Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is your author once again, to bring you another chapter to the story.
I hope you enjoy reading!
Ja'ne! ArtLotus out!
Chapter 3: Beginning
Konohagakure
The Academy
Within the Academy, Team Minato were standing in full display at the Mission Assignment Desk. Across them were the Third Hokage and clerks who are responsible for giving out scrolls upon scrolls of assignments to official Leaf shinobi.
"I take it the assignment has gone as well?"
"Hai!" Minato answered for his team. "We were successful in delivering the secret missive, though at a cost." As soon as Minato finishes, a troubling frown comes upon Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.
"Explain."
"Two traitors amongst the ranks…" Hiruzen frowned as Minato nodded after he had explained the whole explanation. "I understand." He nodded slowly. "And I believe only one of the two escorts died?"
"Yes. It was a lost cause." Minato frowned grimly as did Rin and Kakashi. "Ultimately, our mission assignment is successful regardless." Minato went to walk up to the Third Hokage and handed him a scroll. "That is my report."
"Your report is taken. Unfortunately, we have noted the loss and I presume that you have the deceased?"
"Yes. While everyone is out searching for the last escort, I made my way to retrieve the deceased." Minato plucked another scroll from his pouch behind his waist and put it on the desk.
"Thank you, we will contact any relatives to send the news accordingly."
Minato nodded with a mutual frown.
"How do you rate your team for their first mission?"
Hiruzen questioned after seeing Obito and Rin looked a bit uncomfortable about the loss of life.
"They did a good job adjusting for this mission. Expectation for combat for an escort mission is high due to the war, yet my team is calm enough to dispatch enemies. The loss of life they have experienced in this mission will be a precursor that there will be more in the upcoming missions, and they will have time to adapt to it. Unfortunately, this can hardly be called a C-Rank escort mission when we encounter so many enemies along our escort routes."
Hiruzen nodded in understanding. After hearing the report from the blonde Jounin himself, he understood that the mission was not the usual C-Rank escort mission. Due to the war, every mission that sent his shinobi outside would potentially be higher than they seemed on paper, which worries him.
"Aside from the casualty, your C-Rank mission assignment has been finished." Hiruzen smiled at Obito cheering and Rin chuckling in the background. Next to his teammates, Kakashi sighed in relief. "Though I take it you will continue taking on C-Rank missions when it is available? It is of no burden to your team?" Hiruzen asked Minato who only nodded.
"So far, it's not. Through this mission, they have experienced, learned, and will be prepared for future missions. I would not be surprised if we were given B-Rank assignments soon. The C-Rank mission we've been given is adequate but I fear for future ones…"
"There are too many that will target your team. Hence, the mission received would not mirror the rank it has been categorized."
"Yes."
"Do not worry, Minato. In time, your team will be prepared for these kinds of missions. They will evolve, will they not?"
"Yes." Minato smiled as he nodded. "Hokage-sama, there is but one thing that I will like your attention." At this, Hiruzen looked at the blonde jounin. "May we speak in your office privately? After this."
Sensing the serious tone behind Minato's words, Hiruzen nodded silently.
Minato bowed before he went back to his team and ushered them outside. Team Minato nodded in understanding at the topic that would be talked about with the Hokage soon, which concerned a certain blonde. When they left, Hiruzen contemplated the topic of the meeting issued by Minato.
Suddenly, his thoughts were cut as a single Anbu appeared behind Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama." The Anbu knelt in front of the Hokage. "I have news concerning the escort mission you have tasked Team Minato." Hiruzen looked at the Anbu and proceeded to signal him to continue speaking. The moment he spoke about the news, it captured Hiruzen's attention.
"How many?"
Time Skip
"Yes! We completed our first C-Rank mission!" Obito pumped his fist into the air as he did so. Meanwhile, Rin and Kakashi just looked at him. The former is smiling while the latter continues looking forward with a neutral face. Walking beside them, Minato smiled joyfully at his team.
