15Hey everyone! We are back in the Past with Ilona and Co. As always I own nothing but my OCs and plot twists~! Naruto doesn't belong to me, if it had many things would be different and Magi doesn't either. Please remember to review and comment, it is always appreciated!
Now, on with the show!
The Past…
"Are you certain you wish to leave?"
"Yes." Ilona says shortly, tying her saddle bags into place.
Madara frowns, folding his arms as he glares at her. Ilona expertly ignores him, soothing her mount as she double checks the horse's hooves for stones. Satisfied, she turns back to him and allows her stoic expression to soften slightly.
"Thank you, for everything." She tells him.
"Hn." Madara grunts.
Madara gazes at her and ruefully acknowledges Ilona was not who he had expected her to be. When he had offered to hire her on as a mercenary after they returned to the compound, she had flatly refused. Madara had pressured her into explaining why and her answer was unabashedly forthright and cutting.
"I will not participate in a war that fields children as soldiers and whose bloodied origin is lost to time."
He shakes himself out of his thoughts, watching as Ilona mounts in her modified clothing. All the garments Izuna and Madara had donated were stripped of the Uchiha clan symbol and trimmed in crimson at the neck and sleeves. When Izuna had asked why she chose red, her expression became distant. Ilona had explained she couldn't remember her clan symbol beyond its color and the significance of it.
"Crimson for good fortune, courage and enduring love." She had told them.
Izuna had teased her for it, but Ilona had refused to be embarrassed. She had gotten even by altering Izuna's favorite mantle in scarlet and left it out for him to see. The face Izuna had made was preserved forever with the Sharingan (Madara couldn't help it, Izuna's expression was too funny).
Running footsteps catch their attention and they see Izuna zip around a corner and skid to a stop next to Madara. He stares at Ilona and pouts when he sees the fully kitted horse and Ilona atop it. She raises her eyebrow at him questioningly. Izuna turns his face away, his ears slightly pink.
"You're leaving?" He mumbles.
"Yes." Ilona answers, slightly confused by the question.
I'm on a horse with all my visible possessions- what did he think I was doing? She wonders silently.
Madara shoots Izuna a glance as well, raising his eyebrows then his eyes sparkle with mirth at whatever he discerned from Izuna. Izuna's ears change from pink to scarlet as he takes a deep breathe.
"Willyoucomebackandseeusagain?" Izuna rushes out.
Ilona blinks while Madara represses his laughter.
"… I am aware that Fire is not my first language, but I don't think those were words." Ilona finally replies.
Izuna flushes as he finally looks at her, his face hot with embarrassment.
"I said will you come back and see us again?!" He yells, mortified.
Ilona stills and surprise flickers across her expression before she smiles hesitantly at him.
"Izuna, you still have my jambiya right?" She asks, leaning on the pommel of her saddle.
Izuna nods, still a bit red in the face.
"Then hang onto it for me, ne? I'll come back for it, so we will have to meet again for that to happen." Ilona reasons.
Izuna brightens in understanding and nods, his expression going back to its normal smile. Ilona wavers for a moment then swings down and walks over to him. Ilona ruffles his hair, making him squawk with outrage as she sternly glares at him.
"Listen to your brother, don't allow your temper to get the best of you and keep training. Do not die." She orders him.
Izuna pouts at her as he tries to fix his ponytail. Ilona nods to Madara then remounts her horse, turning to leave. Over her shoulder, she calls back to the pair.
"Izuna, Sasha is my warrior name. Ask your brother for my other name. Stay alive." She tells them both before kicking her horse into a canter.
Izuna turns to Madara with a baffled expression.
"Warrior name? She has a second name- wait, why do you even know what her second name is?" Izuna demands, pouting at Madara.
Madara mentally sighs at the snarly mess Ilona had cunningly dumped into his lap- not that he hadn't intended to explain 'Sasha's' real identity to Izuna, but now Izuna is nearly frothing at the mouth with curiosity. Probably her form of payback for the genjutsu he had used on her. He silently leads the way to one of the more isolated training fields and stops, folding his arms to await for the barrage of questions.
"Aniki!" Izuna growls at him.
Madara huffs at him.
"I saw her going out on a walk in the middle of the night, so I followed her. Then I heard her speak in the same language the floating woman Ilona used. I interrogated her and she admitted to being Ilona."
