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Sweat dripped from Kaito's chin, hitting the wooden floor beneath him as he pushed himself up for what had to be the hundredth time. His arms trembled, shoulders burning, but he grit his teeth and kept going.
After one last push-up, he let himself collapse onto his back, chest rising and falling as he stared at his hands. His shirt was drenched, sticking to his skin, but he barely paid it any mind. A few seconds of rest. That's all he'd allow himself before moving on to the next set.
With a grunt, he rolled onto his feet and moved toward the corner of his room where a wooden beam stretched across the ceiling. His fingers curled around it, and without hesitation, he pulled himself up. One. Two. Three. Each pull-up sent a fresh wave of strain through his back and arms, but that was good. Pain meant progress.
Halfway through the set, his grip nearly gave out, but he bit down on the inside of his cheek and forced himself through the last few reps before dropping down. His breathing was heavier now, but he wasn't done yet.
He dropped onto his back again, knees bent, hands behind his head. Sit-ups next. The first few were easy, but the burn built fast, spreading through his core like fire.
Kaito had to switch things up...basic drills weren't cutting it anymore. If he wanted real progress, he had to push past the point of exhaustion. So, he upped the reps. Added another hundred to every set until the burn actually meant something. It was brutal, but at least he could feel himself getting stronger, so he couldn't complain.
He basically took Saitama's training regimen and cranked it up five times over. Hopefully, he wouldn't go bald like him, though. A shiny head in the middle of a stealth mission? Yeah, that was a death sentence. Might as well paint a target on his forehead while he was at it.
Kaito wrapped up his last set of sit-ups, his body screaming at him to stop. Every muscle burned, his core felt like it was on fire, and the exhaustion weighed down on him like a boulder. Without wasting time, he placed a hand over his abdomen and activated his Mystical Palm Jutsu. Warm chakra spread through his sore muscles, dulling the pain and speeding up his recovery.
Almost instantly, the soreness faded, but he was still exhausted.
Kaito pushed himself up, rolling his shoulders as he let out a breath. His body still felt drained, but at least he wasn't aching all over. His throat, though? Completely dry. He needed water.
Dragging his feet, he made his way straight for the small metal canister he kept by the sink. He twisted the cap off and tipped it back, the cool water rushing down his throat, refreshing and much needed. He sighed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before leaning against the counter, letting himself relax for a moment.
Then—
"CWAH!"
The sharp, raspy cry cut through the quiet, followed by the rapid flapping of wings. Kaito barely had time to react before something dark shot through the open window, spiraling in midair before crashing onto the floor in a heap of feathers.
Kaito blinked, staring down at the familiar bird lying flat on his stomach, wings splayed out like he had just flown through a storm.
"…Deimos?"
Deimos let out a wheezy breath, his wings twitching as he barely lifted his head. "T-Three weeks… straight flying…" he rasped, feathers ruffling as he glared up at Kaito, "And this is your reaction? No 'wow, Deimos, you're amazing!' or 'you must've worked so hard, Deimos!'? Just—just staring?!" His voice cracked in frustration before he let out another exhausted breath. "Give me some damn water before I shrivel up and die on your floor…"
Kaito sighed, shaking his head. He honestly thought they had rejected him or something, given the radio silence for the past month. But now here Deimos was, half-dead on his floor, acting like it was his fault.
Without a word, Kaito stepped forward, raising the canteen and tipping it downward, letting the water waterfall straight into the bird's open beak.
Too much.
Deimos' eyes shot wide as the rush of water flooded his throat. His wings flapped frantically as he choked, gagging and flailing on the ground. "GAAH— I'M— DROWNING, YOU BASTARD!" he screeched between coughs, hacking up half the water that had just been poured down his throat.
Kaito finally pulled the canteen back, biting back a chuckle as Deimos glared daggers at him, feathers bristling in pure offense.
"So," Kaito said, casually capping the canteen, "what are you doing here?"
Deimos shook himself off, sending droplets of water flying everywhere before snapping upright. His chest puffed out, wings slightly spread as if he were showing off, and if birds could smirk, he was definitely doing it.
"Well, if you really wanna know…" Deimos dragged out, his voice dripping with self-satisfaction. "The clan has officially accepted you as its contractor." He let the words settle for a second before adding with a smug chuckle, "Took a hell of a lot of convincing, but of course, I pulled it off... heh."
He tilted his head slightly, clearly waiting for some kind of praise, his entire stance radiating self-importance.
Honestly, this was probably the best news Kaito had heard in a while. About time something went his way.
"So, where's the contract part?" He didn't bother entertaining Deimos' smugness and went straight to the point.
