CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Retrieval Part-4
Naruto adjusted his collar to the cold wind slapping across his face. Seated on ink summoning birds from Sai, Him and the rest of Task force Hinata had been searching for his partner for an hour. There was still no sign of her though, but the team kept on searching. Sakura had decided they were going to search in the land of Iron first. At their current pace, it would take a few days to reach there. Although they were traveling with Sasuke, the nature of their mission called for A thorough search of as much land as they could physically cover
"Hey, what's up"
Hanabi spun around to find Moegi coming up behind her. She silently returned to scanning her surroundings with her dojutsu as her teammate sat next to her.
"Here" Moegi handed Hanabi an apple and continued, "you should eat something".
Reluctantly, Hanabi accepted the fruit from Moegi. "Thanks"
The two sat quietly for a while, Hanabi scanning her surroundings and Moegi keeping herself busy with a kunai she was messing around with. After a while, she decided to speak with Hanabi again.
"Your shift's going to be over soon"
"It's okay, I can't sleep anyway"
Moegi hesitated before continuing, "Hanabi, you need to get some rest. You've worked so hard today."
"And what have I accomplished with all that hard work? My sister is still missing and I have no clue where she is."
Hanabi rubbed her hands for warmth as she spoke, this didn't go unnoticed by Moegi who decided to say something to that regard.
"Even if I can't get you to sleep the least I can do for you is not let you freeze out here. Let's head to the fire." She stretched out her hand for Hanabi who took it reluctantly and followed her to the main encampment.
"We're going to get Hinata back home, I promise. I can only imagine how heartbroken you feel Hanabi, but you're not alone. We're all here for you and we're going to help you" Moegi spoke as the pair made their way through the woods.
Back in the encampment and near the burning fire, Naruto was seated, deep in thought. A cold wind blew sending chills throughout him, and he gripped his scarf tighter. He looked in his hand at the red scarf he was gripping tightly, and he remembered the day he received it from Hinata, it was for his 19th birthday. Naruto sighed and picked up a twig from the snowy ground, twirling it between his fingers then throwing it into the fire.
"Can't sleep?"
His attention was directed towards Sakura who had come up behind him.
"Not really"
"Me neither." Sakura said as she settled down next to him. She handed him a hot cup of tea which he accepted with a thank you.
"First it was you, now Hinata…..why won't these people leave us in peace? What did we do to deserve all this?" Sakura lamented. She looked at Naruto and noticed he had a nervous expression on his face.
"You must be worried about her safety, I am too" she said with a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Sakura….. there's something I should tell you"
Sakura's face lit up. "What is it?"
"It's about Hinata" Naruto continued. "Something that she…..we, should have told you a long time ago"
"Speak, child of the Tenseigan. What is your name?"
Hinata struggled to get the words out to reply the lady of the house's question. "Hi-hin…."
Mikasa crawled forward while Hinata was still struggling to say her name. "Oh great one, kneeling before you is Hyuuga Hinata of the Hyuuga clan, and I am Kurosaki Mikasa…..I do not belong to any clan"
Hinata almost felt grateful to Mikasa for helping her out but quickly repressed any positive thoughts she was having towards her killer. The strange woman spoke again, floating closer to Mikasa.
"Rise, Mikasa"
The medic rose to her feet but remained planted in her position. The woman stared at Mikasa intensely, and without shifting her gaze she spoke.
"How have you gathered this much power?"
Mikasa bowed her head. "I have been awaiting your return, great one."
Hinata looked at Mikasa and noticed she had started smiling. What's she so happy about?
The lady of the house raised her hand to her side and a portal appeared.
"Isshiki"
Stepping through the portal was the man that abducted Hinata from her home the previous day. He walked up to the woman and bowed.
"Where did you find this one?" she spoke, referencing Mikasa.
"I sensed her powerful life force the moment I entered the village housing the Tenseigan. Her essence is….more potent than anything I've ever detected" Isshiki replied.
Meanwhile, Hinata was still confused. "Life force? What's he talking about?" she muttered to herself.
The woman smiled at Hinata and moved closer to her.
"Fear not, Hinata Hyuuga. You are safe" she said, raising Hinata's head to look at her face.
"I am Otsusuki Kaguya. You've met my son, Isshiki"
Otsusuki? She's one of them too? Hinata thought as Kaguya spoke to her.
Are they the benefactors Mikasa was looking forward to meeting?
[Author's note: The next part is a flashback]
Twelve years ago
In a small clearing in the forest, a group of 20 hooded figures could be seen gathered in a circle. In their middle was a strange marking drawn with blood and in the middle of it, a teenage boy, knelt down in front of a man twice his age. The group recited some incantations as the older man produced a knife and slit his palm, drawing blood. He handed the knife over to the boy and stepped back.
