Mishiro's POV (Underground Hideout - Land of Water)
Mishiro sighed as she watched her helpers work. Ikam would be sour with her if he knew she let the lessers do the seal work, but Mishiro had always struggled with those who were not Ikam. So instead, she watched with feigned attention as the males plus Leifazu worked. The males mostly moved supplies and lit the dim cave enough for Leifazu to work. The walls of the cave were covered in Fuijutsu and paper tags. It would make for a giant seal in the cave for their next mission. Such a thought reminded her how she had met him.
Much of her early life were grim days Mishiro had no intention of revisiting. Days full of pain and resentment, headed by tormentors who were supposed to be protectors. In truth, in those days Mishiro had often wished for death. Surely the cessation of life would be preferable to the endless pain that it had been so far. Until one dark grizzly night…
She had been sixteen, so long had been her torment that she had long given up on escape or even death … until he had come… Mishiro could remember watching from the back of the room as he had slaughtered her captors mercilessly. Mishiro had grimly accepted her fate; after years of seemingly endless suffering she had given up on living, but when the blood-soaked, raggedy murderer's eyes had landed on her. She had felt an absurd kinship with the murderous man. Somehow the man matched her disdain for her captors. By the time the two had locked eyes Mishiro had barely felt fear. Ikam had been much different then; he had yet to forsake his original identity, but his mission had been the same. His words had been rough, and yet Mishiro held onto them; she considered it a promise from her love. One she believed in even thirty years after their meeting.
"Your… you're like me…" Ikam had whispered as he roughly held her face in his hand. "You feel no sorrow or pity for your brethren I slaughtered."
"They-... they were monsters… they… they hurt me… I'm glad they can't anymore…" Mishiro had stuttered out. She wasn't fearful of being killed as well yet she felt overwhelmed by his mere presence. His passionately, yet undeniably lifeless eyes entranced me.
"But they were your kin…" Ikam had whispered. "You should hate me for spilling their… our blood."
"My family is gone… those that are left are no better than the monster that took the others…" Mishiro had explained.
Ikam grimly nodded. He stared at her openly for a few minutes. "You can join me… make no mistake, I will kill every Uzumaki. I will not tolerate a useful follower, and you will be expected to pursue my dream as your own. That clan must die… but I will protect you if you can stand such."
Mishiro had not thought it over for very long. Her family had been destroyed, and those who remained had betrayed her. If Ikam kept her safe, their deaths would be a small price… besides, she wanted vengeance for years of pain brought on by her own blood.
"Do you truly intend for my men to do all the work? Do you feel you are above the Kamizuru clan?" *3* An all too familiar voice ranged out. Mishiro made no effort to hide her annoyance from being broken out of her reminiscing. She raised her eyes to the annoying woman who had disturbed her. One Suzumebachi Kamizuru. Leader of the shinobi they hired for this excursion.
Suzumebachi was a short woman—shorter than her—with shoulder-length brown hair, steel eyes, and light makeup. She was unremarkable, though Ikam had spoken of her clan once being held in high regard in Iwagakure. Mishiro eyed her odd purple kimono and her glare and realized she detested the woman—a small fry pretending to be big. Like them…
"Why do you bother me?" Mishiro asked arrogantly. Smiling internally at the annoyed twitch pulsed on Suzumebachi's face. "Are you prepared for me to start?"
The woman growled at such. "I asked if you're gonna bother helping us! We were hired as muscle, not mere grunts! You promised access to new species to finally allow us to surpass the Aburame! Yet you make us do grunt work and have yet to explain why we're doing so!"
"I told you we should kill them~!" Leifazu sang with "her" newfound womanly "sass." As she would put it. Mishiro was surrounded by idiots.
"We cannot; they may prove useful," Mishiro answered. "Though apparently, we do need to establish a pecking order." Mishiro snapped her fingers and smiled at the startled cry of the woman's two foolish brothers. Leifazu had gotten even stronger in her newest form. The body of a female Uzumaki known for her impressive physical speed and strength. Leifazu now with ease quickly grabbed and held both brothers up by the throat. Mishro smiled wider as Suzumebachi's face lit up with fear as she fumbled for a weapon. In what Mishiro was sure seemed to be instant to the foolish woman, she appeared, her katana aimed for her throat. "You all are NOT muscle; you are a group with a similar goal that we have brought in to ensure things go smoothly. Do NOT mistake that we need you. I'll kill the lot of you long before I allow that idea to be planted in your head. Understood?"
"My point stands…" Sazumebachi said bravely. "We are constructing this seal when we should be traveling to our destination. Explain why."
Mishiro chuckled but sheathed her blade. Leifazu noticed and released the other two as well. Dropping the pair of brothers who coughed for air as they fell. "Fair enough." Mishiro crowed. "This seal is one designed by my Love. One that will transport us all to our destination."
"We are no seal masters, but I have some knowledge. Enough to know; even Fuijutsu masters do not boast of having seals capable of safe instant teleportation. The ones who have attempted such often suffered painful deaths. Why not simply manually travel to where we are going? It would be less risky, and shinobi of our caliber would make it in great time." Suzumebachi reasoned.
"It's simply not possible~!" Leifazu sang from the roof as she applied various last-minute modifications to the seal matrix. "Besides, our master is one of the few noble Uzumaki. The true masters of Fuijutsu, mere practitioners, do not determine the limits!"
"My detestable companion speaks the truth. My Love does not practice the art of Fuijutsu; he has perfected it. This is to all our benefit, allowing us to reach our destination without the risk of open travel. After all, our little group is considered enemies to plenty. Besides, we are going to another world. It does not exist within the same realm as us and, as such, cannot be reached without the use of powerful Ninjutsu or Fuijutsu." Mishiro explained. "But our destination holds a most worthy reward for all of us."
"What is this all for anyway, little sister?" Kurobachi asked with a glare toward Mishiro. "You failed to inform us of the details. We do recognize you as the leader of the Kamizuru clan…"
"But- why do we need to follow the orders of these fools!" Jibachi roared while grasping his throat. "What could they possibly offer us that Iwa doesn't?"
"Silence the two of you." Suzumebachi started admonishing her family and underlings, but a light giggle stopped her. Mishiro was unable to stop escaping her.
