The Illuminators: Last Trinity (A Naruto AU) - Story Thread

[FortePlus]

>>>​ The Illuminators​

---

Episode 4.7: Stand Unrivaled
Turn The World

---

​

This is not the right answer.

From the moment it came into your head, you knew. You know now, and even so...you're moving forward.

This is not the safe answer.

Hannah looks into your eyes, understanding and compassionate. She's always said that she would stay by your side, no matter what. She's always willing to do whatever you ask of her. It seems so unfair, so depriving for someone like this, looking from the outside in. A woman of strength, in character, ability, and word...she's supposed to have everything.

Again, even so...she looks at you as above all of that. As worth loving and protecting more than anything in the world, even herself.

This is not the best answer.

But it's your answer.

"I'll give you the truth, then."

Mei looks back and forth at the people around the table. She's nervous, rightfully so. Minato is waiting patiently. Oonoki is intrigued and Rasa for the first time is unreadable.

"I did meet with the man who calls himself Madara Uchiha in the forests of Lightning Country. We were on a mission requested by a single client," you begin. "We came upon unnatural fog, and stopped to investigate after noting the scent of blood. There was the possibility of bandits or rogue shinobi. The bandits were dead when we got there, killed by Zabuza and Haku. Madara was with them."

You pause a moment to gauge the room.

"Hannah left the immediate area at my request to protect our client. We identified Zabuza first, then Madara revealed his identity, and also revealed that he knew mine. I was forced to fight off Zabuza and Haku, succeeding. Madara chose not to fight further." You let out a small breath. "He...revealed that he knew my grandfather. That they had not only met before, but had differing, clashing ideals on how to change the world. They weren't fond of each other as a result. He then extended an offer for me to join him, and I refused. That's when he decided to take Zabuza and Haku away into some space-time technique, then leave himself in the same way. We haven't met since, and as promised, he informed the Hidden Cloud of my presence in the area soon after leaving. That's everything that happened. I wasn't just some random criminal he found...he knew who I was, and targeted me on purpose."

The next few minutes are...long. And they're quiet. Barely any movement from anyone as they try to absorb what you told them.

Your answer.

It should have been so simple, and maybe it would have been in another time. But now...every word has an unfair weight to it.

"Well done, my love."

You nod towards Hannah. "Thank you."

"You've done all that you could. No matter what happens next, we will come through it victorious. I promise."

"Yeah. We'll be okay," you say to her. "Thanks for believing in me. I...don't feel like I deserve that much. But I'm grateful, and I'm going to use the strength you've given me."

She smiles and nods back.

"If that is the truth..."

You turn your attention to the Raikage.

"Then there's only one thing left to do in this matter. Kazekage, I see that you have something on your mind as well."

"It can wait until your item is finished," Rasa says.

"Fine." A looks straight at you. "We'll have to verify your story. If it is truthful, then you have nothing to fear on that matter, and we'll be sure to let you go afterwards. If not, then you should fear my fury. Upon the conclusion of the Chuunin Exams, you will travel with myself and my escort back to the Hidden Cloud for interrogation."

"Interrogation? There is no need to travel that far for interrogation," Hannah counters. "The Hidden Leaf has many of the greatest interrogation specialists and facilities on the continent. If you want your verification so badly-"

"As insulting as it is to hear...he's not out of line, Hannah," Minato says soberly. "Yes, he could make use of our specialists...that wouldn't be a hard ask, especially in this case. But he has every reason to distrust the findings of our village, and it could look bad on him politically speaking. Having people from the Hidden Cloud verify the findings means a lot, more than I could state with words. If the Raikage wants answers he can accept, then that's the only way right now. I'm sorry."

"You're allowed to refuse," A continues. "You may do as you please. But in light of this new information, and the potential for chaos it provides, my hand is forced. A bounty will be placed on your head officially. You will be marked as an S-Class terrorist, a threat to the shinobi world and all life. I will see to it personally that you get as many pages in the Bingo Book as possible. And I will have operatives from the Cloud hunt you down as often as I can. You will be treated as the threat that you are."

"Is that really what you want?" you ask.

"It is what I demand. Once I return to the Cloud, I will immediately enforce my law. And any nation, large or small, known to be harbouring you...will be at odds with our hidden village. Refusal to comply with our orders will be taken as an act of war."

"You can't be serious!" Mei shouts from across the table. "Lord Raikage...! This isn't worth starting a war over!"

"Says you," he replies calmly.

"I may be dissuaded from following Lord Raikage's plan."

The room then turns to Rasa.

"The power to disrupt the world comes from these children working together. Taking one away reduces the threat dramatically. Jacob West was an absurdly powerful menace, one far above these two and anyone else who I could name." His eyes focus in on Hannah. "I would like to add the Gold Reaper to my collection, at least temporarily."

"After you spoke so highly of me before. I wish I could be flattered," Hannah sneers.

"I can ignore your personality and see the value you have as a weapon. You are strong, immensely so. With that kind of power on my side, I could not only revive the Hidden Sand, but bring it to a glory that it has never reached before. You could name your price, even take home a regular salary. You would be well taken care of, and I would not be so foolish as to waste your time with petty missions or try to have you killed. You would pair quite nicely with Gaara. I can see the incredible potential in sending you out on missions with the village elites, with clearing out the corruption in our great village. One year to start. That would keep you away from the world at large, and sate the rage of Lord Raikage at least somewhat. I would hope that would be acceptable."

A thinks for a moment. "I can work with that. Taking the vampire out of the picture would be extremely helpful. If that were to happen, I would rescind my threat of war and Bingo Book designation at the least."

"You would still be hunting down my beloved. I don't see how I am supposed to accept that," Hannah says. "Am I supposed to take you, who has done nothing but treat me like trash, at your word?"

"Your alternative is to risk war over your boyfriend," A counters. "But of course, you wouldn't mind that, would you? Look around. Nobody in this room is willing to-"

"I...don't want war."

Minato places his hands on the table as he speaks.

"I've seen too much already. The battlefield is no place for anyone, let alone children. Too many good ones have left us. Too many good people, too much of the future. Someone like the Honoured Third has had his entire life up until now consumed by war after war after war. My son, my own son...was born into a terrible fight. How much longer...how many more do we have to fight? I don't want another war."

A nods and looks satisfied. Hannah deflates slowly, settling back into her chair.

You hold your breath and wait.

"I remember what two of my old students, coming together...told me, in their own ways. They told me that those those who break the rules of the shinobi world are nothing but trash."

He slams a fist onto the wood table, making it shake.

"But those who abandon their comrades...are even lower than trash!"

Your eyes widen.

"Lord...Hokage?" Mei chokes out.

"You can call me garbage all you like. I won't lift a finger to stop you, and I won't let anyone do it on my behalf. You can tell me how worthless I am. I don't care...I'll never care about something like that. I'm not Lord Hashirama, the Founder of this village and of the modern shinobi world. I'm not even Lord Tobirama. Not even my mentor, Lord Hiruzen. I'm none of them. Because as much as I love this village, as much as I would die for it...my honour, my pride, and my family mean even more than that!"

"Hokage! Do you realize what you're doing?" A yells.

"You damn well know it. I was as good as dead on that day, and Kushina had no hope left. And Naruto...he stood no chance against anything. But we were all saved, we were all protected, and we were all gifted with strength that we never would have come upon ourselves. My family, my everything, was given another chance by one man. And I would be nothing if I let this go on. He risked everything to protect my family and my home. The least I could do, the least this village could do...is protect a member of his!"

"Me too."

Mei places a hand over her heart.

"To change the world, even just your own part of it, is a heavy task. And to come here with good intentions, to try and help save it, is something that should be rewarded instead of being punished like this. I'm not going to let these children be tormented any longer if I can help it. I can see their strength...that they, as I am, are chosen of heaven, meant to bring light into this world. They are the future that we've wished for, and that's why I'll bet everything on them. If it pleases him, I and the Hidden Mist will stand with the Hokage and the Hidden Leaf. But beyond that...this is what my heart tells me to do. And I will take on Joshua and Hannah myself. If you try to harm them, then you can consider it an act of war against me and my village."

"You're willing to throw away peace and stability for two criminal brats?" Rasa asks her.

"Two criminal brats that you want dead," Minato counters. "By your own actions, they're important enough to protect. But if you're going to out yourself as a liar, Kazekage, I can take back everything I've said earlier."

Rasa glares at Minato, but otherwise says nothing.

"While I might not be as generous as the others," Oonoki starts, "I can offer you my own form of protection if you simply pledge your allegiance to me. I will immediately get rid of my Akatsuki supplements as soon as I can get you both working on my behalf. And being right in the neighbourhood...I can give the boy a route back to his home country. I'm sure that's something he would want, not having seen his family in so long."

"There are those in this world...that still reach for the light. No matter how painful the path. They would protect us at cost to themselves..."

Hannah's voice is soft and reverent.

"If I have one desire...it is to provide those people...with all of our strength. With the strength of those who are chosen of heaven. I want to see their smiles. I want peace for them. The end of the struggle...the end of a world where lives are ceaselessly thrown away, just to endure. I want that chance. I want...to change the world," she says, tears falling from her eyes.

You have to choose.

Your decision, again.

You have to choose.

Negative peace, or a war to change the world.

You have to choose.

The time to run away has ended. The door is in front of us.

You can hear Ritsu beside you.

Let's lift each other up. Hashirama chose the village over people. We can choose people over the world.

Right.

You have to choose.

---

[] To endure. To preserve the world as it is. To avoid conflict. The Cloud will take you. They will hurt you. They will try to kill you. And it will guarantee nothing, except that war will not start here and now.

[] To struggle. To fight for change. Two of the Kage, children of light themselves, stand behind you. They risk as much as they can for you. This hard road...you'll travel down it and burn through every obstacle ahead.

[] Custom option.

---

[] The Gold Reaper, submissive. She agrees to help the Hidden Sand return to glory, and possibly stave off a world war.

[] The Gold Reaper, defiant. She rejects the world yet again, and stands by her beloved. If the world means to crush them, she'll simply slice it apart first.

[] Custom option.

---

Current.

Leaf: on condition of Joshua's refusal of Cloud's demands, forms a conditional alliance with Joshua and Hannah (Ritsu included by nature) and official designation as an ally of the village. A conditional alliance is subsequently triggered with the Hidden Mist.

Mist: on condition of Joshua's refusal, forms a formal alliance with Joshua and Hannah. A conditional alliance is subsequently triggered with the Hidden Leaf.

Rock: offer of protection and conditional entry into Iron Country for Joshua and Hannah. Requires allegiance to Hidden Rock and Earth Country. Ends the use of Akatsuki in the country. Further details unknown.

Cloud: demands that Joshua submit to interrogation and confinement indefinitely wrt incidents involving Madara Uchiha, aka the Masked Man, among others. Refusal triggers an S-Class designation in the Bingo Book as a terrorist. Nations suspected or confirmed to be allied with him are treated as hostile, and "defiant actions" towards the Hidden Cloud are considered acts of war.

Sand: requests the services of Hannah for a term of at least one (1) year in duration. Refusal triggers a conditional alliance with the Hidden Cloud and sets the same conditions for war.

---

here we are.

you probably won't believe me but this wasn't the worst possible outcome.

fire away.

 

[FortePlus]

>>>​ The Illuminators​

---

Episode 4.8: Stand Unrivaled
Reject The World

---

​

Together.

Together.

Together. We can move forward.

Some part of you says to weigh this a lot more. It says to be rational about it. Consider the risks and if they outweigh the possible rewards.

You are told that war is not an easy thing. You shouldn't launch into it as an act of defiance. It is brutal. It serves only as an endgame. Do you want to be responsible for the ordinary people being trampled? Do you want to be responsible for the misery and suffering that is sure to come? Do you want to be responsible for the darkness?

Do you want to be the reason for war?

You were built for this.

Like your mothers and fathers before you. You are a child of the gennohito, the first warriors that walked this earth, the ones who built and ruled and still rule for generations that number in the hundreds. Without chakra, they are awe-inspiring.

With chakra, they are transcendent.

You carry the blessing of a name. A title that comes to all those enlightened, but which was given to you before you were born. Out of the earth, from your mother, blessed as a queen, and united with the strength of your father, blessed as a king. From your many mothers and fathers, the title that they claim with 360 degrees of godhood: God Cipher Divine.

And you, who know yourself, hold that title too.

By now, Hannah's tears have dried. She looks at you once more with understanding, and then realization starts to spark and grow in her eyes. She sees that you've chosen a path with confidence.

"I'm going to give you your wish, Hannah."

"Delivering yet another dream to me. You spoil me. You fill my heart to bursting, over and over. Thank you...I will take this chance. I will make it blossom...I will change this world, with you by my side."

You return your attention to the table, looking out at the Five Kage as they sit and wait. With a sharp breath out, you focus on the Raikage.

"My choice is to fight for what I believe in. I won't go anywhere with you under duress. I won't give in to your threats."

A looks down on you. "You've made a grave mistake, boy. You doom the shinobi world and yourself with this selfishness."

"I know who I am, and I know my value. I'm going to change this world, and if it means fighting you every day of my life, then that's what I'll do. I'll challenge you, and I'll win. I promise, Raikage."

"My beloved has spoken," Hannah says clearly. "The man who opened my heart, and allowed me to see a beautiful future for myself, and this world. We are those of the light, chosen of heaven, children of Almighty God. I reject you shinobi, and I reject your world. I promise to challenge you, and I promise to shout victory when this war ends."

"Unfortunate," Rasa says.

"On the name of Hokage, and on my name as Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash. I promise to stand behind these children and guide them forward into the future. I believe in a better world. I choose to put myself on the line."

"On the name of Mizukage, and on my name as Mei Terumi, the Crimson Devil. I promise to stand beside these children and walk with them, into a better, brighter world. We chosen of heaven are going to fulfil our duty, and bring this darkened world into the light."

"Then this meeting is over. The lines have been drawn. Hokage, I stand disappointed in you," A says. "And Mizukage, you are a fool. I will become a terror the likes you would have never seen from Yagura. Your village will soon be crushed for your insolence, and I will teach you to fear my fury."

"Then once the tournament ends, we'll see each other next on the battlefield. I want you to understand, A...I'm not the Yellow Flash you knew from before. I'm just as much of a monster as you."

"Hmph. We will see, then." A gets up and his bodyguards follow suit. "The tournament should be completed without incident. I will wait until I return home before figuring out how to divide your countrymen for use."

"By all means. I'm sure you have enough experience with failed plans for the Leaf."

"..." A is silent as he leaves, escorted by two ANBU who emerge from the far side of the room.

"I must say, it is disappointing. Such talent shouldn't be wasted," Rasa says to Hannah as he stands. "If you change your mind, there's always a place for you in the Hidden Sand."

"So you can leash me like a bitch, and step on my back at your pleasure. If I were into that sort of play, I have much better options, Kazekage. A word of advice: author a prayer for yourself, that I not come within striking distance of your shambolic little village. I make no promises that it won't be left as an empty, blood-caked dustbowl in my wake."

"Bold statement for someone who wished so dramatically for peace."

