Author's Note: Ok... *cowers* don't hit me!
I am so sorry that I haven't updated in forever. School just got so stressful, and I also went to Europe for a few weeks for Art History credit.
But I know that my excuses probably don't make it any better. :(
I PROMISE that I will be better about updating from now on. I feel so bad, I can understand if you don't want to review anymore. :(
But, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I would be forever grateful! :)
Again, I'm so sorry! I really hope that, if you all are still reading this, that you enjoy it!
And maybe, possibly... review?
Also, I would like to thank invisible-gurl, KushiHime, shaenyface, Tinkertot95, Koyuki-Rune, LivieLi, Ninja Trio's Best, .Princess, Angel42497, MikaUchiha666, and Echo Uchiha for all of the reviews on chapter nineteen. I am so appreciative of all the amazing things that you said about this story, and I am so incredibly sorry for making you all wait so long! I know how annoyed I get when a writer suddenly stops posting, and I feel terrible that I ended up doing the same thing. I just hope you all can forgive me! Thanks again for the fantastic reviews! You all are amazing!
Twenty: Chains of Eternity
"The what?" I questioned through gritted teeth. My fingers clenched tightly within my palms, nails digging into the calloused skin.
The man called Koji grinned. "Hard of hearing, are we? I'll repeat myself, then," the man paused for a moment. He cleared his throat and took in a deep breath, taunting me with each passing second he stalled. Finally, his thin lips parted so he could speak, "I, Koji Gensai, am to reign as the Supreme Kage of the entire ninja world!"
My eyes narrowed instinctively. So many times I had heard the same spiel about world domination, and it never failed to enrage me. The thought of turning on my own village was disgusting to me, so I had no idea as to how someone else could do such a thing. Unlike all the other fools who claimed to have what it takes to take over the world, however, this guy was strong, and, considering he had the skill and intelligence to continuously outsmart and slip past us, he must have reason to believe he can truly succeed. That said, this guy truly was a threat. Comparable even to Orochimaru, when he tried to destroy Konoha, I guessed. Part of me trembled in fear at the thought of encountering such an opponent, but the majority of me trembled in excitement at the thought of killing him.
"Where is Toshiro?" I repeated my original question in a smooth, calm voice, concealing the emotional tension that pulled at every nerve in my body.
"Yeah, where is he?" Nikko snapped, lunging forward with a fierce desperation. His arms stretched outward, reaching toward his enemy.
I stepped out in front of him, blocking his path with my right arm. The blonde boy skidded to a quick stop before colliding into me, and a disgruntled groan immediately filled the air. Before he had a chance to protest, I warned him, "Your opponent is a skilled one. Don't be so hasty."
Koji snickered as he witnessed the scene. "Poor kid. I can only imagine the complete and utter humiliation the little brat must suffer daily, being Toshiro's teammate, and all."
I could almost feel the heat radiating from Nikko's boiling blood. "Don't listen to him," I whispered to the boy, "he's just trying to get under your skin."
"Well, it's working," Nikko growled in response.
With a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips, I shook my head. This boy was so much like me; it was ridiculous.
As I turned my attention back to Koji, I remembered the mysterious way in which he phased into view. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Unlike a normal camouflage jutsu, which requires some sort of surrounding foliage or construction to blend into, this guy managed to blend into nothing at all. It was almost as if he was invisible, but that wasn't possible… was it?
"So," Koji sighed, wrenching me from my thoughts, "you want to see the Isami boy, correct?"
I furrowed my eyebrows. He's going to reveal Toshiro? Just like that?
"What are you up to?" I questioned softly.
"Oh, nothing really," Koji responded with a small shrug, "I just think it will be more fun if the boy got to hear the helpless cries of his Sensei and teammates as they are killed."
A tiny gasp permeated the still air, and I immediately recognized Hana's voice. She tried to cover her fear, but the stress of her first high-ranking mission, as well as the added stress of Toshiro's safety and Koji's taunts, were quickly getting to her. For a moment, I regretted allowing her to join the mission, realizing that she probably wasn't mentally prepared to handle it; however, I quickly remembered how strong she really was under that soft exterior of hers, and I knew in my heart that she would pull through. I was confident in her.
"Daisuke, Hajime," Koji called with a clap of his hands, "bring out the boy."
My eyes darted toward the opening carved into the rock on which Koji stood. From the darkness emerged two dark-skinned men. One had short, spiky white hair, and the other had medium-length chocolate hair that was slicked back. Their eyes were both narrowed into tiny slits, and there was a stern tension in their eyebrows and wide jaws. As they continued out of the hideout, I noticed a spiky white ponytail peeking out from behind the two men.
Toshiro.
