CHAPTER FIVE.
Kaya frowned.
The Sage of Six Paths?
The Sage of Six Paths was a legend in the shinobi world. According to stories, the Sage was the first human born with chakra, who later founded ninshū, leading to the creation of the shinobi world. However, hearing about the Sage from Sōjōbō meant that it was not just a legend. She had no idea past legends were linked to each other, and that only fuelled her desire to know.
"The Sage was aware of the conflict in the skies and was worried about the battle affecting those on land. Therefore, in order to stop the war, he had no choice but to eliminate us," Sōjōbō said regretfully. He sounded weary and sorrowful at the ending of his people and enemy, but he understood why it had to be done.
"Then how did you survive?" Kaya asked.
"It is all because of your clan," the Tengu King replied. "They vouched for me, convincing the Sage that I would be able to cohabit with them peacefully. The Sage was surprised to see humans supporting another creature, of course, but he found the connection interesting and hopeful. He spared me, but not before sealing half of my power away and permanently distributing it to your clan members. At that time, he converted my powers into what you now call 'chakra'.
"Unfortunately, with the power that I bestowed upon them along with the power the Sage sealed away in your people, they found it difficult to withstand the magnitude of the energy within them. Without the physical features of a Tengu, humans cannot wield the power willingly and freely. Although I tried my utmost best in teaching them, their bodies were not something I could control. I could only stand by and watch as your clan slowly died out over time," he finished sadly.
"It's not your fault, Sōjōbō-sama," Kaya said after a while of silence. "My ancestors vouched for you because they knew you would not harm them. When the Sage of Six Paths sealed your powers away, they accepted it with open arms. They knew of the consequences, and yet they insisted on their decision to aid you. They knew you were worth it."
The Tengu King was speechless. After spending years inside her body, he knew she was an understanding girl, but he did not anticipate such acceptance from her. Though he didn't need to prepare himself for an earful of profanities, he had his heart ready for some negative words. He chuckled to himself silently, amused at the reminder of her clan's compassion centuries ago.
"You truly are a member of the Tengu Clan," Sōjōbō said softly, his voice lined with affection. "The kindness runs thick in your blood."
Not sure how to react to his words, Kaya merely smiled, thanking him with her actions. "Sōjōbō-sama, please continue with the story."
"Of course, my dear," he said. "As time passed, my physical body was unable to function efficiently as I was not in my home land. Years later, it was decided that I would seal myself into a member of the clan and live within the individual until he or she died, at which point my spirit would be transferred to another member of the clan. At that time, the decision was also made to concentrate my powers on that individual for the sake of better control, as well as the clan's population since too many were dying from overload of my powers."
"That explains the large chakra reserves I have," Kaya nodded thoughtfully. "So, I'm like a… jinchūriki?"
"In a way, yes, but I do hope you do not see me as a beast," Sōjōbō replied with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"How could I ever think of you as a beast, Sōjōbō-sama?" Kaya exclaimed quickly.
The Tengu King softened. "You do not need to be so formal with me, Kaya," he told her. "Although I am the King of the Tengu, I am the last remaining one and I certainly do not rule over you. There is no need for you to address me with such honourable honorifics."
"It is only fair to address as such as you have watched over all since the beginning, despite my ignorance of your existence," Kaya answered. "Knowing someone was with me all along doesn't make it seem so lonely all of a sudden."
For Kaya, although she had no visualisation of the Tengu King, she knew he was there, watching over her regardless of time and space. It felt as if he was her guardian, protecting her with his powers even if he was no longer a physical being. The affection she felt from him was no less than the affection she received from Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Very well, if that is what you wish for," Sōjōbō said, earning a smile from the girl. "Now, the main reason why I am speaking with you is because of your powers. What I will tell you is extremely important. It will make a difference between life and death."
At that second, Kaya knew the graveness of the matter from the tone of his voice. She concentrated all of her focus on his words as he spoke.
"You have to be careful when you are using the Tengu release," Sōjōbō started with a stern voice. "You may not notice it, but you are exerting too much of your own chakra while using mine. You need to ensure both chakra are in balance with each other. Our chakra work very much alike to that Tailed Beasts and their jinchūriki – the more chakra you take from me, the more chakra I take from you."
That made sense to Kaya. Every time she was on the brink of running out of chakra, she would feel a surge of energy through her body, and that extra energy could only be Sōjōbō's chakra. Moreover, after using the extra energy, she would either collapse or feel extremely fatigued, which could now be explained as her own chakra being taken away by the Tengu's.
