Kaoru stood in front of the village chief’s house. The village was modest but neatly organized. Almost every home had a small garden, with patches of earth cultivated to grow vegetables. Fruit trees dotted the yards, but it was winter, so the branches were devoid of fruit or even leaves.
The village chief’s voice broke Kaoru’s thoughts. “We’ve asked the daimyo for help so many times, but he never did anything! We were ready to relocate, but last month, one of your councilors visited us and assured us that Takimura would take over this region. It’s been a month, and nothing has changed.”
Though the man spoke as if explaining their situation, it was clear his words were meant to scold Takimura shinobis. Shin stood silently, his usual neutral expression in place, but his students noticed the faint hint of guilt in his demeanor. Shin didn’t interrupt; part of him felt responsible for the delay.
“Our village is newly established, so things took longer than expected,” Shin said finally, his voice even softer than usual. “But I promise it won’t happen again. We’ll take care of the bandits.”
His tone although calm, was softer and warmer than usual, Shin meant to reassure, but the chief’s scowl didn’t waver. To the villagers, Shin came off as cold and distant. Only his team, who had grown familiar with his subtle mannerisms, recognized the effort he was making.
“Alright,” the chief said begrudgingly. “I’ll tell you what I know.” He was clearly frustrated and not convinced that Shin understood their pain. “The bandits raid three villages, including ours. They attack about once a month. They don’t kill unnecessarily but take nearly everything we have, leaving just enough for us to survive. I think they’re trying to keep their... milk cow alive.” His face darkened as he continued. “But the worst is, they take young girls. Those they take never return. If you want more information, you’ll have to speak to the people in the other villages. Maybe they know more.”
The chief fell silent, he was clearly browsing his memory as his face kept getting darker and darker. Shin nodded but the information was not particularly useful. He decided to ask more specific questions.
“How many bandits are there?”
The chief shook his head. “I don’t know the exact number. The group that raids us usually has about twenty men.”
“Have you seen any of them use chakra?” Shin pressed, though he doubted the farmers could identify chakra use unless ninjutsu was involved.
“No,” the chief said with a sigh. “We’ve never fought back, so they’ve had no need to use force. We’re just farmers. None of us knows how to wield weapons.”
The sadness and regret in the chief’s voice were unmistakable. He cast a weary glance toward the village, as if lamenting the lack of protection daimyo and Kirigakure were supposed to provide to his people.
Shin nodded. “Thank you for the information. Don’t worry—they won’t be attacking you again.”
He turned to his team, signaling them to follow him to the next village. Kaoru, Akane, and Mizuki exchanged glances but said nothing, falling in step behind their sensei. As they left, Kaoru couldn’t help but glance back at the village gardens and the blurry figure of the chief, still standing at his door.
He once again confirmed that this world was cruel. There was no justice, only pain and suffering for those who did not wield enough power. He moved the droplet hovering next to his cheek in front of him. His gaze was now fixed on the droplet. The resolve in his eyes was almost palpable.
“I will never become someone who oppresses the weak,” he muttered, his voice louder than intended.
Akane and Mizuki, walking just behind him, both nodded in silent agreement. They didn’t need to say anything, it was clear that they also had the same thoughts.
Shin, who was leading the group, cast a glance at Kaoru from the corner of his eye, and for a fleeting moment, a satisfied smile crossed his face.
The next two villages were in even worse condition than the first. The homes were barely standing, patched together with makeshift repairs. Gardens lay barren. The village chiefs of both settlements practically fell to their knees begging Shin for help.
“If they raid us even one more time, we will die of starvation,” one chief pleaded. His voice trembled with desperation, his eyes sunken from sleepless nights.
“They’ve taken most of our children. Boys and girls. We have nothing left to defend ourselves.”
Mizuki clenched her fists, her breathing becoming uneven as the villagers’ words hit her much harder than her friends and sensei. She wasn’t just listening to their stories, she was reliving her own.
The rogue ninja attack on her home played vividly in her mind. The night they came. The way they laughed as they tore through her village. Her parents’ lifeless bodies. Her brother, struck down when he tried to protect her. The older girls, dragged away screaming. Mizuki’s shoulders trembled as her chakra flared uncontrollably, her expression darkening by the second.
