CHAPTER THREE
Kakashi jumped again, dodging the snake that was intent on crushing him. Qi surged behind him, indicating the urgency with which his protégé escaped. Everything will be alright if I hold ground here.
Several thoughts flooded within him at the moment. Where was Orochimaru? Why send just a snake? Of course, he would not send a snake. He must be around here then. The snake attempted to crush him with its tail, growing annoyed at the small target who dodged everything.
The snake lifted his tail with a cry, only to hear a roar of thunder. Sudden weight appeared on its nose, and the snake wasted no time stretching its maw to swallow his foe.
"You would harm your master, little snake?"
Kakashi stiffened from his standing place near the serpent's tail. There he is! A tall figure stood on the nose of the beast. The stretched maw did not bother him. He gently bent down and caressed the nose of the snake, causing it to freeze and slowly close his maw.
"Your injuries can still heal. Return to your cave." Orochimaru had a silky-smooth voice, the snake decided. The shame of failing his master on his first mission welled within him.
"Be quick about it," urged Orochimaru. The snake closed its eyes, intent on returning to Ryuichi Cave. Chakra whirred within its coils, and then suddenly broke into the air. The snake opened his eyes to find his head flying. Pain erupted everywhere and died down just as quickly as the snake closed its eyes for the last time. Orochimaru was sent flying alongside it, before crashing on the ground when the summon turned to smoke.
"My my, how cruel. Isn't it a crime to attack retreating soldiers?" asked Orochimaru. He stood up from where he crash landed, courtesy of Kakashi's jutsu. Kakashi stood diametrically opposite from him, palm outstretched with electricity crackling around it.
"I would not know about that. Didn't you do the same with your battalion? Did it hurt just like now?" questioned Kakashi, his palm now a raging vortex of electricity.
Orochimaru snickered, completely unbothered by the raging storm whirling in Kakashi's palm. "This one did not hurt, there are plenty of snakes in Ryuichi. That one did not hurt either, because it granted me THIS!" With a sudden shout, Orochimaru slammed his palms together, creating a spear of pure wind. Air surged into the spear, uprooting multiple trees, and creating a giant storm.
Kakashi shot out a blast of pure electricity that collided with the spear. The two projectiles clashed against each other in mid-air, neither gaining superiority. Kakashi closed his open palm just as Orochimaru clapped his hands, causing the projectiles to burst. The wind and electricity surged around wildly, destroying everything that came into their path.
Amid this storm, Kakashi charged at Orochimaru, holding a sparking kunai. Just as he came within range, Kakashi slashed downwards. Orochimaru jumped back, before spitting out a sword. Kakashi twisted to the side, allowing the sword to pass through where he was. Orochimaru grabbed the hilt of the sword and swung it sideways towards Kakashi, who ducked underneath and slammed his palms on the ground. "Mud Wave!" shouted Kakashi, causing a giant wave of mud to roll through the ground, uprooting any and everything in its path.
Orochimaru found himself in the air, and Kakashi sped through more hand signs, "Electric Hounds!" Multiple small pups made of electricity blazed their way through the air straight at the Snake summoner. Orochimaru charged his blade with pure wind chakra and sent out a slash of wind that cut through the pups and slammed straight into Kakashi.
Kakashi went skidding away but did not lose his balance. "Are you here for him?" asked Orochimaru. "Does the leaf chase after the myths of old now?" He put his sword in his haphazardly fashioned scabbard on his waist.
"Just a mission in the nearby village," replied Kakashi, hopping on his feet and stretching his neck. "So, who are you here for? That man with red eyes? Another one of your test subjects?"
"Not quite. There is no need for you to know about him." Both shinobi drew in a large breath and let Nature's chakra enter their bodies. Blood vessels bulged randomly on their bodies as the foreign chakra enhanced everything. No signs appeared anywhere on their bodies, displaying perfect Sage Mode.
