"I'd like some advice," you say to Yukari. "I think learning about the world as it is now will help."
"That's only fair. It's approaching evening, so Senna and I will prepare something for dinner. We can talk afterwards," she says.
"Alright, that's fine with me."
"In that case, I'll go and study this scroll some more," Hannah says as she lifts herself from your lap. "Yukari, is your reading room available?"
"In the same place as before."
"Excellent. Ritsu, come with me. There are a few things I want to teach you."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Joshua, we'll see you in a few hours. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, so try to contain yourself~"
"I'll try," you quip back. She winks and heads off with Ritsu in tow.
"We have guest rooms available as well. Is there anything you'd like from us?" Yukari asks, rising to her feet with you.
"A current map and recent historical documents pertaining to the five shinobi powers. Anything between five and ten years ago, preferably."
"Of course. Senna, if you'd be so kind."
"No problem~! I'll take you to your room, Mister West. Then I'll get you your reading material."
Senna leads you out and down the hall to your quarters. Everything is plain and in light colours; you see mixes of reds and oranges on the walls, and your bed is a light pink. There's a wooden desk with an oil lamp on it, and the light filtering through the window tells you that it's already evening.
"Some tea?" Senna asks.
"Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll be back with a pot and your reading material."
You settle into the chair at your desk and pull out some pens, along with an old book for references and a blank scroll. Senna brings you the requested material along with your teapot, some sugar, and milk. You thank her again and then get to reading.
This was part of routine maintenance. Re-calibrating yourself against current events, learning from the past, and gearing up for a possible future. As you expect, Yukari has well-vetted sources and detailed material, dense enough for most people to find intimidating while not being incredibly dry. The handbook you carry is for your known knowns, things that you knew to be true regardless of circumstance. You check what you're reading against it as things come to your memory; you don't need the book to remember things, you need the book to be distinct from your memory and an anchor point to reality. Anything could happen...capture, torture, interrogation, brainwashing and coercion. Security was never a guarantee. But then was "the truth" in itself a guarantee, or some kind of constant? Many things in the world are built on lies and half-truths.
Wondering what reality was and wasn't was another question entirely. Whatever this reality you lived in was built on, you had to navigate it. The information you gained here, with your own senses, was necessary to move through the three dimensional space.
"..."
You would think on that later. Setting the book down, you take up a pen and start to jot down notes. Reviewing the first part of what you learned would be good.
---
Yukari has a traditional dinner table, low to the ground, long, and rectangular with four legs. There are soft cushions for you to sit on top of the tatami mats. Tonight is fish night.
Hannah and Ritsu talk about what they found earlier and shamelessly flirt by feeding each other pieces of salmon. You don't pay it any mind, and Yukari calmly eats while Senna chatters away at both of you. She's a gentle one, but really playful in her own way. She's also very close to Yukari, and though she's not blatant about it, Yukari feels the same way. Work isn't discussed much over dinner, which was also the rule at your home. Mom and Dad were - are - both in the government, sometimes opposing each other on policy. At the end of the day they were the same old people, terribly in love with each other and willing to do anything to protect each other and their family. You only hope they're all doing okay. Not that they need you, but...it'd be nice to be home.
"We'll have tea back in the common room," Yukari announces. Everyone agrees and unanimously passes on any heavy desserts. The group heads back to the room you were in at the start and you take a seat while Senna makes more tea.
"I assume you wanted to get yourself up to speed on the shinobi powers," Yukari says.
You nod and adjust yourself as Ritsu places herself in your lap this time, putting your arms around her. "Reorienting myself only seemed right, considering."
"That's diligent of you. I very much appreciate it," she replies with a smile. "Let's begin."
She taps her wrist and a scroll appears out of thin air. Rolling it out in front of her, she scans the text for a moment before returning her attention to you and starting to speak.
