The road to the Land of Iron was a long one, and without easier of modes of transportation at use when escorting non-ninja civilians, the journey from the Leaf Village to the Land of Iron would always take upwards of 5 days.
The first day passed quickly, none of us felt exhausted, and we had covered a distance of around 470 kilometres, even the regular humans here were more enduring and stronger than the ones in the real world, and Mr. Shensou was among the stronger ones.
Shikamaru, being Shikamaru, rarely talked, and had gotten so bored of having to walk that he suggested we both carry Mr. Shensou and finish the journey in less than half the time.
Mr. Shensou of course said no, but I wasn't all that against the idea. Regardless, since he was in-charge, it was his say.
The journey was quiet, save for me occasionally asking questions and Mr. Shensou occasionally showing the animals we would encounter in the forests, and giving us advice about various things.
We stopped at a clearing at night-time, around 11:30 I guess, and we set up camp.
We had brought some cup noodles as food as they were easier to prepare and could just fit anywhere.
I used a little bit of fire chakra to heat water in a container we had brought along and prepared the noodles.
We decided we were gonna take turns taking watch, planning to spend 5 or 6 hours here.
I was first, and of course, I summoned the divine dogs and went to sleep. I could've just had them stand there all night, but that would mean I would have no chakra in the morning, so we decided to play it safe.
Once my turn was over, it was Mr. Shensou's, who vigilantly kept his watch and then woke up Shikamaru when it was his turn.
And Shikamaru asked me to summon the dogs and volunteered to let me have absorb his chakra later if needed.
Absorbing chakra from another individual was a tedious process, both the individuals needed to be hyper-focused on their own chakra vessels while the receiver needed to focus on retrieving the chakra that the sender was pushing out.
I said yes, and I was gonna take more chakra from him than I was gonna use right now, because Shikamaru had much more chakra then he needed, he didn't use any highly draining jutsu anyway.
And so, both me and Shikamaru got around 5 hours of sleep and slept through the night and it was only Mr. Shensou who ended up having to actually stay up during his watch.
Mr. Shensou was the first to wake up, he went and filled all our bottles with water from the nearby river while we were asleep.
I was the second to wake, and when I woke up, Mr. Shensou was out near the river, and nowhere to be seen. That of course, caused me to immediately get on edge.
'Where the fuck is he?!' I thought inside my mind and immediately closed my eyes and focused on my chakra, spreading it out and feeling for chakra signals.
And I barely was able to sense Mr. Shensou's chakra, and that was the good news.
But there was also the bad news.
Two chakra signals near Mr. Shensou, one of a civilian and one comparable to a shinobi.
Without wait, i lunged and yanked Shikamaru up from his sleeping bag, "Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru's sleep eyes shot wide and he groaned, "Huh- what the hell are you doing, Kai?!"
Without talking, i grabbed him and sprinted towards Mr. Shensou's chakra signal, "Mr. Shensou's gone! He's near that river, but not alone! There's a civilian and a shinobi close to him."
Shikamaru's lazy and angry expression immediately shifted into an alert and serious one, "How strong do you think the shinobi is?"
I gulped and shook my head, "From what I can sense, he's barely Genin level, but I think he is trying to suppress his chakra. And the other civilian is not normal as well, their chakra is.... dense, and pure."
Shikamaru nodded his head, surging his chakra, channeling it throughout his body, preparing for combat, althought we were both looking to avoid it.
We sprinted across the jungle, running through bushes and grasses until the view of the river came in and we could see Mr. Shensou.
"Conceal your chakra, Shikamaru." I said and immediately lowered my chakra output and stopped near a tree before completely going into the clearing.
Shikamaru nodded and lowered his own chakra output and hid in a tree behind me.
There he was, Mr. Shensou, filling up the bottles with water, near this edge of the river.
The other end was around 30 meters away from this end.
And there i could sense them, the chakra signals.
So I looked there, and I saw the civilian.
A white-haired beautiful young lady, pale skin and dark red eyes, seemingly in her early-twenties.
