She didn't have a name like other people had, but she had a purpose nonetheless. A task that was expressed by the name her master gave her: Ni - Two. She was the barrier in the middle. The wall that would hold back any approaching tide. Master Hiruko claimed the Shinobi world for himself and Ni would do everything she can to serve him and his goals; even if it costs her her life.
Two Fates - The Story of Ni
Trust
"My servants... You dare!?" - Ni
Ni had been trapped underground for months. And now she was about to descend back into the darkness.
The darkness of the barren hiding place of concrete and rock was all she knew until now. Shielded from the outside world, her master practiced forbidden techniques in the shadows, for which he would otherwise have been outlawed anywhere. Not too many years ago, when his machinations were first exposed, he even became an outlaw. Hiruko was banished. The Hokage of the Third Generation – the then chief of Konohagakure, Hiruko's old home – knew no mercy; he had expelled him from the village community for his experiments. But when that happened, he didn't have much left for Konoha anyway, because even before his final banishment, the Hokage forced Hiruko to move his research into the shadows – as he had now – instead of providing him with Konoha's resources and supporting him. A weak Ninja is useless – and Hiruko thought he was very weak at the time. He depended on the help of his comrades, who always caught him when he fell. He lacked talent, skill and special abilities. The universe denied him any natural benefits – such as the legendary Sharingan of the Uchiha clan or the physical strength of a Tsunade – so Hiruko was forced to... consider unorthodox ways to become strong. He, too, wanted to make a difference – to have an impact, to matter. Finally, cunning unscrupulousness paved the way for the power he seeked. But when he could present the first results, the Hokage – who denounced and disapproved his project from the beginning as immoral – had learned that Hiruko, despite his admonition, had continued his experiments in secret. Didn't these narrow-minded people understand that everything Hiruko had done had been for the good of the village? Hiruko felt that he had been a burden to his comrades, and he used the strengths he had to make up for his shortcomings to help Konohagakure win the war. Could he be blamed for that? Hiruzen Sarutobi did blame him, and Hiruko had never forgiven the old man for this betrayal to this very day.
When news of his death by Orochimaru reached him decades later, his emotional world oscillated between cynical satisfaction over his passing and raging anger that he himself had not caused it. At least that's how he described it.
Her Master seemed to be very open about his past – at least to her. Unlike her cautious comrades, Ni was communicative and sought closeness to her master. Hiruko kept his distance from her, but after a while his tongue became looser and looser, so that the woman could learn more about Hiruko little by little – learn more about the man who created her. To know more about Hiruko's history and his deeds meant to understand herself – the reason and purpose of her existence. The pale-skinned woman did not understand the details of his work, but she did have a sense of the depth and meaning of what Hiruko was dealing with. He explored the limits of material reality and used the knowledge he gained to create the unimaginable; not only new Jutsus, but also new life. Ni's own existence was literally a product of his genius. If it hadn't been for Hiruko, she wouldn't be able to breathe the fresh evening air that found its way through her nose and mouth into her lungs. And the next stage of his plans seemed to require the support of his subordinates, so Ni and San were sent on their first mission. Ni and her comrade walked through the dense thicket of the forest. Only recently it had rained and the humidity of the air made the scents of the surrounding flora even more intense. Ni's inexperienced sense of smell reacted sensitively, and she became dizzy.
"What is it?" San asked, as if he had sensed her condition instinctively before even looking at her. He turned his head without his feets slowing down. Nis left hand, meanwhile, sought a hold on a damp tree trunk.
"I-"
Ni swallowed the words she wanted to say. She let off of the tree and catched up with San again.
"It's nothing."
San didn't have to stare at her suspiciously so that Ni could sense his suspicion. Unlike Ni, San didn't seem to care much about the air out here. Ni had been able to get used to the heavy air in their hideout faster than San – and the woman did not hesitate to brag about this circumstance. She wouldn't give him a chance to pay her back, besides... the elastic, thin fabric of her suit started squeaking suddenly as she clasped her hands into fists.
"Are you sure?" San asked. Because of his obvious tone, she could now perceive his skepticism through her ears as well.
