Welcome one and all to a new fanfic by yours truly! This is something I've actually wanted to write for a while and I hope you all enjoy it.
It was a little past midnight. Minako checked the time on her watch. The operation would begin in ten more minutes. She couldn't afford to mess anything up and so, she got into position and quickly checked her weapons. Throwing knives, smoke bombs, a small pistol on her waist, and her trusty broadsword strapped to her back. She and her fellow shinobi were moving in on a group of yoma cultist. Rogue shinobi and their followers who for some reason saw fit to worship the yoma of all things. It was a horrifying idea, the fact that anyone could think to worship such terrifying monsters. Minako had seen what a fight against one of them had been like. No...that was wrong. She'd seen the aftermath of a fight with one of them. The image would never leave Minako's mind. Bodies strewn all over, heads of shinobi that were completely crushed and unrecognizable, bisected bodies, blood that was splattered everywhere and worst of all was the faces of sheer terror she'd seen from the survivors. That particular incident had called on at least 30 shinobi to deal with the yoma. The result? 26 Shinobi dead, 4 badly injured and traumatized, and exactly zero dead yoma. It was a sobering experience to say the least. And so Minako had joined this mission in the hopes of stopping whatever the yoma cult had planned. Intel had said that they were attempting a summoning of some kind. One that would draw out a powerful yoma. That couldn't be allowed to happen, Minako had never fought yoma before, in fact this was the first mission where fighting them had been a real possibility. Even worse, it was on Christmas Eve of all times! Talk about one hell of an early gift. Whatever god was out there must surely be laughing now.
"Get ready everyone." A voice came from the squad Minako was a part of. "We're coming up on the base of the yoma cult now. From here on, I want minimal radio talk unless absolutely necessary."
The base in question was a cave on the outskirts of the city she'd came to. It was far away from town, about 6 hours away, with nothing but forest and wildlife for a good stretch of it. Even worse were the numerous traps that had been laid. No doubt done by the shinobi who were in the cult, but thankfully Minako's group were able to avoid all of them and arrive. Even more surprising since it was the dead of night. But still, it was good they'd managed to get this far without alerting the enemy.
Minako and her group entered the cave, and while it was dark, they'd all kept flashlights on them, several lights moving to and fro illuminating the area so that they hopefully didn't trip any alarms or fall into any traps. They were too close to have something like that happen. The group moved quietly for what felt like hours, each one of the shinobi completely on guard and ready to fight at a moment's notice. Eventually as they went further and further into the caves, they noticed dimly lit torches along the walls and what looked to be a few man-made passages that cut off from the main one. At this, the leader of Minako's squad spoke.
"Different paths, and no way to know which leads to the target." he said in a calm voice "Very well, Minako you and three others will take the middle path, You two are with me and the other three will take the left." He said quickly "Remember, keep radio talk to a minimum and if you reach the target, call it in. If you're spotted, retreat to the entrance and hide in the forest. They probably won't suspect there being ten of us here."
Quiet nods were all the confirmation the leader needed and Minako and her allies crept along the middle path way. There was no talking among them, it was too dangerous and the no one in the group had spoken to each other prior to this. For all intents and purposes, they were all strangers that had been brought together for this mission, each having a particular specialty. In Minako's case it was the range of weapons she employed. Her broadsword was meant for direct combat, while the pistol was meant to act as a means of long range combat along with catching the enemy unaware along with her throwing knives. A thing she'd picked up during many missions is that the knives served as a good distraction while she'd fill the enemy with lead. Just in case, she'd even gotten some special poison coated bullets just to make sure the job was done.
As for the rest of her team, there were scouts, and some support along with more combat focused shinobi, and even then one thing was true about everyone on this mission: They could throw down if the time called for it. And when dealing with the yoma, that was something you definitely wanted. Everyone had to be able to pull their weight and no one could bring the others down in any way.
One of the people with Minako had taken point, making sure to keep a look out for any traps or anything else that would be out of place. There were a few traps, placed throughout actually. There was one that required someone to step on a certain part of the floor, but it was avoided since the stone in question was a bit lower than natural, after that they'd nearly fallen into a pitfall trap, were it not for the giveaway of the floor being softer than normal, and after that was an arrow trap, again thanks the scout taking the lead they were able to maneuver around.