As Team Minato left the Academy through the entrance, they were soon greeted by a surprising sight.
The sight was of Sakamaki Izayoi standing along in the middle of the streets with two civilian women.
Minato sees the blonde talking with the women, a smile on his face. The talk lasted until Izayoi had seen Team Minato and he bid them farewell. The women graciously bowed before waving their hands and left the scene. Both were giggling and gossiping animatedly on his looks as they walked away.
"Are we interrupting?" Minato asked with a questioning smile as Izayoi walked over to stand in front of him. At the question, the blonde waved him off.
"Nope. The two of them wanted to talk and I had questions that had been answered." The blonde smiled. "So, did Team Minato get a good mark?" He looked down at Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.
"Yeah, we did!" Obito grinned. "This was our first C-Rank mission after all! We crushed it!"
"And we did it as a team." Rin added, smiling widely. "But we couldn't complete this without your help, Izayoi-san. Thank you for helping." She bowed her head as the blonde waves off in dismissal.
"Oh yeah! Thanks for the helping hand!" Obito showed a thumbs up to the older blonde.
"…Due to the circumstances, yes, we couldn't have done it alone. …Thank you." Kakashi bowed his head slightly. "—As a matter of fact, I hope this wouldn't be a recurrence. I doubt Obito would have seen rationality otherwise."
"Hey! We completed the mission! What's there to roast me for? This is my first mission after all!"
"Which means we have to train a lot from now on. More people will know that Minato-sensei has a team under his wing that can barely complete a mission. We can't slack off."
"You think I want to slack off? I'll show you!" Soon, a groaning noise emitted from Obito's stomach. "—Just as soon as I can get something to eat…"
"Serves you right." Kakashi shakes his head before his own stomach grumbles. "...I digress."
"Hehe, it looks like you two need to have some food in your tummies after all." Rin giggled as Obito looked sheepish and Kakashi sighed. "I'm pretty hungry myself too." She added.
"So when are we going to meet the Third Hokage?"
"Now." Minato replies as he dismisses his team with a smile before he leads Izayoi towards the Administrative Division.
Obito, Rin and Kakashi looked at the pair of blondes walking away from their sight and into the Hokage building.
"Do you think Sakamaki-san will be alright?" Rin asked in slight worry for their friend.
"The Third Hokage will see to it with fair judgment." Kakashi answered.
"Yeah! The Hokage wouldn't be so cruel! Anyway, I'm excited to find out if Sakamaki-san will be joining us on our missions from now on, if he becomes an official ninja. He would so~ outdo Kakashi!" Obito commented pointing his finger at Kakashi whose eyebrow had twitched in reply.
"How so?" Kakashi questioned turning to face Obito.
"I don't need to put it in detail for you. You already know how strong he is compared to you." Obito explained with a shrug. "So why should I bother?" He grinned before he steps forward and turns to his teammates. "I'm gonna eat. You guys?"
"Let's go eat." Rin suggested to Kakashi who looks at her and Obito before agreeing.
"This is a wonderful day!" Obito bellowed to the sky as he walked alongside his teammates towards the nearest restaurant. "BBQ sounds delicious right about now!"
"I think we should save that for when we celebrate it with Minato-sensei."
"Oh yeah! You're right, Rin! So, any suggestions?"
"Curry sounds nice to me."
"Curry…alright! That sounds good too! You like curry, Kakashi?"
"It's a good option."
"Option… Whatever. Let's go! Man, I'm starving here!"
At this, his stomach growled and a cheer of laughter came from their female teammate. Another stomach growled. Then Obito laughed.
"Did your tummies just talk to each other? Hehe~"
"Hokage-sama." Minato bowed to the Third Hokage that sat in front of his desk. Next to Minato was Izayoi who gazed scrutinizingly at the Third Hokage.
After he dismissed his team, Minato had led Izayoi towards the Administrative Division where the Hokage office was located, and he had been grateful for the Third Hokage's appearance over a short notice.