Both sped towards each other as their fists clashed together, causing shockwaves to echo throughout the woods. With firepower now surging beyond their previous capabilities, a fierce exchange of techniques commenced. Illusions were cast aside by both, being unable to penetrate the protection of Nature. Kakashi enveloped his fists with electricity and punched Orochimaru straight in the stomach.
Orochimaru wheezed but spit a fireball directly at Kakashi. Kakashi disappeared underground, only to be thrown out by a mud wave created by Orochimaru. Kakashi regained his balance and slammed his fists on the ground again, creating giant waves that flooded the area with water. "Water's insurgence!", he shouted. Orochimaru slammed his fists on the ground, "Land Creation!" bellowed the snake. Dry clay was created and thrown at the incoming water at a similar speed, causing mud to be thrown everywhere. A clone took over the jutsu for both as they clashed once again in a flurry of blows. Kakashi dodged several stab attempts by Orochimaru and kicked his outstretched elbow with his full might.
The blade went flying away, as Kakashi attempted to drive his Kunai into Orochimaru's skull. Suddenly, the wind surged and Kakashi was thrown away. In place of Orochimaru existed only winds and gusts, and two eyes peered down at Kakashi. The wind was coloured green, and he could see an outline where Orochimaru's body ended. His clothes lay on the ground below him, unable to stay on his new body.
With a shrill scream, Orochimaru shouted, causing gusts to slam into Kakashi and carry him away. Kakashi slammed hard into the ground, looking around to find himself in a gash in the ground. Trees were uprooted around him, and he was pushed into the Earth.
Kakashi let the electricity take him as a storm surged in the sky, throwing bolts of lightning where Kakashi was. From the gash appeared a being of pure electricity, staring straight at the windy form of Orochimaru.
"Fifth Realm," both began, causing the elements around them to surge even more, "Avatar of Lightning/ Guardian of the Winds!"
Lightning and wind clashed as both took to the skies. Kakashi sent out multiple waves of sound by snapping his fingers, reminiscent of thunder. The waves hit Orochimaru as he hissed in pain. Only Fifth Realm attacks could hurt another Fifth Realm user.
Kakashi flew towards Orochimaru, dodging wind projectiles that he generated, before slamming into him with his shoulder, "Niko: Flashing steel!"
The snake master coughed before driving his palm into Kakashi's stomach. "Iron: Buddha's Palm!" The palm overflowed with Qi, causing two subsequent hits on Kakashi. The white-haired man buckled over but called down lightning on his foe. Orochimaru raced backward to dodge the bolts, giving his enemy the time to recover.
Time was of the essence here. Both had people to check up on and so the match had to be settled quickly. Kakashi breathed out gently and started gathering chakra. Lightning struck him in a permanent current as Kakashi started growing. Soon, he was as big as two men, then as big as a tree, then finally multiple times the size of a tree, to the point he dwarfed the forest. He spouted wings from his back and sped to the skies.
Opposite him, Orochimaru started condensing chakra outside him, creating increased gusts of wind that seemed to surge onto him. He too grew till he was akin to Kakashi. Then, winds coalesced into a shield around his hand. He held the shield up in a defensive posture, gathering as much air as he could.
Kakashi by then had reached so far above that he could not see the trees on the ground. His lightning and nature-enhanced senses helped him find Naruto lying on the ground. Calming his panic, Kakashi focused as his humanoid avatar turned animalistic. He spouted a tail and slowly shifted forms until he resembled a tiger made up of electricity, much bigger than the village he was recently in.
The wings tore from his back, split into multiple smaller pieces, and attached themselves to his mouth, forming his teeth. He roared, causing a downpour, and his voice made of pure thunder split apart the clouds.
It was a strange sight. A giant warrior-like avatar stood with a shield, looking up at an even bigger tiger with teeth as big as multiple trees. There was rain, but no clouds, and the moonlight illuminated the giant wasteland over which they were fighting in an unearthly glow. It was as if two gods had descended to the Earth, destroying everything in their path.
