Southern Land of Fang: Several Hours Later
"Katomi, that was quite reckless of you to pull off," the voice of Ariana spoke once I regained consciousness, hesitantly flickering my eyes open. After fully opening my eyes, the memories of my clone made their way into my head, seeing her fly into the sky after my jutsu formed and made its way toward Madara. My clone then saw our jutsus meet and the complete annihilation of Madara, along with me falling unconscious before losing control of the jutsu completely, causing it to burn for kilometers in every direction. I then saw the vision of her taking my body and eventually bringing me here, out of the path of the sky filled with smoke. I slowly sat up slightly groggy, before I wanted to speak to Ariana, a small flask of water caught my eyes. I reached and picked it up, drinking the water from it slowly until it was gone. I sighed and placed it back down before speaking, "Forgive me, for my actions, however, at that moment I didn't see many other options," I said honestly in thought after trying and failing to speak out loud. "Did I get him?" I asked.
"You did, if only barely, and now you're here recovering, so do not go out and try anything," Ariana warned. "Hm, perhaps you are right," I responded, realizing how my entire body felt like it was burning, although not as bad as it probably did earlier if I was still awake. I took a moment to gain mental clarity. "So, I'm in the Land of Fang and it seems that by now, the war has already been raging in the Rain Village, making getting to Nagato a hassle for now," I said, trying to figure out what other actions I could take during this war. "You've dealt with Zetsu, at least for the time being. And now you've dealt with Madara, permanently." Ariana spoke before continuing, "Give yourself some more time before trying to deal with the final major threat. You should have at least another couple of hours before the gamer's body healing finishes," she finished. I sighed weakly before responding mentally, "I understand."
Moments passed as I lay on my back staring into the ceiling of the cave, the light from the warm campfire near me flickered across the ceiling. "Yoru, what's your status?" I asked as another moment passed. "Ah, commander, it's good to hear you again. Now, in terms of movements in Konoha, everything is not out of the ordinary, many of the troops being sent have been sent heading west, presumably to the main battleground. How are things on your end right now? Gonna stick to that promise?" Yoru spoke, causing me to sweatdrop slightly before responding, "Eh, yeah, you know I'm kinda a stickler for that, don't worry. And in terms of how things are going here, well, pretty well I guess. I'll be making my way back to the village within the next week, there's...a couple last things I want to take care of first." I responded.
"I see, and if I may ask commander, would it be a good idea to recruit more to our forces? We already have Karasu sama and I, who are the surveillance and intelligence specialists," Yoru said. I hummed quietly before answering, "You make a good point, I've been thinking about it before but got caught up in my current missions, I'll see what I can do. Either way, you can now head back to the village, Karasu will be back with some people I would like you to watch. And you'll get your delicious present when I get back," I mentally responded. "Aye, captain," Yoru responded, earning a smirk from me. "Karasu, how are you doing?" I asked.
"Captain, everything is going well over here, we are now on our way back to the village. We maintained a low presence so far, with no real issues. Although I must warn you, Uzushiogakure seems to have been in the process of rebuilding and has been sending out shinobi to Fire Country and to Wave Country. Comrade Shiro scouted around when we were in Tanzaku town and reported their movements to me," Karasu finished. My face became set in stone, "Right, continue on your way back to the village, I sense that Uzu may be trying to find me to have some words after what I have done. They are likely reaching out to gain more allies, starting with me, right as planned," I responded mentally before adding, "Now when it comes to Wave Country, I'm not too sure of what happened with their Daimyo, but I'll let Uzu handle it since it would benefit them the most. If it's as I predict, and they are trying to find me in order to negotiate, I'll see what I can do with the leverage I managed to earn," I spoke before pausing.
After a moment of gathering my thoughts, I spoke, "We'll continue to gather allies in the shadows of this war while the other main villages are distracted with their battles. Once I'm done with my plans, I'll shift focus to preparing the annex, I'll need Akito-kun's help when it comes to building our village," I finished. "I must respectfully ask, but isn't he that nerdy kid that you fell in love with?" Karasu asked, earning a chuckle from me. "Yeah, but he does have potential, potential that needs to be channeled for the greater good. I can only focus on our military and our technology, but he is far more intelligent than I am when it comes to the main things that could really help civilians. With him and I working together, along with someone else with medical knowledge, we can decrease infant mortality in our village, drastically improve medical technology, and improve our overall homeland defense technology." I answered.
