Author's Note: How long was the last chapter written in some mess of code omg I'm so sorry, I didn't realized it was a jumbled less. Anyway, it's fixed now!

If not for the fact that every inch of my body was aching and sore, I wouldn't have realized that I was awake.

For a split second, panic washed over me because the last time I woke up and everything was dark, I was chained up and beaten and tortured and beaten again. I calmed myself by taking deep breaths and feeling around me, telling myself that I wasn't in any danger.

I was in a bed.

I could have figured that I was in the hospital without the pungent smell of antiseptics, but it was reassuring nevertheless. My limbs were free, restricted only by the IV drip in my right arm and the bandages wrapped around what felt like my entire body. All my nerves were buzzing to life from the contact of the sheets, the mattress, and the bandages. It was hard to tell where my limbs were. It almost felt like I was floating. It was hard to tell whether or not I was alive.

It was kind of terrifying.

I took another deep breath, and in doing so, realized that my mask was gone. The cloth didn't buzz against my lips like it usually did. I didn't want to look for it, though. My body was too sore for that.

Instead, I held the breath for a few seconds before slowly letting it out, and then did it again. There was a constant need to remind myself that I was okay, and I needed to stay calm if I wanted to sort out everything that bombarded my mind the second my left eye was gauged.

Oh, right.

I don't have any eyes.

No more sight. No more colour. No more watching sunsets or sunrises or finding constellations while on watch.

No more fireworks.

Surprisingly, that upset me the most. I only got to see them once, and I spent that time being uneasy about the sounds of explosions. Now, all I'd get from them was those sounds.

Steadily, I lifted my left arm – the one not attached to the IV – and brushed it across my eyes. They were bandaged, but hardly made a difference. I carefully sat myself up. It hurt, but not so much that I had to stay lying down.

I took another deep breath and focused on the next thing on my mind.

The Edo Tensei. Sazukeru is what they called him, I think.

I regained several memories, almost all of which had his face in them. He was there when I was a baby, when I was a toddler, and when I was a child. He wasn't always trying to kill me. Those in my memories called him "Sazukeru-sama."

I called him "father."

Between him and Kakashi-sensei, I would have preferred the latter.

My thoughts continued to wander farther into the depths of my mind. It felt like I could only go backwards now that I couldn't see what was ahead. There was a clock ticking. What time was it? I couldn't tell, and the ticking went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, just like the vast nothingness that I existed in because how could I see darkness when I didn't have eyes?

Darkness is the absence of light, and without the ability to see light, there was just nothing, and just like the ticking, it went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and back and forth did my mind wander from the clock, back to the nothing behind my eyelids, and back, and forth, and back, and forth, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on and oh god I had no idea how terrifying this was going to be.

I didn't realize that my breaths were coming short and fast, and when I did, I suddenly found that I couldn't breath at all.

"Shurikane-san."

A presence made itself known. The voice was familiar – a female's – but I was too busy trying to get my lungs to cooperate. I clenched the bed sheets and opened my mouth, but couldn't remember how to inhale.

"Shurikane-san." The voice was more urgent this time.

I felt a hand take mine gently. I tensed, but tried to relax as whoever it was didn't try to attack me.

You're still in a hospital. I reminded myself.

"Breathe." She said.

Her thumb tapped against my hand and next to me, I could hear her taking deep breaths, coaxing me into doing the same. I focused on the rhythm she was setting and steadily fell into it.

"You're okay." She whispered. "Just keep breathing."

I nodded and savoured every breath before exhaling. Eventually, I felt the tension in my body ease and my lungs no longer felt like they were tied shut. I lowered my head and continued to focus on my breathing. Once I was sure I was okay, I gave the person a small nod in their general direction and pulled my hand away.

"Thanks, Mayuri-san." I whispered.

"Lion."

"Sorry?"

"Please refer to me as Lion."

"Ah, right. Sorry." I apologized, slightly embarrassed at my stupid mistake.

What kind of person named an ANBU when they were on duty?

