Moving at a rapid speed, Fujin reached close to the cave where Fujin had carved seals to create a safe hideout for Shigeki. When he was 12 kilometers from the cave, a smile appeared on Fujin's face. He thought, 'Though I'm not sure it is him, I can sense a disturbance in the Space-Time field. If it is him, then I'll be impressed. To have such perseverance… Hehe, I got lucky in being able to recruit such a good subordinate so easily.'
Gaining a capable person to handle matters when he wasn't present was important for the organization's ability to survive and become stronger. It was the reason why Fujin made a move when he got the chance. Though Fujin couldn't visit him since then, that also served a purpose. It allowed Fujin to test his character and perseverance. After all, Fujin was the one who saved his life and gave him an opportunity to get revenge for his family. While this wasn't something Fujin did intentionally, he wouldn't reject the observations he gained due to it.
As he reached closer, Fujin could finally sense the chakra signature. Behind the mask, his smile grew wider. Meanwhile, inside the cave, Shigeki looked outside and wondered, 'Someone is able to sense me despite the seals in the cave?'
He immediately became alert. It was the first time someone had sensed him inside the cave. At the same time, he became hopeful and wondered, 'Has the Lord returned?'
Shigeki hoped that was the case. However, he prepared himself for a battle as well. While Shigeki wouldn't stand out if placed in a strong village like Konoha, in a minor village, he was ranked quite highly. After training continuously for nearly 3 years, his confidence had grown.
Very soon, Fujin appeared in front of the cave and entered it. On entering, he saw Shigeki in front of him. Shigeki immediately recognized him. He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "It's good to see you again, Lord Shiden."
Fujin nodded and said, "Drop the 'Lord'. It's good to see that you are still here, Shigeki. I'm impressed that you haven't left."
On hearing the command to drop 'Lord', Shigeki sighed in relief. It wasn't anyone in disguise nor had his savior's nature changed over the last 3 years.
Shigeki said, "You saved my life and gave me an opportunity. I won't break my promise unless you do something that goes against my beliefs."
Fujin nodded and said, "Good."
Shigeki asked, "If I may ask, can you tell me why you didn't appear for so long?"
While he did wait patiently, he couldn't help but think that Shiden had abandoned plans to build a branch there and hence hadn't come to visit him. Had he been strong enough to get his revenge, he might not have waited.
Fujin nodded and said, "It was a test."
Shigeki was surprised. He asked, "A test?"
Fujin replied, "Yes. It served two purposes. The first purpose was to test your nature. If you had left during this time, then it would have implied that you are ungrateful and don't stick to your words. I wouldn't want someone like that in our organization.
The second purpose was to test your perseverance. You were too weak to avenge your family back then. This time in isolation was the perfect environment for you to train yourself. I will need to check whether you have stayed true to yourself and your family and used this time well. Then I'll judge how you performed in this parameter."
Shigeki was surprised. At the same time, he was relieved and thought, 'Luckily, I didn't leave and kept training all the time!'
Shigeki nodded and said, "Alright. I hope I don't disappoint you. Can you tell me more about the organization?"
Fujin shook his head and said, "First, I'll need to see your strength. I'll then decide what your role will be and what you should know."
Shigeki was surprised. He asked, "Should we fight here?"
Fujin shook his head once again and said, "No. Though this place is decently hidden, a fight here can attract attention if someone is passing by. This is your first task for the organization. Identify a place in the Land of Rivers that is so remote that no one would visit there even by accident. Also, the place has to be large enough to house hundreds of people and have a lot of space for training, sparring and other activities."
Shigeki was surprised by Fujin's words and realized, 'He plans on building a base!'
He thought for a bit and said, "I do know a couple of such locations."
Fujin said, "Choose one and lead the way."
Shigeki thought for a couple of minutes before saying, "Alright, follow me."
Shigeki began moving. Fujin followed him. The two moved around a couple of hundred meters, travelling past dozens of rivers. Finally, they entered a location that didn't have any rivers at all. Instead, there was an extremely deep and large valley surrounded by mountains on all sides!
Standing on the edge, Shigeki said, "No one in this country ever travels inside this valley. It has an extremely high number of deadly wild animals. Hence, normal people don't dare to enter. As a result, our ninjas never receive any missions to this place.
Also, since there aren't any rivers nearby, there are no settlements for dozens of kilometers around this valley either. Another advantage is that there are no trade routes near this area. The closest trading route is the one between Sunagakure and Tanigakure and even that is 37 kilometers away."
Fujin thought for a bit and nodded. The location was excellent. Even if there were human settlements around the valley, the valley itself was extremely huge and deep, making sensors more or less useless unless they decided to venture in deep. In addition, the valley was covered in mist, blocking sight. As a result, even if a fight happened in the valley, it wasn't possible for anyone to see any flashes.
Fujin asked, "Is this valley always covered in mist?"
Shigeki nodded. Fujin asked, "Did Tanigakure investigate the valley in the past?"
Shigeki replied, "Yes. We did it sometime after the end of the First Great Ninja War. We were hoping to find some resources in the valley. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything worth considerable value to create a base in the valley. It has pretty much been abandoned since then.
The only usage this valley sees is if Sunagakure or Konohagakure are trying to sneak troops to the other side during a war. Even then, they mostly stay on the edges as it provides sufficient cover in any case."
Fujin nodded and enquired about some more details, such as the wildlife and the presence of any poisonous species. Once he was satisfied, he said, "Alright, this should be good enough. Let's go."
Fujin began moving down the slope. The slope wasn't very steep, so normal people could still climb out if they went in as long as no wild animals attacked them. For Fujin and Shigeki, it wasn't worth mentioning. Shigeki followed Fujin and asked, "Where are we heading inside the valley?"
A smile formed behind Fujin's mask as he said, "To the deepest point obviously."
Shigeki was surprised. The Valley was surrounded by tall mountains. Compared to the edges, the deepest point of the Valley was almost a kilometer and a half deep. If it was a flat surface, then the deepest point would be around 10 kilometers away from the closest edge. As a result, the deepest point will be completely hidden from anyone!
He couldn't help but wonder, 'Is Shiden planning to create a base so deep in the valley? Wouldn't it make accessing it very difficult? Also, what's the purpose of this organization? He didn't even tell me the name of his organization.'
As they moved rapidly, Fujin asked, "Shigeki, before we fight, how would you evaluate your strength?"
Shigeki answered, "If I return to Tanigakure, then I'm sure I'll be able to contend for the spot of the strongest ninja in the village. If I was in a major village, I guess I would be an Elite Jounin."
Fujin was surprised by his self-evaluation. That said, he didn't assume it to be true. After all, most minor villages didn't believe themselves to be much weaker than major villages. The only points where they accepted their inferiority were the absence of rank S ninjas, Jinchurikis and the total number of ninjas.
Fujin asked, "And, what do you specialize in and what are your abilities?"
Fujin already knew the answer to this question. However, he didn't know what Shigeki did after their meeting. As such, he was curious to know.
Shigeki answered, "I specialize in Ninjutsus. More specifically, Wind and Water nature manipulation. The Land of Rivers is covered by numerous rivers. These two natures allowed me to restrict our enemies and keep them on the opposite bank. I'm decent at Taijutsu and can use some Genjutsu as well. Though they aren't as good as my Ninjutsu."
Fujin already knew that information. He asked, "And which are your strongest jutsus?"
