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<<<>>>
"Long time no see," Onoki smiled as Chiyo and Ebizo walked into the room. They didn't exactly share a warm relationship, but they knew each other well enough to exchange pleasantries.
"Lord Tsuchikage, we've come with an offer," Chiyo began after the formalities. "But first, what is Iwa's stance on the ongoing war in the Land of Water?"
"None whatsoever. It doesn't concern us. Iwa stands to lose nothing, and we're not so weak that we'd be scared of Konoha's growing power," Onoki said, shaking his head dismissively. However, the jab he took at Suna's current condition hinted at his true position.
'As we thought, if we want to progress this discussion, Suna will have to assume the stance of an inferior village,' Ebizo sighed inwardly. There was nothing they could do, Onoki held all the advantages in this negotiation.
"True, Iwa stands strong, its pillars still firm and powerful. But I hear that no matter how strong the pillars are, they still get old and require replacements. Konoha seems to be well-covered in that area - so many bright and young geniuses…" Chiyo smiled knowingly as she caught a flicker of irritation on Onoki's face.
'I don't get this. What's the point of these veiled insults?' Kitsuchi thought to himself. He couldn't understand why Chiyo was subtly insulting the Tsuchikage and Iwa, or how it would help Suna achieve the agreement they wanted.
"Konoha is truly blessed with new stars. I'm happy that there are no villages willing to put them to the test, not even when they're barely able to find funds to exist," Onoki said begrudgingly. "If Konoha's strength were tested, Iwa might get curious. But in this situation, there's nothing we can do."
'As we thought, the old man won't move unless Suna strikes first, which is the same as being Iwa's fodder to weaken Konoha,' Ebizo thought, already confident that this negotiation was nothing but a waste of time.
<<<>>>
Kaoru had just completed his mission and was waiting to see Maki's signal. According to the plan, he was supposed to retreat immediately, but he wanted to confirm that Maki was alright.
'Thank god, she's fine,' he exhaled in relief as he saw a green light in the sky. Even the heavy rain couldn't completely hide the signal. He turned and flickered toward the boat, which wasn't very far from his location. It didn't take longer than a few moments, but when Kaoru was close enough to see the boat, his senses screamed at him, warning that something extremely dangerous was approaching.
Kaoru turned, his heart pounding, only to see an insane amount of chakra hurtling toward him.
'What the hell is this?' he thought, shocked and terrified. 'Did B shoot a Tailed Beast Bomb at me?'
Luckily for Kaoru, it wasn't a Tailed Beast Bomb, but it was still more than capable of killing him instantly.
'Evading this is impossible. I need to block it somehow,' Kaoru thought, his Suijingan flaring to its absolute limit as he pumped as much chakra into it as he could. The water around him shifted violently, forming a massive dark blue sphere. The sphere was still growing in size when the attack reached him.
Even inside the protective barrier, Kaoru felt the impact. The high-density water struggled to hold, but it was being shredded mercilessly by B's attack. Kaoru kept adding layer after layer, his chakra draining rapidly as he fought to hold the barrier together.
'It won't hold,' was the last thing Kaoru thought as the attack penetrated the final layer, blasting him away with overwhelming force. His body was thrown like a ragdoll, crashing through the air before slamming into the water. Pain exploded through his body, and his vision blurred.
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the dark, stormy sky above him, the rain pelting his face as the waves swallowed him whole.
<<<>>>
'It hurts so much,' Kaoru thought as he slowly opened his eyes. But as his mind became clearer, he shot up, panic surging through him.
'I didn't die? Where am I?' When his defensive barrier failed to stop B's attack, he was sure he was going to die.
He scanned the room, taking in his surroundings. It was a modest room, with tatami mats covering the floor and sliding doors that let in faint light. The walls were bare, save for a single scroll hanging in the corner, its calligraphy faded with age. A small iron stove sat in the center of the room, its faint glow and the soft crackle of burning wood providing warmth against the cold.
Other than Kaoru, there was no one else in the room. He slowly stood up, wincing as his body protested. Every muscle ached, but it was a different kind of pain than the backlash from Suijingan.
'I never got to exhaust my chakra and overuse it. The attack tore through my defenses too quickly,' he analyzed, trying to piece together what had happened.
He checked every limb and bone one by one, making sure he wasn't missing anything and that he was indeed fine.
Kaoru moved toward the door, wanting to go outside and check where he was. But as he approached, the door slid open and a man entered the room.
He was old, evident by his gray hair and beard. He was dressed simply, wearing a huge furry coat with an oddly large belt and tall furry boots. The first thing Kaoru did was scan him for a forehead protector, but he wasn't wearing one. The man either didn't belong to any village or was hiding his affiliation.
Kaoru felt no danger, so he decided not to activate his dojutsu to check the man's chakra. It would seem very rude and possibly even cause trouble for him.
"Oh, you've woken up," the man smiled and moved closer to the fire, extending his hands to warm them. Now that Kaoru took a closer look, he noticed the man's coat and gray hair were covered in snow, and his hands, red with hints of blue, were stiff from the cold.
"Did you save me?" Kaoru asked as he helped the old man take off his coat.
