?¬ワ ? ~ Chapter Twenty-five — Mind's Shadows ~ ?¬ワ ?
Hinata had never felt so much pain in her life. Her biggest wish at that moment was to go back to sleep. With the agony of every broken bone, cut, and laceration, it was the most impossible thing in the world. Kusari truly did a number on her; with the adrenaline of the battle, she didn't even notice half of her injuries. What was lucky was that her legs were mostly untouched. She could still dance and move herself the way she wanted. Her breath of relief was met by a torturous cry from her ribs. It made her hiss audibly.
"Keep your breathing shallow, Hinata."
That voice… it was Miya-sensei. Usually, it would've been calming; it still was. But it was also nerve-wracking. She had just lied to her, utterly betraying her trust. Hinata's mind joined her body in torment. Her eyes were still closed; she couldn't bear to look at Miya-sensei. Seeing her face would make her feel even worse. Well, a disappointed glare was her usual. But… from her.
She forced her eyes open to look at her sensei. Moving her neck was torture. Amber eyes shrouded by the brown of her skin. Glints of Adamantine sparkled like distant stars. Her sensei's eyes were always beautiful. What was interesting was that she barely saw any disappointment. It was all worry. Hinata looked down at the white sheets blanketing her body. Her own blood bled through. She didn't even want to imagine what her jacket looked like. It would be stained permanently…
There were so many thoughts whirling in her mind. She worried Miya-sensei—she disappointed Miya-sensei. Father would be disappointed as well. Her injuries would barely allow her to train. Her mind and body danced with pain and it cracked the pale lavender of Hinata's eyes.
One thing at a time.
"I'm… sorry…" she whimpered, looking toward Miya. Just speaking made her entire chest burn. The woman's face fell with a pain of her own. "I…"
"Don't force yourself to speak. Try to rest."
"No…" she managed to argue. Every fiber of her being urged to get out of the bed and bow in apology. She couldn't she couldn't—yes she could. The Mark… something told her to use the Mark. A gut feeling backed by thousands of years of wisdom. Freely, the angel's wings spread across her face.
Miya's beautiful eyes widened with alarm. "Hinata?! What are you—"
She was cut off by a gasp. It was clean, it still hurt, but she could breathe. The Mark didn't feel cursed, no—it was like a warm blanket. Nostalgia danced with a smile, just like she did long ago with her mother. Each wing was a smiling face, a hopeful soul, a happy expression, what she saw so many times… so long ago. This Mark was no Curse… it was a blessing. Instinct curled her lips into a temporary smile.
Hinata was still injured, there was no doubt. But she could at least function. With a sigh, she looked toward her sensei. "I'm sorry," she said, straight and composed, in control, just how it should've been. "I know I disappointed you, with my lie, with my loss." Her smile fell, the blessing kept her afloat. "Things didn't go exactly as I planned, not at all. But, I was lucky. With what happened here… I can see things ending up better than I planned."
"I…" began Miya, at a loss for words. She shook her head with a sigh. "Shino told me everything that happened. Your agreement, your lie." The last word cracked off her tongue like a whip. Usually, Hinata would've flinched. "I am disappointed and hurt that you didn't trust that I would listen to you."
That made Hinata wince. Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry…"
"I'm not disappointed that you lost. You fought your best, and I'm proud of you for that," Miya continued. Hinata's smile returned, even if just a bit. "Please don't hide things or lie to me again. I would've trusted you to handle yourself. You're strong."
"Would you have sealed the mark?" asked Hinata, intensifying her gaze on Miya. "Would you have let me use it?"
Miya paused, starry eyes narrowing in contemplation. "No…"
"I see," was Hinata's response. She let out a sigh, reveling in the lack of pain. "This Mark began as a curse… but it has been turned into a blessing." Hinata flared the chakra, a white whirl of chakra blew like a gentle ocean breeze. "You can feel it; it's peaceful." It's Bontena… "With this, I can become what I once was." Her voice cracked, not from sadness… but the rising storm of emotions was undeniable.
"What color are my eyes, Miya-sensei?"
"...They're white, Hinata."
The girl hadn't smiled so widely in years. She laughed; it was choked up like a sob. Her eyes remained dry, however. Hinata's previously limp arm drifted up from her side to hold where the Blessed Mark on her neck lay. She could still feel the burn of torn skin.
"Please don't seal it away. I understand that things could have happened differently, and I'm so so sorry that I disappointed you—and I won't lie to you again. I hated doing it, I promise I won't—" Hinata stumbled over her own words. She played it off with another laugh.
Miya looked on with concern and contemplation. "Are you okay?"
"I've never been better," she answered breathily, truthfully. "It's all because of this Mark. Without it, I'd feel just as bad as I did when my mother died."
That made Miya frown. "It's a Curse Mark, Hinata. Don't rely on it, it's dangerous."
"No… I know you can feel it!" Hinata's—Bontena's—chakra flared in a typhoon of adoration. White chakra visible to the naked eye. "Feel it… does this feel like a curse? Something happened, it took Orochimaru out of the mark. I've never felt more like myself. It's… beautiful, Miya-sensei."
Miya went silent to feel the windy chakra of Hinata's Mark. Her eyes drooped from the feeling of peace that surely enveloped her. Hinata's smile grew. "See!"
"I do…" she admitted with a sigh. Miya leaned forward over Hinata, forcing a small smile. "I'm so happy that this ended up well… but at the same time, it could've ended up in the complete opposite direction. This could've ended badly, terribly, even. There are many possibilities that end with you dead. Please never do something so reckless ever again. Promise me."
Hinata took her hand off her neck and stuck out her little finger. "I promise."
Miya locked her little finger with Hinata's, looking on with an assuring smile. "Good."
"Very good…" she agreed. Hinata allowed her blessing to recede into its white seal. Immediately, the weight of melancholy hit her like a hammer. As if every negative emotion was pounded onto her all at once. Miya noticed the drop in her expression.
"Are you alright?"
"Are… my eyes still white?"
"No…"
Hinata frowned. "I need to rest."
"Alright," said Miya before unlocking her little finger and standing tall. After she turned her back, she looked toward Hinata. "You deserve the world. Don't you ever forget that."
All Hinata could do was force a smile.
—⊱✿⊰—
Kusari's body felt weird. She was somehow becoming aware of every bone in her body. It was a disturbing feeling. Well, disturbed could be used to describe how she was feeling, more accurately, terrified. She lost herself entirely. Most of that fight was a blur. It was as if she was fighting on autopilot, as if she was a passenger in her own body. To find out who the driver was… it was obvious. It was Shivua. It was Shivua, and yet every action she took was distinctively hers.
The only distinct thing she remembered was the rage. That word, 'rage' didn't do the feeling justice. Irate, furious, wrathful, none of them strong enough to describe the power of that emotion. If she had killed the heiress, then everything would have fallen apart. Hell, she could have been dead. At the end of that fight, Hinata was on death's door all thanks to her. Everything could be falling apart and she'd be none the wiser.
As Kusari opened her eyes, she saw that Neji wasn't there. She was all alone. Had he abandoned her, branding her a disgrace for what she's done? Was her home no longer hers? There was no more anger, only fear. Only fear as she questioned what she became. Was she destined to be a monster, a destroyer? Like Shiroida, who enslaved the Hyuuga and eradicated an entire clan from history. Like the Main Branch, who forced her own father to give his life for their sake. Like Shivua?!
Well, maybe she was. Her very birth was what took her mother out of this world. Was this world truly better off without her here? Should she do this world a favor and just die?
Or… was she what this world needed? A being of wrath to set everything and everyone straight. Living vengeance, casting justice and retribution to all that caught her ire. All who dared so slight the world she called home would pay dearly.
Both were equally viable in her head.
She just didn't know what to choose.
The door opened slowly. Kusari sat up and turned her head toward the door. Her arms still ached… her chakra system was in tatters. Damned heiress…
"Oh, you're awake!" Shinrai exclaimed with a face splitting grin.
She let out a sigh. "I don't know who else I was expecting…"
"You're fighting Sasuke in the finals, by the way," he made sure to say before taking a seat on a chair by the bed. Each step he took was like a bouncing ball.
Kusari furrowed her brow. "Sasuke, hm? What is this, the third time?"
"Make sure to win this time," he said with a whistle. Shinrai's energy was like a thousand drunk rabbits and it nearly overwhelmed her.
"You seem… excited."
"I AM!"
She was taken aback by the surge of emotion. Shinrai barely gathered himself. "You're just so cool! I loved your match. My favorite easily. You used the punches I taught you! You really beat that girl's ass—a taste for the future. You kinda freaked me out when you grabbed your own bone… but like YOU WERE SO COOL! It was kinda hot too… but that's besides the point.
"I'm so fucking proud of you, dude. You're like, you're like, the perfect little violent pretty blood craving terrifying mistress that is just so cool! You finally took my advice, embraced the monster inside of you. And look how strong you are now! Might have to turn the demon twins into the demon trio if you keep it up. If you get kicked out of the Hyuuga Clan, then I'll be sure to make you an honorary Uzumaki for sure! You have the body to back it up too! You can take a hit and punch really hard. So, like…"
He finally stopped his rant to breathe. "You're just really cool and I'm really proud of you."
