Chapter L: Father and Daughter
Kaori uses her left arm to gently pull the shutters towards her, slowly covering more and more of the window until daybreak's orange light no longer intrudes through any crevices in the large shack. All that remains of her brutally detached right arm is tightly wrapped in a soft and damp cloth, resting hopelessly immobile behind the sleeve of her kimono. The daughter of the Kuraiya clan's leader then directs her attention to the silent woman standing near the entrance of the door. Kaori's shiny blue eyes meet the woman's contrasting orange hues, and she gives her a light smile. Due to her enduring silence, Kaori concludes she is the one who needs to break the ice.
"It's the worst-case scenario in the Hidden Stone, right? That's the only reason why you'd be so hesitant to even greet me," Kaori tells her softly, her voice barely above a whisper. The shorter woman timidly nods her head in response, her eyes welling up with tears. She is lucky to even be standing there alive, having firsthand witnessed the devastating capture of the Stone in concealment. Under Kaori's direct orders, the white-haired female was to remain in the shadows and assess the strength of the enemy, no matter what happened to her superior. Unfortunately, she didn't expect Hikari to cut off her arm so carelessly. The woman fights off her building tears and struggles to look Kaori in the eyes for any longer.
"I would have helped you in a heartbeat, but—" Kaori quickly interrupts her by pressing a cold finger against the woman's lips, already anticipating her forthcoming words of reassurance. Frankly, she just doesn't want to hear any of it.
"Don't go there, Taura. Just... don't, okay? Gyatsō would've killed you had he sensed your presence," Kaori points out gently. Once again, Taura only nods her head slightly, her eyes cast downward in shame. There is absolutely no reason to even bring up the would'ves and the should'ves, she knows that. In fact, she's merely reaching for the small opportunity to delay the inevitable, to avoid telling Kaori that Gyatsō had all of their friends killed during the invasion, that nearly every symbol of Hidden Stone patriotism was burned down to ashes.
"Don't think about that either," Kaori says in a whisper, her eyes locked onto Taura's. Her father Ketsueki trained his eyes to immediately spot the least noticeable of peculiarities in his opponents, just as he did when he caught Gyatsō alternating between his Rinnegan and Shaolin. Kaori has keen eyes herself—eyes disciplined to detect and read a person's thoughts and emotions through their face. At that moment, Taura is nowhere near being able to suppress her deepest fears regarding the current state of her village. Kaori has read her like a book, and she knows it.
"I-it's just that I can't stop thinking about what's happening back home," Taura chokes out faintly, finally letting her tears run down her apricot cheeks freely. Kaori hesitates to reassure Taura herself, knowing that the Stone could still very well be under siege. What good would such lip service do? If anything, it would validate Taura's potential return home—a precarious walk into the jaws of death. Rather than bolstering this possibility in any way, the redheaded kunoichi leads her to the large wooden table in the middle of the room.
"It's okay, really. Let's worry about other things, yeah? Did you eat anything on your way back?" Kaori asks her, trying to steer the conversation towards more mundane topics. Taura sniffs a few times as she picks at her fingernails and stares at the floor, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. For some reason, Kaori is bothered by Taura's present lack of emotion.
"No, I haven't eaten in a few days... but I'm not really hungry," Taura replies weakly. Kaori lets out a hearty laugh and slowly reaches over to take the woman's soft hands in her own. Taura can't help weakly smiling at the kind gesture.
"You know how crazy you sound right now? Come on, at least let me make you something," Kaori insists, her eyes sparkling with warmth. Taura shakes her head and stands up, letting the caring embrace in their hands slowly break apart.
"I'll go to Naritaka's if you really want me to eat," Taura tells her as she begins to walk towards the door. "I'd hate to eat up what little you have left."
Kaori turns in her chair to once again look into Taura's ambivalent eyes, her expression softening. The white-haired female immediately brings her eyes to the floor again, herself uneasy about something. Kaori figures it has something to do with home, but she still doesn't regret declining the woman's subtle request.
