Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-Author and Beta: Etheral-23
Chapter 44: Breaking the leash Act II
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Flames danced in ways Naruto would compare them to crashing waves, paradoxical as that sounded. Waves and streams of fire surging over the grass, reducing it to charred ashes, seeking him with great ferocity.
The caster of those flames laughed merrily, "What's the matter, can't handle the heat?!"
The Uzumaki didn't know what he did to anger her so much, but Maikako seemed to have it in for him since day one. The oni girl made it a point of sparring with him as much as possible, wanting to show the 'superiority of a demon's magic' when compared to a 'meager human's jutsu'. Honestly, her attitude wasn't much better with Sakura, Sasuke or the others, but she targeted him more than anyone else.
Naruto rolled away from a fire blast, the area next to him scorching, and slammed his hand. A wall of clear crystal emerged, impacting against more flames, but the fire seemed to consume at them.
Naruto was quickly finding out how vulnerable his bloodline limit was when put against attacks like fire and lightning, the crystal being chakra in physical form, lacking any substance on its own, was at a disadvantage.
The blonde horned girl grinned, thrusting both red hands forward and spawning skull-shaped fireballs, which impacted against his barrier with great force. Sending him flying back with the blast.
'This is the heir of Rama's will,' Maikako mentally sneered, 'brat can't even hold his own against me. What does mother think a punk like this can do anything?'
Naruto grunted hard as his back hit a tree and he fell to the ground; "Well that sucked..." he groaned as he got back to his feet and shook his head. He cried out ducking a fireball from his 'sparring' partner and ran around the trees avoiding her attacks; "Will you not set the entire area on fire please!"
"Get your ass out here and I won't you pipsqueak!"
"Pipsqueak!? I'm taller than you!"
"SHUT UP AND TAKE A BEATING LIKE A MAN!"
And the verbal tongue lashing between had not simmer downed either much to the chagrin of the others. Both had been hurling insults at one another, made worse with Maikako showing nothing but disdain towards him and the other humans.
Fire glowed around the Oni girl's hands with her eyes surveying everything around her. 'Now where is he?' As she said that a dozen or more crystal shuriken and kunai came from everywhere at once.
Acting fast, her arms swiped in an arc, spreading gusts of flames around her, melting the crystal constructs. "Well, aside from useless, you're a moron! Didn't you learn that against my fire that cheap jewelry of yours doesn't do squat?!" She took a step back, her snake like eyes narrowing as she gazed at the trees, she kept the flames on her fists burning, ready to strike. "Now where did he go?"
The earth trembled slightly under her feet, at first it was unnoticed by the demon, but as the sensation grew she soon felt it. Her eyes widened, quickly darting from place to place, trying to spot the incoming attack.
The earth underneath her erupted forth with a flat tipped thick spike, colliding directly with her stomach, sending her back. She fell to the ground, clutching to her midsection and coughing. Pain soon gave way to anger, she growled, grabbing a fistful of grass in her grip, reducing it to ash as she stood up.
"Hehehe" His annoying laughter echoed from a hole in the ground, his head poking out like a mole's. "I'm actually full of tricks. Just ain't bothering to use them all on you"
Maikako growled soon raising up her foot and bringing it down on the blond who popped into a smoke. Her brow twitched as the younger blond laughed some more; "You think I'm that stupid getting close to you." His voice echoed everywhere.
"Get out here!" she roared in anger before yelping out in pain. A pair of hard sandals struck her from behind sending her forward, losing her balance and hitting the ground.
"Always mind your surroundings." Naruto chirped brightly before being slammed by a whip of pure fire and dispelling.
The Oni girl seethed getting back to her feet; "Feints and deception, that all you got brat!"
"It's a ninja's bread and butter!"
"More like a coward's tricks who's too afraid to fight face to face," Maikako sneered.
"If that's how you want it" She could almost feel the smile on his face.
He emerged from the ground, dirt and rocks falling off his person as he smirked confidently at her. With a cross of his fingers, he summoned dozens upon dozens of clones that quickly began filling the field. The oni's eyes widened as they soon numbered well into a hundred. All of the looking at her with that grin he drove her mad.
"You think I'm impressed?!" Her arms burst into flames, almost giving the effect of wings. "Well I'm not! I'm gonna show you what a demon can do!"
The Narutos all took a stance, ready to swarm her from all side and unleash a barrage of overwhelming strikes... were it not for the sudden appearance of a red blur which clashed against a few of them, dispelling the clones.
Kushina rolled on the ground before swiftly regaining her footing, standing up and locking gazes with her sparring partner.
Above the sea of blonde hair, she saw Mitsuko calmly walking towards her. Her silver eyes ever so calm yet focused with great intensity, equally silver hair softly billowing with the wind along the tails of her red and black coat. Her sword reflected the sun as she swiped the air with it.
The Uzumaki matron grinned challengingly. "Okay, now I'm starting to enjoy myself" She peered over the group of blondes. "Which one of you is my kid?"
Tentatively, the real Naruto, located far to the left, lifted his hand.
"Okay good"
Kushina gathered chakra in her blade, and with a strong swing unleashed a wave of pure blue chakra that cut a path through the clones. The Narutos yelped and shouted as the energy attack barreled through them, dispelling them into bursts of smoke.
Mitsuko raised her okatana, shielding herself from the strike with the blunt side. The energy collided with her sword, pushing her back, feet scrapping against the ground. So bore the weight of the attack defiantly, and with a soft grunt she broke it apart in a swift swipe of her blade, the blue energy dispelling harmless at her sides.
Kushina chuckled, spinning her blade in her grip and dashed in a burst of speed at her opponent.
Mitsuko meanwhile moved, almost disappearing in a blur, only to suddenly reappear before Kushina. Their blades locking in a clash of sparks. The redhead grinned wider, pushing her back before striking with a series of slashes that were met blow for blow with Mitsuko's own. The two young blondes could feel the wind created by the strikes blow against their faces, not strongly, but definitely noticeable.
Naruto and Maikako stared wide eyed at the scene before looking at each other. "Call it a day?"
"Yeah"
Kushina's smile had not vanished as she and her opponent danced with their respected swords; "Can't recall the last time I had fun like this!" the redhead beamed.
"Your skills are as impressive as I have heard Lady Kushina." Mitsuko addressed as her blade clashed back and forth with the former ANBU.
Naruto and Maikako could barely watch the movement of the two; "My brother was about the only one with the speed to keep up with Mitsuko."
"This is so damn badass." Naruto quipped in awe.
"Pfft, that's nothing" The horned girl smirked, "Mitsuko is just holding back"
"Oh yeah? Well so is my mom"
"Mitsuko can vanish into thin air with sheer speed"
"My mom can seal away anything"
"Her swordsmanship reached the apex!"
"She can make unbreakable chains!"
As the two descended into a childish squabble, the two women continued their clashing of blades. They parted, skidding along the ground as they backed away.
Kushina let out soft breath, seizing the black swordswoman. "That style of yours, it's Jigen-ryu. A killing style, you don't waste any movement"
She was given a subtle nod, "Yours is a modified is personalized Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, meant for diversity and the incorporation of taijutsu. Fitting for a seal master who will often use an empty hand"
The redhead spun her sword in her hand. "I must say I'm impressed, you're far more skilled than most people your age"
"I'm 35"
"...So, chronologically, you're just a year younger than me" Kushina said, a touch dazed by the fact.