A few moments passed before Karasu asked once more, "Do you question how a child has these abilities? He's pretty much a genius on your level," Karasu responded as I felt heat rush to my cheeks at his comment, "I-I am no genius, I have a lot of help and fortune. Just like anyone else, I would've been just another soul somewhere, I was just lucky. My cute, dinner plate-kun, is a real genius, he doesn't have an overpowered gamer system to fall back on," I stuttered out in embarrassment. Ariana decided to choose this moment to speak up once more, "Hm, and you becoming a captain in the armed forces of your past life at only 25 was just luck? In most militaries and military ranks in your past life, most of those who are considered captain reached that position when they were at least 32 years old." I shook my head quickly, my face starting to burn, "S-s-shut up, that was chance too, I could've died many times over, ya know," I said forcefully. "Ahe, seems you do good as an ally to the Uzumaki," Karasu said cheekily as I sighed, completely humiliated at the situation.
After a few minutes, I slowly sat up, groaning softly in the process. After sitting up with my legs crossed, I slowly reached up to caress my hair, taking out any dirt or sticks. "I suppose I'll move on to another annoyance, settle the score, or...tie up a loose end, so to speak," I said as I stood up straight and slowly walked to the cave's opening, before staring out into the night. "I'm interested," Ariana spoke, bidding me to continue. "Ryu, the boss of that thrice-damned company, he should still be in Iwagakure since he's a court member. But, most importantly, I'm sure he has more people who need to be released, so I'll need to get some more details about his operation." I finished before stretching my body. "You're going to put an end to him finally, what a strange time," Ariana answered. I smiled slightly, "I know, but ninjas are easier to watch out for and would be far less likely to move on someone who is a leader of a village, since Ryu is a court member, or in other words, a civilian, he has much more freedom to move or get his goonies to move for him," I explained.
"How do you know if he is still alive? That Kanashii fellow would have already spoken to the Tsuchikage by now," Ariana asked. I shrugged, "I highly doubt that a high-ranking court member, who is also the leader of a criminal organization, would be so stupid to get caught by his own village. Either way, I'll take a trip there anyway, just to make sure. Then, I'll have to wait until this war is nearly over before I can move on to Nagato, in the meantime I'll hunt out any more Zetsu," I finished. "Why not rest? You may not have much time later on," Ariana asked as I sighed, "You make a good point, there isn't much that I could do outside of my village during this war after these moves. I work to gain more allies later in the future once I fix our economy and shrinking population. I guess I'll do a little bit of traveling during this time." I finished, smiling at the fresh scent of the night.
"I see, and how do you plan to not only assassinate a high-ranking court member in Iwa, but, also travel around the elemental nations as if there isn't a major war raging on?" She asked as my smile went from calm to mischievous. "Well, I seemed to have earned quite a reputation in less than three months of this war, something about, flee on sight~" I responded, harmoniously pronouncing the last few words. Ariana sighed, "You know what, just don't tell me, It'll just give me a headache. The youngest in this world to obtain a title like that, that boy, Minato, will likely follow after the next war." She answered as my eyes widened slightly, "That's it," I said, formulating an addition to my plans. "What's it?" Ariana asked.
I smirked once more, "The Flying Thunder God jutsu, or at least the sealing knowledge that can lead me to it, at least in a more detailed way. I could try my hand at learning it." A moment passed once more before Ari responded, "But you have already created a decent technique?" I sighed excitedly, "Well, yeah, but that technique is nothing compared to actually teleporting. Beyond that, firstly, I could utilize the leverage I have gained with the Uzumaki and gain some sealing knowledge that can lead me to obtain the technique. Finally, I could work with Akito-kun and learn more about the physics of this technique and implement that into technology such as wireless communication." I finished.
Ariana sighed once more, "Fine, go on with one of your nerd rants again," she said, as I continued, "My thinking is, with the Thunder God technique, you create a fixed point or a beacon wherever you may already be by using the special sealing formation. To transport yourself, you also have to create a kind of receiving point in a different location, of course, while being aware of possibly tearing a hole in space. The same principle could apply to wireless communication, just with data and not a physical person. With that, we could bring about a real change to this world, even beyond that of my old life." I finished. "And why do you want to do something as crazy as this?" Ariana asked with clear exasperation. I chuckled again, "To put it quite simply, because I can and no one can stop me, MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" "I admire your maturity, all of those ideas, and yet never going to a therapist," Ariana spoke sarcastically as I continued with my machinations.