"These traps are childs play. I shouldn't be surprised." The scout said in low voice "Then again, they're on the outskirts. No support from either Good or Evil shinobi, odds are they'd have to cobble together what they could."
No one said anything, but the silence was all the agreement needed because it made sense after all. Despite the fact that good and evil shinobi were always at odds with one another when it came to the yoma both sides were willing to put their differences aside and deal with the them for the greater good. After all, yoma didn't discriminate when it came to humans, making any and all humans a target to them.
The path continued on, it twisted and turned, but the group continued on, until a scream echoed in Minako's ears. As well as the ears of her allies. Instincts kicking into high-gear she quickly put her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to fight at a moment's notice. It was when she heard the squad leader's voice over her earpiece that she calmed down.
"What's going on?! Respond!" he whisper shouted into the mic
"Sorry...sorry, it's all clear." The other voice said still in a shocked tone "It's just...we found a body in a side room. Not a shinobi one either by the looks of it. Judging by the outfit, this is a civilian. Not a member of the cult at all...and she's dead. Looks like she was stabbed right through the heart."
"I see..." the squad leader said in a grim tone "Keep moving, we'll recover the body after the operation is done."
"Roger that, continuing with the mission."
Minako's blood had gone cold. A civilian killed by the cult? But why? There should be absolutely no reason for any of them to go after a regular person. Whatever the case, Minako's resolve to end this had only be strengthened now. She and her group continued on, a bit more eager for a fight than they were before. It was another 20 minutes or so of walking, when finally Minako's group had come to the end of the path they'd been walking. The path ended with Minako and the others overlooking an area below. It looked to be a makeshift atrium of sorts, the roof of the cave was large here, leading into nothing but inky blackness, while down in the middle of the area there were at least a dozen cultists all covered in black robes and standing in a circle around a giant circle with an upside down star in the middle. The best way to describe it would be like it was the Star of David but...backwards.
Minako in the others ducked back a bit, with the scout quickly getting in touch with the squad leader.
"We've found the target, at least a dozen cultists are here. It looks like they're in the middle of something.
"Roger that. Believe it or not, my group sees you, look like this path leads here too but from the opposite side."
"We're here as well." Came the same voice from earlier that'd found the body "We're on the eastern side, looks like this is a secret passage to get here. No idea why the cultists would do that though."
"Makes sense." The Squad leader spoke "They probably wanted multiple ways in as well as multiple ways out of the area. Radio silence for now, we don't know how far along these guys are yet...don't want any nasty surprises."
Everyone was in agreement. As much as they all didn't want any yoma being summoned, right now none of the cultists were distracted. Striking mid-summoning would be the perfect way to get them off guard and disorient them. Minako strained her ears, attempting to hear what it was that the cultists were saying. One of them at the top of the circle had begun to speak.
"Brothers and Sisters, today I ask you all to join me as we call forth the true god. The one who will reward us for our worship and will cast out the non-believers from this world. Today we will call forth Shin! The progenitor of all yoma!"
Progenitor of all yoma?! Minako couldn't imagine what the hell a yoma like that would be like, but she was suddenly nervous. As if sensing this, the scout from before placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking back at her, he simply nodded which meant 'Keep it cool, don't fly off the handle'.
Minako nodded back, listening in again.
"Now then bring forth the vessel! Our god will need a suitable host so that he will remain undetected in this world until the proper time!"
What Minako and her group saw caused their jaws to drop. Being brought forward in a dirty and tattered cloth was a newborn baby.
"What did you do with the woman?" The lead cultist asked
"Dead. We can dispose of the body later." the other cultist replied
The leader chuckled at his comrade "How cruel of you. Wasn't she your friend? I recall her saying as such to you."
"She was but a means to an end. I told her as such before she died."
"Goodness, women can be quite cruel indeed."
"Silence, lets get on with it."
The leader nodded and the baby was placed in the middle of the circle, all of the cultists taking positions in a circle around it.
"Now, let us begin!"
The cultists began chanting some sort of...language. She didn't know what it was, but it sent a shiver down her spine. The chanting continued as a purple light began to engulf the baby in the middle causing it to rise into the air a few feet off the ground. Entranced, Minako and her squad continued watching until a notable sound broke her concentration.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~!"
