Unaimaru spat out into the water. I quickly righted myself, finding up and down before the water could disorient further and kicked my way to the top where I climbed out and stood atop the surface sending a glare at the giant unagi that was my courier. His barbels simply raised and pointed behind . A door, the sa one I’d been brought before during my last visit to Kaizoku’s summon realm.
The bold, red spiral of the Uzumaki held greater importance after the brief conversation Unaimaru had amused Uncle with— speaking of which, “Don’t you ever touch my Uncle like that, Unaimaru, do you understand ?”
Unaimaru cackled, his head bobbing underneath his relaxed body, “You give too many orders for a summoner that might never see tomorrow.”
His words I knew were truthful or at least he believed them to be. Unaimaru, giant unagi capable of drowning entire navies or not, was getting on my last nerve, “And you are too disobedient for a fish that feeds off his fathers leftovers.”
The giant unagi lost his relaxed gaze and inched towards , his head becoming more pronounced, glaring eyes fixated on my unyielding form. I doubted he could still see by the ti he stopped and said, “Never again call a fish.”
“Don’t ever handle my Uncle without my permission.”
We remained at an impasse and I would have loved to ensure his fragile will buckled against the waves of killing intent radiating off of but I literally had bigger fish to attend to.
I showed him my back and approached the large Uzumaki labelled door that led to Kaizoku, the unagi guards barely recognized my presence beyond pulling the door open. This ti I braced myself, expecting to be overtaken by a tidal wave but none ca. The water level between the rooms was flat with little more than a ripple passing through as the doors swung open.
But I felt his presence, a greater pressure than Unaimaru could hope to achieve, bathed , rattled my teeth and bones for a fleeting mont before it ant nothing. Isobu’s chakra, I felt my friend bolster my chakra network with a small infusion that instantly toughened my mind and will.
Thank you, Isobu. He didn’t offer a response, content to watch and pay attention as I ventured into Kaizoku’s lair. The large door began to shut the mont I walked through, until the only light source was the ominous pair of slit eyes leering up at from the water's depths.
“Kaizoku, I have paid your grueso price and I have co to reap its worth.” Truly, what was the worth of five hundred drowned souls?
Whether he heard my call or just got tired of staring, Kaizoku began to rise, slithering up the impossible distance in a few seconds. His head breaking the water tension was like a mountain being born, he continued to rise even after exiting the water, extending to heights only his tower could afford.
“The little turtle has returned and with his task complete. This is the first ti a human has fulfilled that task of mine this quickly, you must really be the Mizukage.” Unlike his progeny, Unaimaru, Kaizoku spoke without a hint of derision.
“That I am, great Sea Serpent Sage.”
Kaizoku chuckled, his rry breath shook the tower more than his spoken voice, “I see. You, turtle, have ambition, a finish line you are desperate to cross.”
I narrowed my eyes up at the colossal creature, not liking the way he threaded his sentence, “Do not attempt to extort , Kaizoku. I have done as you asked, delivered five score lungs drowned in your waters, drowned in the Kaizoku sea. It is ti you reveal your secrets.”
“I need no reminders of my obligation, turtle. I will do as I have promised, now co closer.”
I sensed Isobu stirring within , my friend’s concern growing without a verbal thought. Still, I walked further into Kaizoku’s overshadowing form until he spoke again, this ti in a hush that didn’t rattle walls, “The path of the Sage is one of nature and nature is wild, an untaable being that cannot be bargained with as you bargain with .” He continued, “There is no in betweens in such a path, you either beco a Sage or you beco one with nature, one with my realm.”
I’d thought as much. Jason’s mories did not include Kaizoku or anything related to his summon path, but the little I recalled of Senjutsu inford of the toad Sage Arts and the penalties for failing its transformation. Kaizoku’s rn and other strange human-aquatic hybrids fit the bill well enough.
“I understand.” I said, resolute.
“Do you? You must undergo a trial of nature itself, accepting its power, the chakra of the entire world into your frail, small body. Do you not have a village to protect, Mizukage?”
“I do. This is how I will protect them.”
Kaizoku’s gaze held mine for a mont before he slowly blinked, “Shinobi…I will only warn you once more then. Once we begin you will have to balance the nature chakra entering your chakra pathways with your own chakra, you will have to contain the power of all the worlds with your own. If you are not capable enough then you will beco kin and never leave. Do you accept this?”
“I have been waiting for this.”
Kaizoku inhaled and after witnessing Unaimaru do the sa before demolishing a boat, I tensed and awaited the devastating blow of water to strike . Instead, the spout of water Kaizoku expelled cradled , even as I sunk into the veritable ocean from its impact.
It took all of three seconds to recognize the next change. The water cradling was also invading my body and chakra network. Water has a weight, it always has but this felt nothing like the weight of water. Every sliver that slipped through my pores was like a kunai to the knee.
The water brought along with it a concentrated amount of Nature Chakra that quickly began to sicken as I continued to fall, though my descent didn’t last as the cradle of the Nature Chakra infused waters created a sphere around that Kaizoku dragged out.
He placed in a folding of his tail and inspected my acute experience of agony. His words were muffled by the dense water in my ears, but I heard his words and they weren’t helpful. “You must absorb or expel this sphere of Nature Chakra, accomplish one and you may have so potential to beco a Sage after all.”
He said so more things but I’d quickly stopped listening the mont I felt a new nostril or gill growing out of . I’ve definitely had enough Nature Chakra co in. I grabbed a hold of my chakra, seizing the bounty becoming a Jinchuriki left with and fought against the Nature Chakra.
I flooded my pathways with chakra spun at my core. But flushing out the excess Nature Chakra was no easy task. It weighed at least twenty tis as much as my normal chakra did, quickly demanding more chakra continue my efforts.
My eyes were squeezed shut in concentration, I didn’t even concern myself with the agony of the water still seeping into my pores, introducing more dense granules of Nature Chakra in spite of my attempts to be free of it.
“Rember balance, Yagura-kun. Balance between us, between your two selves, between Nature and Man. Acceptance alone will bring balance.”
Isobu’s voice was like a distant scream, easily lost in a whirling wind but his words reached . His trust reached . He didn’t intervene, didn’t infuse my pathways with his chakra to help. He was trusting to find the balance as I had over and over again since waking up in this world, since becoming two people, since becoming Mizukage.
I let go. Of all of it. The tension, fear, worry, guilt, indecision, mistrust, paranoia, sches and doubts of futures yet to co to pass. I let go of it all in one exhale and allowed the Nature Chakra to be free.
It cycled through my pathways like an IV drip and with my focus recentred on maintaining balance, the water seeping through my pores stopped hurting. The weight of Nature Chakra beca a force I rely guided down existing paths rather than challenge.
A cold breath blew over and I fell, knocked out from the sphere. Kaizoku was there to catch , he raised up to his face and for the first ti since I entered the room his eyes weren’t the only thing I could see.
“Well done, turtle, you truly are worth the title Mizukage.”
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