BLUE DRAGON.

Read ahead on Patreon.com/heavenlyenel.

By Odin's beard, I was busy, so I looked at the time and gasped to myself! I should have fed you guys an hour ago. I hope you are not too mad, Venerable readers, for this is a good read.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The group quickly cleared their camp and set off toward the Hidden Grass Village.

"Mura, since you can fly, can you make the rest of us fly so we can reach our destination quickly?" Gilgamesh asked casually, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather. The others exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of disbelief and curiosity at the seemingly impossible request.

"I knew you would ask something like this and took it upon myself as an assignment," Mura answered with a warm smile, his voice carrying a sense of quiet confidence as the group continued to run through the forest. The mercenary leader, had their supply bags while Kakashi held the young boy securely.

Gilgamesh and Mura took the lead, their keen eyes scanning the surroundings for any potential threats as they acted as the squad's vanguard.

"Kai (Release)!" Mura called out, his voice resonating through the still air as he performed the lightning hand sign with practised precision.

In an instant, the atmosphere around them shifted dramatically. Cold air swept through the forest, its sudden arrival causing the temperature to plummet. A burst of snow erupted from Mura's position, the whiteness engulfing the group and obscuring their vision. For a few moments, all they could see was an endless expanse of white, the snowflakes swirling around them like a blizzard. But as quickly as it had appeared, the whiteness began to fade, revealing a breathtaking sight.

Gilgamesh's smile grew wider as his eyes took in the magnificent ice-blue dragon that had materialized before them. The dragon, once an intricate embroidery on Mura's outfit, had come to life, its form now towering over the group at a jaw-dropping ninety metres(two hundred and ninety-five feet)—of majestic ice and power. The dragon's scales glistened in the pale light.

Mura quickly adjusted the cold in the air, ensuring that the sudden drop in temperature would not harm his allies. The dragon, sensing its master's intent, responded with a deep, rumbling growl, the sound reverberating through the forest like thunder. It then ascended into the sky, its massive wings beating with a grace that belied its size. The dragon's roar echoed across the heavens, a powerful declaration of its existence before it descended once more to greet Mura.

"I knew that thing was alive the moment I saw it," Gilgamesh remarked, pointing to the now bare back of Mura's outfit where the dragon embroidery had once been.

"As expected of Gilgamesh-sama. It is indeed alive," Mura replied, his tone filled with a mix of pride and reverence as he gestured for the group to board the back of the ice dragon.

"Why don't you tell me how this came to be?" Gilgamesh inquired, his curiosity piqued as he gracefully leapt onto the dragon's back. Despite the frigid cold radiating from the creature, Gilgamesh's composure remained unshaken, while the others hesitated, clearly affected by the cold.

"I would love to, but…" Mura trailed off, his voice carrying a hint of reluctance as he climbed onto the dragon last, signalling for it to take to the skies once more.

As the dragon soared through the clouds, its massive form cutting through the air with effortless speed, Gilgamesh demonstrated his perfect chakra control by summoning two fireballs to hover at a distance from his sides. The fireballs, burning brightly like twin comets, provided much-needed warmth to the group, who were visibly relieved by the heat. The flames trailed behind the dragon, leaving fiery streaks in their wake.

Mura, however, remained indifferent to the cold, with a deadpan expression like a certain caped baldy.

"Are you worried about others learning about your power?" Gilgamesh asked, his voice carrying over the sound of the wind as he glanced back at Kakashi, the mercenary leader, and Akari, who were huddled close for warmth.

"The strong have no such worries. Or do you plan to remain like this forever?" Gilgamesh continued, his arms folded as he spoke with a tone that was both challenging and encouraging.

Mura's mouth dropped open in surprise at Gilgamesh's words. He appeared lost in deep thought for a few seconds, his gaze distant as he considered the implications of the question.

'Oi, don't use this one as a benchmark! His origins are unknown; he might not be human for all we know!' Kakashi thought, his eyes narrowing in concern. He wanted to speak up, but when Mura nodded in agreement, Kakashi decided to remain silent, his own curiosity getting the better of him. He too was eager to hear the story behind Mura's mysterious power.