"So is this the reason why you issued this meeting in the first place, Minato?" Hiruzen asked as he looked over to the other blonde in the room.
"Yes. I do think that it is most important that you have to be present, Hokage-sama." Minato explained before he paused and eventually spoke up. "I haven't been truthfully honest with you, Hokage-sama. About what happened during the C-Rank mission that my team and I have taken." Minato started and continued. "I omitted a few things. Firstly, the number of enemies was a lot more than what was in the report. In order to deliver the missive and at the same time fend off the extra enemies, we were divided into two teams. Obito and I took care of the enemies while Kakashi and Rin were tasked with delivering the secret missive. That was also when they confronted the traitors who revealed themselves. This was in the report, yes?"
Hiruzen nodded. "Continue."
"I haven't taken into account the overwhelming quantity of the enemies and I commanded Obito to pull back and help his teammates. After I took care of the enemies, I went to seek them out and I found over 15 Iwagakure ninjas lying in wait for me."
"What?" Hiruzen asked, feigning surprise. "It is true that Iwa has heard about the mission then. An overwhelming number of them were dispatched…"
"Fortunately, they were incapacitated in a crater when I found them. Some are while some are not but were crippled." Minato said, recounting the sight he saw. His statement made Hiruzen stop his train of thoughts. He had assumed that Minato was the one who defeated the squadron of shinobi. But it was not the case. This is where he hone his attention more to his words. "That is where I found Kakashi, Obito and Rin. I met up with Kakashi, but both Obito and Rin were engaged in a fight with a few of the Iwagakure ninjas. They wouldn't survive if it were not for him." Minato gestured his hand to Izayoi. "Hokage-sama, he had saved both Obito and Rin's lives. He is also the one that incapacitated the whole squad of Iwagakure ninjas in the first place by just landing." Minato finished with an awkward smile. His finishing statement definitely made Hiruzen raise an eyebrow.
"Landing, you say? So, he is the one that dispatched that many enemies. It is what the report said earlier…" Hiruzen recalled the brief meeting with a single Anbu, who had been sent to watch over Team Minato as they went about their first C-Rank mission. He sent the Anbu in case of emergencies. He knew Minato alone was capable of fending for himself and his team, but he cannot account for the uncertainty element when it comes to this particular mission. The Anbu was supposed to return when the team had almost completed their escort mission, however things began to untangle when the enemies struck. They struck, with numbers.
"He landed in the forest, and ironically, his landing spot was where the Iwa squadron was hiding. He incapacitated most of them before he defended himself with the last ones by way of taijutsu. Hand-to-hand combat." Minato coughed into his hand afterwards when he continued. Because the next part would be a bit difficult to explain. "Through his hand-to-hand combat, he is capable of destroying the enemy's offensive techniques."
Minato's last statement was Hiruzen arched his eyebrow. He glanced at the whistling blonde next to Minato. He did not respond momentarily before he spoke.
"…Pardon?"
Minato nodded.
"Coming from the Hidden Stone Village, their shinobi are proficient with Earth Release mostly. Earth Release in general is a flexible technique that can be used as either offensive or defensive more so than the other elements. "Our guest…" Minato gestured to Izayoi with a wry smile. "—he has demonstrated that he is capable of destroying these very techniques in an effort to defend himself and save my students."
"…" Hiruzen stayed silent and nodded his head, gesturing for Minato to continue.
"Earth Release: Clay Barrier Prison. The type to absorb a victim's chakra. Also, Earth Release: Dragon God Blast. The jutsu to create a dragon made of earth. He destroyed those two powerful jutsu with just a kick each." Minato emphasized. "He did not use any type of jutsu against his enemy. No, he uses his taijutsu and overpowers his enemy overwhelmingly." Minato paused for a moment. "He is also one of the main reasons we completed the mission we took. Unfortunately, there was also another squad of the same Iwa group that sought for the secret missive and he had decimated ten of them alone. Hokage-sama, were it not for him, I would be too late to meet up with my team. They would already be surrounded by the squadron before I could get there."