I turned away and frowned to myself. Since she was here, though, I wanted to ask a few questions; something that had been at the back of my mind during the battle. First, however, I wanted to get some basic information.

"How long has it been since the battle?"

"Today, it will have been a week since the day of the attack. It is currently two in the afternoon." She answered informatively. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Aside from general aching, I think I'm all right. Don't worry about what happed just now."

"I wasn't." Lion answered without missing a beat.

"Oh." I didn't know how I should take that. "I guess you're used to this kind of thing, huh."

"Yes, but you also stirred a lot in your sleep. It doesn't take every long to figure out what will calm the individual down when it happens several times a day."

She wasn't trying to scold me, but I hung my head nevertheless.

"Sorry for troubling you." I apologized.

"Not at all. Is there anything else?"

"Kinda." I admitted with a slight shrug that hurt a lot more than it should have. "I'm…not sure how to ask it."

"Being straightforward helps."

I laughed meekly.

"Alright then, lesse…" I trailed off, trying to figure out exactly how I was supposed to word this. "…When we first met, you were some foreign thief, but now…you're not. What's up with that?"

Lion was quiet for a moment. I figured she was trying to figure out how to answer in a way that didn't divulge confidential information. I didn't know a lot about how ANBU worked, but I knew it involved a lot of information that was on a need-to-know basis.

"It was an extraction." She finally answered.

"Extraction?"

"Yes. I completed a mission and Hokage-sama killed two birds with one stone by using your team's mission as an opportunity to bring me back to the village under unsuspicious pretense."

"Oh. Well, of all the people to be behind that mask, I definitely wasn't expecting you."

"Ah, good. That means I was playing my part well. Admittedly though, I didn't think you would be the first to come after me. You have good instincts and reflexes, even if you're reckless with it." She said nonchalantly. "You can keep a level head, too. I don't see many individuals recover so gracefully from hostage situations and fits of panic. They are all important traits to have for ANBU. Should you have the chance to hone them, you could become a formidable shinobi."

Well, that was a nice reminder everything I lost my chances with. I was under the impression that she was meant it in a good way, but I was also under the impression that she had absolutely zero tact.

"About your age…" I started again after my ribs stop stinging. "You said you were too young to drink, but old enough to kill. At what age do you become old enough to kill?"

"The day you enroll in the Academy." She answered without hesitance.

I fell silent and briefly contemplated those words. It felt morbid and dark, but the more I thought about it, the more I made sense. Kids were taught how to throw sharp weapons and how to knock somebody out with their bare hands. The Academy was where they learn how to kill.

"Maa… How depressing." I laughed airily.

"The life of a shinobi is not one of innocent and naivety."

Without thinking, I brought my hand up to my bandaged eyes and brushed over the fabric. The last thing I saw was that man's face, and that face turned into the crazed man I saw five years ago. Images of the war danced around him like the flames I now remembered so vividly, littered with the corpses of both friend and foe.

I scoffed and winced at the sharp pain in my ribs.

"No kidding." I murmured dryly.

We fell into another moment of silence until the only sound was the clock ticking, and it went on, and on, and on… but this time, I was okay.

"I would like to inform Hokage-sama that you're conscious." Lion broke the silence in a flat tone. "It appears that you have returned to normalcy, but will you be alright?"

I nodded. She made her footsteps clear and audible as she left, and made no effort to open and close the door quietly. It wasn't necessary, but it was appreciated nevertheless, to be able to tell what was going on one way or another. I was worried that I would start sinking back into the state of panic I was in earlier, but thankfully, I wasn't left alone for very long.

The door opened noisily and was quickly followed by a rush of footsteps.

Riku!" The pleasantly familiar voice gasped. "Riku, you're awake!"

"Hey, Ino."

"Geez, she just woke up. Don't be so noisy." Shikamaru drawled.

"Don't crush her, Ino." Chouji warned cheerfully.

"Glad to hear you're all okay." I greeted.

