Chapter 25: War huh...

The sky was painted in soft hues of blue and pink as the sun lazily crept over the horizon, casting a warm glow across the clearing.

Kenta stirred from his restless sleep, the events of the previous day flooding his mind. He remembered how a white-haired man and a black-haired woman had appeared like forces of nature, bringing an end to the nightmare he had been trapped in.

He recalled the overwhelming power the man had displayed, flying with unimaginable speed, leaving destruction in his wake but also hope.

The boy sat up slightly, his body still aching from the months of mistreatment.

His ribs poked out from his thin frame, bruises still visible on his thighs and arms from where the slavers had beaten him. He winced as he moved, still not used to the idea of freedom.

Kenta rubbed his eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep, but as he started to rise, he froze.

Voices.

They were talking nearby.

He quickly lay back down, pulling the threadbare blanket over him, feigning sleep. His heart raced as he tried to make out the conversation.

"You know he has Aether, right?" Kūga's voice drifted over to him. It was calm, casual, as if this revelation wasn't earth-shattering.

Kenta's heart skipped a beat. Aether? Is that some kind of power? Me? He thought, clenching his fists under the blanket. How could that be possible? If he had this kind of power, why hadn't he used it to escape?

Why had he been powerless all this time?

"How can you be sure?" Reifū's voice was softer, more inquisitive, with a hint of disbelief.

"Same way I found you," Kūga replied nonchalantly. "I sensed a trace of Aether in him. It's faint, buried deep from all the abuse he's endured, but it's there. It just needs to be drawn out."

Kenta's mind raced. Could it be true? Could he really have this power? The thought both terrified and excited him. But if he did, then why had he suffered for so long?

"Stop pretending to be asleep," Kūga suddenly called out, his voice cutting through Kenta's thoughts like a knife.

Kenta's eyes flew open, his heart leaping into his throat. He scrambled out of bed, panic overtaking him. He bowed low to the ground, his forehead nearly touching the dirt.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop!" His voice trembled with fear, his body still conditioned to expect punishment for even the smallest mistakes.

A soft chuckle reached his ears. He hesitantly lifted his head to see Kūga sitting on a nearby log, an amused grin on his face. Reifū sat beside him, her expression more sympathetic, her eyes filled with pity for the boy.

"You don't have to be sorry," Kūga said, waving a hand dismissively. "You're a free man now."

The words hit Kenta like a blow to the chest. A free man. He swallowed hard, trying to process that concept. It had been so long since anyone had treated him like a person, let alone someone with freedom.

His lip quivered, and before he could stop himself, tears welled up in his eyes.

Reifū noticed immediately and leaned forward, concern etched on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice soft, almost maternal. "Are you hurt?"

Kenta shook his head furiously, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. "N-No… I just…" He struggled to find the words. "It's been so long... I don't even remember the last time I ate something like I did yesterday. I'm just…" His voice cracked as more tears spilled over.

Kūga, who had been watching quietly, spoke up, his tone gentle but firm. "Sad?"

Kenta's eyes widened, looking up at Kūga in surprise. He nodded, his throat tight. "Y-Yeah… t-that."

"Don't be afraid to admit it," Kūga said, standing up and walking over to the boy. He crouched down to meet him at eye level. "It's normal to feel that way after what you've been through. You were enslaved, beaten, treated like nothing more than a commodity to be sold. It's okay to be angry about that. It's okay to be sad."

Kenta's body trembled as he gritted his teeth, the weight of Kūga's words sinking in. He had tried so hard to push those feelings down, to bury them in order to survive. But now, hearing someone else say it out loud, it all came flooding back.

The months of pain, fear, and hopelessness.

"What's your name?" Kūga asked suddenly, his voice carrying a note of authority.

Kenta froze, his mind going blank. My name? He thought. He hadn't been called by his name in so long. He looked down at the ground, ashamed. "I… I forgot."

Kūga's expression didn't change. He simply asked again, his voice stronger this time. "What is your name?"

The boy flinched at the firmness of the question, but there was no malice in Kūga's tone. Only patience. Kenta stayed silent, his mind racing to remember, until finally, a name surfaced from the depths of his memory.

"K-Kenta…" he whispered, barely audible at first. Then, louder, "My name is Kenta."

He looked up at Kūga, who smiled and nodded in approval. "Good," he said, standing up and placing a reassuring hand on Kenta's shoulder. "That's a start. I'm Kūga Seiryu, and this here is Reifū."

"Hey!" Reifū interjected, rolling her eyes playfully at Kūga for introducing her so casually, but she couldn't help but smile.

Kenta glanced between them, feeling a strange sense of warmth. For the first time in what felt like forever, the crushing weight of his past seemed to lift, if only slightly.

As Kūga walked away, he called back over his shoulder, "Oh, and Kenta, you'll be training next week. No ifs, no buts."

Kenta blinked in surprise. "Y-Yes! Anything you say!" he stammered, his voice full of gratitude and eagerness.

Reifū looked horrified. "No! Don't agree to that!" she warned, but it was too late. Kūga was already laughing to himself, and Kenta had no idea what he had just signed up for.

