By the time Konan may have realized that this might have been a horrible idea, it was already too late as she'd lost herself in the mystery of her curiosity. Whether or not it was wrong or right of her to want to know more about whatever past Shirou had, she had no clue about what she, Yahiko, and Nagato were running head-first into.
In a way, it was Shirou's fault. He thought of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato as children and didn't want to burden them with the information of an attack and tried to carry the weight himself. He didn't know that far from being just children, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had already experienced the hardships and cruelty of the world perhaps more often than Shirou had in his prior life.
If Shirou had told them, they may have actually listened, but he didn't. Hence, the current situation occurred.
Brushing the side of her damp hair from the pouring rain, Konan squinted, trying to make out anything in the fog surrounding them at all sides. They were still inside the Uzumaki Barrier that Shirou had activated, and although they weren't getting affected by the barrier's properties, they still didn't have much visibility through the fog.
"Do you think he actually went this way, or did he go another way?" Yahiko grumbled, after not seeing anything worth noting but rain and more rain for the past half-hour.
"No, he should be here," Nagato pitched in. "Look at the tracks on the mud."
Indeed, Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were following the footprints that Shirou had left behind, but unknown to them, they'd diverged from Shirou's footprints to older footpaths made by other people that passed through the area.
"Something doesn't seem right," Konan murmured, squinting again from the heavy downpour, and already missing the protective covering of the camp she and Shirou had made together.
"What do you mean?" Yahiko frowned.
"There's no one."
"Obviously."
"I mean that there's nothing. No noise but the rain. There should have at least been some animal or maybe birds," Konan felt a tingling sensation at the core of her body. She didn't know it yet, but after unlocking her Chakra, she was actually one of those rare types of Chakra-users known as a Sensor.
It was more of a passive skill, but Konan had the ability to sense the Chakra-signatures of those around her, and she was subconsciously using it at this moment.
"I think that there are people over there," Konan pointed in the general direction, but didn't like the feeling suppression she felt from the people's Chakra. She shivered, second-guessing herself. "Maybe we should go back?"
"After coming all this way? Yeah, no, not yet." Yahiko puffed up his chest stubbornly.
"People are coming," Konan insisted.
"I don't see anyone," Nagato glanced around.
"No, they're coming. We have to hide," Konan urged as the feeling within her grew stronger.
Perhaps noticing the graveness of Konan's features, Yahiko and Nagato tensed almost like it was a sixth sense.
Konan was the first to move, looking for some sort of hidden shelter to take refuge, but by now it was too late. Having just unlocked her Chakra recently, there was no way she could use it as proficiently as professionals. Not matter how fast she acted with Nagato and Yahiko, they were just too slow.
From the distant fog, a group do fifteen Shinobi appeared that instantly caused the three orphans to pale.
The Land of Rain was a battleground for a Great Shinobi World War.
So long as the Shinobi didn't wear Rain's headband, they were likely hostiles. The symbol on their headbands carried no symbol of their affiliation likely to avoid identification.
Yahiko, Nagato, Konan staggered, their feet backpedaling, but there was no way that three of them weren't noticed. Moreover, for the three to appear within the very Fuinjutsu Barrier that suddenly appeared, there was no way that the Shinobi weren't suspicious.
"T-They're coming," Nagato stammered.
"Run already!" Yahiko grabbed the two by the shoulders and began urging them to pick up their feet and flee.
Nagato and Konan didn't have to be told twice, but pessimism had found its way into Konan's mind in her despair.
'We're going to die, aren't we?'
Konan pursed her lips, her breaths shortening in her exertion. She shouldn't have come. She should have stopped these two, but instead, she ended up going with them. What a fool she'd been.
"Hurry!" Yahiko's shouts became more hard-pressed, almost a shriek of alarm.
From behind the three, the rapid sound of footsteps revealed the Shinobi team quickly gaining on them to the point that they could hear them talking.
"Should we capture them? They may know something about the situation in this Fuinjutsu Barrier?"
"Do they look like they know anything? Want to bet that they just stumbled into this place?"
"It doesn't matter. Kill them. They've seen us, and the temporary ceasefire may be amended if it was discovered we moved in secret."
Oh, God they were going to die.
Yahiko could feel his heart hammering in his chest much like Nagato. All that the two could think about was trying to live, but Konan was in a worse state.
