Son of the Sannin(Back)

Kirigakure's Hope

Land of Earth, Undisclosed Location

The mountains of the Land of Earth are one of the most inhospitable places of the entire Elemental Nations, with only the Land of Wind's Demon Desert managing to be close in such terms.

The mountains had everything that made them unfit for humans being to live there: no trees to harvest lumber, no fertile land that could be farmed, very little available water, an extremely strenuous terrain difficult to traverse, much less to build a village on, and the only animals who dared to live there were large, ferocious beasts that were constantly fighting each other, usually for food, who didn't mind the collateral damage their fights could cause. Yes, such combination of factors made the mountains a place completely devoid of human beings.

Just like Han wanted.

Han, known as Han of the Steam Armor, while technically being an Iwa ninja, preferred to live alone, far away from civilization. He was an extremely tall man, wearing a crimson armor that covered most of his body, and his face being obscured by both a mask that covered his mouth and nose, and a red conical straw hat. Being a jinchuriki, the man had faced discrimination and scorn from his peers most of his life, that's why he chose a life of quiet solitude.

While he was preparing some food, Han could hear the footsteps of several men. Whenever the Tsuchikage had a mission for him, he would send a squad of ninja with the news and details for his mission. It was an agreement he reached with Onoki, the current Tsuchikage; he would be allowed to live alone in peace, but he would work for Iwa whenever they needed him. It was a better alternative that being a missing-nin. Besides, that way he could get the supplies he needed to survive in such an hostile environment.

However, there was a problem: these men, the four of them, weren't Iwa ninja. In fact, they didn't look like ninja at all. They were wearing robes akin to religious men, had their head shaved, and their skin was dyed pitch black with white patterns, almost emulating bones. Han deduced they had to be some sort of cultists.

"I don't know who you are," Han calmly said as he stood up. "But if you value your lives, you should leave this place immediately."

The weird looking men grinned, and unsheathed ritual daggers. Such a strange weapon to bring to a fight.

"Sorry, you sinner, but our High Priest has asked us to get you," one of the cultists said, grinning widely.

"Alive, unfortunately. Janshin-sama won't be happy, but the word of our High Priest can't be denied," another cultist said, as he menacingly advanced towards Han.

"So make our jobs easier and-"

The third cultist never got to finish his sentence. In a blink, Han appeared before him, and blew a hole in his chest with a brutal punch, his fist bursting though the man's back. Han shook the man's lifeless corpse from his arm, and shot a murderous glare at the other three.

"Who wants to go next?" he asked.

A moment of silence. Then, the three remaining cultists' face contorted with rage, raised their daggers, and charged at Han.

"FOR JANSHIN-SAMA!" They yelled in unison.

Meanwhile, hidden above them, two men wearing black cloaks with red clouds observed the fight. One was a young man with slick silver hair combed backwards, who carried a large, three bladed scythe. The other was a taller man whose face was covered by a mask, leaving only his bloodshot green eyes visible.

"Your cultists are so inefficient, it's almost hilarious, Hidan," the second man commented.

Hidan just shrugged, and chuckled. "I know. But I didn't bring those fuckers here to do our job for us, Kakuzu. It was you who wanted to asses our target before taking him on. Who cares if they die?"