Reborn
Kage in the Making 👑
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2010
- Messages
- 14,109
- Reaction score
- 1,007
Chapter 61: New Paths
The festival continues in Konoha though it gets longer with each passing minute. An ominous wind blows through the village and the clouds begin to make their way towards the full moon.
Kana and Koji sit in Ichiraku's. Kana holds her hands over Koji's injured arm, using her medical techniques over it. “You're arm is looking really good Koji, at this rate you'll be out in another couple weeks.”
“That's reassuring, I'll be able to train again. I can't let Koichi get too far ahead of me.” Koji smiles.
“Jeez, what's with you twins, always feel the need to compete with one another, you know you're going to have to go through a few weeks of physical therapy for that arm right, *sigh* If only I could be there to oversee it to make sure you don't screw anything up.”
“If I didn't know any better I'd say you wanted me around.” Koji smirks, “I thought I was an annoying little kid.”
“You are, which is why I need to keep my eye on you.” Kana turns her head away and avoids Koji's smirk. Koji laughs slightly and Kana begins to get a sudden sullen look on her face and she looks down into her ramen. “I know this isn't the night you were expecting to have.” Koji stops just before he begins eating his ramen and his look begins sink into negative one.
“It's doesn't matter, I've come to realize what is more important to me beyond my own personal desires,” Koji begins, “and besides, spending my last night here in Konoha with you isn't exactly a horrible thing.” Koji tries to steer the conversation away from it's inevitable path.
“But that's just it, you're brushing away your own feelings to do for your brother and Ryoko and they don't even see that they're taking you too much for granted.” Kana's voice raises in irritation at Koji's self sacrifice, “That first day, when you stormed out of the hotel, I talked with your sensei. He told me how important those two were to you and more importantly, how they didn't see it. I started to see it everyday from that point on and—”
“And why do you care?!” Koji raises his voice in anger at Kana's constant prying.
“Because you're like a little brother to me.” Kana lowers her tone and she looks at Koji with true care, “I don't know why but...every time I see you upset it worries me, when you're hurt I want to take care of you, and when I see just how strong you are, it makes me proud.” Kana begins to blush, “I admit, you've grown on me, that's why when I see you like I did this morning with Koichi and Ryoko it just...”
“You don't need to say anything else Kana...I'm sorry.” Koji holds a look of remorse, “Those two are like my family, so I know how it feels to care the way you do. And you have been a great friend to me. However, it's just—”
“You don't have to explain it,” Kana says, “Just promise me you're not going to do anything stupid when you go back to Suna, and take it easy until you're all fixed.”
“I guess I can agree to that,” Koji smiles, “So, a little brother huh, do you look at me like Senten then?”
“No, Senten is the good one, I don't have to worry about him so much. You're the trouble maker.” Kana and Koji both share a laugh and the eat their ramen.
~Main Streets of Konoha~
Koga and Mika stroll down Konoha in the midst of large crowds.
“Looks like we didn't get our fight, Koga-san, but there's always next time. We don't have to be in the exams together you know.” Mika smiles, Koga simply mumbles showing that he moderately acknowledges Mika's presence, “Don't think just because you became a chuunin means you're that much stronger than me.”
“Yeah...” Koga's face bares a transfixed like expression, unfocused on Mika. Mika turns to Koga and notices his ignoring of her.
“Hey, Koga!” Mika says in an irritated tone. Koga snaps out of his trans and shakes his head, “You know when a girl is talking to you it's polite to give her your attention and listen.”
“I'm sorry, Mika-san...”
Mika turns her expression from irritated to sympathetic, “What's the matter with you? You're acting strange for some reason.”
“That Kiri shinobi...he didn't hold back when he fought Ryoko. That power of his was...”
“So you're upset with him because he held back in my fight?” Mika asks.
“No, it's not that—”
“Then you're mad because he defeated one of your comrades?”
“No I—”
“Then what is it? Why are you acting like this?”
“Because that monster's power is the same one that took my sensei away from me!” Koga's outburst causes several people to turn their attention to the two shinobi. “Koichi has the same type of demonic like chakra inside him...It was because of him that several of our comrades were killed and now my sensei is in critical condition.” Koga clinches his fist in frustration, “Me and my team, we're all orphans. We've lost our parents early in our lives and our sensei has been that mother figure to us ever since we became ninja. The thought of loosing her like we lost our parents before just...”
