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Snapping Turtle [Naruto SI]

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Ch 36
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    • Ch 36: Dark Place

    ---

    Genin Aburame

    There was a border town not too far from the ambush site, where the fishermen went out at night to catch twelve-stone catfish. Shibi didn't know what twelve-stone catfish were, Kushina had been the one to tell him about them. Given the situation, she wasn't exactly keen on filling in details of the ecosystem of Hot Water and Whirlpool. He offered to get her some, but she rejected the idea. Instead, she asked them to get a room at an inn which could fit the whole rescue team.

    Once they were seated on tatami mats and cushions, Shibi looked around at the large room. There was a scroll on the wall which depicted a white sperm whale that had lept from the sea to land on a demon. Shibi noted that the artist had made a mistake -- sperm whales didn't have teeth on their upper jaw. Black letters along the edge of the scroll told its story: Hakugei strikes down a demon trespasser.

    Kushina and Hizashi sat opposite each other, Hizashi with his Byakugan active and Kushina with a scowl on her face.

    "It appears to be a… solid mass of chakra, which is interfering with the seal," Hizashi muttered. "I don't know seals well enough to tell what it is doing… can you feel anything?"

    Kushina scowled deeper and laid her hand on her stomach. "It… feels like the seal is far away. I can't will myself into the seal to talk to the fox, or to grandma Mito. I can feel them -- but I can't reach them, and they can't reach me." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Whatever chakra mass you're talking about -- it's something those monk guys did. They were talking about it, before you attacked." She opened her eyes to glare at Shibi. "I wouldn't have been able to help you when they attacked if Noburu hadn't been getting them upset enough to waste all their opium on him."

    Shibi deflated in light of his teammate's scorn.

    Hizashi glanced at him and then physically snapped his fingers at Kushina. "He did as he was required. Konoha ninja look after each other, teammates moreso." He sighed, and shook his head. "Allied shinobi are our second priority. That's how it is. You would not have been safe in a brawl." He let them sit in silence for a moment before he scooted forward. "I'm going to try and disrupt the chakra mass, alright?"

    "Yeah, sure, whatever." Kushina looked opposite her teammates and squared her shoulders. She was set on being upset at both of them, clearly.

    Shibi remained quiet and watched Hizashi tap Kushina's stomach, in an attempt to burst the chakra mass with genjutsu release techniques. He watched, and wondered how the consequences of his choice would play out.

    I saved my teammate… at the cost of my sensei's family, Shibi told himself. I couldn't have won a fight against them all… all I would accomplish would be getting Kushina re-captured.

    But he hadn't even tried. The others had been running for hours, and they still had the steam to try. Had he been a coward? Had he shamed his village with such a display? Oto depended on Konoha guarding their flank -- would they see Shibi's actions as a betrayal?

    "...I'm sorry," Shibi said, soft. He drew himself into his coat, to try and make himself as small as he felt. Shibi wanted to explain, but he knew explaining without an invitation invalidated the apology.

    "Don't apologize to me," Kushina snapped. "I'm fine.. .aside from whatever chakra cancer they shoved in me." She turned to glare at Shibi for a moment. "Do you know what happens when a village steals a kekkei genkai from another?"

    Shibi felt his stomach twist. But he refused to be silent on the topic, as he would be partly responsible. "If a natural-born wielder is captured… they are forced to produce children. It… is preferred to capture men, as they can produce more in a shorter amount of time." His fingers closed into fists. "It was common during the warring clans era." He refused to look away from them. He refused to ignore the consequences of his decisions.

    "And they would have done the same to you," Hizashi sharply added, directed at Kushina. He jabbed her in the stomach with a new release attempt. "If you had gone into a fight like this, where you cannot use your chakra chains and where you don't have any weapons -- you would have been worse than useless."

    Kushina puffed up her cheeks, upset that her critique of Shibi had been deflected.

    Shibi didn't want to comment -- Kushina was dressed in a dark blue kimono with a repeated logo of an Otogakure spa in lighter blue along the sleeves. It was quite obvious where she had been kidnapped.

    "I coulda used taijutsu," she defended herself. "I don't need weapons or chakra chains for that."

    "Have you fought either of those monk-folk with taijutsu?" Hizashi arched a brow. "Because I have. I, with my chakra and my weapons, got beaten as if it were childsplay." He jabbed her in the stomach again. "I'm going to try and extend my chakra into you like a knife to pop it. You may feel a slight pinch."

    Kushina's eyes suddenly bugged out of her head, she clapped a hand over her mouth and clutched her stomach with the other as she bent over. Her back spasmed, like she was about to throw up.

    "Um." Hizashi pulled his hand back and glanced at Shibi. "Maybe… I shouldn't have done that." He focused on Kushina and tried to smile. "But… the mass has dispersed? It looks like it's being integrated into your chakra network… maybe that's why you're feeling this way?"

    Kushina was unable to respond. Shibi felt sick himself from watching her retch like she was about to throw up violently.

    "Let me help," he said and extended his hand. A few kikaichu beetles flew from his hand to land on Kushina. Moments later, he got signals that they had begun to extract the foreign chakra from her system. What worried him is how they signaled for reinforcements -- they found the chakra hard to extract.

    While Kushina recovered, to the point where she no longer needed to physically hold her mouth shut, there was a knock at the door. The innkeeper indicated the guests Shibi had informed her of had arrived. In walked the Oto ninja.

    None of them were smiling. A palpable air of dread surrounded them. And importantly, neither Ishidate or Noburu were among them. Shibi focused his eyes on his knees, unwilling to meet what he was sure were angry glares. One by one, the Oto ninja sat down and laid their weapons on the floor.

    It was one of the few times they'd ever been so quiet that Shibi remembered.

    Shibi drew in his breath, and steeled himself to ask about the fight. He wouldn't allow himself to shirk his responsibility. "Did they kill Ishidate?"

    Raiga sighed, Shibi could see the Sotaicho's leg move slightly to a more comfortable position. He didn't answer until Shibi lifted his eyes to meet Raiga's. The Sotaicho looked exhausted. "I don't know." He shrugged. "We found that Kumo kunoichi turned to stone, and shattered. She looked surprised. But there was no blood, the other Kumo ninja was nowhere to be seen, and we didn't see either of those monks." He thinned his lips, an attempt at a smile. "So, there's hope."

    Shibi looked around and saw the Oto ninja despondent. Even happy-go-lucky Junko seemed neutral -- the equivalent of despair for her. He had to say something. "I -- "

    "It was good that you got Kushina to safety." Raiga turned his eyes away and focused on her. "The enemy has access to the puppet master jutsu, at a skill level which I haven't seen in actual puppet masters before. She would have been snatched, easily." He sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Everyone, get the details fixed into your heads. We're going back to Oto in the morning. And we're going to hope that Orochimaru and Kousuke have a better chance against those monks -- with the intel we provide them."

    Grumbles and outrage met Raiga, the younger ninja wanted no part of leaving the enemy behind. Shibi understood their feelings. He listened to Raiga talk his genin and toku-jou team members down and committed to memory that it was partly his fault. Even if it was the right thing to do -- he made a choice that could have find a friend in a horrific situation. Regardless of how it turned out, he'd have to live with that.

    --

    Chunin Uemon

    Ishidate pulled Noburu along by his hand, he'd been carrying Shibi for too long after a full day of running and fighting powered by soldier pills and marcher's broth. Ishidate legitimately had so little chakra that he didn't expect the enemy to find them before morning. They just had to get to a town, somewhere they could rest.

    Noburu wasn't in good shape, he could tell from the way his ex looked. He'd said they'd been shooting him full of opium all day -- which was why he was so sweaty and lethargic. The jinchuuriki had a rough time following Ishidate with speed -- hence Ishidate's need to pull him along.

    They were on the forest floor, with Fire Country pines in every direction, and trunks that reached upwards of ten meters before branches spread out from them. The pines marked regions where Konoha's First Hokage had fought -- the tall trees meant to make it easier for ninja to travel. But grounded, it made it hard for them to escape without detection.

    Ishidate didn't look behind him further than Noburu -- once his energy was gone, they would have to hunker down and hide. If the Kumo ninja and the monks had recovered from his poison attack enough to chase them -- there was nothing they could do. But that wasn't the case yet. Ishidate flexed the hand which bore the evil eye totem, and offered prayer to whatever god slept in the depths of the forest for protection.

    His lungs hurt, his legs hurt, his hand twinged from when he had grabbed that kunoichi who thought she was safe by the neck. Out of those three pains, he liked the last one. He focused on it, and he used it to keep him on the forward march.

    "Okay," Noburu gasped out. "I'm like… ninety… nine-ish percent done for the day. Chakra strings and burning opium out of my blood has left me with not much else." He tugged against Ishidate's grip on his hand. "We need to find someplace we can hide."

    "We keep going until that ish falls off that ninety-nine," Ishidate fired back. He turned and smirked at his ex. "Think you can keep at it a bit more?"

    Noburu, missing his usual shades, was easy to read. He was flustered by someone throwing his usual innuendos back at him. For someone so prone to sass and snark, he didn't deal with it well himself, or maybe he just didn't deal with it well from Ishidate. "We're both too young for that kind of talk!"

    "Just teasing, come on! Keep up!" Ishidate pulled Noburu along slightly faster and hoped the extra ten minutes of running would end up paying off. It wasn't long before he had only enough energy to secure them a shelter. Ishidate let go of Noburu's hand and formed hand seals which caused the evil eye totem to fully open. "Earth release: Trapdoor bunker." Ishidate touched the ground with his right hand -- the evil eye totem glowed red, and the ground shifted under their feet. He grabbed the grass and pulled. A section of soil only just wider than Ishidate's shoulders, hinged up and revealed a pit lined in silk threads. "You know, I still don't know how an earth release technique creates silk like this -- but it keeps us from getting dirty."

    Noburu shrugged and hopped into the pit. Given he was ever so slightly wider than Ishidate -- he quickly got stuck. The chubby genin wiggled a bit, and then glared up at Ishidate. "You did this on purpose."

    "I did that on purpose," Ishidate confirmed, and nodded. He pushed down on Noburu's shoulder and soon got Noburu through the hole. He gave Noburu a chance to shuffle to one side before he hopped in too hopped into the pit and pulled the lid closed.

    The two Oto ninja were alone in the dark trapdoor bunker, in a situation where they had to hope that the enemy failed to find them. The silk lining of the trapdoor bunker made for a comfortable seat, and reasonable protection from dirt or mud in the event of rain. Ishidate sat down on one side of the trapdoor, while Noburu did the same. In the moment of imagined safety, the awkwardness of the situation came back full force.

    Ishidate found himself in a bunker, with his ex, who at the time lacked trousers. When and if they got to a village -- that would have to be something they fixed.

    "I'm sorry Raiga-sensei made you come on this mission," Noburu said shakily. "You… looked pretty upset from what my shadow clones remember seeing."

    "Well, I had just heard that someone had trespassed on the village," Ishidate muttered back with an arched eyebrow. "And that you were apparently a target for them. That's generally an upsetting situation." He stopped to consider why he bothered to emote with his face -- Noburu didn't have the chakra to activate his Byakugan again. "But... I volunteered. Lord Raiga thought me being here would keep you from going berserk. At the time we didn't know about all the opium. Or the chakra strings. Or the chakra tumor they shoved into your head."

    Silence dragged on. And Ishidate reflected on what he'd said. Had he been too aggressive, too upset, had he been too accusatory? Should he have apologized immediately, or wait until the topic came up -- as it would inevitably.

    "I… should have sent a shadow clone to let you know. About the dinner." Noburu shifted, though Ishidate couldn't see exactly how. "I was mad, and stupid… I'm sorry."

    "And I was… probably in the wrong to call you fat, a coward, useless, and a cheesemonger." Ishidate was tight-lipped and avoided the far worse things he had said. "As well as the… rest of what I said. I should have been angry at your uncle for being thoughtless, not at you. I'm sorry too."

    Their mutual apology did nothing to dispel the awkward air between them. The silence dragged on as neither shinobi knew what to say.

    "Was… that poison a new mixture? I don't recall the cloud being pink." Noburu tried to ease the tension with casual small talk, his tone curious.

    Ishidate smiled even though he knew no one could see it, and earnestly responded. "Yeah. We adjusted the formula so that it's not lethal -- it's just a chemical cocktail that disrupts the nervous system. The breakthrough was adding powdered… opium…." Ishidate's smile became more brittle and his voice became noticeably strained as he kept talking.

    "I'm not going to be anti-opium because of this, or anything." Noburu's calm and worldly bearing came back, an immediate relief to Ishidate. "A couple times, I've been the one to teach people how to turn opium into heroin. Never a good look, really, but for the first few years -- until politics turns against you -- it's a great deal."

    Ishidate's lips tightened as he struggled to remember what 'heroin' was. "Ah, thank you for being understanding. Because if it works against those monks… I'd like to keep using it."

    "Just so you know, medical knowledge and all, using it against jinchuuriki is not advised." He shifted and groaned -- like a sore spot flared up. "If I didn't have this chakra tumor in my head, Isobu would be able to use my medical knowledge to counter it."

    Ishidate made a 'hmm' sound to acknowledge the advice. He frowned as his eyes adjusted to the near-total darkness enough to roughly make out a silhouette. "After you've rested, will you be able to fight?"

    "I don't know. I had no problems using chakra strings to slow those assholes down, and helping Shibi. But they put this tumor in my head specifically to avoid Isobu helping me, and to mess up my chakra control. When I fought them on my own, they stomped me." The silhouette of Ishidate's ex shrugged. "I'll try something when I have more chakra in the morning. But until then… spare a kunai?"

    Ishidate drew a kunai and offered it to Noburu. When Noburu took it, Ishidate lingered a bit in the offering pose. It seemed cool in his head, but when he actually did it -- it looked weird. Especially since Noburu probably couldn't see it very well. "When this is over… if we get back to Oto… do we wanna try again?"

    Noburu didn't respond quickly, for a moment Ishidate thought that an implicit 'no' -- and he spoke again as Ishidate was about to withdraw his hand.

    "It's been a while since I lived long enough to go through puberty, the whole teenage thing. You're not in control most of the time." Noburu spun the kunai around and held it like he expected to use it at any moment. "So… I might not be totally rational when I say this, but I'd like to try." He flipped the kunai again. "As long as your mom stops asking me to figure out how to make clones to get your clan the Byakugan."

    Ishidate smiled, both because he had something to look forward to, and the memory of his mother's talks with the hospital staff. "You really shouldn't have had that conversation where she could hear you. The ability to just 'design' babies, and you think people wouldn't automatically go for that?"

    "See -- most people have these things called 'morals'."

    "You can't see it right now -- but I'm giving you the look of extreme doubt that these 'morals' actually exist."

    The levity helped. It distracted them from the reality of hiding underground in the hopes of escaping monks who could see without eyes.

    ---

    You see, you only need to have the trapdoor bunker collapse once due to rainfall before you rework the jutsu to include something that lets it hold its shape even during a monsoon.

    If you're wondering about the twelve-stone catfish, yes it's because of their weight, and they frequently eat the scraps left over from carcasses, especially whale remains from krakens.
     
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    • Chairtastic said:
    If you're wondering about the twelve-stone catfish, yes it's because of their weight, and they frequently eat the scraps left over from carcasses, especially whale remains from krakens.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Offtopic but I remember reading somewhere that divers who repair underwater equipment fear catfish way more then sharks. Apparently they can get pretty big and pretty aggressive when they're hungry, and they have huge frikkin teeth besides. If I were a ninja I'd get a catfish summons. Just saying.
     