Having unlocked her Chakra, she should have been physically more capable than Yahiko and Nagato, but her own diligence had backfired. She'd used to much of her Chakra practicing that she was in a state of near Chakra exhaustion, having not recovered enough.
Eventually, Konan began to lag behind and even stumbled.
She fell on the ground, bits of gravel and dirt digging into her palms and knees as a gasp escaped her lips.
"Yahiko, she fell! Help! We can't just leave her!"
"Dammit."
Yahiko and Nagato turned around, their sentiments truthfully moving Konan who wasn't able to feel pain in her desperation. However, it didn't mean that she didn't feel anguished when she noticed a Shinobi stop right over top of her with Kunai drawn like this was all a sick game.
"Well, there goes one," the Shinobi absently stabbed down towards Konan's heart, but the blow never came.
A whistling noise echoed through the air, followed by a peppering of blurred steel piercing through the fog.
"Chakra constructs?" The Shinobi above Konan dodged immediately while letting out a mutter when it was noticed that the launched 'swords' began to disappear into motes of blue light.
Before Konan could register it, a pair of strong arms were cradling her in a tight embrace before she felt her stomach drop from a sudden shift in direction. When next she blinked, she was standing next to Yahiko and Nagato, a familiar figure standing protectively before them.
Shirou. It was him. There was no doubt.
The sheer relief Konan was feeling spoke volumes for the trust she'd developed for the boy before her. It was to the point that she was embarrassed and awkward at the situation. Still, it didn't mean she wasn't grateful.
She glanced up.
"Thank yo-" the words died in her mouth, much like it did for Yahiko and Nagato.
Blood dripped over Konan's face, the droplets trickling down her cheeks.
Shirou grimaced, one hand pulling out the Kunai that had pierced into his chest. Blood pooled out of it like a ceaseless river. More than that, a deep gash had been cut across Shirou's left shoulder to his waist on his back.
Konan stifled a whimper.
The Shinobi had obviously counter attacked when Shirou swooped in to save her…
Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't find the words to express her guilt.
"A shinobi?" The member of the scouting group questioned.
"Hey, those were Chakra constructs, right?"
"Not only that, look at him. Focus on his hair colour, his features, and then note his chakra reserves. The sensors say they're huge. And this barrier's origin- Uzu. If these are just kids, maybe the adults are further into the barrier…?"
The shinobi trailed off, but the implication was still there.
Considering that the land of Rain wasn't far from the land of Whirlpool, and suddenly, speculations were becoming a reality.
Did members of that clan really survive the massacre?
A shudder travelled down the backs of the Jounin-level Shinobi present. They were old enough to know the gravity of that name, and the general characteristics of that clan's members, far more than Shirou ever could in his ignorance.
No matter what, that clan couldn't be allowed to exist in a cohesive group again.
Even if he was still catching his breath, it didn't mean that Shirou wasn't paying attention.
He'd long since activated the EMIYA class card when the mission began. He'd had no choice and knew that Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato were nearby. Sure enough, he'd barely managed to save Konan in time, but this came with its own drawbacks.
Having not had any time to familiarize himself with the Class Card's sudden influx of knowledge, he'd resorted to his basic Reinforcement Magecraft to arrive on time and save Konan. However, this left him entirely open to the Shinobi's counter strikes.
From the corner of his eyes, Shirou suddenly noticed the earth shift and writhe before a stone spike shout out from the ground.
Reacting more than thinking, he pushed Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko away, not knowing that he was the primary target.
Shirou's pupil's dilated, noticing the spike aimed at his heart.
"Nooo!" Konan yelled in warning, shielding her face from the impact, but never once letting her gaze stray.
No more. She didn't want to lose anyone anymore!
Suddenly, the glow of Fuinjutsu letters appeared over Shirou's skin when the spike made contact with his heart. The air rippled before an invisible locket manifested as the origin of where the Fuinjutsu seals originated from.
Abruptly, the tip of stone spike was diverted, piercing lower than intended much to Shirou's shock.
There were still certain things about his sudden transmigration into this younger body that even he had yet to know. As of now, the fatal injury that would have pierced through his heart was diverted to his stomach.
He grunted, feeling it gouge a chunk of flesh off of him.
