Author's Notes: Well, another chapter, and no reviews on the last one, which is kind of disheartening. Anyway, this chapter is about the consequences of events in the last one, involving Shiro mostly, but it should make his purpose in this story a bit clearer. I realize this story perhaps moves a bit slower than many Naruto stories, and there hasn't been a lot of serious combat so far, but its coming, trust me, things will accelerate more and more as the two main characters move closer and closer together.
If you are reading this please do review, it really provides a lot of encouragement just to know.
Chapter 9 – Eyeless Guardian(three hours later)
It took two hours, fifty-three minutes and thirty seven seconds after Yi had used Mizuho for the grass ninja to arrive in the town. Not a bad response time, but not that great either, Shiro thought, gazing down with perfect vision from afar even in the dim light of predawn. It should have shocked him that he knew so exactly how much time had passed, but such things no longer mattered to him, it was simply a part of his existence, the same as the glittering sense within him telling Yi's location some distance to the south, or his ability to see in near darkness as if it were noon.
These things no longer mattered to Shiro, but he was worried nonetheless. Yi had made a mistake, this was clear enough to Shiro, who had watched it all happen. He had hidden in the darkness, watching, as he constantly watched his charge, an unseen presence observing from strange, impossible angles. There was no other special secret to his remaining unobserved, beyond his weird vision and black costume, but that was more than enough for now.
Yet Shiro knew he could not so idly observe now, he had recognized it the moment Yi revealed herself and her abilities. For that reason he had stayed in the town even as Yi fled, waiting for an opportunity. There will be things to learn here, Shiro had determined, and likely something I can do. So he was determined to watch carefully what happened now, as this grass ninja came to make an all-important investigation.
The suspicions of Mizain Yuki have proven true; Shiro noted well, Yi was not able to conceal herself for long. It had been only two weeks, and now an accident had happened, one revealing the power of Mizuho. This was a grave danger. Shiro was no more well educated regarding the outside world than Yi, indeed he had been abroad fewer times than she in his short life, but he held a perspective closer to these people than that of the Mizain. He, lacking a bloodline, saw the deadly power with the terrified eyes of those who lacked it, or at least he once had. There was no fear in Shiro now, it had utterly vanished from his range of emotions, but the memory was still present to guide him.
It was this guiding memory that had set Shiro to watch here, waiting for the grass ninja to arrive. He was determined to know what this summoned investigator would conclude. Shiro considered the Grass ninja likely to threaten Yi, and he must know what form that threat would take. So he sulked through the pre-dawn hours, watching silently from the shadows, preserved by the inhuman nature of his existence. His body had undergone changes, and he knew he was no longer truly alive. This had not shocked Shiro when he discovered it, but he had simply accepted his new life with a calm resignation. It hardly mattered if he no longer breathed, ate, or slept, his form was frozen in time, and his wounds did not heal. Indeed, Shiro was uncertain how much of a link he had with his body at all. Moving about he felt somehow superimposed over his flesh, as if his senses came from somewhere else, and his body simply carried out his actions like some kind of perfect puppet. Memory said this ought to have troubled him, but it had not caused him much concern, and he no longer dwelled upon it save as it aided him, as it did now.
The grass ninja was a tall, thin man, his legs held the power of a distance runner, and a rider, important traits among the ninja of this open realm. His striped green and brown outfit was obvious against the dirt of the village roads, but would fade away almost instantly in the grasslands beyond. However, Shiro studied more than simply this ninja's appearance. He watched the smoothness of his motion, his poise, and how his eyes moved, carefully assessing the strength of this ninja. He is a guardian for this region, a mid-level ninja, Shiro had reasoned, and so he is a measure of the strength of the grass ninja overall. So far Shiro did not think the grass ninja to be particularly strong.
The grass ninja stopped first at the restaurant, inspecting the scene where Yi had first revealed herself. He conferred with a samurai guide, and Shiro watched and listened to all that they did, unobserved.
"This is the place?" the grass ninja asked.
