Konohagakure, Near Village Gates: Back to the Journey
"Awwww, Katomi-chan, I'll miss you a lot, dattebane," Kushina whined with her arm intertwined with mines as we made our way to the front gates of the village. I sighed in exasperation, feeling internally warm at someone desiring me as a friend, "You shouldn't worry much, I'll come back to the village in the future when I have some time." I responded as I turned to the excitable redhead and smiled. She giggled slightly in response before I continued, "And you need to speak to Minato today, remember, be patient, he'll come around eventually. Next time I come to visit, I'd like to meet him," I finished with a bright smile. Kushina blushed slightly, "F-fine," she said with a huff. Letting out a giggle, I turned back to the path that we walked on, with the early morning sun starting to make its way up.
We later made our way to the front gates of the village, causing the chunin to turn and tense up at our arrival. I smiled disarmingly, before turning to Kushina, "I promise, I'll see you later, please just don't worry about me," I said. Kushina smiled slightly, "I won't, I guess," she said while giving me another tight hug before stepping back. I sighed as my wings formed, to the slight amazement of Kushina, "So cool, dattebane." I smiled at her once more, "Hm, perhaps I'll teach you later if it's possible," I said before finally taking off and flying towards the south, finally able to make my way back home.
Village of Firefly, 1 Day Later: New Beginnings
"Aw man, I shouldn't have drunk so much water after dinner, dad needs to be banned from cooking another steak from now on," I said while sitting up straight, seriously in need of relieving myself. I turned to my side and reached for my glasses, before finally placing them on, now able to see clearly. My gaze then landed on the small slit of my curtains, the light of the high moon bathed my face as the small breeze of the fresh air flew through the small opening of my cracked window. With another remainder of my predicament, with haste, I got up, grabbed my robe from my desk chair, and made my way to my room door quietly.
After a few moments, I stepped out of my room and glanced around the dark and quiet house. With a light sigh, I made my way to the bathroom that I needed expeditiously. Taking several breaths, I mentally prepared myself to enter the bathroom, before finally entering it. Flipping on the light switch, I earnestly avoided the mirror, not wanting to see myself. I made my way to the toilet and hesitated slightly, the feeling of discomfort started to rise inside me. With a small breath, I turned around and dropped my pajamas, before squatting down. "What is wrong with me?" I questioned in thought before continuing, "I've felt uncomfortable about myself...about my...body, for a while. I need to figure this out, or I'll go crazy. I can't keep avoiding myself forever." I finished as I also finally felt relieved of my duties and stood back up, flushing the toilet in the process.
Standing in front of the mirror while looking upward in another vain attempt to avoid myself, I let out another sigh before slowly lowering my gaze to stare at my reflection. "It seems like today is a particularly hard day," I thought as I looked at my freckled face in the mirror for a moment before turning on the tap to wash my hands. For perhaps the last several months, I've been steadily becoming more and more frustrated with myself for being this way that I have no way of being able to explain. I've noticed that I have been growing increasingly interested in Katomi-chan, well, I have always been in love with her since we first met. But, I think this is a different kind of interest, more in her fashion and how she carries herself. I still have no idea what she does for a living, or to be able to afford such expensive and elegant-looking clothing, however, I feel...I...I don't know. "Jealously?" I asked in thought as I finished washing my hands.
Looking back at my reflection, I noticed the confused look on my face before shaking my head and turning to leave the bathroom. "I don't think of jealous of Rose-chan as a person, but more that she's able to wear whatever she wants, or...what I feel interested in myself. Who am I kidding, if stepped out of my house with a kimono, the entire village would laugh at me." I said in thought as I made my way back to my room, before finally entering and closing the door quietly. I stared at the ground pensively, "I mean, I already look kinda like a girl, mom said that I took after her mostly when it comes to physical appearance. Maybe I should try on something and see how I feel?" With another tired sigh, I finally raised my gaze from the floor, only to see a pleasant surprise, "Akito-kun, I've missed you so much," Katomi said quietly as she rushed toward me, embracing me tightly in a hug.
My body and face started feeling extremely hot as I stuttered out, "K-Katomi, you're back?!" I whispered as she looked at me with a smile, "I said I was going to come back, didn't I?" She asked before kissing me. "Damn it, I'm going to have to tell her," I said in thought, not wanting to tell her that we were planning to move after the war. Deciding to set that aside for now, I embraced her tighter and continued kissing her. After what must've been several minutes, she pulled back before tugging me to my bed, the sudden action preventing me from fainting. We sat on the bed and she then hugged me while placing her head on my shoulder. I prevented myself from asking and decided to lay my head on top of her's while grabbing her hands tightly. We sat like this for several more minutes, once again enjoying each other's warm comfort.
