The Ripper and the scientist

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Kakumei – Arc 2: The Curse of Time

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Chapter 48 - The Ripper and the scientist

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In the land of Heart, in the capital, Hikarigakure, Sojobo sits on the throne of the main castle. Hidden with this village by the Genjutsu that camouflages it, he minimizes his chakra print to be completely undetectable. Sitting there, he waits for people that he asked to see. He's sent Killin' Kiss, who oddly accepted to serve him, to find and bring Guroi, alias Ripper, and Suto to him. He thinks they may be of use for him, in his quest to rebuild his family.

As he's patiently waiting, the young mercenary walks in, followed by not 2, but 4 people: the Ripper who still carries his space-slicing sword, Suto who got visibly older than 10 years ago, and two young girls who stay close to the mad scientist. They are teenagers that serve as Suto's students and assistants. Killin' Kiss guides them to the one who sits on the throne.

"So… Here they are, Daitengu." she says. "Guroi, aka the Ripper… And an old man with his underage girlfriends."

"Hey, young lady, these are some sassy manners, could I say." says Suto. "These two young girls are in no way involved in any romantic or sexual relationship with me. They're just my students. As you can see, I'm an old man… And no cloning or body enhancing process can save me from time. These students ensure that my knowledge doesn't die with me."

"Whatever… But you're right, it was sassy of me." answers the mercenary girl. "Many men find this behavior somehow attractive. Don't you, Ripper?" she adds, with a flirty smile.

"Girl, how old are you supposed to be?" says Guroi, who's been nothing but unsettled by her appearance. "Your name is well known in the business since over 10 years ago, yet you look like you were still in kindergarten back then. When I heard that Killin' Kiss was looking for me, I expected a mature woman."

"So what?" she asks, while curving her body. "Am I not your type?"

"HmHm!" Sojobo hustles, to interrupts the mercenaries' child play and get their attention.

He loosens his chakra suppressing jutsu a bit to pressure them with his aura. The two lab assistants almost stumble down, while their master and the two bounty hunters hold their breath in, feeling sick. After a few seconds, Suto smiles, and laughs out loud.

"Fantastic!" he exclaims. "The Lord Sojobo! The Daitengu! The Curse of Time! In the flesh!… Or should I say, in the shell? Your skin has this shelly aspect."

"You seem oddly obsessed with my nature, scientist." remarks Sojobo. "Good. I guess you won't have any objection to do some tasks for me then."

"Of course not." answers the man of science. "On the contrary, I'm flattered that such a divine being finds himself in the need of my knowledge. As if the gods admitted their inferiority to the power of science."

"Huhu! It seems like stupidity is one of the many fields you've mastered." mocks Sojobo. "All the sciences you practice are nothing but the study of this world, that was entirely built on the base of chakra. Anything you can do with your little lab experiments, one could do better with just his chakra and his imagination. However, there are some scientific products that could improve our use of this energy."

"What do you mean?" asks Suto.

"Years ago, you gave to Isami Kurama something that you sold to him as a body enhancing drug, supposedly able to make his body suitable for hosting a Tengu." explains Sojobo. "I want you to do the same on 3 new people."

"The product doesn't work." says one of the two girls behind Suto. "Master never had certainty of this drug's efficiency."

"Gentsuchi! We weren't supposed to say that!" says the other girl, embarrassed.

Sojobo looks at the two girls, disappointed, and then at Suto.

"I was already certain it doesn't work." he says, as he didn't expect a scientist to decipher a mystery of his making that even he doesn't fully understand. "But I didn't think you'd be conscious of this too. Care to explain?"

"Well… When Isami found out about me and my work, he was too eager to execute his plan, and didn't give me any time to test my solution. As I never had any tengu available for the experiment, I still have no clue about its reliability. I just based it on the data that Isami provided, that he got from Riku Minamoto."

"… That's… Expected." slowly says Sojobo. "However, with me, progressing on the development won't be an issue anymore. How long before you can synthesize the drug again?"

"I still have the formula." answers Suto. "But, not to be too pessimistic, but the test period may be very, very long. If I understood well, Isami didn't survive you."

"Isami Kurama… is right there under your eyes." the Daitengu says mystically.

Next to Killin' Kiss, the Ripper steps forward and gets closer to Sojobo. He bends over to look at the sitting creature.

"How are YOU supposed to be Isami?" he asks.

"… I am what became of his body, after he was overflown by my chakra." Sojobo explains. "I am not like any tengu, I am the Daitengu. No mortal creature would survive having me sealed in it unless I chose to let it live. Isami dying to me doesn't mean he would have died from any other tengu seed."

"I see. This is reassuring…" says Suto, who gently rubs his chin as he thinks.