"He can take care of himself in combat, I understand." Hiruzen concluded as Minato nodded. "However, why is this related, Minato? Do not misunderstand, I am impressed that you have found this individual and had already evaluated and spoken about his capabilities thus far. Yet, I do not see the reason behind this meeting nor that you spoke highly of him, Minato."
Hearing this, Minato could only smile.
"…I understand what you mean, Hokage-sama. I spoke of his abilities because it isn't anything that I have ever seen before. Bar none. On top of that, he protected my students. With that said, It'd be best if you could see it in person. That is all I can say." Minato explained before adding. "As to the reason behind this meeting…" Minato paused when his eyes glanced at Izayoi. He was about to speak further but was silenced when Izayoi raised his hand at him.
"I do think it is about time I spoke for once. I can't let you do all the talking for me, Namikaze."
Minato nodded.
"Third Hokage?" Izayoi directed his attention towards Hiruzen who nodded at him. "The name's Sakamaki Izayoi. The reason I came here is ludicrous and you will not believe it as any sane people would. Because the idea itself is unbelievable." Izayoi stated nonchalantly as Hiruzen gazes at the blonde.
"...How ludicrous? If so, may you elaborate?" Hiruzen asked. "I will not comprehend how ludicrous it is if you did not give me the answer, Sakamaki. I will see to it myself how ludicrous it is."
"…I trust that this will not leak out to the public? Especially to those people hidden here? Four of them?"
His statement sounded serious which gave pause to Hiruzen. Besides his early statement, his question at the end made him narrowed his eyes at the blonde.
"…He can sense them…?"
After he raised his thoughts and contemplated for a while, Hiruzen made a decision. Just before he voiced out, he and Minato shared a discreet glance at one another.
Minato nodded his head subtly.
"Anbu." Hiruzen called out, flaring his chakra a bit and four Anbu appeared besides Minato and Izayoi. "Give us the privacy needed. Do not let anyone come regardless of their identity."
"Hai, Hokage-sama. We will be outside if you need us." One of the Anbu said before the four of them disappeared with a shunshin.
After the group left and there were no trails of their presence nearby, Hiruzen looked at Izayoi. "…He could sense precisely four of them. Even when they hid their chakra just enough to be hidden…" Hiruzen stared at him.
"Yes?"
"It wasn't difficult to sense them, was it?" Hiruzen looked at Izayoi, who offered a nonchalant smile.
"Yep. Even though I wouldn't care either way but I can't take any risk."
"…Alright. You may proceed." Hiruzen gestured for the blonde.
Without any hesitation nor giving time to let the silence build up, the blonde started talking with an amused smile. Meanwhile, Minato and Hiruzen gave their undivided attention to hear him out.
"—I did not come from the Elemental Nations, or any country further than that. Speaking of which, I was not born in this world at all. I am from another world entirely. Surprise?"
"Another world?" Minato asked in surprise, while Hiruzen looked on at Izayoi. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"I know that look. You don't believe me. I don't blame you. As I said, the idea in itself is ludicrous. I was born and came from another world. I do not exist in this world."
"—How did you come to the Elemental Nations in the first place?"
"I came from a museum. In that museum housed a single weapon. Worn and rusted. They're the reason I came to this world." Izayoi answered before he turned to Minato. "Namikaze, you don't mind showing your weapon for a moment?"
"…Alright, I don't mind." Minato pulls out one of his custom made kunai; a three-pronged kunai.
"See, this is the weapon that sent me into this world in the beginning." At his exclamation, Hiruzen and especially Minato looked beyond surprise. Both of them did not expect that there would be any link that would relate to the blonde coming into their world. But seeing as the link was in the grasp of Minato's hand, they soon realized the scenario that made the blonde come into their world. "I found them in a glass display case in the museum. It was interesting to see the artifact but I didn't look at it for long until I decided to leave. —My acquaintance, however, found great interest in the artifact mainly because of the kanji around the weapon."