The two were dragging the boy by the collar of his jacket, which I noticed had tiny holes and bite marks around the collar. Toshiro's wrists and ankles were bound by a set of thick stone braces, and he had a black blindfold tied around his eyes. Bruises and lesions covered his body, strands of hair pulled loose from his sagging ponytail matted against his dirt-covered face, and his head hung lifeless against his right shoulder. Before I could worry, however, I noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest as he slowly breathed. The poor kid had a tough struggle, so he was probably just exhausted. The two men who dragged him along tossed him carelessly to the ground. I cringed at the sight, but managed to hold my composure.
"The little brat gave us quite a bit of trouble on the way here," Koji told us in an airy tone. He leapt off the rock to the ground beside it, a cloud of dirt rising around his ankles as he did so. Kneeling beside Toshiro, he caressed the boy's face with his bony fingers, "but he won't be a problem once the extraction is performed."
"What do you mean by extraction?" Nikko demanded, "And get your creepy little paws away from my friend!"
Extraction, I thought to myself. My eyes widened. Oh no… he couldn't mean…
"It's quite simple, actually," the man responded, "I'm going to replace my own eyes with Toshiro's Kiseigan eyes. That way, I will possess the famous Isami clan's kekkei genkai! The Kiseigan, along with my own unique talents, will give me just the amount of power I need to take over the world!"
It's just as I feared…
"Tell me," I said to him, "Why exactly do you need the Isami clan's Kiseigan? And why Toshiro? Are you really that much of a coward to prey on a child?"
"I've done my research, Kaeda," the man smirked, "Toshiro, although currently the youngest ninja of the Isami clan, possesses the purest Kiseigan of his entire clan. The kekkei genkai runs stronger through his veins than even the head of the clan himself. It seems only natural that, if I am to steal the Kiseigan for myself, I should extract it from the purest source."
Who is this guy? I thought to myself, and how does he know so much about Toshiro?
"So why the Kiseigan?" I repeated, "What does the Isami clan's kekkei genkai have to do with your twisted fantasies?"
"I imagine that you know all about the Kiseigan," he said, "A chakra absorption kekkei genkai that allows the user unlimited amounts of chakra." The man's eyes seemed to twitch with excitement as he spoke of it, "Once I have the Kiseigan for myself, I will have access to all the chakra that I could ever need!"
"But there are restrictions to the Kiseigan's uses," I argued, "You can't just create all the chakra that you want! Don't you think one of the Isami clan would have already tried something like that by now, if it were possible?"
"Ah, but that's the beauty of my plan," Koji interjected. He reached toward Toshiro, grasped his jacket, and tore the fabric from the boy's body. He then pulled Toshiro's fishnet shirt upward, and, as he did so, my jaw dropped. The boy's entire back was covered in a series of kanji symbols and intricate designs of blue and neon green intertwined between them. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and it puzzled me.
"This," Koji continued, tracing his fingers along the elaborate pattern, "is the Isami clan's secret sealing jutsu, the Chains of Eternity Seal. In order to prevent any member of the Isami clan from gaining unlimited power from their kekkei genkai, the Isami clan agreed to seal away the full power of the Kiseigan in each of their people. In return, the other legendary clans of Konoha, the Senju and Uchiha, agreed that the first Hokage of Konoha would come from the Isami clan."
"Hold on a minute," I interrupted him, "The first Hokage was a Senju, not an Isami."
"Yes," he agreed, "the Senju and Uchiha clans ignored their half of the deal, and took over the title of Hokage before the Isami could appoint their leader. The Isami, of course, were furious with them. They had already sealed away their kekkei genkai, and had only a fraction of the strength that they had possessed before, meaning that they were now powerless against the Senju and the Uchiha. In short, the allied clans, who only wanted to secure the rule over Konoha for themselves, had tricked them.
"Unfortunately for the Isami clan, the Chains of Eternity Seal passes from mother to child during childbirth, and there is no known way to reverse the seal. The Isami, therefore, are forever incapable of using their full power. The closer that any Isami gets to the seal's limit while using their Kiseigan, the more painful each successive absorption technique becomes."
Koji concealed the seal with Toshiro's fishnet shirt, and he then lifted himself to his feet. With an evil smirk, he continued, "Fortunately for me, I am not an Isami."
"What do you mean?" Nikko snapped.
"Meaning," Koji narrowed his eyes at the blonde boy, "that once the extraction is complete, I will be able to use the full power of the Kiseigan without the constraint of the seal!"
Gripping the hilt of my sword, I lowered myself into a sturdy front stance. "You know, we're not going to make this very easy for you," I told him in a low voice. I drew my blade, the metal slicing loudly against the sheath. As I held my sword in both hands, I began flowing wind chakra into the blade, excited to use my special sword techniques once again.
"And I hope you know," Koji grinned, "that I'm not going this very easy for you, either."
And with that said, the man disappeared into thin air.
Shit.