Chapter Text
The crunch of small branches and dried leaves under his feet was overshadowed by the sound of rushing water. Atsuo heaved a sigh of relief and made a run for the possible river. He was careful in his steps; the muddy ground could lead to a painful fall should he slip. The man had survived an experiment on an ancient rune gone wrong and this odd world long enough not to die by slipping on mud and hitting his head. That would have been beyond embarrassing. Two years of Hogwarts, seven on Mahoutokoro, and another five years for his rune mastery. Then die like that? Yeah, a solid no.
Atsuo was glad that he'd been wearing his enhanced camping clothes and packed with necessities for travel and exploration, although his travel was more for an ancient magical shrine in some hidden corner of Kagoshima than wherever this place was. From his observation, this place seemed like ancient Japan with a backward community. The clothing, architecture, and way with words showed enough to him. But this place was brimming with wild magic, so thick he could feel it on his skin.
Atsuo moved a branch away from the tree beside him to take a look at the river in front of him. It was a medium-sized river with grey stones of varying sizes on the shores. The water looked clean and was deep enough to probably reach his waist. He even saw some fish the size of his palm swimming around. That was good. Atsuo had been eating the food he packed. He would have run out of it by tomorrow.
Atsuo licked his dry lips and raised his wand to cast a spell to see if there was any human or large wildlife near him. He wasn't going to waste good food if a bear popped out somewhere, or worse, humans with bad intentions. Sensing he was alone, Atsuo carefully went down towards the river from the raised earth bed he was standing on.
The wizard then placed his backpack on the pebbled shore, just far enough from the water not to get wet. He then used magic to clean and dry off the area he would be using to light the fire. When he finished with his temporary camping spot, he took out a small foldable chair from his magically extended backpack.
Atsuo also grabbed the fishing gear he brought. Transfigured fishing gear just wasn't the same, so he made sure to pack his own. He grabbed the small chair and positioned himself on the bank of the river. With a careful swing, he let the hook and bait settle in the middle of the water. Now he just needed to wait.
As expected of a pollution-free and fresh environment, it wasn't long before he caught a nice fish, almost as long as his forearm and heavy. It would be enough to feed him for lunch, but Atsuo wanted to pile up on his food, so he tried to catch more.
Atsuo was on his fifth fish when his sensory magic pinged. He blinked and was immediately on guard. The figure was approaching fast, too fast for a human. He felt his heart rate pick up. His hand shook and felt clammy. Atsuo dropped the fishing gear and grabbed his wand tightly. He took a deep breath and faced the direction the figure was approaching. Then, from the thick foliage of the forest, a large wolf appeared.
It was large, twice as big as any normal wolf Atsuo had seen. Magic was thick around it, the essence of the wild and lightning casting around it like an aura. This was definitely a magical wolf. Its fur was light grey with a darker colored fur over its snout. Piercing bright yellow eyes immediately located him, and Atsuo shivered in dread. This—this was so bad.
The wolf then tilted its head and took a sniff at him. Atsuo immediately jumped up and moved back. "I—I'm not food!" he said out loud, then cursed for attracting the attention of the wolf even more.
Then the wolf seemed to snort and shake its head. "Yes, you're not. All skin and bones and weird chakra. You'll give us an upset stomach."
And the wolf spoke. The wolf spoke!
His magic pinged again, louder this time. A figure moving just as fast as the wolf earlier. Then a man burst out of the trees and bushes, leaves and small branches over long, thick braided silver hair, dressed like a mix of a samurai and a hunter with a pelt of something over his shoulders and muscled like a fighter.
A bark-like laughter erupted from the man, and Atsuo twitched at the sight of full-on fangs the man had for teeth. "You win this time, Yuno. I will beat you in the next race," he said and then turned to where Atsuo was standing. Then he saw a pair of sharp grey eyes not unlike the wolf's. The aura around the man was the same, thick wild magic with lightning, a brewing typhoon, hurricanes, thunderstorms and everything beautiful and terrifying.
