" Here you go."
The Waitress said as she handed me my spicy yakitori and turned to ask the man sitting across from me.
" Are you sure you don't want anything, sir?"
" Thank you for asking, but I'm sure I already ate."
The waitress gave the man a polite bow before going off to see other customers. I looked at the man sitting across from me; he had short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a blonde beard and mustache combo. He was a Shadow Clone posing as my father to avoid drawing any attention to myself. I dyed my hair black and used a bit of makeup to hide my whisker-like birthmarks as Transformations could be seen through if I was not careful as I approached the Land of Lightning.
Currently, I am in the Land of Frost at a border town, waiting for my other Shadow Clones to get back with the herbs and toxins from other lands. While I had to be awake to maintain my Shadow Clones, I could make do without sleep through meditation. Thankfully, since my bird Transformation was a success, I could send them off ingredient hunting and not worry about how long it would take to gather everything.
I still can't believe it's been a month, and no one is the wiser about my leaving the village. Of course, I left a Shadow Clone behind, but still. I just ate my yakitori in silence as I thought about how long it was going to take to gather everything before entering the Land of Lightning. I couldn't risk sending out my Shadow Clones like I am doing here since Kumo is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and the Land of Lightning is their turf.
While the Land of Frost has its own Shinobi Village, they are as lackluster as expected compared to Konoha. I'm pretty sure their so-called Jonin are weaker than the Chunin Instructors at the Academy. I guess that is to be expected since the Land of Fire has the most resources compared to other nations, which influences everything.
As I ate, I got a sudden surge of new memories as a few of my Shadow Clones dispersed. Finally, they got everything! My other Shadow Clones handed everything over to one Shadow Clone to let me know to expect my supplies soon. I finished eating and headed off to the rendezvous point I set up beforehand. A giant black hawk soon appeared and handed me the backpacks full of herbs and toxins.
It disappeared with a puff of smoke, and I double-checked everything. I dispelled the Shadow Clone posing as my father and used the Transformation Jutsu to become a giant hawk. I then took flight toward the Land of Lightning and the Lightning Rod Mountains to start my body-tempering training.
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Along the mountain paths within the Land of Lightning, there was kago being carried by two Chunin of the Hidden Cloud along with a petite girl with dark hair and fair skin outside it, serving as a guard.
( Insert Soi Fon from Bleach.)
A feminine but bored voice called from the kago.
" Soi Fon, are we there yet?"
" It will still be a few days until we reach the Lightning Rod Mountains, my Lady."
" Why did I let Mother talk me into taking a kago instead of just walking there? I will never know."
A dark skin girl with purple hair popped her head out of the kago and added.
( Insert Younger Yoruichi Shihouin from Bleach.Vizer Creation/Exile Flashback.)
" It would've definitely been quicker."
She shot a teasing look at the two chunin transporting her, and they tactfully ignored the jab. This escort/transport mission was easy money, good pay, with little to no chance of actually fighting since they were heading deep into the northeast of the Land of Lightning, and they didn't even need to make it a two-way trip. Soi Fon sighed and asked her charge with a patient but stiff tone.
" Lady Yoruichi, we will get there soon, so please exercise a bit of patience. You are going to the Lightning Rod Mountains not just as the daughter of the Fourth Raikage but as a Lady of the Shihouin Clan who has served the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning for several generations, so a certain level of care is needed to show dignity."
Yoruichi just rolled her eyes as she was familiar with the argument and asked with a teasing grin.
" I didn't realize I needed to show dignity to you, Soi Fon; after all, you saw me naked plenty of times as we bathed together, and I you, or is it that our dear guards are not ordinary Chunin?"
The petite girl blushed slightly at the teasing and calmly retorted.
" You know what I mean, my Lady."
" Hmm... true, but I think I'd rather walk from here on in. You two are dismissed, and don't worry; you will still get paid."
The dark-skinned girl disappeared with a Body Flicker Jutsu and reappeared in front of the group. Yoruichi then asked Soi Fon with a playful smile.
" How about a race, Soi Fon? The loser has to do what the winner says."
" My Lady, this isn't appropriate!"
The dark-skinned girl wrapped her arm around her friend/bodyguard and whispered in a sultry tone as she tempted her.
" Do you think of I am not aware of your wondering eyes, Little Bee? Of how much you feel flustered when I roll my hips when I walk? At how you clench your hands as you remember what my breast feels like after helping me bathe?"
" I-I, Y-you see I, uh."
Soi Fon turned into a blushing mess at being called out and tried to sputter a denial, but Yoruichi stopped her.
" Hush, now, Little Bee. No need to feel nervous or afraid of your feelings; I know I am good-looking and draw attention to myself. So how about it? A race just between you and me. If you win, you can ask anything, anything of me, and I wouldn't refuse."
The petite girl was gulped as she couldn't look her Lady in the eyes, and Yoruichi was grinning at cornering her friend as she asked once more.
" What do you say, Little Bee? How about a race?"
" Do you mean it? I can ask you anything?"
Soi Fon asked for confirmation, and Yoruichi grinned slyly as she answered.
" Yes, I meant every word. The finish line is the Way Shrine into the Lightning Rod Mountains."
" Very well then, my lady, I will race you."
The dark-skinned woman then said.
" Okay, see ya!"
While pushing the petite girl off the cliff of the mountain, it wouldn't be near enough to kill Soi Fon, but it would slow her down. Yoruichi grinned at her friend's stunned expression before running off in laughter to the Way Shrine.
________________________________________
Yoruichi Shihouin lay on the roof of the Way Shrine that overlooked the Lightning Rod Mountains. A mountain range home to an unending lightning storm that continuously rains down lightning on the mountains, scarring them pitch black. There are a number of legends about these mountains, from strange beasts that body lightning themselves to secret hidden treasures within the mountains that are out of reach from mortal hands.