"Oh. Well, Naritaka's Shoppe doesn't sell particularly cheap food. I can spare a little bit of money if you need any," Kaori says, her voice gentle. Taura dismissively shakes her head and opens the door, the light from outside flooding into the room and causing Kaori to flinch uncomfortably.
"T-thank you, Lady Kaori. For everything."
The door then shuts quickly, and Kaori is left standing alone in the dimly lit room. Even though she is partially disoriented from the light outside, she can make out Taura's hysterical sobbing, the sound carrying on the wind. Her suspicions rise even more so when she takes a moment to take in the woman's parting words.
For everything?!Kaori thinks frantically, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.Goddamnit Taura, you better not be thinking about going back to that hellhole!
Taking her injury into account, Kaori carefully jumps out of her chair and makes a beeline for the door. She can hear her own rapid heartbeat as she opens it to find no Taura, but the gentle pitter-patter of the forest's evening rainfall.
Where did she go so quickly?Kaori's mind is racing with questions as she frantically searches for Taura. She hurries through the vicinity of her shed, checking all the usual areas of traffic, shortcuts, and even behind large bushes and trees. The longer she looks for the ill-fated woman, the more agitated she becomes. Her eyes scan the surroundings, her senses on high alert, but there is no sign of Taura. Finally, after twenty minutes of searching, Kaori decides to head back to her shed, her frustration and worry growing with each passing moment.
As she approaches the shed, she can feel her anger and concern boiling over. "What's with her?!" she yells, slamming the door shut with all her strength. The sudden movement sends a wave of pain through her right side, making her instantly regret her actions. She winces, her hand instinctively going to her injured arm, and carefully makes her way to the icy bathroom on the left side of the room.
She closes the door behind her and looks into the mirror, pouting at her disgruntled reflection.I look so tired,she thinks, taking note of the noticeable bags that have formed under her eyes. She can't help but wonder if it's due to the lack of sleep she's been getting lately. She turns the bathtub faucet a few times to the right, and the sound of fresh, hot water pouring out is a welcome distraction from her thoughts.
As she begins to undress, a faint knock on the door interrupts her. "The hell?" she mumbles to herself, wondering who could be visiting at this hour. Moments of silence pass on both sides of the door, and Kaori decides to overlook the sound, assuming she must have imagined it. She doesn't want to be bothered by anyone right now, not when she's trying to relax.
But then, a louder second knock comes, just as she's descending a leg into the tub. "Yeah? Who is it?" Kaori asks loudly, her voice firm but slightly annoyed. It's at this moment that she realises the mystery person must have broken through her locked front door or through the back. No matter, she thinks, she'd be more willing to fight an intruder after a nice, soothing bath—as long as they don't get any funny ideas and attack her first.
No reply comes from the other side of the door, and Kaori sinks into the bubble-filled tub, letting out a long, relaxing sigh. The third knock isn't going to make her get up, not now, not ever. She just really doesn't want to be bothered. "Just give me a minute!" she says, her voice firm but slightly exasperated.
The intruder's response comes in footsteps, which grow fainter as they seem to move away from the door. Kaori can't help but feel a sense of relief, thinking that the person has given up and left. She slowly closes her eyes, letting out another peaceful sigh, and lets the warmth of the bath wash over her. In what feels like no time at all, fifteen minutes have come and gone, and Kaori finally gets out of the tub, feeling more relaxed and calm. She dries herself off with a cyan towel, her mind still wondering about Taura's whereabouts, but for now, she's just grateful for the brief respite from her worries.
"I gotta say, you've got balls for sneaking into a Kuraiya's home," Kaori says loudly, her voice echoing through the room. "Whoever you are." She slides on a new, clean kimono roughly the same colour as her vibrant red hair and tightly re-wraps her injured right arm. A bright, radiant smile meets her gaze when she looks in the mirror this time, and she can't help but feel a sense of renewal. The slight bags under her eyes are still noticeable, but she's rid herself of all the previous grime and dirt that had accumulated on her face and body.