"Thank you, I really needed this. Just as I said in the letter, I'll spend more time here, with you," she whispered into my ear, causing me to stiffen slightly while squeezing her hand. A moment passed as she asked once more, "Please tell me what's wrong." I inwardly kicked myself in embarrassment for not remembering our ability to understand each other so well, even with the slightest of body language changes. I sighed before placing my head back on top of hers, "We...we are planning to move to Konoha once this war is over, it may be within the next couple of years or...who knows. Mom wants to find better work and Dad and I have been working together on some projects, and also feels that life in a more wealthy village would help. I....I...just worry that you wouldn't want to come." I explained as I now felt her stiffen slightly before looking into my eyes in shock.
Seeing those eyes of shock and concern, I couldn't help but look away in shame, only to be interrupted by a hand grasping my chin. As my head was forced back to look at her, I was about to speak, but she stopped me with another kiss. "I will never be separated from you," she said as she pulled back with a smirk, before continuing, "And try not to leave yet, I have a better idea, for us and for the whole village." I looked at her in puzzlement, "A...better idea? For the whole village?" I asked as she nodded and continued, "I will be seizing the village in the future and will need your help, along with everyone else." She said bluntly, as my eyes grew to the size of my glasses and I became light-headed. Before I could faint, she grabbed my face and kissed me again, this time bitting my bottom lip slightly, which caused me slight pain and prevented me from falling unconscious.
"You want to do what?!" I scream-whispered before adding, "What kind of power do you have, rose-hime? How could you take over a village?" She smirked mischievously before explaining, "I have trained in chakra for years, my mom was a ninja or at least had some level of chakra training. I took some of her scrolls, trained a little bit, fought some battles while I was gone, and grew stronger. I have the power to take over this village, and I also have allies, powerful allies. It'll take a lot to oppose me in battle if I am being honest." She finished as I sat staring into her enchanting red eyes. My mouth finally caught up with my mind as I asked, "Katomi, how strong are you and how did you become so powerful?"
A moment passed as she then sighed before answering, "I am likely strong enough to take on a Kage and survive, as for how I got this strong, you cannot tell anyone what I am about to say, better yet, you cannot tell anyone what I have already said," She said while giving me a serious look. I gave her a nod, "You know you can trust me," I said simply. She nodded, before wrapping her arms around my neck, "I have what could be considered a bloodline, or two bloodlines at that. The first one deals with my last name, Misamoto. I am of the Misamoto clan, which is now extinct to my current knowledge. My clan's main abilities are our doujutsu called the 'Ryoshigan'. It works like the Sharingan of the Uchiha and gives me enhanced perception, while also working a bit like the Byukugan of the Hyuuga clan, and helps me see a large distance in the direction I look. Our other ability is flight with chakra wings, I'll show you later how it works."
I sat still in complete shock at the girl or woman in front of me, "A-and your other bloodline?" I asked while trying to calm down. She continued to smile as she continued, "My other bloodline is quite...strange. I don't think I can easily explain all of the details, but it works in a way that accelerates my growth and strength when training. It increases my overall vitality to the point of being able to train for hours on end without much rest. With my highly enhanced vitality, it also works to increase my stamina and defense, making it so that I can take any kind of injury and recover shortly after, no matter how deadly or severe the injury as long as I have chakra. And in terms of my chakra capacity, well, I am also able to tap into the chakra of nature, senjutsu; this provides me with virtually unlimited chakra." She finished explaining with a face of mischief staring back at me.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and just barely managed to prevent myself from fainting once more with the information. "P-please tell me that you are not going to put yourself in danger just to test out if you can...survive?" I asked with an abundance of worry. Her face lightened as she came closer and gave me another soft kiss on my cheek. "I won't, actually with my flight abilities, I am quite hard for most shinobi to attack. I mean, people who can fly are not common in this world after all." She said as she moved to lay another kiss on my lips, then layer her head on my chest. My body relaxed completely, finally realizing how powerful she was, and most importantly knowing that she would not put herself at an unnecessary risk. My body tensed up once more, realizing the other issue that needs to be addressed. "Rose-hime, I-I need to explain something as well, something that I have been thinking for a while," I said as she looked back up questioningly.
I sighed before deciding to push forward, "I want to wear your clothes, and...makeup. I want to see how it feels to be a girl." After my words, I closed my eyes in a vain attempt to hide my embarrassment. After a moment, I felt Katomi tighten her arms around me and then her lips, once again, touched my cheek in another kiss. "Hm, you shouldn't be embarrassed, I'm not the type to judge," she said as I opened my eyes in relief. "I know you wouldn't judge me, but...I just can't help it," I said as she smiled. "Are you just interested in clothing for girls?" She asked as I shook my head, "Not just that, I-I struggle to look at myself in the mirror. I have also been growing more and more uncomfortable with seeing my body parts, like, down there." I said as I felt heat rush to my cheeks at the explanation. She giggled quietly, which sounded angelic, "I understand, Akito-chan, don't feel bad about this. You're still the person that I fell in love with," she said as she kissed my cheek once more before continuing, "Uh sorry, do you still want to be called that or would you prefer a different name?" She asked sheepishly as I nodded, "Akito is fine for now, I want to tell Mom and Dad too," I said as she smiled and went back to tightly hugging me.