Kusari just stopped to take in his ramble. All of his words… She couldn't help but laugh. Kusari laughed and laughed and shook her head. That only made Shinrai's grin grow. She wiped a comedic tear from her eye and looked at him. "You're such a fool…"
"Hey! That's my job!" he responded with an idiotic smile. "Also, your hair. It got whiter."
Still recovering from her laughter, she raised her brow. "What?"
"First it was like, a little streak. Now it's like… a bigger streak."
"Is that so…?" she asked with a giggle. It must be a sign of Shivua's influence… With a final sigh, Kusari gathered herself. Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard.
"Yeah! I think it looks really good. Like the rest of you!"
"What is with you?" she asked with another laugh.
"You! You got me really like hyped for existing. You're the best." His head rocked from side to side like an excited schoolgirl.
Kusari tilted her head bemusedly. "An attempted murder got you excited…?"
"I've fought grown men since I was five, I've done plenty of those before!" he said, cheerful as ever. "So, seeing somebody I care about do the same thing has me really happy."
"I don't think I'll ever understand you," muttered Kusari, shaking her head.
Shinrai shook his head as well, as a denial of her statement. A sly smirk cut up his grin. "No… I think you do. It's like… instinct binds us together. It's 'fate,' as you usually say."
"Maybe…" she considered.
"Can I hug you?"
"Uhm—" she spattered. "Sure…?"
In a flash, Shinrai squeezed every ounce of life she had left out of her. It didn't hurt… most of the damage she sustained was to her chakra network. It felt different from the two previous times they shared a hug. First time, she was on the verge of a panic attack; it was calming. Second time, she wanted to calm him; she didn't know how well it worked, it seemed to have made Shinrai happy. Third time—this time, it wasn't about comfort. It was… just a show of affection, a phenomenon she saw between him and Naruto on multiple occasions. It was quite nice to experience.
However, it lasted longer than her comfort would allow. "That's… enough…"
He unwrapped her and let out the giddy giggle of a child. "Have I told you how amazing you are?"
"Many times in this conversation."
"Great! It doesn't feel like enough compared to how much I'm feeling that right now," he admitted with a huff. As Shinrai went silent to concoct more flattery, she finally remembered how dangerous her situation was. The red-headed fool in front of her took her mind entirely off of it. She felt… better. It made her chuckle.
"Where's Neji?"
"Oh," he sputtered, before wincing. "Yeah… he's kinda mad. Everyone is, actually—"
There it is… Kusari's smile faded entirely. "That's why he isn't here…"
"Yeah, it sucks to have a sibling mad at you," he said before sitting back in his chair. "You can stay with me and Naruto again! Naruto is more… scared of you than mad."
"Is that really much better?"
"Not really, but I'm here! And after a single conversation, he'll remember that you're an angel just as much as you are a demon!"
Kusari shrugged. "I suppose. I would rather face Neji than run away. He will not force me out of my own home."
"But what if the Main Branch gets mad?"
Silence gripped Kusari's throat. "I… suppose staying with you would be the safer option…"
"Yeahh—we can't have another assassination attempt, nope, not at all!"
"That is true…" Kusari let out a sigh, clenching her fist. Those Main Branch bastards… I hate that I have to keep running from them.
Shinrai let out a sigh along side her. "Want me to heal you? So we can get out of here faster. We're still in the tower… in the Forest of Death…"
"Well, isn't that a joy?" she muttered. "Heal me, please."
Three clones of Shinrai popped into existence, which resulted in four surrounding her hospital bed, two on each side. All eight palms shimmered with the medical green of the Mystic Palm. The scarlet of his Sharingan came to life as well.
"Spar with me during the month of training, since I'll be fighting Sasuke. The experience of fighting a Sharingan will help greatly for my odds," she reasoned.
He smiled at her. "Of course, of course!"
"Thank you… for everything. I believe that you're amazing in your own right, Shinrai. Including all of your… extra traits."
He paused for a second, then he chuckled. "I try my best."
—⊱✿⊰—
He really did try his best. Every part of him wished that he succeeded… there was little way to know for certain. After Shinrai healed Kusari, she ended up going off somewhere. She needed to clear her head, respectable. Naruto just said that he needed to go train and buzzed off somewhere. Ms. Miya was staying with Hinata and Kiba.
So, it was just him.
Him, Shinrai, and Yora.
Thoughts of Baiko, barely a flash of true happiness in his world. He was two when he was taken. He was rescued from Orochimaru when he was four.
Two years of torture… because he was so young, it felt like it was half of his life—six years of torture… facts over feelings, but fuck, those feelings were strong. He tried to keep telling himself that it was two years, but no matter how hard he tried, it never felt like that.
It was all so vivid.
He could remember almost every place where he was cut. Open surgery… he was conscious for most of it. No pain killers either. There were many times where he was close to death but he was just brought back.
What was worse, what was so much worse…
Baiko was still there.
He'd been there for over ten years.
Compared to Baiko, he was lucky—he had it good.
That fact made Shinrai sick—he could feel the bile rise in his throat.
Yora… if she was alive, then she could help him, slow the beating of his heart.
Ever since she died, he couldn't bear being alone. Fear crept, digging its claws into his soul. Everything was just cold. His hitched breaths felt glacial in his lungs, the beat of his heart was churning ice through his veins. He felt like he was about to cry.
He hadn't been this alone in months. He always managed to bother somebody. Even Gosei was better than this. Actually, it was quite fun arguing and training with him. It wasn't this. It wasn't the constant thoughts of those few days on loop. They passed months ago, but he remembered every moment like it was the moment just before.
Yora and her scarlet eyes. How he'd never see them alive again—he saw them dead every time he activated his Sharingan. There wasn't a day where he longed to feel his hand in hers again, the warming glow of her Mystic Palm. Not a moment passed where he wished to feel the kiss he never got, the love he never got to feel.
Well, a kiss.
Karin…
Maybe she was somewhere? Just thinking about the feeling of her lips made him feel just a bit warmer. He wasn't a sensor. Searching the entire village would be like a needle in a haystack… He started with the forest of death; it didn't take him long to see she wasn't there. So, he left, searching throughout the village, looking for her chakra with his eyes. Again, he didn't find her at all. That made the cold feel a whole lot worse—his illness intensified with freezing nausea.
There was so much whirling in his brain. Baiko, Yora, Naruto, Kusari and The Main Branch, Ka'rai and his damn-near guaranteed loss, Karin and where she was, Clowui and how he needed to hurt someone who was just like him…
His blades were dirty.
He stumbled his way into a forest and hit his back against a tree. Why he didn't go home? He didn't fucking know. He just unsheathed both of his blades, held Yora and Shinrai in his arms. With his genjutsu-veiled eyes, he looked at her.
"Yora…"
Her chakra danced, it couldn't make him smile. There were many times where he told himself that he'd never be alone if she was there, if Yora was in that blade. She was. But no part of her was, really.
Seeing her chakra only made him feel more alone. It was just a constant reminder that she was gone. All of his talks with Karin… they were never like with Yora. They didn't make him feel the same. He adored those kisses, the way she held him in place, the seductive control Karin had over him.
He loved holding Yora's hand even more.
Of course, he'd never tell Karin that.
He doubted she could feel it, either.
Maybe with time, he would grow to like Karin like he did Yora, maybe even more—maybe even love her. Even still, he could never let Yora go. As lonely as she made him. Even if it wasn't her, it still was. Not a day would go by where he wouldn't keep his promise.
From a storage seal on his wrist, a papery silk cloth appeared as well as a jar of oil, half full. He took the cloth and wiped the metal of her blade clean, again, again, again. Each rub slowed his heart just a bit.
Afterward, he dampened that cloth with oil. With one slow coating, Yora's silver steel shimmered in the light that made it through the overcast sky.
It made him smile, even if just a bit.
He did the same to Shinrai, a bit less thoroughly, but sufficient nonetheless.
He made his way home after that.
—⊱✿⊰—
So much hate, so much hate, so much hate in his Sharingan eyes. Crimson swirled with double-tomoe in the mirror. Pale skin made the eyes pop. Black hair gave them the shadow needed to glow. Sasuke stared into his own eyes, gripping the edges of his sink.
There were so many targets. He couldn't help but see Itachi in all of them. Kusari was his opponent. She was willing to murder her own clansman without a second thought. She was brutal, unforgiving, sadistic—everything that Itachi was—she was powerful as well.
Just like Itachi, she had the nerve to spare him.
Kusari fought a Curse Mark more powerful than his and won. If they fought now, he would lose. That meant he wasn't on the right track, that meant he wasn't on his way to beating Itachi. He would defeat Kusari… but he knew that he needed the Curse Mark to stand a chance.
The Curse Mark changed him. He enjoyed inflicting pain. He smiled at the thought of malice—it was nothing like him—it was like Itachi. That mark turned him into what he hated the most. Such a possibility was what he feared the most.
That Hinata, though… she managed to control it and surpass him with it. She made that mark her own. Why wouldn't he be able to do the same? If he could conquer the malice of the mark, turn its hatred into his own… He would turn the power of evil against itself and make it stronger.
That Curse would be the blade to cut down every Itachi on his path to Itachi Uchiha. After Kusari fell, he would set his eyes on the most powerful. Ka'rai Uzumaki. Shinrai didn't stand a chance, he didn't have to worry about taking him down. If it came to it, he would. He had Itachi's blood, he supported Kusari with her murder attempt. Shinrai was the most like Itachi out of all of them.
