Reborn in the Mist

“Let loose, Yagura-sama!” Harusame called from the Sensor Division rooftop, waving excitedly at me with a thickening crowd of onlookers pouring from inside the Division.

Even outside, there were more and more shinobi gathering to observe what was happening. Some had even come up to offer help and stand by me in their confusion. I stood on the building parallel to the Sensor Division— it was technically also a part of the Sensor Division but not where their main duties occurred. Like most military buildings it had clones and decoys built around it, spaced out evenly with passages and entrances built in for escape and alternate routes in the event of a deep-seated invasion.

This particular building had a purpose though. As far as I remembered, it was where new Sensor-nin were informally tested with exams and other mundane means— it explained why much of those who climbed up to meet me were star eyed Genin and talented Chuunin, much of whom had never been this close to me or any other Mizukage in some years.

I ignored them and their offers for help, they were too confused to understand the task and even if they did, they certainly didn’t have the talent for Ninjutsu to perform what I was about to. And so they lingered a safe distance behind me, watching, waiting while I searched my repertoire of destructive techniques to unleash against Harusame’s newly coined, Hiden: Great Mist Barrier.

Can’t be anything too destructive or else I might risk blowing through the Barrier and the building. Not that I didn’t have faith in what Harusame had created, just that there were few things capable of withstanding an assault from me. I inhaled deeply and commanded chakra out of my pathways and into the atmosphere where I seized molecules of water and supercharged them.

In a few moments a medium sized sphere of water warbled in front of me. I set my palm underneath it and began to directly fuel the sphere with more [Water Nature] chakra and as it grew, nearly eclipsing me in size I hollered out to Harusame, “I hope you’re ready!”

“Ready and waiting!”

I chuckled and with some hesitation began to spin the water within itself, creating a maelstrom inside the sphere as I considered the Great Mist Barrier. Here goes nothing, don’t die everyone.

At a thought a geyser shot out from the sphere, a condensed stream of hastened water crossed the distance between the two buildings in seconds. It smashed against the Great Mist Barrier and I heard the panicked yelps of those within from where I stood. Yet no my jet stream didn’t pierce through, a wave of energy rippled across the red barrier before it stabilised around my point of attack, not even bulging inwards or breaking under pressure.

I grinned and let the stream end. “Looks go-!”

“You can do better, Mizukage-sama!” Harusame cut me off, his voice boomed across the village almost as a taunt.

A ridiculous blush found its way on my cheeks as I shook my head. Indeed I could, the attack I’d just formed was an advanced manipulation of Chakra and a show of my intertwined affinity for Water Release, but it was not at all how serious jutsu should be executed.

Still, that easily counts as a C or even B-rank jutsu if I added more oomph. I sighed and glanced over my shoulder, finding a group of grinning Genin and awed Chuunin straightening up at my attention.

“That was…sufficient, Mizukage-sama.” One Chuunin squirmed, not sure if to ask for more or approve of my restraint.

“How did you do that? Do it again!”

“Another! Show us more powerful jutsu, Lord Fourth!.”

“Please Lord Fourth!”

The Genin on the other hand…

“Hahaha!” I couldn’t help feeling older than myself at their demands, the pressure of their admiration was difficult to shake away even though they likely hadn’t the talent for Ninjutsu. “Very well, another, a stronger one perhaps.”

Their eyes held all the approval I needed. I turned back and flexed my fingers as I brought them together in a single hand seal. Nothing too major but strong enough to reasonably leave a mark without…utterly destroying the environs.

There were people on the ground level staring up in wonder and amazement, a cluster of women, mostly administrative workers, pen pushing kunoichi watched beside their male counterparts as all transpired above their heads. I’d need fine control over the technique but still need it to be powerful enough— not a problem.

Bird.

The single hand seal coalesced by rising chakra outward, a great wind billowed my robes as the Wind Nature chakra siphoned air from the atmosphere, from all streets, corners and from on high, creating a miniature void that filled up a moments after as more air flushed to take its place.

All this gathered right at my side, a churning wave of batting winds the Genin and Chuunin behind me struggled to stand upright against. The winds gathered so densely they could be seen as much as they were felt, slowly but deliberately taking the form of a human, of me.

“Wind Release: Wind Explosion Clone.” I muttered as I subtly inserted its directive. This was one jutsu I used liberally during the 3rd Shinobi War, a single, moderately mindless clone with a mission to explode against an enemy target— usually defence formations, or encampments, rarely single opponents.

Today, it's target was Harusame’s Great Mist Barrier. It leaped off the roof, the winds literally on its back as it soared across the gap between the buildings in gracious fashion. It cocked its fist back as it approached and without so much as a yell, punched the Barrier, dissolving into violent winds right from its arm and then.

