The Yellow Flash in The Tangled Green

[Minato Namikaze]

As Minato came close to the object he’d began traveling to, he’d noticed that it was a gate. A strange gateway in fact. It was overgrown with roots and fines, small amounts of dirt seemed to accompany this look. Minato touched the outer edges of the passageway, only to find that the vines were, in fact, real. Minato pulled his hand away from the vine as he felt the dirt stick to his palm. Minato brushed his hands against his pants and then returned his focus to the gate itself. He felt a strange familiarity on the other side. He didn’t know whether it was the vines or not, but something told him that he needed to see what was on the other side. Minato took a deep breath, exhaled and then stepped through the gateway. Before he knew it, Minato was now faced with was seemed to be a forest. The smell of burned trees and soot swept past him with the breeze. Minato smiled, the forest gave him comfort. Something in this world that seemed so familiar to his own home in Konoha. But the sounds that came out of it were vastly different. Distant roars and the loud, animalistic, screams that seemed so alien to him contrasted his own, mostly silent, forest.

Minato had been traveling through the forest for a while now, and it wasn’t that he was lost… he just didn’t know where he was heading. This forest was new and, from the outside looking in, it seemed so similar to the forest areas he used to navigate every day. But in reality, this forest was much different. Minato had no idea where to go. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he was lost. Minato sighed as he stopped moving and sat on the tree branch he was on.
‘Well… at least the trees are vaguely similar...’ Minato sighed as he crossed his arms and looked down at the ground. Minato wondered if there were actually any people in this forest, maybe he’d made the wrong choice coming here. Minato felt his heart race as an arrow flew past his head. The sound of the stone arrow head embedding itself into the tree trunk next to him caused Minato to drop from the branch to the ground. Minato pulled out his kunai as he turned around and deflected several arrows. Minato kept his kunai high and his eyes to the forest around him. He didn’t know whether or not he was surrounded. He could have just walked into a trap, he was being so careless until now.

Minato flipped backwards as a volley of arrows rushed by his face. Minato smiled as he realized where the arrows were coming from. With one - swift - action, minato launched his Kunai into a tree to the left of him, and then stood still. Minato’s grin remained on his face as he concentrated. Then, with a flash of yellow light, Minato disappeared into thin air, reappearing at his kunai, and his enemy. Minato moved quickly to his aggressor’s back as he pulled the kunai from the tree and slipped it under her throat.

‘Now, tell me… Why are you trying to kill me?’ Minato asked quietly, as to not alert anyone else who may be in the area. Although, if they were around, they would probably have already seen him, he didn’t have much time.

‘How did you...’ The strange woman began before Minato interrupted her.

‘Why are you trying to kill me?’ Minato asked again as he pressed the blade of his kunai knife to her throat. Minato sighed as she refused to answer him, letting his guard down for only a split second, but it was enough. The woman thrust her head backwards and into his face. Minato stumbled backwards before regaining his composure. He rushed forwards, following her into a small forest clearing

‘Okay, that wasn’t nice. And I’d prefer not to fight you, but I will if I have to.’ Minato said as he rubbed his nose and brushed his bangs back to the side of his face. The woman just stared at him. Minato hadn’t gotten a great look of her before, she had been standing in the shadows. But now she was illuminated by rays of sunlight that were able to piece the dense tree tops. Her skin was a light shade of purple, her ears pointed and her hair was a dark blue. He looked at her with confusion on his face, but this time he wasn’t letting his guard down. Minato jumped to the side as she fired an arrow from her bow. Minato looked at her with an angry look, one that showed displayed his intent to kill. His locked onto his enemy as, in that moment of adrenaline and excitement, time seemed to slow down for the both of them.

Minato raised his right hand as he took his Kunai and tossed it at his opponent. Minato watched as she drew her bow, an arrow had already been loaded into it. Minato watched as she pointed it at him and released the arrow. Minato glanced at his hand, noticing that his Rasengan had already half formed. Minato returned his view back to the arrow, it had almost reached him, it was only a few feet away from him now. Minato watched as it flew towards his eye, the tip of the arrow was sharpened and beveled to a very fine point. Minato quickly looked past the girl, at his kunai and, in a bright flash of yellow light, he disappeared at the last second.

