Over the course of an hour, there exist a moment where space is given for the sake of respite.
Shisui is looking moderately exhausted and has retreated to the front of the lodge for some fresh air. Meanwhile, Honoka is furiously scribbling on a notepad with a mass of heavily annotated agendas and calendars scattered around her.
Itachi, however, remains beside Izumi. Though he is mindful of her need for distance, she has exhibited quite overtly, a severe dislike for solitude.
Itachi reads her well, perhaps too well, and it may be this aspect that spurs a pool of sensitive emotions reserved only for Izumi.
"I'm sorry if I hurt anyone," she says quietly.
"It's not your fault. It was an accident," he reassures.
But her expression is surfeit with guilt.
"No, it wasn't. I was…I was very much aware of what I was doing, but there was…there was a terrible urge," she breathes heavily, then suddenly speaks fast, "as if…as if I was reaching happiness and you were taking it away from me. It felt instinctive."
She is so quiet, Itachi can barely hear her.
"I'm so sorry. I willingly hurt you and Honoka, and in that moment, I had no qualms about doing it again," she huddles her knees and rocks back and forth, "I think there is something wrong with me."
She stares absent-mindedly at the grounds, perhaps as an attempt to placate the tears and filter the thoughts.
"Izumi, no matter what happened, I will never attribute those actions to who you are."
He takes her hand and steadies the rocking.
"Awareness towards one's action is an indicator that they are cognisant of what they have done and are able to evaluate and make judgements. When one refutes their actions, despite what the mind perceived at the time, it means that there is a mismatch between values and action. The brain is an organ that reacts to threats, and when under duress, logic and cognition cannot function. Emotions therefore takes hold and does not necessarily carry any judicial thoughts nor represent one's values. Thus, judging from what happened just before, I strongly believe emotions were at play. Also, I sincerely apologise, Izumi and Itachi, I did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation, but I thought you may benefit from an important scientific explanation."
For an incredible explanation, Honoka's monotony has somehow managed to make the topic remarkably bland.
On Izumi's end however, there is a visible element of allayment, as if the educational discourse has injected a reasonable justification to her actions.
"Can I concur with that too?"
Shisui's voice floats through from the front.
"I'm in agreement as well," Itachi says.
"Izumi, we're on your side with this," Shisui approaches and kneels beside her, "if you're up to it, can you tell us if you remember anything at all?"
For a brief moment, she gazes sceptically at her hands, as if there are aspects of her memory she is uncertain of.
"I see fragments, but they are too small to be pieced together and make any sense from," she answers hollowly.
"I would expect that."
Shisui's tone denotes consternation, perhaps in a manner that confirms his knowledge of something.
"You seem to make sense of this," Itachi says.
He gazes perplexedly at Shisui's contemplative expression.
"Itachi, Honoka and I ended up taking a detour through Cascades Mountain."
He gives an unusual twitch at the perturbed look on Itachi's face.
"At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. We were forced to steer off course because of the impending thunderstorm. But eventually, things didn't seem right, and it felt as if we were deliberately led there," he hesitates, then glances uneasily at Honoka before continuing, "you saw the sacrificial chambers too, did you not?"
At the question, Itachi and Izumi exchange significant glances.
"Did you read the inscriptions?" Shisui asks in response to their affirmation.
"We were only able to read certain parts of it," Izumi replies shrilly, "but it almost felt as if we didn't have enough power to comprehend the rest."
"The Mangekyou Sharingan gives you the power to read the entire inscription, and I deduce that you need both in order to take it all in," Shisui points at his eyes then suddenly gestures at the surrounding air, "one working Mangekyou transcribes a large portion of the inscription, whilst both working eyes allows you to read it all."
By this stage, Honoka's inquisitive aura is ubiquitous. She has managed to sidle her way across the room unnoticed, and is now sitting uncomfortably close to Shisui's back. The action may have troubled his thoughts because he turns and gives an expression that is strongly reminiscent of remorse.
"You're wondering what I am speaking of when it was clear you were beside me the entire time, am I right?" he says softly.
The question is seemingly redundant. But it is Shisui's ability to read Honoka's behaviour that gets Itachi heightened with surprise.
"Shisui, unless I am missing something, you cannot falsify an account unless there is a reason to, which I believe has not been discussed with me."
For the first time, Honoka is looking visibly disappointed.
"Sorry, I should have told you. But while you were resting, I did a bit of investigating around the caves."
"You were with me the entire time," she frowns and is thinking hard, "there was a moment that I was asleep. Shisui, was it during that time?"
"No, I would have never left you unattended," he smiles, "shadow clones are quite useful are they not?"
At the comment, there seems to be a tinge of sentimentality that indicates Honoka's comprehension of something. But Itachi is uncertain as to what information this reaction is attributed to.
When Honoka does not respond, Shisui returns to his explanation.
"I must also clarify. When I mentioned that both eyes give you the ability to read it all, I meant the meaning behind those black spores."
"As in the black liquid I kept expelling?" Izumi breathes.
"It's a conglomeration of the black spores, your chakra and the body's rejection of it," Shisui explains, "I can make an educated guess that when the two of you stumbled into the sacrificial chamber, you must have breathed in a large quantity of the spores. However, Izumi must have taken in a denser and more concentrated amount," he pauses, "the black spores are invisible to those who is not an Uchiha and who do not possess both their own Mangekyou Sharingan."
They hold the silence for several seconds before Itachi decides to speak.
"Was this written on the inscription that we could not see?"
"Yes," Shisui replies, "and it depicts instructions for a sacrifice. I'm sure the two of you were aware of this?"
They nod.
"The black spores are actually a dark type of chakra intermixed with elements of a life force. They provide a gateway to an alternate universe."