"The seal…" Minato muttered as he looked down at the seal wrapped around the handle. He looks back at the other blonde who continues.
"Yep, looking at it in clear clarity now, it looks similar to the one in my world." Izayoi handed the weapon back to Minato who held it in his hand. "Safe to say, my companion tried tweaking it and a bright light burst out of the weapon. If I think about it, there was a pull in the midst of the bright light. Before I realized, I came into this world by falling into the sky over 1000 feet."
"—When you put it in that way, your story is not entirely far-fetched and ludicrous as you told it to be. It held some truth." Hiruzen cups his hands. "As it is, Minato had created these weapons as a means to teleport himself from one place to another. It all depends where exactly the weapon is, he can teleport to it willingly. Hence, the moniker given to him by our enemies, the Yellow Flash."
"But how did they come to be in that museum?" Minato asked with a disturbing look over his face. The thought of his weapon on display in a museum and in an unfamiliar confinement disturbed him greatly. Most times he would retrieve his weapons, especially in this time of war to prevent anyone from studying the seal on them. It was unimaginable to believe they were in a museum to begin with. "It doesn't make any sense."
"I can't say anything certain. I mean, your weapon in the museum looked worn and rusted over the years. The kanji faded a lot." Izayoi explained. "...This is a suggestion; but if those weapons were able to exist in my world and displayed over at the museum...This could possibly mean that my world is the future for yours." A troubled frown came over the blonde's face. "There's a lot of flaws to it, but that is one of the possible theories."
"What kind of flaws, Sakamaki-kun?" Minato asked Izayoi. "Our world and yours cannot be much different. If it is, then it might be because of change over the years."
"Firstly, the people over in my world cannot use chakra to create something out of nothing. They're not capable of creating elements to fling at their enemies. They can however bicker endlessly if they did not get a good bargain in a supermarket or they're losing an argument. But I have heard the term, chakra, yet it might not be the same principle that you are accustomed to hear in your world. Second, there are no historic tales and facts about the existence of ninjas. There are, but not the type of ninja that exist in this world."
"What type of ninja are there in your world?"
"Were. There are a few people who strive to be a ninja like their ancestors however they do not possess any kind of medium to allow them to be as strong as you or stealthy. They do not use chakra as you all do in this world."
"How do you know, Sakamaki?" Hiruzen asked.
"You have a right to not believe me and I understand. But I spend my days reading history upon history whenever I have free time on my hands. Trust me, I have a lot of free time. Sadly, there is no mention of the Elemental Nations, nor are the Five Great Countries. Those topics will no doubt be labeled in the category; history. Is it not?" Izayoi asked with a small smirk plastered on his face.
"You made your point." Hiruzen agreed. The Third Hokage cannot disagree with the blonde's knowledge of his world even if it might be the future of their world. Though he was impressed nonetheless, of hearing the blonde's hobby; reading. There were not many that would enjoy pursuing reading except if it were necessary but the individual in front of him strived to dig up knowledge that was deemed not necessary for him except it provided general knowledge of the era before him. He had to give respect to the blonde who had used his time wisely.
"—But I can't think of why it sent you to this world, this time?" Minato looked at himself before looking at Izayoi.
"The fault might be the kanji that has faded through time." Izayoi suggested. "There are no other explanations to explain it."
Sadly, Minato nodded in agreement though he frowned when there are no other ways for him to know what truly brought Sakamaki Izayoi into their world at this time.
"—Then, there is no way for you to return to your own world, right?" The Third Hokage voiced out. Both blondes turned to him. "There isn't exactly any medium in this world that will help you in your endeavor to return. Surely, you must have been thinking of that conclusion? Yet, you seemed calm. Why is that?" Hiruzen adopted a curious look over the blonde.