"Aren't you physically in your twenties? Doesn't that make me older than you?"
"I try to ignore that, if only because those bouts of cuteness of yours which make me wanna pet your head. And wanting to head pat an older person feels weird"
"My close friends do that to me, regardless of age or standing" She admitted, cutely. "I cherish their affection" She added rather mousey, lips pursing and her cheeks puffing slightly.
"Hng!" Kushina felt her heart throb. "See, right there" She squeaked. Honestly, this girl was somehow both badass and too cute at the same time! She crossed the distance between them quickly to softly pat at her head. Mitsuko tilted forward, letting her do as she pleased. She had learnt over the years people were also happy themselves when they showed affection to others, so she didn't mind.
"Ugh, why are you letting her treat you like a child, Mitsuko?!" The blonde oni growled in irritation. They were supposed to show more pride than this!
Her words went unanswered, and noticed Mitsuko's chest rose and fell slightly in a soft rhythm. Oh great, she fell asleep again…
Naruto sighed to himself, "Look, I don't know why you're mad with us. But come on, we'll be working together" He offered his hand, "We're going to be rescuing your people aren't we? So we can at least work together to-"
She slapped his hand away, yellow slit eyes glaring at him with barely contained disdain.
The training area fell silent.
"I don't want your help" She said spitefully, "None of yours. But mother made it clear, we're hiring you, we're going home, and that's that" With a sharp turn, she began walking away from the training field, her demonic features hiding away as she shapeshifted. "It's insulting we had to come here in the first place, to ask for help of people who only care about their blood money…"
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Tsunade sighed as she gazed at her sensei's crystal ball observing the spat her grandson and that Maikako girl got into. "Well, I guess this was to be expected."
A long sigh came from Kuroreimei who shook her head, watching as well with Jiraiya; "Apologizes for my daughter. She was never trusting towards humans." But how she had been acting was a bit much even for her since coming here. She would have a talk with her daughter later.
Tuning the ball another image appeared to another training area where Sasuke and Kyoka sparred against one another. Near them, Kuroka seemed to be teasing both Karin and Sakura as both girls were both flustered and yelling as they tried attacking the feline woman. "Okay, they are doing better at least."
"Your son is a good fighter," Jiraiya commented.
Kuro smiled; "Took after his father, my first husband was a master in swordsmanship."
"And your daughter?" Tsunade asked
The queen groaned; "My second husband, got his temper too..."
"Horny guy huh?" Jiraiya said in a very nonchalant manner, but there was no mistaking the smarmy smirk on his lips.
Both women gave him the driest looks possible, conveying how much they loathed the fact he had made a both a pun and a dirty joke at the same time. Funny how they could express their despise for his existence without any words at all.
Then, the crystal ball shimmered slightly, indicating someone was attempting to make a connection. Their eyes quickly darted to it, with her hands hovering over the item, Tsunade banished the view of her relatives and subordinates on the field, replacing it with the masked visage of an ANBU.
"Bird, reporting" The masked woman said in a clipped professional tone.
"Do you have it?" Tsunade quickly asked in a serious tone.
The ANBU stepped a bit away, unfurling a large piece of paper depicting a bare layout of a fortress. "Recon was a success; they weren't expecting anyone to ever find them"
Jiraiya let out a long sigh of relief, while Kuroreimei felt hope swell in her heart.
"It is as the spiders said; the grotto is hidden in the Cliffside. The only way in from the land is through a long series of tunnels, their old nests" The ANBU said, "Their fortress is large, roughly the size of Konoha's commercial district"
Tsunade's mind was already drawing plans. "Is it viable to move troops through the tunnels?"
"Not in large numbers. But we reckon a few small teams can sneak through, and then with explosives and jutsu we can make new openings into the surface directly on their base. As for the cliff, it's only a matter of wall walking into the grotto"
"Excellent work, have you and your squad remain on standby, report of any suspicious activity"
"Understood. Bird out"
And with that, the connection was cut.
Tsunade leaned back on her chair, fingers rubbing together as she gathered her thought. "We got them"
"Finally;" Jiraiya quipped absently popping his knuckles.
"It would be best to form a strategy for this," Kuro recommended.
Tsunade nodded in agreement; "I'll summon the Jounin and chunin to the meeting room. Get Shikaku ASAP."
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Kushina was quick to halt the sparring session once Neko came for her to come to the meeting room. The redhead stood by Kakashi and the current Jounin senseis along with other Jounin and Chunin. Most stood near the table in the room where Shikaku was speaking with Hiashi and Chouza.
Near them Inoichi paced beside a calm Ibiki who leaned against the wall. At his right was Anko who munched on a dango. "Think they got nearly everyone in here." The snake mistress crossed her arms.
"When it's something involving the Blood Leash, you know it is serious." the scarred Special Jounin remarked.
The door of the room opened as their new kage, retired Sandaime, Jiraiya, and Queen Kuroreimei stepped in. All eyes watched them, particularly a few wary gazes were sent on the demon woman as their leader took a seat at her desk. "Bird reported in from their recon. The spiders were indeed telling the truth. We have found the base of the Blood Leash."
Premature cheers and exclamations of victory rang amongst the gathered ninja. Kushina for her part couldn't stop her growing smirk. Finally, at long last, their chance to rid the Land of Fire of that dangerous criminal element was at hand.
Tsunade raised a hand for her shinobi to calm quiet down, "But knowing where they are is just a small victory. There's still the battle itself, for that, we're already preparing a plan" With wave of her hand, she motioned one of the ninja to place a slideshow projector on the table, while another ninja turned off the light as a large screen unfolded in the back of the room. With a click of a small remote in her hand, Tsunade showed them all various sketches of a layout. "From what our agents were able to discern, this is the general structure of the Blood Leash base"
She kept switching through the slide, showing more sketches followed by actual photographs taken discreetly from the shadows by their ANBU infiltrators. The cave was large, at least thirty to forty meters tall. There were multiple buildings of utilitarian designed neatly arranged. They also saw many armed mercenaries milling about, doing drills, or performing various tasks.
Click. It changed to a photograph of a port with at least four well sized ships. The infamous Blood Leash's slaver ships. Kuroreimei frown darkly, those had been the same ships that had taken her people. Click. Another picture, this time of the of the outside of the grotto, the angle taken from some rocks around the grotto. There was a thick mist covering most of the area, stopping anyone from seeing too far.
"As you can see, this is the entrance for their ships" Shikaku spoke up, "They've kept it hidden with jutsu conjured mists. While we can send our forces to wall walk down the cliff side, we believe a two front assault will be more beneficial"
Tsume leaned against her chair; "We have to use the element of surprise for maximum effect for as long as we have it."
"Agreed," Ibiki remarked back; "Their army is not a bunch of second-rate amateurs. All of them are professionally trained and skilled soldiers. Goro's group hasn't survived over the years being dumb. Once the shock fades they will fight back hard."
"We will have our forces of Chunin and Jounin to deal with them;" Shikaku addressed looking over the map.
The retired Sandaime rubbed his goatee; "There are still the Warlords to contend with. And each one is exceptionally dangerous."
"I have some detailed files on what we were able to gather on them over the years," Inoichi leaned against the table with his elbows.
Hiashi crossed his arms; "We should go over all that we know of them. Prepare extensively for each."
