Chapter 305: 297. The Legendary Whisker
Beep…
"Ayaka here! I am at point C. Over!"
Beep…
"Yakumo here! I am at point B. Over!"
Beep…
"Hanabi here! I am at point A. Over!"
"Okay, Squad three!"
Hm?!
"The target has moved. Follow it! Out!"
Beep…
Izuna ends the radio conversation.
Whoosh…
A small agile shadow quickly dashes through the forest.
"Quick! Catch it."
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo dashes towards it.
"Yakumo! It's running towards you."
Ayaka informs Yakumo on the comms.
Whoosh… Haaah…
Yakumo dives into the shadow to catch her.
Swoosh…
The shadow performs a somersault in mid-air.
AH!
Bam…
Yakumo face plants on the ground. Dirt smudges on her face.
Fwoosh…
The cat jumps on top of her hairs.
Meow… MEOWWW…
It scratches its claws on Yakumo's head and face and makes a mess of her hairs.
MEOW…
The cat stands on its hind legs and swaggers away.
"Damn you! Just you wait! I will mess you up once I catch you." Yakumo grits her teeth in anger.
Whoosh…
The cat dashes away.
Yakumo takes out a painting from her bag. She quickly strokes with her brush to cast a genjutsu.
Beep…
"Yakumo! You aren't allowed to harm the target. She is the pet cat of Madam Shijimi. Besides, this cat is the bread and butter of countless genins in the village. Over!"
Izuna warns her.
"Fine!" Yakumo grumbles and stores her painting.
Beep…
The comms chortle again.
"Yakumo-chan! You are so slow. We missed the trail of the cat again." Ayaka complains.
"Let's reunite for now. We will start our search again after lunch."
Beep…
Izuna ends the conversation and walks out of his hideout.
Ayaka, Hanabi, and Yakumo walk out of their hiding spot. All of their faces are roughed up with dirt-smudged over their faces and hairs.
There are many scratch marks on their face and arms.
"Aw! My beautiful face."
Ayaka takes out a mirror from her pocket. She inspects the scratch marks on her face.
"Sensei! How is this a C-Rank mission? It's even harder than an A-Rank mission." Hanabi complains.
"I am exhausted!" Yakumo slumps on the ground.
"…"
Izuna silently stares at their antics.
Tok… tok…
Mei walks out of the forest with a basket in her hands.
"Alright, everyone. It's lunchtime!" She waves the basket at them.
"YEAH! Mei Nee-san!"
Ayaka hurriedly dashes towards Mei. Mei takes out a towel from the basket and wipes Ayaka's face.
"My cute little sweetie must be tired!"
She lays down the basket and turns towards Hanabi and Yakumo.
"Come join us! I have enough for you all!"
She takes out a bunch of sandwiches from the basket.
"I have a chicken sandwich, egg sandwich, fish sandwich, vegetable sandwiches, and some fruits and cream."
She lays down the lunch on a cloth.
Gulp…
Hanabi and Yakumo gulp their saliva. Hanabi quickly dashes towards her.
"I am quite hungry." She picks up a sandwich and munches on it.
"I am not feeling hungry." Yakumo turns away.
Growl…
Her stomach grumbles in hunger. Yakumo's face turns red in embarrassment.
"Now! Now! Yakumo-chan! It's not good to stay hungry before a mission. Come and eat your fill." Mei waves her hand.
Gulp…
Yakumo gulps her saliva as the enticing fragrance of sandwiches enters her nose.
"Then don't mind if I do!" She quickly sprints towards them and sits beside Ayaka and Hanabi.
Chomp… chomp…
The girls quickly munch one sandwich after another.
Whoosh…
Izuna flickers out of the forest.
"Leave some for me too!"
He walks towards Mei and opens his mouth.
Aah…
Mei tilts her head in confusion.
"Feed me!" He points towards his mouth.
"How shameless!" Mei snorts but feeds him nonetheless.
Ayaka cutely munches on her sandwich and stares at Izuna.
"Izuna Onii-chan is such a man child. Even as an adult he needs to be fed by others."
AH!
Izuna's expression freezes. He slowly turns towards Ayaka with a smile.
"Ayaka-chan, who told you that term?"
Hmm…
"It was Shisui's Nii-san. He was the one who called you with such a name." Ayaka happily sells out Shisui.
"SHISUI?!" Izuna's expression turns ugly.
Pfft…
Mei bursts out in laughter.
"Now that I think about it. It makes sense." She nods her head.
