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, Ouraga_n, Logan Woody & Thelius for becoming Azure Awakening Patreóns!
<<<>>>
The Takimura camp erupted in joy when they heard that Kaoru was alive. Even the Terumi nin, who were still grieving the loss of their leader, allowed themselves a small celebration.
"Finally, some good news!"
"Heh, I knew our new head wouldn't die so easily."
"Haha, doesn't calling Kaoru 'our head' feel weird to you? I can't seem to get used to it."
"Doesn't matter if it feels weird or not. He's our head now, and we owe him proper respect."
"Haha, you youngsters crack me up. That brat played me like a fool back when the Takime clan lived alone. Once, he transformed into Siba and tricked me into letting him out. Got me in so much trouble, haha!"
"I hope this news lifts Lady Maki and Lady Mei's spirits."
"I don't know about Lady Mei as she's still grieving Lord Meruem's death, but Lady Maki should feel better soon."
…
Inside the main tent, Mei and Orihime had just received the news about Kaoru.
Orihime, Takimura's elder and the most skilled medical ninja, had been with the army from the very first day, refusing to stay behind even when they marched against Kumo. Despite her age and the risks, she believed that if she could save even a single elite shinobi, the danger would be worth it.
When she heard of Kaoru's disappearance, she was devastated. As a member of the Takime clan and the one who had tended to his wounds nearly every day during Maki's brutal training, his situation hit her like a blade to the heart.
Mei, meanwhile, had long seen Kaoru as a little brother. And the uncertainty of his fate had hollowed her from the inside even more.
"I don't even want to think about what would've happened if he had really died," Mei whispered, wiping the tears on her cheeks. These tears were different from the ones she had shed in recent days. They weren't born from grief or fear - just fragile, overwhelming relief.
"For now, we've avoided the worst," Orihime said softly, a faint smile curving her lips. "But we still have work to do. It's time to start planning how to drive Kumo out of our territory."
"The worst part is... our greatest ally is also our greatest liability," Mei muttered, her voice cold with resentment. "It's clear now, despite fighting on the same side, they won't lift a finger to help us."
Her hands clenched at the memory.
Tenma and Meruem had died holding the line, not just for Takimura, but for Kiri as well. Without their sacrifice, neither side would have made it out alive. Yet when it came time to act, their so-called allies had done nothing.
"At least Ao tried to help," Mei continued, her voice shaking with fury. "But Kiri didn't even pretend to take the initiative. They were probably afraid that if they offered their candidates, we'd accept and they'd be forced to make sacrifices too."
Her eyes burned with a mix of anger and disgust.
"Fortunately, Lady Maki's strength is no longer a secret," Orihime replied in a calm voice that betrayed pride. "Kiri won't dare act against us openly, not anymore. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they start scheming behind the scenes, or try to weaken Kumo's forces at our expense."
It was impossible for a member of the Takime clan not to feel pride when speaking of Maki. By now, the entire shinobi world knew her name and that she stood among the strongest shinobi alive.
"True…" Mei said quietly in a low voice. Though she was proud of Takimura's rise, there was no denying it - Maki's success stung. They were the same age, shared similar backgrounds, and once were equal in strength. But now the gap between them felt immeasurable.
And Mei knew that when they returned to Takimura, the path forward would be clear.
Maki would become the next Kage.
'So much for my dream of uniting the Land of Water'
<<<>>>
"I knew it," Shin said, a rare smile tugging at his lips as he confirmed the news. Kaoru was alive.
He had been on edge for a week, hiding his worry behind a calm and composed exterior. But now, with the truth finally in hand, he could breathe again. Relief settled into his shoulders, but it didn't last long.
There were still things to do.
He would've liked to stay in camp, to celebrate with the others, but one person had suffered more than most during Kaoru's absence, and she hadn't heard the news yet. Shin's gaze drifted toward Maki's tent.
She had distanced herself from everyone lately, speaking only when necessary, always focused on tactics and strategy. She had refused to talk about Kaoru, as if acknowledging the fear would break her.
Now that her mind could finally be at ease, Shin felt the urge to see her smile. To celebrate with her.
But first, he had a responsibility.
'Who knows when she'll come back around? I can't just wait… not when I can ease my student's pain with a few words.' He sighed.
With one last glance at Maki's tent, Shin turned and flickered away. He moved deeper into the forest, extending his sensory field as he moved.
'She's nearby… she always hides in the forest when she's upset.'
Among his students, Mizuki was the most difficult - not because of her attitude, but because of the weight she carried. Akane and Kaoru were easier. They laughed. They lived. But Mizuki still walked with shadows clinging to her, a quiet grief that hadn't faded with time.
Her trauma lingered like a scar beneath the surface. And Shin knew exactly where to find her when the pain became too much.
'I need to push Kaoru and Mizuki a little more. At this rate, those two will never get together…' Shin chuckled inwardly. 'Who am I kidding? I can't even move forward in my own relationship.'
The forest around him was a sea of green. Moss clung to the trunks of tall trees, and the air was heavy with moisture. It was the kind of chill that seeped into the bones - unpleasant for most, though a Takime shinobi might find comfort in the cold, damp air thanks to their affinity for water. But for Shin and especially for Mizuki, whose element was fire, it was anything but pleasant.
'No way she's comfortable here. She probably just wanted space and wandered deep into the woods to be alone,' he thought, extending his sensory field outward, trying to pinpoint her chakra signature.
But nothing came through.
'At this rate, who knows how long it'll take?' He didn't have time to waste.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Three clones formed in an instant, ready to spread out through the forest. But before Shin could dispatch them, he sensed that someone was approaching fast.