If he surpassed Shinrai, then Kusari, then Ka'rai… then he would prove himself on track. They were nothing but stepping-stones on his crusade of vengeance.
Nothing would stop him.
Not even Itachi Uchiha himself.
—⊱✿⊰—
Gosei couldn't bear to face his mother. Shame planted his gaze on the wooden floor of his home. Natsuyo was beside him, looking up toward her smile with what he assumed to smile. What made it worse was that his mother was unusually quiet, speechless, even. The silence rattled Gosei to his core; he even began to tremble. Subtly, Natsuyo slapped his hand. It calmed him just a bit.
Finally, Yosei cleared her throat. "You lost… to a Shinobi incapable of using Ninjutsu or Genjutsu…?"
"Y-yes," he said, barely above a whisper.
"Speak up," she commanded.
Gosei winced at her tone. "Yes," he affirmed, finding the bass in his voice. "I did."
"How…?" she asked, seeming genuinely baffled.
Gosei took a breath. "He was able to use the Eight Inner Gates. I wasn't expecting them. He caught me off guard. He seemed to be a student of Might Gai as well."
"Ah," she said, all questioning in her tone gone. "The full potential of the Eight Gates far surpasses even what I can output, at the cost of one's life, of course. You were a fool to underestimate him, Gosei."
"How could I not?" he managed to ask, clenching his fists.
"It's rare, but powerful Shinobi can come from anywhere. The Yondaime was a perfect example. I was young, arrogant. I put up his proficiency and matching of my reputation to luck, charisma, I used every excuse to write off how powerful he was.
"That was until I finally battled him. It was a competitive spar; neither of us managed to truly best the other. But the mere fact that he challenged me was more than enough for me to rethink how I thought of the world."
Gosei shook his head, he was the one still baffled. "I still don't get it. How could someone be so powerful when they have no blood like ours, no bloodlines or true potential…" How could I lose to someone like him?
"There is one type of Shinobi in this world you should never underestimate. A Shinobi with drive. A Shinobi who has a goal, and they will fight for it come hell or high water, until all the flesh is taken off their bones, and even then, they will take one last step.
"I thought you were somebody with drive, Gosei. The more I observe you, the more I realize that you're not. You're somebody who lets the hand of fate guide you wherever it pleases, thinking that you're the one control when you're not. You have no drive, you have a dream and you expect to fall in your lap just because of who you are. Now, look at me, Gosei."
Shakily, he looked up to meet his mother's emerald eyes. "You have no drive, and that is why Natsuyo will surpass you, that is why you failed the Chunin Exams, and that is why you will not become Hokage."
Gosei felt like a thousand fists slammed into his gut. He couldn't say anything, all he could do was feel the dropping of his stomach, the sting of tears in his eyes, the utter onslaught of shame, confusion, hurt.
Yosei let out a breath. "I am disappointed with your loss, but I will not hold it against you. However, since you're no longer participating in the Chunin Exams, Natsuyo will have my sole focus and training for the month until the finals, understood?"
After a stiff nod, he spared a glance toward his sister. Her face looked as if it was being torn in two. She was joyous from their mother's praise, yet undeniably sorry for him—she pitied him. That only made Gosei feel worse.
"You are welcome to train elsewhere, ask me for advice, or even spar with Natsuyo if it doesn't interfere. Find your drive, Gosei. When you do, that is when you'll be worth anything as a Shinobi."
The sting of tears burned in his eyes. "Yes, Mother."
Yosei gave him a nod. "Alright. Natsuyo, we will begin training today, come with me."
Natsuyo nodded herself, following behind their mother as they walked out. She made sure to give Gosei one last look before she left. He didn't have the slightest idea what it was supposed to mean. It only lasted a second before she disappeared behind the door frame.
Now that he was alone, he let the tears spill. He just… cried. That was all his mind and body would let him do. There were no sobs, no dramatic sniffles… just tears. Every part of his world was coming apart at the seams and imploding in on him.
It was… pathetic. He was pathetic.
He didn't know what to do or where to go. He wasn't mad at anybody, there was nobody to blame. It was just… nothing. Void of shame, pit of guilt, space of pity.
It was in that moment where he agreed with his mother.
Where was he going? Why did he want to be the Hokage? Did he have a reason? Truly. What was he even doing? Just Why?
His drive was truly non-existent.
How would he find it?
He didn't even know where to start.
—⊱✿⊰—
Naruto didn't think he ever ran out of a place so quickly. He had a goal, an objective, a mission. There was nothing that was going to get in his way. Not Papa Ryu, not Kakashi-sensei, not Shinrai—hell, Orochimaru could try to yank the Kyuubi right out of him and he'd still find a way to use its power.
Team 7 and even Shinrai were left in his dust. He was out of the Forest of Death in no time. Now… he needed to find him. Find Ka'rai. He looked to know a lot about Bijuu, so hopefully he would teach him a thing or two. Papa Ryu had run his patience thin as thread. Shinrai was right, he was going to find his own way to use the Kyuubi's power. If he had it, he would've won against Natsuyo. Maybe he could've stood more of a chance against Orochimaru when he attacked…
His fists clenched harder.
Better late than never.
Looking for Ka'rai was harder than he thought. It was one person in a whole village. He wasn't a sensor, so that was a dud. Maybe the Kyuubi had sensing abilities… Naruto shook his head. Well, he didn't have the Kyuubi now. He needed to focus on his own skill. The hotels were empty, he did find Kumo people there, but not Ka'rai. He decided to ask Hane about it. She said Ka'rai went with Fuu, the Nanabi Jinchuriki, to train somewhere.
Good, that meant Ka'rai was already doing Bijuu things. It only occurred to him after he left that he forgot to ask where Ka'rai was training. Naruto groaned. Ka'rai probably wasn't in any training grounds, those were for Konoha Ninja only, unless someone permitted him entry. So… it had to be on the outskirts somewhere. With fire and Bijuu chakra, it seemed smart to keep that stuff away from people.
So, Naruto climbed the Hokage monument. He could see the whole village from there, and it wouldn't have been the first time he snuck up there without getting caught. Naruto knew exactly what to look for. Blue Fire.
Of course, that was what he saw. Near the walls in the far east. Naruto smirked with a giddy giggle. He ran off the monument and eastward. Of course he wasn't caught. As he approached, drafts of wind and fiery heatwaves threatened to blow him back. Pure willpower ordered his march into the assumed sparring match.
Just as the two entered his line of sight, the trees around were scorched and toppled. Blue fires burned over the black grass. Ka'rai cackled and had his foot on Fuu's groaning and conscious body. "I'M THE STRONGEST JINCHURIKI!"
His hysterics came to a head as the fiery two-tailed cloak he had evaporated off his body. "I BEAT GAARA! I BEAT FUU! AND I CAN DEFINITELY BEAT YOU!" Ka'rai rounded on Naruto with a pointed finger.
Naruto gulped. What am I getting myself into…?
Fuu shouted out a groan. "GET YOUR NASTY ASS FOOT OFF OF ME!" she yelled, throwing Ka'rai's foot off of her and punching him right in the groin. Naruto couldn't hold back his wince as Ka'rai squealed like a rat in a mousetrap.
He collapsed to the floor with utter agony. Fuu stood, charred from their fight. She started kicking him. Hard. Over and over.
"STOP ITT!" Ka'rai cried.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP DUMBASS! WITH YOUR DUMBASS FIRE! DUMBASS BIJUU! DUMBASS HAIR! DUMBASS MAKEUP! EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU IS DUMBASS!" Each insult was accompanied by an even harder and harder stomp.
Ka'rai wailed and flinched and convulsed with every impact. "FUU! MY ARM! PLEASE—!"Snap. Ka'rai screamed, especially as Fuu stomped on the arm she just broke. Ka'rai's cries growled into a roar. "BAKUGAMI!"
Fuu was blown back by an explosion of chakra—even Naruto was knocked to his ass by being too close. What the HELL—?!
Ka'rai stood and his broken arm was ignited with bright blue fire. That same brand of fire sprouted from the ground and made chains that held Fuu down on her knees—like a prisoner. "YOU'RE STAYING LIKE THAT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!"
Fuu growled against her restraints and glared at Ka'rai. "FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU!"
Naruto's fists clenched. "BOTH OF YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN!"
"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO IT ABOUT?!" they both yelled at him. Naruto felt small, but he didn't back down.
"Use Wind Style?! Against ME?!" Fuu questioned. "YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED!"
Ka'rai cackled, roaring a plume of fire in his hand. "Oh yeah, please use Wind Style against me. Just see what happens."
Naruto crossed his fingers. Three dozen clones popped into existence. They both gave him a deadpanned look. All Ka'rai did was snap his fingers and tendrils of that bright blue fire skewered all of his clones from underground. "Try again."
Naruto felt his stomach plummet into nothingness. An internal groan made him throw his fists to the side. "Y'know what, YEAH! I AM WEAK RIGHT NOW! BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!" Naruto pointed a righteous finger at Ka'rai. "You're going to teach me how to use the Kyuubi's chakra!"
