《Waking Up With Five-Tails》 1 Prologue "Look, it''s old man Yao... you geezer finally decided to reincarnate?" King Yama patted his belly while grinning at the soul standing in front of his throne. "Yah. I got tired with same old same old. I think why not restart anew?" The soul belonged to Yao Huang, a deity-level cultivator famed to have reached the pinnacle of Dao. Usually, a deity-level cultivator like him was practically immortal, able to stay in the living world indefinitely as long as their energy remained stable. However, this particular person had decided to end his long, long life and grace the wheel of life with his presence once again. It wasn''t the first time, so King Yama understood. Immortality, after all, could be lonely. "Alright, alright, let''s see... your karma isn''t too bad. You just want to sightsee the world, right? I''ll just give you an average life. Do you want to reincarnate as your descendants or your enemy''s descendants?" "Just give me drama-free life please..." He didn''t want to be bothered with those high-octane actions in the martial world again. Too tiring. He just want to see how the new world would be now that blissful peace had finally been settled with the ascension of the new wise emperor. "I''ve finished the procedure. Go to the pool of reincarnation." "Ay. When I come here again, let''s have a drink." Yao Huang made a gesture of holding a cup with his fingers. "Haha! Sure, sure! Next!" Leaving King Yama''s court, Yao Huang was escorted to the queue at the side of a fenced cliff. If he looked down, he could see uncountable amount of jugs stretching as far as eyes could see. Each of the jugs lead to a new life. As for the destination and the form that someone would take after diving in... only King Yama could tell. "Here you go, drink it all. Next, please." A gentle voice called out at the end of the line. When Yao Huang reached it, he saw a middle-aged lady pouring fragrant tea into cups with her jade ladle. Lady Meng Po, Old Lady Meng, the Lady of Forgetfulness. She brewed the infamous Five-Fragrance Tea and then offered them to the reincarnating souls. Those who had these tea would be washed off of their memories, allowing them a fresh start in their new life. "My fair Lady Meng, you''re as beautiful as always. Why don''t you reincarnate together with me? I''ll be sure to bring you happiness." Yao Huang gently took her hand, and then planted a soft kiss on its back. "Glib-tongue!" Old Lady Meng pushed his hand away with a slight smile. She then laid out three cups on the table. "Old man Yao, your soul was burdened with too much karma, so you have to drink three. The first will let you forget your techniques, the second will let you forget your cultivation, and the last will let your soul began anew." Yao Huang took the first cup, sniffing it with great delight, and then slowly savoring its taste. "Is it really good?" The soul behind him gulped. "Well... you won''t be able to remember, but its taste is out of this world," Yao Huang replied. He was about to drink the second cup when suddenly, a ray of light went past his side, landing right on the first cup that he had set on the table. The cup was blasted away into dust. "..." Everyone in the vicinity saw what had happened. They had a huge question mark on top of their head. Another ray of light shot out, this time piercing through the cup on Yao Huang''s hand! "Everyone duck!" Ray of lights blasted off in all direction, creating explosions everywhere they''d landed. The tranquil atmosphere soon turned into chaos. "What the heck is going on?!" "Look! Look up there!" Someone yelled, pointing at the dark sky of the underworld. Yao Huang squinted. A huge, slithering shadow had filled the entire sky. At the end of that shadow was a beast''s head shaped like a horse, yet with rows of teeth as sharp as blades and a pair of gigantic deer horns. "A Dragon?!" Everyone was shocked. What''s a dragon doing in the underworld? This isn''t the southern sea, alright? Rays of light once again rained down. This time, they could tell that the rays came from the dragon. No, more precisely, they came from something, or someone, on top of the dragon! "Where is she?!" A thundering voice shook the entire world, causing the souls to tremble in fear. To have such an arrogant tone in the ruling of King Yama, whether it was an idiot or not, the souls could tell that it must be at least a deity-level cultivator! At the same time, thunders and fire filled the sky. From the sound of it, it seemed that the guardians of the underworld, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, had entered the fray to subdue the cultivator. The souls watched with bated breath until someone yelled, "Hey, get back! Something''s falling!" Everyone jumped back from the edge of the cliff. From above, a huge rotating wheel fell down from the sky with a deafening rumble. When it fell, the wheels crushed the numerous jugs beneath the cliff, causing the water inside to mix with one another, creating one giant pool of black water. The wheel slowly sunk into the water until only a small part of it stayed floating. "Nooo! The pool of reincarnation!" "W-what should we do now?" "Everyone! Stay away from the pool! We can''t tell where you''ll end up if you fall in there!" The underworld staffs had rushed over, pulling the souls away from the cliff. In the middle of this mess, the fight in the sky had grown even fiercer. The cultivator was truly strong, even able to overpower the two guardians. King Yama''s troops had arrived to assist them, but that just made the cultivator pour out more deadly techniques, seemingly ignorant of the innocent souls below. Thunders blazed and steel needles rained down, turning the underworld into a scene of carnage. Yao Huang and several other cultivators helped the staffs to carry over weaker souls to the side, where a protection array had been erected to protect them for the time being. They couldn''t join the fight now, since it could mess up the underworld''s karma even further. The best that they could do was to wait until the guardians could take the rogue down. It was at this moment that a ray of light flit past the array toward Lady Meng''s pavilion. The Lady and her servants were still moving the jugs containing the Five-Fragrance Tea, and thus couldn''t get away on time. "Lady Meng!" Yao Huang jumped with all his might, tackling Lady Meng away from the trajectory of the ray. It exploded, sending two several meters away, rolling toward the edge of the cliff. ''Damnit!'' Without thinking, Yao Huang kicked Lady Meng''s body away from the cliff. In return, he alone crashed onto the cliff''s fence... which easily buckled up under his weight and broke into pieces. "..." ''Ah... King Yama... you should''ve used metal fences instead...'' As he was thinking about that stuff, he fell into the black pool with a loud splash. "Old man Yao!" "Quick, someone help him!" "Lady Meng, you can''t! If you fall in there, you''ll be shredded to pieces! Don''t go!" "Venerable Yao! Hold my fork! Oh shit, I can''t see him anymore..." "Venerable Yao-!" "..." As he sunk deeper and deeper, the voices quickly faded away. Within the swirling darkness, Yao Huang''s soul felt pressure coming from every direction. In the first blink, he was squeezed into a small dot. In the next blink, every fiber of his soul was pulled in all direction, threatening to break him apart. The pain was incomparable to his past tribulations. Compared to this, they were mere walk in the park. If he stayed here any longer, his soul would be ripped apart, and he would no longer ''exist''. It was the feeling of ''true death''. Forget about unable to reincarnate, his everything would be removed from the world''s memory, as if he had never been there in the first place. "...No!" Fear crept into his heart for the very first time in thousands of years. He had to get out of there! Now! Waving his arms in the dark, murky water, he noticed a faint light in the distance. Usually, this kind of light would stay in the bottom of the jugs, signifying the entrance to the path of reincarnation. However, the pool was unstable at the moment. He couldn''t tell what kind of thing he''d end up as. Who knows, he might end up as cockroach! "...Ah, damnit! Cockroach is fine!" Anything was better than disappearing for all eternity! Finally making his mind, he willed his torn soul toward that light... --- "..." "..." "...Pain-!" A gasp escaped the small child''s mouth, causing the adults to turn their head to look. "Still alive. It seems that the child''s compatibility isn''t too bad." "Does it matter? It''s just a temporary vessel anyway. We''ve finally found satisfactory candidates. In a few days, we''ll transfer the beast again." "What about the child?" "What about it? Don''t tell me that you''ve grown sentimental?" "Heh. You wish. Anyway, I don''t think it''ll hold for long. Let''s go." The two men walked out toward the door. One of them gave out an order to the guards outside. "Keep this room sealed. If the beast managed to break out of the kid''s seal, subdue it immediately." "Understood!" "So, about that candidate..." "Hmm, if I remember it correctly, the name''s Han-" The door was finally closed, sealing the room from the outside world. Without light coming from outside, the room was covered in total darkness. The child slowly got up into a sitting position. "Pain... what''s going on? Did I reincarnate into a sickly body?" Yao Huang tried moving his new body''s limbs. Everything worked fine, saves for the pain coursing through his body. When he swiped his fingers over his arm, he noticed that it was covered in thick, sticky liquid. He took a sniff. It smelled like iron. "...Blood?" Hmm... he might had reincarnated into a dangerous situation... but at least he''s still a human, not a cockroach! ''As long as I''m still a human, then I can cultivate!'' He had lost all his techniques after drinking the first cup of Five-Fragrance Tea, but he still retained the memory of his old self, as well as his knowledge of cultivation. With that, he could restore his strength back to his peak. ''Still, it will unbalance the karma of this world... ahh, whatever, I''ll just leave it to King Yama to settle when I get back there!'' He tried to stand up, and accidentally noticed something. Some... things were jutting out from his behind. He could feel it now that he was sitting down. When he turned around, what he saw shocked him silly. Five glowing tentacles were attached to him, each of them swaying with the wind. No, not tentacles... they looked soft on the touch, and a bit feathery. Could it be... tails? Curiously, he poked one of the tails with a finger. It swayed away in response. The touch felt like sinking into a soft pillow. ''The heck? Did I reincarnate into a fox demon?!'' At that moment, he felt something assaulting his soul. A soft, yet prideful voice echoed within his head. "This One''s name is Kokuo." The shadow of a huge, white beast filled his vision. "Such a weak and small vessel... This One will take you over!" 2 This One Wants to See the Forests His vision was filled with the image of a white beast. Its body was shaped like a horse, but its head was smooth and round with a wide jawline. Five horns protruded out of its head, pointing toward its back. Two horns were long, situated at the sides, while three smaller ones were spread in the middle. On its back, five swaying tails opened out like a peacock. The most surprising thing for him was that the creature could talk! Even thought it didn''t open its mouth, Yao Huang was sure that the one talking through his mind was this monster! There was no mistake! This thing must be... "A high-ranked spirit beast!" Yao Huang blurted out. Kokuo, who was in the middle of gathering its chakra, froze. "...What did you call This One?" "...? Spirit beast, right?" Yao Huang reiterated. Hmm, wait, usually high-ranked spirit beasts were rather proud. Perhaps it wouldn''t like being called a beast... "Should I call you with a different name? I know not your title, though... Venerable One, perhaps?" "..." Something seems wrong... "Human, This One is called a Tailed Beast. This One is Kokuo, the Five-Tails! Remember that well! And now, This One shall resume devouring you!" The white beast began gathering chakra once again, trying to weaken the seal enough to breach through and overpower the kid. After all, it should be easy to corrupt a young human''s will, wouldn''t it? It should try before those ninjas returned and brought a more compatible Jinchuuriki. Yao Huang, however, was oblivious to all this. He was more focused on something else. "Alright, King Mu..." The chakra gathering failed again. "This One is Kokuo!" "Ah." Yao Huang smacked his lips. This body''s memory prior to his awakening and his own soul''s memory were overlapping, and such the language used by both were mixing up unconsciously. When he thought of a word with the same meaning, his native language popped up instead. Maybe he should focus on the sound instead... "Gao Ku Oo..." Hmm... that also sounds wrong. "..." This kid... Kokuo was wondering whether or not this kid was an idiot... "Nevermind that. What did you want to ask This One just now?" "Oh, okay. So, uh..." He wondered whether it was alright to ask it. It could be a sensitive topic after all. "Do not make This One curious. Speak up." "Fine. So... you said you''re a Tailed Beast." "Correct." Yao Huang frowned. "Isn''t that really ambiguous? Which beast has no tail? What makes you different than the others then?" "..." Slowly looking up toward the ceiling, Kokuo... ...Stopped moving. --- "IHaveFiveTailsSoImDifferentRight?ButThenWhatAboutShukaku?IfThatRaccoonIsJustANormalAnimalThenAmIDifferentFromHim?WereAllFromSamePlaceSoWereAllTheSameRight?AmIJustANormalAnimalThen?" While the white beast had an identity crisis, Yao Huang was trying to assess the situation. The room was dark, really dark. The only source of light was the faint glow that the monster was emitting from its body... as well as this five-branching tails on his back, which were similar to the monster''s. He was wearing some form of robe that was slung over his body and tied with a sash. It wasn''t drastically different to the clothing he''d used throughout his previous life, which meant that he hadn''t leapt through a very distant era. The question was, how many years? He hoped that it wouldn''t be too far in the future. The peaceful era might be able to last long, but it wouldn''t be eternal. If he was thrown to an era after that, he''d be embroiled in unnecessary war again. That would be tiring. "Haah... for now, let''s calm down and cultivate." Crossing his legs, he began feeling his new body''s spiritual path. Starting from his dantian, he traced his meridian, getting a clearer image of its crosses and curves. From there, he willed his dantian to move, enticing qi, the power of the universe, to gather and circulate within him. "..." "..." Sitting in a lotus position, the kid gave off a calm smile while closing his eyes. However, in actuality, he was breaking out cold sweat. Ah, heck, he couldn''t feel any qi at all! "What is going on?!" His new body wasn''t a cripple! He had checked it just now! It was actually rather strong for a child, perhaps even more talented than the he back then. The problem was the qi! No matter what kind of cultivation method he tried, whether it was dantian spinning, reverse spinning, or even external qi push, none managed to gather qi into his body! How could it be? Qi was prevalent in this world. Even the most complicated sealing array couldn''t isolate an area completely off qi! At most, it would just make the concentration of qi extremely thin! "What are you doing..." "Whaw!" Yao Huang almost jumped out of fright. Kokuo had popped out from behind him, but instead of the proud tone from before, its voice was weak and raspy, like a ghost''s voice. He even thought that it wasn''t the spirit beast, but a vengeful spirit instead! "What''s wrong with you?!" Yao Huang couldn''t help but ask. "Nothing..." Kokuo let out a long, long sigh. "This One just feels that This One has lost the meaning of existence..." "..." This was the first case of spirit beast mental breakdown that he had ever witnessed, so he sadly couldn''t offer any help... Anyway. "Venerable spirit beast-" "Tailed Be- you know what, that title is useless. Call This One whatever you desire." Kokuo sat on the floor, showing a dejected face. Fine. Spirit beast it is. "...I want to know why there''s no qi in here." "''Gas''?" Kokuo tilted its head in confusion. "Gas? I''m talking about qi...err, wait, you write it like this..." He touched one of the white beast''s legs, and then traced the word for qi. "...What is that?" "..." Seriously? A spirit beast that didn''t know qi? How did it cultivate, then? No way it could get this big without cultivation, right? Yao Huang coughed a few times before explaining. "It''s the vital energy that is available in everything in this world." "Energy? Do you mean chakra?" Eh? The word struck no hit with the old him, but his new memory had supplied the meaning in an instant. Energy. That was what it meant. Furthermore, it was really close in meaning with qi, although it was stored inside a living being instead of floating freely in the world. Hmm... strange... was that a new way of utilizing qi? Oh drat, don''t tell him that he was flung so far in the future that the old cultivation method was no longer viable?! Looking at the dumbfounded kid, Kokuo shook its head. "How weird, for a Jinchuuriki to be ignorant of chakra. Perhaps it''s because you are a mere container vessel." "Jin chu lei... what''s that again?" Kokuo''s blue-green eyes opened wide. Maybe this kid was really an idiot? "Jinchuuriki. Human sacrifice. Ring a bell? Right now, This One is sealed within your body. That is why, This One is determined to take over your body and break free from the seal. You won''t have long to live anyway." "Within this body?" "That''s right. This One right now is just an astral projection for you to see. This One''s real form is still inside your body." Yao Huang patted his chest, letting the words sunk in. Sealing a spirit beast within a cultivator''s body was possible back then, but it was an extremely rare case. A cultivator''s body wasn''t the most suitable place for a spirit beast to dwell, so it was an unfair situation for the spirit beast, while the cultivator benefit from near-enslavement of the spirit beast. Enslavement... "Gao Ku Oo..." "It''s Kokuo!" "Are you inside of your own will?" Kokuo immediately went silent, its eyes narrowing dangerously toward the bloodied kid standing below him. It was a stupid question. And the answer was equally predictable. There is no way. "Rather than here, This One would rather seclude Oneself out in the forest, far from the madness of this pitiful world." At that moment, A slight smile appeared on Yao Huang''s face. "What did you say about me not having long to live?" "Simple. You are merely a temporary vessel, utilized to keep This One busy until the arrival of a compatible sacrifice. When that time comes, This One will be extracted out of your body, and you''ll finally die." ''-In a few days, we''ll transfer the beast.'' What Kokuo said lined up with the words that man said back then. That means, Yao Huang had a limited time before he would be killed, huh? Actually, dying wouldn''t be too bad. He could reach the underworld again, and this time reincarnate properly. However... "You''re inside me? In my soul?" Kokuo nodded. Taking up the lotus stance once again, Yao Huang shut down his senses, numbing his pain, and concentrated into his deeper self. Slowly, Slowly, He delved into a world of darkness. He was a tiny spark of light, sinking deeper and deeper into his innermost psyche. A white glow was waiting in the bottom. Meters-long chain was strewn around in the shape of a huge dome, and in the middle of it sat the white beast. It lifted its head upon sensing its Jinchuuriki coming near. "Kid! So you really want to push your luck!" A tremendous pressure emanated from the beast. It was the strength of its will, its desire for freedom that had been suppressed for hundreds of year! Upon crashing on Yao Huang, however, that will was deflected, just like that. He had just reincarnated into this era. Whether it was physical or spiritual strength, his new body was definitely lacking compared to his old self, nevermind to this majestic spirit beast. However, he hadn''t taken Lady Meng''s third cup. His soul was still filled with the spirit of thousands-year-old cultivator, who had faced the tribulations of Heaven again and again. In terms of willpower, he could boast that his would rival even a true Deity! "I want to live." Yao Huang loudly declared. "This is not the time for me to die yet." This world was still suspicious. With how many things different than what he''d known, there was also a chance that the underworld here would be different. He might end up in a weird place instead after death. He had to make sure first. Moreover... "Venerable spirit beast, tell me..." There was only one reason to seal a benevolent spirit beast into someone''s body: to control its power as a weapon. It was a tremendously malicious intent that went against the teaching of Dao. As a cultivator who had advocated for peace, he couldn''t just turn a blind eye. If possible, he wanted to, at the very least... "...what do you desire?" ...to save this pitiful spirit beast, before anything else. As if entranced, Kokuo''s mouth parted, and its soft, sonorous voice rang out within Yao Huang''s soul. "...This One wants to see the forests." Not just seeing it through this cage, but to walk among the trees with its own feet, and feel the fresh dew of the morning on its skin. To once again taste the nectar called freedom. Reaching out for the paper containing the seal, Yao Huang gave the beast a nod. "I shall do it. Your desire... I promise that I''ll grant it to you." With a thought, he ripped the paper apart. The chain began to unwind, losing its rigidness. It could no longer contain Kokuo''s tremendous chakra. With a loud crack, it burst open, flinging pieces of metal everywhere. The world that was once dyed in black, was now filled with light. As he opened his eyes, Yao Huang felt his body heating up. For once, he had a thought that it would definitely explode, but as soon as the thought appeared, it flew out in an instant. "Be grateful. If This One did not rein in the chakra deliberately, your small body would had died." Shining brighter than before, the Five-Tails Kokuo stood proudly in front of the kid. Escaping by itself would had been the better choice. Taking over the kid''s body after the seal was lifted would be ideal. That was what it had done before, and it would had done it again if only it was another Jinchuuriki. However, this kid was different. Something in the kid made the beast unable to abandon it just yet. Perhaps, it was fine to wait for a little bit longer. "Keep your promise. In the meantime... This One shall hold this tiny life of yours." Just a little bit longer. 3 The Great Escape Now that the spirit beast (?) and its human had formed an understanding, it was time to think about the next step. Namely, how to get the heck out of this suffocating place? But first... "Gau Kuo... Gao... Ko... Kokuo?" "Finally." The white beast made a clapping motion with its front hooves. Since the kid''s misuse of its name had annoyed it so much, it had forced the kid to keep repeating its name until it was pronounced correctly. It still felt a bit off, but nevermind. For Yao Huang, it was just the problem of separating which part of his memory should be used when he opened this crappy mouth. Sounds easy in theory, but in practice it was actually hard. He''d lived for thousands of years using his old part of the soul after all, going with it as the default had become pure instinct. No wonder reincarnated souls had to drink the Five-Fragrance Tea... it was to prevent this kind of confusion upon birth! "Kokuo, let me ask you this... where are we?" He couldn''t gather qi at the moment, so he had no way to trace his location. As the saying goes, when you got lost in Chang''an, you better not be shy and ask the locals! "We are in the underground chamber of the Anbu headquarter in Iwagakure." Kokuo replied smoothly. "...Eh?" Yao Huang went dumbstruck smoothly. A village... hidden by rocks. That was what the word ''Iwagakure'' meant, based on this automatic translator in his head. What a weird name for a village. Was that an alias? "Err... how far is it from Chang''an? Or Luoyang?" "What?" It was Kokuo''s turn to be dumbstruck. Yao Huang suddenly got a bad premonition. It could go both ways. Either Kokuo was inept with the outside world, thus unable to provide him with precise information, or he really had been flung so far in the future that everything he knew had changed. Both didn''t look good in prospect. "Ngggh..." After massaging his temple, Yao Huang arrived to a decision. The most important thing was to escape this room. From there, he would just improvise. Anyway, since Kokuo at least knew the alias of the place, the spirit beast wouldn''t be too useless later on. General direction should be fine, right? "Let''s escape this room first." Yao Huang snapped his fingers, catching Kokuo''s attention. "This One has been waiting," the white beast nodded. "This One shall ask first, do you have a plan?" "Plan, huh..." He stared at the pair of blue-green eyes. He remembered that Kokuo had said something about taking over before, and with that tone, it felt like the beast was already used to it. "Have you ever attempted escape before?" Kokuo snorted. "What a silly question. This One had longed for freedom for who knows how long." Attempts were a matter of course. "What did you do before?" "An easy task. This One overpowered the Jinchuuriki''s will, and then controlled thus with This One''s chakra. Breaking through the pathetic seals of the humans are an easy task." "If it was easy, why were you still here..." Kokuo wouldn''t answer. In fact, it was because Kokuo had done everything with such a forceful manner that the escape attempt had always failed. Since it was still sealed before, it couldn''t fully utilize its chakra, resulting in imperfect control of its Jinchuuriki. Not to mention that even as human sacrifices, those ninjas still held their village in their heart, blocking Kokuo''s way whenever it was trying to decimate the village. In the end, it would exhaust itself in the process, resulting in another capture. However, it was different this time. The kid had ripped off the seal, giving the beast access to its entirety of chakra. Also, the kid didn''t seem to have any attachment to Iwagakure. More like, the kid was extremely oblivious. It might work! "Kid, pass control to This One," Kokuo said. "This One shall destroy this building and set us free!" "Hmm... hold on for a bit." Yao Huang tsk-ed. This spirit beast was too impatient. Well, it was understandable. "Destroying the building is fine, but won''t that attract too much attention? We shouldn''t paint such a big target on our back." "Hngh..." The white beast scowled. "Then, what idea do you have in mind?" "Well..." He pointed at the huge, steel door. "This room is kept in complete darkness, so it''s possible that there''s no other opening than that door, right? But if I''m put inside such an enclosed space, wouldn''t I die from asphyxiation? That means, there''s still another opening around here." Ventilation! Naturally, it would be guarded as well. However, they were there in the event of a human sneaking through, not a spirit beast. If they went in that direction, wouldn''t that create a surprise factor? Licking his finger, Yao Huang lifted his hand in the air, trying to feel the flow of air. "...There." Ignoring the pain on his body, he walked in the darkness until he encountered a wall. The air was flowing from an opening near the ceiling above. "Let''s go from here. I''ll leave the rest to you." Kokuo turned his gaze toward the kid. Those pair of eyes held a mysterious gaze. "Are you sure? Don''t you fear that This One will take over your body permanently?" Yao Huang nodded, full of confidence. "A dignified spirit beast such as you will never renege on their promise." "Interesting!" Kokuo''s image turned into a small white ball that flew into Yao Huang''s chest. "Remember this well, human. This One shall give you a peek of the true strength of a Tailed Beast!" Suddenly, Yao Huang felt energy bursting out of his body. It was different from qi. The energy glow in dark, reddish color, and they seemed to have a will of their own. The energy enclosed Yao Huang''s body like a cloak, enveloping it from head to toe. His vision turned acute, allowing him to see the features of the room, even in the blinding darkness. His muscles felt more taut, growing stronger at an unbelievable pace. Something was urging him, corroding on his willpower without mercy. He had to fully concentrate in order to not getting swept away. "You''re still hanging on. Impressive! Truly impressive! This One is pleased!" That will formed a consciousness, and Yao Huang could feel Kokuo within his self. It was as if both human and spirit beast had merged together. If they were to show weakness even a little bit, one''s will would be devoured by the other! "What is... this?" Before he knew it, he had been standing on all four. Dense, reddish chakra enclosed his entire body, creating a shape similar to a horse. Five horns made of chakra protruded out of his head, while five swaying tails spread out from his back. The ground couldn''t handle the immense pressure emanating from his body, causing it to break down and sunk into a crater. Even a beginner in chakra like Yao Huang could tell that right now, he was engulfed in a great power! "Let us go!" His body stomped the ground with his hands and feet, creating the illusory sound of hooves. The ground was crushed into dust as he aimed his chakra horns toward the air duct above. --- Above the ground, the Iwagakure Anbu were lounging in their headquarter, enjoying the short break between shifts. Another grueling day would follow, but for now, tea and a friend''s company was all that matter. That was, until an explosion occured. "What''s that? The Five-Tails?!" "No, it''s from the opposite side..." Based off history, the Five-Tails would always escape through the front door of the sealing chamber. The explosion, however, came from the rear. Could it be- "Intruders?! Are they trying to kidnap the temporary vessel?" "But, how did they know that today is the correct time to act?" "Dumbass! Leave the speculation for later! Let''s move out!" Sadly, their guess was slightly off the mark. The perpetrator was indeed the Five-Tails itself! Like a flash of red lightning, the chakra-covered body of Yao Huang bolted through the rocks as if they were water. With a loud crash, he broke through the surface, the force sending him several feet above. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. Below him stood numerous towers made out of rock spires, with the biggest and tallest one in the center of the formation. "M-mountains! So many mountains!" Yao Huang couldn''t contain his surprise. This kind of landscape... could it be... "The land of the U-Tsang?!" "The land of what?" Kokuo was confused. The kid''s attitude was acceptable, but that mouth sometimes spewed out incomprehensible words... perhaps the kid really had something wrong in the head. "Take a look, kid. This is the village carved on the mountains of the Land of Earth, Iwagakure!" Kokuo''s words blazed with the flame of hatred. Oh, how it wished to level this village with the earth, sending those wretched ninjas to hell for the crime of enslaving it! Even when freedom was at hand, this grudge wasn''t so easy to withhold! Thankfully, the kid''s will was there, anchoring the beast to reality. "Patience. Escaping comes first." Revenge was a dish best served cold, that was what his experience had told him. On the other hand, escapes should be struck while the iron was still hot! "Hmph," Kokuo snorted. "Where to, now?" "Let''s see... you want to see the forests, don''t you?" If this was the land of U-Tsang, that means they wouldn''t see fertile land for quite a while. It would be better to go south-east, toward the central plains. From there, they could proceed south. Judging from the position of the sun, south-east should be... "There." Kokuo lifted its head, staring at the indistinguishable patch of green in the distance. "Let''s go!" The reddish chakra began to move in rapid speed, growing hotter with each passing second. "Eh?" Yao Huang was shocked. He felt his body temperature skyrocketing in fearsome rate. Wait, wait, wouldn''t he got burned alive if this continue?! "Fear not, human!" Kokuo roared, overjoyed to be able to unleash its true potential. The chakra boiled like hot water, causing Yao Huang to feel that he was being cooked alive. However, he didn''t feel any pain. A greater surge of power enveloped his body instead. His hands and feet, which was now shaped like hooves, clapped on the air, producing sonic boom. At the same time, his body accelerated forward like an arrow, blasting toward the green patch in the far distance. "Owaaaaaa!?!" Like a shooting star, the figure crossed the sky, splitting clouds in two. "O-oi! Kokuo!" "What is it?" "We''re too conspicuous! Lower! Go lower!" "Tch." It was true, though. People on the ground were staring at the strange object flashing through above them with curious look. It wouldn''t be good if their pursuers could find them thanks to that. Kokuo rotated the kid''s body in the air, and then stomped upward. The push sent them hurtling down straight, but before they could crash down, he stomped forward, propelling them a few meters above ground. From time to time, Kokuo would made gallops, keeping this ridiculous speed as they maneuver past rough, mountainous terrains. "Finally... finally!" Yao Huang could understand the spirit beast''s excitement. After all, they had finally reached a forest! "Hahahaha!" Like a mad horse, Kokuo galloped further and further into the sea of trees, feeling more alive than before. For but this very moment, the proud and calm beast was content to be replaced by a childish mare. Sadly, the blissful moments flit by in an instant. "We got company." Kokuo could feel their chakra even from the distance. Iwagakure ninjas. It seemed that they had finally caught up. "With this speed? I think it''s more like they''re already here in the first place," Yao Huang commented. That means... perhaps they were patrol guards? Still troublesome, but compared to elites, they were more manageable. "Kid, there''s a bridge up ahead." The forest opened up into a wide ravine, with a stone bridge connecting the two edges. Right at this moment, numerous people clad in red outfits and brown flak jackets poured out of the forest right behind Yao Huang. He was a bit late to notice them, as he was entranced by the bridge''s architecture. If only he could make this kind of thing in their Yang Dynasty, perhaps- Ah, wait, he got an idea. "Venerable spirit beast, do you have a way to destroy this bridge?" Kokuo gave him a slight grin. "Piece of cake!" Balls made of condensed chakra began to appear around Yao Huang''s body. As he crossed through the bridge, Kokuo threw these balls onto the bridge''s surface. "Wait! Stop!" At the same time that the Iwagakure ninjas'' leader stopped his men, the spot where the balls landed exploded, throwing pieces of stone into the air. Each balls were thrown in haphazard manner, creating a chaotic mess. The bridge shook. One of the support pillar was cracked from the explosion, and it couldn''t hold the weight any longer. "Woah!" The earth trembles as the bridge collapsed, crumbling into pieces. The Iwagakure ninjas scrambled to safety. By the time that the dust finally settled and they were able to regroup, there was no longer any sight of the Five-Tails. "Damn!" The squad leader slammed his fist on the ground. The Tsuchikage would really take his head this time... 4 The Brilliant One and The Red Puppy A bolt of crimson flashed through the forest in a heartbeat. Kokuo extended its chakra, trying to find a route without people around. Even though they had gotten quite far from Iwagakure, there was still a possibility that a hunting squad was still trailing them. They couldn''t stop just yet. Instead of going in a straight line, they took a winding pattern, zig-zagging around the trees. Whenever they encountered a trace of civilization, they would move around and find another path. Yao Huang had no idea about the topography. Everything was different from what he''d remembered. In the end, he just left the navigation to Kokuo. "This place is so fertile," Yao Huang commented. Trees. It was all trees. No matter how far they''d gone, the land was entirely covered with blooming forests. Even the Heaven-blessed central plain wasn''t abundant to this extent. It was simply mind-boggling! "Is it not normal for the Land of Fire to be fertile?" Kokuo replied half-heartedly. "Land of Fire?" Was that another nickname? The spirit beast did call the U-Tsang''s northern mountain as ''Land of Earth''. Perhaps this Land of Fire thing was just a fancy way to call the place that he knew. What, though? ''Hmm, whatever, I''ll just figure it out later.'' He decided to focus in their escapade first. Dusk descended into night, night gave way to dawn. It was now a new day, and the sun climbed the sky energetically until it returned to its throne up above the clouds. They had been running for an entire day at this point. The distance they had covered was immense, thanks to the help of Kokuo''s inexhaustible chakra. Even the beast itself was surprised with what it could pull off when it wasn''t distracted by fighting! "It should be safe after going this far, right?" The crimson streak landed near a small creek. Alongside a swishing sound, Kokuo''s red chakra dissipated, finally revealing Yao Huang''s physical body. The kid quickly fell on his knees, suddenly feeling really exhausted. Steam, the aftereffect of Boil Release, emanated off his body, "Hungry... tired...painful..." His muscles ached all over, and his stomach felt like a knife had been plunged right through! Not to mention, the wounds on his body opened up once again, dripping out blood that soaked through his clothes. This sensation... he had almost forgotten about it. Back then, as an immortal, his body had been entirely remade out of qi, so he didn''t have a need to rest or eat. Gathering more qi from his surrounding was more than enough to rejuvenate him. Any other mortal annoyances like pain and fatigue was also nonexistent, unless it was caused by another immortal''s techniques. But now, he was mortal once again. After thousands of years, he was finally able to relive the feeling of having a corporeal, physical body. He didn''t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. "So this is being alive... how nostalgic." While he was still drowned in the onslaught of sensation, Kokuo materialized itself, clapping its hooves on the stream with apparent glee. "Well?" Yao Huang grinned at the sight. "I did keep my promise, didn''t I?" The spirit beast was still embedded within his soul, and since taking it out would result in his doom, they still couldn''t be separated yet. He could only hope that Kokuo would be satisfied with this arrangement for the time being. Stepping closer toward the kid, Kokuo lowered its head. "Your name." "Eh?" "Tell This One your name," Kokuo repeated. "Do you prefer This One to call you ''kid'' all the time?" "Oh!" Yao Huang pointed at himself with a thumb. "My name is Yao Huang!" ... His words before the name were normal, but when he reached the last part, his pronunciation returned back to his old memory''s language. Kokuo couldn''t catch it. "...Pray repeat it again." "Yao. Huang." "..." Kokuo was in a dilemma. It was proud of its intelligence, capable of besting humans in terms of linguistic abilities. However, right now it felt like its figurative tongue would get tangled up if it tried to imitate those words. "How... to write that?" In the end, it went for the easier route. As long as it knew the kanji, it should be fine, right? Not thinking too much about it, Yao Huang wrote his name on the dirt with the help of a branch. Ò¦ »Í "..." Ah, heck, now it can''t even read... "Kid, how do you read these characters? What do they mean?" Yao Huang pointed at the first character. "This is my surname, Yao. I don''t know what it means, since I just merely continued the lineage." He then moved to the second character. "This is my given name, Huang. It means ''brilliant''. My mother hoped that I''ll grow into a strong person who''ll be able to protect my family, just like the sun." He felt a pang of longing in his heart. Remembering his mother had always made him a bit sentimental, even after he had turned into an old coot. Weird, considering they had been separated for thousands of years... Kokuo had been paying attention to the kid''s explanation. Aside from the two words, everything was said in plain common tongue, so it could finally see the reasoning behind the name. "This One understands." It proceeded to write another character with its hoof. ¹â "Light (Guang)?" "From now on, This One shall use this name and call you, ''Hikari''." Yao Huang felt something weird with the way Kokuo said it, but he shook it off. Perhaps it was caused by his cultural shock. This era''s language was really different, after all. "Then, please take care of This One." "Ah? Yeah, leave it to me..." The tailed beast lifted its hoof, which Yao Huang grabbed, imitating a handshake. Suddenly, Yao Huang shivered. "Uh... Venerable One..." "Hnh?" The kid gave the white beast a pitiful look. "I have to go for a bit. Nature''s call." In the blink of an eye, Yao Huang leaped into a nearby tall bush. "..." That kid... Kokuo''s real body was still inside, so it didn''t really matter whether it could see or not, right...? Oh well. Humans. Whatever suit their fancy. The white beast played a bit more with the clear water when suddenly a loud shriek came from within the bushes. Kokuo stood on alert, ready to conjure chakra balls, when it saw the kid bursting out with convulsing body. "Kid! What''s wrong? Iwagakure pursuers?!" "E-e-e-e-" "Eeee?" Kokuo galloped toward him. "Eunuch..." "????" Yao Huang''s eyes slowly returned back into focus. When he saw Kokuo standing over him, he quickly jumped up and clung to the beast as if his life depended on it. "Venerable One! It''s a disaster! It''s gone! It''s gone!" "?!?!" One of Kokuo''s tail jutted out in an instant, and then flung out like a whip, crashing on Yao Huang''s head with a loud smack. "Calm down, kid. Tell me, what is gone?" "The- the- the-" "The...?" Kokuo was getting impatient. Its tail began to swing out randomly. Remembering the pain from before, Yao Huang replied in reflex. "The little sword is gone!" "Little..." The white beast''s eyes turned into swirls. "Venerable One! Tell me! Is sealing a spirit beast like you inside one''s body can turn you into an eunuch? Is that the price that has to be paid?!" "Alright, calm the heck down." The tail finally lashed out again, knocking the kid down to his knees. "Answer This One: what is an eunuch?" Eh? The spirit beast didn''t know? "Obviously, it''s men who''d gotten their ''thing'' cut..." "..." Kokuo regretted ever asking. "So... you''re saying that your... ''thing''... is gone? As in, you lost it?" Yao Huang nodded furiously. Kokuo felt his head pounding. "But... human, logically, it''s easier to think that you don''t have one in the first place." Yao Huang froze. Ah. That''s right. It is a distinct possibility... It was also the possibility that Yao Huang had tried to reject the most. He had been male for thousands of years, damnit! He couldn''t just entertain the chance that his reincarnation would be... would be... While the kid was still standing like an idiot, Kokuo gave a strong push with its head, throwing the kid into the creek. As he lifted his head off the water, a reflection slowly formed on the surface. With a large, round eyes and soft features, a little kid''s face was staring back at him. The shoulder-length brown hair clung to his neck, still dripping water down his shoulders. Ah, wrong. It wasn''t ''him'' anymore, but ''her'', right? After all, what looked back at Yao Huang was clearly, a girl''s face... She blinked a few times, then turned back to Kokuo. The beast just gave her a slow nod. A bright smile blossomed on her face. "Hueh..." And then, she promptly fainted. The creek produced a huge splash as her lifeless body majestically dropped like a plank. "..." "This. Kid. So. Annoying...!" Pulling the kid off the creek by her collar, Kokuo dragged her into nearby bushes. Although the beast could just wake her up by force, her fatigue still had to be dealt with. A few hours of sleep should be fine before they had to move once again. The white beast shrunk down into a tiny version of itself, small enough for the bush to conceal, and then laid beside her, deciding to take a quick nap. "..." "..." "...?" It suddenly raised its head. Without a warning, the bushes parted ways. As Kokuo readied itself to fight out the pursuers, what showed up defied its wildest expectation. *Bark!* "A small... dog...?" Covered in white fur and decorated with a pair of drooping ear, the little creature strut closer toward the fainted kid, sniffing and nudging with its nose, tail wagging all the way. "...Lesser beast, go away." Kokuo glared at the puppy, emitting a suffocating pressure with its chakra. The little puppy noticed it immediately. Its fur stood up on its end as it stared at the ethereal horse-like creature. It wanted to feign bravery with barks, but what came out were mere whines. It retreated one step, two steps... Finally, it couldn''t take it anymore and leaped toward the fainted kid, hiding behind her body. "..." While Kokuo was thinking about the best way to chase out the puppy, weighing the pros and cons of shooting chakra balls at it, a voice suddenly rang out. A human''s voice. "Akamaru! Where did you go!" There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and then the bushes parted once again. Kokuo quickly dissolved its projected form, returning back into the kid''s soul. As for the puppy, it let out another bark, a happy one this time as if it had found its salvation. "There you are! Why did you suddenly run... huh?" That day, a boy who''d initially only wanted to walk his dog... had ended up finding a human instead. 5 When In Doubt, Just Cultivate Yao Huang had fervently wished that everything was merely a dream, or even a nasty illusion cast by his rivals. It would''ve been better than the reality he was facing at the moment. "Welcome back, human." But apparently, the wish went unanswered. The spirit beast was still here, its gaze judging as always. The scenery was different, though. Instead of the riverside from back then, this place looked like a bedroom. Curiously, the floor was entirely covered in soft carpet, and the doors were covered in paper instead of made entirely of wood. Instead of a proper bed, she was laid on a layer of mattress. Oh, right. Yao Huang touched her lower part again, just to make sure. Hmm. Yep. Good Ol'' Little Huang was no longer there... She quickly sat right up. Her body was covered in bandage with a cold, sticky feeling underneath. The wounds had dried up and no longer bleed. Slowly, she raised her wrist toward her mouth. Just before she was about to bite down, Kokuo swung its tail to shove her hand away. "What are you doing?!" "...Starting over." A good idea just crossed her mind. If she died, she could reincarnate again. It was a fifty percent chance of a gamble, but perhaps her luck would be better this time around. Err, wait, there was no guarantee that she''d become human again, wasn''t it? Maybe this time she''d really become a cockroach. Ah, heck- "This One does not approve!" With its tails, Kokuo restrained her arms. If the kid died like that, it''d dissolve as well! While it could reappear after years had passed, it would still be an unpleasant experience. No way in hell would it comply! As human and Tailed Beast wrestled for a stupid reason, footsteps began to approach the room they were currently in. They quickly ceased the fight. Yao Huang slipped back into the blanket, while Kokuo re-entered her soul. The door smoothly slid open, revealing an adult woman and a young boy. The woman was well-built, and her stance exhumed confidence. She had wild, spiky brown hair that looked like it was left untended. Two red marks resembling canine fangs were painted on her cheeks. The boy on her side looked like a smaller version of her. Only, he was lankier, his muscles still underdeveloped. The two had a pair of small, vertical-shaped pupils, making them appear somewhat beastly. "You''re finally awake." The woman spoke up. Her voice sounded rough, with an unmistakably commanding tone. She had planted such a fearsome image with just one sentence. ''This woman isn''t simple!'' Yao Huang noted in her mind. She watched as the woman sat cross-legged on the carpet, followed by the young boy. The pair of beastly eyes were now focused on Yao Huang, causing her to break in cold sweat. "Who are you? Why did you faint? What were you doing in the forest?" A barrage of questions stormed her mercilessly, causing Yao Huang to sway in a daze. Perhaps because of her confusion, she instead responded with yet another question. "Where am I...?" The woman closed her mouth. She narrowed her eyes, glaring dangerously at the girl. After a period of bated breath, she finally let out a sigh. "This is clan Inuzuka of Konohagakure. I''m the owner of this house, Tsume. This pup here is my son." She patted the boy''s head, which he tried but ultimately failed to dodge. Konohagakure... a village hidden in leaves... It sounded similar to Iwagakure. There was definitely a pattern here. Did they just come out of the frying pan and went straight into the fire? "And? What''s your name?" "Eh?" "I''m asking you, what''s your name?" Ah, right. "It''s Yao Huang... err, no, it''s... Hikari...?" She noticed the woman and the boy''s confusion when she accidentally spouted her real name, so she ended up going with the name that Kokuo had given her before. "Hikari... is it? Got it. Now..." The woman shoved the boy away. "Kiba, I have to talk with our guest alone. Go play outside." The boy seemed surprised with the sudden turn of events. His gaze kept on wandering between the girl and the woman. In the end, he couldn''t win against his mother''s glare. He jolted out of the room like his life depended on it, closing the door with a loud bang. Yao Huang suddenly had a bad feeling. ''Venerable One, please-'' Before she could even finish that line of thought, a strong arm had pinned her down by the shoulder. The familiar sensation of cold, sharp steel greeted her on the neck. Stealing a quick glance to the side, she noticed that a strange, knife-like object was pushed on her skin, threatening to slice through with the slightest movement. "Your stench, I don''t like it. You smell like those Iwa bastard. Why are you targeting my son?" She didn''t get what had just happened, but wasn''t this really, really bad? This woman was exhuming genuine killing intent, oi! ''Should This One blast this woman away?'' ''Uh...'' She was about to say yes, when the woman continued. "Alright, girl, you have one chance. Fess up. Don''t even bother to lie. If I don''t like what I hear, then..." The knife''s blade was pushed a tiny bit deeper, to the point that she could feel a tinge of pain. Gulp. ''Wait, Venerable One, wait a minute.'' Perhaps, everything could be solved in a more peaceful manner. "I did come from the land of the U-Tsang- err, I mean, from that Iwagakure thingy... but I''m not one of them!" This woman, from her tone, she didn''t seem to hold their pursuers in high regard. In that case, wouldn''t it be the case of ''your enemy is also my enemy''? If she made clear that she wasn''t involved with them, could she make use of this woman for protection instead? "Go on," the woman didn''t retract the blade, but at least she refrained from pushing it further. Ah, phew. "I... actually, I ran away from that place! I was tired after shaking off their pursuit, so I took a break at that creek." This one was believable, right? There''s no way she could say that she''d fainted after realizing that her ''little brother'' had vanished... "..." Tsume scrutinized the girl, trying to detect any lies. She seemed to still be hiding something, although what she''d said so far could pass as truth. That, or she was a seasoned spy trained in the art of deceit. Tsume couldn''t put off that possibility just because of the girl''s age. "Why did you run away?" She decided to delve a bit deeper. Yao Huang blinked. Why? Because she wanted to take Kokuo away... no, that didn''t seem wise for an answer. Kokuo''s anxiety was proof enough. The Tailed Beast clearly didn''t want its presence to be announced to anyone, if possible. "I was... deemed without talent," she murmured. "My family threw me away, saying that I have no use for them. I was supposed to be sold as a slave, but I decided to run away. If I''m going to live like a cattle, then might as well gamble on it. At worst, I''ll just die." Tsume flinched upon hearing her story. "..." Slowly, she got up. The pressure given by her weapon was lifted in an instant. Finally, Yao Huang could breath easy. "I''ll have to talk it out with the clan. For now, stay here and recuperate. You''re forbidden from leaving this room until I returned." Leaving those words, she left the room. Silence descended once again. After confirming that no one stayed watch near the room, Kokuo materialized into a cat-sized form. "That... did you make it all up?" The girl gave the beast a slight smile. "Venerable One... would you listen to this humble one''s story?" --- Now that they got time, Yao Huang was finally able to tell Kokuo practically everything that had happened thus far. About how ''she'' was actually a reincarnated soul, a cultivator that had survived until the dawn of the prosperous Yang Dynasty. Chaos had ensued in the underworld at the time of her visit, forcing her to enter a practically unknown path of reincarnation. And thus, she had ended up like this. Kokuo was, to put it lightly, overwhelmed. From time to time, she would throw out weird sounds inbetween her words. If her story was true, then that would be the language from her previous life... wasn''t it? "..." Yeah, right. The only thing that the Tailed Beast got convinced of was that this kid, indeed, had some broken parts in her head. Kokuo raised one hoof, telling the kid to stop her rambling. And then... "Pfft." ...It laughed its arse off. "You... you were a male, who got caught up with whatever shenanigan that had happened in the underworld, and now you got reincarnated as a female." "...More or less." "What a twist! You poor bastard! Ahaha! The Tailed Beast rolled over, engrossed in the tasty drips of schadenfreude. "..." "Hahahahaaa... sorry. This One went too far..." It went rigid upon noticing that the girl had a smile that didn''t reach her eyes. Eh, what smile? It looked more like the face of Asura! Only after the white beast finally quieten down that her face finally softened up. "Haa... does Venerable One still doubt me?" "This One honestly still do." As knowledgeable as it was, the Great Five-Tails couldn''t wrap the entire of story around its head. It was just too unreal, a horrible anomaly by this world''s standard. It wasn''t something that could be accepted after a single talk. Moreover... "Oi, kid. The story that you''d told the woman from before, was that a lie? Or..." She shook her head, refusing to elaborate any further. That childhood memory, it was fine to treat it as if it never happened, right? It was something from thousands of years ago, after all. Everyone involved had already died. If not because the situation begged for it, she wouldn''t even bring it up in the first place. Fine. Everyone had their own dark past, Tailed Beasts included. It wasn''t willing to judge. Feeling a bit merciful, it decided to change the topic. "So? What do you want to do now?" "What do I want, huh..." From the woman''s reaction, it seemed that this place, or at least this house, wasn''t in a chummy relationship with Iwagakure. If they could stay here, then their pursuers wouldn''t be able to catch them so easily. "Hmph. This One does not fear those humans. There is no need to hide." "Yet you keep on getting captured again and again..." "...Ngh." She had witnessed Kokuo''s power during their escapade. It was the real deal, as expected from a proud spirit beast. However, there is no absolute strength. Even her old self, that peak cultivator standing at the top of the immortal world, still struggled in that last battle before the dawn of Yang Dynasty. Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. A prideful person never lower their guard, only foolish ones do. Rather than going out guns blazing, it would be better if they lay low at the moment and gather information. Truthfully, there was too much to do at the moment. Not to mention, she also had a feeling that things didn''t work as it was in the old era. As if it was a completely new world. In that case, she''d have to re-learn everything from scratch. In that case, "It''s just like what my master had told me: When in doubt, just cultivate!" Kokuo, who had been staring at her with anticipation: "..." "A lot of troubles are coming our way, but it''ll all be solved if we''re stronger, right? So, just get stronger! Life is simple that way!" "Err... actually, you sometimes said ''cultivate'', ''cultivate''... what does that actually mean?" "Hmm... it''s just a saying... basically, it means that I''m going to train myself." Although, she couldn''t feel qi at the moment, so traditional method of cultivation was a no-go. She had to find another way. Perhaps, that ''chakra'' thing that Kokuo had told her before was the key... "With sufficient cultivation, you can do anything. You can even live forever! Not to mention, you can change your physical shape any way you want! So, I can..." Get back her Little Huang, yep. Kokuo, who was listening with doubt plastered on its face: "...You can do that with training?" "Yup, yup, nothing is impossible with cultivation!" Kokuo, who had finally convinced itself that the kid was an idiot: "...Suit yourself." The girl was finally revitalized, now that she had found her purpose in life. To cultivate until she could once again sit on that throne among the immortals, and finally regain back her trustworthy little ancestor''s blade! Eh, wait, this goal feels wrong... Nevermind. "That''s why," The girl suddenly kowtowed to Kokuo, making the beast jump in fright. "Huh? W-what?" "Venerable One, I had promised you that I will bring you back to the forests. However, at the moment, I can''t give you your freedom yet." She still had something to do, and truth be told, Kokuo''s presence had actually been a great help. Even though keeping a spirit beast against its will was an offense punishable by Heaven, "I don''t want to die. Not now." She still had to find out what had happened back then in the underworld. She still want to return to the Yang Dynasty, to see how the new era would unfold. That''s why, "I''ll diligently cultivate. I''ll definitely get stronger as fast as I can. And when that time comes when I could wield the power that I had once lost, I''ll let you free, without a doubt." At the peak of Dao, she would surely be able to separate her soul from the Tailed Beast without any repercussion. She had wielded that power before, so she knew that she could do it. It was now just the problem of getting there. "Could you wait for me? Just a little bit more..." Narrowing its eyes at the girl before it, the Five-Tails, Kokuo, harrumphed. "Humans. Always doing whatever serves them best without thinking about others." And yet, it couldn''t help a smile from escaping. "It can''t be helped. This One is benevolent and patience. Make sure that it''s just a short while; This One is willing to wait." Overjoyed that the spirit beast was willing to help her, she kowtowed once again. "This humble one thanks the Venerable One!" "Hmm, never forget this gratitude-" Kokuo suddenly had an epiphany. From what this girl had said before, ''she'' was once an old man with a majestic white beard long enough to be used as a mop. That was when she had reached the peak of her power. "...Girl... pray tell me, how long will it take until your cultivation thingamajic reached the level that you desired?" "Hmm? Not long. At most... three hundred years?" Three. Hundred- "#@#$@#!@!?!?" "W-what?" Kokuo wanted to scream. Was she kidding? Wouldn''t all the trees shriveled up by then?! "Three hundreds years is already fast, you know. My friend had to cultivate for two thousands and seventy-three years before he could reach my level-" "@#$#!@#$#$" That world she was living in before, were they really humans?! Eh, wait, wouldn''t that make her old self even older than the Tailed Beasts?! "What is it? Why are you so upset? When a cultivator reached Foundation Establishment stage, their body would undergo physical alteration because of qi, so it''s normal for them to age slower. Even non-immortals could live for at least five hundred years if they keep on practicing..." "Enough. This One does not have the desire to hear anymore-" Suddenly, they stopped their banter. Kokuo slipped back into her soul as she sat on the mattress, waiting for the person outside the room to come in. Not too long after, the door slid open, and the woman from before, Tsume, entered. "Get up. You can walk, right?" The girl slowly nodded. "Follow me." It wasn''t a request. It was an order. The woman walked away without looking back, confident that the girl would comply. True enough, a pitter-patter soon followed behind as she led the girl through the long-winded corridors. 6 Keeping Up with the Inuzuka 1 In a small room at the back of a house, a brown-haired girl stirred awake. It was dawn. Normally, she would''ve welcomed a new day with boundless passion. But now? To start with, five white-furred tails with splash of tan at their ends were swaying on her back... "Why are you so gloomy?" The image of a white, five-horned, horse-like creature with the face of a dolphin appeared in front of her. Five white tails identical to her own jutted out from its back. The girl let out a sigh. "Nothing. Just feeling that life is really complicated..." The revered Five-Tailed Beast, Kokuo, and its Jinchuuriki. That was the duo''s identity. Currently, they were taking refugee under the roof of the Inuzuka, a clan living in Konohagakure. Of course, the clan didn''t know about Kokuo''s existence, at least for now. It seemed that bad things would happen if it was ever found out, so they had to keep it a secret. Yesterday, the head of the house, a wild-looking woman named Tsume, had introduced her to her family and a few other influential members of the clan. In short, only three people lived in this house: Tsume and her children, the older daughter Hana and the younger son, Kiba. Coincidentally, the son was the one who had saved the girl before when she''d fainted at the creek. When asked why he''d helped her, he just replied nonchalantly: "Because Akamaru seems to like you." Akamaru... was that small pup that followed the boy around. Actually, its fur was completely white. The name didn''t reflect reality at all! "And thus, this kid will stay with me for the time being. Any objection?!" The last question was asked with such intensity that the rest of the clan couldn''t retort. Hmm... it seemed that Tsume held quite a position within the clan... if only because they were afraid of her... "You can stay in the back room. It''s a bit dusty. Clean it yourself! Also, I won''t let you stay here as a freeloader!" Since Tsume and Hana were getting busier with their own work, the house was getting neglected over time. Kiba was of no help, so the burden fell to the new addition to the house. In short, she was hired as a housemaid... "By the way, can I ask something?" Since they had the chance now, she asked for a map of the region. Tsume didn''t think much about it and showed her a copy. What she saw extinguished her spirit. The continent was different. It wasn''t the ''a thousand years had passed and the continent had moved'' kind of different. The world was entirely different. The Land of Earth, which he''d mistaken as U-Tsang before, looked nothing alike to Tibet. Where''s the central plain? Where''s the dense forests of the Nanman? Why was Goguryeo shaped like a hammerhead? The final resistance to that weird idea in her head had finally crumbled. It seemed that she wasn''t thrown into a different era... more like she got transferred to a different world altogether! Godamnit! What use was her knowledge from the previous life if the underlying principle was not the same?! Could she even cultivate at this rate? She was so stressed out that she puked blood and then fainted again after reading the map... "Life never go your way, isn''t it?" Kokuo snorted. "I''d like to be given more leniency, thank you..." Anyway, what''s done was done. Nothing she could do about it. A new world, a new identity... although, the old soul inside was still the same. "It''s either adapt or die trying. At the very least, I should see whether cultivation is still possible. Changing course later is doable." She got up, and then changed to the clothes that Tsume had given her the day before. Just a simple set of dark-colored robe, not much different from her old life''s style of clothing. "Thankfully some parts are a bit similar." Women''s clothing though... she had to fumble a few times before she somewhat managed to put it on properly. "Better go now. That woman must be waiting," Kokuo remarked. "Yes, yes..." Still in low spirit, the girl scurried out to do the day''s work. --- Tsume Inuzuka''s house wasn''t as big as the courtyard-styled residence in her old life. As such, cleaning didn''t take a lot of time. "You''re... rather good at this," Kokuo commented. "It''s a disciple''s duty to take care of everyday chores. Back in my training days, I also did the same." It was more spartan in those era. The sect''s training ground was huge! Compared to that monstrosity, this house was a walk in the park. Dusting, moping, taking out laundry... she finished them all in record speed, like a seasoned veteran of housekeeping. When she went to check on the girl, Tsume didn''t know whether she should laugh or cry... "Good work. You''re free to do whatever you want, but don''t make any trouble, understand?" If she said she didn''t, would she even live to tell the tale? She could only nod in response... Thus, free time had finally arrived. Cultivation time! "Actually, we should start from the basic." The body she was in right now was still young, perhaps around eight years old. It was a good age to cultivate, since the physical body was still highly malleable and sensitive to qi. Like every other cultivator, she should start from the elementary stage. "What''s that about?" Kokuo asked, its eyes gleaming with curiosity. "The name is fancy, but it''s basically just strengthening the body." There were various training method for that, but they required specific tools. With their currently-limited budget, she should go with the free and natural way. Running. "...Just that?" Kokuo sighed. It had gotten excited just for the kid to end up running... "Don''t underestimate running! With correct posture and disciplined breathing, you can build your lower body muscles, which will strengthen your martial stance in the future!" Her master also forced her to run in the old days. She only understood way later that such a lame, boring activity would turned critical in the later stages of cultivation! Definitely should not underestimate running! Kokuo, who had ''utter disappointment'' painted on its face: "...Whatever floats your boat." She didn''t dare to go out to the village just yet, so she just run around the vicinity of the house. And again. And again. When she was out of her breath, she stopped for a bit, returning her breathing rhythm to normal, and then continued forth. Rinse and repeat until night fell. "Oi, you already skipped lunch, do you want to die?! Take your dinner!" When she caught sight of the girl laying limp from fatigue on the backyard, Tsume threw her in like a sack of potato. In the end, she managed to crawl to the dining table and eat with the rest of the family. The next day, the same routine continued. Do housework first, then start training in the noon. "Alright, I know my limit now. Let''s work on extending it." "Running again?" Kokuo yawned. "Cultivation is constant repetition, constantly moving even if it''s just a tiny step farther than before. You can only reach the peak with patience." "..." ''Won''t you die before you finish your training with that mindset?'' The beast wanted to retort, but didn''t have the heart to. Thus, the second day ended up just like before, except this time Tsume didn''t have to haul her in forcefully. On the third day, she asked permission to run around the village, which was given without any difficulty. Thus, she began to familiarize herself with the streets around Inuzuka clan''s compound. The same boring routine continued on until the seventh day. Right before she was going to start her jog, Tsume suddenly called for her. "I have a request." "Hmm?" The woman smirked. "My idiot son keep on botching his class to play with his dumb dog. Do something so he''ll at least train by his own, would ya?" "..." Wouldn''t it be better if she did that, as the mother? Yet, before she could reply, Tsume had already walked away. ...Oh well. The boss of the house already gave the words, so she could only try. "Where''s that brat, though? I''ve never seen him around the house at this time." Maybe in that academy thing that they said he was attending? But Tsume did say that he skipped a lot... "That creek, mayhaps?" "That''s it!" She gave Kokuo a thumbs up. --- As expected, the wild-haired boy was in the creek, crouching down as he played with a small, white-furred pup. The boy''s sense was extremely keen. He raised his head when he heard the girl''s feet crunching on fallen leaves in the distance. "Oh, it''s just you..." His tensing body began to loose up when he noticed that it wasn''t his mother who had come. He returned to playing with the pup. Akamaru, on the other hand, was getting excited upon noticing the girl''s scent. The pup slid off the boy''s grip and ran toward her. She wasn''t a dog lover, but as a human being, there was always a spot for such a cute creature. She gave the pup a pat, which was replied with an energetic bark. "You''re... Hikari, isn''t it? It''s rare that Akamaru could get attached to someone so easily." "Hmm," the girl just nodded. "Lady Tsume told you to train." The boy tensed up again. "Why do you keep on skipping lessons, anyway?" She pursued further. He turned away, muttering, "...It''s boring." "..." Boy, cultivation is boring. Getting bored isn''t a valid reason to stop training, though! She gave it some thought. Tsume had handed her the job, which meant that the woman herself had failed to rouse this kid''s interest in training. Normal method might not work. She looked down. The pup was sniffing her feet while wagging his tail. Hmm... Suddenly, she had an idea. She grabbed the puppy, and then put him on top of her head. "..." Both Kokuo and the boy gave her the thousand-yard stare. "Okay, I''m off." Before they could react, she already started running, with the pup still hanging above. It took Kiba a few more seconds before realization dawned in. "Oi, wait! Give back Akamaru, damnit!" That was the first time that she had witnessed the boy''s physical prowess. Godamnit, he was fast! She wouldn''t be able to shake him off if she run normally! It would be a bit risky, but she ended up raising her speed ahead of the training schedule. Nevermind the aftereffect, right now, she better not get caught by that wild beast behind her! She had a bad feeling about it! Thus, a girl with a pup on her head and a boy in hot pursuit were seen running circuit around the village like mad men. Everywhere they go, small whirlwinds would be left and dust clouds would be thrown into the air, causing the people around to cough. "What''s... that?" "That''s the Inuzuka kid, isn''t it?" Ignoring their confusion, the kids kept on running, or more like, the girl was escaping for dear life while getting chased by the boy. By the time that the crows cawed, the two kids were planking on the Inuzuka house''s backyard, their legs almost popped off after an entire day of running. On the other hand, Akamaru had had a blast. He let out thrilled barks while jumping around. "You kids are finally back. Have some dinner!" When Tsume saw the two dying kids sprawled on the grass, she cracked a satisfied grin, and then hauled them inside. Hana''s lips were twitching. She was worried for the kids'' condition, but seeing that her mother wasn''t against it, she couldn''t do anything but sigh. Whatever, if they really got hurt, she could just heal them later... 7 Keeping Up with the Inuzuka 2 It was morning once again. Somehow, she''d managed to crawl back to her room last night after that extreme marathon session. "Venerable One... I have this burning question in my mind." "Speak." "Why do I keep waking up with five tails?" She pointed at the five-branching horse tails on her back, which slowly shrunk back before finally disappearing from sight. "Those tails are extensions of This One''s chakra. If they shows up unprecedented, that means This One''s chakra is leaking out because your body is not strong enough to contain This One." "Ugh..." "They receded rather fast these days, are they not? Your body is getting accustomed to This One." Kokuo didn''t want to admit it, but all the running seemed to work to some extent... "So, I just need to get stronger, then they won''t appear again?" "Precisely." "That, I can do." She leaped out of the bed. At least her new body was suitable for training. A night''s sleep and the fatigue were all gone. Perhaps Tsume''s foods had something to do with it? After finishing her housework, she was called by the landlord again. "Keep at it." "Fue?" That was all. No further instructions, just ''keep at it''. Urk... another marathon? Even though she''d wanted to take it a bit easier from now on... Back at the creek, Kiba was still playing with Akamaru at the exact same spot from yesterday. This time, she tried not to alert the boy. Instead, she ran around the nearby hill so she could take the upper ground. And then, she jumped. "What the f-!?" Kiba nearly fainted from fright as the girl came crashing down out of nowhere. With a swift motion, she stole Akamaru from his grip, placed him on top of her head, and then ran away. Again. "!