Light seemed to drain from the surrounding area as shadowy tendrils struck at Haku, the Angel finding no solace in his strength or Miracles. As the blackness stabbed into him, as he felt himself fading into it, he decided to submit. I can no longer be useful to my master. I don't deserve to live. And then the fading Darkness was pleasant.
--
Naruto felt only rage, staring at the Angel who killed Sasuke, who struck at them with all of those knives (he could have killed us at any time), who was his enemy (why didn't he?), who was the epitome of everything he had become a Hero to exterminate (why must they fight?). This Rogue (did he have a choice?) was a traitor to their way of life, was the very thing he was meant to destroy, all in the name of Sasuke.
But…what was this? Why did the monster stop fighting?
He let his own consciousness drift through Mikaboshi's Darkness and ask this of the boy. Somehow, his own consciousness, as barely functional as it was, refused to let the matter go.
Why don't you fight for your life?
Because it no longer matters, Haku responded, probably not understanding how any more than Naruto did. I am no longer useful to Zabuza, and so I no longer serve a purpose. Just as you are your Village's tool, I am his tool, and what kind of tool refuses to be thrown away when it is worn out?
Naruto wanted to object, that he wasn't merely a 'tool' of the Village. Being part of a Village meant something, it was valuable, it was a higher ideal. The Village, after all, was his home…but not Haku's.
Remembering the boy's story, Naruto wondered if, during his darkest days, when the Villagers were at their cruelest, if the only person to take him in and show kindness had someone like Zabuza…where would he be?
--
Kakashi tried to inform Zabuza that this new threat meant that they really shouldn't dawdle on their current fight, and in fact should really set their differences aside until it was dealt with.
Zabuza, unsurprisingly, didn't take him seriously in spite of his obvious concern in the growing darkness's direction, and sent a lightning bolt careening toward the Scion.
Had Kakashi been focused on the Demon, prepared to face him directly, that would have been incredibly dangerous, possibly costing him the melee. As it was, Kakashi was distracted trying to figure out what to do with the Gatekeeper and his suddenly loosened if not broken Gate, and either the dumbest of luck, a twist of Fate, or the subtle intervention of one of those Gods that was supposedly watching over their Village intervened and made it so the lightning bolt struck directly on the one heirloom his father had left him.
Both of his fathers, actually, as his mother's husband had held it as his Birthright and Loki thought it hilarious to regift it to him as a second Relic.
While his first Birthright, an old Norse cloak of nondescript origin, was sufficient to ignite his nascent powers, it was this one, the missing piece of Mjolnir's handle as a result of Loki biting the Dwarf who crafted the legendary hammer, that stuck with him all these years.
It had a unique ability, one that didn't match up with any Purviews he knew, but that wasn't unheard of with Birthrights, just rare.
When Zabuza's lightning struck it directly, that same lightning followed an arc through his torso that avoided all the important organs and concentrated in his hands, alighting them with electricity. It looked similar to Storm Augmentation, but he commanded no wind and the electricity was taken from what was already there, and besides it wasn't just electricity added on to a melee attack.
No, as he processed what happened and struck at Zabuza, he heard the thunderclap burst from their contact and rip the Demon's arms straight off.
"Adad, the Visage of-" Zabuza started to call out, but Kakashi struck with his knives before he could finish, distracting it enough to influence it with "Chaos Purview: Paralyzing Confusion."
While certain that Zabuza would normally be able to adjust against it, in his current state he suffered the intended effect, clearly unable to make sense of his newly adjusted worldview.
Knowing that this needed to be done now so he could deal with the Titan Lord, Kakashi grabbed Zabuza's own sword, noting the the wrongness that overcame him when he touched it, and swung it down into what should have been the man's neck.
--
Naruto, without really thinking, had dropped the Angel, hoping that they could work something out. Maybe he could come with them back to the Village, or maybe they could use his story to get the mortal kings to act against the Flockmaster (Kakashi had said they held power over the Villages, right?), or maybe Band 7 could go on to the Village Hidden in Revelations and overthrow the Flockmaster, as that was what Heroes did, right?
