Serpent's Luck

It was night time. The night silence and cool breeze was one of the few things I enjoyed in the Land of Water. Of course, it wasn't snowing yet. I wondered why that was. The land was often cold enough to feel as though the temperature was below zero, despite this, I hadn't seen a single snowflake drop.

"Mhmm… Gat-sama."

I turned my head to the form of the small girl sleeping beside me. It was somewhat annoying, but Haku would not leave my side no matter what. Well, I supposed that this was what I wanted, after all, as I possessed her utmost and complete loyalty, but I had not expected her to be so clingy. I let out a low growl as she once more wrapped her arms around me and entwined her legs with mine. It took me some effort to get untangled from her, because, despite being in a near-five year old body, I had no form of sexual interest whatsoever in a four year old girl. Actually, I had no intent of forming any sort of relationship with her – ever. Despite this being nakama-land, and the world where relying on the power of friendship could supposedly give you superpowers, I stood by my stance of abstaining from all that drivel.

Relationships were tools – weapons in an arsenal. Friends were useful allies in accomplishing your goals, and most of them were burdened by a sense of honor or gratitude and would feel indebted to you after aiding them. Of course, friends were such fickle, envious little things, most of which would prefer to see themselves at the top than sit back in the dust and watch you ascend to the skies. Friendship was merely a sugar-coated word to mean 'one-whom-is-burdened'.

I rose from the somewhat comfortable matrass which I utilized as my camping bag, watching with a roll of my eyes as Haku's face squirmed at the lack of the cuddly companion she was using as a pillow.

I paid no heed to her discomfort, and instead, I stepped out of my tent, my eyes sweeping around the camp rapidly to confirm that many of the Vestals, Vicars and Priests were all asleep. Outside of my tent, unsurprisingly, Kitami was awake, standing guard.

"Anything?"

"No. All silent Gat-sama."

I nodded.

"I'm going out for a brief walk."

He moved.

"Alone."

There was a quirk of his eyebrow, but at this point, he knew better than to argue.

The brief walk was intended for me to clear my mind so to speak, as well as for me to get in some more training with the Chakra Scalpels. Still, the forests of the Land of Water was not the most ideal places to go for a walk, but, I would take the little snippets of freedom when and where I could.

At this point, we were only about a day's journey out from my final destination in the Land of Water, before I'd return to Waterlily Port Town and then make my way out of this country. I knew, of course, that once I left the Land of Water, the amount of danger I would face would practically quintuple, but, considering that this was still what I dubbed, "Year One" of the Naruto-verse, the danger I would face would not quite be as extensive.

Still, I did need a method to ensure that I could evade assassination attempts and other unsightly events should the need ever arise. I needed a foolproof escape strategy that could be used and would work anywhere, anytime. It was why, after I had ensured that I was a fair distance away from the camp, I took a deep breath and began to draw upon my chakra.

"Create Instant Dungeon."

I waited. And I waited. And I waited. And –

Skill Level Insufficient.

Chakra Level Insufficient.

Player Level Insufficient.

Of course. At this point, I'd have been more surprised if it had worked than it if hadn't. The ability to create your own pocket dimension was a game-breaking one – as I could become a pseudo-Obito by merely using my Instant Dungeons the way he used his Kamui. Again, more and more reasons continue to pop up to my mind as to how merely being the Gamer is extremely overpowered, even without grinding like anthropomorphic war bunnies.

Required Skill: Space-Time Ninjutsu

Required Skill Level: 50

Required Chakra Level: S-Rank

Required Player Level: 70

So, Instant Dungeons were out of my league for the main time. That was just wonderful. Still, I merely shrugged, extending my hand and feeling for my Chakra as the familiar energy shaped a Scalpel. I would merely have to conjure up a different method of escaping possible assassinations. Perhaps, this would lead me to being far more innovative?

Congratulations!

I blinked. What?

You have successfully unlocked the Miracle System!

The what?

Miracle System

Faith is a rather interesting thing. If a thousand men were to believe in a severed cow's udder for long enough, that udder would somehow start creating milk. Likewise, when you have convinced a large amount of the populace to believe in one thing or the other, you would be surprised when that belief ends up being true!

What?

