POISON [NARUTO SI]

[BrunofanofK]

Isekaied into the Naruto world, a classic power fantasy where the unsuspected author steps on the stage and takes it upon himself to write the script in a literal and metaphorical way. A tale of indulgence we take on good taste, for the chance the relive the closed-off cherished dream and their characters… yet the main actor, gifted in this world with the scriptures of fate remains the biggest sore spot in the tale, less a real person than a vehicle for the audience's fantasies the person that experienced transmigration insist on being ordinary despite the transformative implications of such experience should carry so to not overshadow the main actors, because he knows he lives in a dream. This is a story about living in Naruto world about actually living and walking alongside its people, Destiny is neither as kind of cruel as it seems, for life simple is life.

-//-

Magic, the power to materialize one's imagination and breathe life into its dreams. Something every human dream of in some way shape or form, from soft magic systems like Harry Potter to hardcore Nasuverse; a panacea to ordinary and safe lives that seem more and more sterile in our scientifically oriented society comprised of 0s and 1s.

I am trapped in my own body, likely the result of an atrocious accident. Possible in a vegetative state, completely cut off from the outside world. My limbs barely respond and my mind is fussy unfocused and light, typical of heavy medication. In this limbo, the only thing I can sense is this light.

The first thing a gained awareness of was magic, a circuit starting from my heart, going down to the base of my spine, and shooting upward toward the brain. This silver ladder between heaven and earth is like a brand in the mind's eye – these vaporous principles, these Essences meet like a mountain river meet the endless sea and where they converge the mélange gives rise to an altogether new mystic force coursing as if it was meant to be. If I were to describe this unexplainable force coursing through my body, I would call it a Mange biome.

More interestingly, as I familiarize myself with this magical essence by riding the currency it, a picture starts to take shape. A human picture. A baby's picture. I guess this explain my debilitated state then, newborn humans really are fragile. Born prematurely at nine months instead of two years old, an evolutionary concession for our oversized brains.

Things are starting to make sense now, I suffered some gruesome accident beyond my current scientific capacity to heal me, forcing people to preserve my brain with cryogenics and now people from a distant future are reconstructing my body with nanomachines… or I died and have been reborn.

Unnecessary to say, skepticism was literally thrown out of the window. Magic is real and reincarnation is real, meaning there actually is a right religion after all! That is so unfair! Here I am, having the most earth-shattering religious experience of my life inside the body of a baby! I need a priest!

I have so many questions yet the world outside is a razed mess only punctuated by familiar pangs of needs and their reliefs. It's like I am going mad in solitary confinement and tortured by sensorial deprivation. I have so many questions yet it feels like my mind is going to give out to this raze, so as to center myself I swallow my reservations and dive into this Magic like an anchor to my sanity. In an uncertain and obscure world, this light is the only thing I know to be true.

This vaporous energy and its vessel that a now can presume to be my subtle-body are not composed of a simple circuit but a veritable network. If the brain-to-heart circuit is likened to a combustion engine then their resulting bleed-off goes to a network comprised of nodes that are like components to an electric battery that subsist from the combustion aligned to the broad nervous system. This essence then stabilizes and settles in the core of the stomach which proceeds to direct it back toward the body, bleeding off to the ambient as if sweat.

These small insights are the only marker of time for me in the opaque mist that is the outside world. Not really that much but at least I am a bit surer of myself now. While some fantasy settings make a distinction between life force and magic energy, others state they are the same. If this Essence is my life itself, then is best to not let it go. Even if this vapor is just my MP (Magic Points) it should be better to not part with it.

Using the power of imagination I exert my will over this vaporous essence, making an image of it wrapping around my body like a burrito, kind of like basic Nen training of one's aura. It kind of works, the essence collapse from vaporous to almost liquid into a blanket that shrouds my body, and suddenly I am a bit more comfortable and warm; almost like being hugged. This small act gives me back the ability to assert myself, even in the smallest of ways. The collapsing damn holding back my despair at losing everything gets patched for the time being.

-//-​

I feel myself becoming more as this poll is forced to grow now that the leakage is closed. It is a novel experience I never had before. I don't think this is as simple as an increase in power level. It is more like the lines that contour my existence have thickened, granting me greater definition.

This leads to a rectification; it seems that even if some religions are more right than others it is still worth checking out every single one before I forget everything about them. See what is useful and what is not. The reason? Whatever I did put enough pressure on my magic engine to foster it to grow, and the more MP I have the more distinct its impression became. This is especially true at its highest concentration point, the belly. From my tummy a multitude of "streams" make themselves known to my awareness, there is an elemental system of some sort!

Time like this you go back to the basics.

And from the four concerns of the world God himself took dust from and with each color he made Adam.

The world of humans is ruled by sensibility and at the moment these impressions are the more novel discovery of my world. The ridiculousness of something as childish as "elemental power" gives way to the door of new possibilities. The ancients believed that four primary elements constituted the world (earth, fire, air, and water) and they consisted of a subtle, vaporous principle and a gross corporeal substance. These powers were detected by the combination of dry to wet and hot to cold.

While ridiculous to the skeptical modern man the reality of the situation is that the very fact I can even remember this while separated from my old meatware proves that there is irrefutable validity of souls despite all scientific bowmanship. As they never proved it did not exist in the first place I will go with my new magic senses.

In the legend, Elementals are beings comprised exclusively of one such element while humans possess both a Soul and a Body comprised of all four elements. While they could live longer than humans since their body composition is simpler, making them less prone to wear and tear, they don't possess an afterlife.

The soul of Adam is the image of God, and as God fills the world, so the soul fills the human body: as God sees all things, and is seen by none, so the soul sees, but cannot be seen; as God guides the world, so the soul guides the body; as God in His holiness is pure, so is the soul; and as God dwells in secret, so doth the soul.

Who knows, maybe God has a plan for me. Isn't this a miracle? I do not remember dying yet I remain here, there must be something worth in me and in this tribulation… or maybe god is a prick that designed this purgatory to scar straight rebellious souls like mine; it has been doing wonders to dust off my catholic classes at least.



That said, some things don't really line up, there are five distinct "streams" in my body instead of four. I thought at first that this might be the Ether element for a moment, but it is distinct and just like the other four in their combination. Warm and Dry (Fire), Cold and Dry (Earth), Cold and Wet (Water), Warm and Wet (Air), and the last strange mélange between them.

The thought that the Chinese elemental chart might be more precise passed through my mind. It is also associated with Feng Shui and is more interested in promoting internal balance and a state of homeostasis. Supposedly Chinese alchemy is the pursuit of immortality by transmuting these elements inside one's body instead of a cauldron. That said, immortality seems a rather petty goal we you know there is a Thereafter for one's soul.

Maybe if you want to hold on to something it would be worthwhile but living as xiaxian character has little appeal. Now magic on the other hand actually does have appeal, I want to know how far I can take this gift so a Western approach of "transmutation of lead into gold" is more aesthetically pleasing for me. In that case, my useless self is lead, and gold is "my better self" and better being a more "Ideal self". Theory of Form is an ever-present underlying principle of our philosophies and these are the only things that I have kept from my old life. With this resolution, I tackle my new project. Really, what else can I even do? Watch paint dry?

I start with the most obvious one the Warm and Dry stream, which is definitely Fire. I suppress all the chemistry lessons that say how stupid that assumption is with the power of as many prayers as I can remember and focus on the task at hand. It doesn't matter if this Essence is "like" fire, in the "likeness" of fire, or whatnot, fire is fire that is fire. It is simple, while in the western elemental chart, Earth subsumes both Wood and Metal, in the eastern chart they are different and have a "conquering" relationship that is sort of too "gamey" to be an underpinning principle of reality. I am playing by ear so best to not make any assumptions.

Although I can feel its stream more distinctly at the belly, concentration shows a tapestry that encompasses the entirety of the Subtle-body, some parts of the body have a "bigger" impression and with focus, I can perceive some "spots" that I know for a fact correlate to the places where certain organs of the gross physical body are supposed to be.

If we are talking about Fire then concepts such as consumption, heat, entropy, fuels, energy transfer, and thermodynamics in general should be under it. I meditate about everything I can remember related to each of these principles and open myself to perceive their patterns in my body. Humans are good at it, finding patterns where there is none even. At the very least, I should be able to see my body as an infrared light, not because I replicate those mechanics with this magic but because this should be the very Essence of this element.

Slowly the picture takes shape, and there is something comforting in how familiar it is, I am on the right track, or at least didn't accidentally touch anything that will have me killed yet. My taste for Nasuverse at least gave me a healthy sense of respect for forces I do not understand. Magic does not necessarily come in a user-friendly form. I have no intention of disturbing anything until a clearer picture emerges. This is a proof of concept only for the time being.

Next, comes Cold and Wet, labeled Water because, well, what else could it be? The principles related to it should be flows, forms, cycles, combinations, and manipulations. Considering humans are 70% water as well, perceiving the flow of one's blood should be well within its capacity.



I follow the Cold and Wet impression to where I know my heart is and start to chart my circulatory system. It is slow and I am tempted to skip minor detail but haste makes waste. I pour over it until I can picture my vascular system in its entirety.

The experience is peculiar and the way it weaves and braids with fire is so nonsensical it is nauseating, but considering they should be "dissonant" concepts this is a win in my book. They are both elements that are omnipresent in elemental charts for a good reason. Now I just need to see where and what I call the other three.

The Cold and Dry Essence comes next… here goes nothing- it is a bit of a gambit but I would say it has more to do with Earth/Wood. The principles I likened to it would be form, grounding, cultivation of energy, and energy embedding. They share a solid property with the element of water and now that I know how to look, I can see they are both "Heavy".

Fundamentally, the bones are the best bet for me to start from, since they are the hardest part of the body, and bone marrow is associated with vitality that should tie to Wood as well. Emboldened by my previous successes I focus on the Cold and Dry essence bundle in my stomach and follow it the best that I can and- OH MY GOD! I was so not ready for it!

There is knowing about something in the academic sense and then there is actually seeing it. I knew human babies are born premature, but nothing prepared me to see my own head soft and weirdly shaped and my row of teeth ready to grow. The picture is closer to creep pasta than an actual human being. Talk about nightmare fuel, good thing I am no longer in charge of taking care of my personal hygiene anymore. I crapped myself a little here.

-//-

After this incident, I at least walked away from it with the consolation that my speculation had merit even if my already ragged pride take another beating. The chaotic mess comprised of these vaporous energies circulating my body is starting to make sense. The pieces clicking into place and the elemental chart is taking shape.

In my head the imagine a pentagram with the heaviest Essences, Earth, and Water situated at the bottom, one "following" the other, as if pieces of a Lego set. Fire follows from Earth, standing just above it at the left pillar while keeping the greatest distance possible from Water. Maybe because while Earth is "Heavy", Wood "flow upstream", being lighter than wood and propelled by Fire emanations.

Suddenly there is no doubt who is at the top of this pentagram, scattered pieces clicking into place. People can live for 3 Weeks without food, 3 Days without water, 3 Hours without shelter but only 3 Minutes without air. In the Chinese elemental chart, it embodies "vitality" and in the Western chart it is the "noblest", as SYLPHS have the longest lives and their element being the highest, making them in turn the highest ranking elementals of "higher frequency".

Wind was by far the easiest to chart to map in the subtle-body and it was obvious why. The Wind element comprises by far the biggest proportion of it, of me. I did not even have to meditate on related principles to complete it. Its principles should be at least air, kinetic forces, static energy, free energy, and directed movement. They come so naturally to me that they even cut through the blur of my immature senses to sense the outside world. Just by replicating the same exercise externally, I get a first real glimpse of my new world. Like an extension of the sense of touch, a pseudo-echolocation of Daredevils.



I am in a nursery; the small bundles of erratic movements give away other infants like myself. It should have been expected really, but what is unusual is that for all that these babies whale for attention there is no real sight of nursery machines for life support. If we were not under observation then it would be more prudent to keep us around our new mothers in reserved rooms.

I hope I get a nice new set of parents… I think. Living as an orphan would be far more difficult at the very least; this is about survival! I pointy avoid thinking about my own family. They either reincarnated and are in new places like myself or they are in a better place and this is some kind of punishment. Regardless, this is the kind of can of worms I don't have the emotional endurance to face right now!

Now that my existential crisis was avoided for another day, back to the board. There is a "last element" to this chart, which makes the connection with Wind and Water, closing this circuit of my personal Elemental pentagram. The problem is that Wind pretty much went out of town with it, got it shit-faced, and then abused and disabused it as he pleased. However, it has a "high frequency", it "path of least resistance that Flows downstream", getting heavier as it prepares to "Follow" Water Essence.

I would waver this is either the Chinese element of Metal or that I have a personal affinity toward Lighting because it would be difficult for me to use it without Wind Essence taking it on a ride. Considering they are following water, I might be able to either feel my nervous system flaring toward "least resistance" and following water, I might be able to sense the iron in the blood.

With this project completed a bolt of inspiration run through me as the insight about the vagaries of the subtle-body clarifies. Looking closer the vague sense I felt from my belly at first were pangs of discomfort. Something easy to ignore when you are effectively tetraplegic and deprived of senses and body coordination, it simply fades into the background. Yet now I understand how the dissonance of these elements is being aggraded by the quantitative increase of my MP pool.

Ancient and medieval medicine was based on the principle of four humors; disease and health are determined by the balance or instability between these humors. The state of optimal health was called 'Eucrasia'. Using the mental image of the pentagram in the core located at my belly, the point of densest Essence concentration, then took each picture of the correspondent essence and arrange them in a form that promotes "resonance" between those correspondent essences while insulating and promoting distance between dissonant elements a beautiful internal harmony and equilibrium is reached. I release a breath I did not realize I was holding. The feeling of being settled in one's own skin takes place. More importantly, this opened a new door.

Alchemy, and to some extent cultivation, seems to be the real deal after all. Though I doubt things are as simple as xiaxian novels would lead one to believe. If breathing through your mouth was the secret to godhood the world would already be chockfull of idiotic retarded gods.

There is a promise though. The stress my body was under due to the rigors of containing this mysterious essence is replaced by a sense of surety. As more and more of these disparaging essences find their balance and stop to waver war inside me, my body feels more like mine. Theoretically, this should already be enough, I have no interest in immortality even if I really do not want to die or be ill and this brand-new body is getting a thorough scrubbing as the rough edges in its Essence coalesce into a polished engine but the taste of success spurs me on.

There is one element left, from the Western chart: Ether. Fundamentally, it can be summarized as Dark Mather: that which fills the universe, binds it together, and give the cosmos structure. When the scientists finished the mathematical quantification of the universe, they noticed this immense hole in human awareness that is mathematically proven to exist but we cannot interact with it.

Well, as the God in the bottle, I can attest that it feels very real now, people around me are like little mount hills of this concentrated Essence. I can use it as a reference point and feel because I happen to hold it within, allowing my signal to ping others. It is supposed to fill the upper atmosphere in classic theory but being ever-present makes more sense. We are all drifting in a space rock revolving around a nuclear active ball of fire, nothing of this ever made any sense! I am more surprised they got away with disbelieving it in the first place.

After this whole business of reincarnation, the idea that "magic" is not as foreign to humans as it seems has a fundamental appeal simply for the chance to normalize this bizarre situation. Some phenomena like the Greek "diminishment of the world" could explain high and low magic ages. Maybe even the belief in such things can affect how effective they can operate, so a scientific-oriented society is like an "anti-magic field" for all I know. That I am just a cog in this vast cosmos never sounded so sweet, better than a petty god out to get me.

Ether-related principles should be among the lines of composition, dissolution, modification, separation, unification, spiritual bodies, conceptual armaments, and the like. In Greek mythology, it was thought to be the pure essence that the gods breathed, filling the space where they lived, analogous to the air breathed by mortals.

Since systemic aesthetics already got me this far, I might as well see how far I can go with it. If the Theory of Forms checks out then those five fundamental Essences I sense are "emanations" that derivate from the "degradation" of this True Ether into a 'flawed' form. It is as if the elements of the periodic tablet catalyze and degrade by the half-life. Plus, if there is one place where the degradation of said half-life can be reversed it would be a particle accelerator, but alas we will have to do with me as a replacement "caldron". Each element so far moves at their own frequency but Ether is supposed to move circularly, having no intrinsic quality besides "motion". Convenient for me that I just made a "circular circuit" in my belly then.

…this is crazy; I am fucking out of my mind! I can genuinely explode or die of magical cancer if this goes wrong. Idle hands are really the devil's workshop – do not think of the demon that the demon appears! I don't want to know if Satan is real!

-//-​

I was still trapped in this helpless infant body without anything to occupy my mind. Before long, I succumbed to curiosity and started to toy with these dangerous ideas again.

On the favorable side of the argument: I will have a forewarning next time I "respawn" that doing this is a bad idea, instead of succumbing to curiosity later on and ruining a "run" I have committed into. If it was not in fact a one-time deal. It is like burning a brand new account in a gacha game account… I could just reincarnate until you roll as the son of a Shake, business Magnate or Diamond's dealer.



Counter argument: there are so many wrong things and unfounded assumptions in the last statement I do not know even where to start! I do not want to die!

The vaporous essence react to my emotional outburst, ignition shoving me into the half step I previously refused to take. The sense of vertigo is not unlike freefalling from a cliff. I messed up. Like I had been driving into the unsteady bridge and suddenly decided to park on it sightseeing. Now this imprudence caught up to me. Everything was already in place, I only needed to turn the key and this little episode is what was needed to grind together the confluence of forces in my body the success was so effortless that I felt I just pushed on the Red button to the nuclear warhead inside of my belly.

In my mind was as if a Ring of pure coruscant white light took shape from the frame of the Pentagram and collapsed into a single point right at the central and densest point. I did not dare to move or breathe, afraid of what is to come. However, the other shoe never drops and eventually, I relax. I did not explode or spontaneously combust. The new quintessence did not collapse or melt my body. It is simply there.

Now that the pentagram is complete I take stock of it. The Ratio between these elements has kept an even balance through the Eucracia and further increase through these…days? Weeks? Time is uncertain for a baby; it feels like an eternity in here.

Regardless, considering the ratio hasn't changed they might never change through my lifetime. There is merit in quantifying their proportion

. In my case, Wind is 42%, Iron 7% (and it is polluted by the Wind), Water 15%, Earth 15%, and Fire is about 20%. This Ether is roughly 1% of my essence now and it seems stable. The balance my body achieved is settled and no matter what I did, it seems to actually resist efforts of overt manipulating it, as if the vaporous essence was now on rails.

Crisis averted, good job everyone, mission accomplished, time to go back home.

…Seriously. Enough of playing with things that might make me explode. I cannot see how I might improve my elements at this point. I guess some things can only be granted by time. Time for me to think of another hobby for a pastime and I know where to start. I know for sure that my memories were never this reliable before and an infant's brain is not my idea of an upgrade either so a more cerebral endeavor might be in order.

-//-​

After mulling and reviewing what I remembered, I made another hypothesis. Maybe these different Elemental Essences really are affecting my 'humors', they might be hormones of the soul. Therefore, the inclination of their balance might serve as some kind of personality test. Hey, make as much sense as zodiac signs and blood type personality tests! Which gives me precisely nothing! Except…

The Muses of the Greeks were believed to have been sylphs, for these spirits are said to gather around the mind of the dreamer, the poet, and the artist, and inspire them with their intimate knowledge of the beauties and workings of Nature. Their temperament is mirthful, changeable, and eccentric. The peculiar qualities common to men of genius are supposedly the result of the cooperation of sylphs, whose aid also brings with it the sylph inconsistency. The sylphs labor with the gases of the human body and indirectly with the nervous system, where their inconstancy is again apparent. Maybe my high ratio of Wind elements is actually augmenting my mental capacity in a more tangible and concrete way. Might even come with good reflexes and good awareness. The fact I could actually remember about this is worth noticing! Who knows? Earth and Fire element might give me super strength and durability in time.

-//-​

Alas, boredom is a hell of an insidious killer and right track or not this new body is still too immature for me to do much with it. My senses have cleared and I now can somewhat assert where I am but the hot and humid weather, the constant cry of toddles, and the lack of a permanent adult figure sort of disenchanted me of the world around me for now. Pretty clear I am an orphan. Well, at least I do not have to worry about creating an emotional bond with any adult for the time being, seeing the way I circle through them. Looks like I got myself into a refugee camp… God, what do I even say to that?

I am scared yet relieved that this is my situation, putting me in a somber mood that makes me want to just enjoy the latrine of shitty emotions. The only way out of this pity party hut is magical training for a couple of hours.

My situation on the elemental balance is still in order even if it is still hard to keep track of time. As my MP pool increases the overhaul concentration of Ether Essence has slowly spread, settling in other parts of my subtle-body as the energy circulate. At first, they seemed to appear at random in small dotes across the body but over time these dotes started to paint a bigger picture in their constant symmetry. From what I have seen, it looks like these dotes of Ether Essence are gathering into control valves of the magic networking system. This magic network kind of reminds me of magical circuits but better. They are well-integrated and harmonic, looking like just another part of the human body.

The overhaul ratio of Essences remains the same, just the pool that has increased. The bigger the total pool the easier it is to sense it too. Just maybe as Ether Element is associated with both Light and Revelation the greater proportion present in the magical network is making the picture clearer. Even if I never get to use Light magic due to its low ratio within my body the sheer certainty it gives about myself and this gift I have been granted is more than enough…

By the way, posthumous congratulations are in order for my parents. It is a baby girl!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!................. . . . . . . . .

A fucking coin flip. That is all it was. I know I should be thankful I did not get reborn as a dog or insect, but still, the reincarnation gacha is one hell of a pity system. I mean, if this magic is half of what it is cracked up to be then I might not be the last that I have seen of my little friend. Magic might be able to reunite my Johnny yet. I will defy Will of Heaven that a man only Schlong once! That is right, I am now a man on a mission to reunite with my Johnny. I am like Ed from Full Metal Alchemist, challenged God, opened the Gate of Truth, and promised then and there that I would rescue him one day. Wait for me Johnny, our story doesn't end here! If magic is real then a small miracle like this should be possible!

Filled with the resolve I move on to my next project, to find a hobby that will not get me killed. What? Is not like I even know if people around me know about magic and visualization seems to be a fundamental step necessary to command one's own magic. Shirou spent years toiling away in his garage until he cracked out the cheat code that allowed him to break the magic law of conversion of energy, creating tools with more energy in them than it takes to create. In a world where magic was fading, he turned his Intern World into his personal and exclusive use Greater Magical Foundation, bypassing the Dispersion of Mysteries caused by disbelief in magic.

I decided in going for mental exercises and meditation not only because it is less liable to get me killed but also because I have no intention of dealing with the ropes involved with learning magic through whatever institution administers the learning of magic this world might have. The thing about these places is that their primary goal is self-perpetuation, followed by whatever their mission is as a distant second. It might be my anti-social tendencies talking, but I have always been boneheaded and now is not the time to change. I do not know if they are like Harry Potter's Ministry of Magic or Type-moon's Clock Tower but both have ways to track magic and their users so privacy is the name of the game. Disappearing with an orphan would be child play.

More importantly, I am gender savvy enough to take the hint. So far, this magic Essence has followed an "Eastern" aesthetic.

While magical hearts is something I come to expect from western inspired media, as these traditions had put a greater emphasis on the Heart, the other seven giant Nodes following from the one in the heart, traveling up the spine to the brain are a giant give away that there might be some truth to the Indian concept of Chakras.

Hell, it is downright embarrassing how much time it takes me to make the connection: heart to the brain, Yang and Ying. I know very little about them as a topic besides that one episode of Jack Shan cartoon his "good" and "evil" side splinted. If anything, I would be more comfortable associating them with Id and Superego. The heart (Id) is the source of the "instinctual" components of one's personality that is present at birth and is the source of bodily needs and wants, emotional impulses and desires, especially aggression and libido. Meanwhile, the Brain (Superego) can be described as the unique physiologic phenomenon that happens in the human species that allow the internalization of cultural rules, mainly taught by parents applying their guidance and influence, the voice inside one's head that strives for perfection.

That says they are not good enough.

To be a man is to be part Beast and part God, to have the head on the clouds and the feet on the dirt.

Memes and genes, and from their confluences come to the Ego, much the same way these two sources merge and mix in this resulting mélange I call "Magic Power". Mana, faith, ki, chi, Shine, MP, whatever it is called; can be conceptualized as the spiritual life force that permeates the universe, a spiritual quality with a supernatural origin and a sacred, impersonal, and indiscriminate force. To have mana implies influence, authority, and efficacy: the ability to perform in a given situation. The supernatural force or power that may be ascribed to persons, spirits, or inanimate objects.

The concept of Mana originated from an anthropologic discussion about religious power, the universal source of supernatural power that manifested itself in extraordinary phenomena and abilities. The source that due to being "invisible" end up supplanted by the personable force of the personality of deities and their miracles, even as it is a universal explanation for their mysteries.

Who would have guessed that my hobby of mythological studies would come in handy now? Maybe that is why I was chosen for this. No, that is just ego-talking.



More importantly, now that I have conceptualized what this ethereal force might be I can more readily tackle it. It is believed that mana is a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a source of power. The quality of mana is not limited to individuals; people, governments, places, and inanimate objects, even ideals may possess mana. Moreover, its possessors are accorded respect. Mana protects its protector and they depend on each other for growth both positive and negative. It depends on the person to whom he takes his mana. That is why mana can be gained or lost by one's actions.

An idea starts to form in my head but I best shelve it for later. For now, the very fact I can ascribe a "source" and pin a name to this Essence already settle my grip on it. I feel its response. The Ying essence can be described as a product of my animatic thought process, being born from the brain, while the Yang essence is the product of biological activity. The rest is sure to follow- it's time for my meal.

Hey lady, baby formula is not as good as the real deal. Free the goods! Can't I have one good thing going for me?

-//-

Now that I have more or less settled on what this Essence might be, how it is generated, and where it comes from, I think is time to focus on the more "mechanical" and "know-how" of Essence channeling. The Nodes channel and regulate said essence through the body. Starting from the Primary Nodes of the heart through the spine to the brain, the bridge between Heaven and Earth, so to speak.

Thanks to the Ether Element circulating through myself, I have a clear picture of my sublet-body and the nodes that regulate it. Since they can only be in very specific areas, it is a fact the Ether Element accumulates at points of greater concentration of MP. To my mind's eye, they shine with searing light, 361 points of light to be precise.

While far too well integrated into the material body it resembles a machine too much with the Nodes as circuit breakers of MP for me to not call each cable between nodes as "magical circuits". Although its primary function in the administration of mental faculties and physiological functions is evident, as my mind and body both experienced refinement through my improvements its purpose is still uncertain. Yet if an increase of MP improves the self the expenditure jeopardizes both, from there I can speculate the following.

I would waver that whatever god designed this magical circuit network had "religious communion" as the primary goal, leaving its potential as a tool for the actualization of a supernatural phenomenon in a secondary parameter. In theory, if a wizard runs out of MP then he can just rest or meditate to refresh his mind until it he recovers. However, as the spiritual energy is tied to the body's life force, running out of MP means risking organ failure and even death. Any prospective wizard is literally cannibalizing himself through each spell. Killing oneself by using too much magic would be exceptionally easy in a high-stress situation… and that is a good thing.



When you take into stock how hardcore people can be about whatever trivial and transient crap they put their faith into I could easily picture the pandemonium that any primitive society would become with easy access to Fireball spell, and let us not even start with technological stagnation. Considering I see electricity here, I think the use of magic might be reserved and constrained for esoteric purposes. The biggest users would then, be found among monks, scholars, and priestly types that would be also physically compromised by this lifestyle. The avenue of physical enhancement by manipulating MP should be the most viable route for most warrior types due to sheer reliability as the body is already calibrated to manage basic manipulation of MP.

Good job God, being too generous with gifts can spoil a child rotten; making magic safe and idiot prof would just increase the number of people disabusing it for petty reasons, and this is coming from someone that will actually have to live in this world. This is not a primitive world where all daily comforts are supplied with magic spells and mana as electricity.

Though I admit that a mage hand cantrip would be handy right now. Get it? Life as a baby consists of sleeping and standing around while not sleeping or making a nuisance of myself, who doesn't cry and doesn't get to eat but this is a serious crushing to my self-esteem here. I am counting the days for pot training.

Anyway, what is important here is that it is closer to the concept of "subtle-body" of the East than not. While not as many as 88.000, these 351 nodes do the same job of regulating Prana. Add to that the 8 giant primary nodes from the heart to the brain, being extremely reminiscent of the Indian concept of Seven Chakras and suddenly I have enough pieces in the puzzle to guess what it is. While I would be hesitant to call the subtle body the soul itself, it is at least connected and fueled by it.

Maybe the Soul is more Idea than substance- no, I am sure of it. If the soul is not in any way material it would make sense it is not restricted to the Space-time axis. If I am to reincarnate as a human through whatever Godly device (Samsara) souls are processed then it would have a far easier time if this were the case. It is basically about energy conservation, if the Buddhist concept of 3 Million Realms is to be real and akin to the concept of parallel worlds then reallocating souls becomes more doable. The energy requirements otherwise would have caused the heat death of the universe by now. Considering they are the most prominent proposer of reincarnation, I have to bend the knee here. Both Prana and subtle bodies are emanations of the soul, which remains on the "Other side" yet still holds a connection to this realm by the link to this body.

Far better than having this energy simply coming from nothing at the very least, since then science is still somewhat useful and universal. While turning something as precious as a soul into a mere engine make me second guess this endeavor I simply am too tempted in my speculations to stop now. Whatever god devised these invisible mechanisms probably strived for mortals to search for enlightenment. It is what gods always do, so using it to understand myself and my place in the world would not be a sin or a waste, right?

I already have all the pieces, refinement and fine-tuning can come later, methodology is what matter and foundations determine how grand a building one can construe.

-//-​

Time passes excruciating slowly, a side effect of being a baby, I guess. A shitty time hyperbaric chamber. Maybe Dio trapped inside a coffin at the bottom of the sea is a more accurate description. Everything I have is my thought as a company, so I might as well make this experience useful and discover a way to reach Heave. Humans, you see, are like trees.

The more he seeks to rise into the height and light, the more vigorously do his roots struggle earthword, downword, into the dark, the deep - into evil.

I am going to take this as far as I feasible can. A man does not have to think through the process of putting one foot in front of the other but a baby has to struggle all on its own through trial and error until the process and internalized as second nature. I am not just a baby; I am me, myself, and I. For whatever reason this cosmic accident had given me magical powers, maybe an angel or saint got the wrong papers in their Bureaus of Heaven and my soul never got recycled but I am beyond care. Time to shoot for the stars! Arrogance is like Morning Star himself!

I am going to create a Gate of Truth; rather, I am going to become it. The reasoning is simple: if this Ying Essence comes from the Idea 'World of Form' and the Yang Essence comes from the 'World of Substance' then Mana is fundamentally the power to materialize one's imagination. There is something to be said about overreaching, but sometimes you have to overshoot to hit the target.

I know little to nothing about Tai Chi, Chakras, and Buddhism as a whole but Sefirots are another story. Maybe it is a cultural thing but each one of the ten Sefirots is easy enough to understand and they are displayed in an orderly sequence that goes from ideation to materialization of phenomenon. So overall, Sefirot is more user intelligible, friendly, and more oriented toward magic. Each one of the ten correlates to one imaginary step that serves as a mental trigger, similar to the seven steps to tracing magecraft from Shirou's. Plus they are split between the ten into the higher five related to ideation and the lower five related to actualization. To assert control over this Ying-Yang force I will frame them into an internalized Greater Magical Formula.

I am hoping this magic juice is good enough for syncretism to kick in and fill the gaps. The fact that the Sefirot also have a chart configuration to the body that I can use to assert control over the Nodes of the subtle body also helps. This is crucial because of the Heavenly Bridge concept of "as above so below". Heaven and Earth are sympathetic toward each other, so the state of one should affect the other. A self-justifying precept that holds strength more due to faith and aesthetics than rationality.

The soul of Adam is the image of God, and as God fills the world, so the soul fills the human body. This child of (Adam/the Earth) will become the one place where the Divine owes to manifest, a Temple, and its God will be MYSELF (MY HIGHER SELF/SUPEREGO/SOUL).

Socrates was widely regarded as the wisest man in all of Greece because despite knowing he did not really know or understood anything he had a Daemon whose advice he always followed. This voice did not come from outside but from within himself. God is an Idea inside our heads, this "captain of my own ship" is all crap, the very thoughts, and words we use to express ideas are something passed down by others that came before. No matter how might, nobody is born into this world through one's own strength but because they are wanted. The body is a House of Spirits of the sum of human experiences, memes, and the DNA of the soul.

To be a man is to be part God and part Beast.

The advice of the Daemon made a man who openly stated he did not know anything the wisest man in Greece but when people came claiming his life he refused to flee at the behest of this Daemon. He walked to his own death yet his influence, his Mana, now reach this Otherworld right now, through me. This Daemon was his ideal self that he ever strived toward and those that knew the man judged it to have reached the realm of the divine.



Whatever function those Eight Primary Chakras have I can take my time figuring out. Right now it is enough that they are the pins holding together my personal Tree of Life. Just as the first Buddha once achieved enlightenment by meditation under a Tree, this Sefirot Tree will be my Gate to "Heaven". This Light surely belongs there and even if 1%, this is still proof that I can walk proudly under this light. For light is revelation and it will settle me "free". The measure of a man is decided by how much Truth he can tolerate because while it set you free it also destroys everything about you that is not worth it. Maybe I am already crazy, but even if I end like Icarus, I am resolute to see this through to the end.

-//-​

Grandstanding aside, some things are easier said than done. Some things in life are difficult because they are simply tedious and time-consuming. Fortunately, I found myself with a lot of free time. I, fortunately, remember enough about the theory behind the Method of loci, the famous Mind Palace. While I never had the proclivity to pursue it in my last run (life) at the moment my agenda is only vacant spots. All truths worth knowing are paid for in blood, for they come from so deep everything else feels fake in comparison.

The Gate of Truth will be a world inside a nut, following the World's Egg theory. If there is such thing as Truth and we derive from it, then to retracing the steps back should be possible. At least here, where Soul meets Flesh. Every memory I can reach, the sum of things I have memorized are compiled in the most "honest" way that I can. All my conjectures and hypothesis are measured and I try to syncretism my way to godhood: Idealization.

The process was painfully slow, months I presume. Time perception for an infant is a far different beast than for an adult, but at the very least this keeps my mind occupied, easing my transition from the old life bearable as days stretched into weeks and months.

At some point, my body gains locomotion and I feel surer of myself, a hidden strength that defies belief lies within. I can see the world in sharp focus this really is an orphanage. The caretakers do their best but it's clear they are understaffed. It is poor but not miserable, which is good. Life is likely not going to be easy but it will not be the march of tribulations.

The result of my diligent efforts slowly start to take shape and it is beautiful. In my mind's eye, I see it. Made of solid white Marble, it has a figurehead at the top of the frame the depiction of wings from which eyes peek from while the true face remains unknowable, the realm of Keter. The "topmost", the sublime and most hidden of all things; that which is above the mind's abilities of comprehension. It is not considered part of "Sefirot proper" because it is the "source". While all of the other Sefirots are likened to the body, which starts with the head and goes its way down into action Keter is special. The crown of a king lies above the head and connects the concept of "monarchy", which is abstract and intangible, with the tangible and concrete head of the king.

The frames go on, nest comes to Binah and Chokmâh, Understanding and Wisdom, the right and left side of the brain. One is the 'intuitive understanding' born of 'contemplation' of deductive reasoning while the other is the "Divine Wisdom" "found" by God and passed down from person to person. Together they form a "palace of mirrors" with each other. One 'sweetens all severities and neutralizes their bitterness, one should repent and rectify all flaws' while the other is the very 'breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty, therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness. And being but one, she can do all things and remaining in herself, she makes all things new and in all ages entering into holy souls, she makes them friends of God, and prophets.'

They Meet in Da'at, "Knowledge". The perfected state of infinite sharing and union with the others for it is not a Sefirot but all then meeting as one. In the body, it is charted as the Central brain.

Embodying the Right and Left Arms, come Chesed and Gevurah, Love and Mercy paralleled by Strength and Judgment. One arm to bring others closer, the other to push those unworthy away. Acting together to create an inner balance in the soul's approach to the outside world.

Manifested in the Torso, comes Tiferet, Sefirot of "Balance", "Integration" and "Beauty". For what is Beatify but the very balance brought about by the Golden Ratio in all things? It is where the most spiritual upper Sefirots meet with lower material ones. Harmony between Form and Substance. If Keter is the Crown and Malkuth is the Kingdom then Tiferet would be the "King".

Netzach (Victory) forms the left leg, representing victory through adversity, fortitude, and patience to follow through on passions. The will-to-power to overcome all barriers and limitations, and is associated with emotion and passion, music and dancing. It is a "Pillar of Mercy"(Chesed) for their purpose is not inherent in themselves, but rather as a means for something else. Whereas the upper Sefirots deal with God's intrinsic will, and what it is that He desires to bestow upon man, these lower Sefirots focus on man. What is the most appropriate way for man to receive God's message? How can God's will be implemented most effectively? Netzach is the attribute of leadership, the ability to rally others to a cause and motivate them to act.

Hod (Glory) is under the same level and is represented in the body by the right leg, forming a pair with Netzach. The feet not only bring a person to their place of intention; integrity here at the base of the pillar is foundational to all that stands above. In Hod are the righteous attributes related to group interactivity, as Hod is the spirit of community, the ability to do the footwork needed to follow through on ideas and make them happen. Prayer is seen as a form of "submission", Hod is a force that instead of "conquering" an obstacle in one's way, subdues oneself to that "obstacle" is related to the quality of Hod. It is analogous to how will-to-power a person has dominion over them: "Everybody is a slave of something".

More importantly, Hod is a force that breaks down energy into different, distinguishable forms, and it is associated with intellectuality, learning, and ritual. Hod is where the form is given shape by prayer in its widest sense, being the key to the "mystery of form". Our unconscious desires come from Netzach, and are given form in the symbolic realm by Hod, manifesting unconsciously through Yesod to Malkuth. Intention becomes action. Hod is said to be the sphere in which the magician/priest mostly works.

Now comes Yesod (Foundation), found in the sexual region…Johnny, wait just a little longer. Moving on, It is seen as a vehicle allowing movement from one thing or condition to another (the power of connection), the foundation upon which God has built the world. A transmitter between the Sefirots above, and the reality below.

The light of the upper Sefirots gathers in Yesod and is channeled to Malkuth below. In this manner, Yesod is associated with the sexual organs. The masculine Yesod collects the vital forces of the Sefirot above and transmits these creative and vital energies into the feminine Malkuth below. Yesod channels, Malkuth receives. In turn, it is through Malkuth that the earth is able to interact with the divinity. The 'engine room' of creation.

Malkuth (Kingdom), being both the Mouth and the Feet, embodies revelation, the final Sefirot. Unlike the other nine before it, Malkuth is an attribute of God, which does not emanate from God directly. Rather it emanates from God's creation—when that creation reflects and evinces God's glory from within itself; due to this I modified the Gate of Truth to also be found in the Heart, where the biggest chakra Node if found so the 8 Nodes are juxtaposed with the Tree of Life.

It is associated with the realm of Substance, as the receiving sphere of all the other Sefirots, Malkuth gives a tangible form to the other emanations. The Divine energy comes down and finds its expression in this plane, and our purpose as human beings is to bring that energy back around the circuit again and back up the Tree. Although Malkuth is seen as the "lowest" divine emanation on the Tree of Life, it also contains within it the potential to reach the highest. This is once again exemplified in the Hermetic maxim 'As above so below', and "Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth is in Kether".

To be a man is to be part God and part Beast. At the foot of the frame, I put a dragon, the Serpent of the Earth. Malkuth is also associated with "filtering" Qliphoth, the "rusk" that hides the light of God. Malkuth is associated with the anus since they "expel impurities".

The Gate of Truth is virtually complete and is modular enough to be my Foundation. Time for this show to start.

-//-​

Waiting for nighttime to descend, I take my first step toward Heaven on a hot summer night. By now, the Gate is as real and tangible as I can touch it, so I do just that. I pry the Gate open as it was my very soul that was been unveiled. With an effort of will I flare all these small stars in my body at once. The knot holding back the spirit was been pulled apart, tread by tread until it finally gives and my soul is free.

The Gate opens and then there is Light!

This is the most Right I felt in any life I can remember. Like a lightning bolt out of the blue sky. This is no longer a prison of flesh but a vessel of the divine. How do I explain eve it? The gap between thought and action has been mended. This body went from a clumsy doll of mud to a certainty that make me question if I ever had any control at all until that point. The world suddenly reveals its hidden deep to me. I have been blind, deaf, and mute my entire life; this I now know to be true. The Ether that binds all Creation together is revealed to me. The same forces I discovered in my body underlie the Texture of Creation. The Essence of the world was alive and its breath was music, a beautiful cacophony that surrounded all things.

I could see the sprawling city carved in the heart of a forest, with houses stacked on top of each other to mimic the chaotic life that surrounded them. They live like tiny stars doting the sky. Their emotions bleed out together into the maelstrom of colors I can barely make sense of, yet my mind remains clear. Synesthesia; my cultivated supernatural senses have merged with my ordinary ones.

More than that, I could see myself. That such power lies in something so small really cannot be called anything but miraculous. It seems that the biggest surprises really come in the smallest packages. A small one-year-old baby, ordinary in all aspects of the flesh except for the bright blue eyes that shine like shards of the Heavens.

I succeeded then; it is not surprising really. To have no doubt, this is strength. Normalcy only gives back mediocrity.

"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored one."

​

Those are my very first worlds I speak to my new world. It is fitting really.

Higher powers 「Knowledge of the Unimpeded Bodily Function」

Divine ear 「Understanding of Breathing of the Living World 」

Mind-penetrating knowledge 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」

Remember one's former abodes 「Recolection of Soul's Memory」

Divine Eye 「the Comprehension of the Empyrean Eye」

Extinction of mental intoxicants 「Knowledge of the Destruction of Defilements (Klesha)」

Six Supernatural powers/knowledge of Buddhism. The fundamental pre-requirements in the head of Nirvana.

At the tender age of one, I became a Pratyekabuddhayāna 「Self Made Buddha」.

An individual who independently achieves liberation without the aid of teachers or guides in that lifetime to reach their aim and without teaching others to do the same.

This is Ominous with capital letters on it though. Solitary Buddhas are only supposed to appear during dark ages.

When the teachings of a Buddha are no longer available. These enlightened ones do not study with spiritual teachers, because there is none, and they teach only by gestures, since others are not receptive. Living either singly or in small groups, they must rely on their instincts to learn of Liberation. They are described as 'secretive about their teachers, live in solitude, are afraid of Samsara, yearn for Nirvana, and have little compassion.'

They are also characterized as arrogant.

Well, fuck you too! I can see the children being tortured into living weapons from my cradle! Now that I know to look for it, this society is more than happy to groom children into weapons! These people were blessed with such an invaluable gift and the best they can think of to do with it is to bludgeon each other to death with it.

Fucking Monkeys!

I am living proof that even when the Four Noble Truths are not preached, they still exist and can be discovered by anyone who makes the necessary mental and moral effort. Put your back into it, lift yourselves by your bootstraps, and become super-human [Übermensch]!



Me? Well, supposedly Pratyekabuddhayāna is incomplete. They cling to the idea that the unsullied meditative absorption they experienced is Nirvana (Heaven) when it is more like an island to find rest on the way to their actual goal. Rather than letting them feel discouraged, the Buddha taught the Pratyekabuddha paths for rest and recuperation. After finding rest in states of meditative absorption, they are encouraged and awakened by the Buddha's body, speech, and mind to reach the final Nirvana. Inspired by the Buddha, they then cultivate Bodhicitta and practice the Bodhisattva path.

That is right bitchs! I am going even further beyond, transcending my limits to become super-duper-human! This gift is wasted on these people. If they had spent a fraction of the time they committed practicing to killing each other trying to make people around them happy then this world would be a paradise already. The poor Bodhisattva presiding over this Realm must be at the wit's end of his infinite love, talking with a real person surely would uplift his spirit!

Having made my resolve, I reluctantly let go of this power and my eyes return to their opaque onyx color. I do not know this world's policies on Mystic Eyes. I am not that surprised they exist either though. I really hate it, I can feel the clarity of mind slipping, and once again, I am nothing more than another sad prisoner of the flesh, cursed to live in this gross and dull world of substance and sensibility. I yearn for this higher world.

Magic to truly see… it is regarded as primordial, right? Marduk, the king of gods of the first proper human civilization (that I know about!) has a crown literally made of eyes. The power is valued because humans are visual-oriented creatures and cultural cross-pollination marks him at the root of the Judeo-Cristian idea of truth. Religion is the creative expression of human imagination and is something that they pass on as humans interact with each other. Both Greece and Semites have flood myths inspired by Divine Wrath and you can even find this myth in the background of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is significantly older. Gods are a mirror to the soul of man.

Then comes the power of language, to hear and understand, to speak and be understood. Follow by written language and proclamation of laws. That does sound like a proper plan. This is the power to materialize and breathe life into one's imagination, visualization is key. As long as I can picture a version of myself that freely surpass my current limits then I can move forward one step at a time. I have everything I need already inside myself. Even if these savages have destroyed all records of the teachings of this Realm's bodhisattva in their pettiness, ignorance, and Cain's resentment toward the Divine I can put the pieces together.

Pratyekabuddhayāna is called monarchs for a reason, and like Gilgamesh, I am a great king cursed with ignorance. He who had the power to truly see was left adrift in his own obliviousness by the viziers that had the responsibility to guide him and embarked on a journey searching for immortality and finding wisdom. The prototype of the archetypical "Heroes' journey" to "see everything" in order to find and internalize the knowledge and understanding he needed to fulfill his potential… I do not think I will have in me the impetus to share it afterward though.

 

[BrunofanofK]

Despite my best efforts life goes on in an endless pettiness comprised of all manner of triteness. I was still a baby and the nannies were grateful I gave little trouble. I still had no power to decide my own destiny and this prediction would remain so for years to come. The reality is that I had to adapt and fit in. I got lucky enough to get forewarned about the danger my new home offered so at least to know what not to do. And that is whatever might land me a seat in the same class in the hole with the other child soldiers that is.

Part of me wondered if this orphanage isn't a facility for child-solders but I dismissed this hypothesis. This is not 40k, a grimdark reality where there is only war, the nannies are genuine carrying staff, there is voluntary staff, and even kids walk around with metal headbands on.

Those kids are that I took a special interest in. They are strong, for the standard of what pass for strength around here, at least. If what I peeked is any indication then they could physically overwhelm the average adult. They also walk around armed, with all forms of throwing weapons, which makes sense. The human body is optimized for throwing stones, and the average speed of a professional baseball pitch is around 147 km/h, with superhuman physiology these kids could be just as dangerous as a handgun.

But the most interesting thing about them is that they are still kids, stupid and full of trivial hopes and prone to emotions. They are nothing like the kids in the hole, being broken down and build back together into unfeeling weapons. The fact they are dressed in all sort of cloth, with only the headband as identification also lead me to believe that whatever institution runs this is putting more than a token effort into being presentable.

These kids are usually chaperoned by adults that have a significant disparity of power to them, are usually uniformed with more standard military gear, and have a more sharp and more dangerous mentality of someone that has killed and would do so again. The wisdom of leaving this kind of person near children is dubious but if you want to make more people like themselves then this makes sense.

The kids in the hole must be some "special" program, Officio Assassinorum style of especial. Suicide missions and threats to the State that cannot be ignored, where there is no room for failure and service only end in death. I didn't dare look for these kids again but they must have been gifted… the nail that stands out gets hammered, Hun?

