I just floated in the hot spring having given up my illusion around my tails and my kitsune ears atop my head. "Haaa... So are you going to be following me and Jiraiya around I guess?" I asked the five-tailed kitsune.
Shinano nodded and said with a hint of embarrassment. "That is correct, I would have preferred to stay out of view... But you were able to see directly through my genjutsu. So my best choice is honesty, just being in the open."
I nodded slowly before I responded dryly. "You do realize that Jiraiya is going to be pulling me around the Land of Fire right? No offense to you, but can you even keep up?"
Shinano gave a wan smile before she said blandly. "I am a five-tailed kitsune serving Lady Inari herself, even if you have been turned into a kitsune. You still have the mind of human. I will travel with the winds and will not have any issue keeping up with you."
I took another chug of my oni wine and shook my head with my white hair, making a crisp noise. As I shook some of the water out from all the steam from the hot spring.
"So you are just going to make sure Lady Amaterasu isn't-" I paused as my drunken mind was going to have me say 'going to be cucked anymore' But even drunk, I realized that saying my lands goddess was getting cucked was...
To say the least a fucking stupid idea.
But either way, Shinano got her own thoughts on my words and nodded. "Yes, I am here to watch your actions with the other god's and their champions."
I shrugged and said calmly. "Alright, do what you want then." Not like I could tell her to fuck off either way. And I had a strong feeling that Jiraiya already knew she was here.
So with that I got up out of the hot spring with my towel covering my lower half so I wasn't flashing the now flushed kitsune. "Well, have a good night, Shinano. I am going to sleep."
She raised an eyebrow and asked curiously. "Oh, you don't want these snacks? And has the Sage told you of the significance of that wine jug you hold?"
I nodded and with zero shame I said. "Yup! And in order to what you said, I don't trust you, so I won't eat anything you made, god knows where and with god knows what. And as for this wine jug... I look forward to some Oni trying to take it from my cold, dead hands haha!"
Shinano just stared at me as I left the private hot spring with clear peals of laughter being left with her as I went back to the room I shared with Jiraiya.
-
The next morning, I awoke to Jiraiya sitting on his thick bedding on the floor in a meditative position so I held in a loud yawn out of respect to the Sage who was clearly in deep meditation.
I just reached into my pack, and got myself some compressed bread and some water to drink. To wake myself up before I took a seat facing Jiraiya and also began meditating.
And beyond the sound of my breath, Jiraiya's slow and painfully measured breathing, and my heart beat. The most soothing bit of this session of meditation was the sounds of the bubbling water of the hot spring outside.
I exhaled softly, and I felt the chakra around myself as I emptied my mind of all my worries and self.
I touched upon the world's natural chakra and for a moment, I instinctively pulled it towards myself before my mind woke up and I pushed it back as I knew that Senjutsu and becoming a Sage was one of the way's I truly could 'Die' even with my various forms of immortality.
Being turned into stone, and being locked into that form via being turned into a conduit of nature chakra would, without a doubt, be a death sentence obviously.
"Hmm, it's impressive that you can even touch upon the world's natural energies. Even in the mortal world." Jiraiya spoke quietly.
I grunted before I said quietly. "I know not to mess with nature energy. I would rather not die in a horrible way."
There was a long pause before he said calmly. "You are the new Hashirama, Akari. All you have to do, is pump the excess nature energy into your Mokuton, and you literally can't be turned to stone while you have any active Mokuton touching you."
My mind went back to all the scenes of Hashirama fighting at his best, and my lips twitched as I recalled how Hashirama, whenever he had sage mode on was riding some form of Mokuton construct most of the time.
"Why didn't you or anyone else say anything?" I complained a bit in annoyance as I opened my eyes.
And Jiraiya raised an eyebrow before he said flatly as he opened his eye's as well. "Probably because a Chunin with actual combat experience to say nothing of a Jonin would beat you handily. There is no point in making you spend weeks, if not half a year, training in touching upon nature chakra and using it."
He took a breath before he finished bluntly. "Akari, without a doubt, you are the most talented ninja I have seen. And it's a crime you were a civilian for most of your life. But you need to train your basics so that you don't get beaten to death by a jonin that's simply faster and stronger than you."
As much as I wanted to say no Jonin, even Might Guy could beat me to death via simple Taijutsu... But I didn't want to get beaten into bloody chunks. So I just shrugged and said. "Alright fine, it's good to know either way. Now, is that kitsune following us going to be an issue?"
"Oh her?" Jiraiya hummed before he continued calmly. "Ehh, she has been following us since we left Konoha and has thus far kept out of your view at least. I am very confused about why she made contact with you last night, however."
'Yeah... Why did she show up in front of me? Did she want me to find out who she was? Or just wanted to check in with me personally up close?' I wondered with my face pinched as I couldn't figure out the kitsune.
And Jiraiya chuckled at seeing my confusion with him saying wisely. "Don't overthink it Akari, kitsune revel in causing chaos even if they are nominally a good youkai. Now let's get moving, we are heading over to a nice spot I know of where we can train."
I nodded in agreement with a hum leaving me as I got up, and I couldn't help but wonder how Kaori and Kiyome those Uchiha girls were doing back in Konoha. To say nothing of my... Lover? Eleanor that anbu chunin who had fallen into my lap after those training sessions.
Oh and that big titty 'goth' princess in Kamimu Saigu. I couldn't help but wonder what she was up to. And if her grandmother, Izanami sent her a message or something about her claiming me.
-
Back in Konoha itself Kaori Uchiha was just getting home from a low-ranking patrol mission and she sighed seeing Kiyomi with a bruised cheek sitting on the front porch of their empty home in the Uchiha district.
"You didn't need to wait for me Kiyomi." Kaori said softly as she approached her sister who got up with a grimace.
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to sit in an empty house. It's too damned quiet in there." Kiyomi muttered before taking a breath as she looked her older sister up and down to check her out.
And seeing her fine, the younger sister gave a small smile making Kaori roll her eye's. "It was just a simple patrol mission from Konoha to the captial. Hell the bandit's my squad was supposed to deal with. Were already all done with by Akari and Lord Jiraiya."
Which made the more stubborn Kiyomi huff and mutter. "Hmph, did he think you coudn't handle it or something?"
But Kaori just gave a small smile and said more easily. "He almost assuredly didn't even know there was such a mission. After all, the Hokage decided to make Akari graduate so he could become Lord Jiraiya's full time student."
"So, I assume you have been fighting hard in the academy?" Kaori asked quietly.
Kiyomi nodded and grimaced as she spoke. "I am trying to get into the Genius class, especially with how their is an open spot with Akari being taken out. But there is a lot of competition."
"I didn't even get into the Genius Class despite having already having unlocked my Sharingan Kiyomi. It... Our best move is to still prove ourselves too valuable to be sold off as marriage stock." Kaori sighed.
As she knew that the clan head wasn't stupid. Fugaku would tire of their resistance and with how she shared clan secrets with Akari, she was already on thin ice, having not gained any real benefits for the clan in doing so.
The two young women then went inside, and they sat down with matching sighs of relief as they were out of view of the outside world.
"I wonder what Akari is actually doing right now. Besides having killed some bandit's, you can't help but wonder what excitement Lord Jiraiya is bringing him into." Kiyomi spoke with a bit of amusement.
However Kaori... Her face pinched and she muttered. "I just hope that Lord Jiraiya doesn't make Akari some kind of pervert to match him. That would be a true loss to the village."
And at those words, Kiyomi's face curdled before she spat out. "That pervert! You are right, how could the Lord Hokage allow Jiraiya to take him out of the village. If he ends up a hopeless pervert like Jiraiya, his bloodline will end as no woman will be able to stand him!"