‘RASENGAN!!!’ Minato exclaimed as he spun around in mid air and thrust his attack towards his opponent... Or at least, this was how it was supposed to go, but he’d adjusted at the last second and slammed his Rasengan into the ground next to her. This caused an explosion that sent her flying into a tree. Minato landed, and slid backwards along the ground as the shock wave pushed him backwards. Minato regained his composure as he dusted himself off and sheathed his kunai.

‘So… Fast.’ The woman grumbled as she realized her defeat.

‘Yeah, but don’t feel too disappointed, I only need to resort to that sort of attack for the strong ones...’ Minato replied as he repositioned his forehead protector.

‘Ha, and here I am, mistaking you for an Empire hound.’ The female warrior laughed as she stumbled to her feet.

‘Empire?’ Minato asked curiously, if he was attacked without any hesitation, then this Empire must be pretty dangerous. The Woman didn’t say anything she just burst out into laughter. Minato looked at her, his face now displaying a puzzled look, rather than his previous look of intense concentration.

‘What’s so funny?’ Minato questions as the woman shook her head.
‘It’s nothing, I’m just stupid.’ The woman continued to laugh as she held out her hand, gesturing for him to take it.

‘Here you are, a fresh Prime. And here I am, thinking you’re an Empire spy.’ The strange archer giggled as Minato took her hand and shook it.

‘My name’s Minato. Nice to meet you.’ Minato spoke as they shook hands.

‘I’m Elmyra. Huntress of this forest.’ Elmyra replied as she let go of his hand, picked her bow up from the ground and placed it over her torso. Minato nodded in acknowledgement. There wasn’t much left for the two of them to do, they had realized their mistake and now it was time to be on their way. Minato smiled as he began walking away from his new found friend. Maybe they’d meet again, maybe they wouldn’t. Only time could tell.

‘Wait a second… I’m still lost...’ Minato sighed in disappointment as he found himself, once again, lost in this damned forest.

[Yu Kanda]

Adrenaline was still flowing through Kanda's veins as he was finding his way through the forest. He started to dislike this wilderness, it was warm, filled with hostiles and not a clear path anywhere. After a bit of walking he heard some noises further along. It was a sound he knew all too well, the clash of metal was heard. Seems he wasn't the only one getting his morning exercise.

Kanda made his way to a branch up in a tree to get a view of what was going on. In the distance he saw a blonde haired man showing some exceptional skill with both small knives and what seems to be some kind of energy in the palm of his hand. The exorcist made himself comfortable up in the tree as the battle continued. The man was fast, very fast and it was only a matter of time before the battle was at an end a small explosion blew the woman away. Kanda was impressed, the yellow haired warrior could've easily ended her life, but chose not to. The swordsman seen enough and jumped down.
‘Wait a second… I’m still lost...’ he heard the warrior sigh as Kanda reached the former area of battle.

'You're lost hmm ? Yeah this place does that to you" Kanda spoke casually as he came from behind a tree towards Minato who immediately responded with a defensive move and threw a kunai towards the source of the sound. With a swift movement the blue haired exorcist dodged it by only leaning his upper body slightly to the left. "Hold on, hold on, i did not come here to fight" Kanda quickly spoke.

"And just who might you be ?" The kunai throwing man asked.

"You can call me Kanda. I saw your little brawl just now, pretty fast and skilled for your ordinary traveler. What do they call you? "

It took him a second to reply as he was obviously observing Kanda "My name is Minato and you don't seem too bad yourself. Not many people can sneak up on me without me noticing"

"I'll take that as a compliment. So what brings you to this forsaken place?"

"Honestly I got taken here recently, I am not even sure where i am heading."

"Also new to this place ? I only arrived recently myself. Still not sure what to make of it all."

"So are you lost here as well ?"

"Lost ? nah, I found a strange town further ahead and well, they had some orc trouble that i had to take care off. Heading back there now if you would want to come along? It's still a bit of a walk"

"If you wouldn't mind the company I'd gladly accompany you. What kind of a town is it"

"The weirdest one you will ever see." Kanda replied and started to lead the way back towards Ambrosia.

[Minato Namikaze]

‘The weirdest one you will ever see.’ Kanda said with an entirely serious tone as he guided Minato back in the direction he’d just come from. He wasn’t sure where he was being led, but anywhere was better than being lost.

