The Odd Ninja

Second guessing oneself is tricky business.

Yet necessary.

If you've ever had the pleasure of working with one of those…

Now absolute confidence is good.

It's intoxicating.

Yet I found, without the bad, the good can tend to sour.

Of course nothing is absolute.

Nothing stopping these concepts from swapping positions.

Still it can be difficult to know when, often you'll end in the "wrong" never even noticing you put yourself there.

…

I've told the tale of what just happened, quite

a lot over the past weeks.

Each time the story would change.

I'd leave some parts out.

Sometimes tell others only of what they seemed to be in the know of.

Those who'd I'd assisted had not kept quiet.

I was actually fine with Kakashi not being in the village upon my return.

I needed time to reflect.

To plan my next move.

Though I knew this was coming.

Kakashi did return, once more I recounted that day.

"I got lost."

"You got lost?"

"Yeah, and in my round about way returning to the village i ended up following the river though the Forest of Death, when I happened upon lots of bodies floating down the river."

Kakashi did not interject.

"Investigating what was going on, it seemed i had crossed paths with an on-going battle, one we were losing.

The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were present, all of them."

Taking a moment I collected my next words.

"I was certain of my death, no, my death by all means, what should have happened, all seven swordsmen were there, yet I sit here with you Kakashi, ten steps ahead…," my voice faltered.

Yet I still feel as if I must do more.

Much more.

"Anyways I have something for you. Behold, a token of my travels."

"Sand… in a jar?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"Alright what you get me," I looked at him expectantly.

Kakashi just looked up form the sand eyeing me.

"I kid, but seriously we lived together for what? 7 years. Yet I don't think I have anything of yours I haven't stolen, so have some friendship sand, love ya man," leaving Kakashi with some sudden affection, I walk away with a serious demeanor.

Someone almost took me from Kakashi.

He's supposed to die first.

You know, cause I'll be immortal.

But that's the future… far, far, future, right now I was very mortal, so I would need power.

And I'm not talking about some new techniques, weapons, or constructs.

I needed a stronger body.

A durable one.

Cause right now, i still bleed as easy I did the day I arrived.

Even now a simple sharp stick could kill me.

Even through chakra reinforcement.

Hell very few could actually resist basic weaponry with just their bodies.

I had to be one of them.

So a method of body refinement was necessary.

I actually thought i had a good chance of developing into one of these individuals, but I couldn't just leave it up to chance.

Unfortunately I would need to consult Orochimaru before I just started popping things, but I'm sure he'll be more than happy to start injecting things into me.

It's come up before.

But until Orochimaru returns.

There were a number of things I had to attend to before I got busy again.

The most pressing was the Uchiha, but given recent events, I wanted to take some time to put together another weapon.

Made using my knowledge of generating lightning release with fuinjutsu, I took and sold metal staff, and made it a lot more dangerous.

Too dangerous.

"How do I turn it off?" I asked myself looking at the staff, completely covered in lightning release.

A moment later the staff literally fell apart.

"Hmm, promising."

Now the lighting blade was a fine weapon.

Only, it was most effective when punching down.

An equal was when its flaws were more prominent.

And as I've been researching materials, the number of types that can withstand lightning release was ever growing.

Didn't even have to put up a good defense either, the moment whatever I was trying to rend through put up some resistance.

Lightning blades start faltering.

Tobirama's and my own weren't far off in destructive capabilities, with Tobirama's sporting an impressive level of durability that likely came from a refined interior.

Leaving my home i set out for another staff, made of something else.

Only to find something rather particular in a little shop.

A fairly narrow club of metal, with a total of 8 spikes dotted along the top, now with what I was planning, the spikes on the side were unnecessary, but the narrow spike coming put the top, I liked, still let me stab people.

Buying a few I was off.

I'd been spending a lot of time by myself, mostly as Orochimaru was gone, not mysteriously, he was currently once again in a position of command, though this time around I doubt he'll be able to be passive.

The Cloud had been busy.

Currently there were two escalating conflicts going on, one within Leaf territory, and another on Cloud's own turf.

Suppose that's why the mist-nin been able to muck about so freely.

Though I'm curious if a Kiri presence was currently about, wouldn't be surprised if the majority had withdrawn.

Or were hunting their former comrade.

Oh! There's currently, most definitely, a hunter-nin presence about though.

Bit of a unique happenstance we have occurring.

A elite ninja force sneaking around… hunting one of their own, in the midst of an uptick of the war, likely traversing through said war torn grouds, littered with shinobi who were already on edge.

What a mess.

Now, what to do about all this damage?

Oh I know.

I was never here.

Grabbing my things I left, retreating to Orochimaru's lab, where I'd be difficult to locate.

"Hey, kid."

Goddammit.

Orochimaru is likely in the midst of battle right now.

Why is this nosey bastard poking about.

"Lord Jiraiya."

That got me a groan in response as he laid back in Orochimaru's desk.

"What are you doing here?"

"Working," Jiraiya responded, as he began collecting a bunch of papers on the desk.

Getting a closer look i saw he seemed it he writing, lots of writing by the looks of it.

"Say kid, what are you doing?" He suddenly spoke.

"Ideally, very little."

"Right now you little shit."

