Naruto; Daemon Ritus Chapter 01 (Patreon)

(Warning: This story contains female muscle, female muscle growth, dominant behavior, and graphic sexual content)

The mission came from the desk of the Hokage herself, with the cryptographic teams in the village having unearthed old writings that spoke of relics from the old shinobi age, before the Warring States Period and the Clan Wars. Said items could either be immensely valuable, containing knowledge or power unseen in ages, or they could just be simple pieces with cultural value and little else.

The Hokage was hoping for the former. Anything to get an advantage over their enemies. So she’d rather they procure the relics before anyone else found out about them. To that end, she assembled a small team of three kunoichi dispatched to the outermost corners of the Land of Fire, almost near the border to the Land of Earth.

While the mission parameters weren’t exactly dangerous, as they were not expecting any shinobi or mercenary presence, going near the border of their longtime enemies carried a fair number of risks. Which was why the team assigned comprised entirely of talented kunochi who, while not as seasoned as other shinobi, had proved their skills time and time again.

At least, Hinata was certain that Tenten and Sakura had; she was still not too sure she had done anything of note in the past to stand out. Her training and discipline, along with the number of missions she had accomplished, had warranted the title of chunin once upon her second try at the exams.

Not that it stopped Hinata from comparing herself to the others.

She walked behind her current teammates, watching as Tenten and Sakura talked so amicably with each other. They were like that, so personable and confident in themselves in a way that made Hinata envious. She could fight, she could be decisive on the field, but when it came to her own personal life, it… she always felt there was a lot she was missing. Things she wanted to do, opportunities she could take.

Sakura was so beautiful, she was not afraid to speak her mind when she was angry or happy. And Tenten was just so passionate and cheerful, always putting her all into everything she did. The two of them were so talented and brave, Hinata admired that about them. It inspired her to be better. But she couldn’t lie and say she didn’t feel jealous at times.

Especially of Sakura, and how close she could be to Naruto.

Her musings were brought to an end when the forest they were walking through made way to a small clearing, next to an elevation large enough to be called a hill. In the face of said hill, there was a large opening that led to absolute darkness. A cave.

“Think this is the place?” Tenten brought up as she traced a hand over the edges of the cave entrance.

“It’s where the coordinates pointed, at least according to the cryptographic team.” Sakura mused as she placed her hands on her hips. “Has to be.” She turned to their purple-haired teammate. “Hinata, can you…?”

“A-Ah, right!” She gathered chakra in her eyes, making veins bulge out as her lineage’s power activated. “Byakugan!” She muttered under her breath.

Her field of vision expanded to 360 degrees, letting her see far, far away. She perceived the life-force of multiple animals, the chakra networks of her teammates. And most importantly… something inside the cave.

There were structures inside, crumbling and in a state of disrepair. And at the center of the cave there was… was…

Just what was that?

“What do you see?” Tenten asked.

Her mouth opened slightly. “I… I’m not sure.”

That worried the other two. “You’re not sure?”

“There is something inside. It seems to be an object of sorts? It has a faint chakra signature, but… I’m having a lot of trouble making it out.”

It almost felt like a living thing, a living chakra network, but that was impossible.

“Well, we won’t find out by staying outside.” Pulling out a scroll, Tenten unsealed a couple of flashlights and handed one to Sakura, knowing Hinata would have no problem navigating in the dark with her dojutsu active.

They lit up the path and stepped inside.

The girls observed carefully their surroundings, wary of any trap. Tenten hummed in thought as she looked over a few stone structures around the walls of the cave that were clearly man-made. “I think I see traces of old sealing work here, but it’s hard to tell; it’s all been worn out by time.”

Sakura stepped close to the other side of the cave, her gloved hands brushing away the dust and dirt over a stone tablet. “Whoa, this is like… very archaic language. There is some stuff I can recognize, but this thing is a very old version of our language.”

Hinata idly listened to them; she kept walking forward, drawn by the object that glistened in her Byakugan’s vision.

It sat atop a pedestal, in the center of the chamber. The lines of chakra that circulated through it were… straight, angular, artificial.

And yet they gently pulsed, with the faint glow of life in it.

This little thing, this tiny… pyramid with markings she could not recognize.

Its existence was such an oddity, not even weapons forged with chakra and special techniques implanted into their framework looked like this.

It felt like a puzzle that Hinata was driven to figure out by a surge of sudden curiosity that surprised even her.

She slowly reached out to touch it…

“So that’s the thing, huh?” Tenten’s light suddenly shone over it, and Hinata quickly retracted her hand while deactivating her Byakugan. “What do you think it is?”

“I’d say it’s some ornamental piece,” Sakura joined in. “But that’s for the cryptographic team to figure out. Let’s bag this and anything else we find.”

“On it,” Before Hinata could even put a word in, Tenten pulled out a storage scroll and moved to grab the small pyramid. Yet the item didn’t even move. “What the…?” She grunted, putting more strength in her grip, but the thing didn’t even budge. “It’s, ugh, stuck!”

“Let me,” Sakura gently pushed her away and put her legendary strength to work. Normally, it’d be as easy as plucking a blade of grass for her… but the other two kunoichi could only stare in shock as the pinkette was clearly struggling against the small item. “What… the… hell… is… this?!” She hissed through clenched teeth, arms shaking as she gave it her all.

But the pyramid did not move.

Panting as she let go, Sakura could only stare in disbelief. “Well… that’s something.” She muttered distantly.

“How are we going to get this out?”

Huffing in frustration, Sakura crossed her arms. “We’ll just have to figure things out. See if we can learn more about this place.”

“It’s getting late,” Hinata pointed out. “Maybe we should make camp outside.”

“Hmm, yeah, you’re right,” Sakura agreed. “Let’s start tomorrow with fresh energy. I’m sure this thing has a logic to it; we just need to find it.”

As the two began their walk out, Hinata lingered for a moment longer. Staring deeply at that small pyramid that seemed to… call to her?

Shaking her head, she quickly followed after her friends.

The small pyramid sat alone in the middle of the chamber… and faintly glowed.

End of the preview