"My my," Mishiro crowed. "A leader with not only a loose grip on their subordinates but one that also fails to fill them in." In truth, Mishiro recognized why Suzumebachi had not informed them of the full details. Such open communication between teams could lead to leaks or betrayal after all. "See, our destination can be considered a gathering hub of various undiscovered summoning clans. Ones that very well may rival the infamous summons of the Sannin. We, the true Uzumaki, wish to control this hub for various purposes. But it won't be as simple as settling wild lands. The specific location we are discussing is full of lethal, powerful, and potentially aggressive summoning clans. Some may wish to approach us, others… Well, they may very well attempt to kill and consume us. As such, we contacted your group with open hands for a mutually beneficial arrangement. Your group helps us carry on, as either extra muscle or simply helping hands and in exchange…"
"We let peons get access to a summoning clan of your choosing. We'll even assure you that you will get full control should they be less than willing. Something I'm sure a disgraced clan like yourself would find more than agreeable." Leifazu chimed in with a toothy grin.
"Indeed, after your poor performance in the last war, your acclaim and status have fallen… all due to a certain Leaf clan." Mishiro continued with her voice sounding much more genuine than she felt. "But perhaps with a strong summoning clan backing you, you could reclaim your former glory…"
Suzumebachi growled angrily, much to Mishiro's amusement. She knew the young clan leader would not appreciate her leadership being so openly questioned. But better than to start further drama here, it was only harming her status as leader.
The other males of the clan gasped openly, nodding their heads and working with renewed vigor. It seemed the pair were just as hungry for redemption as their petulant sister. Seeing the support of her followers being so flippant, Suzumebachi glared and offered a middle finger to Mishiro before stalking off to observe her underlings' work. Ikam certainly choose good help, should the woman keep raising issues Mishiro would simply encourage the other two to be ambitious…
Mishiro, content with such, subtly signed to Leifazu, asking how much longer it would take. The newly arisen woman signaled back a mere hour. Mishiro nodded as she signed to keep their eyes on the clan; they should not be protected or trusted…
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Naruto's POV (Iron Festival - Land of Iron)
Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Shino all marveled at the new attire they were now in. Instead of their regular clothes, Muri and the Okama clan had new tailored outfits that fit suspiciously well. The clothes were made of thick, breathable fabric. Soft to the touch and yet undoubtedly dense. They were a solid earthy brown, both the top and bottom, covering nearly every inch of skin. Apparently, this was Okama-made gear designed to protect them from the environment of the Irminsul Wildlands and protect them from minor slashing and piercing attacks. Their new Chunin vest, standard supplies, and extras were sealed in scrolls for the missing shinobi. Even healthy medical supplies had been neatly sealed into a scroll. As the group familiarized themselves with their various packs and gear, Muri summarized the new information as they began to prepare to leave.
"As I said before," Muri began. "We will be traveling to a specific part of the Summoning World. The inhabitants of this world, our world call it the Irminsul Wildlands. This is where the majority of our inhabitants of the world live. Few of us are fortunate enough to have the power to own land outside of the Irminsul Wildlands. Though even clans similar to us, also hold some land in the Irminsul Wildlands for political reasons. For they would need the summoner and convergence points, as we discussed earlier. As such, it is perilous; some creatures there will be the nefarious type, others simply seeking to use us as a food resource, and some seeking to enforce your servitude. Furthermore, the actual landland is a massive tract of various extreme biomes. This will test not only our strength and wit but also your ability to survive. If this was not troublesome enough, we would likely be separated. Hopefully, not for long, I will be able to track the lot of you and aim to unite you soon enough; however, in the meantime, you must be cautious and survive; we have no way to know for certain who or what we will face. Our goal is to reunite and then strike out and find your friends as a group. They may be lost in the Wildlands or kidnapped or killed by various summoning clans. Once we have saved them, our goal will be to find and defeat the group that has attempted to force open a new Convergence Point. That goal MUST be achieved as well. If they keep doing such as they please, they may damage the film that separates our realms irreparably. I can only speculate the consequences of such a situation; it must be avoided at all cost. We must achieve both goals. To control the number of clans that evolve as nature intended, and ensure the safety of the mutually beneficial system of summoning between worlds. At this point, I will arrange for your group's transportation back home. Do you all understand this?"
"Understood!" Naruto declared, his voice filled with determination. As a member of the Leaf Village and a summoner of the Okama clan, he was driven to succeed in this mission, no matter the challenges that lay ahead.
"I tire of this discussion." Sasuke spat impatiently. "We understand the mission. Hurry up and get me to my family, tanuki."
"I apologize for my teammate's harsh demeanor!" Hinata squeaked. "He's simply coming across as crass due to the stress. We will do our best to save our friends and aid your land…"
"I find the arrangement agreeable. I do not mind aiding you as long as we ensure the safety of our friends first." Shino agreed as well.
"Excellent." Muri nodded as he suddenly began to weave a long and intricate series of hand signs. As I said, be on guard; there is no telling what you're in for." The group did not flinch, determined to see this through. "Reverse Origin Summoning Jutsu!" Muri yelled loudly as he finished his technique. Suddenly, smoke surrounded the group before separate strands slowly enveloped each other. Naruto lost sight of the others as smoke covered him entirely.
'Don't worry, Lee, Choji, Yuno, Kiba, and Sakura,' Naruto thought as the smoke felt as it now lifted him and was racing through the air. There was some indescribable whine that pierced Naruto's skull. 'We're coming!'
Smoke blocked almost everything, but some light would momentarily be seen. Brilliant colors that Naruto could not process flashed as Naruto felt his body grow heavy as if he was falling…
Naruto - Irminsul Wildlands (South Swamps)
Suddenly, the smoke that had become Naruto's world disappeared. Exposing Naruto to a breathtaking view. There was a massive mass of land beneath him. Split into chunks of vibrant biomes, each much larger than the Leaf Village. Each was nature in a state Naruto had never seen. Plantlife covered everything it could with an endless thickness; flowers, bushes, shrubs, trees, and even the grass grew to absurd lengths. The mere strands of grass seemed to be taller than him. Regardless of kind, the trees were thick and as tall as easily rivaling the size of the most significant buildings Naruto had ever seen. But the biomes were all different; Naruto saw a massive sprawl of icy mountains with frozen rivers cutting through them, a gigantic swamp filled with spindly trees covered in moss and weeds, a forest much more significant and thicker than even the Leaf forest, a hilly sprawling dessert, a body of water that seemed to be a lake yet was the size of a small ocean, a flat plain seemingly holding only ludicrously long grass and thick curling trees. Naruto was stunned as the wind whipped violently at his face…
"Wait! Why am I seeing this from above?!" Naruto cried as he realized he was rapidly falling towards the massive swamp land he had seen before. "What the shit Muri! Hinata and Shino come here!" Naruto said he had to save those two. Sasuke's fancy-smancy teleport thing to save himself. But to his shock when he looked around to spot his friends they were nowhere in the sky. Panicked, they were lower Naruto focused but did not see them. 'Surely they must've just spawned elsewhere. Muri did say we'd likely be separated.'
