3 MONTHS LATER
He walked across the massive bridge that spanned for miles through the ocean, connecting the island of Wave to the Land Of Fire. When he heard that Wave was having a resurgence in every metric you could measure, he decided to come take a look himself.
Maybe spend some time relaxing, he heard that Wave wasn't allowing any Shinobi presence except with a constant escort. Although he didn't know how effective that was, it just might be an excuse to go after any Shinobi they spotted within Wave.
It would be nice to not have to deal with Hunter-Nin for a while.
He walked up to the checkpoint at the end of the bridge, where a few guards were stationed. They all wore different clothes, but all of them had the same white masks.
He approached the small booth to the side, where one of them was sitting.
"Name and reason for your visit?" She asked with an emotionless voice, which he assumed was caused by the mask.
"Ukataka." He answered cheerfully, smiling. "And I'm here on a vacation."
She eyed him briefly before looking down at her paperwork again.
"Any association with a Shinobi Village or a Shinobi Organization?"
He shook his head. "None whatsoever." The masked woman looked back up at him for a bit longer this time, he couldn't help but feel slightly anxious, before she shrugged and went back to her papers.
"You may enter."
***
Yatagarasu watched as the group of Initiates circled the camp, readying themselves to fight him.
This group was the third batch and the latest that had completed their training with Zabuza Momochi, so far, they were proving to be quite competent.
The Intelligence Wing had been alerted that a suspicious number of people went missing in this area and adjacent islands, the Crow Clan had been sent to scout out the situation.
Once the presence of enemy Shinobi was confirmed, the Military Wing of the Order was notified, and a team was dispatched to eliminate them.
Since the level of the enemy Ninja didn't surpass that of a Chūnin, it was decided that only new Initiates would be sent after them, to gain combat experience against real foes.
Yatagarasu was chosen to act as a hidden safety net, if the enemy proved too much for the Initiates, he would intervene.
They were doing well so far, showing good teamwork and strategy. They managed to surround the camp without being detected and had already incapacitated three enemy Shinobi.
There were five left, and the Initiates apparently decided they had waited long enough, they all started weaving hand signs. Five identical barrages of Water Bullets came from each Initiate's position in the bushes, assaulting the remaining enemies.
Two of the five Shinobi present were quickly struck down, one fell onto his knees, arms limp and broken from a desperate block, the last two barely managed to dodge at the last second by throwing themselves away from the attack.
Hmmmm, one of those was faster than expected, he readied himself to interfere, watching for any sign that the enemy was going to pose an unsurmountable opponent.
The Initiates split into three groups, one capturing the kneeling man, one went after the slower one of the two survivors, and the last went after the fast one.
The first group managed to restrain their target without incident, the second almost got blindsided by a Fireball Jutsu but dodged in time, it didn't take them long to incapacitate their target afterward.
The third group wasn't faring too well though, they had been on the offensive at first, but now they were being pressured by their opponent.
The man was clearly skilled, using Wind Release Jutsu to keep them at bay with devastating effect. The Initiates had been forced to stay back to avoid being torn to shreds.
Once the other groups saw that, they moved to support, leaving behind one Initiate to guard the prisoners.
As they arrived, the outnumbered Shinobi... ripped off his shirt? Revealing several dozen black marks covering his body.
He then reached into the bag he had tied to his pants and pulled out... A syringe.
Yatagarasu angled himself toward and let himself drop, bursting through the clouds.
In the words of his creator, 'If the enemy is powering up or transforming in any way, shape, or form, deck them in the face.'
As he hurtled towards the ground at full speed, he opened his beak, preparing to obliterate this fool.
Right as he plunged the needle into his chest, a beam of starlight engulfed him, exploding on impact.
Yatagarasu slammed into the ground, his massive form shaking the surrounding earth, sending dirt and rocks everywhere.
He took and step right, and a step left at the same time, two of him standing where there once was one.
The smoke cleared, revealing the place where the Shinobi had been, a monstrosity of muscle and white flesh, stood there instead, half its side was burned and blackened. It roared with rage as it spotted Yatagarasu.
"Damn you! I was so close! So close to achieving Perfection!" The creature spoke with hatred, glaring at the Star-Eater with pure rage in its eyes.
"Even Orochimaru would have bowed befor-"
Its ranting was interrupted by another beam of starlight.
In the words of his creator, 'When the enemy starts monologuing, don't fucking listen, deck them in the face.'
Truly, his creator was a wise being.
The other body rushed forward and bit the thing's head off while it was recovering from the blow, killing it.
The Initiates stared in awe at him before kneeling down on the ground respectfully.
"Praise The Watcher." They said in unison.
"You did well, with more time you will only grow stronger." He rumbled softly, watching as they bowed their heads.
"Thank you, Yatagarasu-sama." One of them said gratefully. "For assisting us."
He cawed in affirmation before flying up into the sky once again, disappearing into the clouds above. The body that killed the mutated Shinobi disappearing.
***
"And so, Konoha's new Fifth Hokage wishes to send a diplomatic party to Wave to discuss future relations between our two governments." The Ambassador finished her report, she was one of the few members of Wave's government that was from the original 600 members of the Church Of The Watcher.Haruka hummed thoughtfully, everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. They had almost managed to form a completely stable economy, trade was reopened with the outside world, Wave was the safest that it had ever been with the formation of the Military Wing, and the people were more or less content with their lives.
A landslide happened? All the nearby faithful suddenly had an instinctive feeling of where they needed to dig to rescue the survivors.
Food Shortage? Somehow, crops yielded more than usual, just enough to make sure everyone was fed.
Someone had an illness that Kazuo and his disciples could not cure? If they isolated themselves in prayer for 3 days, they would wake up on the 4th morning healed.
She couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought, The Watcher always provided when they needed him most.
"Do you think it's genuine?" She asked after a moment of contemplation. "Or do they simply wish to gather information about us?"
"I believe both are accurate." The Ambassador answered quickly. "The Hokage clearly wants to have an amicable relationship with our nation, she seems like an honorable woman, but she is also a Shinobi."
"Shinobi are not the most trustworthy of people," Haruka agreed quietly. "Alright then, we will accept their request, we will petition the Crows for someone that can watch them."
"Understood, I will deliver this message immediately." The Ambassador said while bowing respectfully before leaving her office.
She leaned back into her chair with a soft sigh as she watched the woman depart, closing her eyes as she felt herself relax slightly.
"Would you have been satisfied with this, Ayumu?" She whispered softly.