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Chapter Text

Wanderer and Durin were walking around the grand bazaar;mixtures of various voices consisting of barely comprehensible advertising and chattering echoed all through the market. “It's so loud.” Durin murmured whilst covering his ear in an attempt to muffle out the loud songs and shouting of vendors and customers.

“If you're so bothered, we can just leave.”

The boy shook his head in sync with the flapping of his wings “No need, I actually like it here, it's quite lovely and the products and people are interesting. It's just that the noises are pretty overwhelming…” Said Durin with a soft tone. “Oh, no need to worry! The Akasha has a noise reduction mode along with a noise cancelling mode!” A cheery voice exclaimed out of nowhere causing the puppet and dragon to flinch.

Wanderer turned around to face Sethos, letting out a barely audible scowl. “You think we don't already know that? If we could, we would've clearly done it.” Sethos in response puts his hands up in the air in a mock surrender, stepping a few inches back with his usual mischievous smile written on his face. “Alrigth, Alright, Alright, no need to get all worked up. Can't a guy just want to help a poor kid out anymore?” The man sighed, tilting his head whilst raising his eyebrow.

“Oh, um, thanks. We already knew that, but my ears are a little special so I need a custom one. Lord Kusanali said that it's on the way.” Durin explained with his hand still cupping both of his ears. “That's great to hear-” before Sethos could even finish his sentence, an entire crate of hara fruit dropped down on the three of them.

Wanderer swiftly used anemo to block and blow away the fruits before any of them was able to get hit. Dust and products swirled around them before finally getting thrown away. Sethos coughed, his hand covering the lower half of his face as he did so. “Achoo! When did the grand bazaar get this dusty!?” He sneezed before continuing to cough once more, his eyes were closed shut to prevent dust from getting into his eyes.

“Hat guy? Is something wrong? You're way too quiet and you haven't finished scolding me yet-” Sethos cut himself off once he finally opened his eyes. There, he saw Wanderer, his eyes, and expression in general were sharper than usual, like he was in deep thought. Sethos couldn't blame him though, as instead of the lively, noise-filled, bazaar what greeted and surrounded them was a calm, quiet forest, one that was evidently different from the one at Sumeru.

Gone were the stalls and chatter, instead, standing in their place were oak trees and the chirping of birds. They all remained quiet, taking in their surroundings before even daring to take a step nor speak to one another. The elements of Teyvat were completely absent, in place of them were a similar yet different energy, one that was pure and felt like a blank canvas.

“Perhaps we're in a world similar to Simulanka? Like another storybook world.” Durin suggested as he fidgeted on the tip of his tail. “No, that's not it, we haven't interacted with any book nor anything that allows storytelling besides the Akasha, but even then, you were able to go here with us, so that eliminates that possibility.”

“OH, what if-ACK!” i

Sethos was unable to share his hypothesis, as a flash of bright light blinded them before a woman in purple
dropped on top of him. A woman that Wanderer knows way too well. She had long,braided, dark purple hair with ōgi-bira kanzhashi, a traditional hair piece.Her complexion was as pale and delicate as porcelain;traces of deep red lines lined her eyes and mouth. She was wearing a shortened and more revealing version of the traditional inazuman kimono that was dyed into a gradient of lilac that transitioned into a deeper,darker and colder purple color with hints of red, gold, and blues.

“Beelzebub.” he muttered beneath his breath. “Who?” Sethos asked in a strained voice. “That is one of my creator’s titles.” Said the woman in a monotone voice before getting up and away from the man she landed on. “I sincerely apologize for causing you trouble and potentially breaking you.” She reached her hand out to him, which he accepted and so, she pulled him back up.

“No,no, no, it's fine. No need to worry.”

“Tsk, do you always speak like a broken record?” The puppet placed his hand on his hip as he directed his gaze to Sethos. “Hey now…” He chuckled softly. “Strange, I was merely walking my way towards the Sacred Sakura Tree and yet, now I'm in an entirely different place.” She paused, standing still before saying “I can't detect any elemental energy at all besides you three.”

“Great observation skills.” Wanderer rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm and mockery. “I’ll have to inform Ei about this.” She then closed her eyes for a few moments, her face then scrunched into a frown before opening her eyes and forming a bewildered expression;she then swiftly placed her left hand on her chest, seemingly attempting to pull something out of her heart in which nothing came out. Her eyes widened and she began to try and hide her panic quite well. “I am unable to enter nor even contact
the plain of euthymia in any form.”

A loud thud echoed throughout the forest causing the birds to fly out of the trees. All four of them immediately turned their head towards where the noise came from and were greeted with two men who seemed to be close to their age and we’re complete opposite of one another in terms of of clothing and fashion style;there stood a man with medium-length warm-toned white hair with a streak of red on the side of his bangs, his skin was as pale as his hair and his eyes were shaking and stained crimson with hints of purple. He wore a modified traditional inazuman clothing, his garments colored red,black, and white, having hints of orange and green along with only having one sleeve, a clear indication that he’s a ronin.

On the other hand, the man that stood beside him had jet black hair with multiple strips of green,yellow and orange. His eyes resemble those of reptiles, they were sharp, pointed, precise, and were tinted with green,orange and yellow, alongside black for his pupils that looked like they could pierce even the toughest crystals;his lower eyelashes were quite long and keen as well.

For his outfit, he wore a more modern, tight, black and brown colored compression shirt along with a harness;he had a teal jumpsuit with hints of yellow,green and light beige that was only halfway worn which imitates pants. He was far more accessorized than the Inazuman man on his right, as he had what seemed to be ancient, and/or traditional natlanese accessories scattered all over his clothing and body;an example would be his headband that covered his forehead, another example were his earrings that appeared to be made out of a teeth of sorts alongside his necklace made of colorful and unique beads.

Durin grew concerned and scared from all the sudden events and quickly hid behind Wanderer;his hand clawing at the puppet’s clothes. “Are we able to go back home..?” The dragon asked in a raspy, worried tone of voice. “I'm not going to make a promise I cannot fulfill;but I assure you, I will do whatever it takes to bring us back to safety.”

The sole woman of the group blinked, placing her hand beneath her chin, her eyes traveling and analyzing the situation. “Shall we get to introducing ourselves or shall we wait for other people that might arrive before we take any crucial action?” She asked. A loud splash then caught them all off guard, causing their lower half to get slightly wet. On the damp and muddy ground laid a white haired girl who wore an eye-catching Fontaine styled outfit.

“Eeughh!!! Where am I? Did I accidentally swim outside of Fontaine's water?” She coughed, her hand holding the side of her head as she struggled to sit up. “Who are you people?” She asked with a trembling voice. “I am The Raiden Shogun, I'm assuming you are none other than the Great Furina of Fontaine? You seem to match the description both Ei and the traveler has told me regarding your appearance.”

“Furina” immediately stood up and instantly had an outfit change, presumably using her hydro vision. “You’d be correct! As I am, The One, And Only! Furina-Wait,The Raiden Shogun!?” She quickly cut her own boasting to a halt;her eyes widened with her mouth agape. “That is in fact correct, it is an honor to meet you, Lady Furina.” Said Raiden who then reached out her hand in an offer to shake the other's hand. Furina coughed before eventually resuming back to her greetings.

“Haha, Ahem! I too, am honored to meet you!” Furina proceeds to accept the handshake, her cheeks tinted with a light shade of pink whilst her forehead were stained with sweat due to conflicting emotions between intimidation and feelings of flattery;the two then let go of each other's hands. The shogun then glanced at the white haired inazuman, tension thickened as the two had prolonged eye contact in silence.

“That's the Almighty Shogun!? Like the Electro Archon herself!?!” Whispered Sethos in an aggressive yet soft tone only loud enough for him and Wanderer to hear; he continued. “And what’s up with him and the Shogun?” The puppet rolled his eyes and let out a barely audible laugh. “Hah!you don't know? Aren't you supposed to be the leader of the Temple of Silence? Shouldn't you be highly educated and knowledgeable when it comes to conflicts that occur within Teyvat?” Wanderer insulted him before finally answering the question.

“The thing is, not only did his friend get executed by the Raiden Shogun, he also played a massive role in the resistance..” He explained to the other man, who got quite defensive, “hey, come on, Inazuma was blocked off from the rest of Teyvat until recently! And even now, they're still quite secretive!”. Hat Guy then nudged his elbow against Sethos when he saw that the man they've been gossiping about began to open his mouth and talk.

“I presume that it's time for us to introduce ourselves to one another, no?” Said the ronin with his hand placed over his chest. “I am Kaedara Kazuha, a wandering samurai from Inazuma, it's a pleasure to meet you all.” He introduced himself with a gentle voice. “Malipo Kinich, I believe I haven't met any of you besides Lady Furina-” Kinich was cut off and interrupted by a loud, high pitched voice. “AND I'M NONE OTHER THAN THE GREAT DRAGONLORD KUHUL AJAW!! NOW BOW BENEATH ME AND KISS MY FEET PEASANTS!" The voice came from what seemed to be a pixilated yellow and green lizard with sunglasses who seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Durin peeked his head out, “Dragonlord?” Kinich sighed and waved him off, “Pay no mind to him.” Ajaw whined and moaned before continuing his annoying pestering “Eugh! Don't pay attention to him youngling! Yes, you are correct! We are none other than one of the great Dragonlords of Natlan! Though, you seem to reek of Abyssal energy despite seemingly lacking it, an oxymoron I know;were you perhaps corrupted before and then got the abyssal corrosion within you either sealed or purified? Hm…No, not quite. Repurposed maybe?”

“Oh, um.. “ Durin blinked continuously, avoiding eye contact while fidgeting with his fingers and overall showed signs of uneasiness. Wanderer noticed this and immediately glared at Ajaw with a piercing gaze. “How about you shut your mouth? For a so-called ‘Dragonlord’ you seem to lack proper manners.” Sethos, who felt the quick rising tension in the air immediately tried to break off any potential fight or arguments.”Hey,Hey,Hey!”

“Let's continue introducing ourselves alright? Ahem, Hello! It's great to meet you guys, My name is Sethos and both me and Hat Guy over here along with Durin got sent here together. I believe that we were the first ones to get here, assuming none came before us and just quickly left that is!”

“It seems that we're in a whole other world. It's quite similar to Teyvat before the Usurper came.” Ajaw continued his Rambling. “Oh? You're actually displaying a sense of intelligence for once.” Kinich commented. “Hpmh! We are one of the Holy Dragonlords, who are Artificial INTELLIGENCE that was created by THE Pyro Sovereign himself to rule over Natlan, it is your own fault that you underestimated us.” Ajaw went on with his inspections of the dimension they found themselves in.