There was a moment of silence as the two women shared looks of despair. As much of their plan was to gain Akari's attention, and if he was ruined by Jiraiya, their own situation would be worse!
"What if... What if we talk to the Lord Hokage? Maybe he can change his mind?" Kiyomi asked in clear worry.
But Kaori just sighed. "Sadly, that won't happen. We can't convince the Fourth to bring Akari back with how we are just Genin, or still in the academy in your case. Well, you just relax. I am going to make some dinner."
-
Across Konoha, within a dark shrine, and kneeling in front of a line of black candles that burned with soft blue flames. Kamimu Saigu, the granddaughter of Izanami, hummed with interest as she read a scroll.
"Akari has earned my grandmother's blessing. So he is without a doubt worthy, and has a personality that fits me... I just wish she wasn't so blatant with her actions." She whispered with a sigh.
As the secretly delivered scroll told from a servant's point of view, told how Lady Inzanami appeared right in front of the royal family. Claimed Akari and then left as Amaterasu began raging.
The granddaughter of the goddess of death took the scroll and stepped outside of the shrine after pulling the traditional paper door aside. Thick fog filled her view, bringing a haunting darkness to the estate that was close to the Uchiha Clan's Naraka River.
Kamimu walked silently across the smooth gravel garden, her feet not touching the ground as her form glided across the garden towards the front of the dead silent estate. As she had sensed a chakra flare at the front of the shrine.
She then found another scroll, placed within the donation box, and she sighed knowing what the scroll being there meant. "Someone died. Well, time to wrest secrets from the dead." She muttered with both scrolls burning to ashes as blue flames burst to life in her palms.
But a slight flush entered her pale cheeks as she muttered. "Meddlesome grandmother... I don't need a husband thrown into my lap. I am not as hopeless as Amaterasu."
-
Blood leaked from my form as an aura of chakra raged around my form while I smashed my fist into Jiraiya's raised up arm guard. "Haha come on! You can try harder then that brat." Jiraiya goaded me as he pushed aside my fist, and even with the third Gate, this toady bastard was still stronger then I was!
In response to his goading, I flared my chakra and I pulled at the Mending Rune of death within myself. And then a flash of light lit up on my body as I activated the Divine Dividing, making the wings flare on my back.
As I still needed a lot of training with the Sacred Gear before I could use it's Balance Breaker form. Especially seeing as Albion wasn't sealed in the Sacred Gear.
"Wings! Which goddess gave you that dammit!?" Jiraiya cursed in exasperation as I slammed into his form, then I grinned evilly.
"Divide!" I called out, and Jiraiya, even after he threw me aside, staggered at suddenly losing half of his chakra with my wings flaring with power and I gagged as entirely too much power, especially with my Gates active were running through my body.
And with the excess of chakra running through me, I decided to make Jiraiya sweat after beating the shit out of me for the last week we had been training out in the wilderness.
Doing a dozen hand signs in but moments I felt my chakra flaring out for miles to any sensor with Jiraiya loudly cursing as the earth roiled, has thousands of thick roots breaking through the ground as I did the Nativity of a World of Trees technique.
"Those cheating Uchiha girls! You shouldn't be able to just use Hashirama's damned jutsus! Its not fair!" Jiraiya complained even as his hair extended outwards and knowing the power in his damned hair.
I fled from my spot with a dozen thick trunks of wood coming between me and Jiraiya as his wild mane of hair glowed and then needles of his hair shot out at blinding speed that I could barely follow with his hair needles shredding through the roots and tree's trying to grab onto him.
And especially the wood I had put between us, knowing he was going to retaliate.
I then swerved through the air with the help of Divine Dividing, as either a clone or the real form of Jiraiya shot through the twisting forest I had summoned like a demented fucking monkey with a Rasengan in his hand that he threw into my side.
"Ass dick!" I cursed Jiraiya as that painful as fuck but still weakened Rasengan he threw at me tore apart my clothes and shredded the top layer of skin before running out of power by Jiraiya's design.