Opening a file Inoichi begun speaking again; "First on that list is Junan the Suffering. She mentally breaks their slaves through intense Genjutsu and torture." Disgust soon rang in his voice; "And she loves her work."
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The halls connected to a chamber echoed with an intense scream of pure agony. Inside the chamber were various cages and torture devices as well as a table with chains to hold a person down. Currently one of the Leash's newly acquired assets was bound to it. A Rakshasa male at the cusp of adulthood, in torn robes crying out. Standing near the table was a tall albino woman draped in refined black and silver robes over her lithe frame. She had long flowing white hair down to her knees held up in a high ponytail. Her cold sapphire eyes observed every action of her victim as her lips curled to a small smile.
"There is no need to resist anymore," Junan spoke in a soothing, almost motherly tone. "Pain hurts only because we let it, and this world is full of it. Once we learn to embrace that pain... we can finally be free"
She slowly opened her hand, revealing a bright purple powder in her palm. With a soft breath from her lips, she blew it into his face. The substance entered his nostrils, and he spasmed. But only momentarily, as soon his erratic movements ceased, his pupils dilating wildly. The agony he had felt now a distant memory, there was a deep sense of peaceful bliss.
The woman seemed to glow, an array of colors shining around her in waves. She was beautiful, like an angel. "This is the liberation that comes when you stop struggling. When you accept the world for what it is" She leaned closer, "Embrace the pain, let your mind think of nothing, just feel, follow, and then the world stops hurting"
His gaze was dead, drool dripping down his cheek as he abandoned all inhibitions. Ceasing his struggles and letting the angel guide him, he had nothing to fear, and there was nothing that could hurt him if he just obeyed.
Junan giggled contently, "Good boy" And placed a tender kiss on his forehead.
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Another file was opened, and Tsunade switched the image of a man in a large farmer's hat, a face mask concealing nearly all his features. His attire was very reminiscent of a ninja, with a dark tunic and slim pieces of armor protecting him. "Shihai the Beast Master, one their primary raiders. Every encounter we've had with him he's shown to command a large number of creatures. Raging from animals to actual wild demons"
That garnered Kuro's attention as she peered over at the Godaime; "What type?"
"When I fought him, he had a pair of huge ogres. Amaterasu knows what else that bastard has." Jiraiya grunted remembering that battle vividly.
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In a large open area where least over a dozen or more enormous animal enclosures housed all manner of predatory animals and feral demons. Many slept peacefully while others ate large meals. With his hands behind his back Shihai observed his pets; "They are magnificent creatures are they not?" He asked out loud in a smooth voice. "Nature's greatest creations." The masked man turned his head; "Don't you agree?"
Several Leash soldiers held a bound and gagged woman who only looked on with her rage and fear in her eyes.
He chuckled as he turned back around and continued walking; "Prey have only two roles in life my dear. Grow fat, and become food." He paused as he watched two of his pet tigers munching on their lunch. The woman's eyes widen as she saw their snack was the limbs of a person.
"Junan thought she did well with her work on you. Sadly there will always be defiant prey that refuses to submit to their betters. Those are brought to me when they're problematic nature outweighs their usefulness." Shihai stopped at his larger enclosures.
The woman's eyes grew wide as she could see two enormous silhouettes lazily sitting about. "My most precious of pets. I do like to spoil them once in a while." His masked visage turned to the teary-eyed woman; "they love living prey that fights back."
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Shikaku opened the next file as the image of an elderly man around the Sandaime's age with a long white goatee and mustache. He robes that resembled a scholar while holding a cane in his hand. "Garan the old, from what we know he looks over the slaves and finances."
"Combat capabilities?" Kakashi asked; something the other shinobi wanted to know as well. Old warriors often were the most dangerous. It was a common saying after all, 'Beware the old man in a profession where men die young'.
"Unknown" The Jonin commander replied, "He wasn't never really seen taking part in any fight. But assume he's very experienced"
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Papers and scrolls were shuffled, neatly arranged and stacked by a pair of wrinkly hands before set aside. The old man run a pair of fingers over the upwardly pointing mustache of his, his wizened eyes fell upon the new purchase acquisitions, he hummed to himself as he went over the details. "Alright, ten youths to the Land of Hot Water. Buyer; Boss Nejiro. Ah, must be he needs a new batch to indoctrinate and train"
With a wave of his hand, he ordered two spear wielding soldiers to open one of the gates, another five followed suit, roughly manhandling the cowering slaves who struggled to stop them from taking the children. A crying mother wailed as she was forcefully separated from her daughter. "No, don't take her, please, I beg you!"
The child let out a shrill cry, trying to reach her mother with flailing arms, but the soldier was much stronger. Within moments she was taken outside the cage to stand in line with other children.
"Let's see, 20000 ryō a piece" The old man began counting, typing into a large calculator. "Plus shipping cost and-" The mother banged against the bars, begging for her daughter to be returned to her. Garan grunted irritably, "I can't think with all that noise, someone shut her up!"
The blunt end of a spear was slammed against the woman's face; blood spilled from her mouth as she fell to the ground, knocked out cold, the other slaves quickly rushing to help her.
"Okay, where were we?"
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Shikaku turned his attention to the demon queen; "What can you tell us about Gōyoku?"
A long breathe escaped Kuro as she slowly came up to the table. All eyes were all on her; "I knew him since I was a child. An old friend of my father and late king Dasra. He is an ancient Oni with immense demonic power and prowess with the sword." She turned her gaze to Jiraiya and Tsunade; "He could rival the both of you."
Her tone wasn't arrogant; her statement was as speaking a mere fact. Gōyoku was extremely dangerous and not to be taken lightly.
Asuma lit a cigarette much to Kurenai's and Kushina's visible disapproval; "Why did he betray your people if I may ask your highness?"
The raven haired woman was silent for a long moment before resting her hands on the table and peering over to the young Sarutobi; "Gōyoku comes from an age where demons raided, hunted, murdered, and pillaged against humans on a nearly daily basis. He follows a very basic code that the strong prey upon the weak." Her gaze grew distant.
"Then hiding among you for so long..." Gai prompted, piecing things together.
Though her face remained impassive, her red eyes still carried the sadness and pain of betrayal. Along with righteous anger. "It appears he found more in common with slavers, than with his own people" She exhaled slowly. "He's got centuries of experience under his belt, a mastery over many weapons he can summon. His speed, strength and endurance are all very high. And is capable of unleashing a type of cold-inducing dark flames"
"Then Gōyoku is a priority target" Tsunade declared, "Jiraiya, you will face him"
As the sannin nodded in agreement, the queen of Lanka spoke up again. "I would like to fight him as well, I know how his style and tactics. And I know Mitsuko will also join"
"Very well" With a wave of her hand to Inoichi, he brought the next folder. "Sarnai, the other main raider. We know for a fact she is Goro's lover because she has bragged about it in the past, during a previous encounter with some of our shinobi"
A few eyes darted to Kushina, the redhead grunting under her breath as she crossed her arms under her bust, clearly remembering her encounters with the woman clearly.
"She uses razor sharp chakra threads from her fingertips as a weapon" The Uzumaki woman said. "She's sadistic; she likes to get in close to see you get hurt. But she's far from a mindless savage"
Shikaku nodded; "I read your old reports. The woman is as fast and nearly as strong as you are. Extensive background in martial arts."
