The Feral Sage

I got no sleep that night. I immediately began unsealing and learning how to create [Bone Clones] from the scroll I had wished for from Rob. I had chosen the [Bone Clone] for a number of reasons. First, most Shinobi countries have a variation of the [Shadow Clone] technique which was created since they didn't have access to the original due to it being created by Tobirama, the Second Hokage, and being almost entirely known only to Konoha.

It would already be suspicious since I will have the [Flying Thunder God] Technique when I arrive, but I can pass it off as being stolen by my clan during the Third Great Shinobi War from Minato, but if I showed them other Konoha exclusive jutsu then it may raise suspicions on how many other jutsu I may or may not be hiding.

The second reason was so that I can combine it with my [Flying Thunder God] Technique. If I send out [Bone Clones] who are all copies of myself, they should be able to summon me with it to any location, further increasing my range and tracking abilities.

Third, if my clones were created from my Steel-like bones, they would most likely be able to withstand more than one hit before disappearing, making them more convincing body-doubles than standard clones.

Finally, if I combined my Byakugan with my clones, then send them out in all directions, forming a circle around me, I could artificially extend the range of my Byakugan, which was currently had a radius of 500 meters by two or three times if I sent more clones. Additionally, as I grow and become more proficient with the Byakugan and train my [Yin Strengthening Method], my Byakugan's range will increase, and using the same method previously, I could eventually, artificially keep watch over whole countries.

That method though, was for the far future, but for now, it would help me find Jugo, especially if I knew which general direction to go in. I could just use the compass for this, but if I'm ever sent on a mission to search for someone who I don't know enough about for the compass to track, this method will be invaluable, so I should train now while I can.

I praised [Deva's Mind] for its highspeed learning capability, allowing me to master both the [Bone Clone] and [Multi-Bone Clone] techniques in only an hour. I immediately began creating clones and sent them off in the direction of Jugo.

Despite the fact that I created 20 clones, all of whom had quite the amount of chakra in them, as a 7-year-old, I didn't feel nearly as drained of chakra as I had expected to be. I had way too much chakra for someone my age, even with my religious training of the [Yin Strengthening Method]. This revelation began to make me realize just how crazy strong the Sage of Six Paths and Hamura Otsutsuki's descendants must have been. The Kaguya Clan is the equivalent to the Senju and Uzumaki Clan and bloodline, meaning they inherited the Yang half of their ancestor's chakra, giving them incredible physical bodies and high chakra pools, while the Uchiha and Hyuga inherited the Yin half of their chakra, giving them incredible intelligence, chakra control, and doujutsu. This is why the Uchiha and Hyuga are called elite clans, because even those without their clan's Doujutsu are still incredibly intelligent and able to learn jutsu quickly.

Regardless of my musings, I still felt tired. I had navigated the wagon all day long, from nearly sunrise until we found this village in the evening, then spent an hour hurriedly learning a new jutsu before creating 20 clones of myself and sending them off with enough chakra to keep the Byakugan active for at least a few hours.

As I prepared to lay out my cot for bed, I looked over to see Haku had already laid it out for me and was inviting me to sleep next to her. If Haku was older than 7, this may have been seen as slightly too provocative or erotic, but since we were both children, I allowed Haku to snuggle close to me while we slept.

Apparently, Haku was a very light sleeper, as she had to fight off thieves and other malicious actors while she lived on the streets, this had made her perfect for a night-guard. Also, George, my best horsy friend, was oddly very aware of his surroundings and would alert us to nearby presences. I'm not sure if this is another unmentioned gift from Rob, or if it is just a lucky phenomenon, but nevertheless, I slept soundly, knowing that nothing was going to be sneaking up on us tonight, and even if they did, their stealth would indicate a skill level too high for us to defeat anyway.

...

...

...

Haku and I were moving to the east at a high speed. We had left George and our wagon behind after I stored all of our valuables and paid a local stable to tend to George for a few days while we searched. It turns out I wasted my money because one of my clones popped itself only a kilometer ahead of where Haku and I were currently. I had sent them off with the knowledge that if they found Jugo, they should pop themselves so that the rest of the clones and myself will know where he is.

I popped the rest of my clones and the chakra that returned to me gave me a slight stamina boost as Haku and I zeroed in on him. It only took us a minute to reach him. Man if we can move this fast as children, imagine how quick we when we fully grow up.

Jugo was sitting on a boulder at the edge of a small clear stream looking out at the treeline with hollowed eyes and a disheveled face. He had on no shoes, torn old rags that were very clearly recently new, and recently destroyed, child's clothes, and had buried blood and dirt on his face.

His eyes reminded me of Haku's when we first met. They were distant and dead, like no light had ever shone upon the accursed land that he treads. I approached him from the front, and despite him staring directly at me while I approached, he didn't see me. His mind was somewhere else entirely.

I raised my hand as I called over to him. "Yo! Your pretty small to be a demon."

Jugo immediately snapped out of his delirium and stared at me in disbelief for a moment before panic overtook him.

"S-stay back! Don't come closer! I'm a demon! I don't want to hurt you!" He yelled erratically, as he slowly scooted away before falling off his bolder and onto the gravel banks.

I looked at his little skit and couldn't suppress a laugh. 'What the heck man! Hahaha! I know I'm in an anime/manga world, but these overexaggerated reactions are awesome! Hahaha!'

He quickly stood up from his position and looked towards me in annoyance with a slight blush on his face.

"Cut it out!" he cried, but I continued laughing. It wasn't entirely because it was funny, I was also trying to get Jugo rilled up and possibly get him to transform. Ok, maybe it was a little more funny than I thought it would be.

"CuT iT ouT!" he said, this time with a slightly lower voice, but I continued to laugh. I didn't even find it funny anymore, but I got better results than I was expecting. Just a little tease was enough for him to start slipping. I suppose this is because he is a child and hasn't matured yet, plus he hasn't met Kimimoro or Hebi Sasuke which can mellow him out.

Haku was standing behind me in the treeline, looking at me with a weird face. Of course, I had told her that I was trying 'tame a demon' and that I wanted to fight it by myself, so she kept her distance, but I could feel that she was circulating her Chakra, and was ready to freeze over Jugo the moment he harmed me in the slightest. I could tell because I am a sensor nin and not because the air was rapidly getting colder. Definitely not.

At this point, Jugo looked red as a tomato, which I, of course, capitalized on to continue teasing. "Hahaha! Look how red you are! Your not a demon, you're a human tomato! Haha!"

At this point, I pretended to stop laughing and looked at Jugo in the eyes before saying "I came here to find a fearsome demon who looked like a child, but all I found was a weak kid without direction." I said, completely seriously.

Jugo looked at me for a moment shocked before he turned his head and refused to look me in the eye.

"I am a demon. I just haven't transformed yet. Please leave, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore." She said quietly. If I wasn't using chakra to boost my senses, I wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Well, I guess you will do. Come on. I want to see this demon transformation of yours!" I say "I need reliable partners to count on for my plans, and if you are as confident to claim to be that you can hurt me, then I seem to have found my next companion"

Jugo snaps his head to face me, a little hope in his eyes, but it is only for a moment, as he once again looks away, this time towards the gravelly banks beneath us.

"I'm happy that you offered but I..." He didn't get to finish as I interrupted him.

"If your happy, then transform. Let me see the power of this demon! I may not look it, but I am stronger than anyone in that village! I can easily defeat you, even if you were to become a Tailed Beast! Then I will take you with me as my companion" I say.

Jugo looks to me for a moment. He sees that there is no lie in my words, and he is confused. He determines that I am just bluffing, as I don't know the power that is at his disposal.

"If I defeat you, then that means you don't have to worry about losing control" I say, which stuns Jugo to his core. He begins thinking at 10,000 miles an hour.

'If...if he can beat me... I won't be alone. I won't... I won't have to hurt anyone else!' He thinks. It hadn't been that long since his recent rampage, but he was once again beginning to feel the light of hope shine within him.

Could he do it? Could he risk becoming a monster and hurting this child for his own selfish desire to be released from the nightmares? He would no longer have to worry that every time he stumbles into another village looking for food, he won't be leaving a burning pile of rubble.

