Article 24 - Chapter 20 - The Stretching of 'Uncaged' Wings
Warnings: I do not own Naruto, it's intellectual property is owned by none other than Masashi Kishimoto. I own the OC's that I've added to the story and nothing more.
Notes: I've been falling behind schedule lately and procrastinating like crazy lol. When I was a senior of high school, I managed to do the entirety of my Senior Project - (an assignment we knew about since freshman year, that required signed hours, a speech, and a research paper.) - in four days before the deadline. This should wake you to my chronic procrastinative nature haha. I've been sitting around catching up on Boruto lately funnily enough. ~But enough about me, let's get to the chapter!
*** Call To Action: Looking for someone capable of being an editor/proofreader. Also accepting Beta's to hear opinions about chapters before I release the final draft to FFN (If you're interested, hit me up with a PM. Thank You!)***
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
(Last Chapter: Excerpt)
Orochimaru? ... Orochimaru killed Ayasha?! - I'LL FUCKING MURDER HIM. I'LL-I'LL-I'LL GUT HIM LIKE A FISH WITH ALL MY STRENGTH! WHEN I GAIN POWER, I WILL HAVE HIM BEG FOR MY MERCY BEFORE I-
The pain swelling in my head stopped me from continuing my rage induced visions and thoughts. I whimpered ungracefully before moving my fingers up to massage the sore tender area right at the bottom of my forehead where the bridge of my nose began.
Tears streamed onto the table. Why do I always cry? Am I so incompetent that all I can do is wallow in tears? Doe's the act of crying actually even help? Does it make me feel better? Do I want to feel better? - No. I just want to kill, I want to murder that man. He had made my list.
#1 - Being-X
#2 - Orochimaru
I will spend the entirety of my life to destroy these people. I will do whatever it takes. Whatever sacrifices are necessary ~ I'll gladly make them. If I had to walk over the corpses of all of the people I had ever came to care for just to do it, I would. I had made up my mind, and nothing will stop me.
┬┴┬┴┤ Chapter 20 ├┬┴┬┴
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
(Ibiki POV)
The brush graced across the paper in fluid short bursts documenting the events and findings within the mission report. Ibiki stared at the paper reading it over for any mistakes. Documenting simple 'Typo' errors had potential catastrophic consequences. The village must be armed with factual information to establish precedence.
The sound of footsteps approaching caused Ibiki to slide the paper into a leather bound book, closing it. He turned his attention to the doorway where two familiar faces appeared moments later.
"Ibiki, I'd like you to be a witness to my offer to young Mina-chan."
Ibiki quickly nodded in understanding. "As you wish Third-sama."
The sandaime reached out, pulling two chairs off the ground from the corner of the room, and set them facing each other. "Please take a seat Mina-chan."
The child watched the adults tentatively, witnessing the elder bend down, planting his ass in the chair, before inevitably following suit. The dark bags under her eyes and disjointed posture unable to hide her rubbish personal condition.
"As the Third Hokage of this village, I'm extending you an offer to break your ties with the Hyuga clan and establish a new sect of the Kaguya clan within the interior of the hidden leaf. You may become the clan head and even hold a seat at the clan council meetings which appealed directly to the Hokage, myself."
Mina's eyes shot wide open, shining with the essence of hope. She made a motion to speak, but the elder quickly continued: "This of course requires you to rise to the rank of Jonin first as that is the prerequisite holding rank to establish yourself as a true clan head, as well as a seated council member."
The excitement inside the child's eyes seemed to be extinguished. It's no wonder, at her age that likely feels like an eternity, heh.
Ibiki leaned against the wall, successfully managing to fight back a grin, content with only overseeing the proceedings.
"... I see. So once I am of Jonin rank I will be allowed to establish my own clan from my father's lineage? -I understand."
"I offer this to you… under the assumption you will become my eyes into the Hyuga clan's precessions. You must prove your loyalty to your village by prioritizing it's well-being over that of your clan. This stipulation is non-negotiable."
The gears turning inside the child's head seemed to click into motion, her white irises sharpening into focus. Ibiki bearing witness to the wisdom that swelled within her - well beyond her years.
"I understand and accept. I will become your eyes and ears into the Hyuga third-sama."
"No hesitation? You do not wish to take time to consider the offer?" The Sandaime asked expecting confirmation.
"I have no problems prioritizing the needs of the village over any selfish desires of the main branch. The clan is a relic from before the establishment of hidden villages and is in need of reform. No, I have no problems with this Third-sama."
