"Ah, Hiryur-kun! I was growing worried!"
The second the male dragon could spot the place he had been summoned to, a familiar high-pitched voice grabbed his attention. He looked up and his usual laid-back smile widened.
"I thought the air smelt sweeter, your presence truly is like a meadow of fresh flowers, beautiful and fragrant." His words caused a dark flush to take over the female's face, her expression morphing into a smile as she closed her eyes, letting out a tune of giggles.
"My, my, you're all too kind!"
"Nonsense Ruka-chan, I'm merely stating the truth, what a crime it would be if the beauty of the world wasn't appreciated." The female squealed and Hiryur smirked.
The smaller dragon's leaf-like tail that faded from moss green to dull red swung back and forth behind her as the moss-coloured scales that covered her back caught the light. Her smooth, dull pink underside complemented the green of her scales and her fairy wings which were bubblegum pink and the same shade of green as her back. Upon her perfectly sculpted head was a baby pink flower in full bloom, her wide, dull red and moss green eyes matching the rest of her colouring perfectly. Protruding from her head were two brown horns and under her right eye was a mole, standing out against the pink of her head.
"Stop your fawning, we are here to attend a meeting with Genkei-sama. We are on his territory so you could at least show some respect." A cool voice spoke, attracting the attention of the two.
"Oh my! I do apologise, I didn't realise we were causing such a disturbance!" Ruka exclaimed, her face growing darker by the second.
An elegant male dragon approached the two, his snow-white fur was unblemished and his ice-blue hooves were made of a crystalline substance. He had two antlers that matched his hooves and deer-like ears that shared the white fur that covered the rest of his form. His eyes were a light, icy blue and his slit-shaped pupils were a stark white, outlined by a vibrant cyan. He had a nose the same shade as his eyes and his wings were of polished ice. The male had a fluffy white tail and if not for his size and a few of his unique features anyone would assume he was a deer and not a dragon.
"Hello to you too Satoshi." Hiryur offered him a closed-eyed smile.
The male huffed, turning his head away, the icicles dangling from his antlers catching the sun at such an angle they lit up in a show of dazzling sparkles.
"Kya! You look as regal as always Satoshi-kun!" The female dragon grinned.
A groan caused the three to turn to the fourth life form, Ruka's expression immediately morphing into one of sympathy. Beside her, Satoshi and Hiryur shared a glance before the smaller male looked back to the one who had groaned, his eyebrows drawing together, a smile on his face.
"Hey there Zargo, how you doing buddy?"
The male's weary, narrowed copper eyes gazed at them, a deep, enigmatic feeling seething within them. Under the sun, his black scales, which were illuminated by the blazing fire that emanated from their fissures, appeared somewhat paler. He possessed two horns that protruded from his head; one was black, darker than the plates that covered his body, while the other was composed of the mystery lava visible through the tiny spaces between his scales. A black pipe travelled out of his buttocks, ending in the head of a lamp and forming a tail that could easily wrap around a decent-sized house. Growing from his back were two wings, absent of any flesh and darker than the pits of Hell.
There was an awkward pause, Zargo remaining silent and not responding to Hiryur's attempt at a start to a friendly conversation. Satoshi simply released a breath through his nose, the air turning visible due to the drop in temperature that was inflicted upon the atmosphere around him. He trotted off, the ground beneath his hooves freezing, leaving a trail of winter in his wake.
"It is a wonderful thing to see you out of your cave Zargo-kun!"
Said male hummed, his eyes lazily surveying his surroundings.
"Yeah, being stuck in a volcano for years really can't be good for you, you should emerge from that fiery chasm every now and again." Hiryur piped up, making his way into the conversation once again.
Ruka made a noise of agreement, a kind smile on her face. "I agree, if you ever want to get away from everyone then please do not feel as though you have to escape to your volcano, I have many soothing areas in my Sector. I'm sure I can reserve you a private spot in our hot springs, it might not be the same as the ones in your region but I'm sure they'll be a peaceful place for you to relax."
"I appreciate the opportunity but I do not wish to burden you with my presence." The quiet but noticeably deep voice of the male dragon made itself known and despite the rejection, Ruka smiled, happy to get a verbal response from him.
"Please do not say such things about yourself Zargo-kun, it would be an honour to have your presence in the land of Earth."
Before anything else could be said, a flash of lightning brought their attention to the sudden darkening of a small portion of the sky above them, a low rumble accompanying it. The burst of light left to reveal a dragon whom those already present hadn't seen in a very long time.