"Oh yeah..." Deimos muttered, his stance shifting as if he just remembered why he was here in the first place. Deimos paused for a moment, his body tensing as his feathers ruffled slightly.
Then, with a deep inhale, he hunched over and let out a series of harsh, guttural hacks, his entire body convulsing with each one. His talons scraped against the wooden floor as he struggled through it, his wings twitching before, with one final heave, a large, worn-out scroll came slamming onto the floor with a wet thud.
Kaito just stared at it. Then at Deimos. Then back at the slightly damp scroll.
"That was the most disgusting thing I've seen all week," he muttered, his face blank but his stomach slightly turning.
Deimos, completely unbothered, fluffed up his feathers and lifted his head proudly.
"Well I haven't gotten down the process fast yet," he said, then flicked his wing. "What? Thought I was just gonna carry it in my claws like some common bird? No way."
Kaito sighed, still side-eyeing the questionable scroll. Another thought came to mind.
"How do you even do that? Is it some kind of Fuinjutsu?"
Deimos nodded with a smug tilt of his beak. "Yeah, we Ravens have a special jutsu that lets us store large objects in our stomachs. Pretty advanced stuff," he added, his voice practically dripping with arrogance.
Kaito rubbed his chin. ' That could be useful… ' He mulled it over before asking, "So, what can you guys actually do? Got any offensive jutsu you can teach me?" His curiosity was piqued.
Deimos's wings drooped slightly, his smug demeanor slipping. His gaze flicked to the side. "Uh… no, we're mostly support-based…" he admitted before perking up again. "But! We do have a jutsu that lets us share the same vision!" He tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.
Kaito just stared at him, unimpressed. His expression made it clear he was disappointed, maybe even a little bit of pity.
"Lame," he exhaled, shaking his head. ' Though… that optic link jutsu. Isn't that the same ability the Six Paths of Pain have? ' He thought it over. ' Could be useful in combat… or scouting. '
Still, the fact that they didn't have a real offensive jutsu was straight-up trash. Maybe making a contract with them was a waste of time after all.
Deimos, noticing the disappointment on Kaito's face, immediately jumped up, wings flapping wildly. "W-Wait! We do have an offensive jutsu! And it's super strong!" He puffed out his chest, trying to sell it.
Kaito raised a brow. "And what might that be?"
Deimos perked up slightly, sensing that Kaito was actually paying attention now. "It's a Genjutsu," he explained. "Sound-based. We let out a loud caw—like, really loud—and it messes with their vision. They start seeing a whole flock of ravens swarming their sight, blocking everything. It makes it hard for them to see anything, and while they're stuck in that illusion, you can sneak up on them and take them out.... Oh, and the cawing gets louder the longer they're trapped, so they can't hear anything either"
Kaito tapped his fingers against his arm, considering it. ' A genjutsu that attacks sight and sound simultaneously... ' He could already see the applications. Confusion, disorientation, sensory overload. Against someone who wasn't experienced in breaking genjutsu, it could be lethal.
A small smirk formed on his lips. "That… actually doesn't sound half bad."
"It is, isn't it?!" Deimos chirped excitedly, his feathers fluffing up.
Kaito actually nodded this time, for once agreeing with him. "Alright, so teach me."
Deimos' excitement faded just as fast as it came. His feathers drooped slightly. "I... can't. It's a jutsu only my elders know."
Kaito sighed, visibly disappointed, but he didn't dwell on it. "Figures." He rolled his shoulders and sighed. "It's fine... I'll learn it when I get to it."
Kaito then walked over to the scroll, picking it up and placing it on the table. He unrolled it, eyes scanning over the intricate kanji covering the parchment. Right in the center was a detailed ink drawing of a raven, its wings spread wide. At the bottom right, a long empty line stretched across the paper...clearly meant for a signature.
He traced a finger over the line, then glanced up at Deimos. "How do I sign this? I put my blood somewhere?" he asked.
Deimos flapped his wings, gliding over to the table before landing beside the scroll. He looked up at Kaito and nodded. "Yeah, you gotta bite your thumb—get some blood going—and press it against the paper." He paused for a moment, then fluffed up his feathers. "Oh, and I'll pluck one of my feathers, dip it in your blood, and you'll use it to write your name on the signature line."
Kaito raised a brow. "Bit extra, don't you think?"
Deimos shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Contracts gotta have some flair."
Kaito exhaled through his nose and rolled up his sleeve. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Without hesitation, he brought his thumb up to his mouth and bit down. The sharp sting was brief, and soon, a small bead of blood welled up from the punctured skin. He pressed his thumb against the scroll, leaving a dark red mark just below the raven illustration.