Okay, let's see who this little bastard is,Kaori thinks to herself, her curiosity piqued. She opens the bathroom door and steps out carefully, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of the intruder. A tall, redheaded figure, appearing to be a man, is sitting at the wooden table, his back turned to her. Kaori's heart skips a beat as she thoroughly studies whatever she can of him, her mind racing with possibilities. Something seems faintly familiar about him, but she can't quite put her finger on it yet.
It instantly hits her when the man begins to speak, his voice distinctively calm and collected.
"You're far too laid-back for a stranger to be roaming your house," he says, his words dripping with a sense of familiarity.
There's no way in hell... but that voice... Kaori's mind is reeling with shock and confusion.
The man remains silent for about ten seconds, waiting for a response, before turning around in his seat. Kaori lets out a weak yelp, her eyes widening in shock, before gritting her teeth as hard as she can. No matter how much she wants to deny it, her father, Ketsueki, is sitting before her, a lively smile spreading across his face.
Surely only a day or two have passed since his daring escape from the Leaf, but he remarkably doesn't look worn out at all. He's wearing a new, clean blue poncho covering everything from his neck to his waist, his hair perfectly fringed, and his face neatly shaved. He doesn't look at all like an escaped prisoner.
"To lower your guard in the presence of a potential enemy... isthathow I raised you?" Ketsueki asks, his voice laced with a hint of disappointment. Kaori quickly reaches over into her ninja tools pouch and pulls out a kunai, her movements swift and deadly. Before either one of them can say another word, she aims the projectile at his head and throws it as hard as her strength will allow. Ketsueki deftly deflects the small weapon with a sizable kitchen knife that had been on the table.
"Hey. Easy there, Kaori," he says impatiently. Kaori is digging into her pouch to retrieve another kunai, clearly unhinged by his sudden appearance. However, she catches herself quietly sobbing at the same time, her emotions in turmoil. Her fidgety hand clasps the blade so hard that she manages to cut herself, a single drop of blood falling onto the fur carpet.
"Raised me...?Raisedme?! You... you left us when I was a fucking kid!" Kaori yells, her voice raw and emotional. Ketsueki hesitantly stands out of his chair and frowns at the irate woman, his eyes filled with a deep concern. He then takes a cautious step towards her, his every movement mirroring those of a man approaching a deadly wild animal. Kaori immediately points the blade at him as a warning, but it doesn't stop him from advancing towards her slowly. To her, his looming presence feels as ifhe'sapproaching her with a deadly weapon, prepared to sabotage the very end of her life just as he did with its start.
"Stay away from me, you worthless bastard!" Kaori screeches, her voice like a razor-sharp blade cutting through the air. Ketsueki winces at her hostile words, but he doesn't falter, his eyes locked onto hers as he continues to approach her. When he wraps his arms around her in a stiff hug, she repeatedly jabs the blade into his hip as fast as she can, each vigourous stab a testament to the years of pain and anger she's harbored towards him. One, two, three, four... Kaori precisely counts the number of times she penetrates his flesh with the knife, each stab a reminder of the years she had to grow up with a disheartened, lonely mother, the years she loathed the heinous man standing before her now.
Wouldn't killing Ketsueki Kuraiya be what many in the ninja world envy? To end the life of a former New Akatsuki member, conman, mercenary, traitor, deadbeat... it wouldn't be hard at all to justify the act. The thought sends a shiver down her spine, but she's too far gone to stop now.
"Kaori!" Ketsueki gasps out, his voice laced with pain as the first few stabs take their toll. Kaori is well on her way to mercilessly stabbing him a tenth time, but Ketsueki uses Red Ring to form a small shield of hardened blood over his wound as a measure of defence. Unsurprisingly, the woman's kunai is immediately rendered useless against the tiny but effective shield.
"I'll kill you," Kaori says in a hushed yet melancholy voice, her words barely above a whisper. She slowly releases her grip on the kunai, allowing it to fall and stick in the wooden floor instead. The woman continues to cry softly in her father's arms, her body trembling with a mix of emotions. She views the hug as no different from embracing a massive fire in open arms, but the longer they hug, the less intense the heat from such a flame would grow. This particular form of compassion between them feels nothing short of alien.
