anyways?" Temari asked as she lightly rested her chin on a fist.
"He explained it pretty well. I found him being attacked by bandits and saved him by killing the bandits. I suppose you want to know how we get to know each other though. He followed me after words saying his pride wouldn't allow him to accept sheer charity. After a month of following me, he ran out of water but refused to stop. I took pity on him in that moment and used my ability for somebody else for the first time. When he saw me create water, he almost dragged me to the nearest town and forced me to meet the leader of the small town. He drew up a contract right then and there that if I supplied fresh drinkable water in X amount, I would be entitled to Y amount of supplies of my choice free of charge. The town leader read over the contract and signed it while doubting I could supply the water in the first place, merely humoring us. When I filled up their reservoir, the man's jaw dropped and I got my first payment of supplies. I chose nothing but dried meats and long lasting bread for the road. I could have easily gotten top of the line premium supplies if I had wanted then, however just this was an unforeseen pleasure for me since I had been eating nothing but what I could scavenge. Snakes, lizards, scorpions, the odd bird, and the few bits and pieces of edible flora that I could find. After that day, Junmo took me around to all the scattered bits of civilization and drew up the same type of contract, leaving suna itself for last as it was his own home. Ever since I have made my rounds of these small settlements once every few months or so, taking only what I needed to survive until the next place needed more water. I remember there used to be a more highly advanced place here in the desert somewhere, but I can't seem to remember what happened to it, though I believe I was there when something went wrong, how odd. Regardless, Junmo is the entire reason that the people of the desert don't have to fear an extreme drought. With that one action he has saved thousands of people throughout the years. He is a hero in every definition of the word," Yang said as he idly continued to pet Koneko throughout his rambling.
"That's actually kind of cool that he did something so important for our nation, he really is a national hero. However, that isn't what I was asking about. I was asking about the weird blessing thing that you did over him. As you spoke I could feel the small hairs across my body stand on end as if somebody was using a raiton jutsu. What the hell was it you did?" Temari asked as she rubbed her forearms as if she could still feel the odd sensation.
"Since people gained the ability to manipulate their chakra they have stopped caring about the gods like they once had. There are a few people still who believe though and can channel the raw power in some form or way. I have a slight alignment to do so, however I am nowhere as good as somebody I once knew. What I did was merely a blessing usually given at a funeral or on one's deathbed to wish them well in their next destination. Most people who do it nowadays simply do so for the peace of mind of the one receiving the blessing and those close to them. The exact thing I did was an old wayman's blessing for those unsure about the next step, wishing them to keep going to true paradise," Yang said as a faint purring started to come from his hood.
"He said you were stronger than a very well known man from the hidden leaf village also, the fastest man alive at that," Temari said as she squinted at him suspiciously.
"Minato Namikaze, the yellow flash. I never fought the man straight up so i couldn't tell you if i am actually stronger than him or not. He did come to the desert once upon a time to learn from me though. I didn't think that knucklehead would ever make such a name for himself though. He had heart though, just didn't know how to stop even once he was weak from exhaustion and starvation as well as low chakra. He'd just get back up and demand I show him this or that again until he finally figured something out. He was talented though, so I'll give him that. He wasn't the smartest man but he did have a talent for fuinjutsu, he even managed to learn some of the infamous Uzumaki formulas. Now THEY were some talented people in the art! I remember it like it was yesterday when Mito challenged me to a challenge using Ignase and finally managed to get a win for the Uzumaki clan for the first time against me. Ah those were the days, back then life was so much more engaging for me, but then that incident happened. If that day hadn't come about, maybe I'd have been visiting the uzumaki when the extirpation happened. I donut i could have single handedly saved them all, but im sure id have at least bought enough time for more than the mere handful that escaped to have found refuge," Yang said as he went from jovial to sad through his reminiscence as his hand fell down to his side, no longer petting Koneko.
"Geeze, it seems like you've been through alot," Temari said as a waitress walked past with a platter of drinks, which Yang swiped one of easily before downing it in one go and setting the empty glass back on the platter.
"With old age comes old problems that can no longer be solved. I think it's about time for some better music though. Koneko, how has your practice on the flute been?" Yang asked absently as he pulled a beautiful wooden flute out of seemingly nowhere.
Koneko jumped into view from Yang's hood, hidden by a small puff of smoke in midair before a young girl with black hair with white tips landed on feet in front of him.