"This information is up to date as of two weeks ago. We can start with the strongest of the five major nations, the Hidden Leaf. Currently under the leadership of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. His wife is Kushina Uzumaki, very obviously a cousin of mine. She was taken into the village as part of an arrangement long ago, some time after the deaths of the First and Second Hokage. She currently holds the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Because of the policies of the Fourth Hokage, there have been many advances in technology and livelihoods. He's quite keen on trying new things, even if they don't work out the first time. Their military pressure is astounding and unheard of in history. Orochimaru is firmly allied with the village and travels back and forth between it and the Hidden Sound. His teammates, the Toad Sage Jiraiya and Slug Princess Tsunade, both live in the village proper. There's the Third Hokage, still able bodied in retirement. And then the many, many elite clans that make up the village body. The coup planned by the Uchiha was brought down from the inside by Itachi and Shisui Uchiha with only minor incident. The Hyuuga still maintain their power and influence. And so on."
"That would put anyone on edge," you say.
"Yes, that much is true. Economically, socially, and militarily, the Leaf is at the top. Others are wary of the potential influence that the Leaf could have on the continent if their power continues to grow. This worry has been exacerbated by the reported strengths of the rookies joining this year's exams. Names such as Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuuga, and Naruto Uzumaki have been talked about all over the country. You have distinguished jounin such as Sharingan Kakashi and Itachi Uchiha, who I mentioned, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi...the lists go on. The village is quite content and humming along, with little to no worry about invasion or any sort of collapse. They feel that they're more than ready to host these upcoming exams without incident, and that they can contain any trouble if it does start. As for what they feel about you specifically...the feeling is one of curiosity. The higher ups want to see what you can do, and whether or not you pose a real threat. The older generation including the past two Hokage have had a direct encounter with Jacob West, and decided there was no reason to panic in regards to your presence."
"That sounds-"
"A word of warning. There's a sort of...battle craze among the elites. They enjoy testing their strength against each other, and would definitely try to engage you on the same terms your grandfather did them."
"Oh. That sounds...pleasant, I guess."
Yukari nods. "The polite thing to do would be to oblige them, I think. You seem to be strong enough from what the Reaper has told me, and losing wouldn't necessarily hurt your reputation. You're young, and you have time to improve as well as an immense potential. The Leaf, for better or worse, is a straightforward place."
She takes a sip of tea before setting her cup down. "The next item is the Hidden Cloud. You've been, I remember."
"Yeah. Real hot spot."
"They took offense to your grandfather's approach and considered him a terrorist. With the report of your exile from Iron, they labeled you in the same manner and took pains to seek you out. A recent report has someone matching your description evading a special task force, after an anonymous tip. That was when Madara confronted you, I assume."
"Yeah. Did they involve anyone in their investigation?"
"Allegedly they said you left with another young woman, and she was interviewed briefly by some members of the task force. The information she gave was inconclusive, according to authorities. There was also suspicion that you headed north, and they interviewed people at a nearby settlement who denied ever encountering any visitors."
You smile. Gina and Shiina...looking out for you even after you split town. You'd definitely have to find them and thank them properly one day.
"You made a couple of good friends, then. Always a solid strategy," Senna says with a nod.
"Their personal hostilities aside, Cloud's economic situation is very good...though you wouldn't be able to tell from on the ground. The majority of their money goes straight to the military side and into all kinds of projects, including their shinobi development, their weapons departments, and a secretive piece of technology that they've been working on for the past five years. From what I have gathered...it's a long range beam weapon."
"A...what?" you ask.
"Some kind of chakra cannon. Nobody's been able to get a detailed look at it, but it's big. They're going to do tests within the next few months. They have all kinds of dummy locations, so it's hard to figure out where exactly it is or if they have more than one even," Senna says.
"That sounds outrageous, but if it is true, then it could prove a clear and present danger," Hannah says. "I can only assume the range will include the Leaf, and that means that every minor nation within that sphere is in grave danger as well. Including the Waterfall, which has the power of a tailed beast to themselves."
"A chakra cannon with the range to hit the Leaf would also be able to tag the Mist, and the Rock is in a straight line across from the Cloud too. That's three major powers in range right there. All it takes is one warning shot landing near a hidden village to trigger all out war. I don't know what the sides would be, but I know it would be a bloodbath," you say.