"Not you too!" Izuna grumbles.
He picks up a sandwich and stuffs it in his mouth.
'For some reason, this sandwich doesn't taste as good as before!'
Mei picks up a sandwich and takes a bite of it. She turns to Ayaka and curiously asks her.
"So, what's your current mission?"
Ayaka turns to Izuna for confirmation. Izuna nods his head.
"It's the Holy Mission!" she remarks.
"Holy Mission?" Doubts appear in Mei's mind.
"What kind of mission is that?" She asks in surprise.
"It is one of the sacred missions of Konoha and every genin has to perform it once or multiple times in their lifetime.
You won't be a true shinobi unless you complete this mission!" Izuna proudly declares.
"Really?!" Mei has a skeptical look on her face. She turns to Ayaka for answers.
Ayaka takes out the poster and passes it to Mei.
Mei glances at the poster and notices the cat.
"It's a cat! So, it's a cat hunt mission!"
"NO! This thing isn't a cat. It's the 'legendary whisker' of Konoha!" Ayaka shakes her head in trepidation.
"It's more agile than a ninja hound, cleverer than a fox, and it has more endurance than a horse!" Ayaka recounts the chase of the past few hours.
Ahem…
"Let me tell you the story of the immortal cat, the 'legendary whisker', and how this mission came to be known as the 'Holy Mission' of Konoha!" Izuna clears his throat and recounts his experience to the group.
Fifteen Minutes later,
"Haah… that hit the spot."
Ayaka pats her stomach and cleans her teeth with a toothpick.
"Hah… I am full." Hanabi rests against her.
Burp…
Yakumo burps and lies down on the grass.
"…"
Izuna silently stares at the trio.
'Are we on a picnic? We sure are not! Then why does it feel like one?'
Cough… cough…
Izuna coughs slightly to get their attention.
"Your mission isn't over yet. That cat won't return on its own."
"Sensei! We are exhausted after the previous chase. We will continue the hunt once we regain our peak condition!" Hanabi waves her hand.
'This girl! She is becoming a shadow of Ayaka. Even her actions are affected by her.' Izuna has an ugly expression on her face.
"See, I told you! It's the effect of your bad company on these kids." Yin Kurama opens its eyes and yawns.
Izuna glares at him.
Yin Kurama flashes his teeth and sniggers.
Izuna has a stern expression on his face as he turns to the girls.
"If you fail this mission, then the first-ever mission of Team three will be recorded as a failure and it will forever be a stain in your shinobi career."
"What?!"
The girls quickly stand up.
"Hanabi, Ayaka! Let's catch that cat before evening!" Yakumo takes the lead.
"OK!"
--------------
Later in the evening,
Inside the Hokage Office,
Hanabi has a brown cat with a red ribbon on its right ear sleeping in her arms.
"You found her!" Tsunade raises an eyebrow.
"These girls were lucky. They found it sleeping on top of a tree." Izuna shakes his head.
Bang…
The gate of the Hokage Office is slammed open. A corpulent woman with dark brown hair walks inside the Hokage Office.
"My Tora-chan?! My darling!"
Meeoww…
The cat's eyes open wide as it is startled by the voice.
"Tora-chan?! Give me a hug and a Kissy!"
The corpulent woman parts her lips opens and walks towards Hanabi.
MEEEOWW…
The cat's hairs stand up in fear. It freaks out at Madam Shijimi's appearance.
The cat jumps down from Hanabi's embrace and dashes towards the door to flee from the woman.
Excitement appears in Madam Shijimi's eyes as she stands near the door.
"Look how excited my Tora-chan is?! Looks like she missed me too!"
Before the cat could resist, she scoops her up and embraces in her hug.
MEEEEEOOOWW…
The cat chokes from the deadly embrace of Madam Shijimi. It wildly flails its arms in a struggle.
"Oh! Tora-chan wants a kiss!"
Smooch…
She kisses the cat and drenches her entire face in saliva.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"
Madam Shijimi takes out a stack of Ryo from her purse and passes it to Shizune.
Shizune counts the money.
"Madam Shijimi! It's twice the amount of the mission."
"It's alright! You can keep the change. Ahaha…"
Madam Shijimi folds a fan in front of her face and chuckles.
"Besides, my husband makes a lot of money! Ahaha…"
"Well!"
Tsunade has a conflicted expression on her face.
"If you say so!"
Madam Shijimi grabs the half-dead cat and walks out of the Hokage Office.
Pfft… Haha…
Ayaka and the group burst out in laughter as they snigger at the pathetic condition of the cat.
"Serves it right for its mischievousness!"
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ForgottenLife
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Chapter 306: 298. Undercurrents in Shadows
A/N:- So, this upcoming part of the arc is entirely based on hints given in the Naruto series about demons. I will use a bit of pieces of story from Manga, anime, and even official Naruto games to write this arc and modify it according to my liking. When the part from the game will appear, I will point it out together with the name of the game.
---------------
In the Land of Demons,
Inside a deep valley surrounded by various mountains ranges,
There is a gigantic rock temple carved into a mountain in the middle of a ridge. The temple has a gigantic rock gate with two fire torches burning on each side.
A giant kanji for 'demon' is carved in the temple's helm.
Whoo… whooo…
Heavy winds blow in the ridge as the clothes of the guards flutter with the winds.
Yawn…
One of the guards yawns slightly and rubs his eyes.
"Stop slacking! Miko-sama has warned us to maintain strict surveillance."
Another guard chides his partner.
The guard rubs his eyes and straightens his posture.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…
Five figures appear on top of a nearby hill. Four of them are dressed in white shinobi garbs. There is a hexagonal symbol inscribed on their robe.
The fifth person who seems to be their leader is dressed in grey attire, with a black trench coat and black shinobi sandals.
The group calmy gazes at the temple.
"The moment has arrived. The moment we have been waiting for!"
He raises his hand and gazes at the night sky.
Swirl…
"The stars have aligned perfectly."
In the sky,
The red moon, sun, and other planetary bodies align in a straight line.
"It is for this night that we developed the Dark Medical Ninjutsu."
He turns towards the four members of his squad.
"With it, we shall reawaken the Lord Kishin and unite all the lands."
Whoosh…
He flickers and reappears behind the four people.
"For that, we must first awaken the general of Lord Kishin's army."
The man in black waves his hands towards the group.
Fwoosh… Fwoosh…
Four dark snakes of chakra erupt from the ground and stab into the four shinobis in white.
"Strengthening Prescription: Chakra Injection"
Dark purple chakra courses through the snake. The man in black forcefully injects this chakra into four shinobis.
"Prescription Filled."
He spreads his arms and the black snakes return to his body.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The four white figures jump from the hill and dash towards the temple.
"Intruder!"
"Be on your guard!"
The guards raise their weapons and dashes towards the four shinobis.
"Do it, Gitai, Setsuna!"
One of the shinobi, with a blue cloth around his face, slowly walks towards the guards.
His hair flutters in the wind as he infuses a large amount of chakra.
"Fire Style: Fire Run"
A stream of fire erupts from the ground. The stream of fire surrounds the guards and forms a ring to trap them.
"Don't flinch at the meager flames like this!"
The guards raise their weapons and swing them around to extinguish the flames.
"I won't give you the opportunity to do so!"
Another shinobi in white with three triangular puffs of hair jumps in the air. He waves his hand and releases several small wind tornadoes.
"Wind Release: Divine Wind"
The wind tornadoes combine with the fire and form a gigantic fire tornado. The giant fire tornado incinerates the guards and slams into the giant rock door.
BOOM…
An explosion occurs at the point of contact. The giant tornado blows the rock gate to smithereens.
The group walks deeper into the temple, and another giant door appears in front of them.
The four figures push open the door.
Shoom… shoom… shoom…
Multiple torches light up in the temple.
"The time has finally come."
The black figure walks deeper into the temple.
"Wait here! From here on lies the boundary of life and death. Only I, the one with the name 'Yomi' can enter."
He takes a step into the shadows and disappears from the vision of four shinobis.
Yomi continues to walk deeper into the temple as more and more torches light up in the temple. He descends multiple rock staircases and arrives in a giant hall.
There are multiple rock statues bound to the ground in the hall. Numerous ropes with multiple paper seals hang across the cavern.
At the center of the room lies a shrine-like building with five tall pillars. A massive seal with white light lies on top of the shrine.
There is a small gap in the cavern from which moonlight illuminates the seal.
Yomi walks in front of the seal and raises his head. The stars and the celestial bodies slowly align with each other.
"It's waiting! Waiting!"
He stretches his arm towards the seal. Veins pop out on his body and his muscles stiffen as a large amount of dark purple chakra rises from his body.
Clap…
Yomi clasps his hands together.
"Rite of Descension commence!"
"Min, Shin, Gan, Reppyou, Shouzen, Mika, Dan, Raku, Shou!"