    Ch 37
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    • Ch 37: In Hot Water

    ---

    Sotaicho Kurosuki

    Raiga had a mask of hateful fury on his face as they rode the wooden elevator down from the Wave Temple to the Oto visitor's center. His team, and Orochimaru's all stood in a wooden tube large enough to fit a maneater boar comfortably, lined with wood paneling painted in propagandist images of Oto. He remembered having to pose for the painting of him as a conductor of a band for other ninjas -- they would need to re-do it soon, as the paint had begun to chip. Another painting was of the silhouette of Oto's towers as it would be when completed. The painter had included enough details to pick out individual towers -- such as the Kaguya's Bone Palace.

    His mask of fury allowed him to appreciate the art without anyone interrupting his thoughts. He had to consider the possibility of going to war, which Oto would likely not survive. Konoha would, most definitely. He was honestly surprised that their first major enemy was Kumo -- and not Nadeshiko. Kumo's economy was booming, they had two bijuu already, and they had more mineral resources than even Iwa. Why did they pick a fight? He wondered as he led everyone off the elevator into the visitor's center.

    It was mostly carved into the side of the cliff, and connected to the industrious areas of the city -- the casino, the bazaar, the entertainment district, hotels, and the restaurants. Opposite the elevator's doors, the first thing people saw when they entered the village, was a dome of bubble windows in a coral frame that showed Otogakure's towers in their stunning beauty.

    Raiga's mind spun with ideas and concerns as they walked to a hallway where chunin stood at attention on metal disks emblazoned with different elaborate designs -- with some disks and chunin missing, bubble windows where the disks ought to have been. A Kaguya chunin broke his stance to wave to Junko, who waved back. Raiga ignored the man's lack of discipline and stepped onto a disk emblazoned with the kanji for 'one' surrounded by chrysanthemum flowers.

    It was amazing how much beauty could be obtained in a short amount of time when ninja acquired hobbies.

    The chunin for the disk bowed to Raiga and waited for his group to settle down on the disk. Once everyone stood still, he formed hand seals for the transition. "Water release: Witch's Bubble." The chunin blew a bubble bigger than the disk, but affixed to it, in which everyone stood. Then, the disk sank down and dragged the bubble down with it. As it left, a bubble film was left where it had stood.

    Raiga didn't allow his mask of fury to slip for a moment while he internally relaxed at the beauty of Oto's reefs. When they had started, the depths of the sound were barren of large fish populations. But with the reefs and Kousuke's light bubbles, they had come in from shallower waters and become at home.

    The bubble passed some Hoshigaki clansmen, training their younger members in underwater combat, and advanced on Tower One. Tower One was covered in corals that grew around the light bubbles, with most of the village's external light produced at Tower One. With the disk still at the bottom, the bubble moved to one of several overhanging structures along the tower's exterior and rose up into a bubble window directly above them.

    Once it had passed through, the disk locked into place and the bubble burst. They were in a similar hall, but the disks were all orientated to one side. The door out of the room was carved with two different images. On one side, an image of the Buddha with his hand presented pointing up and inscribed with 'peace'. On the other, a masked heavily armored oni with his hand presented pointing down and inscribed with 'war'. The two were positioned as if they presented the idea of two halves making one whole.

    Raiga pushed on the 'war' side to exit the hall. Up through the halls of Tower One they went, while Raiga pondered why Kumo had stolen from them and Konoha, sure to cause a war. It wasn't until they passed a map in the diplomacy floor that it clicked for him, and he felt foolish that he hadn't seen it earlier.

    The map was of the shinobi continent and the sub-continent. They used colors to indicate the four elemental nations and Soup Country and the spheres of influence they shared. Areas where multiple nations had influence were colored by alternating stripes. Fire naturally had the most, while Soup was the only to have an influence on the sub-continent.

    However, he naturally gravitated toward the yellow which represented Lightning Country. Lightning had only two allies in their sphere of influence, Frost and Hot Water. They contested influence in Snow Country with Earth, and Raiga watched as Hot Water was painted with the red stripes of Fire Country. They'd backed Lightning Country into a political corner with their diplomacy.

    Which, of course, meant that Kumo would lash out. Lest they fall as Water had fallen.

    "Everyone," Raiga said as he examined the map more to try and predict who would ally with whom against them, and if Konoha had known that this would happen. "I want you to compile a report, submit a copy to me and another to Orochimaru. Assuming he hasn't left the village yet."

    "He hasn't," Shibi commented and withdrew his head into his jacket's collar some more.

    "Good. After that, you're dismissed. We'll meet up again when we have a plan of attack." Raiga looked over his shoulder at them, his mask still in place. "Go."

    --

    Genin Fujimoto

    It wasn't supposed to play out as it had. Haruki beat himself up mentally as they'd returned, in an attempt to deal with the paradox. He had won -- beaten a Kumo ninja in a ninjutsu fight -- and they lost. Konoha got their kidnapped ninja back, but Oto was down two. He found it so incredibly hard not to be bitter.

    But while he lived, he had to comport himself as a member of the noble Fujimoto clan. He had a memento of his victory -- a Kumo forehead proector, half-melted. After he'd completed his report, he dropped one off with Raiga-sensei's office and left for Tower Four to present the copy to Orochimaru.

    Tower Four's transit area featured paintings of bellflowers in dusty pink colors along the walls. The door was carved in the image of Guanyin. Just past the door, in the entrance hall, was a shrine to the same bodhisattva. Incense burned for her, and a table with offerings was laid out. Haruki placed the Kumo forehead protector on the offering table, and bowed his head in prayer.

    Guanyin, ever-kind, Haruki thought to himself while chimes rang out from a gentle breeze. Relieve this soul of some of their negative karma, and let them be reborn in a fairer world. He clapped his hands and rang a bell on the shrine altar, in observance of the Uemon tradition. With the prayer done, he took back the forehead protector and proceeded into the hospital.

    He passed a painter hard at work painting a story onto the wall of the hospital entranceway. It seemed to tell the story of a vicious swordswoman who changed her ways and became a doctor, but only the linework was done at the time.

    A quick check-in at the security station confirmed he had permission to approach the Sannin's room and off Haruki went. He walked through the halls, nodded to the medical ninja he recognized, and approached the room decorated with a fish with many jewel-like scales. He heard voices in the room -- mostly all familiar.

    He knocked, and waited for someone inside to answer. The door opened and Shibi answered. Haruki tried very hard to remain neutral and professional, and failed utterly by Shibi's flinching reaction. "I'm here to submit my report, per my sensei's orders," Haruki spoke in a saccharine tone. He defaulted to the 'courtly voice' his parents had taught him when he couldn't bare to be nice.

    Shibi looked to the side, and nodded at an unseen prompt. He stepped aside and allowed Haruki to enter.

    He was surprised to see Kousuke there, seated on the floor, while Tsunade bridged him and Orochimaru on the bed with her arms. Their positioning was so awkward that she was forced to sit on a stool to complete whatever task she was doing. Hizashi leaned on the wall immediately next to the door, while Kushina sat on Orochimaru's bed. She had switched to her usual clothes -- featureless blue trousers with a matching top over mesh, with her hair done up in a braid. Whatever conversation they had been having was stopped dead by his arrival.

    Silent as a grave, the bitter teen walked in and handed the black-bound report booklet to Orochimaru with a bow. Once it had been taken, Haruki turned to leave the hospital room, but was stopped short.

    "Hold, a moment," Orochimaru crooned, no doubt his version of the 'courtly voice'. "You are the only member of your team to have defeated one of the Kumo ninja." He had already opened the report by the time Haruki turned around, and his eyes danced down the pages so fast Haruki half wondered if he had a dojutsu. "What skill level would you put the ninja's proficiency at?"

    Haruki glanced around at the silent members of Orochimaru's team. They were stony as statues. "Chunin, maybe toku-jou," he shrugged. "He used something called 'storm release'. Neat party trick. Ate up his chakra really fast and he wasn't so good at firing it into a forest at night when he couldn't see very well."

    "Kushina identifies him as the one who administered the opium to Noburu when they were both captured. It's possible you eliminated their medical ninja." Orochimaru flipped to the next page.

    "Then their survival odds went down a lot. Down two members, with Noburu to deal with, minus opium." Haruki's courtly voice squared up against Orochimaru's. "Are there other questions, Lord Orochimaru?"

    Tsunade shook Orochimaru's shoulder and glared at him when he turned to look at her.

    The snake Sannin sighed. "I… understand you're unhappy with the situation. My student was rescued, and Noburu wasn't. But it was purely by chance…."

    Haruki realized what direction the conversation would turn even as Orochimaru kept talking as if the situation was focused on Haruki's feelings. He narrowed his eyes at the pale snake and turned up his saccharine tone with a smile. "I can't help but see between the lines here." He wagged his finger at Orochimaru as if he'd caught him. "You want me to help diffuse any resentment Noburu might have over not being rescued."

    Orochimaru didn't respond, but the way his students did gave the show away.

    "If I were you -- I would take the energy you're putting toward damage control, and put it instead into finding and rescuing Noburu." Haruki gave Orochimaru a fake smile, and made no effort to hide it's falsehood. "A genuine effort on your part will do more for damage control than my opinion on it ever will."

    Orochimaru's face broke out in a similarly fake smile. "I appreciate the advice. And I'll be sure to put every effort into getting my nephew back, safe and sound."

    "I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Haruki turned and left the room with his orders fulfilled. He had the unfortunate task of relaying Noburu's status to Akami to look forward to.

    --

    Ninja-Rat Keigo

    With a sudden tugging sensation, and a puff of smoke, Keigo came back to the shinobi continent. A nearby squeak let him know Akimitsu had also been summoned. Given the number of rat summoners, Keigo looked around with hope. It was dark, they were underground, it smelled like sweaty humans -- but he made out the boss' silhouette in no time.

    "Boss!" Keigo exclaimed, and dashed forward. Akimitsu followed Keigo's tail, and together they scurried up Noburu's arms to his shoulders. "You're not dead!"

    "I'm so happy that you immediately assumed I was dead when the two of you got dismissed," Noburu muttered, and rubbed the ninja rodents all the same. "I'm glad you got out, Aki."

    The ninja mouse huffed, but jumped into Noburu's hand for petting anyway. "I only had a mopey teenager squish me between him and a wall by ninja monks. It happens to everyone eventually."

    Keigo looked around and saw another person in the bunker. He narrowed his eyes at the other party. "The hell you doing here?"

    "Making my apologies," Ishidate responded evenly. "By rescuing Noburu, admitting I was wrong, and moving at his pace."

    Akimitsu escaped Noburu's pampering grip and scurried over the teen for a damage report. "Nine puncture wounds, left thigh," the mouse announced as he found them. "Seem to be properly disinfected and scabbed up. Can't help but notice the lack of trousers, can you manage a clone and transformation?"

    Noburu's eye twitched. "Sure let me try." He formed a seal and created a cloud of smoke. A second, equally sweaty Noburu appeared who then vanished in a puff of smoke. Left behind were a pair of simple black trousers which Noburu shimmied into. "I'm not going to enjoy these memories."

    "I'm not enjoying these memories either," muttered the trousers.

    "Shaddup." Now dressed, but still pretty sweaty, Noburu patted his summons. "We're in potentially enemy territory. I'm going to use my Byakugan to try and determine where we are, and we need you to carry a message to Oto about where we are."

    Keigo and Akimitsu saluted, and stood ready. Keigo went further, and produced a rat-sized scroll and pen from his flak jacket pouch to write down details.

    They watched as Noburu's eyes shifted from reptilian into the seemingly blind ovals of the Byakugan. Immediately the teen's face pinched, like he'd seen something unpleasant. "We're surrounded," he muttered. "Yugakure ninja. And… oh shit." Noburu rubbed his forehead and slumped. "We're on the Hot Water side of the border. I can see the border stones -- sixty feet in that direction." He pointed, presumably, to the south-west.

    Keigo noted the information down, and offered his tail to the visibly stressed Akimitsu to hug. For an assassination mouse, he was so touchy-feely.

    "I can try burrowing to the border," Ishidate commented. "But if they know we're here -- they'll probably flood this tunnel if we do something like that." He tapped his chin. "Unless… we seal this bunker off when we go."

    "Minor problem with that," Noburu muttered, and poked the side of the bunker. Keigo glanced and saw a mass of stiff silk all along the walls and floor. "This stuff's structural integrity would be shot doing that, so it could collapse on us anyway."

    "So, we wanna try fighting our way to the border?" Ishidate lit the room briefly with his evil eye totem's orange light. "I can stone them to death, you just keep them off me."

    Noburu frowned. "What the… I'm looking at the border stones… are we near Rice Country or something? They don't show the border as being with Fire Country. And…." He released his Byakugan and rubbed his eyes. "Ow. I can't look past them. My range is either nerfed by this tumor, or there's something there blocking me."

    "How would a chakra tumor affect your vision?" Ishidate looked genuinely confused.

    "Um," Keigo spoke up and lifted his pen from his paper. "Excuse me -- a what tumor?"

    "Those monks shoved something into my seal which keeps me from talking to Isobu or borrowing his chakra." Noburu crossed his legs and exhaled slowly. "I'm going to try and pop it with my internal chakra control. Just… have nearby pathways knife out at it, you know."

    "That sounds like a really foolish plan that is likely to result in immediately negative consequen -- " Akimitsu started to talk sense, but it went unheard.

    Noburu's eyes started moving rapidly, and his jaw locked up. Seconds later he fell backward and began to twitch slightly. Seconds later the clone pants he'd put on dispersed in a cloud of smoke. Noburu had induced a seizure, Keigo guessed.

    Akimitsu threw his front paws in the air, exasperated, as Keigo noted all these events down, and Ishidate shuffled forward to check on Noburu. Minutes ticked by and Ishidate became more visibly worried. The summons too, became worried, as the risk of status epilepticus became more an issue.

    A sudden golden light emerged from Noburu's face as the shaking stopped. "That was close," rumbled a voice like Noburu's but accented. Both the rodents hastily bowed as Noburu's body sat up and pushed Ishidate back with minimal fuss. The golden light which shone from within Noburu's eyes let them know the bijuu was in control. "I've never had to fix a seizure in a jinchuuriki before."

    "Lord Isobu," Ishidate said and bowed his head. "Is… Noburu alright?"

    The bijuu-possesed jinchuuriki shook his head. "Mmm. Hard to say. The foreign chakra is not being easily dispersed. He does battle with the lingering will up here." Isobu tapped the side of Noburu's head. He glanced at Keigo and noted the rat's pen and paper. The bijuu pointed at the rat, and focused on him. "An important piece of information that you should relay to the village. The monks spoke a language which has been dead for hundreds of years on this continent. I heard them, and their plans."

    Keigo noted down what the spirit of the sea passed along to him. The removal of eyes and execution was… unexpected, but not something outside the realm of human cruelty. That there was a 'main' and 'branch' family dynamic at play was most interesting. As was the avenue for dividing the two monks -- the younger's ethics, and the older's traditionalist views.

    Isobu turned around, and looked in the direction Noburu had pointed earlier. "We are near Mount Koryu. I will help you get to the mountain, we can find allies in the Tatsushiro clan there."

    Ishidate glanced at the rodents for insight, and Keigo remembered that he was from the sub-continent. There was no way the story had spread that far.

    "Mount Koryu is said to be where five dragons live in close proximity," Keigo explained with a wary expression. "They have a covenant with the Tatushiro clan, to be granted power and blessedly abundant land in exchange for protection and advocacy. Their lands are never bothered by winter, their harvests never fail, and yaoguai are too afraid of the dragons to hunt the Tatsushiro."