"Into our lord's arms, I entrust my soul"
The boy accepted the knife and rose to his feet. He raised the bloody blade to his mouth and licked it, turning his skin pure black and decorated with white ritualistic markings. He raised the knife in the air and proclaimed;
"I grant you true eternal life in the name of our lord."
With one move, he brought the knife down, impaling his heart. Simultaneously, the older man dropped to the ground, dead.
"Glory to Jashin" the group praised in unison.
Some minutes later, the boy could be seen walking with three of the hooded figures.
"We should hurry it up, it's starting to get dark" the tallest of the group suggested.
"Yes father", the boy replied. Behind him, the shortest person in the group increased their pace till they made it to his side.
"Takeshiro, how did it feel?"
The boy in question turned to face his sibling. "Huh?"
His inquirer lowered her hood, revealing long black hair.
"I asked how it felt when you liberated the soul of Mr. Denki?"
Takeshiro bowed his head, thinking of a reply. "I can't really say, I guess I felt….fulfilled?"
"Mikasa, don't bother your brother" the retort came from a person in front of Takeshiro, who was also his mother.
"Mama, it's fine. She isn't bothering me" Takeshiro responded, noticing Mikasa had started feeling guilty. He smiled at his sister and patted her head, which resulted in her angrily brushing his hand off.
"Stop! Cut it out!"
"Grow some inches first, then maybe I'll stop shortie" Takeshiro responded with a laugh.
"I'm not short, I'm the average height for a girl!" Mikasa frowned.
"No you're not"
"Yes I am, you're just being a jerk! Do it again and I'll kick your butt!"
Takeshiro laughed and reached to pat her head again. "You act all tough but you're about as threatening as a sunflower"
Mikasa folded her arms with a frown. "I'm way tougher than a freaking sunflower you stupid-"
"Mikasa! Takeshiro! Be quiet will you!" the booming voice of their father silenced the two siblings, and they remained like that until they made it to their home in the land of woods. The family settled to have dinner shortly after, and before long it was time for bed.
A few hours later, Mikasa woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. She groggily wore her slippers and sauntered off to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Filling a cup with water, she drank down the whole thing in an instant and was preparing to help herself to another one when she noticed movement outside in the backyard. Curiously, she wandered outside, rubbing her tired eyes as she walked through the back door.
"Takeshiro?"
Her brother turned at the sound of his name to find his little sister walking up to him to join him on the grass.
"Why are you up by this time Mika?
"Why are YOU up so late? Mikasa replied, settling herself by his side. "Are you having nightmares again? You're a bit too old for that aren't you?" she teased.
"Shut up short stuff" Takeshiro replied. "Just wanted some fresh air, that's all."
Mikasa was always up for camaraderie between herself and her brother but she knew when something really troubled him. And watching him stare dejectedly into the distant forest, she could tell something was weighing heavy on him.
"Brother….is everything alright?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.
Takeshiro sighed and looked into his sister's eyes. Normally he'd simply brush off her question but that night, something in him made him to consider not running away from his fears any longer. So he took a deep breath and looked at the starry night sky.
"You were actually right Mikasa, I'm….. having nightmares"
"Nightmares?" Mikasa moved closer to him.
Takeshiro rubbed his hands nervously and continued. "I keep…seeing them"
"Seeing who?"
"Their faces…I hear their voices…" Takeshiro suddenly faced his sister.
"Mika, why am I being subjected to all this pain? Why must I carry this burden?"
Mikasa was slightly taken aback by her brother's words. "Well, prophet Shinji said it's our duty as servants of god….we have to prepare our bodies to be proper vessels for our redeemers"
"And just who is this being that requires a vessel borne out of the lives of dozens of people?" Takeshiro rose to his feet. "Do you know how many lives I have taken? How many families I have permanently scarred, all in service of these…" noticing he had begun to raise his voice, Takeshiro collected himself and sat back down. Mikasa reached for him and pulled him into a hug, trying to calm him down.
"I won't say I understand your pain as a vessel, but you should know I will always be here to help you walk through it."
"But will you, really?"
Mikasa broke their embrace with a puzzled look. "What do you mean by that?"
"Sister, with the amount of souls I have absorbed I will live for atleast five hundred years" Takeshiro continued. "You will die before I live out a fraction of my lifespan, mum and Dad will die, my children will die, YOUR children will die….and the temple only wants me to consume even more souls"
Mikasa was lost for words. Dying before her brother and leaving him alone in the world was something she was always secretly afraid of, but she repressed her emotions lest her parents or temple ever found out. To them, it would be a sign of weakness. Hearing her brother she always looked up to suffer from the same fear was a bit reassuring for her, but nevertheless, she was going to help him overcome his own weakness.