Southern Land of Fang: 1 Day Later
After I managed to fly down from the cave which was near the top of a mountain, I landed by a nearby lake. Slowly taking off my clothes and placing them on the grass near the bank, I made my way into the lake, shivering slightly at the cool feeling. I sighed after fully submerging myself into the water, rubbing my arms and legs of the sweat and grime from all of my adventures. After a moment, I dipped my head into the water and scrubbed through my hair to get rid of any dirt before coming back to the surface. "Ariana, how far am I exactly from the nearest town? I can't see anything for a while on my map," I asked. "Right now you are about 15 km south of the capital village of the Land of Fang, planning on something?" She responded as I finished bathing myself and left the water, channeling my chakra to fry myself instantly. "I just need some more clothes, these are pretty torn up from my battle," I spoke, somehow surprised at the durability of the pockets that still had the money I took a while ago. "Hm, I would suggest you be careful when entering that village," Ariana warned. I glance toward the north, "Understood," I spoke after putting on my clothes. After putting on my weapons, I formed my wings and took off.
Land of Fang Capital: 30 Minutes Later
"Oh come on, I know I might have something of a reputation now, but this is quite ridiculous," I ranted mentally while strolling through the village. After walking into the village like all of the men and even some of the women decided that I was the scariest person on the planet, although, perhaps my tattoos and weapons add to the intimidation. I sighed in annoyance at the scampering of the villagers, moving far away from me as if I were a disease. I glanced around at the scared faces and paused in my walk. I bowed slightly in one direction before turning and bowing in another, trying to not come off as a threat. Unsurprisingly, no one budged, and I decided to cut my losses and walk toward a clothing shop. After finding my way into a nearby clothing store, I immediately bowed low to the clerk, who already had a face of fear. "H-how are you?" He asked in fright. I sighed once more before answering, "Do not worry, I am not a part of any ninja village, I am Katomi Misamoto and I come from the Village of Firefly." I spoke after raising myself.
The man swallowed slightly before answering, "What? The tourist village?" He spoke, slowly starting to calm down. I walked closer, keeping my hands grasping each other at my front, "Indeed, the tourist village. Although, when you get the chance, you should visit later on, much has improved in recent times," I lied casually. "Liar," Ariana quipped, "Hey, a little propaganda to spread the word won't hurt anyone," I mentally answered as I waited for the man to answer. He sighed before slumping slightly, "Then why is someone as young as you are, have weapons like those shinobi? You should know, shinobi aren't quite welcomed in this part of the elemental nations," he responded as I took on a confused expression. "And why is that?" I asked as I started to look around for some more clothing.
He sighed once more, "We heard about the recent war that has started with the bigger villages. In the last shinobi war, we were, like many other minor villages, used as a battleground for their skirmishes. With the help of our Daimyo, and allies, we have only just managed to come to some sense of stability," I finished as I brought another kimono and some black leggings to the front, placing the merchandise on the table with a slight frown on my face. "I see, forgive me for my recklessness, I should tell you as well that my village doesn't particularly like shinobi either," I responded, once again bowing in politeness. "If I may ask, who trained you in your village if no one there is a shinobi," he asked while picking up the clothing and writing down the prices on some paper. I stood quiet for a moment after bringing out some money and then spoke, "The war trained me, through my travels, I had to fight off many enemies unless I wished to be a victim. My parents were killed in battle and now, I just try to survive until the next day." I lied smoothly.
He grunted after I handed him the money, "Sorry for your loss, I only hope that this will all be over eventually, maybe one day we all could focus on progress, where children don't have to get sent out," he responded. I gained a smile to my face before answering cryptically, "Well, you'll do quite well in my village, as I stated, much has improved. I recommend coming when this war is over, you'll likely be shocked." He turned to me with a puzzled face after placing my clothes in a bag, "And who are you, a child, perhaps a strong child, to have such faith in your village?" He asked. I picked up the bag before bowing in gratitude, "Oh, just someone who happens to be good at telling the future. Farewell now, and I recommend not getting too caught up in pessimism, what may sometimes not seem probable ends up becoming reality." I said as I made my way out of the shop with a smile, not commenting on the questioning look he sent me.
Iwagakure: Cave of the Tiger
Ryu sighed tiredly while sitting at his desk, the office vacant after he sent away his assistant who brought him a document. This was no ordinary document, as this was a document approved by the International Shinobi Registration. "How could this happen?" His deep voice asked out loud while blowing out a stream of smoke, glaring down at the description of his arch-enemy. He raised his free hand and rubbed the stress wrinkles on his forehead. "Onoki is breathing down my neck, and now this damned child was able to grow into this in a matter of nearly 5 years," he growled out in anger. Seeing how utterly hopeless he was in dealing with the ever-elusive angel of Katomi. "No amount of Anbu could even hope to deal with this child at this point and apparently, she is adamant about sabotaging shipping routes across the elemental nations, the brat." He said puffing away at his cigar and pondering what his plans were, "If it was to get out about my doings with the drug trade, I would be target number one for the shinobi world after this war is over. But what could I do now?" He asked once more as he leaned back into his chair.