"Even though I can somewhat control the amount of chakra I take from you while being sealed inside you, the balance of the chakra is not something I can control – it is something that you need to control in order to utilise my chakra fully. I cannot stress the importance of balance enough to you."
"What will happen if I lose the balance of the chakra?" Kaya questioned carefully even though she had an inkling of an idea of the consequences.
"You will die."
An eerie silence filled the endless space. Neither Kaya or Sōjōbō spoke. Kaya needed the time to digest the information as Sōjōbō waited for her reaction.
"That's the reason why my ancestors died?" Kaya finally spoke, breaking the silence.
It took the Tengu King a few moments before answering her. Memories of his old human friends flooded his mind. "Yes."
Taking a breath, Kaya asked, "How do I maintain the balance between the chakra?"
"That, my child, will have to wait for another time," Sōjōbō said as a surge of light surrounded Kaya. "But rest assured, you are fine as you are now. Just remember to refrain from using too much chakra for the next few weeks so your body can recover. When the time comes, we will speak again."
"Sōjōbō-sama!" Kaya exclaimed as the light wrapped around her completely, tugging her further and further away from the warmth of her inner guardian.
"Until then, my child."
It was too bright. It felt like as if she was being attacked by rays and rays of light as she laid on her back. Her head ached, her eyes stung, and her limbs did not move as she willed them to. She had no idea where she was, but she could faintly hear whispers closely around her, though she could not make out what they were saying.
Slowly, she found the energy to open her eyes. It took some time until the light stopped hurting her eyes, and she found herself staring at the ceiling light above her body. Confusion washed through her as she wondered where she was, thought it was soon apparent to her that she was in a hospital.
Her body felt like lead as she could only control the movements of her eyes, but the voices around her told her someone else was there in the room with her. Wanting to get their attention, she parted her lips with much difficulty, only to feel the dryness of her throat. There was hardly any saliva to sooth the burn on her throat and swallowing almost nothing caused her to unknowingly let out a painful whimper.
"Kaya!"
The bright voice that called out to her was unmistakably Kushina's as her equally bright hair came into view. The red-head had dark bags under her eyes as she examined her bedridden friend, and her face scared exhaustion to Kaya.
"Kaya?"
The next voice was not hard to identify either. The calm and soothing voice of her blond friend was distinctive, perhaps not as distinctive as Kushina's voice, but Kaya knew it was Minato the moment he spoke.
"I'm going to get a doctor-ttebane!" Kushina fled the room in search of a medic without another word.
Minato watched as Kushina disappeared behind the door, her footsteps echoing in the quiet hospital as she ran off. Moving closer to the bed, he leaned over the purple-head, giving her a gentle smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, almost as if he was whispering to her.
Kaya gave him a helpless look. It wasn't long before Minato understood her unsaid message. He immediately helped her up, wrapping a careful arm under her back as he lifted her slowly. Unsure of her physical condition, he made sure he was extra careful with her. He rested her against his body as he propped up several pillows before lowering her onto them. At that moment, Kushina burst through the door with a medic in tow. The red-head came to see if there was anything she could do, only to see Kaya lying back comfortably on the pillows and smiling gratefully at the blond.
The medic stepped forward to his patient as he gathered some chakra in his palm and placed it over Kaya's forehead. Knowing what he was going to do, Kaya closed her eyes, letting the comfortable chakra heal the ache in her head, as well as the strain in her throat. Once the medic was finished, he stepped back, and Kaya opened her eyes.
"How are you feeling?" the medic asked, repeating Minato's question.
Three pairs of expectant eyes were on the girl as she answered. "Much better, thank you."
The doctor nodded, seemingly pleased with the patient's response. "You're suffering from chakra depletion. It's nothing too worrying though – give yourself a week at the very least before you go out on missions again."
"Thank you, sensei," Kaya replied with a dip of her head as she found herself being able to move a little more than before.
"You can go home once you have the energy to move, but don't force yourself. Stay another night if you need to; there's no hurry."
This time, instead of Kaya, it was Kushina who expressed her gratitude to the medic. It was also Kushina who escorted the doctor out of the room before returning to Kaya's side. By then, Minato had handed Kaya a glass of water to drench her thirst and soothe her throat.
"Thank you, Blondie," Kaya said as she handed the empty glass back to the boy. Her voice was a little louder than before, but still sounded rather hoarse and dry. "Did we complete the mission?"
Minato let out a small laugh as he placed the glass on the bedside table. He sat down beside her on the bed while Kushina took the chair on the other side of the bed.