Then a fish took the bait and began to pull his dropped fishing pole to the water. "Fuck!" he shouted and turned his back to chase the fishing pole and pull it out of the water. Atsuo almost tripped on the wet stones but managed to grab the pole before it went completely under. He then pulled the line, and a large fish went flying into the air. The fish landed on the ground a meter away from him with a loud slap. The fish flopped for a few more seconds before stilling.
Now an awkward silence was in the air. Atsuo gulped and clenched his hands. He absolutely didn't want to turn around and face the man again. He wasn't placed in Gryffindor for a reason. But he knew he had to do this. So he gripped his wand again and turned around.
The man was literally in front of him, close enough that he could raise his hand and touch him. A sound of something like a dying drowned cat echoed, and the man grinned, all teeth white and sharp.
"Hello. You don't smell like you are around here," the man greeted, then placed a hand on top of Atsuo's head, pale callused fingers threading on brown hair.
"I—I'm just passing through," he replied with a wry grin, his attention overly focused on the sensation of the hand on his hair.
"We noticed. Where are you from? We have never picked up this kind of scent before?"
"Ah, somewhere far. Really, really far." The man's eyes were indeed wolf-like, he picked up being this close. And also, he was infuriatingly handsome. At least among the possible ways he could first meet with the magical population of this world, this isn't the worst way to go.
The man then sniffed him. Sniffed him! Before backing away and giving Atsuo back his much-needed personal space and taking his hand off his hair. "My pack is going to use this river for camp. I hope you would not be too bothered," the man—he really should ask for his name—said. Atsuo could only nod his head multiple times and shut his mouth.
"Thank you." The man grinned and turned around to walk away. "Oh, by the way," he paused and looked back at Atsuo for a moment. "Hatake. Raiken Hatake. See you later, kid!"
Atsuo could only blink when Raiken immediately sped off at an inhuman speed back to the forest with the wolf in tow. When he meant pack, did he mean a pack of wolves or a pack of humans? Atsuo felt like he didn't want to know.
Apparently, the answer is both.
An hour after their meeting, Raiken and the wolf—Yuno—returned with a group of about a whopping 100 people at least, not to mention the wolves. Yes, the wolves outnumbered the people. He was staring open-mouthed when the population quickly set up a good camp with tents, fires, baggage, and many more. They worked in synchronicity and finished before Atsuo could regain his wits.
They were all like Raiken in appearance, despite the varying ages and gender, shades of silver hair with grey eyes with only a few odd ones having different coloring, wearing a mix of hunter and samurai clothing with others having pelts of animals as accessories and coats. Most of the wolves, thankfully, weren't as big as Yuno, but many were. They also had the same aura. In fact, the whole area was filled with static wild magic that made Atsuo feel as if he was in the middle of a brewing thunderstorm.
The group was so large that they encompassed the whole area around the river, and Atsuo's small little camp with a single fire and tent ended up smack dab in the middle. He was utterly terrified of these powerful, dangerous, and wildly beautiful people. Atsuo felt like being surrounded by werewolves who could rip him to pieces using their pinkies and had perfect control, and they knew it.
The fire cracked as wood chips turned ash scattered in the air. Atsuo had cleaned and staked three medium-sized fishes and was cooking them over the fire. Sitting on his tiny chair, he kept his eyes on the cooking fish and the delicious smell. He had a handful of spices blended with soy sauce, and he was brushing the marinade on the fishes. Atsuo knew that eyes were on him. As the only stranger in the middle of their camp, he already had expected it. And the sniffing too, both humans and wolves.
He hears the footsteps and turns his head to see three children looking at him, two boys and a girl in between that looks like they haven't hit their double digits yet. She was placed in front with the other two tucked behind her. She has grey eyes so dark they also seem black with silver hair the color of ash. The two boys behind her looked identical with light grey eyes and whitish silver hair. All three blink their soulful round eyes towards the fishes he was cooking then back at him.
Oh no, he thought with horror. His own amber eyes look back. A silent tug of war was fought. Then twenty seconds in, Atsuo accepted his valiant defeat. He waited for the fish to finish cooking and handed off the three sticks of fish to each child. The two boys immediately tried to snatch it, but a low growl from the girl stopped them. The girl took all three sticks, sniffed them, then handed one to each boy.
