Buldrokastee's lumbering form moved. Days passed by days, nights passed by nights. Land to land, he and Yelena moved. Shieldguards and Yetis followed in tandem, the forces moving with their steps. A silent trek across days by days. There were chats of things, there were chats of nothing. Conversations formed and ended almost as soon as they began. Infected found in the camps of Ursus harsh lands, they were freed. Fighting became a daily routine.
It wasn't until about a week or so, he assumed as so, keeping track, that he and Yelena were no longer in Terra harsh lands, in a much warmer climate, but it felt out of place.
Buldrokastee felt it. It was heavy and deep in his gut that it was somehow beyond Terra. It was confirmed when he took out the hand drawn map of the landmarks of Ursus and found himself not in the landscape Shieldguards scouted ahead. It was deep in his bones, and whether it spelled danger for him, Yelena, and the rest, he had yet to discern.
They encountered not only bandits but strange figures. Not of the Ancients of Terra, but their tactics were strange, but in a way that was familiar as well; both concepts and terms did not fit yet they did. They stuck and glued themselves to trees, hiding in the shadows, wielded bladed weapons that he was familiar with in his lifetime, but yet also performed strange signals with their hands and unleashed a torrent of fire Arts from their mouths, or any elemental Arts that provided somewhat of a challenge to them, but swiftly manageable otherwise. They entered a town and were greeted with looks of suspicion and of wariness. A quick signal to him and Yelena and they would have to quickly and immediately leave, as he stationed a few of the Shieldguards far out of the town's vicinity, if they were to be attacked or told to leave. He did not know if it was because he or the rest were Infected.
Presenting the meager amount of LMD, they instead were given looks of confusion and told that their currency did not hold any value of trade here, giving Buldrokastee more suspicion of their territory. Instead of the cerulean bills, they saw sea green bills and what were small copper coins, called Ryo, and they moved quickly out after that. But before they did, a book was passed to him by one of the Shieldguards; Buldrokastee did not permit stealing but in the case of their situation now, there was little he could do. Yelena and the rest's safety were prioritized. He prayed to the library of that town, who could possibly need it for their future, for forgiveness.
The book was titled Basic Concepts of Chakra and Jutsu.
In this world, Jutsus, which was widely known as Arts in Terra, instead, were fueled by an internal energy source called chakra, the physical and mental energies of within. Instead of Originium that powered Arts, it was chakra. The chakra allowed users to walk on trees, water, and perform elemental attacks most commonly associated with Arts. Jutsus powered by chakra did not largely require an external energy source or a medium to channel through. While Arts could utilize one's internal energy and it wasn't far too dissimilar in that it required mental and physical energy, it was largely only in the case of Infected, and Yelena formed in his mind. Even then, she was still stubborn, refusing to not participate in fights, actively combating them. He could only watch now as Yelena shot another bolt of icicle at deafening speeds, or create a blizzard that froze and shattered all to pieces within their vicinity now, and he could only think as her Infection furthered just slightly more with each usage. Yet Yelena was stubborn, and remained so.
Like Arts though, Jutsus required an affinity, being titled Nature Releases. Each Jutsus was given a specific Release that correlated to which element.
They continued to move. He learned that the figures, garbed in identical outfits, with a headband and a symbol engraved in the metal, were called shinobi. Shinobi were the equivalent of the military in the world.
He kept watch, even as his Shieldguards insisted they would do so while he rested, he refused. This world was interesting and perhaps at one point, if Buldrokastee in another life could simply travel freely, without any outside interference, without their Infection being made whether or not to make them be judged, that Buldrokastee would rest for a bit, but he never did now. Their Infection made them be judged, with prying eyes of disgust and horror and they retreated, as if not to catch Infection itself, and Terra was filled with dangers. This new world was no different, and he and Yelena and the rest would have to learn what danger that could spell their doom.
He looked across the battle where the bodies lay strewn, more severely wounded on the enemy's side. Yelena left to tend to the wounded and his Shieldguard came up to him. Rations were running low, and even if the currency of the world applied to here, they would not have enough to feed all of them. Their presence, while not unwelcomed as in Terra, was still looked on with trepidation, and that was a sign that they had to leave.
Hunting was simple enough, but yet it was not enough.