“A similar energy to phlogiston seems to be embedded within everything here, again, it's insanely similar in a way it's a pure energy that could be molded into anything, but different in a way that it's still quite unfamiliar.” Ajaw fell into a silence for a few moments appearing to be completely absorbed in his own analysis and hypothesis, before seemingly getting an idea as their face shined and a pixelated light bulb appeared on top of his head.

“I’m going to test something, if this works, it means we'd practically have an unlimited phlogiston supply, if not, then it'll just be a waste of time.” Ajaw exclaimed,looking at Kinich who wore an expression of suspicion. “Are you planning on using this energy in replacement of phlogiston?”

“Obviously you lizard-brained idiot!” Before Kinich could protest the fact that there might be negative side effects when it came to this foreign energy source, Ajaw had already used it, it seems, as he had changed his form into a bigger and brighter version of his usual Obsidian dragon form, laughing maniacally as he did so. “AHAHAHA! FINALLY! I’M FREE TO DO WHATEVER FORM I WANT WITHOUT ANY LIMITATIONS!” His companion looked at him with his usual facial expression of nothing before booting up his bracelet to limit Ajaw’s phlogiston level, which caused nothing to happen.

“Ah, I see, that's what you meant. It's similar enough to use as a phlogiston substitute, yet it's different enough to not be seen and detected as phlogiston by the relic.”

“Genius, is it not!?” said Ajaw who fixed his posture and spread out his wings, letting out a laughter so loud it made most if not all of the wildlife within the vicinity flee. “It doesn't make you immune to timeout though.” The Dragon's mouth fell open in anger “KINICH! DON'T YOU DARE-” Pixels then dispersed and went inside the bracelet.

“I highly apologize on his behalf.”

“Well that was quite a show.” said Furina who was trying to save face while she panics mentally inside due to being thrown into a completely foreign world. “I suggest that we should build a camp as the sun is beginning to set;this would also allow us to know if any more individuals get sent here before we leave this area.” They set their gazes upon the sky:the sun was beginning to go down and the end of the horizon was painted with a gradient of orange and blue. “Agreed! I also suggest that we all should stick to one other! Afterall, we might be the only people from Teyvat in here!” Sethos exclaimed with his usual bright smile.

“I suppose that’s the most logical strategy. In any case we get ambushed, I shall watch over the camp as I do not need any sleep.” Said The Shogun, the others beside the Wanderer looked at her with the same question of ‘why and how does one not need sleep’ floating within their mind, in which they just brushed it off at the fact that she’s a God, of course she wouldn’t need to rest.

They then began to grab tents,sleeping bags, pots, woods, and etc. out of their inventory and began to set up a camp. Sethos and Wanderer along with Durin went out to collect more firewood. Raiden,Kinich, and Furina put up the tents and placed the pillows,blankets,sleeping mats, and lanterns within them, all whilst Kazuha placed the cooking pot and made the Campfire which was lit up with the help of Raiden.

After the camp was fully set up and the three returned from collecting more fuel, Both Kinich and Kazuha took out their respective ingredients and began cooking whilst Furina and The Shogun watched mesmerized. Raiden asked if she could help or be taught only to be met with Kazuha reply of “With all due respect, based on the information the Traveler has told me, it would be quite unsafe if not outright disastrous to even let you near the pot.”

“But I’m willing to learn, and it is mainly Ei, my creator, who caused all those incidents, not me.”

“Are you a child who doesn’t know the meaning of no?You are based on her are you not? All your skills,memories, and even personality are based on her and are programmed by her.” Hat Guy retorted with an annoyed scowl. “You are correct, though, based on your response, you seem to have some issues against me or Ei;my creator had told me to prevent controversy as much as possible, so if we might resolve this problem, we should do so now or at least as soon as possible instead of letting it simmer and thus cause a problem in the future.”

Wanderer rolled his eyes, “Prevent controversy? Weren’t you the reason for the deaths of many within your nation?” He knew he was being hypocritical and petty, but so was The Shogun Puppet along with their creator, his mother.. “That is correct, but both me and Ei have been working on being more…merciful and understanding.” Hat guy scoffed and turned his head away. “Tsk, You’re just a mindless puppet following her orders, It is not you I have issues with anyways, forget it.“

“That is not true, I do have my own consciousness, and I have rebelled against her, though I did face defeat-“

“As I said, forget it.”

They then waited for the food to be finished before eating in silence. The rest of the night then remained quiet with a few questions and small talk here and there before most fell to slumber.

————————–———

Meanwhile, further into the forest, a leaf ninja swiftly headed home about to inform the Hokage about a crucial unbelievable information of what he saw within the confines of the forest. A large black winged creature with bright red eyes that was so big it resembled a tailed beast, who then exploded into cubes and seemingly sealed away within something or someone.

Chapter Text

The sun rose up in the sky, beams of its light shone through and lit the forest. The birds who flew away yesterday had come back to their nest, and so did their loud chirping which woke up Kinich,Kazuha, Hat Guy, and Sethos. They all went out of their tents beside Wanderer, who decided to stay and look after Durin who was still deep in slumber.

The two men were greeted with quite a unique good morning it seemed, as there stood the Shogun who had dozens of large fish impaled by her polearm. “It's practical to gather as many resources as possible.” She explained with some of the fish seeming to still be alive and moving.

“That is true, though we should probably see if they contain any parasites or if it's poisonous first.” Said Kinich who walked up to her to scan the fishes using his bracelet, all of them scanned as non-poisonous, though some of them had parasites, in which they threw the infected ones back to the ground which ended up attracting birds and ants.

Kinich and Sethos cleaned the pot and began to chop, dice, cook, and tenderize some of the ingredients, whilst Kazuha gutted all the fish left and smoked some of them. The Raiden Shogun watched in awe as they all cooked breakfast. Ei didn't know the arts of culinary, and so she didn't have the skills of cookery either. Despite not needing to eat nor not caring for the taste, she admits that cooking is an essential asset she should add to her list of skills.

Some food nurtures and heals the body, which despite being a puppet, the meals still provide her with good nutrition, but perhaps that's just the placebo effect taking place. But even so, it's still of use when it comes to others;winning people's favors and healing them is undoubtedly important.

“Hello, Hello, Helloo? Lost in thought?”

The puppet blinked and immediately snapped back to reality when she heard the man's voice. Sethos looked at her with a smile whilst holding a bowl that held the meal the three of them had created. “It's Boiled Fish! Apparently Kazuha got the recipe from a chef in Liyue during his time there, here try it!” She accepted the dish and inspected it, analyzing its nutritional value. “Fish, a great source of protein and iron, jueyun chilli rich in vitamins and potassium, Violetgrass aids the immune system and improves the overall cardiovascular system. an overall balanced and healthy meal.”

“Geez, you talked exactly like how I thought the Akasha terminal would speak and sound like!” He laughed as The Shogun began to eat the meal. “Now that I'm thinking about it, you look insanely similar to Hat Guy-” Sethos was interrupted by Furina, “Oh! That smells nice! May I have some?” She asked him, he nodded in response, “Sure, sure, sure! Here, let me prepare a bowl for you.”

While Sethos gives Furina a bowl, he begins preparing one for everyone as well and whilst he does so, Wanderer and Durin emerge from their tents. “Oh, Hat Guy!Durin! Perfect timing! Here have some, made by Kinich,Kazuha, and of course, yours truly!” He exclaimed and gave them all a bowl of their own. Wanderer squints his eyes causing Sethos to whisper, “No need to worry, I tested it for poison earlier, just in case.” He winked and pulled out multiple poison test devices and strips, all saying negative.

“It looks good.” Durin said, looking at the steaming fish he held in his hands.

The puppet sighed, he supposed he'd indulge in it for now. “Alright, give us a spoon as well, how'd come you’ve forgotten giving us basic utensils? How do you expect us to eat then??” Sethos shrugged and chuckled awkwardly, “sorry, sorry, here.” He apologized as he gave them the silverwares.

Wanderer took one of every ingredient of the dish in his spoon and placed it in his mouth, he pulled the spoon out and began to chew. “How is it?” Asked Sethos, who waited impatiently for the other's opinion.

“Not bad.”

After seeing Hat Guy eat it, Durin ate some as well. “It's spicy, I like it.” The three of them then sat down on a picnic mat Sethos had laid down. The others soon followed after and they all began to finish their meals with Furina giving them some Fonta.

After they were all done, they began to deconstruct the tent and pot before storing them back in their Inventory alongside the pillows and mats. As they were finishing up, Ajaw woke up and immediately began to whine and moan about “Kinich! I’m starving! You shall grant me some fine dishes and refreshments as I am in dire need of nutrition!”

“Well why didn't you wake up when I told you breakfast was ready? Instead you just went ahead and told me ‘Who dares wake The Great Dragonlord K’uhul Ajaw from their slumber!?”

Ajaw’s pixelated face turned red and he swung his arms up and down. “Well you could've at the very least left some for me!” He complained, and thus the start of what appeared to be never-ending banter between Kinich and Ajaw had begun. The rest of the group sighed and groaned as the two argued until Wanderer had enough of their babbling. “For the love of Gods, SHUT UP!” This caused everyone to fall into silence.

Sethos looked to his side where Wanderer stood before smiling awkwardly, “Alright! How about we just go?” Said the Sumerian, as Ajaw was going to open his mouth once more, Kinich swiftly swatted him away in timeout before suggesting they go south. “Perhaps we should go south then? The energy seems there seems to be stronger”

“But, what if instead of people there's just a lot of monster or wild animals there? And if there are, what if they're not friendly?” Furina countered.

“If that's the case, I'll simply take care of it.” The Raiden Shogun assured them, earning an annoyed and judgemental look from Wanderer who let out a ‘tsk’ and rebutted her almost immediately “And what if you can't? What if you're not powerful enough? Simply because you're an archon doesn't mean you're indestructible. We don't know the full extent this world and its inhabitants are capable of. The only Outlander we have met is the Traveler, and we know just how powerful they can be.”

“How about we come with a compromise? Let's check and see if there is a civilization nearby. Of course we won't be heading there directly, perhaps with the aid of Ajaw? He could go up and be the one who confirms if there is a nation of sorts.” Said Kazuha who got in-between the two puppets.

“That seems reasonable, hiding is simply not the most practical tactic in the long run;we’d eventually need to look for a way out, and our best bet are books and archives along with asking citizens or leaders.” Raiden commented, agreeing with what the Ronin had to say.
“I suppose you're right, we can't hide forever and just hope for the best.” agreed Furina.

“Then I'll be the one who'll look for any sign of a nation nearby. I’d rather perish than have to endure that annoying pest’s jabbering once again.” Hat Guy groaned and shot himself up into the sky;his white and blue garments flowed through the sky while his gold ornaments reflected the sunlight.