And I noticed the colour of her eyes because-
They were staring directly into mine.
A bead of sweat ran down my forehead and I gulped, and slowly spoke out, not loud enough for the people on the other end to hear it, but loud enough for Mr. Shensou.
"Mr. Shensou, don't turn around." I said.
Mr. Shensou who had just finished up filling the bottles, froze.
"Slowly, turn around and walk towards me, just like how you'd normally walk back after finishing filling up the bottles. There are two people on the other end of the river, one is shinobi, and the other seems to be a rather...talented civilian." I said, maintaining eye-contact with the girl, who just smiled and waved.
Mr. Shensou turned around and started walking, "Are they hostile?" He asked while walking back to the trees.
"The civilian seems friendly... But we can't be too sure, it could be a hoax for all we know..." I said, breaking eye contact and looking at Shikamaru.
"A civilian who sensed you that easily while you were suppressing your chakra signal is not just talented..." Shikamaru said with a grim expression, "That shinobi beside isn't even the real problem, it's her."
The white-haired girl was still standing in the same spot, looking in our direction, "There's no point in hiding!" She yelled from the other end, smiling, "You can come out, we mean no harm."
As the white-haired girl spoke up, the shinobi behind her grunted, "What are you doing, you bitch!" He grabbed her hand and said, "We are leaving!"
The white-haired girl looked at the man with an empty expression, "Now that I've seen them... There's no use for me to go with you.." she said.
The shinobi smirked and raised his eyebrow at her, "Oh? Who do you think you are-" his voice stopped midway.
I didn't spot any moment.
I didn't spot any surge in chakra.
I didn't hear anything.
I didn't see anything.
And there it was, the head of the shinobi, lying at the feet of the girl.
My eyes were fixed on the head, too afraid to look at her.
There was no point in fighting her.
We'd get killed right away.
Her chakra signal wasn't weak.
It was being concealed.
I slowly moved my eyes and looked at her.
There she was, standing completely unchanged, not even a single drop of blood on her.
She sneered at the headless corpse of the shinobi and then looked in our direction, "You can come out. And sorry for that, he was getting annoying."
Knowing there was no choice except to stall, me and Shikamaru both walked forward, now completely visible.
She smiled again and before I could react, she was a few meters infront of us.
"You two are just kids..." She looked back at where Mr. Shensou was hiding, "That must be your client."
Shikamaru gulped and managed to talk, "What do you want?.." he asked.
I instinctively prepared to channel chakra to my left elbow, where a seal used to send a chakra signal was hidden beneath the sleeve of my shirt and talked to Shikamaru, "Shika.... How long do you think it would Kakashi to get here?..."
That, right there, was the emergency measure given to us by Shikaku. As the clan heir to the Nara clan, and as the holder of the most sought after eye in the world and a wielder of an ancient bloodline, of course we weren't gonna be sent without any emergency countermeasures.
A small seal was given to me to hide beneath my clothes, it was a seal that upon being activated through chakra, would send a signal to one of the highest ranked ninjas of Konoha, in this case, Kakashi.
Of course, it was only to be used in a situation where it was absolutely needed.
Shikamaru looked at me, relief washing over him.
She was strong.
Probably stronger than most jounins in the village.
But Kakashi was no ordinary jounin.
You don't become the most feared shinobi alive by being just a jounin level shinobi.
"The signal will take around 30 seconds to get there," Shikamaru said, "he can probably get here in seconds."
The smile on the girl's face faltered for a bit, her eyes darting to my sleeve.
"Hatake Kakashi... The copy ninja..." She said, slight grim and fear in her voice.
She looked at us and stepped back, and threw down the kunai she had hidden on her person and raised her hands, "No need to call him, i mean no harm."
Shikamaru looked at the dead shinobi behind her, "Yeah? Well what about the reason why you severed that poor guy's head?"
The girl raised his eyebrows, "Would you have preferred that I kept him alive?" She asked.
Shikamaru immediately replied, "No, but there must've been some reason as to why you chopped his head right off."