"It's nothing!" Ni assured her comrade again - now with an upset tone in her voice. But her frustration was not primarily related to her comrade. This was their first assignment; their ordeal. It was important that they were successful – not only for the advancement of Hiruko's plans, which she had only grasped so far, but here and now Ni was able to prove her worth to him. Hiruko was their creator – she was his tool. She could not allow herself to be forced to her knees by wind and weather before they even had reached their destination. How could she be an effective tool when the humid air alone caused her so much trouble that she could hardly stand on her feet? She saw herself as such; an instrument of Hiruko's will – destined to be used by him as he commanded. And the goal they intended to achieve seemed hard and dangerous. She needed every strength she could muster. Hiruko admonished them to proceed with caution and prudence – and that admonition seemed to be related primarily to their goal, rather than to the path to it. To be sure, the reason why the two fought their way through the wilderness instead of taking the mapped streets was an expression of that caution, but crossing Kusagakure's borders undiscovered seemed to be the easier part. That much seemed evident.
"I hope you're right. If we are correct in our assumption, and Ichi was defeated, we can assume that the enemies we are dealing with are extremely powerful and dangerous."
"Your assumption maybe – not mine!"
"What do you mean? Hiruko-sama warned us about him."
"He is not the one we're going to have to deal with. Have you forgotten? This hideout has already been abandoned. The probability that Ichi has come across this... Ochimaru is pretty low."
"Orochimaru."
"What?"
"I think his name is Orochimaru."
"That's what I've said."
San cast another skeptical glance at Ni before deciding not to discuss it further and to look forward again. From experience, it seemed pointless to him to argue with her; Ni seemed to be much too stubborn and self-assured for that.
"Anyway..." San continued. "There must be a reason why he hasn't reported back yet. Someone – or something – must've hindered him."
"He must have overestimated himself."
San swallowed the need to reproach her with her supposed irony.
"What is it?" Ni asked.
"Did you forget what happened? During training. I think it was the third time when that dog of yours almost tore off your right arm as you hit it with your whip."
"They didn't obey!"
"You almost died trying to subjugate them."
Ni snorted insulted. Then her hand slipped to her hip, to which hung a long, grey whip, wrapped several times around itself. She took the whip in her hands, wrapped some of it around her hand and pulled it along. The sound that was made by this move sounded as if she had hit the hard rope against another object, but it lay still and stiff between her fingers.
"I made them subject to me. In the end they learned to serve - to do what I commanded. And they subsequently learned the price of resistance."
San gave her the same critical look as before. This time, too, he decided to drop the subject. He was sure that her arrogance and self-confidence in her own abilities would eventually evolve into her undoing.
"Whatever the case; it would be preferable if Ichi is still alive."
"Why?" Ni asked. "Why do you care? You don't even know him. Neither do I."
"Our master cares."
"Hiruko-sama cares about Orochimaru's secrets. He doesn't care what might have happened to a useless subordinate."
"Didn't you say that Hiruko-sama suggested that we were essential for his plans?"
"Yes, yes, but I don't think he meant every single one of us."
"I see that differently," San replied. "Be that as it may, if we arrive at that hiding place, we will probably also find out what happened to our yet unfamiliar comrade."
The dense thicket of the forest slowly loosened and nature allowed more light to enter the forest. After a few minutes San and Ni reached an slope. Ni cautiously approached the slope and looked down, while San looked around and made sure they remained unnoticed. The slope reached about fifty meters in depth. A rapid stream of thundering water dragged through the natural ditch – amplified by the rain, which forced the river to run instead of walking.
"There."
San nodded in the direction of a bridge connecting one side of the land to the other. At least that was the case once; there was little left of the wooden connecting road, except torn linen, scattered splinters and broken beams, which had either been nailed to the walls of the ditch or were scattered on the ground. Ni stepped back from the ditch and followed his gaze.
"It seems that a intense batte took place here some time ago," noted San.
"Even more intense than the first impression suggests... Look!"
Ni pointed a finger to the opposite side.