"Rai! It's been ages since you were last down here!" Hiryur exclaimed, appearing next to the new face.
Lightning buzzed between two white horns, spiky dark fur decorating the new entity's head and upper back, a white streak running through it. Bright yellow fur rested above his eyes, resembling eyebrows, his white scales giving off a yellow sheen. His face was adorned with black and yellow lightning-shaped patterns, a black nose at the end of his snout. His eyes were a hollow white, bright yellow lightning flashing in their depths. His brilliant yellow tail sparked with the same energy that crackled in the air around him and protruding from his back were two pointy wings.
"Yes, I do believe it has been quite a while."
"You should really visit more often y'know." Rai looked off to the side, avoiding the intense gaze of Hiryur.
"Oh yes! Please do come and see us more, I would absolutely love it if you were to visit!" The sound of Ruka's bubbly voice turned the head of Rai in her direction and his expression softened. It was such a minor change that most wouldn't catch it, Hiryur, however, was one of the few who could read Rai's subtle changes in mood and his expression morphed into one of disbelief.
"Well, I suppose I could have a look at my schedule and see if I have any openings." He sniffed.
The female dragon let out a happy shriek, her tail wagging behind her as she jumped up and down.
Hiryur puffed out his cheeks, dark eyes narrowing as he not so subtly glared at the larger male. Rai felt his glare and his intense gaze matched the wind dragon's stare, yellow lightning flashing in his eyes. He felt a warm presence and looked over at where it was coming from, walking over to the one giving off the heat.
"Hey Zargo, long time no see." The fiery male turned his head to look at him, expression sullen as he cast his gaze over the ground.
"Hm." Was the only response Rai received and the lightning in his orbs flashed, his expression faulting for a moment.
"How have you been?" He awkwardly asked.
Zargo did not respond, turning his great head to the side, his tired eyes still set on the ground. Despite usually being rather reserved, when faced with being the target of the bigger male's cold shoulder, Rai found his expression morphing without his notice. His lips separated as his jaw dropped, eyes ever so slightly wide, lightning flashing brightly in them. His fur was slightly more static than usual as lightning ran through it, the current slowly dissipating as it reached the end of the hairs.
An unintelligent sound came from him, confusion radiating from his form. Behind Rai, Ruka and Hiryur approached, one standing on either side of the lightening-eyed male.
"Don't worry too much about Zargo, Rai. He's alright, well.." Hiryur's gaze travelled to the bigger dragon whose lazy copper eyes had moved to look up at the dark clouds that had appeared upon Rai's arrival. "As alright as one in his situation can be.."
"Poor Zargo-kun!" Ruka exclaimed, wide eyes watering and lips trembling.
None of them had seen Rai in a long while, the male having stayed in his Sector, choosing to not come down. In the land of the Lightning Dragons, news from the world below did find itself, keeping those who live in the dark clouds up to date with the events of their kind. As it had been a while since Rai had seen Zargo, he was taken aback by the shadow of the dragon he had once known. He knew that the loss they had suffered all that time ago had affected him greatly but for him to still be brooding surprised him. The Fire dragon was strong and fearless in battle, the Zargo he knew was firm with his beliefs, a stern leader who could make quick yet planned-out decisions in the heat of a fight. Such a resilient male turning to ash and falling quiet, never returning to his true form was disturbing and Rai found himself frowning as he tried to not let the reason for the sudden change in personality arise in his mind in the form of mournful memories.
From an outsider's perspective, it might seem quite awkward for Zargo, the three before him talking, the subject of their conversation being him. Despite the possible odd feeling, the male didn't speak, nor did he allow his expression to speak for him.
"Does anyone know when our dear leader will arrive and the meeting begin?" Hiryur decided to change the subject.
His words caused silence to still the air, those present wondering as they processed his words. It wasn't usual for their beloved King to be so late. Normally the male would be quite swift to arrive when they were called to a meeting.
"Perhaps something was brought to his attention and as a result, he is running late?" Rai suggested the idea, the others humming in thought.
"You- you don't think something bad happened to Genkei-sama, do you?" Worry was clear in Ruka's eyes and Hiryur moved to stand next to her, sending her a smile.
"Don't worry Ruka-chan, I'm sure Genkei-sama is just fine."
Her lips formed a small smile but the wind dragon wasn't oblivious to the concern that continued to cloud her beautiful eyes.