'Shit, guess I'm on my own. Better find the others soon.' Naruto inwardly complained as he allowed his chakra to flow. With a flex of both of his hands, he called out. "Wind Style: Personal Atmosphere Level One!" He cried as wind chakra burst from him, wrapping around him and attempting to push up against his downward fall. But the momentum was simply too much! Naruto strained his jutsu, managing to slow his fall, but it wasn't enough! Realizing this, Naruto channeled a massive amount of wind chakra into both fists as he held both out as if to catch himself with them.
'New idea!' Naruto thought as he drew close to the middle of a massive river. Naruto waited until he drew precariously close to the swamp's murky waters. Then, with a mighty shove of both hands, he slammed his palms toward the water. A massive amount of wind nature chakra slammed into the water through its dark depths. This caused an enormous boom, and water shot up and rose in waves from all directions from the impact. Naruto could hear the crunch of the stone beneath the water. The force of which overwhelmed Naruto's falling speed enough to slow his descent to a slow fall. Naruto smiled as he willed the chakra to keep him afloat.
"Suck it swamp!" He roared victoriously. "You can't get one over on Naruto Uzumaki!" Feeling quite satisfied with his survival, he scanned his surroundings. Long trees covered in vines and other plant life protruded from the water. The water itself seemed nearly black, with thick moss and weeds being present throughout. Naruto pulsed his chakra and was stunned at what he felt. Their tracking techniques were useless… there was simply too much chakra… it was absurd. The chakra in the air seemed to bristle; Naruto swore he could feel it in the wind against his skin. It would be nearly impossible to track each other without it running interference. Though Naruto supposed Muri had been confident he could find them… either way, he had no intention of staying in the swamp. The constant sound of buzzing insects and the deep, pungent smell were annoying. And with the moist air and beaming sun, it was hotter than hell. Naruto shot off towards the nearest tree, quickly landing on one of the higher branches. 'Better stick to the trees, they say wet mud can be as deadly as quicksand. I guess I should find some high ground so I can scan the area. Can't waste time waiting, Muri said they could be in peril.' Naruto decided before he heard a loud whooshing of water and air. Naruto turned around with a raised brow to see only a massive maw of teeth flying toward him. "Shi-" Naruto started to cry before the gigantic jaws of death slammed shut, attempting to swallow him whole.
Naruto appeared a short distance away on a branch of another tree, substituting to avoid being dinner. He looked at the tree to see it falling and a massive giant reptile smashing into the water. It looked similar to a lizard but much larger and more aggressive than any Naruto had seen. Its entire body was covered in thick scales, the top portion thick and sharp, and its long body was dense and dark green, making it difficult to spot in the water. "Was that a giant lizard!" He cried in shock. His senses screamed danger, and Naruto drew Riptide as he leaped to another branch. Watching as a smaller than the first creature missed another dive, though being smaller wasn't much. The first was easily the size of a large building, this one was merely a small building. Naruto cursed as watched the two hungry gators, seemingly focused on attempting to eat the blonde. But suffered the same as the first, crashing into the murky bottom below.
"To think a mere human would dare roam in our swamp. As well as being brazen enough to disturb it." A deep voice sounded from somewhere in the water.
"We are not lizards! That is even worse than calling us alligators. We are the crocodiles of this swamp. Besides, brother, Is that a human?" The smaller one rumbled. Its voice was deep and warbly. As if speech was difficult for it. "I've never seen one. Is he one of those… um…"
"Shinobi is the word," the other one boomed. "Though to us he is mere prey, the chakra-enhanced ones are said to be extra tasty. Call the others, and we shall crush him and use him as a garnish." The bigger one answered. Naruto could not see where they were within the deep water, but their voices echoed out of it.
"Yeah, not intending to die, so, not really down to be eaten, ya know? Maybe find a deer or whatever you "crocodiles" normally eat. I'm just in search of other humans. Have you seen any?" Naruto asked, smiling wide.
The two apparent "crocodiles" emerged to the surface of the water. Each was roughly the size of a small carriage or boulder. "He's showing us his tiny teeth!" the smaller, apparent little brother said. "Our food intends to fight back!" Panicking, he raised his tail and slammed it three times. In mere seconds, rushing water was heard as the two soon became four. The two new ones were even larger, nearly twice as much.
"My sons, you better have a good reason to call us. Your mother and I had nearly cornered some rabbit clan members." The largest of the four and father boomed.
"It is rare to catch them, though I see they made an interesting discovery." The mother's voice was just as deep and hard to identify. "It has been thousands of years since a human stepped foot into the Irminsul Wildlands, let alone our new swamp."
"Let's feed upon his bones~!' The runt of the group cheered.
"Indeed." The older sibling agreed.
"SILENCE, SONS!" The father roared furiously. There was a pause as the father considered the situation.
'So I fell from the sky and landed in a swamp infested with overgrown lizards. Even more confusing, they are now arguing about whether or not to eat me… what are the odds…?' Naruto thought with a deadpan as he stared at the group. Content to let them bicker, he stayed in place, it was rather funny to the blonde.
"Human." The father called.
"Uh yeah?" Naruto asked, perplexed at the situation.
"We shall spare you from our hunger should you agree to be our summoner…" The father smiled at the blonde, which looked crooked and alien on such an enormous, inhuman creature.
"Nope, can't do that," Naruto replied simply. "I am already an active summoner of the Okama clan. Also, again, have you-" Naruto stopped talking as he jumped for his tree, barely escaping a powerful stream of water, which quickly cut through the tree he had been using. "What the hell?!" Naruto snapped.