With the Miracle System, you have been attributed Miracle Points, which is the crystalized and numerical form of the condensed and coalesced collective belief of a group of humans. Miracle Points, are, exactly what they say they are. They can be used to perform a single Miracle in accordance to what the people believe you can do – regardless of how illogical or seemingly impossible. Essentially, Miracle Points are a 'Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free' card for reality, space and time. They can both be stored and stacked, or, they can be exchanged for incredible perks, hidden bloodlines, massive EXP, or massive stat boosts. How you wish to use them is up to your liberty.

For attaining 10,000 Devotees in your Religion you have been awarded 1 Miracle Point (MP).

Cue heavy breathing.

"Make me the God-Emperor of the World!"

Error!

Insufficient Miracle Points.

Miracle Points Required: 1,000,000,000.

Of course it could never be that easy. A billion Miracle Points to accomplish that? It was a pipe dream.

I had only one point, which stood to reason that certain tasks or grand feats would be out of my reach. Still, to test it out –

"Grant me the Rinnegan."

Error!

Insufficient Miracle Points.

Miracle Points Required: 1,000,000

A million MP. That was significantly lower, but still out of my reach for the mean while.

"The Sharingan."

Error!

Insufficient Miracle Points.

Miracle Points Required: 19,000,000

Nineteen million? How was the Sharingan worth more than the Rinnegan? Other than its incredible versatility, I would have picked the Rinnegan over the Sharingan in a heartbeat. Still, I was able to estimate and judge the relative worth of the Miracle Points system. Though its prices were downright outrageous, I could see some benefit to it.

"The Byakugan."

Error!

Insufficient Miracle Points.

Miracle Points Required: 1000

A thousand points for the Byakugan? Really? That was kind of insulting to the Hyuga clan. However, I had gotten into significantly lower price ranges, and effectively, this meant that I knew the value of what was worth what. If I could get Kekkai Genkai – did that also mean that I could purchase…

"Grant me Gamer's Body."

Error!

Insufficient Miracle Points.

Miracle Points Required: 50

So I could end up getting Gamer's Body – and it was at such an affordably reasonable price – just fifty – just fifty – but I had only one. So, how exactly do I up my ante and get fifty MP?

Miracle Points are attained on completing certain milestones for religious sections.

10,000 Devotees = 1 MP

100,000 Devotees = 10 MP

1,000,000 Devotees = 100 MP

Alternatively, gaining Devout or Fanatical Members grants extra Miracle Point Gain.

10,000 Devout Members = 100 MP

100,000 Devout Members = 1000 MP

100 Fanatics = 1000 MP

1000 Fanatics = 10,000 MP

10,000 Fanatics = 100,000 MP

Rapidly crunching the numbers in my head with my Arithmetic Skill told me that a hundred fanatics granted me more Miracle Points than a million devotees, and granted me the same amount as a hundred thousand devout members. So, all I needed was to get more and more people to become fanatical about my religion, completely and absolutely fanatical enough – so I could gain enough Miracle Points to make a significant difference.

I sighed. Of course, this would take a lot of work, and turning people into absolute fanatics would require the right sort – but, it could be doable. Once I had a bit of free time on my hands, I would work towards attaining a hundred fanatics.

The real question now, was what exactly could I use a single measly Miracle point to do?

Wait, hadn't it said I could trade in Miracle Points for EXP or massive stat boosts?

1 MP = 100 Stat Points to any Selected Stat [One-Time Purchase]

1 MP = 10,000 EXP [One-Time Purchase]

1 MP = One Randomized Perk [One-Time Purchase]

I froze. A hundred stat points? A hundred stat points?!

A hundred Stat points would immediately boost any stat to A Rank, and this was if you had absolutely zero in the stat. If you had something like 20, it'd boost you A+ Rank or S– Rank. Essentially, a rookie academy student could become an Elite Jonin in one aspect – just like that.

"Stats."

