FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Is something wrong? Lili? You're sweating."
Scarlet Justice [Naruto AU]
- Thread starter FortePlus
- Start date
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- Tags
- naruto action and adventure fantasy slice of life alternate timeline (alternate history) female protagonist lesbians with lasers (lesbian) mildly political original character samurai & ninjas coming-of-age story ham kishimoto did nothing wrong murder murder zoom zoom sisters before misters sneks tiny but fierce
"Lili!"
"What is it?!"
"Where are you going?"
"I have to return some video tapes."
Care
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 30
"Care"
---
The initial danger is over, but we're not completely done with this saga yet. Unfortunately, that means further disruptions to my schedule. I don't care for it.
I'm off the mission roster for the next few days. I can still move about as I like, but it's still bothersome. Anko hasn't had anything new to report, and Itachi has been moving around near the western edge of Fire Country from what Erika has said. Keeping still isn't something I want to do right now. And I don't want to fill my time with mundane things.
"You're wound up today, Lili."
"It seems so."
Fio leans over my shoulder as I do paperwork. I figure that I might as well do something of importance while I'm awake. The table is currently filled with loose sheets and a few scrolls, with a small space left for my teacup.
"I wanna go outside."
"Now?"
"Yeah. Come with me. Please?"
I nod and set down my pen. I know how Fio worries about me, and I don't want to make her upset. More than that, I suppose...I want to let someone else take care of things this time. She must have sensed it.
"Thank you. I feel like running today. Can we?"
"Let me put on something comfortable. Where did you want to go?" I ask as I stand up.
"Around the village for a bit. Nothing special. I thought we could have something to eat before coming back here."
"There's definitely somewhere we can grab ourselves a bite...alright. That sounds good."
We get into our running outfits, and Fio wants us to match today. I oblige her, and we go with a light jacket over comfy pairs of shorts. Our hair goes up into ponytails, and we check over our hotel room before pulling on our sandals and heading out.
"I never did get to mention it before...you got yourself some new footwear," I say to Fio as we walk down the halls.
"Oh, yeah. They're based off the old pair you got built for me. I went up to see Zen and Airi while you were gone. I wanted pink to go with the shirt and all, and I think it's a nice colour." She stops and lifts her leg so that I can get a good look at it. "They're a lot lighter than before. We figured out that using a mix of materials worked out a bit better, it's just more work at once. Not something you would make a lot of, you know? But basically it's got all the benefits with a bit less durability, because you're matching up against metal and all. Also..."
"Also?"
She grins. "There's a sweet trick we added in. Watch." Fio easily makes a seal while balanced, and her footwear immediately vanishes. "Crazy, huh?"
"Oh. Storage space?"
"Yep." She makes the same seal while doing a hop, and her sandals appear back on her feet before she lands. "There's a box, just like for my other pair. Sends them over there and calls them back when I ask. I didn't know much about that until Airi taught me. She's so cool."
"Isn't she? When I saw her for the first time, she was so modest."
"I bet you were too, once upon a time."
"If only."
She smiles. "C'mon. You're looking better already, but we can really get your head clear with a good run."
"Let's do that, then."
She pats me on the back and we walk briskly towards the hotel entrance, then start our run through the village as soon as we're clear. Weaving around pedestrians is second nature at this point, and we glide through the uptown crowd towards emptier and quieter spaces.
At this speed, we won't get to interact with everyone like we're used to. But I suppose that's the point today. Fio sets the pace and I match her. Both of us are quiet save for the breaths we take in and out as we head east, towards the far side of the village.
So much to think about. I let it fall away for now, allowing my mind to clear and the tension to bleed away from my body. I would have found some time to relax eventually...but doing it now was a better call. Thank goodness for Fio.
She takes a left as we reach part of the village's eastern wall, then another to put us on the path west.
"Let's climb and then do a circuit after," she says.
"Okay."
We increase our pace a bit and continue west, then go back in the other direction as soon as we hit the village's edge. It continues on like this until we reach the northern part of the Leaf, and stop a bit underneath the famous stone carvings of the Hokage.
"Changed your mind about it yet?" Fio asks.
I follow her gaze and look up at the images of the previous Hokage, then shake my head.
"The idea still isn't coming together. Still pretentious to me. Not that it would stop them from carving it out anyways."
"Heh. You'd probably get yelled at for saying that out loud."
"That's fine. I wasn't indoctrinated into thinking Hashirama was the greatest being to ever walk the earth. Eventually, they'll get over my irreverence."
We start to run past the monument, along the edge of the village near the circular wall that surrounds it.
"Kinda funny how I've got a different picture in my head than you do. Back when I was a kid, the Hokage were all talked about like they were legends. Obviously the goal wasn't to paint them as unstoppable or anything, but...they ended up being pretty iconic, even if they were styled as demons and junk. I can imagine it's the same in other places."
"When I first came to this country, I heard many stories about how Hashirama single-handedly shaped the shinobi world. What he did was indeed great, but it wasn't on its own...and it wasn't complete by the time he died."
"Of course, you'll do better."
"Naturally."
"We'll run about two laps and then grab something to eat. Sound good?"
"Yes."
"'Kay. Match my pace."
Fio goes a little faster and I match her speed. The feeling of cool air against my face is relaxing, and allows me to think clearly instead of twisting myself trying to avoid my own thoughts.
"..."
It's not the first or last time I will reflect on this. The fact that I am that man's...that person's daughter. Someone who, for lack of a better term, I call father when he appears before me in my world of dreams. Understanding him I suspect would make me hate him more. But his blood runs through my veins, and with it the darkness that shaped him. It manifests as a thirst for control.
No matter how noble or sweet the ends, I know the truth. And that in part is why I felt so tense. Like things were slipping out of my grasp, and I couldn't account for how or why any of it happened. Responsibility and burden...those are things I can take on. To stumble, and possibly fall are things that I can and will accept. And there are many things that I can do little to nothing about. It's possible that I could have lost Jin, or made a mistake last week. It's possible that I could have failed completely. I just...want it to be something tangible. Something that, if it falls to pieces, it's in my hands. So that I can try and make something of it all.
I don't want to wonder about what could have been, about what I could have done if I only tried. I want to be able to try and fail, and feel pain, and cry for what was lost. I can't stand having things out of my hands. I can't stand...being helpless.
It's because of that time, I realize now. When I couldn't do anything but watch Momma take her last breaths. When I couldn't do anything but cower in the corner of my room, as the door handle shook incessantly. When I could only look out at the vistas from my window, or watch other children hold hands with their parents. I didn't realize how much I craved control until I found the power to change myself, and my own destiny. The satisfaction of knowing that I could exert my will on something, that I could be enough on my own...it did so much for me. That control has slipped into many other parts of my being. The wholesome parts that make me want to love and spoil all the people I care about. The unwholesome parts that have me bleed the life from anyone I see as prey. They die when I decide it's time, and when I am filled and satisfied.
"Fio?"
She turns her head to me as we run.
"Thank you. I needed this."
"I know." She smiles. "I'm just happy I could do something for you, Lili."
The want for control...doesn't preclude a want for affection. As much as I want to see things come to pass in the way I dream, sometimes it doesn't end up that way. And...that's fine. It's something that I have come to accept. I have always loved and trusted Fio, but letting someone take care of me was something that I had to ease into. Luna was at a distance for a while before we became sisters, and Midori always was strong willed and smothering. Leaving myself to someone else, and letting go of my stubbornness...that was different.
But it's been more than worth it.
---
We eventually slow down and find a food cart nearby that is selling big bowls of spicy noodles. After going through a few each, I give the appreciative owner a tip before he's swarmed with a new batch of customers wanting to see what the fuss was about after watching us eat.
And as an extra treat, we get an ice cream cone and share it between us. We take a seat on the next empty wooden bench and pass the cone back and forth.
"I actually had something on my mind from earlier. If it's okay with you," Fio says. "You're probably dealing with stuff yourself, so..."
"It's fine."
"Thanks. You can have the rest of the ice cream, since it'll probably melt before I'm done."
I nod and take a few more licks at it as she clears her throat.
"I know we're different in how we approach things like this...I mean to say, the whole control aspect, and all of that. I'm guessing you've been thinking on it for a bit, ever since the other day when you came back to the village after your mission. But I can understand a little bit how you feel. It's hard feeling so helpless, and you don't want to let that paralyze you again. But for you, it's...more complex than that, I'm guessing. It's nothing that I can really and truly understand, but with what happened to Momma Caroline and...that person...it must hurt to have things slip through your fingers like that."
"Yes. That's a big part of it."
"Because of what you did for me years ago now, I could start to embrace my own womanhood. And while I was on the road, going back and forth, I really did get to do that. It opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things. It gave me a lot of stability. So I got to thinking about more and more things, like how I wanted to shape myself for you. What I came up with...it was interesting, and it felt right. I imagined myself as one of those big fluffy dogs. I'd move my tail up and down while waiting at the door for my mistress every day. She'd feed me whenever I got hungry, and scratch behind my ears the way I like. In the evenings, I'd curl up in her lap and she would pat my head. And at night I would lay quietly at the foot of her bed while she slept, just in case anything happened or she needed help."
I nod and start to finish off the cone in my hands.
"I know that you wouldn't treat me like an animal. You love me, and you respect me, and you trust me with so many things. But I also want to be submissive to you, Lili. More than anything, I want to be by your side, as someone who can be obedient and comforting and protective all at once. It would sound weird to other people, I guess. I just think that...part of being free and independent is being able to make choices like this earnestly. You know?"
I take a last bite of the cone before swallowing, then lean back against the bench.
"I understand what you mean, Fio. I always wondered what kind of companion you would choose to be to me. The way you described it...it feels right to me, too. If you change your mind, I won't object."
"I know. The reason I said all that was to reassure you, in a way. You take care of me and everyone else as much as you can. I wonder if you feel any pressure when it comes to that, how other people look at it."
"You mean to say...how it might look to others that I have so much, and so many of you, in my palm. Is that right?" I ask her.
"Yeah."
I shrug. "I don't think that I'm wrong. I believe that this is the correct path, no matter how it looks, or how it makes people feel. There is a dark side to all of this. It only makes sense to worry about that aspect."
"Are you that worried about it?" she asks.
"No. None of this is for myself. The feeling of control, pure and true...none of it is for myself. I want to make things right for others. For the people I love, first. And then I want to make things right for the world. It's smothering. Obnoxious, maybe. A choking sort of presence at times."
"You always know when to let up, when it comes to us."
"Tempered with love. That's what it is. I can't...promise that it won't be painful for others outside of the fold. In the end, I am that person's daughter." I stare at my feet. "If it's a failure, then it will be a failure. I just...want it to be me. So that I can know what comes next. You were exactly right about the past, Fio. Losing Momma...watching her disappear. Losing control like that, and then watching someone I used to love slip into the darkness...leaving me alone like that. I broke into pieces. As soon as I gained strength, I decided that I wouldn't let it happen if I could help it. Every critical moment, whenever I ended up in the line of fire...it was because it was something that I wanted for myself. To choose life and death...to sacrifice, to give. So many different things. I just want it done with what's in these two hands. I don't want to wait on the wind, or the currents. It has to be me, and it has to be now." I look over to Fio. "And even with all of that happening, with every task and outcome that I take responsibility for...I will be there for you, and for everyone else. As a friend, as a sister, as a mother in spirit...as a mistress to you, who remembers how you wait for her faithfully each day. I want to smother you in affection, and at the same time, let you fill me with warmth, and calm my nerves with your touch. As much as I want control, to be the one who makes the hard decisions, I know that I can't do any of this alone. I can't live and thrive by myself."
"That's right, yeah."
"Most importantly...as much as I want to make you happy, I know that I need to slow down, and allow myself to be made happy. There are moments where all we should be are two women who love each other more than words can express. Something beyond the many roles that we take on each day."
I reach for Fio's hand, and take it gently in mine.
"Loving you means letting you love me, as long and as hard as you can."
"Lili..."
"The day you gave me comfort, and told me that I wasn't wrong for who I was...it's something that I'll never forget. That moment helped heal me so much. More than I realized at the time, to be truthful."
"I'm always happy to help."
"It's what makes you so perfect for me," I say with a smile. "I appreciate you, in every way. Thank you for being by my side."
"You're welcome, Lili."
I nod and let out a breath, staring out into the distance. The many lush trees of the village, the cool breeze and lovely scents of flowers...I try to relax while thinking of these things, feeling the warmth of Fio's hand against mine.
Then again...I can't relax entirely. It's never been the case.
"Lili?"
"Hm?"
"Thinking about something?"
"Mm."
"Planning?"
"Plotting the demise of my enemies."
"That sounds about right." She chuckles lightly. "What am I gonna do with you, eh?"
"Put up with my nonsense like you always do. Because I feed you and call you a good girl."
"Sheesh."
She squeezes my hand and stands up.
"Let's head back. Time for a nice hot bath."
I nod and let her pull me along through the village gently.
"Care"
---
The initial danger is over, but we're not completely done with this saga yet. Unfortunately, that means further disruptions to my schedule. I don't care for it.
I'm off the mission roster for the next few days. I can still move about as I like, but it's still bothersome. Anko hasn't had anything new to report, and Itachi has been moving around near the western edge of Fire Country from what Erika has said. Keeping still isn't something I want to do right now. And I don't want to fill my time with mundane things.
"You're wound up today, Lili."
"It seems so."
Fio leans over my shoulder as I do paperwork. I figure that I might as well do something of importance while I'm awake. The table is currently filled with loose sheets and a few scrolls, with a small space left for my teacup.
"I wanna go outside."
"Now?"
"Yeah. Come with me. Please?"
I nod and set down my pen. I know how Fio worries about me, and I don't want to make her upset. More than that, I suppose...I want to let someone else take care of things this time. She must have sensed it.
"Thank you. I feel like running today. Can we?"
"Let me put on something comfortable. Where did you want to go?" I ask as I stand up.
"Around the village for a bit. Nothing special. I thought we could have something to eat before coming back here."
"There's definitely somewhere we can grab ourselves a bite...alright. That sounds good."
We get into our running outfits, and Fio wants us to match today. I oblige her, and we go with a light jacket over comfy pairs of shorts. Our hair goes up into ponytails, and we check over our hotel room before pulling on our sandals and heading out.
"I never did get to mention it before...you got yourself some new footwear," I say to Fio as we walk down the halls.
"Oh, yeah. They're based off the old pair you got built for me. I went up to see Zen and Airi while you were gone. I wanted pink to go with the shirt and all, and I think it's a nice colour." She stops and lifts her leg so that I can get a good look at it. "They're a lot lighter than before. We figured out that using a mix of materials worked out a bit better, it's just more work at once. Not something you would make a lot of, you know? But basically it's got all the benefits with a bit less durability, because you're matching up against metal and all. Also..."
"Also?"
She grins. "There's a sweet trick we added in. Watch." Fio easily makes a seal while balanced, and her footwear immediately vanishes. "Crazy, huh?"
"Oh. Storage space?"
"Yep." She makes the same seal while doing a hop, and her sandals appear back on her feet before she lands. "There's a box, just like for my other pair. Sends them over there and calls them back when I ask. I didn't know much about that until Airi taught me. She's so cool."
"Isn't she? When I saw her for the first time, she was so modest."
"I bet you were too, once upon a time."
"If only."
She smiles. "C'mon. You're looking better already, but we can really get your head clear with a good run."
"Let's do that, then."
She pats me on the back and we walk briskly towards the hotel entrance, then start our run through the village as soon as we're clear. Weaving around pedestrians is second nature at this point, and we glide through the uptown crowd towards emptier and quieter spaces.
At this speed, we won't get to interact with everyone like we're used to. But I suppose that's the point today. Fio sets the pace and I match her. Both of us are quiet save for the breaths we take in and out as we head east, towards the far side of the village.
So much to think about. I let it fall away for now, allowing my mind to clear and the tension to bleed away from my body. I would have found some time to relax eventually...but doing it now was a better call. Thank goodness for Fio.
She takes a left as we reach part of the village's eastern wall, then another to put us on the path west.
"Let's climb and then do a circuit after," she says.
"Okay."
We increase our pace a bit and continue west, then go back in the other direction as soon as we hit the village's edge. It continues on like this until we reach the northern part of the Leaf, and stop a bit underneath the famous stone carvings of the Hokage.
"Changed your mind about it yet?" Fio asks.
I follow her gaze and look up at the images of the previous Hokage, then shake my head.
"The idea still isn't coming together. Still pretentious to me. Not that it would stop them from carving it out anyways."
"Heh. You'd probably get yelled at for saying that out loud."
"That's fine. I wasn't indoctrinated into thinking Hashirama was the greatest being to ever walk the earth. Eventually, they'll get over my irreverence."
We start to run past the monument, along the edge of the village near the circular wall that surrounds it.
"Kinda funny how I've got a different picture in my head than you do. Back when I was a kid, the Hokage were all talked about like they were legends. Obviously the goal wasn't to paint them as unstoppable or anything, but...they ended up being pretty iconic, even if they were styled as demons and junk. I can imagine it's the same in other places."
"When I first came to this country, I heard many stories about how Hashirama single-handedly shaped the shinobi world. What he did was indeed great, but it wasn't on its own...and it wasn't complete by the time he died."
"Of course, you'll do better."
"Naturally."
"We'll run about two laps and then grab something to eat. Sound good?"
"Yes."
"'Kay. Match my pace."
Fio goes a little faster and I match her speed. The feeling of cool air against my face is relaxing, and allows me to think clearly instead of twisting myself trying to avoid my own thoughts.
"..."
It's not the first or last time I will reflect on this. The fact that I am that man's...that person's daughter. Someone who, for lack of a better term, I call father when he appears before me in my world of dreams. Understanding him I suspect would make me hate him more. But his blood runs through my veins, and with it the darkness that shaped him. It manifests as a thirst for control.
No matter how noble or sweet the ends, I know the truth. And that in part is why I felt so tense. Like things were slipping out of my grasp, and I couldn't account for how or why any of it happened. Responsibility and burden...those are things I can take on. To stumble, and possibly fall are things that I can and will accept. And there are many things that I can do little to nothing about. It's possible that I could have lost Jin, or made a mistake last week. It's possible that I could have failed completely. I just...want it to be something tangible. Something that, if it falls to pieces, it's in my hands. So that I can try and make something of it all.
I don't want to wonder about what could have been, about what I could have done if I only tried. I want to be able to try and fail, and feel pain, and cry for what was lost. I can't stand having things out of my hands. I can't stand...being helpless.
It's because of that time, I realize now. When I couldn't do anything but watch Momma take her last breaths. When I couldn't do anything but cower in the corner of my room, as the door handle shook incessantly. When I could only look out at the vistas from my window, or watch other children hold hands with their parents. I didn't realize how much I craved control until I found the power to change myself, and my own destiny. The satisfaction of knowing that I could exert my will on something, that I could be enough on my own...it did so much for me. That control has slipped into many other parts of my being. The wholesome parts that make me want to love and spoil all the people I care about. The unwholesome parts that have me bleed the life from anyone I see as prey. They die when I decide it's time, and when I am filled and satisfied.
"Fio?"
She turns her head to me as we run.
"Thank you. I needed this."
"I know." She smiles. "I'm just happy I could do something for you, Lili."
The want for control...doesn't preclude a want for affection. As much as I want to see things come to pass in the way I dream, sometimes it doesn't end up that way. And...that's fine. It's something that I have come to accept. I have always loved and trusted Fio, but letting someone take care of me was something that I had to ease into. Luna was at a distance for a while before we became sisters, and Midori always was strong willed and smothering. Leaving myself to someone else, and letting go of my stubbornness...that was different.
But it's been more than worth it.
---
We eventually slow down and find a food cart nearby that is selling big bowls of spicy noodles. After going through a few each, I give the appreciative owner a tip before he's swarmed with a new batch of customers wanting to see what the fuss was about after watching us eat.
And as an extra treat, we get an ice cream cone and share it between us. We take a seat on the next empty wooden bench and pass the cone back and forth.
"I actually had something on my mind from earlier. If it's okay with you," Fio says. "You're probably dealing with stuff yourself, so..."
"It's fine."
"Thanks. You can have the rest of the ice cream, since it'll probably melt before I'm done."
I nod and take a few more licks at it as she clears her throat.
"I know we're different in how we approach things like this...I mean to say, the whole control aspect, and all of that. I'm guessing you've been thinking on it for a bit, ever since the other day when you came back to the village after your mission. But I can understand a little bit how you feel. It's hard feeling so helpless, and you don't want to let that paralyze you again. But for you, it's...more complex than that, I'm guessing. It's nothing that I can really and truly understand, but with what happened to Momma Caroline and...that person...it must hurt to have things slip through your fingers like that."
"Yes. That's a big part of it."
"Because of what you did for me years ago now, I could start to embrace my own womanhood. And while I was on the road, going back and forth, I really did get to do that. It opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things. It gave me a lot of stability. So I got to thinking about more and more things, like how I wanted to shape myself for you. What I came up with...it was interesting, and it felt right. I imagined myself as one of those big fluffy dogs. I'd move my tail up and down while waiting at the door for my mistress every day. She'd feed me whenever I got hungry, and scratch behind my ears the way I like. In the evenings, I'd curl up in her lap and she would pat my head. And at night I would lay quietly at the foot of her bed while she slept, just in case anything happened or she needed help."
I nod and start to finish off the cone in my hands.
"I know that you wouldn't treat me like an animal. You love me, and you respect me, and you trust me with so many things. But I also want to be submissive to you, Lili. More than anything, I want to be by your side, as someone who can be obedient and comforting and protective all at once. It would sound weird to other people, I guess. I just think that...part of being free and independent is being able to make choices like this earnestly. You know?"
I take a last bite of the cone before swallowing, then lean back against the bench.
"I understand what you mean, Fio. I always wondered what kind of companion you would choose to be to me. The way you described it...it feels right to me, too. If you change your mind, I won't object."
"I know. The reason I said all that was to reassure you, in a way. You take care of me and everyone else as much as you can. I wonder if you feel any pressure when it comes to that, how other people look at it."
"You mean to say...how it might look to others that I have so much, and so many of you, in my palm. Is that right?" I ask her.
"Yeah."
I shrug. "I don't think that I'm wrong. I believe that this is the correct path, no matter how it looks, or how it makes people feel. There is a dark side to all of this. It only makes sense to worry about that aspect."
"Are you that worried about it?" she asks.
"No. None of this is for myself. The feeling of control, pure and true...none of it is for myself. I want to make things right for others. For the people I love, first. And then I want to make things right for the world. It's smothering. Obnoxious, maybe. A choking sort of presence at times."
"You always know when to let up, when it comes to us."
"Tempered with love. That's what it is. I can't...promise that it won't be painful for others outside of the fold. In the end, I am that person's daughter." I stare at my feet. "If it's a failure, then it will be a failure. I just...want it to be me. So that I can know what comes next. You were exactly right about the past, Fio. Losing Momma...watching her disappear. Losing control like that, and then watching someone I used to love slip into the darkness...leaving me alone like that. I broke into pieces. As soon as I gained strength, I decided that I wouldn't let it happen if I could help it. Every critical moment, whenever I ended up in the line of fire...it was because it was something that I wanted for myself. To choose life and death...to sacrifice, to give. So many different things. I just want it done with what's in these two hands. I don't want to wait on the wind, or the currents. It has to be me, and it has to be now." I look over to Fio. "And even with all of that happening, with every task and outcome that I take responsibility for...I will be there for you, and for everyone else. As a friend, as a sister, as a mother in spirit...as a mistress to you, who remembers how you wait for her faithfully each day. I want to smother you in affection, and at the same time, let you fill me with warmth, and calm my nerves with your touch. As much as I want control, to be the one who makes the hard decisions, I know that I can't do any of this alone. I can't live and thrive by myself."
"That's right, yeah."
"Most importantly...as much as I want to make you happy, I know that I need to slow down, and allow myself to be made happy. There are moments where all we should be are two women who love each other more than words can express. Something beyond the many roles that we take on each day."
I reach for Fio's hand, and take it gently in mine.
"Loving you means letting you love me, as long and as hard as you can."
"Lili..."
"The day you gave me comfort, and told me that I wasn't wrong for who I was...it's something that I'll never forget. That moment helped heal me so much. More than I realized at the time, to be truthful."
"I'm always happy to help."
"It's what makes you so perfect for me," I say with a smile. "I appreciate you, in every way. Thank you for being by my side."
"You're welcome, Lili."
I nod and let out a breath, staring out into the distance. The many lush trees of the village, the cool breeze and lovely scents of flowers...I try to relax while thinking of these things, feeling the warmth of Fio's hand against mine.
Then again...I can't relax entirely. It's never been the case.
"Lili?"
"Hm?"
"Thinking about something?"
"Mm."
"Planning?"
"Plotting the demise of my enemies."
"That sounds about right." She chuckles lightly. "What am I gonna do with you, eh?"
"Put up with my nonsense like you always do. Because I feed you and call you a good girl."
"Sheesh."
She squeezes my hand and stands up.
"Let's head back. Time for a nice hot bath."
I nod and let her pull me along through the village gently.
2nd Anniversary
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hi. Today marks two years since I started this story, and I've managed to accomplish my goals of finishing part 1 and starting part 2.
Thank you for your support so far, and for continuing to read to this point. I hope I've met at least some of your expectations, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy the story as it continues. I hope to complete this part and head into the future, building something greater in the process.
There are more things to come and I hope you stick around to see them. Any commentary is welcomed and appreciated as always, and I would like to extend my thanks to people who are guests and lurkers also. Your interactions are noted and they're helpful.
The journey continues. See you next update.
Thank you for your support so far, and for continuing to read to this point. I hope I've met at least some of your expectations, and that you'll continue to read and enjoy the story as it continues. I hope to complete this part and head into the future, building something greater in the process.
There are more things to come and I hope you stick around to see them. Any commentary is welcomed and appreciated as always, and I would like to extend my thanks to people who are guests and lurkers also. Your interactions are noted and they're helpful.
The journey continues. See you next update.
Walk the Waves
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 31
"Walk the Waves"
[Life Aquatic, Part 1]
---
After many interruptions, the day has finally come. It's time to explore the open sea.
"Good luck on your trip, Lili."
"Thank you, love."
I shrug on my backpack, filled with contents optimized for my journey, and give Fio a kiss.
"Remember, you can call me if you need anything. If I'm busy, you'll know."
She nods. "Okay. Be safe."
"I promise. See you soon."
I leave our hotel room and head into the Leaf proper. The sun has just made it over the horizon, and most of the village is still waking up. For me, it's the perfect time to get moving ahead of the inevitable traffic.
"Lilith Kobayashi, reporting in. Good morning, my lord."
"Good morning, Lady Kobayashi. Ready to go, are we?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, good." Hiruzen is the only one present at the mission desk this hour. I rather like it that way. In fact...I've always been a little touchy about people cutting into our time together. Well, it's fine. I'm his favourite, after all.
"Are there any further instructions for me?" I ask.
"Nothing that I can think of. I will be interested to see your report on the creature. You also plan on getting ahead of our friend Obito, from what I recall."
"Yes. A seal with a unique tracking signature for that purpose. If anything should happen to the tailed beast, or it is moved, we'll know after some analysis. If possible, I would like a team on this doing checks every three hours or so."
"We may be able to do better than that. I will speak with Shikaku regarding this, but I might be able to allocate resources so that this is done on a full time basis."
"That would be splendid. Thank you, sir."
"Of course. I have received no additional reports from our operative in the area...we will have a few vessels nearby conducting sweeps, and they will be ready to assist if you should need it. We have notified the Hidden Mist that we are doing exercises, so their focus should be on the ships instead of you."
"Right."
"But I want you to be careful either way."
"I promise not to start trouble. Finishing it is another story."
"Fair enough."
I set down my bag and walk around the desk.
"Did we need a hug?" Hiruzen asks with a smile.
"Yes, please. For luck."
He chuckles and stands up. "You were going on the other day about growing up and not being a little girl anymore."
"Don't be like that."
"It's only the truth."
I pout at him. "That doesn't mean you have to say it out loud."
He's just a bit shorter than I am now. Smaller, I suppose. But it doesn't make me respect him less, or think too much of myself. And...it doesn't change how good it feels to be held in his arms. I've always felt safe like this. As if it were meant to be, as if I really did belong here from the start.
The moments we share together are so precious. I don't want to forget any of them.
"Thank you, oyaji. I'll come back to you safely."
"I'll be waiting, Lili."
I smile and kiss him gently on the forehead, then hop over the desk and grab my bag. I leave before the next person heads in, and make my way out and onto the village streets. One more quick mental check of my inventory before I start my run towards the village entrance, and then out entirely. Cutting east towards the sea, along well-worn paths. There's no rush this time...I'm going to get this right. The future of the shinobi world may very well depend on it.
---
Water Country is a great collection of islands. No place is the same, and there isn't any true unifying force between them. The one thing that keeps them nominally connected is the existence of the Hidden Mist and its military.
Out of necessity, their naval forces are among the best out of the five nations, working on a lower budget than their direct rivals in the Hidden Cloud who have an advantage in funding and subsequently equipment. Boats roam around within sight of each other, on rare occasions firing warning shots in acts of sabre rattling. Nothing has come of it yet. The Hidden Leaf is their largest rival to the west, and we have not been interested in bothering them for any reason. The same can be said of this mission. Our aim is to gather intelligence on a certain creature and tag it for our own purposes.
Will the Hidden Mist be out looking for a chance to recapture what was once theirs? I would not know. If they do so, it's more of a boon to us than they would know, as it would at least keep the tailed beast away from Obito for a season longer. He would have to search for the new host and figure out how to capture them. Though...even that might be cold comfort considering that what is supposed to be the other village asset, the host of the Six Tails, is currently on the run after the disastrous reign of the Fourth Mizukage.
"..."
The current timeline and Obito's bag of knowledge means that he could be responsible for that mess too, but I wouldn't be able to say to what end. Thinking about it, the current state of affairs is almost too convenient in some ways.
A few days of uneventful travel pass. No new reports come in from any of my sources. There isn't anything of note from the outposts, either. I continue on towards the edge of Fire Country before finding a cliff, then jogging down its side casually until I reach the water. My destination is one of the many tiny islands that don't yet exist on maps, not terribly far from the shore. I step onto the grassy patch of land and take out my radio procured for this mission, then turn it on and find the first frequency I am to use. Earpiece goes in, microphone on a band that goes around my neck.
Seven whistles. Three quick, two long, one quick, one long.
Wait five minutes.
I go to my knees and meditate for a while, until I sense someone approaching. The chakra is familiar, and so I know that this is my contact. Still, as always we follow proper procedure for everyone's safety. We make the agreed upon sequence of handseals, and everything is confirmed from visual distance.
"Ma'am. Good to see you again," a deep voice calls to me.
The fine gentleman in front of me goes by the name of Genshi, or Gen for short. He says he picked the name when he was much younger and it stuck, but we both know he kept it because it sounded cool. Having spent a long time as a shinobi and at sea in general, he has a wealth of knowledge about how these things work, which is why I requested his help in the first place. Strong looking and very fit, as evidenced by the body he likes to show off by wearing his wetsuit halfway when not on duty. He has a pair of sharp, focused brown eyes. His black hair and beard are smooth and gently greying in that way that tends to make women swoon and fall over themselves.
Honestly...it's frightening how parched straight women get at times. It can be appalling to watch.
"Thank you. I hope you've been well since we last spoke," I say to him as we shake hands.
"Well enough, ma'am."
"Good. I'm quite ready whenever you are."
Gen will be my navigator and overwatch for this mission. The plan is to head to a small island where we can set up and remain hidden. I'll move into the water, using the Leaf vessels to help with my cover, then I'll go towards Water Country stealthily with Gen giving me constant updates on where other vessels are located and possible threats as they arise.
"Alright. We can head out now, then. I found a place that's well covered." Gen slips his arms back into his wetsuit and zips it up. We head over to a barren looking part of the island where he makes a seal before reaching into the dirt and pulling a boat out of it with one hand. He flips it over and sets it down in the water. "After you, ma'am."
"Thank you kindly."
I hop into the boat and take a seat at the front, while Gen settles in and brings the engine at the back to life.
And with that, we are on our way.
---
As we move further towards Water Country, one might be forgiven for forgetting that we're in the latter parts of spring. It's cold and moist out here, with plenty of fog to go around. I reach out into the air to make sure we're not getting too close to any ships, but our route is safely away from anything that might detect us. The engine moving us forward is relatively quiet, and the waves are not terribly high or rough as we cut through them.
Our breaths condense in the air as we pass by the shadows of small islands. My senses start to pick up people, individuals who are are either sailing around themselves or doing some sort of activity. We have yet to reach the Water Country side, so I suppose these are hobbyists. I couldn't imagine living out here, so far from either shore, unless you had plenty of resources that these lonely islands couldn't possibly provide.
"Gonna slip through behind our patrol."
Gen's voice brings me out of my thoughts, and I hear the engine get a bit louder as we speed up. We skilfully move alongside the nearby ship and head into foreign territory officially. The profile of a sizable island comes up after a few minutes, and Gen slows us to a stop, letting the small boat drift until it bumps against the rough shore. We hop out and he pulls the boat onto land, then hoists it onto his head as we walk. The uninhabited island has plenty of spots for cover and actual tree growth. Gen sets down the boat after we get to his preferred area, and starts on a fire pit as I go through my things.
"Routines are the same as usual, from what I remember."
"Yes. No changes," I say to him. "I'm going to get into my work outfit."
"Aye. Fire should be ready by the time you get back, ma'am."
I nod and move a bit out of sight before taking off my clothing. I went out and had this wetsuit custom made, since fit is very important and I wouldn't want to injure myself by merely swimming in something that was too tight. It covers my arms and legs properly, with proper sealing around the wrists, ankles, and neck. This will keep me warm and dry while I'm exploring underwater. More than flexible and durable enough for this mission. The zipper at the back is easily reached, and I seal myself in fully before putting up my hair into a ponytail. I fold up my clothing and put it into a sealed bag before walking back.
"All done."
Gen is making sure the fire is burning as I return. "Great. I'll get our little radio post set up, and then we can get ourselves started."
"Anything to eat before then?" I ask.
"I have the usual stuff."
"That won't do. I brought a few things for us, even if you would rather live the rugged life out here."
He chuckles while setting up his transmitters. "You must have boys chasing you all day whenever you step out."
"Well, saucy rumours aside, they think I'm too high maintenance," I say as I rummage through my bag. "And a snobby bitch, I suppose. Not that they're wrong on either count."
"Better for you, I guess."
"Very much so. Beef or chicken?"
"Beef sounds good."
"I thought we were watching our figure over here."
"We're taking advantage of our good genes to do so. Could you tune to our active frequency for a bit, ma'am?"
"Of course." I reach for the belt around my waist and adjust to the common frequency for Leaf naval operations.
"This is Gen reporting, over."
"Red Oak here, we read you Gen. Holding steady in section 2, over," a woman's voice calls back.
"Here with Red Queen. We are about to move a few squares onto the board. Within the next two hours is our estimated time frame, over."
"Two hours, we read, over."
"Blue Elm here. Two hours, copy. We have the seal monitor ready to go, over," a man says.
"This is Red Queen, starting test frame," I say while making handseals. I press my hand into a nearby tree and push chakra into the resulting construct.
"Red Queen, we read. Blue Elm detecting chakra pulses, test success. Over."
"Red Oak, we copy."
"Thank you. Be safe while out on patrol," I say. "Red Queen, out."
"We appreciate that, ma'am. Red Oak, standing by for next transmission. Out."
"This is Blue Elm, we copy. Thank you, ma'am. Out."
Gen nods and gives me a thumb up as the transmissions end. "As long as you don't go too deep, the microphone should be fine once you come back up."
"Excellent." I hand him one of my sandwiches, and he takes it gratefully. "We can have the chicken ones later."
"You're not watching your own figure?"
"I watch it enough. A sight to behold, as you are already aware."
He smiles and nods sagely. "Of course."
We eat quietly and clean up before getting ready to work. I inspect my diving mask, which is a half version that covers the mouth and nose, and my rebreather, which should easily allow me half a day of swimming before I make any moves towards conservation. Another check of my suit, a few stretches to get properly limbered up, and we should be ready. Oh, I knew I forgot to put something else on. A quick rummage through my pouch and I find my depth gauge, shaped like a large wristwatch. I secure it over my right wrist. Good. Now we should be ready for sure.
"Good luck," Gen says.
"Thank you. As I said earlier, be safe while you're here."
He nods and powers on the radio. I do the same with mine and make sure the earpiece is snug before stepping onto the water. The coolness flows through the chakra under my feet and into me. Visibility is low for as far as the eye can see, and it's definitely not getting any warmer on the surface.
Alright. Here we go.
"Red Queen, starting routines," I announce. My hand leaves the microphone around my neck as I slowly reduce the amount of chakra beneath my feet. I slowly sink deeper beneath the water with each step. The rebreather goes into my mouth, and I slip quietly beneath the waves, getting a small jolt from the cold against my face. It quickly passes and I start to move my legs smoothly, heading forward for the first leg of my tour.
I can see some of the aquatic flora beneath me, not terribly far down. The fauna are crawling about or swimming freely past me. The sharks with their silvery sheen pass me by with little attention paid, perhaps a quick glance before moving on as they always do. Not that I worry, but this material is also rated for shark bites. They're curious little things, and they bite things to figure out what they are. Outside of combat applications, they're usually harmless to humans. People have complexes about them like they do snakes, which is unfortunate.
"Mist patrol at bearings 315 and 070. Over."
Gen's smooth voice comes through the earpiece. He's relaying those positions relative to me, based on his radar data. It takes someone skilled and experienced to process the data and feed it to me in real time like this, and I very much appreciate it. Doing this on my own is more than possible, but also unwise. I would rather not cause myself trouble at this stage.
"Blue Elm, reporting. No sign of the big one yet. Mist patrols taking it easy, just watching the joyriders over the border, over."
"This is Gen, copy."
No action yet, then. I give three quick taps on my microphone as a signal.
"Red Queen descending to two bar," Gen says. "Travel speed will be increasing, over."
"This is Blue Elm, we read. No changes, over."
"Mist patrol at bearings 229 and 080. Over."
I slowly descend to twenty meters and make a series of handseals. The familiar shark made of water appears in front of me, and I quickly press a hand against it while pushing chakra outwards. This level of adhesion should do. Time to advance.
The water shark speeds forward, allowing me to cover a great distance efficiently. One can also ride inside of the shark, but I want to keep myself free to properly move and steer if anything should arise.
"Mist patrol coming up at bearings 318, 356, 075, and 086. Over."
A cluster of them milling about. Hopefully they're not monitoring things too closely. I have my construct slow down a bit so that I might seem like a normal shark passing through if they do decide to investigate. That's an acceptable scenario at least. The worst case is if they decide to drop barrels. Unlikely since they're all so close together – I can simply leave if they think I'm a threat.
"Mist patrols at bearing 221, 190, 131, and 105. Bearing 010 seems to be an island, likely uninhabited, over."
Somewhere to stop up ahead. I'll take it. I have the shark disappear and then I flow along with the momentum for a while, scattering fish to and fro as I pass near them. I steadily start to kick once I slow down, very carefully drifting upwards while breathing in and out steadily. This is one of the most dangerous parts of being underwater, since shinobi are not immune from internal injury. Especially that of the parts they need to breathe.
I swim cautiously and check my depth gauge to see that I'm at one bar of pressure, or approximately ten meters from the surface. After that, I rise a bit faster and keep my breathing steady until I hit the surface. A quick visual sweep says that I'm alone, and some chakra sensing confirms it. I swim up to the island and continue monitoring things as I walk onto its flat surface, removing my rebreather.
"Still quite cold. A bit miserable, isn't it..."
I sigh and take off my diving mask, then check my location again. Everything is wrapped in fog...nobody could see me unless they were passing right by in a small boat or something similar. Not much here, anyways. Some vegetation, but mostly rock and a smattering of pools across the surface. Probably a bird roost if anything.
"Red Queen, do you read?"
I touch the microphone switch on my neck. "This is Red Queen. I read, Gen."
"No patrols in your immediate area, over."
"Understood. Going to do a manual scan of the immediate area, over."
"We'll keep an eye out for anything unusual, over."
"The visibility here is quite low. I shouldn't have any issue, but I will continue listening for your advice. Over."
I slowly sit down and hug my knees, then close my eyes and focus on my surroundings. Surface readings of the water are a bit distorted, as one would expect, but beneath it things are much easier to discern. All of the aquatic wildlife is easily picked out and identified. Not as many ships as I assumed are nearby, which is good for us. The crews aren't that big, either...which makes sense.
"Let's try and reach out...a little further."
I stop feeling for vibrations as I expand the range of my sensing. There are inhabited islands, more ships with Mist shinobi in them, more fish and animals...
"There. Something...really big." I reach for my microphone. "Gen, do you read?"
"I read, Red Queen. Is everything okay?"
"I'm doing well. My manual scan of the area has revealed something to the northwest, about twenty kilometres from my current position. I am facing north at this time, bearing 360. The target should be...bearing 336. Over."
"Copy that, Red Queen. Bearing 336. Blue Elm, do you copy?"
"Copy, Gen. Extending radar search towards area, Red Queen at bearing 336, twenty kilometres. Stand by."
"Standing by."
"Standing by," I repeat.
"This is Blue Elm reporting in. Confirming that there is an unidentified object moving in the area that Red Queen has specified. Fits the profile of our target, over."
"Red Oak, please advise," I say.
"This is Red Oak, we read you loud and clear. Red Queen, you are authorized to head along bearing 336 from your current position, ships will be pulling back from target area and will remain within visual range for assistance. Red Queen, we advise careful travel at depth of 025 meters and 35 knots, over."
"This is Red Queen, I read and acknowledge. Thank you. Heading out now, over."
"This is Gen, I read. Monitoring will continue. 025 meters at 35 knots, over."
