Sigh...
"Something on your mind, Amon? You seem a bit off today; less youthful than usual," Guy said, hanging upside down from a tree branch as he did pull-ups with ease.
Sweat trickled down Lumian's brow. He paused in the middle of his push-ups, straightened up, and sat back on his knees.
"It's nothing, Guy. Just… thinking."
Guy dropped from the branch and landed lightly on his feet. He walked over and clapped a firm hand on Lumian's shoulder, flashing that trademark dazzling grin.
"Well then! A quick break might be what your muscles, and your heart, need! But remember! Once you're back up, you've got to train twice, no, three times as hard as before!"
Lumian chuckled, shaking his head as he gently pushed Guy's hand off.
"Thanks for the wisdom, Guy."
But his amusement faded as his thoughts drifted back to something that had been gnawing at him.
. . .
"Who's Minato?"
. . .
That question had knocked the wind out of him.
He barely slept that night and stormed into the Konoha Library the next morning, searching feverishly through historical records. Everything seemed intact: both the First and Second Great Ninja Wars had happened just as he remembered. The destruction of the Uzumaki clan was recorded, as well as the deaths of the First and Second Hokage. The major villages were all accounted for too.
But there was nothing on Minato Namikaze.
Not a mention.
It didn't make sense.
Even if the records were altered, there should've been gaps, inconsistencies, something. But it was like he had never existed at all.
Still, Lumian wasn't foolish enough to let the calm surface fool him. Just because the official history seemed untouched didn't mean the truth was safe.
To clear his head, he'd invited Guy to train. Anything to distract himself.
Now, as the two of them stood in the clearing, Lumian spoke again, his voice quieter this time.
"Hey, Guy."
Guy turned, eyebrows raised.
"Hmm?"
"..."
Lumian hesitated, then asked, "What do you do when something you thought was a guarantee, something unshakable, just… vanishes?"
Guy didn't ask questions. Instead, he placed a hand under his chin and pondered.
"A guarantee… gone?"
He paused. Then he grinned, his eyes fierce with spirit.
"Then I would live in a way that I become the guarantee! That way, when things change, I myself would have stayed the same!"
Lumian couldn't help but laugh. It was such a Gai thing to say.
"Classical Gai response...."
He patted Gai's arm, his tone lighter now.
"Hey, you up for doing something weird with me?"
Gai tilted his head, curious.
"Weird how?"
Lumian pulled a crumpled drawing from his pocket and unfolded it. It was… awful. The kind of scribble a half-asleep toddler with a crayon would make up in a the children's section of a library.
"I need to find this building in Konoha. No idea where it is, but I have a feeling it's important. Think you could help?"
Gai leaned in, squinting at the childlike chaos on the page. The building's crooked outline and strange angles were eerily close to the one Lumian had seen in his divination: drawn from memory after handling the jade moth he'd taken from Chiori.
Gai frowned.
"I don't think I've ever seen a place like that… but if it matters to you, then I'll help however I can!"
Lumian grinned, stood, and took off jogging down the path.
"That's what I like to hear! Let's go, Gai!"
Gai followed without hesitation.
"YOUTHFUL ADVENTURE AWAITS!"
. . .
. . .
(One long moment later)
"Have you seen this place before?" Lumian asked, holding out the rough sketch.
The shopkeeper took one look and recoiled.
"Who drew this? Looks like something my toddler would scrawl in his sleep; and he's two."
Before the man could say more, Lumian snatched the paper back, his expression sour as he walked off.
Guy jogged up beside him, offering a sheepish grin.
"Hey, don't let it get to you, Amon! I, uh… I like your drawing. It's... unique!"
Lumian sighed, but the corner of his mouth twitched with faint amusement.
"Thanks, Gai. Clearly, the world just doesn't understand true art."
He looked down at the crumpled sketch again, turning it slightly as if maybe, maybe it would make more sense at a different angle.
"…Okay, maybe they have a point. It is a bit hard to recognize anything from this."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the jade moth, its surface cool and faintly glowing in the sunlight.
"I could've divined the direction from this again… but I wanted to try and find it the normal way first. Thought it might be a good chance for me and Gai to figure it out together."
He slipped the moth back into his pocket with a reluctant sigh.
"But if this keeps up, I will have to start dropping sticks and following shadows like some lunatic… and that's just asking for the local ANBU to start tailing me."
He turned to Gai, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Alright. Plan B. Use your instincts: pick a direction."
Gai blinked. "Huh?"
"Just trust your gut. Point somewhere."
"...Really?"
"Yup."
Gai let out a dramatic sigh and closed his eyes. After a long pause, he raised his hand and pointed off to the right.
"There. I think?"
Lumian clapped his hands and grinned.
"Perfect! Gai's instincts it is. Lead the way, Captain."
Gai puffed up proudly, eyes burning with energy.
"You can count on me, Amon! We march onward: to destiny!"
. . .
. . .
No way.
They hadn't even walked five blocks when the building suddenly came into view, just sitting there at the edge of the village like it had been waiting.
Faded blue roof tiles, a worn wooden door reinforced with a rusty iron lock, and, right where it should be: a cracked old barrel resting by the entrance. Exactly as he'd seen in the vision.
Of course it was in the outskirts. Where else would it be?
Lumian stopped in his tracks, wide-eyed. Then he turned to the bewildered boy beside him and gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Good job, Gai! I don't know how, but your inner youthfulness somehow led us right to it!"
Gai blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish before stammering, "Oh! U-uh, y-yeah! Of course! My internal youth is... very useful! Very precise, too!"
He gave an awkward laugh while Lumian approached the building, eyes scanning every detail.
Gai cleared his throat, straightening up. "So... uh, what are we doing here exactly?"
Lumian paused, then smiled with barely a beat of hesitation.
"I suspect this place is... um… an illegal laundering front. Yeah. Definitely that."
Gai's eyes widened, outrage lighting up his face.
"Illegal laundering?! That's unforgivable! We must stop them—who knows how much dirty money they've hidden away!"
"Exactly! That's the spirit."
Without hesitation, Gai marched up to the front door and raised his fist to knock.
"Wait!"
Gai froze mid-motion and turned.
Lumian didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a pendant, holding it in his palm as he whispered inwardly:
"The place ahead is dangerous."
For a few seconds, the pendant remained still.
Then it moved, just slightly, clockwise.
A sluggish turn. Barely a whisper of motion.
So weak it didn't even register as real danger.
Lumian grinned.
Whatever was inside, it wasn't a threat. Not to him.
He tucked the pendant away and turned to Gai, throwing a black mask at him with a gleam in his eye.
"Alright, Gai. We're going in..."
He clenched his fist dramatically as he put a black mask over his head as well.
"—the hardcore way."
"..."
Gai blinked as he stared at the black mask in confusion. "Hardcore way?"
Lumian's smile widened.
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Kagakuro was not having a good day.
He grunted as he hoisted another small wooden crate off the shelf, barely managing to carry it to the cart at the other end of the room. Sweat dripped down his face, and he wiped it with a groan.
"Ever since those patrons got jumped... everyone bailed and changed locations. And who do they leave to do all the grunt work? Me!"
He muttered and sniffled as he picked up yet another crate, dragging it awkwardly toward the cart.
And then—
DYNAMIC ENTRY!!!
The door exploded inward, wooden shards flying through the air like shrapnel, as a blur of green burst through the entrance.
"AAGHH!!"
Kagakuro shrieked and dropped the crate, flinging himself to the ground with his hands over his head.
In stepped Lumian, hands calmly behind his back, while Guy struck a flamboyant taijutsu stance just inside the splintered doorway.
"Money launderers!" Guy shouted, eyes blazing. "Show yourselves!!!"
Lumian scanned the room and spotted the lone teenager curled up on the floor. With surprising ease, he grabbed him by the collar and hauled him upward, though Kagakuro was clearly older and a head taller, the intimidation still landed.
"What is this place?! Where is everyone?!" Lumian barked.
Kagakuro yelped, hands raised in surrender.
"P-please! Don't hurt me! I'll talk—I'll tell you everything!!"
Guy walked over, arms crossed with a confused frown.
"Amon, I believe the suspect is ready to cooperate."
Lumian shook his head and pulled out a small pendant, letting it hover in front of the terrified teen's face.
"If you lie," Lumian said in a deadly tone, "I'll beat you up. Got it?"
"Y-yes!!"
The pendant remained still.
Kagakuro didn't even blink at the strange object in front of him. The black masks that both Lumian and Guy wore only made the scene more terrifying.
He started talking fast.
"My name's Kagakuro. I'm sixteen. My family's from the Land of Grass, and my relative—"
"Important things!" Lumian snapped. "Not your life story!"
"But—"
"Shut up!!"
"Okay!!"
Kagakuro trembled, then stammered out more.
"I got hired here as a servant boy! They were running some kind of illegal operation: I swear, that's all I know! I just cleaned floors!"
Lumian narrowed his eyes and shook the boy again.
"MORE!"
"W-We moved out yesterday! Some of our usual guys got beat up, so the group panicked and cleared out! I swear I was just grabbing the last of the crates!"
"WHERE. ARE. THEY."
"I—I can't! They'll kill me if they find out!"
Guy began waving his hands, voice cracking nervously.
"Uh—partner! Maybe tone it down a little? I think he's genuinely scared!"
"WHAT?"
"Eek! Nevermind!"
Lumian glanced at the pendant again. It was turning slowly clockwise, still no sign of deception. That was good. Meant the kid was telling the truth.
He gave Kagakuro one last shake and leaned in, voice low and sharp.
"I'm not them. I'm worse. So talk—where did they go?"
Kagakuro sobbed openly now.
"Th-The Fire Capital!! They moved everything to the Fire Capital! That's where the valuables are now!"
Lumian stared at him for a moment, then released his grip. Kagakuro collapsed onto the floor, curling into a ball as tears continued to flow.
"The Fire Capital..." Lumian muttered.
He turned to Gai, eyes narrowing with amused disbelief.
"Thats convenient...."
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(Author's note:
Sup guys! Was out of commission for a few days to take a break.
Anyways, leave a comment and a review!
Thank you....
and POWER STONES!!!!!)