Shin noticed immediately but didn’t speak. Instead, he gave Kaoru a meaningful glance.
Kaoru stepped closer to Mizuki. Gently, he placed a hand on her back, patting it lightly. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. The warmth of the gesture was enough to ground Mizuki, pulling her back from the spiral of memories.
“Thank you,” she said softly as she gave Kaoru a small, grateful smile.
Kaoru nodded, returning her smile with one of his own.
Satisfied that Mizuki had calmed down, Shin signaled for the group to move out. They entered the dense forest at the base of the mountain, [this is where the hunt begins] thought Kaoru as he flickered, following the back of his sensei.
<<<>>>
Maru returned to where Maki and Akura stood, his massive wings slicing through the mist like blades, each beat sending waves of air that dispersed the haze effortlessly. The sight was both majestic and mildly infuriating for Akura, who knew what was coming.
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“I found them,” Maru said in a tone that suggested he should have been thanked in advance for his brilliance. “They’re near the mountain base in the southeast. Less than ten people in the camp, and they’re weak—ridiculously weak. Why are you even looking for them? Surely the mighty Akura and Maki wouldn’t waste their time on such peasants.” His mocking tone was impossible to miss.
Maki smirked, leaning closer to the eagle with a sparkle in her eye. “We’re not here to kill them, Maru. Quite the opposite, actually. We want to help them and invite them to join our new village.”
Maru scoffed, his beak clacking slightly as he gave Akura a side-eye. “Recruitment? How noble. I must say, I can’t imagine how you two even function. Akura over here does’t even want to summon me unless he is in serious trouble. I asked him so many times to summon me when he encounters beautiful landmarks, but no.” He shook his feathery head in disappointment.
Maki, sensing an opportunity, jumped in with a dramatic flair. “That’s exactly what I told him! I kept saying, ‘Summon Maru; he’s the best, the fastest, the most reliable!’ But noooo, he insisted you’d refuse. Honestly, how do you even tolerate him?”
Maru puffed up proudly. “I don’t mind helping you, Maki. You’re the only tolerable one here. How you turned out so adorable with a sensei like him is a mystery.”
Akura sighed deeply, his patience wearing thin. [This eagle has the brain of a parrot, and my disciple’s turning into a troublemaker. Wonderful.] Maru was always like that. Whenever it was not tough and dangerous, he was unbearable. But Akura knew that Maru was loyal and trustworthy to the core. Once, he nearly died shielding Akura with his own body. Still, the eagle was very peculiar, he was born to be unbearable, nothing Akura could do about it. “Thank you, Maru. You can go now.”
“I don’t need you to tell me,” Maru retorted with a dramatic flap of his wings. Then, turning to Maki, he added, “Maki, when you’re back at Takimura, make sure Akura summons me again. And introduce your brother, I have a proposal for him that both of you will like. But make sure no one else is around.”
“Wait, what proposal?” Maki shouted as Maru disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving her questions unanswered.
Maki turned to Akura, her eyes narrowing. “What do you think he meant by that?”
Akura chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “Who knows what goes on in his tiny bird brain?”
Maki grinned mischievously, already picturing Kaoru’s reaction. “Kaoru will go nuts if Maru offers him a contract. I can already see him jumping around like a lunatic.”
Akura’s expression grew serious. “He can’t. Maru isn’t allowed to have more than one contract. The sage of the eagle tribe forbids it. Besides, your brother wouldn’t benefit much from an eagle. Sure, they can fly, but Kaoru needs something that can complement his Suijingan. A water-based familiar, perhaps one of the sea beasts, would suit him far better. It’d double his strength, maybe even more.”
Maki raised a brow, considering his words. “Huh. Never thought about that. That’s why I asked you to train him, and you kept refusing. I had to trick Shin into doing it. He’s still mad at me, by the way.” She chuckled at the memory of Shin’s exasperation after his first week as a sensei.
Akura rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You’ll never change. Now let’s get moving. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can get back to Takimura.”