“Ro...when you saw that power unleashed and you recognized it you—”
“Every fiber of my being wanted to lash out of pure rage. It was an impulse inside of me that I thought I could control. Every time I've seen Koichi since the incident with my sensei I've been suppressing the urge to lash out at him. When I saw another person with that same type of power I didn't know how to react.”
Koga and Mika stand just outside the Yakiniku Q Restaurant and Ryoko and Koichi hears every word of Koga's. Koichi clinches his fist angrily as each word he hears reminds him pain of that day.
“But there's something else.” Koga begins. Just then, Koga is grabbed by the collar by Koichi. Koichi stares into Koga's eyes with fury.
“You know I'm just about sick and tired of you!” Koichi shouts gaining even more people's attention. “No matter what I say do, none of it will convince you that it wasn't my fault! None of it was my choice, none of it was under my power to stop it! I tried my hardest to stop all of it but nobody sees it...” Koichi grits his teeth, “Well fine then, you want to take out all that stored up anger then so be it. I'll let you take it all out on me, but let me tell you, I'm not going to sit around either because I have my own reasons to vent!”
Ryoko places her hand on Koichi's shoulder, “Koichi stop, we're guests here in this village, you shouldn't be acting this way.” Ryoko's tone is scolding yet gentle, “Just leave it alone—”
“You're wrong Koichi, I've been convinced,” Koichi looks confused moderately at Koga's words. Koga brushes Koichi's hands off of him and he bares mixed emotions throughout his body. “I know now that none of it was your fault and deep down I sort of always known. However it doesn't change what happened. Maiyuri is only getting worse and worse as the time passes. No matter what realization I come to, it can't stop what happened...or what's most likely going to happen. You of all people should understand the feeling of loosing a parent. I've always known just like you, and now Masaomi, Shizuko, and myself may have to go through that again.”
Koga walks past the other three and leaves Koichi feeling deeply remorseful. Mika runs after Koga and Ryoko and Koichi remain in the middle of the street as people begin to go back about their business. “I'm such an ass.” Koichi says with a sigh. Ryoko places her hand on Koichi's shoulder.
“Koga wait!” Koga stops down the road leading out of the main district of Konoha. Mika catches up with him and comes beside him, “It's not easy running in this yukata.” She smiles, trying to lighten the mood. Koga doesn't respond, he just maintains his sullen look. “I'm sorry. I can't tell you that I know how much that meant to you back there...I know it was important though.”
“That Kiri shinobi had the same power as Koichi but it was completely different. He knew full well of what he was doing. He was embracing that power and he used that evil chakra with a malicious intent behind it. He was cold as ice. But when Koichi was using it...he was gone, there was an entirely different entity controlling his body.” Koga leans against a tree and looks up into the sky, “I couldn't get over it though, I was so afraid for Maiyuri and my team, and so angry too.”
Mika grabs Koga's hand and he turns and looks at her, “My mother died a short while after I was born. I never really knew her. I've always been with my aunt, grandfather and cousin. Even though I had a family though I was never really treated with much love except for Jin. He's like my big brother and I love him a lot. I wouldn't imagine feeling any different than you if I were in your position. But I can only imagine for now and I hope I don't have to go through what you have and still are. However I do want to help.” Mika smiles with reassurance towards Koga and he smiles back.
“How touching.” An ominous and familiar voice says to the two shinobi. Suddenly an arm emerges from the tree Koga leans against and wraps him in a head lock, binding him to the tree.
“Koga!”
Shinji's head appears from the wood and he looks at Mika, “Well, well now isn't this a familiar setting. With familiar intentions. Mika-san, you're going to have to come with me.”
“Not on your life!”
Just then a kunai appears in Shinji's hand and he holds it to Koga's throat, “Well how about his?”
“Mika get out of here!” Koga yells, “Don't worry about me.”
“How admirable, but we all know she's not going to do that so spare your breath.”
“Fine...I'll go with you, but leave Koga alone.” Mika demands.
“Very well.” Shinji retracts his other hand and makes the snake seal and Shinji disappears within the tree and the wood from the tree extends and wraps Koga from the neck down. Shinji appears from the ground behind Mika, “That's just a little insurance to make sure he doesn't try anything.”