"Yup, and would love to break that bitch's neck." Kushina muttered darkly taking Asuma's cigarette for a quick drag and handing it back to the lightly stunned man.
Tsunade deadpanned as her daughter started to cough. "How do you breathe-in those cancer sticks?" the redhead muttered.
The Senju rolled her eyes. Try as she might, Kushina never had the lungs for smoking, no matter how much she wanted to copy Tsukiko.
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Kneeling in front Akeno and Koneko's cell, Sarnai gave the young succubus a look over. The raven haired demoness felt the bile in her throat as she felt dirty just by the way the woman was looking at her. "Oh Goro and I will have quite a lot of fun with you honey."
"The feeling is not mutual," Akeno sneered.
"Well, you have no say in the matter anyway. You might even learn love it eventually." A loud hiss came from Koneko who glared; "Oh is the kitty angry? Want to join us too?"
At that Akeno stood in front of her petite friend with a snarl on her beautiful lips as her eyes glowed crimson; "You won't touch her!"
Sarnai only looked amused; "So there is some fire in you. I'm eager to see how my beloved and I can douse is."
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"And finally, the main threat of this group and its leader." Shikaku showed an image of Goro; "We know absolutely nothing on him."
"You're shitting me" Anko snorted, "All these years and we got nothing?"
"Relatively nothing" The commander clarified, "Goro himself isn't seen as often, unless there is an important transaction happening. Few times he's been seen fighting he managed to demolish his enemies with overwhelming strength and endurance. But we've never seen any type of special technique from him"
"And those who could have" Kakashi adds, "Are now dead"
That brought a somber cloud hanging over their heads.
"This is the head of one of the most powerful criminal empires in all of Gogyou-koku" Jiraiya stated with gravity. "He did not get where he is if he didn't have the strength, the smarts, and the DRIVE to achieve his goals."
Tapping a finger on her desk, Tsunade stared at Goro's image for a long time before peering to all within the room. She knew picking the people meant to eliminate this dangerous man had to be her best. And while many in here would bravely jump at the chance to fight him, many of them would die doing so.
There was also the fact that numbers might not be what could possibly take someone like Goro out. Her almond eyes stopped to two people; "Kakashi... and Kushina." hesitance rang in her voice calling for her daughter. "I pick you two to deal with Goro."
Hiashi rose from his seat; "Is that wise only sending them?" He looked over to the two in question; "I don't mean that as an insult to either one of you, but considering the unknown variables..."
"We tried the numbers game on this man once. Every last one of those brave souls died that day. We need to fight this man smart, and the best approach might only be with our two most highly skilled shinobi."
A heavy silence filled the air, which was the cold truth. Outside of commander Fox; Kakashi and Kushina were the ANBU's top assassins. While the number of kills is unknown given the nature of those missions, both had done the most assassination jobs. "Understood Godaime-sama," the silver haired scarecrow bowed his head.
"Will happily cut the bastard's head off with a smile," Kushina grinned in a predatory manner.
"Whatever he pulls out, I'm confident your Sharingan can spot a weakness in it, Kakashi" The Hokage said, "And that you can come up with a counter, Kushina" Against an enemy with so many unknowns, it made sense to pair a powerful dojutsu wielder and a seal master.
"The raid will proceed as follows" Shikaku brought their attention to the layouts once more, making a few circles in key areas. "The ANBU shall place explosives on these areas, spread chaos and confusion, disrupt their supplies depots, keep them from arming an organized defense. But even then their numbers are not to be taken lightly; reports calculate them to be around 500 strong"
"How many forces will we be bringing then?" Kurenai asked.
"We can spare 300 of our shinobi from Konoha alone" It was the Sandaime who replied. "We need to the bulk of our forces in case some of the other villages try something. The village may be nearly repaired, but Iwa still tests our borders."
The aftermath of the Sound-Sand Invasion had strained their forces. Contrary to popular belief, shinobi did not have the entirety of their forces reside in their hidden village. Outposts placed in strategic areas, larger than average villages that required some semblance of shinobi presence or other important areas all had shinobi contingents of varying sizes.
Their total forces numbered around eight thousand ninjas. With five thousand of them being permanently stationed in Konohagakure, and one thousand placed in the Land of Fire's capital to support their samurai regiments. A number that had been steadily shifting between the number of missions their shinobi had been forced to take, and their personnel rotation throughout the Land of Fire.
"Which is where the favor we asked our scaly friends comes in" Jiraiya said, looking at Kushina, "Boss Genryu agreed?"
"Couldn't say no to his favorite grandniece" She grinned, "He'll have some of his biggest, meanest looking pals fly around our borders a bit. Get any potential invaders spooked good"
And the Dragons would savor Iwa just to try anything stupid. "Alright, Jounin senseis I want you to brief your genin students and remind them not to engage any of the Warlords, especially Goro." She gave a hard look to her daughter and Kakashi.
"Hai," all the Jounin bowed.
Shikaku looked around; "Let's go over the plan one more time."
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The breeze felt good as Lyn laid out on the top of the Hokage monument. More specifically the Yondaime's stone head along with Kya who was going through a scroll instead of meditating as usual. "So what exactly are you reading?" the buxom redhead questioned with her hands under her head as she stared up at the clouds.
"The accounts written by the disciples of Sage Vishvamitra on his oral lessons" The Namikaze casually replied
"Is it good?"
Kya's expression fell slightly. "Do you have any idea who sage Vishvamitra even is?"
"Well, he's got 'sage' in his name. Some I'm guessing some old guy who said a few smart things that wow's dumb kids"
"As always, your respect for sacred teachings is a sight to behold" Kya did not mean that as a compliment at all, "I'm surprised your cousin had a copy of this in her house. They're not exactly easy to come by" But considering what she learnt, perhaps it wasn't as unexpected for an Uzumaki to possess one.
"They old or something?" Lyn asked, her gaze following a passing by cloud that looked a lot like a gecko.
"Very. I asked Jiraiya-san more about it, and he shared with me more tales of the Age of Chaos"
The demon hunter's eyes widened for a moment, "Oh man that's old"
Kya paused, "Sage Vishvamitra was one of your grandmother's companions"
She felt the Uzumaki tense behind her, stopping her cloud watching to sit up straight, though she couldn't see it, Kya could picture the expression on her face very clearly.
"...Oh"
Kya was silent for a moment; "I doubt this will have some information on your grandmother." The Namikaze glanced behind her seeing Lyn peering at nowhere in particular.
"...I'd rather have Baachan here." The buxom redhead whispered. "Things made more sense then."
The Namikaze opened her mouth before stopping. What could she say; Tsukiko had been such an important part of the lives of the Uzumaki. Especially to Kushina and Lyn, given they're her granddaughters. And nobody could find a single clue if she was alive or dead, it was like she vanished off the face of the earth.
However before the older blond Namikaze could say a word, her and Lyn's young blond cousin landed on the monument; "Sup?" He greeted them; "didn't think anybody was up here."
Lyn snorted before pointing to Kya; "She loves it up here for her sagey stuff. And she hates crowds."
Said sage deadpanned at her lover before looking to Naruto; "Thought you were sparring with our new guests in the village."
"I was, but mom got pulled into the meeting about dealing with those Leash guys." Naruto sat beside the buxom blond; "You two ever encounter those guys?"