‘Although… it could be some sort of trap.’ Minato thought to himself as he observed his new friend from behind. If he was going to make it out of this forest alive, then he would need to keep his guard up and not let it drop at any point in time. Even if that meant being suspicious of the people who helped him.


‘Wait!’ Minato called out, stopping Kanda dead in his tracks as Minato rushed to catch up with him. Minato pulled him backwards and reached for his kunai knife. Minato knelt down and scratched at the dirt for a second, before jamming the blade of his kunai into the ground about a foot in front of himself. Kanda looked at Minato in confusion and worry as the idea of him being somewhat crazy developed in his mind. As Minato drew his kunai from the dirt, the ground began collapsing in on itself. A pitfall trap.

‘Just as I thought… a pitfall trap… But why was it so terribly done?’ Minato muttered to himself as Kanda sighed in relief. He’d been so focused on getting back to Ambrosia that he hadn’t noticed it, but what Minato had said was correct, it was terribly hidden. Minato stood up and turned to Kanda, placing his left hand on Kanda’s right shoulder as he smiled at his new friend.

‘You almost missed it.’ Minato smiled as his face displayed his usual warm, comforting, smile. This smile served as a mask that hid his true intentions. In the time that he’d taken to place his hand on Kanda’s shoulder and reassure him, he’d placed his Teleportation Formula on the boy’s clothing. A precaution. A means of surprising him if he needed to. On the other hand, he did it partly to help Kanda, if he was right, then there was an ambush up ahead, and he wanted to see what this guy was made of. This meant opting out of the first few minutes of the assault, but he’d be in the fight eventually.

‘Right, well… Shall we get going?’ Minato asked as he removed his hand and gestured for his new friend to lead the way. Kanda looked at him strangely and then continued on his path, avoiding the pitfall trap that failed to catch the pair.

‘And besides… If I’m wrong, then It’s just harmless reassurance for myself.’ Minato thought to himself as he followed his companion, focusing on the sealing formula he’d placed on Kanda's back.

[Yu Kanda]

Kanda was deep in thought as he was walking through the forest with his new found comrade. He started to feel different within the Omniverse. This new power, this Omnilium, it sure was useful. Slowly he learned how to use it better and better. The exorcist started to like this new found power, yet this place was still way to strange for him. So many strange creatures and powers he is still unfamiliar with, he was starting to get fascinated with it. His thoughts got interrupted when Minato shouted behind him 'Wait !'. Freezing in his spot he listened to his companion. Because of his deep thoughts he nearly walked into a trap, a very poorly made trap that even a twelve year old could have spotted. Not spotting this was a embarrassment to say the least.

"Thank you" Muttered Kanda with a bit of frustration noticeable in his voice.

‘Right, well… Shall we get going?'

'Yes lets, we should continue if we want to reach Ambrosia.' Minato nodded in agreement with the same friendly smile he showed earlier. There was something about this guy that did not feel right with Kanda, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He did not strike him as a bad person but one can't be too careful, he would just have to stay vigilant and keep his eyes open this time.

The duo found their way through the dense forest but it wasn't easy. Several more traps were found along the way. Each one as terribly made as the other, something just didn't fit in. It wasn't long before they heard voices. Both Kanda as Minato dashed for cover, Kanda behind a tree , Minato climbed that same tree in a flash to get a better view. The exorcist's head slowly emerged from behind the tree to glance over. The image of two green creatures slowly became visible to him. Though these weren't the same brutes Kanda faced earlier, these were smaller and scrawnier then the warriors who's blood he spilled. Were these infants ? He was too unfamiliar with the race to know for sure. He looked up to the blonde haired ninja who seemed to be observing calmly from his branch. Fascinated he was watching the orcs fiddle around with something.

When Kanda silently moved towards the next tree he got a better look at what they were doing. One of them was holding a knife and some sticks while the other one was using leaves to cover up a string. It seems the duo found the source of the badly made traps. Kanda suddenly realized he almost actually fell for one of these as his face started to get sour. Minato decided to act on the situation and he jumped down from the tree. The ninja landed several feet from the duo that got startled by his landing.