At least she's not outright rejecting me,Ketsueki thinks, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. The last time he saw—let alone hugged—his daughter was indeed during her very early childhood. He understands that his unannounced appearance would shake the young woman up, that was obvious. But now he fears that an apology or explanation of some sort would just anger her again. There's just one question the man can't fight off asking anymore, though. He tilts his head slightly downwards to look at Kaori, his eyes searching for answers.
"Is Karin doing well?" he asks collectedly, his voice low and gentle. The mention of her mother causes Kaori to quickly open her eyes and look up into her father's, a spark of surprise igniting within her. Up until now, she figured that he couldn't care less about her since they divorced following his sudden abandoning of them. Ketsueki's eyes, she notes, don't appear to bear the faintest sign of malice or insincerity. She's taken aback by the unwavering lavender pupils she never studied until now. Either he's very good at faking certain emotions... or he really does care about her mother.
"...S-she's been occupied taking care of Kazuhiko. He's sick. But Mother's managing fine," Kaori replies, her voice more composed, the words spilling out of her like a gentle stream. Ketsueki smiles softly and strokes the woman's hair in an attempt to soothe her, his touch gentle and calming. Kaori absolutely despises this, of course, but she has to admit... it does make her feel a bit calmer. Ketsueki places his chin on top of his daughter's head and rocks her gently, the motion a slow and soothing dance.
"Ah, that's right... Kazuhiko," he says with a hint of unfamiliarity in his voice, resembling one attempting to remember a person long ago forgotten. To be fair, he pretty much is. According to his memory, his only son had hopes of becoming the new leader of the Kuraiya clan following his death. Ketsueki once told him that his uncle Furesshu would instead assume the position. Nobody knows what Furesshu's whereabouts are - if he's even alive. Ketsueki often thinks about his brother, the only other survivor of the fated massacre, a pang of guilt and regret echoing through his mind.
"The last time I saw my son, he was an annoying, provocative little boy," Ketsueki says, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Always pulled on our hair, mine and your mother's... how old are the two of you now?" he asks, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I just turned eighteen last week, and Kazu's seven years older than me," Kaori replies, her voice softening slightly. "That makes him twenty-five." Ketsueki's face lights up with a warm smile as he kisses her cheek, his eyes slowly closing in a moment of tender reflection.
Those seven years with Karin and Kazuhiko, easily the best years of my life,he thinks, a wave of nostalgia washing over him.I was finally creating a new generation for the clan, but... but...The unspoken words hang in the air, a reminder of the choices he made and the consequences that followed.
"Last week, huh?" Ketsueki says wistfully, his eyes opening to meet Kaori's. "I wish I came a week earlier then. Happy belated birthday." Kaori's face breaks into a gentle smile, and she sniffs, her eyes welling up with tears.
A week ago, she never would've accepted her father's visit, and she damn sure wouldn't be standing there hugging him, her mind reeling with the unexpected turn of events. If not for Taura throwing her for a loop, perhaps she'd be in the process of killing her father right now. Her father...
"Thank you... Father," Kaori says, her voice barely above a whisper. The word "Father" hangs in the air, a fragile bridge between them.
Ketsueki's heart skips a few beats as he hears the word, a mix of emotions swirling within him. One of his most reliable sources informed him of the battle Kaori had with Gyatsō and the Osore a while back, including how she spat out his name with a disgusted hiss. To his knowledge, she had never referred to him as her father, but just a man she unfortunately knew about. To hear her finally acknowledge him... even a hardened shinobi who's taken countless lives would start to tear up at that revelation, so it comes as no surprise when the salty streams make their way down his cheeks.
"What the hell are you crying about?" Kaori asks, her voice shaking slightly, her eyes narrowing in confusion. Ketsueki briefly raises the end of his poncho to his eyes, wiping away the tears before lowering it, his eyes now dry.
"Like you're one to talk," Ketsueki says back, a hint of amusement in his voice. Kaori pouts at her father, looking away from him, her gaze drifting to the front door. The lock looks untouched, and there are no other signs of forced entry. Somehow, she knows he didn't break in from the back either, so how the hell did he get in? Actually, there's something more important to think about.