    "Dragons are the shape most gods choose to take in their slumber," Isobu muttered. "But these five, the Genryu, are wide awake. They will offer sanctuary if you can get to them -- but their presence will disrupt your chakra."

    Keigo noted as much of the conversation down as was appropriate, and found he had no more room in the scroll. "I have to go. Boss' orders," he explained to the human and the jinchuuriki, then turned to the ninja-mouse. "Aki, you want to come with me or stay with them?"

    "I'll stay here -- I want to tell the boss 'I told you so', when he comes out of this." Akimitsu crossed his paws and grinned maliciously. "And help him with my usual tricks." There was the assassination expert Keigo knew.

    "Good hunting," Keigo said and patted the mouse on the head. "And try not to cause any medical emergencies while I'm gone," he told the giants, rolled up his scroll, and dispersed.

    ---

    Oh shit it's time for Chair to attempt to make one of the worst Naruto games work in a heavy political fic! Hopefully the Tatsushiro clan have a spare pair of trousers Noburu can borrow.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Captain SNES is a lingering remnant of the golden age of sprite comics, it updates rarely, but has a substantial archive and a massive multi-threaded storyline. The titular hero spent much of that time without pants.
     
    I do have to say that it is the most unique naruto SI I have ever read.
    The plot and the injection of humour makes it very interesting.
     
    Ch 38
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 38: Warmonger's Delight

    ---

    Third Hokage

    Hiruzen had completed his work, and took his family and friends to see a play in Konoha's theatre house as a rare treat. The play that was to be performed for that week told the story of how the Aburame clan warred with the centipede and ant clans -- whose names were not directly used at the request of the Aburame. Biwako and Hiruzen's children sat in a box seat at the theatre next to the box in which Hiruzen and the Konoha council sat. Hiruzen waved to his youngest son when the boy waved at him.

    "Mistress Centipede, I implore you! Dress yourself -- hide away your bosom!"

    "Cowardly Bettle-Boy, so afraid of a woman's bosom that you sheathe your sword?! The Ants speak truly about you!"

    Koharu stifled a chuckle, and hid her smile behind her hand. That was her favorite part of the play, as far as Hiruzen could tell.

    Danzo sighed, and leaned on his fist, propped up on the arm of his chair. "I'll never understand how such stoic warriors like the Aburame came from such… cowardly origins."

    Homura adjusted his glasses, and put his knowledge of the history of Konoha's clans to work. "Beetle-Boy represents the foolish notions they had when the wars began. Things like how one fought ought to be superior to what one fought for, and other such civilian notions."

    "It also serves to show how the centipedes were so focused on warfare they neglected their welfare," Hiruzen added and patted Danzo on the shoulder. "Remind you of anyone."

    Danzo glared at him. "I would never let a woman's bosom distract me from a fight."

    "It's not about the bosoms." Hiruzen rolled his eyes. "It's symbolism."

    Danzo arched his one remaining eyebrow dangerously high and gestured to the play. "Are we watching the same play?"

    "And now your bosoms are exposed, boy! Should I insult you and say you are not worth killing until you are dressed?!"

    "That would be greatly appreciated, actually!"

    Hiruzen grunted indignantly, and focused on the play. Danzo's inability to see nuance was nothing new to him, but he always hoped it was something that could be fixed via exposure to the arts.

    There was a knock at the door to the box -- on the inside. Moments later, a masked Anbu handed Hiruzen a trio of scrolls. What worried him was that two were from his students by the use of the three-prong sealing method on their exteriors, and the third was clearly abused -- a gouge had been torn in the scroll, by a kunai passing too close to it, Hiruzen guessed. There was blood in and around the gouge, the thrower had purposefully meant to destroy the scroll but missed.

    Hiruzen snapped his fingers, and stood from his seat with the scrolls in-hand. The council followed him soon after. With haste, they left for the Hokage Tower. Hiruzen unsealed the scrolls from his students, and laid all three out for the council to view.

    Jiraiya and Orochimaru had each sent scrolls which indicated disasterous events. Kushina and Noburu had been kidnapped -- with Kushina being recovered, but their allied village's jinchuuriki still missing. Kumo and unknown monks were responsible -- a bad enough situation on its own merits.

    But Jiraiya told him a story of a situation about to unfold. Jiraiya had taken his students into what he called the 'Contested Lands', to the sounth of River Country. He'd taken them there to train in the valleys and caves, and to see the abandoned city which was the site of Orochimaru's mining operation. But he had seen ninja from Tani and Suna encroach deeper into the region, and he suspected they knew the general location of Konoha's mineral mining. It would not be long before an attack was launched against the mining operation.

    The third scroll was from their ambassador to Kusagakure. It was encoded by a cipher that they had to piece together, around the damaged and bloodstained portion. It didn't help that part of the cipher was the use of different colored inks in the message.

    The sun had gone down by the time they fully processed the message. 'Kusagakure has fallen,' the message said. 'The moderate faction of the village's leadership has been arrested on charges of treason against the daimyo. Iwagakure has sent troops to help keep the peace. Ambassadors going missing. I may be next. Consider Grass Country a puppet state.'

    Hiruzen sat back and examined the three messages, and then looked at the map of the continent on his wall. The three events had happened at the border region between three of the remaining four elemental nations -- all at roughly the same time.

    "Our enemies have been planning this for a while," Hiruzen muttered. How he wished he hadn't left his pipe at home. Curse the no-smoking rule of the theatre. "We have been outmaneuvered."

    "This wouldn't have happened," Danzo muttered bitterly, "if you hadn't been so aggressive in dismantling my branch of Anbu." He picked up the scroll stained in blood. "The messenger for this one was attacked by Iwa ninja -- who were in position between Kusa and the Fire Country border. We could have warned them, if my spies had been allowed to remain at their posts."

    Hiruzen didn't let it show on his face how he knew Danzo was right. He didn't give voice to Danzo's legitimate criticism in the face a calamity. The dire future he had been warned about would not come to pass.

    "We cannot let this slide," Koharu said, strong and willfull. She tapped her finger into the scroll from Jiraiya. "We must reinforce the mining operation as a priority. We'll lose face to the daimyo if we demand he keep the lands and his debts, but do not adequately protect it."

    "But it's clear what our enemy is attempting to do," Homura replied. He stood and walked to the map on the wall. "Three events, from the major nations, all at the same time." He tapped them in sequence, and then repeatedly on the orange-colored Soup Country. "They want us to split our forces, and leave our flanks exposed to the inheritors of Water. If we respond how they predict -- we will almost certainly lose the land which borders Tea and Soup."

    "The situation with Kumo is mostly resolved at this point," Danzo said with a tone that indicated how displeased he was. "We have our jinchuuriki back. Orochimaru and the rebel monk will retrieve Oto's jinchuuriki on their own terms -- with Orochimaru's infiltration expertise I expect them to have it done in a week at most. We can dedicate more resources elsewhere."

    "Such as this mining operation." Koharu emphatically tapped the relevant scroll. "Can you imagine the havoc which would result if Suna's artisans got their hands on this mineral? Tanigakure knows those valleys better than our ninja do -- we have to commit to its defense."

    "And what does it say to our allies if we do not go to Kusagakure's defense?" Homura asked. He gestured north, to Waterfall, and then south, to Tea. "These countries are directly at risk because of the enemy's actions. Taki still hasn't recovered their bijuu -- they will need assurance that we are ready to support them, which we won't give by committing to the south."

    Hiruzen listened to their points, and eyed the map. He sighed and rubbed his temple. "We will inform the daimyo about the possibility of war." That was paramount -- it would take the daimyo time to mobilize his mundane soldiers and hire mercenary ninja. "The possibility of an attack from Nadeshiko cannot be ignored -- so we can't have the majority of our forces outside Fire Country." He watched the map in silence, while the council waited for him to issue marching orders. With a sigh, he decided it was time. "Owl."

    One of his Anbu emerged from the shadows and knelt beside the Hokage. "I am here, Lord Hokage."

    "I hereby order you to put together a team of no less than nine and no more than eighteen jounin, and as many chunin as you deem necessary, and go north." He nodded to the map. "Reinforce Takigakure. Keep an eye on Kusa, and work with Taki's leadership to locate and secure the seven-tails in a combat-ready host, and retake Kusagakure when you feel the time is right." He sighed deeply. "I will assemble a similar force to yours, and deploy them to the south, under Jiraiya's command until Orochimaru can take over."

    Jiraiya would be a much better fit to place in the land adjacent to Tea and Soup, once freed up. And Orochimaru being at the dig site would accelerate their development of the mineral into something useful. The sooner that secret could guard itself, the better.

    "You cannot be serious," Danzo said softly, like he was stunned to his very core.

    "Under the wartime doctrine, established by the Second Hokage," Hiruzen spoke with greater volume, that he could drown out Danzo's repeated statements as they rose in volume. "I authorize you to appropriate resources and funds to support this theatre of armed conflict. Your word will be as mine. And should I fall in battle, between now and war's end, you will rise as the Fourth Hokage." He looked at Owl, and saw Fugaku's eyes look back at him with shock. "You have your orders. Go."

    --

    Rebellious Monk Kousuke

    Kousuke listened to Noburu's rat summon relay what he'd heard and contemplated what to do about the situation while he outwardly didn't react. He could feel Saiken's unease as he listened through the monk's ears.

    "Do you know which temple these monks belong to?" Orochimaru asked once the rat had finished his report, and scurried off. He couldn't look directly at Kousuke -- Tsunade was between them, transferring chakra from the monk to the Sannin.

    "They're not monks," Kousuke responded. He could sense familiarity from Saiken and knew there was something afoot. "None of the monk temples teach the use of chakra strings -- every one which did was hunted down by Suna to eliminate competition. Why do you think there isn't a Wind Temple anymore?"

    Kousuke reached out mentally to Saiken who hesitated before he linked to the monk's body.

    Tsunade yanked her hand off Kousuke's shoulder as human chakra mixed with the bubbly slug's.

    "Oy," Saiken said with Kousuke's mouth and slumped against the wall. "This ain't gonn' be an easy explanation, yeah?"

    The Hyuga among Orochimaru's students arched his brow and pointed at Kousuke. "Your whole body language changed real fast there."

    Behind Saiken's influence, Kousuke noted the boy with amusement. Perceptive, he told the slug. Perhaps he will fill in the blanks, and you won't have to hold them by the hand through this.

    Saiken shrugged Kousuke's shoulders. "That's another thing, for a different time, yeah? Dese folk… they are not of this world." Ever the dramatic, the slug let them ponder in silence for a moment before he clarified. "Long, long time ago, yeah? The Sage of Six Paths had himself a lil' brother. Lil' brother used chakra to make the moon a place he and his clan could leave in peace, yeah?" Saiken rubbed the back of Kousuke's neck, suddenly bashful. "But… I got to thinkin', maybe they'd want to visit yeah? They'd maybe need our help if somethin' went wrong, yeah?"

    Kousuke mentally arched a brow as he noted the way the shinobi's eyes all moved like they were deep in thought -- Orochimaru seemed to connect the dots fastest, as he leaned forward to glare at Kousuke with Saiken in control.

    "You're saying that these people -- they are distant relatives of the Sage of Six Paths," Shibi deduced. "And… that they used something you made to come down from the moon."

    "Mmm," Saiken said and nodded Kousuke's head. "It's how I know where they one hundred percent will be at some point or anudda. I remember where I put it." Saiken turned and met Orochimaru's gold eyes with the milky whites he made Kousuke's appear as. "Iffin they catch him again -- that's where they'll go. And iffin they ask for help…."

    "That's where their reinforcements will come from," Orochimaru muttered. His glare intensified. "Where is it?"

    --

    Chunin Uemon

    After an hour of waiting, Noburu had fought off the lingering willpower in the chakra tumor, and returned to control his body. With that, they began to plan out their counter.

    "Kunoichi, chunin from the color of her flak jacket," Noburu said as he spied on them with his Byakugan. "Hidden thirty feet away outside the eastern treeline, has a repeating crossbow with bolts inscribed with a seal of some kind."

    Ishidate made a note of the weapon, but frowned. "Um. What's 'feet' in sensible units of measurement?"

    Noburu twitched, his focus broken, and sighed. "A little over nine meters."

    "Thank you."

    Noburu focused once more on their enemies. "Trap expert in the trees behind us -- multiple traps set up to the west of us. Shinobi, also a chunin. All the traps seem tied to manual triggers he controls -- knock him out, and they're useless."

    "Where behind us? Point him out." Ishidate didn't want to assume Noburu meant 'behind me' or 'to the north' when they had technically-allied ninja they had to escape. When Noburu did, he noted the threat's position. "No traps around us?"

    "No. From his lip movements, I think he assumes we will make a break for it."

    Ishidate looked up and arched his brow. "There's someone close enough for him to talk to?"

    "I think they either have a short-range communication jutsu, or radios." Noburu focused a moment more. "Definitely radios, I'm not seeing chakra in the air."

    Ishidate narrowed his eyes. Radios were expensive -- had Kumo supplied them?

    "The other two are moving around a lot… one has a complex tube with them, it has a weighted net inside. The other one…." Noburu did a double-take and hissed through his teeth. "Shit, that's Hidan."

    Ishidate arched his brow and looked up at the ceiling. "Someone you know?"

    "Kinda-sorta." Noburu focused intensely. "I'm… not seeing a Jashin amulet on him, so he's not joined the faith yet…."

    Ishidate sharply drew in breath and grabbed a bell from his pouch. "You don't speak the evil god's name without warning, Nobu!" While Noburu muttered half-hearted apologies, Ishidate rang the bell and prayed internally.

    "Uses a sycthe on a rope. Guess he gets the second and third blades later on in life. I know how to fight him." Noburu turned his Byakugan off and focused on Ishidate when his prayers ended. "How should we split this? I take Hidan and the sniper, you deal with the trap guy and the net-gun guy?"

    Ishidate nodded. "And until you get something with pockets, I'll keep Akimitsu to help with poison delivery." Ishidate's wig rose up and he could feel the mouse wave at Noburu.

    Noburu nodded. He formed hand seals, and Ishidate woke the evil eye totem from its sleep.

    "Water release: Hidden Mist justu!" "Earth release: Trapdoor bunker!"

    Ishidate expanded the trapdoor bunker with the second use, too much for the stiff silk to support. He'd also adjusted the size of the opening, so that when he pushed up on the roof -- a section wide enough for both Oto nin to escape rose up. The bunker collapsed into a pit around them, and a cloud of mist filled the forest.

    Ishidate went after the trap expert first. With a kunai drawn in his left hand, he charged the trap expert's position, and forced him to abandon the wires he'd set up. Ishidate pursued him until they locked kunai together.

    "Really shoulda paid attention to what hand I was using my kunai with," Ishidate told him and grabbed ahold of the Yu ninja's long-sleeved shirt with his right hand, and the evil eye totem flared to life. Moments later, the man's shirt had completely turned to stone, with his hands too far apart to form hand signs. "Have fun with that!"

    He let the pissed man with his stoned shirt, and looked away just in time to see an bolt fly right for his face. It stopped in the air -- just as it would have struck his forehead protector, and was yanked away by an unseen force. A glance in the direction saw Noburu spin the bolt around and launched it where it had come from.

    A distant 'puff' sound drove Ishidate to form handsigns quickly, and he substituted himself with a log that was netted from afar. From his new place in the trees, Ishidate raced toward the source of the net, and saw a Yugakure ninja without a flak jacket ditch the metal tube from which the net had been launched.

