Kurai

Well, it's been awhile since I have updated...anything honestly. Life is rough and depression hit hard again, but this has been sitting in the backdraft and never got posted not sure why. Please leave reviews and enjoy folks. 

A loud thud echoes in the empty space as I land on hard stone. My bones crack on impact, sending a sharp bolt of pain wracking through my body in waves as I bite back a scream. Through the lightning shock of pain, I try to circulate my chakra through my body, reinforcing my bones, as I shakily stand up. My clothes are ripped in places from junk and metal lying all around. Blood seeps from jagged wounds on my forearms and back, forming a large dark puddle beneath me. 

I shed my mask, throwing it on top of a pile of junk as I take in desperate breaths of air. Coughing from the dust, I try to steady myself by placing a hand on a broken lumber piece jutting out of the large trash pile next to me. I stumble as the lumber falls from its place, sending me staggering forward.

I proceed to walk forward in the dark cavern, bumping into random pieces of garbage and old armor as I stagger about. I can feel my breath cloud in front of me as a feeling of home washes over me. I can feel the shadows practically diving into my shadow, a strange yet comforting feeling as a deep red glow starts to resonate from the ground. I look down to see my blood actually starting to flow into indents on the ground, glowing the same deep red. 

This doesn’t feel like a blood seal, considering I am not even using any chakra outside of my body at all.It’s only using my blood like an old mechanism. 

I stare as the glow from the ground starts to fade, eventually turning the cavern back into darkness. Suddenly, sharp pain from my stomach shoots through my body as I double over in agony. Squinting my eyes shut, I feel something leave my body, as if a dark shadow of my soul suddenly vanished. Opening my eyes as my body wracks with pain, I stumble backward in shock as a large, ethereal body with dark purple eyes stares at me. 

The body floats in the air, sending shivers down my spine as I summon up an Earth Style: Earth Wall in between us, trying to create distance. I cough up blood as I scramble to my feet, tumbling into the large piles of garbage and old tools around me as I limp away. I glance back over my shoulder, my breath clouded in front of me as a horrifying laugh echoes in the cavern. The hair on the back of my neck stands up as my heart proceeds to try and beat out of my chest. 

I can feel the cold eyes bore into my back as I try to escape from the floating figure. My leg drags lamely behind my body as I continue to shuffle through the dark maze of garbage. More blood spills from my mouth as my chakra dwindles to near nothing in my system. Fear slowly tries to settle in me, however, my anbu instincts kick in as I keep moving forward.

The laughter suddenly stops, which sends my feet hurrying faster to flee as the pain in my body proceeds to crash into me like a wave. I stop suddenly, as a large stone wall suddenly blocks my path. Gathering chakra to my feet subconsciously, I glide up the wall as I race for what hopefully, should be a wooden floor. Ten steps up, I bounce into a barrier, which sends me falling back into the hard floor. I gasp upon impact, blood spitting from my mouth as more bones in my body crack. My eyes close in pain, opening once again after a moment. I stare up into the dark purple eyes, fear running down the back of my spine. With a sigh, I close my eyes and grit my teeth in irritation and fear.

“Are you done running yet, oh mortal container?” The voice itself is cold and desolate, yet I feel a layer of sarcasm and petty revenge lying beneath. Sweat runs down my forehead and neck, mixing in with the blood pooling beneath me as I shiver at the sight of what could only be the soul of a demon. 

“Now, it looks like you are on the brink of losing consciousness. I shall explain this quickly, so pay attention. You unsealed me back in the shadow tomb, yet somehow I was pulled into your body. Now, you and your shadows keep me restrained to your mortal flesh. We will make a deal, but not now. For now, I suppose I should get you out of here and back to your dwelling. Sleep now, we shall speak later.” With the ominous words of the demonic ghost, I feel my eyes roll into the back of my head. Then, nothing but darkness. 

⍱

Hiruzen POV

The wind howls outside the window of my office as I exhale the smoke from my pipe. The smoke clouds in front of me, obscuring my vision as I fume silently behind a neutral veneer. I drum my fingers on the old desk made by Lord first, irritation and worry gnawing at my mind. 

“So, what you are saying is that, dragon was found bloody and unconscious at the edge of the Nara forest?” Cat nods, her hair flowing behind her. 

“There was no sign of struggle? No attack or anything?” Again, a shake of the head. 

“There was nothing Hokage-Sama. In fact, it seemed as if all of his injuries were….. Of some natural cause.” 

I sigh, anxiety slowly forming deep within my chest. 

I can’t afford to lose him now. Not only is he the one taking charge of the Kumo negotiations, but Jiraiya will likely throw a fit at his new favorite person being so badly hurt. Then there is the seal the doctors told me is on his stomach. I’ll have to ask Jiraiya to take a look at it.

“Call both Jiraiya and Shikaku here immediately. Tell them it’s an emergency, that should get them moving at this hour.” Cat vanishes instantly, moving to go fetch the two grizzled men as I work through the maze of my mind. 

