Di could see shapes of small kami that dwelt in the mountain shrines. Once a long time ago they had distinctive forms but like the tiny monuments erected to them they had worn away with the years. Bereft of faith they had devolved into little more than hitodama unable to change form. A more unscrupulous sort would devour them as easy prey, but as a dragon Di was above such petty acts of malice.

Sakamoto's voice had an unusual note of bass to it. Where one to simply hear it without any context the listener would think they were being addressed by a lion instead of a house cat. Could this be an affectation put on to fool the world or was it purely natural ?

"Well I thought I knew him or I guess her. Though it seems like Mikumi has done a good job of reinventing herself. Shedding one skin and adopting another like I would my seasonal colors or you your winter coat. One of the great traits that are seen in all the detective novels is the ability to see beyond the masks and understand the true core of a person. I don't possess it. I try to read and guess but as often as not my conclusion is flat out wrong.

Reading people is much harder than reading a crime scene. I can pick up the details here and there precision is no obstacle. But to see through the masks that we wear that is a true trick. It can be hard enough to see through ones own facade of self delusion. If you can't break that then what chance of truly knowing another is there?

To answer your question I think it's a mixture of things. First is the responsibility that comes with my birth. Being heir to a dynasty carries with it a weight that goes beyond mere status. Every action I make reflects upon my family and their name. The house of Bailong has a reputation for being both benevolent to those who depend on it and prudent in their actions. If there is a crisis then it is to be solved immediately and without thought for personal cost.

But I like to think that even were I not shackled with such expectations I would still assist those in need. From the sound of things what is happening on mount Meru is a snowball rolling down a hill. At the moment it is still relatively small relating only to the birds that watch over the sacred peak. But should it grow and attract the attention of some of the true evils that dwell across Samsara then it could mean death or enslavement to the humans that dwell within these lands."

How long could the ninja nations survive against a true invasion from Asuragaati or Jigoku? Sure the humans were more formidable now than ever before thanks to their infusion of extraterrestrial power but in the end they were still fragile creatures most barley living more than a mere century. Whats more they were blissfully unaware of how much danger they were in. How would they react to know that their destiny fell in part on the paws of a little black cat who had chosen to spare a wounded bird?

Many would dismiss the possibility out of hand. Such a fanciful notion was the stuff of children's tales.  That was foolish. Such stories held ancestral memories from ages long past. For such a transient species who had only recently come upon the arts of writing knowledge needed to be kept in a repository and what better way than to impart it to the young while their minds were still impressionable and ready to soak up such information.

Time was cyclical. If Momotaro could befriend a talking dog, a monkey and a pheasant then defeat an army of Oni with such companions then a cat a bird and a dragon could move heaven and earth.

Yojo om nom nom'd at his chicken dumplings, kicking his feet up for once to let the relaxation of the quiet day wash over him. Finally, at long last, after he had fought through thick and thin, the Chunin Exams were over- he could finally sleep easy. Kami save him, he had practically collapsed into bed the night of the grand finals. He was so exhausted emotionally and physically that it had taken him a number of days to recover from it all. He had entered that strange middling place between being a true Chunin and a Genin waiting to be formally promoted.

He had heard of the likes of Ting and Yasubei already leaving Konoha, either to return to their own village in the case of the latter, or to train in solitude in the case of the former. For Yojo, the days were flying by, and now that he'd gotten his name out there somewhat, he was eager to lay low for a good while. Missions would come if he just waited, there was no need to recklessly throw himself back out there. So, for now, he simply relaxed on a lazy sunny day in front of his favorite noodle joint slurping at pan fried gyoza.

The reluctant-Uchiha looked up at the daytime sky. The clouds were gone, the air was bright blue, and there was a silver bird dive bombing right at him... Wait, what? The shinobi squinted, holding his hand up over his eyes as he tried to make out just what was coming at him. Yojo grabbed onto his dumpling, fearing for them more than his own life. He held a pair of plastic chopsticks at the ready, "Hey, get out of here- there's no hand outs here pal" the Genin said, thinking that the creature meant to abscond with his lunch. It was only when the bird spoke, however, that Yojo's eyes went wide. He leaned back in his chair, "Whaaaaat theeee heeeeeeeck" he said to himself, the words being long and drawn out as he suddenly began to question what was going on. Had that old geezer who ran this place decided to spike his food with hallucinagenics? He had to have, why would the bird mention Sakamoto of all people?

"Listen you. Corresponding with talking avians isn't typical protocol for submitting an official request to the hokag- HEY, WAIT UP!" Yojo started, still bewildered by what was going on yet remaining compelled by the bird's sense of urgency to leap from his seat and chase after the creature towards the edge of Konoha and beyond. The teen shoved the rest of his dumplings down his throat and ate them all at once like an absolute madman.

He hadn't seen nor heard of Sakamoto since their match, since he had said what he did whilst Yojo was being treated. The words still stung, and the revelation of his bloodline stung even more. What the hell was he supposed to feel about being an Uchiha? Was he supposed to be relieved? Angry? He didn't know. That was probably the overarching theme in his life right now, truth be told. There was so much change going on, so much he knew being turned on his head, that he felt lost in the tumult of it all. He needed time to think, to ask himself who he was- to ask what might've happened to his parents... and if he could consider the last remnants of the Uchiha as allies or enemies.

Yojo lept from tree to tree, following the silver bird as best he could, trailing it as they moved further and further away form Konohagakure bound for one of the wilder places of the shinobi world... Claw country.

633/633

Did Sakamoto's callous words hold truth? In his readings of philosophy, Di had come across scrolls that detailed the theory that there were only a set number of 'true' Individuals in the world capable of cognitive reasoning and decision making. The rest were simply automatons or as the author had referred to them as philosophical Jiang Shi. These mannequins were set to the simple tasks of living out their lives while maintaining a degree of normalcy from those true sentient beings that interacted with them.

Extreme perhaps but Di suspected that this was the logical conclusion of Sakamoto's argument. Wouldn't that be ironic? Projecting one's own complexity onto others whereas they are but simple creatures driven by basic desires. Several schools of Daoist thought stated that the universe was actually a simple place but it was sentient beings who complicated it by imagining facets of the cosmos that were, in reality, superfluous fancies. Ironic for a school of philosophy to decry their own discipline but from what Di could tell Paradoxes were abound (The Taoists would probably point out that the very idea of paradoxes was consciousness imposing limits and restrictions where there were none but on that path was the route to madness in Di's estimation).

Di was working out how to articulate this rambling stream of consciousness into a manner that was both cogent and coherent when Sakamoto was set upon by owls. The birds were armored in steel with bladed pinion feathers capable of being launched at high velocities. Lashing his tail out Di caught a flurry of the blades and threw them to the side. One of the shafts managed to find a gap in his scales piercing in a most aggravating manner but the rest deflected off harmlessly.

Catching an updraft the dragon launched himself skyward and toward the trio of birds. The guardians of the air had their own hierarchy and though they were ruled over by the Feng Huang there were many sub-factions each with their own commanders and lieutenants. These particular agents seemed to be part of the birds of prey the nocturnal counterpart to osprey, kites, hawks, falcons and eagles b. Two of the birds darted swiftly from Di's path ignored by Di as he singled out a target.

What followed was an aerial dance that swiftly came to a foregone conclusion. The owl was well trained and armored deadly even in its own way. However, even with armor the bird only weighed around six kilograms. Di's, by contrast, weighed somewhere around nine hundred kilograms and was borne aloft by magic. Connecting with a forearm Di punched the bird sending it crashing into the side of mount Meru whereupon it fell stunned to the ground.

As Di was about to turn and make short work of the other pair a shadow fell over him. Whatever cast it had a wingspan that was far greater than that of the smaller owls. Craning his head around to get a better view Di noticed an immense shape a good five meters long with wings easily 13 meters across. Sickly green in hue it was unarmored but from its wings fell small motes of lime colored dust.

Whoever had sent the assassins after them had not underestimated the dragon. This was a zhenniao a magical bird known as an omen of death. This fierce reputation came from the fact that the bird was deadly poisonous and able to excrete toxic powder from it's feathers.  Darting away from the perilous shower Di began to retaliate firing a blast of chakra from his mouth towards the attacker.

The zhenniao shook from the blast and blood could be seen marring it's underside but it was far from down. Taking a more active role in murdering Di the bird began to dive for the dragon it's long beak ready to deliver a heavy dose of venom.

"Sakamoto, I'll deal with their flying cesspool you focus on the Owls."

Di managed to call out before the zhenniao was upon him.

"Hey... Can you... Slow down? PleASE?" Yojo asked, exhausted as he clambored up the seemingly endless stone steps of the misty mountain. He had entered Claw Country after what felt like an eternity of running, yet despite running across the literal entirety of Hi no Kuni, this bird was still asking him to keep running with everything still left in the tank. What did this thing expect him to do? Just run a marathon and be in fighting shape to ascend up a mountain? Yojo was huffing and puffing, practically pulling himself upwards step by step. He was a real human, this bird that was judging him wasn't human. He-He had legs to walk with!