“I was about to say that it might rat out our location to possibly some unpleasant people, but surprisingly he blends in pretty well.”

Wanderer scanned the forest that surrounded them and just like what Kinich had presumed, in the southern direction stood a gated city with a mountain edge on the end of it. After he confirmed their hypothesis he quickly landed back down to inform everybody of what he had seen. “There's a city up south, though we still don't know if they're friendly nor do we know if they'd even let us in considering there's a big wall surrounding it.” He crossed his arms while he summarized what he saw.

“Then, let's get near enough to inspect it, but far enough to not be immediately detected.” Sethos says as he places his hand on his hips. “I'll head first whilst everyone follows behind me, afterall, being a shadow has always been a specialty of mine.” Said The Shogun, Furina nodded her head, “Yeah, and you're probably the most powerful out of all of us as well!”

“Well then, let's head south.”

————

The seven of them had been walking for over a few hours and unfortunately Ajaw had escaped the confines of time out, though they were already pretty close to the city by now, confirmed by both Hat Guy and Ajaw. Furina eyes lit up when it was finally in their field of sight “I see the gate, it's opened! Thank Celestia!” Furina squealed and fastened the pace of hands which were fanning her face. “Let's hide for now and send out a few of us to confirm if they're friendly and to get a brief look at what their cultural norms are.” Sethos advised the group.

“At the top of the gate were Inazuman characters, so sending out an Inazuman or those who know the language would be the wise choice.” Said Kinich with his hand beneath his chin. “Who knows at least the basics of the Inazuman language?” Kinich asked them, in which they all raised their hands.

“I think we should take account of information gathering and blending in.” Kazuha suggested, fidgeting on a leaf as he does so. “Oh, Sethos is pretty good at blending in;he slips by easily, gathering information and secrets of those who he passes by.” Durin murmured in a barely audible volume, resulting in everyone turning their heads towards Sethos. “Hey, hey, hey! Don't go making me seem like some malicious villain now!” He laughs awkwardly with sweat dripping down his face as he waves both his hands up and down in a comedic manner.

“Sending out Kaedehara Kazuha would be a great choice, I've seen and heard of him persuade and take the hearts of many during the war, despite being in the opposing group, I wouldn't dare underestimate his impact.” Advocated Raiden with everyone seemingly agreeing to this choice.

“Oh, what about Furina? She's like, super charming and her time-” Once again, Sethos was interrupted for what appeared like the hundredth time, to him at least. “No!no! I mean, I appreciate the complements and all! But, my Inazuman is completely butchered! I only know the basics and even then it's not that great!” Furina exclaimed, waving both her hands as sweat dripped down her forehead.

“What about you two?” Kinich asked as he looked towards both of the puppets with the two of them shaking their head in decline of his offer. “Alright then, I’ll go with them. I'll try to see what type of currency they have here and the value of mora and if it can be exchanged or used.” He then looked at Ajaw

“And as for you, either go back into time out or morph into your human form. You have plenty of energy here, so you can't use your usual excuse of ‘it takes too much phlogiston’ not that it was a believable excuse before in the first place”

“Ugh! But bringing myself down to appear like you foolish ugly humans-” Kinich looked at him while parading his bracelet right in front of Ajaw. “Ajaw.” Kinich’s cold and emotionless yet threatening voice sent chills down his none-existing spine causing him to just nod and follow the command.

The Dragonlord shifted into a mortal form in which he wore a traditional, ancient, natlanese outfit with golden accessories and tattoos decorating his body;his hair was long and braided, coloured bright green with even brighter strips of yellow, his skin was tanned and his canines were sharp. Behind his triangular sunglasses lay sharp,lined eyes that looked like they could penetrate even the toughest ore.

Ajaw crossed his arms and pouted. “Good, now let's head in.” Kinich said whilst he pinched his companions cheeks causing it to redden before finally letting go as all the chosen people headed towards the gate of the unknown city. After a few minutes of walking, the three of them began to get out of the group's field of view as they went further into the city’s direction.

“I hope they'll be okay.” Durin muttered under his breath. “I'm sure they'll be fine.” Furina assured the boy, “here how about I introduce you to my salon members?” She then used her hydro vision to summon a crab,seahorse, and an octopus made out of pure hydro energy to play with Durin. “This is Mademoiselle Crabaletta! This is Gentilhomme Usher! And this is Surintendante Chevalmarin!”

While Furina played and talked with Durin, Wanderer glared at The Shogun with his arm crossed. “So why didn't you go with them? What about ‘going first and protecting us’ or whatever you were on about.” He questioned her, his expression and voice dripping with suspicion. “You're a puppet made by Ei as well, aren't you?”

Wanderer’s eyes widened, “That's none of your business, and if I was, what are you going to do about it?” She looked at him. “Nothing, It simply surprised me since there is no data log referring to another sentient puppet besides me as all the others had been failed prototypes that had already been discarded.” This irritated Wanderer even more it seemed as he gritted his teeth with his mouth forming an even bigger frown than before.

“Tsk, that's because I am a failed prototype.”

“I see. From the books Yae Miko and Ei had given me to read, most of them had the message of the fact that sharing your similarities will help comfort and form connections.” Before Wanderer could snap back, The Shogun just continued on with her monologue.

“I too could be deemed as a failure. Despite following my programming to a tea with no error for the most part, I could feel a tinge of emotions ooze out of me despite it going deeply against my purpose. I despised how Ei had practically erased the purpose of my existence and had begun to take over my body again and again. I was made to rule,to govern with an iron fist, yet, now I'm nothing but her mere shadow-”

The other puppet’s eyes widened even more, his shoulder loosening;he opened his mouth, yet he wasn't able to as The Shogun continued her rattling, her pace going faster and faster as she began to go into a spiral;her eyes were widening slowly, not out of shock, but out of disassociation with her words becoming slurred as she continued to go on.

“-I was promised a purpose, to be nothing more than a mere tool, and then that broke;she then promised to treat me like a person, yet she barely lets me outside and often takes control of my own body. It's hers, she said, then why did she create me in the first place? Change of decisions? Change? Wasn't Eternity our first priority? Why change?Change will do nothing but shatter that ideal-”

“Hey-”

“She then re-did my programming, she made it so I felt emotions, I've always had them though to a much smaller, tinier degree, but with the new coding, it's too much-I can't.-I.. With all the changes done to my software, am I still the same? I was not even a person in the first place-It would've been better if she had just slain me or-or deleted my AI after I faced defeat in our duel-”

“Stop-”

“Why?I don't understand,sheshould'vejust killedme.Ishouldn'texistanymore.Myexistenceisananomaly.I'mnother,yetIdon'thavemyownidentity.Ishouldn'thavemy ownidentity.I'mamachine,atool,aweaponandwillalwaysbeone.Ican'thandleallthis.Whygivemeconsciousnessandawillinthefirstplace?Idon'tunderstand?Why?nopoint.i should've-”

“ENOUGH!”

The Raiden Shogun closed her mouth shut while she blinked wide eyed. Furina and Durin stopped in the middle of their conversation and looked at the two other people besides them, pausing for a second before approaching the two. “Is everything alright? You sound angry…” Durin asked Wanderer in a raspy voice and a concerned face.

“It's nothing, she had just annoyed me with her constant rambling.”

“Alright…”

“I see, I apologize for what had just occurred, it was not my intention to anger you..” The Shogun apologized, earning a scowl from Hat Guy. Furina gulped, wondering if she should at least attempt to lighten up the mood while a part within her highly discouraged it to not accidentally ruffle a few feathers. But then again, changing topics is something she excelled at for centuries.

“Who wants to play TCG?”

“Oh, I like TCG.” Durin exclaimed, despite his usual raspy and monotone voice, once could almost see the excitement within his eyes. “Oh, Ei once had almost won
in one of its competitions. I know the basics and it would be great if I could improve my skills in this field.”

“Great, since there's three of us, how about we play rock, scissors, paper to see who would duel first?”

Chapter Text

The four of them finally had reached the city gate. “Oh, there's Inazuman lettering on the gates itself as well.” Sethos pointed out. “A leaf symbol between two characters meaning Shinobi, interesting, the ones that are painted on the gates mean darkness and retreat, A ninja compound perhaps? If that were the case, it's impressively enormous.” Said Kazuha who was looking up with his thumb on his chin.

As they walked by into the city, two guards, both male, took notice of them, both wore a metal headpiece with the leaf symbol carved on it, alongside wearing what appeared to be a green military vest. One had a strip of bandage on his face with messy black hair whilst the other had straight brown hair that was covering his left eye. “Hey, I don't think we've seen you before!”

The four of them froze.

“Could you please tell us your name and what village you guys came from? I kinda have to because of the whole guard thing and all.” Said by the guy with black hair as he pointed a pen and a notebook at them. “Hello, hello, hello! I’m Sethos! This is Kinich,Ajaw, and Kazuha! You see, we're traveling companions who just wander around the world to see and experience the variety of culture it has to offer!!”

“Last names and clans if any? Kinich and Ajaw over there seem to possess some clan inherited traits.” The brown haired guard asked. “Oh! Sorry I forgot! I'm Bamoun Sethos! These are K’uhul Ajaw, Kaedehara Kazuha, and Malipo Kinich! Ajaw and Kinich are from an orphanage, so if they did have any clan lineage, we wouldn't really know!”

“I see, all good then. If you truly are here for the culture and tradition, most of the souvenir stores are over there, and the chunin exams is near and taking place in Konoha this year.”

“Kay,Kay,kay! Thank you very much! Konoha seems like a great place!” Sethos exclaimed after he wrote down all their names before they all went to go towards the direction of where the guard had pointed. “Hahaha! The kid is right! With the way you lie so naturally you might as well be a malicious villain! Though, not a villain as evil and malevolent as me!” Ajaw laughed boisterously. They all sighed, knowing that due to the fact that the common Teyvat language probably wasn't understood by many here, had just saved them from getting caught right handed because of the sole fact that Ajaw just can't seem to keep his mouth shut.

As they all passed through the street, quiet chattering and conversations could be heard and from these, the four of them learnt at least some of the basics of what this place is. “A world run by ninjas; quite interesting, no? And, just like Inazuma, Konohagakure too is led and governed by a shadow it seems.” Kazuha said in a soft spoken tone.

“It sounds like a novel Granny Itztli would read.” Said Kinich who then approached a fan seller. “Excuse me, but is there any way I could make use of this and if possible could you please tell me it's worth?” He asked the man, who then pointed at a building. “Oh, well, I don't recognize that currency, but if it is made of real gold then you might trade it for ryō at the Pawnshop over there.” The seller informed him while raising his glasses.

“I see thank you, I highly appreciate your help.”