In his altruism, he should have been dead as a result of his action, and yet he wasn't. The locket that suddenly appeared on him hidden away through Fuinjutsu was like a single-use blocking mechanism. It had saved his life, but after using the Chakra fueling it, the strap securing the locket to his neck frayed.
Its purpose served, the locket was forcibly torn off Shirou's neck and sent sailing through the air, the Fuinjutsu seals vanishing.
Although he was alive, Shirou was a mess.
The fact that even Yahiko and Nagato tried to join Konan in shielding him spoke volumes for what they thought. For their sake, Shirou had taken blow after blow already. It was enough to move them, more than they were willing to admit.
Nonetheless, all were surprised when Shirou once more pushed himself to the forefront.
Konan felt her mouth dry, Nagato and Yahiko speechless.
"Shirou I, we-"
"Stay behind me," Shirou said sharply, the EMIYA card's characteristics bleeding into his psyche, and ever so subtly shifting his demeanor.
In Konan's eyes, gone was the boy who'd looked out for and accommodated her. Instead, replaced by a cynical battle-hardened warrior that had traversed countless battlefields.
W-Was the change because of her?
A lump formed in her throat, guilt and anxiety suddenly eating her.
"...Sorry," she mumbled out, lips quivering in a way that caused Yahiko and Nagato to flinch when they noticed. Yahiko more than Nagato as he was the instigator of this mess.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," 'Shirou' scoffed out. "I should have thought things through and should have known better."
Konan shuddered at the tone, not relieved of fault in any way. Her palms grew clammy, words failing her. Yahiko pointedly glanced away, unable to bear the sight, while Nagato focused on his feet.
In all honesty though, Shirou didn't blame the three. He knew that he wasn't the best liar, and he also knew that he'd been too cryptic when he'd asked them to stay put. There was no way they wouldn't have been curious, especially when Yahiko and Nagato had yet to fully trust him.
Shirou coughed, clearing his throat of the blood rushing up from the puncture wound over his stomach. His injuries were also his fault. Not only should he had acted better, but he was too hasty. He was still unaccustomed to the changes brought about by the use of the 'Fate Character Install Card Emiya (Archer).'
Not anymore.
Slowly, things were beginning to subtly click in a process of resonance.
[Duration- 7:22s]
[Duration- 7:21s]
The timer was going down for the single-use EMIYA class card but by now, Shirou had assimilated with the one card most relevant to himself.
Grunting, blood spurted from his open wounds as he straightened his back and stood fearlessly tall in the face of the Jounin-level Shinobi before him.
This panicked the other three.
"S-Stop man, please. Y-You're hurt," Yahiko couldn't take the despondence playing over Konan's features anymore as Shirou pushed himself. Each time Shirou moved and aggravated his wounds, both he and Nagato could see a flicker of self-blame flitter across Konan's eyes. "We should run!"
'Run? He wasn't particularly averse to the suggestion, but-'
"No," Shirou shook his head.
He was left with no choice to begin with, the sudden mission parameters still flashing before him like a final warning.
[Emergency Mission: Eliminate Intruders]
[No journey is without obstacle, and killing in the cradle is a common tactic. Prevent the advance of enemy scouts and stop their line of communication]
[0/15 High-Jounin]
[Quest Failure Triggers:]
-[An Enemy Escaped]
-[Konan, Nagato, or Yahiko death: 0/3]
[Quest Reward: Choice of one Passive Skill Dependant on Mission Grading]
[Quest Failure Penalty: Sub-Quest Failure [Building a Rebel Force, reduction to 0/100] = Death]
There was no room for retreat.
The shabby clothes that Shirou was wearing was just making his injury appear worse than it really was. He would have to endure it, and that's what mattered to him, but it wasn't the same for the rest who were feeling more and more conscious of the mistake that they'd made in coming.
Shirou had only been injured because he'd chosen to defend them! None of this was lost on the three orphans.
"We should at least try!" Yahiko tugged at Shirou's sleeve, but to no avail.
"They're Shinobi," Shirou stated, and this statement alone was enough. Sure, the Shinobi weren't attacking now as they were too busy discussing amongst themselves and speculating the extent of Shirou's threat-level, but this reprieve certainly wouldn't last. "It's fine. Leave this to me."
For what it was worth, he tried to give a reassuring smile, but it was the wrong thing to do and say. Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko weren't always orphans. They too had once had families, and the way they're parents had smiled in a bid to reassure them was practically a death flag.