Name: Gato Junior

HP: 150/150

CHK: 41/41

Level: 2

Age: 4

Rank: Civilian

Title: Little Cutthroat

EXP: 2921/3000

Money: Approx. 55,000,000,000 Ryo

SPECIAL

Strength: 4 [E– Rank]

Perseverance: 25 [D Rank]

Endurance: 37 [C Rank]

Charisma: 81 (+20) [A Rank]

Intelligence: 19 (+20) [C Rank]

Agility: 4 [E– Rank]

Luck: 0 [F Rank]

What aspect would I go for? Strength? I would immediately become A-Rank in that aspect – or maybe perseverance – for amazing stamina and an immunity to most poisons and sicknesses? Or should I go with Endurance – solidifying my sturdiness. Or, I could even add it to Charisma, turning my already supernatural Charisma into something godlike. Or perhaps intelligence? The ability to recall and learn new information like an elite Jonin would be incredibly useful. Or perhaps, Agility – so I could always get away with a speed and possess reflexes that no one would ever expect someone my age to possess.

All of these, sans Charisma, were good – or rather, they'd be good if I planned to ever enter direct combat.

But no, I was not a fighter. Instead, I was a religious leader and a business man. Two things which, above all, required not only extreme wit – but also, tremendous, luck.

Would you like to confirm this purchase?

Yes

No

I didn't hesitate.

Purchase of 100 Points in Luck for 1 Miracle Point confirmed.

You have (0) Miracle Points remaining.

Some people would call me crazy. Others, would say that I was a madman or fool. After all, so far, I was still alive and had accomplished much with my Zero Luck hadn't I? And now, I had used my one-time purchase of a 100 Stats on luck – the seemingly most useless of all stats.

Or was it?

I was aware that in some games, luck determined your drop rates, critical hit rates, and even enemy encounter rates. In real life however, the question was –

What would luck do?

What does having A-Rank, 100 Luck mean for me?

"Needles."

I summoned up a handful of sharp, thin, sewing needles which I had kept in my Inventory. Then, I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, before I tossed them all into the air. I heard the sound of something falling to the ground beside me, and I opened my eyes in confusion. There, on the ground, was a snake, one which I had not seen or sensed, which was bleeding from its eyes, punctured with needles, and had a set that had somehow pierced the bottom of its mouth, straight to the roof of it.

I… was pleasantly surprised.

I had been intending to toss the needles into the air, and see if they would all miss me by a wide margin to prove my luck was good – and instead, I'd killed what looked like a venomous snake by pure happenstance.

Luck – I supposed, was somewhat random. It was Causality Manipulation on an infinitesimally undetectable scale – and now, it was merely another tool in my arsenal. I killed the snake with a quick use of the Chakra Scalpel, before accepting the loot such as the snake venom, the meat and the skin. With that deed, I felt suitably satisfied for the evening, and I proceeded to make my way back to the camp. I had to get my rest for tomorrow, considering just who or what I'd be facing.

Idly, I wondered if there was anything else that Luck could do, if there was any feature possessed by the seemingly most useless of all stats.

I supposed I'd find out in time.

Son of Gato

The morning had come as it always did, with no much difference that I could perceive, and other than carrying out the ritualistic process of 'blessing' and 'sanctifying' the priests and other members of our travelling evangelical group, everything was working fine and operational. Although, a part of me couldn't wait to grow older so I could eventually get to use the other means of 'sanctifying' and 'blessing' with the women.

Ah, the measures of the flesh.

"Gat-sama, there is only one more week before January."

I turned to Kitami, waving. "I know, I know. Don't worry Kitami, I'll meet my father's deadline."

Then, adopting my usual messianic demeanor, I turned towards the majority of those gathered at the camp.

"Today, my brethren – we head towards the south."

There was silence.

"The South?"

"Isn't that were most of the battles are being fought?"

"That's heading towards the core Kirikagure – the land ruled by Yagura –"

"Are there any of you," I interrupted, flaring my Charisma "Who would wish not to go? Should that be the case, then fear not, you may disperse amongst yourselves and continue in the ways of the Divine. I, however, shall move forward. I need not reach the heart of the conflict, but at the outskirts, the edges – there is much that can be accomplished."

And like that, their uncertainty was replaced with a stern determination.

They weren't fanatical, not all of them, not yet – as fanaticism was a something hard to attain among followers, but, I could tell that they were close. We travelled for a couple of hours, and I would perform 'miracles' every so often by bringing out one of the stored bread or warm pot of soups in my inventory, which would further increase their faith, and reduce their thoughts about how the road seemed to get quieter the further we moved. We spotted numerous other travelling caravans and merchants, people to whom I could rapidly convert by exuding my Charisma upon them, but, we didn't meet a single shinobi.