Yomi chants a long ritual rite.
Fwoosh…
He stretches his right hand towards the seal.
Swoosh…
He emits a thick wisp of dark purple chakra from his body. The wisp of chakra enters inside the seal.
Crack… crack… crack…
Multiple cracks appear on the seal and it slowly crumbles apart to reveal a dark other-dimensional passage.
Siii…
Dark winds blow from the passage and a thick, dark blue miasma leaks from the passage.
Fwoosh…
The dark miasma pushes Yomi back. Yomi kneels on the ground.
"It has been a while… Have I returned to this world?"
A deep, chilling voice erupts from within the passage.
"My liege! It has been a long time."
"You are…" The dark chilling tone creeps out of the cavern.
"It's Yomi, my liege! I am a survivor of the shinobi clan, which used your powers to lead the thousand ghost army." Yomi grovels in front of him.
"Why have you summoned me?" A voice full of irritation and resentment falls in his ears.
"I have been sealed in this place for almost a thousand years as my lord is banished to another realm."
"My liege! The stars have aligned again. Soon, the door to the other realm will appear again. It's an opportunity for us to wake Lord Kishin from his slumber and establish the Thousand-Year Kingdom." Yomi replies in a humble tone.
"But where is my physical self?"
The voice groans in anger.
"With only my soul, I will fade away in no time and will disgrace the dignity of the Lord!"
"Please use my body as your vessel until we recover your physical self!"
Yomi slowly stands up. He removes the black trench coat to reveal his chest.
"With my dark medical skills, I will transfer your soul into my body."
He takes a scalpel out of the multiple tools hung in his trench coat.
Swish…
Yomi skilfully waves the scalpel in his hand.
Swirl…
The scalpel lights up with a dark purple chakra.
Swish…
He makes a clean cut across his sternum to reveal a dark mass of chakra.
"Now, please enter my body!"
"Very well…"
A mass of dark blue flames rises in the passage. It leaps out of the passage and jumps into the gap in his sternum.
AHHA… AHHH…
Yomi screams in pain as the soul possesses his body.
"Rite of Descension complete!"
His pupils turn round and deep blue light flickers through them.
Hahaha…. Haha…
"Now my master shall be the sole ruler of this world."
Yomi raises his head and stares at the alignment of stars.
"It will take another two months for stars to align perfectly. Till then, I should slowly amasss my strength without alerting the priestess."
Whoosh…
He releaseas four dark purple snakes from his body. The snakes possess the bodies of the guards and they slowly stands up.
Soon, calm returns to the temple as Yomi restores the gate of the temple with his new-found power.
------------------------------
In Konoha,
Inside the Yakiniku-Q restaurant,
Achoo…
Izuna sneezes loudly.
"Here!"
Ayaka passes a handkerchief to him. He blows on it and wipes his nose.
'Strange! How can I catch a cold? No, it must be Mei. She must be thinking about me.'
He shakes his head and turns towards his team.
"Eat up! Eat your fill! Today your Sensei is very happy with your performance!"
Izuna signals them to eat.
"Then I won't hold back, Sensei!"
Yakumo grills a piece of red meat until turns brown. She dips it into the sauce and puts it in her mouth.
Nom… nom…
"What a delicious piece of meat?"
Stars appear in her eyes.
Ayaka and Hanabi also grill their meat and slowly chew on it.
Izuna fondly stares at his team as he reminisces the past two weeks.
'It has been two weeks since my team three came into being. In these two weeks, these little girls completed 3 C-Rank missions, 2 D-Rank missions, and even a B-rank mission.'
Their most spectacular performance was in the previous mission, which was also their first B-Rank mission.
Initially, it was a C-Rank mission where a bunch of bandits were plundering and murdering people in a small civilian village in the territory of Land of Fire.
However, after investigation, the mission escalated to a B-rank when some rogue chunnins of small villages were found among the bandit gang. These bandits abducted the villagers and held them hostage.
But the girls calmly sorted out the situation, earning Izuna's praise and this well-deserved treat.
Izuna grills a large piece of steak. He layers it with sauce and takes a bite of it.
"Delicious!"
He closes his eyes and relaxes slightly.
'I can relax for a couple of months before departing to seek a solution for my problem. If it boils down to worse than I can always consume that vitality fruit to buy myself some time.'
Izuna stretches his arm and relaxes.
"Peaceful times sure are good!"
Swoosh…
A shadow creeps behind Izuna. Izuna turns towards the shadow.
"Huh?!"
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
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