"I've improved somewhat. I could play the ribbon in the wind if you want, it's the only one I can play to full effect currently," Koneko said with a grin as she graciously took the flute.
"I suppose that shall do, I would have liked the dancing water spouts though I know it's more of an expert leveled piece," Yang said as he held his hand out to temari.
"I'm sorry onii-chan, i'll word on that one next," Koneko said before she flitted away like a cat to the band.
"Do you even know how to dance?" Temari asked as she took his hand.
"Look here little miss, i'm not the one who dislocated their hip stretching," Yang said with a grin as he awaited the music, and started to lead temari in a simple dance once it started.
The notes of the flute started out soft, gentle as a breeze. With a short burst of staccato notes it brought to mind an image of a banner, or maybe a ribbon, flapping in the wind. As the music continued it grew louder and more forceful, giving the mental picture of the wind growing stronger and the ribbon snapping about more forcefully. All of a sudden there was a moment of discordance in which you could see the ribbon snapping from the now gale force winds, flying higher and higher through the skies before slowly falling to the ground as the music slowed and finally stopped.
"That's a beautiful type of music," Temari said as a tear traced her face.
"Yes, it is. It's similar to genjutsu, but does not use chakra. Now I believe I'll play a special song tonight," Yang said as he pulled out a small set of hand drums and a simple silver harmonica.
Yang slowly walked over to where the band was currently taking a break and swapped places with Koneko who ran back over to temari.
"You're in for such a treat! Onii-sama hardly ever plays his music anymore even though he's one of the best in the ambush on the mountain," Koneko said happily. (apparently a group of tigers are called a streak or an ambush)
"How rare is it for him to play?" Temari asked curiously as she slightly tilted her head to look down at Koneko.
"I've only ever heard him play for festivals or in remembrance of something, and there aren't that many festivals for our ambush. Everytime he comes to visit though it is technically treated as a festival for us, but he doesn't play at those. OH! He's about to start!" Koneko said happily.
The sound of the harmonica started to faintly be heard, though it sounded more light a light crackling at this point than music. A moment later a few taps at regular intervals was heard from one of the drums and a louder thump from another before the harmonica started growing in intensity. Immediately a fire being tended came to mind from the audible cues. This repeated several times until people could swear it was a bonfire coming from the instruments. Now the drums began to beat out a happier and festive air as people dancing around the bonfire entered the mind. The act of adding more wood became more pronounced as the sound of fire roared. Now a new sound entered from the harmonica without interrupting the sound of flames, the sound of a sole person trying to control the immense blaze that had started. The fire was getting bigger and bigger in opposition to the subtle tempo of a person trying to toss water or something else to dampen the flames. As this progressed, the sound of the sole fighter began to grow tired and haggard before it simply cut out. A moment later it was replaced by what was undeniably the screams of terror from a loud group. A slow tempo on one of the smaller drums beat out the footsteps of a single person, the flames and the screams growing fainter the longer the steps continued before silence reigned for a half second. After the brief rest the sounds of a person sobbing came from the harmonica before slowly fading out. By the time the music was done, there wasn't a single dry eye in the entire Oasis.
"Oh no. Then this means that-," Koneko started to say before Yang simply disappeared, "he's going awol for a bit."
"What was that?" Temari asked as she tried to figure out why the old man she was starting to look up to a bit had run off.
"The fires of war. That's what he named it. It's about an actual time in his life that has led him to where he is now. We won't be able to find him for some time no matter what we do now, it's better to let him calm down and come back on his own," Koneko said sadly.
"It's such a shame, it was such a beautiful song," The weasel around Temari's neck said.
~Yang~
He stepped out of the shadows and approached the door to the top of the village reservoir, easily slipping past what was supposed to be a heavily locked security door as if it wasn't even there. He held a hand over the nearly empty basin and channeled his chakra to his palm, a stream of pure and shining water spouting forth from his palm. In only a few moments the reservoir was filled to within an inch of the platform he was standing on. With the initial job he promised to do done, he flicked his wrist sending water into a shadow at the edge of the platform, soaking somebody that was hiding there, just not nearly well enough to fool him.
"Consider that a warning shot, I am in no mood to deal with whatever plans you may have involving the cloak and the dagger," Yang said without turning around to look at the man.
"And what makes you think I would wish you harm? You are practically the most important person in the desert with the ability to do what you just did," the man said as he stepped out of the shadows.