"The weapon aside, Cloud has been steadily stockpiling arms and increasing the size of its standing army. They seem to be ready for war already, but at this point it's still just posturing," Yukari continues. "They have two jinchuuriki at their disposal, both elite shinobi in their own rights. Yugito Nii, host of the Two-Tailed Cat, and the brother of the Raikage, called Killer B, host of the Eight-Tailed Ox. The Raikage of course is A, the Fourth after his father, also called A."
"I heard that the names A and B are ceremonial titles," Ritsu says.
"Yes. They're given out to the lineage of the Raikage and their chosen partners respectively. A and B aren't biological siblings, but you couldn't tell and it never mattered to them. If anything were to happen to Killer B, the Raikage would tear the world apart in retaliation, no matter the cost to himself."
"You sometimes forget that others are human. Even if he is a horrid warmonger, he has a heart, and a family. Regretful," Hannah says with her eyes closed. "But the world is cruel like that."
"It is unfortunate, yes," Yukari replies. "The village is largely stable, though there are elements of unrest within the masses. The daimyo isn't receptive to criticism. There is also a unique chain of command...in case of emergency, the next five Raikage have already been confirmed. One of these in the chain is a rookie making her debut at the exams...her name is Hisano Miyajima, a prodigious user of Lightning Release."
"They have a rookie genin in line for the Kage position?" you ask, surprised.
"The Cloud is very serious about any threat to its military power. Miyajima is at the bottom of that list for now, but if she's powerful enough to be considered, we should pay attention."
"Can't argue with that."
"Much like the Leaf, they have various talented shinobi in their ranks. They also have a bad reputation, due to trying to steal secrets and kidnap shinobi from other villages. Two well documented attempts are the kidnapping of Kushina, which was foiled by Minato in his youth, and the reveal of a conspiracy to kidnap Hinata, the daughter of the current clan leader Hiashi Hyuuga. There's no telling what they could be up to in terms of spy work and infiltration. They also covet the power of the tailed beasts. Before Hashirama gave them the Eight and Two Tails, they tried to steal the Nine Tails."
"As expected of a nation of reprobates," Hannah says dismissively. You sense a little more than bad blood here...maybe a bad job in the Cloud, or something else. Or she was just mad from hearing about the chakra cannon, which really was ridiculous.
"The next item is the Hidden Rock. They stand proud and have a stable military structure, if not as well funded as the Cloud. Their shinobi are hardened and battle tested. Much of their military strength relies on subterfuge; taking advantage of situations such as temporary alliances and truces in order to get ahead. They're active in the underground, even making use of the yakuza. And they're Akatsuki's biggest client by far."
"You think they're in league with Madara?" you ask.
"No. There haven't been any such mentions, and the higher ups don't want anyone to know about what's going on. The village proper is led by Oonoki, called the Great Fence Sitter by many, or the more charitable and noble looking title of 'Oonoki of Both Scales'."
"Why is he called that?" Ritsu asks. "I always wondered. It's a reference to a balance, isn't it?"
"Yes. The meaning is that he always tries to get his way, that is to say that at the end of the day, the scales are always balanced in his favour. He is ruthless in trying to control the world around him, and put his village in the best possible position. He is the protege of the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, and inherited his world view from that man. That, and the kekkei tota known as Dust Release, a combination of Earth, Wind, and Fire Releases that can destroy opponents on a molecular level. Oonoki is feared for his mastery of it, and this combined with the village's considerable defenses makes them a hard target to attack. That said, if our reports about the chakra cannon in Cloud are correct, they will be thinking about making a move soon. They have had an enmity with the Sand for a long while and the latter has been weakened severely by recent political decisions. Grass is the only thing separating them from Fire Country and the Leaf, who they are extremely wary of thanks to multiple wars and the latter's rising military power. They border Waterfall, and have a known hunger for tailed beasts despite having two of their own; Roshi holds the power of the Four Tailed Monkey, and Han the power of the Five-Tailed Horse...I believe it's a horse, but with a...hm...Senna?"
