Hayato found himself in a plain room made of wood, with no windows and with a sliding door. He was lying on a floor mattress, while his restarting HUD informed him that already 3 days had passed since he closed his eyes unconscious.
"A-Aki? What the..." with his vision still blurry and his senses rusty, Hayato raised his hand to wipe the tears with his fingers. Yet, even this was a difficult task, as he felt like someone wrapped weights around his arms.An attempt to stand up maybe? Absolutely not.The sensation on his legs was nonexistent, not to mention the terrible pain in his whole back. The most impressive thing was that his body had been restored. Undoubtedly, Aki didn't use other jutsu but the Hell King in order to heal his body, that had been slashed, torn apart and crushed.
Then Aki, with no respect to Hayato's condition, grabbed him from his neck and brought him close to her face.She didn't have the bandage wrapped around her face and so Hayato could witness her full of rage eyes and instinctively grasped her arm, even though doing so was difficult.
"On a scale from 1 to 10,how stupid can ya possibly be!" she growled, yet he didn't gave out a reply and retained his composure.
"ANSWER ME!" Aki shrieked, without earning an answer once again.
"Did you lure me into this? Is that fucker Omoikane your subordinate or something?" Hayato said with a serious tone.Aki threw him back on the floor mattress, got up and grabbed a sheet of paper with a seal on it. Her fury was apparent from her sharp moves.
"If I wanted to sent ya something, I would have used this format." she slapped the paper,releasing the seal and a text appeared.
"Not the goddamned simple writing format, from which yer average human could easily detach valuable information!" she shouted once more, took a huge breath and back down to sit.
"So you know about the lett-"
"OF COURSE I DO, THEY TOLD ME!Omoikane's subordinates who ambushed me, dragged me into an other dimension and beat the living hell outta me. A-a-and ya fell for such a simple trap! For a fucking letter!" Aki spoke with great irritation and distress, nothing could calm her.
" Those subordinates...Were they Otsutsuk-"
" WHAT ELSE COULD THEY FUCKING BE, YA FUCKING WANKER!? "she interrupted him again and her voice made the whole room tremble.
" I am not in my best condition right now... Even if I could dispatch his minions, there wouldn't be a single chance that I would manage to come to your aid."and when it seemed that she relaxed a little, she bursted once again.
" AND WHAT THE HELL DID'TCHA DO?HUNDREDS OF SQUARE KILOMETERS WRECKED INTO DEBRIS! Like, didn't the wellbeing of your fellow humans pass through your mind for a bit? Ridiculously intense earthquakes occurred around the world, tsunamis drowned dozens of villages, thousands of dead!Nations from all around the world desperately try to rebuild their cities!Thousands of refugees from the mainland flooded Satsuma! "and after Aki let out a huge sigh of exhaustion, Hayato broke his silence.
"I had no other choice, you know ...Aki, you appear severely critical of me when you don't even provide with a better alternative. This fucker pulled a different ability up from his ass when I managed to counter him. Like, what else could I do? I had to go all out, otherwise no one knows what could he do to humans."he exclaimed, trying to justify his prior actions.
Aki got once again close to his face.
" Did ya know that it was thanks to Omoikane that humans were saved and evacuated properly from your destructive attacks? At least he tried to push them, thanks to spacetime ninjutsu, away from the battlefield. Why would he want to do something to humans if he evacuated them to safety?That's right! Nothing!"she answered to Hayato's prior statement, as she was profoundly getting angrier and angrier once again.
" Ya tried to save only... and ONLY yer fucking ass!"she said, gritting her teeth while she poked his forehead each time she finished a word. And without saying a single word, Hayato lowered his gaze, thinking.
" You are right,I had almost no concerns back then but only myself and victory, which he snatched from my hands. It is true that even If I constantly try to help humanity I always put it on a much worse condition . I don't think that I am an incompetent fighter,not even close, but it's just as you said. Not incompetence, but sheer stupidity. "he said with an apologetic and melancholic tone , just when Aki started to calm herself.
" No, I am sure it's sheer stupidity.Or recklessness. "he continued.
" It... It happened in the past again ... With much greater consequences... "Hayato paused since the event that he was referencing, a reference that even Aki understood, made him recall terrible memories, memories that made his guts to wrench, his heart to burn and his breath to shut.
" And...It's... It's not that I didn't have good intentions. I always have good intentions. It's that... I'm just a shinobi, nothing else, nothing more. I dirty my hands for others. I'm a tool for someone to use. I can take crucial decisions during difficult occasions on the battlefield but not on the big chessboard, life." he let off a sigh and a big awkward pause occurred until he spoke again. Aki stared at him with pity, but with empathy as well.
" This Omoikane characterized my thinking as a horde of childlike thoughts. Do you agree, Aki? Is your fellow clansman right?" Hayato asked, nailing his gaze at her eyes.She flinched a bit at the words "fellow clansman".
"He is right." Aki replied monotonously.
"Ya are just a baby in the body of 22 years old grown ass man that still need direction from a parent." she continued and spoke while joking a bit.
Letting of a huge sigh, Hayato conceived no answer to her statement.
"I see... That's what I thought as we-"
"I don't give a crap about yer thoughts. I have over ten thousand refugees to take care of because of yer bullshit." she once again interrupted him with her usual rude tone. Her attitude made a vein to pop on his forehead.
"Hmm yes, you sure do care a lot about your people. Or should I say, YOUR FUCKING FOOD!" shifting his attitude as well, Hayato cried at her face, making her flinch and gasp out of shock.
"Blah, blah, I gotta take care of them, blah blah you you don't care about your own people!" he spoke mockingly against her own words.
"I bet my penis that this whole fixation to the 'people' is a part of a masterplan, right?I'm sure that you watch over them like livestock so you can devour them using a God Tree, right?" Hayato proclaimed.
"You Otsutsuki are not fooling me again. Your deceitful way of thinking is known to every corner of the Earth." he pointed at Aki, as her expression of rage started slowly relaxing. Something completely unexpected occurred then. Aki did a peculiar gesture, very unfitting for her clan.
As rage was wiped away from her eyes, her vision blurred from something unknown to an Otsutsuki.
Tears.
She let out tiny sobs, desperately trying to hold herself and not destroy the image of the "terrifying alien god". However, her attempts were futile, since now she seemed more like a helpless, little girl.
"It's... It's" her speech was impossible, as it was interrupted by sniffles and sobs.
"It's because I have pale skin and hair, horns and circular e-eyebrows, isn't it?"
"What?!" Hayato asked bewildered, as he didn't expect her to behave like this.
"Of COURSE it is! Since I bear these characteristics I have to be like the others of the clan. Those...violent cosmic planetfuckers, isn't it?" she continued, yet her throat ached terribly from her sorrow, as if barb wire was forced in her throat.