The man wasn't exactly one to stand out. He wore the basic gear for a ninja of the village once reaching chunin or higher rank. He also wore a near turban-like wrap around his head and face with one end draped over the right side of his face. Below his single black eye was a tattoo or maybe a clan mark that resembled two curving slashes.
"Just tell me who you are, before I simply assume you belong to the cult of the dark light," Yang said firmly as he slowly turned to face the man.
"My name is Baki, and I am about the farthest thing from being a member of the cult of the dark light," Baki said with a fierce grin.
"That tone doesnt help you Baki, it makes it seem like you are indeed a part of some group," Yang said as water coated the tip of his index finger and slowly started to spiral around it.
"I am akin to a priest, though my group doesn't worship a god. I am a member of the believer's of the light's beloved. We usually shorten it to believer's of the light," Baki said as he stared directly into the hooded face of Yang, ignoring the glittering water encompassing his fingertip.
"If you worship no god, who do you pray to then?" Yang asked as he slightly pointed his finger at Baki, ready to release an attack if his answer wasn't satisfactory.
"We worship The Paladin. The man who was born lower than any most nowadays, yet climbed to be the direct prophet of a god. A man who truly loved this world once upon a time, and who fought with all he had to protect it. A man whose teachings have been collected to serve as our holy scriptures. Sadly this man disappeared after saving the world about three hundred years ago according to some mostly long forgotten knowledge we acquired. A man we have been searching for, and who is now standing before me," Baki said with a tone of reverence as he took a knee before Yang.
"Get up you fool, I'm not the man you have been searching for. I haven't been that man for the longest time, and I shall never be that man again as long as I myself draw breath," Yang said as the water around his finger lost all cohesiveness and simply fell to splash on the floor beneath him.
"I believe that still remains to be seen. You don't seem to be having the best time though, how does going out for a drink with somebody who'd gladly lend you an ear sound?" Baki asked as he stood back up.
"I have no money to get a drink currently, and my main provider has cut me off for the next seven days," Yang said simply.
"I never intended for you to pay, it would be an honor to have you accompany me even at my own expense," Baki said with a near reverential smile.
"In that case, I'd follow you into the very pits of hell if it meant I could drink my fill and forget the past even if only for a minute," Yang said as he placed a hand on Baki's shoulder as the two of them disappeared in a small swirl of wind.
They appeared in front of a small building on the very outskirts of the village where there was hardly another building in sight. The place seemed almost deserted with no windows to show anything was living inside, and no sign or other reference that would allow one to even guess this was a place of business. The only sign that this was even taken care of at all was a thin and slightly flaking layer of faded light blue paint.
"Here we are, the red scorpion," Baki said as he took a half step away from Yang towards the entrance.
"You're joking right?" Yang asked as he stared at Baki.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but this place is respectable," Baki said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"I can sense multiple chakra signatures inside, so it being abandoned was never a question to me. What I was wondering is why it's blue," Yang said in a deathly calm voice.
"Oh, that. The owner doesn't like the color red anymore so she chose to paint it blue about a decade or two ago. It's been called the red scorpion since the beginning though so she left the name alone," Baki explained as they began to walk toward the door and stepped inside.
Yang glanced around the establishment and instantly frowned. His right arm made an immediate strike as he reached out and grabbed Baki's arm with more than enough force to bruise him.
"You brought me to a strip club with women whose ages are questionably young as your first choice. Speak quickly or you may never be able to speak again," Yang whispered in a deathly quiet tone.
"This is not a strip club, simply dispel the genjutsu used to keep most people out. I honestly didn't think the genjutsu would even work on you," Baki said through gritted teeth.
Yang glared directly into Baki's eyes before he channeled a small amount of chakra through his body and everything around him changed. It was now a rather dingy but average bar with a single waitress with blue hair moving around to serve people. With a heavy sigh, Yang loosened his grip and ran a short but heavy dose of healing chakra into Baki's shoulder.
"I'm sorry for jumping to that conclusion, and yes in the past genjutsu wouldn't have worked on me to any real extent. However, that is a skill I haven't used in a very long time," Yang said as he sat down at a nearby empty booth.
"It's fine, you got one hell of a grip though," Baki said as he sat down while rolling his shoulder.
"What can I get for the two of you tonight?" The blue haired waitress asked as she walked up.