Despite their predicament, Buldokastee felt, knew, that someone, or something was going to come up in the future that would be dangerous for them.
And when Buldokastee and his companions came across a forest surrounded by Mist, from traversing the body of water, along with the heavy scent of blood in the air, where his Shieldguards requested to scout the danger ahead, he knew at that moment they had found the source of danger.
Haku was a shinobi first and foremost. He knew that to be true.
Ever since Zabuza had found him, a boy who begged and scoured scraps from trash and garbage. Haku had honed his skills as a shinobi, where he had a unique Ice Release Ninjutsu from the long now possibly extinct Yuki Clan.
Haku was interested, but the chances of finding any survivors was slim. His mother was perhaps the last one, and then himself.
When inquiring of his Masters past, the former Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden MIst, simply smiled behind his sharpened razor teeth, and spoke of the graduation of the Mist. Regaling the youth with tales of how students graduated. For sparring matches, all students were given the choice to cripple the students, most sparring matches he recalled breaking bone and splattering blood and screaming, painting the ground and filling the airs. The option to even use sharpened shinobi tools such as kunais, senbon, ninja wire, and shurikens were permitted.
There was just one single rule of the Academy of the Mist: Survive.
The Academy became a poor man's battleground of one of the shinobi wars. Every student was just an obstacle to overcome. They only served their use as accomplices or a tool to be used. Those who were gullible were lessers to be manipulated and used. Those who were weak died within the first week of sparring or died by other means. A test of the Hidden Mist was to survive for a week out in the open forest he remembered called the "Lost Mist", where large predators of bears and towering centipedes and wasps, a bite or sting proving severely fatal for the recipient as their muscles would shut down.
Packs were formed out of a necessity to stay alive, but loyalty was never true. Friendships made in those times were easily tossed aside, an act as with the rest. Companionship was never truthful, a fabrication just for one's own benefit.
Haku inquired if his Master was a leader of one of the groups or even joined one, but he doubted it, based on how much he knew his Master now. He was proven correct as his Master howled with laughter and shook his head.
Zabuza Momochi was a lone wolf. He entered the Academy seeing his only goal for Graduation and nothing more. Every Academy student was just a tool or obstacle.
He became known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist with the slaughter of his Academy. The taste of copper filling his mouth and the air until he painted the entire battleground crimson. He recalled with joy as even Chunin and Jonin monitoring the battle stepped back in fear.
There were no more tests proven. Each aspiring student that time never graduated. Zabuza became the sole individual to graduate from the Mist, and then the title of the Demon of Mist came with it.
From then, he had briefly joined the ANBU elites, where many enemy shinobi cowered and fled. He recalled them as cowards who couldn't even give him a decent challenge. Haku then learned that his Master then joined and formed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He remembered each of the swordsmen. Mangetsu Hozuki was an annoying brat, and so was Ameyuri Ringo. Yet all together made them unstoppable.
"That's what you thought of me when I first met you, Master Zabuza!"
Night came for both shinobi, the fire of the pit crackling, a shelter in the cave under a pass.
Zabuza gave a pointed stare at his apprentice, Kubikiribocho, his Executioner Blade, leaning against the wall. That damn smile of his, no matter how long since he took the boy under his wing, was one thing that would always annoy him, and he swore by the time he was old as shit, the brat would still be smiling that same damnable smile. "You still are, cheeky brat."
"You're welcome, Master!"
Zabuza scoffed, "Damn brat." His eyes turned out of the cave to the world beyond. The reflective image of himself on his Executioner Blade stared back, with the Hidden Mist symbol on the metal plating slashed away.
Yagura Karatachi still wasn't dead. It was the reason why they could stay no longer in the Mist, where their latest attempt had failed. It was the reason why he and Haku, and Gozu and Meizu, were hiding from the Mist, fleeing directly out the Land of Water.
The rebels had been split now. There was no funding for tools or food. Now, he, Haku, and the brothers were on the run. The rest of their allies were killed. A coward's way, and Zabuza hated running. He didn't run. He wanted to stand his ground and fight. But he could not. Not even he, the Demon of the Mist, could beat Yagura and his forces alone. They needed supplies and allies, and they were deprived of both.