@#$%" Another storm ensued as the kids ran like a pair of lightning bolt over the entire village. Say, didn''t this boy got faster compared to yesterday?! "Godamnit, stop! If I ever catch you, I''ll-!" Kiba roared. "Then I can''t stop, can I?!" The girl cried out in return. Feeling the wind smacking on his face, Akamaru was beyond ecstatic as he enjoyed the fleeting scenery passing by at breakneck speed. He kept barking at random times, inciting Kiba to increase his speed, in turn making her go faster in response. When dusk arrived, two kids were sprawled out on the backyard. As usual, Tsume threw them in for dinner. --- The routine continued until the fifth day. Kiba was nowhere to be found. It seemed the boy had finally grown some brain cells and avoided the creek. After searching for a few minutes, she just shrugged and called it off. Not her fault that the boss''s son avoided her, right? Unfortunately, Tsume had already predicted what her son would''ve done. When the girl returned, she handed her a scroll. "What''s this?" "My stupid pup''s usual hiding spots. Go find him and drag him to train." "..." ''Boss Lady, if you already know where your son is, shouldn''t you go by yourself instead- you know what, nevermind.'' She was already wet. Might as well dive until the bottom. The first place in the list was the public park. No sight of the wild-haired boy. A failure. The second place was a ramen stall. "What''s a ra-men?" "Some long, tube-shaped human food. This One is not sure." "Tube... sounds like wheat noodles (mein)." She stopped for a bit, marveling at the sight of surrounding buildings. They looked fragile and rickety, but somehow they were able to stand as tall as mountains. It was far too different from the architecture of the Yang Dynasty and its preceding era. "I still can''t believe that these houses haven''t fallen over yet." "You humans like to live in strange places... This One likes the tranquility of the forests better." "It''s possible to live alongside nature instead of erecting these overgrown shacks. If only I could bring you back to the Yang Dynasty, I would''ve showed you the beauty of Chang''an... oh wait, isn''t that him?" At the alley by the side of a stall with ''Ramen Ichiraku'' written on it, three children could be seen lounging around, doing nothing in particular. The first one was a plump boy. The one beside him was a thin boy with spiky hair tied in a ponytail. The last one, who was crouching down with a pup slouched lazily on top of his head, was none other than the target of her operation. "Venerable One, let me show you the result of my elementary stage training." She tapped the ground once with her feet, and then made a quick leap toward the wall. She only made a brief contact before she leaped once again, continuing in zigzagging fashion until she landed gracefully on the roof nearby building. "What a nimble movement!" Kokuo remarked. It hadn''t detected any movement in her chakra pathway, meaning that the entire sequence was done purely with physical effort! "This is also a part of basic training, Qinggong. Not to brag, but I was quite good at it in my previous life. I should be able to move better if only I can use qi." "..." That Qing thing... how to pronounce that? "Nevermind that, let''s get closer to our young master." The girl stealthily jumped from one roof to another, until she reached the ramen stall. She scooted toward the edge of the canopy until she could hear what the kids were talking about. "Maaan, this is boring... hey, let''s go get something to eat," the fat boy complained. "Choji... you just ate an entire bag of chips just now." "I''m growing, alright? Hey, Shikamaru, what do you say? How about getting us some bowls of ramen?" The ponytail boy stared lazily at the clouds above, not paying attention to his friends'' bickering. He just made circular gesture with his fingers and answered briefly, "No money." "Ngh..." Well, money was indeed a problem... "By the way, Kiba... your stamina is getting better these days, what happened?" Choji squinted. This guy couldn''t have secretly trained without telling them, could he? "Tch, don''t remind me. There''s this crazy chick who keep on stealing Akamaru, so I had to chase her throughout the village for the entire day!" ...Huh. What a weird situation. "Brown hair, black eyes, wearing dark-colored robe?" "Yeah," Kiba nodded. "Wait, how did you know?" Choji pointed above Kiba''s head. A pair of hands were lifting the little pup away. When Kiba looked up, he saw the face of that ''crazy chick'' he''d talked about just now. "Whoops. Bye!" Placing Akamaru on top of her head as usual, the girl grinned at him before quickly sprinting away. "Raaaaagh!" Showing unprecedented dexterity, Kiba jumped onto the roof in one single leap, and then took pursuit, leaving Choji and Shikamaru in the dust. "..." "...Should we... help him?" "...Nah. It''s such a drag." "...Okay." Thus, the so-called beautiful friendship was abandoned just because it was ''too troublesome''... By the way, the result of today''s chase: two kids laying dead in the backyard, and one happy pup. --- The merry (?) occasion continued for a month, until one morning Tsume told her that she could stop. "That idiot pup finally decided to stay at the academy. Heheh... I guess he''s afraid of getting tailed by you!" "..." So... she didn''t have to be a dog thief anymore, right? "Hey, do you... want to attend the academy as well?" Tsume stared at her with inquisitive eyes. Something in that question made her feel like she was being prodded. "Not interested," she promptly replied. Even though her actual techniques had been erased by first cup of Five-Fragrance Tea, the knowledge on how to train them still remained. She''d rather followed the tried-and-true methods from her previous life than starting from zero. Anyway, anything that she had to know regarding this new world, she could just ask Kokuo for answer. Tsume seemed satisfied with her response. She didn''t pursue the topic any further. Anyway, now that she was freed from the stalking job, she could begin the next step in her training. "Since I''ve finished building the foundation for my lower body, it''s time to extend training to the upper body as well." "Why not train both from the start?" Kokuo inquired. "I''m just copying my master''s words, but I also believe that a strong lower body is the basis of all martial arts." Without proper stances, there would be no martial arts to speak of. In a sense, strengthening lower body was tremendously more important than upper body! Before wanting to make your punches stronger, work on your kicks first! "Thus, we''ll borrow these tools for our next training: water jugs!" She made a ta-da pose toward the two water jugs in front of her. They were as tall as herself. Seeing Kokuo''s confused face, she quickly explained. "It seems that the house usually draws water from a well, but it''ll also be a big help if I can get some down the river. Tsume already agreed to it." "Isn''t that just another chore then..." "Don''t underestimate water carrying!" By adjusting the amount of water inside the jug, the amount of training could be customized at will. It was definitely more versatile than standard weights! "Master taught us not to rely on overly-complicated tools! I also trained by carrying water jugs up and down the mountain back in the day!" "...Could it be that your master was just poor?" "..." She cut the conversation right then and there. The creek was a bit too shallow to draw water from, so she decided to go to a wider river at the other end of the village. The jugs themselves were light. She thought that with this young body, she could only fill them around eighth part before they would be too heavy. To her surprise, she was able to lift half-filled jugs. "Is... is the people''s body in this era blessed by Heaven?" "Since you have chakra coursing through your body, is it not normal?" Chakra... that mysterious energy also strengthen physique? That''s really similar to qi. Perhaps she should research about it later... Anyway, for now, the goal was to keep training until she could lift completely-filled jugs! "So you lift it... now what?" "We run like usual." "..." Just lifting them while standing in one place wouldn''t be efficient enough. If she was to run while having these weights on, however, she would be able to train her legs as well. Two birds with one stone! "Well, let''s go-" She was about to run toward the village when they heard a small yelp coming from one of the jug. "...Venerable One... did you hear..." "...Aah..." The girl and Kokuo turned their gaze up toward the source of the noise. A small white blot jutted out of the opening of the jug. Its mouth parted, and then it panted delightfully. Although not visible from below, the thing was wagging its tail, expressing its excitement. "...Ah, damn, isn''t that Akamaru...?" "...This One believes so..." "...Then, that means..." Kokuo quickly hid back inside her soul, right on time when a wild-haired boy in hooded jacket came into the picture with a sliding dash. He was covered in sweat, perhaps because he''d run all the way from the academy to the edge of the village. "Hikari, you bastard! Give back Akamaru!" "Hwaaah?!" Seeing that face distorted like an Asura, the girl panicked and threw a jug to the kid. "@#!@$ Agh! Heavy!" Before he could react properly, she''d already fled the scene. "Why are you running?" Kokuo asked in confusion. "I don''t know!" It was just reflex, alright? Besides, that face was too scary... Woof. ""Eh?"" Both human and Tailed Beast looked up. Ah crap, why was Akamaru in this jug? She had thrown the wrong one! "RAAAAAAH!" Hearing that roar from hell, she sneaked a glance behind her. Something scary was approaching, still carrying the half-filled jug she''d thrown earlier. Crap crap crap. Gotta run! Meanwhile, up ahead in the streets, "Ah, The Inuzuka kids are coming again..." The stall owners sighed before pulling their wares away from the middle of the street. As expected, two kids quickly passed through, leaving dust storm on their wake. The villagers just waved their hand to clear up their breath. It had already became such a common occurrence that the villagers regarded it as a natural phenomenon. But... "...Why are they carrying water jugs?" "...No idea..." Ah, yes, they also wanted to know, but not sure whether it would be worth their time to ask... Anyway, The chase this time ended at dusk. As the two kids were left sprawled on the backyard, their legs and arms twitching, Akamaru jumped off the jug, feeling really satisfied. --- The same thing happened for the next three months. Somehow, Akamaru kept on popping up in her training. Even when she''d changed where to draw water from, the little pup always managed to sneak in and hitched a ride. It would be too late when she''d found out. Wherever Akamaru ran off to, Kiba would naturally follow. She''d tried throwing the correct jugs multiple time, but it seemed like Akamaru kept on switching to her side of the jug, not Kiba''s. She had no idea how or why, but that just happened. At the very least, it wasn''t all for naught. She''d managed to carry completely-filled jugs with ease now, even exchanging the jugs she was using with bigger ones. Ah, no, it was more like the jugs she and Kiba were using... since that kid got involved against his wishes, he ended up carrying weights all over the village too. As a result, Choji would grumble that Kiba had gotten buff all of the sudden, even though he kept on skipping classes... But she couldn''t know about that. At the moment, she was just happy that the physical conditioning part was done! "Right now I should be around the peak of elementary stage. Once I breakthrough, I will become a Qi Condensation stage practitioner... or that''s supposed to be the plan." "But?" Kokuo inquired. The beast was rather intrigued with her strange way of training, which was a bit different from those shinobis. It produced result, though, so the beast wouldn''t complain just yet. "I can''t feel qi in this world... or maybe I''m searching for the wrong thing." Everyone in her old world could sense qi if they hone their instinct, but it was an acquired process, and they had to know what was ''qi'' in the first place, hence the need of masters to show them the right direction. What she was searching was based on the ''qi'' that she previously knew. If she couldn''t sense them, then it was either that there was no qi in the first place, or the qi in this world was different from what she was trying to sense. "That''s why... Venerable One, can you teach me about ''chakra''?" Kokuo snorted. "Hmph, so in the end you have to rely on This One... fine. This One shall tell you about it." "Thank you!" It was already nighttime though, so they agreed to postpone the topic and rest for the time being. The next morning, she rose up lazily from the mattress, feeling the usual sensation of something silky pressed beneath her. The tails. Even though the frequency was greatly reduced now that she was at peak elementary stage, they still showed up from time to time whenever she wasn''t conscious. Not a big deal. They were usually hidden under the blanket while sleeping, so nobody would''ve noticed. Just as she was about to retract them back, she suddenly noticed a presence in the room. "Not good!" Kokuo yelled in her mind. Sprawled at the corner of the room was Kiba, with Akamaru clutched on his chest. The boy''s gaze was focused on the white tails jutting out of her back, the finger he was pointing with trembled uncontrollably. "...That... what is that?!" "..." Welp. Godamnit. 8 Beggar Sect, is it? In the cutthroat world of cultivation, it was common sense for experts to selfishly desire other''s belongings. Hidden techniques, ancient artifacts, even spirit beasts. As long as it was a rarity, there would be someone who want to put their hands on them, no matter the cost. Even if they had to kill other human beings. As an expert who had survived those turmoils over the thousands of years, she was well aware of such danger. That was why, even though Kokuo hadn''t explicitly told her to do it yet, she had instinctively hid the Tailed Beast''s presence. But now... someone had finally found out. If this was her old self from back then, the first thing she would''ve done was... ''Kill him!'' Perhaps thinking along the same vein, Kokuo poured out its chakra. Thin red glow began to envelope her. ''Just a small kid, This One only need a single shot.'' ''Eh, Venerable One, wait!'' Before Kokuo could materialize any chakra ball, she called it off at the last moment. This wasn''t the turbulent era prior to the Yang Dynasty. They couldn''t just kill someone and be done with it without anyone else noticing. At the very least, the Inuzuka would be suspicious. They wouldn''t be able to stay in their compound anymore unless they opt to kill the entire clan. Actually, that was a possibility. But then, the village would also get involved. Should they kill the entire village as well? Hmm, this is getting out of hand... While her thoughts were getting more and more muddled, she suddenly felt something soft and wet touching her skin. Akamaru was rubbing his face on her legs, trying to get her attention. "..." She got struck with an inspiration. While Kiba was still confused, she quickly grabbed the puppy, one hand circling around his waist while the other gripping his neck. "If you tell anyone, I''ll... I''ll kill him!" "..." Kokuo didn''t know what to say. Somehow the scale of the situation had plummeted from ''let''s kill the entire village!'' to ''get the dog!'' in the blink of an eye... Akamaru was his precious partner. Naturally, Kiba would be worried for his safety. But... the puppy was wagging his tail without a care in the world. Rather than being taken hostage, it looked more like he was merely playing. There was just no tension in this scenario ah! "...Why do you look disappointed? I''m serious!" She was about to tighten the grip when she caught a glance at Akamaru staring back at her with his slit-eyes. His tongue was jutting out as he panted happily. Then, he licked her face. "...Uuu..." ...Can''t. She can''t kill this precious little dumb thing... Letting the dog go, she crumbled to her knees. In the end, nothing else to do but to kowtow. "...Please don''t tell anyone..." Watching a girl burying her face on the floor like her life was depending on it, Kiba didn''t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. It''s said that you''ll grow calmer when other people around you are more agitated. At least, it rang true for his current situation. "Alright, alright, I won''t tell. Get up, stop kneeling." For now, let''s just hear what she had to say. --- The Inuzuka had excellent hearing. If they wanted her story to remain hidden, it would be best to talk elsewhere. Thus, they arranged to meet at the usual creek around noon time. "You... skipped class again, didn''t you?" "Heh, it doesn''t matter. C''mon, spill the beans." Popping out of his hood, Akamaru barked, urging her as well. "Fine... Venerable One, if you may?" A mist of chakra flew out of her body, condensing into a form reminiscent of a horse with dolphin face and five flowing tails. "The heck...!" Kiba almost screamed. Thankfully he managed to cover his mouth on time. "You guessed it right, it''s a spirit beast," The girl nodded. "...A what?" "She spews out random things at times. You''ll get used to it, human." A voice suddenly echoed in Kiba''s mind, shocking him further. Somehow he could tell that this voice belonged to this white beast that had appeared out of nowhere. Kokuo took a step closer to the boy, exuding a proud, majestic aura. "This One is Kokuo, the great Five-Tails. This human female here is This One''s Jinchuuriki." Five-Tails? Jinchuuriki? The terms flew over Kiba''s head, so he just sat there with mouth agape. Hikari let out a dry cough. "So, it''s like this..." She proceeded to detail the events starting from the time she woke up in Iwagakure, discovering Kokuo inside her soul, their following escapade, up to the way they reached this creek back when he''d found her. For the reincarnation part... she decided to leave it out. It was such a heavy concept even for a long-lived expert like her. They shouldn''t burden a nine-years-old brain with more baggage than he could process. "Okay, so you got this... horse-thingy inside of you, and people from Iwagakure want it, so you have to keep it hidden or else they''ll take it out and kill you?" She nodded. "Maaan, what a drag..." Kiba slouched down, feeling that the world suddenly turned more complicated. In response, Akamaru licked his cheek to cheer him up. "That''s why, please don''t tell anyone?" "Haaah... truth be told, I was going to tell mom about it this morning." She gulped. "But...?" "But, Akamaru told me not to. So I didn''t. You better thank him later!" ...Huh? The puppy told him not to...? "Besides, if you''re hiding here, those Iwa ninja''s plan will be wrecked, right? Heh, serves them right!" "So..." "Fine, fine, I''ll keep it all a secret. But promise me that you won''t get my family in danger!" "Thank you!" For now, she was relieved that everything had turned out well. ...Turned out... well... Hmm, now that she had calmed down properly, a question suddenly popped up in her mind. "Why were you in my room this morning?" Kiba trembled slightly. Turning his face away, he began whistling an off-beat tune. "..." Being the recipient of Hikari and Kokuo''s cold, accusing glare, he finally relented and told them the truth. "I was going to play a prank on you, okay? Just that! Nothing else!" "..." What a petty reason... "W-what''s with that gaze? It''s your fault for disturbing my happy time with Akamaru!" "If you didn''t like it, can''t you just tell me off from the start?" It was a bit too late to pay her back now, wasn''t it? They''d been running marathon all over Konoha for the past three months! "...Akamaru didn''t seem to hate it, so..." "..." This kid... his reasoning starts with ''Akamaru likes it'' and ends with ''Akamaru doesn''t hate it''. If Akamaru wanted him to jump off a cliff, perhaps he might really do it? Kinda worrying... "A-anyway, why did you show those weird tails? You''re just asking for someone to find it out sooner or later!" "I can''t help it, alright?!" "This human can''t control This One''s chakra properly, so they leaked out," Kokuo explained. "''Tis why This One shall teach her how to control chakra, lest this incident will repeat itself." "Controlling chakra? Are you a shinobi, too?" That term again. Ninja. Shinobi. According to her new body''s memory, these terms were interchangeable. She couldn''t find a match with her old language though. "What''s a ''shinobi''?" She asked. Kiba was genuinely surprised with her response. "Seriously? You already stayed with us for so long and you have no idea what a shinobi is? Oi, Fish-Face, why didn''t you tell her?" "Watch your mouth when talking to This One, human," Kokuo harrumphed. "This One thought that she already knew." After all, who in this world wouldn''t know about shinobi? Apparently, this girl over here. Kiba let out a sigh. "Let me educate you then. Shinobi, or ninja, are incredible people who can wield their chakra to perform jutsu. My entire clan are ninja. Actually, this entire village is. I''m currently learning to become one in the academy!" Jutsu. That translated relatively to ''techniques''... ...Hmm... So, ninjas were people who can use ''energy'' to perform ''techniques''... "Cultivators?" She blurted out in her old language. "...?" Naturally, it was met with everyone''s confused gaze. "She did spout out random words..." "This One already warned you." "So, what do ''ninja'' do with their power?" She inquired further, ignoring their remarks. "Hmm..." Kiba scratched the back of his head. "I''m not too sure, but from what I''ve learned in class, we do missions involving espionage, escorting important figures, and even assassination. A good shinobi operates in the shadow, undetected by their foes. You know mom and sis sometimes went away for days, right? It''s for that kind of business." "Espionage... assassination... moving under the radar..." Ah, she got it! "Beggar Sect, is it?" "...Huh?" She was met with even more confused gazes. "Who''d you call a beggar...! you know what, nevermind," Kiba sighed, somehow getting mentally tired. "Normal people can''t use their chakra properly. Only us ninja can. That''s why if you can control yours, that usually means you''re also one of us." Was she? Nevertheless... "I''m not a ninja. I''m a cultivator!" She was just being stubborn, but she really couldn''t just put down the way of living that she''d walked through for the last thousands of years. Perhaps if she had drunk the entire course of her Five-Fragrance Tea, she could accept the new reality more easily, but sadly that wasn''t the case. Whether it was futile or not, she didn''t care. She just wanted to keep walking in the path that she believed in! "I''m telling you, I have no idea what a ''cultivator'' is..." Then again, it was her life, so Kiba had no desire to interfere. He''d gotten his hand full with his own. "...But you still have to learn how to control chakra, at least to hide those tails." "...I know..." Anyway, this ''chakra'' thingy could be this world''s version of ''qi''. If she wanted to further her cultivation level, learning more about it is a must. "That''s all then. I''m leaving." "Ah? Wait-" "Don''t bother me, I''m not in the mood to play chase with you today. Relax, I said I won''t tell anyone about your... situation, so I won''t." No, actually she wanted to tell him to get back to class... but eh, whatever. With Kiba and Akamaru out of sight, she turned back to Kokuo. "Now then, Venerable One, please teach me about chakra!" "Hmph. This One will only say it once. Remember it carefully!" She nodded, straining her ears so that she wouldn''t miss any wisdom that the Tailed Beast would impart. "Listen, chakra is..." ... Uh... Chakra is... what? "Venerable One?" Kokuo coughed. "...Fool. Words alone won''t be enough to describe it. This One shall demonstrate it to you instead." Faint red glow began to gather around her body. At the same time, she could feel strength coursing throughout her veins. This feeling was awfully similar to qi circulation. So it was true! Chakra was this world''s version of qi! "Do you get it now? This is chakra." "I see!" She was ecstatic. If she could wield this so-called chakra, cultivating further was highly possible! "Then, Venerable One, how to control this energy?" She''d tried to utilize her dantian, but it showed no reaction whatsoever. The red-colored chakra simply coursed through her body as if they had a will of their own. Maybe this world employed a different method? Kokuo blinked rapidly. If it was a human, it would be breaking out cold sweat at the moment. Uh, how to control the chakra again...? "Just... think about it in your mind?" "I did. Nothing happened..." "This One can do it just fine." The red chakra grew thicker, rousing her with more power. However, the fact remained that no matter what she did, she could only feel the effect but couldn''t control them. After a few more minutes, she finally arrived to a conclusion. "...Venerable One... are you..." Was it actually clueless about how humans control their chakra? "..." The great Five-Tails, one of the exalted Tailed Beasts who wielded power beyond mortal belief. For the first time in its storied existence, it turned its head away in shame... 9 Ah Crap, He Broke Through Since Kokuo was useless, it was time to find someone else to teach her about chakra. Unfortunately, since she had little control over her chakra, she might end up popping out those damned tails again. If she asked some random people in the street, they might found out about Kokuo and raised some hell. She still couldn''t trust the Inuzuka. While Tsume wasn''t particularly hostile to her, their relation was shallow at best. She couldn''t rely on her just yet. Thankfully, yesterday''s incident provided her with a solution. Let''s just get Kiba to teach her! He had been attending the academy for a year or so. Even the biggest idiot would''ve learned a thing or two after so long, right? That morning, she intercepted him right before he was about to go out of the house. "Huh? Teaching you about chakra? No way!" Unfortunately, getting his cooperation didn''t seem to be easy... "Just ask that monster inside of you." "I did, but a spirit beast and a human are different by nature..." "...In short, he''s useless." ''Insolent kid! This One shall show you who''s the useless one!'' ''Ssush, ssush, Venerable One, be patient! Be merciful!'' While she was busy placating the rampaging beast, Kiba nonchalantly turned away. "Anyway, get off my back. I want to enjoy my rare day off." "Aaah, wait, please teach me!" She hastily grabbed his wrist, preventing him from going any further. Getting irritated with her antics, he tried to push her away, but found out that her grip was so strong, he couldn''t even move his caught arm. When he tried to forcefully drag her with him, it also ended up in failure. No matter how much strength he exerted, she still wouldn''t budge. Ah, heck, she had such a small frame, how did she end up being so strong? "Let go!" "No! Please teach me!" "Aaargh! Why does it have to be me in the first place?" "I can''t ask anyone else!" "Like I care! I''m leaving!" Kiba had also (accidentally) trained in her cultivation method. Combined with Inuzuka clan''s physical talent, his current strength wasn''t something to joke at when he was getting serious. By exerting a bit more force than usual, he was slowly getting a bit ahead in their tug of war. What to do... at this rate, he''d really abandon her... ... Oh, wait, she got an idea! "I mean, you''ve learned about chakra in the academy, right? It''s not like you don''t know about it because you slept in or skipped out, right...?" The boy immediately stopped struggling. His heart was getting pierced by invisible arrows. H-how did she know- "N-none of your business! Let go!" "Please, teach me? Surely a genius young master like you can easily do it, can''t you?" Her voice grew softer, as if placating a child. Kiba failed to notice her tone. He was focusing more on the part where she had called him a ''genius''. "Heh, let me tell ya, even if you praise me, I won''t-" "It''s true! You''re strong, brilliant, not to mention extremely talented. Please show this humble one how it should be done!" "...Heh." He scratched his nose, feeling embarrassed. However, he was nonetheless really satisfied with her words. "Fine! Can''t be helped! This Great I will show you the way! Come with me!" He beckoned her to follow as he changed direction toward the outskirt of the village. "...Woof..." Witnessing how easy his master got bought out with sweet words, Akamaru let out a disapproving bark.... Kokuo, on the other hand, just squinted at Hikari. "What is it, Venerable One?" "...Glib-tongue." "I got called that a lot. Heheh... this type of person, just by flattering them a bit, we can get a lot of benefit..." "..." In its mind, Kokuo noted that it should never take whatever this girl said to heart. They were all lies. Lies, it say! --- The place that Kiba had chosen for their training was a clearing not too far from the village border. According to his explanation, it was quite a popular spot for students of the academy to train in their spare time. On day offs like these, though, it was practically deserted. "Alright, let''s start! Don''t waste my time! Listen carefully!" With a smug look on his face, he began to recite the lines that he''d memorized from his teacher back in the academy. "There are two types of energy within us, they''re called physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy comes from our body, while spiritual energy comes from our mind. When we combine both of them, we get ''chakra''." He pulled out a booklet with a title that reads reads, ''Basic of Ninjutsu''. From the worn-out state of its cover, it seemed that the boy had been reading it for quite a while. He then proceeded to flip through the pages until he found a simple drawing of a human with lines drawn above it. "Look, this is called chakra pathway system. Think of it like veins, but instead of blood, it''s for our chakra. Our physical and mental energy will converge in these organs called chakra coils, which will be distributed throughout our body by the pathway!" She stared at the drawing, comparing the pathway to the meridian veins that she knew. There were a few minor differences, but they were essentially the same. How miraculous. And these chakra-producing organs, weren''t they just dantian? The location was also the same, with the most important one located below the abdomen. ''Interesting... instead of gathering energy from the world, these people could produce them within their own bodies?'' Similar concept existed in her old world, but inner qi wasn''t something that could be increased with mere training. That was why refining outer qi became fundamental to cultivation. "Question!" She raised her hand. "What is it?" "What do you mean that physical energy comes from our body? From what part exactly does it come from? What about spiritual energy? What kind of training do we have to increase its output?" "..." How could he know? They haven''t covered that yet in class! "Excuse me for a moment." He turned around, using his back to hide the fact that he was madly flipping through the book, trying to find the answer. "Found it! Uh, I mean, I do know from the start! I''m just confirming it!" "Yes, yes, of course," she nodded while showing him a sweet, fake smile. "Physical energy comes from our cells, and to strengthen it we just have to do physical training. Spiritual energy requires us to learn and practice jutsu over and over again to make them more efficient." Seems straightforward so far. She could understand that. Now then, how about some firsthand experience? "Great master, can you show me your chakra? I bet it''s really awesome!" Naturally, Kiba couldn''t refuse. "Haha! Don''t get surprised after seeing my power!" He closed his eyes, trying to get a feel of his chakra. Following his will, the energy began to move in his body, enveloping him in a bluish light. At the same time, his physique began to change as well. His nails grew longer, forming what looked like a beast''s claws, while his canine teeth jutted out to resemble fangs. "You''re transforming!" Hikari exclaimed. "Ah?" He opened his eyes to look at his nails-turned-claws. He didn''t seem perturbed by his changes, as if it was a daily occurrence. "It''s just our family''s specialty. Don''t worry about it." He willed his chakra to settle back down. As the bluish light receded, his features also returned back to normal. "You see that blue glow just now? That''s chakra. You just have to feel them in your body, then will them to come out. Its easy, just like barking!" "Blue..." She suddenly remembered that the light coming out of her this entire time was red, not blue! "That was This One''s chakra shared with you," Kokuo answered her confusion before she even had the chance to ask. "I see... eh, wait, no wonder I couldn''t control them!" Even in her cultivator days, it was common sense that borrowed powers would never work out well. Before she could dream of controlling other people''s strength, she had to have one to begin with. "Venerable One, please let me train my own chakra. You don''t need to interfere for now." "...Fine." She took a deep breath. Will them to move, huh? That was really vague. Then again, these people already had chakra from birth. Moving them with a single thought would only come as natural for them. She should start from the very beginning. Those chakra-producing organs... it would be fine if she thought of them as dantian, right? She remembered the sensation back then when she had first met Kokuo. She definitely had moved her dantian before. The method was still the same. Perhaps the problem was that she was trying to move ''qi'', when she should be moving ''chakra''. This time, she tried to sense for energy similar to the one that Kiba had showed. When she had caught a glimpse of them, she started to rotate her dantian, willing that energy to circulate throughout her meridian. ...Found them. She felt the same power as the one given by Kokuo yesterday coursing through her body. However, she could control them this time. She could make them flow faster, or slower, or even going in reverse direction. Her dantian was finally working properly! Bluish mist exuded out of her body, enveloping her whole, a tell-tale sign that she was really utilizing her chakra. Now then, how about refining them? She began to condense the chakra flow within her dantian, trying to form the sea of qi. However, the energy felt imperfect. Something was missing in the equation, creating a bottleneck in the refinement process. It was like squeezing water out of a rock. While she had a feeling that she could produce something if she kept on going, she couldn''t tell what would really happen at the end of the road. Perhaps it just need a bit more time? Oh well, it was sufficient for now. She just had to increase her capacity in order to breakthrough to Qi Condensation stage. Hopefully she could refine them as well so that she could advance to Foundation Establishment stage... "Hey, stop using them!" Kiba yelled out with a panicked voice. "Huh? What do you mean?" "Your chakra! Stop using them! If you run out, you''ll die!" The instructors in the academy had strictly warned them not to overuse their chakra. Since it was linked with a person''s vitality, by the time their chakra had run out, their life would naturally perish as well. This girl, however, was letting them out without a care in the world! "It won''t run out, I''m just circulating it through my meridian. As long as it''s not leaking out, I''ll be fine." "...What?" That... true, the blue light didn''t flicker off like flame, they looked more like a constant glow made by neon lights. "Why don''t you try it as well? It''s always good to refine qi from young age." She poked at his belly with one finger. "This spot, feel the dant- I mean, the chakra organ in this place. Imagine that you''re rotating it in high speed. Don''t let your energy flow out from your body, keep them running in closed circuit." "???" When in confusion, people would follow whatever suggestion was given to them, regardless of the consequence. The same logic applied here. Following the girl''s instruction, Kiba began to circulate his chakra. At first, they kept on leaking out. However, as time went by, the glow became more subdued, before settling down in a rather stable state. "Well? How do you feel?" "I... guh?!" He suddenly clutched his chest, feeling pain all over his body. Hot. His body was scorching hot. It was as if a flame was burning within, threatening to turn him into ash. "Kiba?!" "Uagh!!" The pores on his skin opened up simultaneously. Trickles of black, smelly substances poured out from them, soaking through his shirt and pants. "Eh, wait, don''t tell me..." While she had deeper knowledge about the subject, Kiba had started actual training since one year earlier. In terms of reaching the bottleneck of elementary stage, he could be said to be infinitely closer to the next step compared to the girl who had just trained for three months. This result was hardly surprising. His chakra veins widened up in an instant, forcing his chakra organs to pump out more in order to satisfy the demands. The bluish light enveloping him turned more opaque as a result. Meanwhile, a surge of power coursed throughout his body. His muscles grew denser and more defined, while his senses were heightened to another degree. The sudden change had exhausted him. His dantian stopped moving, causing the bluish light to disappear. Fainting with his eyes rolling up their socket, the boy fell down like a sack of potato. "Casting off impurities... a sudden increase of energy capacity... forming a sea of qi..." Hikari murmured with a frown as deep as the Mariana trench. That boy... judging from the symptoms, he most likely had crossed the bottleneck and entered qi condensation stage... "..." Ah crap, he broke through. 10 Why Are You Wiggling Your Hands? The Great Tailed Beast, the Five-Tails Kokuo, had a problem. Its Jinchuuriki had been stuck in depression mode. After carrying that Kiba kid home and unceremoniously dumping him on the backyard, she returned back to her room and slept through the entire day, missing lunch and dinner altogether. She only crawled out of the blanket comes morning the next day. Like a ghostly apparition, she floated toward the kitchen, and then stuffed loaves of bread into the toaster. "...You hungry?" The beast tried to make some small talk. "...Hmmhmm." "..." Without bothering to spread jam on the bread, she swallowed the popped loaves whole. "Why do you look so down? You learned how to control chakra now, isn''t that what you wanted?" ''Ugh''. She gave Kokuo an angry glare. "Don''t remind me about it. That kid broke through first! It''s so unfair! Aaargh, thinking about it makes me angry! That stupid kid!" "..." It turned out that she was just mad that someone else had succeeded before her. ...How petty. "Who''re you calling stupid kid?! A-achooo!" Right on cue, the stupid kid slithered into the kitchen through the back door while throwing epic sneezes here and there. "Oh, you caught a cold? Congratulations. Careful so you won''t catch bronchitis," she mumbled while munching on her bread. "Why are you suddenly so cranky?! Besides, you''re the one who left me in the backyard for the whole night, godamnit! Haachooo!" She just turned away and ignored his remark. "Give me that," he was about to grab a loaf when she pulled the plate away. "No. Mine." "..." His hand shot out even faster than before, snatching two loaves before she could react. "Hey! I''m eating that!" "Was." Opening his mouth wide, he devoured them in one big munch. And then, he sneezed again, throwing bits and pieces onto the kitchen floor. "..." "...Don''t you dare comment," he growled. After he was done with the food, he turned to her with a serious expression. "Alright, fess up... what happened to me yesterday? I was following your stupid method and suddenly my body''s going all weird, and then craps happened." "First, it''s not some ''stupid method'', it''s the method of qi refining," she frowned. "Apologize to all the ancestral masters in the afterlife!" "Yea, yea, whatever, just get to the point." She let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "You''ve broken through into Qi Condensation stage." "Broke... what? I did what?" "Nothing much. It''s just the name of a cultivation stage. In summary, you''ve successfully established the sea of qi... err, the sea of chakra. Your energy capacity had surged in an instant, which resulted in improvements to your overall physique." While it sounded fancy, Qi Condensation stage was just a beginning step for a cultivator. It was just a stage that separated people who merely trained their body with those who had grasped the concept of qi. Unfortunately, from Kiba''s explanation the day before, she''d deduced that everyone in this world had chakra in their body in one way or another. That means, they were technically already half-step through Qi Condensation stage just by the virtue of being born. It was only the matter of training to increase the density of their chakra production. In other words, it wasn''t anything special. Even by her old world''s standard, geniuses had entered this stage at the tender age of four. At their age current age, reaching early rank of Qi Condensation stage was hardly an accomplishment, more like a couple years too late. Of course, Kiba wasn''t privy to these details. He was just delighted when he heard that he''d gotten stronger. "Really? Now that you mention it, I do feel like my chakra reserve is bigger than usual. Hehehe... this is great!" "Yeah, yeah, congratulations... tsk." Kokuo was amazed with how petty this old soul could be toward a little boy... Nevertheless, her old habit of mentoring his disciples kicked in. Even when she was annoyed with him, she still gave him tips for his further training. "Keep doing chakra circulation with your dantian, but make sure you''re in a tranquil state while doing so. If you''re distracted during the process, you might experience qi deviation." "Dev- what?" "It means your chakra will go nuts." He almost choked on his tea when he heard that. "Don''t disturb me. I''m going to start closed door cultivation. Also, take a bath. You stink." "Ah hey, wait-" Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, she slammed the kitchen door before scurrying back to her room. --- A month quickly passed by. Aside of doing her daily chores and getting some food, Hikari was holing in her room the entire him. She sat in a lotus position, tirelessly circulating her chakra like there was no tomorrow. Finally, she had reached the density to form a sea of q- chakra. "Haah..." Her robe was soaked with blackish substance perforating out of her skin. Unlike Kiba, she was used to the mind-numbing experience, allowing her to withstand the pressure and stayed awake through the whole ordeal. When the purification phase was done, she rotated her chakra one time to confirm that she had indeed broken through to Qi Condensation stage. "Finally!" There was still a problem at hand. Chakra was really hard to refine. At this rate, she might be able to advance through Qi Condensation stage just by enlarging her chakra veins, but breaking into Foundation Establishment stage would be nigh-impossible since it required an entire load of purified energy. What to do, what to do? "...I''ll just think about it later." She was satisfied with what she had at hand. Because, by reaching this stage, she could finally train in the martial art techniques from her old world! "You... you look so smug right now, it''s kinda annoying..." Kokuo commented. "Really?" She touched her cheeks. Aah, not good, she was grinning too much. "I''m just happy that I can train now, heheheh..." "..." This girl... she really was a training junkie, wasn''t she? "Before that, I have to do something first." "And that is...?" "Taking a bath," she sniffed on her sleeves, and then frowned. "It stinks like hell." "..." --- To celebrate her breakthrough, she didn''t train for the day, instead opting to lounge around on the living room''s tatami. "Haa... this is heaven... I should make this carpet thing when I return to the Yang Dynasty..." "You sure it''s fine to laze around like this?" Kokuo didn''t dare to materialize out in the open, so it could only communicate from within her soul. "Taking a break when needed is crucial for your cultivation. Besides, I kinda need something from the Lady Boss." Lately, Tsume had been disappearing with Kiba. From what she''d gathered, the mother and son pair had been secluding themselves in the clan''s training ground since around the same time that she had started her closed-door cultivation. Whatever they were doing, Kiba didn''t look too keen about it, since the boy would usually came out battered and bruised at the end of the day. It was to the point that he''d wished he could go to the academy instead. Unfortunately, it was by his own mother''s behest. What could the academy do? They could only leave him to his mother''s own device. If they were following the same pattern, they should be done around this time of the day. As expected, Kiba staggered into the living room before planking on the tatami, completely spent. Tsume came in shortly after. "Oh? You''re finally out of your little world." "Un," Hikari nodded in response. "Lady Tsume, I have something to ask." "Speak." "I wish to borrow a weapon." The smile on the wild-haired woman''s face was distorted ever so slightly. "...Why would you need one?" "It''s for my training." She decided to just tell her the truth. Anyway, she was going to train inside their house. Tsume would definitely notice if she brought weapons from outside the compound. It would be better to borrow it from her directly. Since the clan was a member of Beggar Sect... err, shinobi, they should have supplies of their own. Tsume stared at her for a full minute, her gaze seemingly trying to gauge the girl''s real intention. In the end, she relented. "Follow me." Leaving the half-dead Kiba in the living room, Tsume led her toward the clan''s warehouse. The front part of the building was filled to the brims with racks upon racks of medicinal pills and canine training tools, a testament to the Inuzuka clan''s ninja dog-rearing business. On the back, hidden behind a fake cabinet, was a chamber containing the clan''s stored weapons. "Pick whatever you like. I can only give you one, though." Even if she said that... Kunai, shuriken, kusarigama, metal claws... they were all armaments for ninja. Not really compatible for her style. Maybe a staff would be better? "Oh, wait." She pulled out a short sword from the racks. "A ninjato? Planning to learn kenjutsu?" The Inuzuka clan preferred smaller weapons that could be deployed while they moved about in high speed. If she fancied the sword, nobody in the clan could teach her the techniques. "Hmm, kind of. May I have this?" "I did tell you that you can pick anything... well, fine. Don''t come crying to me if you can''t handle it later." To the contrary, this sword was actually still too short for her liking. However, it was the closest thing to what she had in mind, so it had to do for now. She moved to the back garden, scrutinizing the weapon under the sunlight. The sword was around three-fourth the length of a standard Jian sword from her old world. It was single-edged, which made it more akin to Dao swords. There was no particular care put in its creation, just a standard run-of-the-mill mass-produced weapon. She gave it a few test swings. It felt a bit too light. She''d had to adjust properly. "You''re really going to learn kenjutsu?" Kokuo asked. "Not a ninja, but a samurai, now?" "What? No. I don''t know about that ''kenjutsu'' thing, but what I''m going to learn is Emei swordsmanship." During her thousands years traveling through the mortal and immortal realms, the old soul had amassed tremendous amount of manuals in her memory. Among all of those forbidden manuals, the one that she was eyeing to learn at the moment was the techniques of the Emei Sect, which was based on Nine Yang Manual and Nine Yin Manual. Located in Emei mountain, the eponymous sect was hailed as one of the Four Great Sword Sects. It boasted techniques that were best suited for women''s physique. With movements that alternated fluidly between offense and defense, its practitioners were known as some of the best swordsmen and swordswomen who had ever roamed the wulin! Kokuo naturally didn''t know what Emei mountain is, since that place didn''t exist in this world. The beast just stayed quiet though. It already got used to the girl spouting random words at this point. "Emei-style martial arts focused on the movement of the wrists, giving the practitioners absolute control over their attack. There are twelve movements that form the core of this style: Heaven, Earth, It, Heart, Dragon, Crane, Wind, Cloud, Big, Small, Darkness, and Light. By practicing these movements in order, we can strengthen our meridian and build up our qi... err, chakra, efficiently." "That sounds... really sketchy, to be honest." "It''s not! Here, let me show you the first movement!" She lifted one of her hand, and then straightened the fingers. And then, she began to wiggle her hand. Starting from the tip of the fingers down to the wrist, they swayed back and forth rhythmically like waves crashing into the beach. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... "...Oi." "Hmm?" "Why are you wiggling your hands?" "This is called ''Silkworm Hands'', a movement technique encompassing Heaven and Earth aspect of the twelve movements. It loosen up qi flow within our body, especially around the arms. Combined with the movement of dantian, it would double the output of the practitioner''s qi refinement!" She explained with a proud smile on her face. Kokuo, however, didn''t buy it. Definitely didn''t buy it. "...And you achieve all that by... wiggling your hands..." Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle... "...Pretty much." "..." Ah... it seemed that the girl got scammed. The Tailed Beast couldn''t help but worry about its Jinchuuriki''s future... 11 Dog Versus Dolphin 1 As a Tailed Beast who was stuffed inside a person''s soul, Kokuo had a front-row seat to its Jinchuuriki''s daily antics. Honestly, it was just getting more and more absurd... Hey, you would snap too if you have to watch someone clawing at the sky for hours on end! "Lord Kokuo, stop jumping around so much, you''re distracting me." Hikari, who was clawing at the sky as if she was trying to grope the heavens, complained. "Whose fault do you think it is?!" The Tailed Beast roared. Aside from what she''d called Twelve Movements, there was also Six Specially Mastered Skills, as well as the study of thirty-six points in a human''s body that could induce the Touch of Death. Their names were majestic, but in reality, the training process were more akin to dances conducted by drunken monkeys. To make things worse, those weird movements, they actually... worked? The kid''s chakra veins did develop in a faster rate, at least compared to what it had seen so far during its tenure as Iwagakure''s hidden weapon. It didn''t want to accept. It definitely didn''t want to accept! Thus, it jumped around some more while making random dolphin noises. "Lord Kokuo..." She was about to complain again when she noticed a shadow standing on the edge of the Inuzuka''s backyard. "Eh? Kiba?" That messy spiky hair, those feline-like eyes, that should be the Inuzuka boy. Talking about Kiba, lately he had managed to return back from the training ground in a semi-conscious state. At the very least, he didn''t immediately lose his soul the moment he stepped back into the house. It seemed that whatever Tsume made him do, he was getting the hang of it. The boy started walking over to her spot, so she stopped performing ''xuan nan gong'' to see what he wanted. Kiba was harmlessly innocent, like a small puppy, so she usually had her guard down around him. She didn''t expect that he would suddenly jumped forward and tackled her to the ground! "Huh?!" While her thought process was in shambles, the boy leaned closer until the tip of their noses almost touched each other. And then... ... he licked her cheek. "..." Ah, when she observed more closely, there was a white tail jutting out of his pants... "Akamaru! What are you doing?!" Kiba''s voice rang above her as the weight pinning her down finally got lifted off. "What the..." She couldn''t believe her eyes. In front of her stood two Kiba, their appearance mostly identical down to the dust and creases of their clothing. Well, mostly, since one of the twins got an obvious tail... With a poof, the Kiba on the left disappeared. On its wake was left the white-furred partner of the real Kiba, Akamaru. "Hehe, surprised?" Kiba gloated with a smug look. "This is the prized jutsu of our clan, the Beast-Human Clone!" "Whoa..." That technique... to be able to change physical appearance, qi manipulation must be involved, right? She was genuinely impressed. Animals capable of using qi was not a rarity in her old world. However, said animals had undergone years of meditative training that changed their composition to something resembling magical beasts, lengthening their natural age as a result. Akamaru, however, was a normal dog. A ninja dog, perhaps, but still a normal dog. For him to perform that feat was nothing sort of miraculous. "Why are you so shocked? All the ninja dogs in this house can do it, you know. Kuromaru''s really good at it." Kuromaru... that dog with an eyepatch? Hmm, could it be that animals in this world was even more blessed by heavens? Maybe she should raise one too, it could be her disciple... Ah, wrong, she got distracted. "So, all the times you disappeared with Lady Boss, it''s for this?" "Not really... somehow mom''s really insistent in teaching me Inuzuka hiden jutsu all of the sudden. I have no idea why. Thanks to that, I have to go through hell everyday!" He was still nine years old, damnit! Wasn''t it a few years too early? Aah, he really wished that his mother would go out on a mission instead of dragging him around every single day! Suddenly, a hand landed on top of his head, and then proceeded to squeeze it. Kiba winced in pain from the sudden attack. "Hoo, so you think it''s hell, huh? I guess I wasn''t strict enough. Fine, I''ll show you real hell next time." "G-guh! M-mom?! I was just kidding! Just kidding! Aaagh!" "..." Aah, what a loving family scene... she would never get bored watching it. If Kiba could hear her inner thoughts, he might had puked out blood. What loving family scene? More like slow torture! "Girl, I heard from my son that you''re the one who taught him that method of circulating chakra." "Ah? Y-yeah." She didn''t know whether admitting it would be a wise move or not, but in the end, she could only nod. Tsume''s pressure... it was too intense, alright? It reminded her of her old master! "You guys, have your lunch, and then meet me in the training ground." She let go of Kiba''s head, and then walked back into the house. "She said ''you guys''... am I included?" Hikari murmured. "I guess," the boy shrugged. "Let''s just hurry up. Mom''s scary when she''s pissed." The two quickly finished their portion before scurrying toward the training ground. --- The Inuzuka clan''s training ground was separated into two parts, the smaller outer yard and the bigger inner yard. The outer yard was open to everyone, including visitors of the clan. The inner yard, however, was reserved only for clan members. Hikari had only managed to enter this area twice. The first time was when Tsume showed her around the compound, and the second was when she was asked to help cleaning up after a clan event. On the far end of the training ground were practice targets for shurikenjutsu. There were also racks of dummy weapons made out of woods for each respective bukijutsu. Judging from how worn-out they were, the place was certainly well-utilized, as expected of a clan whose livelihood depended on martial expertise. "For today''s training, I want you to spar with this girl." Tsume suddenly declared out of nowhere, rewarding her with blank looks from the kids. "Why are you looking at me like that? I''m not playing around." "Mom?! But... she''s not even a shinobi like us! How''s that fair?" "Silence, pup!" She glanced at the girl. If it was half a year ago, then she might agree with Kiba''s evaluation. However, too many things had surprised her that she was forced to change her stance. The most noticeable point was Kiba''s sudden improvement. Even though he kept on skipping class, her son still managed to progress quite well, thanks to the Inuzuka clan''s natural prowess in the physical department. She''d thought that she would let him play around for a while before starting the drill. When the girl suddenly showed up in their house, the plan changed. Kiba''s physique and chakra capacity had leaped up all of the sudden, surpassing the average nine-years-old. When she investigated a bit deeper, she noticed that her son had been doing this weird thing with his chakra. Instead of bursting them out through tenketsu to perform jutsu, he had been forcefully circulating them around his chakra veins in a closed circuit. It was a rather pointless move, since chakra would naturally circulates in his body even without him willing it. In a real fight, it would just distract him when he had to properly use his chakra. The academy wouldn''t teach their students to do that. So what gives? It turned out that the strange girl was the culprit. She was about to snap him out of it when she noticed that this ''pointless'' move had indeed played a part in her son''s improvements. Since then, instead of getting angry, she had gotten interested with what the girl would do next. At the same time, she had a thought of passing down their hiden jutsu to Kiba now that he had passed the initial requirement. As for today''s match, she would use it to measure the girl''s potential. "The format is best two out of three. You lose if you got tackled down or you give up. You can use anything that you have, weapon or jutsu, as long as you don''t permanently injure your opponents. Kiba, as an additional restriction, you''re forbidden from using Akamaru. For the loser... let''s see..." Tsume revealed a sadistic grin. "The loser won''t get dinner tonight!" ""Ugh."" Kiba quickly ran toward the sparring area. With dinner on the line, he had to give it his all! "Listen, twerp! I''m not going easy on you just because you''re a girl!" He suddenly crouched down on all four, as if imitating a beast. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Hikari was fine without dinner, but under Tsume''s glare, she had no choice but to comply. Anyway, it was just a spar, right? It shouldn''t be too bad. She could let Kiba win as well just to make him hap- "Ueh?!" While she was distracted by her own thoughts, a gust of wind suddenly flashed right in front of her eyes, followed by a strong force that pounced her down in an instant. One hit, and she was down. "I told you, it''s not fair, mom!" That gust of wind was none other than Kiba. In a single leap, he returned back to his initial position. As quick as lightning, as explosive as a burning flame. Bluish mist enveloped the crouching figure, a sign of chakra being released and used to enhance his physical abilities to the extreme. "What was that?!" "Heh! Revel in the magnificence of our clan''s Four Legs Technique! Guheh!" His yapping had earned him a fist on his head. "What kind of idiot blabbered his jutsu to the opponent?!" Tsume yelled. "Anyway, that''s one down. If you got knocked out once again, you''ll lose." She was disappointed that the girl would topple down in just one hit. Perhaps her expectation was too high? "Hey, they''re looking down at you! Let This One at them!" Kokuo roared, feeling wronged for its Jinchuuriki. However, Hikari couldn''t hear it. She was drowning in her own thoughts. Truth be told, she had also been looking down at the people in this new world. Thousands of years living as peak cultivators had ingrained her with a degree of arrogance. She''d thought that her world''s ways were the best, and thus didn''t give this world''s inhabitants a single glance. But... look at that. Enclosing oneself in chakra, a move with swift and decisive strike... was this really inferior to her world''s techniques? If it was, then why would she got knocked down so easily? Just because she hadn''t cultivate long enough? What a pitiful excuse. She wanted to find out. She had to find out! Her old blood was boiling from the excitement that she thought she had lost for so long! "Forgive me, I''ve been a fool." Her gaze turned sharp. For but a brief second, it sent shiver down Kiba''s spine. Her legs slightly moved apart, adopting the stance of Emei''s unarmed combat techniques. One hand kept behind her back, while the other hand was extended toward her opponent, the palm facing toward the sky. With a flick of her wrist, she made an inviting gesture. "Come." Chakra flared out of her body, enveloping her in the same way as Kiba. ''The heck happened to her?'' The boy was stunned with her sudden change of attitude. It was too serious for a sparring match, as if her life depended on it. ''Ah, whatever, I''ll just get it done quickly!'' "Haah!" He lunged forward once again, reaching her position with a speed that could rival the Body Flicker Technique. ''Right claw.'' Slightly lowering her posture, her right hand shot up from below, catching Kiba''s wrist and dampening his momentum. At the same time, she used one leg as a pivot, rotating her body to avoid the attack as well as sending a palm strike with her other hand toward his chest. With her legs firmly planted on the ground, her palm turned into a stiff pillar, causing the boy to get hit by the force of his own attack. "Gueh!" When she let go of his wrist, he fell to his knees while clutching his chest. "It''s a down... right?" She stole a glance to Tsume, whose eyes had widened in surprise. "One more round. Let''s do it." 12 Dog Versus Dolphin 2 ''Taijutsu... and that style...'' Creases were lining up on Tsume''s forehead. Wasn''t this girl supposedly learning kenjutsu? Since when was she able to perform such delicate movements? Not to mention, that style was so similar to that particular clan''s specialty... "Girl, tell me the truth. Is that Gentle Fist?" Hikari rubbed her chin when she heard that question. Gentle? Hmm, that was a good name to describe this style, but not really correct either. After all, it already had a name. "No? This is emeiquan, the unarmed martial art style of mount Emei." Employing low, stable stances that derived itself from the movements of animals living in the sacred mountain, it was a style that best utilizes the usage of qi to strengthen its offense and defense. Even immortal-level practitioners favored this style when they had to engage in melee combat. Tsume had no idea what she had just spouted, but in essence, it seemed that the girl had no relation to the Hyuga. "Oraah! That one doesn''t count!" Kiba quickly rose back to his feet after the pain on his chest subsided. "Actually, that counts, but you still have one more chance, pup. I give you permission to show her ''that''." From that one move, Tsume could tell that the girl had better taijutsu skill than his son. In that case, attacking directly would just put him in a disadvantage. He''d fared better by finishing it with their clan''s jutsu. "Ouh! Oi, Hikari, I still can''t control this well, so do your best not to get hurt, okay?!" Oh? Interesting. It seemed that he had a trick up his sleeves. She returned to a stable, open stance, just like before. "Show me, then. Come." Kiba jolted out with Four Legs Technique, but he didn''t attack immediately. Instead, he ran in a circle around her, trying to build up speed. One lap, two laps, three laps... "Are you trying to make me confused?" "Heh! Don''t look down on me! Here I go!" He took a long detour this time before turning around toward her, and then jumped up. Like a drill, the boy spun in high speed while maintaining his forward momentum. The rotation was so strong that a high-pitched grinding noise rang out as he cut through the air. "The heck!?" What was that absurd technique? There was no way her palm strike could stop that, oi! Without any option available, she could only leap to the side to avoid the incoming drill. A deafening explosion blasted out as he crashed onto the hard ground, throwing dust and dirt into the air. As soon as he landed, Kiba quickly jumped away, creating distance between the two. "Heh, what do you think? Great, isn''t it?" The boy gloated. He had finally mastered it after grueling months of spartan training with his mother. When he saw the result, he was extremely satisfied with this jutsu''s destructive power! "...I have so many questions..." She didn''t know whether it was a strong technique or not. Throwing yourself toward your enemy honestly sounds dumb. Then again, that small crater was a proof of how scary it would be if that technique hit you straight on. She then remembered that Kiba was practically a beginner. What if Tsume was the one who performed it... "Enough daydreaming! Let''s go!" Kiba crouched once again. The distance this time was enough for him to use Passing Fang immediately, so he did just that. The spinning speed wasn''t as strong as the previous one, but the time of activation was greatly reduced. He was confident that she wouldn''t be able to dodge this time! "Human, do you need This One to-" "It''s alright, Venerable One. I can handle it." Anyway, it was just a spinning motion, right? She had fought against something similar before. Circulating chakra to strengthen her body, she leaped backward, and then to the right, trying to avoid the Passing Fang. "I won''t let you run away!" Kiba twisted his body slightly to the side. The drill that was going straight... suddenly changed its trajectory! "I''m not running away. I just need to take-" The place she was leaping toward, was the spot where they stored the dummy weapons. "-This." She snatched a wooden staff the length of her arm. Moving her dantian at full force, she concentrated her chakra on her legs, her right arm, and extending forward to gather over the tip of the staff that she was aiming at him. With the Passing Fang coming right up, she separated her legs, planting them firm on the ground. She strained her eyes to take in all the detail of the spin, its direction, the foremost part, and then... "...There!" <> Her right arm shot forward, launching the chakra-infused tip of the staff right at the center of Passing Fang''s rotation. The strong wind generated by the Passing Fang died out in an instant. ""Eh?"" Kiba''s figure was finally revealed. The tip of the staff was grinding on his forehead as his spin kept on slowing down until all the momentum was gone. When gravity finally kicked back in, he fell to the ground, eyes blinking rapidly in bewilderment. Eh. Did she just... break the Inuzuka clan''s jutsu... with mere taijutsu- no, bojutsu? Granted, Kiba''s version was severely watered down compared to the full-powered Passing Fang, but still... "Guhoh!" While he was still in a daze, the staff was swung right onto his head, knocking him senseless. "Lady Tsume?" "Ah," Tsume snapped out of her trance. Seeing that Kiba had lost his strongest card, the winner of the fight was already decided. Sighing, she parted her lips. "The winner of the spar is-" "Actually, I give up for this round." "-is... is.. da fack?" She almost bit her lips from the shock. The girl just grinned at her. "Since Kiba is also taken out, that means this round is a draw... right?" One loss, one win, one draw. So... in the end, a draw. "I see... gaah, fine, do whatever you want." "Hehe~ that means, both of us can have dinner, right?" "Who says so?" The smile on Hikari''s face disappeared in an instant. "You... said the loser won''t have dinner. If we both draw, then there''s no loser..." "That''s your reasoning?" Tsume shot her a mean grin. "Let me tell ya, in our Inuzuka clan, draw is the same as losing!" ...Crap! Oi, say that from the start! "Take my son back to the house, kay? I gotta run. See you guys tomorrow." "Lady Tsume, wait-!" Unfortunately, she didn''t want to. With a poof, she was gone from sight. "..." "It seems that your scheme has failed. This One pity you," Kokuo sneered. "...Nobody will call you mute if you don''t speak..." She mumbled in response. Letting out a long, tired sigh, she carried the unconscious boy back to Tsume''s house. --- After losing to the girl, Kiba''s competitive spirit flared up. This time, he was the one who''d dragged his mother to the training ground, regardless of how cold the winter days were. Tsume was, of course, pleased with her son''s sudden interest in the clan''s jutsu. She just wished that he wouldn''t be that energetic during a snowstorm... In the meantime, Hikari continued her training according to the manuals in her memory. She couldn''t do much about the lack of qi refinement, so she focused on familiarizing her new body with Emei sect''s techniques. As one of the Four Great Sword Sect, Emei''s swordplay was powerful beyond compare. While she was confident that she could perform their movements, pulling out their true power was another story. It required muscle memory as well as physical strength, something that could only be gained with constant training. Thus, Kokuo had to endure watching her doing the same absurd dances over and over again every single day. Winter quietly passed, followed by the warm spring and the scorching summer. "A year had passed. Time sure flies when it''s this peaceful." Kokuo was lazing around on the tatami, having materialized into a puppy-sized version of itself, while munching on rice crackers. As a creature made out of chakra, it had no need for material sustenance, so it never had any intention to try these human foods. However, one day Hikari tossed it an apple out of boredom. "Immortal-stage cultivators can still taste food normally. Spirit beasts should be able to as well." So, the Tailed Beast gave it a try, just to humor her. ...Lo and behold, it did could taste food. Maybe it wasn''t the exact same sensation felt by humans, but there was definitely something there. Since then, it would materialize out whenever it was sure that nobody else was around and demanded whatever snacks she was having at the moment. It had turned into a glutton! She began to wonder whether spirit beasts in this world could get fat too... "Peaceful is nice, isn''t it?" Her main goal was to cultivate and reach the peak level existence once again. However, she wasn''t even sure whether or not she could breakthrough into Foundation Establishment stage. With this new form of energy, chakra, she was still grasping in the dark. Oh well, it had been a really long while since she could relish in mortal pleasure like this. Taking it easy for now should be fine, right? Suddenly, she heard quiet footsteps approaching the living room. "...? Lord Kokuo, someone''s coming!" The Tailed Beast, however, just slightly raised his head before returning to his crackers. "Relax, it''s just the dog boy." "Who''re you calling dog boy?!" The door slid open, and Kiba walked in with Akamaru on his head. Woof! The puppy barked enthusiastically. He jumped off the boy and landed on Hikari''s lap. "I still have no idea why he''s so attached to you. Oi, did you feed my partner something weird back then?" "I don''t know either!" She lifted the pup so they could look at each other in the eyes. Woof! Uuu... so cute! As a fellow human being, it was really a crime not to protect this little ball of cuteness! "Oi, snap out of it, you''re being led astray," Kokuo mumbled between its bites. "No way! You won''t do nasty thing like tricking me, will you~?" She tickled the puppy, which made it whine in delight. "...It''s too late. We''ve lost her..." the Tailed Beast sighed. Truth be told, among the ninja dog in the Inuzuka clan, Akamaru was considered a genius. He was barely a year old, and yet he could already perform intricate jutsu like Beast-Human Clone or Fang Passing Fang with Kiba. He was also highly intelligent, as he could absorb everything that Kuromaru and the other senior dogs had taught him in a short amount of time. "He might even be smarter than you," Tsume commented to Kiba one day, causing him to sulk for the entire day. "Now that you mention it, where''s Lady Boss and big sister?" Other than her own training, lately she had been helping Hana with taking care of Inuzuka dogs. As such, they had grown closer over the past couple of months. Hana even insisted to be called ''big sister''. Thus, the nickname stuck. "Mom''s got an emergency mission, so she had to go for a while. Big sis is staying at the clinic tonight. Some idiots fed chocolate to their ninken, now they all have severe stomachache." "..." Chocolate on dogs... how unfortunate. "I guess I''ll make dinner tonight... what do you want?" she turned to Kiba. "Steak," the boy replied lazily. "...Tofu it is." "What- no! That thing is gross!" "Eh, don''t underestimate tofu! Besides, you had too much meat lately, you should eat other things too!" "Kuk...! But, meat...!" They kept arguing back and forth until Kokuo got tired of listening and ended up playing with Akamaru instead. ''That girl... is she really a thousands-years-old soul inside? She can be more childish than an actual child sometimes...'' The beast shook its head, thinking that it could never fully understand humans. In the end, they finally reached a compromise: Szechuan-style mapo tofu for dinner it is. Kiba had no idea what the heck a ''Szechuan'' is, but since it would have beef slices, he finally stopped complaining. --- "Kuh... I think I put too much pepper..." The dish had turned out a bit more spicy than she''d expected. She was afraid that her bowel would betray her at this rate. "This One likes it. Make more." It seemed that spicy stuff was the Tailed Beast''s thing. It had emptied the rest of the pot after Hikari and Kiba had enough. "Later. Let''s just sleep tonight... hmm?" Someone is coming. This footsteps... it was identical to that one in the noon. Kiba? The screen door leading to here room slowly slid open. Moonlight poured in, casting a shadow of a boy with wild, spiky hair. She laid still under the cover, trying to see what the intruder wanted to do. The boy silently closed the door. He tip-toed over to her sleeping figure, and then crouched down, leaning ever closer to her face... ''Hmm, this familiar scene... this must be...'' "Akamaru, is it?" She suddenly kicked the boy on the stomach. With an audible poof, the figure immediately shrunk down and transformed back into the white-furred puppy. He let out a pitiful whimper. "Honestly... if you want to sleep with me, then just come in normally, no need to pull this kind of trick," She sighed. This puppy had grown too attached to her, hadn''t he? She pulled him into a hug, and then brought him under the blanket. "It''s late. Go to sleep." Bark. The small pup''s body slightly jerked. "...Akamaru?" Something was wrong. Bluish light was enveloping the puppy. He was releasing his chakra uncontrollably, as if wanting to drain his chakra reserve to the last drop. The puppy jerked back and forth, looking like he was in pain. "What''s wrong with that thing?!" Kokuo materialized out, feeling alarmed by the sudden surge of chakra in the room. "Don''t tell me, qi deviation?" She didn''t know whether it could happen with chakra-based energy or not, but at the moment it was the only explanation. "I''ll get Kiba, he should be able to stop-" As she was about to get up, she suddenly felt a hand pulling on her wrist. The world went upside-down as she was forcefully thrown back into the mattress. "H-huh?!" The chakra released by Akamaru had reached the required density. With a poof, the puppy triggered a jutsu. She felt an adult human''s weight suddenly pressing down on her as she was pinned down by two slender hands. Long, flowing black hair gently fell down her face. What she saw was a fair skin that was as smooth as jade, an amorous red lips akin to a blossoming flower, and a pair of gentle phoenix eyes. Her gaze trailed down the figure''s neck, following the curvaceous form with bountiful twin mountains that were put out for sight with nothing to cover them. What she was looking at, was an exceedingly beautiful woman that could bring the downfall of thousand dynasties. She gulped. Not because the temptation was too strong for the heart, but because she knew who this woman was. In fact, she knew her a bit too well. The lips parted, and a melodious, bell-like voice sang in her ears. "Oh, my beloved Yao Huang, how I''ve missed you so!" Those words, were spoken in the language she''d missed for so long. Who knew that when she would heard them again, it would be from this fox''s mouth? "So it is indeed, you, Daji..." The old soul answered in kind, in the tongue of their now-distant homeland. 