"What the hell are you saying? Who cares about me when you…!" Her voice quickly became a bumbling, sobbing mess as she grabbed my hand tightly in hers.

"It's okay." I laughed softly while gently patting Ino on the back as she sniffled into my shoulder. "Ino, you better not be getting snot on me. That's nasty."

"Ew, like I w-would do that." Ino laughed with a sniffle before regaining her composure. "Hokage-sama said you were going to be alright, but still, after not waking up for a week…"

"I was even given permission to walk around before you woke up." Chouji added.

"Maa, sorry for making you all worry." I apologized sheepishly.

I wanted to address the way he made it sound like a big deal, which probably meant that he was in critical condition after the mission. It felt like something that shouldn't be brought up, however. The time to discuss it had already passed while I was unconscious, so it would be better to wait and ask Asuma-sensei or something else about it later.

"This isn't supposed to be about us. We're the ones worrying about you." " Shikamaru sighed.

"That's right!" Ino agreed immediately. "So if there's anything you need, you'd better let us know."

"Actually..." I started while turning my head away. "…There might be a small favour—"

"Consider it done!"

"Don't agree to terms you haven't even heard yet." Shikamaru muttered.

"Are you gonna let me say it or what?" I interjected.

"I hope it isn't something too hard…" Chouji murmured.

"You idiot!" Ino snapped.

"Don't worry, it's just a small favour." I reassured with a laugh. "Just...if it's alright…don't leave me alone."

The three of them fell silent. I lowered my head and fiddled with my fingers as they processed my favour.

"It's pretty dumb, but…" I continued softly, "...It's kinda unnerving, seeing a world of nothing. It's doesn't take long for it to kinda get to me, I guess."

After these words, Ino grabbed my hand and held it firmly.

"What kind of a favour is that? That's way to easy." It sounded like she was grinning. "And here I thought you were going to give us some sort of challenge."

"Don't give her any ideas." Shikamaru drawled.

I laughed shortly. "Thanks."

"Just leave it to us, Riku!" Chouji exclaimed.

"It's good to see you're all energetic, despite the circumstances."

We all turned at the sound of Tsunade-sama's voice and greeted her in unison. I didn't even register the sound of the door opening. Her sudden strong presence startled me, and it unsettled me a little that I didn't sense it before she spoke. Then again, my friends were making themselves the center of attention.

"We were just about to leave." Shikamaru said courteously.

"If you're all done fooling around, then that would be best. You should get back to bed, Chouji, and perhaps the two of you should check in on Asuma."

"Wait, what happened to Asuma-sensei?" I asked, suddenly filled with dread and worry.

"Mostly just chakra severe chakra depletion."

"And he's still bedridden?"

Normally, it only took a few days of rest to recover from something like chakra depletion. There were probably other injuries as well, but nothing critical, from what I saw.

"He pushed himself a lot, so it's a more severe case." The Hokage explained, but I still wasn't buying it.

I frowned, not liking the possibilities behind her reasons for not giving the full truth.

"Tsunade-sama, with all due respect, please don't lie to me about my sensei's condition."

She clicked her tongue and sighed heavily. If she wanted to, she could have done a better job at making up a cover story, but with everything that was going on, either Tsunade-sama didn't bother with something as trivial as that, or because she didn't really want to keep anything a secret.

"Fine, you nosy brat." She muttered, annoyed, while fiddling with my IV drip. "He underwent surgery, so he's recovering from that as well. We have several shinobi in the same situation. There's nothing to worry about."

"What? Surgery for what?" I asked, now worried.

"Riku." Shikamaru warned lazily. "Just drop it, it's no big deal. A few torn muscles that needed repairing is all it was."

I opened my mouth to object, but felt the hard stare on me and sighed. They probably just didn't want me to worry and took my own condition into consideration, but still, they didn't have to hide it from me. I had the right to know what was going on with my own sensei.

A loud stomach rumbling distracted us from the topic, and everybody's attention was drawn to Chouji.

"Before I go to bed, can I get some food?" He sulked.