"Like-like-Like... Uhm... How could someone like ya say this? Hayato Uchiha? Who from an early age met an exception of my clansmen. Someone with no intentions of murdering literally fucking everyone" she said with great difficulty and pointed at Hayato's left shoulder.
"How the fuck can ya make suck such a generalization? YOU KNOW NOTHING OF ME! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY SACRIFICES, NOTHING OF MY FIGHTS, NOTHING OF MY FEARS, NOTHING OF MY DARKEST HOURS!" she roared and cried, after grabbing him once again from his white kimono.
" You took it too persona-"
" OF COURSE IT'S PERSONAL! I JUST FUCKING HATE WHEN PEOPLE DISREGARD MY JOB AND MY LOVE FOR HUNANS JUST BECAUSE I'M AN OTSUTSUKI! "she interrupted Hayato as usual and gradually calmed, as this eruption of emotions ceased.Letting him down once again, she let off a huge sigh, a sigh of relaxation.
" I'm sorry"she finally spoke out as her voice still trembled.She swiftly wiped her tears with her sleeves.
"I know that this behavior is not fitting of my status.Please, excuse me." she finished, dropping down and bowing, asking for forgiveness. Hayato stared down at her with an expression of shock and confusion, as he raised his eyebrow so high that it almost flew away from his forehead.
" O-okayyyy...? "he stuttered, unsure of what to reply. Aki then got up and sat on her knees.
" Well... Uhm...well, if you are supposedly an Otsutsuki then why don't you use an Earth jutsu to reconstruct the destroyed cities or something? "Hayato asked, retaining his eyebrow at high altitude.
Aki didn't respond for a moment. She had an melancholic, yet apologetic expression,lowering her head in shame. She had her glance nailed on the floor.
" Also honestly sorry about before, I... got carried away, seriously. Sudden outburst of emotions is part of me." Hayato said, attempting to break the awkward silence.
"Answers and info ya aspire to get, right?" Aki raised her head and gazed Hayato with a serious look.
"Tomoko is being held captive in Satsuma, so are her subordinates.It appears that I have to give out the reward."
Those final words made Hayato pumping with excitement and curiosity yet...anxiety as well. Who knows what horrors occurred during those 3143 years that led humanity back to the medieval times.
"Ya asked why I don't use jutsu to rebuild the lost cities. Y'know, this Omoikane man that you fought against... I have quite an interesting history with him." she said and Hayato, as difficult as it was, slowly got up and difficultly sat crossed-legged, since the sense of his lower body was almost nonexistent.
"In fact, I had beef with this man even before our arrival on Earth.Omoikane is was not just an ordinary Otsutsuki, he was a statesman, he had huge political influence over a big chunk of the Otsutsuki populace. And I was his main antagonist." she continued while Hayato was already immersed in the story.
"During that time, our clan was undergoing
immense changes,especially in mindset. Until then, there was some organization, with laws and and ranks amongst the army, yet don't imagine something complex. It was easy for someone to infiltrate the system and gain political power. However, none of us dedicated our lives to do this task, because we were to busy on finding planets , destroying planets , conquering planets , eating planets , repeat. Except one man, Omoikane. "Aki said, while upon hearing this name, Hayato frowned.
" Before this huge wave of reorganization and reformation happened, ominous news reached the old Otsutsuki administration.Isshiki Otsutsuki had been killed by a human.The same planet where not only him lost his life but other clansmen as well.What is peculiar it's that the same people that were involved in Isshiki's death were also involved in the deaths of the other Otsutsuki."and upon hearing those words, Hayato cloaked himself with a mask of calmness,yet this wasn't the case. His heart almost exploded from shock after hearing about the person that killed Isshiki Otsutsuki.
" Isshiki wasn't just a random person from my clan.He was one of the strongest, no one had the balls to go face his arrogant ass. So, the news of his death caused a fuss in the Otsutsuki administration and the average folk." she continued, yet Hayato was faced with a huge dilemma. Should he ask about the names of those affiliated with the death of the Otsutsuki on Earth, should he ask whether those people are still remembered almost 3000 years after those event, or not? He decided that this info wasn't a priority, therefore he kept his mouth shut and continued listening.
"Ya know, the death of multiple clansmen in a single world, and even the death of a higher-up, was exactly what Omoikane awaited so patiently about. For thousands of years, he cried that the clan mustn't rely on pure physical power alone and that if a foe of similar might appeared, things would be very difficult for the Otsutsuki. And that foe finally appeared.The Hidden Villages and especially,Konohagakure."she explained thoroughly.
"Omoikane's idea was that the clan should be reformed into a more complex structure, where each one's post would be given accordingly to their abilities and potential. None would multi-task, everyone would concentrate their powers to the job that they had been given out by the administration.Of course,there was a lot of cooperation between the clan's members, yet no one interfered to other's posts. So, since the death of my clansmen on Earth proved the clan's organization insufficient, many Otsutsuki found Omoikane's idea sound."
"Hmm... I don't see anything illogical to his idea." Hayato commented scratching his skin, as he couldn't comprehend why Aki would oppose this concept.
"Wait, wait,the controversial part hasn't came in. He insisted that not only we should abolish the God Tree plantation and planet consummation, but we should also provide to the youngsters of our clan education that sharpens their spiritual abilities, not only their military skills. Y'know, science, math, chemistry, philosophy and shit. Omoikane's opinion was that the political structure he suggested required an educational model that could trace each one's skills and evolve them, in order for a job to be assessed to them. "she said, as Hayato stared at the ground lost in his thoughts, avoiding eye contact.
" Sooo, what was his argument?You know, in defense of this reformation."Hayato asked.
" The point of this idea was that the Otsutsuki had reached the evolutionary stage where dealing with food shortages, diseases and natural catastrophes didn't exist even as a thought, they should harness all of this knowledge that they gained through all of those millenia of world consuming in order to become intellectual gods, forge their brains into biological supercomputers.However... ya can understand that twice were Omoikane's opposers than his supporters."she let off a long sigh exhaustion and paused for a handful of seconds, lowering her head.
" You okay?"Hayato asked awkwardly.
" I'm tired as fuck ya know. "she answered coldly and monotonously.
" Where.. have I been? Ah yes! One of those opposers was I!Around 3170 years ago, I was a little, piece of shit, power-hungry, obnoxious girl, just like the majority of my clansmen. Of course my arrogant-ass would oppose this plan! Ya know, power is addictive as fuck! The feeling that no one dares to stand against you is addictive as fuck! But, we thought that this feeling motivated us to achieve more and more power, however this wasn't the case. It, in fact, enslaved us to this idea, hands, neck and legs bound in chains and kept our heads faced towards this idea. Forever."she said, tirelessly narrating the past.