The baby...the baby was crying! No...no that wasn't crying...looking closely, Minako saw that he baby's face was contorting in pain. They were hurting it! On instinct, Minako rose, ready to jump in, but again she felt the scout's hand on her back.
"No. Don't blow our cover." she mouthed to her, which caused Minako to begin to sink back down into a crouch.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~!" The baby cried
Minako heard the cry.
Minako saw red.
Minako decided that this night, several cultists would be dead.
Unable to stop her, the scout could only look at Minako leaped from their hiding spot with lightning speed, ready to engage the enemy. She hit the floor, landing on her feet as her squad leader said something. What is was Minako did not know or care, all the mattered right now was saving that baby.
Her entrance didn't go unnoticed by the cultists the leader of which saw her a moment after she'd touched down.
"An intruder! Quick, kill he-"
BANG
A gunshot rang throughout the area, hitting the lead cultist directly in the throat. His body crumpled, as he lay on the floor, blood leaving his body as he gagged in pain.
"Shit, our cover's blown! Move in, Move in!" The squad leader called
The other shinobi joined the fight, catching the rest of the cultists unaware.
"A-ambush! Ambush!" One of them called summoning a whip, while the other cultist drew various weapons as well.
It's clear that they were shinobi as well, but it didn't matter. Minako and her group had the upper hand. The scout had engaged on of the cultists, breaking out some surprisingly good boxing techniques, dipping and ducking the axe swings that the cultist made, while the squad leader had engaged the whip-wielding cultist, with nothing but a machete in his hand, doing his best to dodge her blows while moving in to stab the cultist as best as he could. The other shinobi clashed with the enemy as well. Swords clanging against one another, ninja arts flying all over and throughout it all, Minako could still hear the baby's cries. This served as a driving force for Minako, and she made a mad dash for the child wanting desperately to get it away from all the fighting.
"Behind you!" One of Minako's allies called, she whipped around to see a cultist coming at her lance and only just managed to take out her broadsword and parry the blow.
"Get out of my way!" Minako roared as she took advantage of the opening and drove her blade into the enemy's chest, twisting it slightly before bringing it upwards and then pulling it out. The victory was short-lived as she felt a throwing knife become embedded in her shoulder.
Minako grit her teeth in pain, not allowing it to slow her down as she threw several a few knives in return. The enemy dodged and just like she'd expected, the cultist was too focused on the knives.
BANG
Another shot from her gun had downed them. These cultists must have been grunts if they were going down so easily. Well, except for the one with the whip. It was clear that particular cultist member was a cut above the rest. She was managing to keep the squad leader at reach with her whip, but as if he were tired with her games, the squad leader let her get the whip wrapped around his hand before with all his strength he yanked her forward and then drove his knee into her stomach.
That wasn't important though, the enemy's number were thinning and Minako could see the baby, still crying, still helpless.
"I'm going for the child!" Minako called
"Then go already!" The squad leader called back as the whip struck his face
Not wasting any more time, Minako made a mad dash for the child, dodging the other cultist's attacks as they tried to stop her. Thankfully, her squad members intercepted and drove them out of the way, the scout in particular grabbing one and suplexing them onto the hard cave floor. Reaching the center of the circle, Minako scooped the baby into her arms, the child still crying all the while.
"Shhh, it's okay, you're safe now."
"Die!" a cultist shouted charging Minako with weapon raised, only for her to block it one-handed with her broadsword, then twisting it, and using the momentum to toss the cultist aside
"Okay, you're not safe here, time to go!"
"Retreating! I'm falling back!" Minako cried as she made a made dash for the way she came. The entrance was high, but she could easily make the jump.
"She's escaping with the vessel, after her!" the whip-wielding cultist shouted
All of the cult members turned towards her, causing Minako to curse as she fled. She made it toward the wall and putting as much power into her legs as she could, jumped as high as she could, managing to land on a small outcropping of rocks. That was all she needed as she kept going, jumping as the child whined all the while.
"Shhh, I know it's scary, but it'll be fine once we're out here!"
Minako reached the entrance and quickly pulled out her pistol, opening fire at the pursuing cultist. They weren't really meant to hit anyone, just a distraction as the halted for a moment, allowing her to get further away.