I don't like this, at all, I have to get adopted asap. Parents that want a normal child would be reticent about forcing her into military service. I don't know if one day some of these people will knock here looking for kids with "potential" but if this is measured by Essence network I am boned. The difference between me and the other kids is like a badly structured homemade steam engine and a top of line race car, even the adults don't get anything on me; the stress and uneven development of nodes show heavy focus on channeling Essence primarily on their arms and legs while ignoring the rest as "unnecessary" for whatever activity they perform. Even if more developed than mine own the difference in efficiency would mean I had a serious leg up… if we were to content in even ground!

I am not a soldier, I don't have the mindset to go against professional killers! This body is not really ready for this sort of stress test either. If anyone has eyes capable of seeing subtle-bodies like mine I would stand out like a fucking Christmas tree!

…That is it!

I need to blend in, I already decided that. But the problem is how I would go about it. Orphans are extraneous, they are extra mouths to feed and those of more ruthless inclination clearly see them as resources to exploit. I need to maintain secrecy but I don't have a good affinity for blending in… yet.

The line between Good and Evil is drawn right across the middle of the human heart, for the soul of man has roots that reach all the way down to Hell; humans are like trees! I already made the Tree of Life so I can use it as the foundation for the Tree of Death (Qliphoth). Qliphoth has been described as being created by God to function in a literal nutshell. Even Buddha is still subject to Klesha (Defiliment) as long as they are inside Samsara. If One is Revelation that cures all wounds then the other is the very poison of Ignorance.

A Qliphoth-based Yin-Yang spell would be far more efficient and "deep" than any water element spell I could come with to obscure me. I just have to calibrate it to "mislead" instead of "obscure", a black hole where you know a baby to be would give away the game just as well.

And so, under the cover of night, I worked on my project as if my life depended on it because it kind of did. Having in mind what the average normal infant looked like I proceeded to cast the illusion, using my Aura as anchor.

And it worked a charm, the illusion unravels every time I activate the Six Heavenly Eyes but it's not like I could hide them either just yet. And considering how this conceptual junk worked I don't feel confident in using these powers together, ever. This is not a videogame where you combine Light + Darkness spells and unleash "Megagenesis/Big gang attack. Sephirot is the light and Qliphoth is the shell that obscures it, a person may be able to bear two contradictory thoughts at once but that which is not made conscious will play out in reality as fate. Trying to cheese fundamental forces of nature and game the system is a recipe for disaster.

-//-​

Crisis averted I proceeded to submerge myself in the role of a baby. I don't know if they simply throw away all undesirables in the hole so making connections is the best survival strategy. It is also fundamental for an infant to be properly socialized so I have to "get back in the program" and fight for attention and affection to increase my recommendations for adoption. Learning the language without the Six Eyes will be a pain but it's better than kidnapping attempts.

Life moves on and I learn more about this realm, the tongue is reminiscent of Japanese and the people are ethnically an idealized Asiatic version of Scandinavian perception. Men easily reach 6 feet tall; people are lean with well-toned muscles and athletic physics. This city is like a giant Olympic Village. Their skin generally goes from a rich olive brown to almost albino in their extremes but is mostly comprised of a tanned Iberic-like tone, with hair and eyes being mostly brown.

I stand out in the orphanage like a sore spot, while similar enough to everyone else I am clearly of mixed ethnicity. God, I hope this is one of those chill worlds because being euthanized for "polluting the gene pool" is something people of my own old world used to do in the "good old times". These people so far haven't impressed me with their enlightened way just yet. Raven black rain, pale skin, and blue eyes. They had been onyx once upon a time, and I am lucky that babies have such inconsistent melanin and there are so many of us because even my Qliphoth spells failed to restore their previous color or alter to a less catching one.

"Eyes or the window of the soul" and mine have been using the Six Heavenly Eyes way too much. While not as catchy as Shards of Heaven they look like when activated they still are the most noticeable trait I have. There are Asian countries people are bullied for just standing out so my plans for adoption got their first complication. The chance of picks as an exotic creature also is not enticing.

I need to get stronger, no. I need a plan B. There are just too many uncertainties in my future and for every advantage I got I can imagine just as many complications following. It's not like I mind menial labor, I would gladly take it over whatever the headband kids are been groomed to become; there are worse options and a plastic shuriken is a good enough hint the headband people carry a lot of face in this society.

To begin with, abuse and indulgence of the Six Powers of Buddha hinder one's road to enlightenment, I have no grip about living as a "normal person", my body will already be super-human to begin with. I won't have to worry about want if I assume I won't live as a pariah.

-//-​

Considering how bumpy my life as a cute baby has been going I decided it's time for some contingencies. I don't fancy my chances against a professional warrior even if my capacities are superior, there is more to fighting than power and I didn't land on a world simple enough to be ruled by power-level logic. The jacked headbands are clear top dogs here, they might suck at using Essence compared to me but viciousness and enthusiasm go a long way, so discreetly gathering strength will go a long way. I have the saving grace of being a defenseless baby for now and machismo might save my bacon, what with the ratio of male to female trainees starting 2 to 1 and just increasing as they gather more power, but at the end of the day they might just being a meritocracy of trained assassins that don't take well to slackers that don't pull their weight and women only are let out of the hook if they produce more babies.

The best way for me to become stronger is to increase my "scale", that is to say, foster the development of my subtle body. Unlike magic circuits, they actually grow bigger and I already pinned down how to foster the generation of mana so in theory, I can increase by stressing my nodes' circulation. HxH Ren-like training would not only be viable but ideal as the stress would be put on the entirety of the subtle-body and consequently the material one as well but glowing like a Christmas Tree is the oppositive of low profile so I have to move to my next step, "cultivation".

In the same way what a man eats eventually becomes his own flesh he also takes Essence from the ambient and incorporation it with his subtle-body. "From dust he is made and to dust he shall return"; I just need to understand the process so I can accelerate it. The problem here is the millions of things that can go wrong by inserting foreign substances in one's body without any caution can cause. For all I know I have some magical allergy that will cripple me or land me a painful death if I act careless. I simply need to straighten this out.

Although doing yoga or tai chi to absorb the "fluids of nature" is out for years to come the act of breathing as a source of power is almost a monomyth so my wind affinity should really help here.

Fundamentally Essence resides in all things and comprises all things, but the problem here is that, like the periodic table of the soul, simply getting random elements and mixing them together can have disastrous consequences, especially when the container itself is one's body.

Thanks to my eyes though I am equipped to see behind the curtain and see the "engine room" of Creation. As I already concluded people are made from the "dust of four corners of the world". The composition of their subtle-bodies is heavily influenced by their environment.

I can see how the digestion of meals can help restore a person's store of Essence, the same goes for drinking water, but even bathing in the Sun and relaxing in the grass, and even breathing also restore what is lost to ambient. You could conceptualize that "men are the children of the kingdom of god", the subtle-body doesn't exist in isolation but is heavily influenced by the environment it is nurtured into, and as so happens to be this country is probably located in the Equatorial line, hot and humid all year-round.

The result? People's subtle-body gets comprised mostly of Fire Essence, to simplify, "fire affinity" is pretty much endemic. Of course, there are outliers, myself included, but it is easy to explain. As I said nobody is born under their own power and their first environment would be the womb, so it is only proper that the affinity of the parents would heavily influence the composition of the resulting children's subtle-body. It's mostly epigenetics, people raised in other environments will likely share the tendency toward different alignments of Ether, if most people here have Fire essence then people living in the tundra will either have Water, Wind, or even Ice compound as their primary affinity.

Add to that human nature as a migration animal and mutations brought about by quirkies of nature and you can pick natives from foreigners and recent migrants just by looking… Fuck, considering the sum of human history toward foreigners my situation is not good. Discrimination toward strangers and in-group positive bias are simply the rules. It takes a herculean effort to even start to curb those tendencies- No, I am being too negative about this, especially when I have evidence of the contrary.

Do you see? observing the subtle-body of the jacked headbands allowed me to notice a certain pattern. More likely than not they share a similar "factor" in their subtle-body despite the cornucopia of different ethnic features they happen to bear on the outside. An amazing propensity toward homeostasis with the "Kingdom/Malkuth", some factor in their bodies set their subtle-bodies in good harmony with their environment and the invisible forces that comprise them.

It is something one is much easier born with than acquired through training if the sample of infants around me is anything to go by. I can pick apart "those that have it" from the don'ts. This ties it to a "factor of the body" rather than the soul. And looking for it with my Six Heavenly eyes reveals how it affects mostly the nurturing and cultivation of "Yang" Essence in the body. And what exactly does "have it" entails? Putting it bluntly? I basically reincarnated as a Saiyan.

Using the trainees as a middle group a picture started to form. Using professional sports as a reference point, where the human body is pushed toward its limits, professional athletes have to keep peak performance just to be competitive and this makes them ironically the ones most likely to get injured. It is pretty much inevitable that they will suffer lesions, and some sports are so demanding that people retire in their early twenties because their bodies can't keep up with the abuse. Now imagine these normal people have to compete with a bunch of mutants that not only will always make a perfect recovery but get stronger after every such injury, their limits are just stepstones to reach even further.

It's a subtle but amazing power that pays dividends in the long run. The ratio of those that "have it" in the orphanage is around 1 for every 3 kids, the proportion invests to the headband trainees though, two members of a team of three are likely to bear such factors. The proportion for the jacketed headband everybody is bending backward to accommodate is 9 in 10. "Having it" is a defining factor to success and status in this society. I am born a winner, and what did I win?

A body bred and born for combat and war. A god-like body that will bounce back from anything short of amputation stronger with minimal upkeep, as instead of accumulating damage due to carelessness like a normal person I will slowly absorb and incorporate ambient Essence as required and become stronger than I was before.

It is easy to imagine how such a factor would come into play when different tribes are competing for limited resources: the ones that "have it" would be destined to win any prostrated war that isn't decided in a single battle. Their enemies get weaker as they accumulate injuries without medical knowledge to assist recovery while they get stronger if they survive.

That such a "factor" is so wildly proliferated is no coincidence then. Near 8% of the male population of the former Mongol Empire carry the genetic heritage of Genghis Khan. These jacked soldiers all have a common ancestor that is likely the source of this "factor" and by the diversity of ethnic features the guy had a "share the seed" kind of policy instead of racial purity, going for "fill the earth with as many of his children as the stars".

Whether it was through a Genghis Khan approach of "Man's highest joy is in victory: to conquer one's enemies; to pursue them; to deprive them of their possessions; to make their beloved weep; to ride on their horses; and to embrace their wives and daughters." or a Roman-like philosophy of Manifested Destiny that drove them to subjugate and assimilate their neighbors and incidentally creating a society where his descendants occupy higher positions and are more favored as partners, leading to greater reproductive success is yet to be seen. But the important is that I am safe from racial lynching mobs or discrimination due to how I look as long people perceive me at least as a "mongrel".

Works for me, while it annoys me that I have to bother worrying about the opinion these savages will hold of me, especially when concerning something so petty as pedigree when you know for a fact every human carries within them a spark of the divine I have now bigger worries.

It's a "curse", they are just so good at warfare and it probably rendered so many spoilers over the generations that it became what their whole life circle around. It's obvious how all children are been groomed to be like jacked soldiers; "shinobi".

"Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, In glory and triumph, They could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot."

These people are mad. I know this conclusion comes from a not-so-nice part of myself that perhaps would be best ignored, but I simply can describe them as nothing else. The Soul is real, people are not a cosmic accident brought about by chemical reactions, there are forces beyond our keen shaping the world and these people must know this at the very least if they are using Essence as a weapon. Do they think they can get away with it? That they aren't beholden to any higher force? That there will be no consequence for this sinful lifestyle?

God! Here I am terrified of even thinking ill of them while they merely parade around as if being a professional killer was something to be proud of! Killing people is wrong jackass, don't smile at me! Can't you see I am disapproving of you!? No, don't pick me up! How can you smile at a random kid you aren't even related to yet life as you do? Couldn't you share a small fraction of this tenderness toward others? Your eternal soul is in trouble, Samsara is real and if you keep up your next life will be spent as a sea urchin at the very best.

…

I don't understand those people at all

-//-​

My frustrations with those around me led me to search for productive ways to pass my time. I already know the means to progress my development. After some time, I decided to call this element of my bloodline. Maybe it is childish on my part but I think this is the best way to pin a name to it. Names are important and so It's time to iron out some things.

After some more covert observation, I have pinned it down to the Heart, the "source" of Yang Essence. While the soul comes from OH so High the body is from this world. In a sense, this factor is related to Earth/Malkuth Essence, and heavily tied to the forces of nature and lifeforce.

Even without instruction, it is easy to notice the senior shinobi can not only endure far more punishment than a normal person but likely survive through things that would kill a normal person. The "lifeforce" is what ties the soul to the body and even when spent the factor slowly restores itself by absorbing it from the ambient. And since this is a factor of the body it mostly happens instantly and automatically. You could say that if the heart of a normal person is likened to a machine that generates "lifeforce", Earth/Yang/Malkuth Essence then the bearers of such factor possess a heart that acts like a factory; it is not a matter of size but of the speed of production of "lifeforce".

This is eerily similar to what I imagine Artoria's magic Core should operate, though it resembles more the principle of nature spirits than dragons as high-class elementals. For this reason, I decided to call it [Asura Factor]. Violent Natural Spirits that are driven to constant warfare. Considering Samsara they are the most fitting name for the spirit. Powerful but belligerent and unenlightened.

This is not an unflattering opinion brought about by bias, actions consume or generate Essence. It can be said to be a product of biological activity so which kind of action would produce "Yang Essence"? Well, look at nature, what is considered as "thriving"? To be beholden to one's "instincts of life", to hold in contempt any plea from others and one's conscience that would risk "un-selfing". To set ablaze the flames of passions and desires and affirm oneself and one's way of life despite any adversity. Nietzsche would have a field day if he was to reincarnate here, a "superior" race of people literally empowered by Will-to-Power.

"Always desiring to be superior to others, having no patience for inferiors and belittling strangers; like a hawk, flying high above and looking down on others, and yet outwardly displaying justice, worship, wisdom, and faith — this is raising up the lowest order of good and walking the way of the Asuras."

At the end of the day this is the result, isn't it? Power and the ability to assert oneself is what decide one's position in the Hierarchy and the one at the top will be the most powerful, not the best one. I little care if this makes me part of "slave morality", the idea that there is no truth but power is intolerable. Being the slave of my lizard brain is not what the Great Bodhisattva that gave me this gift intended; I am sure of it!

Yet those in power do as they please while those below endure as they must. I won't get anywhere turning away from the truth. I am an asura, the question is how to ride this wild stallion of a body without being overwhelmed by it. Asuras are all addicted to pleasure, especially wrath, pride, envy, insincerity, falseness, boasting, and bellicosity; "the instincts of life". Self-doubt is poison to them…us, since it would slow down the production of Yang Essence that give the body vitality. Depression can literally such away the life of me, I can't lose hope in myself!

In the end, the only people that say strength doesn't matter are those that don't have to fight. I cannot turn my eyes from reality, if life here was that easy there wouldn't be so many orphans. There are countless people here working as volunteers and being a member of a powerful tribe means inheriting all of their grudges. People never forget the violence inflicted upon them and their descendants will pick on these grudges with everything else. "The past is never over; it is not even the past."

More likely than not there are people outside our giant walls that would kill every kid here in principle. If I want to move around on my own, I will need the power to fend off assailants at the very least, to be more problem than I am worth. It's best to be safe than sorry. Any world with child soldiers is bound to be barbaric, whether they get off from it or not.

-//-

Of course, this process of "feeding" on the ambient' Mana to augment my scale of existence has other complications. The first is that the very fact that the planet has the capacity of generating it proves it is "alive" and "sentient" for whatever definition of both a planet might be.

I would like to say this is ridiculous but I too once believed that humans were nothing more than alchemical constructs animated by physical reactions defined by the Deoxyribonucleic acid chain yet, here I am!

As God fills the world, so the soul fills the human body: "As God sees all things, and is seen by none, so the soul sees, but cannot be seen; as God guides the world, so the soul guides the body"

If I am to assume that humans are being endowed with a spark of the Divine then what about the rest of creation? Seriously, should I assume humans are THAT special? Isn't that hubris that creation exists for our sake when we know for a fact the cosmos exists for so much longer than us and will last far more than our very memory?

So, what if this makes humans like dust in the Engine of the Divine? Beings are comparable to bacteria in the lifecycle of the Celestial Bodies that fill the cosmos. We are already special enough just for be chance to be allowed to make a small part in this grand design.

Malkuth is not only associated with the Realm of Substance but also with the planets and the Solar System. Kether is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether, that is why it is called "Kingdom". The existence of "Mana" is proof that this planet has the "spark of the divine" and the "animatic force of life" and those two are "meeting" and generating Essence.

The problem then becomes the consequence of carelessly absorbing this Essence. Sure, humans are part of the planet and do it passively and turn it their own, but to forcedly draw from it would mean suffusing oneself with the planet's "spiritual(ying) properties". If you fail your body would give out, if you succussed too well you can become an avatar of the planet, a representative of nature, "spiritually possessed" with the Will of the planet as whatever principles the soul operates on would be overwhelmed by the Planet's own.

Spirits of nature are naturally the ones equipped to use raw Mana, in the same way humans can be described as a "house of spirits", the planet would be the sum of creative forces influencing it.

The trick then is to process not only the Malkuth Essence of the mana but also its Keter Essence. To make its power both physically and spiritually yours. While spirits can get away with using the raw Essence of the planet for nature interference since they are an extension of nature a spellcaster would require to mix it in a way as if to "paint the essence into their colors" before he can even start to cast the spell.

So, in order to "cultivate" I need to absorb the planet's Natural Energy and have not only my body but also my soul claim it for itself. Fortunately, I have this already figured out, humanity's mission on Earth is supposed to take on the Emanation of the Kingdom of God and send it back up to the Tree of Life, to "God". I already have the structure to send this mana to my soul and have it then be sent back once again. My body is a "temple" and its God is my soul. With the Ashura factor located exactly at the heart, where Malkuth is represented, I feel like fate is smiling upon me.

Am I "discovering" this or is creation revealing its secrets to me?

-//-​

Mind made up, now is the time for know-how. Names have power, to give a proper shape to things is itself power and make it tractable and I have been vacillating too much about it. Considering how the Asura Factor works, and all the pieces I already collected together the more efficient way for me to cultivate is through breathings, as to use the Wind Essence as a medium for the collection of Ambient Magical Power. My subtle body is mostly comprised of this element and I can use my "dantain" in my belly to mix and recycle the ambient essence while it circulates without risking breaking the homeostatic balance the body achieved by balancing all the five basic elements. The True Aether Essence will be the linchpin that holds the confluences of energies in check.

Pneuma, this will be the name of my essence going forward. Mean "breath of life & Soul", the element from which all else originated. "just as our soul, being air, holds us together, so do breath (pneuma) and air encompass the whole world." Pneuma is, likewise, tethered to the soul, or as he says, "the origin of the soul," the soul as the center of causality. This "spirit" is not the soul itself but a limb of the soul that helps it move. In its highest form, pneuma constitutes the human soul (psychê), which is a fragment of the pneuma that is the soul of God (Zeus), a God whose name literally means "cause of life always to all things". Plus, as the force that structures matter, it exists even in inanimate objects. Pneuma it is!

Considering this stunt will also involve circulating a lot of raw Natural Energy through myself, the fact Pneuma also has to do with administration and expulsion of heat through the heart I feel more secure, syncretism has carried me so far. While it is fundamentally Tai Chi's Martial Grand Circulation Breathing the spiritual component of it brings it closer in concept to "Breathing and Walking" of Nasuverse series, it is basically "communion".

The absorption of outer energy (breath of life) to connect your inner world (soul) to the outer world. The acts of inspiring, expiring, and everything in between are part of a process that allows one to take in or release the gods. To turn the human body into a virtuous circuit that will take the emanations on high and send them back up the Tree of Life. To the God inside of me; my soul.

I activate my Buddha's eyes, and the gap between thought and action closes, I simply do. With my breath I take in the Essence of the World and direct it to my heart, using it as the first Gate to the Heavens. I return the emanation of Heaven back to it through my Tree of Life… and my God/Soul send them back!!

That is it! The 8 primary nodes are Gates! Gates to Heaven! Great Bodhisattva, I thank you for this gift! This power is not intended for war. It allows us to find our true self/soul and is a bridge to reach the heart of others and the world. The balm that heals all wounds, the holy land that mend all hearts. This is a gift born of love and compassion that strives toward the salvation of all creatures! Nirvana/Heaven!

I am so floored that I almost arrest the flow of Pneuma that is returning, crashing it with the raw Natural Force but the Six eyes pick up my slack and I manage to bring the new Pneuma back through the Seven gates and finally out of the GATE OF LIFE of the heart. That is its name, there is simply nothing better. I know it deep down in my soul!

My asura factor takes to it like a fish takes to water, a bird to the sky, the once white and coruscating True Aether elements now take a literal gold quality, contrasting with the black color of Malkuth emanation. It clicked so smoothly not due to the supernal self-control I manifest while activating the Six Eyes but because it was the ignition key to its engine all along.

I breathe out… letting steam from my palpitating heart… self-control is going to be an issue going forward, the feedback between action and karma can condition me into a deviant. But somehow things are going to be Ok. I just have to focus this boundless vitality toward constructive and creative endeavors.

-//-

Time passes, and life marches on uncaring for the agenda or proclivity of others. And before I know one year becomes two, October 8. Somehow the Roman calendar came to this world, probable work of another transmigrant. Maybe that is where those other daily comforts came from, my opinion of these people remains bottom low.

The good news is that I finally got moved from the nursery and put on a slightly bigger daycare center area of the orphanage. The bad news is that I am expected to engage with the other kids and adults more. At least the last year allowed me to shore up my language. Now that my body is ever fortified by the power of Pneuma I don't have to worry so much about being killed if left unsupervised by the time I reach ten.

So, I know for a fact this is a fundamental phase of children's development, their food intake can affect how well their brain develops and if they fail to be properly socialized by the time they are four they will carry that deficit for the rest of their lives. This is a crucial phase for the development of social skills, I should be going out there and forcing myself to be the most needy, attention-searching, and lovable baby I can be. Might even land a nice family if I play my card right.

So, what is the problem then? Have you ever heard of the Forbidden Experiment? The action of isolating a child in search to determine the line between nurture and nature in the human being? Well, I am getting the fucking first-row seat on it!

A rare shade of blond in a spiked mane, whiskered cheeks, and soulful blue eyes. The new kid in the block barely got here and is already the pariah! I don't even need my Heavenly eyes to feel the palpable hostility. The kid is being kept at the minimum the nannies can get away with. How does a kid get so hated? Did his parents do something?

More importantly, if it bothers you so much what are you gonna do about it?

You see, it is not that easy. By examining the kid's subtle-body I got some important clues that might affect my own future. Based on the composition of his affinity and other minor clues I can securely attest he and I are both chips of the same block from the native's side, we even share the same affinity to Wind. Now considering he too has a foreign parent and we see where the problem lies.

If the kid is hated because of something her foreign parent did then it would be relatively ok to approach, but if this discrimination is caused by some betrayal or due to his mixed blood I would be screwing myself. I am just as helpless and would suffer just as much, it is better for me to let sleeping dogs lie and ignore it. Cancel culture got nothing on these people, being unpersoned like this can be the death of me at this age.

The other thing is the "crest" in his belly rotted to his datian. By the signature, it was created by said parents and there might be something to do with the ostracism. While I would like to study it there might be dangers and traps to keep its secrets and there might be some cultural significance to the shunning.

So, what are you gonna do about it?

Are you seriously abandoning a kid to this fate? He is literally whitening! Seriously children are born with the assumption they are loved, this is simply due to the fact human infants are so dependent on adults. Without validation and love, they are left hanging in confusion, not understanding malice even exists and internalizing it as self-hate. Of all children here his hole in the heart is by far the biggest! It's like a black hole to my awareness and I know I can only notice it because someone much better than me, that strived for the salvation of all living beings, left a touch in my spirit that awakened the spark of divinity within myself.

I have already been saved and I am loved and validated. The doubt this kid feels, I don't know of it. Can I really take this gift for granted and move with my life? Wouldn't that make me the same as everyone else? A petty, conniving, and self-serving worm that can't think to do anything better with power than lord it over others?

Like hell, I will! I will decide for myself the kind of Ashura I want to be. I will never measure up to the great bodhisattva, I can attest to this without any shame. I simply am not that good a person. But this kid has no sin and didn't even ask to be born. Maybe this is a mistake and self-indulgence but I feel like I would be spitting on Savior's face if I ignored this kid.

Before I got cold feet and dismounted off my high horse I forced myself to walk to the kid. "Hey!"

He was distracting himself by playing with blocks, too used to being treated as invisible to think anyone was talking to him. This brat's nerve! I walk up to him and pull him up. "Hey!"

The now confused kid looks at me unblinkingly as if not understanding what is going on. I can feel the caretaker's irritation as they move. This is a disaster, I already know it but I am beyond caring, so I smile at the kid, let go of his shirt, and stretch my hand in what I hope is understood as a universal expression of friendship. I have to make my point across quickly, there are a thousand words in my mind that I can think to use to lift up the kid but he would never get them out of my chest.

It's ok, I have just the thing to mend the gap between our hearts.

The kid looks unblinking at the hand, yet the hunger for affection and contact spur him on even if he lacks the words to put to these feelings. Everyone is the same, in the end, we want the same thing. Before the disgruntled caretaker can close in and ruin the moment, he reaches my palm and looks up at me. I smile the best way I can manage.

Slowly, like daybreak, the kid smiled so big it almost split his face. I can see you, little buddy, you are not alone, our heart is one. I don't even need the Six Heavily Eyes of Buddha to do it, this is what this power is for, language barriers, low articulation and consciousness, and self-censure. To measure one's own heart is difficult but having others looking in can give us a third-eye view about ourselves. It is so intimate it's scary, to unravel oneself truly to others but in that smile, I found validation. Whatever the hell I am now, this kid can still look up to me and find comfort.

Ah, I see. I have been lonely too. A man isn't an island. I have been ripped away from everything and everyone. I lost everything. No matter how you look at it I have been walking away the pain and resentment toward an uncaring cosmos. The hole I could feel in his heart bothered me because I was the same.

Thank you, little buddy. I feel too, that I have been saved. I smiled at him while finally crying for the life I have lost while celebrating the new love mending the scar. That is what humans were born for. God, Buddha, to the divine force that presides over this Realm, thank you for granting me this life. I am so grateful to be born right now. Even if I can't be a bodhisattva that loves and saves all creation, I can at least keep this small light from being snuffed out. To pass the kindness rendered upon me forward.

I will take care of you, little buddy, everything is going to be alright. Whatever it takes. Besides, who really wants to pass through childhood and adolescence a second time? Kind of creepy, in my opinion, camouflaging as a little kid with the mind of an adult setting all kinds of red alerts. I don't have the temperament or disposition for the charade. This kid needs an adult and I am the only available one. Whatever shortcoming this body has I will deal with magic. I-

That is when the world was consumed by hatred and darkness. Everything fades to black.


[AUTHOR'S ROOM]
So, I am an idiot and this is my first time posting here, the guiding post wasn't as clear about following posts and I ended up reposting. Sorry for the inconvenience of spamming. If you are still following then I promise the next chapter will follow soon.

By the way, if you are a weight like me and got into the story then by all means speak away ideas. While I have some benchmarks already planned the journey is what gives me a taste of life. The goal here is to breathe as much life back into Naruto's world and recapture the "magic" of part one. People have to live in there so if you feel you can collaborate or give me some cool lore I will gladly take it into consideration.

 

[BrunofanofK]

I have been naive, If God exists then there is definitely a Devil. Hatred is an interesting thing, philosophically speaking. People love to talk about it as if it is some kind of condition that can be rationalized away or bargained with. This is more due to a need for control, to have mastery over one's heart, and to validate the idea that we are good. That humans are good. After all what kind of God-fearing person would want to think themselves evil? It's far easier to fancy humans as inherently good and ignore the part of us that is too ugly for sunlight. Make looking at others more bearable even. It's easy but is also unwise, to blind oneself to malevolence, True Evil does not simply hide in the shadows, it's so Bright that to look at it is to be scorched.

This hatred is so deep that I feel I am drowning in it, so hot I am burning to cinder, so spiteful I am being flawed, layer by layer.

People talk about hatred as if they can grasp it. Modern and enlightened people that are raised in a society designed to shield them from all malaria of the human condition from cradle to grave know nothing of malevolence.

This is Hatred Incarnated. There are no other worlds or tongues that could define what I am seeing. Everything else just falls short.

I have to get away from here, I don't know how or why but every fiber of my being is screaming to flee, cover be damned! If there is a moment to use this power is now. My Extinction of Poisons channeled through my right hand of judgment (Gevurah) is my best bet to open my way out of this predicament-

The kid.

What then? What about him, if this is possession then simply using "the hand that pushes away" in his subtle-body can harm it in a way that goes beyond the flesh. Am I out of my mind, that thing can consume my soul whole!

What are you going to do about this? Abandon the kid? Can you do it and look in the mirror? If you wondered why everybody treated the kid like a time bomb this giant mass of hatred is the first, second, and third best option for it! The logic to even send it to an orphanage is beyond me but whatever the case, the kid is on his own, isn't he? You already knew he was in trouble the moment you saw his situation. In for a penny, in for a pound?

As if this was that simple! I am dead meat, there is nothing I can do against such a thing. It's like pitying a candlelight against a tsunami! This is a force of nature and it hates! I would be crushed, it would make it personal, make it hurt!

So, can I really abandon the kid to his fate in the claws of this monster? If I have no real chance against it then how well is a clueless infant everybody hates going to fare?

It's branded in my mind's eye, no. In my heart. A smile that is like daybreak.

People are not born in this world for this. Everybody deserves at least an honest shot at happiness. If there is any worth to this power is that it allows the light that shines in every heart to reach this world, however briefly. A walking cane to assist the peregrine's journey. It is a means to power, not power itself. Only with our own legs, we can bear ourselves.

I cannot turn away. I don't want to sympathize with the kid, I want to escape yet my legs feel rooted to the ground.

Ah, I see. I fear God. To accept there is a Divine force to creation, that it made, loves, and validates its creatures. So, to inflict or ignore suffering is a sin. Killing people is wrong, everybody in my old world believed this implicitly whether they are religious or not because of this background. It's why slavery, war of conquest, and exploitation are considered wrong, even if some will never admit to it in their pride and resentment.

It doesn't have to make sense, this Fear 'has no measure of boundary, and therefore the mind does not have the power to grasp it'. The Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

The person that I am and the person that I will become if I abandon the kid to his fate will not be the same. I won't get away with it. Ever. I won't be able to bear myself. I simply fear this far more than I fear death, especially when I know this is not the end. Hell is a hole because there is no bad situation that can't be made worse. I am already incarnated in Asura Realm, there are three layers still.

It is useless. I can't do anything for the kid besides die with him. But maybe this is my trial from the Great Bodhisattva, no. An opportunity; to save all creation is beyond someone like me but to stick my neck out for one abandoned kid? At the very least I can do this much.

It is hopeless, and I might even just be making things worse. There are plenty of reasons to not engage, I could just be making everything worse but there will be no one else to do this job. It's on me, so I will do it. I might just be talking myself into death but there will be a next time, whether it is kinder than this one is up to me.

It's useless and hopeless but I can take my next step with the memory of a smile that reflected the most sublime and most hidden of all things. This is Love. I will take care of you kid and I will go through to the end. People are born to be loved. I would never imagine the day when I say this out loud would come but life is full of surprises. If it cost me to take this love and set myself ablaze to prove it, so be it; I will prove that you too met love. The imprint you left in my heart, I want to share it with you. This is my first and last action of kindness, I will make it worthwhile. I could never see myself defeating that thing so I will not fight it, this is a display of love.

One's thoughts should be pure, one's forehead should display no harshness, one's ears should always turn to hear good, one's eyes should distance themselves from noticing evil, always looking at the good, one's nose should be free from the breath of anger, one's face should always shine, and his mouth should express nothing except good.

"This is the Light of Revelation that mends all wounds and grudges." The awareness of the Six Heavenly Eyes informs me I activated them the moment those words left my mouth. Here is the realm of the soul and psyche, as such my form is not the baby but a vaguely being of light in contrast to black. My will and my work gave shape I was a little bit of the god I keep bragging myself to be.

"HOH, SO YOU LIVE UP TO YOUR BOAST, HONORED ONE.". I could taste the disdain laced with grudging respect… Yeah, I feel sort of called out, having someone calling me by this title out loud is sort of embarrassing. But the fact this entity heard me, is capable of speech, and is aware of me is far more ominous, that this gargantuan force of malice is being directed by a sentience behind the wheel makes all my fears spike beyond anything I ever experienced.

This is it, an honest-to-God demon. I feel like I am in a horror movie yet the trill of fear one experience from the other side of the screen is like a pale imitation of the root deep existential fear that coming face to face with something Other, that defy common sense and human wisdom by merely exist represent. I feel more than ever that my previous incarnation had really been a blessed one of idleness, self-indulgence, and blissful ignorance. I want to run away, and the impulse once again comes to the forefront of my mind, like a rabid dog biting off his own limb to escape, this desire manifests so strongly I feel my sanity slipping. Like those Call of Cthulhu games, I saw the hint of something not meant for humans and the price of this insight is my peace of mind.

This is beyond me. I already knew this but I never really understood. But again, it's already too late to turn back. The demon was now laughing, rejoice in my fear, if I leave the kid here then God knows what It will do to him. And the only God in this hole is me, well whoever said that the only hands God needs to operate miracles are the ones that he has given us better be on to something!

I will not give this Demon any reservation, this giant mass of malice hiding behind shadows and banqueting on my distress will have to go through me before it sinks his claws on the kid, and I will make it difficult. Fear is the mind-killer; this is simply a fact. My own very supernal biology doesn't lend itself toward cowardice or meekness and right now I am like a stupid frat boy playing hot potato. I am pulling away as soon as I make real contact with it. This half-hearted resolve will get me nowhere. I have to put my hands into the flame!

Sometimes the only thing one really should fear is fear itself. This is not one of those situations. But to even step into the arena, I have to go beyond my own fear. Sacrifice my Lower self that is motionless in the name of my Higher self that will act. To let everything about myself that is not worthy to die, be scorched by the Light. I am terrified that there won't be anything left, like Icarus, but I already changed. I am confident that at least this Light will remain for the kid, to guide him back toward the sun.

Once again, I reach the Gate of Truth inside me and push it one. With the whole of my being, I dive into the Demon's Essence, my Heavenly Six Eyes revealing the whole of the demon in all of His gruesome glory. The Demon is not laughing now, recoiling like a wounded beast, outrage turned into fangs of malice as his essence recoiled back against my Pneuma. But between its Hatred and my Light I stand victorious; he might outclass me in the scale of existence but in Deep my Pneuma is simply closer to the "truth" and my Extinction of Poisons part his Hatred like sunlight to mist.

What was once a night uncompressible entity of malice take shape under my light. Canine animal shape with hints of human anatomy with long ears and red eyes with nine tails. To anyone with the most superfluous familiarity with Japanese culture, this is clearly the most popular and notorious of its "big three" monsters. The Nine-Tailed Fox. It certainly live up to the reputation!

"THIS CHAKRA IS SUPPRESSING MY OWN?! WHO REALLY ARE YOU!?"

One million dollars questions, wasn't it? I really could do with a guide about this situation but other things are preoccupying me right now.

I wish this was the most surprising revelation of the day but the Cage he was confined in by far, take the cake. I had hypothesized that the people of this Realm had developed their own schools of magic but nothing prepared me for the sheer breathtaking deep, complexity, and inventiveness. If it wasn't for the Mind-penetrating knowledge 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」, to perceive the driving will and intent behind the seal its design would be utterly beyond me. As it was, I could grasp enough to understand this is the peak of its craft, a real cultural monument, crystallization of the workings of a civilization. And as all such relics, this reveals intimate insight into their way of life, values, and pursues.

The Cage was not a Cage. To be more precise, the "jailing" aspects of this work are barely a fraction of its totality, even as they can be said to be its "foundation". Like how the first step in creating a nuclear powerplant is to properly contain the radioactive pluton while giving it enough room to extract its latent power. That is perhaps truer than I fear. If the main goal was simply to contain this great Evil, then why go to such lengths? Maybe the construction of a container is beyond their understanding… but the very legend of Tamamo-no-Mae coupled with my opinion of these people makes me disinclined to accept this. If the Curse Killing Stone could last ten thousand years, then why put in a living human that won't last a century?

I keep looking, drinking deep from what I see until I can grasp the seal in its totality. I don't know how long this lasted but the intention behind this seal can't lie. I am righter than I feared. I knew mages could be led to immorality in pursuit of power but for the kid's own parents to do suck thing?! They could much easily have made this Seal into a windowless Jail that could never be opened from either side yet they went the extra mile to intermingle the kids and that Demon's subtle-bodies with the seal as the medium and artificial circuit breaker. It saw me because its essence is perpetually circulating through the kid, it can see everything the kid can. This demon is been turned into a power source!

But the most damming part is that, if my understanding is right, to optimize the Essence transfer the Seal is progressively loosened to increase its output. The consequence is that in time the "cage" aspect would be lost. If I presume that the person that designed it intended for the kid to use it then the message is clear: "The power of this demon, for however briefly you can keep it, is well worth its price".

The kid won't make it to his thirties, and with the demon to cajole him to use his power knowing this will hasten his freedom I can't see him making it to adulthood. This seal is basically a noose for the kid to hang himself with in exchange for power! And when this happens the Nine Tails will have free reins to do as he pleases in the world, vengeance being at the top of its least, very likely. That something so beautiful could be so perverse…

I turn back to the cage and meet the Beast's eyes, so full of hatred and open resentment, growling with a mouth showing teeth bigger than a man in a display of aggression I knew it could not back up, it was powerless for now. I force myself to reevaluate the Nine Tails, to really look at it, past the hatred and unending power.

God! Its soul had been mutilated! People can do that to each other!? That what is left snugly fits his new cage speaks of deliberate action, cutting the Nine Tail down to size so to speak. There are no words to describe how queasy this revelation makes me. Since I discovered souls are real, I became rather attached to mine, that someone can do anything like that will have to be addressed, but later.

Nothing about this situation makes any sense. I am tempted to ask the Nine Tails but I doubt it will cooperate. Or is it actually a she? How does one even ask for the identity of a mountain-sized nine-tail incarnation of malevolence?

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Tamamo-no-Mae by any chance, does it?" Foot met mouth.

"WHY WOULD I GIVE A HUMAN MY NAME?" The entity replies, genuinely affronted by the question. It's seeming it too is completely out of its element, as if it expected this conversation to go in a certain routine and now my stupid ass is completely ruining its style and making it into an awkward stare-down.

No, I already have the means to assert the truth, don't I? The Empyreal Eye allows me to understand the principle of karma, the governing force of cause and effect that spin the well of Samsara. In simple terms it allows me to see the "future", as much as such a thing can exist, the universe isn't determinist but probabilistic, and the Demon of Laplace doesn't rule over the cosmos. People have the power of choice and can guide their destiny in some measure, so "fate" is closer to gravity in a sense. That said, even if the future is uncertain what about the past? Isn't it as good as written in stone? Psychometry is the power to perceive the residual information of an object or person by reading their karma and asserting the steps backward by using the Divine ear 「Understanding of Breathing of the Living World 」in combination.

I have never tried this before, and honestly, there is a good reason for this. Humans are ruled by sensibility. Humans are creatures that depend on information to live, yet are bound by that information until they die. Since vision is the sense that acquires the greatest amount of information, possessing Mystic Eyes means accepting being bound by them. Like the freakish cases of people trapped in perpetual Déjà vu that think all their new information is something already learned or impostor or Capgras delusion that think loved ones were replaced due to rationalization of the loss of affection.

I have taken to heart that abusing this power can lead me astray. My head is already big as it is so anything that can affect my mental state is to be monitored. I remember enough about Shaman King to know that Mind-penetrating knowledge 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」, could turn me into someone like Hao, especially in a barbaric world like this one. Soul eating and everything, apparently. I don't know my limits and what means to bear this power. I was never someone that special before, and while I feel I "deserved" it since it is something everyone can strive to achieve, I don't have any frame of reference for my situation.

And we are not talking about something as transient as a human either. The chances the Nine Tails is ancient beyond reconning is high. Doesn't it take one century for them to get a new tail? Maybe they cap at nine too, so what are the odds this one is millennial plus existence? I can easily overreach and fry my brain due to its long history or simply be overwhelmed by its ego. I could stop it from rebutting me because the amount of power it could foster within the seal is limited but this is about me going inside the cage of the beast, so to speak.

Then, what are you going to do about it? The situation didn't change, this is a poisoned gift that will kill the kid. Either social alienation will get to him or the temptation of a poisoned power will lead him to a slow and painful death. I already committed, now what is left is for me to go through to the end. I want to save the kid but I know nothing about his situation and any adult informed about him is probably an accomplice in this travesty. Nothing good will come from their ambition.

I look at the Nine Tails in the eye and our hearts meet as one.

-//-

It's flowing into me.



So...

This is...

Scarier...

Then the Hate.



This is his memory.

The reason he became the incarnation of Hate.

I can see bits and pieces of what happened with the Nine Tails.



Why Immortality was called a curse.

I never understood that, as a transient being change simply comes naturally to humans.

But to be everlasting, it's simple time enough for the soul to rot if withered enough.

For beautiful things to eventually become ugly and ugly things to become beautiful.

There is nothing disgusting, once you look at it objectively.

So, when things went so wrong?

Sophistry, falsehood, trickery, vanity.

Those are what he saw the most.



But even so, he was as strong in spirit as in might.

He didn't lose heart in adversity. His pride as the Elder and strongest wouldn't allow it.

There was an ideal and an oath he had to protect.

He didn't care for the pain,

as it was his responsibility to see that his Father's workings are preserved.

Even when his expectations were betrayed,

he believed there would be a next time if he did not betray himself.

He did not show grief or pain and never abandoned his post, even when it should be easier.



He aspired to be the greatest protector.

Someone who will always answer for pleas of lamentation and bring salvation.

Someone who will not retreat no matter what disaster he may face,

someone who can save everyone, someone his Father wanted him to become.



He is like the incarnation of destruction to others.

But he was also a convenient existence and was so used by others.

The proud being reduced to a system, and was conveniently exploited.

At some point, he became a God of Destruction that was wanted to be nothing but evil.

But he still had his Father's ideal to protect so he swallowed any bitterness and kept on his eternal vigil.



But at some point, he stopped talk about them. It was simple too difficult in such wicked world,

the words simply couldn't make themselves present without sounding like lies.

The more he kills and the more he is unable to save, the less he can talk about his ideal.

The only thing left for him is to obstinately protect his ideal with force.



In the end, his Father's dream had never been accomplished,

and he found out that it was just nonsense dreamed by a fool who is only a nuisance to others.

Conflicts came into his view as long as he was alive.

It was endless.

In the end, He just prayed for people in his view and his siblings to not suffer.

He grew to hate them in the end.

He grew to hate humans for repeating conflicts.

He grew to hate himself for thinking that humans are sacred.



My mind gives in.

An ocean of lamentations and futility.

I am like an island in it, being submerged by a Tsunami of pain.

I shouldn't sympathize.

I shouldn't feel compassion.

This would be the same as dying.

I would just become a small piece of his hatred.



There are no words of consolation, rebuttal, or reproach that can stand up to this pain.

Everything simple feels fake in comparison.

His resentment comes from so deep everything else standing against it crumbles to dust.



Yet something inside me urges me to not give in.

That I can't accept him or his way of thinking.

That I came here to protect someone.

This sounds true enough to me.

-//-

Reality reasserts itself, as much as it can inside a two years old kid strapped to the strongest being on the planet.

I am on my knees, panting like a dog; a little more and that would have been it. I force down my nausea and stand up on shaking legs.

"NOW, ISN'T IT NOSTALGIC; AND ENLIGHTENING! SOME TIME SINCE I HAVE SEEN CHAKRA BEING USED PROPERLY. AND THAT NASTY FACE YOURS, YOU SAW MY PAST, DIDN'T YOU?"

I don't want to hear it, I barely got out of that nightmare. As it is I can pass this as a nasty dream and work myself into disbelieving it through the next years. But if he says it will turn into reality. It's hopeless though, his Understanding of the Hearts of Others is far more advanced than my own, and this gives him plenty of insight into the best way to break a person. And knowing this only makes what is coming more biting.

"SINCE YOU ARE NEW AROUND THE BLOCK, I WILL MAKE THIS SIMPLE FOR YOU, IT'S ALL TRUE. THIS IS THE TRUE FACE OF THE NINE TAILED FOX."

His words are like judgment. Sentencing me into this little slice of hell. The world that I now am part of. It's like being burdened with a new brand of original sin. Of hubris of man.

"AS HUMANS UNLOCKED THEIR SPIRITUAL POWER AND USED IT TO HARNESS THEIR PHYSICAL POWER IT'S NATURAL THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR APTITUDES WOULD MANIFEST, AND THAT THOSE GIFTED ONES WOULD USE IT TO LORD OVER OTHERS."

Please stop it, is bad enough with the pieces I had seen it. This hatred, I don't want it.

"THAT IS WHEN I AND MY SIBLINGS ARE TO STEP IN, TO GUIDE AND GUARD HUMANITY, ENSURE THEY DO NOT LOSE THEIR WAY, AND PRESERVE THE BALANCE. INTERFERING WHEN SOMEONE'S CHAKRA BECOMES MUCH GREATER THAN OTHERS AS IT INVARIABLE LEADS TO ARROGANCE AND RECKLESS PURSUE OF EVEN GREATER POWER AND CONSEQUENCE CALAMITIES."

This is a nightmare.

"THAT IS HOW ONE ENDS LIKE ME, A NATURAL DISASTER TO PLACES WHERE THE DARKEST OF HUMAN DESIRES GO TO FESTER. A GOD OF DESTRUCTION THAT PUNISH EVIL."

I have seen it already, your asshole! I just want to curl like vermin and cry myself to oblivion.

"YES, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE REPEATED THE CYCLE. AS THE MIGHTIEST OF MY BRETHEN AND THE ONE GIFTED WITH THE 'UNDERSTANDING OF THE HEART OF OTHERS' IT FELL TO ME TO BE ACRIMONY TO THE WICKED. AND I FOUGHT AS OFTEN AS REQUESTED WHENEVER I KNEW I WAS REQUIRED."

Why are you being so talkative now, or is this who you really are?

"A GUARDIAN SHOULD SAVE MANY PEOPLE, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY I KILLED. I PRAYED FOR NO ONE TO DIE, BUT I KILLED ONE TO SAVE MANY. I SAID TO MYSELF I WOULD NOT HAVE ANYONE SUFFER, BUT I BROUGHT DESPAIR TO A FEW IN THE DARK."

Is it really the first time anyone has tried to speak to you as a person?

"SINCE YOU CANNOT SAVE EVERYONE, SACRIFICES HAVE TO BE MADE. I QUICKLY KILLED THE ONES THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY FALL OUT TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE."

Didn't you have anyone else to put those feelings out of your chest?

"I KILLED AND KILLED AND KILLED. I KILLED MANY PEOPLE TO KEEP MY OATH. I KILLED SO MANY THAT I STOPPED CARING ABOUT INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND I SAVED A THOUSAND TIMES AS MANY AS I KILLED."

A millennium of solitude, with only this cursed mission.

"IT CAN'T BE HELPED, RIGHT? NO MATTER HOW MANY THREATS I NEUTRALIZED, NEW CONFLICTS ARE ALWAYS CREATED BY HUMAN AVARISE. A GUARDIAN HAS TO KEEP FIGHTING AS LONG AS CONFLICT EXISTS."

