*Chirp*
*Chirp*
*Chirp*
The beautiful early morning song of Birds and soft light from a small window greeted me as I woke up, the grogginess of my dreamless sleep quickly disappearing as I opened my eyes wide and examined my surroundings.
Sitting up, I quickly rubbed the crust from my eyes, only to witness A long hall filled with empty bunk beds, thick wool blankets scattered everywhere, dirty clothes, and a large array of scattered wooden weapons, toys, and books.
It was my dorm, the one that I shared with the rest of the children in our lodge, who have all left for morning activities.
Looking down at my body, I saw that I had been changed from my Training Gi from yesterday and into a fresh pair of wool shirt and pants.
" Who changed me?" I asked out loud, although I wasn't expecting someone from some corner to answer me, or rather, nobody physically there.
-Hrmm- Ornn grumbles softly
-The Baby Bull changed you after you passed out, it seems your physical stamina is still a little too weak for us all to appear at the same time. we shouldn't have stayed out for extended periods, not that it was needed, if that idiot didn't delay for so long!- [Sköll] notes in slight exasperation in her tone
*Pop*
With a slight snap of air, the small orb manifested instantly in front of my face once again, floating midair as [Sköll]s voice sprung from within. Taking on its former metallic-plated appearance from before.
-I was getting to the point! You weren't in any hurry either, and the child had just finished his first true refinement, his lasting power will grow with experience.- [Hati] came to his defense quickly at this moment
" I think it's less about me running out of energy and more about me fainting from distress from your two little, 'Surprise', announcements!" I immediately scolded the two bickering voices as I remembered the conversation and Damn near heart attack I received last night!
My puny 6 years old body can't handle too much stress, and it was an extremely packed and stressful day for me yesterday!
The ice had just finished melting, I had my first day out of the confines of my home for two weeks after I had been grounded for sneaking out to train during a snowstorm.
I was looking forward to a good meal, a calm training session, and maybe taking a hike around the mountain and seeing if the training grounds needed any maintenance.
Only instead I got to get thrashed by my cousins and Grandfather, nearly die from Chakra refinement, spent an entire afternoon uncomfortable with my skin because of said chakra, blow up my grandmother's good table while experimenting, and finally get told that I've been holding a couple of local dead powerhouses in my Mental realm that is trying to start a war with the most powerful and mysterious Otsutsuki, who can even after his 'Death', can immediately incarnate as a ghost to his favorite children and pump them full with enough chakra to empower two people enough to form a Six Tomoe Rinnegan, Truth Seeking Orbs and a Six Paths Sage Mode to avoid fighting his mother head on!
Not to mention his 'Pure Land' is filled to the brim with powerful dead people who he can summon with a snap of his fingers!
Some analysts from my past life think his realm has limitless chakra, drained from the countless believers he's racked up over the years, the man is just busted overpowered!
"Oh? That? I had thought-" [Sköll] muttered in surprise, and after a small silence only to appease me with a little amusement hidden in her tone, "Kekkai, child, how could you possibly be so distressed!? Our quarrel with Hagaromo will have little to no effect on you!"
After that, as if given permission, all the plates on the orb began to shake once again like last night before shooting off to random places in the room.
With a sigh of relief, the Constructs stretched their semi-phantasmal limbs in exaggerated relief, like they had been stuffed in a cramped car and had finally gotten out at a rest stop.
My eyelid twitched slightly as I watched the Demi-Humans shift around, trying to sit down on the children's beds while avoiding crushing the scattered toys on the ground.
Hearing the sound of the bed creaking heavily as [Ornn] sat down sent another spasm across my face and my temple began to pulsate slightly.
Taking a breath, I looked up at the two, or should I say three, troublemakers from last night.
[Hati], [Sköll], and Fuyoko all stood before me, examining me closely. The first two looked at me with excitement, anticipation, and a little bit of pride, barely able to stand still. while Fuyoko just looked a little bored, leaning against a bed frame and watching my face from the side.
"How do you feel?" [Sköll] whispers
"Like I just took the Mini-Me version of the Super Soldier Formula combined with the Extremis Virus, and the Spider Formula," I state blandly
And I'm not lying, I can still remember the buzz of it even now, within my body lies a sloshing pool of liquified Power! My senses which went haywire since I first refined Chakra had calmed down, but had transformed into an enhanced feeling of space perception, the cold buzzing chakra made my skin tight and sensitive, along with slight pressure building up in my temples. But it didn't feel unpleasant, it just felt, Focused.