"Oh I wish I ran into one of those assholes and turn them to ash," Lyn growled; "Only came across some of their soldiers. They're just as nasty as their bosses."
Kya closed the scroll; "Some humans can be worse than actual demons." And they knew Kya spoke from experience.
"Yeah, yeah I get. Anyone can be an asshole" The younger blonde grumbled, "Well that Maikako b... girl is treating me like I'm one"
"She's a demon, you're a human. It's natural" Lyn shrugged, "I bet she'd have a lot of worse things to call someone like me"
"Hey I've tried being nice, hell we're going to go rescue her people"
"So? That doesn't suddenly mean she'd be fine with you" His aunt countered. "I've met many demons in my travels, Naruto, many. I killed wild demons, the non-sapient ones, the ones that are like dangerous animals and those that actively seek to harm humans. Trust me, there's a true, deep-rooted hatred from many of them"
Kya spoke up next; "We've seen peaceful demons killed just because they were demons. Even when they went out of their way to help humans."
"Even we? I mean our clan killed a lot of demons"
"We didn't!-" Lyn sighed as she ran her hand over her face; "Alright there is bad shit on both sides. Okay," Naruto conceded to that with nod; "Now think about a group of people who have been just trying to live out their lives peacefully and some dickweeds want to mess that up because they are different from them. And this has gone on for thousands of years"
...Now that made sense to the young blond, would anyone be trusting to someone after their folks were harmed or worse by someone else's people. Hell no, they'd have to earn the trust. And for some like Maikako, they did not make it easy.
The blond scratched the back of his head; "Okay, but did she have bad-mouth ninjas."
"Ninjas don't exactly have a sparkling reputation Naruto;" Kya quipped back; "I can list a whole host of evils a lot of them have done over the years."
"A lot of them are bad I know, but not all of us right? Are mom, Karin, and I bad guys just by being ninja? Konoha's different, we value our friends"
"You should know by now the world isn't black and white, kid" Lyn said, her voice turning serious for a moment. "Your mom was an elite black ops; do you really think she hasn't killed her fair share of people? And let me tell you, not all of them had it coming"
Naruto had to pause for a moment, he always had this... ideal image of his parents, and in his eyes they could never do any wrong. He knew ANBU business were downright nasty, but... he just couldn't imagine his mother doing that sort of thing.
"Well that's not gonna be the kind of ninja I want to be"
"That may not be your choice, Naruto" Kya gently said, "Sooner or later, you will be ordered to against your principles. You've been fortunate to have been placed into clear cut situations, but at one point your luck will run out"
"Unless your grandma shelters you from doing that stuff" Lyn droned before saying in a faux-cheerful voice. "Then in that case; Yay, nepotism!"
"I swore I'd never regret the kind of life I walk" He passionately replied, "And I never go back on my word"
The two lovers shared a concerned look, "Then I hope you never find yourself in that sort of situation, Naruto, and that you can always live true to your beliefs. For if that day comes... I fear you might start to question everything. And ninja culture doesn't tolerate people having second thoughts"
The young blond looked at them before looking out to the village. Both Lyn and Kya sighed as the buxom redhead rubs her hand in the young blond hair; "Wish I could help ya with those Leash bastards but this is a Konoha opt. And unless your grandma wants to hire me and Kya, we will be waiting at home for you."
Naruto cocked his head; "I think we can manage with what we got."
With Jiraiya and Kushina Kya knew they should also be okay, but still; "Just don't take this mission lightly. The Leash are dangerous and very evil."
"I know, neechan."
Kya was taken aback by the title while a whine came from Lyn; "Why is she neechan?"
"Because you demanded I and Karin call you Auntie. Plus Kya-nee is the only other Namikaze here, and like the only one I'm EVER going to know if the rest are as nomadic as she says."
Sadly that was the truth, finding any other Namikaze was nigh impossible these days...
Lyn pouted before a thought came to her; "Say kiddo." Naruto glanced over; "You mind getting that bun haired friend of yours here to see me."
"Tenten?"
"Yup! I see a lot of potential in that girl, so I want to make her an offer."
"Uh... Okay," The young blond said slowly as he got up; "Think she is in the shop, I'll go check." In a blink he was gone via shunshin.
Kya sighed; "He really is a sweet boy, just hope his morals don't get in him into trouble here."
"Brat will be fine," the redhead waved it off, 'I hope...' "Thought about getting him to sign with the fox clan buuuut I remembered something."
"His tenant" The Namikaze replied.
"Yeeeah" Lyn scratched her wild mane of hair awkwardly. "That is a shitstorm just waiting to happen. Oh boy, Yasaka would not be happy"
"I believe it cannot be avoided forever" Kya warned.
"Maybe so" The demon hunter acknowledged. "But I won't get involved in that mess, no way"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Kneeled down on her bed, Kuroka flipped another card. The hanafuda deck in her hand felt heavy, she placed far too many expectations upon it after all.
'Gaji', the lightning card. Turbulent times. Of course...
Another card was flipped, frowning as she did so. The Plum Blossom and the Nightingale? Those were signs of spring. New life and opportunity. What did they have to do with card that heralded the coming of storm?
The third card was set. The crane. Now this one was she really didn't know what could mean.
Ugh, she should have studied divination more. The ability to glimpse into the future was nothing less than a godsend, literally in ancient times. An ability she desperately wished to have, anything to let her know her sister would be alright.
Anxiety and fear gnawed at her stomach, her eyes stared at the crane. Was Koneko okay? What were those bastards doing to her? Back and forth her mind buzzed with those questions while her dreams in the few days have been more nightmarish. She bit her lip; 'I need to keep my head clear.' despite telling herself that, it was nearly impossible for her to do so. Ever since they lost their parents, Kuroka had been raising her baby sister since she was a kitten. Koneko had been her whole world, and not having her home and safe was driving her instincts into overdrive.
She only hoped these humans kept out of her way till she found her sister.
Her feline ears perked as her two cat tails flicked about lazily; "Yes prince Kyoka?"
Said heir of the Lanka throne had barely raised his hand to knock at Kuroka's door before she spoke up. Opening the door, the young man gave a dry look; "When did you hear me coming?"
"The stairs."
Of course; "May I come in?" Kuroka's tails made the motion, as her hands were busy, for the prince to come in, closing the door behind him; "Came to check on you."
He was not wearing his armor; he only wore a white yukata with dark red outlining. His wild mane of dark hair falling over his back, his brown eyes looking at her with a sympathy that she hated, it made her feel useless. "Hey"
"Hey" She merely replied, shuffling the deck again.
"You okay?"
"You know the answer"
"Well, it's only polite to ask" Kyoka replied with humor lacing at his voice, a smile tugging at his lips. The gesture almost enough for Kuroka to return it. "Think you should have joined me and touring the village, take your minds off thing"
"Oh yes, sounds it sounds lovely" The nekoshou dryly replied. "Hiding my appearance, walking around dumb humans. Delightful"
"Humans aren't so bad. They have an interesting culture"
"Every human has the exact same culture in this gods' forsaken continent" The Nekoshou droned.
He crossed his arms over his chest, "I will remind you that your species hails from the same culture"
"Exactly! We invented it first, they're just copying us"
"I'm not sure that's how it went" The prince doubtfully replied.
"Hmph!" She sniffed, "Well that's because you never paid any attention to your lessons. Whereas I was the perfect the student" She bragged with no small amount of pride.
Kyoka smirked smarmily, "Who was the seventh king of Lanka?"
"...I don't have anything to prove to you" She answered, her words coming out a bit too fast.
He barked a laugh, "'Perfect student'. I seem to remember you always asking Mitsuko for help with your homework. Look, we all love her, but her default state is 'airheaded'. I think that says more about you than her"
Oooh that was a nasty glare sent his way, or was that a pout? The prince walked over to her side noticing the hanafuda deck. "Divination?"
Kuroka's ears drooped as she gazed at the ground; "Just... I just wanted to know..."
"If Koneko was alright." He sat down beside her as she nodded slowly. "She will be fine, along with Akeno and the others. I think we got a good chance with these humans helping."
"If the price is right."
Kyoka grunted; "While yes, true. It's more than that with Konoha. I can tell these are at least decent enough humans."
At that Kuroka gave the prince a look; "Tell that to the princess. She has been goading them and being belligerent for the most part. Especially to that Naruto boy."
"You know how Maikako is. She has never liked humans, moreover she has never believed in Lord Rama or the heirs of his will. Just rambling nonsense to her."
Kuroka held up a card; "That boy is... interesting, but he has a lot of growing to do."
"Don't we all?"
If those words had come out from someone older looking, Kuroka would have called them wise. Well, perhaps she could admit there was some truth to his words.
"Like you, been in the same bed as you and you miraculously kept your clothes on"
And then he went and said things like that, making Kuroka question why she liked him in the first place... Okay, his teasing wasn't ENTIRELY unfounded. She may have dabbled in some... forthcoming actions to get closer to the prince. If the circumstances were different, she teased him to oblivion about being in the same bedroom as her.
Although... she really needed something, anything, to take her mind off.
Putting on her most seductive smile, she set the deck of cards aside and crawled over the mattress, her tail trailing behind her. Kyoka leaned back, eyes wide and more than a bit surprised. "Well, the night is still young~"
She inched closer to his face, her eyes closing in anticipation as she drew her lips to touch... nothing but the air.
Kuroka opened her lids, blinking a few times as she saw Kyoka having stood up, awkwardly scratching his neck. "So yeah, I think... think I should turn in"
Shock, anger, indignation, all these and more swirled inside her. "Are you kidding me?" She nearly hissed. "I offer myself to you, and after all this, how close we... how close I thought we were becoming" Maybe not as close as she had liked to believe. "And you pull THIS?"
"Look I-" He held up his hands, "I just don't think you're thinking straight right now. It doesn't feel right..."
The neko girl deadpanned, as much as she loved his chivalrous nature it was a pain in the ass too. She rose to stand and walked the prince up to the wall. Their body's inches from one another; "It is not about right or wrong Prince Kyoka. It is about helping someone who currently needs SOMETHING to clear her mind and relax her body along with her soul. You could give that, more over I only want you."
"I-" whatever he was about to say was silenced with a finger to his lips.
"What do I mean to you my prince?" Her voice was heavy with emotion. Her eyes quivered; "Am I just your family's guard and nothing more?"
He let out a sigh, shoulders dropping, and gently took her hand. "You're someone very to dear to me. And I'd like to think that after you have known me since childhood, you'd actually understand I'm just trying to do right by you"
Her gaze softened. "So, what are you saying that we're only friends?" That's all they'd ever be?
"I'm saying that I respect you far too much"
"...Well now I just feel silly and humiliated" She mumbled, her ears dropping.
"Sorry" There he went again with that smile she both loved and hated. "I'll make it up to you"
She let out a snort, "Oh yeah, how?"
"Well, once we return home I'll take you on a date" He kissed her fingers, which immediately set her body ablaze, cheeks flushing a deep red. With that, he turned to leave, halfway closing the door behind him as he said, "Do things properly" And winked at her.
Kuroka stood there, her mouth hanging, body seemingly frozen. Slowly a smile formed on her lips, threatening to split her face. She fought the urge of crying out in joy, rolling around in bed and hugging her pillow. She lost.
She would totally tell this to Akeno after they rescued her and the others.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Naruto huffed as he landed at Tenten father's shop. "Hope she's in."
Strolling inside he saw her father in the back moving around while his best friend sat at the register. She stirred and was about to speak till seeing it was Naruto; "Hey Naruto!"
"Sup, my Aunt Lyn wanted to see ya."
"Really?" She suddenly lit up with a bright smile. "She asked for me specifically? Are you sure?"
Naruto quirked an eyebrow, "Uh yeah"
"Ohhhhh awesome!" She squirmed like an excited child. "Your aunt is so badass! I mean, not as badass as your mom, but, she's got her own style and-"
"Who are you trying to impress, Ten-chan?" The blonde drawled. "Neither my mom nor aunt Lyn are here"
"Oh, right" The young weapon mistress muttered rather embarrassed. "I can get a bit carried away with my role models"
"...You're just another kind of fangirl aren't you?"
"Call me that again and you'll be my next target practice" The bun haired girl replied far too cheerfully.
The bell to the door rang which shifted Tenten's mood as she stood; "Welcome to the Higarashi weapon's shop!" the weapon mistress blinked as he saw who came in; "Invasion of the blonds today."
Ino dryly glared with a pout; "What's that supposed to mean, senpai?" Her eyes settled on Naruto; "There you are!" she came over to the counter; "Was looking for you everywhere."
"I am not going clothes shopping with you again Ino-chan." His droning remark was met with a soft bonk on his head by his fellow blond.
"It's not about clothes, dummy. Shika wants all the Genin coming along with the Leash mission to meet up. Strategize you know."
Tenten's brow cocked; "You know we will be following the lead of the Jounin and Chunin assigned to that right?" The bun haired girl remarked as her team was coming along too.
Ino lifted her hand with her index finger up; "Shikamaru said if things get fubar it is better to have at least one or two back-up plans."
"Since when has that lazy bum been this motivated?" Naruto drawled.
The Yamanaka shrugged; "Maybe the invasion woke him up." She wrapped her arm around Naruto's before grinning to Tenten; "So come on we got to go!"
A deadpan came from the brunette; 'Well dad can handle the shop for right now anyways.' "Dad, I'm heading out for Genin business!"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The trio head out to Team 10's training ground, where Ino said their meeting would be taking place. It began dawning on Naruto just what this situation meant, it was the first time he had ever been actively sent to fight. Most of the time things had been purely reactionary, from missions to the defense of Konoha. To be on the offensive like this felt... strange, new.
When they arrived on their training ground they found they weren't the only ones yet to be present. Though Team 8 was already there, Sasuke and Neji had yet to arrive. And he could see Lee walking out of the woods at full speed, only to dash past them and continue to run around the field. Ah no wait, he just training, well Lee's gonna Lee.
Karin waved at them as they arrived. "Hey guys"
"Hey Karin" Naruto greeted his cousin back. "You're coming to the mission too?"
"Yeah, Tsunade-sama said they could use someone with my skills" The spectacled girl explained. "It's gonna be chaos, someone needs to tell fighters from non-combatants apart"
"Right" Naruto nodded, "We'd also be rescuing all the slaves"
Sitting on the ground, Chouji munched on some chips beside Shikamaru and Kiba; "Doubt those Leash slavers will let them go if we just ask nicely."
The Inuzuka smacked his fist into his palm; "Let them try, we will kick all their asses."