Do you want validation or do you want to be punished?

"THAT'S WHY I KILLED. I TRAMPLED ON DOZENS OF AMBITIONS TO BRING SALVATION. I KILLED SCORES OF PEOPLE, RESCUED ONLY THOSE IN FRONT OF ME, AND DESTROYED MANY MORE WISHES."

"I KEPT BEING STUBBORN, SAYING THAT IT WILL END THIS TIME, THAT HUMANS WOULD EVENTUALLY LEARN."

What exactly are you expecting from me?

"AND IN TIME, I GOT USED TO IT. TO PROTECT MY IDEAL, I KEPT GOING AGAINST IT. I ONLY SAVED THE PEOPLE I TRIED TO SAVE AND QUICKLY KILLED THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSED ME. I ALLOWED NECESSARY SACRIFICES TO KEEP PROTECTING MY IDEALS."

You know me as well as I know you so who are these words for?

"FROM THE START, I DIDN'T DO THESE THINGS TO BE APPRECIATED. I HAD NO INTENTION OF BEING PRAISED OR WORSHIPED. I JUST WANTED A RESULT WHERE MY FATHER'S DREAM WOULD BECOME REALITY."

Just shut up already.

"BUT SUCH WISH IT NEVER CAME TRUE. NOT WITHIN HIS LIFETIME, NOR AFTER HIS DEA-

"I said shut up already!" In the end, there are no words I could say that would change anything. To begin with, he is not the kind of guy to be moved by words. Only actions can reach him so that is what I did. The designers of this cage never thought someone would be stupid enough to enter the jail and the Nine Tails pegged me as a pacifist guy, fortune favor the bold!

I sucker-punched him. Flaring all my nodes at once I flew like a comet and with my right arm of judgment, I combined my wind and flame attribute with my Light, my Extinction of Klesha, to smite the hell out of him. Even with our difference in power, he had accumulated enough bad karma that it would be anathema to him like a human getting stung by a bee.

The Nine Tails grunted in pain and fell on his back. Disbelief turned into outrage as he looked at me. But it had a lifetime of experience so it rolled over to avoid my follow-up attack, far faster than I expected someone his size to move. At least this proves my attack "hurt" him.

Being honest with myself though, seeing him in his front legs like a human, with his tails shaking ominously behind him while serrating his hands into fists and casting a look that promises murder, I sort of feel like dead meat. He is like the secret boss that is actually stronger than the final boss and I am way too under leveled for this to be my first encounter!

My only hope here is that he wants to break my spirit more than kill me. It's ok by me, I just want to knock his head back straight, not defeat him. We both came to the agreement this is a battle of wills and is too stubborn to back down from this.

Honestly, telepathy is not what it is cracked up to be. Intimacy really is a foul thing. Both of our lives would have turned out better without this. I could ignore him and pretend he is the monster he appears and he could have kept away from the human business. The standoff lasted for just one moment, we both trying to take a measure of each other. As if this would help!

In this, at least, we agree.

The battle was joined.

[AUTHOR ROOM]

So, Kurama hero of justice! I totally ripped off from Emiya, not even going to defend myself here. This is for a couple of reasons. Kishimoto had no idea he would be the son of Ninja God when he first started, so for the longest time he was like Satan of Naruto world and even after B and 8 Tails most didn't believe Naruto could have such a relationship. Another thing is that we never got a proper explanation as to why ninjas don't rule the world directly, people often speculated but we saw in movies a jonin of Kakashi's level can gather enough followers to take a small country and become too much trouble for major villages and nations to do anything about it.

The world could easily have become Dynasty Warrior, where powerful chakra users deployed normal people like fodder to be killed in droves and exhaust their opponents. Let's remember that the Village system doesn't have one hundred years and Hashirama was the one that popularized the jinchuriki system by selling the tailed beasts. The balance of power between shinobi and tailed beast flipped quite recently, as an entire Village is required to subjugate a Bijuu; they are like the raid bosses of Naruto world. But by then Kurama was infamous enough for Madara to search him out so his bitterness toward humans has to derive from something besides being controlled.

This also makes it so the vacuum of the millennium between Hagoromo's death and Village System has more meaning, the cycle of devastation created by the Bijuu interference is what opened room for the Warring Clans Era. All tailed beasts have become bitter with humanity's misuse of chakra, the 8 Tails was just as bad as Kurama before he met B. While being jailed and turned into a weapon is the cherry on top of the shitty Sunday this makes more sense if you consider they are millenial existences.

 

[BrunofanofK]

Fundamentally this was meaningless. There was no advantage to be had in this confrontation. I simple didn't had the power and now the inclination to slay the Nine Tailed Fox and he likewise would derive nothing but hollow satisfaction in vanquishing me, there was no freedom for him.

Nothing would change, so why neither of us refused to backdown?

We were simple two fools doing careless things to each other. Both too set in their ways to accept the other. So, to defend our spurious view we pushed and riled each other until this escalated in what basically amount to a bar brawl. Of all things to keep through Samsara stubbornness is perhaps the most damning.

I was so going to die here. This perhaps is a blessing in disguise, considering the position my opponent is in, but I really was never going concede that to him. We were like spiritual brothers in polar oppositive sides of the same spirit and were unreasonable to each other as just siblings could manage. I could not accept his views and he likewise rejected my own. We had our reasons and we saw how the other saw the world but to validate it would be the same as dying. Hate was the only thing keep him going and faith was my anchor in the uncertain. So, we fought.

He held an overwhelming advantage in power, there was no way about it. He was the strongest. And while some mighty beings have challenged his position over the ages none had the permanence to stick around. Invariable the title returned to him. His battle experience could not be overstated, he really was shrewd as, well a fox.

I on the other hand was like nothing that he had ever seen. My powers and capacities have never been tested in battle which actually works on my favor against his empathy. The fact I actually landed my first attack shows that my Higher powers 「Knowledge of the Unimpeded Bodily Function」 was effective against it since by the time I decide a course of action my body is already performing it, he can't predict my movements through our link or by reading the flow of my aura.

This is basically Ultra instinct Goku vs Jigen, I compared myself with a Saiyan before but this is ridiculous. He could end it with one strike but he will have to sweat for that. No, to begin with my stamina is what will decide how long this battle will last. I held no illusions, even dodging like a madman he is strong enough he doesn't need to land a hit to harm me plus I can only repeat my first feat about four times- no, I will have to reinforce my body with aura to not be crushed by his power. Two strikes, is all I can manage, better make it count, is the last thing I will do.

"YOU FOOL, THE BOY IS NOTHING BUT A TOOL FOR UNCARING MASTERS. HE WAS BORN DOMMED TO DIE. NOTHING YOU DO WILL CHANGE HIS FATE."

That is not true.

I charge, like a comet. He answers by using his tails as hammers, trying to cover as much space as possible. All I can do is survive the onslaught by dance between the tails. It's surprising easy, even if it feels like I am being flayed alive by the wind pressure. I want to retreat, pain like this is novel and unbearable but my body refuse to even flinch, as if repulsed by the mere possibility.

Not, it is not so simple. The 「Comprehension of the Extinction of Klesha (poisons of the mind)」is burning that unnecessary thoughts away and using it as fuel; both my asura factor and Six Eyes are working up each other into an ever growing crescendo, my internal reserves regeneration is astounding. I can do it, within two strikes I can end this.

The Nine tails isn't idle, their tails are a volley as they work on concert like a whip machinegun, now that is an idea.

Fundamentally he is like a mountain, I could never skip away at in him in time. But he has a weakness, the asshole that mutilated his soul basically attempted to lobotomize him, taking away his mental acuity of this subtle-body, his Keter Essence, and leaving behind only animalistic fury and power. But he is a smart cookie, with the remnants of his Ying Essence as a foundation he used the self-image of the grudge he accrued as a anchor to preserve his mind. In a sense he is actually possessed by this accumulated hatred. It feels like a blow under the belt but I could never beat him down anyway, besides I will make up for him with dividends.

I move like a fly under his attacks, always just out of reach. My method of combat is more built upon an intrinsic comprehension of my opponent's character and capabilities than any combat experience. I have a pretty good grasp of his present bearing and course of action, and act based on it to weave my way between his blows until finally I find the gap to strike.

I said before that a person can have more than one contradictory thoughts at one but when they have to live through them, they are forced to pick. People are complicated and I right now have about fifteen contradictory thoughts, I hate you and want to shake you up and straight that head of yours and I admire you as someone actually better than me that tried so hard for so long. Fundamentally it isn't fair you are in this position right now. But I can't say it. But you are a better person than me. The first thing I did after gaining this power was think of myself superior but you are different, even if you are just as confused as me. We are both hopeless right now, but this is a good thing; in this we are at the same level. I can't express what I feel in words so this is my next best attempt. I am sure this will be nostalgic to you. This hate is not the core of you, I will help you remember, a little bit of kindness go a long way; especially when it is delivered through "tough love".

Take this, my love, my hate and all of my fury. Using the forceful Netzach methodology as vehicle I flare my spirit alight, opening all of my nodes like never before. I shine like a star, bright enough that the Nine Tails flinch as a stand over him. I cock my right arm(Chesed) back, a shit eating and mischievous grin in my face. 'kill them with kindness' never was so literal.

"Gomu-Gomu no Gatling Gun". The right arm of love that draws one near and the left arm of judgment that push away work on tandem to make more than a One Piece reference. Chesed and Gevurah act together to create an inner balance in the soul's approach to the outside world. Ultimately, the might of Gevurah becomes the power and forcefulness to implement one's innate desire of Chesed. Only by the power of Gevurah is Chesed able to penetrate the coarse, opposing surface of reality.

This power is a binding force. I can't extinguish a hatred as deep as his. It is like throwing water at a Vulcan. But underneath it all you also love others too. You are not a God of Destruction or a Beast, you are a person. This love you buried away; I will claw through you and pull it out until you remember it.

I rain down blows on him, my body of light stretching forward and back like rubber. It's by far the coolest thing I have and probably will ever do, but is something to be proud off. The emotional shock of his remembered love clashes so strongly with his hatred the emotional dissonance is stunning. Even if my punches are like mosquito bites they hurt deep at his heart. The Nine Tails fall to his back, giving me the opening I needed.

This is my last, I almost hesitate. That last attack was everything I had. If I go beyond this point I will simple vanish away, soul disconnected to the body by the lack of Pneuma. I could use this chance to escape, maybe this is enough. The Nine Tails can slowly be reformed by my actions.

No, then nothing will change. He will be right. If I want to prove myself to him then I have to make it matters. In the end the I will only be able to save the kid through the Nine Tails.

This is my last. I wish I could see what kind of man you would become. I love you kid, as if you were my own son, I am sure this light will reach you one day once again.

Goodbye.

I fall.

Nine Tails, the soul is not so easily vanquished. It is immortal and unbound by death, it's a idea. Even if the subtle-body is mutilated the light of Keter will forever shine down from Heaven. This is going to hurt but will also heal. I will give you this, the kid taught me this power bind all hearts together so now I will connect you to my Tree of Life, for this is the Light of Revelation that mend all wounds and grudges. Make it yours, then even if I am gone our meeting will hold significance. You were not wrong, even if you only got suffering in return so far this dedication is the reason I decided to give this to you.

Bringing my hands together submission, the way of Hod, I cast this final prayer.

I reach the Nine Tails at the end of my landing and touch his head with right arm. I hope you have a good dream.

-//-

---

I feel something stirring beneath me. I can't move anymore. I am simple fading like a ghost. My light is dispersing and even my god like senses are being consumed by the touch of oblivion.

"WHY?"

The Nine Tails is holding me in his hand/paw.

I couldn't help but laugh, really? As if you didn't already know.

"BASTARD, I AM ASKING YOU A QUESTION!"

"NOTHING HAS CHANGED, THE BRAT IS STILL DOOMED AND I STILL HERE AND THE WORLD IS STILL WRONG! SO WHY ARE YOU SO SATISFIED WITH YOURSELF!?"

I look at him, even if fading I couldn't help but nag at him. A final middle finger to a friend you know too well to bother with politeness. "Because I have left a worthy successor, haven't I?"

The Nine Tails is silent but the answer got under his skin.

"DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT I WILL HELP THAT FUCKING BRAT!? DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!"

"I do, after all he is the only one that will understand you, isn't him? He will be walking a mile in your shoes, so to speak. If you are a God of Destruction then he is your earthly avatar. You are bond by the same karma, both victims of others and cursed by your nature so I expect that you lean on each other out of this hole instead of dragging each other down, because ultimately the only one that can really save you is yourself, I am simple giving you a helping hand."

This is it, what I wanted to say to the Nine Tails all along. These words wouldn't reach him before but now he has something that can't be denied. The Tree of Life serves as a Magical Foundation he can work on and channel, our souls are connected by something deeper than even Essence. The Idea that is me will always shine this light over him and he will not tolerate to not pass this for the kid one day. The only wat to save the kid was through him. I won. I am satisfied with this outcome.





That is when I feel so much power flooding my fading subtle-body it was like lava was coursing through my veins.

"AS IF I WOULD ACCEPT THIS OUTCOME! YOU FADING ALL SATISFIED WITH YOURSELF, AS IF THE JOB WAS DONE WHILE BURDENING OTHER WITH YOUR EXPECTATIONS. YOU ARE SO MUCH LIKE MY OLD MAN I WANT TO CRUSH YOU! I WON'T LET YOU GET THE EASY WAY OUT; YOU ARE HERE FOR THE LONG HALL! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN KEEP THAT HIGH AND MIGHTY ATTITUDE AFTER WALKING ONE MILE ALONGSIDE THE BRAT, THEN."

While I feel like both fading and being burned alive I couldn't help but kip. "You tsundere, you like me."

I basked in the frustration of the Nine Tails. Now this is time for celebration!

I was going to live bitches! You thought that was the last of me? The great Pratyekabuddhayāna won't be put down so easily! And you know what the great me do in times like this? I go even further beyond! As abhorrent as this cage is the principles behind it are a true work of art, an inspiration for my next step on my Gate of Truth and some overall improvements.

I already asserted how the 8 primary nodes are conceptually Gates to the Idea World and as my body is a Temple it's only proper it has Gateways. I am going to use them was foundations to build a Torii, a literal gateway to the Spiritual Real above up of the sanctum sanatorium of God that is me. He fucking deserves after that miracle!

Fundamentally the Gate of Life is the source of animatic impulse and Yang Essence and as my body is conveniently being suffused with ungodly power of the greatest lifeform present in the planet, that so happen to be also mostly Yang Essence, give me a unique opportunity. Binding my spiritual energy with the Nine Tails mostly physical one I guide it to my Gate of Life while at the same time I use it to construe the Torii at the Gate of Truth.

Despite the stress suck puissant Essence will put on the body my asura factor will excel to match it, even if I become debilitate for a time. This will be worth because the subtle-body shapes and influences the material one, you could say that Essence carry the template of the body-subtle to some extent. My body and Yang Essence will be extimulated to grow in simulate lines to the Nine Tails while keep its elements contained enough to not paint it too much on its colors. I keep saying to be man is to be half beast and the Nine Tails is the strongest one there is, this is as close to "ideal" I will ever manage.

Surely enough tree tick lines appear on my cheeks of this body of light, they will probable be reduced to small whiskers similar to the kid in my real body, this makes me happy. I smile at the Nine Tails.

"I guess this make us like brothers, then. We are connected in spirit and similar in body."

He looks at me, these words somehow reached deep inside of him. He hesitates as if pondering something.

"KURAMA"

What?

"MY NAME, IS KURAMA."

I know this is a tender and bonding moment where we are connecting. I am probable the first person to give something this valuable and intimate to Kurama, and now we have a bond that can't be severed that goes both ways. But the first thing I did after hearing the name was snore at it.

"WHAT IS WITH THE REACTION!?" His feathers were really ruffled by my reaction, better to justify myself quickly.

"He, he, sorry, sorry. But this is literally the second more cliché name to give a fox spirit. Where your parents running out of names and creativity by the time they reached you?"

It seems that was the limit, Kurama literally flings me out of his cage like I am a ball. Ah, this is a true brotherly bond experience already.

-//-

Fortunately, Souls are dissociated from the gross world of matter and it's time-space axis. Partly because of my Six Eyes thought acceleration and Kurama's own circumstance it looked like nothing changed in the physical world as our exchange lasted short seconds.

That said I had to bite the nanny to get it to give up on separate me from the kid, using these baby teeth for all they are worth! God I really have to give him a name! The whiskers? Come on, I have been hiding my subtle-body for over a year now, to make a charm so they do not draw attention is simple enough.

Unfortunately, I am whipped out. I am like an exhaust marathonist that toke the mother of all drug cocktails. I feel tired and energized at the same time. My Nodes are throbbing, making me sore in a whole novel way yet Kurama's Essence is energizing me to the point is hard to even stand still while trying to split my body in the seams. The situation would likely remain so for a long time, likely months until I adapt and my asura factor grew accustomed to Kurama's little gift.

Well, at least I know what to do with in the meanwhile I heal.

Grabbing the kids hand I drag it along. He is so excitable it is exhilarating. Let's play kid, luckily Squid Game shored up my memory of plays. We have the rest of our lives to know each other.

-//-

[HEY, MEGUMI. ARE YOU SURE THIS IS WISE? YOU BARELY RECOVERED.]

Honestly, if there is one thing you can always count Kurama on is in his ability to hold on to grudges. While I have no intention to fight against "nature" I still adapting to my new situation in this whole reincarnation business. So of course, the bastard has to poke at me every chance he can. He probable used my new name alone more times this last three months more times than anyone this last two years.

I can't even shut they guy up, apparently when I connected him to my Tree of Life I created a path between our souls. Kurama is quite smart and after the first month he healed enough to explain to me that the "soul" is an existence of a higher order in concept of this Realm's astral plane, "The Pure World". What I did connected us in a more conceptual level, that is actually how he transferred his Essence, his "Chakra" to me, since the seal was still too tight for him to manifest much. I basically created a "backdoor" to the seal, since it is more concerned with containing the subtle-body that contain his power. And now we have a "line", like wireless phone.

[WHICH BRING US AGAIN TO THIS TOPIC, THE "TREE OF LIFE" IS CONCEPTUALLY THE CLOSEST 'FORMULA' TO THE "CREATION OF ALL THINGS", AS IT CAN BE SAID TO BE BUILD EXPLOITING THE IMPRESSION LEFT FROM IT AS A FOUNDATION. I AM "HEALING" BY USING THE RECORD MY SOUL HOLD TO RECONSTRUCT MYSELF USING IT AS A MEDIUM, SO EVE IF LEFT ON MY OWN I EVENTUALLY WILL GET RESTORED TO TOP FORM, YOU DON'T NEED TO RETARD YOUR OWN PROGRESS BY SENDING YOUR PNEUMA MY WAY, MEGUMI.]

[If I become was strong as you will this make me happier, Kurama?]

[NAÏVE FOOL, THIS WORLD IS NOT KIND TO WEAKLINGS EITHER. YOU WILL NEED ALL THE POWER YOU CAN GATHER WHEN YOU ARE DISCOVERED. THE POWERS OF THIS WORLD WILL NEVER LET SOMEONE LIKE YOU BE, EVENTUALLY THEY WILL SEARCH TO REIN YOU IN OR YOUR NOSY TENDENCIES WILL LEAD YOU TO BITE MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW.]

[Then developing my comprehension of this power will do me just as well. This is what allowed me to beat you, after all.]

[YOU DIDN'T "BEAT" ME! YOU GOT YOURSELF KILLED AND I SAVED YOU IN MY ETHERNAL GRADIOSITY.]

[Wow, you really care!]

[!!!]

Whatever, any sense of awe I had left for Kurama had been dispelled this last months. Maybe familiarity really breed contempt but I prefer to think we simply got closer as friends. Meanwhile my body finally adapted and integrated the modifications imposed by his Essence, in a sense making it a simulacrum of his own body; like how Sigurd obtained a measure of Fafnir' power by eating his heart. Without the Asura factor this power surely would have ripped me apart but, as I suspected, it thrived under the challenge. My Gate of Life truly can be likened to a Dragon's Core now or a Tamamo Core? Anyway, the generation of Yang Essence is incomparable from before.

Which bring us to my next step. Now that my own reserves have grown the overall quantity of True Aether in my body have increased, even if the ration with the other Elements have been preserved. While before they could only be meaningfully detected in my Nodes, "tenketsu/pressure points", now it is filling all my nervous system. As Kurama stated, the Pure World is the source of the Ying Essence; unfortunately, he has been rather tight lipped about the topic, even the "Creation of All Things" is something he let slip along the way.

I attribute this more to cultural shift, while in my previous incarnation information sharing was seen as a virtue of modernity the truth is that for much of our history, we too had hoarded information and knowledge. This is why the knowledge of concrete had been lost by the romans and it took almost a millennium for it to be rediscovered after their fall. I decided discretion is the best part of valor and not to push the Fox Spirit too much, as it is he will eventually loosen up as my "affection points" increase.

What is important is that as my "scale of existence" got bigger my perception of it got clearer. The difference between trying to see a virus through a microscope to do the same to a bacterium. This is not entirely due to his little gift though. Adversity seems to be a key factor to foster grow and I got a lot of "exp" in my confrontation with Kurama. This sort of explain the sad state of affair of this world though, the more strife the stronger the victorious will get, promoting the mentality of survival of the fittest. That is why "being strong" is not really something I am that passionate about, it can easily become a rabbit hole that leads all the way to hell. This power can be so much more, I am much more interested in being my "best" self.

Which lead me to my next Torii. The Gate located at the Root of the spine is overwhelmingly comprised of the Earth element and is a linchpin of the subtle-body. I can see how the confluences of force gather there and with Kurama's hints and my near-death experience I have enough clues to make an educated guess about the basic function of the 8 Gates. Fundamentally they are the same thing that the 7 Chakras of India tradition, points of confluence of the body, soul and mind that administer and regulate vital, emotional and mental functions. Considering Chakra can be likened to life itself as the link between life and soul most of it is committed to vital and mental basic functions; about 80% to be precise.

Considering Kurama as an example I am secure to say that my initial assessment is right that combat ability is fundamentally decided by one's mastery over their Essence, it's quality and quantity as it allow to push far past the limits of the gross material body of flesh the more powerful and efficient the "Chakra user" is. In that case the proper optimization of the 8 Gates will be the best course to unite the useful to the pleasurable. As the 8 Gates, like the 7 Chakras of my old world, can be said to represent the entirety of the being to properly balance and influence is the best way to foster the growth.

If one of the Gates is blocked or obstructed the energy and the functions associated with it will be compromised but if it is too opened then the body is forced into overdrive and can easily lead to permanent damage or even death. Now that I know that and thanks to the insight of Kurama's Seal I have all elements necessary for optimal performance. If people are like trees then what I am about to do will be the equivalent of a bonsai. I will create a Seal, a Stigmata, a Mark that will "commit" foster and direct the proper function of the Gates. My success with the Gate of Life Torii spurs me on. The goal is to make more with less and squeeze every drop of utility from my Pneuma.

Luckily for me, the Root Gate is one for one aligned with the Root Chakra: both are at the base, are primarily comprised of Earth Element, as the neighbor of the Gate of Live, they "administer" this "vitality", being primarily conceptual linked with the principle of "survival instincts" and related activities such as hunger and sleep. Beyond that it is also wired to the most solid parts of the body: bones and muscles.

As the element of Earth and Wood are interlinked due to my east-west syncretism I decided the Stigmata will be a flower, the Lotus being the chosen one. Because lotuses rise from the mud without stains, they are often viewed as a symbol of purity. The same way, as the Torii is a Gateway that is born in the "Impure World" and rise to the "Pure World"; likewise, the lotus flower meaning is transcendence: the lotus represents the transcending of man's spirit over worldly matter since it blooms from the underworld into the light while also returning to the murky water each evening and open their blooms at the break of day, symbolizing strength, resilience, and rebirth.

And the same way the Root Gate is wired to different parts of the body the Perfect Lotus Stigmata will be layered in tree parts.

The Lotus's Root will be the foundation, linked to the bone marrow, and carry the aspect toward Wood element, being the "life force" that bind the body and soul; "Sweet Succor Cultivation Methodology". Basically, this will increase my "hp" and "stamina" poll and their regeneration.

The Lotus's Core is Golden, likewise this aspect will be of the Earth element and likened to the bones, "Golden Bone Transmutation Logic Formula". 'Gold' in this case will be less to do with the mineral and more it's ideal as stainless and perpetual nobility. Using the Lotus conceptual link with the "pure world" it will the carrier of the conceptual structure, preventing deviations caused by abundance of lifeforce like cancer and phenomenon interference from outside source. Fundamentally, this will prevent the deviations and raise my "magical resistance" and "status alignment resistance" as my Chakra will be more likely to reject impositions from foreign Chakras.

The Outer Layer of the Lotus are its Petals, representing its symbol of strength, they are likened to the muscles. Exploit the dissonance between Earth and Metal/Eletricity of my chart using my main attribute of Wind as a medium for "inversion of polarity/nature" as is the nature of electricity, which also control the muscles. This will be the "Wrought Iron Body Reinforcement". Increasing both "strength" and "endurance".

Have completed the conceptual structure of the formula I simple flash my Six Eyes for an instance and create the second Torii in my Gate of Truth and Root Gate, using the True Aether as a medium and clay for the Stigmata. In just a moment it is complete. Honestly, this is a burden out of my mind, as this chakra related to the Root Gate is "committed" to its function and is related to "survival" I no longer have to worry about dying by running out of "mp" as this will be like a safety breaker that will prevent another episode like my fight with Kurama. Sure, this means by the time I reach the final Gate my available "mp" pool will be only 20% of my total pool, but the Yang Essence regeneration of the Gate of Life Torii and this one proves that the benefits more than cover for the costs.

[CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR TRAMP STAMP, MEGUMI!]

[Fuck you!!]

[THAT WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT GATE AND A LOT OF YEARS, I IMAGINE.]

Bastard was milking the situation for all it was worth it! Yeah, the Perfect Lotus manifest in the back right under the Root Gate but since it is a "chakra construct" it will only manifest when I flare my aura-

Two chubby arms suddenly tackle me, I turn around and see a golden mane like the Sun.

"Play!" He demanded, full of exuberance and energy. I couldn't help but to smile softly at him.

"Sure Apollo, let's play. What do you want to do now?"

That is the name I have given the boy, my son. I had a real argument with Kurama about it as parents and siblings are a sore topic for him but I stood my ground and he fundamentally relented when I pointed out "ramen toping" is the straw that broke the camel's back for these birth parents. I don't care what pass for "love" around here, any decent God-Fearing country would view sealing a demon on your infant child as grounds for children protection service.

The name will be nothing but a curse to the boy anyway, whispered in the same breath as "demon container". Kurama warmed up to they idea when I pointed out only me and him would call him by that name for the longest time, there is a reason he never gave his name to humans, he didn't want them to sully it and with it his father's memory, someone he doesn't even talk about with me. This name will be our personal little prayer for the boy, that he will break of this fate and stand unsullied from the ugliness and resentment to shine like the sun.

Taking his hand I run alongside him, pointily pretending to be oblivious to the glares. These fuckers can choke on the hate! I will make sure Apollo has the bestest childhood a child can have! Believe it!

[AUTHOR ROOM]

Yeah, if Kishimoto didn't went out of his way to wank Minato would we see him in the same light as Rasa? A modern person? Most definitely. His only friend is Kurama who he mutilated and jailed too, who did not like, got over all his hate of humans; he just wrote Megumi and "Apollo" out of the list of people he will nuke the moment he gets out. Some times the best revenge is living well, he is not into that though.

By the way, I am making it so the reason Kurama didn't wiped out barion mode before was because the "know how" was with his Ying half. Now we have a boring fox with privileged access to a magic formula completely novel to the elemental nations. There will be carnage.

One year time skip next chapter, there simple isn't much to be done in the meanwhile. Unless someone wants to kip in and give suggestions I am moving the time table to Sarutobi first encounter.

 

[BrunofanofK]

I awaken with the first rays of sunlight hitting me in the face as my bed was located precisely for this, always unpleasant but effective clock. I can't afford a real one just yet and having Apollo running around this early would be too much work, the kid is great but God does he has energy! Like this I can have breakfast prepared by the time he is out of the bed.

Forcing myself up through the grogginess and haze of sleep I leave the bed. One of the things you kind of forget about childhood until you become a parent is that of kid's propensity for sleep like logs. I was used to dial from oblivion to wide awake like a switch but now it takes a good 10 minutes for me to simple force my eyes open, even longer if the resin of the eyes glued then shut. It was rough at the beginning to move like that in our new flat but I have accrued enough bumps to have the layout memorized, pain is a great teacher.

Yeah, you hear this right. At the tender age of 3 the bureaus of the Village Hidden in the Leaves have judged us, that is me, fit enough to live in a government handed out house. It sounds absurd to this day, even after hitting the history books and discovering that over one hundred years ago people used to send 7 years old to fight in frontlines of feudal warfare and this is by all means considered "progress". It seems people are somewhat aware of the mental augmentation Chakra provides and don't so much as blink at "geniuses".

In fact, Konoha quite like them, geniuses that is; a bit too much in my opinion even. This was a calculated risk but after getting the heads up from Kurama that getting Apollo and skipping town was pretty much not on the picture until I was strong and desensitized enough to literally fight my way out of it with him, we were stuck here.

The infamous "Nine Tails Attack" was a prison break, he is being a captive here since pretty much its founding, a "deterrent" to "keep the world at bey". I once likened him to a God of Destruction but I never imagined how accurate this assessment was. A power that they can seldom let go of even as it scorches them, an odious god fit to wretched merchants of death.

So, since adoption was out of the picture the best way forward was to get enough face to secure my position as someone worthy to keep around the "demon container", even if just as an emotional lever to control the both of us with. Being a child with inborn ability to manipulate chakra set me on the pedestal easily and changing my disguise to show a little more of progress got me a lot of attention. While a visit of the broken masked men that live in the roots of the village was a real danger, I had to risk it to ensure I wasn't separated from Apollo. His situation in the orphanage was deteriorating fast due to neglect. People simple hated him too much, to the point it was something that united them in the "tragedy" of the attack.

Slavery is wrong, everybody is born free, and if people want to take away other's freedom, then they better be prepared to have theirs taken away when things don't go their way. I can't hold this against Kurama when he went out of his way to keep out of human affair until they deteriorate to cancerous levels.

This is more of a temporary measure, I have no intention to become or letting Apollo to be child-soldier or a killer, especially when I have the poster kid of such lifestyle perked outside my window. But thanks to the second Hokage I have a grace period of 9 years until I am forced to become a genin to think of something.

Hitting the kitchen, I go for the fridge and take all the left-over of the week, from a diversity of vegies to meat and many eggs. This kitchen is ruled by the 15 minutes of prep time to any meal, anything fancier would be too hard on this child's body anyway. Chopping the vegies, I simply take the iron cast pan and conduct Fire Essence in it, heating it without the need of flame, just to impress the "secret" assigned chaperone. Putting one finger of oil in the pan I then start to cook the vegies and meat for five minutes then season than and cover them with a mix of milk and eggs, use wind Essence to flay a block of cheese like a scraper and put my palm over it, channeling Fire Essence to simulate a broiler. And like that a 15 minutes veggie frittata is ready.

Apparently to just channel chakra like that through the hands or feet is considered a "jonin level" skill. These people are hopeless, to seize total control over the entirety of the chakra network is the unescapable requirement before you even attempt to start to use Chakra for anything. They are almost like Shirou, barely using their circuits properly and letting them atrophy, then latter in life when you try to correct that it becomes harder as it will requires to relearn it while tackling bad habits picked along the way. "The good enough is mortal enemy of the perfect".

Putting the pan down I get some boxed juice then slice the meal in three parts for three plates. Taking one slice I deposit it in the window. "Come on boy, food is ready. Enjoy while it is hot." I know I am being petty, just because he walks around with a dog mask and smells of dog doesn't mean my chaperone enjoys being treated as one, especially as a young man but I simple feel that I can't let him be. Who the hell has high functional depression by the time they reach eighteen?! He is clearly married to the job too, by how frequently he gets this post. This is the fate of "geniuses".

Leaving him be I walk back to the sleeping room. Reaching the bed, I start to shake Apollo awaken. "Come on, it's morning. We will have breakfast and go play lots and lots!" The disgruntled answer was really cute, Apollo is always so grumpy at mornings I always take pleasure in teasing him.

He turns around and make a face, clear intent in staying in bed. Ha, as if I would let you develop this kind of bad habit! Grabbing the mattress, I literally flip him out of the bed while landing on my own, this sure will wake him up.

He screamed then turned to me with a really cross expression that make him look adorable with those chubby cheeks. Smiling I grab both of them and repeat "Wake up Apollo, you of all people should learn to rise with the sun."

"Ah, come on Meme. Just some more minutes!"

"Nope, breakfast will become cold by the time you had enough. Besides I don't want you to be running around after dark either." After that the usual fight to get him out of bed ensues. I really would like to be more peeved by this but I wasn't any better to my own father either. As he had business close to my school so he always had to wake me up to get there early.

Walking back, I see that the plate and juice cups left by the window are empty. "Really, are you sure you shouldn't be a cat instead?" He wouldn't answer, he never did. I felt bad for the boy but his passive-aggressive tendencies set me off in an almost alien way. I never much cared to be brushed off but this Senju blood in me screamed out of principle to be thanked properly for the meal.

It was pretty easy to discover the "source" of the Asura factor. The top dog of the Warring Clans Era, that toke on all challenger and came out as the indisputable winner of that age, setting up the framework for the "Village system". Honestly, I have to give credit when it is due, this Tobirama guy is perhaps the shrewdest guy in all of the elemental nations' history. Choosing to give the paper tiger title of nobility to the clear mutant clans like the Aburame, Hyuga, Uchiha and Akimichi as a smoke screen while dissolving your own clan as a "demonstration of good faith" while establishing the first "democratic system" this world has ever seen paid off; Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju shacked hands in peace and one hundred years later the Uchiha and other clans that once rivaled them have barely kept themselves above replacement level while the descendants of the Senju have prospered and multiply to become the singular majority of the most populous "Hidden Village". Demography is destiny, they don't need stamps on their backs, in group bias does not vanish that easily.

I held no illusion. Konohagakure existed for, by and to the Senju clan as far as things were concerned. Wise considering people with obvious mutations, "advanced bloodlines" are derided as harbingers of conflict, being downright discriminated against in other parts of the world or looked at with suspicion. He probably noticed that "factor" in his own family and went out of his way to make sure it was obscured and brushed aside as a cultural quirk so that while the Senju name is all but dead their descendants can pass off as just unremarkable if "talented shinobi" or "geniuses". As expected of a rational man full of bitterness and cynicism over the blood feuds of his lifetime losing siblings, children and relatives. Nothing was overlooked to maximize his kin success, he buried the Senju name and all the grudges associated with it with ruthless efficiency, almost joy even, if the humors about the disdain he bore for his father were true.

It's like the most delirious of Jews conspiracies made manifest; if only it wasn't both true and vindicated. After hearing talks about bloodline purges happening is the Village Hidden in Mist I kind of am forced to bow down to the wisdom of my great ancestor. I mean if I had to bet a place for this to happen, I would put my money into "Blood Mist"; if you force two kids into a deathmatch against each other the one with superpowers is most likely to win, even after they banished the practice the bad blood and resentment would certainly remain. If I was born in a world where people could look at monsters like the resent turned traitor, Orochimaru and say "he was possessed by the impulses of his senju blood" my life would be far less comfortable.

Let's not even mention the fact the famous Sannin are basically the real-life retelling of the "Tale of the Galant Jiraiya". I have heard that life imitate art but this is ridiculous! I don't even want to understand how Samsara decided to make a fairy tale into reality, the implications are too much for me. Back to our regular schedule of ranting about the social-political background of my new ethnicity.

Let the mutants like bug-infested Aburame and freak eyed Uchiha&Hyuga to prominence so we can pass as normal to the rest of the world, Konoha the "nice" Hidden Village. More like masters of PR. We really are like the Tohnos, a house of well-groomed monsters that maintain position of prominence and authority to wider society while burring all our dirty laundry "in the roots". Or, to a more native friendly terms, the successful version of the Kaguya Clan, with our own blood-line limit to give the game away. I look at the balcony where my personal little garden is kept.

In the end I was so worry-sick about being separated from Apollo that Kurama interfered. He confined to me that if I manifested the wood release, something he judged well within my capacities due to my Gate of Truth and Perfect Lotus Stigmata success, I would surely be kept with Apollo, as this power was the most prized and coveted by all the world, the power to suppress him.

I was both touched that Kurama trusted me enough to give me this information and scared out of my mind. This was the opposite of keeping a low profile! I would be the fucking golden goose of this nation. I was already reticent about leaking the existence of my Six Heavenly Eyes, my Rikugan (Buddha Eyes). It was the second scarier thing I have ever done and it would put a target on my back forever but I did it; leveraging my Pneuma' "vitality" as a base and combining it with Fire, Water and Wood/Earth essence I displayed a small trick to Apollo "by accident".

It was incredible easy and fuel efficient as it uses almost all Elements that comprise my Chakra. While any spell comprised of True Aether would be an uphill struggle that I would require the Rikugan full atention to even attempt and it would need to be "charged" as I compress the basic elements into "Light Release" (keke mora), "Wood Release" can basically be performed by using nature as a medium. The trick is the hint of "natural energy" in your own chakra medium to exploit the binding nature of chakra and connect with the surrounding flora and let nature do the heavy lifting. All my talk about trees the last three years must have had an effect after all.

What the natives call "nature transformation" is the action of 'drawing out" one of the basic Essences that comprise the subtle-body. Considering they never bother to even master their entire chakra network the action of properly balancing out the basic essences inside their bodies, the "dust from the four corners of the world" is beyond them. They have to rely on crude divinations to determine which element is the main component of their subtle-body to then train to "master it", that is learn to filter it out from the rest. Crude and inefficient, but I guess is "easier".

In the end Kurama was right. I was subjected to enough exams and blood tests that I developed a heath new iatrophobia but after both of us throwing a tantrum the higher ups decided it would be more prudent to simple letting us be together. Soon after we got this flat and a meagre allowance, discretion was the best part of valor, our greatest shield is anonymity. Which is why I question the wisdom of divulging Apollo's identity as the "demon container", I beet it was politics.

Apollo finished his meal and toke on the dishes, I will be dammed is he grow into a useless adult. Since I always cook he has to wash the dishes. I even made a laddered stool for him to reach the sink, together with the plates, and the tableware and most of the furniture, and his toys and the most succulent vegetables and fruits I could ever imagine.

Ok, maybe this has gotten out of hand. But come one, how cool it is!? To make anything you can imagine is so cool! I could make a fucking house out of nothing one day with the snap of my fingers! Nine Tail repellent? I have literally become a magical carpenter that could raise and feed a city from the fucking ground, this is far more amazing!

Now that I think of it that is precisely what the founder did, wasn't it? I am really ambivalent about the guy. In one side he was born in a death world where children' lives were used as grease to a perpetual war machine and not only morally opposed it but steered the entire world into a more civilized direction, swallowing bitter resentment by shaking hands with bitter rivals to create a world where kids could "grow old enough to experience the wonders and horrors of sake". He had the power to conquer the world and if he had gone for it none of his contemporaries would have blinked. While I have the leg up of remembering a more civilized world the fact that he rose against the common sense of his time is beyond praiseworthy but that he did it at the cost of my friend is something I can never emotionally forgive.

"I am done, now let's play outside!" Apollo shake me off my zooming out by literally jumping in my back. It seems that he too, hate to be brushed aside and ignored. I smile down at him, enjoying what is to come.

"Not just yet, we have some homework to do before we leave." The look of betrayal on his chubby face as he prepare to whine was glorious, pulling the rug out of him is one of my guilty pleasures, he is just so excitable and his reactions are just so cute I can't help but rile him up.

"Nooo! I don't wana! You said we would play today!" He cries in his impotent fury and betrayal.

"I never said when though." I answer surely, so sure in fact he blinks in confusion. Realizing that indeed I never respecified the timetable as if that explain everything, after all I was acting so sure of it I must know better.

"Come one, just half an hour today. Do it for me and I will make it to you." I had him then. Sure I would do anything he asked anyway, but the idea of getting a concession itself enticed him. Apollo could be so simple minded, but this was also cute about it. I fully intended to enjoy this age as he would eventually grow out of it. For now, at least, he was my baby.

Taking a primary math book, some sheets of paper and pen I set the tabled. Apollo sat next to me disgruntled. The truth was that I couldn't count on Konoha's regular public service to tend to his education, regular public service was "good" for the standards of this world but it is a tool to their warrior culture, the open hostility people have for him also make my expectations for reasonable teachers low and Apollo himself is so excitable I would qualify him as ADHD if I had the qualification to diagnose it. In the end I have decided that is best to take his academic life in my own hands and homeschool him, especially because I have the one tool to fill in the gaps, Ninshu.

One more hint from Kurama, the legacy left behind by the bodhisattva that presides over this planet and works for its salvation. When I questioned him about it, he affirmed that the man himself died shortly after his own birth, and as the fox is as old as dirt himself that is saying something.

['a middle finger']

[Cultural exchange has been fruitful and enriching it seems.]

The point is, with this power anyone can connect their "spiritual energy", what I previously qualified as Keter or Ying, with each other a spiritual connection can be made and a telepathic and empathic link is formed. The Great bodhisattva has given every human being a latent talent for the 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」… and the very first thing they decided to do with it when he wasn't around anymore was set each other on fire with it!

Ninjutsu.

Anyway, with this power express ideas and pass on intent is really simple, so it can easily be used as a tool of learning and teaching. Apollo is a natural at that, there is no other wat to slice it, the kid was a prodigy. Thankfully not of the "art of shanking people" this world values, I won't see the day where he uses "British breathing art". His potential is more along the lines of being "Great" than to be "Strong". That is something I am extremely proud of but I also can't help but fear, his circumstances couldn't be worse. Is the love of one person greater than the hate of an entire community? That he grows to hate humanity in knowing them is my greatest fear.

…

I had one or two nightmares with Hao outcomes that I would rather suppress. But it is a real possibility after some perusing in the academy's material I found out about this "senjutsu". There is really not that much about it but this is a confirmation that a person really can "die as a human" and becomes a alter-ego of the planet. So, I asked Kurama if an Archetype-Earth scenario where a powerful enough sage uses the planet to force a spiritual link with the planet to cull the unworthy while awakening those qualified to become sages, creating a society of enlightened people, "shamans".

He pondered about it for a long hard minute, then all excitedly called me a "fucking genius" and offered to teach me this senjutsu, since according to him I was already "half-way there". I explain to him it wasn't a proposition, he quickly lost interest but pointed out if I changed my mind, he was the guy for the job. Said that the fact I could device such plan, "an answer" to fix the world show I had the potential.

No, Apollo's education is my first priority. He has to be guided the proper path and I am the only one to do it. If there is one thing I have to pass down is that despite all the malevolence this world has one must not succumb to it and wallow in the dirt. To struggle with it is part of human experience and every time people have succumbed to their worse impulses there has been only an ever-deepening hell, there is no future in resentment. Nobody can get away with anything, the consequence of their actions, their karma, will eventually get them. So, to do good is its own reward, the power to change the world for the better is something everyone has the capacity for, even in this Realm. If there is one thing Hashirama's achievements have proven something it is that.

We work in silence, trading just a few tips and soon enough is time to go. I go pick some things and we reach the door. I can't help but hesitate, walking the village with Apollo is always a rough experience. Here in this flat is our personal little world we can forget ourselves in, there is no hateful villagers and scornful eyes and whispers and insults. Part of me honestly can't help but dread this door, but Apollo is an outgoing extroverted person. He craves to meet people and make connections and I simple am not enough. I am not even offended by it, I am an introverted that has more interest in ideas and aesthetics than people; he easily take up all my energy for social interactions and then some. And more importantly I can't set a bad example and run away from this. He doesn't get to run away, this option was taken from him at birth, so I won't run away either. These bastards can choke on the hate for all I care!

With this resolve I open the door.

-//-

Konohagakure is perhaps the mostly stunning idiosyncratic place I ever experienced. I have been in cities that almost looked like they had been grafted to forest before but nothing can prepare you for the chaotic architecture and hazardous electric work and labyrinthic plumbing system and pagodas for buildings staked over each other like a giant game of jenga, showing the steady progress and prosperity it enjoys. To someone that had the displeasure of experiment the ever-encroaching march of sterile postmodern cinder blocks it is a breath of fresh air, there is a vibrancy that scream that people actually live here and they have an identity that can't be brought or faked.

Its people… don't give off the best first-person impression or experience, from where I am. There is nothing as brazing as rejection and to have it enforced by an entire community is a whole new brand of hell. I never knew how frightening cold people's eyes could become. If eyes really are the window of the soul, then what should make of that? I don't know, and a part of me is constantly scared for Apollo. People hate him but would never let go of the power that he holds. This kind of toxic relationship is fated to end in tears for everyone involved. I know that just moping will change nothing but to reach for other and be rejected is so painful, like offering your heart and have it stomped. "Once burned twice as shy", right? It really fills me with pride that a child so young can be so amazing. I don't want that light to be snuffed out so I will keep going no matter how many times I get burned.

Taking his hand I march forward, pretending the hostility is breaking like water under my back. That said there is not much point in delaying our trip so I force a brick march. Honestly, people could at least pretend the identity of the vessel is secret, as we walk the whispers about demon, monster and blame for the death of the star child 4th​ Hokage can be heard even with human ears. These people don't even pay lip service to the supposedly capital law about the container! But again, this is actually normal, isn't it? No matter what kind of law one tries to push forward it is culture that is the ultimate enforcer, if everyone agrees to hate Apollo then this law is toothless.

It's hard to not lose heart, part of me wants to get powerful enough to really fight my way out of this hellhole. If peace in the elementals nations is impossible for me and Apollo then I can reach for an unexplored continent where nobody has heard of us and start a new life there. What is so especial about one's place of birth that one would give their life up for? It's not like we have anything from here but emotional scars. As cliché as this sounds a child that is not embraced by the village will burn it to know its warmth.

It's wrong to kill but people have the right to defend their lives and strive for happiness. It's simple something that everybody has the right to. It doesn't need logic or explanation. When others try to take your life and freedom away, how far is too much? Even if I had the power could I go through with it and crush everyone in my way? And more importantly, do I want to live like that, constantly fighting off pursuers? I have no answer- no, I am running away from this question, for now.

The time will come when this problem between me and this village will have to be settled and Kurama will be more than happy to throw his lot with us. There will be nothing that can stand on his wat by then either, he is taking this chance to reconstruct his soul with my Pneuma into something more suited to cover for his weaknesses. The difference in life experience between us is clearly showing, he has already surpassed me, whatever power they previously used to contain him will be lacking next time. One way or another Apollo will be his last container.

I am pulled from my musing by the tug of the arm, normally I avoid busy streets when crossing Konoha to alleviate the unpleasantness so I missed the commotion, but after his insistence I notice the parade happening at the main street of the Village Gate. Apollo's eyes were clearly begging me to see it. I sign in resignation; these small pleasures are not something I will ever let be taken from him if I can help it!

"Follow my lead." I relent while firming my grip on him with my hand and chakra so he knows to imitate me the best he can. All especial movement techniques used by shinobi rely on human capacity to interact and move through the four(five with metal/lightin?) ethers as our subtle-bodies are partially made of these same elements. From gluing yourself to walls, moving-like-a-mole, to stand on water and store yourself in a puddle of water. That said a person can't really change the composition or ratio of elements they are born with easily, it would be akin to Chinese foot biding, doing more harm than good if you don't know what you are doing. If you are going to use one single element then your primary one is by far the easiest, this decide which movement technique is also the easiest.