Everyone in the room stays silent for a moment. Sojobo, who just waits for Suto to answer his offer, slightly turns his head and sees Guroi still standing close to him.

"Oh, and you…" he says to the tall mercenary. "I don't need anything from you. I simply told this young girl to bring you because I knew it wouldn't be hard for her to find you, and that it would eventually lead her to find the scientist."

Guroi doesn't say anything, and just makes a bored face, unmotivated by the idea of yelling his disappointment out at a demigod creature. Behind him, Killin' Kiss gently pats his back as to support him. Pissed off, the mercenary turns around and lifts his sword up, to rest it on his shoulder. He walks away to leave. Suto and his students look at him going. Sojobo brings the scientist's attention back to him.

"So, scientist, will you do what I ask for?" he says, loudly.

"Yes? I mean… Of course yes." answers Suto, who looks back to the Daitengu. "How could I refuse an offer from a being such as you?"

"Good… Then leave now, and get to work." he orders.

Suto nods and turns around. With a simple head gesture, he tells his assistants to come with him. They hurry to join Guroi's side as he leaves. Killin' Kiss looks at the Daitengu and gently smiles, before running off to join the two others again. Sojobo just stays sitting on the throne and goes back to his busy thoughts. He reminds himself of the child he saw the other day. The dark pink haired kid who seemed to be considered as a leader by the 4 others that Momoshiki brought together. He remembers his familiar face, his disturbing chakra, and his eyes.

Killin' Kiss leaves the room and catches up to the Ripper who's leaving side by side with Suto. She bounds to him and lands on his back, holding her arms around his neck. Surprised by this sudden hug, he stops and shakes.

"What the hell you want from me, you brat?" he yells.

"BRAT?" she yells in his ear. "I'm not that young, you know?"

"Whatever. Every one's a brat to me." explains Guroi. "What do you want?"

"Just wanted to say you don't have to leave empty handed." she proposes. "You could stay here. I have a bunch of friends, and I think you could be useful to us."

"No thanks. I don't want to be surrounded by kids." answers the Ripper. "I'm just pissed off by this creature's honesty. I really came for nothing."

"Don't say that! At least, you got to meet me, a fellow international bounty hunter." cheerfully says the girl. "And even if it ain't for my boys, you can still stay and plead allegiance to the Daitengu. If your lab rat friend succeeds in remaking his drug, maybe you could be one of the new yamabushi, and me too. Doesn't it tempt you? The two of us, slaughtering ninjas of the shinobi union with tengu powers, as a mercenary couple?"

Guroi turns his head and looks right in her blue eyes. He feels a bit interested by this possibility, but he doesn't know if it's the tengu power, or the mercenary couple idea than tempts him more. Suddenly feeling weak, he shakes his head and focuses on the hallways in front of him. He knows that Killin' Kiss' attitude is just a play to get what she wants. Manipulation is one of the thing she's well known for in the bounty-hunting society.

"Are you like that with everyone?" he asks to her, playing dumb.

"Like what?" she says, climbing up his back and bending her upper body over his shoulder to cross his gaze again.

Guroi makes an embarrassed face, and feels weak again. He looks at the young girl, her long red-brown hair falling down over her face, her eyes and lips still visible behind this hair curtain, her young smooth tanned skin, and feels her breasts pressed against him. He stays agape for a moment, trying to hold back his personality. He knows very well what she' doing but can't stop himself from falling in. After all, the tengu part really is tempting. Seeing him struggling, Killin' Kiss gently laughs and leans back up.

"I guess I'm like that with everyone." she says. "But you see, it works. It gets me what I want… So interested?"

"… I'll see…" says Guroi, who puts on a serious face again. "It is an interesting offer."

"You and me for the Daitengu? Or just you and me?" she asks, to tease him again.

"You may look crazy hot, but you also look crazy young." he answers, trying to remain lucid. "I'm not a pedophile."

"I'm 16. Lots of places in the world consider me an adult." she says. "But not that it should bother you. Your sidekicks from the past were all young girls, except the last one, but she was a dwarf, so it's still child-like."

"The hell you're saying?" yells the Ripper. "Those girls were all over 18, and Mimi was 22. She was short but looked adult. I didn't even care much about these girls. They were just sidekicks with a crush on me… Anyway, I'm not a fucking pedo. This is not ok."

"Oh, because killing people for a living is ok." she ironically says.

"This can make money at least." he answers. "Listen, I already said I'll think about your offer. This is basically a yes. Now just get off my back."

Killin' Kiss pouts and gives up on the conversation, however, since he's not complaining more, she doesn't get off his back. Behind Suto who just walks unconcerned about the two mercenaries' discussion, one of the two assistant girls looks up to Killin' Kiss, curious about her group of friends.

"Say, lady, who are these boys you mentioned?" she asks.

