Legacy of the Will

Chapter 4: Blistering Will, Fading Heart

A/N:Get ready, and enjoy.

Ryouichi blocked the kunai which stabbed itself deep in his forearm. His eyes burning brightly, causing the man staring into them to feel a shiver of fear down his spine. His stomach began to feel light. This boy shouldn't have survived.

"So long as this body holds breath, as long as I can still stand, no one will hurt my family ever again!"

Ino looked at him, her horror turning to an emotional smile. "H-He made it…"

Kaori panted heavily, and held her injured and bleeding side. Smiling in relief.

Haru looked at him, Ryouichi's aura radiated like fire. Tears left his eyes, full of hope. He was quick to conceal them. "About time...making me worry about you…"

Ryouichi slammed the man away. Swinging his arm aside as the kunai lodged itself out. Body flickering in between Haru and Kaori. "Let's finish this!"

"Roger!" They cried, as they disappeared in a flash of blitzing speed. The boy had changed, the man with the cat mask thought, for his aura was like the chakra of raw will itself.

Forty-eight hours earlier…

Team Tsukiko landed silently in a small, untouched clearing in the Konoha Forest. Tsukiko gathered a set of branches and, upon using her kunai to dig a bit of a ring around where the campfire would be, set about lighting it.

Ryouichi, Haru, and Kaori rested, replenishing their chakra and stamina to resume the long journey. Ryouichi did so a bit farther from the fire, which burned off with an awful stench of smoke burning wood. It had been two days since they left, and according to their coordinates, they were another three days away from the main site they would be investigating.

The four of them took out some small rations, mostly rice and assorted vegetables with a low odor. They ate them fairly quickly and drank some water. With that, Tsukiko commanded them to disperse again after covering her tracks.

Ryouichi tried for the past couple days, but nothing could shake the memories that his toy wolf had brought to the surface. Ryouichi barely remembered anything from his past. Small fragments of small fragments. He barely even remembered the wolf, Okami. He didn't remember where he lived besides that it was in the Land of Rivers.

And try as he might, the most painful thing he couldn't remember was his mother and father. He used to be able to recall their faces, his mother's soothing voice that brought his heart to ease so much. But the fire, the screams, the pain, and the years that drowned those things, had left him unable to even remember what she vaguely looked like.

Haru meanwhile was quite concerned, the sudden stop from their speedy deployment could have alerted possible enemies about their departure. In his eyes, the wolf may have cost them the element of surprise. And that animosity was not lost on Ryouichi.

Kaori meanwhile, chose to mostly ignore the rising tension between the two. As she was just happy to be doing something she considered engaging. Whether it was bandits or would-be criminals, at least it wasn't babysitting.

Upon arriving at their designated rest spot, they set up camp to prepare to rest. The day had already gone by, and the amount of chakra expended to make time was quite substantial. As they sat around the fire, albeit Ryouichi reluctantly, they ate a larger amount of food and rested their muscles.

"I wager we'll nearly reach our destination tomorrow. So at least we're making excellent time. Being ahead of schedule means we can squeeze some training in on the way back."

Kaori smiled, rather pumped up by the promise. Whereas Haru simply looked over at Ryouichi with a mild glare.

Ryouichi felt the malice and looked over. "Yes Haru?"

"We'll make good time, but that just means our enemies can get the drop on us easier."

"What are you talking about?" Ryouichi said, confused.

"The wolf. By stopping immediately outside the village, we may have warned someone."

"I'm sure it's fine, Haru." Tsukiko reassuringly looked at him.

He growled. "That's not the point! We're not supposed to make mistakes, are we Ryouichi? It sets a bad example of Leaf ninja! Just like me and Kaori in those fields!"

Ryouichi's eyes widened, and he looked down guiltily. "Y-You're right. I'm sorry."

Haru looked away. "I know I'm right, just don't do it again, okay?"

He meekly nodded.

That night, Ryouichi couldn't sleep. So instead, he meditated. Through nearly five hours he sat still as a rock, moving not an inch nor muscle. As he began to focus, he felt a purveying sense of unease. A darkness creeping around him.

When he attempted to open his eyes to see the world around him, he saw only a roaring fire in front of him. The smoke and ash nearly choked his lungs. And in front of him, he saw three silhouettes that had only one he could recognize as the form of Ino. But the other two, were but a mystery. He tried to walk to them, but the fire was so intense he could barely even stand near it.

"What do I do?! How do I get to you?!"

The figures, silent, pointed behind him.

He looked behind and saw three other figures. Their presence alone sent him into a paralyzed fear that caused his spirit to nearly shatter.

He didn't understand why he said this, but it simply floated out of his mouth, past his lips.

"Please! Not them! Not-"

"Wake up you idiot!" He felt a foot kick him in his side.

Ryouichi startled awake, uncrossing his crooked legs and sitting up. "W-What?"

Looking at him was Haru. With Kaori worriedly looking at him.

"You were talking in your sleep. It was kinda scary." She spoke.

"Oh…right…just…just a dream." He climbed to his feet, visibly shaken but slowly regaining his composure.

Tsukiko looked at him. "Are you sure being a shinobi is the path you want to go down? Seems like you may not be cut out for it."

Ryouichi looked at her defensively. "I am. And I am cut out for it. Let's just move."

She reluctantly nodded and they dispersed.

X Meanwhile in Konoha... X

Ino had barely gotten a wink last night. She sleepily sipped on some tea, Asuma talking to his students, not realizing one of them wasn't paying good attention.

"So that's the current plan for the mission. Everyone clear on it?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah yeah, a pain but at least it's a short one."

Choji nodded while eagerly enjoying the pork ribs Asuma had bribed him with.

"Ino?" Asuma looked at her.

She was silent and sipped her tea.

"Ino!" Asuma said louder.

"H-Huh?!" She startled upright, nearly spilling tea all over the table.

"Are you clear on the mission?"

"Um…c-can you run it by me again?"

"Sure. We're heading to the town of Yukiha, near the Land of Waves and Land of Lightning. There, we need to take care of a group of bandits. They've been extorting the town for information about neighboring regions."

She nodded. "Sounds fine. When are we leaving?"

"Right now. Go grab your bug out bags and let's go." Asuma smiled.

Shikamaru sighed but stood up and started towards his home, as did Choji. Ino went to follow but was stopped by Asuma.

"Ino, what's going on?"

"It's nothing Asuma-sensei."

"You drinking that tea like your life depended on it, plus your usual sass and confidence being noticeably absent, says otherwise."

"It's…a friend of mine. He went on a C rank mission too. A couple days ago."

"Hm. I take it he's on Tsukiko's team?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Tsukiko is a ladder climber. Not in the traditional sense either."

"She wants a rank?" Ino looked surprised.

"No. She wants experience. As much as she can get. She was a chunin before she was twelve, and she was a jonin at the age of twenty-three. By that time, she had already done two-hundred B ranks."

"What?! That's insane!"

"Yeah. No surprise she took them off to a C rank soon as they could. But relax. Tsukiko is good, really good. She can use five chakra natures and she's got a secret weapon up her sleeve. If things get dicey she can handle things."

"Okay…what was her team?"

He smiled. "Aoi Amano and Hiraku Mizutani. Their mentor was Kosuke Sarutobi, my father's cousin."

"I heard about him. He could conjure an ape like the Hokage could, right?"

"A monkey, but you're correct."

"I suppose she isn't that bad…maybe…"

Asuma patted her shoulder. "Ryouichi will be fine. How come you're worrying about him and not yourself?"

"Because I can take care of myself. I don't know about him. The sort of things he could run into is what scares me."

"He's a shinobi. If he's anything like Shikamaru or Choji, or you, then he'll be just fine.

Ryouichi sneezed as they trekked through the rain, the journey having gotten much harder since the wet and cold was significantly slowing them down.

"I think I'm getting a cold…" Ryouichi groaned.

"Just what we need. Plague." Haru sarcastically fired back.

"You don't know. Maybe I am patient zero."

"Note to self: If we result to cannibalism, don't eat Ryouichi." Kaori jokes.

"Hey, maybe the plague makes him taste better." Haru pointed out.

"Very funny you two. Keep joking and I'll aim my sneezes at you."

Tsukiko sighed as she slogged through, leading her bantering students. "Be a teacher, they said, it'll broaden your abilities,'' they said." She muttered under her breath. "I'd rather be stealing secrets from enemy villages right now. At least then I won't have to hear this incessant bickering from kids."

As they approached their final marker, Ryouichi however, sensed something. A feeling of energy knocking a bow. As he felt the chakra imbue the arrow and fire forth, he jumped and tackled a distracted Haru to the ground. The arrow barely grazed Ryouichi's shirt, his chainmail shirt underneath barely protecting him.

"What the-?!" Haru exclaimed.

"Enemies! I count three!" Kaori said, after activating her Byakugan.

Ryouichi drew a kunai and was quite unsure how he managed to tell the signature.

"Nekuro, I missed it seems." A man's voice creeped out, low and cold.

The cloaked cat seemed unfazed. "Then fire again. Takehiko, can you get the boy?"

The figure shook their head. A masculine, high voice responding from it. "No. The other two genin and the jonin have him covered. And based on our observations, he's the only one we can kill with it."

"Then wait until he's exposed. I will deal with them. Rina, with me."

"Yes sir."

They leapt out in a burst of speed, drawing two short blades, they charged at Tsukiko and Kaori.

Kaori went to engage with the cat man but was stopped by Tsukiko who engaged him quickly. She then turned her attention to the girl, as they engaged in quick but brutal taijutsu. Kaori narrowly dodged a series of slashes, with her managing to slam a palm into the girl's unguarded knee.

The girl, wincing in pain, growled and threw out three shuriken which Kaori flipped and spun around.

Tsukiko spun a kunai around her finger into a reverse grip and swung it at the man. He blocked it with his arm, which felt hardened and thicker than the rest of his arm appeared, a gauntlet was her guess. It felt familiar to strike.

The man flipped backwards while weaving hand signs. "Earth Release: Boulder Shower!" he slammed the ground as a series of debris blasted forward towards her.

Thinking quickly, she weaved signs fast and countered. "Earth Release: Rock Wall!" A stone wall quickly erupts in front of her to block all the attacks, but barely blocking all of them before shattering down.

A stray kunai slipping just past the wall's defenses, and narrowly slicing her cheek. Which she grabbed in pain. When she looked at her hand, she saw purple mixed with the blood.

"Damn it…" she starts to lose her sense of balance.

Haru worriedly looked at her. "Sensei!"

"Don't worry about me. Haru paired up for the jutsu I taught you."

He nodded and sprinted over to her before weaving the same signs at the same time as her. "Lightning Release: Lightning Net Jutsu!"

The cat man would have dodged, had it not been for Kaori who ran behind him and surprised him, landing a solid blow on his shoulder and disrupting his chakra. The resulting lightning attack blazed forward and blasted him sending electricity all throughout his body and sending him flying.

He landed into a tree, grunting in pain as he started to stand up, slightly sluggish.

"I'd commend your ability, but I've already fought one of the best your village has to offer."

Tsukiko's eyes narrowed. "So that's it. I thought you were familiar!"

The figure slinked his body into standing upright and eerily straight.

"You were the one who attempted to assassinate Hokage-sama!"

Ryouichi's eyes widened as he looked over at the man. And he realized who he was looking at.

"Where is the Hokage Estate?"

You…" Ryouichi stood up with a twitching hand, taking his kunai and bursting forward at a blistering speed.

"You bastard!" He aimed to stab him in the chest, as Tsukiko failed to grab him in time.

The cat looked at him. "Now."

"Ninja Art: Hell of the Soul!"

A flash of chakra hit Ryouichi's eyes and caused the kunai to slip out of his hand. He fell to the ground on his chest. His eyes glazed over, and his body lay still. Kaori looked him over with her eyes. "He's alive!"

The cat chuckled. "For now. That jutsu just killed him. And depending how long he lasts in that genjutsu, he'll realize it."

"Why can't he move? Why isn't he releasing it?" Haru looked confused.

"He's been locked into his mind. With all the pain that entails."

Tsukiko's eyes widened. "Ryouichi…"

The man suddenly disappeared in a blitz of speed. "When your sensei and teammate are dead, I'll be coming for you two next."

Kaori couldn't see them anymore, so she deactivated her eyes.

"Haru…what do we do? Sensei?"

Tsukiko started to pant as the poison began to take effect. "Give me a minute…I need to think…"

Kaori lifted Ryouichi and brought him over to the rest of the team, and Tsukiko looked at him. "Okay…I have no choice."

Weaving an unfamiliar set of hand signs, she bit her finger so hard blood leaked out. Then slammed it to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" An onyx-colored rabbit appeared in front of her.