"Are you questioning Genkei-sama's abilities?" Satoshi spoke up, his cold voice cutting through the air like a saw through ice.
A sigh left Hiryur's lips as he rolled his dark eyes. "No need to be so uptight Satoshi, we know that Genkei-sama is very powerful, we are simply voicing our concern. We were summoned quite abruptly after all."
The male huffed, sticking his nose in the air as he turned his head to the side, icy blue eyes closed. A sigh left the Wind Dragon, Satoshi was an extremely uptight male with a large ego and a strong sense of pride.
'As are all Ice Dragons..' He was never really too sure what exactly he should refer to them as, as many seemed to like the term 'Frost Dragon' over 'Ice Dragon'. He only went with the latter because the humans' chakra types seemed to align with the different types of dragons, though it had been a while since he had come across someone with Ice Release.
It had actually been a while since he had last seen a human, his species preferring to keep to themselves, especially for the past couple of decades. After a certain event that had taken place, many in their land had grown paranoid, turning suspicious towards even their own kin. It was certainly unfortunate, dragons held family close to their hearts so having an incident that occurred many years ago affect their relationships with each other was truly devastating.
A feeling of intense power thickened the atmosphere and the dragons immediately snapped to attention.
"Genkei-sama!" They chorused, tails flickering behind them.
The suffocating aura of the head of the dragons weighed down on them, an almighty presence manipulating the atmosphere. A powerful wind carried a flurry of leaves through the area, some of which getting tangled in the fur of those who had it.
"Greetings, old friends." A powerful voice shook the land, causing ripples on the surface of nearby pools of water, heat waves crossed the area as thunderclouds formed above, heavy rumbles bringing warnings of rain. "You have been summoned here today for a meeting of high importance."
The dense shield the dark clouds created, blocked the light of the golden sphere that rested in the faraway cosmos, casting a shadow over the mighty entity's form and shrouding him in a void of inky blackness. Below where the powerful being stood upon a mighty silhouette of rock, stood a row of loyal subjects, the ones chosen from birth to rule over each Sector of their specie's territory, following the command of their King.
A wide, adoring smile adorned Ruka's face as her large eyes gazed up at her leader. Next to her, Hiryur wore a laid-back smirk, dark eyes looking at her as her tail refused to stay still. The female dragon was always so full of emotion, her small form -though great to other species- unable to contain her energy. Zargo and Satoshi sat, their giant size dwarfing their fellow Exemplars, impassive expressions blocking any who might try from reading what may be flying around in their big skulls. The lightning that sizzled between Rai's horns came back more intense than before, having momentarily become so energised by their great leader's arrival that it had sputtered to a stop. The male was listening patiently to the mighty presence looming above, expression neutral.
"I'm sure you all are aware of the recent happenings between humans and trolls. In any case, I find that it is best I elucidate this matter." There was a dramatic pause, a heavy breeze flying through the air. "It appears the creatures of the Underground broke into the village hidden in the leaves and got away with some files along with a female warrior. I recently received a message from the very beings who live beneath the earth, with ores and stone, expressing their interest in an allyship with us against the humans."
The atmosphere seemed to grow thicker as all in attendance digested the information. They had all caught wind of the events taking place between the two species but a feeling of uncertainty created by the message that had been sent to them by the trolls filled their beings. They had managed to keep themselves out of the way of any discord going on in the world around them, isolating themselves from any of the less peaceful creatures whom they shared their planet with.
Now, however, an offer of a potential allyship threatened their reign of peace and left them with one question floating around their minds: would they accept?
~{*.*}~
Harumi wiped a bead of sweat off her jawline as she panted, legs bent as her hands rested on her knees. Takumi and Hideo weren't doing too well either, the shorter of the two was on his hands and knees behind her whilst the other was barely standing, shoulders dropping and rising in synch with his heavy breaths. Their Sensei had run them through a torturous day of training and whilst they fought for air, the red-haired man stood in front of them, hands on his hips and a smile the three found infuriating printed on his face.
"I really thought you guys would last longer than this.. maybe I should up your training regimen.." The older male sighed and if they had the energy, his students would have pierced his form with icy stares.
They had known the man long enough to recognise the speed at which he could turn even a joke into reality and their days of training were already hellish enough. Sometimes it was as if he took pleasure in their suffering.