"It's a dolphin's head."
"Thank you. I think it's still a horse in this case, adding it all up. Hidden Rock carries the power of those two beasts. Waterfall has a jinchuuriki of their own, so there's incentive to infiltrate that village and try to acquire that valuable asset."
"They sound as bad as the Cloud," you say. "And they're practically on the doorstep of the Iron."
"Possibly worse than the Cloud. While A is open about his ambitions, Oonoki is quite deceptive about all of his intentions. Their only real weakness is in their economy, and that can be fixed quickly if they so choose. Behind Oonoki's leadership is a group of oligarchs, called the Grand Pillars. They have a tight hold on the entire economy of Earth Country, including the Hidden Rock and the underground to the point where even the yakuza have to play by their rules. They want Oonoki in power for as long as possible, and he caters to their needs as much as he can."
"How much do they push the policies?" you ask.
"They don't. They only care about results and like many 'true patriots', the prosperity and superiority of the Hidden Rock compared to the rest of the world. They're more than willing to leave Oonoki to his devices as long as he keeps doing his job. You're thinking the same thing that I am, and yes...he is most definitely making them dance to his tune. As for his thoughts on your existence, he is intrigued, and very clearly trying to use your name as leverage against the Cloud. They would be cautious at your presence, but willing to have a talk if the time is right."
"Control of the economy in that manner means he could conceivably make up an excuse for all out war any time that he wants," Ritsu points out. "The sound of that is...distressing enough. Even if Wind Country doesn't carry a large amount of economic weight, the strategic advantage from a successful invasion would be enormous."
"We can talk about the Hidden Sand next." Yukari pauses to drink her tea properly and you do the same, sharing a cup with Ritsu. Hannah nibbles on a biscuit and Senna twirls a strand of hair around her finger while daydreaming.
"Thank you for waiting," Yukari says as she sets her cup down. "The Hidden Sand is in open distress. What we know of their history is that they had possession of the One-Tailed Tanuki before the formation of the village system. They tried to negotiate for money and land, which angered the other villages to the point where Hashirama had to intervene. They never did get what they wanted, and lived off of the desert itself to varying degrees of success. The village is well fortified and quite difficult to attack. That said...all of the previous Kazekage have died at the hands of assassins or defectors. The Third Kazekage in particular was a source of contention; he went missing and the village expended a great amount of resources to find him. It left the village weakened and they had to call off that search once the Third War was declared. They found themselves forced to choose a new Kazekage, the Fourth, called Rasa. He is a utilitarian at his core. The tailed beast in the village's possession is sealed within his son, Gaara of the Desert. Not on condition of limited candidacy...but sheer choice."
"I know that the Kage tend to have those close to them serve as hosts, due to the assumption of loyalty and family ties making them less likely to betray the village," Hannah says.
"Yes. The first two children, Temari and Kankuro, were incompatible. Gaara was determined to be a proper match. So they had the beast sealed into him while...he was in his mother's womb."
"What?!" you yell, making Ritsu squirm a bit. "How is that even...?"
"Sealing methods are diverse and numerous," Yukari says soberly. "After the Third Shinobi War, the daimyo and elites of Wind Country saw the rates of the Hidden Leaf as more competitive, and thus outsourced a large amount of missions to the Leaf. This put enormous pressure on the Hidden Sand to not only produce superior shinobi, but to complete missions no matter the human cost. Gaara was an attempt to capitalize on the former. He was sealed inside of his mother, and she ended up giving birth prematurely from the stress. She died shortly after meeting her son for the first time. Gaara was reckless, a loose cannon who could barely control the beast inside of him. An inadequate seal, inadequate training, and a village hostile to his very existence...despite that, after numerous assassination attempts, he's finally started to control the beast inside of him. He has become his village's strongest and greatest asset."
"And now he's on the way to the exams. But you don't seem too thrilled about it," you say to Yukari.
