Land of Wind, Ridgeland: Setting the Record Straight
I landed on the ground beside the down form of the bounty hunter before backing up a few meters, allowing him to stand back up, glaring murderously at me. I smirked slyly before immediately dropping the smirk and adopting a cold look, "Who are you to Iwagakure, an Anbu?" I asked. Earning a growl from said person in question, "AS IF I SHOULD TELL YOU!" I sighed at his tone before continuing, "You were after me for a long time, according to what you said back at the Kazekage office. You also said earlier that I killed the son of a court member, but I assure you, you do not know the full story." He looked puzzled before asking, "The full story you say?" I nodded, "Yes, you see when I was five, my father sold me out to a human trafficker, I believe he was the boss of a place called 'Himawari Company'."
After hearing this, the hunter narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "Human trafficker?" He asked, clearly conflicted at the new information. I nodded again before continuing, "Now I see I have your attention, let me continue. The boss of that organization sent some of his goonies to kidnap me and take me to their headquarters in the Village of Firefly. After finding out what they would do with me, I simply put them in their place along with that man who was supposed to be my father." I finished, seeing that his eyes widened at the proclamation. "I...I..." He stuttered out, lowering his gaze in bewilderment before taking a few moments to remain silent. I allowed the cold look on my face to wash away, replacing it with a slight look of sympathy, "I highly recommend you look deeper into the company, they are not what you may believe. I also came across some more of their workers while in the Land of Rivers the other night, they were smuggling drugs, poppy plants specifically." I finished.
He let out a breath before speaking, slightly shakingly in a daze, "I, do not know what to say, I..." He trailed off as he seemed to come to an idea, before reaching into his pocket, causing me to tense up slightly before seeing him pull out a scroll. "Read this, this is my mission scroll from the Tsuchikage, Onoki sama," He said as he tossed the scroll in my direction. I caught the scroll suspiciously and opened it, immediately reading the synopsis. After a few moments, I finished reading, cursing up a storm inwardly, "Goddamn, Fucking, hidden village propaganda, those fucking fucks can't do any fucking research before wanting to go to war with me." I finished angrily, furious at the lack of any research into the matter and the immediate jumping to conclusions to send a trained ninja on a five-year-old. I growled lowly and took a few breaths, missing the concerned look on the hunter's face. I sighed, deciding to let it go, and tossed back the scroll, "I see, I would have preferred not to have a conflict with another village right now, but, I guess it can't be helped." I answered.
A questioning look crossed the man's face, "But didn't you just infiltrate the Village of Suna?" He asked. A sly smile crossed my face as I answered, "Didn't you do the same under the guise of being a bounty hunter with no connection to Iwagakure?" He took on a face of shock as he had the decency to blush and scratch his head, "I guess you're right. Let's just forget about this, alright, I got to get out of here and bring this information back to Onoki sama, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Katomi san." He said as he bowed politely and used the shunshin to disappear, likely making his way north to cross into the Land of Earth as soon as possible.
"Awwwww, I wanted your bow, damn it," I said, pouting and kicking the ground while crossing my arms childishly. "Well, you may still be able to get it later or find another one elsewhere," Ariana said. Remembering my current predicament, I quickly ditched the childishness, beckoned my wings to form again, and quickly turned to make my way east, heading back home. "Yeah, but we got some jutsus to learn, finally," I spoke as my clone from earlier reappeared and matched my speed in flight. I turned, giving a confused look to her as she answered, "I went south only for a little bit to throw off our pursuer, then turned east and came back here; also, we should get going quickly, some Suna shinobi are starting to make their way here, probably in search of the person who invaded their village." She finished as I nodded and reached out to grab my backpack, "I'll take the scrolls, transform back into a crow, and watch the perimeters for me." I said, as she gave me my backpack and was about to leave before I asked her, "What happened to the others?" I asked as she turned back to answer, "They should be just ahead, they were resting after leaving the village." I nodded and allowed her to follow my orders.