It was only after nearly half a day of walking, with Haku still at my side, that we stopped, everyone stopping, as we stared into the sky.

"Snow."

I heard her say.

I nodded as well, my eyes narrowing as the areas in front of us were perhaps, the only places in the Land of Water that had snowfall. Was this some sort of coincidence? Was it something else? My eyes turned towards Kitami, and I noticed, that he too, seemed to be on edge, for one reason or another.

The change in scenery was beautiful, and had I been a person to enjoy aesthetic beauty a little more, I would have been enamored by the white-caked trees and overwhelming splendor of the snow that made the horizon into a sheet of paper. Instead, I couldn't help but feel something else, but feel a little bit uneasy, as there was complete and utter silence on the road. There were no travelers, no merchants, and I could not even spot any birds.

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Detect Danger has gone up by 1!

Shit.

The wall of text that came up was second only to the ominous, destructive presence that had completely filled up the air. I couldn't breathe, and belatedly, my mind realized that this was pure, unbridled, Killing Intent. Yet – this wasn't even being directed at me. It was just the residue. Despite this, I nearly found myself collapsing to the ground, being forced to hold on to my curved staff the best I could.

Yet, despite how badly I, was affected, it wasn't anything compared to my followers – all of them, had keeled over, fallen into the snow, unconscious. Haku beside me, was shaking like mad, her hands grasped forcefully at her chest. Kitami – my elite bodyguard, was wiping sweat off his brow.

"Shepherd-sama – we need to leave. We need to leave, now."

Slowly, I allowed myself to nod. "Let's g-g-go –"

"Kukukuku, so, this is the leader of the cult I've been hearing so much about."

Fuck.

There was only one person I could think of in this world who had that laughter; who had that slimy voice, that method and manner of speaking. There was only one person, whose very presence often spelt dread and complete annihilation.

And of course, that person, with his jelled black hair, sharp yellow eyes, and haunting pale-skin, was currently in front of me.

Snake Sannin

Konoha's Most Wanted

S-Class Missing-Nin

Orochimaru

Lv. ?

"Shepherd-sama!"

Kitami, the upstanding man that he is, lunged forth at death with his two swords extended.

And Death, being Death, merely extended a single hand, and he caught the two blades between his index and middle fingers.

"Kukuku – What do we have here? A Ronin from Tetsu no Kuni? You're quite far from home now aren't you?"

I had no delusions in my mind about Kitami being capable of going toe-to-toe with Orochimaru. Likewise, I had no delusions about blasting Orochimaru with my Charisma and expecting it to work, without him either shrugging it off, or deciding to capture and experiment on me to find out if it was a Kekkai Genkai.

Nearly every single situation I could conjure in a fight with Orochimaru ended up with him deciding, in one way or another, to abduct me and experiment on me for a Kekkai Genkai. Fighting him was out of the question. Trying to outsmart him was equally out of the question. Even if I had invested those 100 points in Agility instead of Luck, there was no way I would have been capable of outrunning or escaping from him. He was firmly S-Rank for a reason.

So what do I do?

WHAT DO I DO?

WHAT DO –

I stopped.

Everything.

The two men immediately turned their gazes on me as they noticed how I has seemingly stopped moving, and stopped breathing, my entire form going perfectly still.

And then, I relaxed.

"Kitami – stand down. We are in the presence of a guest, not an enemy."

If there was a god, he was most definitely doing a spit-take.

Kitami looked at me like as though I was insane, and likewise, Orochimaru turned to me, a curious gleam in his eye.

"But, Shepherd-sama –"

"Stand down Kitami. This is a direct order. At best you will be a mild annoyance to our guest, and at worst, a smudge of dirt to wipe off from the earth. Challenging him will lead to your demise, which, I feel, would be a tremendous loss, as you are not easy to replace."

What the fuck am I doing?

I wasn't even sure of myself, but, I could feel it. The Charisma.

For the longest time, I had assumed that Charisma only outwardly affected others, making them believe and do what I wished them to, but, it seemed, that it also affected me. It made me think, clearly, calmly. It made me realize what to say and what never to say. To properly analyse and make snap decisions of a social interaction and formulate the fastest, best response. To keep my calm, my cool and my level head.