"Yes," the samurai answered, voice respectful, and a bit ashamed. "She burst through the window from this restaurant."
The grass ninja looked to the window, and the glass that had been scattered about, tracing the lines of motion in the debris. He said nothing, but nodded to himself.
So he recognizes the correctness of Yi's move, Shiro noted carefully. This one has good awareness, unfortunate.
"Why did she raid the restaurant?" the ninja asked.
"It seems to steal food and money," the samurai replied. "That was all the owner said was taken."
"Food and money only?" the ninja raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, did she wear a forehead protector anywhere on her body you could see?"
The samurai stumbled for a moment. "No sir, but all those who got the best glimpse of her are dead or cannot speak from their wounds. And why would any ninja raiding us wear a forehead protector?"
"It is important evidence all the same," the ninja responded. "Well, did you see the color of her uniform then?"
"She wore no uniform, only peasant clothes," the samurai spat. "Dishonorable of a ninja."
"Heh, deception is part of the ninja way," the grass ninja chuckled for a moment, then his eyes narrowed. "Still, it is uncommon, peasant clothes are hardly appropriate for ninja work. It strengthens my suspicions that she is a rogue."
That is a conclusion I would have preferred you had not made, grass ninja. Shiro felt no anger as he once might, only a slight irritation, at best the echo of emotion.
"So she came in here, the ronin surprised her, and she killed him and fled through the window. This much I follow, but there are strange gaps here." The grass ninja looked into the restaurant's damaged room. "You said the samurai was burned to death, and there are indeed burn marks on the floor, but they are scattered, as if caused by sparks. A fire jutsu with enough power to kill so quickly should have destroyed this whole building." He turned to the samurai grimly. "So what happened?"
"She used a strange power, it is clearer at the other site," the samurai replied, a little unsteadily, worried the ninja might do something dangerous in his irritation.
"Then let's go there," he strode quickly in the direction indicated.
You are well sighted, grass ninja, Shiro decided as he moved from shadow to shadow, following them in silence across the roofs and eaves. It may be to your detriment very soon.
It did not take long for the ninja and samurai to reach the ruined street where Mizuho had wrought fire and death. The ground was scourged by a black mark from the soil's torching, and ruined buildings stood aside the path of Yi's jutsu. The bodies had been removed, but it could still be seen where men had been when the blow struck from the marks in the ground. It was a brutal scene, and the samurai focused on the ruined houses, not the street he remembered from such a short time ago, where something he could not understand had claimed his comrades.
The grass ninja took one long look at the ground and buildings and his scowl turned truly fierce, his hands twitched once, and he fingered the burnt soil with a dark gaze. "This doesn't match," he spat. "The burn pattern does not match flame, it's like a wave came down from the roof, and splashed against the buildings, but if so why is everything burnt?" The grass ninja had seen jutsus that called flame from leaf ninja, and those that called water from rain ninja, but this matched nothing in his experience, and that both scared and angered him.
"Sir, if I could explain," the samurai began.
"You had best."
"Well," the man's voice was hesitant. "It was a wave, I saw that, she leapt up and sent a blast of water against our archer, poor boy, but as the water came down from above flames covered it somehow. All dodged the blast, but it splashed everywhere, and water covered the men, and the buildings, and the water burnt them somehow. I do not how it is possible, but I saw it. One man's arm was burning, and he tried to slap it out with his hand, but when he pulled his hand away both were burning. I swear, that fire spread madly, and water did not put it out, but only added to it until the ninja was gone. It was like the fires of the Hells had come on us, some demon magic."
"Water that burns you say?" the ninja looked at the samurai very carefully.
"Yes, the waters were flaming, terrible, terrible."
"A very strange power indeed," the grass ninja muttered. "I have never seen or heard of this, and it appears in the hands of a rogue ninja. Obviously this rogue is not a normal ninja. Which way did she escape?"
"South, sir."