"Quit whining and get back in bed, you idiot!" Ino scolded, and from the sounds of it, hit him. "Shikamaru and I will bring you some later."

"Don't rope me into this with you." The chuunin complained.

"All of you get out!" Tsunade-sama shouted, and the three of them rushed out of the room in a heartbeat. "Damn brats."

"Aren't you supposed to be quiet in hospitals?" I asked.

"Shut up and show me your hands." She snapped, and I immediately did as I was told.

She checked my pulse and tested my joints, asking me if anything hurt every now and then. Next, Tsunade-sama began to unwrap the bandages around my eyes.

"They were infected for the first couple of days, but it's healed up now." She informed me. "You're lucky it didn't eat any further into your head. After that drug forced your chakra out of you, I'm surprised your immune system was even strong enough to fight it."

"What can I say, I'm durable." I scoffed.

"Speaking of your chakra, though, it was off when we examined your pathways. Do you know what might be the cause?"

I furrowed my brows as I thought back on it. Of all the times I tried to use my chakra to no avail, there was one thing that stuck out to me.

"I…I don't think I can use my lightning release anymore."

"What makes you say that?" She asked slowly.

"They got me with the drug when I was using a lightning release technique. After that, even when the true effects of the drug kicked in, I couldn't use lightning ninjutsu. Maybe the timing of the drug had something to do with it."

Tsunade-sama was quiet, likely pondering what I was telling her.

"…Considering it's an unknown drug, I can't put it outside of the realm of possibilities." She sighed. "Tch, that bastard Orochimaru… I don't even want to know what experiments he's up to."

Soon, Tsunade-sama was pulling off the last of the bandages around my eyes. I wasn't sure why, but my heart sped up and tugged at the blanket in my lap.

"Alright, go ahead and try opening them."

When I did, it didn't make a difference. I wouldn't have even known that my eyes were open if I didn't hear Tsunade-sama click on a flashlight to examine the inside. For some reason, I found it a little disappointing, as if by some miracle, when I opened my eyes, I'd somehow be able to see.

"Tell me if it hurts."

Blinking was harder than I thought it would be, but only because I was aching and was groggy. The feeling of blinking with empty sockets was a little odd, but it wasn't particularly painful.

"Is something wrong?" She asked after she was done with the examination.

"Huh?" I answered quickly, trying to change my facial expression so that whatever it was that made her think I wasn't all right would go away.

"You look distracted."

"Oh." I lowered my head and sighed. "I guess… I dunno, I guess part of me thought that maybe you…did something to fix my sight. Like a transplant or something, but I know that's dumb. Forget about it."

I sensed the somber expression Tsunade-sama was giving me and turned away. It seemed doable Kakashi-sensei had the Sharingan and she was the best medic in the entire Fire Country, but spare eyes probably wasn't something that was just conveniently available.

"We tried." She said, surprising me.

"Wait, what?"

"We attempted an eye transplant. Just one, but it didn't work. Your body rejected it, not because you and the eye were incompatible, but because there was a seal preventing it."

"Another seal?" I grumbled, shaking my head. "Was it something else my mother left on me? Why would she do that, anyway? Especially if the method to unseal the Yonbi's chakra and the memories of my father—"

"Hold on." Tsunade-sama interrupted. "What's all this you're spluttering?"

I bit my lip, realizing that I had been rambling to myself.

"…This might be better to discuss after the check-up."

"Sure sounds like it." She muttered, and I could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

Not wanting the room to fall silent again, I decided to ask something that was nagging me to find the answer to.

"Where did the eye come from in the first place?"

"The donor wishes to remain anonymous."

"The donor? You mean somebody voluntarily wanted to give their eye to me? Who the hell would—?"

I slammed my mouth shut as a possibly crossed my mind.

"Oh my god." I gasped. "It was Asuma-sensei."

"Riku, I need to focus on your checkup—"

"Don't change the subject! I knew something was off about that bullshit you and Shikamaru fed me!"

Bastard knew that torn muscles was a half-truth and was I ready to punch the genius out of him.