Even he could realize that the last one was utterly idiotic as an idea, but surely the first two could be discussed…once Haku was free, he shouted "Path of Wind and Water: Wind Blast," and sent himself flying backward, propelled against the wind he was creating, and flew right into the path of Kakashi's swing.
Naruto, somehow gaining more consciousness from the confusion he felt, pulled the growing darkness back and fell to the ground as a normal, exhausted Scion.
"Was I a useful tool?" Was the last thing he heard from Haku before the Angel finally succumbed to Kakashi's attack.
Kakashi having to draw the blade back again for another strike was apparently enough for Zabuza to regain his senses, because what he said next was coherent.
"You were the only one that sword never wanted to kill, isn't that a bit of irony?" Zabuza rolled out from Kakashi's strike and managed to leap to his feet, still at an obvious disadvantage with his opponents.
"Did you even give a damn about him?" Naruto shouted. "He gave everything for you!"
"He was a tool, and a very efficient one," the Demon responded, looking around for an angle he could attack at without his arms. The storm he had summoned had cleared up, so that threat was gone as well.
Before his desperate last stand could come to fruition, however, a group of men arrived on the bridge, led by a short guy walking with an excessively luxurious cane.
"When I saw the storm vanish, I figured that you'd either finally taken care of things or that you'd failed, again." Gato looked at Haku's corpse. "And you lost the stupid little brat, too. I knew that thing was a waste of time and money, don't know why you bothered to keep it around."
He tossed a rock at Haku's corpse, then laughed at the former Angel's non-responsive body.
--
Zabuza knew very well why he had kept Haku around. It was not just because of his usefulness. No, it was because, in spite of all the boy's unwanted lectures and fears about the possibility, he was the thing that staved off Full Torment. He kept himself under control when Haku was first killed, but seeing the casual disregard for his life, seeing the world around him turn out to be too brutal, too harsh, too cruel again, no matter how much he sacrificed to get the money to get the power to get the position to make things better for himself…he gave up fighting.
--
Even Kakashi was ignorant enough to think it was just another Visage at first, but then he saw how distorted it was, beyond even what a tormented Visage should entail, and how it rushed forward without thought, without even quick planning, without even a desire for intimidation or sadism, and ripped into the nearest mortal it could. He has fallen into Full Torment, he's not a Supernatural Man anymore, just a mindless monster, thought Kakashi.
He was a wounded monster surrounded by enemies, so it wasn't quite the one-sided horror some might expect, but he did take out quite a few of Gato's men and the man himself, the last ripped into with the same teeth that had bitten Sakura not half a week ago, before he succumbed.
For the few surviving men, it was simply a matter of pointing out that their boss was dead, they were facing Scions as mere mortals with their numbers severely depleted, and it was in their best interest to run for the hills and never return. They chose to embrace their best interests.
--
Sakura had Tazuna up to a state where he could walk once more, so the two of them went to check on Sasuke. His unmoving body provoked no immediate reaction from her.
"Girl, if you have something you want to let out, you should let it out," Tazuna felt the need to inform her.
"The Academy stresses over and over how death is a part of our work. Many of us won't actually make it to Godhood, and those of who do will see many of our friends banished to the Underworld long before we're even close. There were tests on memorizing the phrases and slogans. 'Memento Mori,' 'Death Before Dishonor.' I got perfect scores on all of those tests, and I was proud of that fact. I was the model daughter of Athena, perfectly absorbing all the information they gave us. I absorbed it, but I don't think that I ever…understood it."
Tazuna snorted. "Giving such understanding to a child. If I was a God, I'd never awaken my children's powers. This isn't the type of life anyone should be forced into."
She didn't respond, merely stated "Health Purview: Assess Health," and then immediately shifted her mood. "He's alive," she shouted at full volume. Calming herself, she corrected, "but barely, he needs treatment right away."
"I have no medical skills, but let me know if I can do anything."
--
The Dragon had reverted back to an elderly, though still physically fit, man. A completely naked one.
"Do all Dragons fight naked?" Shikamaru asked sarcastically, which is why he was utterly shocked when Asuma replied, "yes, at least the high ranking ones. Their fighting style involves rapidly changing their body size and shape, so most clothing is actually a hindrance to them."
Both males then grimaced as the effort of talking sent shockwaves down their still-recovering lungs. Without the Jotun's blood, Shikamaru at least would be dead, and even with it he still only survived because of Ino and Isaribi's medical assistance.
She still refused to wear clothing, and although it was far more pleasant than it was when her master didn't, it was still very awkward. Even when she explained that she refused to ashamed of her deformities, it still couldn't hurt to cover up at least her bottoms, could it?
"So, what now?" She asked.
"The Village Hidden in Fire will probably take you in. We should let them know that we took out one of their Rogues anyway, so there's going to be contact. You could come with us, but the paperwork would be a nightmare."
"I don't particularly have great experiences with Dragons," she reminded them.
"The guy was rejected by them," Asuma reminded her. "He's not exactly an example of a normal denizen of the Village." Suppressing a cough, he continued, "of course, you could always try to live with the mortals. Start by returning the stolen money; no one is really angry when you're giving them money."
As she went to sit a distance away and contemplate the matter, Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru felt that they should say something about the mission they just experienced, though none were certain about exactly what.
"So, that was a Dragon."
"Our mortal parents' generation fought on the other side of a war against them," Choji noted, with some trepidation. "A whole…Village of the things."
"And it was at home in the water," Shikamaru continued, "the Drowned Road's domain itself…"
"Hey," Asuma interjected, "Dragons in general have nothing to do with the Titan Lords, any more than the Water Purview users of our Village do."
"I know, I know," Shikamaru dismissed his objection.
Ino looked annoyed at them for speaking so much when they needed to rest, but also like she wanted to say something.
"I used Jotunblut today. I…always hated it. When I graduated, my father took me in to watch an interrogation, to see what I might have to do one day if I pursue that path, and the way that the man under him turned from cursing his name to praising him, how even with his granted strength he was no threat because his will, his vision, his emotions had all been changed to my father's wishes, it…disturbed me. Not because of anything the guy deserved, he was a scumbag bandit holding out information about other scumbag bandits, but because of how it made me wonder, if we can be changed so easily…then who are we, really? Are our identities so weak that the Jotunblut can take them away like that?"
Shikamaru and Choji looked to one another, uncertain as to how to respond.
Finally, Choji said "You know, Ino, I did think of you far more while under the Jotunblut, about how you were my lao-shi, about how I must protect and serve you, but ultimately I just thought of you the way I normally think of the Band as a whole, or the Village, or Asuma-lao-shi, or my Clan. I just replaced what I already loved and protected with you for a bit, and you know what? I don't think I would have obeyed an order to starve myself, or kill my loved ones, or anything that I wouldn't do for even the people I respect normally. Yes, I was loyal to you, but I could still define what loyalty meant. Maybe that scumbag bandit thought loyalty meant being a beaten dog, but there is free will, there is understanding that the person themselves has."
Shikamaru simply nodded in agreement. That did genuinely seem to reassure her.
"So," Asuma interjected, "your first time outside of the Village. How was it?" They threw things at him.
--
Kurenai kept abreast of intelligence reports, probably a little too closely, so she was able to recognize the description her students provided her with as that of Suzumebachi.
"She had made a play for becoming one of the leaders of the Village Hidden in Dreams, but was outmatched by the current Seelie King. Since then, she's been trying to gather power, and has largely been unsuccessful."
"Couldn't accept that she wasn't powerful enough, huh? Well, we showed her good, huh, Shino?"
The boy named winced in response to Kiba's statement, but tried to nod in agreement in order to hide it.
