บท 19: Chapter 18
Chapter 18
The little town at the border of the Land of Fire was quite boisterous for its size. Kaen left Jiraiya at a tavern and went by himself to the market. You can get a lot of information about the neighboring countries by how much they sell their product. And Kaen knew from being a police officer that people liked talking in the market, and if you listened, you could find something interesting and valuable.
Kaen managed to gather that the Land of Rice was going through some turmoil of the late. He heard merchants talk about the increasing number of missing people and the inaction of the Daimyo to solve it. The Land of Rice was once a place where many shinobi clans lived. But after three shinobi world wars and without a properly hidden village established inside the country, the clans ended up being used by other countries and were mostly destroyed.
There weren't any powerful or noteworthy clans left. Maybe only a few surviving members were rotting away with regret and anger for more significant countries. It was a perfect place for criminal organizations to gather some new members. The news about missing people made Kaen believe that someone was gathering some forces inside the Land of Rice.
When Kaen returned to the tavern Jiraiya and he stayed, he found his master drunk with girls sitting around him. He talked about himself like he was some legendary figure. Kaen wanted to kick his master's ass, but he took a seat not far away and listened to what he was saying. After spending years with his master, Kaen knew he didn't get drunk easily and never revealed anything vital to him or the village.
„Oh dear, can I offer to buy you a drink?" As Kaen sat silently, a woman sat next to him and asked.
„I am sixteen," Kaen replied. „I am still underage, and if you are trying to get me drunk, I will report you to the authorities."
The woman quickly left after hearing Kaen's words. Kaen frowned a bit as he felt like someone was watching him. At first, he thought it was his master, but seeing him preoccupied, he dismissed the idea. The feeling went as it came before Kaen could determine who kept tabs on him.
Unable to find the person he felt was watching him, Kaen thought he might have imagined it and put the thought aside. After a few hours of staying in the tavern, the sun was beginning to set, and seeing Jiraiya was about to leave with the girls he was flirting with, Kaen stood and walked up to him.
„Father, where are you going?" Kaen lied without hesitation. „Are you going to sleep with these women? That's why mother said you have so many diseases sleeping everywhere. When are you going to learn?"
„Hey, hey, it isn't true. I don't even know that brat," Jiraiya tried to save his face as a few girls slapped him and poured their drinks on his head. „You damn brat, that what I get after teaching you for so long?"
„It has only been a bit over a year since you started to teach me something, and even then, I only copied it from you with my sharingan," Kaen replied. „I think Orochimaru is in the Land of Rice. I heard people started to disappear more often of the late there."
„You might be right. I heard that the Land of Rice suddenly changed its name to the Land of Sound. Something is going on in there."
„So, are we going?"
„We can't just go to the other countries. If someone finds out that we are shinobi of the Konoha, some hidden village will not take it kindly."
„I will go find some merchant and see if he doesn't need some mercenaries for protection."
„Good thinking. I will look for a lady that might want to accompany me on the long journey."
„You are coming with me," Kaen said and grabbed Jiraiya's hair before dragging him outside.
...
Kaen felt unlucky as he watched Jiraiya leave with the woman who led the merchant caravan back to the Land of Rice. Kaen wasn't even paid, as Jiraiya took all the money for their services. Kaen suspected it was revenge for what he did in the previous town. In the end, he decided to leave to outskirts of the town to the forest and set up a camp. Kaen was already used to living in self-made camps, so it wasn't a problem.
It wasn't too hard to find a place near a river. Kaen could clean up and catch some fish for dinner. As Kaen washed his face, he noticed how long his hair had become. Good thing that his hair didn't drop on his eyes and hindered him, but washing hair up to your waist was annoying, to say the least, especially when the hair was spiky and wouldn't go down.
As the sun set, Kaen felt like someone was watching him. This time he trusted his instincts and prepared for a battle. Someone has been following him. At first, he suspected a Root member might have kept a watch over him. Kaen was no sensor, but his sixth sense warned him that someone's eyes were set on him.
„Impressive," Voice said within the forest, but Kaen couldn't determine a specific location. „But I shouldn't have expected less from an Uchiha."
Kaen felt a wind gust pass him. As he turned around, he found a man standing on the river looking at him. Pale skin, long black hair, and he had eyes like those of a snake. Kaen knew very well who it was. He and Jiraiya had been tracking his movements for a couple of years. At first, when he joined the Akatsuki and then when he left the organization.
„Orochimaru," Kaen said.
„Kaen Uchiha, I came to you to offer you an accord," Orochimaru extended his hand to Kaen. „Join me, and I will give you all you desire."
„I am still underage, and grooming is one of the most heinous crimes, Orochimaru," Kaen replied. „Even though I am not a police officer anymore, as shinobi from the Konoha, I will apprehend you and bring you to justice."
„Heh, won't you even consider it?" The man in front of Kaen asked.
„There is nothing you can give me," Kaen replied, gathering his chakra.
„Do you not want power? Or revenge?"
„Revenge?" Kaen asked.
„Yes, do you know how I found you? The Village you fight for has provided me with the information."
„You mean Danzo?" Kaen asked, not surprised. „When I return, I will investigate how deep his partnership runs with you. I might have to arrest him as your accomplice. I can imagine he is grooming children too. I will put down you, perverted sickos. Would it be behind bars or beneath the ground? Choose Orochimaru."