Any attempts at trying to call up and ahead seemed null and void though, for the bird acting as his guide always seemed to be just out of earshot- or whatever the hell it was that birds had that let them hear. Yojo was being left to grumble to himself about the foolish decision to abandon his comforting meal inf avor of galavanting with strange avian allies on the fringes of Hi no Kuni. Why did he even say yes to coming along? It wasn't as if he held a great connection to Sakamoto as it was. They barely knew one another, and more than anything else, there was an unspoken suspicion that Yojo felt existed between them both. He still couldn't wrap his head around how the cat had managed to sense his lineage just by fighting him. It knew something, more than it had let on when they fought last.

Yojo refocused his gaze on the bird as it continued to flutter ahead of him, squinting as he tried to gather some kind of second wind. "Okay. Alright. Running. We are running now. We are just gonna keep running and running and running-" the teen said aloud to himself in a tired and weary voice, putting one foot ahead of the other, driving himself forwards along the stone steps of the mountain. He managed to get into a light jog, keeping time with the bird ahead of him.

The sun had gone down by the time that the fledgling Chunin finally began to close the distance to his supposed target. It had to be midnight, or something close to it. Yojo's sweat had turned cold, his legs cramped and numb from running for so long without rest. He felt nauseous from the long-distance triathalon he'd been powering through. All of that came to a head at long last though, as the sounds of fighting from up ahead managed to reanimate the walking corpse to life. Yojo heaved as he stepped up into the stoney clearing around the base of some sort of shrine. The cutting sounds of thin projectiles zipping through the air alerted the human to the fighting he'd walked in on, as well as the hawkish foes circling overhead, preying on Sakamoto and... wait, was that a dragon?

"I'm... I'm HERE!" Yojo gasped, exasperated, hands on his knees. "I'm here to... Oh kami have mercy- I'm gonna do the thing and..." Yojo continued, sitting down on the ground before fully laying onto his back. "Just gimmie a minute... Just gimmie...a while" he noted, inhaling and exhaling as the fight went on ahead of him. He could vaguely make out the sight of birds overhead stalking them all. The male frowned, forming a trio of hand signs as he laid on his back a fair distance form the thick of the fighting. A trio of green streams of  Futon would zip out through the air, aiming to come into contact with the hawks overhead. If the streams managed to hit, Yojo would clench his tired fist, still laying on his back, and ideally causing a crushing force that might ground the creatures in the most lazy way possible.

Yojo didn't care, he wasn't going for style points here.

"Just tell me when... Just tell me if we win or not. Oh damn it, oh sweet baby buddha" he groaned, turning onto his side and throwing up over the side of the mountain to the valley below. Why the hell was he called here again???

717/1350

Aerial combat was not that different from battles that took place beneath the waves. Each had currents to deal with be they either in the form of water or wind and both allowed for angles of attack that were barred to the terrestrially grounded fighter. Were the zhenniao not such a dangerous foe Di might even enjoy the chance to ditch the shackles of the earth and cut loose with the acrobatic maneuvers. As it was, he was facing off a bird whose feathers and beak were so intensely poisonous that it had become the stuff of legends.

Several feints were played out in the air. The long beak of the avian predator snapped out and in return Di coiled in on himself. Di also lashed out with his jaws once or twice. He had no real intention to actually chomp down on the toxic foe because as resistant as dragons were to most ordinary poisons actually digesting some may well prove fatal for him. The bird's instincts kicked in however and it made evasive maneuvers it may normally have avoided all others with impunity but very few things either in nature or out of it were able to simply able to stand resolutely against the descending jaws of a dragon.

Flapping back the bird took stock of the situation and changing tactics beat its wings in several great motions. The deadly dust that had been drifting down to the ground was now buoyed up into the air and swept towards Di in a cloud. His mind's eye already playing out the maneuver Di launched himself forward into an air current riding the wave like a surfer as the drift brought him up over the great bird. Channeling his chakra Di conjured forth three water clones which all dove in for the zhenniao.

It was clear that the bird had had little experience with fighting ninja in battle and thus this little trick had caught it firmly off guard. Human fragility was the cause of great resourcefulness and thus a fine wellspring of inspiration where sheer power was insufficient. Two of the dragon clones targeted the zhenniao's wings with their teeth while the other constricted the avian menaces' legs. For Di himself, this would be a woefully ill-advised move as he would receive a full dose of the deadly poison. The clones were animated constructs bereft of real organs and anatomy so all this would do was slightly change their chemical make-up which was a total non factor.