"And Hinata, did you really fight her by yourself? That lunatic was messed up when he ran into her. Good job!" He raised his hand for a high-five, and kept it up for a solid minute before Hinata realized what he was doing and awkwardly returned it.
"To reinforce what Kiba said," Shino continued, "she sounds ruthless and power-hungry, the type that would have caused trouble for the Village Hidden in Dreams and the surrounding world," he said, sounding a little hopeful.
Kurenai almost reassured, but then decided that her students needed to know the truth.
"From what I understand, it wasn't just about power. She thought she should rule because she didn't find politics and business Banal, while the current Seelie King does."
"A king finds politics boring?" Hinata pondered.
It was actually Shino who continued, "not just boring, Banal. Fae, at least the ones that bond with human souls and are thus Supernatural Men, thrive off of humanity's hopes, dreams, and sense of wonder, and throwing themselves into tasks that provide none of that, into things that are dull and 'soul-killing,' one might say, well, for them the 'soul-killing' is more literal, from what I understand."
This caused his face to scrunch in displeasure. Kurenai had been afraid of this. "It sounds like she genuinely was more suited to rule. She thought things through rationally, she did what she thought was best, and she tried to fight for her Village's prosperity." He lost the facade that he had been putting on since Suzumebachi's death.
It was Kiba who first tried to snap him out of it.
"Shino, she attacked a bunch of Scions, even after she had already gotten the stone. The girl was a psycho. Even if she, on paper, would have been a better economist or whatever, her personality tells me she would have been just as lousy as I've heard the current one is."
Kiba's reminder of her actions would have helped the boy had he also not reminded them of the Village Hidden in Dreams' current state; they weren't experts, but they had all heard of how it was demoted from being among the Major Villages and how its financial woes were infamous even among the non-business-minded, which made Shino think about his own philosophies on leadership.
"A leader shouldn't be evil, or ruthless, but he should be pragmatic. He has to do what needs to be done. Mere ideals won't keep food on your people's plate," no one was certain who Shino was speaking to, but Kurenai suspected that it was largely himself. "Did I just kill her as punishment for having the same thought process as myself?"
Finally cutting to the heart of the issue, Kurenai thought she was ready to say what she hoped would be right to say.
"You killed her because she was trying to kill you." Raising her voice into what she hoped was an authoritative tone, their Guide continued. "When in combat, you don't have time to measure every enemy, to look into their lives and judge whether or not that bandit about to impale you was doing so because he was a sadist and layabout with no interest in even trying to find an honest living or because an actual sadist had his daughter captive and working for him was the only way to keep her alive. You don't know who's evil, and who has a greater purpose behind their actions. Had she held you down, and offered you a last chance to surrender before killing you, but you noticed one of your crows was in a position to attack, what would you have done, knowing that surrendering meant returning to the Village a failure? Maybe you would have done the same thing she did, but you would have done so knowing full well that you'd probably be dying for your ideals, and you know what, that's what she did, she died for her ideals. Having ideals means having enemies, and enemies don't always twirl their mustaches for you before you have to eliminate them."
Shino contemplated her words, his other two bandmates looking uncomfortable as they did the same, before he finally said, "My Geass is to never look down on my opponents. I took it thinking that it would keep me from becoming arrogant, but I never actually understood the full weight of it until now. I can't dismiss and downplay her motivations for my own psychological comfort, but you're right, I can understand the necessity of my actions regardless."
He seemed a little better with this talk, so she smiled at her own success as they continued on their way back. It was after a little bit that she realized he had just exposed a Geass to all of them.
--
Karashi continued to look unwell as he prepared the curry in his grandmother's kitchen.
"Is he going to be alright?" Lee asked as he looked on the boy worriedly.
"Demons absorb faith energy from mortals. When you're a Thrall, it's possible for them to drain a lot at once, at the cost of the Thrall's mental state. Demon military protocol holds that one should understand that they're effectively sacrificing a Thrall when they do so," Gai explained. "Many subjected to it never get better, but he's already showing signs of recovery."
