Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own my OCs, picture, and this story.

Chapter 42: Of Unveiled Truths

I didn't eat dinner that night and I couldn't hold down anything the morning after.

In a surprising act of camaraderie, Anko and Shichirou tried to coerce me into taking a bite out of anything for almost an hour straight, only relenting when I forced down a quarter of a ration bar and half of my canteen. The other kunoichi had to help me onto Riku's back as we set off for the day, much to my and the canine's chagrin. Orochimaru said nothing but I could feel his gaze digging into my back as I tried to assure her that I would be fine.

But I was definitely not fine.

I held onto Riku tightly, burying my face in his neck as I fought the urge to vomit. Dealing with the void within had been the easy part- but now it was accompanied by nausea and a heaviness in my chest. It was becoming progressively harder to breathe and the motion of us traveling through the trees wasn't doing me any favors, no matter how smooth Riku tried to make it. We were still a couple of days out before we reached Konoha, even with the hurried paced we had taken on, but I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

But 'luckily', I wouldn't have to. When Orochimaru called for the first break of the day, the sun was high in the sky. My teammates' voices were muffled as I stayed attached to Riku's back, everything spinning behind my eyelids.

And when I tried to open my eyes, the world tilted.

I felt hands on my shoulders as gravity brought me to the earth. There was noise, muted, and indistinct around me. I finally released what little I had in my stomach onto the forest floor. The noises got louder and closer and there was a metallic tang coating my tongue.

And then something rotten, Orochimaru's chakra, was at my back, trying to seep inside.

But there was something already there.

Pushing. And pushing.

Devouring. Burning.

It was inside and outside and it burned and burned and burned, alive and writhing, until it snapped and the world, spinning and twisting and shifting, mercifully disappeared.

…

The gentle rushing of waterfalls greeted me as I came to in a familiar place. A dense fog curled around my ankles. The rustling of the trees was soft and comforting. The river in the ravine below was surprisingly tranquil as it flowed down miles below me.

I was in the Mindscape.

I had appeared on the edge of the precipice, my eyes staring out into the forest across the ravine. The tower, which my phantom had glossed over the last time I had been here, stood tall amongst the trees as it had before. But it was covered in vines, its once brilliant red bricks seemingly in decay. The trees themselves seemed to have grown as well, their branches reaching for the top of the spire.

That couldn't be good.

"You really crapped the bed on that one, didn't you?"

I flinched away from the cliff's edge as the phantom finally made her appearance. My other self emerged from the dark abyss beyond the forest behind me, looking worse for wear. Vines were growing out of her ghostly form, wrapped around her arms and neck.

What happened?

"You heard your summon," she sighed. "Your seal was broken."

"What seal?"

She gestured vaguely at the tower before taking a seat at the edge, staring off into the distance. I frowned at her.

"You couldn't tell me about it the last time I was here?"

That would've saved me a whole lot of trouble.

"It wouldn't have done you squat," she huffed, shifting her white eyes over to me. The smoke cloud that made up her hair danced in a nonexistent wind. "It was never meant to stay forever, though you went ahead and fell into some trouble. As per usual."

My frown deepened. "It's not as though I did it on purpose."

"Purpose or not, our body is suffering the effects."

"What was the function of the seal anyways?"

The phantom shrugged, kicking her feet against the cliff which sent pebbles into the ravine below.

"You're smart, figure it out."

I rolled my eyes then turned them to the dilapidated tower. Well, unlike before, it was now covered in vines which had to have been the result of coming into contact with the Moonflower. So that confirmed that it had been affected by it. Plus, Orochimaru mentioned that something happened to my fifth gate, the gate of limit, which was located in the abdomen. And Miki had mentioned about my body reacclimating to my chakra so…

"The seal was meant to seal my own chakra?"

The phantom gave a grin that didn't reach her eyes. "Got it in one."

This was a worrying development. Why had the seal been placed? And when?

"It's pretty obvious, don't you think?" she said. "We shouldn't exist."

That's…harsh.

"But true."

I knew the reincarnation stuff would cause issues, like my mental capacities greatly exceeding my physical body but I didn't know it would be so deep. Or so hazardous. But I should've- chakra was a mixture of energies both physical and spiritual. And my spirit had a couple decades' worth of experience.

"It was when we, you, were born," she explained. "We had basically drowned ourselves in our chakra and our infant body couldn't handle it. And we almost died."

Well, it's great that nothing has changed since I was born.

