Chapter 6:
– Blake Himejima –
I let out a long, exhausted groan as I finally touched down on the foggy shores just outside the Land of Waves. My wings ached like hell. "My freaking wings... I've never flown that far in my life. Even when my sister and I were younger, we mostly just flew around above our house."
Shizune walked over, her hands glowing green with that healing jutsu she always used. She started massaging my wings, and I could already feel the tension easing up. She was a lot gentler this time, though—probably because she'd learned the hard way that my wings were one big erogenous zone.
"You did good keeping up with us, Blake," Tsunade said with a smile. "We can take a break here until the fog clears up. No point in crossing the ocean when we can't even see straight."
She pulled out a scroll from behind her back and unrolled it. In a puff of smoke, a couple of bentos appeared.
Shizune paused mid-rub, sounding genuinely shocked. "Lady Tsunade… you actually made bentos? Yourself!?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I'm not an invalid, Shizune! I used to do plenty of things back when I was an active kunoichi."
"Could've fooled me all these years," Shizune muttered under her breath.
Tsunade pouted a little, sticking her nose up in mock offense. "I just wanted to cook for our man, that's all."
My face turned red instantly, and I'm pretty sure steam came out of my ears. Still, I wasn't about to let her effort go to waste. I gratefully accepted the bento she handed me and popped it open. It looked pretty standard—rice, pork, and vegetables—but you could tell she'd put in some effort to arrange it all neatly. It actually looked… cute.
Tsunade handed me a pair of chopsticks, and I took my first bite. "It's delicious, Tsunade," I told her honestly, still chewing.
"Damn right it is," she smirked before handing one to Shizune, who took it with a huff but didn't complain.
The three of us sat on the foggy shores, eating and chatting like we didn't have a care in the world. Tsunade leaned back on her hands, her golden hair catching the faint sunlight that broke through the fog. It shouldn't take much longer to clear up, I suspected.
"So, Blake," she started, a little more softly than usual, "tell us more about your family. If that's okay…" she added hesitantly. "We know what happened, but what were your mother and sister like?"
I smiled fondly as my mind drifted back to my mom and my sister. Talking about them wasn't easy, but with Tsunade and Shizune sitting there, listening intently, it felt… okay. Like they actually cared about what I had to say.
"My sister," I started, grinning a little, "was a very outgoing and mischievous little girl. She was always the one who insisted we go flying together. She loved her wings even more than I did. Always trying to pull tricks in the air, buzzing past birds to freak them out… that kind of stuff. She was… well, she was a handful, but in a good way."
"She sounds like a lot of fun," Tsunade said, smiling. "I hope you find her again someday."
"Yeah. Me too," I murmured, looking down at the half-eaten bento in my lap. I shook off the wave of sadness creeping in and forced myself to keep talking. "And my mom? She was… really kind. But also very strict. She didn't take any sort of nonsense from her two supernatural kids." I laughed, thinking of all the times she'd made us sit through one of her 'lectures of doom' when we'd messed up.
"Sounds like she kept you both in line," Shizune said with a small smile.
"Oh, she definitely did," I replied, chuckling. "You'd think having a fallen angel dad would make us more scared of him, but nah. Mom was the real boss of the house!"
"They both sound wonderful," Tsunade said softly, her expression turning more serious. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mom."
"Thanks," I said, my voice quieter. The lump in my throat was back, but I swallowed it down. "She was amazing. I just hope my sister's okay wherever she is."
Tsunade scooted a little closer until our shoulders were touching. It was a small gesture, but it felt comforting. "You'll find her," she said confidently, like it was a fact rather than just something nice to say.
"I hope so," I said.
Shizune rolled her eyes as Tsunade smirked and leaned just a little more into me, clearly trying to get a reaction.
"Subtle," Shizune muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.
"What?" Tsunade asked, all fake innocence. "I'm just being supportive."
"Sure you are," Shizune replied, but I could see the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her own lips.
…Tsunade stored the empty bentos away in her scroll with a practiced motion, the small puff of smoke disappearing as quickly as it appeared. I stood up and stretched, my wings giving a slight twitch of protest. After a moment, I turned and held out my hand to help Shizune to her feet.
"Thanks," she said, brushing off her knees as she stood.
"No problem," I replied.