    He felt legitimately insulted that genin had been involved in this affair, and had to remind himself that these folks were likely just on a border patrol and had stumbled on them. Noburu's mist was carried by the wind and drifted into the trees through which Ishidate chased the genin. Visibility was poor, and the genin made a critical error that tipped things in Ishidate's favor -- he missed the branch he jumped for on account of the mist.

    Ishidate heard the genin's frightened yelp and launched down to grab him. His right hand grabbed the genin by the shirt, his left stabbed a kunai through the collar and into the tree to support him, and Akimitsu ran down Ishidate's arm to nick the genin with a sewing needle.

    "I don't often use hallucinogens," the mouse commented as he scurried back up under Ishidate's wig. "So I don't know how long that will last."

    "We don't need very long to cross… cross…." Ishidate scratched the side of his face with his left hand and grabbed the Yu genin's trousers with his right as he dropped to the ground. "How far is sixty feet again?" He held the pilfered tomato-red shorts in his hand and looked around for Noburu.

    He could faintly hear vicious cursing and saw Noburu return to the pit with a pair of black trousers over his shoulder. "Hmm," Noburu muttered and gave him a flat look. "You asked me how far thirty feet was earlier. What's twice that?" Noburu discarded the black trousers. "Too small. Hidan, you're a skinny jerk and I don't know how women can find you attractive." He turned and shouted the last sentence over his shoulder.

    Even louder vicious cursing followed.

    Ishidate rested one hand on his hip and offered the tomato red shorts with the other. "Keep being sarcastic, and I won't try to find you trousers next time. I think these will fit -- drawstring waist and all."

    "Oh," Noburu cooed and swiped the shorts. "In that case, sweetie, sixty feet is a little over eighteen meters. You're so thoughtful. And you grabbed the kunai holster too!" Soon, Noburu was decent once again -- without need of clone trousers. Now equipped with pockets, Akimitsu promptly ditched Ishidate's wig for Noburu's new shorts.

    "I aim to please. Let's get going before those monks and Kumo jackasses show up." Ishidate led the way to the south-west, and toward the border with Mount Koryu. "So, do you know anything about Mount Koryu? The three-tails knew a bit."

    "I know that it's not kind to chakra use, and that there are different zones for the different dragons. But I don't know which zone we're running into." Noburu narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead. "Probably the lightning one."

    Ishidate arched his brow at Noburu. "I thought you said you couldn't see past the stones with your Byakugan."

    "Using the modern medical miracle called 'eyes' I can see that there's a localized thunderstorm," he pointed up and Ishidate saw the sky darkening. "And that it's staying in place despite strong winds today."

    "On the one hand, that's fair," Ishidate noted, "but on the other -- all your sarcasm makes me wonder if I should take those shorts back." For a moment, it was just them, bantering and enjoying each other's company. Maybe like the date they had missed.

    It was nice.

    ---
    You would be forgiven for not realizing the world is devolving into war, if you are in the forest where it is peaceful.

    In other news -- all y'all who watched the last Naruto movie notice how bubbly and artisinal the path from Earth to the moon is? Chair noticed.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Chairtastic said:
    "I hereby order you to put together a team of no less than nine and no more than eighteen jounin, and as many chunin as you deem necessary, and go north." He nodded to the map. "Reinforce Takigakure. Keep an eye on Kusa, and work with Taki's leadership to locate and secure the seven-tails in a combat-ready host, and retake Kusagakure when you feel the time is right." He sighed deeply. "I will assemble a similar force to yours, and deploy them to the south, under Jiraiya's command until Orochimaru can take over."
    Click to expand...
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    I wonder what mobilisation number you will choose (or the system of mobilisation, like would it be Ninja only or a Ninja-Samurai mixture).
    And I remember a fanfic (it was a SI inserted in uzshigakure) which had given a explanation of the system and that explanation kind of resonated with me.
    (I searched for it, and it was this one Joie de Vivre | Royal Road .)

    and since it requires an account, I thought to directly quote that portion:

    First off, there wasn't one academy, there were several, and even more outposts throughout the Land of Fire that could train genin. Overall, including reserves, logistic corps, etc., Konoha could call on a little more than twenty thousand ninja, and graduated over two thousand a year out of a static village population somewhere north of two hundred thousand. The Land of Fire itself could call on another fifteen to twenty thousand more ninja, as independent ninja Clans or retainers that could be activated by the Daimyo.

    Of those that were "active" Konoha ninja, about eight thousand were combat-fit but crippled in some way that made them have to leave the active forces, or just too old; ninja with long-distance mobility issues, for example, could not be active-combat forces. Many of them still taught, worked in the hospital or in logistics, or any of a dozen different departments that don't actually result in doing frequent missions; all did regular training as part of the reserve.

    Of the twelve thousand remaining potential combat troops, fully half were employed as ordered by the Daimyo; they could be attached as special forces units in the national military, acted as couriers or internal spies, and policed the border and roads. This was where most of the "genin corps," those genin too unpromising to be "elite genin" on the fast-track to Jonin path, and the "chunin corps", most of whom were once part of the genin corps, ended up.

    Those who tried out for elite genin (like the Rookie Nine or Twelve or whatever highlighted by the show) got two chances. The first was when they had the Jonin test. Just being allowed to take the Jonin test required graduating in one of the top classes, and even still only about a third passed.

    If they failed, the new ninja went to the genin academy, rather than the student academy, with the rest of the leftovers from the academy program who never even got a chance. They were then given general forces, specialization, and electives training. They then got to try the Jonin test one more time, along with the most promising of the genin who never got to try in the first place.

    If they failed that test, then they faced another one to two years of training at the genin academy, leaving when they either tested (and passed) as a genin, or tested into a specialist training program (medic, sealing, genjutsu, ninjutsu, strategy, stealth etc.). Out of a class of two thousand graduates, only two to four hundred would end up in the elite-track, or one of the specialization programs that gave similar benefits and reputation.

    All of its reserves, logistical requirements, and the Daimyo's requirements left Konoha with only six thousand active duty combat-forces. About two thousand of these were kept as a guard in and around Konoha, though about half of the guards were "paper-guards" who trained with guard units, but spent most of the actual "guarding" time in the hospital or Torture and Interrogation or whatever.

    There were also about four hundred ANBU. Another eight hundred were hunter-nin, or on long-term infiltration or recruitment assignments across the countries. Tsunade, when Naruto retrieved her to become Hokage was probably (at least nominally) one of these. Within the village, there was the hospital staff, who also operated the combat-medic training center, Torture and Interrogation, Sealing Corps, Academy Staff, Specialist Training Staff, Cryptography, Strategy Office, etc., all taking up about another eight hundred active duty ninja. This left Konoha with only two thousand active duty ninja to deploy at will on mercenary missions.

    While two thousand were not that many to be the principle bread-winners of the village, it was still one sixth of the total active combat forces, and they kept up a very high combat tempo. Casualties above twenty percent in dead ninja alone (and thus much higher if including crippled ninja) per year would be considered good when dealing with the active mercenary ninja, and these losses were especially concentrated in the fresh genin ranks. Some years casualties might rise above eighty percent, especially as a shadow-war with a foreign village was shaping up. When combined with the losses suffered in the forces working for the Daimyo, reinforcements were crucial to continued operation.

    About two hundred of these two thousand active workers were jonin, not all of whom would or could mentor genin-teams, and about a hundred and twenty genin would join the elite-track every year coming from a total of four different academies.

    The competition was fierce, and this was where the Clans truly shined. They may have only supplied a tenth to a fifth of the Konoha forces (clans tended to keep some of their ninja self-employed, so they functioned similar to reserves), but they were consistently better trained, with specialist skills, better gear, and there was something to be said for serious selective breeding. The acknowledged members of major and minor clans, whether main or branch houses, between them made up sixty percent of jonin or special jonin, forty percent of Elite Chunin, and twenty five percent of the total chunin.
     
    Chairtastic said:
    In other news -- all y'all who watched the last Naruto movie notice how bubbly and artisinal the path from Earth to the moon is? Chair noticed.
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    oh cool so they used some kind of temple portal thing or something?
    i just assumed they used stupid eye powers to jump to the moon and back
    i never finished naruto i think the last chapter i read had naturo and his mum chaining up their dog inside of him(hello freud i see you there) and everything i know about the ending and post ending stuff is from fanfics and none of them went into detail about that
     
    Ch 39
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 39: Ruins

    ---

    Chunin Uemon

    Thick mist covered the mountain as they climbed. Rain beat down on them and made what would have been safe paths muddy and treacherous. And regular lightning strikes discouraged them from any ventures into the open. Ishidate hadn't really considered the possible severity of chakra disruption, but there he was -- unable to grip the ground harder than his sandal's natural traction, his gauntlet constantly in flux. Some moments it would feel like he had totally exhausted himself, but then moments later he would feel fine.

    Mount Koryu was not to be fucked with, as it turned out.

    Ishidate followed behind Noburu, who said he had a rough idea of what to look for, and walked up the sides of the mountain slowly. No Yu ninja or mysterious monks followed them that they could see. Not that that meant much, with fog and a thunderstorm at play.

    "We have to be careful to watch for landslides," Noburu shouted back to Ishidate as the rain picked up in intensity. "We're approaching the part of the mountain where trees become scarce. Be on the lookout for lightning -- most of it isn't natural, it's the dragon. You might have a second to dodge."

    "Might?" Ishidate asked, with a raised eyebrow.

    "Might." Noburu sighed, and stopped next to a tree, one of the last in the forested section of the mountain. Ahead of them was nothing but moss, mudstone, and cliffs. Koryu stretched up, until the mountain seemed to be broken -- with two spiked summits that gave the impression they were on the edge of what had been a higher peak once. "That up there is the volcano -- the fire area and a ritual site are right in that caldera. I wonder how much having an active volcano affects the locals."

    "Well," Ishidate muttered and eyed the slope as well, "if Alcohol Country is anything to go by -- they don't run out of good farmland much, if at all." His eyes traced a path up the side of the mountain where he hoped they wouldn't run into so much potential for a mudslide. Or just being stuck in a bad spot when they had to dodge lightning.

    Noburu looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Don't run out of…. Do you see terraced farming happening here?"

    Ishidate glanced around the mountain and realized his mistake. The border stones did not mark the mountain and an extensive amount of land, just the mountain and the forests around its roots. He didn't see any terraces, like what Oto had in the agri-dome, and his face flushed at his mistake. "Well, they have to grow their food somehow."

    "No, they don't! Starvation is an option!" Noburu rolled his eyes and crouched. "Ready to run?"

    "Only if you tell me when you start to slip." Ishidate crouched down. "Really should have grabbed some sandals off those guys too."

    "Lessons for later! Run!" Both of them bolted for the cliffs, their lack of chakra not much of a detriment to their taijutsu skills -- while they couldn't shunshin, they could still run with the best of them. "Each of the dragons is behind a big-ass metal door! I don't know if the Tatsushiro have any buildings out here -- but that's the closest thing to actual civilization around here!"

    "Eyes peeled for a big-ass metal door, got it!" Ishidate shouted. The rain and rolls of thunder were all the noises they heard for a few minutes of running. Ishidate noticed Noburu almost fall over a couple times, but he was able to maintain his balance with help.

    "Man-made structure spotted!" Noburu pointed in the direction and changed course in pursuit of it.

    Ishidate strained his eyes, but couldn't see the structure Noburu mentioned. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and he saw a distant section of a bridge. However he felt a sudden spasm in his right arm and leg, along with a burning pain in his shoulder. It took until the clap of thunder sounded right on him to realize he'd been struck by lightning.

    True, natural, lightning would have laid him out from that. His clothes would have caught fire, and his nervous system would be shot. But true, natural lightning would have hit Noburu first. Still, even if it had been unnatural or chakra-based lighting, it made Ishidate stop long enough for the slope and the muddy terrain to start him on a slide down.

    The thunder had caught Noburu's attention, Ishidate saw as he slipped away. Precious progress was undone as Noburu turned back to grab his right hand.

    "Hey," Noburu chuckled, as he struggled up the slope with Ishidate in tow. "You lost weight. Congrats?"

    It felt like Ishidate's right half wanted to stretch -- that entire half of him was tensed. He physically reached over with his left hand and forced his arm to bend at the elbow, and then his leg at the knee. The movement let him work the tension out and soon he could move again. "The lightning dragon's an asshole," he muttered as he dug himself out of the mud that his stiff legs had dragged with him. Noburu held onto him to provide an anchor.

    History repeated itself. A flash of light, and a clap of thunder. Noburu jerked suddenly and tipped over into the mud. Ishidate went from being supported to being support, as he planted his feet and kept Noburu from slipping away down the slope.

    Akimitsu popped out of Noburu's pocket once Ishidate helped him stand up. "Please stop insulting the dragon god of lightning," the mouse said in a deadpan voice.

    Ishidate would have slapped himself if both hands weren't dedicated to getting Noburu up and moving again. He had forgotten that the dragons were gods. Apparently. Because the continental gods had idiotic notions like animal forms.

    Lightning struck a third time, and sent both young men into the mud, and down the slope. Fortunately, no one was around to see them be foolish except the ninja mouse.

    --

    Third Hokage

    A new message had come from Orochimaru -- information about the status of Oto's jinchuuriki, and his wereabouts. It also included information which worried Hiruzen greatly -- an art installation of the bijuu which had the power to move people across great distances between two fixed points. The bijuu alleged that the other side of the installation would emerge inside the moon, and that the unknown forces had come from there.

    Unfortunately, the installation was not somewhere that Konoha would have easy access to. A forested region in the otherwise mountainous Frost Country.

    Hiruzen had to order Orochimaru off of pursuing that threat, and break off the hunt for the kidnappers. He wrote in his message, carried by a messenger monkey, thus: 'Your obligation is to your family, and to your village. Retrieve Noburu, and return to Konoha. Nothing else.'

    With such an outlandish but likely true claim, it would have to be something he disclosed to the daimyo directly. How fortunate that the daimyo had summoned him to come to the capital in light of the possible war.

    It delayed his deployment of Jiraiya's reinforcements by half a day -- he completed the forms necessary on the road and sent them back to Konoha with a messenger monkey.

    Hopefully nothing bad happened regarding that, but Hiruzen had politics he had to play.

    He paid no mind to the beautiful wooden towers and flame-patterned roofs of Keishi, or of the city-within-a-city that was the daimyo's palace. Hiruzen was keenly focused on the need to inform the daimyo of the goings-on.

    Which was exactly the reason he threw open the door to the daimyo's bath chambers and signaled to his Anbu to clear out the daimyo's screaming attendants. The feminine screaming did not stop, even after the servant girls had been ushered out.

    It took Hiruzen a second to realize the screams were the daimyo's doing.

    "Lord Daimyo," he said with a pinched nose. "You summoned me. I have arrived."

    "I didn't summon you so you could invade my bath time!" The nobleman screamed from his cloud of soap bubbles. He dunked himself and coated himself in the bubbles so that none of the ninja could see him in any detail. "What in the hell is so important?!"

    Hiruzen blinked several times. He turned and looked at his Anbu as they stood, perched on the edges of the daimyo's swimming-pool-sized bathtub, the lewd mermaids which provided the water, and guarded the stained-glass windows in the tiered ceiling.

    "The possibility of war on multiple fronts," Hiruzen said, as if it were obvious.

    The daimyo sighed, and sloshed about in his bathwater. "Up the steam, would you?" He gestured at one of the Anbu on the edge of the path, who bent down to twist a nozzle. "Thank you. Now -- tell me about this war I'm going to have to pay for."