That is right, it is easier for me and Apollo to learn how to fly than to walk on walls or stand on water! Even my use of Fire and Wood essence always starts with my Pneuma as a base foundation that I then incorporate with other elements by reaching to them. My Wood release is fuel efficient but is also far slower and mechanical than the basic and instinctive use of Wind or "Fire"(Wind+Fire).

That said levitation is a bit out of reach for me without the Higher Powers 「Knowledge of the Unimpeded Bodily Function」 of the Rikugan and Apollo is basically a baby, so a more basic movement technique it is. This is basically air bending, to use the communion with the Wind Ether as leverage to seemly reduce your weight and propel oneself with gusts of winds. We use it to slowly make our progress upward, from small jump to small jump through verandas and open platforms designed to accommodate vertical locomotion all ninjas favor, until we reach a good spot.

I will give it to then, these people really know how to have a good time. They are literally littering the streets with rain of confetti for the "parade", a commission of foreign ninja that came to Konoha to break a peace treat for "The Village Hidden in the Clouds", Kumogakure. The most bitter rival Konoha has even had even as "Hidden Stone" is the one that hate us the most. Apparently, all the high rank shinobi have come here for the celebrations to the end of hostilities.

What a farce.

Kurama's little gift enabled me to sense the evil intentions and malice of the Kumo's chief diplomat from here, even without the Rikugan active. All warfare is based on deception. The man was here to get leverage of some kind, War of Position or Maneuver warfare. So, this is it? Will Apollo grow up in warfare? Will he be conscripted, then? No, he is too valuable an asset and I am the key holding him, if Konoha had another mokuton user they would have used it on the attack. This is not our problem.

Letting Apollo bask on the sight of this empty celebration I turn myself off. This is not our problem. I can't do anything anyway and I don't want any early promotion either, so is better to pretend I didn't see anything.

"If we stay here until the end there wont be much time to play, Apollo."

"AHhh!?"

"Let's go, shall we? It will just be the same until the end, anyway."

He looked reluctant at it, he really wanted to go there and be part of the festivities. And God, but I really wish he could experience it at least once! I feel powerless, and this feeling twist inside myself into something ugly and hot and best repressed.

"Ready to go?" I ask, giving him some time to get over it.

"Hey, Meme? Do you think that one day I will be allowed down there with everyone?"

"Why does everyone look at me like that?"

GOD FUCKING DANMIT!

I froze like I always do any time this topic comes up, not trusting in my reaction. If the cold gazes and backtalk are scorching then Apollo dejected reaction is like a spear through the heart. The pain is so great I feel like I am suffocating. Apollo don't deserve to pass through this. Nobody does. I hate it… and I hate them too. I can admit myself that. It also bruises my pride this bunch of neandertals that barely learned not to kill their neighbor after two millenia can get to me! Fucking monkeys! But if I really want for Apollo to grow into a proper person then I can't let him be consumed by this, nothing will change for him in negativity, because human state of nature is misery. People of my world managed to rise above this misery through immense effort and I am the only one that can carry this light here. I want to give this boy this light, he has the strength of character to bear it. I would have given my back to these "people" long ago in his place.

I look at my small sun and smile tenderly, touching our foreheads together. He is trembling, he already cried himself dry long time ago, there are no words of consolation I can pass. Not even the truth will improve things. So I will fake it until I make it!

"You are like the very sun, one day everyone will see it too. So don't let these fools' opinion bother you. When stupid people spit toward the heavens their only answer is the gravity hit them with it back right in the eye. By then everyone will want to be your friend, so use this time to see who is really worth of you, ok?"

I could feel his small arms trembling around my frame, but then the fragility was gone and he put a brave face and smiled back at me. It was fake, but the fact he was putting it for me melted my heart. He was really a strong boy. One day for sure. Until then, please God, deliver us from harm.

"Let's go."

"Yeah!"

-//-

Honestly, I was never much of a nature person in my last run. My father often dragged me for weekends in the countryside and while I loved the man to bits it was a dull experience for a geek. At best I awkwardly fooled around with the local girls as the "city boy" as I got older. That said I learned my way around it, hunting, fishing, foraging for edibles. All skills a denizen of the 21th century would judge superfluous. Yeah, yeah, I get it, once again the paternal wisdom is vindicated.

If Konoha was a beautiful idiosyncratic mess then their forests are comforting familiar. As if the works of nature could ill concern themselves with the machinations of man. Eternal and everlasting. Always beautiful too, patchwork of Forest with golden fields of tall grass in creeks, rivers and lakes. I could almost imagine I am back home. Such pipe dream is worthless, time in different Realms is supposed to flow differently and even if we are in the same dimension I could never find it. Rikugan or not I was still human and existed in a human scale. Instead of dwellings in these thoughts I should focus on make the best of my situation, for the sake of us both.

I smiled at Apollo as I raced him. The fact a child's body could move like that always amazes me. This is our playground. I don't dare to go all out with the Mokuton to not give the masquerade away but small changes to make things interesting are an indulgence I simple can't dispense with. We race free across the fields, jumping, swimming and running and laughing. This small happiness is all I really want. Godly powers or not this fresh rush brought by simple things are what make human experience worthwhile. Kids really are great, playing here is like a second childhood. I had almost forgotten what it was like.

Roughhousing was the name of the game and once again I had to concede to the parental wisdom of dragging me to do judo for the better part of a decade. Apollo jumps at me and is met with a reverse throw as I fall back and exploit his momentum to counter. Instead of disheartened he sees it as a challenge and charges again. I understood, since I played this game often in the other side. Being treated as a ball is surprising fun for a kid as you push yourself to your limits. That said the kid has a lot of stamina and I had a kid's body so this eventually degenerates in a tangle of limbs as we rolled around the ground. This went on for hours! The hell I would give in to the brat!

Eventually dusk came and hunger hits. Instead of going back just yet I decided for making camp by the riverbank. "Water bending" was my worse subject but even then, catching fish was trivial then everything left to do was gutting and seasoning it with salt and lemon I brought from home. Soon we had a cozy camp made with earth bending and our dinner was ready.

Of course, things could never be so simple. I didn't even realize when he got in here but the robed old man sudden presence set off all of my alarms. What, when, how, why? I panicked and was holding my wood skewer like a knife… but yet.

It toke me a while to figure out what set me off so much about the old man until I realized. His eyes were full of candor and tenderness. It has been so long since I saw this from another human being besides Apollo I almost forgot what it was like. That must be how he sneaked on me; the lack of evil intentions allowed him to swim through my passive senses. Is he just an old man walking wandering the forest? Yeah, what are the odds?

I look for the dog-boy, he seems relaxed so I let the electric nervousness go, unwinding myself like a deflated balloon. The young man lives to his moniker, I have felt he "dealing" with a small ambushs from resentful villagers more than once and more often than not his response is swift and lethal. Small mount hills of hatred and madness being swallowed by oblivion. As far as guard dogs go, he is the best one I ever had. If he didn't think the man was a treat then he was in the clear.

"Ahh" Apollo scream, falling back in his seat in fry.

"W-who are you?"

The old man pulls back and answer in good humor "What? Just an old uncle passing through."

Apollo turns to me as if to search for instruction but then we hear the rumbling of his belly as he stares at our dinner. The old man looks back at us with that tender gaze, practically radiating grampa energy. Somehow this is relieving, after so many bad interactions with "adults" his sincerity simple pass through all my raised barriers. He does not want anything from us, he simple couldn't let two small kids alone. I understood it far too well. That is how my bond with Apollo started. This is the best side of humanity, to care for others shinning through, I almost forgot it existed. I had started to think I was the mad one, the one born wrong.

At that realization something in me gives out and when he and Apollo start laughing like fools, as dork friends getting off from an internal joke between them I joined them. At this moment all of the worries about Konoha could be but on the background, only here and now mattered.

"Here, gramps, eat this." Apollo offered in impulse. This boy is so naturally generous It warms my heart. He sure would have lots of friends if we moved from here.

"Are you sure? Thank you very much! It looks so good!" The old man proclaims in his sincerity. Naturally an extroverted trying to get a conversation going. These two already clicked.

"Of course, Meme prepared them, so of course they will be good." He answers naturally and my back straighten and my chest heave. Apollo never had anyone to brag about me to so this is one of the rare moments he put to words feeling I knew he bore. Somehow this makes it more real though. It is natural for parents to be their children's world but to hear it is magical. I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear at him.

"You help too, didn't you? So of course, it would make the food tastier."

"Is that so?" The old man guessed at us with a smile. He really had the grandpa shine down to a patch. Without ceremony I raised another seat for him and we restarted our meal. Dusk fell and only the night sky and our campfire illuminated the night, revealing a sight lost to the metropolitan city life. I myself could count in the palm of my hand the number of times I had seem it. The ocean of stars that reach all the way to this world.

"They are beautiful, aren't they? The stars." The old man cut into my musing.

"And what do you know about the stars, grampa?" Honestly, I regret never paying that much attention to astronomy. It was such a transient science, any real effort in space exploration died after the cold war and I knew real space exploration would only really start after my own time had already passed. But even so, if I knew a bit more I could look for familiar patterns in the sky and see if my own old home planet was in this dimension, somewhere. We could do so much with Chakra, space exploration, teleportation, food production, panacea to all diseases. Earth would be a paradise with this power, spitting fire from your mouth isn't that better than basic firearms and warfare is a game of numbers, even entities like Kurama would leg behind continental nuclear ballistics as a deterrent for total war. It was a world far more ready to handle this gift responsible. It was a fanciful dream I knew but a part of me wanted that world back.

"Each of those stars is like our own world's sun. The sheer amount is incredible, eh?"

"I know about that! The sun is the big ball of fire that we circle around, it gives heat that allow for life to Exist!"

"Hoh, you are well informed."

"Well, my namesake is a moniker for it, so of course I know!"

After hearing that the sexagenary look appraising at me. The trick is to keep a upfront and unconcerned poker face. It's not like anyone in this place ever heard of Greek Gods unless they were transmigrants as well, so if you acted like you had nothing to hid people would presume this is simple a word invented by a child's imagination. Soon the old man came to that conclusion and dismissed the topic.

"Indeed, the Sun does all that and there are countless stars like the Sun. This world is boundless. Compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant. The things insignificant humans fret about are petty indeed."

"No, kidding! The world is big, huh? You sure know a lot, gramps! It goes on and on…"

I watched their interaction. This was perhaps the first adult to try to connect with Apollo. He could see the burden he was under so decided to help him in a tangential way with a social grace I seldom could ever imitate while instigating his imagination to possibilities of the future. Soon they were laughing again about nothing in particular and the small talk between the two went on and on.

Thank you, kind stranger. Humans are still the same. These small actions from strangers also have a significance. I had forgotten that. People had a skewed view on virtue, virtuous people didn't possess them, it was the other way around. They were the ones possessed by their virtues, to the point they thought everyone thought the same as them so their kindness was nothing really especial in their own eyes. This old man had a heave heart, posture and scars of a soldier, he probable was born in a more violent world than us both and that savagery has tattered him haged. But here he is giving two outcasts the time of the day because he simple couldn't bear to see us isolated so he was accompanying us himself. He didn't think much of the action, it was simple something he though he owes to do.

I feel ashamed. It wasn't much and our situation was still crap but what else could he do? Beat all the bystanders until they learned to behave around us? Seriously, these top-down interventions never work. I experienced bully for a year so I know, and the most shameful part is that I dealt with it by becoming one. It started innocently enough, things you do to gain the approval of your peer, poke other to get under their skins. It's innocent fun, boys will be boys, right? But eventually you can't lie to yourself when you see a "friend" bursting in tears over your malicious actions and you look back and see the strain in your relationships, people never forget wrongs committed against them and if you look you can see how this resentment color their actions for years. I knew this pain as well so why did I inflict that on others? Why did I forget and overlooked this fact until the evidence was on my face?

That is why after Apollo crashed, I tattled to the man.

[YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET IT.]

[I know, no good deed goes unpunished, right?]

"Old man, the big shot Kumo diplomat that came here today is duplicitous as they come. I could practically smell his bad intentions from the crowd. If you still have any contact with anyone in the active forces, can you give them the heads up?"

He suddenly stops. There is almost the sense of disbelief around my confession, but it was more drowning hope than dismissal. He was praying I was wrong but was too jaded to dismiss my warning.

"And how have you come to this conclusion, young lady?"

I just looked at Apollo. "If there is someone versed in sniffing out these types, it should be me, right?"

That was perhaps too brazen and cavalier response. He was genuinely hurt. For us. I knew the type of person he was so I should have been more tactful. He was a good person that couldn't help but take other's pain and concerns as his own.

"Hey now, no pity party, ok? We are more than enough for each other." It was a lie, but I had already shoved my foot so far down my mouth I was practically chokings on my own leg. We weren't fine but our problem couldn't be resolved overnight. There was a real danger to unaware somebody out there but the arm of the crime was already a known factor. They just have to set more of these masked man after the man and caught him red-handed.

"Do you want me to accompany you then?"

"Don't worry, we already have a nanny to bring us home. Come on, boy! I saved your portion. Have your fill and carry us home. Or do you want for me and Apollo to walk at night with a dangerous foreigner in town?" The smell of frustration from the "Hound" was delicious, he was super reluctant in obeying a child but couldn't argue with the logic, he has been exuding a manic worry like an oven since I tattled.

Silence, then a moment latter the silver haired masked teenager appeared. I turned taking the two remaining skewers and offered then without turning, he never showed his face and now isn't the time for games. If he had to defend us is best he is battle ready. He toke my offer and I turn to pick Apollo, even with super strength a child still had a special way of make itself a burden but soon enough I had him in my back. I turn and look at him.

"Come one, I have a burden here! Turnover and give me a pickback ride!"

The young man stared at me. I stared back. He lost. It was written all over his body language when he gave up and then he turned.

"Good boy! I will make your favorite tomorrow as compensation. Goodbye gramps, take care of yourself as well."

He smiled then, as if this small display invigorated and hardened his resolve. Soon we departed, going out at amazing speed.

-//-

[Really, the fucking Hokage?! Couldn't you have given me a heads up?]

[I TOLD YOU WOULD REGRET IT.]

This was a mess. All the village is in an uproar like a kicked anthill. The Kumo diplomat was captured by the Hokage himself just before kidnaping the heiress of the Hyuga Clan the day after he signed the peace treat with the village. People are out for blood and there is talk of ransom for the guy! Even Hidden Villages owe accountability to the Lords of their countries and the Fire Lord himself is interfering by pressuring the Lightning Lord court.

Our own security has multiplied. While before there was only one AMBU, the pretorian guard of the Fire Shadow, now there is a platoon of seasoned killers perched outside my window. Lunch has been hectic too, but at least they have more manners than the boy and cover the costs by leaving generous tips or even magicking food in my pantry. I guess the gruel and ration bars don't get better in another Realm either. I had a military uncle so this was the minimum I could do for them.

You know what? This is a problem for future Megumi. I will do what I always do when I am stressed and need to assert control over my life, study magic. Honestly, I have become a workaholic in this regard as there are lots of things to stress about.

I am finally ready for my second Stigmata and there is no time like the present. The third Gate located in the spine alongside the level of the stomach, primarily build of the Water Element. If the previous Gate was responsible for rooting the forces that link the body and soul then this Gate primary purpose is to ensure their proper flow. It is involved with palate, blood flow, production and elimination of urine… and sexual process.

[HEH HEH HEH!]

[Not helping! God damnit, I have a decade before puberty so at least this will make it smother!]

[WHATEVER YOU SAY.]

It corresponds to the Second Chakra, called Svadhishthana. Emotionally it is heavily involved with the regulation of sensations, pleasure, self-expression and humor but spiritually it is associated with "creation" and the First of the Four Noble Truths: that suffering, dissatisfaction and pain are an innate characteristic of existence in the Realm of Samsara. It is also called "where the self is stabilized" having syncretic link with the Yesod sephirot. This will be called the Gate of Pleasure.

It is said that One who meditates on Svadhishthana obtain the following freedom from enemies, the status of a lord among yogis(yoga practicioner), eloquence and clarity ("words flowing like nectar in well-reasoned discourse"), loss of fear of water, awareness of astral entities and the ability to taste anything desired for oneself or others.

The Stigmata representing this Torii will be based on the myth of the Dragon Gate (Longmen), The legend states that while many carp swim upstream against the river's strong current, few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon. Considering the more elevated the Gate the more spiritual it becomes this legend is the most appropriated. Looking like a carp at the bottom with the dragon above with water in between, resembling a ying-yang.

If previously I rooted my vital forces now I optimize their flow, improving the regeneration and restoration of the functions and proper properties of the previous Stigmata. Improving the regeneration of vitality and stamina(hp and sp regen), washing away disturbances that obstruct the proper balance of the body(reduce status duration), and granting great flexibility over a already steel like body. As more of the chakra is permanently committed to the body its parameters also increase, even as available MP is reduced. No matter, the improvement in my ability and speed at manifest the Light Release more than make up for it.

I feel that I am at the cusp of greatness here.

[AUTHOR'S ROOM]

Yeah, super-mom Megumi for you, what Naruto has yet to manifest in eloquence he makes up for in the cute factor, she has been thoroughly domesticated. This chapter became so giant I was tempted to split it but the idea behind it would be lost.

If you remember Hashirama's flashback he too felt the Senju PR was crap use to manipulate kids while Tobirama paid lip service to it in front of his father but was really resentful of all adults around him, wanted to promote a code of conduct among shinobi and "burry the hate" to stop the cycle of revenge, wanted things to be democratic and kept on harping Hashirama to stop acting like their father. It's not wrong to say he might even hate the Senju as legacy since his father view of it was literally to "die in the field of battle". He established the academy, standard age of 12 and decided to die so the younger generation could live. As far as founding fathers go he is better than the councilmen sending youngsters to fight and die, those two literally outlasted five hokages in their jobs.

 

[BrunofanofK]

Another sunrise another day survived in magical ninja land. I am not even joking. Not in Konoha at this moment, sort of, really after more than three years I was going a bit stir crazy in there with only Apollo, Kurama and Old Man Hokage as meaningful social interaction. And while I really wish to bring the kid along in this little excursion there is no way the higher ups would appreciate their social pariah secret weapon creating bonds outside the Village. Besides Shadow Clone is a bit advanced for him.

Such an amazing spell! As expected of the Second Hokage, he really knew his stuff. While flawed, his methodology is the foundation of the ninjutsu school of Konoha, once you learn to see the sights his influence simple jump to your awareness. Despite the seemingly dilettante repertory list of his most (in)famous spells, such as the flying-thunder-god, shadow clone and the forbidden impure world resurrection all of these spells share a single common denominator. They are all qualified in Yang Release techniques.

It's honestly quite simple, Ying Release and all 'jutsus' that derivate from it can be qualified as something "which is possible but not in the physical plane", so the art of illusions and more exoteric abilities normally are qualified under it while Yang Release can be described as something "which is not possible, but materializes".

That said, all jutsus derive from 'chakra', the mélange of Ying and Yang energies, so there will always be some overlap in any spell. After I identified it the hints that Kurama gave me clicked. Creation of All Things is basically this world's "Ideal Magic", the source from which all schools of magic derivate from. From this I finally get how it must have operated, the power to give substance and breath life to one's imagination. This is the true essence of "ninjutsu", even the basic fireball is something that is first imagined and given form by the caster's mind then given substance and realized by his physical energy. That said, how you go around doing it is what differentiate each school.

Tobirama approach to realize phenomenon can be summarized as a program that "recomposes what exists around". It's almost scientific in its approach, there is no room for personal bias or interpretation in this which helps it a lot when you want to spread knowledge to a wide population due to the imposition of universal standards. This also jeopardize the performance of the spell, as "chakra" is not an energy born for the sake of performance of ninjutsu, being comprised of "irrational elements" derived from a person's psyche and instincts.

My own school is diametrically opposed to his, all my spells are program that "recomposes the raw materials from one's own being", and have the opposite problem. While all my spells are extremely efficient, easy to use and powerful attempts to teaching them are a chore and any form of teaching can only be realistically performed through one-on-one apprenticeship due to the level of care and attention required to allow one student to flourish. And even then, there is no guarantee that said disciple can reproduce all of his master's spells, and as he advances the likelihood of said student being forced to develop his own unique spells with the master likely reduced to a mere coach are almost certain. Not really suited to make an army of magic using soldiers.

As the founder of the Ninja Academy he made sure the lay the foundation of his methodology in the very roots of Konoha magical and military doctrine and the reason the Transformation, Clone and Replacement Jutsu are fundamental requirements for any ninja to earn graduate. Despite being simple and consuming little to no chakra, being classified as E rank jutsu (something he also created to clarify a learning curve for students) these spells teach the foundation to advanced ninjutsu and by themselves have enough room for personal improvement that most jonin have at least one personal B to A rank versions of these ninjutsu, cultivated through a historied and bloody carrier. If a student can't learn those three then they have no future as shinobi.

That said, as both derive from the same source crosspollination is possible with a bit of legwork. Despite my tight window of opportunity with the secret service breathing down my neck Sarutobi lives up to his moniker of "Professor", giving me ample opportunity to peek at him perusing through ancient scrolls at late hours and many shinobi insist on training their "secret techniques" under cover of darkness despite their best judgement and paranoia should make them know better. After more than two years with these eyes, I have seen pretty much most of Konohagakure style ninjutsu school has to offer save a few exceptions, like the fucking RAISE DEAD spell, what the fuck?! You are lucky you decided to forbid this technique after the founding Tobirama! Defiling the rest of the dead is unforgivable! That said, the existence of said jutsu open the window for the necromancy arts more respectful applications. A project I shelved for later in favor of the most precious Senju heirloom.

While no "medic ninja" ever succeed the "Strength of a Hundred Seal" jutsu in my stay so far, it is the Holy Grail of their art and any medic shinobi of high enough clearance and trust may petition to attempt to master it. Make sense, as something literally codified in their military doctrine/hippocratic oath by the legendary Slug Princess herself, it would be troublesome if its secret was lost with her just because she is the first person in living memory to master it.

…another fictional storybook character brought to life in this Realm! The fact the "Tale of Galante Jiraya" is being played as fate make me think this is a phenomenon alike the Realm hierarchy that causes arrogant devas to imagining themselves as the creators of their own worlds and of all the worlds below them because they came into existence before those worlds began to exist. Or maybe the karma that the author created when he wrote the Tale was passed along by people here and their meeting cause them to be guided by said karma. That is the most solid explanation I can come with, the fact a folk legend like Sarutobi Sasuke actually existed and was Hiruzen's father give credence my believe that this is a "lower Realm", as the thought and feelings from my previous realm have enough weight to become reality here. Makes me grateful to the Will of Heaven saw fit to land me such light punishment then; a prayer to the poor saps that got reincarnated in 40k hell dimension!

But I digress, the important thing about the Strength of a Hundred Seal is that its low number of successors is due to the fact it was basically poorly grafted to modern medical ninjutsu codified by Tsunabe. Its true nature is that of a surviving fragment of magic ancient enough to possible be from the time of the "Sage of Six Paths", the moniker of the bodhisattva that wielded the Creation of All Things jutsu. This is important because this means the Strength of a Hundred Seal is the spell closest to the "source" I have ever found, predating even the Uzumaki style Sealing Arts. I can liken this finding to a modern 24 Runes of the Futhark alphabet magic user stumbling into one of the 18 Primordial Rune discovered by Odin himself when he hanged himself in the Yggdrasil.

Unnecessary to say, it became my number one priority. But alas, I had no successful sample and going in a quest to find Tsunabe to just copy-past her version of the seal when I don't even know how much of it she herself understood when she reconstructed it is both cheap and lazy. Not the actions worthy of a true philosopher, to discern the truth by one's own means in one's own understanding is the only acceptable way of those bearing the legacy of the ancient wise men that first perused the mysteries and miracles of the world and guided mankind through and out of the darkness and savagery of an unknowable Creation. This is what mean to call oneself a magus, the successors of shamans and the priests of first civilizations. So much knowledge of this world has been lost, the true essence of Strength of One Hundred Seal is my second spiritual journey, this time to rescue from oblivion what has been lost through short-sightness, disrespect and greed. I would never cheapen it by taking the easy way around it. Besides Tsunabe already left behind enough clues.

The mystery of the Strength of One Hundred Seal is somehow related to what is modernly know as medical ninjutsu and the sealing arts. Fortunately for me, Konoha is the world's capital in both subjects now that Uzushiogakure is ruble. By learning of them and internalizing these arts in style best suited for me I can facilitate my attempt when reconstructing the Strength of One Hundred Seal myself.

Now, even the inhabitants of Konoha that are somewhat used to precocious geniuses would suspect something was afoot if I managed such feat before being ten years old. Besides I have a hard time as it is to conduct my peeping sessions of Konoha inhabitants and the sheer amount of work involved will require a hands-on approach that will give me away. I need to delegate some of this work too, something troublesome for someone whose lifeline is secrecy. So that is how I remember how people in my position of ability deal with this problem in fiction. I needed to create a familiar.

Familiar come in all sort of shapes and levels of intelligence in both legend and fiction but they always keep few fundamental traits. They are special and magically loyal assistants used by spellcasters. Their bond is different from summoned entities that are evoked then bound by contract as the bond shared by spellcaster and his familiar is intimate enough they are regarded as an extension of their master, normally sharing a mental and physical connection.

The problem here is that I have no clue how to forge such connection, the members of the Inuzuka clan are more like trainers and their bond is mostly emotional to their dogs and while the Aburame clan qualify they resemble the Matou so much that they make my skin crawl! No worm pit for me, thank you very much!

Fortunately, if there is a quality shinobi can be shamelessly proud of is their resourcefulness. Konohagakure signature clone jutsu, invented by the second Hokage, the Shadow Clone. I was genuinely impressed the first time I saw it, for something that requires so little effort to be so complex. I couldn't even differentiate the original from the clone by their chakra, thought pattern or karma, requiring me to look for the brittleness of the clone caused by the poor understanding of the caster when he created the clone. After observing some more I felt secure enough in trying for myself.

That is when I discovered that this unassuming B rank ninjutsu is far more than simple disposable automatous familiars that serve as loyal spies due to their peculiar ability to transfer information. This is not a clone at all, but a alter-ego manifested by creating a second vessel for one's soul to operate, exploiting the fact the soul in the Pure World is not tied to the space-time axis; the moment it is manifested the clone take the same shape as the caster because it is the soul that actually shapes the body! To put it simply, it shares the same principle of the Forbidden jutsu Impure World Resurrection but the shadow clone is simple the principle applied to a living person herself with a vessel created by a Clone jutsu variant instead of a human sacrifice. The total chakra of the caster will be split evenly because the user effectively is dispersing his existence between clones!

When performed through my Gate of Truth the connection to the source, the soul, is more stable. Meaning that I had the unviable experience of having two bodies at the same time. I am not Taylor Herbert and multitasking is not really something I had ever trained for. This forced me to learn the jutsu through the traditional means until I figured out the mystery of the gap between the two versions. In the end I never "fixed" my own version since it was not really a "bug" but the experience revealed to me how to perform Mind Partition, to partition my thought process into an extra "room" so each can carry independent trails of thought.

To be honest, this technique is worthless to me due to my Rikugan's Higher Powers 「Knowledge of the Unimpeded Bodily Function」which allow me(soul) to operate unrestrained by the limits of the flesh, the amount of data it normally handles would require me hundreds of thousand rooms to match yet I am proud of it. Besides I have no intention to reveal the existence of the Rikugan to the world, ever. The Hyuga Incident showed me how precious mystical eyes are, a country sent a figure head to a suicide mission that required him to sneak into the residence of a family of clairvoyants. The fact he almost got away with it is the surprising part here!

This allowed me to keep three shadow clones around, and while all this extra work to perform a jutsu any jonin has under his belt might seem unimpressive, the fact they have a firmer connection allow me to exchange information and supply pneuma to them wirelessly, permitting them to exist indefinitely and control the ratio of dispersion. Besides, my understanding of subtle-bodies allow me to create far more sturdy vessels, making them viable option for long term infiltration. This is possible what Tobirama had in mind for the Shadow Clone but was unable to finish before his death.

I had already gotten the knack for infiltration inside Konoha figured out since my association with Apollo made me less than cherished by the villagers to the point my chaperones look the other way when I use the Transformation jutsu to smooth unavoidable social interactions such as grocery purchase, so to pass as a faceless villager was easy. While having one of them use the Rikugan has been impossible due to its unique nature, there is a lot of tasks they can perform as my familiars.

I reached the limit of my progress through internal arts for the time being, time for some external arts training. I still have no interest into giving the game away so the solution is simple. Identity thief is the most endemic crime in Konohagakure, that is why our cops have mystic eyes! Aspiring and veteran genin are seen training the jutsu all the time; Clone One did just that, using the shape of someone observed by other selves to walk unimpeded in Konoha and train these basic spells and skill necessary to hold my own so becoming too much trouble for random criminals to bother.

Good CQC is essential and I can see how people came to favor the kunai over the katana as shinobi combat is a frenzied and brief affair relying on hit-and-run so distance and weapon's reach is a bit meaningless when you are super-human. The fetishist fixation with throwing dagger arts is really extraneous, maybe I am biased since my aura make it so most projectiles will simple bounce back without even the need to flare it, like the Hyugas do, since the lack of leverage of a body is conductive for the energy behind the throw to disperse when meeting unyielding resistance.

That said I still intent to perform Biscuit Nen training to improve my external arts and aura control. That this also allow me to manipulate the trajectory and strengthen the kunai shrouded in said aura also help. Simple and elegant while also actually really cool even though I have no interest in becoming Hisoka-lite. Next comes the basic ninjutsu.

The transformation jutsu is basically shapeshifting. While the jutsu becomes harder the further from the user's own shape the transformation goes my Memory palace allow me to store the data of a desired shape, creating a library of forms that I can easily access, from people to animals and objects.

The Clone jutsu is the foundation to all disposable automatons familiars and fostering their proper management and puppeteering. After building familiarity with the basic Clone jutsu it becomes easy to give them substance by using "solid" elements, such as earth or water, as medium. More than any spell deception is a shinobi greatest weapon, so having a disposable dupe to scapegoat and bamboozle your enemies while seizing the initiative is crucial; really, they are more like stage magicians than magi. The reason it is so popular is simple because of how easy it is to perform as one's own chakra search to replicate said person's shape, skilled users manage such precise mimicry that some measure of the original skills can be replicated. So precisely because the Shadow Clone is a completely different beast there is still merit in learning it for the proficiencies it brings.

Body Replacement Technique, the final of the big three. It can be described as the foundation to all shinobi movement techniques. I already ascertained that movement techniques rely on a subtle-body capacity to interact and find purchase in the Ethers and the kawarimi can be described as the "neutral" element movement technique. It relies on projecting your chakra and find purchase in an object then forcing user and object to swift places, usually leaving behind a basic Clone Shell over the object to deceive enemies. While it can be described as the remediated version of Clone technique it is the training wheels version of the Body Flicker Technique, where the user simple project their chakra forward to travel long distances, usually exploiting the smoke created by wasteful performance of a spell as a smoke screen. This also prepare the user to learn said advanced elemental movement techniques such as walking-like-a-mole.

Clone Two worked in compiling, processing, crossing and internalizing data in archives of the Memory Palace. Not only medicine but calligraphy, cartography, geography, literature, history, physiology, music, dance, lyrics, poetry, mathematics, astronomy, dialectic, rhetoric and tactics. A whole new world opened to me through my augmented mind, learning more because I could understand and retain this information was more pleasing than useful. My mind being more like a computer than something measured through IQ at this point. But again, considering these people went from the Dark Ages to have modern amenities like electricity, plumbing and 8 bits computers with a population that doesn't reach one billion in over one hundred years I guess this is not that out of place. And there is no information available about chakra and jutsu, this topic is heavily controlled and monopolized by the Hidden Villages. But it was easy enough for me to read, break down, compile and internalize all of publicly available medical books of Konoha.

Ultimately Clone Two greatest contribution was the upgrade to Mind Partition efficiency through Parallel Thought by applying superexponentiation to the thoughts processes to perform first−order tetration of thought of each room. While different than having multiple independent machines in the head since while there are multiple processes, they work toward one goal it allows compartmentalization of trails of thought into these list-orders. Maybe less impressive than what I could have achieved if I had a math background from Earth but the Thought Acceleration allowed by the wind element more than makes up for it.

I myself had the most crucial job, since the clones couldn't use the Rikugan only I had access to the ability of remote viewing, perceive through the crude world of substance to understand how the chakra is being manipulated and read the intention and design of the caster. There is a reason all mythological magi and clerics had this gift in a way or another, be it prophecy or clairvoyance. Without the ability to perceive one if forced to blindly fumble through a world they can hardly make sense of or cultivate the talent to truly see. While this means I mostly do peep at the Konoha citizens every chance I get to observe them performing medicine ninjutsu and fuinjutsu, the fact Hidden Villages and consequently nations are willing to risk war over this power drive home how privileged I am.

The third Clone's task comes close though. While passing for a genin is viable due to their number, to pass through or display chunin level skills is another matter entirely. I simple had to go outside the Village if I wanted to actually try out these powers. Unfortunately, the barrier anchored to the Village walls made things… complicated. I knew for a fact they were wired to an observatory but I didn't know how they operated. Did this field have a record of signatures of significant figures of the Village? Because if so, I was definitely recorded there. Does it have any way to track the signature of comers and goers? Because even with my disguise spell it would draw attention as a completely new person is detected leaving the Village or coming out twice.

In the end I opted for using one of the secret passages the Konoha FBI keep to their exclusive use. I observed their protocol and miraculously managed to get with minimal fuss. Honestly, it is a bit concerning how easy it was to get out. But hey, freedom.

-//-

I did it. As soon as I got out of the walls, I used my recently mastered body flicker technique to run from that mad house like my pants were on fire. A manic and irrational desire to scape these walls that have me caged since the day I died. That fully intent to keep me so. It was a irrational and selfish desire I knew could never be realized without Apollo by my side, but for just one moment I allowed this fantasy to remain so. I have no intention to fight other people's battles, killing and dying for money I will never get to enjoy.

I understand the rush and pleasure of the scruff, power simple flow into me every time I think about give away the victory to Apollo in our little games. Fighting is simple too fun, victory too sweet. I can see how someone can be possessed by this blood and become an adrenaline junky, like that green lunatic. The shameful truth is that when I imagine returning to my old ordinary routine, I feel collared. But to mix pleasure with sinister business of mercenary work is not proper even if I intellectually know it is natural. Humans are more than beasts and should conduct themselves that way. The worth of a person can be measure by their choices and action… and now I had some choices to make.

I could reconstruct my life here, while far from ideal the Shinobi System main cause of perpetuity is its propensity to insulate and isolate the world of shinobi and their affairs from the world of ordinary people. Three Great Secret Ninja wars happened and the damage was contained to border nations and geographic locations, allowing normal people to carry with their usual lives, which in turn make the major nations far more stable and consequently, more prosperous.

And I also could reassume my old identity too. With transformation jutsu it would be easy enough... except, is this the right thing to do?

Anicca, the principle that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is transient, evanescent, inconstant. All temporal things, whether material or mental, are compounded objects in a continuous change of condition, subject to decline and destruction. All physical and mental events are not metaphysically real, they come into being and dissolve. Life embodies this flux in the aging process, the cycle of repeated birth and death (Samsara), nothing lasts, and everything decays. This is applicable to all beings and their environs, including beings who have reincarnated in deva (god) and naraka (hell) realms.

Anatta, there is no unchanging, permanent self or essence that can be found in any phenomenon. It is more accurately described as a strategy to attain non-attachment by recognizing everything as impermanent, while staying silent on the ultimate existence of an unchanging essence. Anattā denies that there is anything called a 'Self' in any person or anything else, and that a belief in 'Self' is a source of Dukkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness).

I remain here but I have already changed. What has really being transmitted and what became dust? In the end all I have left is information, data, and some temperament. Can I really say I remain or am I just a new existence overwritten and possessed by this data that convinced herself she is the continuation of this diseased person? Like those loons that think themselves reincarnations of important people? I don't know and I have no way to ask those that might either.

This is Attachment. If three unwholesome roots(Kleshas) can best be described as the Unholy Trinity that rules over Samsara then attachment can be qualified as the very residence of Mara(Demon-king of Six Heavens). More than mere sensual attachment it embodies the linchpin birthplace of delusion and hatred. As long as one has attachment, they are nothing but an agent of Mara in Samsara, only the Buddha who have achieved non-attachment and reached Nirvana can be considered his rival.

This is actually a pretty universal existential concept that underpin humans' relationship with what they qualify as sacred. The root of the Principle of Equivalent Exchange, in order to progress in an endeavor and as person sacrifices are required through which people can affect reality in their favor. Be it Odin sacrificing his lower self by hanging in the name of a higher self that achieved enlightenment, Aztecs performing human sacrifice to pay a blood debt owe to the gods to ensure their continued existence or Abraham sacrificing Isaac his only and most beloved son to God. And like the story of Cain and Abel, the sincerity and commitment of one's sacrifice determines how far it goes.

Jinchūriki, Power of Human Sacrifice. There is no running away, this is the world I and Apollo will live and die in. I will never accept this world and its ways. At the risk of passing for an asshole conquistador that eats and drink the flesh and blood of his own god while horrified of the reversal, I can't bring myself to accept this as "the way of the world". But if I am serious about this then I will have to put in the line just as much just for the right of seating at the table. It's Kurama's fight all over again! Is this what they mean with "no rest for the wicked"?

I won't run away. If I want my old world back, I will have to bring it here and for this I will have to let go of my superfluous attachments to it, ironically enough. I am Megumi, I was born Megumi and will bear this name until the day I die. It is the only thing I have from my parents so as a parent myself I should be thankful and live up to it the same way I hope Apollo to do so.

To be a "blessing", hum? Blessings and curses are fundamentally the same, maybe this is a mistake and all of my efforts will only bring misfortune but I have already made my mind. I don't even know what I can do but I swear in God's name I will do it!

As if or maybe literally by magic a sense of certainty fills me, followed by power. I can't bring myself to even pretend surprise. This is the power of Equivalent Exchange, Oath, Binding Vow. Making a contract with one self as a show of resolve and earning power in exchange. Different from Yang Essence that is byproduct of the body and its "instincts of life" that sprinting from the heart, this is Ying Essence and springing from the brain.

There is frightening potential in this.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

-//-

The town of Fukuoka is quite the sight, located in the outskirt of central Hot Spring Country it is the last real "metropolis" before the border with Fire country, being a hub to all surrounding countryside villages, proper ones that is. With a population of around a hundred thousand it actually dwarfs Konoha, driving home how separated a Hidden Village and shinobi business is from the normal citizen.

It's nothing to write home about, giving off that impression that all small towns you have to pass while in country road to a destination but still have the fertile and vibrant background of Fire Country with a bonus of bath houses everywhere.

Honestly, the very fact countries have such simple names instead of carrying a moniker from important figure or ethnic group for identification show how important and radical the ninja system is. After immemorable history of warfare the emergence of a cartel to monopolize chakra empowered violence in a country came with the power of veto over who will be Lord of the Land now that they even have the power to challenge and capture the Guardians left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. The Fire Lord is the Fire Lord because he has the backing of Konoha, everyone knows that, his position depends on how well he manages the country and this system is kept as it is for the prosperity it brings. Bad relationship between Lords of Lands and their Hidden Villages have historically resulted in shit hole countries while good relationship has generated so much prosperity that no sane Kage would dare rock the boat by deposing a competent Lord.

Everyone is simple too sick of senseless violence of the Warring States Period, the Iron Rules of the shinobi and the consequent ruthless eradication and absorption of small countries and their agendas into empires limited by geographic borders was a small price to pay for peace. One look at balkanized island archipelago of Water Country is enough to solidify that view. The balance of power is the best people have come with and those who benefit from it will defend it to the death so it doesn't matter who rules it. Social roles are more important than the person that occupies it; people of Hidden Cloud have such extreme view of it that every Raikage has bore the same name since their founding which is the first letter of the alphabet which subsequent ones defining their place in Hidden Cloud hierarchy. Considering their power as a Hidden Village and as a Country is actually a match for Konoha and Fire Country it is hard to argue with the results.

But enough with history lessons, let's focus on the present and future. The important thing is that this is a prime to run an underground clinic as an unlicensed medic. This is my compromise. I won't kill for money that I don't even have use for, but the world of shinobi is not something I get to run from either so is best for me to meet it on my terms and get some practice and contacts on the side.

Konoha is notorious for producing the best medics in the world, this is in part due to cultural reason but mainly has to do with the Yang Affinity of the senju bloodline giving a leg up on all Yang Release oriented disciplines, which the healing arts very much are part of. Even if understanding of the body and interference into other's chakra network requires fine understanding and consequently talent in Ying Release, the final step of the process of stimulate mitotic regeneration is basically lifeforce transfer. This means that any medic-nin from Fire Country has high prestige due to our history, even if I don't go around claiming it shinobi are a nosy and pathologically gossiper bunch so by fabricating some "hints" I soon enough had a steady clientele.

In order to sell the lie I toke the shape of a lifelike Touko Aozaki, with "dirty red hair", glasses and intellectual vibes, maintaining just the Kurama' whiskers I couldn't show in Konoha as a form of identity; showing off the only thing I had to maintain hidden "at home". After the identity was construed I just had to work in ingratiating myself to the community, perform free services to the community, pay the protection racket to the local mafia, heal some of the most notorious health complications. All easy enough, developing a Ying Release "structure grasp" spell to diagnosis the human body was simple with my augmented and encyclopedic knowledge and the job is rewarding enough.

That said while I knew this occupation would bring me trouble I underestimated how serious it was. In front of me is a brunet young man wearing the Kumo uniform that is in his knees begin me to save his friend's life, something I would gladly do in normal circumstances but could barely spare the attention with the mountain of a black man looking at me from the door as if he just crossed paths with a rare pokemon in a random encounter.

"Please, I beg of you to save my comrade!"

I sighed, "Mister Amai, is it? You understand why this clinic is located in the middle of the town, don't you? For me to go galivanting with you after your supposed friend instead of bringing he here is beyond suspect."

The young man was about to plead again but his boss had enough "Why don't you just admit you have no interest in saving a kumo shinobi?!" More a statement than a question, I don't know what he saw but it seems it was enough to lead to conclusions.

"I hardly care for the allegiance of my clients, especially the shinobi kind. In the end they all exist because they are wanted, there is no such a thing as a 'bad ninja'. The fact they are selling their strength to bring about other people's desire is at least better than simple using their power to taking what they want."

The giant man looks at me appraisingly, despite the ferocious leonine visage he seems to possess some guile to him as he takes in my image and looks around my brand-new clinic. "Then let me question, what is your prize to help my subordinate, then!?"

Is he profiling me? Fishing for info by question what I value to figure me out? Heavens, I hate how much posturing these stand offs demand. It beats deathmatches but not by much. This man is trouble, while not hostile he is so stepped into violence he accrued a dangerous smell that only the most committed shinobi have. But what really worry me is his desires, after creating the Dragon Gate Stigmata upgraded my sensory capacity to perceive desires through taste and he desires me to help with his wounded subordinate and much more. No way around it.

"I am willing to provide my assistance with this matter, although I don't know how much it will serve. But what I want is guarantee you wont double cross me later on."

His body language didn't betray anything yet this got him even more curious, as if he is about to hit the jackpot. "And why would you suspect we would betray you? What reason do you have to believe we would do so?"

Is this bastard serious? Everyone knows about the Hyuga fiasco- wait! Is this it? Any bearer of a bloodline of interest would be squirmish around notorious hunters of their kind. He is checking me for clues. Well, isn't that a pickle? Literally between a rock and a hard place. I can't blow this guy off, he clearly is a high rank of Kumo and they have nothing to fear from a independent like me. Best way is to maneuver myself in unassailable position then.

I made a show of giving in, sighing in resignation "I want a binding vow from you that this and future relationships with you and your subordinates will be of give and take, basic equivalent exchange. And a grace period of 24 hours will be added in case any of us decided to break off this working relationship."

That threw him off. I guess this would be the part where he gives a offer that is best not refused so this terms are alien for him. "And what would be required to perform such contract? Sealing Arts cursed contract?"

"Not really, just this." I raise my hand to him in a handshake offer. Now he is really ticked off but then something like familiarity crosses his features!? Now is my turn to show surprise, I expected him to think me a fool and readily agree to placate me. The promises of a shinobi are worthy less than the ink it is written on, this was a trap so I could threaten him latter on with the elusive consequences of breaking a Binding Vow. He saw through me somehow, no; he saw something like this before, enough to take my words at face value.

We are back at the square one, but I think violence will really break off if he declines. I really have to stop dicking around and prepare myself for those situations! Not much will be lost if it comes to blows, I just will reallocate to a new city, so it is worth for the experience of dealing with a bigger village as an outer.

He is the one in the spot now, stare at my hand as if it will bite him. But eventually his attention is drawn to Amia and something in his gaze relent. His desires didn't abate but he decided that one bird in hand is worth more than two in the sky. He will compromise, for now.

Hardening his gaze, he reach my own with cast iron resolve "I agree with these terms.".

We shake hands and was as if lighting settled on my bones. So this was binding vow. There is no doubt how serious it is in either of us. It's will follow the spirit of the contract rather than the letter, so my plans of cheese it went down the drain for both of us. This surprises even me, whatever familiarity he has with it allowed him to reinforce the Vow. But hey, any good compromise leaves everyone dissatisfied, right?

I turn around and start to collect my medical bag with the personified kit I created for myself over the last month while finishing my fruity juice, infantile palate is a blessing and a curse "So, you can call me Touko. What is your name?".

"My name is A."

I gold showered the Raikage and his immaculate white robes with my maracuja juice spit. Fucking great!

[AUTHOR'S ROOM]

Yeah, time to go out in the world! You thought I would wait for the genin graduation? Nobody has time for that! Really fun chapter to write, though I imagine it is an infodump for most. But since I am writing this primarily for myself as a sort of goodbye to Naruto I had a lot of fun, the second part of this chapter came as if by magic.

I had no idea how to introduce the concept of equivalent exchange and biding vows although it was an obvious path to explore since Hidan curse of shared pain is a thing that operate on the same principle and has a lot of utility in a world people can't trust others. Ultimately this explain how mental amps like the one Naruto got against Mizuki and Gaara and the ones caused by the sharingan fueled angst work, being only different in source.

 

[BrunofanofK]

"Oh my God, you appear to be pregnant by an alien!"

"You have the worst bedside manners of any medic I have ever met." Karai says glumly to his friend, looking at me.

"At least she isn't the Slug Sannin." Amai counters It seems like soliciting help from an outsider is a blow to his pride. That is why they had come to me despite the sannin presence in town. I would like to express my condolences, but being escorted by two estranger ninjas into an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere has me justifiably spooked.

"Enough of this small talk. We brought you here to heal him, so please do it already!" A shortens the small talk. I couldn't help but flinch back. My little accident was promptly answered with a head grip + tongue lashing combo from the Raikage. A has the straitlaced father of a moron routine down to an art form, something he seems to have refined over decades if his knee-jerk reaction is anything to go by. I learned to avoid tripping over whatever flag he used to judge morons after tripping over it once.

I walk over to Karai and start to probe the arachnid-looking tumor with palpation and sounding practice, releasing my aura through the fingers in each strike and spreading it through the body to give me a picture of what I have to work with, as if it was an ultrasound scan.