Charging chakra in his throat Di let out a second more powerful blast towards his adversary. It's movement restricted by the clones the toxic predator had little recourse but to take the hit. This shot penetrated the birds weakened underside rupturing organs and shattering bone. With a low mournful call, the zhenniao spiraled out of control making the last descent of its life as it struck the ground of Mount Meru.

Di slid from the sky in a practiced movement landing with a grace that belied his weight. Ever since he had botched an attempt to do such while he was blackout drunk Di had something of a hangup regarding landings. His feet touching the earth Di spoke to the new human arrival who it seems had collapsed from exertion.

“The corpse of the big bird is deadly poisonous so don't touch it or breath in the dust if you can help it. Not that you look like you are going to be doing much moving any-time soon. I take it you ran all the way here from Konoha?”

As Di spoke his attention half on the downed man and half on Sakamoto who was now facing off with an owl. Sakamoto probably didn't need to be warned about the zhenniao a cats sense of smell could easily pick up on the hazardous nature of its biology.

“Sakamoto give me the signal and I'll blast the owl”

(656 words)

"Did we win? Is it over?" Yojo asked as he laid there on his back a moderate distance away from the heated center of the battle. He could see the forms of Sakamoto and what looked like another bird dueling for supremacy. What the hell was even going on anymore? All that the teen could do was squint his eyes in suspicion, trying to make out the black and brackish forms of the two animals trying to fight one another from a distance. It was only once the other companion present who stopped next to him told him more about their enemy that Yojo realized the literal cat and bird game being played. Sakamoto was easily strong enough to overpower most foes, Yojo had been on the receiving end of those claws before, it was not an experience he enjoyed. It was a tad jarring, thus, to see the cat somewhat on the defensive side as he dodged and maneuvered around the battlefield. For a moment, the young Uchiha thought about activating his sharingan to see if there was more going on than he was seeing, but at feeling his muscles cramp up again, decided to just sit back and let the black cat finish his duel.

"What gave it away?" Yojo replied after Di asked him if he'd really ran all the way here from Konoha. Oh yes, yes he had, and he was feeling it all over his body. "Yoshihiro Joe" he introduced, keeping his gaze on the poisonous owl as the fight raged on. He still was struggling to come to terms with his clan's namesake, he couldn't accept himself as an Uchiha. He was grateful to wield something as powerful as the sharingan, but would not let such a dojutsu define him. He was of the Joe clan, so far as he was concerned.

The shinobi, seeing the flow of battle, formed the bird hand-seal as he continued to lay there on his back. As the final strike was suddenly being prepared by the three of them, a trio of cartoonish-looking crows would materialize in the air above Yojo. Made out of green Futon and having googly eyes that looked comical, they zipped forward at the owl with a speed betraying their unassuming appearance. Hopefully, having been on the receiving end of such an attack, Sakamoto would know what would come soon afterwards. The three crows would move at varying angles at the owl, one moving from its left flank, one from its right, and a third shooting straight on at rapid speed. If the jutsu would connect, the crows would create small explosions of air that would thrash and knock the owl upwards into the air painfully. While Yojo doubted such an attack would be a finishing blow, he hoped it would create enough of an opening for his two partners to exploit.

"Wind Style: Laughing Crows!" he announced, still being aware enough to know that announcing an attack made it easier to coordinate with allies... Even if his body was physically wrecked right now.

515/1865

It was funny really. Di had imagined a thousand situations in which he would perform some form of heroic deed , usually stopping or solving a crime where he would receive praise for his actions. But now that there was someone in front of him actually complimenting him on his achievements he felt more than a little embarrassed.

“While I do appreciate your kind words Xiao I don't think my performance was that spectacular. Sakamoto also performed admirably against opponents of comparable size to his own and did rather well. That being said whatever mastermind is behind this attack is clearly not going about this in a half-hearted manner. Either the leader has intelligence that suggests that I am working as an independent agent and will not be avenged should I be slain or they simply do not care about the ramifications of attacking a dragon.”

Just as the human world had it's own loyalties and politics so too did the dragon kingdoms. An attack on one could mean massive retribution from a race of beings that were worshipped widely as gods. Neither of the possibilities Di had mentioned to the pair were particularly appealing. Little that could be done about it now aside from press on and trust his companions to have his back. Turning to the new comer Di spoke.

“Yoshihrio I'm not sure how familiar with Mount Meru you are. However if it is your first time hearing about it then I think it is a good idea to give you an idea of how the place works. The mountain exists not only within our dimension but also in all others. Climbing and descending the peak can have you end up in any number of places. If you use the wrong path you have the chance of literally ending up in hell. Conversely others can travel these paths too so don't be too surprised if there are some unusual beings to be found on the slopes.”