The tiger crouched and then leaped off a platform of air down to the warrior, forcing multiple lightning bolts to accompany him. Both avatars clashed with each other, clawing and teeth against the shield. The tiger then split into two tigers, each half his size. One of them raced behind the avatar who shrunk down and created two hands with a shield behind him. The tigers roared, creating thunder, and calling down lightning on the warrior, causing the shields to crack. One of the tigers roared even harder before exploding. The warrior avatar cracked all over, and the other tiger exploded with an even harder intensity.
Both avatars exploded in the air, creating a dome of pure chakra, which shrunk into a small ball the size of a house. The ball then exploded, clearing the skies completely. Two figures were thrown to the ground with a blast of sound. They crashed at speeds beyond sound in the middle of the wasteland.
Kakashi groaned as he got up, feeling his sore muscles scream in protest. He ran Qi through his body as a diagnostic procedure. Just some internal bleeding and concussion. And soreness.
Orochimaru had high-tailed it out of there beforehand. The man had legged it before the fight could turn lethal and endanger his 'immortality.' Kakashi once again took in Nature energy, before racing to where he had seen Naruto before from the sky. Orochimaru was the second priority, finding his protégé who was completely vulnerable was imperative.
A bullock cart moved too slow for his tastes; Naruto decided. The wheels went round and round and round and round only to move slower than a squirrel. But steady progress was progress, nonetheless.
Kakashi sat in front of him looking perfectly fine. Even after battling Leaf's scourge, Kakashi didn't even have any scratches on him, and the damage he took was small enough to have healed in less than an hour. Then again, the blonde thought, the Fifth realm was an extremely overwhelming technique. Simply by tapping into it, one was etched into history and held in high esteem during his entire life. Courts of all regions would welcome such a warrior, and in time even allow him huge political influence.
Kakashi had his legs stretched and was reading another book he bought nearby. There were going to be questions as soon as the forest started. The cart driver was already under an illusion, hearing nothing but the snores of his passengers. Even if he were to turn around, all he would see would be the sleeping pose of two people.
The forest was far away still, and he was lying there doing nothing. Bored out of his mind, Naruto slowly reached out to the chakra of Nature. He filled himself up with it and let it course through his body. It was a potent technique to heal injuries, but the blonde was in perfect health.
The energy coursed through his body, poking and prodding at his core, where his innate chakra was held. Innate chakra or vitality was the biggest indicator of affinity towards the sixfold path. The larger the vitality, the larger one's potential given that bigger amounts of vitality correspond to a higher rate of chakra generation. One could increase it but rarely did it more than double.
His eyebrows furrowed as he felt his vitality. It was bigger, much bigger than before. It wasn't this large until last night when he fought that red-eyed man. But could someone raise a man's vitality? He estimated that his vitality had tripled in size! It was ridiculous! Naruto knew that he was born with extremely high vitality, to the point even Kakashi was just slightly bigger than him. Now, that ginormous thing had tripled!
His mind raced to find any potential answer aside from the red-eyed man, but he found none. It was all linked to him but now that he had vanished, he was all out of clues. It was wisely decided that all these questions would be fired at Kakashi as soon as the forest started.
Larger vitality had implications on the advanced three realms. While the Fifth realm operated on rules of its own, the fourth and sixth benefitted directly from increased vitality. The fourth realm of the Sage arts was more stable with larger vitality, and the Sixth realm allowed the mixing of more than one realm only with copious amounts of it.
Kakashi sensed his pupil taking in drastically more Nature chakra than he normally did. He would on average take in half as much of Kakashi, but right now he was gobbling it twice as fast as him. Kakashi took in Nature chakra and stretched out his senses to see his protégé's progress. Naruto sat up and looked around, unbothered by Kakashi directly witnessing his chakra circulation. It was a perfect integration, displaying mastery of the second step.
The blonde took in another breath and let the Nature chakra leak from his body. Another breath and energy was taken in with perfect integration again. Kakashi observed him repeating it for a while until the trees along the road started getting thicker.
Naruto opened his eyes and let the Nature chakra leave one last time. The blonde emulated a wet dog by shaking his entire body, feeling relaxed by the constant influx and departure of Nature's chakra. It was akin to a massage for his chakra coils.