    Hiruzen laid out the facts as they were. "Kusagakure has been overtaken by Iwa's forces. It is likely that Grass Country is a puppet state. They now have a way to directly invade Fire Country."

    "Who would have guessed," the daimyo muttered. "The corn farmers aren't strong enough to keep an actual military out of their country. Continue."

    Hiruzen frowned, but offered no criticism. Yet. "Suna and Tani have been sighted eyeing up the mining operations south of River Country. The lands the River daimyo has tried to compel you to sell."

    The daimyo muttered to himself, Hiruzen could not make out his words. The nobleman shook his head. "What is so important about those valleys that they require us to keep them? Is it gold? Vast sums of gold?" The daimyo, covered in bubbles, crossed his arms and glowered at the Hokage. "Platinum, perhaps?"

    "What I am about to tell you is a quadruple s-class secret." Hiruzen said, and glanced around at his ninja. "The repeating, or implication of what is said here to another living person who is not Hokage, or the daimyo of Fire, will result in summary execution." With the warning given, Hiruzen approached the daimyo, and walked on the steamy water to lean down and whisper in his ear.

    The daimyo stiffened and fell backward into the water. He emerged seconds later, free of bubbles. He grabbed Hiruzen by the shoulders and looked at him with a maddened glint in his eye. "Immortality? The stone grants immortality?!"

    "Specifically, it prevents aging," the Hokage clarified. "And while it gives strong healing abilities, decapitation would still kill a person. But the stone needs to be processed to have that effect -- we're still trying to reconstruct the methods."

    Hiruzen withdrew to his original position and let the daimyo reflect on the situation.

    After a moment, the daimyo spoke. "Is Ame still neutral?"

    "They have formed alliances only with the small nations between Wind and Earth, they have no stake in the elemental countries." Hiruzen arched his brow. "Do you suspect that has changed?"

    "No. But I suspect it will once the fighting starts up." The daimyo steepled his fingers, and rested his elbows on his knees, below the water. "Have your ninja keep buying time. When my forces are assembled, we will launch an invasion of River Country. Our propagandists will spread the news that the daimyo made threats about my personal debts to him, which provoked us."

    Hiruzen arched a brow. "Is that really necessary? It's enough to just want their territory and wealth for yourself, you know."

    The daimyo looked at him like he was crazy. "And then everyone who shares a land border with us will start to think we're turning into the new Water Country. No." He shook his head. "We make it seem like they provoked this. No one will question it. Those that do will seem like conspiracy theorists."

    --

    Tenmu Otsutsuki

    Arun had ordered them to split up, and to signal the other if either found the main family escapee. Naturally, Tenmu found him first, but when he followed the escapee he found his ability to sense the surroundings become distorted. His ability to differentiate different types of materials would flicker in and out of effectiveness -- which left him wondering if the trees he walked past were made of wood, or mud.

    The rain was another hindrance. Without his sense ability at its usual quality, he found he could barely tell the difference between drops of rain in dense clusters, and a bird in flight. There was no way he could tell raindrops from kunai or shuriken when a fight broke out.

    But he could clearly see the main family escapee as he cleared the line of trees. The echoes of his chakra in the young man's made it shine green from far away. He watched from afar as the escapee and his rescuer were struck many times with lightning, and fell repeatedly into the mud on the slope.

    Tenmu was shocked to see one of the main family allow themselves to fall into mud for someone else. It didn't fit with the prim and proper, tea-sipping and cake-eating idea of the main family his father had told him. At first he was sure he couldn't see it clearly as a result of the other issues with his sense. But in the aftermath of the strikes of lightning, the disruption effect faded. He couldn't doubt his senses, he could only act on what he saw.

    He'd intended to confront the two of them, but as soon as he left the trees he was struck by lightning. With all the dignity of a fish out of water, he found himself twitching in the mud for many minutes as lightning strikes chained into each other.

    The most bizarre part was that it didn't hurt all that much, from what he'd read about lightning strikes he imagined them to be much more devastating. After a time it just became annoying, as if he was being held in place.

    But after an unknown length of time, the lightning strikes stopped. Aside from scorch marks, and lingering twitching in his fingers, Tenmu found he could stand perfectly well. With his entire front half from his shoes to his hair covered in mud, he walked up the slope of the mountain to where he'd seen the escapee last.

    As he did, the pounding rain began to lessen. From monsoon strength to merely strong rainfall. It felt like the difference between being struck with one hand versus being struck with both, only a moderate improvement. His ability to sense was frazzled by the repeated strikes -- foreign chakra interfered in his ability to form a clear picture of his surroundings. Tenmu's range of vision shifted rapidly, and made it difficult to see if the escapee and his rescuer were still there.

    His feet sank into the mud up to his mid-shin as he walked, and when he came to where the escapee had been he found that they were gone. They left deep tracks in the mud, and more than one body imprint, toward the south-west. So he followed that path, significantly behind them.

    It was around the time he wondered how much deep mud there would need to be for a mudslide to occur that a mudslide started up on the slopes higher up the mountain. Tenmu focused as much chakra as he could to his legs and lept out of the mud in a high arc -- his hope to either land outside the path of the mudslide, or land after it had passed.

    He touched down on a boulder and could just barely make out a ruined structure on the mountainside up an excessively long flight of stairs with landings spread out along the way. He didn't see either of the targets he followed, but it seemed to be the only way they could have gone.
    By the time of the first landing, the mud on his clothes and face had started to dry. By the time of the second landing, his knees had started to ache. He took a break, and took in the scenery. Moss had overtaken the edges and statues of the mountain path, the stairs flanked at each landing by a pair of draconic creatures that faced each other decorated in geometric line-marks. A Z-like meander decorated the edges of the landing, and around the corners where the shattered remains of pots lay about.

    There was a subdued beauty in the architecture which Tenmu had never seen before. He didn't mind to see it with his sense while he waited for his knees to recover. Eventually it became time to continue the hunt, and he returned to the stairs up to the third landing.

    The rain hadn't let up by the time he reached the temple. The remains of several torii stood along the entrance path, each damaged in a different way. A temple complex once stood on the grounds Tenmu walked in the rain, with wooden and stone buildings all in shambles. What was wood had been burned. What was stone had been smashed. Only two distinct features remained somewhat whole -- what appeared to by the kyouzou of the temple, the sutra repository, and a distant pair of titanically large metal doors. They were inscribed with a simplified image of a dragon on each door, with their backs to each other, in opposition of the pairs of statues he had passed on the way up.

    Since they were closed, it didn't take him long to guess that his targets had found shelter in the kyouzou.

    As he approached, he wondered how long ago the cataclysm which had struck the temple occurred. Burned wood should have been overgrown if it had been so long that the bodies of the fallen were no longer present. Yet there were no corpses anywhere.

    He found shelter from the rain under the kyouzou's extended roof, and sensed for signs of his quarry. He found them in the rafters, with kunai drawn and ready for an ambush. He didn't quite understand why they were so underdressed for a fight -- but he suspected that it had something to do with the muddy body imprints he'd seen earlier.

    A fight where he had no weapons, even if he could manifest chakra strings, would not go well for him. So he decided he would not fight. He instead raised his hand and knocked on the door frame three times.

    "May I come in, and we can speak as equals?" He spoke for the first time in hours.

    "That depends," the escapee, Noburu, replied. "Where's the other one?"

    "We split up -- I should have told him where you were as soon as I had a visual, but I opted not to."

    He sensed the two of them mutter to each other, but he couldn't hone his sense ability enough to pick it up better than his ears could. The chakra interference had worn out its welcome thoroughly.

    One of them lept down to the floor on the other side, and leaned in close to the door. He guessed it to be Noburu due to the greater amount of fat. "Alright," he said with an annoyed tone. "But this is a temple -- muddy clothes off and on the railing where the rain will get them clean."

    "You can't be serious," Tenmu muttered as he swept around with his senses and indeed saw familiar clothes laid out where the heavy rain would clean them of mud.

    "Of course I can, I choose not to be. Stop desecrating the lightning god, and get your clothes off." There was a moment where they both stood in silence and processed that. "I probably shouldn't have phrased it like that."

    "It did give off certain… implications," Tenmu stiffly agreed.

    "Nobu, you can't keep making these innuendos and say we're too young for those kind of jokes," another voice, presumably the rescuer, spoke from inside the temple.

    "Am I going to be grateful that I don't have eyes when I come in there?" The awkwardness of being Noburu's kidnapper recently seemed oddly easy to shed as he began to shed his muddy clothes in preparation for their meeting. "I think I'm going to be grateful I don't have eyes."

    "Just shut up and get in here so I can yell at you for wanting to pull my eyes out. You know, it's weird how often I've had to say that in all these reincarnations. I think that's the seventh time? Not a lot, but it's freaky how often that happens."

    ---

    I aimed for a bit of a lighter tone with this, a bit more comedy. Also working five days in a row kill't my productivity, I'm sorry.

    Full disclosure though -- I've been hit with a Stargate plot bunny which is being discussed on my discord. If you want to get an idea what it's going to be before it's in the writing and post phases, come by and check it out!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I keep forgetting that Noboru has had many previous incarnations. It surprises me whenever it comes up, but I can't tell whether it adds more than it distracts.
     
    Ch 40
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 40: Why are you booing me?

    ---

    Chunin Uemon

    Being with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's kidnapper in the same room, all out of their usual clothes, with a ninja mouse armed with a sewing needle under his wig was not how Ishidate had expected to spend his day.

    While the kidnapper stepped into the kyouzou in his unmentionables, Ishidate continued to spin his kunai around on his finger with the expectation that he'd need to use it soon. The monks had proven that they didn't need weapons to defeat more skilled opponents, their skill with chakra strings and taijutsu made that clear. But from the back of Ishidate's kunai hung a tag that held the opium-laced poison which had made his rescue possible in the first place. He would make use of it again, and carve up the interloper at the first opportunity.

    Noburu looked the guy up and down and shrugged. "I expected you to have a bit more muscle, considering how hard you punched."

    The kidnapper shrugged. "I used strings to push you back harder than my fist could manage." His eyes remained closed at all times, yet he didn't have any problem seeing. "So, shall we sit? Talk?"

    Ishidate narrowed his eyes and gripped the kunai tighter in his hand.

    Noburu looked up at him, warningly. "This is a place to honor the gods. We need a damn good reason to shed blood here. So yes. We sit. We talk. Like good mortals." Noburu crossed his legs and sat down, and gestured for the kidnapper to do the same. "Let's start with introductions. I'm Noburu Jiang." He inclined his head.

    "Tenmu Otsutsuki," the kidnapper bowed in turn. A moment of silence stretched between them before Tenmu raised his head to look at Ishidate. "Is he not going to introduce himself?"

    "It would be pretty rude, in the temple of a god that spent the better part of a day zapping us." Noburu looked up at him with eyes narrowed. "Tick tick tick tick…."

    "Ishidate Uemon," the rafter-dwelling ninja muttered after he weathered his beau's glare a bit longer.

    "There. Now then." Noburu took a deep breath started in on Tenmu. "First of all -- invading someone's home? While they're in an emotional episode? Huge dick move. Not grabbing the trousers clearly in view when you kidnapped me? An even bigger dick move. Kidnapping me for Kumo? A dick move so massive it affects the moon's orbit. And intending to rip my eyes out is a dick move so great it's giving people on the internet ideas somewhere -- I just know it." Noburu took a gasping breath as he finished his all-in-one-breath tirade. He had used his hands to indicate progressively larger sizes in relation to the dick moves that Tenmu had made. "But you didn't side with the guy who wanted to kill me, so I'll give you credit for that."

    Ishidate spun the kunai in his hand again and clenched his hand tightly enough that the evil eye totem on its back opened just a crack.

    Tenmu bowed his head again. "I wish it were not the case. But you are an Otsutsuki by blood. Our founder, Hamura Otsutsuki commanded that all our clan's Byakugan eyes be sealed into the Tenseigan."

    Noburu tapped his fingers on his knee, clearly annoyed. "I did just introduce myself as a Jiang, yeah? I didn't just imagine that, did I?" He looked up at Ishidate for confirmation.

    Ishidate nodded. "Is the mountain rendering you deaf as well as blind?" He couldn't resist a jab.

    Tenmu looked slightly uncomfortable. "Your grandmother, on your father's side. She was of the main family, who fled to Earth when the main family lost the war and was being purged."

    Noburu narrowed his eyes. "And how do you know that?"

    Tenmu grew even more uncomfortable. "We were constructing graves for them all, and checking off names on a list. She was missing, so we went looking for her." He tried to shrug off Noburu and Ishidate's glares. "But your father, and your uncles, didn't manifest the Byakugan, so the clan was fine with them living. But… you…." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I'm going to overrule Arun, so he won't kill you."

    Ishidate saw a gap in the reassurance, and noted Noburu's eyebrows on the rise.

    "Your family hated the main family of your clan enough to go hunting after lone survivors and you're just gonna… assume that will work?"

    That wasn't what Ishidate had picked up on, but that was valid all the same.

    Tenmu nodded. "My father has passed away. I'm the clan leader. I can order the tradition stopped."

    "And you think they won't just kill you, and make someone else the clan leader?"

    Ishidate smirked as he saw Tenmu recoil in shock. It felt like revenge by proxy. And if the monk was pushed enough, he'd do something stupid. A damn good reason to shed blood in the temple of a god was self-defense, or defense of loved ones, after all.

    Noburu looked at Tenmu like he was a strange bird. "You haven't dealt with people who held onto generational hate before, have you? I have." Noburu's raised eyebrows look became incredibly sad. "I've stood between someone I loved, and the object of their hate. And every single time, they've decided they hated their parents, they hated the Democrats, they hated the gays, they hated the disabled, and/or they hated minorities, far, far more than they ever loved me." He began to tap points on his body. Chest, between the ribs: "Bang." The side of his neck: "Stab." His forehead: "Smash." His navel: "Slash." He ran his hand up his side to indicate one half of himself: "Run over."

    With every addition, Ishidate gripped the kunai slightly tighter, until his knuckles were white. And with every addition, Tenmu became more and more uncomfortable.

    "People like to think love conquers all, but that's just not borne out by the numbers." Noburu looked at Tenmu impassively, without judgement. "They will hate me, and everyone from this 'main family' more than they ever loved you -- or whatever position you have among them. In a battle between love and hate, hate wins."

    There was a tense silence as Ishidate tried to imagine what that would be like. His mother and the Uemon elders hated nobody -- to hate was to invite demons into your heart. But Noburu had said he'd been born in places where there were no gods, and no demons. Yet hate existed there, clearly.

    Tenmu straightened his back and looked at Noburu. "How do you know this? Have you been betrayed many times in your short life?"

    "More often than I'd like," the jinchuuriki shrugged. "But I have lived many lives, and died enough times, to know better than to trust love to fight hate."

    "What should I fight their hatred with, then?"

    Noburu sighed. "The only way to break generational hate is to quarantine the hateful, so they cannot poison the next generation with their bile. Some can be saved, and let go of the hate. But most will take any attempt to treat their hate as a way to learn your tactics, and make killing you easier." He shrugged, with a 'what can you do?' expression. "Fight hatred with education, fight it with isolating the hateful, and when you're ready -- fight them with sharpened pieces of metal."

    Tenmu seemed shocked by the last point. "They want to kill you because of hatred, so you tell me to kill them?"

    "You asked a question. I answered. I'm not saying my way is correct -- but it's what I've seen have tangible positive results." Noburu steepled his fingers. "Ishi, you got a question for him before I take my turn?"