"Why are you here exactly?" Kaori blurts out, the question tumbling out of her mouth like a challenge. The words are brought up so nonchalantly that the younger woman thinks of it as rude, and with Ketsueki's slightly hurt facial expression, she knows she hit the nail on the head. Ketsueki's arms slowly fall to his side, and Kaori would be a damn liar if she said she didn't already miss that unusual yet calming feeling.
"Is there a better place we can talk?" her father asks, his voice low and gentle. Kaori nods her head, leading him to a larger room further down to the right. Unlike the living room and bathroom, bright blue wallpapers covered with large flowers decorate a majority of the walls, accompanied by several paintings signed by the most famous of artists. An antique-looking chandelier sways gently in the middle of the room as they sit at a small table covered in soft, luxurious fur. Ketsueki brushes his hand against the material, his fingers meticulously examining the texture, and looks up to his daughter quizzically.
"This shack looked pretty run-down and shoddy from the outside, but the interior looks like it actually cost a fortune," he says, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "You don't exactly strike me as some lavish businesswoman, so how'd you pay for all of this?"
"The Tsuchikage and I are close friends," Kaori says, her voice laced with a hint of pride. "He had the place set up for me as a gift when I was being pursued by the Hidden Cloud. I didn't have to pay a dime for the construction or décor." Ketsueki crosses his arms and leans back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listens to her explanation.
"Youwerea close friend of his," he corrects, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "Lord Owabi has been killed. The same goes for Ladies Temari and Nori." Kaori's eyes widen in shock, her face pale as she processes the news.
"The Kazekage and Hokage have fallen, too?" she exclaims uneasily, her voice trembling slightly. "This fiasco is such a headache. I'd rather not think about Gyatsō Mataba or a Hidden Dark Nation or anything involving this mess. People are calling this the Fifth Great Ninja War, for Pete's sake!" Ketsueki looks at Kaori's right side and frowns slightly, feeling his own nerves starting to get the better of him. He knows now that there's no such thing as a time for making slow, careful decisions.
"Father, what exactly happened in the Leaf?" Kaori's voice interrupts his thoughts, her eyes locked onto his with a mix of concern and curiosity. Ketsueki takes a deep breath before answering, his eyes clouding over with memories of the past.
"Our resistance in the Leaf was outnumbered, crushed," he admits, his voice low and gravelly. "The Hidden Sound and Dark had us all imprisoned. I was only able to make it out alive thanks to Red." Kaori rises an eyebrow and inspects several parts of her father's body, such as his neck and arms, searching for any signs of the mysterious Red.
"Red? Is that the name of the curse mark, as in Red's Curse Mark?" she asks, her voice laced with confusion. Ketsueki shakes his head and performs a few hand signs, his eyes gleaming with a hint of intensity. Even though there are no enemies present, he allows five percent of Red's seal to come undone, revealing a glimpse of the power that lies within him.
As the seal is released, Ketsueki's eyes slowly turn crimson, and parts of his hair extend, like tendrils of flame. A few select black markings appear under his eyes, pulsing with a dark energy. Kaori watches in awe, her mind reeling with the implications of what she's seeing.
"Red the Deity... his power is not a traditional Curse Mark," Ketsueki explains, his voice low and husky. "Long ago, Red roamed the earth as an immensely powerful chakra god. He was eventually defeated by descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. When I was born... my parents cut me on the cheek, and poured his blood into the wound to bestow upon me his unrivaled chakra." Kaori's eyes widen in shock, her face pale as she struggles to comprehend the story.
"How did they even get Red's blood, if he was some god?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. Ketsueki sighs, his eyes clouding over with both memories of the past and of legends told to him.
"When Red was defeated, all of his remaining blood was frozen in tiny capsules and stowed away for extensive research," he explains. "Your grandparents just happened to own one of those capsules. To this day, I don't know why they decided to give me Red's power right after my birth." Kaori frowns, her mind racing with the implications of what she's hearing.