" This fixation to this primitive mindset kept our brains in an unpolished state, we dismissed every stimulus that didn't have to do anything with chakra fruit harvesting. Our whole existence revolved around this idea, an idea that describe the true essence of the Otsutsuki clan. An idea that Omoikane and his followers wholeheartedly declined. And thus, with strategic moves and deceit, he slowly yet surely dispatched every opposer of him, taking the reins of our clan's administration."she finally finished and once again, a few seconds passed in complete silence.
It was clear to Hayato that as she continued to narrate, she was getting more and more uncomfortable Nevertheless, without even a tiny bit of shame, he asked a question that would make her uneasiness peak.
"What about you? You earlier said that you were one of his main opposes, he couldn't have left you untouched."
Her eyes widened and hiding her nervousness and uneasiness was truly futile.Her chest beat violently, as sweat started trailing on her forehead.Judging by Aki's reaction, Hayato knew that he hit a sensitive nerve with that question.
Simultaneously,she tried to disentangle a mess of memories, browsing through killings, lies, pain, destruction and on the other hand love, friendship, companionship, family. Her memory reached far enough, 3170 years ago, a fated day of her life...
A barren, empty and plain room, lighten by a pink light that entered from a single window. The dim pink light, generated by a gigantic nebula that swarmed around the planet, highlighted a pale object -no- a body to be precise and what appeared to be the body of a woman.
The woman's naked skeletal-like body seemed to be moving, breathing slowly.She was curbed, holding her legs tightly and her back faced towards the exit of the room.As she inhaled her ribs were becoming more and more visible, making even breathing look painful.Her lifeless gaze was nailed upon a rock inside the room that was slowly crumbling into dust. The cracks of the rock were the only sounds that resounded through the room until, footsteps could be heard from behind.
The footsteps abruptly stopped,followed by a small, arrogant chuckle.
"I've have never consumed a God Tree in my life, yet look at you, who has consumed thousand of them. Who's standing victorious, who's lying defeated in an embarrassing state?" a familiar voice spoke from behind, as the woman made great efforts to turn back her head and glance at the visitor.
Finally managing to turn her whole body around, she stared at the despicable metallic mask, shadowed by the white hood of his sleeveless coat.The mask's cold expression was the last thing many of her comrades saw.
Aki's face seemed much more unsettling though, as it was like someone's took a cranium and attached a layer of skin over it.Her expressions remained dead, while her dry lips and tongue couldn't form a single word. She kept staring at him, humiliated.
"It's a pity we had to come to this point. However,it is my duty to always put the welfare of our clan above of the insecurities of some people." and upon hearing the word "insecurities", Aki frowned with the few muscles on her forehead.
"It's truly a pity that I had to prove you this way that physical power is ephemeral, something unstable.You earn it and... the next day you lose it." he spoke with a sarcastic tone, gesturing towards her.
"On the other hand, knowledge is power that can't be lost, taken, it's a form of power that resides eternally in my mind. However,no matter how loud I said this ,your 'comrades' and you would never understand." he proclaimed and sat down on his knees, staring her disparaging expression behind his mask.
" Yes, those supposed comrades of yours that backstabbed you. This is what happens to connections and 'friendships' that are solely based on mutual interest and profit.BUT..." he shouted said and got closed to her face.
"My Byakugan have seen enough barbarism in those that call themselves 'nobles'. Yet, even though you appeared more vicious than them to the outside world, your barbarism isn't nearly as big as theirs.It is because that you are still young, so impulsiveness, spontaneity and rebelliousness is part of your nature. That's why... "he paused and let of a sigh.
" I sense a wind of change in you."and when Omoikane spat those words, Aki confused got tremendously irritated.
" This motherfucker... Is he toying with me? " she wondered, as she didn't have the strength to ask directly those words at him.
" Yes, exactly.I'm gonna help you rehabilitate from this mindset. I'm gonna help you find someone to share the same ideas and struggles. Someone with whom you can share your concerns. Someone who will stay awake late at night, worrying about you, waiting for you to come in one piece.Someone that will call you friend, lover, sister... "and upon finishing those words he stood up and turned his back against her.
"... Even mother and grandmother with a broad smile."
Omoikane slowly walked towards the exit, distancing himself from expressionless Aki.
" I can give you knowledge for you to solve your problems, whether they be physical or spiritual, for you to invent jutsu that your previous 'comrades' could find incomprehensible, for you to forge ways that can help those dear to you." and Omoikane continued talking, strolling towards the exit.
"I will turn you into what nature meant us to be. But of course..." he paused and turned his head swiftly towards her.
"Everything is also up to you." and when he finished, he noticed a slightly puzzled expression on Aki's pained face.And, as Onoikane slowly submerged himself into the darkness of the building, he gave out an answer, straightforward for him, vague for her.
" Know this" he said. "The death of Isshiki Otsutsuki wasn't a product of jutsu similar to those that our clan uses. It was, in fact, a product of deceit and nuclear physics." and with those words, he disappeared.
His final words left her confused, intrigued, even irritated and furious. The thought that she had to depend on someone was a direct insult against her pride.Nevertheless, as she lied utterly humiliated and defenseless, Aki knew that she had no other choice. So, she decided to cooperate with him, briefly...
_______
As he noticed Aki's desperate look, her widened eyes staring on the ground, Hayato couldn't but break her out of this state.
"Hey!" he shouted and Aki gasped out of shock.
"You ok?"
"Yeah..."
"Good then. Continue." Hayato said with a pressing tone.
She scratched her head, clearing all her previous, cleared her thought and tried to remember where she had left the conversation.
"Yeah, uhm... Ya know, this man managed to 'frame' me for the assassination of a high-ranked Otsutsuki member. I was idiot and young so I couldn't defend myself. He easily won the court, resulting in my punishment."
"What punishment?" Hayato asked curiously and Aki pointed with her middle and intex finger at her eyes.
"Your eyesight? You mean the seal that your talked about a few days earlier?"
"Exactly!" she answered and nodded positively.
A few seconds passed, as Hayato awaited patiently for her to remember his first question. And, as it appeared that his question was lost in the sea of the myriads of information that she gave off, Hayato decided to remind it to her.
"Soooo... About your current relationship with Omoikane. You said this guy was the reason you can't use jutsu for the sake of your people. How so?" Hayato continued the unrelenting barrage of questions.
"My relationship?" Aki retorted with a question as well, attempting to avoid Hayato's.
"Yes."
"Well uhm..." she anxiously spoke, as it was this moment that she knew that mentioning the connection between her relationship with Omoikane and her disability to use her chakra prowess in favor of her nation was a mistake.
"Aki."
"Answer. Please." and as Hayato understood her discomfort, he softened up his speech.
"Well..." instead, Aki's nervousness grew to the point where search was impossible Suddenly, with a sharp move, she extended her arm and pointed at him.