"Hey there" He said with the same friendly smile on his face that he has shown before. It made him very approachable. Kanda decided to stay in cover a moment longer to see how this scene would unfold. He looked around him to see if there were others in the vicinity. Returning his attention to Minato and the two youngsters he saw both of them frozen in place as they were staring at the new arrival.

'Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. Are you two practicing how to make traps ?' His voice was calm and friendly. He really knew how to make himself likeable towards others. Kanda was still not completely convinced, if this was a grifter he sure was a good one. He would bring the ninja to Ambrosia and let them deal with him, he had his own things to worry about right now. He still wanted anwsers from Guu.

[Minato Namikaze]

The two green figures were hesitant to approach him, regardless of his welcoming composure. Minato sighed and then took a step back. The two figures stared at him cautiously as he did so, they probably weren’t used to seeing people like himself. Minato looked around for Kanda, he was supposed to be the one doing this. Minato searched for a few seconds before spotting his companion behind a tree roughly five meters behind him. Minato laughed internally as he turned back to the two figures, who were still staring at him.

‘Do you have names?’ Minato asked, but was given no answer. Minato crossed his arms and gave a somewhat disappointed look to the two people standing in front of him. Maybe they didn’t speak english. Minato decided that it was no use, whatever these guys were, they seemed like children. Although they looked formidable, they didn’t seem like they could comprehend anything he was saying or doing. Or maybe they were just scared, like they didn’t expect anyone to come by them. Either way, it was time for him to get going. Minato turned, slightly, to look at Kanda’s position and in a flash of yellow light, disappeared from view. Kanda watched as the Orcs - spooked by this sudden disappearance - ran off. Kanda looked around, wondering where Minato had gone. He’d seen this before, when his new friend was skillfully fighting that Elf Woman. He just needed to figure out how his ability worked and here he had reappeared.


‘Psst. Behind you.’ Minato whispered as Kanda turned around, a look of shock on his face. Minato laughed a little, keeping his warm, inviting, composure intact as Kanda looked at him with confusion and intrigue. He was trying to figure out how Minato used his abilities. He’d previously thought that it was tied to the strange looking kunai knives he carried around, but Minato had just proved him wrong on that. Kanda sighed in frustration as Minato placed a hand on his shoulder.


‘Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out eventually.’ Minato smiled as he removed his hand and turned away and then back to Kanda.
‘But uh… I still don’t know where I’m going. You can figure it out later.’ Minato said in embarrassment as Kanda pushed past him, continuing to lead minato towards Ambrosia.

[Yu Kanda]

'You can figure it out later' The words kind of annoyed Kanda. Minato was a kind person but it almost seemed as if he was looking down on him. It did not sit right with Kanda but he let it go, one can never know what someone's true intention is, especially after just meeting. The exorcist just had to play along, it seemed Minato pegged him as weak. This suited the swordsman just fine, best if not too many people know what he is capable off.

The duo marched on through the forest for a little while longer before they reached the edge of the forest. In the distance they both saw the city of Ambrosia in all its glory. "Well, there it is, the city of Ambrosia as I said." The blue haired exorcist looked at the city and sighed, Guu wouldn't be pleased with the orcs dead, but as long as he sticks to his story he should be fine. They were animals and he did the world a favor by removing their existence. His head turned towards Minato to see how he reacted to the sight.

'So this is it ? Ambrosia ? It doesn't look as strange as you discribed it'

'Ow you haven't seen anything yet. The creatures that live their lives within those houses are strange and unnatural if you ask me. I haven't seen anything like them on my world.'

'Your world?' Minato asked curiously.

'Yes, the world this Omni took me from. I am used to dealing with Akuma and Noah but this, this is just plain weird.' Minato looked at Kanda, obviously not knowing what he was talking about. 'But it doesn't matter' Kanda said quickly following up. 'Just remember to keep an open mind and don't do anything strange in there. Nothing is what it seems'

The duo started to walk towards the road leading to Ambrosia. An awkward silence emerged between the two as they were obviously still observing each other. As they got closer to the town Kanda looked at Minato. " Look, i don't know what will happen once we are in town. I warned you about the people here and how strange they are, but make no mistake, they are not weak." Minato took a moment before he replied, still giving Kanda the same confused look whenever he spoke about Ambrosia and its inhabitants.

'Sure, no problem.'

The duo were about to enter the town as they were approached by someone Kanda hadn't met either, and she didn't look happy.