Hey, hey hey! How are you?

I'm back with chapter 9 and more Mito!


Chapter 9: It's unnecessary but it establishes dominance


Times of suffering allow hearts to connect more easily.

A wise statement. Yet, Nagisa couldn't really believe it. People's reactions to suffering or threats were predictable.

If the threat was material, they made it disappear either by their own means or by crying to stronger. If it wasn't, then they would ignore it until it went away. 'If I can't see it then it can't hurt me' kind of mindset.

Nagisa understood that through experiences. After all, Maria had been both.

The small village that saw her growing threw her out when they learned her real last name, an unfortunate slip during a conversation. They - the people who used to smile at her, who treated her burns and scratches with herbs, who helped her Obaa-sama when the years reclaimed its due - chased her with torches and fears rotting their hearts.

(All that ensnared her vision was the ring of fire. The tall embers came closer, hissing in their hellish dance and whipped ravenously as the torches were swung around. The faces beyond the flames were of men and women she knew, of bakers and farmers she had sowed fields and kneaded bread with, bright complexion now turned wrapped visages of hatred.

Among the circle of villagers that approached, their torches closing in, there wasn't one she didn't recognize. There was not a single one who had not welcomed her and her grandmother when they settled here. They were the same who had glimmers of warmth in their eyes that radiated across their faces, and they were the same who helped her bury her grandmother's corpse.

And now, they were chasing her away.)

She had been a threat to the fragile tranquility of her village. Someone was bound to sell her and the village would be reduced to ashes and flames.

("No one wants you here, you misfortune bringer. Leave now or die.")

The other villages that saw a small child begging for help when she was at her weakest, alone and famished, completely ignored her. It was easier to turn their heads and to look away than to help her. She could be a threat, after all, and if they didn't see her then they weren't at fault for their own cowardice. They didn't see her, they couldn't know.

("Who let a flea-bitten mongrel inside? Scram. We don't need you to dirty the room or worse, steal.")

So to be proven wrong was quite the surprise.

Though Nagisa conceded, the family's dinners were on a level of suffering beyond her understanding. There was nothing quite like being surrounded by family members and family dramas. And as it appeared, the banquet was overflowing with them.

For tonight's entertainment, Nagisa observed the most interesting example of marital felicity.

An old woman and man from some obscure side of her family were engaged in a debate about the size of the ballroom, and whether the number of guests at the party made it appear larger or smaller than it truly was.

"It's truly overcrowded!" The wife exclaimed, snapping her fan open to ventilate herself with obnoxious movement. "Look at that! People are walking all over each other, pushing and brushing and mixing their scents together. A truly obscene display. And their perfumes! The room is filled with scents that shouldn't be here, swirling together and bringing me on the edge of fainting."

Despite her early assertion of unwellness, the woman shoved half of a chicken down her throat without much trouble nor shame.

The man snorted, grey eyes beaming at the prospect of an argument. "On the contrary, my dear, the ballroom is quite empty. Perhaps I need to call a healer for your eyes. Don't you see the batches of emptiness all over the room? I'm staring at the walls more than actual livings people. It's disheartening to see so few lives in the room."

The woman clicked her tongue, and in the process, a trickle of chicken's juice ran down her chin. Nagisa's nose crinkled in disgust. "Nonsense. The walls are closing in on us with so many people in there."

The arguments were pointless, a sterile debate made up for the sake of entertainment, but the performance was flawless. Each rebuttal was made with a tiny bit more vehemence than the previous one. Spirits clashing and rubbing to create more sparks and catch the attention of passerby as a traveling troupe of storytellers would. Several people stopped by to listen for a moment but they never lingered as Nagisa did.

It truly was fascinating how such a boring debate could suck her attention in. For now, she would call her tendency to linger where the drama unfolded morbid curiosity. She wasn't quite sure she could handle another description quite yet.

"Silly wife! Closing in on us! The walls are so far away, I feel like in the middle of the ocean." He searched his inside pocket and retrieved a handkerchief, dabbing affectionately the corners of her mouth. "The room is so bare, I'm left wondering if Ashina has any friend."

"The middle of the ocean! Fool! You've never been there in the first place. How could you know?" Nagisa snorted at that, almost choking on the sip of her drink she took at the same moment - some juice with a hint of spices that burned when it went up to her nose.

After another round of bickering, it became quite clear that neither of them tried to convince the other of anything, instead, they enjoyed bickering like one enjoyed fighting demonstration.