"J-just don't imagine of anything sexual! Y'all dirty-minded humans only think about whatever pleasures whatever ya got between your legs."she shouted at him, clearly embarrassed,as she made everything to avoid his question.
Hayato, both surprised and awkward as he was, didn't spit a word for a few seconds . Instead, he stared at her, with an expression that radiated disappointment and embarrassment.
" God-almighty please smite a meteorite upon me..."he whispered to himself, rolling his eyes.
"Aki..." he sighed with great indignation.
"I am not here to play!You said you'd be an open book, goddammit!"
"I COULD NEVER IMAGINE THAT YA WOULD RAN UP TO HIM, OKAY? " she finally retorted, as the concentrated nervousness channeled itself in an explosive answer.
"STOP SCREAMING AND GIVE ME THE FUCKING INFO FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" enraged by her attitude, Hayato shouted back with a deafening roar, enough to shut her and put her back in her place.
"Hayato why, just, why are ya so fixated to the name Omoikane, just, what the fuck happened between y' two?"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hayato said, as the image of Omoikane with the sun-patterned Mangekyo Sharingan was engraved in his mind.
"Listen, listen, listen, listen.Do you know about whom we are talking right now? Do you think that I'd give you info about him without endangering myself and you?" and her gaze intensified. Hayato felt her dead eyes were staring at his soul. Simultaneously, she kept glancing at every corner of the room, as if someone was there.
"Even an encounter with Omoikane himself is a big deal, let alone fighting him. Do you think that you'll have peaceful days from now on? Absolutely not? The name Hayato Uchiha is being currently discussed through the whole clan!" Aki said with an intense tone, while her final words made him shiver a bit.
" The fact that Omoikane choose to fight you means that something ominous is coming for you. And it isn't death."
Hayato couldn't find words to respond to this menacing forecast.His widened eyes testified shock, or rather, terror. Even this vague information was suffice for him.
However, this information wasn't the only reason that Hayato Uchiha was in this state. In fact it was something more terrifying, something that literally occurred at this moment, at this place. Hayato with his shocked eyes didn't gaze at Aki, as at her place was something completely different.
A silhouette,to be precise, but not of those genderless silhouettes that Hayato used to see. The silhouettes identity could be clearly recognized, with a key reference point being the red, rectangular glasses at the silhouettes face.
"The name Uchiha Hayato is being currently discussed through the whole Lightning Country" the silhouette's rough, male voice exclaims, a voice which Hayato instantly recognized.
"Truly, it has been ages since the last time the Uchiha name has been heard in such a barbaric manner." and as the silhouette continued talking,Hayato understood that this speech wasn't unknown to him. In fact, those words were very well known, imprisoned in the back of his brain, ready to force their way through his memory during the worst time. Thus, Hayato started shivering, not from just fear but from fury as well.
"What you did to those pesky rogue shinobi was undoubtedly admirable. Yet... the sheer ferocity, man! Mutilated bodies littered a fields kilometers in range! Tch! Goddammit, Bumyato!" the silhouette finished his words with a chuckle.
"Look, Bumyato, just... don't refuse this anymore. You are a murderer! I am a murderer, your sister is a murderer, your mother is a murderer. There is nothing noble about this job, nothing heroic! We dive our hands into the shit so the world can live clean."even when the silhouette finished his words,Hayato's terrified, yet enraged expression didn't change a bit. He just stared, unable to stop him.
" It's on your nature, bozo! The way you feel rage and love so much, thanks to the Uchiha genes. It's not simple rage, but controlled, methodical, channeled into logical actions, fueling your desires!" and as the silhouette went on and on, Hayato's ability to control his anger weakened.
" And not just that. That revelation, three years ago! The other genes that were found-"
" INOZEN!"and finally, as it was expected, Hayato snapped, crying with all of his might a name unknown to us. He extended his fingers and tightly compressed them together, thrusting his arm at the silhouette's neck.
He thought that he landed the hit, until he felt Aki's hand grasping his arm.
"What the fuck is wrong with ya, fucking idiot!" she shouted back, both weirded out and surprised.
And as Hayato understood that the whole scene was just an illusion, he couldn't but give out an uncomfortable, plain answer.
"I.. I y-" forming a simple sentence was impossible
"Geez man, what the hell!" After noticing that Hayato hadn't got a grip of himself ,she extended her arm and snapped her fingers in front of his face a few times.
" Get over it!" Aki complained and Hayato shook his head, opening and closing his eyes rapidly.
"But ya know, It'd be better if we changed subject." Aki exclaimed, shifting to a more cheerful tone, in a way almost unnatural, suspicious, someone could say.
"... Yeah..."
"Sooo, what's the next question?"
Shaking his head a bit and letting of once again a sigh of relaxation, Hayato attempted to empty his head and especially, forget the incident that happened a few seconds before.
"Oh yes!What's the situation of the Otsutsuki clan on Earth? Are there still clansmen currently here?"he asked with a straight face, pretending that the illusion that he saw before never happened.
Aki, taking a minute to think, crossed her arms, as she was clearly troubled by Hayato's question. When he recognized by the expression in her face that she was speculating about something, he couldn't but sigh once more, awaiting a similar answers to that one before.
"The Otsutsuki clan on Earth, huh?"she questioned to herself, placing her hand on her chin
" We had... a mixed fortune on this planet. We might had been able to get away from our mind-deteriorating planet-consumption habit, make bonds, discover our hidden spiritual potential. On the other hand though, conflicts between us occured, as it was like a curse that this planet puts on whoever walks upon it.We might have developed new jutsu, literature and complex politics,however, all of that came with a with a stroke of the sword."
While Aki gave out a lot of information, Hayato stood more on the words" new jutsu" and "conflict"
"Conflict?" Hayato questioned loudly.
"The planet was thankfully in one piece when I woke up!"
Aki chuckled at those words, chuckled in a more mocking manner. Yet, as always, she did her best to enlighten him.
"Y'know... Conflict between two Otsutsuki isn't as flashy as you think it is, with planet-busting jutsu and large scale battles. It is usually more like a slow,brutal brawl, lasting over days and even weeks. As most of my clansnen have ninjutsu-negating abilities, they resort into taijutsu, kenjutsu, sojutsu, bojutsu and so on. The main goal is to physically exhaust the enemy to the point it will be impossible for them to implant a Karma. "she stated, pointing at his right shoulder.
" You said that you all resorts in weapons, hands and legs. The chanmail armor that you currently aren't wearing... Is it man-made or a jutsu?"Hayato found the chance to ask about her peculiar armor, as it was one of the many things that startled him. It was undoubtedly illogical for an Otsutsuki to wear armor. And so, Aki judged that it would be better to show him in practice.
