Kakashi had a bad feeling about this.
He was currently standing in front of his new Hokage, who was staring out her window towards the bustling village below them. Behind him stood Shizune, Tsunade's assistant and student.
"Kakashi." The Godaime finally spoke up, her voice quiet but firm. "If you are late one more time for a mission assignment..."
"Yes, Hokage-sama?" He replied innocently, clearly not taking the threat seriously.
The blonde woman sighed loudly before continuing. "We have gotten permission from Wave to send a diplomatic team to their island."
"I will be on time from now on. If that was all then I'll-"
"You're going." She interrupted him bluntly.
Kakashi stiffened slightly at that statement, before bowing slightly. "As you command, Hokage-Sama."
Tsunade rolled her eyes before pointing down at some scrolls on her desk. "Left is for what we can offer and what we want, right is the shortlist of people available for your team."
That place is cursed, the amount of headache it caused him the last time... why couldn't she pick anyone else? It wasn't fair.
He knew that technically he was the one with experience on those islands, so he should be the most qualified, but he still hated this job already.
"Remember, this is a diplomatic mission," Tsunade said with emphasis. "So keep it peaceful, no matter how much you might want to fight someone."
Kakashi felt very offended right now, he was the very definition of peacefulness.
"I would never, Hokage-Sama." He replied in slight offense. Tsunade responded by raising an eyebrow.
"So you wouldn't strangle the one called Ayumu if you saw him?"
Kakashi's hand twitched, his fingers grasping an imaginary neck. Damn. She totally saw that.
"... When do I depart, Hokage-Sama?" He said, defeated.
***
As Hidan watched the fisherman crawl away, leaving a trail of blood behind him, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Why are people always so scared of being killed? Once they die, they are freed from all the pains and stresses of life, and become a part of Jashin-sama's paradise forevermore. It is a truly blessed existence!
It's quite rude how they see this gift as anything less than pure bliss...
"Oi, stop daydreaming and get to work!" A voice said, snapping Hidan out of his thoughts.
He turned around angrily, only to see Kakuzu glaring down at him impatiently.
"Oh shut up, moneybags," Hidan retorted irritably. "What are we even doing here anyway? We should just go to that fucking bridge and slaughter everyone there!"
Kakuzu gave him yet another annoyed look, clearly unimpressed by Hidan's attitude.
"Leader explained this to us already." He had? Oh, was it when he was busy fantasizing about killing? "... We should only take the Jinchūriki if they are isolated and alone. The bridge will draw attention, and Leader wants us to stay hidden, so we steal a boat."
Hidan groaned loudly in frustration. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
He started drawing a circle on the ground.
Kakuzu sighed in exasperation before turning away from him. "Just hurry up already, we need to leave before someone finds us."
Hidan scoffed at that notion of rushing a sacrifice to Jashin-sama, one day, he would show Kakuzu the truth of Lord Jashin's words, and then the miserly fucker will learn what a true blessing death is.
***
Saiken morphed his hand into something more resembling a human shape, with five digits, including an opposable thumb. It was a lot harder than before, requiring far more concentration and precision.
The slug sighed softly as he flexed his new fingers experimentally, finding them slightly awkward to move around due to their unfamiliarity. He felt... vulnerable like this...
Before, his body was malleable and easily changeable at will, now it required focus and effort to change its shape.
But there were also benefits, his new biology allowed him to store and release Chakra in a way similar to a human, giving him access to techniques previously unavailable to him.
That was the whole reason he had morphed his fingers, after all, so he could practice hand signs.
His new hand finished shifting into a Tiger seal, a rush of power surged through his body as his chakra flowed through it freely. It felt different from what he was used to, but it worked.
Saiken was covered in smoke for a moment before it cleared out, revealing his transformation.
It was a human boy, short in stature with off-white hair, wearing simple brown clothes, and possessing no features of note beyond a small scar on one cheek.
Saiken didn't feel too comfortable in this form, but he would get used to it eventually. He needed to blend in with humans if he wanted to avoid being hunted down.
He started making his way towards Wave's capital, avoiding any travelers or people along the way. He was still nervous about interacting with humans.
But the being that claimed to be a god did free him, and it did not hurt Utakata, so perhaps he could at least show some faith in it?
***
So, Kaguya was not an Irredeemably evil villain, she was just kinda crazy.
That was... both good and bad news, good because she could be reasoned with, bad because of why she did all she did in the first place.
Her species were parasites that drained Chakra from planets. She betrayed them for some reason, Saiken didn't know why, only that she abandoned her old ways and instead protected earth.
Unfortunately, she was still insane, she thought draining humanity of its Chakra was her right. She saw humans as parasites that stole Chakra from her. Ironic.
It also revealed another problem, Kaguya was already free, well, 'free' in the sense that she wasn't sealed away. The body of the Juubi was Kaguya's true body, she had merged with the God Tree and become one with it.
This meant that she was literally on Earth right now, the only thing missing was the tailed beast Chakra.
Well, it didn't change much in my planning, really. Keep growing stronger and expand my religion anywhere I could.
I already had a place in mind.
***
His name was Yumozuki, and he was a member of the Military Wing.He was currently kneeling in front of the High Priestess, who was standing in front of his squad.
"You all have shown great dedication to The Watcher," Haruka spoke softly. "And your devotion has been recognized, you will be rewarded appropriately."
"Today, you shall receive a blessing from The Watcher." Haruka continued as a black portal opened behind her.
Yumozuki swallowed nervously as a massive form stepped out of the rift, he had seen the Star-Eaters before, but this one was bigger than any other he had ever seen. It was nearly five meters tall.
The Star-Eater approached slowly until it towered over them, its eyes glowed with golden light as it stared down at each of them individually.
"My creator has tasked me with delivering a gift unto you." It said, in a rumbling tone. "A reward for your service to him."
Suddenly, Yumozuki felt something within his chest stir, something warm and powerful. A fire spread through his veins, as if liquid lava flowed inside them instead of blood.
It didn't hurt though, quite the opposite, actually. He felt stronger, faster, more alive than ever before.
"These blessings are a sign of your status amongst The Watcher's followers," Haruka spoke once more. "From now on, you are not Initiates, but Acolytes."
He could almost feel the excitement in the room rising, as everyone exchanged glances with each other.
"Of course, power comes with responsibility. And as such, you will have 2 days to get used to your blessings." Haruka continued. "Afterward, you shall be dispatched on a mission."
With that, the Star-Eater stepped forward once again.
"In two days time, you will escort me, Amikiri, to the Land of Demons, where we will establish a presence there," The Divine Beast said. "It will be our first foothold outside Wave, so failure is not an option."
Yumozuki bowed deeper, determination filling him. Failure was not an option, indeed.
"Praise The Watcher!"