13 That Means Yousre Still Human "Awh, Huang''er! Do you really miss me that much? Why are you crying?" "Eh?" She was crying? Hikari touched the edge of her eyes with a finger. It was a bit damp. Ah, indeed, a lone tear had escaped without her notice. Aah. She had been living in this strange world for almost a year. While she wasn''t alone, there was nobody who knew about her old self. Even Kokuo, whom she had told about her reincarnation, never addressed her by her real name. To suddenly meet an old acquaintance once again, to hear her name spoken out loud... even if it was that old vixen, it still made him sentimental. ...How embarrassing. "Hehehe~ I''m soooo happy!" The naked beauty collapsed onto the smaller girl, enveloping her in a bear hug. "Daji... get off me... no, wait, first of all, get some goddamn clothes!" With difficulties, she finally managed to push the woman off. "Hmm? Don''t like what you see~?" The woman''s hands playfully crawled over her own chest, massaging her two sacred mountains seductively. "...Not interested." She had seen this display so many times in the past thousands of years that she had literally grown numb. "Boo~! Huang''er is still cold as always!" With a poof, a set of clothes descended upon her. It was a piece of loosely-tied robe, with the collar opened up to show off her chest and shoulders while leaving the rest to the viewer''s imagination. Ugh... in a way, it was even worse than being naked, wasn''t it? She suddenly felt her well-tempered resistance slowly crumbling. Showing a mischievous grin, Daji scrutinized the girl from head to toe. "By the way, Huang''er, you''ve also become cute, hmm~? I didn''t know that you actually like this kind of thing." "I-It''s not like I wanted it. The pond was extremely chaotic at that time!" "Is~ that~ so~?" She giggled. "I remember that time when you sneaked to mount Emei to see Ying''er, so it''s because of this reason, hmm~?" "Shut it." Her tone turned cold in an instant, causing Daji to shiver from fright. ''Ah, that topic is still taboo, huh...'' "Huang''er, I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have brought it up. Please be lenient to this sister, okay~?" She hugged the girl from behind, unwilling to part even after being pushed again. In the end, Hikari was the one who relented first. "Okay, fine... don''t worry about it." She gave the woman''s head a gentle pat. "Hmm~ pet me more~" "Yeah, yeah..." Pat, pat, pat... "Still, this is an expertly-done disguise," she remarked. "You''re applying chakra around your body to create a material projection?" "Fufufu, interesting, isn''t it? Unlike us cultivator that could change our entire physique after reaching immortal stages, the people in this world changed their appearance in this way. I think they called it Transformation Technique." "Hoo..." When she gave the skin a push, it sunk in a bit before elastically springing back up. It felt real, as if they weren''t made out of chakra. "Actually, I just mold them to mimic how our qi bodies were made. It takes a lot of concentration, though. The people of this world doesn''t bother to keep it for long, they just use it as distraction during battle or intelligence gathering. At least, that''s what the dogs in this household had told me." Ah, right, all this time, she was actually... "You... out of all the people that you could reincarnate into, you ended up as a dog..." A male one, even! "Right? I was surprised when I found out. Then again, I just fully regained my memories a few days ago, so it didn''t strike me too hard. If I started as a dog from birth, I might have gone insane!" Made sense, she also didn''t drink that Five-Fragrance Tea before reincarnating, so... Hmm? A few days ago? "You know that a human''s soul degenerate whenever they reincarnated into a lower-ranked beings, right? When we first met, my soul was still that of a mere dog. When I found you, however, something within my soul resonated with yours, causing my memories to resurface. At first, it was just a sudden desire to get closer to you. As time went by, however, the image within my mind grew clearer." "So that''s why you''re so attached to me!" Everything suddenly made sense now. Hikari suddenly wanted to laugh. "It must''ve been fate! Fate dictates that me and Huang''er can never be separated!" "Yes, yes, whatever you say..." Fate, was it? That''s such a nice way to put it. ... Fate... "By the way, Daji..." "Hmm~?" She stared at that pair of sapphire-blue eyes, the rarity that had entranced countless Lords and Emperors in the past. "Why are you reincarnating too? The Yang Dynasty is supposed to be an era of peace. I don''t think any major fight had broken out by the time I descended to the underworld." "...Huang''er, do you really have to ask? I did it because of you." "Huh?" Daji pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her dumbfounded response. "You left without telling me. When I found out that you''re going to enter the circle of reincarnation, I quickly went down to the underworld as well. Life without you... I don''t want to think about it." "You can just enjoy your time in the new era..." "Hmph," she snorted. "Why are you still so dense after all these times? Those years of cultivation must''ve rot a part of your brain." Why was this woman getting so uppity all of the sudden...? Nevermind. There was still something that she had to find out from her. "Daji, back then, you were queueing for Lady Meng''s Five-Fragrance Tea as well, right? Did you see the culprit who''d torn down the wheel of karma?" "I saw. Though, I had immediately jumped into the pond after you fell, so I didn''t know what happened after that." "That guy, was that really..." Daji sighed. "You''ve seen those rays of light. Those were genuine Revolving Sun Needles. Who else could use that technique aside from you and him?" "..." She wished there was another. Perhaps that guy had a disciple somewhere. Perhaps it was just a similar-looking techniques. Countless possibilities flashed in her mind as she tried to find excuses to single him out from the list. However, if Daji herself said so, then there was no other way to deny it. It was indeed, him. "Damnit... that idiot..." Regret. There was neither anger nor sadness, just a sense of regret as deep as the abyss of the underworld. Unfortunately, even if they searched every nook and crannies until all the realms were turned upside-down, there still wouldn''t be any cure. She tightened the arms circling around the girl''s waist, as if wanting to pull her in and shelter her from the pain. "Huang''er... do you still blame yourself, after all this time?" "...If I say yes, would you think that I''m a fool?" "Hmmhmm~" Gently, she planted a tender kiss on the nape of her neck. "Keeping up this form is tiring. I think I should get back." The two separated, although Daji seemed reluctant to do so. Her hands lingered on the girl''s back for a few more seconds. "You know... I vaguely remembered that some other souls had jumped into the pond as well. Whether it was done deliberately or by accident, I''m not sure." "...You''re saying that there are more people reincarnating from our homeland with their memories intact?" God, the karma burdening this world must be gigantic! Oh, wait, they could be also be reincarnating as cockroaches. In that case, maybe it would be fine? "Worrying, right? By the way, I''ve tried to walk around the village whenever I could, but I didn''t feel anything worth mentioning. You''re the only person who''d managed to stir my soul." There was two possibilities there. Either the two were the only reincarnators in this village, or she was the only soul that could resonate with her, considering their past relationship. Actually, Hikari was leaning toward the second answer. With Daji''s personality, it just felt more natural. "Well, I''ll get going, then." "Ah." When she opened the door, moonlight shone on her, painting an enchanting picture. "A beauty unrivaled, even by the Moon," Hikari remarked. "Ufufu... glib-tongue." Daji turned her gaze toward the girl sitting in the middle of the room. Her lips slowly curved upward, forming an alluring smile. "Huang''er, to be able to shed tears upon meeting an old friend... do you find it embarrassing?" She shrugged. "Well, getting sentimental never bodes well. I''m speaking from experience." As a man raised by the old-fashioned era, she found it unthinkable to cry. Shedding tears was a sign of weakness. Living as cultivator in a world where the strong devoured the weak, it was the greatest taboo. Daji''s smile softened. Her words turned more polite, as it was proper when an expert spoke with a peer of the same level. "Venerable Yao, as we passed our lives with no regards of time as immortals, we tend to forget that we were once but another mortal, just llke the rest of the world. In my opinion, what you called sentimental doesn''t mean that you''re weak." Yao Huang raised an eyebrow. "What is it, then?" "That means you''re still human." The smile on her lips were replaced with a pure, childish grin. "Perhaps, that was why I had fallen for you since long ago." At that moment, she was not the terrible vixen that had brought destruction upon countless dynasties. In that brief period of time, she was but a woman who was looking at the dearest person in her heart. "I pray that you will have a good dream, Venerable Yao." With a poof, the woman was gone. What was left was the afterimage of a puppy who had nimbly scaled the wall before bolting off toward the main house. "Haa..." Hikari sighed, and then let herself fell onto the soft mattress. "Sentimental as always..." Closing her eyes, she tried to push Daji''s words away from her mind, to no avail. --- Meanwhile, Kokuo was sulking. "Venerable One, what is it?" It opened and closed its mouth, but no sound came out. In the end, it grumbled. "...I have no idea what you two were talking about." Well, they did speak in the language of their homeland, after all. "Also, isn''t that that stupid boy''s pet dog? Why are you two talking as if you had known each other for your entire lifetime?" Because they did know each other for a lifetime. Haa... "Venerable One, I''ll explain..." Thus, she was forced to tell Kokuo the abridged version of their relationship, which still ended up taking a few hours to complete thanks to its incessant questions. It seemed that in the end, she still couldn''t sleep tonight... Darn it, it was Daji''s fault! That damn vixen! 14 A Hectic Birthday Party 1 Morning arrived in the Inuzuka household like every other day. The conversation with Daji from last night felt like a dream. But of course, it was not. Akamaru was waiting near the dining table, wagging his tail as he saw Hikari walking in. "...I still can''t believe that it''s really you, Daji..." The puppy panted with his tongue jutting out. He took a few steps forward until he was right before the girl, and then rubbed his head on her legs. "...What is it?" She crouched down, shielding Akamaru from the others'' sight. Suddenly, a familiar, feminine voice entered her ears. "It is, indeed, I, my dear Huang''er." Khuk- The one who was moving their mouth, was the dog. While it was a bit rough, he was definitely speaking in their native language. "Y-you can talk?!? Mppphh-" Before she could make a ruckus, Akamaru lunged toward her face, knocking her down. "You guys already so noisy in the morning..." A lethargic Kiba passed by the two as he took a seat beside Hana. Woof! As if nothing had happened, Akamaru barked, pretending that he was just a normal ninja dog. "...What an actress..." Hikari mumbled. "Mufufu... why are you so surprised? Lord Kuromaru can speak too." That eyepatch-wearing dog who sounded like a grumpy war veteran? "It took me a few days to be able to manipulate a canine''s vocal cords to this extent. Not bad, right?" "Uh... but... why a female''s voice? It''s so similar to your real voice too..." Are you really a male puppy? When he saw the girl''s questioning gaze, the puppy showed a mischievous grin. He leaped to the ground, rolled over to his back, and then proudly showed his everything. ''Look. I got my Little Marumaru with me. How about you~?" Kek. Something snapped in Hikari''s mind. "Are you feeling tired? Let me massage you~" Lifting her leg, she launched a stomp strong enough to shake the Heaven! <> Unfortunately, the opponent was also a thousands-years-old cultivator who had witnessed all techniques of the mortal realm. He quickly rolled over to dodge the stomp. "Don''t be shy~ come here~" Woof! Watching a dog and a young girl running around in a circle, Hana had a warm smile on her face. "What a great bonding session. How about you play with them too, Kiba?" "...Guh." What bonding session? Is his sister blind? In Kiba''s eyes, it looked more like a forced castration effort... Nope, not joining, he still like to have his precious Little Fang attached, thank you! --- After breakfast, Tsume had Hikari and Hana to stay behind while Kiba was allowed to leave with Akamaru. It seemed that she had something important to tell the two. Come to think of it, it had been a while since Hikari had last seen Tsume. Lately, she had been away from home due to some important missions that required her tracking skill. Surprisingly, she had showed up in the morning without informing anyone. "You guys, it''s July 7th. You know what it means, right?" Tsume said while looking at the two. July 7th... 7th day of the 7th month... Oh! She knew the answer! "Qixi festival?" Hikari replied. "..." ...Qi... what? "No. It''s Kiba''s birthday," Hana corrected her while still pondering about what ki-shi actually meant. "Oh..." So that''s why Tsume came home all of the sudden! "That stupid pup always forget his own birthday every year, so as usual, we''ll hold ''im a suprise party!" Hmm, a birthday party, huh? She hadn''t experienced that for thousands of years. It sounds exciting. "Mom will take care of the food, while I''m in charge of the present," Hana added, giving Hikari a meaningful gaze. "And me...?" "You, punk, gotta do the most important part!" Tsume pointed at her. "Starting from now, the house is off-limit for that pup and his partner! You''re in charge of keeping it that way!" Ah, so she just had to keep Kiba busy outside. Alright, not too hard. In emergency, she could just use that Grape Crushing technique to knock him out- Eh, wait, wouldn''t he would fall unconscious for the whole day, then! That kinda defeat the purpose... "Okay, enough talking! You get his ass out there or I''ll kick yours!" "Eeeh?!" She was unceremoniously thrown out of the kitchen. Sigh... "Got stuck with babysitting that stupid boy, eh?" Kokuo snickered. "Not you too, Venerable One..." Agh, fine, she just had to do it, right? Whatever happens, happens! --- After wandering around the Inuzuka compound for a while, she finally found Kiba in the training ground sitting in the lotus position. He was diligently circulating his chakra while immersing himself in contemplative meditation. "Hmm, looking good," she commented, feeling satisfied with what she was seeing. Her voice caught Kiba''s attention, breaking him out of his trance. "...What? You''re disturbing me." "Just complimenting you. Never thought that you can withstand meditation." With his rambunctious appearance, one would think that he was more suited with hot-blooded physical exercise. It turned out that he could do this kind of training too if he put his mind to it. Maybe she should pay more attention to his training as well. "Akamaru likes doing it, so..." He pointed at a rock in the distance. A white-furred puppy was sitting on top of it with bluish light enveloping his small body. He was concentrating even deeper than Kiba, as their conversation didn''t seem to bother them in the slightest. ...What kind of dog could do that? "That... you don''t feel anything weird about it?" "Hm? Why?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "What''s so weird with Akamaru liking to do chakra training? It just shows his talent, doesn''t it? As expected of my partner!" He let out a prideful laugh, while Hikari and Kokuo just sneered by the side. Aaah... what a refreshingly simple person... The light surrounding the pup receded in an instant. He lifted his head, turning his attention to Hikari, and then rushed toward her with a single leap. When she lifted him on her arms, he licked her cheek lovingly. "Heh, it seems your partner likes me more," she smirked. "..." Kiba, who had just finished gloating about how wonderful his partner was, had to taste the bitterness of betrayal for the first time in his life... "Can it. So? Why did you come here? You usually just do those weird dances by yourself in the backyard." Those weren''t weird dances! Those were the Twelve Movements and Six Specially Mastered Skills! ''No, no, don''t forget my mission... focus...'' "I''m bored. Let''s play outside?" Kiba harrumphed. "And why should I play with you? I''d rather-" "Pleeease~? Lord Kiba, please accompany this humble one~?" He flinched, unable to resist that pandering gaze. In the end, his resistance crumbled to dust. "Kuh... fine! But just because I''m feeling magnanimous today!" "Yay~ thank you!" "Hmph! Make sure to keep up!" As she followed the boy out of the compound, the puppy on her arms leaned closer to her ears and whispered in a seductive voice, "Hmm~ I''ve witnessed the revered Venerable Yao acting cute. I think this life is worth it~" "Shut up! Erase that from your brain!" She proceeded to send a finger flick to Akamaru''s forehead. --- The two kids and one dog spent the entire morning walking aimlessly around the village, prompting friendly greetings from the civilians, especially the people in the marketplace who had once fallen victim to Konoha''s twin sandstorm back in the days. Well, of course the two didn''t know that they had garnered such an epitaph... "Where are we going now?" Hikari asked the seemingly distracted Kiba. They had finally circled back to the first place they had visited, the public park. "Hmm... I can''t find them..." He murmured. "Hmm? Who?" "Most likely his friends," Akamaru whispered in her ears. And then, he barked loud enough for Kiba to hear. "Ooh! Good idea, Akamaru! Let''s go!" He quickly sauntered off toward the residential area. "...I always wonder how those Inuzuka people could understand dog barking..." "Magical, aren''t they?" Akamaru snickered. Following the boy led them toward a clan compound similar to the one owned by the Inuzuka, albeit encompassing larger piece of land. The clan symbol painted on the gate showed three parallel vertical lines connected with two perpendicular diagonal lines. "This is...?" "Choji''s house," Kiba responded before she''d finished the question. One of Kiba''s friend, Akimichi Choji... then, this is the Akimichi clan''s compound? According to the history book she''d borrowed from Hana, it was one of the four noble clans in this village. That could be the reason for such grandeur. Not long after he''d rung the bell, the front gate creaked open, and a... full-bodied woman with black hair and eyes came out. ...Actually, maybe the reason their house was so big, was because smaller ones wouldn''t fit... "Kiba, nice to meet you! Are you here to see Choji? Shikamaru is with him right now in his room." Hmm? They never played inside before... "What happened to Choji?" "Oh, nothing too serious!" The woman waved her hand while chuckling. "He had too much spicy ramen at Ichiraku, you know, that new menu? That was an amazing case of explosive diarrhea. Thankfully he''s better now, but he still feel a bit weak, so I''m in the middle of feeding him some chicken soup..." "..." Explosive... what? Actually, nevermind, no need to answer that. It was better to leave it as an unsolved mystery... "Well, bummer, there goes today''s fun," Kiba mumbled as they walked back toward the park. "Don''t you have that other friend?" From what she''d seen when she was out running errands, Kiba would sometimes play with three other kids. The fat boy, Akimichi Choji, the thin, ponytail boy, Nara Shikamaru, and another one, the boy with spiky yellow hair. Hmm... what was his name again? Narut- "Nah. Not that guy. I mean, he''s not that bad, but if it''s just me and him..." Kiba shook his head. "Not fun, nah. Besides, I don''t like his brother." That cocky loner who thought he was the best, just because he was praised by the teachers every single day? Nah, not cool. He was just as bad as that Uchiha kid. Hikari had this weird smile on her face. Aah, youth, filled with rivalries and complicated feelings that adults wouldn''t be able to understand... "Huang''er, you''re thinking about something weird again, aren''t you?" Akamaru whispered. "...Erase that grin from your face, it''s creepy," Kokuo chimed in. "..." Fine, these old coots, they could never understand the romance of youth! Ah, wait, she was actually also one of them... "Haaah, what a bummer... come on, let''s just get back home," Kiba suddenly said. "Eh?" "What ''eh''? There''s nothing to do, it''s better to just train instead." Young master, why were you suddenly so diligent, ah? It was just the middle of the day, be a little more lazy! Aah, he was going away. W-wait, wait... "Let''s... let''s just go play in the creek, then!" She forcefully pulled him by the wrist. "@#%+! Oi, stupid! Let go!" His protest pitifully went ignored, the poor boy was dragged toward the village''s main gate against his better judgement. --- Back in the Inuzuka household, Tsume was currently absorbed in cutting various types of meat for her special recipe. At the dining table, Hana was helping her with decorating the cake for the evening party. "Say, mom, is it fine for you to ditch your mission?" "Heh, it''ll be fine. What that Hokage gonna do? Fire me? Let''s see if he dare!" Hana chuckled. Classic Tsume. Well, another Inuzuka shinobi was taking over her duty for today, so perhaps it would be just fine. "What were you tracking anyway that took weeks to complete?" Tsume hand stopped for a moment before resuming to slice through the beef. "I guess I don''t have to tell you, but keep this a secret. We''ve sighted some foreign shinobi wandering around the vicinity of the village. They''ve been doing their best to hide their tracks, which forced us to work extra hard just to gain insignificant lead. We have suspicion about the culprit behind them, but no concrete proof so far." "Foreign force..." Hana frowned. "...Who?" Tsume sighed. "Iwagakure, those slippery bastards." Somehow, she had a feeling that that girl they''d been sheltering for the past year had something to do with this mess. 15 A Hectic Birthday Party 2 In a year, Konohagakure had changed numerous times. As the village prospered, new residential apartments were built to accommodate the growing population. The abundant forests surrounding it, however, remained the same, as if frozen in time. Like he had always done, Akamaru quickly jumped into the water, splashing around without a care in the world. He loved the icy freshness of the stream to cool off the scorching summer sun. Even after Daji''s personality had resurfaced, his habit remained the same. "We''re here... now what?" Kiba mumbled while laying under the shades. He would usually play along with his partner, but right now he was just too lazy to do so. He practically got kidnapped here, after all. "...I actually have no idea either." The ''kidnapper'' irresponsibly replied. Her mission was to keep the boy out of the house until evening. It was already midday, so she just had to hang in there for a few more hours. Gotta think something to distract him. Anything. Ah, drat, she got nothing at all...! "Hey," Kiba suddenly called out. "Y-yeah?" "Those things you randomly taught me, like that king-koong thing..." It''s Qinggong, you ignorant-! "...Where did you get them from? They''re not like any ninjutsu or taijutsu that''s been taught in class." "Eh?" Where did she get them? Well, they were all techniques that she had copied from various sects during her previous life''s eventful youth... but there was no way that she could answer like that. In situations like this, the best solution was to find a convenient scapegoat! "Lord Kokuo taught me." "Oi!" Just push it all to our venerable spirit beast! "..." Kiba narrowed his eyes. He got this burning suspicion that this girl was lying to him, but he also felt that if he kept pushing for answer, she''d just retreat farther and spit out more outrageous answer. "...Is that so? I see." He decided to just let it slide. For now. "By the way, what does it mean when you said it''s called a ''twisting ladder''?" "Not twisting, ascending! It''s ''Cloud-Ascending Ladder''! It''s the Qinggong of Wudang sect that allows you to move in high speed and leap so high you''re literally walking in the air!" "Walking in the air... the heck?" Aside of some random words, her description was so absurd he couldn''t bring himself to believe her. Although, his speed did increase after trying out the method that she had taught him... but still, walking in the air? Not even the infamous Body Flicker Technique could do that! They''re ninja, not ghosts, godamnit! While they were talking, Akamaru was seemingly done with playing in the stream. He had quickly jumped back out and frantically ran toward the two. Kiba was the first to notice that something was going wrong. Very wrong. At the same time, Kokuo suddenly yelled within the girl''s mind, a tinge of panic coating its words. "We got visitors, kid! Four of them! Get out as fast as you can!" Kokuo was very chill throughout the year even when they passed by active ninja from Konoha. To incite such reaction from the Tailed Beast, that meant the guests weren''t going to be polite with them. She quickly poured out her chakra to envelop her body. "Kiba, your Four Legs-" "On it!" Before she could finish her sentence, Kiba had crouched down and activated his family''s prized technique. Akamaru jumped to his back right as he reached them. And then, they bolted away toward the direction of the village gate. They had quite a head start. With their speed, they should be able to reach the village before those strangers could reach them. However... "Watch out!" They were forced to skid to a halt when a huge wall made of dirt and clay suddenly rose up from the ground, blocking their path forward. "Go around them-!" Similar-looking walls were erected on each of their sides as well, boxing them in. Perhaps they could just leap over the walls, considering those things were only as tall as an adult''s height. However, the problem was that they had mistakenly stopped for that split second, breaking off their momentum. Thus, their pursuers were able to catch up. Four shadows flickered into the scene, wearing identical set of gray shirt, pants, and flak jacket. Each of them had a porcelain mask to cover their face, like Konoha''s Anbu, but the design was flat, with only two round holes for the eyes. "...They''re not from our village," Kiba growled. Actually, he couldn''t tell which village they came from, since their clothes didn''t show any village''s customary traits. However, he could tell from their scent that they didn''t belong to Konoha. For foreign ninja to wander around near their village and used jutsu against them, that could only mean that they were enemies! The guy at the furthest back raised his hand, and then pointed at Hikari. With a monotonous voice which was filtered by the mask to not give off his identity, he said with a threatening tone, "Hand over the girl. If you don''t get in our way, we will let you live." As expected. ''Lord Kokuo, they are...'' ''Iwagakure ninja. Who else?'' The Tailed Beast harrumphed. So, they had finally tracked them down to this place. It actually took longer than it had initially expected! "If I give her to you, you''ll let me live? Heh..." While she was talking with Kokuo, Kiba had taken a step forward, shielding her behind his back. "What a frigging joke! Let''s go, Akamaru!" Woof! Both human''s and his partner''s chakra flared up in an instant. With a poof, Akamaru transformed into an identical version of Kiba. The two then leaped forward like bolts of lightning, slashing their sharpened claws toward the pursuers. "Guah!" Aiming at the places where they weren''t protected by their flak jackets, the claws succeeded to draw blood thanks to the heightened speed from Four-Legs Technique and his additional practice. Before the opponents could recover, Kiba and Akamaru bolted off once again, changing targets with each strikes to confuse and broke up the opponents'' formation. "What speed! Is he really just a kid?" "It doesn''t matter! Just stop him!" The pursuers'' hands moved in high speed, forming hand seals of Ram, Tiger, Boar, Snake, Tiger. The ground shudder as the dirt rose up to form one, two, three layers of walls right on Kiba and Akamaru''s path. "As if that would help you!" Perfectly synced with each other, both human and his partner spun their body mid-jump, forming a drill that cut crisply through the air. One struck from the left, while the other struck from the right. The power and speed overwhelmed the dirt wall as cracks formed before they were blown apart in the blink of an eye, leaving the opponents with no chance to follow up with other jutsu. The twin whirlwinds crashed onto the three ninja, throwing them to the ground as their flak jackets were sliced through, unable to defend against the sharpness of the attack. Kiba and Akamaru stopped their spin and landed on the ground, struggling to catch a breath. That was the first time that they had utilized the technique in a real battle. Although the effect was better than he''d expected, their stamina wasn''t up to par for continuous usage. In his heart, he lamented the time that he had wasted being lazy. If only he had trained his endurance more... Meh. At the very least, all three ninja had been taken care of... Wait, three? Obscured by the fourth layer of earthen wall, one of the Iwa ninja was able to dive under the ground, surfacing right behind Hikari. A strong hand immediately choked her and lifted her up, while the cold edge of a sword was barely scraping her neck. "Don''t move, kid. Or else, your friend will die." Of course, he was just bluffing. The Tsuchikage had strictly ordered them to bring the Jinchuuriki back alive, at all cost. He would sooner beheaded himself rather than defying that order. However, the kid didn''t have to know that. "You... cheap bastard...!" "Kiba-!" He was angered beyond belief, but what could he do? That was a blunder on his part not to keep track of the opponents. Now that they''d gotten a hostage, he couldn''t- "Son of a bitch, I''ll make you pay!" The Iwa ninja angrily yanked him by the hair and then threw him to the ground. Another ninja did the same to Akamaru, who returned back to his real form after getting hit with a kick. They proceeded to rain down punches and kicks on the boy, venting their frustration over getting wrecked by a little kid''s half-assed jutsu. "Kiba, no... kuh-!" The Iwa ninja tightened his hold over Hikari''s neck before whispering a threat. "Worry about yourself, kid. After we''re done with that boy, you''re next. The Tsuchikage only told us to bring you alive. Doesn''t mean we can''t hurt you." Her eyes widened, fear swirling inside. Seeing her reaction, the Iwa ninja was satisfied. The group that was pouncing on Kiba had gotten bored with the boy. One of them drew out his kunai, intending to finish the fight once and for all. "W-wait...!" She let out a faint sob. Her trembling hands clumsily grabbed her captor''s wrist. "I-I''ll go with you... so please... let him go... I beg you..." Her voice was so weak, it barely qualified as a whisper. "..." The Iwa ninja flinched for a moment. In the end, he sighed. "Oi, you guys, no need to go that far for a child. Just leave him half-dead, that''s more than enough." The guys frowned. Had their squad leader gotten soft all of the sudden? Nevertheless, his words did make sense. It was a bit too petty to mess with mere kids. They reluctantly stepped away from the boy, but not without giving him one last kick to the face. "There. You happy, girl? Now-" He suddenly felt a strong grip clutching on his wrist. The weak, hazy gaze that were asking for pity had disappeared. They were replaced by a pair of sharp eyes full of killing intent. With her left hand acting as the anchor, she swung her right hand with fingers infused to the brim with chakra. <> The tip of her fingers accurately struck the pressure point on his elbow, cutting off his meridian path. The Iwa ninja felt his arm going numb all of the sudden. At the same time, a piercing pain struck his heart, as if a needle had been stabbed right at it. She was freed from his grasp. However, she wasn''t done just yet. <> Her fingers struck at the three pressure points in rapid succession, sundering each respective meridian paths. "Guh... goheh...!" The Iwa ninja fell onto his face, his body assaulted with immense pain. Even the slightest of movement made him wished that he was dead instead. ''They were experienced ninja, trained in the way of this world. Trapped in this young, untrained body, there was only one way for me to win against all of them.'' She grabbed the sword that the man had dropped, gauging its distance and how much she had to adjust to be able to execute her techniques properly. ''At that moment when they dropped their guard because they''re underestimating us... that''s when I will strike!'' She poured out her chakra, covering her in bluish light. The rest of the Iwa ninja, who was still unable to comprehend the situation, had noticed her movement, but they were a step too late. "Lord Kokuo, that thing that you did before when we escaped from Iwagakure... can you do it again?" "This One can do it," the Tailed Beast affirmed. "Buy This One just a second." "Understood." She dashed forth. "A-attack! Don''t worry about keeping her alive! Give it your all!" The Iwa ninja quickly formed the Bird seal simultaneously. "Careful! They''re coming!" "Lord Kokuo, I''ll leave it to you. Please tell me where the attacks are coming from." "Huh? Guh... Fine!" That jutsu created spikes that rose from the ground. It could tell the spots where the spikes would appear from, but only when they had finished forming the jutsu. Only a split-second window was left before the spikes would rise and stab the target. But that was enough. <> Her steps turned nimble, as if dancing. The first one came from the right. With Kokuo''s warning, she gracefully dodged the spike by side-stepping within a hair''s breadth. The second one arrived soon after, but she dodged it the same way. "You...! Die!" The last Iwa ninja changed his hand seal at the last moment, switching to the Rat seal. The earth rose to surround Hikari, threatening to crush her right then and there. However, Kokuo had finished its preparation as well. Red chakra intermingled with her blue-colored one, boiling to the highest point. Faint layer of steam covered her body, causing her image to blur for a split second. Her body flickered out of sight right at the moment when the dirt walls crashed onto each other. "Where did she-!?" Behind him. She had crossed the distance in a single leap, suddenly appearing right behind one of the Iwa ninja. Continuing her dance, the sword on her hand sliced through his neck, coloring the sky with a burst of red splash. She spun on her feet, and then lunged at another one. This time, it was a downward curving slash that had struck the victim before he could even react. Two down. When she struck at the last one, however, the blade let out a screeching noise as it struck a hard surface, failing to penetrate any deeper. The ninja had moved a layer of rock to cover his vital parts. With further nature transformation, he had also made the rock armor as hard as steel. "Kuh... don''t look down on me! I won''t go down that easily, you monster!" "...Annoying..." These so-called jutsu, they were really troublesome to fight against. Even so... It was just too bad. Emei-style swordplay was known for their flexibility in a fight. It represented the duality of Dao. Their practitioner could be soft, dancing gracefully in the battlefield as fluid as a flowing stream. They could also be hard, as unyielding as the sacred mount Emei itself. And the change of stance, could happen in but a single blink. The Iwa ninja was about to make another hand seal when he noticed that the girl''s atmosphere had changed. Where she was once as light as a feather, right now she was exhuming an aura as terrifying as an Oni. Turning her body sideways, Hikari assumed the low stance that defined Emei''s destructive style. She tightened her grip on the sword, and then she leaped forward, swinging her sword in a single decisive slash. <> In order to slice through the wings of a butterfly that could easily avoid the slash, a practitioner had to strike with a speed that surpassed common sense. That speed, when combined with the infusion of qi, could theoretically cut through the Heaven itself! "I-Impossible..." Red color sprayed out as the blade cut through everything in its way; the rock armor, his flesh, even his bones and organs. The pain lasted briefly before he died of blood loss. The fight had lasted just for a few seconds. Even then, it had blown the boy out of his mind. He was stuck in the middle of the fight, watching as the ground was getting covered in crimson patches. He wasn''t an exception. His hair, his shirt, every part of him was seemingly covered with the stench of iron to the point that he was about to puke. However, he couldn''t. He was simply rooted on his spot, unable to do anything. Only when all the Iwa ninja had been taken down that he could manage to let out a faint grumble. But then, something happened. The girl who had been fighting just now suddenly fell on her knees. The borrowed sword slipped out of her hand, its blade thoroughly chipped. That sight snapped Kiba out of his stupor. "Oi! You alright?!" He quickly rushed over, grabbing her from behind so that she wouldn''t fall. "Huh...?" Her body was really heavy at the moment. She tried moving her limbs, but they refused to comply, as if uncountable weights were pulling her down. "Chakra depletion," Kokuo remarked. "This One could share some, but it would be better if you rest for now. You have overused your body." Ah... that made sense. Those advanced techniques were too exhausting for a nine-years-old, after all. It would actually be weird if she was fine afterwards. Woof! "I get it, you don''t need to tell me, Akamaru." "W-whoa?!" He suddenly lifted her on his back. Akamaru also changed position, perching on top of her head instead. "We''re already this close to the village, let''s go back at once-!" Pfiuuu~ A whistle rang out throughout the forest. Its source was the first Iwa ninja that Hikari had knocked out earlier. Enduring the pain, he forced himself to pull out the signal for the rest of his people to gather. This way, they would be able to find the Jinchuuriki. "For... Lord Tsuchikage..." He murmured before passing out. "Godamnit!" Kiba might be a lazy bum, but he wasn''t a complete fool. He knew by instinct that the whistle was bad news, so he hurried back toward the village. Woof! "I know! You smelled them too, huh?" The entire forest seemed to shake at that point. Shadows were flickering in and out of the bushes, pursuing them from all direction. It wasn''t just a small group like before. Most likely, the entire force was coming at them like hungry hounds. The earth itself shook as walls upon walls rose around the fleeing boy. From the front, the back, more and more walls piled up upon them, to the point where they were almost blocking the sun. There was nowhere left to run. Ninja dressed in the same ambiguous attire as before entered the encirclement one by one. Their demand was still the same. "Hand over the girl." And the boy''s response, was also the same. "What a frigging joke!" The burning spirit in his eyes refused to yield, even when he was merely a cornered rat. "Let me tell ya, we Inuzuka never betray our people! And this girl right here, is one of us! So, screw you guys! I will never hand her over!" "...It''s too late to regret that, kid." He had no patient to humor the boy. The Tsuchikage''s order was absolute, and they would fulfill it no matter the cost. The squad leader raised his hand, giving his men permission to go ahead and do whatever was necessary to extract their Jinchuuriki. And then, just as Kiba was determined to fight until the very end... A huge explosion destroyed the dirt walls, throwing cloud of dust into the air. What the boy saw next was the back of a familiar figure, someone that instantly filled him with relief. There stood a woman with spiky wild-hair and red fang-shaped mark on her cheeks. By her side was a black-furred, wolf-like ninja dog with an eyepatch covering one of his eyes. Following her entrance, numerous Konoha Anbu with their distinctive animal masks breached through the dirt walls, turning the Iwa pursuers from hunters to prey. "Inuzuka never betray our people, huh? Screw you guys, huh? Are you trying to make your opponents angrier than they already are?" Tsume turned around to look at his son. Her lips curved up as she gave him an approving grin. "Now that''s my boy!" 16 A Hectic Birthday Party 3 The ensuing fight grew more chaotic as she watched on. Those mask-wearing ninja kept on moving their hands in rapid succession, followed by ridiculous effects as their chakra flowed out to manipulate their environments. Fireballs, blade of winds, earth spikes, lightning bolts... For a moment, she''d thought that she had returned to the immortal realms. What is this madness with elements getting thrown all over the place? Are they newbie immortals showing off their sect''s hidden techniques?! Fight more elegantly, godamnit! "You alright, pup?" While she was mentally cursing the ninja, Tsume and Kuromaru had brought the kids to the backline, more interested in keeping them safe rather than joining the frontline. "Mom, we''re fine! Shouldn''t you help them?" "Those Anbu? Nah, don''t feel like it," Tsume waved her hand. "Besides, the fight''s already decided." This was Konohagakure, their home turf. The Iwa ninja were outnumbered and were caught in a surprise attack. Whether they liked it or not, they had lost this fight. Even so, they persisted until the very end, leaving the Konoha ninja little choice but to attack with intention to kill. Either that, or letting the invaders escape, which would be a disgrace. "Kiba! Hikari!" Wearing white uniform for medical ninja, Hana had also arrived alongside two similarly-dressed ninja. Her face was a bit pale, but color slightly returned to her cheeks when she saw that the kids were under her mother''s protection already. Showing a bit impatience, she roughly pulled Kiba over to get a better look at him. "Ow, big sis, careful!" "What are these wounds? Why are you so bloodied? Who did this?!" The usually gentle Hana suddenly turned deadly cold, enough to frighten the two colleagues beside her. "Whoa, whoa, relax sis, it''s not my blood! Also, those punks are already dead!" "Dead-" Her eyes widened. "Did you- did you fight them? Did you won?" "Well... not really me, it''s her..." Kiba glanced at the girl on his back. "Ah... are you alright?" Hana gave her a quick look. She didn''t seem to be wounded, except for the faint bruise on her neck. "A bit dizzy..." Hikari murmured. "Let me check. Relax." She put her hand over the girl''s wrist, and then closed her eyes. Bluish-green aura thinly covered her palm as she activated her medical jutsu to read the girl''s flow of chakra. "Chakra depletion... it''s dangerously low. You''ll have to take a long rest later." Her voice grew stern. "Never overuse your chakra like this ever again! If you run out of chakra, you''ll die! It''s not a laughing matter!" "How can she run out of chakra with This One here? You''re worrying for nothing, human," Kokuo retorted within Hikari''s mind. But of course, Hana couldn''t know. Thus, Hikari just nodded to show that she understood. "Alright, you guys go patch ''em up, hurry," Tsume clapped loudly, bringing the medical-nin''s attention back to the task at hand. They quickly scrambled toward the kids, one medical-nin laying the girl on a mattress while the other used her chakra to heal Kiba''s wounds. They were mostly superficial, so increasing his regeneration rate just a bit would be more than enough. At the same time, the battle was safely concluded as the last assailant was taken down by Konoha''s Anbu. "No village symbol or any distinguishing traits in their attire, huh..." Tsume grunted. Judging from the opponent''s proficiency with Earth Release and their stubborn attitude toward their mission, it was easy to single out Iwagakure as the culprit. However, there was no proof. Forcing them to confess... yeah, that might work if only they didn''t fight until the last drop of blood. While she was deep in thought, she suddenly grew tense as a familiar scent entered her nose. The troublesome one had arrived... An old man dressed in red robe, white haori, and a hat scrawled with the character for ''fire'' had appeared alongside animal-mask-wearing ninja on each of his side. With a penetrating gaze, he swept over the battlefield, taking in the aftermath before his gaze honed in toward Tsume, and then Kiba, and then the girl who was being tended by a medical-nin. With a single leap, he crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, appearing right beside the girl. "T-Third!" The medical-nin almost dropped to the ground from shock. "Don''t mind me, continue what you''re doing." He gave the medical-nin an amiable smile. However, his sight never left the girl on the mattress. Just as he was about to step closer, Tsume suddenly appeared right in front of him, blocking his view. "Third. As you can see, my son and that girl had been attacked by those people. I believe that we should tighten our patrol." "Hmm. I agree." However, he still hadn''t moved his gaze away, as if he could see through Tsume if he tried a little bit harder. "...That girl, who is she?" "She''s our family member," Tsume replied without any hesitation. "Strange, I''ve never seen her before. I thought I already know every Inuzuka in this village!" "Haha! You''re a few years too early to claim that! Let me tell ya, she''s the niece of the grandfather of the cousin of the daughter of the brother of my uncle. We usually kept her inside the compound all day, so of course you wouldn''t know her!" "...Huh." Something... seemed wrong... He gave one last try to take a peek, but Tsume leaned over as well, deliberately hindering him. "Third, you said it yourself that the Hokage won''t get involved with a clan''s inner politics." "..." In the end, he let out a tired sigh. "I''ll leave the tracking to you. You guys are the pro, after all." "Yeah, yeah, just go. Don''t burden your old bones any further!" She could only relax after she was sure that the Third Hokage had really left. By that time, Hikari had replenished a bit of her chakra with the help of the medical-nin, allowing her to at least stand up by her own. "I-" "Not here," Tsume held up her hand. "We''ll talk later when we''re home. You stay here with Kiba and Hana, I got some work to do." She promptly disappeared with Kuromaru to search whatever clues they could find about the assailants. For now, nothing that Kiba and Hikari could do except recuperating. The medical-nin had left as well to assist the front line, leaving only Hana behind to take care of the kids. --- The crows were already cawing by the time that Tsume had returned. From her expression, it wasn''t a bountiful hunt. "Argh, you know what? Who cares. Let''s just go home!" She was supposed to be off-duty today, godamnit. Those Iwa bastard, she would surely find the proof of their involvement and drag them to hell! "Hana, you carry Kiba. I''ll take this pup." "Eh?" Somehow, she had decided to carry the girl home. As for Akamaru, he was perched on Kuromaru''s back, drained of energy like his partner. The journey back was filled with silence. And, Hikari had this suspicion that Tsume had deliberately carried her in order to do something else. As expected, when they reached the Inuzuka''s house, she told Hana to go ahead and bring Kiba to the living room, while she would take Hikari to the back to check on her injury. "..." Should she say, it went just as she''d imagined? "You got something that you haven''t told me yet, punk?" Right as she set her down on the tatami, Tsume immediately asked that question. The answer was, ''yes''. She got it right here, within the confine of her soul. Her mouth gaped open, but then closed back again as she bit on her lips. Seeing the girl lowering her head, Tsume crouched down to look at her at the same level. "My son was involved in that dangerous shit. He could''ve died. And I swear to God if that really happen... I''d have torn you apart." She let out a threatening growl, causing Hikari to tremble. "I have the right to know. Spill it out. Now!" But, even with that threat, the girl remained silent. Two could play that game. Tsume didn''t back down so easily. She maintain the pressure, not leaving her any chance to escape. Finally, after who knew how much time had passed, the girl murmured, "Why did you help me...?" "Huh?" "That time when the old man was checking on me, you stood there to stop him," she continued. "Why...?" She could tell that the old man wasn''t so simple. If she would take a guess, his authority should eclipse Tsume''s by a great deal. And yet, she still decided to shield her from that man''s inquisitive gaze. Why? "Ah, heck, why indeed..." Tsume scratched her head, just like what Kiba did when he was embarrassed. "...My son already said it, right? You''re one of us now, and we Inuzuka don''t leave our people behind. Not a chance!" "..." Was that sentiment genuine? That foolish statement, that foolish grin, toward a stranger like her, how could she be so carefree like that? If this was the cutthroat world of cultivators, this kind of naivety would definitely bring her downfall. Although... ...She didn''t particularly dislike it. She deliberately stopped her dantian from regulating her chakra, causing Kokuo''s overflowing chakra to flow into her instead. Five glowing horse-tails immediately flared out from her back, swaying with the evening wind. Tsume almost screamed upon witnessing that. She chuckled, thinking that this mother and son pair really resembled each other, even down to their reaction. "Lady Tsume, please hear me out. This time, I''ll tell you the truth." 17 A Hectic Birthday Party 4 Her lips moved as if they had a will of their own, detailing her meeting with Kokuo and their escape from Iwagakure. It was practically the same story that she had told Kiba a long time ago. Unlike that boy, Tsume was more calm. After the initial shock had dissipated, she listened with a deepening frown. "Five-Tails... Jinchuuriki... are you telling me that you''re housing that creature inside your body?" As an experienced ninja, Tsume was well-versed in the history of the shinobi world, especially since she had lived through all the three shinobi world wars. The term ''Human Sacrifice'' wasn''t alien to her. To put it in simple terms, they were weapons of mass destruction. As long as a nation owned them, they could serve as deterrent from foreign invasion. If she remembered correctly, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails were supposed to be owned by Iwagakure. She had never witnessed a Tailed Beast with her own eyes, but the people who had barely survived against them in the war had described them and their Jinchuuriki as frightening monsters. ''No wonder that midget of a Kage wanted to have this girl back at all cost... losing one their trump cards is goddamn devastating for their national security.'' Most likely, Iwa would never publicly admit that they''d lost a Tailed Beast. Their only option was to capture her back before the other villages could. Unfortunately for them, she had wandered to Konoha by her own volition. Ever since then, she had either cooped herself within the Inuzuka compound, or stayed inside the village wall. Naturally, the Iwa ninja couldn''t get to her, as they couldn''t send a large force to infiltrate lest they''d trigger another war. Who knew how long they had stationed scouts near the vicinity of the village just in case they could catch a glimpse of her shadow? It sure had been quite a while, considering that Tsume and the rest of the Inuzuka ninja had been busy tracking down potential intruders for months on end. That neatly explained their sudden increase of workloads. Nevertheless, Tsume found it funny that the Iwa ninja had such a bad luck. The girl had went out of the village wall from time to time, yet she had always chosen the times when they had been chased away. Sadly she couldn''t stay lucky forever. Today''s incident showed that the dirty little secret had finally caught up with her. "I think I get it now." When she heard those words, Hikari immediately stopped talking. Tsume already knew everything beyond that point, About how Akamaru had accidentally found her at the creek, about how Kiba had carried her back home, as well as the rest of the year that she had spent with this household. Hikari tightened her fists up as she stared down at the tatami, unable to get herself to look at the woman''''s eyes. Meanwhile, Tsume was scrutinizing her, smiling at her expense. She was amused that the girl would look so scared like a prisoner waiting for judgement. It seemed that the girl didn''t believe that she was already part of the family. ''Maybe it''s because she''s a Jinchuuriki.'' It was such a cruel fate, to live as a living weapon. It was understandable if they didn''t dare to trust people so easily. She was suddenly reminded of those two brats. They, too, had put invisible barriers around their heart, something that she''d noticed but unable to help with. Especially for that yellow-haired punk that usually played with her son and his other friends... "..." Hmm, nah. Compared to that waste of air, this girl is far more sensible. She suddenly grabbed Hikari''s head, and then messed with her hair. "Why are you looking like that? Get up!" "Uweeh?" She was met with Tsume''s warm gaze. "Wipe that frown off your face, we have a party to do! I better see you smiling when you get to the kitchen, or you''ll eat my fist, ya hear me?!" Without waiting for her reply, Tsume walked out of the room, leaving the confused girl to her own device. --- "One, two, three- Happy Birthday!" Popping noises rang out in the kitchen, followed by a rain of shiny ribbons. In the middle of the dining table was a tall three-layered cake with a miniature dog perched on the top, suspiciously looking really similar to Akamaru. When the real one noticed it, he was so excited that he barked over and over again. "Whoa! I forgot! It''s my birthday!" The star of the show, Kiba, showcased his amazing memory all of the sudden, inciting laughter from Tsume and Hana. "See? I told you he''d definitely forget!" Tsume hollered. "Hehe... Let''s continue." Hana turned off the lights, and then lit the candles on the cake. The dim lighting gave off a serene atmosphere. This kind of birthday party, it was the first for Hikari. In her short mortal life, she couldn''t afford to care. But then, when she had finally reached immortality, birthday was kind of useless to think about. Therefore, today''s party had turned into an excitingly novel experience. "We''ve got three candles here, so each of you should blow on one and made a wish. Let''s start with you, Kiba." "Alright, big sis!" The boy leaned over to the candle on the left, and then blew it off. "You''re next, Akamaru!" He lifted Akamaru up onto the table. The puppy tilted his head, turning toward the middle candle, and then let out a strong bark. Somehow, the resultant wind was strong enough to blow off the flame in one go. Everyone in the room was dumbfounded, except for Kiba, who was smiling with pride. "Hahaha! As expected of my partner!" "..." That... dogs normally couldn''t do that, right? Right? It seemed that she had to have a long talk with Daji about not showing off too much... One candle was left. And yet, nobody else seemed to be moving to blow it. ''Hmm? Why are they stopping?'' She turned to the side, thinking that it would be Hana''s turn next. Instead, she found that Hana and Tsume were staring at her. "What are you doing? Blow it," Tsume said a bit impatiently. Wait, what? "This- this isn''t my birthday!" She exclaimed. "When is it then?" "..." When was it again... Truth be told, she had long forgotten that little useless detail from her old life. As for this new body, she had no clue at all. Surprisingly, the memories left in this body contained little information about her identity. "I suspected so," Tsume sighed. "I got this hunch that you''re even worse than my son in this regard... so I went ahead with this arrangement. Hey, if you don''t have one, just make it out from scratch, right? Besides, this way I can buy one cake for three occasions at once. That saves a lot of money!" She laughed out loud, while her children and Hikari gave her a judgemental stare. "Enough rambling. Go blow it off or else we''ll stay here until morning!" "..." Fine, then... She leaned closer to the cake, and then blew out the last candle. "Alright! Now cut the cake!" Hana handed a knife to Kiba, who proceeded to clumsily broke the cake into uneven pieces with his reckless attempt in slicing. But who cares, eh? As long as it tasted fine, they would devour it regardless of the look! "Here, little bro, your present. And this one''s for Akamaru." Hana handed a blue-wrapped box to Kiba, and then a put a smaller, white-wrapped one on the ground. The puppy gave the box a sniff before scratching it open. As Hikari watched the boy and his partner shredding the wrapping paper into oblivion, a red box was placed on her lap. "Eh?" "For you," Hana grinned. "Happy new birthday!" ... Ah, damn. She was forced to look away, too embarrassed to admit that her cheeks were starting to grow hot... "A coat?" To her relief, Kiba''s remark successfully turned everyone''s attention back to him. He was holding a grey coat with dark-colored fur lining the hood and each end of its sleeves. It seemed to be a size bigger than the current him, but it should be fine to wear for a couple more years as he grew up. "I thought it''d look good on you when I first saw it. It''s such a great timing too, since your old hoodie got soaked with blood," Hana said while smiling. "Thanks, big sis!" He replied with a silly grin. For Akamaru, he was given a bone-shaped chewing toy, which he immediately perused with great delight. "Not going to open yours?" Hana turned to Hikari, who was still cradling the red box. "Ah..." She turned her gaze toward the kitchen floor, which was covered with pieces of wrapping paper. "...I think I''ll open it later. Don''t want to make it a bigger mess than it already is." Especially since she was the one who had to clean it up later in the morning. "Thank you for your hard work as always," Hana put her hands together to show her guilt, knowing she was partially at fault for giving the messy duo such thick wrappings... --- With the party concluded, everyone returned to their room to rest up after the eventful day. As she walked down the corridor leading to the main room, Tsume suddenly stopped when she felt a presence behind her. "What''s up, kid?" She turned to see Hikari standing at the other end of the corridor. She was still avoiding her gaze. "Can I.. really stay here?" She murmured, only loud enough for Tsume to barely hear thanks to her heightened sense as an Inuzuka. Tsume frowned, shaking her head in frustration. She took a step forward, approaching the girl. Then she took another step. And another. By the time that she was finally right in front of her, Hikari had tightly closed her eyes, her hands gripping the box so hard the edges were starting to crease. Tsume''s frown grew deeper. This stupid girl... Her fingers formed an O-shape with her middle and index finger. And then, she launched a flick toward Hikari''s forehead. "Uwah?!" "What a stupid question. I already told you that you''re our family member now. Do you think I''m a liar? That how you see me, punk?!" "..." She wasn''t sure how to answer that. Because, the truth was that she hadn''t, and didn''t, fully trust anyone. Perhaps not even Kiba, with whom she had the most interaction with ever since she''d been reincarnated. That was the weight of the thousands years of experience bogging down her mind. That was the way that the Deity-level cultivator, Yao Huang, had chosen in the past. He was a cultivator without a clan, a stray dog in the world where the strong eats the weak. In order to survive in that chaotic, turbulent era, he had done everything regardless of morality. Lying, stealing, backstabbing, even committing massacre against the innocents. Anything that could threaten his survival had to be taken down at all cost. It was bare necessity. With no one to back him up, the first misstep that he made would also turn into his last. Even when he had joined the ranks of the immortals, he still had to look out for himself. Trusting someone was just a betrayal waiting to happen. The only thing that Yao Huang trusted wholeheartedly was his own strength. That was how everything had worked out in the past. That was also how everything supposed to be in the present and the future. And yet... Here she was, putting her fate at the hand of someone else, just because she was swayed by that person''s words. If that was trust, then it made her feel so helpless. It was suffocating. Was her experience all for naught? Did her brain go mush when she passed the path of karma? While she was reiterating her story to Tsume back then, a part of her was yelling non-stop, trying to stop the rampant idiocy. ''Why did you tell her? She''ll rat you out for sure!'' She could''ve just fabricated another story, making some tragic anecdote about Iwa ninja chasing her for some ancient treasure or something. But nope, she just had to blubber out about Kokuo of all things. If Tsume had even the slightest bit of sensibility, she would just contact her superior and hand over this hot potato to them, earning her good credit while ensuring that her family wouldn''t get affected by the whole fiasco. At least, that was what Hikari would''ve done. That was what Yao Huang the cultivator would''ve done. Perhaps, she had grown addicted to the mundane, but peaceful life in this world, in this family. Before she knew it, they had invaded her heart, breaking through her defenses. Causing her to drown in this poison called ''trust''. Toward Tsume''s question, she wanted to reply with a nod, saying "yes, I do not trust you". Instead, she responded with a weak shake of her head. "Haah..." Tsume took hold of the girl''s chin, forcing Hikari to look directly at her firm gaze. "Listen carefully. I''m, in the end, a mother. If your identity as a Jinchuuriki is endangering my family, then I''ll choose my children over you without hesitation. Do you understand, punk?" "...Yes..." The woman''s gaze softened as a smirk was painted over her face. "That''s why, let''s work hard so that nobody will found out, eh?" ...Huh? Hikari stared at the woman with dumbfounded expression. "And that''s that! Now, stop overloading your small head with useless stuff, and go to bed! See ya in the morning, kid!" Eeeeeh?!? "W-wait up!" Before she could realize it, her body had reacted by its own, grabbing on the woman''s sleeves to stop her from walking away. "What is it?" Tsume growled. When she opened her mouth, everything flowed out without control. "Why? Why are you leaving such an obvious danger just like that? How could you be so naive? Why-" She choked on her own words, the voice slowly turning into a whisper. Why? Toward this pathetic, wretched, selfish bastard... "...Why are you being so nice to me..." The hands grabbing on the sleeves began to tremble. Tsume was stunned for a moment. But then, she wrapped those hands on her own, gently pushing them away. And then, without any warning, she struck a loud clap, shocking the girl until her eyes opened wide. With a smug grin, Tsume pointed to herself with her thumb. "Why? What a lame question! I''m Inuzuka Tsume, and I''m the goddamn owner of this house! Whatever I say is absolute! If I tell you to stay, then you stay! You got a problem with that, punk?!" Hikari shook her head again and again like a broken puppet. "There! Not so hard, ain''t it?" Tsume waved her hand as she walked away. Seemingly remembering something, she turned around midway. "Also, Kuromaru and the dogs said it''s okay for you to stay, since your brushing technique is good. That can be another reason, I guess." ...What? As she watched Tsume''s figure disappearing down the hallway, she had a revelation that in the Inuzuka household, the dogs sat unchallenged at the top of the hierarchy... "Haah..." She glanced at the moon hanging above in the night sky. Even though it was a strange world, somehow the moon still looked exactly the same. "...Lord Kokuo, what do you think?" The girl whispered. "This One does not trust humans." The Five-Tailed beast snorted. "But you... you are fine. That woman as well. This One thinks that it will be alright." "Is that so..." Is it fine to give it a try? Yes. It should be fine. At the very least, that was the answer that she''d wanted to hear the most. 18 White-Eyed Princess 1 Iwagakure didn''t make any major moves since the last battle. The number of unidentified shinobi spotted around the village had also dropped significantly. The Inuzuka shinobi could finally breath easy since their workload had stabilized back to normal. As she had promised, Tsume had kept Kokuo''s existence within Hikari a secret. Even the Third Hokage was unable to pry her mouth open. When he visited the Inuzuka compound for what he''d called a ''friendly visit'', Tsume had Hikari hidden in the deeper part of the compound, thwarting his attempt to get the girl. In the end, the old man gave up on direct approach. Lately, Hikari had noticed several people following her around the village whenever she was out doing errands. Thankfully, those stalkers never did anything else except observing her from afar. Regarding this matter, Tsume had told her, "Must be the geezer''s doing. Worry not, the only thing he cares about is keeping the village safe. As long as you don''t go berserk or something, he''ll just act as if nothing had happened." After all, if the Third could feign ignorance that the Five-Tails was in his village, the easier it would be when dealing with Iwagakure and the rest of the Great Five Villages. While this arrangement was far from ideal, it was still better than nothing. As the excitement from the incident died down, peace returned to the Inuzuka household. The daily grind continued, with Kiba attending the academy once again a few days after the birthday party. Just like that, two years worth of mundane days passed in the blink of an eye. Some distance away from Konoha''s downtown district, partially hidden by the surrounding tall trees, stood a domed structure, the stadium. It was a venue used for important public occasion like the rank-up exam. On days without particular events, however, it was practically an abandoned building. Four boys laid on top of a grassy hill near the stadium entrance, shielded from the scorching sun by the thick foliage.One stared at the clouds, the other munched on his bags of chips, while the restwere looking down the slope toward the path leading to and fro the main street which was filled with the hustle and bustle of a growing city. They were supposed to be attending class at the moment, and yet, here they were. "Oi, Naruto... I heard you failed again?" Kiba asked, breaking the silence. At the same time, a white-furred puppy''s head popped out from under his coat, turning his attention toward the yellow-haired boy as well. "Argh, don''t remind me about it!" The boy called Naruto suddenly got up to his feet, stomping the ground in frustration. "It''s just some stupid clone jutsu! Why can''t they just let me pass, huh?! Teacher Iruka is too stuck-up, ya''know!" "Stupid... it''s the most basic of the basic jutsu, isn''t it? If you can''t do it, you''re the stupid one," Kiba retorted. "...Puh!" He sat back down, crossing his arms while sulking. "Dude, do you have to take the exam every year? Like, why not take it with us next year?" Choji joined the conversation, although his speech was a bit incoherent thanks to all the munching inbetween his words. "No kidding. He already took it since, what, ten? I thought he was just messing around!" Kiba snickered. When he returned back to class after a year of sanctioned leave, Kiba suddenly got the news that a kid had attempted the graduation exam earlier than the recommended age. Early graduation was a big deal, a sign of talent, so the kids were excited when they caught wind of it. But then, it turned out to be Naruto, that guy who couldn''t even do Transformation Technique right after three years of attending the academy... What did you expect? Of course he failed miserably. He didn''t give up, though, since he immediately tried it again the next year. Unfortunately, he had procured yet another failure. This year was his third try and the result was still the same. Seriously, this guy here had improved a lot since the first exam. His Transformation Technique and his Body Replacement Technique were already passable, but when it came to Clone Technique... "Naruto... you and Negi, you guys are brothers, right...?" Kiba murmured. "Stop bringing him up! He ain''t got nothing to do with me!" Ah, he went back to sulking... That red-haired kid''s case was the exact opposite. He had aced every subjects in the academy, and was actually capable of finishing the exam early. And yet he''d decided not to, saying that he wanted to graduate together with his younger brother. While it seemed like a waste of potential, their homeroom teacher, Iruka, had given him his blessing. Thus, he was allowed to be exempt from class until he deemed himself ready to graduate. He just randomly showed up from time to time whenever he felt like it. "Besides, you guys never tried the exam, right? It''s hard, ya''know!" Naruto exclaimed. "Dad said I don''t have to just yet. He said it''s better to wait until next year," Choji replied. "...Too troublesome," Shikamaru responded with his usual line. As for Kiba, he was cleaning his ear with his pinky when he casually said, "I gave it a try, actually." His words earned him Choji''s and Naruto''s bewildered gazes. ""Eh?"" "Teacher Iruka half-coerced me after class. He said I managed to pass them all. Let me tell ya, it''s not that hard. Just basics." He was saying it nonchalantly, but obviously a tinge of arrogance was still present. "S-so, you''re already done with the academy?" Naruto frowned. "Moron, why am I here wasting my time with you guys, then? Mom told me to wait for another year so we can all graduate together. That''s why, you still got a year, so you better train so you can pass the exam, you punk!" "Kibaaa! You''re such a good friend, ya''know!" Naruto leaped toward Kiba, catching him off-guard with a bear hug. "Damnit, idiot! The heck are you doing! Let me go! What if someone else see-" By chance, a familiar brown-haired girl in a dark-colored robe had passed by the path leading toward the stadium at that unfortunate moment and caught sight of the four boys. Her gaze was particularly aimed at the scene of Kiba and Naruto engaging in a tight embrace. The two froze on their spot, while Choji and Shikamaru quickly took a few steps to the side, not wanting to be falsely associated with them. "..." Under Hikari''s judgmental stare, Kiba was breaking out in a cold sweat. "Get. Off. Me!" Exerting the muscles he had trained for the past years, he forcefully broke the hug and pushed Naruto away from him. "...You guys are good friends, as always... thank you for taking care of our Kiba," Hikari said as she greeted them one by one with a slight bow. "Don''t worry about it, puppy-stealing girl," Choji and Shikamaru replied at the same time. "..." That nickname from way back when had stuck for so long. Was that first impression so hard to scrub off? Should she just smack them in the head and reset their memories? Kiba let out a coughing fit. "You... about us skipping from class..." "I won''t tell Lady Tsume, don''t worry." "Great, thanks," Kiba nodded, but then he frowned while pointing at her. "By the way, that thing on your back, what is..." "Oh, this?" She glanced at the sack that she was carrying, which was filled to the brim with some brown substance. The problem was that the sack was really big, even taller than herself. The people passing by her couldn''t believe their eyes when they saw that. "A year''s worth of dog food." "A year..." Kiba suddenly felt like he wanted to puke out blood. "Why the heck did you buy that much?! Who''s going to eat it?!" "Kuromaru." "Kuro-" "Akamaru sometimes eat together as well. They can finish it all in a month." "Aka..." Ah, he really puked out blood... he could literally taste iron in his mouth at the moment. ''Mom... is this the reason why our budget is always in the red?!?'' He felt like he had stepped into a tragic family secret... aargh, he didn''t need to know that! Give back his innocence! "Anyway, I''m going home. You should go back to class." She nimbly trotted away toward the Inuzuka compound, the sack bobbing up and down with the rhythm of her steps. "...Dude, she''s freaking strong..." Choji murmured. "...You got used to it." Kiba laid back on the grass, suddenly feeling so exhausted. --- After dropping off the sack of dog food, much to Kuromaru''s delight, she went out again to buy the rest of the things in her shopping list. They''d ran out of detergent this morning, so she had to grab that. Maybe get some bleach too... "You... really got too into it... what''s so fun about shopping for detergent?" Kokuo remarked. "They don''t have detergent back in the turbulent era. Actually, I don''t think we have it in the Yang Dynasty either. Shame, it''s a really great product, too! Makes laundry and cleaning so much easier! I should make a copy of the recipe to bring back later!" "No, This One isn''t talking about that..." Didn''t she say that she was a revered martial arts expert in the past? When did she slip up and got cursed into a housekeeping extraordinaire? Kokuo really couldn''t understand how this kid''s brain worked, ah! "Hm?" She suddenly stopped, and then pointed toward a group of trees in the distance. "Venerable One, look, is that..." They were taking the path near the stadium once again, partly because Hikari wanted to see whether Kiba and friends had gone back to the academy or not. The answer was, as expected, in the negative. However, she wasn''t worrying about that at the moment. Hidden behind a tall tree was a young girl with short, dark blue hair. She was wearing a cream-colored hooded jacket and navy blue pants. The thing that stuck out about her, however, was that pair of white, featureless eyes. She was continuously fidgeting, sometimes peeking out of the tree to take a glimpse of the four sleeping boys. From time to time, she looked like she wanted to come out and approach them, but she refrained at the last moment, returning back to hiding. Watching this absurd scene, Hikari''s lips twitched. "This One thinks that it is, probably, a case of stalking," Kokuo commented in a flat tone. "Should we- should we do something about it?" "...If you''re bored enough." "..." Well, fine... Hikari made her steps lighter with qinggong, taking a detour around the girl in order to not alert her. When she was right behind the girl, she gave her a light tap on the shoulder. "What are you doing?" "F-fuee?!" The girl tensed up in an instant. She jumped up out of reflex, causing her face to smack the tree trunk with a loud thud. ""..."" She promptly fell on her knees, holding her forehead in pain. "Uuu..." "This girl... is she okay in the head?" Kokuo squinted its eyes. Honestly, Hikari wasn''t sure about the answer either. "Are you alright?" She offered her hands. The girl blinked at her a few times before she shyly accepted the help. "T-t-thank y-you..." she stuttered out. "No problem. By the way," Hikari deliberately coughed, "stalking is bad, you know." The girl tilted her head with a confused expression. A moment later, realization suddenly kicked in, and her face was boiling red in an instant. "I-i-i''ts not like that! I w-was j-just... j-just... uuu..." She couldn''t find a good explanation for her behavior. If she said that she just wanted to talk with Naruto, but couldn''t find the courage to, would that be fine? Ah, but that did sound like she was acting like a stalker... In the end, she didn''t know what to say, so she just looked down in shame. Trace of tears began to pool at the edge of her eyes. "You made a girl cry," Kokuo laughed. "What...? I didn''t mean that to happen, oi!" Hikari sighed. Somehow it had ended up with her as the bully. It didn''t feel good at all. She hastily touched the girl''s eyes with her fingers, wiping those tears away. "Don''t cry, tears don''t suit you." Hm? Those words felt nostalgic somehow... The girl trembled when Hikari''s fingers touched her, but then she slowly relaxed. When she heard those words, however, she suddenly looked up. Their eyes had finally met for the first time. Hikari gulped. A smooth skin and a lovely face... this girl was indeed beautiful, even in this young age. If she was to grow up a bit more, she would definitely turn into an alluring flower. That shy look only added more to her charm. "Um..." The girl suddenly touched Hikari''s cheeks, her lips slightly parted as if she was in a trance. "Have we... met somewhere before?" 19 White-Eyed Princess 2 Have they met before? After pondering for a brief moment, Hikari shook her head. Seeing the girl did remind her of someone, but it was a really vague feeling... She suddenly got an idea. "My name... my name is Yao Huang." The words that came out from her mouth were spoken in the tongue of her homeland. She waited for the girl''s reaction, slight anticipation bubbling in her heart. However, it was quickly extinguished. The girl was giving her a vacant stare. Without a doubt, it was a pure, honest-to-goodness confusion. "..." "...Um... e-e-excuse me...?" "Hikari. Just call me Hikari." She let out a dry laughter, heavily laced with mockery aimed at herself. Yeah, as if any random schmuck in town would suddenly turn out to be reincarnated folks like her and Daji... with how big this world was, what''s the chance? "H-Hikari, is it... n-nice to meet y-you. I''m H-Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata..." The girl blushed even harder, if it was possible at all. Just saying her own name turned her into a ripe tomato... Hikari and Kokuo began to worry about this child''s future... She was about to say something to the girl when Kiba''s face suddenly popped up from the other side of the tree. "Oi, what are you doing here... huh? Is that Hinata?" Hinata almost jumped again if only Hikari didn''t stop her by holding her shoulders down. "H-hello..." "Just having a chat," Hikari remarked. About this girl''s stalking... maybe it''s best not to mention it. "More importantly, why are you not back in class yet?" "Bug off," Kiba snorted. At that moment, another head popped out behind Kiba. "Hmm? Hinata?" "E-eh?!" That loud voice, who else was it if it wasn''t Naruto? When Hinata''s eyes accidentally met his gaze, she began to tremble. And then, her head fell onto Hikari''s chest as her eyes closed shut. Ah, she fainted... ""..."" Hikari and Kokuo was really, really worried about this child''s future... --- "Ngh..." What Hyuuga Hinata saw as her eyes slowly parted open was the clear blue sky. She was lying on a wooden bench with a blanket covering her body. Something soft and cool was placed over her forehead. When she touched it, it turned out to be a compress. "Hm? You''re finally awake." The girl that she''d just met before, Hikari, came over to her side. "W-where is this...?" "Inuzuka compound''s outer training ground," she promptly replied. When Hinata fainted, the first thing that popped up in their mind was to carry her back home. But then, Kiba remembered something about her circumstances. She was the daughter of the head of Hyuuga clan''s main branch. With her family''s status as a noble clan in Konoha, she could be seen as someone akin to a princess. If they brought her in this condition, wouldn''t they got blamed instead? Therefore they changed strategy to "wait until she wake up first". Since it would be too cruel to just leave her out there, Hikari opted to bring her back home. Kiba didn''t seem to appreciate that decision, but she had already ran off before he could stop her. Thus, the present situation. By the way, the entire Inuzuka clan had gone off to attend a ninken festival in nearby village. When Kiba heard about it, he fell on his knees, feeling deeply wronged. "Why didn''t they tell me?! I wanna go too!" "Because you always ditch classes?" "..." He got no comeback for that... Currently, he had changed into his training clothes. When he noticed that Hinata had woken up, he immediately went over to check on her. "Man, you have to stop fainting every time Naruto speak to you!" "Eh? This is not the first time?" "Naah. Let me tell ya, this girl, when that Naruto got close to her, she either ran away or just fell down immediately." "...What?" Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation had once again turned into a bright red tomato as she desperately tried to cover her face. "B-b-but, I... t-talking with N-Naruto... I c-can''t..." She made some incoherent noises, looking more and more pitiful. Woof. A bark caught her attention. A white-furred puppy had jumped onto her lap all of the sudden, rubbing his head on her belly. "Ah..." Her hands slowly moved toward Akamaru''s head. Akamaru gave her a couple of sniffs before he let her pet him on the head. That wholesome feeling as she stroked those soft fur was heavenly. She felt like the pressure that was weighing her down had slowly dissipated. Before she realized it, her lips had curled up to form a gentle, loving smile. "..." ''Ah, she''s really cute.'' When she had that in her mind, Hikari immediately shivered. The girl''s just a little kid, damnit! Have some shame! Evil thoughts, go away! "Anyway, just rest here for a bit. We''ll walk you back home when you''re already feeling better." Leaving Hinata to Akamaru''s care, the two walked back to the center of the ring. "Okay, show me that technique again?" Kiba nodded, and then formed a tiger hand seal. He crouched down on all four, chakra pouring out to cover his entire body. His claws and fangs grew out as well, making him look more feral. Accompanied by a low growl, Kiba''s form turned into a blurry shadow as he charged toward Hikari with frightening speed. "S-so fast...!" Hinata had heard about the Inuzuka''s Four-Legs Technique from her father, but this was the first time that she''d witnessed it with her own eyes. She didn''t expect that it would be this ferocious! However, the girl at the receiving end of his attack was unbelievably calm. She didn''t show any fear, instead focusing her gaze at the incoming silhouette. A sharp claw shredded through the air, aiming toward her side. At the same time, she casually leaped backward. The claw had miraculously missed her by a hair''s breadth. "Drat-!" "My turn." Chakra burst out to cover her body. She stomped one foot on the ground, and then sent a straight kick with her other leg right at his belly, sending him flying a few feet away. "Guh... damnit! I was so close!" "You know I deliberately avoided at the last moment, right...? I thought I already taught you." He did, but knowing and doing were two different things! In the first place, if it was him, he was sure that he wouldn''t be able to dodge like that even if his life depended on it. "Your Four-Legs Technique, it''s basically just making you stronger by covering your body with chakra, right? Do you really have to be on all four?" "Well... that''s the name of the jutsu... it''s to make us more in sync with our partners!" "Yes, I mean, that''s the problem. A fight between cultivators- err, I mean, ninja, is a fight between humans. If you''re devolving yourself into a mindless beast, won''t you lose then?" "..." Hmm, it feels like she was mocking the entire history of his clan... Kiba didn''t know how to react. "Your point?" He grunted. "You should incorporate more finesse in your attack," she continued. "Sometimes brute force can work, but try to mix feints into your strikes." "...How?" "Easiest way to learn is by feeling it, so..." She assumed the standard Emei Sect''s offensive stance. "I''ll drill it into your body?" Kiba broke into cold sweat. "P-please have mercy..." He couldn''t even finish his words before she lunged forward, closing their distance in a single leap. She readied her right palm before sending an upward curve toward his face. His reflexes, heightened by the Four-Legs Technique, immediately made him dodge to the side. Unfortunately, he had fallen for the trap. Her advancing foot stomped the ground, halting her momentum. Her right arm was retracted back as her body twisted the other way around, this time sending a hook to his side. "Gueh-!" The punched knocked the air out of his lungs, forcing him down his knees. "See, like that.Your attack and your defense is too obvious. Feel how they move, then try to outwit them. Well, you can only do that if you have years of experience, though..." "...Then... how did you do that... you''re always able to avoid my attacks..." Kiba groaned while clutching his belly. Err... because she had had thousands of years of experience...? That didn''t sound good for an answer... "...I''m... uh... born this way... maybe?" Yaaa, technically she wasn''t lying. "Anyway, let''s keep going," she resumed her stance. "W-wait, wait! Can''t you wait until my pain got better?" "Actually, the more you''re hurt, the easier you''ll remember. Traumatic memory or something. Don''t worry, it won''t kill you." "..." Suddenly Kiba got the urge to give this girl a smack in the head. Just once, if he can do it just once, then he''ll be extremely satisfied! "Ah, u-um... e-excuse me..." Hinata raised her hand, seemingly embarrassed for interrupting their session. She didn''t want to disturb them at first, but in the end her curiosity had won over. "Yes? Do you need anything?" Hikari dropped her stance and walked over to the girl. "N-no... it''s just... just... uuu..." She was trying her best to say something, but couldn''t, so she just shut her eyes and trembled instead. Ah, she started fidgeting again... Hikari scratched her head, feeling extremely confused. "C''mon, just spit it out!" On the other hand, Kiba, who had a way shorter fuse, just went the direct way and broke through the wall in one go. "H-huee! I-I''m sorry!" Ah, she''s shaking even harder now... but at least she had finally started talking. Good job, Kiba! "T-that... those moves you''re using... is... is that Gentle Fist?" Hinata glanced at Hikari when she asked that question. Gentle Fist, hmm? She vaguely remembered that Tsume had called her techniques with that name two years ago as well. "No, it''s not. It''s actually based on emeiquan, but I mix-and-matched it with other techniques." After giving it some thought, Hikari decided to pry a bit further. "By the way, what is ''Gentle Fist''?" "Umm... it''s o-our Hyuuga clan''s taijutsu..." Hmm? Taijutsu, huh? Actually, she was quite interested with taijutsu, because it had a similar meaning to unarmed martial arts. The only taijutsu that she''d seen so far was the Inuzuka''s, though. Those are... unique, to say the least. If Hinata and Tsume had said that her movements were similar to Gentle Fist, perhaps that was the more ''normal'' martial arts in this world? She wanted to see! "Hinata!" She called out. "Y-yes...?" "Can you show me that Gentle Fist of yours?!" "F-fueee?!" "Oi! The heck are you doing?!" Kiba caught her from behind, stopping her from practically pouncing on the poor scared girl. Ah... "S-sorry, I got overexcited." "U-uuu... it''s... it''s fine..." Even when she''s scared silly, the girl still gave Hikari a weak smile. "I-I can show you, b-but I''m not t-too good at it... w-would that be a-alright...?" "No problem!" Hikari gave a thumbs up. "Better than fighting a dog the entire day." "Oi!" Why did he still get the short end of the stick even when he hadn''t even said anything? Kiba felt really wronged all of the sudden... They returned back to the ring, but this time it was the two girls sparring while Kiba and Akamaru watched by the side. "T-then... I''ll start..." Hinata took a deep breath. And then, her hands moved to form a long string of hand seals. Horse, Tiger, Boar, Hare, Rat, Dog, Hare, Rat, Boar, Snake. The veins under her temple began to twitch. Soon, they bulged out entirely, forming branch-like patterns around her eyes "Oi, oi, are you alright? Something is wrong with your eyes!" Hikari yelled. "Ah...? N-no, t-this is normal..." Hinata gave her a slight bow, and then she took a stance of her own. "H-here I c-come...!" She struck a palm out in high speed, aiming at one of the chakra opening on Hikari''s arm. "Eh?" Hikari didn''t move to block it. The palm scored a hit. At the same, a small amount of chakra was injected in, blocking the flow around that point. Her arm had grown numb all of the sudden! "This is... Gentle Fist?" She was amazed. This style of palm strikes was indeed similar to the acupressure attack used by the mortal sects! <> She quickly pressed two fingers on the numb arm''s pressure point, forcibly causing her chakra to overflow and breach through the blockade. This time, it was Hinata''s turn to be surprised. "T-that... y-you can unblock your tenketsu...?" "Ah... yeah? It''s not hard, right?" Why was she so surprised? Pressure points study was a basic subject for every respectable sects'' disciples, right? "Uh... no? Actually, the Hyuuga is feared because they''re the only ones who know how to seal our chakra pathway, thanks to their Byakugan," Kiba chimed in. Actually, he also didn''t expect that she could counter the Hyuuga''s Gentle Fist like that. He still couldn''t believe it even after witnessing with his own eyes. That strongest rookie who had graduated this year, Hyuuga Neji... if he fought with her, perhaps she could...? "Well, nevermind that. Hinata, could you show me your other moves? I want to see!" "E-eeeh...??" It turned out that that talk about walking her back home later was a lie. Because of one training maniac, she was forced to practice together until nighttime. The Hyuuga couldn''t wait anymore and ended up sending some of their people to fetch their princess back. By the time she reached her home, she was fully drained. However, the truth was that she didn''t particularly hated it. ''Perhaps... this is how it feels to have friends...?'' A slight smile escaped her lips. 20 Red Like Blood Lately, Hyuuga Hinata could be seen entering the Inuzuka compound from time to time. Since Kiba usually hung out with Naruto and his pals, it was a common occurrence to find Hinata stalki- observing them from afar. Whenever she saw that, Hikari had always caught her in the act and brought her over to play instead. Apparently, she was really, really interested with the Hyuuga''s Gentle Fist taijutsu. "I-I can''t really s-show it to outsiders, t-though..." "Oh, c''mon, pleaaase~? I won''t tell anyone, I swear~" Hinata was already weak to pressure to begin with. Against this half-coaxing, half-coercion, her defense soon crumbled down into pieces. Thus, she ended up showcasing Gentle Fist''s techniques, although the more advanced derivation like the Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms was way out of her league. "Baguazhang?" That name rang a bell. The Gentle Fist did look like Wudang''s Eight Trigram Palm principle, with their heavy emphasis on palm strikes and the fluid, circular footwork. Hmm... could it be that the Hyuuga clan was actually an offshoot of Wudang Sect? Actually, she was dead wrong, since there was no Wudang sect, or actually any sect at all, in this world. But eh, she could dream. "I''m fine with you wanting to practice and all, but..." "Hmm?" "Why should I become your guinea pig?!?!" Hikari''s goal was to scrutinize Gentle Fist, so naturally she couldn''t do it while sparring with Hinata all the time. Sometimes she would have to step aside and take the role of an observer in order to see the techniques in broader view. Thus, Kiba was coerc- uh, invited, to serve as Hinata''s partner. "It''s a good practice for you. Baguazhang is one of the three basis of Wudang Sect''s techniques, so the more you fight against it, the better your grasp over them would be." "First, I have no idea what that ''pakua'' thingy is! Second, I don''t need that kind of mastery- Gehoh!" Because he was distracted, Hinata''s palm slammed right on his chest. The sudden blockage of chakra struck him with blinding pain, knocking him out in one hit. "F-Fuee...! K-Kiba, a-are you alright...?" "Don''t worry, he''s fine." << Emei Sect Unarmed-Style: Thirty-Six Dianxue: Upper Back Point >> With one acupoint stab using her fingers, Hikari unblocked his chakra flow. Kiba quickly rose back up, heaving and panting like he hadn''t breathed for an entire day. "Waaah! I-I thought I was going to die!" "If she really wanted to kill you, she would''ve hit you on your vital points. Don''t worry, things that don''t kill you only makes you stronger, that''s what my master used to tell me." "Your master is deranged! Deranged, I say!" "Ufufu..." The two stopped bickering when they noticed that Hinata was chuckling. "Ah! U-um... I-I didn''t m-mean to make fun o-of you guys... it''s-it''s just..." "Cute..." Hikari muttered. "Eh...?" "You should smile like that more often," she suddenly patted Hinata on the head. "F-Fueee?!" The result was another serving of freshly-boiled tomato. "Let''s practice again?" "O-okay..." Hinata just allowed Hikari to do whatever she wanted to her, her gaze empty as if she had lost her soul somewhere along the line. ''Eh, we''re still continuing? And I''m still the punching bag??'' Kiba... desperately wanted to complain, but he couldn''t bear to do so. In the end, he just smiled wryly and accepted his fate. As the dazed Hinata and a dejected Kiba resumed their sparring, Hikari returned to the nearby bench with Akamaru by her side. After confirming that the two were already engaged in the fight, she patted her lap, inviting Akamaru to sat on it. She then leaned down while stroking on the puppy''s head. "What do you think?" She whispered. "I can''t feel any reaction." A feminine voice came out when Akamaru opened his maw. His slit-like eyes slightly parted open, revealing a cunning gaze. "Huang''er, I have to remind you that our case was an exceptional one. The only reason that I could feel attachment to you is because of our souls'' bond. Just because I couldn''t feel it doesn''t mean that we had tp rule out the possibility." "That''s why I tried to use words from our era at times. She only ever showed confusion." "Hmm... while it only has a really small chance, perhaps you should continue doing so in the future." "Daji... are you telling me that I should just call out people randomly in the street using our native tongue?" "Why not?" The puppy''s lips curved to resemble a smile. "At most, they''ll just think of you as a little bit wrong in the head." "..." Not sure whether she liked to have that assessment haunting her in this new life, though... "Haah... haah... s-sorry..." Hinata and Kiba''s sparring had abruptly stopped when Hinata slipped up and fell on the ground. Judging from her breathing, it seemed that she was already at her limit. Perhaps it would be good to train her physique as well. While thinking about that, Hikari threw her a bottle of water, which she tried to catch but ultimately failed, so the bottle majestically smacked her forehead instead. "Fueee?!" Kiba, who had caught his own share of the bottle with relative ease: "..." Ah... she really need to train this child. If she left her alone, it would be super worrying... --- "Happy twelfth birthday!" The Inuzuka household was once again pulling full festivities on this occasion. The setup was still the same: lure Kiba out of the house for an entire day, then shocked him with surprise party in the evening. "Whoa! I forgot! Darn it! You guys got me!" Somehow, he had failed to remember. Again. This absurdity made Hikari and Akamaru questioned whether Kiba''s brain had developed at all... There was something special about this year''s birthday, though. This time, Hikari had entailed the help of Kiba''s friends to keep him busy. Naturally, they were also invited to the party. The Inuzuka household''s small kitchen was thus filled to the brim. Naruto''s overexcited reactions were entertaining, and while Tsume kept on barking at him, Hikari could tell that she was enjoying his presence. Choji was content with devouring the cake and whatever food was placed on the table. Shikamaru preferred to stay a bit farther from the chaotic whirlwind, but judging from his smile, he didn''t seem to hate the festivity either. In case of Hinata... well, since Naruto was there, she had turned into useless human being. With a face as bright as the light bulb on the ceiling, she curled up in her seat, unable to look at him in the face. "Hey, won''t you talk to him?" Hikari whispered. Hinata pouted, showing her a pitiful, glassy eyes. It felt like if she pushed her just a bit more, she would broke apart. "...My bad, just enjoy the party, heheh..." She ended up giving her another slice of cake instead. "It''s good that it''s lively," Hana commented. When she glanced at Hikari and Kiba, a slight smile surfaced on her face. "What is it, big sister?" "Nothing... I''m just happy that you guys liked my presents." "Hmm?" Kiba was wearing the coat that Hana had bought him two years ago. The size was finally just right for him. From the wear and tear, it was evident that he had worn it a lot during the past two years. As for Hikari, her brown hair, which had grown up to her arm-pit, was affixed into a simple ponytail and slung over her shoulder with a black hair tie. That was the present inside Hana''s red box from way back then. "Well, it''s convenient." "Fufu... that''s good then. How about opening your present now?" Hana had learned her lesson. The boxes since then didn''t use wrapping paper anymore. Instead, she used wooden boxes with cute carvings. The box on Hikari''s hands had a dolphin drawing on the cover. When she opened it, there was a set of mesh armor inside. "Eh, this..." "You can wear it under your clothes, for safety purpose," Hana smiled. "I''ve heard from Mom that you have your own circumstances. I know that you''re not a shinobi, but I hope that it could protect you when you need it." Feeling gratitude welling up her chest, she gave Hana a courteous bow. "Oh, stop it! It''s just a little thing, no need to be like that!" It was Kiba''s turn to open up his box, and inside was a set of ninja supplies. Smoke bombs, kunai, sealing scrolls, and other assortments. Naruto was the most excited when he saw it, perhaps even a bit envious. "Whoa! Thanks, big sis!" "No, this one was actually from Mom," Hana pointed at Tsume. "Heh. You''ll graduate next year, so consider this your advance graduation gift, you brat! You guys! You also have to graduate! Study properly, don''t just follow this idiot and play around all day! Do you understand?! If you fail, I''ll tear you a new one!" "Y-yes, ma''am!" Tsume''s remark sent chill down the kids'' spines, causing them to nod meekly over and over again. "Hahaha! Good, good!" She... she wouldn''t really punish them if they failed, right? It wasn''t like she was their parents, no way their clans would allow it, right? ...Right? ...Uh, then again who in this village had ever dared to face Inuzuka Tsume when she went on a rampage? The boys silently made a vow in their hearts not to fail the exam lest they would be hunted down by Konoha''s Wild Dog... --- "Thanks for having us. I''ll walk Choji home, don''t worry about it." "Hoo... Shikamaru, dude... there''s two of you..." "...Just walk, c''mon..." Shikamaru waved at his friends as he guided the half-drunk Choji down the street. Apparently he had mistakenly downed Tsume''s sake, resulting in his current delirious state. "Oi, Naruto, you sure you okay for next year''s exam? Need me to help you?" Kiba grinned smugly at the poor boy. He was the one most affected by Tsume''s threat, considering he already failed twice in a row. Not to mention his Clone Technique was still a mess. If Iruka decided to use that again for the exam, what should he do? Even then, the pride of youth wouldn''t allow him to look weak in front of his friends. "Haha! No need for that! I''m the one who''ll become Hokage, ya''know! This is too easy for me!" "Hoo... you sure~?" "Kuh... I''m going home, ya''know!" The yellow-haired boy stuck his tongue out before running off. "Hokage? He wants to be Hokage?" Hikari frowned. "Yeah, that''s what he always said. What about it?" "Nothing..." Her only experience with Hokage was the persistent old man who kept on sending his goons to stalk on her, so her image of the position wasn''t great to begin with. "It''s nothing weird. A lot of my classmates said they want to be Hokage too." "Hee...? What about you?" Kiba took a glance at her before replying. "Nah. Not interested." "Oh. That''s good." The chaotic party was finally over. The only thing left was to walk Hinata back home. "I-I can go home by myself..." "A cute girl like you shouldn''t go home by yourself in the night. Someone might kidnap you to do Twin Closed Cultivation. I won''t allow that." "C-cu- fueee?!" Ah, there goes another tomato... Meanwhile, Kiba was severely disturbed when he heard the word ''Twin Closed Cultivation''. He didn''t understand what that means at all, he just instinctively knew that it was really, really bad. Thus he ended up coming along as well. "Sorry, I guess it''s better if Naruto is the one who bring you back home, huh?" Hikari grinned at her. "U-uuu...p-please don''t tease me a-anymooore..." Hinata pounded on Hikari''s shoulder while puffing her cheeks like a squirrel. Unfortunately, it just made the latter laugh. "U-um... by the way, I w-want to ask something to the b-both of you..." "Hmm?" "Yeah?" The two responded at the exact same time, causing Hinata to blink in amazement. "W-what is it?" Hikari coughed, trying to bring the conversation back on the rail. "Um... I-I accidentally s-see it with my Byakugan, b-but... well... uh..." ""..."" They were tempted to just smack her from behind, wondering whether the words would all spill out at once. Although, in reality, they just waited patiently. "Um... so... right... why- why are y-you guys always using your c-chakra?" Byakugan, one of the Three Dojutsu, had a special power to see the flow of chakra in the world. When they activated their eyes toward a human being, they could see through their skin and observed the chakra pathway and the position of their tenketsu. That was the basis of Gentle Fist, the taijutsu that relied on blocking and manipulation their opponents'' chakra pathway. When she used her eyes toward Hikari and Kiba, she was shocked to see that their chakra organs were essentially working in full force all the time, continuously pumping out chakra to their pathway. Wasn''t that... a bit dangerous? "Yaah, it''s this girl''s fault," Kiba pointed at Hikari. "What''s with ''fault''... you should thank me for teaching you that." "I almost died the first few times!" That''s because you kept on leaking out your chakra." "..." But... she did it in her first try.. At times, Kiba wondered whether she was really a year younger than him. What kind of training did she get before she ended up in their house? And she wasn''t even a shinobi! He never saw her train any jutsu at all! "That''s right, do you want to try it too, Hinata?" "F-fwee?" "Don''t teach her something dangerous like that, oi!" Kiba intervened. "Besides, aren''t you disturbing her own training if you keep on dragging her around?" "Ah." She almost forgot. With the influence held by Hyuuga clan, surely they would have their own training regiment for their members. It was the same with the mortal sects in her past. "Sorry... I guess you''d prefer training with your own kin, huh?" "U-um..." Hinata shook her head. "F-Father and the clan h-had given up on m-me, so... t-they never bothered giving me any g-guidance... b-but..." She lifted her face to look at the two kids in front of her with a smile. "Y-you guys always keep me c-company... e-even giving me pointers, so... I-I''m really happy... thank- thank you so much!" Aah... what is this? Their hearts went ''doki doki'' for a moment there. This girl... she would be really lethal if she learned to utilize this cuteness to her advantage. Hikari vowed to never let Daji corrupts this little ball of innocence. Definitely. Must. Protect! Under Kiba''s coat, Akamaru sneezed. ''Hmm... it seems that someone is badmouthing me...'' Daji thought, feeling wronged for some reason. She was innocent, alright? She hadn''t done anything yet, alright? "A-anyway, let''s go home, go home! I don''t want your Dad to yell at me again!" Kiba hollered while dragging Hinata toward her residence. Just when Hikari was about to follow, she felt a presence coming from the other end of the street. Someone was approaching her, shrouded by shadow until the street lamp revealed his features. She felt like she was seeing a split image of Naruto. Same eyes, same facial features, the exact same height and build. He even had a similar set of whiskers on his face, albeit he only had two pairs instead of three. Aside from his different attire, which consisted of a blue robe and pants, the part which distinguished him the most from Naruto was his hair. Instead of yellow, his straight, shoulder-length hair was colored in deep red. Red like blood. "Are you the one named Hikari?" The boy asked. His voice also sounded very alike to Naruto, but his tone was serene and calm, unlike his more boisterous part. "Ah... yes," Hikari nodded. Somehow, she couldn''t like this guy. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way. "Oi, Negi!" Kiba had ended up running back after unceremoniously dropping Hinata, wondering why the girl took so long to catch up. It turned out that she had met an annoying person! Akamaru also popped his head out, growling at the red-haired boy. "Haha, your puppy still doesn''t like me," he laughed wryly. "What do you think, Mr. Genius?" Kiba snorted. "Hmph, you''re so important that you can''t attend my party, eh?" "Don''t misunderstand, please. I was just busy with something. Sorry about that." It wasn''t a lie. Negi had always disappeared from the village for days on end, for who knows whatever reason. He had the approval of the Third, though, so nobody dared to rebuke him. Still, it was really annoying! This hateful guy! Just because he was slightly better than everyone else, he could get preferential treatment? Unfair! "Fine, fine, whatever you say! So? What are you doing here this late at night?" "Oh, nothing much. I heard that my brother had come over to play in your house today. I''d like to express my gratitude for becoming his friend. Please take care of him from now on as well." He politely bowed at the two. Not taking his crap, Kiba clicked his tongue. "Moron! Let me tell ya, you should take care of your own sibling, damnit!" "Naturally. You don''t have to tell me." The boys glared at each other for a moment, before Negi backed off. "I''ve said what I wanted to say, so please excuse me." He gave them another bow before disappearing back to the darkness. "Tsk! Encountering him in my birthday... what a bad luck!" "You... don''t seem to like him," Hikari muttered. "Who can like that guy? Naruto might be an idiot, but he''s miles better! Besides, Akamaru doesn''t like him too!" "..." Ah, there it was again, the Inuzuka''s logic... If their dogs didn''t like you, tough luck trying to make friends with them! "By the way, who was that? I''ve never seen him before. He... looks exactly like Naruto." "Of course they look similar," Kiba shrugged. "After all, they''re..." --- In the secluded part of Konoha, where nature still stood unaffected by the encroaching urbanization, a boy approached a small clearing. The clouds parted on that moment, revealing his red hair. On the other side stood an old man with an x-shaped scar on his chin. A layer of bandage covered his forehead and his right eye. He was wearing a black cloak with white robe underneath, and his left hand was clutching tightly on a walking cane. "Lord Shimura," the boy bowed. "I''ve given your words some thoughts over the past months." "Oh? May I hear your answer, then?" "Just one thing. Do you promise that you''ll keep Naruto away from all this political business?" "Of course," the old man''s lips curved up. "As long as you provide your service to me, I''ll provide you with whatever things that you need. Your twin brother will be safe from harm, I give you my words." The boy nodded. "I also can''t serve directly under you at the moment." "...And why is that?" The smile on the old man''s face faded slightly. "Lord Shimura, think it through. Rather than having me underground for a few years, it''ll be more beneficial if you let me stay under the Hokage''s nose as your agent." "...Even with that arrangement, I still have to brand you with Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal." "That''s fine." "..." Shimura Danzo hesitated for a moment. It was an enticing offer, but it also posed a risk of its own. Should he accept it? "I understand. Let''s do it that way if you so wished." No matter. You can''t win if you can''t take risk. Even if the kid was a genius, he could just eliminate him when he was no longer useful. Just like always. "I have great faith in you. Don''t disappoint me..." Danzo narrowed his eyes, staring right at the red-haired, as if wanting to fish out his real intention. "...Uzumaki Negi." The boy didn''t seem to be affected by the pressure that the old fox was emanating. Adding a bit of coy, he responded, as calm as he usually was, "Naturally." 21 Afterword - Volume 1 Hmm... this is the place for author to rant, right? Nice, nice, uwu First of all, thank you for everyone who have taken their time to read my mess of a story. As long as anyone is entertained, then it had been a time well-spent on my part. I initially started this story because I want to write a comedy. If you noticed, I really like to use manzai act and misunderstanding tropes, so if that''s the kind of joke that''ll make you laugh, by all means please come aboard~ As time went on, however, the characters'' background opened up to me, and now I have this full set of plot just waiting to be unleashed. Hopefully. Now, to address the big elephants in the room. Apologies in advance for people who felt ''tricked'' by the way I wrote the MC for the first three chapters. If you noticed, whenever the view shifted to Kokuo, it never specifically mention Yao Huang''s current gender, only referring him as "the kid". Every masculine pronoun always refer to Yao Huang as the old soul, not his current body. Naturally, it changed from fifth chapter forward, as the name ''Yao Huang'' was getting forgotten and his ''new'' name took place. Well, if I have to be honest, I just like female MC. What can I say? Then again, gender never really struck me as that important in the first place. You can have overly feminine guy and excessively masculine girl in the real world. That''s how personality works, it got nothing to do with physique, it''s more about environment and experience. Then again, if you dropped it in chapter four, you won''t be here, huh... so let''s drop the topic and move on xD This first volume is focused on the life before Naruto story officially started, covering the three and a half year period of their childhood before Naruto''s third graduation exam. As such, I had to get a bit trigger-happy creative with the events. While I want to say that I''ve done my research well, any advice is always appreciated. From here on, the characters will be more involved with the canon storyline, as well as changing it whenever something happened involving them. At some point things might deviate entirely from canon, so don''t be surprised when that happened. You''ve been warned. Hmm... what else... I sneakily added an OC called Negi inside as a homage to all those ''twin brother/sister'' fanfic out there xD Negi means scallion, which is one of the usual toppings for ramen aside from Kamaboko (Naruto) and Menma. A quick google search didn''t find any character with that name in canon, so I guess it''s safe to use? I want to hear your thoughts. Edit: None in canon, but an awful lot in non-canon... uhhh... it''s too late to change it so we''ll just have to roll with it hahaha... please enjoy my version of Negi Uzumaki~ Finally, my sincere thanks for people who had enliven the comment sections: Enesith, TrueImmortalDevil, Shinkaio, LostSoul1, and everyone else whom I haven''t mentioned yet. Also thank you for all the ''thanks for chapter'' squads: Franco98, StealerOfSouls, crazyfornovel, gingerghostflyewby, and all the other members. Know that even if I didn''t reply or like your comments, they were all appreciated and put in this humble one''s heart xD If you got any suggestion or question, feel free to shout in the comments below. I''ll see you again really, really soon. Bye~ 22 The Graduation Exam Night Incident 1 Winter in Konoha had always been short, thanks to the Land of Fire''s warmer climate. They were still halfway through the first month of the year, but the snowy days had already passed. Even so, the sun hadn''t regained its full glory just yet. The light of dawn was still too weak, barely able to faintly breach through the darkness left by the night. In the small room that she had been inhabiting for the past years, a brown-haired girl rose up from her bed. She let out a long yawn as she stretched her limbs. "It''s finally morning..." She lifted the thin robe she was wearing. Five-branching horse tails sprout out from behind, swaying for a brief moment before she pulled them back in. Thanks to her continuous training, she was now able to control the tails at will. They no longer popped out unannounced, although she had no choice but to keep them out whenever Kokuo was supplying her with additional chakra. "This One is amazed. It is praiseworthy for a human to exhibit this exquisite chakra control in such a short time." A faint light shot out from within her chest before it expanded and materialized into a form resembling a dolphin-faced horse with five horns and the same five-branching tails that the girl had showed before. The Five-Tails, Kokuo. The monster that was dwelling in the space within her soul. With the seal gone, it could''ve broken through the girl''s body anytime it wanted, but it had refrained from doing so as it was gradually growing fond of her. The human had also promised that she would train hard until she had enough strength to separate them without any adverse effect, so the beast was willing to wait for a bit longer. Anyway, she had indeed brought it to a place with lots of trees, so it was content for the moment. "Control, huh... rather than that, I''d want to advance in rank instead..." The result of her cultivation thus far was unsatisfactory. It was way too slow. The root of the problem was on how to gather enough pure energy. Normally, cultivators would pull the abundant, near-limitless qi from the surrounding into their body. There were countless array formulas and medicinal pills to speed up this process tremendously, allowing for easier breakthrough. However, this world worked differently. Not only was chakra so hard to refine, its amount was drastically limited by how much her own body could produce in a single day. The only way to increase it was by training her body and mind. Medicinal pills might help a bit, but compared to directly gathering qi, it was laughable at best. "Are you still not satisfied? If you desire more chakra, This One can lend it to you." "Thank you, Venerable One, but that''s not the issue here." Another problem was that she could had had a mountain full of chakra, but it would be pointless if she couldn''t refine them anyway. At most she could only use them to strengthen her body. As for the mystic arts from the previous life... it was just a pipe dream at this point. "Well, nevermind that. Let''s finish some chores first." Hopping off the mattress, the girl readied herself for another day in this new, mundane life. --- There was a small party in the afternoon, but this time it was not for anyone''s birthday. It was to celebrate Kiba passing through the graduation exam. "Hahaha! Thank you! Thank you!" The person in the spotlight was awfully happy about it, throwing toast here and there. Tsume quickly smacked him on the head. "Don''t get cocky, you moron! This is barely the start!" "Mom is right, Kiba," Hana smiled at him. "What you have learned so far are merely the basics. From now on, you''ll be considered an actual ninja, a Genin. When you''re doing missions, you''ll be carrying our village''s honor, so don''t be so reckless anymore." Kiba didn''t seem to agree with the last part. "But, big sis, Mom is already a Tokubetsu Jonin but she''s still reck-" Before he could finish, another fist landed on his head, planting his face on the table. "You talk too much!" Tsume growled. "Hikari, what''s wrong? You seems confused," Hana turned to the girl who was staring at the mother-and-son antics with great interest. "Ah, nothing..." She hesitated for a bit before continuing. "Actually, Big Sister, what''s with that Genin and Jonin stuff?" "What, don''t you know?" Kiba chimed in with a smug look on his face. "Let me tell ya, those are the ranks for shinobi. When you''ve graduated from the academy, you''re a Genin. After that, you can become a Chuunin. If you''re really good, you''ll become a Jonin. Finally, the one above them all, the strongest ninja, is the Hokage!" "Heee..." In short, Genin was the lowest rank, Chuunin was the middle one, and Jonin was the highest one just below the supreme commander... "What about Tokubetsu Jonin? And those porcelain-masked people, the... Anbu?" "Err... that''s..." Kiba didn''t know the answer. "Hahaha! That''s why you shouldn''t get cocky, you dumb brat!" Tsume smacked his back, producing a loud thud. "Girl, listen up. Those ranks are more applicable for general-purpose ninja, those guys who can use wider array of jutsu. Meanwhile, Tokubetsu Jonin like me are shinobi who''s job consists of one specialized task. In my case, it''s tracking with my good boy Kuromaru here!" "As for the Anbu, they''re a special operatives under the Hokage''s order. Since they''re dealing with extremely sensitive matters, their identities are always concealed. A shinobi could be a Genin in public, but actually an Anbu. Although, usually Anbu are recruited from the ranks of exemplary Jonin. You can''t become Anbu if you''re not skilled enough," Hana continued. Hmm, that sounded similar to the secret service employed by emperors in her previous life. Hikari nodded to show that she understood their explanation. "What about you, Big Sister?" "I''m still a Chuunin. Although, to be more precise, I''m considered a medical-nin. Perhaps when I''m more experienced, I can also become a Tokubetsu Jonin like Mom." "I see..." In that case, compared to these accomplished members of the society... "You suck, Kiba," Hikari concluded. "Shut up, you civilian!" The boy roared in response. Tsume was laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach because of the pain. "Alright, alright, enough messing around," she finally said when she had managed to stop. She then turned to Kiba, her expression turned grave. "Brat, never forget this. You''ll receive actual missions from now on. It''s no longer a game. If you don''t take it seriously, you might even die. Absolutely don''t go doing things on your own anymore, work together with your team and listen to your commander. Understand?" "Wait, team?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "It''s a tradition that rookie Genin will be put in a three-man cell led by a Jonin. I also entered one when I''d just graduated. I stayed with the team until I managed to pass my Chuunin exam," Hana explained. "Hooo... so, who are my teammates? Teacher Iruka didn''t say anything." "Who knows?" Tsume shrugged. "The academy premade the teams to make sure they''re all properly balanced. We''ll only be notified after the actual graduation ceremony. Let me tell ya, you better get along with ''em, boy. I don''t want to hear any complain from your commander later on, got that?!" Kiba still couldn''t accept it, but he nodded anyway. No point in making his mom angry. Mom''s scary when she''s angry... "Speaking of friends..." Tsume suddenly remembered. "Those kids, did they pass?" Hikari was also interested in that topic, particularly concerning Hinata. She perked up her ears to listen. "Hinata passed with flying color, as expected," he paused a bit to let that info sank in, and then continued his report. "Choji almost failed the written exam, but for practical skills he''s good, so teacher Iruka just let that pass." He then frowned. "Shikamaru just baaaaarely passed on every subject. Every. Subject. I''ve never seen such a flat score before! That lazy bastard, he''s doing it on purpose!" ...Well, that did sound like what Nara Shikamaru would do, that epitome of bare necessity... Hmm? She felt that there was another name missing from the list... Tsume coughed. "What about that yellow-haired kid?" Kiba''s lips twitched. "He... uh... his clone turned into a poopy, mushy mess... at least, that''s what I heard when I was eavesdropping the teachers..." ""..."" What kind of description was that?! Hana and Hikari were dead silent. The latter had never tried to perform that jutsu, but from what she''d seen when Kiba had demonstrated it for her, it was just a basic chakra splitting technique. It shouldn''t be that hard, right? ...Right? "So... the result?" Tsume pressed on. "...Failed." Ah... damn. The atmosphere suddenly turned frigid. "...Looks like I have to rip him a new one when he comes over..." Tsume murmured with a very suspicious smile. Kiba shuddered, repeating in his mind that he shouldn''t invite Naruto over until his mother forget about this matter... --- Even though technically it was still winter, the night sky was already so clear. Stars decorated the vast expanse of dark blue while the luminous full moon shared her light to the world below. Hikari was sitting cross-legged on top of the roof, basking under the moonlight with a cup of steaming-hot tea by her side. "Peaceful time is the best..." Kokuo mumbled. "Indeed..." She took another sip of the tea. Aah, bliss... This hobby of hers had become a routine in the Inuzuka household, to the point that Tsume didn''t even bother to pay attention anymore. There was a small ruckus when they first found out, though, since they had mistaken her for enemy ninja. God, that was a mess. After that small hurdle, nothing else could disturb her relaxation time except for one thing. "Huang''er~" Speak of the devil! "Hyaah?!" Someone had pulled her from behind while nibbling on her left ear at the same time. This kind of ridiculous action... who else would it be if not that vixen? "Daji! I told you not to- h-hyaaa~?!?" "Oh my, Huang''er, that''s such a cute sound you''re making there~" "Cut. It. Out!" Wearing a revealing, seductive outfit, the dark-haired woman didn''t concede to her demand. Instead, she moved her lips from the ear down to the girl''s neck. Starting with a kiss, Daji grew more aggressive as she began sucking on the girl''s skin. "D-Don''t... hyauu..." Against her wish, Hikari shivered from the sensation. That respond only prompted Daji to become even bolder. Her hands began to explore the young girl''s body, tracing down her curves as she started to push her down- "Oi, Hikari, is Akamaru with you?" Kiba suddenly popped up on the roof. What he''d found was a girl laying down on the tiles with messy clothes. Akamaru was sprawled on top of her chest, looking really exhausted. The cup of tea on the side had been toppled over, while the tray had been thrown a few feet away. "What... what happened here? Are you alright?" "...Nothing... here''s your dog..." Hikari handed Akamaru over, her face flushed red. She still couldn''t control her breathing. "You sure you''re okay? You look an awful lot like Hinata right now... sure you don''t have a fever?" "I told you. I''m fine!" She half-yelled the last part, causing Kiba to freeze on the spot. "O-okay then... huh?" He was about to get back down when he suddenly noticed something. Hikari didn''t fail to catch that. "Hmm?" When she glanced at the spot Kiba was staring at, she saw Tsume and two other Inuzuka clan members about to go out through the front gate. "Going out this late at night... is it an urgent mission?" "Sssh, I''m trying to find out." By focusing chakra on his ears, coupled with Inuzuka clan''s enhanced hearing, he could barely hear what her mother was talking about with the guards. "Third Hokage... something got stolen... scroll... huh?!" The next word had stunned him. "What? What is it?" Hikari urged, noticing the bewilderment on his face. "Naruto..." He murmured. "Naruto?" "Naruto, he... he''d stolen a hidden scroll from the Third''s house!" Hidden scroll... if she compared it to her previous world, would it be the equivalent of stealing the secret manual of a sect? The punishment for such heresy was, most of the time, death upon capture. "Isn''t that bad?" "Of course it is! That idiot! Just because he didn''t pass the exam doesn''t mean he has to do this kind of thing!" Kiba was greatly agitated. No matter how much he''d looked down on Naruto, that boy was still his friend. After all the time they had spent together, there was no way that he could just turn a blind eye over this matter! But, what can he do? He was just a little kid, while it seemed that the entire clans residing in Konoha had been mobilized in full force... "Well..." Hikari mumbled, "How about we get the scroll back from him and return it to that old geezer?" The kid would be screwed if he got caught by the village''s shinobi. If they could get to him first, however, they could hide him while they negotiate his case with the Third Hokage. Perhaps he would be able to show leniency, considering Naruto''s young age. "You- you''re saying it as if it''s easy..." Even so, her words did make sense. It seemed to be the best course of action if they wanted to solve this without hurting Naruto. But still... could they really do it? "..." His mother said that he shouldn''t be reckless, but... but... In the end, his feeling toward his friend had won over. "Aargh, I agree! Let''s go!" Kiba was about to leap away when Hikari caught him by the sleeves. "What?!" "Come down to my room first." "Why?! There''s no time to lose!" "I know, but do you want to risk getting involved as accomplices if we got also got caught?" "...Ugh." "That''s why, come down first." She flashed him a mischievous grin. "I got something good for this kind of occasion." 23 The Graduation Exam Night Incident 2 Konoha was on high alert. Every clans and shinobi families had answered the Third Hokage''s call, sending their people to scour the village for that little thief. It was no longer at the level of a prank. The scroll contained many jutsu that was proven so dangerous that it was sealed by the First Hokage himself. If it fell to the wrong hand, the consequences would be dire. While they were busy coordinating their moves, nobody noticed two fleeting shadows leaping through the rooftops. "Three and a half years of cultivation... so this is how far I''ve become!" Hikari was beside herself with glee. "Oi, focus! Remember our goal! We have to find Naruto before the others!" On the other hand, Kiba was a lot more tense. He glanced down the streets, seeing a lot of people that he''d recognized. Ah, damn, that''s Mr. Choza. That one was from Aburame clan. Everyone was a big-namer from their clan! If Naruto got caught by any of them, he would be toast! "..." Hikari had suddenly fell silent. "Huh? You finally understood the gravity of this situation?" "Too slow..." "What?!" Kiba''s face turned blank. "This is too slow! Compared to the usual pace, this is like a snail! Aaah, this is why I want to advance the ranks quickly! Traveling really isn''t enjoyable until you reached Foundation Establishment Stage-!" "That''s what you''re worried about?!?" Woof! Kiba quickly covered his mouth after getting reminded by Akamaru. Ah heck, he was getting too loud. It was this girl''s fault! "Anyway, we''re really going the right way?" "Yep," Kiba pulled the collar of his shirt down, letting Akamaru''s face to show up a bit more. "Akamaru said that he''d remembered Naruto''s scent, so he could show us. It''s definitely this way." They were heading toward the forest at the underdeveloped part of the village. So far, none of the shinobi had searched that place yet. If they could get there on time, they might be able to do something. "Let''s increase the pace." "Ouh," Kiba nodded, but the next thing that she said almost made him bit his own tongue. "I want to see how far this body could hold out... who knows? Maybe we could advance a rank from the added strains-" "I. Said. Focus!!" Under the shadow of the full moon, he roared in frustration. --- "You''d even transformed into your parent''s killer, just to protect him?" In the deeper part of the woods, two men, both instructors from the academy were facing each other. The first person, with a large shuriken on his back, was Mizuki, while the other one was Naruto''s homeroom teacher, Fumino Iruka. The latter was covered in wounds, especially the bloodied cut on his back. He was leaning on a tree as he felt his energy draining out of his body. However, he couldn''t back down. Not yet. This person, Mizuki... he had taken advantage of Naruto''s sadness from failing the exam, and manipulated him to steal the forbidden scroll from the Third''s house. He was the true culprit of this incident! There was no way that Iruka would let him off. Not to mention, Naruto''s life was on the line here! "I won''t hand over the scroll to someone like you!" Iruka declared, trying his best to hold up against the worsening pain. "You idiot," Mizuki grinned. "Naruto and I are the same! With that scroll, we can acquire limitless power! There''s no way that demon fox wouldn''t pass this opportunity! You''re not wrong to despise him!" "...Yeah..." Hiding behind a tree nearby, Naruto was listening to their conversation. His heart was a terrible mess. He had just learned that the terrible nine-tailed fox from the legend, the monster that had brought disaster to the village in the past, was none other than himself. The Fourth Hokage had died to save the village from the demon fox, and the method he''d used was by sealing the monster inside Naruto''s body. He was... he was the reason that Iruka''s parents had died. Surely Iruka had hated him from the beginning, right? He clutched the scroll tighter, trying to repress the ugly feeling in his heart. "I do hate the demon fox. That monster surely would use the scroll to take revenge," Iruka continued. Naruto closed his eyes, not wanting to hear anymore. "However... Naruto won''t do that. He''s different. I''ve... acknowledged him as an excellent student. MY student!" Even so, Iruka''s words... "He''s a lazy idiot. He''s awkward, clumsy, nobody was able to accept him. However, that loneliness made him know what it means to be in pain." ...Little by little, had broken through the shell covering his heart. A faint sob surfaced. "He''s not a demon fox. He''s a proud member of Konohagakure, Uzumaki Naruto!" The dam had finally broke as tears ran down the boy''s cheeks uncontrollably. For the first time in his life, he had finally felt that someone could accept him for who he really was. "Tsk... sure, whatever you say!" Mizuki unstrapped the shuriken on his back. "Iruka. I wanted to take care of you after I''m done with the kid... but I changed my mind. I''ll finish you first. Hurry up and die!" Mizuki lunged toward the weakened Iruka, who was too weakened to avoid his attack. The shuriken on his hand was swung in full force, threatening to slice Iruka''s head off. ''Teacher!'' Naruto quickly sprang out from his hiding spot, trying to tackle Mizuki away from his blind spot. Before the boy could reached him, however, his attack was abruptly stopped. An ear-splitting noise was produced as the edge of a ninjato was pushed onto the shuriken, halting it from moving any further. The short sword was then twisted to the side, prying the shuriken away from Mizuki''s hand. With a flick of the wrist, the shuriken was thrown into the bushes in the distance. "W-what?!" Two people wearing porcelain masks had suddenly landed in front of Iruka, blocking Mizuki''s path. The one wielding the ninjato had a dolphin-faced mask covering her face. She was wearing a thin white robe with mesh armor underneath. With her long hair left flowing down messily and her skin faintly reflecting the moonlight, she looked like a wandering spirit. The other person had a dog-faced mask, He was wearing a black shirt and shorts. The thing that stuck out from his appearance was the waist-length black wig that was covering his entire back, making him look like a kabuki performer. "Teacher Iruka! Are you alright?" "Ah, yeah, I''m fine- wait, teacher?" "Oh fu-" Hikari slapped him on the back of his head. "You moron!" She whispered. "S-sorry, I was just worried..." Kiba groaned in response. Iruka blinked several times, still unable to believe what had just happened. At the very least, they were allies, right? "Teacher!" Naruto had also come over with the scroll still dangling on his back. When he saw that Iruka was still alive, he almost cried again from joy. "That idiot, he finally showed up," Kiba sighed. "I guess the mission is done, then." "Not yet," he shook his head slightly. "Right, teacher?" Anyway, he already screwed up once by calling him teacher. It shouldn''t make a difference even if he called him like that again. "I have no idea who you guys are..." Iruka slowly got up to his feet. "However, our priority right now is to catch that guy. Please give us your assistance." "Ou!" "Well... might as well see it until the end." Hikari and Kiba took their fighting stance, with the latter copying the one that the girl had taught him over the past couple of years. She had told him not to use Four-Legs Technique, since it would immediately gave out that he was an Inuzuka. As a safety precaution, Akamaru was also not coming along. He was watching from above the trees somewhere in the distance. ''No Human-Beast Taijutsu, huh... let''s see how far I can go.'' Mizuki was thoroughly pissed. His plan was supposed to be perfect, yet annoyances kept on coming one after another. These guys playing heroes in masks... judging from their short height, they should be children, right? Shouldn''t be older than Naruto. He was a Chuunin, damnit! He should be superior to a bunch of kids! However, what was this pressure? It was so strong that it had made him tremble unconsciously. He quickly shook his head, forcing himself to focus. "Heaaah!" Naruto jumped out first and then threw a straight punch at Mizuki. "Heh, too slow!" He pulled out a kunai, intending to avoid the boy''s attack and strike back with a slash toward his neck. To his surprise, he found that he couldn''t move his kunai. Hikari had suddenly appeared on his side. The ninjato on her hand was pressing down on his kunai. Strangely, the two sharp edges didn''t create a grinding noise like before. Instead, it was as if her ninjato was gently guiding the kunai to move against Mizuki''s will. Downward, sideway, in the end, she gave the kunai a sudden flick, knocking it out of Mizuki''s hand. "Damn y-!" He couldn''t finish his sentence because Naruto''s punch had landed right on his cheek. At the same time, Kiba had arrived right in front of him. His body was covered in a thin layer of chakra to emulate the effect of Four-Legs Technique, even though it wasn''t as efficient as the Inuzuka clan''s prized jutsu. Legs put apart, his body dropped down slightly as he shot his right arm forward in breakneck speed. <> When the palm connected with Mizuki''s chest, he swore that he''d heard a faint sound of something breaking. "Guaah!" The force of Kiba''s palm strike was so strong that it had thrown Mizuki several feet away. He rolled on the ground until he crashed on a nearby tree. Kiba was left aghast. He quickly turned to Hikari. "That... oi, that technique, if it hit someone, what will happen?" "Nothing much," she shrugged. "At your level, if it cleanly hit someone who didn''t guard their chest with chakra, it''ll just break their ribcage at best." "The heck did you teach me?! That''s really dangerous!" "When you''re an expert, one hit can make a hole on someone''s body. It''s normal." "@%#%!!!" "You guys... don''t look down on me...! Ugh..." Even though his entire body was trembling, Mizuki still tried to get up on his feet. He was clutching his chest tightly, tormented by a searing pain that hitched his breathing. "Mizuki, give up already!" Iruka shouted. "Never!" Alongside a defiant yell, he made a Snake hand seal. Suddenly, his body slipped down into the earth, fully disappearing from sight. "Damnit! Everyone, on your guard!" Iruka pushed his back on the tree while pulling out a kunai. He strained his senses, trying to predict where Mizuki would pop up next. He quickly noticed the earth around Kiba starting to bulge out. "Dog-mask! Under your feet!" "Darn!" Mizuki sprung out right behind Kiba. Iruka''s warning allowed him to avoid fatal injury, but Mizuki still managed to cut the arm he used to block. "Tch!" He immediately slipped back into the ground. Hikari was watching the entire scene while frowning. It was like that time when they were fighting Iwa ninja. More of those weird jutsu. "So annoying..." She mumbled. "Indeed. This kind of coward, This One despises them the most," Kokuo commented as well. She turned her attention to Iruka. "Hey, scar-face over there." "Eh? Scar-face? M-me?" "You''re a teacher, right? How to deal with this jutsu?" Why did he feel as if she was talking him down... whatever, it wasn''t the time to worry about that. "Earth Release has a low activation requirement, but it''ll cost him a lot of chakra to stay hidden indefinitely. Not to mention, he still has to take a breath from time to time. The most effective method is to wait it out until he exhaust himself." "Won''t he run away then?!" "W-well... we can also break the ground he''s hiding in. He''ll be forced to show himself up. The problem is..." He wasn''t sure if these children had a jutsu in that scale. He might be able to come up with something, but the injuries prevented him from using too much chakra. Not waiting until they could find a method to rat him out, Mizuki had popped out once again. This time, he appeared right behind of Naruto. "I''ll be taking that!" "W-wha?!" Naruto had been preparing to block his attack, so he was caught off guard when Mizuki stole the scroll instead. Before Naruto could take it back, he had already slinked back in. "N-no! The scroll!" "On it." Hikari had arrived beside Naruto. Since Mizuki had appeared just then, he surely hadn''t gone that far yet. "Lord Kokuo, can you use ''that'' again?" "Hmm? You got a plan?" "Your ability is heating up chakra until it''s maddeningly hot, right? Please handle the process, I''ll take care of the control." "Interesting," Kokuo formed a mock smirk. "Let us give it a try!" Naruto immediately jumped away from her after sensing the drastic change. The chakra surrounding Hikari''s body began to glow brightly, the temperature climbing up like there was no tomorrow. At the same time, she smashed her palms onto the ground with enough force to make cracks that she could inserted them into. She began to move her chakra, focusing all of them toward her palms. Not just that, she pushed the| out, letting them seep throughout the ground. "Venerable One, does this move have a name?" "Hmm? This One is not a human. This One has no need for names. If you want it, name it by yourself." "Hmm... then let''s call it-" Kiba and Naruto leaped up in shock. The earth under their feet was hot. Really hot, to the point that the grass covering had withered up. It was as if a raging flame was burning underneath. "I-I see! Good thinking!" Iruka exclaimed. If the surface was already this hot, then it would''ve been even deadlier down under. That means, it was only a matter of time before... "H-hot...!" ...the mole would get smoked out! "There he is!" Mizuki had popped out a few yards away from their position. He was too far for Hikari and Kiba to catch up. However, there was still Naruto. From this distance, he could still make it. No, he had to make it! "Naruto! Get him!" Kiba yelled. "Leave it to me!" The rambunctious kid leaped up while making a hand sign. "Heh, come at me, loser! You can''t do anything to me!" "Shut up! The pain that you''ve inflicted to teacher Iruka... I''ll make you pay a thousand folds!" "!" With his proclamation, his chakra flared up as the technique activated. Poof. Poof. Poof. Hundreds... no, a thousand smoke clouds blasted out one after another, surrounding Mizuki without leaving any gap to escape. When the smoke finally dissipated, Naruto upon Naruto upon Naruto appeared in their place. "...Eh?" "Oh god..." Kiba and Iruka had the same expression on their face: eyes wide open, jaws hanging limply as if the hinge was broken. Within her soul, Hikari turned to Kokuo while pointing at the absurd scene in front of their eyes. "Venerable One, could you-" "No." "But I haven''t sai-" "This One said no." That was such an inefficient way of using chakra. No way would it teach its Jinchuuriki how to do that! """Alright, here''s your punishment!!!""" One thousand Naruto spoke at the same time, hurting their ears. The clones lunged at Mizuki one after another. At first, he was still able to knock the incoming clones out. However, he was soon overwhelmed by the number and turned into a pitiful punching bag. "Goeh! Guh! Agh! Kuah!" Punches upon kicks upon slaps upon smashes landed on him continuously. No matter how weak each attacks were, when they rained down, they pour. At one point, he had lost consciousness from all the pummeling. His bloodied mess of a body just sway around lifelessly. "Naruto! Enough!" Iruka shouted. The numerous clones disappeared with a poof, leaving only the real Naruto at the center. He had fallen on his knees, panting heavily as if his life depended on it. Even so, when he looked up at Iruka and gave him a victory sign, he had a really wide grin on his face. ''Can''t be helped...'' Iruka sighed. "You two, leave that alone," he suddenly changed his attention toward Hikari and Kiba, who was about to take the scroll. "Ah, but..." Kiba hesitated before telling him the truth. "If we return it back to the Third''s house, maybe Naruto..." Iruka''s suspicion was finally confirmed. ''So they indeed came to help the kid...'' "Don''t worry. I''ll stay here with Naruto. I''ll make sure that he won''t be harmed, please believe me." Hikari took a glance at Kiba before nodding. Since he was someone that Kiba trusted, then it would be alright. After all, the Inuzuka rarely appreciate unworthy people. "Then, we''ll leave it to you." She tugged on Kiba''s sleeves, telling him to move before the other shinobi arrived. "Ah... okay. Please take care of him, Teacher!" "Hey! I told you not to make useless comment!" She smacked him again as they leaped back into the night. ''That kid called me Teacher... does that mean he''s in my class? But that skill level..." Those porcelain masks as well, were they imitating Anbu? Because they clearly weren''t... "Ah, whatever. The most important thing is that Naruto is safe." As for those two, since they clearly wanted to hide their identity, he would pay them back by acting as if they had never existed in the first place. He turned his gaze back to the yellow-haired boy, who was scratching his head while grinning foolishly. "Naruto, come over here," Iruka crouched down. "There''s something that I want to give to you..." --- A shinobi dressed in Konoha''s Anbu uniform and a bear-faced porcelain mask was hiding among the tree top as he observed the entire battle. While he found the boy quite fascinating, his attention was aimed toward the two mysterious figures that had entered the scene. He wouldn''t include them in his report just yet. Not until he was certain of their identity. The figure flickered away from sight, dead-set on finding them at all cost. 24 I Just Thought It Looks Cool The curtain had finally fell on the chaotic night. Hikari and Kiba had somehow managed to return home without any further incident. The kids split up to their own room upon arriving, just to immediately collapsed onto their bed soon after, letting exhaustion to finally reap its sweet, sweet vengeance. When morning came, she crawled out of the bed, still sore after yesterday''s fight. She''d only managed to get a couple hours of sleep before she was woken up by the intruding sunlight. "...I wanna sleep more..." She still got chores to do, though... As she trotted down the hallway leading toward the main house, she could see Tsume''s group entering through the front gate. They were still wearing their flak jacket. Most likely, they had been kept up for the entire night as well. That was exactly the thing that Tsume complained about during breakfast. "That old geezer, working people to the bone! I really want to bite him to dead!" "What actually happened, Mom?" Hana asked, full of curiosity. Tsume glanced at Kiba before answering. "Well, I guess you have the rights to know. It''s about your little friend, that Naruto kid. He stole something important from the Third''s house." Kiba already knew, but he pretended to be surprised. "Crazy, right? Then again, the Third had Anbu deployed around the village wall, so it''s not like he could go anywhere. Don''t worry, he''s already been found. It''s just some misunderstanding. He''ll be fine." It seemed that Tsume didn''t want to bring up about the scroll of seals, or about Mizuki''s betrayal. "Problem is," she groaned, "there were two suspicious people who''d helped that kid. They''re wearing these porcelain masks, as if imitating our Anbu''s uniform. Because of those idiots, we were forced to scour the village for the entire night!" Hikari and Kiba almost choked on their food. "M-mom, how did you know that there were two people? Did you see them?" "Nah. You brats don''t know, but the Third has this crystal ball thing that he could use to monitor a limited number of people that he had marked. Since Naruto is a troublemaker, he got him marked as well so that he can take him back if he go too far. I think he called it Telescope Technique..." "S-so, he saw them through this crystal ball...?" "He even recorded the mental image and showed it to us! Problem is, there''s something wrong with those masks. It seems that a peculiar genjutsu had been planted on them, preventing us from getting a clear detail of their appearance. Could be the work of those Iwa bastards." She suddenly turned to Hikari, giving the girl a heart attack. "Oi, you notice any weirdo following you lately?" "Ah, n-no." Hikari fervently shook her head. "..." Tsume kept on turning her gaze from Kiba to Hikari then back to Kiba, over and over again. She felt like the kids were acting strange this morning, but she couldn''t put her finger on it... ...Aargh, whatever, she was too sleepy to care. Besides, it was their friends who had gotten in big trouble this time. Getting upset was understandable. She finished her bowl in one big gulp, and then abruptly stood up from her seat. "I''m going to rest. Don''t wake me until the next day!" "Tsume... sleeping too much is bad for you." "Bug off, Kuro. Like wolves, I, too, hibernates when it''s winter!" "...No. Wolves don''t hibernate. You''re talking about fleas..." The woman and her dog sauntered away while spewing out delirious nonsense. "Is this your first time seeing Mom like that? It used to happen a lot when you''re younger, Kiba. This one time, Mom was so tired she kept blabbering about squirrel''s digestive tracts." Squirrel... Kiba didn''t know how to react to that. "That''s why, let''s keep the noise down and let her rest today, okay?" Hana winked at Kiba and Hikari. The two nodded in response. Anything to prevent them from accidentally learning about drunken zoology is always welcome! --- By noon, Kiba visited Hikari''s room in order to discuss the incident from last night. "D-damnit, why is your door so heavy?!" Somehow, the sliding door refused to open unless he utilized his entire strength. He leaned closer to the frame, knocking on it several times to make sure that it was still made out of wood. Hearing his voice, Hikari''s head popped up behind stacks of books and wooden crates. "I put an Array on it. Its weight is increased if it''s opened by anyone else but me." As if proving her point, she walked over and closed the door in one effortless push. "...You put a what?" "Array. It''s a... you can think of it as a seal, maybe? See those inscriptions at the corners?" She pointed at those rectangular pieces of paper with Eight Trigrams drawn on them. Each pieces had a slightly different drawing compared to the other. "What do those craps do?" "Not craps. They''re making sure that our conversation wouldn''t be heard from outside the room." "Eh?! You can do something like that?" "Not really," she sighed, somewhat displeased. "It''s not a perfect Sealed Room Formation yet. I could only imitate the effect by turning our voices into incomprehensible mumbling." She didn''t tell him, but that weight-increasing Array wasn''t supposed to work that way as well. It actually was a door-locking formation, which should''ve been keeping the entrance sealed shut unless the Array was broken. Spell formations. Arrays. While she wasn''t a celebrated expert in the subject matter, she had accumulated a fair amount of knowledge in that topic. It was inevitable, since peak-level experts wouldn''t be able to avoid encountering Arrays in their battles. Learning about them was just another way to increase her chance of survival. Unfortunately, just like mystic arts, the working of this world had rendered the majority of those Arrays useless. The concept of a spell Array was to change the flow of qi in an area and reform them using the formula inscribed within the Array in order to produce the creator''s desired result. In other words, Arrays required a constant stream of energy in order to perform its function. Unfortunately, there was no qi in this world. Thus, she had to improvise. By changing the formula, she had managed to make the Array accept its required amount of energy right at the start of activation. She achieved this feat by directly infusing chakra into the Array. The problem was that it made the Array unstable due to the sudden spike of energy. Thus, she couldn''t use complicated Arrays lest they would break apart in an instant. Another thing to note was that the Arrays would stop working after a while when they had run out of chakra, which she had to manually supply again if she wanted to maintain their effects. Still, it was better than nothing. Perhaps with further experimentation, she would be able to solve this energy problem. "You... is this ninjutsu? I''ve never heard about anything like this before!" Kiba exclaimed. Those scraps could do something this magical? He found it hard to believe. "Believe it or not, it''s up to you," she shrugged. "Anyway, how is it?" "I got the info, thanks to big sis''s colleagues. Naruto is fine. Teacher Iruka vouched for his innocence. Apparently, Naruto did all that because of Teacher Mizuki''s instigation." "Mizuki..." She rubbed her chin, trying to make sense of that name. However, she only pulled out blanks. "Who?" "The guy whose ass got kicked by us last night, remember? Maaan, when you think about it, we''ve just defeated a Chuunin-ranked ninja! I mean, it''s still three against one, and we also have Teacher Iruka to back us up, but anyway, I''m excited!" He pumped his fists, looking extremely pleased with himself. He wasn''t even a Genin yet, and he had already won against a Chuunin? Now that''s real talent! "Yep, yep, congratulations." Hikari responded halfheartedly. If it was her past self''s younger days, she might had felt more satisfaction after winning that fight, but now? She just felt exhausted. Compared to those fearsome opponents she''d faced during her times at the peak, Mizuki was just a tiny speck of dust. "That''s not all! I heard that, since Naruto can use that goddamn crazy clone techniques, Teacher Iruka had let him pass the exam. He''s officially a graduate now, a Genin like me!" "Hee..." Clone techniques... the one that created countless amount of Naruto? That looked neat, maybe if she could learn it- "No means no," Kokuo glared. "Boo," she pouted in response. "Oh, by the way!" Kiba''s gaze suddenly turned serious. "What''s with those masks?" "What masks?" Hikari showed him an innocent smile. "Rraah! You already showed it to me before! Don''t act as if you''ve forgotten about it!" She chuckled before taking out the dolphin and dog porcelain masks from a nearby crate. "I got them made by one of the village''s artisans." "You?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "When did you do that?" "Well... some weeks ago..." she laughed wryly. In truth, she wasn''t the one who had gone to request them. Since the people sent by the Third would tail her from time to time, she couldn''t go by herself. Thankfully, she had a master of disguise hiding nearby. She shot a glance at Akamaru, upon which the dog barked happily in response. Daji had acclimated to this world even better than Yao Huang did. She had somehow raised her proficiency in Transformation Technique even further, allowing her to change to various forms just like in her times as an immortal expert. It was thanks to her that she had managed to get the mask crafted without anyone noticing. Not just that, she had somehow learned how to use illusion techniques, which was called ''genjutsu'' in this world. She was also the one who had applied the obfuscation spell on the masks. Seeing that Hikari was amazed at his achievements, the edge of the dog''s maw curved up to form a smug smirk. "So, if we wear this mask, our identity won''t be found out?" Kiba lifted the dog mask closer to his face, suddenly growing more interested with the trinket. "Not necessarily so. They just make our appearance harder to pinpoint. If we already have prior knowledge about the wearer, or if we concentrate hard enough, it would still be broken through. It''s more like a suggestion than a proper obfuscation spell." Naturally, Daji''s illusion arts were also limited by the absence of qi. That was as far as she could do with chakra. "But, you... why do you have these kind of things? Don''t tell me that you''re going to do something illegal..." "What? No! I was just... just..." She unconsciously turned away. Kiba didn''t fail to notice that. "You''re just... what? Hmm?" Under his escalating pressure, Hikari finally cracked. "I just thought it looks cool... you know, those animal masks..." Apparently, ever since that time when she saw Konoha''s Anbu squads fighting against the pursuers from Iwa, she had fallen in love. With the masks, of course. "..." Kiba had the exact same expression Daji had made when she''d gotten hold of the girl''s real intention: utter disappointment. 25 Team Kurenai 1 The first day after the graduation exam was a break period for academy students. After that, comes the registration day, upon which the graduates would be officially registered as a Genin-ranked shinobi of the village. "From now on, you''re considered an adult, you punk!" Tsume had a wide grin on her face. Seeing her son wearing that forehead protector made her motherly pride soar up to the moon. Although, a part of her was sad that he had finally started to fly out of the nest. All of it was part of growing up. As his mother, she would support him all the way through. "Haha! It suits me, right? Just watch, with my talent, I''ll become the best ninja in this village! Maybe I''ll become the Hokage if I feel like it!" "You moron! You think becoming Hokage is easy, huh?! Imbecile!" Her light-speed fist quickly found its way to Kiba''s head as usual. "Most likely, you''ll be placed into a team after graduation ceremony tomorrow. Remember to behave, Kiba," Hana added. "Hoo... now that you''re officially a shinobi, what will you do?" Hikari asked. "Just like Mom, I''ll be given missions to complete. Each time we completed a mission, we''ll get a portion of the bounty paid by the clients. The rest went to the village as the organizer." "Hmm..." She looked at Tsume. The latter seemed to know what she was thinking. "Nah, it''s not like me. Since I''m a special Jonin, I only go for mission that requires my specialty. Kiba''s rank is a general-purpose ninja, so he''ll be more busy. You''ll get worked up to the bone, kid!" Ugh... really? Somehow Kiba felt like he wanted to ditch out... "And don''t you dream of escaping your responsibility, ''cause me and Kuromaru''s gonna track you down if that ever happens. Oh, you better believe it, kiddo!" "A-ay..." Change of plan, no more ditching! He didn''t want to forfeit his life yet! "So that''s that. I can''t play around with you anymore. Don''t miss me!" He grinned at Hikari. "Sure, sure, enjoy your time." Unfortunately, she was too indifferent about it. Kiba felt a bit disgruntled inside. The next day, right after the graduation ceremony, those who had passed the exam was called into the classroom. Kiba took a seat at the very back like usual. Taking a quick sweep over the class, he was relieved to see Naruto as well. Since he was wearing a forehead protector, that meant he really had passed. Only... his seating position was a trainwreck. On his left was the other antisocial kid, Uchiha Sasuke, while on his right, seemingly pushing her way to the seat between Naruto and Sasuke, was a pink-haired girl in a red dress. If he remembered correctly... she was called Haruno Sakura. Ah, the girl got through. Now Naruto looked pissed for some reason. He was crouching right in front of Sasuke''s face, and then the kid on the next seat accidentally pushed him, and... ...Uh... UH. Did they just kiss? Naruto and Sasuke... kissed? "Bwuahahah!" Kiba abruptly fell on his chair as he couldn''t contain his laughter. The rest of the class followed suit, while the people around the crime scene was left aghast. Sakura, in particular, had a murderous aura as her face turned black. She then proceeded to pummel Naruto to oblivion. "Hey! What happened here? Get back to your seat!" The chaos finally settled down when Iruka showed up. Just as Hana had predicted, Iruka informed the class about splitting into teams. Each team would consist of three Genin, and they would be led by a Jonin as their commander. The Jonin would also serve as their mentor who would prepare them for future advancement in their career as a shinobi. "Quiet down! Your Teachers had tried our best to balance the team''s strength according to each members, so I won''t accept any complain! I''ll start listing your name, make sure you listen properly!" There were twenty-seven graduates in that year, so there should be nine teams in the making. As Iruka called out the name one by one, Kiba got a bit worried since his name still hadn''t been called yet. "Next, seventh team..." He perked his ears, thinking that this time, he''d definitely get called! "Haruno Sakura... Uzumaki Naruto, and... Sasuke Uchiha." Aw, drat. Not him, but that idiot Naruto... Then again, a broody emo, a meh chick, and a moron. What a team... he wondered whether they could really work together or not. ''I changed my mind. Thankfully I didn''t get stuck in that dysfunctional mess of a team...'' "Eighth team. Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba." "Finally!" Not to mention, it was with Shino and Hinata of all people. He already knew both of them well enough, so it was definitely better than Naruto''s situation right now! He glanced at the two. Hinata gave him a shy smile while Shino just nodded slightly. "Okay, this afternoon we''ll introduce you to your Jonin mentors. Take a break until then." After Iruka left the class, Kiba motioned for his teammates to follow him outside. "Man, good thing that I got paired with you guys! Let''s get along!" "L-Likewise... p-please take c-care of me..." "...Please do." Shino was one of the quieter type. People might saw him as weird, but Kiba... actually also think of him as weird, but since they had known each other for years, he was already used to it. He was also an animal user, although in his clan''s case, it was insects. Like the Inuzuka, they were experts in tracking missions. Hinata was more or less fine with Kiba, but Shino''s emotionless face, hidden behind his coat and sunglasses, didn''t leave her with a good impression. She unconsciously moved closer to Kiba instead. "No need to be afraid of him, Hinata. His jutsu is icky, but he''s a good guy! ...Maybe." "Don''t spout nonsense," Shino harrumphed. "I''m always a good guy." "What good guy? You refused to lend me money last week!" "Because, you never return them." "I-I''m trying, alright?! Not my fault that Mom is so stingy!" "Don''t borrow if you can''t return." Hinata just kept moving her gaze between the two as she listened to their banter. She was worried that they would end up fighting, but as they continued, it somewhat felt... comfortable? "Ufufu..." Kiba and Shino abruptly stopped when they noticed Hinata giggling at their antics. "Well... let''s continue this later. Break time''s almost over." "Hmm." Just as he''d said that, the sound of bell rang throughout the academy ground, signalling the students to get back inside. --- There was no particular rule for the Jonin when they picked up their Genin team. Some did it formally with proper speeches and introduction, while the others just called the name and told the Genin to follow them. Kiba''s team got the latter type. As they went out, he gave the class one last look. Only three teams were left, and Naruto''s team was among them. He wondered what kind of Jonin would have the bad luck of handling that troublemaker... "Welp, not my problem." As for his own team, they had a kunoichi as their mentor. Yuuhi Kurenai, a Jonin who had quite a name under her belt. She was wearing a red mesh armor with white patterned robe that resembled bandages. As expected of a proper shinobi of Konoha, she was proudly wearing her own forehead protector. By Kiba''s standard, she was considered really attractive, which made him quite happy with the arrangement. She brought them over to a patch of woods within the village. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. I''ll be your mentor, as well as your commander, starting from today. I already have your info, but let''s start by introducing yourselves so that your teammates can have a better grasp of your skills." "I''ll go first," Kiba got up from his seat. "The name''s Inuzuka Kiba. I''m proficient in handling ninja dogs, as well as hand-to-hand combat. For jutsu, aside from the basic ones taught in the academy, I can use my clan''s jutsu as well." Woof! The white-furred dog popped out from Kiba''s chest. Hinata''s eyes twinkled for a moment when she saw that. "And this is my partner, Akamaru! Together, we''re invincible!" "Me," Shino stood up next. "I''m from Aburame clan. We specialize in handling insects. My primary insect of choice is the -Parasitic Destruction Insects- ''Kikaichu''. I like to grow insects. My dream is to find a rare insect that nobody had ever seen. Favorite insect is the Phosphorus Dest-" "Err... we don''t... need to know that," Kiba''s lips twitched. This Shino... he''s usually a man of few words, but when he started talking about insects, he immediately turned into a blabbermouth. "U-um... I''m... I''m Hyu... Hyuuga Hinata... I-I can use Byakugan t-to see around f-fifty meters away... I c-can also use G-Gentle Fist, although I''m n-not that good with it..." Kurenai nodded. Fifty meters... that was nothing to scoff at. Not to mention, she could see through obstacles as well. As expected of one of the Three Great Dojutsu. ''Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuuga... this is quite an interesting team,'' Kurenai smiled. "First, congratulations for passing the graduation exam. It must be easy for you guys, huh?" "Well... actually, maybe it is!" Kiba grinned while scratching his nose. "Fufu... however, you shouldn''t rejoice just yet. You''re still not a Genin." ""Eh?"" Kiba and Hinata exclaimed in surprise, while Shino just raised an eyebrow, intrigued by what she''d just said. "But... w-we had r-registered our n-name..." "Just because you can put your name there doesn''t mean that the village can''t erase it again, now can we?" Ah! The three was alerted by the sudden revelation. That actually made sense. Did that mean... they weren''t in the clear just yet? Kurenai grinned at them. "Relax, don''t be so tense. Basically, it works like this. After you''re grouped up in a team, the Jonin in charge will give you one final test, just a small exercise to ensure that you''re ready to work as a ninja. Remember, from now on, we''re not doing mock training. We''re performing official tasks handed down in the name of Konohagakure. If you do them poorly, it''ll be a stain in our village''s name. That''s why, if I feel that any one of you are not par to the task, I''ll not hesitate to annul their graduation and send them back to the academy. Any problem with that?" Kiba and Hinata exchanged nervous glances before shaking their head. "Good. Now, about that final test. The test is...!" Her words trailed off at the end as the kids waited with bated breath. Even the stoic Shino was affected by the pressure. What would it be? Ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Genjutsu? What if they were told to fight the mentor? She was a Jonin! Would that even be a fair fight? "...Not telling." """Whaaaat?!?""" The kids fell on their faces, the sudden loss of tension making them weak on the knees. Kurenai had a mischievous smile on her face. Heheh, teasing the newcomers was really fun! "How about this, let''s wrap it up for today, and we''ll continue tomorrow. The other mentors also give their charge a day to prepare for their test. Let''s meet up in the southern forest around seven in the morning. Do you have any question?" "Teacher," Shino raised his hand. "What do we need to prepare?" "If I tell you, it won''t be a test, right? But I guess it''s fine," she shrugged. "You can bring anything. Shuriken, smoke bombs, scrolls, if you think you''re going to need it, then just bring it. Consider this a practice. When you''re doing mission, you won''t know what is going to happen. Being able to prepare by yourself is also the trait of a good ninja. Understand?" Basically, she was telling them to use this grace period to do their homework and gather necessary information for the test. The kids firmly nodded when they finally got it. "Good. Now, enjoy your day off." With a single hand seal, she flickered away in an instant. "Body Flicker Technique! So cool!" Kiba exclaimed. "She''s a Jonin. It''s expected," Shino calmly said. However, deep down he was also excited after seeing that display of skill. "U-um... so... what should we do... for today...?" Since Kurenai had given them a hint, it would be best to use the remaining time to prepare. "Let''s go back home first, then ask our senior clan members about their test when joining a team! We''ll regroup at Ichiraku Ramen at noon and discuss the intel. After that, we''ll buy the tools we need for tomorrow. That good?" "I agree," Shino nodded. "Um..." "Yes, Hinata?" "Why... Ichiraku Ramen...?" Kiba fidgeted with his fingers. "Ah, I think we can have lunch there along the way. I''m... hungry..." ""..."" That would be the very first thing that caused Hinata and Shino to start questioning Kiba''s decision-making skill... 26 Team Kurenai 2 It was barely past dawn, but Kiba was already restless. When Hikari went over to the backyard to hang the laundry, she saw him doing push-ups on the ground. "So rare for you to wake up at this hour." "Bug off. I got an important test today!" He leaped up to his feet. "Test? Didn''t you pass the graduation exam already?" "This is a different one. Anyway, if I fail, I''ll get sent back to the academy. No way I''m gonna let that happen!" He looked at the clock in the living room. There was still an hour before the designated time. He''d promised Shino and Hinata to meet half an hour earlier, so he better get a move on. "No time to talk, I gotta go!" "Oh. Good luck." "I won''t need luck, it''ll be a cinch!" He laughed. "Hey, if I pass, make me that steak from before!" "Sure, sure," she nonchalantly replied, focusing her attention at the laundry. Anyway, Daji was going with him, so it should be fine. --- The result of yesterday''s observation was that each Jonin has their own way to test their team members. The easiest would be a simple display of skills, while other Jonin might employ psychological warfare to test their Genin''s ability to perform under duress. Which one was Kurenai''s test? Unfortunately, the seniors didn''t want to divulge that information. They said it was necessary for them to figure out by themselves at the time of the test. Just imparting those bits of information was already considered generous. As such, they decided to outfit themselves with standard shinobi supplies, just in case it would be a physical exercise. "I see that you''re early. That''s good. Eagerness is the sign of a good pupil." Kurenai arrived right at the promised time. "Alright. Line up right beside each other, then stand straight." The kids scrambled into position with Kiba on the left, Hinata in the middle, and Shino on the right. When they were done, she walked forward until she was right in front of them. Suddenly, she raised her right arm, and then sent a quick jab at Kiba''s neck. "Eh?!" Without stopping, she moved to the right, hitting Hinata on her left shoulder. Finally, her fingers moved toward Shino, hitting him on his right arm. "T-Teacher?" The kids quickly leaped back, wary of further attacks. "Does it hurt?" Kurenai asked. "Huh?" Ah, that''s right, it didn''t. They rubbed the spot that Kurenai had hit them at, puzzled by what had just happened. "Don''t worry, I''m not pulling any ''you have to be wary of sudden attack'' here. Although, that''s also a good lesson to learn," she smiled. "Have you memorized the place where you got hit?" They nodded in unison. "The test is easy. I''ll go into hiding, and you''ll be given the task of chasing me. In order to pass, you have to hit me in the same spot. Any question?" Ah, so it was indeed a physical exercise! Shino raised his hand. "How far do we have to search? Also, is weapon allowed?" "W-weapon...?" Hinata shuddered. "B-but, she''s our t-teacher..." "Against a Jonin, can we hold back?" Shino replied. "I believe that Teacher will just shrug them off effortlessly anyway." "Hmm, that''s good, you have the tact to analyze the situation. You should do the same for every mission, your life will depend on it," Kurenai nodded with satisfaction. "The limit will be this patch of woods, that means I won''t go beyond the paved roads around it. You''re also allowed to use any weapons or jutsu that you know. Like Shino said, I don''t want you to hold back. I''ll make sure that you can''t." She flashed a dangerous smirk, making them shiver slightly. "Any other questions? No? Alright. You have until the sun is up in the sky to catch me. Anyone who failed will have to repeat another year in the academy. Ready?" The trio gulped, readying their stances. "Begin!" Kurenai''s voice echoed throughout the woods, producing a chilling atmosphere. Just as they had planned beforehand, Kiba had lunged right at Kurenai, while Hinata and Shino went around from left and right to block her escape route. However, they were one tiny step too late. When Kiba came into contact with Kurenai, she let out a cloud of smoke, leaving a wooden log behind. "B-Body Replacement-!" "Good teamwork!" Kurenai hollered from above. She was already hidden behind the thick foliages. "However, you''re too naive if you think a Jonin will fall to that simple plan! Well, don''t disappoint me now." Her voice disappeared. The forest once again fell into silence. Actually, they had also heard that the test was usually tailored for a specific team''s strength. In their case, considering their lineup, there was a high chance that Kurenai would put emphasis in their tracking ability. It turned out that they were right on the money. "Haha, interesting! Let me tell ya, there''s nobody in Konoha who has a better nose than me and Akamaru! I''ll definitely catch you, just you see!" Woof! Akamaru barked to show his agreement. "Then, we proceed as planned," Shino remarked. "I''ll scatter my bugs to slowly cover this area. Kiba is in charge of locating Teacher''s smell and chasing her when the time comes. Hinata, use your wide-range vision to cover our perimeter and see if Teacher is coming near. Can you do it?" "I-I''ll try my best!" She performed a set of hand seal, ending with Snake. The veins around her temple rapidly bulged out as her Byakugan was activated. Her vision suddenly broaden up, covering everything around them in a fifty-meters distance. "Did you find her?" Kiba asked. Hinata shook her head. "Let''s move then. Kiba will take the lead. I''ll take the rear. Teacher cannot breach our defense as long as Hinata still stands, so she most likely will target her first." "I get what you mean," Kiba knocked his fists together. "Don''t worry, leave it to me! Let''s move out!" The trio leaped at once, officially starting the chase. --- During tracking missions, the shinobi in charge shouldn''t just focus on going forward. They also had to deal with enemy attacks, especially from people who wanted to prevent them from reaching their target. Not juts their offense, but their defense had to be honed as well. For that reason, Kurenai didn''t stop at just hiding. She also attempted to attack them. She emerged from behind a bush just slightly beyond Hinata''s Byakugan''s range. She threw a shuriken at Hinata, while using Body Flicker Technique at the same time to appear on the other side of the trio. However, the shuriken was stopped in mid-air by Shino''s insect. "Kiba! Left!" "Yosh!" Thanks to the Byakugan, Hinata could predict Kurenai''s movement even before she had finished performing it. Right as she appeared at the end of Body Flicker, Kiba had already arrived at her position. "Here I go, Teacher!" He threw a straight punch toward Kurenai''s neck, at the same spot that she had hit him earlier. However, the sensation that came when he made contact caused him to frown. There was another cloud of smoke, and a wooden log flew out of it after getting hit by Kiba''s fist. "Damnit!" It was yet another Body Replacement Technique! "Better luck next time," she said before disappearing once again. Kurenai had to admit, even though they were rookies, their teamwork was quite excellent. Hinata might fall more on the timid side, but with the boisterous Kiba leading the way and the calm Shino ready to support them from the back, she was able to at least keep up with their pace. "It seems that regarding teamwork, there was nothing to complain about." Meanwhile, Kiba was fuming. He was extremely confident with his speed, so losing to Kurenai twice in a row really agitated him. "Didn''t she just come out from using Body Flicker? How could she use Body Replacement almost immediately?" "This is the level of a Jonin," Shino commented. "When we''re doing missions in the real world, this is the kind of monster that we will face." "Tch... I know!" That was precisely why he was so upset. He was so excited after defeating Mizuki back then, and yet it turned out that he was just another frog in the well. Compared to Kurenai, Mizuki was just a sham. So this is a real shinobi of the Leaf! "Let''s try again! I''ve got her scent just now, so I''ll be able to track her! Also, Shino, how''re things on your end?" He made an OK sign with his fingers. "Alright, follow me!" Woof! Accompanied by Akamaru''s energetic bark, the trio pressed through. How many hours had they been on the run? Even Kiba, who was usually full of energy, was starting to tire out. He took a glance behind him. Shino was still as expressionless as always, but he could tell from his chest movement that he was also running on fumes right now. As for Hinata... she was the worst out of the three. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that Hinata was the center of their defense. If they stayed in the open without her Byakugan, they would be nothing but sitting ducks for Kurenai. Therefore, they had to stop and hide from time to time in order to let Hinata rest up for a while. Kurenai was also aware that Hinata couldn''t keep the Byakugan active all the time. Thus, she would keep running around while she was maintaining, but changed to offense when she was about to run out of steam. The trio had so many close calls thanks to that. At the moment, they were hiding under a thick shrubbery as they tried to catch their breath. Hinata was looking pale. She was clearly overextending her eyes. "We really... need to think of a good plan... can''t rely on Hinata all the time..." Kiba said between his panting. He wasn''t so pathetic that he would let a girl shoulder all the burden. "Kiba," Shino suddenly called him. He then made a thumbs up. Kiba''s face brighten up in an instant. "Eh...?" Hinata, who was leaning on Kiba''s shoulder while resting her throbbing eyes, was surprised by his sudden movement. "W-what happened...? A-are we being attacked...?" "No, no, it''s the other way around," Kiba grinned. He then looked up at the sky. With how far the sun had climbed, they didn''t have a lot of time left. Perhaps, they only had one more chance to strike. "It''s time to finish this!" He declared, full of confidence. --- Kurenai peeked from her hiding spot, trying to find those kids. The time was almost up, and yet they still hadn''t come. Did they decide to give up? Right as she was thinking like that, she noticed something approaching from above! "Oryaaa! Eat this! Fang Over Fang!" Ah-roooo! Both Kiba and Akamaru spun at the same time, increasing their falling speed tremendously. Before Kurenai could do anything, the twin drills had crashed on her, pushing her down on the ground. Or so they thought. What they had hit was yet another wooden log. She even made it bigger this time to account for them attacking together! "Damnit, failed again?!" "Well done. I''ll at least praise you for your excellent jutsu," Kurenai said while jumping upward. When her feet landed on a branch, however, the smile on her face withered away in an instant. "My chakra-!" She looked down. The branch she was standing on was covered with dark-colored insects which had crawled out from small holes on the surface. More bugs began to fell down from the foliage, landing on her arms and shoulders. "Heheh, Shino had this entire woods covered with his bugs! We''re just waiting for you to finally fall in our trap!" Kurenai quickly leaped away from the infested branches, but it was already too late. Her momentary lapse had allowed Kiba and the rest to catch up. She dodged a palm strike from Hinata, and then a kick from Shino. However, she was already spent. By the time that Kiba joined the fray, she couldn''t avoid his attack. For the first time on that day, Kiba''s fist connected with Kurenai. She fell on her knees, heaving for breath. "We caught up with you, Teacher! How is it? Good enough for ya?" Kiba hollered, looking really smug. Kurenai looked up, her gaze directly meeting up with her pupils. "Great. You guys did great," she flashed them a smile. "However..." She suddenly disappeared as she used Body Flicker Technique to pop up right behind Hinata. "...You should finish your opponent before they could recover." It felt like a dream. Kurenai had drawn her kunai, and slit Hinata''s neck open in one fluid move. Blood burst out from the opening as the girl trembled, giving her one last look of disbelief before falling on the ground. As the sound of her heartbeat slowly faded away, Kiba felt a chill running through his body. "H-Hinata...?" There was no reply. Because, she had- "HINATAAAA!" "Kiba! Don''t panic!" Shino ran over to him, trying to calm him down. However, that turned out to be a costly mistake. At that moment, he had let his guard down. Kurenai flickered away almost instantly to his side, the kunai on her hand glistening with blood. "Lesson number two. Never take your eyes off your opponent." A sickening noise echoed in the air as the cold steel on her hand sank into Shino''s stomach. "S-Sh-" That was a lie, right? The Aburame had bugs crawling under their skin. Surely they would protect their owner, right? That blade wouldn''t be able to pierce through Shino''s skin, right? Right? However, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, the scenery right in front of his eyes had proven otherwise. Shino laid sprawled on the ground, blood spurting out from his grotesquely-cut belly. His beloved kikaichu scampered away, although a few remained on his body, as if mourning for the loss of their owner. Kiba was cradling Hinata''s dead body in his arms. As he watched his friends getting killed one after another, his vision started to blur. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, anything, but in the end, only a pitiful scream came out. "Uaaaaaargh!" Slowly, the boy succumbed to the darkness. 27 Team Kurenai 3 Tick. Tock. The hands of the clock never stopped ticking. From the start of the test, roughly thirty minutes had passed. As she watched over her new pupils, Yuuhi Kurenai let out a sigh. Kiba had fallen on the ground as he clutched his head. Shino was still standing, but his body was shaking uncontrollably. Hinata was crouching down with her head buried between knees. All three ofthem had empty, dazed eyes. From time to time, they would make incomprehensible noises. They had been caught in Kurenai''s genjutsu. She had planted a disruption in their chakra flow when she had hit them at the beginning, but the illusion itself hadn''t started until she said the word ''begin''. She was a bit worried that she wouldn''t be able to affect Shino, but it turned out that the Aburame boy still lacked training. He had innocently fallen to her trap. Kurenai had no intention to test their teamwork or their ninja skills. After all, those things could be taught. Nothing wrong with starting a bit behind the line. What she wanted to test was their willpower. At the moment, the genjutsu that she had cast upon them was trapping them in a state of illusory dream. The suggestions she had put on them were tailored to show their worst fear. She re-read the paper containing her analysis of their personalities. "Inuzuka Kiba. A troublemaker, but ultimately good at heart." The worst thing that could happen to him was to watch his loved ones suffer while he was powerless to do anything. "Aburame Shino. Quiet, solitary, showing admirable skills from a young age." For a subtle planner like him, the encroaching feeling of failure, that moment when you slowly lose control over the situation as your opponents kept on outwitting you again and again could prove fatal to his stability. "Now, Hyuuga Hinata..." An extreme aversion to confrontation. Not to mention, she was also suffering from a severe inferiority complex. She couldn''t help but feeling bitter about the girl''s situation. When she got the news that she would be overseeing Hinata, she had made a personal visit to the Hyuuga residence. At that time, Hinata''s father, Hiashi, was in the middle of an intense training with her younger sister, Hanabi. "Are you sure about this? Hinata is a member of the main family. Working as a Genin might subject her to various danger. She might even end up dying." "Do as you wish. The clan doesn''t need that failure who can''t even measure up to a girl five years her junior." Hiashi coldly replied without sparing her a single glance, As she left the training ground, she found Hinata leaning on the entrance. Most likely, she had heard her father''s remark just now. Her heart ached for that girl. Even if Hinata ended up failing the test, Kurenai still wished that she could take the girl under her wing. At least, she wanted to help relieve her burden, even if just for a little bit. She looked at the clock. An hour had already passed. The kids were looking more and more pitiful as time went on, especially Kiba and Hinata. The two of them had tears streaming down their cheeks. "Maybe thirty more minutes... if they still can''t break out of it, then they''ll have to repeat." Woof. A small whimper caught her attention. When she looked down, she was surprised to see Kiba''s puppy staring at her. "Huh? Weird... I thought I had put you to sleep back then. Akamaru, was it? What are you doing here?" The puppy wagged his tail while leaning forward to lick her legs. "Awh, aren''t you a cute one. Don''t you need to wake your master?" Of course, she wouldn''t allow that to happen. However, the dog himself didn''t seem to be interested in doing so. Instead, he was busy rubbing his head on her legs. Feeling rather carefree, she pulled him into a hug. The pup seemed to get more excited as he licked her hands and cheeks. She petted him in return. Woof! The dog climbed onto her shoulder. He playfully licked the exposed skin on her neck. While it was cute, it felt a bit ticklish. Just then. She blinked. The kids were no longer in sight. In fact, it was no longer morning. The ground was dark and cracked, while the sky was dyed in blood-red color with a gigantic moon looming above. A freezing chill invaded her body, forcing her to huddle up. "What... is... this...? Genjutsu?!" As a genjutsu user herself, she could tell that her chakra flow had been tampered with. However, she couldn''t understand when did it happen. Not to mention, who had done it? No, more importantly, why couldn''t she break free of this illusion? "Foolish mortal." A ghostly feminine voice whispered on her ear, sending shivers down her spine. A pair of skeletal arms enclosed her from behind as a shadowy figure crept closer to her. Paralyzed by the sudden dread, her body was refusing to listen to her command. She knew that she had to escape, but somehow, she was hopelessly trapped in this illusory world. "To cast such a disgusting spell at me, Daji, the master of Illusory Forest Sect... do you not value your life?" "A...aaa...." What? What was this person saying? Kurenai couldn''t understand a single word that she''d heard. She couldn''t understand. She didn''t want to understand. The fear that was assaulting her was so intense that it was going to tear her apart. Daji traced the trembling woman''s cheek with her fingers before retracting back her hands. "Fine. I should not make a little girl cry." Kurenai could finally take a breath. The pressure crushing her was slowly dissipating. "Worry not. That boy is stronger than you think. Have more faith in him." This time, Kurenai could finally understand what the figure was saying. "Wait-!" When she turned around, the scenery had returned to normal. The sky was bright and clear, and the ground was covered in fresh layer of grass. "Uwah-!" She nearly jumped in fright when she felt something touching her legs. However, she soon relaxed when she noticed that it was just Akamaru. "What... what was that? Was that just a dream?" Possible. She had been overworking herself for quite a while. She might need to take a short break after this. ''That boy is stronger than you think.'' She was reminded of the mysterious figure''s parting words. Somehow, her gaze slowly moved toward Kiba. --- The scenery changed times and times again. The academy. The village. His home. Every single time, he tried his best to save his friends and family, but he always failed. Why would he even try anymore? It was useless. To the despairing him, Kurenai''s figure appeared from beneath the shadow. The kunai on her hand was still dripping wet with blood. "Have you given up?" She asked with a cold voice. Yes, he had given up. Just go away. "Everything that you do is useless. You can''t do anything." She was right. He was powerless to do anything. Just a sham who couldn''t protect even a single person. What becoming a shinobi? What becoming a Hokage? He was all talk. For the first time in his life, he felt helpless. "Accept it.Do not bother trying anymore. Just give up." However... was that really what he was thinking? Just giving up? A part of him screamed out, refusing to yield with all his might. "It''s useless. Just give up." "Shut..." "There is no point anymore. Give u-" "SHUT YOUR TRAP!" The Kurenai in front of him flinched as Kiba rose back up to his feet, a brilliant flame blazing in his eyes. "I might be useless, I might not be able to do anything, but SO WHAT?! As long as I''m still alive, I won''t stop trying!" Clenching his fists, he ran toward the figure, throwing her a haphazard punch. "Everything will end if I give up! That''s why, I''ll never give up! NEVER!" It was a punch that contained the entirety of his undying will. Hitting her right on the cheek, Kiba tackled her forward as they descended together into the gaping darkness. --- "Kiba!" The boy opened his eyes. His vision was filled with Kurenai''s worried face. After making sure that he was fine, she helped him to get up. He quickly scanned his surrounding. Upon noticing that Shino and Hinata was nearby, he sighed in relief. He then turned his attention back to Kurenai. "Miss Kurenai, what just happened? I-I saw you killing Hinata, and Shino, and-" "That''s just an illusion. Also, congratulations, you''ve passed the test," Kurenai smiled at him. "Heeh?!" "Teacher, that was cheating," Shino remarked as he strutted over. He had also managed to break out of the illusion around the same time as Kiba. "Shino, just because you can use your insects to detect and break genjutsu in advance, doesn''t mean you can afford to lower your guard. If someone tricked you the way I did, no amount of detection will help you. Enemy shinobi never play fair. You still have a lot to learn." Shino lowered his head in shame. He was indeed careless at that time. Even though his insects had reported a disruption in chakra, he didn''t bother to check whether it was a genjutsu or not, seeing that Kiba and Hinata was fine at that time. Him putting a blind trust in Kurenai was also one of the contributing factor. She patted the boy''s head. "Don''t look so down. You''ve also passed. As long as you can break out of that genjutsu, that means you''re strong enough to face the weakness in your heart. That''s what I wanted from my pupils." "Wait, Teacher, what about Hinata?" Kiba asked, pointing at the girl. She was still crouching down like before, but this time, she was trembling. She was clutching on her arms so hard that the tip of her fingers had turned white. "Oi-!" "Hold it, Kiba," Kurenai grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from going any further. "But, we have to help her! She''s clearly suffering right now!" "If you touch even a strand of her hair, then I''ll have to fail her." "Wha-? Tsk!" There were two ways to break out of a genjutsu: either the victim themselves become aware that they had been caught in one, or an ally could break them out by infusing chakra or physically hitting them. While doing either of them were fine during an actual mission, what Kurenai wanted to see right now was for Hinata to do the former. That was the only way that she could test the girl''s will. Within the illusory world, Hinata was assaulted by countless mocking glares. Her clan saw her as a failure. Even her own father had given up on her. The clan members might be polite in the surface, but Hinata knew that everyone had been gossiping about her behind her back. She didn''t dare to look up anymore. By keeping her head down, she wouldn''t have to deal with their judgmental stares. It was fine this way, right? If she kept to herself, then it would be fine, right? Drowned in this pool of self-hatred, Hinata should had suffocated since long ago. However, she had somehow managed to stay awake, refusing to give up completely thanks to a tiny flicker of light in the distance. She was reminded of that yellow-haired boy who had never given up, even when everyone was hating him. The image of him standing tall in front of his adversaries was the last thing that had barely kept her afloat. Under this darkness, she faintly heard a voice. A familiar voice. "Hinata! Don''t give up! You can do it!" This voice... ...Kiba? "Hey, stop yelling!" Kurenai smacked his head. "But Teacher, you only said that I can''t touch her. You never said that I can''t shout out to her, right?" the boy grinned. Kurenai narrowed her eyes, but ultimately didn''t rebuke him. She just let him do as he pleased. "Oi, Shino, you call out to her, too!" Kiba said, dragging Shino closer to him. "W-what... fine." "Heheh. Oi, Hinata! Hurry up and get out of there! We''re already bored here waiting for you!" "Hi-Hinata-" Shino stuttered on his words. He was too embarrassed to speak out loud. In order to help him, Kiba send a loud smack to his back. "H-Hinata! Let''s pass the test together!" "That''s more like it!" Kiba laughed. "Hinata! I''ll pay for your lunch if you come out! Don''t make us wait any longer! Quickly!" Those voices... were they calling for her? Her hands slowly rose up, grasping toward that light in the distance. The light was getting brighter and brighter, shedding away the coldness enveloping her. Slowly, she felt warmth. ''Have I finally find someone who could accept me?'' She took a step forward, breaking out of that shell of solitude. The only thing in her mind was to follow the light, toward the direction of those voices. Everyone had given up on her. Even she had given up on herself. But, she had decided to put her trust on those voices. If it was for their sake, perhaps she could give it a try... "Ah..." When she came to, she was laying on Kurenai''s lap. Kiba and Shino stood at the side, watching her with a frown. They soon brightened up when they noticed that she was finally awake. "Hinata! You did it!" Kiba abruptly pulled her into a bear hug. "F-fuwee?" "Well, you guys ended up helping her a bit, which messed up the test, but that''s fine. She also passed," Kurenai shrugged. Nevertheless, Hinata did come out with her own strength. What the two did was just giving her a small boost. For now, it was fine. If she stayed together with these two, perhaps she could one day regain what she had lost. Kurenai told the kids to line up once more. "The heck? Only an hour and a half had passed?" Kiba couldn''t believe his eyes. The sun had only climbed halfway, so the clock wasn''t lying. "That genjutsu acts like a dream, so you''ll feel a faster passage of time during its effect," Kurenai explained. "Anyway, let me say this again. Congratulations on passing the final test. We''ll start tackling actual missions starting tomorrow." Shaking with excitement, Kiba flung his arms around Shino and Hinata''s shoulders, pulling them closer. "Alright!" Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata. That was the day when Team 8 was born. --- Kiba and the rest of the team were having a celebration party at a restaurant, so Akamaru went home first. He found Hikari in the kitchen making the steak that Kiba had requested this morning. Since nobody else was around, they could converse freely. "You seems confident about the boy''s result, Huang''er~" "You''re back, Daji. How was it?" If he failed, this congratulatory meal would be really sad... "Well..." Akamaru snickered. "It''s quite fun. I made a little girl cry, that''s about it." He sauntered away after leaving that bomb. "..." The heck, what was that about? So, which was it? Did he make it or not?? Because she was too distracted, the steak ended up getting slightly burned. 28 Painting Heist 1 Hikari had been making a habit of walking Akamaru out at night since last year. At first, Kokuo had informed her that several Anbu were keeping her under close watch. After a few months, they finally eased off their surveillance, with the majority resuming their posts around the village wall. Night in Konohagakure had always been serene and quiet. The currently-peaceful era had allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere. There were less Anbu members patrolling the street, and civilians didn''t have to worry about sudden attack from the darkness like in the three previous wars. The marketplace had lost its hubbub, replaced by a portrait of emptiness. It was a drastic contrast to daytime, which made walking around there at this time of the day more interesting. Tonight, she opted to go a bit farther from the village center, toward a less-populated civilian area. By chance, she caught sight of a lonely tea shop within a row of semi-abandoned houses. The screen door was glowing from the light inside. "It''s still open? At this time of the day?" "My. What a peculiar place." Akamaru was perched on Hikari''s shoulder, allowing him to whisper words to her without other people noticing. His keen nose sensed the distinctive smell of tea leaves, which roused her interest. "The smell is not bad. Huang''er, should we go in?" "Sure, why not?" The two liked to drink tea, a carryover from their previous lives'' habit. Regrettably, no shops in Konoha had been able to satisfy their longing for the taste of their hometown, although those shops were alright on their own merit. This little shop... they hadn''t tried it yet. Their heart began to fill with expectation. "Welcome!" The waitress, a blonde-haired young girl with a mole under her lips, guided them to the second floor, where they could watch the street below. Hikari ordered two cups of tea, which momentarily confused the waitress. Sensing her bewilderment, she pointed toward the dog sitting on the table while wagging his tail, which made the waitress even more confused. ''Don''t tell me... she wants to give the tea to the dog? Is... is that even possible?'' "...Certainly, honored guests, please wait just a moment!" Whatever. As long as the girl paid, the tea could be given to the entire flocks of cats and dogs in Konoha for all she cared. "How''s life as a ninja dog?" Hikari muttered after the waitress had left. "Fairly thrilling," Akamaru, or more accurately, Daji, replied. "I heard that you guys had been in real missions these days." "Yes. The little girl called those missions ''D-rank''. Nothing too hard. Looking for cats, searching for missing trinkets... oh, yesterday was more interesting. We helped to find a lost child. Apparently she got carried away playing in the woods and couldn''t find her way back home." "Huh... so mundane." "It''s certainly so." "At least there''s no real danger, then..." The girl lazily murmured, prompting a wide grin on Akamaru''s face. "Awh, is Huang''er worrying about that sweet little boy?" "Who? Kiba? You know it''s not him that I''m worried about." "Hmmhmm." The dog lowered his head, not continuing any further. The grin faintly turned into a soft smile. "You tea~" The waitress returned with two cups made of clay on her tray. She put one in front of Hikari, and then she... hesitated for a few seconds before putting the other before Akamaru. "Hmm, what an exquisite pottery," Hikari lifted the cup to scrutinize it. While it was crude, there was the subtle hint of talent hidden within. The craftsman was quite promising. "Thank you for your kind words, I''m sure my father would love to hear that," the waitress said bashfully. "Oh?" Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Is your father also the owner of this shop?" The waitress nodded. "This is also a restaurant. My father is the chef, while I''m in charge of brewing the tea and taking care of the customer. In his spare time, Father likes to make pottery." "Interesting." A shame that it was mere hobby, Maybe she should have a talk with the man himself later... "Oh well, let''s give it a try." The girl took a slight sip, while the dog jutted out his tongue and then gently licked the surface of his tea, causing the waitress to flinch. ''Oh god, the dog can really drink tea!'' In such a calm and composed manner, even! It was as if an actual connoisseur was doing the tasting! Because she was so intent on watching the dog, she didn''t notice that Hikari''s face had turned grave. No wait, the dog gradually showed the same expression! The two slammed their forehead repeatedly on the table, trying to forget the horrible taste that had assaulted their tongue. "W-w-what the heck is this?!" Hikari roared. The waitress blinked at her a few times. "Sen... Sencha?" "How the heck can this be called sencha?!?" At first, she was greeted with the familiar taste of green tea. After that, came a warm sensation that seemed to melt her tongue. But then, it was immediately ruined by the sudden rise of bitterness, accompanied by a horrifying mix of various miscellaneous tastes. "What did you put inside the tea?!" "Err... um... let''s see..." she said while rubbing her chin. "Green tea leaves, and a dash of black pepper. Oh, also, a drop of honey." Hmm, weird choices, but not too bad. Hikari remembered that some tea in the Yang Dynasty was also a bit adventurous in their ingredients. Only, the waitress didn''t stop just there. "Then... I mistook salt for sugar, so I put more sugar to counterbalance it. Oh, and a bit wasabi to make it warmer. Since the color is getting darker, I tried to make it green again with some bitter melon..." "Enough, enough! I want to puke now!" This was no longer adventurous, this was trying achieve breakthrough by sheer blunder! No wonder the place was so deserted! "Whaaat, so you don''t like my tea too, huh... tch," the waitress clicked her tongue. "It''s always like this! People only come to eat my father''s cooking! Even when I offered the tea for free, they always left without drinking any!" You don''t say! "We''re leaving..." Hikari slammed some coins on the table, and then quickly picked up Akamaru before bolting away from the tea shop. "Come again~" The waitress waved at the disappearing shadows. When they were finally out of sight, her gaze turned dark as she lamented about her rejected recipe. "...Failed again, huh... must be the bitter melon... okay! Next time, I''ll try citrus peel!" She hummed while walking back in, clearly not learning from her mistakes... --- Team 8''s new routine consisted of a training session in the morning, followed by the mission of the day, which would be briefed by Kurenai. Due to their specialty, the team was especially pushed toward missions that required tracking to some extent. With Kiba and Akamaru''s excellent sense of smell, Hinata''s Byakugan, as well as Shino''s insects that allowed them to communicate at long range, they handled each mission with relative ease. Still, Tsume wasn''t joking when she said that he would be worked to the bone. There was virtually no idle time between missions. Even though he was the lowest-ranked shinobi in the Inuzuka household, he had ended up the busiest one. Hardship was crucial for growth. In order to prepare them for the harsher future, Kurenai had hardened her heart in order to temper her new pupils. "We''ll continue our chakra control practice. I have showed you the tree climbing method before. Today, I''ll show you another one," she said, pointing at the nearby pond. Shino raised his hand. "Is it the water surface walking practice?" "Correct. Did your hear it from your clan?" "Yes," he nodded. "Uncle mentioned it to me." "Water surface walking... so we have to walk over water this time?" Kiba asked. "It''ll be faster if I show it to you." Kurenai approached the edge of the pond. She put one foot forward, and then planted it on the surface of the water. Miraculously, she didn''t sink in. The water surface somehow had enough traction to support her weight. She put her other foot in as well, standing completely still over the pond. "This practice has the same principle with tree climbing. Focus your chakra on the part of your body that come into contact with water surface, and then use it to support your weight. However, this method is many times harder than tree climbing practice. Do you know why?" Kiba drawn a blank look on his face, while Hinata seemed to know but was too shy to answer. Shino sighed before raising his hand again. "It''s because we have to keep changing the output of our chakra. Is that correct, Teacher?" "Exactly," Kurenai nodded. "I''d like for you to give it a try first. We''ll adjust accordingly depending on how far you can get today." As expected of a Byakugan user, Hinata managed to succeed on the first try. Shino on the other hand took a bit of time failing at the start to familiarize his insects on how to output their chakra. After that, he was able to stay afloat as well. Kiba was the problem. He kept on sinking in again and again. "Damnit, why is it not working?!" "Because, you''re outputting too much," Shino commented. "Tch," he turned to Kurenai. "Teacher, do I really have to stand still on the water? Can I walk or run over it?" "Well... sure? But you wouldn''t be able to walk if you can''t even stand..." "Not necessarily! Let me show you!" Kiba took a deep breath, and then dashed toward the pond. He circulated his chakra, giving off a bluish glow around his body. Splash. Splash. Splash. While maintaining his breathing, he trotted over the surface of the pond in one go, as if he was gliding. He moved to the left, and then ran in a circle around the perimeter of the pond before turning around once again toward his team. Kurenai kept on blinking her eyes. By the time that Kiba had leaped back to the ground, she was still blinking rapidly. "W-wow... y-you can really d-do it, Kiba!" "Heheh, I told ya so!" The boy scratched his nose. "Kiba! What, how... what was that?!" Kurenai''s hand was trembling, her brain unable to keep up with what had just happened. "That..." Kiba frowned. "If I remember correctly, it''s called king-koong..." Qinggong, the art of body-lightness. That was what that girl had told him. Back then, he somehow got dragged into learning the techniques when she needed someone as guinea pig. Shino and Hinata naturally couldn''t understand a single thing of what he''d just said. They just stared blankly at him. Kurenai sighed. "Haaah... you... you''re ridiculous, Kiba... your chakra control is all over the place, yet they somehow just work... What kind of training did your clan put you through?" Not my clan, but that idiot of a girl... but he couldn''t say that, so he just feign an innocent smile. "Anyway, keep doing the training. I''ll return at the usual time for your new mission." She left right after saying that. "Man, I hope it''s something far more interesting than looking for someone''s wallet," Kiba groaned. "I-I''m happy that w-we can help them..." Hinata said with a smile. "Well, that''s not wrong... but still! Oi, Shino, you agree right? You want something more thrilling right?" Woof! Akamaru, who was lazing around nearby, barked along. "See, Akamaru agreed with me!" "I just do the mission. That''s all," Shino replied curtly. "Tch. Spoilsport!" "T-There, there... l-let''s train a bit m-more?" With Hinata''s persuasion, Kiba finally dropped the topic and resumed the training. By the time that Kurenai returned a few hours later, the boy was already drenched heavily from head to toe. "...Don''t worry about it. You can only get better from here." Her words were encouraging, but somehow he just felt sadder as a result... "M-Miss Kurenai, o-our mission...?" "Oh, right. Fufufu, after three months, I believe that you''ve grown bored of the same old stuff, hmm?" Seeing her mischievous grin, Kiba''s eyes brightened in an instant. "Don''t tell me-!" "That''s right." Kurenai pulled out a scroll from her pouch. As she rolled it open, the letter ''C'' could be seen on the topmost part. "Rejoice. This will be your first C-rank mission!" 29 Painting Heist 2 Missions that could be carried by a shinobi was divided into four ranks, from A to D. D-rank missions had the lowest prestige, although at the same time they posed virtually no risk for the shinobi at all. They were mostly simple labors, perfect for recent graduates to hone their teamwork and learn how the rules work. C-rank missions, on the other hand, were more geared toward Chuunin-level shinobi, or experienced Genin who had earned the trust of the village council. Unlike B-ranked and A-ranked missions, there was no fear of engaging in combat with shinobi from opposing forces, although there might be a need to fight against other dangerous elements like wild beasts or highwaymen. "Teacher! What''s the mission gonna be?!" Kiba was understandably ecstatic about it. Hinata and Shino, although not openly showing it on their face, were also shaking with anticipation. For a shinobi, their first C-rank missions was most likely going to be the first time that they had the chance to prove themselves capable of performing shinobi works. The result of this mission might as well decide their career''s future! "Fufufu, don''t get too worked up now. A shinobi has to exercise patience." Kurenai threw the scroll to the kids, allowing them to read it. The summary of the mission was written in the topmost paragraph, and it read "Object reclamation." "Eh...?" Kiba frowned. "This term... isn''t this the same thing as searching for missing items?" "Correct," Kurenai nodded. "Wha-? There''s no difference with our usual missions, then!" "Kiba, what determines the rank of a mission is not just the content of the mission, but also its complexity and potential danger. Read further before complaining." "Collaborative mission..." Shino murmured. It was written that aside from their team, two other teams were also assigned to the same mission. Surprisingly, they were made out of Chuunin-ranked ninja! While they were still staring in shock at the detail, Kurenai abruptly asked a question. "You guys, do you know what an ukiyo-e is?" Kiba gave her a blank look, so she turned to Hinata instead. "U-um... if I r-remember correctly... it''s w-wooden block painting...?" "Correct. While the market isn''t as big as canvas-based painting, there are still quite a lot of big names in the world of ukiyo-e. Their paintings are worth millions of ryo." "Millions..." Kiba yelped. "How many steaks could we buy with that...?" Shino frowned, feeling that the discussion had went off track. "Teacher, what does the mission have to do with art?" "A lot, actually. Two days ago, a famous ukiyuo-e painter in the country was murdered." The kids'' attention was drawn instantly. Death and murder was quite common in this harsh world, but if it ended up with a mission for the village, it could only mean one thing. "It was done by shinobi, wasn''t it...?" "Correct. Shino. After killing the painter, the murderer had also stolen his latest work, a four-panel painting that was supposed to be revealed this morning. However, because of this incident, the exhibition had to be cancelled. Now, here is the crux of the mission. The painter has designated a successor, his sole disciple. As it turned out, the murderer had only managed to stole two panels out of the painting. The other one was in the possession of the disciple, while the last one was missing. The disciple said that the master had hidden it by himself without telling anyone. Our mission will be to investigate the location of this last panel." "What about the other teams?" Kiba asked. "One team will be assigned to guard the disciple, while the other will track down the murderer and retrieve back the two panels. Those are designated B-rank missions due to a high chance of entering combat with the murderer and the people behind them." "How is it? Still think this is a simple mission?" She couldn''t help but teasing them a bit. The pupils shook their head quickly. "Due to the nature of this mission, we''ll have to stay outside of Konoha for a while. We have already informed your family, so there''s no need to worry. I''ll give you two hours to prepare the supplies that you need to bring. After that, rendezvous at the northern gate. We''ll depart immediately after. Any question? Good. Dismissed!" The kids quickly ran back to their home, eager to start their first C-rank mission. --- Hana was helping Kiba to prepare for the journey. She knew that if left to his own device, the boy would just bring lots of meat. Aside from spare clothes, she also brought him medical supplies in case anyone in the team got hurt. "You have to listen to miss Kurenai, okay?" "I know, big sis! You already said that multiple times!" Kiba scoffed. Hana sighed. It was her little brother''s first actual mission, and it was outside the village to boot. She knew that a Jonin like Kurenai was qualified to keep the kids safe, but she still couldn''t help but worry. Woof! Akamaru sauntered into the kitchen. A green piece of cloth was tied around his neck, resembling a small pouch. "Awh, that''s so cute! Did you make it for him?" "I didn''t? Hmm, weird..." Kiba narrowed his eyes at his partner, but the dog just gave him the usual carefree look. "Eh, whatever. Maybe Hinata did, I''m not sure. Anyway, I''m running late. Thanks, sis! Catch ya later!" "Remember to wash your hands before eating! Also, don''t- ah, he''s gone..." "Can it, Hana. I''m his mother and even I''m not that worried." Tsume yawned as she walked in with Kuromaru. "Well you should be worried a bit more, mom..." "He''s an adult now, he''ll be fine. Right, Kuro?" She patted the wolf-like hound by her side. "Hmm. Akamaru is with him as well. The pup is more reliable than that boy. There should be no problem." Something seems wrong with that comment... Hana slouched over the table. Ger anxiety had managed to tire her out. Maybe she need to listen to her mother and just take it easy. "By the way, where''s that girl?" Kuromaru remarked. "Hikari?" Hana blinked. "Come to think of it, after she left to train in the backyard, I haven''t seen her again today." "Eh, maybe she''s out playing in the village. Just leave her be," Tsume shrugged. "The Third had Anbu following her around, so she should be safe." Hmm... Hana couldn''t let go of this feeling that she had missed something, but in the end, she just shook her head and gave up thinking. --- Team 8 departed from Konoha at noon, following the northern main road toward the small town where the murdered painter had lived. It took one night camping in the wilderness before they reached their destination. "Heee, the place''s way smaller than our village!" Kiba remarked. "K-Kiba... y-you''re too loud..." "Fufu... Well, perhaps only the capital, where the Daimyo lives, could compare in size with our village. More importantly, can you see that?" Kurenai pointed at a square, block-like building standing on top of a small hill in the distance. "That''s the studio of the ukiyo-e painter. The team responsible for guarding the disciple is there as well. Come, we should meet up with them first." The kids nodded, following their commander in silence. Since only civilians lived in this town, Kurenai had warned them beforehand not to openly reveal themselves as ninja unless the situation called for it. That was the common sense when working outside of the village. "Act natural, act natural..." "K-Kiba... it-it''ll be alright..." Hinata whispered, trying to calm him down, although her constant fidgeting was actually even more conspicuous. "..." Watching his teammates'' antics, Shino could only facepalm. Thankfully, due to their young age, the residents didn''t think too deeply into it and pass them off as innocent children. "We''re here. By the way you guys need to take it easy next time," Kurenai said while pushing the door open. "I-I''m taking it easy!" Kiba exclaimed. "Yes, yes, I''m sure you do." The inside of the square building was actually more normal than the outside, with enough furniture to make it a proper ''house''. Rows upon rows of ukiyo-e paintings lined the wall. Some of them depicted otherworldly beauties, while the others showed drawings of mythical being as well as scenes from various folktales. There was something mysterious within those paintings. Was it the expertly-drawn lines that seemed to accentuate every part of the drawing, or was it the sublime coloring that managed to make the painting pops out to the real world? Either way, the kids were helplessly drawn in as their gaze went from one painting to another. "They''re beautiful... aren''t they...?" Hinata murmured. "Yeah... I can''t understand it, but aren''t they really awesome?" "Hmm..." even Shino had to give his approval. They were indeed paintings worth millions of ryo! "I''m happy that you guys like them. The paintings exhibited in our gallery are those that my master is most proud with." A raspy voice came from the staircase. The owner, a disheveled young man with thick bags under his eyes, stepped down soon after, followed by a ninja wearing a forehead protector with Konoha''s symbol on it. "Miss Kurenai. You''ve finally arrived," when he saw the Jonin, he quickly gave her a salute. "Atsushi, I believe that everyone is doing fine?" "Yes. Yoshifumi and his team is still following the clues left by the murderer. On my side, there has been no attempt on Sir Tendai so far, but we can''t let down our guard just yet. I''ve sent my team to secure the perimeter." "Understood. Then, about the missing ukiyo-e panel..." "Allow me," the young man motioned for them to follow him upstairs. If the first floor could be considered normal, then the second floor was showing the nature of an artist. Buckets of paints were scattered all over the place, while wooden pieces both small and large littered the entire floor. The young man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, where''s my manner... I''m Tendai. I study and work here under my poor late master as his assistant. This second floor is our studio, while the floor above is our living space." The lanky man somehow managed to maneuver through the maze of wooden blocks with relative ease, reaching the other end of the room in less than a few seconds. When he returned to the group, he brought with him a panel of ukiyo-e the size of a booklet. The drawing showed a picture of a vast blue sky as seen from the top of a mountain, with a faint resemblance of a thriving city in the bottom. The quality was even more mystical than the ones they had seen below. It was as if the painting had turned into reality, with the sky enveloping them as the warm summer wind blew. "Wind..." Kurenai blinked. "Is this drawing representing ''wind''?" "Miss, you''re really knowledgeable!" Tendai showed them a wide smile. "It is indeed the panel representing wind. The other panels are flower, bird, and moon." "M-Miss Kurenai, how did you k-know...?" "There is a saying that reads ''Kachou Fuugetsu'' -Flower, bird, wind, and moon. Each character evokes the sense of smell, hearing, touch, and sight, respectively," Kurenai explained. Then, she turned back to Tendai. "For your master to be able to truly convey the feeling in a single glance... what talent!" "Right?!" Tendai groaned. "This is supposed to be master''s magnum opus, the painting that will cement his name in history! But that damn murderer has to ruin everything! It''s truly regrettable!" The disciple''s reaction was so animated that the kids involuntarily took a step back in a mixture of fear and disgust. Kurenai and Atsushi, however, retained their calm facade, as expected of experienced shinobi. "Then, the missing painting..." "It''s the ''moon'' panel," Tendai replied. "Only when the four panels are united will master''s genius finally come to light. I have faith that you guys can get back ''flower'' and ''bird'' pieces from that blasted culprit, but the ''moon'' is still a mystery even to me. Master had hid it by himself, saying that he would only show it when it''s time for public reveal. That''s why the mayor and I agreed to make one more request to Konoha, asking for someone good with tracing down missing items." "We won''t let you down," Kurenai firmly nodded. "Did your master say anything to you at all regarding the ''moon'' piece?" "Unfortunately, no..." Tendai bit his lips. "However, he might''ve leave some clues in his room." "Then, we''ll request free access around the building. Would that be fine?" "Certainly, certainly! Anything to get master''s greatest work back together!" Leaving Tendai to Atsushi''s care, Kurenai led the pupils toward the third floor. Half of the floor was divided into two rooms, with the smaller one inhabited by Tendai and the bigger one by his master. The toilet and a small kitchen was also located in this floor. "What do you guys think?" Kurenai glanced at the kids. Shino was as unreadable as always, while Hinata was still fidgeting. Kiba, on the other hand, had a deep frown on his face. Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Kiba, something on your mind?" "Hmm... I just feel that it''s really complicated... but basically, we''re just going treasure hunting, right?" He wasn''t really the type that likes to appreciate art. While he could tell that the painting just then was superbly done, he couldn''t understand how that small piece of wood could be more expensive than the best beef steak from old man Kuriyama''s shop. However, since finding that ''moon''-whatever piece was a part of their mission, then he''d just do his best! "Treasure hunting... that''s one way to put it," Kurenai smiled. She then pushed the sliding door open, revealing the master painter''s messy study. "Well then, kids, show me what you can do." 30 Painting Heist 3 The crew spent an entire day flipping through the mess that was the master painter''s bedroom. Shino and Hinata mainly concerned themselves with the countless stacks of paper left by the deceased. Kiba, on the other hand, took another angle entirely. He was crouching on all four, sniffing through the entire place together with Akamaru. The team left the studio by the time that the sun was setting down. For now, they would discuss their findings and formulate a concrete plan for tomorrow''s search. In the room that Kurenai had booked in the town''s inn, Shino laid out the things that he had taken note of. "The painter is a quiet person, but he corresponded a lot." Those stacks of paper were replies from his fellow artists who lived in various countries, as well as the copies of his own letters. There were also personal notes containing his thoughts about his current projects, most notably his newest four-panel painting. "The letters mentioned about the people of this town as well. I suggest that we ask around and look for clues about the deceased''s behavior." "That''s a good idea," Kurenai nodded. Kiba suddenly interrupted. "Heh. That''ll take too long! We''ve memorized that painter guy''s smell! All we have to do is to follow that scent to his hiding place, and we''ll find that painting in no time! Right, Akamaru?" Woof! The puppy barked energetically. "Well, that''s another way to find it, although I think only you can do it, Kiba..." "Exactly. It doesn''t guarantee results. If anything, you''ll just get sidetracked," Shino remarked. "And you think asking around is enough, huh? All you''ll get are gossips!" Kiba retorted. "Better than sniffing around like dogs." "Oi! You got something against dogs, you punk?!" The two boys glared at each other, neither wanting to back down. The clash continued for another minute until Kurenai stepped between them and pushed them apart. "Alright, alright, that''s enough. You''re scaring the poor girl." Ah. They turned to Hinata, who was looking at them with worried gaze. They quickly dropped the subject. "Well, we''ve heard your ideas. What about you, Hinata? What do you think we should do?" "E-eh? U-um... I-I think..." She began fidgeting her fingers again. Everyone waited for her in silence, knowing that the girl needed some time to gather her courage. "I-I think both ideas are g-good... h-how about we split up...?" Oh. Yeah, that''s right, that works too... "I guess I can ask the bodyguard team to lend us some men. What do you think, Kiba, Shino?" "Hmm," Shino nodded, showing agreement. "Fine with me," Kiba nodded as well. "Good. We''ll go with that plan. Now, let''s have dinner." Before she went out of the room, she seemed to remember something as she stopped at the door frame. "Oh yeah. Don''t forget to wash your hands before eating. Also, brush your teeth before you''re going to sleep. That''ll be all." She left soon after that. ""..."" "...Why did she say the same thing as my sis..." Kiba groaned. It seemed that they were still seen as kids, even though they were already Genin... --- "The name''s Hyoumaru! Nice to meet you!" "Seki... let''s get along..." As Kurenai had promised, the bodyguard team had lent them some additional manpower to aid the search. The former was an energetic-looking, well-built guy, while the latter was the gloomy, lethargic type. "Thank Atsushi later for me," Kurenai smiled. "Don''t mention it, Ma''am! We''re happy to help! So, I''ll be going with this kid..." "Shino," the Aburame boy gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. "...As for mine..." "It''s me! Inuzuka Kiba, at your service!" ""..."" The dynamic felt a bit lopsided... Kurenai chuckled. She already predicted that this would happen. "Well, I think Hyoumaru can help Shino when talking with the residents, while Seki... sorry about this, but you''re the only one who can keep up with Kiba''s speed. Just follow behind the boy and make sure that he doesn''t do anything reckless." "Yes, Ma''am!" "...Understood..." The pairs quickly departed from the inn, leaving Hinata alone with Kurenai. "M-Miss Kurenai, what about m-me...?" "I''ll be going with you." "E-eeh?" She grinned mischievously at the surprised girl. "What''s wrong? Disappointed?" "A-ah, n-no, I-I''m just surprised... b-because, I''m just a f-failure, s-so... I-I''m afraid that I''ll just h-hold you back..." The Jonin patted Hinata''s head, rubbing it gently. "F-fuwee?!" "Hinata, remember this. You''re not a failure," Kurenai stated, full of conviction. "You''re stronger than you think. Never forget it." The girl blinked repeatedly, unable to believe what the Jonin had just said. Kurenai sighed. It seemed that the effect of Hiashi''s cold treatment couldn''t be wiped clean so easily. ''I guess it''s not enough with just words... nevermind, she''ll understand with time.'' "Let''s go. We shouldn''t waste time." "Y-yes...!" With the girl trailing closely behind, Kurenai headed toward the town''s bustling marketplace. --- The team regrouped back in the evening, flushed after a busy day of work. Seki had the worst time of all, being forced to follow Kiba''s in his mad dash throughout the town. When he returned, his face was as pale as a corpse. "Let''s start. Hmm, is it fine if I read it in your place?" Hyoumaru glanced at Shino, who gave him a nod. He then continued to recite the content of the notes in his hand. "About the master painter himself, he''s rather an oddball. He likes to walk around town and ramble about color and nature and stuffs." "It''s normal for an artist," Kurenai added. "What else?" "According to what we had read from his correspondence letters and the townsfolk''s comments, it seemed that he had been working for this four-panel pieces for two years already. Each piece took a different amount of time, however, with ''flower'' and ''wind'' being the fastest, taking only a month each, and ''moon'' being the longest, taking an entire year to finish. In fact, it was said that he had just finished the ''moon'' piece about a month ago." "Maybe because it''s the last piece of the painting, so he had to make it perfect. That''s why it took so long." "Yes, Miss Kurenai. Shino and I thought so, too." He flipped over to the next page. "The painter rarely left this town. If he needed something that he couldn''t get from the local shops, like high-quality blocks, he would sent mister Tendai to fetch it for him. Since that assistant didn''t know the whereabouts of the ''moon'' piece, we concluded that..." "The painting, if it does exist, is still in this town," Kurenai finished his sentence. "Exactly!" Hyoumaru gave her a thumbs up. "Then, we''ll present our findings as well. Hinata, your turn." "M-me?" Hinata widened her eyes. "B-but, Miss Kurenai..." "Come on, now. Don''t keep us waiting." "U-uuu..." She took a deep breath before she started talking, trying her best not to mess up her speech from embarrassment. "F-from what we''ve heard, the painter likes to draw outside of his studio... T-The townsfolk said that they usually see the painter and mister Tendai walking about town with sketchbook in hands..." "Ah, some of the people we''ve met also mentioned that," Hyoumaru remarked. "Y-yes... also... the painter likes to drink rice wine..." "Oh!" Kiba suddenly exclaimed. "So that''s the smell! I''ve been wondering for a while!" "What smell, Kiba?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "When we took a glance over mister Tendai''s room, there were these clay pots held closed with stones on top of the lid sitting at the corner. The smell coming from those pots felt familiar to me. Now I''m sure, it must be amazake!" "...So... that guy Tendai is brewing them for his master..." "B-but..." Hinata continued, "t-the painter recently had a problem with his liver, so he couldn''t drink anymore..." "It seems that the wines would be wasted, then," Hyoumaru sighed. "I wonder if we can ask mister Tendai to give them to us." "Focus," Kurenai snapped her finger. "Your turn, Kiba. What did you find?" "Heheh," the boy scratched his nose. "I''ve been following his scent all over the place, and then some. He most frequently visited the marketplace, and then the park. Aside from that, he also went outside the gate toward a small patch of woods nearby. There''s a clearing that faintly held his scent, which meant that he had been there, but probably more than three months ago." "Looking for inspiration. Nothing significant," Shino remarked. "Going back to town, the other places that held his smell the most are the town hall, the restaurant in the residential district, and the temple at the edge of the town." "From all those places, did you find any traces of the painting?" "...Nope," Seki let out a sigh. "We''ve asked the people in those places, but they were clueless as well." "What if the painter had buried the painting in the woods?" "Impossible," Hyoumaru said. "If he really cherished that painting, he wouldn''t do something so reckless." The group fell into silence after that. Those were the information that they could gather at the moment, and yet they didn''t seem to be useful to find that painting. "Haaah... if only that geezer drew us a map!" Kiba groaned. "Hey, Shino, you found something like that in his letters?" "How can it be so convenient?" Shino shook his head. "Hmm... this might be a clue?" Hyoumaru pulled out one of the letters. "The master painter had a correspondence with an aspiring artist in the same business. When asked about how he could produce such an awe-inspiring works, the painter said that an artist has to blend with their crafts, to feel the thing that they want to portray with their own senses." "So complicated!" "Well, artists tend to speak in riddles, after all..." Kurenai smiled wryly. "That''s the only one directly related to painting, the rest of the letters are just regular conversations with friends..." "Gaah! No other way, then!" Kiba abruptly leaped up to his feet. "The painting is surely in this town, right? Let''s check every nook and cranny until we find it!" "B-but, Kiba... the town is too b-big..." "Then we''ll just have to do it with guts! Just watch, I''ll definitely find it! Let''s go, Akamaru!" Woof! The duo was about to leap out when Shino abruptly shot out his leg, tripping Kiba face-first down the floor. "The heck! Shino, what are you doing?!" Kiba growled as he clutched his bleeding nose. "Calm down. Don''t be reckless." "I''m not reckless! If we want to find that blasted painting as fast as we could, then blanket search is the best method! We''re just wasting time talking here!" "That''s called reckless. Now, sit down." "..." Faced with Shino''s unmoving gaze, Kiba finally relented and sat back down. "You seems to have some idea, Shino. Mind sharing them with us?" Kurenai remarked. The boy nodded in response. Everyone quickly turned their attention to him. "First, let me say that Kiba''s idea... is not bad. It is definitely doable." "Then why did you stop me?!" Shino raised his hand to stop Kiba''s complain. "It will take too much time and energy. We can use it as our last resort, but for now, there''s no need." "Oh?" Kurenai smiled. "How so?" Filled to the brim with confidence, Shino''s next words left his audience with bated breath. "Because, I''ve found the location of the painting." 31 Painting Heist 4 "Let us organize all the information into a single coherent piece." Shino showed them the note that he had been taking during their entire conversation. "First, we can safely assume that the painting is still hidden within this town, so we should put our focus here." The others nodded. "As Hinata had mentioned earlier, the master painter is an eccentric person who likes to draw everywhere he goes. This is confirmed by the populace''s comments. In other words, there''s a high chance that he didn''t make the Kachou Fuugetsu painting in his studio, but outside. Then, from the letter that Sir Hyoumaru had read to us, the painter had expressed the idea of ''blending'' with his works. This raised my suspicion about something." "About what?" Kiba asked. "The answer lies in the result of your search. Kiba, reiterate the places that you have seen so far." "Hmm... the marketplace, the park, the forest, a clearing, town hall, restaurant, temple..." "Right." Shino raised his hand. "Can we think like this? In order to create a painting, the painter has to see and feel the exact same thing that he wanted to portray. When he was drawing ''flower'', he went to the park. When he was drawing ''bird'', he went to the forest. When he was drawing wind, he went to the clearing." Everyone in the room flinched. The answer had finally clicked in their mind. "So that''s why it didn''t take long to draw ''flower'' and ''wind'', because those things are always there! As for ''bird'', he couldn''t predict at what times would the flock of birds appeared in the forest, so he could only rely on chance. That''s why it took longer than those two!" Kurenai exclaimed. Shino nodded. "B-but, w-why did he took a year for ''moon''...?" "Probably... because he could only draw at an exact time during each month," Seki commented. "Yes. Most likely, he only drew during the night of full moon." "Then, the location of the painting...!" Shino motioned toward the window overlooking the town. Night had fallen, and the streetlamps were already turned on to illuminate the darkness. "Among the places that Kiba had went to, there should be a place where it was dark enough to see the moon without interference from artificial lights..." Their gazes were drawn toward a patch of darkness at the edge of the town. "...The temple." With that, Shino concluded his analysis. --- "Yes, yes, the master did visit us regularly, at least once a month." The small temple''s monk greeted them warmly. The old man didn''t seem to be bothered that his guests had knocked on his door late at night. When asked about that, he just replied with a jovial laugh. "I''m already used to it. The master also liked to visit at night. Bless his poor soul..." "About that, did the master do something particularly in this place?" "Hmm..." the old man rubbed his chin. "He never tell me what he was doing. All he did was borrowing our seclusion chamber over there." He pointed toward the tall structure near the edge of the forest, where he quickly brought them over. "In the past, monks would seclude themselves in this place to meditate and become one with nature... but these days, young monks never bothered to do it anymore! We still keep this place cleaned up, though. I''m thankful with the master for giving it some purpose." It was a cylindrical tower with carvings of mythological beings lining up the inside wall. There were two openings on the roof where the occupants could see the sky clearly. "This place is so dark... but at the same time, it allows you to see the moon in its full glory." Kurenai pointed upward. Although it wasn''t a full moon, the light seeping in was still beautiful to the eye. "So? Where''s the painting?" "Your turn," Shino glanced at Kiba. "Focus your smelling here. If you find any spot with a different smell, no matter how slight, immediately tell us." "Got it!" He began sniffing the ground, then the wall, then the air. The smell of moldy woods entered his nostril, as well as the scent of the night breeze, a faint trace of turpentine, and... "Hmm?" He looked up toward the ceiling. "What did you find?" "There... it''s really faint, but I smelled fresh paint." Hyoumaru and Seki nodded, and then scaled the wall with just their feet. Upon reaching the ceiling, they traced their fingers around the blackened woods until they found an elevated part. With a slight pull, the dark cloth covering it floated down to the ground, while the thing hidden inside left them in awe. "The ''moon'' painting..." Kurenai whispered. Just like the ''wind'' painting, it was a mesmerizing work of art. With the dark ceiling acting as a mock night sky, it felt as if they were looking at the real moon. "We... we found it! Hahaha! This is great!" Hyoumaru and Seki quickly descended back with the loot on hand. "To think that the master was hiding it in here... I almost had a heart attack," the old monk sighed. "Most likely, he decided that it would be a good hiding place, considering not even the monks nowadays stayed inside for long," Shino added. "Miss Kurenai, the painting," Hyoumaru handed the panel over to her. "Thank you, Hyoumaru, Seki. With this, our mission is finally done." "Heheh, should we return back to Konoha, Teacher?" "Not yet. Tomorrow, we''ll process the fulfillment of the contract with our client first, and then..." "And then?" Kurenai winked at her pupils. "...How about we have a party to celebrate your first C-rank mission''s completion?" --- The party ended up a bit different from Kurenai''s initial plan. They were meeting up with the client of their mission, the mayor of the town, at the painter''s studio. After expressing his utmost gratitude, the mayor left the painting in Tendai''s hand, with instruction to hold the exhibition as soon as the other two pieces were reclaimed. After that, they were about to hit a restaurant when Kiba blabbered about them celebrating their first mission. His words caught Atsushi''s attention, and thus Team 8''s celebration party was held in the studio instead, with Tendai and the bodyguard team. "Here, here, let''s open these up!" The disciple''s complexion had recovered a lot after he got the news about the ''moon'' piece. He brought out the rice wine from his room for Atsushi and the rest to gobble up. Anyway, his master was already gone. It would be better to use them up before they went bad. "Aaah, I could finally breath easy!" He sighed after downing a cup in one go. "Rest assured, mister Tendai. We''ve been closing in on the murderer. He''ll be caught soon, mark my word!" Atsushi joined the festivities, gulping down one cup after another. In the meantime, the kids just sat on the side, eating the delicacies that Tendai had ordered from the restaurant. Kurenai had prohibited them from drinking, saying that they were still too young. "Atsushi, is Yoshifumi still on the chase?" "Yeah. The perpetrator''s trails keeps on leading us westward. Do you think Iwa or Suna is involved in this mess? "We shouldn''t make assumption just yet," Kurenai replied while taking a light sip from her cup. Agreeing with her words, Atsushi nodded vigorously, and then continued drinking. "Mister Tendai, this amazake is really good!" "Thank you, I''ve been brewing them for my master," Tendai blushed a bit, embarrassed by the sudden compliment. "Sadly, his liver didn''t allow him to drink anymore. We only found out after I''ve started the brewing process. I was thinking to just sell the finished product or drink it by myself. If it''s given to you guys, who are helping master to regain his cherished work, I''m sure that he won''t mind." "Hahaha! Then, we won''t be polite with you!" The celebration lasted until late afternoon. By that time, Atsushi''s team and Kurenai had finally downed all three jars of rice wine. Although they were shinobi with exceptional alcohol tolerance, they still ended up a bit shaky on their legs. "Then, Atsushi, I''ll leave the rest to you." "Don''t worry, miss Kurenai, we''ll handle it from here." The Jonin and Chuunin shared a firm handshake before parting ways. "How is it? Your first mission," Kurenai asked the three kids following behind her. "Honestly, it''s not as exciting as I thought," Kiba replied bluntly. Woof! The puppy perched on top of his head barked in agreement. "It''s decent," Shino remarked. Hinata was the only one who had stayed silent. It seemed that she was drowned in her own thoughts, not paying attention to what the other was saying. When Kiba stopped moving ahead, Hinata abruptly crashed on his back. "F-fuwee?!" "Oi, why are you daydreaming like that?" "N-no, it''s just..." she bit her lips. "I-I feel like... I d-don''t know... something just feels wrong..." "What''s wrong?" Kiba frowned. "We already finished the mission, nobody got hurt, everything turned out fine, right?" "Kiba, Shino, Hinata." There was something off with Kurenai''s tone. Even though she was smiling, she gave off a tyrannical pressure that forced people to listen to her. It was the quality of a commander. A Jonin. "What is the seventeenth rule of a shinobi?" """Ma''am! A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings!"""" "Good. Never forget that. Now, don''t say any words. Just follow me." Kurenai took her time leisurely walking the kids around the town, before stopping by their inn right as the sun was about to set. They finished checking out soon after the night had blanketed down the world. However, she wasn''t heading over to Konoha. Instead, she took a detour toward the west gate and then told the kids to hide on the treetop. Only then did she relaxed her pressure, allowing the kids to breath easier. "Alright, we can talk now," she flashed them a smile. "Hinata, tell us, why are you feeling uneasy back then?" "U-um... i-it''s nothing..." "No, I insist. Tell us." She finally relented after getting stared down by Kurenai. "F-From what we''ve heard when we asked around in the marketplace... I don''t think that... mister Tendai is s-supposed to be... like that..." ""What do you mean?"" Both Kiba and Shino asked at the same time. "U-uuu..." Ah, she retreated back... Kurenai chuckled seeing their antics. "How about this. Kiba, what do you think about mister Tendai?" "Eh?" the boy rubbed his chin while giving it some thoughts. "Well... a regular person? Just normal, I guess?" "I see. Shino?" "A disciple eager to see his master''s work," the Aburame responded. "That''s not wrong either. Well... Hinata was the one who''d come with me to ask around the marketplace, so it''s understandable that she''s the first one to notice." The boys stared at her, clearly wanting more explanation. She gave them a faint smile. "Tendai was a hardworking disciple, true, but he was actually quite mischievous. He liked to joke around and buy unnecessary trinkets when he was out on errands. Even so, the master and disciple had a very close relationship, akin to father and son." For a moment, Kiba and Shino had a blank look on their face. The Tendai that they saw... was he really like that? "And, there''s one more bit of information that was only known by a few people. An old lady was praising Tendai, saying that even when he hates alcohol to the point that he''d puke from the smell, he was so filial to his master that he would brew amazake in his own room, where it was most damp. All for the sake of making his master happy, since he likes to drink after finishing his paintings." Those words were enough to ring alarm bell through their head. "But, Teacher, the Tendai this afternoon is clearly a drinker!" "Yes." Kurenai pulled a kunai out of her pouch. "He misinterpreted the meaning of those jars. It wasn''t for mister Tendai to drink, it was solely for his master. Tendai kept brewing them even though his master has a liver problem, because he knew that finishing the Kachou Fuugetsu was celebration worthy enough to risk it. But of course, someone who had only lived with the master for a month wouldn''t be able to know that." She threw the kunai into the dark road below. The moment her kunai landed, a shadow hastily jumped out of the way. At the same time, Kurenai and the kids jumped down from their hiding spot, blocking the shadow''s path. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, the shadow''s feature turned clearer and clearer. It was none other than the disciple, Tendai! "Or should I say, mister murderer?" Facing the man''s ashen face, Kurenai showed him a chilling smile. 32 Secret Base 1 In front of their eyes, the man they''d known as Tendai for the past two days began to peel off the skin off his face, revealing a completely foreign person. His figure also changed as the chakra surrounding his body dissipated in an instant. "Transformation Technique, a skin mask, and a light touch of genjutsu... you''re quite adept at blending in. Sadly, your acting skill isn''t up to par." "Tch-!" The man pulled out a kunai, and then rushed toward Kurenai. The woman was about to parry when he suddenly made a somersault above her head, arriving right behind Hinata in the blink of an eye. The tip of the cold blade was pressed onto her skin. "Don''t you dare get any closer, or this girl will die!" "Hmm... what a classic development." Kurenai didn''t seem to be fazed at all. She leisurely strolled over toward the man, who grew more panicked when he saw that his threat had no effect to the Jonin. "W-what are you doing?! I''ll really kill the kid!" "Go ahead." Her steps turned faster instead. "Damn you! ''m not messing around!" In his panic, the kunai pierced deep through the girl skin, drenching the dirt ground with fresh blood. Even so, the other kids merely stared at him, while a sly smirk appeared on Kurenai''s face. "As long as it''s for the completion of the mission, we will give up everything. Even our life. Isn''t that the way of a shinobi?" "G-guaah!" The man fell to the ground, cowering at the approaching woman. --- "So that''s Miss Kurenai''s genjutsu... was that how we looked like when we got caught in it?" Kiba murmured. "...Possible." The kids were still perched up on the trees as per Kurenai''s order. She had simply told them to watch from above. At the moment, Kurenai was facing the man alone while the latter was sprawled on the ground after making some pointless gestures as if he had sliced someone with his kunai. Soon, several shadows flickered in from the direction of the town. Atsushi had arrived with Hyoumaru, Seki, and three other Chuunin in tow. Upon seeing the man''s dazed look, Atsushi let out a deafening laugh. "As expected of miss Kurenai! I''m impressed." "You''re finally here. I thought you''re addicted to acting like a drunkard. The Third''s definitely going to be interested to hear that you drink during a mission." "S-spare us, please... we need to do that to confirm our suspicion..." He made a wry smile as his team surrounded the trembling man. "So? Any info about his identity?" "Nothing much. Either he''s a missing-nin, or just a mercenary shinobi from an obscure village," Atsushi replied. "Yoshifumi''s coming in a few hours. His team is more suited for interrogation. We''ll just leave it to them." While the two were talking, Hyoumaru and his team was about to apprehend the man when suddenly he stabbed the kunai in his hand onto his own shoulder. The dazed look in his eyes disappeared at once. "Drat-!" "Kuh... don''t think I''ll go down that easily!" He pulled out two wooden blocks from his robe, the ''wind'' and the ''moon'' pieces. With a poof, the paintings turned into a pair of doves, which quickly flew away to different directions. Using the momentary confusion, the man slipped out from the encirclement, and then blasted off as if his life depended on it. "Goddamnit! What are you guys doing?!" "Apologies, Sir. We''ll chase him at once!" Hyoumaru bitterly glanced at the fleeing doves. "What should we do about the paintings?" "Tch! Split into two teams, then retrieve those paintings back! Seki, you''re coming with me. We''re the fastest ones in the unit, so we''ll chase that man!" "...Yes, Sir...!" "Wait! I''m coming too!" As the two was about to take off, Kiba suddenly called out to them. Before he could move any further, however, Kurenai had grabbed him by the shoulder. "Kiba, stop messing around. Giving chase to an active ninja is a dangerous task. You guys are not ready yet!" "Teacher, I''ve memorized his scent just now. I''m currently the best choice for tracking him, right? Let me go with them!" Woof! Akamaru chimed in as well. "This..." Even if he was just a young kid, as an Inuzuka, he was extremely gifted in the field of tracking. That was an undeniable fact. Kurenai didn''t doubt his abilities, but still... "Let him come, miss Kurenai," Atsushi commented. "He''s already a Genin. Excessive coddling will only hinder his potential. Besides, we''re there to protect him in case something happened." Faced with the boy''s determined gaze, Kurenai''s resistance finally crumbled. "...Fine. Shino." "Understood." One of Shino''s kikaichu leaped off his finger, landing on Kiba''s coat. "Don''t push yourself. If you really have to fight, leave it to Atsushi and Seki. Contact us through Shino''s insect if you need help." "I know, I know! Jeez, Miss Kurenai, you''re even more of a worrywart than my sis!" The Chuunin''s face contorted as they tried their best to stiffle their laughter. Of course, Kurenai didn''t fail to notice that. When they caught a glimpse of her worsening expression, they quickly leaped away, unwilling to suffer under her fearsome illusion. "Alright, kid! It''s up to you now!" "Ou! Follow me!" With his speed greatly enhanced by chakra, Kiba darted off toward the direction of the man''s scent, followed closely by Atsushi and Seki. --- "Damn! That guy really can run!" The three had caught up with the man halfway through, but he somehow had managed to run even faster than before. They could tell that he was already on his last legs, though. "Seki! We''ll go around and try to catch him by surprise!" Atsushi commanded. "...Understood!" Atsushi and Seki split off from Kiba, leaving the boy to keep pressuring the fugitive. It didn''t take long before the two showed up on both sides, forming hand seals in blinding speed. The earth rose to form a high wall right in front of the escaping man. Unable to control his movement due to his excessive fatigue, the man rammed straight at it, breaking his nose. "...Got him!" Seki quickly swooped in to tackle down the man, finally ending the long chase. "Phew, I haven''t run that far since my academy days!" Atsushi wiped the sweat off his neck. He then grinned widely at Kiba. "You''re not bad, kid! How about doing missions with us later when you''ve become a Chuunin?" "Well... I''ll think about it," Kiba laughed wryly. "By the way, where are we now?" They didn''t pay much attention to their surrounding during that frenzy chase, but it seemed that they had crossed over the entire northern region of the Land of Fire. "It''s all thanks to this bastard!" Atsushi gave the writhing man a kick to the face, making him faint. "Oh, great! Now we have to carry him back!" He gave him another kick. "...Captain, you''re the one who knocked him out..." "Meh, who cares! You carry him back!" "...I knew it..." Defeated, Seki could only let out a sigh. Nevertheless, he still followed the order and halfheartedly carried the man like a sack of potato. "Say, Inuzuka boy, how far d''you think we''re from the town?" "Not sure. Think we''ve gone pretty far." He had long since lost track of his team''s scent. That means the distance wasn''t anything to scoff at. Atsushi shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it. Let''s go. Can only hope we can return before dawn." "...Agreed..." As they were about to move out, an explosion occurred right behind the earth wall that they had raised. What followed was a cacophony of battle noises with steel clashing and jutsu firing one after another. A figure was abruptly thrown over the wall. For a moment, they seemed to be unconscious, but then they suddenly turned around in mid-air and landed right in front of Atsushi and the group. "Eh?" Kiba touched his hood. There was a trace of red splattered on top of it. "...Are you from Konoha...? What are you doing here...?" A raspy voice rang in their ears. Under the moonlight, they could finally see the gray suit and flak jacket, as well as that distinctive porcelain mask with the shape of a bear''s face covering the figure''s face. "Y-you''re an Anbu!" Atsushi muttered. "What''s going on?!" "Save the question for later... we''re under attack...!" Several more shadows leaped over the wall as well. When they saw the group, their hands formed various seals before they fired all their jutsu in one go. Scorching blast of flame and cutting jet of wind shot out one after another from their mouth. The two elements converged, creating a devastating inferno that threaten to turn everything into ashes. However, the Anbu had made a move of their own. Lifting their mask slightly upward to reveal their mouth, their hands then moved to make barrage of seals ending with a Snake sign. And then, they exhaled. A torrent of water blew out of their mouth, raising like a tsunami to collide with the incoming flame, stopping it from coming closer. Thick vapor quickly covered the entire region as a result of the confrontation. The attackers were shocked silly with the Anbu''s display of skill. One person alone was enough to counter their combined jutsu... wasn''t that a bit too overpowered? Not to mention, because of the thick vapor, they couldn''t see their target anymore! One of the attacker blew out a strong gust of wind, pushing the vapor away. However, their target was no longer there, as well as the other three people they had seen previously. What a blunder! "Find them, quick!" The shadows leaped off one after another, desperate to find and kill that slippery intruder. Meanwhile, Atsushi and his group was running along the forest with the fugitive on Seki''s back. "...Leader, is that officer going to be fine?" "We have no choice! Staying back there will only drag him down!" Atsushi remarked. "Our best bet is to inform Konoha and send backup as soon as possible!" Seki nodded. Although he was worried for his fellow shinobi, he also knew the limits of their abilities. This was the most proper thing to do. "...Haaah... this is turning into a major drag... right, kid? Eh...?" He abruptly stopped. "What is it?" Atsushi halted as well. When he looked back, he suddenly noticed that Kiba was no longer with them. Cold sweat drenched on his back as he glared at Seki. "...B-but he was right behind me just now..." "..." Godamnit! "...What should we do, leader? We go back and fetch him?" "We press on!" They were already halfway through. There was no guarantee that they could arrive on time, not to mention it would further mess the Anbu''s mission. The only choice was to keep going with the initial plan. ''Don''t die on us, kid! You have to survive...!'' In his mind, Atsushi lamented over and over again that Kurenai was really going to kill him when she heard about this... --- As expected of an Anbu officer, the masked figure was proficient in more than one natures. Water Release, Earth Release, Wind Release, they fired them with apparent ease, countering their pursuers'' jutsu again and again. However, they were only one person, while the opponents kept on coming again and again. Even though they had been pumping out chakra in-between fights, it was still not enough to keep up. Soon, their chakra molding speed dropped, just barely, but it was enough for the pursuers to notice. "He''s getting tired! Attack now!" Five ninja rushed over toward the Anbu, two at front with their kunai on hands while the rest on the back preparing to shoot their jutsu. At that moment, A pair of spinning drills arrived in ferocious speed, crashing onto the two frontal attackers and pushed them all the way to the back line, completely halting their chakra molding. That slight opening was enough for the Anbu. Opening their mouth wide, stream of water poured out like flood, rising into the air to form the shape of a dragon before coming down, maws opened wide, toward the pursuers. The strong current pushed them away, tossing them far into the woods. "Don''t get dazed, kid." "Ah-!" Kiba flinched, realizing that he had blanked out for a moment after witnessing such a strong jutsu. The drenched kid gingerly ran toward the Anbu, who only gave him a cold stare behind the mask. "Why are you here? You should''ve retreated with your superiors." "No, I mean..." He scratched his nose. "Don''t you need help?" "You''re only weighing me down." "Really? Seems like I''ve saved you, though." "...I won''t say it twice. Leave. This is a direct order." Kiba scoffed, shaking his head vigorously. "You''re hurt, aren''t you?" That red splash from earlier, Kiba could tell from the metallic smell that it was blood. This person''s blood. He''d be damned if he left an injured ally fend for themselves! "..." The Anbu was too tired for this crap... "Listen, you-" Their words were cut short as an earth wall suddenly rose up between them, cutting them off from each other. Before the Anbu could break through, more pursuers came their way, while on Kiba''s side, three more shinobi with the same gray clothes and a full-face mask had arrived. "Kid! Focus on your survival! Run if you can!" The Anbu''s voice came from behind the wall, followed by the sound of intense battle. "Tsk, run, is it?" Kiba murmured as he scanned the opponents before him. They looked composed, clearly more experienced compared to a greenhorn like him. However... "Let me tell ya, my clan never leaves an ally behind! I''ll come to help you, so just sit there and hang on!" Woof! Akamaru jumped off into the air, as if responding to his courageous declaration. The green pouch around his neck slid off from the sudden motion, and revealed a small scroll hidden inside. The action briefly halted the opponent ninja from coming closer as they suspected it as a trap. The scroll promptly rolled open, showing rows of characters forming a distinctive phrase pertaining to a certain branch of ninjutsu. The art of seal, Fuinjutsu. The characters began to distort, the ink blending together to form a circle at the middle of the scroll. A blinding light flashed out, and a figure was seemingly thrust out from inside the thin paper itself. It was a brown-haired girl in a dark-colored robe. A ninjato was hung on her side, while a dolphin-faced mask was tied on top of her head slightly to the side. "Eh?" Kiba couldn''t believe his eyes. He pulled on his cheek with all his might, thinking that it was a genjutsu cast by the opponents. It already hurt so much, but the illusion still wouldn''t go away... "Aaaah! I''m finally out of that blasted thing!" The girl yelled as she kneeled on the ground, panting heavily. It took her a few more minutes before she began to notice the group of strange ninja blinking their eyes rapidly in the distance, as well as the more familiar boy pinching his cheeks nearby. "Eh? Kiba? Why are you here? Where are we?" When he heard her muddled voice, he finally snapped. "Why the heck are you here- No, why did you pop out of that thing- I mean, what the f- AARGH !@#$%^" She winced at his unfolding mental breakdown. After he calmed down a bit, she pointed at the now-empty scroll rolling on the ground. "I got stuck in that scroll..." "HOW THE F*** DID YOU GET STUCK IN A F***ING SCROLL?!?" The explanation was even crazier, so his mental health collapsed again. "I-I''ll explain later. More importantly..." She slowly got up to her feet, drawing out her ninjato while pulling down the porcelain mask on her face. The eyes behind that mask grew murderous. "...It seems that we have guests... am I wrong?" 33 Secret Base 2 The enemy ninja didn''t know what to think about the current situation. A young girl had popped up from a scroll, most likely the work of a fuinjutsu. She didn''t look like a shinobi, even leaning a bit on the weak side. Her first impression surely didn''t help to put her as a threat. The ninja simply wrote her off as another pebble to clear on their way. While the two kids were bickering with each other, the ninja prepared their kunai, desiring to make a quick work out of them so that they could help their allies on the other side of the wall. When that girl had stood up, however, their hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Bluish glow enveloped her body, giving off an eerie atmosphere. Even though her face was hidden behind that stupid-looking mask, they could somehow tell that the gaze looming over them was the gaze of a predator. "So? What''s the situation? Are those guys enemies?" Hikari glanced at Kiba. The boy shuddered. The sudden pressure emanating from her had snapped him out of his earlier stupor. "Ah... yeah, they are." He didn''t dare to reply more than necessary, since she was sounding really, really grumpy at the moment... Hikari was cursing her vixen acquaintance in her mind over and over again for trapping her inside that scroll. Her mood was already at rock bottom.Thankfully, there were some poor idiots standing over there to serve as targets for her venting. How convenient~ The edge of her lips tugged upward, forming an evil smile. The ninja''s hands trembled even harder. They had this sudden premonition that if they didn''t do anything, their could just say bye bye to the living world. "D-d-damnit! Attack! Attack!" One person formed the hand seals for Wind Release, while the other two did an identical seals for Fire Release. The resulting flame was boosted by the gust, turning it into a scorching blanket that spread over the two kids in an instant. "That''s the combination jutsu from before!" Kiba exclaimed. "Parlor trick." Instead of retreating, the girl jumped straight toward the flame, twisting her body as she drawn her sword in blinding speed. <> Her blade, infused with chakra, cut the air so fast it almost break the sound barrier. The incoming flame was horizontally split in two, turning them into nothing more than a warm breeze. They flickered for a little while before fading away. Kiba''s jaw was hung down so wide it almost touched the ground. When she saw how shocked he was, she clicked her tongue. "What? Why are you so afraid of a little flame? They can''t cut you, they can''t stab you, what''s there to fear?" Little. Flame. The ninja felt like she was mocking their entire career for some reason... Ignoring their stupefied expressions, she looked back to the boy sprawled on the ground behind her. "Kiba." "H-huh?" "What are you waiting for? Go." He didn''t know why, but he got a feeling that if he didn''t fight, she''d be the one to beat him up instead. "Aaah! I don''t care anymore! Let''s do this, Akamaru!" Awoooo! With a cloud of smoke, the puppy transformed into an exact clone of Kiba. Dashing on all-four, the two blurs leaped into the air, spinning ferociously. Twin drills gouged through the air, aiming at the ninja in the middle. "Blast it! Don''t look down on us!" Three layers of earthen walls rose in an instant, stopping Kiba and Akamaru''s path as they crashed onto the impenetrable surface. They only managed to make a crack on the first wall, which was quickly repairing itself as the ninja frantically poured even more chakra regardless of the efficiency. "Tch- they''re really intent on turtling there... ugh?!" Kiba had a goosebumps as he suddenly felt a terrifying aura coming from behind. When he glanced back, he saw the girl getting even more irritated, the blade on her hand slowly drawn forward. He gulped. ''If I can''t break through this, I''ll be one getting broken instead!'' "Akamaru! Let''s use ''that''! We have to succeed no matter what!" Woof! Akamaru reverted to his real form, and then jumped onto Kiba''s head as the boy formed a Tiger hand seal. A huge cloud of smoke covered their spot. By the time that the smoke had dissipated, a gigantic two-headed, white-furred dog heavily resembling Akamaru stood in their place. "Wow!" Hikari''s eyes widened up with amazement. She had expected that Kiba would use his signature techniques again, so this one had managed to surprise her. The two-headed dog let out a deafening roar, shaking the entire forest. "Eat this!" The monstrous canine leaped forward and spun their body violently with speed surpassing all the techniques that Kiba had showed so far. They crashed into the stone walls, producing cracks at the moment of impact. The walls immediately crumbled into pieces as they torn through like hot knife slicing through butter. "Damnit-!" Since the deadly spin traversed in a straight path, the ninja hiding behind the walls managed to avoid a direct hit at the last moment. However, they didn''t expect the resulting shockwave from the spin to still hit them, sending them flying and leaving deep gashes on their bodies. Kiba undid the transformation in a poof of smoke as the last wall turned into a pile of rubble. "Ugh... you bastard...!" The first ninja to recover quickly formed hand signs, intending to retaliate with a jutsu of his own. However, his hands stopped moving when he noticed a suffocating killing intent appearing right behind him. The ninjato on Hikari''s hand was swung upward, cutting through the man''s neck with such ease that she had decapitated him in one strike before he could even utter a single word. His quick death frightened the other two ninja so much that they were frozen on their spot for a brief moment. Taking advantage of that chance, Kiba and Akamaru tackled each of them to the ground. Transforming into a clone of Kiba, Akamaru pulled a Kunai from the ninja''s pouch, and then stabbed it right through the ninja''s neck, killing him in one blow. "A-Akamaru?!" Kiba was dumbfounded. He had merely knocked the ninja down with a smack to the head, thinking that the others would had done the same. To his horror, the girl, and even his partner, had killed their respective targets just like that. As if they were cattle. "What are you waiting for? Kill him," Hikari remarked. "W-what? No! We can''t kill him without a direct order!" "Why not?" "Because... we can get information from him! It''s better to take him back alive!" Hikari frowned. She readied her blade as she walked toward the boy. "Move. I''ll do it." "...But-!" "Haah!" A low grunt suddenly came from below. The ninja that Kiba thought was knocked unconscious was somehow still awake, and he had finished his hand sign. With a poof, he had disappeared, leaving only a thin log behind. "..." The girl lifted up her mask as she narrowed her eyes at Kiba. "...W-what?!" "You''re lucky that he''d decided to escape instead of fighting to the end." At that moment, he was caught off-guard. If that ninja had attacked him... "..." The boy covered his mouth, trying to hold the bile rising up his throat. The fear of death finally descended after the adrenaline from the fight had faded away. Sighing, Hikari patted his shoulder in an attempt to console him. "You''ll get used to it." Asking him to kill someone might be a bit too cruel. He was barely thirteen, after all... Leaving him to recuperate under a tree, she turned her attention toward the small creature that was tip-toeing away in the distance. In one swift motion, she caught him right on the nape of his neck and lifted him up. "Where are you going, Daji~?" Her whisper sounded saccharine at first glance, but careful observant would notice the underlying coldness hidden within. "H-Huang''er..." The puppy made a goofy smile, trying his best to act cute. "I was just messing around with you... there''s a good reason for this..." "Hmmhmm~ I''m listening. Keep talking~" Liar! She was clearly not listening, ah! She was dead set on punishing him, ah! She drew him closer to her face until the tip of their nose touched each other. "Wait until we''re back at the Inuzuka residence~ I''ll take a reaaaally good care of you~" "Venerable Yao! Have mercy! It was a momentary lapse in judgement! Please forgive this humble one!" While they were having a fun, happy bonding moment, the earthen wall separating them from the other side of the battle started to crack up. It broke down soon after. When the dust finally settled, a lone figure in grey outfit and bear-faced mask stood among a pile of butchered corpses. Seeing the scene akin to a landscape from hell, Kiba couldn''t hold it any longer and puked his lunch back out. "So you''ve managed to survive, little boy. Well done," The figure called out to Kiba. However, they tensed up upon noticing Hikari''s presence. The girl had also let go of Akamaru, opting to reach for her blade instead. "Oi, don''t fight him!" Kiba called out. "He''s an Anbu from our village! He''s an ally!" "Really?" Hikari relaxed her stance upon hearing that. "Well, then-" Before she could finish her sentence, the bear-masked figure had sprung up to her, blade glistening under the moonlight. Without any chance to avoid the attack, she was forced to block it with the back of her ninjato. "You... dolphin-mask!" "W-what? Do we know each other?" Hikari was dumbfounded. She had been followed around by these Anbu people for quite a while now. There hadn''t been any problem so far, and she didn''t remember ever starting one either. Why did this guy suddenly attacked her? "...Apologies..." The two broke off contact, creating some distance from each other. "...There''s something that I want to make sure." The bear-masked figure pushed his feet apart, his stance lowered down as he readied his sword. "You...!" Hikari copied his movement, resulting in the exact same form. For a moment, the two combatants stood still, as if time itself had stopped. And then, They lunged forward. <> <> The lights reflecting from their blades flashed and swerved in a hypnotizing way as their bodies flickered like shadows, their feet enacting dances upon dances of deception. Circling, side-stepping, inching just enough to lure their opponents to strike yet not enough for their blade to come into contact. At one point, a clanking noise reverberated in the air as their blades finally struck at each other. ""...!"" Stomping their feet on the ground, they forcefully pulled their sword to prepare for their next strike. <> <> Blades infused with chakra shot out faster than human eyes could see, one slash cutting horizontally why the other fell down from the sky like lightning. Upon contact, the blades let out a sickening crunch before they were broken in two, the tips darting off uncontrollably before stabbing into the ground far from their owners. "..." Ah, that was the ninjato that Tsume had let her borrow... Wait, no, more importantly, ""Who taught you those moves?"" They asked at the same time, prompting both of them to raise their eyebrow. Coughing, Hikari decided to reply first. "Nobody taught me. I learned them myself from a mental copy of the manuals." The bear-masked figure flinched for a moment. But then, he responded in return. "I was taught directly by my master, Venerable Zhou." The voice coming out of the mask began to drip with obvious mockery. "To be able to imprint our closely-guarded secret manuals into your memory, who else could it be except for that one sneaky thief who dared to infiltrate our mountain in the middle of the day?" He pulled down his mask, revealing a handsome young man''s face. With flushed, jade-like skin and beautiful phoenix eyes, he was the kind of man who could stole a beauty''s heart with but a single glance. His lips parted, allowing for his deep, alluring voice to come out without being obscured by the mask. The last sentence was spoken in a language that was all-too familiar for Hikari. The language of her homeland. "Venerable Yao, is it?" Those lush lips slowly formed a faint smile. 34 Secret Base 3 Inuzuka Kiba took pride in his enhanced senses, especially his ears which could detect sounds from farther distance than ordinary humans. However, it wouldn''t help to be able to hear when his brain couldn''t keep up with the content. At first, he was dumbfounded when the Anbu attacked Hikari out of nowhere. Adding to his confusion, somehow the Anbu had resorted to use kenjutsu, and his skill was so similar to the girl''s, whose techniques he had witnessed so much for the past four years until he could tell them apart with a single glance. And then, when they had finally stopped the fight, they began to speak in riddles instead. It wasn''t about being unable to comprehend what they were saying. He literally couldn''t understand the rest of the conversation after the Anbu had pulled off his mask, because they were spoken in what he could only describe as energetic, incoherent rambling... Meanwhile, the two reincarnators continued their conversation in their native tongue, oblivious to Kiba''s massive confusion. "So you do know me! That reaction... how long had you found out?" The Anbu raised his fingers. "Three months ago, I was ordered to watch over a certain kid. By pure chance, I witnessed a fight between a criminal and two people wearing porcelain masks. What caught my interest was the dolphin-masked person used Emei Sect''s techniques, while the dog-masked one used Wudang''s." "Oh." Three months ago... that was around the time when they had helped Naruto. So it was from that time! "Venerable Yao, what about that dog-masked person? Is that one the same as us?" "Ah, no, that''s..." She raised her hand and then pointed at Kiba, who was caught off guard by the sudden attention. "H-huh? Why are you pointing at me?" Woof! A sudden bark prompted him to turn to his left. His partner was holding a familiar mask on his mouth while wagging his tail. "A-Akamaru? Why''d you have that?! Gehoh-" Without prior warning, the dog-faced mask was shoved onto the boy''s face. Seeing his figure with the mask on, a candle immediately lit inside the Anbu''s mind. "So it was that boy?!" They had been fighting together for a while now? How could he had failed to notice? Not to mention, the boy''s attitude was too sloppy for someone who had been reincarnated! "I know what you''re thinking, but he''s just a normal kid from this world." "Oh..." As the facts slowly sank in, the Anbu had an epiphany. "Hold it. You taught Wudang-style martial arts to that boy? Even the Heaven Shaking Iron Palm?!" Hikari flinched. "Venerable Yao, didn''t you swear an oath that you wouldn''t reveal the secret manuals that you had stolen to outsiders...?" "D-Did I? Ahahaha..." "...Please don''t avert your eyes..." Hikari shrunk lower and lower under that intense accusing gaze. "...Apologies..." She murmured in the end. "Haah... nevermind. We''ve both died anyway, so I don''t think it matters." Hikari''s face lit up in an instant. "Although... if you do feel responsible... how about you help me do my current job? I could appreciate a helping hand." Hikari''s face blackened up once again. "You... you''re just guilt-tripping me, aren''t you?" "Ohoho, did I? Come on, let''s go." He put on his mask, and then gestured for Hikari to do the same with her own. After that, he walked deeper into the forest. When Kiba saw that Hikari was about to do the same, he called out in a panic. "Hey, wait, where are you going? We should get back to the town!" "Ah, sorry, please go ahead. I have to face a trial of retribution..." She dove into the darkness right after saying that nonsense. "...Oi..." Woof! "Aaah! I know, I know! She''s such a hassle, damnit!" Even though he was complaining, he still followed their scent until he caught up with them. And thus, the dynamic(?) trio and their dog continued further into the forest. The group was taking their time to search for a route that wasn''t brimming with enemies. The tall shrubbery covering the forest ground helped to guise their movements. "So, what''s this job that you''re talking about?" Hikari whispered, curious about what her fellow countryman was doing in his current life. "Oh, nothing much. I was investigating a secret base nearby," the Anbu replied lightly. "..." She never thought that she''d heard the word ''secret base'' and ''nothing much'' in the same context... "We were infiltrating the base in order to find out more about the owner and its purpose. Unfortunately, we were caught red-handed by the ninja guarding the facility. My partner decided to stay behind and hold them off, while I was supposed to bring this scroll containing the result of our investigation back to Konoha." "Uh... is that the scroll?" She pointed at the green-colored stick tied on the Anbu''s waist. "Yup." Uhhh. "Why are you still here then? Shouldn''t you get back to Konoha ASAP?" "Venerable Yao, I don''t leave my allies behind," the man proudly declared. "I''m sure you understand." Indeed. If he had delivered the scroll right away, his partner would be considered a lost cause. However, if he was, say, still showing hesitation about leaving her behind, then there was a chance that the enemies would keep her at least barely alive to lure him out. "Fine... this is troublesome, but I''ll play along." "Fufu, that''s the Venerable Yao that I know. By the way, here." He threw her a bloodied, single-edged sword. "I just took a random one from those people. Good enough for you?" "Hmm..." She gave it a few swings, producing a crisp sound as the blade cut through the night air. It was a bit too light for her taste, but the length was definitely better-suited for her techniques than the shorter ninjato. "There shouldn''t be any problem. Still, it only makes me miss my old partner even more. The swords in this world are even worse than the early turbulent era..." "Right?!" The man nodded, full of grievance. The two had a moment of camaraderie as they badmouthed the craftsmanship of this world, while Kiba watched with blank expression, once again unable to understand a single thing that they had spouted. "It seems that... they''re good friends... huh...?" He murmured. Woof! Akamaru jumped off his head and ran toward Hikari. "Still, I''m actually glad that I could meet you, Venerable Yao," the Anbu sighed. "When I first woke up in this strange land, I was really overwhelmed. A pity that the dog-mask kid isn''t someone from our era. It''s a bit lonely with just the two of us." Hikari raised an eyebrow as she lifted Akamaru on his arms. The girl and the puppy exchanged mischievous glance at each other. "There''s actually three of us here." "Eh? Where? Don''t tell me, that kid is actually..." To his surprise, Hikari gently put Akamaru on his shoulder, right beside his ear. And then, she retreated back to walk beside Kiba. "...Huh?" While the man was still at a loss, a seductive feminine voice tickled his eardrum, sending shiver down his spine. "I still prefer Huang''er, but you don''t look so bad yourself, young man." "G-gwaaaah!?" The Anbu almost jumped out of fright. He grabbed Akamaru with both hands and then pulled him close to his face. "T-that voice... b-big sister Daji? Is that you?" "Hmm?" Akamaru''s slit-like eyes parted open slightly. "Indeed, it is I, Daji." The Anbu couldn''t stop blinking. The world around him seemed like it was spinning really fast at the moment. He put the puppy down as he staggered a few steps back. "S-Sorry... I need some time to process this..." Kiba was left dumbfounded as he watched the prestigious Anbu member squatting on the ground while covering his face with both hands. He couldn''t understand why the man suddenly had the fright of his life after getting in contact with his partner. Was he allergic to dog, perhaps? "Hey, do you think he''s okay? Should we help him...?" "Nah, he''ll be fiiine~" Hikari patted the boy''s shoulder while snickering behind him. Heheh... consider this a revenge for breaking her ninjato! "Alright, let''s... let''s stop playing around, we should... we should move quickly... I mean, whatever, let''s just go!" The man rose up to his feet, and then ran deeper in the forest, prompting the kids and Akamaru to dash off in pursuit. --- It didn''t take long before they reached a clearing at the bottom of a steep hill. The place itself shouldn''t raise any suspicion, if not for the presence of two figures dressed in grey clothes and face mask similar to the ones attacking them before. The Anbu pointed forward. "That''s the entrance to the secret base. Usually, it''s left unguarded at the outside. If they put people over there, that means..." "They''re waiting for you," Hikari finished his sentence. "It''s obviously a trap. Any plan?" "I was trained to employ stealth and finesse in my mission," the Anbu said. "But that''s the ''me'' of this world, so screw that. We''re doing this the usual way." Hikari responded with a smirk, while Akamaru smiled knowingly. Kiba had a bad feeling all of the sudden. "What''s the usual way?" "Well..." Both the Anbu and Hikari readied their stances, chakra enveloping their bodies in a bluish glow. ""...If they''re in our path, just mow them down."" They sprung out of the bushes like a pair of wild tigers, covering the distance in a single blink. Before the ninja could react, the blades had made contact with their necks, severing them in a single slash. "I''ll open the entrance." The Anbu made several hand signs, and then pressed his palms onto the hillside. A drawing made out of written characters began to form with his palms at the center, creating a shape resembling the eight-trigrams formation. The ground shook as the rock wall in front of them split in two as they parted, leaving an opening big enough for three people. "Heh, this is reminding me of that time hunting those unorthodox sects..." Hikari mumbled. The Anbu member chuckled. A smile formed behind his bear mask as he reminisced of those old days as well. "Well, let''s go." He took the role of the vanguard as he descended the staircase. Meanwhile, Hikari glanced back at the boy who was approaching the entrance with uncertain steps. Even though his features were hidden under that mask, she could tell that he was hesitating. "You might have to kill if you keep following us. Can you do it?" Her words froze him on his track. He was a shinobi, a tool for his country. He was supposed -no, expected- to be able to kill without the slightest hint of hesitation if he was ordered to do so. Her question was foolish at best. However, the time he was living in wasn''t as violent as the last three great wars. Academy curriculum was less strict than how it was the past and focused more on personal development of the students. Even the main idea of having a Jonin instructor was to warm up the beginning shinobi to the darker side of this world bit by bit rather than throwing them blind into the abyss like in previous era. For him to be unhinged by this situation wasn''t unforgivable. It was normal. The boy clutched his chest as he looked down on his shaking hand. Doubt began to rise in his heart. Truthfully, he was treading outside his jurisdiction at this moment. It was an Anbu mission, a mission so important that a Genin like him shouldn''t be allowed to know about, not to mention taking part in. He should walk away instead of getting involved any further. Perhaps Kurenai would even praise him, saying that it was the right thing to do. Even so... Seeing the distressed him, Hikari muttered, to no one in particular, "Giving up is not dishonorable. Living in regret is." The boy looked up. The mist clouding his eyes began to clear up. He was a fool. Didn''t he boast that he would become the best ninja in the village? Even though he was half-joking when he said that, a part of his youthful spirit still yearned to make it a reality. It wasn''t the problem of whether he should give up or not. He was hesitating because he knew that if he turned his back right now, he would regret it for his entire life. Not to mention, that girl was clearly going as well... he couldn''t leave her alone! "I''m going!" The hand resting on his chest had finally stopped shaking. "Good boy." It seemed that the kid had some backbone after all! Smiling at his determination, Hikari delved into the depth of the underground base, with Kiba following closely behind. 35 Secret Base 4 Forming hand signs in the blink of an eye, the Anbu launched small drops of water from his mouth that shot out at breakneck speed. The ninja who had gotten hit by the technique were knocked off their feet, showing an opening for Hikari to move closer, blade drawn in hands. First slash. Second slash. Blood scattered onto the stone floor as their heads rolled off one after another. The moment that his comrades had been taken down, the last ninja used both Shadow Clone and Body Replacement, leaving the clone as distraction while he used the rest of his chakra to get away as far as he could. Unfortunately, he didn''t notice that someone else had locked their sight onto him. "Heh, you can''t fool my nose!" Kiba had appeared right beside him. Before he could retaliate, Akamaru had jumped off the boy''s head and sunk his sharp fangs into the ninja''s wrist, preventing him from using any jutsu. "Here I come!" Spinning at ferocious speed, Kiba drilled right onto the ninja''s chest. The poor ninja was dragged all the way through the corridor until their back smashed the stone wall with a sickening crunch, knocking him out after a violent burst of pain. "Not bad, little boy." The Anbu and Hikari walked over to scrutinize his work. So far, Kiba had only put his opponents to forceful sleep instead of killing them outright. The girl was about to reprimand him, but the bear-masked man placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head lightly. "...Fine." Without any warning, she stabbed her sword into the ninja''s chest, piercing right through his heart. After that, she continued forth without waiting for the two. Woof! Akamaru slipped off Kiba''s head in order to climb up her shoulder instead. "Don''t mind her," the Anbu said as he began to walk away as well. "Wait." "Hmm?" He turned around to see the boy staring right into his eyes. "How did she... do that? I mean, ki-" Killing. It was normal for an Anbu to be able to kill. It was even supposed to be normal for Kiba, who was shinobi. On the other hand, that girl was just a civilian. She was even younger than him. And yet, she wielded that sword which was as long as her own arm with such ease that it had become the extension of her limbs. Her expression didn''t change even the slightest as she continuously sliced through flesh and bones. Those eyes... he felt as if the Hikari who had always goofed around in his house and that girl whose eyes were brimming with killing intent were two different people. The handsome man held a faint smile under his mask. "Yao- that girl had made her choice. She had decided that in order to reach her goal, she had to smear her hands with blood, even if she didn''t want to." Just like him. Just like Daji. Just like the rest of their comrades and allies from their previous lives. It wasn''t that they revel in manslaughter. It was just something so common that they had grew disillusioned about its significance. Just another person dying out of billions living, just another soul who had finally reaped their karma. What was the point in stressing it out? He chuckled in self-mockery. Compared to these death-stained old coots, this boy was still as pure as a white jade. "You seems close to her." "Wha- no! Who said that!?" The boy turned away, prompting him to laugh harder. In a hushed tone, he whispered, "If there comes a time when the darkness within that girl resurfaced once again... I''ll have to rely on you." After all, Xiuying was no longer there... "Huh? What did you say?" "Nothing." He abruptly cut the conversation right there, and then ran deeper down the base to catch up with Hikari and Akamaru. --- The rooms within the underground base was connected with a tight corridor seeming made by carving into the earth itself. Stick-like contraptions were fixed at intervals near the ceiling, illumating the corridor in dim, faint light that gave off an eerie vibe. "Those are not torches, are they?" Hikari asked. "If I remember correctly, they''re called lamps," the bear-masked man replied. "Hey, how far do we have to go?" "I could sense her chakra a bit farther down. Patience." They hadn''t been attacked for a while now. He didn''t detect any chakra signature nearby, neither did Kiba caught any unknown smell, which meant that no ambush was planned, at least for the moment. The opponents had actually let them saunter around their lair just like that. "Man, this place is creepy as hell," Kiba muttered. A few of the rooms in the base had glasses on the wall facing the corridor, allowing them to see inside. Strange tubes were lined up within, glowing in sickening green shade. Some kind of sticky liquid was contained inside. "What are those for?" ""Experiments, most likely."" The man and Hikari replied at the same time. "Eh?" "I''ve seen something similar to this in those wretched unorthodox sects'' lairs. They put captives inside these gourds, and then tried various arrays and mystic arts on them just to see what will happen," the girl explained. Some words were complete enigmas to Kiba, but he managed to get the message. "Then, this place..." "...Must be some unorthodox bastard''s playground." The hand gripping her sword tightened. "Should we blast it to smitheeren?" "Whoa, patience," the Anbu coughed. "My mission doesn''t go that far. Just focus rescuing my partner and bring back the news to Konoha. If the Hokage give us the go, then we blow this place up." "...Tch." They dropped the subject for now, and then continued down the spiraling staircase. "To be fair, this place is less a laboratory and more like an actual military supply base. We found loads of weapons and rations enough to maintain a small army." "That so..." It was indeed a worrying cause. No wonder bringing back the news to Konoha took precedent. While she was deep in her own thoughts, the man suddenly switched his language. "By the way, Venerable Yao, I''ve been watching you for a while now. All you did are swinging your swords around like a mere mortal. Haven''t you learned any useful jutsu? Did you learn something so strong it''s inconvenient to use?" The girl abrubtly stopped. Cold sweat began to pour on her back. "Aha... ahaha..." Fidget, fidget... "..." He had a bad feeling about this... "I think I don''t have to tell you. Although this world has similarities, but the majority of stuffs are completely different from our previous life, especially since we can''t use qi. I''m sure that you''ve noticed, right? We can''t use mystic arts right now, so we can only rely on this world''s jutsu. You''ve learned some, right? At least some basic jutsu... right?" "Ahahahahahaaa..." Fidgeting intensifies. "Big. Brother. Yao~?" He crossed his arms, soul-crushing killing intent leaking from every pores of his body. "Uuu... I''m sorry!" She immediately kowtowed, her head bobbing around as she begged for leniency. Eh, wait, this scene felt familiar somehow... "Uh, guys, sorry to interrupt your fun, but..." Kiba pointed at the large gate in front of their path. A snake head carved out of the stone wall jutted out above it. "This is the farthest we''ve reached so far. There was a huge hall inside, with another door leading even deeper on the other side." "Huge hall, huh... seems like an obvious trap for me. Well? What now?" "I feel my partner''s chakra inside. Even if it''s a trap, I still have to go. You guys?" "Fine. I''m already involved too deep anyway," Hikari shrugged in defeat. "I''ll help you as well," Kiba said with conviction. "Good. Here we go!" He stepped closer to the gate. Placing his palms on its smooth surface, he began to push it open. The gate slowly parted, revealing a circular chamber big enough to house hundreds of people. The ceiling was so high that they couldn''t see it without proper lighting. Those so-called lamps were installed on the walls, focusing the glow to the center part. A wooden cross was hung with a chain from the ceiling. A figure was fastened on it with ropes. The wolf-faced porcelain mask and the distinctive gray flak jacket quickly gave off her identity. The Anbu rushed toward his partner, eager to rescue her. At the last moment, he was suddenly yanked back by Hikari and Kiba right before a barrage of shuriken rained down the spot he''d just been stepping on. A shadow fell from above. "Heheh... managed to dodge, huh..." Under the dim lights, the figure came into view. It was a man wearing gray tunic and spot-patterned scarf, the same uniform as the rest of the ninja that had attacked them earlier. A pair of sunken eyes stared at them through the hole on his full-face mask. However, what caught their attention the most were the three pairs of white, tube-like structures seemingly made out of bones that were protruding out of his back. He had been waiting on the ceiling, hiding under the shadows where the light from the lamps couldn''t reach. If not for Kiba''s enhanced smelling, perhaps his previous attack would had worked. "You really did come back for your friend... what comradeship! Heheheh... makes me itching to destroy it!" He pulled a kunai and then threw it toward the woman on the cross. The sharp blade stabbed into her thigh, causing her unconscious body to shudder before growing limp once again. Blood began to seep into her pants. "You bastard-!" That was enough to rile him to action. The Anbu darted forward, sword in hand. The enemy ninja smirked. With a kunai on hand, he blocked the incoming blade, sparks flying as they exchanged moves in a flurry of attacks. The opponent was surprisingly proficient in taijutsu. The bear-masked man couldn''t get a clean hit, even taking a couple of superficial cuts himself. Their fight grew more intense as they slowly shifted further and further away from the center of the hall. Meanwhile, Hikari and Kiba were running toward the hanging cross to rescue the captured ninja. "Hey, shouldn''t we help him first?" Kiba muttered. "No need." "But-!" At that moment, the Anbu had found an opening. His sword flashed under the dim light, slicing through the enemy''s waist in one heavy swing. That should had been a fatal hit, but the feeling was totally wrong. His opponent slowly melted into a mass of dark cloud right in front of his eyes. After his blade cut it through, the cloud scattered into thin air. ''A clone?!'' He was left in an awkward stance after that hit. Before he could recover, the enemy had emerged right behind him. "Think you got me, huh? Wrong! I deliberately made that opening!" With a maniacal laughter, the enemy ninja swung his kunai down, aiming to stab the bear-masked man at the back of the neck. "Now, die!" Woof! He flinched for a moment when he heard a dog barking at him. However, he wasn''t a simple amateur like the rest of the base''s ninja. He immediately resumed his attack, not leaving any window for his target to escape. The tip of the kunai tore into the skin, and then the rest of the blade sunk in all the way through, drawing a fountain of blood out of the wound. "Got you- ugh!?" He suddenly felt a numbing pain spreading from his stomach. When he looked down, a palm was planted on top of it, the force gradually increasing before he was launched several feet away, tumbling on the ground like a broken puppet. "What? How?!" The enemy ninja was seeing a mirage. The image of his target being stabbed by his kunai was dissolving into fine particles. In its place stood the real, unhurt man who had dodged the attack by a hair''s breadth. ''G-genjutsu?!'' The Anbu was surprised as well. Back then, his opponent had staggered for a moment too long, enough for him to move out of the way. That kind of mistake should had been unthinkable for a seasoned ninja. He suddenly remembered that bark from earlier. When he glanced to the side, he saw a puppy smiling at him, tail wagging. Those slit-like eyes parted for a tiny bit, revealing a sly pair of human-like eyes. Those eyes... he knew them all too well. ''Hehe... so that''s indeed Daji of the Illusory Forest Sect...'' "Hey!" Kiba''s shout caught the fighting party''s attention. He and Hikari had successfully taken the woman off the cross. With her out of immediate danger, they could finally join the battle. "Many thanks. Now, you..." Turning back to his opponent- no, his prey, he narrowed his eyes at him. The intensity within that glare was enough to cut people into pieces. "You dare to hurt my ally... that''s a bad idea." He readied his sword once again. "Now, prepare for punishment!" 36 Bloodline Limi "Punishment, huh...?" The situation had turned worse for the gray-clothed ninja, and yet he didn''t lose his calm. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying his predicament. "I''d love to see how you''ll punish me!" He threw a shuriken to the back of the room. Upon hitting a slightly protruding brick, a grinding mechanical noise began to fill the hall. The entrance gate suddenly moved on their own, pulling into a tight shut. "Hahaha! Now that I''ve locked you all in here, I''ll kill you all!" "Kill us?" the Anbu chuckled. "We''re three against one, buddy. Stop being delusional. You''ve just sealed your own escape route." "Heheheh... hahahaha!" The ninja''s body convulsed as he let out a maniacal laughter. "Ignorant... truly ignorant!" a smirk surfaced under his face mask. "Have you ever heard of ''Kekkei Genkai'' -Bloodline Limit-?" Those words didn''t register for Hikari and Kiba, but the Anbu frowned slightly upon hearing that. "...What does it have to do with us?" "Oh, but it does!" He began to point at each of the three. "I''ve been watching your fights with my subordinate. You''re highly proficient with ninjutsu, but that''s it. Those kids are even worse, they can only use taijutsu. You can''t compare with an elite ninja like me. Definitely can''t! Because, I possess it! I possess the so-called Bloodline Limit!" The Anbu''s frown grew deeper, while the kids were oblivious to the meaning of his words. "Hey... what''s a Bloodline Limit?" Hikari mumbled. "Hahaha! I''m glad that you asked!" The enemy ninja opened his arms with apparent glee. "Bloodline Limit is the peak of ninjutsu! It''s a special technique only available to select members of a prestigious clan! Compared to normal jutsu, these techniques are far more potent, far more destructive! Since olden times, having a Bloodline Limit ensures power beyond belief! And now, thanks to the master, I''ve attained it as well..." "Master?" the Anbu raised an eyebrow. "Yes, master! The brilliant shinobi who had transformed me from a regular person into an elite! He had given me power! If it''s for the master, then I''ll do anything! And now, I''m going to kill all of you! All for the sake of the m- gohoh!" Blood abruptly spurted out from his mask as a pebble was thrown in blinding speed right at his nose, interrupting his monologue. "Shut up!" Hikari roared. "Why are you talking so much?! You''re not Xiao Dingding! Just fight already, damnit!" ""...fu."" The bear-masked man and Akamaru were trying their hardest not to laugh. Their lips were twitching heavily. ''Ah, right, he did the same thing when he first met Dingding... although he threw a sword back then.'' "You... you!!" The ninja leaped back to his feet, and then furiously formed a long sequence of hand signs. Chakra rushed throughout his veins, flowing into the bone tubes on his back. Black gas poured out from their opening, which then condensed into a puff of dark clouds. "What is that?!" The Anbu was surprised. He had never heard of something called Cloud Release before, neither in the new body''s memory nor in the things that he had learned after he awakened his old soul. If it was an unknown style, that means... "That''s right! This is my Bloodline Limit! This is the power that my master had granted to me! Back then..." "He''s going to start a monologue again, isn''t he..." Hikari was about to throw another rock at him, but relented when she saw the bear-masked man shaking his head. "...I came from a small clan with an useless Bloodline Limit. We were just a clan of below-average Shinobi, trying our hardest to survive in this chaotic era against the monstrous might of other clans. I had succumbed to despair, resigning myself to be a failure. However, it all changed when the master arrived and showed me the light! He brought us to his lair and told us to fight to the death. The victor will be given power beyond imagination. And I, has emerged as the winner! I had shed my worthless clan''s name, and donned a name of my own! Inazuma Taroemon, remember that name! It''s the name of the man who will deliver you to hell!" "By the way," Hikari raised her hand. "What''s your old clan''s power?" "Huh?" The ninja flinched slightly as her question caught him off-guard. "We can produce water out of our skin..." Everyone except Kiba facepalmed. "That''s not power! That''s just sweating! Everyone can do that!" "B-but- aaargh! Damnit all to hell! I''ll kill you!" The amassing clouds suddenly began to move toward the trio, as if getting pushed by a strong wind. "It''s just a puff of smoke, what''s to fe- ugh?!" The Anbu was the first to enter the dark cloud, but he soon realized his error. The clouds were thick and heavy, making him feel as if he was moving underwater. Although he could still breath, the amount of air that he could take in was severely reduced, and his nose started to feel wet from water vapor. "Underestimating my clouds, are you?! Too bad!" He kept producing more and more gas, slowly filling the room with the dark clouds. He made another string of hand signs, and then pushed his hands into the nearest cloud. "Taste my strongest technique!" His chakra transformed into electric charge, which quickly propagated throughout the hall. "Damnit-!" The Anbu cursed. He was forming hand signs of his own, but he wouldn''t make it in time before the crackling thunder arrived. At that moment, Hikari rushed into the dark veil as well, and then drew her sword. <> A horizontal slash, faster than the eyes could see, split the cloud in two. The resulting shockwave blasted away the surrounding clouds as well, clearing the area in one strike. "What-!" "Good job!" With his hand signs completed, the man pulled up his bear mask, and then blew out a strong gale of wind. The wind gather around him and the kids, and then rotated violently, forming a small-scale tornado that blew the clouds away. "Clever... but, do you think my Bloodline Limit can be defeated by mere jutsu?!" Concentrating his chakra, he directed the clouds to somehow resist the push of the wind. They slowly but steadily gathered back around their targets. In fact, it was the wind which was getting weaker during the process. Before long, the wind finally died out, and the clouds rushed back in with a vengeance. "Tch!" <> Another slash scattered them away, but only for a moment. At one point, they moved back in for the kill. "How about this, then! Akamaru!" Woof! The puppy transformed into a clone of Kiba. After that, they spun into the air, rushing toward the enemy ninja. The intensity of their spin was strong enough to generate ferocious gust of wind, pushing away any clouds obstructing them. "What power! However..." He blurted out gas in an even greater amount, forming thicker wall of cloud in the middle of their path. Unlike with the thinner clouds, this one felt like they were cutting into elastic rubber. "Ugh...!" Dampened by the thick cloud, their spin finally died out before they got thrown back into the group. "Hahaha! A mere taijutsu and kenjutsu will never be able to defeat a Bloodline Limit, the absolute power of a shinobi! Just accept your fate and die as a fodder for my glory!" While the clouds suffocated them, bolts of lightning coursed through, threatening to burn them whole. When the surge was about reach them, the dark clouds began to glow in reddish hue. "Wh-" The dark lump had popped out in a violent burst, filling the air with hot vapor. Hikari stood at the center of the scene, while Kiba and Akamaru were sprawled behind her, protected by a thin layer of water conjured by the Anbu. The temperature around the girl''s body was so hot that her image started to get blurry. "Bloodline this, bloodline that... you''re annoying." She was pissed. Really pissed. The reason was equally childish. She hated that someone who didn''t even use qi, someone who wasn''t even reached Foundation Establishment stage, was capable of using a power so similar to a cultivator''s mystic art. It felt like a slap to her hard work in the past. In her view, that person wasn''t worthy! Not in the slightest! The layer of chakra around her body began to glow red as the Tailed Beast''s chakra converged with her own. "Lord Kokuo, you''re finally awake? What were you doing by yourself all this time?" "...This One was concentrating," it retorted. "Nevermind. What do you want to do?" "Kill him. What else?" "...Fine. This One also hates annoying human like him." "K-kuh... so what if you blow my clouds away? That technique seems to be fire-oriented. It''s definitely weak to my water attribute! I''ll just put you out with my clouds!" A huge amount of clouds poured out from the bone tubes. They were so thick that their color had almost turned black. Drips of water trailed down as they weaved through the air, swallowing Hikari whole into the darkness. Unfortunately, they too, disappeared in an instant. The girl''s body was covered with white-hot steam, which blew off scorching wind to her surrounding. The stone floor on her feet had even begun to melt from the extreme heat. "While it''s true that water can overcome fire, the opposite can also happen, can''t it?" "U-uwaah!" The tubes on the ninja''s back clattered as he expelled his entire chakra, producing as much cloud that he could before he blindly sent them all toward her. "If water is trying to extinguish fire... then the fire just have to burn brighter!" Her chakra coursed even more violently, raising the temperature further. Boosted by the effect of Boil Release, her strength and speed rose to inhuman level. She sprung forward, crossing the distance faster than a Body Flickering Technique could allow. Every part of the clouds that came into contact with her boiled and turned into vapor, unable to hinder her. "This- this jutsu, it''s no mere Fire Release jutsu... d-don''t tell me... a Bloodline Lim-! Ugeh!" She sent a punch to his gut, knocking him to the ground. "Enough with that bloodline crap." <> With her fingers curled up like a beast''s claws, her hand shot out toward the ninja''s head, placing it inside her vicious grip. Her fingers dug through his skin, piercing through his skull, until they stabbed the fatal points hidden within. It was death in one strike. "Consider this a parting gift from This One!" Kokuo coursed its chakra through her arm, heating up the ninja''s body from the inside. The skin turned black, while the internal organ was burned into ashes. The corpse dried up in the blink of an eye, shrinking down until it turned into a small bundle of charred remains. It was finally over. The red chakra faded away, returning to a bluish hue. She could feel the surge of strength disappearing as her body cooled back down to normal. Thundering noise resounded from the other side of the hall. When she turned around, she saw the Anbu conjuring earthen spikes in order to break the locked gate. After two more strikes, the gate was finally broken through. "Our mission has been completed. Let''s get back." Carrying his partner on his arms, he led the group back to the surface. 37 The Calm Before the Storm By the time that they had emerged from the underground base, the sun had just began its ascend in the eastern horizon. The Anbu was eager to bring his wounded partner back home, but he still need to get Kiba and Hikari back to safety first. Not to mention, the girl''s sudden appearance in that place had to be explained without drawing much suspicion. Thus, he concocted a plan. Forming a tiger hand sign, he activated Transformation Technique, changing his and his partner''s appearance to resemble the ninja from Konoha''s regular force. He also added a pair of fang-shaped red marks under their eyes. After he was done with their disguise, the group moved toward the main road. They hadn''t yet traveled that far before a girl''s voice called out from above. "Kiba!" Leaping down from the treetop, a worried Hinata landed right in front of them, followed by Shino, Kurenai, and four Konoha Chuunin. Before he could respond, Hinata had grabbed his wrists, pulling him a bit closer to her. She had activated her byakugan out of nowhere, using them to scan the flow of his chakra from head to toe. When she concluded that nothing had gone wrong with his body, her posture visibly relaxed. "That''s great, you''re not hurt..." The girl let out a relieved sigh. "Um... Hinata?" "Eh?" Kiba was looking away from her, his cheeks flaring red. She finally remembered that she was still holding his hands. She quickly let go as her face started to boil up like a lobster. "I-I-I w-was... I... I w-was j-just... hau-" A gong sound echoed inside her head. After that, she fainted right then and there. "Hinata?!?" "Got her." Kurenai casually caught her falling body, and then carried the girl in her arms. Her movement was so natural as if she was used to the situation. "Uh... is she okay?" Hikari asked, although her tone wasn''t indicating worries, just genuine confusion. "Yes. It happens a lot, especially when she saw that kid... by the way, who are you?" Kurenai tilted her head slightly as she scrutinized the brown-haired girl with a sword on her waist. Ignoring her imploring gaze, Hikari replied with a straight face, "My name is Hikari. I''m staying with the Inuzuka of Konoha." "Oh?" The Jonin raised an eyebrow. "And what is a citizen of Konoha doing here in the middle of the woods, far from the village?" "Pardon me, miss Kurenai..." The Anbu raised his hand, drawing her attention toward him. She immediately noticed those red marks under his eyes, the distinctive feature of the Inuzuka clan. Seeing that she had taken the bait, the Anbu continued. "We''re the ones who had asked her to come along to help us pick some specialized training tools for our ninja dogs. It should''ve been a quick trip to a nearby village, but we got ambushed by bandits and my friend got injured during the fight. Thankfully, we were helped by Kiba and a ninja wearing animal mask." "That must be the Anbu from Atsushi''s report..." Kurenai murmured. She then turned to the wild-haired boy. "Kiba, where did the Anbu go? What about the enemies?" "The...the-Anbu-disappeared-after-taking-down-the-enemies." He nervously blurted out the entire line that they had drilled into his brain in one go, prompting Hikari, Akamaru, and the Anbu to mentally facepalm. "Kiba... are you okay...?" "H-he''s still shaken," the man in disguise quickly jumped between her and the boy. "Miss Kurenai, please help us to explain this to Lady Tsume. Just say you took the girl along or something. Actually... we''re trying to replace some tools that we had broken in the training ground. If Lady Tsume got wind about it, she''ll..." He made a gesture of cutting his neck with his hand. "..." As much as Kurenai wanted to say that he was exaggerating, she couldn''t rule out the possibility that they might really got cut into pieces with Fang Rotating Fang if that Tsume did found out... "I... I can try, but..." "Thank you very much!" He patted Kurenai''s shoulders while giving her the widest smile that she had ever seen in her life. "Well then, it''s really impolite of me, but I have to bring my friend to the hospital as fast as possible. Please excuse us!" "Eh, wait-!" Before she could stop them, the man had disappeared into the darkness, carrying the unconscious person on his back. The rest of the ninja just watched with blank stare, not sure on what they should do. They were reluctant to hold him back since it was involving a wounded ally. ...What just happened? She felt like she had been duped somehow... "Whatever, the most important thing is that you''re back with us." When the signal from the insect that Shino had left with Kiba disappeared in the middle of the night, Kurenai had brought the group of Chuunin to sweep through the entire forest. She was about to give up hope when at dawn, Shino''s insect suddenly responded again. She was beside herself this entire time. Now that she had finally confirmed Kiba''s safety, she felt her knees growing weaker from the sudden loss of tension. However, she tried her best to maintain a firm look on the outside. "Let''s go back. We still have to report the result of our mission to the assignment staff." --- Somehow, everything was wrapped up without any major incident. Tsume yelled at Hikari and Kiba for an entire day, berating the former for going out without telling her for three whole days, and the latter for overestimating his own abilities by getting involved with in the Anbu''s mission. As punishment, they had to take charge of cleaning up the kennels for the entire month. Still, he was quite happy with his son''s first successful C-ranked mission. They had a steak party that entire night in order to celebrate, although Tsume tried to cover it up by saying that she just made more than usual because she got a huge discount for the beef. All in all, it could be said this mission was a huge success. "But man, it''s a shame that I can''t tell anyone that I''ve helped an Anbu..." Kiba grumbled a week later. Team Kurenai had returned to their usual D-rank missions. It seemed that the sudden downtime after experiencing such an intense fight like the ones in the secret base had made him disillusioned. "You can''t let anyone know about a secret mission, no? Just let it go. More importantly, I didn''t even manage to get his name during the entire chaos," Hikari retorted with her own complain. "It''s normal to not know an Anbu''s name. From what they told us in the academy, it''s to protect their identity in case enemies wanted to take revenge against them. That''s why they''re all wearing those masks." "No, no, not that kind of name..." She wanted to know who he actually was before he was reincarnated. Was he just a random cultivator, or was he someone that she knew? Because... the way that he talked had honestly reminded her with someone close to her in the past life. Then again, could it really be so? "Nevermind," she shrugged. But then, she pointed at the thing that the boy was holding with a frown on her face. "Wipe a bit harder, that bowl is still dirty." "Who cares!" Kiba groaned, "the dogs wouldn''t be bothered with a few stains here and there anyway!" Unfortunately for him, Kuromaru had decided to enter the kennel at that exact moment. When he heard what Kiba had just said, he walked away with a sadistic smirk hanging on his snout. No doubt he was going to relay those words back to Tsume. "Ku-Kuromaruuuu! Waiiiit!" "..." A human groveling in front of a dog, how the mighty had fallen... Hikari didn''t know what to feel as a fellow member of the same species... Those kind of peaceful days passed by quickly as everyone settled back into their routines. Before long, summer had finally arrived, bringing clear weather and scorching sun with it. --- The sky was especially restless that day. Shadows flashed down the street as countless birds flickered above, moving busily from one end of the village to the other. "Do you think that something is going to happen?" Akamaru whispered while being perched on top of Hikari''s shoulder. She was leisurely walking down the village with a bowl on her hand. The silken tofu inside wobbled slightly with each steps that she took. "I guess so. Something always happen in this place as of late," the girl sighed. "More importantly, are you sure you don''t have to accompany that brat?" "They''re in the middle of training right now, so I''m free to do what I want," the puppy replied while wagging his tail. "How carefree... hmm?" She turned her attention to the commotion down the road. A group of children were messing around noisily. Although she didn''t recognize most of them, one boy stood out from the rest. That yellow spiky hair and orange jacket... who else could that be but the resident troublemaker, Naruto? He was talking with three other younger kids and a pink-haired girl in red sleeveless dress who looked around his age. That girl was actually the most quiet among the group, but when one of the younger kid made a gesture with his pinky finger, she suddenly threw a straight punch right onto Naruto''s face, sending him flying until he crashed into a nearby fence. ""..."" Well, that escalated quickly. "That''s... that''s actually a good punch..." "Hmmhmm..." the puppy nodded slightly. "Think you can get her as your disciple, Huang''er...?" While they were making jokes about the situation, the loudest kid among those three yelled at the pink-haired girl- "How dare you do that to our leader, you ugly hag!" -which then prompted another round of beating so fearsome that even Hikari and Akamaru had to turn their eyes away. In the end, Naruto and that kid laid sprawled on the ground, bruised and defeated. Only then did the girl finally feel satisfied enough to walk away. "Damn it... that ugly gigantic forehead... is she really a girl, bro?" The kid muttered out loud, thinking that she couldn''t hear him from this far. Bad decision. Her neck turned around in an eerie, choppy motion, sending shivers down their spine. She then proceeded to run back toward the group, prompting them to take flight to the other end of the street, where Hikari and Akamaru were standing. "Eh? Ehh??" The two ended up running alongside them. "Why are we running?" Akamaru whimpered. "If we don''t, the tofu will get knocked away!" Hikari retorted in a panicked tone. "Yo, puppy-stealing girl! Long time no see, ya''know! Eh, the puppy''s here too..." Naruto''s swollen face popped up right beside her. "...Can you guys just... forget that nickname ever existed...?" she groaned. He was about to say something in return when the chase train was suddenly interrupted by the loud kid''s yelp. "Ouch!" He fell to the ground with a soft thud while rubbing his forehead that throbbed after hitting something hard. "Hey..." When he looked up, he saw two figures glaring at him. The person on the left was a girl with teal eyes and sandy-blonde hair tied into four pigtails. She was wearing a set of mesh armor under her purple dress. The other one was a boy dressed in black full-body suit and a cowl covering his head. He was carrying a mysterious bulk the size of his own body behind him, which was entirely wrapped in bandage except for the messy, hair-like portion at the very top. A triangular pattern was painted over his face, complimenting his intimidating appearance. Both the girl and the boy wore forehead protector, the former around her neck while the latter over his cowl, but the symbol on the plate was different from Naruto''s. The loud kid shuddered as the black-clothed boy stepped forward, his hands reaching out toward the kid''s neck. "...That hurts." His lips curved up into a dangerous smile. --- In the Hokage''s chamber, the old Third sat on his throne as ninja responsible for educating the newer generation arrived one after another. Behind him stood a group of Anbu in charge of safeguarding the occasion. Among them was the man in the bear mask. Aside from Chuunin and special Jonin holding teaching positions in the academy, there were also instructional Jonin commanders leading the teams of Genin standing before the crafty old Hokage. His piercing gaze was especially directed at four Jonin commanders, who held that year''s four rookie Genin teams under their watch. "You''ve been assembled here for one reason. Although, it should''ve been obvious from the moment that you got my summon." "It''s already time for ''that'', huh..." A lazy grumble came from a masked man with silver-colored, spiky hair and a forehead protector tilted downward to cover his left eye. While his peers were quite anxious about the situation, he was the only one who was treating it like a hassle. "Other villages already got the notifications, right? I''ve seen some of them roaming the downtown this morning," a special Jonin behind him commented. Everyone in the room was already aware of it, that was why they were so concerned. After all, letting foreign elements inside their village for a long period of time would pose a serious security problem. "When will it start?" Someone had finally asked the one question burning in everyone''s mind. "In a week." The Third suddenly declared, silencing the growing hubbub. "I''ll announce it properly later on." Exhaling smoke out of his mouth, the old hound''s wrinkled face held a mischievous smirk. "On the first day of the seventh moon, the Chuunin selection exam shall commence." 38 Younger Sister, is that You? "Konohamaru!" The loud kid was frozen on his spot, unable to move under the pressure emanating from the black-clothed boy. He shivered uncontrollably when the gloved hands brushed off his neck, and then down his body as the boy patted him around from head to toe. Eh? "You''re not hurt, right? Next time, don''t run off without looking ahead. You might get into trouble sooner or later if you keep doing that." Contrary to his intimidating appearance, the boy was smiling very kindly at him. A weird thought flashed through Konohamaru''s jumbled brain. Somehow, this person''s smile looked exactly like that old grandfather of his... "Nothing''s wrong with the kid, just knock it off already," the boy''s partner grumbled. "We''re already late to the meetup." "But, what if the kid accidentally broke his bone..." "D-damn you!" The loud brat pushed the boy''s hand away as he rose back to his feet. Seeing that the boy wasn''t as scary as he looked, the brat''s courage soared to the roof. "Kid this, kid that, screw you! I''m not a kid! I''m a proud ninja who''ll one day become the Hokage! The name''s Konohamaru, remember that well!" "Oi, Konohamaru, what are you saying? I am the one who''ll become Hokage!" Somehow Naruto ended up joining the shouting contest, further complicating the situation. The sandy-blonde girl rubbed her temple, regretting ever suggesting that they should take this road instead of the bigger one. "I see, it seems that I''ve been underestimating you." The black-clothed boy suddenly stood up. Bowing slightly, he gave the boy the cupped fist salute. "My name is Kankuro, a shinobi from Sunagakure -the village hidden by sand. For not addressing a fellow shinobi properly, please accept my deepest apology." Konohamaru flinched, not knowing how to respond to him. "Hmph! It''s fine if you understand!" In the end, he could only pout and showed mock anger. The boy laughed heartily in return. "Well, I won''t waste your time any further. Let''s go, Temari." He was about to walk away when his sleeve was yanked back all of the sudden. When he turned around, he saw two pairs of glazed eyes stacked on top of each other, one belonging to a brown-haired girl and the other owned by a white-furred dog perching on her head. Apparently, her move was so unexpected that the others were shocked by the sheer intensity. "Err... can I help you, miss...?" That salute he had made just now. Everyone couldn''t understand its meaning, but they had merely passed it off as some kind of exotic greetings. Hikari, however, couldn''t be more clear about it. That was definitely a salute from her motherland! "Can you understand me?" Kankuro shuddered. Those words... those words were spoken in a language that he was too familiar with! "Don''t tell me... you''re also...?!" The two humans plus one dog stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. And then, they tightly clasped their hands together with warm, understanding smiles spread over their face. ""Comrades!!"" God damn! First the Anbu, now there''s another one! It was raining reincarnators, hallelujah! The two were so emotional that tears threatened to stream down their cheeks uncontrollably. "C-can I know who you actually are?" Kankuro said in a shaky voice. "I was known as Yao Huang," the girl replied, equally excited. "Venerable Yao!?" His eyes opened so wide that the eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. "I''m one of the Guardian of the Underworld, Niutou -the Ox-Head!" It was Hikari''s eyes'' turn to pop out of their sockets. "We-we definitely have to talk about this! Follow me!" "Eh, now?!" "Right now! I won''t take no for an answer! Let''s go!" During their entire exchange, the rest of the kids were watching slack-jawed, their brain unable to process the majestic gibberish those two were spouting about. They could tell that those two were very, very excited about God knows what, but the rest were absolute blank. It was when Hikari had pulled Kankuro away from them did Temari snap out of her daze to yell at him. "K-Kankuro, wait! Where are you going!? We''re supposed to meet up with Gaara right now!" "Sorry, Temari, something more important came up! Please tell Gaara that I''ll be away for today!" "Hey! Catch!" Hikari turned around as well, and then threw the bowl she was carrying toward the blonde girl. She managed to clumsily catch it, causing the thing inside to bobble around enthusiastically. "E-eh? What is this? Tofu?!?!" "Please take that back to the Inuzuka residence, okay? Thanks, bye!" "Haaaaah!??!" And with that, they bolted off in the speed of light, leaving everyone in complete confusion. Not too long after that, a strange boy with a gourd on his back arrived to the scene and had a brief clash against a boy with spiky black hair and navy blue shirt who had come to check on Naruto and the pink-haired girl. That incident, however, was a story that Hikari and Kankuro could only hear in later date... --- Currently, they were sitting at the upper floor of a small tea house located at the less-populated area of Konoha. Before they started their discussion, Hikari pulled out a paper filled with chinese characters out of her pocket, and then flowed her chakra inside. The paper burned into ash rather quickly. "Isn''t that a communication talisman?" Kankuro blinked. "You can use mystic arts in this world?" "If it''s just talisman or formation arrays, it''s possible with chakra. However, their effectiveness is drastically reduced," she sighed. She was using the most simple form of communication talisman. When the paper was destroyed in any way, another paper linked with it would suffer the same effect as well. In this way, owner of one paper could alert the person who was holding the other pair. In this case, the owner of that talisman was the bear-masked Anbu from before. A blue bird flew in through the open balcony and landed at one of the seat. With a poof of smoke, a handsome man appeared in its place. His signature porcelain mask was pulled up over his head. "Venerable Yao, why did you call me? Is this kid also..." "Ooh! Another one of us?!" Kankuro was this close to squealing. "So there''s three now!" "This is Honorable Ox-Head," Hikari said. "By the way, you''re slightly wrong. There are four of us here." "Four?" Woof! Kankuro had just realized that the white-furred puppy on Hikari''s head was now seated right across of her. He was about to comment about it, but another poof of smoke numbed his tongue. Right in front of his eyes sat a woman with beauty so alluring that she could ruin nations with a single wink of that pair of black phoenix eyes. Her silky black hair was put up with a flower-patterned jade hairpin. Her smooth white skin looked as if it was glowing in the dark as it reflected ambient light. Not to mention, the collar of her elaborate hanfu dress was pulled open over her shoulders, suggestively revealing more of her chest while keeping the most important part hidden from sight. The merciless teasing that left things to imagination was incomparably more seductive to the sight compared to being completely naked. "D-Daji...? The sole master of Illusory Forest, the Empires'' Bane, The Calamitous Vixen, Daji...?" Kankuro murmured. "Why, you''re more easily aroused after becoming a mortal once more, Honorable Ox-Head," Daji chuckled. "I wonder what Honorable Horse-Face would say if he gotten hold of this, ufufu..." "S-spare me, please..." the black-clothed boy immediately kowtowed. No way would he let that blabbermouth Mamian knew about this! The entire nine layers of the Underworld would end up gossiping about it in a single cycle! "...Just hearing your voice had given me goosebumps, but seeing your appearance once again feels even more unreal," the Anbu remarked. "That''s right," she turned her attention to the golden-haired man. "You have known our identity. Now it''s time to tell us yours." "..." His hands trembled for a moment before he replied resolutely, "My name is Youen. I have to keep my identity secret because of my work as an Anbu, so please don''t tell this to anyone." The brown-haired girl coughed. "I think you already know that we don''t give a crap about your current identity, right...?" Youen broke into cold sweat. "...I''m a cultivator, like you guys. That should be enough." Hikari, Kankuro, and Daji stared at him with a gaze that screamed ''yeah, right''. "Fine, I already suspected that you won''t tell us," Daji showed him a mischievous smile, the same smile that had pushed him into her traps so many times in the past. "I have a good guess of your identity already. I''m sure that Huang''er also think the same way. Say..." He gritted his teeth. He wouldn''t fall for that venomous tongue of hers. No matter what she was going to say, he would stand firm and not react at all cost! "...Younger sister Mei Mei, is that you?" "Don''t call me ''younger sister''!" The Anbu suddenly slammed the table, surprising Hikari and Kankuro. Youen, however, was already drenched whole in cold sweat. ''Damnit, I messed up!'' He had vowed never to react to that call anymore, but old habits refused to die just yet. His body had responded faster than his brain could stop it. Seeing Daji''s smile growing wider and wider just cemented the fact that he had definitely been had! "Since when did you know...?" "That mastery of Emei Sect''s martial arts style which surpassed even Huang''er''s, your affinity toward water attribute spells, those were clues that led me to you. However, the clearest proof was that moment when you slipped up and called us ''big brother'' and ''big sister''. In our past lives, only one person would call us that. That''s you, Mei''er~" "I see... so that''s why..." The Anbu collapsed on his chair, finally giving up the last bit of resistance left in his heart. "Venerable Mei...?" Kankuro mumbled, testing the water. Was there any reason to deny it at this point? Youen just nodded at him with a defeated expression. "So it''s indeed younger sister Mei Mei!" Hikari clapped her hands. "I told you, don''t call me ''younger sister''!" Kankuro looked back-and-forth between the three figures around him, his eyes twinkling with girth. He let out a heavy sigh, which managed to stop their aimless arguing. "It''s really a mess, huh? A heavenly spirit like me got turned into a mortal. Venerable Yao, who was a man, got reincarnated as a woman. Venerable Mei, who was a woman, got reincarnated as a man. Lady Daji even ended up as a dog..." "Male dog, to be exact," Daji added, making the frown on Kankuro''s face deepen further. Okay, it was no longer a mess. It was just pure, unadulterated chaos. He wondered whether the wheel of karma in this world was hurting their stomach from laughing non-stop. He then focused his gaze toward Hikari and Daji. "Even after getting reincarnated, the two of you still ended up together, huh..." "It''s called fate~" the seductive woman said while pulling Hikari into her embrace. Unfortunately, she quickly pouted as the latter didn''t have any reaction even when she felt a pair of soft, bouncy peaks touching her back. "Yeah, yeah, she''s just a stalker," Hikari retorted with a straight face. "More importantly, younger sister..." "I said, don''t call me y-!" "Fine, fine, little Mei!" Hikari coughed. "Why did you reincarnate as well? Actually, why did you die in the first place?" "Why not?" He narrowed his eyes. "I mean, big sister is here." "Daji is a special case, don''t use her as reference. She''s nuts." Youen sighed. "Is it so hard to believe, big brother? Everyone had decided to end our time and reincarnated with you. We were separated back then, but I was sure that everyone had arrived to the underworld more or less around the same time." Hikari almost jumped out of her seat if not for Daji holding her down. "Why?!" She screamed in disbelief. "Because we agreed with your words," he replied with a decisive tone. "We wanted to see the new era that we had fought so hard to achieve in a new light. We..." His gaze turned soft as he gave her a weak smile. "...Our souls felt so heavy, weighed down by all the blood that we had spilled. We just wanted to start over in the peaceful Yang Dynasty, away from our treacherous pasts. Is that... is that wrong...?" Hikari couldn''t retort. Because, if she denied their cause, then she would had denied her own death. She would render everything she had done meaningless. Thus, she could only fell into silence. "R-right, how about we change the topic?" Kankuro nervously offered. The atmosphere had turned so heavy all of the sudden, making him worry. "Venerable Yao, about what you''ve asked me earlier... you want to know why I got reincarnated, right? Also, about what had happened back then when the reincarnation pool got destroyed." Hikari nodded. While she was still angry about her allies'' decision, her curiosity about that incident took precedence. After all, that information could prove pivotal for her goal. Now that he had gotten their attention, Kankuro straightened his posture as he began to talk business. "Very well. I shall tell you..." 39 The Promise with Her The rocky path toward the foundation of Yang Dynasty had left the Underworld with waves upon waves of departed souls. However, everyone was excited with the prospect of a better future. Even Horse-Face was joking with him, saying that they wouldn''t be able to get yearly bonus now that there would be less killing in the upper realms. It was supposed to be just another normal cycle of patrol, watching over souls as they lined up for reincarnation. Whenever they saw heroes of the old era, they would swoop down from the sky and exchanged greetings. Nothing out of the ordinary. That was, until the Sun Sovereign, Wu Tianyou, blasted through the realm''s boundary. Riding his famed Exalted Golden Dragon, the renegade deity-level immortal ignored the Guardians'' warning and broke his way in. The burden of karma exhuming from his living body was so strong that the Underworld itself was starting to collapse. "Venerable Wu! We understand your feeling, but the rules of Heaven have to be observed at all cost! It''s for the sake of all the realms! Please leave!" Horse-Face''s attempt at placating the cultivator ended with a thousand Revolving Sun Needles aimed at his vital points. Thankfully, Ox-Head managed to deflect them with his trident. Since words could no longer be used, they could only fight. As expected from one of the focal character of the previous era, Wu Tianyou''s power was comparable to the other heroes. Even the mighty Guardians of the Underworld could only hold him for a few moves before they were forced to retreat further down the realm. Because of that, Wu Tianyou''s Revolving Sun Needles were spraying down into the Underworld, destroying the landscapes and further causing instability to the realm. The Blade Mountains crumbled down, the River of Flame boiled up and splashed out from its course, even the palace of King Yama itself began to crack. The army of Hell was forced to move. Even though the burden would devastate the realm, it was still better than letting it destroyed by that insane degenerate. When backup finally arrived, the Guardians were already exhausted. They had sustained too much damage from Revolving Sun Needles'' soul-incinerating properties, preventing them from fighting any further. As they stood watch from the side while recuperating, Ox-Head took a glance at the chaos below. Somehow, the wheel of reincarnation had broke down during the fight. The gigantic wheel, the representation of the flow of karma, had fallen into the pool of reincarnation below, destroying the boundaries and diluting the karmic water. It was no longer the path to cleanse one''s karma, it was now a poisonous lake that could shred apart unfortunate souls who had fallen in! The Guardians should be helping the souls below, but they couldn''t move at the moment. They were glad that the old heroes were assisting the staffs to evacuate other souls, bringing them as far away as possible from the edge. On their side, the battle was growing even wilder than before. Wu Tianyou''s strength seemed to be endless. His techniques grew stronger. Other than the deadly Revolving Sun Needles, he could also summon dark-colored lightning as strong as the Heavenly Tribulation itself. The Guardians never dreamed that a day would come when the army of Hell would be pushed back in their home turf. "Blast it! How strong is his karma? Is he using up his entire soul just for that one attack?" Horse-Face groaned. They couldn''t sit still any longer. Together with Ox-Head, they rejoined the fight, finally turning the balance back to an equilibrium. At that moment, a stray Revolving Sun Needle flew down, threatening to hit Old Lady Meng. A soul rushed in to save her only to fall into the pool in her place. Soon after, another soul jumped in, as if trying to follow him. "Don''t. Get. In. My. Way!" Wu Tianyou was oblivious to the commotion below. His eyes were blood-red, focusing only in his goal. His immortal soul moved his qi to form his strongest attack. Above him, thousands upon thousands of Revolving Sun Needles were formed, rotating in the shape of a sphere so large it could compare to the actual sun. "Don''t let him finish that mystic art! Use everything that you have!" With the General''s shout, the army of Hell as well as the two Guardians decided to forgo any defensive maneuver and just went straight to attack him. Thousands of blades and arrows and flames and lightning were converging at one direction, all in order to stop the lone lunatic. "Begone!" They were just a beat too late. The spell had been completed. The dark Underworld was briefly covered in blinding light as Wu Tianyou''s Revolving Sun Needles rained death upon the entire realm. The lands were destroyed in droves, even some unfortunate souls who hadn''t managed to find cover had been blasted into oblivion, forever removing them from the path of life. It was only through the sacrifice of the army, who had used themselves as living shields, that a total tragedy could be avoided. At least some of the lands were safe from harm. However, they were in no shape to continue fighting anymore. They could only hope to stall for time until more backup, if possible at all, could be mobilized. Wu Tianyou himself hadn''t managed to stop all of their previous attacks. His soul was damaged during the fight as well. And yet, he still refused to back down. He more and more resembled a vengeful spirit who would not stop until his soul was extinguished whole. "The Guardians of Underworld... the Army of Hell... annoying, all of you... disappear from my sight!" A surge of black lightning sliced through the dark sky, heading toward Horse-Face. "Shi-" At the last moment, he was pushed to the side by Ox-Head, who had taken the hit in place of his partner. The lightning blasted a hole through his torso, cutting his body in two. His lower part disintegrated into dust, while his upper part fell down from the sky, plunging toward the swirling pool of reincarnation below. "No! Niutou!" His partner''s voice sounded distant. He wondered which one would happen first: would his soul disintegrate from that attack, or would he got shredded into pieces by the raging karmic water? He saw the cliff crumbling down as more souls lost their footings and fell down as well. Finally, he sunk into the murky water himself. The feeling could only be described as more painful than the entire punishment from the Nine Layers of Hell combined. He grasped through the darkness, stubbornly clinging to life. He saw several tiny dots of light, but on in particular shone brighter than the others, like the sun among the stars. Naturally, he was drawn into that light. Dragging his battered soul toward that light, he kept going while his consciousness grew more and more blurry. In the end, he collapsed. Whether he succeeded to reach that light or not, he couldn''t know. --- "Then, I had somehow woken up in this state." Kankuro ended his reminiscence. The mood in the tea house was extremely heavy. The three former cultivators were deep in their own thoughts, each with their own memories of what had happened back there. Suddenly, someone raised their voice, breaking the awkward silence. "Excuse me, honored guests... would you like to order...?" The four turned their head at the blonde-haired waitress at the same time, like a scene from a horror movie. That made the poor girl yelped in fright. "A-a-aah... I-I''m sorry!" She actually had been standing there since around the time that Kankuro had reached the middle part of his story, but she didn''t dare to say anything since they looked so serious back then. She thought that if she interrupted midway, they would really kill her! Though, she couldn''t understand why they paying so much attention to the boy''s rambling. Since she couldn''t understand even a single word, from her standpoint, he was only spouting incoherent crap. Actually, it sounded more like he got a bout of stroke when talking... "Ah, sorry, sorry, we''re too engrossed in our discussion," the boy said in normal language, further confusing her. ''Eh, you can speak like a sane person? Then why didn''t you do that from the start?!?'' "Five cups, please," Hikari lazily said while shooing the waitress. "Amm... five cups it is! Coming right up!" At that moment, the waitress sneaked a glance at Hikari, who was still nestled tightly in Daji''s embrace. ''Oh wait, that girl didn''t bring that puppy again this time? She was being embraced by a voluptuous beauty instead. That position... don''t tell me that they''re...?" The teenage girl whose mind was beginning to wander toward the wrong direction quickly ran away while blushing uncontrollably. "...Ahem. So, where were we?" Youen coughed, bringing the group''s attention back from that short distraction. "Ah, yeah. About the culprit from that time... it was definitely Venerable Wu, Wu Tianyou." Kankuro sneaked a glance at Hikari. As expected, she frowned upon mention of that name. "I already know," she sighed. "Daji had told me." "I''m sorry... I don''t know what happened after that..." "It''s impossible for a single person to win against the entire world," Youen harrumphed. "Don''t forget about the Army of Heaven, as well as the innumerable virtuous immortals who would assist the fight if it got dragged a bit longer. Do you think with his selfish reasoning he could still win? Surely he had been taken care of at this moment." "True..." Kankuro murmured. However, at what cost? A few souls had perished during that fight. A few too many! Not to mention, the Underworld would take years of mortal realm to recover from that degree of damage. "Well, that''s the past. We better talk about our current situation instead." Youen directed his gaze to Hikari. "Venerable Yao, what are you planning to do now?" The latter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, little Mei?" "I meant what I''d said. We''re in a different world, where the Laws of Heaven work differently. I''ve tried cultivating myself, but the most I could do is reaching Qi Condensation stage. I''m sure that you''re already aware of it. Honestly, the most logical answer to my question is to live according to this world''s law. Thankfully, a form of energy known as chakra exists. We can still use our knowledge to some extent with that power. As long as we play it smart, we can live quite comfortably in this world. Forget about our past, and start a new leaf. What do you think?" After all, wasn''t that their initial plan when they re-entered reincarnation? They were merely changing the place. There shouldn''t be any problem with it. However, Hikari''s expression said otherwise. Even a dumb person could tell in a single glance. She was definitely not amused with his suggestion. "I''m going back." "Huh?" Youen and Kankuro blinked at her. "I''m going back to our world, to the Yang Dynasty. That was what I''ve planned from the time that I had woken up in this world, and that conviction will never change." Because... "I had made a promise. I would live in the Yang Dynasty in her place, to witness and watch over its grandeur as her eyes and ears. I''ll never renege on that promise. I will definitely return!" That was why he couldn''t stay in this world forever. That was why he would never stop trying to cultivate. Even though his cultivation barely advanced, he''d never given up hope. He kept pressing on no matter, because he knew that once he stopped, it would be the end of the road. "So, you''ll stubbornly walk down that path, even if you know that it is futile?" Youen glared at her. Her lips curved up into a proud smile. "We are cultivators. We are people who challenged the Heaven, making what''s impossible possible. If we can''t do it the usual way, we''ll find another! It''s pointless to stop me. I''ll keep going, even if I have to walk this path alone." "Not alone," Daji said as she squeezed the girl''s hand fondly. "I''ll always stay by your side, no matter what choice that you''ll make." Youen kept glaring at the two for a few more seconds before he finally backed down. "...Fine, I know this will happen..." he let out a tired sigh. "Big sister... you know, you''re wasted on that pitiful excuse of a man. Even though he already has someone so devoted by his side, in the end all he''s thinking about is that Ying''er..." "Fufufu... I know. I''ll have to punish him later~" Hikari shuddered. Daji''s last words didn''t sound like a joke... what should she do to get out of this predicament? "B-because, it''s a promise! A man real won''t break his promise! You know that, right?!" "Who cares about what a real man would do. Big sister and I are women, big brother," Youen snorted. "You''re a man now!" "Well you''re not a man anymore, so you shouldn''t care, right?" "..." This woman... still as snarky as ever... Kankuro coughed, hard. "Ahem... sorry to disrupt your lover''s quarrel, but can we get back to the topic?" "We''re not in a lover''s qua- you know what, nevermind..." She didn''t have the energy to retort, so she just gave up. Just as she was about to say something, a voice echoed in her mind. "Oi. This One is coming out." "Venerable One? Wait, I''ll tell them first. Little Mei, Ox-Head." She motioned for them to come closer. "Keep what you''re going to see a secret, okay?" 40 The Next Step Kankuro and Youen stared curiously at the small dot of light floating out of Hikari''s chest. The light flashed brilliantly for a short moment. When they had blinked once again, there stood on the top of the table a lustrous creature the size of a small dog. The pure-white creature had the body of a horse, the face of a dolphin, and five horns and five branches of long, silky soft tails with a shade of tan on each ends. Even with its diminutive size, it was exhuming a proud and majestic aura. "B-big brother, this is... don''t tell me..." Youen pointed at the creature with trembling hands. "Yes," Hikari nodded. "This is a spirit beast from this world!" "This One is a Tailed Beast!" Kokuo groaned. "It can talk! It is indeed a spirit beast!" The two of them quickly stood up and gave it a cupped fist salute alongside a respectful bow. ""This humble one greets the Venerable One!"" "Hoo..." Kokuo''s eyes were brimming with indulgence. "I thought you''re an exception, but is everyone from your past life actually treating these ''spirit beasts'' well?" "Any cultivators, even unorthodox ones, will treat Spirit Beasts with utmost reverence, Venerable One," Hikari responded. "Hmm? Explain it to This One. " "In our realms, Beast is the term for lesser beings who had attained even a sliver amount of consciousness, the most basic prerequisite to pursue Dao. If they managed to learn how to cultivate their qi, either through their bloodline or from chance encounter, they will be considered as Magical Beast. From there on, those who deviated from Dao and become blinded by power are called Demonic Beast, while those who could attain Dao, the enlightened ones, are called Spirit Beast. The latter is always capable of speech, and of similar rank to deity-level cultivators, perhaps even stronger. To show respect to the strong is a common sense, no?" "Hmm, This One likes the way your people think!" Kokuo nodded. "Maybe This One should go there with you when the time comes." "Well... sure?" ''If we could go there, that is...'' "Uh... Would Venerable One graces us with your name?" Kankuro timidly asked. "Hmm. It is not a problem," Kokuo replied. "This One is called Kokuo, the great Five-Tails. Burn that in your mind!" ""King Mu?"" The two said at the same time. A vein popped up on the white beast''s head. "This One said, Kokuo! Who the hell is this King Mu?!" "Ah, it''s this wise Emperor from the Zhou Dynasty-" Kankuro answered. "What does that have to do with This One?! This One doesn''t even know what that ''chou'' thingy is!" "Uh..." Youen scratched his cheek. "That''s how your name is written in our language..." "..." So that was why the girl called him like that way back when... "Forget it. Hikari, This One has a surprise for you." "Oh?" she raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" Hmph. The Tailed Beast had a smug look on its face. It began opening its mouth very slowly, as if trying to create a dramatic effect. When its voice finally came out, she couldn''t hide her astonishment. "I can speak your language now." Everyone was pleasantly surprised. Their eyes widened in disbelief. "Venerable One... since when?!" "Heheheh. This is result of my three years observation hearing you and that doggy." "Impressive! As expected of an exalted spirit beast! This humble one admits defeat!" Kankuro clapped his hands merrily. "Fufufu... As the saying goes, ''Young plants can not be forced to grow by stretching them''. It seems that all those times watching in silence finally bear fruit," Daji chimed in. "It''s not only cute, but also highly intelligent. It''s surely a high-ranked spirit beast! Have you really mastered our language? Can you speak up more? Hey, hey, say more~" Youen urged while waving his fists in excitement. Facing the barrage of more and more complex foreign words, as well as their expectant faces, the wise and honorable Tailed Beast... cowered and retreated back. It lowered its head until it reached the surface of the table in a manner resembling a dogeza. "This One... This One apologizes..." """...""" Why did it revert back to normal tongue... Apparently, Kokuo could only understand limited number of words. It seemed more learning was required beyond this point. The reincarnators'' feeling was like getting a reward from the lottery, but the reward turned out to be free potato supply for a year. It was the pitiful kind of disappointment where you don''t know whether you should be happy or sad... Leaving the now-depressed Tailed Beast aside, Kankuro''s expression grew serious as he turned to Hikari. "Venerable Yao, the spirit beast came out from your body, does that mean...?" The brown-haired girl winced. "Yeah, so... it''s sealed inside my body..." The two blinked rapidly. "Big brother... don''t you know that sealing a spirit beast inside any container is an act punishable by Heaven...?" "Venerable Yao, I know that you''re trying to cultivate as fast as possible, but this method is..." "You guys, calm down. It''s not my fault!" she groaned. "It''s already like this by the time that I woke up." "Just let it out, then," Kankuro remarked. "I can''t. I''ve already unlocked the seal, but if I fully separate Venerable One from my current body, I''ll die. The only option is to wait until this body has reached high enough cultivation stage to the point where losing Venerable One wouldn''t be fatal." "So... Nascent Soul stage or higher, huh... how long would that take?" the Anbu murmured. "Well, how are you guys'' cultivation?" "Qi Condensation stage, seventh rank," Youen promptly replied. "Qi Condensation stage, first rank," Kankuro replied, his face slightly red from shame. "My cultivation is a bit different, since I''m following the path of a Magical Beast. But if I compare it to you guys, it''s equivalent to Qi Condensation stage fourth rank," Daji said. So, everyone were still in Qi Condensation stage at this point... "...I''m also in Qi Condensation stage, fifth rank... and that''s after four years of constant training..." Hikari knocked her head on the table, thinking that life was really hard. If they were still stuck in Qi Condensation stage at this age, wouldn''t they miss the timing to reach Foundation Establishment stage? Could they even reach Nascent Soul stage in their entire lifetime?! "My seventh rank is achieved through eight years of cultivation, and that''s only because this body is better-honed than your younger body, big brother... relying on chakra alone is really bad for our progress." "You guys are lucky to be able to train for years!" The black-clothed boy laughed in self-mockery. "I had only started six months ago..." "Eh?" Hikari turned to him. "Come to think of it, Ox-Head... this is supposed to be ''reincarnation'', right?" "Yes?" "Then why did I wake up in an eight-years-old body?" "Oh, it''s because our souls were damaged in the process." Usually, a proper reincarnation was harmless for the soul. In a pristine condition, a soul''s memories, if they hadn''t been removed by Five-Fragrance Tea, would resurface around the time that their physical body was able to form consciousness. However, in the case of a wounded soul, the memories from their previous life would be buried until the soul could return back to its normal state. The amount of time spent recovering was proportional to the damage. "In my case, I needed around thirteen years before my memories resurfaced." "It''s more or less the same for me," Youen commented. "Then... why is everyone ended up arriving in the same place?" Hikari wondered out loud. "With that many reincarnation path mixed in one pool, shouldn''t we become separated in various planes of existence?" "Ah, that..." Kankuro glanced at Hikari. "...it''s Venerable Yao''s fault." "Eh?!" The black-clothed boy coughed. "Basically, when a soul entered a path, the entrance''s light would intensify for a moment. Usually, it doesn''t mean anything, since they''re all contained in separate pools. However, at that moment, everyone who had fallen into the mixed pool was trying their best to survive. Logically, they would grasp toward the brightest light that they could find. The little difference that Venerable Yao had started ended up attracting everyone toward this world... is what I hypothesized." "..." Uh. UHHHH. How many had fallen into the pool? Wouldn''t this world become infested with people from their realm?! This is a recipe for disaster! "Congratulations, big brother, you''ve started a huge karmic overflow. What an achievement," Youen smirked. "I didn''t mean to do that! It was a mistake!" "Yes, yes, everyone said that. It won''t hold in court~" "LISTEN TO ME! I''M INNOCENT!!" "Alright, alright, everyone calm down," Kankuro harrumphed. The commotion finally receded soon after. "Sorry, we got a bit carried away..." "Is all good," the boy grinned. "Nothing had happened so far, so I think the world can still hold on quite well. However, I actually agreed with Venerable Yao''s plan to return back to our world. The Underworld is still in chaos after the attack. They''ll need all the help that they can get. The faster that we can do it, the better." "About that, there are two ways to return. I''m sure you guys already know about it," Hikari said. "The first method is simple, we just cultivate until we reached early Immortal stage. We can start preparing for Realm Manipulation ancestral mystic arts at that point. I''m sure with our combined effort, we can breach a path back to the Yang Dynasty. The second method..." "We just have to die... right?" Youen murmured. "Yes. I''ve actually considered this idea a long time ago. If we die, our souls will return back to the Underworld. That should be the fastest way to reach our goal. However... I can''t be sure that the underworld of this realm is the same as ours, that''s why I''m not confident enough to try it. We only have one shot, after all. If we lose our memories while being reincarnated, then it''s all over." "But thankfully, we now have Ox-Head here," Daji glanced at the boy. As the Guardian of the Underworld, Ox-Head had an irremovable connection to that realm. Even if he got accidentally reincarnated, as long as his soul wasn''t cleansed by King Yama himself, he would still retain this privilege. Thus, asking Ox-Head would be the most accurate way to gauge the situation. Sadly, Kankuro shook his head with a grim expression. "I have thought about it as well. However, I couldn''t feel any connection with this realm''s Underworld. Things work differently here. If we ended up dead at the moment, we might not be able to return." As expected, things were never so easy... "But, there''s actually a way." Their ears perked up when they heard that. "I can still feel a connection to our Underworld, but it''s vague. The problem is, I am a spirit of both mortal and heavenly realm, since I had to be able to go between those two places for my work. My connection was split between them. But, if we can find a soul who has undisputed connection to the Underworld, I might be able to connect a path of karma between there and this realm." "In other words..." "If you die and allow your soul to follow that path, you''ll end up back in our Underworld!" "That''s great!" Hikari almost bounced up from her seat out of excitement. But then, she frowned again. "A soul with strong connection to the Underworld... who would it be aside from you?" "Well..." Kankuro rubbed his chin. "Underworld staffs, maybe? Those heavenly souls who don''t have to enter the mortal realm, their connection is stronger than mine. Did any of them fall into the pool?" "Not sure..." Youen muttered. "Maybe... one or two did? I was too focused in the battle back then. Bigbrother Wu destroyed the entire place though. I won''t be surprised if some Underworld staffs got mixed in." "So, what you''re saying is that we should find these people first." "Exactly." "Huh... easier said than done." Their little group had grown to four at the moment, but from Hikari''s point of view, it had taken four long years and a sheer amount of luck. Even if they did find another reincarnator, there was no guarantee that it would held an Underworld staff''s soul. It would be a wild goose''s chase in this vast, unknown world. Still... "It''s better than nothing, right?" She grinned. "Better than waiting until our hair turned white just to reach Foundation Establishment stage," Youen nodded. "That will be our plan for now," the black-clothed boy said. "Find other reincarnators aside from us, and see if they''re a member of the Underworld''s staffs. If they still have strong enough connection to the Underworld, then I''ll open a path and we can immediately go through. A bit crude, but let''s do this!" "Then, I''ll leave the search outside of this village to you and little Mei." "Uh... Venerable Yao..." Kankuro suddenly turned apologetic, prompting Hikari to raise an eyebrow. "I can''t do it at the moment... I''ll be busy with the Chuunin selection exam." "In that case, me too. I''ll have to accompany that hopeless boy," Daji chuckled. Eh? Ehhhh?!? "There''s a Chuunin selection exam starting next week. Big brother Huang, you don''t know about it? That the reason why Honorable Ox-Head, who''s now a shinobi of Sunagakure, can enter Konoha." "I don''t know! Why would I know something like that?!" Youen sighed. Nevertheless, he was still smiling. "I figured that you wouldn''t. Don''t worry. Honorable Ox-Head and big sister might not be available for now, but there''s still you and me, right?" "I can''t get out of the village for too long, though." "Tut, tut," the Anbu waved his finger playfully. "Remember, this is the really important Chuunin exam that will be the focus of the entire continent. The Third Hokage will be very busy with preparation. Security will also be concerned with people who are trying to get in, but they won''t be that attentive for people who are trying to get out." Hikari''s eyes shone immediately. "You mean-?" "Yup," he smirked. "When the Chuunin exam started, you and I will have a little escapade of our own~" --- After the discussion was finally concluded, they passed the rest of their time with lighter topics. Kokuo was the focus of many questions, mainly asking about its life as a ''spirit beast''. The result were some teary-eyed cultivators who felt sorry for the little beast''s tragic past. "The people of this realm is so cruel... to treat a spirit beast like a tool... unforgivable!" Youen gritted his teeth. "This is the reason why so many beasts in the past had entered the wrong path and turned into Demonic Beasts. To see the mistakes of the past repeating in a different world is just sad," Kankuro commented. "Hmm, hmm, I definitely going to your world," Kokuo said with a wide grin. It then turned its eyes to the alluring beauty who was still cradling Hikari in her arms. "Doggy, why you impolite to I though?" "Fufufu... the only one that I revere is my beloved Huang''er. Why should I bow down to a dirty farm animal like you?" The atmosphere suddenly turned cold after her remark. The smile on Kokuo''s face was extinguished in an instant. "Uh... Venerable One, don''t worry about it. She''s always like this, hahaha..." Hikari laughed nervously. She shot the woman a warning glare, but the latter just smiled at her while tightening her hold. Ah, those twin peaks were squeezing on her even more... "Y-y-your t-tea..." At that unfortunate moment, the waitress had returned with with five cups of steaming-hot tea on her tray. She placed one in front of each guests, lowering her head further down when she reached Hikari and Daji''s seats, but then got confused when she had to put the last cup. Err... who should she give it to...? Her eyes landed on the white, plush-like animal-thingy sitting on top of the table. The two had a short staring contest for a moment before the girl started blinking rapidly, her feeble processing power finally short-circuited as she put the cup right in front of the plush. "En-enjoy your tea..." She ran off like the passing summer wind. "Is... is that waitress alright...?" Kankuro murmured. "Who knows? She''s always been like that." Daji took Hikari''s cup, and then blow on it to make it a bit cooler. Only then did she handed it over to the owner. After that, she brought her own cup to her lips. Seeing the two enjoying their tea, Youen and Kankuro followed suit. Kokuo dipped its head into the cup in front of it as well. "Well, let''s have a taste... GEHOHEHCKEHCKECHK" They fell on their knees while retching all over the place. Dear Jade Emperor in Heaven! Just one sip and they almost had a heart attack! What kind of otherworldly taste is this?! ""WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!"" ""Sencha."" Hikari and Daji calmly answered. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SENCHA?! WHAT KIND OF SENCHA TASTED LIKE MELTED LEATHER?!" "This tea house''s sencha, apparently." The brown-haired girl took another sip as if there was nothing wrong with the drink. Meanwhile, Kokuo was sprawled on its back, mouth frothing while its body was convulsing uncontrollably. When the retching duo saw it, they were horrified beyond belief. "B-big brother, big sister... how could you guys drink it so casually? What kind of higher level cultivation training is this?!" Hikari just gave them a serene expression, like a monk who had reached enlightenment. "You get used to it." ""I DON''T WANT TO GET USED TO IT!"" In the end, regardless of their complains, the tea house had gotten three more loyal victi- uh...customers. 