" Lady Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon cried out with grievance as she finally reached the Way Shrine.
" Hey, Soi Fon, what took you so long?"
The dark-skinned girl asked with a shameless smile, and the petite girl accused her charge.
" You threw me off a cliff!"
" I thought you tripped?"
Yoruichi tilted her in mock confusion as she was just messing with her friend, and Soi Fon just deflated as she knew trying to reason with her charge when she was in the mood for mischief was an exercise in futility. The dark-skinned girl grinned as she reminded the petite girl.
" Now, are you ready to fulfill my request, Little Bee?"
Soi Fon stiffened as she recalled the wager and suddenly got a bad feeling as while Yoruichi won't ask for anything impossible, she will make a request that is difficult or embarrassing to fulfill; it wouldn't be the first time.
" Yes, My Lady?"
The petite girl asked with a small hope that it wouldn't be too ridiculous of a request. The dark-skinned girl grinned as she asked.
" You know those special manjū I adore?"
" The ones from the Land of Hot Springs?"
" Yep, get me some; since I am going to be stuck training here for a while, I might as well indulge."
Soi Fon sighed as she complied with a downtrodden look. It wasn't a short trip by any means, but it wasn't particularly long either; the hard part was actually getting the manjū as it was sold only on specific days and in limited amounts. The petite girl's purpose while her charge trained in this dangerous mountain range was to serve as her companion while waiting at the Way Shrine.
Soi Fon had honestly been looking forward to spending time with Yoruichi for the next several months, just the two of them away from Kumo and Daimyo's court. The dark-skinned girl crushed those dreams with a casual wave of her hand as she said.
" Now off with you, Little Bee. I want my manjū as soon as reasonably possible and no arguments. I am arguably safer in these mountains than in the village since it's inhospitable to the vast majority of people. Only the previous and current Raikage have ever survived entering these mountains."
" Stay safe, Lady Yoruichi."
The petite girl said before leaving to complete her assigned task while looking like a kicked puppy. As the bodyguard left, the dark-skinned girl sighed as she unwound and let her posture relax before muttering herself.
" Sorry, Little Bee, but you are a bit too rigid."
Yoruichi sent away Soi Fon on a time-consuming request for one simple reason: she wanted a bit of freedom from the suffocating position of being the Raikage's daughter and heiress to the Shihouin Clan with all the responsibilities that came with those titles. The bodyguard would make her have to maintain her manners and etiquette without meaning to. For her, this dangerous training trip was a vacation away from her responsibilities, however brief.
Yoruichi stretched and entered the Lightning Rod Mountains feeling lighter than she had in a long time.
________________________________________
I roared out in pain as the lightning struck me, and I guided the bolt of electricity throughout my body. I supported myself by placing my hands on my knees and took a few moments to catch my breath. After catching my breath, I braced myself as I used a Jutsu for the Lightning Forged Body Tempering, the Lightning Rod Jutsu, which uses Nature Transformation to create a path of least resistance for natural lightning to me.
Lightning struck me again, and I felt like dying as I needed to take in the lightning to maximize the effects of tempering my body with it. Whoever came up with this training method is batsh*t crazy, but I can't deny its effectiveness. My muscle mass and bones are denser than before, and my nerves are more receptive to my brain's commands.
I braced myself once more before using the Lightning Rod Jutsu. Lightning struck me again, and I fell to my knee in agony. Even breathing was painful as I tried to force myself up, only to stumble and fall on my face. The rock-solid ground hurt. Thankfully, I can still use Chakra; I brought my hands together to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu hand sign.
With a puff of smoke, two Shadow Clones appeared, and one of them said.
"You're going to get yourself killed at this rate, boss."
" Just get me back to camp."
I grumbled as I knew my Body Tempering wasn't masochistic but borderline suicidal, as I have come to learn. No wonder Body Tempering fell out of favor for standard training; it's safer and arguably more practical. However, I can't afford to wait, and it matters little if I die here because I either get stronger from this or die later.
My Shadow Clones picked me up from the arms and dragged me to my camp. It was at the bottom of a basin surrounded by tall peaks. Natural lightning strikes through the path of least resistance, so it will always strike the peaks first and almost never hit the camp, not that I haven't set a barrier to protect it because it is better safe than sorry. My Shadow Clones set me down in front of another Shadow Clone, working on the poisons I needed to ingest.
" Here."
The Shadow Clone said as it handed me a vial of poison. I took it gingerly and downed the poison; it was like a spicy cocktail. I licked my lips as for the strangest reason I liked the flavor from what I knew in my studies in Medical Ninjutsu that some natural poisons and toxins taste good in order to invite prey to eat them to kill them from the inside and use their decomposing bodies as fertilizer.
It's a slow-acting poison, so my fresh new hell won't happen until about an hour later. I managed to force myself up and went to my tent to rest while I could, well as close to rest as I could. I laid down and focused on my breathing while using the Medical Examination Jutsu as I was just a step away from figuring out my Breathing Style. Inhale from the nose, stop, inhale again, stop, wait, exhale from the mouth, stop, continue exhaling, then start inhaling again.
Then, my gut started to burn as the poison kicked in. I began to break out in feverish sweat, and I felt like I was getting pricked by needles all over my body. I had no idea how time passed by as the poison ran its course. After that, it took what physical strength I had left to form a hand sign to summon some Shadow Clones for the next part of my training.
I could tell they were saying something, but I could focus on it, and I was met with hot water—or rather boiling blood. I literally stewed in a cauldron of boiling blood as I was boiled alive, but it wasn't too bad as it did help with the aches. At least at first, then I just started to burn. I focused on breathing to distract myself from the pain.