Kūga floated effortlessly into the air, gaining altitude before shooting off into the sky with a sonic boom that echoed through the clearing. Kenta's jaw dropped in awe, while Reifū sighed and shook her head.

"You're going to regret that," she muttered, already getting goosebumps at the thought of the intense training awaiting the boy.

Kenta looked at her, confused. "Why? What's so bad about training?"

Reifū simply sighed again, knowing that Kenta was in for a rude awakening. "You'll see…"

~~~Timeskip~~~

The sun shone high in the sky, casting long shadows across the sparring ground where Kenta and Reifū faced off. Their expressions were set with determination.

Six months of intense training under Kūga's guidance had prepared them for this moment. Each day's rigorous regimen had pushed their limits.

Kenta's fists clenched, his muscles tense with anticipation. Reifū stood a few feet away, her stance relaxed but her gaze sharp, measuring him.

No words were needed; this spar would be a pure test of physical combat. No Aether, no weapons. Just sheer force.

Without warning, Kenta lunged forward, fists flying.

Reifū reacted in an instant, dodging his first punch, then countering with a swift strike aimed at his midsection. Kenta blocked with his forearm, gritting his teeth as he felt the impact reverberate through his bones.

The exchange was fast, brutal, and relentless. Kenta's blows were heavy, each one packed with the raw power he had spent months honing. His strikes came from all angles, forcing Reifū to stay on the defensive.

But Reifū was nimble, light on her feet, weaving through Kenta's attacks with a practiced grace. She ducked under a hook, narrowly avoiding the swing of Kenta's fist, and spun around, delivering a sharp elbow to his side.

He grunted but didn't back down, using the momentum to bring his knee up in a counterstrike. Reifū twisted just in time to avoid a direct hit, the sharp movement causing her dark hair to whip around her face.

They continued this way, exchanging blow after blow, each strike more forceful than the last. Kenta's strength was evident, his training pushing him into a league of his own when it came to raw power. But Reifū was faster, her attacks precise, exploiting openings in his form.

After minutes of this unrelenting exchange, Kūga called out from the sidelines, "Use your Aether."

Both combatants paused, locking eyes for a moment before nodding. In an instant, they summoned Aether into their bodies. Their muscles glowed faintly, enhanced by the raw energy coursing through them.

Kenta moved first, his speed and strength now amplified, and this time, when his fist collided with Reifū's block, the force sent a shockwave through the ground beneath them. Reifū slid back a few feet, her eyes widening at his sheer power, but she quickly regained her footing.

Kenta pressed the attack, his strikes becoming faster and harder to dodge. His fist whizzed past Reifū's face, close enough to stir her hair.

She could feel the difference now, Kenta was overpowering her in close quarters. His body, strengthened by Aether, was relentless, every punch and kick a testament to his dedication to using his physical strength.

But Reifū wasn't going to back down.

She dodged a particularly forceful punch, flipping backward to gain distance. Her eyes glinted with a new resolve.

"Aether: Storm Claw!" she called, her hand glowing with sharp, crackling Aether energy. She swiped at Kenta, sending a wave of cutting wind toward him.

He managed to block it with his forearm, the energy dissipating upon impact, but the force still pushed him back.

However, she didn't let up as she isn't one to let go of such opportunity.

"Aether: Piercing Thorns!" she shouted, her hands moving rapidly as she fired several spikes of Aether directly at Kenta.

He dodged the first few, but one grazed his leg, drawing a wince from him as it sliced through his skin.

Reifū smirked, her strategic mind working fast. "Aether: Raging Tempest!" she called, summoning a swirling vortex of energy that surrounded her.

Kenta lunged forward, attempting to break through, but the force of the vortex knocked him back, his body stumbling as he tried to regain balance.

The tide was shifting.

Reifū's use of Aether was far more refined and strategic. Her barrage of techniques kept Kenta on the defensive, forcing him to burn through his Aether reserves faster than he could recover.

"Aether: Crescent Blade!" she yelled, conjuring a crescent-shaped wave of Aether that sliced through the air toward him. Kenta barely dodged in time, panting from the effort.

He could feel his energy draining, his body beginning to falter. His punches were becoming slower, his dodges less precise.

Reifū, noticing this, pressed her advantage, firing off another series of quick techniques.

"Aether: Shattered Rain!" she called, releasing a storm of needle-like energy shards from her fingertips.

Kenta blocked some, but his movements were sluggish now, and several shards pierced his defenses, leaving small cuts across his arms. He was running out of steam, and he knew it.

Finally, Reifū closed the distance between them, her hand glowing with sharp Aether energy as she moved with blinding speed.

Before Kenta could react, her hand was at his neck, the sharp edge of her Aether-infused energy stopping just inches from his skin.

He sighed heavily, lowering his arms in defeat. "You win," he muttered, breathing heavily.

Reifū grinned, retracting her hand and stepping back. She turned to walk toward Kūga, her head held high in victory.

Kūga, standing with his arms crossed, smiled at the both of them. "Impressive. Both of you have shown good progress. Kenta, your physical strength is formidable, but you need to pace yourself. Reifū, your technique and strategy have improved greatly."

Reifū smirked, a gleam in her eyes. "It won't be long before you're the one on the ground, Kūga."