Minako could hear her squad in pursuit of the cultist as she ran down the halls, doing her best to remember the way she'd come as well as dodge any projectiles coming her way. The entire scene was comical in a way, it was like an old cartoon with one group chasing her and then another close behind chasing them. She dodged as many projectiles as she could, some missing, but others managing to hit her and cut up her outfit.
The baby continued to cry and that only served to push Minako further. She fought through the pain, holding the child close to her chest to shield it as she ran, dodging the traps from before and in some cases deliberately activating them to slow her enemies down.
Just as she'd planned. Looking back for a split second, Minako could see that the arrow trap she'd triggered had caused the cult members to come to a stop. Which was just enough for her team members to catch up.
"Aaaaaaaaugh!"
A sadistic grin crept onto her face as the enemy was routed, allowing her to get back to the entrance of the cave. As she saw the pale moonlight illuminating the entrance, Minako made one last dash for the exit and upon reaching it, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. There were several throwing knives lodged in her body, one of which had hit her leg, but it didn't matter. She'd gotten out, now all she needed was to await her team.
After about 15 minutes or so, they'd finally reappeared, all of them not too worse for wear, though, all of them had one wound or another.
"Well...things got a bit hairy, but mission accomplished." The Squad Leader sighed "Minako, when we get back, we'll be having a talk with the shinobi council. I hope you realize that?"
"Y-yeah..." She winced, nestling the child closer to her face. The baby had finally stopped crying, now instead snoring soundly. This managed to calm Minako a bit. If saving a child meant she had to get yelled at by some old guys? Well, that was a small price to pay. Now that she was thinking more clearly, Minako gingerly unwrapped the tattered cloth that covered the child, it wouldn't do for her to not know the gender. A quick look revealed that it was a baby boy, which made Minako smile.
"You're a lucky boy you know that right?" She cooed
"So what do we do about this place?" One of the squad members asked "We can't just leave the place like this."
"You're right...we've got to make it so no other cultists return here." The Squad leader said with a hum "But what to do...it'll take too long to get a clean up crew up here."
"I've got that covered!" The Scout chirped "I've got a plan, and the plan is dynamite, which I just so happen to have quite a bit of."
"You...er...you do?" The Squad leader asked
"Sure do. Gimme 20 minutes." The Scout said heading back into the cave.
20 minutes later, and the entire area rocked with the sound of explosions as the scout looked on with manic glee on her face.
"Man I love explosions! Sure wish I could use em in a fight more often." The Scout said with a chuckle
It was truly a sight to behold as the mountain sort of crumbled in on itself. Even more amazing was that The Scout did this in 20 minutes while also recovering the body of the dead woman, Minako was more than a little unnerved by the entire sight, but still, things were over...at least for now. Minako held the child close to her chest. "See, I told you. You're okay now, you're safe."
The baby merely babbled a bit in his sleep.
-00000000-
It was the late hours of the morning, and Minako had been awake the entire time, her team had finally returned to the Good Shinobi Council Headquarters, a medium sized building nestled away in a busy city district as to help it blend in more among the regular city goers. The front of it looked like a regular office building, but once one went inside, there was a secret passage that only a ninja could find. The Squad Leader had been right in that her reckless actions could have caused quite some trouble for her team. She couldn't deny it. She'd flown off the handle, and jumped into a fight that she could have very easily lost. She apologized of course, it was only right, but then she brought up the baby. This gave the Good Shinobi Council pause as she went on to explain what she and the others had seen. What she thought would be a good explanation for her actions turned out to be a bad move. As after mentioning that, the council moved to make a decision she didn't think possible…
They were going to kill the baby. Claiming that it was most likely cursed with yoma energy and grow up into a terrible demon.
Any and all care she had for herself instantly left her as Minako held the baby against her chest as if the child were her own. Even her squad leader had thought that was going a bit too far, and after a moment one of the council members agreed. However, it was just one council member against several others and so, unwilling to give the child up, Minako was confined to a small room. Not a dungeon or anything, but a plain room for guests. Even if it was a normal room it still felt like a prison at the current moment. The baby began to cry again, it was almost as if he could sense the danger he was in and wanted her to run. But she couldn't. Minako knew that if she ran, then she'd be branded a rogue shinobi and they'd relentlessly hunt her down. At that point, it would only be a matter of time until someone killed both her and the child. And that was something she couldn't do...not after what she'd learned.