"It's the sacrifice we have to make in service of god Takeshir-"
"What's the point? Why are we so bent on being mere….tools, for these beings that none of us has ever even seen!" Takeshiro bolted upright, startling his little sister. "Of what help was Hagoromo to the world? We sacrificed over 50 people to prepare a vessel for him and what good did he do for the world? Create ninjutsu? What has that led us to? Wars and even more bloodshed"
Mikasa stood up to confront her brother's words with her own. "Don't say such treacherous things Takeshiro!" she shouted at him. "All those people willingly gave their lives to advance our cause, which is an absolutely just one. The redeemers of old promised us a better world, and this planet needs us to bring it to fruition"
She stepped closer to him.
"It needs you, brother"
Takeshiro turned around and made for the house. He paused halfway to the door and spoke to his sister over his shoulder.
"It's okay to question things Mikasa. Never take it for weakness." Then he walked inside.
Two weeks later
"Mikasa…..do what you must"
The girl in question stood with a blade in her hand, shivering. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she looked at the person in front of her.
"Father….I can't"
Mikasa looked at her father with tears streaming down her cheeks. He was asking an impossible favour from her. For standing before her was the next sacrifice to be made in order to prepare the vessel for the arrival of their benefactors.
Takeshiro Kurosaki.
Addressing Mikasa, an old man stepped forward from the group of Jashinists watching the proceedings. "Your brother has strayed away from our lord, child. But you hold the power to bring him salvation"
Mikasa sought her mother's face but she was met with a smiling face, urging her to continue.
Takeshiro had been caught trying to escape from his family the night before. Such an act was punishable by death in the temple of Jashin. With him being the designated vessel, a decision was made by his parents to pass on his role to his younger sister, Mikasa.
"Hey, shortie"
Mikasa was interrupted from her thoughts by Takeshiro's voice and looked at her brother with tears in her eyes, wiping her nose with her sleeve.
"It's okay to cry sister" Takeshiro continued. "I understand how hard it must be for you"
Mikasa finally opened her mouth to speak. "Brother…..I c-can't…..I-"
Takeshiro pulled her into an embrace, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.
"I've already accepted my fate Mikasa. Even though I may not exist in this physical world anymore, my soul will always be in your care."
He released her from his embrace and wrapped his hands around hers which were still holding on to the knife.
"I will always be by your side, helping you in what ever way I can sister"
He guided the knife to her chest and stepped backwards, maintaining eye contact with her. Then he raised his hand to pat her on the head with a smile on his face.
"I love you"
Sobbing audibly, Mikasa closed her eyes and raised the blade to her mouth…..
In the years after Takeshiro's death, Mikasa gave her all into being the new designated vessel. Her brother's death had permanently scarred her, and the only way she felt she could vindicate his sacrifice was to finish the work he was unable to complete. Eventually, the rest of the temple sacrificed their souls to further their cause, and Mikasa was the last Jashinist left.
The fourth great Ninja war came and went, leaving utter destruction in it's wake. During the war, Mikasa served as a medic in the rear of the allied shinobi forces. She found it fulfilling, saving lives and bringing joy to the weak and vulnerable. But there were times she had to write off a hopeless case, or euthanize a ninja too injured to save. For every life she helped save, there was another that slipped through her grasp. For every husband she struggled to keep alive, there was a brother she had no choice but to end his life. Overtime, the wanton death began to get to her. She felt guilty about not being able to keep them alive…..in whatever way she could.
But then she realized that there was a way she felt she could save them.
And so she started to collect their blood. The critically injured, the permanently maimed, she collected their blood and sacrificed them to her god, to her cause. She did not want to admit it, but killing all the hopeless cases in her care made her feel good.
It made her feel fulfilled.
She was giving them a chance to contribute to the world of the future, when she would finally host the one they called "She of the beginning"
And so after the war's end, Mikasa gained work in the hidden leaf's hospital. She continued euthanizing the hopeless there, expanding her lifespan to great lengths. The temple taught her that female sacrifices were more potent than male ones, so she concerted her effort on killing women. Eventually, picking off the sick and elderly wasn't doing it for her.
It didn't make her feel as 'fulfilled' as she felt during the war.
She had to do something to maintain the high she was feeling. The first time Sakura asked her to help her handle blood donations, Mikasa spent the whole day deep in thought. It was too easy for her to expand her reach to targeting the kunoichi of Konoha that made up most of the donors. Eventually, she gave in to her desires and killed one of the donors.
And then another.
She was on the verge of going on a full blown spree until that fateful day she decided to take the life of her own mentor, Shizune which led to her encounter with Hyuuga Hinata.
And now, she found herself in the same room as her last victim, both of them kneeling before the one she had spent her entire life preparing to serve.
Mikasa wiped a tear from her eye as she maintained her courtesy before Otsusuki Kaguya. All her life's work, the drastic decisions she took, the endless pain she suffered…..it was finally going to bear fruit.
"Kaguya-sama" Mikasa said as she moved closer to her.
"I submit myself to you…..to be your vessel to bring change to this world"