"It was completely his choice." Tsunade-sama said firmly.

"And you didn't try to talk him out of it?" I shouted as loudly as my aching body allowed. "What if my body didn't reject it?"

"He knew full well what it meant! You think I want my shinobi to be missing an eye?"

"Then why did you do it?" I asked aggressively. "It's not like he could force you to perform the surgery."

"It's not that easy to understand, Riku."

"I understand that he's trying to clear his conscience because this happened at all! I don't need his fucking charity!"

"Shut your mouth, you selfish brat!" She yelled, slamming her fist into the wall. "This isn't just about you! You're no regular shinobi – you're a jinchuuriki and a wielder of the Youkugan, and when you lost that, you came this close to losing the other, too!"

I tensed, hearing the wall crack and crumble from the impact. I counted the clock tick five times before speaking.

"…What do you mean?" I asked quietly.

Tsunade-sama fell silent, and in that silence, the air became heavy. The sound was still ringing in my ears when she dropped her hand and sighed deeply. Whatever it was, I had the feeling I wasn't going to like it.

"…I don't think I need to tell you that being a shinobi is impossible for you now."

I clenched my jaw, but nodded slowly. I was trying not to think about it, but I knew I was going to have to come to terms with it sooner or later. All things considered, it would be a lot better if it were sooner.

"This raises a serious concern about the Yonbi. The Council was discussing whether it would be better or worse if it were sealed inside a jinchuuriki that can't be a shinobi. On one hand, not being put into extreme situations might lessen the chance of the Yonbi being extracted or released, and it keeps the jinchuuriki safer. On the other, the jinchuuriki has no means of learning how to control the bijuu, and the village loses a very powerful weapon."

The idea of being referred to as a weapon put me off a little, but that was part of my reality.

The life of a shinobi is not one of innocence and naivety .

I sighed and faced Tsunade-sama's general direction.

"So then…did the Council come to a decision?"

"The option of extracting the Yonbi from you was considered."

My blood ran cold.

"But that would—!"

"It would kill you, yes." She stated bluntly. "But a bijuu sealed in a jinchuuriki that can't fight is virtually useless. I won't lie to you about this, Riku. It was almost decided that it would be extracted while you were still unconscious."

"You weren't even going to give me a choice?" I seethed.

"You're alive, aren't you?" She raised her voice.

I fell silent again and thought about how it wasn't like it was an easy discussion to have, either. I hoped it wasn't, anyway, but form the way Tsunade-sama sounded, it definitely wasn't a walk in the park. I was still alive, too, so that counted for something. Still, the fact that it was considered at all was unsettling. I could be dead right now, though I guess it wouldn't really matter even if I were. It's not like I could have fought back or objected, and certainly not if I'm dead.

What bothered me most was the fact that I agreed with their reasoning. A blind shinobi was already useless; let alone a blind jinchuuriki. If I wasn't the jinchuuriki in question, I couldn't say that I would be completely against the idea.

"I think Asuma was already considering it, but after hearing the options, to him, there was no other option but to transfer one of his eyes to you. A one-eyed shinobi isn't exactly common, but it's by no means unheard of."

"He was trying to save me." I whispered through gritted teeth.

I made a mental note to apologize to him for thinking so selfishly.

"But if the transplant wasn't a success, then why am I still here?"

"We examined your seal and chakra pathways to see how we would extract the Yonbi." Tsunade-sama admitted. "However, we discovered that that would be impossible as well. In fact, we're not even sure anymore if the bijuu is actually sealed in you."

Now I was confused.

"How does that even work?"

"There are layers upon layers of seals placed on you, Riku, far too complex and intricate to mess with recklessly. They function like channels in your body, opening and closing based on triggers. Losing your eyes unlocked the channel to the Yonbi's chakra, but it's different from how Naruto's chakra system works. For him, the red chakra is a part of him. For you, it acts like an extension."

"I'm gonna ask this again: how does that even work?"

Really, that explanation didn't clear things up at all.

