The day started with a bit of calm serenity over the floating islands. These ethereal landmasses floated serenely across the skies, hanging far above the world below them, and they swayed softly in the cool breeze.
Teamed by narrow, rocky bridges in some cases and independent in others, they were spread out like pieces of a grand puzzle, blanketed by patches of soft grass and towering trees. A few waterfalls fell from one island to another, their waters disappearing into the expanse of mist that lay ceaselessly below them.
The chirping of birds and rustling of leaves in the wind created a serene atmosphere as if the whole realm lived in symbiosis with nature itself.
"Pop!"
Suddenly, a loud popping resounded in the silence, and a puff of smoke emitted into the thick air. As the smoke dissipated, a figure appeared in its stead-Renjiro.
'It's been a while since I was here,' Renjiro thought as he glanced around, the familiar landscape somehow surreal.
The floating islands filled with bright greens and shining waters almost seemed too perfect. There was something almost unreal about the place as if it existed out of the normal flow of time.
Renjiro sat down on the soft grass and crossed his legs, falling into a meditative position. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, filling his lungs with cool, fresh air. His chakra circulated through him rather smoothly as he started to center himself, pushing out all distractions of the outside world.
'They must already know that I'm here,' he thought.
By this time, Renjiro had long realized the sharp senses the lightning eagles had. So he chose to wait as long as he could for someone to come and collect him. Since the island he had appeared on did not have any bridge to the next. So he was momentarily stranded on the island.
He could have easily summoned Uno or any of the other eagles, but that would be an unnecessary drain on his chakra, considering the purpose of his visit. It wasn't as though Renjiro was concerned with his chakra reserves, exactly; efficiency was always important in situations like this.
It had been a period of minutes in total silence as the breeze pulled lightly upon Renjiro's clothes and hair. His mind was even, calm, and his breathing was smooth and constant.
"Flap!"
"Flap!"
"Flap!"
Then he heard it, off in the distance a faint, yet unmistakable sound. The rhythmic flapping of wings. With each second passing, it became louder, and Renjiro opened his eyes just in time as a huge shadow was cast over him.
A great eagle swooped out of the sky, heaving its wings through the air to whip the wind across the clearing with such ferocity that Renjiro stumbled over his feet to keep upright.
The young shinobi stood fast as the gusts whipped him savagely and swirled to dance across the clearing. Dust and leaves spiralled into the air as the enormous creature settled before him in grace.
"Thud!"
Its talons sliced into the earth, and Renjiro felt its weight without a single moment's warning. Of course, he didn't have to look twice to recognize this creature as a majestic one.
"Tenjin," Renjiro said, his head dipping in a respectful nod toward the huge eagle.
But he was not alone. Seated upon his back, tiny against the large eagle's bulk, was another figure: Lady Momo, the matriarch of the Lightning Eagles.
Renjiro had asked why Momo had shrunk in size despite being the Matriarch of her clan. This was all because it was a bit comical seeing her riding Tenjin who was technically her husband.
Thankfully, her answer settled the matter. Apparently, Momo was even larger than Tenjin at some point in her life, but after she gave birth to Uno, she used most of her essence and shrunk in size. This made perfect sense to Renjiro.
"Renjiro, it is a long time since I saw you!"
Lady Momo hailed him with warm passion in her voice, soft yet carrying some weight. Her eyes enlarged a bit, quickly assessing the young shinobi that stood before her.
'His chakra. it has almost doubled since the last time he was here! And it's only been some months!'
He gave a polite bow to her as he said, "Lady Momo, I... just had some problems to work out. Since I now have more time to devote to my training, I came to see you all."
His eyes shifted to Tenjin, and Renjiro nodded his head respectfully.
"Tenjin, nice to see you too."
Muffled deep in his chest, Tenjin grunted, his beak clicking softly in acknowledgement.
"That is good to hear. If it wasn't for the summoning contract, I might have thought you were dead," she said.
"Don't worry about her," answered Lady Momo without being bothered, waving the question away with a flick of her wing.
"She's busy with something else."
To that vague response, Renjiro lifted an eyebrow. 'Well, that wasn't weird at all.'
Lady Momo appeared to catch his confusion but didn't dwell on it.
"That reminds me," Renjiro started, "I was speaking with one of the toads from Mount Myoboku, and they mentioned something about different types of Senjutsu. She didn't get a chance to clarify, so I thought maybe you could help shed some light on this."
Understanding lit Lady Momo's eyes. 'Ah, so that is why he came here,' and she glanced toward the knowing stare of Tenjin, who stood rigidly beside her.
'But how did she even meet them? Did he get any summons with them? No, from his soul, we should be the only summon he has.' The Matriarch eagle thought.
"I was about to tell you something like that, anyway," Momo said with a hint of mirth in her voice.
"But before that, shall we try to see whether you're compatible at all with Senjutsu? I would say that from what I can tell, your chakra levels have increased to an appropriate amount, so now's as good a time as any to find that out."
Renjiro blinked in surprise. 'Test for Senjutsu compatibility?'
That was just not what he had expected to hear, really. "You could just tell me what I need to know," Renjiro muttered, feeling a bit apprehensive due to the change in plans.
Lady Momo's sharp stare did soften slightly, but she remained firm.
"Moreover, it would be a shame to reveal such information if you aren't able to use Senjutsu yourself. Best try now instead of wasting any more time."
Renjiro was indecisive for a while, considering his choices. Not because he was actually quite the opposite. But he was here to gain more information about what Shima told him, and the test somehow didn't feel like a part of it. But Momo did make some sense. He couldn't use Senjutsu anyway, so it would be torturing him to be training it.
"Okay," he said finally, giving up. "Let's do it."
Lady Momo let out a soft cry of approval, and Tenjin's wings flared out behind her, casting an enormous shadow over Renjiro. "Good," Momo replied, her voice now taking on a more serious tone. "Prepare yourself, Renjiro. This will not be easy."
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