They had started the day off with a light jog around the village, Maro leading the single-file line. Once finished they were allowed a drink of water before they were tasked with doing multiple exercises such as a high number of press-ups and sit-ups. Next were chakra control exercises that quickly went from simple to life-threatening as the genins' dear sensei flung multiple sharpened weapons at them whilst simultaneously preventing them from jumping down from the trees.
Harumi, who had the best chakra control of the three had been giving advice to her peers from above when the red-haired man started his onslaught. Takumi, who had always struggled with these types of exercises, tried using his sword in order to block the projectiles heading his way.
"Ah, ah, ah! Put your sword away Takumi-kun!" Their grinning sensei chided as he tossed a kunai in Hideo's general direction.
The Uchiha grit his teeth as the weapon grazed his cheek; he was halfway up the trunk of his chosen tree and in order to not lose his balance had stuck both his hands to the bark to improve his grip. Unfortunately, the interference of their sensei had caused a halt in progress and the two genin who had yet to reach the top of their respective tree awkwardly shifted their bodies to avoid incoming projectiles. The green-haired girl, although perched on the top branch of the evergreen she had chosen, wasn't an exception to the rain of danger. In order to avoid getting injured she skillfully danced around the incoming projectiles, her chakra moving fluidly to secure her balance.
It was needless to say that exercise didn't end for a while; only when both boys made it up to the top of their respective trees did the trio's teacher conclude his attack. After that nightmare, a threeway spar ensued, Maro on the sidelines, his silver eyes analysing every movement his students made. He was also mindful that if his ruby-eyed protege started up one of his infamous jutsus then he would have no choice but to intervene. They didn't want another incident to occur, the last one was bad enough.
The three had a habit of sticking to their strengths, something the red-haired male was trying to put an end to. If there was something he didn't want his students to be, it was predictable and if their enemies did predict them he wanted the three to be able to still hold their own. There was nothing wrong with preferring taijutsu over genjutsu but if they were outmatched in that department they needed to be able to rely on their other skills.
The sound of a sword cutting through the air accompanied the whistle of the wind as a fireball shot towards its target. The boys initiated hand-to-hand combat as their attacks both failed, Takumi's Tachi tucked away in its sheath. Their female teammate pouted as she was left out of the fight, taking the time to strategise whilst she crouched to the side of the wild fly of fists and the hurried slash of legs.
As the two continued to exchange attacks, Maro's eyes turned to his female student, watching as her brown eyes followed their quick movements. It wasn't rare for two of his pupils to get ensnared by the temptation of a one-on-one, leaving someone on their lonesome as they looked for an opening to invite themself back into the fight. He had had a word with them on multiple occasions that doing that was like focusing on one enemy ninja and completely ignoring the other, allowing them time to find errors in their form and enabling them the ability to utilise that weakness.
The red-haired man let out a sigh, running a hand down his face; it seemed that no matter how many times he lectured them, the stubborn brats completely disregarded his words. Eventually, Harumi intercepted as Hideo was knocked onto the ground by a solid kick courtesy of Takumi. She aimed to sweep the taller boy off his feet however, the male saw the attack coming and jumped. She stood up, narrowly dodging a punch before readying her own. Before the preteen could land her attack, Hideo, who had recovered from the nasty kick that had more than likely bruised his abdomen, sent a roundhouse kick her way.
His leg cut through her form, causing both males to temporarily still in their confusion. From behind the Uchiha, the green-haired girl revealed herself. In a flash, the boy with blazing red eyes was caught in a chokehold by none other than his female teammate. A smirk showcased her smugness and her unforgiving grip showed no signs of loosening despite the boy's struggling.
"Do you yield?" Her cocky expression was evident in her tone and if he could, Hideo would have elbowed her.
He puffed out his cheeks. They had had a whole training session dedicated to chokeholds and about the proper way to execute different ones and how to escape them. Unfortunately, he had stayed up the whole of the night before, working on a new jutsu so it was needless to say that he hadn't paid much attention. His past mistakes were really catching up to him.
He could feel his chest tighten and knew he wouldn't last much longer. His ruby eyes moved to his other teammate who had seemingly been forgotten by the greenette. The ginger-haired boy caught his gaze and Hideo hoped that despite their previous confrontation and the rapidly changing colour of his face, Takumi could find it in his heart to save him from the sadistic terror that was their female teammate.