"I have no idea what your mother was trying to accomplish with all this, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that she was a goddamn genius."

The following day, Tsunade-sama was accompanied by her two advisors – those two old geezers she never seemed very fond of – and Shikaku-san. It was a good thing I didn't end up dying one way or another, because the memories might be the key to figuring out just what the hell my mother was trying to do.

"Sazukeru…" Shikaku-san repeated when I said the name. "The name does ring a bell. And he's your father?"

"Unless everything in my head was fabricated, then there's no doubt about it. He was the one who gave me the scar on my back. He tried to kill me during the war."

"Kumo attacked Narei in order to obtain the Youkugan, but if I remember correctly, there were many speculations of how the managed to attack so swiftly and powerfully to begin with. There were many rumours that the Kumogakure forced had help from the inside." The female elder, Koharu, recalled.

"So, what, he was the mastermind behind the attack?" I asked with a sigh. "My only blood relative and he turns out to be a giant asshole. Figures, but why would he betray his own family and village like that?"

"There are a number of reasons why people betray their own. At this point, though, we could only speculate." Shikaku-san answered. "Right now, we're better off focusing on those seals you claim you remembered."

"Well, I didn't really remember them, per se. It's more like I suddenly learned how to use them. I think my mother sealed the instructions in my mind, and after losing my eyes, they were unlocked, like the Yonbi's chakra."

"She definitely foresaw the possibility of this happening." Tsunade-sama noted. "Which means she was aware of Sazukeru's plans and what needs to be done in order to achieve his goal. All these must be what she deemed to be necessary precautions."

"Knowledge of a couple of seals will not help us." Homura, the male advisor, said firmly. "What are they for?"

"There's something left in the ruins of the village." I answered before I even realized I knew the answer. "There's something sealed there, and my mother left me this knowledge so I could go unseal it if I had to."

I felt the uncertainty in the air, it and it was obvious what everybody was thinking. I was thinking it, too, but all things considered, I knew I had to argue my way around it.

"I know I can perform it, even if I can't see. Why would the loss of my eyes be the trigger if my mother thought it would be impossible for me to unseal whatever it is that's there? If she's really the genius all these seals and precautions are making her out to be, this would be one hell of a stupid mistake." I pointed out with furrowed brows.

"She has a point." Shikaku-san admitted, thankfully not being against me as much as the advisors were. "What do you think, Hokage-sama?"

There was a moment of silence before she huffed.

"I think this is all bullshit," she snapped, sounding annoyed, "but there isn't anything else we can do about this brat right now. We can't extract the Yonbi, and whatever it is that's sealed, it must be important if her mother went through so much trouble to make it known only if her daughter lost her eyes."

"But how is the unsealing performed?" Koharu asked.

"I need three other people to help me." I answered, reciting the information my mother left for me. "As for the rest… I'm not really sure how to explain it, but I can do it. Just give me time to practice, and I'll definitely be able to perform it."

"We don't have time to fool around with this. Teach it to another shinobi and they can perform it in your stead." Homura spoke as if the decision was already made.

I opened my eyes just for the sole purpose of narrowing my hallowed sockets at him in annoyance.

"How fucking senile are you, old man? My late mother left me all this crap only to be uncovered under the direst of circumstances and your telling me to just pass this information on like a fucking hot potato?" I spat angrily. "It goes without saying that this is something only I can do, gonna do it with the help of people that I trust."

"This isn't something for you to decide." He retorted.

"If you can't figure out how to extract the Yonbi because of those seals, don't think getting into this head will be a walk in the park, either, so tough." I growled. "Besides, you don't have a lot of options 'cause my mother basically fucked you all over by loading me with these seals. It's either you let me give it a shot, or we all sit here like ducks wondering what's hidden under the village for the rest of eternity while my bastard of a father does whatever the fuck he wants with my eyes."

The elders said nothing, but I could feel the silent fuming. I knew I was being disrespectful, but I just wasn't going to wait for them to come to a decision while there were things that I could be doing.