It was so adorable, it was unfair. Now he had to cook again but he didn't regret it. What was his life?
"Bad pups. No taking food from the nice young man." An amused coarse voice called out, and all three little heads turned to a man walking towards them.
It was an older man, hair nearly white with scars crossing over his exposed skin and face, eyes a twinkling bluish grey. Seeing him approached, the two boys quickly tried to finish their fish with a look of defiance. The girl on the other hand paused mid-bite and placed the fish in front of her. She eyes the missing chunk of meat on the tail end and looks back at Atsuo.
"Um—it's fine! I still have some fish left to cook," he said and waved his hand off. To make a point, he took out the icebox and retrieved two cleaned fishes and skewered them with sticks then placed them over the fire.
"None of that. Come with me," the older man laughed and brought a hand on Atsuo's shoulder to pull him up. He then dragged him along towards the largest tent. The three children follow right behind them like excited puppies.
Atsuo yelped when he was pulled inside the tent when the other man lifted the entrance flap. The three little hellions puttering around him only giggling.
"Onna zokuchō! I brought the foreigner!"
"Good job, Kouki. Bring the man over here for this old woman to see."
Then Atsuo ended up sitting on the ground above some woven rugs and furs. In front of him was an older woman he estimated to be in her late fifties with a large scar bisecting her face from forehead to her chin diagonally. She had a shock of silver hair braided down to her waist and deep grey eyes that were almost black, the same as the little girl. Besides her was a large white wolf comfortably resting on its stomach.
"There you are," she grinned. Sharp canine teeth greeted him. "Nice to see our temporary neighbor. Come, you have not eaten yet have you? I smell your cooked fish on our naughty pups."
Two teenagers—both boys—who were setting up a fire and a pot of steaming food inside passed a full bowl towards the woman who then gave it to him. She received another bowl and kept this one to herself. A spoon was given to him by one of the teenagers, the young man walking all the way towards him and giving him a nice smile.
Atsuo felt his face flush and he looked down on his soup instead. It smelled heavenly and looked appetizing, although he did first cast a diagnosis spell on it to check for anything wrong. It came out clean of any poison or whatnot. Now crossing fingers that these 'Hatakes' weren't cannibals because human meat is still meat and the charm wasn't going to tell him shit about that.
He hesitantly scooped some and placed it in his mouth. His eyes brightened when he tasted how delicious it was. "It tastes great. Thank you," he said and proceeded to eat the food. The meat tasted like chicken and chunky bits of carrots and potatoes were in the creamy soup. He even saw some eggs mixed in making the soup thicker.
"Eat up, pup. You are all meat and bones. What are you doing all alone this far from the capital? Little nobles like you tend to avoid these places." The woman who was the matriarch of this clan asked him and approached him closer.
Atsuo swallowed the food and wiped his mouth before looking up at the woman shyly. "I—I'm not a noble—well. Oh right, I'm Yamada Atsuo. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner."
She nodded, then introduced herself, "Hatake Shiho, the Matriarch of the Hatake Clan, which includes the silver-haired pack and the wolves around us. Not from here, are you? You smell odd, pup."
Atsuo flushed under the scrutiny of not only the older woman but of the other six presences in the tent. "Ah, yes. A little incident, I'm from somewhere really reaallly far," he chuckled and rubbed his nose. "No problem though! I can get back. I just need time to familiarize myself and rest. Ah, yeah! Is your clan nomadic? Because of the—well—"
Atsuo was doing a bad job at shifting the conversation somewhere else aside from his dubious origin, but thankfully the people around him seemed to notice and allowed him to change the topic.
Shiho-sama hummed, "Yes. We will be staying here for about a month before making our way back to the Land of Lightning. Winter is still far, and we are enjoying the bounty of summer. The Land of Fire is the best in terms of the environment and weather. You are better off staying here. The capital will welcome anyone with coin."
Money, right. He does have a couple of galleons stowed away and Japanese yen. He doubts they had the same currency as the modern Japanese coin, but galleons—gold—was valued in any time and any place, hopefully.
"T—thank you for the advice. I would follow it through. I do hope to ask—"
His inquisition about their odd form of magic was cut off when the opening of the tent was pulled open and a large man was roughly thrown inside. Atsuo screamed in surprise, and when he saw the fierce and bloody form of the man, his first thought and action was to grab the three kids who sat near him and haul them over the corner of the tent, away from the bloody sight.
The man thrown inside wore white bloody clothes, torn and dirty. He was pale, with thick black hair tied in an up-mizura. A loud groaning came from him, blood coated his body, and his right arm was missing. He looked up, and Atsuo gasped when he saw the gruesome claw-like gaping wound across his forehead to the side of his face, his ear missing. He tried to say something, but a heavy foot slammed down on the man's back, making him spit out a spray of blood. A Hatake wielding a katana entered with their blade dripping with blood and a spray of the red liquid on their clothes and face.
"Onna zokuchō, we found this Kaguya sneaking in the woods beside the river. He was eyeing the camp," the man spat with a sneer, his eyes glinting a dangerous light.
Atsuo had grabbed a woven wool fabric beside him before he had dragged the three children away and had all three of them covered to avoid seeing the mess. So when the young girl tried to wiggle out to see, he immediately grabbed her back and pulled down the fabric. "No. Behave," he hissed quietly to her and was thankful when she stopped moving. The other two boys were perfectly behaved the whole time. Thank Kami-sama.
He himself didn't want to see the gruesome sight. The wizard had seen some gruesome injuries; runes were dangerous when gone wrong, and everyone had a fair share of having injuries from time gaining their mastery. He'd even had a classmate have their arms blown clean off from an incident. But such injuries were easily fixed with magic. It took a lot to kill a wizard with physical damage, add to the facts that healers and hospitals were readily available. Yet that doesn't mean he does not get sick at the sight of gore.
"Kouki, tend to our guest. Hiroto, drag that Kaguya to the center of the camp. I will follow you shortly." Then the matriarch rose up with all the deadly elegance of a predator on top of the food chain. The large wolf beside her opened its eyes and stood up, so large they almost enveloped all of the space in the tent when they stood on their four legs.
The man who had dragged him in the tent—Kouki—nodded and moved over to Atsuo. Kouki placed himself in front of Atsuo to block the frightening sight, then gentle hands were placed on the children covered with wool cloth that Atsuo had pressed against himself. The man let out a canine-like coo, and the children replied in yips.
A warm hand over his own made Atsuo flinch, but Kouki merely removed his hands tugging on the fabric to let out the children. The adult Hatake let the fabric drape over his forearm, and three silver heads popped out.
Atsuo was about to check on the children himself when he was bundled up by the same wool cloth. "You are going to need this more than the pups. Trust me."
He squawked in indignation but was ignored. The wizard yelled when he was lifted off his feet and slung on Kouki's shoulder afterwards.
"Ha—Hatake-san! Let me down!"
"It is better like this. I will take you and the cubs to a safer place."
And so, he was carried away to who knows where. Atsuo was absolutely glad he mastered Apparition, or else he would be in deep shit if he could not teleport away instantly.
Hatake Shiho is the Onna zokuchō of the Hatake Clan, the matriarch of the pack, like the hundreds of female Hatakes before her. She had lived to reach her 70th nameday despite what her appearance suggests. No shinobi who survived past 30 is ever underestimated, much less someone her age. She had seen and experienced much more than most shinobi could: famine, death, battles, terrifying weathers, and the biting frost of the harshest of winters.
So Shiho lied when she said she hadn't smelled the particular smell on the cub who they let in their den. The Hatake matriarch smelled it once before, and her ancestors before had foretold her of it: the scent of the immortal bird of fire that circled the Land of Fire like a guardian, the Phoenix who burned down the capital and the Daimyo's palace when captured and disappeared in a halo of golden flames, the new capital being built anew more than half a millennia ago.
Fragrance of the large willow who glowed and brought life, one whose roots encompasses the whole Land of Water, a tree tall enough to reach the skies and large enough to house an entire city under its leaves, once cut down during a war and draining the life out of the country. Once a bountiful flora and fauna, what was left was a watery grave.