"I feel like I can throw a car like it's baseball, Is this normal?" I ask
"Is that really what you want to ask?! Normal? Sweety, the last thing you are is normal, it's a good thing! And also, in your situation, you're not that strong, maybe if you train your control and understanding over your chakra you will, but now you're just adjusting to the growth in your capabilities." [Fuyoko] states with a caring tone
"Oh Really?" I drawl," I don't think the tree whose entire trunk I somehow managed to disintegrate in a single blow would agree with you there."
"How big was it? The tree I mean." [Hati] asked hurriedly
"A good two, three feet wide. Chakra has a crazy effect doesn't it." I brag with a small smile
"Indeed it does, indeed it does." [Hati] smiles widely, glancing at [Sköll] with a confirming look
"Enough about my body, let's get back to business, How did you figure that pissing off The Sage of Six Paths will not affect me? Especially when you go off saying things like you are declaring war with him!" I do my best impression of an extreme glare at these two, only it must have failed because it caused both of them to chuckle
"Trust me, he won't be laying a finger on you Because once we find a way to bring back our people and close off the Spirit Gates that lead our realms, the Bastard will be too busy trying to repair the lost Spiritual nature of the world, as well as finding a substitution for his precious ninja bloodline foundations, this could last for the next couple hundred years! Much less try to find a way to get even!" [Sköll] smirked in glee
"Spiritual Gates and Nature? Bloodline foundation? What are those?" I asked curiously while sitting cross-legged, the past displeased face vanished instantly and was replaced with a wide-eyed child looking forward to his elder's stories
"... Your… ability to change face is improving." [Hati] commented after a moment
"Would you rather I stay mad and hold a grudge, or would you rather continue entertaining my curiosity and I forgive you? I'm fine with whatever you choose." I asked with a smile
"…..."x6
"Also what's this pact? And what was violated that got you guys so upset in the first place?" I continued to question
"The pact was two in total, and it was slightly before our time, so we don't know what exactly was discussed but we do know what each one entails, the first was a contract struck by the most powerful demons, Spirits, and Fairies a long time ago with the one called the Rabbit Goddess, or if you prefer to call her Kaguya Otsutsuki." [Hati] explained slowly
"Really?! You guys made a deal with her?!" I gapped as I remembered the pale-skinned tragic beauty.
"Yes, it was a series of deals made with the Rabbit goddess, although I understand her descent into madness but before that, there was a modest relationship between the two parties." [Hati] explains, which I process for a moment before he drops another bombshell, "In fact, it goes to before she devours the chakra fruit, you see, we are the reason for the birth of the Otsutsuki brothers in the first place!"
"How the hell did that happen?" I asked with a gaping mouth
"You don't think That Kaguya could do the nasty with her boy toy and get pregnant without help, did you? Interspecies isolation prevails even here kid, Otsutsuki's physiology is very different from that of regular humans, not to mention it's unstable, they need staggering amounts of energy to reproduce and stabilize their bloodline regularly. So if she wanted to have something close to a semi-human child she had to come to us, fortunately, and unfortunately, There is A secret technique unique to Demons that allows such a thing. It's a pretty pleasant procedure, One thing led to another and the stable birth of the two brothers, and from there the rest of the Ninja bloodline."
"So Kaguya got her children, who betrayed her, the chakra fruit, which drove her insane, and a husband who tried to have her killed. Not exactly a nice deal you gave her, what did you guys get out of it?" I listed off while giving [Hati] a raised eyebrow
He could only shrug off my sarcasm uncomfortably and continue to explain with a wry smile.
"Not every demon god has the power to see into the future, her mistakes were her own. We offered asylum and a cooperative defense against the Otsutsuki, introduced her to our ways to empower her, helped her ambush Isshiki, and allowed the God Trees roots to spread to our realms. In return, she gave knowledge about the Otsutsuki, their powers and abilities, and their means of realm hopping." [Hati] explained
"Bringing her security, and us breathing room from the threat of the Otsutsuki's as we closed off portals to our realm and the Earth. We were literally in our honeymoon period before that damn idiot king messed everything up!"[Sköll] scowled deeply in disgust," Kaguya took the chakra fruit without precautions, tapped into the Rinnegan, and summoned the Infinite Tsukuyomi from the Void, and everything went downhill from there. Thankfully she kept her word and help closed off access to the Earth, but after doing so she ceased contact with us and killed everyone who tried to get close to her! The situation got worse as she began to use her means to build an army using the god tree, we stayed out of her way and she ignored us, but the corruption was slowly consuming her, and she began to access our realms through the god trees connection and demanded servitude from us as well! Most refused and went to war with her, at the same time some Demons had snuck into the earth and convinced her two children to attempt to have them achieve what their mother failed at and use what is known as the Sage Method to overcome her, you know these people as well."
"The Toad, Snake, and Slug Sages." I raised an eyebrow as I state my guess
"Exactly, and-" [Hati] nodded but before he could continue I interrupted him
"Wait! You said you taught her the method of demons, and the three Sage lands come from Demons as well? So was Kaguya a Sage too?!" I asked with open confused eyes
"No. Although the three sages are… unique… as they are descendants of Fae, Otsutsuki and their ways are also similar to sages but not quite there, and She was on the road of a Demon Goddess, but she gave up on it when she accepted the Chakra fruit, you need to have a pure Spirit avatar as well as a Demon body to achieve a true Faerie and Sage Status." [Yoshiko]
"I don't know what those are, but it sounds complicated, even more so than how Kishimoto explains it," I say with a raised brow
"He got it right though, just some key factors are missing on what being a Sage truly is, thIs world hasn't seen one for over 5,000 years! It is, no, it was one of the biggest mysteries and key pieces to our world's power system. One secret that the Three Holy Lands had managed to hide used to maintain their edge for so many years until now!" [Hati] continued, but as he spoke his eyes began to get brighter and brighter, a wide shit-eating grin began to cover his face as his body shook with absolute joy and mirth
"Until now?" I asked with a confused glance towards [Sköll] and Fuyoko as I see him shake with excitement.
"Until now. Millennia passing without a single clue, countless years of labor and searching through forbidden knowledge, and now, finally! we have our answer. The law of three will be united once again!" [Sköll] also smiled widely herself, filled with a complex look of joy, disbelief, and sadness. her eyes unfocused as she trailed off without explaining
Noticing my confusion, Fuyoko stepped forward and stated, "Demons, Seekers of Progress, Resistance, and Chaos. Spirits, Archons of Order, Creation, and Destruction, and finally Sages, Architects of the World Forge!"
"The title of Sage doesn't mean Natural, Mental, and Physical energy in balance, it means you have the Mentality to tap into the cosmic energy of the universe and use it to shape the world around you! They are Atlas holding the Sky for any world, maintaining the flow of life, creating new species, the hand of god that destroys the excess and uses it to mend or create the very fabric of the world's laws!"
"Yin-Yang escape, Creation of All things. The technique Six Immortals used to create the world." I whispered softly
"Exactly." Fuyoko nodded in confirmation of my guess
"Chakra originally belonged to the world, and Six Immortals is the one who returned it, but the devastating battle of the two brothers and their mother left it teetering on the edge," [Hati] had awakened from his previous senseless glee and continued to explain," Our predecessors were preparing to abandon the world and return home but when they found out that he had become a Sage and was repairing the world they immediately demanded the method of his ascension to being shared from the Toad Fairy, but with the Sage of Six Paths protection, we couldn't get a speck of information about how they managed to accomplish it! We could only go to Hagaromo to seek a breakthrough, through a lot of bargaining, he agreed. Demons and Spirits would learn to maintain, teach, and spread Ninshu across this world and Our own, and he would repair our worlds as well as have free access to as much knowledge as he saw fit. To seal the deal, our most revered Goddess was betrothed to him, although they separated soon after when she flew into a fit of rage, she accomplished her task and gave birth to two sons for him. Asura and Indra."