41 Afterword - Volume 2 Hi! You guys are still here? Good! :D This concludes the second volume of the fanfic (fanfic has volumes?), which covers the beginning part of ''Naruto'' up to the Land of Waves arc. Starting from here, we''ll explore the period during Chuunin exam. Well... our MC is busy doing something else, so only Kankuro and Akamaru (with Kiba as sidekick) will be featured. A warning beforehand, author will make more changes to the canon plot line due to many things changing at the beginning. Kankuro and Akamaru being reincarnators is also going to change a lot of things from here, since their behavior will be drastically different from canon ones. Apologies beforehand if you read this arc expecting more Naruto proper to show up, especially the Land of Waves part. Authorhave nothing to write about it because honestly nothing much changed there. Naruto still fought Zabuza, they still won in the end, the Great Naruto Bridge was built, etc. Authorhave a surprise for later, though, so apologies again if author will end up destroying the canon even further. You''ve been warned. For people asking about senjutsu, author can''t put it here yet because there''s just no chance to. It''s not the time yet. However, rest assured that author haven''t forgotten about it~ Hey, Naruto can be cool and learn senjutsu, why can''t our MC? It''s just a matter of time! Also as a footnote, when Kokuo speaks, it refers to itself using a polite form of "I" in Japanese (Watakushi), but since author don''t know how to say it in English, author changed it to "This One" instead. When it spoke Chinese, however, because of its limited vocabulary, it just used a normal "I" (Wo). And yeah, Kokuo is referred as an "it". That''s not a typo. Author think that''s enough rambling for now, so let''s finish this off XD As usual, special thanks for everyone who have read the story up to this point. Author wasn''t expecting a lot of people to take a liking in this weird, weird tale, but here we are. As long as one person still read this, author will keep trying their best~ Another thanks for the ''Thanks for chapter'' sect. Your presence is always appreciated and loved~ If you have any suggestion or question, feel free to shout in the comment section down below. Thank you and have a good day :D 42 Chuunin Exam: First Test 1 Even though the civilians in Konoha were having a normal, mundane day, the same thing couldn''t be said for the shinobi. After all, it was the first day of Chuunin selection exam. Kiba had left the house at dawn. Yesterday, Kurenai had handed his team the form of application for the exam. While she didn''t force them to attend if they didn''t want to, Kiba definitely wouldn''t miss this chance. His hot-blooded spirit wouldn''t let him. "He should be taking the first exam around this time," Hana murmured out loud while feeding treats to Haimaru brothers. "Heheh, I got hearsay that the first examiner is going to be that sadistic bandana guy. Let''s see if that idiot can pass his test. This gonna be fun! Bet he gonna get home crying," Tsume chuckled. Hana just smiled at her remark. "Don''t say that, Mom. I know you''re worried about Kiba, too." "Tch, worrying about him is just a waste of time!" Yet she still tapped her feet to the ground from time to time, clearly being anxious. Hana just shook her head helplessly. Like mother like son... "Lady Tsume? Big sister?" Hikari sheepishly entered the kitchen. "Hm? What is it? Looks like you want to ask me something," Tsume raised an eyebrow. "Well... I''m asking your permission to leave Konoha for a while..." As planned beforehand, she gave them a fake sob story about wanting to find out about her past. The journey was supposedly to find a trace of her long-lost family. ''Long-lost family... yeah, right, it was four-thousands years too late for that.'' Tsume''s frown only got deeper the longer she listened. "You crazy, girl? I know you''re stronger than Kiba in taijutsu, but do you think that''s enough? Little kids should stay home! Also, that geezer won''t approve no matter what." "Actually, he did." "Huuuh?" "Eh?" Tsume and Hana gave her a questioning glance. Not long after, the former shot her gaze toward the corner of their kitchen. Chakra burst out of her body, causing her fangs and nails to grow out. "You dare to enter my house unannounced? Show yourself!" A poof of smoke burst out. In its place stood a man in gray flak jacket and bear-faced mask. His smell was quite familiar for Tsume. This person... if she remembered correctly, he was a member of Anbu division directly under supervision of the Hokage. "Rest assured. The Third had agreed for miss Hikari''s request. He had sent me to guard her during the journey." ''Guard'', huh? If it was an Anbu, ''keeping her under watch'' would describe the situation better. She glared at the Anbu for a full minute before retracting back her chakra, her appearance returning back to normal. "Good, very good. Now that you''re older, you learned to plan behind my back, eh?" "Ah, I..." "I bet you''ve already packed up everything. Just scram! Get out of my sight!" Tsume pointed at the door. Her stern expression didn''t leave any chance to make excuses. In the end, Hikari could only timidly walked out. "Oi." Before her feet left the front door, Tsume''s voice called out to her. "I''m going to punish you later. So, be sure to come back alive." Those words prompted a huge grin on the girl''s face. --- As they left the walls of Konoha, Hikari and Youen gave the village one last look before continuing their journey. "Well, that was easy," she laughed. What permission from the Hokage? It was all bull crap. Thankfully, Youen had a quite prestigious position within his organization, making the explanation even smoother than they had initially expected. For the journey, Youen had forgone his Anbu attire, opting for a light blue robe instead. He also put down his bear mask, showing his handsome jade face to the world. Women who saw him on the road would turn their head in awe, unable to peel off their gaze from that worldly perfection. "Someone is popular," Hikari giggled. "Stop it, big brother... it''s not like I wanted it in the first place!" He was born like this, alright? What could he do? "Yeah, yeah. So, little Mei, where should we go now?" Getting out of Konoha was one thing. Actually finding a reincarnator was another problem altogether. The world was vastly large, and they were merely two poor cultivators who hadn''t gotten past Qi Condensation stage. It would take years to cover all the grounds! "Let''s go south," Youen suggested. "Reason?" "During my mission in the north, I had spent quite a while going around towns and villages. I hadn''t found any people from our realm as of yet. Perhaps we would be more lucky if we search the other way around." Makes sense. "Let''s go south, then!" She was about to walk away when she noticed that Youen was still staring at her. "What is it?" "Nothing. Just... you''ve gotten yourself a nice place, huh..." She frowned. "What''s this all of the sudden?" "No, it''s just... those Inuzuka people seems kind. They''re looking out for you, you know? Did you feel it?" Of course she did. She wasn''t a fool. Hana was a gentle and kind person. Tsume, although rough and foul-mouthed, was a caring person who only wanted for her and Kiba to be safe. Even though she was basically a stranger, they had let her come into their life. Like a family. While she was enjoying it still, that warm feeling also made her afraid. "Hehe... it seems that big brother finally has people to protect him. I''m glad," he said with a teasing smile. "Especially miss Tsume, she''s like a mother to you, you know? That''s how I see it." "How should I know?" She harrumphed. "I grew up without anyone by my side. If anything, you should understand it better than me. At least you had parents-" Damnit! Hikari immediately shut her mouth. She knew she had messed up. Youen''s glare was filled with suffocating killing intent, replacing his beautiful, fairy-like appearance with that of a war god. His fists were clenching tighter and tighter to the point that his nails had begun to draw blood. "Mei Mei!" She clapped right in front of his face, waking him up from his stupor. "Ah..." He covered his face, feeling disappointed with himself. Thousands years of living as an immortal still wasn''t able to clear her heart from those treacherous memories. How shameful. "Sorry..." "Nevermind. It was my fault," Hikari sighed. "Though, I''m surprised that you managed to live normally in this new body." "This man is an orphan. His parents died during a war a few years ago." Youen showed a self-mocking smile. "Is it bad that I feel relieved about it? I don''t think I can control myself if I''m forced to call other people as my parents..." "This is why drinking Five-Fragrance Tea is compulsory for reincarnation," Hikari shrugged. "Anyway, don''t think too much about it. Let''s just keep going." "Right!" He quickly bounced back to his cheerful self as they resumed their trek. "It''ll be problematic if we end up wasting years to search... how about we limit our search to a month''s time?" "Fine with me," Hikari nodded in agreement. "Say, big brother, if we do meet a reincarnator... who''d you like to meet? It might be our past allies, you know~?" The girl replied with a flat smile, "Anyone is fine as long as it''s not Xiao Dingding." "..." ''Big brother... how much do you hate Dingding...?'' Carrying that question in mind, he followed the brown-haired girl down the southern road. --- The first test for the current Chuunin exam was a written test consisting of nine theoretical questions and a special tenth question that would only be revealed forty-five minutes after the test had begun. This format was the brainchild of Morino Ibiki, the head of Torture and Interrogation division. He had made all the questions himself, making sure that a mere Genin wouldn''t be able to answer them perfectly. Of course, there was still a possibility that a studious fellow could grasp the essence of the questions and reached the correct answer by pure wit alone, but he reckon that only one or two among these brats would be able to do so. The point of the first test, after all, wasn''t to gauge their theoretical intelligence, but their information gathering skill! Two Chuunin-ranked examiners had been deployed as mock participants around the front seats and the back seats of the room, serving as targets for the participants to copy their answers from. While blatant cheating was punished, the examiners would turn a blind eye if the effort was at least considered passable when used in actual mission. For example, that girl who was using a mirror on the ceiling to see other participants'' answers. The examiners only noticed it halfway through the test, so it was considered good enough to pass. That kid who was leaning his head too far off his desk, on the other hand, was definitely out! Suddenly, a kunai was thrown toward the seat behind a certain boy wearing orange jacket. The blade struck right at the middle of the test paper. "What was that for?!" The owner cried out. "You messed up five times. Get out. Your teammates as well." The first victim had fallen, serving as a warning for the rest of the participants. At the moment, Kiba was truly calm. He drew blank for all the questions, but it didn''t matter. After all, he got another set of eyes up there. Perched up on his head, the white-furred ninja dog Akamaru laid down lazily, enjoying his afternoon nap. The examiners had noticed his presence, but decided to ignore it. After all, in real life scenario, having a dog around wouldn''t be overly suspicious. If the boy wanted to cheat like that, then go on. "Akamaru, wake up. It''s time to start our plan." He stroked the puppy''s head, giving the signal to start spying on other people''s works. However, after Akamaru had stirred awake, he decided to leap down to the table instead. After that, he began to meticulously read the exam questions. "...?" Kiba was confused. Hmm, maybe his partner was just curious. It was fine. They still got a lot of time to che- Uh. The dog grabbed a pencil with his mouth, and then used it to scribble something on the answer box. "??!?!?!" Kiba was super confused. "Oi, Akamaru, stop playing around!" He was about to pull him away from the table, but then his gaze fell upon the ''doodles'' that the puppy had made. Were...were those words and numbers that he saw? The dog... the dog could write? Scratch, scratch, scratch... the puppy''s head bobbed up and down as he filled the answer boxes one after another. First question, second question, third... Kiba was confusedly confused. Left slack-jawed, he could only stare blankly at his partner. "Hey." Before he realized it, an examiner had appeared right behind him. A finger was suddenly pressed on Akamaru''s back, pouring through a trace amount of chakra. ''...Not a Transformation Technique...'' The examiner''s first thought was that the dog was someone''s transformation, but his strike just now didn''t reveal anything. There was no trace of genjutsu either. The dog... the dog was really writing the answers! Also... although a bit crude, they were more or less correct! ''This... I know the Inuzuka''s ninja dogs are more advanced than the norm, but this... what the effing heck?'' At this rate, wouldn''t the dog become the one who was attending the test? Should he pass the dog and fail the boy instead? He sent a pleading look to Ibiki, asking for the boss''s discretion. ''Please, tell me what to do! I''m scared!'' The wise and experienced special Jonin, Morino Ibiki. After expending his entire brain power trying to find a logical explanation for this peculiar phenomena, he... had decided to give up thinking. "Ehch." He just shrugged while making a weird noise. "...Sorry for the intrusion. Continue what you''re doing," the examiner murmured, and then flickered back to his seat on the side. Fine... since the boss said to ignore it, he''ll just ignore it! If you don''t look at it then it''ll go away, right? Right?! While Kiba was roughly doing fine, another person was currently stuck in a terrible crisis. Kankuro was trembling on his seat, his hands grabbing the test paper so hard they were getting crumpled. "Explain the optimal composition of a hypothetical team for night raid. Assume that the target will be defended by twice the amount of manpower available for the team. If the opposing force is comprised of- aaah, damnit!" He slammed his entire face onto the table, shocking the participants and examiners around him with the sudden noise. A few seats from him, Temari was biting her lips. ''...That idiot... why hasn''t he used karasu yet? He''s supposed to tell me the answer after he got them!'' At least, that was the initial plan. Sadly, her expectation would only be met with disappointment. In his past life, before he had become the Guardian of the Underworld, Ox-Head was a proud martial artist. However, he also had an ambition of becoming a respected court official, so he tried attending the national exam. During his lifetime, he had tried the exam twenty-third times across three dynasties. Every single time, he consistently scored the lowest of the low. Even the examiners had partially given up whenever they saw his name on the list. In other words, while his martial skill was considered godlike, his exam-taking ability was entirely hopeless. Horrendous. Abysmal. "Why does it have to be a written exam?! I didn''t have to take any back when the Jade Emperor offered me my current position! Why do I have to take it now of all time?! Just kill me! End this suffering!" He groaned in his native tongue while smacking his face on the table again and again, his old mental trauma resurfacing with a vengeance. "..." The Chuunin-ranked examiners were watching with black lines covering their forehead. They had no idea how to evaluate this situation. "Err... Sir Ibiki, should we take him out or...?" Ibiki, who had spent his entire stash of thinking power earlier, merely narrowed his eyes at the black-clothed boy for a moment. After making sure that it wasn''t some esoteric cheating method, just a bout of insanity, he decisively shook his head. "Nah, it''s fine. Let him stay." If the boy was crazier than him, then he could be considered the normal one, right? Hmm, yes, the boy had to stay. He still needed the boy here to reassure him of his sanity. "..." The examiners suddenly felt that this particular exam was more tiring than usual... 43 Chuunin Exam: First Test 2 As one of the elite Chuunin overseeing the exam, Hagane Kotetsu took pride on his ability to discover any cheating attempts that the brats had attempted. So far, they had eliminated the trashes who couldn''t even cheat properly. The ones left behind were people who either hadn''t run out of points yet, or had enough skills that the examiners were willing to let them off. Surprisingly, there were five people who hadn''t tried to cheat even once. One was the pink-haired girl at the back, a girl in white hooded jacket at the front, a dog... err, an Inuzuka boy with his dog, and two Suna kids. About the two Suna kids... The black-clothed boy was making weird gestures while convulsing, while the purple-dressed girl was burying her head in her arms, looking as if the world had ended. Kotetsu exchanged worried glances with his trustworthy partner, fellow Chuunin Kamizuki Izumo. "That... is that some kind of secret message codes taught in Sunagakure? Is he trying to communicate with the other two?" Izumo squinted his eyes at the boy. His right arm was raised to the air, while his left arm was laid parallel to the table''s surface. His head was laid on the latter, trembling in rapid speed. Eh, wait, was that bubbles coming out of his mouth? Was he frothing? "...I... I think no..." If that was some kind of secret message protocol, they can keep it for their own. Izumo wanted nothing to do with it! Somehow, just watching those two and the dog managed to tire them out. In the blink of an eye, forty-five minutes had passed. "Ibiki-san, it''s about time now..." "Oh." Ibiki threw his tea cup out of the window, and then stood up. "We will now start the tenth question." The surviving participants looked up from their paper. The mysterious tenth question... for those who hadn''t been able to answer any of the questions, this would be their last gamble. By the way, Kankuro had stopped convulsing. He was leaning leisurely on his seat, staring at Ibiki in a relaxed manner. Too relaxed, actually. He looked like a monk who had shed off his worldly burdens. ''Actually, who cares if I fail or not. I already got a job with steady income anyway~'' Meanwhile, Gaara was eyeing him with a complicated glare while Temari was cursing him in her mind. ''Uuu Kankuro you idiot! Idiot!" "Now, before we get to it..." Ibiki said with a menacing grin. "I''d like to go over some added rules for this question." The last question was different from the rest. Participants had to choose whether they wanted to take the question or not. In case that they refused to, their points would immediately be reduced to zero, resulting in elimination for their team. As for those who chose to take the question... if they dared to answer incorrectly, they would lose the right to attend the Chuunin exam ever again. In other words: they would become an eternal Genin, forever barred from advancing in ranks. "What kind of stupid rules is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before!" Kiba shouted. While the others didn''t say it in the open like him, their sentiment was more or less the same. "Heheh..." Ibiki didn''t get angry at him. He just gave them a mocking laughter. "You guys are unlucky... you just had to take the exam when I am in charge." "!" The content of the exam would be decided by the proctors. That way, the content of the exam would change every time to prevent participants from preparing early. Even so, said content would still have to be approved firsthand before it could be implemented. If the other examiners didn''t say anything about it, that means Ibiki''s words were backed by the Hokage himself. He wasn''t messing around with them. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. Just like Ibiki had wanted. ...Except for that black-clothed Suna kid. Somehow, the mention of not being able to take the exam anymore made him grin like an idiot. Err... boy, are you okay in the head over there? Do you need our medical-nin to check on you? No, wait, maybe calling Inoichi would be better- Ah, damnit, his thoughts trailed off. Dangerous, dangerous! "Ahem. Don''t look so down. As a generous person, I''m willing to give you a way out. Those that aren''t confident and choose to back off right now will be allowed to try again next year." Not the next Chuunin exam, but the next year. That was the compromise. "Those who doesn''t want to take it, raise your hand. After your number is confirmed, leave." With the pressure escalating every passing seconds, more and more participants decided to quit instead of risking it out. Soon, only twenty-six teams were left. "Hoh?" A trembling hand was raised into the air. It belonged to a yellow-haired boy wearing orange and blue jacket. Izumo checked his note. "Uzumaki Naruto... he was almost caught cheating before, but was smart enough to bail at the last second. I guess this is it for him-" His expectation, however, was quickly proven wrong. Instead of giving up, that hand was slammed into the table instead, the loud thud echoing throughout the silent hall. "Don''t underestimate me! I won''t run away! I''ll take it! I''ll definitely take it! Even if I become a Genin forever, I''ll still find a way to become a Hokage, so I don''t care! I''m not afraid!" Ibiki sent the boy a chilling glare, but was met with burning flames within that little daredevil''s eyes. "I''ll ask you one last time. Your life rides in this decision. Are you sure about this?" "Heh," Naruto grinned. "I''m not going to take back my words... that''s my nindo!" Those words, filled with determination, had lifted everyone''s spirit. Their eyes were finally clear of any hesitation. "Feh. That Naruto, what a showoff... right, Akamaru?" Kiba murmured. Woof~ That might be so, but that kind of reckless spirit... Daji didn''t hate it at all. He even reminded her of that rascal Tianyou in his youth. She could only hope that the boy wouldn''t go down that path... Ibiki''s gaze swept over the participants. Seventy-eight left... more than they had expected. He would had liked to whittle it down a bit more, but it didn''t seem to be possible anymore. When he saw the examiners nodding at him with a smile on their face, he knew that it was finally over. "Good determination. Now, to everyone still remaining in this hall..." The participants gulped. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!" Eh?! Everyone was dumbstruck. "W-what about the tenth question?" the pink-haired girl asked. "There''s no such thing," Ibiki grinned. "Or you can say that those two choices are the tenth question itself." Enjoying those shocked expression on the brats'' face, he proceeded to explain the true nature of the test, how the questions were designed to test their information gathering skill, and how the last question was a psychological trap to see which of them would be able to make a decision under pressure. "No matter the danger, there are missions that you have to do at all cost. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship... this is the ability to become a Chuunin." That was what the ''tenth question'' measure! "You have made it through the first test. From now on, the exam will only get harder. I wish you guys luck." "Hell yeah!" Naruto yelled. "Hell no!" Kankuro followed right after him. ...Eh? Ibiki cranked his neck slowly toward the black-clothed boy. "What... what is it?" "We''re still going to have more exams? Noooo! I don''t want anymore exam!" Veins began to pop on Ibiki''s forehead. He was trying his hardest not to scream at the boy. "If you don''t want to... why didn''t you quit just now...?" "I... I thought, if I fail the tenth question, I''ll be free from this exam for my entire life!" Pop. Pop. Crack. Something in Ibiki''s mental world snapped as his glare turned bloodthirsty. ''Aah... I want to punch the kid so bad, but I still want to keep my job... what to do...'' Right before he threw all caution to the wind and rushed over to skin the kid alive, a shadow crashed through the window. Two kunai were shot onto the ceiling, spreading out a black banner with the words ''Chuunin exam''s second test proctor, Mitarashi Anko, is here!'' written on it. "Alright, you brats! Don''t celebrate too early!" In front of the banner stood a young woman wearing a tan overcoat with mesh armor underneath. "I''m the proctor for the second test, Mitarashi Anko! Now, come with me!" Her loud, sudden speech had stunned the entire room. While it was precisely the effect that she had wanted, the kids actually looked a bit too dazed for her taste, as if they really, really weren''t expecting it to happen. ...Wait... "You''re... too early... just as usual..." A disappointed Ibiki peeked out from behind the banner. "..." The woman blushed. God-effing-damn-it! Not again! Distraction, need distraction... ah, got it. "Seventy-eight? Ibiki, you let twenty-six teams pass? Are you kidding me? The test is too easy this time!" She decided to complain about it instead. Anything to hide her previous mistake! "This time, there''s a lot of outstanding ones," Ibiki played along. "Bah, that''s fine. I''ll at least cut them in half later." Cut in half? Everyone was shocked by her statement. "You''ll see later. For now, just shut up and follow me to the second test!" --- With Anko herding the kids away to the second stage, the forty-fourth training ground ''the Forest of Death'', Ibiki was finally left alone in the classroom. The rest of the Chuunin examiners had left with her as well. As the one who had made the test, Ibiki liked to see how the surviving participants had fared during the first nine questions. Most of them managed to get at least seven out of nine correct. Some outstanding ones like Hyuuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke managed to get all nine perfectly the same as the answers from the planted examiners. "As expected of the prodigies from their clan..." he murmured. One paper suddenly caught his attention. It was entirely blank. "Uzumaki... Naruto..." If he remember correctly, it was that loudmouth from earlier. The one who had messed up the atmosphere he had set for the last question. For the first time ever, he had passed a participant who had handed a blank answer. "Heheh..." Interesting. Truly interesting! It seemed that he could expect great things from this kid. He collected the rest of the paper in a jovial mood, until another paper broke him. Temari from Sunagakure. A few desperate scribbles here and there but they were all wrong. Also, Kankuro from Sunagakure. Completely blank. "..." He was the one who had wrecked his brain to make those questions. And here, here were three idiots who didn''t even try to look for the answers for the entire forty-five minutes... "Kuh... kuheheheh..." He crumpled the blank papers until they turned into a ball. "Am I a joke to you?!?!" It was said that the Torture and Interrogation captain''s painful howl could be heard throughout the entire Konoha that day... --- "Err..." A knock on the door snapped Ibiki out of his stupor. The crumpled papers slipped off his hands. "What is it?!" The man standing on the doorway glanced into the classroom. He frowned upon seeing that it was already empty. "The test is over?" "You don''t say," Ibiki shrugged. He scrutinized the man. From the symbol of his happuri-style forehead protector as well as his attire, consisting of the standard Konoha flak jacket and navy-blue set of clothes, he surmised that the man was one of their own people. Ibiki''s posture relaxed slightly. Still, he didn''t appreciate being disturbed like that. "Who are you? What do you want?" The man stepped forward, revealing three kids behind him, a boy and two girls. Err... that one with pale skin and black hair was a girl, right? Somehow, Ibiki couldn''t really tell. "These kids are going to the second stage. I''ve gotten a special permission from the Hokage. I thought I just want to let you know as the first test''s proctor." What? "You kidding me?" Ibiki raised an eyebrow. A special permission to skip the first test? He''d never seen it in his entire career! "You can ask Lord Third directly if you want. Anyway, I''ll be taking them now. Oh, also, how many teams are going to be there? Seven?" "Twenty-six," Ibiki curtly replied. "...Is the first test that easy?" "Screw off." The man shrugged before leading the kids away. "Hey, wait!" Ibiki shouted. "Yes?" "Your name," he scowled. "I could tell that you''re a high-ranked ninja, maybe a Jonin, but I haven''t seen your face around here. That means only two things. Either you''re new, or you were part of-" The man put a finger on his own lips. And then, he gave the burly guy a faint smile. "Yamato. You can call me with that name." 44 Chuunin Exam: Second Tes The forty-fourth training ground, where the second phase of the current Chuunin exam was going to take place, was a specialized training ground to test a shinobi''s survival and fighting skills. It was a huge, circular enclosure surrounded by metallic fences with a distance of ten kilometers from the edge to the center, where a tall tower stood overseeing the entire ground. Inside was a fertile forest filled with ancient trees soaring up into the sky. Dense canopy covered the entire area, covering some sections in darkness even in the middle of the day. Thick roots and branches served as a natural barrier to further impede the movements of anyone foolish enough to enter unprepared. As the participants observed the place from afar, they couldn''t help but feeling crept out by the eerie atmosphere of the forest. The second proctor, Mitarashi Anko, was pleased with their reaction. Yes, the Chuunin exam should be like this! She wouldn''t be as soft as that useless Ibiki. This time, she would definitely struck fear into their heart. "Buckle up. You''ll soon find out why it''s called the ''Forest of Death''." Everyone gulped upon hearing her words. Everyone except one person. Of course, it was none other than Naruto. "Tch. ''You''ll soon find out why it''s called the Forest of Death''... you think that gonna scare me? I''m not afraid at all, ya''know!" "Really?" Anko smiled at him. "You do look spirited. But, you know..." Suddenly, a kunai flew from her hand, grazing on Naruto''s left cheek. Although the wound was shallow, it was still enough to draw blood. Rather than the pain, however, it was her speed that scared Naruto the most. He couldn''t react at all. If she had really aimed toward his vital points... "...Kids like you are the ones who died first... spraying the red blood that I love..." She had appeared behind him with a flicker, hugging his head while licking on his wound. The boy couldn''t do anything but trembled on his feet. "That stupid Naruto, we haven''t even started and he already got into trouble..." Kiba grumbled. He had been watching the entire scene playing out just now. He mentally took note not to anger this weird proctor. She seemed to be even less patient than the already scary Ibiki. That pale person who had approached her also gave him a weird vibe, as if there was something wrong with him and his teammates. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be Genin from Kusagakure... "W-Will Naruto be okay...?" Hinata murmured. "Yeah. Don''t worry. The examiner won''t do anything to him before the test start." I hope, Kiba added in his mind. "Alright, gather up! Before we start the second test, there''s something that I have to give to you all!" Anko shouted. The participants tensed up, thinking that she would give them something outrageous. Instead, she just pulled out a seemingly normal stack of paper from her coat. "If you want to enter the second test, you have to sign on this paper." "Eh, just that?" Naruto frowned. That didn''t sound too hard, as long as it wasn''t another weird-ass written exam like before. "What''s that about?" "This? Nothing much, just some consent forms absolving us examiners from any responsibilities in case you got injured or died." Everyone froze on their track. "There will definitely be death in this test, so you have to sign these waivers. Else, it''ll be my responsibility, and we don''t want that, now do we~?" ''No, we want it! Please be responsible!'' The participants want to scream those words at her, but they were afraid of ending up like that Naruto kid from before, so in the end they stayed silent. "Here, pass it around. I''m going to explain the second test. You can sign afterwards if you''re feeling confident." Simply put, the second test was going to be a survival test inside the forty-fourth training ground. Like the name, there were forty-four locked gates in the fence surrounding the area. The teams would be given a random gate to enter, and from there they would have to pass through the deadly forest until they reached the tower at the middle. However, it wouldn''t be called an exam if survival was all that they had to do. Each team would be given one of two types of scrolls, the "Heaven" scroll and the "Earth" scroll. In order to be given entrance to the tower, a team had to have both types of scroll on hand. In other words... "We have to get them from the other team," the pink-haired girl from Naruto''s team, Haruno Sakura, correctly surmised. Out of the twenty-six teams remaining, half would get the "Heaven" scrolls while the rest would get the "Earth" scrolls. That means only thirteen teams could proceed to the next test. "Well... at most, that is," Anko grinned. "First of all, there''s a time limit. The second test will last for a hundred and twenty hours. Exactly five days. You''re not allowed to go out during this period. Whether you succeed or fail, you have to stay inside the forest until your time runs out." "Five days!" A girl with platinum-blonde hair, Yamanaka Ino, cried. "What about dinner?!" On her side, the hefty kid Choji screamed as well, although his focus was a bit... "You''re on your own. The forest is full of food, use your ability to search it. Just watch out for things that want to eat you instead." Choji slumped down, disappointed because they had to find their own food. Anko grinned at the participants who had grown restless after hearing the circumstances for the test. "You finally got it through your thick skulls? Not only you have to watch out for enemy teams, you also have to survive through the harsh ground where everything alive there want you dead. Thirteen teams, huh... first, I want to see that at least one team could manage to reach the tower. We wouldn''t want a situation where we have to stop the exam prematurely because everyone failed, right~?" ''Liar, if it''s you, you''re definitely looking forward to it!'' At this point, the participants weren''t seeing Anko as a proctor anymore. She looked more and more like an evil demon from hell... "Now, as for people who would get disqualified..." First was those who couldn''t manage to reach the tower after five days had passed by whatever reason. Second was those who lose their teammates or had their teammates killed. Finally, this rule also applied to those who dared to open the scroll in their possession. "Eh?" Naruto frowned. "What happens if you do?" "That''ll be a surprise. If you''re curious, go ahead and try it~" The way she said it was so scary that the participants who had an idea of doing so ended up curbing their curiosity out of fear. "A final word of advice... don''t die. That''s all." And with that, the explanation for the second test was over. --- After signing the consent form, each team was called into a secluded booth. They were given their respective scroll as well as a gate number from where they would enter the forest. Team Kakashi, consisting of Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura, was given the "Heaven" scroll and would be entering from gate twelve. Not too far from them, Team Kurenai, consisting of Inuzuka Kiba, Akamaru, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata, was given the "Heaven" scroll and would be entering from gate sixteen. "Yeah! This kind of survival thingy is up our rail! Right, guys?" Kiba snickered. "You mean ''up our alley''," Shino corrected him. "Bug off! Also, Hinata, get more fired up, would you? Don''t slow us down!" "I-I''ll try my best!" On the other side of the forest, Team Baki, consisting of Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, was given the "Earth" scroll and would be entering from gate six. "Hahaha! It''s not a written exam anymore! Halelujah!" "Stop that, you idiot! It''s embarrassing!" Kankuro was making a weird dance as he pass through the gate, earning him a smack on the head, courtesy of Temari''s giant paper fan. "Hmph. Stupid," the third member of their team, Gaara, grumbled. He was a boy around Naruto and Kiba''s age with green eyes and short auburn hair. He was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and pants with white cloth flung around his waist and shoulder. His most distinctive feature was a disturbing lack of eyebrows on his face, as well as the black rings around his eyes and a character for "love" tattooed above his left eye. Even though he was the youngest among the three sand siblings, his eyes were devoid of the innocence of youth, emanating a chilling, tyrannical pressure instead. The large gourd he was carrying on his back contained a copious amount of chakra-infused sand, which he could control at will. That power alone had earned him the moniker ''Gaara of the Sand'' among the residents of Sunagakure. In truth, Gaara was somewhat mentally unstable, with a temper that could be flare up at any moment. Because of that, Temari had an underlying fear toward her youngest brother. Even so... "Don''t be like that! I''m just really really bad in written test, okay? I''ll show you my true worth in this test!" "If you won''t shut up, I''ll kill you." "Hey, Gaara, why are you so cold to your older brother, huh? Don''t say those cold words, smile more!" "Ifiof, stof iph-!" ...That Kankuro, her younger brother, was actually playing around with that fearsome monster, pulling on the edges of the boy''s mouth with his fingers. "..." What was this situation... She coughed as hard as she could. "Okay, that''s enough messing around. Let''s go!" "Tch," Gaara pushed Kankuro away, and then walked deeper into the forest. The latter just shrugged with a knowing smile before trailing right behind him. "Since when did those two become so close...?" As far as she remembered, Kankuro was supposed to be the same as her, cowering under their youngest brother''s presence. However, he had suddenly changed around half a year earlier. He didn''t avoid Gaara anymore, instead teasing and playing around with him like a proper older brother. Gaara was, as expected, extremely disgusted by his sudden boldness. She recalled the two ended up in a gruesome fight outside of the village. She had thought that Kankuro would definitely die from that battle, but surprisingly the two returned back safe and sound, although they were covered in wounds all over their body. Since then, Gaara had definitely changed, albeit just barely. This change, should she be happy, or worried about it? "Haah... can''t be helped, I''ll just have to see how it''ll turn out in the end..." Shaking her head, she quickly run after the two. --- "Hahahaha! The wind feels good! Right, Akamaru?" Woof! Several shadows flew past the mazes of gigantic trees within the deeper part of the forest. One belonged to a small, white-furred dog, while the other three were the young rookie Genin from Konohagakure. It was precisely team Kurenai: Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. They had defeated another team right at the start of the test thanks to an elaborate trap using Kiba and Shino''s extensive knowledge of Konoha''s wildlife. With the help of a few jumping leeches, their opponents were quickly taken down without even putting a fight. "Luckily those idiots brought an ''Earth'' scroll with them. Let''s get to the tower as fast as we can! We''ll be the first team to arrive! Woohoo!" "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves. We should slow down and exercise caution," Shino commented. "Moving recklessly like this will just attract enemy attention. Even the smallest insect, in order to protect itself, will always-" "Aah, shut it with your insect crap! I know that already!" Kiba groaned. "I-I think Shino is right... we s-should... be more careful..." Et tu, Hinata? "Geez, alright, alright, get off my back will ya..." Kiba was disappointed with his team''s lack of enthusiasm. Even so, there was indeed wisdom in their words, so he slowed down his advance in order to be able to get better reading of their surroundin-. Hmm? "Guys! Stop!" Both he and Akamaru abruptly halted, surprising the others who had quickly hit the brakes as well. "W-what is it... Kiba...?" "I smelled something... or someone," he explained. "We should be cautious, right? Let''s check first whether they''re friends or foes. Hinata, can you see around one kilometers ahead over there?" He pointed at a direction filled with thick, intertwining branches. Even his enhanced sight couldn''t see past those. However, the exalted Byakugan certainly could! "I''ll try..." After finishing the hand seal sequence, veins popped up on the girl''s temple, proof of the activation of her Dojutsu. Her vision pierced through the obstacles until she could get a clear view of several people gathering in a nearby clearance. "Oh... there are people... six of them... it seems that they''re fighting..." "Hmm..." Kiba rubbed his chin. If there were six people, then it was one team against another. They could use this to their advantage. "Alright, let''s check it out!" He declared. "What are you saying?" Shino protested. "I already told you that it''s dangerous to engage another team. Besides, we already have both scrolls in our hand." "Heh, hear me out! The examiner never said that we could only bring two scrolls, right? If we get more, we''ll have better leverage when we meet other team!" "Kiba... your words aren''t wrong, but it''s still too dangerous. Because-" "C''mon, just check it out! If it looks bad, we''ll bail immediately! How''s that? Let''s go!" Kiba and Akamaru immediately dashed out toward the fighting without waiting for Shino and Hinata''s reply. It seemed that Kiba''s bad habit had taken over once again. Once his stubbornness streak flared up, nobody could change his mind. "...Why do you have to be like this..." Shino let out a long sigh. "W-what should we do...?" Hinata looked nervously at him. "We''ve got no choice. Let''s follow him. But like he said, if things started looking bad, we prioritize getting out of there as fast as we can. Understood?" She nodded in agreement, and then they moved out as well. --- It actually didn''t take long before they caught up with Kiba. The Inuzuka boy was crouching behind a tall bush with Akamaru perched on top of his head. Their eyes were glued at the scene ahead of them. "K-Kiba..." "Sssh!" he pressed a finger on his own lips. "Get down, don''t let them notice you! Things are starting to get dangerous over there!" They quickly huddled up beside him, and then peeked out of the bush to see what was happening on the other side. Standing closer to their hiding spot was the three Sunagakure Genin. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. At the other end of the clearing were three young men dressed in Amegakure outfit. On their backs jutted out several bamboo sticks, as well as some large oxygen tanks. Two of them were short in stature, wearing similar-looking pin-stripped grey jumpsuit. The last person, who had a loose overcoat covering his jumpsuit, towered over the others, seemingly acting as the leader of the bunch. "Brats from Sunagakure. Challenging us like this... how foolish! Have you got bored of living?" He smirked. "You''ll die, you know?" "Cut the chatter." Gaara took a step forward, unaffected by the man''s taunt. "Let''s start the fight... old man from Amegakure." "Guh!" the one-eyed man gritted his teeth. Pfft... Kankuro almost burst out laughing. He could understand why Gaara said that, since the Ame ninja looked way older than his actual age thanks to his huge frame and numerous battle scars. "Don''t laugh, you!" Temari smacked him with her fan again. "Okay, okay, I''ll get serious. Oi, Gaara, you need help?" Gaara glanced back at the black-clothed boy. Both his gaze and his voice was turning colder. "He''s my prey. Don''t interfere." Kankuro just shrugged at him. "Sure, whatever you say." While Kankuro looked really calm, Temari was the exact opposite. She was already clear about Gaara''s tendencies. When he was using that tone, that meant blood was going to be spilled on the battlefield! "H-hey, are you sure about this?!" She grabbed her brother''s clothes in a panic. "Relax, let the boy vent out his frustration," he said lazily in return. ''Venting...? no, wait, in the first place, why are you acting like an old dude?! You''re barely fourteen!'' Regardless of Temari''s worries, the battle still raged on. The Ame ninja was the first to make a move. He pulled out the bamboo sticks from his back, which turned out to be handles for numerous umbrellas. He then tossed them up. Instead of falling back down, they seemed to float freely in the air. "Die!" Making a tiger seal, he activated his chakra inside the floating umbrella, causing them to spin in high speed. At the same time, thousands of metal needles shot out from the many openings on the umbrella, making an illusion of rain as they pour down from the sky. "W-what is that? Flying needles?!" Kiba was shocked when he saw that move. "So many of them! And they''re heading toward that eyebrow-less kid!" As if defying gravity, every metal needles changed their trajectories, pointing their sharp end toward Gaara. And then, they fell down all at once, striking from every possible direction. "Ha! Just give up, kid! Those needles are controlled by my chakra! There''s no way that you can escape!" The weight of thousands of metal needles struck down the Suna Genin, causing thick layer of dust to rise from the force of impact. The Ame ninja showed a satisfied grin. He thought that victory was at hand. However, that grin soon turned into a scowl. "...Is that it?" Instead of seeing a corpse pierced with numerous needles, he was greeted with a well-and-alive Gaara. A sphere made from a thick layer of sand was covering his perimeter, holding off every single needles at bay. The Suna Genin was unharmed. In fact, he didn''t even move from the spot where he was standing just then. "Impossible...!" He shot out even more needles, but the sand once again moved in front of the boy, stopping their barrage. It was Gaara''s total defense, a living shield made out of the very sand occupying the gourd that he was carrying on his back. Regardless of his will, the sand would come out and protect him from anything that would harm him, without exception. It was a mysterious power that was possessed by him and only him. Against that kind of defense, any form of attack was useless. "Are you kidding me... those needles have the power to pierce steel up to five millimeters of thickness... how could they fail to pierce some stupid sand!?" "Believe it or not, it''s up to you," Kankuro laughed. "The fact is that you can''t defeat Gaara." "S-shut up!" Unwilling to give up, the Ame ninja rushed forward with needles in his hands. If ranged attacks wouldn''t work... then he would break it through with physical attack! Without losing his calm, Gaara made a hand sign, and then reached his hand out as if he was grasping on something. "That-!" Temari quickly noticed what he was about to do. After all, it was a move that Gaara was fond of using when he was about to finish his prey. Before the Ame ninja could reach the boy, sand began to rush around him, covering every part of his body. Soon, he was completely encased in a thick bundle of sand, with only his face showing out. "Ugh... I-I can''t move... damn it...!" The floating umbrellas from before finally fell onto the ground after their supply of chakra was cut off. Gaara took one of them, and then stretched his hand out once again. "I could''ve covered your loud mouth and kill you, but that''ll be too pitiful. Therefore..." Just when he was about to start his jutsu, Kankuro suddenly appeared right beside of the sand coffin. He placed his hand on the hardening sand, not showing any sign of fear. "Alright, that''s enough, right? You''ve had your fun. I''m not against killing, but you shouldn''t do that without a good reason. I''d hate it if you got drowned in bad karma and increase my workload in the end." "K-Kankuro? What are you doing?!" Temari shrieked. What was he thinking? Was he suicidal? He knew more than anyone else that disturbing Gaara during his bloodlust was something that should never be done! "...Scram." The boy lifted his hand up. The sand coffin began to rise up as well, following his command. "Nah. I said..." Blue light flared off Kankuro''s body, strengthening his body multiple-fold with chakra. Using brute force alone, his hand held down the sand coffin on the ground. The opposing forces were so strong that the ground underneath the bundle of sand was blasted off, creating a small crater. For the first time in the entire battle, Gaara had showed a change in emotion. His eyes turned more menacing than before. "...Enough is enough." With a smirk on his face, Kankuro faced that glare straight on. 45 Gaara and Kankuro The brothers engaged in a staring contest as neither side refused to back down. Gaara tried to push the sand coffin upward again, yet Kankuro kept anchoring it down with more chakra. He was getting more and more irritated as time passed on. "Tch." In the end, he couldn''t care less as long as that annoying person died. His palm turned to face forward, and then he clenched it into a fist, activating his finisher move. The sand surrounding the Ame ninja started to move inward, applying pressure from every direction. At the same time, a surge of thread-like chakra poured out of Kankuro''s fingers. <> The glowing blue threads were transformed into licks of translucent, colorless flame that spread out over the surface of Gaara''s sand in the blink of an eye. The temperature rose up rapidly, to the point of instantly melting any sand particle that it touched. Half of the sand coffin had melted at the point when Gaara''s technique applied its full strength. Instead of compressing its victim, it ended up pushing him toward the melted part instead, catapulting him out through the brightly-lit layer. "U-uwaaah!" The Ame ninja''s right side had broken bones from the sand''s pressure, while his left side was suffering from horrifying third-degree burns where the molten sand had stuck on his skin. The heat had even rendered his nerves numb. He quickly passed out after letting out a muffled scream. Kankuro grimaced at the sight. He had withdrawn his flame immediately after, but he couldn''t stop the resulting heat. That guy''s left arm might be out of the question from now on. Nevertheless, he was still alive. That was the most important part, wasn''t it? The black-clothed boy lifted the poor man, and then threw him toward his two companions who had fallen on their knees from pure terror. That part on their pants were already dripping wet. "Oi, you see how impatient this guy is, right?" Kankuro pointed at Gaara with his thumb. "I suggest that you leave your scroll and scram as fast as you can. If you don''t want to die, that is." "Y-yes! R-right away!" The shortest kid on the group threw down a scroll. Right as it touched the ground, they quickly leaped away into the branches above while carrying their unconscious leader. "Well... that''s the ''Heaven'' one. How lucky," Kankuro whistled as he picked up their spoils. Combined with their ''Earth'' scroll, that meant they had earned the ticket to clear the second test. "Alright, let''s head to the tower...! Or maybe not." Gaara was still standing at the exact same spot from before, still with the same poker face as usual. However, dark aura was coming out of him at the moment, indicating that he was really furious with how the event had turned out. His eyes were filled with genuine killing intent. "I told you... not to interfere...!" the boy murmured as he glared at his older brother. Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "What are you fuming about? How many times do I have to tell you not to kill needlessly?" "Doesn''t matter," Gaara grumbled. "I''ll kill everyone that I laid my eyes upon..." "..." Damn... this edgy kid... did he steal that line from Villain 101? That was too clich¨¦! He had seen far too many unorthodox sects members spouting those lines only to get beaten up later by the virtuous heroes. Must not let the kid fall to the same pit! "Look," he sighed. "If you keep on doing that, you''ll meet someone that you can''t afford to offend one day, and then you''ll be brought down under their feet. What will you do then? Knowing when to hold back is one of the greatest virtues for a martial artist." Temari winced. What martial artist? Weren''t they ninja...? "You''re annoying..." Gaara lifted his hand. Cloud of sand began to pour out from his gourd. "You brat, you still want to go?!" Kankuro readied his stance as well, the blue light of chakra enveloping his body once again. "You two, enough!" In a panic, Temari had jumped in between the two. She was clear of Gaara''s monstrous power, while the Kankuro of the past six months had also scared her senseless. If the two did fight it out, the result would definitely not be pretty. They might end up disqualified from losing a teammate or two. "Calm down, alright? There''s no point in fighting between ourselves! Let''s just go to the tower! Please, listen to your elder sister''s request..." Even though she was reprimanding them, she was actually the one who was most afraid at the moment. Her trembling self looked so pitiful that Kankuro ended up feeling bad. "Yeah, yeah, sorry," he shrugged. Gaara had pulled down his hand as well. However, the sand cloud didn''t recede back into the gourd just yet. The boy had turned his attention toward a certain bushes no too far from them. "Gaara...?" "Hey..." the boy murmured. "I still haven''t had enough. It''ll be fine if I kill those guys, right?" Gulp. ''He''s onto us!'' Kiba silently screamed. The trio had been rooted on the ground as they watched the fight unfolding between Gaara''s team and the Ame ninja''s team. The most terrifying one had turned out to be the brow-less kid with the gourd. "That... if that face-paint guy didn''t help him, the Ame dude would''ve died, right?" Shino gravely nodded, reaching the same conclusion as Kiba. Crap. "Let''s get out of here while they''re still busy bickering! If they find us, we''ll be-" Dead. Kiba swallowed that word back as he couldn''t bring himself to say it. They were about to leap away when they heard what Gaara had said. If they exit the bushes right now, they would definitely got caught. Staying here forever wouldn''t be a good choice either now that their hiding spot had been found. "Damn it, do we have to fight...?" At that moment, Kankuro and Temari had finally noticed their presence as well. The black-clothed boy held his hand up toward Gaara, telling him to wait. "Let''s see what they have to say first." He flared up his chakra, and then rushed toward the bushes. Meanwhile, Gaara''s sand cloud followed right behind him. The bushes shook as something was coming from within. Right as they were about to strike it down, it turned out to be... Woof! A tiny, four-legged creature covered in white fur jumped out of the leaves. Its slit-like eyes were locked at the black-clothed boy while its tail was wagging back and forth. ""..."" That... was that a puppy? ''Honored Lady Daji? What are you doing here?!?'' Kankuro was maintaining a cool expression on the outside, but he was actually screaming mentally inside. He grabbed the little pup and then lifted it up so that he could get a closer look at him. Akamaru had this sly look on his face. His eyes slightly parted open as he stared at the black-clothed boy. "Damn it, Akamaru! Why did you go out- ugh!" As expected, Kiba quickly popped out right after. Since they had no other choice, Shino and Hinata followed as well. Whine. Both Daji and Ox-Head were long-term acquaintances who had gone way back. As such, they had developed a tactful way of communicating just by eye contact. Of course, it was all just bull crap. They were just mainly guessing what the other party was thinking. ''These kids are under my watch,'' the dog''s glare seemingly conveyed. ''If you let them get hurt by any means, I''ll tear you a new one.'' T-tear where? He gulped as the puppy looked slightly downward. ''I... I get it. Worry not.'' He winked at the pup, giving an OK sign. "What, it''s those noisy brats from Konoha," Temari clicked her tongue. Sneaking around them, especially with Gaara here... were they idiots? "I''ll kill..." "Hahaha! What a coincidence to meet you guys here!" Kankuro abruptly cut Gaara''s speech while moving closer to the three. "Shut up! Let Akamaru go, you face-paint freak!" Face paint freak... Kankuro''s lips twitched. It wasn''t like he want to wear it, alright? It was his new body''s memory''s fault! "Fine, fine, here''s your Da- I mean, dog..." He put down Akamaru on the ground, surprising Kiba with how gentle his movements were. "Uh, so what are you guys doing here? Don''t tell me that you''re looking for a fight?" He glanced at Gaara in the back, who was itching to go. It was apparent from the sand''s movement. "No," Shino quickly intervened, trying to keep his voice calm despite his growing anxiety. "We already have two scrolls. Since we have no reason to fight each other, can we pretend that we have never met?" From what he had seen before, this person seemed a bit more reasonable compared to the rest of his team. He could only hope that they would show mercy and accept his proposal. "That''s good," Kankuro secretly sighed. He wasn''t sure if he could protect three kids against Gaara. If they ended up getting hurt, he could really say bye bye to his little Ox. The prospect was too scary! "Since we''re heading to the tower anyway, why not go together?" "..." Everyone was frozen on their spot. Even the stoic Gaara was left wide-eyed upon hearing that stupid suggestion. Temari''s giant paper fan once again crashed onto Kankuro''s head. "Are you an idiot?! Why would we bother doing something so tedious!" "Well... why not...?" ''If I keep them nearby, I can ensure their safety, thus saving my future descendants from that vixen''s wrath!'' But of course, he couldn''t say the real reason out loud, so he just left his sentence hanging like that, earning another smack from the paper fan. "...Do whatever you want..." Gaara, who had had enough dose of foolishness for the day, decided to just screw it and move on. He leaped away toward the tower without waiting for his siblings. "Eh, Gaara! Wait up!" Temari followed right behind him. "Shouldn''t you catch up with them...?" Kiba pointed at the two''s disappearing visage. "Nah," Kankuro snickered. "I''m carrying the scrolls right now. They''re the ones who should be waiting for me, heheheh..." "..." When they were watching from afar, these guys looked scary as heck. Why did they turn out to be so... well, disappointing up close? Shino blamed the black-clothed guy for a moment, before realizing that he had also another version of the idiot in his own team. As a result, he gave his Inuzuka teammate a judging stare. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?!" Instead of a proper reply, Kiba just got another intense round of judging stare. "Let''s just get this over with. Follow me." Kankuro jumped off deeper into the forest. Team Kurenai, however, wasn''t too keen on coming along with him. They stood rooted on the ground, not sure on how to proceed from there. "...What to do?" Kiba wondered out loud. "Definitely not following them," Shino shook his head. "Let''s take a different route. Staying with those freaks is bad mojo." "Agreed, then let''s-" He suddenly froze up, and then started looking all over the place. "Wait, where''s Akamaru?" Ah. Right. The dog had disappeared... "Um... A-Akamaru went with the face-paint guy..." Hinata murmured. Oh for f- "Why didn''t you say it earlier?!" Kiba roared. "I-I''m s-sorry...!" "Bah, forget it!" He quickly leaped away following Kankuro''s scent, throwing caution to the wind. Seeing how messed up the situation had become, Shino had a major migraine banging on his head. "W-what should we do...?" "Do we even have a choice...? Follow him." And that was how team Baki and team Kurenai ended up arriving at the central tower around the same time... 46 Just a Small Grain of Sand "Akamaru, I''m telling you, don''t wander around on your own!" Woof! "I don''t care whether it''s a bad guy or a good guy! No means no!" Woof~ "You-! Aaargh! Acting cute won''t help you this time!" It took just a lick on the cheek before Kiba finally melted under his partner''s coaxing and dropped the topic. The boy slouched down on the ground, tired and defeated, while the puppy snickered mischievously. "Losing to a mere dog... have you no shame as a member of the dominant species?" Temari shook her head. "Shut up, you pigtails girl! He''s no ''mere dog''! He''s my partner, Akamaru!" "Still a dog, no?" Well... true... Now that he was defeated by a dog and a foreign woman, he slipped down further into depression. The central tower was a huge structure with multiple entrance at the bottom. The two teams had separated to take the entrance assigned from their gates, but found nobody waiting inside their respective hall. There was only a large plaque filled with riddles written on it. There was no examiner around, so they didn''t know whether they had indeed passed the test or not. Considering how tricky the first test was, one could never be too sure. In the end, they decided to try opening the doors around the hall. After spending some time walking around the bottom floor, they ended up meeting with Gaara and his team once again. It seemed that each halls were actually connected by a maze of corridors. There was also a deeper area further inside with a set of staircase leading to the floors above. Upon reaching that point, it was decided that Shino, Hinata, and Kankuro would go up to check, leaving Kiba and Temari below in case any examiner appeared. Meanwhile, Gaara had went off by his own without saying anything. Typical. "Say, pigtails girl-" "Stop calling me that, dog boy! I''m Temari!" "Fine, Temari," Kiba huffed. "What''s wrong with that brow-less kid of yours? He looks... off. You know what I''m saying? Something''s going bad in his head." Temari scowled at him. "Watch your mouth, brat, that''s my little brother." Oops. Kiba quickly clammed up. She let out a sigh. "Well... I guess you''re not exactly wrong..." Their father, the Fourth Kazekage, had ordered her and Kankuro to keep watch of Gaara. Truthfully, she would had declined if only the mission didn''t require three Genin to be a part of the team. After all, that little brother of hers... she was actually scared of him. She felt as if he could easily kill her without the slightest of hesitation if she ever got him in a bad mood. Despite that, Kankuro... Somehow, she had grown jealous of his other brother''s sudden improvement, which had allowed him to basically interact with Gaara in an equal footing. "Hmm? You guys are already close, I see. That''s good." A carefree voice came from the staircase, to which both Kiba and Temari retorted at the same time. ""We''re not!"" "..." ''That was a good sync though...'' Kankuro was about to say that, but he noticed that the fan behind Temari was this close to be unleashed and get intimate with his head, so he swallowed the thought immediately. On the side, Akamaru was rolling on his stomach, trying to suppress his giggle. "Well, Shino? Hinata? What did you get?" Kiba coughed. "Nobody''s here," Shino replied. "Uppermost floor is blocked. Only examiners could enter." "You know, maybe we came too early...?" Kankuro muttered. "..." There was actually a good possibility of that being the case. After all, the exam was supposed to last for five days, but they had finished it in two hours... "What now?" Kiba groaned. "Let''s just stay here for now. The examiners will arrive sooner or later. There''s enough supply here as well." Everyone agreed to Shino''s suggestion. However, since they were still two opposing teams, they decided to split up to find their own resting place. By the time that peace and quiet had settled down once again in the tower, night had finally arrived. Without any lights, the place was absurdly dark save for the trace of moonlight coming from the windows. "Where are you going?" Temari asked when she noticed Kankuro walking off with a cloth bundle on his hand. "I''m going to find the brat." He replied promptly before disappearing into the darkness. "...They really didn''t care about their sister... hmph!" She devoured lunch boxes one after another while sulking by herself... --- Gaara was perched on the roof of the uppermost floor, wasting his time by staring dazedly at the moon. He was currently in a bad mood. His thirst for blood hadn''t been satiated yet, and now that blasted raccoon inside him was edging him on, telling him to slaughter the kids that had come along with them. Of course he would had done so, if only that annoying fly wasn''t there to stop him... "Oi. I finally found you!" God damn it. Speak of the Devil and he doth appear! Kankuro leaped up from a roof to the next one above it until he finally reached Gaara''s position. The kid was narrowing his eyes toward him. Is he had a brow, it would had most likely been locked in an epic frown. "What do you want? Just fu*k off!" "Don''t be like that, don''t you want this?" He threw the bundle to Gaara. When it landed on the boy''s side, the cloth opened to reveal a stack of wooden boxes. "...What is that." "Food. Aren''t you hungry?" "..." He didn''t reply. Shrugging off the cold treatment, Kankuro took a box for himself, and then began chowing down on the content. "Eating good food under the moonlight is great. It''ll be even better with a companion. Why don''t you try it out?" Gaara gritted his teeth as he continued to glare at the happy-go-lucky Kankuro sitting cross-legged beside him without a care in the world. Back then, he was alone. That was enough for him. It wasn''t until later that the Kazekage suddenly introduced Temari and Kankuro as his siblings. He never acknowledged them as such. He could see the disdain hidden in their eyes. They tried to hide it with smiles and flowery words, Temari more so than Kankuro, but he wasn''t so easily deceived. They were afraid of him, just like the rest of the village. What siblings? What blood relation? In the end, they just saw him as a monster. It was fine. He''d never expected anything different in the first place. That was, until half a year ago. This ''brother'' of his had suddenly woken up in the middle of the night, and then ran around the entire village while yelling out random babbles. When he had finally calmed down, the village medic immediately tested him for genjutsu influence but found nothing of sort. They concluded that he was just stressed out. From then on, his personality seemed to change. He was supposed to be a puppet jutsu user, so he''d always focusing his training in chakra manipulation. Ever since that night, it was all changed into physical training. Weird physical trainings, even. Ever seen a man wiggling their naked bodies at the break of dawn? Gaara had. It was deeply unsettling... Not only that, his brother seemed to lose any sense of fear around him. The annoying fly would bother him again and again, telling him to loosen up a bit more. The worst part was that it felt so genuine, so real, that it had wavered his conviction of being alone. He hated it. He hated this new him so much. His dwindling patience finally blew up at the conclusion of one particular mission not too long ago. Kankuro had distracted him from landing a killing blow on a surrendering enemy ninja, allowing said enemy to retreat. Although killing the enemies wasn''t part of the mission, Temari and Kankuro had been notified multiple times by their father to let Gaara do whatever he want. If he wanted to kill, so be it, let him kill. Stopping him from relieving his stress was a big no. Gaara changed his target to Kankuro, covering him with Binding Sand Coffin technique. Not too far from there, Temari had broken down in tears. The thing that she had feared the most had finally happened. She forced her feet to move, rushing with all her might back to Sunagakure. If she could get their father to help, then maybe Kankuro could still be saved. Of course, that was just an excuse. Gaara''s Desert Funeral killed in an instant. Perhaps, she had just wanted to save herself. Nevertheless, Gaara''s only focus at that moment was Kankuro. He clenched his fist, expecting to crush the puppeteer in an instant. The blood rain, however, never fell down. "Cheeky brat, you''ve done it this time." Gaara had lost control of his bundle of sand, which had melted into a puddle of blazing-hot liquid. As for Kankuro, starting from the tip of his fingers, licks of translucent flame were covering his entire body, their white glow comparable to the brightness of the summer sun itself. Those were chakra-infused sand, which was ridiculously resistant to even the strongest Flame Release technique. To be able to melt those sand, how hot would that flame had to be?! "What... did you do? What is that?!" With a yell, he shot out numerous bullets made out of sand toward Kankuro. The latter increased the intensity of the flames, burning every sand bullets that managed to get near. And then, he lunged toward Gaara. A brilliant red light glowed on his right palm, which stretched out to form a three-pronged spear as tall as Kankuro''s own body with blades made out of those translucent flames. It was the absolute enigma of this world, the thing that should not exist. The weapon of the Guardian of the Underworld, the Honorable Ox-Head: Karma Trishula. Gaara''s sand defense quickly formed a shield around him. At the same time, the tip of the trishula stabbed into the sand. The flame burned even brighter, melting the sand and scattering it off. It kept pushing forward closer and closer toward the boy. For the first time in his life, Gaara was forced to abandon his living sand shield. The trishula only hit a sand clone while the real body had emerged elsewhere after slipping through the sand below their feet. "Guh... gwaah!" He was angry. Really angry. Shukaku was slowly winning over him. His body was merging up with the sand, reshaping itself into a form resembling a gigantic raccoon with claws and fangs. "So that''s the ''monster'' that they fussed about so much... Fine! If you''re so intent to become a wild beast, then I''ll knock you down to submission!" The translucent flame burned. Brighter, brighter, blazing up uncontrollably as it grew to gargantuan size, turning the entire desert into a puddle of hot, glowing mess. Although faint, the flame grew more and more to resemble a raging bull''s head. The sand and the flame clashed at the middle as both sides struck with all their might. One bent on extinguishing the other, while another threaten to burn everything to oblivion. A combination of loud roar and explosion reverberated in the sky before slowly dying down. And then, it was quiet. A huge crater was left after that fight. The surface was covered in a thick layer of rough, glassy substance, the result of liquid sand cooling off rapidly. At the center lied two boys covered in scars and burn marks, their clothes broken and tattered. "Why... why won''t you leave me alone..." A soft murmur came from Gaara, prompting Kankuro to stir awake. "Why... indeed..." Ox-Head had always been fond of children. They were still pure, the sign of brighter future, a future where everyone would be able to smile. In his previous world, the mortals and immortals had achieved it through the formation of Yang Dynasty. This world, however, was still far from it. He had noticed this boy''s darkness from the start, but he also knew that it would be impossible to heal that wound in one sitting. The only thing that he could do was to stay by his side, to show him that he would never be alone. That was a handful to say, so in the end he summed it up in one sentence. "Because I''m your brother. That''s why..." According to this body''s memory, that was the setting, so it should be appropriate, right? "..." Gaara went silent. It took a while before he asked once again, "Aren''t you afraid of this monster inside of me?" To which Kankuro let out a loud, mocking laughter. "Monster? That puny critter just now?!" Inside Gaara, veins were popping up on Shukaku''s temple. "...Not funny." "Haha... sorry, sorry." He finally stopped laughing. "Listen, kid. I''ve seen powers beyond your imagination. I''ve seen someone turning a big country into ice. I''ve seen someone spreading madness throughout the entire Dynasty. I''ve even seen someone creating a literal sun with his own strength! Compared to that, what does your ''monster'' amount to? Just a small grain of sand! Now, tell me, why should I feel afraid?" At that moment, Gaara felt as if he had regained something. It was still small and unnoticeable, but it was definitely there. After remembering those memories, he took a lunch box out of the bundle, only to notice that it was already the last remaining box. Didn''t Kankuro bring a lot just now...? He turned his gaze toward the black-clothed boy, only to see five empty boxes scattered all over the roof. The culprit himself was emptying the sixth one. "Uh... sorry, I thought you''re not eating..." "..." Gaara decided to just ignore this stress source and eat up his lunch box. At one point, the movement of his chopsticks stopped. "Kankuro..." He muttered. "Hmm?" "That person who can create a sun... is he here?" To be able to have that kind of power... Gaara''s blood was boiling, itching to have a go at that ridiculous-sounding person. "Well..." Kankuro burped. "He''s indeed here, but I don''t think you can fight him at his peak condition. He''s got... issues to deal with at the moment." "...Fine." Gaara''s eyes turned cold once again. "When he''s finally back to shape... tell me immediately. I want to fight him..." So that he could prove his own reason of existence. --- "Ah-choo!" A muffled sneeze came out from beneath the dolphin-faced porcelain mask. "Big brother, did you catch a cold?" Not too far from there, a person in a porcelain mask fashioning slit-eyes and elongated beak, a shape resembling the face of a bird, called out. "No, I''m perfectly healthy. Strange... is someone gossiping about me?" The dolphin mask was worn by a brown-haired girl in dark robe, while the bird mask was worn by a handsome young man in light-blue robe. Under the moonlight, the two were leisurely lounging around while chatting aimlessly- -on top of a pile of corpses. The swords on their sides were still dripping with freshly-drawn blood. The simple wooden huts around them were burning brightly, the swaying flames emitting an eerie glow. They had been attacked by a group of bandits when dusk had fallen. Unfortunately for the bandits, not only did they fend off the attack, they had also followed the retreating bandits to their village and slaughtered the entire troupe, sparing only a few women and children in their ranks who had since fled the area. What was left after their rampage was a wrecked village and the thick stench of death. "Bandits, huh... no matter the world, they always spring up one after another. How annoying," Hikari grunted. "It can''t be helped," Youen sighed. "The southern area wasn''t as prosperous as the north. Desperate people always choose desperate actions, especially if they could get away with it." "It''s such a bother," the girl stretched out her arms. "By the way, big brother, since when did you make this mask for me..." "Daji commissioned one a while ago. She''d also made one for Honorable Ox-Head. See?" Hikari pulled out a bull-faced mask out of her sleeve. "..." In his heart, Youen lamented that his big sister had too much free time... "Anyway, we should be close to that kid you''ve mentioned before, right?" "Ah, yeah." The young man pulled out their map, and then pointed at a marked spot not far from their current position. "There''s a clue about reincarnator there, or so I hope." "Having any clue is better than running aimlessly, I guess. Though, It''s just the first day and it''s already this hectic..." Hikari jumped off the pile of corpse, and then walked off toward the main road. "Let''s go." "In the middle of the night?" "What about it. We usually cultivate without sleeping for years anyway. Don''t tell me you''re getting soft after reincarnating?" Youen replied with a smirk. "Definitely not. Let''s go, big brother!" The duo set off once again in their journey. 47 Authors Emergency Note Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 48 Authors Note, and the State of the Work @@ Hello. It''s been a long, long while. As you''ve already speculated before, I kind of dropped the series. There might be various reasons behind it, but most prominently, I don''t feel that it fits any of the premise it''s involved in. To call this a fanfic, the focus of my story is in my original characters, whom I''m afraid would even overshadow the original characters of the fandom sooner or later. In other words, it would feel insulting to the fandom at large. I had even planned one or two volume to focus on Yao Huang and co.''s past, which would be set in their original world. It''s rather crucial to the plot so I can''t just skip it altogether. To call this an original, why did I set it up in Naruto world in the first place? Thus, the longer I wrote and plan for the story, the more I feel conflicted. Perhaps it''s just me overthinking it, but it affected my capability to write the story, so... yeah. If you got any idea about this, please do tell. Personally I''m stuck and unable to continue ahahah...