Ka'rai gasped, his previous mood doing a complete one-eighty. "YES! THAT'S GREAT!" he pointed to the floor of charred grass next to the imprisoned Fuu. "Sit down!"
"YES!" cheered Naruto, dancing over the grass to take his seat. The fire Fuu was being burned by was very hot. His skin seared from being near it. "Uh… I think you should unlight her on fire…"
"Oh no, it's helping her! It's called Jinsei Flame, it heals you. I can also do this!" Ka'rai created a chair of Jinsei Fire for him to sit in, as well as a stick and a board. Ka'rai smirked.
"That's so cool…"
"LAME!"
"Why, thank you, Naruto! You're looking to be a star pupil of Ka'rai Uzumaki's Jinchuriki School already!" said Ka'rai, ignoring Fuu entirely.
"Wooh!" cheered Naruto.
"Okay, so, before we get to the cool stuff, we have to talk about the need-to-know stuff about Bijuu." Ka'rai cleared his throats, pointing his fire stick to the board. "So, a long time ago. There was this thing called the Juubi. The Sage of Six Paths, the father of all the Bijuu, split it into the Nine Bijuu we all know today! He did it because the Juubi was a really big bitch that liked to blow shit up.
"Then, uh… oh—yeah, the Sage of Six Paths gave all of the Bijuu a job, a domain, to watch over. And in their domain, they're at their most powerful! Shukaku's domain is the earth. Nibi's domain is death. Sanbi's domain is water and liquid. Son Goku's domain is natural energy. Gobi's domain is knowledge. Rokubi's domain is decomposition. Nanabi's domain is the sky." Ka'rai pointed up for Fuu to look. "Hachibi's domain is strength. Kyuubi's domain is… Chaos and Order."
Chaos and Order… "Huh? What does that mean?"
"I don't fucking know!" beamed Ka'rai. "Go ask Kyuubi himself, he should tell you all about it."
Naruto huffed. "How do I do that?"
"Go into your mind!"
"What?!"
"Did the other Jinchuriki teach you anything?!"
"No! That's why I'm here."
Ka'rai frowned. "Fair enough…"
"Heh, my domain is simple," Fuu snickered. "You said I have to go up and… fix it?"
"Yeah, my trip to hell messed things up," mumbled Ka'rai.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Your what?!"
"Eh, don't worry about it! That's Nibi's domain, not yours." He cleared his throat. "So yeah, for hundreds of years, thousands? Well, for a really long time, the Bijuu kept the world intact. Everything changed with humans attacked. They started capturing the Bijuu, and because of that, the world went to shit!
"That's why the Bijuu hate humanity so much and try to kill us whenever they get the chance. We ruined the world they love so much, we fill it up with hatred, war, and sadness and it just makes everything worse. That's why, I believe that if we really try, humanity and the Bijuu can live together and make a really really strong world!"
"Wow…" muttered Naruto, taking in the knowledge. "This is all true?"
"Very!" affirmed Ka'rai. "And if you don't believe me, let's go talk to Kyuubi and Nibi and hear it from them yourself!"
Naruto nodded. "Let's do it!"
Ka'rai let out a breath. He stood and his teaching stand of Jinsei Flame evaporated. "Fuu, you're going to have to sit there patiently until we're done talking to Kyuubi."
"AT LEAST LET ME GO!" she yelled, fighting against her Jinsei Fire constraints.
Ka'rai hummed in pondering. "Nah." She yelled profanities at him, but both of them ignored her. "Stand up," he commanded Naruto, sticking out his fist. A feline smirk curled his lips. "Let us meet Kyuubi."
Naruto gulped, standing up. Ka'rai was a lot taller than him. With a bit of hesitation, he bumped Ka'rai's fist. Everything went black.
Just as fast, a blinding light and a deafening roar overwhelmed Naruto's senses. Everything in and out of him shuddered and Naruto collapsed to the floor. His hands and knees were soaked. The light died down and he saw his own reflection in the water.
In that same reflection, red eyes loomed over him like twin blood moons. Chaotic flashes of pain overtook Naruto—he even heard Ka'rai cry out in pain. Growls of hatred incarnate rippled the shallow water.
"Calm yourself, Kyuubi," said the voice of a goddess—a deity of death. Terrified chills matched the agony Naruto found himself in. Just like he did in the arena, he saw himself die—violent and torturous ways, all at the hands of a Nine-tailed Fox.
The roar of fire overtook the shallow water. Everything around Naruto boiled and he couldn't help but scream. A deafening roar blew the cobalt flames into hot air.
"Nibi…" Silence followed. Kyuubi laughed. The sound of titanic claws on metal scratched with an ear-pierced screech. "You have yourself trapped in an Uzumaki too! You must be itching to kill him every second of every waking moment, aren't you!" Metal rattled as something enormous slammed into it. "Let me scratch that itch for you, please."
"Don't you dare kill my Jinchuriki," spat Nibi.
A fox's fist pounded the metal—disappointed. "BAH! You were never any fun…" growled the Bijuu, almost like a pout.
"Now, calm your presence. Our Jinchuriki wish to converse," ordered Nibi, her tone stern.
Kyuubi scoffed. "You care?!" Kyuubi cackled; slowly but surely, Naruto found himself able to breathe once again. "You really went insane rotting in those Jinchuriki!"
"You're not one to talk."
"TRY GETTING SPLIT IN HALF! IT DOES WONDERS FOR YOUR SANITY!"
"So it seems…" muttered Nibi.
Naruto's heart still raced as he got up to his feet. He made eye contact with Ka'rai, they both chuckled nervously. "Welcome to Bijuu!"
"I wanna go back," wished Naruto, looking up past Ka'rai. In a golden cage, a being of cobalt fire sat like a sphinx. She was calm, heterochromatic eyes of yellow and green stared down at him with indifference. Even despite the heat of her flames, he couldn't help but shiver at the sight of her. "H-hi… Nibi."
"Hello, Naruto Uzumaki," she responded.
Another bang against metal nearly knocked Naruto off his feet. "GREET THE BIJUU THAT'S INSIDE OF YOU FIRST FOOL!"
With trembling fear, he looked back. A fox with spearlike fangs grinned with a glare of malice incarnate. Red slitted eyes the color of blood he wished to spill. Fur orange and sporadic like the fires he fantasized of starting. Nine tails wild and waving like the hurricanes he brought with his presence. Each claw and tooth sharper than an entire armory.
"H-hey… K-kyuubi."
He seemed pleased as his teeth were bared. "So… what did you want to see me for, Naruto?"
"Your help!"
Kyuubi laughed harder than he ever did before. He headbutt the cage, scratching his teeth against the metal. "WHY WOULD I HELP YOU?!"
"I've found it useful," interjected Nibi. "Through Ka'rai, I've been able to maintain my domain… in the area surrounding Kumo, at least."
"Why would I care about my domain?! Let this pathetic world fall apart so humanity can die and then we'll be free. We can just fix it afterward," growled Kyuubi.
Ka'rai cleared his throat. "Well, Kyuubi, uh…" He stumbled over his words as Kyuubi set his sights on him. "Nibi and I, we're working together. I'm sure you know, but humans are very dumb. But, we also can be very strong! So, I think that if you Bijuu teach humans to be smart, then the world would be even better than it would be if all of us were to die."
"You overestimate how much you matter to us! I've lived for thousands of years, hundreds of human lifetimes, and none of them have mattered! None of them made a lick of a difference," he snarled.
"What about all the Shinobi that defeated and controlled Bijuu?" asked Naruto. "From what I've heard, all the Bijuu were bitches compared to Madara and the Shodai…"
Both Bijuu in the mindscape snarled at Naruto. Kyuubi, however, laughed afterward. "You have some nerve, you brat."
Naruto's fist clenched. The dark sewer of his mindscape churned with orange light. "Y'know what, yeah! I DO!"
"Naruto, what are you doing—?" began Ka'rai visibly worried.
Naruto didn't care. He marched up to Kyuubi's cage. "I'm going to be the Hokage one day. Some idiot named Gosei does too. He wants to be stronger than the Shodai, and I need to be stronger than him. So, that means I'm going to be stronger than the Shodai one day! You better get used to listening to me sooner or later, Kyuubi.
"I don't care if you're the big bad fox that blew my village down. I'm made of bricks so you can't do shit to me! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm real tired of you living in my body rent-free. I'm the landlord of my body and you gotta start paying up!"
Naruto stepped closer to the cage and put his fist to the metal. "We're going to have some sort of working relationship here. Got it?!"
Kyuubi cackled and slammed his snout through the bars best he could. The force of his breath blew Naruto back first into the water. "YOU'VE IMPRESSED ME!"
"The hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"The last person to speak to me like that was that bastard Madara Uchiha. And you're not even a fraction of the Shinobi he was! With guts like that, then you just might be able to live up to your words." Kyuubi growled through the bars. "Especially considering your father…
"I'll give you my chakra! Call upon it whenever you want. I'll pump you full. It's up to you to stop me from taking over your body and doing what I want."
Naruto managed to laugh. "You got a deal, Kyuubi!"
"Now get out of my sight!" In a violent flash of red, Kyuubi's cage disappeared and Naruto was left in the golden void of Ka'rai's mind.
Ka'rai let out a breath. "You have no idea how much you fucking terrified me."