Shortly after she was confined to the guest room, the squad leader had stopped by to give her some information. It was from the autopsy of the dead civilian they'd found, and what her squad leader told her made Minako's body nearly go limp. Namely, that the woman was pregnant before her death, the doctors were able to confirm that at the very least. The autopsy was still ongoing, but that information he felt was worth sharing with her. When she learned that, Minako had one singular thought run throughout her mind.
I cannot let this child go.
-00000000-
In the Good Shinobi Council headquarters there was a man with graying hair making his way down the halls. He was in his late 60s, but every move he made was trained, honed. His guard was never down. He wore a matching brown top and bottom with sandals on his feet. He'd come here initially to simply talk with the Good Shinobi Council, maybe have a drink or two and catch up for old time's sake. However, that had completely gone out the window as he felt the general unease about the place. Something was wrong, and Hanzo intended to find out what it was. Heading straight for the meeting room, Hanzo let himself in. He didn't have to worry about anyone stopping him since he was so well known. The attendant at the door just moved aside with a nod.
Inside he saw the Shinobi Council in the midst of arguing. About what he was curious and so with an extremely loud cough, Hanzo was able to get all eyes settled on him.
"Hanzo! To what do we owe the pleasure?" One of the council members spoke, his jovial tone doing little to change the tense atmosphere.
"Well, I was hoping we could all grab a drink this evening since I was in town, but I get the feeling no one here is in a drinking mood. I'll be blunt: What's got you all in such a state of distress?"
All of the council were silent. Just as he always did, Hanzo could read the room and he wasn't going to budge until they told him what was going on. And so the council explained the situation to Hanzo, from the successful raid on the yoma cult to the ritual that took place to the child itself and how they were all deliberating. Well, deliberating was putting it lightly. Shoku, one of the council members was staunchly defending himself against the others, claiming that it was unjust to snuff out a human life so early. While the rest were claiming that because of the ritual, the child had the potential to become a yoma, a very powerful one if the cult were planning to use him as a vessel for Shin. The worst part about this? Hanzo knew that the other council members weren't wrong. Having been bathed in yoma energy for even a short time, the risk of him turning somewhere down the line was a real possibility. Even then, there was one factor that could tip the scales he thought.
"The woman who is currently taking care of the child, where is she?" Hanzo asked
"The guest room in the east wing. First one on the right, why?"
"So a prison in all but name then." Hanzo said, causing the council members to wince, he'd called them out so casually, it caught them off guard
"I will be back, I have something I wish to confirm." Hanzo said as he turned to leave
"Wait where are you-".
Hanzo didn't hang around to listen to what else the council would say. He made his way to the room the woman was located. Upon opening the door, he saw a young woman, no older than 20 with light blue hair. Her green eyes were red and puffy, it was clear that she'd been crying, and likewise the wailing child in her hands was crying as well.
"Shhh...shhh, I know it's scary, but we'll be okay. I won't let them get you." She cooed, before looking up at Hanzo.
"Y-you're…!"
Hanzo raised a hand to silence her as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. The young woman backed up, not unlike an animal that felt threatened. Seeing this, Hanzo put on a gentle smile and spoke.
"Hello young lady, can you tell me your name?"
"...Minako." She replied after a moment's hesitation
"A pleasure to meet you Minako, I'm-"
"I know who you are..." Minako said hugging the child closer "Who wouldn't know Hanzo, one of the greatest ninja to ever live?"
Hanzo couldn't help but chuckle at that "Please, I am nothing more than a humble old man. Besides, I'm not important. Minako, if I may ask...that child, it's not yours is it?"
"No..." Minako said looking down at the crying baby "It isn't...but I won't let the council murder an innocent child! I won't run...but I won't let them do as they please either!"
"The fire of youth, how I miss it!" Hanzo laughed again "Please, if I may...could I hold the child for a moment?"
Minako was clearly reluctant to do so, it was clear she expected him to take the child and run, but even so, Hanzo patiently waited as Minako slowly handed the child over. The baby had been crying, but the second Hanzo held him, he stopped almost instantly.
"Haha, this takes me back to when my daughter was born...such happy memories." Hanzo said with a wistful smile "Minako...if you don't mind my asking...why are you so focused on seeing the child live? I am sure the council members have told you the risk he poses yes?"