Whilst Kinich headed towards the Pawnshop to exchange mora for ryō, a group of people caught Sethos’ and Ajaw’s eye. A pink haired girl, a blonde woman, and two boys, one with spiky black hair and one loudmouthed blonde teen with whiskers drawn on his cheeks. “I promise I won't get outdone by Gaara; one day I will become Hokage as well, I'll show him!"

“That's interesting, he sounds exactly like you, Ajaw.”

Everyone turned their head towards Kijich who had just inserted multiple bags of ryō within his inventory. “Sasuke…?” Both the pink haired girl and blonde boy muttered. Kinich looked at them confused before realizing he was probably mistaken for someone else. “Ah, no, I think you got the wrong person.”

The other group stilled and froze. “Oh, sorry, it's just that you sound way too much like an old friend is all.” The pink haired girl apologized. “I'm Haruno Sakura by the way.” She introduced herself with her hand reaching out for a handshake “Malipo Kinich.” He accepted and shook her hand. “Oh, and I'm Sethos! If you don't mind, may you tell us where the library and book stores are?” Sethos asked with a charming smile on his face.

“Oh, uh yeah sure, the biggest book store is over there at the right corner!” She peeked her head out and used her index finger to locate the direction of the shop. “I see! Thank you very much!” Sethos thanked her and looked at his group with all of them nodding with the exception of Ajaw; they then all headed towards the Bookstore Sakura had just informed them about.

“The others are still waiting for us, we really ought to speed up.” Said Sethos with the others agreeing in which they ended up walking at a way faster pace with Kazuha squinting and shading his eyes with his hand. “Ah, though I do adore the sunlight, I won't deny that it is quite troublesome.”

“Oh? I could apply some Kohl to your eye! It's a powder we dessert folk use to shield our eyes from the sun, it looks great as well!” Sethos then pulled out a miniature golden bottle from his pocket, “Oh, there's no need-” The Sumerian interrupted him “Yeah, no need to be shy, it’s fine, in fact you can have it later, I have a lot of it inside my inventory.” Kazuha gave up on refusing and let Sethos apply the Kohl on his waterline.

“There, there, now close your eyes… And now your other eye…and there we go! Feels much better now doesn't it? And you look fabulous too!”

Kazuha nods, “Yeah, the sun doesn't blind me as much as it did before, thank you really, I highly appreciate it.” He thanked Sethos who gave him the bottle. “Take it, no need to worry, as I've said, I have a lot, like a lot, lot.” Kazuha smiled and kept it before thanking Sethos once more.

“Hey! I thought we were trying to speed up!?” Ajaw yelled, causing him to get smacked in the head by Kinich. “Right, right, right, sorry about that.” Sethos apologized before he and Kazuha followed after the two Natlanese men until they eventually reached the book store. “No need to hold back, it seems that Mora is worth insanely high in this world, meaning we’re able to basically buy whatever we want and need in the bookstore, if you feel it'll aid us, then don't be afraid to buy it.”

“But of course, we can't constantly just buy as we please considering we might make this world's economy collapse. This though is the exception considering it is fundamental in survival and in seeking a way to leave and go back home.” Everyone agreed and nodded before going inside the shop and browsing the books and sections.

Kinich approached the old lady at the counter. “Hello, may you please tell us where the education and enclopedia sections are?” He asked, the grandma laughed before pointing on Kinich’s left, “it's over there young man, why? studying for a test?” He shook his head, “No, I simply want to be more informed I suppose.”
He said before walking away.

Kinich looked at the shelves, browsing through all the books within the stands and grabbing the ones that he found most useful and informative, which was about over fifteen books, due to this predicament he called Ajaw over and made him carry all the books he had gotten before going back to browsing, by the end of it, he had bought about thirty books.

Which may seem like a lot, though it seems miniscule when you compare it to the amount of books Kazuha and Sethos brought to him so he could pay for it. Sethos with over 57 and Kazuha with a whopping 73. Thankfully Ajaw had been busy carrying his items as he didn't even want to think about how many books and scrolls Ajaw would've bought.

“Seems like we went a bit overboard, no?” Sethos laughed. Ajaw rolled his eyes, “anyways, we shall retire for the day as I am utterly famished and drowsy!” Kinich sighed. “We still need to pick up the others before we go eat and reside within an inn.” The dragon didn't seem to like this as his face contorted into an expression of anger “Continue and Time out is not the only punishment that you're getting-” Ajaw didn't seem to care though as he opened his mouth and was about to let out an irritated scream until Kinich tapped on his bracelet and imprisoned him in timeout once again.

……..

“Naruto, this is ridiculous!”

“Shhhh! They'll hear us! This is way too suspicious, he sounds exactly like Sasuke! There's no way that's just some crazy coincidence!” Naruto exclaimed in a hushed tone as he turned his head to look at Sakura with one finger up hovering on his lips. “Not to mention they're speaking in a whole other language! Maybe it's a code or something so we wouldn't understand them…” He squinted his eyes as he peeks his head out the wall.

Sakura sighed as the two of them continued to watch the other group while hiding in a building; their eyes widenning when they heard the green haired man’s voice, “See! I told you, there's no way they just happen to sound exactly like me and Sasuke! Something fishy is going on, I can smell it!”

“That is pretty fishy… But shouldn't we report this to Lady Tsunade first? Not to mention we're going to be late to our competition against Kakashi sensei if we keep this up.” Naruto shrugged it off before reassuring Sakura “Nah, don’t worry, that old man is always late anyways.”

“I guess you're right.”

“Sakura! Did you just see that! The dude who sounded exactly like me disappeared!” Naruto asked loudly with a baffled expression with Sakura beside him nodding, “It looks like body flicker.” Once the group started to walk away, the two Shinobi quickly followed after them. “They appear to be headed towards the main gate, are they leaving the village?” Sakura noted..

“Well, then we need to do something before they get out!” Naruto screeched, making him earn a light punch to the head from Sakura, “No you idiot! We need to report our findings first before taking any action.” She hissed at him before continuing to stalk the three men until they finally reached the Konoha Gate.

After they left the village, Naruto and Sakura swiftly went up to Kotetsu and Izumo to ask them about the strange group. “Hey! You two! What do you know about those three men that just left!” He asked the two guards. “Oh, them? They're just apparently a group of travelers exploring the world.” Naruto squinted his eyes before closing them, “That sounds like a load of-”

“Wait, what are their names?” Sakura asked.

“Let me see…” Said Izumo who flipped and skipped through the notebook, “here.” Sakura then grabbed the book and immediately began to read it. “Bamound Sethos, Malipo Kinich, K’uhul Ajaw, and Kaedehara Kazuha. These names are so unusual besides that one.” Naruto agreed and nodded while looking over Sakura's shoulder to read the names written on the notebook. “Yeah, their clothes are really weird as well!”

“Speaking of them, look, they're coming back, with four new people it seems.” Said Kotetsu, making all of them look at the gate, two girls and two boys. “This is getting more suspicious by the minute I tell you!” Naruto yelled.

—————

“Ah, finally, I didn't know how much longer I could take!” Furina exclaimed with relief. “As I just said, we would have to write down our names, and I don't think The Raiden Shogun and Hat Guy would cut it.” Sethos pointed out causing Wanderer to groan, he supposed he'd just use the name the traveler had named him. “Kunimitsu’s fine.”

“Hmm… Perhaps Bunraku Raiden?”

“Is being a puppet your whole entire personality?” Wanderer mocked the other as they walked into the village. “Yes” Raiden answered and Hat Guy rolled his eyes. “Ugh, saying that you're infuriating would be a severe understatement.” Sethos coughed before continuing the original topic of the conversation.

“What about, Raiden Mei? You and Hat guy could definitely pass as related so maybe you two could share a last name.” This caused an unusual reaction on the two puppets as they relapsed into silence and looked away in sync. Sethos blinked and sighed. “Alright then, so, Fontaine Furina, Raiden Mei, Raiden Kunimitsu, and since Durin is under Hat Guy’s care, Raiden Durin?”

“Just get on with it already, It’s merely a name that's temporary anyways.” Wanderer said with his hand holding the edge of his hat. “Hey now! Names, especially last names are essential as they form your legal identity! What we chose right now would be used all through our time here!” Sethos interjected with both his hands placed on his hips.

Furina put her index finger on top her lips and said. “A world run by ninjas and ruled over by shadows with differing clans, each with their own unique set of skills and abilities… I need to take notes!! This sounds like it'd make a great movie back at home!” She clasped her hands together trying to keep things positive and save face, hiding the fact that she's utterly terrified at the idea of killer ninjas practically lurking everywhere they go.

“Oh, hello Sakura, Naruto, and Gate Guards!” Sethos greeted them as he approached the table to write down their names. “Alright, so this is Raiden Mei, Raiden Kunimitsu, and Raiden Durin… No clan association..” He began to write down their made up details like names, occupation, and which country they came from.

“You know, it's a bit strange that you're the one telling and documenting their names and details, wouldn't it be more fitting if they did it themselves?” A silver haired man wearing a facemask brought up, with him leaning down and pinching his chin. “Kakashi sensei!!” Both Sakura and Naruto called out.

“And I was wondering where you two headed off to. I knew something was wrong when I was the first one to show up.”

Kinich then went up to Kakashi to answer his vaguely threatening question. “Sethos simply does most of the talking and socializing for us as it's not most of our companions strong suit nor are they fond of it.” His voice made Kakashi flinch, with him instantly turning his head towards Kinich. “Is something of the matter? Ah, is it that you've mistaken me for someone else like they both did?” He pointed his finger at Sakura and Naruto.

“It appears so, my mistake, it's just that you sound identical to an old student of mine.” The older man apologized, though it sounded a bit insincere.

“I see.”

“Well then, we'll be going now! Toodles!” Furina waved her hands and walked away at a fast rate though not too obviously fast to try and not raise any more suspicion. The others saw this and went away with her with some of them bowing their heads and giving away their farewells before leaving.

They continued to walk around the Leaf Village with Kinich, Kazuha, and Sethos taking the lead. Finding a high quality Inn was their first priority; they scoured through the streets asking the citizens and some fellow travelers for which Inn they think is best and where it's located along with looking through newspapers and magazines.

Nigth was approaching and they needed to find shelter fast. “How about this one? It’s pretty big and well known, most of the people that we had asked seemed to agree that it was the best one.” Said Furina, Kazuha shook his head and politely rebutted her suggestion. “It's a little too well known, we've already aroused some suspicion regarding our identities and intentions from the officials of this village, it's best if we keep a low profile; perhaps we should choose a lesser known place?”