It granted me Prodigious Emotional Intelligence – an EQ level humans were not meant to possess. I could empathize and rationalize, and understand people on a intrinsic level like as though I was searching through their souls, and living their own lives.

The question was, why hadn't this activated before now?

The answer: Luck.

Of course.

"Kukukuku – oh, you seem to know who I am, young one."

I nodded, slowly. "Forgive my previous countenance. Unfortunately it seemed that I may have been slightly rattled by your presence, that I forgot my manners. My name, is Gat. I am the Shepherd. A servant of the Divine – here on earth to lead people towards a higher existence."

Kitami stood back, leaping to my side in a defensive manner, whilst I merely bowed.

"You are Orochimaru of the Sannin. The Divine speaks highly of you."

He looked amused, the creepy man. "And what exactly, does your god say of me?"

"He says, that you will be a catalyst of great change. You will generate a legend – a legacy."

"Oh?" Orochimaru's nose turned upwards "Is that all?"

The problem was of course, that I could not merely butter him up. He would see through all attempts to soothe him through his ego, and he was not the type of person who was vain enough to fall for it. Hence, there had to be a balance, something that would genuinely catch his interest.

"The Divine also says that I should give you a warning."

The manner in which his eyes snapped in my direction was almost enough to make me lose my nerve.

"And what would that be?"

"Beware of weasels and crows."

Charisma Check: 101/100!

Check Passed!

He stared at me, his eyes sharp, sharper now, more dangerous. Incredibly more dangerous. There was no more mirth or amusement in them. Instead, only cold rationalization. I was glad that Haku had fallen unconscious as well – because I did not want Orochimaru's eyes to fall on her, and instead, he was focused, purely on me.

"You assume that I have some other source of knowledge, and somehow, you refuse to accept the fact that the Divine is real, and that he speaks to me. Tell me, Snake Sannin, do you not believe in the existence of gods?"

"No." he said sharply. "I do not."

I chuckled.

"What is it that you find so amusing?"

I shook my head. "The Divine says, that he knows of another being that did not believe in gods. Only to find itself at the offending end of one's blade."

"And who, perchance, was this being?"

"Not who," I said. "What."

Orochimaru's brows narrowed. "I do not have time for cryptic nonsense."

"It was a fox."

Charisma Check: 101/100!

Check Passed!

"A fox, which met itself at odd ends with a god's blade. Perhaps, you may also be acquainted with this fox?"

He didn't say anything, but, of course, he knew. He knew of the Shinigami – the Death Reaper Seal. The problem was, there was no way I should know of it. The only explanation, was of course, either foreknowledge, which I would have no way of possessing – or 'divine' forces.

"Ah, forgive my horrible manners. I have been quite the discourteous guest. As it is, I should have set up a table for us to drink tea. Sipping a cup of jasmine tea whilst having a conversation makes it far better, would you not agree?"

The amusement had returned to his eyes, a great deal of amusement, although, I could still sense the sharp calculation going on behind it.

"Kukukuku… and you are not afraid in the slightest?"

I did my best impression of confusion. "Afraid?"

"I just so happen to be an S-Rank nuke-nin, after all. Most would be… wary of inviting me for a chat over a cup of tea."

I shook my head. "Then most would not understand what they are missing."

"Oh?"

"Of what reason do I have to be afraid? Of you killing me should I invite you to tea?" I sighed, "If you kill me, then, you kill me. I die, and unfortunate happenstance, but one which is inevitable – as it is the fate of all in this world to meet, sooner or later."

For the first time in our conversation, I walked forward, ignoring Kitami's exasperated stare.

"But if you do not kill me, then, I would have had the pleasant opportunity of having a unique conversation with an even more-unique person. I will learn things that I never thought about before, see perspectives I had not imagined or envisioned. I will become better off from the experience. Whereas, if I had been afraid – if I had merely ran or begged – I would have died regardless. So, what then, would be the point of fear?"

Charisma Check: 101/90!

Check Passed!

Orochimaru was grinning at me. It was an expression on his face that I never imagined existed, or could possibly exist. Orochimaru – grinning. It sounded like an oxymoron.

"Kukukuku – such wisdom from one so young."

"You flatter me, Snake Sannin. What most people assume is Wisdom, I perceive is mere common sense. Something, I feel, the world sorely lacks."