"He is a part of one of those wretched clans!" The crocodiles roared in sync. Before all four shot off their pressurized water beams. Naruto dodged each with relative ease.
'So apparently, keep the news I'm a summoner on the down low with other creatures.' Naruto thought as he jumped from tree to tree to avoid the rapid leaps of teeth and beams of water the crocodiles offered. 'Right, let's just take it to the sky…'
"Wind Style: Personal Atmosphere Level One!" With a wild flail of his arms Naruto sent himself up and the crocodiles away. Naruto shot off high into the sky, well above the trees and reach of the crocodiles. "Suck it, you crocky, whatever-" Naruto stopped as he felt air under his control being separated from above. He whipped around to see a massive-looking bird swooping down to gulp him up. It looked like the largest and most bloodthirsty pelican Naruto had ever seen. With a cry of surprise and defiance, Naruto allowed wind chakra to flood Riptide and unleashed his attack. "Uzumaki Style: Slicing Wave!" Naruto called and unleashed a chakra line, slicing through the bird's left wing. With a call of pain, it fell short of the blonde as the massive creature fell into the swamp below. Naruto's eyes scanned the sky, and several more birds flew around, most of them of considerable stature.
'Guess the sky is a no-go.' Naruto thought to himself. He glanced down to see the bird that had attacked him being pursued by the crocodiles, the four of them quickly and mercilessly ripping into the mostly defenseless creature. 'Yikes, I guess it's better than me.' Naruto thought as he lightly touched down at a tree decently far from the feasting crocodiles. 'Suppose I'll keep moving. Swamp seemed to be in the southern portion of the Wildlands, so if he moved north he should arrive in the center of the land. Apparently the Okama clan kept a hideout there and they could use it to serve as the main camp.
Mind decided and now fully aware of how dangerous this place was. Naruto grimly leaped from tree to tree. 'Stay alive, guys… I'm coming.' Naruto swore to himself.
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Sasuke's POV (Irminsul Wildlands - Northern Mountains)
It was a strange sensation and moment for Sasuke. He could see nothing as they were transported; it was over instantly, yet Sasuke could feel the leftover alien feeling throughout his body afterward. However, the new environment soon grabbed his attention—or rather, the temperature of it.
As Sasuke cautiously took in his environment, he realized he had been brought to some kind of wintery mountain range. Sasuke found himself standing on one of the slanted mountain peaks. A powerful breeze sent a dull chill through Sasuke. As far as his eyes could see, there were more mountains; however, Sasuke could see what seemed to be a massive wall of mist in the distance. Something over there was melting the snow. It was certainly worth investigating…
"Dear Okama, not these godforsaken mountains!" A slightly panicked, more high-pitched complaint. Sasuke blinked as the small summon of Naruto flew out of the snow, shaking and cursing as it did. "I was hoping to avoid these forsaken peaks. Though I suppose better than any of the humans…"
"I'm behind you, raccoon," Sasuke interjected. "Where are we or the others?" The small raccoon jumped, seemingly startled by Sasuke. Before it whipped around and eyed the Uchiha.
"Oh dear, this will complicate matters. Hello there, human; for the record, I prefer the title Tanuki. Or even my name, perhaps." The raccoon replied sarcastically.
Sasuke was surprised by the gall of the creature. However, diplomacy would be vital in recognizing its usefulness in the current situation. "Forgive me, Muri, was it? You said we'd be randomly transported and likely split up. We should be able to track the others with you here, right?"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Muri nodded, seemingly pleased with the more respectful tone. "Excellent! I was worried you'd be as rude as our summoner! Anyway, the mission is the least of our concerns right now. We must get moving!"
"I certainly agree we must move quickly, though. Why else would we move if not for the mission?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. "I do not have time to waste; my blood is in danger."
"So are we," Muri replied while looking around as if searching for unseen threats. "See, there are not many clans present in these damned mountains. But those who do are particularly powerful and territorial. It's unlikely the others were brought here due to the harsh nature of the clans and our arrival as well. We should leave before we run into said clans."
"Unacceptable," Sasuke replied instantly. "If there is even a minuscule chance the others could be here, we must check. Besides, as you said, with fewer clans, there would be fewer places to check. And if they are there, they would surely need aid." Muri seemed to sigh at that. It took a lot of work to read the creature's body nature.
"We cannot risk it. Perhaps once we gather as a group, but now we would lack the power to survive the wrath of any of them." Muri countered.
"It will not be an issue. Should they choose to earn our ire, I will show them the power of the Uchiha. I will not slow down until I have ensured Yuno's safety." Sasuke bluntly countered.
Muri growled at this, which Sasuke struggled to find threatening before it leaped onto Sasuke's shoulders. "If you insist, I suppose we can try. Naruto did mention you during our training. So, you must be considerably powerful. However, the three clans of these peaks should not be underestimated. Even more importantly, it is cold. So let us seek our enemies; at least their lands will be a sanctuary from this cold."
Sasuke allowed a slight smile on his face. Pleased, the beast had seen reason and fixed one of their immediate problems with a flex of chakra. Heated fire nature chakra seeped into the air, causing moisture to evaporate and even slowly melting snow around them. Sasuke quickly marched through the melting snow with another more controlled chakra flow.
"Ah, impressive. I decided I do not dislike you, human." Muri nodded from Sasuke's left shoulder. "Head southward for now. Once we are closer to a clan, I'll give more specific directions. In the meantime, however, it would be wise to inform you of the clans we are to confront and the others we can expect, well, the notable ones, anyway. There are thousands in all reality. Though luckily we will not have to deal with all of them."
"Thousands?" Sasuke questioned, now somewhat interested as the two trekked down the mountain towards the next peak. "If that is the case, how are there so few summoning clans? Surely, the others could achieve the same with some cohesion."
"Well, as I said earlier, to become a summoner clan, you ideally need a convergence point. Some clans manage without such, perhaps they manage to send a summoning scroll into your world or a summoner manages to find their way into ours, but it is a rare occurrence, to say the least. Furthermore, the very nature of life in this world keeps any said cohesion or collusion from occurring. See, every clan, summoner or not, has no love for another clan. There is some level of cooperation between the major clans, but that is merely to avoid violence from them. For example, the toads and slugs are well known to be friendly to one another because their summoners are teammates. But even then, the two do not fight each other's battles or even share resources. In fact, those of the "lesser clans" tend to be more, well, as you humans would say, savage. Due to their low chakra ability without the resource of convergence points, they are often less intelligent and more animalistic. They live life pursuing food, safety, and power. They worry not about the complexities of life you and I bother ourselves with. They are happy as long as they can eat, raise their young, and gradually grow in power. However, due to the difficult and rare odds of becoming a summoning clan, they often war with each other violently. Convinced less suitors of the convergence points will increase their chances."