"The room is bare-"

"Overcrowded!-"

"-they should make the young dance to give a semblance of a crowd-"

"-they need to stay still and in their corners. Assigned places and tables would have bee-"

"Ah, Nagisa-sama," her great aunt appeared out of nowhere, gently holding her shoulder. Nagisa jumped, tearing her eyes away from the spectacle with bemused unhappiness. She had the feeling the grand final was nearing. "how is your father doing? I'm deeply missing his presence but with the recent turn of events, it cannot be condemned."

The kind smile on her great aunt's face couldn't be more fake. She had that predator's gleam in the eyes, the one that betrayed her true nature. Her great aunt was a shark, smelling dramas from kilometers away. A gossip of the worst kind.

Nagisa took a sip, turning the juice in her mouth while looking at a table with contempt. She sighed, her eyes sliding across the room, taking in the fineness of the Lighthouse's ballroom and the sea of guests - just like the old woman said, it truly was overcrowded. Her eyes lingered a moment on her grandfather as she carefully took in his mannerisms, of his calm smile he greeted everyone with and everything that made him a remarkable leader. He had that habit of putting people at ease. After a cough, she side-eyed the woman next to her.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She answered, offering her most deadpanned glance.

The startled, dumbfounded look was quite the look on her. A nice slip in the mask of constant contentment she wore.

Maybe, Nagisa thought, she didn't expect me to talk back.

Beyond being a shark, her great aunt was, first and foremost, the wife of the head of the civilian's branch of the Uzumaki. Well, 'head' was a big word for what her great uncle Yohei was doing but he was dealing with the Uzumaki civilians, from their educations to the monthly pays they received. As such, Ran - his wife, her great aunt - was used to women speaking politely and quietly.

Obedience and diligence. That was their motto.

"Is your father present, girl?" She furrowed her brows, pinching her lips as her nostrils flared. She looked like an angry beast. "No. If he was, I would have asked him. However, he isn't. I asked you as you are the only person that could have answered me."

Passive-aggressive much, aren't you? Trying to guilt-trip me into answering?

"That's not true. My father isn't sick and he goes to work every day. You can ask him then."

Her mother was here too but Nagisa didn't want her near Kazashi.

She heard her sharp intake of air, saw the sudden expansion of her rib cage, swelling and swelling until she looked far bigger than she was. "Child, pardon me but a girl shouldn't-"

Her lips brushed over the rim of her glass as she cut her quite naturally:

" You are excused."

And with that being said, Nagisa walked away, weaving through the crowd until she spotted the buffet, putting her glass down and leaning against the table.

She wasn't good at that. Socializing, gossiping with hounds out for blood, appeasing. She preferred the cold, hard to swallow truth over deception and lies. There was nothing that could make her blood boiled faster than gossips like her. Ran purposely created dramas for entertainment sake and her new victims were her father and Namiyo which -

Nagisa watched dispassionately as Kishi puffed his chest out at something Yohei said. The urge to hurl her glass at him overcame her but her mother glowering from the other side of the room stopped her. Her baby brother was gripping the kimono of her mother, eyeing with big bright blue eyes. She lowered her hand - uh, maybe next time - and smiled sheepishly.

- would be one of the reasons her father missed dinner tonight. Another would be the tired, sad man leaning against the wall.

Nagisa popped a rice ball in her mouth, absentmindedly losing the kimono she was wearing - so tight, so warm, so restrictive. Considering how Uzushio partied, one would expect that the nobles of the island knew how to have fun.

They didn't.

Expectation really leads to disappointment, uh?

Everything was about politeness; they politely smile, they politely eat and they politely insult each other. Formal. Bland. Boring. Nagisa had half a mind to sneak out and go bother sensei. Or Miru. Either of them would be a better distraction over-

She shuddered. Something raised her hackles, goosebumps breaking out and sweat dripping down her neck and -

She met the eyes of one of her numerous cousins, a civilian girl that could never keep her mouth closed and sprouted nonsense with every breath. She paled as fast as her cousin's face lit up. Oh, absolutely not.

Her eyes darted everywhere, searching for an escape. Faces moved and blurred and closed in on her, acting as a wall and forcing her to face her impending doom. Not her, she couldn't shake her off. Last time she cornered her, she talked for two hours.

Someone stopped her somewhat cousin in her progress. She took her eyes off her and Nagisa stopped thinking. She acted.

She rolled under the table, behind the tablecloth and-

"What the hell are you doing here?"

- her heart missed three beats when she met the dark green eyes of Mito, peering at her, a frozen hand filled with food on its way to her mouth.

Oh, whoa. This is awkward.

Mito was the first one to recover, blinking her shock away before she closed her mouth. Her face settled back behind a blank mask - the same blank mask that greeted her every day. Yet, her eyes burned with curiosity.

"I'm hiding," she answered softly, like it was the most obvious answer and - Nagisa conceded begrudgingly, her cheeks burning red - it was. "Just like you, I suppose."

Nagisa was still trying to proceed with the shock, the fright, and the way her hand flew to her hip - where her pouch was supposed to be - to do more than blinking.

And blink, she did. She blinked once, twice, thrice before her brain finally accepted the reality and-

She hadn't expected that of Mito. She thought- Mito had always been a figure looked upon for her diplomacy and her skills. If anything, Nagisa thought that she would be amongst the others. Not- not hiding.

"Ah, well yes but- uhm, well… why are you hiding?" Nagisa slowly sat up, her head barely touched the table.

Her lips thinned. Her mask slipped. Annoyance and wonder were coloring her face and she glared at the tablecloth. "Escaping some relatives."

"Ah, yes. Ran?"

"Yes, amongst others." She waved a hand, the silk of her green kimono dancing with her moves before her hand fell back down.

Nagisa's eyes followed the move and took into the plat of food right next to her cousin. She raised a brow and smiled cheekily, "So that's where all the fried squid went. Do you like it a lot?"

Mito crossed her arms and blushed. "I- I don't know what you mean. It- it was already there when I arrived."

Nagisa smiled patiently, the specks of gold in her eyes gleaming like stars, and pressed her palms flat against the ground behind her.

Mito reddened under her eyes, probably realizing how terrible her lie was but her eyes were firmly planted in her own as if she was forcing her to buy her excuse with sheer will.

The bubbles of amusement fizzed in her chest, rising in her throat before she let out a loud chuckle. Mito joined her with a more demure smile, casting her eyes downward.

"Obaa-sama, have you seen Nagisa-sama? I- I could have sworn I heard her laugh just now."

Nagisa lost her smile, her laugh dying on her lips. She opened wide eyes in panic and caught the worried glance of her companion of misfortune. The look of abject horror on her face amused Mito greatly, if the hand hiding her face was anything to go by. Nagisa, on the other side, wasn't feeling so great. She bit her fist to spot any unwanted sounds to escape her.

Her chakra chided Mito, swiping at her when she let a small laugh out. Her cousin softly patted the ground next to her, inviting her further away from the tablecloth and Nagisa crawled toward her.

A scoff. "Why would I have seen this little pest? If I did, I would have taught her some manners." If the bitter tone was anything to go by, Ran was really displeased with her. "You shouldn't spend your time with people like her, they lack education - like any shinobi. Don't mesh with the wrong crowd Koi, they will tarnish your reputation."

The girl in question frowned, quite displeased by the comment. She lacked education? Forgive me for having a personality, I wasn't aware that smiling and opening your legs for your husband was a suitable goal for girls.

"Yes, obaa-sama."

Nagisa was tempted to seek the girl out now and open her eyes. To be a good wife? It isn't an aspiration! See the world with your own eyes, protect Uzushio. These are better aspirations!

A quiet, angry rumble that sounded surprisingly like a yowl shook her chest. Nagisa sniffed her contempt and made a face at the tablecloth. An exhale. Nagisa turned her head and twitched when she found Mito's eyes on her, biting her fist and shoulders shaking.

She flushed pink.

"What did you do to her? It's the first time I heard her that… angry." Her mask of placidity laid somewhere, forgotten and her cousin was watching her with wide, curious eyes and trembling lips.

"I… She was trying to stir troubles, I dismissed her." A weird feeling was swarming inside her. It was warm like the summer wind and she felt lighter. Elation.

Mito - who until there only smiled demurely - was laughing in front of her. It was a big step. Nagisa felt like she had crossed a river.

She smiled at Mito, a big smile that showed her teeth, creased her eyes, and tinged her cheeks pink.

"Didn't she try to do the same with you?" Nagisa inquired.

Mito gave her an annoyed look but it wasn't directed at her and breathed out deeply, "You mean when she asked about my family's life?"

Nagisa hummed and brought her knees up, putting her head on them. Mito had a strange look, her brows were furrowed and her lips, thinned but she looked a bit lost, like she couldn't understand something.

Mito was thinking, a faraway look on her face. She was seeing without seeing and Nagisa was wondering if she should ask what was on her mind but-

Would she answer? Would she get angry? Was it appropriate? Would she cause pain? Wh-

Dread and doubt were gripping her throat, tightening their hold to quiet her voice while her heart sped up.

She wanted to ask but-

- "You never extend your hand first." The image of her father, cold as ice, haughty in the forest flickered in her mind.

Nagisa scowled something fierce. Watch this. "What is on your mind, Mito-san?"

Her cousin blinked, finding her way out of her thoughts and graced her with an uncertain look. "I just… don't understand why she would ask that. My father is here, he is more apt at answering these questions and- why-" she took a breath, a puzzled expression on her face, "-why is she trying to stir troubles with me?"

The innocence Mito displayed was as refreshing as it was painful, it showed that Mito was still a child. A very smart and mature child but a child nonetheless.

She never felt the specter of Maria more clearly than in that instant. It weighed on her shoulders like a century of mistakes and aged her quite a bit. It was her turn to adopt the faraway look.

"Because- because-" Because Ran isn't a nice person, "-because we are younger, more gullible. Or that's what she thinks. So, she expects us to answer truthfully. And also because- well, you must have realized it by now. These dinners are a bore."

Mito squinted at her but didn't argue, seemingly taking her point at face value and it felt like drinking warm Yaki nori tea. Instead of burning, it spread a warm, light feeling across her body.

Inside her head, Nagisa was doing leaps.

"I wouldn't have used that term, though." Nagisa raised a brow. "I would have said a bother."

A light shone in her eyes and the distinctive feeling of having found someone that understood washed over her.

Nagisa smiled broadly.


"Good morning, Mito-san!" Nagisa said, shifting from foot to foot slightly and eagerly waiting for her reaction. With how their evening went by, she was sure their relationship had taken a turn for the best.

Mito raised her head from the book she had been devouring to give her a small, more genuine smile. Her mask, Nagisa realized with some fondness, was not completely on her face. "Good morning, Nagisa-san."

She went back to reading her book.

The sinking disappointment churned her stomach, the unexpecting deception bringing tears to her eyes. She eagerly blinked them away while derisively mocking herself.

What were you expecting? That she would jump at your neck and be as excited as you were? Stupid. Simply because you talk well once-

How stupider could she be? Nagisa bit her lips. And why did she feel like that? It didn't matter if Mito didn't change. They had a nice bearable evening and that was all.

"Good morning you two." Sumi-sensei appeared behind her.

She jumped enough for her skeleton to leave her body and reach heaven. When it decided to reintegrate her body, it felt like nothing was in the right place: bones were crushing her throat and choking her scream. Oh yeah, and her heart probably stopped too.

The book she threw in pure surprise was thankfully snatched right before hitting his forehead. He threw the book a glance before his murderous eyes found her sheepish face.

Sensei was not amused.

His chakra coiled and hovered dangerously over her like a poisonous snake ready to sink its fangs in her throat.

"Sorry…"

His lips thinned. "I have been made aware that you have started reflex training-" his icy eyes pierced her and Nagisa shuddered, "-so I will let that mistake slide for once. Though you should ask your sensei to work on your situational awareness as this skill is lacking - just like your obedience."

Charming as always.

Mito tutted in her back. His gaze found her and he raised a brow, sliding his hands in his sleeves. "Something to say, Mito?"

The girl crossed her arms defiantly. Between them, there was no lost love. Mito couldn't forgive his irascible behaviour and Sumi-sensei was still displeased with her.

"None."

It has been a month since the faithful discussion. Mito was doing a bit better but didn't talk much beyond small talk and niceties. Though she would stay with her sometimes, enjoying silence together and working on their assignments.

Nagisa still didn't know how to really connect with her. If only my sunny boy was here. A sad pang. He was the people person, not her.

Sumi-sensei hummed. "Very well. Today, we will study the heavenly earth barrier, a very basic barrier that I hope you will be able to make in your sleep." He waved at them to sit down. "The heavenly earth barrier is a three tag barrier which creates a triangular shield."

He presented them with three tags.

"This one," he pointed at the tag with the kanji for wind on it, "spread evenly the energy of an attack across the barrier. 'Wind' is linked with 'Flow' and 'Connect' through a circle."

The orders are repeated indefinitely.

"Then, you have the Earth tag. This one represents the actual barrier with the orders 'Protect' and 'Connect'. Wind and Earth don't mix well, so for the last tag, you need a balancer. Here, the balancer is Lightning with Yang grounder-"

The tag had the kanji 'lightning' linked with straight lines to three 'Yang' kanjis. The two orders were 'Connect' and 'Disperse'.

"-which brings the right amount of Yang energy to stabilize the barrier while allowing Wind, a gas, and Earth, a solid, to mix. Understood?"

They nodded.

"Good, then you will copy the tags and we will move on the practical lesson."

They nodded again, brushes in hands.

Last week, they had a course over ink and how they could affect seal making. It had been enlightening.

Blood was the last conductor - or commonly referred to as ink - one would want to use. Despite brimming with Yin energy, blood was also filled with cells that disrupted the flow of chakra. Unless one had to have a very steady and precise chakra control to use blood seals. On the other hand, there was the Uzumaki ink, which was the purest ink you could find but lacked any energy.

Considering the tags were simples, crude ink would do just as well. Nagisa took the charcoal, chopped a bit, and carefully crushed it into a fine powder. Then she added enough water in her bowl and mixed.

Mito chose squid ink, a cheaper alternative to their Uzumaki ink but a much better quality than hers.

The tags were quite easy to make, kanjis linked through a circle. Three was the preferred number, which added stability to the seal but Nagisa couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

It was a very simple seal and it lacked power.

Though, right now, Nagisa was more bothered by the fact that the library had another access. She-who-took-the-stairs-every-day discovered in the back of the library a set of stairs that led into the Lighthouse. With fewer stairs.

She squawked, totally frozen. What- Why? But most importantly, how the hell was I not aware of that? She scraped her brain, trying to find any mention of another access in her memory only to come blank. No one told her anything.

"Nagisa-san, are you coming?" Mito said, a few steps ahead, waiting for her.

Nagisa closed her mouth with a click, shaking her head and fuming - Dammit! Even Mito seems to know about it - before she followed, missing the odd look the girl sent her.

Sumi-sensei walked and turned corridors until they reached the end of the building. A simple training ground greeted them. The trees delimiting the area sang wistfully with the breeze while the chakra of the Lighthouse tickled her coils.

It was relaxing.

Until a leaf smacked her in the face. Nagisa spluttered, wiping her face and destroying the leaf fiercely until she felt two sets of eyes on her. She smiled innocently, sweat rolling down her neck and the remaining of the leaf hidden behind her back.

Sumi-sensei acted as if he hadn't seen anything and asked them to place themselves under the trees.

"Now, place the tags and activate the barrier. I will do a demonstration." He said with a wide smile. A very scary smile.

Nagisa shivered, dread swarming inside. I have a bad feeling. Still, she followed the orders, standing safely behind the shield softly buzzing with cold chakra. Her chakra.

Mito's chakra was lighter, warmer. Freer. And very steady.

His chakra spiked as a warning. He went threw four hand signs, the wind gathered toward her teacher, sending wild locks in her face and-

"Wind Release: Gust Bullet."

- he spat three projectiles that went crashing against Mito's shield with a mighty noise. Her barrier trembled and groaned but remained still standing.

Nagisa heaved a relieved sigh, watching the small and satisfied smile on her cousin's face. The old man then turned toward her and went through different hand signs.

It should have been her first clue that something would happen. She didn't listen to her guts.

"Water release: Water Bullet."

The water release was a surprise. Her muscles tensed as the big water projectile flying toward her surprisingly fast. It crashed into her shield. The barrier held. Nagisa sighed, relief washing over her once more until-

It groaned, then broke and crashed into Nagisa.

The impact was painful, it slapped her breath away. She hit the ground a few meters away with a loud groan and water in her mouth, eyes spinning for a second.

"Nagisa!"

She shook her head and ground her teeth, burying her fingers in the mosses before she shot up, spluttering, coughing, choking, and gurgling, and all their synonyms.

She has been struck by an elemental attack for the first time in her life.

A small hand touched her shoulders, fingers digging in her flesh and a flash of concern shone in her green eyes. "Are you okay?"

Nagisa nodded, a bit out of her depth. When the ground stopped swaying and she stopped swaying, she realized what happened.

"What the hell, old man?" Nagisa was seething. She gritted her teeth, an ugly grimace distorting her face. Why her? Why was it always her?