Kakashi closed his book and put it into what Naruto called 'Doraemon's pocket'.
"I believe that both of us have many questions regarding last night. Since I am bigger, I will ask the first question. Who did you fight?" asked Kakashi.
"The man we met before the snake tried crashing into us. He had red eyes, although you saw that alongside his appearance," replied Naruto before continuing, "He attacked me when I was running away. It was a straight kick to the ribs, and we ducked it out before…."
"Before what?" coaxed Kakashi.
"Before I hit him with my Rasengan in the back. It tore through it as expected, by the man simply healed it in a second. Plus, I am sure he cut my arm off but," Naruto lifted his perfectly fine arm and waved it around, "here it is. It's as if it was never cut off."
"He must have done something to you, that we know. We also know it isn't harmful since not only did your arm return, but your vitality has also tripled. Did he tell you anything? Any requests or any peculiar thing you remember about him?"
The blonde fell deep in thought, wracking his memories for some clue. The man kicked him, they tussled a bit, and he hit him with a Rasengan, the man healed and then cut off his arm and then stabbed him-.
"He had tails! Multiple of them!"
Kakashi hummed and recalled all he knew about magic people surviving an A-class technique with tails. Nope, he knew nobody like that.
"Are you sure that he had tails?" Kakashi asked again, doubting the information. Could it have been a hallucination experienced by the blonde? That could make sense.
"Yeah! Multiple of them! They spouted from his back and hit me square in the chest!"
"Well, you were covered in blood when I found you, but I found no injuries. Whatever he used to heal your injuries likely increased your vitality too." Kakashi stared at the road behind him, trying to make sense of the situation. Healing he could get, for he had seen stranger things than that. But increasing vitality? That was impossible.
Unless Kakashi thought to himself, the man hadn't increased Naruto's vitality but healed that too. The scar from that night, the night when he had first met the blonde was when he had injured his chakra system, permanently losing parts of his vitality. Perhaps the man had simply taken care of that problem while healing the blonde.
"Naruto," Kakashi began, "What do you recall from before meeting me? Those 12 years you spent in those mountains, what do you remember of them?"
"Not any mountains! It was home!" the blonde protested. "It still is! Those mountains have a name you know! Dhauladhar! I swear, you have no respect sometimes." Naruto folded his hands and fake pouted.
"So, in the Dhauladhar range, do you remember the night you met me?"
"Nope," answered Naruto, regaining his seriousness, "whatever happened that day hasn't returned to me. I remember you, a random man with a monkey tail and there was a fight, I guess. He beat you even with you going all out in the Fifth realm, and then he whispered something and knocked me out. It's still bits and pieces." With a nod, Naruto ended his story, telling Kakashi everything he remembered.
"That's not the full story. I don't remember much about that night too, but there was one thing I kept secret from you. You saw me pump myself full of Nature chakra and in a last dish effort, attempted to do the same. But that backfired and you destroyed your coils." Naruto's eyes were glued to Kakashi as he slowly digested his words.
"Leaf's finest doctors managed to make them work, but your vitality decreased by a huge amount. It was still more than enough to be a Shinobi, but they were no longer as big as before."
"I-You-Why didn't you tell me this before?" Naruto stumbled over his words as he asked his teacher the reason. Kakashi sighed, "Because I didn't want you to lament over what was gone and instead focus on what you had. We thought that vitality was gone forever with no chance of recovery. I planned to tell you this when you grew up a bit more, but circumstances have forced my hand."
"So, the man healed my vitality alongside my arm and chest. That was exceedingly kind of him, but for what reason?" It was rather puzzling.
"We don't know yet. We'll have to track the man down afterward and ask him ourselves." The only solution was the unsaid thing. Only the man could tell what he was planning and why.
"You could tell me where we are going at least. How long am I gonna be stuck in this carriage?"
"We are going to," Kakashi finger gunned at Naruto with small flames coming out of his index fingers, "the Leaf headquarters! The place where all the clan heads and their representatives live!"