'Mizuki…? Her chakra's low. Too low.' His expression darkened, his posture sharpening.
Then he sensed two more, both far stronger.
The problem wasn't just the numbers. It was the pressure. Their chakra was dense and heavy. Whoever they were, they weren't ordinary shinobi.
Without hesitation, he turned to the clones.
"Head back to camp," he said calmly, maintaining his composure. "Get reinforcements. I won't be able to take on both of them alone."
One clone flickered away, vanishing toward the edge of the forest. The other two remained by his side as he turned toward the source of the chakra, already moving.
'Who are these guys?' Shin's expression turned troubled. It was already a miracle that Mizuki had managed to escape. One of the pursuers had nearly twice as much chakra as Shin. His mind raced, planning the battle ahead, or more accurately, looking for ways to save Mizuki and escape safely. But he could only come up with one plan and it was incredibly risky.
Shin was an extremely fast shinobi as speed was his strongest trait. While he wasn't anywhere close to Maki's or A's level, even most S-rank shinobi couldn't match him in this area. Thanks to his exceptionally quick feet, he managed to close the distance and reach Mizuki much sooner than most would. And luckily so, because when he arrived, Mizuki was barely surviving.
Her clothes were torn to shreds, one of her shoulders completely exposed. The right side of her face was covered in blood and her arm hung unnaturally. Her breathing was rapid and chaotic, a clear sign that she was already pushing herself to her limits and wouldn't be able to keep fighting for much longer.
Normally, someone in Mizuki's situation would feel relief upon seeing their sensei or even just a fellow shinobi coming to help. But instead of relief, her face showed sadness and worry.
'Does she think my arrival won't change anything and that we'll both die here?' Shin knew Mizuki's personality well. Behind her cold and emotionless facade was an incredibly sensitive girl who would risk her life without hesitation to save those she cared about.
"Don't worry, Mizuki. Everything's going to be fine," Shin said, trying to console her as he deflected a kunai aimed at her uninjured shoulder. Mizuki finally caught a breather and tried to steady her ragged breathing, leaning against a tree.
Shin glanced at Mizuki from the corner of his eye, and his expression darkened further. 'She won't be able to fight… maybe not even move.' Her condition was deteriorating quickly. The injuries she had sustained were worse than he'd expected.
'She wasn't even gone that long. How did this happen so fast?' His attention shifted to the two shinobi standing ahead of him.
'Same organization... but I don't recognize the symbol.'
As a former mercenary, Shin knew countless underground groups, especially those bold enough to move against the great nations. At the very least, he could usually identify the insignias of high-level organizations. And yet, these two were a complete mystery.
Both wore long, dark robes that cloaked their bodies entirely. The collars were unusually high, concealing their necks and part of their chins. Crimson cloud patterns decorated the fabric, and a single red line traced down the center, where the robe closed. But it was their forehead protectors that caught his eye.
Initially, Shin assumed they were from Kumo, but that thought vanished as soon as he saw the engraved symbols: Takigakure and Kusagakure.
Each one had been deeply slashed through, meaning these shinobi were rogues. They had cut ties with their villages and possibly more.
'So this isn't a Kumo operation... but then who sent them? And why?'
Shin's mind moved quickly, cycling through possibilities, but nothing fit. Without knowing who they were working for, he had no way to predict their objective.
That's when one of them stepped forward, the one bearing the Kusagakure headband.
He carried a massive blade, jagged and heavy, which he drove into the ground beside him with a dull thud. He leaned on it with casual confidence, a smirk in his voice.
"Before I kill you, let me ask something," he said, his tone a blend of amusement and curiosity. "I sensed your sensory field… so why'd you come?"
He tilted his head slightly, crimson eyes gleaming beneath his hood.
"You must've realized we're stronger than you - individually, let alone together."
The mockery in his voice was sharp, but beneath it was something else.
Excitement.
"How many times do I have to tell you - you don't play with your targets!" the man with the Takigakure symbol grumbled. Unlike his partner, he wasn't relaxed in the slightest. He was not in battle stance, but Shin could tell that not even for a single moment had he relaxed his focus.
'It's a safe bet that the Kusagakure rogue is a close-range combatant unless he's carrying that blade to trick his opponents. But this one is a complete mystery and worst of all, his chakra is monstrous,' Shin thought. He understood that if it came down to a direct fight, he would lose, especially since he had to protect Mizuki too. But, he was not going to let his student die.
"She's my disciple. I couldn't leave her," Shin said, forcing a smile as he tried to buy as much time as possible. He knew that the time worked in their favor, once his clone reached Maki, she would come instantly and then the battle would shift completely. No matter how strong these shinobis were, Maki was on an entirely different level, proven by the fact that she had faced Raikage and managed to overpower him.
"May I know your names? I'm not sure what my disciple did to anger you, but we can come to an agreement. I'm…" Shin's words were cut off as the Takigakure nin quickly formed hand signs.
**
A/N -
Okay, so… it's April. Supposed to be spring with flowers blooming, birds chirping, sunlight gently waking us… Actually, that part's a lie. The sun sucks xD
My point is: it snowed.
Woke up, looked outside, and thought I got Isekai'd into February 2: Revenge of the Frost
Not sure if this is nature's way of telling me to stay indoors and write, or just a glitch in the weather matrix. Either way, I'm fine. Snow > Sun xD
Character Notes:
Kaoru - Dramatic survivalist - "Vanished at sea, declared dead, came back a legend."
Kusagakure Rogue - Unhinged sword guy - "I like to chat before I cleave people in half. Makes it personal.
----------------------------------
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 65/200