"I don't know what you have here so i'll simply take whatever you have that is strong and cheap. The stronger the better, but I'd like to avoid making my new acquaintance's wallet cry tonight if possible," Yang said without even glancing at the waitress.
"Then that would be our everclear made from a special cactus found in the desert, and what serving size would you like?" the waitress asked in a nearly peppy voice.
"I don't suppose you have full on flagons here, so if possible I'd like the largest mug you could possibly find. If you don't have any especially large ones, I would gladly provide my own," Yang said as he idly fingered one of the apparent scratches on his left bracer.
"We have a special mug for those who just finished an s-rank mission that should suffice for you sir, and what about you baki? Do you want the same weak margarita as usual?" The waitress asked as her tone completely changed as she looked to baki.
"Actually I'll have a single shot of what he's having," Baki said with a fierce smile before the waitress walked off.
"It would appear you are not a man of liquor then," Yang mused as his eyes slowly darted around the room.
"One should not turn to vice in the face of loss, instead they should face forward and work on themselves so that they may help those who cannot overcome the loss," Baki said as if quoting a book.
"Wait a moment, i think i said that once to a guy after his town was attacked by bandits roughly fifty years ago," Yang said as he eyed Baki curiously.
"You did. The man in the corner who's drinking water was actually that man. He took your words to heart and became a ninja, stopping as a special chunin who exclusively takes on patrols to watch for bandits in the more remote areas so that nobody will have to go through what he did. That one line changed his life and helped plenty of other people," Baki said with a somber smile as the waitress came back.
"Here you guys go!" The waitress said loudly as she set a half full shot glass in front of baki and what equated to a gallon sized mug in front of yang.
"Thank you," Yang said as he met the waitresses eyes and froze.
In a brief moment Yang finally took in everything about his waitress. Her hair wasn't exactly blue so much as aquamarine, and it hung down to about chin length with a light wave in it that caught the low light to make it seem glossy. She wasn't wearing an outfit you'd usually find on a waitress, instead she wore a slightly loose yet form fitting set of basic ninja fatigues complete with a forehead protector tied around her left leg. Her face was rather pleasant, not something anybody would ever complain about but not exactly what most people would rank as a ten either. As for height, she was maybe an inch or two shorter than him, roughly five four. The thing that jumped out at him most though was not her decent looks or even her charming smile, it was her eyes. They screamed of sadness and depression, of hard times and mistakes made. He knew all too well about those kinds of eyes, after all he saw them every single time he saw his reflection.
"Not even going to give me a full shot tonight Kaza?" Baki asked as he looked down at his pitiful shot.
"You're a lightweight baki, and I doubt your drinking partner wants to carry you back to your place tonight," the waitress Kaza said with a mischievous grin that never met her eyes.
"What's your story?" Yang found himself asking without meaning to.
"Oh, you know. Gotta make a living somehow right?" Kaza said with a small chuckle.
"You may say that and your mannerism may match, but I can't mistake the look in your eyes. You've seen some hard times, let me hear them. Maybe I can help," Yang said as he found himself unable to look away from her eyes.
"Unless you can turn back time or raise the dead, there is nothing you can do. Went out on my first c-rank mission for border patrol and had a solo assignment to polish the far signal mirror. Came back to find my whole squad butchered and our supplies gone. Came back traumatized and was told that there was nothing they could do for me. They put me in the damn reserves on minimum pay for unemployment and said if they had a free slot I'd get a new team. That was nearly a year ago," Kaza said as a few tears threatened to leave her eyes.
"If you had the chance to join a team right now, would you?" Yang asked as he felt the muscles of his legs slightly tense.
"Yes, I'd love the chance to honor my fallen friends by continuing as a ninja," Kaza said as the hint of a true smile edged at the corners of her lips.
"What is your full name?" Yang asked.
"My name is Kaza, Kaza Minari. I was trying to learn to be a puppeteer if that helps you," Kaza said as she glanced at a crude puppet in the corner that was very slowly polishing a glass.
Yang stared into Kaza's eyes before he gave a wry chuckle. He grabbed his mug and began to drink the full contents down as if it was water to a man dying of thirst. He slammed the mug down to the table, not a drop spilled or left inside as he gave a fierce grin.
"I am Yang Toshiro, the man who wanders the monk who wanders the sands. I swear upon my name as water bringer to the desert that I'll have you back in a full team before you can see another man drain this mug," Yang said before simply disappearing in a small flurry of mist.