"You're going to be put under heavy guard." Tsunade-sama finally spoke. "I'll have shinobi monitoring you at all times so you don't get your bratty self killed, understood?"

"Tsunade, this is reckless!" Koharu objected.

"What do you want me to do, old hag? She's right; we don't have a lot of options right now. It's either we keep tampering with those seals like idiots while she's just jinchuuriki décor, or we let her uncover what's likely to be the answer to this entire mess. Her mother went through gods knows how much trouble to calculate, foresee and prepare all this information for Riku.

"And it's true that unless she thought it was a sick joke, she would make the trigger the loss of Riku's eyes, especially if she also made it so a transplant cannot be done. There's meaning behind all of these actions." Shikaku-san reminded. "She knew that, one way or another, her daughter would be able to put that unlocked information to use."

I could sense their want to argue back, but this was the reality of things. That, and the fact that those old geezers apparently wouldn't listen to reason unless it came from an adult's mouth, which was incredibly annoying. At least they weren't trying to object anymore, though.

"There's still one problem that remains." Tsunade-sama muttered with a heavy sigh. "It's impossible for you to continue being a shinobi as you are now, Riku."

I lowered my head and sighed quietly. Even if I managed to unseal what my mother left in the village, what next? It's not like I could continue regular training. Would I even be allowed to hold a kunai ever again? What about Son Gokuu? He'd be furious to be stuck in a vessel like me – one that can't at least give him a chance to use his power.

I thought back on what Mayuri said earlier and sighed. Even if I had the intuition and reflexes to be a good shinobi, it didn't matter if I couldn't put it to use.

This is shameful. And here I was foolish enough to think that you were stronger, hoo haa!

What're you talking about, Son Gokuu? I'm blind. End of story.

A pathetic excuse for a pathetic human, hoo haa! Did your jounin not say that you always returned with full force? I expect my vessel to be able to overcome such trivial matters!

Being blind isn't trivial! I snapped back inwardly, furrowing my brows. I need it to see, in case you forgot, so I can respond to enemy movements and react accordingly.

Are humans so weak that they rely only on their eyes? Don't make me spell it out for you, hoo haa! You seemed to know just fine who you were talking to and where they were in the room!

So what? Anybody could do that! Somebody would have to have crazy instincts if they wanted to—

I cut my thoughts short as the realization dawned on me.

Instincts.

Once again, Mayuri's words returned to me.

Should you have the chance to hone them, you could become a formidable shinobi.

There were no "should have" or "could have." She was speaking as though it was a possibility, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was.

I could still sense the presence of the four people in the room. I could figure out who was who by hearing and remember their chakra signature for future reference. When I first woke up, I determined where I was by using my sense of touch and smell. I didn't need my eyes at all. I could pinpoint where large objects in the room were by sound and how it bounced back to me, and I bet that if I practiced that skill, I could be able to create even more detailed maps of the area around me.

Mayuri was right. All I needed was a chance to do so, and thanks to my mother's foresight, I got it.

The more I thought about it, the less hopeless I was starting to feel.

I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Riku?" Tsunade-sama asked with suspicion in her voice.

I never realized it until now, but it was like all my other senses were on overdrive now that I had lost my sight.

"You're right. It's impossible for me to become a shinobi now that I'm blind."

I raised my head to face the three of them and grinned.

"At least, not without a little practice."

Author's Note: Firstly, thank you so, so much for reading until the end! This story, like all my other edits of the story, ended up being a complete mess all over again. I can never seem to get it right, sighs. Even so, I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to read through it! Despite the realization that I probably shouldn't have gone a certain way with the story, I still had fun writing it.

That being said, a sequel is being written, but it's not a direct sequel to this story. I'm writing it as a standalone and there are some things that'll contradict with this story, so in the case that you read the not-so-sequel, try to start with a fresh mind. Imagine that you don't know anything about Riku and her backstory and her techniques and everything, because that way you won't go into the story with any incorrect assumptions.

Once again, thanks for reading!