"I'm assuming, with the warning you gave earlier, the clans we will be meeting with are the violent type you speak of." Sasuke guessed.
"The worst of them, debatably." Muri agreed. "Due to the harsh conditions of this biome and their rivals, the three clans that call these peaks home are harsh and powerful. There is, firstly, the Crescent Moon Bear *7* Clan, large bears known for their ability to cause avalanches with their roars. They are easy to spot due to their large size and white crescent moon marking on their chest. They are known to be incredibly fearsome if provoked but are unlikely to attempt to kill us outright. In fact, they will likely be interested in you swaying to become a summoner. However, we will be in trouble if we do manage to upset them. Due to the potential for a peaceful encounter, we will seek them first."
"It's Easy enough, so we deal with the bears and then seek out the others, correct?" Sasuke asked.
"That is the plan; however, we may need to fear encountering the second clan. The infamous Snow Weasel Clan." *8* Muri said while glancing around as if worried merely saying their name would bring them to the forefront. Sasuke could not help his brow raising in bewilderment at the comment. "Do not take them lightly! They are known to be one of the most ferocious of beasts! While small, they travel in large groups and have fangs capable of piercing any armor. Even escaping them isn't a great option due to the speed at which they travel through the snow. They are known to eat whatever they encounter and never fail to fall for their selected prey."
"I do not underestimate my foes," Sasuke assured. "Merely recognize no being is unstoppable. Every foe has a weakness…" Sasuke trailed off as his mind drifted back to the days when he had heard such wisdom. Before his mind could entirely drift, he felt a twinge in the air. His chakra bristled as he suddenly felt a presence… more than one. "How would we know they're coming?"
"Well, obviously, I would sense them but we just got here so I haven't bothered… oh no."
"Even his summon is a goofball…" Sasuke complained as he willed Besmirched Flambe to his hand and lowered himself into a loose stance. Muri oddly transformed into a large raccoon, displaying his fangs as he did so. It seemed combat would not be avoided.
Before Sasuke could blink, the snow around them erupted, and several slender weasels flew from the air. Unlike the smallest ones Sasuke had seen before, these were monstrous. Each was three feet long, covered in bright white fur; said fur seemed stained with blood; their eyes were bloodshot and locked onto the two. Each flew towards them, mouths wide open and full of knife-like teeth. Sasuke felt no fear, however.
No one would stop him from aiding his family…
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Mishiro's POV (Irminsul Wildlands - West River Plains)
Mishiro and Leifazu had arrived at a large flat stone stretched in the middle of a large river. In fact, as far as Mishiro could see, small stretches of trees and land were often split by a system of large rivers. Even glancing, Mishiro could know a litany of aquatic life within the water. The buzz of insects as they flew around. The land was raw and natural in a way the world at home simply wasn't. Without the destructive touch of man, the land was wild and overgrown.
Mishiro and Leifazu first scanned the area using Mishiro's considerable sensing ability to ensure no hostels were close. Though she struggled due to the latent chakra in the air. Once done, Mishiro set Leifazu to begin preparing their camp. As they would not leave until accomplishing their goal and with no clue how long it would take, it would be wise to have some safe ground in their control.
The two of them worked with tireless efficiency. Well, Leifazu did anyway; while she worked on creating a home base and pooling resources, Mishiro worked with a seal she had written into a large scroll. A flat rock was used as her workstation; the seal was simple. A chakra detection tool, it would track any notable chakra signature from a human or creature. And shouldn't be affected by the chakra in the air. Ikam had created this seal which should allow it to operate even in the odd scenario. It would be necessary for their goal; while a summoning clan would be valuable and certainly gained for them, they were looking for something much more promising.
Ikam had thought of the plan during the exams. A way to weaken their enemies while increasing their strength. Ikam had discovered the existence of the Okama clan in a long-forgotten hidden Uzumaki hideout. And while her Love had failed to gain their allegiance, the hidden crypt of knowledge had mentioned something piqued his interest. A land that connected all summoning clans, and mentions of a way to control it…
Impossible to know if it was true, but if it was… oh, the possibilities. Mishiro loved the cunning and cruel mind of Ikam, and even better, he had chosen her to ensure his plan became a reality. Mishiro would not fail him…
But before searching for the supposed item, they had to find a clan to question and gain allegiance from. Finding them would be straightforward, though only some animals would do. Ikam had a certain one in mind, one that, if truly real, would be perfect. However, it would take time for the seal to be complete, and even then, it would be difficult to find a good clan; they would be left to manually check each they detected. Since it could not sense specific chakra only amounts. Henceforth why, Ikam had hired the Kamizuru clan, extra hands and eyes. Yet somehow, Ikam's transport seal must've malfunctioned, for Leifazu and her had been left somewhere separate from them. Or perhaps the absurd amount of chakra present had interfered in some way…
"Alrighty Mishiro~!" Leifazu called as she leaped from the finished camp to Mishiro. "I finished camp and a perimeter just as you rudely ordered. Detection seals, barrier seals, no animal or person can get in here without alerting you. A little beneath a lieutenant of Ikam but-"
"Do you question my orders?" Mishiro asked as she gave an eye to Leifazu. While both were loyal to the same master, the two could not be more different. Leifazu, with her unique ability to leave her body and inhabit another with proper preparation, was nearly as old as Ashira. And considered after many deaths due to her ability to be eccentric bordering on insane.
"Are you still mad I flirted with our leader?" Leifazu asked with a giant smile making it clear she was enjoying Mishiro's frustration. "Come on now, I was just trying to have fun, I knew our leader would never, and I would never be foolish enough to step on your toes."
"Even suggesting such was a mistake," Mishiro replied hatefully. "I should still slay you for such. Besides, wasn't your original body that of a man?"