"Baki, who exactly is your friend?" Kaza asked as she turned to find Baki face down on the table with his shot glass turned on its side but empty.
Yang casually stepped out of his mist cloud and stared down a man who had golden sand swirling around him. With a simple wry grin he held up a hand and allowed lightning to jump between his fingers at will.
"I'm sorry Rasa, but you can't beat me in a fight. You may have the ability to restrain the one tail, but youre a very poor match up for me. The very things that are your strength makes you weak to me. Your gold is strong and heavy making it an ideal weapon, however it is a super conductor and lightning is almost like my bread and butter. Now sit down and listen to me carefully, I might as well make this a hostage situation since you so kindly filled the entire room with gold particles floating around," Yang said with a crazy grin.
"You already have my daughter at your disposal, what more could you possibly want?" The fourth Kazekage asked angrily as he willed the gold to condense into a sphere in a corner of the room.
"I have a few small demands i want met, nothing too big i swear," Yang said as the lightning stopped flitting from between his fingers.
"Let's hear your demands then," Rasa said with a frown.
"With pleasure. I want to be instated as a special jonin effective immediately. I have full rights to choose who is on my team, what missions we take, the ranks we are allowed to take, and what they are and are not allowed to learn," Yang said with a smile as he counted off his demands on his fingers.
"So you are threatening me to make you a position that would keep you in the village?" Rasa asked.
"I'll also be outside the normal chain of commands with the right to refuse and and all orders or demands given out by anyone up to and including you and whoever may replace you when the time comes," Yang said as he unfurled another finger.
"I think i can acquiesce to that as long as you make it manageable and not refuse all orders," Rasa said as he internally jumped for joy.
"Good, cause you really don't have much of a choice. Now as for my team, the first will be a genin from the reserves by the name of Kaza Minara," Yang said as he casually sat down and propped his left ankle on his right knee.
"It shall be done, what happened to her was a tragedy. The irony of her situation is that we believe you slaughtered the very culprits two days later when they tried to refill their canteens at an oasis," Rasa said as he started to relax.
"The second is the Uzumaki I brought here some time ago, I don't care what rank they are now either," Yang said as he created a small pebble of water and flicked it from hand to hand.
"Find my Jonin Baki and have him take you to them, then you can decide if you still want them," Rasa said with a shrug.
"Finally I want Temari. I've already seen that she lacks any real development in taijutsu, and that her flexibility is abysmal. However, she isn't afraid to follow orders and try even when it is an extremely difficult task. She attempted to join me in stretches, and didn't give up until she dislocated her hip. Don't worry though, I put it back in place and used some of my medical knowledge to heal it to full usability. She won't even be stiff from it," Yang said simply.
"I'd rather not have you take her as she already has a team," Rasa said slowly.
"Again my good friend, these are demands not requests. You think you made yourself safe by putting the gold away in the corner, but I can still do much more than use it against you. For instance, I could pump this small room full of water, leaving no air whatsoever that you could breathe. In this scenario you are now in a submerged fight against a man who is basically a legend for using water, and also has the ability to let loose bolts of lightning that would then travel through the water as if it were a sentient being to fry you from the outside in. before you argue that i'd be doing just as much damage with that type of attack, i'm not so ignorant as to hurt myself with my own attacks unless it benefits me to do so," Yang said with a devilish grin.
"If You did that you would have the entirety of the village hidden in the sand as an enemy immediately after your head," Rasa said as he felt a bead of cold sweat slide down his back.
"If they couldn't find me at will when i limited myself to the desert, i doubt they could find me if i chose to leave it, besides a little bit of a manhunt against me could be fun. Maybe somebody's descendant would actually find me one day," Yang said with a cackle.
"What makes you believe that you'd outlive everybody?" Rasa asked.
"Once upon a time, there was a man who raised a giant ridge of rock from the sand, forming a shelter from the harsh winds. Upon doing so, he created a safe haven for a nomadic group of people who needed a sheltered area in which to finally put down roots. This group soon became the first residents of the village hidden in the sand, and the man was hailed as a divine blessing. He was rarely seen again, though never seemed to age. He was deemed as a savior and guardian of the people, and was held as a spirit of the sand to grant safety to those lost in the sands. For generations he was beloved until he went missing for a few decades and was forgotten though a similar man appeared later. This man was not remembered. Does that sound familiar?" Yang asked.