"Not quite. Ending war means ending the warmongers. You happen to qualify. In war, we do not get to pick and choose who the innocent are when we do battle. The heavens will sort that much out."

"Are you...quite ready to endure? To take the burden of war upon your shoulders? You will not be remembered as heroes. Perhaps not remembered at all," Pakura says.

"This is so. However, as my friend has said in the past...we are not heroes, nor do we pose as them. The folly of heaven sits beyond the wisdom of man. We do not seek validation from shinobi."

"Call us devils. We're ready for it," you follow. "We can carry the burden, together."

She closes her eyes and nods. "Then we'll see the truth of your conviction on the battlefield. Until then."

The Kazekage and his entourage leave.

"Well, that was more than enough excitement for one day. I must say, you were more sincere than I first realized, Mizukage. To so easily put your village in danger for two budding renegades like that," Oonoki says.

"They're more than worth it."

"Really? I figured you would be more worried about marrying and making sure you had a heir before throwing yourself into another war."

"Hmph. Marriage can wait this time. There are things of greater importance, as hard as it might be for you to believe."

"Ha! Well, if you change your minds about your ambitious plans, my office door is open. I'll try not to pull anything too underhanded while you're gone...Akatsuchi, Kitsuchi. Time for us to leave. We have plenty to go over before we get home..."

The Tsuchikage floats up and out of his chair before leaving with his bodyguards.

That just leaves the ten of you.

"War won't be starting just yet," Minato says. "We have time to get out in front of this whole mess. The tournament will be spread out over a week, more or less. Saturday for the opening round, then Wednesday for the semifinals, and then next Saturday for the grand finals. Normally we don't have such a gap, but the daimyo insisted collectively."

"More money, I suppose," Mei says.

"Pretty much. It's not a bad thing, really. The kids get more time to rest too, instead of cramming it into one day. Doesn't do much for the endurance testing, but this is pretty much a spectacle event anyways, so having them in better condition makes for better fights."

"I don't think about it too much...this kind of thing between children."

"Normal, but that's what it is. We can change that in time, maybe get rid of it if people want, but I doubt it. Non-lethal sparring one day? I can see something like that catching on. But the shinobi life is hard, and these kinds of events make the danger evident. Hopefully as the world changes, we can too."

"Agreed." Mei turns and gives you a smile. "As I said, I have no regrets when it comes to standing with you two. I really do admire your bravery."

"As do I. Though I would have to test your ability in conflict," Blues says, speaking for the first time. "The word is strong, but the sword must be sharp as well."

"Ah...I think you'll have a chance to get what you want soon enough," Minato says to her. "In any case, we're allies now. So you can request the data you need."

"Many thanks, Lord Hokage. Our resources are available upon request as well. Lady Mizukage, we must be going. Our scheduled meeting is coming up soon."

"Mm. I almost forgot in this chaos. Thank you, Blues."

"Of course. To serve you is my reason for being."

"Well, you're not that boring. But I appreciate you. Yes, it's time to go for now. Hokage, shall we set up a formal meeting later?"

"Sure. We can talk on Saturday about it and go over details."

"Excellent. Then we'll see each other at the tourney. Thank you again for joining with me," Mei says, standing to give the Hokage a deep bow.

"Thank you, Lady Mizukage. We're happy to stand by you."

She nods and then addresses you and Hannah. "Mei is perfectly fine in private."

"Hannah."

"Joshua."

"Wonderful. These are my trusted officers, Ao and Blues. Ao handles sensor duties and works with our ANBU. Blues is in charge of our naval divisions. Maritime warfare has become pretty complex, you know."

"Only thanks to your genius, milady."

"Oh, stop. Really..." She regains her composure. "I did make a few innovations, but nothing much. Anyways, take care. We'll meet again quite soon."

"Yes, Lady Mizukage," you say in unison. She nods, looking pleased, and then heads out with Blues and Ao following behind her.

"Whew...what a day. Not even deep into the afternoon yet, and...what a mess we're in now," Minato says. "I wonder how the clans will take this."

"We'll be able to convince quite a few. I have great confidence in the ability of these children, as you do," Hiruzen says. "The Sarutobi Clan will follow along with your decision, Lord Hokage."

Shikaku sighs. "You've been pretty reckless, but that's expected...still, from what I've been observing, I have a lot of confidence in your decision, Lord Hokage. It would have come to a head with the Cloud eventually. We now have several powerful allies at our side to face down that threat. Inoichi and Choza will be onboard. So that's the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans with you too."

"The Uchiha are a lock. They're big on lineage and family, and they admire Jacob West. From what Mikoto has told me and Kushina, they'll support us all the way. From there, the other small clans will fall in line, probably. Our only point of contention would be Hyuuga...but this isn't ordinary circumstance, and they're definitely not fans of the Cloud. We can pull them in, too. I think we're fine."

"Danzo won't like it," Shikaku says.

"He doesn't like much. I'll deal with him. Anyways...I'm kinda starved. And I haven't gone walking around the village much lately. I don't want to bother Kushina with cooking today. You kids interested in lunch?"

"A little casual, aren't we..."

"Ah, don't be such a wet blanket, Shikaku. We're just gonna cool off at Ichiraku, or somewhere."

"Then I'm gonna raid your office for something to drink, and get started on the paperwork."

"I have a meeting with Shisui to get to," Hiruzen says. "Take care, young ones. May the Will of Fire continue to burn brightly within you."

The two leave, and Minato stands up to stretch his limbs. "Ah. That's good. So, lunch? If you decline, that's okay too. I know your friend Ritsu is waiting for you at the hotel."

"Lunch sounds nice," Hannah remarks as she stands up. "It was tense earlier..."

"Yeah. A lot went down. Still trying to absorb it," you say as you follow suit. "Maybe some downtime around the village would be cool."

---

[] Lunch with the Hokage sounds nice. You just want to get your mind away from what happened earlier, at least for a little bit.

[] Head back "home" to Ritsu. She'll be happy to see you both safe...though the prospect of war might not be terribly pleasant.

[] Custom option.

---

Current.

Leaf: Allies; formed a conditional alliance with Joshua and Hannah (Ritsu included by nature) and has given out official designation as an ally of the village. In a conditional alliance with the Hidden Mist.

Mist: Allies; formed a formal alliance with Joshua and Hannah. In a conditional alliance with the Hidden Leaf.

Rock: Neutral/unknown; offer of protection and conditional entry into Iron Country for Joshua and Hannah. Refused.

Cloud: Extremely hostile; demanded that Joshua submit to interrogation and confinement indefinitely wrt incidents involving Madara Uchiha, aka the Masked Man, among others. Refused. Triggered S-Class designation in the Bingo Book as a terrorist. Nations suspected or confirmed to be allied with him are treated as hostile, and "defiant actions" towards the Hidden Cloud are considered acts of war.

Sand: Extremely hostile; requested the services of Hannah for a term of at least one (1) year in duration. Refused. Triggered a conditional alliance with the Hidden Cloud and set the same conditions for war.

---

so yeah expect a slate of high speed punching soon™
enjoy

 

[FortePlus]

You give Minato a nod. "I'll take you up on that lunch offer. Hannah?"

"I will do the same."

Minato nods back. "Great. We'll head out on foot to Ichiraku. I feel like ramen today. Sound good?"

"Yep."

"Alright. Haru, if you could give the wife a heads' up, I'd appreciate that."

"Yes, sir. Orders for afterwards?"

"Back to security for our guests."

"Understood. Then I will see you all later." She heads towards the exit ahead of your group.

"Hikari, stick around with us."

"Sir. Understood, Lord Hokage, sir."

"Let's head out." The Hokage has his triangular hat vanish from the table in front of him, replaced by a normal-looking Leaf headband. He ties it around his head and walks with you towards the exit of the Four-Sided Hall.

"I hope Ritsu isn't too worried about us," Hannah remarks.

"Yeah. Haru will be in later, so she'll be more than fine." You slide your finger along the wristband covering your communication seal, and it activates. [Mom and Dad checking in.]

[Joshua, Hannah. You're safe...it sounds like it.]

[We're fine. We just had a lot to go through...things have changed, Ritsu. But we should talk about those face to face. Are you okay over there?]

[Nervous. Worried. I really do believe in you, but...I did feel a bit scared and lonely.]

[There is nothing to be ashamed of, Ritsu. We know you care for us deeply. Those feelings are normal and fine. We're okay.]

[The Hokage invited us out to lunch,] you say as you exit the main hall, [and we decided to take him up on that offer. Chance to relax and talk about things we couldn't with the others in the way. It'll be a while before we get back. Haru is going to be around to watch over you.]

[I understand. Thank you for thinking of me...]

[We always are, ninja girl.]

[Yes. We will see you soon. We love you, Ritsu.]

[I love you too, both of you. I'll be waiting.]

You let the connection fade off and look to Hannah. "Good?"

She nods back. "Good."

Another check with the ANBU near the front entrance, and then you're finally allowed to leave the building area. You walk back through the neatly cut field, and then start a casual jog across the rooftops as you move across town.

"Ichiraku Ramen is a family tradition at this point. My son always stops in after missions. Kushina is always on him about his veggies, so he's been asking for more of them in his favourite dishes. Crafty kid," Minato says as the four of you touch ground. "It's an institution within the village, practically world famous. Anyways, since we want to talk about secretive things, we'll have to take our stuff to go. Shame, cause the dine-in atmopshere is great too."

He greets villagers as they hail him, stopping every so often to shake their hands. Even without the hat, he's hard to miss with the jacket that has his title on it. You receive friendly bows from the villagers who assume that you're part of his entourage. Nobody knows who you are yet, fortunately. That'll change, for better or worse.

"Afternoon, Teuchi."

"Lord Hokage, to what do I owe the honour?" Behind the counter is a kind-looking man of what you assume to be middle age. He has a chef's hat and coat on, a friendly smile on his face like it was meant to be there. His visible black hair is lightened a bit from years of hard work.

"Heh, nothing serious. Just wanted to make a quick stop with my guests here. Figured I'd bring them to the best ramen place around."

"Flattery like that is always appreciated," Teuchi says with a laugh.

"I recognize that aroma," Hannah says quietly. "Ah, so that's where...if I had known, I would have suggested it earlier. Lord Hokage, if you would double your order for me, I would appreciate it."

"Oh...sure," he says, confused.

"Hikari did introduce me to this establishment a while earlier by way of delivery, before my meeting with Lord Jiraiya. The pork ramen was exquisite, a true work of art. I could tell from my first taste that the creator loved their occupation, and would rather be cursed than deliver subpar food." She smiles and curtsies for Teuchi. "You are an artisan of the highest order, sir. Thank you for the experience."

Teuchi smiles and you see his chest swell a bit. "That's the greatest compliment I've ever received. I'll triple your order, no charge."

"Incredibly generous of you, sir. I will be here for a time yet, so I will be sure to stop in for a meal as many times as I can."

"I'd be honoured if you did, ma'am. Teuchi."

"Hannah." They firmly shake hands, with a look of some sort of mutual understanding that you don't quite understand yourself. But new friends are always nice.

"I'm good with two bowls myself," you say.

Minato shrugs. "Two for me too, then. Hikari?"

"Sir. I will be fine for now, Lord Hokage, sir. But thank you for the gracious offer, Lord Hokage. Sir."

"No problem. Ayame out today?" he asks Teuchi as the latter cooks.

"Running a few errands. Business has been really good lately. Your son aside, of course."

"Yeah, of course. He's been eating his vegetables, hopefully."

"Still is. Wants to make his mom proud."

"Hehe. What a guy, eh? I'm glad to hear things have been going well, we're probably gonna have a few swells during the tournament downtime. Good for business, but not really for national tensions. Or the possibility of crime, I guess. I dunno..."

"There's always a lot going on," Teuchi says. "But you and the Honoured Third have kept us out of trouble for a good while, and that's nothing to sneeze at."

"Probably. I have a feeling things are going to change pretty dramatically soon. Call it a hunch. Intuition. Something like that. Skies are starting to cloud over, yadda yadda."

"Mm."

You and Hannah step outside for a bit while the Hokage and Teuchi talk.

Hannah lets out a breath before speaking. "In...peaceful places like this. With smiling people and their family stores, their playgrounds...there was always a small pull. Some melancholy at the thought of war disrupting all of this. Usually, hidden villages aren't directly attacked in such a manner. Guerilla warfare is still so rare as to be an unexplored art of war, as far as the hidden villages are concerned. But in other places, it was common. And the advances in technology on all fronts...weapons, techniques, tactics...soon true terror might be visited upon these places as well, and so easily."

"Is it...that I should feel guilt?"

"Do you?"

"I don't."

"I feel sadness...but like you, no guilt. It's not my fault. It's never my fault in times like these. You and I know better. That war means sacrifice."

"It's not wrong to cry, though," you say as you look at her. "Maybe it sounds too good to be true, that we have control over everything in our hearts...but we have that strength. We can be the greatest warriors, and shed tears for what was lost. Battle is necessary, but it doesn't mean that it's not also tragic."

She looks at you, slowly coming to an understanding within herself and nodding. Her eyes close and she lets the sudden breeze blow past her.

"I consider it a tragedy that you're so intimate with these things. For someone like me, who has climbed mountains through storms of blood, it only makes sense."

"A tragedy..."

Hannah opens her violet eyes to look at you. "Yes. Someone like you, so wonderfully sweet...to be so intimate with darkness and pain. It's almost cruel."

"Isn't it the same for you?" you ask.

"My first true prayer was answered. I became death as I wanted. And my second...well."

"..."

Minato and Hikari emerge from underneath the banners of the ramen bar, paper bags in hand.

"You're standing here with me."

"You have to wonder if that's really a blessing in itself," you quip back.

"Cursed to make miracles with you? Then I will die blissfully, with your name on my lips."

"...lay it on, huh."

"Yes."

"Hannah...thank you."

"Anything for you, my love. Anything."

"You guys okay?" Minato asks.

"Same as ever, sir. Let's do lunch."

He smiles and pats you on the back with his free hand. You follow him to the next destination.

---

The place you head to isn't too far out of the way, but it's quiet. A small house, converted into a restaurant. You see a thin-looking brunette on the front porch, whittling wood with a kunai in between her toes. The mop of hair on her head shakes as she notices your group coming up the steps.

"'Noon, Uncle 'Kage."

"Afternoon. Any open spots?" Minato asks.

"Yessir," she says with a drawl. As she stands, you see that one of her arms is missing near the elbow. "Same place in the back you like." Her eyes focus on you. "Kokoahito?"

"Yes'm. Iron Country."

"My great-grampy was eighth. Strong as an ox."

"Sixty-fourth, then. Lose the arm in a fight?" you ask.

"'Mestic violence. Auntie had trouble and my old dead unc was a ninja too. Shame, that." She clicks her teeth. "I ain't fixing to hold you up any longer. Ol' boy is in today."

Minato pats her shoulder. "Alright. See you round, Nora."

"Ya."

"Take care, sis," you say to her. She smiles warmly at you and nods.

"Ya. Be safe, big bro."

The four of you make your way inside as Nora goes back to whittling.

"Did she remind you of someone?" Hannah asks.

You shake your head. "Nah. Just how the family talks when we see each other."

"I see. Hm."