The phantom chuckled. "I'd say. I think the seal was meant to be absorbed by our chakra system once we were able to handle it. Well, that's what I saw on it before the vines took over."

That explained the seal and it was nice to know that it hadn't been something else. But what did that mean for me if it was gone now?

"That is yet to be seen," she said. "Obviously, it's had an adverse effect, but I can't tell if it's because of the seal breaking or the Moonflower trying to eat us."

I would've been annoyed at her mind-reading if she wasn't being so helpful, for which I was grateful.

"As you should be."

A silence spread between us for a moment as I continued to stare at the tower. Why didn't Mother or Father tell me about the seal before I had started this whole ninja journey? Sure they had gone to war, but you'd think it would be something that would've come up once they came back, when I was actively using my chakra on missions and the like. Even though it hadn't had any unfavorable effects that I could tell.

Well until now.

But in hindsight, it was probably the reason why we all hadn't died in that cave. If the seal was controlling the amount of chakra I had, it must've been absorbing it this whole time. Who knew how much it had saved over the years? When the Moonflower tried to absorbed me, it apparently breached the walls of the seal and the stored chakra must've been released, causing the explosion and unintentionally cancelling each other out.

This idea might explain the state of the tower, the remnants of the seal, but it didn't explain the vines, on the tower and my other self. If vines were in here, aka inside me, did that mean that the Moonflower chakra was inside me, eating away at the very core of my chakra? Despite the fact that its physical form was destroyed?

Either way, it didn't signify anything good.

"And you are absolutely correct about that." I looked over to her and she shrugged, gesturing over herself. "I can't tell how bad, I'm just a manifestation of your subconscious. At least we're not dead."

Well, isn't that nice to hear.

I closed my eyes, listening to the water rushing below. What was I going to do if it had negative effects on my chakra? It wasn't impossible to be a ninja without it, Rock Lee being a prime example- but for me? For Junko of the Hyūga?

I couldn't even imagine what ramifications I would suffer from the clan.

The phantom sighed beside me before standing, stretching her arms above her head.

"Well you'll just have to see."

I gazed back at her. "Oh, now it's just my problem now?"

She simply smirked and I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming next.

Her hands came to my shoulders and gave them a brief squeeze, presumably for luck, before they disappeared alongside the ground below my feet.

And I fell.

My entire body was numb when I awoke the first time.

I blinked under the pressure of bandages wrapped securely around my head. The room around me was quiet, only broken by a low, consistent beeping. A heart monitor, my mind supplied helpfully. That was good…? That should mean that I'm home, right?

Home.

I took a deep breath, the cold air in the room coating the inside of my raw throat and achy lungs blissfully. There was no more nausea or pounding headaches, a pleasant fuzziness over all my senses. Wiggling my fingers and toes underneath the thick blanket weighing me down, I tried to push myself into a sitting position but my body wouldn't cooperate and I was quick to give up. But then there was a shift in the room and a hand at my back, a person I couldn't see or hear placing pillows behind me so while not upright, I was more comfortable than before.

If I had all my faculties, I would've been alarmed at the sudden assist. But I simply settled into my new position, croaking out a poor 'thank you' in gratitude. Then there was something being pressed to my lips, a cup, and water spilt down my chin a bit before I caught up, opening my mouth to let the fluid slip down my throat. My helper set a patient stream, not allowing me to drink too fast and choke myself.

They moved away for a moment before a hand came to rest against my forehead and I could feel their chakra faintly. It was distantly familiar, like the tingle in the air during a thunderstorm. I murmured a name into the quiet room, and the hand tensed before pushing my head into the pillows with surprising care.

"Go back to sleep," came a low voice.

And so I did.

...

The next time I woke up, I was accompanied by the soft murmurings of a conversation. I blinked against the bandages once more, letting out a sigh into the air that caused the room to go silent before my hand was squeezed.

"Are you finally awake, Junko?"

It was Mother. Her voice was wobbly which shook off the remnants of sleep that threatened to take me again. Another hand came and rested on my forehead, ruffling my bangs, strong and stable- Father.

My tongue was slow to wake with the rest of me so I let out a soft hum and the hand around mine squeezed again. Father's hand disappeared and there was the distinct sound of a door sliding open before it was just me and Mother left, who pressed a kiss to my knuckles. But Father wasn't gone for long, joined by someone else.

"Junko-chan, can you hear me?" An unfamiliar man's voice asked and I nodded, turning my head towards him. "Can you sit up for me?"