Izuna stills in disbelief and then growing rage as his Sharingan activates.
"That-!" He hisses, fists clenched.
"But she was adamant that Sasha is also her name and she intends no harm against our clan." Madara continues before Izuna races off to hunt Ilona down.
Izuna glares at him, fresh with embarrassment and fury.
"Aniki! How can you trust her?!" He barks.
Madara narrows his eyes and flashes his Sharingan at Izuna.
"I searched her mind with the Sharingan, Izuna! She bares no ill-will towards us; if anything, she doesn't want to be involved in our feud with the Senju at all. What she wants is to be left alone!" He snaps.
Izuna pauses, going through his own memories. He compares the mysterious, powerful woman Ilona to the stoic yet accomplished fighter Sasha. Ilona had never attacked them, even when defending herself. Sasha had killed and maimed others to protect him, uncaring of her own injuries. Ilona had treated Hashirama and Madara like equals to herself. Sasha had trouble with basic manners and was sarcastic when he or someone else was being idiotic. Both had the same facial scars and same violet eyes, as well as the same disappointed stares for the shinobi she had encountered.
Izuna grimaces, unwilling to face defeat so easily.
"But why?! Why did you let her leave if she could fight alongside us against the Senju? They'll target her anyways for besting Tobirama!" Izuna argues.
Madara scowls darkly.
"Sasha was hell-bent on leaving and the only way we could have stopped her was with force or a genjutsu! And I would rather not find out her other abilities because she attacks our clan for trying to weaponize her!"
"Why isn't a genjutsu an option? She's not a kunoichi so it should be safe!" Izuna retorts.
Madara growls, shoving his bangs out of his face.
"She has a spirit that guards her mind; even if we did catch her in a genjutsu, the spirit would break it." He explains gruffly.
Izuna blinks at that tidbit and frowns, his Sharingan fading.
"What should we do?" He says at last, his anger fading.
Madara stares off into the distance and sighs slightly.
"Listen for news, rumors, and distract the Senju so they can only focus on us." He decides.
Izuna nods resolutely.
Two weeks later…
Ilona pats her horse's neck, soothing the animal as it drinks desperately from a stream and scans their surroundings again. After leaving the Uchiha's territory, she had immediately headed north-west and away from Hi no Kuni. And the Senju-Uchiha feud too, since Ilona has no illusions about how those two clans would react if they realized the full extent of her abilities. Even Madara didn't know, thanks to Metis, but that doesn't stop age-old instincts to avoid possible capture.
She pulls her horse away and remounts, heading towards something Gaia had detected that makes the djinn certain is one of the mirror shards. Ilona and Metis concede to her sensing capabilities since Gaia had accidently infused the mirror with her own aura. So Ilona continues into older and more rugged forests, letting Gaia lead the way. It takes another three days before Ilona notices strange impressions in the ground. She swings off her horse easily and crouches to examine the crater.
The shape of it nags her badly, like she should recognize it but the sheer size of it throws her off. Easily the size of two wagons side-by-side, it is mostly circular in shape with an odd indent that is sharply pointed almost like a thin wedge. Ilona frowns at it, cocking her head.
'This looks familiar but I can't remember what it reminds me of!' Ilona grumbles silently.
'My king?' Metis inquires.
Ilona shakes her head and sighs as she moves back to her horse.
'Never mind. It'll occur to me later, knowing my luck.' She answers the djinn.
In the distance, unbeknownst to Ilona, a cautious but intrigued gaze is watching the traveling mercenary as she progresses further into the forest.
Elsewhere…
Tobirama can't believe that Hashirama has him doing an easy mission instead of fighting on the battlefield! Certainly the rarer herbs found in Taki no Kuni are better for blending medicines but still! He dearly wants to deck Hashirama for keeping him confined to first his room, then the Senju compound for a better part of a month. Hashirama had escaped his wrath by assigning him a vital but extremely easy mission (for Tobirama at least).
Grumbling, he casually scans the area around him for any possible threats and stiffens, red eyes widening. There is a presence- but it's muffled, almost swallowed by the chakra in the world around it. He pushes his senses harder, trying to get a lock on the elusive signature. It is wandering off deeper into the mountains, well away from civilization. Swiftly he makes a decision to scout the odd presence- Tobirama is many things, but indecisive is not one of them.