"Whaaat?" asked Naruto, sweating buckets, shaking, and laughing nervously. "That wasn't scary at all."
Ka'rai sputtered out unintelligible sounds. "Okay… at least that was… semi-successful? You guys are working together, right?"
Naruto shrugged. Nibi let out a sigh. "It seems you've inherited the chaotic half of Kyuubi. His domain being the very concepts of Yin and Yang itself leads to Kyuubi having very distinct halves. Even when he was whole. Some days he was calm, collected, cunning. Other days he was… this."
"Cool… I think?" Naruto shook his head. "I still don't get this whole domain thing."
"In short," began Nibi. "Kyuubi's job is to keep the world balanced. Think of him as a warden, to watch over everything, a guardian and keeper of all that is and is not."
"So, he's like… your boss?" asked Naruto.
Nibi huffed. "That's one way to word it."
Naruto let out a hefty laugh, pointing at Ka'rai. "That means I'm your boss Ka'rai!"
"Don't make me beat your ass."
"Hey! I have Kyuubi Chakra now! I won't be a pushover anymore!"
"Uh huh… good luck controlling it," muttered Ka'rai.
Naruto crossed his arms with a huff. "It shouldn't be that hard!"
"Oh, let's go and find out then," declared Ka'rai, looking back at his Bijuu. "Say goodbye to Nibi!"
"Bye, Nibi! It was nice meeting you! Well, again… it was nice talking to you! And uh, thanks for helping me a bit here!" Naruto yammered with a giddy grin.
She paused and her coat of cobalt tensed. "You're welcome… Goodbye."
In a golden flash everything was black again. It was just as quick when he and Ka'rai appeared back in the real world, their fists touching.
"YOU GUYS TOOK FOREVER!" yelled Fuu. "I'm starting to cramp! Please let me go Ka'rai! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"
He sighed before allowing her Jinsei restraints to drop off of her. She groaned and dropped to the burned grass. "So much better…"
Why is she so weird? questioned Naruto, he shook his head only to see Ka'rai looking at him expectedly.
Ka'rai's smirk was sly, his excited giggles childish. "Kyuubi."
"Well, here goes nothing…" muttered Naruto before putting his hands into the Ram Seal. With a grunt, he summoned the chakra. Immediately a burst of crimson chakra blew the charred grass into ash. Fuu jumped up onto the trunk of a collapsed tree.
Pained grunts and searing skin sounded as bubbling chakra boiled from his pores. Crimson-slitted eyes glowed with claws and fangs extending. Naruto growled, one chakra tail protruded from Kyuubi's cloak—he could just barely hold back a second.
"Fuu! On guard, we might have to fight here!" yelled Ka'rai as he sprouted two cobalt chakra tails. With narrowed sunset eyes, an insectile tail grew from her back and two wings did the same on either side of it. A gray exoskeleton grew over her arms, she crossed them to block the pulsing force of Naruto's chakra.
Naruto roared, his cloak overflowed with chakra. It was as if he felt Kyuubi breathing down his neck, his claws digging into his skin, the growling rumble of his chuckle rattling his brain. Was Papa Ryu right? Was he not ready?! No… no—no! Naruto let out an empowering shout. The chakra cloak was blown off of him, all that was left was Kyuubi's features.
Each breath rattled him, but already he could feel it. The power… what he'd been craving. Naruto laughed, he could see better, the smell of burned grass was almost tenfold in strength. Everything about him was magnified. Naruto laughed harder. "I DID IT!"
"YOU DID!" cheered on Ka'rai, his chakra cloak evaporating. "Just keep practicing and you'll be where we are in no time."
"Aw," pouted Fuu, the insectile features of her body dropping to the floor to be decomposed. "I wanted to beat up Naruto."
"Well, you still can," offered Ka'rai.
Naruto's stomach dropped. "Nono, wait! Let me try to do the tail thing again. I was close, I swear!"
Ka'rai's two tails returned. "Okay the ass whooping can wait!"
"Or it might come sooner!" exclaimed Fuu, returning to her three-tailed state.
Naruto slammed his hands into the Ram Seal again, straining as that same bubbling chakra returned—Ash and dust kicked up. All three Jinchuriki looked at the fourth Jinchuriki that just entered.
Ryujin stood above the three, glaring. "What the hell—?!"
With his focus broken, Kyuubi's chakra flared—he barely managed to push it back down to the tailless state. "What are you doing here?!" yelled Naruto, irritation palpable in his tone.
"I sensed the Kyuubi's chakra activating," he looked to Ka'rai and Fuu, both in their Jinchuriki forms. Fuu stayed on guard, her overcast exoskeleton hardening. Ka'rai stayed in his cloak but seemed excited.
"So, you're the other one!" he declared with a pointed finger. "Nibi wants to talk to both Kyuubis."
"Naruto, you allowed the Kyuubi to converse with other Bijuu?!" Ryujin asked with outrage.
Naruto's crimson eyes narrowed with defiance. "I did."
Ryujin rounded on Ka'rai. "Get away from here."
"No," he sputtered with a laugh. "I need to make sure my fellow Jinchuriki are Jinchuriki-ing the right way. Are you? I mean, I assume you can use Kyuubi chakra, Nibi says you reek of it. Do you know about domains and stuff?"
"I know enough to know that both you and that girl are powerless in your current situation. Do not make me resort to violence," Ryujin ordered with a sneer.
Naruto's fists clenched—crimson chakra spewed like a geyser. "No, Ryu, you're the one that needs to leave!"
His eyes sharpened, almost hurt, if even for a fraction of a second. "These two are threats, Naruto, foreign Jinchuriki that mingle with those beasts."
"No, they're teaching me how to use Kyuubi's chakra because you never did! I've learned more from Ka'rai in an hour than you ever taught me in the months you've been allowed to see me!" shouted Naruto with an accusing clawed finger. Ryujin opened his mouth—"And don't you dare say that I'm not ready because I'm using the chakra right now! I was just going to use more had you not come and ruin everything!"
"Then why are you so angry?! You're letting it's influence overtake you—"
Naruto bared his teeth and glared. Crimson glower faded to azure. Crimson chakra faded to the air. "This isn't Kyuubi's anger. It's just me that's pissed. You disappear for most of my life, come back and act like you own me! You barely talk to me unless it's about training, and even then you don't even teach me anything worthwhile! You're just like everyone else in the village who pretends that I don't exist!"
Ryujin withheld a flinch from the statement. He went quiet for a second. Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I… was going to teach you, Naruto. After seeing what Gaara and those two could do. I couldn't let you fall behind—"
"—You already did!" yelled Naruto. "You're too late. I made a deal with Kyuubi, he said that he'll pump me full of chakra whenever I call upon it. It's up to me to hold him back. Like Ka'rai said, I just need practice."
"You made a deal with the devil Naruto—"
"No, you're the fucking devil," snarled Ka'rai, earning a glare from Ryujin. "The way you talk about Bijuu is disgusting. You're everything they hate about humanity. Fuckers like you are the reason why villages are destroyed. You see them as nothing but sources for power, like they're not even human."
"What do you know?! Of the suffering that Bijuu inflict on innocents! How many good people die because of their needless rampages!" Ryujin's eyes flickered to crimson. Both of Ka'rai's tails burned hotter in response.
"The Bijuu were innocent first, you fucking idiot. You have one inside you and you don't even know the first thing about them! None of the Bijuu would dare hurt a human before we enslaved them for no fucking reason!"
He's right… was all Naruto could think. He has to be. He talks to Nibi all the time, like they're friends. He has to know more… would the Bijuu lie? Would Nibi lie?!
Nibi's Jinchuriki is right, brat, affirmed Kyuubi with a chuckle. You humans brought our wrath amongst yourselves!
Those words made Naruto freeze. He continued to watch on as Ka'rai and Ryujin continued to argue. Ryujin stepped forward, Ka'rai did the same. "You Jinchuriki in Kumo don't have an ounce of experience when it comes to hatred. Killer Bee made it easy, fooled the population into trusting Bijuu."
"If Bee-sensei is so dumb, then why is he the strongest?! He's friends with Hachibi, knows his name, they help each other with everything! You want to hate Kyuubi, hate Bijuu and you're pathetic compared to him!"
"It's only a matter of time before he betrays humanity for those fucking monsters! He forsook his humanity for the power of the Hachibi! He's just as much as a devil as the Kyuubi itself! Yet, you can't see that because you've only been exposed to the lies the Bijuu have told you about themselves! You don't know what it's like to be hated, you don't know what it's like to have an entire village turn against you, something you love hating you in return for who you are!"
"I do…" interjected Fuu, clenching her fists. All eyes turned on her, she kept her sunset gaze to the burned grass. "I still remember being a normal girl before I became a Jinchuriki. My parents loved me, I got to walk around, see the clouds, feel the breeze and the sun on my face.
"Then Nanabi was sealed into me. My parents called me disgusting and I never saw them again. I was locked in a cage, the only human interaction I got was training-related. For the longest time I thought I did something bad, that it was somehow my fault that all this happened to me. It wasn't, of course it wasn't. Everyone was just fucking stupid. I was fucking stupid. I hated Nanabi because I needed something to blame for everything going wrong.