"While I trained in the forest alone, especially after gaining inspiration for my Ice Style, I met a peculiar creature in the forest," Mura began, his voice steady despite the dragon vibrating beneath them. The group braced themselves, holding on tightly as the dragon's body shuddered with each powerful beat of its wings.

"PECULIAR CREATURE?" the dragon echoed, its voice booming with a mix of indignation and anger. As it bellowed, the clouds surrounding them froze, ice crystals forming in the air and causing snow to fall in their wake.

"Yare yare, that's Rafupurinsesu, or Rafu-chan for short," Mura said with a sheepish smile, scratching his head in an attempt to defuse the situation.

"Rafu… Chan?" Gilgamesh repeated, his smile turning into one of confusion.

"I am sorry, Rafu-chan. I owe you ramen," Mura quickly apologized, his tone earnest as he tried to calm the dragon, who clearly did not find the situation amusing.

"You promise?" the dragon asked, its voice now soft and childlike, as if a little sister were asking her big brother for a favour.

The complete personality change nearly threw the group off balance. The dragon had been silent and imposing throughout their journey, and this sudden shift in demeanour left them feeling a mixture of embarrassment and bewilderment.

"Yes, Rafu-chan. That has always been our deal anyway," Mura assured the dragon, a nervous smile playing on his lips as he petted the creature's icy scales.

"So, Rafu-chan… I met her while I was developing my Ice Style. I returned one evening with takeaway ramen to eat. At that time, the place I trained wasn't cold yet, as we know it now. I saw a white silkworm moth just looking at me while I ate until I heard its stomach growl. I didn't even know insects could do that!" Mura explained, his tone light as he recounted the memory. Another vibration went through the dragon's body, causing the group to hold steady once more.

"Mura! You're not supposed to talk about a girl like that!" Rafu-chan complained, her voice filled with indignation. Mura quickly appeased the flying giant, his expression one of genuine remorse. The others, feeling a wave of second-hand embarrassment, couldn't help but wonder just how close Mura and Rafu-chan were.

"Anyway, long story short, Rafu-chan could possess my Ice sculptures and control them, so we agreed, and here we are," Mura concluded, his tone casual, though it was clear he was holding back some details.

'That doesn't explain the amount of chakra it would take to make a sustainable Ice structure like this, and… I shouldn't pry too much. This is impressive—he can even threaten a village with this behemoth of a dragon. Just what kind of standards have you set for this poor boy, eh, Gilgamesh?' Kakashi thought, his gaze drifting to the clouds streaking by as he pondered the implications.

Gilgamesh, sensing that Mura wasn't telling the whole truth, decided to let it go for now. There was something more pressing on the horizon—something that piqued his interest even more.

"It seems like the fence sitter has gotten desperate," Gilgamesh remarked, his voice calm yet laced with a hint of intrigue.

Mura glanced at him, a question forming on his lips, but Gilgamesh spoke first.

"Mura, I will meet up with you guys soon. That monkey is here," he said, his tone matter-of-fact as he stood up, readying himself.

"Monkey?" Kakashi asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

"The four tails," Gilgamesh responded dryly, his gaze fixed on the distance as if he could already sense the approaching presence.

"Then there's no need for you to meet him. We're high above the clouds and too fast for Roshi to catch up with us. We're safe," Kakashi argued, his voice firm as he tried to dissuade Gilgamesh from taking unnecessary risks.

"YOU are safe. The Stone won't stop sending hunting parties after me if I don't set things straight with them. Don't worry, I'll just talk to them," Gilgamesh said with a smile that anyone could tell was a blatant lie.

"Mura, make sure you escort Kakashi safely and conceal the dragon before entering the detection zone of the Hidden Grass Village. I won't take long," Gilgamesh instructed as he fell from the dragon's back, his form vanishing into the clouds below.

Kakashi, momentarily alarmed, was about to summon a clone to save Gilgamesh, but then he remembered—Gilgamesh could fly.

"I agree that he's stronger than me, but he'll get himself killed! Why didn't you stop him?" Kakashi scolded Mura, inching closer to him so his voice could be heard over the roaring wind as they flew high above the clouds.

"If it's my master you're talking about, you shouldn't fear. He has defeated Roshi before," Mura replied casually, as if it were common knowledge, while the others stared at him in shock.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments.