Shinobi 5: The Wavering Mist! MomoNinger!

*7 years ago*

"Kasumi-nee!"

16-year old Kasumi Igasaki looks up from her desk to see her 8-year old brother Nagi Igasaki running into her room carrying a bag.

"I got the stuff you asked for!" cried Nagi with a smile, placing the bag he was holding on the floor next to the desk.

"Thank you Nagi-chan" says Kasumi "I really appreciate that you ran all the way to the store for me."

"It's alright Oneesan" says Nagi, pounding his chest in a matter-of-fact-way "I don't mind helping you out. Besides, it's always cool seeing what new machine you're working on this time."

"Really?"

"Yep! What are you working on this time?"

Kasumi smiles before drawing her brother's attention to the various strange looking devices that rested, in pieces, on her desk.

"Cool…but what are they?" questioned Nagi, resisting the urge to pick up one of the pieces to get a better look.

Kasumi chuckles before picking up one of the pieces, handing it to the curious boy "To be honest, there isn't all that much to say about what I'm making right now. I'm in the middle of experimenting with various ideas at the moment… many of which aren't really going all that well."

As if to prove her point, Kasumi flips a switch on one of the pieces. After a moment of silence, the piece begins to let out loud, screech-like noises as it practically jumps into the air, letting out steam and smoke as it does so. After doing that for a little while, the small device explodes in a small puff of black smoke, thankfully free of fire.

"Um…"

"See what I mean?" questioned Kasumi, tapping the round, white top of the still smoking device "This was just supposed to be a flashlight of sorts. Obviously, it didn't work. Sorry I don't have much to show you today."

Picking the device up from the desk, shaking away the last of the smoke, Kasumi carries the device over to a small, brown box that rested in the corner of her room and throws it inside. While Nagi doesn't know what's inside the box, he gets a pretty good idea upon hearing the sound of metal hitting metal coming from the box.

"Don't worry about it Oneesan" assures Nagi "I just hope the stuff I got you can help you with…whatever your working on."

Kasumi smiles "Don't worry… I'll put the stuff you got me to good use!"

Nagi smiles before turning around to walk out of the room. Before he's out the door though, he turns around to face his sister again "If you make something really cool, make sure you show me ok!"

"Of course!"

When Nagi opened his eyes, he was greeted to the sight of Fuuka looking down at him, a worried look painted on her face. Though her hand rested on top of his, she didn't say a word as he slowly sat up, blink several times as he did so.

"Fuu-chan? W…Where am I?"

"You're back at home Nagi."

Was that were he was? After once again blink a few more times, Nagi has finally woken up enough to realize that he is currently lying down in his bed room, tucked in his bed.

"Home...?" questioned Nagi, looking around his room "Wait…what happened to me?"

Fuuka hesitates before answering "While we were fighting against a group of Hitokarage, we were attacked by two really powerful Youkai named Kyuemon and Raizo, members of the KIbaoni family. We tried to fight them…but they were really powerful. If it wasn't for Kasumi-nee…we would have been…"

Kasumi-nee… At the mention of his sister's name, memories of the battle began to flow back into Nagi like captive water breaking free from a ruined dam. Raising his bandaged hand to his bare chest, Nagi winced as he touched a place where a light burn mark rested just a couple of hours ago. Though he still felt a bit of pain, all that remained visually was a light, easy to miss scar.

"What happened to the wound?" questioned Nagi, his hand still rested on his chest "How did I heal so fast?"

"We're not entirely sure yet" confesses Fuuka, handing her brother a cup of water "But Kasumi-nee suggested that it had something to do with our Nin Shuriken. She figured that one of the side effects of becoming bound to our personal Nin Shuriken is that we heal at a much faster rate."

"Side effects?" questioned Nagi, looking at his sister in surprise "There are side effects to becoming a Ninninger?"

Before Fuuka has a chance to answer, a light knock can be heard from Nagi's door. Getting up from the bedroom floor, Fuuka walks over to the door to open it.

"Kasumi-nee!" cries Nagi upon seeing his oldest sister enter the room. In her hands is a bowl of chicken soup resting on top of a brown bed tray.

"Good morning Nagi-kun!" cries Kasumi, resting the tray in Nagi's lap before giving the boy a hug "I wish I could have come home on better terms but at least I was able to get there in time to help you guys out."

Nagi smiles at his sisters words, assuring her that it's all right "Don't worry about it, better late than never."

The girls watch as the injured boy picks up the spoon resting on the tray before beginning to drink his soup, being careful, as he always was, not to make any loud slurping noises as he did so.

"When did you get into town Kasumi-nee?" questioned Fuuka.

"Not that long ago actually" says Kasumi, reaching into her pocket to pull out what appeared to be a letter very similar to the one Nagi and Fuuka received just before they became ninja "I went straight to the mansion when I got into town. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to find the mansion completely destroyed. Not long after I reached the mansion, my Gamagama Gun started to croak, which lead me to the battle you guys were having with those Youkai."

"Speaking of your Gamagama Gun…" begins Fuuka "How long have you had your equipment Kasumi-nee? You handled that Giant Shuriken thing like a pro yesterday."

"Did I?" questioned Kasumi. She looked legitimately stunned at her sister's statement "To be honest, it took me weeks of practice to do that much."

"Weeks?"

Kasumi nods, crossing her arms and closing her eyes "Give or take. This letter that I got also came with a package that contained all of my ninja gear."

"Do you remember the exact day you got the letter?"

Kasumi shakes her head "I'm sorry but I don't. Under normal circumstances, I would have called home to check with you guys of course, just to see if everything is alright. Unfortunately, the package came while I was in the middle of preparing for a big test I was going to take soon. By the time I was done, I had completely forgotten about the strange package."

"What made you remember?"

"I was walking home one night when I noticed some strange looking, ashigaru-like characters hanging around a store I sometimes go to. While I didn't pay much attention to them at first, thinking that they were cosplayers or something, I started getting suspicious when I noticed that they kept popping up more and more often."

"Then one day…I saw them attacking a small group of students at my school. I was just going to call the police or run and get help or something but… Something inside me was calling out to me, telling me that I had the power to help those students. So, against my better judgment, I ran to help them despite the fact that I didn't have any sort of combat training. As I was fighting though, I felt a strange, warm power begin to flow through my body."

"Suddenly, in a flash of light, I was wearing all of the ninja gear that was in my room, with the MomoNinger Shuriken in my hands. After defeating the strange characters, I went back to read the letter. After sticking around for a few more weeks, practicing and fighting ashigaru that came around causing trouble, I left school temporarily to help out here for a while."

"I see" says Fuuka "Your really should have called though."

"Again, sorry about that" says Kasumi, bowing her head "I didn't expect to take so long before coming back here. I wanted to practice and I wanted to make sure those guys didn't hurt anyone."

"That's fine" says Fuuka "I just wish you would have called somebody that's all. What is with this family and never calling anybody…"

"I said I would have" says Kasumi with a pout "I was just too busy."

Nagi, who had been listening the whole time, interrupts his sister before she has a chance to answer Kasumi "Since we're together now, why don't we call Yakkun right now? Just so we can check on him? I'm sure he would have gotten his letter, or package, by now."

Unsurprisingly, he doesn't hear a word of objection. He watches as Fuuka pulls out her cellphone and begins to dial her brother's number, smiling at the thought of being able to talk to his older brother pretty soon. It wasn't long before the ringing stopped, signaling that Nagi and Fuuka's older brother picked up his end of the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yakkun!" asked Fuuka, putting her phone on speakerphone mode.

Loud static could be heard, muffling Yakkun's response. It was several moments before the static died down enough for the Igasaki siblings to understand their brother.

"Fuuka" questioned Yakkun, his voice mostly muffled by the static "Is th- -ou?"

"It's me Yakkun" replied Fukka "It isn't just me though. Nagi and Kasumi are here of as well."

His response, which was probably surprise that Kasumi was at home, was completely swallowed by loud static. By the time his voice was somewhat understandable, he had already moved onto another subject "Why a- you call- m-?"

"Sorry to bother you Yakumo" says Kasumi "We were just calling to ask you if you got a strange letter or package in the mail?"

Even more static made his answer completely inaudible. Before the Igasaki siblings had the chance to question him further, a sound resembling a loud explosion could be heard on the other side of the phone. Nagi, Kasumi, and Fuuka could only look at each other with funny looks as they waited for the sounds on the other side to die down. They honesty weren't really sure how they were supposed to feel. After what felt like ages, the siblings finally got a reply from their brother.

"Sorry! Got- run! Real b-! Call- -e someo- -ime!"

He hung up after that, leaving the siblings in a rather awkward silence.

"Well…that was brief" says Kasumi "We don't know all that much more about how things are going on his end then we did before the call did we?"

Kasumi's younger sibling shook their heads, not really knowing what else to do. Whatever Yakumo was doing, it sounded as though he was going to be busy for a while.

"I guess I'll just send him an email or something and we can give him a call later" says Kasumi "In the mean time, I think we should rest for now and get you guys healed up."

Neither Fuuka nor Nagi made any effort to argue with her words. Not only did they have no idea where Kyuemon or Raizo were, but they were still pretty beat up. All they could do now was rest up and wait for the Kibaoni's clan's next move.

Getting up from the floor, Kasumi hugs Nagi, kissing his forehead, before grabbing his empty bowl "Good night Nagi. See you in the morning."

Nagi smiles at her words, watching her as she leaves the room. He then turns to Fuuka, who was preparing to leave as well "It's nice isn't it? Having our older siblings around I mean?"

Fuuka nods before Nagi continues "Now that Kasumi-nee is here, it'll only be a matter of time before Yakkun and Onii-sama are here as well. When all five of us are together again, the Kyuemon guy won't stand a chance!"

Fuuka bits her lip at the mention of Takaharu but she says nothing. She simply smiles and nods at her brothers words. As she left her brother's room, she couldn't help but wonder just what did the Kibaoni family have under their sleeves?

"DAMN IGASAKI NINJA!" cried out Kyuemon, in his human form, as he cut down a Hitokarage who wandered far too close to the enraged heir to the Kibaoni clan. Polishing his swords in silence, Raizo simply watched as his master continued to swing his sword around in anger and frustration.

After raging for a while, Kyuemon collapsed against one of the walls in the cave that he and Raizo currently sat in, his tired breaths echoing through the closed space. Laying his swords down on the ground, Raizo walks over to his lord and hands him in apple, unsurprised when the angered Youkai knocks the fruit away.

"Get that piece of filth out of my face!" cried Kyuemon before looking down at his hands. Focusing his energy, he watches as a small, purple flame ignites in the palm of his hands before disappearing completely "I was so close to destroying them! If it was for…this…this…"

Shouting at the top of his lungs, Kyuemon holds out his hand and blast another Hitokarage with a tiny, purple flame resembling the one he held in his palm. He watches as the Hitokarage scrambles to its feet and retreats deeper into the cave, two more grunt following behind him. This only seems to engrage Kyuemon more, since the flame was suppose to destroy the grunt.

Raizo sighs as he watches Kyuemon continues to swing his sword around in rage. He considers trying to calm the boy down but quickly decides against the idea. If only his Mother was here. She was the only person who could calm him down when he got like this. All he could do was wait as the young Youkai eventually tired himself out, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

Figure this was as good a time as any, Raizo grabs another apple and once again hold it out for Kyuemon "If you want to kill the Igasaki Ninja, you're going to have to regain your strength. You've used a lot of energy in a short amount of time you know."

Kyuemon snatches the apple from Raizo before taking a big bit from it "Don't talk to me as if I'm a child."

Walking back to his swords, Raizo sits down on the ground before retrieving his weapons and continuing to polish them. There wasn't a doubt in Raizo's mind that there were more Igasaki ninja then those three. While the Igasaki ninja were still in training, Raizo wasn't the type to underestimate a ninja from the Igasaki clan.

He's seen what a Ninja from the Igasaki clan was capable of. He's seen one start from the bottom and raise to become one of the strongest in the land. If they underestimated the Igasaki Ninja now, he knew that they would pay dearly for it. For now, they would rest and regain their strength. Because in due time, the Igasaki family will fall.

*Shinobi 5: The Wavering Mist! MomoNinger! End*

Author's Note: Yep…this is an even shorter chapter then the previous one. I'm sorry about that. I'm really sure whether it's because of procrastination or writers block, but probably a little bit of both, but I just found this a really hard chapter to write. While this chapter was just characters talking to each other, I still hope you guys found it entertaining.

To be honest, I'm not really sure how to go about the Kibaoni family at the moment. In my head, I've split the story up into three different parts. The first part, which focuses on the main five Ninningers coming together, the second part, which focuses on StarNinger, MidoNinger, and the western Youkai, and the final part, which focuses on the complete Ninninger team facing off against the entire Kibaoni family.

My main problem with the Kibaoni family at the moment is… what are they going to do between now and the end of the first part? The end of the first part is the point in time in which the third member of the Kibaoni clan is going to be revived and he is probably going to be the one summons the three western Youkai.

What I have in mind is that, as I hinted at in an earlier chapter, a different Youkai will take the mantle as the main villain for the rest of the first part. This villain will be stronger than any member of the Kibaoni clan at the moment and far more Youkai will be loyal to him then the Kibaoni clan, who are still regaining their power and strength.

In addition, this villain will be a magic user. Meaning he will have something of a rivalry with Yakumo, who is still a magic user in this story. It also helps that I plan for Yakumo to more or less be the leader of the team in this story, meaning the connection between them will be even stronger.

I'm still getting the hang of proper pacing so if anyone has any ideas or tips let me know. I have a general idea of course, more so for the second and third part then the first, but any help is appreciated. The next chapter is a filler chapter focusing on Fuuka and Kasumi so I still have a bit of time before making any decisions.

My intention is that Yakumo makes his debut, whether it's a proper one or just appearing at the end is currently unknown, in Shinobi 8, with Takaharu making his debut in what will probably be the two part finale of the first part of the story. While I'm not sure how many parts this first part will be, my original intention was 11-12 chapters, 13-15 sounds the most realistic at the moment.

That's about it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed what was a battleless info dump chapter. As I'm sure you can tell, this was just kind of an in between breather chapter for both sides. I didn't even do a Nin Nin Youkai Trivia Corner this chapter. I'm still not really sure how I feel about this chapter but I hope you guys tune in for the next one! Bye!