    "Yeah, I got one." Ishidate didn't actually have a question beyond 'could you attack me so I can justify killing you to the local god?' so he had to think about something to say so he didn't look stupid. "The fuck's the Tenseigan that you want to put Noburu's eyes in?"

    "Damnit, you stole my question."

    Ishidate winked at his boyfriend, then fixed his eyes on Tenmu.

    Tenmu scratched the back of his neck. "It's… a chakra device. It uses the chakra in the Byakugan to power our marionettes, and make the moon livable."

    "And it requires… every Byakugan to do this?" Ishidate's doubt was thick in his tone, almost to the point of sarcasm. He had to be careful to avoid actual sarcasm to keep the idiot talking.

    "Well… no. New additions don't make the Tenseigan any stronger -- it's just a tradition." Tenmu pulled open one of his eyes -- and showed that there was nothing in his skull. "We learn not to need our eyes to see."

    Ishidate tried very hard not to throw up at the sight of the withered remains of an optic nerve in the back of Tenmu's eye socket. "Please stop that." He covered his mouth and looked away. "Nobu, tell me when he stops."

    "He's not stopping," Nobu said, deadpan. "He's opening the other eye. He's poking the back of the socket. He's closing one eye to lick a finger and run it around the inside of the other socket."

    With every news update, Ishidate had to fight the urge to throw up. His ninja training could only allow him to suffer so much degenerate behavior.

    "Why are you lying to him?" Tenmu asked.

    Ishidate suddenly stopped holding his puke down and whirled around. Tenmu had let his eyes close again and looked at Noburu like he was crazy.

    "Cause it's funny," Noburu said with a small smile.

    Ishidate narrowed his eyes and gave Noburu a look that promised reprisal later, but he admitted to himself that it probably was funny from an outside perspective.

    "Anyway -- if the reason for doing so is no longer there, why keep up the tradition? Do the eyes wear out after a while?"

    Tenmu shook his head. "No, the Tenseigan keeps them fresh forever. But… it's a tradition. Everyone's done it, since Hamura lived."

    "Did Hamura do it?" Noburu tilted his head to the side.

    "Well, no. But he had to keep his eyes."

    "Why?"

    Tenmu frowned. "He needed them in case something went wrong with the Tenseigan, and he needed to fix it."

    "So, by that logic, there should be someone with their eyes in your clan -- "

    "Our clan."

    "Your clan," Noburu insisted, with a pointed finger. "Someone in your clan who can see with their eyes, for that same reason. I'll use my question -- why isn't there such a person?"

    "I… I…" Tenmu shook his head. "I came here to talk like civilized people, I didn't agree to any questions." He crossed his arms and looked away.

    "You asked a question, I answered. A question was asked of you, a civilized person would answer." Noburu rested his chin on his steepled fingers. "Or do you want me to ask a different question?"

    Tenmu stubbornly refused to look at Noburu again for a moment, before he turned to look at the jinchuuriki. "I'd… rather you asked something else. I don't know the answer to your question."

    Noburu's eyebrows rose. "That is an answer in and of itself. If you're the clan leader, you should think about why you don't know the answer. And why you keep a tradition past its usefulness. You're entitled to another question."

    Ishidate noted that the rain had let up just a little. From a downpour to mere rain. A slight improvement -- appreciated nonetheless.

    "Alright." Tenmu was clearly uneasy. "What's so great about eyes? I had mine removed when I was an infant -- I can see the world just as clearly as you can." He paused. "I mean, when I'm not on a chakra-disrupting mountain."

    Ishidate expected a flippant remark. He expected something to make him chuckle. So he was unprepared for Noburu's sincere reply.

    "Without eyes, you can't look into the eyes of another and see their soul." Noburu lifted his head off his fingers and relaxed his hands. "And they similarly can't see into your soul."

    "Nobu, that is the most bullshit thing I've heard you say," Ishidate immediately responded, only slightly miffed that it hadn't been a joke. "And I've heard you talk about Madara Uchiha and his face-nipple."

    "Wait, what?" Tenmu chimed in.

    Noburu shrugged. "It's one of those 'semi-enlightenment' things. You really do see another's soul, if they have one. That's part of what first impressions are all about." He gestured from his eyes to Ishidate's. "That's what made me want to return those flirtatious comments you used to do."

    "I still do them!" Ishidate responded, and placed his hand on his chest as if scandalized.

    "Yeah, but you weren't as good with them at the time. The slight level of awkwardness was cute. Now it's all suave and waggling eyebrows."

    "Um," Tenmu started.

    "So you're saying you don't enjoy my recent flirting?"

    Noburu shook his head. "I'm saying they're different flavors of flirting. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd tell you to stop. Now if you don't mind, I get to tell the story of how Madara got his face-nipple again -- and I never pass on those." He grinned and rubbed his hands together.

    "Okay, so I'm not being totally ignored," Tenmu said. "I don't think I quite understand -- what do you mean by 'face-nipple'?"

    Thunder rolled, and the rain grew substantially heavier. Ishidate couldn't help but feel like the local god was upset about the news of face-nipples.

    --

    Rebellious Monk Kousuke

    Orochimaru was due to be released from the hospital soon -- once his teammate was convinced he didn't have any lingering stimulants from soldier pills lingering in his blood. Kousuke waited by sitting in an exterior hallway of the hospital, lined with floor-to-ceiling window bubbles. Behind him, on the wall, was a hallway-stretching mural of orcas at play. Kousuke remembered that they had originally wanted to make the level an observation room, but it had become necessary to store extra medical machinery when not in use. Ventilators in particular were kept in bulk storage in the rooms to Kousuke's back.

    He had no need to meditate, so he just watched the beauty of Oto's reef in motion. High above, he could see the shape of boats that passed by, some with fishing nets but most without. He didn't know the goings-on of the village's policies, but he imagined at least a few of the boats were owned by the village -- to ferry their ninja to the ports they protected. Out in the sun they slaved away, so that they would get their pay.

    Meanwhile in Oto's reefs, fish still swam, coral still grew, and bubbles full of light drifted on minor currents.

    And inside the hallway, someone sat down next to Kousuke in the hallway. A glance told him it was one of Orochimaru's students -- Shibi Aburame.

    His usually stoic body language was colored by anxiety. Kousuke could guess what the boy had come for and shifted his staff to lay it on the ground. "Kushina seems to have moved passed the anger she had for you earlier," Kousuke started the conversation with a conversational tone. He felt one of his earings shift with the weight of a kikaichu bug.

    "Her temper burns hot, but briefly." Shibi tried to make himself seem smaller. "I'm afraid Noburu's would be more enduring."

    Kousuke nodded. "He is a bit of a grudge holder." He wagged his finger at the Konoha ninja. "But it takes a lot to create a grudge with him. I have a bit of insight into his mind -- he probably hasn't given you saving Kushina instead of him a thought." The monk waved at a group of Hozuki ninja that passed by the Tower's exterior. One waved back, marked progress.

    "I… am not sure how I should feel about that." Shibi looked down at his knees, with his hands clenched in his fists. "You are not a ninja, may I ask you for what you think about it?"

    Kousuke pantomimed going into deep thought, and let his silence build small amounts of tension before he gave the obvious answer. "You may. Go ahead."

    Shibi took a deep breath. "When I had secured Kushina -- she wanted us to go off and save Noburu as well. But I… turned and ran. I didn't even try."

    "Young man, I am not a fan of being lied to." Kousuke took the tone he would use when dressing down an officer of his rebellion. "Please retell that scenario, without the lies."

    Shibi turned to look at him, puzzled, and stalled on his words slightly. "Um, b-but I...."

    Kousuke's tone became a look. "During the pursuit phase of the mission, before you secured Kushina, did you never make an attempt to secure Noburu? Did you not launch any attacks at the Kumo ninja who carried him? Did you not coordinate with Oto ninja to rescue him and Kushina?" He let Shibi flounder for a moment before he continued as if he'd been answered, with a much gentler tone. "Then you did try. It's a shame that you could only secure one, but against a foe you knew nothing about even that is a victory. Tell me the scenario once more, without the lies, please."

    Kousuke listened, and gently corrected Shibi when his self-deprecation began to interfere with the facts. When it was done, Shibi was uneasy and tense while he waited for Kousuke's final judgement.

    "I deem your actions justified, as to do otherwise would be to place your friend and teammate under unreasonable risk," the monk told the ninja with a tone of finality. "Were I in your situation, with your limited knowledge of the enemy, I would do much the same." He patted the ninja on the shoulder. "I think you've beaten yourself up on this issue too much."

    "I… thank you." Shibi seemed unconvinced, but that was the nature of teenagers. Praise was invalid, but criticism was truly important. "That is… I think I will still struggle to accept that being correct. But thank you."

    "Shibi," Kousuke said and looked out onto the reef once more. "The world is filled with old men who cannot admit when they are wrong. We certainly do not need a world where young men and women cannot admit when they are right."

    Though, every day it looked more and more like that was the case.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 41
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 41: Decayed

    ---

    Isobu

    Through Noburu's eyes, the turtle spirit watched. Through Noburu's ears, the turtle spirit listened. Meanwhile all around him, the seal fractured.

    Once there had been coral pillars in the far distance of his watery domain, once there had been the simalcrum of fish, once there had been light that passed through the water like he was in the ocean. No more. The pillars had crumbled, the fish facsimiles had all broken, and there was darkness from above.

    Five heavy chains hung from Isobu's limbs, each marked with the symbol of the five elements according to the beliefs of Ancestor Country. The rope which bore the hook was frayed, worn, one of the three barbs on the hook itself had broken off.

    Noburu and he had known for at least a year that the seal would not last long. But Noburu refused to say anything. The day would come when they would have to gamble, and go to the hospital to have the Seal of Hooks removed -- but it was not yet that time. And Noburu would not complain while the seal remained functional.

    Isobu couldn't say he disagreed, but as he was the one who had to watch as the seal cracked and deteriorated he was more aware of the rate of decay. He'd even estimated how long it would take for the Seal of Hooks to collapse internally. As he looked around at the diminished domain of the seal, and the fetters placed on him by the Five Elements seal, he pondered. Would it not be better to let the seal collapse? Saiken dwelled within Kousuke without a seal to hold him -- perhaps Isobu could do the same.

    Noburu's mind stirred at Isobu's thoughts. A feeling of narrowed eyes and crossed arms reached the great spirit.

    "It's all well and good for you to think that way," Isobu rumbled. "But perhaps my stance has changed. Maybe I would rather stand and fight with you than hide and hope Madara gives up."

    "One sec guys," Noburu said and held his finger up to the other teens in the physical world. "Isobu and I need to talk…." In moments Noburu appeared on the hook. The added weight caused a strand of the worn line to break. Small human eyes and an enormous reptilian eye met. "Fighting Madara is a non-starter. Even if he didn't have a Hashirama face-nipple."

    "Madara is one old man," Isobu responded, with his eye narrowed. "He will be dead soon one way or another. And his successors are not his equals."

    "Obito and Pein are still pretty damn strong." Noburu shook his head. "What happens when we fight and lose? Hmm? They seal you into the Gedo Mazo and we have to hope they get stuck on Chomei being free and in the sky. Chomei hasn't fully regenerated yet, has she?"

    Isobu grunted, and looked away.

    "Then we don't know, one hundred percent, that she'll escape Taki and get to where she can stall out Madara's plans." Noburu looked at him, stern. "You being in the ocean, as deep as you can go, is something we can do, to make their whole idiotic plan a non-starter."

    "If you train more -- you could become strong enough to fight and win, with my help."

    Noburu shook his head and slashed through the water in a definitive 'no'. "No. I am not risking the world's safety on a fucking deathmatch, I am not pulling that Goku type shit." He paced along the bend of the hook, and shook his head as he went. "A number of things have to go right to win a deathmatch with Obito or Pein -- but with hiding you away, only one thing needs to go right."

    "Except, of course, that the Kaizoku Sea is not deep enough for me to hide." Isobu leaned in close to the hook, his eye cast a golden glow on his jinchuuriki and the failing seal. "And all the paths out of the Kaizoku are too shallow for me to pass unspotted. I distinctly remember saying this when you relocated to Wave. Your way is not better."

    Noburu paced on the bend some more, but he was forced to stop as the section which had led into the barb cracked and fell away. Their longer interaction damaged the seal exponentially. The jinchuuriki sighed, defeated. "Fine. We fight?"

    "At least make an effort." Isobu smiled as much as his rigid scales would allow, and put distance between himself and the seal. Noburu winked out shortly thereafter, and Isobu could see through his eyes again.

    "Right, where were we…." Noburu opened his eyes to find Tenmu and Ishidate playing a game of marbles. "Where the hell did you nerds find marbles?"

    Isobu found himself asking the same question, and hoped they hadn't stolen an offering to the lightning genryu.

    --

    Chunin Uemon

    The rain hadn't let up, and the sun was due to set soon. Ishidate thought that it would lessen, and they could move on -- but that didn't seem to be the case. He left Akimitsu in the kyozou while he ducked out to retrieve their wet clothes. The mouse's needle, primed with paralytic poison, would be adequate protection for a couple minutes. The chunin shuddered at the coldness of the rained upon clothes, but found the mud mostly beaten out of them. He returned to the building's interior and tossed the clothes at their respective owner, which effectively ended their conversation.

    "Ishi!" Noburu complained and brandished his wet shirt at the chunin. "I was getting to the part about breaking into the Emperor's palace! The ugly concubine part!"

    "Tell your past life stories some other time," Ishidate muttered, and tossed Tenmu his bizarre outfit. "If we remain here much longer -- the other one will find us. Our chakra is crippled here, but they might have tricks they can use to snatch you again." He didn't hide his glare aimed at the moon-man. "We need to go."

    "I will order him to break off the pursuit," Tenmu said, determined in the face of Ishidate's glare. He wilted a bit as he pulled on his cold and clammy robes. "Eugh. Though… he will resist breaking the tradition for a while."

    "Which is why you'll be coming with us." Noburu raised his finger like it was a brilliant plan he'd just come up with. "As our hostage!"

    Ishidate, Akimitsu, and Tenmu all looked at him with various levels of confusion and anger.

    "You kidnapped me," Noburu explained like it was perfectly reasonable. "Now I'm kidnapping you. Fair's fair." He stuck his tongue out at Tenmu.

    Ishidate ignored his confusion and decided to just roll with it. "It'll be a good cover story -- in case your friend doesn't listen very well. Just tell him we slapped you under a genjutsu or something."

    "Or that Akimitsu was controlling you."

    The ninja mouse huffed. "I don't control people." He landed on Ishidate's wig and brandished his sewing needle weapon. "Stop comparing me to Remy, he's a rat, it's not fair."

    Tenmu looked confused for a moment before he hesitantly nodded. "Alright. Um. Are there rules for being a hostage?"

    Noburu shrugged. "Hell if I know -- y'all kept me drugged up most of the time. Fairly certain all them injection scars aren't healing up, by the way." He crossed his arms, and joined the other two in shivering with the cold wind that blew in. "Alright. So. We're going to open the door to the lightning genryu, and petition them to stop zapping us."

    Ishidate frowned and scratched his face. "Um. You suddenly learn to speak dragon while I wasn't looking?"

    Tenmu similarly had a doubtful look on his face.

    Noburu rolled his eyes, and held his hand out for his mouse summon. "Hell, in one life I accidentally Pope'd myself. I might not know how to speak to dragons -- but I can speak to gods, if they're willing to listen." With Akimitsu in hand, he placed the mouse on his shoulder. "Immortal creatures have extra-sensory abilities -- the more you think about them the easier it is for them to perceive you. It's why you never run away from anything immortal."