"That was until I actually talked to her. We're… the same. She hates me because she needs something to blame, something to blame for being trapped in a cage, like we both were. I'm free now, she's not still." Fuu let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Just talk to Kyuubi, maybe you'll find that you're more similar than you think."
Naruto frowned, hearing her story, even as Ka'rai and Ryujin continued to argue, he kept his gaze toward her.
Ka'rai's eyes narrowed. "There… someone like you who agrees with me."
Ryujin snarled. "The Kyuubi has killed those close to me. You expect me to forgive it? To forgive it for all the hate and destruction it's caused for centuries?!"
"Yes, you do need to forgive him!" spat Ka'rai. "Get over yourself! Do you want Kyuubi to attack Konoha again?! That's what it's sounding like—"
Crimson chakra swirled around Ryujin, his glowing red eyes focused entirely on Ka'rai. "That bastard fox will become my slave. It needs to go on an impossible journey to earn my forgiveness."
Cobalt flames erupted from Ka'rai—his growl overlapped with Nibi's. The air became hot with heat and cold with killing intent. "You're a disgrace of a Jinchuriki. If I could I'd rip Kyuubi right out of you."
"Hey!" yelled Naruto at Ka'rai. "Watch what you say!"
Ka'rai responded with a reluctant huff. With a growl, Naruto turned back at Ryujin. "Just go, Ryu. I'm sick of hearing you talk like this, and I need to focus on my training. You're getting in my way, so move!" Naruto roared back into his Kyuubi form, bubbling on the verge of the first tail. "I'll move you myself if I have to!"
Ka'rai stepped forward, cloak fiery and bright. "I'll help…" Fuu put herself on guard with a reluctant nod.
All Ryujin did was look on, there wasn't an ounce of fear or worry. His crimson cloak subsided, his fists clenched. "Go ahead and mingle you demons."
A flood of terrible memories hit Naruto right in the gut from that word. Fuu seemed similarly affected. Ka'rai was unphased. From there, Ryujin just walked away.
He… called me a demon. Naruto's fists clenched hard. He really is like everyone else.
"It's good that you're mad," said Ka'rai, letting out a sigh. "It makes summoning the chakra easier." He gave Naruto an assuring smile. "Let's beat the control into you, eh?"
"Yeah," agreed Naruto, forcing out a chuckle. "Let's get to it."
—⊱✿⊰—
Naruto, even Naruto was rejecting him. Everyone in this village was truly hopeless. He was tired of them all. Tired of being treated like garbage, like an animal by everyone. Complete autopilot flickered him to his house. He was barely conscious in own body—rage slept him and fury kept him awake.
What have I told you all of these years Ryujin? Nobody truly cares for you anymore. Now, you act like this when it's all proven right.
Ryujin couldn't even tell it to shut up or be quiet. It was right. Miya—she chained him like a feral dog. Kakashi didn't bat an eye, neither did Asuma. They were completely in agreement. Naruto utterly abandoned him for a foreign Shinobi he met days ago, he believed everything that Ka'rai told him over the stuff he's been telling him for years.
There wasn't a day where Gosei didn't look down on him, despite everything he was, an S-Rank Shinobi, strong without the Kyuubi, no matter what he did or what he said, he was dirt between Gosei's shoe. Shinrai and Kusari only ever saw him as a tool to get stronger. That was the only reason why they ever spoke to him.
Only Aiko—
Forget her… don't be fooled. It will only be a matter of time before she shows her true thoughts of you— her true feelings. Stop being stubborn and accept that you have nobody. Nobody cares about you, only what you can do for them.
You're not human.
You're a tool.
Don't be foolish enough to think otherwise.
Ryujin sat down in his chair. Crimson-slitted eyes glowed in the dark of his house. The Kyuubi's breath wasn't on his back— they were breathing in sync. His claws sharpened white but they didn't grow. The whiskers on his face were barely visible.
It was right. It was right about everything.
Your existence as a tool is your current reality, yes. But don't be blinded by it. Tools can be powerful… after all, that is what you treat me as. Break out… become powerful enough to shape reality to your liking.
You will never be chained again. You'll break every restraint. You'll shatter every confinement. Everyone who mistreated you will grovel at your feet, begging for the forgiveness you'll never give them.
There was a knock at the door.
It's that Uzumaki woman, the one that chained you… she will be the first to beg. Now is your opportunity.
Ryujin stood. Each step toward the door felt like an earthquake. His hand gripped the knob and he twisted. Slowly, he pulled the door open—his chakra flared at the sight of Miya. "What the hell do you want?"
She was visibly taken aback by his state—his glare, the seething hatred.
Good.
"...To apologize for hurting you," she admitted with a sigh. Her head was hung, the crimson-striped black of her hair over her face uncharacteristically. She had the nerve to be ashamed.
"You know I didn't have any malice, I wasn't out to hurt you or make you feel bad. You can sense it, after all…"
She was right. There wasn't an ounce of hatred of malice toward him. But, in its place was sorrow, guilt, shame, and yet it was all supported by a resolute base… as if there was nothing that could knock her off of her feet.
Ryujin finally processed the second half of her statement and snarled. "But, you did. What now?"
"I'm apologizing, Ryu." Her tone was heavy, every word she spoke was genuine. "For the past few months… we got close again. Things felt like they did before it was all ruined, we were talking, Aiko was back, Yosei, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, we were all together and training. I don't want to lose that, I'm sure you don't either."
Ryujin chuckled. Then he laughed. He shook his head, his fangs growing just a bit. "You're fucking stupid."
Miya's eyes narrowed, Ryujin continued. "It was never going to be like how it was. Dantai is dead. Minato is dead. Kushina is dead. I'm a Jinchuriki. Just some meaningless conversations will never change that. Y'know, you proved that it'll never change when you chained me down like a rabid dog.
"I was like you. I thought things were looking up. I thought things were getting better—and that maybe, just maybe that there was hope. Can you believe that, Miya? I had hope. NOW IT'S GONE!" Crimson chakra spiked from his body. Miya flinched, her own chakra flared but it died down just as quickly.
A cynical smirk bared his fangs. "What? What are you going to do?! Gonna chain me down again! Put me down like the animal you think I am!"
"You know it's not you I'm afraid of!" she yelled, Adamantine shining in her eyes. "It's the Kyuubi, what it can do, you know Ryujin, I couldn't take any risks!"
"Why didn't you just reinforce the seal? It could've been that simple. With your special chakra there's not a chance in hell that it was going to break out. I would've agreed in a heartbeat. Anything to track down one of the two things responsible for how shitty everything is…"
His claws penetrated the doorframe that cracked under his grip. "But no. You humiliated me. You betrayed me… treated me like everybody else does. You're no different. You're my family, you were supposed to be different but you're not."
"You're…" she began shakily. "You're listening to it. You're letting it influence you—"
"Why wouldn't I?!" Ryujin tore his own doorframe off and threw it to the floor. "It's the only thing that isn't lying to me, putting up a front. All these years it's been saying that nobody truly cares about me—"
"You know I love you, Ryujin!" shouted Miya, her breath hitched after saying those words. She clenched her fists to harden her resolve. "You're my family, how could I not? I chained you because I care—"
Ryujin splintered the wood with his fist. The side of his hand started to bleed. "That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard from you! What the hell about that was anything resembling love?!"
"When the Kyuubi took you over, I could still hear your voice. I heard how much pain you were in. The last thing I saw before I thought I would die was what I thought was your corpse. I could never let that happen again. I developed every part of my arsenal to save you from that again."
"Is that your justification?! Seriously?! Is that how you rationalize your own senseless paranoia?!" Ryujin growled, crimson glowing from his eyes and seeping from his skin.
Miya's eyes turned Adamantine with a glare. "Stop it."
There it was. That fear. She wasn't even seeing him anymore—she just saw the Kyuubi's chakra. "Oh? You don't like this chakra…?" He and the Kyuubi's will become one as the presence that made the very atoms align in order radiated from him. Indomitable strength.
"Deactivate the chakra! You're becoming one with it!" she shouted, yelled, screamed. Whatever adjective that describing her distress didn't matter. He just reveled in causing her fear.
"Make me… You said your entire arsenal was made to stop this. So, stop it. Chain me up again. Treat me like the monster you see me as. Do it, Miya."
Her glare hardened and her fists clenched. No words were exchanged. She wreaked with conflict. That woman wanted to chain him just as much as she didn't. Again. She would do it again. She was only sorry for the consequences of her actions, not the action itself.
Miya ended up turning her back. She didn't look bad at him when she said, "If you become a threat, Ryujin. If you dare endanger Team 8, Naruto, Shinrai… I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure it never happens again."
She was gone in an Adamantine flicker.
Ryujin slammed his door shut. He cracked it, taking the knob off. He didn't bother with it, just tossing it to the floor. The wood there broke as well.
If my point wasn't proven before… the Kyuubi chuckled to complete its sentence.
Barely thinking, barely acting of his own accord he weaved hand seals. It was for the summoning jutsu, except the sequence was in reverse. In a puff of smoke he was gone. When he reappeared, it was all dark. He was underground, deep.
A brown-scaled serpent coiled beside him. Eyes green with venomous flame. "It's been a while since you've visited Ryuchi Cave, Ryujin," noted Kelhaar, looking down upon him. "What brings you here?"
"I need to train," he said without missing a beat, tails growing from his crimson cloak.
