Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to Patreón @ for +20 chapters
[ https://www̧̧.patreón.com/azureawakening ]
The link is also in the synopsis
A/N - Thank you, Zypharus, Jairo Ramirez, and Hugegreenpickle for becoming Azure Awakening Patreóns!
<<<>>>
"Mabui has sent a report, Lord Raikage," a Kumo shinobi said, handing A a sealed scroll. A's eyes narrowed.
'She wouldn't have sent a report so soon if nothing serious had happened.' Mabui's last report had come just a few hours ago, and he hadn't expected to hear from her again for at least another day.
A had been at sea for days. The storm had delayed their voyage, forcing the vessels to go around it and spend much more time on the water than anticipated. While everyone realized this would likely give Kiri time to prepare, there was nothing they could do about it.
A opened the scroll and began to read. With each sentence, his expression grew darker.
'Kiri and Takimura have stopped fighting and apparently, neither of them is destroyed. Yagura even managed to crush the rebels, but he left Takimura alone…' A found that a few things didn't add up.
'If Yagura made a move against Takimura and then returned strong enough to destroy the rebels, Takimura either surrendered or was destroyed. Or… they have strong enough shinobi to scare him away, which is impossible…' The face of a young kunoichi surfaced in A's mind, a woman who was both beautiful and fierce.
'Did she manage to break through to S-rank? Even if she did, that doesn't explain why Takimura and Kiri would leave each other alone. Did they form an alliance?' A had been receiving bad news one after another.
First, it was Konoha's movements that surprised him - not the way they acted, but because they didn't move at all. Jiraiya had simply joined the army and was training them himself, but they hadn't invaded neither the Land of Water nor the Land of Lightning.
And now, he had to assume that not only Kiri but Takimura would also be fighting against them. A didn't want to admit he'd made a mistake, but he couldn't turn back now. Returning without a fight, with his tail between his legs, would destroy his reputation.
'The old man should have realized my plan by now. I hope he'll make arrangements without me asking.' The Raikage's pride didn't allow him to ask for Dodai's help directly, but if Takimura and Kiri were truly working together, his forces alone wouldn't be enough.
<<<>>>
'This idiot…' Dodai fumed within the walls of Kumogakure. He had already discovered what A had done.
"Lord Dodai, the Raikage shouldn't have made such a decision without the council's approval. Even the Raikage doesn't have the authority to start a war on his own!" one of the council members complained, but he was immediately met with Dodai's sharp glare.
"We don't have time to discuss trivial matters now. We will scold the Raikage when he returns but now we need to focus on fixing this situation. Kiri and Takimura will join forces and the army the Raikage brought with him won't be enough to face them," Dodai said in a firm voice. He had already been gathering information, but since discovering A's invasion, he had become far more active in the matter.
"Start gathering our forces. We also need to prepare provisions and as many ships as we can. The Land of Water is difficult to invade, and they'll most likely try to sink our ships, especially if the rumors about the 'Blue Needle of Takime' are true," Dodai said, he was taking every rumor seriously.
'If that kid can truly control the water freely, then the fight against them will be far more difficult than we can imagine.' He knew that since Kaoru's abilities were praised in two different villages, the rumors couldn't be entirely baseless.
"Move quickly. We don't have much time. Every minute matters," Dodai ordered before leaving the room.
The moment he opened the door, a boy with white hair and dark skin tumbled in, falling onto his face.
'This brat…' Dodai shook his head as he saw the boy blush, clearly flustered.
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop! I was just passing by," the boy blurted out, unable to meet Dodai's gaze.
"Doesn't matter, Darui. I was actually looking for you. Give this scroll to your sister and tell her to send it to A," Dodai said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He didn't have time to play around, he was in a hurry.
"I don't know what…" Darui started to play dumb, but Dodai's stern gaze changed his mind. He nodded and took the scroll.
Dodai smiled faintly, pleased, as he watched Darui disappear down the hallway.
'I need to decide who will lead this army… and I need to send her too,' Dodai thought before he, too, vanished.
<<<>>>
The Takimura squad of fifty shinobi arrived at the camp where five hundred nin were stationed. Ao and a few other high-ranking ninja met them outside as a gesture of respect.
"Lady Maki, we're glad you'll be fighting alongside us," Ao greeted her with a slight bow, showing genuine pleasure. However, his words carried a hidden meaning. He was subtly reminding Maki that she would be fighting with them, not leading them.
"The honor is ours," Maki replied calmly. Her words were polite, but her tone remained completely neutral.
'They've already started establishing the hierarchy,' Kaoru chuckled internally. Maki had asked him to pay close attention to everything that happened, telling him it would be a valuable experience for the Takime clan head.
"Let's rest and eat first, and then we can discuss the plan," Ao suggested, turning to lead the Takimura squad into the camp. However, Maki raised a hand, stopping him.
"No need. We're not tired, and we've already eaten ration bars," she said firmly. If not for her reputation, her men might have protested, but no one said a word. They simply cried inwardly,
'We don't need rest, but ration bars are just calories to keep us functioning. Our stomachs are still empty, and we're hungry,' they all shared the same thought. Still, they understood that Maki was making a point, and they needed to endure.