"Looks like you're recovering well, Fluffball," Minato commented, a relieved smile on his gentle features. "You shouldn't be worrying about the mission now."
Watching the interaction between Kaya and Minato, Kushina couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. Almost immediately after waking up, Kaya was already in a little world with Minato, forgetting that she was also in the same room. Perhaps they didn't mean to exclude her, but Kushina didn't like it. However, she knew there were more important things to deal with, and such petty feelings could get in the way.
"Kushina, are you alright?" Kaya asked, tilting her head at the said girl. She had noticed the red-head looking as if she was deep in thought, and Kaya hoped she wasn't blaming herself for what happened.
"Eh?" Kushina looked up at Kaya with an alarmed look. "I'm fine-ttebane!" she replied with a grin. "I'm just really glad you're awake."
Kaya's shoulders deflated. "I'm sorry to have made you guys worry," she said, lowering her head. "How long was I out for?"
"Just a little under two days," Minato replied. He saw a tiny shift in the purple-head's expression, causing him to look at her in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Kaya shook her head. "It's just… shorter than I thought I was out for."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Kushina wondered, her voice filling the room. She was no longer concerned with her feelings for the time being, since she knew she was probably overthinking it. "Did you know how worried we were-ttebane?"
Kaya smiled apologetically. Just as she was about to speak, the door slid open, revealing the Hokage. The teenagers quickly turned to greet him, to which he responded with a chuckle as he stood at the foot of Kaya's bed.
"It is good to see you awake," Hiruzen smiled in a father-like manner. "The doctor said you should give yourself a week, but I am going to give you a full two weeks before you can go on missions again."
It wasn't until the Hokage mentioned going on missions again that Kaya suddenly remembered it was her first mission and she ended up in this state. Biting the inside of her cheek to contain her disappointment in herself, she continued to listen to the village leader.
"Now that you are conscious, I need you to tell me what happened while you were alone with the enemy," Hiruzen straightforwardly said, his expression stern. "What happened after you traded yourself for the scroll?"
She took a deep breath before starting. "They chained me up and were going to take me back to their base," she said slowly, finding her throat dry again. "They were going to imprison me while they wait for their leader's orders. Apparently they were going to sell me off to a slave trading organisation."
"A slave trading organisation," Hiruzen repeated quietly. His brows knitted as he realised it was something else he needed to deal with. Slavery was something he could never tolerate and if an organisation dealing with such business was so close to the village, he needed to eliminate it.
"But… they had different ideas…" Kaya trailed off, unsure how to articulate her words. "They said they were doing to, uhm, play with me," she said, her voice growing weaker and weaker.
Minato shot up to his feet, fury evident in his eyes. "They were going to what?"
"Minato, calm down," Kaya said in her normal tone, deciding to use his name in a serious manner. She placed a hand on one of his balled-up fists, assuring him that she was not harmed. "Nothing like that happened. I promise."
"What did you do to them?" Kushina asked, getting more puzzled by the minute. The more they talked the more she didn't understand. It was certain to her that the males knew what happened, but the fact that she was still in the dark annoyed her. "Did you kill them? Those bodies?"
"Before they could get their hands on me, I was able to attack them," Kaya said.
"With what?" Kushina pushed.
Kaya bit her lips, wondering if she should share the information she learnt from Sōjōbō. In the end, she decided against it. It wasn't due to mistrust, but it simply didn't feel like it was the right time to reveal so much to them. Perhaps the Hokage and Minato knew something was different about her, but Kushina seemed rather confused. Though she felt sorry for her only female friend, not telling her might be the best.
"Uhm, I just felt a surge of chakra inside me," Kaya replied carefully. She wasn't lying, since she really did feel Sōjōbō's chakra, she just left out the details for later.
However, it was clear to her that Kushina was not satisfied with her answer, and neither was Minato. She glanced at the Hokage and saw something in his eyes that told her that he was aware of her extraordinary powers, which didn't surprise her at all. Despite that, she kept her lips sealed, at least until she saw Sōjōbō again.
"Anyhow, the scroll is in our hands and nothing similar should happen in the foreseeable future," Hiruzen said, his tone suggesting the end of the discussion and that no more questions were to be asked. "Good job, you three," he added with his usual smile.
"I certainly do not deserve that praise, Hokage-sama," Kaya said, bowing her head. "I apologise for the troubles I have caused."
Hiruzen chuckled. "No matter, Kaya," he replied. "The scroll is in our hands and potential attacks on Konoha are stopped. The mission is complete."