The girl's narrowed her eyes back at the corpse and then looked at us, "He was a rogue, a bandit, he was taking to me to a noble, where I was gonna be used to repopulate my bloodline." She looked at Shenshou behind us who was hiding in the trees, "These two are children, surely, someone as old as you would know, what happens to women who are used as breeders."
Shenshou didn't initially say anything but quietly spoke up after a few seconds of silence, "If and ONLY IF she is telling the truth, then she had a reason to do what she did."
Shikamaru spoke up, "I don't care if she had a reason, if she killed him like that, what guarantees that she won't kill us."
Then the girl spoke up, "If I wanted to die, I'd rather not die by the hands of a ninja who is famous for killing people with his lightning jutsu."
Shikamaru sighed, "Fair point I guess, Kakashi would still kill you." He looked down and then at her, "What do you want? And who are you?"
The girl looked at me with her red eyes, as if trying to figure out something.
Her eyes lingered.
Lingered for a bit too long.
And then she spoke up.
"My name is Aelira... Aelira Velkyn.... I come from a clan named Velkyn." She said.
"Velkyn? Never heard of it." Shikamaru said coldly, searching for any lies.
"I'd be suprised if you did," a hint of sadness was visible on her face for an instant, "we are mostly extinct, save for one person, and the fact we weren't included in any of the five major villages and didn't participate in the war."
"One person, huh..." I finally spoke up.
The girl looked at me again, and stared again, as if intrigued by me and interested.
"That means you are the sole member of your clan..." Shikamaru said, "Well, how can we be sure you are not just making up lies?"
The girl, Aelira, pursed her lips and said, "You can't."
"That's not exactly assuring.." I said, looking into her eyes, searching for any ill-intent.
"Hm..." Shikamaru looked at me and then at her, "What do you want, Lady?"
The strange girl looked straight at us, as if trying to be as honest as possible with her words, "I just need your help." She said.
"With what? How can someone as weak as us help you?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"I need your help getting into Konoha." She said.
Shikamaru and I raised our eyebrows and looked at each other.
Then, Shikamaru looked at her, "Why? Why would you need our help with getting into the Hidden Leaf Village? And why do you wish to go there in the first place?" He asked her.
She replied immediately, "Because it's the only place which is even remotely safe for me." She looked me in the eyes, "I need you to vouch for me, the military is less likely to trust a stranger of unknown origins." She looked at Shikamaru, "But if the son of the Jounin commander vouches for her..."
Both our eyes immediately went wide and Shikamaru immediately raised his kunai and I summoned divine dogs.
"How.....do you know?" Shikamaru asked, preparing to attack, even thought it was futile.
Aelira didn't flinch.
Not when Shikamaru raised his kunai.
Not when my divine dogs materialized beside me, low growls rumbling in their throats.
Not even when the air itself shifted—heavy, tense, ready to snap.
She simply… stood there.
Calm.
Watching.
"…Relax," she said softly, lifting her hands just a little higher—not in surrender, but in reassurance. "If I meant you harm, you would not have had the chance to summon them."
My jaw tightened.
That wasn't arrogance.
That was fact.
And that was exactly what made it worse.
Shikamaru didn't lower his kunai.
"…Answer the question," he said, his voice colder now, sharper. "How do you know about my father?"
Aelira exhaled slowly.
"…Because I listen," she said. "And because I have been surviving on my own for years."
Her eyes shifted slightly, not breaking focus, but softening just a fraction.
"You are not as unknown as you think you are, Nara Shikamaru."
Silence.
The wind brushed past us, carrying the faint scent of blood from the corpse behind her.
Shensou shifted slightly in the trees behind us, but didn't step out.
Smart.
Very smart.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue.
"…Troublesome," he muttered, but the kunai didn't waver.
I stepped slightly to his side.
"…You've been watching Konoha," I said.
Aelira nodded once.
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"…Long enough."
That wasn't an answer.
And she knew it.
But she didn't elaborate.
Which meant—
She didn't want to.
Or couldn't.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.