"He's a psychopath. The only reason he has any agency is because the village is desperate and running on fumes. Rasa has tried to sell gold dust, but the revenue has never been enough. This exam might be their last chance to prove to the world that they are worth something, anything. They have been desperate for a long while and any advantage will appeal to them. There's every chance that they could use Gaara as a catalyst for war. Every report we've obtained says that he's never once been harmed in combat. The village believes he's invincible, and with the power of the tailed beast inside of him, he can complete just about any mission."
"The strength of the individual over the collective. Something completely opposite of the Leaf," you muse.
"Yes, that's true. The Hidden Sand...is concerned about your presence and how it would shift the balance of power. Their problem is that they have no resources to spare when it comes to tracking your movements. They're effectively blind at this moment. Very hard to say what they would or could do in an encounter, especially with someone as bloodthirsty as Gaara at their disposal."
Yukari stops again to sip at her tea. Senna refreshes her cup along with everyone else's before she continues.
"The last village, and the most mysterious we will get to...that of the Hidden Mist. The Mist has a reputation because of its prior missing-nin issues. Like many problems, things started to fall apart after the Third War. I'm sure that you're noticing the theme by now. The village had a caste system and treated so called undesirables like tools, sending them on perilous missions constantly. There was rampant corruption and many talented shinobi openly defected, leading to the hunter-nin policy you hear about so often in the current era. But even that was questionable when the hunter-nin made to hunt missing-nin became missing-nin themselves. It was a terrible mess, sparked by the Fourth Mizukage and former host of the Three-Tailed Turtle. His name was Yagura Karatachi, and he was responsible for the era known as the Bloody Mist."
"Those with bloodline limits were hunted, I remember," you say.
"Yes, those of all kinds. The Uzumaki who settled in the region quickly left, feeling that even if they never used their abilities they wouldn't be safe. The Yuki for example were effectively wiped out, and even those loyal to the village who displayed 'strange abilities' without the social protection of a noble clan were in danger every time they went on a mission. It was a time of bloodshed and betrayal, of great turmoil. Going as far as using the Three Tails as a throwaway weapon during the Third War, even. I don't have the exact details, but the fact that they had to retrieve the tailed beast they originally had in their possession says enough. There is much made of the fact that Yagura did not seem himself while in the role of Kazekage, and documentation backs that up."
"Oh, no. You don't think..."
"I believe so. I think that whoever this Madara is had a role in whatever happened during the Bloody Mist. It's also said that the Hidden Mist is the origin of Akatsuki itself, though that's a false rumour spread by the Hidden Rock. While Yagura was said to be strict, his ruthlessness took to new heights once he became Mizukage."
"We've heard a bit about his successor, though," Hannah says.
"Yes. There was a coup against Yagura that was won relatively recently. The leader of the rebels was a young woman with two bloodline limits. Her name is Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage. She controls Boil Release, which combines Fire and Water, and Lava Release, which combines Fire and Earth. Mei was resented even as she fought for the sake of the people because of her bloodline limits. Even so, she continued to endure and eventually led her forces to victory, killing Yagura in battle. Mist is still untrustworthy to many, but Mei has worked tirelessly to reform every part of the village, including better treatment for those with bloodline limits, the removal of the caste system, improving the shinobi training programs further, and improving ties with the other nations and people in the surrounding region."
"She sounds like she has a heavy burden," Ritsu says. "And if something goes wrong, all of the progress she made could very easily be erased. This Mei Terumi sounds very brave to have taken on all of this. Not only fighting for her village, but trying desperately to save it from itself."
"The Hidden Mist has possession of two tailed beasts at this time. The Three-Tails is currently sealed away, and through great efforts they've regained the trust of the host of the Six-Tailed Slug, Utakata. This helps shore up their military strength. They have two up and coming kunoichi who will be attending the exams, Junko Kuronuma and Shiori Ishikawa. They've already gained a solid reputation as the Phantom Maids, under the instruction of Kisame Hoshigaki, the wielder of Samehada."