Without waiting for a response, Akura flickered out of sight, leaving Maki to follow with a grin still plastered on her face.
<<<>>>
The shinobi standing before the Mizukage and the council was Mangetsu Hozuki, a prodigy and a rising star within Kirigakure. Despite his youth - barely out of his teenage years - Mangetsu exuded an aura of effortless power. His silver hair framed his sharklike teeth and determined features, and his piercing eyes carried the weight of someone who had mastered the art of battle. Mangetsu’s reputation wasn’t just for show, his mastery of the Hozuki clan's unique water-based techniques and his unparalleled swordsmanship marked him as a potential leader of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri.
“Do you have any suggestions, Mangetsu?” Yagura asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair. The Mizukage’s expression betrayed the confidence he had in the young shinobi. Mangetsu’s opinion carried weight, and Yagura never missed an opportunity to test his strategic acumen.
Mangetsu took a moment to think, “I don’t think it’s worth attacking them in the valley,” he said finally. “That terrain favors them too much. They have access to rich water sources, and we’d face heavy losses trying to take the fight to them. However, we can strike when they leave the valley. They’ll need to send their shinobi out eventually—to earn money, gather supplies, and maintain trade relations. That’s where we can weaken them. We could also consider blockading their valley, preventing merchants from entering…”
Yagura’s expression darkened as Mangetsu trailed off.
“You’re right that we should not attack them in the valley. ” Yagura interjected. “Suiren will be too strong around a waterfall and while I’m confident I can defeat her, I will also suffer heavy injuries, which can not happen. However, you are wrong to suggest a blockade of merchants because it would do more harm to us than to them. If we antagonize trade routes or interfere too much, Shiomura may take their side, and if they begin funneling resources to Takimura, we’ll lose any advantage we have. The Daimyo’s support will be critical in ensuring that doesn’t happen.”
Mangetsu nodded. “Then I suggest we focus on the first option—target their shinobi outside the valley. It’s a long-term approach, but it’s the safest. We pick them off slowly, weaken their forces, and force them into a position where they can’t maintain their strength.”
Yagura leaned back, a cold smile tugging at his lips. “Good. Let’s proceed with that plan. I’ll send diplomats to Shiomura to ensure their neutrality and reach out to the Daimyo for additional support. For now, Mangetsu, I want you on a different task, there is a clan that is acting suspiciously. I want you to gather information, do not provoke them unnecessarily.”
Mangetsu bowed slightly, “Consider it done, Lord Mizukage.”
As the council dispersed, Yagura’s gaze lingered on Mangetsu, watching the young prodigy stride confidently out of the chamber. [The Land of Water is rotting, riddled with weakness and disloyalty,] Yagura thought. [But I will cleanse it. Slowly, methodically. A hasty purge would only invite disaster.]
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. The dim light from the room’s lanterns reflected off his sharp, calculating eyes. [Mangetsu… you will be my sword in this endeavor. But even you must prove your worth before I entrust you with my vision.]
Yagura’s lips curled into a faint smile as he envisioned the future. [With patience, everything will fall into place. Kirigakure will rise again, stronger and purer than ever.]
**
A/N -
Other than coming up with Maki’s new original technique, I need to decide what kind of summon Kaoru will get and when he’ll acquire it. You’ve probably noticed that I’m trying to keep Kaoru’s powers in check to avoid making him overpowered too quickly. While I’m not against him eventually becoming the strongest, his growth and strength need to feel earned and natural. The process of attaining his abilities should be as engaging as the abilities themselves.
P.S. I’ve always liked Mangetsu and Suigetsu, and I’m brainstorming ways to bring them into Takimura without compromising the plot or their personalities. It’ll be tricky, but I think it’s worth it!
Character Notes:
Akura – Calm Chaos - “Why are this brat and an eagle conspiring against me?”
Maki – Cheerful And Cheeky- “I’ve already tricked Shin into training Kaoru, now it’s Akura’s turn. Master strategist? That’s me.”
Remu – Cheeky Summon - "Next time I'm summoned, I'll drop on Akura's head. Hehe."
**