The words 'leave this to me,' in the three's perspective, was synonymous with 'goodbye.'
"…" Konan shivered, Yahiko gnashing his teeth so hard that he could taste the coppery tang of blood.
"Fine? You're bleeding out!" Nagato spoke almost in a shrill, for once, being more vocal than the other two.
In response, a green glow emitted from Shirou's right hand before he used the Iryo-Ninjutsu skill he'd first acquired to stem his bleeding, shutting the three up, but causing the brows of the observing shinobi to raise in alarm. Given enough time, he would surely recover, and no competent Jounin wouldn't understand this.
Shirou knew that this patch-up wouldn't last. Any sudden or extraneous movement would almost surely reopen the wound.
He had to end this mission within the duration of the class card which granted him knowledge, power, and a near limitless wellspring of energy to draw from in the limited time frame.
Within him was a vast armoury that he was suddenly given access. Numerous weapons existed with various abilities, but the most efficient one's to use were still taking time to analyse. In the end, the process of his mind and body were in a state of overload. There was just too many weapons to process all at once in the given time.
-But, so what?
He'd adjusted to the class card enough to understand the basic premise of how to use this strength, and just who the Heroic Spirit EMIYA was.
A reflection of a future of a Hero of Wrought Iron.
His was a power that wasn't at its peak through overwhelming might, but through sheer unadulterated versatility. If you can't get out of situation with one's own means, then it wasn't the end. This scenario would never apply to him.
'If you can't succeed, then imagine something that can…'
Step into the threshold and surpass it.
"I am the Bone of my Sword."
Magic energy burst from all around him like a violent flame that could only ever be interpreted as 'Chakra.' It was a massive bluish hue that seemed to push away the water in the land of endless rain.
"Such high Chakra reserves at his age…other than the Senju, there's only been a single clan with such characteristics," the main Shinobi Captain of the scouting team muttered grimly. "We need to send back a report. Bird, split off with Cat and return to base! The rest, press forward! There are too many secrets hidden behind this Fuinjutsu barrier."
"Understood," two Jounin-class Shinobi of the elite scouting group broke off from the rest, and this didn't escape Shirou's eye.
Shirou knew that not only did he have to defend Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato, but he couldn't let the enemy Shinobi get away either. Not only was there a penalty for this, but he was more than certain that once news got out, more and more Shinobi would flock to unravel the secrets of the Uzumaki Fuinjutsu barrier.
Sucking in a breath, he focused, the air rippling from around him.
"Attack! Earth Style: Mud spikes!" The Shinobi captain gave the signal, the remaining thirteen Shinobi forming hand seals that created torrents of earth and rock that were shot into the air.
There were so many projectiles that for Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato, it was if they blotted out the sky itself. Having barely just started the path of Shinobi training, their predicament created from carelessness was despairing.
Then it happened.
"I'm here," a voice reminded, a back appearing within view, always at the front.
Thinking of it now from a point far into the future, this was probably the beginning of an unreasonable basis of confidence for the three orphans. As it happened again and again, they would develop a subconscious bias.
As long as that back was present before them, the sky would never fall, and the earth beneath their feet would never break.
"Rings that cover the burning heavens."
Words began to echo, filled with a type of power and mystery foreign to the Elemental Nations.
Spell words of power.
They would enact the actualization of a miracle of man beyond space and time.
"Pride that carries the resolution of the immovable."
Magic energy swelled and surged forth like a tide against the encroaching danger.
"Through wind, rain, and the unstoppable- A fortress will stand here."
Every weapon had a story. Every story had a grain of truth. And sometimes, stories become Legends crystalized through time.
"Rho Aias!"
It was the Noble Phantasm of Aias the Great stored in the unlimited armoury.
Seven-petaled flowers bloomed across the battlefield at once, stemming from the focal point of the shield manifest in Shirou's hands. Its very existence was that of a conceptual weapon said to be the absolute defence against any thrown weapon.
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko shielded their eyes in the iridescent purple light, but through it all, they could see the unwavering bastion of defence guarding them from all harm.
"W-What?" The moment of stunned awe that passed through each person present wasn't long, but through the EMIYA card's "Mind's Eye," it was long enough.