“What about that?” Sethos directed his gaze at the Inn that was right behind Wanderer. “Only a few people told us about it and the advertising for it is kept at a minimum, the people that informed us of its existence even referred to it as a hidden gem.” The Sumerian proposed with the rest of the group seeming to agree with this choice. “It is said to be high quality and is quite unpopular, it does seems to be our best choice.” Kinich nodded, placing his finger beneath his chin.

“Yeah, I agree!”

“I accept.”

“It seems like a great choice.”

“Fine decision!”

“Seems alright enough.”

With all of them accepting Sethos’ suggestion, they proceeded to the Inn and booked four rooms. One for Kinich and Ajaw, one for Hat Guy,Durin, and Sethos, one for Kazuha, and one for The Raiden Shogun and Furina, though originally Raiden and Furina were supposed to have their own separate rooms but unfortunately the Inn only had four rooms available and so, the two sole women of the group shared the same chamber.

Some may call Kazuha fortunate for having a room of his own, unlucky for him though, his room was right next to Ajaw’s and Kinich, and thus, having a good night's rest would be ridiculously difficult especially since it appears that Kinich kept his promise that timeout wouldn't be the only punishment that Ajaw would face for disobedience.

Kazuha stared blankly at his hands which lay on top of his lap whilst he was knelt down. “It seems that I may be unable to sleep tonight…” He sighed, perhaps he should begin to read all of those books and scrolls that he had purchased earlier, it would be enjoyable to see the history and literature of this work while being quite useful as well. Whilst Kazuha reads, two souless eyes beneath a white mask watched him through a window.

Chapter Text

Kazuha flipped a page, his eyes following through the words written within the paper as he read through a collection of poems created during the first few years of Konoha. His gaze moved from the page and towards the window, and there he saw a masked man with dark grey shirt and pants along with a black cropped jacket and a red strap harness. As soon as the man noticed that Kazuha saw him, he alerted others who wore the same outfit as him, ‘a uniform perhaps?’ Kazuha thought before taking his katana out from his inventory and unsheathing it.

A group of masked people crashed into his room and sprinted right after him, Kazuha knowing he was outnumbered, used his vision to knock some of them away before blowing out the door to inform the others; he swiftly went up and knocked on Furina and Raiden’s door. The Shogun answered, letting Kazuha in, who then locked and barricaded the door with a drawer.

“Is something of the matter-”

“A group has ambushed us.”

This immediately prompted the puppet to pull out her naginata right before the blocked door got destroyed by the invaders; she swiftly sliced through them with Furina’s salon members aiding her and providing hydro, causing a chain of electro charged reactions whilst Furina hid in the corner of the room.

Some of them formed hand signs in an attempt to perform a jutsu, though unfortunately for them, Raiden instantly cut them up before they could even see her, the ones that managed to survive got tased and finished off by the salon members activating electro charge.

The commotion woke everybody up in the inn causing a mass panic with everyone shouting and trying to leave the building. Wanderer went out of his room to check what was going on and was greeted with electro and hydro particles scattered all through the hallway. “We've been targeted, Kaedehara was attacked first. This area is no longer safe.” The Shogun informed him whilst hunting down the remaining survivors that had escaped her. “Make sure at least one of them lives for interrogation.” She nodded before blocking a kunai with electro, “understood.”

Wanderer then rushed back in, waking up both Durin and Sethos. “Wake up, the inn is getting attacked.” He shook the two of them. “Hmm, what..?” The boy rubbed his eyes and yawned whilst the man beside him immediately got up and took out his bow and arrows. “The Shogun is already taking care of them, but it isn't far-fetched to think that they will signal for back up.” Hat guy then helped Durin get up, pulling him out of his futon.

Meanwhile in the other room, Kazuha and Furina got approached by Kinich who had just emerged from his room and went in to check up on everyone. “Is everyone fine? No wounds, bruises nor broken bones?” He asked, the two shook their heads in response. “We're okay, thankfully I managed to escape before any of the invaders were able to land a hit on me.” Kazuha reassured.

“That's good.”

The sounds of heels tapping against the wooden floorboards echoed all through the empty hallway. All six of them stepped out of their rooms and turned their head towards the source of the noise and saw The Raiden Shogun dragging an alive member of the group on the ground by his hair before slamming him against a wall. “Answer all of our questions and cooperate or you shall face punishment.” She ordered.

The masked man looked at her and aimed a kunai at his throat, before he could commit suicide, Raiden knocked the weapon off of his hands using her polearm whilst Kinich tied him up using his dendro vision. “Alright, alright! Before we start interrogating you, why don't we see what's behind this mask first.” Sethos said as his lips curled into a smile before removing the man’s white animal mask.

He looked at them with an emotionless gaze and an unreadable face. He looked quite average and young, seeming to be in his late teens. “First and foremost, who and what are you and why did your group ambush us?” Asked Sethos, the man remained silent. “No response? Seems like we have to do this the hard way then.” The Sumerian then kneeled before electrocuting him.

The teen let out a scowl of pain with Sethos repeatedly tazing him using electro yet not a word came out of his mouth. “Your endurance is quite formidable, it almost seems like you're trained for this, and that's not even taking into account the fact you immediately attempted to end your own life like it was a command.” Sethos highlighted while still wearing that eerie smile on his face. “Definitely an elite organization, these uniforms are of high quality and the members are highly skilled and even seem to have resistance training to make sure no information gets out.”

“From the books I've read earlier, they don't fit any official description of any ninja class or subdivision besides vaguely resembling an anbu, but even then, their uniform doesn't align and the masks they use are slightly different; a rogue organization perhaps?” Sethos noted as he stood up with Raiden finishing the job and killing the boy. Furina squealed and covered up her eyes with her hands.

“We need to get going, it's clear Konoha is no longer a safe place for us to stay in.” Kinich said as he crossed his arms together. Furina looked at him with tired eyes “But we barely had gotten any sleep? How are we supposed to walk and travel?” she asked, her voice quiet and raspy.

“We could go to another inn or set up camp with me watching over once more.” The shogun suggested, “Then I'll be on duty with you, I don't need sleep either and it's better to be sure than sorry.” Wanderer added with Sethos agreeing with the plan. “Sounds great and all, but where are we sleeping? Most of us are too tired to set up camps and most inns are probably full if not closed at this time of night.”

“Perhaps just simply using sleeping bags? I have a few extras for those who don't have one.” Kinich suggested, in which they all just agreed as they were all too tired to care too much for comfortability anyways, besides Ajaw and Furina who left a few remarks here and there.

They all headed out of the inn and walked towards the city gate with Sethos carrying a sleeping Durin. Raiden saw Furina barely dragging herself together due to exhaustion before looking back at Sethos and Durin; she turned to look at Furina and offered to help her “Would you like me to carry you as well?” The white haired woman shook her head. “No, no, I'm fine.”

“Are you sure you don't require any assistance? You look like you could collapse at any second.” she asked with her voice showing an inkling of concern for the human “No, I'm fine really.” Furina assured her, the puppet simply nodded “alright then.”

The seven of them had finally made it outside though they continued going until the city gate was out of their line of sight. The walk was silent with the sounds of crickets and footsteps being the only audible noises as they barely had any energy to waste on talking whilst also keeping quiet just in case so they wouldn't alert anyone.

“Finallly!” Furina sighed out of relief when they had finally found a spot. They pulled out their sleeping bags while The Shogun made a camp fire. The five of them then quickly fell to slumber whilst the two puppets looked over them. “Shall we start gathering food for them while they sleep?” Raiden asked, Wanderer just shook his head in response, “there's no need to; we already have enough ingredients to keep us going for now. Cooking breakfast, maybe, but foraging and hunting is not that high of a priority considering we don't even know what's safe to consume.”

“We can look at the books they brought.”

“And where are the books located in currently?”

“Their inventory.”

“Do you think we'll be able to get our hands on them?”

“No.”

“And why?”

“Because they're asleep.”

“There we go.” Hat guy said as he crossed his arms. The Shogun then stared at him, almost like a child wanting to ask something but is too shy to. “What do you want? Spit it out already.” He insisted, looking at her with an annoyed impatient look on his face. “May you please teach me the art of cooking?”

He sighed before finally answering her question. “Alright, if that's the case then let's go foraging, it's better to use makeshift ingredients than waste actual ones that we know are edible. We're immune to poisoning anyways.” The other puppet’s eyes widened and Wanderer could almost see a spark of excitement on her face, or perhaps he'd gone mad.

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Morning had arrived, the birds had begun to sing once more and rays of sunlight hit Furina’s eyes making her scrunch her nose and form a frown with her eyebrows furrowing before she finally woke up. “Ughhh--Oh, that smells good.” She then unzipped her sleeping bag and stood up. Furina approached the two puppets who appeared to be cooking something.

“It looks delicious.” She commented before looking at the ground where saw an unbelievable amount of dirty dishes and cooking tools. “Holy! What happened here!?” She exclaimed, Hat guy turned to look at her and answered “She requested that I teach her ‘the art of cookery’ and this-” he pointed and waved his index finger on the mound of soiled items. “-is the result of that. Thankfully, we had used ingredients that we had found and foraged, and instead only used the proper,safe and edible foods that we already have when she finally learned how to make a decent meal.” he flicked his tongue.

“But even then, decent is pushing it, more like edible.”

“It looks great though, good job Mei!” Furina complimented the puppet, in which The Shogun just looked away before thanking her. “I see.. Thanks, I highly appreciate it.” Hat guy swore he could see Raiden's cheeks flushing into a light shade of pink. Oh dear- He doesn't want to deal with this at all, he'll just ignore it and wish for the best, hoping that the other puppet won't ask him about it.

“Can I have some?” Furina asked, Mei answered while pouring tea on the rice “Sure, have as much as you'd like.” She then placed a spoon in it and handed the bowl over to Furina who enthusiastically ate it. “This is really good, what dish is this? I presume it's from Inazuman Cuisine.”

“It's Ochazuke, also referred to as Chazuke or tea on rice. It's Hat Guy's specialty and it's the dish he had taught me the most about.”

“Tea on rice huh? What an unusual combination, but it does work well, almost like a soup of sorts! Really tasty and unique as well!” Furina said as she continued to indulge herself in the meal. Whilst the two women ate and talked to one another, Wanderer began to wash and rinse the dirty dishes and tools in the stream nearby. “This is such a pain, why did I even agree to such a thing?” He groaned as he slaved away into cleaning the mess that The Shogun had made.

Plate after plate, bowl after bowl, pot after pot, he was finally done with over seventy percent of the dishes, now only the silverwares and cooking equipment remained; Hat guy screamed internally before continuing on, regretting his choices as he washed the the utensils and spatulas along with the knives and chopping boards. Thankfully, with the power of Anemo he didn't have to endure the painstaking process of drying the individual dishes with a towel right after rinsing them.