"…And you expect us to just trust you?"
"No."
That answer came instantly.
"No, I do not."
That made both of us pause.
"…Then why are you even asking for our help?" I pressed.
Aelira looked at me again.
And again—
Her gaze lingered.
Just a little too long.
"…Because," she said slowly, "you are the only option I have that does not end in conflict."
My fingers twitched slightly.
Shikamaru exhaled sharply through his nose."…This is such a drag…"
He lowered his kunai slightly.
Not fully.
But enough.
"That still doesn't explain how you knew about me," he said.
Aelira tilted her head slightly.
"…Your father is known beyond your village," she replied. "A strategist who commands respect even among enemies."
Shikamaru's grip tightened.
"…And?"
"And you resemble him."
That—
That actually made him pause.
"…Huh."
I glanced at him.
"…You do," I added.
"Shut up."
Despite the situation, I almost smirked.
Almost.
Aelira watched the interaction quietly.
Then her gaze returned to me.
"…And you," she said.
I stiffened slightly.
"…What about me?"
"…You are not ordinary."
My heart skipped.
Just for a second.
"…Neither is he," I deflected.
"Yes," she said. "But you are… different."
Her eyes sharpened.
"…Your chakra feels… layered."
That—
That was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Shikamaru noticed it too.
"…Kai," he muttered.
I nodded slightly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said calmly.
Aelira held my gaze.
For a few seconds.
Then—
"…Very well," she said, looking away slightly. "We all have things we do not wish to reveal."
That was… surprisingly understanding.
"So.." Shikamaru lowered his kunai a little, "You want us to vouch for you so you can get into Konoha, yes?"
Aelira nodded.
"Well, what do we get in return? What does Konoha get for letting you in?" Shikamaru asked.
Hold on, this is not a 8 year old-
Never mind, this world is way too complicated.
Aelira looked at him, "Me. My blood. You also get my help for your mission, after all, you are far from home." She answered.
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, "Your blood?" He asked.
"My blood, the Velmyk blood, the last in this world." She said, looking directly at us, "People from my clan possessed a natural attuning to natural chakra from birth, like it was a part of us."
"Natural chakra?" Shikamaru asked, not aware of what nature chakra exactly was, but getting a feeling it must be something strong seeing how dense and strong her chakra was.
"You are talking about Senjutsu, yes?" I asked, getting curious.
The only people who I know could use Senjutsu were the first Hokage, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, the Sannin, Jiraiya, and the main character, Naruto Uzumaki.
Aelira's eyes flickered with something—interest, maybe even approval.
"…So you do know of it," she said quietly.
Shikamaru glanced between us.
"…Care to explain what the hell you two are talking about?" he muttered.
I exhaled slowly, not taking my eyes off Aelira.
"Senjutsu… is the use of natural energy. Not chakra produced by the body—but energy drawn from the environment itself," I said. "It enhances everything. Strength, speed, perception… all of it."
Shikamaru's expression shifted slightly.
"…And I'm guessing it's not easy to use."
I shook my head.
"It's extremely dangerous. If you can't balance it properly, your body turns to stone… or worse."
Aelira nodded once.
"…Correct," she said. "But for my clan… it was never something we had to learn."
That made both of us freeze.
"…What?" Shikamaru frowned.
Aelira stepped a little closer—not threateningly, but enough for us to feel the sheer density of her presence.
"It was… natural," she said softly. "Like breathing. From the moment we were born, we could feel it… the world itself. The energy flowing through everything."
My mind raced.
That wasn't just talent.
That was broken.
"…So you're saying," I said slowly, "your entire clan could use Senjutsu without training?"
"…Yes."
Silence fell.
Shikamaru clicked his tongue, but this time… there was no laziness behind it.
"…That's not just valuable," he said. "…That's terrifying."
Aelira didn't deny it.
"…Which is why we were hunted," she replied.
That explained everything.
The extinction.
The fear.
The way she moved… like someone who had been surviving alone for far too long.
I narrowed my eyes.
"…And now you want Konoha to protect you."
"Yes."
"…In exchange for your power."
"Yes."
Shikamaru sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"…This is way above our pay grade…"
He looked at me.
"…Kai."
I met his gaze.
He didn't need to say it.
This wasn't a simple escort mission anymore.
This was political.
Dangerous.
Potentially catastrophic.
And yet—
I looked at Aelira.
She stood there, calm… but not arrogant.
Not desperate either.
Just… certain.
"…If we refuse?" I asked.
Aelira's eyes met mine again.
"…Then I will leave," she said simply. "And find another way."
No threats.
No hostility.
Just a statement.
That… somehow made it more real.
Shikamaru exhaled slowly.
"…She's not lying," he muttered. "At least, not about her intentions."
I nodded slightly.
"…Yeah."
Another moment of silence passed.
Then—
"…Fine," Shikamaru said.
My eyes widened slightly.
"…Shika—"
"Relax," he cut me off. "I didn't say we trust her."
He looked at Aelira.
"We'll take you with us," he said. "But you follow our rules. No sudden movements. No disappearing acts. And if you do anything suspicious—"
"I understand," Aelira said before he could finish.
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes.
"…And you don't get to hide things from us if they put us in danger."
Aelira hesitated.
Just for a fraction of a second.
"…I will tell you what is necessary," she said.
"…Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "But fine."
I crossed my arms and looked at her, "Well, you are quite strong. I suppose you can just protect us for this mission."
Aelira nodded and smiled, slightly walking forward.
I raised my and the demon dogs immediately surrounded me, "Wait!" I said.
Aelira froze, her smile falling, and walked back a few steps.
I looked at Shikamaru, "Shika, use a shadow and connect my divine dogs and her."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "Why?" He asked.
"Because I wanna test if I can use her chakra to sustain the divine dogs." I said.
"You wanna do what?" Shikamaru asked, looking at me as if I was crazy.
"You can move chakra between individuals?" Aelira asked, looking at me, her tone exasperated.
I looked at her and raised my eyebrow, "What? You never heard of or seen someone who could do it? It's not that rare of a skill, just inefficient and annoying."
I looked at Shikamaru, "Natural chakra naturally behaves different from our normal chakra, and is more potent and denser than normal chakra as well, with this, we can test if she is really saying the truth, and we also get to test something that might help us with her.." i said.
Shikamaru raised his eyebrow, "What?" He asked.
"You'll know it if it works, just do what I say." I told him.
Shikamaru sighed and clasped his hands into a handsign as his shadow moved into two directions, "Fine, but if nothing goes even slightly wrong, I am severing the connection."
His shadow moved into mine and divine dogs' direction and Aelira's, joining us both.
I looked at Aelira, "You can-"
Before I finished my sentence, I felt it.
It wasn't flooding in.
It was flowing in.
It was overwhelming.
It was pleasurable.
And I felt it.
Everything around me.
I felt the emotions of Shikamaru, the emotions of Mr. Shensou behind us.
I heard the slightest of chirps, the smallest of movements, I heard the entire dense forest. I felt it.
And I felt her.
I looked at her.
I could feel her, her thoughts, as if our minds were connected.
And to confirm it, "It seems this has allowed us to form a chakra connection." Aelira said, but she hadn't opened her mouth...
It seemed like we had been connected through her chakra.
"Your chakra... It's eerily similar to mine." Aelira said, looking into me eyes, well not really said but whatever, "It's strange, your body accepting my chakra so easily, merging it with yours."
Her chakra wasn't supposed to make contact with me, only the divine dogs.
Then why?....
The divine dogs were certainly not unaffected by the chakra.
They had grown bigger, their fangs larger, their due slightly bluish greenish among the black and white, their teeth larger. As if the ground beneath them had begun to crack.
My heart skipped for some reason, my mind felt overwhelmed, overwhelmed with information, my choils ached with sudden pain, being strained and strained by her chakra.
"Sever.... It..." I managed to get out to Shikamaru before passing out.
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It's been one year since I last updated this, can't believe it.