Boooom!

I shut my eyes as dust, debris and slicing winds scattered all over, the yelps, shrieks and cries of the Kunoichi below drowned out alongside the cheers and awes of the men and Genin behind me. The explosion was as deafening as it was dangerous, blades of wind deflected against the Barrier and sliced against my cheek, cutting up the concrete around the building.

It tamed only after nearly a full minute of raging against the Barrier, I opened my eyes and looked upon what damage I’d managed to inflict— my jaw fell open.

“Only a crack…” One Chuunin muttered behind me, walking over as he adjusted his glasses and rearranged his billowed uniform, “And its…regenerating.”

It was. And fast. Admittedly the crack stretched across almost three floors of the Sensor Division out of the seven that made up the building. While my attack was standard and not at all as supercharged as I would usually make it against a wartime enemy for the sake of nearby buildings and people, I had still poured a significant amount of chakra into it, arguably enough for one standard [Shadow Clone], not to mention the fact that it was an elemental attack.

I folded my arms across my chest, scratching my chin as I and Harusame studied how the Barrier fixed itself up. The crack itself, while lengthy, was not as wide, not nearly enough for a human, or even a child to slip through. Weapons, sure, but with how quickly it was stitching itself together, that too became increasingly unlikely.

I clapped my hands, beginning an applause all that stood in silent awe quickly partook in. The entire Sensor Division district praised the new jutsu and its master, “Well done, Harusame. We thank you!” I bellowed out, gesturing for him to lower the Barrier so I could leap over.

Even from another building I could see how aglow with honour he was, he bowed deeply, nodding and shaking hands, accepting well done pats on his back all while scurrying over to disable the Barrier.

It came down in a shutter, some of it dissolving into ambient chakra while the rest was reabsorbed into the box through the antennae that sent it out. I wasted no time and leaped over, the applause was still going, louder even as I landed as some felt the need to congratulate me as well.

I shook my head and waved away the handshakes, “No, no, this is all Harusame, we thank him and credit him for this new power…an Ultimate Defence!” I proclaimed proud and loudly. On a different day I would be worried about spies finding out about this new jutsu, about stealing it or harming Harusame but I had no such worries. “Kirigakure will be untouchable!”

Rounds of whoops and cheers erupted around us, the Sensor Division swarmed Harusame, their smiles large and wide— they knew better than most how much this made their jobs easier.

They parted for me as I approached Harusame and Utakata, both wearing well earned grins. I couldn’t be more proud or satisfied this day. I set my hand out for him and he took it without a pause, his much larger palms enveloped mine even as he bowed, shrinking himself before me.

“Well done, Harusame, you have brought to life a vision I merely believed theoretical…you…you are protecting the village. I thank you.”

“Anything for you, Mizukage-sama. Anything for the village.”

I nodded, the vibrant energies of everyone around filling me up, casting away the shadows that loomed over me for the entire year, if only for a moment, “We can talk in detail about its applications later, but for now, I should sit with Utakata.”

The young Jinchuriki looked surprised and then nervous, whatever he’d been struggling with was surely the fault of my machinations, he was doing fine before I thought to meddle and force a relationship for the sake of winning a war in a future that was becoming more and more distant from the one I saw now. He deserved my time the most now.

I patted Harusame on his arm, “Go, celebrate and perhaps teach the Sensor Division a thing or two about reliability will you?”

He bellowed out a raucous laughter, “Yes, sir, yes, I will do my best.” He turned to Utakata and his smile briefly faltered into worry, he maintained it and ruffled the boy’s hair, “Be good, respectful.”

Utakata nodded and together, we watched him leave, hauled away by whoops and cheers and promises of rounds of sake and an endless barbecue. I waited until the rooftop was emptied out before I addressed the nervous standing Jinchuriki.

“So, is there something you want to—”

“Mizuuukagee-samaaaaa!” a voice, all too familiar yet skewed in a poor impression of femininity beckoned from the streets below. “Yagura-sammaaa! Please come quick, I neeeddd youuu! Mizuuukagee-samaaa!”

Against my volition a blush found itself upon my cheeks as I ran up to the edge and peeked over it. And there was— Uncle!

He stood there in his usual noble attire squealing like a shy school girl for all to see. I wanted to duck and hide but there was nowhere to and even if I did, the second hand embarrassment of knowing he was here squealing my name and title like this.

“Kami take me, what is it, Uncle?!” I yelled, trying not to be too angry.

He blew me a kiss and then, without the voice said in all seriousness, “Get down here, we need to talk.”