Bone Rakshasa

Chapter 3 - I'm not fat, I'm big-boned.

The Kaguya are ill suited to being shinobi; I've said it before and I'll do so again. There was something about us. No, we should have been samurai instead - specifically the kind that refused the suffocating yoke of any and all masters. Only a few coins and their own fate in their hands. Ronin - the kind of warrior with truly great and lasting tales.

In this moment I genuinely felt like one, my jacket slung over my shoulders, an apathetic expression on my face, I was even doing that thing where I don't wear one sleeve of my kimono and instead hang my arm loosely by my chest - like any true world-weary vagabond ought to. I felt cool.

Though that might also be because I was frightfully underdressed for the bone-chilling temperatures of the Land of Snow.

Pakura too was enjoying the brisk weather. "I'm freezing my balls off in this godforsaken iceberg of a country! See if I ever return." She was decked out in the thickest jacket we could find in all the elemental nations, with a full complement of mufflers and mittens yet still she'd complain.

Though, again, that was likely because we were forced to trudge through hip deep snow rather than surface walking like civilized chakra users should.

Unfortunately for us, we were on a completely flat open, stark white plain and we're about the only visible thing for leagues. Our target was camouflaged, entrenched, and could spot us a mile away. We had to be careful.

This was one thing the fairy tales don't tell you about being a rogue ninja. You had to be entirely responsible for your own financial well-being. Unless one chose to resort to common banditry, the only means for a missing-nin to make their way in the world was through bounties and the sort of missions that shinobi villages shunned for their political implications - or they plain weren't worth it.

"If it weren't for the fat purse on offer, I'd toss this mission in the damn fire. Can't believe even Daimyos these days need to resort to bounties." Pakura continued.

"Considering the Daimyo is facing a coup from his own brother, they're probably both equally insufferable. The villages are probably just gonna let the situation handle itself and just take advantage of whoever comes out on top. Either way, good for us. We can just nab the payout and head to Hot Water - that'll suit you more sensei."

"And you can bet every last ryo you have that I'm only going to settle for the best suite with its own attached onsen. None of that sharing bath nonsense." She continued to grumble.

The wind shifted, the crisp breeze shoo'd away by the stench of unwashed rebellion. We stopped, spotting the camp a little ways off.

"Almost there. Let's reconfirm mission parameters." She prompted.

"Target is Doto Kazahana. B-Rank Jounin and brother of the Land of Snow's Daimyo - who himself is financing our hit because." I recited.

She sniffed a little, her nose was bright red and runny from the cold. "Mhm. And what do we say about shinobi rankings?"

"Don't call yourself a ninja unless you're A class or above. D, C, and B class stand for decomposing, corpse, and body waiting to happen."

"Good. And what makes this body waiting to happen think he's special?"

"Bingo book and client intel have stated he has some sort of special chakra armour that neutralizes ninjutsu, genjutsu, and is capable of tanking a certain level of strength. Apparently target can also utilize the Ice release."

Pakura merely scoffed at the idea. "Ice release? Please. The Yuki have ice release; this guy can manipulate a little snow with his chakra and suddenly everyone thinks he's going to start jumping from ice mirrors."

"It's ok sensei, I'll give him the appropriate corpse class distinction soon enough."

"You better, I want us done and dusted here immediately. The hot springs are calling my name."

I began divesting all the clothes from my upper torso, leaving me topless. I handed Pakura who sealed it away in a scroll. "If you want this done quickly you could let me use more than just taijutsu and nature manipulation."

"Denied. This is part of your training. You need to build up your baseline and not rely on chakra enhancement or your bloodline."

"If I can't use the shikotsumyaku, why do I have to take my clothes off? It's cold, my nipples are doing the dance of the cactus out here."

"You act like you always listen to me. Now turn around, I need to make sure the pressure seal is alright." I did as requested without further hindrance. The pressure seal was the ultimate restriction training seal that Pakura knew. Satisfied with the ink black artwork all the way down my spine she asked, "looking good, how's it feel?"

"My chakra feels like molasses and about as malleable as granite. My coils are tight and uncomfortable. My entire body feels like I'm submerged underwater with a small mountain strapped to me." I recounted the intended effects of the seal. "All in all, every moment is exquisite agony." …Pakura's training may be awakening something in me.

"Then it's doing its job. Leave it on for the fight."

We flexed our chakra simultaneously, six bright orbs of scorch energy formed behind her with one hand sign. Immediately the camp rose on alarm at our hostile intrusion. Startled shinobi came streaming out towards our direction.

Doto Kazahana was in lead. Perfect.

"You focus on primary, I'll eradicate the rabble." She grabbed two of the orbs in each palm, in a show of masterful shape manipulation the balls were now one long spear with flaming ends. She'd picked up the trick after needing to keep distance in our taijutsu spars. And with that she blitzed the attacking shinobi, leaving Doto standing all alone.

Clearly he didn't consider me any sort of threat, he turned his back to me - his focus on his rapidly mummifying comrades.

He couldn't finish taking a single step forward, I was there in his path in an instant. And as promised, no chakra, no jutsu, pure speed.

"Outta my way you!" He threw a punch, the nozzles on his elbows blasting chakra and propelling his fist down at me. I hopped up on it, planted my foot on his face and launched him away with a single kick.

He righted himself quickly, his nose was twisted and pouring blood. He stained his fingers with it in disbelief - which quickly turned to anger. "Oh, I'm gonna make you regret that!"