"Hoshigaki stayed behind? Hm. I would have thought that he would take the chance to leave during the coup," Hannah muses out loud.
"Mei offered him clemency and a place in the village. It just so happened that he and those two girls took to each other in the space of his deliberations. Wanting to help those he called 'flowers' grow made him feel content enough to stay. A happy ending of sorts. He might have been in Zabuza Momochi's place if things were slightly different. As for personal motivations...I've been contacted indirectly by several Mist operatives over the years in regards to your whereabouts, Joshua. The Mizukage is keen on meeting with you and is taking a very measured approach to it."
"Maybe she just wants a nice strong man to make babies with," Hannah jokes.
Yukari gives her a wry smile. "That angle can also be considered."
"Eh...?"
"Lady Terumi is nearing what women call a 'critical age', that is to say, the age where your chances of being married drop rapidly according to social norms," Yukari explains. "She doesn't reveal it purposely, but it's an open secret in the Mist that she's quite interested in finding a suitable bachelor before she hits thirty. But it's difficult for powerful women and women in positions of power to find the right person to date, let alone settle down with."
"Yukari's never worried about such things," Senna says with a smile.
"I've had no reason to. Before, I was too consumed with revenge. Now...I've found my place. There's no sense in changing what's already a good thing." Yukari and Senna share a meaningful look.
"So those are all of the major villages, then."
"Yes. I hope you can make use of that information, perhaps at the exams if you do choose to go there."
"No doubt. It's a lot of good stuff. I appreciate it, Yukari."
"Not a problem. All of this is information I keep on hand daily."
You nod as Ritsu sleeps peacefully against your chest. "Next order of business, I think...Akatsuki. Can you give me any extra information on them, Yukari?"
"I can-"
"Oh, oh~! Let me try, Yukari! Please?"
She sighs and gives Senna a nod. The taller girl smiles and hops onto her feet. "Thanks much~"
"Don't be too meandering, please."
"Yup! Okay, information on the Akatsuki." Senna closes her eyes for a moment before they snap open again. "What we know is that Akatsuki is portrayed as a legitimate business group, with several shell companies and small operating centers. The clear danger presented by them is their willingness, bordering on insistence, to take on jobs well below market value. This is going to cause big problems by undermining the current market for missions, leading to less revenue overall. For the time being, a lot of people are still willing to pay the normal rates for missions, and nobles can afford it."
"How far does this go back?" you ask Senna.
"To around the time the Third War was ending...because of course it would be then, right? Like everything else...anyways. Akatsuki chases after S-Rank criminals and missing-nin, in addition to having associates all around the continent. They use middlemen to seek out work and report their findings to the main organization. Remember that they use shell companies and charge below market rates, so they're using other means to supplement their operations, like drug operations, heists, illegal trade, even dealing human organs. There's no job too dirty or unscrupulous for Akatsuki to take. By doing this, they're actively trying to corner the market on shinobi missions and force the villages out of business. If you heard something like this out in the street, you would dismiss it as conspiracy theory, right? But as Yukari has already mentioned, some of the villages themselves have gone as far as hiring Akatsuki to their work for cheap. More and more people are discovering how much money they can save. It's very much possible that as peace continues, Akatsuki will pick up steam."
"If that happens, then they control the movements of the shinobi world. They can start and stop wars on a whim, maybe even manipulate the tailed beasts," you say.
"We've been tracking the rate of use of Akatsuki services across the major villages, and it's been growing tremendously. Allowing the trend to continue will undercut security efforts and make the tailed beasts increasingly vulnerable. We don't know if that's their goal at all, or if they simply want to end the village system first and then take control of what are powerful weapons in human form. Simply said, it's not a good outcome with so many of the villages on edge," Yukari says.