Keeping the shield in place, the lock of a gun cocked back in Shirou's mind, readying the armoury within for immediate deployment.
In order to keep Rho Aias active and protecting Konan and the others, Shirou had effectively lost the use of an arm. Tracing the EMIYA card's black bow and firing was out of the question, but other options still existed.
The two shinobi that the shinobi captain had dismissed to report back to their camp had long since disappeared from view with their speed, but Shirou couldn't allow them to get away.
[Duration- 2:21s]
There was no time. He'd just have to act.
"Hunt and kill," Shirou intoned through gritted teeth, the output of energy running through him causing steam to waft from his skin.
From inside him, a Noble Phantasm eagerly answered the call, producing numerous copies of itself, one for each enemy shinobi.
"Chakra constructs!" Some of the more experienced enemy shinobi were able to recompose themselves at the unexpected development and give a warning to the rest, but by this point it was already too late.
"Seek, Hound of the Red Plains!"
Fifteen unassuming swords formed in the air above Shirou and launched simultaneously. Sure, they weren't arrows and were traveling at less than their full speed without alteration, but they were swords of legend that would never let a target go.
Hrunting of the song of Beowulf.
Each sword could sniff out the smell of blood from its targeted foe no matter where they were.
Bloodlust coated the steel in a reddish hue that never relented even if the enemy shinobi knocked them back. They would never cease until they'd pierced and drained the blood of their target.
Having never encountered such a 'Jutsu' or weapon before, no enemy Shinobi was quite prepared for the durability, sharpness, and mystic properties of a Noble Phantasm.
"What the hell is…th..is…?" A shinobi was pierced through the stomach right through the earth wall he'd created. Upon puncturing skin, the blood that seeped out from the shinobi coated the sword until its very appearance changed into a mesmerizing crimson. In comparison, the stabbed Shinobi keeled over, features sunken and mouth gaping like a fish out of water.
[1/15 High-Jounin]
"Dammit, it keeps following-!"
[2/15 High-Jounin]
"Help!"
[3/15 High-Jounin]
Three died instantly in their daze, but the rest weren't that foolish. Instantly they began to weave and work together in order to dodge the incoming swords and hinder them with Jutsu. Hrunting's present speed was a far cry from the aero-dynamic arrows Shirou knew EMIYA could have fired in person. However, keeping Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko safe was also the priority.
"Do these things never stop?!" Panic was starting to set in.
No matter what, Shirou was determined to end things here. If Hrunting as it was right now wasn't fast enough to keep up with High-Jounin levels of agility, then there was another method.
Shatter.
Willing the near limitless supply of magic energy from the class card, Shirou flooded each of the Traced copies of Hrunting with more energy than they could possibly bear. In turn, they entered the ultimate state of a Noble Phantasm. In exchange for a single decisive strike at the cost of ruination, they become utterly broken, releasing the true extent of their crystalized legend.
Sing the song of legend!
Crimson light expanded as a stifling heaviness pressured the air in an almost tangible murderous intent.
"Oh sword steepled in the ichor of unquenchable thirst, bear your fangs! Hrunting!"
Each sword shattered in the air, breaking free from the limitations of the metal of its make to reveal a shadowed outline of a massive black hound.
"A-A summoning Jutsu? What sort of summons are these?"
Confusion was understandable, but in the end, it mattered little.
The most dangerous variable that any shinobi faced out on the field wasn't the strength of an enemy's Jutsu or skill, but the unknown that couldn't be prepared for.
A chilling howl echoed in the space, followed by several others, creating an eerie cacophony of a ruthless hunt.
The hounds lunged, too fast to react to.
"Retreat!" The Shinobi Captain finally made the call, yet the window of opportunity had long since closed.
Made of pure magic energy, all attacks seemed to phase right through the hounds in their pursuit. They wouldn't stop, wouldn't ever let go until their prey would stop struggling in their maws.
[5/15 High-Jounin]
[7/15 High-Jounin]
[10/15 High-Jounin]
The number of deaths jumped rapidly, each one making Shirou's stomach churn from the savagery of the hound's teeth tearing through flesh and bone. Yet, he understood that he had to remain firm for those that stood behind him, and for himself. In the end, he ended up turning his gaze away as the screams grew louder.
In a desperate bid to save themselves, the shinobi even tried mounting an assault on Shirou himself, but it did little good with Shirou still maintaining Rho Aias.
