Episode 6: A Taste of Greg
Kuria stood in the middle of the street, staring at the large sign above the ramen shop that read: “Greg’s Ramen.” Hmm. That seemed odd -- he had never met anyone named Greg before. Fate seemed to agree with his suspicions. A rough breeze blew through the street, causing a piece of paper to fall off the first letter of the sign. It now read: “Vreg’s Ramen.” Kuria could’ve sworn he had heard that name before. He shrugged, and pushed open the door to the inside.
“Yeah, it was done with pinpoint accuracy. The chakra flow to their hearts completely blocked; they died of what looks like poison, but was actually completely unrelated.” Izumi explained to Hayame.
“If Lord Kuria is still going to confront the shopkeeper, I’d probably tell him to get backup. Whoever did this has godlike medical skills at least.” Hayame nodded in agreement.
“I’ll go speak with him.” The Hokorikage weaved a few hand signs and disappeared into the ground.
He broke the surface on the street outside the shop a few minutes later.
“Vreg’s Ramen. Huh.” Hayame scratched his chin. Last time he was here, it was Greg’s Ramen, but the new name sounded so familiar. “I swear I’ve heard that name before.” Hayame shrugged and cautiously opened the front door.
“Lord Hayame is asking for assistance.” Izumi said before the remaining two Kage and elders he was able to round up. “The matter is semi-confidential, I wouldn't bring any of your shinobi unless they already know the situation.”
“I understand.” Fulvius spoke up. The others muttered their agreement, and teams began to form.
Kuro Nakai and Reminance Kaiyo glared at each other.
“Don’t let your chakra get out of control this time.” Reminance warned Kuro as they walked out of the Kage Building together. Chikai shamelessly stalked a few meters behind her Kage as he talked to the Kaminarikage.
Kazuki Kaiyo, who had arrived in the village the day before, paired with Sareko Akaihono. They looked towards Toratsume and Fulvius, expecting them to join their team.
“I've got some friends I need to gather.” Fulvius explained. “I'll be there soon, head off without me.” Toratsume nodded and joined the Ash and Volcano Elders. If this shopkeeper, whoever he was, could give even one Kage a run for their money, it was going to be a fun battle to watch.
“And what should I do?” Fulvius had forgotten Izumi was still there. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by an explosion that shook the ground.
They both turned to look. Dust and dirt shot into the air around the ramen shop they were supposed to be investigating.
“There will probably be some casualties.” Fulvius said. “Deal with them.” Izumi nodded and jumped away.
-A few minutes beforeKuria looked around suspiciously. Several tables were occupied with happy customers slurping their ramen.
“So what ye want, laddy?” A guy called Kuria from the counter. He was short and old, with brown hair that was riddled with grease.
“Errr…” Kuria approached him. “Uhh, one ramen please.”
“What kind?”
“Umm… The noodle kind.”
“Yeah, but what do you want on it?”
“Sauce?”
“Fuck’s sake, fine. Just a plain ramen coming up.” He reached under the counter and pulled a slip of paper. “Take this, when I call your number come and get your order.” Kuria read it: 493.
“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?” This was where those slips of paper were coming from? Kuria slammed his fist onto the counter, shattering the wood and causing a boiling pot of water to fall onto the shopkeeper’s foot. A cloud of smoke exploded, and out stepped a significantly younger guy. He was still fairly short, but he had black hair and the most incredible eyes -- a ripple pattern with a gray-blue monotone.
“So your name is Vreg, huh?” Kuria asked sheepishly; after all, he did just ruin the guy’s counter and spill boiling water on him.
Whoops. However, that didn't explain why he was hiding his true identity -- or anything about the villagers that died in here.
Vreg expelled a wave of force without any warning. No hand signs or precursor actions were taken. Kuria was flung through the front doors as the building collapsed, knocking down Hayame on his way.
“That's one odd guy.” Kuria said as he dusted off his white Kage robes.
“Do you think it's him?” Hayame looked towards his young comrade. “The Vreg from the Myth of Creation?”
“Well, it's called a myth for a reason. I don't think anyone could live that long. But, we'll never know until we find out.” And they would find out soon. Vreg flew out of the rubble, winding up a punch.
The Kage moved quickly; Hayame stopped the punch with both hands and Kuria returned a kick to the gut. Vreg didn't budge, despite the power Kuria had put into his attack. With incredible speed, Vreg grabbed Hayame’s hands and Kuria’s leg. After a quick spin through the air, the Kage were thrown dozens of meters away.
Vreg pursued, but rather than jump through the air, he bashed through multiple buildings on the way, protected by a cloak of lightning. Hayame was targeted first; he was the elder Kage and his abilities had probably matured more.
The Hokorikage sat still near where he had landed, on the uninhabited part of the Hidden Hill. It was the closest to nature he could get in the village, and he would need a lot of nature energy. Red lines sprouted from his eyes and his hair began to turn white, starting at the roots. It would be too little, too late, though. Vreg was only a few meters away, and would close the distance before Hayame could even get halfway done entering Sage mode.
Vreg’s fist neared Hayame’s face, close enough for small bolts of lightning to jump back and forth from the two. Suddenly, he came to a halt. Three elders had thrown their weight against him as best they could without disturbing Hayame. Vreg jumped back and prepared for battle; he drew a single sword inverse in his left hand.
Shortly before the fighting resumed, Fulvius appeared with his two ANBU. Sareko honestly wasn't certain he would return; but after seeing the power their opponent held, he was glad Fulvius did.
Unexpectedly, Kazuki charged Vreg. A horizontal slash was dodged by a jump up from Vreg, who pushed the Hidden Ash’s head down as he went. Kazuki hit the ground with such force that it splintered the earth below. Sareko gulped. Vreg wasted no time following up, his sword pointed down as he plunged back towards the grounded Kazuki. Suddenly, spikes erupted from the earth, interrupting Vreg’s attack. He placed his hand on one and pushed away, landing on the water. Toratsume quickly continued his assault with a solid kick to the head.
Vreg ducked, but was now confronted by a vicious downswing from Fulvius and his sword. He dodged to the left and jumped over a leg sweep coming from one of the ANBU. Sareko wasted no time; a quick Dragon Bullet Jutsu forced Vreg to vault over it. His back felt the warmth radiating from the jutsu as he went.
“Gotcha.” Kris Tsunagami came down on Vreg with a massive kick. It of course didn't land. Another devastating wave of force exploded from Vreg. Hissing and steam came from the water as Sareko’s jutsu was pushed into it.
The Elders regrouped in front of Hayame, who had almost finished entering sage mode. Several others had arrived to reinforce their numbers: Dart, Nibui, Hiruko and Manuster fell in line with the elders, while Yokiro, Satoru, Hari, Fampo and Hooke stood on the Kage Building island. Sareko prepared for the worst; having this many shinobi was good in theory, but they’ll all just end up colliding with each other while trying to fight.
Suddenly, Vreg bolted out of the cloud of steam towards the closer targets on the Kage Island. He stopped before he got to the shore, though. Water swirled viciously around his legs and Sage Mode Chakra Chains latched around his arms. Kuria shot into view, both feet colliding into Vreg’s chest at incredible speeds. Several walls of water erected by Kuro and Reminance slowed him down quite measurably, however, he still flew at least two kilometers out of the village. The Four Kage had finally arrived, and departed immediately to chase the myth of Vreg.
wew lads, chapter 7 will be out once its done, so possibly a triple upload for today
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