“How do you know I won't try anything?” Mika says and she suddenly vanishes in a blur and the world around him becomes dark red. Several thin spikes begin to impale him, and he's immobilized.
“Well this wasn't so surprising, though I will admit you're a pretty good gen user.” Shinji speaks as if the affects of the illusion don't even phase him. Mika appears beside Koga in reality looking dead at Shinji. “However I'm pretty resistant to a certain level of illusions.” Shinji's grip on reality comes back in a burst as the illusion completely fades without him doing a thing and he begins walking towards the two.
“How—”
“I wasn't worried because I know the level of genjutsu you use would have absolutely no affect on me. Not to toot my own horn or anything but anything shy of Kurama and Uchiha based genjutsu is pointless. Don't make this harder than it has to be.” Shinji begins walking towards them again however he stops suddenly and leaps up in to the air as a slash of wind lands down on the ground where he stood.
Jin appears behind Shinji in the air using Dancing Leaf Shadow and kicks Shinji down to the ground hard. “Jin-Nii!” Mika yells as her cousin steps down beside her.
“You're the bastard who tried to take her last time aren't you!” Jin says in anger. Jin holds a katana in his hand and he stares down the shinobi as Shinji rises from the ground, “You got lucky last time but I promise you, you'll regret ever stepping foot inside this village.”
“I really don't have time for this.” Shinji raises his hands to make a seal, however Jin darts out towards him at great speeds and gets underneath him with his blade before he can waves a seal. Shinji looks down with an unexpressed face, “Pretty quick.” As Jin comes to rise with his sword, Shinji lifts his left leg, blocking Jin's arm from coming up any further and he continues to make his seal. Shinji creates a pillar of wood from the ground which wraps around Jin and restrains him. Shinji walks around Jin casually and proceeds towards Mika again. Jin manages to move his hands in the to make the tiger seal. Shinji shifts his eyes back, annoyed and he uses his mayfly technique to sink into the ground. Immediately he appears in front of Jin again and he sticks his hand through his stomach using his earth spear technique. “Enough!” Shinji says in a low roar. Jin falls unconscious in seconds and Shinji retracts his hand.
“Jin!” Mika cries out. Just then Koga breaks out of his binding and rushes Shinji. Suddenly, black seeds on Koga's body begin to grow into large spores and they begin to engulf his body. The same happens so Mika and both of them find themselves becoming drowsy as they feel their chakra being sucked out of them. Koga falls to the ground slowly loosing consciousness and he sees Shinji take an unconscious Mika over his shoulder.
“By the time you wake we'll be long gone.” Shinji sinks into the ground with Mika and the two disappear from sight.
“Mi...ka.”
~Konoha Hospital~
“Mika!” Koga shoots up and he finds himself in a hospital bed.
“Koga-kun!” Shizuko throws herself at Koga hugging him the moment he comes too.
“Where the hell?”
“You're in the hospital, some villagers found you and another shinobi passed out just outside the main road.” Tenra says. Koga notices Masaomi asleep in a chair and he finally gets his grip on where he is. “Though you weren't in as bad a shape as the other guy, which leads to the question, what happened?”
“Mika, where's Mika?!” Koga ask, gently pushing Shizuko off him.
“The Yuhi family genin? What does she have to do with anything?”
“She was taken by that shinobi, that one that appeared in the Chuunin Exams!” Koga shouts, “We have to go after her, we have to do something.”
“Calm down Koga.”
“Are you absolutely sure of what you just said?” Naruto enters the room followed by Kurenai.
“I'm positive, he just appeared out of nowhere and he took and he said he was going to take Mika. He restrained me and when Jin came the shinobi took him down without a problem. The only thing I can remember after that are these large black things growing on my body and seeing him take Mika.”
“This isn't good.” Kurenai says, “Naruto.” Naruto has his eyes closed but the marks around his eyes shows he's gone into Sage Mode.
“Damn it, it's already too late, I can't sense his chakra anywhere within my range, they're well out of the Land of Fire by now.” Naruto says.
“Naruto, we need to do something otherwise our families abilities risk falling into Kabuto's hands.” Kurenai says.