"One, we only have one extra body for me. So waste it, if you will. Secondly, my gender changes with my body. *9* And as someone who gets to experience both sides of the gender coin, I prefer to keep my choices open. After all, I have experienced how fun it can be for both sides." Leifazu replied with a smile as she examined herself with a crazed smile. "Besides, are you telling me I'm not a total babe now?"
"You're a foolish degenerate," Mishiro replied evenly. "Just remember your place… a slutty corpse that should be long gone."
"Yeah, yeah." Leifazu agreed breezily. "Anyway, what's next? I wanna get this mission done so I can chase some male tail. Neither side is safe from Leifazu!"
"I'm glad you're so energetic," Mishiro said with a smirk. "I'll leave the discovery of our Kamizuru allies to you. Find and bring them here."
"Always the grunt work…" Leifazu complained. "Though I suppose that blonde one was kinda hot… alright, I'll find them. Might have some fun before they find some way to be killed."
"Don't you dare! We have no time for pleasure, merely business!" Mishiro warned snappishly.
"Everyone says that, but they don't really mean it~!" Leifazu sang as she raced off to find the others.
Mishiro sighed but let it go, instead focusing on her seal. Content with the isolation and silence, she allowed her mind to drift as she worked on her seal. Thinking of only her love…
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Shino's POV (Irminsul Wildlands - East Forest)
It was admittedly a fantastic experience, teleportation. Over in an instant, but was different in a way far from anything else Shino had experienced. Shino could immediately tell they were no longer in the Land of Iron. His insects buzzed worriedly from within him. Unsurprisingly any of his allies that had been outside of him had been cut off. They would be fine of course they would stick to their post. Content with the fact things were in order. Shino allowed several scouts to his body to get a sense of his surroundings. Oddly enough, they were not in some wildland as Muri had warned them.
They were in a thick and damp forest, though many of the trunks of trees had carved out into wide pathways. In fact, some force had created a complex system of pathways that led up and down the forest as far as his eyes could see. But there were no buildings, furniture, or anything to suggest this was a living area. It was some sort of road… One that had appeared on. Though there was no sign of life…
Shino flinched as a returning scout communicated its find to him. His allies had found Hinata a short distance away and led her to him. In fact…
Shino closed his eyes and focused on the light tingling sensation in his head. It felt similar to when his allies left the Hidden Leaf. It was as if one of his insects were outside of his range… That was it. Shino often, with or without the permission of his teammates, kept a few beetles on his friends. They would feed and live sneakily on his friends, harmless and with them, Shino could always find them should he need to. The connection was shaky and loose. So much so Shino was not sure if it was Yuno, Choji, or even both. However, it was a lead…
Hinata zipped onto the same road as Shino. Smiling widely, seemingly glad to see a friendly face. I saw your insects leading me to you. Thank you, Shino-san, let your insects know I am thankful to them as well." Hinata nodded politely. "It seems we are in some kind of forest, well a forest that someone turned into some kind of road system."
"Not someone, something." Shino countered, looking at the road in more detail. It was roughly assembled wood, smooth and connected well but crude and unsanded. It was certainly functional, though Shino doubted a human would leave it so. Furthermore, anyone would construct something so crudely by anything but choice. "This roadway or system of roadways is intelligently built, but not by humans. It seems like an intelligent creature made this but lacked the finer tools to construct it well. In fact, these roads are larger than even carriages. As if whatever uses them is much larger than a mere human." As Shino finished, he sent out even more drones to provide more information.
"Likely the results of one of these summoning clans." Hinata agreed. She understood Shino's goal, which was aided by activating her Byakugan for a moment. "I don't see any life within the area… isn't that strange?"
"It certainly is… though it seems there is some life… my allies found some underneath the dirt, only one kind, ants," Shino explained.
"Only ants, if they are ants, wouldn't there be other insects too? In fact it's quite rare for a lively forest to be mostless lifeless." Hinata asked, confused.
"Indeed insects, no, all life, live only where they can find food, water, and shelter. Otherwise, they would never last… for a location with these resources and space for only one species to be found suggests they are apex predators, a near impossibility for a normal ant species… we're near a home for the ants. These small ants have likely realized they were here and communicated it to their nest. If we assume they are a summoning clan, well… there should be much larger ones."
"Ah, so the littles were not incorrect. They are indeed chakra-enhanced humans here." A voice sounded out, interrupting Shino. It was raspy and somewhat hard to understand. It was as if someone was speaking by scraping two pieces of metal together. The two shinobi turned to face the voice and saw it came from a massive ant. The creature was dark and seemingly covered in a sheeny armor covering its body. At each bend, dark orange hair poked out; its eyes were dark and menacing, its antennae twitched in the air. Worse yet, the monstrous ant was not alone. There were six larger ones and many ants of varying sizes beneath the larger ones' legs. It was clear Shino had been correct; the area must've been the territory of this ant clan… "Hello, humans; as this is the queen's territory, we must insist you explain your presence. If it is for resources, we may have to force you to leave."
Hinata eyed the large crowd nervously. Shino could see why. The giant ants looked durable and had managed to sneak up on them. And while the two of them could likely fend them off it was doubtless there was more on the way. Shino was confident they wouldn't perish; but fighting would be risky. "We are Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga of the Leaf Village." He answered honestly, "We have been sent to search for our allies. We seek no trouble and if unwelcomed will vacate the area after we ensure our allies are not present."
The giant leader made a strange clicking sound. Shino assumed they must be laughing. "Ah, a bit of a shame; the littles were looking forward to feasting on your flesh. But if you are of the Leaf, you must be the group of shinobi the Okama clan referred to. They warned that some may come through and that we should aid them. I am Number 743 *10* of the Antuni Clan. We shall aid you as asked… under certain circumstances of course."
"A circumstance? From what you said, you are allies of the Okama Clan." Hinata chimed in. Shino nodded at her angle. It was good to see that Hyuga could be as wise as she was timid. Using the Okama as an angle may spare them from combat. "One of ours is, in fact, a summoner of theirs. Would it not be beneficial for the Antuni to heed the words of the Okamas?"
Another series of clicks was more aggressive than nature than the last sound. "You humans know little… We are not allies of the Okama nor enemies, merely colleagues at best. In fact, any we interact with is beneficial to us or prey. We intend to see what you shall be. If you're powerful enough to be useful, we will treat you as a guest and aid in your quest, as the Okama asked. Otherwise, we will slaughter and consume the two of you."