"This is Red Oak, we read."
"This is Blue Elm, we copy. 025 meters at 35 knots, bearing 336 from last position. Continuing radar observation, over."
I stand up and stretch again, secure my diving mask, and make sure my rebreather is functioning before stepping into the water again. I let myself sink beneath the waves again before making handseals, and having the water shark form itself around me this time. With clearance to go straight for my heading, this should be the most efficient means of getting there.
Full speed ahead, then.
"Red Queen steady on bearing 336. 020 meters at 27 knots. Over," Gen calls over the radio.
So far, so good. Hopefully it stays that way.
"Walk the Waves"
[Life Aquatic, Part 1]
---
After many interruptions, the day has finally come. It's time to explore the open sea.
"Good luck on your trip, Lili."
"Thank you, love."
I shrug on my backpack, filled with contents optimized for my journey, and give Fio a kiss.
"Remember, you can call me if you need anything. If I'm busy, you'll know."
She nods. "Okay. Be safe."
"I promise. See you soon."
I leave our hotel room and head into the Leaf proper. The sun has just made it over the horizon, and most of the village is still waking up. For me, it's the perfect time to get moving ahead of the inevitable traffic.
"Lilith Kobayashi, reporting in. Good morning, my lord."
"Good morning, Lady Kobayashi. Ready to go, are we?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, good." Hiruzen is the only one present at the mission desk this hour. I rather like it that way. In fact...I've always been a little touchy about people cutting into our time together. Well, it's fine. I'm his favourite, after all.
"Are there any further instructions for me?" I ask.
"Nothing that I can think of. I will be interested to see your report on the creature. You also plan on getting ahead of our friend Obito, from what I recall."
"Yes. A seal with a unique tracking signature for that purpose. If anything should happen to the tailed beast, or it is moved, we'll know after some analysis. If possible, I would like a team on this doing checks every three hours or so."
"We may be able to do better than that. I will speak with Shikaku regarding this, but I might be able to allocate resources so that this is done on a full time basis."
"That would be splendid. Thank you, sir."
"Of course. I have received no additional reports from our operative in the area...we will have a few vessels nearby conducting sweeps, and they will be ready to assist if you should need it. We have notified the Hidden Mist that we are doing exercises, so their focus should be on the ships instead of you."
"Right."
"But I want you to be careful either way."
"I promise not to start trouble. Finishing it is another story."
"Fair enough."
I set down my bag and walk around the desk.
"Did we need a hug?" Hiruzen asks with a smile.
"Yes, please. For luck."
He chuckles and stands up. "You were going on the other day about growing up and not being a little girl anymore."
"Don't be like that."
"It's only the truth."
I pout at him. "That doesn't mean you have to say it out loud."
He's just a bit shorter than I am now. Smaller, I suppose. But it doesn't make me respect him less, or think too much of myself. And...it doesn't change how good it feels to be held in his arms. I've always felt safe like this. As if it were meant to be, as if I really did belong here from the start.
The moments we share together are so precious. I don't want to forget any of them.
"Thank you, oyaji. I'll come back to you safely."
"I'll be waiting, Lili."
I smile and kiss him gently on the forehead, then hop over the desk and grab my bag. I leave before the next person heads in, and make my way out and onto the village streets. One more quick mental check of my inventory before I start my run towards the village entrance, and then out entirely. Cutting east towards the sea, along well-worn paths. There's no rush this time...I'm going to get this right. The future of the shinobi world may very well depend on it.
---
Water Country is a great collection of islands. No place is the same, and there isn't any true unifying force between them. The one thing that keeps them nominally connected is the existence of the Hidden Mist and its military.
Out of necessity, their naval forces are among the best out of the five nations, working on a lower budget than their direct rivals in the Hidden Cloud who have an advantage in funding and subsequently equipment. Boats roam around within sight of each other, on rare occasions firing warning shots in acts of sabre rattling. Nothing has come of it yet. The Hidden Leaf is their largest rival to the west, and we have not been interested in bothering them for any reason. The same can be said of this mission. Our aim is to gather intelligence on a certain creature and tag it for our own purposes.
Will the Hidden Mist be out looking for a chance to recapture what was once theirs? I would not know. If they do so, it's more of a boon to us than they would know, as it would at least keep the tailed beast away from Obito for a season longer. He would have to search for the new host and figure out how to capture them. Though...even that might be cold comfort considering that what is supposed to be the other village asset, the host of the Six Tails, is currently on the run after the disastrous reign of the Fourth Mizukage.
"..."
The current timeline and Obito's bag of knowledge means that he could be responsible for that mess too, but I wouldn't be able to say to what end. Thinking about it, the current state of affairs is almost too convenient in some ways.
A few days of uneventful travel pass. No new reports come in from any of my sources. There isn't anything of note from the outposts, either. I continue on towards the edge of Fire Country before finding a cliff, then jogging down its side casually until I reach the water. My destination is one of the many tiny islands that don't yet exist on maps, not terribly far from the shore. I step onto the grassy patch of land and take out my radio procured for this mission, then turn it on and find the first frequency I am to use. Earpiece goes in, microphone on a band that goes around my neck.
Seven whistles. Three quick, two long, one quick, one long.
Wait five minutes.
I go to my knees and meditate for a while, until I sense someone approaching. The chakra is familiar, and so I know that this is my contact. Still, as always we follow proper procedure for everyone's safety. We make the agreed upon sequence of handseals, and everything is confirmed from visual distance.
"Ma'am. Good to see you again," a deep voice calls to me.
The fine gentleman in front of me goes by the name of Genshi, or Gen for short. He says he picked the name when he was much younger and it stuck, but we both know he kept it because it sounded cool. Having spent a long time as a shinobi and at sea in general, he has a wealth of knowledge about how these things work, which is why I requested his help in the first place. Strong looking and very fit, as evidenced by the body he likes to show off by wearing his wetsuit halfway when not on duty. He has a pair of sharp, focused brown eyes. His black hair and beard are smooth and gently greying in that way that tends to make women swoon and fall over themselves.
Honestly...it's frightening how parched straight women get at times. It can be appalling to watch.
"Thank you. I hope you've been well since we last spoke," I say to him as we shake hands.
"Well enough, ma'am."
"Good. I'm quite ready whenever you are."
Gen will be my navigator and overwatch for this mission. The plan is to head to a small island where we can set up and remain hidden. I'll move into the water, using the Leaf vessels to help with my cover, then I'll go towards Water Country stealthily with Gen giving me constant updates on where other vessels are located and possible threats as they arise.
"Alright. We can head out now, then. I found a place that's well covered." Gen slips his arms back into his wetsuit and zips it up. We head over to a barren looking part of the island where he makes a seal before reaching into the dirt and pulling a boat out of it with one hand. He flips it over and sets it down in the water. "After you, ma'am."
"Thank you kindly."
I hop into the boat and take a seat at the front, while Gen settles in and brings the engine at the back to life.
And with that, we are on our way.
---
As we move further towards Water Country, one might be forgiven for forgetting that we're in the latter parts of spring. It's cold and moist out here, with plenty of fog to go around. I reach out into the air to make sure we're not getting too close to any ships, but our route is safely away from anything that might detect us. The engine moving us forward is relatively quiet, and the waves are not terribly high or rough as we cut through them.
Our breaths condense in the air as we pass by the shadows of small islands. My senses start to pick up people, individuals who are are either sailing around themselves or doing some sort of activity. We have yet to reach the Water Country side, so I suppose these are hobbyists. I couldn't imagine living out here, so far from either shore, unless you had plenty of resources that these lonely islands couldn't possibly provide.
"Gonna slip through behind our patrol."
Gen's voice brings me out of my thoughts, and I hear the engine get a bit louder as we speed up. We skilfully move alongside the nearby ship and head into foreign territory officially. The profile of a sizable island comes up after a few minutes, and Gen slows us to a stop, letting the small boat drift until it bumps against the rough shore. We hop out and he pulls the boat onto land, then hoists it onto his head as we walk. The uninhabited island has plenty of spots for cover and actual tree growth. Gen sets down the boat after we get to his preferred area, and starts on a fire pit as I go through my things.
"Routines are the same as usual, from what I remember."
"Yes. No changes," I say to him. "I'm going to get into my work outfit."
"Aye. Fire should be ready by the time you get back, ma'am."
I nod and move a bit out of sight before taking off my clothing. I went out and had this wetsuit custom made, since fit is very important and I wouldn't want to injure myself by merely swimming in something that was too tight. It covers my arms and legs properly, with proper sealing around the wrists, ankles, and neck. This will keep me warm and dry while I'm exploring underwater. More than flexible and durable enough for this mission. The zipper at the back is easily reached, and I seal myself in fully before putting up my hair into a ponytail. I fold up my clothing and put it into a sealed bag before walking back.
"All done."
Gen is making sure the fire is burning as I return. "Great. I'll get our little radio post set up, and then we can get ourselves started."
"Anything to eat before then?" I ask.
"I have the usual stuff."
"That won't do. I brought a few things for us, even if you would rather live the rugged life out here."
He chuckles while setting up his transmitters. "You must have boys chasing you all day whenever you step out."
"Well, saucy rumours aside, they think I'm too high maintenance," I say as I rummage through my bag. "And a snobby bitch, I suppose. Not that they're wrong on either count."
"Better for you, I guess."
"Very much so. Beef or chicken?"
"Beef sounds good."
"I thought we were watching our figure over here."
"We're taking advantage of our good genes to do so. Could you tune to our active frequency for a bit, ma'am?"
"Of course." I reach for the belt around my waist and adjust to the common frequency for Leaf naval operations.
"This is Gen reporting, over."
"Red Oak here, we read you Gen. Holding steady in section 2, over," a woman's voice calls back.
"Here with Red Queen. We are about to move a few squares onto the board. Within the next two hours is our estimated time frame, over."
"Two hours, we read, over."
"Blue Elm here. Two hours, copy. We have the seal monitor ready to go, over," a man says.
"This is Red Queen, starting test frame," I say while making handseals. I press my hand into a nearby tree and push chakra into the resulting construct.
"Red Queen, we read. Blue Elm detecting chakra pulses, test success. Over."
"Red Oak, we copy."
"Thank you. Be safe while out on patrol," I say. "Red Queen, out."
"We appreciate that, ma'am. Red Oak, standing by for next transmission. Out."
"This is Blue Elm, we copy. Thank you, ma'am. Out."
Gen nods and gives me a thumb up as the transmissions end. "As long as you don't go too deep, the microphone should be fine once you come back up."
"Excellent." I hand him one of my sandwiches, and he takes it gratefully. "We can have the chicken ones later."
"You're not watching your own figure?"
"I watch it enough. A sight to behold, as you are already aware."
He smiles and nods sagely. "Of course."
We eat quietly and clean up before getting ready to work. I inspect my diving mask, which is a half version that covers the mouth and nose, and my rebreather, which should easily allow me half a day of swimming before I make any moves towards conservation. Another check of my suit, a few stretches to get properly limbered up, and we should be ready. Oh, I knew I forgot to put something else on. A quick rummage through my pouch and I find my depth gauge, shaped like a large wristwatch. I secure it over my right wrist. Good. Now we should be ready for sure.
"Good luck," Gen says.
"Thank you. As I said earlier, be safe while you're here."
He nods and powers on the radio. I do the same with mine and make sure the earpiece is snug before stepping onto the water. The coolness flows through the chakra under my feet and into me. Visibility is low for as far as the eye can see, and it's definitely not getting any warmer on the surface.
Alright. Here we go.
"Red Queen, starting routines," I announce. My hand leaves the microphone around my neck as I slowly reduce the amount of chakra beneath my feet. I slowly sink deeper beneath the water with each step. The rebreather goes into my mouth, and I slip quietly beneath the waves, getting a small jolt from the cold against my face. It quickly passes and I start to move my legs smoothly, heading forward for the first leg of my tour.
I can see some of the aquatic flora beneath me, not terribly far down. The fauna are crawling about or swimming freely past me. The sharks with their silvery sheen pass me by with little attention paid, perhaps a quick glance before moving on as they always do. Not that I worry, but this material is also rated for shark bites. They're curious little things, and they bite things to figure out what they are. Outside of combat applications, they're usually harmless to humans. People have complexes about them like they do snakes, which is unfortunate.
"Mist patrol at bearings 315 and 070. Over."
Gen's smooth voice comes through the earpiece. He's relaying those positions relative to me, based on his radar data. It takes someone skilled and experienced to process the data and feed it to me in real time like this, and I very much appreciate it. Doing this on my own is more than possible, but also unwise. I would rather not cause myself trouble at this stage.
"Blue Elm, reporting. No sign of the big one yet. Mist patrols taking it easy, just watching the joyriders over the border, over."
"This is Gen, copy."
No action yet, then. I give three quick taps on my microphone as a signal.
"Red Queen descending to two bar," Gen says. "Travel speed will be increasing, over."
"This is Blue Elm, we read. No changes, over."
"Mist patrol at bearings 229 and 080. Over."
I slowly descend to twenty meters and make a series of handseals. The familiar shark made of water appears in front of me, and I quickly press a hand against it while pushing chakra outwards. This level of adhesion should do. Time to advance.
The water shark speeds forward, allowing me to cover a great distance efficiently. One can also ride inside of the shark, but I want to keep myself free to properly move and steer if anything should arise.
"Mist patrol coming up at bearings 318, 356, 075, and 086. Over."
A cluster of them milling about. Hopefully they're not monitoring things too closely. I have my construct slow down a bit so that I might seem like a normal shark passing through if they do decide to investigate. That's an acceptable scenario at least. The worst case is if they decide to drop barrels. Unlikely since they're all so close together – I can simply leave if they think I'm a threat.
"Mist patrols at bearing 221, 190, 131, and 105. Bearing 010 seems to be an island, likely uninhabited, over."
Somewhere to stop up ahead. I'll take it. I have the shark disappear and then I flow along with the momentum for a while, scattering fish to and fro as I pass near them. I steadily start to kick once I slow down, very carefully drifting upwards while breathing in and out steadily. This is one of the most dangerous parts of being underwater, since shinobi are not immune from internal injury. Especially that of the parts they need to breathe.
I swim cautiously and check my depth gauge to see that I'm at one bar of pressure, or approximately ten meters from the surface. After that, I rise a bit faster and keep my breathing steady until I hit the surface. A quick visual sweep says that I'm alone, and some chakra sensing confirms it. I swim up to the island and continue monitoring things as I walk onto its flat surface, removing my rebreather.
"Still quite cold. A bit miserable, isn't it..."
I sigh and take off my diving mask, then check my location again. Everything is wrapped in fog...nobody could see me unless they were passing right by in a small boat or something similar. Not much here, anyways. Some vegetation, but mostly rock and a smattering of pools across the surface. Probably a bird roost if anything.
"Red Queen, do you read?"
I touch the microphone switch on my neck. "This is Red Queen. I read, Gen."
"No patrols in your immediate area, over."
"Understood. Going to do a manual scan of the immediate area, over."
"We'll keep an eye out for anything unusual, over."
"The visibility here is quite low. I shouldn't have any issue, but I will continue listening for your advice. Over."
I slowly sit down and hug my knees, then close my eyes and focus on my surroundings. Surface readings of the water are a bit distorted, as one would expect, but beneath it things are much easier to discern. All of the aquatic wildlife is easily picked out and identified. Not as many ships as I assumed are nearby, which is good for us. The crews aren't that big, either...which makes sense.
"Let's try and reach out...a little further."
I stop feeling for vibrations as I expand the range of my sensing. There are inhabited islands, more ships with Mist shinobi in them, more fish and animals...
"There. Something...really big." I reach for my microphone. "Gen, do you read?"
"I read, Red Queen. Is everything okay?"
"I'm doing well. My manual scan of the area has revealed something to the northwest, about twenty kilometres from my current position. I am facing north at this time, bearing 360. The target should be...bearing 336. Over."
"Copy that, Red Queen. Bearing 336. Blue Elm, do you copy?"
"Copy, Gen. Extending radar search towards area, Red Queen at bearing 336, twenty kilometres. Stand by."
"Standing by."
"Standing by," I repeat.
"This is Blue Elm reporting in. Confirming that there is an unidentified object moving in the area that Red Queen has specified. Fits the profile of our target, over."
"Red Oak, please advise," I say.
"This is Red Oak, we read you loud and clear. Red Queen, you are authorized to head along bearing 336 from your current position, ships will be pulling back from target area and will remain within visual range for assistance. Red Queen, we advise careful travel at depth of 025 meters and 35 knots, over."
"This is Red Queen, I read and acknowledge. Thank you. Heading out now, over."
"This is Gen, I read. Monitoring will continue. 025 meters at 35 knots, over."
"This is Red Oak, we read."
"This is Blue Elm, we copy. 025 meters at 35 knots, bearing 336 from last position. Continuing radar observation, over."
I stand up and stretch again, secure my diving mask, and make sure my rebreather is functioning before stepping into the water again. I let myself sink beneath the waves again before making handseals, and having the water shark form itself around me this time. With clearance to go straight for my heading, this should be the most efficient means of getting there.
Full speed ahead, then.
"Red Queen steady on bearing 336. 020 meters at 27 knots. Over," Gen calls over the radio.
So far, so good. Hopefully it stays that way.
Sprint the Seas
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 32
"Sprint the Seas"
[Life Aquatic, Part 2]
---
"Everything is steady, Red Queen. No patrols in the immediate area, over."
Beneath the surface of the water, everything is calm. My air supply is secure, and I haven't ended up in range of any Hidden Mist patrols or ships. Local wildlife is scattering at my approach, but nothing significant has happened yet. Still about halfway to my destination, inside of the water shark construct.
I can feel something big as I continue to approach.
Even from this distance, the chakra is dense and extremely heavy. This is true power...and it brings my thoughts back to Naruto. If the tailed beasts are ordered by their tails, and this one has three...it's still so hard to believe that Naruto is dealing with something so much more powerful than this. That he's had to carry such a burden all alone, for so many years. It's so unfair. So...terribly savage. Why does it have to be this way?
Is there anything I can do?
I don't know. As I am now, I don't have a solution yet. All I can do at this point is keep them out of Obito's hands, and stop him from implementing his plan.
"Looking at patrols well ahead, suspected Cloud. Bearing 325 and 343, idling. Haven't noticed the target, over."
Maybe they're doing a visual sweep. I understand that not every vessel at this point has the ability to detect other objects through radar. Technology is still advancing, especially over the water. Cloud does have the advantage in terms of manpower, though. They can just send as many ships as they need and supplement their patrols with short range communication.
Apparently they still use flag semaphore over there routinely. Incredibly old hat outside of emergencies. I couldn't stand it. My body is still in good condition...the wetsuit was a very good choice. I could have gone with a normal swimsuit, but this has worked out much, much better in terms of comfort. Gen tells me some of his more...intense colleagues swim without any clothing whatsoever, and sometimes without air supplies. I have no desire to witness or partake in such a thing. Why are men like that? Is it anything comprehensible? I have my doubts.
"Red Queen steady on bearing 336...025 meters at 37 knots. Target at bearing 340...030 meters at 6 knots. 3 kilometres. Over."
I have the water shark disappear from around me, and coast forward on the remaining momentum. The creature is close, and I can see it looming in the distance. It should pass under me.
I remember years ago, riding on Chief Bunta's head while we faced down Manda, the strongest colossal snake. Compared to them, I was nothing. Almost like a tiny bird, looking up at humans whilst hopping on the ground. I realized where I stood at that moment, though I was also brave enough to overcome my awe and fear. Nothing much has changed. I still feel so tiny compared to truly massive beings. Midori's serpentine form, or Baa-sama as she sits upon her throne and puffs thick clouds of smoke into the air. The distance between myself and what is assumed to be the Three Tails closes quickly enough. I slow to a stop, and kick lightly at the water while suppressing my chakra.
I can see with the light that I have...some sort of red tissue, like sets of muscle are hidden beneath a sort of grey-blue shell. Massive spikes poke out all over its hardened body, and trailing behind it are three massive tails that remind me very much of a shrimp. They really are incredibly big, about the length of the beast's body, possibly longer. As they move through the water, they whip up currents that send me backwards a bit before I steady myself again.
What a sight...I need to get a better look. Let's see how close I can get without being a bother...
A moment to steady my heart, and then I dive a bit deeper so that I can get more details.
This one looks like a turtle...yes, that's about right. The shell, and the soft looking underside. I swim underneath to confirm, and see that there is indeed an uncovered underbelly, with the same red colouring as its other exposed parts. No hind legs? That's interesting...I suppose that's because it spends so much time in the sea. It does have two arms, completely covered in the same hard material as the top shell, and with spikes jutting out of them. And fully formed hands, too.
Maybe a bit closer? No reports from Gen or the others, so it must be okay. I'll use my best judgement.
I speed up a bit and move so that I'm up and to the left, near the shoulder and close enough to the head. One of the red eyes is open, the other closed. Hm. Why is that? The head is different, though that only makes sense. On top, a large forehead overrun with spike structures, and below a massive lower jaw, also with spikes shooting out. They form a bit of a shield for the face, which is the most vulnerable part by far. I haven't been detected yet. Maybe it thinks I'm just another fish or something similar? Having sensing abilities wouldn't be shocking, but they don't seem to be active if that's the case.
I check my depth gauge. We've slipped a bit deeper, but nothing hazardous to my health yet.
"Red Queen steady at depth 045. Cruising at 13 knots. Still out of reach of Mist patrols, over."
That's about right. Though...I don't have too much time, and I don't want to bother the tailed beast any. With the shell's hardness, there shouldn't be any problem if I land on it. Time to complete my mission. It would be nice to put something on one of the tails, but they're moving about too rapidly. No sense in increasing the danger for no reason. We'll go with the shell, since it's sturdy enough and has enough hiding places for my markings. There are two that I'm going to lay down as a contingency, one of which I can't use yet...but there are a few members who can.
I slow down a bit before speeding up, drifting towards the top shell and grabbing onto one of the large spikes. My feet touch the surface, and I put chakra into my feet so that I can walk properly. A school of fish going the opposite direction forces me to duck down. I crawl the rest of the way to one short and fat spike that is pushing against another. Perfect. Time to start.
Two quick taps on the microphone, followed by three slow, then one followed by one.
"Red Queen is in position. Blue Elm, do you read?" I hear Gen say.
"Blue Elm here, we read, Gen. Standing by."
"Red Oak, we copy."
"Red Queen, you're cleared to go. Standing by," Gen says.
I make the requisite handseals and place the first, most important seal in the gap between the two spikes. The glow is bright before fading off and becoming dim. This low power formula should work for a few years at the least, more than enough to track with accuracy. If Obito or anyone else makes a move, we'll know immediately. And hopefully, we can get a team on this full time.
"Blue Elm here, we have confirmation of the seal placement. Tracking is optimal."
"Red Oak here, we read."
"Gen here, I read. Objective complete. Standing by for Red Queen's next transmission, over."
"Red Oak here, we copy."
"Blue Elm here, we copy."
And the second seal is placed just above it. I made sure I had the formula right beforehand. Layers and such...keeping things away from others. The seal in particular is one that was once used by Minato Namikaze, though the original technique was created by Tobirama Senju. This is the technique named Hiraishin, or more commonly called Flying Thunder God. I suppose Tobirama was having a bit of fun when naming the jutsu. In any case...from what I have been told by Hiruzen, we have three individuals that were taught a similar space-time art by the Fourth Hokage. Genma, Raido, and Iwashi - the three members of the Hokage Guard Platoon, selected by the man himself. It's called the Flying Thunder Formation and works with cooperation by all three members, allowing them to send a target to any place that has been marked with a seal.
It's this second part that I'm keeping hidden from the others, for their sake and mine.
I have plans to learn that technique later in life for utility purposes. Not really for combat, as useful as it could be...I have to consider the chakra costs and the effort needed to use it at a high level, for example. Minato was very remarkable for his use of that technique, since it's far from easy to keep your wits while moving irregularly through the air. If anyone would know about that, it would be me.
I tap the same pattern as before into my microphone, and start swimming again alongside the Three Tails.
"Red Queen is disengaging. 13 knots, depth 050. Over."
"Blue Elm here, we copy."
"Red Oak here, we copy. Red Queen, attention. Mist patrols increasing watch along previous route. Suggest you continue to use target as cover before breaking towards Gen's position again. Over."
Well, I was planning on doing that anyways. Good to know that I have permission now.
I let my chakra levels rise enough so that I can do some proper tracking. The signature should be familiar by now and locked in. I hold my breath and remove my rebreather, then take out a kunai and stab a bit into one of the spikes coming from the Three Tails' shell. It doesn't react as I predicted. I pinch some of the material to the edge before slipping it into my mouth quickly. Another sample goes into a small tube, which I seal and attach to my side. Blood samples...that's not happening now, not unless I want to set the ocean ablaze. Not much else, just more observation for now. I start swimming around the beast again after replacing my rebreather and checking my depth. 047. That's fine.
It's so big. And the arms are so human-like, with five fingers each on the hands. One of those massive hands could turn me to dust without any effort. I don't even think I'm as big as one of those fingers! Goodness...I can't believe how incredible creation can be at times. And this one has to be intelligent, like the others. They're swimming freely right now, but after being out of a host for so long, and away from the humans that imprisoned them...I have to wonder what their feelings are. I wish I could talk to them, perhaps have a conversation. Even just a one-sided talk. How badly have we humans wronged them? Is it something we can fix?
I really want to figure it out. Because the future of this world will inevitably include the tailed beasts. They're not just mindless monsters. I know it to be true.
"Mist patrols at..."
I barely pay attention to Gen's transmission. The Three Tails seems to have sensed the increasing human presence, and sinks deeper beneath me. The pressure at the bottom of the sea should be nothing to such a massive and resilient creature. If anything...it's survived death at least once before. I slowly make my way up to a safe depth, and start swimming faster on my own past the patrols. Decompression should finish properly by the time I get back to Gen on our safe little island.
I take a moment to look back and down at the direction the Three Tails took.
Hopefully, in a better time...I'll be able to reveal myself to them properly.
---
"We haven't attracted any attention since the start of your trip. Very good work, ma'am."
"Thank you."
I take off my equipment and lie down next to the fire pit. Gen is taking down his radio setup in the meantime, and I close my eyes to get some rest. It feels good to relax after so much exercise.
"Mind if I do a quick check, ma'am?" Gen asks.
"Check?"
"Heart and lungs. Nothing invasive. Of course, you're free to say no if it's uncomfortable, ma'am."
"Oh, of course." I sit up and reach for the zipper at my back, pulling it down and shifting the material around my shoulders down a bit. "Go ahead."
"Yes, ma'am." He pulls out a stethoscope and presses the end against my back. Just a bit cool, but nothing too bothersome. One location, two, three, four.
"Everything sounds good from here, ma'am. We'll have someone more appropriate do a full exam once we get back to shore, just wanted to clear you of any irregularities."
"Thank you kindly. I made the right choice carrying you along," I say with a smile. The suit goes back over my shoulders and is zipped up again for now.
"Very humbling to hear that, ma'am. You're a consummate professional yourself. Not many who spend so much time on land can swim like you do, much less take instruction," he says with a chuckle. "Anyone can duck down a dozen meters for a minute or two, but being at sea is a little more complicated than that."
I lie back down again and nod. "Yes, that's quite true. I've always had a fair bit of respect for you who spend so much time on the water...this just reinforces it. Swimming is something I've worked on the past few years, though. Never know when it could come in handy."
"That's true."
"Ah. Do we have time to take a nap before going?" I ask.
"Is a half hour fine, ma'am?"
"Plenty. Thank you very much." I let out a breath and close my eyes. Sleep comes quickly enough, and it's the type that comes and goes in an instant, but leaves me feeling supremely refreshed at the same time. There's nothing quite like a good power nap.
"Mm. There we are."
I yawn and sit up slowly, stretching my limbs. Gen is listening to his radio and notices me with a bit of surprise.
"Heh, I'll be. Half an hour on the dot."
"Of course. Wouldn't do for a woman to be tardy in these times," I say with a wink. "Shall we return to land?"
"Everything's packed into the boat. Ready when you are, ma'am."
"Okay. Time to head back to Fire Country. Mission accomplished."
I step into the waiting boat on the edge of the island, then Gen does afterwards, having done a sweep and destroying any visible traces of our presence. He has the engine come to life, and we sail across the sea once more.
---
Tonight's dinner is, naturally, fish. Cod, to be exact. Quite delightful when cooked properly. It's paired with a simple bowl of white rice, which is more than enough for my tastes. Some replenishment after a long day of work. Gen enjoys the house sake with his meal while I settle for some apple cider.
It's a rustic little place we find ourselves in, though by no means is it uncomfortable. Weathered wood, patterned tablecloths and sturdy utensils that look like they've survived the stone age. The portions of food are big. The glasses seem to be even bigger, judging from the size of the clear mug my cider is in. I'll probably go through a few more dishes to show my appreciation. That, and I am just a bit hungry after all that swimming.
"So you really think this will help us keep tabs on the masked man?" Gen asks me.
"It should. He doesn't seem to be interested in leaving the current geographical area, which is this continent. Perhaps there are limits to his space-time ability, significant ones. But we really can't take too many chances."
"You think it's possible that he could move something that big?" he asks, referring to the Three Tails.
"Maybe so. I would imagine that it would take up a fair bit of chakra to do so. From what I've studied of space-time arts, the larger the target or distance, the more chakra it consumes. If he has a lair or two nearby, it might not be so bad. It would still be quite taxing. Not even he should be able to escape the laws that govern chakra." I chew on a piece of fish.
"If it's like that, then we should have a handle on the situation."
"I'm just a bit surprised that Mist hasn't been putting more people out into the water lately."
Gen shrugs. "Probably trying not to show their hands. I don't think they have the manpower yet to attempt trying to bring the tailed beast to heel again. Likely just monitoring it at this point, trying to learn its habits and so on before beginning any operations. I would think that hearing about what happened in the Sand would get them in gear. That's if they've heard anything, at least."
"The Fifth isn't a proactive one, then?"
"Intelligence says that she's very keen on internal reforms for the time being, and that others are handling the bulk of foreign affairs for her. Whatever stories you've been hearing about the Fourth Mizukage's reign, adjust upwards. It was a nasty era for everyone involved, and the village hasn't fully recovered yet."
That only makes sense. I don't think it was that long ago that the Demon Zabuza made his mark on the world. Shoring up the village's internal structure would be a task, indeed. That whole caste system...
"If Lord Hokage wants to make a play for the beast, he has all the time in the world to do so," he continues. "Cloud isn't likely to risk anything unless it crosses well into their territory."
"They have the technology to keep it locked away, if anything. Maintaining control of the Two and Eight Tails says enough...though getting a third tailed beast would be disastrous, and would likely spell the end of any peace on this continent."
Gen sips from his cup and nods. "Not the most pleasant thought, but accurate enough."
"The power of tailed beasts is no joke. Even if they had to keep an inexperienced one at home, it would still be enough to completely upset the power balance between the five nations. An extreme situation, but not one we should go without considering. The tracking seal will help us on that end as well, since if we think something like that is bound to happen, we can go over and cause some trouble."
"That sounds fair. There isn't much going on in the east, other than maybe some shenanigans with shadow organizations."
"Foundation, then," I say.
"Can't believe those psychopaths are still running around. We won't have an easy time of anything if we have to deal with them and everything else at once."
I lift my mug with both hands and take a drink of cider. "Those ones will be taken care of soon enough."
"You think you've got old man Shimura's number?"
"Getting there."
"Heh. Guess I'll have that to look forward to before I retire. Maybe I'll even get married one day."
"Ambitious, aren't we."
He chuckles and raises his cup of sake to me.
We spend about another hour eating and chatting about inconsequential things. After I pay for our meal and make sure the waitress gets her gratuity, Gen and I go to wash up. I leave a shadow clone at the sink and exit the washroom, meeting Gen at the front entrance.
"All set," I say.
"Great. Real pleasure working with you, ma'am." We shake hands firmly.
"If you do find yourself a spouse, let me know. I can find some flexible work for you to take on," I say to him.
"Might take you up on that."
"Be safe, and continue your good work. Thank you for looking after me."
"Any time, ma'am. You take care out there."
"I will. Good night, sir."
"Good night."
We nod to each other and part ways. My clone should be leaving in a few minutes, well after I've made my way out of town and back into the forest. The first outpost should be about an hour away at normal pace...so let's shoot for that. No incidents to report, and nothing unusual happening. A clean mission, which is what I like to see the most.
"Hmm..."
All of these thoughts about the Three Tails and jinchuuriki...perhaps its time that I take some more initiative here. If Jiraiya won't move things along, then it's up to me. No more time to worry about stepping on toes.
It's time to give my darling an extra boost.
"Sprint the Seas"
[Life Aquatic, Part 2]
---
"Everything is steady, Red Queen. No patrols in the immediate area, over."
Beneath the surface of the water, everything is calm. My air supply is secure, and I haven't ended up in range of any Hidden Mist patrols or ships. Local wildlife is scattering at my approach, but nothing significant has happened yet. Still about halfway to my destination, inside of the water shark construct.
I can feel something big as I continue to approach.
Even from this distance, the chakra is dense and extremely heavy. This is true power...and it brings my thoughts back to Naruto. If the tailed beasts are ordered by their tails, and this one has three...it's still so hard to believe that Naruto is dealing with something so much more powerful than this. That he's had to carry such a burden all alone, for so many years. It's so unfair. So...terribly savage. Why does it have to be this way?
Is there anything I can do?
I don't know. As I am now, I don't have a solution yet. All I can do at this point is keep them out of Obito's hands, and stop him from implementing his plan.
"Looking at patrols well ahead, suspected Cloud. Bearing 325 and 343, idling. Haven't noticed the target, over."
Maybe they're doing a visual sweep. I understand that not every vessel at this point has the ability to detect other objects through radar. Technology is still advancing, especially over the water. Cloud does have the advantage in terms of manpower, though. They can just send as many ships as they need and supplement their patrols with short range communication.
Apparently they still use flag semaphore over there routinely. Incredibly old hat outside of emergencies. I couldn't stand it. My body is still in good condition...the wetsuit was a very good choice. I could have gone with a normal swimsuit, but this has worked out much, much better in terms of comfort. Gen tells me some of his more...intense colleagues swim without any clothing whatsoever, and sometimes without air supplies. I have no desire to witness or partake in such a thing. Why are men like that? Is it anything comprehensible? I have my doubts.
"Red Queen steady on bearing 336...025 meters at 37 knots. Target at bearing 340...030 meters at 6 knots. 3 kilometres. Over."
I have the water shark disappear from around me, and coast forward on the remaining momentum. The creature is close, and I can see it looming in the distance. It should pass under me.
I remember years ago, riding on Chief Bunta's head while we faced down Manda, the strongest colossal snake. Compared to them, I was nothing. Almost like a tiny bird, looking up at humans whilst hopping on the ground. I realized where I stood at that moment, though I was also brave enough to overcome my awe and fear. Nothing much has changed. I still feel so tiny compared to truly massive beings. Midori's serpentine form, or Baa-sama as she sits upon her throne and puffs thick clouds of smoke into the air. The distance between myself and what is assumed to be the Three Tails closes quickly enough. I slow to a stop, and kick lightly at the water while suppressing my chakra.
I can see with the light that I have...some sort of red tissue, like sets of muscle are hidden beneath a sort of grey-blue shell. Massive spikes poke out all over its hardened body, and trailing behind it are three massive tails that remind me very much of a shrimp. They really are incredibly big, about the length of the beast's body, possibly longer. As they move through the water, they whip up currents that send me backwards a bit before I steady myself again.
What a sight...I need to get a better look. Let's see how close I can get without being a bother...
A moment to steady my heart, and then I dive a bit deeper so that I can get more details.
This one looks like a turtle...yes, that's about right. The shell, and the soft looking underside. I swim underneath to confirm, and see that there is indeed an uncovered underbelly, with the same red colouring as its other exposed parts. No hind legs? That's interesting...I suppose that's because it spends so much time in the sea. It does have two arms, completely covered in the same hard material as the top shell, and with spikes jutting out of them. And fully formed hands, too.
Maybe a bit closer? No reports from Gen or the others, so it must be okay. I'll use my best judgement.
I speed up a bit and move so that I'm up and to the left, near the shoulder and close enough to the head. One of the red eyes is open, the other closed. Hm. Why is that? The head is different, though that only makes sense. On top, a large forehead overrun with spike structures, and below a massive lower jaw, also with spikes shooting out. They form a bit of a shield for the face, which is the most vulnerable part by far. I haven't been detected yet. Maybe it thinks I'm just another fish or something similar? Having sensing abilities wouldn't be shocking, but they don't seem to be active if that's the case.
I check my depth gauge. We've slipped a bit deeper, but nothing hazardous to my health yet.
"Red Queen steady at depth 045. Cruising at 13 knots. Still out of reach of Mist patrols, over."
That's about right. Though...I don't have too much time, and I don't want to bother the tailed beast any. With the shell's hardness, there shouldn't be any problem if I land on it. Time to complete my mission. It would be nice to put something on one of the tails, but they're moving about too rapidly. No sense in increasing the danger for no reason. We'll go with the shell, since it's sturdy enough and has enough hiding places for my markings. There are two that I'm going to lay down as a contingency, one of which I can't use yet...but there are a few members who can.
I slow down a bit before speeding up, drifting towards the top shell and grabbing onto one of the large spikes. My feet touch the surface, and I put chakra into my feet so that I can walk properly. A school of fish going the opposite direction forces me to duck down. I crawl the rest of the way to one short and fat spike that is pushing against another. Perfect. Time to start.
Two quick taps on the microphone, followed by three slow, then one followed by one.
"Red Queen is in position. Blue Elm, do you read?" I hear Gen say.
"Blue Elm here, we read, Gen. Standing by."
"Red Oak, we copy."
"Red Queen, you're cleared to go. Standing by," Gen says.
I make the requisite handseals and place the first, most important seal in the gap between the two spikes. The glow is bright before fading off and becoming dim. This low power formula should work for a few years at the least, more than enough to track with accuracy. If Obito or anyone else makes a move, we'll know immediately. And hopefully, we can get a team on this full time.
"Blue Elm here, we have confirmation of the seal placement. Tracking is optimal."
"Red Oak here, we read."
"Gen here, I read. Objective complete. Standing by for Red Queen's next transmission, over."
"Red Oak here, we copy."
"Blue Elm here, we copy."
And the second seal is placed just above it. I made sure I had the formula right beforehand. Layers and such...keeping things away from others. The seal in particular is one that was once used by Minato Namikaze, though the original technique was created by Tobirama Senju. This is the technique named Hiraishin, or more commonly called Flying Thunder God. I suppose Tobirama was having a bit of fun when naming the jutsu. In any case...from what I have been told by Hiruzen, we have three individuals that were taught a similar space-time art by the Fourth Hokage. Genma, Raido, and Iwashi - the three members of the Hokage Guard Platoon, selected by the man himself. It's called the Flying Thunder Formation and works with cooperation by all three members, allowing them to send a target to any place that has been marked with a seal.
It's this second part that I'm keeping hidden from the others, for their sake and mine.
I have plans to learn that technique later in life for utility purposes. Not really for combat, as useful as it could be...I have to consider the chakra costs and the effort needed to use it at a high level, for example. Minato was very remarkable for his use of that technique, since it's far from easy to keep your wits while moving irregularly through the air. If anyone would know about that, it would be me.
I tap the same pattern as before into my microphone, and start swimming again alongside the Three Tails.
"Red Queen is disengaging. 13 knots, depth 050. Over."
"Blue Elm here, we copy."
"Red Oak here, we copy. Red Queen, attention. Mist patrols increasing watch along previous route. Suggest you continue to use target as cover before breaking towards Gen's position again. Over."
Well, I was planning on doing that anyways. Good to know that I have permission now.
I let my chakra levels rise enough so that I can do some proper tracking. The signature should be familiar by now and locked in. I hold my breath and remove my rebreather, then take out a kunai and stab a bit into one of the spikes coming from the Three Tails' shell. It doesn't react as I predicted. I pinch some of the material to the edge before slipping it into my mouth quickly. Another sample goes into a small tube, which I seal and attach to my side. Blood samples...that's not happening now, not unless I want to set the ocean ablaze. Not much else, just more observation for now. I start swimming around the beast again after replacing my rebreather and checking my depth. 047. That's fine.
It's so big. And the arms are so human-like, with five fingers each on the hands. One of those massive hands could turn me to dust without any effort. I don't even think I'm as big as one of those fingers! Goodness...I can't believe how incredible creation can be at times. And this one has to be intelligent, like the others. They're swimming freely right now, but after being out of a host for so long, and away from the humans that imprisoned them...I have to wonder what their feelings are. I wish I could talk to them, perhaps have a conversation. Even just a one-sided talk. How badly have we humans wronged them? Is it something we can fix?
I really want to figure it out. Because the future of this world will inevitably include the tailed beasts. They're not just mindless monsters. I know it to be true.
"Mist patrols at..."
I barely pay attention to Gen's transmission. The Three Tails seems to have sensed the increasing human presence, and sinks deeper beneath me. The pressure at the bottom of the sea should be nothing to such a massive and resilient creature. If anything...it's survived death at least once before. I slowly make my way up to a safe depth, and start swimming faster on my own past the patrols. Decompression should finish properly by the time I get back to Gen on our safe little island.
I take a moment to look back and down at the direction the Three Tails took.
Hopefully, in a better time...I'll be able to reveal myself to them properly.
---
"We haven't attracted any attention since the start of your trip. Very good work, ma'am."
"Thank you."
I take off my equipment and lie down next to the fire pit. Gen is taking down his radio setup in the meantime, and I close my eyes to get some rest. It feels good to relax after so much exercise.
"Mind if I do a quick check, ma'am?" Gen asks.
"Check?"
"Heart and lungs. Nothing invasive. Of course, you're free to say no if it's uncomfortable, ma'am."