"Most people in the Cloud don't use Akatsuki services unless they're down on their luck. They either use the shinobi or mercenaries such as yourself, Joshua. Leaf is incredibly reliable, so they've had very little trouble keeping Akatsuki use curbed. They don't seem to operate much near the Mist, but they're putting a strain on the Sand financially as most people there are too poor to afford the normal shinobi rates. As for the smaller nations, business is really booming," Senna says. "The minor villages are getting their usual amounts of work, but independent areas find Akatsuki invaluable. A fair bit of revenue comes from that alone. There aren't any indications of what Akatsuki's end goal is. It might be to take over the world, and it's certainly possible if the masked man really is Madara Uchiha. Madara had always wanted complete control, and saw it as the only path towards true peace."
"Do we know anything about who's in Akatsuki?" you ask.
"The main group hasn't had any visible gatherings. They're very secretive about what they do and how they do it, meaning communications and operations are kept to a minimum and done on untraceable channels. The middlemen are as they're labeled; people far away from what's actually going on at the heart of the group. Buuuuut," Senna says with a smile, "that's not an obstacle for us. Yukari, brilliant as she is, came up with a great idea to track the possible recruits into Akatsuki. In order to survive, those in the Bingo Book and especially of S-Rank need to take jobs in the underground. We all know that reputation is worth more than its weight in gold, and if you don't have solid go-betweens, you won't have much in the way of work. Being employed by a group changes that, because now your reputation is weighed collectively. So we took a look at the active S-Rank criminals and mapped what we knew about their job habits and earnings. That was followed by a touch of deductive reasoning. It's not as accurate as we would like, but it sets a good table for us in future investigations."
Yukari taps the top of her wrist and another scroll pops into being near Senna. She grabs it from the air and unrolls it, nodding once.
"From what Yukari and I have gathered, and your report on Madara in the Cloud, we know that Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yuki are in the group, from the Mist. They want funds for a proper coup against the Mist, not believing that the Fifth Mizukage will be able to change things for good. The masked man who calls himself Madara Uchiha, formerly of Leaf. Kakuzu from the Hidden Waterfall, a man who was soundly defeated by the First Hokage - yes, that's correct - and escaped from his village after slaughtering the elders, ripping out their hearts, and then stealing a forbidden art. Deidara of the Hidden Rock, who turned terrorist before stealing a forbidden art and joining Akatsuki. Hidan, from the Hot Springs, who left after being dissatisfied with the transition into a tourist location. He worships a 'god' called 'Jashin' who demands destruction and sacrifice, and thus he makes a habit of murdering people for his rituals."
Ritsu stirs under you a bit in her sleep. You pat her head and she calms down.
"We have Sasori of the Red Sand, once a hero of the Hidden Sand before his disappearance. Another from the Mist, Kaitaikojo Shigisei and his older sister Ishako. They've wiped out entire villages and regions of people on a whim. Dosu Kinuta, who uses sound as a weapon. Akane Himura, originally from the Hidden Rock and an incredibly proficient user of Lava Release. And Akemi Hiroyuki, originally from the Mist with a sizable grudge against Mei Terumi. It was Mei who personally killed her parents during the coup for their role in the Bloody Mist. Akemi has a mastery of Ice Release. There are more to be sure, but those are the notable faces within the organization at current."
"If all of them were sent out at once, they could take out an entire nation," you say.
"They could. However, I suspect that their personalities and abilities are volatile and wouldn't work together in a large scale operation. Akatsuki is noted to have their missions be done solo or in pairs at the most."
"I see. They might want to stir up trouble at these exams as well."
"It's possible. Making war a bigger business would help them towards their ultimate goal, whatever it might be. Yukari and I will keep looking out for more clues, but it's safe to say that they should be stopped before they get too big to control. The hidden villages don't see any reason to act just yet, but they should act soon."
"Hm. The last thing I want to ask. What do you guys recommend to supplement my kit? Like in battle and overall, I mean."
Yukari thinks for a moment as Senna plops back into her seat. "Mm. Summons are a useful part of any toolkit. There are many options. Your grandfather in particular had multiple summoning contracts. The elephants were one, with their use of Earth, Water, and Wind techniques. The falcons were another, using Wind Release and Fire Release in conjunction with their incredible speed. His last contract was with a small group of mythological creatures. They are called the Elder Dragons."