She took off her leather glove from her left arm,revealing a seal engraved on her palm.The word "METAL" was written in kanji.Then a strange, alien-like black liquid metal came out of the seal and levitated in the air. And, since Aki controlled this metal on will, it went into the sleeves of her coat and covered her turtleneck sweeter completely. Instantly then, the metal solidified itself and formed into rings, harnessing Aki into a black, chainmail shirt.
"This is the Ishikori jutsu. We use a liquid metal alloy that is mixed together with Ying-Yang chakra and shape it to our will. Depending on the skill, the user can make better armor.If someone is proficient enough they can make full-body plate armor and weapons, since forming large chunks of metal requires high proficiency of this jutsu.This is the signature technique of the Otsutsuki clan on Earth."
Aki explained, as Hayato's gaze froze amazed onto the chainmail shirt.
" We developed this jutsu as a countermeasure to ninjutsu-absorbing technique,as the metal is impossible to be absorbed by the Rinnegan or Karma."and after she finished her words, the metal re-liquified itself and gathered in her palm and morphed into a tanto knife.
" See?"she tossed the blade at him, but he barely grasped it, since his senses were dull.
As if he was like a kid that got a new toy in his hands, Hayato stared at the pitch-black, metallic knife excited, caressed the edge of the blade and and tapped the tip as well. An overwhelming urge to flow lightning through it flooded him, yet he knew that if he used senjutsu at the state he currently was in, the NAENCO unit in his back would simply... explode.
"Amazing..." he whispered to himself, as he finished the inspection of this.. alien-like weapon. His excitement instantly faded, as Aki turned the tanto back to metal and sealed it back into her hand.
"And that's why an average Otsutsuki clansman would demolish a fellow clansman from another world in hand to hand combat."she confidently stated.
And it was that time that Hayato flashbacked to his fight against in Omoikane. The memory was faint, yet he could clearly picture Omoikane releasing a black, liquid metal from his hands and forming his mask.
"How come... He didn't use that Ishikori jutsu. Maybe he was to confident and he was sure of his triumph" Hayato thought startled, as the terrifying thought of facing an Omoikane clad in plate armor passed through his mind.
"Ya will see most of the Earth's Otsutsuki using this jutsu, whether it'll be lamelar, scale, chainmail, or even plate armor.It depends on the user."A few, seconds passed as Hayato seemed to prepare his next question.
" Well,speaking of weapons...The double-edged sword that lies against the wall is the same that you wielded during our fight, isn't it? How come do Otsutsuki use weapons that are made of materials and not of chakra?" and he finally asked the question that bugged him for a long time. His interest about Aki's weapon peaked when he witnessed another Otsutsuki, Omoikane, wielding material swords.
And without wasting any time, Aki extended her arm towards the sword that's was leaning against the wall and it telepathically hovered to her hand. She brought it in front of Hayato and slowly unsheathed it, revealing the sword's thin yet sturdy, shiny blade.
Now that Hayato laid his eyes on it with a clear mind, without the heat of the battle clouding his thought, could clearly see that this weapon was mastercrafted. The sword's horizontal circular guard seemed that it was forged by the most fine silver, while the black wrap around the handle made it look like the most comfortable sword to wield.
"What ya see in front of you is not an ordinary weapon. This is, what we call we Otsutsuki of the Earth, an astra!" she explained, while even by the word "astra" someone could understand that those were truly weapons of a god race.
"A-astra?" Hayato stuttered as he narrowed his eyes in curiosity, zooming with his HUD onto the legendary sword.
"Each astra has a unique design, depending on the user. This occurs due to the fact that during their creation , the metal from which an astra is created is infused with the user's chakra, acquiring not only different appearance but abilities as well."and after finishing those words, Aki gasped the sword and lifted it upwards.
" This sword, for example, is the Companion,a sword that only trusts it's user. That's why it embedded a paralyzing seal on ya during our battle.Whenever I call it, this sword is always there for me!" she exclaimed proudly and sheathed the Companion to its scabbard.
" Astra, of course, do not come only in the form of swords. There are axe, spear, bow, shield e.t.c. astra. And finally they can be only repaired by the user's chak-"such was Hayato's excitement on the current topic, that he didn't even let her finish and interrupted her with another question.
" Those astra weapons! Where can I get one! A spear, if it's possib-"
" Easy there!" Aki raised her arm and extended her palm at his face, halting his enthusiasm.She found Hayato's quick burst of excitement naive and so she struggle to hold her laugh.
"There is no way you can get an astra! Only high-ranking Otsutsuki members wield one. Not even an average Otsutsuki can get one, let alone a human!" and with this revelation, Hayato's ambition to gain an astra was crushed into pieces. Now that his spear was lost during his battle with Omoikane, he had no other choice but to gear up in Satsuma's armories.
He let off a huge sigh of disappointment, as the thought of acquiring a weapon that could slice an Otsutsuki's neck without the need of infusing lightning was simply obliterated.
"Aki..." he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"As you can understand, I need desperately need a weapon. Just get me a proper spear!Please!" he pleaded, since a spear was the perfect tool for him to execute a job properly.
"I'll... Do my best."Aki answered reassuringly, as she understood that human-made weapons can't suit Hayato's needs.Nevertheless, because of his recklessness, she was obliged to find him a new spear. She had no other choice. Even after giving so much information to him, his services still outweighed her rewards.
He gathered back his hand and of course, he launch another question. It was time to change topic.He couldn't however overlook the worried expression in her face, as if Aki was nervous about finding a new, durable spear for him. Perhaps, she felt truly indebted for Hayato's service and now would like to reward him properly.
"What's the form of Otsutsuki politics on Earth?Are there any big Otsutsuki settlements?" he threw it out in a cold, emotionless way.
Judging by the awkward and frozen look on her face, Hayato understood that Aki was probably entering - once again - the "classified information" territory,similarly to many info regarding Omoikane.
"Well uhm... Currently, yes. There are some
Otsutsuki settlements around the globe, but of small scale.Most Otsutsuki now dwell in the human world, either living an isolated, rural life or a life terrorizing humans." after listening to these words, Hayato's eyes almost bursted away from his head.
" Terrorizing?! "
"When a human country or settlement is in distress, facing food shortage, bleak harvest, pandemics, wars and economic crises,an Otsutsuki takes the situation into their advantage and appears to the people as a 'god' that will save them from their disarray. After they solve the human problems, the Otsutsuki put them into an 'indebted' state, where they have to satisfy their saviour's deeds. "
" For example?"
" Well, some generous fellas only require to have statues of themselves built through the whole country.Others on the other hand..."she exclaimed.
Now, everything started to make sense. Hayato laid eyes to hundreds of statues that resembled Otsutsuki individuals with the most prominent one being the feature of a woman, with horns that resembled a halo, a purple right eye and a golden left,long pale hair that swirled around her neck,fashioning crimson robes that appeared to be fiery.