Tsunade glanced around, shielding her eyes with her hand as she peered out over the water. "Looks like the fog's finally cleared. We can cross safely now."
I followed her gaze. Now that the fog had lifted, I could see the other side of the ocean more clearly, and I had to admit, the Land of Waves looked like an island paradise. The shoreline was dotted with lush greenery, and the sparkling blue water made it look like something out of a travel brochure.
"Why would your grandfather build his village in the middle of a forest instead of a nice place like this?" I asked Tsunade teasingly.
She shrugged, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "He had his reasons. The forests around Konoha helped with his Wood Release jutsu and made it much easier to defend. " Her smile faded slightly, and she sighed, her tone growing more somber. "But you're not wrong. Islands have their advantages. It's difficult for ninja to assault an island… but it's not impossible." She paused, her gaze drifting toward the horizon. "My grandmother's clan, the Uzumaki, all lived on an island like the land of waves. It was supposed to be one of the safest places in the world for them, surrounded by the ocean and their powerful sealing techniques. But decades ago, they were overrun and wiped out..."
"That's… awful," I said quietly, not sure what else to say.
"It was," she admitted. Then she straightened up, shaking off the momentary gloom with a deep breath. "Anyway, let's get moving! We've got the world's richest man to rob!"
I spread my wings and hovered over the ocean, following behind Tsunade and Shizune as they ran across the water like it was a flat sidewalk. As a fallen angel, I couldn't help but snicker a little at the fact that literally tens—maybe hundreds of thousands—of people in this world could literally walk on water.
The water was calm and smooth, so it only took about ten minutes for Tsunade and Shizune to cross. I landed next to them, my wings disappearing with a faint shimmer to give them a small rest.
"Welcome to the Land of Waves," Tsunade said, glancing around. "Where do you think Gato is?"
"The richest part of the island?" I guessed, shrugging.
Shizune shook her head slightly. "I don't particularly remember the Land of Waves even having a rich part. Haven't we been here before, a long time ago, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade paused, pondering for a moment before shrugging. "If it was in the earlier days after I left the Leaf Village, then I honestly don't remember." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I was pretty drunk a lot of those days."
Shizune and I both gave her deadpan stares.
"Let's just head to the main village," she said with a chuckle, brushing off the awkwardness as she started walking ahead.
Shizune set Tonton down, the little pig giving an indignant grunt after being carried across the ocean the whole way.
We started heading inland, moving past a small patch of woods and a narrow river that probably emptied into the ocean. The forest smelled fresh and earthy, the kind of clean air I didn't get to experience much back in New York.
"Aww, someone lost their pet," Shizune said suddenly, crouching down. She held up a fluffy white rabbit that had been hopping around the bushes. "It's summer," she explained, cradling the rabbit gently. "Rabbits don't have white coats this time of year unless they're domesticated and kept indoors."
"We can ask someone in town," Tsunade shrugged, clearly not too invested in the mystery of the rabbit. But then, in a split second, her entire demeanor shifted. She straightened up and glanced toward the treetops, a cocky grin slipping onto her face. "Are you going to attack us, or what?" she said, her tone daring them to try.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Once again, some ninjas had managed to sneak up on us, and I had no idea they were even there. It was starting to feel like I was the group's dead weight!
Shizune noticed my reaction and patted my shoulder with one hand while holding the fluffy rabbit still in the other. "Don't worry, Blake," she said softly. "It's more instinctual than anything else. The more battles you go through, the better you'll get at it." Then, in a lower voice, she added, "Honestly, I didn't sense them either until Tsunade pointed them out. That means they're going to be very strong."
Great. Just what I wanted to hear.
A loud rustling broke the tension as a ripped man with a massive sword strapped to his back hopped down from the trees and landed in front of us. He wasn't wearing a shirt—just some bandages wrapped around his chest—and he looked like he lived in a gym.
"Well… shit," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Tsunade. "Tsunade of the fucking Sannin. What are you doing here?" His voice was tense, and his stance screamed that he was ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"We're here to rob Gato," Tsunade said shamelessly.
The man—the "Demon of the Mist"—blinked at her, clearly not expecting that answer. "You're here… to rob Gato?" he repeated, like he needed confirmation.
"Yes," Tsunade said without missing a beat.