Minutes later, both Jiraiya and Shikaku stumble in, snow dusting their clothes and the smell of alcohol floating into my nostril. 

“Apologies for calling you two here so late in the night, I understand you both have lives outside of work.” Shikaku waves me off, stifling a yawn with his other hand. 

“You wouldn’t drag me out of bed if it wasn’t important. So, what’s the issue this time? I hope it’s nothing to do with Kumo, I’d hate to have to tell Renshiro to cool his heels with the secretary.” A glance at Jiraiya all but confirms he has already started the stalking of Renshiro. 

Great, it’s going to be another Minato incident isn’t it. Oh well.  

“I’m afraid they can’t be ruled out, though at the moment nobody in the village has been ruled out for this case, excluding myself, the anbu and you two.” Shikaku straightens his shoulders as Jiraiya stands just a little taller, both their attention now fully on me. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the inevitable grumbling I am about to get from two grown children.

“I am afraid to inform you two of this, but the ANBU operative code named Dragon was found bloody and unconscious at the far edge of the Nara forest earlier. He is currently in surgery to check for any disease or what may have caused his condition but at the moment, we have nothing.” 

The tension in the room seemingly becomes visible as silence washes over all of us. The whistling of the wind outside does little to help ease the atmosphere as the pair in front of me digest the new information. 

“You said he was found at the far edge of the Nara forest? How did none of my clansmen find him…” 

“From what I was told Shikaku, he was covered deeply enough by the snow, and he was on the side closer to the Senju forest. He was essentially in the middle of nowhere.” Shikaku strokes his chin in thought as Jiraiya looks as if he is about to bolt out the window. 

“Calm you two, I called you here to simply accompany me to go see him, as you two are most likely the only two village members who know who he is.” This causes Jiraiya to stop in his frantic pacing.

“You mean nobody in ANBU even knows the identity of dragon? How the hell- Does the kid even have any friends?” 

I shake my head, guilt filling my heart at yet another child soldier losing his life to service in war. 

“That is an issue for another time I am afraid. For now, let us go check on the young man. Shall we get moving now?” With that, I stand up and proceed to make for the door, Jiraiya and Shikaku following me.

Opening the large hospital doors, I sweep into the main waiting room with Jiraiya and Shikaku following me like shadows. One of the nurses darts up to me, adoration and excitement hiding behind a veneer of professionalism. I give the young woman a warm smile, which causes her to beam up at me. 

“How can I help you, Hokage-Sama?” Striding forward through the room, I make a turn into the restricted wing. 

“I’m here to see Dragon. You can go back to the desk, thank you for offering. I do believe us geezers can get there perfectly fine. These old bones aren’t so old I forget how to navigate a hospital I helped build.” She chuckles, nodding and darting back to her station. With a snort from Jiraiya, the three of us proceed to stroll down the long hallway. 

Turning down the last hallway, I pause for a second as I see someone unfamiliar tapping her foot impatiently in front of Cat and Boar. Both shock and resignation hit me like a cart full of carrots, yet I continue forward anyways. 

“Do I even want to know?” I glance pointedly at Jiraiya as we get closer to the impatient woman. He merely grins at me, which is all the answer I really need in hindsight. 

I can tell easily enough Cat wants to strangle the woman, though I ignore it as I stride past them. Stopping abruptly, something in my chakra latches onto the young woman, something that I hadn’t felt since I first met Biwako. 

Oh dear, it seems this young lady grew quite fond of our young Nara. I wonder why- ah. She’s just like Biwako was, I can tell. Sheltered and hidden, never able to socialize or talk to someone. Hidden in the shadows of politics and darkness. No wonder, the poor thing is lonely.  

With a sigh that feels like years of burden crashing onto me like a mountain, I motion for the guards to move. Opening the doors, a bright light shines from within, nearly blinding myself and the pair behind me….

End POV

Darkness swells around me like a silent sea, the feeling of shadowy waves crashing into my body like pressure I had never felt before. My breath comes in ragged gasps, my lungs desperately trying to reclaim lost air as I struggle in the endless sea. Trying to use my chakra, I feel empty, as if a mere shell of my normal body. Flailing my arms, I eventually latch onto something. Looking around as I haul myself up, I see nothing but the eerie black pit staring back at me. A soft chuckle ripples through the darkness, hollow and void of emotion. It’s sound is like ice shards down my back, cutting and cold. 

I can feel a pair of eyes peering at me, yet nothing gives it away as I reign in my fear and panic, keeping a calm and cool exterior. Taking in a deep breath to refill my lungs, I gulp down the air greedily as my body fills with something . Closing my eyes, I try to sense for any sign of…. Something beyond the darkness. Nothing . Not even a whisper of anything from the pitch black void surrounding me. 

“I know there is someone there. Come out and finish me already, I’ve been through hell and back. I’m not afraid of death.” I keep my voice level, only a hint of nervousness slipping into my voice. That soft chuckle echoes through the void, bouncing off invisible walls. 