Smiling i saw no harm in discussing my personal projects with the toad sage.

"This weapon, you've made one already?"

"No, not from a lack of trying, I can't seem make one that doesn't eat through itself.

A circumstances I've been before, I'm sure I'll figure it out a bit quicker this time, the lack of a magnetic field was also a huge born, those are a bitch to work with, I see why most failed."

They didn't even know, they didn't understand.

How can you know, if you don't know?

"And why's that, huh?"

Well sir you see, I come from a realm where knowledge of the universe is just right there for anyone to grasp.

What to say?

If magnet ninjas weren't actually a thing, I doubt this weapon would exist.

That's wrong.

If these extraordinary individuals, born with what by all rights is a gift to the world, didn't exist.

The idea would've taken much longer to take hold, and even longer to be weaponized.

Yet chakra once again rears it's divine head, ever preset, in all thing…

Allowing another path, circumventing the need for a medium, granting the individual the power directly.

Ohhh… chakra my beloved.

"Kid?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, I can comprehend more than most, and as a sage, I'd say you are privy to even more that I.

These, intangible, yet just as important aspects of life as we know it, most, will never even realize there's something at play, beyond what the eyes can see, yet it's there, tangible through chakra.

I intend to grasp it."

"Gutsy one aren't ya,"

"Thank you, what are you doing?"

He grinned, "Writing, you read any of my books?"

"First I've heard I'm afraid?"

His smile dropped.

"Well, nows the best time to start," Jiraiya pulled out a book, before appearing behind myself, shoving the book into my pack.

Guess that's mine now.

"Well kid, this was an interesting talk, see ya around."

With that he was gone.

"Hmm…"

Well, to work.

…

I had the lab myself.

With no Orochimaru soon, much of his work was organized & moved elsewhere as I needed more room.

Days pass.

Chakra is expended.

Recovered.

Then depleted once again.

I topped up everything.

All my barriers, many of which took more chakra than I couldn't safely refill in the field, not without leaving myself vulnerable.

Which meant I needed extras.

Which took just as much chakra.

It was exhausting… however long I was down here.

"We're back!" My own voice greeted me.

A trio of clones entered the lab.

Two working together to carry a box, with the last bringing me some much needed sustenance.

"You find a suitable medium?" I inquired.

"Something like that, now eat."

Ignoring the food, I popped open the box, inside were a number of weapons & tools, that were made up entirely of metal.

"Ya figure out how to actually hold one yet?"

"No."

"I believe in you," and with that he was gone, his memories assimilating with my own.

Back to it.

…

"This just seems wrong?"

"He volunteered."

"Yeah, I volunteered," my shadow clone lay down on the operation table as myself and another went about covering him with fuinjutsu marking.

The purpose of these mark, were to further reinforce the clone.

Once we were done, the clone transformed into a staff.

Yeah…

"Ok, I'm feeling it now," the other clone spoke, looking at us as a staff, "but we're not stopping now."

More fuinjutsu along one of the ends… of the lighting variety.

Wordlessly my close picks up the staff and we make our way to the training grounds.

Taking up position a comfortable distance away i nod to him.

"Ok, lets do this buddy."

The staff light up, lightning release arcing around before… ah shit it's not stabilizing.

Quickly putting more distance between us, I watch on as my clone tires to control the staff.

Did I just turn myself into a bomb?

He managed to break the transformation.

Though I kinda wish he didn't as now we could hear my scream of agony before he detonated taking the other clone with him.

"Oh… those memories, I could've done without."

Ok so turning myself in a weapon.

Not my best play.

If I was trying to make a projectile, I'd say good enough.

But I wasn't so back at it.

The next one was a narrow club, and actually showed some pretty good promise.

It just kept sometimes shocking the user.

And didn't really have the destructive capabilities i was hoping for.

One.

Two.

Three.

With the fourth swing the tree finally collapsed under its own weight.

Hmm…

I wasn't satisfied.

For how heavy it is, I was hoping for more.

Perhaps I'm going about this wrong.

I wanted to keep the benefits of my lighting blade, i.e edge alignment not being necessary.

But let's face it.

No matter what I enhance, it will be about to essentially rend through material.

What i needed was for the lighting release to not weaken the weapon overtime.

Hmm…

Alright let's see if a tiny one does the same damage.

No point in lugging this around if something smaller gets the jobs done.

So it shall join my clones arsenal.

…

Taking a break from my problems.

I indulge one of my curiosity.

And fears…

"Ok… I'm gonna open my eyes and not panic."

Fuck I'm still sinking.

Enclosing myself within a bubble, I intended to explore the bottom of one of the many bodies of water dotting the village.

Only my round ball kept rolling down.

Oh… I think I hit the bottom.

Can't see shit…

All around in the water barriers manifested, giving of a much needed glow.

"Those are some massive roots."

Closing my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised just how alone I was done here.

Reigning in my senses, I was actually able to get some quiet from others chakra.

Now I loved chakra.

But the things attached to chakra tended to be complex beings, of contradicting emotions & biases.

So quiet was welcomed.

Ahhh… this is nice.

Fuck I opened my eyes.

Ok… how am I getting out of here.

Looking up i couldn't make out any light.

Well that's terrifying.