"Don't forget we were all given strict orders not to engage the Warlords." Said Shino, adjusting his glasses.
"Ah, come on;" Kiba bemoaned; "How tough can they be?"
It was Karin who answered; "I was with Orochimaru during an exchange with them." The redhead shuddered; "They are as twisted as that snake."
The mood dipped upon hearing that. Hinata and Sakura glanced to each other; "We should be fine against the soldiers at least." The rosette addressed.
"It is better to err in the side of caution Haruno-san," Neji's voice garnered their attention as he and Sasuke came into the training ground. "I have heard even their soldiers are well skilled."
"I remember my father talking about them;" Sasuke remarked as he leaned against a tree; "Don't think of these people as humans. They gave that up once they begun selling people for profit."
"Our sensei have covered this already, but I feel it's necessary we go over this again" Shikamaru said, the usual drawl in his voice not as present as before. "From what my dad told me, Blood Leash usually gets their mercenaries from a lot of places. Criminals, ex-soldiers, poor peasants. But they're professionally trained by former military. They know what they're doing"
"I doubt they would have survived for so long if they didn't" Sakura pointed out.
"The Land of Snow's revolt around a decade ago?" Shikamaru continued, "That was them. The current daimyo, Dotō Kazahana, hired their mercs to be able wipe out any resistance, it may have been him and his assassins that gave him the throne, but Blood Leash gave him the numbers to make sure people would fear him"
"Yeesh" Naruto grimaced, crossing his arms. "Helping overthrow a nation? That's a big deal. My mom told me back when she had missions involving them, they'd found whole villages empty."
"They're very smart. Targeting small villages that are the furthest away from our shinobi force" Neji spoke up, "I've read in previous reports that one time a village was spared because Blood Leash had faced opposition from a rival mercenary force based in Ame, a conflict over contract they had regarding a target in the area. It gave our ninjas enough time to drive them back before any villagers were taken"
"And that was a good day" Kiba grunted, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "Over ten years and we never managed to take out any of their leaders" It was a point of clan pride for the Inuzuka, despite being famed as the best trackers in the nations, even they could not locate the slippery slavers.
Shino shifted his eyes to Shika; "The fact the Spider Clan were the one to help us find them is dubious."
"I agree," Shika quipped; "I know my old man, he's coming up with a plan in case those arachnids decided anything funny. I just want us to focus on the Leash. If a no choice scenario crosses our way and we have to face a Warlord alone."
Sakura, Ino, Chouji, and Hinata paled at that; "It could happen," Karin muttered grimly. "A warlord could corner us in a position where we couldn't escape and our choices would be only to fight."
The Nara points to Naruto; "Plus his luck is total shit, so better to be prepared."
The blond's eye twitched as he popped his knuckles. Ino patted him on the shoulder; "He's not really wrong Naru."
"Aw come on Ino-chan..."
Neji ignored the two blonds of the group as he turned to the Nara heir; "So what plans do you have for us?"
"I think it's no longer adequate for us to fight as separate teams" Shikamaru brought up. "We're Konoha's Rookies, the next generation of clan heirs and, and this is no bragging matter so don't let it go to your heads, the most promising next generation of ninja among the other genin. But the thing is, we've all been caught in crazy situations together, and we can't afford to be separate units anymore, all of us need to train and strategize like we're one single big team"
The young genin looked at each other, pondering his words. "Konoha doesn't only send already established teams for missions" Lee pointed out stopping his training, "They are arranged depending on the parameters and the skillset of every individual"
The three-men cells was meant to teach them cooperation, but they were meant to apply it to the rest of Konoha as a whole. But how much could one fight in good synch with other ninja they've seldom met before.
And because of their skills and status as the most likely to rise through the ranks, chances were they'd be shuffled around and sent in missions together often.
"I-I believe it's a good idea" Hinata softly said, "That all of us begin practicing together more often. Learn from each other"
"I agree" Sakura nodded.
"Me too" Tenten added.
These and more words of agreement rang throughout the genin, even the standoffish Sasuke showed his support with a nod of his head.
"Good" Shikamaru said with a small smile, "Let's get to work"
"…When did you get so pro-active?" Kiba wondered.
"Since my mom threatened to kick my ass if I don't become chunin before I turn twenty"
"Ohhhh" Chorused most of the group. Now that made sense.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Yuma blew the steam off her ramen before she begun eating them. Huh, Naruto wasn't exaggerating about this place. "Not bad ramen old man!" the buxom white haired woman beamed over at Teuchi.
"A chef's pride is seeing his costumer satisfied" The cook said with his back to said costumer, working over new batch of noodles.
Ayame set Yuma's drink next to her bowl. "Anything else?"
The swordswoman slurped the noodles into her mouth and swallowed, before giving the waitress a toothy grin. "That depends, are you on the menu, cutie?"
The young woman shivered and backed away, "Why does this keep happening...?"
"Don't go bothering the girl" Jiraiya's voice mirthfully spoke, approaching the ramen stand. "She already has a lot of her plate with Samenosuke"
"Not if my crossbow has anything to say about it..." Teuchi muttered darkly to himself.
"Sup Old Man!" She greeted him, snapping her chopsticks together. "Came to join me?"
"Been looking for you, we need to talk about a few things. Privately"
She whined like a child. "Awww, but I just got here!"
The sannin rolled his eyes, "Then order it to go"
"Hmph, hang on hang on"
Before the widening eyes of the veteran ninja and the ramen stand owners, Yuma began to slurp the entirety of the noodles into her mouth, her cheeks puffing almost cartoonishly as she didn't leave a single noodle go missing. Her throat visibly bulging as the giant mass of food traveled down.
"Ahhhh...!" She let out a sound of bliss as she set the bowl down. "Thanks for the meal!" Paying for her order, she rose from her seat and followed the white haired man out.
The two cooks could only just stare. "Even Naruto doesn't finish it all in one go..." Teuchi muttered.
"...I get it now" Ayame said, as if coming upon a revelation.
"Hmm?"
"Naruto's mom and aunt, and that Yuma girl... all their food must go to their chests" She placed a hand upon her own, looking down mournfully. "That must be the only explanation"
Her father sweatdropped, "Honey..."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Yuma stretched her arms as she walked beside her father; "So what you need?" A few passersby's' looks paid close attention to the swordswoman's endowed bosom as they jostled about.
"Was wondering if you're willing to take a job to work alongside us against the Leash."
The silver haired woman stopped in her tracks. Her eyes wide as her dad stopped a foot away to look back; "...You never ask for help for jobs likes these. Especially from me, are you that worried?"
"No nothing like that," Jiraiya waved it off; "Just wondered if you wanted a crack at them?"
Yuma stared at her father for a long moment before both resumed walking together; "You gotten around telling Tsunade that I'm your kid?" She whispered.
"We kind of had more pressing issues in the last few days for that."
Lamest excuse she heard from her dad yet, and there had been a lot of them; "Well, I'm tempted."
"If you're worried about the fee I know we have enough for you."
Yuma was quiet for a minute; "I have to turn it down."
His eyes widened momentarily, his gaze following his daughter as they continued walking, eventually ending up on railed elevation that overlooked the lower areas of the village. Her blue eyes settling upon the ever falling sundown, the skies becoming orange in color, the few clouds above turning a soft shade of pink.