"This is one of the drawbacks of the barrier." The old man explained, "It is weak against water release. It meddled with the Earth tag changing its nature: water and earth make mud and Lightning is not the right balancer anymore and it unbalan-"

"-Why couldn't you say that before? Is it so hard to explain or must you bully Nagisa?"

Sumi-sensei let a displeased noise out. "No. I do not take pleasure in my teaching nor do I torment Nagisa." The girl in question would like to protest, "However, demonstrations and mistakes are always a better teacher than explanations. Moreover-"

Nagisa stood up, "But why me?"

It was the big question. Nagisa had always been a target of choice and-

His eyes pierced her, considering his answer. "It's a difference of characters, you are far more reckless than your comrade. It needs to be smothered."

"So because I'm reckless, I need to learn things the hard way? I'm not stupid! I understand when people warn me!" Nagisa scoffed, a dry laugh flying from her lips.

"But does it stop you?" Nagisa blinked. "When people warn you," he explained patiently for once, though his posture indicated his agitation, "does it stop you from doing it?"

Nagisa closed her mouth, the wind fanning the flames of her anger was losing its strength.

"See-"

"I would have-" she gritted her teeth. Anything to knock that satisfied smile out of his face, "-heard them and taken their warnings into account."

He cocked a brow as if to say 'But you wouldn't have listened.'

She remained silent, bearing the weight of his gaze and disregarding her gaze.

Would she have listened or would she have done things her way?

"Anyway, what I was explaining - before being rudely interrupted - was that failures and unexpected reactions happen. You didn't expect the barrier to break as it did. This is why you test your seal beforehand and this is why you need to think and understand your seal."

He let his statement sink in and Nagisa rolled the thought in her head multiple times. He wasn't- He wasn't entirely wrong.

"Now, the other reason why the heavenly earth barrier is considered a cheap, basic barrier is because of that."

He went through the hand signs faster than she thought him capable and-

It happened in a series of flash.

Mito was next to her, still standing behind her barrier.

Her forearm hairs rose as the space around them filled itself with chakra so thick she could taste it. His chakra roared. She watched his chest expanded and-

She shoved Mito out of the way, rolling with her on the ground as the shield shattered.

The burst of wind destroyed two trees before it dissipated.

Nagisa felt cold and clammy, a small tremble shaking her body. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

This attack was powerful, there was an intent behind. To hurt. To maim. And Nagisa realized-

"The barrier is weak against powerful attacks, may it be taijutsu or ninjutsu. It lacked power. We use this kind of barrier to win times, not to protect."

Mito, still under her, finally understood what just happened. She let out a whimper, trembling breaths caught in her throat.

-this old man was far more dangerous than she ever thought he would be.


She watched the sun setting over the horizon, flaming glimmers reflecting on the sea and the sky, a wonderful canvas of colors, darkening to reveal a different spectacle filled with cold diamonds.

The fruit tasted good, sweet and bitter. It fizzed in the mouth. Nagisa couldn't enjoy it, today's revelation too heavy on her mind.

She knew her teacher to be strict and scary. However.

However, he came at them with the intent of hurting. Like the Yohei. Like during the invasion.

She clenched a fist, willing herself to stop the small tremor that still inhabited her. She had trained with Yakihiro-sensei for that. To not freeze. To be used to people going after her with the intent of killing.

And yet-

One big attack and she was scared of her teacher.

She took another bite of the fruit, juice exploding in her mouth. It could have tasted like ash and she wouldn't have realized.

"Did you hear?"

Nagisa blinked, shifting a bit.

"Yes. I can't believe it."

"Did you know that Saya's son belonged to the unit." Some gasps, the third woman continued. "She is furious, said she would storm to the Uzu Leader's office and have a word."

Nagisa frowned, tucking her hair behind her ear. Did her grandfather do something bad?

"Not just her," someone else quipped, a man this time, "some members of clans also said so. They believe our leader doesn't trust them anymore."

"It's not surprising. I mean, he did change the members of the barrier unit." The first woman said in a tone that suggested it was a big thing.

Nagisa gasped. It was a big thing, indeed.

What the hell is happening?

...

To be continued?


Chapter 9 is out!

I don't have much to say, except we have more Mito and Nagisa needs to learn that friendship isn't built in a day. Though her reaction is something I felt too, sometimes.

Chapter 10 will be long and filled with worldbuilding! And there will be more Miru and Mito too!

Thank you for all the faves and follows, I can't say enough how much I appreciate it!

Otherwise, take care. Black lives matter and be safe with the virus out there!

I'm out!