Village of Firefly, Next Morning
As the morning sun hit my face, my eyes fluttered open. I felt warmth, like the kind of warmth you only feel when you are at home. A feeling of comfort that makes it to where I could forget about anything outside of the moment. I turned around in the bed to come face to face with the sleeping form of Akito-kun, who was snoring quietly. I smiled slightly before moving forward and laying a kiss on his forehead. I bring up my free hand to stroke his face gently, enjoying the moment of calm that I have yet to be familiar with. Of course, that is until I handle a couple more things. "Karasu, how are you?" I asked in thought before a moment of silence passed. "Well, I'm doing fine, but, as soon as possible you gotta get that gift for Yoru, he's losing his sanity over here," he responded as my smile grew wider. "Alright, prepare the whole unit for tonight, I have something else to do, but later on...I'll make good on that promise. We'll meet at the lake in the forest," I said as I gave another kiss to Akito's cheek before sitting up. "OH YEAH! It's about time for that cuisine to hit my stomach," he answered as I shook my head in exasperation.
Standing up from the bed, I made my way to the window before opening it to allow me to fit through it. Sitting on the frame, I reached down to put back on my sandals, before finally moving my feet outside and looking around to see if it was clear. After taking another look at Akito, I jumped down and landed gently on the ground. With a sigh of contentment, I fixed my hair out of my face and finally made my way to the inn that is still operating in our village. "Karasu, do you remember the rooms that the girls got, I'm heading there now to see how they are doing," I said in thought. "Yeah, some of us frequently visited them to check in on them while you were gone. They are on the second floor, there's two windows that are perpetually open, that's their rooms," he responded. "I see, thanks, and don't worry, I'll get some more to join our forces so you're not so overworked," I said, earning a snort from him. "Hm, I've seen a few geese flying about near that pond in the village center, want to check them out?" He asked as I remained silent for a moment, pondering their uses.
Finally stepping out into the streets, I responded, "That'll do, I need a messenger unit anyway, I'll see if I can get them to come to our dinner later." "I'd be careful about geese, they tend to be quite....defensive," he warned. "Thanks for the message, but I think it won't be too bad, I'll speak to you later. Remember, we'll meet at the lake at sunset, come with empty stomachs," I answered as I continued toward the inn. I looked around at the near-empty streets, seeing some of the abandoned stalls and the saddened faces of some of the business owners who remained. I sighed in slight irritation, realizing that I needed to move quicker than planned to fix this village, especially before Akito's family, my family, moved to Konoha. I glanced back up to a random man standing in front of what must've been his store, with another abandoned building next to his. He stood, rubbing his head while looking through his windows, he was obviously feeling some sense of hopelessness.
I felt a tug at my heart, memories flashing from my previous life, and seeing that this village was not very different from my old one. "It's truly disgusting what the chase of money can do to someone's humanity," Ariana spoke as I stood still for a moment. I stared at the man, standing a few meters to his rear, as he scratched his head. Deciding to ignore logic, I walked in a quick pace to close the distance between us. After a few moments, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace, earning a shocked gasp from the man. I pulled away after a moment and I looked back up at him in sympathy, "I'm sorry...I...promise this will get better," I spoke as I felt a wet spot on my face. Bringing up my hand, I wiped away what I now see was a tear, as the man stood in shock at my actions. I looked back up and smiled softly, before glancing around, seeing that my actions brought the attention of several bystanders. With another sigh, I bowed politely and continued on my way toward the inn, whipping away more of the tears that started to fall.
Village of Firefly, Asahi Inn: Reunion
Laughter could be heard from the hot tub of the inn, as four women sat around each other with cucumber slices for eyes. "Mmmm this is nice, hunny," said one of the women who had her light green hair wrapped in a bun. "Oh, yes, I could get addicted to this feeling, Sora-chan,~" moaned out another woman with her blonde hair wrapped. "Keep your moans down, Anna, you'll get us in trouble. You don't want them to believe we are all doing something...naughty in her," spoke Seiko with a mischievous smile that went unseen by everyone. Anna laughed slightly before answering, "Well, that wouldn't be a good idea would it?" Shinobu, sitting to the right of Seiko, squawked in embarrassment, causing her to nearly lose the cucumbers that covered her eyes. "Ara-ara, you should suggest such good ideas in a public setting," Sora spoke with an evil smile.
