Mount Haku, is one of a few rare places in the whole Kirigakure, that is not swallowed by the impenetrable fog. It is located on the western edge of the city and is the tallest mountain from a short range that encircles and protects the village. It is so tall that it simply pierces the fog and touches the clouds, and so steep, that it looks like a giant sword of some fallen ancient deity. Because of this steepness, there is only one way to get to its top – an enormous stairway that's called "8000 steps of perseverance".
This place is believed to be sacred by the common folk. They usually leave some food or cheap trinkets on an old stone altar at the entrance of the stairway when they want to ask for good luck or protection from the spirit of the mountain.
Yato came up to the altar and left a fresh apple he bought on the market beforehand and folded his hands in prayer. 'Kami, where did I turn wrong on my path of life for you to torture me like this?', he asked himself inwardly. Then he looked up to the sky and said:
– Oh, ye mighty spirit, please give strength to thy lowly self.
After standing there for a few short moments more he began his ascent to the top.
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He was panting, sweating, and silently cursing. 'What idiot thought that it would be a fantastic idea to live on the very top of a fucking mountain?' Even though he is a jonin this climb is hard even for him. Now he fully understood why this passage is called "8000 steps of perseverance". He never tried to make this ascension to the top before, and when he just started it, he found it quite enjoyable and formed high expectations from the journey in his head. At the end of the day, people don't call this place holy for no reason. He even thought that he might achieve some sort of enlightenment on the way to enhance his character or improve his prowess. Kami, he had never been so wrong in his life. He has already been walking up for 2 hours and every step that he took felt as if the hellish flare was licking his feet, and every time, he left his leg up he felt as if Heavens themselves protested and tried to force it down.
Lost in his loathing of all the gods and demons, he missed a point when he started to hear a childish voice shouting.
– Kiai! … Kiai! … Kiai! …
At this moment he finally noticed that the constant envelope of fog was far beneath him and he reached the top of the mountain. He could see a white clay wall with big putrescent wooden gates in front of him.
– So, this is the place, finally! – he exclaimed in a loud and cheerful manner and tried to rise his hands up as a sign of a hard-fought-for victory, but his aching body reminded him of itself and did not allow him to do so, forcing him to fall face-down instead.
– Who's there? – he heard a girl's voice coming from the gates. He immediately recognized its owner as a child whom he heard shouting prior.
– My name is Yato, jonin of Kirigakure no Sato. I came here to deliver a message from the Lord Third himself to one named Byakko Kawahime.
– Oh, nice, a mailman. Before I let you in, answer a question. Why are you lying on the floor and panting so heavily? Are you wounded? And what's wrong with the smell? Have you been attacked by a shinobi who can summon demon skunks?
– That's not a question, that's a lot of them and … – saying this, Yato managed to lift his head from the ground and take a glimpse at the person with whom he was talking to. It was that Byakko girl whom he saw a week before on the graduation exam, the one that was able to beat up more than two hundred fresh graduates with nothing more but a simple stick, – so, this is to you I should deliver the message.
– Yeah, that's me. Now give it to me already, I was in the middle of my training session when you came here, and if I stay here for a moment longer the old man will make me start it all from scratch.
– Eeeh, how rude! What's wrong with you? Can't you be a bit nicer to your fellow human being?
– Maybe I would have been nicer if you didn't smell worse than the most unholy depth of the village's sewage system, and yes, I know what I'm talking about, and no, don't ask me to tell you the full story. – finishing this, the blond girl took the scroll from Yato and disappeared behind the wooden gates.
– Hey! Won't you help me?! Can't you at least give me a glass of water? – screamed Yato from his last bits of strength.
– Nah, I'm good. By the way, you are a Kiri ninja, you are pathetic if you can't get yourself some water with a jutsu. Now get lost, stop spreading your filthy smell in this sacred place, bleh, gross.
It was the only reply that he heard from the other side. 'I fucking hate this kid', were his last thoughts before he passed out of exhaustion.
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Kawahime, after taking the scroll, headed in the direction of the training yard. When she said that her grandfather would have made her start the sword practice from scratch if she took too long, she wasn't joking.
'What a strange victim of rogue ninjas. I better notify the old man. If those who attacked him decide to assault this place, I'm afraid, they will bring all their power and the damage done to the air here will be irreversible,' she thought, 'Nah, who cares I'll just let the old man deal with them'.
When she got to the training yard, she saw her grandfather calmly sitting on a chair and sipping freshly brewed tea inside the summer house. It seemed as if he had fallen asleep with a jug of tea in his hands. Every time she looked at him, she was always in awe of how someone can be so old. Her grandfather was ancient. You can easily tell it from his looks. All hair on his head was as white as snow. He had long eyebrows that reached down his chin level, straight long hair flowing past his back, and an even longer beard on which he sometimes stumbled while walking. The bags over his eyes were so big and heavy that they made his eyes look always closed. As far as she can remember he was always old. He was so old that he couldn't remember his age himself. The last time she asked he told her that he should be either 97 or 107 and he wasn't sure. She remembers when she was smaller, she thought that you can find magical treasures in the depth of his wrinkles, which she always tried to find. These memories caused a small smile to appear on her lips.