There were sounds of groans and stirs, which made Orochimaru, Kitami and I, realize that the rest of my followers were slowly rousing from unconsciousness.

"You are not what I assumed you to be, Priest."

"And likewise, you are surprisingly amicable company, Snake Sannin."

His eyes widened, and I wondered if I went overboard with that.

I immediately took a long bow. "It has been quite the pleasure meeting you, Snake Sannin. I hope to hear of great exploits of your deeds, and, as the Divine wills it, should we meet again, I would very much hope, to brew you a cup of tea."

I didn't bother looking up as I bowed. I kept my head down, respectfully, and waited. He could have either run his blade through me at that moment, or cut of my head, or picked me up and forced me away with him, but none of those things were likely to be a possibility.

Instead, there was a strong gust of breeze, and the ever-pleasant, sound of silence.

And just like that, I collapsed to the ground, releasing the breath I did not know I was holding.

Special Event Completed!

Snake in the Shepherd's Shadow

Reputation with Orochimaru Increased!

Reputation with the Hidden Mist Increased!

Reputation with the Mizu no Kuni Increased!

Title Unlocked – Snake Charmer!

Achievement Unlocked – Forked Tongue

Possible Mission Unlocked: Tea with the Devil

Possible Alliance Unlocked: The Land of Tea

Possible Ally Unlocked: Orochimaru

Gained 20 Charisma Points!

Gained 10 Intelligence Points!

Fame Increased!

Infamy Increased!

You have gained 2500EXP!

You have leveled up!

Level 2 Level 3!

You have (7) undistributed stat points.

At this point, I couldn't even care about the extra twenty points that made me finally have S Rank Charisma. Nor did I care about the stat points. I just wanted to get some god-damned sleep.

Son of Gato

It was much later that evening, when our travelling group had settled down, that I realized something was off. I kept getting strange looks from the men and even weirder glances from the women. Kitami himself seemed to be oddly subdued, even more so than normal. Still, I pushed aside the oddities, and retired to my tent for the night, with a lot of things on my mind.

The first, and most prominent, was the need to correct an immediate error.

Just because I did not want to conquer this world with my fists and blood, didn't mean I shouldn't know how to do so should the situation demand it. Meeting Orochimaru had been a major eye-opener, particularly because of the fact that had I met an even more unscrumptulous shinobi, or worse, someone who could not be reasoned with, there was every possibility that I would be dead.

I needed to have a guaranteed, foolproof way to escape or at least, eliminate such high-quality threats. I did have one planned, but it was more of in the long term, and I needed something which could work in the short term for the meanwhile.

The Chakra Scalpels were coming along well, but it was slightly too slow for my liking. I needed other techniques and means of defense. The problem was, of course, my weak civilian body and Chakra – which of course, meant that the only possible avenue I could follow, for now, would have to be Genjutsu.

I sighed as I laid back on my matrass. I hadn't found who I was looking for yet, but, I assumed I would get there and find him soon. The person, or rather, the reason I assumed Orochimaru was also in Mizu no Kuni.

"Shepherd-sama."

I rose as I heard Kitami's voice from the outside of the tent.

"Yes?"

"The girl wishes to speak with you."

I rose an eyebrow. "Send her in."

That was odd, why would Haku go to the trouble of making a formal request to see me?

She entered into the tent, her black hair washed and neatly kept, and having been giving some plain white robes, she seemed to want to say something, walking forward, hands shaking, posture uncertain.

With a sigh, I unleashed my Charisma. "What is it, child? You may tell me whatever it is you want."

It was the first time I had unleashed my Charisma on anyone or anything since it had been boosted to S-Rank. I honestly wasn't expecting much of a reaction, which was why it took me by complete surprise when Haku gasped, and then dropped to her knees, bowing in front of me.

Don't tell me she was –

I cut off the Charisma immediately, feeling more of irritation than disgust at the realization that I had aroused a four year old girl. Though, I was technically four as well, it didn't exactly remove the feeling of 'squick' I felt. Apparently, S-Rank Charisma was incredibly more potent that I had thought. The gap between A-Rank and S-Rank was ludicrous.

"S-Shepherd-sama – I – I – am not worthy!"

I rose an eyebrow at the declaration.