"Wait, wait, Back up! If you guys already received a method to achieve Sage Mode from Hagoromo, why were you so pissed at him before?" I hold up my hand and stopped him to ask again
"Because we were cheated!" [Hati]s face darkened and his smile vanished completely," Hagaromo refused to give the complete method of Sage, rather his disciples served more as attendants and servants rather than students, instead he taught them a butchered version that was 1 hundredth of the power of a true sage, and when his son Indra created ninjutsu, he refused to teach anymore and referred us to him! Not only that, but we found out that unless it was Chakra from a descendant of the Ninshu Lineage, not only will it have no effect, but even our normal practices would have problems! When we tried to confront him on it, he said it was no longer his authority and he had passed it on to his sons. And without another word, he suddenly split the Ten-Tails and claimed that the power of the Nine-tailed Beasts would passively repair and regulate Nature and scattered them to the wind! Panicking we wanted more answers but received none, and then, he died. Imagine our surprise, the First Sage in many millennia had died at the young age of 150 years old. Leaving a faulty bloodline that constantly warned with each other, and an even more trash-butchered Sage Mode!"
"Are we talking about the same person? Because I think something is getting lost in translation here! You're talking about Six Paths, who is practically a Saint in the eyes of the entire world. Why does it sound like you guys got tricked into a pyramid scheme on the stock market by a slick broker." I comment while looking at him with pity
*GROWL*
[Hati] didn't seem to like the comparison and growled as he glared at me for a moment before a grin came across his face and he laughed darkly
"Hehe, it's comparable, we could only place our hopes on Ninshu's descendants, the Ninja, and hope for another Sage to Appear. But now, the wait is over!" He confirms triumphantly
"That sounds ominous, I hope you guys aren't planning anything drastic! Six Immortals can Still watch the world you know?! And there are other threats as well such as the Otsutusuki remember!"
"We're not taking him on, nobodies that stupid, we're taking away his means of attack on our people and keeping his thieving hands off our bloodlines!" [Hati] scoffed, the orb trembled as the plate that marked a black wolf popped off and he materialized on top of a bunk bed to the side, "Since he doesn't want to honor the pact we set, there is little to no reason why our kind should stay and stabilize the mess he made in this world! He's had over a thousand years to work out a stabilizer for His bloodline, and if he still isn't satisfied, we would rather cut our losses and fend for ourselves in our original homes!"
"What. about.. the Otsutsuki?!" I emphasize, my face growing serious, [Hati] was avoiding my question, which I was not going to have.
Recognizing my change of tone, [Hati] gauges my expression before shutting his mouth completely.
And there's my answer, likely, they weren't planning to do a damn thing about the Otsutsuki.
-This is going to be a big problem,- I ponder to myself, my childish face tightening in worry
"This...we have our plans, please don't worry, Kekkai, we know full and well what we are getting into, all we plan to do is return home and test some ideas. Even if we don't succeed, we will have some new insights to bring home, and the status quo will continue. But if we do succeed… it will be a different situation altogether."
"Which means?" I ask
" which means, there will no more need to serve as maintainers in this world, and also that our clans no longer need to stand at attention for the Two brats Asura and Indra and we can Take back what's ours, and return to our worlds and create our sages! You will no longer need to worry about the Otsutsuki for the rest of your life because we just might be taking the fight to them. We would need powerful Sages to do so, But, With you as an example, I can guarantee we can succeed again!"
"Wait, me as an example? I'm not a sage. I just refined chakra for Christ's sake!" I blink before immediately denying
"On the contrary, you already are, your mental realm is refined, your vessel has already managed to endure extreme circumstances beyond its capacity, and your spirit has refined your life force enough to the point of mutation. The Regalia is proof, it's just that your mind hasn't registered it yet." [Sköll] smiles and places a hand on my shoulder.
"Do you see Sage Tattoos on my skin? No? Have my eyes changed? No? Then how could I possibly be a Sage?" I deny it immediately while shaking my head
"As we said before, Sages don't have those marks to define them, what defines them is their ability to unleash the body's potential and Will, and the sensitivity to recognize life force and ability to manipulate it. Both of which you managed to do marvelously!"
I blinked once
I blinked twice
"Just like that?" I asked, stupefied
"Just like that." [Hati] confirms
Silence prevailed for a moment
"So… what now?" I asked
"Now… now you're probably going to need a lot of make-up lessons, thankfully the perfect person to teach you has just showed up!" [Hati] slyly comments before vanishing along with the other Constructs, leaving me sitting there on the bed
A few seconds later
*Knock
*Knock
"Kekkai! It's time to go!" My father announces as he enters the room