"Oh, of course." I sit up and reach for the zipper at my back, pulling it down and shifting the material around my shoulders down a bit. "Go ahead."
"Yes, ma'am." He pulls out a stethoscope and presses the end against my back. Just a bit cool, but nothing too bothersome. One location, two, three, four.
"Everything sounds good from here, ma'am. We'll have someone more appropriate do a full exam once we get back to shore, just wanted to clear you of any irregularities."
"Thank you kindly. I made the right choice carrying you along," I say with a smile. The suit goes back over my shoulders and is zipped up again for now.
"Very humbling to hear that, ma'am. You're a consummate professional yourself. Not many who spend so much time on land can swim like you do, much less take instruction," he says with a chuckle. "Anyone can duck down a dozen meters for a minute or two, but being at sea is a little more complicated than that."
I lie back down again and nod. "Yes, that's quite true. I've always had a fair bit of respect for you who spend so much time on the water...this just reinforces it. Swimming is something I've worked on the past few years, though. Never know when it could come in handy."
"That's true."
"Ah. Do we have time to take a nap before going?" I ask.
"Is a half hour fine, ma'am?"
"Plenty. Thank you very much." I let out a breath and close my eyes. Sleep comes quickly enough, and it's the type that comes and goes in an instant, but leaves me feeling supremely refreshed at the same time. There's nothing quite like a good power nap.
"Mm. There we are."
I yawn and sit up slowly, stretching my limbs. Gen is listening to his radio and notices me with a bit of surprise.
"Heh, I'll be. Half an hour on the dot."
"Of course. Wouldn't do for a woman to be tardy in these times," I say with a wink. "Shall we return to land?"
"Everything's packed into the boat. Ready when you are, ma'am."
"Okay. Time to head back to Fire Country. Mission accomplished."
I step into the waiting boat on the edge of the island, then Gen does afterwards, having done a sweep and destroying any visible traces of our presence. He has the engine come to life, and we sail across the sea once more.
---
Tonight's dinner is, naturally, fish. Cod, to be exact. Quite delightful when cooked properly. It's paired with a simple bowl of white rice, which is more than enough for my tastes. Some replenishment after a long day of work. Gen enjoys the house sake with his meal while I settle for some apple cider.
It's a rustic little place we find ourselves in, though by no means is it uncomfortable. Weathered wood, patterned tablecloths and sturdy utensils that look like they've survived the stone age. The portions of food are big. The glasses seem to be even bigger, judging from the size of the clear mug my cider is in. I'll probably go through a few more dishes to show my appreciation. That, and I am just a bit hungry after all that swimming.
"So you really think this will help us keep tabs on the masked man?" Gen asks me.
"It should. He doesn't seem to be interested in leaving the current geographical area, which is this continent. Perhaps there are limits to his space-time ability, significant ones. But we really can't take too many chances."
"You think it's possible that he could move something that big?" he asks, referring to the Three Tails.
"Maybe so. I would imagine that it would take up a fair bit of chakra to do so. From what I've studied of space-time arts, the larger the target or distance, the more chakra it consumes. If he has a lair or two nearby, it might not be so bad. It would still be quite taxing. Not even he should be able to escape the laws that govern chakra." I chew on a piece of fish.
"If it's like that, then we should have a handle on the situation."
"I'm just a bit surprised that Mist hasn't been putting more people out into the water lately."
Gen shrugs. "Probably trying not to show their hands. I don't think they have the manpower yet to attempt trying to bring the tailed beast to heel again. Likely just monitoring it at this point, trying to learn its habits and so on before beginning any operations. I would think that hearing about what happened in the Sand would get them in gear. That's if they've heard anything, at least."
"The Fifth isn't a proactive one, then?"
"Intelligence says that she's very keen on internal reforms for the time being, and that others are handling the bulk of foreign affairs for her. Whatever stories you've been hearing about the Fourth Mizukage's reign, adjust upwards. It was a nasty era for everyone involved, and the village hasn't fully recovered yet."
That only makes sense. I don't think it was that long ago that the Demon Zabuza made his mark on the world. Shoring up the village's internal structure would be a task, indeed. That whole caste system...
"If Lord Hokage wants to make a play for the beast, he has all the time in the world to do so," he continues. "Cloud isn't likely to risk anything unless it crosses well into their territory."
"They have the technology to keep it locked away, if anything. Maintaining control of the Two and Eight Tails says enough...though getting a third tailed beast would be disastrous, and would likely spell the end of any peace on this continent."
Gen sips from his cup and nods. "Not the most pleasant thought, but accurate enough."
"The power of tailed beasts is no joke. Even if they had to keep an inexperienced one at home, it would still be enough to completely upset the power balance between the five nations. An extreme situation, but not one we should go without considering. The tracking seal will help us on that end as well, since if we think something like that is bound to happen, we can go over and cause some trouble."
"That sounds fair. There isn't much going on in the east, other than maybe some shenanigans with shadow organizations."
"Foundation, then," I say.
"Can't believe those psychopaths are still running around. We won't have an easy time of anything if we have to deal with them and everything else at once."
I lift my mug with both hands and take a drink of cider. "Those ones will be taken care of soon enough."
"You think you've got old man Shimura's number?"
"Getting there."
"Heh. Guess I'll have that to look forward to before I retire. Maybe I'll even get married one day."
"Ambitious, aren't we."
He chuckles and raises his cup of sake to me.
We spend about another hour eating and chatting about inconsequential things. After I pay for our meal and make sure the waitress gets her gratuity, Gen and I go to wash up. I leave a shadow clone at the sink and exit the washroom, meeting Gen at the front entrance.
"All set," I say.
"Great. Real pleasure working with you, ma'am." We shake hands firmly.
"If you do find yourself a spouse, let me know. I can find some flexible work for you to take on," I say to him.
"Might take you up on that."
"Be safe, and continue your good work. Thank you for looking after me."
"Any time, ma'am. You take care out there."
"I will. Good night, sir."
"Good night."
We nod to each other and part ways. My clone should be leaving in a few minutes, well after I've made my way out of town and back into the forest. The first outpost should be about an hour away at normal pace...so let's shoot for that. No incidents to report, and nothing unusual happening. A clean mission, which is what I like to see the most.
"Hmm..."
All of these thoughts about the Three Tails and jinchuuriki...perhaps its time that I take some more initiative here. If Jiraiya won't move things along, then it's up to me. No more time to worry about stepping on toes.
It's time to give my darling an extra boost.
Tonight she dines on turtle soup
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
average naruto mc approaching isobu: hmm wonder how I can hijack this tailed beast to increase my suite of powers?
certified girlboss lili kobayashi approaching isobu:
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FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
For those who didn't catch the earlier reference @w34v3r made, Red October is a fictional USSR submarine with advanced technology that was smuggled into US hands by many acts of trickery and such. The Tom Clancy book it is from, which is also a movie featuring Sean Connery and some other guy, is called The Hunt for Red October if you want to learn more about it.
It would be possible to do so with Isobu but not plausible, or really desired at current because of all the political and logistical issues that it would cause. Kind of a big gambit even if it did put more power on your side of the table for a while. In addition to all this as you can see, Lili ensures that she had enough control over the mission to do as she pleases. On her end, she thinks something else is going on with the tailed beasts (as of the Gaara rescue mission) and wants to investigate that.
It would be possible to do so with Isobu but not plausible, or really desired at current because of all the political and logistical issues that it would cause. Kind of a big gambit even if it did put more power on your side of the table for a while. In addition to all this as you can see, Lili ensures that she had enough control over the mission to do as she pleases. On her end, she thinks something else is going on with the tailed beasts (as of the Gaara rescue mission) and wants to investigate that.
Back to Basics
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 33
"Back to Basics"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 1]
---
"Hey, Lili. Got here as fast as I could."
It's another morning in the Leaf. I'm intending to set up something important with Naruto, and so I've called him to Training Field Three where he usually works with his teammates. Kakashi is out on a mission, so I'll have to run the details by him later...but this can be done now.
"Thank you, love. I haven't pushed anything too far out of order, have I?"
"Ah, nothing special. Pervy Sage wanted to do some extra taijutsu stuff but I told him that this was important, so he put it off for another time. He's gonna be out of town again for a while, too."
Perfect. The timing couldn't be better.
"Alright, good. Oh, I almost forgot..." I smile and give him a hug, followed by a gentle kiss on the cheek. "We can't go skipping greetings, can we?"
"Guess not," he says with his own smile. "So, what's going on? Is it another super special mission, and you want me on the team?"
"Well, it's special. But it's not a mission. I have something that I want to do with you, something that I've been thinking over for some time now. Before that, I need to see where you are in terms of your skills. How far have you gone with the Rasengan at this point?" I ask.
"Um...I'm pretty good at making them a bit faster, and I can make bigger ones with pretty much no effort. So basically, I have a lot more control over it, and more consistency."
"That's good to hear. It was one of your weaknesses for a long while."
"Yeah, Pervy Sage kept telling me at the start of our training. Pretty much sorted out by now, though."
"Good. What about your nature affinity?"
He shakes his head. "Nothing yet. He said he was gonna get to it later since I kept asking, but obviously he didn't. You know how he is."
"Indeed." I have to wonder what Jiraiya is doing. Is there something that he's looking for, or is he just figuring things out as he goes? It really seems to be the latter case, and that really won't do. Naruto needs more than the Rasengan and an army of clones to stand against Akatsuki and Obito. Some utility jutsu would help...I suppose that can be shored up, too. We'll have to see how this goes first.
"You said you've been thinking about this for a while? What do you mean by that, Lili?"
I put my hands into my pockets. "My belief is that the Rasengan is an incomplete jutsu."
He looks at me with shock. "Eh?"
"You might find it hard to believe, but...I think the Fourth passed on before he could finish developing it. It's an incredibly powerful technique, requires no seals, and does devastating damage at melee range. It's made up of pure chakra, compressed into a sphere...portable and powerful, requiring little else than a sizable enough reserve of chakra and some concentration. And that's what bothered me."
"Not sure I get it. You think that...there was something wrong because it was so strong?" he asks.
"It might be easier to demonstrate. Come with me, love."
"Okay."
We walk over to where the trees are, and I toss a kunai at one of them as a visual aid.
"That will be our primary target. Kakashi or Jiraiya would be able to teach you all about this eventually, but I wanted to do this now, so that you could have a better understanding by the time we include him. Kakashi in particular might have an extra idea or two that I would miss, due to his experience."
"I see..."
"Now, you know about my signature technique."
"Mobius, right?"
"Lightning Release: Mobius, yes. Here is where we start. Do you remember how the technique functions?"
"Hmm...not exactly. You kinda just push lightning chakra through your arm, like for Chidori, right?"
"Close, but incorrect. We start with gathering chakra, then we have it flow towards the arm," I say as I hold my right arm up. "On the way over, we have it converted to lightning chakra. Then that chakra is compressed, squeezed tightly. At the user's command, that chakra is released through a singular point, and fired in the form of a beam of light."
I fire Mobius in the way described, piercing the spot next to the kunai and going right through the tree.
"Wow. Okay, so...you get it like that by squeezing the chakra real tight, right?"
"Partially. There are two things that I must do to perform that jutsu. One of them is something that you're very good at now. The other is something that you have yet to learn. What you are good at now is shape transformation, or changing the shape of chakra. The Rasengan is a technique that relies entirely on shape transformation for its form and subsequent power."
"Really? Pervy Sage said that it was a super elite jutsu...guess I didn't realize how elite it was."
"It's top level shape transformation. Something that most people would struggle to achieve with a lifetime of training. And this leads into the second part, and why I said that the Rasengan was incomplete. Nature transformation. Nature transformation is what makes the Chidori possible. It's a jutsu that relies on both shape transformation and a large amount of nature transformation to create the wealth of lightning chakra necessary. Sasuke is greatly talented with nature transformation, given his proficiency at things such as the Fire Ball Technique so prized by the Uchiha."
"So Sasuke's really good at changing his chakra to like, fire or lightning, right?"
"That's correct. And as you might have surmised," I say as I gather lightning chakra in my hand, "lightning chakra has certain properties that make it superior to regular arts. Or, to make it simple...look at the kunai stuck in the tree trunk there. Do you see where it's stopped?"
"Yeah."
"Now...watch this." I take a kunai and place it into my hand crackling with lightning. The lightning transfers over to it at my command, and then I lazily throw it at a spot next to the other kunai. It rips through the tree easily.
"What?! What happened? How'd you do that?" Naruto yells.
"The properties of lightning chakra are such that stabs and thrusts are enhanced. It makes piercing attacks much, much stronger than normal. The secret is high speed vibrations. Another effect is that it makes cutting through inorganic material much easier, which is why prominent sword users in the Hidden Cloud favour it for their repertoires when possible. As you can see, a weapon enhanced by lightning chakra is better than one without, and can become the difference in high level battles. Lightning chakra can be used to enhance the body, as you saw before, and it can be channeled through water element techniques to cause paralysis. There are many things we can do with the power of nature transformation. I'll show you one more thing to help absorb this lesson."
"Okay, what is it?"
"There is a training technique for a specific purpose. Null-Type Mobius." I pull up chakra and compress it into my arm, then point it forward and fire. The attack bursts forward as a beam of white light, slamming into the tree trunk and ripping a large chunk out of it.
"Oh! It didn't go through like the other one did," Naruto says.
"Good. You noticed the colour, right?"
"Yeah, it was different. White instead of blue. So...that didn't have any lightning chakra in it, then. It did some damage, but it didn't go through the tree." He folds his arms in thought. "I see. It's like when Pervy Sage was showing me the Rasengan during our training. I finished the first part of it, but he showed me the difference between when it was focused and when it wasn't. So...Mobius relies more on nature transformation stuff, and the Rasengan relies more on shape transformation stuff."
"That's right."
"And you think the Fourth Hokage was trying to do shape transformation and nature transformation at the same time to make the Rasengan stronger?"
"Yes. You understand how difficult it was to simply get the Rasengan working, don't you?" I ask.
"Yeah. And Pervy Sage said it took him a while to get the jutsu down, too. Trying to focus all that chakra and change it to an element at the same time...that's gotta be tough." He blinks. "Wait, what's that got to do with what you want to tell me?"
He really is adorable.
"Naruto...I want to teach you how to combine an element with the Rasengan."
"Me? Whoa, wait! You think I could-"
"Yes. And I don't think anything. I know you can do what the Fourth was unable to. You already learned the technique he created, and in such a short time. Going beyond that is something that's more than possible for you," I say with sincerity. "But as you know...I'm more than a little selfish. There's something I want out of this, too."
"Something you want?" he asks, shocked. "What could that be?"
I give him a smile. "What I want, more than anything...is to make a technique for both of us. Something that we could share. A wonderful, incredibly strong jutsu that would crush any enemy we came across."
"A...a jutsu? Us? Together?" He blushes. "Gosh, Lili. I've never even done that with Hinata..."
I rub shoulders with him. "Oh, she doesn't have to know...what's a little affair between friends, hm? Getting close and mixing parts of ourselves together..."
"Okay, now you're definitely being lewd about it on purpose."
"Hmhm~."
"But I mean...wow. That would be so awesome! Yeah, I totally want to do that! I just have to learn nature transforming or whatever and combine it with the Rasengan first, right? I'll go all out for sure!"
"I know you will. It will be a fair bit of work, but I know that you're no stranger to that. There are a few things that I want to do first, but our ultimate goal is to give you a new and incredible jutsu that will blow everyone away. After that, the sky's the limit."
"When do we start?" he asks eagerly.
"You said Jiraiya would be out of town in a few days?"
"Yep."
"Well, we might start at that point. I don't want to delay this for too much longer. Before then, I'll need you to do something important for me."
"What is it?"
"I will need you to gather whatever materials that you remember Jiraiya used when he taught you the Rasengan. Because as part of your training, you're going to teach it to me first." I raise my hand before he can protest. "Listen. I wouldn't ask if I thought you couldn't do it. You can."
"What if I screw up, though?"
"You won't. I know you won't. I'm going to learn from you, and it's going to help us both. It's necessary for this to work. So first, you're going to teach me how to perform the jutsu. Then we'll work with some other people to help with your new jutsu. And after that, we're going to create a brand new jutsu for ourselves. That is our path. Are you ready?"
Naruto closes his eyes in thought. I know that he's not hesitating when it comes to learning a new technique, it's everything else. But I meant what I said. I know he can overcome whatever challenge is in his way.
He opens his eyes after about a minute or so, and nods firmly.
"I'm good to go, Lili. Let's rock."
I smile and nod back.
"We definitely will. It's time to show the world what we're made of."
And with that, we bump fists.
---
Clearing out the schedule for Naruto and I was a simple enough task. Hiruzen has made sure that we have the next few weeks to ourselves if needed, and I've talked to everyone that I wanted involved. For now, it's just going to be myself and Naruto, tackling the basics.
As we've discussed, the first step is learning the Rasengan.
I ready myself from my hotel room as usual. A shower followed by some touching up, breakfast with Fio, and then heading out for work. I have enough supplies in my pouch for the day, along with an extra notepad and some sturdy pens for notes.
Today's classroom will be the third training field again, where Kakashi has his team do their rounds. Naruto is rummaging through his backpack as I arrive, and waves to me as I approach.
"Morning, Lili!"
"Good morning, my love. I'm ready to start the day with you," I say before hugging him tightly. "Are we nervous?"
"Sure are. But you said I had this, so...I'm okay. I should be ready."
"Good." I kiss him on the cheek before stepping back, hands at my sides. "Whenever you want to start."
"Yup!" He takes an object from the bag and holds it up in his left hand. It looks like a balloon of some kind. "This is a water balloon that I picked up from one of the shops. And this here," he says before making a clone, "is the Rasengan."
In his right hand, chakra starts to swirl around, being moved and shaped by the clone before quickly becoming a perfect sphere. The clone disappears, and Naruto holds up the Rasengan next to the water balloon.
"We're gonna start here. You can do tree climbing and water walking pretty well, right?"
"Yes," I reply.
"When you climb a tree, you have to concentrate and lay down chakra in a certain amount, or else you won't be able to stick to it properly. And when you walk on the water, you have to constantly adjust the chakra you're putting out or else you'll sink. With those two together, you've got the basics down for what we're about to do."
He has the water swirl around in the balloon violently until it bursts.
"Step one is creating rotation. You put out chakra constantly from your hand and use it to spin the water inside the balloon. Do that until it pops, basically. And if you can do that consistently, then that part is done with."
"I understand."
"Great. Now it's your turn to try," he says as he has the Rasengan dissipate. "A few more things that I think you need to figure out. First, what hand you feel most comfortable using. Next, what direction your chakra spins."
"The right hand works best for me this time, and my chakra spins clockwise," I reply.
"Heh. Figures you'd know about that already," he says with a smile. The balloon is placed in my hand.
"Could you show me the Rasengan again, Naruto?" I ask.
"Sure." He calls out another clone and has it form again. I watch how his hands move, and try to sense the motions of the chakra. All over the place...I think I have it, based on that. And there are a few more steps to go after this. It should be interesting.
"Thank you." I put my right hand out in front of my body, and prepare myself.
"Whenever you're ready, and take as long as you need."
"I won't be too long," I say confidently. "All I need is to adjust the output, and..."
I slowly start to have the water swirl around in the balloon, first in one direction, then in more and more until spikes start to shoot out along the surface. Naruto watches with interest as the spikes get bigger and bigger, my chakra increasing by the second. This is a weighty jutsu, and I suppose if everything I've read about the Fourth is true, he had the chakra capacity to pull off some incredible things. Jiraiya, a known Sage, and Naruto, an Uzumaki and host of the Nine Tails, share at least that trait with him.
"Hm."
I decide to end the exercise by pushing my chakra higher, and finally the balloon bursts into pieces, water splashing everywhere.
"Man, you're good..." Naruto shakes his head before reaching into his bag. "Okay. Four more times to make sure you're consistent about it."
"Yes, sir."
I concentrate and experiment with reaching the goal in different ways. Spinning counter-clockwise is possible, but it bleeds away a lot of rotation and energy. It also puts a bit of a strain on my hand, which I suppose Naruto experienced himself and wanted me to avoid. It means that he's been paying attention and learning from his mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others. Just what I wanted to see out of him.
Breaking the balloon seems to be possible with extreme rotation in one direction, but that's also much harder to achieve and uses more chakra than the accepted method.
Naruto used a clone for his Rasengan, and I try that to help with the rotation aspect. It's much faster and easier, as is using my other hand to spin the chakra around. Two issues come to mind. The first is that this is a technique that is supposed to require no seals. Occupying the other hand is counterproductive. The second is that my chakra levels support usage of multiple shadow clones, but not in the manner that Naruto uses them. It's therefore infeasible for me to summon them as single use props. The original method looks to be the best so far, and as demands increase for each stage, I have little doubt that it will remain that way.
"Didn't take long for you to finish. You could have done this on your own, you know."
"Maybe. But I get to spend time with you, so...it's more than worth it," I say to him.
He rubs the back of his head and blushes. So cute.
"Shall we head to the next part of our program?" I ask.
"Y-yeah. Let's do that. Here's a visual aid for what we're about to try next." He takes out a sheet of paper and holds it up. "See this?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Now..." He marks the sheet of blank paper with a dot. "You see this?"
"Yes."
"Notice anything?"
I look at the sheet for a bit and think. Nothing is really coming to mind. Maybe...
"Please show me the blank sheet again," I say.
"Got it." He turns the paper over, and I look at it. Is there a meaning in it? Something about emptiness, or...wait. I've been overthinking it.
"Could you turn it over again?"
"Yep." He does so, and I notice that my attention is drawn right to the dot in the middle. So that's it...focus. Concentration.
"My vision is drawn to the dot on the paper, whereas before I wasn't focused on anything."
"That's right!" he says happily. "The next step is about using that focus and concentration while you generate more power. Packing as much power into the jutsu as possible is part of what makes it so elite."
"I see now."
"And this time...we're not using water balloons. We're going tougher." He puts away the paper and grabs two rubber balls. "Your next task is to break one of these apart."
In his right hand, he has the rubber ball swirl and warp before exploding into pieces. He tosses me the other one, and I catch it in my right hand.
"Rotation...then power," I say to myself. "Is that all..."
I stretch my hand forward. My chakra flows through my arm until it reaches the rubber ball...with no other substance to force against the walls, it's all me this time. No problem. My chakra presses against the inner walls, and then I focus and rush straight ahead, swirling it around violently.
Much tougher than before, as Naruto said.
Still nowhere near enough to stop me. I've been handling hyper-compressed chakra on my own for several years now, and surging it through my body to increase my physical ability among other things. This much is nothing.
"Looks like you've got it," he says.
"Yes. Easy as cake," I say with a smirk. The violent rotations increase until the rubber ball explodes into pieces, just as Naruto did before. Still...what a heavy and ridiculous jutsu this is. I have an idea of what the next step will be, and that should be the hardest one of them all.
"A few more times to be sure, like before." Naruto tosses me another rubber ball, and I set to work.
As I thought, none of the previous tricks or shortcuts are viable here. Consistently using the proven methods are what works. Correct chakra spin, power, and regulation. Clones and off hand still work, but have no real advantages as far as I can see. This has been simple enough so far.
I shred the last rubber ball to bits and flex my hand a few times. Yes...heavy. Lots of chakra involved. Combining it with something else...would that...
"Well, we've done good work so far! Time to get energized!"
I end my train of thought and look up at Naruto again.
"We're breaking for lunch, Lili. Don't think I'm gonna take no for an answer!" he says with a grin.
"Right, you did mention that. Sorry."
"It's alright. I know how you get into these things. It's how you got so strong in the first place." He pats me on the shoulder. "Great job so far, you're definitely a genius! Way better than Sasuke...man, imagine if I had to teach him how this worked."
I shudder a bit on his behalf. "Fortunately for you, he's probably copied how it worked with the Sharingan."
"Yeah, true. But Kakashi-sensei was saying that you still need the skill to use jutsu you copy and junk. Which just makes him more awesome, since he knows so many. He's got like four elements, I think? Pretty wild."
"He's definitely something."
"And you're something else," he says as he puts his bag underneath a nearby tree. "He's been a jounin for as long as I've been alive, and a chuunin since he was a little kid. For you to even get that close in just three or four years? That's pretty awesome, to say the least."
I blush at that. "Is there something behind you praising me like this? Seriously, as much as I love it, it's too much."
"Is it really?" he asks.
"Yes, just a bit."
"Ah..." He puts his hands behind his head as we walk. "It's just, watching you go to work, and all that. You've always looked really cool when you're concentrating like that, and then you've been totally crushing this Rasengan training. It took me at least a few days to get to this point, you know?"
"That's remarkable on its own," I say. "Don't sell yourself short."
"Trying not to. But maybe I should have given you the instructions so that you could teach me all over again. Why'd you want me to teach you so badly, though? You said it was important for my training."
"I want to see how you learned the jutsu, and your thought processes. There's a lot that I've picked up...you remembered how Jiraiya taught you, but it wasn't only that. You realized that there were ways to streamline the process, and to overcome the problems you faced earlier. It shows off the level of creativity and versatility that you have. Certainly, it helps that I'm already talented in my own right...but your method of teaching has helped a lot with the speed and efficency in learning this technique already."
"All that, huh..." His brow furrows in thought.
"Simply put, you're a good teacher. And you'll become a better one with time and experience."
"Yeah? You think it'll be another career for me, or something like that?"
"You wouldn't have to be in a classroom. Kurenai's father is an educator himself, just with various training programs."
"Huh. That's neat."
We stop in and see Teuchi, down a few bowls of delicious ramen, and then head back to the training field.
"The third and last step...once you get this down, then you've completed the Rasengan. Here we are."
He blows up a small balloon before handing it to me. Then he blows another up for himself.
"So you saw how I took care of the other two stages before. Watch this."
He focuses on the balloon in his right hand, and calls a clone out to make the sphere again.
"No holding back, you gotta go full force."
I watch as the balloon trembles a little bit before settling down.
"See?"
The chakra from before that was swirling at high speed...I see. A shell on the outside to contain it.
"The objective now is to keep the chakra from before in a compressed state. Focusing it even more and increasing the power," I conclude.
"That's exactly right! And that's why we're using an empty balloon this time. It's the ultimate test of your control, Lili. Time for you to try it."
"Alright..." I think I'm going to overshoot this first try. But failure isn't the end of the world. I concentrate and call the chakra to my right hand, swirling it in all directions inside the balloon. It rumbles and stretches as I increase the amount of power flowing out.
And now, the final step...
"Tch...!"
The balloon bursts apart in my hand.
"Almost." Naruto blows up another balloon and gives it to me. "Let's try it again."
"Yes." Time to focus again, and pull the chakra into a proper sphere. Gather chakra...rotate...add force...compress. Here we go.
I follow the same steps as before, and then reach the point where I have to compress the chakra properly. Heavy and violent, but not untameable. I can do it. Keep things steady. The balloon rumbles a bit in my hand before slowly, slowly settling down. I can feel the chakra moving inside of the balloon. It's stable.
"I did it...I think."
"Let's check," Naruto says. He takes out a kunai and carefully pokes the balloon, making it fall apart. It ends up shredded to bits against the rotating sphere of chakra that is now in my hand. Bright, and about the size of a good grapefruit. Fits in my palm perfectly...
"Didn't even take you the whole day. Lili, you're so awesome!"
"Thank you. Having one of the best teachers in the world helped a lot. Let's try it manually, without any tools this time. That should be my final test," I say to him.
"Alright, let's see it!"
I nod and gather chakra into my right hand again. Focus, swirl it around, increase the power, and then contain...
"Yeah!"
...and form a powerful technique for myself. The Fourth Hokage's original technique...Rasengan. Now it floats just above my palm, an extraordinary sphere of energy. Not bad for a half-day's work. But I am Lili Kobayashi, after all. Hmhm.
"Awesome job! Guess that's the end of your training," Naruto says. "So, what do you think?"
"Hm." I look at the sphere in my hand before making it disappear. "It's as powerful as I thought it would be, and less complex than I assumed. Definitely the kind of technique that's useful at close range. But...not really my style yet."
"Really?"
"There are a few reasons. Selfish ones, as you might imagine. When I get up close to an enemy, I have certain...actions that I want to take. One day, the Rasengan might make a good substitute. For now, though...I have other tools."
"Hmm...not sure I totally get it, but that's fine. Whatever works for you, Lili."
"Thank you, love. You were wonderful today." I give him a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate your efforts, and loved spending time with you. We're just a bit closer than before, aren't we?" He frowns and I giggle. "I didn't mean it like that. Someone's been thinking naughty things lately..."
"I wonder who's to blame for that..."
"A mystery, indeed."
He rolls his eyes at me and starts to pack up his things. We both make a few clones to gather up the bits of rubber that have gone everywhere, and pack them into a small bag for recycling.
"The rest of the day is ours," I say. "Celebration meal?"
"Sure!"
"Ramen again? Teuchi wouldn't mind seeing us one more time."
"Um...I was thinking barbeque this time. Haven't had any in a while!"
"Of course. I know a great place nearby."
"You always do," he says with a chuckle. "With the way you know this village, you'll make an awesome Hokage soon."
"Yes, soon enough. Could you believe I was dreading something like that a few years ago?"
"Barely," Naruto says as he shrugs on his backpack. "Glad you're over that."
"I am, too." I sigh. "Tomorrow is a new day. We'll start our big training session for real."
"Can't wait!" he says with a big smile. I smile back and we start on our way.
And tomorrow, we'll start an exciting new journey. I have a lot to teach Naruto, but I know I'm ready. We both are.
"Back to Basics"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 1]
---
"Hey, Lili. Got here as fast as I could."
It's another morning in the Leaf. I'm intending to set up something important with Naruto, and so I've called him to Training Field Three where he usually works with his teammates. Kakashi is out on a mission, so I'll have to run the details by him later...but this can be done now.
"Thank you, love. I haven't pushed anything too far out of order, have I?"
"Ah, nothing special. Pervy Sage wanted to do some extra taijutsu stuff but I told him that this was important, so he put it off for another time. He's gonna be out of town again for a while, too."
Perfect. The timing couldn't be better.
"Alright, good. Oh, I almost forgot..." I smile and give him a hug, followed by a gentle kiss on the cheek. "We can't go skipping greetings, can we?"
"Guess not," he says with his own smile. "So, what's going on? Is it another super special mission, and you want me on the team?"
"Well, it's special. But it's not a mission. I have something that I want to do with you, something that I've been thinking over for some time now. Before that, I need to see where you are in terms of your skills. How far have you gone with the Rasengan at this point?" I ask.
"Um...I'm pretty good at making them a bit faster, and I can make bigger ones with pretty much no effort. So basically, I have a lot more control over it, and more consistency."
"That's good to hear. It was one of your weaknesses for a long while."
"Yeah, Pervy Sage kept telling me at the start of our training. Pretty much sorted out by now, though."
"Good. What about your nature affinity?"
He shakes his head. "Nothing yet. He said he was gonna get to it later since I kept asking, but obviously he didn't. You know how he is."
"Indeed." I have to wonder what Jiraiya is doing. Is there something that he's looking for, or is he just figuring things out as he goes? It really seems to be the latter case, and that really won't do. Naruto needs more than the Rasengan and an army of clones to stand against Akatsuki and Obito. Some utility jutsu would help...I suppose that can be shored up, too. We'll have to see how this goes first.
"You said you've been thinking about this for a while? What do you mean by that, Lili?"
I put my hands into my pockets. "My belief is that the Rasengan is an incomplete jutsu."
He looks at me with shock. "Eh?"
"You might find it hard to believe, but...I think the Fourth passed on before he could finish developing it. It's an incredibly powerful technique, requires no seals, and does devastating damage at melee range. It's made up of pure chakra, compressed into a sphere...portable and powerful, requiring little else than a sizable enough reserve of chakra and some concentration. And that's what bothered me."
"Not sure I get it. You think that...there was something wrong because it was so strong?" he asks.
"It might be easier to demonstrate. Come with me, love."
"Okay."
We walk over to where the trees are, and I toss a kunai at one of them as a visual aid.
"That will be our primary target. Kakashi or Jiraiya would be able to teach you all about this eventually, but I wanted to do this now, so that you could have a better understanding by the time we include him. Kakashi in particular might have an extra idea or two that I would miss, due to his experience."
"I see..."
"Now, you know about my signature technique."
"Mobius, right?"
"Lightning Release: Mobius, yes. Here is where we start. Do you remember how the technique functions?"
"Hmm...not exactly. You kinda just push lightning chakra through your arm, like for Chidori, right?"
"Close, but incorrect. We start with gathering chakra, then we have it flow towards the arm," I say as I hold my right arm up. "On the way over, we have it converted to lightning chakra. Then that chakra is compressed, squeezed tightly. At the user's command, that chakra is released through a singular point, and fired in the form of a beam of light."
I fire Mobius in the way described, piercing the spot next to the kunai and going right through the tree.
"Wow. Okay, so...you get it like that by squeezing the chakra real tight, right?"
"Partially. There are two things that I must do to perform that jutsu. One of them is something that you're very good at now. The other is something that you have yet to learn. What you are good at now is shape transformation, or changing the shape of chakra. The Rasengan is a technique that relies entirely on shape transformation for its form and subsequent power."
"Really? Pervy Sage said that it was a super elite jutsu...guess I didn't realize how elite it was."
"It's top level shape transformation. Something that most people would struggle to achieve with a lifetime of training. And this leads into the second part, and why I said that the Rasengan was incomplete. Nature transformation. Nature transformation is what makes the Chidori possible. It's a jutsu that relies on both shape transformation and a large amount of nature transformation to create the wealth of lightning chakra necessary. Sasuke is greatly talented with nature transformation, given his proficiency at things such as the Fire Ball Technique so prized by the Uchiha."
"So Sasuke's really good at changing his chakra to like, fire or lightning, right?"
"That's correct. And as you might have surmised," I say as I gather lightning chakra in my hand, "lightning chakra has certain properties that make it superior to regular arts. Or, to make it simple...look at the kunai stuck in the tree trunk there. Do you see where it's stopped?"
"Yeah."
"Now...watch this." I take a kunai and place it into my hand crackling with lightning. The lightning transfers over to it at my command, and then I lazily throw it at a spot next to the other kunai. It rips through the tree easily.
"What?! What happened? How'd you do that?" Naruto yells.
"The properties of lightning chakra are such that stabs and thrusts are enhanced. It makes piercing attacks much, much stronger than normal. The secret is high speed vibrations. Another effect is that it makes cutting through inorganic material much easier, which is why prominent sword users in the Hidden Cloud favour it for their repertoires when possible. As you can see, a weapon enhanced by lightning chakra is better than one without, and can become the difference in high level battles. Lightning chakra can be used to enhance the body, as you saw before, and it can be channeled through water element techniques to cause paralysis. There are many things we can do with the power of nature transformation. I'll show you one more thing to help absorb this lesson."
"Okay, what is it?"
"There is a training technique for a specific purpose. Null-Type Mobius." I pull up chakra and compress it into my arm, then point it forward and fire. The attack bursts forward as a beam of white light, slamming into the tree trunk and ripping a large chunk out of it.
"Oh! It didn't go through like the other one did," Naruto says.
"Good. You noticed the colour, right?"
"Yeah, it was different. White instead of blue. So...that didn't have any lightning chakra in it, then. It did some damage, but it didn't go through the tree." He folds his arms in thought. "I see. It's like when Pervy Sage was showing me the Rasengan during our training. I finished the first part of it, but he showed me the difference between when it was focused and when it wasn't. So...Mobius relies more on nature transformation stuff, and the Rasengan relies more on shape transformation stuff."
"That's right."
"And you think the Fourth Hokage was trying to do shape transformation and nature transformation at the same time to make the Rasengan stronger?"
"Yes. You understand how difficult it was to simply get the Rasengan working, don't you?" I ask.
"Yeah. And Pervy Sage said it took him a while to get the jutsu down, too. Trying to focus all that chakra and change it to an element at the same time...that's gotta be tough." He blinks. "Wait, what's that got to do with what you want to tell me?"
He really is adorable.
"Naruto...I want to teach you how to combine an element with the Rasengan."
"Me? Whoa, wait! You think I could-"
"Yes. And I don't think anything. I know you can do what the Fourth was unable to. You already learned the technique he created, and in such a short time. Going beyond that is something that's more than possible for you," I say with sincerity. "But as you know...I'm more than a little selfish. There's something I want out of this, too."
"Something you want?" he asks, shocked. "What could that be?"
I give him a smile. "What I want, more than anything...is to make a technique for both of us. Something that we could share. A wonderful, incredibly strong jutsu that would crush any enemy we came across."
"A...a jutsu? Us? Together?" He blushes. "Gosh, Lili. I've never even done that with Hinata..."
I rub shoulders with him. "Oh, she doesn't have to know...what's a little affair between friends, hm? Getting close and mixing parts of ourselves together..."
"Okay, now you're definitely being lewd about it on purpose."
"Hmhm~."
"But I mean...wow. That would be so awesome! Yeah, I totally want to do that! I just have to learn nature transforming or whatever and combine it with the Rasengan first, right? I'll go all out for sure!"
"I know you will. It will be a fair bit of work, but I know that you're no stranger to that. There are a few things that I want to do first, but our ultimate goal is to give you a new and incredible jutsu that will blow everyone away. After that, the sky's the limit."
"When do we start?" he asks eagerly.
"You said Jiraiya would be out of town in a few days?"
"Yep."
"Well, we might start at that point. I don't want to delay this for too much longer. Before then, I'll need you to do something important for me."
"What is it?"
"I will need you to gather whatever materials that you remember Jiraiya used when he taught you the Rasengan. Because as part of your training, you're going to teach it to me first." I raise my hand before he can protest. "Listen. I wouldn't ask if I thought you couldn't do it. You can."
"What if I screw up, though?"
"You won't. I know you won't. I'm going to learn from you, and it's going to help us both. It's necessary for this to work. So first, you're going to teach me how to perform the jutsu. Then we'll work with some other people to help with your new jutsu. And after that, we're going to create a brand new jutsu for ourselves. That is our path. Are you ready?"
Naruto closes his eyes in thought. I know that he's not hesitating when it comes to learning a new technique, it's everything else. But I meant what I said. I know he can overcome whatever challenge is in his way.
He opens his eyes after about a minute or so, and nods firmly.
"I'm good to go, Lili. Let's rock."
I smile and nod back.
"We definitely will. It's time to show the world what we're made of."
And with that, we bump fists.
---
Clearing out the schedule for Naruto and I was a simple enough task. Hiruzen has made sure that we have the next few weeks to ourselves if needed, and I've talked to everyone that I wanted involved. For now, it's just going to be myself and Naruto, tackling the basics.
As we've discussed, the first step is learning the Rasengan.
I ready myself from my hotel room as usual. A shower followed by some touching up, breakfast with Fio, and then heading out for work. I have enough supplies in my pouch for the day, along with an extra notepad and some sturdy pens for notes.
Today's classroom will be the third training field again, where Kakashi has his team do their rounds. Naruto is rummaging through his backpack as I arrive, and waves to me as I approach.
"Morning, Lili!"
"Good morning, my love. I'm ready to start the day with you," I say before hugging him tightly. "Are we nervous?"
"Sure are. But you said I had this, so...I'm okay. I should be ready."
"Good." I kiss him on the cheek before stepping back, hands at my sides. "Whenever you want to start."
"Yup!" He takes an object from the bag and holds it up in his left hand. It looks like a balloon of some kind. "This is a water balloon that I picked up from one of the shops. And this here," he says before making a clone, "is the Rasengan."
In his right hand, chakra starts to swirl around, being moved and shaped by the clone before quickly becoming a perfect sphere. The clone disappears, and Naruto holds up the Rasengan next to the water balloon.
"We're gonna start here. You can do tree climbing and water walking pretty well, right?"
"Yes," I reply.
"When you climb a tree, you have to concentrate and lay down chakra in a certain amount, or else you won't be able to stick to it properly. And when you walk on the water, you have to constantly adjust the chakra you're putting out or else you'll sink. With those two together, you've got the basics down for what we're about to do."
He has the water swirl around in the balloon violently until it bursts.
"Step one is creating rotation. You put out chakra constantly from your hand and use it to spin the water inside the balloon. Do that until it pops, basically. And if you can do that consistently, then that part is done with."
"I understand."
"Great. Now it's your turn to try," he says as he has the Rasengan dissipate. "A few more things that I think you need to figure out. First, what hand you feel most comfortable using. Next, what direction your chakra spins."
"The right hand works best for me this time, and my chakra spins clockwise," I reply.
"Heh. Figures you'd know about that already," he says with a smile. The balloon is placed in my hand.
"Could you show me the Rasengan again, Naruto?" I ask.
"Sure." He calls out another clone and has it form again. I watch how his hands move, and try to sense the motions of the chakra. All over the place...I think I have it, based on that. And there are a few more steps to go after this. It should be interesting.
"Thank you." I put my right hand out in front of my body, and prepare myself.
"Whenever you're ready, and take as long as you need."
"I won't be too long," I say confidently. "All I need is to adjust the output, and..."
I slowly start to have the water swirl around in the balloon, first in one direction, then in more and more until spikes start to shoot out along the surface. Naruto watches with interest as the spikes get bigger and bigger, my chakra increasing by the second. This is a weighty jutsu, and I suppose if everything I've read about the Fourth is true, he had the chakra capacity to pull off some incredible things. Jiraiya, a known Sage, and Naruto, an Uzumaki and host of the Nine Tails, share at least that trait with him.
"Hm."
I decide to end the exercise by pushing my chakra higher, and finally the balloon bursts into pieces, water splashing everywhere.
"Man, you're good..." Naruto shakes his head before reaching into his bag. "Okay. Four more times to make sure you're consistent about it."
"Yes, sir."