"Because we encountered Orochimaru?" asked the blonde. Kakashi readjusted himself from where he was sitting before answering.
"Well, he is the main reason. The red-eyed man is another. The infiltration of a leaf village by foreign agents is the second most important one, right after the snake." There was a large list of reasons why the brass would call for them.
"So, we are stuck here for?"
"Two days."
"Fuck! Two days of lying down and doing nothing? This is torture! Why can't we just run to the leaf?"
"Because we are expected in two days, and I don't want you roaming around in the capital city. With your temper, you'll probably get into fights with the entire nobility. And God forbid you to run your mouth regarding your political inclination. We'll go in and come back before you manage to get beheaded for treason!"
"All kings are worth the dirt on my shoe, and you know it! Don't act so condescending too! I am still pissed off about you hiding a whole ass injury from me!"
"Look me in the eyes-" "Eye" "-eye and tell me that you wouldn't have sulked over it. See? Even you know it. I would've told you that later anyway."
"When?"
"Eventually."
"Urgh." Kakashi eye smiled from his position as Naruto pouted from his seat. The oxen continued on their merry way, ignorant of the conversation taking place behind them.
The trees had thinned a long time ago and small buildings had started popping up. Naruto could see giant gates from where he was sitting in the cart, coloured Orange and green in the Leaf's national colours.
"Those gates are the entrance of the Leaf's headquarters. Although it is inhabited by the Clan Heads and their representatives, the majority population is civilian. It is smaller than most of our cities and towns, but it is the most important. It is also the home to the royal family of the Leaf nation!" boasted the cart driver.
"Wow!" whistled Naruto. Those gates were big enough to make the cart look like an ant. The city was a defensive fortress, surrounded by a moat with plain land around it. Naruto observed that the walls surrounding the capital city were about half the height of the gate. The walls were adorned with various defensive tools, such as spears, ballistae, and fortified positions. He even spotted several individuals, including Shinobi, patrolling along the wall. 'It is the capital city alright,' he thought to himself.
"This is your first time here, right? There isn't much to see, but the market is really good! The items are cheaper than anywhere else in this country. Multiple people come just to buy goods from far away," commented the cart driver.
"Yeah, it's our first time! Brother, can you speed your oxen up a little? This place is getting me excited!"
"Well, we are in the final stretch of our journey so might as well! Rogu! Shaka! Let's run!" The oxen snorted and increased their pace before outright sprinting. Naruto wondered if they had grown tired of the monotonous journey too. Maybe stretching their legs was their way of alleviating boredom.
"We will drop off a few meters from the gates." Kakashi had his nose buried in the same book as before and drawled his words lazily. The cart driver gave a whooping "OK!", too excited over getting to sprint all out.
The oxen pulled to a stop a few meters from the gates, right at the beginning of the moat. There were a few tents pitched around them, selling random trinkets and goods. People were huddled around the tents, haggling and negotiating over goods. Kakashi nudged Naruto towards the bridge over the moat.
The bridge was giant and was made of a mix of iron and wood. Carts full of goods came and went as the duo walked at a normal pace. Carts going in and out were checked by a group of Samurai while another stood guard. The entire entrance was covered by guards with no room for escape.
"It's a platoon. Shinobi and Samurai are divided differently. Platoons are the smallest in size, in Samurai they are at around twenty-five people, while three Shinobi constitute a platoon. After platoons, you have units. Twelve platoons create a unit for Samurai, while six platoons create a unit for Shinobi. Similarly, 24 units constitute a battalion for Samurai, while 12 units constitute a battalion for Shinobi," Kakashi informed.
Naruto nodded his head at that information. Kakashi pocketed his book and continued, "Shinobi are grouped arbitrarily after that, simply based on realpolitik. Samurai get 48 battalions in a core and 3 cores create a wing. There are four wings in the Leaf. The leaders are remarkably high in the political hierarchy but are still below clan heads. Although there are close to four million samurai, in war, times discount one million as they will run away at the sight of war." Kakashi patted Naruto on the back, "Remember all this, it is very basic and important information regarding the military."