Zabuza hated failure. He hated himself for not gutting the traitorous worm within his ranks. If that dog was in his grasp, he would fashion his Executioner Blade with his head. He cursed that pathetic coward for having no backbone, cursed him for mutiny, and most of all, cursed himself for not ever assuming once that there were dissidents within the rebels. That weakling had better hoped he remained in the safety and comfort of Yagura and the village. He would butcher him if he left the village's walls and the next time they met.
"Master?"
"What, Haku?"
"How long will Gozu and Meizu be out for? Should we go look for them now?"
Zabuza paused to think. The two idiots better not have gotten themselves killed. Scouting to make sure no Mist shinobi came after them and gathering supplies was helpful, but did not mean much if they went and got themselves killed.
"Let's go then. Let's see what those two are up to." He hefted his Executioner Blade up on his broad shoulders, and Haku followed, gathering up his pouch of tools.
"Yes Master."
"How long do you think it will be until Zabuza has another go at the Mizukage?"
Gozu shrugged at his brother. "Don't know. And his plan was good. Too bad we got stabbed in the back."
The Demon Brothers remained hidden up high on the trees, contemplating their own failure. Their plot to free the Mist from the shackles of Yagura, to prevent any more bloodshed failed. One of Zabuza's men had betrayed them to Yagura, and so they fled. A brewing rebellion now in tatters, the forces scattered.
The remnants of their allies had been either killed to give them time to escape. Yet even then, it felt like it was a waste.
The Demon Brothers wanted nothing more than to return and brutally maim the traitors, and they knew Zabuza felt the same, but it meant reducing all their allies' sacrifice to nothing. But at the very least they had slaughtered a portion of their former villages's forces that at the very least they had made an impact. It was only a shame that it would be temporary and was not the most desirable, everlasting and permanent effect: the head of Yagura Karatachi.
They and Zabuza were now undoubtedly marked in the Bingo Book, and it meant Mist's ANBU were tracking them.
"Bastard of a Mizukage is tearing the village down. Too bad everyone in that village is blind. Worst part is that no one wants to join us." He gave a scathing barking laugh. "Who would want to join Zabuza, who participated in the Mist Academy and became the Demon of our beloved Mist?"
Gozu agreed. The rebels, such as themselves, were already splintered and cut off from the rest, as many felt that they should be the ones to decide how the rebellion formed and the ones to kill Yagura, each individual group feeling they should be the one to decide and Yagura belonging to them. Hence, multiple rebellion groups did not get along, even if they vied for the same goal in the end, and that was to put an end to the Mizukage. Their group had been one of the rebelling groups, but was much smaller than others. Of course, no one wanted to join them, especially for the rebels once they heard of the Demon of the Mist.
The only rebel group that allied with them was Mei Terumi, but they were forced to split when they were stabbed in the back. Neither they nor Zabuza knew what befell Mei Terumi and her group. The last they heard was Mei Terumi and her alliance fighting off Mist. They would not dare to contact or attempt to find her, as it was undoubtedly certain that Zabuza and them were the main targets of the rebellion.
Though Gozu and his brother were scouting to make certain that there were no Mist shinobi from the village after them, he, inwardly, hoped that there were at least a few rebels of their group, though it was unlikely. The naturally occurring mist and fog from the Land of Waters's environment made it difficult for any shinobi or even bandits not from the Hidden Mist or familiar with its terrain to trudge through, and allow its forces to have the advantage with the knowledge of their environment, while their enemies were forced to used their senses to adapt.
Gozu and his brother Meizu were of course familiar with it since they were Genin. Unfortunately, that meant the shinobi assigned to bring Yagura their heads were in the same boat. Both did not want to engage in combat. Zabuza had made orders not to engage if they located a Mist shinobi, a rare and unexpected order given by the man they knew who enjoyed combat and never shied away from a fight. It meant that they were in a truly precarious situation, where Zabuza prioritized their safety over a good battle.
Hours passed on, neither shinobi letting their guards and senses drop, until Gozu spoke. "Meizu. We should head back. Zabuza and the kid will probably be expecting us."
Meizu nodded. The chains from his gauntlets were adjusted. "Let's go… Wait!"