I concentrate and experiment with reaching the goal in different ways. Spinning counter-clockwise is possible, but it bleeds away a lot of rotation and energy. It also puts a bit of a strain on my hand, which I suppose Naruto experienced himself and wanted me to avoid. It means that he's been paying attention and learning from his mistakes, as well as the mistakes of others. Just what I wanted to see out of him.
Breaking the balloon seems to be possible with extreme rotation in one direction, but that's also much harder to achieve and uses more chakra than the accepted method.
Naruto used a clone for his Rasengan, and I try that to help with the rotation aspect. It's much faster and easier, as is using my other hand to spin the chakra around. Two issues come to mind. The first is that this is a technique that is supposed to require no seals. Occupying the other hand is counterproductive. The second is that my chakra levels support usage of multiple shadow clones, but not in the manner that Naruto uses them. It's therefore infeasible for me to summon them as single use props. The original method looks to be the best so far, and as demands increase for each stage, I have little doubt that it will remain that way.
"Didn't take long for you to finish. You could have done this on your own, you know."
"Maybe. But I get to spend time with you, so...it's more than worth it," I say to him.
He rubs the back of his head and blushes. So cute.
"Shall we head to the next part of our program?" I ask.
"Y-yeah. Let's do that. Here's a visual aid for what we're about to try next." He takes out a sheet of paper and holds it up. "See this?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Now..." He marks the sheet of blank paper with a dot. "You see this?"
"Yes."
"Notice anything?"
I look at the sheet for a bit and think. Nothing is really coming to mind. Maybe...
"Please show me the blank sheet again," I say.
"Got it." He turns the paper over, and I look at it. Is there a meaning in it? Something about emptiness, or...wait. I've been overthinking it.
"Could you turn it over again?"
"Yep." He does so, and I notice that my attention is drawn right to the dot in the middle. So that's it...focus. Concentration.
"My vision is drawn to the dot on the paper, whereas before I wasn't focused on anything."
"That's right!" he says happily. "The next step is about using that focus and concentration while you generate more power. Packing as much power into the jutsu as possible is part of what makes it so elite."
"I see now."
"And this time...we're not using water balloons. We're going tougher." He puts away the paper and grabs two rubber balls. "Your next task is to break one of these apart."
In his right hand, he has the rubber ball swirl and warp before exploding into pieces. He tosses me the other one, and I catch it in my right hand.
"Rotation...then power," I say to myself. "Is that all..."
I stretch my hand forward. My chakra flows through my arm until it reaches the rubber ball...with no other substance to force against the walls, it's all me this time. No problem. My chakra presses against the inner walls, and then I focus and rush straight ahead, swirling it around violently.
Much tougher than before, as Naruto said.
Still nowhere near enough to stop me. I've been handling hyper-compressed chakra on my own for several years now, and surging it through my body to increase my physical ability among other things. This much is nothing.
"Looks like you've got it," he says.
"Yes. Easy as cake," I say with a smirk. The violent rotations increase until the rubber ball explodes into pieces, just as Naruto did before. Still...what a heavy and ridiculous jutsu this is. I have an idea of what the next step will be, and that should be the hardest one of them all.
"A few more times to be sure, like before." Naruto tosses me another rubber ball, and I set to work.
As I thought, none of the previous tricks or shortcuts are viable here. Consistently using the proven methods are what works. Correct chakra spin, power, and regulation. Clones and off hand still work, but have no real advantages as far as I can see. This has been simple enough so far.
I shred the last rubber ball to bits and flex my hand a few times. Yes...heavy. Lots of chakra involved. Combining it with something else...would that...
"Well, we've done good work so far! Time to get energized!"
I end my train of thought and look up at Naruto again.
"We're breaking for lunch, Lili. Don't think I'm gonna take no for an answer!" he says with a grin.
"Right, you did mention that. Sorry."
"It's alright. I know how you get into these things. It's how you got so strong in the first place." He pats me on the shoulder. "Great job so far, you're definitely a genius! Way better than Sasuke...man, imagine if I had to teach him how this worked."
I shudder a bit on his behalf. "Fortunately for you, he's probably copied how it worked with the Sharingan."
"Yeah, true. But Kakashi-sensei was saying that you still need the skill to use jutsu you copy and junk. Which just makes him more awesome, since he knows so many. He's got like four elements, I think? Pretty wild."
"He's definitely something."
"And you're something else," he says as he puts his bag underneath a nearby tree. "He's been a jounin for as long as I've been alive, and a chuunin since he was a little kid. For you to even get that close in just three or four years? That's pretty awesome, to say the least."
I blush at that. "Is there something behind you praising me like this? Seriously, as much as I love it, it's too much."
"Is it really?" he asks.
"Yes, just a bit."
"Ah..." He puts his hands behind his head as we walk. "It's just, watching you go to work, and all that. You've always looked really cool when you're concentrating like that, and then you've been totally crushing this Rasengan training. It took me at least a few days to get to this point, you know?"
"That's remarkable on its own," I say. "Don't sell yourself short."
"Trying not to. But maybe I should have given you the instructions so that you could teach me all over again. Why'd you want me to teach you so badly, though? You said it was important for my training."
"I want to see how you learned the jutsu, and your thought processes. There's a lot that I've picked up...you remembered how Jiraiya taught you, but it wasn't only that. You realized that there were ways to streamline the process, and to overcome the problems you faced earlier. It shows off the level of creativity and versatility that you have. Certainly, it helps that I'm already talented in my own right...but your method of teaching has helped a lot with the speed and efficency in learning this technique already."
"All that, huh..." His brow furrows in thought.
"Simply put, you're a good teacher. And you'll become a better one with time and experience."
"Yeah? You think it'll be another career for me, or something like that?"
"You wouldn't have to be in a classroom. Kurenai's father is an educator himself, just with various training programs."
"Huh. That's neat."
We stop in and see Teuchi, down a few bowls of delicious ramen, and then head back to the training field.
"The third and last step...once you get this down, then you've completed the Rasengan. Here we are."
He blows up a small balloon before handing it to me. Then he blows another up for himself.
"So you saw how I took care of the other two stages before. Watch this."
He focuses on the balloon in his right hand, and calls a clone out to make the sphere again.
"No holding back, you gotta go full force."
I watch as the balloon trembles a little bit before settling down.
"See?"
The chakra from before that was swirling at high speed...I see. A shell on the outside to contain it.
"The objective now is to keep the chakra from before in a compressed state. Focusing it even more and increasing the power," I conclude.
"That's exactly right! And that's why we're using an empty balloon this time. It's the ultimate test of your control, Lili. Time for you to try it."
"Alright..." I think I'm going to overshoot this first try. But failure isn't the end of the world. I concentrate and call the chakra to my right hand, swirling it in all directions inside the balloon. It rumbles and stretches as I increase the amount of power flowing out.
And now, the final step...
"Tch...!"
The balloon bursts apart in my hand.
"Almost." Naruto blows up another balloon and gives it to me. "Let's try it again."
"Yes." Time to focus again, and pull the chakra into a proper sphere. Gather chakra...rotate...add force...compress. Here we go.
I follow the same steps as before, and then reach the point where I have to compress the chakra properly. Heavy and violent, but not untameable. I can do it. Keep things steady. The balloon rumbles a bit in my hand before slowly, slowly settling down. I can feel the chakra moving inside of the balloon. It's stable.
"I did it...I think."
"Let's check," Naruto says. He takes out a kunai and carefully pokes the balloon, making it fall apart. It ends up shredded to bits against the rotating sphere of chakra that is now in my hand. Bright, and about the size of a good grapefruit. Fits in my palm perfectly...
"Didn't even take you the whole day. Lili, you're so awesome!"
"Thank you. Having one of the best teachers in the world helped a lot. Let's try it manually, without any tools this time. That should be my final test," I say to him.
"Alright, let's see it!"
I nod and gather chakra into my right hand again. Focus, swirl it around, increase the power, and then contain...
"Yeah!"
...and form a powerful technique for myself. The Fourth Hokage's original technique...Rasengan. Now it floats just above my palm, an extraordinary sphere of energy. Not bad for a half-day's work. But I am Lili Kobayashi, after all. Hmhm.
"Awesome job! Guess that's the end of your training," Naruto says. "So, what do you think?"
"Hm." I look at the sphere in my hand before making it disappear. "It's as powerful as I thought it would be, and less complex than I assumed. Definitely the kind of technique that's useful at close range. But...not really my style yet."
"Really?"
"There are a few reasons. Selfish ones, as you might imagine. When I get up close to an enemy, I have certain...actions that I want to take. One day, the Rasengan might make a good substitute. For now, though...I have other tools."
"Hmm...not sure I totally get it, but that's fine. Whatever works for you, Lili."
"Thank you, love. You were wonderful today." I give him a kiss on the cheek. "I appreciate your efforts, and loved spending time with you. We're just a bit closer than before, aren't we?" He frowns and I giggle. "I didn't mean it like that. Someone's been thinking naughty things lately..."
"I wonder who's to blame for that..."
"A mystery, indeed."
He rolls his eyes at me and starts to pack up his things. We both make a few clones to gather up the bits of rubber that have gone everywhere, and pack them into a small bag for recycling.
"The rest of the day is ours," I say. "Celebration meal?"
"Sure!"
"Ramen again? Teuchi wouldn't mind seeing us one more time."
"Um...I was thinking barbeque this time. Haven't had any in a while!"
"Of course. I know a great place nearby."
"You always do," he says with a chuckle. "With the way you know this village, you'll make an awesome Hokage soon."
"Yes, soon enough. Could you believe I was dreading something like that a few years ago?"
"Barely," Naruto says as he shrugs on his backpack. "Glad you're over that."
"I am, too." I sigh. "Tomorrow is a new day. We'll start our big training session for real."
"Can't wait!" he says with a big smile. I smile back and we start on our way.
And tomorrow, we'll start an exciting new journey. I have a lot to teach Naruto, but I know I'm ready. We both are.
Elementality
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The THRILL from Green Hill
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Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 34
"Elementality"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 2]
---
Today is the day. The start of our second part of training.
I've made all of the necessary notes and studied them beforehand, so that I know what to do and when to do it as I'm teaching. One of the things that I love about Naruto, and one of the things that makes him a bit difficult to teach, is his curiosity. He loves to explore topics and figure things out on his own. There might be a little bit of that here, but not too much. I want to be able to get through this before having to deal with Jiraiya's nonsense, or that of anyone else high up in the village.
With the Rasengan already learned, I have an idea of what it will take to complete the next stage of the jutsu. There are also some concerns I have that really won't be apparent until later, but we'll be able to watch for that due to our setup. Fio is out running this morning, so I grab my backpack and satchel, check over the room, and lock up before heading towards my destination.
We've picked out a spacious area just outside of the village, surrounded by large and healthy trees. The three people I've selected are already here ahead of schedule. Kakashi, for his expertise and skill as an individual instructor. Yamato, for his help in suppressing the Nine Tails' chakra, since I have a feeling that will come up often. And finally, Hina. She'll be the other half of Naruto's emotional support with me, and will serve as our medic, observer, and primary means of shutting down the fox chakra if it should get unruly. The perfect person to watch over this series of exercises.
"Good morning, all," I say as I arrive. "Naruto should be here in a minute or two...how are we feeling today?"
"Doing alright," Kakashi says as he reads. "You're sure that you need my help?"
"I wouldn't bother you otherwise. You have your own things to do, as I know well enough."
"That's a good point."
"How is Ruki doing?"
"She's doing okay. Just busy right now...they're having a series of events at the shrine, and they were low on staff before, plus she's been training others. But she's taking care of herself."
"Good. Tell her that I miss her dearly."
"I'll be sure to."
"Senpai, a question," Yamato asks me.
"Of course. What might you need?"
"These sorts of exercises usually take a while to see results, but from what I understand...you mean to get this done within a week or two. Do you really think that he'll advance that quickly with the method we're proposing?"
"I do, yes. If Kakashi and I have the right of it, he can complete this art faster than anyone could have realized before. I just hope that it doesn't take too much of a toll on him. That's part of why I asked him to teach me the Rasengan..."
Yamato blinks at that. "Sorry, Naruto taught you the Rasengan? Isn't that jutsu...?"
"This is the same woman who learned that chakra mode of hers in less than a month. Both stages, even," Kakashi says. "That was when she wasn't as much of a threat to the shinobi world as she is now."
"I see..."
"Yo! Morning, everybody!"
Naruto drops in and salutes us.
"Ready to start, ma'am."
I nod and set down my bags. "Good. Welcome to your training session, my love. You might notice the cast we have assembled here, and it's for good reason. This is where we start on the second part of your journey towards an ultimate technique, based on the Rasengan."
"Awesome. Let's do it!" He pumps his fists before pausing. "Oh, right. So...what are we starting with, exactly? I think you mentioned an element, or something like that?"
"I did. Allow us to start from the top. Pay attention, now."
"Yeah."
"There are two main components to the advanced Rasengan that you will be creating over the next few days. The first is something that we went over together, which is shape transformation. You have learned a technique that is among the highest levels of shape transformation to exist in the shinobi world. The amount of skill it takes to compress and stabilize rapidly rotating chakra in the manner that you do is nothing to sneeze at. Humans tend to take things from nature and have echoes of it in their own designs...I believe that the Fourth took inspiration from something he saw in the past, and used that to create the Rasengan. I wouldn't know what at this time, though. With that in mind, he attempted to add his own chakra nature to the Rasengan, but could not do so before he was taken from this world suddenly. And I have someone to testify to that fact here."
"That's right." Kakashi puts away his book and turns one palm upwards. Chakra starts to visibly gather and swirl around inside of it, much to Naruto's shock.
"W-wait! That's...!"
"Yes. This is the Rasengan. You might recall that the Fourth was my old teacher, Naruto." Kakashi has a relatively small Rasengan hovering above his palm. "I was able to copy it when I saw it, but actually getting the technique to work was another thing entirely. As usual, I'm a bit jealous of Lili since she was able to learn it about half a day."
"You've got to be kidding me," Yamato says.
"That sounds about right," Hina says, nodding.
"Sensei talked about adding an element to the Rasengan, as a long term project that he was working on. I was surprised myself back then, thinking that, much like you did, the technique was a complete one on its own. But it was just the first step towards something even bigger." Kakashi has the Rasengan disappear from his palm.
"So it's like Lili said...the Rasengan's not finished. Then we're supposed to add an element to it, or something like that," Naruto says.
"And with that, I will explain how these elements work," I say, taking the reins from Kakashi smoothly. "Do you notice how each of the five shinobi nations is named? Each of them have titles relating to the five basic elements, or nature transformations. We live in Fire Country here, and so the highest ranking military leader here is named the Hokage. There's Lightning to the northeast, Water to the east, Earth to the northwest, and Wind to the west. That much is easy to understand, yes?"
"Yeah, pretty easy."
"Remember now, these are the five basic natures: fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind. I've listed them in a certain order, and I will show you why that is. Hina, shall we?"
"Yes."
We move so that we're standing across from each other, at a safe distance.
"Here is fire."
Hina makes a set of seals before breathing out a mid-sized fireball.
"And here is water."
I snap my fingers and a water shark appears in front of me, shooting forward and completely snuffing out the fireball. Hina easily dodges it, and it crashes harmlessly into a far off tree.
"That fireball got wiped out so easily," Naruto says. "So that means...fire loses to water, then?"
"Yes. Another example for you, this one a little more involved. Yamato?"
"Got it, senpai." He weaves seals before making a sturdy wall of earth.
"Recite the order, love," I say to Naruto.
"Fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind," he says.
"Good. Now, a little flashback for you. Pun intended, of course." I make the snake seal and gather lightning chakra in my mouth, then fire it. It rips right through the wall and sends cracks spreading along its surface.
"That's the jutsu you used for our test in the Academy," he says with realization.
"You remembered, wonderful," I say with a smile.
"Earth...lightning. I get it! The order you said them in...the first one is weak to the one that comes after it. So, water is weak to earth. And lightning is weak to wind. And wind is...what is it weak to?"
"Fire. It's a wheel," I explain.
"I see. So it goes back around in a circle, huh." He rubs his chin. "If there are only five elements though, how come Captain Yamato can make wood and stuff?"
"Those are advanced natures, and they're almost always the result of bloodline limits."
"Bloodline limits?" he asks.
I nod to Hina, and she steps forward. "It's an unwieldy term, to be sure. A way to put it is...there are abilities that are limited by the existence of certain bloodlines. So for example, the Sharingan does not manifest in those who do not come from or share the Uchiha bloodline. Master Kakashi received a Sharingan from a fallen comrade, but did not bring it into existence himself. His situation is different. An example of another bloodline limit present here is my Byakugan." She activates it silently, and the characteristic changes appear. More definition in her pupils, and raised veins near her eyes and around her temples due to increased blood flow. "It is different from the Sharingan in that it is present from birth, yet it also requires years of training before it can be properly used in combat. Not everyone who obtains a Byakugan can properly make use of it."
"I think I get it."
Hina nods and deactivates her Byakugan. "Captain Yamato's ability to create wooden constructs falls under a bloodline limit called Wood Release. It is shared with only one other person in history, the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju. Wood Release, if it were possible to manifest in others, would be a combination of water and earth natures, both of which Captain Yamato has."
"You've encountered a special child with an advanced nature before, Naruto," I say.
"I have? Hm..." He thinks it over a bit. "Advanced...so something that doesn't show up normally. Like...ice? Haku used ice when we fought him, back on our first mission. That's an advanced nature, right?"
"It is."
"So that's a bloodline limit, then?"
"Yes, that's right. Ice Release is made from a combination of water and wind natures. I also fought a woman with that ability, the Luminous Black Wolf herself."
"So you can't just mix elements together on your own?" he asks.
"Not at all. The ratios have to be absolutely perfect, and can change rapidly at any time. The only way to get the perfect mix and create a new element, one that is not on the existing wheel, is to have it coded into your body. It's a matter of genetics, like how you have much, much, much more chakra than many others in the village. Not everyone is born the same way."
"Huh. Well, I think I understand all that. So...there are five big elements, and then people have special blood that might let them use other elements. And it's the same sort of stuff that gets you the Sharingan and Byakugan and all of that," he concludes. "The elements go in a wheel, and they're strong against certain types but weak against others." He nods.
"That's right. You're getting the hang of this," I say to him.
"Right? I might be a bit smarter than I thought! Okay, so I know enough about the elements, and that the Fourth Hokage was trying to put one into the Rasengan, only it was super hard after he took like three years to make the Rasengan already...and he didn't get to do it before he died saving the village. Now the question is...how do I get one of those nature transforming things?"
"It's already inside of you, love."
"Inside...eh?"
"Here is where we find out which path you're going to take. You see, while we are all born with differing levels of chakra, abilities, bloodline limits, and so on, there is one constant in all of us. We are all born with at least one dominant element. Family and region can affect what that element is, but everyone has one," I say.
"Everyone? Even those who aren't shinobi?"
"Everyone. All living beings, such as humans, have chakra within them. And so everyone has a dominant nature, or natures. Most people have one. Rarer people have two. Exceptional beings have three at once, and we've never heard of anyone with four or all five, but they may very well be out there."
"Whoa. So...does it mean you're a stronger shinobi the more elements you're born with?" Naruto asks.
"Not at all," Kakashi says. "I'm up to four natures now, but I used to only have lightning in my pocket. As you grow, you can train and learn more chakra natures. It's just difficult to start with, and as you might understand, there are enough shinobi who don't get to live long enough to master such things. One of the few is someone you know, the Third Hokage."
"Gramps, huh."
"Lord Hokage is sometimes called The Professor, because of his vast knowledge of jutsu in the Leaf," Hina explains. "Some say that he knows the secret to every jutsu in the village, even the ones he can't personally perform."
"No way..."
"He also can perform all five nature transformations at will," I add.
"That's pretty crazy. But, if I'm hearing right...it makes sense since he's so old, and all that. So if I live long enough, I could learn all five natures."
"It has been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step," I say to Naruto. My hand comes out of my pouch, and I hold up five square sheets of paper. "This is step one."
"What's that, Lili?"
"Special sheets of paper. They detect what nature that a shinobi is predisposed to. Ane-ue gave one of these to me a few years ago."
"How do they do that?" he asks. I hand off a sheet each to the others, and place one in Naruto's hands gently.
"There is a certain type of tree that responds well to chakra. It properly absorbs it, and uses it to grow. Remember that chakra is life itself. The tree becomes sensitive to chakra, and is eventually harvested for its use in different applications. One of these is simply the creation of chakra-sensitive paper. It reacts to the strongest nature in your system, and has been used for generations to figure out what elements shinobi should train, and how to train them."
I nod to Kakashi, and his paper wrinkles in between his fingers.
"Kakashi-sensei's paper crinkled up," Naruto says. "What's that mean?"
"Did you forget already?" I ask. "Think back to earlier."
His brow furrows as he thinks. "Hmm...oh, right! Kakashi-sensei made the Chidori, so it's lightning!"
"Very good. Hina?"
"Yes." She has the paper start to burn in between her fingers as she holds it up. "My dominant nature is fire, though I also can use lightning quite well."
"Oh..." Naruto nods at that.
"And of course, I end up being a special one," I say as I hold up my paper. It wrinkles and becomes wet all at once, water dripping down my fingers.
"Lightning and...water. Is that right?"
"That's correct."
"Cool. So that doesn't happen usually?"
"It's very often one chakra nature or the other...as I mentioned before, it's rare that someone has two dominant natures at once, but it's even more rare that it happens without a bloodline limit following close behind. Water and lightning natures combined form Storm Release, which is a bloodline limit that currently has only been observed in Lightning Country and the Hidden Cloud."
"Man. There's so much going on..."
"We can worry about that a bit later. Now, it's your turn. Let's see what chakra nature will be imbued into your new and improved Rasengan."
He nods and focuses.
The paper splits apart cleanly in his hand.
"There we are. Your chakra nature is wind, Naruto."
"Wind..."
"It's relatively rare among those in the shinobi world, and quite strong once mastered," I say. "In terms of battle power, it can become nearly unstoppable. Wind gives you the ability to cut and sever most anything in your path. It is weak to fire, and often shinobi use wind techniques to boost their fire ones in battle when they can. It is, however, strong against lightning techniques. The collaborative efforts don't stop there. With water, you can increase the area of effect and overall damage, for example."
"Wow. So I got a real good one, huh?"
"You did. One of the best wind users in our world, if not the best currently, is Temari from Sand. You've seen her in action before. We also have Asuma here in the Leaf, who channels his nature through the trench knives he so favours. This increases their cutting ability and range, allowing him to shift in and out of close combat at will. It's a very versatile element." Danzo is an expert as well, but...we don't need to talk about that walking trash bin.
"Awesome! I'm so pumped, what are we gonna do next?" Naruto asks eagerly.
"We will have you start to do what wind nature chakra is supposed to do. And that is cut." I take out my notepad and tear a regular sheet from it, then hand it to Naruto.
"So I gotta cut this paper in half?"
"Yes. Using your chakra."
"Shouldn't be too hard..." He puts the paper in between his palms and concentrates. After a few moments of trying, he realizes that he's not getting anywhere.
"It's not something easy to do, is it?" I ask.
"Not really. Hrm..."
"Here. Take another sheet of the chakra paper, and send your chakra through it. I want you to pay attention to how it feels when the paper splits apart. Keep splitting the paper until you think you have it."
"Alright." He splits the small sheet again, then takes one of the pieces and splits it again, then does it one more time. After that, he pauses and looks down at the pieces in his hand for a while.
He nods and hands me the shredded paper, then puts his hands over top of the sheet of paper again. Concentrating, he suddenly stops and lifts one hand away. There's a small cut on the edge of the paper now. Barely beyond a nick, but it's something.
"Think I'm getting it...yeah..."
"Describe to me the sensation from earlier, Naruto. When you split the chakra paper," I say.
"Felt like...I guess the chakra coming out from my one palm was going against the other, and I had the paper in between them."
"Yes. That's the feeling you want to focus on. Split your chakra into two, then grind it against itself. You'll further the sensation of a blade between those two parts, being finely sharpened. That blade of sorts is what you'll use to cut into the chosen object. This is what I learned from talking to Asuma the other day."
"Sharpening, then..."
"Go and try again, love. See if you can get a bit further."
"Got it." He goes back to the sheet of paper, trying to integrate the new knowledge into his routine. A slightly deeper cut in the side of the paper is the result.
"Good. That's enough, Naruto."
"Eh? But I've barely done anything...I can't believe you guys have two and three chakra natures!"
"Certainly, starting from the bottom like this is a challenge. But you really will complete the Rasengan and do what the Fourth Hokage could not," I say confidently. "And you will do it quickly, and efficiently. The secret is something that's unique to you."
"R-really? What is it?"
"Multiple Shadow Clones."
"Shadow Clones?" he asks.
Kakashi clears his throat. "It's a bit hard to explain, but-"
"So the plan is to have a bunch of me do the exercise all at once, and then I'll have them poof out, send everything they've learned back to me, and all that knowledge will become my knowledge. Then I'll make more clones, do the whole thing again, get more knowledge, and repeat it until I know exactly how to use wind chakra," Naruto interrupts. "Right?"
"Yes!" I turn and stick my tongue out at Kakashi. "Nyeh~! I told you he'd figure it out quickly."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"The regular paper was just a test to see where you would be starting from. We'll come back to it a bit later. For now..." I nod towards the tree behind him. "One leaf for each clone. Are you ready?"
He grins and makes the clone seal.
"Hell yeah! Let's get this started!"
---
The first layer is coming along smoothly. Each clone out of hundreds has grabbed hold of a leaf, with the intention of cutting it into two. Not as hard as splitting the standard paper, but still much harder than splitting the chakra paper.
Still, he's getting it quickly.
On our side, three layers of defence. Hina is first, with her speed and ability to seal the chakra nodes within the body with her Gentle Fist. Myself, second. A certain seal that I've learned during my time away would work nicely. And last but not least, Yamato. The technique he uses to suppress the chakra of the Nine Tails is an involved one, requiring the use of the First Hokage's necklace and a ritual area. It's called Hokage-Style Sixty Year Old Technique – Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands. Some call it the Tenth Edict to shorten it. Cowardly, if you ask me.
Yamato sits inside of a ring of ten wooden pillars that have tops shaped like dragon's heads. He holds up his palm, which has the character for 'sit' currently emblazoned on it. I don't envy his position and having to sit in place, but I suppose that's the privilege of a senpai to not worry about such things. With all of this, we're set to take on any problems as they might arise.
"Getting it!"
"Whoa, nice job!"
"That guy's good."
"Of course he is, dude. That's you."
"You're also me, though. And you kinda suck right now."
"Harsh..."
I can't help but giggle at that. At least he's relaxed during this stage. The next part will be an even bigger test.
"Alright, darling. It's time to stop and absorb your lessons for now," I call to him.
"Sure!" Naruto has all of his clones disappear into puffs of smoke. "Alright, I really think...I'm...uhh..."
His eyes close, and Hina catches him before he can fall over.
"What happened?" Yamato asks.
"It's the risky part to this kind of training," Kakashi explains. "Shadow Clones allow you to accumulate knowledge across the different copies of yourself, meaning that you can get an incredible amount of information all at once. But that's not the only thing that transfers over. While there's a mechanism that disperses physical and other types of forced damage, all of the mental exertion that goes on normally is carried over along with the information."
"I see. It's no wonder people don't use this sort of training too often, then. The benefits are good, but the risks are heavy, too. And I would imagine that people only use one clone, maybe two. Not a hundred, or a thousand."
"That's right," I say to Yamato. "Naruto is the only person able to do something like this. First because of the sheer number of clones he can create at once, and next because of his recovery speed and sheer fortitude. It's an extreme type of training that only someone like him could accomplish."
I watch as Hina sets him down on a blanket.
"It's more than a matter of ability or lineage...having those isn't enough. It's heart and soul. The things that make Naruto, Naruto. Enough talented people exist in this world, but none of them would have been able to accomplish what he has in his life. That is the truth. And we're here for him, so he definitely won't fail."
"His vitals are normal, and chakra flow is still regular," Hina says as she watches over him. "I think things are going well for now. He should be awake in about ten minutes."
"Only ten?" Kakashi asks. He's already reading again. "He's gotten a bit tougher since we first met."
"How much more training is there after this?" Hina asks.
"The next step is to get this up to battle standard," I say. "That means he'll at least be able to use it for attacking and defending. We've collaborated on something that will push him a bit in that regard. After that will be putting it into the Rasengan itself, and I think I know how we can do that quickly enough...but I want to let him figure it out for a while before then."
"I see. He might be able to do it on his own, considering..."
"I think so, too."
"What are you two going on about?" Yamato asks.
"Girls' stuff. Don't worry about it," I say while waving him off. He sighs and shakes his head.
"Man...what the heck happened...?"
Hina helps Naruto sit up slowly.
"I passed out. That's never happened before," he mutters.
"You've never had to handle that much information at once before. Most people don't, not even you with as many clones as you tend to use. The fatigue from all of your copies comes back to you along with the information."
"So this is going to keep happening, huh."
"It depends on how much progress you make at once. We'll make sure you're not hurting yourself."
"Appreciate that."
"So. Let's see your progress," I say as I hand him another piece of paper. He nods and places it in between his hands before focusing.
The sound of tearing is audible this time, and as he removes his hands, I can see that he's cut a quarter way across the sheet resting in his palm.
"You've got this," I say with a smile. "Ready to go again?"
"You know I am!" He jumps to his feet and makes a seal once more. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Elementality"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 2]
---
Today is the day. The start of our second part of training.
I've made all of the necessary notes and studied them beforehand, so that I know what to do and when to do it as I'm teaching. One of the things that I love about Naruto, and one of the things that makes him a bit difficult to teach, is his curiosity. He loves to explore topics and figure things out on his own. There might be a little bit of that here, but not too much. I want to be able to get through this before having to deal with Jiraiya's nonsense, or that of anyone else high up in the village.
With the Rasengan already learned, I have an idea of what it will take to complete the next stage of the jutsu. There are also some concerns I have that really won't be apparent until later, but we'll be able to watch for that due to our setup. Fio is out running this morning, so I grab my backpack and satchel, check over the room, and lock up before heading towards my destination.
We've picked out a spacious area just outside of the village, surrounded by large and healthy trees. The three people I've selected are already here ahead of schedule. Kakashi, for his expertise and skill as an individual instructor. Yamato, for his help in suppressing the Nine Tails' chakra, since I have a feeling that will come up often. And finally, Hina. She'll be the other half of Naruto's emotional support with me, and will serve as our medic, observer, and primary means of shutting down the fox chakra if it should get unruly. The perfect person to watch over this series of exercises.
"Good morning, all," I say as I arrive. "Naruto should be here in a minute or two...how are we feeling today?"
"Doing alright," Kakashi says as he reads. "You're sure that you need my help?"
"I wouldn't bother you otherwise. You have your own things to do, as I know well enough."
"That's a good point."
"How is Ruki doing?"
"She's doing okay. Just busy right now...they're having a series of events at the shrine, and they were low on staff before, plus she's been training others. But she's taking care of herself."
"Good. Tell her that I miss her dearly."
"I'll be sure to."
"Senpai, a question," Yamato asks me.
"Of course. What might you need?"
"These sorts of exercises usually take a while to see results, but from what I understand...you mean to get this done within a week or two. Do you really think that he'll advance that quickly with the method we're proposing?"
"I do, yes. If Kakashi and I have the right of it, he can complete this art faster than anyone could have realized before. I just hope that it doesn't take too much of a toll on him. That's part of why I asked him to teach me the Rasengan..."
Yamato blinks at that. "Sorry, Naruto taught you the Rasengan? Isn't that jutsu...?"
"This is the same woman who learned that chakra mode of hers in less than a month. Both stages, even," Kakashi says. "That was when she wasn't as much of a threat to the shinobi world as she is now."
"I see..."
"Yo! Morning, everybody!"
Naruto drops in and salutes us.
"Ready to start, ma'am."
I nod and set down my bags. "Good. Welcome to your training session, my love. You might notice the cast we have assembled here, and it's for good reason. This is where we start on the second part of your journey towards an ultimate technique, based on the Rasengan."
"Awesome. Let's do it!" He pumps his fists before pausing. "Oh, right. So...what are we starting with, exactly? I think you mentioned an element, or something like that?"
"I did. Allow us to start from the top. Pay attention, now."
"Yeah."
"There are two main components to the advanced Rasengan that you will be creating over the next few days. The first is something that we went over together, which is shape transformation. You have learned a technique that is among the highest levels of shape transformation to exist in the shinobi world. The amount of skill it takes to compress and stabilize rapidly rotating chakra in the manner that you do is nothing to sneeze at. Humans tend to take things from nature and have echoes of it in their own designs...I believe that the Fourth took inspiration from something he saw in the past, and used that to create the Rasengan. I wouldn't know what at this time, though. With that in mind, he attempted to add his own chakra nature to the Rasengan, but could not do so before he was taken from this world suddenly. And I have someone to testify to that fact here."
"That's right." Kakashi puts away his book and turns one palm upwards. Chakra starts to visibly gather and swirl around inside of it, much to Naruto's shock.
"W-wait! That's...!"
"Yes. This is the Rasengan. You might recall that the Fourth was my old teacher, Naruto." Kakashi has a relatively small Rasengan hovering above his palm. "I was able to copy it when I saw it, but actually getting the technique to work was another thing entirely. As usual, I'm a bit jealous of Lili since she was able to learn it about half a day."
"You've got to be kidding me," Yamato says.
"That sounds about right," Hina says, nodding.
"Sensei talked about adding an element to the Rasengan, as a long term project that he was working on. I was surprised myself back then, thinking that, much like you did, the technique was a complete one on its own. But it was just the first step towards something even bigger." Kakashi has the Rasengan disappear from his palm.
"So it's like Lili said...the Rasengan's not finished. Then we're supposed to add an element to it, or something like that," Naruto says.
"And with that, I will explain how these elements work," I say, taking the reins from Kakashi smoothly. "Do you notice how each of the five shinobi nations is named? Each of them have titles relating to the five basic elements, or nature transformations. We live in Fire Country here, and so the highest ranking military leader here is named the Hokage. There's Lightning to the northeast, Water to the east, Earth to the northwest, and Wind to the west. That much is easy to understand, yes?"
"Yeah, pretty easy."
"Remember now, these are the five basic natures: fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind. I've listed them in a certain order, and I will show you why that is. Hina, shall we?"
"Yes."
We move so that we're standing across from each other, at a safe distance.
"Here is fire."
Hina makes a set of seals before breathing out a mid-sized fireball.
"And here is water."
I snap my fingers and a water shark appears in front of me, shooting forward and completely snuffing out the fireball. Hina easily dodges it, and it crashes harmlessly into a far off tree.
"That fireball got wiped out so easily," Naruto says. "So that means...fire loses to water, then?"
"Yes. Another example for you, this one a little more involved. Yamato?"
"Got it, senpai." He weaves seals before making a sturdy wall of earth.
"Recite the order, love," I say to Naruto.
"Fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind," he says.
"Good. Now, a little flashback for you. Pun intended, of course." I make the snake seal and gather lightning chakra in my mouth, then fire it. It rips right through the wall and sends cracks spreading along its surface.
"That's the jutsu you used for our test in the Academy," he says with realization.
"You remembered, wonderful," I say with a smile.
"Earth...lightning. I get it! The order you said them in...the first one is weak to the one that comes after it. So, water is weak to earth. And lightning is weak to wind. And wind is...what is it weak to?"
"Fire. It's a wheel," I explain.
"I see. So it goes back around in a circle, huh." He rubs his chin. "If there are only five elements though, how come Captain Yamato can make wood and stuff?"
"Those are advanced natures, and they're almost always the result of bloodline limits."
"Bloodline limits?" he asks.
I nod to Hina, and she steps forward. "It's an unwieldy term, to be sure. A way to put it is...there are abilities that are limited by the existence of certain bloodlines. So for example, the Sharingan does not manifest in those who do not come from or share the Uchiha bloodline. Master Kakashi received a Sharingan from a fallen comrade, but did not bring it into existence himself. His situation is different. An example of another bloodline limit present here is my Byakugan." She activates it silently, and the characteristic changes appear. More definition in her pupils, and raised veins near her eyes and around her temples due to increased blood flow. "It is different from the Sharingan in that it is present from birth, yet it also requires years of training before it can be properly used in combat. Not everyone who obtains a Byakugan can properly make use of it."
"I think I get it."
Hina nods and deactivates her Byakugan. "Captain Yamato's ability to create wooden constructs falls under a bloodline limit called Wood Release. It is shared with only one other person in history, the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju. Wood Release, if it were possible to manifest in others, would be a combination of water and earth natures, both of which Captain Yamato has."
"You've encountered a special child with an advanced nature before, Naruto," I say.
"I have? Hm..." He thinks it over a bit. "Advanced...so something that doesn't show up normally. Like...ice? Haku used ice when we fought him, back on our first mission. That's an advanced nature, right?"
"It is."
"So that's a bloodline limit, then?"
"Yes, that's right. Ice Release is made from a combination of water and wind natures. I also fought a woman with that ability, the Luminous Black Wolf herself."
"So you can't just mix elements together on your own?" he asks.
"Not at all. The ratios have to be absolutely perfect, and can change rapidly at any time. The only way to get the perfect mix and create a new element, one that is not on the existing wheel, is to have it coded into your body. It's a matter of genetics, like how you have much, much, much more chakra than many others in the village. Not everyone is born the same way."
"Huh. Well, I think I understand all that. So...there are five big elements, and then people have special blood that might let them use other elements. And it's the same sort of stuff that gets you the Sharingan and Byakugan and all of that," he concludes. "The elements go in a wheel, and they're strong against certain types but weak against others." He nods.
"That's right. You're getting the hang of this," I say to him.
"Right? I might be a bit smarter than I thought! Okay, so I know enough about the elements, and that the Fourth Hokage was trying to put one into the Rasengan, only it was super hard after he took like three years to make the Rasengan already...and he didn't get to do it before he died saving the village. Now the question is...how do I get one of those nature transforming things?"
"It's already inside of you, love."
"Inside...eh?"
"Here is where we find out which path you're going to take. You see, while we are all born with differing levels of chakra, abilities, bloodline limits, and so on, there is one constant in all of us. We are all born with at least one dominant element. Family and region can affect what that element is, but everyone has one," I say.
"Everyone? Even those who aren't shinobi?"
"Everyone. All living beings, such as humans, have chakra within them. And so everyone has a dominant nature, or natures. Most people have one. Rarer people have two. Exceptional beings have three at once, and we've never heard of anyone with four or all five, but they may very well be out there."
"Whoa. So...does it mean you're a stronger shinobi the more elements you're born with?" Naruto asks.
"Not at all," Kakashi says. "I'm up to four natures now, but I used to only have lightning in my pocket. As you grow, you can train and learn more chakra natures. It's just difficult to start with, and as you might understand, there are enough shinobi who don't get to live long enough to master such things. One of the few is someone you know, the Third Hokage."
"Gramps, huh."
"Lord Hokage is sometimes called The Professor, because of his vast knowledge of jutsu in the Leaf," Hina explains. "Some say that he knows the secret to every jutsu in the village, even the ones he can't personally perform."
"No way..."
"He also can perform all five nature transformations at will," I add.
"That's pretty crazy. But, if I'm hearing right...it makes sense since he's so old, and all that. So if I live long enough, I could learn all five natures."
"It has been said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step," I say to Naruto. My hand comes out of my pouch, and I hold up five square sheets of paper. "This is step one."
"What's that, Lili?"
"Special sheets of paper. They detect what nature that a shinobi is predisposed to. Ane-ue gave one of these to me a few years ago."
"How do they do that?" he asks. I hand off a sheet each to the others, and place one in Naruto's hands gently.
"There is a certain type of tree that responds well to chakra. It properly absorbs it, and uses it to grow. Remember that chakra is life itself. The tree becomes sensitive to chakra, and is eventually harvested for its use in different applications. One of these is simply the creation of chakra-sensitive paper. It reacts to the strongest nature in your system, and has been used for generations to figure out what elements shinobi should train, and how to train them."
I nod to Kakashi, and his paper wrinkles in between his fingers.
"Kakashi-sensei's paper crinkled up," Naruto says. "What's that mean?"
"Did you forget already?" I ask. "Think back to earlier."
His brow furrows as he thinks. "Hmm...oh, right! Kakashi-sensei made the Chidori, so it's lightning!"
"Very good. Hina?"
"Yes." She has the paper start to burn in between her fingers as she holds it up. "My dominant nature is fire, though I also can use lightning quite well."
"Oh..." Naruto nods at that.
"And of course, I end up being a special one," I say as I hold up my paper. It wrinkles and becomes wet all at once, water dripping down my fingers.
"Lightning and...water. Is that right?"
"That's correct."
"Cool. So that doesn't happen usually?"
"It's very often one chakra nature or the other...as I mentioned before, it's rare that someone has two dominant natures at once, but it's even more rare that it happens without a bloodline limit following close behind. Water and lightning natures combined form Storm Release, which is a bloodline limit that currently has only been observed in Lightning Country and the Hidden Cloud."
"Man. There's so much going on..."
"We can worry about that a bit later. Now, it's your turn. Let's see what chakra nature will be imbued into your new and improved Rasengan."
He nods and focuses.
The paper splits apart cleanly in his hand.
"There we are. Your chakra nature is wind, Naruto."
"Wind..."
"It's relatively rare among those in the shinobi world, and quite strong once mastered," I say. "In terms of battle power, it can become nearly unstoppable. Wind gives you the ability to cut and sever most anything in your path. It is weak to fire, and often shinobi use wind techniques to boost their fire ones in battle when they can. It is, however, strong against lightning techniques. The collaborative efforts don't stop there. With water, you can increase the area of effect and overall damage, for example."
"Wow. So I got a real good one, huh?"
"You did. One of the best wind users in our world, if not the best currently, is Temari from Sand. You've seen her in action before. We also have Asuma here in the Leaf, who channels his nature through the trench knives he so favours. This increases their cutting ability and range, allowing him to shift in and out of close combat at will. It's a very versatile element." Danzo is an expert as well, but...we don't need to talk about that walking trash bin.