"Alright, Harumi, that's enough." The sound of their sensei's voice acted as a peace call and the girl got off of her dark-haired teammate at such a speed that no civilian could even hope to have seen her move. "Hideo, get on the sidelines, you're dead."
The boy caught his breath, the pads of his fingers moving over his neck as he caressed the area the greenette had abused. He then slowly got up so as to not get lightheaded before glumly making his way over to the spot next to his red-haired teacher. Their sensei gave the all clear and the two remaining genin continued to spar.
The twenty-five-year-old turned to his sulking pupil, the young Uchiha was watching his friends whilst absentmindedly massaging his neck- flinching when his touch grew too harsh. Maro waited until Hideo felt his gaze and turned his attention to him before he spoke.
"You know I tend to wait until after the spar has ended to give feedback but it's your own fault you lost. I keep telling you three to stop purposefully leaving someone on the sidelines and yet you never seem to listen."
The young Uchiha stayed silent, eyes all of a sudden finding the ground rather interesting.
It's needless to say that once the spar ended, the trio got another lecture.
After that disaster, the redhead challenged them to a special game before lunch. He would be trying to evade his students whilst they hunted him down, first one to touch him would get to choose where they go for lunch. The genin had groaned, preparing for the long period of hunger they would suffer through before one of them would, in an act of miracles, tag their Sensei. It was common knowledge among all who were familiar with the red-haired man that it was fruitless to argue with him.
So, the man disappeared and the three exchanged looks before leaping away, all heading in different directions. Their stomachs were rumbling and their energy was running low, it wouldn't be long until they teamed up and that was saying something. The three had extremely different tastes and although they were close, were quite competitive.
As the genin scoured the village, the one they were hunting rested on the top of the Hokage mountain. His silver gaze overlooked the bustling streets, red hair fluttering around in the wind and his tan skin glistening as rays of sun broke through the clouds that drifted past overhead.
His pupils had come far since they had been assigned as a team, he was proud of their progress and looked forward to watching them blossom in the future, their abilities improving even further. A few of his friends who had also been assigned a trio of genin had shared their progress and apart from the occasional whine, Maro was thankful that his students didn't create as much of a fuss as his friends claimed theirs did.
He looked over his shoulder the second an anbu appeared behind him. The mystery operative's identity was shrouded by his porcelain mask; the careful details intricately decorating the object, identifying his code name as Rabbit.
"Maro Kiyama, I am here to inform you about what we have discovered as per the Hokage's wishes."
The red-haired male parted his lips but closed his mouth not a millisecond later as he stopped himself from speaking. A new chakra signal (and one he recognised) approached them, no doubt oblivious to the important conversation he had just disturbed.
Maro turned his head to face the new arrival, eyes forming crescents as his mouth morphed into a practiced grin.
"Hideo-kun, congratulations, you have found me! Now why don't you go find Harumi-chan and Takumi-kun and I'll meet you at your chosen restaurant?"
The Uchiha frowned, his dark hues clearly displaying his suspicion as they darted between the anbu operative and his teacher. Unfortunately, the two had caught on to his presence infuriatingly quickly so he hadn't been able to discover what the anbu wanted to talk to the red-haired male about. Hideo couldn't come up with an excuse to get away with staying any longer to hear the rest of the conversation so he nodded in reply to his teacher's casual command, sending one last suspicious glance the anbu's way, and headed off to find his teammates.
Hideo quickly tracked the two down, his mind stubbornly refusing to allow the meeting that he had almost overheard to leave his brain. He hated to admit it but he really was rather curious. Even amongst his own clansmen, he could feel the tension in the air that was slowly consuming the whole of the village.
His mind wandered back to the incident that had occurred not too long before; it felt unlikely to him that such an event that had happened to him could have such an effect on so many but considering the last war... it was possible. He often managed to brush off or ignore whatever tense atmosphere there was around but for whatever reason, he was unable to this time. The young Uchiha couldn't help but feel a bubble of anxiety boil inside of him, it was as if he could sense something, something bad. Hideo decided he didn't like the feeling.
"Hey," The dark-haired boy was broken out of his thoughts when a firm but careful hand was placed on his shoulder. "You alright?"
Hideo looked up at Takumi, blinking at the concerned expression on the taller boy's face. The Uchiha smiled at his friend, not liking the thought of making him worry. On the other side of Takumi, Harumi was peering at him as well, eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Yep, I'm good.. I just- when I found Maro-sensei, there was an anbu there and..." He trailed off, losing the smile on his face in favour of a frown, his gaze turning downcast.