Di cast a look towards the corpse of the Zhenniao as if to highlight his point.

“Normally the birds of the mountain would watch the gates and report any strange behaviour to a senior dragon or one of the more notable kami. But it seems that something has gone very wrong with the birds at the moment since as you saw those owls just attacked us.”

Di wondered how quickly Yoshihiro would adapt to this news. It was one thing to come the aid of a companion when they were in danger but an entirely different one when it came to sticking ones nose into what might just be a coup or civil war between birds. It was possible that the party had little time to get to the summit. Worse Yoshihrio was clearly well past going anywhere in a hurry.

Stretching his back, the dragon detective worked out some of the nervous tension that had built up there during the battle. While he wasn't the most efficient dragon when it came to carrying passengers Di was certain he could take both Joe and Sakamoto up the peak without much in the way of trouble.

“If you are too exhausted to continue Yoshihiro I can take you and our feline friend the rest of the way up the mountain. The winds here are strong enough so that we should make good time. It might not be so great if you are afraid of heights but I assume that as a ninja you are well over any sort of fears like that.”

Should Yoshihiro accept his offer Di would waste no time pressing ahead towards the summit. Xiao would be their guide and make sure that they didn't accidentally fly off into another world entirely.

He heard the sounds of the fighting come to a close, along with the sounds of Sakamoto defeating the creature triumphantly. What he saw next, though, was instead the black cat suddenly appearing on his torso before curling up into a muffin and making eye contact. There was a silent stare between the two, they had some blood- neither good nor bad, though their last encounter had been decidedly more violent and resentful than anything else. He had let Yojo win, he let him go onto the finals and win the whole tournament. That more than anything else made the shinobi feel bitter toward the feline fighter. On the other hand, without him, he would never have discovered his sharingan. Even if he was an aloof Uchiha, he had found a namesake for himself. In sum, as the miles upon miles he had ran caught up with him, Yojo was decidedly stern and thinking as he watched Sakamoto. Finally, it would be the cat who would speak first, breaking the ice. "You too, cat" he retorted, watching as Sakamoto leapt off him as he sat up.

The bird questioned whether he could continue, something that Yojo was half-tempted to agree with so he could get out of the inevitable trek that he knew was coming. Still, with a heavy sigh, he tried to rally by shooting down the bird's doubt. "Aerial combat is my niche, you'll be hard pressed to find those who are more at ease fighting in the air than I" he said, grubmling to himself as he got back up to his feet. It was only when their third member, Di, spoke, that more began to make some modicum of sense to the tired Uchiha... Wait... Did he just say 'dragon'?

Dimensions? Hell? Senior Dragons? Attack?

Yojo's eyes were growing wider and wider with each outlandish and new term that the other male threw at him, at last becoming as wide as saucers. What in the world was he talking about? Of course, Yojo had heard the tales of Mount Meru, who hadn't- but the legends were hardly elaborated on beside for the accounts. Now that Yojo was finally hearing said details, however, he was beginning to feel his brain hurt. Once Di paused for a moment, the Uchiha slowly opened his mouth to speak. "Okay, alright. I just have one question... What's a dimension?" he asked, completely confused by what he was hearing.

"Just... Point at the birds for me to take down and don't tell me any of the complicated bits- all right?" Yojo asked, confused by what Di meant by 'carrying' him and Sakamoto further up the mountain. He imagined it would be fairly hard and difficult, but maybe he could do it if he slung Yojo over one shoulder and the cat over the other. It was only a matter of time, though, until the male transformed into his draconic state and forced the Uchiha to realize just how bizzare this adventure was going to be...

510/2375

Yojo watched his two companions strategize about their next move, with Sakamoto in particular thinking out their next plan of action rather carefully. It was only once the Chunin saw the cat riding on the back of the dragon boy, that he decided to grab on for dear life and hope that the two decided not to dump him in some gorge as part of a practical joke. As the'd continue to fly upwards, Yojo would feel some of his breath coming back to him. Being up high like this is something that always exhilerated him, it made him feel free- perhaps it was just the wind and lightning specialist in him. With a semi-content smile, the result of a mixture of exhaustion and intrigue, Yojo lazily watched Sakamoto lead the three of them up higher along Mt Meru, the bird guardians guiding them as they went. For now, feeling somewhat secure, the shinobi closed his eyes, letting his mind and body rest for a while. He'd need to be rested for the fights to come, he was certain about that much.

185/2560

Total WC: 2560

• Training Sharingan to Two-Tomoe: 2500/2500