"Awesome! I'm so pumped, what are we gonna do next?" Naruto asks eagerly.
"We will have you start to do what wind nature chakra is supposed to do. And that is cut." I take out my notepad and tear a regular sheet from it, then hand it to Naruto.
"So I gotta cut this paper in half?"
"Yes. Using your chakra."
"Shouldn't be too hard..." He puts the paper in between his palms and concentrates. After a few moments of trying, he realizes that he's not getting anywhere.
"It's not something easy to do, is it?" I ask.
"Not really. Hrm..."
"Here. Take another sheet of the chakra paper, and send your chakra through it. I want you to pay attention to how it feels when the paper splits apart. Keep splitting the paper until you think you have it."
"Alright." He splits the small sheet again, then takes one of the pieces and splits it again, then does it one more time. After that, he pauses and looks down at the pieces in his hand for a while.
He nods and hands me the shredded paper, then puts his hands over top of the sheet of paper again. Concentrating, he suddenly stops and lifts one hand away. There's a small cut on the edge of the paper now. Barely beyond a nick, but it's something.
"Think I'm getting it...yeah..."
"Describe to me the sensation from earlier, Naruto. When you split the chakra paper," I say.
"Felt like...I guess the chakra coming out from my one palm was going against the other, and I had the paper in between them."
"Yes. That's the feeling you want to focus on. Split your chakra into two, then grind it against itself. You'll further the sensation of a blade between those two parts, being finely sharpened. That blade of sorts is what you'll use to cut into the chosen object. This is what I learned from talking to Asuma the other day."
"Sharpening, then..."
"Go and try again, love. See if you can get a bit further."
"Got it." He goes back to the sheet of paper, trying to integrate the new knowledge into his routine. A slightly deeper cut in the side of the paper is the result.
"Good. That's enough, Naruto."
"Eh? But I've barely done anything...I can't believe you guys have two and three chakra natures!"
"Certainly, starting from the bottom like this is a challenge. But you really will complete the Rasengan and do what the Fourth Hokage could not," I say confidently. "And you will do it quickly, and efficiently. The secret is something that's unique to you."
"R-really? What is it?"
"Multiple Shadow Clones."
"Shadow Clones?" he asks.
Kakashi clears his throat. "It's a bit hard to explain, but-"
"So the plan is to have a bunch of me do the exercise all at once, and then I'll have them poof out, send everything they've learned back to me, and all that knowledge will become my knowledge. Then I'll make more clones, do the whole thing again, get more knowledge, and repeat it until I know exactly how to use wind chakra," Naruto interrupts. "Right?"
"Yes!" I turn and stick my tongue out at Kakashi. "Nyeh~! I told you he'd figure it out quickly."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"The regular paper was just a test to see where you would be starting from. We'll come back to it a bit later. For now..." I nod towards the tree behind him. "One leaf for each clone. Are you ready?"
He grins and makes the clone seal.
"Hell yeah! Let's get this started!"
---
The first layer is coming along smoothly. Each clone out of hundreds has grabbed hold of a leaf, with the intention of cutting it into two. Not as hard as splitting the standard paper, but still much harder than splitting the chakra paper.
Still, he's getting it quickly.
On our side, three layers of defence. Hina is first, with her speed and ability to seal the chakra nodes within the body with her Gentle Fist. Myself, second. A certain seal that I've learned during my time away would work nicely. And last but not least, Yamato. The technique he uses to suppress the chakra of the Nine Tails is an involved one, requiring the use of the First Hokage's necklace and a ritual area. It's called Hokage-Style Sixty Year Old Technique – Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands. Some call it the Tenth Edict to shorten it. Cowardly, if you ask me.
Yamato sits inside of a ring of ten wooden pillars that have tops shaped like dragon's heads. He holds up his palm, which has the character for 'sit' currently emblazoned on it. I don't envy his position and having to sit in place, but I suppose that's the privilege of a senpai to not worry about such things. With all of this, we're set to take on any problems as they might arise.
"Getting it!"
"Whoa, nice job!"
"That guy's good."
"Of course he is, dude. That's you."
"You're also me, though. And you kinda suck right now."
"Harsh..."
I can't help but giggle at that. At least he's relaxed during this stage. The next part will be an even bigger test.
"Alright, darling. It's time to stop and absorb your lessons for now," I call to him.
"Sure!" Naruto has all of his clones disappear into puffs of smoke. "Alright, I really think...I'm...uhh..."
His eyes close, and Hina catches him before he can fall over.
"What happened?" Yamato asks.
"It's the risky part to this kind of training," Kakashi explains. "Shadow Clones allow you to accumulate knowledge across the different copies of yourself, meaning that you can get an incredible amount of information all at once. But that's not the only thing that transfers over. While there's a mechanism that disperses physical and other types of forced damage, all of the mental exertion that goes on normally is carried over along with the information."
"I see. It's no wonder people don't use this sort of training too often, then. The benefits are good, but the risks are heavy, too. And I would imagine that people only use one clone, maybe two. Not a hundred, or a thousand."
"That's right," I say to Yamato. "Naruto is the only person able to do something like this. First because of the sheer number of clones he can create at once, and next because of his recovery speed and sheer fortitude. It's an extreme type of training that only someone like him could accomplish."
I watch as Hina sets him down on a blanket.
"It's more than a matter of ability or lineage...having those isn't enough. It's heart and soul. The things that make Naruto, Naruto. Enough talented people exist in this world, but none of them would have been able to accomplish what he has in his life. That is the truth. And we're here for him, so he definitely won't fail."
"His vitals are normal, and chakra flow is still regular," Hina says as she watches over him. "I think things are going well for now. He should be awake in about ten minutes."
"Only ten?" Kakashi asks. He's already reading again. "He's gotten a bit tougher since we first met."
"How much more training is there after this?" Hina asks.
"The next step is to get this up to battle standard," I say. "That means he'll at least be able to use it for attacking and defending. We've collaborated on something that will push him a bit in that regard. After that will be putting it into the Rasengan itself, and I think I know how we can do that quickly enough...but I want to let him figure it out for a while before then."
"I see. He might be able to do it on his own, considering..."
"I think so, too."
"What are you two going on about?" Yamato asks.
"Girls' stuff. Don't worry about it," I say while waving him off. He sighs and shakes his head.
"Man...what the heck happened...?"
Hina helps Naruto sit up slowly.
"I passed out. That's never happened before," he mutters.
"You've never had to handle that much information at once before. Most people don't, not even you with as many clones as you tend to use. The fatigue from all of your copies comes back to you along with the information."
"So this is going to keep happening, huh."
"It depends on how much progress you make at once. We'll make sure you're not hurting yourself."
"Appreciate that."
"So. Let's see your progress," I say as I hand him another piece of paper. He nods and places it in between his hands before focusing.
The sound of tearing is audible this time, and as he removes his hands, I can see that he's cut a quarter way across the sheet resting in his palm.
"You've got this," I say with a smile. "Ready to go again?"
"You know I am!" He jumps to his feet and makes a seal once more. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Great Breakthrough
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Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 35
"Great Breakthrough"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 3]
---
A day of work is followed by a night of rest. We start again in the morning, and Naruto makes more clones, then has them pick up the leaves in place from the day before.
"I think we're done!" one of them says after a few minutes.
"So you've got it, then?" I ask him.
"Just watch!" he says with a smile. All at once, they start to slice through the leaves in their hands. Each copy of Naruto holds up their split leaves as soon as they finish.
"Very good. Step one is complete," I say with a nod.
"Yes!" A loud cheer comes from all of the Narutos present.
"Time to rest for a few minutes. I'll have my breakfast in the meantime."
Naruto disperses all of his clones before sitting down, and then falling backwards onto the grass. Hina hands out breakfast to everyone, he wakes up a few minutes later, and starts to shovel down his food before Hina stops him.
"Slow down, Naruto. We have all the time we need, remember."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I know you're excited for the next part," she says while rubbing his back. "Just remember to eat properly. You're going to need your energy."
"Right. Thanks, Hinata."
"It's no trouble. I'll get you some more rice."
We enjoy Hina's home cooked meal and finish up with some warm tea. A bit of rest to let the food settle, some stretching, and then it's back to work again. I hand Naruto a sheet of paper and he puts it in between his palms.
"Hup!"
With a smile, he holds up the two cleanly cut pieces for me to see.
"You've completed the first step. Well done, my darling. Now, we move onto the next one. Since you're a visual learner, I am going to show you the great importance of what we're about to do next." I call one of Murakumo to my hand. "Recognize this?"
"That's one of your special chakra knives."
"Yes. Asuma uses something similar, a pair of specially designed trench knives that are worn like brass knuckles. They fit in very well with his close range style of combat. They are also made of a unique metal that allows him to quickly and easily imbue his chakra nature into them. It's faster and more efficient than using a kunai, or a normal sort of sword, for example. Murakumo is much the same. Its superiority comes from the fact that it is made with Red Iron, which is harder to work with and more expensive, but gives even greater returns."
I twirl the knife in my hand before handing it to him by the blade.
"Channel your wind nature chakra through that, love."
"Okay." He focuses and does so. The shape flowing around the blade is lumpy and uneven.
"Do you see how your chakra looks?"
"Yeah. I don't think that's right...guess I don't have good enough control yet."
"Control is a different issue. It's something else that you lack currently. Hina?"
"Yes." She gently takes the blade from Naruto's hand as he looks on in confusion. I drop a good distance back and flare up my chakra mode.
"Begin."
Hina runs forward before anyone can react, and draws back her hand with the wind infused blade in it. She slashes across my stomach, the two chakras flaring up and making loud crackling noises as they clash. Eventually the blade bounces off, and Hina takes a step back.
"Dramatic," Kakashi quips.
"Senpai, seriously?" Yamato complains. "Did you have to do that?"
"Impactful demonstrations are better for the student. Not to mention quite entertaining and stimulating. That did get the point across, no?" I ask him.
He puts a hand to his face.
"Uh..." Naruto blinks a few times. "You...I mean, yeah. That was kinda surprising, but...the chakra thing."
"Take your time," I say. Hina hands me back Murakumo, and I wave away the smoke flowing from the blade.
"Yeah. Okay, so...that should have cut you...I mean, that's how the element thing works. Right?"
"When two jutsu of equal strength meet, it is their chakra nature that determines which one wins," I explain. "A wind jutsu and a lightning jutsu will have the wind jutsu win out, when all things are considered equal. That demonstration you just saw was to show you what happens when things are not equal. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode covers multiple roles depending on the situation. It can be offensive, allowing the user to imbue their attacks with lightning nature and gain advantageous properties. It can be supplementary, allowing the user to increase not only their speed, but perception of reality and reaction time. And it can be defensive, blunting the damage of attacks and protecting the user from fatal blows. For that demonstration, it was far stronger than the wind chakra you put into Murakumo. The point is to show you that having an advantage in type means nothing if the level of chakra is weak and unrefined. An Uchiha's fire technique can swallow up the average water jutsu. One swing of Temari's fan can erase flames from existence. A strong enough water jutsu can punch through a wall of earth."
I have Murakumo disappear from my hand.
"And so, we will complete your wind nature training with this next session. The idea is to have you generate more power than before, so that you can use it practically in battles from now on. And with it being battle ready..."
"...it means I can add it to the Rasengan," he finishes.
"That's correct. Yamato, shall we begin?"
"Got it."
I jump over to the designated spot in the middle of the field. Yamato makes seals and claps his hands, creating a large, circular basin around me. About five feet or so high, just as we planned. Another set of seals, and he creates a wooden ring on the inside that serves as a platform and resting place. And for myself, a nice and sturdy chair raised into the air.
"Thank you. Now the rest is up to me."
I weave my own seals and spit out a great deal of water, enough to fill up the basin quickly. Walking on top of the surface, I dip my toes beneath it and gently make circles using my foot. The currents move clockwise at my urging, picking up speed. I stop and lift my foot from the water once I am satisfied.
"Here is your next task, Naruto." I hop backwards and float into my seat. "You are going to use your wind nature to carve a path through the water, and reach this throne that I sit in. There should be room enough for more than a few copies of yourself. All you need is one to reach the goal, and you will have all you need for your first true chakra nature."
"You want me to...cut the water?"
"Mm-hm. However you might like. Just take this advice with you...unlike the previous exercise, more clones does not equal mean greater success. Understand how your technique works, darling."
"That's it?"
"That's all for now. Ask me again in a few hours...I'll know if you're struggling or not."
"Hrm...alright. Guess I've got no choice but to go for it, then." He pulls off his jacket and shirt before dropping into the water. "Wow, it's deep...cold, too..."
Mm. Always nice to get a good look at that body of his. He's really been working these past few years, huh. Hina's lucky to have locked him up early.
"I can see you, Lili."
"I know, dear," I say to her. "I'll just be ogling your boyfriend for a few minutes longer. That should be okay, right?"
"Senpai...there's such a thing as being too honest, you realize that?" Yamato says with a wry smile.
"As if I could believe in such a thing. There's nothing wrong with obeying one's urges when the time is right. Especially harmless ones like this."
"You seem to think you're safe up there."
"I have no reason to think otherwise."
"Not wise to play games you have no chance of winning," Kakashi says while turning a page. "That's why you're still a kouhai, Tenzo."
"Oi..."
Hina sighs. "I'll get started on lunch. Something to occupy my thoughts aside from strangling my sister up there..."
Naruto hops back onto the wooden platform and catches his breath.
"Alright, nothing's happening yet...so we'll try with more people. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
---
"Dammit! How are we supposed to do this?"
"We gotta use more power, somehow. I got a little bit of progress before."
"Still not enough. We've all gotta do it at once, or else it won't work out."
"Maybe we try and boost each other?"
"Some of us on the other side tried it. Didn't work very well."
Icha Icha Garden didn't end as well as it should have, but it was a decent read on the whole. Too bad the author seemed to have lost their touch...actually, it felt like they had gained some contempt for the main character for whatever reason, and revelled in their suffering from time to time. Disturbing to think about, considering...
I put it away and reach for a more pleasant read, one of my beloved, trashy little novels that I've read a few dozen times by now. Looking down at the many Narutos in the water, I see that they've made a little bit of progress towards their shared goal. Of course, I won't tell them how well they're actually doing, and neither will anyone else. Not yet, at least.
"Lunch will be ready to eat in a half hour," Hina calls to us. That's our cue to stop for now.
"Naruto, time to rest," I say.
"You sure?"
"Yes. I want you to eat and take a proper break. You've been at this all morning."
"Alright..." He starts to disperse the clones and my eyes widen.
"Don't do that while you're still in the water-!"
"What?" The clones disappear. "What are...you..."
I jump down and fish him from the water before he completely falls in. I love him, but he definitely has rocks rolling around in that head of his. Carrying him to our lunch site, I set him down on a blanket and put a towel over him so that he can dry off a little.
Hina looks at him wearily, then to me.
"You're marrying this," I say.
"You are exhausting sometimes."
"Mm."
"Maybe you shouldn't bully the person preparing your food," Yamato says as he sits. "Or any of the people helping to ensure your safety, for that matter."
"Not everyone leads as boring a life as you, my dear."
Yamato looks at Kakashi and sighs, then to Hina. They seem to be sharing a moment.
"Now you understand," she says.
"Completely," he replies.
Always nice to bond over something, I suppose.
---
From afternoon, to evening, to night. Progress has seemingly stalled.
A bit of frustration bubbles to the surface as morning comes around again, but with only brief flarings of the Nine Tails' chakra, it's nothing to worry about. I sit on my chair and alternate between reading, daydreaming, and napping as Naruto works away below me. Yamato is monitoring faithfully while Hina and Kakashi rest in the shade of a tree.
It's supposed to be hot tomorrow. Hina is going on a supply run, so I'll ask her to pick up sunscreen.
---
The fifth day.
"Oi, Lili!"
I readjust my sunglasses and rotate in my chair to properly sit. "Did you need something, love?"
"Some help would be great, honestly. Seriously, I'm so stumped!" he calls from below. "There's gotta be something!"
"Thinking about shortcuts? Unfortunately, there are none here. You have to generate the necessary power for your wind nature, or you won't succeed," I reply.
"Is that seriously it?"
"Yes. Very similar to your water walking and tree climbing exercises. Just chakra and power adjustments. There is a hint I can give you for this stage, though."
"What is it?"
"Your Shadow Clones. Think about how many you actually need for your progress. I designed this training method in this manner for a reason. Adjust your strategy, and think about how your chakra is spread out. Two is half. Three is one third. Ten is one tenth. Do you understand?"
"Yeah...think I get it now."
"Find your balance. If you're still struggling after today, I will have Yamato make an adjustment for us. Is that fair?" I ask.
"Yeah. Lili...do you seriously think I can do this?"
"I've said this to you before. I don't think anything," I say firmly. He smiles and nods before going back to the edge of the pool.
He's at work again. With his palms, he's able to generate enough wind chakra to push away the water in front of him, despite the rotating current. He's able to take a few steps forward, before his strength begins to fade and the water washes over him. So it is for the other clones.
Kakashi and Yamato had another exercise in mind...whatever it was, I think it would have been a lower difficulty than this. That won't do at all. More than just a new form of the Rasengan, I want Naruto to be able to learn other useful jutsu that complement his creativity and skill. Clones and a close range chakra sphere aren't enough. We can't take chances against Akatsuki. Right now, Naruto is doing something in days that it would take others months to work up to.
He can do this. I know he can.
---
Eight days.
With the number of clones used, and near continuous training...we've neared about fifty thousand hours of work already for Naruto. Somewhere between three and five years of effort in a week and a bit. The kind of training that, as said, is only possible because of who he is. A naturally large reserve of chakra, the strength of being a jinchuuriki, and incredible fortitude from a heart that doesn't know the meaning of giving up.
Now, with all of that together...we'll see the end of this part of the journey.
"All right, let's get this done! This is the one, guys!" one Naruto calls out.
"Yeah!"
"Let's do it!"
"Hell yeah! I can smell the win from here!"
"Remember the plan and stick to it! Ready!"
"Set!"
"Go!"
And so they start. I sit up in my chair, bathing in the sun's heat while watching my beloved friend move mountains with his will. He and his clones move forward, taking heavy steps towards the platform where my chair sits. Then, they start the next part of the sequence. Every other clone moves sideways, while the others remain in place, holding themselves steady against the water. Now they're paired up.
A few more steps forward. Moving sideways again, but with more strength on their side in pairs. Meeting up and making groups of four that operate in a square. Two at the front pushing back the water, two in the back aiming both in front and on an angle to the sides, helping keep pressure off the others.
Forward, sideways. The groups grow. The formation changes again, and now they're starting to spread out slowly again, pushing forward against the swirling water. They've gone past halfway. More than three quarters.
"Come on!"
And slowly, they near. Converging on the goal...until one Naruto reaches up and puts his hand on the leg of my tall chair.
"All...done!"
"Whoa!"
The current eventually becomes too much as they become exhausted, and are swept away towards the edges of the pool once more.
I step from my perch and float towards the water, picking up the real Naruto and setting him down on the outside of our makeshift pool.
"I...got it. Right?"
"You certainly did, my love. Well done...I'm so very proud of you." I hold him in my arms and kiss him on the forehead. "Now take your very well deserved rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."
"Yeah...sounds good." He makes a seal and has his clones disperse. A moment later, his eyes close and he's still against my body.
"I have to hand it to you, Lili...your faith in Naruto is nothing short of amazing," Kakashi says. "The training that Yamato and I had worked out wasn't much compared to this. I was worried that we were going to be here a month or two at the least, but...Naruto pulled it off. Just like you thought he would."
"I can't figure out where he gets all of that...everything from," Yamato says.
"Love is the strongest thing in this world," Hina says to him. "It was what saved my life, and what changed Naruto's. When people are loved earnestly by others, it allows them to do things that most would consider impossible. Now that Naruto has overcome this, he can become the strong shinobi he's always dreamed of being. And with our love, he'll be able to do the things that people say can't be done."
Hina kneels next to me, and I pass Naruto to her. She smiles and gently strokes his cheek as he sleeps.
"But this...is more than a simple love. This strength to move the mountains themselves can only come from the affections of an angel. A woman who is called goddess in this shinobi world," she says as she looks at me.
"And it is with that affection that he will be carried into, and through, this final stage," I say.
Naruto wakes up after a few minutes, still drained and dizzy.
"The second and final part of your wind nature training is complete," I say to him. "Now you will be able to use it properly in battle."
"Heh...not bad for a few days' work..."
"Indeed. The remainder of this day will be dedicated to refreshment and rest. For what is coming next will be difficult, and unavoidable. This is new territory for you...the creation of a new ultimate technique. A brand new Rasengan, one beyond what the Fourth Hokage could create."
He smiles and nods.
"Tomorrow is a new day. Take pride in what you have done today...and be ready to put it out of your mind in the next."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'll cook for us tonight," I say to Hina. "A little extra treat for our efforts shouldn't hurt."
"Wonder what we're eating. Can't wait," Kakashi says.
"That good, huh," Yamato replies.
"As much of a handful as she can be, Lili can cook like nobody else. I always look forward to her meals," Hina says.
"Yeah, same!" Naruto adds in.
"Ah, it's always nice to be recognized for my work," I say happily. "It will be just a while, so hold tight." I go through my bag and find the spices I packed earlier. Perfect. They won't know what hit them, hmhm.
"Great Breakthrough"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 3]
---
A day of work is followed by a night of rest. We start again in the morning, and Naruto makes more clones, then has them pick up the leaves in place from the day before.
"I think we're done!" one of them says after a few minutes.
"So you've got it, then?" I ask him.
"Just watch!" he says with a smile. All at once, they start to slice through the leaves in their hands. Each copy of Naruto holds up their split leaves as soon as they finish.
"Very good. Step one is complete," I say with a nod.
"Yes!" A loud cheer comes from all of the Narutos present.
"Time to rest for a few minutes. I'll have my breakfast in the meantime."
Naruto disperses all of his clones before sitting down, and then falling backwards onto the grass. Hina hands out breakfast to everyone, he wakes up a few minutes later, and starts to shovel down his food before Hina stops him.
"Slow down, Naruto. We have all the time we need, remember."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. I know you're excited for the next part," she says while rubbing his back. "Just remember to eat properly. You're going to need your energy."
"Right. Thanks, Hinata."
"It's no trouble. I'll get you some more rice."
We enjoy Hina's home cooked meal and finish up with some warm tea. A bit of rest to let the food settle, some stretching, and then it's back to work again. I hand Naruto a sheet of paper and he puts it in between his palms.
"Hup!"
With a smile, he holds up the two cleanly cut pieces for me to see.
"You've completed the first step. Well done, my darling. Now, we move onto the next one. Since you're a visual learner, I am going to show you the great importance of what we're about to do next." I call one of Murakumo to my hand. "Recognize this?"
"That's one of your special chakra knives."
"Yes. Asuma uses something similar, a pair of specially designed trench knives that are worn like brass knuckles. They fit in very well with his close range style of combat. They are also made of a unique metal that allows him to quickly and easily imbue his chakra nature into them. It's faster and more efficient than using a kunai, or a normal sort of sword, for example. Murakumo is much the same. Its superiority comes from the fact that it is made with Red Iron, which is harder to work with and more expensive, but gives even greater returns."
I twirl the knife in my hand before handing it to him by the blade.
"Channel your wind nature chakra through that, love."
"Okay." He focuses and does so. The shape flowing around the blade is lumpy and uneven.
"Do you see how your chakra looks?"
"Yeah. I don't think that's right...guess I don't have good enough control yet."
"Control is a different issue. It's something else that you lack currently. Hina?"
"Yes." She gently takes the blade from Naruto's hand as he looks on in confusion. I drop a good distance back and flare up my chakra mode.
"Begin."
Hina runs forward before anyone can react, and draws back her hand with the wind infused blade in it. She slashes across my stomach, the two chakras flaring up and making loud crackling noises as they clash. Eventually the blade bounces off, and Hina takes a step back.
"Dramatic," Kakashi quips.
"Senpai, seriously?" Yamato complains. "Did you have to do that?"
"Impactful demonstrations are better for the student. Not to mention quite entertaining and stimulating. That did get the point across, no?" I ask him.
He puts a hand to his face.
"Uh..." Naruto blinks a few times. "You...I mean, yeah. That was kinda surprising, but...the chakra thing."
"Take your time," I say. Hina hands me back Murakumo, and I wave away the smoke flowing from the blade.
"Yeah. Okay, so...that should have cut you...I mean, that's how the element thing works. Right?"
"When two jutsu of equal strength meet, it is their chakra nature that determines which one wins," I explain. "A wind jutsu and a lightning jutsu will have the wind jutsu win out, when all things are considered equal. That demonstration you just saw was to show you what happens when things are not equal. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode covers multiple roles depending on the situation. It can be offensive, allowing the user to imbue their attacks with lightning nature and gain advantageous properties. It can be supplementary, allowing the user to increase not only their speed, but perception of reality and reaction time. And it can be defensive, blunting the damage of attacks and protecting the user from fatal blows. For that demonstration, it was far stronger than the wind chakra you put into Murakumo. The point is to show you that having an advantage in type means nothing if the level of chakra is weak and unrefined. An Uchiha's fire technique can swallow up the average water jutsu. One swing of Temari's fan can erase flames from existence. A strong enough water jutsu can punch through a wall of earth."
I have Murakumo disappear from my hand.
"And so, we will complete your wind nature training with this next session. The idea is to have you generate more power than before, so that you can use it practically in battles from now on. And with it being battle ready..."
"...it means I can add it to the Rasengan," he finishes.
"That's correct. Yamato, shall we begin?"
"Got it."
I jump over to the designated spot in the middle of the field. Yamato makes seals and claps his hands, creating a large, circular basin around me. About five feet or so high, just as we planned. Another set of seals, and he creates a wooden ring on the inside that serves as a platform and resting place. And for myself, a nice and sturdy chair raised into the air.
"Thank you. Now the rest is up to me."
I weave my own seals and spit out a great deal of water, enough to fill up the basin quickly. Walking on top of the surface, I dip my toes beneath it and gently make circles using my foot. The currents move clockwise at my urging, picking up speed. I stop and lift my foot from the water once I am satisfied.
"Here is your next task, Naruto." I hop backwards and float into my seat. "You are going to use your wind nature to carve a path through the water, and reach this throne that I sit in. There should be room enough for more than a few copies of yourself. All you need is one to reach the goal, and you will have all you need for your first true chakra nature."
"You want me to...cut the water?"
"Mm-hm. However you might like. Just take this advice with you...unlike the previous exercise, more clones does not equal mean greater success. Understand how your technique works, darling."
"That's it?"
"That's all for now. Ask me again in a few hours...I'll know if you're struggling or not."
"Hrm...alright. Guess I've got no choice but to go for it, then." He pulls off his jacket and shirt before dropping into the water. "Wow, it's deep...cold, too..."
Mm. Always nice to get a good look at that body of his. He's really been working these past few years, huh. Hina's lucky to have locked him up early.
"I can see you, Lili."
"I know, dear," I say to her. "I'll just be ogling your boyfriend for a few minutes longer. That should be okay, right?"
"Senpai...there's such a thing as being too honest, you realize that?" Yamato says with a wry smile.
"As if I could believe in such a thing. There's nothing wrong with obeying one's urges when the time is right. Especially harmless ones like this."
"You seem to think you're safe up there."
"I have no reason to think otherwise."
"Not wise to play games you have no chance of winning," Kakashi says while turning a page. "That's why you're still a kouhai, Tenzo."
"Oi..."
Hina sighs. "I'll get started on lunch. Something to occupy my thoughts aside from strangling my sister up there..."
Naruto hops back onto the wooden platform and catches his breath.
"Alright, nothing's happening yet...so we'll try with more people. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
---
"Dammit! How are we supposed to do this?"
"We gotta use more power, somehow. I got a little bit of progress before."
"Still not enough. We've all gotta do it at once, or else it won't work out."
"Maybe we try and boost each other?"
"Some of us on the other side tried it. Didn't work very well."
Icha Icha Garden didn't end as well as it should have, but it was a decent read on the whole. Too bad the author seemed to have lost their touch...actually, it felt like they had gained some contempt for the main character for whatever reason, and revelled in their suffering from time to time. Disturbing to think about, considering...
I put it away and reach for a more pleasant read, one of my beloved, trashy little novels that I've read a few dozen times by now. Looking down at the many Narutos in the water, I see that they've made a little bit of progress towards their shared goal. Of course, I won't tell them how well they're actually doing, and neither will anyone else. Not yet, at least.
"Lunch will be ready to eat in a half hour," Hina calls to us. That's our cue to stop for now.
"Naruto, time to rest," I say.
"You sure?"
"Yes. I want you to eat and take a proper break. You've been at this all morning."
"Alright..." He starts to disperse the clones and my eyes widen.
"Don't do that while you're still in the water-!"
"What?" The clones disappear. "What are...you..."
I jump down and fish him from the water before he completely falls in. I love him, but he definitely has rocks rolling around in that head of his. Carrying him to our lunch site, I set him down on a blanket and put a towel over him so that he can dry off a little.
Hina looks at him wearily, then to me.
"You're marrying this," I say.
"You are exhausting sometimes."
"Mm."
"Maybe you shouldn't bully the person preparing your food," Yamato says as he sits. "Or any of the people helping to ensure your safety, for that matter."
"Not everyone leads as boring a life as you, my dear."
Yamato looks at Kakashi and sighs, then to Hina. They seem to be sharing a moment.
"Now you understand," she says.
"Completely," he replies.
Always nice to bond over something, I suppose.
---
From afternoon, to evening, to night. Progress has seemingly stalled.
A bit of frustration bubbles to the surface as morning comes around again, but with only brief flarings of the Nine Tails' chakra, it's nothing to worry about. I sit on my chair and alternate between reading, daydreaming, and napping as Naruto works away below me. Yamato is monitoring faithfully while Hina and Kakashi rest in the shade of a tree.
It's supposed to be hot tomorrow. Hina is going on a supply run, so I'll ask her to pick up sunscreen.
---
The fifth day.
"Oi, Lili!"
I readjust my sunglasses and rotate in my chair to properly sit. "Did you need something, love?"
"Some help would be great, honestly. Seriously, I'm so stumped!" he calls from below. "There's gotta be something!"
"Thinking about shortcuts? Unfortunately, there are none here. You have to generate the necessary power for your wind nature, or you won't succeed," I reply.
"Is that seriously it?"
"Yes. Very similar to your water walking and tree climbing exercises. Just chakra and power adjustments. There is a hint I can give you for this stage, though."
"What is it?"
"Your Shadow Clones. Think about how many you actually need for your progress. I designed this training method in this manner for a reason. Adjust your strategy, and think about how your chakra is spread out. Two is half. Three is one third. Ten is one tenth. Do you understand?"
"Yeah...think I get it now."
"Find your balance. If you're still struggling after today, I will have Yamato make an adjustment for us. Is that fair?" I ask.
"Yeah. Lili...do you seriously think I can do this?"
"I've said this to you before. I don't think anything," I say firmly. He smiles and nods before going back to the edge of the pool.
He's at work again. With his palms, he's able to generate enough wind chakra to push away the water in front of him, despite the rotating current. He's able to take a few steps forward, before his strength begins to fade and the water washes over him. So it is for the other clones.
Kakashi and Yamato had another exercise in mind...whatever it was, I think it would have been a lower difficulty than this. That won't do at all. More than just a new form of the Rasengan, I want Naruto to be able to learn other useful jutsu that complement his creativity and skill. Clones and a close range chakra sphere aren't enough. We can't take chances against Akatsuki. Right now, Naruto is doing something in days that it would take others months to work up to.
He can do this. I know he can.
---
Eight days.
With the number of clones used, and near continuous training...we've neared about fifty thousand hours of work already for Naruto. Somewhere between three and five years of effort in a week and a bit. The kind of training that, as said, is only possible because of who he is. A naturally large reserve of chakra, the strength of being a jinchuuriki, and incredible fortitude from a heart that doesn't know the meaning of giving up.
Now, with all of that together...we'll see the end of this part of the journey.
"All right, let's get this done! This is the one, guys!" one Naruto calls out.
"Yeah!"
"Let's do it!"
"Hell yeah! I can smell the win from here!"
"Remember the plan and stick to it! Ready!"
"Set!"
"Go!"
And so they start. I sit up in my chair, bathing in the sun's heat while watching my beloved friend move mountains with his will. He and his clones move forward, taking heavy steps towards the platform where my chair sits. Then, they start the next part of the sequence. Every other clone moves sideways, while the others remain in place, holding themselves steady against the water. Now they're paired up.
A few more steps forward. Moving sideways again, but with more strength on their side in pairs. Meeting up and making groups of four that operate in a square. Two at the front pushing back the water, two in the back aiming both in front and on an angle to the sides, helping keep pressure off the others.
Forward, sideways. The groups grow. The formation changes again, and now they're starting to spread out slowly again, pushing forward against the swirling water. They've gone past halfway. More than three quarters.
"Come on!"
And slowly, they near. Converging on the goal...until one Naruto reaches up and puts his hand on the leg of my tall chair.
"All...done!"
"Whoa!"
The current eventually becomes too much as they become exhausted, and are swept away towards the edges of the pool once more.
I step from my perch and float towards the water, picking up the real Naruto and setting him down on the outside of our makeshift pool.
"I...got it. Right?"
"You certainly did, my love. Well done...I'm so very proud of you." I hold him in my arms and kiss him on the forehead. "Now take your very well deserved rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."
"Yeah...sounds good." He makes a seal and has his clones disperse. A moment later, his eyes close and he's still against my body.
"I have to hand it to you, Lili...your faith in Naruto is nothing short of amazing," Kakashi says. "The training that Yamato and I had worked out wasn't much compared to this. I was worried that we were going to be here a month or two at the least, but...Naruto pulled it off. Just like you thought he would."
"I can't figure out where he gets all of that...everything from," Yamato says.
"Love is the strongest thing in this world," Hina says to him. "It was what saved my life, and what changed Naruto's. When people are loved earnestly by others, it allows them to do things that most would consider impossible. Now that Naruto has overcome this, he can become the strong shinobi he's always dreamed of being. And with our love, he'll be able to do the things that people say can't be done."
Hina kneels next to me, and I pass Naruto to her. She smiles and gently strokes his cheek as he sleeps.
"But this...is more than a simple love. This strength to move the mountains themselves can only come from the affections of an angel. A woman who is called goddess in this shinobi world," she says as she looks at me.
"And it is with that affection that he will be carried into, and through, this final stage," I say.
Naruto wakes up after a few minutes, still drained and dizzy.
"The second and final part of your wind nature training is complete," I say to him. "Now you will be able to use it properly in battle."
"Heh...not bad for a few days' work..."
"Indeed. The remainder of this day will be dedicated to refreshment and rest. For what is coming next will be difficult, and unavoidable. This is new territory for you...the creation of a new ultimate technique. A brand new Rasengan, one beyond what the Fourth Hokage could create."
He smiles and nods.
"Tomorrow is a new day. Take pride in what you have done today...and be ready to put it out of your mind in the next."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'll cook for us tonight," I say to Hina. "A little extra treat for our efforts shouldn't hurt."
"Wonder what we're eating. Can't wait," Kakashi says.
"That good, huh," Yamato replies.
"As much of a handful as she can be, Lili can cook like nobody else. I always look forward to her meals," Hina says.
"Yeah, same!" Naruto adds in.
"Ah, it's always nice to be recognized for my work," I say happily. "It will be just a while, so hold tight." I go through my bag and find the spices I packed earlier. Perfect. They won't know what hit them, hmhm.
Second Light
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 36
"Second Light"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 4]
---
"What you're about to do next, Naruto, is not easy. I'm sure you've heard it enough, but I know how difficult it is first hand."
Day nine has arrived. Naruto is fully rested from the intense bout of training the day before, and we're about to go into the final stage of this program. It's time to combine Naruto's wind nature with the Rasengan, in order to create a new and even more powerful technique.
"What do you mean by that, Kakashi-sensei?" he asks.
"As I mentioned a few days before, I ended up copying the Rasengan from my teacher, who you know as the Fourth Hokage."
"Yeah, I remember that. So, I mean, what gives?"
"What gives?" Kakashi repeats.
"He means to ask why you don't use it in battle, seeing as it's such a highly regarded jutsu," I explain.
"Ah. That, I can answer. Naruto, you're gifted with a lot of chakra. So much so that you don't even notice the effects of splitting it up over several hundred clones at once. For most shinobi, that would be an extreme effort and something of a last resort to distract enemies, perhaps. Using Shadow Clones in battle like that would be suicidal for anyone else. The Rasengan, believe it or not, is quite weighty in terms of chakra cost. People like yourself and Jiraiya can use it without much strain because of your large reserves. Lili can also say the same, now that she's learned it. However, one boon is that after using chakra to create the technique, it's self sustaining. So there's a bit of efficiency to be found..."
"So you don't use it because it wastes a lot of energy?" he asks.
"No, that's not really it. It's because I tried to make more out of the jutsu on my own, and failed completely. Just as the Fourth did. Adding my lightning nature to the Rasengan didn't go anywhere, and for the overall cost it didn't seem worth it. So that's when I came up with a new idea."
"Yeah? What was it?"
"You've seen it before." Kakashi raises his hand, and as chakra gathers we can hear the characteristic chirping of his jutsu before it finally appears.
"Chidori! Wait...so you created Chidori because you couldn't put your lightning chakra into the Rasengan?"
"That's right. I went ahead and created a technique that could take full advantage of my lightning nature, and was also highly effective at close range. Of course, unlike the Rasengan, it requires more of a head of steam and some extra flexibility. In exchange, the chakra control requirements aren't as steep, and once mastered it can be formed into different shapes easily. Remember your scuffle the other day with Lili's team?"
"Yeah, hard to forget," he pouts.
"Sasuke made use of shape transformation to add range to Chidori. He can also do plenty of other things with it. It's a more flexible technique than the Rasengan, albeit less powerful. But I wanted to tell you that story because of what we're about to do next. It's not something that can be taught, it has to be felt. And if this doesn't work out somehow, you'll probably have other ideas form in your head that you can use later. So don't worry about looking bad, or being a failure, or anything like that. Whatever is meant to be will be. All that said...we think that you're going to figure this out quickly enough."
"Yes," I say. "You won't fail, and that's the truth."
"Okay." He takes a deep breath in before exhaling. "Then...we can get started."
"Hina?"
"Ready," she replies, her Byakugan activated.
"Yamato?"
"Ready, senpai." He's seated in between those ten pillars, hand held up in front of him.
"It's your turn, my love. Do your best, and we'll be waiting for you on the other side," I say to Naruto.
He nods and makes that familiar cross with his fingers.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
---
"Go for it!"
"Gah!"
I watch another pair of clones create a Rasengan. The chakra is heavier than normal this time, and tinged with something I don't like. Hina is ready with one knee on the ground.
"Come on! Shit!"
She takes off. Slicing through the crowd of clones, she delivers four precise strikes in a flash and the fox's aura disappears from around her target, before he bursts into smoke and disappears.
"Hinata! Help!" one clone yells.
"I'm here!" She flickers towards another clone that is covered in the fox's chakra and blocks his pressure points as well. "Captain Yamato!"
"Senpai, I'll need your guidance!" he calls to me. The fox chakra is appearing on clones all over the area.
"Right there!" I throw a kunai at the feet of the real Naruto, who has shifted to three tails already.
"Got it!" Yamato slams his hand into the ground and the dragon head pillars extend before shooting forward. They bite down on the visible chakra around Naruto and pin him to the ground, absorbing it quickly.
All of the clones explode into smoke.
"..."
Jiraiya. Managing to piss me off even when he's so far away...irresponsible fucking nitwit.
"I don't like this. He's shifting too quickly," Yamato says. "I know you guys are tough, but there are too many clones at once getting exhausted. That puts them at risk of influence..."
"Ugh..."
Naruto stands up as the pillars retract to their former heights. He dusts himself off and goes to make more clones before Hina stays his hand.
"You're too angry. We're stopping for today."
"I can't do that. I have to keep going-"
"We. Are. Stopping. Do you hear me?" she says sternly. "We will resume this tomorrow, Naruto. You are not well right now."
"I..."
"Naruto. We are stopping for today," Hina says while squeezing his hand. "You've done enough. It's time to rest."
"...yeah."
She hugs him tightly and pats his back. "Today was just the beginning. One step at a time. Trust us...don't be afraid to call for help. We love you. I love you. Don't forget that, okay? Don't forget what you're fighting for."
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I just...wasn't feeling good. All day and no progress, just me losing control. It sucks. I know it has to suck for you, running around everywhere..."
"You're the love of my life. If I can't stick by you through this...then I wouldn't be worth anything as a woman."
"You don't have to go that far, seriously. You're enough woman as you are!"
She blushes and he has a confused look.
"Uh...what'd I say?"
"Nothing. Thank you, Naruto. You always know what to say...somehow. Even if it's weird."
He rubs the back of his head and smiles. "Thanks. I hope I can keep doing that, then."
"You will. It's why I fell in love with you in the first place, after all..."
"Young love, eh." Yamato sighs and rests his hand. "Well, at least today will end on a good note."
"Indeed." I roll my neck back and forth a few times before breathing out. "Now I just have to make sure he's not trying to train while we sleep."
"Hadn't considered that angle," Kakashi says. "That would be just like him, yes."
"Like I said, I'll take care of it. He's nervous, which is normal. But he hasn't lost his way yet."
"By the way, senpai...you mentioned that you had your own contingency for this session," Yamato says.
"Mm." Well, this might be a good time to demonstrate it. "Hina, turn our boy this way for me."
She does so, and he blinks at me a few times.
"Odd over even seals, right?" I gather glowing violet chakra to my fingertips on one hand. "If he does wake up in the middle of the night, he won't be able to train. Good work, kouhai. I'll find a way to reward you later."