"Well, you are fucked. This thing is basically a parasite similar to the bugs of the Aburame clan, though they use the water concept of absorption instead of their earth-based grounding for chakra vampirism. This means that instead of steady growth, they exploit great influxes of capital to rapidly inflate. These things could go weeks to months undetected in an ordinary person but are exceedingly lethal to shinobi in moments of high exertion. By the egg bags on it, this is a female and she has already gotten laid. This is not sustainable either. My guess? This is the end of their reproductible circle. Bugs don't mind dying to ensure the success of the species. She intends to kill you with herself and turn you both into a nursery bed for her babies. "

A makes a concerned face that he soon masks with fury. "While useful intel, it doesn't answer whether you can save him or not! So go on with it or tell straight to me that you can't. "

Now it is my turn to make a face to the Raikage. " Lord A, killing the bug is easy enough, but insects' nervous systems are primitive to the point where it can still kill him with muscle memory alone, like a mantis. This bug must be specialized in targeting magical beasts that use chakra as primary targets in their mating season. Ninjas usually forage for supplies, so he most likely got those by consuming rare meat or drinking untreated water. That is why I said you are fucked. He is not the only one with his head on the chopping block, is he? "

There had been some casualties among them, judging by their expressions. "Look, for what I can see, this bug's position is highly irregular. It would much prefer the stomach or urinary track as a more optimal position." As it is, they would only grow after a shinobi performed a breathing technique; it's similar to a porcine tapeworm accidentally ending in the eyes or brain instead of the digestive track. "

A is now taking the new information into consideration. Something seems to have clicked in his mind. "What are the odds someone could have weaponized said bug?"

"Normally I would just write that hypothesis off, but when shinobi are involved, there is no such thing as coincidences." Aburame is infamous enough as a core component of the Konoha FBI that someone is bound to try to imitate them. Great, why did I have to develop a phobia of disgusting things again this time?

I turned around and saw an awfully still fly. "I am so demanding an extra day of hazard working conditions after this." We have visitors incoming. "

The Raikage and Amai took notice of the bug, their faces turning red with fury and worry. A crushes the bug and turns to leave.

"No, you don't. If I did suspect that you were infected, then this confirms it. They will harry you along until you keel over and die. Taking care of you will be quicker than you subordinate due to how advanced his condition is, plus you are our main combatant. "

"That doesn't matter; I can't let such an offense come to pass." They already took the life of Nigai. It's my responsibility to see them dealt with. " His resolve was set. He really didn't mind dying—no, more like it was his responsibility to be on the frontline. He accepted that he could die... What a drag! My life would be so much simpler if he was a detestable man devoid of virtue who just used his subordinates as disposable pawns.

"Wait, lord Raikage, the doctor here is right! Your situation is more important than mine; you should get medical treatment first! I implore you." While more due to emotions than common sense, he was right. A was our only hope here. An incompetent medical ninja, a half-dead ninja, and myself, a complete newbie that has never killed anyone, would be of no help.

"While you boys play hard man, making hard decisions, why don't you sit and let me do what I can?" This can even give me hints of how to treat your friend. " It seems that my concession of not stopping him mollified him enough to accept preparations that could increase his odds of victory. He still had death on his shoulders but made the same conclusion I did. If he dies, we are toast. Goddamn ninjas!

He takes a seat and continues to argue with his subordinate about things I mostly didn't care about with the clock ticking. I performed the same palpitation on the Raikage... most impressive. How to explain? This is the first time a ninja's chakra network doesn't trigger my OCD, his network is uniformly developed, nothing like the atrophied to the point of being deformed networks of most shinobi. He also has some elements that lead his body to perform body reinforcement similar to my Wrought Iron Body. He must be quite impressive on the battlefield. Alas, I have little time to study it. You have already been infected, "It's as I feared." My guess is that the parasite didn't respond the same way Mister Karai did due to the direction of the flux wasn't optimal for it. You don't favor breathing techniques like most ninjas, do you? "

"...You are right, I used chakra, but my ways are different from most. Can you get me in fighting shape in the next five minutes? "

"Sure, the size is still minuscule. Due to its present size and your body's sturdiness, I feel we can risk killing it now. Even if you get internal hemorrhage from it, this would at least give you hours instead of minutes. Good enough for you? "

"Wait, you bitch! I said to heal him, not send him to die.

"Karai! That is enough of you. We are not in a position to make demands. The Nokizaru Troop are experts in shinobi takedowns, and now we know why. They must have used that trick countless times, covertly infecting their enemies then instigating them until the bug did them in or their nerves made them easy prey. "

The chastisement stops the growing man in his tracks, as if he had been reprehended by his father. A face that goes from hard to a more sober expression.

A cool head is what we need here... and options. This became a lethal game of patience. Some of them must be quite impatient by now, but it seems their leader is especially careful about not having pressed his advantage back then. A coward that only fights when victory is guaranteed. This is why we will triumph. "

Having stroked hope in his subordinate, he turns to me and says, "How fast can you get Karai back on his feet?" Due to our binding vow, lying here can end badly for me.

"Ideally, One day. But if it is just back to battle readiness, then about twelve hours would be enough. Yourself will be ready to go by the sunrise. " That really seems to surprise him. Did I give too much away?

"Do it then. We will discuss price later on. "

Well, I can't argue with being paid. He seems to have taken the Binding Vow as seriously as the parasite. I reach for my medical supplies and take from them an acupuncture kit and instruct A to disrobe his cloak. Shrouding the needle with my aura, I then start to carefully insert them around his chest, in the nodes around the parasite's location.

"Lord Raikage, I will eliminate the parasite with a literal surgical strike," Because of the obstruction and the possibility of the needles breaking despite chakra reinforcement, his iron body will make this procedure difficult. "After that, I will put you to rest for the rest of the night. Hope you are familiar with seat meditation because all these needles in your chest are just to restrict the flow of chakra around the parasite and facilitate its elimination, but the next batch in your back will accelerate your rehabilitation at the cost of repose."

Having finished closing the pressure points around the parasite, I bring my two fingers over it while positioning my other hand in the position of the palpitation "Brace yourself, whatever you do, don't move an inch." I struck the finger in the motion of a palpitation test, but this time I focused an aura beam right where I thought the parasite was.

The Raikage didn't flinch, but it was a close thing. At least the parasite is dead. While this resembles the Hyuga's gentle fist attack on internal organs, I actually got that idea from Leorio's nen ability to take care of tumors. Some damage was dealt, but A remained steady, so I got back to work. He first took off some of the needles that were obstructing his network, then struck the ones that remained to stimulate circulation, and finally started to place new ones over his front and back, turning A into a living needle pad.

The peanut gallery watched in both fascination and trepidation, but A himself simply watched as I worked. I don't fault him there; the feeling of this therapy is amazing enough that I got offers to work as a "masseuse" by some unsavory clients. He observed the process intensely and I knew why. This was nothing like the traditional medical ninjutsu he must be familiar with, but that was because it wasn't.

Tsunade exploits popularized the Senju style of healing, which itself is a branch of the Tobirama school of ninjutsu, to use Yang Release to actualize mitotic regeneration by stimulating cellular division. My style of healing can be best described as a "curse of restoration" that I came up with after figuring out the operation principle of the shadow clone. Fundamentally, it is the soul that gives shape to the body, existing as an eternal and perfect record of a person in the Pure World. But alas, in the impure world, all are subjected to dukha (suffering, unhappiness, pain) due to the bond with the body. It is a verisimilitude principle for Sephiroth and its relationship with Qliphoth.

I exploited said principle after noticing that injuries and maladies cause disruption to the proper chakra flow, forcibly correcting it to promote the opposite effect and effectively heal patients. Since then, I have picked up a lot of tricks in the last two months of sixteen-hour shifts. The grinding has paid off. While not the pump and dump style Tsunade favors, requiring down time in administration of treatment and repose, I am confident eventually even crippling injuries and mental illnesses can be treated.

As of right now, I can relieve fatigue and restore vitality to anyone with massage and acupuncture. It can also burn off excess fat and cure arthritis, muscle tension, and locked joints! It is particularly useful for recovery purposes and to treat aging ailments, earning me a lot of old, rich, and influential clients. With my power, 30 minutes of sleep will be equivalent to eight hours, making it great for training purposes. It not only relieves physical and mental fatigue but also accelerates the restoration of the life and mental energy of the person receiving the massage, effectively stimulating chakra regeneration. Thanks to this ability, someone born with natural talent at the level of Apollo or myself would be able to concentrate over one year's worth of training in just one month, with diminished results as they progress.

The Raikage will be as good as new by sunrise, 110% even. "Now you need to relax. Any extraneous exertion will force me to re-do the treatment from the beginning."

"H-how are you feeling, Lord A?" The dying Karai questions, which was good because A was about to fall asleep and land on his back.

With a jerk, he answers, "This is dangerously relaxing but also effective." Nothing a regular medic-nin could do. Where did you come from, really? "

"It is nothing that miraculous just yet. Anyone could learn it on their own with a decade or so of effort." It wouldn't replace medic-nin in a war machine either; it is too time-consuming to administrate in the field.

Amai wanted to intervene with something, his professional curiosity could be tasted from afar. But A has kept his head in the game.

"Amai, you need to do a quick check-up before we move to Makai. I am counting on you."

That mollified the guy enough for him to do his job without complaining, but his amazed face was really concerning. Was it that outstanding? The medic ninjas of Konoha could do much the same without problem.

"How do you intend to treat Karai, Ms. Touko?" A question, already figuring out that things were solid between us. As if anyone could get away with crossing a kage! Changing identity wouldn't be enough to get away from retaliation. Even if I had the power, this kind of life in the long run is not something I would take lightly. That said, a show of force is sometimes the best peacekeeper.

This topic is not even something I was really looking forward to, despite the knowledge of its inevitability. Both ethically and theologically, the use of chakra as a weapon can be called nothing but a sin. Even if the power was never to be actually used, the very ill thoughts behind its conception are a source of bad karma. Although it seems extreme, there is sound logic in it. Anyone would be concerned for a friend that thought about suicide as an option enough to actually have a plan; this would be ground for intervention. To plan on causing harm and deceiving others to the point of putting effort and preparation into it can only result in disaster.

I was never that much of a pacifist in the past, but discovering souls are real has a way of instilling fear of eternal damnation in you. Samsara has eternity to deliver bad karma back with interest, so it's logical to not take bad actions lightly. While both Christianity and Buddhism preach non-violence in their scriptures, life is not so simple and both have ample historical records of choices that promoted violence and warfare. Some can't even be said to be unjust, but this contradiction between thoughts and actions illustrates the curse of the Three Unwholesome Roots that preside over Samsara.

'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' It sounds really stupid, but five hundred years later it is validated. But I am not that great a person; I don't have this all-embracing compassion. I can sympathize with those around me because, in the end, everyone is the same, but if I had to choose between saving Apollo or a burning orphanage, there is no doubt about my priorities. I would anguish, suffer and torture myself with this, but I still wouldn't even hesitate, consequences be dammed.

Even the home I created here is for his sake. When I finish reverse engineering the principle behind the Impure World Resurrection, I will be able to summon both him and Kurama in an avatar vessel like the Shadow Clone. While I lack the power myself, they have it in spades. I am tired of waiting for the villagers to turn around, and don't care if giving Apollo a taste of freedom will sour his view on the Leaf either. That place is killing him. I can't bear to deprive him of having a taste of normal life with ordinary friends that don't talk about stabbing people like every prospective shinobi spawn does. A place where everybody doesn't look at him like he is a monster! While I don't care for revenge, I won't let them decide his fate as they please! As a parent, I will give him options even if it kills me. That is my binding vow. Whether he decides to hate Konoha and abandon it or forgive it and seek coexistence, it will be his choice. If it comes to a fight, then I have a grumpy brother with a bone to pick with Konoha... But it hasn't reached that point yet; Lord, I beg of you, deliver my body from harm.

It's best to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a warzone. If I don't step up, it will be Apollo that will be forced to walk to the battlefield.

I need more power.

Besides, which is better – to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort? Can something harmless and deprived of potency really be called good? Or is it wiser to follow Carl Jung's advice and look at the greatest evils of humanity in the face and accept that you could come to do the same should circumstances align? That the capacity for evil is part of human nature and you should respect yourself with the wariness of a loaded gun as a matter of prudence.

It turns out I am really good at being evil.

I knew eventually I would get embroiled in conflict, so I used my spare time to develop a way to take down opponents nonlethally. The illusion arts looked promising, but my Rikugan was far better at breaking and seeing through lies, deceptions, and illusions than promoting them. Which makes sense, since genjutsu can be best described as the weaponization of the universal latent capability to connect to each other's hearts and tell a lie, the promotion of the Klesha (poison of the mind) of Confusion.

While everyone knows debuffs are annoying to deal with when you are the victim, they can be just as frustratingly unreliable when you are trying to deliver them yourself. Yet the pleasure of turning a buff into a debuff to break a boss gimmick with support-oriented deflection magic to make his constant spam of Curaga spells work to your benefit has taught me as a boy that the shortest path between two points isn't always a straight line.

But if we are to engage in Poison, why stop half-way through? To begin with, it would be a waste to not exploit my affinity for Yang Release in the first place, and there is a perfect prototype already made.

Bringer of Darkness jutsu. One of the Darkness jutsu. One of the series of spells forbidden after the founding of Konoha, though this one is more due to politics. It's an Uchiha killing jutsu, so it was something deemed unnecessary and dangerous to keep around when they supposedly became allies. Despite being qualified as genjutsu, it actually falls into Yang Release, as the jutsu generates "true" darkness over a certain range. Like the D&D Darkness spell—which is from the evocation school instead of illusion.

My Stigmatas compound their power over each other in ways I don't understand. My grasp on the water element, which I had always struggled with, steadily improved after I completed the Dragon Gate Torii. I likely didn't notice it with wood due to how easy it was to begin with or the Perfect Lotus Stigmata did its job. These are all parts of myself now, and I did everything I could to ensure they followed their natural principles while stacking the deck in my favor; these efforts have paid off more dividends than I could have imagined. Over the last months of my studies of magic based on "recomposing the raw materials in one's own body", I found my talent for what basically amounts to the arts of curses and blessings, basically witchcraft.

One of the interesting things about the water element is that while it usually embodies flow, it can also cover stagnation. This concept is likened to diseases and places that promote them, such as sewers and swamps. But they can also be used for another purpose – fermentation. The means by which alcoholic beverages are first created by the fermentation of fruits, like the ones I can produce through wood release.

Humanity's history with alcohol is a torrid one. Some place it as the motivation behind civilization and sedentary lifestyle (Epic of Gilgamesh), while others as a blight from Satan himself. Over half of people who murder and are murdered are drunk. It is the third leading preventable cause of death. It dampers anxiety, making people live in a perpetual yet transient present while uncaring for the past and future yet settling a craving that is both chemical and psychological. It's basically poison that people embrace with good grace, the embodiment of Klesha. Attachment that leads to confusion and lets unrestrained emotions like hatred flourish.

This is true even here, where the three ninja vices – women, gambling, and alcohol. It is ironic for me to become the embodiment of all three. Three vices for three poisons.

Using the Dragon Gate Stigmata and its presumed powers of eloquence and clarity ("words flowing like nectar in well-reasoned discourse") as a foundation and exploiting its proximity with the Perfect Lotus Stigmata, I grafted this curse into my very body-no, I guess I discovered this latent potential in my body and let it flourish.

I call it Mara's Nectar: Aroma of Alcoholic Fruit.

Essentially, a charisma and charm compound curse. Like Diarmuid's Love Spot, the entire body becomes the vehicle for the curse, which can make anyone dead drunk (more like charmed) from one's tone of voice, sigh, or even just their gaze, which possesses the aroma of a fruit's alcoholic scent. Unlike genjutsu, the effects can't be simply dispelled by disbelief as it affects people in the same way and effectiveness as alcohol would. Those with an acquired or natural propensity will suffer a "penalty check" and it is even possible to go the targets into a short-term bolt of 'insanity' as the present takes priority over the past and future. It might even be possible to cause addiction; after all, the First Noble Truth states that dukkha (incapable of satisfying) is an innate characteristic of existence in the realm of Samsara, inciting the victim to indulge more and more in their hunger.

Honestly, I am the caster, and even I am creeped out by this power and how neat and easy it came to be crystalized. I genuinely panicked at first, fearing there was no way to turn it off but the Rikugan balance, and mitigating this to be an intention-based activation power. Even to the point of inverting the effect of the curse to dispel similar effects when I activate my eyes. At least I can now literally play the role of Gandalf the White. Something good to make up for the bad. Curing addiction has already helped many people in this town. But that which is born of ill intentions will follow wicked ends. This is also Karma. And these three are about to be my first victims.

I turned, giving my back to the Raikage, locked eyes with Karai, and smiled. It was not a nice smile. My intentions and state of mind alone are enough to cause a previously undetectable rotten-sweet aroma to become unmistakable to an overwhelming degree.

All three froze with the clear change in atmosphere, flatfooted by the shift in my presence. While Amai and Karai were completely overtaken by their desire, the dangerous smell A was giving off showed he had retained enough presence of mind to keep his wits around himself instead of going with the flow. It's best for me to be gentle with myself right now.

"Now, now, mister ninja. Your situation is quite delicate, you know." I punctuated this with a contained laugh, which he latched onto with a fascinated expression of rapture, clearly trying and failing to suppress.

"R-really?" Karai asks, practically drinking my company. It is actually a bit creepy, but this is for his own good.

"Huhum, that is why I am putting you in a bit of a torpor. After all, humans can hold their liquor rather well compared to other lifeforms. This will filter to the parasite, ensuring he is knocked out and won't blow us both up during your procedure. " My voice is dripping like honey being swallowed up by Karai, an elite ninja reduced to a clingy child. How cute.



"I-I guess there is no helping it then. This is for the procedure." The token resistance Karai was putting forth crumbled and he truly gave in. Whatever reservations he previously had about me were forgotten as he rode the dragon.



"That is right, it can't be helped. But I promise you it will be worthwhile. I can use my nectar much better to bring you back to top shape than some acupuncture implements. So why don't you try to relax and sleep through the surgery? It will make things simpler for both of us. " Karai was knocked out like a light by my evil little laughter...I still find it really weird to act all sexy and stuff. I can't help but feel I am catfishing him. It was like a malicious prank to send an awkward friend to heartbreak, something I thought I outgrew.

At least the fact that I feel worse about leading him on and giving him false hope shows that the last few months have paid off and I am starting to settle into this new skin by taking my new situation seriously. While Buddhism considers womanhood a bad reincarnation, I feel inclined to discount this as plain misogynism—the more I see, the more I convince myself that although all humans have a shard of the divine, they are still powerless to their circumstances and prone to bias. Buddhism also has a low opinion of children, to the point that I favor the Christian perspective over Buddhism... No, it has nothing to do with the little angel I have back home. Shut up!

In the end, it is just a plain coin flip. Both men and women are helplessly beholden to nature in different ways. I could bother to start to count advantages and disadvantages all day, but in the end, it is all spurious and transient. Until I achieve Parinirvana and leave Samsara behind, I will keep incarnating in one or other gender, so it is best I get over this awkwardness because there are good odds I will never forget from here on out.

A sad fact about both religions is that the seed of nihilism they carry rejects existence itself as painful and pursues a 'better' otherworld at the expense of this one. There is something really crooked about it that I can't really put my finger on. The best I could express is that even if it is painful, there is still significance in this world and these struggles. Even if everything and everyone rots, my love will at least be everlasting while it lasts. If I can't love myself, then how can others do so? Maybe I simply don't want to hate myself, so I blindly affirm this about me regardless of circumstances, but at the end of the day, this is my life.

But enough musings, time to work.

In this case, open surgery is unavoidable, yet normal medico-legal tools are not really good enough for this. This parasite is so deeply attacked by Karai's chakra network that any disruption to it caused by the trauma of being cut open could instigate a knee-jerk reaction that would blow me sky high. That is why I will have to resort to other means to weave his form without overly injuring and disrupting his flesh.

Raising my hands up to my head level so as to be clearly visible to A and Amai, I channel my Pneuma into my fingernail through Psychometabolism, a subsect discipline between Enhancement and Transmutation that centers around changing the physical properties of some creature, thing, or condition. Once more, the newly mastered grip over the element of water shines through. Another subsect of principles associated with stagnation and fermentation are corrosion and dissolution.

My nails grow into cruel-looking blue talons with a purple sheen at the tips. I call it Flesh-Sculpting Art. By compromising the conceptual structure of any living being touched by my hands, I am able to sculpt flesh like clay without causing damage, no matter how intrusive.

This is basically the practice of homeopathy as found in the Spiritism religious sect. Both of which have deep roots in my former homeland, are based on the principle of "similia similibus curantur" – "like cures like" and "let like be cured by like". The treatment is based on the dissolution and dispersion of disruptive elements that are deviating from the proper operation of the subtle-body by the management and manipulation of "vital fluids". I elevated it to the point that it even allows me to sink my fingers inside my patient without harming him, reshaping the patient's body and shrugging off the need for tools and open surgery. An amazing but macabre display.

Call me Dr. Gilgamesh, the foremost expert in open-heart surgery since 5.000 B.C.

With a basic diagnostic, I verify that the parasite is knocked out and start to weave Karai's flesh out of its rooks, breaking them off for a smother removal. After finishing, the bug is practically loose over Karai's ribcage, so now I weave an opening through his muscles and skin like untangling a ticked cotton fabric until it is big enough for me to pull this bug out with a smooth tug.

Wow God! It looks far worse than I imagined! Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting! As if the mega-fauna with dinosaurs and giant dire versions of wild animals wasn't bad enough! The boutique hippies that romanticize nature wouldn't last one day here; I would exchange all this biodiversity for an asphalted parking lot as far as the eyes can see in a heartbeat!

I quickly placed the alien parasite in the tablet and wove Karai back into shape, ensuring that he healed properly. With Mara's Nectar running through his system, it is easy to stimulate the healing process. Medicines and poisons are fundamentally the same, especially in Homeopathy. After finishing everything, I return to A and Amai to-

"Jesus Christ!"" I was so startled that the explosive parasite almost got knocked out of the tablet, this disaster being averted by a last-second save. The near-death experience gives me a good excuse to avert my gaze.

The Raikage's face goes from distracted amazement at my skill to confusion at my emotional display until he realizes his... situation, A is a grower. Thankfully he quickly moves his hands to cover his shame, genuinely mortified to get caught slipping in such a crude way. Blessed be his gentleman's heart.

I turn to Amai, intending to say something ridiculous to alleviate the awkwardness, but the guy is a goner; there's something predatory and hungry in his gaze that sends shivers down my spine...I am a moron. The Four Noble Truths are a compound effect with each other, the Second Truth – samudaya (cause): Dukkha arises from tahna ("thirst"-craving, desire). By implementing a curse using the first as its operational principle, the other three were pulled along.

Is this karma? My punishment for engaging in foul practices that promote dukkha? This body has effectively zero combat power, as it was calibrated to have large reserves and good sturdiness with a steady hand at best. I am no stronger than a genin right now. I could set this room on fire, but Karai doesn't deserve to suffer for my dereliction when playing with dangerous forces. I couldn't even drag him out in time. Dispelling is not an easy option either. Since this unit was tasked with a long-term deployment, I implemented safeguards to prevent it from accidentally dispelling when relaxing or sleeping. That will take many minutes. I don't have to disable, so the only way to get rid of this me is to destroy the vessel...I now have a geas in my Root Gate that prevents me from killing myself, which I now realize does not mix well with shadow clone mechanics.

After realizing the potential of witchcraft with Mara's Nectar, I tried to maximize the effectiveness of the Perfect Lotus Stigmata by exploiting its related concept of "survival" to improve the efficiency of the Stigmata at the cost of imposing a geas on myself that I thought would never bite me in the ass one day. Now, something as simple as a split throat would not do the job. Wounds close shunt by themselves as the disrupted flow of pneuma forcibly corrects itself and heals on its own to the point that many conventionally fatal wounds that involve bleeding to death are more of an inconvenience as long as My Stigmata still has pneuma to keep body and soul tied together like a magical life-support system. Total destruction of the heart or brain is the only sure way to one-shot me.

"AMAI!!!" The shout of the Raikage shocked me out of my reveries, and I wasn't the only one. It broke through the fog over Amai's mind, his eyes losing the thousand mile stare as Amai slowly realizes where he is.

That is my cue.

"Soyouandyourfriendsareonthemendtimeformetogoseeyouaround." I take just what is in reach while marching to the door, more than happy to put that experience behind me.

"Wait, Touko."

My legs lock up as if made of wood logs. God, I hate how my heart is about to jump out of my chest. But I slowly turn toward A and, luckily, he is also averting his gaze, still embarrassed by the compromising position, which calms me more than I would like to admit. Things would have probably gotten out of hand if he wasn't here. The third Noble Truth: nirodha (cessation, ending): dukkha can be ended or contained by the renouncement or letting go of this tahna; the confinement of tanha releases the excessive bind of dukkha.

While he was affected by Mara's nectar, he resisted it and kept his wits by putting his duty above his desire. I don't want to imagine what would have happened to me if he hadn't been here, ever.

You have said that one of the enemies has found a way to control the bugs. If that scouter bug has already found us, then there is no way you can go back to your home in time. "

"I-I can still use the body flicker technique to get back to town."

"They already saw your face; your looks are distinctive and your position notorious. There is no telling what they will do to extract information from you. For your own safety, it is best to remain with us. "

"You went beyond the call of duty of our agreement and saved not only my subordinate but also my life." I promise you in the name of A that I will protect you.

Now I'm feeling guilty about his situation, as if it's my fault he's in such an awkward position. Which kind of is-

Nope. Not going there. This is stupid, this situation is ridiculous, and my position is self-inflicted. It's all because I wanted to lawyer my way out of violence while still not subjugating myself to others' good will. Yes, the ethics around mind control did belong to the realm of sci-fi in the past, but they are very real and accessible here; they might even be one of the reasons this realm is a mess in the first place.

This is indeed an amazing and terrifying power, capable of subverting the will of even seasoned shinobi like Amai and Karai while compromising a big-shot like A. Yet I lack the power to capitalize on it. In my rejection of downright destructible force, I instead robbed these people of their will and volution without the means of taking responsibility for them. Is it any better than punching them in the face and taking what I want by force? Violence might even be a more honest answer.

In the end, I might be too soft and high-strung to tangle with the Ninja. All this cloak and dagger goes all over my head! While I have some talent with tactics, my ability with strategy and patience is nonexistent. This game of gay chicken is shinobi bread and butter. I feel useless and needlessly paranoid. Even if shadow clones are supposed to be disposable, I don't enjoy the experience of being cannon fodder. I swear that I will master Goku's art of hitting things really hard after this is all over.

Alas, I first have to survive this day... A quick glance at the drunk bug by the tablet just gave me an idea. If I am hopeless in those waiting games, then I just have to not play them. I will make the enemy act instead. I reach into my bag and retrieve the stethoscope, gauze compress, bandage, and sewing kit.

"What are you doing?"

"Setting up a trap."

--//-

Day break arrives and with it the promise of violence. Exploiting the principle of grounding found in the Earth element to create a radar with the emission of aura pulses through the ground is sound in theory but too intense in practice. The enemies could easily scout ahead at a distance of half a kilometer if competent enough. A has more experience in such matters and has determined that the best time to sprint the trap is at noon. So we waited.

Surely enough, at about 10 AM, the smell of dangerous and evil intentions reaches my nose. I give him the heads-up but he elects to wait further; starting immediately after their arrival would be suspicious. Next came the more agonizing hour of my life. My heart was a drum and I was bouncing from one leg to another, like a child bad at playing hide and seek, desiring to pee just after finding a good hiding place. Was this the stress of ninja life or was I simply not cut for it?

Regardless, A finally gives the signal so that his subordinates and myself take our position barricaded behind the door, two rooms over in the abandoned building where we had taken refuge. This is now his show. Using the comatose parasite as a lure, he will trigger its detonation with a simple kunai trap. As the room Karai was resting in was chosen precisely to allow easy escape, this will give the Nokizaru Troop first roils to the death of the Raikage just after his remaining subordinates tragically died in a botched surgery.

To make things more believable, I used the few blood bags I brought with me. They were preserved with one of my more recent successes with the Sealing Arts. A flame at the core of the cardinal directions, with four minor illustrations of ice to each corner, styled with frost mist and sparks, is drawn over the bags. It was a pretty simple concept, as the fire element is associated with the principle of thermodynamics, so I attempted to invert its nature, bringing things into stasis, leading the recipient of the array to lose more heat to the ambient than it absorbs. Simple and efficient, the array is also fueled by the ambient Chakra, so there is no draining after being created.

Unfortunately, my bag of holding project is still in the trial stage, so I couldn't bring more than three bags of blood with me. This forces A to improvise to get realistically splashed with his subordinates' blood while maintaining a distance enough for his survival to be attributed to luck.

An explosion rocks the building. I look at Karai and Amai. So far from the unflattering image they have both given off, they are the picture of professionalism. Again, it is their boss that is risking his bacon out there to give them a chance to ambush the enemy. The Raikage has an earnestness that inspires loyalty. I doubt any of the old bags of bones of the higher-ups back home could be that inspiring, Sarutobi aside. But then again, that is probably why they get to be old in a profession where so many die young.

Karai is twenty-three tops and Amai isn't much older. That is a good age for soldiers; they aren't impressionable children being duped into a death-dealing profession. I know that, objectively, the actions are just as bad, but after seeing for myself the young prodigy of the Uchiha clan people love gossiping about, a snot-nosed small chick of a child that doesn't look ten years old, this makes it better. A grim business best left to adults, and a basic decency.

Do people expect me to be like him? Hell, do they expect me to cut down any child like him that wears the wrong headband? I-

"Can I help you with anything, Dr. Touko?" Karai interrupts my mussing and I notice that I zoned out while staring at them, something that made them both uncomfortable. God damn it! It seems that Mara's Nectar has left some side effects that persist even after it is gone. I really hope these are kunai in their pockets!

"So, do you guys get a signal or something?" Even if it was a desperate and spurious comment, they were happy to move on from this.

"No, in this case, we were ordered to give him a fifteen-minute head start." I am sorry to abandon you like this, but bringing you along would be to invite disaster. If we don't return in forty minutes, you should evacuate the building. Shinobi combat is usually a short affair, so our defeat should be apparent. "

I nodded, thankful for the heads-up, and did my best to not get into another awkward situation. I never thought about it, but since I designed the Mara's Nectar to exploit the natural condition of human existence, their thirst, it makes sense that after-effects would remain, much like alcohol itself has an addictive property.

The worst part is that it isn't a poison so kind as to limit itself to gender or sex drive. This is just the rationalization of their strongest desire, something that I myself can sympathize with since I have been a man in my previous transmigration. It is not only possible, but also likely that it can easily induce anyone to engage in their worst impulses and forbidden desires.It lives up to its name; everyone has desires. Only a true holy man would be able to brush it aside. It's not even a matter of power level. I have seen Tsunabe while she was in town and there is no way that a drunken gambler could resist like the Raikage did; hell, she might fare worse than those two!

I just intended it as a non-lethal alternative to stun and knock down people while minimizing the risk of harming them or myself. The difference in physical parameters varies so wildly that something capable of stunning someone might kill another, and ordinary chemistry wasn't an exception to this either. Now I have to struggle with the guilt of these two. While Karai is simply smitten, I don't need super senses to notice Amai's shame and awkwardness around me. He wants to dig a hole and burry himself there forever. Even as a mercenary, there is a code of honor and dignity in being a shinobi of a major village. Realizing he might engage in the sort of behavior expected of criminals and missin-nin has shocked him to the core and shattered his self-image.

I underestimated it and magic as a whole too, it seems. The fact that it became a "quality of the body" I can't ever forsake that came to me so easily also gives me worry. People in the past understood gods as entities that manifested not only forces of nature but states of mind, living inside everyone and permeating and influencing their minds. People in love were victims of cupid, while bloodthirsty berserkers were possessed by Ares the warrior spirit. Even madness was a "sacred disease," which meant that one was taken over by the gods and granted inspiration and creativity equal to a fraction of the divine's power in all creation myths. If there is no self, then does that mean there really is a mega Satan out there that took offence at me and decided to offer an "easy way" from inside my own head, like in the legends of Mara? How does a mortal stand up to this?

I don't know yet, but any confirmation would be just as dreadful as ignorance. I hope and pray that this is all the result of my naivety and carelessness. Fifteen minutes pass, and both leave me to assist A. Forty minutes pass and I can hear them returning. The ambush was successful.

I didn't move from my spot this entire time. This neuroticism is just as bad. I will find no answers inside this abandoned building either! Time to go home and drown myself in ice-cream, courtesy of my home-made ice-cream machine I created based on Earth's technology. I am starting to understand Tokiomi's disdain for modern technology. He was basically a do-it-yourself kind of guy.

I marched to meet the Raikage. He looked fine. Most of the blood was not his own and he reached to take away the fake parasite bomb made of repurposed stethoscope. I disguised it with "Texture Surprise", in truth just a henge variant.

"I take it everything went as planned then?"

A nodded to me. "Yes, they intended to bargain for an item in our possession, offering a cure for the parasite." Their looks of shock were worth the humiliation of groveling. "

I nodded along, knowing better than to disagree, even if I felt queasy talking so casually about the death of another human being. It was inevitable and they all knew the risk involved, so I have no room or authority to complain. They could have turned Fukuoka town into a battlefield, so I should count my lucky stars. Things happened out of sight.

Well then, it seems Amai already treated your injuries as well. "I guess my job here is done," I say, but then remember Raikage is under a very serious binding vow, arresting my steps.

He seems to remember it too, by his face. "Lady Touko, as the Raikage, I thank you for your assistance in our mission. You saved not only my subordinate but also myself and gave me the means to avenge my subordinate and accomplish our mission. As per our agreement, I have the obligation to see that you are appropriately compensated for your services. Ask away, and I will do my best to bring any wish you have into reality. "

Yeah, I have been through enough shit tests to realize when I am in one. Although I have a sneaking suspicion A has more than a character test in mind. He wants to know what makes me tick, what I value, and what I do with power and influence. Once again, I almost feel bad for putting him off like that, but there isn't much he can offer that I couldn't get on my own. It feels like it is becoming a habit by now... Yet, there is one resource that hidden villages might have that I do value.

"Back when we met, you seemed to recognize my gesture. Are you perhaps familiar with Ninshu, Lord Raikage?"

"Do you hold an interest in the Sage of Six Paths, Lady Touko?" He really is a straight-forward guy after all. If we went after the Byakugan himself, then he probably would have tried to take it directly from a big shot in a duel. I've seen enough of Sarutobi to know that politics in hidden villages is far more complicated and tortuous than first appears. I am not the only one underequipped to deal with this cloak and dagger routine, it seems. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Nothing so dramatic as chasing a legend." As sparse as it is, there is still a remaining prof that what we now call ninjutsu started as a religious creed that promoted peace and understanding. While I am a bit too old to chase after tall tales of demi-god like beings using super powers to create the moon, I am fascinated by this peaceful origin and would like to broaden my understanding of it. " While my expression started as open, it quickly soured.

"The reason most of the Sage of Six Paths' teachings have been lost was due to selfish attempts to monopolize the knowledge of chakra after it started to be used as a weapon. While such measures are no longer necessary, Hidden Villages are most likely the largest repository of this knowledge." I parroted it to him.

"Do you want his teachings more than any information about him and his power?" A looks perplexed at me. Honestly, they are the weird ones. The second Hokage is notorious enough for other villages to have intel about the Impure World Resurrection. They know the soul exists, but they continue to live a sinful lifestyle that will bring them misery in this or the next life. Shinobi might exist because they are wanted, but if they refused to do these jobs, then it would also collapse. Neither A nor his friends nor this troop had any personal vendetta with each other until they decided to sell their services to a third party. It seems so pointless.

"Pretty much. You can even curate what you want to keep to yourself as long as you do so in good faith. "

His stare is really intense and scary. I was sweating a little under it, but eventually he relented.

"Very well, it will be done."

--//-

Well, I have delayed and procrastinated this for long enough, but my last adventure has shown that Kurama was right. I need more traditional firepower. And I know where to reach to get it.

The Next Gate is mostly comprised of the Fire Element and heavily governs digestion and metabolism. It is often called in esoteric tradition the "Jewel City" and has syncretic relations with the "dantian" (energy center) where "essence" and "spirit" are stored.

This Gate is associated with the Fire's power of transformation due to its existence, symbolizing life and death, destruction and creation. converting food into energy for the body while at the same time radiating 'Prana' (life fluid) throughout the body.

In the Earth's lore, the Manipura Chakra has the role of absorbing and assimilation Prana from the sun while also being related to the sense of sight, being associated with the eyes, and being associated with movement and consequently with the feet. The Manipura Chakra is also linked with the concept of power, which is also linked with the fire element, together with light, heat, and energy. It can be said that it takes the more static elements of the previous chakras and transforms them into energy.

Interestingly enough, it is also associated with willpower and the capacity to transform through willpower. It reminds me of the fire bending of Avatar and its relationship with positive and negative emotions. Isn't that an idea?

If the two previous gates allowed me to ground my vital energy and circulate it, then this one will be optimized for the conversion of said potential into energy and the storage of said energy into mass and vitality. That is why I will baptize it the Gate of Meeting.

Far better than its native name, Gate of Limit, due to the barbaric Extreme Lotus, a fighting style only a senju would get away with using more than once. I compared the Senju to the Tohnos before, but I didn't expect them to also have a family fighting style that capitalizes on their unique biology. Without the Asura factor, the internal damage caused by prying the gates completely open would be crippling. A normal person's chakra network would never heal by themselves from this kind of damage; it would be no different from short-circuiting magic circuits. The fact that they made a semi-viable fighting style out of it instead of simply blowing themselves up is actually galling.

But enough of nonsense green beasts; here I outperform him. The Celestial Noon Stigmata is the image of a sun with ten petals containing the Valknut symbol inside the yellow disk. Each of the ten petals represents one of the Pranas and Vrittis, who can be syncretic compared to Sephirot and Qliphoth. The Valknut is also known as Odin's Knot or the Lord of the Hanged Knot, looking like three interlocking triangles that represent Death itself, the principle of entropy, and as it stands as the symbolism for the Nine Realms with each of its tips, this also makes the Valknut heavily associated with fate since all are bound by Death.

But its most important element in the Stigmata is the association with Odin's power to lay bonds upon the mind, so that men become helpless in battle or loosen the tensions of fear and strain by his gifts of battle-madness, intoxication, and inspiration. While this unfortunately will only strengthen Mara's Poison, I am more interested in its self-inflicted effects, especially as the Valknut three triangles are a good representation of the holy trinity of soul, mind, and body; the last one, which already features heavily in the last three Gates, starts to focus more on 'vaporous' concepts.

Its primary power will be a 'curse' placed over the Golden Bones Logic Formula that will use its ability to reject foreigner chakra to convert and process any form of foreign chakra that tries to bind to it into a more basic energy; chakra is a bind force by the will of the Sage of Six Paths, so this is a good workaround. The petals were put there so as to best process the "irrational" elements contained in the foreigner's mental energy as the ten Vrittis of spiritual ignorance, thirst, jealousy, treachery, shame, fear, disgust, delusion, foolishness, and sadness are broken into the ten pranas.

This, in essence, would operate closer to the Arcueid power of adaptability to attacks instead of conventional D&D magical resistance, with the bonus of partially refreshing all my dedicated polls anchored by the other stigmata. Even if I am familiar with a fire jutsu, different people will have different waves of their mental and physical energies, so it still would take some time for me to completely adapt, and even then, some attacks could pierce through by outpacing the rate of absorption with the damage output. Not a silver bullet, but a great card in the arsenal. As a side bonus, the perfected metabolism means I no longer produce waste of any kind, including sweat, except the most egregious of impurities whose pattern surpasses the Celestial Noon Stigmata itself. After discovering stories can come into reality due to the Tale of The Gallant Jiraya, I am hoping to meet a Monkey D. Luffy asking me if I poop so I can brag to someone.

But the most noticeable benefit granted by this Stigmata is the simple and raw explosive power. While the previous stigmata anchored my vital force in the body and ensured its proper flow in the face of adversity, this one allows this potential to be transformed into haw energy to empower the body. Without the Wrought Iron Body, this would have blown off my limbs. There is a reason the natives call it the Gate of Limit.

That said, those are just the passives. Mara's Nectar has shown that I can imprint a certain amount of powerful spell-like abilities that would be hard to come by normally and will progressively grow as more Tori are created. By the time I am done with all eight gates, my effective free reserves will be reduced to proportionally 20% of everyone else's, and I cannot change it once I have chosen it either. While the Root Gate lacks one, this is more a feature to prioritize its function related to survival. As long as there is chakra committed to it and neither my brain nor heart are completely destroyed, I can survive; a life-support system like magic crests.

Fortunately, I know the perfect power to be engraved on this new Stigmata. Apollo's bastard of a father not only scattered samples of it throughout the entirety of Konoha, but he even taught a team version of it to his personal bodyguards, the Hokage Guard Platoon. The Thunder God Flying Technique.

This is one of the most infamous powers of the ninja world, which made his two most renowned masters the fastest ninjas of their generations. It can be summarized as a weaponized summoning jutsu that itself can be described as a repurposed two-way sealing scroll that itself is a Yang Release technique that literally creates an "imaginary space".

While more complex than that, at the end of the day, these "imaginary spaces" are literal; they are rooms devised in the mind and breathed into reality with Yang Release. Due to the complexity involved with directly manipulating space-time, as my failed bag of holding has remonstrated, the easiest mode of use is by isolating it entirely from conventional space-time and continuing with a parallel limited dimension. How ironic that it is easier to create a parallel dimension than increase the size of a bag.

Although I doubt most people even understand how it actually works, once you understand it, a lot of possibilities open to you. I have succeeded in creating a 4D pocket anchored to my own shadow, exploiting the Ying aspect of the technique, and in time I can augment it to be my sanctum sanatorium, a Fourth-Dimensional Mansion I can easily retreat to or take items from, even creating my own tag to use as a medium for creating portals. Basically, recreating Knov's Hide and Seek Nen ability. Ninjutsu is such a bullshit power. This basically allows Mass Effect style space travel and I don't have anyone to share it with! These people would sooner use it to decapitate people than explore the cosmos.

That said, I am not about to be satisfied by simply stealing the bastard's jutsu. I have to tea-bag him from the grave at the very least to feel satisfied. That is why instead of space, I will put my focus on time instead.

There is a reason I chose the Valknut. In Scandinavian mythology, it is said that a person can't avoid their fated death, so it is better to die with a sword in hand and go to Valhalla after death than to avoid conflict and go to Niflheim. While a cynical analysis says this was just their way of talking people into throwing their lives away, the Principle of Karma that governs cause and effect is very real, although not air-tight absolute.

I used the Gate of Meeting's association with feet, Will Power, and light plus my limited Aether Essence and its association with light and "movement" to create a 'curse/blessing' similar to Kiritsugo's Time Excel, exploiting Fate as a compass to ensure I don't erase myself or jump outside time-space continue.

The final result is closer to Krato's Realm Shift than Dio's Time Stop. Time slows to a standstill, granting me a heartbeat's worth of frozen time in which to move between moments. The major restriction is that while attempting to interact with the environment in frozen time, the normal flow resumes a split-second before I touch anything; it looks like a blur, almost imperceptible to onlookers, but this will make it hard to do a Dio impression.

Although I feel I could actually move for longer if I pushed, the energy cost rises prohibitively high the longer you push against time. While just a heartbeat is like holding your breath while running in the middle of a marathon, I can still span it often enough to breeze through most fights and counter most gimmicks, like the Flying Thunder God himself, with just one heartbeat.

Now that is a good Dio impression, Kakyoining the fourth Hokage.



[AUTHOR'S ROOM]



Megumi uses charm, it is not very effective.

A uses man-spread. It is super-effective.

As always, Megumin's writing is a delight; it is like she swings between 20 intelligence and 7 wisdom, or vice-versa, at the drop of a hat, overlooking basic but crucial details in her excitement and experimentation to min-max the hell of her character sheet. I myself am surprised at how much like Rin she feels sometimes. I wasn't even planning for this Mara's Nectar, but eventually I just put her in a position where she had to make a show of force and I looked at what she had already unlocked and thought about the most powerful non-lethal move she could create with what she had. It is unnecessary to say that Megumi's first steps on the road of womanhood have been bumping ones.

Due to the trauma, she has elected to seal that move for a while. Which basically means I had not thought about how such a powerful skill would affect the story and had no interest in writing about it. This also opened the door for a discussion about relinquishing power. While both Naruto and Sasuke had this conversation for a while with Mangekyo and Kyubi, they both got over it for the sake of the story. While I appreciate that Sasuke kept the lost arm as a form of punishment, the fact that he has no reservation about using Susano with his dead brother's eyes to fly around kind of cheapens it.

If you haven't picked it up by now, I like covert magic systems like in LOTR and Exalted Charms. Mara's Poison is practically Saruman's hypnotic voice, and her healing ability is based on Elron's own proficiency. This kind of healing magic is far better than the light show Tsunade does. But again, Exalted also has this and it is anything but subtle in combat. While its major theme is how to remain mortal when blessed with divine powers that make you better than everyone else. Is it sentimentality to cling to such concepts when the very cosmos validates you as better than everyone else?

There is a saying that alcohol is the manumission of the soul. Mara's Poison is not "mind control", being a "natural", if supernaturally augmented, social influence that instigates people's worst impulses, a little push to our shoulder devil, like an anti-talk-no-jutsu. The social equivalent of martial "super strength". After seeing Naruto conquer the Ninja World, I don't need to say how devastating this power can be.

 

[BrunofanofK]

The night hours of Hot String Country are incredible shilling, maybe because of the proximity with the stiff mountains and hills of Lighting Country, making night outing a bad experience, even the insulation my aura give me isn't enough to ignore the discomfort. I never understood Europeans hate of winter until now.

Alas, this is simple necessary for my cover. I became high profile enough after the death of the Nokizaru Troop that my residence became a favorite hot spot for shinobi crossing Hot Spring Country. For people that live and die on secrets ninja are notorious gossipers and my involvement became know enough that everyone and their mothers passed by to check out the newest miracle doctor.

This is all the Raikage's fault, A is exploiting the lack of termination date to our binding vow to milk my services for all they are worth. Pretty much every week a small contingent of out of commission cloud ninja arrive at my door steps, their old injuries too serious for them to continue their carriers and their condition too complicated for normal medic-nin to handle. I didn't know how ahead Konoha was. They are always led and guarded by kunoichi too young to have started drinking just yet; A seems to have gotten really spooked by our encounter and is taking no chances.

Works for me. I got enough exotic cases from noblemen to ninja that I finally cracked down how to induct the body to regrow missing body parts, like a lizard. The trick was to understand how the body knew to build itself from an embryo in the first place. Doctors of Before had just managed to 3D print a mini human heart so I borrowed their principle and filled the gap with Rikugan assisted clairvoyance which involved criminal breach of privacy best left unmentioned for the sake of science.

This achievement coupled with the mental illness therapy treatment I developed using Mara's Nectar were enough to earn me the title of Dr. Panacea, which I am actually super proud of.

Honestly, I almost sealed the Mara's Nectar skill altogether but the Valknut Rune' capability to bind the mind improved its control well enough that I now can choose between binding its victims in a dazed torpor or frenzied madness. Basically, choosing what kind of drunk a person become - angry drunks, happy drunks, blackout drunks, sloppy drunks, affectionate drunks, reckless drunks or secret drunks. This made it safe enough for me to try apply it on homeopathy based psychological therapy, dissolving an intolerable nightmare into a bad dream. It is not a perfect cure just yet but this already allowed many people to get their lives in order and break vice grip of addictions at the low cost of an inclination for alcohol… it is a working in project, ok! I can give people the right to pick their poison, as someone that have lost loved ones to obsession, I personally know this is better than what most victims of these conditions ever get.

These successes are why I am here in the middle of nowhere at night. One of the most popular ways for ninja improve their battle prowess is summoning jutsu and puppetry. Both which comes down to "I don't need to be strong if I can create or cajole something stronger than myself to my cause". Kurama may think this way of think as the reasons humans are scums but I see this as the natural way of thinking for a social creature. Our infants are helpless for years and we hunt and survive in packs, of course we would also fight by ganging on others.

That said, I have serious questions about clan animals. Are they compelled into service because Animal is a bad reincarnation that can be accelerated by being slaves of humans, like in the legends or do they get something out of it? If so, what? These questions make these contracts less compelling; I can just as easily just pay a ninja to fight for me. There have been tons of troublemakers recently that I outsourced to another ninjas as payment for treatment, nobody fucks with the white mage! My capability for binding vow has also seen just as much use and gained popularity, double crossing is just an inescapable occupation hazard for both businessmen and shinobi alike. I have a back hot enough from stockpiled favors that people have learned to not cross me lightly.

That said anyone sufficiently motivated can kill me before I can call favors, leading me back to this. An art that converges both summoning and puppetry: Elemental Summoning. I feel a bit nostalgic; Paracelsus was my first main inspiration and frame of reference so it's great to once again come back to him. That said, the greatest collaborator this time around was our illustrious bodhisattva, the Sage of Six Path. Sponsored by Village Hidden in the Clouds!

With what, do you ask? Well, remember how I discovered that the way people's subtle-bodies are developed by slowly taking the fluids of nature from the ambient and that is why people's elemental affinity is likely to be the same as the environment they were born and raised in? Turns out this happens by design.

The Sage of Six Paths wasn't the first human to discover chakra, he was the architect of mankind's subtle-bodies! He gave people the capacity to wield it in the first place! The subtle-body is of his design and is the first step toward guiding humans to a form of apotheosis. Although I was aware of Sage Arts due to a brief explanation about it in ninja curriculum it was more of a footnote, so I brushed over it thinking it was glorified folklore ninjutsu.

I thought Sage was an overly grand title people called themselves to seem more important than they are. I didn't know that it literally meant Xian, as in "ascended person" that was elevated by a grand apotheosis. These texts the Raikage gave me have been worth their weight in gold, not that he knows. Here is the Sage of Six Paths handing out seeds of exaltations and practical guides of how to nurture you into a demi-god status yet these morons are more interested in how to set each other on fire!

The Sage of Six Paths established the peaceful creed of Ninshu, which states all existed is connected and the chakra exist as the binding force that serve as the vehicle to this connection. Similarly, the Principle of Mana establish mana is means for power instead of power itself.

In his pursue of the salvation of all living being he strived for people to use the power to understand each other's feelings and live in harmony. I partially understood this before but after reading it the pieces clicked together. He didn't stop at giving everyone an inborn talent for the 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」, he ensured they would be capable to leverage this understanding to band together and ship in. He made everyone Synchronizers.

Synchronization: the ability to transfer energy, be it physical or spiritual. The ability to perform cooperative jutsu is the least this talent can do. This is literally magic democracy, by banding together people can stack together and achieve more than any single person could achieve individually. It's like Shirou & Archer & Rin vs Gilgamesh but no tantric ritual required, just raise your hands and contribute to the Genki Dama. The fact nobody ever used it properly show how obsessed people are with personal power or maybe they were waiting for the giant orgy, Slaanesh style.

The most important fact is that this synchronization isn't limited to other humans either, or even the traditional convention of living being. Anima Mundi/Psychè Kósmou/World Soul, the universal systems of thought that states that existence of an intrinsic connection between all living beings, which relates to the world in much the same way as the soul is connected to the human body. This connection between all living things means that if looked from the "outside", the very Cosmos is a Living Creature endowed with soul and reason, containing within itself all the living creatures and souls which are by nature akin to itself.

This verisimilitude is the key, it is possible for humans to "discard their robes of the earth" to become avatars of greater forces by communing with them, effectively becoming their representant in the world. It is more than a simple powerup, it's a state of being, an irreversible change of nature. Although a living saint mind be the best western comparison it would be easier to explain sages as being entities akin to Tolkien's wizards, higher order entities that toke human form to operate in the Impure World. Gandalf actually is a perfect illustration to how transformative sagehood actually is – he was once The Gray yet died and was reborn as "Saruman as he should be", Gandalf the White.

Their reason of existence is also clear, once the Sage of Six Paths achieved Nirvana his was bound after his death to be released from Saṃsāra, karma and rebirth as well as the five aggregates of clinging – form, sensations, perceptions, mental activity or formations, consciousness – and existing perpetually in Heaven, what the natives call Pure World. This is called Parinirvana, and while somewhat sad this is just due to our human aversion of death, we detest it yet we also exist past it. This state of existence is how he can shine his light into this world, his conviction as someone that resolved to work for the salvation of all living things. Even a pratyekabuddha is still bond by Samsara, the distance between us might as well equal that between Heaven and Earth.

Indeed, my early comparison with Lord of the Rings actually fits more than I first imagined. They are like the Maiar, lesser angelic beings attached to a Valar, a greater godly power in the Great Order of Eru Ilúvatar, basically God/Heavenly Principle. In the end only the Maiar are small enough to operate in Middle Earth, the Impure World. And like Maiar are the keeps and servants of the 'Secret Fire', the Holy Spirit and wield a fragment of it, the Creation of All Things. That such concepts can be repeated again and again show that no matter where humans are still graced with a shard of the divine. Prisca Theologia, a single, true theology that threads through all religions. It was given by God to man in antiquity and passed through a series of prophets.

To be a sage is to declare yourself his successor, a shepherd that will collude with the Sage of Six Paths and be his earthly agent. It can be said to be the ultimate character test, no matter how lost and twisted by Duḥkha a person might be, if she in her heart of hearts believe in the salvation of all things then she can become one. I sincerely doubt that drunkard Tsunabe is actually a sage though and the same goes for Orochimaru, even if the title Sannin says otherwise. If he believed his experiments could save more people in the long run then he wouldn't be that sadistic and it might be hypocritic of me but there is no enlightenment to be found at the bottom of the bottle. Those bond by self-indulgence or blind pursue of power will merely turn to stone, dispersing in the greater cosmos they tried to seize for themselves.

It goes without saying but this is yet beyond me. One can't simply become a sage by doing push-ups, sit ups and plenty of milk. There is more than power in this equation… but even then, it still too soon for me, first let me explain something.

I should be dead.

To facilitate the apotheosis the Sage of Six Paths sort of did set up the Chakra Network to semi-automatically search dissolution and reintegration with the cosmos by synchronizing with the Outer World itself, so even if unconventional, my 'breathing technique' should still have triggered the process I was in no way ready for. Turns out Senju privilege is indeed a thing; normal people can't simply absorb the raw fluids of nature and break them down at all. They are restricted to passive process of slowly letting your chakra network absorb the fluids of nature no matter how small they are. I have been born able to run in a world where everyone else is restricted to walking, all thanks to a small genetic loan of a bazillion MP. If an average senju is like a Saiyan compared to regular people then I am like Broly, the legendary super-senju.

For a few minutes I simple couldn't understand what is so especial about the Senju but then I remember of when Kurama first informed me about how I should have access to the Mokuton, despite it being a once in a generation talent. When I brought this up to the old fox again, he smiled like the cat that ate the canary. Of course I had to have the mokuton, this is what the Mokuton was at its core! Absorbing raw nature energy and breaking it down into more pliable Chakra! When I asked what are the limits of this power Kurama lost said smiled and informed me Hashirama, in less than four decades, had more raw power than himself and Uchiha Madara combined. When I informed him, I had no idea who that was he laughed. Seriously, I still don't know who that is. I have been looking at historical record for all important Uchiha since the founding and there is no mention of Madara anywhere. This guy was unpersoned harder than Trotsky!

But I am not here right now in the middle of the night to attempt super-senju god transformation, I am here for Summoning spell! So how is this rumble-brag about my genetical superiority relevant for summoning? Have you ever heard of homunculus?

First written about by Paracelsus, which I am sure you thought I forgot about, this artificial lifeform is to be created with sperm of a man be putrefied by itself in a sealed cucurbit in a horse's womb until it comes to life to then be fed with human blood, until it grows into a human child.

Unfortunately, I can no longer produce sperm and my real body won't be mature enough to produce menstrual blood for a decade. So, I had to make do with a normal blood sample. By cultivating it in nutritious environment provided by the mokuton itself as to exploit its unique capacity for cultivation. Eventually this weird white mass did grow, which accord to Paracelsus is how it was supposed to look so I pressed on, even if it looked like a culture of cancerous cells. That said, they have their use.

These entities are surprisingly closer to Type-moons Einzbern homunculus in function. Artificial fairies(extensions of nature) that will not die for as long as the planet is healthy and has natural energy left for them to sustain themselves. However, the price of being given life through such artificial means is that the homunculus will invariably have some sort of physical defect and even with their potential longevity, they are below humans when it comes down to their strength as life-forms. No world of clones made of Megumi cells.

But there is one attribute it has most people beat: their potential as chakra batteries. Fundamentally different than the shinobi that are humans with Chakra Network, homunculi are better defined as "Chakra Networks with a human form". Not "something made to be a shinobi", but rather "something made to be a Chakra Network". Since homunculi have no accumulated experience like humans do, their souls are young, pure, and sturdy like an infant's. As such. they won't be dyed by anything, and their bodies can endure any kind of transformation, like being possessed and have a foreigner soul's shape be cast over them. Being perfect replacements for Impure World Resurrection and jutsu derivated from it.

Supposedly the very shadow clone was an attempt to replicate the wood clone jutsu. Something I feel stupid for never having tried before hand. How was I supposed to know all secrets of the universe could be answered with wood? It just didn't jump to the mind like Light Release.

[YOU WOULD KNOW, WOULDN'T YOU?]

[These jokes are getting really old, I gota give you some new material soon.]

[YEAH, DELIVERED STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOKSTORE CLOSEST TO YOUR LOCAL MENTAL SEWER.]

[I wouldn't discount Space Amazon just yet. Besides you never know, you might be able to go there by yourself sooner than you realize.]

[!!!]

[I told I would summon an elemental. What do you think you are, moron?]

I tunned out his reply and focused on the array before me, the catatonic homunculi seated in the very center. While I would have liked to perform this through a chant, this is an adaptation of one of Tobirama jutsus and I can't access the Rikugan in this unit so orthodox hand signs work best… Over one hundred signs. I even decided to throw in some of the Buddhist mudras besides the basic twelve basic ones of ninjutsu to improve it. Hand signs are a fun thing, they are basically prayers, the sign language of magic, a legacy from the pacific origins of the Ninshu. That is why I call this the Mudra of a Thousand Worlds, as this spell will also allow for faster than light travel by creating an avatar faraway.

As I finish the ritual a baleful red aura consumes the homunculi and his features twist in a new form… this looks more like a satanic ritual than elemental summon, real Lovecraftian shit. Eventual what was once a five feet white ameba that vaguely resembled a person now stands as over six feet tall thug of a man with auburn orange hair at the crown of his head and black sideburns with scornful red eyes slitted like a cat's.

"Tadam, surprise parole day! I came here today to take my useless bum of a brother from prison. Since I am the smart and successful one it fell to me. What do you think? This is your first taste of fresh air in almost four years, isn't?"

I was about to say more but Kurama pushed his palm against my mouth, his hand being big enough that his talons for nails brush against my ears. "Silence, you are ruining the moment."

And indeed, he was having a moment, the sun is about to rise. He is simple taking it all in, savoring the wind against his skin and the smell of the earth. Considering he was trapped for a century and then got just a brief taste of freedom while prison breaking, he now has the chance to actually enjoy the outside world. It must be almost foreign to him at this point. I decide for giving him this discount this once.

After some minutes he let go of me and with a snap of his fingers, a red aura shroud his body and materialize into a kimono, he then starts to do some stretches as if to test his new body.

"So, you used the connection between our souls through the Pure World as a backdoor to the Fourth's Seal and the Sephirot Tree's layout of the human body to recast my conceptual structure in this new shape." He smiles down at me, knowing I wanted to brag about this. Spoil my fun, will you?

"Aren't you a bit too smug for someone that could only do incoherent discourses about how evil you were just a fell years ago?"

"…well, look at this. I have a junk now; you lead others to have something you can no longer possess. How ironic. "

"Fuck you, Kurama."

"Because you can no longer, right?"

I roll my eyes at the bastard, after all these years these jokes are more like water running on my back and he knows it too.

"Hope you enjoyed your leisure time in Konoha sponsored detention house because you will have to earn your keep in the outside world."

"And what kind of job do you have in mind?" his curious yet disinterested expression was the perfect cue. I just smiled victoriously at him.

"Why, you will be the familiar of a great mage. If people ask for your true name, answer as Lugh."

He got that reference and he really didn't like it. Even if less than one tail worth of power he is still far more geared toward combat than myself. I still intent to make a more traditional elemental summon after my success with this spell yet without use the Mokuton this endeavor will be really hard. Mokuton is special because it stands as the pinnacle of Yang Release, thus its capability to perform "the impossible that yet materialize" is unrivaled in this world. It's the duct tape of the ninja world, any spell I attempt will turn out better if I use it.

But this is sort of the problem. I have been reckless lately and just luck has saved me. In the end I can't help but worry about how much I really achieved was due to my effort-

"Fool, you are misunderstanding again. It's not that you got so far just because you happen to being born with the mokuton. But that through your own effort you unknowingly fulfilled the condition for the Mokuton to manifest. This potential a birth right you alone weren't born with, reverence and respect to this gift is what allowed you to get farther than others."

That got me dumbfound. Kurama is never forthcoming with info and that is the first time he ever said something positive about me that isn't a backhanded compliment. My expression must be really funny because he turns entirely to me and smiles this small smirk that reach his eyes.

"What is with this dumb face? Sulking ill suits you, it's all. You alone are the Honored One, right? Then stand proud."

Honestly, how do you answer something like this? I bolted at him, delivering the biggest hug this grump fox has ever received. "What are you doing?! Let go of me! Why do you have to be so clingy? I am not Apollo."

"Don't be like that brother. Here come give your little sister a smooch in the cheek," I answer while making fish lips.

"I don't want your monkey germs. Now let go of me!"

We expend a good few minutes like this. For all that we have been in touch for almost two years nothing compares to personal meeting. It's like meeting a dear friend personally after long time apart, human contact is something we are both lacking. Aside from Apollo my relationships have been professional and distant due to either disdain from their part or due to my needs for secrecy. Kurama is the only one that know me, there is no need to put a barrier no matter how much we both would like it sometimes. For him this must be even worse yet his token effort show he too is tired of being alone.

People are not born to be alone so we reach for each other. Kurama and Apollo, they are my new family. This is not something imposed by nature but a personal decision we took for ourselves. My life would be far easier if I had stuck by myself yet something in me is certain I would have been diminished and miserable for it. How many gifted ones lose themselves to their power hunger and become alienated from others? The gift to connect each other's heart is the greatest power there is. There are countless ways we differ from one another yet it is in what we are similar that we connect.

We all want a small mundane happiness, a respire from the worries of the world and a place to call home.

Kurama picked on my mood and stop our little game. He looks at me in the face, accessing me. Trying to find any reservation to go back to our familiar game of insults barbs yet my resolve remains steady. He is not running from this. Finally, he gives in with a sigh, collapsing on himself. I think it is the first time he has been this embarrassed. But it is something he has to say. To make it real.

"I am home, Megumi."

"Welcome home, Kurama."

This time he doesn't resist my embrace as a cross my arms under his own. And slowly, exultatingly, he returns the affection. With powerful arms far more suited to rip and tear he returns my affection by awkwardly and hesitantly hugging me back the best he can.

You are more than the embodiment of hatred this world made of you in the last millennia, please never forget this. I know you suck at running away, we all in this family seem to. But even if you never forsake your duties as a Guardian remember you are not alone. Just the memory of what you had to live through is so painful I can barely breath. I don't know when this started but I am sure don't want to see you like that ever again. It is painful.

"Now, enough of this. I believe you have one more task before we go."

"You mean?"

"Yeap, the mental frame support structure you created is still a bit crude but now that I am here this flaw is trivial." He smiles knowing I couldn't have heard anything better. This meant the world to me. I jump up and down in sheer screaming in triumph like a loom. Despite that Kurama actually gets infected by my enthusiasm.

"Hell yeah, time to summon an angel!"

"You know, there is nothing more grating than a parent unreasonable proud of an ordinary child." He dares to fire at me, the bastard.

"You are so lucky you are essential, bastard."

I reach down to my shadow, the clone permanently resident in my now complete 4D Mansion pass me the four feet long coffin looking crate. From it I take out a new homunculus more suited for Apollo's frame and soon it is deposited at the magic array once more. And not fast enough we both take position at the tail end of the formula array.

"Now I need you to follow my lead. While you focus on the jutsu formula I will act as the bridge that will connect the brat to the beckoning jutsu. Not to sound rude, but I know more about humans' mental structure than you, being resident inside many of them for over a century."

I had some choice words for him but this toke priority. My answer was a raised fist that he answered by meeting with his own, linking our chakra and wills together. Soon we were consumed by our tasks, perform the hand signs mudras with the remaining hand. Kurama was honestly impressive, his chakra was always extremely powerful and rigid, too set on its ways to be easily manipulated in ways that deviate from his nature yet it was precisely because of this that he has taken to my ways so effortlessly. The fact his Ying aspect was reconstructed almost entirely with pneuma also helped a lot. He had not yet been fully restored but the way he molds and shape the chakra is like he gives three to five steps for each one I performed. Experience really does beat talent.

Soon enough the homunculus is overtaken by a familiar yellow chakra and its body shape start to be overwritten by Apollo's in a far more smooth transition than the one Kurama experienced. And before long it is done. Apollo lay sleeping in the array.

I walk to him and perform the mundane matinal routine of waking him up. By now just shaking his chest is enough to rouse him. His face still a mess though, the lights are on but there is no one home kind of expression. Instead of saying anything I let him to figure out things on his own.

It takes a good few seconds before he notices something different about the person that always awakened him up. But when he does his eyes opened comically.

"Meme, when did you get this huge?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised. He recognized me through the disguise somehow? I couldn't help but laugh while petting his head.

"Heheh, saw through me, did you? Way to ruin the surprise," I used our talk to distract him from my application of Texture Surprise to change his hair from blond to black.

"Apollo, if I told you that there is a place that you can live where people won't look at you with derision and you could make friends would you want to go there?"

That got his attention instantly, this was his most sincere wish – to be accepted. No matter how much love I gave him this still didn't make up for the experience with the natives. It's human nature to be more impressionable by bad experiences, they are recorded far more impactful and memorable than good ones. Apollo even started to scream he would become Hokage, something I encouraged more out of desire to allow him to define himself in defiance to the villagers' expectations than genuine belief to the viability of said dream. Not that this will matter very soon, this is our out until I come up with a more permanent solution.

"… really?" the guarded way he asked this actually hurt a little. I can't fault him there either, Konoha does a good job at selling itself as shinning city upon the hill.

"Really. Have I ever lied to you?"

"All the time!" he answers affronted. Don't look at me like that, it makes me want to mess with you!

"So, is this a no, then?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Very well," I helped him up then take away a strand of my hair, manipulating it into a knot around his little finger.

"There will be some rules, though. First, your name there will be Kokutou. Second, you aren't to mention our place of origin and real names, just lie if you have to. This nose will help you remember that rules. Ok? This is our new parallel lives, like secret identities. We can't mess this up."

By his amazed expression he is thinking this as one of the spy bed-time stories I told him… but perhaps this is for the best. If people believe he is just a kid playing pretend then I will take the win.

"Ok, I promise!" He proclaims full of electric energy. This is really contagious. It's what I always wanted for him. It's still far from a perfect solution but his reaction made it all worth.

"You know Apollo, your birthday is coming up. Would you take this special mission to celebrate the new chapter of our lives?"

Instantly his expression close up as a knee jerk reaction. His birthday is a sore spot for him, people's hate for the Nine Tails Attack reaches their peak there. His third birthday was a disaster that I prefer to suppress from my memory, fortunately he was too young to remember much of the two previous ones or lack therefore of any. This is my chance to set the record straight.

"Mission? What kind?"

"A very important, time limited one. If you choose to accept it then you would have to operate deep in the enemy's line without back up from me. And yet the rewards for this are beyond your imagination."

"R-really?! All on my own?" the way he swallowed was really cute. Kids are so clingy at that age; it will be like first day of school for him.

"Yes, really-really. So, do you accept this mission?"

The way the gears were spinning you would think his head would explode. But even then, his answer was obvious. He doesn't know how to give up. It is actually scary how obstinate he can get when an idea enters his mind. He is not a quitter and will not be ruled by his fears. That is simple who Apollo is at his core.

"Yeah, I can totally do it, believe it! This mission is in the bag!"

…

"…so, what is this mission anyway?"

"To make as many friends as you can for your birthday party. The best you do the more gifts I will give you."

He looks surprised and his expression gain this air of vulnerability for a moment, but then gives off his signature 1000 waltz smile that takes his entire face.

"Prepare yourself, Meme. You will have to give me gifts all year around if you can't keep that promise!"

"You hold me accountable for that. By the way, there is someone you have to meet."

"Really, who?" Apollo asks while looking around, until he finally notices the disgruntled kimono wearing thug with a striking resemblance with current me and himself that was looking constipating at us. His expression soon closes off too and he gives me a dubious look. Great, those two had to start with the wrong foot!

"None of that, you two! From today on we are as family that will live under the same roof. You two can't start off like this to each other. Put on the effort!"

That seems to help crumble their resistance to each other, or at least to look apologetic at me. My answer is to double down with an uncompromising stare down until they caved and walked toward each other.

"…"

"…"

"So? Are you two really going to stare down at each other until the sun rise? Greet each other like normal people and shake hands! I promise we are not moving until you both are in speaking terms." It's really ironic for both of them to have the audacity to 'tsk' at me as if I was a busybody being their first common ground of agreement. I so going to get them back for this.

"My name is Naruto, but the people that really like me call me Apollo." That there was only one person that called him that went unsaid. This at least broke through Kurama's reservations, swallowing his reservations and giving Apollo a neutral expression, he answered.

"Hello, Apollo… my name is Kurama."

-//-

Our trek back to town of Fukuoka was an energetic one. I made a point of arriving by the commercial district so to garner attention, making detours to small food vendors and showing both the sights. Pre-internet society live and die by their gossip mills and after some more minor adjustment to Apollo's disguise we all clear look related, so this will help him a lot in ingratiating himself socially. I have become something of a minor celebrity so this owe to help.

While Apollo is exhilarated with the sight of new places and how people mostly give him curious looks instead of open disdain, Kurama is in a foul mode. He had never been the most sociable of individuals before but his involuntary life as a hikikomori crushed whatever vestige of social touch he might have had. I might have to give him some space, even if he is happy to walk around on his own power again his disdain for humans remained. A work in progress, as they say.

We finally arrived at our new home, just one block from my clinic. I had to take some loans to speed its construction but by then I was bringing so much cash people were lining up to be my guarantor. Some things really don't change, as someone from a family of doctors I am somewhat acquainted with this brand of red carpet, unfortunately it came together with their grueling work journey. I will have to cut this short; I am already late to work.

Leading them both inside I let them take in the sight of it. It is disgustingly suburban, basically a mac mansion, and I loved it. After the orphanage communal accommodations and that bachelor flat there is something especial about having a proper house once more. Apollo seems to agree as he rush to explore the house while I start to prepare breakfast at the kitchen. Maybe I should buy a dog.

A simple affair of cutlery tablet with dried fruits and fresh bread we brought in our way home accompanied by coffee and juice. That said I am not going to let our resident grumpy fox hole himself out. With a smile I proposed, "Could you set the tablet, Kurama?"

A small stare down initiated. The bastard really think he will get to freeloading here, how cute. I guess that have endured the company of humans that coveted his power for so long have made him a bad guest. It takes him a while for him to figure out the only thing I would gain from this is his company and reluctantly he caved in. I beat he never thought this day would come, right?

"Tablet is set!" He almost shouts in his anger. I guess I have been taking too much fun at his expenses. But it was just in time for Apollo to return.

"Yeah, I am famished here! Thanks, Kurama-ojisan!" despite his reservations Apollo is needy enough for validation and social interaction to accept Kurama awkward attempt of diplomacy as a token of eternal friendship. It's funny how aggravated Kurama became at his openness and by now he is already wishing to turn back the clock to before he said anything Apollo might interpret as acceptance. I made a point to smile knowingly at him, just to rub it in.

"Now, make sure to eat slowly, haste make waste. You have the entire day ahead. Imagine what people would think if they saw you wolfing down food like this."

"I know that already!"

This breakfast was a silent affair, despite the good sheer. In the end we all seem to be preoccupied with deeper thoughts that were best left private. This is a radical change of lifestyle for the two while for myself it was a tranquil return to a semblance of normalcy, even with the carrier change. Shinobi and nobles can be the worse kind of clients but aside from the former tendency to see open windows as doors and the latter sense of entitlement they can both pass for normal people. I can easily pretend they are just soldiers in rehabilitation and rich brats respectively.

But these two are different. To them this is a fresh and foreign second chance at life. They are out of their deep and it show. That is why I think is best to keep Kurama close while letting Apollo roam freely.

"So, what are going to do today?" Apollo asks, the old routine of ours. This will be like the first day of kindergarten for him. The first-time children get separated from their parents and start to forms social connections of their own with peers. This is painful for both parts yet crucial for development, otherwise they will never grow to be independent.

With a grimace I respond, "I will go to work, someone has to pay for all of this after all." I illustrate by gesturing to the house, then continued.

"While you will go around and do the mission you promised."

"Bu-but!" the effect was instantaneous, his good sheer crumbled. He felt understandable hurt, we have been glued at the rib for as long as he can remember, this is like pulling the hug from under him. There is no way he would take the news well.

And to be honest, seeing his face like that almost make me call this whole thing off too. Maybe it is too soon for him, after all. His circumstances are peculiar after all, I can't expect him to simple fit in with the scars of Konoha's hatred for him still so fresh. And bes-

"Are you really going to back away at the first sight of trouble, boy?"

Kurama's poignant inquiry got us both off-guard, so he continued.

"So much for all that bragging of earlier. Are you really going to hid behind Megumi's skirt every time things don't go your way?"

"She will surely accept you. But you will never be someone she relies on like myself though. Are you ok with that, mama's boy?"

That seemed to do the trick. Apollo is through riled up and when such thing happens, he always makes a point to express his displeasure.

"Bastard, who do you think I am?! I am going to make friends with every kid in this city and then not only she will have to give me presents for the entire year but you too will owe me, believe it!

"I will hold you to these words, boy. Now scram, we have adult business to discuss."

"Bastard, you aren't the boss of me! I am going now to win this bet, not because you ordered!"

Finishing said tirade he tackles me in a quick hug and a small kiss in the cheek and run to the door, screaming about his incoming victory… well, I guess this works too.

I turn toward Kurama to thank him for the help and tease him a bit more but freeze at his dead serious expression. He has something to say that he knows I won't like one bit. God, but I hate this kind of anticipatory prelude to bad news, my mind always goes wild to the worse possibilities. Yet that Kurama is keeping his silence without any of the glee of making me squirt show how serious this is.

The plot thickens, so much for having a normal life.

"You never asked what happened in the day of my attack on Konoha." That this was phase almost as an accusation, which only puzzled me more about his angle. Knowing him this anger comes from the fact I didn't act according to his expectations of humans and tried to nosy my way into his affairs, giving him an easy way to bring to attention something he actually wanted to share.

Honestly, he should know by now that I am satisfied with very little. For good or ill we are head mates which comes with the same unspoken etiquette of normal roommates to avoid to pry into each other's privacy to promote a harmonic coexistence. If he wants to share something then he will have to say it. That said, this topic is actually one I really don't want to know anything about. The clues I have paint a really grim picture.

After all, aside from me, there is only one other mokuton user in Konoha. Though this is actually a misleading statement, it isn't Tenzo himself that perform mokuton but the culture of cells he has grafted to his own flesh. I have progressed enough in the bullshit ninja medical field to diagnosis this as a sloppy and unhectic human experiment attempting to artificially create mokuton users; signature handwork of Orochimaru if the Cursed Seal is anything to go by.

The fact Tenzo is the only one around isn't a coincidence either, even among those bearing the blood of the senju he was born particularly gifted. Almost anyone else would have their bodies give in and crumble at the foreigner element grafted to it. It's source? There is only one donor in history, Hashirama.

And now these fuckers also have a sample of my own blood! Will they try to do the same once again? Will they go for a clone instead? What will I do in this case? While I discovered to my delight that I love being a parent this feels too much like a violation. These conflicting feelings are the reason I have avoided to bring this topic, because we are in the same boat. I fear to hear he hates Apollo.

In the end Apollo is just a too perfect vessel to Kurama for it all to be just coincidence. The truth is that he has three parents, his father, his mother and the demon he shared her body with. The secrets of chakra can't really be found in a Deoxyribonucleic acid chain, it's more esoteric.

I already figured out how people's subtle-bodies are developed in the womb. A child's subtle-body normally share the primary elemental affinity with their mothers if she doesn't have a matching secondary affinity that match the father's own primary one. And yet I never thought Conceptual Insemination was really a thing. Kurama's previous host's egg cells had been through marinated in his essence for years to the point he could easily be identified as the parent by any competent enough sensor. The nine months of exposure certainly don't help in this matter either.

This so far still just a coincidence though, maybe Naruto was just the most convenient vessel, but coupled with the bizarre choice of seal made me curious enough for me to pull some of my favors into knowing more about demon incidents in the last decades guised as curiosity about the Nine Tails and demons in general. That is when I heard of the Sand Demon incident in Sand Village over one year ago. Another incident with a 'demonic entity' inside a Hidden Village in less than a decade was just too suspicious but when I heard that Hidden Cloud used to get trashed by an octopus-bull monster all the time over one decade ago I had enough. I had to know more about these so-called demons.

While A run a tight enough ship that any information about these incidents is hidden by an iron curtain the same cannot be said about the Kazekage. While all the elemental nations that matter to the world stage are ruled by a Diarchy between the Kage and the Shogun two nations stand apart from this rule. Water Country with its archipelago of islands promoting balkanization to the point all Water Lords in its history have been political toothless, embroiling it on never ending civil wars, almost as if the Warring States Era never ended there, despite the Mizukage best efforts. Wind Country in other hand is simple a failed state.

It seems to have a promising future when the Hidden Villages first formed. It had enough bargain power in the first Kage meeting that it disrupted the plans of Hashirama to promote political peace. The details are obscure as all shinobi matters are but people didn't much mind recognizing Hidden Sand as one of the five great powers then. This would change with time.

Ninja magic or not geography is still destiny, this common sense from the Before doesn't change here. Wind country is a giant desert, to the point majority of the population actually lives in the strip of savanna that blooms in the rain season of the year. Their population is small and joined by the rip with Fire Country due to the proximity between Wind and Fire civil populations and courts in the last fifty years. This is due to the failure of Hidden Sand to perform a proper showing in all ninja wars, never seizing any fertile territory of spring of water from Fire Country. Which is the same to say they were soundly beaten by Konoha every time. Coupled this with the internal instability caused by the lack of proper succession line on the last three kazekage deaths and you have a mess.

It came to the point the Wind Lord and the Kazekage are on the outs. In the end of the day the Wind Lord's decision is a political sound one. He achieved politically access to resources his people need to subsist that the Fire Lord had all the right to deny and guarantied a modest prosperity for his subjects. While he knows this comes at the cost of vassalage to the Fire Court, he is shrewd enough to keep this game going for decades by now without kissing the ring, that said the Fire Lord is more than sufficiently competent for this to be a matter of time. The fact he also convinced the Hokage to run missions in Wind Country at a cost is another nail in Hidden Sand's coffin, it's been economically starved.

At this point the Kazekage can't even kill the Wind Lord without arousing the Fire Court's wrath, giving Konoha the excuse to dispatch a punitive force to settle permanently in Wind Country and starve Hidden Sand to death with a siege. Turning their position deep in the dead desert against them.

This is a perfect political check mate. The humiliation of being forced into an alliance just to get by mean they are desperate, and desperate people make reckless decisions. Raza, the current kazekage sealed said Sand Demon in his unborn son, killing his wife in the process, in the pursue of making an ultimate weapon. The fact I know this demon is said to be born from the soul of an evil priest trapped into a tea jar from report of opinionated deserters that toke their chances as missing ninja instead of accepting the doomed mission of assassinating said failed weapon doesn't fill me with any hopes. The guy is literally using his son as a tool to dispose of political enemies while training him to be a barbaric psychopathic killer with a faulty seal. I guess if you want a weapon instead of a prison then this choice make sense.

Fuck! As if I could calmly accept this as if it is happening to a unknow someone else! Is Apollo in the same boat then? Was this prison break caused by the seal transference? Are they just waiting him to become old enough to train him into a proper weapon? Apollo is not a B.O.W. for these assholes to use, break and discard! He is a person and he was born free the same as everyone else! I will never let them get away with it. Even if the world tells me this is ok, I will never accept it. I don't mind become the enemy of this world if that is what it takes.

"There is nobody that is ok to hurt. This is something you believed once upon a time. What really changed, Megumi?" Kurama is again reading my thoughts. Honestly this is why intimacy sucks. Although we make effort to give each other space obvious displays simple leak through. I don't want to answer that, so I look away.

I still hear the scraping of the chain as he stands up and his steps in the wood floor, soon he is kneeling in my line of sight, this is really serious then, I cannot weasel my way out.

"I always thought you naïve but the more time passed the more I noticed this was all fragile hope. That you wouldn't have to go through these tribulations if you kept your head down and looked away. In the end you know enough about human nature to realize suffering is the natural state of human condition. Even I have to lift my hat to the people of your world, to have gone so far without the power of chakra. That they can exist by the billions and make do is so far fetch I would think it a fairy tale if not for you; even their flaws just show how many obstacles they overcame… yet this is not that world and senseless despoiling is very much the rule here still. But even then, I have to admit we are in the right direction."

This is a surprise. Kurama never spoke so much to me before. And never this positive either.

"What is this heart to heart about, really?"

"You are the worse, you know that? Are you really going to make me say it? Very well then, it has been fun. This last two years have been a blast, it is so dazzling I can barely put into words. I realize some time now that I have been looking at tomorrow with anticipation instead of trepidation… I had forgotten how this feels like for so long it took me a while to realize what it felt like."

Honestly, that is top ten most flattering thing anyone has ever said to me, "Yet you are still stalling. Go on with it. Confession, confession, confession!"

"You are such a pain. I am trying to say that I have been following you with interest and I finally realized something. Despite the grandiose title you don't really think yourself that special from others, it's as if you think your talent is a cosmic accident without further significance so there is no reason to think this make you better than others."

"I don't get it. What is so especial about it?"

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't. People have been fighting for so many generations the origin of the war over chakra has been forgotten but its legacy remain. The relentless pursue of power and the idea that wielding it prove one's superiority and righteousness. This all started due to this misplaced sense of validation. "

"… I still don't get it."

"For you this power you inherited is live being born wealth, you can do more than other people and might even rub it in your high status. But at the end of the day, you aren't worth more as a person than anyone else, since to your world is common sense that all humans have an inherited sanctity as children and semblance of God. Even after outgrowing the old idea of God the presumption of sanctity still remains. But what if there was a way to objectively decide who was worth more in the eyes of their gods? What if this was seem as an objective mettle to gauge who was more of a person than others and thus had more right?"

"You don't mean!?"

"This was the War over chakra that started with the succession crisis after the Sage of Six Path's passing. The idea that one's proficiency with chakra was and capacity to enact their will and vision was prof of their primacy and divine right. Even I didn't help any to chance this idea, when I delivered destruction to tyrants it was seen as prof of my primacy by might, that it was punishment for presuming to rule despite being weak."

"Are you seriously telling me anyone half good at using chakra as a weapon decided they were demi-gods that could do whatever they liked without consequence?"

"Is it that hard to believe? Didn't Alexander the Great came to be exalted as a living god for long enough he himself started to believe it himself? How being able to fly, breath fire or bend minds help prevent this in any way? This is also the reason most nations are so agnostic now adays, there was a serious purging to old cults when the ninja villages formed as a way for them to solidify power."

"… why are we talking about this?"

Kurama exhaled in exasperation yet there was no heat in it. "It toke me a while to figure it out so is no wonder you never noticed this either. I have misjudged you again, believing you would be this grand savior because you were born powerful, born especial. Yet the more I watched you the more I noticed you never thought yourself more right just because you were strong. First I judged it a quirk or a sign of your superior moral fiber that came together with superior power. Making the same mistake I hate humans for."

"Wow, sorry to disappoint I am just a person, not the next messiah."

"Actually, that is exactly what I like the most about you. This is the ideal my old man believed in, that love and cooperation would be the path forward. You live just like everyone else and try to make thing better by working with what is around you instead of losing yourself in loft ideals of world salvation. 'Salvation brought by other is like money, once it is used up it pass along to someone else's hands.' The only one that can truly save people are themselves. This is what you mean when you accused the natives of wasting their gifts. You truly believe they capable of making things better on their own, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I am not callous enough to simply tell a person suffering in front of me to lift themselves by their bootstraps yet the reality of the world is that while suffering is universal adult affairs don't run on well wishes alone. One cannot save the world by being nice alone. The idea to become the benevolent dictator to solve the worlds problems is the most basic power fantasy to ever exist, everyone had thought this at least once but that is why it is a childish mindset. If it was really that simple then someone else would already have done it."

"heh, heh. HEHEHEH!" Kurama lost it, Laughing like a lunatic in my kitchen floor.

"What is so funny?"

"Just thinking of a shitty brat that never grew up in over a thousand years of countless lives."

"You really love to be cryptic, don't you? Does this come around with age?"

His answer was a bop to my head, "Fool, what I am saying is that you are right. It is foolish to wait for someone else to appear bringing along the answers. I learned a lot from you so this is my way to pay back."

"So, stop running your mouth and just say what you want already!"

"…"

"…"

"There is no one that is ok to harm because nobody has any enemies… It might be a lie but I would take it over reality any day. This is not how the world works but maybe is time for the world to change. It is possible, I realize it now; these years of labor hadn't been in vain. The world is already changing for the best and my efforts contributed to this… ironic that I would be the one to overlook it, too stuck in a rut waiting for a perfect answer."

Ok, wow. I looked at Kurama, and I mean I really looked at him. It is hard to believe this is the same incarnation of hatred I first meet. There is a resolve in his eyes that is cowering, like he is looking ahead to things beyond my own keen. They are nothing like the crazed and misty eyes drunk with hatred. This is trouble, I can already tell… yet in for a penny in for a pound.

"Thank you, Kurama. For setting me straight. A part of me started to think that maybe it was wrong to cling to foreigner ideals, that it was time to go native. I have doubts I can live up to these loft standards myself. I am not special, just lucky. Yet being validated by someone else really means a lot."

After we said our piece, a companionable silence fell over us. It seems we both had changed in unprecedent ways from where we started. This doubt of mine that was eating at me got lighter somehow and my brother also seems relieved. This is a new chapter in our lives so it was time to face the music.

"So, what do you need me for?"

"… first let me tell you about the events of October 10th​ of almost four years ago."

-//-

So, turns out I really have to kill someone in particular. Honestly, I knew that day had been a harrowing one but this is ridiculous. Fucking teleporting assholes thinking that they can do as they please and then run away. The possibility he still alive is all the motivation that I need to stop lazing around. Time to fill in the shoes of the legendary super-senju, the god of the shinobi.

With the insight Kurama gave me I created three new Homunculus avatars, one to replace myself in the clinic, one to act as an agent in the elemental nations and perform research and finally one especially calibrated to take my place inside Konoha. This one stung, to separate my real self from Apollo hurts. These new clones are the same as his own, don't share the senses in a network unless manually prompted and synchronize with each other in while sleeping. From now on I will have to see him from second hand experience.

This is a hurt I haven't felt since I first arrived here, it is like my heart is being rented into ribbons, my stomach is twisted into a knot and my head is in pounding me; I can barely breath… But the nightmare of a masked man simple taking him away fills a fire in me that bring it all in sharp focus. I can still move thanks to this fire.

So, this is hatred. I never thought this day would come. For me to hate someone enough to not only wishing death upon them but actively taking things in my own hands and plot to murder someone else. I… I- He brought this upon himself. Kurama might not approve but he at least understands enough to let me vent by working myself to the bone.

I never talked this with Kurama before because I knew he would refuse but we could go to another continent and rebuild our lives there. An easy way out, perhaps. But it is Ok to run away, neither of them owns nothing to these people and have nothing to prove either. The only reason I never seriously pushed it is the raze awareness of the importance Kurama puts to his role as Guardian. It is his pride, this vow he made so long ago. I didn't see enough to know the content of said promise but the emotion of it have been ever present company for the past millennia. Some days I think it is the only thing keep him going, my fears of what he would do without it are perhaps my biggest anchor to this cesspool of senseless violence called the elemental nations.

So, if I am forced to live here then I am more than happy to be the secret boss that is impossible to beat.

Honestly, I am lucky Kurama gave me this heads up before I created a new Stigmata. The next Gate is the last elemental one, also the middle point to before the ration of Ying to Yang flips so this is pretty much my last chance to create an offensive ability. The active abilities of the Stigmata are far more efficient and intuitive than almost all form of spellcraft. This will me my main weapon for the rest of my life. I better make it worthwhile.

This Gate located in the spine just at the height of the heart which is heavily connected to it and the lungs, composed primarily of the wind element and is a matrix focus point of connection between the lower Gates that are primarily composed of physical energy and the superior Gates comprised of spiritual energy, possessing a perfect ration. It is pound for pound the Anahata Chakra.

In Old Earth's lore this chakra is the "sound produced without touching two parts"(the sound of the celestial realm), symbolizing a union of seemingly dissonant principles like male and female, ying and yang, heaven and earth. It embodies the state of freshness that appears when one is able to become detached and to look at the different and apparently contradictory experiences of life with a state of openness (expansion). Normally humans abhor contradiction so we aspire to the discrimination or harmony produced by the confrontation of the two opposite forces. This appeals to the possibility to integrate the two opposite forces and obtain the effect (sound, in this case), without the two forces being confronted (without touching of the two parts). This energy is specific to cooperation and integration, which brings peace and a new perspective in a world which, up to this level was made only of a more or less conscious confrontation between opposite forces. The name Anahata suggests, in fact, the synergetic effect of the interaction of energies at this level.

It also has syncretic resonance with Tiferet both in location(chest) and function, the sephirot that harmonize dissonant energies and is direct connected to all other sephirot. If Keter is the crown and Malkurth is the kingdom then this sephirot is the king himself. Standing as the heavenly ordained representant in earth, it can be said to embody the divine rights of kings.

This makes sense since Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions outside the realm of karma. In Gates/Chakras below, man is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one makes decisions ("follows one's heart") based on one's higher self, not the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. As such, it is known as the heart chakra. It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others and psychic healing.

I decided to call the Stigmata created over it the Raiden Shogun Eye of Storm Stigmata. It looks like a Fourfold Tomoe banner at the core surrounded by violet razor electric wind. As the bridge between the soul and the body coupled with the association with the nervous system due to the wind element it gives a measure of the vice-like grip my soul has over the body experienced by the Knowledge of Unimpeded Bodily Function. It also offers amazing celerity of movement as well to the point the natives recognize its use in the Extreme Lotus with the Reverse Lotus technique to make the most of it. Since Wind is my main Element, these effects are the most noticeable.

But those are only the physical aspects, Anahata is said to be near the heart. Because of its connection not only to sound but also to touch (sense) and actions, it is associated with the skin and hands. Meditation on this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis (abilities): to becomes a lord of speech, he is dear to women, his presence controls the senses of others, and he can leave and enter the body at will.

Unnecessary to say, those instructions were meant to male listeners, but the idea remains, that it promotes understanding of others, being the most effective in the opposite sex. This is based on the Taoism principle of Supreme Ultimate that these discrepancies are means for creatures to maximize the number of attributes they can bear through these differences, complementing each other in their apparent separation, being aligned with the idea of heavenly sound. Due to the binding nature of chakra this manifest by allows me to hear what goes unsaid between words while also allowing others to perceive the same or misleading them to believe the oppositive of what I say. Social charm tree unlocked!

That said, those are not the end of its passive effects, due to its association with both the lungs and consequently breathing, the sense of touch as well with Tirefet the capacity to bring harmony with ones surroundings also has been unlocked; that is the unification between the Internal world (soul) with the external world (nature) through the act of breathing. A form of natural barrier technique, Sphere Boundary that allows me to perceive the exact conditions of the immediate environment, and make use of the resulting perception so as to adjust and minimize the noticeability and impact of one's existence.

Like a fusion between of HxH aura techniques of En and In. It is possible to synchronize with the World to such an extent that the human figure is rendered naturally indiscernible. Nature and human perception are ruled by sensitivity so this manifestation of the 'controls the senses of others' to conceal oneself is possible. It could be said that this state of oneness with nature is the biggest reward but the supernal awareness and stealth are nice. It is one step removed from sagehood since you are binding with nature without bringing it inside, subsuming oneself into an avatar of nature.

This Sphere Boundary is also the keystone of the active ability of the Raiden Shogun Eye of Storm Stigmata. The Anahata Chakra is generally considered to be the petal lotus of "Essential nature", where the God that is one's higher-self manifest. The Fourfold Tomoe symbolize union of Soul, Mind, Body and Nature. It is also a boundary field comprised of four layers. This is important because Tomoe also associated with God of War, warriors, archery, Amaterasu clashing with Susanoo and water due to its swirling pattern.

The first layer of this barrier technique is internal and can be said to be my very Chakra Network itself. The second is the Sphere Boundary but things get more interesting with the third layer. By exploiting the wireless connection between these boundary fields together with the concept of 'free energy' of the Wind element and the Gate privileged position to recycle the wasted Pneuma released in the environment in high exertion by the Gates as a catalyzer to gather and mix the natural energy in the ambient outside the body. This is literally manifested as a two-folded Tomoe looking Tesla Coil halo of Light made of plasma and metal particles draw by its magnetic field anchored to my back; actually, resembling the one Raiden Mei has in herrscher mode.

And yet the final layer is even more especial. The Anahata Chakra corresponding to the second state of Four Noble Truths: samudaya ('cause') and dukkha (suffering) arises from taṇhā ("thirst"). By exploiting the illogical elements present in other people's chakra, in special the kleshas of hatred/aversion and use it as fuel to a curse through the Element of Water as a medium for my Wind Element to create a cumulonimbus thunder cloud. This will serve as both a radar through the rain and as rooming device by hostility.

Nietzsche once said he could write in one sentence what toke others a book to say. He was indeed right. Humans are like trees, the more they try to embrace the heavens the more susceptible to be struck down by the cruel lighting they become. This is Divine Retribution of the Heavenly Principle, that in Daoism, is the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of Yin and Yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the natural order. This is the Principle of Karma the second Noble Truth represent, those driven by their cravings will be undone by them.

That is why I called it Raiden Shogun, Lord of Thunder Gods. By borrowing from the image of said god of lightning, thunder and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion as a frame I can more easily manifest and control said powers. Standing atop a cloud, bearing a halo of on den-den daiko drums with tomoe symbols drawn on them, this fierce god is associated with the kamikaze that repelled the Mongols from Japan's shores. This coupled with my adapted flying thunder god formula of the previous stigmata bring more harmony and synergism by obeying a theme.

While the conceptual resonance with archery makes the Heavenly Lighting my main weapon, in truth I became a walking calamity, the thunderstorms is just an engine to wirelessly draw energy from. All the dream machines Tesla never got to actually make gained life in my power - tsunami, typhon, earthquake, floods. I can also simply use the storm's power to juice my physical might thanks to the wireless connection of the Tesla Coil looking Halo in my back. That is why I will call this power Divine Cathedral of Annihilation.

Look at me, I am the Storm that is Approaching now. This is a disgustingly deadly combo with Mara's Nectar capacity to prey on and entice in others these exact feelings, especially with its recent upgrade. I even installed Bury the Light as my personal theme song as a bardic inspiration like auditory genjutsu. A binding vow that gives greater strength to my enemies but in the long run turn their powers and emotions to my cause.

This. Is. Power!

Let's see how you deal with it, Masked bastard. I will make you regret being born!

[AUTHOR'S ROOM]

So yeah. This is the first turning point of the story. The big reveal of how cultivation actually works. When you look at it objectively the Hashirama cell meme actually makes sense. Both the sharingan and the mokuton come straight from the Ten Tails, that is why both are super effective against tailed beasts yet they are radically different yet both are still qualified as kekkei mora, the only two that remain from Kaguya's time. One gives you all the powers you want or can imagine at the drop of a hat while the other give you limitless power to even crush all those imagined powers with wood. At the end of the day Madara was Hashirama bottom bitch for live, even after grafting his cells and unlocking the Rinnegan yet he still lost to him.

By the way, due to a quirk in Megumi's interpretation of the power and her mindset her mokuton is especially vulnerable to lighting, she is basically operating in the western elemental chart of four basic elements (dusts) plus aether so lighting release sort of flip her tablet, ironic that she is also super good at it. Hashirama had his own quirks to his mokuton, it isn't much different from how different sharingans develop different Mangekyou powers. That said, there isn't much mystery behind the 10 Tails, when Naruto first saw it he noticed that while it was invisible to chakra sensory abilities he could perceive it through sage mode as a endless abyss. Considering the lore of the Ten Tails is that it parasitize planets for its natural energy it make sense.

Kurama was always a passive observer in the original story but now he became a mover and shaker, his plan will be revealed later on. I think this is really fitting, Hagomoro thought chakra shouldn't be accumulated in a single person. The War over Chakra was what ended the ninshu and Indra fired the first shot, with a little help of Black Zetsu.

While at the end he decided to help it started reluctantly to suddenly become super friendly was uncanny. I guess Hagomoro's prophesy helped, people have a way to cajole themselves into believing what they want to believe. After seeing how things worked in our history though, he has plans of his own that align with Hagomoro's vision of how people should be.

By the way, Megume went a bit… hardcore. She is really freaked out at the moment and answered by letting her min-max tendencies run free so expect more complications down the line similar though less hilarious than last time. This power is actually inspired in an Exalted artefact called Stormbringer and operate much the same way, controlling a storm and using it to either snipe people or augmenting the power of sword strikes, despite having the name of another artefact.

 

[BrunofanofK]

"Pretty please! Do me this solid." I implored the wise, handsome and totally awesome fox demon.

"Let me think about it… no." the bastard replies.

"Ahhh! Why do you have to be this difficult!? This will help everyone in the long run."

"That. This is exactly why you need a time out. You are out of your mind if you think things are this simple and it will all work out."

"Why?!"

"Because this is real life! Convenient plot devices like hyperbaric time chamber or gravity machine don't work on real life!"

"What is wrong with my theory?!"

"Nothing and everything. Are you hearing yourself Megumi?! Your body will be glow apart!"

"But I won't die. The Perfect Lotus Stigmata will keep me going and heal me perfectly, even the aging problem due to accelerated mitotic regeneration will not be a problem as they are also restored."

"… why do you even want it that much?"

"…"

"…"

"Because I can't fight in the body of an infant!"

"You are being a real brat, wanting to grow up faster. You should cherish this phase of your life, not chasing for power. I am more than strong enough to protect you both. Stop worrying."

"One glance. That is all it takes for them to take you down. It makes zero sense how effective it is to me, yet empiric reality show you can't do this alone. I am not letting you face this alone. In worse case I might have to save you by subjugating you. The question will be if I will be ready or not."

"I didn't tell you this to drag you in a fight. I have free access to your archives and already made preparations to deal with sharingan and mokuton users."

"And I trust you! But I don't want you to do this alone anymore."

"Apollo's birthday, and your own as well, are right around the corner. You should go there personally instead of living it through a clone."

"Now that is a low blow!"

"You aren't being rational anyway! It has been years! He could have come back any time in the last years. You are letting fear and paranoia consume you!"

"Is it really paranoia if they are really after you?! He could have come at any time yet he chooses the most critical and vulnerable moment. A privilege of free teleportation. He might be dead or he might be bidding his time for the next great opportunity!"

"This is why I said you are being paranoid. This sort of mentality is what caused this world to be a shithole in the first place. You aren't warrior material either, regardless of how powerful you are."

"…look, I promise that when the time comes- If it comes; the first thing I will do is summon you at full strength. I will make a binding vow if I have to! I have no intention to fight alone but I can't ignore this Sword of Damocles hanging over your heads! Let me help too."

Kurama sighed in resignation. I normally would take this as victory but the topic sucks away any fun to be had. "You know, such a convenient means do not exist in the world, one way or another you will pay for this. Hashirama's own death wasn't a nice one. People covered it up as natural death of old age but I was sealed in his wife at the time and know better. He was killed by his great power, his body simple reached a limit and couldn't contain his power anymore."

I had no words for that one. Of all things to be the end of me, for it to be literally my own gifts was not something I expected. Immortality is a fool's dream, everything rots, even the soul. Precisely because my body is a pseudo-perpetual engine that theoretically could run forever as long it is supplied with enough energy thanks to the Perfect Lotus Stigmata is that I know death is somewhat spiritual. To be alive is to be fated to die. You can cheat or outrun it for some time but eventually it will reach you. It is as certain as the heat death of the universe. But even then…

"My body is far better structured and tempered to deal with the rigors of raw Mana(natural energy) channeling. I am not leaving you any time soon, I am afraid. You aren't getting rid of me so easily, your grumpy and stingy fox."

"Hmphs." Despite his complain some of his good cheer has returned, he really was worried about my death. I didn't even realize it. Which was foolish is hindsight. He is a millenary existence and to him humans are transient beings. His own way to perceive time is different from my own. To him I might be like the loving pet that he knows depends on him and will live for a fraction of his own time yet give him companionship and unconditional love. Even if we are fundamentally different existences our bond is very real, he want it to last for as long as possible.

"Fine. I will help but we have to do some preparations first." His words brought a sense of relief crashing over me. I didn't know who else I could count on if not him.

"I am ready to accept any of your conditions."

"First you will only do it after completing the Magnus Opus Stigmata."

"Except for that."

"It's the first think I asked!"

"It will take years! Consciousness is the latest physiologic evolution in the human species, as such it is in us what is the most immature and spurious. When the rubber meets the road and the assumptions fall short humans fall back to their ancient instincts. That is why the primarily Yang aligned Stigmata so far could be implement so easily, humans are actually quite the ancient beast; latest link of a billion years old chain of successions."

"At least you have some sense and self-awareness, letting you get burned paid off. That said there is a way for you to not only manage that but also develop something kind of like inner curse technique." The bastard is really smug too. This is going to suck.

"You bastard, you stole my thunder!" His smirk bloomed into a full smile now.

"It was a really sound hypothesis, although it was still immature. If all chakra magical theory stems from the Creation of All Things and the Sage of Six Paths used it to allow humans to wield chakra then a fragment of said power exist in all those blessed. It becomes a matter to how best to realize its potential. Even if there isn't such a thing as a perpetual self, an essential nature still shines through while being molded by personal experience. To harness this "Essence" into a curse, a Semblance that mirror and manifest the self is the pinnacle of witchcraft(jujutsu)."

"How far did you go?" I had to ask. This was just a theory of mine, to manifest one's quintessence in a super-efficient, unique, exclusive, and normally irreproducible miracle. Ying-Yang Release. To take these illogical elements in the spiritual and physical energy and squeeze them for everything they are worth.

The bastard smiled triumphant, "All the way."

That bastard! Acting like he is the damn protagonist! "How the hell you did that in two years?!"

"You forget I am 'as old as dirt'. You might not have realized it yet but when you first idealized the Gate of Truth as the 'thyself in a nutshell' you unconsciously recreated the principle of the World Egg. I have accrued a far longer and more eventful life than yours, so for me the final product is far more distillated. Some things can only come with time and experience, this is a 'curse' after all, it is ruled by intent. The semblance is a mix of nature and nurture."

"Are you telling me it is impossible for me then?" That is a bummer, I was counting this as my trump card, no Unlimited Blade Works or Unlimited Void for me…

"That is how you plan on dealing with the sharingan! You managed to use your Mindscape as a canvas, a foundation for the Magical Formula to be distilled as a form of Innate Curse Technique, creating an Innate Domain, so anyone that enters it would be exposing themselves to your "curse". You could even kill them with it, since it is a Ying-Yang release technique, you can use their mental self as a medium to attack their real body like voodoo doll! "

"Hehehe, I still have some other surprises besides that. This technique at its core operate by reenacting one's personal history; I call it Mythos Exultant – the crystalized record of one's legend. So, it is reinforced by sticking to your nature and tendencies while weakened by straying from said script, turning oneself into a conceptual existence. A bothersome restriction that pays dividends. Everything else is built from that."

"Yeah? Did you also developed any way to counter the mokuton?"

"Yeah, threatening to publicize the user's browser history."

"What are you with hitting under the belt today?"

"It's not like you still has any weak point there anymore."

That did it. I went straight for the family gems he seems to be so fond of to give him a taste. He didn't appreciate it, leading to a short scruff I prompt lost because I am an almost four years old baby!

"You damn knee bitter, that really hurt." Kurama is now holding me by the collar like a misbehaved kitten.

I growled at him in answer.

"Anyway. While you normally would not be able to develop a Mythos Exultant for at least four to five centuries there are still options for you to have a preview of such powers. This is also important because unlike me you will get to decide what kind of legend you will forge for yourself."

Kurama statement actually settled me down. Both because of the significance of his statement and because the dreadful implication of his Mythos Exultant.

"So, what do you have in mind?"

"Tell me, how do you know all of these Buddhist mudras?"

"What do you mean? I… don't remember!?"

"Yeah, that is why I perused through your records and I didn't find anything there. You literally toke this information out of thin air for all I know. You get it, don't you?"

Memory of one's former abodes 「Recollection of Soul's Memory」!

"Do you think this goes further than one life time somehow?"

"Of course. It's the chain of Karma binding all to Samsara, after all. Even existences like my own are bonded by it, don't dying when killed but reforming as long as this planet lives; you are not wrong to call me an elemental, I was born from it and am bond by it. That said, to humans the further it goes the more eroded said records must get."

"But even then, you think I still can make use of it somehow?"

"Not consciously. Fortunately for you, I have experience with human's mental structure and my talent with Mind-penetrating knowledge 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」 is still greater than yours, to the point I think I can help you to make subconscious use of it."

"What is your idea, exactly?"

"Humans are a tool using species. It is simple part of their nature, squeezing the usefulness of these oppositive thumbs for all they are worth. Like any tool these magic items will serve to both amplify and focus your power and experience into specific directions. So, the goal will be to create fetishes. Mediums to serve as a sacred panoply that represent the manifestation your spiritual, mental and physical aspects, but also your philosophy, personal history and values."

Fetish, derived from the French fétiche, which comes from the Portuguese feitiço (in short magic) and this in turn from Latin facticius, "artificial" and facere, "to make". is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the attribution of inherent value, or powers, to an object. The Imperial Regalia of Japan of Japanese royal family and the Ten Sacred Treasures of Shintoism are examples of it; the term shintai (god-body) comes directly from it and was often perceived as the representation of the attributes of a god.

"It seems like your idea for these fetishes is to make a mix between Projection and Materialization of the Soul. And it sounds like you already have something in mind. Do you really think I am ready to perform a miracle equal to Creation of All things?"

"You won't be creating anything, just giving substance and shape to something that already exist. At the end of the day, it is not that different from how you restored me from the Shinigami's touch. You already reached that level, even if implementation was slow and expensive."

"Hey, why did you develop such a thing? You said that is the nature of humans to use tools so this is useless to you. Did you go all this way for me?"

"Shameless as always! Can't you have some discretion?... anyway, I said that my Mythos Exultant has some restrictions, didn't I? Well, I decided to make for myself a form of metaphysical Achilles' heel, this way I fortify all the other spots. What do you think it was?"

That is serious! I already didn't like the concept of a power build on his bloody history yet this is beyond my expectations. Though Kurama said weakness this don't need to be a literal one like kryptonite, it can be something he bend the knee to. More than that as his power is a product of his history he needs to make it significant. It probable something he hates or a personal failing. Not conductive for a happy life.

I swallowed, "What is it, this 'weakness?"

"You, or more precisely what you displayed to me that day. If I am to be saddled into caring this Karma as the Incarnation of hatred then I don't mind bending the knee to Love forevermore. It might not be enough to fix the world… but it is the first step. I was tired of hating all the time anyway."

"Kurama…" I rushed up to him and tackled him. I was so happy I felt like crying in relief. This is indeed the best weakness to be had! It was just a small shift but the ripples that I make toke shape, they had significance. I honestly couldn't imagine myself lasting as much as him so knowing this bond of ours was something he would willing carry to the end of his days made me happy.

I eventually felt his hand patting my head. "Now, now. Did you forget October 10th is also your birthday? This is just my selfish desire to pay you back by giving you something of equal significance to all things you gave me. A kingly gift to remember me by. This thought also makes me happy. I never gave anyone anything before so I decided to make it especial."

"Now you are making me excited!... know what? You can make them yourself from the grounds up. I won't pipe in. We follow the same foundation of using the ten sephirot as steps for spells. You also have seen far more than me. The same way you carry this mark of or bond with pride I too will do the same!"

"This is why I call you shameless! This is serious, these sacred treasures will be symbols and manifestations of your virtues, but their shape will affect the way they will be implemented. You are basically giving me a free pass to reshape you as a please!"

"I trust you."

"…this is so unfair. You know it for less than a minute yet you already are using it against me! Your vicious little gremlin."

"Heheh, prepare yourself. From now on you won't have one day of peace and idleness around me."

"… I will look forward to it."

-//-

So, I sort of screwed up.

For the last two weeks all of my patients have commented on said birthday party. The same fact repeated itself every time I walked anywhere through town. People using their own kids as conversation starters to networking with me. I tried to make a sensum of it and almost all children bellow ten are going, which necessarily includes their own parents and their older siblings. It feels like half of tow will be there!

The worst part is that my new power to hear what goes unsaid between words informed me many 'savvy' people believe this is a sort of plot from my part to raise my status and build face with the community. So, this created a mad rush of parents incentivizing their own children to get invited.

Everything I wanted was a traditional afternoon birthday party of about ten to twenty children but it is too late now. At this point everything I could do is rush to accommodate them. Talking to the mayor to have a public park looted for one day, make order to the most reliable buffets restaurants, hire service of event management firm to coordinate things. Even hiring ninja as security to the party, that these are cloud ninja goes without saying. I simple can't afford the drama of calling a foreigner ninja in what is basically Lightning Country backyard; though I pulled some favors to have some independent ninja acting as lowkey observers just to be safe.

This became a political event and there is chance of interference by hired shinobi. Hell, even Konoha might come here stirring trouble after a dethroned Tsunabe as the best medic. It's hard to beat limb regeneration and there are malicious whispers she suffers some form of PTSD that ended her carrier, a condition I had some success treating. Although paranoia is shinobi's bread and butter, they are still human, and their lifestyle seldom allows them chance to pursue psychological help. So, my quickly treatment coupled with my capacity to make binding vow contracts make a tempt alternative. The number of 'Jacks' that showed up with backgrounds completely dissonant with their trauma mean there are people from all nations coming for my services. Mental health is just health!

I honestly didn't intent to become this big of a deal. I just wanted a quiet suburban life and to help people. Now I have the headache of dealing with the politics of three courts somehow inviting themselves to this party bringing their own retinue of body guards. Apparently, I healed a congenital disease of the third prince of Lightning country, triggering a mini succession crisis due to internal shift in power as the first prince was a waste of space to the point the second one was seemed as the real successor, so now the Game of Thrones decided to come to my doorsteps.

The only reason I didn't get a bingo book entry is due to the fear of pulling me further into Cloud's sphere of influence. Everybody has the need of these services, the fact I am actually affordable and accessible make people disinclined to put a bounty on my head to then get alienated. The fact that despite my soft and tame temperament I look the other way when hiring shinobi also helps. I could finance enough S class missions by crook or by hook that most official channels judge best to not antagonize me openly. That said, my bounty in the black-market is absurd, even if restricted to only alive. This world sucks! How the hell did I get a bounty by healing people!?

If Kurama's own gifts had come a few months early I could already have a few divination spells going to give me a heads up. But as it is, this experience will have to remind me of the value of this project for next time.

Speaking of Kurama, I had to figure out a way to actually attend said party myself even though I am the OG Megumi. My experience with the Raikage showed the flaw of the shadow clone jutsu, they are still myself. It requires a total lack of self-respect and self-preservation to use the shadow clone to its full potential. This day is important enough for myself that I can't inflict into my clone the pain of being shoved to the side and locked into the basement while I party. At the end of the day, they are still a true permutation of myself; no wonder this is a forbidden jutsu.

So now I am going to make something unadvisable. Well, I had already decided I needed a free agent to act in the elemental nations anyway, so this is my chance to create an identity. Touko is about to gain a mysterious 'little sister'. I am really tempting fate here, only the fact my own background is a mystery allows me to get away with it.

Aozaki Aoko enters the stage! The magic gunner that is only good at breaking things, that wanders around causing trouble and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. An excellent spy background and optimizing a homunculus vessel to highspeed discharge of energy should be possible with the Ring Treasure, so I can discard it eventually, but this comes later. My lifeline here that will help me get away with this stupid plot will be another Treasure.

Honestly, I simple didn't really understand what a game changer Kurama's Mythos Exultant was until I experienced it in my own soul. This is also an insight into the Mystery of the Creation of All Things jutsu, what it means to really create something. The difference between channeling magical energy into your arm to break a rock is merely energy transference, Kurama would throwing his metaphysical weight around with said punch to shift the probability of what it takes for said rock being destroyed. Marble Phantasm, the act of turning all the tickets inside the mystery box into jackpots.

He might have compared himself to an elemental once but now he is closer to a daemon. Painting over reality with his alien common sense cultivated over one thousand years of existence. He is adding his charisma modifier and level of enlightenment (let's call it gnosis) to any rolls he performs. And this is just his basic power. He is like those mathematically invincible CR (challenge rate) 30 D&D monsters meant to TPK an epic party. If you can't attack him without hostility or oppose him with the literal power of selfless love then you can't beat him.

And said monster created a panoply of five treasures from my being. While grip of time become looser the further one is removed from the material plane, the time axis still has a loose hold on the mental space due to its link with the body. Otherwise, anyone could time travel with their minds alone, become aware of the future by uploading said consciousness into the past. But even then, it is still possible to stretch and dilate time by a lot if you know what you are doing. But even then, it toke a long time for Kurama to come up with it. He has been working in this as a side-project for at least six months of real time even if the final execution is actually really smooth and simple to make. He spent the last two weeks consumed into his task of thinking the best attributes to define in said treasures; even if the blocks used are the same two different persons will shape them differently due to personal bias, taste and inspirations. He didn't want to mess this up.

Today, at 00:00 hours of, October 10th​, he 'delivered' me said gifts. Engraving them into my Gate of Truth. A Mask Treasure representing wisdom, a Ring Treasure representing temperance, a Sword Treasure representing valor, a Staff Treasure representing Conviction, and a Cup Grace representing Compassion. I now have my own Noble Phantasms, bitchs! Treasure Tools that will be symbols of my existence from now on… that said I still have to unlock their evocations the slow and boring way, sinking experience points and training time into 'understanding myself'. That is why I have to use the time I have into the most needed Noble Phantasm right now.

The Mask Treasure: Trismegistus Celestial Oculus. It vaguely resembles a peculiar Tengu Mask, though instead of covering the face completely it instead is a domino carnival mask made of black opaque material, covering both eyes and nose, with the upper frame has eyebrows that resemble feathers and the lower frame and connecting middle serves to involute the hawkish appearance of a raptor bird instead of long nose of traditional Tengu mask.

Mask are a universal symbol of mystery. They obscure the features and give a new face, have the potential to be both false and more heal than reality, expressing outward what exists within. That is why so many cultures use it as a tool to commune with the gods, as people in the past had a more intimate and perpetual link to their creeds, believing that gods were feelings and thought that existed inside their heads, so it was possible to be possessed by them. Their function extends beyond ritual practices though, performance and theatrics made ostensive use of them. Basically, in a gamey term, this magic item I can use to augment actions involving Occult, Performance, Stealth, Larceny and Lore.

The name Trismegistus must have come from Hermes Trismegistus, "Hermes the Thrice-Greatest". This is a semi-mythical philosopher, magician and prophet that is said to have been both multiple mortals under the same moniker, and the incarnation of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. Which would be great to mean this tool helps me being possessed by my higher self, the God that is me, and extract information of my supposedly past lives. Hermes Trismegistus is the source of prisca theologia, and is credited as the root of the arts of philosophy, alchemy, astrology and other occult matters, since magic was seen as the providence of the Gods in those times. It was an excellent choice… the Tengu part is more questionable and duplicitous though.

Literally meaning "Heavenly Sentinel", these mythical creatures have a powerful image, having human, avian and monkey traits. It is a god in Shinto religion where it is attributed to shedding light on Heaven and Earth but a demon and harbinger of war in Buddhism tradition. There they are ghosts of priests of dubious character that fell onto the tengu road because, as Buddhists, they cannot go to Hell, yet as people with bad principles, they also cannot go to Heaven. They mislead the pious, kidnap and harass monks, rob temples, endow those who worship them with unholy power… and possess women in an attempt to seduce holy men. I swear if this is another one of his jokes, I will recreate Tamamo's polygamy castration fist just for him!

Both branches have fused over time and by some point they became regarded as protectors of Buddhism that fell into the demon road due to the flaw of pride or ambition yet they remain the same basically good, dharma-abiding persons they were in life. Their essence is to be tricksters, that can even steal disease, formidable teachers of all forms of the arts of warfare, double-faced priests and minor gods of mountains and forests and consummated fans of music, dance and performance.

For now, the Mask Treasure is a glorified paper weight. While the conceptual weight of it gives me an aura of legitimacy, as if I am exactly who and where I am meant to be, like the famous fey glamour. This small compulsion could makeme a formidable spy if only I wasn't a weirdo wearing an exotic mask though. There is a limit for suspension of disbelief. Fortunately, Tengu's associations with monkeys and trickery allow me to create a more advanced version of the normal transformation technique. The Six-Eared-Macaque from Journey to the West had a so perfect disguise that only the Buddha could see through it, which he then used to impersonate Sun Wukon with. Which is good, because I am sure there will be sensors and spies there today. Now I just need to come up with a minor self-suggestion to 'get me into the role' of Aoko and I am set.

Nothing to do now but face the music. What is the worse that could happen anyway?

-//-

Fukuoka is in a festive mood. This somehow snowballed into a full blow festival. People saw that the influx of nobles mean influxes of hotels that also mean chance for businessmen to make a killing with customers with money to spare, too much even, prices have been inflates to 'tourist trap' level. The worse thing is that they aren't wrong, nobles play the ultimate game of face, their reputation is their greatest asset. They would gladly bankrupt their houses if it could improve their standing. There are countless tales of shrewd merchants that made a killing from exploit the Noblesse Oblige.

This is important because as the host I have to avoid stepping on toes from people that can hire ninja to express their displeasure. They are by far the main market for cloak and dagger games where ninjas are nothing but pieces in the board. You could say this is the reason they actually exist. Nobles are a buffer between normal productive population and ninjas capable of turning entire castles into graveyards in a single night. Large armies of peasants would be cut like nothing, the money invested to raise and upkeep armies is best invested in ninja villages; Konoha particularly is so wealth that nobles and wealth merchants hire genin to do menial tasks just to show off. Peasants are more useful as a productive class, the spoils of the games nobles play. This both protect them from predation and reduce large scale combat.

This mean these nobles will compete to one up each other with the most extravagant present, they will come with an entire entourage of servants and will try to show off how wealth they are to each other. This peacock competition is basically the most popular sport of the masses, they gossip about these games and take sides, place beets and watch in rapture. Honestly, despite the great democracy experiment being less than two centuries old this is perhaps the greatest cultural difference I found in the civilian side of living in the elemental nations. While I see their point, nobody wants a super-assassin in your tail, the easy acceptance people have to the superiority of nobility is strange to me.

But this is exactly why I have taken pains preparing myself for this. Clone three spent the last week furiously collecting info about nobles and taking etiquette classes. I also perfected my recently unlocked social charms to hear the unsaid intentions behind words, this coupled with my ability to smell hostile intentions and taste desires makes me capable to see any landmine coming; hell, even my trivial ability to see chakra unlocked by the Celestial Noon Stigmata is useful for my clones and myself when maintaining low profile. Even redundant or weak abilities can have their use.

Social grace became my literal lifeline, people have died in the past for tangling with nobility, I can't afford to make mistakes. So much for a peaceful life! This is why the ability to not only understand other but also to capitalize on said info is crucial. And Mara's Nectar is not an option here, it is good at grind down mental integrity but too obvious and prone to cause hostility, A is still personally avoiding me like the plague and most of his shinobi are clearly screened. But I am not out of options yet.

An interesting phenomenon exist in this world brought about by the legacy of the Sage of Six Paths. Since everyone has a latent talent for the Thought Penetrating Mind there are actually a lot of people that instinctively use it to connect with others in some passive level. It is even said among ninja that high level combatants can understand each other with their fists alone, without trading a single word. This power of mine just make things clearer, like a better reception cable.

That is where my social-fu comes in, being a fake hoe style. Genjutsu is fundamentally the art of exploiting said link to lying through your teeth. The fact this last Gate is also associated with the Second Noble Truth mean I have an especially easy time to calibrate my words to sound like what people want to hear or charge them with implications that would hurt the most, or lead them to a certain conclusion through the chain of causality(root); especially if this would lead them to the other two, desire and suffering. Desire is the ultimate source of all suffering, after all. I am not even limited to myself, being able to affect the speech of everyone inside my Sphere boundary.

This is why I went to all those etiquette classes. Those were perfect opportunity to test this ability in a safe setting. Make someone pass as clumsy or crass in a classroom where their goal is to learn social grace is safer than in the middle of the street, causing a fight. This power is small and subtle but also amazing and dangerous. The damage I could cause with this can be incalculable, the number of wars that started over stupid feuds are as plenty as grains of sand.

I tested the limits of it. People are far more malleable than they realize. The cluelessness that leads children to believe in obvious lies just because it comes from sources they implicitly trust never really goes away; it is just buried by life experience. People want to be validated, they want to fit in and to feel like they matter. That is why they shut down arguments from those they antagonize despite their validity and give credence to things they want to believe from those they like despite their best judgement. It's all a matter of attacking from the right angle, something I am equipped to discover thanks to my other senses.

This doesn't mean I have any intention of abusing it. I am happy enough with my current life and social standing, at least here. People in Konoha will have plenty of bad days ahead of them, but nothing outright malicious, just self-defense. The truth is that as troublesome as this party turned out to be I am still happy for it. Apollo is so hyped since we got here, he barely noticed my workaholic tendencies. He is going out every day and making new friends, playing and making a nuisance of himself to adults that are happy to show how proper adults should handle troublesome kids. This is the second-best decision in my life behind punching Kurama in the face.

If he had stayed isolated there with Konoha as his whole world for his formative years then his only option in life would be military service. But here he sees there are plenty of options to choose from while also giving him an outside perspective to the shinobi lifestyle. They are either chess pieces to be manipulated in the board, objects of suspicious and fear or rabid dogs to be tamed or hunted down. Fire Nation is the most powerful and prosperous in part due to Konoha great PR, they are extensively seen as the "nice village". This is a misunderstanding, to normal people shinobi life is a grim destiny to be meet grimly but senju simple love fighting so this situation of affaires is ideal. Even I am not above this impulse, I am hyper competitive in an almost unnatural way that I normally only catch on just after the deed has been done. It's like post-nut clarity from a fighting boner.

God protect me during puberty! Senju women are scary, the kind to start the relationship by kill your dog just to make the point they are the only bitch in your life. Nowhere this is more apparent than in ninja academy, as girls hit puberty earlier than boys the final year of the Academy gets the tail end of the phenomenon of hormonal girls with prepubescent boys, leading to bizarre yet familiar situations I thought would get rid of after being born as a female.

Forget cat fights of hair pulling and mean girl syndrome, these girls pull the knifes(kunai) out for D! I literally watched a girl stab another in the arm over the rookie of the year and the ninja teacher sighed, shrugged his shoulders, said 'girls will be girls' and moved on. Because apparently this happens every fucking year in their graduation class, girls go rabid with hormones and start fighting. How is that real life?! This doesn't happen outside of Konoha and even the children from more isolationist clans (cough* - inbreed - cough*) have a more normal behavior for people their age.

I both want to get this over with and don't want to grow up at the same time atthis point. But time stops for no one (Ha!). Better to enjoy the nice moments we have than delve in problems. A nihilist can talk himself into hating any situation no matter the circumstances and sounds rational and sophisticated. I prefer to be a happy fool than a 'based' miserable. This is a happy day of celebration; all this work is going to pay off.

-//-

I was never as grateful for finishing my 4D Mansion than now. By using my own flying thunder god adaptation, I can create a remote anchored point, similar to Hide and Search Nen's ability. I simple don't understand Minato's mindset, his liberal use of this jutsu after stripping it of all safety features is a suicidal gambit, it was a matter of time until he teleported inside something. Tobirama wanted a weapon to trump the sharingan predictive power so celerity was key. I in the other hand have all the time of the world, even if it is compressed in a heartbeat. So, I opted for the traditional dimensional door connecting two points, Dr. Stranger Style, safety first.

My Aoko disguise is perfect, safe for the fox whiskers I insist on bearing. This will only make the family trait cover story stronger though. I can even pull off the magic gunner using my right arm of Gevurah. The gandr shot has its origin in the belief that pointing the index finger at someone is a hex. It has such significance that up to modernity it was considered rude to point at strangers and the origin of the middle finger. Being in the same boat as the evil eye. By using different gestures as mudras I can perform all kind of small but useful spells. While simple channeling malice as Kurama would do had mixed to subpar results the act of 'judgment' is super effective. Like a ranged holy smite from a paladin. The normal evil eye is likely beyond me due to the nature of the Rikugan but there should be other possibilities.

But instead of the white t-shirt and jeans combo Aoko is famous for I went for something a bit more formal and easily recognizable. I don't know how or why suits exist in this world but I will take it, these beautiful and elegant garments are really nostalgic. Like Lex Luthor, to me they were always a 'battle garment' and wearing it once again feels fantastic! Some modifications had to be made so I ended up with a suit resembling Loremaster's from Helltake, with my Oculus disguised as red sport glasses, but instead of lab coat I opted for the stylish long tailed blazer with popped high neck collar. I tried the BB' skirt and thigh-highs for a moment but my heart is nowhere near ready for something this feminine just yet.

I actually got a briefcase like Aoko too, though even if just for the cover of traveler. This is not 21th century, information of cover stories can't be denied with a google search and there are lots of people that are actually really strong without much in the way of formal ninja training. Animals have chakra too, and while some develop intelligence most just become megafauna with toddler level intellect. Everyone needs strength to live on their own so a handom civilian capable of benching pressing a minibus isn't too unusual.

That is how I found myself traveling on foot toward town and soon annexed myself to one of the bands with the same destination. We had the brief small talk obligatory to this day and age, the oldest form of networking and socializing. They confessed their ambitions going to town and asked my reason, I simple answered meeting my family that lived in town. Most dismissed it but some had enough info to guess who they were.

One among them, a tall man using an old school makeup disguise instead of transformation approached me on the low as if he had no real interest and this was merely a whim. I knew he was the real deal by the way he was suppressing his chakra, everyone has some passive affinity for sensing it, and experienced combatants develop a battle intuition by reading their opponent's flow like a jedi. Instead of suppressing it entirely and become an uncanny walking hole it is best to harmonize it as this man is doing, giving off the impression of affability and harmlessness.

If I couldn't see chakra, I would have brought the act until my other senses picked something off. He can't hide his dangerous smell of a powerful shinobi, this guy is a monster stronger than A. though surprisingly, the metallic bloody smell of a killer is mostly absent, as if he refrained from the action. Instead, he smells of debauchery and after-sex. How much of a sex addict you have to be to get to this level? Only the most infamously lecherous nobles I ever treated reached the same level.

He was good, best to take the initiative then. "You know, you might be a total gray wolf but it would be awkward to bring you to home. My sister is already bond to tear my head off on a good day, but if she thinks I forgot to keep in touch because I was fooling around my odds of surviving the day are slimer." I said to him, blowing him off while pulling at his desire while stroking his ego, giving off the impression that if circumstances where different I would be receptive.

That got him off his footing, in a good way, as I wanted; everybody wanted to be validated and he had a big ego by the taste he gives off. Yet he recovered from the stumbling with a health laugh from the gut. "Hahaha, I am sorry. It is just that it has been so long since I laid eyes on such vibrant and lushy red hair that I couldn't help but search to look closer. Now I see it is a befitting crown for a splendid rose." Which leads to the question of where you got it from.

Well, damnit. He isn't lying at all but fishing information. What is especial about red hair? I have already seen people with all kind of hair colors, a literal rainbow of them. I lack intel so I better go fishing for more myself. I need to know why he is in town, the more he talks the more likely he will be to let his intentions slip. "You might want to change this kind of line while in town. This is a really sore topic for a certain someone." I fake restrain laugh at an inside joke at the expense of my Touko persona. He latches onto it; I can taste it. His target is indeed Touko which isn't surprising.

"My, I will take it in consideration." Already had too many bad encounters with paramours; he though. "Yes, today is a joyous day of celebration. Why don't we do merry and focus on the happiness ahead, then?" While at it, why don't you tell me more about your famous relatives?

"My, you are really insistent. While The Chase can be fun on itself, I really can't be let you talking me into trouble, mister." Let's see you display that gallant disposition you are so proud of, mister spy. We have a long journey ahead, more than enough time for you to spill all the beans.

"Come, missy. I am just an upstanding wanderer merchant." Travelling to inside your pants. Rook.

"I heard all the commotion involving this festival and smelled opportunity." To get the intel ordered and meeting lovely things such as yourself, intimately. Line.

"So that is why this gloominess ill suit the occasion. Our meeting is surely destiny, I feel it. So instead of cutting this talk short we should know each other. I am sure it will be enriching." For me, if this Touko is as easy and beautiful as her sister then by the end of the day I will have one flower in each hand, Hehe he. Sinker.

God, I feel embarrassed for all of male kind. We are that easy, aren't we? Here it is this hotshot super spy eating from the palm of my hand. It's rough, buddy. I had been in your shoes. Hang in there, your day under the sun is yet to come. It won't be today, though.

-//-

While the Aoko persona catfished mister James Bond this Touko persona has to live through the acrimony of meeting and greeting. God, but it is draining!

The day started well enough. Apollo awoke me for once, so hyper that he was at this day. Then we proceeded to meeting the contracted organizers and security personal. As the sponsor of this event, I am obliged to ensure none of the adult-sized children get their feathers ruffled and defuse arguments before they blow into feuds or, God forbid, duels.

The fact that one noble house had the brilliant idea of hiring mist ninja as a form of political statement don't help things in either side. My security team isn't happy at all, they simple don't have the face to turning back Leaf shinobi guarding fire nation nobility but mist is another matter. They are butchers and bringing one here so far from their territory is like openly branding a bloody butcher chopper into… well, a children's birthday party. This actually pissed me off so much I made a point to make all words out of this bastard's mouth sound like chalkboard scraping. That is what he gets for pulling such stunt today! The nobles already tasted blood in the water and are politically rending him to shreds.

Good thing I have my own trouble repellent too. Kurama has a real aura of unfriendliness about him. To the point people give him one look, think better of it and turn away. He is basically playing the bad cop to my good one. Tall silent and with scary eyes. Getting your ass kicked in public is a blow to reputation neither ninja or nobles can afford and Kurama radiate danger and power like a lazy tiger, making most would be troublemakers think twice.

My job has been basically this and my life has become that music "highschool never ends" – because this is school all over again. Who has more money, power, influence and romantic conquests, who is sleeping with who, and who are the losers that fail in those subjects. Honestly, it is a more stab-happy version of school drama, people are trying to climb the social ladder with a game of pretend. That said, the stakes are real enough to make all the rest important. This is my family's future and I already sleepwalked my way into notoriety. I am someone that matters, for both shinobi and nobles.

What I did for A was actually a big deal, shinobis of his caliber are like living treasures to their nations. Konoha won the second war on the back of Tsunade's reforms and the rest of the world scrambled to follow up. But without the senju bloodline powerful Yang affinity the effectiveness of their medics never measured up. And I thoughtlessly surpassed her because it was the right thing to do. Helping other is never wrong, but this change things for everyone. Access to medic ninjutsu is actually quite the luxury, for me to not only work for abortable prices but also to dedicate a single day to work for free to the community is seen as some kind of flex.

My off comment to blow off overly generous payment from rich clients instead with donations for the community, since I don't have much use for money beyond a certain extent, led to a fierce competition for face as nobles and rich merchants tried to outdo one another. I never thought much of it at the time but now I see how things escalated to this. The Nobles HAD to show up. If I really wanted to avoid them then I should have been more careful. I don't regret what I did but I should have calibrated my approach and measured the consequence of my actions. At least A set a precedent, unless you are the Lord of a country or a Kage then I don't make house consultations. Really, politics…

At least the children are having fun though. Oblivious to the world of adults around them. Apollo is having a blast, leading a small armada or children around to all sort of games and activities. His extroverted and peppy nature coupled with his blossoming talent for the 「the Comprehension of the Hearts of Others」 is making this the best day of his life! From local children he befriended through the last two months to young nobles cajoled by their parents that then found themselves pulled to his orbit by his sincerity. He really is like the sun now, clear the leader of the pack. Again, no surprise here, if I have a silver tongue then he was born with a golden one. I just taught him how to show to other what a saw the first time we meet, this is his true calling.

He will be alright. Even without me. As he is right now he can make a living by himself anywhere by garnering the help from others. That is why I will see to it that the Masked Bastard will never be able to hurt him ever again.

Even if it kills me.

Ahhh! Enough with glom thoughts! I am really envious of the little kids right now, being adult sucks! I so will discount my frustrations on the buffet. I paid good money on it! Or not. In the end many businesses trampled over each other to be the ones providing this party so I pretty much got it free. Regardless of Realm, in the end is who you know that matters, rich people really don't pay for anything. Anyway, spicy crab salad tapas, here I come!

"It is an honor to meet you, lady Touko. I am Rirako Genji, from Frost Country. I came here just to see for myself the great Dr. Panacea herself." You must be really enjoying all this groveling, right? Don't think you can do as you please just because you have a little bit of talent and have spread your legs to A! There is no way I will let the indignity to bow to a sown like you pass, just you wait!

Or not. These we go again. The bastard basically invited himself here yet intent in causing a commotion. Sure, he probable didn't have a choice. Just by the looks of it is clear he is one of the low rank nobles that always get rattled the most by games of his betters. It's no wonder that a minor succession crisis would affect people in his bracket the most. Frost Country is the only land border Lightning has with the continent. Due to their geography, Lighting favors riverine routes that spring from their mountain to the Sea so Frost Country is more like a geographic barrier than a market of interest. Because of it the two countries are actually in bad terms. It seems the rumor of an alliance with Konoha might be true… which is not my problem. I just have to disentangle myself from the bastard without giving offence.

"It's an honor to have your grace, Count Genji. Please, make yourself comfortable. While I would love to stay and chat more, I have to oversee the karakure doll show to ensure it goes smoothly. Please, feel free to find accommodation and excuse me."

Buss off, creep. I would take any distraction from this horror show called politics. Watch mechanical dolls for half-hour would be a happy respite from this mess. Don Juan is a better and more engaging company than these 'nobles' and he is not even hiding his intents to get in my pants. This day cannot end fast enough.

I turn my back to the bastard and go take a seat besides the stage where a series of artists perform in rotation. I myself didn't organize this but they all were screened by the contracted agency to be up to standards. This kind of expenses required to finance katakure doll show is normally too prohibitive so it is seemed as a 'noble art', due to its exclusivity. Being another ridiculous way rich people waste money to show off, in this regard they are no different from feudal Japan. My expectations are rock bottom.

The curtains pull back and all we see is a black background. Soon the repetitive melody from a music box start to play and a small dandy doll walk itself to the stage, as if alive. To all presents it seems like the doll moves on his own yet my eyes can see the chakra strings manipulating it and yet the way it walks itself is smooth and dare I say, even peppy. Small things, like the way its head swing, the movement of its arms and the articulation of its face give off an illusion of life and intent from the doll. It's like nothing I have seen before, even the fingers are articulated, the make didn't skip in any detail.

The story starts to play out. And to my shock it was literally ninja Pinocchio. Some things were different though. Instead of an old man, Geppetto was an elderly woman but the starting plot remained the same. The puppet boy wanted to be a real boy… it didn't go well for him. There was a melancholic air to it that resemble Evangelion more than a fairy tale. This was a tragedy in the making from the get go as Pinocchio have his dreams crushed and his grandmother eaten by a wolf. While depressing there is a sincerity to it that is simple captivating, this is an empirical truth that comes from deep within the soul. The actor is striping himself bare and bearing his heart to the audience.

To these barbarians this is a boring and depressing spectacle and many talk loudly during the show but yet this too is part of the show. The puppeteer was expecting this, to not be seen. He is even reveling in it. A validation that he too is no different from his puppets in the end. There is no true difference between the two. Maybe it is even preferable to be an unfeeling doll than a human. As Pinocchio engage in vice to dull his humanity and consciousness even a part of me couldn't help but agree he really was better off as a puppet. Life isn't a playground… and yet! I am totally giving this guy a piece of my mind! He is wrong and he needs to know it because I feel it so!

The curtain drops and I applaud vigorously, forcing the rest of the audience to follow my example with my 'talent' and position as host. People keep doing small talk but I quickly blew them off to go give mister Pinocchio a visit before he could run off. Marching to the backstage with all haste without breaking into a run.

And it is as I feared, the guy was almost in his way out of the stage until I accosted him. He looked… bad. Despite the impeccable state of his equipment the man himself was a mess, with a shallow and unkept beard and smell of alcohol and tobacco. He was also using henge to change his hair color for some reason, but my basic sight was enough to see through it. Kind of too basic disguise, if you ask me. But what do I know about ninja?

"H-hey, I watched your show," I am an idiot. This guy is clearly a Sand missing ninja, why am I cornering someone like that outside everyone's presence? Just because he has an artistic soul doesn't mean he isn't dangerous! He quickly thinks the same too, by his raised eyebrow.

"And then you decided to come here all by yourself just to tell me that, leaving behind the thong of important guests?" There is something to be said about how stupid I have been that he is straightforward in his questioning, probable coupled with some misogynism too.

But even then, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I really don't know how to give words to this feeling. Looking at him it is as I feared. If I take my eyes from him, I feel he will disappear. Not in the literal sense but the figurative way – Ah, that is it! I remember now.

It happened when I was fifteen, in the Before. I was just walking across my hometown's commercial district as many students do when I saw him. An elderly man, in his late fifties, clearly a beggar by his battered and unkept cloths. He was also blind, empty eye sockets. But this was not what was more distinctive about him, no. The impeccable violin he kept to himself was the most distinctive thing about him.

I remember seeing him play that violin with crystal clarity. It was as if the time had stopped. The most haltingly beautiful and sorrowful melody I had ever heard. The dissonance between his sorry appearance and the beauty of his art touched my heart like nothing else. I cried by the end of it and remember going to the closest store exchange my money so I could give him everything I could spare for him… and yet!

I never talked to him. I never approached him. Never said how much I loved his music and how great he was! I never tried to help him more. I simple basked in his ethereal art wherever I could. Even though I knew him to him I never existed. He was left alone until one day he simple disappeared. I never heard or seem him again… I have no illusions of his conclusion. Maybe if I had done something things could have been different. So what if he was a stranger? To be an artist is to bear your heart out to the public, reveal a most intimate piece of yourself and compress thousand words in a single action, pushing aside the banality of life and bring to reality a higher noble truth. This is art. I knew him already.

I know him, so at the very least I should honor his commitment and let him know it. Maybe this is why I ended in such a messed-up world. My indolence for a selfish lifestyle has to be cleansed by living in a world where I no longer have the luxury of being so transient when seeing tears. It is true that we are strangers but we don't have to remain so. This power, this gift. It is meant to be shared with others and connect people's hearts. Love is the greatest power there is; though I always thought to love one's neighbor was beyond me the reality is that I can't look away from this man.

I am forever thankful to the bodhisattva that gave me the means to express this. At least one person. If I genuinely work for the salvation of one person at a time then I feel that I haven't shamed his sacrifice and blessing. The world is too big a place for humans so working for the happiness of those in sight own to be enough. Small everyday trivial choices are important, they shape the consequence of big choices. I don't know what I have ahead of me, this is a stupid risk yet I will forge ahead simple because I don't want to regret it again. I might lack the words to truly express what I feel so I will make up for it with sincerity.

With my best smile I have so far reserved for only two people in the world I look this lost man in the eye and bear my heart to him the same way he did back in the stage.

"I see you."



[AUTOR'S ROOM]

So, many things happening this chapter. As I already expressed this is a bit of an experiment and yet I have set out to make sure plot hooks are followed through. It would feel meaningless to make this radical change to Naruto's life experience and simple shove it to the background so his first birthday party outside of Konoha became a big plot point where politics and ninja more subtle arts gained prominence.

I also felt it would be more interesting to make the magic more expansive in a way that doesn't empower the character. Tailed beasts started as unrivaled existences that then got power crypted by 'normal' humans. For beings that lived for thousand years to have no leg up over mortals doing pushups for one or two decades is sort of insulting. I can accept that ss entities born from the Creation of All Things jutsu their parameters were decided at birth so Kurama exploited Megume's gift to create a 'patch' to the SoSP' 'program' using his life experience.

This was also a good chance to explore the nobles that are supposed to be the driving force behind all those three world wars while allowing ninjas to show their spy craft. While we felt the influence of money in the Wave arc, they were so forgotten that it was almost like they didn't matter by late series. That is also why Jiraya and Sasori are infiltrating there, Megumi broke the monopoly Tsunade had over the most advanced healing techniques that allowed her to keep her relevance despite being out of commission for almost thirty years. This is a big deal in the world. Konoha is the only place producing S rank ninja in industrial scale and throw them away, every village that matter hoard them.

Megumi finally showing off her Saruman skills. I have quoted Exalted enough by now to make clear she understands the devastating power of Talk no jutsu. While she doesn't have the friendly disposition of Naruto to save everyone this only make her sincerity shine through when she actually tries. While far less powerful than Mara's Nectar it is also less noticeable too and they can still be combined. Considering she can't serious fight without causing a Category 5 Storm in a radium of five miles this is also good.

 

[BrunofanofK]

Hello, this is Aoko terminal (and real body) once again returning with our scheduled catfishing broadcasting. I must give it to James Bond here; he refined his game to an art form. The cardinal rule of relationships is that you can do anything to a woman (within reason!) but bore her. Something simple in theory but challenging in practice. This involve many steps with just as many treacherous pitfalls. That is why precisely why "faking until you make it" does not work here, putting an entire different persona based on the different woman's interests is simple too outlandish prospect. This is why a level of sincerity is necessary to make a convincing front. Men develop a "script" refined through trial and error that serve as the foundation of their pick-up game and then fill the blanks to maximize impact and pass as sincere and spontaneous.