He shunshins higher into the mountains, tracking the presence. It takes him the better part on an hour to catch up and he hides carefully in a tree, frowning. A woman with long mahogany hair in a ponytail and dark clothes trimmed in crimson is brushing her horse, a sword hanging from her belt. Tobirama stretches his senses again and stills, stunned.
She has no chakra?! How is that possible? Every living thing has chakra-! Tobirama thinks, his mind whirling.
"Come out."
Tobirama nearly falls out of his hiding place at the woman's calm command. Ruby eyes widen at the woman's back (still turned towards him) but he doesn't move just yet.
It could have been a fluke. Tobirama reminds himself.
There is a beat of silence then a soft sigh. The woman turns around and Tobirama stiffens because it's her. The mercenary that injured him, that stopped him from killing Izuna, is staring directly at him with a coolly exasperated expression. One hand is on her hip as she raises an imperious eyebrow.
… Alright, not a fluke. Tobirama admits to himself.
"Well? I don't have all day." She says dryly.
Tobirama weights the risks then moves into the open, frowning at her pensively. Her expression remains calm if exasperated as she gazes up at him.
"State your purpose, Senju." She challenges him.
Tobirama scowls.
"I will be asking the questions." He retorts, folding his arms.
She snorts derisively.
"Oh?" She drawls.
Tobirama feels a spark of anger at her clear dismissal of his authority.
"Where is the rest of your squad?" He demands.
"Squad?" She raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, the squad you are traveling with- there's no way you are alone." He reasons.
Her face doesn't change but Tobirama suddenly feels a surge of amusement and annoyance from the woman.
"You don't say." She says dryly.
Tobirama glares at her- she remains indifferent as she turns back to her horse. His hand clasps his sword and she stills, cocking her head.
"Answer my questions, woman." Tobirama snaps, drawing his katana.
She glances at him and suddenly slaps her horse's ass, sending it racing deeper into the woods. Tobirama jolts involuntarily and she takes the opportunity to draw her sword, facing him with a level gaze. Her violet irises darken to a deeper purple, icy with disapproval as she stares him down.
"I think not. Especially for one as rude as yourself." She answers coolly.
Tobirama narrows his eyes and channels chakra freely into his body. She merely shifts her feet to better brace herself, staying calm. He body flickers, katana ready for a diagonal slash to cut her torso in two. Her blade whips up and meets his with a loud 'clang' as she expertly twists and redirects most of the power away from her. Tobirama lands lightly and surges in for another blow but she steps forward and forces him back. He grunts with effort, shoving at their locked blades but she suddenly frees her blade and cuts his upper arm.
Tobirama snarls and his hands fly through hand signs.
Suiton: Water Bullets!
Several balls of highly pressurized water shoot from his mouth, forcing the mercenary on the defensive. She weaves between them or deflects with her sword with a grim expression of concentration. Tobirama shunshins close, slicing at her legs. She leaps, tucking her legs over the blade and slashes at his shoulder. He barely blocks in time, grunting as he tosses her away from him. She lands gracefully and watches him with an unreadable expression.
Tobirama frowns as he thinks of what to do.
If I can take her off guard then I can finish her- I should leave my Hirashin markings around the clearing to increase my chances while keeping her distracted with clones. He decides.
His hands rise to form a hand sign but is interrupted by her abrupt charge, forcing him to block instead. Tobirama growls angrily as he pushes back against her, channeling chakra into his arms and legs in a bid to overpower her. Violet eyes narrow and she suddenly slams her knee into his crotch, smashing through his armor with a loud 'crack'. Tobirama's vision darkens as he tries to wheeze past the pain, noticing too late that she had disarmed him and forced him to his knees.
Anger sparks inside him as he glares up at her. The mercenary calmly meets his eyes, her sword pressed against his throat hard enough to draw a thin trickle of blood.
"I will say this once. I have completed my contract with the Uchiha clan and I am no longer working alongside them. Further attempts to attack or assassinate me will be met with deadly force. Do you understand?" She coolly demands.
Ruby eyes widen at her statement as he analyzes the possibilities of her lying to him. He grimaces when he senses her feelings of annoyance, exasperation and an icy resolve. She has no hesitation in following through on her threat.