"The tale passed down about the creation of suna. It was you then?" Rasa asked.
"Yes, I took pity on poor travelers weary from moving ahead of the winds. Now I will be taking Temari," Yang said with a shrug.
"Fine. anything else?" Rasa asked as he clenched his fists beneath his desk.
"Just one question," Yang said simply.
"What is it?" Rasa asked.
"When was the last time you swam?" Yang asked innocently.
"What?" Rasa asked, confused.
"Swam, you know, the act of swimming in the past tense. Hopping in water and moving around either to reach another side of a river or for recreational activity," Yang said simply.
"I know what swimming is, but this is a literal DESERT. Water is always at a premium here. Very rarely do people even get to take a bath or a shower, that's how harshly we ration water here. People lightly wet a rag and wipe themselves down several times to meet a reasonable level of sanitary living. The last time I even had the chance to do so without it being seen was way back when I first became a Kage and visited the other Kage in a show of goodwill. I didn't even take a full shower then since it was in my mind a waste of such a precious resource. And here you have the gall to ask me when the last time I swam was? I have never been for a true swim in my life due to being born once again in a fucking desert. Are you insane asking a desert man about swimming? Have you asked a man who's been blind his entire life what his favorite color is, or a person deaf from birth about their favorite song? If not, I suppose that's your next goal," Rasa said as the sheer absurdity of the question made him angry for some reason.
"The blind man's favorite color was the chakra of a certain uzumaki, basically a silvery blue, and knew it mainly because he was a super strong sensor. As for the deaf man, he said it was a hard decision before he eventually narrowed it down to one of the Inuzuka clan's main symbolic songs that involved the use of heavy drums. He said that he could hear it in his head just through the vibrations in the ground. Do not limit yourself because of how you were born, rise above and do what you want to and always have wanted to," Yang said with a smile.
"Is there a particular reason you had to ask me?" Rasa asked.
"Of course. I plan to make a giant indoor people in that open area over there that somebody said was only used for mass meetings by morning. It's such a shame that nobody here has the option to learn such a useful skill as swimming," Yang said with a foolhardy grin.
"How the hell do you plan on making a pool in the desert?" Rasa asked, astonished.
"I can turn my chakra into water. I'll create a simple building with a slant styled pool at a gradual gradient from a foot to twenty feet deep. After having made the mold, I'll simply turn a small portion of my chakra into water, a mere thousand gallons should easily do it. Afterwards i'll inscribe the floors with ignase in order to create a self sustaining water filtration and purification cycle to make sure it remains clean and pure enough to be actively used by multiple people for decades to come. Of course it'll need to be charged with roughly a B-ranked jutsu's worth of chakra maybe once a year. Of course if i switched from ignase into demiprimordialetherealtarianism i could make a true self sustaining theorem that wouldn't need any more than the base expelment of the people who use the pool, then collects that to charge a chakra battery to recharge the main script whenever it's needed as detected by a surveillance script added to the edge of the main before the chakra battery. I could also simply create a massive storage seal as well made to selectively only take the pure molecules of water and leave the rest behind to be disposed of by whoever would be put in charge of cleaning it. In that case though, it would be easier to add on a chain disposal script in ignase that would filter such waste into the seal instead with a fuse script leading to an exterior bin where the unwanted waste would then be deposited so only a bin would have to be emptied maybe once a month. What do you think Rasa?" Yang asked as he wrapped up his external thinking of how exactly he would make such a pool.
"I'm sorry but i believe you started speaking some foreign language partway though as i was incapable of following anything past the first mention of ignase. You have completely confused me and i now no longer have the will to even care about the fact you wish to create what would sound to be a massive pool in the middle of the desert where, again, most people go their entire life without so much as taking a full on bath, and tossing them into what equates to a giant indoor oasis that you expect them to use for fun and not drinking or other more useful purposes." Rasa said with a defeated sigh.
"I would have thought a kage would know at least a little bit about the subtle art of fuinjutsu," Yang scoffed.
"I have people for that," Rasa Mutteredas yang disappeared in a thick swirl of sand, leaving a large pile of it in the middle of the office.
'Well I guess this is goodbye to my parade grounds,' Rasa thought as he looked out the window only for his jaw to drop.
Where the stretch of barren sand once stood was now a large rectangular stone slab. As he watched, a massive dome appeared over the slab, rectangular shapes falling out instantly. a half second later there was a dull glint from the holes, a small sign that there was glass there. Finally a large doorway opened in the front of the dome, instantly getting filled by a door.