I held onto my painful side for a moment before I straightened up as the immortality from the Hourai Elixer healed me back up.
"Your healing once again is a major annoyance Akari! Normally, that would end a sparring session, but you just heal in moments." Jiraiya spoke as he landed casually across from me on another branch.
I popped my neck as we had been sparring for the last... Twenty odd minutes but twenty minutes in a fight was a long ass time. And I was the type of fighter to be of the all-or-nothing kind.
At this point I was trying not to hide too much of my bullshit from Jiraiya as he was someone I knew that was. At least nominally in my corner to say the least. And I needed someone I could actually train with without holding back.
And Jiraiya, for all that he was a goober, a pervert, and rather unreliable at times. He was exactly the type of guy I wanted to train with. As he was a brick wall of mostly unsubtle combat I could refine my own taijutsu and other issues on.
Via slamming my face into said brick wall endlessly to refine those very skills.
"We done for now?" I spoke as I could feel a clone... Or maybe even the real form of Jiraiya was still out there.
A pop of a shadow clone was my answer with my lips twitching as the Jiraiya in front of me was indeed a clone. "Yup, that's enough for right now. Come on down from the tree's Akari, I want to run some ideas past you." Jiraiya called out from below.
After getting down to the ground level, Jiraiya and I just kicked back on a couple of large roots across from one another so we could talk with Jiraiya leading. "You got some good taijutsu practice in at this point with my... Obviously amazing guidance!? Jiraiya said in utter shamelessness.
But then the toad sage's smug smile evened out, and he said more seriously. "But, wailing on myself as quick as it's pushed you Akari, you still need different forms of training in the two plus weeks we have left till you have to get back to Konoha."
He took a breath and then held out his hands. "So I have a couple idea's and I wanted to give you the option of what we do... Because I am just cool like that haha."
"Your two options are thus, we head further into the mountains. I got some reports from one of my toad summons a clan of maneater Oni's have set up around a mountain separating Fire from Grass country. Obviously, we will be clearing out that Oni clan that has a taste for human flesh."
He took a deep breath and then continued. "On the other hand, the kitsune of Inari's military arm has sent a request today for my aid in their efforts in uprooting a large roaming wolf youkai pack that has slaughtered a town that borders Fire and Grass country."
I considered the options, and I wondered if Shinano, that kitsune youkai, had anything to do with Jiraiya getting the request. But after a moment. I asked slowly. "Any chance we could do both? I mean they are both on the border as you said?"
Jiraiya hummed before he said. "Well, we would need to track down the wolf tengu pack which will be rather annoying. But we could hit the Oni clan on the way there... Maybe you can even snatch some oni wine recipes from their remains for your wine jug." He mused before nodding.
"Is that what you want Akari? I don't want you to get too much blood on your mind before you head back to Konoha to join a Genin team after all." Jiraiya spoke calmly.
I raised an eyebrow before I nodded and said more easily. "I certainly hate killing humans, I guess. But human eating Yokai aren't going to be an issue for me. But why do I need to join a Genin team? Like, isn't me just sticking with you as your apprentice so much better for my growth?"
Jiraiya shrugged and said very bluntly. "That is true. But I need space to move independently to do stuff you aren't capable of doing yet. The Land of Fire is going to war in the next couple of weeks, and even then, it's going to be a very brutal and quick war as we attempt to take over Grass before they can properly react."
"Not only that, but you also need to interact with your peer's Akari. Having a Genin team to grow alongside, even if you are much stronger than them. Will still help you in the future... Plus, the Hokage needs to use you for the upcoming Chunin Exams in three months."
After that explanation. I could only nod in understanding. Plus I was interested in seeing my friends like Naruko, and others back in Konoha. 'Hmm I wonder who will be in my Genin team though?' I mused in interest.
Before mentally shrugging as Jiraiya said. "Then give me a few minutes. I need to summon one of my message toads. And then we can head out towards that mountain that Oni clan has taken over."