Chapter 26: A Dying Nation
Chusei's mind was the origin of many awful ideas over his fourteen-year existence.
One littered by such an overwhelming amount, he had become a connoisseur of making bad decisions.
Despite the truly astounding negatives, he was able to develop a sixth sense for when he was trailing a good idea. An intuition that, in this moment, was related through Nagisa. He had known her long enough to believe that her bad ideas were never implemented, making her an even more trustworthy source for great ideas.
"Excuse me, but surely this must pique your interest," Nagisa evolved into the finest diplomat to convince the young Genin.
An eyebrow shot up and a twisted lip protested her bold statement. He was obviously seeing through the thin veil they used to mask their argument.
Though the approach appeared manipulative. Chusei had done himself the honor of deciding that if Kobaru fell for it then only the young genin could be at fault, as they were yet to make an actual attempt at deception.
There would be a direct correlation between their level of effort and the boy's resistance.
"Nope," Kobaru shot back, emphasizing even more that he already knew what would happen, "Father told me about this like a week ago."
"Whoa, how convenient of you to forget it up until now," Chusei began mocking the younger boy folding his arms adding to his jeers.
Despite Kobaru's stubbornness, you could always find ways to undermine his justifications and get him to fold. Up until his peers were ignorant, the little genius would generally behave with composure. If they ever arrived at that point he would fail to take the highroad, every time.
"In case you haven't realized. My conscience is split every day," Kobaru shot him a bemused glance. One that revealed he was making an equal effort to persuade himself of the falsehood.
After gauging his persuasiveness by looking at his friends, he remarked, "If it is not detrimental to my growth... uh, sometimes I forget about it."
Chusei glanced at him briefly before turning back to Nagisa. She nodded curtly, then proceeded to give him her best interpretation of a dressing down.
"Excuse me. that sounds like bullshit."
Kobaru saw an opportunity to shift the subject, though, "Great sage Nagisa, those are two swears."
With awe filling his all too small features, Kobaru held up two fingers and showed his friends. Chusei observed his tiny hands and nodded in agreement.
"My apologies, it's just that I'm suddenly stressed out by this situation," Nagisa bit off without a change in tone, "I will become more placable once you have complied with my request. Tell us now how your father came to know about Chusei's seal."
Kobaru sighed, knowing that Chusei's victory was imminent.
"That red-haired lady that attacked us in the forest… we're all related," Kobaru smiled as he realized that he now had a willing audience, "her side of the family put seals on your side to prevent nature energy from leaking in and transforming you into a monster."
Without trying to hide her disapproval, Nagisa just stared at him.
"Hm..." Chusei smiled before turning to the lone girl, "it does smell like bullshit."
Kobaru answered with a little more fervor than he wanted to, "I swear that is what he told me. Sure, there is other stuff too, but—"
His faith in the stories wavered, but it was unsettling to hear others publicly refute them.
He scowled at his two friends and folded his arms in defiance.
"Well let's bet right now then," Kobaru offered, "40 rounds of ramen free."
Chusei with a raise of his pinky and an overconfident smirk Chusei had already decided to agree, "Deal."
Before they could formally announce the wager, Nagisa drew the boy with the orange hair back. Knowing this was the better course of action, Chusei resigned just as quickly as he agreed. Kobaru was a friend, for sure, but he most of his most cunning decisions were made out of desperation.
"We have not even discussed terms, you idiot," she said with a typical insult.
From behind her, Chusei protested, "Honestly, I heard enough. Do you know how much I would save?"
Before his words could be fully understood, Nagisa answered, "Three hundred sixty." She then scowled at Kobaru, "terms?"
"If suppressing the seal makes him take in crazy amounts of nature energy I win," Kobaru said with an uncharacteristic pout, "you guys only win if his sanity doesn't decay from the pressure."
"Waddya mean by decay."
"Deal," Nagisa held her pinky out to seal Chusei's fate.