"Boom, there's a pool," Rasa muttered in shock.
Yang looked at his handiwork from the outside with a nearly sarcastic smile. He idly dusted off his hands as he turned to look at the Kazekage tower and waved happily, not even caring that he knew he wouldn't be able to be seen as a person in the dark from the top floor of the tower.
'Well, the pool is done. I'll have to make a trip to Kumo sometime soon to get some more top quality ink though. I should probably find this Gaara as well. I'll need some sand directly from Shukaku for drying the ink as well. At least I have plenty of acid from the six tails to process the ink to purify it still. Lost track of where they are years ago, granted I haven't left the desert either. While I'm at it though collecting my ingredients, I should pay Iwa a short visit and ask the four tails to heat this ink I'll be getting as I use the acid to wash out impurities. If I can't find Son Goku, I know Matatabi will gladly let me use her flame. Isobu shouldn't care if I asked for some coral to filter either. Honestly, the only one who might give me any trouble is Chomei, but that dist does greatly increase the effectiveness of the ink, wait what am i forgetting here? Oh, I know. Been awhile since i trained anybody, can't forget the very basics now. Now that I'm teaching Temari, it's improper for me to borrow a place to sleep from her. I can't give my students any reason to believe that I owe them, it's far better if I make them feel indebted instead. Then they'll work twice as hard to try to repay their imagined debt to me. That leaves me in a bit of a bind though, nearly everybody I knew personally from this village is either about to die or most likely dead already. Baki was muttering about me being his religious idol earlier, guess i could give some divine providence for a bit by asking to borrow his couch, or his floor if he doesn't have a couch. God, I must be getting old to agree to take on a team of GENNIN of all things. Never trained anybody that weak before in my life, usually they come to me after they have a set direction to work with. I use wood, I want to use my wood to defend and attack. That was very simple and straightforward. I have ideas for stuff, lots of ideas that should be able to cover anything that happens, I also use water. It was harder but not impossible, I had to learn to tone down a lot of my skills to make him believe he created something with my help though. I want to master all the elements so that I can always have a tactical advantage, I find drawing squiggly lines fun. Now that was a piece of work, took him forever to learn earth as well. I want to have a single skill that can make me strong enough to save and protect those that I care about. I want to impress my girlfriend who comes from a clan of sealing specialists also and I got this one cool idea after I saw something. Boy was he stupid, fun to train but still nearly as dumb as a box of rocks. Then there was miss medical, she wasn't too bad until blood became her greatest fear. After her the researcher was a breath of fresh air even if what he learned was borderline blasphemy. They all had a decent power level to start though, these kids won;t have anything. I could convince myself that they are unshaped pieces of clay I get to mold, but I couldn't bear creating more borderline depressing egotistical cynics who think they are gods gift to the world. Besides, I'm retired from that bit now. Maybe I can toss them hints here and there and see if anything happens. Wait, am I rambling here as I plan? Lets see, according to the angle of the moon there and the length of the shadows compared to the position of that star there, i've been standing here for about an hour? Time to find Baki then,' Yang thought as his mind ran away rampantly from him.
He glanced around, not with his eyes, but with his chakra. He found Baki was still at the bar from earlier. He prepared to shushin before his mind asked him a simple question.
'I'm sober right now aren't I? Is that why I actually feel like doing something and saving people, taking on a team and gathering fuinjutsu supplies i haven't bothered with for years. I'll have to drain that mug a few more times before I head off with Baki. I can't stand myself sober anymore,' Yang thought bitterly.
Yang did his most sarcastic salute he possibly could before he vanished in the most subtle shushin imaginable, not even disturbing the sand beneath him
Yang appeared at the table he had left, immediately noticing Baki who was facedown with a single empty shot glass laying on its side. He idly took a seat as he lifted the giant mug that was still sitting there as if awaiting his return as he noticed it was once again full. He glanced between the brimming mug and the waitress Kaza as she made he rounds around the room.
'She guessed that I'd be back and wanted more. She didn't even bother to help Baki though, but if she believed I'd be back then it makes sense since I all but said he's my lifeline. What's your take on this?' Yang thought to himself.