Legends, myths, told from mouth and lived through the ages.
Once, a young girl of merely 10, she dove to the sea, the storm thundering and salt on her lungs, reaching for a brother taken by an enemy among the waves near the whirlpools of Uzushio. Then she was basked in its existence. It smelled like the sea, salt, sulphurous, and ethereal. It felt like pure chakra. All beings alive and not are filled with chakras. It is the lifeblood of everything in existence.
Yet chakra is untamed, wild, and free. The being felt like chakra tamed and formed in the shape of the large sea serpent. It opened its large jaws, and everything went black. Then she woke upon the shores of Uzushio with her brother, alive and drenched in a form deeper than their mortal bodies with fretting redheads surrounding them.
Scent of flowers, fire, sea, and even pungent, they differ, but they hold the same core: the scent of pure chakra given form, something foreign and ethereal. She had scented it from the moment they arrived near the river. Raiken had arrived from his scouting and found a nice large river bank to rest with no predators nearby. Not that any would stay when they feel the static chakra of the Hatake pack nearby. He made a small comment about a civilian staying in the river, and she brushed it off. The moment civilians are in their presence, they tend to leave quickly, shinobi do so, much less them.
But the moment she caught a whiff of it, her instincts howled and her hair stood up to its end. She almost barked at the pack to stop and turn around. But she stayed, for the Chakraborns never struck unless offended first, and Hatakes are anything but stupid.
Then she had her close circle observe the man as they set the camp. She herself observes the creature from the eyes of her summons. It took on the form of a young human, brown hair and pale skin that would be a common sight. Yet its eyes were the color of the fire, shifting ever so and looking at the world as if seeing something no mortal eyes could. Its features foreign no matter how hard it tries to appear like them. No one, even from the dark-skinned Kumo to the fairest of the Yuki clan had exotic features. It was something that did not belong in the Elemental Nation.
Its scent and aura were the same, pure tamed chakra given form and sentience. It played human very well, genuine in its emotions and actions. It felt overwhelmed and trickled with uneasiness, but never fear. It knew them, saw them for who they are, felt their chakra, and inhaled the lightning storm, but it never feared for its life because it knew it didn't have to.
Hatakes were at the top of the food chain, the best of shinobis, the War Enders, but what were mere mortals to Chakraborns?
So they'll let the creature take shelter in their den and take warmth in their fires. They'll share their meals and partake in their life.
"Onna zokuchō!"
She opened her eyes and looked at the scene, surrounded by her kin in their temporary den, and a rat in the midst of everything. The Kaguya clan is a sickness that spreads, a clan full of bloodlust and violence, whose delusional pride makes them think of themselves as godly. One day, sooner or later, all of them will be wiped out, and they could blame no one but themselves.
"Matriarch, this one had been caught near the weaponry tent. It is believed that he was after the chakra blades."
Fury rose in her, and she bared her teeth. Shiho knew how sought after their chakra blades and other weapons were. Among the shinobi, the Hatake-made weapons were the best, knowledge and skills derived from living in the Land of Iron for as long as their ancestors had.
She growled and barked out, "Was there any other present?" The others shook their heads, and she clicked her tongue. She's not taking any chances with this being a singular action, but at the same time, she knew better than to think that the Kaguya clan thought they were capable of winning against them.
"Hiroto! Take this Kaguya with the others on the eastern side of the forest. Make him confess their plans." For now, she had a hunt to start. "And prepare the meat for tonight's dinner."
Kaguya flesh weren't the nicest quality meat, but they were still hardy, and the latent kekkei genkai helped boost bone growth for the pups. They'll do.
Atsuo yelped when he was practically thrown into a large pile of furs. Entering the tent, the three children laughed as they threw themselves into the fur pile to join him.
"Wait! Should I really be—" he yelped when one of the boys pounced on him. Fluffy dandelion-like silver hair burrowed on his neck. Tiny yips filled his ear, and he saw the other twin had taken his hand and was looking at it consideringly.
Atsuo's eyes widened because he knew that look. It was the same look as his coworker's tiny daughter right before—
"Ouch!"—she bit him.