You have no idea where you are, do you mortal? Oh I remember your kind. So full of energy and life. I relished the taste of your soul’s back then. I’ve been hungry for… quite sometime now.

The voice raises the hair on the back of my neck. I can tell the voice itself is barely above a whisper, like a cold wind drifting across a barren desert in the cool of the dark night. I shiver as my eyes dart around frantically, searching for some kind of sign. 

You are lucky. The Jundo no Kami favors you so much. If it weren’t for him, I would have devoured you already.  

I pat my body down, trying to find a kunai, or some kind of weapon to use as I feel like the voice gets closer to me. Suddenly, a bright flash right in front of me blinds me momentarily. I cover my eyes with my arms, letting the flash subside to a white glow. Uncovering my eyes, I freeze as the stag is standing in front of me. 

“But how…” The deer moves forward, it’s head drooping in front of me minutely. Frantically, I try to raise the legendary deer’s head. 

“No no no no no no . You can’t bow your head to me, I’m….. I don't deserve it. ” My voice cracks, tears streaming down my face as dark visions of my past come floating to the surface in a mist of grey. The stag simply walks through them, dispersing them with a royal grace I never noticed before. He nuzzles my shoulder, warmth flooding through my veins as the cold voice screams in agony. Suddenly, the bright flash returns, turning my vision white. 

I shoot up in the hospital bed, sweat pouring down my body in large quantities as I gasp for air. My eyes go straight to Hiruzen, who is gaping in the door with my uncle and Jiraiya-Sama behind him. They are quickly shoved out of the way by doctors, whom I didn’t know had the courage to shove some of the best shinobi the leaf has ever produced. All for a mere shadow hidden in the dark.

I can feel my chest tighten, my breath coming in more shallow, quick bursts as my ears start to ring from the noise around me. My vision starts to swim as I swear the stag seemingly walks through the wall and past me, blowing a cloud at me from it’s nostrils. Someone pushes me gently back onto the bed with soft hands, rubbing a soothing hand over my chest as they do so. I slowly calm down, my breath coming much easier than before as I gain my bearings. 

“Where…” My voice croaks, dry and raspy as I cough out what I imagine a million little dust termites would feel like from not using my voice. Pain soon wracks my body like sharp needles, causing me to wince. Hiruzen finally walks into the room fully, causing me to raise my eyes to him.

“It’s good to see you join us back in the land of the living Renshiro-Kun. It certainly seemed as if you had left us for good finally after everything.” Despite his calm demeanor, I can see the tell tale signs of stress and worry lining the old man's body. A wry smile worms its way onto my face. My uncle walks up behind Hiruzen, desperation and panic hidden in the shadows of his eyes. Then it’s Jiraiya-Sama, all smiles and energy as he practically bounds up to as close to my bed as he can while the nurses continue to check my body and calm me down. 

After a moment, the head doctor finally deems me healthy enough to talk, sweeping out of the room with the rest of the health personnel. A sigh of relief echoes through the room, causing all of us to chuckle. 

“Renshiro-Kun, what happened exactly?” Hiruzen’s voice trails over the soft hush in the room, leaving a quiet blanket in the room. I twiddle my fingers in my lap, the bandages restraining my movement somewhat. 

“Being frank…. I’m not exactly sure. One minute, I was exploring an old shrine in the Nara forest. The next? Nothing but pitch black around me.” Worried glances are exchanged between the three. 

“... Renshiro-Kun, you were found frozen and half dead in the middle of the forest. With a giant lake of blood beneath you. You mean to tell me you remember none of this encounter? What of the seal on your stomach?” 

I stare at Hiruzen for a solid thirty seconds, before peeking down my shirt and glancing at my stomach. Suddenly, something dark purple flares on my stomach, sending me into a screaming wreck of pain. Chakra pours out of my body in huge qualities, almost draining me as the room visibly shakes from the pressure. 

Jiraiya immediately springs to action, biting his thumb hard enough that blood comes out. He jumps to my side, using his blood to draw a level nine suppression seal on my stomach. 

“Seal!” He screams as chakra and wind blow about. The windows rattle as the seal flares to life in a brilliant blue. Immediately, I flop back on the bed. Sweat rolls down my entire body as my hair is all torn about my face. I pant as I try to regain my breath. I try to open my mouth, but nothing comes out above a whisper of my old voice level. 

Doctors come rushing in, frantic and panicked as they race to the side of my bed. Pain flares through my body as I hunch over in agony. 

“What’s going on with him!” Hiruzen’s voice beams over the chattering of the spastic doctors. 

“We aren’t sure, but his chakra network is growing at an exponential rate. We can’t stop the growth, and the seal isn’t working either. Whatever it is, it has to do with the seal on his stomach.” 

Everyone in the room proceeds to stare at my stomach, my shirt lifted as the doctors proceed to examine the seal. The lines are underlined with a dark purple, pulsating like a heartbeat as sweat rolls down the lines of the seal. Silence deafens the room as the only sound made is the beeping of the heart monitor.