"Elder...Dragons?" you mutter.
Hannah sits up. "The Elder Dragons? I didn't think that was possible...nobody should be able to contact them, let alone summon them."
"It goes to show you how special Jacob West was. Yes, the Elder Dragons reside on the astral plane normally. Nobody knows exactly how they came into contact with him, but they met and formed a contract. It's said that the way forward is within the area known as the Mountains' Graveyard. Other than that, there is no more information. The Elder Dragons are commonly connected with the legend of Ichiro, the Ancient One, also called the Envoy of Heaven. His form is unknown to us as well. For information on the other summons mentioned, or all of them besides, your smartest move is to talk to the ninneko of the Sky Ward, out in the western part of Fire Country. They are not affiliated with anyone currently, though they traditionally have close ties with the Uchiha Clan. As for other things...there's not much I could recommend other than attempting to learn some sealing arts for utility. I believe that it's far from my place to try and plot a path for you. Your fighting style works much better without committing to a weapon, I believe, and simply improving your ninjutsu use would allow you much more flexibility in terms of attack options. Improving your genjutsu ability would help right away. Again, not to drive you in one direction or another, but I think that maximizing your strategies with what you currently have will serve a greater purpose."
"I understand. Thanks for your help, Yukari."
She nods. "The pleasure is mine. Ah, there is one particular thing you should look into. The use of Sage Arts. It's commonly talked about with the Toads and Snakes, but it's my belief that other species of animal also have secrets regarding the Sage Arts. It's almost certain that if you make contact with the Elder Dragons, you will learn about these things."
"So things like Sage Mode that I was hearing about."
"Yes, exactly. Hm...I don't believe I have anything else. Senna?"
"Nothing from me~"
"Alright. I think we should all head to bed now. Tomorrow is another day," Yukari says as she stands up. "Will you need anything, Joshua?"
"I'll be fine, thanks." You hand off the sleeping Ritsu to Hannah, who heads out after Yukari. Senna tells you that she's fine to clean up on her own.
As soon as you get to your bed, you fall asleep.
---
Your sleep was really refreshing. After taking a shower and changing, you follow the smell of breakfast to the dining room. Yukari and Senna are already present, Hannah follows a few minutes later, then Ritsu last. She sits beside you and immediately leans on your shoulder.
While everyone else starts eating, you think on what you want to do next.
---
[] Chart your course for the Hidden Leaf. At this time, the Chuunin Examination is about to begin. Might as well make a splash.
-[] Start near the Leaf itself.
-[] Head for the busy district of Tanzaku first.
-[] Go to the Fire Country capital.
-[] Go to the Sky Ward and meet with the ninja cats.
[] The Leaf is just a bit too hot for your liking right now. Maybe somewhere else until things die down. The only Kage currently in their village is the Hokage.
-[] Sand is temporarily weakened with its elites out, making for an easier cruise through Wind.
-[] Mist has always been mysterious. You might be able to gather something from Water Country and the surrounding area.
-[] Rock seems to have plans for you. Maybe a tour around Earth will help you figure it out.
-[] Cloud. Really hostile. Just escaped there a while back. Should you really?
-[] Other write in. Minor villages are accepted.
[] Start training. You'll need at least two weeks to see results, which will change your schedule. Three weeks is the most you can devote to this. You'll also see results for your partners.
-[] Training days. Increase your physical stats.
--[] Spend two weeks for 2 points to distribute.
--[] Spend three weeks for 3 points to distribute.
-[] Research days. Improve your current abilities or create new ones.
--[] Spend two weeks to improve a technique by one level, unlock a new level of one technique, or gain one element level.
--[] Spend three weeks to create the base of a new technique, or gain two element levels to distribute.
[] Before you do anything, ask Yukari for advice. (write in on whatever you want)
[] Something completely different from the other options. (write in)
---
a/n: Took longer than I thought. Hopefully this information is coherent and useful. Thanks for reading in advance.