At this point, Izumi is looking increasingly pale.
"We deduced based on the inscription we could read that there may be alternate worlds out there. A single chakra origin split into multiple universes," Itachi says, "in other words, we exist in multiple alternate universes, but we all come from a single chakra origin. Yet the universes are not accessible to one another, and the sacrificial chamber was perhaps the only way around it."
Over in the corner, Honoka makes a sudden gulp like sound that gets the room startled. They have forgotten how well she blends into the background.
"Excuse me, but may I ask why anyone would want to access another similar world? Would it not just be the same?"
"No," Shisui says, "I initially thought of that as well, but then something did not add up. First and most importantly, that sacrificial chamber is at least several thousand years old. Secondly, only an Uchiha can utilise it. Thirdly, the inscription talked about an ancient King who built the chamber and exploited a large number of sacrifices to open up a gateway to an alternate universe. The opening of the gateway was to prolong the life of the King."
There is another contemplative silence.
"Does that mean the ancient King was an Uchiha?" Izumi wonders.
Itachi frowns.
"That wouldn't make much sense. The King was alive several thousand years ago, at the time when the sacrificial chamber was built and used. The first Uchiha ancestor goes back only about a thousand years," Itachi says.
"But if only an Uchiha can utilise it, then the King must be an Uchiha of some sort," Izumi says impatiently.
Shisui, however, is looking disconcertingly grave.
"There is only one presumption I can deduce from that scenario. The King did not originate from our world."
He breathes deeply at the bewildered expression on Izumi, Itachi and Honoka's face.
"Are you saying he was from one of the other alternate universes?"
Izumi's tone is roughened with severe discomfort.
"Yes. Which returns me to Honoka's initial question around why anyone would want to access another similar world. Firstly, we don't know what the other worlds are like, and secondly, if we hypothetically assume he is an Uchiha from another world, judging from the age of the King and the sacrificial chamber, then the other worlds most likely run on different timelines."
"Do you mean to say that the Uchiha is older in another world?" Izumi falters.
Shisui nods.
"That would make more sense," Itachi says, "if the other universes operate on different timelines, and the King was an Uchiha, then in another world, the Uchiha could be way ahead of our time, or would have existed a lot longer than in our world."
"I don't understand this at all," Izumi sighs.
"May I put this pragmatically for clarity purposes?" Honoka asks.
And without awaiting a reply, she pulls out a notepad and scribbles several complicated looking diagrams.
"For simplicity's sake," Honoka begins, and Izumi is staring incredulously between Honoka and the diagrams, "I will pretend in this example that there are only three worlds - Worlds A, B and C. World A is us here. World B is the King's world, and World C is another world. All three worlds you mentioned earlier, Shisui, operate on differing timelines. If we each divulge from one single chakra origin split into three worlds, that would mean we exist in all three worlds in differing timelines. If World A's year is 1023, World B's year could be 4023 and World C's could be 721."
Again, Honoka has a knack for turning an intriguing explanation into something remarkably dull with just tone alone.
"Not only that, but we could all be differing ages in those different worlds," Shisui approaches and points at the circled years, "or the same. Anything goes really. But the common denominator is, we all exist in those worlds, and each of us comes from a single chakra origin. That would also explain why an Uchiha can exist for longer than the thousand years from this world."
"So how would accessing a different dimension prolong the life of the King?" Izumi asks.
This time, Shisui's expression darkens beneath a layer of discountenance.
"My guess would be, his taking advantage of the single chakra origin. If we go back to Honoka's example of the three worlds, let's say I came from a single chakra origin and my existence was split between the three worlds, A, B and C, that would mean I am the same person but just in three different existences. Chakra holds an enormous amount of vitality, it is the foundation of our existence, it is our life force and life energy. If there are multiple me's in other universes in differing timelines, regardless of age, and if I can access that, I can take chakra from myself from other worlds to boost my longevity and my powers and whatever that I acquired in that world."
"That's horrendous!" Izumi cries.
"It's speculative of course, but the explanation isn't impossible," Shisui says evenly.
"If what we all deduce here is true to some extent, how can a several thousand year old King and his sacrificial chamber exist in our world? Did you think he established himself here when he opened up the gateway and met his many thousand years younger self here?" Itachi says.
His comment evokes a peculiar expression of agitation from Shisui.
"That could be an explanation, although it wouldn't make much sense unless something happened in his world," he gazes anxiously at Izumi, "what I mean is that...there was something else on the inscription. You merge with your existence if you attempt to enter another world. This is because we originate from one chakra origin and not multiple different chakras in parallel worlds. The dominant world will be the one that manifests. In other words, if I, from World A, enter World B, our existence will merge, but as my World B's existence belongs in World B, it would be the dominant existence and will in essence overtake my World A. That is why I find it hard to believe that the King would have established his base here from his world."
"Then what do you suggest might have happened?" Honoka asks.
"It's an educated guess, but I believe this may be a two-way mechanism, which means the chambers connect directly to other chambers in the other worlds. So this speculation has me concerned about one thing," he turns to Izumi, "if this is the case, someone - most likely another Uchiha or an alternate Izumi - may be trying to pull you into their world."
He reaches forward and grips her shoulders.
"Izumi, listen to me very carefully. Whatever you do, keep your conscious clear and anchor yourself to this world, okay? Those black spores are still in you and it is the only link that connects you to the other worlds. I'll need an entire team to remove the rest of the spores. We can only do this on return to Konoha, so in the meantime, find something that you can hold yourself to here, do you understand me?"
She nods tentatively.
"Also, I entrust that you all do not speak a word of this to anyone," he glances between Itachi and Izumi, "especially the Uchiha."