Minako was silent for a moment before speaking "Yes...they have. But even so, is it really justification to murder a child? Someone who has not truly lived their life yet?"
Hanzo rubbed the child's face, chuckling for a moment as the child's face wrinkled in response "You're reasoning is sound, but I can't help but feel there's another reason. Call it intuition, of course you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Again, there was silence. A long silence, Hanzo was about to move on when Minako spoke, willing to explain the other reason she wanted so desperately to see the child live. As it turns out, Minako was infertile. She'd graduated from her school roughly 3 years ago, and in her time at school she'd managed to find a lover in a fellow student. The two agreed to get married after graduating and upon doing so they were married by the age of 18. As Minako explained it, they had tried very hard to have a child and it only made sense really. Ninja often died young, so it made sense that they'd try to have children as quickly as possible to keep the family name going. And if one parent died, this usually forced the other into an early retirement, or at least reduced the kinds of missions they'd go on. In the rare case that both parents died, then that was when things got a bit more muddled. Some children went to orphanages, some would survive on their own if they were old enough, and sometimes more seasoned shinobi would take them in.
Hanzo continued to listen to Minako. When Minako wasn't getting pregnant, they tried all sorts of things, until a trip to the doctors revealed the truth. This is where he noticed that Minako's mood took a turn for the worse. As it turned out, Minako's husband was not pleased that she couldn't produce a child. When she proposed adopting a child, she was shot down as he in his own words said he didn't want to raise the child that wasn't actually his. And so, not long after Minako was divorced, left alone to continue her life. As she recounted the tale, Hanzo noted the heartbreak in her voice, and the old man had half a mind to track her ex-husband down and give him a stern talking to...with his fist. Still, he knew that wouldn't solve anything.
"I see..." Hanzo said with a sigh giving the woman back the child "So...you would care for this child? Protect, clothe it, love it?"
"As if he were my own. Not only because it's right, but because his actual mother was robbed of a chance to even hold him in her arms." Minako replied with a determined look
"That look in your eye. I love it! Come with me, I think it's time we spoke with the council."
She was hesitant at first, but with some prodding from Hanzo, Minako followed along, holding the baby close. He'd gone back to sleep, probably because he'd worn himself out from the crying. Like before, the attendant at the door to the meeting room didn't even bother to try stopping him or Minako and so Minako and Hanzo were standing in front of the shinobi council.
"What is the meaning of this Hanzo? What have you done?"
"Nothing at all! I just came to tell you all, that I think Minako should be allowed to keep the child."
"W-what?! Hanzo, are you mad?! It's contaminated with yoma energy!" one of the council members growled
"Be that as it may, I believe Minako will be able to keep that from happening. Raising the child will undoubtedly fill him with love for her, to the point it may allow his humanity to conquer the demon within."
"Really, you expect us to rely on something like the power of love? I didn't peg you as someone so naive Hanzo." Another council member said
"Haha, no one is perfect. After all, we have men here attempting to murder a child after all, amazing how anyone here could deign to sleep well at night knowing that." Hanzo replied casually
"I agree with Hanzo." Shoku said calmly "We could allow this plan of his to play out, surely the child will grow up well. Perhaps if he becomes a shinobi, he could even turn out to be a valuable ally down the line."
The other council members were silent, thinking on the words Shoku had said, Hanzo had to admit, Shoku was good. Playing up the idea of a powerful shinobi on their side in the future? That was something the other council members wouldn't want to pass up.
"I remain unconvinced." One of the other council members spoke up finally "What if something happens that causes the child to lose control, what then? We'll have a massacre on our hands!"
"I think I can help with that." Hanzo said before he could speak again "Allow Minako to live within the same city as me."
"I fail to see how that would change anything." The council member shot backwards
"Really?" Hanzo said in sarcastic tone "You doubt the power of me as well as my wife? We'd even have the young Kiriya to aid us, not to mention the other shinobi in the area, as well as at my school? Is that not enough?"