He sighed out of relief and stretched out his arms after placing the sparkling clean dishes inside his inventory. When he finally arrived back at camp, if you could even call it that, the others had already woken up and finished their meal. “Hat Guy, there you are.” Durin muttered as he rushed towards Wanderer to give him a hug. “I was wondering where you were since I didn't see you when I woke up.”

“Don’t be such a baby, I just cleaned up some things” He patted the boy’s head.

“Now that everybody's here, let's talk about where we should head to.” Kinich said, placing his hand on his hip as he looked at Wanderer. “From what we have gathered, there are over seven countries, five great villages and five minor ones with a few smaller towns here and there.” Sethos informed the group.

Hat guy raised an eyebrow, “Why are both of you speaking in Inazuman?” He asked the two. “Ah, while you were gone we had decided to speak Inazuman so those who are not the best at it will become more fluent and comfortable with the language.” Kazuha butted in.

“I see.” Wanderer wasn't a fan of this as it made them more vulnerable when it comes to eavesdropping, but he had trusted them to not talk about confidential information unless they're using the common Teyvat language or any other language for that matter.

“The five countries being Land of Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Lighting. We are currently in the Fire Country which houses Konohagakure, one of the five great villages, known for its skilled ninjas and powerful clans.” Sethos continued to share the knowledge he acquired from last night whilst reading books they had bought.

“Iwagakure or also known as hidden stone village, has quite the reputation to say the least. Kirigakure, hidden mist village, is known for its brutality to not only opposing nations but also to its own people; it was referred to as blood mist village fairly recently until a few years ago due to a revolution.”

“Sunagakure, hidden sand village, known for its poison, medicines, and puppetry. And lastly Kumogakure, also referred to as the hidden cloud village, known for its swordsmanship and lighting users.” Sethos crossed his arms after finishing listing off the major nations.

“Isn't it dangerous to go to one of the big villages? I mean, we haven't really gotten the best experience when we were in Konoha, considering we got ambushed and all.” Furina retorted and placed both of her hands on her hips.

“Oh? You got ambushed? What for? It would be highly appreciated if you enlightened us more on what had happened; as leaf shinobis it is our duty to ensure the safety of our guests and citizens, no?” Kakashi asked as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere causing Furina to let out a high pitched squeal and summon her salon members “Eek!”

Kakashi swiftly dodged Crabaletta’s attack along with Usher and Chevalmarin’s water bubbles by jumping on a tree branch. “Interesting, performing a complex water jutsu without any hand signs is quite commendable, especially for ‘mere travellers’ like you, hmm?” He observed while leaning down with his hands in his pocket.

“O-Oh!? Ahem! Is it that suspicious for a wandering lady such as myself to know a few tips and tricks when it comes to defending myself?” Furina snapped back, fixing her posture and crossing her arms.

“I didn't say anything about it being suspicious.” Kakashi shrugged, causing the woman to furrow her brows and form a frown. “Are you taking me for a fool? It's quite obvious from how you delivered your line!” Furina exclaimed as she pointed her fingers at the silver haired man.

“Anyways, we don't owe you an explanation!”

“Oh, but you do, legally anyway.” Kakashi said as he fixed his posture, Furina squinted her eyes, doubtful of the man's claim “Really, now?” From what the Traveler had told them, the rest of the group had a gut feeling of what was going to happen.

“Ahem, we got ambushed by what we assume is a group of rogue ninjas.” Sethos explained making Furina look at him with a face of shock and betrayal. “Really? Did their headbands happen to have a slash over their village’s logo?” He questioned, before anyone could deny it, Sethos responded with, “I don't know, it was quite dark so we weren't able to see what village they're from, but they were wearing a uniform composed of black and red.”

Wanderer looked at him; it wasn't a complete lie, in fact it was true, it just lacked some, if not lots of details and events. A vague and distorted description of last night's events was what it was. Though, of course no one could blame Sethos for this, Kakashi was practically threatening them with imprisonment or a lawsuit, but of course he couldn't just give everything away, that would be insanely foolish and idiotic of him, and so, Sethos decided to settle on the middle ground.

“Black and red you say?I've heard you guys were looking for a place to go next, for being ‘travellers’ you guys seemed a bit clueless to say the least”

“Are you just going to continue throwing accusations at us?” Furina asked, in which Kakashi answered with, “Again, I didn't say anything about that, I was just simply pointing out things that I have noticed.” This made the woman let out an excruciating groan.

“Oh, we're new that's why, just a group of runaways wandering off blind with barely any prior knowledge! And we were planning to stay in Konoha for quite a while as well, of course we couldn't have possibly known that we would get attacked and practically be forced out of the village, especially so early on in our stay.” Sethos laughed awkwardly, scratching his head to appear embarrassed.

“Hahahaha! I told you it was moronic to talk in Inazuman! That man is practically your saving grace!” Ajaw laughed boisterously, clearly referring to Sethos. Kakashi froze and turned his head to where the voice came from and instead of seeing his student, what he saw was a lizard made of cubes? Kinich took notice of this and smacked Ajaw, whispering “Human form, now!”.

“Ughhh! You!Fine!”

Kakashi watched as Ajaw transformed into a human with pixelated particles setting off everywhere. “Interesting, is it a new variation of the transformation jutsu? though I don't know why you two chose to mimic the voices of my students.” This seemed to offend Ajaw as his jaw fell open before his face morphed into an enraged expression and actually started to speak in Inazuman for the first time.

“You thought I was attempting to mimic your pathetic failure of a student!?! Hah! Don't make me laugh!”

“Kakashi Sensei! There you are! We've been looking for you-Hey! Who are you calling a pathetic failure!!” Naruto exclaimed as he pointed at the group of eight in front of him with Sakura and a blonde woman following after him. “Hello! I'm really sorry about him, he's a bit hotheaded and has quite the big ego you see.” Sethos greeted them with an apology.

“Oh, it's you guys again.” Said the blonde as she and Sakura jumped down from a branch and landed on the ground. “Ah, I don't believe we've exchanged names the last time we saw each other, I'm Sethos, and you are?” He asked, his hand reaching out to her, “Temari.” A few seconds passed before Sethos eventually let down his hand due to her not accepting the handshake.

“Anyways, we are heading to the Sand Village, and since you're looking for a place to travel to, why don't you guys join us?” Kakashi proposed, causing Naruto and Sakura to stare at him like he had grown a second head.

……..

Kakashi has had his suspicions with this particular group, after all they've already set off dozens of alarm bells; they talked in a completely foreign unrecorded language, he had tried to look through the library and archives yet none matched their speech, he had tried to see if it was a code or a cypher, once again, nothing matched. If it were truly a language, perhaps that's why most of them didn't speak?

Their excuse of being nothing more than ‘fresh out of the oven travellers’ seems to fall apart quickly once you notice how Sethos behaves, if anything it reminded Kakashi of himself. Sethos speaks,talks, and lies so casually that it seems like to him it was as easy as breathing, coming up with excuses on the fly, adapting his body language and facial expression to better fit with what act he deems is the most appropriate solution to a predicament. It's commendable really, though, of course nothing could get past Kakashi, afterall, it takes one to know one.

And that's not even taking into account all the complex jutsus that he hasn't even seen nor heard of before that they seem to possess. That white haired girl's jutsu appeared to be a mixture of a water clone and the water dragon jutsu, he'd seen similar things yet they're not quite the same. That green haired boy’s transformation jutsu is an interesting case as well, if it even is a transformation jutsu.

And so Kakashi proposed to the group “Anyways, we are heading to the Sand Village and since you're looking for a place to travel to, why don't you join us?” With them being in close proximity to one another, Kakashi could know more about them and gather more Intel and information regarding their motives, identities, and occupation. Was it risky? Yes, but Kakashi isn't really known for his self-preservation now, is he?

The group looked at one another, before nodding their heads in agreement with only three members opposing the suggestion, and so they accepted Kakashi’s proposal. “We accept. It's better to be in large numbers and have more protection, especially considering there appears to be an organization going after us.” Kinich said.

The white haired girl and the loudmouthed man shouted and whined, clearly unhappy with this outcome. Or at least that's what Kakashi had hypothesized considering he couldn't even understand a single word coming out of their mouths.

“Kakashi Sensei! Really!? Them!? They're so weird and fishy! They're clearly up to something!” Naruto exclaimed obviously discontent with what had transpired. “I actually agree with Naruto here, they're way too suspicious!” Sakura agreed.

“Look, I don't know what's going on between you and this particular group alright?Could we just please hurry up!? We don't have much time here and Gaara’s life is on the line!” Temari yelled, causing everyone to relapse into silence.

“Temari’s right! There's no time for petty arguing! So how about we just go!” Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi looked at them, “Alright then, let's get going shall we?” Everyone nodded before team Kakashi and Temari headed off to the Sand Village with a new unique group of individuals following right after them, with some people being unhappy with this decision of course.

Due to some members of the group falling behind, the faster members began carrying the slower ones. The long haired woman carried the girl who Kakashi had just argued with, while Sethos on the other hand carried the young boy with horns. What caught Kakashi's eyes though is Kinich, who seemed to use what looked like a combination of chakra strings and chains to propel himself further into the forest, interestingly enough, it wasn't the usual blue color of chakra, it almost had the same green color of medical ninjutsu, be it being more brighter and saturated.

He supposed he'd keep his mouth shut for now, there are other more important things to worry about afterall. He'll just interrogate the man about it later.

Chapter Text

It has been hours since they've decided to go with Kakashi and his team. Of course the two puppets seemed fine, they werent able to be be tired afterall, the only exhaustion they could face were overheating, and even then they already know how to maintain their body temperature with The Shogun already having a cooling system installed within her her whilst Hat Guy usually manually regulated his temperature using anemo.

Kinich was doing fine despite the pestering of Ajaw as he was used to long form travel with barely any breaks due to being a Natlan warrior and a saurians hunter. His muscular and cardiovascular endurance is increasingly high, impressively so, never seeming to appear tired or anything of that sorts. “Kinich! I'm dying of exhaustion!” Ajaw whined. “If you're truly ‘dying of exhaustion’ why don't you go ahead and move within timeout to rest?”

“Eughhh!!! You dare mock me!?”

Sethos laughed awkwardly, “Hey now, I'm getting a bit tired as well, plus the sun is setting.” Temari glared at him with a stern face. “We don't have much time to lose, we'll rest later when the moon's out.” She replied, in which the Sumerian simply sighed and agreed in return.

“Ah, those two’s bickering almost gives me a sense of nostalgia.” Said Kakashi, Sakura nodded, forming a bittersweet smile on her face. “Yeah, it actually makes me feel more motivated to get Sasuke back.” She shared as they continued to jump from tree branch to tree branch, up until the sky shifted hue, morphing from orange to a deep purple, following the rise of the silver moon.