"Should I start spouting nonsense to the world and it isn't fair for someone to be treated like how I am? No, I'm not that kind of man. What benefit shall I receive in return if I act that way? I'm certain I wouldn't get self satisfaction over it. I'd just drive myself insane." Izayoi smiled nonchalantly as he explained.
"You're mature for your age." Hiruzen commented with a small smile. "Are your peers like you?"
"Thanks. And yes. They should be. They might have been pursuing a career and are married." The blonde shrugged.
"How about you? Haven't you started to pursue any career of your interest? Surely, an individual like you seeks something in life."
"My life's already paved out for me. Unfortunately." Hiruzen looked skeptical as he did not expect a complicated answer from the blonde. "You do not need to know any further, though I was in the process of finding a certain Problem Queen for the trouble she got me in." A wide smirk appeared on the blonde's face at the mention of the Problem Queen.
"Is she perhaps your wife?" Hiruzen asked, amused. "There are certain troubles that wives bring upon their husbands, and you are not an exception, Sakamaki."
"You called your wife, a Problem Queen?" Minato asked in amusement and curiosity.
"—What? She's not my wife." Izayoi started looking at Minato and Hiruzen with a confused expression. "You do not need to know any further about her. The only thing you need to know about her is she only brings problems for me."
"Coming from your mouth...She sounds like a wife to you, Sakamaki. Are there any thoughts that she is infatuated with you?" Hiruzen questioned as Minato let out a chuckle.
"Whatever you may think, she's nothing but trouble for me." Izayoi looked amused at Hiruzen. "As amused as you can be at the topic, there is nothing left I have to talk about being teleported in this world."
"Alright, I understand. But I have to ask; why Konohagakure?" Hiruzen stared at Izayoi. "You could have turned to Iwagakure for help. Or, the other villages for that matter."
"Iwagakure was out of the question. They seemed to not be the people of reasoning. Not to mention that they're the ones who attacked first just because they thought Konoha had found out about their operation." The blonde sighed as he spoke.
"So they thought you were from Konoha?" Hiruzen smiled. "However, I can understand their stance. We are in the middle of a war. Coincidences rarely occur. Only results matter. In this case, you're an anomaly that coincidentally landed in their sight."
"It doesn't help that they refused to give information unless forced to."
"I do think that is because they thought of you as an enemy? You were the one who incapacitated all of them." Minato raised an eyebrow at Izayoi.
"Namikaze, did you pay attention? They didn't ask any questions at the first sight of me. —Their lone intent was to kill me. It would be a better scenario if their questioning does not involve violence, yes? Alas, here we are." Izayoi answered with a blank look, causing Minato to smile sheepishly and sweatdrop. "Anyway, Konohagakure might be an optimal option since Minato gave his trust and I'd learned that they can be reasoned with. So why bother with the other villages? I don't even know the location of their villages. How can I seek their help?"
"That's true…" Hiruzen dropped his shoulders, feeling ashamed of himself for not thinking. "But I am grateful." The Third Hokage looked up at Izayoi. "Not only did you save Minato's students from danger, but you have also given your trust to us and explained your rather unfortunate predicament, Sakamaki."
"Call me by my name, Izayoi. I don't have a family."
"...You don't have one?"
"For as long as I remember, yes."
"You're an orphan?" Hiruzen looks at Izayoi nodding his head. "I see. You have my apologies."
"Don't give your sympathies, Third. For as long as I can remember, I enjoyed my life. Someone has given me the opportunity to see something new beyond my comprehension as a child. It's thanks to her that I am here today. She taught me everything she knows."
"She must be someone precious to you. You spoke so highly of her." Hiruzen smiled, glad that whoever the person who took care and helped grow the blonde as he is today was blessed.
"She's someone I look up to. Greatly."
"I understand." Hiruzen gave a nod. "Anyway, since we have discussed all that we have about your situation as of now…There is another discussion that we haven't touched about. Pertaining to your timely predicament in this war—What would become of you now, Sakamaki Izayoi?"
To Be Continued…
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Ja'ne! ArtLotus out!