[12/15 High-Jounin]
[13/15 High-Jounin]
[14/15 High-Jounin]
Only a single enemy shinobi was left. Even the two that had left back for their camp earlier were no exception. The speed of the Broken Phantasms was too great to outrun, let alone, Hrunting's properties made it so that there would be nowhere to hide either.
"What ar..e…y..ou…?" The shinobi captain managed to choke out in the end, but sadly, he'd never live long enough to even hear the answer.
[Duration- 0:00s]
[Mission Complete.]
[Calculating Rewards…]
Prompts appeared in Shirou's field of view, but by now he was too mentally and physically exhausted to read through them.
It was good enough that he could stay on his feet and regulate his breathing. Right now, he just didn't want to think anymore, nor digest the fact that he'd just killed people.
He was tired, and finally understood, comprehended, what sort of future this world may have in store for him in order to create a lasting legend.
In the end, there was too much to think about that he focused on only a single immediate action.
Rest.
He turned towards Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato who had been rendered mute the moment Rho Aias first came out and he stood protectively in front of them. Yahiko and Nagato appeared as if they were seeing Shirou for the first time, while Konan who'd been with him longer knew that Shirou was bothered for what she could only assume was the fault of involving herself in this. H-Had he killed for their sake?
Konan was an intelligent girl. In a way, she understood that Shirou was never a ruthless or cold person, but in the end, he'd killed. It was likely that he knew that if any of those shinobi were able to report back, then the life Konan had just been getting accustomed to may turn into another hell of constant hunger, migration, and bitter nights.
Shirou should have known this better than anyone- Konan bit down on her lips, not sharing in the sheer in the light twinkling in Yahiko's eyes. Why couldn't he see it!
Do you think this is something Shirou would be happy about, but he did it anyway!
Konan inwardly felt bitter. Other than her, only Nagato sensed that something wasn't quite right.
Shirou smiled wryly, but Konan was keen enough to notice it was strained.
"Let's go home." Shirou said, dismissing Rho Aias and not waiting before walking off.
The mystery of his power, origin, and why someone like him ended up in the land of Rain would remain in Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato's minds, but none would bring it up for a long time.
-Not like this.
Sensing the mood, Konan opened and closed her mouth before gradually chasing after Shirou, Yahiko and Nagato following suit.
/-/
Moments after the battlefield emptied, a lone silver-haired shinobi swept down from behind cover, and gingerly picked up the locket that had protected Shirou from a fatal strike. Having been watching from a distance, the man had been able to observe everything and took note of where the locket had been flung towards.
Fiddling with the locket in order to inspect it, Sakumo Hatake, Jounin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, took in a deep breath when the locket opened and revealed a telling picture.
Frowning, Sakumo pocketed the locket, and called out a little dog summon to deliver a message through his summoning Jutsu.
So, I guess that answers that…Lady Mito, Lord Hokage, how should this be handled?
Sakumo grimaced before promptly leaving and digesting what he'd just seen and discovered.
Neither Konan, Yahiko, or Nagato spoke a word as Shirou led the way back to their camp. Perhaps out of guilt or shame, they couldn't bring themselves to lift the mood up, making the air somewhat heavy.
Konan kept glancing in Yahiko and Nagato's direction and turning her nose up. Sure, she had some responsibility in the matter, but she knew that if it had just been her and Shirou, then she wouldn't have gone in the first place. A part of her still felt somewhat wronged, and neither Yahiko or Nagato could meet her gaze considering what had just happened. It was more so for Yahiko as he knew he'd likely contributed to egging her on.
For Nagato, he was just glad that he'd left his dog, Chibi, back in their camp. He wouldn't know the extent of the pain he'd feel if he'd lost him in that battle.
Presently, Shirou, Konan, and the others were back in camp sitting by a fire while Chibi rested over Nagato's lap.
Shirou prodded the fire with a stick and kept silent while preparing some food for everyone to eat. With his Iryo Ninjutsu, he'd healed himself to a state where he could at least still move.
"You were, ugh, incredible back there," Yahiko said, scratching the back of his neck in a bid to break the silence.
With the expression on Konan's face, and Nagato's general shyness, there was no way that those two were going to take the initiative here. Hence, Yahiko knew it fell upon him.