Sunagakure: Successful Heist
"Racoon, what's the report?" Asked the Kazekage, as he entered his office, furious at the events that had unfolded tonight. The said Anbu agent bowed respectfully before answering in a slightly nervous tone of voice, "Kazekage sama, the intruder took nearly all of the wind jutsu and poison scrolls, they also took some of the books from the archive room." He answered as the Kazekage's frown deepened as he sighed, "Continue." He spoke simply, bidding the Anbu agent to continue his report, "Yes sir, I told Boar, who was on his way here along with Deer and Bobcat, to scout out and head towards the outskirts of the village, where they couldn't see any signs of the suspect. The suspect must either already be far outside of our village outskirts and must be somewhere else in Wind Country by now."
"Damn it, send two units of our top trackers and scout the rest of Wind Country, we have to get those scrolls back. NOW GO! And keep me informed of any new information, sent a messenger hawk as soon as you can!" Commanded the Kazekage before the Anbu agent bowed and left the office, on his way to inform the troops of their new orders. The Kazekage sat down with a sigh crossing his arms in frustration, "Kanashii...No, it couldn't have been you, could it? You would've understood the risks of doing such a stupid action, but perhaps I should wait until more evidence is conjured." Mused the village leader in thought, having half a mind to pin-point the culprit as being the same man to whom he spoke to earlier.
48 Hours Later, Benihime Forest: The Broken Puppet
Feasting on a caught rabbit by the lakefront, I sighed in pleasure at my successful heist the other day. After getting back here, I decided to put the scrolls up and focused more on treating myself to a slight break, relaxing in a natural hot spring spot that I found some time ago. Excitement coursed through me as I finally could take care of a glaring weakness that I had for some time now, finally able to now work on my long-ranged techniques. I felt pretty content for one of the few times that I have since entering this world. However, one thing has been...odd, to say the least. Ariana, who usually is pretty talkative with me, hasn't said much since I got back to my home. She only said a few words after I greeted her after waking up, and stayed mostly silent after that. With a sigh, I finished the rabbit that I was eating, throwing the bones into the lake so it wouldn't attract animals. I took the remaining meat and placed it on top of a nearby rock so Karasu and our comrades could eat, before turning and deciding to take a walk around the forest, aiming to find out what was wrong with Ariana.
"Hey, uh, Ariana. You have been quiet for a while and I just wanted to ask if something is the matter," I asked in worry at the only one that I can be vulnerable with remaining quiet for so long. A moment passed, then another few passed with no answer. "Ari, was it something I did back in Suna? Are you mad at me or something?" I continued to ask, only getting silence as an answer. I stopped walking, staring into the distance at nothing in particular as right before I asked another question, an answer finally came, "Katomi, do you remember what you told me, some time ago before you infiltrated Suna? You said something about getting stronger in order to protect your independence, right?" She asked back. I stood frozen for a second, questioning what she was getting at before speaking, "Uh, yeah, and now, after learning these jutsus and improving some of the ones we were talking about before, I can finally manage to stand up to whomever other villages may send at me."
A moment passed before she spoke again, "And you remember why you wanted to be able to protect yourself from other villages?" What is she trying to convey? I glanced down at a few flowers at the base of a tree, what looked to be green lotuses, before deciding to kneel down for a closer look, sitting on my knees with my hands on my lap. I remained quiet for a moment before answering, "In my last life, all I knew was suffering. I went from a starving ophan to being forced into another world, a world that knew nothing of kindness, of any real charity. The only form of charity was the free handouts of lead into the bodies of those who were our enemies. I decided that since I had no other choice but to be a soldier, I decided to be a damn good one." I said as memories of my training, and many atrocities came back to mind before continuing, "At the age of 10, I tortured someone for the first time, a young teen who worked in communications for the enemy forces. I was forced to watch for a few moments, then the commander told me to join in since it was something all new army recruits would have to do, and that I would need to do it in the future."