Deimos, watching intently, reached under his wing and yanked out a single black feather with his beak. He flinched slightly but quickly dipped the tip into Kaito's blood. "Alright, now just write your name here," he said, gesturing toward the signature line.
Kaito took the blood-dipped feather, feeling the odd texture between his fingers, and carefully scrawled his name along the bottom of the scroll. The kanji formed smoothly, the red ink standing out against the aged parchment.
As soon as he finished, the markings on the scroll pulsed for a moment before fading back to normal. Deimos ruffled his feathers, his eyes gleaming. "Well, that's it! Contract's made."
Kaito set the feather down and flexed his hand. "So... what now?" Kaito said with a slight smirk.
Deimos stretched his wings with a tired flap, feathers ruffling as he let out a long, dramatic sigh. " Well, man, I'm exhausted. I've been flying for, like, three weeks straight. I'm heading back home to sleep. You can summon me whenever, okay?"
He hopped toward the edge of the table, ready to take off, but before he could, Kaito's hand shot out and grabbed his wing, holding him in place.
"Where are you going?" Kaito asked. "I've got a job for you."
Deimos froze, turning his head slowly to glare at Kaito. "Already?" he squawked, flapping his wings weakly trying to get away. "I just helped you with the contract! Do you know how long I've been flying? Three. Weeks. Straight. My wings are tired. And I can barely see straight."
Kaito's smile widened. Without saying a word, he placed his hand over Deimos' wing, green chakra flaring to life. The glow of the Mystical Palm Jutsu spread through the raven's body, instantly soothing his soreness and fatigue.
Kaito tilted his head, smirk tugging at his lip. "All better now?"
Deimos's feathers flattened against his body, and he let out the most defeated caw imaginable. "I hate you," he muttered, shaking out his now perfectly restored wings. "Fine. What do you want?"
Kaito leaned back against the table, crossing his arms. "I need you to get something for me."
Deimos perked up, curious despite himself. "...What is it?"
Kaito's eyes gleamed. "The Gelel Stone."
The room fell silent.
Kaito didn't have some insane chakra reserves to fall back on, he wasn't a Jinchuriki or some freak of nature with bottomless chakra. If he wanted more chakra, he'd have to get it his own way.
And that's where the Gelel Stone came in.
Honestly, the only reason it even popped into his mind was because it was from his second favorite Naruto movie. (Blood Prison obviously being first...nothing was topping that one.) If he could get his hands on it, he'd have a massive power boost. Not permanent, but enough to push him to the next level.
Of course, the ideal move would've been going straight for the Gelel Vein itself. But yeah, no shot. Leaving the village right now wasn't an option.
So, for now, he'd have to settle for the Stone.
Deimos blinked again, tilting his head. "The what stone?"
Kaito waved a hand. "Don't worry about the details. Just listen. There's this old guy who wanders around in a caravan with a bunch of ore miners."
Deimos squinted. "And?"
"In this caravan," Kaito continued, "there's a ferret. You find this ferret, and you take the stone it has in its stomach."
Silence.
Deimos just stared at him. "…Okay, first of all, what? Second, how the hell do you even know that?"
Kaito shrugged, playing it off. "Overheard it."
That was barely an answer, but Deimos, being the absolute idiot that he was, just nodded like it made perfect sense. "Alright. Sounds easy enough."
Kaito smirked. ' Too easy. '
"…Wait." Deimos suddenly frowned. "Where exactly am I supposed to find this guy?"
"They're in the Land of Fire." Kaito answered smoothly. "They go by ore mines a lot."
Deimos' eye twitched. "There are thousands of ore mines in the Land of Fire."
Kaito just shrugged. "You have a job. Figure it out."
What he didn't say was that he had no clue where they actually were. He was way behind on the plot, and for all he knew, they could be anywhere.
Deimos let out a long, drawn-out sigh, rubbing a wing over his face. "I regret putting in a word for you..what a shitty contractor."
Kaito smirked. "And yet, you're still gonna do it."
Deimos grumbled under his breath but didn't argue. He hopped onto the windowsill, stretching his wings. "Tch. Whatever. I'll ask around, see if my guys have heard anything." He gave Kaito a side-eye. "But if this turns out to be a wild goose chase, I'm shitting on your head first chance I get."
Kaito snorted. "Noted."
With a few beats of his wings, Deimos took off, disappearing into the evening sky.
Kaito watched him go, rolling his shoulders. "Well, that's one thing handled." He pushed off the table and stretched. Now, he just had to wait.
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