The wood floors, long tables, and patterned tablecloths give the place an old world feel. It's half full at the moment, which isn't bad considering the lunch rush was long over by now. An older gentleman with his dark hair twisted up into a cone shape - you think - and a shirt with a crooked tie leads you towards the back of the restaurant and to a quieter, closed off section. A couple of well-kept booths greet you, with clean leather and the distinct scent of polish.

Hannah and Minato slide into the corners of the first booth you see, while you and Hikari take the ends. The gentleman from earlier brings you glasses of apple cider and then vanishes, leaving you with the sounds of crinkling paper as the bags are opened and the ramen is distributed.

"Hope you guys don't mind. Seaweed today, Ichiraku Ramen's specialty. Though people are really into fish pastes as a topping these days. Things like that happen when you're a Kage and you have a son named after food," Minato says. "I don't think about it too much and neither does he. But...how are you two feeling?"

You flip open your first container and shrug slowly. "Heavy, I guess. Half the free world is gearing up to try and kill us. Terrorists running around. Some guy who died fifty years ago wants to take over the world. Grandfather is missing. Nothing to really do about it."

"Cooler heads are prevailing, for now at least," Hannah says from beside you. She starts on her noodles, slowly slurping them up.

"I've been in some heavy situations myself when I was younger. Kushina was kidnapped by the Cloud. I really was captivated by her hair the first time I saw it. You know what she did? She pulled out strands of her hair and left them on the ground as she walked in the dead of night. I knew she was missing, but couldn't get a bead on her...but I noticed that hair of hers on the ground. Followed it right to her."

"I'll bet she fell in love with you right there," Hannah says to Minato.

"She actually did! That was the day she decided she wanted me as a husband. Kushina can be a total handful sometimes, but she's the greatest. Just in everything she does. I really love her, and I don't know what I would do without her. I...was kinda thinking that back then, twelve years ago. What would I do without my other half? It sounds pretty selfish, right? Naruto was already born, and I had to take care of him. But Kushina was...is his mother. I couldn't replace that. I couldn't replace her. My plan was to leave Naruto with one last chance to see us when he grew up, to help him master the power that I would leave with him. Fortunately, that never came to pass. Joshua, your grandfather was an amazing man. Not only in strength, but in character. The Uchiha especially admire him, as I said earlier in the hall."

"Yeah. I didn't figure he was so...respected in some places," you say.

"There's no one size fits all approach. He figured there wasn't any more time for diplomacy, so he chose the active route."

"Sounds like him. He built his own house back at the Port. Still up there and Grams lives in it. Outrageous looking thing. Big glass windows that he tinted himself. This was before the possibility of him using Wood Release, by the way. He had to go to court for the zoning and permit violations a few times, said it was worth it, though."

"Makes sense. Doing things his way."

"Yeah. Same way he up and left town. Don't think he was planning on vanishing for ten extra years, though."

You all pause to get more of the noodles down, finishing a bowl each.

"There's a lot to talk about. We could spend all of this day and the next just going over things," Minato says, taking a sip of his apple cider. "But there are a few items that are immediately important. There's the possibility that Wood Release has ended up in Kennedy Port, and that Luther Donovan has access to it. Him and his merry group of terrorists, being strung along by Madara. Confronting that as soon as possible would be a big help to us. I can't reliably prove Danzo had anything to do with it, even though I know it was him from my own investigations. The evidence we have isn't strong enough to completely remove doubt or handcuff the darker elements of the Leaf. It's a problem, one that we'll have to solve for ourselves. And we will, but we also want to limit the possible damage this will cause. More important than that..."

"You mean to speak of Jiraiya," Hannah says, finishing her ramen. She picks up her last bowl and opens it.

"Yeah. I can't apologize enough for what he's put you guys through. Especially you, Hannah. I don't know exactly what he said, but I have an idea. Even for him, that was too far."

"It's alright. I wasn't afraid, and I did have Joshua with me."

"Ah. Transformation, then. Sharp. There...there is a reason behind his actions. And they're connected to some of the ones I made today."

"Does it have to do with history and prophecy?" Hannah asks.

"Yeah, it does. Jiraiya...my parents are long gone by now, and so are Kushina's. In a way, he was more than a mentor to me. He was my first teacher, and we spent a lot of time together. He saw my talent and told me that I was special. Really special." Minato pauses to finish his ramen and leans back in his seat. "The Great Toad Sage spoke to Jiraiya when he was much younger. He told him that he would have a student that would change the shinobi world, called the Child of the Prophecy. That whatever Jiraiya did would lead that child to either save the world or destroy it. That prophecy as you might imagine shaped Jiraiya's entire life. He's put everything into it. And alongside that was something else."

He puts his arms on the table and looks at you. There's a sadness in his eyes.

"The Great Toad Sage also spoke of another. That person would be a 'cursed child' from a so called 'cursed race' of people. They're called the Doomsday Children. Jacob West was named as the first...someone who had to be stopped at all costs, or else it would mean the end of the shinobi world, and the end of everyone. With Jacob disappearing, and your emergence on the world stage, Joshua..."

"So I'm the one who will bring ruin to the world," you say.

"That's what we've been told. And I know that...Jiraiya used some of that information to push the narrative that you were a menace, because of that and what your grandfather did. The belief is that you're an avatar of darkness. If the Raikage believes that, or something else, I don't know. But...your place in the world now is as a destroyer."

"..."

"I don't believe that. I didn't even believe that I was the real Child of Prophecy, also called the Saviour of the World. Part of the reason I wanted to seal the Nine-Tails inside of Naruto was because I thought that the masked man was going to bring ruin to the world, and that Naruto was the only one who could stop him. I wanted to believe in that story, because that was what my master believed so strongly. After that night, though...it doesn't make any sense. I think you're the child of light that will change the world instead. I don't think it's going to be easy, and it will probably be bad for business...but I'm not worried about that. If there's a chance to end the constant fighting in this generation, I want to take it."

"What do you think, then? Do you think that Hashirama was right?" Hannah asks.

Minato thinks for a moment. "I think his dream was noble. I think he wanted to do good things. But I don't think he was right. He created the village through strength. He alone walked in front of the people to protect them. And maybe, had he lived on to advanced age, we might have some sort of peace in this time. But that didn't happen, and it resulted in all of this."

"Could you imagine saying something like that to the village?"

"I could, yeah. It would be seen as blasphemy of some type, but that's the price you pay sometimes for being truthful. I don't think Lord Hashirama was an infallible paragon of justice. I'm grateful for what he gave us, but it isn't enough to just accept that from so long ago. People change. Villages change. I don't know if he was truly ready for that."

"A rather interesting answer. Unexpected and...pleasing, I would say," Hannah muses. "Is it...difficult to balance those personal motivations with your work?"

"I treat it like a job. I have to, for the sake of Kushina and Naruto. Being Hokage does connect to the greater world, clearly, and it's a big part of my life. But it's not the only part, or the most important. I want to be the best leader that I can be, and that also means being a good human being."

"Shinobi are meant to endure, and not to suffer."

"Right. I've tried to hold to that every day. Gives me a thought...I'll have to talk it over with Kushina later, but I wanted to pitch it to you now. Things are moving pretty quickly."

"Yeah, they are. Is it work for us? We can do that for you," you say eagerly.

"No, nothing like that. Yet, anyways. I know you have a tight-knit team, with your own systems in place already. Your conduct at the meeting was really impressive, and our back-and-forths with Haru have shown me how tight your operations security is. How long have you had to work together?"

"Around three months or so. We just go over it daily in bits and pieces," you reply. "Nothing complicated."

"It's quite refreshing, working so closely with others," Hannah adds in. "The elements of trust do help accelerate the process, so it might be an unfair advantage."

"Might be, that's seriously impressive! I was thinking a year at the least, but man. Well, if you guys are that good, then this could work. The tournament will be over within a week, and then we'll have to have more meetings...when you do leave, I want to send Haru out with you."

"Haru?"

"Lord Hokage, sir," Hannah says, picking up for you, "we all know how much Haru means to you, and to Lady Kushina. And Hikari..."

"Ma'am. Permission to speak freely, ma'am."

"Yes, darling. Please, speak to me."

"I...agree with Lord Hokage. I think that Sister Haru should go with you. I love her a lot, and I'll miss her every day. But the world is changing, and you're very strong people. Strong enough and brave enough to change the entire world. I know that Sister Haru would be amazing for you and with you and to you. She's very strong, and she wants to help change the world too. I want her to grow and change, and come back home so she can teach me more. I want her to see the world, and I want to be able to protect her place so that she has somewhere to come back to. Um...also. Lord Hokage?"

"They know, Hikari."

"Yes. Thank you...Sister Haru has always worried about Sister Hitomi, who is called the Sharingan Witch. She feels that she is still alive somewhere. If only to save her from that darkness and possibly set her free...she has always longed for that chance. I think you would come across her on your journey."

"Haru means a lot to us, it's true. But we all stand united in our vision to help make this world a better place. I make this suggestion knowing her, and how much she's come to care for you in this short time. She's always been sensitive to people with good hearts...and I know that you're good people. You would take care of her, just as she would take care of you. I've already done some foolish things today, so what's one more, right?"

"You're sure that you want to send her with us?" you ask.

"It's up to her and Kushina, ultimately, but I wouldn't ask unless I thought they would say yes. I think that I can help change the world, but not in the way that the Great Toad Sage prophesied. I think it's in ways like this, with my own strength. And sending pure-hearted people out with you on your journey is one way I can truly help."

"Do not forget, Lord Hokage. Chosen child of the toads or not, you have the strength of heaven inside of you as well."

He blinks as he looks at Hannah. "That...is that so?"

"We all do. That's why we stand with you and Lady Mei, right? For all those gifted, there's a power inside of them that lets them make miracles. Whether it's something large or small," you say.

"Those mortal prophecies mean nothing on their own. And we refuse to give them merit. Our creed rises to the sky. Truth to power, power to truth. Let our truth be written among the stars, where it will never be erased."

"She's a diva sometimes," you say with a smile. "It's endearing."

Minato smiles back. "Heh. I can see it. So, what do you say? I don't want to push anyone onto you, but I think it would be a great opportunity. No catch, no double-agent nonsense or anything. We're already allies and all. I think it would be good for her, and for you guys."

"It sounds lovely. I think Haru would be a brilliant addition to our little family," Hannah says, turning to you eagerly. "Of course, the final decision is yours, Joshua."

---

[] It only makes sense. If all sides agree, you would take Haru with you.

[] While tempting, you believe that Haru would be better served staying in the Leaf.

---

[] Finish lunch and head home. It's been a long day.

[] You have more you want to talk about with the Hokage (write-in).

[] Custom option.

---

more in stooooooooore. enjoy, friends.

next episode: y o u t h

 

[FortePlus]

"I think it would work out too. If you could talk to her about it, Lord Hokage, we'd love to have her."

"Great. We'll talk it over with her in the next few days. If you could keep it quiet for now, I'd appreciate that," Minato says.

"Got it. We'll wait for your response," you say to him.

"Anything you want to go over? Questions?"

"Nothing for now. I think we should head home and try to get some rest."

"Yes, I agree. The day has been long enough for us," Hannah says. "We do appreciate the kindness you've shown us, milord."

"Ah, it's no problem. Just happy to have you guys onboard. I think we're on our way to a better world. We'll walk back to the hotel together."

The gentleman from earlier reappears and takes away your empty containers. Minato haggles with him over a tip before stuffing bills into the pocket on his shirt - to his mild annoyance - then you exchange bows before heading out. Nora is preoccupied with a Leaf shinobi as you step off the front porch; they're arguing about roof tiles, for reasons you can't parse.

You walk through the streets, encountering the usual fanfare that came with the Hokage taking an unannounced trip through the village. He's having a discussion with a retired gentleman on the merits of shuriken arts when Hikari grabs his attention suddenly. His expression changes from grim to...you can't read it well from here.

"The winds are changing...mm."

Hannah looks out into the distance and you follow her gaze. But then...something feels off.

"Sixty five. Slide left," you order. Hannah reflexively moves left and behind you, and you raise an arm to brace yourself.

Immediately afterwards, a kunai lands at your feet, followed by a green blur.

"Dynamic ENTRY!"

You keep your head up and block the flying kick, feeling a slight rumble go through your arm as a burst of wind envelops you. The attacker quickly rebounds and takes a simple stance, one arm forward with their palm turned upwards.

"Lord Hokage...I'm sorry to say that you've been deceived."

A man wearing a green vest over...green spandex...stands in front of you. The Leaf headband is around his waist, reflecting sunlight. His hair is black, unnaturally shiny, and cut into a bowl shape. And his eyebrows are insanely thick. The orange leg warmers with black stripes are a questionable touch as well.

"Uh...Guy? What are you talking about?" Minato asks, utterly confused.

"Lord Jiraiya informed me of the presence of a dastardly fiend. A man who took advantage of Lady Kushina's gentle nature in order to infiltrate the village. I don't know exactly how his dark magic works, but he is a menace who must be stopped. Young maiden, there's no need to fear. You're in the presence of the Leaf's Sublime Green Beast, Might Guy!"

"Horrific..."

"Hm?" He stops his speech.

Hannah hides behind you, putting her hands on your shoulders and glaring darkly at Guy. You can feel her trembling with repressed anger and frustration.

"An abomination. An affront to heaven and earth. Truly horrific. Please...keep it away..."

"I see...it seems I was too late. The dark power has been activated," Guy says with a frown.

Dark power? You're very sure that Hannah is just appalled at his choice in outfit and general...appearance.

"I am sure that even a fiend like you won't resort to fighting in the streets, bringing harm to the innocent populace. Especially in front of the Hokage, despite the fact that he too is trapped by your fiendish strength."

"?"

"Don't play innocent. I trust that you'll follow me to a more suitable location..."

"..." You can only nod in response, knowing that he won't take no for an answer. Jiraiya's meddling seems to be getting worse by the hour. Your group rushes across to the nearest open field, of which there are plenty in the Leaf. Going all out on this one shouldn't be a problem.

Might Guy. You recall that he's a taijutsu expert, tops in the village and probably with just a handful of peers in the shinobi world. You're no slouch, but you also have no clue what he can do or how far he will go. ANBU are keeping a perimeter as crowds start to gather; Guy's declaration earlier definitely caught the attention of a lot of people.

"Joshua. Is this...okay?"

"I'll be fine, Hannah. Might as well do this fairly."

"Understood. Be safe."

"Yeah." She heads back towards the perimeter with Minato and Hikari. Guy takes his stance again, a set distance from you. "Well, this is good for a tune-up at least. Might as well see how I measure up against a Leaf elite."

"It seems that I'm left with no choice. In order to break the dark hold you've placed on that innocent maiden, I'll have to take you down. But that's no problem for me."

"What dark power are you even talking about?" you ask.

"The wicked power once sealed inside of your left arm. You've unleashed it and clouded the minds of all you come in contact with, using it to conceal your movements. I don't know what it is you're here for, but I know that I'm the only one left that can stop you. Lord Jiraiya has equipped me with anti-darkness seals, and I'll rid the world of your power once and for all once you're knocked out. Now...prepare yourself! I'll show you the strength of Leaf taijutsu, and the true power of YOUTH! Dastardly Black Arrow, Duo! Your road ends here!"

You grumble before sighing.

Thanks, Hokage.

"Alright. I'll take you seriously, then."

You shift your hands upwards and take your stance.

Not the start you expected, but no time to think things over or brainstorm. You're wrapped up in a fight now, and this guy is determined to win.

He charges you quickly, jumping high into the air before coming down at speed with a flying kick.

"Begone, fiend!"

Yeah.

You're long past negotiations.

---

katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league

---

Save the Leaf! Arrival of the Noble Savage
- Stand Unrivaled -

---

Match Tape

​

"The Sublime Green Beast" Might Guy [Eight Inner Gates] [Certain Kill Taijutsu: Hirudora]​	"The Dastardly Black Arrow" Joshua West [Amenozenshin] [Accelerator Knuckle]​
Base Stats: Ninjutsu: 6 Taijutsu: 10 Genjutsu: 6 Intelligence: 6 Strength: 10 Speed: 10 Stamina: 10 Hand seals: 5 Total: 63/80​	Base Stats: Ninjutsu: 3 Taijutsu: 10 Genjutsu: 1 Intelligence: 10 Strength: 10 Speed: 10 Stamina: 10 Seal Speed: 3 Total: 57/80​

---

katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league

---

​

[] Strategic
-[] Observe and react accordingly.
-[] Move forward aggressively.
-[] Take a defensive approach.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Arts
-[] Great Fireball
-[] Earth Shore Return
-[] Lightning Beast Running
-[] Screaming Eagle
-[] Amenozenshin
-[] Accelerator Knuckle
-[] Custom selections

---

[] Views
-[] 2nd Person: original concept as seen in the vs. Zabuza and Haku demo. Fights are seen and interpreted through Joshua's POV.
-[] 3rd Person: where the fights are written in 3rd person and readers can observe the battle through a slightly wider scope.

---

The battle system comes packaged in with the assumption that Joshua is not an idiot who needs every single action detailed. See the Explanations and System tab for an outline of how he, and by extension all of your partners, are supposed to act in any given fight.

If the options seem bare it's because of those assumptions, that a reasonable action will lead into another reasonable action and so on and so forth. Likewise a less than optimal or risky action will allow the opponent to get their own attack in if you should fail. With a system not reliant on rolling or stats, establishing combat flow becomes important.

You are allowed to chain techniques, or plan out your actions in advance if your desire is for more granular control. With this in mind, taking note of IC tendencies helps. The character you take control of will also have a thought on the techniques that you elect to use in a battle situation. This will regularly be to your benefit.

More questions are welcome. Naturally the combat system will evolve piece by piece as we have more fights.

Thanks and enjoy the read.

 

[FortePlus]

Guy's eyebrows furrowed as he sailed down towards his opponent.

The boy had dropped his head, staring straight out into the distance. He didn't move, even as the bottom of his opponent's foot came steadily closer to his face.

Then his body shifted slightly and he disappeared.

Hitting the dusty earth and sliding a short distance, Guy reoriented himself and moved to attack Joshua, their forearms slamming together and sending out a ripple of force into the air. The boy's brown eyes were radiating intensity - he was taking it as seriously as he said he would.

"Not bad. But we're only getting started, fiend."

"Then bring it," Joshua replied.

They rebounded away from each other before Guy shot forward again, leading with a solid punch that Joshua parried to one side. He came back with several more, using one hand to attack and measure distance as his opponent ducked and weaved each blow easily. They skipped from one side to the other, circling and moving across the battlefield.

Guy accelerated his attacks, starting with a spinning kick that Joshua blocked with one arm. He spun back in the other direction, feinting another kick and letting his foot hit the ground before charging with an elbow. Joshua dodged to his right and tried a left hand body blow that Guy spun away from, using the momentum to twist into another hard kick that Joshua leaned away from. He rocked forward and went for an uppercut that Guy blocked, pushing his palm downwards to blunt the force.

No slouch, eh. I don't think I should turn it up until he does.

Joshua hopped backwards before going on the offensive, measuring out distance with several jabs as he met Guy again before sliding into combinations, forcing the older man to drop back and block. They kept moving, circling in one position as Joshua threw punches in rapid succession - two jabs to an uppercut, pause, jab to straight to hook to straight, pause, hold, duck, swing - go back upstairs - hook, straight, jab, overhead.

Guy blocked the overhead and went for a quick roundhouse kick to the midsection. Joshua broke his stance before jumping clear over the kick, flipping quickly in the air, and then coming down with an axe kick that Guy wheeled around to block in time. He slipped away and let Joshua recover, the two taking a moment to reset themselves and observe each other again.

"Huh. Your man's quite the athlete," Minato said from his position in the growing audience.

"Indeed he is," Hannah replied, watching with great interest herself. She had seen some of his work before, but not in a live fight on this scale. He really was impressive in ways she hadn't considered. And this was all considering that he hadn't started to escalate things yet...the technique they had worked on together wasn't likely to come out, since this wasn't a battle with terribly high stakes. Still...

"I wonder..."

More ideas were already starting to turn in her head. It was truly curious...an excitement that she hadn't felt in such a long time. New heights, together...yes, with him, it was more than possible.

"I hate to say this about such a villain, but...your taijutsu is impressive. Remarkably precise and polished. Who taught you your skills?"

"My parents and my sister gave me the basics," Joshua called back to Guy. "Everything else was self-taught. Boxing is my technique base, but as you just saw, it's not all I can do."

"Hm. I see." Guy took his stance. "Then it's time to go further...I still have my mission to complete."

"I'm not going to wait for you to finish your showcase this time. Get ready. I've got more in my bag," Joshua warned. He pushed chakra into his legs before taking off, throwing up dust and dirt in his wake as he made hand seals. "Let's move."

"Don't be fool enough to think that speed alone will be enough!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

Joshua zipped back and forth on his way to Guy, lightning chakra taking shape in his left hand.

So that's it. I don't think so...!

Guy prepared to counter before Joshua took a running leap into the air, thrusting his hand forward.

"Beast Running!"

The lightning hound shot forward, zig-zagging in the air before locking onto Guy. He dodged it as it crashed into the ground, throwing up an explosion of electricity.

That's just like Kakashi's...

Joshua came down and closed distance, engaging Guy in taijutsu with a series of punches and kicks that drove him backwards. Guy body flickered to one side, escaping the barrage and watching as Joshua prepared the same technique before charging forward again.

"No dice!"

"Hm." Joshua shot the technique into the air and let it descend onto Guy, who watched it before advancing forward, leaving the technique behind as it slammed into the ground again. Joshua started to close his right hand as he charged ahead towards Guy, chakra building visibly around it.

He crossed the arm over, hand still slightly open, giving Guy pause as he watched the younger man plant his right foot and come to a sudden stop.

Then his eyes widened and he quickly stopped himself as Joshua swung outwards, two fingers outstretched.

The hazy blade of chakra wasn't terribly long or large, but it was sharp enough to create a shallow cut across Guy's chest. The pain wasn't enough to shake him though, and he started to regain his balance.

Joshua already had his right hand in a fist, pulled back.

Okay. There.

He accelerated faster than Guy could react to, driving his fist under the half-guard and into the other man's chest, with force gained from his sudden speed boost. Guy flew backwards, tumbling once along the ground before landing upright with a grimace.

"How's that? You want to end this farce yet?" Joshua asked.

"Heh. You're not half-bad...but this isn't over yet." Guy rose to his feet, still looking confident.

"Are you planning to step in?" Hannah asked Minato. The Hokage shook his head.

"It's not that serious yet. And I want to see a bit more of what Joshua can do..."

"I see. Curiosity is a good enough reason." Not that I could blame you anyways...I want to see more myself. To pull off a combination like that...hm. It's not that it was complicated, but it was incredibly clever. What else will you show us, beloved? This is quite exciting.

"I...have to protect this village. Therefore...it's time to take things a step further!"

"..."

"Gate of Opening!" A burst of chakra shot outwards from Guy's position, creating streams of wind that washed over the battlefield and the people watching.

"Don't overdo it, Guy..." Minato held his position, but was becoming slightly worried.

Match it, then. Joshua calmly opened the First Gate himself, matching Guy's output and throwing up dust from his position.

"Ah, I see. You can use the Inner Gates in addition to all of this. Then I suppose this won't be enough. Allow me to up the stakes...the safety of this village depends on it!"

"Up...?"

"Third Gate of Life, open! Get ready, Dastardly Black Arrow!" The surge was much bigger than before, Guy's skin turning red and his pupils disappearing. His hair started to stand on end, and veins started to bulge on his forehead.

"You might as well let this play out," Hannah said with slight surprise. Minato frowned at the display, but still held his position.

"That's...Gate Three. Not in my bag," Joshua muttered. "Fine. Let's go with two for now." He opened the Second Gate and felt a slight ache as a result. "I can't stay parked in this state forever, but it's a start."

"Duo! I'm going to bring this to an end!"

"That's what you think, huh? Keep your eyes open, buddy. I'm not done."

Strain from the Third Gate means he's not going to use it for general combat unless he has to. Super move. I'd put money on it. I have to out think this meathead again...I did it just now, so it's far from impossible.

"Here!"

Guy disappeared completely for the civilians and regular shinobi. Some of the elites present could make out a streaking green blur. The Hokage and a few others could see Guy's form moving rapidly towards Joshua.

And Joshua could very clearly see Guy coming for him in a straight line.

He set his feet and focused.

"Yeah. Here we go."

---

katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league

---

​

---

Inner Gates: Second Gate Active

---

[] Strategic
-[] Observe and react accordingly.
-[] Move forward aggressively.
-[] Take a defensive approach.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Arts
-[] Great Fireball
-[] Earth Shore Return
-[] Lightning Beast Running
-[] Screaming Eagle
-[] Water Prison
-[] Accelerator Knuckle
-[] Custom selections

---

this isn't a death match but

yeah he's trying to break your face just slightly

enjoy, and commentary on the fight flow/systems is always welcome

 

[FortePlus]

The best option was to play defense. Either Guy would tire himself out, or Minato would step in, Joshua reasoned. The gap between their physical skill wasn't that large, and he could still see his opponent clearly.

Good. Everything would work out.

Guy sidestepped to his right before accelerating, and Joshua made seals quickly before jabbing his left foot downwards. A wall of earth flipped up in order to intercept Guy.

"I'm not just fast!"

He barrelled through it with no effort, continuing to close on Joshua and firing a fast kick. Joshua read it and slipped under it, then the next kick, and the next. He weaved between the barrage of attacks as Guy threw kick after kick, sending up massive clouds of dust and wind towards the edges of the makeshift battlefield. People ducked and shouted, covering their faces and coughing.

Joshua blocked a hard kick and felt himself float through the air briefly before landing. Guy was on him instantly, lining up a punch. He made more seals before firing lightning hounds from both hands, forcing Guy to dodge before coming back inside. His punches were all quickly parried before Joshua pushed off and reset the distance between them.

"If you think you're going to stall me out, don't even think about it! I can do this all day if I have to!"

Joshua said nothing and made more seals, creating multiple walls of earth that Guy smashed through before attacking again with a roundhouse kick. His foot was deflected and he body flickered to Joshua's back, where he was met with another earth wall that he punched through, only to have his attack dodged again. He sped up, feeling the strain from his body and not noticing that Joshua had made more quick seals.

"Come on...show me what you've got."

"Go!"

Joshua body flickered out of the way, disappearing briefly before rising into the air. He brought his hands and feet down violently as he landed, creating four walls of earth around himself.

"I have something for him if he decides to attack in close...but something tells me that I won't get the opening I want," Joshua said to himself. The Second Gate was starting to burn a little. That meant that Guy was doing a fair bit worse.

Guy stared at the box of earth ahead of him and paused in thought for a moment.

Then he shot forward and attacked.

"Should be...now."

Joshua saw the wall to his left explode, then at his back, then at his front, and then to the right. Guy had disappeared again.

"It figures."

"Try and keep up with this!" Guy yelled from the opposite edge of the field. Chakra was visibly building around him, and his muscles tensed before he shot forward, disappearing briefly from Joshua's sight.

Fast. Gonna be hard to track him like that, and I need hands on him for Water Prison. If he hits me, I'll be blown away. But...he's pushing himself too far. He won't be able to sustain the Third Gate like this.

Joshua reflexively slammed his foot down and sent up an earth wall to his left. Guy barreled through it without stopping and threw a heavy punch that Joshua parried with effort, sending him off balance. Guy followed with a kick that Joshua blocked with his right arm, feeling his bones rumble with the impact. Guy disengaged and shot off into the distance before appearing again at Joshua's back. Joshua aimed backwards over his shoulder with a lightning hound that Guy easily dodged, attacking with an elbow strike that Joshua turned around to catch in the nick of time, the impact throwing him into the air. Guy shot upwards to chase him with a flying kick, but Joshua made more quick seals and cupped his hands together to create a burst of wind that sent him back towards the ground.

"Guy hasn't...landed a hit yet in the Third Gate," Minato said with surprise.

"..." Hannah was trying to keep up properly on her own and had noticed it herself. "It must be the strength of the Inner Gates. Though Joshua is seemingly at a disadvantage being only able to open two, he has leveraged that with his impeccable skill and ingenuity."

"It might sound terrible coming from a Kage, but...I'm lost as to what you mean," Minato admitted.

"Ma'am. I would like to understand as well, ma'am," Hikari said, speaking up for the first time. "Master Guy has an advantage in speed and power, yet Master Joshua is holding his own against him from a purely defensive position."

"Applications of the Inner Gates, as far as most know, have been purely for taijutsu purposes. But you do understand that chakra is not only used for punching and kicking, don't you?"

"Of course...I've only really seen the Gates used to enhance taijutsu, so it slipped me," Minato said, shaking his head. "All physical functions would have to be included, which means that physical reflexes and perception are also boosted. Chakra increases mean that ninjutsu is more potent. And in theory, this should boost genjutsu, although from what I can understand the constant flow of chakra is disruptive, and the distracting pain would make those kinds of techniques unviable when combined with the Inner Gates."

"Sir. In other words, Master Joshua is using the physical boosts from the Inner Gates and enhancing his ninjutsu and perception in addition to his taijutsu. Is that correct, sir?"

"That's right."

"It's not that he's shoving chakra into his techniques, either...combat flow is about more than who has the most powerful single attacks," Hannah said, her arms folded across her chest. "Every redirection, every obstacle...it creates separation. Creates more time to act and to react. To think into the future...it's an exceedingly rare skill."

"..." Minato watched as Joshua parried another rain of blows from Guy, sliding backwards and catching his breath. And Guy...he looked even worse.

"I expect one more technique from that man. Something drastic. Will you step in before then, Hokage?"

"I want to believe he's not foolish enough to try it, but...his time's almost up," Minato said to Hannah. "This fight's been going at too quick a pace to drag on much longer..."

Guy grit his teeth, staring down Joshua from a distance. Nothing was working...it didn't make sense. Was he really that strong? There was a power and speed difference between them, yet he still was able to keep up and defend himself on each attack.

He could always use 'that technique'. It would work...but it had to land cleanly.