His choice was to put his hands on the water and summon hundreds, if not thousands, of snakes that flew toward Kaen. Kaen quickly did six hand seals and put his hands on the ground. Kaen created a fire hurricane with him in the center. As the snakes tried to reach Kaen, they were burned and torn apart. Kaen extended the cyclone with a shout and used it as a smokescreen to cover his following actions.
Kaen knew very well that Orochimaru was a slimy and dangerous opponent. Running away would only let him stab Kaen in the back, so he had to fight, but he didn't believe he could win. So, Kaen made a shadow clone and summoned one of his summonses. A black cat named Kuro.
„Nya, why has the master called me?" The Black cat asked.
„Go to the town behind me and find Master Jiraiya," Kaen said.
Before Kuro could ask more questions, a sword pierced through the fire cyclone, making Kaen jump away to dodge it. Kuro seeing the situation turned into black smoke and flew away. Kaen's clone summoned a bow and ran to the forest. Kaen was left alone once again, with Orochimaru standing before him.
„Three tomoe? Not as good as Itachi's, but it will have to suffice, I guess," Orochimaru commented.
„It will be sufficient to defeat you and bring you to justice. You damn perverted sicko."
„Binding snake glare," Orochimaru yelled.
A giant brown snake emerged from Orochimaru's sleeves flying to Kaen. Kaen easily dodged the snake and threw his kunai at the creature, yet it slithered in the air dodging the kunai and still flew towards Kaen. Too bad the snake couldn't avoid the tree arrows that flew from the forest and pinned the snake to the ground.
Using the situation given to him, Kaen quickly made hand seals and fired a fireball at Orochimaru. It hit him, burning him for a moment before he turned into mud and fell to the ground. Kaen knowing the tactic, jumped into the air as hands emerged from the ground to grab him.
What Kaen didn't expect was for those hands to expand a catch him anyway, slamming him hard to the ground. Kaen quickly rolled away, leaving a seal on the ground. Just as Kaen rolled to his feet, a sword stabbed the ground. Kaen used one hand to unseal the explosive tag before jumping back.
„Your reaction is slower than Itachi's," Orochimaru commented. „When we fought, he was faster and more powerful than you. If you join me, I can make you even stronger than Itachi could ever be."
„Itachi is one year younger than me. Considering that you left Akatsuki about a year ago, it means you were trying to groom a fourteen years old or younger boy," Kaen said, unveiling the chains around his arms. „You disgust me. You damn sicko."
Kaen swung his arms without any other words, and the chains flew like snakes trying to grab Orochimaru. Even as Kaen failed to touch Orochimaru, he didn't give up as arrows flew from the forest, restricting Orochimaru's movements even more until he was pushed back. Orochimaru then dropped to the ground and opened his mouth.
Kaen had never seen a more disgusting and creepier thing as thousands of snakes poured out of his mouth. Seeing a more dreadful and stronger version of his first attack, Kaen only spun his chains as they caught on fire and started to cut down the snakes surrounding him. Kaen didn't want to use another fire hurricane as it drained too much of his chakra.
Shadow clone and summoning Kuro consumed almost half of his chakra, and Orochimaru didn't look tired. As Kaen spun his chains, creating fire wheels protecting him from the snakes, he knew it would be bad if he didn't think of something fast. The snakes were there only to restrain him.
Just as Orochimaru was about to move to finish Kaen, a light appeared in the sky. Kaen knew what that light was. It was his most powerful jutsu, Falling Star. Pushing the snakes off, Kaen produced three seals he threw around him. Kneeling, he used his chakra to unseal them, creating a transparent pyramid surrounding him and protecting him.
Seeing Kaen's actions, Orochimaru bit his thumbs and slammed his hands on the ground just as the arrow fell near him. The explosion made the ground quake, and the water in the river evaporated instantly. The shockwave made Kaen's warding seal crack no matter how much Kaen put his chakra to maintain it. Seeing his defenses unable to last longer, he quickly made a set of hand seals.
„Black lion's mane," Kaen shouted.
His black hair covered him entirely, and even then, he was pushed back by the wind created by the explosion. When the wind stopped, Kaen canceled his jutsu and saw the massive crater he was in. His shadow clone was destroyed with the trees of the forest. The water started flowing in the river again, and it went to the crater, making it a small lake.
Kaen noticed Orochimaru's body halfway buried in the ground. Yet Kaen knew better than let his guard down, and instead, he extended his right arm. He gathered his chakra in his hand, making it spin in all directions yet still being contained within his hand. Kaen didn't have much chakra left. Orochimaru probably knew that as from his body, another Orocimaru jumped out.
„Rasengan," Kaen yelled.
Orochimaru was just upon him with his fangs aiming for his neck. Kaen slammed Rasengan into Orochimaru's stomach, making him fly away from him into the crater now filled with water. Kaen was spent. He didn't even have enough chakra to stand on the water as he fell to it. Yet it wasn't over as a sword pierced through the water right to Kaen's shoulder, pushing him to the shore.
Kaen could feel the poison running through his blood immediately. He didn't have time to react as Orochimaru's head was already flying toward him. Kaen used his arm wrapped with a chain to block Orochimaru's fangs. Yet before he knew it, Orochimaru's body was upon him too. When Kaen thought it was all over, Orochimaru was thrown away.
Jiraiya stood in front of Kaen. Seeing that there was nothing he could do anymore, Kaen put a seal on his chest, slowing his heart and sealing his organs from the poison. Doing so made Kaen incapable of moving, and he had to hibernate until the poison was removed. But Kaen trusted his master to protect him.
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