"Great. Can't wait," Yamato says flatly.
I use a body flicker to reach Naruto, raise his jacket and shirt, then jab my fingers into his stomach.
"What the-!"
His eyes roll upwards before he faints, Hina catching him.
"Five Elements Seal," I say casually. "Two Four Symbols Seals make the Eight Trigrams Seal. In either case, those are even numbered seals. Applying an odd numbered seal on top of it disrupts the flow of chakra between Naruto and the Nine Tails, due to the imbalance created. And because their chakras are so closely linked now, it will also make it difficult for him to use his own. It will allow his body some time to clear the Nine Tails' influence, and prevent him from doing stupid things like training in the middle of the night, since I'm the only one here who knows how to undo it." I look over at Kakashi. "I'm assuming so, at least."
"Not something in my toolkit yet," he says.
"Well, I wouldn't worry if you did. Just wondering." I put my hands into my pockets. "I'm going to wander off somewhere now...don't worry about me too much, I'll be able to smell dinner once it's ready."
---
Dinner is quieter than usual today, which is understandable. There was lots of tension earlier. Since it's late, we go to sleep shortly after.
The next morning comes, we wake up and have a light breakfast, then start again. On account of the heat I've unzipped my sweater, and everyone else has their jackets and outer layers off. At this rate, it will rain later on while we're still out here. Annoying, but nothing we can't manage.
"Let's begin again," I say while gathering chakra to my fingertips. It's a bright blue this time, the visible presence of the Five Elements Unseal technique that removes its counterpart from a target. "Shirt up."
Naruto grumbles and lifts his shirt so that I can see his stomach. The Eight Trigrams Seal with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal inside of it, holding the Nine Tails in place. And on the edges of the Eight Trigrams Seal, we have my seal from yesterday.
"Don't jerk around too much. This will sting a bit."
"Yeah..."
I jab my fingers into his stomach, over top of the previous markings. They disappear immediately.
"Do your stretches and get the chakra flowing properly again. You're good to go, but I want you focused."
"Right." He goes through some exercises with Hina for a few minutes. Yamato gets himself ready, creating the ten pillars he needs for his suppression technique. Kakashi is reading his usual book while standing by.
"Okay. It's time to begin."
He calls out about two hundred shadow clones this time, far less than the last time. Good, he's learning quickly. Setting to work, I watch as he creates a Rasengan in the usual manner before trying to mix the wind chakra into it. The sphere explodes and sends a group of Narutos flying in every direction.
"Again! What is it that I'm doing wrong...gotta be something I can do..."
We break for lunch with little in the way of progress, then Naruto goes right back to it as soon as he can. The exhaustion is apparent as he wipes dirt away from his face and tries again.
"Lili? Did you have any ideas on how to proceed?" Hina asks me as I watch.
"A few. I won't be handing them out."
"I see."
"This is something he has to figure out on his own," I say to her. "It seems harsh, but that's how it has to be. The technique that will result from this will be his and his alone."
"I don't think he would mind being helped along..."
"It's not that, Hina. The new jutsu will be unique to him in just about every way. Whoever learns it after him, if possible, will carry their own strengths and weaknesses into the finished product. It's just the same as when Naruto learned the Rasengan himself. Challenges that have to be met, adjustments that have to be made...they change from person to person. Legacy and pride are part of it, yes. But strength and efficiency are important, too. By bringing this together on his own, he'll be able to improve and master it later on."
"Without your help," she says.
"Beyond it."
I watch another Rasengan explode in a clone's hands.
"The Rasengan isn't my jutsu and wind chakra isn't my domain. Maybe one day. For now...it has to be him. He'll get there. Just as he got over the last challenge." I turn my head towards Hina. "I know you're not doubting it, or my methods. It's a heavy thing he's doing right now...these hours of training pile on quickly thanks to the clone method."
"How many hours, do you think?"
"For this part? Over nine thousand."
"Nine thousand?" She frowns. "That can't be right..."
"A baseline of two hundred at twenty four hours. All time counts as training time."
"Hm. In that case, it makes sense. So today would be four thousand eight hundred hours alone...two hundred days. Over half a year by itself. He...really is more remarkable than I could comprehend sometimes."
"Mm-hm. You're marrying that."
"I am, yes." She sighs. "Hard to be anything but happy about it."
"It's what I love to hear."
"What the hell is it I'm missing?!" one of the Narutos yells.
"Oi, chill out."
"Yeah, come on. If we keep going all Nine Tails like this, we won't get anything done."
"Lili's gonna put that seal thing on us again if we keep acting up."
"She'll do it anyways. So that we don't go training at night, and junk."
"Eh? She doesn't trust us?"
"Would you?"
"He's got a point there..."
"We'll probably go out later tonight, so that some of the pressure can come off," I say to Hina.
"That sounds good."
"What do you think about ending training a bit early today, then? You could use the extra time together."
"You won't mind?"
"Of course not. Training isn't nearly as important as your relationship. If you want us to stop completely for a while, just say the word."
"Right, I'll remember...but spending some time with him alone should be enough. Thank you, Lili."
"Think nothing of it."
Naruto jumps to his feet after another tumble. "Tch...alright, let's-whoa!"
"We've got another one going rogue!" a clone yells.
"I've got it!" Hina yells before running into the crowd.
---
"Kakashi? I was hoping we could have a little chat during this downtime."
With Naruto and Hina spending some well needed time together, training is suspended until tomorrow morning. The promised rain hasn't come yet, which serves me well enough. I wanted to see to this at some point.
Kakashi is lying on his back in the grass, reading as usual. "Sure. I have a feeling that I know what it's about."
"That will save us some time," I say. "Yamato, your senpais are going out for a bit. Could you watch over our couple for a while?"
"No problem," he says from his seat. "You two take your time."
"Thank you, darling."
Kakashi gets up and puts away his book. "Well. Shall we, Lady Kobayashi?"
"Yes. I have a place for us to talk in isolation."
We head towards the tree line and into the nearby forest, then through it towards a stream with clear, sparkling water. I splash some of it over my face and let the chill sink into me a bit. Refreshing in this heat.
"It's about Obito, I assume."
I stand up and run my hands through my hair before nodding. "Yes. I wanted to know if you had made any progress towards obtaining the strength that he possessed."
"I did. While you were gone, I obtained that forbidden power of the Uchiha...the Mangekyo Sharingan."
I look at him sadly. "What brought you towards it?"
"Memories of them both. Of Obito, as he was in the past...and Rin, who I couldn't protect. I remember...my hand going through her heart. I remember that day so clearly now. All of the pain...and I could feel the change, like it had happened before, somewhere. Maybe it was like what happened to Sasuke...the Sharingan's power appearing, then disappearing for a while. Sleeping below the surface." He lifts his headband. "But now, it's awakened for good. Even though I'm not an Uchiha..."
I watch his Sharingan change, the tomoe rotating and changing in that sea of crimson. A formation of three triangles wrapping themselves around a single point, creating a dark pinwheel.
"I know that you worry about my health, and so do plenty of other people. Tsunade has made more than a few threats to my person regarding this Sharingan."
"That much is only fair," I say.
"You would agree, yes. Well, let's make sure I only have to do this once, then. For your sake."
"What do you need from me?"
"The tree straight ahead...we'll use that one. Throw a kunai towards it at your usual speed. I should be able to track it...if not, we can try again."
"You assume I would let you," I say.
"You really are stubborn when you want to be."
I ready a kunai. "Tell me when."
"Go."
I throw the kunai towards the tree. A sharp activation of chakra reaches my senses, and I watch with amazement at what is happening. The air itself ripples before swirling in a clockwise motion, spiralling towards what looks like a moving dark hole.
The kunai disappears, and the warp in space along with it. Kakashi closes his left eye.
"It takes a lot of chakra to do that," I conclude. "Are you okay? Let me see your eye."
He opens it, and I can see that it is already bloodshot.
"Should be fine in a few minutes. Did you get all that?"
"I did. You won't have to do that again. Are you sure you're okay?" I ask.
He chuckles and pulls down his headband again. "I'm fine, seriously. Just a little winded, maybe. You're right, it does take quite a bit of chakra to perform as I am now. I also have to gather the chakra to use it beforehand, and then there's the strain of not being an Uchiha on top of the Mangekyo being an advanced technique...well, you don't have to worry about all of that."
I glare at him.
"But you will anyways." He rubs my head. "Lili. I'm fine."
"...alright."
"Good. So, you're our biggest reference point at the moment, since you've spent the most time out of all of us clashing with Obito. I guess I should explain some of the technique to you first, though. It's called Kamui."
"Pompous. But what else could an Uchiha technique be?" I mutter.
"Indeed. From what Itachi has told me, quite a few Uchiha unlock abilities with the Mangekyo that have multiple versions of the same function. Separation into worlds of light and dark, as he wields, are rarities. You've confirmed that Obito also has a space-time art, which means that this left eye contains half of his true power."
"Obito's power affected himself mainly, from what I could tell."
"So the right eye is a shorter range version." Kakashi nods. "I see. Which means that I have the longer range version. This left eye's Kamui allows me to look at a target and create a barrier space around it. I determine its size, and as you could probably deduce, the larger it is, the more chakra it requires and the more strain it puts on my eye. When the barrier space is established, I concentrate and pull anything within the barrier towards its middle. The target or targets are then pulled into another dimension."
"Another dimension...that must have been where Obito wanted to take me back then."
"It seems so. That's where your kunai is now. I've been working to get it up to the point where I can focus and teleport moving objects, like you saw just now. I can also focus on parts of targets, which...well, you get the idea."
"Instant decapitation, then."
"Among other things, yes. As a pinpoint attack, it requires plenty of time and focus. In exchange, it can't be blocked."
"And that's not something Obito can do as he is," I say. "His ability allows him to slip through objects and people. It means that he can't be attacked conventionally...not without a great amount of speed involved."
"You got a bit of his hair the last time. Human reaction time has a limit, and you reached his as a younger girl. Now, you could probably overwhelm him easily enough."
"Something which he is almost certainly aware of by now. Hm..." I put my hands on my hips and think. There has to be something else. Maybe we could pick at the similarities between the two techniques. They're branches from the same tree...dimensions.
"My other observation is that since they're half of the same ability...Obito might be able to shut my Kamui down, and I could do the same to him."
"I see. That would be quite useful if we met him again. You said something about a different dimension earlier...?"
"I tested it with Shino the other day," he says from beside me.
"The properties of the kikaichu. Once they track a target, they always move towards it. High speed movement draws them in the direction of travel. It would be same for known forms of space-time migration, since position is merely transposed."
"That's right. Shino had them identify a fruit, and then I used Kamui on it. When he tried to get them to track the fruit, they couldn't. I knew well enough what had happened each time, but this was visual confirmation that the object wasn't anywhere nearby, let alone in this world. There's a possibility that the objects are on the other side of the country, or maybe the planet...but I doubt that."
"Did you talk to Master Aburame?"
"I did. He lent further credence to my initial thoughts, as he observed similar phenomenon with Sensei."
"Hiraishin, then. That makes sense," I say. "So the objects targeted by Kamui end up in another dimension. Transported by way of a barrier space..." I tap my foot slowly. "Obito...warped himself towards his right eye. And in order to move me, he had to place his hands on me. So it affects those he's in contact with as well. He can also appear wherever he wants, and leave in the same fashion. There is another ability."
"The intangibility," Kakashi says.
"Yes. But if what you said is true...then that doesn't make sense as an ability of Kamui. Making yourself intangible? What does that have to do with space-time migration?"
"Go back to what you said earlier."
I turn to face him again. "Transportation? Contact?"
"Contact. Now obviously, I'm just guessing here..."
"Go on."
"He can't transport you while apparently phased out of existence. Right?"
"That's correct. I took advantage of that fact...he couldn't take me away with him while we were overlapping. It would have been the perfect opportunity to do so, you would think."
"Right. What if I told you that he couldn't use Kamui on you in those moments...because he was already using Kamui?"
I stare at Kakashi before directing my attention to the stream.
What...the hell.
"Please explain," I say as I look at him again.
"Kamui moves objects from one dimension to another. Kamui can move a person from one dimension to another if they target themselves, meaning that if I improve my Kamui, I can teleport myself to that place and back again. If Obito's version of Kamui is short range and can move him from one dimension to another...what if his second ability is using Kamui to selectively target and move parts of himself?"
"There is no way," I say with disbelief. "He's moving parts of himself into a dimensional space? Is that what you think?"
"You could still feel his chakra when he passed through you, isn't that right?"
"Yes...I could. And if I could, then...it meant that at least some part of him was still in our dimension. When he left me alone, he was completely gone..."
"From what you've said, and what we've experienced ourselves in Tanzaku Quarter, it seems like it's a defensive ability. It activates once an object is about to collide with him...and any part of him that overlaps with it is moved temporarily into a dimensional space. It creates the illusion of objects passing right through him. He's not letting them pass through...he's erasing the targeted areas by moving them out of our world."
I nod slowly, trying to take the new information in. So Kakashi and Obito's abilities are definitively linked. Obito moves himself into another dimension for defence and transport, and Kakashi can transport objects from a distance into that same dimension. If Obito's endgame is to capture and trap me in his dimension, then my endgame should be...
"Making him regret that decision," I say quietly.
"Lili?"
"The contingency should be obvious," I continue. "You would use your Sharingan to enter that other space if I were to go missing because of Obito. But in trapping me, he would make himself vulnerable...due to his various parts manifesting in said space. It would make him easy prey. But if he's aware of that, he might simply try to wait me out. In the worst case, your eye might be damaged or destroyed...in which case..."
"You'd trap yourself in there?" he asks.
"That's at the bottom of the list." I tap my belt without looking. "There's one on the reverse side, and I carry a copy of the formula with me always in one place or another. I'm going to get get it stitched inside my sweater, too..."
"The formula?"
"Hiraishin's seal. It's so that Genma and the others can fly to me in case..."
"Right, right. I forgot about that."
"In the Kamui space-time dimension I should be able to..."
"Uh, Lili?"
"Hm?"
"Sorry, I'm just a little behind on what you're thinking right now..."
"Yes, of course. My apologies, I was just wrapped up in my thoughts." I let out a breath. "Alright, properly now. As I was saying to myself...Obito's ultimate goal is to capture or eliminate me. To do that, he could use the other dimension that you and he share to attempt to wear me down through isolation and related means."
"Right, I'm with you so far."
"The first means of egress would be by way of your Sharingan. You could enter and exit that world at will, once you get a better handle on Kamui. Obito could also forcibly eject me, though I have plenty of tools that would thwart most anything he could think of. If those don't happen for any reason, the Hokage's Guard would be available at some point to reach me with Hiraishin and extract me. And in the absolute worst case scenario...I would put all of my efforts into destroying Obito's Sharingan eye, so that all paths in and out of the dimension would be sealed forever. Eventually, both of us would meet our ends there."
"I see...that sounds grim."
"I don't expect it to get that far in the first place. But one should always be prepared...expect the worst, and strive for the best."
"You were about to say something else before I interrupted."
"I was...oh, yes. The final thing, and why I feel confident. You said earlier that I was already able to reach him as a young girl, years before. Did you notice the difference in speed between the two abilities?"
"Hm." He thinks on it for a moment. "Now that you mention it...though he's obviously much better due to experience and lineage, there was a difference between the speed in his phasing and migration abilities."
"I noticed it too. My thoughts are thus...Obito should not be able to shift parts of his body while inside the other dimension. His only means of egress would therefore be..."
"Normal space time migration. Which he can't use while phasing, and is slower. Ah..." He looks at me with realization. "Your plan is to use your speed to make it so that he can't finish using Kamui. He wouldn't be able to leave. He would be forced to fight you."
"Yes."
"Though I guess he would be aware of that, too."
"I guessed as much myself. He won't want to reveal himself to me again until he thinks he has the advantage. Perhaps he has a few pets that he can send after me to wear me down."
"It sounds like something reasonable."
"Well. In any case...we have an idea of what we're up against now. And we should be fine, as long as we don't do anything foolish."
"By we, you mean me."
"Astute as always."
He shakes his head.
"You're going to have a family to look after soon enough. That child should have a father to raise them properly."
"You sound very sure about that, Ruki and I having a child."
I scoff. "As if you could resist that woman for any longer."
"Yamato's right. There's such a thing as saying too much, even if you are sincere about it." He pats my shoulder before starting back towards our camp. "Let's go and rest for a while. We've done enough thinking for today."
"I suppose so."
I follow behind him and put my hands in my pockets.
"Though...I think about it a lot...trying to rescue him from himself."
"..."
"Having all of this time to myself has helped solidify what I need to do. The Obito of the past is the person who made me what I am today. He helped me realize my father's vision of the world, and why he fought. Why the weight of shame was able to crush him in the end. I realize that my purpose is to protect that Obito's dream. I see a lot of him in Naruto, a pure hearted person who is always striving to do better, to treat people right, and to get back up every time they stumble and fall. Letting the current Obito take that away, take this world away...I can't let it happen. Even so..."
"Even so," I repeat softly.
"If I can't reach him...or if you do first. I've already accepted the fact that as he is now, he must be stopped. Perhaps not even that alone...his death might be the only way we'll move into the future. To lose my friend again would be painful. But to lose everything he fought and died for once before would be even worse."
"..."
He looks back at me, and I can see that he's smiling underneath his mask.
"You all mean a lot to me. No matter how hard it might get...I won't betray you for the sake of a memory. Whatever it takes, I'll protect our future."
"Hmph. That's a lot of talk for someone past their prime."
"Is that so..."
"It is so." I smile back at him, haughty and confident. "The only hero this world will need from here on...is me."
"Second Light"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 4]
---
"What you're about to do next, Naruto, is not easy. I'm sure you've heard it enough, but I know how difficult it is first hand."
Day nine has arrived. Naruto is fully rested from the intense bout of training the day before, and we're about to go into the final stage of this program. It's time to combine Naruto's wind nature with the Rasengan, in order to create a new and even more powerful technique.
"What do you mean by that, Kakashi-sensei?" he asks.
"As I mentioned a few days before, I ended up copying the Rasengan from my teacher, who you know as the Fourth Hokage."
"Yeah, I remember that. So, I mean, what gives?"
"What gives?" Kakashi repeats.
"He means to ask why you don't use it in battle, seeing as it's such a highly regarded jutsu," I explain.
"Ah. That, I can answer. Naruto, you're gifted with a lot of chakra. So much so that you don't even notice the effects of splitting it up over several hundred clones at once. For most shinobi, that would be an extreme effort and something of a last resort to distract enemies, perhaps. Using Shadow Clones in battle like that would be suicidal for anyone else. The Rasengan, believe it or not, is quite weighty in terms of chakra cost. People like yourself and Jiraiya can use it without much strain because of your large reserves. Lili can also say the same, now that she's learned it. However, one boon is that after using chakra to create the technique, it's self sustaining. So there's a bit of efficiency to be found..."
"So you don't use it because it wastes a lot of energy?" he asks.
"No, that's not really it. It's because I tried to make more out of the jutsu on my own, and failed completely. Just as the Fourth did. Adding my lightning nature to the Rasengan didn't go anywhere, and for the overall cost it didn't seem worth it. So that's when I came up with a new idea."
"Yeah? What was it?"
"You've seen it before." Kakashi raises his hand, and as chakra gathers we can hear the characteristic chirping of his jutsu before it finally appears.
"Chidori! Wait...so you created Chidori because you couldn't put your lightning chakra into the Rasengan?"
"That's right. I went ahead and created a technique that could take full advantage of my lightning nature, and was also highly effective at close range. Of course, unlike the Rasengan, it requires more of a head of steam and some extra flexibility. In exchange, the chakra control requirements aren't as steep, and once mastered it can be formed into different shapes easily. Remember your scuffle the other day with Lili's team?"
"Yeah, hard to forget," he pouts.
"Sasuke made use of shape transformation to add range to Chidori. He can also do plenty of other things with it. It's a more flexible technique than the Rasengan, albeit less powerful. But I wanted to tell you that story because of what we're about to do next. It's not something that can be taught, it has to be felt. And if this doesn't work out somehow, you'll probably have other ideas form in your head that you can use later. So don't worry about looking bad, or being a failure, or anything like that. Whatever is meant to be will be. All that said...we think that you're going to figure this out quickly enough."
"Yes," I say. "You won't fail, and that's the truth."
"Okay." He takes a deep breath in before exhaling. "Then...we can get started."
"Hina?"
"Ready," she replies, her Byakugan activated.
"Yamato?"
"Ready, senpai." He's seated in between those ten pillars, hand held up in front of him.
"It's your turn, my love. Do your best, and we'll be waiting for you on the other side," I say to Naruto.
He nods and makes that familiar cross with his fingers.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
---
"Go for it!"
"Gah!"
I watch another pair of clones create a Rasengan. The chakra is heavier than normal this time, and tinged with something I don't like. Hina is ready with one knee on the ground.
"Come on! Shit!"
She takes off. Slicing through the crowd of clones, she delivers four precise strikes in a flash and the fox's aura disappears from around her target, before he bursts into smoke and disappears.
"Hinata! Help!" one clone yells.
"I'm here!" She flickers towards another clone that is covered in the fox's chakra and blocks his pressure points as well. "Captain Yamato!"
"Senpai, I'll need your guidance!" he calls to me. The fox chakra is appearing on clones all over the area.
"Right there!" I throw a kunai at the feet of the real Naruto, who has shifted to three tails already.
"Got it!" Yamato slams his hand into the ground and the dragon head pillars extend before shooting forward. They bite down on the visible chakra around Naruto and pin him to the ground, absorbing it quickly.
All of the clones explode into smoke.
"..."
Jiraiya. Managing to piss me off even when he's so far away...irresponsible fucking nitwit.
"I don't like this. He's shifting too quickly," Yamato says. "I know you guys are tough, but there are too many clones at once getting exhausted. That puts them at risk of influence..."
"Ugh..."
Naruto stands up as the pillars retract to their former heights. He dusts himself off and goes to make more clones before Hina stays his hand.
"You're too angry. We're stopping for today."
"I can't do that. I have to keep going-"
"We. Are. Stopping. Do you hear me?" she says sternly. "We will resume this tomorrow, Naruto. You are not well right now."
"I..."
"Naruto. We are stopping for today," Hina says while squeezing his hand. "You've done enough. It's time to rest."
"...yeah."
She hugs him tightly and pats his back. "Today was just the beginning. One step at a time. Trust us...don't be afraid to call for help. We love you. I love you. Don't forget that, okay? Don't forget what you're fighting for."
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I just...wasn't feeling good. All day and no progress, just me losing control. It sucks. I know it has to suck for you, running around everywhere..."
"You're the love of my life. If I can't stick by you through this...then I wouldn't be worth anything as a woman."
"You don't have to go that far, seriously. You're enough woman as you are!"
She blushes and he has a confused look.
"Uh...what'd I say?"
"Nothing. Thank you, Naruto. You always know what to say...somehow. Even if it's weird."
He rubs the back of his head and smiles. "Thanks. I hope I can keep doing that, then."
"You will. It's why I fell in love with you in the first place, after all..."
"Young love, eh." Yamato sighs and rests his hand. "Well, at least today will end on a good note."
"Indeed." I roll my neck back and forth a few times before breathing out. "Now I just have to make sure he's not trying to train while we sleep."
"Hadn't considered that angle," Kakashi says. "That would be just like him, yes."
"Like I said, I'll take care of it. He's nervous, which is normal. But he hasn't lost his way yet."
"By the way, senpai...you mentioned that you had your own contingency for this session," Yamato says.
"Mm." Well, this might be a good time to demonstrate it. "Hina, turn our boy this way for me."
She does so, and he blinks at me a few times.
"Odd over even seals, right?" I gather glowing violet chakra to my fingertips on one hand. "If he does wake up in the middle of the night, he won't be able to train. Good work, kouhai. I'll find a way to reward you later."
"Great. Can't wait," Yamato says flatly.
I use a body flicker to reach Naruto, raise his jacket and shirt, then jab my fingers into his stomach.
"What the-!"
His eyes roll upwards before he faints, Hina catching him.
"Five Elements Seal," I say casually. "Two Four Symbols Seals make the Eight Trigrams Seal. In either case, those are even numbered seals. Applying an odd numbered seal on top of it disrupts the flow of chakra between Naruto and the Nine Tails, due to the imbalance created. And because their chakras are so closely linked now, it will also make it difficult for him to use his own. It will allow his body some time to clear the Nine Tails' influence, and prevent him from doing stupid things like training in the middle of the night, since I'm the only one here who knows how to undo it." I look over at Kakashi. "I'm assuming so, at least."
"Not something in my toolkit yet," he says.
"Well, I wouldn't worry if you did. Just wondering." I put my hands into my pockets. "I'm going to wander off somewhere now...don't worry about me too much, I'll be able to smell dinner once it's ready."
---
Dinner is quieter than usual today, which is understandable. There was lots of tension earlier. Since it's late, we go to sleep shortly after.
The next morning comes, we wake up and have a light breakfast, then start again. On account of the heat I've unzipped my sweater, and everyone else has their jackets and outer layers off. At this rate, it will rain later on while we're still out here. Annoying, but nothing we can't manage.
"Let's begin again," I say while gathering chakra to my fingertips. It's a bright blue this time, the visible presence of the Five Elements Unseal technique that removes its counterpart from a target. "Shirt up."
Naruto grumbles and lifts his shirt so that I can see his stomach. The Eight Trigrams Seal with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal inside of it, holding the Nine Tails in place. And on the edges of the Eight Trigrams Seal, we have my seal from yesterday.
"Don't jerk around too much. This will sting a bit."
"Yeah..."
I jab my fingers into his stomach, over top of the previous markings. They disappear immediately.
"Do your stretches and get the chakra flowing properly again. You're good to go, but I want you focused."
"Right." He goes through some exercises with Hina for a few minutes. Yamato gets himself ready, creating the ten pillars he needs for his suppression technique. Kakashi is reading his usual book while standing by.
"Okay. It's time to begin."
He calls out about two hundred shadow clones this time, far less than the last time. Good, he's learning quickly. Setting to work, I watch as he creates a Rasengan in the usual manner before trying to mix the wind chakra into it. The sphere explodes and sends a group of Narutos flying in every direction.
"Again! What is it that I'm doing wrong...gotta be something I can do..."
We break for lunch with little in the way of progress, then Naruto goes right back to it as soon as he can. The exhaustion is apparent as he wipes dirt away from his face and tries again.
"Lili? Did you have any ideas on how to proceed?" Hina asks me as I watch.
"A few. I won't be handing them out."
"I see."
"This is something he has to figure out on his own," I say to her. "It seems harsh, but that's how it has to be. The technique that will result from this will be his and his alone."
"I don't think he would mind being helped along..."
"It's not that, Hina. The new jutsu will be unique to him in just about every way. Whoever learns it after him, if possible, will carry their own strengths and weaknesses into the finished product. It's just the same as when Naruto learned the Rasengan himself. Challenges that have to be met, adjustments that have to be made...they change from person to person. Legacy and pride are part of it, yes. But strength and efficiency are important, too. By bringing this together on his own, he'll be able to improve and master it later on."
"Without your help," she says.
"Beyond it."
I watch another Rasengan explode in a clone's hands.
"The Rasengan isn't my jutsu and wind chakra isn't my domain. Maybe one day. For now...it has to be him. He'll get there. Just as he got over the last challenge." I turn my head towards Hina. "I know you're not doubting it, or my methods. It's a heavy thing he's doing right now...these hours of training pile on quickly thanks to the clone method."
"How many hours, do you think?"
"For this part? Over nine thousand."
"Nine thousand?" She frowns. "That can't be right..."
"A baseline of two hundred at twenty four hours. All time counts as training time."
"Hm. In that case, it makes sense. So today would be four thousand eight hundred hours alone...two hundred days. Over half a year by itself. He...really is more remarkable than I could comprehend sometimes."
"Mm-hm. You're marrying that."
"I am, yes." She sighs. "Hard to be anything but happy about it."
"It's what I love to hear."
"What the hell is it I'm missing?!" one of the Narutos yells.
"Oi, chill out."
"Yeah, come on. If we keep going all Nine Tails like this, we won't get anything done."
"Lili's gonna put that seal thing on us again if we keep acting up."
"She'll do it anyways. So that we don't go training at night, and junk."
"Eh? She doesn't trust us?"
"Would you?"
"He's got a point there..."
"We'll probably go out later tonight, so that some of the pressure can come off," I say to Hina.
"That sounds good."
"What do you think about ending training a bit early today, then? You could use the extra time together."
"You won't mind?"
"Of course not. Training isn't nearly as important as your relationship. If you want us to stop completely for a while, just say the word."
"Right, I'll remember...but spending some time with him alone should be enough. Thank you, Lili."
"Think nothing of it."
Naruto jumps to his feet after another tumble. "Tch...alright, let's-whoa!"
"We've got another one going rogue!" a clone yells.
"I've got it!" Hina yells before running into the crowd.
---
"Kakashi? I was hoping we could have a little chat during this downtime."
With Naruto and Hina spending some well needed time together, training is suspended until tomorrow morning. The promised rain hasn't come yet, which serves me well enough. I wanted to see to this at some point.
Kakashi is lying on his back in the grass, reading as usual. "Sure. I have a feeling that I know what it's about."
"That will save us some time," I say. "Yamato, your senpais are going out for a bit. Could you watch over our couple for a while?"
"No problem," he says from his seat. "You two take your time."
"Thank you, darling."
Kakashi gets up and puts away his book. "Well. Shall we, Lady Kobayashi?"
"Yes. I have a place for us to talk in isolation."
We head towards the tree line and into the nearby forest, then through it towards a stream with clear, sparkling water. I splash some of it over my face and let the chill sink into me a bit. Refreshing in this heat.
"It's about Obito, I assume."
I stand up and run my hands through my hair before nodding. "Yes. I wanted to know if you had made any progress towards obtaining the strength that he possessed."
"I did. While you were gone, I obtained that forbidden power of the Uchiha...the Mangekyo Sharingan."
I look at him sadly. "What brought you towards it?"
"Memories of them both. Of Obito, as he was in the past...and Rin, who I couldn't protect. I remember...my hand going through her heart. I remember that day so clearly now. All of the pain...and I could feel the change, like it had happened before, somewhere. Maybe it was like what happened to Sasuke...the Sharingan's power appearing, then disappearing for a while. Sleeping below the surface." He lifts his headband. "But now, it's awakened for good. Even though I'm not an Uchiha..."
I watch his Sharingan change, the tomoe rotating and changing in that sea of crimson. A formation of three triangles wrapping themselves around a single point, creating a dark pinwheel.
"I know that you worry about my health, and so do plenty of other people. Tsunade has made more than a few threats to my person regarding this Sharingan."
"That much is only fair," I say.
"You would agree, yes. Well, let's make sure I only have to do this once, then. For your sake."
"What do you need from me?"
"The tree straight ahead...we'll use that one. Throw a kunai towards it at your usual speed. I should be able to track it...if not, we can try again."
"You assume I would let you," I say.
"You really are stubborn when you want to be."
I ready a kunai. "Tell me when."
"Go."
I throw the kunai towards the tree. A sharp activation of chakra reaches my senses, and I watch with amazement at what is happening. The air itself ripples before swirling in a clockwise motion, spiralling towards what looks like a moving dark hole.
The kunai disappears, and the warp in space along with it. Kakashi closes his left eye.
"It takes a lot of chakra to do that," I conclude. "Are you okay? Let me see your eye."
He opens it, and I can see that it is already bloodshot.
"Should be fine in a few minutes. Did you get all that?"
"I did. You won't have to do that again. Are you sure you're okay?" I ask.
He chuckles and pulls down his headband again. "I'm fine, seriously. Just a little winded, maybe. You're right, it does take quite a bit of chakra to perform as I am now. I also have to gather the chakra to use it beforehand, and then there's the strain of not being an Uchiha on top of the Mangekyo being an advanced technique...well, you don't have to worry about all of that."
I glare at him.
"But you will anyways." He rubs my head. "Lili. I'm fine."
"...alright."
"Good. So, you're our biggest reference point at the moment, since you've spent the most time out of all of us clashing with Obito. I guess I should explain some of the technique to you first, though. It's called Kamui."
"Pompous. But what else could an Uchiha technique be?" I mutter.
"Indeed. From what Itachi has told me, quite a few Uchiha unlock abilities with the Mangekyo that have multiple versions of the same function. Separation into worlds of light and dark, as he wields, are rarities. You've confirmed that Obito also has a space-time art, which means that this left eye contains half of his true power."
"Obito's power affected himself mainly, from what I could tell."
"So the right eye is a shorter range version." Kakashi nods. "I see. Which means that I have the longer range version. This left eye's Kamui allows me to look at a target and create a barrier space around it. I determine its size, and as you could probably deduce, the larger it is, the more chakra it requires and the more strain it puts on my eye. When the barrier space is established, I concentrate and pull anything within the barrier towards its middle. The target or targets are then pulled into another dimension."
"Another dimension...that must have been where Obito wanted to take me back then."
"It seems so. That's where your kunai is now. I've been working to get it up to the point where I can focus and teleport moving objects, like you saw just now. I can also focus on parts of targets, which...well, you get the idea."
"Instant decapitation, then."
"Among other things, yes. As a pinpoint attack, it requires plenty of time and focus. In exchange, it can't be blocked."
"And that's not something Obito can do as he is," I say. "His ability allows him to slip through objects and people. It means that he can't be attacked conventionally...not without a great amount of speed involved."
"You got a bit of his hair the last time. Human reaction time has a limit, and you reached his as a younger girl. Now, you could probably overwhelm him easily enough."
"Something which he is almost certainly aware of by now. Hm..." I put my hands on my hips and think. There has to be something else. Maybe we could pick at the similarities between the two techniques. They're branches from the same tree...dimensions.
"My other observation is that since they're half of the same ability...Obito might be able to shut my Kamui down, and I could do the same to him."
"I see. That would be quite useful if we met him again. You said something about a different dimension earlier...?"
"I tested it with Shino the other day," he says from beside me.
"The properties of the kikaichu. Once they track a target, they always move towards it. High speed movement draws them in the direction of travel. It would be same for known forms of space-time migration, since position is merely transposed."
"That's right. Shino had them identify a fruit, and then I used Kamui on it. When he tried to get them to track the fruit, they couldn't. I knew well enough what had happened each time, but this was visual confirmation that the object wasn't anywhere nearby, let alone in this world. There's a possibility that the objects are on the other side of the country, or maybe the planet...but I doubt that."
"Did you talk to Master Aburame?"
"I did. He lent further credence to my initial thoughts, as he observed similar phenomenon with Sensei."
"Hiraishin, then. That makes sense," I say. "So the objects targeted by Kamui end up in another dimension. Transported by way of a barrier space..." I tap my foot slowly. "Obito...warped himself towards his right eye. And in order to move me, he had to place his hands on me. So it affects those he's in contact with as well. He can also appear wherever he wants, and leave in the same fashion. There is another ability."
"The intangibility," Kakashi says.
"Yes. But if what you said is true...then that doesn't make sense as an ability of Kamui. Making yourself intangible? What does that have to do with space-time migration?"
"Go back to what you said earlier."
I turn to face him again. "Transportation? Contact?"
"Contact. Now obviously, I'm just guessing here..."
"Go on."
"He can't transport you while apparently phased out of existence. Right?"
"That's correct. I took advantage of that fact...he couldn't take me away with him while we were overlapping. It would have been the perfect opportunity to do so, you would think."
"Right. What if I told you that he couldn't use Kamui on you in those moments...because he was already using Kamui?"
I stare at Kakashi before directing my attention to the stream.
What...the hell.
"Please explain," I say as I look at him again.
"Kamui moves objects from one dimension to another. Kamui can move a person from one dimension to another if they target themselves, meaning that if I improve my Kamui, I can teleport myself to that place and back again. If Obito's version of Kamui is short range and can move him from one dimension to another...what if his second ability is using Kamui to selectively target and move parts of himself?"
"There is no way," I say with disbelief. "He's moving parts of himself into a dimensional space? Is that what you think?"
"You could still feel his chakra when he passed through you, isn't that right?"
"Yes...I could. And if I could, then...it meant that at least some part of him was still in our dimension. When he left me alone, he was completely gone..."
"From what you've said, and what we've experienced ourselves in Tanzaku Quarter, it seems like it's a defensive ability. It activates once an object is about to collide with him...and any part of him that overlaps with it is moved temporarily into a dimensional space. It creates the illusion of objects passing right through him. He's not letting them pass through...he's erasing the targeted areas by moving them out of our world."
I nod slowly, trying to take the new information in. So Kakashi and Obito's abilities are definitively linked. Obito moves himself into another dimension for defence and transport, and Kakashi can transport objects from a distance into that same dimension. If Obito's endgame is to capture and trap me in his dimension, then my endgame should be...
"Making him regret that decision," I say quietly.
"Lili?"
"The contingency should be obvious," I continue. "You would use your Sharingan to enter that other space if I were to go missing because of Obito. But in trapping me, he would make himself vulnerable...due to his various parts manifesting in said space. It would make him easy prey. But if he's aware of that, he might simply try to wait me out. In the worst case, your eye might be damaged or destroyed...in which case..."
"You'd trap yourself in there?" he asks.
"That's at the bottom of the list." I tap my belt without looking. "There's one on the reverse side, and I carry a copy of the formula with me always in one place or another. I'm going to get get it stitched inside my sweater, too..."
"The formula?"
"Hiraishin's seal. It's so that Genma and the others can fly to me in case..."
"Right, right. I forgot about that."
"In the Kamui space-time dimension I should be able to..."
"Uh, Lili?"
"Hm?"
"Sorry, I'm just a little behind on what you're thinking right now..."
"Yes, of course. My apologies, I was just wrapped up in my thoughts." I let out a breath. "Alright, properly now. As I was saying to myself...Obito's ultimate goal is to capture or eliminate me. To do that, he could use the other dimension that you and he share to attempt to wear me down through isolation and related means."
"Right, I'm with you so far."
"The first means of egress would be by way of your Sharingan. You could enter and exit that world at will, once you get a better handle on Kamui. Obito could also forcibly eject me, though I have plenty of tools that would thwart most anything he could think of. If those don't happen for any reason, the Hokage's Guard would be available at some point to reach me with Hiraishin and extract me. And in the absolute worst case scenario...I would put all of my efforts into destroying Obito's Sharingan eye, so that all paths in and out of the dimension would be sealed forever. Eventually, both of us would meet our ends there."
"I see...that sounds grim."
"I don't expect it to get that far in the first place. But one should always be prepared...expect the worst, and strive for the best."
"You were about to say something else before I interrupted."
"I was...oh, yes. The final thing, and why I feel confident. You said earlier that I was already able to reach him as a young girl, years before. Did you notice the difference in speed between the two abilities?"
"Hm." He thinks on it for a moment. "Now that you mention it...though he's obviously much better due to experience and lineage, there was a difference between the speed in his phasing and migration abilities."
"I noticed it too. My thoughts are thus...Obito should not be able to shift parts of his body while inside the other dimension. His only means of egress would therefore be..."
"Normal space time migration. Which he can't use while phasing, and is slower. Ah..." He looks at me with realization. "Your plan is to use your speed to make it so that he can't finish using Kamui. He wouldn't be able to leave. He would be forced to fight you."
"Yes."
"Though I guess he would be aware of that, too."
"I guessed as much myself. He won't want to reveal himself to me again until he thinks he has the advantage. Perhaps he has a few pets that he can send after me to wear me down."
"It sounds like something reasonable."
"Well. In any case...we have an idea of what we're up against now. And we should be fine, as long as we don't do anything foolish."
"By we, you mean me."
"Astute as always."
He shakes his head.
"You're going to have a family to look after soon enough. That child should have a father to raise them properly."
"You sound very sure about that, Ruki and I having a child."
I scoff. "As if you could resist that woman for any longer."
"Yamato's right. There's such a thing as saying too much, even if you are sincere about it." He pats my shoulder before starting back towards our camp. "Let's go and rest for a while. We've done enough thinking for today."
"I suppose so."
I follow behind him and put my hands in my pockets.
"Though...I think about it a lot...trying to rescue him from himself."
"..."
"Having all of this time to myself has helped solidify what I need to do. The Obito of the past is the person who made me what I am today. He helped me realize my father's vision of the world, and why he fought. Why the weight of shame was able to crush him in the end. I realize that my purpose is to protect that Obito's dream. I see a lot of him in Naruto, a pure hearted person who is always striving to do better, to treat people right, and to get back up every time they stumble and fall. Letting the current Obito take that away, take this world away...I can't let it happen. Even so..."
"Even so," I repeat softly.
"If I can't reach him...or if you do first. I've already accepted the fact that as he is now, he must be stopped. Perhaps not even that alone...his death might be the only way we'll move into the future. To lose my friend again would be painful. But to lose everything he fought and died for once before would be even worse."
"..."
He looks back at me, and I can see that he's smiling underneath his mask.
"You all mean a lot to me. No matter how hard it might get...I won't betray you for the sake of a memory. Whatever it takes, I'll protect our future."
"Hmph. That's a lot of talk for someone past their prime."
"Is that so..."
"It is so." I smile back at him, haughty and confident. "The only hero this world will need from here on...is me."
Bird App
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
View: https://twitter.com/shanervision/status/1553907418614087680?t=ZdLEpivWBxqHDlsQqId6xQ&s=19
if you have friends that live on the Bird App you can use this thread to give them a small primer on the story. if you want. would be based if you did.
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Last edited:
Winds of Change
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 37
"Winds of Change"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 5]
---
"You couldn't sleep either, huh."
Naruto sits on the grass, looking up towards the starry sky. It's a very early morning now, after another day of intense training towards a new Rasengan.
"I wasn't planning to," I say to him. I stop next to him and look up at the sky myself. Very beautiful, as always. Seeing everything like this always stirs up my heart. I can feel the distant warmth coming from each point of light, as it was millions, even billions of years in the past. This canvas in the sky is one that was painted far back in time, before any of us came to exist.