"Yep," I added, figuring I might as well back her up.
"That's right," Shizune chimed in, her voice way too cheerful for the situation.
Zabuza just stared at us, clearly trying to process the absurdity of what he'd just heard. Zabuza folded his arms across his chest, the massive sword on his back shifting slightly as he relaxed his stance. "Alright, I'm in," he said, as if we'd just offered him a casual invite to a dinner party.
"Huh?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Tsunade nodded at him like she'd expected that kind of response. I certainly wasn't. Every other ninja we'd run into so far had just tried to kill us. Well, technically we attacked those last two mist ninjas first since they were after someone else, but we didn't know that at the time! They were still being all creepy, hiding in a freaking puddle that I almost stepped in!
"I suppose we can offer you a five percent take," she said, sounding like she was doing him a favor. "You are a well-renowned ninja from the Mist, after all… obviously not as famous as me, though," she added with a smug grin.
Zabuza scoffed, his expression somewhere between annoyed and amused. "Hell no! I want at least thirty percent! Do you even know where he keeps his treasure!? Cuz I do!"
Tsunade waved a hand dismissively. "Obviously in some kind of safe. It doesn't matter where he keeps it. I've got plenty of truth serums I can use on him that'll get him singing anything I want to hear."
Zabuza rolled his eyes like she'd just said the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. "And what about after that? Gato's connected to a lot of other powerful merchants around the world. Even a lot of the Daimyos are in his pocket. Do you even know what he's trying to do here in the Land of Waves?"
All of us shook our heads, and Zabuza let out a frustrated scoff. "Haku," he barked, "get down here and explain the technical shit to these two ninjas and their pretty boy gigolo."
"Oy!" I snapped at him for that comment. "You want to fucking go, asshole?"
Zabuza smirked, reaching his hand back to grasp the hilt of his sword. "I'm ready to throw down anytime, pretty boy."
"Just ignore him, Blake," Tsunade told me. "He's just trying to get into your head. All Mist ninja are annoying like this… also, he would kill you in like ten seconds."
"More like five," Zabuza added, grinning to show off his sharp teeth.
I let out a sigh and turned to Shizune. "You need to up my training even more!"
Shizune smiled at me fondly, but there was a glint in her eye that made me gulp. "I'd be more than happy to," she said sweetly. I immediately regretted my words because I knew she didn't mess around when it came to training.
A couple of seconds later, a second ninja—much smaller than Zabuza—popped out of the trees and landed next to him. They wore a white mask, which they removed to reveal an impossibly pretty face despite the fact that I saw an adams apple and knew this was a boy!
I rolled my eyes on instinct. "You're calling me a pretty boy when your damn kid is even prettier than me!" I shot at Zabuza.
"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that." Shizune giggled.
"Me neither!" Tsunade laughed.
"Shut your trap," Zabuza growled back, glaring at me. He motioned to the smaller ninja. "Haku, start explaining the situation to these idiots before I lose my patience."
Haku's expression remained calm and serene as they stepped forward. Clearly, he was used to Zabuza's brazen attitude.
"Gato is currently in the process of assuming complete control of the Land of Waves. He is the richest man in the world, but despite that title, he is still nothing more than a merchant. Gato wishes to change that and make himself the official daimyo of the Land of Waves. Everything he's been doing here over the past few years has been to further that goal. He needs the people of this land kept in absolute poverty while he slowly buys up all of their land and businesses until he has complete control of the entire island. At this point, he owns close to 90%," Haku started to explain.
"So what are you two doing here if he already almost owns the place?" Tsunade asked.
"Didn't the Demon Brothers mention some kind of bridge builder?" Shizune added. "They're probably here for him too…"
"The Demon Brothers? You ran into those morons?" Zabuza asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep, and they're dead now," Tsunade said shamelessly.
I expected him or Haku to be upset that their subordinates were dead, but they both just shrugged.
"Fucking incompetent morons picked a fight with a Sannin and found out," Zabuza said, his tone dripping with derision. "I was going to cut them loose soon anyway because they always did dumb shit like that."
"They also kept trying to make moves on me even though they know I'm a boy!" Haku grumbled.