I sighed as I moved my bum from sitting on top of my heels to sitting on the ground with my legs still curled, supporting myself with my arm while looking at the flowers. Ariana remained silent and I took that as a sign to continue, "I...I started with his nails, my eardrums rang for a while after all of his screams. I then moved towards wrapping a cloth around his face and dumping water on him. He may never have known, but I was as hurting as much as he was, just not physically. I was further encouraged by my commander to keep going, so, I kept going. He begged...then begged more...until he finally snapped. He later broke out of the straps holding him down, causing me to fall to the ground in fear, as he grabbed a nearby pistol and shot himself in front of me. I watched as the light was finally turned off as his body fell back into the chair." I took a few moments to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, wiping them away with my other arm that wasn't supporting me. "And how did it make you feel?" Ariana asked.
"Fear, pain, misery, rage...helplessness. I was...helpless. When my parents were killed when that bomb hit our house, I felt helpless. When I was orphaned in a place that had no money to spare for orphans, no shelter, no kindness...I was helpless. When I was forced to join the military at 10 by the authority of my village, I was helpless. When my first unofficial family died on that mission and I had to get transferred to another unit, I was helpless. I wanted to end it so many times, even while on the mission where I was betrayed...I was still contemplating it. I just didn't want it to end like that, being backstabbed by one of the few family members that I had alive, along with the rest of my brothers in our unit."
A moment passed before Ariana answered, "And you were born into this world, with powers beyond comprehension and endless potential to change your fate." After she said that, I grew confused once more, "Um, yeah, I guess, but why were you so quiet earlier? I just obtained some useful jutsus to help." I asked. Ariana sighed before answering, "Katomi, what makes a puppet, a puppet?" I remained silent before deciding to play along, "It is being controlled by a master?" Ariana remained silent for another moment before answering, "No, a puppet is made with the intent to be controlled by someone. You see, a puppet acts on the wishes of the one who controls it, who has the power over it, it does not have a mind of its own. But, let's say that puppet has its strings cut, will it still be a puppet?" I remained confused before answering, "Yeah, technically." "Indeed, however, it is a broken puppet, not useful to the one who controls it, but, if they wanted it, they could simply replace the strings whenever they want." She stated.
I remained silent, trying to see what she meant with the analogy as she continued, "You see, you were born in this world unlike many others, you have complete control over your strings, or at least the potential to grab control over them, yet you waste that by simply remaining neutral to the world, only wanting to be strong enough to be left alone. You only wish to be strong enough so that other villages have an extremely hard time trying to eliminate you due to fear of your power." With that, the depression that I felt earlier was replaced with anger, "And what's wrong with that? What are you trying to say? Just say it!" I growled lowly in response. Ariana sighed once more, "You are wasting your potential and acting cowardly. Even if you do not want to be involved with the realities of the shinobi world, you are still at the beck and call of the villages, if they wish to move against you, you fight back, if they don't, you live your life without trouble. You already know or suspect that they will come after you anyway, so why not make something of yourself instead of dying again and achieving nothing?"
I paused for a moment, realizing the logic behind what she said as I closed my eyes and I clenched my fists in fury, not necessarily at Ariana out of offense, but now out of anger at myself for being so foolish. Of course, as I grow stronger I will attract more attention from other villages, regardless of me wanting to be left alone. After killing Zetsu and destroying the rinnegan and eliminating the bigger threats to this world, my name would've spread and I would have been a target anyway. And all just to do what? Travel? To fit my own selfish needs to only enjoy my life, when for the first time ever, I actually had the potential to make a real impact. Who else has the gamer's system, the same system that had allowed me to train like crazy and grow into an A-ranked threat? The same system that helped me learn how to gather and use senjutsu chakra without fear of being turned into a stone permanently. The same system that aided in me being able to narrowly escape the Kazekage by alerting me of his blip on the map provided to me. The same system that has aided in helping me master my clan techniques and abilities such as flight or communicating with other birds. Who was I, to not use this system for other means besides myself, to use it for means that helped others, at least in my own way?