The mercenary, leans even further back and lets herself fall while looking up to see the girl behind her.

"They my boys!" she simply says. "Why are you asking?"

"Just curious. Maybe I shouldn't?" asks the student.

"It's cool." answers Killin' Kiss. "They're some promising kids that I have big plans for, even if I didn't tell them about it yet… What's your name?" she adds.

"Minoka… And you?"

"Just call me Killin' Kiss… So, Minoka, wanna meet my boys?"

"I don't know, why not, I guess?"

Suto, who's getting annoyed by his assistant's high pitched voice, puts an end to their discussion.

"Minoka, we'll head back to the main lab now." he says. "Guroi comes with us. If you want to, I'll send you here later as a messenger, so the Daitengu can keep track of our progress."

"It just occurs to me now, but…" says Killin' Kiss to Suto. "You forgot to ask Sojobo for a reward."

"Suto never takes a reward." explains the Ripper. "Even back in the day, He was working with Isami for free."

"I don't want or need money." says the scientist. "The sole experience and knowledge I'll acquire makes it for me, and there will never be too much of it."

"Ha! Well said, master!" exclaims Gentsuchi, the other lab assistant.

Killin' Kiss looks, confused, at the science trio. Never could she imagine working for free. But in this case, it's kinda reassuring. The Daitengu isn't a sociable creature. He doesn't have any money and promised not to interfere with the people of Hikari, so he'd have no way to pay for a service. To her, the Daitengu is currently her replacement for Momoshiki Otsutsuki: the one she puts her faith in to accomplish what she never could.

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In Konoha, at the Uchiha house, all the family is gathered together for the departure of the father. Sasuke, after a roughly 2 weeks pause, needs to get back to his mission and discover more about the Otsutsuki clan. Standing on the doorstep, his wife helps him putting on his black cloak. Behind her, Izuna comes with his infant sister in his arms.

Sakura sees him and takes Sarada to hand her to her father. Sasuke smiles and gently pokes the baby's forehead with two fingers. He then looks down to see his son standing behind his mother. Izuna just meanly stares at him. Sasuke knows why. During this short time he spent with him, he was brought to speak sincerely about what caused him to seek for pardon. His son is still mad about what he learned, about his father's past as a nukenin and a traitor to the village.

Sakura turns around, and sees her son's mean face. She sighs and hits him on the top of his head with her fist. Izuna, shocked and hurt, holds his head and growls to compain about the pain.

"Stop crying about it. You'll get over it!" yells Sakura, about Sasuke's past. "I did, Naruto did. Your father himself did. And we're the one it affected."

"… It's 'Lord 7th'. Not 'Naruto'…" answers Izuna grumpily.

Sasuke lightly smiles and lets a little nose blow out. Sakura notices it, and gently laughs too. Izuna looks at them, still grumpy, angered as he feels mocked.

"Ah yeah? You laughing?" he yells at his dad. "Well Good Bye then!" he adds as he turns around and runs back in the house without giving a proper good bye.

Sasuke smiles as he sees his son flee. Sakura, who also watches him go, turns back to her husband, also amused by the boy's grumpiness.

"He really respects Naruto." says Sasuke. "Way more than you and I."

"That's for sure!" answers Sakura. "He corrects his name, goes out for meals with him… He always has his eyes shining bright whenever he sees him walk around in his Hokage attire."

"… And shining red when he sees him in mortal danger…" adds Sasuke, now serious, referring to Izuna's Sharingan.

Sakura sees her husband's now serious expression, and stops laughing too. She sighs and, with a flirty look and voice, prepares to also say Good bye.

"So… When will we see each other again?" she asks, with her head down, but her eyes looking up to him.

"As soon as possible." he answers, as he raises his hand again to pet Sarada's hair. "I'll try to pass by every once a month, let's say."

"Hm… Be careful then." she says. "And remember, if you need it, you've got help." she adds.

Sasuke slowly lets go off his daughter's head and leans forward, closer to Sakura. He quickly but gently kisses her on the lips before turning around.

"See you then!" he says before vanishing from the place in an instant, leaving his wife deadly confused, blushing with embarrassment, and happiness.

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Sasuke reappears further away in the village, at the gates, where he finds a Naruto waiting for him. The Hokage's clone comes closer and puts his hand on the wanderer's shoulder as he passes next to him, to stop him.

"So what now?" he asks.

"First, I need to get my new sword." starts Sasuke. "Then, as you suggested, I'll pay a visit to this Toneri that lives in the moon. And then… I'll roam, search for clues, seek to find the Otsutsuki before they find us. I have some tracks to follow. I'll just go with it."

"And what about Sojobo?" asks Naruto.