The twelve of them stopped and took a pause in their travel, deciding to set up camp within a darker and less visible area of the forest, with tall trees towering over them, blocking the light that the moon emitted while acting as a set of walls protecting them. Kakashi used one of his many jutsu’s to light up a bonfire while the others constructed their tents with Temari immediately going to sleep in order to save up energy and wake up earlier in hopes of arriving in the Sand Village in a much earlier timeframe.

“Before we rest, why don't we introduce ourselves, hmm? Tell us your name, your dreams for the future, likes and dislikes.” Suggested Kakashi.

“Oh, so just like what we did when we first met.” Sakura said as she placed her index finger on her bottom lip.

“Well, I’m Naruto Uzumaki! I like the ramen in the ichiraku noodle shop and my dream is to be Hokage! And I don't like giving up, believe it!”

“I'm Sakura Haruno, I like learning and memorizing medical knowledge and my dream for the future is to be strong and skilled enough to protect my friends and loved ones. I dislike feeling useless and weak.”

“And I’m Kakashi Hatake, the things I like and hate, I don't feel like telling you that, and regarding my dreams for the future, I haven't really thought too much about it.” This response made both Sakura and Naruto sigh, mouthing ‘the same old thing again, huh?’

Sethos smiled and nodded before placing his hand over his chest. “I suppose it's our turn then? Alright, I'll go first.” He said before moving his hand from his heart on to his hips. “I'm Sethos Bamoun, I like hats and traveling by foot, the scenery and journey are just so relaxing and therapeutic you know? And I'm not that fond of vegetables, specifically green ones. And my dream? I'm still finding it, I suppose that's why I’m traveling!” Wanderer let out a tiny, quiet scowl when the other man mentioned his love for hats.

“Hahaha! Dislikes of vegetables!? What are you? A child!?” Ajaw mocked Sethos, laughing loudly with him hugging his stomach, cracking up like he had just heard the best joke known to man. “And what about you? Ajaw was it? Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself next?” Kakashi tilted his head.

“Hmph! Fine, I shall grace you with my name! I am no other than the one and only, Great Dragonlord K’uhul Ajaw! Now bow before me and kiss my feet peasants! As for the things I fancy and loathe, I’m fond of juices made from berries and utterly despise Kinich and cramped spaces! And my dream is for Kinich to die a horrendous, brutal death! AHAHAHA!”

“It’s so weird hearing Naruto’s voice say such malicious things. Also, Dragonlord?” Sakura questioned, her left eyebrow raised. Kinich sighed and apologized on Ajaw’s behalf. “Don't worry about him, he's been isolated for most of his life and he started to talk and act like that as a way of coping.” Not entirely a lie, despite the dragon speaking in a certain way due to simply being an old ruler of Natlan during its ‘prime’ or so he says, Ajaw was in fact sealed for most of his life resulting in him gaining questionable coping mechanisms.

“I see.” Naruto said in a somber, empathetic voice.

“I presume that it's my turn now. I am Kinich Malipo, I like fairness and equality. As for my dislikes, I hate gamblers and alcoholics." This prompted all of team Kakashi to look at one another with the same thing in mind with a funny looking expression on their face. ‘He just described Lady Tsunade.’ they awkwardly chuckled. “And regarding my dreams for the future, I haven't thought too much about it.”

“Oh? Is it my turn? Well then, I am Furina! I love sweets, desserts, and pastry! My dislikes consist of a specific high ranking white haired military official. As for my dreams? Well, i've already achieved it!” Furina presented herself with utmost confidence, flicking her hair and placing her hand over her hip, doing a dramatic flashy pose.

Wanderer snorted at the obvious critical remark that was clearly referring to his old co-worker. Though Kakashi on the other hand seemed to take it a bit personally, perhaps he thought that it was about him? If that's the case then that would mean he would be a high ranking ninja. Wanderer, Sethos, Raiden, and Kazuha took note of that, taking short glances at one another that were barely noticeable to even them, with Kazuha and Sethos keeping their usual smile plastered on their face.

“How about you introduce yourself next, little guy?” Kakashi suggested as he looked directly at Durin’s eye, making the young boy break eye contact almost immediately. “Oh, Uh, I’m Durin, I like Hat guy, Albedo, and Sethos, and I don't like bad guys. And, uh, I want to be better…”

That only left the two puppets and Kazuha, Wanderer groaned as he felt everyone's eyes settle on him. “Alright, let's just get this over with, you five are probably in a hurry anyways. I suppose you may call me Kunimitsu, I dislike a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. Dreams are nothing more than delusional fantasy I don't like to bother myself with.”

Naruto and Sakura paused with Kakashi looking over them. Before they could say anything, The Raiden Shogun introduced herself. “I'm Mei, just like-” she paused, the word not quite rolling well with her tongue as if it had been a fish bone stuck in her throat, it felt unnatural, not up to code; she gulped before finally continuing the sentence “My brother, I'm not particularly fond of anything. I dislike change, breaking of rules, and errors.”

“Quite the stickler, huh?” Kakashi's eyes closed, seemingly forming a smile that appeared as artificial as the Raiden siblings. “Is that it?” Naruto squinted his eyes, “Oh wait! What about that guy!” The blondei pointed at the pale ronin. “Naruto don't point at people! It's rude!” Sakura pinched and scolded him.

“No, no, it's fine. I'm Kazuha Kaedehara. I highly enjoy poetry, blacksmithing, dried grilled fish, and travelling. I dislike confinement and being held back, Infact, I despise those who take away people's freedom. As for my dream, I don't particularly have any, I simply head where the wind takes me.”

After Kazuha was finished presenting himself, Hat guy and Durin were already heading towards their tents with Sethos swiftly following up behind them. Kinich looked at Raiden, “You've been on Night Watch for two days straight, how about you let me and Ajaw do it for the night.” Kinich proposed causing Ajaw to let out a loud gasp before whining about having to do labour. “HUH!?! When have I ever agreed upon such an arrangement!?!”

“It is well within our contract. You have granted me your permission to use your abilities in exchange for my body, and that power includes you being made out of phlogiston and thus not needing sleep as you use other means of regaining your energy.”

“KINICH!!!”

The puppet wanted to decline the offer as unlike humans she didn't really get tired nor was she able to become malnourished. But due to the current circumstances of the two men arguing once more, she didn't feel it was in her right to interrupt the two from their usual daily bickering before heading into her tent.

“There they go speaking in that weird foreign language again…” Naruto muttered, his voice and face dripping with suspicion; Sakura nodded “Yeah, I thought it might’ve been code, but with the way they're really putting their emotions into this, I'm starting to highly doubt it.” she whispered into her teammate’s ear.

“Now, now, it's getting late you two, both of you should probably go to sleep as well.” Kakashi said with a hint of teasing in his voice. “But what about you sensei?” Naruto asked, in which the older man simply replied with, “Well, I'll simply watch over everyone with Kinich and Ajaw as it seems they're not going to rest anytime soon.” Sakura furrowed her eyebrows with her face showing a bit of concern. “But then you won't be able to get any sleep.”

“Yeah! And you'd be all tired and dizzy through the journey and mission!” Naruto agreed.

“I've dealt with worse, now go inside your tents.” said Kakashi, causing Naruto to groan and whine while Sakura sighed before eventually walking towards their own tents with Kazuha setting up his own sleeping bag and heading off to sleep as well.

Kinich and Ajaw looked at one another, they weren't fools, they knew that this man only went on nightwatch duty with them with the sole purpose being that of making sure they were not aiming to do anything that would cause harm to him and his comrades. It was fairly reasonable considering it was clear that he and his team were suspicious of them.

“So, what do you think of make out paradise?”

“Make out paradise?” The two asked in sync, this caused Kakashi to gasp. “You don't know what make out paradise is!?! It's an absolute masterpiece written by none other than one of the legendary Sannin Jiraiya himself!” Ajaw and Kinich shared glances once again knowing that this night is going to a gruesomely long, and not the fun kind the two of them usually have.

“It starts of with the hero and heroine-”

Chapter Text

The sun had risen, its light barely making it through the leaves and branches of the tree that are towering over their camp. Temari had woken up first, her breakfast only being a single ration bar that she had finished eating in mere seconds before she immediately began packing up all of her belongings that she had laid out.

Kinich wasn't able to make any breakfast due to Kakashi reciting all of Make out Paradise to both him and Ajaw during the entirety of the night with Ajaw almost mauling and burning both Kakashi and the book. The natlanese brought up this particular concern, only for Kakashi to offer them ration bars. “Hmm? Oh, there's no need for cooking, we've packed plenty of ration bars and meals, we shinobis are meant to be as fast and practical as possible, so we often don't make our meals during the mission considering it simply takes too much time, effort, and energy.”

“I see.” Kinich mumbled, he used his bracelet to scan if the food Kakashi had given them held any poison, substances, or any unusual ingredients, he made sure to move as subtle as possible as to not wake up the sleeping dragon whose head was leaned down on his shoulder. The scanning and the gadget in general had Kakashi intrigued.

“Is that a jutsu? Or is it a tool? What does it do?”

Kinich paused knowing he needed to think wisely, he laid out all his options. 1. He could say the truth while leaving out a few details, this informs the ninja that the bracelet is advanced and has unique abilities. 2. He could simply deny and say that it's nothing, which is surely not going to work. 3. Refuse to talk about it at all, which would secure the information but will surely raise suspicion and curiosity.

Or he could do number three, lying.

It was a bad idea but would be the most believable if done correctly, though that is the problem; Kinich barely knew anything about Chakra and jutsus besides that it's similar to phlogiston and everyone in this world seems to have them in differing amounts. The first option seems to be the best choice, but that would mean Kakashi and other people would most likely take interest in the bracelet, which is not ideal. The scanning was complete, showing that the ration bars contained no poison or anything of that sort.

“It's a jutsu.”

“Is that so? What about those green strings you used to propel yourself with?”

Kinich unsealed the food, “It's made out of chakra.” He answered as he took a bite out of the bar. What he told was the truth, or at least an alternative version of it, the grappling rope he used was made out of phlogiston and dendro. “So chakra strings huh? I've never seen anyone use them in that way, they're usually used for puppetry.” Kakashi rubbed his chin.

“And they were green as well, meaning that it most likely has a chakra nature embedded into it, considering it's used to propel and is colored green, I'm assuming you applied wind nature to it?” Kakashi said as he fixed his posture and crossed his arms.

Kinich nods, the man was pretty close despite getting the element wrong. “Oh look, the others had woken up.” said Kakashi who was standing up and dusting off his pants. Most of them were awake besides Furina and Naruto in which Sakura and Mei had woken up the two with Raiden’s approach being much more gentler than Haruno’s methods.