Shirou blinked, humming as he was still trying to set his mind about what other things he may be forced to do in the future. At the very least, he could justify his actions, but the hardest part was still accepting them.
He sighed. In the end, he just hadn't firmed himself enough. In a way, the EMIYA class card had allowed him to tolerate the action of killing others. Worse, he felt awful knowing that he really wasn't feeling as bad about it as he should be. He had the personality bleeding aspect of EMIYA's class card to thank for that.
"Uh, yeah. Incredible, right," Shirou absently murmured.
Konan shot a glare Yahiko's way, intuitively feeling that his words had struck a sore point.
Yahiko flinched before suddenly bowing his head all of a sudden.
"I'm sorry!" He apologized, taking Shirou aback at the emotion within the words. "Now that I think about it, you probably left because of those Shinobi, right? W-We messed everything up."
"You even got hurt." Nagato piped up.
"…" Konan just stared at her feet in tacit agreement with the other two.
It was here that Shirou realized that the way he was acting was affecting those around just as much as himself. What sort of Hero would let those he saved feel bad about being saved?
It was like the clouds had parted in the turbulence of his mind.
Clapping his hands over his cheeks, he laughed. "Alright, alright, enough of this. We're all okay, and that's what matters. We'll even be having good food to eat, so what's there to be depressed over."
"But I, we-"
Shirou flicked Konan over her forehead. "None of that, look at the other two, they're already nodding in agreement."
"-Because they're shameless," Konan sneered.
"Hey, I resent that! The man said it himself, you're just being stubborn!" Yahiko rebuked, sighing in relief now that the mood was gradually changing. "Right Nagato?"
"No comment," Nagato hugged Chibi closer and decided he didn't want to get between Yahiko and Konan's stand off. Instead, he was focused on the way Shirou was gesturing at him to come closer so that he could give Nagato the first skewer of meat while the other two were glaring daggers at each other.
Meanwhile, Konan snorted at Yahiko. "Do you have no guilt?"
"Should I be wallowing in it like you?" Yahiko struck back, Konan's eyes narrowing.
Without warning, Konan was in Yahiko's face, grabbing him by the scruff of his collar. Both were glowering at each other now, choice words ready to leave their lips, but suddenly interrupted.
"T-This is delicious!" Nagato couldn't keep his voice in after the first bite of food Shirou offered him. This was the first time he was tasting Shirou's cooking, and it was nothing like the preserved food from before.
Without waiting, Nagato started wolfing everything down when it became clear Shirou wouldn't stop him. From the eagerness suddenly on Nagato's face, it was clear that he was all too willing for Konan and Yahiko to bicker so that he could keep the food to himself and Shirou.
Yahiko shuddered, the scent of freshly cooked meat causing stomach to gurgle and priorities to shift.
"Nagato! Y-You cheater, you started eating when we were distracted! What a good friend you are!"
No response. Nagato didn't even register that he was being called out.
A purple blur abruptly shoved Yahiko by the shoulder, and quickly joined up next to Nagato's side.
Yahiko's eyes widened in alarm.
"Dammit, Konan, not you too!"
Konan craned her chin up in contempt.
'Fool. If you had time to shout, that's less time to have good food in your mouth. Hunger was the enemy.'
"Noooo! Wait save some for me!"
"Sorry," Shirou interrupted just as Yahiko was about to dive in what everyone now realized was an empty plate. "We ran out."
"Ah you, you all," Yahiko just kept pointing, face flushed as his stomach rumbled.
"We still have the bread," Shirou offered. "It's a bit stale though."
The life seemed to drain from Yahiko as he plopped down like a wet noodle. "No cares for me…" he started comically drawing circles on the ground.
Meanwhile, Konan had an air of superiority around her, arms placed over her waste in personal triumph over the buffoon.
Unbeknownst to her, but for the first time in a long time, she laughed, the monotone drawl of her features lifting into a soft smile. Noticing this, Yahiko stopped playing around and chuckled when Nagato suddenly started apologizing to him for not leaving any to his friend.
The atmosphere had inexplicably changed from that somber air.
Everyone present was an orphan that had lost their families in some way or manner including Shirou himself.
There was new life in the three's eyes, especially when they'd chance a glance at him and the people around them.