"Katomi, I do not wish to offend you, but, you have great potential with what you have been given, you do not have to join a shinobi village to help others, but you can still help others with your power in your own way. You need to start living for more than just yourself," Ariana said as I took a few breaths to calm down. She's right, I've been a coward, such a fucking coward. Even when I was very aware of the fate of our troops, I still kept going. How the hell did someone like that...become this? "You're right," I sighed before standing up, "I've been a fool." I finished before looking at my hands, remembering all of the trash cans that I scavenged through, the sleepless nights, the pain, the loneliness, the unfairness, the helplessness. How many others are like me in this world? How many don't have the powers that I have now? If I wanted to, I could train to a point where even the likes of Hashirama would struggle against me or even lose to me outright. But beyond that, beyond just brute strength, I could become so powerful with just my name alone that no village, at least without allies, would dare to cross me. And I am wasting all of that potential on selfish wants and desires? Yes...yes I am.
I remained silent as I glared to the ground coldly, the lotus flowers forgotten in my thoughts. "Well, it seems that you are in better spirits, forgive me for coming off too directly, you aren't the type for sweet lies," Ariana answered as I raised my head, looking up to the sky past the tree canopies. My long, now mid-back brown hair fell as my face remained impassive as I answered, "No, you're right, I needed that reality check, I'm not sure where I deluded myself, I-" I trailed off as a thought came to my head, something worth fighting for, something that is of a greater good. I allowed my head to fall as I turned around and started on my way back to my treehouse. "Ariana, I just thought of something, something probably stupid, but...I think it's worth it, No, I know it's something worth it." I said. "Oh, and what is that?" Ariana asked curiously. I took a breath before declaring, "I will fight for others in my own way, not the way of this accursed world of shinobi. No, I will not fight for any Daimyo, no kage, no fucking nobility bullshit. I shall use this power that I was given to form a new...idea you can say."
"A new idea?" Ariana asked again. "Indeed, the idea or experiment, that will be the end of shinobi, the shinobi system, and the warring between Daimyos at least on some small scale, even if that means for just one village. This new experiment will aim to accomplish turning fantasy into reality, and reality into fantasy, the idea of sending a child into war the idea of needless warring with one another will be put to past," I continued. A moment passed as I continued walking. "You want to end the shinobi system? But haven't the likes of Hashirama and Madara tried that?" Asked Ariana as I smirked slightly, "They tried ending the practice of shinobi to a degree, while at the same time continuing the cycle of war, even indirectly. Madara's ignorant plan to bring peace by forcing the world into a damn illusion is quite simply, stupid. And besides, it wasn't really his plan, Zetsu manipulated him to do all of what he did. I do not believe in a such thing as peace, at least not on a large scale, not in this world, and not in my last one. Humans are naturally violent creatures, we are animals by our nature, guided by some of the same survival instincts as any other creature. No, what I want to work towards, at least on a small scale, is for focus to be taken off of shinobi wars and battles, and for that same energy to be channeled into technology, development, and welfare of the people. Shinobi villages fail to invest in their citizens due to being too concerned with war and bettering their shinobi."
I took a breath and continued, "Hashirama, while having good intentions, didn't have enough time to institute many of his philosophies into the Leaf Village outside of, 'the Will of Fire', bullshit. And obviously, Tobirama wasn't as idealistic as his brother and did further damage, especially with the Uchiha. My point is, they, or mainly Tobirama's skepticism, Hiruzen's spinelessness, and Danzo's actions, surely didn't make things better for the world." I finished before taking another breath. "I see, and what do you now plan to do?" Ari asked. I took a few moments of silence walk walking at a sedated pace to form my next words.
"I now aim to take control of Firefly Village, raise a military force only of those who are willing and who are above the age of 16, there will be no young children. I aim for our economy to not be subsidized by the larger shinobi villages and for us to be self-sufficient, investing in technology beyond this world and similar to my old world. To improve welfare, every citizen has the fundamental right to healthcare, shelter, and sovereignty. In this experiment, my village will be the first in this world to be a democracy at every level, from government to businesses. The government will represent the will of the people along with the means of production being owned by the people. My village will take war refugees from around the world with open arms and will give them the life they deserve, to finally live as a child, not worried about the battlefield, not worried about needing to survive. No child, nor human, will face the same punishment of fate that I was dealt, at least in my village. The Firefly Village will invest in the civilians, not ideals or the practice of shinobi. We will focus our growth on the hidden potential of the greater population, who have the blessing of not using chakra, a power with a double edge."