Kelhaar hissed in offense. "You're not even giving me any time to prepare."
"You're a summon. You're always prepared," said Ryujin, three chakra tails boiling—a fourth on the way.
Kelhaar smirked. "Well, isn't that correct."
The ensuing battle involved more snakes than just Kelhaar, about five more, matching him in size and strength. It lasted more than five minutes, even more than ten, even. Version two for thirty minutes before he was forced to leave.
He was healed to full.
He did it again.
Nothing would stop that soulless repetition.
—⊱✿⊰—
Bright red hair, lustrous crimson flowed down to her feet, blowing behind her stride like the cape of a hero, or the blanket you carried to warm you at night. Just looking made the girl jealous, her hair was mostly black… only a bit of red, it wasn't even a pretty red. All she had were splatters of something greater on something mediocre.
The woman looked back at her, not even down, the difference in age did not match the difference in height. Her smile made the girl melt with joy, comfort, safety… all it had was love. Midnight amethyst eyes sparkled with adoration, it just made her face all the more beautiful.
The girl attempted to do the same with her smile, and her amber eyes. It didn't exactly workout. She wasn't loving like her, she wasn't joyous like her, she wasn't strong like her.
Miya was simply not like Kushina.
A part of her told her that she'd never be.
The other part said, 'not yet.'
At that stage, she didn't know which to listen to. Miya continued to beam at her mentor. "So, why did you bring me here? Isn't the place where they had you locked up like a princess?"
"Aha! Yeah, it is…" She said with a gorgeous laugh, hearing it made Miya's heart flutter a bit. Every part of Miya wanted to be every part of Kushina… to step in her shoes for just a day would be a dream come true.
"Being a princess is overrated as hell, y'know," she continued with a huff. Miya listened intently. "I couldn't leave the swirl around the tower, and I had guards watching me twenty-four-seven. It was horrible! So, of course, I snuck out!" She cleared her throat. "I never got to be trapped in here another day afterward! I'm not a princess anymore, y'know!"
"Yeah, you're a queen now!" said Miya cheekily.
Kushina laughed bashfully, placing a hand on Miya's head. "Oh, stop it!" Miya giggled in response, and Kushina slowly brushed Miya's hair with the palm of her hand. "Your hair looks really beautiful today, y'know."
Miya immediately looked down, hiding her blush. "Does it really?"
"Of course it does!" she assured, taking her hand off, pausing to think to herself. "Hmm… what was I doing—? Oh! Yes, yes." Miya looked on, confused. Kushina pointed downward. "What's on the floor?"
Miya turned her head to the floor she and Kushina stood on. It started in the center, and it whirled out in a painted spiral until it took up the entirety of the room, ending at the entrance of a staircase. "A spiral, the symbol of the Uzumaki Clan."
"Yes! Now, look at the stairs."
Miya's eyes trailed from the end of the spiral and up the staircase. It spiraled and whirled up many stories to the top of the tower. "A spiral staircase?"
"No, no!" Kushina shook her head. "Think in an… extra dimension."
"Another dimension?" Miya's brows furrowed. "Oh…! A spiral is a shape, add another dimension…" An excited nod made Kushina's hair jump. "A helix."
"Yes! Now you got it!"
Miya grinned at the praise. Then Kushina took her hand and led her up the staircase. "Mito Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki before me, taught me about this. A spiral is flat, you're just going in circles and you have no idea what you're doing. It's just like when you enter a room and forget what went in for!"
Kushina laughed at her own analogy, Miya laughed too. "But it's a two-dimensional shape. Add an extra dimension to the spiral, and then you get a helix. The helix gets you going somewhere! You're going up! Ascending into the heavens above and following the beauty of the whirl. That's what's special about a helix, why it's more powerful than a spiral."
Miya nodded along to Kushina's lecture. It really seemed like they were going in circles on the staircase, but each time they passed by a window, the view was a bit different. They were higher up in the sky. The clouds' beauty became easier and easier to see. Eventually, they climbed to the top, to the summit of the helix. The tower watched over the village, but the first thing she saw at the exit were the four stone faces of the Hokage Monument.
A fond, endearing smile came over Kushina's face when she looked at the fourth face, Minato's face, the face of her love. It was engraved in stone forever, to be seen even far after they were all dust. Kushina nudged Miya's shoulder. "The real thing is so much better. The carver made him look so much more serious… It's not like him at all. He's always smiling."
"Yeah, he is," agreed Miya, looking at the stone face. "What does this have to do with everything else?"
"Y'know the dimensions of the helix I was talking about? Well, the first one is your existence. Everybody has at least one dimension to them. The second one is motivation, that's the one that gets you spinning, y'know! Motivation makes a spiral. But, the third one… the dimension that makes you a helix is love, Miya.
"You have to fill the vessel of your spiral into a helix using love!" Kushina snickered. "Minato's the one that fills me up…"
"You could've worded that better—" sputtered Miya.
Kushina cackled like an evil witch. "Oh, I said it like that on purpose."
Miya groaned and looked toward the sky, Kushina just laughed harder. "Oh, you'll understand when you find somebody. You won't be able to help yourself!"
"I hope I'll be able to," she huffed.
Kushina giggled. "Well, it's Minato's love that made my spiral into a helix. Without him, I'd just be an aimless spiral spinning and spinning and spinning into nowhere." With a deep breath, Kushina stuck out her hand with her palm facing the sky.
The blue chakra in her hand started as a swirl, but she beamed and it grew into a helix, a rotating ball of chakra like a beating heart. "This is the Rasengan. This jutsu is the result of Minato and I's love combined. He made it to protect me, and I named it because he can't come up with a decent name if his life depended on it."
Miya stared in awe at the jutsu, the blue reflecting in the amber of her eyes.
"I'm going to teach it to you, so you'll have proof of the love that I have for you."
Miya couldn't say anything, all she could do was stare at the swirling love.
—⊱✿⊰—
Miya didn't say anything, all she could do was stare at the swirling lack of love.
Her Rasengan was full, perfectly formed, a blue helix that flashed with Adamantine, that's what made it hers. In every aspect besides the technical, that Rasengan was empty. That was why she never used it. It didn't feel right—it felt wrong to use such a loving jutsu when she didn't have any of her own.
Kushina was gone… she couldn't love her anymore.
Ryu was alive, but he was gone in his own way.
She never ended up finding anybody, life just flew past her. It was a miracle that anyone found romance and stayed in it throughout a war.
Minato and Kushina seemed like fiction to her.
They might as well be, all she had left of them were their graves.
No—that was a lie. The swirling helix was something she had, the empty hollow shell of a jutsu. Miya let the chakra dissipate into the air, she couldn't bear to disrespect their memory by using the Rasengan any longer.
She wasn't like Ryu… she couldn't just throw it around without feeling a thing. Miya's empty fist clenched. It was something she loathed and yet something she envied. She should have been more like Ryu.
She should've had the Kyuubi. Not him or Naruto. Kushina said that if something happened to her, that she had to be the Jinchuriki. For years, Miya had been prepared for that seeming impossibility, something that she thought—hoped—would never happen. It did. It did happen. It happened and she failed.
Both Ryu and Naruto were cursed with burdens they didn't deserve, they weren't prepared for.
Miya found herself too depressed to even look at them.
It took a while, but she finally got over herself. She gave Ryu a hug, she did the same to Naruto. The very next day, Orochimaru happened. The Kyuubi used Ryu's body to try and kill her. It would've succeeded. It was so close. Too close.
Again, she couldn't bear to look at Ryu. Whenever she did, she felt her own intestines spilling on her hand. The malicious, searing poison that seeped through her.
What was worse, was that she couldn't take care of Naruto or Shinrai because she spent years and years out of the village. But, she came back. Her dream of being a Jonin Sensei was given to her, she even managed to talk with Ryu again, and she was finally there for Naruto and Shinrai.
Of course, Orochimaru had to come and ruin it all again. Ryu was gone, for a third time. Something was telling her that he wouldn't come back this time.
But, unlike the last two times. She still had something.
Shinrai, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Shino.
She had them. Nobody loved her, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter because she could still love. She loved Shinrai, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Every part of her did. The fact that she was an aimless spiral didn't mean a thing.
It was her that was going to make everyone she loved into a helix. She'd spiral herself into oblivion doing that, doing what she loved.
Miya loved loving.
A helictical hurricane was on its way.
She was the one who set it off.
—⊱✿⊰—
I'm such a coward… Kusari huffed. She had the opportunity to talk to her brother, he wasn't in the Hyuuga Compound… and yet, she couldn't bring herself to face him. It ashamed her, the fear. The Main Branch could kill her, torture her, or whatever, but it'd hurt less than her brother's disappointed gaze. Just imagining it was horrid, she didn't want to imagine seeing it.
Instead, she went elsewhere. Before she went back to the Uzumaki brothers, she needed to find something to get Shivua under control. Her mind brought her to the concept of meditation. There was one person she knew was excellent at it.
Gosei.
She was going to ask him for help. There was little doubt in her mind that he would decline. The trip to the Senju compound was longer than she expected; it was at the far outskirts of the village, the complete opposite side to the Hyuuga Clan. Evening set in as she walked up toward the gigantic tree that Gosei called home.
The surrounding foliage was gorgeous. His home smelled of running water and blooming trees… merely being there made her feel at peace, calm, like there was nothing that could hurt her while she was there. Nature's energy itself was protecting her, it fueled her.
There wasn't a place on earth that was safer than here.
She even considered ditching Shinrai and Naruto to stay here for refuge. That was until she remembered that the Thorn Wraith lived there, as well as many small children. At least, she could stay here to meditate if Gosei accepted, which he probably would.
In time, she found herself in front of the door. With a breath, she knocked. An average-looking man with brown hair and brown eyes came to answer. Gosei's father and thankfully, not his mother. "Hello," he greeted, nodding his head in respect to her. She did so in kind. "You must be Gosei's teammate?"
"Indeed," she confirmed. "I wish to see him."
"Well, he's not in the best mood right now, I'll get him for you though!" he assured before shutting the door. Five minutes passed, and Kusari enjoyed the peace of the Senju compound. Once the sixth minute started, the door opened again.
Gosei stood above, a bit of a sneer on his face. "What do you want?"
"I…" she began, the harshness of his tone gave her pause. "I would like you to help me with meditation. There's something that I would like to get under control…"
"Absolutely not," declined Gosei immediately. It made Kusari wince. "There's no way that I'll teach you anything."
"...Why?"
"You know what you did, Kusari," Gosei spat. "Had Sensei not stopped you, you would be a murderer."
"That's what I'm trying to stop!" she argued, her fists clenching. "I wasn't in my right mind. I need to meditate in order to center myself."
"Or do you want to use meditation to amplify that? To harness it so you can rebel against the established order?"
He still doesn't get it. He'll never get it. He'll never understand. I'm sick of hearing it—
"Don't make me put you down, Kusari. You know I will if I need to. Be grateful that I haven't reported you to Lord Hiashi myself."
The mere mention of it made Kusari go cold with fear. He could, he really could—Gosei had the will and the means to ruin everything.
"I haven't. I still have loyalty to you as my teammate. I still have hope that you'll see the error of your ways. For these past months, I've failed to truly understand the scope of the Hyuuga Clan. They guard their secrets close… I know there's nothing I can say or do to change you."
His fists clenched. "But I have faith that someone will, that fate will set you straight. Until then, I won't even take the chance that you'll use anything I teach you against Konoha." Finally, he let out a breath. "Now leave, Kusari."
She didn't say a word as she left. For some reason, she wasn't really angry, not at all. Kusari was just hurt. Whenever she thought of Gosei, she remembered helping him with those dogs, how they bonded over their noble heritage—that commonality was what tore them apart.
Their worlds were so similar and yet entirely different.
It really did hurt.
What was even worse… was that she'd never get him back. There was no way in hell that she'd abandon her path. The Main Branch needed their retribution—their eradication. Her family, the branches of the Hyuuga needed to be free.
Hopefully when everything was said and done, he would see the truth of her vision, and they'd be friends again. Lifelong friends…
Kusari chuckled at the irony. At the start, it was Gosei that was easier to get along with. Shinrai was a difficult friendship to start. With time passed, it was Shinrai who was easy, and Gosei who was difficult.
She let out a long sigh. Who else would help her? According to Shinrai, Ryujin-sensei was already angry at something, and her actions made him angry with her as well. She activated her Byakugan, then scanned the entire village with her range.
He wasn't even in the village.
None of the other senseis would dare help her after her display in the exams. Once again… the only person she could truly rely on was Shinrai. She had never been so grateful for one person's existence. Honestly, what would she do without him? She would just be left to rot. It didn't take too long for her to reach Shinrai and Naruto's home.
As it turned out, he was the only one home.
That was an invasion of privacy, she deactivated her Byakugan. She knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before Shinrai opened the door—he gasped as he opened the door. In the blink of an eye, he had her in yet another hug. "Finally thank the sage, somebody somebody somebody somebody!"
He pulled back. "Oh, hi Kusari! How have you been?"
"You… didn't know it was me?"
"I saw somebody I recognized and got excited. I would've hugged the mailman."
"Oh…" she chuckled, shaking her head. Typical. Kusari kicked off her shoes and entered the building. "Where's Naruto?"
"Doing Kyuubi training stuff," he answered. "I don't think he'll be scared of you for much longer!"
"Is that so?" Kusari sighed. "What do you know about meditation?"
"I think you should ask Gosei or Ryu about that."
"Ryu's out of the village, and I did ask Gosei."
Shinrai paused, understanding the implication. "That bitch…"
Kusari just shrugged. Shaking his head, Shinrai decided to answer. "Ms. Miya taught me a bit about it. You have to hold your body in place, hold your chakra the same way. It's all about control, controlling your emotions and stuff like that."
"Is that it?"
"That's all I know!"
"Well, I suppose it'll help…" Her eyes narrowed. "What if you ask Gosei, and then you forward it to me?"
"Gosei's smart enough to see through that, and I don't think he'll help me either," said Shinrai with a chuckle.
Kusari tilted her head. "What about… Miya Uzumaki? She seems to know more and be willing to teach you."
"Well, no, because I'd feel bad. You tried to kill her student… and… yeah."
"That's fair," she conceded with a sigh.
Shinrai laughed a bit. "It's just the downside of being a monster, I guess. Not a lot of people like you."
"I can see that…"
"Well, you got me at least! And I think I'm pretty great."
She responded with a chuckle. "Right… Who are you fighting in the finals?"
"Oh." Shinrai cackled. "Ka'rai Uzumaki."
"Oh, my—!" Kusari spattered. "Why are you wasting your time with me?! Go train yourself!"
"I can take a day to gather myself," he replied. "Everyone seems stressed after the Snake Sannin and all these fucking Jinchuriki and Curse Marks. Everyone—including me—is probably taking today to process what the fuck happened in those exams. Well. not Ryu, apparently… he's on some sort of mission already." Shinrai chuckled. "It's like him."
Suddenly, his eyes widened. "See if Ms. Miya's in the village please!"
Kusari reactivated her Byakugan, searched for a bit, then nodded. "She is."
Shinrai let out a relieved breath. "Oh, okay, I'm not going to die in a month."
With a sigh, Kusari chuckled and turned her Byakugan back off. Well, meditation wasn't the only thing she wanted to see him for— aside from shelter as well. She walked to their comfortable couch and sighed.
It was just Shinrai there… it'd be fine. She made sure her bangs still covered her forehead as she removed her headband. Ever since she got the scar, she made sure to grow out her bangs. "Shinrai… who do you think you're meant to be? What is your fate?"
He let out a chuckle. "I don't fucking know." He looked to the ceiling, pondering. "Well, that Snake Sannin made me to be a perfect body, and there's nothing more I want to do than serve the people I love, the people I care about…" He glanced at her. It was easy to see what that glance meant—people like you. It honestly made her smile a bit.
"It makes me want to be the most imperfect shit in all of existence. But… I can't, not for the ones I care the most about." Shinrai shook his head. "I… uh…"
"Well, I think you should become perfect. Not for the Snake Sannin, no, for the ones you love. Be what he wanted you to be, and then you damn him to the worst fate imaginable using the perfection he created. Using yourself. It's poetic, is it not?"
That made Shinrai laugh. "Y'know what… it is." He nodded along to her words. "I really do like that. To be perfect for the people I care about… and to be perfect to kill Orochimaru."
"Now… what do you think mine is?"
"To free the Hyuuga, obviously. I can't think of anyone more suited for the job," he said as if it was obvious.
The quickness of his answer gave her pause. "I… I suppose that you're right."
"You should go shower first, I don't want to steal all of your hot water. You have more blood on you, too—"
Kusari looked at herself. The heiress' blood was all over her. "That is true." She got up from the couch and walked to the bathroom. Before she entered, she stopped. "Thank you, again, Shinrai."
"I keep saying that you don't need to thank me, Kusari."
She shook her head before entering the bathroom.
—⊱✿⊰—
The little ants scurried about beneath his gaze. Well, they only looked like ants. In actuality, they were about the same size as him! Because they were human, and… he was human? There were times where he honestly forgot that fact. He could barely remember the last time he saw his own face.
"I guess you could say, I have zero recollection of it."
Zero laughed loudly at his own pun. Not that anybody could hear him, Genjutsu and all that. He stood atop the Hokage's Monument, he hadn't seen those damned faces in years. He hadn't been in Konoha in years. It was nostalgic, he had to admit.
The view in the following month was going to be way less nostalgic. It was going to be more… satisfying. Konoha was going to be in ruins. Three hidden villages and two smaller ones all conspired to wipe Konoha off the map for good.
Well, that was what they thought would happen.
Zero didn't actually expect the invasion to succeed. By all odds, by all numerical expectations, it should be an easy win, shouldn't it? That would've been the case had it been any village besides Konoha. They were the village who were at their most powerful when backed into a corner. When they were put on the edge, the brink, they'd awaken to their most powerful and overcome any and all odds.
Their Will of Fire bonded them a glorious blaze that would burn anything that came their way. Well, of course they would take heavy losses. Konoha would still be utterly crippled after such a large scale invasion. There was no Will of Fire of overcoming of odds that could stop that much.
Only someone from Konoha could truly destroy Konoha.
Someone like him.
And when Konoha falls into its weakest state, he would make his true first play.
?¬ワ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?¬ワ ?