"How? You gonna bleed on me?"

Cue generic inarticulate bellow of indignation. More nozzles fired chakra, he surfed on the snow at a pace I'm sure he considered blistering. More compartments opened up from his armour, shooting out kunai while he swerved and strafed to get at me from as many angles as possible.

I could have dodged, but I wanted to force his hand and make him get serious. Pakura was right; he deserves corpse rating.

I let every single kunai hit me. Not a drop of blood. Even as he retreated in reverse, his face showed morbid fascination. His lazy little attack wasn't nearly enough to pierce my subdermal armour. And as I stood there like a large porcupine, I reflected that Pakura was right again for making me take my shirt off. That's why she's the sensei.

"What kind of monster are you?"

"A better one than you."

He'd backed off a reasonable distance and begun weaving hand signs. An absolutely massive horned whale made from the surrounding snow breached the sky above us, ready to flop down on me and crush me. Hyoton: White Whale.

It was a terribly slow jutsu, I had an eternity to respond. I formed a single ram seal, chakra roiled in my gut and I spat out a high pressure wave of water. The Suiton: Suidanha sliced through the hyoton jutsu with disdainful ease - casually dispelling it.

He came rushing at me then, his armour blazing with all the chakra he could muster. I kept pace with him, allowing us to compete in a taijutsu clash.

He was all about brute force hits, his punches were slow, but he had enough power in them to shatter the ground. I weaved through his blows; with every attack he could toss out, I struck with a few of my own. His flailing had disappointed me greatly so I wanted to humiliate him.

I never struck vital spots, I aimed to damage the useful bits of his armour. I smashed the kunai ejectors, bent the nozzles on his arms and legs out of shape, and disabled all the joints.

His armour, once his trump card, was now just pointless weight dragging him down. "No! I can't lose! My armour can't break! It's indestructible!"

"No it's not." I pierced his armour, his torso, and out though the back of his armour with my hand. "See?"

His breath left him, his eyes glued to my arm sunk shoulder deep inside him. "My armour… the ultimate weapon…" he gurgled out.

I pulled myself from him, a wet squelch following me. He dropped to the ground on his knees. "And now it's the ultimate coffin. Aren't you lucky?"

I tossed his corpse over my shoulder and set off towards the burning camp. Pakura was probably finished too. Time to get paid.

As promised we made our way towards the famed hot springs of Hot Water upon payment for the corpse of Doto to the Daimyo.

Sensei was more relaxed than I'd ever seen her. Our inn was lavish, and our personal natural hot spring even more so. Scents, sake, servants, the works.

I however was having even more fun. Pakura had deemed my chakra control sub-par during my battle and had me back on suiton transformation training. Apparently I'd wasted too much time moulding the technique.

While she relaxed at the edge of the pool, I was made to stand in the middle. The water below my feet was saturated with my chakra and I had to swirl it around my body like a torrent. But to make it more of a challenge Pakura had heated up a bunch of rocks with her scorch chakra and made me stick them on myself. Having to balance the opposing natures made it a tall task.

Or it would have been if I weren't amazing. So, I took the opportunity to talk to sensei about our next steps in development. "All I'm saying is shape manipulation isn't enough. I think chakra flow is the way to go. Just look at the Raikage, man's a beast. I'm sure Tsunade used and adapted the principle for her strength - hell, even the eight gates are like an deranged, overpowered version of chakra flow."

"Oh sage Kimi! Just relax would you? We're on vacation. And you don't know nearly enough about any of those techniques to be making those random guesses." She brushed me off and rolled her head back.

"But Pakura-" before I could begin, she angrily interrupted me. How rude, it's like a man can't even pester his sensei anymore.

"If you're talking so much, clearly I'm taking it too easy on you. Haven't even mastered your nature transformation, and already going on about advanced chakra application. I want a suijinheki circling you - opposite rotation from your feet. You want it hard, you got it buddy."

I'd thoroughly knocked her out of any good mood she was in.

She once more began complaining "Land of Hot Water my foot! More like Land of the ice bath. I have to do everything myself." Her chakra came pouring out, and suddenly the nice tranquil onsen was a kettle ready to boil over.

Now, maintaining the water wall jutsu on top of the chakra control wasn't too difficult. But the addition of the scalding water was proving to be quite a problem.

The water pouring from my mouth started sputtering, a high pitch whistle with every misstep in my control. Pakura was fuming, and my chakra coils were paying the price.

I was used to my chakra feeling like a raging river flowing through my system. Strong, fast, and flexible. Yet now a drought had hit the river. The heat from within my body, murdering any sweat.

The sputtering was increasing, the whistle was blowing louder. Something snapped and my chakra boiled over. I erupted like a geyser, steam billowed in searing hot clouds. Pakura leapt out as the spring evaporated of all water.

Pakura was astonished. "Well well. Looks like someone unlocked a boil release." She gingerly waved her hand through the billowing vapour, "hmm, not the real Futton kekkei genkai though. I don't feel any acid burn of any sort. Kind of like the knock-off version of the Hyoton really."

I stood at the bottom of a parched well spring. Steam continued to surge from me; white vapour slowly creating from my mouth. "This will do. Oh will this ever do." I was happy once more.

"Kimi… you really need to learn how to smile properly."

Current Timeline: 8 TC (Till Canon)

Kimimaro ~ 9 years old

Pakura ~ 19 years old

Naruto ~ 4 years old