Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The Shinobi Legend

Arc 0

Chapter 3: Interlude

The world materialized in a groggy haze whilst the ethereal afternoon daylight reflecting against the clear windows gave some semblance of light. The light soon covered the entirety of the room, pushing back the seemingly eternal darkness that swallowed it whole. Gleaming brightness flickered between the eyes of the currently slumbering patient, making his eyes open lethargically.

When the patient's eyes opened, he was shocked. The room was unbelievably white and clean, with contrasting black, white, and red medical materials embroidered with the Konoha insignia were stationed around the room with orderly chaos. It made him feel so at ease, like he could fall under an eternal sleep and still be comforted by the tender warmth of it. The room was unfamiliar, and so was the hard bed he slowly transitioned from sleeping on to sitting on. He didn't know who he was, rather, his past memories weren't coming to him at that moment. Yet, even if the room and bed were unfamiliar, he had a feeling that he had been to rooms similar to the ones that he was in. But, then, his memories slowly seeped in like a searing migraine…

"My arm!" He gasped, clutching his left arm with all the force that could, remembering that it melted before his eyes, but it was still attached without any sort of wounds. But as soon he looked at his arm, he immediately noticed that his body was littered with wrapped bandages and gauze as if he entered a battlefield prior to winding up in the hospital. Even his forehead was wrapped with some form of bandages. He chuckled. His opponent was unscathed, he looked like he just came from a life-threatening mission. Was the disparity in power really that big between them? Could he ever reach the boy's strength?

"No, it's arrogant of me to even assume that I can ever become as strong as him…" The patient aloofly thought. As he looked outside of the window in boredom, admiring the beautiful blue skies of Konoha, the door shifted.

"Brother!"

"Hm?" As if to worry about him, then to scold him, a frantic voice burst from the door. The voice was so familiar to the boy, like sweet honey. Satou's meek expression couldn't help but explode into a gleaming smile, that person was one of the few people who could do that.

"Himari!" He said back with joy just before immediately being embraced by her. Her long chestnut hair covered his face and her sapphire blue eyes, reminiscent of her brother Satou's emanated jubilation.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy on the hugging! I'm practically hospitalized...Wait! don't hug there-huh?" Satou paused, he looked down on her. Tears streamed down his hospital gown. The tears were wet but her body heat flowed through his hospital gown. She was crying. He made his little sister cry. Just looking at her sobbing face made him want to cry too. Why did he make her cry for someone like him?

"I really am the worst brother ever…" He thought pensively as his expression -once joyful- dropped in dejection.

"I was so worried...I was really worried this time! The doctor said that it was really bad and blood...oh god the blood… It was all over you when you were rushed to the hospital yesterday. I know this is normal for you, but still...what happened?!" Himari asked frantically in between sobs.

Satou didn't know how to answer her. He hated being like this, especially in front of his sister. A weak brother that would constantly be sent to the hospital and would get bullied all the time by his peers for being weak was utterly pathetic. But even still...he didn't deserve her sympathy and he didn't want her perception of him to change if she heard the cause of his injuries. A person who'd rather isolate himself than to burden others with his problems, that was Satou Tsukishima.

"It's…" He spoke softly. Himari leaned in hopefully.

"None of your concern." He ended those words resolutely, unnaturally callous.

With a shift of his body to escape her warmth and short burying of himself in covers, the raven-haired boy faced away from the sobbing sister that now stood paralyzed with grief with a pained expression.

"Yes…" She managed to utter whilst sniffling. No more words were spoken. Satou didn't even dare to turn back, for he knew he couldn't bear to see her cry again. He swallowed the lump in his throat that felt like it weighed a whole village. The door smoothly shut, a stark contrast to the unbearable creaking noise from when it opened.

Minutes of waiting for someone else to walk in felt like hours to the spiritless Satou. So, he let his eyes wander outside the window he faced.