“This shinobi is extremely powerful. He has the kekkei genkai abilities of Shodaime Hokage just like the organism Zetsu in the last Great War, he also has expert level sealing abilities. He's too powerful for anybody in the village to take on directly.”
“So then what?” Kurenai asks.
“Hokage-sama, forgive me for speaking out like this,” Tenra says, “But this incident is tied with Kabuto if I'm not mistaken. I feel that best course of action to take would be for you to devout a division of shinobi specifically designed for tracking Kabuto. I understand that you possess individual squads and units who specialize in this already, but a few shinobi here and there will solve very little.”
“What you say is true, however with various other things going on right now, we don't have the resources to create such a unit. A majority of our tracking units have already been devoured to searching for Kabuto but there's very little—”
“You are are good terms with Gaara-sama correct? I believe more assertive action should be taken by both our villages, given our alliance with one another. Kabuto has become bolder and I believe we should be fighting back harder.”
“Naruto?” Kurenai looks at Naruto who stands deep in thought.
“Things have been getting a lot more intense lately. I will speak with Gaara about your ideas, Tenra-san.”
“Naruto, we managed to pick up a faint trail.” Kiba enters the room, “It was very weak but Akamaru managed to pick up the scent leading into the Land of Rice. My sister has agreed to lend her hounds for assistance if you'd like me to continue with this.”
“Yes, Kiba, I'll assemble a squad together for you.”
“Hokage-sama, please allow me to go on this mission!” Koga bursts out.
“Koga, be quiet.” Tenra demands.
“Please, I couldn't protect her before nor this time. I want to do something I owe her at least that.”
“Hokage-sama, forgive my student, he's still in shock.”
“I read your profile when I was grading you for the exams, you have quite the versatile set of abilities. You've also been noted to have a sharper set of senses.” Naruto says.
“You can't be serious Naruto, this isn't a joke, this kid is—”
“Kurenai sensei,” Naruto cuts off, “But Tenra-san said it himself, we need to work together with our allies for this one.” Tenra throws his hands in his face, as Naruto uses his suggestion against him. “Besides this determination to help a friend. I'm sure this would be good experience for him.”
“But this isn't something to take lightly.” Kurenai says in annoyance.
“I'm not.” Naruto's tone becomes low and serious. “Tenra-san, wouldn't you agree?” Tenra simply sighs, “Then it's settled, I'll message Gaara immediately and then I'll handle finding the rest of your squad Kiba.”
Naruto exits the room followed by Kiba and Kurenai.
~Next Morning~
Koga stands before Tenra, Masaomi, and Shizuko as he prepares to depart with Kiba and the rest of the squad. Shizuko hugs Koga and kisses him on the cheek, “Be careful Koga-kun.”
“Yeah, you better come back in one piece.” Masaomi smiles and hugs Koga. Koga nods and he heads to the squad and they depart from the main gates of Konoha.
Team Kankuro stands by at one of the gates of Konoha, preparing to depart back to Suna. Kana and the members of Team Neji are with them as well, seeing them off.
“Hope those ribs heal up soon Jiraiya-san.” Koichi says rubbing his head.
“*hmph* next time.” Jiraiya crosses his arms and smiles. Hime and Ryoko stare each other down in a serious manor just like in their match but both suddenly start to laugh and they hug each other. Hi looks at Koji without any emotion.
“I always payback my debts.” Hi says and Koji smiles.
“Yes, we all know that, you can drop the stoic act bug boy.” Kana says walking past him. She hugs Koji and smiles at him. He expression suddenly drops into a scolding one and grabs Koji by the collar, “That look in your eyes is not reassuring. Remember what I said before, if I have to come over to Suna because of you you'll regret it.”
Koji rolls his eyes brushes Kana's hand off him, “Whatever Kana-nee, come on you guys.” Koji says. Koichi and Ryoko begin to walk away and they meet up with Kankuro who stands by a tree outside the village. The shinobi begin to leave to begin their new paths as shinobi. They leave their comrade village, making a few bonds of their own.
Author's Note:
Alright, there'll be a slight change of plans, This is the last chapter of this arc and next week begins a new one, however there is something special I've been working on that I will be releasing tomorrow which I think you'll all appriciate. Anyway for now, tell me what you think of the chapter and what you liked/disliked about it. To those of you who read/comment/rep this post I thank you, enjoy 