A sign that nothing comes into existence without meaning, whether in the present or the distant future. The blossoming of stars and nebulae into being brought us to this point in time, and in the same way, the light from our triumphs here will carry on into the distant future. The end of man's physical creation need not bring an end to the unyielding strength of the spirit.
"Pretty deep in thought there."
"Yes, always," I reply.
"What're you thinking about? Something I can understand?" Naruto asks.
"Yes. Did you know that each time we look into the starry sky, we are looking into the past itself? Light from those stars has travelled a long way. So long in fact, that it can be measured in years."
"I think I remember hearing that somewhere. Pretty cool. So...you're saying that if a star disappears from the sky today, it actually disappeared a really long time ago?"
"In many cases, before the Earth came into being."
"Wow."
"It is incredible to think about. Humans can be like stars too, in their own way. That's what things like the Will of Fire are. Hopes and dreams carry on when flesh and steel come to ruin. And it can be so until time comes to an end."
"Hm. That's deep..."
I shrug. "It's a small, simple observation. You'll be able to see these things easily as you grow. Wisdom is a precious resource."
"I'll try and remember that." He stands up and stretches.
"Good. I was going to wake you, but this makes things a bit easier."
"Yeah? What'd you want me up for?"
"I wanted to take you out somewhere, as a treat. You've been doing well over the past week and a bit. And any excuse to spend time with you is a good one."
"Not worried about our schedule?"
"We will be sent for if there is any trouble," I tell him. "Today, we can all sleep in and take things easy. Patience and care are necessary to achieve one's goals."
"That's true. So, where'd you want to go?"
"Somewhere nice for this time of night...I took Sasuke there once upon a time."
"Heh. Alright, let's go."
We leave the field and head back into the Leaf. The streets are mostly quiet, as they would be for this time of day, but there's still some movement as usual. The night shift has started a few minutes ago, made up of people who want a change of pace or find more focus working overnights. Everyone knows each other, and it's far from an exaggeration. They have their own perches and routines, and take their work seriously enough. Night time is also when information gathering and compilation activities increase significantly – far from being recluses or social wrecks, night staff in the Leaf are excellent communicators and organizers. They help keep the village running just as much as the day staff do.
"Mornin', Miss Viper."
"Good morning, love. All quiet inside as usual?"
"Oh, yeah. Got my fill of some fried chicken, tasty stuff." The woman in front of us has light blue hair, braided into loops that rest on her shoulders. Her green eyes as always sparkle with excitement, and she twitches her round nose with amusement. The usual Leaf uniform is hemmed and cropped in a few places, letting her show off more skin as she likes.
"We might get ourselves something a little lighter," I say to her. "You know my friend here, yes?"
"Mister Heavyweight Champ himself!" she says while boxing the air. "I couldn't forget that fight if I tried, it was awesome."
"Oh, thanks!" Naruto says with a smile. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, in case you forgot."
"Everyone around calls me Mimi. That's short for Mizutaka, by the way. My reeeeeeal name is a secret for now," she says with a wink. "I met Miss Viper here a while back, and she's tapped me to help with some special monitoring and village surveillance."
"She's very good at her work," I say.
"I'm hoping that as a reward, she'll be tappin' me for somethin' else in the future~"
"And very enthusiastic."
"Heh. I can see that. You're a real chick magnet, but you knew that already," Naruto says.
"Cursed with allure and beauty," I say with a dramatic sigh. "Such is my life."
"What're you normies up to at this hour, anyways?" Mimi asks.
"This one has been working hard on gaining a new chakra nature, and developing a new jutsu. He's made very good progress, and has completed the first part."
"Oh, no way! Congrats!" she says while clapping her hands. "Getting a grip on a new chakra nature is no easy feat. Of course, your secret's safe with me. And a new jutsu, too! You're really moving, huh. Not bad at all."
"Thanks," Naruto says sheepishly.
"I bet you've been thinking that you haven't been getting anywhere, but if Miss Lili here is proud of you, then you've got nothing to be ashamed of. One piece at a time, hon. That's how anyone gets anywhere these days. Good luck on the rest of your journey, Naruto."
"I appreciate that. I won't let you down."
"Yup! I'm gonna make tracks, there's some juicy data to sort through and a fat stack of paperwork with my name on it. Maybe literally, hehe."
"I'll be sure to stop by with some goodies soon," I say to Mimi.
"Oh, that would be great. The boys especially would be looking forward to seeing you again. You two have yourselves a yummy meal, and take care!"
We hug each other before she jogs off into the night.
"She used to be a bit behind in her studies as well. Fortunately, after becoming a chuunin she figured out what she wanted to do fairly quickly," I say to Naruto.
"Yeah? That's neat. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who could sit still."
"She's a world class footballer, too. But she really does buckle down and focus until all of her work is done. Running this village takes all kinds."
"Sure does."
We enter the restaurant, where our friendly hostess in her coveralls is sitting behind the counter. The magazine she's reading has Emi on the cover, in one of those single-piece swimsuits that could probably buy ten homes here in the Leaf. Of course, she makes something so gaudy look good anyways.
"Morning," I say as we pass.
"Morning. Be right around with your coffee," she replies, her brown hair poking over the magazine's edge.
"Thank you."
Naruto slides into one of the booths with its leather seats, and I take a spot across from him. We get our pitchers of water, and I get my coffee. Our hostess takes out a notepad and brushes her ponytail back over her shoulder.
"Anything for you, hon?" she asks Naruto. "We've got plenty of lemonade in back since it's hot out."
"Sure, I'll have some!"
"Some for me as well," I say.
"Got it. What are we eating tonight?"
"Chicken fried rice. Extra vegetables in mine, if you would."
"Done. I'll be back with your drinks first, and the rice will be a bit. See you then."
"Thank you as always," I say. She smiles and nods before leaving.
"So this is where you took Sasuke, huh. Nice place. What'd you have him here for?"
"A meeting at his request. He couldn't sleep after his...talk with Itachi."
"I see." He leaves it at that, wisely. "Kinda neat how things run at night. Not too different from the stuff we do during the day..."
"Shinobi are mainly oriented along daytime hours because of how business works. We're the ones who give life to the economy, after all."
"You think it's sustainable, and stuff?"
"If you make enough sacrifices, it is. I assume you know what that means in the end."
"More fighting and war." He sighs. "Is there a good way to change that?"
"Changing the nature of shinobi is a start. I want to figure out just how much power the Kage have as lords of their domain...so that I can exploit it as much as I can. Undermining the world order should be an interesting task."
"Does that mean getting rid of shinobi, you think?" he asks.
"Nothing so simple. The current state of things has come from shinobi being discarded by rapid change. The future will include shinobi, and ninjutsu, and so on. Figuring out what to do with these things is the challenge."
"That's a lot of stuff...probably over my head right now. What I do get though, is that it's not gonna be easy to get everyone to agree."
"Indeed," I say to him while mixing my coffee. "There are ways to go about that...I have an idea of what path I will take. It's not going to be very...agreeable, to say the least of it. That's part of why your master and I look at things differently."
"Hm."
"It's nothing to worry about now. Things will become clear once we get rid of the current threats and give ourselves some extra room to breathe. Your learning of a new technique is part of that."
Naruto sips at his water for a bit. "Do you want me to get away from using the dumb fox's power?"
"I'd rather you not rely on it. Not until we get a better understanding of who or what we are dealing with. Jiraiya must feel the same way, though he seems to think he's on a timer..." I wave my hand. "Ignore my rambling. We don't want to occupy ourselves too much with this kind of talk."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, I want you to enjoy yourself for now. Work and serious talk can come later."
"Here's your lemonade. I'll be back with your food," our hostess says as she leaves two pitchers with us.
"Thanks," Naruto and I say in unison. He pours himself a glass while I drink my coffee.
"Man, this is good. You really learn to appreciate the sour flavour after a while..."
"That's true," I say.
"I should learn to make this stuff from scratch. Heh, though it'd be neat if I could just snap my fingers or something and get a glass whenever I wanted."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it..."
Creation, maybe...maybe something like that isn't such a far fetched idea.
"I know you said you didn't want to talk about work too much, but I had a question that was bugging me a whole lot before."
We get our plates of rice in the meantime. The aroma is delightful.
"Go ahead, love. What did you want to know?" I ask Naruto.
"So, you know how Shikamaru can control his shadow and Choji can get like, super huge and stuff? What kind of chakra natures are those?"
"Ah, I see. I did keep things simple earlier in order to help you focus. Outside of the five basic natures, which are focused on the elements, and advanced natures typically shaped by bloodline limits, there are two more special natures that govern many other techniques," I say as he starts to eat. "These are Yin Release and Yang Release, both of which can be combined to created Yin-Yang Release."
"Mmhm." He takes a moment to swallow and sip at his lemonade. "Those sound familiar, I think. Isn't that...how chakra is balanced?"
"Yes. Chakra is made up of physical and spiritual energy – of vitality and imagination. Yang energy is the physical. Yin is the spiritual. This is part of how shinobi increase their chakra capacity over the years. One can train their body to improve its condition, and generate more chakra that way. One can also meditate and increase their spiritual force, generating more chakra that way. You still need to balance the two energies to create chakra, but that chakra once created can be shifted towards one type or another. To get to your question...Shikamaru's technique is called the Shadow Imitation Technique, and it falls under Yin Release. It is a technique that uses more spiritual energy than physical, allowing the user to bend and shape it at their will. Extending their shadow, forming it into different shapes, so on and so forth. Yin Release also is the domain of most genjutsu, using imagination in creative ways to deceive and ensnare the enemy."
"I kinda get it. So Yin Release is like, brain stuff. And Yang Release would be muscle stuff."
"That's a good way to put it." I pause to dig into some of my rice. Delicious. The vegetables are nice and hot, and the chicken is tender. I can't get enough of these flavours. "Mm. Sorry, I might be a bit."
"Haha, take your time. This rice is super good!" Naruto says. We both end up finishing off our plates in relative silence, and I finish my coffee before pouring a glass of lemonade.
"Where was I...yes, the second part," I say. "Yang Release does indeed use more physical energy than spiritual, and is the basis of the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique. You've seen Choji use it before. Their size, weight, and strength all increase proportionally, giving them stability and making their physical attacks extremely powerful. This also applies to specially made weapons they have on their person. Choza carries a bo into battle often, and it grows along with him."
"That's neat."
"This is why the Akimichi consume so many calories, as their technique takes a lot of energy to use and maintain in battle."
"Oh! So that's the reason they're so big! I just thought they loved to eat and all that, which is cool...but that explains a lot."
"Don't be fooled by the looks of their bodies," I say. "They are large, but by no means unathletic, even compared to other shinobi. If I had to give a proper comparison...a hippopotamus."
"Hippopotamus? You mean those water things that look like pigs, right?"
"Mm-hm. You realize that they're one of the great enemies of the crocodile? They can snap one in half with their jaws easily. They are also quite fast both on land and in the water, and despite their appearances, their bodies are quite dense and packed with hardened muscle."
Naruto nods slowly. "I see. I guess that's one more reason I shouldn't call Choji fat in public..."
"A wise decision."
"And the third thing? Yin-Yang Release?"
"That is said to be the origin of jutsu itself. A legendary sort of thing that has not been seen since the time of the Sage of Six Paths. Just as chakra uses yin and yang energy, Yin-Yang Release uses Yin Release chakra and Yang Release chakra. It is the power of creation itself, and so it is also the power of destruction. There is no person currently in this world who is known to wield it."
"Does that mean it can basically make anything?" Naruto asks.
"If one were able to use it...yes. I believe that it would extend beyond ninjutsu as well. Yin Release to create form out of nothingness. Shapes and containers. Yang Release to create vitality and life. Substance. The ability to imagine something, and then use your feelings and memories to inject energy into it, and make it reality. That is Yin-Yang Release. Something of infinite potential."
"Whoa..."
"That kind of technique, however...would require more chakra than anyone in this world has, and more control than anyone could conceive of. Something beyond any human being in this world on all fronts. The great power that was said to have brought this all about, the Rinnegan, hasn't existed in this world since the Sage of Six Paths left it long ago."
"So...it's impossible?"
"I wouldn't say impossible, no. But capturing that sort of power would require a great understanding of how chakra works, and..." I pause and think on that. "Actually, it would be possible to recreate something like that. Just very difficult. Very difficult, and it would take a lot of time and effort. But that origin point of ninjutsu would be something possible to find and decipher."
"Huh. So it's not just about getting really strong, then."
"No. It's far more than that. The Rinnegan, according to legend, has more insight than both the Sharingan and Byakugan put together. It would allow one to see and understand all jutsu, the innate flow of chakra, and the balance of all life energy. All of that said...they're just another pair of eyes in the end. A genetic mutation far rarer than most. Much like the Sharingan and Byakugan, or whatever optic powers exist in this world...they are nothing compared to the strength of heaven itself. The power that drives me beyond the limitations of humanity is without limit or condition, and does not infect my brain with delusions of superiority or require abuse in order to evolve."
"Thinking about Sasuke, then..."
"Beyond him. I've already said this very thing to Hina more than once," I continue. "I don't respect anyone in Hyuuga for their ability, or their ocular powers. They're nothing compared to me, and always will be. Hina knows that full well, which is why she strives to improve herself in ways beyond training with the Byakugan. It's one thing to embrace the power you've been gifted by way of birth, it's another to make that power your entire personality."
Naruto sips at his lemonade and nods. "I get it. So you wouldn't even be scared of that Rinnegan thing if it showed up in front of you. That sounds about right."
"I would hope so."
"All this talking has been giving me ideas...so I think that tomorrow, I'll have my jutsu finished!"
"You really think so?"
He grins. "Oh, yeah. Things that only I can do, right? You've been saying that this whole time, and I realized what I was doing that didn't work out for me. There's more than one way to get to the finish line, so I think a new angle would work a lot better."
"And you're going to keep it a surprise."
"Yup! I wanna see your face when it happens."
I smile and close my eyes. I don't think I'm going to be as shocked as he thinks I will be. But I'll be very proud of him either way. Now I can't wait for tomorrow myself.
---
On the way back, we talk some more about recent events. The rest of Team Kakashi has been getting on well enough: Sasuke is learning more and more how to lead in Kakashi's absence and has been calmer in day to day interactions, Sakura has been watching over him and making suggestions to help the team coordinate better, and Naruto has been considering more ways to help his teammates accomplish their goals with his unique skills. The usual bickering happens from time to time, but they have improved greatly as a group from their younger days.
As for our group, we've been spending more time away from each other because of our responsibilities. Shino is at the Academy helping out with classes every so often, so that he has a better idea of what path he wants to pursue later. He's also been taking up more responsibility within his clan, due to his position as the future clan head. Hina has been taking that role very seriously herself, directly looking after clan duties and even taking care of things in Hiashi's place. Hanabi has also been following her to and fro, acting as an alternate when needed. Even with all of that, she has made plenty of time for herself and Naruto, keeping an eye on him whenever she can. Everyone is busy these days, and it seems we will only be busier with Akatsuki around. I don't want that to last for much longer.
Naruto watches the stars for a while once we get back to camp, then falls asleep peacefully. I light a small lamp and lie next to it while writing in my notebook. Sleep wasn't going to come my way quickly, not after earlier.
I feel as if I know how to reach that goal now...deciphering the origin of all jutsu. If Yin and Yang coming together forms the power of creation and destruction, then there must be a way to get those same results from the strength we already have. The Uchiha could do so with Izanagi, and Danzo stole power so that he could achieve the same result. It's not just bloodlines, there is something else to it.
"Yin chakra and...control of shape. Shadows...then something else. The power of Yang is...growth and size? Or is there something more practical to look at here...seems to be things with differing ratios. I need something else that can be properly observed in order for this to work." I tap my pen on the page a few times. "I can have one of the Akimichi volunteer for tests in the meantime, so that we have a good look from different sides. But what I want is..."
An idea comes to me.
"We'll look at that technique, then. Mystical Palm. Yes, that should work."
I keep writing out ideas until it reaches dawn, then turn out my lamp and get some sleep. Breakfast is ready by the time I wake up from my nap, and I eat while looking over my notes.
"Someone's busy today," Yamato says while breaking apart his chopsticks.
I nod and swallow my rice. "She is. I had an idea come to me last night, and I couldn't rest until I got it down on paper. Now I'll be one step closer to a big goal of mine. Of course, this is assuming that Shikaku and Tsunade give me the proper permissions," I say to him.
"Yeah? Thought you could just go to the old man and get whatever you needed," Naruto says.
"I could, but it's much better that I go directly to people in possession of these gifts. Not only is it more respectful, but I also want them to reap the benefits from this upcoming project."
"Does this have anything to do with the work Nami and Edelweiss are doing?" Hina asks.
"It does, yes. Yuno and Dark are involved as well. I can't say too much at the moment, since I'm having them work under the radar for the time being. We can talk about it in a more secure place if you're truly curious, Hina. No offence to anyone else here, of course. This work is very much top secret."
"That's fair," Kakashi says. "Not everyone is supposed to know about everything that goes on around here."
"Senpai, I have a question. It might be...difficult to answer, I think."
"It should be fine, darling. Go ahead," I say to Yamato.
"Alright." He lets out a breath. "The way you go about things isn't really in line with people of your...type. I mean to say, people who come from money. From what I can tell, you seem to want a world where people are treated equally, and can share resources properly, so on and so forth. Is that correct?"
"You have the essence of it, yes."
"How does that benefit you? I mean, if everyone gets their fair share, you probably won't have the same status you did before. And it can go well beyond that, if things were to collapse and be disorganized. I would imagine that the common people would go after those like you first. It's a little grim for the morning, but it just came to mind all of a sudden."
"You meant no harm and caused no harm," I say to him gently. "I understand why you asked that question, and can answer it faithfully. There was a saying that I heard long ago, while Momma was still with me...what was it, what was it." I run a hand through my hair, thinking. "Ah, yes. It's not an exact quotation, and I can't remember who it was from...but it was something to the effect of man being able to make his own history, but not in the ways that he would please. There is such a thing as being born to the right people in the right place, and at the right time. I am one of those children born under an auspicious star, and have taken that blessing towards the skies themselves, as you can see here in this form," I say while gesturing to myself.
"Is that to say...you don't care about those things?"
"Oh, no. No, nothing like that. The luxuries I enjoy now would surely be missed in another world, make no mistake. I absolutely love to have fine clothing and delicious food, to spoil my loved ones, and pamper myself as I please. Rather than not caring, I could easily survive the loss of those things as they currently are now, because of who I am and the path I took. You see, Momma had a great love of nature. We went on journeys as often as we could, from before the time I could walk on my own. Going into the forest, smelling the flowers, watching bees and butterflies wind past us...so many beautiful things, woven into my memories. I gained the same love of flora and fauna as she did. And then, Ane-ue came into my life, showing me the true majesty of serpents. Their shapes and colours, how they view the world...how they can be magnificent and deadly all at once. Finally, a most important piece. This environment we live in now. The world of shinobi. I learned many things in my first year at school, and came to love the lifestyle. Now I'm a woman who can survive in most any situation, doing things like cooking for herself, finding and creating shelter, locating fresh water and food, and more beyond that. I am as well rounded an individual as you could meet in this world or any other. To put it even more simply...if all the money in the world were to turn to dust at this very moment, I would be just fine. I have all that I need. Friends, family, survival skill, and the ability to tear a man's heart from his chest before he can blink."
"The last being the most important point," Yamato jokes.
"Clever boy. I can see why Kakashi took to you so quickly," I say with a smile.
"Rough around the edges, but he's a good kid," Kakashi says.
"Oi..."
"Most importantly, beyond the material advantages, I believe I have built up enough social currency by now to sway important people to my side. Wealth is one thing, but I've saved enough lives and spilled enough blood for the sake of this nation that I should have a decent amount of recognition for it. If all else fails, well..."
"Well?"
I take a slow sip of my tea and pause. "Well. We have other ways of proceeding through a savage world. I'm sure I don't have to explain myself in detail...but the hearts of men can be fragile things at times."
"More than a little ominous."
"I would hope so. Let's work hard so that it doesn't come to such an end."
We finish breakfast and take some extra time for ourselves afterwards. Once I feel we are ready, we get into our usual positions, and I remove the Five Elements Seal from Naruto as usual.
"So, don't keep us in suspense too long," I say to him. "What do you have for us today?"
"I was thinking a lot about how we have different roles, and things we can and can't do. I've always wanted to be like the Fourth Hokage, and catch up to him one day. I wanted to become Hokage myself. Now, I'm pretty sure that you'll beat me to it...but it doesn't make me want to stop trying, or stop improving myself. All that said, I've been trying to do things one way or another...except for the way that counts."
"And which way is that?" Kakashi asks.
"My way, of course." He smiles and makes two clones.
It looks like he has it all figured out.
"When making the Rasengan, I had a different method from everyone else, because I was trying to learn it in the fastest amount of time. Something that only I could do, because I could use so many clones at once. That was to get an extra body to split the work into two parts. I would create the chakra, and my clone would do the work of shaping it into the Rasengan. It's way steadier than my off hand, less effort, and a lot faster. So it works for me. I've been doing that every day to form the Rasengan, without thinking about the order of the steps involved. When I did, I realized that if I couldn't do it the way everyone else did...I'd do it the way I figured out before."
"Taking each part and making it a separate task," I conclude. "Which means adding another clone to take care of the nature transformation."
"Yeah. So, as it is now...we should be able to finish the work we started."
"Shall we try it, then?"
"Yup."
The three of us stand clear of Naruto, with Yamato monitoring faithfully. Naruto holds his hand out to one side, and I feel the surge of chakra coming from him. He's definitely determined, the whisker marks on his face becoming more pronounced.
One clone on the left shapes the chakra coming from his hand. And the other on the right infuses wind nature chakra into the forming sphere. The control is much better from what I can sense. More accurate, far better mixing. The jutsu is taking shape. The rotating sphere now has four blades around its middle, making it resemble a shuriken. I can feel the current streaming outwards, rustling my sweater slightly.
"Alright! I got it!"
"Impressive work," Kakashi says with surprise.
"Naruto, you've done so well. Congratulations!" Hina says happily.
"Yes, this is excellent work. We're very proud of you," I say to him.
"Thanks, everyone! But there's a few other things I gotta show you."
"Really now. Surprise us, love."
"Because of the extra training I got with my wind chakra, I know what the proper order of things is, like I said earlier. So..." He has the Rasengan spin itself out before dispelling one of his clones. "When you know the secret, you can make things a little easier on yourself. Three's kind of a crowd, right? So I figured..."
He concentrates and has his remaining clone help form a Rasengan again. This time however, he puts his normally free hand on top. It's slower and shakier than before, but the new Rasengan comes to life in his hand once more. Of all the things...he's re-engineered his own method of jutsu for better results. Unpredictable, indeed.
"Instead of trying to infuse the Rasengan from the same point, you can add a different input, or something like that. It's not as good as the clone method yet, but I think I can get it down with some more practice."
"Why come up with that method?" Kakashi asks.
Naruto smiles and taps his head with one hand. "Head games. I can bring out a bunch of clones, make the enemy assume I'm going to do one thing or another, and then adjust based on all of that. If I want to set up faster, more clones for the jutsu. If I want to trick 'em a little, less clones for the jutsu. Being able to go either way means more options for right now."
"Thinking ahead. I like it."
"You can thank Lili for all of that. If she hadn't taught me about the whole memory thing with clones earlier, I wouldn't have come up with any of this on my own."
"You would have eventually," I say.
"Heh. You always get so humble all of a sudden."
"It's cute, isn't it?" Hina says.
"I think I'm a little more than cute," I say to her.
"You mentioned other things?" Yamato says as he stands up.
"Oh, yeah! The other thing is...this jutsu's not ready yet. There's one more stage I gotta reach," Naruto says.
I blink. "Another stage...?" Did he figure something out just now?
"Yep! Just a few more tweaks and this awesome new jutsu will be ready to go! Completely unstoppable! I can feel it! Oh, um..." He rubs the back of his head. "That's if it's all okay with you guys. I know we can't stay here forever-"
"Yes. I want to see it," I say eagerly. "Let's take a few more days so that you can complete it. I'll stay here on my own if I have to."
"You won't have to. I want to see it, too," Hina says.
"I must admit, I'm curious to see what Naruto has planned out next," Kakashi adds. "I'll stick around, too. Yamato?"
"Might as well stick around at this point," he says with a shrug. "And I'll admit that I'm interested to see where this goes myself. I'm in."
"Alright!" Naruto cheers. "We're all in for the next round! Wind Release: Rasengan, complete!"
"Shall we go over it a few more times?" I ask. "We can have a light day today, since we've completed our main objective at last."
"Sure! I'll use thirty clones this time, since I know what I'm doing. And it'll be a lot easier on you guys, too." Naruto makes the exact number of clones he needs. "Alright, guys. Let's get the new Rasengan down pat. And remember, keep your cool."
"Roger."
"Yeah, this is cake now."
"Mmm...cake. Do we have cake?"
"We do have cake here, Naruto. I'll give you a nice big slice for dessert tonight," Hina says with a smile. "You've more than earned it."
"Awesome!"
"Well, let's get to work so we can eat faster!"
"Don't have to tell us twice."
"Get set!"
"I didn't know there was cake," I say to Hina.
"It was a surprise. I got your favourite, too."
"Mm. Nice."
"It's for after dinner, remember. I made sure to hide it away."
"You don't trust me?"
"No. Not around cake. I've heard the stories from Luna."
I sigh. "She has a big mouth sometimes."
Hina pulls me close and kisses me on the cheek.
"I'm proud of you as well, Lili. Thank you for helping Naruto come this far."
"You're welcome, Hina."
We stand together and watch Naruto work.
"Winds of Change"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 5]
---
"You couldn't sleep either, huh."
Naruto sits on the grass, looking up towards the starry sky. It's a very early morning now, after another day of intense training towards a new Rasengan.
"I wasn't planning to," I say to him. I stop next to him and look up at the sky myself. Very beautiful, as always. Seeing everything like this always stirs up my heart. I can feel the distant warmth coming from each point of light, as it was millions, even billions of years in the past. This canvas in the sky is one that was painted far back in time, before any of us came to exist.
A sign that nothing comes into existence without meaning, whether in the present or the distant future. The blossoming of stars and nebulae into being brought us to this point in time, and in the same way, the light from our triumphs here will carry on into the distant future. The end of man's physical creation need not bring an end to the unyielding strength of the spirit.
"Pretty deep in thought there."
"Yes, always," I reply.
"What're you thinking about? Something I can understand?" Naruto asks.
"Yes. Did you know that each time we look into the starry sky, we are looking into the past itself? Light from those stars has travelled a long way. So long in fact, that it can be measured in years."
"I think I remember hearing that somewhere. Pretty cool. So...you're saying that if a star disappears from the sky today, it actually disappeared a really long time ago?"
"In many cases, before the Earth came into being."
"Wow."
"It is incredible to think about. Humans can be like stars too, in their own way. That's what things like the Will of Fire are. Hopes and dreams carry on when flesh and steel come to ruin. And it can be so until time comes to an end."
"Hm. That's deep..."
I shrug. "It's a small, simple observation. You'll be able to see these things easily as you grow. Wisdom is a precious resource."
"I'll try and remember that." He stands up and stretches.
"Good. I was going to wake you, but this makes things a bit easier."
"Yeah? What'd you want me up for?"
"I wanted to take you out somewhere, as a treat. You've been doing well over the past week and a bit. And any excuse to spend time with you is a good one."
"Not worried about our schedule?"
"We will be sent for if there is any trouble," I tell him. "Today, we can all sleep in and take things easy. Patience and care are necessary to achieve one's goals."
"That's true. So, where'd you want to go?"
"Somewhere nice for this time of night...I took Sasuke there once upon a time."
"Heh. Alright, let's go."
We leave the field and head back into the Leaf. The streets are mostly quiet, as they would be for this time of day, but there's still some movement as usual. The night shift has started a few minutes ago, made up of people who want a change of pace or find more focus working overnights. Everyone knows each other, and it's far from an exaggeration. They have their own perches and routines, and take their work seriously enough. Night time is also when information gathering and compilation activities increase significantly – far from being recluses or social wrecks, night staff in the Leaf are excellent communicators and organizers. They help keep the village running just as much as the day staff do.
"Mornin', Miss Viper."
"Good morning, love. All quiet inside as usual?"
"Oh, yeah. Got my fill of some fried chicken, tasty stuff." The woman in front of us has light blue hair, braided into loops that rest on her shoulders. Her green eyes as always sparkle with excitement, and she twitches her round nose with amusement. The usual Leaf uniform is hemmed and cropped in a few places, letting her show off more skin as she likes.
"We might get ourselves something a little lighter," I say to her. "You know my friend here, yes?"
"Mister Heavyweight Champ himself!" she says while boxing the air. "I couldn't forget that fight if I tried, it was awesome."
"Oh, thanks!" Naruto says with a smile. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, in case you forgot."
"Everyone around calls me Mimi. That's short for Mizutaka, by the way. My reeeeeeal name is a secret for now," she says with a wink. "I met Miss Viper here a while back, and she's tapped me to help with some special monitoring and village surveillance."
"She's very good at her work," I say.
"I'm hoping that as a reward, she'll be tappin' me for somethin' else in the future~"
"And very enthusiastic."
"Heh. I can see that. You're a real chick magnet, but you knew that already," Naruto says.
"Cursed with allure and beauty," I say with a dramatic sigh. "Such is my life."
"What're you normies up to at this hour, anyways?" Mimi asks.
"This one has been working hard on gaining a new chakra nature, and developing a new jutsu. He's made very good progress, and has completed the first part."
"Oh, no way! Congrats!" she says while clapping her hands. "Getting a grip on a new chakra nature is no easy feat. Of course, your secret's safe with me. And a new jutsu, too! You're really moving, huh. Not bad at all."
"Thanks," Naruto says sheepishly.
"I bet you've been thinking that you haven't been getting anywhere, but if Miss Lili here is proud of you, then you've got nothing to be ashamed of. One piece at a time, hon. That's how anyone gets anywhere these days. Good luck on the rest of your journey, Naruto."
"I appreciate that. I won't let you down."
"Yup! I'm gonna make tracks, there's some juicy data to sort through and a fat stack of paperwork with my name on it. Maybe literally, hehe."
"I'll be sure to stop by with some goodies soon," I say to Mimi.
"Oh, that would be great. The boys especially would be looking forward to seeing you again. You two have yourselves a yummy meal, and take care!"
We hug each other before she jogs off into the night.
"She used to be a bit behind in her studies as well. Fortunately, after becoming a chuunin she figured out what she wanted to do fairly quickly," I say to Naruto.
"Yeah? That's neat. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who could sit still."
"She's a world class footballer, too. But she really does buckle down and focus until all of her work is done. Running this village takes all kinds."
"Sure does."
We enter the restaurant, where our friendly hostess in her coveralls is sitting behind the counter. The magazine she's reading has Emi on the cover, in one of those single-piece swimsuits that could probably buy ten homes here in the Leaf. Of course, she makes something so gaudy look good anyways.
"Morning," I say as we pass.
"Morning. Be right around with your coffee," she replies, her brown hair poking over the magazine's edge.
"Thank you."
Naruto slides into one of the booths with its leather seats, and I take a spot across from him. We get our pitchers of water, and I get my coffee. Our hostess takes out a notepad and brushes her ponytail back over her shoulder.
"Anything for you, hon?" she asks Naruto. "We've got plenty of lemonade in back since it's hot out."
"Sure, I'll have some!"
"Some for me as well," I say.
"Got it. What are we eating tonight?"
"Chicken fried rice. Extra vegetables in mine, if you would."
"Done. I'll be back with your drinks first, and the rice will be a bit. See you then."
"Thank you as always," I say. She smiles and nods before leaving.
"So this is where you took Sasuke, huh. Nice place. What'd you have him here for?"
"A meeting at his request. He couldn't sleep after his...talk with Itachi."
"I see." He leaves it at that, wisely. "Kinda neat how things run at night. Not too different from the stuff we do during the day..."
"Shinobi are mainly oriented along daytime hours because of how business works. We're the ones who give life to the economy, after all."
"You think it's sustainable, and stuff?"
"If you make enough sacrifices, it is. I assume you know what that means in the end."
"More fighting and war." He sighs. "Is there a good way to change that?"
"Changing the nature of shinobi is a start. I want to figure out just how much power the Kage have as lords of their domain...so that I can exploit it as much as I can. Undermining the world order should be an interesting task."
"Does that mean getting rid of shinobi, you think?" he asks.
"Nothing so simple. The current state of things has come from shinobi being discarded by rapid change. The future will include shinobi, and ninjutsu, and so on. Figuring out what to do with these things is the challenge."
"That's a lot of stuff...probably over my head right now. What I do get though, is that it's not gonna be easy to get everyone to agree."
"Indeed," I say to him while mixing my coffee. "There are ways to go about that...I have an idea of what path I will take. It's not going to be very...agreeable, to say the least of it. That's part of why your master and I look at things differently."
"Hm."
"It's nothing to worry about now. Things will become clear once we get rid of the current threats and give ourselves some extra room to breathe. Your learning of a new technique is part of that."
Naruto sips at his water for a bit. "Do you want me to get away from using the dumb fox's power?"
"I'd rather you not rely on it. Not until we get a better understanding of who or what we are dealing with. Jiraiya must feel the same way, though he seems to think he's on a timer..." I wave my hand. "Ignore my rambling. We don't want to occupy ourselves too much with this kind of talk."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, I want you to enjoy yourself for now. Work and serious talk can come later."
"Here's your lemonade. I'll be back with your food," our hostess says as she leaves two pitchers with us.
"Thanks," Naruto and I say in unison. He pours himself a glass while I drink my coffee.
"Man, this is good. You really learn to appreciate the sour flavour after a while..."
"That's true," I say.
"I should learn to make this stuff from scratch. Heh, though it'd be neat if I could just snap my fingers or something and get a glass whenever I wanted."
"That would be nice, wouldn't it..."
Creation, maybe...maybe something like that isn't such a far fetched idea.
"I know you said you didn't want to talk about work too much, but I had a question that was bugging me a whole lot before."
We get our plates of rice in the meantime. The aroma is delightful.
"Go ahead, love. What did you want to know?" I ask Naruto.
"So, you know how Shikamaru can control his shadow and Choji can get like, super huge and stuff? What kind of chakra natures are those?"
"Ah, I see. I did keep things simple earlier in order to help you focus. Outside of the five basic natures, which are focused on the elements, and advanced natures typically shaped by bloodline limits, there are two more special natures that govern many other techniques," I say as he starts to eat. "These are Yin Release and Yang Release, both of which can be combined to created Yin-Yang Release."
"Mmhm." He takes a moment to swallow and sip at his lemonade. "Those sound familiar, I think. Isn't that...how chakra is balanced?"
"Yes. Chakra is made up of physical and spiritual energy – of vitality and imagination. Yang energy is the physical. Yin is the spiritual. This is part of how shinobi increase their chakra capacity over the years. One can train their body to improve its condition, and generate more chakra that way. One can also meditate and increase their spiritual force, generating more chakra that way. You still need to balance the two energies to create chakra, but that chakra once created can be shifted towards one type or another. To get to your question...Shikamaru's technique is called the Shadow Imitation Technique, and it falls under Yin Release. It is a technique that uses more spiritual energy than physical, allowing the user to bend and shape it at their will. Extending their shadow, forming it into different shapes, so on and so forth. Yin Release also is the domain of most genjutsu, using imagination in creative ways to deceive and ensnare the enemy."
"I kinda get it. So Yin Release is like, brain stuff. And Yang Release would be muscle stuff."
"That's a good way to put it." I pause to dig into some of my rice. Delicious. The vegetables are nice and hot, and the chicken is tender. I can't get enough of these flavours. "Mm. Sorry, I might be a bit."
"Haha, take your time. This rice is super good!" Naruto says. We both end up finishing off our plates in relative silence, and I finish my coffee before pouring a glass of lemonade.
"Where was I...yes, the second part," I say. "Yang Release does indeed use more physical energy than spiritual, and is the basis of the Akimichi Clan's Multi-Size Technique. You've seen Choji use it before. Their size, weight, and strength all increase proportionally, giving them stability and making their physical attacks extremely powerful. This also applies to specially made weapons they have on their person. Choza carries a bo into battle often, and it grows along with him."
"That's neat."
"This is why the Akimichi consume so many calories, as their technique takes a lot of energy to use and maintain in battle."
"Oh! So that's the reason they're so big! I just thought they loved to eat and all that, which is cool...but that explains a lot."
"Don't be fooled by the looks of their bodies," I say. "They are large, but by no means unathletic, even compared to other shinobi. If I had to give a proper comparison...a hippopotamus."
"Hippopotamus? You mean those water things that look like pigs, right?"
"Mm-hm. You realize that they're one of the great enemies of the crocodile? They can snap one in half with their jaws easily. They are also quite fast both on land and in the water, and despite their appearances, their bodies are quite dense and packed with hardened muscle."
Naruto nods slowly. "I see. I guess that's one more reason I shouldn't call Choji fat in public..."
"A wise decision."
"And the third thing? Yin-Yang Release?"
"That is said to be the origin of jutsu itself. A legendary sort of thing that has not been seen since the time of the Sage of Six Paths. Just as chakra uses yin and yang energy, Yin-Yang Release uses Yin Release chakra and Yang Release chakra. It is the power of creation itself, and so it is also the power of destruction. There is no person currently in this world who is known to wield it."
"Does that mean it can basically make anything?" Naruto asks.
"If one were able to use it...yes. I believe that it would extend beyond ninjutsu as well. Yin Release to create form out of nothingness. Shapes and containers. Yang Release to create vitality and life. Substance. The ability to imagine something, and then use your feelings and memories to inject energy into it, and make it reality. That is Yin-Yang Release. Something of infinite potential."
"Whoa..."
"That kind of technique, however...would require more chakra than anyone in this world has, and more control than anyone could conceive of. Something beyond any human being in this world on all fronts. The great power that was said to have brought this all about, the Rinnegan, hasn't existed in this world since the Sage of Six Paths left it long ago."
"So...it's impossible?"
"I wouldn't say impossible, no. But capturing that sort of power would require a great understanding of how chakra works, and..." I pause and think on that. "Actually, it would be possible to recreate something like that. Just very difficult. Very difficult, and it would take a lot of time and effort. But that origin point of ninjutsu would be something possible to find and decipher."
"Huh. So it's not just about getting really strong, then."
"No. It's far more than that. The Rinnegan, according to legend, has more insight than both the Sharingan and Byakugan put together. It would allow one to see and understand all jutsu, the innate flow of chakra, and the balance of all life energy. All of that said...they're just another pair of eyes in the end. A genetic mutation far rarer than most. Much like the Sharingan and Byakugan, or whatever optic powers exist in this world...they are nothing compared to the strength of heaven itself. The power that drives me beyond the limitations of humanity is without limit or condition, and does not infect my brain with delusions of superiority or require abuse in order to evolve."
"Thinking about Sasuke, then..."
"Beyond him. I've already said this very thing to Hina more than once," I continue. "I don't respect anyone in Hyuuga for their ability, or their ocular powers. They're nothing compared to me, and always will be. Hina knows that full well, which is why she strives to improve herself in ways beyond training with the Byakugan. It's one thing to embrace the power you've been gifted by way of birth, it's another to make that power your entire personality."
Naruto sips at his lemonade and nods. "I get it. So you wouldn't even be scared of that Rinnegan thing if it showed up in front of you. That sounds about right."
"I would hope so."
"All this talking has been giving me ideas...so I think that tomorrow, I'll have my jutsu finished!"
"You really think so?"
He grins. "Oh, yeah. Things that only I can do, right? You've been saying that this whole time, and I realized what I was doing that didn't work out for me. There's more than one way to get to the finish line, so I think a new angle would work a lot better."
"And you're going to keep it a surprise."
"Yup! I wanna see your face when it happens."
I smile and close my eyes. I don't think I'm going to be as shocked as he thinks I will be. But I'll be very proud of him either way. Now I can't wait for tomorrow myself.
---
On the way back, we talk some more about recent events. The rest of Team Kakashi has been getting on well enough: Sasuke is learning more and more how to lead in Kakashi's absence and has been calmer in day to day interactions, Sakura has been watching over him and making suggestions to help the team coordinate better, and Naruto has been considering more ways to help his teammates accomplish their goals with his unique skills. The usual bickering happens from time to time, but they have improved greatly as a group from their younger days.
As for our group, we've been spending more time away from each other because of our responsibilities. Shino is at the Academy helping out with classes every so often, so that he has a better idea of what path he wants to pursue later. He's also been taking up more responsibility within his clan, due to his position as the future clan head. Hina has been taking that role very seriously herself, directly looking after clan duties and even taking care of things in Hiashi's place. Hanabi has also been following her to and fro, acting as an alternate when needed. Even with all of that, she has made plenty of time for herself and Naruto, keeping an eye on him whenever she can. Everyone is busy these days, and it seems we will only be busier with Akatsuki around. I don't want that to last for much longer.
Naruto watches the stars for a while once we get back to camp, then falls asleep peacefully. I light a small lamp and lie next to it while writing in my notebook. Sleep wasn't going to come my way quickly, not after earlier.
I feel as if I know how to reach that goal now...deciphering the origin of all jutsu. If Yin and Yang coming together forms the power of creation and destruction, then there must be a way to get those same results from the strength we already have. The Uchiha could do so with Izanagi, and Danzo stole power so that he could achieve the same result. It's not just bloodlines, there is something else to it.
"Yin chakra and...control of shape. Shadows...then something else. The power of Yang is...growth and size? Or is there something more practical to look at here...seems to be things with differing ratios. I need something else that can be properly observed in order for this to work." I tap my pen on the page a few times. "I can have one of the Akimichi volunteer for tests in the meantime, so that we have a good look from different sides. But what I want is..."