The sky was unbelievably beautiful. The color was like gems of blue proliferated the bright horizon in seemingly infinite numbers. Detached, hair-like wisps of white were scattered across the endless sea of the sky. Looking at it made Satou feel like he was lost in the vastness of the world as if he understood everything but knew nothing at the same time. He looked down. Groups of kids, barely younger than the Tsukishima played around the entrance of the hospital. He observed them with great intrigue. They held no malice towards each other as if they could forget the harshness of the Shinobi World and simply enjoy themselves. With smiles so pure plastered on their faces that overpowered all forms of darkness, Satou couldn't help but be envious. Friendship, something he yearned for so much but had no hands to hold it.

The corpse-haired boy pondered for a moment, if things went differently with that person, would they still have been friends? Well, it was irrelevant to worry about the past, all that mattered was the future.

Before the Tsukishima could muse any more, the door creaked open once again in the same annoying sound, Satou mentally cursing the person who made the door so damn irritating to hear. He hoped it'd be a doctor so he could check out and go on with his day, but things couldn't be as simple as that. With eyes sparkling despite the annoying sound, Satou happily waited for the person to step out, but a familiar strand of hair ruined it all. His childlike expression of joy soon morphed into a jaded and cynical one so accustomed to being on his face.

"Oh, it's you. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."

"Aww, Satou-chan, you know I hate it when you make such a scary face especially when you're soooo adorable!"

"Oh god, why is she here…" Satou thought in sheer mental anguish that he turned his body away from the person that stepped out of the door and into the room.

"Cut the "kawaii-desu yo!" attitude, Sword Demon." The corpse-haired boy spoke curtly, unamused by her persona.

"Sword Demon, that's such an awful title to be given: someone who excels at killing others with swords and is to be feared as a demon for such a reason…" The irritating woman said in a depressive persona this time as if she feared her honorary title. Satou raised an eyebrow, she never spoke about her title being awful, so why now?

"No, it's probably another one of her jokes." He pondered quickly.

"So, Himari ran out from the room crying," The woman began, however, her voice and expression was serious and in a curt tone similar to Satou, a large contrast to her previous exaggerated attitudes. This was no doubt, her true self, Chiaki Hyuuga. The corpse-haired boy's eyes widened as he instinctively turned around to view the woman, surprised at the fact that the woman noticed Himari bawling.

The woman was incredibly beautiful. Creamy alabaster skin, devoid of blemishes or boils that would plague her age range of a young adult runned through her body as if she were some sort of princess. Her long flowing hair was a special kind of black, but not to the extent of Satou's corpse color hair; hers was akin to a raven which showcased her lineage of being a half-Nara and half-Hyuuga. Her shining emerald eyes could either pierce through someone like a burning laser or be soft and at ease at the same time. She adorned her main attire, befitting of the "Sword Demon." A jet-black trenchcoat, black combat boots, a maroon combat belt around her jet-black pants yet not around her trench coat, and black gloves were all she wore. She appeared not as a shinobi, but more of an assassin. There was no doubt that she just finished performing a mission and rushed to the hospital immediately. Being as perceptive as he was, Satou noticed that immediately which made him internally squirm in despair.

"How pathetic am I? I keep making others worry about me no matter how much I try to isolate myself from them." He thought aloofly once again. The young Tsukishima needed her to despise him, if so, then no one would need to worry about him ever again, right? Even if it meant that Chiaki and Himari would loathe him for the rest of their lives, they needed to hate the boy that was Satou Tsukishima; because, if he was out of their lives, they wouldn't need to worry about someone like him. He inhaled and exhaled silently.

"It's none of your concern." Satou steeled himself, not daring to look at the Sword Demon in the eyes because if so, he would definitely not forg- SLAP!

His head reeled sickenly sideways as if his head was hit by the force of a train. The smacking between skin and hand echoed throughout the ambient room. Stinging pain clouded Satou's vision, only seeing duplicates of medical equipment in his sight. Before he realized it, his right cheek was terribly swollen like a fireball came crashing towards his face.

"Thought you needed that," Chiaki said.

"...What did you do that for? Just leave me alone!"

"Look at yourself! Why do you keep pushing away people who care about you?" Chiaki's face contorted with exasperation, fed up with Satou's attitude.

Satou stood silent and pensive, letting her continue with her rant,

"You've been so different lately, and you've been hurt and beaten up more often, and you even challenged the son of Boruto and Sarada Uzumaki to a battle! I know you're...not as strong as others-"

"An understatement, clearly." The corpse-haired boy replied emotionlessly.

"But, that shouldn't be an excuse to push others away. Do you feel inadequate in some way, do you have any nightmares? Tell me! Himari and I care about you!"

"...Care? You care about me now? If you truly cared about me, why did you save me that day?!" Satou violently swung his fist across, swiping wind along the way in a barbaric motion, Chiaki simply stood, unfazed.

"Why didn't you let me burn in the flames with my fallen brethren where I deserved to die?! Why didn't you save someone else instead of me?! I'm a failure! I had hands, but I couldn't use them to save anyone in my sight! I was too weak! I was too useless! I don't deserve to live! You should let this damn failure die years ago! I'm just...I'm just…"

Tears streamed down Satou's face. His facade broke. He was crying, sobbing in the arms of the one he wanted to push away. Snot ran down his nose and his eyes were bloodshot from sobbing more than he could blink. This wasn't a shinobi, one who casts away their humanity to become a tool-in training, but just a little boy who suffered too much. All of his pent up emotions from years of suppression were let out. Yet, even when seeing the corpse-haired boy break down, Chiaki kept her stoic expression. Perhaps she was trying to be strong for Satou, or maybe she was all too numb to remembering the invasion of Takigakure that she already shed all the tears she could in the past. Regardless of the reason, a lone hand rubbed his smooth hair warmly.

"It hurts, doesn't it? To have someone taking what you love so suddenly," The raven-haired woman softly said, whispering into the shivering preteen's ear like an older sister consoling her younger brother.

"You lost a mother and a father, but I also lost those two as well, people who were like brother and sister to me… You and Himari were the only ones I could save on that day, because both of you are dear to me. It would be easy to say 'live your life without doubt or guilt' especially when there are others that could have survived instead of you, but at least if you feel guilt, you can always console us. We're a family, after all!" Her words were like that of an angel, calmly bringing solace to the boy.

"Feeling weak isn't an excuse to push others away, it'll just hurt them in the end, and you'll have nothing to be proud of." Chiaki spoke with a tiny bit of regret in her voice, almost as if she experienced a situation like that before. The corpse-haired boy instantly realized that, however, it was not the time to be blunt. He understood what she meant, even if his guilt of the Invasion of Takigakure was immense. At least, if he needed someone to confide in, he knew who to come by.

They embraced each other for an hour, simply enjoying each other's company, until Chiaki stood to leave.

"I have to leave, I have some paperwork to fill out. Gah! Getting promoted to Anbu Captain is a pain in the ass!" She scratched her head in agitation, sighing greatly. Before closing the door, she pointed at Satou with finality, "Oh, and no more getting in fights for the rest of the week! You're graduating next week and I don't want to make another hospital trip again."

Again, guilt rose in a building lump inside of Satou's chest. The same guilt that plagued him for all those years. However, he couldn't help but smile wryly at the young woman.

The door shut, leaving Satou to muse with his thoughts. Again and again, he was shown to be weak to the point that it was shoved in his face yesterday. He hated it, he loathed it, he despised it. He hated the feeling that the world was beyond his control, that he was some ant that was being tossed around like a ragdoll. He despised weakness, reveled in victory, and so he thought only one thing,

"I want power, enough to change the course of the world."

He rushed out of his bed with determination, ignoring the pain he felt. His arms and legs were like steel to him, yet his body felt like fiery glass that could break at any moment. He put fierce energy into his feet, opening the door to his hospital, rushing through dozens of medical personnel, crossing and dashing through hallways at bullet speeds.

The pain didn't matter to him anymore, after all, it simply told him that he was alive, and not as empty as he always claimed to be. Leaving the hospital, he rushed towards the streets of Konoha, filled with the ambient evening sky filled with an orange glow that spelled that night was nearing. He needed to find Chiaki, he needed to tell her something that would change how he approached life. The wind was like steel, smashing against his bruised body, but he still kept on.

Satou was tired of being weak. After all, what life is one that you're waiting to die?

After minutes of dashing resolutely through the streets of Konoha, getting some confused looks by people since he was still sporting his hospital gown, a strand of familiar black hair was right before him.

"Chiaki!" He had no more air to say anything, so his shout was more akin to a cough. He wheezed and huffed, putting his hands on his thighs.

"S-Satou?" The raven-haired woman asked, shocked at his sudden appearance but it soon turned into an expression of concern. "I told you to stay at the hospital for the night and wait until you're discharged. Look at your wounds for god's sake."

"These wounds mean nothing to me, in fact, they helped me understand something crucial." The irregular sapphire eyes flared with conviction, staring with quiet intensity into the woman's eyes. "I hate being weak! I hate having no strength! I hate the feeling of having no power…" Satou spat, looking up to the sky as memories flooded his mind once again. Painful, disgusting, unsightly memories.

"All of my life, I knew something was wrong with this world. This cycle of humanity, where the strong, the corrupted, the power hungry seize control of the future as the innocent, the weak, the helpless are stuck at the bottom, suffering until the end of their lives. This cycle is horrible but...I've done nothing to change it..." He looked down in guilt, his voice nearly cracking as the fire covering the land of Takigakure replayed again and again. The masked man that set fire on the Waterfall Country was in the position of the strong, seizing control of Takigakure's future as he burned away the hopes and dreams of everyone in that village.

Satou hated it.

"This world is unfair. I knew that. I was born an Irregular for god's sakes! But, for the twelve years I've lived...I haven't done a single thing, a single FUCKING thing to make a difference. I thought I could run away to Konoha after the invasion and live a peaceful life, finding solace in the fact that I'll live my life as an Irregular and give a helping hand to everyone around me. If I could save people and help them, that's fine right?!" Satou asked with deranged eyes, those same eyes that he gave to Daisuke a day before, he gave them to Chiaki. "...I'm just as bad as everyone else in Konoha…" His smile, aged and weary fell on his expression as a cold truth resounded through the atmosphere. Because of his passivity, he actively contributed to Konoha's hatred towards Irregulars - towards the weak. His cowardice, his inability to confront situations only fed the fire and worsened the cycle of humanity.

"That's...not...You didn't do anything wrong…" The Sword Demon trailed off. She couldn't fully answer his words. Whenever she attempted to reassure the corpse-haired boy, her mouth felt dry with guilt. He was enduring this much pain over the past four years, yet she - his guardian didn't even try to help him with his issues. She tried to keep a neutral expression but being strong for someone else...hurt. "How much pain was he holding for so long?" She thought pensively, feeling as though she was a sorry excuse for a guardian. Yet, even when Satou understood his failures, he didn't want to dwell on them for too long. He already wasted twelve years of his life doing absolutely nothing.

"...I need your help, Chiaki. I want you to teach me how to become stronger, and to teach me how to walk on my two feet! I yearn for power, absolute power! I need enough strength to make sure no one tramples on my goal, to change the world! That is my wish, my only conviction." He spat with resolve. His body contorted and blood nearly seeped from his hospital gown due to his wounds reopening. Satou ignored the pain once again, bowing towards the Sword Demon with all of the power he could muster,

"Please, teach me how to become strong like you."

A/N

Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, share the fanfic, follow, and favorite if you liked it. As always, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.