"Yes, boss!" Naruto chirped, filling away all the information in his brain. A samurai noticed them approaching the gate before tugging at his companion and pointing towards them. "Watch this," whispered Kakashi, before standing straighter.
Naruto curiously stared as the samurai at the gates ran over to their boss, who was a nicely dressed man in his thirties. He was wearing a white yukata with animals embroidered on him and carried two swords. He looked over to where his subordinates were pointing, and his calm demeanour disappeared in flames. He sprinted towards the back and a phone-like apparatus. He started screaming into it and quickly put it down before screaming at his men to clean half the bridge.
Two shinobi came running from inside the village and stopped right in front of Kakashi. "Lord Kakashi! I didn't know you would be arriving today! If we knew, we would've-!"
"It's fine, soldier. I was recalled for some important matters in the capital," cut in Kakashi, "Now, if you would hurry?"
"Sir, yes sir!" The man produced a strange device. It had two green surfaces at the top and a screen with buttons below. Kakashi put his thumb and index finger in a pinching position over the surfaces and the machine started beeping. With a final beep, the screen showed a picture of Kakashi with a tick mark next to it.
"Right this way sir!" shouted the man, hoping to escort the legendary figure in front of him.
"No need for that soldier. I know my way around these parts."
"Oh," said the Shinobi, disappointed. The woman next to him shook her head and grabbed the man by the elbow, "We will take our leave then, my lord." They both bowed before the girl dragged the sulking man away.
"You are a hot shot! And what was that machine? Do I have to register too? I should be 'Lord Naruto' to "
"Yes, I am a Fifth realm user after all. That was a chakra recognition machine. Yes, you will register soon too. No, you are not 'Lord Naruto'," explained Kakashi. The blonde hummed satisfactorily, "Well, 'Lord Naruto' is more of an eventuality. I guess I can let it slide."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I hope you don't execute those poor souls once you ascend for disrespecting you now." Kakashi had his hands on his forehead like a drama actor and was whispering these words in an overdramatic fashion.
"Can't promise that."
There were a few apartments just inside the gates. Three routes diverged into many at a distance, and Naruto could hear a stream or two flowing inside the village. Kakashi marched onto the middle street and the amount of people in the streets increased as they went deeper inside the village.
"We are going to meet the Shinobi Commander first, then tomorrow we meet the High Shinobi Council. That man is Shikaku Nara, another Fifth Realm master. He is the 'Archon of Shadows', a title passed down the Nara."
Naruto was busy with filling his eyes full of the capital, "Is the Nara a merit-based or by birth hierarchy?" Naruto asked Kakashi, but still stared at random things in the village.
"A merit-based one. It is the only one which follows a merit-based hierarchy alongside the Fuma. Although the clan head family has been the same for generations, anyone is free to challenge the head for a match for the position. There are conditions of course, but those are known only by the Nara."
"I like this one," commented Naruto. Leaf was true to its name, as giant trees littered around the village. He noticed that the people preferred orange, blue, and green over other colours. Most people were black-haired, but there were plenty of blondes. Few had red hair and even blue, and most sported tanned skins.
"I am sure that you do. Don't be rude or act crass, you need to learn the politics of Shinobi and the nation if you want to live comfortably," advised Kakashi. "I know," replied the blonde, noticing the lowering population density around him. "He has a son, around your age. Try to make friends, especially in high places," continued Kakashi.
"I know," the blonde repeated, "but I feel like an asshole when I do that. It looks like I am just after the man's power and pedigree more than out of a genuine hand of friendship towards him."
"That is a dilemma. The way I justify making so many friends with that approach is by considering my worth. I am a particularly important man in the village, so I am not trying to be a leech to those individuals. I am trying to cultivate a relationship where I can ask for help if I need it, and they can ask for mine should they require it." Naruto pondered over his teacher's answer while Kakashi cut off his train of thought, "Every relationship is transactional at the beginning. Whether it must stay that way is up to you. The meaning you afford to friendships is solely dependent on you."
