Chapter 9 - Arc Iii 'Comrades'- Chapter 2

Predictably, both of the remaining Team Seven members were excited to hear that there was a lead on Sasuke. They immediately began to plan. I held back, thinking carefully. But no matter what my thoughts, I had to say one thing:

“…Don’t get disappointed if this doesn’t work out, you know? I mean…” I shifted uncomfortably as both Naruto and Sakura stopped their planning to look at me. I had spoken so softly I wasn’t sure they had heard me.
“It could be a false lead. It could even be a trap meant for us. It’ll be hard, but try to consider those possibilities.”

I hated crushing their hope. I should have realized that Naruto could re-fuel that hope in an instant.

“If it’s a false lead, big deal! We’ve had a million of those! We’ll just go to the next lead! And one of these times, we’ll get Sasuke! We WILL bring him home!”

Sakura perked up, getting caught up in Naruto’s enthusiasm. He certainly had that way about him. You wanted to be his friend once you met him. You could have spoken two words to him, or vice versa, and you felt like you knew enough to be friends. Perhaps it was this that made me put my own problem on the back burner and focus on their’s.

“Okay, we’ll follow up on this lead. Be ready to go in an hour. I’ll be at the gate…”

I had one more thing to do before I left. A scroll that needed to come with me this time. I wasn’t sure why I thought this was the case, but why fight it? It couldn’t hurt to have it along.
--

--

Orochimaru, Kabuto, and I approached Naruto carefully. Sakura met my eyes and distracted Sasuke the best she could. That would catch Naruto’s attention, and give me a chance to make my move.

Orochimaru summoned Manda, his enormous snake familiar. That was enough to turn Naruto’s head as well. With so many threats, four-tails Naruto had no idea which way to look first. That was when I made my move.

On my right hand, there were glowing blue symbols above my fingers, which were alight with chakra. They were (From thumb to pinky): Earth, Wind, Heaven, Water, Void. On my left hand were more symbols (From pinky to thumb) Moon, Fire, Shadow, Past, Future.

As Naruto’s four tails lashed out at the other threats, I ran up the middle, my hands extended, ready to perform my ‘Ten Seals of Temper’.
--

“Hey, Ryouko, how come you’re called ‘Heaven’s Temper’? And how come we never heard of it?”

I rolled my eyes- Naruto insisted I didn’t treat him any differently than normal, yet he would make demands like that once in a while. This story wasn’t one I wanted to tell right now, but I couldn’t have him distracted by curiosity the whole trip.

“When I went to meet the Fire Daimyo the first time, I was told I had to meet a priestess. Not like Asuna-chan, mind you. This one inherits the name ‘Uzume’, and is incredibly powerful, and extremely clairvoyant.

“Clair-what?” Naruto’s face was screwed up with zero understanding in it.

“He means ‘pyschic’, idiot!” Sakura muttered, huffing out a breath. “I never really bought that stuff. I’m surprised you do, Ryouko!”

“I didn’t,” I replied. “She made me a believer that the right people might very well have these abilities. In fact, it was her who named me ‘Heaven’s Temper’. The event she foresaw, while hazy, depicted me somehow earning the name. It’s yet to come true, which is why I’m puzzled as to how that Azami girl knew the name…”

I rubbed the spot where she had ‘branded’ me again. It hurt every time I thought of her.
Could Azami have gotten to Uzume? It couldn’t be…not with the Twelve Guardians protecting her and the Fire Daimyo!

I shook that thought from my mind as I stopped in the path.

“We’re here…”
--
--

I jammed my left hand onto Naruto’s stomach first. The Seal took immediately, causing two tails to melt back into his body. My right hand took aim, but Naruto’s consciousness was still that of four-tails, and he spat out a ball of chakra at me. I had only one hand, and what popped into my head was what would help name me ‘Heaven’s Temper’:

“Fire Style: Fire Wall!”

I had made the signs for the complicated defensive jutsu with one hand- something I had never achieved successfully in practice before. The flames did something odd, though- they covered only me. They molded to my body, as if shielding me personally, rather than just being a jutsu I used.

Naruto’s tails were still knocking me for a loop. I quickly pressed the second seal. It took, and Naruto’s tails dissolved. He lay on the ground, injured badly with burns.

“Now’s the time to kill him! Come, Kabuto! Kill Naruto!”

Sakura wanted to go to Naruto, but she couldn’t take her eyes off her fight with Sasuke. She knew that. So she entrusted his care to me. I wouldn’t comprehend that until later. For right now, I just knew I had to drive Orochimaru off.
--
--

I sat in a darkened parlor, lined with wards and chakra seals. Smoke filled it, though it didn’t seem to be tobacco smoke. I couldn’t tell what exactly it was, so I was careful not to inhale too much.