Shino narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. "And how would you have us prove ourselves?"
"There is a group of creatures that invade our land. Mutts that savagely hound us. They are much less kind than us and ferocious in nature. Normally, we would simply war with and exterminate those who would dare. But with their numbers, we would lose far too many soldiers. Deal with this threat for us, and we will offer you our aid. That is the word of Queen 3."
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" Shino asked. "Or even need your aid?"
"We can sense another pair of humans nearby, just northwest of here, struggling against this enemy. I can safely assume they are your allies. The littles mentioned they have the same headband as you. They are a distance away, far enough that you need to be absurdly fast to aid them. Even now, your scouts have yet to discover them."
Hinata dropped into a low combat stance, kunai drawn and coated in chakra. She glared fiercely at the ants. "Take us to them!"
"Yet your clan can sense them. And if you mention it, you must have a way to help us. You simply are attempting to bind us unfairly to you." Shino interrupted Hinata and stared down the ant unflinchingly.
The first series of clicking sounds went off again; it was laughing. As the ant recovered, it replied, noticeably amused with Shino: "You are wise for a human. Yes, we have the ability to tunnel through the earth at incredibly fast speeds. This would allow you and a strike force of us to attack them and likely save your humans."
Shino looked back at Hinata, who nodded hesitantly. Shino was less sure. Could these ants truly be trusted? How could they sense the others? Could he afford to take the risk of not believing them? No, he had loosely sensed Choji in the same general direction. It certainly gave credence to what the ant had said. Besides, it had been aware of the Okama clan and could have attacked them earlier…
"Very well, lead the way." Shino agreed.
The ant nodded before clicking several times loudly. The other large and small ants reacted immediately. Moving in a straight, thick line, they immediately began to dig, somehow easily getting what Shino estimated was ten feet deep in mere seconds.
Choji would need only wait a while longer…
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Kurobachi's POV (Nearby Shino's Group)
"There's no way I'm seeing things properly." Jibachi whispered angrily. "Not only are we not the only group here, but they have an Aburame. Should we rush in and kill the lot of them."
Kurobachi whacked his younger brother roughly on the head. "Let me think, fool," he barked. Jibachi bitterly went silent, and as Kurobachi's peace returned, his anger stilled. Kurobachi used to be the next head of one of the most prominent clans in all of Iwa. Now, he was an old man.
His hair still held its darkness and thickness. He still uses his preferred split styling, and his stache and beard are as healthy as ever. And yet he felt each and every one of his years. Kurobachi's life had changed drastically after the last war. First, his clan had been nearly destroyed by the Aburame, then Irminsul by their own home village, and finally, he had been surpassed by his younger sister.
Now, his sister had claimed to have found a job to redeem the lot of them. Kurobachi, a proud member of the Kamizuru clan, could not ignore this. Even their petulant youngest brother was present. His spectacle-wearing blonde sibling had also sought to redeem their name.
Now, things have changed drastically. They had not only arrived at their destination, but Kurobachi had stumbled upon their hated rivals and a promising clan. A numberless powerful insect faction would do nicely for the Kamizuru clan. Even better, it may restore him as the rightful heir…
But how do you approach the situation? The ants seemed at peace with Aburame and the Hyuga. They seemed young and would surely be weaker than them, but the ants were unknown. If they join the battle, it may make things difficult. Already, his bees were struggling to keep the group hidden from Aburame's drones and the gaze of that woman…
"We won't attack for now. Make no mistake, by both our contract and the need for vengeance, we will kill the two. Part of our job is to eliminate any found humans and find new summons. But we have no clue how the ants will react. Send some drones in as close as you can. We'll follow and listen in, waiting for our moment."
"I suppose that makes sense, you grumpy bastard. As long as we get to kill Aburame, I'll wait. Makes this job worth it, finally." Jibachi spat. He seemed to think for a second before sending off some bee drones. "Should I not send some to find Suzumebachi? Our "fearless" leader will probably want to hear about this."
"No need. If we fail, she may succeed elsewhere." Kurobachi answered convincingly. He had to stop his smile when Jabachi nodded.
Suzumebachi didn't need to know… the glory would be his…
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Naruto's POV (Irminsul Wildlands - South Swamps)
Naruto sighed as he carefully hopped through the moss and vine-covered trees. The constant overgrowth and moisture made the branches slippery, slowing his progress massively. The heat was also unrelenting, and Naruto had removed his coat and tied it to his waist. His hair drooping slightly due to the sweat, soon Naruto was wishing he had been taken anyway but a moist, hot, nasty swamp.
Since his exciting run-in with the crocodiles, he had only seen a little wildlife. This was odd, as Muri had described it as a land ruled not by man but by various creatures. Yet other than his crocodilian foes and that arrant bird, he hadn't seen much life. Perhaps those damn crocs had run the others off.
Naruto closed his eyes and used his chakra to try to scan the area but felt nothing. With his surplus chakra reserves, Naruto had never been much of a sensor. But feeling nothing entirely was off; it was as if something was blocking it… For now, he was content to keep going until he found a clan, a friend, or Muri found him.
Naruto flinched, however, when he heard a whistle through the air. He paused on his branch, cautiously scanning for anything. What kinda creature made a whistling sound? Or was it simply his imagination? It had almost sounded like something cutting through the air. With a seal, Naruto activated the Personal Atmosphere and pushed air subtly throughout the area. Suddenly, he felt violent ripples through his wind nature chakra. Something was nearby and moving fast!
"Come out whatever you are!" Naruto roared as he drew Riptide. "I'm not in the mood for any games, ya know?!"
There was only silence for a moment before another whistle sounded. Naruto dived off his branch, landing on the water below as the tree he had been standing on was suddenly pierced straight through. Naruto glanced, attempting to catch an eye of what that had been before two more of it hovered before him making the effort for naught. They were mosquitoes but larger than most deer. Their wings were as large as Naruto's and moved so fast they were hard to even see.
In an instant, the insects flew in, thrusting their sword like proboscis toward him. Naruto stood his ground, managing to track the speedy insects with ease. They were much slower than Gaara had been. He deflected the first proboscis with a flick and ducked the other, only for the first mosquito to return flying in while he was open.