This gave the council pause. While it was true that yoma could decimate shinobi forces, in the case of Hanzo and especially his wife Sayuri? They were a force to be reckoned with. Sayuri in particular had a particularly high yoma kill count. And no doubt if her husband were in trouble she'd drop everything and go help him. Hanzo himself was no slouch either, as he'd fought quite a few yoma and come out alive just like his wife. The council members were now more calm as they thought about it more and more. Of course, this was Hanzo. THE Hanzo, if anyone could be held to their word, it was him.
"Very well." The council member said "However, we'd like reports every once in a while in case the child exhibits strange behavior. Anything that shows he's going down an unwanted path. Would that be fine with you Hanzo?"
"I suppose I have no problem with it."
"What of you Minako?" The council member asked finally acknowledging her presence
"I-I'm okay with that. He'll grow up to be a good boy, I'll make sure of it!"
"We'll hold you to that. Now when he becomes a ninja-"
"Um...if I may interrupt?" Minako said "I...I don't think being a ninja should be required. I want him to desire being a ninja. If he finds interest in something else, then I would not want him to throw away his happiness for the harshness of the shinobi world."
"Hoho! You're already showing signs of being a great parent Minako!" Hanzo chortled "I think that's a fair suggestion, don't you agree?"
"Perhaps."
"It's agreed then!" Hanzo exclaimed clapping his hands together before the council could interject "Come Minako, we need to get you all packed up. Don't worry, I know a home nearby you can stay at. All I have to do is pull a few strings and it should be fine."
"Er...right! Thank you Mr. Hanzo!"
"Please, just call me Hanzo! I've never really been much for formalities."
The two continued to talk...well Hanzo did most of the talking as his an Minako's voices grew more distant as they left, leaving the council to sit there and soak in what just happened.
"I hope you know, this will all fall on your head Shoku." One of the council members said with a glare
Shoku for his part, merely chuckled and stroked his beard "I'm prepared for that if the time comes."
-00000-
It had been 16 years since that mission. 16 long years since Minako had met her most precious person. 16 years since Minako found her son. In those years, Minako had done her best to provide for her son. She'd showered him with love and affection and true to her word she'd kept tabs on any sudden oddities, but nothing had ever happened. Hanzo would stop by every once in a while and he too never saw anything strange happen either. Even when she'd given him some combat training(Which he had begged her for after seeing her broadsword sitting around in her room one day) nothing had happened.
While Minako's son was still unaware of the shinobi world (She and Hanzo both opting to keep him at arms length in regards to it), Minako herself had kept taking missions for a good long while, the money from it was good in helping support herself and her son, but eventually she'd d saved what she felt was enough as such it was last year, when she turned 35 years old that she decided to hang up her Shinobi title for good. With this, she could no relax and no longer have to worry about any more ninja-related things. Even the need of reporting to the council was fading away as nothing had happened. She'd even gotten a job as a clothing designer, something she didn't mind doing at all as it was a secret passion of hers. She'd even put some minor touches on her shinobi outfit due to that passion and as such stuck out in the shinobi circle a bit.
It was morning time and Minako had finished eating breakfast, It was nothing special, just some bacon and eggs. Simple, but enjoyable all the same. She'd actually made some for her son as well, but had ate it all herself, and leaving him some toast with a smattering of butter on it. Not out of cruelty, but for one other particular reason.
"OH CRAP I'M LATE!" Came a voice from upstairs
Minako heard frantic scrambling as a young man with dark red hair in a white buttoned up shirt and black pants came rushing down the stairs and into the kitchen, his blue eyes focusing on her for a moment. "Mom, Breakfast!" He said frantically
"Got some toast right here." She said nonchalantly as she sipped some of her coffee
"Thanks, I'll see you later mom!" He said grabbing the bread and stuffing his mouth before heading for the door.
"Bye Yuji, I love you!" Minako called to her son
"Love you too!" He called back before closing the door
This was Minako's life now and she was happy to spend the rest of her days like this. A quiet life with only her and her beloved son.
Sadly, what Minako didn't know is that these days would quickly end...and today would be the start.
And that was it! Tell me what you think, I like to think I did well enough setting things up and once again I hope you look forward to what I've got in store for this story. Also if anyone else happens to read this little bit, don't make the mistake I almost made where I went into the anime section for Senran Kagura to tag this fic. No, go to the games section. Way more tags to use which the anime section lacks for some reason. Anyway thanks for reading! And remember to praise Life and Hometown.