"You s-saved me, Shepherd-sama – you've treated me with so much kindness and mercy, you've made me part of your family – and I – I haven't done anything worthy of you." She immediately rose her head up "Please, Shepherd-sama – let me be used by you! I – want to dedicate my entire life you – I want to find a way to be worthy of you!"

I had to stop myself from smirking outright. It seemed the 'I-am-a-tool' mentality Haku possessed still showed up despite my interference. Except, she was my tool now. Not in the sexual way – at least, not for another nine or ten years – but in every other way that mattered – she was mine.

As I had come to realize, in this world, children matured faster than they did normally and elsewhere. 'Child Soldiers' as a term did not exist. The likes of Kakashi and Itachi, despite their ludicrously young ages, possessed immense maturity and capabilities that would have been sorely lacking in someone of that same age bracket from my own world. Six year olds in this world were capable of killing full grown men with ne'er a grimace on their faces, and at the age of twelve – you were an adult.

During the Warring Clan Era, people much younger than twelve were sent out to warfare, and then, the question was the issue of how a future generation would exist if they were all slaughtered in battle. The only explanation, was an early rate of marriage – as soon as a girl was considered ripe for childbearing, which was often from the age of thirteen to fourteen, she was married off, and would immediately be expected to bare more children – more fighters and warriors. The earlier she did so, the more children she would be able to bare. If this was not the case, then the shinobi race would have long since died out. Idly, I wondered if Kishimoto even realized the implications of creating a world with child soldiers, or if he just wrote it because it was Shounen.

"S-Shepherd-sama?"

I turned my attention back to Haku, and then I nodded slowly.

"Very well child, are you certain that this is what you desire?" I said slowly, "To dedicate your life to me, to the Divine, it will be a harsh experience. I will push you to extreme limits, I will test you in mind, body and soul, I will break you, peel apart everything that you are now, and make something more – something stronger. You may not survive the experience – and if you do, you will never be the same. Are you sure this is what you want?"

With a strong, willed look that should have been out of place on a child, she nodded.

"Yes, Shepherd-sama."

I smirked.

"Very well."

Companion Quest Unlocked!

Brewing Snowstorms and Molding Ice

Haku has devoted her entire life and existence to you, to be used as you please. With her Hyoton Bloodline, now under your expert guidance, and your incredible compound knowledge of applications and shinobi essentials, the potentials are limitless.

Objectives:

Mold Haku to your preferences

Help Haku attain Mastery of Hyoton Bloodline

Make Haku become an S-Rank Kunoichi

Rewards

Unbreakable Loyalty

1,500,000 EXP

+150 Agility

Hyoton Bloodline

(Hidden Reward)

(Hidden Reward)

(Hidden Reward)

Failure:

Haku dies

Time Limit:

12 Years – (Start of 'Canon')

Quest Accepted!

"Now – Haku-chan," I said, smiling, "Your training is going to be… special."

XXXXXXXXXX

Finally!

I could not help the grin that came to my face as I finally reached my destination – reached the place I had been trying to find, and of course, the location in which I was certain was the reason that Orochimaru had come to Mizu no Kuni.

New Location Discovered!

Kaguya Clan Compound

"Shepherd-sama, the Kaguya's are known for being incredibly bloodthirsty warriors – are you certain that it is wise to enter?"

They were still alive, which meant, that they hadn't yet gone off on a foolish quest to prove their superiority by attacking Kiri, which meant, the young boy with one of the deadliest bloodlines and determination was still present – locked up in their basement out of fear.

The compound was a fairly large one, and some people gave us berth and stared, having not expecting to see the missionaries and spreaders of the religion of Gatoism so far down south. I stared towards the open gates, noticing the two guards who stood with white hair at the entrance. Ironic, I realized, how it was that these people were one of the few direct descendants of Kaguya herself. Yet, they were woefully unaware of their heritages.

Then again, no one on the planet was aware of the fact that there are aliens currently living on the moon either – if the events of The Last aka Naruhina: The Movie are to be taken as canon.

"Halt!" The guard said, "The Kaguya clan does not accept any visi –"

CHARISMA BITCH!

Overloading it and thrusting at the two guards had the effect of making their eyes go wide as they turned their gazes towards me, the unassuming figure with the long curved staff.

"I am an emissary of the Divine. And the Divine seeks the one in your compound – the demon you call… Kimimaro."