"I don't understand it, Guide Gai, why would someone put so much trust into such a being as Raiga, knowing that he could do that?"
It was Neji, rather than Gai, that responded, "because he couldn't accept that he was weak and looked for any way to become stronger."
Gai looked at his student disapprovingly, but continued on, "the last part of Neji's statement is true. Everyone wants to improve themselves, but many don't want to put in the right effort, so they look to shortcuts."
Rock Lee wanted to shout in shock, but he knew that he'd be lying to himself. There was a point in his life that he absolutely would have embraced anything to get stronger, a time before he met Gai, someone who actually believed in his ability to work hard and become a Hero without Purviews. It was…disconcerting how relatable it was. Would he have taken such an offer, had it come earlier in his life when he was the loser of the Academy…maybe so, as shameful as it was to admit it.
"But why the crazy funeral guy?" Tenten had to know. "And why was Raiga so obsessed with something so creepy?"
"It was the option given to him," Gai responded. "Mortals weren't born to Gods. Their abilities aren't like ours, and their lives are inherently different. As to the funerals, well, at the end he experienced Full Torment, something that only happens to Demons when they're at the end of their mental and spiritual rope. Many people, in such a state, will cling to something specific to keep the last shreds of their sanity, something comforting and emotionally resonating. Sometimes, that last refuge of sanity becomes, in of itself, a form of insanity."
Neji felt something familiar about those words, but dismissed them. Now that he had finally accepted a part of his Fate that he had rejected long ago, he started thinking about how he could start investing time into the Animal (Wolf) Purview.
The basics of most Animal Purviews were the same, he knew, it was just about figuring out the subtle differences that applied to the specific variety.
Gai, noticing that his student was barely paying attention, sighed internally and smiled externally as he let them know the good news. "I think you're ready to face the Rank Exams. Even though they were just mortal bandits, that unrelated Rogue Demon that attacked, too bad we can't charge the miners for it, was ruthless, and you showed yourselves worthy."
All of them seeming to get his subtle reminder of their actual purpose in being there, they winked as the rest of their faces were overcome with excitement.
--
"Is the bridge actually still necessary now that Gato and his enterprise is gone?" Sakura wondered as they watched the men work.
"The man had his hands everywhere. Just because he himself is dead doesn't mean his associates don't still have sway, and that all the ports aren't used to running things his way. Besides, this bridge was built by the people as a statement of defiance against the man. It should be finished just for symbolic purposes at this point," Kakashi pointed out.
This got her thinking again. "So, are we going to get in trouble for killing such a powerful and connected mortal?"
"Legally, no, as a fully corrupted Demon killed him, and that's on top of both a self-defense and reasonable mission parameters case. Whether his allies or loyalists come after us through other means," Kakashi shrugged, "that's part of the life of a Hero, or really a Mission-Solver of any stripe. You make enemies."
Sakura nodded, though she hardly looked happy with the answer.
In spite of the happy looks Naruto was giving as the other laborers praised him for his assistance (Kakashi suspected this was a novel experience, being in a town full of people who didn't despise him), he knew the boy wasn't happy with the answers he had to give either.
No, they couldn't do anything about the Village Hidden in Revelations' policies on Nephilim, not right now anyway. No, they couldn't simply leave Zabuza's sword in a grave to mark them as the people they were, as it was a precious heirloom to the Village Hidden in Torments, and thus they had to do the smart thing and let the leadership of the Village Hidden in Legends make the Demons pay through the nose to get it back. The events of this enterprise really hadn't gelled with the boy's expectations of mighty Heroes who saved the day and stopped evil wherever it reigned.
"Guide Kakashi," Sakura continued to ask. She was always asking questions; he might really come to respect the girl one day. "Why is what's happening to the Nephilim allowed? Don't the mortals control the Villages? Don't the people within the Village want to stop it?"
"I can't give you the details, because I don't know them, but ever since the Land of Faith's civil war a ways back, the Demon-Angel War as many call it, the mortal rulers have been loath to mess with the Villages' internal affairs and the Villages themselves have been caught between those so terrified of renewing the war that they let everything slide and those so bitter about the events of the war that they'll do anything to hurt what's left of their 'enemy.' The situation is a mess."
She was still unsatisfied, but seemed to have the wisdom to realize that the answers he could give would never satisfy her.
--
Once the 'Great Hero Bridge' was operational, the Scions waved good-bye, ready to return to the Village they had been confined in all their lives. With what they'd experienced of the outside world, it didn't feel so bad, nor did the simple chores they performed seem so unpleasant. They knew they wouldn't like them, and suspected that soon enough they'd get the itch and start wondering whether all adventures were really this bad and imply that maybe they should get another quest outside of the Village, but for now they'd just be grateful to be safe behind the Village walls.
Maybe not so safe for long. With how they performed out there, I think they might be ready for the Rank Exams, Kakashi thought, but decided to let them know that later.
--
Four of the Ministers had agreed to meet with her. The Minister of Lions, of course, remained inexplicably loyal, but the rest could see everything that was going on and Mei Terumi hoped that she could get through to them, sacrificing doing anything for her 29th birthday to do so. Not that that was much of a sacrifice, as it reminded her that she was almost thirty and nowhere close to finding a husband, but she buried that little insecurity for a bit as she addressed the gathered Demons.
"Everyone gathered here did nothing about our dear Tyrant capturing children and forcing them to kill one another in a pathetic bid to increase our numbers. No one did anything about him repeatedly cheating our clients and losing us our reputation, or him using false claims to justify random massacres. No one did anything when three of the keepers of the Earthbound Swords, our most prized and dangerous weapons, went Rogue and took their swords with them. Now, not only are we stuck with the humiliation of losing them, but we're negotiating with the Village Hidden in Legends to buy two of them back, something that we can't downplay on the international stage like we could their initial disappearance. We can't pretend to have the situation under control when others are doing work for us. Oh, and apparently our Village has been involved in illegal finances with Gato, once again discovered by a foreign Village so we can't even quietly fix it. Ignore that what he's doing is wrong, what he's doing is making us a laughing stock! We're headed the way of the Village Hidden in Dreams, and everyone here knows it."
She looked each of them in the eye, glaring until she reached the Minister of Dust. Not only did she know full well that he agreed with her, as the man primarily responsible for maintaining relations between Demons and mortals, he basically had the worst possible job in this current regime.
"So, what are you asking us to do?" The Minister of Eagles demanded. She frowned at the fact that he was the one to bring it up. As the Tyrant's spy-master, it immediately put his motivations into question, but then she had invited him to tell him anyways, so it would be stupid to back out now.
"Make me Tyrant."
None of them immediately spoke. The silence stretched for a few minutes, though she supposed the fact that they weren't immediately screaming in indignation was a good sign.
Finally, the Minister of Dragons barely squeaked out, "there are procedures, and this isn't the way."
He really didn't sound like he believed it. As she thought about it, Mei realized that as the Demon in charge of rooting out internal corruption and managing the Inquisitors, he might actually have a worse job than Dust right at this moment.
"You know that I'm qualified, you know that he isn't, you know that I've devoted my life since possession to the success of this Village, and I will not stand by and watch what I've accomplished be ruined. I won't stand by and let this Village be ruined."
Staring them all down once more, she continued, "don't you dare call it treason. Treason would be letting this continue."
The Minister of Aurochs spoke up, "when Zabuza tried…"
"Zabuza was a warrior with no skill for politics. He couldn't lead, or inspire people, and worst of all he fled to pursue life as a common criminal after his first failure. I can guarantee you that I will keep fighting here." Seeing that it wasn't enough, she also added, "I can guarantee the support of the remaining Earthbound Sword wielders, and if he actually manages to get the two the Scions now have back, then I have plans about where they can go." This made some progress with them.
--
Amachi is dead, the Broodkeeper thought, reading the report. I wonder which human body he'll take next.