    "So, we approach the god by not thinking about it?" Ishidate made sure he didn't turn his back on Tenmu -- lest he get knocked out like an amateur.

    "No, just the opposite. You approach thinking all about them, so they know you're there and they can feel out why you're there." Noburu clapped his hands together, a gesture Akimitsu mimicked. "Walk like this, and repeat the mantra I teach you. I'll open the door, since I can take lightning hits better than either of you." He took a deep breath and spoke the words he expected Ishidate and Tenmu to repeat. "He of great strength, teach me how to be strong. He of thunderous voice, teach me how to be heard."

    Ishidate was hesitant to do as Noburu and Tenmu did, but they kept up the mantra as they left the kyouzou and approached the metal doors at the far end of the temple. The heavy rain had not abated, the lightning strikes were still frequent, and the mud was still deep. Ishidate kept the mantra going hesitantly, but he put more fervor into it when lightning struck near him. It was the first time the lightning had missed.

    While they approached the door, Noburu broke away and approached a white stone device that resembled a reptile of some kind. It wasn't very well made, with a curved head and a blocky design. It seemed almost minimalist. He pushed on the object, and the 'head' which made up at least a third began to withdraw into the rest of the device, until the head was gone.

    That made Ishidate stop and think -- had the stone device depicted a turtle, or was it just that fucked up?

    He was distracted by the tremor which went through the ground. The dragons which were carved deep into the metal doors filled with light, and they swung outward. Ishidate got to see how thick the doors were -- each three times a man's height in thickness, and wondered why the Tatsushiro clan would spend so much metal on them.

    Then the doors parted. Then the stink of death rolled over them. Then, at the end of a long path as wide as the great doorway, was a god of the Earth.

    The dragon drew Ishidate's focus, understandably. Enormous in size, four grown men tall at the shoulder with a neck that extended for another four. Its skin was grey -- like the stormclouds above, its back, neck, and head were covered in many jagged spikes. Yellow lightning-like marks extended across its flanks, down to its clawed feet and across its dozens of spikes.

    "Oh no," Tenmu said and broke his prayer pose to cover his mouth. "These poor people…."

    That drew Ishidate's attention away from the dragon god in the distance. On the inner frame of the door, and along where it had stood, were the bodies which had been absent in the temple. Recently slain, the corpses still had flesh and their clothes were mostly intact. Mostly because Ishidate's trained eyes caught the signs of injuries from weapons and jutsu across most of the cadavers. Even the few children he saw among the dead showed signs of what had killed them. Each one had dragon-like horns which parted their hair -- which made Ishidate guess that this had been at least part of the Tatsushiro clan.

    Noburu joined up with them and looked over the scene. "They probably came here when the fires got too bad," he said, soft. "And they died before it was safe to come back." He patted Tenmu on the shoulder, then approached the bodies. "Get back to the pose. You two keep up the chanting -- I'll deal with these."

    Ishidate wanted to ask how and why Noburu would deal with the corpses -- when the dragon god of lightning roared. Lightning struck with terrifying frequency, the rain seemed to grow even heavier. It seemed mad to think -- but Ishidate could have sworn he heard pain in the echoing cry.

    "We can chant and help honor the dead," Ishidate said as he broke the pose. "The priests would never forgive me for leaving such a massacre in a god's temple. We have to speak the Mourner's Chant for these people."

    Noburu nodded, and the two of them got to work. Noburu quickly turned a corpse over onto its back and placed its hands over its heart.

    Ishidate drew a kunai and struck it to his forehead protector -- a metal 'ting' rang out, as close to a chime as they could get. "You are dead, and the dead must be mourned," the two boyfriends said in unison. "We will mourn you like you are ours -- for someone must."

    While Noburu slowly made coral grow to cover the carcass, Ishidate moved another into the position of rest. A young woman with her baby, neither of whom probably deserved their fate. He spoke the chant for them and clanged his kunai on his forehead protector again. Music carried the words of mortals to the gods -- and the gods would know somebody mourned for these poor folk.

    Ishidate saw Tenmu hesitate, but come to join them in speaking the Chant, and arranging the bodies for coral burial.

    With each body hidden under a layer of uneven and discolored coral, the rain seemed to lessen. Lightning struck less. In total, there were thirty-six people who lay buried when they were done. Not a lot in the grand scheme of things -- but it seemed enough for a dragon god to create a storm to mourn them.

    When they were all buried, the stormclouds remained but no rain fell. No lightning struck. It was simply overcast. Noburu led the way, he put his hands back into the prayer position and spoke the mantra -- and like that he walked toward the dragon god.

    Ishidate and Tenmu followed his example. As they approached, Ishidate saw that the dragon stood in a crater that was covered in a layer of mist, with the end of the path at the edge of the crater. Despite the god's presence, there was no adornment, there was no place for offerings.

    Three mortals and a mouse summon found themselves in proximity to a god in short order. Noburu was the first to go down on his knees and kowtow to the dragon of lightning, with Tenmu following him, and Ishidate as the last.

    "He of great strength. Teach me to be strong."

    The dragon looked over them, lightning yellow-eyes narrowed and suspicious. They rose from the kowtow and went down again.

    "He of thunderous voice. Teach me to be heard."

    Noburu followed up with a new part of the mantra, which the other two added shortly thereafter.

    "Lord of Storms. See me safely to the Other Side."

    On the third kowtow, the dragon moved. Ishidate tensed, as did Tenmu -- but Noburu was calm about it. The dragon reared up and placed its mighty claws -- each as long as Ishidate's arm -- on the rim of the crater. Then, its spike-covered neck bent, until its nose brushed the earth. The dragon god of lightning had bowed back to them.

    A voice spoke, which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere -- it rattled Ishidate's bones to hear it. "The Tatsushiro are dead, and gone. I will mourn them from this day, until the end of days. I, Korin, extend the blessing they enjoyed to you and your kin."

    The dragon -- Korin -- was so large that their nose's brief brush with the ground left a hole. When they lifted their head, there was something reflective left in the soil.

    Korin tilted their head to focus on each of the three in sequence. "Walk my old territory safely. But I do not speak for my brothers. If you desire their blessing, and if you desire to walk their territory safely -- seek them out. Thank you for respecting my house. Goodbye."

    The god of lightning reared up again, and was struck by their element in the head. For a moment the skeleton of the divine animal was visible, and when the thunder which followed lightning rolled over them there was nothing of Korin left.

    Noburu kowtowed a fourth time, which prompted Ishidate and Tenmu to do so as well. Afterward, he inched forward to dig in the mud for the reflective object. Ishidate was briefly distracted by sunlight, as the overcast sky began to clear.

    After a day of monsoon level rain, the oranges and purples of dusk seemed particularly beautiful.

    Noburu stood up from the mud and scraped some of the wet dirt off what he had dug up. In his hand was a reflective yellow orb whose surface sparked with chakra lightning. "Well, I don't know if this is the blessing of Korin, or if it's something more esoteric, but we probably should get the other four while we wait for reinforcements." The medic-nin shrugged. "It gives us something to do, at least."

    "This kidnapping is way better than the kidnapping we did with you," Tenmu admitted. He seemed pleased by that, given the small smile on his stupid, arrogant, boyfriend-thiefing face. "A lot more spiritual than I would have expected."

    Ishidate scoffed. "Maybe you should take notes, for next time."

    "That's not a terrible idea -- but all my paper is rather soggy at the moment."

    "Am I the mitigating force between the two of you now?" Noburu asked while he scooped up Akimitsu. "Because given my track record of willing and enthusiastic promotion of chaos, that does not seem a good idea."

    Ishidate sighed. "Alright. Yeah, any blessings from the gods we can secure for Oto will help make this a net win for us, especially if the village is going to war for this." He gestured at Tenmu, as if the moon-man proved his point entirely. "What's the next one?"

    Noburu turned and examined the mountain. The orb crackled in his hand, as Akimitsu cleaned it of more mud. "Isobu's chakra isn't as messed up as ours is here. So we should go for the fire area next. It's right below the main settlement, up there, I think." He pointed at the smoking caldera.

    "Why did they build their main settlement on an active volcano?" Ishidate could understand the idea of a fortress in a volcano -- the heat was good for smelting iron, and it presented a constant hazard for invaders. But to have their main settlement there -- where their children would be born and raised -- it seemed needlessly risky.

    "Let's hope there's some still alive, so you can ask them."

    ---

    I'm feeling the burnout on this. I'm still going to keep chipping away at new chapters for this -- because that's how you develop consistency -- but you might see my latest project pop up soonish. Keep your eyes peeled for Shiny & Chrome, a Stargate AU. I've been talking about it on discord, and mentioned it here before -- but now you know the name. *finger guns*
     
  • Threadmarks
    • brilliant as always.
    R.I.P that Clan.

    Wonder if its possible to use a mixture of the Hiraishin and Biju strenght to shoot a marker far enough that Isobu can be safely hidden?
     
    Its always nice to see proper respect given to the Kami expectantly from little shits like chair.
     
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    Important Things to Remember 3
  • Informational
    • Important Things to Remember 3: Remember the steps.

    • Jirou, Noburu's father, was bedridden for most of Noburu's life on account of his mutations and the severe pain thereof.
    • He likely committed suicide.
    • Orochimaru quite enjoys it when people aren't afraid of him.
    • Orochimaru has been given the information on the gelel stones by Noburu.
    • Orochimaru's psychotic break is described as rampancy, a stress disorder, by Noburu.
    • A rough timetable of when this break was to occur was provided, and Orochimaru's murder of Sarutobi during it was revealed.
    • The Seal of Hooks has been repeatedly described as being ill suited for a bijuu's weight class.
    • The Five Elements Seal release is described as a pop-goes-the-weasel style sealbreaker, which would put all jinchuuriki at risk.
    • Noburu threatened to build a casino to spite Jinin Akebino.
    • Sayaka acquired the chameleon contract summon, and gained a personal summon named Kimiko.
    • Chameleons find humans to be delicious.
    • Hizashi and Noburu bond after Hizashi hit Noburu a whole lot.
    • Noburu helps Hizashi to develop a new taijutsu style.
    • Tsunade and Jiraiya made their way to Wave Country to help Orochimaru.
    • Maneater boars are found to populate Wave Country, and to be good eatin'.
    • Raiga fielded a questions and answer segment at a feast, which endeared him to the villagers.
    • Akami expressed a desire to cook with kraken meat.
    • Kushina and Junko bond over Junko beating Kushina in a fight.
    • Orochimaru examined Kousuke's seal and found it to be non-functional.
    • The Sanin hatch a plot to pool their resources to make Otogakure successful enough to support a hospital which can keep Noburu alive while Isobu is removed.
    • They proceed to confront Kousuke under the belief he is being controlled by Saiken.
    • They get beaten worse than eggs in an omelet.
    • Noburu has a weakness to sparklies.
    • Kousuke has the ability to slow down time, force a person to experience perfect happiness, and split their chakra down to its base components from talking with Noburu about the cosmos.
    • Orochimaru and Jiraiya HAD IT COMIN'.
    • The Uemon clan attacked Sayaka's caravan, killed its people, and let her live because she honestly answered their questions.
    • They had raided several caravans prior, and become fabulously wealthy.
    • They decide to move to Otogakure, and sign onto the village.
    • To that end, they acquire a boat to take them to Wave Country.
    • They are a deeply religious clan, with their own ways to worship the gods and spirits.
    • Hiruzen got into a spat with his Council about Noburu not coming to live in Konoha, and not telling them who he wanted to replace him as Hokage.
    • Shibi talked with Fuu as the ashes of Kirigakure began to fall, he learned to appreciate his home more.
    • Kirigakure was burned, and all the people who remained in the village were killed in the flames.
    • The brave soldier boy came marching home.

    Three years pass.

    • Akami has opened a restaurant in Otogakure, it is fairly successful with locals and tourists.
    • Noburu and Haruki have developed a brotherly relationship, and improved their cooking skills.
    • Akami officially adopted Haruki as her son.
    • The memorials of Otogakure are revealed to be cicada statues carved into the underwater cliffs around the village, with the person's name etched on them.
    • Orochimaru asks for a last-minute diplomatic dinner to improve talks between Fire and Hot Water Countries, with Wave as a mutual beneficiary.
    • The gambit pays off, though Noburu has to miss a date with his boyfriend, and Haruki misses an appointment with a matchmaker.
    • Someone impersonated Jiraiya previously to give Noburu fake Icha Icha books, and made unwarranted homophobic decisions.
    • Believing it to be the work of the real Jiraiya, Orochimaru flies into a homicidal rage.
    • Kotaru is able to suss out the plot as soon as she hears the details.
    • Raiga has become the official leader of Otogakure, titled Sotaicho.
    • Suzume has become more personable and happy as she's developed a friendship with Tsunade.
    • Tsunade has become the manager of the casino Noburu opened to make good on his threats.
    • As a result of missing his date, Noburu is temporarily dumped by his boyfriend -- Ishidate.
    • Kushina and Noburu are kidnapped by Kumogakure ninja with support from strange monks.
    • Noburu is drugged, but still able to slow them down significantly.
    • Konoha and Oto ninja are dispatched to retrieve the jinchuuriki.
    • They're only able to secure Kushina, who is not happy about it.
    • Jiraiya has taken his students to the valleys south of River Country to train, where they suspect an invasion will soon happen.
    • Kusagakure has been taken over by Iwagakure.
    • Fugaku has been declared Hiruzen's intended Fourth Hokage, should Sarutobi be killed in battle.
    • By command of the Hokage, Fugaku will assemble a force to help retake Kusa from Iwa.
    • A similar force is intended to reinforce Jiraiya.
    • Saiken reveals to Team Orochimaru that the monks which had helped Kumo were moon-based Otsutsuki, who crossed to the Earth via a bridge he had made.
    • Significant strife develops between the Otsutsuki members on the basis of generational differences.
    • Noburu and Ishidate escape the kidnappers, and find refuge in Mount Koryu, where chakra is not easily used.
    • They speak to the more approachable of the two Otsutsuki, and develop a tentative rapport.
    • The three of them appease the Lightning Genryu, and earn his blessing.
    • Meanwhile, Oto prepares for war.
    ---

    Just throwing this out here in advance of chapters I'm writing to hopefully publish soon. I'm starting an overnight shift job, so hopefully I'll have more time to think of funny stuff to do with ninjas.
     
  • Informational
    • Ch 42
  • Threadmarks
    • Ch 42: Heating Up

    ---

    Sotaicho Kurosuki

    Raiga stopped what he was doing when he was informed the village chieftains who cared enough to do business with them had arrived. He put aide incomplete paperwork and made for the conference room in Tower One. He'd never understood why people thought paperwork mattered more than actual work.

    He arrived without escorts, or even his secretary, and stood in the doors to the conference room while he examined the chieftains. They were seated near each other on the large polished stone table, talking to each other as if it were a friendly meeting at a bar. The conference room was deep in the superstructure of Tower One, and decorated with mosaics that weren't yet complete, one of an orchestra of Sound shinobi conducted by a figure who was not finished yet. Raiga had been pleased that the artist had put him on the symphonic organ.

    With a deep sigh, Raiga closed the doors behind him and took his seat opposite them. He would wait for them to ask about each other's grandchildren and how they handled the trip -- they were owed that.

    The chieftain from the meeting with Hot Water Country's diplomat, Chieftain Cho, noticed Raiga and waved him over. "Oi, come on, sit with us!"