My body still felt heavier than normal, but I managed to push myself up with Mother's warm arm wrapped carefully around my shoulders. Another pile of pillows was situated at my back and then Mother's warmth disappeared. The stranger's hands pressed lightly against the sides of my head and I let out a noise of complaint.

"I'm going to check on you, is that alright?"

If Mother and Father were here then it should be alright, right?

I nodded warily, still in the process of waking up. The familiar tingle of medical ninjutsu spread out from his hands and it was a relief that no pain or discomfort followed. He hovered over my head for a moment before moving over my chest then finally my abdomen. And there was no pain or discomfort there either.

That was good.

"Your pathways are recuperating nicely." The man's voice was cheerful as his chakra disappeared. "Let's get a look at your eyes now shall we?"

There was movement and then the bandages unraveled, the pressure lessening and lessening until they were gone. I squeezed my eyes tightly against the light, blinking wildly until they adjusted.

I could see. Thank God.

My vision was clearer, much clearer than it was before. I took in the sight of my parents- as collected as they appeared, I could see relief heavily on their faces. Mother's watery smile spread wider as we made eye contact and that familiar earnest smile lifted my Father's stoic features. My own relief was palpable and a shaky breath left me as I smiled back at them.

I'm home. I'm okay.

"It appears you're recovering well, Junko-chan." The other occupant interrupted our moment and I finally took in his appearance.

The man was almost as tall as Father, with messy black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and kind hazel eyes which warmed visibly when I looked at him.

"My name is Satou Hiraku," he said, moving back so Mother could reclaim her space at my side. "You definitely don't remember me, but you were under my care for a bit after you were born."

I processed his words carefully, blinking up at him. The name was vaguely familiar, having heard it somewhere before. Maybe Aunt Mei had mentioned him? Anyways, if he had been the head of my care when I was born, then maybe…

"Were you the one that placed that seal on me?" I blurted out.

The room became quiet, my words dampening the mood immediately. The doctor's eyebrows rose into his fringe and he glanced at my parents.

"I thought you didn't tell her?"

Mother shook her head, looking down at me with an indiscernible expression.

"Miki, my summon, told me," I explained, letting my eyes drift down to my abdomen. "She said that my body was reacclimating after it had been, uh, removed."

I struggled to find the words. What was the easiest way to explain the whole parasitic legendary flower thing?

But it appeared that I wouldn't have to explain much as Hiraku spoke up.

"I see." He nodded to himself, as if making a mental note. "Well yes, I did. You had given your parents quite the scare. Your chakra coils were too advanced for you when you were born."

His expression turned thoughtful. "The seal was meant to be naturally absorbed by your chakra system as you and it developed. To think it would've continued to regulate your chakra…"

His voice trailed off, his hazel eyes focusing on me with an uncomfortable intensity. You would think they would've checked on the seal but I guess with the war and everything it had taken a back seat. It was still negligent on his part; you shouldn't be putting seals on people, children especially, if you weren't completely sure of their function.

Even if I was a special case.

I frowned at him. Mother squeezed my hand again and stared down the man with sharp gold eyes, causing him to break whatever trance he had found himself in. A sheepish grin crossed his face.

"My apologies Kimiko-hime. You will be fine Junko-chan. Considering the report we received from your teammates and Orochimaru-sama, you were quite lucky."

Another flag was raised but I tucked it away. One thing at a time.

"Are my pathways back to normal?"

That garnered another tense silence and I felt dread grow in my stomach. It must've shown on my face because Mother squeezed my hand again and Father came closer. The doctor scrambled for something to say.

"They have been…what's a good way of saying this… affected deeply by the trauma you experienced," he began. "When you were brought in…we found traces of foreign chakra in your system but it disappeared. I believed it assimilated into your coils but your levels have been fluctuating wildly since you've been admitted."

That certainly doesn't sound good, or lucky as the doctor had put it. I felt fine, physically at least, despite the aches in my body. My chakra…it was different, but it was there. The fire I had felt before in the cave was still present, burning low but bright in my core. My reserves felt stretched and they were not completely full, even after what I expected were days of rest, but my tenketsu weren't stuffed up like they were before.

Before I could delve deeper, pressure around my hand broke me out of my digging and I opened my eyes.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Junko-chan," Mother said tensely. And I looked up at her questioningly.

"We'd like to run some more tests before we release you," Hiraku followed up. "The reports we received from your team was startling to say the least."