Joshua brought himself square with Guy again, the pressure of the Second Gate increasing on his body.

He's really thinking it over...guess this is where we see if the super move comes out. And if he does launch it...what do I have that can stop it? Obviously, there's that jutsu, but I don't want to use it here. And if he opens more gates...that's it for me, no question.

"He's almost tanked," Joshua said to himself. "It's now or never."

Guy started his run forward.

"No idea what he's planning to do. I have a few seconds to make my own move..."

---

---

katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league katon or go to the league

---

​

[] Strategic
-[] Observe and react accordingly.
-[] Move forward aggressively.
-[] Take a defensive approach.
-[] Custom option.

---

[] Arts
-[] Great Fireball
-[] Earth Shore Return
-[] Lightning Beast Running
-[] Screaming Eagle
-[] Water Prison
-[] Accelerator Knuckle
-[] Custom selections

---

keeping up, good selections

water prison is interesting for a couple reasons: firstly, your ninjutsu and water expertise is kind of wack atm, so you're likely to have to set it up by spitting water from your mouth, and given the wacky physical effects of gates, water isn't likely to stick around on the battlefield
tying into that, because you're not good enough yet to instantly pull water from the air, it makes water prison in non-water areas a relatively long two step process, not very ideal for the danger zone (tm)

earth walls and beast running were a nice strat, I saw that Joshua's perception boost was picked up on (spelled out by our lady friend) and the gap isn't so big with gates that Guy could just stomp you outright; praise be to 10 int and reflex awards

anyways enjoy the update

 

[FortePlus]

"Okay. I know what to do."

Joshua focused in on Guy as he accelerated, reading his movements. The jounin then started zig-zagging across the battlefield, trying to make himself a harder target.

If I were in your situation, with no ninjutsu to really make use of...what would I try to do next? You need to make it so that your opponent can't react fast enough.

"..."

Joshua tensed his legs before accelerating to meet Guy, who had burst straight ahead while kicking massive clouds of dust into the air behind him.

"Your next move...means we're going into the air. And that means that..."

"Eat this!"

He watched the punch come for his head before it stopped completely, acting as a feint for the front kick that came in right behind it.

"Got you. Time to reverse it!"

"Wha-"

Joshua sidestepped the kick before shifting forward, using chakra to boost his speed as he threw a heavy right handed punch towards Guy. The older man braced for impact and felt a hammer blow on his chest, only...the weight was somehow rapidly increasing?

"From me to you! Game over!"

Guy shot backwards at that, slamming into the ground some distance away and carving out a small trench with his body. He moved to pop back up but was held down by a firm hand.

"That's it, Guy. We're done."

"..." He knew better than to argue with the Hokage, especially with that tone. Guy nodded and Minato helped him up as he came out of the Third Gate, visibly exhausted and in pain.

"Listen, we have to talk about a few things. Namely about what you heard earlier..."

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief as Minato stepped in, and allowed himself to come out of the Second Gate. He grumbled in pain and took a seat on the ground where he was.

"What a mess. Didn't expect to get this sore today..."

"Well done, my love. You were magnificent," Hannah said as she knelt at his side. She took out a soft cloth and removed his hat before wiping his face for him. "To think you could so readily fight someone with an advantage like that...it makes me rather excited for our future together. I don't think I'll have anything to fear from anyone."

"Don't get too excited. I'm not some sort of god, as you can plainly see."

"Nor do I need you to be such. Our strength together will move mountains, and with a single command. Can you stand?"

"Yeah. I'm alright, just really sore."

"Then a warm soak will do wonders for you. Shall we have one together?"

"Hm." Joshua took back his hat from Hannah and put it on. "That sounds fine. Maybe you can tell me what you saw, any mistakes."

"Of course. We can talk then. For now...I believe that the Hokage is attempting to clear up this misunderstanding. Jiraiya has continued to meddle in our affairs."

"Yeah. I'm getting pretty tired of it. I don't mind as much when it's me, but in your case..."

"I feel the same as you do," Hannah replied. "Harassing you is a touch too far in my book."

"...now I hope you get it," Minato said as he finished explaining things to Guy. The jounin nodded, hand cupping his chin.

"I see. So it seems that Lord Jiraiya was merely mistaken in this case."

"Ah...yeah. Happens to the best of us," Minato replied wryly.

"Well, then. I will have the anti-darkness seals removed at the hospital, since they have no further use. Additionally, I will be sure to check with Kakashi in the future with regards to such matters. Your advice is as timely as ever, Lord Hokage."

"Uh, yeah. Glad I could help."

"My apologies for attacking you so abruptly, young man," Guy said as he approached Joshua again. "Our gracious Hokage has explained the situation to me, and I assure you such a mistake will not happen twice."

"As long as it's over, I've got no hard feelings."

"Excellent! Truly a warrior of high caliber and discipline. It was a great battle, though I didn't get to go all out. Perhaps next time you can get to see the Green Beast become the Blue Beast!"

"Blue..." Joshua mumbled to himself for a moment before shaking his head. "We'll have to see, but I might take you up on that offer one day."

"Fantastic!" Guy said, giving a thumbs-up. "Allow me to introduce myself properly!"

"We have already-"

"I am the Sublime Green Beast of the Hidden Leaf!" he yelled, interrupting Hannah. "Also known as the Leaf's Noble Savage, and guardian of the flame of YOUTH! The one and only, Might Guy!"

"Joshua West. Duo is...I guess it's one of my names now."

"Ah, I see. Joshua...West?" Guy blinked a few times. "You wouldn't happen to have any relation to...?"

"Oh, yeah. Keep it quiet, but that's my grandfather."

Guy closed his eyes in thought. "Of course...the blood of the ancient warriors that runs through your veins. I should have realized it sooner, that magnificent kind of skill. Jacob West also was a master of the Eight Gates, and an immaculate technician when it came to taijutsu. I know that there wasn't a single person in this world who could take him in a one on one fight. Not just fast, or strong, but with the ability to disable opponents before they could even realize it. Hmm...fascinating. Now I see why this skirmish didn't go the way I thought it would."

Minato coughed. "I think it would be best if you went to the hospital, Guy."

"Hm? Oh, that's right. I should do that. It's time to finally take my leave, then. Joshua West, in honour of your excellent ability and technique, I recognize you as the Shining Blue Arrow! I'm sure we will meet again soon! And you, young maiden! Please take care on your life's journey."

He took Hannah's hand and gently kissed it, giving her a wink afterwards.

She must have been excited...I can feel her trembling. Hopefully that battle didn't scare her too much.

Guy was oblivious to the look of disdain coming from the blonde girl, and missed when she rubbed the back of her hand furiously with a cloth as he saluted the Hokage and left.

"An abomination."

"That's a little much," Joshua said to her. "He's not a bad...guy...just misguided, I guess. Maybe slightly gullible. Anti-darkness seals...?" He tilted his head to one side.

"It's an abomination. That outfit. The hair. The eyebrows. Did you not see them wiggle at me?!"

Joshua shook his head. "Sheesh. We better get you home before you stab something."

"Sorry about that, honestly. It's hard to get him calmed down once he gets started, and some part of me was wondering what you could do in a fight. You're definitely some kind of genius, Joshua. Of course, you wouldn't go as far as saying that," Minato said with a smile.

"Right. You've figured me out."

"Heh. I bet you've got a trick or two up your sleeve, but I won't bother you too much about it. Anyways, Hikari will take you home while I get some of this commotion cleared up. Couple of people I'll need to talk to anyways...let Haru or Hikari know if you need any medical attention, alright?"

"We will. I'm assuming you're going to be busy tomorrow?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah. It's the last day for the kids to tune up, and I want to meet with all of them. Naruto I'm obviously going to spend the most time with overall, but everyone could use some extra tips and encouragement. It should be good. I think you all should take the day off, and then come out to see the tournament. I'll get you the good ninja seats, even."

"Appreciate that."

"Yes, we might just take you up on that offer," Hannah said. "After all, this too will determine how the world turns."

"Yup...war is already on the horizon, but that's not to say that the tournament results can't make it any worse. Thankfully, two of the matches are with the children from the Mist, and the Mizukage is level-headed. We'll see how it all goes..."

"Then we'll see you Saturday, hopefully," Joshua said. He and Hannah gave the Hokage a bow before leaving, following Hikari back to the hotel they were now staying in. This time the good suite was on the second floor, not too far from the available exits and fairly spacious. There was a living area, kitchen, and extra furniture to lounge around on with more floor space. Smaller, connected rooms could be reached through short passageways, and the bathroom was in the back, off to one side.

"Neat. Living like royalty for a while," Joshua said.

"Indeed. This seems like a just reward for the trouble we've endured."

"Alright, now...oof."

"..." Ritsu grabbed onto Joshua and pressed her face into his chest. She was quiet, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Ritsu?"

"..."

"...it's fine. I get it." He closed his eyes and hugged her back, placing a hand gently on the back of her head. She snuggled closer to him. Hannah smiled and gave Joshua a soft pat on the shoulder before leaving him alone, Hikari following suit.

"You're hurt," she mumbled into his shirt.

"Just a bit of strain from using the Inner Gates. Nothing serious. I won, by the way."

"I'm proud of you."

"Thanks."

"I just...want to stay like this for a while. Can you hold onto me? Please?"

"As long as you want, Ritsu."

"..."

"A lot of things happened today."

"Yes. But I...I just want you right now. Is it okay?" she asked.

"It is."

"For a while...just like this. I don't want anything else."

"Alright."

"...thank you for letting me be so selfish. I love you. I will always love you."

"I know."

She pressed her head into his chest again, able to feel his heartbeat and follow his breathing. Ritsu didn't know exactly why, but the feeling was needed, and soothing. She had worried all day, even though she felt like she shouldn't have. Things were changing. Things had already changed. But this feeling, this familiar warmth...it hadn't changed. It wouldn't. She believed that.

This world is a...harsh world. So I'll use the little strength I have within me. I'll protect your heart. I'll help you change this entire world.

Just as you changed mine.

---

[] Joshua goes to take that warm soak he wanted with Hannah. They discuss recent events and future endeavours.

[] The day moves to Friday, the eve of the tournament. What does the team do?
-[] Staying inside and resting is best. It's been a fairly stressful week.
-[] It's decided that a night out will do wonders.
--[] All together works.
--[] Joshua takes one of the girls out on a date, or 'date', whichever works. Something says that a bit of extra attention will help with the recent stress.

[] Custom options.

---

[] The big Chuunin Exam tournament is on Saturday.
-[] The team goes out and watches. Tournament results are summarized.
-[] The team goes out and watches. We'll get to see the tournament live!
-[] Custom option.

---

You have 1 stat point to distribute.
You have 1 element point to distribute.
Endurance in the Second Gate has been improved!

---


So it's currently Thursday afternoon and Joshua is sore from Gates. Friday is an off day with the Kage either visiting their kids, or in the case of Oonoki keeping tabs on the village while having tabs kept on them. No major movement will occur as a result. That means you have 1.5 days to do things if you want before the tournament. As always (I think?) approval voting is a thing.

Haru doesn't yet know about her upcoming 'adoption' and Ritsu has yet to hear about the events of the meeting.

As you can see I've given out two direct options wrt the tournament; I'm down for writing out all the rounds if people want to see it from start to finish since we've got an interesting cast due to this timeline. But if you want to skip everything and have a quick summary of each round within downtime, I'm okay with that as well. You're in the Leaf for the foreseeable future either way. The fight was pretty well played; it wasn't too difficult but Guy can be a tough opponent if you guess wrong. Fortunately Joshua is really good at hard reads and made use of that through you guys.

Any questions feel free to ask. I was worried about having to delay this a few days for several reasons, but I realized that I didn't have all that much to pack into the update, as I didn't want to drag out the fighting or add too many extra scenes before you guys got a chance to choose what you wanted to do. Hope you enjoy the update and thanks a lot for the support.

 

[FortePlus]

>>>​ The Illuminators​

---

Episode 4 Postlude: Among Clouds

---

​

You almost lost track of time earlier.

Perhaps Ritsu in her subconscious knew that something had changed, and that was why she worried for you so much. Or maybe she picked up on some of the anxiety you were tucking away as a result of the meeting. It could have been a lot of things, but she felt for you. You didn't mind letting her hold tight to you. It was...really comforting, actually. Almost as if she was the one protecting you this time, wrapping you up in her warmth.

You would have to find a way to properly thank her, one day. For her courage, love, and everything else.

Right now, though...it's time for that hot soak you wanted. You take a quick shower and put a robe on over your swim trunks, then step into a pair of slippers. There are towels provided downstairs, so you should be set.

"Sorry for the wait, love. Are we ready?" Hannah asks as she meets you at the door. She has her hair in a loose bun and her own bathrobe on.

"Yep. Let's head down."

The trip isn't a long one, only one floor down and towards the back half of the hotel. You fish a magnetic card out of your robe pocket and push it into the slot beneath the door handle, opening up the room ahead.

"My, my. This is nice."

"Yeah. Mortal danger definitely has its perks."

The two of you enter the room, which contains what looks like a miniature swimming pool, formed into a square. The water is clearly very warm, and there progressive 'steps' leading down into it, doubling as seats you can use while you're inside. Dark tiles line the floor and the lighting is adequate while not being terribly bright. Vines and other hanging plants are placed along the walls. It's a neat, intimate little space. Quiet, save for the movement of the water in the small pool.

The help has left you several sizes of towel, water, and two bottles of wine left to chill in a bucket, along with two tall glasses. Both are non-alcoholic, you note.

"Drink? Sparkling wine," you say to Hannah as you shrug off your bathrobe. "Water's here, too. I'm not having anything."

"Same for me," she says, setting her robe down beside yours. You note her choice of outfit.

"Feeling modest today?"

"Something like that. You don't mind, do you?" Her swimsuit is plain and conservative enough, in two tasteful blue pieces.

"Why not? Blue is a good colour," you say as you step into the warm pool. You have a seat on one of the 'steps' and lean back, relaxing. Hannah slides in beside you and lets out a sigh.

"Ah...this is nice. It's been a while, I think."

"Yeah," you reply. "Few weeks, I guess. We wanted to do this more often, you said."

"I did mention it. Good for bonding, and such. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Wasn't terrible before, but this is good. I should be back to normal after some more rest and sleep. Tomorrow's an off day. I don't want us doing much," you say. "Ritsu say anything about the two goons?"

"Nothing. They haven't been moving much, according to her reports and Haru's. It seems they're very much waiting until after the tourney to make their move."

"Yeah, sounds like it. At least we're keeping tabs."

"Yes."

The soreness is starting to drift off beneath the water. Feels pretty good.

"She was worried about us."

"Ritsu, you mean. Yeah," you say to Hannah. "I didn't say anything yet, and she didn't want to hear it. I know she just feels that something's changed."

"She decided not to ask anything of me, either. We had a moment together, before I took my shower. I...I sometimes wonder about her. I wonder if she's not stronger than we know, but in another way. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think I do. It's like she gets determined and kind of just...wraps you up, I guess?"

"That's the feeling, yes. It's one of warmth, and of safety. I wonder how we can help her grow in that manner. I want her to be strong, even if it doesn't mean fighting."