Gozu froze as Meizu indicated with a silent gesture across; a ANBU sign taught to them by Zabuza. A presence they felt
There was no further communication. Both nodded to each other and leaped from tree to tree.
Yelena registered the kunai, attached with an explosive tag just seconds before it went off. Leaping away from the vicinity of the blast, her vision was temporarily blinded by the bitter explosion of earth. Sensing the danger immediately before it came, she evaded the small hail of shurikens and kunais that came at her.
Yetis were with her, standing by her side immediately, clashing weapons against weapons on those who chose to engage in close quarters fighting. Yetis engaged with the shinobi, only the sound of weapons ringing in the air. They seemingly recognized the futility of both forces seeming to be equal as they cut each other down, for most of them began switching tactics.
"Fall back and attack with long ranged Ninjutsu!"
Picking up on the sound of handsigns, her eyes went up to the shinobi forces that attacked her and her Yetis, launching Ninjutsu of Water; she recognized it from the book. The Yetis launched their own Arts, freezing the forming water instantly, forcing the Mist shinobi to disperse to avoid.
"Water Style: Twin Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Yelena turned her head to see as water from one of the shinobi coalesced, beginning to rapidly form and form, until it took the shape of a monolith of two dragon-like entities, formed entirely out of water. The twin beings roared, glaring down at her, before it lunged at her and the Yetis.
Raising her staff against the towering being which threatened to drown and break her and the Yetis, the tip of the staff glowed with effervescent energy as the temperature dropped, she began to hum and chant in a low voice, as the energy built up from the staff, before she released it.
A large ray of ice rushed at the oncoming dragon, almost matching the height of the beast itself. Slamming into each other, the dragon attempted to power through the ray, but it was unable to, and the opposing shinobi eyes widened as his Jutsu was effortlessly negated, the ice rapidly forming over the dragons, the dragon's eye dimming as if it was dead, halting directly in its tracks, before it dropped and shattered into microscopic pieces. He could only leap away as a volley of frozen arrows pierced where he once was, tangling themselves in the branches and bushes before it and the entire tree itself was frozen over in seconds.
"W-what is she?!" The one who casted the Jutsu turned to his companions. "Be careful! She and the rest of those freaks have an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai!"
"What?! I didn't see her weave any hand signs! Her Jutsu came from that staff of hers!"
"Is she related to the Yuki Clan?! A survivor?"
Discussion rang among the shinobi, their words of fear and disbelief at what they thought was a survivor of the now gone Yuki Clan, no longer seemingly gone, or if she wasn't. Regardless, they watched as their fellow shinobi's Jutsu was simply frozen, before it shattered into millions of pieces.
before they were abruptly silenced.
"Idiots, does it matter?! She and the rest of those freaks are dead! Genji, Desan, switch to Fire Ninjutsu! On me! Rest of you, only approach when I announce it! We'll crush these fools and show them what it means to be the Blood Mist Ninja, and what happens when you defy Lord Mizukage!"
The speech spurred the Mist shinobi into action once more. Yes. They would slaughter these fools in front of them, and teach them what it meant to defy the will of the Mizukage. Teach them the failures of approaching the territory of the Mist.
Whoever they were, wherever they came from, they would regret approaching a territory of the Bloody Hidden Mist.
"Yes sir!"
Yelena did not need to remind her Yetis as they too were ready. None of the shinobi seemed to care to talk or simply settle matters beyond violence.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The leader weaved through the hand signs before he puffed up his cheeks and exhaled a large volume of fire, taking the shape of its namesake.
"Fire Style: Burning Phoenix Jutsu!" Clapping his hands together, the following shinobi then bent it outwards, a flaming bird forming, taking the shape of a phoenix as it flapped its wings, screeching loudly, before it dived down at breathtaking speeds towards the Yetis.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Missile Jutsu!" The final shinobi spat out a volley of flames that, like the Phoenix, flew like missiles towards their target.
Yelena's eyes scanned quickly across the field where the Fire Jutsus were launched. All her Yetis were in range of the Jutsus.
Raising her staff once more, she began to hum a song, a tune as the frigid winds of Northern Tundras of Ursus, the bitter winds she became accustomed to, the faces she saw of children and elderly, the mines of Originium.