“Please, sit, to-be-named Ten no Kishootsu.”

I obeyed , though I knew neither the voice nor the name. And I had to ask:
“How do you know me…and how do I address you?”

From up on a platform (it was closer to an altar, but I couldn’t think of it that way, as it seemed sacrilegious) came the voice. The voice belonged to a girl a little younger than myself- maybe eighteen years of age. She was cute, even all covered up in various traditional garments.

“You don’t come here alone…Kimihiro.”

She knew my real name?

“Your master, the Third FireShadow, still watches you fondly. He wishes he could have bequeathed to you a lifetime of teachings, rather than the one sure way to take life.”

She knew that I knew forbidden jutsu?

“…I see you remain skeptical. Very well. You are torn apart by an illness. It tugs at your very soul, and it makes your life difficult. You refuse help, but you feel that you may not defeat this illness. And since you will know believe I deduced that only by physical signs, as did the medical kunoichi with whom you are infatuated with, I will tell you…she is not your goddess of good luck, so to speak. Your devotion to her will cause hardships. And yet…”

‘Uzume’ smiled. “…You will revel in these hardships. Your transformation has begun. Your life’s path will soon be revealed, and your abilities as a warrior will begin to awaken…”

A sword lay on a low table next to Uzume. She took it from the table and handed it to Ryouko.
“This weapon is out of your control now. But when the time comes; when you are ‘Ten no Kishootsu’, it will reign in it’s power and allow you to control it. It will respond to you- if you wish to kill, it will kill. If you wish to spare your enemies, it will fail to deliver a death blow. And it will read your heart, rather than your intentions.”

I was speechless, of course. What do you say to that, aside from ‘thank you’. I screwed up my courage to ask one more question:

“Will ‘Ten no Kishootsu’ become a legend? Will he ever be content with a happy life? Or will he be as Kimihiro is?”

Uzume smiled. “Though I can read the future, yours is particularly cloudy. That does include, yes, your love life. But based on your personality…”

Uzume smiled again, quite cutely I might add.
“You’ll be okay. Just don’t let yourself fall off this path. You aren’t drawn to evil, but you ARE drawn toward defeat. Your defiance of that defeat is key. Do not lose it. And do not throw your life away carelessly. You will be wounding more than yourself if you do…no matter who you save…”
--
--

I drew the sword in my hand automatically. In my heart, there must have been killing intent, because I struck for Orochimaru with a stab. The blade extended, and fire traveled along it, blasting Orochimaru away. It took only a glare to send Kabuto running to Orochimaru.

“No…not without Sasuke!” Orochimaru commanded, trying to get to Sasuke.

I kicking off, fire powering me as I leapt high- higher than I could have ever imagined- and aimed straight for Sasuke. His blade blocked mine. The lightning in his clashed with the fire in mine. That left Sakura free to go heal Naruto.

As I pulled back, creating sparks as the two swords pulled against each other’s steel, a huge snake swallowed up Sasuke. I turned to pursue Orochimaru, who was already running. But I was grabbed from behind.

“Ryouko…settle down, please. Settle down…”

The fire receded. Sakura’s warm touch calmed me. Before the fire faded completely, I used it’s power to absorb the worst of Naruto’s burns.

“He got away…sorry about that. It won’t happen again.”

That was all I had to say. Now I had to make a special trip of my own…
--

“Ow…”

The un-warriorish sound escaped my lips. I had taken on quite a bit of Naruto’s burns, and it REALLY hurt with every little move.

“You two are idiots! Hold still!” Sakura demanded, forcing me to lie down next to Naruto. She began to treat us both. She had tears in her eyes. I asked ‘why’ with my eyes. She seemed embarrassed that I caught her crying. So she smiled despite the tears.

“It’s just…Once, I told Captain Yamato that the only things I could ever do for Naruto were the little things. You just did a big thing for him. I’ve got to say, I’m jealous.”

I closed my eyes, smiling hollowly. “Don’t be. If I didn’t have you to patch me up, I couldn’t do such reckless things. I’m grateful. Your contributions aren’t small. Naruto is proof of that.”

Sakura gave me another small smile. “Well, all the same, I wish you two would stop doing stupid things. But I guess it’s a male gene.”

“Most likely.”

I laid still, my head in the cool grass. I wondered about my surge of power, and where it had come from. It had been fire- had the Third Hokage somehow literally given me the Will of Fire? That didn’t seem likely. But maybe he had passed something else on? Or was this power always there? There were so many mysterious ordeals that I had been involved in that I genuinely had no idea when I’d stumbled onto this kind of power. In fact, there was a great deal I didn’t understand, despite being a high-ranking shinobi.

Light that firecracker some other time. For now, keep your mind on the task at hand.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment