Chapter 7: Sealing ritual

Terrible black eyes, hands, gaping mouths and snake tongues swirling in the dark waters. Izumi cries and breaks free, but they grab her dress and stick to her legs like tar, she tries to run, but sand falls from under her feet.

'Come to me… break the chains and set yourself free, you don't need them, they'll be your demise, come to me.' A screeching voice pierces her ears.

The girl screams, covering her eyes with her hands, and at that moment, whatever was holding her lets go. Her foot feels the firm ground, one step, then another. She's still afraid to open his eyes, so she bends down and gropes the next stone steps up, the other hand covering her eyes all the time.

'I'm not afraid…! Mom!'

A woman's hand, shining with a blinding light, stretches out towards her, illuminating the way. A red ribbon fits neatly around her wrist. The girl reaches out both hands and lunges forward to catch it.

She speeds up, climbing the slippery but now stable stairs, suddenly stumbles and wakes up with a violent shock, seeing around only her room flooded with moonlight.

x

Hitomi was dying slowly. The members of the clan had been nervously preparing for the ceremony for several days, all the women fully engaged. Each of them played a role in the ritual because there were only a few of them left, every bit of chakra was crucial for the ceremony to have a chance to be successful. Izumi was treated like a goddess, everyone treated her with anointing, which amused the girl, sometimes leading her to test the limits. These occasions were always guarded by Akira, who scolded her younger sister for her misbehaviour and grounded her appropriately. Midori was very careful that, despite the unique role that Izumi got, the girl always remembered their core values such as humility, patience and self-discipline.

Izumi obeyed, but she hated sitting still and would run away playing with animals or chasing around the moths in the forest at every possible moment. She was bored with horribly long scrolls filled with school knowledge or shinobi guidelines and rules. However, she loved following Hitomi as she walked around and listened to her interesting stories about Huranaishi and Chomei. She also loved Midori's stories, who also had a talent for storytelling.

Little Moth, because that's what everyone called Izumi, would find the best outlet for her energy in a dynamic dance and during taijutsu training with Akira and her mother.

The girl was delighted with Midori's wakizashi, which she had promised her as a gift when she grew up. It motivated her to polish her skills. When she was exhausted from her daily dance, singing, and study exercises, she could hardly resist taking her mother's swords for a dance practice every time Midori would return home. Motes of dried blood hid in the nooks and crannies of the beautiful wakizashi. Izumi would trail them with her fingers with fascination and trembling hands.

X

That day, Akira helped the girl get dressed in a ritual tunic.

'But I don't want Nee-chan…I don't want to go there! I don't want to say goodbye to Hitomi, can't she tell me one more story? Please!' The girl was crying while Akira was pinning her long black her in a tight bob.

'Darling… you remember every step, we've practised it many times, it's time.' Akira stroked her hair, gently pinning the ribbons. 'In fact, no one is ever ready for that.' She looked into her sister's eyes in the mirror, embracing her shoulders. Izumi bit her lip and a small fist wiped the tears from her cheeks. 'Remember that a part of Hitomi will live in you from now on. Who knows, you might even become friends with him if you fancy!'

X

Weak priestesses, panting heavily, fall to their knees to brace themselves, their breaths ragged and rapid, chakra exhausted. The ritual is over, Hitomi's body lies motionless on the centrepiece of the altar, while Izumi floats on a red sheet of blood in the ritual pool. The older priestesses on the periphery of the circle continue to play the rhythmic and loud ritual melodies, drowning out the groans of the increasingly exhausted women. Midori was the only one who did not participate in the ritual, having permission to do so as the mother of the new jinchuriki. Akira also stood aside and waited for her mother's instructions.

Midori was grateful for the compulsion to wear the ritual mask, which at that moment hid all signs of nervousness and fear on her face. Her heart was beating fast, adrenaline was pouring slowly through her body. She knew this was the moment. She's been through it hundreds of times with her daughters, everything will be fine, this is a perfect time. It won't be long until they run away together and break free from the shackles of a self-destructive cult.

Young Akira stood by the pool, holding ritual artefacts close to her sister. Folding the sealing scroll aside, she placed her hands on Izumi's tiny shoulders as she lay unconscious in the pool with her eyes closed. Little Moth was covered all over with red goo, having undergone a bloody ritual, the baptism of blood. Her wrists were covered with black moth marks, joined now with additional jinchuriki seal marks.

Midori slowly backed away to stand in the shadows, following the other members with her eyes, but they were still focused entirely on the centre of the chamber. Her hands rested on the wakizashi, and with her thumbs, very slowly, she began to pull the swords out of the sheath.

WAKE UP

A strong energy impulse pierced Izumi like lightning, breaking her out of a trance. She heard those words again, but the tone of the voice sounded less insidious and more mobilizing as if its owner wanted to help the girl, to motivate her to action, which was necessary at that moment. The time is now.

Akira looked up at her mother and nodded her chin, at the same time pulling her younger sister out of the pool. Everything happened so swiftly. Midori, taking advantage of the moment that the other members of Nanusake would be depleted of energy, slaughtered the women, one by one, as she ran through the upper levels of the oval ritual chamber. The chants were immediately interrupted by cries of bewildered priestesses, who were too weak to react in time. Izumi was awakened by the Moth, but still confused, she stumbled when her older sister towards the exit. This moment was enough for one of the priestesses who stood closest to them to leap forward and shove the girls aside.

Akira suddenly lost touch with reality. She fell to her knees, fear completely paralyzing her movements. She had no idea what was going on or how long she was numbed. How much time had passed… her disorientation was overwhelming.

'Akira, take Izumi away! run!' Midori screamed, choking on blood, shaking her older daughter out of her state. Behind the horrifying sight of her mother pierced by a sword laid the body of the woman who tried to stop the girls moments ago.

All the verve and energy with which Akira had been moving before evaporated in one breath, replaced by suffocating fear and despair pressing down her throat. Her little sister's squeal snapped her out of her stupor.

'Nee-chan!' Izumi tugged at her sleeve, cradling her mother's two swords to her chest, short wakizashi that looked comically huge held by that tiny girl.

The flames quickly consumed the walls of the temple, the smoke spreading, suffocating the dying Nanusake, including the girls who ran for their lives now. Akira could swear she heard demonic laughter and howls bouncing off the walls of this terrifying place despite all the members lying spiritless on the bloody floor. She grabbed her younger sister's hand and let herself be dragged towards the exit. Concerned villagers began to come to the Nanusake settlement, the girls did not have time to think. They ran towards the forest as fast as they could go. There could be no shelter here. The sisters, if they fell into the hands of the settlers, would either be executed or orphaned, ultimately losing their freedom in an even more painful way than they had been locked up in Nanusake.

The news that the 7-Tails had escaped from the port village spread slowly through the country. Therefore, the hunt has begun. The sisters had to reach Konoha as soon as possible to be granted asylum there and to have both demons declared in their possession.