After everyone was awake, they began to disconstruct the tents and store their own respective belongings whilst eating. Furina complained about the taste and texture, even questioning its healthiness and nutritional value but finished it nevertheless.

That left a certain Ajaw shaped problem. His partner was sleeping and would surely throw a tantrum if not outright refuse to wake up, and he couldn't possibly send him back to timeout. It's quite strange really, Ajaw didn't really need sleep at all yet he still sleeps and refuses to get up. Perhaps it was simply him trying to feel alive again, after all you're bound to feel numb and lifeless after not having a solid concrete body after all this time. Kinich shook those thoughts away, groaning before picking up the other man like a stack of potato; to a normal person it would most likely be the most uncomfortable position to sleep in, but Ajaw is not a regular person.

Sakura approached them, “Is he alright? It's highly discouraged to not carry someone like that due to the likelihood of them experiencing back and neck pain along with muscle cramps after remaining in that position for long.” She voiced her concern. Kinich shook his head and assured her. “No need to worry, Ajaw’s used to this and he…has a condition that makes it so he doesn't feel pain.” Or can't feel anything at all, but he didn't add that on.

“Oh, really? That's interesting, I'm assuming it's due to his pain receptors not working properly? Or is it due to a seal?” Sakura placed her finger over her jaw with her eyes looking up. Well, Ajaw's condition is due to him being sealed; Kinich nods in response. “Hello!!!Are you three done yet! We've already finished packing up! So unless you guys wanna get left behind you better hurry!” Naruto shouted at them. Kinich and Sakura looked at each other before swiftly following up behind the group who were already moving away.

——————————

“It's the desert!” Naruto exclaimed with his eyes lighting up, “The Sand Village is up ahead, I'll take the lead from here.” replied Temaril, in which Kakashi simply nodded and said “We're counting on you.” causing the blonde woman to smile.

“Compared to Sumeru, sand here is a little lighter in terms of color.” Sethos noted in the common Teyvat language as he continues to observe the environment before him “it's a whole lot more windy too, though I suppose that's why it's referred to as the Wind Country.” Hat guy snickered and shook his right foot in an attempt to make the sand fall out of his sandals. “This is why I don't visit that area of the nation often.”

“Ah yes, right, more than half of Lord Apep’s Territory became a wasteland thanks to that Usurper and you foolish humans who they brought here!”

“Oh you're awake.” Kinich muttered, still holding Ajaw over his shoulder. The dragon then jumped off him and stretched while yawning.

“Lord Apep?” Sethos and Kazuha said in sync with both of them having the same confused expression on their faces. “Oh how you mortals seem to forget the one who came before you all and those who are truly native to Teyvat!” Ajaw laughed in mockery. “I'm simply surprised you actually acknowledged that someone is of higher status than you.” Kinich stated.

“I may be self-centered, but don't take me for a fool who doesn't know their place!”

“Lord Apep? Oh, is she like Monsieur Neuvillete? I've heard him and the traveler mention that name before. Is she perhaps the Dendro Sovereign?” Furina asked, in which Ajaw replied with crossed arms and a smirk, cackling while he shifted his sunglasses. “Hah! At least one of you seems to at least be slightly informed!”

“Ah, the Dragon sovereigns, I've read some books and articles about them, but I never knew what their names were!” Sethos exclaimed with his usual bright smile and pose. “It surprises me that you still remember this much, from what granny Itztli told me, you should barely have any recollection of your past.” Kinich said, his voice having a hint of curiosity.

“Hah! You really ought to believe that old hag over me!?!”

“You're way older than her.”

“Tsk, you-”

“Can you two just shut up for one minute! I swear both of you somehow can't go an hour without opening your damned mouths and being an annoying nuisance to everyone around!” Wanderer hissed at them causing them to pause, as Ajaw was about to run his mouth, Kinich smacked him in the head preventing him from uttering even a single word.

Team Kakashi and Temari looked at them which made Hat guy glare at them in return, “What? Got a problem?” Naruto furrowed his brows and closed his eyes, his mouth forming a pout. “Geez, what's up with him. First he was trying to be all mysterious and cryptid and now he's just being an asshole!” He whispered to Sakura and Kakashi.

“I can hear you.” Wanderer said with his voice becoming harsher and deeper along with his eyes becoming sharper causing Naruto to flinch. “It's rude to talk badly about someone behind their back, especially when if it's in the literal sense Naruto.” Kakashi stated, with Sakura nodding and agreeing with him. “Yeah, he’s right, you know.”

“Hey! Why are you guys ganging up on me all of a sudden!”

Kunimitsu simply rolled his eyes and resumed his walk. The twelve of them continued on with their journey in silence with gusts of winds and the crunching of sand being the only noise that could be heard along with Kazuha’s humming. Unlike Sumeru’s desert, this one feels too barren and empty with the most distinctive factor being the lack of abandoned ancient structures and ancient technology running around freely. Fungi, wenuts, and vultures were nowhere to be seen either.

The quietness of this place was off-putting, it seemed almost fully deprived of life, though of course that is not the case considering that there's an entire village residing within this country. Finally, after what felt like days, Naruto broke the silence. “It's so hot! My eyes are melting!” This prompted Sethos to give out more of his Kohl to everyone, “Oh yeah! I forgot, here! have this! you put them in your waterlines to protect your eyes from the sun! It works like a charm!”

“Huh? How does that work?”

“Here let me show you! It's better to see and feel the result yourself!”

“Oh, eye powder. We have these in the Sand Village as well, judging from your clothing and features I assume you originated from our village? That's strange, I haven’t heard anything about you whether it be from people or village records.” Temari pointed out whilst Sethos applies the powder to Naruto and Sakura with the rest applying it on their own.

“I suppose you could say that I live near the village.” Temari squinted her eyes in suspicion but thought it might be best not to question him for now. “Here look!” Sethos gave Sakura a mirror with Naruto leaning in towards her shoulder to see his own reflection as well. “It looks good! You're right, my eyes do feel much better now!” Sakura smiled.

“Hey! I look like Gaara-” Naruto smiled for a moment before his lips fell into a frown once he was reminded of his friend’s disappearance. Sakura took notice of this and patted his back before resuming back to her walking. The mood relapsed into silence once more, The eighth didn't exactly have the full picture and context but knew that talking wouldn't exactly be the most respectful and mindful thing to do.

Naruto’s eyes widened, brightening with enthusiasm when he saw a tiny silhouette of what appeared to be the Hidden Sand village. Just as he was about to sprint towards it, Sethos and Temari came to a halt and stopped their companions from going further. “The wind became harsher all of a sudden, this area is way too dry and lacks even an inkling of moisture.” Sethos commented; Furina raised her eyebrows, “But aren't desserts always dry?”

“Not to this degree, there's also a cloud on the horizon meaning-”

“A Sandstorm is approaching.” Sethos and Temari said in sync, their faces becoming more stern as they immediately scanned the area for any possible shelter. They saw a tiny cave over to their left. “Over there!” They yelled and pointed before instantly sprinting towards the cave.

They all got inside just right before the sandstorm hit, with most of them letting out a sigh of relief. “Damn it! We were so close! I can't just sit here and wait when Gaara’s life is on the line!” Naruto groaned, just right as he was about to head out, Kakashi placed his hand on his shoulder preventing him from going further, “Naruto, I told you not to lose your patience.”

“Be patient, Temari is the one who is most anxious right now.” Sakura scolded her teammate, Temari looked at her lap and then at Naruto. “The ironclad rule is to stay put if you encounter a sandstorm as you lose your sense of direction if you find yourself within it. We often hear of people dying of dehydration after getting lost in the desert.”

Everyone froze.

“Don't worry, a sandstorm around this time of the year shouldn't last too long” she reassures them. Naruto turned his head, his frown growing larger. “Please let up soon.” Sethos looked outside and then at everyone. “Well, looks like your prayers got heard.” He pointed at the entrance of the cave where a slightly dusty but sandstorm free desert could be seen. “It got cleared up in mere minutes!” Furina exclaimed with disbelief clear on her face and voice.

Sethos sighed and rubbed the back of his head, muttering in his native language “Man, I wish the sandstorms in Sumeru lasted this short.”

Everyone, especially Naruto, sprinted right out of the cave. The rest of them eventually followed with a much slower speed than the ninjas in front of them. “Haah… How are they this fast! And they don't even seem tired at all!” Furina whined, her hand going up and down in a fanning motion. “They are ninjas, shinobis are well known for their agility and for being quite sneaky.” Kazuha answered with a soft, gentle smile.

“Sneaky? Hardly, that loudmouthed blonde kid with his bright orange clothes and yellow hair that makes him stand out like a sore thumb? The pink haired girl with her bright red and pink clothes and hair? Their teacher is much better at being subtle, but with his spiky silver hair he's basically painting a target on his back. The other woman is much better, but that's not really saying much if you take how bad the others are into consideration.”

“Quite the critic, just like always.” Sethos chuckled. And Hat guy simply shrugged, “I'm only stating the obvious.”

“Woah, that's the gate..?” Durin mumbled once they reached their destination. “That's a whole canyon, it reminds me of Natlan, without all the graffiti and art and all...” Kinich observed, Ajaw laughed, “Awee? Is poor little Kinich home sick?” The dragon teased his partner. “As Kunimitsu said, I’m simply stating the obvious.”

“Yeah, right.”

Once they finally went inside the village, Kakashi slowed down in order to say his ‘goodbye’ while the rest of his team ran off to the hospital after hearing about Kankuro’s situation, “Ah, I suppose this is where we'll part ways then?” Sethos nods, “I suppose so, It's been fun traveling with you guys, I hope we could meet again.” The Sumerian reached out his hand for a handshake which Kakashi accepted.

As the eighth outlanders turned around to explore this new nation, Kakashi took notice of something. Behind Mei’s back was what seemed to be an exact replica of Sasuke’s curse mark, the only difference being the color. Kakashi looked around and swiftly hid in an alleyway to form a shadow clone to follow the strange group around before heading off to the hospital where the rest of his comrades are in.

Wanderer looked at Sethos, “You placed a tracking device on him.” He mentioned, the other man simply grinned and hummed. Hat guy raised his eyebrow, “you do know someone as high ranked as he is would definitely notice that you had placed a bug on him.”

Sethos chuckled , “This world is quite primitive, I doubt they'd see a device as advanced as that one and leave it to waste.” He replied and placed both his hands on the back of his head. Sethos smirk grew more cunning as he glared at the masked man whose eye was a burning shade of crimson. “Is something wrong?” Durin asked in a worried tone, the Sumerian simply shook his head, “I'm fine, now let's go shopping alright?”