"I was thinking her talents were elsewhere, too. Like she can see a lot of things that you and I can't. Not that we're inadequate, but...maybe living like this closes some avenues off. You know?"

"I do see. It's always been my mission to expand my vision as much as I could, but it's possible that my eyes, and yours, aren't equipped to solve certain mysteries. However frustrating it might be, it's something that we need to accept. That said, all is not lost. Perhaps with her help, we can eventually see those things too. I want us to try."

"Yeah. I feel the same."

"Mm." You feel her slide next to you, and she reaches for your hand underneath the water. Her fingers find their way between yours as she grasps your hand.

"You alright?"

"I am. There's nothing wrong, really. I just...you know the face I put on. I don't try to hide myself when I'm near you, or her. Even so, I still have these moments of worry, these thoughts that sometimes things won't end up as okay as we want them to. That too is part of the change that comes down from heaven. A reminder that sometimes the flavour of life can be bitter. War is...very harsh. It's possible we can escape it and live our lives, but..."

"You don't think it will be that easy."

"I don't. I think we will have to fight, over and over. We will have to sacrifice, and struggle. Perhaps see our loved ones hurt. You're...intimate with that sort of pain, aren't you? Sitting helplessly. Watching..."

"..." You remember days of sitting on a wooden chair, in a wide room with people watching from behind you. A judge wearing a strange wig and black robes seemed to tower above you. Your heart ached as you saw your father with his head down, over and over, trying to think. That ache turned to anger as you saw your mother becoming more and more exhausted with each passing day. It hurt more as your sister tried to comfort you through her tears.

That time, you couldn't understand all the words that you did now. You just knew that things were slowly being pulled away from you, and you from all of them.

"Is it really alright to say that?" you ask Hannah.

"Of course it is. Your pain is a part of your story, even if it isn't something like the horror of murder and death. It matters to you. And you matter to me. Your feelings matter, Joshua. They're valid. You're valid. That's why I want you to come to me if you have need of anything, no matter how silly it might seem to the world outside."

"It's kind of vast."

"Vast...what is?" she asks, turning her face towards yours.

"All the space, I guess...filled by your love for me," you say with a smile.

"Well. It only makes sense that you're the sole recipient. There's...nobody else. I don't think there ever could be."

"I don't know if you should declare something like that so soon."

"I can't? That's rather paternalistic of you," she says, blushing a bit. "There's every chance that I'm right, and I have the agency to deal with that reckoning myself. Unless you want to take that agency away."

"Nothing like that, honestly. I could never."

"Then you're best served by letting me hold onto you. Forever, preferably."

"I'm cool with that," you say.

"I hoped you would say as much. Thank you. It's thanks to your kindness that things are the way they are. Not luck, or some convenient happening. So the love that cycles back to you so freely...it's only a logical process. You see, don't you?"

You tilt your head slightly. "Sort of?"

She gives you a kind smile. "It's nothing to worry about. Simply keep being yourself."

"That, I can do."

"Good."

It's quiet again for a while, and you relax. The water is supposed to be around body temperature, or a little higher, you think. You wonder exactly what kind of system they use for the heating and water circulation. Could be useful one day...or you would just have one of those big wooden tubs outside. Probably more like it.

"Hey," you say as you give Hannah's hand a gentle squeeze. Her eyes focus again and she looks over at you.

"What is it, darling?"

"Saturday. You're not opposed to going, right?"

"Oh, certainly not. I'm quite interested to see how those children do. There has been a lot of advertising around lately, what with the Hokage's son participating."

"Naruto, yeah. It's gotta be overwhelming for the kid. First year as a genin, probably getting promoted, and now the biggest match in the tournament by far. Has his face plastered all over town, too. I wonder about the other girl...Miyajima. Have you heard much about her?" you ask.

"Aside from what Yukari said earlier...she was already under pressure to make it to the final round, but now with the upcoming conflict, that must have been pushed even higher. I want to hope that nothing bad will happen, but she may push herself too far as a result of these influences."

"Yeah. I wouldn't put it past A to have her go all out in the opener, especially since there are a few days of rest in between rounds now."

"We'll be doing due diligence by keeping an eye on matters."

"Agreed. Oh, we need to get Haru set up if she does join us."

"You mean our technique. Yukari left us instructions, so we can connect her ourselves. However, we do have that scroll in case we do need to go directly to her. She says that she'll charge us for stopping in unexpectedly, but her sense of humour is quite dry."

You chuckle a bit. "Yeah, seemed like it. She's really nice, though. I think she and Senna are a great couple."

"You picked up on it right away."

"Of course I did. And experience helps, a little."

"Experience?"

"Noriko is...like, really. You'll have to talk to her about the details, I can't say anything."

"Is she?" Hannah says, intrigued. "Well. Perhaps it was my own bias, but I didn't think she would be a lesbian. She sounded very straight-laced from what you told me. "

"Oh, she's all business, no question. Consummate professional. Just that...one day she stopped deciding to be old fashioned and it all clicked for her. She tried boys...not her thing."

"Were you included?"

"Nope. Didn't bother me, either. She thought it would."

"You are rather mysterious when it comes to your preferences," she says pointedly.

You shrug. "Probably."

"Mm. We'll have to have a proper talk about that aspect. Perhaps after I meet your parents."

"Heh. Go for it. Though you should talk to my sister first, she can go off when she wants to."

"I'll keep it in mind. Much appreciated."

"So you want to head west after this?" you ask.

"Not quite yet...we still have the matters of collecting my sword and the summoning contracts to get to. Also, we might have other work as a result of recent events, there is the rise of Akatsuki to consider...if we do get an opening, I think it would be quite nice to see your hometown soon, though."

"There might be a lot on our plates, yeah..."

"Remember, my love. One day at a time, with all of us behind you. There is nothing to fear."

"Thanks, Hannah."

"Of course. It would be a shame if I could not support my beloved. Though...when we do go home, there is something I would need to ask. Nothing ominous, but...important, in many ways. I will remind you when the time comes."

"Got it. I'll wait until then."

"Thank you."

"As for further in the future...eh." You shrug slowly. "We'll wait for the fog to clear before then. Probably will need to talk to Mom and Dad...right. I'm probably half asleep because of this water. We have to deal with Donovan and whatever he's doing in the Iron."

"Hm. I have a feeling that Oonoki will be putting himself into the middle of that nonsense," Hannah points out. "Remember that he and Akatsuki are linked in their own way."

"And Madara's there, too. So Donovan is definitely connected. I wonder how much time we'll have."

"Enough, I presume. With the battle lines drawn, there should be regular monitoring of the Hidden Rock and its elements. We can ask Yukari about radical elements and defectors at that time."

"Solid."

"Is there much else to worry about? Haru, I suppose. I wonder what she looks like under that mask...I imagine she's quite attractive."

"I think she's straight. Though times are changing, and you're...well, you. Hard to resist."

"Oh~? A rather risque compliment from you," she says teasingly.

"I didn't think I needed to say it. Do I?"

"Hmhm~ I think you do need to, from time to time. Stroke my ego, make me blush. I do love it."

"Heh. I'll remember that, then. Promise."

"I know you will. So considerate and manly...oh, I wonder about you. You can be a silly boy sometimes."

"How so?"

"Your harem of aunties, for one."

You grumble, and she puts her head on your shoulder.

"I'm going to tease you about it forever, and you're going to hang onto that habit. Because you're too polite for your own good sometimes."

"Yeah, yeah..."

You both go into a comfortable silence again, letting the warmth of the water flow into you. A while longer before you get out...this is pretty nice.

"Someday...the mountains..."

Hannah is quietly whispering to herself. About what, you can't parse...but you know she would tell you if it was something important. You trust her...more than the world says you should. But you've never listened to those voices anyways, have you?

Falling asleep here would be bad...you decide to quietly meditate instead.

You feel your partner squeeze your hand gently, and squeeze back.

---

"How's that?"

"That's good. Great, even. Thanks, Ritsu. I appreciate this."

Today is Friday. As promised, you do nothing of substance. Ritsu is giving you a massage as you lay down on your bed. Her hands are nimble and precise; she's done this before, willfully and otherwise. The reminder of what she had to go through still stings a bit, but she assures you that it's okay and gets to work.

You're all the way back to normal but rest more anyways. Ritsu for some reason still doesn't want to hear about the meeting yet, from any of you. You conference with Hannah and Haru, and the three of you decide to leave it alone for the time being. Haru leaves for the afternoon, taking Hikari with her.

The three of you lounge around the suite for the rest of the afternoon.

---

You yawn and open your eyes from the living room couch. It's evening now, from what you can tell.

"..."

Scratching your head, you walk to the kitchen and drowsily open the fridge. Different kinds of juices and other drinks. You can see alcohol in the back, though you're not terribly interested. There's a light pink liquid in one of the slim bottles, and you take it out. Looks fizzy.

You pour out a glass and sit at the nearby marble table before taking a few sips.

"Grapefruit," you mumble, smacking your lips a few times. Hannah strolls in and kisses you on the cheek before taking your glass from you for a moment, out of view. She hands it back soon after, and you take another sip.

"I don't recognize it," she says to you.

"Grapefruit."

"I like it. It's...complex in flavour."

"Yeah." She sits beside you, wearing another one of those long shirts that go down to her knees. Her hair is messy and she looks like she just woke up herself. She takes the glass from you again and drinks before refilling it, then handing it back to you. You take another sip. "What are you thinking?" you ask.

"She needs to hear it. Before the tournament tomorrow."

"Sounds like she doesn't want to."

"There might be a lot of nasty emotions in there. If war is a hard subject for us, who have spent long enough spilling blood, then it must be something else for her."

"I don't think she would run away."

"No. But she has to face the wall first. That would be the hardest part." Hannah props up her head with one arm against the table. "I remember my first kill."

"What was it like?"

The pause is short. "Refreshing."

"Hm."

Her violet eyes move to meet yours. "Nothing more?"

"No. I felt...disappointed. In humanity. It didn't feel good, but for different reasons. I think in my head I had come to terms with it, and it's different punching people to death, I guess. It was just different."

"That sounds just like you, in a way. You're not going to say anything?"

"No. You're not a monster. If I did see you as one, we wouldn't be together right now. Your sins aren't hidden from me, and mine aren't from you."

"I wonder...how I could be so blessed," she mutters.

"Did you want me to hate you? Even a little?" you ask, taking another sip of your drink.

"I braced myself for it." Her gaze goes to the ceiling, and the fan spinning above your heads. "I ask if you would accept all of me, every day. And each day, the answer comes back as a yes, without you saying a word. Without even knowing what the question was. It's too much sometimes. For me, who has gone through so much and accepted herself as a monster."

"You deserve patience too. Just like you told me...you matter. You and your feelings are valid."

"Would you believe that all the love I give you is something I don't think I deserve myself?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"'Cause a long time ago, I used to feel the same way."

She lets out a breath, putting her hands into her lap. "Ridiculous. For you to be..."

"What?"

"Nothing...it's nothing. I know how to love myself, but it's as you said before. I'm simply not used to this kind of intimacy. Someone reaching into me and touching those fragile parts...well. Might we leave it that?" she asks.

"We can."

"Thank you. I mean to say, for all of it. Healing isn't easy, and you're healing me. Every day. As for Ritsu...I want us to talk to her before the day is over. What do you think?"

You finish your drink and go for another refill as you think.

---

[] Now is the time to tell Ritsu about what happened.

[] It can wait until after the tournament.

---

[] Take the rest of the night off as planned. Tomorrow is another day.

[] You should go out for a walk, see what the village is like. You will be fighting for this place soon.

[] Take Hannah out on the town. You feel like you should continue to get closer to her today.

[] Custom option.

---

Figured I would add another stop in case people wanted to do something before the tournament.

Also I like writing through character dynamics and stuff here, so I get carried away sometimes. Enjoy the update.

 

[FortePlus]

"I agree with you. We'll talk to her in a bit."

"Good. I can wait a while for you until you're ready."

You take a few more minutes to think and finish up, feeling more awake. Probably best to take the rest of the night off, but you wanted to be sure of a few things first.

After reaching the bedroom that Hannah and Ritsu share, you knock on the door twice. "Ritsu? It's us. Can we come in?"

"Yes, sir. It's alright."

"Thanks." You enter and see that she's still in her pyjamas, setting a book down on the nearby nightstand. She bows towards you and Hannah.

"I woke up an hour ago...I wanted to do some more reading."

"That's alright. Sit with us?" you ask.

"Yes, I will, sir."

You have a seat on the bed together, Ritsu on your left and Hannah next to her. Ritsu has her head down a while, remaining quiet. None of you say anything for what feels like a long while.

"I...I'm sorry about earlier, sir. I brushed everyone off, even though I knew this was something we had to talk about eventually," she finally says.

"We don't ever want to force you into anything you're not ready for. You were right to ask for more time, and you were as polite as ever. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of, Ritsu," you say to her.

"Yes, that's correct," Hannah follows up. "If you feel anything wrong at all, or simply don't want to speak, we will do everything we can to respect that. This isn't yet an immediate matter of life and death, so you're allowed to take your time,"

"Thank you...I understand better now. I was just wondering if it wasn't inconvenient."

"It's our job to communicate that to you if it's ever the case. And if we don't, you can tell us. As much as we try to be, we aren't perfect. There's always room for improvement," you reply.

"I don't mean to act like...to seem like...I don't trust you."

"We know. Ritsu, you've been through a lot. You've been wounded, possibly deeper than you knew at first. Healing takes time, and so does opening the depths of your heart to those you love. I won't hate you for holding back, and Hannah won't either. It's alright to be afraid, and to doubt. Please remember that."

"I'll try. Thank you...thank you so much for saying that. I needed to hear it, just one more time," Ritsu says gratefully.

"Any time, ninja girl. So...are you ready now?"

"I am. I...feel like the things I'm going to hear, they'll be painful in many ways. But I also understand that it's something I need to listen to, and truly comprehend. I want to be helpful in my own way. So please...tell me everything."

"Okay," you say with a nod. Hannah gently hugs her from behind, and she relaxes. You start from the beginning, detailing the hostile start to the meeting and everything that followed it. Hannah adds in details from her perspective, helping you paint a vivid picture for Ritsu's sake. She's attentive, looking right at you and trying to absorb every detail that you speak to her.

As you finish with the Raikage's ultimatum, you see her expression change sharply. The pain on her face is lifted a bit as you talk about the alliances you've now forged with the Leaf and Mist, but...there's still sadness in her eyes.

"I understand now. That was the source of my worry...my spirit felt it before I could truly comprehend what it was I was feeling. But now I know. When I clung to you both, it was...worry. It was a longing, a desire that I could stay with you both forever and ever," Ritsu says. "I...is it okay if I speak a while longer?"

"Of course it is, love. Tell us as much as you want to," Hannah says reassuringly.

"There's just so much to say. So much that I want to let out. I can see that we're heading towards war. Soon our entire world will be wrapped up in it completely. I know that there are people who are willing to rise above themselves and their stations, putting justice before their respective nations...and that makes me happy. But even so...I..."

Ritsu starts to tremble a bit, and you put your hand on top of hers.