"Alright then, let's talk in the camp. The men can rest and eat if some of them have bigger appetites," Ao said, understanding the situation perfectly. He wasn't going to punish shinobi whose strength they needed just because of the power struggle between him and Maki.
Kaoru followed behind Maki, along with Mei, Shin, and Meruem. Ao was surprised to see the kid joining them but didn't say anything. He'd get that information later anyway.
The tent they entered was located in the center of the camp and was the largest. Inside, two more shinobi stood with Ao - an older man and a young girl. Both scanned the Takimura shinobi with curious but suspicious expressions.
'This is going to be more uncomfortable than I expected,' Kaoru thought as he sat at the table.
"My name is Maki Takime. This is the head of the Terumi clan, Lord Meruem Terumi, and his successor, Mei Terumi. This is one of our commanders, Shin Arakawa. And lastly, this is my brother and the head of the Takime clan, Kaoru Takime," Maki finished the introductions.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest reaction came from Kaoru's introduction.
'Since the Takime clan has a new head, that means Suiren is now dead. It's surprising that the new head is such a young kid, but what's even more shocking is that he's the Blue Needle of Takime,' Ao analyzed the information. He had already heard about Kaoru even before his fight against Kiri, but now he had much more to go on. He knew Kaoru had defeated at least two jonins.
"My name is Ao Sadashi. I'm the commander of this army, and these are my second in commands, Todo Ariame and Rin Isushi," Ao introduced himself and his assistants briefly. Their backgrounds weren't particularly impressive, especially compared to the major clans, so there was no point in trying to impress Takimura with titles.
'I've never heard of these clans. Maybe they're civilian shinobi?' Kaoru analyzed the people he'd have to trust with his life.
"Lady Maki, may I ask what your forces specialize in? I myself am best at scouting and close combat fighting. Rin fights using her summons, and Todo is strictly a close-combat shinobi," Ao said, providing rough but useful information. Maki didn't mind the lack of detail.
"We cover all those areas too. My brother can freely control water, so I suggest we attack them while they're on their ships. We've also brought quite a few medical ninja, as the Takime clan specializes in that," Maki explained. She wasn't going to detail how every single one of them fought, and Ao didn't expect her to. Besides, his interest was already piqued.
"What do you mean he can control water freely, Lady Maki?" Ao asked, though his gaze shifted to Kaoru.
'Oh, he's asking me to show him?' Kaoru's cyan eyes began to glow brightly as his Suijingan activated. The water in the cups and a jug rose into the air, merging into a sphere in the center of the table. Kaoru then shaped the water into an octopus, its tentacles waving fluidly.
"Fascinating," Ao said, unable to hold back his amazement. He had never seen anything like it. 'Is this the kid's kekkei genkai?' Curious, he activated the Byakugan hidden behind his eyepatch.
Ao saw the flow of chakra directed toward Kaoru's eyes, but what shocked him more was the sheer number of chakra signatures in the room. It was as if Kaoru was in control of the entire space. 'If this kid can control all this chakra, which is clearly connected to him, it makes sense why he's such a terrifying opponent on the battlefield.'
Ao was thoroughly enjoying analyzing Kaoru's abilities, but his expression soon shifted to one of shock and dread. Behind Kaoru's clothes, letters formed in the water:
'That's rude.'
Ao looked at Kaoru's face, only to see an innocent, honest smile. For a moment, he wondered if he'd imagined it, but he quickly realized Kaoru's visual abilities were no joke either.
'This kid might not be able to see chakra like me, but he can certainly sense it on some level,' Ao thought, now looking at Kaoru with an impressed and approving expression.
"Should we discuss our strategy then, Lady Maki?" Ao asked but continued without waiting for an answer. "We expect Kumo to arrive in a few days. They won't be coming here, though. Their first target should be the smallest island nearby." He leaned forward over the map on the table, pointing at the smallest island.
"They'll most likely try to clear and capture the islands they pass by. Most of those lands are uninhabited but they still have to check, so they'll just be wasting their time. If we decide to attack them head-on, we need to be absolutely sure that Lord Kaoru can definitely make the difference," Ao said, addressing Kaoru with an honorific as the head of the Takime clan.
"Even if we're stronger on the water, the gap isn't big enough to defeat such a huge force, especially with their S-rank shinobi present. So we must make sure that the power your brother possesses is enough to bridge that gap," Ao added, essentially saying the plan wasn't feasible. After all, there was no way Kaoru could overwhelm two S-rank shinobi.
However, Maki smiled smugly. "Lord Ao, you misunderstood. I'm not suggesting we fight them in the water. I'm suggesting we destroy their ships and let them struggle afterward. They can't cross the entire sea by walking on the water, after all."
"But how are we going to target their ships? They won't just let us get close and sink them," Ao said, even more skeptical now. He didn't doubt Kaoru's ability to control water - how could he, after seeing it firsthand? But he simply couldn't believe Kumo would let them get close enough to damage their ships.
This time, instead of Maki, Kaoru answered. "It's quite simple, actually…"
**
----------------------------------
If you can, please support me on P@treon
pat reon.com/azureawakening
(no space)
You can read up to 20 chapters ahead on P@treon!
The link is also in the synopsis
----------------------------------
When weekly Power Stone number reaches 200 I'll upload a Bonus Chapter! Currently 98/200