"Well those are strange ideas to be suggesting while here," said a young and familiar voice. Everyone, without hesitation, sat up quickly which caused the cucumbers to fall into the water. They all turned in shock to see the face of their saviour once more. She stood at roughly the height of 133 cm, her hair wrapped in a towel with a small smile on her face. "Gosh, it's not like I've been good for a couple of weeks, dattebane," Katomi spoke as she made her way to the group, slowly making her way into the warm water with a relaxed moan. "What's a 'dattebane'?" Asked Shinobu with a face of confusion as Katomi sat in a vacant spot and leaned against the wall. "You'll see later, anyways, due to the dire economic status of our village, the real estate is, fortunately, much more affordable for normal people," Katomi spoke with a bright smile.
Shinobu looked at Sora in confusion, before Sora looked at Anna in confusion, who stared at Katomi in confusion. "U-uh, is there a reason you're bringing this up?" Anna asked as Katomi reached up to stretch. She let out a sigh, before continuing, "We're totally getting a nice big house together." Everyone sat shocked while staring at the unpredictable young lady, before quickly moving beside her. "Can...you...repeat...that?" Asked Shinobu with a face of complete shock and excitement. Katomi giggled slightly, "There are a few vacant larger houses in the residential area, the higher class residential area that is," she responded, smiling deviously. "Well, I was thinking that we should all share a house together, although, I already have a couple that I may spend some time at as well. We'll combine our money and enjoy the...finer...things of our new village," Katomi finished. A moment passed, then another one, and then one more moment passed before all of the girls shouted and danced excitedly. "YES! It'll be so fun," Seiko shouted as she twirled around in the water.
"However, under one circumstance," Katomi interrupted the happy group of ladies, causing them to turn to look at her questioning. Katomi sighed before glancing around the clearly empty room outside of their group. "I am planning something, something for our village. Let me ask something, Seiko, what do you want in life?" Katomi asked while adopting a serious look while glancing at Seiko. "U-um, I don't really know, I really like children though, my mom was a teacher at an academy in the Land of Rivers. I think I'd like to follow what she does at some point," she responded as Katomi nodded and turned to Shinobu. "Before I was kidnapped from Nagi Island, I was studying to become a nurse in my home village, my parents died of a disease that took away their ability to breathe. Ever since I've always wanted to find a way to a cure for many illnesses." Shinobu responded somberly.
"I see," Katomi responded before turning to Anna. "I don't know what I want, honestly. My father was a diplomat for the Village of Rain and has likely been killed at this point. I never had much of an interest in government, but I wouldn't mind trying it out depending on what the position is." Katomi nodded before finally turning to Sora, "I love nature, and animals, mostly at least. I also haven't thought much about what I want in life since moving from the Land of Bears and being taken on my journey to the Land of Keys." She responded as Katomi nodded and sighed with a small smile. Katomi once more glanced at all of them, one by one, face set in stone. "You are to keep everything I will say a secret between us, don't worry, I placed a silencing seal on the door earlier." She stated before taking a breath and continuing, "I will be taking over this village within the next several months, this will not be peaceful, this will be an annexation." Katomi declared, causing the women to become shocked once more, mouths hanging open.
"I'll use my clone to infiltrate the palace and get an understanding of the inner workings of our government. Once I finally take control, I would like for you all to work with me in some way. You are a part of the few people I could trust fully, and you all have lots of potential." Katomi spoke as the women finally closed their mouths. "W-wow," Seiko spoke in clear shock. "I...we will stand by you, Katomi-sama, you did save us after all, this could be our way of paying you back," Anna spoke with a smile, earning a determined nod from Sora and Shinobu. Katomi smiled brightly before turning to Shinobu, "Shinobu, you'll go to the hospital in our village and ask for a person named Shibi, if she's not there, ask around to get further medical training, do this when you have time." Katomi commanded, earning a bright smile from Shinobu.
Katomi then turned to Seiko, "Seiko, you'll go to the academy and ask for a job there, you'll likely have to train a little bit before being able to become a teacher. You'll do great, I know it," Katomi spoke with a smile before turning to Anna, "Once I clean out the corruption, you'll be appointed to our village's court. I highly suggest going to the library and taking this time to study." Katomi finished before turning to Sora, "Sora, you'll also get a position in our government dealing with environmental protection and village resources." Katomi finished as she turned to the rest of them, "As Empress, I'll be working closely with you all, along with others, to rebuild this village. We will not continue to run, we will not be a ninja village that prioritizes chakra, we will invest in the progress for all, and we will start here, this is our home now," Katomi declared with determination. "Yes, ma'am," they all said before bowing in respect, which was a strange sight considering they were all naked. Katomi sighed in slight annoyance, "I guess I'll need to get used to honorifics. Anyway, we'll move out tomorrow to go house-hunting, let's just enjoy this time of peace for the next several months as I gather more knowledge, shall we?" Katomi asked with an excited smile, earning a few giggles from the women.