"No, I just brought you here. I found you lying on a piece of wood on the shore," the man said, removing a satchel from his giant belt and pulling out a few fish.
"You must be hungry," he grinned, not waiting for Kaoru's answer as he turned toward the table to clean the fish.
Kaoru wanted to say he wasn't hungry, but just seeing the food was enough to make his stomach growl. In the end, all he could say was, "Thank you."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Your clothes should be dry by the way. Feel free to change into them if you'd like," the man said, pointing to a wooden rack with wires where Kaoru's clothes were hanging.
'Oh god, I didn't even notice I wasn't wearing my clothes,' Kaoru thought, blushing slightly. He quickly changed into his own clothes, which felt much more comfortable but far less warm.
"Thank you for everything," Kaoru bowed to the man and started helping him gut the fish.
"Where is this place?" Kaoru asked as he cut open one of the fish's stomach, pulling out its guts. 'Yay, this one has caviar in it,' he marveled. With just a few ingredients, it could become a very tasty dish.
"We're in the northeastern part of the Land of Water," the man said, eyeing Kaoru for a moment. "I hid your identity. Our village doesn't really love Takimura. Please keep it a secret while you're here."
Kaoru froze for a moment before continuing to clean the fish's scales. "How did you know I was from Takimura?"
"You're clearly from the Land of Water, and that protector of yours has a sign I couldn't recognize. I do recognize Kirigakure's symbol, though, so it was a pretty safe bet," the man chuckled, moving the perfectly cleaned fish into a deep vessel.
"Can you clean this one too? I'll prepare the marinade," the man asked.
Kaoru simply nodded and kept cleaning the fish, thinking. 'I need to return as soon as possible'
"Is there any way to return to the mainland from here?" Kaoru asked.
"Not now. This place is covered in snow and ice in winter. I'm surprised you didn't freeze to death. When I found you, you were completely wet and cold. By the time I brought you home, your skin was almost blue," the man said, quickly preparing the marinade as Kaoru kept cleaning the fish, his thoughts swirling.
'Maybe I can move on the water,' Kaoru thought. If this place was close enough to the mainland, he could use his Suijingan to get there. But his host had already informed him that it wasn't very close, and besides, Kaoru wouldn't be able to find his way in the vast, icy sea.
"We're visited by traders once a week, so you'll have to wait for them. Unfortunately for you, they visited us yesterday, so they won't be returning for six more days," the man smiled, cutting the fish into smaller pieces and preparing it to be grilled.
"I'll be bringing part of the grilled fish to the neighbor's kid. You can follow me, and I'll show you the village," the man said as he started cooking.
…
"I think I've never eaten fish this delicious," Kaoru said, genuinely surprised by how tasty it was.
The man simply chuckled in response. "My name is Anaki, by the way."
"I'm Kaoru, Kaoru Takime," he introduced himself. Kaoru didn't miss Anaki's reaction, his eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Soon, the old man stood up, getting dressed in his furry coat and boots. "Are you coming?" he asked Kaoru, who didn't have anything warm to wear and had to borrow clothes from the man.
"Is there a shop or something like that where I can buy clothes?" Kaoru asked as they exited the room.
"Yes, there is. We can go there after I give the food to the boy. His father is a drunkard bastard, so I try to feed him and his mother whenever I can," Anaki said, his face briefly showing genuine worry and concern.
'It's unusual to see someone so kind in this world,' Kaoru thought as he followed the old man.
The snow outside was much deeper than Kaoru had realized, it reached above his waist, making it incredibly difficult to walk. There were no clear paths, and both Anaki and Kaoru had to trudge through the deep snow. What was even worse was that each gust of wind created a blizzard, covering Kaoru's face and eyes.
'God, and I was thinking of traveling on the sea in these conditions?' It was a naive thought. Even Suijingan wouldn't be able to compensate for the lack of good weather.
"Here, follow me," Anaki called, taking a turn to the right. They had only been walking for a few minutes, but it felt like hours.
'I'd gladly use Suijingan to move all this snow out of my way, but I don't want to reveal my powers here. Anaki even asked me to keep my identity a secret,' Kaoru thought, shivering as the cold bit into him. He wasn't enjoying the snow, it felt too harsh, too unwelcoming.
They finally reached a house that was even smaller than Anaki's humble home. The entrance was completely covered in snow, proving that no one had entered or exited it that day. Anaki struggled to the door, cursing under his breath.
"This lazy bastard can't even clear the doorstep," he muttered loudly as he knocked on the door.
Soon, an extremely beautiful woman with long black hair opened the door. She had an exhausted and pale expression, but her eyes lit up slightly when she saw Anaki.
"Uncle Anaki, you've come even in this weather," she said, tearing up slightly. "Thank you so much."
"It's not a problem. You know how much I like your kid," Anaki smiled, handing the food to the woman before turning to leave.
"Granpaaaa!" a boy suddenly popped out from behind his mother, smiling brightly.
"How many times have I told you?" the woman scolded her son gently. "You should always show gratitude first, Haku!"
**
A/N -
I think this is the first side story I've written, so yeah… I hope you'll enjoy.
Reminder - Break Tomorrow!
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