"Bug off!" Naruto roared as he willed a massive wave of wind to slam into the insect, sending it careening into a tree in an explosion of body parts. He spun to dodge the second, managing to sever its wing as he did so, and with dept timing and massive strength, caught the thrust of the last. The force of the lunge sent the two sliding back as the insect tried to spear him through. However, Naruto kept his hold on it, and as they slowed, he frowned deeply, bothered with what he had to do. Another species that was aggressive for no reason. With this speed and power Naruto couldn't justify letting them leave. Less they become a threat to his friends later. Perhaps sensing the trouble it was in, the mosquito tried to pull its proboscis back. Naruto held firm, however, and thrusted Riptide into its body mercilessly. The insect shuddered horribly before falling to the ground. Naruto turned and panted as he examined the other dead and the injured mosquito. The blonde was shocked to see the last mosquito, even without its wings, attempting to crawl over to the blonde. While Naruto saw no great intelligence in its eyes, it clearly was full of nothing but bloodlust and hate. Naruto sighed as he slashed with his free hand; this caused a blade of wind to form and slice the head of the last remaining mosquito.
"Kami, I thought Muri said they would be attempting to bribe or capture us. Those damn bugs had no plans but to spear me through. They should be looking for summoners…" Naruto complained.
"Not quite." A familiar, deep voice sounded. With a silent curse, Naruto turned to see the same four crocodiles from earlier staring him down. In fact, their numbers had more than doubled; there quickly now were a dozen giant crocodiles offering crooked and hungry smiles. "Not all clans see humans as some great creatures. They can certainly be useful, but they taste good enough to be prey just as well as they can be help. I will not offer you mercy again; prepare to die, summoner; perhaps in your next life, you may serve the Krookorook clan as more than a meal." This decree brought a significant bout of laughter from the assembled crocodiles.
"That's where you're wrong. You were the one given an out, not me!" Naruto countered. "Besides, this isn't a good fight; it would be unfair!"
"Unfair. We know of the power of shinobi, as such I gathered all the members of our clan. While it will be overkill and lower the amount of meat I get, it will be worth it to finally try a chakra enhanced human." The leader of the group roared.
"Wrong again." Naruto sounded with a frown. He would prefer to avoid unneeded conflict, but the crocodiles would likely continue to follow him. Now, they have even expressed interest in eating humans. Naruto needed to ensure they wouldn't follow or potentially threaten his friends in the future. Naruto is required to end this… "I mean, it was unfair for you. Should've brought more, ya know?!" The Blonde roared as the crocodiles began to race towards him.
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Lee's POV (Irminsul Wildlands - East Forest)
"1,996!" Lee called as he did Gai's infamous handstand push-up. It was a mere warm-up; a full workout would be untoward due to the situation.
It had been an odd couple of days for Lee. He and Sakura had been on their way to the Iron Fair to warn the others of their newly missing comrades. Before suddenly, smoke erupted around him; somehow, Sakura and Lee were utterly surrounded by unseen creatures. Whatever they had been, they were violent and had attempted to maul Sakura and Lee. Not trying to kill them for whatever reason, but disable and restrain them. Luckily, Lee's training had come in handy, and Lee had somehow managed to protect them both. Somehow, during the scrap and subsequent teleportation, they had been separated, both his foes and the beautiful Sakura.
"1,997!"
Unfortunately, Lee had been injured significantly. Fortunately, he had arrived in a friendly location. Lee had awakened in a random tree house surrounded by raccoons of various sizes. He had attempted to excuse his interruption but had passed out. A full day later, I had awakened. Apparently, the raccoon home I had stumbled upon was called the Okama. This was a hideout they used as a flank base of sorts. A summoning clan that worked to keep the balance of the Wildlands in check, but now somehow a clan was reverse summoning nonsummoners. Which apparently had been what happened to him and Sakura. Clearly one of the clans were intending to force a large group of people to be their summoners. This place called the Wildlands was in deep turmoil and now Lee was involved, luckily there was help coming from Naruto and an assembled team. Lee had wished to immediately venture out and find the others taken and assemble with the Recovery Team; however, he had been preoccupied by a discovery as well as needing time to fully heal. The raccoons could use chakra even better than he; it was not a shocking discovery, but it became such when he noticed they didn't use hand signs. Apparently, Summoning Animals used chakra differently. It was due to their chakra coils being nearly as undeveloped as his own. At first, a fact that didn't mean much, until Lee considered what that could mean for him…
"1,998!"
If Lee could master such a method of chakra use perhaps he could use it to boost his current style. Develop a style that embraced the Strong Style given to him from Gai. But also offered him the growth he so desperately desired. As a nonsummoner, the Okama clan wouldn't teach it to him, but they did offer him some very light starters. Merely to flow chakra and absorb it from the surroundings around him. It was shocking how intuitive it was for Lee. Typically, even using chakras for tree walking or water walking was somewhat strenuous for him. But he was shocked that he could do this new version quickly. And with the council of the Okama they had used the new knowledge to perfect his new technique. The very one he had failed to use against Fuu.
"1,999!"
With this in mind and with help on the way, Lee made a terrible choice. I want to spend the time before help arrives to train. It was selfish of him, in a way Guy-sensei would surely disapprove of. But Lee needed to become stronger. He could not deal with more failure. At least this way, he could finally face his allies in success, to smile not only for pride but because he was prideful.
"2,000!" Lee cried with pride as he shoved himself with enough upper body strength to launch his body in the air, deftly landing on his feet. He stretched to relieve the tension in his muscles. And happily hummed enjoying the fading rush of a good workout.
"Hey, hu- I mean Lee. The elder keeps telling me to be more respectful towards you humans. Especially since we'll likely be seeing more of you." A feminine and slightly annoyed voice sounded out. Lee could not stop the smile from blossoming on his face. Muuni was a female raccoon, and she had been assigned to keep an eye on him for the good of him and the clan. While the female raccoon clearly didn't trust him, Lee respected her youthful vigor. "Anyway, Human Lee, there appears to be another human. We hoped you could see if it is an ally. She apparently lost her headband."
"Excellent, it must be one of my friends! This is a most wondrous event!" Lee said excitedly.
"Or a random human. It is a female with brown hair. Sound familiar?" Muuni replied with her usual odd attitude.
"With buns?" Lee asked.
"What in the world is buns?"
Lee smiled at the odd creature as he and it continued on. Lee hoped it was Tenten!