An idea comes to me.
"We'll look at that technique, then. Mystical Palm. Yes, that should work."
I keep writing out ideas until it reaches dawn, then turn out my lamp and get some sleep. Breakfast is ready by the time I wake up from my nap, and I eat while looking over my notes.
"Someone's busy today," Yamato says while breaking apart his chopsticks.
I nod and swallow my rice. "She is. I had an idea come to me last night, and I couldn't rest until I got it down on paper. Now I'll be one step closer to a big goal of mine. Of course, this is assuming that Shikaku and Tsunade give me the proper permissions," I say to him.
"Yeah? Thought you could just go to the old man and get whatever you needed," Naruto says.
"I could, but it's much better that I go directly to people in possession of these gifts. Not only is it more respectful, but I also want them to reap the benefits from this upcoming project."
"Does this have anything to do with the work Nami and Edelweiss are doing?" Hina asks.
"It does, yes. Yuno and Dark are involved as well. I can't say too much at the moment, since I'm having them work under the radar for the time being. We can talk about it in a more secure place if you're truly curious, Hina. No offence to anyone else here, of course. This work is very much top secret."
"That's fair," Kakashi says. "Not everyone is supposed to know about everything that goes on around here."
"Senpai, I have a question. It might be...difficult to answer, I think."
"It should be fine, darling. Go ahead," I say to Yamato.
"Alright." He lets out a breath. "The way you go about things isn't really in line with people of your...type. I mean to say, people who come from money. From what I can tell, you seem to want a world where people are treated equally, and can share resources properly, so on and so forth. Is that correct?"
"You have the essence of it, yes."
"How does that benefit you? I mean, if everyone gets their fair share, you probably won't have the same status you did before. And it can go well beyond that, if things were to collapse and be disorganized. I would imagine that the common people would go after those like you first. It's a little grim for the morning, but it just came to mind all of a sudden."
"You meant no harm and caused no harm," I say to him gently. "I understand why you asked that question, and can answer it faithfully. There was a saying that I heard long ago, while Momma was still with me...what was it, what was it." I run a hand through my hair, thinking. "Ah, yes. It's not an exact quotation, and I can't remember who it was from...but it was something to the effect of man being able to make his own history, but not in the ways that he would please. There is such a thing as being born to the right people in the right place, and at the right time. I am one of those children born under an auspicious star, and have taken that blessing towards the skies themselves, as you can see here in this form," I say while gesturing to myself.
"Is that to say...you don't care about those things?"
"Oh, no. No, nothing like that. The luxuries I enjoy now would surely be missed in another world, make no mistake. I absolutely love to have fine clothing and delicious food, to spoil my loved ones, and pamper myself as I please. Rather than not caring, I could easily survive the loss of those things as they currently are now, because of who I am and the path I took. You see, Momma had a great love of nature. We went on journeys as often as we could, from before the time I could walk on my own. Going into the forest, smelling the flowers, watching bees and butterflies wind past us...so many beautiful things, woven into my memories. I gained the same love of flora and fauna as she did. And then, Ane-ue came into my life, showing me the true majesty of serpents. Their shapes and colours, how they view the world...how they can be magnificent and deadly all at once. Finally, a most important piece. This environment we live in now. The world of shinobi. I learned many things in my first year at school, and came to love the lifestyle. Now I'm a woman who can survive in most any situation, doing things like cooking for herself, finding and creating shelter, locating fresh water and food, and more beyond that. I am as well rounded an individual as you could meet in this world or any other. To put it even more simply...if all the money in the world were to turn to dust at this very moment, I would be just fine. I have all that I need. Friends, family, survival skill, and the ability to tear a man's heart from his chest before he can blink."
"The last being the most important point," Yamato jokes.
"Clever boy. I can see why Kakashi took to you so quickly," I say with a smile.
"Rough around the edges, but he's a good kid," Kakashi says.
"Oi..."
"Most importantly, beyond the material advantages, I believe I have built up enough social currency by now to sway important people to my side. Wealth is one thing, but I've saved enough lives and spilled enough blood for the sake of this nation that I should have a decent amount of recognition for it. If all else fails, well..."
"Well?"
I take a slow sip of my tea and pause. "Well. We have other ways of proceeding through a savage world. I'm sure I don't have to explain myself in detail...but the hearts of men can be fragile things at times."
"More than a little ominous."
"I would hope so. Let's work hard so that it doesn't come to such an end."
We finish breakfast and take some extra time for ourselves afterwards. Once I feel we are ready, we get into our usual positions, and I remove the Five Elements Seal from Naruto as usual.
"So, don't keep us in suspense too long," I say to him. "What do you have for us today?"
"I was thinking a lot about how we have different roles, and things we can and can't do. I've always wanted to be like the Fourth Hokage, and catch up to him one day. I wanted to become Hokage myself. Now, I'm pretty sure that you'll beat me to it...but it doesn't make me want to stop trying, or stop improving myself. All that said, I've been trying to do things one way or another...except for the way that counts."
"And which way is that?" Kakashi asks.
"My way, of course." He smiles and makes two clones.
It looks like he has it all figured out.
"When making the Rasengan, I had a different method from everyone else, because I was trying to learn it in the fastest amount of time. Something that only I could do, because I could use so many clones at once. That was to get an extra body to split the work into two parts. I would create the chakra, and my clone would do the work of shaping it into the Rasengan. It's way steadier than my off hand, less effort, and a lot faster. So it works for me. I've been doing that every day to form the Rasengan, without thinking about the order of the steps involved. When I did, I realized that if I couldn't do it the way everyone else did...I'd do it the way I figured out before."
"Taking each part and making it a separate task," I conclude. "Which means adding another clone to take care of the nature transformation."
"Yeah. So, as it is now...we should be able to finish the work we started."
"Shall we try it, then?"
"Yup."
The three of us stand clear of Naruto, with Yamato monitoring faithfully. Naruto holds his hand out to one side, and I feel the surge of chakra coming from him. He's definitely determined, the whisker marks on his face becoming more pronounced.
One clone on the left shapes the chakra coming from his hand. And the other on the right infuses wind nature chakra into the forming sphere. The control is much better from what I can sense. More accurate, far better mixing. The jutsu is taking shape. The rotating sphere now has four blades around its middle, making it resemble a shuriken. I can feel the current streaming outwards, rustling my sweater slightly.
"Alright! I got it!"
"Impressive work," Kakashi says with surprise.
"Naruto, you've done so well. Congratulations!" Hina says happily.
"Yes, this is excellent work. We're very proud of you," I say to him.
"Thanks, everyone! But there's a few other things I gotta show you."
"Really now. Surprise us, love."
"Because of the extra training I got with my wind chakra, I know what the proper order of things is, like I said earlier. So..." He has the Rasengan spin itself out before dispelling one of his clones. "When you know the secret, you can make things a little easier on yourself. Three's kind of a crowd, right? So I figured..."
He concentrates and has his remaining clone help form a Rasengan again. This time however, he puts his normally free hand on top. It's slower and shakier than before, but the new Rasengan comes to life in his hand once more. Of all the things...he's re-engineered his own method of jutsu for better results. Unpredictable, indeed.
"Instead of trying to infuse the Rasengan from the same point, you can add a different input, or something like that. It's not as good as the clone method yet, but I think I can get it down with some more practice."
"Why come up with that method?" Kakashi asks.
Naruto smiles and taps his head with one hand. "Head games. I can bring out a bunch of clones, make the enemy assume I'm going to do one thing or another, and then adjust based on all of that. If I want to set up faster, more clones for the jutsu. If I want to trick 'em a little, less clones for the jutsu. Being able to go either way means more options for right now."
"Thinking ahead. I like it."
"You can thank Lili for all of that. If she hadn't taught me about the whole memory thing with clones earlier, I wouldn't have come up with any of this on my own."
"You would have eventually," I say.
"Heh. You always get so humble all of a sudden."
"It's cute, isn't it?" Hina says.
"I think I'm a little more than cute," I say to her.
"You mentioned other things?" Yamato says as he stands up.
"Oh, yeah! The other thing is...this jutsu's not ready yet. There's one more stage I gotta reach," Naruto says.
I blink. "Another stage...?" Did he figure something out just now?
"Yep! Just a few more tweaks and this awesome new jutsu will be ready to go! Completely unstoppable! I can feel it! Oh, um..." He rubs the back of his head. "That's if it's all okay with you guys. I know we can't stay here forever-"
"Yes. I want to see it," I say eagerly. "Let's take a few more days so that you can complete it. I'll stay here on my own if I have to."
"You won't have to. I want to see it, too," Hina says.
"I must admit, I'm curious to see what Naruto has planned out next," Kakashi adds. "I'll stick around, too. Yamato?"
"Might as well stick around at this point," he says with a shrug. "And I'll admit that I'm interested to see where this goes myself. I'm in."
"Alright!" Naruto cheers. "We're all in for the next round! Wind Release: Rasengan, complete!"
"Shall we go over it a few more times?" I ask. "We can have a light day today, since we've completed our main objective at last."
"Sure! I'll use thirty clones this time, since I know what I'm doing. And it'll be a lot easier on you guys, too." Naruto makes the exact number of clones he needs. "Alright, guys. Let's get the new Rasengan down pat. And remember, keep your cool."
"Roger."
"Yeah, this is cake now."
"Mmm...cake. Do we have cake?"
"We do have cake here, Naruto. I'll give you a nice big slice for dessert tonight," Hina says with a smile. "You've more than earned it."
"Awesome!"
"Well, let's get to work so we can eat faster!"
"Don't have to tell us twice."
"Get set!"
"I didn't know there was cake," I say to Hina.
"It was a surprise. I got your favourite, too."
"Mm. Nice."
"It's for after dinner, remember. I made sure to hide it away."
"You don't trust me?"
"No. Not around cake. I've heard the stories from Luna."
I sigh. "She has a big mouth sometimes."
Hina pulls me close and kisses me on the cheek.
"I'm proud of you as well, Lili. Thank you for helping Naruto come this far."
"You're welcome, Hina."
We stand together and watch Naruto work.
Well if she wants major reforms she needs to look into how bandit clearing and general security work is handled. If the nobs are only paying for spot removal of bandits rather than a retainer for persistent protection then that's the first thing that needs to change. Part of getting this sorted out is seeing how the nobs are running things. Keep in mind that the village era turned a lot of management power over to the nobles in order to consolidate the ninjas into select zones to keep them away from non-allied clans, and allow for the relative peace of the previous seventy years compared to the endless conflict of the clan war era.
Winding Down
FortePlus
The THRILL from Green Hill
- Location
- Toronto
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 38
"Winding Down"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 6]
---
Among the ever deepening craters scattered across the field, Naruto gathers his chakra once more. Two clones, set up around his right hand. One shapes the chakra he is emitting, the other adds wind chakra to the structure as it grows.
An extremely heavy sensation going through the air. Vibrations and a loud, high pitched screech that intensifies as the jutsu grows in size, from the sphere with four small wind blades around its middle into something else. A most unsubtle technique, which only makes sense considering who has created it. Larger and larger still, the points grow in size as Naruto continues to add chakra, raising the completed structure above his head.
"Here it is! Finally!" he yells.
A loud, heavy, chakra intensive jutsu. Very much Naruto. Something that only he could pull off. But the most important thing is that he's done it, at last. His father's signature jutsu is now complete.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
"..."
It's petty of me. I know.
I'm really trying to be nice. But...it's such a lame name. Rasenshuriken. Rasenshuriken? Really? I get it. The four points make it look just like a Fuma shuriken. I get it, I really do. That doesn't make it any good. When Kakashi came up with his technique, he gave it a cool name. When I discovered new forms of Mobius, I put in some work to ensure that the technique names were cool-sounding and intriguing all at once. But this? It's upsetting. The boy has no naming sense. Then again, that might be inherited, from what Hiruzen was telling me about Minato. After all, his signature technique is called Rasengan...
Ugh. I can't say anything...it's not my technique, and I don't want to take this moment away from him. I'll get over it. Eventually.
"You're thinking about something silly," Hina says to me.
"Not really."
"Are you sure? I thought you would have something to say about the name he gave it."
I grumble quietly and nod.
"Thank you for considering his feelings, at least."
"Hrm." I go back to focusing on the jutsu itself, instead of being annoyed at the lack of creativity on display. It really is a monstrous thing, isn't it. Judging from his chakra levels, I believe he could make about two or three of them in his normal state before tiring out. Considering the amount of chakra Naruto has, that really is notable. I can see why Kakashi and Minato had trouble completing the Rasengan if it took this much effort to complete. I wouldn't know about Minato's full strength, but it would definitely push Kakashi to the brink of exhaustion after a single use.
The feeling of the chakra tells me that it's also very heavy, weight-wise. Effort to use and effort to carry. It's unstable as well, and unlike the earlier version, cannot be moved or thrown without dissipating. In fact, it's taken several tries today alone to get it into a state where it can sustain itself. This makes it a melee technique once more, which has implications for any battle it's used in.
"Let's have a go with it on a simple target," I say to Naruto. "Yamato?"
"Got it." He weaves seals and makes a sturdy wall of earth behind Naruto. Then he adds a thick wall of wood in front of it. "That should make a good test, I think."
"Yes."
"Alright, let's try it!" Naruto says eagerly. He gets ready to move before I notice something.
"Wait, darling."
"Huh? What's up, Lili?"
"Kakashi, please have a look at the jutsu in detail. Hina, I would like for you to do the same."
"Yes," they say in unison. Kakashi reveals his Sharingan, and Hina activates her Byakugan.
"Yamato, my apologies. We're going to make a change...I would like for you to create a wooden dummy instead for Naruto to attack, so that we can properly observe the effects on a comparable battlefield target."
"No problem." Yamato makes handseals and creates a blank faced wooden dummy using the wood that was originally in front of the wall. It's set up at a distance that should properly arrest it once the Rasenshuriken – god, seriously – lands and propels it backwards.
"Now we should be okay to start," I say.
"Alright! Here I go!" Naruto yells. He rushes ahead with the screeching jutsu in his hand, and this time it's holding itself together. One more burst of speed just before he reaches his target, and he pulls his right arm back before thrusting it forward into the wooden dummy.
And then, things get a bit dramatic.
There's an extremely sharp release of chakra as the technique lands, and as I stand still I can feel the vibrations in detail. This technique doesn't...seem like it's cutting. Not in the way that I think it should be. The dummy is lifted off the ground and shoots ahead, with the Rasenshuriken grinding into it all the while. Then before it can hit the wall, the jutsu shifts and detonates. A massive vortex of wind forms, swirling around the dummy.
"That sure is something..."
Kakashi's commentary is simple and apt. The dummy is being sliced to bits, but it's on a level that I can't even see. The only way I can tell is by watching the wood virtually disintegrate, and the rock wall just behind it get pummelled into specks of dust.
"That's...definitely a jutsu," Yamato says with awe. "Whoa."
"Naruto, come here. Now," Hina orders.
"Eh? Did I screw up something-"
"Just come quickly, it's urgent. Please."
"Alright, I'm coming. But seriously, that looked awesome!" he says as he reaches Hina. She has a concerned look on her face as she pushes up the sleeve on his right arm. "It even rips through rocks like butter! This jutsu is so nuts, I can't believe I came up with it! Of course, it's all thanks to you guys that-"
"Naruto...I'm sorry."
"What're you sorry about, Hinata?" he says to her. "Seriously, you're kind of freaking me out right now, even though I'm pumped. What's the matter?"
"You can't use this jutsu. Not now, not ever."
Everyone is silent for a few moments.
"Uh...what? What do you mean I can't?" Naruto asks her.
"Hina, what do you see?" I ask.
"It might have something to do with the number of attacks inflicted, and their nature," Kakashi says. "Once the Rasenshuriken lands on a target, its properties start to change. The core is packed with chakra, which is the usual fare for a Rasengan. It detonates after contact with a target and causes severe damage at that point of contact some time after sending it away. In the same way, this version with wind chakra also explodes, and because of the nature of wind chakra, has the added effect of cutting and slicing opponents. This leads to even more damage. The Rasenshuriken, however, goes a step above that. Once it detonates, as you saw just now, it creates a vortex over a wide area. Within that vortex, a countless number of wind blades are formed on a microscopic level, and attack the opponent all at once. It's a devastating, inescapable sort of attack, which I suppose justifies the incredible chakra cost."
"And I suppose that is where the problem lies," I conclude.
"Naruto...please listen to me. I don't...mean to throw away all of your hard work," Hina says quietly. "But I care about you, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I don't want you to lose the ability to chase after your goals as a shinobi."
"Now I'm really getting scared. Seriously, just tell me what's going on. I won't get mad, I'm just...I dunno, shocked, is all. We spent a few days getting this up to speed, and now I'm not allowed to use it ever again," Naruto says.
"What Master Kakashi was saying is exactly what I managed to observe. Countless microscopic blades moving at high speed to pierce through a target. And it is the size and sheer quantity that makes them so dangerous. The effect is much less pronounced in your arm, but what it does is attack and destroy on a cellular level. Every cell in the body is ripped to pieces, and its connection to the chakra pathway system is severed. In the case of the user, the damage is much less severe and can be healed given time and proper treatment. But a human being that is hit with that jutsu directly will have their chakra network obliterated, and they will no longer have the ability to create chakra. That means that if they somehow survive, they will never be shinobi again."
Naruto gulps and swallows nervously at that.
"And this is the danger of the jutsu for you," she says, placing a hand on his chest. "The recoil and effect of the Rasenshuriken affects you as well, even if you end up outside of the vortex area. You take on the same kind of damage at a lower level. The more you use the jutsu...the closer you come to severing the chakra network in your hands and arms. And once that happens, you will never be able to mould chakra properly again."
"Can't-"
"No. There is no medical jutsu in this world that can heal damage on that level. You can ask Lady Tsunade yourself if you doubt my words. Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone. Even if it is partial, it will affect your ability to create and use jutsu. You might not even be able to use a normal Rasengan, let alone the Rasenshuriken."
"Oh...huh."
Naruto steps back and takes a seat on the grass, sobered. Hina kneels down to meet him.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I was so eager to see this...to see you do something amazing. I just...think that your health is worth far more than any jutsu, no matter how strong and useful it might be."
"Don't blame yourselves. It's my fault," I say. "I should have seen something like this coming. All jutsu have risks, and maybe if I had-"
I feel a hand rub the top of my head roughly.
"Oi, that's valuable. What are you going to do if my hair starts falling out?" I ask Kakashi, annoyed.
"Stop being a brat for once and listen. All of you should listen up, in fact," he says firmly, lifting his hand from my head.
I take note of his tone and straighten up.
"These past two weeks or so have yielded great progress. We've helped Naruto learn a chakra nature and two new techniques, and completed something that even the Fourth Hokage couldn't. What you're not going to do is throw yourselves into a hole over setbacks. We figured out a problem in training instead of out in the field. That's valuable. It's something that given time, we might be able to fix. So don't go having a pity party over this. You've done too much and worked too hard for that. Understand?"
Hina nods. "Yes, sir."
"Yeah. Got it, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto says.
I sigh and nod myself. "You're right. I understand, Kakashi."
"Good. I just needed you three to remember where you've come from. You don't need to have the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. You're still young. You still have time to learn and make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. These things happen. Don't go around hanging your heads and acting like you're failures."
"Senpai's right," Yamato says. "You've done amazing work over this past while, so don't beat yourselves up over something that you couldn't possibly predict. You'll be able to fix that in time. I didn't get this control over Wood Release in a single day. Mistakes are going to happen. And honestly, you should be proud of yourselves for figuring it out so quickly. If Lili hadn't had the foresight to have people with doujutsu on hand and observing, and Hinata didn't have her insight and medical training, things might have been a lot worse. We might not have noticed the flaw with Rasenshuriken until it was too late."
"Yamato and I are going to grab dinner back in the village. The three of you need to take it easy for a while and think positively, so no more training or any kind of work. Alright?"
"Yes, sir," we say in unison.
"Good. Let's head out, Yamato."
"Yeah. See you guys in a bit."
They take off, leaving the three of us alone. I sit next to Naruto on the grass, and Hina sits on his other side. From here, I can see the large depression left by the Rasenshuriken from earlier. It's more of a pit, actually...a very impressive thing for the first time. Maybe there have been some setbacks, but Kakashi is right. We have a lot to be proud of.
"I almost forgot," I say.
"Forgot what?" Naruto asks me. I pull him close with my left arm and kiss him on the cheek.
"That. Congratulations, my love. You've done very well, and I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, Lili...I'm glad I could make you happy. It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it."
"I'm proud of you too," Hina says, kissing him on the opposite cheek. "You're a hard worker, and you've earned this. Regardless of what happens from now on, you at least have one advanced technique in your hands. It will allow you to move forward towards your goals, as you always wanted."
"That's true. The new Rasengan should be good enough...and I still have the Rasenshuriken if things get really desperate."
"Of course. No holding back in emergencies."
"Yep. Wish there was a way to fix it, though..."
"You can't throw it because it's so unstable," Hina says. "If only there was a way to refine it...but that might be asking for too much, since it's something so big and heavy as it is."
"There is a solution," I say. "Though it requires use of a certain skill. Stabilizing and enhancing techniques is possible with the use of natural energy, and the formation of sage chakra. Infusing it into existing arts should help."
"Natural energy?" Naruto asks.
"That's an entire branch that you're not quite ready for, and would take some time to explain. Your sensei said not to worry about work, so we should try to abide by that. I just wanted to plant the idea in your head, that's all."
"Hm..."
"As Lili said, don't worry about it," Hina tells him. "Let's take things easy."
"Yeah."
---
Kakashi and Yamato come back quickly enough, with plenty of treats for everyone. Tonight's dinner is fried chicken and noodles, and ice cream for dessert. We take our minds off of the recent training and get to chatting about different happenings within the village.
For the first time in a while, it feels like we can relax and wind down. This outing was a great success, and we'll be able to get back to the village tomorrow with our heads held high. Later on, Naruto and I will definitely find some time for ourselves to work on our combination jutsu. I have more data than I know what to do with, and plenty of ideas. If we get it right, it won't take more than a day or two. I really can't wait.
"It's really a shame that things ended the way they did. There were a lot of fun ideas in the series, but then it descended into page after page of mean spirited jokes. I don't understand what changed so suddenly," I say to Kakashi. We've all finished eating and are enjoying some warm tea while talking.
"Me either. There were definitely a few moments that didn't match with the tone of the previous books..."
"What're you guys going on about?" Naruto asks.
"I believe it's one of those raunchy book series that Master Kakashi enjoys so much," Hina says. "A spin-off, I believe?"
"Oh, you mean one of Pervy Sage's books. Yeah, the one series of side novels he recently rushed out was a super big hit. Never read it though, looked pretty boring like his other weird stuff. He made me proof read one of the main ones recently, and..."
The gears in my brain turn, and I slowly lower my cup of tea to the ground.
Did I...hear that correctly? Jiraiya? Jiraiya is the one who writes the Icha Icha series? He's the one behind Icha Icha Garden?
"Master Jiraiya writes those books?" Hina asks, surprised. She looks over to me, her eyes wide. "Oh...oh, dear."
Kakashi looks to me. "Wait. Lili, you didn't...oh. Naruto didn't tell you."
"Tell her what? That Pervy Sage wrote dirty books? I...guess I didn't. Yeah, he does his so called research at hot springs and junk. But why's that important?" Naruto asks. "Did something happen? I mean, aside from his getting slapped the other day for being a turbo creep..."
"Icha Icha Garden has a character that..." Hina tries to find the words. "The main character, from what Lili has told me, bears a very strong resemblance to her. And there are other supporting cast members that one might recognize with a small bit of effort."
"When you say rushed out," I start slowly. "How rushed out did you mean, Naruto?"
"Oh. Now that you mention it...we did have a conversation about you, way back when. Like, maybe three or four years ago now."
"And Jiraiya is one of the people you trusted, which met the conditions I gave to you about my disposition," I finish for him. "Well, that much is fair...he didn't go out and reveal my secret to everyone. Not yet, or directly..."
"Yeah. It must have been around that time...he was stopping and talking to a lot of book guys while we were out looking for Granny Tsunade later, and then while we were travelling the world and stuff. I guess if I had cracked one of those books open, I would have noticed what was going on."
"..."
"Lili, I'm begging you. I know that you probably want to strangle him-"
"No, don't worry about that. I don't believe I have anything to be upset about at this moment," I say calmly. "Your master will be safe from physical harm, as gross as his actions might have been."
Naruto lets out a relieved breath and nods. "That's good to hear. I'm really sorry about that, Lili."
"You did nothing wrong, my love."
"Not to be a downer or anything, but...senpai, you just found out that you're the main character of a very widely distributed erotic novel series, written by Lord Jiraiya himself," Yamato says. "You seem calm, but are you really okay with this?"
"I'm perfectly fine, dear. Thank you for your concern. The only thing I will need is a meeting with Lord Jiraiya to talk about this matter, and straighten a few things out. That's all." I take a long sip of my tea.
"There's nothing too terrible in those novels, is there?" Hina asks Kakashi.
"Nothing unique to the genre, and the writing is usually pretty well done," he replies. "It's just that...well, you can get a sense that the writer wanted to vent a bit, before getting things over and done with in the last few books so that he could move on. And from what I've been hearing about Lili and Jiraiya's dealings with each other...a lot of things are starting to make sense in context."
"That sounds unpleasant."
"Just a bit."
"These things happen," I say to everyone. "It's flattering that I could be the unnamed star of something that appeals so much to me. Expressing my appreciation in detail, now that I know who the author is, only makes sense."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you did more than that," Hina says knowingly.
She's right to say so. I am a bit shocked, and definitely repulsed that the great king of lechers himself would steal my likeness and mannerisms in order to satisfy himself and line his pockets. And then to make me suffer by proxy at the tail end of his book series because I dared to rightfully embarrass him each and every time he crossed the line with me.
But anger and bluster? Oh, no. Nothing like that.
"Mhm." A small smile comes to my lips.
I know what it is I'm going to do, just as I've always known. I made a promise that I would wring dry the person who had the nerve to do something like that. I am going to make sure that promise is kept. And I am going to have a wonderful time making Jiraiya suffer for his trespasses against me.
"Winding Down"
[Spiral Ahead, Part 6]
---
Among the ever deepening craters scattered across the field, Naruto gathers his chakra once more. Two clones, set up around his right hand. One shapes the chakra he is emitting, the other adds wind chakra to the structure as it grows.
An extremely heavy sensation going through the air. Vibrations and a loud, high pitched screech that intensifies as the jutsu grows in size, from the sphere with four small wind blades around its middle into something else. A most unsubtle technique, which only makes sense considering who has created it. Larger and larger still, the points grow in size as Naruto continues to add chakra, raising the completed structure above his head.
"Here it is! Finally!" he yells.
A loud, heavy, chakra intensive jutsu. Very much Naruto. Something that only he could pull off. But the most important thing is that he's done it, at last. His father's signature jutsu is now complete.
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
"..."
It's petty of me. I know.
I'm really trying to be nice. But...it's such a lame name. Rasenshuriken. Rasenshuriken? Really? I get it. The four points make it look just like a Fuma shuriken. I get it, I really do. That doesn't make it any good. When Kakashi came up with his technique, he gave it a cool name. When I discovered new forms of Mobius, I put in some work to ensure that the technique names were cool-sounding and intriguing all at once. But this? It's upsetting. The boy has no naming sense. Then again, that might be inherited, from what Hiruzen was telling me about Minato. After all, his signature technique is called Rasengan...
Ugh. I can't say anything...it's not my technique, and I don't want to take this moment away from him. I'll get over it. Eventually.
"You're thinking about something silly," Hina says to me.
"Not really."
"Are you sure? I thought you would have something to say about the name he gave it."
I grumble quietly and nod.
"Thank you for considering his feelings, at least."
"Hrm." I go back to focusing on the jutsu itself, instead of being annoyed at the lack of creativity on display. It really is a monstrous thing, isn't it. Judging from his chakra levels, I believe he could make about two or three of them in his normal state before tiring out. Considering the amount of chakra Naruto has, that really is notable. I can see why Kakashi and Minato had trouble completing the Rasengan if it took this much effort to complete. I wouldn't know about Minato's full strength, but it would definitely push Kakashi to the brink of exhaustion after a single use.
The feeling of the chakra tells me that it's also very heavy, weight-wise. Effort to use and effort to carry. It's unstable as well, and unlike the earlier version, cannot be moved or thrown without dissipating. In fact, it's taken several tries today alone to get it into a state where it can sustain itself. This makes it a melee technique once more, which has implications for any battle it's used in.
"Let's have a go with it on a simple target," I say to Naruto. "Yamato?"
"Got it." He weaves seals and makes a sturdy wall of earth behind Naruto. Then he adds a thick wall of wood in front of it. "That should make a good test, I think."
"Yes."
"Alright, let's try it!" Naruto says eagerly. He gets ready to move before I notice something.
"Wait, darling."
"Huh? What's up, Lili?"
"Kakashi, please have a look at the jutsu in detail. Hina, I would like for you to do the same."
"Yes," they say in unison. Kakashi reveals his Sharingan, and Hina activates her Byakugan.
"Yamato, my apologies. We're going to make a change...I would like for you to create a wooden dummy instead for Naruto to attack, so that we can properly observe the effects on a comparable battlefield target."
"No problem." Yamato makes handseals and creates a blank faced wooden dummy using the wood that was originally in front of the wall. It's set up at a distance that should properly arrest it once the Rasenshuriken – god, seriously – lands and propels it backwards.
"Now we should be okay to start," I say.
"Alright! Here I go!" Naruto yells. He rushes ahead with the screeching jutsu in his hand, and this time it's holding itself together. One more burst of speed just before he reaches his target, and he pulls his right arm back before thrusting it forward into the wooden dummy.
And then, things get a bit dramatic.
There's an extremely sharp release of chakra as the technique lands, and as I stand still I can feel the vibrations in detail. This technique doesn't...seem like it's cutting. Not in the way that I think it should be. The dummy is lifted off the ground and shoots ahead, with the Rasenshuriken grinding into it all the while. Then before it can hit the wall, the jutsu shifts and detonates. A massive vortex of wind forms, swirling around the dummy.
"That sure is something..."
Kakashi's commentary is simple and apt. The dummy is being sliced to bits, but it's on a level that I can't even see. The only way I can tell is by watching the wood virtually disintegrate, and the rock wall just behind it get pummelled into specks of dust.
"That's...definitely a jutsu," Yamato says with awe. "Whoa."
"Naruto, come here. Now," Hina orders.
"Eh? Did I screw up something-"
"Just come quickly, it's urgent. Please."
"Alright, I'm coming. But seriously, that looked awesome!" he says as he reaches Hina. She has a concerned look on her face as she pushes up the sleeve on his right arm. "It even rips through rocks like butter! This jutsu is so nuts, I can't believe I came up with it! Of course, it's all thanks to you guys that-"
"Naruto...I'm sorry."
"What're you sorry about, Hinata?" he says to her. "Seriously, you're kind of freaking me out right now, even though I'm pumped. What's the matter?"
"You can't use this jutsu. Not now, not ever."
Everyone is silent for a few moments.
"Uh...what? What do you mean I can't?" Naruto asks her.
"Hina, what do you see?" I ask.
"It might have something to do with the number of attacks inflicted, and their nature," Kakashi says. "Once the Rasenshuriken lands on a target, its properties start to change. The core is packed with chakra, which is the usual fare for a Rasengan. It detonates after contact with a target and causes severe damage at that point of contact some time after sending it away. In the same way, this version with wind chakra also explodes, and because of the nature of wind chakra, has the added effect of cutting and slicing opponents. This leads to even more damage. The Rasenshuriken, however, goes a step above that. Once it detonates, as you saw just now, it creates a vortex over a wide area. Within that vortex, a countless number of wind blades are formed on a microscopic level, and attack the opponent all at once. It's a devastating, inescapable sort of attack, which I suppose justifies the incredible chakra cost."
"And I suppose that is where the problem lies," I conclude.
"Naruto...please listen to me. I don't...mean to throw away all of your hard work," Hina says quietly. "But I care about you, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I don't want you to lose the ability to chase after your goals as a shinobi."
"Now I'm really getting scared. Seriously, just tell me what's going on. I won't get mad, I'm just...I dunno, shocked, is all. We spent a few days getting this up to speed, and now I'm not allowed to use it ever again," Naruto says.
"What Master Kakashi was saying is exactly what I managed to observe. Countless microscopic blades moving at high speed to pierce through a target. And it is the size and sheer quantity that makes them so dangerous. The effect is much less pronounced in your arm, but what it does is attack and destroy on a cellular level. Every cell in the body is ripped to pieces, and its connection to the chakra pathway system is severed. In the case of the user, the damage is much less severe and can be healed given time and proper treatment. But a human being that is hit with that jutsu directly will have their chakra network obliterated, and they will no longer have the ability to create chakra. That means that if they somehow survive, they will never be shinobi again."
Naruto gulps and swallows nervously at that.
"And this is the danger of the jutsu for you," she says, placing a hand on his chest. "The recoil and effect of the Rasenshuriken affects you as well, even if you end up outside of the vortex area. You take on the same kind of damage at a lower level. The more you use the jutsu...the closer you come to severing the chakra network in your hands and arms. And once that happens, you will never be able to mould chakra properly again."
"Can't-"
"No. There is no medical jutsu in this world that can heal damage on that level. You can ask Lady Tsunade yourself if you doubt my words. Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone. Even if it is partial, it will affect your ability to create and use jutsu. You might not even be able to use a normal Rasengan, let alone the Rasenshuriken."
"Oh...huh."
Naruto steps back and takes a seat on the grass, sobered. Hina kneels down to meet him.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I was so eager to see this...to see you do something amazing. I just...think that your health is worth far more than any jutsu, no matter how strong and useful it might be."
"Don't blame yourselves. It's my fault," I say. "I should have seen something like this coming. All jutsu have risks, and maybe if I had-"
I feel a hand rub the top of my head roughly.
"Oi, that's valuable. What are you going to do if my hair starts falling out?" I ask Kakashi, annoyed.
"Stop being a brat for once and listen. All of you should listen up, in fact," he says firmly, lifting his hand from my head.
I take note of his tone and straighten up.
"These past two weeks or so have yielded great progress. We've helped Naruto learn a chakra nature and two new techniques, and completed something that even the Fourth Hokage couldn't. What you're not going to do is throw yourselves into a hole over setbacks. We figured out a problem in training instead of out in the field. That's valuable. It's something that given time, we might be able to fix. So don't go having a pity party over this. You've done too much and worked too hard for that. Understand?"
Hina nods. "Yes, sir."
"Yeah. Got it, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto says.
I sigh and nod myself. "You're right. I understand, Kakashi."
"Good. I just needed you three to remember where you've come from. You don't need to have the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. You're still young. You still have time to learn and make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. These things happen. Don't go around hanging your heads and acting like you're failures."
"Senpai's right," Yamato says. "You've done amazing work over this past while, so don't beat yourselves up over something that you couldn't possibly predict. You'll be able to fix that in time. I didn't get this control over Wood Release in a single day. Mistakes are going to happen. And honestly, you should be proud of yourselves for figuring it out so quickly. If Lili hadn't had the foresight to have people with doujutsu on hand and observing, and Hinata didn't have her insight and medical training, things might have been a lot worse. We might not have noticed the flaw with Rasenshuriken until it was too late."
"Yamato and I are going to grab dinner back in the village. The three of you need to take it easy for a while and think positively, so no more training or any kind of work. Alright?"
"Yes, sir," we say in unison.
"Good. Let's head out, Yamato."
"Yeah. See you guys in a bit."
They take off, leaving the three of us alone. I sit next to Naruto on the grass, and Hina sits on his other side. From here, I can see the large depression left by the Rasenshuriken from earlier. It's more of a pit, actually...a very impressive thing for the first time. Maybe there have been some setbacks, but Kakashi is right. We have a lot to be proud of.
"I almost forgot," I say.
"Forgot what?" Naruto asks me. I pull him close with my left arm and kiss him on the cheek.
"That. Congratulations, my love. You've done very well, and I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, Lili...I'm glad I could make you happy. It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it."
"I'm proud of you too," Hina says, kissing him on the opposite cheek. "You're a hard worker, and you've earned this. Regardless of what happens from now on, you at least have one advanced technique in your hands. It will allow you to move forward towards your goals, as you always wanted."
"That's true. The new Rasengan should be good enough...and I still have the Rasenshuriken if things get really desperate."
"Of course. No holding back in emergencies."
"Yep. Wish there was a way to fix it, though..."
"You can't throw it because it's so unstable," Hina says. "If only there was a way to refine it...but that might be asking for too much, since it's something so big and heavy as it is."
"There is a solution," I say. "Though it requires use of a certain skill. Stabilizing and enhancing techniques is possible with the use of natural energy, and the formation of sage chakra. Infusing it into existing arts should help."
"Natural energy?" Naruto asks.
"That's an entire branch that you're not quite ready for, and would take some time to explain. Your sensei said not to worry about work, so we should try to abide by that. I just wanted to plant the idea in your head, that's all."
"Hm..."
"As Lili said, don't worry about it," Hina tells him. "Let's take things easy."
"Yeah."
---
Kakashi and Yamato come back quickly enough, with plenty of treats for everyone. Tonight's dinner is fried chicken and noodles, and ice cream for dessert. We take our minds off of the recent training and get to chatting about different happenings within the village.
For the first time in a while, it feels like we can relax and wind down. This outing was a great success, and we'll be able to get back to the village tomorrow with our heads held high. Later on, Naruto and I will definitely find some time for ourselves to work on our combination jutsu. I have more data than I know what to do with, and plenty of ideas. If we get it right, it won't take more than a day or two. I really can't wait.
"It's really a shame that things ended the way they did. There were a lot of fun ideas in the series, but then it descended into page after page of mean spirited jokes. I don't understand what changed so suddenly," I say to Kakashi. We've all finished eating and are enjoying some warm tea while talking.
"Me either. There were definitely a few moments that didn't match with the tone of the previous books..."
"What're you guys going on about?" Naruto asks.
"I believe it's one of those raunchy book series that Master Kakashi enjoys so much," Hina says. "A spin-off, I believe?"
"Oh, you mean one of Pervy Sage's books. Yeah, the one series of side novels he recently rushed out was a super big hit. Never read it though, looked pretty boring like his other weird stuff. He made me proof read one of the main ones recently, and..."
The gears in my brain turn, and I slowly lower my cup of tea to the ground.
Did I...hear that correctly? Jiraiya? Jiraiya is the one who writes the Icha Icha series? He's the one behind Icha Icha Garden?
"Master Jiraiya writes those books?" Hina asks, surprised. She looks over to me, her eyes wide. "Oh...oh, dear."
Kakashi looks to me. "Wait. Lili, you didn't...oh. Naruto didn't tell you."
"Tell her what? That Pervy Sage wrote dirty books? I...guess I didn't. Yeah, he does his so called research at hot springs and junk. But why's that important?" Naruto asks. "Did something happen? I mean, aside from his getting slapped the other day for being a turbo creep..."
"Icha Icha Garden has a character that..." Hina tries to find the words. "The main character, from what Lili has told me, bears a very strong resemblance to her. And there are other supporting cast members that one might recognize with a small bit of effort."
"When you say rushed out," I start slowly. "How rushed out did you mean, Naruto?"
"Oh. Now that you mention it...we did have a conversation about you, way back when. Like, maybe three or four years ago now."
"And Jiraiya is one of the people you trusted, which met the conditions I gave to you about my disposition," I finish for him. "Well, that much is fair...he didn't go out and reveal my secret to everyone. Not yet, or directly..."
"Yeah. It must have been around that time...he was stopping and talking to a lot of book guys while we were out looking for Granny Tsunade later, and then while we were travelling the world and stuff. I guess if I had cracked one of those books open, I would have noticed what was going on."
"..."
"Lili, I'm begging you. I know that you probably want to strangle him-"
"No, don't worry about that. I don't believe I have anything to be upset about at this moment," I say calmly. "Your master will be safe from physical harm, as gross as his actions might have been."
Naruto lets out a relieved breath and nods. "That's good to hear. I'm really sorry about that, Lili."
"You did nothing wrong, my love."
"Not to be a downer or anything, but...senpai, you just found out that you're the main character of a very widely distributed erotic novel series, written by Lord Jiraiya himself," Yamato says. "You seem calm, but are you really okay with this?"
"I'm perfectly fine, dear. Thank you for your concern. The only thing I will need is a meeting with Lord Jiraiya to talk about this matter, and straighten a few things out. That's all." I take a long sip of my tea.
"There's nothing too terrible in those novels, is there?" Hina asks Kakashi.
"Nothing unique to the genre, and the writing is usually pretty well done," he replies. "It's just that...well, you can get a sense that the writer wanted to vent a bit, before getting things over and done with in the last few books so that he could move on. And from what I've been hearing about Lili and Jiraiya's dealings with each other...a lot of things are starting to make sense in context."
"That sounds unpleasant."
"Just a bit."
"These things happen," I say to everyone. "It's flattering that I could be the unnamed star of something that appeals so much to me. Expressing my appreciation in detail, now that I know who the author is, only makes sense."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you did more than that," Hina says knowingly.
She's right to say so. I am a bit shocked, and definitely repulsed that the great king of lechers himself would steal my likeness and mannerisms in order to satisfy himself and line his pockets. And then to make me suffer by proxy at the tail end of his book series because I dared to rightfully embarrass him each and every time he crossed the line with me.
But anger and bluster? Oh, no. Nothing like that.
"Mhm." A small smile comes to my lips.
I know what it is I'm going to do, just as I've always known. I made a promise that I would wring dry the person who had the nerve to do something like that. I am going to make sure that promise is kept. And I am going to have a wonderful time making Jiraiya suffer for his trespasses against me.
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At that moment, Jiraiya shuddered, feeling as though a third close brush with death was fast approaching.