– Hmmm, girl, tell me, is there a victim of a rogue demon-skunk summoning shinobi lying at our doors? – asked the old man with his eyes closed.
– Yes, how did you know it?
He just chuckled lightly and said with pride, – I might be old, but my senses did not lose their sharpness. And the smell of demon skunks is something you can't mistake for anything else. It seems that we have a problem… – he finished with a serious and determined look.
– He brought a letter, from Mizukage. – she stated. Then looked at the letter in her hands and then at her grandfather with eyes burning with expectations, – Do you think it's concerning me officially becoming shinobi? Do you think it's about me getting an old beast from some cool clan as a teacher? Or is it about me showing so much strength that they decided to make me a jonin right after graduation? I will not be surprised, I'm a genius after all. Or do you think it's…
– Woah, woah, little demon, stop, be gentle on my old ears, one question at a time. And why instead of asking all those pointless questions, you just don't open it?
– Oh, you are right. I just got too excited.
Saying this, Kawahime opened the scroll. You could see stars in her eyes whilst she was doing that. But then they vanished in an instant. She closed the scroll and opened it again, closed it, and opened it at a 90-degree turn. She did this ritual of opening and closing the scroll a few more times whilst rotating the scroll at varying degrees. Yet she still could not comprehend what was written inside.
– This can't be true…
– What's wrong kiddo?
The silence was the answer. Kawahime just looked with soulless eyes into nothingness.
– Give me the scroll. Hm, let's start. 'Dear Byakko Kawahime, blah-blah-blah, glad that you, I don't care, we are proud, nah you not, our glorious village, tra-la-la, oh here, …We are happy to appoint one of our best third caste jonins as your teacher. His name is Yato, he serves under the 18th border platoon, 2nd squadron, and 3rd brigade. We hope to see the heights you will achieve in the future with the results that you have shown on the Graduation Exam Day.' … What the fuck does he mean by that?!
– Old man, what happened?! What does the Third mean by this, tell me that it is not true, and is some sort of a mistake or just a bad joke.
– …No, I am afraid, that this is not a mistake. It seems that I must have a chat with one child who started thinking too highly of himself. You should not leave the territory of this mansion until I come back, and it is not a recommendation, it's an order, do you understand me?
– Yes, I understand.
– Good, now please, pass me my walking stick, I am leaving right now.
– Here, take it, and by the way, can you buy some burgers on your way home?
– I've already told you, that burgers are unhealthy, especially for your growing body.
– But please, grandpa, I've been a good girl and training diligently, you promised!
– I wouldn't even blink if you have asked for something healthier, like ramen, but for some weird reason, you hate it. Are you even my grandchild? After hating ramen, I don't even know what to think!
– Grandpa, pleeeaase, I will do all the housework for a whole week, I promise!
– No, I said it already!
– One week of housework and I will collect all the peaches in the garden!
– One week is not enough. Two weeks!
– Two weeks is too much; at this rate, I can just go down the mountain and steal some myself. One and a half!
– Argh, great, brat. You did it. Deal!
– Yaaay, thank you! You are the best!
– Yes, yes, I know it, now get off me, I still have a business to attend to.
– Goodbye grandpa, see you later! And I prefer the ones with jalapeno!
– You vile brat, don't break anything while I'm not home.
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Yato returned to his senses after he felt something poking in his face and trying to get into his mouse. When he opened his eyes he saw a hunched old man in front, poking him in his mouth with a walking stick.
– Poor child, you are finally awake.
– …What?... Who?... – asked Yato still dizzy.
– Don't talk, I understand everything. Being attacked by demon skunks, it's a fate worse than death…
– Demon skunks...? – Yato could not understand anything this man was talking about.
– Oooh, it seems that the shock was so great that your brain decided to shut down certain memories as a defense mechanism. Believe me, I was attacked by those hell beasts back in my days too. Even though my case was not as severe as yours…
– What are you talking about, which demons…? – Yato genuinely started to creep out, thinking that he really might have been attacked by some unknowns whilst unconscious.
– So, you became delusional, it's unfortunate to see young kids these days lose all their future because of the ice-cold hearts of others…
– P-please, tell me that I am all right, that I will live, – still, in a daze, Yato shouted desperately, believing that he is deadly wounded by some unknown foe.
– I can't help with anything child; you will have to fight it yourself. – said an old man with a face full of pity.
– No-no, this can't be true, – screamed Yato full of panic.
– But unfortunately, it is. And since you already woke up, young man, I have to tell you something more.
– What is it, old sage? – asked completely delusional Yato, thinking that he encountered an old spirit of the mountain.
– Please, leave my property.
– ...What?
– I said leave my property. You are polluting this sacred place with the stench. I would have liked to be more compassionate towards unlucky victims of demons, but I have a very important business. But as a thoughtful land owner I have to make ruthless decisions sometimes, you know, otherwise, the price of land here will plummet. I will show some leniency and give you time to leave this place until I come back. If you will not comply, I will have no more options but to resort to violence. You have received my warning.
With the words, the old sage vanished, right in front of Yato's eyes.
'Kami, why is this day so fucked up?! And I thought that spirit of the mountain would be at least a bit nicer! Now I have to check, what the demon skunks are, maybe even visit the hospital', thought Yato to himself.