Zabuza actually chuckled darkly at that. "No, Haku, they made moves on you because they knew you were a boy…"
Oof… Now I feel bad for the guy. Haku looked horrified at that prospect! I decided to get the conversation back on track. I wasn't exactly understanding the problem with us robbing Gato, other than he's connected to a bunch of other rich and powerful people. "If they don't know it was us who robbed him, then we should be fine, right?" I pointed out.
Zabuza rolled his eyes. "They always find out shit like that! The greatest financial heist of all time isn't going to stay secret for long, and then the whole damn continent will be breathing down our necks for a slice of the pie! Why do you think we didn't rob the bastard ourselves?"
Tsunade frowned and muttered under her breath. "I didn't quite think about that. I just wanted to pay off all my annoying debts..."
"We need a scapegoat then," I said, an idea forming in my head. "Someone to take the fall for us."
Tsunade and Shizune both smiled at me. "That's not a bad idea, Blake," Tsunade said with a nod.
"Obviously, it would have to be another ninja," Shizune added slyly. "Preferably a rogue ninja, like Zabuza." She grinned wickedly at him. "You know, we could just beat you up and make you the scapegoat for us. You're already working for Gato, aren't you?"
Zabuza visibly shuddered. "I'll sing like a canary if you even fucking try it! And I'm only working for Gato because he offered me enough money to help out the rebellion back in the Mist. But if I can get 30% of his total finances, then…"
"I always kind of suspected he was going to welch on our payment anyway, Master Zabuza," Haku said quietly. "Something about Gato has always rubbed me the wrong way."
Zabuza let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh, you've always been an annoyingly good judge of character, Haku." He turned back to us, crossing his arms. "Okay, here's what's going to go down. We're going to have a fight," Zabuza said sarcastically. "We gotta make it look somewhat real, destroy a bunch of the scenery, and then I'm going to die…"
Tsunade and Shizune both nodded along like this was the most reasonable plan in the world.
"I will go and report to Gato about Master Zabuza's death," Haku continued. "Maybe even show him Master's fake dead body to make it even more real. I will then quit, and Gato will be forced to hire more ninja quickly because he'll think Master Zabuza was killed by the Leaf ninja hired to protect the bridge builder."
"It'll be your jobs to drug those ninjas and make them go crazy without it being obvious," Zabuza added, looking mostly at Tsunade for this. "Have them attack Gato and his own forces, and we'll make off with all his money while they take the fall."
"Sounds like a pretty good plan to me," Tsunade said with a shrug. Then, cracking her knuckles, she launched herself forward and threw a punch at Zabuza!
He barely dodged it in time as her fist slammed into the ground, upending the area and leaving a massive crater.
"OY! I wasn't ready yet you crazy hag!"
"You're the one who said to make it look real!" Tsunade laughed, clearly enjoying his panicked expression as he started weaving hand signs.
A large water dragon rose up behind him from the nearby river.
Shizune, Haku, and I all moved off to the side, wisely deciding to stay out of the crossfire. "Is there a reason they have to actually fight instead of just breaking the landscape?" I asked curiously.
Haku turned to me. "It would look more realistic for any ninja in the future who came to investigate. They can tell the difference between an actual fight or someone who was just carelessly breaking things."
"Ninja forensics, then," I said with a nod, filing that away as another ridiculous thing I'd have to remember about this world.
Haku's gaze shifted to Shizune and the bunny she was still holding. "Um… that rabbit is actually my pet," he said hesitantly.
"Aww… I liked holding him. He's so fluffy," Shizune said, reluctantly handing the bunny back to Haku.
The ground shook beneath us as Tsunade and Zabuza continued their "fight," trading blows that sent shockwaves through the area.
There was only one issue I was having with our plan as I watched Tsunade suplex Zabuza into the dirt. "What are we going to do about the Leaf Ninja's and the bridge builder they're coming back with…?"
"Ah…" they both muttered at the same time.
XXX
Thanks for reading!!!
I have a patreo n. My subs can read advanced updates of my stories ahead of standard release and even check out pics for some of the more naughty chapters.
Link:
Patreo n .com (slash) Starwaves
Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 314-318
The Titan 24
The Blood Queen 32
The Fox Hole ch 49
Thunder and Black Wings 8
The Fox Hole ch 48
The Blood Queen ch 31
The fox hole ch 47
Thunder and Black Wings 7
The Titan ch 23
The Fox Hole 46