Not a trace of the deceit that had shown itself during their interrogations were evident. A fantastic step forward despite the harsh conditions she was exposed to due to the villages priorities. She is indeed mature well beyond her age.
"Wonderful. We'll be counting on you. You're reporting callsign will be 'Silver-Wing,' and you'll need to report to an Anbu handler in order to send your reports to myself or establish meetings in extenuating circumstances. We can discuss this at a later date at length, but as for now, you are free to leave. This conversation is classified as an "S" ranked secret, and disclosure of any of its contents is tantamount to high treason. You are being trusted with village secrets because the maturity and vision you have displayed. This includes the fact you were interrogated and any of the information you might have learned from the interrogation. You're cover story will be that you received psychological therapy and that you were sworn to secrecy to protect the Yamanaka secrets." The elder said.
The girl seemed to take in the information splendidly, acknowledging and understanding her duty. A flame of determination ignited in her eyes, telling of her desire to prove herself. Maybe a patriot isn't so far off huh… perhaps she will even become the 'Itachi' of the Hyuga.
The elder lead the girl out of the room, and the T.I. division head turned his attention back to the leather bound book sitting atop his desk. Thumbing at the pages until landing at the book-marker he had been looking for, his mission report.
His eyes' glazed over the document another time to be sure of it's lack of errors.
...
"All three mission objectives were achieved within the allotted time period. The subject was subjected to standard procedure but managed to reverse the interrogation to her own pace. After gathering enough intel, I initiated advanced pain interrogation tactics to reclaim the initiative and effectively break the will of the subject. Through the duration of the interrogation I've determined that:
(1) - She was not working for or in contact with the missing nin - Orochimaru, and that she had not willingly assisted him in his entry into the village. This information was confirmed by the use of a Yamanaka hidden jutsu. It appears no evidence of lasting damage upon inspection could be found from the use of the jutsu.
(2) - Her psychological state was warped due to mental trauma and stress. It is unclear whether this development will lead to additional psychopathic tendencies but her visit to Neji Hyuga paired with her emotion upon discovery of the death and assailant of Ayasha Hyuga indicate deep bonds she has established with others. I recommend placing her within a position of trust within the village to form additional bonds to instigate the awakening of the will of fire.
(3) - The Hyuga were suspected of giving Mina special training which could be used against the leaf village. After investigation, no evidence was found commemorating this suspicion. The subject had clashing ideologies from that of her clan making her an ideal counter intelligence agent. This could very well be a ploy to install a double agent among our ranks, but the likelihood is minuscule, and only risks the potential exposure of the village's distrust, She doesn't have any truly incriminating intel or evidence.
Signed: ~Ibiki Morino"
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
(Mina POV)
The twists and turns of the passageways and corridors of the buildings had caused me to lose my sense of direction, luckily I wasn't leading the way. I followed behind the form of a chunin tasked with bringing me the the exit.
I was impatient to leave, but at the same time incredibly happy that I was about to leave - to escape. I couldn't wait. My excitement was read by the man leading me and I heard him chuckle under his breath which only served to piss me off. Let's see you go through what I just did and see how well you come out of it.
My access to my chakra had been restored like a great weight lifted from me. I never exactly took my chakra for granted, but I appreciated the true sentiment of having my power back. I wouldn't allow myself to ever give it away again under any circumstances.
The walls began opening up into larger rooms. A grandiose chandelier hung in the lobby with small windows at the highest points in the room that let natural light in, being reflected off the mirror-like shards. I hadn't been able to appreciate the beauty of this during my entry, but now as I left I couldn't help but to appreciate it with silent awe.
A familiar chakra appeared around me and my heart lurched. I spun on a heel, now facing the man approaching me. A look of thankfulness and relief painted across his face. He accelerated towards myself, pulling me into an embrace. The human memento left behind by Ayasha… Tokuma Hyuga.
"Are you alright? Have you been eating well?"
I couldn't properly suppress the swelling emotions within me. I didn't want to have another shameful display so all I allowed myself to do was nod energetically to his questions.
"What… happened to the clothes you came in with?"
My wardrobe had completely changed thanks to the clothing T.I. had completely ruined. I remembered something Ayasha had told me shortly before … -not long ago- "Those clothes are getting a bit small for you. I'll need to take you shopping again soon."
"I was growing out of them… So they let me wear these." I lied.
Tokuma's face scrunched together from my terrible lie, not believing it even for a second. I hadn't actually been prepared for such a question. Why? -I'm just not of my right mind at the moment.
I clasped the man's hand, interlocking my fingers with his, and began tugging him along so we could leave. He understood my intentions and let me lead us out of this damn building.
I didn't know what I expected honestly. I didn't really think ahead, instead being fully absorbed in the moment. We reached the clan compound and a number of the side branch members welcomed me warmly. They were happy to see that I had been in one piece, which just goes to show telling people that I had only been held for psychological therapy would certainly be a stretch.
A group of Hyuga from the main branch watched my return without a shred of sympathy or compassion. In fact, they looked peeved that I had the gall to return at all. I brushed it off as their classic demeanor towards myself.
Then my eyes caught the figure of Neji skulking around the outer edges of the people, giving me cowardly glances and refusing to hold eye contact - also refusing to come any closer.
I broke away from the crowds, politely excusing myself from Tokuma despite his opinions. I signed to Neji to meet with me, his reluctance evident by his turmoil over the decision. I signed again, shooting him pleading looks. I visibly saw when he had finally caved, his shoulders sinking with the sigh that no doubt escaped him.
I trotted over the cobblestone pathways making my way to the destination. For the last stretch I turned around and began walking backwards, keeping an eye on the boy who had still kept his distance, his face hanging lifelessly watching his own feet. He looks so guilty...
He wouldn't escape my advances. He was in too sorry of a state to fight me off. I ran at him causing him to pull his head up and evaluate the situation. I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around him so tightly he couldn't fight me off. If he were in peak condition it would have been more difficult to capture him in my embrace, but I knew I was powerful enough to still get the job done if he had protested.
"I'm sorry." I panted.
His whole body shook like a tree trying to withstand a hurricane. "NO! I'm the one that needs to apologize! I left you when you needed me most… and that is unforgivable. I'm terribly sorry."
His arms wrapped around my back and I secretly hoped he would never let go. Never leave me all alone again. My chin rested on his shoulder, instinctively nuzzling my cheek against his neck. The warmth melting away the unease that plagued my heart. I could feel his pulse on my cheek, the comforting rhythm of his heart soothing my own.
It was as if a heavy fog was lifted and daylight finally broke through the long night. The seemingly endless night was over, I was home.
"You're here now, so shut up and just hold me." My frail voice whispered into his ear.
Tears ran down my cheek and I selfishly wiped them on his shoulder. "He owed me this much" I told myself.
"I'm so sorry…" I heard him whimper.
I leaned back slightly, so that I could peer into his eyes. He looked heavily conflicted and I could tell holding my eye contact was greatly difficult for him. "Neji, your the most important person in my life now. I hope you take responsibility."
His eyes watered, but the tears were being damned by his willpower. His face flushed and chin quivered uncontrollably. He tried saying something afew times, but the words were caught in his throat. He embarrassingly cleared his throat, giving it another shot. "I'll never let you down again." He promised.
I was overwhelmed. I didn't need to think. My mind actually went blank at his statement. It sounds dumb right? An 8 year old comforting you with an empty promise? It probably should have just made me mad - right? But it didn't… It made me feel incredible. Secure. Confident. Loved. Special. It made me feel so many things, like I was being washed over with positivity. The feeling was indescribable. I don't know if I had ever felt this way before - Actually I doubted it. This feeling was something entirely new.
"Thank you." I cried.
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
The next day, I returned to school hoping I could pretend like nothing happened. The constant stares of the children around me were a bit unsettling but in the end meaningless. If I couldn't handle being a social outcast I had much bigger problems in store for me. I became the hushed talk of the entire classroom, but as time continued, it slowly burned out. I refused to acknowledge the dissonance I caused, and let the harmony gradually settle. These kids are 8 and on average, didn't have exceptional attention spans. Things just melded into normalcy by the end of the day.
I favored to sit by Neji for the day, so I could avoid the unwanted attention and still had someone I could talk to if necessary. Lee ended up approaching me on break trying to cheer me up. It was kind of cute despite knowing how uncomfortable he was. I was the girl everyone had heard had attempted suicide, and despite this Lee was content talking about the most random of things. It became clear to me nearly immediately what was going on.
I smiled and played along… until Lee's excitement dwindled and his lip curled. This was a new look for him, Even when being bullied he didn't ever look this dejected.
"Do you remember… The first time you called me 'Your Rival?'" He asked.
"Of course. Your rivalry means alot to me." I answered with fake cheer, hoping to avoid where I expected the conversation was headed.
"When you first said that… It made me really happy. That someone else believed in me… I was really thankful. But now - I know it's not good enough."
"What?!" I choked out, having awkwardly swallowed some saliva.
"I realized that it wasn't good enough! You hear me?! So we need to become Eternal Rivals! You're not allowed to die, and neither am I." Lee shouted with conviction, an inferno blazing within his eyes.
I couldn't help it. I laughed. I knew that it was probably insensitive, but I laughed all the same. He looked a bit dejected and confused because of it, but I slapped his shoulder and this time shone a brilliant smile his way, a real one.
"It seems I was thinking too small. You know, in some ways you are certainly a genius. I'll be proud to call you my eternal rival." I exclaimed.
A look that would be hard pressed to be called anything but that of 'pure joy' spread across his face. He grabbed my hands jumping up and down beaming. "You mean it? You're not pulling my leg are you? Y-You really mean it?" Tears streaming from his eyes.
"Of-course!" I responded.
He leapt from the ground high, punching a fist into the air. His over-enthusiasm was a bit taxing, but that was just Lee's style, and that's perfectly fine. Never change Lee... Please never change.
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
I made my way to leave the academy, but couldn't help feel like someone was following behind me. "Byakugan!" I surveyed the area, and after moving again I quickly discovered that my concern was reality.
The young Uchiha was following behind me looking a bit upset while skulking about attempting to not be noticed. He has quite a ways to go before being a full fledged ninja - I thought exasperated.
"Uchiha-kun!" I shouted spinning on my heel.
His head jerked from behind a bush flushed red. "I-I.." He stammered.
"You were just going to take me up on my secret training?" I asked, a devious smile spreading across my face.
He seemed thankful enough for the out I provided him without meaning to make it obvious. "The Byakugan are quite remarkable." He responded before rubbing at his neck, readopting his mask of stoicism quickly.
""I suppose joint training would be educational - If we are allowed." I repeated in monotone, sure to emphasize the lack of any emotion behind the words.
Sasuke's eyes lit up understanding the joke, quickly snorting while his lips pulled into a sneer. "Don't you know it's FAR easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission?" He mimicked mockingly.
I couldn't restrain the girlish giggle that snuck it's way out. I glanced over to the Uchiha to gauge his reaction. He was looking pretty smug even if he was fighting down his urge to giggle with me.
"My brother has been helping me with my kunai training lately, you should see how awesome he is." He beamed.
"Itachi - right?"
He nodded energetically, finishing with: "I hope I can be as great of ninja as him one day." I stopped in place at his words, causing him to pause and turn around with interest. "Hn?"
"I know you won't believe me, but I know you will surpass him if you really want to."
Sasuke just blankly stared at me for a moment before grinning. "Yeah? -and how would you know?" he teased.
"Obviously, I have supernatural powers that allow me to deduce it from a glance." I playfully said.
He waved off my words, picking up the pace as he lead us into the forest. "The training area elder brother showed me is up here. Just a little further."
…
Both of us panted for air. Sasuke's pants more heavy and labored much to his own dejection. I had beat him in every set of kunai target practice rounds except for one. I had been training with kunai for quite a long time, but Sasuke was more proficient than I had expected.
I could see visible improvement after each set which honestly upset me a bit. He just learns so quickly! If I don't remain diligent he could very well surpass me and who knows how many years of diligent practice and experience I was ahead of him.
It made me honestly feel inferior to him which didn't sit well with me, however if I focused on being better than him in every way I would neglect specialization. Even if I let him surpass me in some areas, as long as combat wise I remained stronger that would be enough.
We leaned against two tree's across from each other trying to rest and hydrate ourselves. I noticed something was eating at him despite his refusal to bring it up. He was the type of person to keep his struggles to himself, an introvert, not unlike myself normally.
"What's on your mind?" I asked, fully expecting to regret asking, but doing so anyways because strained relations would be troublesome.
"What makes you think anything is wrong?" He retorted.
You can't really be that clueless, can you? - I thought
"I don't know. Perhaps my supernatural powers alerted me… or maybe it was actually my more simplistic powers of observation." I teased.
He remained quiet… seemingly mulling something over in that head of his. He stared at me for a while and I wanted to hit him for subjecting me to that stare.
"I heard a rumor." He finally said.
Oh no… Fucking fantastic. I'm lucky there is only 3 people I even feel like befriending in my class because if another person brings it up I will literally kick their head off! Some of my animosity must have leaked out because he looked like he was reconsidering the conversation at all.
"Sorry… It's a difficult topic." I said, causing Sasuke to slowly nod in understanding. "I didn't try to kill myself. I was not dealing with my Mo- with the death of a loved one well at all. I created a shadow clone to strangle myself so I'd pass out… I just wanted a different pain to cover up my loss. It was idiotic and stupid."
His eyes widened displaying a pain I didn't quite understand. He shouldn't really know the burden of loss yet, why does he look like that?
"I see… So you weren't trying to kill yourself? -It was a misunderstanding?" He asked.
"Correct. -But I've went through psychological therapy and it's helped me adjust."
This was it. This was my chance to make a big play. To plant seeds to nurture at a later day. It had to be now, while he was looking so pathetic. There was no better time.
"...I found out who killed her... listen good because this is a secret and I won't say it again kay? -I'm making it my life mission to destroy this person. This person is the face of evil and has killed countless of people without remorse. He is a war criminal, a missing nin, and a blight upon this world. I will erase him with my full prejudice."
The Uchiha's mouth fell open at my words, staring at me first with disbelief, but quickly pulled together his composure. His eyes scanned mine looking for something. Maybe he was trying to see if I was lying to him, or checking my resolve. The flames of hatred burned endlessly inside me. I could tell he saw them, he looked unnerved and… perhaps even a bit impressed by my display.
"I understand. If I were in your position, I think... I'd likely do the same." He replied honestly.
Yes! That went splendidly. Perfect. How I'll just lie in wait until his whole clan is massacred. You will become my instrument Sasuke Uchiha. You will bend to my will.
I fought back the urge to laugh. It would probably only make me look insane. I need to hold all my cards close to the chest on this one. I finally have a bit of control, I'll never let it go again.
┬┴┬┴┤神の起源├┬┴┬┴
Authors Notes: Zemptai-sama again, Sorry, but I haven't been able to finish the first chapter of my: Yu-gi-oh GX fanfiction. Next chapter's release will be paired with chapter 1 of the Yu-gi-oh fic so sorry! Anyone interested I urge to check it out and share your anticipation! I write so I can share with you guys, and it warms my heart to hear your opinions and interact with the readers.
Reviewer Question: - You can only be born with 1 Kekkei Genkai from Naruto (never allowed to have another one even through experimentation/transplants/ect…) Which one would you pick? (This makes the EMS, Tenseigan, and Rinnegan impossible answers.)
…
**SPECIAL THANKS to the great people below who left me a review, It means a lot!**
-darkmist june - "I feel you, I often have difficulty falling asleep on a dime and just have to wait until I'm finally tired. Glad to hear you're enjoying the story!"
-APimpNamedSlimpback - " Thanks for your support. Seriously! Anyone who spends time out of their day to give feedback, I'm truly appreciative for. (BTW, I fucking love your name. The Boondocks reference was not lost on me ^.^)"
-hackingtheuniverse - "I take that as a wonderful compliment. I'm actually a very optimistic person and pretty happy, but certainly I understand the other spectrum of humanity and am proud of my ability to display that :)"
-Rikufutaki - "Glad to see you're enjoying the early chapters. I'm 100% open to any comments you have, or If you want to PM me. I hope you continue with the story :)"
-Tigaier - "You're not the first to notice. I purposely drew parallels from the Youjo Senki as it is one of my most loved series!"
-SteveTheBeast - "Hope the scene at the beginning of the chapter was enough for you. I had planned it this way, but I made sure to be extra clear as to why Ibiki reacted like that. He was given 3 mission objectives and after basically being forced to give up on one, and the fact she reversed their interrogation completely, caused him to need to crank into another gear."
-Irina Akashira - "Responded to you in PM's, but one of the suggestions you had a while back did get used in this chapter. Thanks for your help!"
-Homeward - "As a writer, I'm not going to pull any punches. Characters will get the brunt of anything that should happen to them without exception - PLOT ARMOR BE DAMNED!-"
-Mysterious Goat - "I had someone PM me not too long ago raving about my characterization so having other people talk about it makes me very happy. Characters are the lenses of the story and are thus the most important. I definitely focus on characters the most of any aspect."