Relief rushed through Kaya's body as she donned a small smile. She understood that she was inexperienced and therefore brought trouble for her teammates. However, she was truly thankful for their understanding and supportiveness. It was no wonder why Tsunade recommended Konoha.
"However, it seems like Minato will have to do a lot of work or these girls will surpass you in no time!" Hiruzen mused lightly.
Minato laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck. Although he knew of Kushina's condition, he wasn't fully aware of Kaya's, even though he knew she wasn't an ordinary human being. Perhaps the Hokage was joking, perhaps he was not. Either way, Minato knew he had to work as hard as he could in order to achieve his dream of becoming the Hokage.
"Well then, I have matter to attend to," Hiruzen announced his departure before narrowing his eyes at Kaya. "Remember, two full weeks before your next mission, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Kaya confirmed.
With that, Hiruzen left the room. Though the Hokage wasn't intimidating, the three teenagers seemed more relaxed than before. Kushina let out a loud yawn as she stretched her arms over her head. It was no secret that she was exhausted.
"Kushina, you should go home," Minato said. "You haven't been home since we came back from the mission."
Kaya's eyes widened. "You didn't need to stay the entire time, Kushina!" she exclaimed, surprised at the revelation. "You should have gone home and rested!"
Kushina shook her head with a sweet smile. "I wanted to stay to make sure you were okay," she replied, somewhat sounding apologetic. "It was partially my fault that you were taken. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." She leaned forward to grasp Kaya's hands in hers. "You're a very important friend to me," she confessed before grinning mischievously. "But, as important as you are, my bed is my top priority right now. You better be on your feet by the next time I see you-ttebane!"
The purple-head's heart swelled with affection as she laughed at Kushina's words. Hearing her friend say something so sweet and endearing warmed her all over. She, too, thought of Kushina an important friend and it made her incredibly happy to hear Kushina say the same.
Kushina was obviously exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open without tearing up and yawning every two seconds. Even though a part of her heart screamed at her to not let Kaya and Minato be alone anymore, her brain and body were demanding for rest that was not on the chair beside Kaya's bed. In the end, she bid the others a quick goodbye before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
"Okay, it looks like it's time for me to go home too," Kaya said, pushing back the covers draping over her body. She felt Minato's hand quickly on her arm to steady her as she slowly stood up. She turned her head to see Minato's eyes lingering on the closed doors even as he was helping her. Grinning as she understood what was going on, Kaya patted Minato's hand. "Why didn't you take her home?"
That caused the blond to lose his grip on her with a blush on his face. Kaya immediately stumbled, falling back onto the bed as she smirked at Minato knowingly.
"W-What are you t-talking about?" Minato stuttered, his cheeks in a shade of light pink. It was the first time Kaya seen him this flushed, and she couldn't help but want to tease him more.
"Don't even try and lie to me, Blondie," Kaya warned, shaking her head with a click of her tongue. "I can see everything with these golden eyes of mine."
"W-What? There's nothing to see- ow!" Minato was half way through his sentence when he bit his tongue, causing him to whine in pain. Shutting his eyes tightly, he held a hand to his cheek, wincing as the wound throbbed.
Kaya say on the bed with her hands clenched at her stomach, her laughter filling the room. Like Minato, her eyes were closed, but it was because she was laughing too much that her eyes began to water. Soon, she was out of breath, leaving her in a wheezing state as she continued to giggle at her friend.
The blond sent a glare in Kaya's way, but with his swollen tongue, there was little he could do or say.
"Don't stare at me like that," Kaya snickered.
It's not funny, Minato thought, his eyes narrowing at the girl.
"It is funny," Kaya replied, somewhat able to understand his thoughts. She earned herself another glare before she ceased her laughter. "Okay, fine, I won't laugh anymore," she said with a grin. "Now open your mouth."
The boy frowned in confusion.
"Just open it," she urged. "It's my apology for laughing at you."
Reluctantly, Minato parted his lips. Before he could comprehend what was happened, Kaya had a hand over his mouth as a warm sensation suddenly filled him. The familiar glow of green light was emitted from her hand for a mere minute before it faded, taking away Minato's small injury with it.
"Medical ninjutsu," Minato said while he nodded in slight awe, even though it was not his first time seeing the technique.
Kaya grinned at him before standing up, this time steadier than the last. She saw her pile of clothes on another chair and she quickly gathered them in her arms. Turning back to Minato, she put a free hand on his shoulder, giving him a small squeeze.
"You know, I think Kushina is the only one who doesn't see your feelings," she said, with a tiny hint of teasing in her voice. Before he could say anything though, she slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and leaving the blond more flushed than ever.