"Wait a minute." Hayato paused her.
"I saw several statues in this country resembling your kind, but the one that struck me the most was the one of a woman -"
"That had a fiery robe, halo-like horns, purple and golden eyes? Yes, every household has a little statue." she abruptly said, catching Hayato off-guard.
"And now you are going to ask if this statue was a living Otsutsuki once, right?Well, ya know Hayato, ya are too easy to read." she asked with a slight grin.
"Hahah, yes!" he retorted with an awkward chuckle ."I guess I am."
And instantly and uncannily, Aki's joyful expression turned into a serious one, a shift that could make someone shiver.
"You shouldn't."she warned him with a straight face.Hayato gave no answer, no expression that gave out a specific feeling. He just blankly stared at her, frozen.
" Well, it doesn't matter, ya know!Back to our subject!"she shifted back to her cheerful attitude.
"No,no this figure hasn't appeared in real life, she is a product of human fantasy. The Phoenix's Daughter, is her name who, according to mythology, was a feeble woman's that died and reborn into a god in a sea if fire. Ya know like a... phoenix I guess?And I think later she was in a constant war with the gods?"she scratched her head,struggling to remember the story.
" Religious crap."Hayato scoffed at her story,yet he still found it fascinating that humans used Otsutsuki characteristics to even portray their own gods.
" As long as the people are happy and their morale is high , I don't have a problem with religio-"and suddenly, footsteps that were heard from outside the room shut Aki instantly.
" Akira-sama, the diplomats have arrived."and upon hearing those words, Aki instantly changed to her human form. She hopped and instantly stood on her legs.
" Where are you going?"Hayato asked surprised.
" Diplomats from other countries have arrived. Ya know, the fuss that you and Omoikane made caused extensive damage to the human settlements around the world.We have to cooperate to heal our wounds now."she said with a great hurry and rushed towards the door, until she suddenly stopped before opening it. She turned her head towards Hayato.
" Ya know, I hope I'll return with more..." she looked right and left "...tangible material next time."
And lastly before exiting the room, she repeated the same gesture as before, looking left and right. It was this time thay Hayato decided that he shouldn't let her believe that he hadn't noticed her weird behavior.
"Aki!" he spoke intensely.
"Why the hell are you checking left and right? Is anyone watching us?"
She didn't expect him to note it since, to her perception, she turned her head very discreetly. So, surprised as she was, Aki replied after a short interval of silence passed.
"It's impossible. We are fifty meters underneath the grounds, while those wooden walls are reinforced with anti-Byakugan metals from behind.There is no way someone could have a look hear." she answered in a complete manner, trying to sound unaffected by the nervousness that had almost overwhelmed her.
" Then why are you checking left and right? Is it some short of tick of somethi-"
"Akira-sama, we will be late!"the annoying messenger interrupted once again, yet he functioned as a saving grace for Aki.Grasping the chance to escape from Hayato's question, he gave him a reassuring expression, an expression that guaranteed that she will satisfy his thirst for info. Aki exited the room and shut sliding door behind her.
________
It was this time that Hayato wanted to punch the ground so hard, enough to turn it into dust.Aki's supposedly reassuring look was like a big "fuck you" to him. No, the whole session was a big fuck you to him. Excluding all the important info about Omoikane and the Otsutsuki political organization was more than suspicious. All in all he felt... dissatisfied.He just wished he could use senjutsu and his sensory abilities without problems, so he could sense who was observing them. Well... If there was any.
"Heh, 'open book', my ass!" he thought mockingly of her words as he let off a huge sigh of irritation, so long and intense that it swiped away the dust on the ceiling. He lied down with his arms behind his head.
"I'll extract info about this goddamn clan, even if I have to break every bone in her body!Also this man, Omoikane. He is a mysterious fellow, difficult to crack up Ridiculously strong too, I'm probably no much for him at my current form.But..." he raised his arm and orange flickering candle light reflected upon his shiny metallic fingers. He clenched his fist and the shivering sound of metal grinding against metal resonated.
" I'll make sure that I'll be the first thing he will think of after waking up and the last thing before going to bed. In the worst way possible." he growled with determination and courage,officially declaring his campaign against the Otsutsuki, no matter how futile it seemed.
However, even if it still wasn't clear to him,retribution against the clan and humanity's liberation wasn't the primary reason for this campaign. Not as long as the black chains were still squeezing his heart. Not as long as the Susano'o, the mirror of his soul, would enslave him in chains and bring forth his utmost vulnerability.
GUILT
_______
The hours passed and the meeting between Aki Otsutsuki and the foreign diplomats went relatively smoothly, ensuring a steady recovery of all nations around the world from the cataclysmic consequences of the clash between Hayato and Omoikane. Not only that, because neither the Phoenix Country nor the Empire of Mesur could raise funds for the war between them, the path for the long awaited peace between them opened. Everyone had to concentrate on rebuilding their respective countries.
Aki herself however after the meeting wasn't dining in her usual place, surrounded by Hattori's family in his villa. Instead he went outside of Satsuma and sat on cliff,after shifting back to her Otsutsuki form.The sky, as clear as ever, revealed the cluster of innumerable stars known as the Milky Way galaxy.She blankly gazed at the starry sky and, similarly to every time, her chest felt tight, tight enough to make her suffocate.
"I could still be up there. That's where my home is, that's where Moriya is."she thought, mesmerized by the celestial bodies that lit the night sky. Somewhen in the past, those stars and their majesty passed unnoticed besides her but now, even their distant, faint light were enough to make her... emotional.
Leaning towards her hands on the ground, she clenched her fist and eradicated a big chunk of dirt and grass. With great frustration, yet sorrow as well, she hurled the chunk in front of the cliff.
"FUCK!" Aki shouted from the top of her lungs, as her voice echoed through the valley. She fell and lied back, exhausted,and threw a glance at her sword besides her, the Companion,of which the shiny metallic guard mirrored her lifeless,cold eyes with their ridiculously profound eye bags underneath.
She stirred her eyes towards the sky and traced a falling star. A wish, she thought! But what wish? Is it even appropriate for a member of a supposedly god clan resort to wishes?Even the remote thought of a wish was just an other exhibit of her pitiable state.
Her loneliness was disrupted by the sound of footsteps, gentle footsteps to be precise, presumably a child's. When the source of the footsteps came close enough, it was revealed that it was anything but a child.
"Peace be upon you, Moriya." a deep yet calm, male voice spoke,as if the talker had never experienced or witnessed any hardship in his life.Contrary to the relaxing vibe that this man was oozing with,furious Aki sharply turned her head around, as she recognized this voice immediately.