Naruto nodded absently and looked around to find an increase in Samurai around him. He and Kakashi were given a wide berth, and civilians and Samurai both edged far from them. The bulk of people around him wore black hair in ponytails.
"The Nara compound has started. Although the clan is somewhere to the east, the head is given a few thousand Samurai alongside three platoons worth of Shinobi."
"So, nine Shinobi? Shouldn't there be more?"
"Nine highly trained Shinobi are much better than nine thousand Samurai. Besides, the nine Shinobi are simply the bodyguards. A clan head can keep up to twenty around depending on the situation. Any more can cause the surrounding clans to object, citing the gathering of excessive military force inside a safe place," answered Kakashi.
As they ventured further, the roads began to narrow. At a certain point, Naruto had to walk closely beside Kakashi to avoid grazing the wall. Suddenly, Kakashi spotted two individuals waiting for them on the rooftops. "Shinobi," informed Kakashi.
The two Shinobi dropped down from the roofs and bowed towards Kakashi. Kakashi gave back a lazy bow, while Naruto just stared at the events happening before him. "Lord Kakashi, I understand that you are here to meet Lord Shikaku?"
"Of course, lead the way," Kakashi replied with a gesture, encouraging the man to begin leading. The man nodded and motioned for them to follow him, while the other shinobi went to report back by scaling the buildings. The road did not narrow any further, and Naruto decided to walk behind Kakashi rather than beside him.
The roads began to widen, but there were no people in sight. Other than the occasional Samurai, nobody seemed to travel along the road. Naruto looked up and saw several eagles carrying messages tied to their feet as they flew around.
The road split into two, revealing a forested area at the center of the compound. The Shinobi confidently entered the woods, walking along an unpaved road. Naruto observed the surroundings and noticed that the bamboo was the largest shrub present. The forest contained banyan trees, and the deer roamed around, unperturbed by their new visitors.
"The Nara hold the deer holy but don't worship them in the traditional sense. But they do enjoy more respect than we afford to most people." The man was still walking in front and didn't bother to look back towards his company.
The man stopped as a small mansion became visible a few meters away. "This is as far as I go," he informed, "You will find Lord Shikaku inside that mansion." The man bowed one last time and took his leave. Kakashi waited for a second, before continuing towards the mansion. Naruto followed behind him, looking around at the mansion.
The mansion had only four rooms and a central courtyard. Adjacent to the building was a small storage room. 'It is peaceful,' Naruto thought to himself, 'The land is overflowing with nature chakra though.' The mansion had no gates but had a door in the front. Kakashi knocked twice and the door opened on its own.
"Follow me," instructed Kakashi, walking inside. "We just can't enter the military head's house like this! Boss!" Naruto called out after him as Kakashi made his way to the courtyard.
Two individuals were seated at the center of the courtyard, directly facing the pair. The older man had a scarred face while the younger one was around Naruto's age. The older man was sitting on a mat while the younger man was lounging on a chair. Suddenly, the older man stood up and kicked the younger man in the shin.
'He's huge!' Naruto thought to himself. The man towered over them both, 'He's gotta be what? 7'2, at minimum!' Naruto thought to himself. He was also ridiculously muscular and wore a loose dark green yukata.
The man locked eyes with his teacher before looking over at him. He cracked a wry smile before untying his ponytail and running his right hand through his hair. "You must be the protégé. Uzumaki Naruto, yes?"
The man didn't wait for the blonde to respond before continuing, "Kakashi should've told you about me, but still, I am Shikaku Nara." The shadows around the courtyard receded, before coalescing over to the man. The younger man got up and stood at a distance as shadows climbed all over Shikaku.
Naruto watched as shadows covered the man's body, creating a black layer over his green yukata. The shadows were rescinded as to create the symbol of the leaf over the man's front and back, while the green yukata acted as background.
The shadows filled in his scars and the man let out a big breath.
"The commander of every Shinobi in this nation." The shadows compressed into the man, forming a skintight layer of armour around him. "Shall we begin?"
Kakashi cracked a wry smile.
CHAPTER THREE
THE END