The first lyrics were completed as the combined Jutsus came crashing down.
"Did we get them?!"
"Hold!" The captain of the Hidden Mist forces held his hand up, the combined Fire Style Jutsus gave off a massive plume of flame as it incinerated the trees surrounding them, adding a heavy layer of burning smoke into the air which assailed the senses of the Mist shinobi and the mist itself.
The Hidden Mist shinobi tensed their blades and weapons, waiting for a sign that would signal whether they were dead or alive.
Buldrokastee heard the rumble as soon as he and his Shieldguards split apart from Yelena and the Yetis, and immediately knew what it was, for he sensed the whizz of the small projectiles coming straight at him and his guards. Barking a quick order, they immediately deflected the projectiles, sending the hailstorm of steel and metal away.
Buldrokastee and the rest of the Shieldguards formed a protective formation to cover each other. From tree to tree were shinobi. Donned in dark clothing and a vest, a few had taken to donning masks and obscuring their faces entirely, while a few others simply had their headbands around their foreheads, the prominent symbol that he could make out were four horizontal lines that were etched on the masks and headbands, designating them an affiliation from a central village.
He had desired to talk, to halt whatever means of violence, as he had not seen an Infected in this world so far, to prevent it before it ever began, to receive answers to this forest of mist, and to possibly alleviate the concerns of them entering the territory of a nation that was well guarded and did not take to outsiders or foreigners kindly, but it was unavoidable as the shinobi rushed forward to engage in combat, their weapons drawn.
The shinobi raised his blade to deliver a slash at his side, but he moved his shield to block the blow, a crashing noise as sparks flickered from the contact and screeched loudly across. Raising his halberd, Buldrokastee swung it down as the shinobi sidestepped, rocketing a fist to his face. Tilting his head to avoid the blow, and finding the unprotected opening that the shinobi overextended himself, as his eyes widening as soon as he realized his mistake, he slammed his knee into the gut of the shinobi, cracks sounding out as the shinobi's eyes bulged, his breath caught in his throat as his ribs snapped apart from the blow, but he knew it would not be enough to put down the man. Grabbing the shinobi in the air by the leg, he slammed him down into the earthen soil of his enemy's territory with enough force that would kill any man, but Buldrokastee held back his strength, ensuring that it was enough to cripple the man that he would need medical attention, but not enough that it would take away his life.
Scanning around, he looked at the field, where the shinobi engaged his Shieldguards. While the shinobi were formidable, with tactics that were still new to him, as he and the rest had yet to grow accustomed to how the shinobi fought, their numbers were dwindling slowly. One of the female shinobi ran her blade, intending to cut through his Shieldguards, but the satisfactory look that she donned was replaced by confusion and then surprise as her blade, surrounded by a azure energy that was flickering, her chakra coating the blade, did not cut through flesh, but instead ran across the armor in the same shower of sparks, before it snapped apart, the blue energy fading away. She stared, transfixed at her broken blade caused by the armor and realizing too late, before the Shieldguard slammed his protective gear into the side of her head, slamming her hard into the tree, before slumping over. One of the shinobi seemed to understand what was happening, and he assumed he was the captain, as he barked his own orders and the shinobi leaped back up to their trees.
"Captain! What do we do?! Who are they?! They're wearing high quality armor that not even our chakra blades can cut through them!"
"Who are they?" Another spoke up in his own shock and surprise. "They're wearing armor, but no shinobi wears armor… At least not anymore. Only the Samurai of the Land of Iron wear armor now, but their armor cannot block out taijutsu or ninjutsu, and the shinobi from the Land of Snow wears…" He gasped slowly. "Are they wearing that…?! Chakra armor?!"
"I also don't see any symbols on them! They're not wearing any headbands or wearing anything that tells us they're from the rebels Lord Mizukage told us to prevent them from entering our Land of Water or even the other villages from their own Lands! Where did they even come from?!"
"Captain! What do we do? Captain?" One of the shinobi turned to their captain as he watched the tall and strong figure, his skull like visage giving off a frightening appearance to even the shinobi of the Hidden Mist, turn back to the similarly armored figures, a slight incline of his head that only he could catch among his companions, and stepped forward.