"You...you...you're going to annex the village?" Ariana somehow stuttered. I ignored the fact that this was a very human-like Ai and nodded before continuing, "Eventually, yes, but the pathway to peace is still paved in blood. This means that I will still need to get my hands dirty, and probably assassinate the Daimyo in order to take the position by force. I need allies and strong ones, I need to make a reputation for myself in this upcoming war, and I need weapons that civilians are able to use." A moment passed before Ariana spoke once more, "Why weapons that civilians can use, and what would be good enough to deal with ninjas?" She asked. I sighed before answering begrudgingly, "In my village, there will be no shinobi, only warriors who choose to fight. After a certain amount of time, said soldier can leave the forces via honorable discharge and live a normal life, they can travel or even move to another village. Since they are not a ninja, they will not be deemed as a missing-nin. And when it comes to weapons that civilians can use against ninjas...remember what I said about guns?" I asked, earning a hum of approval from Ariana.
I sighed, "I'm sorry if I seem like a hypocrite, but in order for this to work and for us...my family... to maintain our sovereignty, we are going to need civilians to take up arms and become soldiers. Many shinobi are fast, but most cannot easily react to the speed of a bullet that can come from nowhere in the distance. Shinobi watch for other shinobi since civilians have little to no chakra and usually remain unnoticed. With improvements in our technology, we may even be able to create guns that can be used from a far distance, taking a shinobi completely off guard. But above that-" I said as I looked back at the sky, "More will learn about the greatness of flight." Ariana remained silent as I reached my treehouse, using chakra to walk up the tree and enter my house, taking off my shoes at the door. "That's a...big experiment," she said simply as I nodded, "But, what else do I have to fight for? If this works out, it could be the end of shinobi as we see it, war will always be a constant among humans but at least with this, we will democratize power, so civilians will no longer be as defenseless and so Daimyos are no longer using shinobi to wage unnecessary wars with one another, better yet, there will be no more Daimyo's in our land." I finished.
"But you did say that you didn't want to introduce such a weapon into the world," Ariana chirped. I sighed, "I wasn't looking at the bigger picture, humans will always find new ways to kill ourselves, if I wasn't the inventor, someone else would be. It's best that, for my village at least we use advanced technology as a way to make shinobi villages think twice before starting anything with us." I answered as another bout of silence passed as I moved to sit by my table, looking at the scrolls that I successfully acquired. "I do not know what to say, this is quite ambitious," Ariana spoke, earning a smirk from me, "Yeah, but worth the effort," I answered. "So, what would you be as the leader?" Ariana asked. I pause for a second before answering, "Empress, the Empress of Firefly, for some time, I will act similar to a Daimyo, but my predecessors will be democratically elected." A moment passed again before she spoke once more, "What would you do as Empress?" I brushed my hair behind my ear before continuing, "As Empress, I will be primarily responsible for our military, along with passing or vetoing any proposals. I'll set up a court to be sure our government is constitutional along with departments to draft proposals."
"Interesting, well, you should probably focus on getting much stronger then," Ariana said as I smiled, "Damn right and I got some more plans to draw up as well," I answered back before bringing my focus back onto the scrolls, starting to read over and try to understand the fundamentals of wind manipulation and advanced poisons. I sighed before smirking slightly, "Can I politely request something of you?" I asked. "Are you already trying to practice your politician voice?" Ignoring the heat rushing to my cheeks I responded, "I seriously need to invent mobile radios in this world. But can you play one of my favorite songs?" "Hm, that's one of the most popular gamer body features you like using, anything in mind?" She asked. I sat in thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know the name, but it goes like, 'I'm not shy, I'll say it, I've been picturing you naked, I'm a little faded, you look like a fucking painting~" I sung out in a slightly seductive manner, trying to give a hint. "You are a strange girl or woman, playing 'Slumber Party by Ashnikko." I started mouthing the words as the music started playing in my head before I got another notification, "Since you are listening to an... interesting, song, your studying may now be as good." Ariana said. I pouted and stuck out my tongue childishly, before continuing on studying the scrolls.