This would put him in closer age with his broodmates, which should hopefully restore some of his lost sanity. He had known the man had tossed himself into his scientific experiments, and that he had been getting worse and worse about his obsession with them even before he went Rogue, but to sink as low as what he was reading about…it wasn't like the Broodkeeper was above immoral actions to increase the standing and security of the Village, as the Mission that got Amachi's closest friend killed wasn't exactly a paragon task, but experimenting on mortals, often to their slow and painful death, forcing the survivor to kill and rob more so that he could experiment and hurt more…he'd ask what happened to the old Dragon, but he knew full well that Amachi had always had some sadistic tendencies and what having no living broodmates did to even fully sane Dragons.
The interesting thing about the whole affair, that the Scions didn't mention, was the question of where he got his funds before he started making the girl attack ships. The time between experimenting on her brother and the tribute ships disappearing didn't match up, and she explicitly mentioned him needing 'new funding,' which gave him the feeling that there was something more here. His gut told him to look into it.
"Get me someone in Intelligence who's free!" He roared. "There's a matter I want to look into." He looked back at the report. "And inform them we'll be taking the girl in."
--
The Seelie King found himself thinking of happy thoughts. So much of his job refused to allow him such thoughts, so he took the opportunity to watch some kids playing outside his window. They were having so much fun, kicking a ball in the mud. It looked so wonderful!
He ignored that their clothing was threadbare, that the shops they were playing in front of were primarily being used to store furniture, and all the other dull crises of the Autumn World. Besides, he had a plan, and it was going to get money flowing back into the Village, let them just wait and see!
"Your Highness," someone called in, presumably to give a report. Sighing, he called the person in, hoping it wouldn't be boring this time. "Scions interfered with the quest for the Lia Fail. Suzumebachi was killed in action. As far as we can tell, all conflict between our Village and theirs was within the parameters of a Mission, and thus no retaliatory action is strictly expected, nor arguably legal."
Hating how formally the Fae in question said it (you're a Fae, don't be so Banal!) he still had to suppress a smile at what should have been awful news.
With Suzumebachi's political maneuvering out of the way, he could finally devote all of his energy into his grand plan to save the Village! All he had to do was ensure that Fuu got into the last portion of the Rank Exams, and they were home-free!
There were some reservations about her loyalty, as after all she was the Gatekeeper for the embodiment of Winter, something that had a far worse meaning to the Fae than it did to other creatures that didn't divide all of existence into seasonal metaphors, but he dismissed that. Who could hate growing up under Dreams?
--
The Great God-on-Earth was mildly disturbed by the reports he was reading. All three of the Bands he had recently sent out on their first mission outside the Village had encountered not only unexpected dangers but dangers far above what they were supposed to be able to handle. All three had barely survived. Only Kurenai's Band didn't require extensive medical attention after their encounters.
Okay, Fate, what are you planning for these nine? He obviously wasn't expecting an answer, as he didn't have the Mystery Purview and probably wouldn't have gotten anything useful from that broad of a question if he did, but not only did he have a line of work that told him coincidences were unlikely but one that told him there was an active force out there in the universe creating what seemed to be coincidences for some unknown purpose.
While the Mystery and Magic, and to a lesser extent the Prophecy, Purviews meant that Fate was an objective, undeniable fact to Scions, and even measurable to an extent, those same Purviews meant that it could only be measured with an incredibly unreliable tool. It especially wasn't certain whether Fate was a good thing or a sadistic bastard.
Taking a drag from his pipe, he did the only thing he felt he could do. Noting that these children had accomplished such impressive feats already, he sent out letters to their Guides asking if they should be recommended for the Rank Exams.
The thought of Naruto there did mildly concern him, as the Mummies and Fae were apparently already planning to send their Gatekeepers, and the Dragons might be considering it if they decided to show up to the Village this year, but then he remembered that he had already decided that the child was to live a life as normal for a Scion as it could be. Thus, he put the matter in Kakashi's hands.