The Captain, Akihito, watched as the skull-visaged figure, (was it his mask or face? He did not know) stepped forward, his eerie eyes seeming to pierce him and those under his command. Those under his command tensed, their hands quivering into hand signs, ready to cast Jutsus at a moment's notice.
"Do you not know where you are?! You entered the Land of Water and in the Hidden Mist territory of our home! State your intentions, and why you are here! Now!"
With the shinobi now on the trees, Buldrokastee simply nodded to his Shieldguards, to remain where they were, but also keep their guards up as he stepped forward.
The shinobi mimicked and followed the same movements as he stepped forward, hostility and wariness in their eyes.
"Do you not know where you are?! You entered the Land of Water and in the Hidden Mist territory of our home and Lord Mizukage's will! State your intentions, and why you are here! Now!"
He heard the voice from one of the masked figures, the commander it seemed, halting his forces around him, and Budrokastee though he did not lower his weapons, he too kept his guard.
The temporary halt in this fight, he knew, could just result in another stage of battle. He had no clue if he was being lured into a false sense of security but knew that either way, dropping his guard would only be foolish.
Their hostility was palpable through the air and his Shieldguards tensed their postures to battle once more. Yet they did not move, waiting for their leader himself.
Buldrokastee answered, though he felt that any answer he had, as honest as he may have been, would have been empty in the eyes of the Hidden Mist shinobi. "My men and I apologize. We were not aware that we had intruded upon a territory of your village's leader."
A mocking sneer of disbelief was given his way. "You expect us to believe that?! What village are you from?! Where did you come from?!"
Kazdel came back to him, Helen and Grrovae'zzeal, but it was not in this world. It was not. It was a new world of dangers unknown and Buldrokastee knew what the answer he could give would be deemed unacceptable. "I'm afraid we are not from any of the lands or villages you are familiar with. We are from a land far from here, and as such, were unaware of the customs of the land here."
Sounds of disbelief followed, but he raised his voice, and lowered his head slightly. "I will apologize for our intrusion and our lack of understanding but we were merely defending ourselves." He hoped by talking, that they could resolve the conflict and not escalate it further than it already had gotten to be.
The shinobi he watched from their perches, traded glances and looks, silently debating among themselves.
When Gozu and Meizu felt the temperature around them drop, goosebumps forming on their skins and their breaths came out in puffs, both immediately concealed their presences with the mist provided and their chakra signatures, approaching cautiously…
"G-gozu!" Even holding his gauntlet, he felt as if his own hand was already frostbitten and his limbs felt heavy. He knew this presence, and what it had felt like before. "This feeling… It feels like-!"
"No! Can't be that brat!" He spoke through his chattering teeth. "I felt his presence before! It was never as intense or even cold as this!" It wasn't. It was far more so, perhaps a hundred times more. Haku's presence felt cold, but this far eclipsed even Haku's Ice Release, his chakra was nothing but a hailstorm while this felt like a blizzard coming to freeze them all. "And he was back with Zabuza!"
"Did he send an Ice Clone?" Meizu uttered. "But why? Did Zabuza order him?!"
"No you fool! We heard Zabuza! A retreat was a retreat! And besides… What purpose does it gain now? He explicitly told us to keep our heads down and lower our chakra and scout for Hidden Mist shinobi! Not go looking for death! An Ice Clone does nothing! Zabuza told him to recover his chakra since he has done most of the fighting!"
"Then who is it besides that kid?! It can only be him!"
"I don't know!" Gozu responded. "But keep your chakra low and let's use the Mist as cover. We'll see who it is, but we have to keep our distance."
Haku knew what the presence was. Though he was a shinobi, trained to carry out his Master's will, he was still a student who had much left to learn, and this presence, this presence was far too similar and so close and Haku wanted to believe it, yet he could not. He needed to see it with his own eyes.
"Master Zabuza-!"
"That's not you I'm feeling, Haku?" It felt far too similar, but Haku was besides him and so it could not be him.
He shook his head.
Zabuza smirked behind the mask, and his eyes gleaned with the desire to shed the blood of Mist. "Let's go then. We'll see who it is."
The Master and pupil dove straight into the Land of Waves, unaware of the events that would soon to change, unaware of their own lives changing from the moment they entered the forest.