If I am to be sincere with myself, this dishonest and morally dubious practice does not differ an iota from embezzlement. However, as they say – 'do not hate the player, hate the game'. There are worse ways to go around it and this is the most civilized one that do not involve arranged marriage. For all posturing and virtue signaling that, people like to show off like peacocks, in the end, most are shallow and disingenuous, regardless of gender. Honesty and character is so way bellow good looks, status symbols and magnetic personality it can scarcely even be seem preceding them.

Hah! Just thinking about it invoke some painful memories of poor life choices. There is no man that does not have one scar of heartache. That I can still flinch just thinking of them after an entire lifetime show how deep they go. How was it again?

'Those that paint beauty in love have yet to meet it. Those that paint ugliness in love have already arrogantly met it.'

Shakespeare was into something when he likened it to madness, Romeo and Juliet was meant as a cautionary tale. Therefore, what does it say about someone that never settled down and quitted the 'game'? Always after a new paramour to warm their bed.

That is what mister super-spy here come off looking like. He vaguely reminds me of that super straight-laced friend every male group has that got ntr(ed) by his high school sweetheart he thought he would marry with and then go all out in a self-destructive binge with a new girlfriend every week for an entire year as a form of revenge against all womankind. No matter how many woman he beds and discard like trash there is only one that will be forever the owner of his heart. In a sense, his actions are likened to the vandalization of a religious icon, an attempt to bleach his soul by razing it.

In short, he is interesting. Honestly, maybe I have become more of a woman that I realized. I know he is bullshiting me, no matter how well polished and irreverent his rhetoric, I can see the plastic and fake edges in this discourse. Yet I am going along with it anyway!

The worst part is that he is stringing me along here. The same way boredom is a cardinal sin to dating there isn't a best way to get under a woman's skin than feinting disinterest and apathy. Interesting people, after all, will search to hang out with people just as interesting as they think themselves to be. The classic 'abusive boyfriend', that goes from neutral to completely disdainful and indifferent in a blatant attempt to pressure the woman in question into something.

If one side sees it as the most aggravating form of persuasion, the other sees it as their own little shit test. This is a good gauge to measure engagement – there are plenty of girls that love nothing more than to suck time, energy and money without any real interest to moving thing forward, even treating the other as a meal ticket. This is a measure of engagement that also force a leverage, moving the courtship forward faster than the other part would like it.

The problem here is that in this game of spy X spy we are playing neither can act suspicious or out of character. As easy going as he can present himself as, this man is still a shinobi, and one capable of killing this entire caravan unopposed. My lack of interest in figureheads over generic cultural disposition of a nation is biting me in the ass. Even if he gives me some hint of his identity, I have never read any Bingo Book. A serious oversight when personal prowess has such significance in the world. There is no way this guy isn't famous simple due to his power and advanced age but I only know the more notorious old hands of the shinobi world. Like Sarutobi, Onoki and Ranzo. He is too young to be any of them but the wild different personality between these three just affirm to me how unpredictable this situation is.

While someone like Sarutobi would try to capture me if he thought I was suspicious, and Ranzo would play with me like a lazy cat, Onoki would kill not only me but also everyone here if I make the wrong move. That is why I have to pass through all this hurdles while avoiding suspicion. He simple is not someone that I can overlook or tick off. I once again remember my conversation with Kurama; without even realizing it, I became one of the "named characters" of these nations' history. A shaker and mover that can't be ignored. What a headache!

"You seem a little distracted there, Aoko-chan. Something heavy in your mind or am I simple that tiring?" my riveting and prohibitively dangerous friend here point out. Damn but he is sharp, or maybe I am more transparent than I think myself as.

"Sorry, sorry. It is just that with this many people gathering for something as casual as a birthday party make me realize how she has move up in life. Maybe a little too much. Dedication and recognition are good but I fear being the greatest medic of the elemental nations will be more trouble than it is worth. That airhead always has her head in the clouds so I fear she will sleepwalk into trouble."

My comment was innocent and reasonable enough so that is why I almost tripped due to his reaction. Something ugly and caustic rose from the surface due to something in my passing commentary. Outward nothing changed; he was still easy smile and jovial banter yet I tripped some red flag!?

No, my disguise is airtight. There is a taste of longing rolled together with his dangerous reaction. That was outrage! He has some personal opinion that I clearly offended somehow. But what? Besides generic family small talk, everything I said was that Touko gained fame as the best medic in world…

Oh, my fucking god! I am dead! There is only one reason someone would react like that. He has a strong personal opinion about who the best medic in the known world is. Oh, sure. There are all sort of unrecognized talents out there but when you take his strength on the equation the pool of candidates become damningly small. I have to confirm this, the only way pass this is through!

"Are you from Fire Country, mister?" I ask the more casually as I can, in the end we have been playing this game for a while and he has pulled the mysterious card. Which always is invitation to play twenty questions, something I have judiciously exploited to figure him out through innocent questioning. People can say a whole lot of truth by how they lie.

To his credit, he stayed ice cold and did not jump the gun thinking his cover was blow but his invisible aura jumped like a startled cat. "Why would you think that, exactly, Aoko-chan?"

"You got really offended when I mentioned my sister's fame. Are you a Tsunade's fan by any chance? They always get peeved that she was dethroned, even though it has been decades since she retired." I am playing with fire here, this guy is bad news. There are two suspects of his identity, but with his personality, I can easily cut it down to one. If he is whom I think, he is then I am over my head here. However, we already reached Kurama's range, the Intel will be crucial.

This time he give me a scalding stare down before he can help it. I raise my hands in mock surrender but mask my trepidation with a mischievous little smirk of self-satisfaction. Fuck, a living legend straight out of a fairytale is right in front of me! The Galant Jiraiya.

I really would like to dismiss this as cosmic coincidence but his level of power and cultural significance shared with famous ninjas from folklore of Before manifested as reality in this land must be more than coincidence, some destiny is at play here. Sarutobi's father was the famous Sarutobi Sasuke, Ranzo, the salamander, is a chief of state and the Sannin are real.

Hell, I watched a tokusatsu show literally called Jiraiya through my early childhood. For all I know he will pull out his Olympic Sword and explode me with one slash! That said, I could scarcely be anyone but myself, so of course I will keep on digging my own grave.

"Someone has a crush." I tease in a singsong voice. The line between madness and brilliance is a blurry one. Tsunade is famous enough to have all sort of admires, especially due to her unreserved use of ninjutsu to preserve her youth. She is also a hero from two world wars that saved many. I have no reason to be suspected, for all that they call themselves ninja most live and die by their reputation; I even disguised my teasing in a veil of jealousy. If you are Jiraiya though, she is the last person you want to be associated with during an infiltration job. He will be walking thin ice to keep people from making the association. As good as any manacle of iron binding his hands and feet.

He was doing his best to re-center himself and get this conversation back on track, though nothing of his trepidation bleed to his body language as he reigned in his agitated aura, prof he overcame many close calls like this one. Yet just before he could spin a new tall-tale, the world was rocketed by a salvo of explosions.

We both turned toward the commotion, my head felt like cotton, the trepidation overtake my body like a stone falling inside my gut. Apollo!

I flew, literally taking to the air like a comic hero. The Raiden Shogun Eye of Storm Stigmata has cemented my grip over the Ether of Wind. While before I could briefly find purchase in it to double jump or glide in the wind, now it is as easy as walking- no, flying was actually easier to walking by far. On the legs of Glory and Victory, Hod and Netzach as one, I toke to the air as if I belonged there.

Here beyond all but the keenest of eyes, I dared activate my Rikugan and look at what is happening… What a tragedy! No, crime!

Retracing the chain of casualty unveiled to me the conspiracy that designed the attack at the borders of town, where celebrants had gathered to have their own personal feasts. This was not a crime of passion but premeditated arson, there are over one hundred culprits biting at the heel of my new hometown, divided in two big mobs.

A diversion, a massacre for the sake of a diversion! Was life here really so cheap that coin could condemn an entire city?! I serrated my fists, bringing my temper under control. A thunderstorm is the last thing these people need. It was supremely uncomfortable, just illustrating how weak my grip on this power is as of now. I want to see Apollo, even if I know he is not in real danger, his real body is still in Konoha but he isn't beyond pain of the body and soul. This is reason enough for me to rush there. Yet Kurama's lazy aura tells me he had the situation well in hand.

His calm is like judgement. Naïve, it all but say. He see this for what it is. The real target is among the dignitaries, a crime of opportunity. There is a no small part of me feels vindicated that they will blindly walk to the jaws of death. Jiraiya might have looked impressive, but at the end of the day he was only a human. There is nobody in my prodigal line of sight that has a snowball chance in hell of victory against him.

I turn my gaze to the victims of this cruel ambush. Some already dead but many more sure to follow if I do not interfere. I make a point to double-check where I best could help after I dispense these bastards before deactivating the Rikugan and falling to the earth like a meteor. Creating an avalanche by transferring my momentum to augment my earth bending display.

My opening attack made short work of about six of the hooded shinobi, burring them alive, harmed over a dozen and unsteadied twice as that. Cutting the city from their line of sight as the last of the momentum was used to create an improvised stonewall, no real obstacle for ninja but any hurdle against stray shots could save a life.

There was panic abound in the group as their blintze was prompted arrested in its tracks but these dogs were war hounds, ready for the unexpected. They also know to not expect mercy and spare none for their enemies themselves. I am assaulted by a volley of all diversity of ninja arts, from an artillery of giant throwing stars, fireballs and spears of stone to esoteric animated constructs as the platoon try to force their way through in desperation. The city was shocked full of shinobi, for every second I retard them their chances of creating chaos and escape dim.

My answer was contempt. Bringing my two arms together, Gevurah and Chesed, Justice and Love work in harmony to make manifest the outrage of my virtuous heart, to answer in actions my opinion of these scoundrels. With a clap of my palms the Heaven' Thunder Hammer rebuts the strike of the wicked and hit back at the crocked in a deafening shockwave that quaked the earth and can be heard by a mile. I am far from done though.

Virtue is excellence in performance, a product of cultivated habit, as Aristotle put it. Crossing my arms together while serrating my hands into fists, I reach to the disjunction created in the air currency by my action and grab at it, preserving and fostering at it, straining against the resulting chain lightning in my palms. Lighting is the divine fire of judgement, the weapon of choice of the heavens against the cruel.

To their credit, among their number there are those bearing some measure of low cunning, by the time I straightened myself with thunder in hand at waist level they had tried to salvage the situation by capitalizing the result of the sealing scrolls previously deployed as water bombs in their previous volley. While their attempt to my life was frustrated, the embers of hope remain in some, fools. To actually believe the interaction of the basic building blocks of Creation could be explained away as a children's game speak of gullibility unending. The only reason this myth endured is due to its hold of the zeitgeist of ninjutsu theory, a placebo effect that is made real by the consenting beliefs of the two clashing spiritual energies.

I am different though. The cold-hearted fire of mine is Tribulation made manifest. As long as someone exist in Samsara, the chain of cause and effect is inescapable, this is karma. It is Kindness to guide the sinner to confront the manifestation of his crime upfront so that he may repent before a too big tally is racked to be paid in one single life, one death. It is Justice that I let go of any personal investment and let Karma be the deliverer of the strike, making straight of the crocked by smiting them with the consequence of their actions.

I stretch my arms forward and let go of the lighting, letting Karma take the reins. The astute ninjas try to debut my attack with gusts of wind and redirect it with pillars of water but my lightning lances spread into a net that deftly dodge and weave between said attacks to render judgement to their blackened hearts. Agonizing screams is all that can be heard in the clearing. Some go to their knees due to the agony; some pass out due to the pain… the truly hopelessly wicked among them will never wake up again. Karma had taken its toll.

For a second the stretched into eternity I felt about to collapse. My lungs constructed so painfully my breath simple doesn't come in and moisture gather unbidden. I just wanted to curl into myself and cry myself to sleep but thousand screams of help kept me firmly rooted into place. I could never let the evil prosper at the expense of the innocent. The people behind me opened their arms to my son, brother and myself, broke bread with me and allowed us to build our first and genuine home right alongside them. These last weeks have been like a dream. They are good people living modest lives with dignity.

Those in front of me came to steal this respire from them! They caused it. They have only themselves to blame!

They brought desolation and suffering to the good people of my new home. All among their numbers would have easily despoiled it with a light heart in what should be a day of celebration.

This is justice.

I might have shown the other cheek at the people of Konoha in jest as they were in pain and do not know better, but to back down here would be nothing but rationalized cowardice. Maybe I am fooling myself here, but at least I know that Karma will see to it that I will also be judged for my actions, the same way these men had been. This should be enough then. I might not have started this fight but I will gladly end it.

With this resolve, I charge, flying like a bird of prey at the stunned ninjas. The differences between us are apparent in the first exchange; my strike at the center of mass of the ninja not resulting in a caved in his ribcage in virtue of the Mercy of my left arm, for my right one would have been far more punishing.

Even if the difference between our chakra reverses is not more than ten times, due to the way I use mine, almost the entirety of my Yang energy is committed to some form or other of self-reinforcement while eighty percent of theirs is languished and inert. This make the effective disparity between us a seemingly unsurpassable gulf. Though this comes with a price, I am effectively out of MP; these two techniques toke everything I had available to spare. I could still get by with innate "spell-like abilities" my Stigmata collection confer me but becoming this much of a quick-shot is somewhat aggravating.

Unaccustomed with real combat with inferior opponents, I use the right arm to grab and strike limbs while the left one is focus on delivering finishing blows. I have enough sense exploit my superior mobility to keep on the move, recklessly entering the frame to instigate friendly fire, I have no hope there is honor among thieves.

While normally this is the moment they would break formation to attack town or escape now that I am no longer impeding their path, my Mara's Nectar has already stole their good sense. I have effectively 'aggroed' the mob to me. Humans are very good at self-deception; only the most astute among them broke rank and bolted. All for the small cost of having the remaining vagrants falling into me with abandon, like a colony frenzied piranhas.

At this point, it is only my new sense of special awareness granted by my enhanced sense of touch that is keeping me afloat. I am being overwhelmed by bodies, I deflect and evade, punish every strike with punishing blows that extracts creams and sickening sounds… but even then I am being overwhelmed.

I wind enhanced flying star that nick my ear and neck, flame sword that kiss the bone of my forearm, electric kunai in the kidney to save my spine and countless of minor cuts. At some point, I started to use my superior strength to convert one of my assailants into an improvised club and spiting fire like a dragon is surprisingly useful crowd control but things are far from certain. If I pull out the resulting ninjutsu volley will be impossible to dodge, and while my Celestial Noon Stigmata would offer some protection, it is more effective in medium term exposure against a single enemy than instant adaptation against dozen of different attacks.

No, this battle of attrition is to my favor, if they discover I can no longer bring about large-scale techniques like before then they will pick me apart. Even if it is scary and painful I have to march on, my heart is thundering in my chest like a hummingbird, Kurama's little gift keeping me from flagging and slowing down. I turn the Mara's Nectar inward, going mad myself and letting instincts take the reins. It is not as if I can show my other Stigmata powers without risking compromising my identity anyway.

My world is consumed by a red raze, my senses sharpen, my canines grow, my gentle whiskers stretch menacingly, my nails stretch into claws and my head is filled with cotton, a genuine out of body experience. There is someone else behind the wheels and the smell of blood that was nauseating before now can only be described with one word – meat.

Previously restrained fighting form takes a definitely lethal gait, tearing flesh and crushing bone. If this fight could be likened to a feast of piranhas before, now it is a carnival of carnage. My own madness spreads like a disease and they abandon all caution to throw their lives always in a lunatic frenzy, their faces twisted into a scowling of abject terror. As if I was the monster.

Even then I am being overwhelmed. By using their associates as smoke screen one of them, manage to nail me with an earth spear, skewering me with two of his "friends". The pain is dull due to the adrenalin but the loss of mobility is the real mind killer. I strike the part of the spear in front of me as quickly as I can but this denies me any good advantage to remove it from the front, making it an awkward angle that my enemies seize with desperation to nail me down. This is enough though.

The small window of opportunity the callous actions brought was just as mercilessly capitalized by his fellows. I did what I could, striking back with my right arm and deflecting with my left one but more damage was mounting up – cut cheek, perfured thigh, bleeding forehead, and cracked ribs. I had reached my limit, and was about to break in the time-stop to reposition myself, cover be damned, when the cavalry arrived. My assailants were being engulfed by fire conflagration. I look up and see that Jiraiya has entered the frame, blowing cover to save my bacon.

I use his flashy entry to grab at the nearest ninja and throw him like a sling stone against the distracted flank, and use the little chakra restored since the last moments to raise a stone wall that I promptly grab and to use as shield and battering ham to rush the mob.

Soon enough we are joining by the shinobi in town that quickly work to rout the terrorist unidentified shinobi group. I won, so why doesn't feel that way? My disguise held despite all odds, showing how good Kurama was at this and I am alive at least. Help the people in town first, existential crisis letter.

I grab the piece of stone lodged in my stomach the best I can with my fingers and jerk it out. Jiraiya scream in dismay but the blood shower that followed was cut short by my body supernatural vitality. Not so much regeneration but more like mending and shutting down injuries. I am in no risk of dying, even with all the damage taken my life force reserves were about forty percent.

I center myself for a moment, letting the miasma of madness and its electric vigor recedes, I will do more harm than good like this. I feel like a puppet whose strings were cut but force through the lethargy and hangover to march toward town, there are a lot of wooded and I can at least stabilize- My musings and marching are arrest by a calloused hand over my shoulder. I look up and see Jiraiya, still in disguise looking at me.

"You have done enough, stand down Aoko. The town is saved, you need to worry about yourself first!" I tried to break from his grip and protest but dizziness stops me. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Everything I was holding back rushing to me at once, now that I am without the adrenaline my body starts to shake uncontrollable... I think the taste of iron in my mouth is from a throat I bit open! The naked concern in his eyes are so novel for some reason. I tried to remember the last time someone looked at me like that in this life.

I killed a lot of people and hurt many more. I feel like I almost died myself too, even if facts differ. Could have died if he had come a second later or had I made some poor decision while mad. I…

He console me with a hug and I lean into it, grabbing him like a lifeboat. An novel sensation rush over me and I crumble, crying in open despair. What the hell! Is this happening everywhere just outside reach? This was what shinobi life was like? Were Apollo and me being groomed for that!?

Fuck that!

A manic strength fills me but all I can do with it is scream to the heavens. Jiraiya bears with me, far too jaded but too compassionate to tell me off. He simple look at the carnage around us, carnage I wrought, with old stoic solemnity. This somehow fill me with some measure of sense, centering myself. I have to go help; I still could, so this is what I would do. Even if at a sedated pace. He accompany me, if it was compassion or self-interest I was too expent to care.

-//-

[Kurama's POV]

It's always a surprise, how stupid humans can be. A thing Megumi does not understand yet, as for all their troubles, her old world was still an impossible paradise compared to here, almost blindingly brilliant. Warfare of tribal genocide and extinction gave way to conquest and submission that gave way to conflicts over rights and privilege. All of this before she was even alive. Neatly compressed as if thousands of years couldn't feel like a blink of the eye and a unbearable eternity at the same time. I would not believe if I hadn't seen it. Even then I dare not to dream when not drunk in her presence.

She knows but does not understand yet that as much as these people might look like humans she could mistake for denizens of her old world, the similarity was skin-deep. If the secrets of the atom were to be given to all the nations of the continent then the world would be an irradiated ball of fire by the end of the year. It is a truth, which I have seen in ages long forgotten. Humans in this world had already made such discoveries and many more besides… and yet the result was always the same.

There is no such a thing as enlightened self-interest in the Elemental Nations. Just storms of warfare where people gambit it all in the hope of killing all of their enemies while they have the strength then buying time with 'peace treaties' to rebuild their forces for next turn. Even the peace of this town is a transient thing; it simple came its turn to be engulfed in the flames of war. Nowhere is truly safe from this, be it this border town, Konoha itself or any great capital. There is nothing sacred about human life!

Even so, I doubt she will really change the way Minato had when faced with the truth of the world. His sweet talk may have swaged Kushina but I saw through it clearly. The reason he gambled it all on the prophesy of the Old Toad Sage was an escape. He could not bear with himself who had failed to change things and became another gear in the bloody war machine of this world. He accepted he could not be the man that could change this world. He was right, at the end of the day he was just another killer when he gave up on himself.

So, what would it take then, to bring fate's design to fruition? Stainless hands, perfect purity and a spirit that never breaks or falters? I thought so for a long time, that is why I gave up on humans. There is no way any of these hairless monkeys could ever be this virtuous, and even if there were one mad enough to qualify, he would be crucified by his accursed kin for the offence. My experience with the Uchiha are a good enough proof of concept.

Megumi was indeed a blessing and she would have been tore apart by her family if she had to grow among them. To make the sensible choice and turn her sight away from the bad of the world to lay eyes and grow in the good is something their jealousy would never abide. Sonner or latter one among their numbers would give into temptation, as their covetous nature instigate them to take by force what they felt was denied to them by fate.

No matter how good of a person they are, their accursed blood would see to it. Ironically, Madara was far from the worse Uchiha I had to contend with over the ages. He would have given in to Hashirama. If he had triumphed at the End, Madara would not have the will to follow through and kill Hashirama; if only he had lived up to his ideals of peace until the bitter end. He was searching for "It" too. Even then, he still walked the same beaten path laid by his predecessors.

Maybe, just maybe, Hashirama could have been the man Madara wished for him to be, if he had been the one to validate him. Instead, he kept on throwing tantrums and pushing "shit tests" Hashirama's way every time he felt insecure about something… Megumi's vocabulary is really rubbing off on me, that little shit would be insufferable if she found out. Though I must confess, the knowledge she brought over offered me a great insight.

Humans are monkeys that excel at pattern recognition, something Son Goku would be definitely peeved about, but I digress. One time it is random chance, two is coincidence but three times become statistic. All the time a member of the Uchiha clan would rise beyond his station and become capable of content with my siblings, one among the Senju would rise to match him. Vice-versa, ad infinity. I had my suspicious but Megumi's knowledge supplied the missing context. In some way, the world is stuck in a rut, where this ancient succession crisis is reenacted again and again by Ashura and Indra's descendants. The context would change but the topic remained the same. It is like a curse, and Megumi probable would describe it literally as suck, Karma.

Therefore, it becomes a question of how to break this curse. Can said curse be broken by creating a lasting peace between the descendants of these two lines? Ha, why should it matter at all!? Why does the world have to spin around these two lunatics anyway!? Instead of breaking this circle why not simple starve it? It is outlandish proposition, but a certain someone was so self-absorbed and self-righteous that she blew through this generational curse as if it was not even there. Somehow, the worse traits of these two cursed bloodlines were passed on and distilled in fully but the result is actually tolerable.

The most unbelievable thing of all is that the circumstances necessary for said conception to happen came to pass. Even if living in the same city, the idea that the streams would actually cross would have been inconceivable for those familiar with these two clans. Her parents must have been quite the pair of black sheep's; this might also explain how she ended up in an orphanage, especially in that night of all nights. It is rare for one such as myself to feel remorse but Megumi has made me soft, I most definitely killed her parents so at least today I should show my heartfelt gratitude.

The answer had been on my face all the time. As corny as it might sound, it is 'Love'. The first precept of Ninju. That chakra should not be hoard by a few but circulating from hand to hand, like money, creating a virtuous loop. This is what the Old Man meant. 'Mana is the meant to power, not power itself.', Megumi would put it.

What differentiate one chakra from another? Even if I am regarded as the bearer of the most supreme chakra in the world, the strongest tailed beast, what does it actually mean? Somehow the world has been overtaken by Indra's ideology of hoarding power. Even the Senju and my siblings have done the same.

My first meeting with Megumi dissuaded me of such views. The binding force manifested in chakra that I always assumed to be an intrinsic element of it was actually part of a greater design all along. With this new insight and a lot of free time not pinned by spiked chains and in possession of a back door I put myself to work.

What is the essence of worship but fear itself? I always regarded the grudge that clung to me as a stain. While I still think so now, I have new means to manage it. That which influences us but is not made conscious of will play out as fate. Words to live by. Much like those humans of that fairytale land refined raw tar into all kinds of manufactured goods I created in my humble soul an altar, which such grudge can congregate and then refined.

This decision paid dividends. Megumi's decision to part with her cultivated progress to hasten my restoration are more endearing that I will ever admit, yet at the end of the day her actions are like a child trying to fill an Olympic pool with a toy bucket. The hatred and grief of one of the biggest population centers of the world, in the other hand, rendered more dividends than I could have ever predicted!

How ironic that those vermis that had so desperately latched themselves to my power would become the source of my new strength, God is a thought the lives inside people's heads and I have lived in Konoha for a long time. An appropriated Evil God for this band of wretches. Before long, the rumble altar had become an ostentatious temple, where the grudge of Konoha was to aggregated and broken down into power. This was not what the Old Man intended when he recommended love, but things have long since went off track.

I soon figured out how to hasten my rehabilitation with it and how to rebuild my power to match this new age. Leverage all my life experience into an Ethos. However, this was not enough; the war over chakra had finally left us Tailed Beasts behind over the last one hundred years. Between the dissemination of sealing arts and creation of legendary jutsu, humans have finally overtaken my kind. Subjugating and sealing us as tools of war. Biju bombs have long become outdated means of combat. I needed something new. The question was what.

I might have all the time in the world but it is not as if the world would stand still and let me catch up to it. I lost because I did just that and was overtake in what felt like the blink of an eye. Even if I manage to catch up now, the circle would repeat itself once again, as things tend to in this world. I needed a more permanent solution that to training like humans would do. I ounce of prevention is worth a pound of medicine. It is wise for an immortal to keep himself ahead of the curve.

Megumi once again came through for me; exploit the binding force of charka as a tool to accelerate learning to help Apollo. A foreigner accomplished something never even conceived by the natives since the dissemination of Ninshu. As if it was obvious. In a sense it was. The Industrial Revolution experienced by her world looks like a miracle to me, despite all troubles involved. That they did not kill themselves with it and lasted long enough to reach an Information Revolution even more so. Science is the effort of a thousand of thousand hands locked together to reach the truth. In a sense, its cooperative spirit for the benefit of all embodies what Ninshu aspired to be. Maybe this sentimentality was what spurred me do something so unlike myself.

I still had my pride as a Guardian, overseeing and protecting the world left in my care and expunging the evil by its rots. For what other reason would he have given the strongest sibling the greatest talent for the Understanding of the Heart of Others, then? If I were to share my power with someone then it would be with those that understand the wickedness of the world and wish to see it punished.

The awful indigestion caused by the Gold and Silver menaces coupled with my last century of captivity gave me the insight but my first gift to Megumi was the inspiration. I opened myself to the cries of pain reverberating across the ether and reached to them. While the Biju telepathy was calibrated for us siblings to reach each other, it is by no mean limited to it, it is more a lack of interest in humans restricting it to our containers. Despite my frightening and menacing… everything, people that have reached the bottom see any light as hope. I commiserated with them and expressed my own frustrations and then I gave them an offer. A fragment of my power for the promise to act in my place, as I would, enforced by a Binding Vow.

Just a fragment, harmonized in place by the consensual pact. The power granted on its own wouldn't amount to much even to a human. The true value of said bargain is in the fact the connection to my nascent Mystic Foundation of my Ethos would allow my surrogates to manifest a measure of my own might. Megumi would make some crass D&D reference about me becoming a Warlock Patron, calling me sugar daddy or something.

That is why I moved one-step ahead and owed the term. The fact my warlocks are essentially familiar that serve as extended eyes and ears is also a nice bonus. They gain power beyond their wildest dream and I get loyal agents I can instigate against anyone in my shit list and collaborators enthusiastic about exploring the limits of my power. While collaboration jutsus are something rarely used by ninja due to the complications of coordination under enemy assault, wi-fi connection turned out to be a simple solution, the fragment parted with serving as the identification token. Perfect.

Yet complications crop up.

For all that I have been sealed through three Uzumaki generations I have never truly know humans, not really. My containers have always been either incredible sheltered or disabused. To have the second hand view of what pass for 'normal human experience' was insightful…

To my eternal shame, I have never truly know them. I was satisfied hating humans for the conflict they stirred. As if their existence and day-to-day struggle was something I could ignore from my comfortable seat of spite. While fraternizing with accomplishes of my captivity as a lap dog was something I would never do there is something to be said about dereliction of duty. Moreover, a lot else about freedom of association.

The daily hurdle to scrap by a livelihood, the contentment in enjoying the fruits of their honest labor and companionship of kindred, and the fragile hope that tomorrow will be the same as today. It is hard to hold contempt for someone so… ordinary. Most humans would happily live their lives without harming a single person. While the snowflake does not fault itself for the avalanche, it is hard to say most of these people have any say about the fate of the world.

In the end of the day, I was as prone to personal bias as anyone else was and pushing all the blame of the world's situation on the feet of others while cleaning my hands was just an escape. This acceptance gave way to tolerance and familiarity gave way to camaraderie. While some of my warlocks tried to reconstruct their lives after justice was served, some did not know how. They latched on my mission for purpose, doing my work on my stead. They confided their doubts and fears to me, searching guidance and meaning in their broken lives, and finding relief in the mission and looks of gratitude of those liberated by their new strength. It was hard to stay distant and indifferent, so I didn't bother.

One became dozen, dozen became dozens, dozens became a hundred and before I realized it, I had hundreds of followers scattered through the continent. Many have already parted, their stories cut short before their time. It bothered me more than I care to admit. And why shouldn't I be bothered? Even if transient, in their short lives they touched more lives in a positive way with the shard of my power than I ever bothered to do while free to use it unmolested. Their end was painful and sad, but it was also beautiful. The shining light Megumi showed me the day we meet is something anyone can bear. All this, started by a reckless moment of unrestrained kindness.

This is True Power. Old Man, you forced me to wait for too long! I couldn't help but wonder how the world will looks like after my siblings join me in this. Alas, I have not thrown my common sense out of the window just yet. We all grew… twisted in out tenure. And I have to admit I can be a difficult individual to deal with over the ages. Maybe I antagonized some of them more than I probably should. Matatabi and Gyūki are too chummy with ninjas and their affairs too, a danger to my two young charges. In the end, I decided for inviting Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Saiken and Chōmei in the fray.

Isobu didn't answer, it was the weirdest thing. As if the line was occupied, which worry me greatly. He is supposed to be sealed in the Kage of Hidden Mist, my new servants informed, so for him to go dark does not inspire confidence. This bizarre situation made my other siblings more amenable to my proposition. Even stubborn Kokuō came around to hear my call, for all the good it did. This just serves to show how much we all still cling to Old Man's last words, though my new bizarre appearance also helped.

In the end, only Son Gokū and Chōmei accepted my gift. For all that we are siblings my relationship with them wasn't anything close to what I have with Megumi. Well, I did my part. If any of them change their minds, they can come back crawling in their knees for it!

At the end of the day, I am just setting the stage. The one to move the pieces has already been decided. Megumi might have no interest in dictating the affairs of the world, and I learned to appreciate the kind of life she is trying to lead here, rumble and honest, paid for with the sweat of her brow. The lesson she is about to learn is how fragile this peace really is, and that any prosperity build on a foundation of sand will only taste of ashes. Even the walls of Konoha can't protect her.

This lesson broke all before her. From Ashura to Hashirama to Minato. I got first roll seat to the most pathetic comedy of the world. Men worshiped by their fellows as gods withering behind closed doors, always from prying eyes as the world failed to meet their expectations and their naïve dreams crumble besides their shortcomings. Wannabe heroes turned butchers.

Megumi is different in this regard. At the end of the day, she is cut from the same cloth as Madara, and perhaps all Uchiha. If there is no place, where people can live a modest and happy live then she will make it so with prejudice. In addition, if you are doing it to one city then might as well spread it to a province, country, continent and finally the world. Her ideals will play out to their natural conclusion; before she realize it, she will be dragging the world into a modicum of peace even if she has to drag it by the hair, kicking and screaming.

The stark difference is in execution. They search answer to questions she does not even deign to ask. While a normal Uchiha would search to solve all challenges before him with a compulsive, pursue of power, thus justifying to himself his covetous nature as consequence of necessity. And a Senju would waste his life pursuing peace as if it was a puzzle that if answered can create a balm capable of healing all wounds and hatred.

Megumi in the other hand never thought the answer could be found by a single person or in the tip of a strong sword arm. She never thought she was the chosen one capable of succeeding where all before failed. That is why I never bothered to tell her anything about prophecies and world salvation. I cannot have her growing a big head either. The answer has to be given with a thousand voices; it cannot belong to a single person.

A polite way of saying she would look at a situation and thing to solve it by doing the least working possible, freeing herself more free time to pursue whatever strike her fancy while claiming all the credit and still looking good… now that I think of it, is not it what the Old Man just did? Letting things to be solved by a mysterious successor!

Of course, I do not intent to throw her to the wolfs either. Smoothing her path until she comes to this conclusion on her own is for the best. Whatever Gods out there know, she is already overly dramatic without a sad backstory. That is why the fools in front of me are going to die, and die screaming. If there were an art form I mastered over the ages, it would be how to make a statement.

Live was so much simpler before that bird brain walked into my life. I would have started crushing these fools hours ago yet… if this day is going to end as a bad one, is it so bad to let them at least enjoy the good of it while they can? It's not like I could prevent the attack on my own and explaining this would be tipping my hand, they definitely have infiltrators among the security. This will become a Ninja Village business.

The attack started and the small distraction worked like a charm against the defenders of the city, even if Megumi is halting the slaughter. Even so, a makeshift platoon of stationed ninja are rushing to the fray at her direction, leaving a skeleton crew to defend the dignitaries.

If things go bad, I can pump her full of my chakra before she has to reveal her hand, even if the implications might sour things with the Raikage. Yet I doubt it will come to that, her body is sturdier than a human has any right to be.

The chaos coupled with the loss in number make the perfect situation for infiltration, divide and conquest. Megumi-Touko pursue of the puppeteer was a small blessing, her involvement with that bloody sand rat is a small price to pay to take her out of line of fire. Besides, their target is probable someone else, pegging her down to a opportunity target. These people came here for advantage against one of the dignitaries.

I close the distance to Apollo, startling the frayed nerves of the present ninjas, useless fools. "Boy, watch what follow closely. This is justice," he look startled by the commotion and his little friends are all bundled together like sheep. Somehow, impossibly so, he find some comfort in my presence. Something I thought only Megumi was distorted enough to muster to something like me.

I double take him in. "Keep your little friends from running off, I can't ensure their safety otherwise." He look at me anxious, try to gesticulate but then gives up and nods, swallowing his fear to assert calm over the cradle of playmates. Good, this own to keep him occupied enough to make any reckless move as Megumi just did. Satisfied, I turn around to address the stalkers thinking themselves sneaky.

My chakra has always been bone chilling to humans as long as I can remember. When faced with the gulf between our existences, their hearts fills with dread. As the spite between their kind and myself grew this phenomenon only aggravated. With my Mythos Exultant this bond evolved into a curse, the vermis skulking around me froze in lockstep as my oppressive presence washed the clearing and the hapless civilians and ninjas caught in our crossfire fell to their knees in supplication, giving me and the more iron willed ninja a clear shot to the would be ambushers.

Alas, things can never be this simple for me. This crop of infiltrators are the wheat to the chaff of attackers, hardened cruel men and women made monsters by the world. They shocked off my grip over them and bolted to different targets, as if some last attempt of misdirection could throw me off. I closed the distance with the closest one in a single step, separating his head from his body in a single strike after a short exchange and threw it like a cannon ball against a sly one that tried to go for the children.

The result… I am really not suited for protection, my best defensive move is to attack with superior force. Apollo really came through by keep them from running around the battlefield in panic, even if he just saw me decapitate a person with another's head. Even now, his scream over their shouts is exerting his charka into theirs like a blanket to avoid panic, impressive. Not that it would make much difference, it is pandemonium in here. Battles broke out over the entire patio, my early action serving only to draw the line between friends and foes. People are still hurting and getting hurt in turn, how pointless… at least I can protect those incapable to fighting though. Nothing is to gain from this but tears yet fighting to protect a peaceful tomorrow bear meaning.

A tick mist wash over the clearing, the responsible' chakra is like a bonfire to the humble torches the previous infiltrators so far. No good, now I understand Megumi's hate of escorting quests. With an exertion of will my hands bulge into claws and in each palm the blazing fire that embodies Hatred itself take shape. If the previous curse was an applied manifestation of Aversion that push us apart then my next attack is the Animosity that bind us together. Using the 'earth witnessing' mudra in the reverse form to attack those marked by my initial display, creating pillars of crimson and black flames under the feet of those that I identify as my enemies.

A cacophony of screams wash over the battlefield. These flames are not so merciful as to grant a quickly death, Megumi's lighting would have been kinder. They extract as much pain as the targets can bear, denying oblivion or respire before death. They are hungry and consume everything the burned hold dear in their heart, until only ash remains. Some managed to dodge but now the tide of conflict has been tipped, despite the good number of mortified shinobi too halted to join the fray after my display. I always exceled at demoralizing humans; maybe way too much.

Despite all my effort, things are not exactly going in favor of my 'allies'. The bonfire of a presence of early was joined by a second, even stronger presence. Old and jaded, full of avarice and apathy. They are like ghosts in the mist, cutting ninjas down like straw. They also ooze frustration, clearly trying to thin the ranks before closing in on me to salvage whatever plot they had cooked. As if I would let them, I am through with conceding initiative to my enemies. I bolt forward so fast the wind scream, heralding my passing.

I stretch my left arm out with my open palm forward, the mudra of 'gesture of fearlessness'. While this means as a symbol of good intentions, proposing friendship when approaching strangers, my intentions, as always, are anything but. I inverted the form in mockery. This generate a giant hand shaped fireball the howl through the air, creating a palm impression on the ground of where the Old One just moved from at the last second.

He answer in kind, bringing forth a bangle of black treats from his sleeve, holding three masks like ornaments in a demonic prayer bead. Each mask open their mouths and release an elemental conflagration of fire, wind that conceal earth drills propelled my way before I even reach the ground. While impressive for the standards of shinobi I normally would not even bother to block, but alas, this vessel is not sturdy enough to go unscathed after this.

I raise my left hand to my collarbone while keeping the index and middle fingers stented to then pull my arm back in a horizontal line, creating the image of the elemental attack being cut by my line of sight. This carving not only a path through the old timer's attack but also cutting everything in said line of sight, as if an invisible blade of infinite range had decided to cut the world down to size. That include separating the head of my attacker from his body.

Even if the amount of pneuma Megume has thrown my way has been negligible in quantity, its quality is exceptional in the meaning it is charged with and using it to recreate what has been lost has changed me. To the point, I found worth to bid the hatred, fear, and general animosity I have been gathering the last two years into more pneuma, even if the conversion rating is atrocious. It also has changed its properties to something closer to my own nature as it acclimated itself, but I gained more from it than lost.

An affinity to Wind, or should I say Heaven? It easily answer to the user imagination and the basic properties as a binding force was cultivated to its zenin, just so it was easy to combine it with her crude understanding of witchcraft. This made easy to combine with some of her entertaining industry references for inspiration to create a 'Gand shot' that operate closer to Cleave and Dismantle Cursed Technique. Omnidirectional short to middle range attack guided by common animosity between target and caster. By exploiting the aspect of "annihilation" encompassed in the "kinetic forces, static energy, free energy and directed movement" of the Wind Element it is possible to foster the breakdown of the target at the molecular level by targeting the bond between molecules and to the very chakra; not that these monkeys would even know what an atom is. I do not even need to gesticulate, animosity is a good enough trigger, just the way I like it! I have suffered enough between the second and forth Hokages illusive teleportation techniques to appreciate this simple and elegant counter.

Unfortunately, the reason for this ninja's old age became apparent, as the same black treads shot from his neck stumps to sewing him whole again. What a pain. His little friend is trying to capitalize our little exchange to hide himself; how cute, he killed enough people that it stained his soul in blood, he will never get out of my sight. This Critical Weakness Bind Vow might have been the best decision in my life, so many shinobi rely on hatred to see themselves through fights that the moment someone capable of exploiting it appears their little schemes are dead on arrival. If only he had decided to run for his life, he might have had a chance to escape.

I turn toward the "old hand", barely a century of experience might be intimidating for a human but I have blinked through longer spans of time. Regardless, I have enough experience with shinobi to know this ant probable have some renown among their kind, and notoriety comes with loose lips with uncanny frequency. Maybe there is some credence to Megumi's little pet theory of the ways of ninshu fostering chattiness, only faceless fodder behave how shinobi of her home world supposedly should, the strongest ones can't wait to talk about their ideology. Madara and Hashirama are far from exceptions in that regard.

"To think that the Gold and Silver Brothers would actually spawn!? They always came off as more interested in each other than in women. What a pain in the neck! I am not being paid enough for this." Venomous green eyes study me casually and his voice is jovial but the killer instinct is in full tilt. If nothing else, humans' talent to be the most odious creatures on earth never cease to impress me. Now I have to fight off a grimace at the reminder of the biggest indigestion of my life. I already regret this, but there are somethings I want to test and he is sturdy enough to suffice.

"Are you not going to ask why we are here for?" He asks, fishing for information or just to buying time so his partner can better position himself.

"Not particularly, no. Or do you also waste your time asking each water drop where they come from? It matter only that it will always rains again." The contempt is so tick and palpable it is almost tangible, something this man can clearly appreciate by the way his face contorts into grimace. He took those words personally.

"Just a water drop, am I? Nothing besides money make my day as crushing pompous fools that think themselves the deal because of a bit of natural talent. I am going to enjoy this." No he wont.

"Keep on yapping, these are the last words you will be remembered by. A dried up old man, used up then discarded again and again, living his live in the pursue of wealth he will never enjoy. The poster picture of everything wrong in this world. Not me though, I don't even remember your name!" My words cut deep, to the very core of his being; I am not even being insincere.

While even I cannot begrudge the use of force to get ahead and survive in a world of scarcity as is decreed by nature, there is a madness in the human species that leads them toward senseless behavior. Even if there are humans that channel this impulse toward positive endeavors, they are by far and away the minority. Wretches the likes this man in front of me are a better representation of the average human.

I will enjoy this.

"Now this shitty behavior is the same too, just my luck. I find a unicorn and there is no bounty for it to be had. Sorry, but I will have to discount my anger on you, so don't bother telling me your name either." Despite the casual tone of voice, the old timer's chakra network is going full throttle and four thread monsters sprout from his back, the monstrous masks from early proudly displayed by each. "Make this worthwhile, boy."

"Fool, you can't win. To hate me is to give me breath, to fight me is to give me strength." I flare my own aura in answer and rush with an avalanche of force, being meet middle in a cross clash by the ancient shinobi, limbs blackened with Earth chakra. That he can even match me somewhat is a testament to his strength, at this level he could even trade blows with some of my weaker siblings. Good, I have some steam to burn off. Old geezer, I implore you, don't croak too soon.

A furious exchange of blows ensued, my hands shinning with the quickly chakra discharge bursts breaking the sound barrier with each punch. His talent and experience where apparent, I don't really get to personal melee fights that often so the way each move serves to facilitate a next move up to five steps ahead is visually impressive; but again skill is the realm of the powerless. He meets me blow for blow and pays for it, cracks forming in his forearms for the temerity to think himself my equal yet he maintain poise and willing give ground instead of being pushed back. His familiars that previously positioned themselves to cut out a potential escape now rush me to intercept me before I could follow him, using a barrage of air bullets and laser to give the man more breathing run.

I invoke my Mythos Exultant, having walked through far more devastating attacks his resistance hardly merits an answer. I release chakra through all of my nodes and contain it, creating an aura similar to Megumi's, his attacks break like water hitting rock, and I charge like a torpedo. The lighting masks tries to intercept but a quickly backhand sends it through the street, bouncing one, two, three times. When I intercept the ancient shinobi all he can do is raise his hands in a cross guard that I easily break through. Together with his arms, and ribcage, sending him across one block through the buildings… Megumi will skin me alive for this. Better take this battle elsewhere.

I already burned through two third of this vessel's reserves yet the commotion and agony around me fill me with power. The level of Dukkha (suffering from victims) and taṇhā (craving from assailants) saturating the air is unreal. Good thing Megumi opted for not raising the Divine Cathedral of Annihilation, otherwise this town would end as Sodom and Gomora, she still lacks any experience to direct it properly during a death match without massive collateral damage. She lack experiences in many things, in fact. Her small ambition of a modest live is an incalculable treasure in this world. My experience with my apostles made me realize this much. However, things do not have to be this way forever. Even if each of these small wishes are as lonely pearls scattered across the Earth, it is only a matter of will to string these wishes together in a prayer bead. I don't mind being a God of Destruction again for such a sincere prayer.

My display of might was impressive enough to gather attention, it seems like the geezer was infamous after all. With a voice that broke nations and shattered spirits of cities across the ages, I announce to the entire city.

"People of Fukuoka, in this joyous day of celebration these strangers came at your door to steal your happiness. You never to them committed any malfeasant, delivered insult or raised cause for animosity. They come at your door with raised knifes searching to profit from your doom and robe you of all you toiled for, including your life… so steal theirs first." The effect was subtle but instantaneous; you could taste in the air – silence where once there were whales, manic electric anticipation replaced directionless anxiety, but more importantly, the innocent eyes of a people raised in soft and peaceful lives was filled with hatred and hunger. The pain was turned into fuel to hatred in their hearts and this hatred fill their limbs with power and unit them in purpose. I doubt they could match a professional army but a pack of feral hounds or fearless wasps is intimidating in its own way. Personal experience attest, power is not the balm the weak think it to be.

I turn back to finish off the old man, but he already tucked his tail between his legs and started to retreat? Why? He is not the kind to back down once his pride is wounded and is fearless of death. I was expecting to have to put him down like a rabid dog after incensing him like that. For me to lose sight of him death would not be enough, his fighting spirit would need to be snuffed out.

That is when I notice his 'partner' gaining distance on us.

Ah. He was betrayed and realized it too so he abandoned the battlefield completely demoralized.

…

Great, now I feel guilt too! For being right and rubbing it on his face.

His sleaze partner got intercepted by the sand rat murder-hobo Megumi decided to pester before he could even reach her Touko persona and most enemy ninjas are being rounded up, so situation is well in hand. My time is better used back with Apollo and his little troupe. Things will start moving now that this incident kicked the uncontrollable Megumi sized ball of nerves down the cliff. It will take my all to steer her from biting more she can shew.

-//-

[AUTOR'S ROOM]

So, I have been away from a while, but I assure you it had less to do with hiatus and more to do with rabbit holes I stumbled my way while researching ahead. Power for the sake of number is overused trope, so I imagine that if you stuck for this long it is because you like the meaning laced in the power system. I also had some national exams that required my all, so things sort of got sidetracked.

Megumi got the shit kicked out of her. To show that casual experience with sports and roughhousing isn't exactly the ideal training for deadly combat, without the Rikugan to extinguish the mental stress and show the optimal path she is sort of underqualified, despite overwhelming physical superiority. The fact her only real combat technique is too dangerous to be safely used in an urban center only sour the matter further. She is too much of a noob to be holding back, so it's time to getgud.

Kurama made his debut. I was thinking about extending this fight until Kakuzo died but he isn't Akatsuki yet, so he has no commitment to stick out to the death against a clearly superior opponent. Kakuzo is oddly loyal to Akatsuki despite saying he only care for money, willing throwing his lot even after death; he also show a level of professionalism and self-control at odds with his claim of raging partner killer. You could say he yearn to be the loyal and reliable shinobi he was before Takigakure betrayed him and he found his place in Akatsuki. Kurama unlocked Emotional Damage talk no jutsu with his new daddy status instead of going for dad jokes so he was too demoralized to keep on going.

Also smaller towns are scarily fragile around S rank ninja. In Akatsuki light novel a city was destroyed by a guy with mud release, there is a reason Haku is a stereotype in this world. If he displayed the capacity to flatten the city, this would be the pretty much the end of their new life there.

Next chapter should come early too, hopefully.