Jugo looked once more into Haruka's eyes. They showed no wavering, no deception, only confidence. He decided to take the chance. If there was even a sliver of hope remaining to stop the rampaging demon, he had to take that chance. He owed it to all of the lives he destroyed while rampaging.

Jugo looked one last time into Haruka's eyes before giving his last warning.

"Ok... I'll do it. But are you sure you can take me? I don't want any more innocent people dying because of me" Jugo said, fighting back a wave of tears.

"I promise you. I'll kick your ass!" Haruka replied.

Jugo looked at the boy in front of him one last time before smirking. He began circulating his Chakra and absorbing and releasing nature energy all around him. HIs skin began to lose its color, as it took on a more grey colored shape. His arms began to grow axe-like protrusions, while his spiky hair became razor sharp. Finally, his eyes changed color from orange to a golden yellow and his sclera became black, while dark mascara-like markings surrounded his eyes and nose.

"YEEEEAAAAHHHHHHH HAHAHA!!!" He Screeched. "You there! Whitehead! Imma kill ya! Then I'll take down the coward hiding behind ya!"

I stared at the monstrous abomination in shock. 'What the hell! He sounds just like Skukaku the One Tail when he emerges from Gaara!' I think. 'I wonder if all battle maniacs talk the same?'

Jugo began growing large nozzles from his back which terminated pure nature chakra. Despite the inherent danger, the air felt cleaner and I felt far more energized. I thought that it might be the nature energy affecting my senses with me being a sensor nin, though I quickly brushed aside such thoughts and activated by Byakugan. While it might not have precognition like the Sharingan does, my increased field of view and general visual prowess makes everything appear to move a little slower when activated.

Jugo began charging his chakra boosters and rocketed towards me at a blistering speed!

'He's fast!' I thought, ducking underneath an ax-swing intended to decapitate me. I raised my fist and struck him dead center, in his chakra network with the Gentle Fist, or at least the variant that I learned from my mother when she gave my father massages after fighting off bandits. It may not be as effective as a strike from a trained Hyuga, but from the pained expression on the Feral Sage's face, it seems to have done enough damage.

I jump back, putting a little distance between us before I weave the Rat Handseal and fire off one of my recently learned jutsu. [Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!]

A torrent of water comes crashing from within my stomach as my mouth is forced open to release the tide of water that I unleash upon Jugo. Still having not recovered from my first strike, he is hit dead center and thrown back tens of meters into the treeline.

Using my telescopic vision with my Byakugan, I look to see him struggling to get to his feet. For all his power, he is still within the body of a child and furthermore, he has only fought unarmed and untrained civilians so he has no experience fighting an opponent who can damage is thick protective leathery skin.

"GUUUUIIIIYYYYAAAAHHHHHH! THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU SO HARD YOU'LL DIE!!!!" He screams. His back jets rocket him forwards once more.

"Um... yeah. That's what murder means idiot." I say as I activate my own HIghspeed movement technique. [Swift Release: Blurred Assault]

As I charge towards my target at blistering speeds, I feel my head and eyes begin to pond hard. My increased speed is overloading my visual prowess but my [Deva's Mind] skill quickly kicks in and my field of view widens as our speeds appear to slow to a crawl from my perspective.

I look towards Jugo, who has a crazy smile on his face as he sits, almost suspended in the air. I am reminded of the Quicksilver scene from X-Men Days of Future's Past. I shake off my momentary stupor, which would be less than one-one-thousandth of a second in real-time, before I begin striking at all of Jugo's Tenketsu points.

Then as time resumes its normal pace, in less than a second, Jugo falls and I appear behind him. I am breathing hard and trying not to pass out. Drenched in sweat, I pop a Senzu bean to restore my stamina and chakra, both had nearly zeroed out in the one second I used [Swift Release] and the Byakugan at the same time. I may be as fast as Minato when using [Swift Release] but my body and Chakra Reserves are nowhere near enough to maintain that movement for more than a second.

Haku, stunned at what she had just witnessed, or more accurately, not witnessed, begins to run over towards me as I stagger slightly. I look down towards the unconscious Jugo as he begins to transform back into his base state.

The funny thing is, for someone who just lost a fight, he has an awfully big smile on his face..