Kouki perked up like a hound spotting a prey and narrowed his eyes at the child teething on Atsuo's hand. Kouki reached over and pinched the boy's neck at the back. He immediately went limp and was pulled over by Kouki and cradled to his chest.
Atsuo checked his hand and saw tiny reddish incisions on the top of his hand. Thankfully only a couple of the holes had penetrated into the skin, the rest were only reddish. He placed his other hand on top of it and mumbled an episky. The spell was simple enough that he didn't need his wand so it was quick.
Then he looked down at his chest to see round grey eyes watching the whole thing. Atsuo moved his hand and petted the soft silver hair while shushing. "Good puppy. Go to sleep or something."
"That's Hideo. This is Araki," Kouki pointed at the child snuggling with Atsuo then to the child he was cradling.
"And I'm Yoru. We are the children of Hatake Naru of the third branch and Kurama Ko," piped in the little girl who had previously been silent the whole time.
Atsuo blinked and slowly nodded his head. Okay, now what. Yoru kept looking at him as if expecting something.
Kouki coughed in his fist and raised an eyebrow at him. It took a while, but Atsuo thinks he knows what to say. "Um—I'm Yamada Atsuo, the only child of Yamada Hiro and Fawley Anastasia of the second branch?"
The children nodded along with his father's name but paused and scrunched up their nose at his mother's name. He laughed and couldn't help but ruffle those dandelion puffs for hair. "Yes, I know. It's hard to pronounce. It's a foreign name."
"Do you look like your mother?" Kouki asked while looking at him curiously, sharp eyes tracking the features of his face.
Atsuo no doubt turned red in the face. "No, I look like my father, but I got my mother's eyes. My nose and chin too if they are to be believed."
The children seemed interested and continued to pester him for more information by tugging at his clothes and crawling all over him in the fur pile. He gently took off the grubby paws pulling his clothes and started talking.
"My father was pretty normal, grew up in the countryside and moved to the city. He worked as a... tea merchant. It was in his shop that he met my mother." He smiles remembering the story that was told to him over and over by his parents. Tea merchant should be close enough to a cafe owner.
"Now my mother, I inherited a lot from her. She was working on a project of hers in father's tea shop. Then her....machinery exploded."
Hideo gasped while Araki giggled. The two twins had placed themselves respectively on each of his arms.
"Yes, it was hilarious. Mother kept on apologizing while father tried his best to put out the fire and let the smoke out the windows. They lost a few customers that day, but nothing tomorrow could fix. Oh, and a table."
"Your mother is the chakraborn then?" Kouki asked, a sharp fingernail scraping one of the large fangs in his mouth.
"Uh—yes." That's a way to call a wizard. His pureblood mother brought in a scandal when she married his Muggle father. It was a good thing that the Fawley were a light-oriented family that were open-minded to bringing fresh blood to the bloodline. Even light-oriented families were bigoted towards muggles in their own way.
"Can you do some jutsus? The others are boring. They won't let us perform jutsus without them. They're too busy to play too." Yoru pouted and rolled over to her back. She turned her grey eyes on him and sent him a pleading look, round puppy eyes and everything.
Atsuo felt like something was poking at his chest, but first of all, what's a jutsu?
Seeing his blank look, Yoru's pouting intensified, and she sat up. "It's like this. Easy." She lifted her hand and performed quick hand gestures, and suddenly, a small gentle stream of water sprouted and hit Atsuo in the face.
He yelped and moved back, immediately wiped the water from his face, his eyes stinging and the uncomfortable feeling of his wet shirt sticking to his chest making goosebumps appear on his arms.
The young girl laughed, childish and wild and fell back on her back.
"Is this common? Jutsus?" he asked Kouki while eyeing his wet clothes with distaste.
Kouki hummed, "Yes. Everyone has chakra. Many of us use it. It only depends on the clans how well they use chakra."
He wasn't lying. Oh, that was great! A world where everyone had access to magic! The heavy boulder on his chest finally fell. Nothing was worse than a witch hunt and a capture for his magic. In a world filled with magic he would perfectly fit in.