"That fight didn't just took place on that bridge."
"Indeed," San confirmed in his usual discreet manner.
"Since the bridge is no longer standing, I will summon the winged chimera so that we can get to the other side."
"Your bird is way too conspicuous. What if someone sees it, you idiot!?"
"Before anyone could see anything we will be one with the clouds."
"And what if those Ninjas of Kusagakure see us? And they report their sight in time? Master Hiruko said that this is a largely uninhabited region. These guys will know where we want to go, because the hideout may be the only thing that might be of interest to anyone. You will lure them onto us. And when that happens, we will not only have to worry about what happened to Ichi – and by whom or what – but also about those Shinobi."
"And you don't think you can handle them?" San asked in a puzzled tone. That was so out of line with what he knew about her so far that he had to ask.
"What if Orochimaru's hideout gets destroyed by the fight?", asked Ni in return.
San stared into her eyes, which were as grey as the thick cloud cover over their heads. It seemed as if he was weighing her words. Then he nodded affirmatively.
"And how do you want to get to the other side if I may ask?"
Ni left him - smiling. Suddenly the woman put two of her fingers in her mouth – and whistled. A loud whistle; almost deafening for San, which caused him to shrink his face as the loud noise penetrated his ears. Ni's signal echoed through the canyon and forest. San looked out for anything - but nothing happened. When the tone finally subsided, San stared into his companion's face. The still vain smile on her lips and her confident posture suggested anything but disappointment on her part. But then a loud rattle from the direction the two had come from emerged - the answer to Ni's signal. The rustling from the woods grew louder and louder as whatever Ni's call had just answered and was on its way to them approached threateningly towards their position. San's discomfort increased, just like Ni's grin on her face. Then two dark figures sprang out of the shadows of the thicket. They were tall and majestic. They had a slender stature and a firm stand, just like their mistress.
"My beloved servants."
"You... took them with you?" San asked incredulously.
Both animals moved on soft paws and with outstretched tongues towards Ni. One of them bent his long neck down so that his head could be stroked by Ni. The other animal pushed the body of its fellow away from Ni afterwards, so that it could secure the woman's complete attention in the form of eventual petting. But the woman denied her affection to both animals equally. With a commanding gesture, she made it clear to the beasts that she had no interest in crawling nor caressing them. Instead, she ordered them to distance themselves from her. Grieved, the dog-like creatures lowered their heads and marched back a few steps almost synchronously.
"Of course I did."
"Master Hiruko specifically told us to keep a low profile."
"Master Hiruko gave us a mission. He trusts us - and I don't intend to gamble away his trust by not using any advantage available – and failing as a result," Ni grumbled. "Come."
San understood what she was about to do. And given the lack of any meaningful alternative suggestions on his part, he implicitly consented to her plan - but apparently the creature with the dark grey fur and beige armour was anything but happy to see San on his back. It hissed at him angrily as San approached the creature.
"It seems like he doesn't like you."
"A pity." lamented San. "But my dismay is limited."
"Climb up on mine," Ni suggested, and San did as instructed. He didn't feel the need to befriend Ni's beasts anyway. He climbed onto the creature's back, where Ni had already taken a seat - right behind his mate.
"I don't like this," San stated without making a face.
"Hold on."
"Where? There's nothing here I could hold on t-"
"On me."
San hesitated - and Ni didn't need to look behind to feel his hesitation. A few seconds later, however, she felt San's grip on her torso. She then reached for her whip and let it extend. She made a long, circular motion with her right arm to swing the long rope until the tip of her whip struck the back of the animal they were sitting on with force. In the eyes of San, her move almost made an graceful and elegant impression, but he had little time to marvel about Ni; the armoured creature set off with incredible speed right afterwards until they reached the spot where once the Tenchi bridge stood in all its glory. Ni's animals spread their legs and bent their long bodies forward. Then four spearheads resounded like javelins through the stormy air and struck the opposite damp cliff face. The spears, with ropes attached to the end, bored deep into the rock.
"Hold on tight," Ni admonished again.
San trusted her.