Dammit, she's serious… and I can't tell if she's lying or not. Tobirama notes.
"Then why did you attack me?" He growls.
Her eyebrow shoots up and Tobirama can feel her disbelief and abject displeasure with him.
"I did not start the fight, Senju. You did." She reminds him coldly.
Tobirama frowns, reviewing the fight and nearly face palms when he remembers the first blow had been his. She nods firmly at his realization and strides off after her horse. Tobirama gapes at her blatant dismissal but quickly recovers and tags multiple points in the clearing with his fuinjutsu seal. When she doesn't come back after ten minutes Tobirama sets traps out of paranoia. Half an hour later Tobirama is bored and glances at her saddle bags.
I wonder what I can learn about her from her belongings… He muses.
Cautiously, after checking for traps, Tobirama opens one saddle bag and examines the possessions inside. Mostly it contains spare clothes, all with the red trim on the edges, and several spools of razor wire. His eyebrow rises at the razor wire, all of varying strength and flexibility. He repacks the saddle bag and opens the other one. Rations, water canteens, a pair of longer double-edged blades, whet stones of varying hardness, oils for treating her blades, a pouch of tea, a set of chipped dishes and a teapot.
Tobirama frowns, annoyed at the lack of clues beyond the foreign make of her weapons and a minimalist personality. The rest of her supplies are fairly standard for Kuni no Hi. He repacks the saddle bag and makes certain everything was as the mercenary had left it. A while later he hears the muffled steps of a horse drawing nearer to the clearing. Tobirama gets to his feet, katana in hand as he warily watches her ride bareback towards him. She ignores him, to his irritation, checking her saddle and saddle bags with a critical eye as she tests the strap joints for weakness or sabotage.
Eventually she is satisfied and straps the saddle back onto her horse. Tobirama frowns as she remounts and makes to leave.
"Where are you going, mercenary?" He asks.
She glances at him.
"Elsewhere." She curtly replies before urging her horse back into the darkening forest.
Tobirama stares after her and unbidden a surge of curiosity grows within him. After dismantling his traps he follows her cautiously, keeping his distance.
…
Ilona is annoyed. The Senju (Ilona vaguely recalls his name might be something-rama) is following her where-ever she goes for the past week. He doesn't draw too close but Ilona can still sense his magoi hovering around her. Its grating on her nerves since Ilona deeply values her privacy and now she can't adhere to her new training regime to master Gaia's abilities. Both of her djinn are uneasy with the situation, frequently recommending that Ilona flee out of his reach (Gaia) or remove his awareness of her presence (Metis).
And the mirror shard has moved further away, as if it is actively avoiding her or her unwanted stalker. Eventually Ilona has enough and uses Gaia's ability over flora to grow certain plants that she knows will make a potent deterrent. It isn't even lethal- just extraordinarily painful. She calmly grinds up the fruits of her labor and carefully rigs a trap about where the Senju would hover. And then she waits.
Once she had settled for the night, Ilona senses Senju-kun's magoi near her trap as she had estimated he would be. Ilona waits to see if he will move on but he follows the pattern of staying in place. Sighing, Ilona tugs on a strand of wire as fine as spider silk, carefully dulled to minimize chances of it being seen. Moments later she senses a flare of panic, pain and rage in Senju-kun's magoi.
Leisurely Ilona walks to where she senses him and takes in the sight: Senju-kun is writhing on the ground, tears pouring down his swollen rosy face as he hisses garbled curses. Ilona props a hand on her hip, approving of her handiwork; dried peppers ground into a fine powder mixed with other spices meant to inflame and debilitate are very difficult to ignore. Especially when exposed to the target's eyes, nose and mouth.
"Good evening Senju-kun. Are you enjoying yourself?" She inquires.
He snarls at her, glaring at her through his runny eyes. Ilona moves her head to one side, dodging the kunai he threw at her. She sighs and settles on a stump as he futilely tries to ease the burning sensation.
"It will not kill you, Senju-kun." She remarks idly.
He throws another kunai at her. Ilona catches it deftly, examines it for poison or other surprises before setting it aside.
"That said, it will hurt for several days before wearing off. I suggest not rubbing your eyes- that will only make it worse." Ilona continues her explanation.