"It's not something strictly logical, m-maybe...but...my heart aches so much right now. Both of you saved my life. I would have crumbled to nothing eventually, if I had been left in the state I was. I would have been a passing phantom, just another person in the back of your memories who disappeared into the aether. I really would have died. But you gave me kindness, you saved me, you gave me purpose. And even now, you're continuing to care for me. You're teaching me how to live, how to survive on the battlefield, how to take care of myself and how to truly heal. You're giving me life. Everything I am at this moment is thanks to you, and you've asked nothing in return. It's why I love you so much." She stops and sniffles, wiping some of the tears that have run down her cheeks. "You brought that kindness, that sense of duty to the leaders of the world...and some of them just rejected you. They chose to hate you. I don't want to lose you. I have these sights, these visions in my head of losing you both, of having you ripped away, and I can't stand it...I can't stand it at all. I trust you, I've seen how strong you both are, I know your skill, and yet...and yet I still worry, I worry so much. I don't want war. I don't want to lose either of you, because you're...you're...god, I'm sorry. I'm just..."

"There's nothing wrong with you," you say as you hug her tightly. Hannah does the same, placing her warm hands on top of yours. "I worry too. I want everything to be okay. We'll make it..."

"We will make it, yes. But it's okay to feel pain...to worry and cry. You will never shame us by being open about your emotions, Ritsu. We will be here to wipe your tears for you. We will love you forever."

She lets out a trembling breath. "I'm still so...scared. I just want...please stay with me. Keep holding me like this. Please..."

"As long as you want. You're our precious Ritsu. Never forget that," Hannah says.

"All you have to do is ask, and we'll be at your side," you add in. "That's our promise to you."

She nods slowly and goes quiet, her crying eventually reduced to occasional sniffles. You and Hannah continue to embrace her, feeding warmth into her and each other.

---

After Ritsu calms down some more, the three of you have a discussion over what's going on. She asks questions about the financial situations of the shinobi powers, how they tend to operate, things on smaller scales. Pieces start to slowly come together for her...she's determined to find out as much as she can and make use of the information that's gathered. Ritsu is already more than useful, but you keep out of her way by not saying it. Her brain is already moving, and she doesn't need to be coddled like that.

"Mm...I don't have anything yet."

"I think it's a bit soon to formulate anything," you say to her. "We can wait for more information to filter in. Oh, right. We're meeting with Lady Tsunade later in the week. We'll let you know if she says anything that stands out."

"Thank you. I'll keep all of this in the back of my mind for now. There are other things I feel I need to work on first...and that are less troublesome, I think. When we leave the village, I would like to run a test...I'll have to write up the details properly."

"Looking forward to it," you say. "Oh, and...this is a secret between us three for now. If she gives the okay to the Hokage, Haru will be joining us from now on."

"Really?" Ritsu's eyes light up. "I didn't think that could happen, but I'm excited to hear it. Not only is she nice, but she's very attentive and skilled. I think I could learn a lot from her. And best of all, I wouldn't be as much of a-"

"You are not a liability," Hannah says.

"Ma'am, please. We all know-"

"You're not a liability," you repeat.

"Honestly! Sir, ma'am! You know that I'm the weak-"

"You're not a liability, Ritsu." You both say it firmly at the same time. She rolls her eyes and gives in.

"Understood. I'm not a liability."

"Remember that from now on. Or you'll be punished harshly," Hannah says.

Ritsu gives her a smug look. "I doubt that, ma'am. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

"Who said anything about hurting~?"

"Ah...? W-wait...aha...hahaha...h-hold on...!"

Hannah looks away from her tickling a moment. "Joshua, if you would leave us alone a while? Oh, by the way..."

"We have the night off, that's an order."

"Yes, sir~ That means I have all night to punish this naughty one!"

"S-sir...ahahaha! Help!" Ritsu cries out, tears in her eyes.

"Sorry, ninja girl. You asked for it. See you two later."

"Hahahaha! Ma'am! M-Mistress! Ahahaha...please, I'm sorry...hahahahaha!"

You close the door and whistle to yourself.

"Is everything okay, sir?" Haru asks as she spots you.

"Yeah, just had a heart to heart. We explained what went down at the meeting to Ritsu. She's doing okay now."

"Thank goodness."

"Yeah...felt the same way. Anyways, the Lady Kuiper is punishing her unruly servant at the moment."

"Understood. Do you need anything of me?" she asks.

"Nope. Should be good. We're all taking the rest of the night off."

"I understand, then. If you have need of anything at all, I will be present, sir."

"Thanks, Haru."

---

You eventually feel like you've done all the reading and puzzles that you could, and the sounds from the radio start to blend together. It seems time to call it a night. You check on Hannah and Ritsu, and they're already asleep in each other's arms.

Informing Haru that you're heading to bed, you wish her good night, clean up, and finally lay your head on your pillows. It's a nice, easy path to sleep.

You dream about a different girl with blonde hair. She had a big goofy smile and bandages in different spots on her face each week. A competitor but a graceful enough loser. Whenever she didn't succeed, she would spend days scheming so that she eventually did upon her return.

Her life was turned upside down, through no fault of her own. Maybe if she was born into a poorer family...maybe if the wheels of fate turned a little faster or slower.

But then...life could be cruel like that. You called her Cadence. And she asked you to name her daughter. A child named Aria. Did she remember you? You hoped so.

You wish you could dream a bit longer. About how things used to be.

...

But it's time to wake up. You have work to do.

---

Saturday morning.

The village is abuzz; you can already hear the crowds moving outside. You get cleaned up and dressed in your normal attire, making sure you wore the scarf that Hannah got for you. Hannah and Ritsu seem to have followed suit as they emerge, both wearing their scarves as well.

"We will be sitting together, per the Hokage's orders," Haru says. Hikari stands at attention beside her. "I already have a place reserved as a vantage point, so it's also fairly convenient."

"That works. And there's standing room if we want to see anything up close, right?" you ask.

"Yes, that's correct."

"Sounds good. Any objections, ladies?"

"No, sir. I think this will be fine," Ritsu says.

"Mm. What about snacks?" Hannah asks.

"I've secured adequate provisions, for appetites large and small."

Your blonde companion scoffs. "Cheeky, aren't we..."

"I meant no offense, ma'am. I only took note of your unique consumption habits." Haru sounds slightly insincere.

"You mean bottomless pit," you quip.

"Awful. Terrible. I've never known you for such a brute," she pouts playfully. "Don't expect me to share anything with you, then."

"Ouch."

"Banter aside, thank you very much for that, Haru. I'll be paying enough attention that you won't have to empty any food carts on my behalf."

"Heh."

"Quiet, you." She pokes your shoulder and smiles.

"I'm looking forward to the tournament myself. Though half of the finalists are from the Leaf, I'm very interested in the two girls from the Mist. Their styles are very clean and precise, and they have a great grasp on their surroundings. Individually, they have their weaknesses. But as a team, they're incredible."

"That sounds interesting," you say.

"Lady Tsunade did imply that there would be trouble ahead for Gaara of the Desert," Hannah follows. "And then there's the match that everyone has paid good money to see, conveniently at the end of the program. I expect Naruto to win that one."

"I'd bet on him, too. From what I hear he's got a pretty unique grasp on his tools. Takes after both of his parents in different ways."

"Shall we head out? Perhaps it would be a good idea to take hold of your seats before the majority of patrons arrive," Haru suggests. You follow her lead and head out for the day, going across the village and towards the stadium that you couldn't miss if you tried to. Getting closer, you see how big it really is; the walls are tall enough to keep most techniques from escaping. A few streams of people are already heading inside, though you have an hour to go before the first match starts.

Haru has a word with the people at the door and they wave you in a moment later. There are staircases everywhere, along with a few lifts for less able people, and a few winding ramps. Your group heads through the lobby and up the stairs towards your seats. Spectator areas surround the stadium, neat areas that are formed like staircases and give a good view of the action below. Three sections in particular stand out, with the one you're in on the left included. Next to you in the middle is the section for all the VIPs, which include foreign dignitaries, the daimyo, and the Five Kage themselves. On the right is another premium section like your own.

"Recent additions," Haru points out as you sit. The chairs have backs to them and are made of a material unknown to you. It seems to reject dirt and moisture, though.

"You mean the seats?" you ask.

"Those and the general layout. Before, we only had these three sections on the one side. It was adequate for other examinations. But the importance of this event forced some additional construction. We have newer sections, built to the same early standards in order to surround the arena in full and increase seating capacity. The existing sections as a result have been upgraded."

"Neat. Well, we'll be comfortable if anything. Clear lines to the field, too..." You note the open space, strategically dotted by patches of trees and shrubs. Loose dirt and a field that has uneven parts, but also allows for acceleration in a straight line if needed. This battleground had something for everyone. It was up to the participants to make use of it, then...all part of the examination process.

"Ma'am. Intending to start routines," Hikari says.

"Of course. Be safe, Hikari. We'll see you soon."

"Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Sir, ma'ams." She salutes before heading off.

"Major." Another ANBU calls to Haru. They whisper a short conversation before separating, and the other ANBU then leaves as quickly as they came.

"There's still some time before the ceremony begins. A request has been made of the Blue Arrow in particular."

You point to yourself and Haru nods.

"Yes. The idea is to meet with some of the participants briefly before the battles begin. Word of your performance with the Green Beast has been getting around. I for one stand impressed."

"Oh, thanks."

"There's no pressure involved. The children don't know that you're here, and it was the Hokage's suggestion alone. You're free to decline and I can relay the message."

"Perhaps you could go and give us report of those children. Your eyes are, in addition to being lovely to stare into, quite sharp," Hannah says with a wink. "Your presence will be missed, but we can endure for a while. I think it would be nice to greet them. We might end up side by side in the upcoming struggle."

---

[] Go and meet with some of the kids. Couldn't hurt, you think.

[] You feel like staying put for now. Maybe you could talk to them later...time to get the tourney started.

[] Custom option.

---

Just a little extra gearing up. Enjoy.

---

next

Episode 5: New Age of Heroes

 

[FortePlus]

>>>​ The Illuminators​

---

Episode 5: New Age of Heroes - Prologue

---

​

"Sure, let's go meet with the young guns," you say to Haru.

"Understood. If you would follow me, sir."

"See you in a while, darling."

"See you soon, sir."

You give the girls a salute before following Haru away from the seats and down a flight of stairs at the back. She takes you further down a few long corridors, and to a set of double doors that she pushes open. You enter what looks like a green room, with a table that contains snacks and drinks on one side and several comfortable chairs on the other. Three children are sitting around a table playing cards.

"Not worried about your match, are you?" the lone girl asks.

"A little. That Hisano girl is kinda scary, ya know? Not how she looks, just...I can feel it in her chakra. You know?"

"I saw the tape of her myself," the black haired boy says. "You're right to be cautious. Not that I think you'd lose to her...you have to get to me, anyways."

"Heh. You'd better win your match too, ya know," the blonde boy shoots back, smiling. "Oh, we got fans coming in already! Hey, Sis."

"Good morning, Naruto. Are things well?" Haru asks.

"Yep. Just talking about our fights coming up."

"Morning, kids."

"Yo, Dad! Careful not to wish us too much luck, ya know? We wanna give those other kids a chance!"

"Don't get too cocky, son," Minato says with a smile, rustling his son's hair. "This is the visitor I wanted you guys to meet up with. Hinata's not in yet?"

"Not yet," Naruto says as he and the others stand. They line up in front of you and bow politely. You bow back.

"You've probably seen my handsome face all over town by now, heh. Name's Naruto Uzumaki, number one rookie, future Hokage and legendary badass!" The energetic blonde kid you had seen in the posters around the village. The orange pants and jacket were unique enough, his blue headband wrapped proudly around his head. You could see he had red and yellow bandages layered over his hands, an orange toolbelt, and a shirt beneath his jacket that had the word 'BOOST' in bold orange lettering, the Leaf symbol below it. He has the same blue eyes as his dad and reminds you a lot of his mom, down to the mannerisms.

"Sasuke Uchiha, from the Leaf's strongest clan, the Uchiha." The next is the cool customer, Itachi's younger brother. His headband, or at least the metal part, is set on the left side of his chest like a badge. He has bandage around his left hand, going underneath one of the long sleeves of his shirt. It's the same dark blue uniform from the Military Police, with the Uchiha crest on the shoulders. Long dark pants complete his look. His dark eyes give little away, though you can guess that his whole stoic look is very popular with the ladies.

"Sakura Haruno, apprentice of Lady Tsunade. Very nice meeting you," the last member says with another bow. Her green eyes are bright with kindness. She dresses simply and practically enough; a sleeveless red shirt with a collar, pink skirt with shorts underneath, and knee high boots that are light pink. There are black gloves in one of the front pockets of her skirt. You look for her headband and note that it's on top of her head, being used as a hairband of sorts; her excess hair is tied back into a ponytail. She does have a bit of a forehead, but it makes her look cute, you think.

"Joshua West, of the Iron Country. Known here as the Blue Arrow," you say.

"My mother told me about the Gold Reaper. Is it true that she's your woman?" Sasuke asks.

"Seriously, Sasuke..." Sakura shakes her head.

"It's...hm. You're half right, I guess. I can't say much more than that," you tell him.

"I see. My apologies for the abrupt question." He seems unsatisfied with the answer, but chooses to be polite.

"No problem. The Hokage wanted me to come down and meet you guys before the tournament started."

"We were kind of musing on it, yeah," Sakura says. "We heard about the Blue Arrow and wanted to meet him. Lady Tsunade was talking about him being a future ally, and this seemed like a good time since we agreed on it."

"Dad said you took out Super Thick-Brows Sensei in a duel!" Naruto exclaims. "Beat him at his own game, too! That sounds all kinds of crazy, wish I coulda been there...ah well, he said there would be another chance to watch."

"So I've been hearing. Nothing's finalized yet, but it should be fun," you say.

"Totally! Maybe we could have a spar one day, too!"

"Getting a bit ahead of yourself, kid. You're pretty quick, but nothing like him," Minato says.

"That fast, huh? Heh, I see. I'd have to work hard, then..." Pretty boisterous guy, but not entirely reckless. The gears in his head are already turning.

"You shouldn't worry about jounin level opponents so soon," Sakura says. "Or anyone who's in the orbit of the Five Kage, anyways. That goes for all of us. Oh, sir. If I could ask something?"

"Sure," you say. "And no need for formalities, either. I'm not that much older than you all, I think."

"Really? If you could...?"

"Sixteen."

"Say what?!" Naruto yells. "Geez, that's even younger than Sis Haru and Itachi and all of them! And not that much older than us! And you're going head to head with old guys like Super Thick-Brows?"

"That's pretty impressive. With that build, I tagged you as a bit older," Sasuke says. "Itachi did say that there were a lot of talented younger fighters these days..."

"You're free to be informal as far as I'm concerned, Joshua," Sakura says.

"Same," Sasuke follows.

"Yep! Though if you wanna call me Lord Naruto, go ahead! Haha!"

Sakura rolls her eyes at him. "Anyways...my question, if it's okay...what have you been doing in the outside world lately? There are rumours and such about you, I think."

"I know which ones."

"Sasuke, hush."