Quickly Shirou realized that he may have just taken the role of Kiritsugu in the eyes of Konan and the others. The way their eyes sparkled spoke volumes, but more than anything was this growing feeling of contentment and connection present in everyone.
The warmth thawing at the hearts and mind weren't simply from the fire, but something much more precious.
It was the impression of belonging and care that Konan, Yahiko, or even Nagato thought that they'd never be able to feel again.
From the corner of Shirou's eyes, new notification popped up. More than just the mission, these small things were what counted the most.
[Konan Favourability increase. (Friend) (?)]
Konan was blushing while nibbling on what was left of her meat skewer.
[Yahiko Favourability increase. (Friend)]
Yahiko was sitting in silent contentment.
[Nagato Favourability increase. (Friend)]
Nagato was smiling.
They all sat in a circle enjoying each other's company within the endless pitter patter of the land of rain.
Right here, right in this moment, they were a family even if not by blood.
In a reclusive manor within the Hidden Leaf Village, an elderly woman whose once vibrant red hair had faded into white, sighed for the umpteenth time. She wore white robes and a traditional headdress securing her hair bun.
Presently, she was staring at the latest information delivered to her from Sakumo of the Hatake clan.
When the first detailed sketch of some new Fuinjutsu Barrier appearing in the Land of Rain was delivered to her, she'd been shocked for hours at the familiarity of the strokes and the complexity of the seal. Hard as it was to admit, she'd almost cried.
The barrier was an authentic Uzumaki seal, something that she'd failed to hide from an over exuberant red-head girl who was practically on cloud nine when she laid eyes on it. Even now, the girl hadn't stopped inquiring for updates, and even brazenly insisted that she make a 'trip' to the Land of Rain, and that she'd like it if someone could guard her. The brash girl was making it no secret that she wished for the old woman to help pull some strings, but letting the girl go herself with how young she was, and just after the 'transfer,' wasn't something the old woman was willing to do just yet.
However, it wasn't as if the old woman couldn't understand.
Members of her family were potentially still alive…
The old woman's name was Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, and one of two of the last known Uzumaki members in the Elemental Nations.
While thinking further on how she should go about this matter, Sakumo's latest delivery came in the form of a little carrier pup which Mito gave some treats before sending it on its way.
The pup had delivered a locket in which inside contained a picture.
From Sakumo's reports, the boy the locket had been lost from, didn't even know of the lockets existence until it was activated from a fatal strike.
Mito sucked in a breath. She was all too clear about why such measures might have been taken. The picture within the locket was all too damning, especially if one wished to keep hidden ties to one of the most renowned hidden villages in the continent while on the run for a new beginning.
"Hey, granny, what's that?"
A voice suddenly interrupted Mito's thoughts, and it was a voice that Mito wished to hear the least given the nature of the photo in her possession.
Brazen as the child was even against a woman of Mito's authority, the child, Mito's own relative had slung an arm around Mito in order to hang off of her and settle her chin over one of Mito's shoulders. Inadvertently, this gave the child a direct line of sight to the locket in Mito's hands, and the picture it contained.
Mito could feel the child choke up immediately, her limbs practically stiffening as the dilation of her eyes revealed the beginnings of tears.
Mito couldn't help but inwardly lament in bitterness.
She was getting old. Worse, with how exhausted she was from the 'transfer,' her senses had been too dulled to notice her young relative's approach let alone react to it.
Suddenly, a fiery red chakra began to leak into the room from the rapidly hyperventilating girl, her emotions going completely rampant.
Mito couldn't blame the girl- especially when the photo included the girl herself.
It was a faded family photo.
The girl's father and mother, the girl herself, and…a boy.
"W-Where did you get this?"
Mito couldn't bring herself to answer, let alone admit it was only obtained because the boy nearly died.
"G-Granny Mito, w-why aren't you telling me?!" Anger was leaking into the child's tone, the rampant red Chakra drawing out her negativity.
Things just got a whole lot more complicated, and Mito feared that she no longer had the longevity to survive through to the matter's end.
"It will do no good to let your emotions get the best of you, and let the fox break through your judgements. I'm sorry."
Without warning, Mito activated a Fuinjutsu seal, and all the chakra was suddenly sapped from the child, exhaustion setting in as she crumpled into Mito's arms.
"Rest child. This matter isn't a small one."
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The Lonely Peak
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