I couldn't remember what had happened before I woke up here. Just being in extreme pain.

"What happened?"

The room took on another, tenser silence. I peered at every adult, who didn't seem to want to meet my eyes. Hiraku looked over to my Mother who didn't meet his eyes either.

"I think you should tell her," he said, freezing briefly when her golden eyes darted to his. "She has the right to know, especially if she plans on continuing her shinobi career."

When she didn't answer, his voice took on a pleading tone.

"I know this is hard for you, but it could be life-saving. Not only for Junko-chan but so many others if she can learn and perfect-"

"That's enough, Hiraku."

Mother's voice was cold and it shocked the room into silence once more. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until Father came and wrapped his arms around us that the feeling of killing intent lessened and I took a shaky breath, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"K-kaachan?" What's going on?

The silence ticked on for what seemed like forever before Mother let out a shaky sigh, her eyes softening to a warmer amber as they settled on me. There was a storm of emotion rampaging in them, from fear to resignation. I had never seen her so shaken.

She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me close to her body and I brought my heavy arms up to return it. Another sigh ruffled my messy bangs, and she squeezed me tightly before pulling away slightly to look at the doctor.

"If it's as you say, I will train her," she said after another moment. "Shimura-san will have nothing to do with it."

Training? Shimura? As in Danzō Shimura? What did he have to do with any of this? As I pondered grimly on what that could mean for me, what it meant for my mother, an excited gleam lit up the doctor's eyes even as a frown of his own tugged on his lips.

"It'll be impossible to stop him from inserting himself into this," he said. "And considering the state she returned to the village in, he knows and has to be planning something."

"I will talk to Minato," Mother said resolutely. "I'm sure there is something he can do."

"He will also have to go through Hideyoshi-sama if he wants to make any significant changes to her training, if he makes it that far," Father added, warily. "I will bend the twins' ears just in case."

Just what was happening right now?

I stared at the others in the room, thoroughly lost.

Hiraku nodded before settling his gaze on me.

"Orochimaru-sama and your teammates brought you here three days ago around approximately 1800 hours," he began, voice becoming clinical. "You were exhibiting major signs of both physical and chakra exhaustion and were non-responsive."

It made sense; chakra exhaustion was near fatal in almost all cases. That fact that I hadn't fallen into some sort of coma immediately back in Kusa was miraculous in itself. He paused briefly.

"There were…vines growing out of your body."

I stared at him, mouth agape. Vines? Like what happened to my other self. My mind unhelpfully dredged up memories from the cave, of the zombies with those parasitic vines sticking out of dusty bones and rotten flesh. I could feel myself growing pale. My parents were quiet as the man retold the story, though they were rigid and stock still. Mother hugged me to her and I tightened my grip on the back of her yukata.

"It had formed a cocoon around you. It was a worrying development, but it didn't seem to be draining your chakra any farther," he continued. "Our initial attempts to remove them were unsuccessful, though once you were admitted they seemed to be reabsorbed into you."

That definitely wasn't good.

"Was that the foreign chakra you were talking about?" I asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes and after reading the reports that we received from your team, it would appear that it could be some sort of side effect of your encounter with this so-called Moonflower."

"Are Riku, Anko-san and Shichirou-san okay?"

They had been in contact with the vines too, though I was the only one to make physical contact with the flower itself. And if they had after-effects, then we would have to get a message to Kusa so that Muku and Ryūzetsu could get checked out, if it wasn't too late.

But Hiraku shook his head.

"They have gotten a checkup as well, and they have not experienced any side effects from the encounter," he reassured me. "I have reason to believe that it may have had an effect on you specifically, just not in the way you may expect."

I raised a brow in confusion. His hazel eyes glittered eagerly.

"While the seal I had placed on you was meant to regulate your excess chakra, it appears that it had another effect we did not expect." I was starting to think that maybe he shouldn't be putting seals on people. "It's just a theory at this point, which is why we will need to run more tests, but I believe your encounter and the removal of the seal has revealed something hiding in your biology."

He paused in his rambling, trying to control the uncomfortable excitement in his voice.

"Junko-chan, how familiar are you with the Mokuton?"

Oh no.

Author's Notes

Posted: April 14th, 2022

The shoe finally drops. I know some will be disappointed by this choice, or would've preferred her to have the Tenseigan, but I hope you stay along for the ride regardless. It just seemed like the best choice for Junko in the broader scope of the story and its world, and I can't wait to have fun with the repercussions.

Until next time.