'Do my ears deceive me? Do you actually deign to speak to me after all these years of silence? What happened to turning your back on everything, even what it means to be you? Alright , enough joking. You want me to give my honest opinion? She's weak. She has chakra reserves that wouldn't compare to what you pump into a single decent jutsu. Her body lacks true definition and most likely the high flexibility you adore in others if it can even come close to your own. Her hair is an odd color, and she already proved she hasn't grown out of playing with dolls. Her body is maybe a six out of ten but her personality so far brings her to an eight. She's also vulnerable, why else would she allow herself to spill her guts to a total stranger without even getting tortured? She can read us like a book though, the fact our mug is full and Baki is here is proof of that. She's also getting you truly off your ass for the first time in three hundred years, you haven't done this much since the start of the warring clans. All in all I'd give her an overall rating of dead on arrival compared to us, but that's just against us. Against the average, she might be able to make chunin if she puts in a little work. Honestly if i compare her to temari, she's got better chakra control and spatial awareness. Nowhere near the muscle definition or chakra pool size of temari though. To be fair, I'd rate temari as a chunin level threat, still an ant to us though. Aside from compared to others, I think she might be able to learn alot from us, especially since you trained to use puppets after running into that one girl so long ago,' a voice nearly identical to his own replied in his head as he slowly drained the mug in one pull.
'I agree, and I'm sorry for the silence, old friend. I don't deserve to talk to you anymore, not after what happened.' Yang thought as he idly ran his finger around the lip of the mug.
'You can't be rid of me, we are one after all. You are the surface, I am the depths. The shadow and the light my friend. I wonder if anybody is using our gift of the waterfall as we are to always have an ally with us,' he darker self replied as Kaza walked up.
"I'm glad you're back," Kaza said with a false smile.
"There is a new building where the parade grounds used to be. Our first team meeting will be at noon tomorrow. Be prepared, and welcome back to the shinobi forces," Yang said as he shamelessly searched Baki for his wallet, finally slapping a few bills on the table.
"What? How did you manage that?" Kaza asked as Yang slung Baki's arm over his own shoulder.
"I went rogue. I threatened the Kazekage and he met my demands. See ya tomorrow kid," Yang said before he vanished in a fine mist with Baki.
Yang appeared in Temari's house, startling the woman herself as well as Koneko. He idly glanced at them before laying Baki down on the couch.
"Where the hell have you been, and why do you smell like you've been swimming in a cask of our light wine?!" Koneko shouted at him immediately.
"I went to cool my head, as well as hold up my original deal with the Fourth. I Made a . . . friend along the way. We went to a bar, and as you can see, he drank too much. I personally found a great tasting, relatively strong brew called everclear, and had maybe a gallon of it. Also i threatened the Kazekage, got made a special jonin, created a giant indoor pool, am quickly picking up my team of genin, stepping back into a place where i'll be forced to deal with others somewhat regularly, and now i'm here to crash for a night before picking up my final genin tomorrow. Oh, and temari you are now on my team effective immediately. We meet at the pool where the parade grounds used to be at noon tomorrow. Any questions?" Yang asked simply.
"You're stepping back into the knowledge of people?!" Koneko asked, shocked.
"You made a giant pool in the middle of the desert? Do you know what all we could have used that water for?!" Temari asked, shocked.
"Okay sure, just ignore the part where I threatened the strongest ninja in the entire village. And i don't care about wasting water, i'm literally capable of making a near endless amount of the stuff at will. Also yes, I'm coming back to the knowledge of the people," Yang said with a yawn before he simply leaned against the wall and passed out.
"Did he just fall asleep?" Temari asked, still in shock.
"He probably drank just enough to let him sleep, but not enough to actually get him drunk. We'll question him more in the morning," Koneko said as she padded over to lay in Yang's lap.
"Okay, well i guess i'll try to sleep then if my mind can process what all just happened," Temari muttered before she headed to her room.
AM: I hope you enjoy chapter two. I was planning on introducing the Uzamaki in this chapter, but then I saw what my word count was at. I knew this chapter was going to be long, but with Yang rambling like an old man with his thoughts it ran even longer, though I'm glad it happened. It feels right for somebody who is definitely old mentally to ramble a bit here and now, his mind running off on tangents every now and then. Feel free to share your thoughts and feeling about the chapter and what you think of my character Yang, based on what i hear i may tweak him a bit to fit more of what i'm going for with him for this entry to the story, though i can't wait to being about more of his feelings and stuff as his past is revealed more.