"Ah, yeah. Talk about troublemaking and the like...I do mercenary work. That usually entails some sort of violence, but it also encompasses smaller jobs, sometimes little odd jobs that people need done on the cheap. You have the option to set your own prices, too. So you can make yourself available to richer clients, like my amazing companion does. Or, you can take time out to do work for no charge, like I sometimes do."

"How do you eat? I mean, working for nothing has gotta be rough sometimes," Naruto says.

"Saving and investing, eating stuff in the field, and lots of street food along with good teas. The last part is the most important. Public bathhouses whenever you need to get clean. Plenty of cheap motels and inns all over the place, and you can board out in the country in exchange for manual labour most of the time."

"So it's about resourcefulness," Sakura concludes. "It's not terribly different from the shinobi lifestyle, just that you don't have a single home to come back to. Lady Tsunade and Rin-sensei have talked about traveling medicine before, and it's becoming quite popular due to the new technologies. Your grandmother is responsible, I think."

"Yep, she is."

"I see. I just wanted to ask about living in the field...it actually sounds exciting. Thank you so much for the insight."

"Heh, nothing to it. Just ask if there are any more questions, I'll be in town a while."

"Sorry for my lateness, everyone."

A new face arrives, in the form of another young girl. She bows towards you and you bow back before she joins the others. She and Naruto exchange a nod and meaningful look.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga, heiress of the noble Hyuuga Clan, the strongest in the Leaf. It's an honour to meet you, sir."

"Same to you, Lady Hyuuga."

"Ah...thank you. Um, you can skip formalities if you would like?"

"Sure. Same to you."

"Of course." The girl in front of you is known as the Hyuuga Princess, the golden child of her clan and one of the village's best young talents alongside the others here. She has the signature featureless white eyes of her family, paired with long dark blue hair that she has in a high ponytail. Her skin is notably fair, most of it hidden beneath a white hooded jacket that has the Leaf and Hyuuga symbols stitched into the left side. Her pants are a dark blue, and she wears the standard sandals with low heels like Sakura. You can see that her headband is wrapped safely around her neck.

"What took you so long?" Naruto asks Hinata.

"It was Uncle Hizashi again...and Brother Neji...as always," she replies, exasperated.

"Yeah, it's always them, ain't it..."

"Naruto, stop it. There's nothing wrong with family expressing affection for one another," Sakura scolds.

"Ehh..." Minato makes a face. "Hizashi does overdo it sometimes. I mean, it'd be really creepy if they weren't blood related, you know."

"I think it's creepy now," Sasuke quips.

"I-I wouldn't go that far, but yes, they do dote on me a bit more than is...healthy. I can't even say that it's because of what happened all that time ago. Something just...changed within them." She tries to suppress a shudder.

"This is the Blue Arrow guy I was talking about earlier," Naruto says to her.

"The Shining Blue Arrow. I did hear about him," Hinata says with a nod. "Father is very intrigued after hearing about your skill. One of our clansmen observed the battle and was rather shocked at what transpired. Guy-sensei opened three of the Inner Gates and still lost."

"Three Gates?" Sasuke asks. "That's heavy for anyone to take on..."

"Of course, that wouldn't be the truly shocking part. Is it true that you only opened two of the Gates, Joshua?"

"Yeah...that's about my limit for now."

"Hold on a minute. The Inner Gates should have a difference in strength...that shouldn't even be possible," Sakura says with awe.

"That means that you're some kind of monster," Sasuke concludes. "And it means that you were superior to Might Guy even before opening the Inner Gates. Maybe if he went all out, he could have won, but...I can't even say that's a certainty. You still have more, I know it."

"It's possible," you say with a smile.

"I wanted you to meet him in order to see what the world outside looks like," Minato says. "You guys know a bit about Haru, about me, and about the elites of the village. But this guy here," he says as he jabs a thumb towards you, "is something special. Growing this fast and being this good is no easy task."

"Good bloodlines help. But hard work's a must. You all know that much, Sakura especially."

"Me?" She blushes. "Well, I didn't expect to be praised like that..."

"Being Lady Tsunade's apprentice means you've got to be something special. I know she can't wait to see you win your first match."

"Yeah. I guess I've got a bit more to prove, then. Thanks."

"All of us are gonna kick major butt today, for sure!" Naruto says. "But if Dad's telling us that you're that crazy strong? Can't wait to try and climb that wall."

"As much as Naruto likes to mouth off..."

"Hey!"

"...I'm the same," Sasuke finishes. "A new benchmark to surpass, eh..."

"I'm looking forward to working with you as an ally," Hinata says politely. "Thank you for your insight."

"I'm gonna take our guest away for now," Minato says. "So you guys focus on getting ready. I'll be back in a bit."

"Yes, sir!" the children all say in unison.

"Haru, follow me."

"Yes, sir."

"See you guys later, yeah? Good luck out there," you say with a thumbs up.

"Yeah! I'm ready to rock! Just watch!" Naruto says.

"Right. I've got a match to win," Sasuke follows.

"I appreciate the encouragement...I'll do my best," Sakura says, determined.

"Thank you, Joshua. We'll give our all with your support," Hinata says.

You nod in acknowledgement and follow Minato and Haru out. They take you a short ways down to another set of double doors, and Minato pokes his head in.

"Lady Mizukage?"

"Here, here. You can come in, Lord Hokage."

"Thanks, but we'll keep busy outside and give you some space. I brought our guest along, as you requested."

"Oh, wonderful."

You enter with the okay from the Hokage. It's the same kind of room as the last, and Mei is sitting comfortably on a chair. There are two girls on the carpet, their legs extended towards each other as they stretch simultaneously.

"Girls, we have a visitor."

"Okay," they say in unison before standing. You bow towards each other as greeting. The girls are dressed identically, which makes sense from what you already know. Blue shirts with the Mist symbol on the shoulders, and dark skirts paired with high socks.

"Ain't it somethin'..."

"Hm..."

"Ahem. Ladies," Mei says sternly.

"Right. Sorry. Junko Kuronuma, the cooler half." The younger girl smiles and winks at you. Her black hair is cut to her chin except for the back, where it's a bushy ponytail. She has bright amber eyes that you can tell are looking you up and down. There's a yellow compression sleeve on her right arm.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Shiori Ishikawa, presumably the fairer half." Her smile is genuine as she says that. She has long and wavy black hair that flows past her shoulders, with bright cyan eyes that are watching you intently. The same type of sleeve as her partner is on her left arm, coloured pink.

"Joshua West, out of the Iron Country."

"Also known as the Blue Arrow, yeah?" Junko says. "Heard a bit about your rumble a few days ago. I can believe it...just look at you."

"Junko, show some restraint," Shiori scolds.

"Psh. Miss Prim and Proper here is ogling you too."

"I am not!"

"Anyway...we're called the Phantom Maidens around the shinobi world. Neat title, huh?"

"Definitely, especially for some genin," you say.

"Sensei put a lot of work into helping us get this far," Shiori says. "Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Ah, yeah. One of the Swordsmen. He's pretty famous in his own right."

"Yes. I must admit, I was expecting a lot more resistance before this stage, but our training was more than adequate, and our opponent selection very good. For example, Junko demonstrated the weakness of puppet arts as a jutsu specialty, and I showed the flaws in a weapon-based strategy at longer ranges."

"We were just that good," Junko chimes in. "But now is where the real climb starts. Lady Mei says that it's an achievement to get to this point, but that can't be all there is. We want to win, end of story. Though...I'm betting Shiori will be the one to make it furthest."

"Why's that?" you ask.

Junko puts her hands behind her head. "Well, I'm up against Sasuke Uchiha, the guy who's rivals with the Hokage's son and all. He's not just good, he's super sharp. And that's before he powers up his Sharingan. I'm confident, but I'm also aware of how far I gotta go as someone from a normie clan. Shiori on the other hand has a better matchup. She's the CQC expert out of us two, and I think she'd have a better time disabling the Hyuuga Princess than I would."

"I disagree and think that I'll have a harder time, but that's natural," Shiori says.

"Yep. That's how we got so good working together, seeing things different and then comparing notes."

"Although, these aren't the worst possible draws..."

"Uh-huh." Junko makes a face. "I think we've both got an edge on Haruno, though she's hella strong. The sand kid looks bloodthirsty but beatable with our unique skills, and that Naruto guy...he's just way too unpredictable. But the one that scares me the most is her."

"Her?" you ask.

"Hisano Miyajima," Mei says. "There definitely is a harsh vibration coming from her."

"Worst part is that she's acting so effortlessly," Junko continues. "Like she was just tooling around the entire time. She...made it to the tower first in the Forest of Death. In forty five minutes..."

"She is definitely a threat," Shiori says. "Watching the tape of her...not only is she so hard to study because of her jutsu, but she also remains mysterious. Her opponent in the preliminaries was Neji Hyuuga. She dispatched him with a single attack."

"Hm." You scratch your head. There was something to think about, definitely. What was Hisano here for, really? Someone that powerful...one of the many successors to the title of Raikage.

"Well, we gotta focus on getting past the first round before we worry about her. Who knows, we might get lucky and those two take each other out," Junko says with a grin.

"Would you really want that?" Shiori teases.

"I mean, duh. I want to fight, not to end up as one of their punching bags. Even courage has a limit, ya know."

"And thus, the reason why I am the elder sister."

"Coz you're a year older, granny."

"Hmph."

"'Course, maybe Josh here likes older ladies. Eh?"

"Junko, that's harassment."

"You wanna touch his muscles too."

"Not without permi-" Shiori covers her mouth, blushing.

"Ha, got 'em! So...can we?"

"I think it's time for Mister West to leave," Mei says with a sigh. "Focus on preparations until I get back."

"To echo what Mei said earlier," you interrupt, "it's great that you guys got this far, honestly. I hope you get to show the world what you can do. You should be proud of what you've accomplished so far."

"How'd you get so strong?" Junko asks. You look to Mei and she nods.

"Daily training, and rounding out my weaknesses. Or trying to mitigate them. Genjutsu doesn't work so well when the enemy can't make eye contact, for example. You can outthink your opponent so that later you can outpunch them. S'what I did when fighting Might Guy."

"Thinking a step ahead...and if your specialties are evenly matched?" Shiori asks.

"Mix it up. A few utility jutsu are good when used creatively. Think about combinations, but don't think too hard about them. If you give your opponent a chance to recognize your patterns, you keep yourself from winning."

"Oh, hey. That's what Naruto Uzumaki does. He's thinking ahead, but not too far ahead. What do you think about stepping on the gas?"

"Definitely do that," you say to Junko. "Not following through is what gets shinobi killed in high speed affairs. Just because your opponent can see it, doesn't mean they can stop it properly."

"Neat. Thanks for the tips!"

"As you can see, he's not just a charismatic young man, but quite insightful too," Mei says. "Much like the two of you, hard work brought him to where he was. Talent does help, but it's not everything. And it's not the only thing that gives you worth."

"Yes, ma'am," they say in unison.

"Good. Now, I think you should really start preparing for later. Joshua, I'll escort you out."

"Yep. Take care, ladies."

"You too, Josh! If we make it to the next round, you gotta show us how ripped you are!" Junko says.

"Take care, sir," Shiori says politely, blushing. "A-and ignore her."

"She's not as much of a prude as she lets on."

"Junko!"

You chuckle as you start to leave the room with Mei. "They're definitely sisters, if not by blood."

"Yes, surely. Of course, that spirit is part of why they love each other so much."

You exit the room to see Minato and Haru waiting patiently.

"You can have him back now," Mei says. "Thank you, the girls were definitely...enlightened by this experience."

"As I'm sure you were, Lady Mizukage."

Mei laughs softly. "Yes, I did come away with some extra knowledge myself. Good luck to you and your children, Lord Hokage."

"Same to you and yours, Lady Mizukage."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me." She winks at you over her shoulder before walking back into the room.

"I think it would be wise to get back to our seats now," Haru says. Her voice is bordering on hostile, but again, you keep quiet. No sense in getting in the middle of that one.

"Yeah. The Kazekage and Raikage are doing their own things, and I'm sure they wouldn't want to see Joshua anyways. You guys head on back while I get the kids ready. See you in a few hours."

"Yeah," you say as you bump fists. Haru takes you through the corridors again and back towards your seat.

"The Mizukage is charming, isn't she?"

You snap to attention as Haru speaks. "She's pretty nice, yeah. And after all of that fighting, too. You'd expect someone like that to be a little more hardened, but not her."

"I see."

"Are you wondering if she's my type?"

"Is she?"

"Not sure," you answer. "I don't know if I really have a type...I mean, I have, you know...features I like, obviously. She's very attractive. But as for being drawn to her immediately...it wasn't like that."

"I understand, sir. I apologize if I was being intrusive."

"Not at all. Maybe a bit surprising that you asked, Haru."

"Not...to be dismissive. But I have my reasons, sir."

You blink before nodding. "Yeah. We all do. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"Thank you, sir."

You quietly head back to your seats, and find yourself between Hannah and Ritsu again.

"Welcome back, my love. Did things go well?" Hannah asks.

"Sure did. The kids are alright," you say with a chuckle. "All of them look confident. Met with the Leaf and Mist children."

"Oh, how interesting. Would you tell me about them?"

"Sure." You spend the next few minutes going over your meetings, with the relevant details and insights. Hannah hangs on your every word, remaining silent as you speak.

"Mm...very, very intriguing. All of them are special children in their own way...I do share Haru's sentiments about the Phantom Maids, and crave seeing them in action soon. Dealing with two of the Great Doujutsu...I want to see how they manage. Also, I note that I have a bit of competition waiting in the wings?"

"Oh, sheesh. They're just girls, don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried, make no mistake. A harem is just fine with me, but I would be at the top by default, you see. I am your favourite."

"Says who?"

"Oh, stop. I'm irreplaceable. Can you deny it?"

You sigh and roll your eyes. "Well, you're not wrong."

"You see? Then it's been decided. As I said before, all I need from you is your time and affection. That Mei Terumi, though...I'll have to keep an eye on her before she snatches you away."

"I'll bet."

"Hush, hush. You make me out to be a beast," she says with a playful smile. "Let me have my fun, and keep you out of danger. You're still just a boy."

"And you're still just a girl."

"Quite. You've done a fine job of keeping me from harm, and I thank you."

"Sir, ma'am...I hate to interrupt your flirting, but it seems the ceremony is set to begin now," Ritsu says.

You turn your attention to the field below, watching as representatives from each village file into the stadium. Flags of many different colours are being flown, and the Five Kage are there to be acknowledged. While they make their way up to their seats, the people left behind go into formation and stand at attention.

The eight participants finally appear and stand in a line together, facing the seats where the Five Kage would sit together in the middle of the stadium. The referee stands in front of them, a man with a blue bandana that acts as his Leaf headband, and a pale, tired-looking face. You remember him as the man who you first encountered upon entry to the Leaf, Hayate Gekkou.

The crowd grows more excited with each passing moment. You see that the Five Kage have reached their designated area, and all of them sit save for the Hokage.

Looks like things are ready to go.

---

Full slate of fights ahead. Will likely break them up into separate sections.
Aiming for Thursday, Friday latest for next update. No voting for now. Enjoy.