"You're trying to decipher why there was an anbu with Sensei, huh?" Harumi piped up, tone understanding as she took a moment to think.
Hideo simply nodded in response. It wasn't common for him to be so... nosy but his gut was telling him something, something important. He just wasn't sure exactly what it was.
"The last time we got involved with anbu was when the incident happened, right? That wasn't that long ago, maybe the Anbu wants to talk to Sensei about that?" The female of the trio suggested.
"We don't know anything for certain, maybe Sensei has some other business going on or perhaps the Hokage wishes to see him?" Takumi added.
"Maybe... it's just, since the whole dragon thing the village seems... I don't know... tense?"
"Well, what do you expect, Hideo? You released an out-of-control jutsu that chased us around the village, disrupting the majority of Konoha's residents. Frankly, I would be more concerned if no one was a bit antsy after that." Harumi crossed her arms.
The Uchiha worried his bottom lip, the green-haired female made a good point but he couldn't help but feel as though it was more than that. It is drilled into every shinobi from a young age not to ignore their instincts and day by day, the feeling of impending doom was weighing heavier on his shoulders, the anxiety stemming from his gut.
As if sensing Hideo's growing concern, Takumi spoke up once again. "You make a good point Harumi but let's all stay vigilant nonetheless, it couldn't do any harm to be cautious."
Eventually, they reached the sushi place Hideo had chosen and, not so surprisingly, their red-haired teacher was already there, settled comfortably in a chair at a table in the corner of the restaurant. The second the three entered the establishment and looked around, their gazes settled on his cheery form, a closed-eyed smile decorated his handsome face as he waved at the trio.
Hideo and Harumi both blinked owlishly whilst Takumi only sighed and made his way over to the table it seemed their teacher had claimed for them. The ginger-haired genin had learnt that questioning what went on in the male's head would only result in a migraine and of all things, attempting to figure out how he knew which restaurant the Uchiha would pick wasn't all that important.
He glanced at Hideo. Then again, perhaps the boy was mainly concerned about the actual presence of the man; surely whatever the anbu wished to speak to their teacher about would take more of their time? It didn't seem as though the dark-haired boy had taken very long in fetching both himself and Harumi. Takumi sat down in one of the chairs next to the one Maro had, the thirteen-year-old's back facing the wall.
Harumi claimed the other seat next to the redhead and Hideo took the remaining one. The green-haired girl childishly swung her legs back and forth as she picked up the menu, her brown eyes taking in the range of different options. Takumi picked up his own, glancing over it briefly to look at the young Uchiha who was looking at their teacher with a furrow of his brow.
The change in expression was so minor; the ginger-haired male knew it would go undetected by many but as the boy's teammate- and having grown up in the same class as him- Takumi had learnt to pick up on Hideo's subtle changes in mood. Hideo did have his moments, times when he expressed his emotions more freely, although that only seemed to be when he was alone with his team.
"Something wrong, Hideo-kun?" Maro looked at the boy, an eyebrow raised.
"What did that anbu want?" Takumi sighed behind the cover of his menu, Hideo really wasn't going to beat around the bush.
Their teacher smiled, leaning back in his seat. "Now, now, you should know that some things aren't to be discussed in public.." His eyes narrowed, "and that some things aren't to be discussed at all."
Harumi placed her menu down, looking at their teacher with a frown. Her eyes moved to Hideo briefly before settling back on the red-haired male. It was clear, despite their teacher's light and cheery tone, a silent warning hung in the air. He was telling them not to push the topic, demanding they forget about the encounter entirely.
Hideo obviously still wished to question the man regarding his meeting with the anbu operative but was forced to hold his tongue. Maro Kiyama was not a man to be defied.
Takumi cleared his throat, placing his menu down. "So.. have you guys decided what you're going to order?"
It was a weak attempt at clearing the tense atmosphere that had quickly shrouded their corner of the restaurant. Thankfully, Harumi jumped aboard and nodded her head, fixing a pretty smile on her face.
"Yes, I think so." Two of her fingers traced her lips, her eyes meeting Takumi's. "I'm pretty sure there's a dango stall down the street from here.. maybe we could go there once we finish eating?"
Maro looked at his female student, the thick atmosphere dissipating. "That sounds like a wonderful idea Harumi-chan!" He grinned.