    Raiga glanced at the others as Cho waved him over. The fig-hatted chiefs were smiles and inviting, so Raiga stood from his seat and walked over.

    "I was telling Saito here about that great dinner you gave me a little while ago," Cho gestured to a thin older man with an exceptionally long beard that would have reached his feet. "Squid ink pasta, and lobster. My kids still don't believe me."

    "Bold of you to assume I believed you," Saito muttered and nodded at Raiga. "Though I'll believe it if our host verifies."

    Raiga nodded, awkward. "Noburu is a good cook, it's in his blood." He averted his eyes. "Do… you all want to dive into business or chat more? I haven't done this often enough to know the traditions."

    "Ah, a man who admits his limits," another chieftain, a muscular old woman with ropes of beads wrapped around her neck commented. "Rarer than diamonds, here."

    She faced multiple cries of outrage from her fellows, and laughed through them with utter indifference.

    "We've been chatting for a while now," Cho said and sighed. "I don't want to dive straight into business, but we best -- especially if we want to stop by a restaurant down here while they still have fresh fish to serve!" He couldn't resist transitioning into a joke, which made him slap his knee laughing.

    Raiga forced himself to chuckle along with the other chieftains. When it was appropriate to talk, he cleared his throat and sat up straighter in his seat. "My village has an agreement with Fire Country," he explained, and received many nods in return. "We help secure their ports, and they help us in return. We're also supposed to help them in wars… which is likely to come soon." He would spare them any details they didn't ask for until the end, he decided. "My village going to war might cause your villages to be attacked by our enemies. I wanted to give you warning, if you wanted to cut ties with us and ensure -- "

    Cho held his hand up, to stop Raiga dead in his tracks and gave the younger man a dead serious look. "You're new to Wave, so it's understandable for you not to know how things are done here." He looked to the other chieftains, and they nodded emphatically. When he looked back to Raiga, he steepled his fingers on the table. "We've got hundreds of years of stories about this. When the mainland goes to war, they tend to ignore us islanders. But when they notice us?" He raised his eyebrows and nodded, to say 'oh yes'. "They don't bother to see the difference between Mimachi port or Tsuko forest villagers. They look at all of us, and they see Wave Country." He gestured to the panoply of distinct microcultures on display by the chieftains of Wave, in their clothes, in their hair, in their ornamentation. "When one of us is being threatened… we all are. When raiders come for your neighbor's farms, you pick up a sword and go help. That's the Wave way."

    "I'll get my grandsons making kraken bait mines," the chieftain with beads around her neck said. She slapped the table, hard enough for it to echo in the room. "Anyone who comes at Wave from the East will regret the day they made their ships from steel."

    "My village has barrels on barrels of pig's blood thanks to these ninja," Saito said to her, and slapped the table as she had. "We'll have them over to your village by tomorrow, Balsa."

    Each chieftain said what their people could contribute to the war effort, slapped the table hard enough to make an echo, then swore a promise. Promises such as 'anyone who comes into our swamps won't come out', or 'none will approach our shores without being spotted'.

    Raiga noticed a trend, and began to pick up on there being some significance to striking the table. "My ninja are ready to fight for this place, our home. We'll give all invaders a belly full of knives and a pool of their own blood to drown in." Raiga smacked the table, just as they had. "For every one of us that falls, we'll take ten of theirs."

    The chieftains nodded, resolute, and began to talk shop about logistics -- how much food each could produce and how long they could store it. Where to go if their village was attacked, who could respond to invasions the fastest, and what support they could give Oto when they went to war outside of Wave.

    Raiga remembered how, years ago, he had railed against the Mizukage and the water daimyo for treating their neighbors like toys, things to possess instead of components of a greater nation. He wondered which god he had to thank for the opposite effect Water experienced happening in Wave.

    "Sotaicho," a messenger shouted from outside the door. "We have a situation!" When Raiga had broken off from the talks to come to the door and listen for the details, the messenger continued. "A dragon has appeared in the power plant. It's… providing power, near as we can tell. The generators haven't stopped running, even though we haven't refueled them."

    "A dragon," Raiga asked, utterly baffled. "An honest to the gods, strike you dead should you lie, dragon? It just… appeared? And started to provide electricity?"

    "Yes!"

    Raiga took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Somehow. Someway. I know this to be Noburu's doing." He sighed, in a vain attempt to let the stress out. "Can it speak? Then get someone talking to it -- find out if it's a god, or just a summon. …Ask some of the monks to do it, actually. Kousuke if he's still available."

    --

    Rebellious Monk Kousuke

    Kousuke sneezed, and paused in his tree-running to wipe his nose before he caught up with Orochimaru and his team. He easily caught up to the Konoha ninja, despite their rush -- they were going at cruising speed for distance running.

    "The kikaichu I have on Ishidate indicate we should continue to go on this heading," Shibi said as they neared the Hot Water border. "However, the trail is old -- we might be far behind where they've gone."

    "Mount Koryu is difficult to traverse," Kousuke informed the younger ninja. "Your chakra will be disrupted, and you will only have the strength of your legs to move you. No shunshin."

    Hizashi turned to arch his brow at the monk. "You say that as if you won't be crippled as well."

    "I won't be, because I won't be using my chakra to move around. Orochimaru and I will be the most mobile things there, likely." The monk glanced at the Sannin, and saw his peer's attention was purely ahead of them. The legendary infiltrator gave no indication of his thoughts on the issue. Orochimaru naturally blended into the night, as if he could make a turn and vanish completely, and Kousuke wanted to make sure that he didn't do exactly that.

    Noburu's timetable still said that, if Orochimaru went rampant, it would happen sometime soon. All of these unique stressors might be exactly the reason -- so he had to watch.

    "Do you suppose that Kumo would have found out that Noburu absolutely will not enter Fire Country willingly?" Orochimaru asked out of the blue, his tone soft and musing. "They were spying on the village for an allegedly long time… if they were smart, they'd try and stage any recapture efforts to try and trap Noburu against the Fire Country border."

    "Why would Noburu refuse to enter Fire Country?" Kushina asked, visibly confused.

    "I'm afraid the specifics are classified." Orochimaru wagged his finger in an 'ah ah ah' fashion at the genin behind him without turning around. "But there are… people in Konoha who would behave just as poorly as Kumo has recently."

    Kousuke hid his eyes behind his hat as he ran through the trees. "If your theory on recapture is true -- we should approach Koryu from the south-west side. That way we can reinforce Noburu and Ishidate without having to fight to their position." It also had the net effect of making sure they would find anyone on the Fire Country side of the border hoping to jump the boys when they strayed too close.

    --

    Tenmu Otsutsuki

    With the territory of the lightning god Korin open to them, they were able to use their chakra at normal levels again. Which of course meant that the disruption was caused by the presence of the dragon itself. Arun would certainly notice, so the three of them moved with speed up the side of the mountain to the volcanically active region.

    Just as they came within visual range of more structures, the disruption effect returned. For Tenmu, it happened mid-jump, so he just had to stick the landing. Noburu and Ishidate were wall-climbing up the steep mountainside, so their ascent was harder. While they climbed up to Tenmu's location, the Otsutsuki used ninshu to see as best he could around himself.

    The artisans of the region differed from that which they had left behind -- curves everywhere in the stonework, in the vision of flames that piled onto each other until they reached the roof. He stood in what had once been the hallway entrance to a balcony, but the balcony itself was gone. Piles of rubble nearby showed that the sandstone which bore the artisanal influence was placed on top of darker volcanic rock.

    With the inside of the volcano ahead of him, it felt like he stood in front of an oven.

    "Gods forbid… you help us out," Noburu muttered as he climbed up over the broken stone to enter the hallway too. Right away, he turned around and offered a hand to pull up Ishidate.

    "I figured you wouldn't trust me if I offered you my hand," Tenmu said with a pout.

    "Completely correct! Hngg! Ishi, push with your legs -- Christ...." Once the wig-wearing ninja was on their level, Noburu sat down and panted. "But offering would have been appreciated."

    Ishidate's hands were shaking slightly, and he panted harder than Noburu did. Tenmu first thought it was because the bijuu gave Noburu more endurance, but he began to notice that Ishidate seemed ill.

    "Well, we're here now either way. And… I'm guessing how cool it is outside that the sun's gone down." Tenmu scratched his head -- was it even possible for them to continue? What was the lighting inside like for people who had to see? "Should we call it a night?"

    Ishidate tried to force himself to stand up, but only made it halfway.

    "Shit." Noburu scooted over to Ishidate and began to make hand signs. "Looks like he's finally coming down from those stimulants." The air hummed with the thrum of chakra, with a mild crackling effect. "Ishi, hit me if this hurts alright? I've never used Isobu's chakra for the magic palm jutsu."

    Realizing that he had been ignored, Tenmu decided to proceed as if 'yes' had been the response. He crossed his legs and sat down to center himself. Minutes passed with only the hum of chakra audible around them until the clatter of stone on stone was heard. Within the mountain there was a deep, bone-shaking rumble that was followed by a wave of intense heat. It felt so hot, that Tenmu had to shield his face -- it felt like he was being burned. A nearby section of wall cracked, then collapsed into a pile of rubble.

    "Ah, I see." Noburu nodded, as if he understood what had just happened. "So this is a trend with these guys. Okay, I can work with that."

    Tenmu arched his brow and turned his head to look at his peer. "Um. Was that supposed to make sense?"

    Noburu promptly threw a pebble at him. "Don't you sass me, pretty boy." While he continued to use the bijuu's chakra to help Ishidate, he explained his previous statement while he continued to throw pebbles. "The last dragon was making a storm because his worshippers died, and he didn't know how to bury them. Depression." He gestured at the hall, and the piles of rubble. "This one is destroying everything its worshippers built. So my guess is that we'll find another mass grave somewhere in here, and a dragon who is so sad it's looped back around to rage. Anger."

    Tenmu turned to look down the hall, and at the remaining carved stone flames, with an occasional dragon-themed pillar. There was a lot more volcanic rock exposed than sandstone, it seemed. "The dragons are mourning? But… why?" Why would a god care about the death of mortals?

    "Jeez, you're sheltered." Noburu rolled his eyes. "'The pain I feel now is the happiness I felt before, that's the deal.' If they're mourning this hard, or this long, after their worshippers died -- then they had a deeply personal relationship with those worshippers."

    A crackle of lightning got Tenmu to focus his attention back onto Noburu. He'd taken the orb the dragon had given them out of Ishidate's flak jacket. It sparked visibly in Noburu's hand.

    "You heard what Korin said. He would mourn the Tatsushiro from this day to the end of days. It's probably true of the fire dragon too. Maybe all of them." He stopped the magical palm jutsu, and began to undo Ishidate's flak jacket and coat. "Ishi's asleep, I'm going to hold onto this for light. We'll take turns keeping watch." The flak jacket was folded into a pillow, and the coat was laid out over him like a blanket.

    "You trust me to watch you sleep?" Tenmu arched his brow again, disbelieving.

    "Of course not." He took his mouse summon from his pocket. "Aki and I will rotate, I meant to say."

    The mouse summon saluted with his sewing needle weapon, utterly fearless.

    Back into the pocket the mouse went. "You're my captive, remember? The illusion would fall apart if I trusted you to watch yourself."

    "The illusion is pretty thin already," Tenmu replied, sardonic.

    "But it's not broken, yet." Noburu pointed at Tenmu with a sly grin. "If I didn't have you captive, then why would you leave a place where you were back to full strength to follow me into an active volcano where you'd be hobbled?"

    Tenmu was about to reply with his own pointing, but he stalled as he contemplated that. "Hmph. Fine. I guess it… doesn't make sense for me to have followed you here if I had the option to leave." Tenmu meditated for a while, but as he centered his mind and spirit an uncomfortable truth came back to his mind. What Kumo had intended. "I'm… I want to apologize. For what Kumo was going to do."

    "What you were going to let Kumo do, you mean."

    "Well, not to you. Arun wasn't going to risk more main branch byakugan users coming into the world. But… for the other jinchuuriki, yes. We would have let them do that." Tenmu rubbed his face. "I was a coward, I should have refused when they stated their aims."

    "You were. And you should have. Do you want a fucking standing ovation for realizing you enabled them? That you might still enable them, depending on if they send reinforcements." Noburu sighed through his teeth. "Poor Kushina. This is like… the eighth time Kumo's tried to do this to her."

    "Wait, what?" Tenmu looked at Noburu with a horrified expression. "Eight?"

    "Yes! Eight!" Noburu held up fingers to indicate the number of times. "Kumo wants her bad. And -- I can't even fathom why!" He held his head in his hands. "Uzumaki's aren't that rare, and given the problems they're having with Gyuki I don't understand why they think they'd have better luck with Kurama."

    "...We definitely shouldn't have done business with them." Tenmu shook his head, sadly. "All the money in the world, and they can't buy sense."

    "...Heh, that's funny in a dad joke sorta way."

    Their talking was interrupted by another rumble and a wave of blisteringly hot air. The dragon, evidently, had no interest in sleeping.

    "Tomorrow is not going to be fun, walking down to that."

    "Must we?" Tenmu slumped as he imagined them going deeper into the hot caves. Why did that sound dirty to think about, he wondered.

    "Well of course we must." Noburu held up the electric orb. "This thing lets whoever has it use lightning release. There's a whole set of 'em, out there to collect." He made a solemn face as he looked down the hallway as well. "Plus, leaving a god alone with their grief never ends well. We gotta break the negative feedback loop before their pain animates an army of the undead or living emotions."

    Tenmu would have blinked, if he had eyes. "What."

    "When a god is alone with their grief, it results in zombies or living emotions. I've been there multiple times, I've been a god and inflicted it multiple times. It's never pretty -- not the least of which is because the first thing those zombies eat is the god which spawned them." Noburu shuddered. "Immortal beings cannot discharge their grief, their anger, or any negative emotion on their own. They need mortal assistance."

    "Oh. That… makes a surprising amount of sense."

    "Just because most of the time I actively don't care if you understand me doesn't mean that what I'm saying is perfectly sensible if you keep your mind open. Now, since Ishi's asleep, let's resume the ugly concubine story…."

    ---


    Hello. My name is Chair, and I'm here to talk to you about Suddenly, Dragons. The revolutionary tool to make your lives more interesting. I'm legally required to tell you that I did not say 'better' or 'safer', but 'interesting'. With this shenanigans-powered device in your home, dragons will manifest themselves in or near your property. They could manifest in your bathroom, in your neighbor's parked car, in the cavernous dead space where your mother-in-law's heart once was, anywhere! It could be a western dragon, an eastern dragon, a tiny adorable dragon, or a giant flesh-eating dragon. Part of the fun is in the surprise!

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    • The leader was prob bitched slapped super hard by a Kushina look like back in the day and its just revenge lust :V
     
    Chairtastic said:
    Hello. My name is Chair, and I'm here to talk to you about Suddenly, Dragons. The revolutionary tool to make your lives more interesting. I'm legally required to tell you that I did not say 'better' or 'safer', but 'interesting'. With this shenanigans-powered device in your home, dragons will manifest themselves in or near your property. They could manifest in your bathroom, in your neighbor's parked car, in the cavernous dead space where your mother-in-law's heart once was, anywhere! It could be a western dragon, an eastern dragon, a tiny adorable dragon, or a giant flesh-eating dragon. Part of the fun is in the surprise!

    Buy today!
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Sold. I'm going to be hammering on the giant red button until I get the apocalypse we all deserve. The time of man is at an end and this day could not have come too soon.
     
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