Kūga's eyes twinkled mischievously as he jabbed back, "I'm ready to be on the ground anytime, as long as you're on top of me."

Reifū's face flushed a deep crimson, her composure crumbling in an instant. Without thinking, she rushed toward Kūga, her hand raised. "Aether: Sky Burst!" she yelled, releasing her most powerful technique at him.

The blast of energy surged forward, but Kūga didn't move. He stood there, smiling as the wind from the attack ruffled his hair. The energy dissipated around him, leaving him untouched.

"You could have killed me," Kūga said with an amused grin, still smiling.

Reifū scoffed, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Yeah, right. As if."

Kenta, who had been watching the whole exchange, couldn't help but laugh. "You two look so cute together."

Reifū's blush deepened as she quickly turned away, pretending to spot someone who needed her help. "I… uh… better go see if they need me over there."

Kūga laughed heartily, shaking his head as he watched her retreat, his smile never fading.

Kenta was about to speak, but something caught his eye—Kūga was looking up. Following his gaze, Kenta saw it too: an eagle, its wings spread wide, gliding above them as it screamed through the air. Kūga's sharp, Aether-enhanced vision caught something unusual about the bird. His eyes narrowed.

'An attachment on its leg?' Kūga thought, focusing more intently. 'A Konoha symbol?' He exhaled softly. The sight confirmed what he had suspected. "The village has been officially named... There's no mistaking it. That symbol wouldn't exist without the alliance between the Senju and the Uzumaki, and with the Daimyō's approval, no less."

Without further hesitation, Kūga raised his hand and whispered, "Aether: Pull – long version."

'Well... atleast it's not Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique or Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three.'

The eagle shrieked in surprise as it felt a strange force tugging at it. No matter how furiously it flapped its wings, it was drawn toward the ground, guided by the invisible pull of Aether. Kūga gently controlled the descent, not wanting to alarm the bird more than necessary.

As the eagle neared, Kūga flicked his fingers and cast a subtle illusion, convincing the bird it was exhausted and in need of rest.

Normally, an eagle would never succumb to such weariness mid-flight, but under the sway of Kūga's Aether manipulation, the creature glided down quietly and landed, its sharp eyes dimming with the illusion's effects.

Kūga knelt beside the eagle and carefully untied the scroll attached to its leg. He removed the sealing mechanism with a deft hand and unraveled the parchment, scanning the letter. His eyes widened slightly as he read the contents.

The letter was formal, written with careful precision:

'To the honorable Kazekage of Sunagakure,

I trust this letter reaches you in good health. After careful consideration and thorough discussions among our council, Konohagakure has decided to accept your proposal for an alliance. We understand the importance of forging stronger bonds between our villages, especially in light of the growing unrest and uncertainty in the world.

As agreed, the meeting between our representatives will take place in two days' time at a neutral location in the Land of Rivers. The Daimyō of the Land of Rivers has kindly agreed to host us, ensuring the safety and confidentiality of our talks. I trust that we can proceed with this discussion in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation, with the well-being of our people in mind.

Let us look to this opportunity to create a more stable future for our villages, where our combined strength can maintain peace in these turbulent times.

May this be the first step toward a lasting alliance between our lands.

With respect,

Hashirama Senju, First Hokage of Konohagakure'

.

Kūga's lips curled into a grin as he rolled the scroll back up. "War huh... and Hashirama being the Hokage..." he muttered under his breath. "It's starting earlier than the original series... I'm not surprised.."

With a flick of his fingers, he restored the seal using Aether, tying the scroll securely back to the eagle's leg. Then, Kūga waved his hand, canceling the illusion.

The eagle shook itself free of the unnatural weariness and glared at Kūga, its sharp eyes filled with indignation.

"Sorry, little one," Kūga said, petting the eagle's head gently. The bird kept staring at him, clearly unsatisfied with mere apologies.

Kūga chuckled. "Alright, alright… I get it. Here, how about this for a peace offering?"

With another wave of his hand, Kūga summoned a freshly hunted fish from his Aether: Storage, the fish glistening as though it had just been caught.

Time stood still in the storage space, preserving the fish's freshness.

The eagle's keen eyes caught sight of the fish, and after a moment of hesitation, it snapped it up in its talons.

It looked back at Kūga, calmer now, as though it accepted his apology. With a few powerful flaps of its wings, the bird took off again, soaring into the sky towards west.

Kūga stood up, watching the eagle vanish into the distance, a soft chuckle escaping his lips at the bird's antics.

Just then, Reifū approached from behind, having seen the eagle fly away. "What was that about?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Kenta, who had also witnessed the scene, joined in. "Yeah, what was on the letter?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Letter?" Reifū echoed, her brows knitting together as she glanced between Kūga and Kenta.

Kūga, ever the enigmatic one, simply grinned. "Well... we need to go the Land of Rivers."

Both Reifū and Kenta stared at him, the weight of his words sinking in. They exchanged a glance, sensing that something important was about to change.