"South, and she has been three hours on the run, too much territory for me to search myself." The ninja turned about. "I must report this at once, and organize a pursuit. Get me a horse, now!"
"Yes sir," the samurai was heartened by the ninja's proactive stance. He wanted vengeance for his lost comrades. So he ran in a hurry, he would get the ninja his horse.
How unfortunate, Shiro thought, watching. But now there is an opportunity.
The ninja was alone, the people of the town had either not yet awakened, or were avoiding this street with care, for no one wished to see the devastation here. The town was small, and all had known those lost, the tragedy hurt every resident. So the ninja took a brief rest leaning against the wall of one of the un-burnt buildings, saving his energy for the long journey he knew would come. This was an important matter, a new power, one of great possibility, and the Grass must seize it quickly.
"I'm afraid your conclusions are all too correct, grass ninja," the calm voice came from an alley to the grass ninja's left.
The ninja spun about, crouching down and coming up in a low fighting stance, kunai in hand, ready to strike or defend as needed. He saw only a dark figure hiding in the shadows of the alley, barely visible. A ninja dressed all in black, he guessed immediately. "Who are you? Come out with your hands held above your head, palms open!" He demanded.
"Do you really expect me to accede to your request?" Shiro answered simply, looking straight at the grass ninja, seeing him clearly, and judging his possible moves.
"If not, then I will be forced to attack you!" the grass ninja replied decisively.
"I'm not anyone important," Shiro answered. "What's important is what you have determined. You have recognized the power of Mizuho for what it is. You are right that your superiors will indeed be interested in it. Unfortunately, I cannot allow them to know."
"What?" The ninja was attempting to get a clearer glance of his enemy, but as far as he could tell the other was so deep in the alley he should not be able to see him clearly either.
"Should the grass ninja learn of this power it will endanger the one who I must protect, so they cannot learn of it," Shiro's voice, with it's youthful quality and simple conversation manner, was deeply unnerving.
"You think killing me will prevent my leaders from learning of this?"
"No, that is inevitable now, but it will buy time, important time," Shiro replied easily, and without a single change in motion, drew his sword. The steel blade caught on the glimmer of predawn light clearly, and so the grass ninja knew his opponent held a sword. "Bad luck for you, to be the first to investigate, that is all. You will die now."
The grass ninja waited for his opponent to move, conscious that if he could buy enough time the samurai would return, he had no desire to face an unknown foe alone.
Shiro was in a slight predicament, determining how to kill this man. He could obliterate him if he used his shadow-souled abilities, but now was not the time for that, he would use those powers only when it was absolutely necessary to save Yi. Without them, however, he was nothing, a normal human, lacking chakra or any ninja capabilities. The easiest way will be directly, sword against kunai, a single blow. Shiro suspected he could win if he did so; the grass ninja was not fast.
The ninja sword rose to stab, and Shiro took a single step into the light, and then charged.
Faster than predicted, the grass ninja was on his feet, ready to counter, then leap back and attack with a jutsu, Shiro's opening was gone.
Then Shiro stepped forward enough to be revealed in the predawn light.
Grass ninja looked upon his enemy, seeking his intent in his eyes, and saw only black pits. His body quivered without his will, as his mind refused to believe, refused to accept this lightless, eyeless creature attacking him, and for an instant he blinked, as his mind tried to purge the impossible, unacceptable image.
In that moment Shiro ran him through.
Intriguing, my nature provides me with a moment of hesitation from opponents. I will need to remember this. Shiro cleaned his sword on the fallen grass ninja with two swift motions, and sheathed it again. Then he jumped up to the roof, and was off to the south, following the beacon inside him, the presence of Mizain Yi.
Some time has been purchased, Shiro decided, caring nothing that he had taken a life to buy that time, it did not mean anything to him any more, though he had never killed another before. But it will not be much time. The samurai will report this soon, and other ninja will come. Yi, you are in great danger. Yet he could do nothing but watch her from the shadows, and hope to guard her as best he might until the time came to fulfill his true purpose. Somehow he did not find this sad.