She rested her arms upon the railing, softly speaking so only he could hear him. "Got some more info lately from the top. Weird things are going on"
"Weirder than usual?" He muttered right back with a deadpanning tone. "Where exactly?"
"Everywhere" She shrugged. "Unstable zones becoming even more unstable. Even stable areas are starting to find problems. Civil unrest, political corruption, demon attacks, and so on"
Jiraiya was forced to agree, "Things like that are not uncommon, but... you usually see them only in times of war"
Yuma's lips pursed, "Are we at war?"
The sage thought back on the great toad elder's warnings, of Tomoe's advice to prepare. Though the sky was clear, he could still see the dark clouds gathering further ahead. "...Yeah"
Her blue eyes shifted to him, "And the enemy?"
"Hidden"
"Whose is it?"
"Everyone's"
The swordswoman pondered on the implications, "Shit"
"Afraid so" He sighed, leaning on the railing next to her.
"I have to be available in case I'm needed" The white haired young woman said, her eyes becoming nostalgic. "So, I'll be going to the capital. I wanna see how Mai-chan is doing; she's been rather down ever since that argument with her dad"
Jiraiya nodded to himself a few times before softly palming her shoulder, "You do so. We'll handle the Leash on our own"
"You'll do more than that, I'm sure" She smiled widely, "You'll wipe those bastards from the face of the earth"
"Heh" He grinned, "Been a long time coming"
Father and daughter watched the falling sun, the skies growing darker by the minute, taking a brief moment of comfort in their company.
But Yuma could not let that moment be, she had to ask; "What's going to happen? What's got the sages so riled up?"
"A reckoning that will shake this world to its foundations"
It wasn't Jiraiya who had replied, but rather a woman's voice.
Their eyes sharply turn to see the demon queen of Lanka grinning at them both; "Good evening Toad sage, Spirit Blade Yuma."
"You're the guest that came for Konoha's help right?" Yuma questioned.
The raven haired woman bowed; "Indeed, Queen Kuroreimei of Lanka. Your exploits are quite known to us young lady."
"Glad to know my reputation is out there. Wherever this Lanka is."
Jiraiya stood a bit straighter; "Do you need anything your majesty?"
"Merely wanted to converse with you, unless you wish to spend more time with your daughter." Said father and daughter's eyes grew several sizes. "Pay close attention to all details and you see a great deal. But I shouldn't be telling a ninja that… Plus, I have good hearing, I heard her calling herself your daughter"
The toad sage shook his head as he cleared his throat; "Nah, I think Yuma and I covered what we could." He gazed to his daughter who picked up the hint.
"I'll see ya before going old man." Yuma gave a quick nod to Kuro before turning and strolling away.
The demon queen smiled; "You must be proud of her."
"I am, she is better than me, that's for sure." Wow did he feel uncomfortable at the moment; "If you don't mind, I also had questions for you as well."
"I have no doubt you do" Her red eyes shifted to him, even as she stood facing the horizon. "My presence here last time raises suspicions"
"Most of the elders believed Lanka to be lost" The toad sage pointed out.
"And we preferred it that way. We had no allies after the cataclysm; our best hope for survival amidst the broken world was to remain hidden"
Jiraiya huffed, "I gather that's not the case anymore, isn't it?"
Kuroreimei sighed tiredly, letting her straight bangs shadow her eyes. "Eventually, my people will starve. We've sheltered demons from all over for many generations. But many of them have very long lived lives, and even with how much we ration, it won't be enough to feed them all"
"You need to expand" He realized.
"We need to get out our island" She clarified, "We need to settle in the mainland once more"
He paused for a moment, "Unless you can get the ruler of a nation to welcome you, I can't see that happening peacefully. And even then it'll be a challenge"
"I am aware" Kuro replied. "There needs to be someone we can trust, someone who can be our ally in these lands. Whose actions will have far reaching consequences"
And then, the sage suddenly understood. "You've been looking for a foretold hero... an Heir of Rama"
"Our seer foresaw an heir in this very village. You could imagine my surprise, but I was desperate enough to come and inspect to see if it was the case." Kuro gazed up at the sky; "I never thought I would find two Heirs."
Two..? "Care to clarify on that?"
"Naruto, and your princess Maiyuri." She looked back to the towering man; "Both are heirs of Rama's will."
Jiraiya was silent for a long moment; "Well, shit..."
"I had a guess you assumed it was only Naruto?"
The toad sage scratched the back of his head; "I thought that, but my mentor expressed there would be more than one Heir. Kushina is no fan of any of that."
Kuro nodded; "She's a mother, of course not. Any more than the Daimyo having his daughter in immense danger. Kushina has expressed that quite verbally to me."
"Same here."
"But battle and conflict will always be in their lives, and both have the power to reshape the world into something I have not seen in centuries."
"This world needs heroes" Jiraiya agreed, "To fix what we dumb old people did"
...He was starting to really get what Kushina said, just dumping the responsibility unto others instead for the mistakes of their predecessors. But he knew he wasn't the right person to change minds and hearts, he just didn't have that power.
Not like Naruto did.
"A storm is coming, toad sage" The demon queen warned, "The old seer has warned me, either we stand together, or we all shall fall"
"I know" He grimly replied, "A fellow sage, Tomoe, told me-"
"Tomoe?!" Her sudden outburst cut him out guard. "Lady Tomoe? The Warrior-Worth-A-Thousand? The Sage of the Flame? You met her?!" She laughed, a sincere happy sound, a great different contrast with her usual worried disposition he's seen in the last few days. "This... This is great news!"
"I see you're familiar with her"
"She was part of the Sage Brotherhood, the White Lotus society. The protectors of the world" She smiled brightly, "To know at least one of them is still out there is... very comforting" Kuro leaned against the railing with relief washing over her.
Okay Jiraiya REALLY needed to know more about Tomoe from Gamamaru. "Told me she got back a few years ago. Since then she has been hunting some cult."
"Cult?" The queen turned her gaze sharply towards him; "A cult?"
"Yeah, she was looking for someone named Bai Shen." At the mentioned of that name, the demon queen's face had turned several shades paler.
A dark scythe cutting the air, blood trailing behind it.
Her body shook as she fully turned to him; "Bai Shen. That was the name Lady Tomoe said?"
"Yeah"
A shudder escaped Kuro's lips, then another, and another. Her breathing had grown erratic in seconds as pure fear and terror glowed from her eyes.
Fires burned around the bodies that piled around the laughing warrior.
"No... No,no,no,no..." She begun to pace; "By Ravana that man should be dead, that cult should be dead!" She muttered to herself as she rubbed her arms.
"Whoa, whoa..." Jiraiya spoke up trying to calm the woman; "What are you talking about. Breathe your majesty."
A savage look of relish in that bloodthirsty face, as king Vibhishana's head was separated from his shoulders by that scythe.
Kuro's head sharply turned to him, her eyes wide with a near primal horror in them. Her mouth moved but nothing came for several moments; "Bai Shen... She is looking for Bai Shen... Then it would be them, all over again."
"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya rested his hands on her shoulders.
But that did little comfort as the woman was literally hyperventilating; "The ones who destroyed the old world. Who banished the gods. It's them..." Tears of pure terror brimmed at the corner of her eyes. "Do everything in your power to gather allies, sage. Because if the Cult is truly still at large... Then none of us are safe"
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Till next time!