"I'd hate to criticize my grandparents, but... I think they broke Kuraiya code. They most likely only conceived a child so they could use it as a test subject," she suggests, her voice laced with a hint of bitterness. Ketsueki nods, his eyes gleaming with a hint of sadness.
"I could've easily died as soon as they put his blood in me," he says, his voice low and gravelly. "I didn't know my parents all that well. When I was a little kid, your grandfather trained me to the bone so that my Red Ring jutsu could make me hang with the Anbu Black Ops. And your grandmother... well, I don't know. They all died when I was eleven, anyway." Kaori's eyes lock onto his, her expression softening slightly.
"Mother tried so hard to hide the massacre's details from me, but I did a little bit of snooping around," she says. "Found out that the great-great-grandson of our clan's founder is the reason why everything went the way it did. He threatened the Third Hokage's life, and as a result, the entire clan was almost entirely cut off from the village. Pretty much got the Uchiha treatment." Ketsueki stares at Kaori in amazement, his eyes widening in shock.
Details so accurate were kept secret among the village's top leaders, out of reach of any common villager. And yet, Kaori—a young woman who never even resided in the Leaf to begin with—had access to such information. The only possible reason for this, he concludes, is that Kaori eventually visited the Leaf and talked to the Third Hokage, or possibly the Fourth. Since she was very well the daughter of the man who tried to destroy the village, he figured there would be at least a little animosity towards her. Apparently not.
"The higher-ups thought it'd be much easier... to kill off the Kuraiya, in order to squash the rumour that we were going to launch a revolt, like the Uchiha," Ketsueki says. "Unfortunately for them, Red's power was more than enough for me to survive that night... wait a minute." Kaori's eyes narrow slightly.
"Father, you don't think that my grandparents...?" she asks. Ketsueki's expression turns stern, his eyes gleaming with a hint of intensity.
"I think... they gave me Red... in case anything like that happened," he says quietly, his voice laced with a hint of sadness. "To continue living... to create a new generation of Kuraiya from the ground up, and ensure past mistakes aren't repeated..."
"If Uncle Furesshu is dead, you're the only Kuraiya who experienced the massacre and is alive to tell the story," Kaori says, her voice laced with a mix of emotions. "I wanted to believe that Kazuhiko would make a better leader for the clan, but... you're certainly something else, Father," she sighs out, her eyes fixed on Ketsueki's, searching for answers.
Ketsueki's gaze meets hers, his eyes filled with a deep understanding. "You are, too," he says. "Why do you choose to reside in this depressing forest alone?" he asks, his eyes scanning the room, taking in the overall sense of isolation.
"It's not like it's hugs and kisses between the Hidden Leaf and I," Kaori replies, her voice tinged with bitterness. "They're the people who killed my entire clan,you'dknow that. And I'm nowhere near as forgiving as you," she adds, her words hanging in the air like a challenge. A split second later, she realises how idiotic that sounds, as she's sitting there talking toKetsuekiof all people. Didn't she admit she'd kill him in any other circumstance? The irony is not lost on her, and she feels a flush rise to her cheeks.
"Hey, I never said I forgave them either," Ketsueki says. "I just view the Leaf as a symbol of our people to protect. But Gyatsō took control of the village, so I guess it was all for naught... actually, that's why I came to visit you like this," he adds, his eyes locked onto hers, filled with a deep intensity. He slowly reaches over to take her hands in his own, just as she did with Taura earlier. Not unlike their previous hug, it feels very, very foreign. Affectionate, but foreign.
Kaori's eyes rise to meet his, her expression softening slightly. "What is it that you want to tell me, Father?" she asks softly.
Ketsueki's grip on her hands tightens, his eyes filled with a deep emotion. "When I take my leave shortly, tell Kazuhiko that he is to immediately assume the leadership of the Kuraiya clan," he chokes out, his voice trembling slightly.
Kaori's eyes widen in shock, her mind reeling with the implications of what he's saying. "What? What the hell do you want me to do that for?" she asks, her voice laced with confusion and a hint of anger.
"Daughter... very soon, I will no longer be alive."