"What do you need, Tsukiko-san ?"

"Need…you to get to the…Leaf village." She began to breathe labored. "Tell the Hokage I need relief…a Medical-nin…and Inoichi Yamanaka…"

"Are you well?" The rabbit asked worriedly.

"I'll be better with that relief. Inoichi Yamanaka, greenish eyes, blonde hair. And a Medical-nin. Go!"

"At once!" He sped off extremely fast.

Haru and Kaori looked at it running and then back to Tsukiko.

"W-What was that?" Kaori asked.

"The Summoning jutsu…I have a contract with the Sage Hares of the Uchiyama Plains. That's not important…Usakuro will get us the help we need…for now…let me focus…" She entered a deep meditation, chakra swirling all around her.

Haru looked to Kaori. "Now what?"

"Now…I guess we wait…but we have to do something for Tsukiko-sensei."

"Should we look for possible herbs for an antidote?" Haru asked.

Kaori nodded, but then hesitated. "Can you go? Someone needs to watch for trouble."

Haru nodded and disappeared.

Ryouichi's eyes flickered open, and all he saw was an expanse of black, except one barely lit campfire.

"What happened…where am I?"

The silence met his words, as his memories soon followed. Memories of his life spent in Konoha. Years spent without a clue about who he once was.

He found himself in the moment where his nightmares started. A burning mansion, burning houses, and an obscured figure carried him to a small house.

Ryouichi contemplated what he would do. But at this point, he needed answers. He had to have an explanation for where he came from. So, he stepped forth, and examined the memories that had long eluded him all these years.

He entered the hellscape that was his past and heard the screaming. He smelled the smoke. He could practically feel the misery oozing out of the scene. As he saw his mother, one he could not even see in full or even slightly remember the appearance of, he was carried into the house and left in his room. Clutching Okami for dear life.

"Okami will protect you sweetie, just do not let anyone see you."

"Haha…" she shushed him and hurried off, before he heard a sound that older Ryouichi recognized. The sound of a blade piercing its mark. He covered his mouth in horror, as his younger self hid under the bed and quivered holding his toy.

He stayed, by his young self, stuck in this memory he had chosen to relieve. As his mind began to panic, his heart began to quicken in pace, he felt it.

Stab.

A blade pierced his heart as he was forced to lean forward, his eyes were forced open, and he was stabbed in the heart. A shadowy figure holding him.

"No hope…no hope…NO HOPE!" it thrust its blade into his heart as he grunted out in pain. Forced to continue to watch the memory from his young self's point of view.

With that, he felt tears roll down his face as he felt his fear, stacked with the fear of this child.

As he navigated the dream, feeling a stab in his chest, he began to cry harder when young Ryouichi began to scream as the house collapsed, blackened wood hitting his side and burning it, pain seared into his present body as he screamed out in pain.

As young Ryouichi crawled out, he saw his dead mother, and crawled out even more in tears. He barely managed to get out before the entire house collapsed in on itself, swallowing his mother whole. He hurried out, clamoring around until he could stand up.

He then saw them. The figure with the bird mask, and the man with the grin. The bird man sent out a pestilence of poison and blight, killing everyone it touched. Meanwhile, the grinning man blitzed around with a sword, slashing through everyone nearby as he threw out fire jutsu.

Ryouichi panicked and ran away as fast as he could, tripping on a rock and slamming into the ground with a small yelp. He thought he saw the grinning man turn, so he ran as fast as he could into the forest. Barely managing to escape.

With that, his vision faded back to the void. A figure standing in front of the sobbing Ryouichi.

"And that is how I died, Ryou-chan…that is how you heard me die."

Ryouichi groaned and looked at her with wide eyes. Barely managing to breath out, much less speak. But he somehow managed.

"Haha…?"

She stood, walking forward as he was dropped to the ground.

"Why are you doing it Ryouichi? Why are you trampling my sacrifice to be a shinobi? To live in suffering and danger? To die young?"

He shuddered. "Haha you don't understand I-"

"Quiet! You were supposed to be like Okami! Someone who would survive! But instead, you've thrown yourself to wolves! To tarnish all I did to protect you! A piece of prey!"

Ryouichi was left staring at the ground. Feeling the blood leak from his chest. He looked up to his mother. The flame beside him fading ever darker.

X END X