This man, Otsutsuki was his clan, had a tall and muscular posture, resembling a man in his 50's. He bore two horns that started from the back of his head and sprouted upwards at his forehead, horns that appeared to be modeled after olive tree branch .He was also bald, while most of his face was covered by golden-framed,circular glasses and the collar of his sleeveless coat , that reached his nose. His coat and pants were deep blue in color, while their edges were golden-embroidered with 2 golden stripes and magatamas.Finally around his ankles, he fashioned six golden rings and wore no shoes.
While this man gave off this calm vibe, the closed eyelid in the middle of his forehead was enough to terrify any opponent.
Aki, or however her actual name is, instantly unsheated her sword and charged towards him, preparing to deliver a wide, devastating slash. She gathered red chakra around her mouth and formed a kunai, which she spat it at him at immense velocity using air chakra. The man slightly moved his head to the left, easily evading the high speed kunai,yet now he had to somehow deal with Aki's slash as well. Instead of swinging her sword to instantly cut his flesh on the spot, she used her spacetime ninjutsu to swiftly teleport behind him and struck the recently-evaded chakra kunai, deflecting it back at him.
He had a harder time dodging this time, as the kunai was launched from a shorter distance. Nevertheless, he sharply moved his head to the right and the kunai impacted with great kinetic force on the ground and pierced it, exiting from the other side of the cliff.
She then unleashed a futile horizontal blow, which he evaded by leaping and swirling high skywards, like he was a leaf dancing in the air.This man was clearly psychologically unaffected by the heat of the battle, as he kept his hands on his back.
As he was midair, she tossed the Companion with such speed that the sheer shockwave tore apart the grass and the soil underneath. The spinning sword, slicing through the air, was closing the distance at a very high rate, forcing the man to execute a pirouette in order to evade it safely.
Yet, she didn't stop there.Aki extended her intex and middle finger, spaced them and connected them with a thin string of red chakra, which she pulled back with her right arm. Black, malleable metal came out of her seal on her left palm and quickly formed an arrow that was already placed at the string. Then she used the repulsive force of her Rinnegan to aid the chakra strings with an unbelievably powerful push.
"SHINRA YUMIYA"
She let off the chakra string and lashed the arrow at an untraceable velocity towards the man, who managed to dodge the projectile even this time by leaning backwards,even though the arrow scratched and wounded his nose. And while the man thought that the threat of the arrow had disappeared, the plasma-engulfed arrow reappeared in front of him at his feet,ready to pierce the bottom of his chin and blast his brains into mince.
Aki didn't use any sketchy spacetime jutsu to
reset the course of the arrow, but the arrow itself circled the whole planet and reappeared at the battlefield in just a few milliseconds. The man managed to grab the arrow with his toes, even though it forced it's way through his foot, ripping it appart and burning a big part of it.Then,the arrow fell harmless on the ground, failing to kill him.
When he finally stepped on the ground, the man unleashed a counterattack by dashing forwards and delivering a straight powerful kick. Yet, before the kick connected with Aki's abdomen, she instinctively summoned back the Companion that had distanced itself several thousand kilometer away, managing to even triple the velocity of the sword. The spinning sword, engulfed in red fiery plasma as it tore apart the atmosphere,almost instantly returned at them, on course to decapitate the man.
The man in defense, in the difficult position he was as he couldn't cancel his attack, he opened his third eye, revealing a blue sclera with a white pupil. The sword, instead of slicing clean through his neck, simply touched it and harmlessly bounced off, while a wave of green chakra traveled through his whole leg and ended at his toes. The kick finally landed at her, releasing a shockwave that smashed her ribcage into shreds, ruptured her organs and send her flying.Before even landing somewhere,the man swiftly appeared at the top of her and extended both of his legs, striking the same spot as before.The whole sequence was so fast that she couldn't even gasp in pain.
She crushed deep into the the ground, generating a crater as big as a tennis field, while a big cloud of dust shot high in the air .Victorious , the man jumped off her abdomen and closed his third eye, while his injured foot had already healed.
"Such unnecessary actions, programmed not by thought and logic, but by feelings and especially hate. Expected nothing less from you." and as if a brutal showdown hadn't been preceded, the man calmly chastised Aki, without a single bit of hate in his speech.
Aki, in her terrible state that she was, listened to none of those words. With a few strength that left, she turned around, her eyes facing the ground and balanced herself on her arm and knees, forming a plank pose.
She coughed loudly and with each cough droplets of blood littered the ground. It became more intense, to the point that she damage her throat even by coughing alone. She grasped her abdomen and vomited a pool of blood in front of her and, as her arms failed to balance her longer, she fell on it face down.Aki turned over once again and faced the man, panting heavy shock and gurgling, as blood slowly filled her lungs.
"Come on, eat." the man fed her a chakra pill, something that she didn't decline, as without it her slow and agonizing death would be imminent.Her restoration started from the moment she gulped down the pill and continued with a swift pace.
"You know exactly why I came, right? And no, it doesn't have to do anything with Hayato Uchiha."the man asked her rhetorically, gaining no answer.
" This Hayato, he by no means deserves to be called a sage!"those words formed in his mind the moment he referred to Hayato.
"Well, are you gonna hand them to me, Moriya? The data?" he extended his arm, awaiting to be handed something.
And as her restoration had almost finished, Aki got up lightning fast and slapped him without hesitation. Him however didn't flinch a bit and kept his arm extended.
"Don't you ever calm me like that, Inuyashiki!" she gritted her teeth, while widened her eyes and frowned, giving off an expression of absolute fury.Yet the man, who happens to be known to us, kept his arm extended, patiently awaiting.
She put her hand into the coat, clinging on something.
" Clean yourself first!" Inuyashiki insisted with strictness. Aki, without letting her furious gaze of him, pulled her hand out of her coat and used jutsu to spew a low pressure water current from her mouth, cleaning her hands, clothes, face and hair that were soaked in her blood.
She once more put her hand in her coat and pulled out a scroll. Instead of handing it to him, she tossed it with frustration, yet Inuyashiki easily caught it midair. He opened the scroll and the only thing that he found was the DEAL seal that Aki had embedded on Hayato's hand.
"So? Are the data about Hayato's Karma included?" Inuyashiki asked, earning a slight nod from Aki.
"Everything about him and his Karma."she answered, while retaining her furious glance that was fixated at him.
He closed the scroll and waved it towards her.
" See, Moriya? It was this easy!"he shrugged, while Aki responded with a sniffle of irritation. And of course,this gesture didn't pass unnoticeable by him.
"What's with this reaction upon hearing the word 'Moriya'? That's your actual name, not this 'Aki' or 'Akira' or whatever!" Inuyashiki exclaimed with calmness, while his speech was injected with seriousness and strictness.
"Do you think that you are what you display and what you say? Do you think that you are a persona? This Akira Takahisa persona?No. Absolutely not!" he gestured negatively, while Aki's expression remained unchanged.