"Why-!" Senju-kun grits out.
"I dislike stalkers. I dislike those that pry into my affairs. And I dislike those who judge before having all the facts and feel they have the right to constantly invade my privacy. Consider this a warning, Senju-kun."
The shinobi curses foully but Ilona is unfazed.
"If you're trying to impress me with crude words, you're failing miserably." Ilona remarks.
"Bitch!" He hisses, trying to stand.
Ilona rolls her eyes.
"Why must you drag dogs into this? They are perfectly respectable animals." She sighs.
He glares at her, eyes even more red than normal as he sways upright. Ilona cocks her head and gives him a considering stare, weighing options in her mind.
"Promise to leave me alone and I will give you a remedy." She offers.
Tobirama scowls at her and stubbornly stays silent, unwilling to agree to such a bargain. Ilona shakes her head at his bullheadedness and walks towards her camp without a backwards glance.
"Very well. Try not to die then." Her voice reaches him as she disappears into the woods.
Tobirama grits his teeth, mentally running through what he knows of Ilona's surprise and possibilities of what to do.
It is an inflammatory inducing powder, but unlikely to be a true poison from what she said. Strong reactions to sensitive tissues- eyes, nose, throat. Burning and itching sensation to said tissues. Will water flush it out?
Tobirama debates it for all of three seconds before summoning water and dropping it on his head. He quickly regrets it as the burning sensation grows worse. Many garbled curses wheeze out of his throat and Tobirama knows that it will be a long night as he drags himself into the canopy to hide.
…
The next day dawns and Tobirama flinches, his eyes extremely sensitive to the sunlight streaming through the trees. His throat and nose are raw and sore as he breathes. He spreads his senses, paranoia making him scan the area for potential threats. A long ways off Tobirama can sense shinobi racing towards Kuni no Hi but no other close threats. Aside from the mercenary, that is.
His jaw clenches at the memory of how she had brought him low so easily and then callously offered to fix the damage if he left her alone. It was humiliating! He had sensed a vague sense of pity from her but no true repentance for disabling him. Tobirama grimly eats one of his rations, wincing at the pain in his throat as he swallows but persists. Failure to keep up his strength would end in death and that was unacceptable.
The day passes slowly and uneventfully until Tobirama senses the mercenary returning to his temporary camp. He glares at her and she silently observes him, purple eyes assessing him minutely. Tobirama feels exposed under her penetrating stare and readies himself for battle, knowing he will be at a disadvantage-! She quirks her eyebrow and leaves as suddenly as she came. The albino is nonplused by her behavior and is burning with questions.
…
Day two is more tolerable than day one, his eyes starting to finally not feel as itchy. His nose remains tender but his throat has improved after eating several meals. Tobirama spreads his senses and blinks in surprise; the mercenary had moved on, already a fair distance away. He staggers to his feet and makes to break camp when he remembers how she attacked him for following her.
It's better to stay away from her. Tobirama decides but wavers again, his need for information warring with his caution.
He eventually decides to compromise and creates a shadow clone to trail her- better to avoid any retaliation from her. His clone poofs into existence, nods and races off while Tobirama leans his head against the tree.
Anija better appreciate this! He grumbles mentally as he resumes his scanning of his surroundings.
Tobirama stiffens when five shinobi signatures register too close for coincidence- the same signatures that he had sensed yesterday. Gritting his teeth, Tobirama gathers his supplies and hides all traces of his presence before racing deeper into the woods. A bare five minutes later he senses the group change course to chase after him. Mentally he swears and suppresses his chakra while speeding up.
His pursuers continue to chase him and Tobirama is grudgingly impressed by their tracking skills- not just anyone can follow him after all. Normally he wouldn't care since very few shinobi are skilled enough to match him combat-wise. But his newly re-inflamed throat and eyes remind him sharply that he is not in prime condition to fight. And that limits his options.
Red eyes narrow as he considers various battle plans until a stray thought pops into his head.
He wants to see what the mercenary is capable of- and the shinobi chasing him are more likely to strike first and ask questions later. It's a perfect opportunity.
Tobirama changes course and darts towards the mercenary. It's time to see what she is truly capable of.
And that is a wrap! Next time will be in the Present, which I will update in the next few days. Please feel free to comment and review! Stay safe out there!