"I've thought about what he said before our fight with him last time… And he was right." explains the Uchiha. "He isn't a threat until he comes for us. If he ever comes for anyone he would hurt, it'll be you. And considering how strong you got since last time, I can safely go and leave him to you… Still, I'd like to know what made his revival possible, so I'll investigate that, maybe I'll pay him a visit at some point, wherever he is."

"So you're a man with… a bit of a plan, I guess." comments the Hokage. "Also, how did it feel to be back home?"

"It was nice." honestly says Sasuke. "I envy you, for living with this environment on a daily basis."

"Don't worry, you'll get this reward too, eventually." answers Naruto, smiling.

"Thanks to you." remarks the Uchiha. "If you didn't declassify all the stuff about Itachi and my clan, who knows if the village would have reacted the same way to me saving your ass… Now, I can confidently go on my mission, knowing that I'm not doing it for recognition, but for peace."

"Well said!" cheers Naruto, before promptly getting serious. "But watch out. We're sending you alone, look for enemies that know you. Supposedly, according to Momoshiki, they know of us. They'll probably know of your quest, and of your achievements, like defeating Kaguya, Katashiki and now these two… You could become a prior target for them."

"Hm! Don't worry about this." confidently responds the wanderer, stepping forward, ready to leave. "And if I'm in trouble, I'll do as Sakura suggested."

"What did she say?" asks the Hokage.

Sasuke turns around to face Naruto, while a black space rift appears behind him.

"To come and get support." he says, as he steps back into the portal.

"Wait!" yells Naruto before the gate closes. "One last thing!"

"I'm listening." says Sasuke, waiting in his empty rift.

"The Otsutsuki clan." says the Hokage. "They must be a lot, and powerful. Until then, we've had to fight all of them, but… Don't you think, maybe, they don't have to be our enemies. They don't all have to be as corrupted by power as Kaguya or Momoshiki. Maybe, the next I meet could become allies."

"Not if they meet me first." coldly answers the Uchiha as he closes the gate to disappear from the village, and the land.

Naruto stands there, not relieved by this response. Personally, he'd like to believe that evil is never unjustified. He managed to reach Toneri, who's also kind of an alien, and make him give up on his objectives. So if another of these celestial beings comes to Earth, there's no reason for him to be incorrigible.

It is mainly Kinshiki Otsutsuki who made Naruto realize that. Momoshiki maybe was way too violent and arrogant to be talked with, but his father showed clear signs of compassion and regrets. They are people, just like them. The Rikudo-sennin once said that even Kaguya used to be more humane… Naruto is just eager to meet an Otsutsuki with which he'll be able to have a civil discussion. Their knowledge, power, and wisdom could greatly help improving this world in many ways. As he's deep in his thoughts, Kurama's voice interrupts.

"And what about the Daitengu?" says the fox. "Do you also see him as a potential ally?"

"What?… That's actually an interesting point." says Naruto. "After all, he said himself that he wasn't a threat to the world, didn't he?"

"It's true, but we most likely annihilated any chance of this happening, when we killed him a decade ago." arguments Kurama. "He also said he was unsure of his own nature, added to that weird link his chakra has to ours. Taking such a conflicted and mysterious being as an ally could be dangerous."

"… You're right. He did suggest that his fate could go against the Biju." adds Naruto. "Truly a shame."

"Yes, a shame." answers Kurama. "Getting to know more about the connection between his chakra and mine pacifically would have been great, but it seems like he, just as much as me, has no intention of taking this path."

"Whatever…" concludes the Hokage. "As long as he stays away, we're good. But if he dares to threaten this land, this continent, or any of the Biju, he'll have me personally involved, and we'll have to take him down again."

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In the land of Iron, somewhere near the Sangoro Mountain, the output of Sasuke's Chimatakami opens and the Uchiha steps out of it. As he sets foot into the snow, he turns to his left and sees the mountain shaped like 3 giant wolf heads. He tightens his cloak around his body, a bit surprised by the cold. Under his black cape, he puts his hand on the empty scabbard attached to his belt, and thinks of the new weapon he's about to acquire.

Facing the mountains, he closes the gate behind him and prepares to go forward to the mountain when he suddenly senses a familiar chakra in the area. He focuses to localize this presence and walks to where it seems to be. Just a few dozens of meters away, he notices 2 silhouettes walking toward him in the snow storm.

A tall caped man, and a short one wielding a giant sword on his back. He recognizes Suigetsu Hozuki and Jugo, with whom he used to travel, and with whom he came to this land for the first time. Confused by their presence, he waits for them to get close enough.

"Good Evening, Sasuke." calmly says Jugo when he reaches him.

"Jugo, Suigetsu. What are you doing here?" asks the wanderer.

"Orochimaru sent me. He requires your help."

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End of Chapter 48 – Next Chapter: Orochimaru's return.