"You are neither Aki the leader, nor Aki the sister. Neither Aki the friend, nor Aki the aunt. No, nothing of the above. You are still Moriya, the evil outlaw!" Inuyashiki continued, while upon hearing the final words, Aki's anger grew to the point where her eyebrow muscles and nose started shaking.
" Our essence is what we are here and here. " he pointed at his head and chest.
" Not here." he extended his hand and waved it in front of his face. Then he sharply turned back and walked away from Aki. She of course remained inserted.
"But of course, you can always change...substantially change.I wonder, however, when will you toss away this persona and show your true self?" Inuyashiki said as he slowly distanced himself. He stopped abruptly and turned his head towards her.
"Also never try to hide anything from me. Nothing goes undetected. Never try to leak classified info to him as well." Inuyashiki warned her, whole relaxation and strictness were always present in his voice.
"Otherwise I'll kill you on the spot!"and with those words, he launched himself skywards and produced a powerful and deafening sonic boom, pulverizing the ground. He then soared towards the stars, disappearing completely.
_________
Without knowing how to react, Aki quietly stood still for a few minutes, emotionless. As her vision begun to blur, blood dripped from her eyes, forcing her to tie a bandage once again around her head, covering her eyes. She had no other choice but to return back to Satsuma and await further orders. Or that's what she made Inuyashiki to believe while in fact, Aki received orders from none.
She reached the gates of Satsuma early in the morning, while the sun raised behind her wooden palace, blessing the whole city with it's rays. Only the palace retained it's gloomy, poor appearance under the sun's light. Aki changed to her human appearance , yet even though she was fully transformed, her lifeless expression betrayed her true identity. She slowly walked through the empty streets of Satsuma, with the only noise being her footsteps and the noise.
After entering her dusty, empty room in the palace, she pulled away a part of the tatami mat, revealing the entrance to her lair, 50 meters underneath the ground, where the conversation between she and Hayato took place.She strode through the dark corridors, which black color came from the anti-Byakugan materials that was constructed from. Not only this, but several hundred sealing tags were stuck on the walls.
When she finally made it to the bottom of the lair, where several rooms existed, Aki bumper into someone. Because she had shifted to her original form, she nervously
-yet quickly - lifted the bloody bandage and prepare to kill the person, no matter who they were. She relaxed however, as the man that she bumped was none other than Hayato.
"Hayato?! What'cha doin' here? Aren't you supposed to be asleep?And... immobile? " Aki asked surprised and lifted her bandage to take a better look. With the aid of a cane Hayato managed to stand up and possibly, even walk.
"I've had enough sleep and yes, I can... somehow walk." Hayato replied straight and gestured at his cane, with a serious expression and tone.
"Oh, I see!"she tried to sound a bit more cheerful.And a few seconds of silence followed.
" Are you okay? Are you hurt? "Hayato asked, commenting on her bandage that was showered in blood.
" Absolutely fine but y'know...my eyes are done for this day, heheh. "she gave off an awkward chuckle, trying to shove off Hayato's question.
" Where have you been? Did you use your Rinnegan? Were you a-"
" Stop it right there! "she lifted her arm and opened her palm at his face.
" Enough questions for the time being!"she exclaimed, profoundly irritated.
" Now excuse me but I have to rest for a bit!"and as she finished those words, Aki passed hastily besides Hayato and threw a quick look at him. However, she witnessed something that terrified her, enough to make her let a small gasp.
As she glanced momentarily at Hayato's profile, she saw that Hayato was staring at her as well,since his right eye's gaze was fixed at her in an abnormal way, as if it had it's own consciousness and moved freely, contrary to Hayato's will.
The terrifying aspect of this wasn't the fact that the eye seemed conscious, but the fact that instead of Hayato's pitch-black iris there was a Byakugan pupil in its place.
"You might have tricked Hayato, but me? No! I've found out what kind of bitch you are and be sure that one time we'll meet in the battlefield! Once Hayato's finds out about your true personality he'll definitely come for your head!" a deformed, unnaturally wide smile formed in Hayato's face and a womanly voice spoke.
Aki then instinctively and swiftly place her arm in his shoulder and turned his torso towards her. Mysteriously, Hayato's eyes appeared normal, as if the Byakugan pupil never appeared in the first place. Even Hayato was surprised by her act.
"Wha-what are-?"Hayato was so baffled that couldn't finish his sentence.
" N-Nothing, just go." Aki gave off a very obvious fake grin and pat his shoulder. She then swiftly walked by and entered the room behind them. Hayato stayed frozen for a moment,until he decided to speak.
"Uhm,y'know, Hattori invited me to his place." he said, but no answer from inside the room. And as he gained no response, Hayato shrugged and slowly started ascending the stairs.
_____
Aki didn't even bother changing clothes, or even quickly bathing, before dropping on her mattress with her dirty combat clothes. Even though she was exhausted, both mentally and physically, her eyes remained fully opened, since it was literally impossible to fall asleep. She just lied, arms and legs fully extended, could even be mistaken as dead. Her dried eyes were momentarily hydrated by tears. But no. When the first tear dropped, she maniacally gathered her arms and wiped her face.Crying once a day was acceptable for her, but twice? Not at all.
As much as she tried however, the tears would never stop flowing. Not as long as the this sentence would scream loudly inside her mind.
"Await further orders"
The last word, especially, was infuriating.
It was one of the few times that Aki cried uncontrollably. The tears that flowed in front of Hayato were tears that were shed deliberately. Not because Aki faked anger,dread or sorrow, but because she wanted to externalize those feelings to someone that wouldn't mock them or even pretend that they don't exist at all.
And of course, this man was Hayato Uchiha, someone that possibly viewed her only as an information-spitting machine and perhaps, felt no sympathy for her at all. So deep inside, Aki thought that trying to communicate feelings to Hayato, someone that talked to her by interest alone, was futile.
Nevertheless, that genuine "Are you okay?"
by Hayato felt... kinda heartwarming.It was the first time someone other than her family said this to her.On the other hand, Aki saw that Hayato's rage against her during their conversation was a product of rage and irritation,it wasn't substantial.
And thus Akira Otsutsuki finally closed her eyes to rest, as all the negative thoughts were flushed away. But, as every knight, she slept with one negative thought that was etched inside her mind. The relentless hatred against the Otsutsuki higher-ups and especially, Omoikane Otsutsuki and his subordinates.
Since the fated day of her defeat by Omoikane, Aki never acted cocky. It was this day that 'Moriya' became 'Aki'. It was this day that Aki realized that there was always a bigger fish, always a higher power.
On the other hand, Omoikane and his subordinates have yet to come into this grim realization, yet Aki always thinks that they will certainly come, in a far worse way, far more brutal, dishonoring and humbling.
Soon...
ARC 1 THE END, TO BE CONTINUED...