Once they had their fill- of sushi and dango- the group made their way to their usual training ground to meditate. It wasn't something the three genin particularly enjoyed but their teacher was adamant about doing it. Takumi was slowly growing to not mind it but Harumi still released a groan whenever their teacher subtly forced them to do it. Hideo meanwhile was mostly indifferent but every now and again he did seem displeased.
After a while, Maro announced it was time to move on and started teaching the three 'properly' -the genins' words, not his. The man often taught them different things, occasionally something in their preferred department and other times something in one they weren't as comfortable in. He often forced them to teach each other something but occasionally revealed some new technique to them and then spent a while going over it with them. When he taught them something new, Maro would then leave them to work on it on their own for a certain amount of time, be it days or hours. Sometimes he would give them each something to practise and other times they would all have the same homework. It was, at times, chaotic but it proved useful.
The last exercise of the day had by far been the most exhausting, whether that was because they were already growing tired from all they had done earlier on or not. Nonetheless, by the end of it their limbs were shaky and they knew they were going to be sore the next day. Their dear teacher had tasked them with the challenge of running laps around the village until sunset and had a clone follow each of them to ensure they weren't slacking off.
That led them to be out of breath, Hideo on his hands and knees and Harumi doused in sweat as Takumi somehow managed to stay on his feet. In their opinion they had done pretty well, Konoha wasn't small and they had managed multiple laps before the cool blue of the sky gave way to strokes of pink and purple on an orange background. Maro didn't share their thoughts, however, and the trio of genin could only pray that he would have mercy on them the next day.
~{*.*}~
The globe that harboured their existence was overshadowed by a floating field of grey, golden rays kept at bay. The hardened earth beneath them was a clumpy mess of soil and rock. Chilling shadows of the trees that hung overhead, morphed into spindly hands, reaching out towards them. A cool air, rushed by, exhaling over the area and rattling the shrubbery, leaves scuttling across the ground.
The dreary atmosphere was well-suited for these life forms, the idle mist that shielded them from the almighty sun, guarding their sensitive eyes. It was not a common thing for these creatures to venture above their usual place of residence. Years of lurking underground had made them exceptionally susceptible to bright lights, sunlight in particular.
"We should be reaching the agreed rendezvous point soon, Hachi-sama." The ever-calm voice of their leader's number two reached their pointed ears.
A quiet hum was the response he received from the small figure at the head of their group. The cloak of green she wore shielded her form from the eyes of her closest followers, all of whom were accompanying her to the meeting they had arranged with the King of Dragons. Her dark grey skin was more rock than flesh, moss and other substances, clinging to her stubbornly. Her soft green eyes, one hidden behind her mess of hair, were cheery and kind but with a hidden intelligence. Her small form was bursting with green flora, flowers entangled in her hair and her body clothed in curtains of leaves and thick blankets of moss, twigs sticking out at odd angles; it was a wonder she didn't make any remarks about being uncomfortable.
Behind her and her second-in-command, the rest of the group were silent. The air was heavy and filled with tension, they all knew that today, whatever happened, would bring about change. Whether or not the change would be in their favour was unknown but if their leader was one thing, she was trusted.
A/N: Hey... so... sorry? I feel so guilty for not being active for so long but I have been battling writers block for literally months and have only managed a few sentences- if that- a day. No more though! I am determined to publish more and provide you guys with what is hopefully acceptable reading material. Forgive me but to make my life easier, I will be shortening the chapters I publish from now on, for as some of you may have noticed, my more recent (can they even be called that?) chapters have been quite long (I'm talking over six thousand words). I am going to aim for between two thousand-three thousand words per chapter so they won't be too short.
This is the final part of this little side story I've created from what went on in Sasuke and Sakura's heads during the time where they played with Sasuke's action figures. Basically, if you guys haven't caught on, Inner woke up and was bombarded by these incredibly detailed visions of this make-belief world and that is what this side story has showcased... hopefully that makes sense. I know where I chose to end it may seem random but Shisui interrupted their playing just as the trolls and dragons were about to form an alliance so yeah..
I was quite surprised how much a lot of you seemed to like Hideo and so I tried to involve him a bit more this chapter. I may, in the distant future, publish a story that has more to do with this world but don't expect that anytime soon as I already have my hands full.
Next chapter we shall be returning to Sakura and I hope you're all excited for what's to come- I have a lot planned.
Once again I apologise for my lack of activity and am sorry for any mistakes!
Hope you enjoyed!