"Wait, I think we needa back track a lot here."
Finding what appeared to be the weaker of the two, Kobaru grinned.
Seeing that he was the weaker of the two, Chusei rolled his eyes.
"Or…" The black haired toddler offered an alternative, "we can pretend none of this happened. I'll let you know word for word what my father told me and everything will proceed as usual."
For the sake of their sanity, someone with less integrity would immediately cave in. A person from a lower social class would use this as a kind of getaway.
Conversely, Chusei was a rebel who had become so because of hasty and reckless decision making. He would discover whatever was concealed behind the seal if it meant risking his sanity.
The boy with orange hair frowned and pointed his nose at Kobaru, who realized instantly that his attempt at playing dirty had failed miserably. His hands dropped to his side and he launched option three.
Begging.
"I swear guys, there's this whole thing with nature energy intake that's going to drive him batshit crazy. His clan the Arashi they need the seal to keep it in check. One of the red haired clan members must have put it on you at birth or something. They're the only ones who can."
"Lemme guess," Chusei snorted much to Kobaru's bemusement, "that crazy bandit woman is a part of it."
"Yes, I've told you this just now," Kobaru pleaded arms outstretched in a desperate display.
Chusei believed the younger boy had not suddenly gone insane, so he wanted to give in at that very moment. However, he was aware that Kobaru knew that they were both hands on learners.
Sadly, this meant that they had to break the seal.
"Maybe…" Kobaru's tirade was calmly interrupted by Nagisa, "or you could be wrong."
Kobaru sighed and pulled his sleeves up past his elbows, "You know what, forget it. If I have to prove you wrong, then so be it."
"That's the spirit," Chusei grinned moving closer to Kobaru.
The younger boy then clasped his hands holding his fingers in what could only be a strained serpent seal.
His knuckles went white as he forced his fingers together seemingly tugging at his own tenketsu as he moved his chakra. Small signs of shaking tremors highlighted that he was forcing himself to focus. He kept his eyes glued on his hands before suddenly looking up at Chusei.
The older boy would recoil at the lack of warning but before he was allowed to react, Kobaru had already made contact.
Without hesitation, the younger Genin grabbed the sides of Chusei's ribcage. Simultaneously he furrowed his brows in concentration for what he was preparing himself to do.
With an equal amount of caution he forced what seemed to be a metric tonne of chakra into Chusei's abdomen.
They had hoped that Kobaru's natural density would be enough to compact Chusei's chakra. Which, in turn, would lead to the seal temporarily giving way under pressure.
Given that the seal would act as an intangible gate separating energy on the inside from outside. If enough stress was applied then surely it would temporarily allow a fraction to seep through.
Of course, all three of them knew this to be a theory put to test, but it was worth the attempt.
Kobaru looked at Chusei with just enough concern for the two of them. He looked unsure, which shouldn't be something that they ignored. Nevertheless, after studying the seal for a week, Chusei became frustrated with his own ignorance.
He had found during their last mission that his family didn't die by chance. For almost thirteen years he thought that they were just unlucky. It was planned and he was rescued by his own tormentors. Here he stood in their village. With their seal plastered across his chest.
He would be free of incompetence by the hook or by the crook.
If this was to work, at the very least, he would know exactly what was being held from him.
Just something so he can feel the connection he had lost so long ago.
Chusei shot a glance of Nagisa, or where she should have been standing.
Using a chakra pulse, he discovered her standing sixty meters further into the forest. A path clear enough for him to make eye contact, she gave him a thumbs up then proceeded to conceal herself.
If she was that afraid it proved that she was a terrible indicator for great plans.
"Ready," Kobaru asked his expression shifting between concern and resilience.
"Eh… I thought you already started," Chusei forced himself to waive but tensed up even more in anticipation.
First and foremost, Kobaru was his friend. There existed no reality where he would do anything that would leave Chusei scarred or impaired. After all, they wanted to improve more than to prove their points.
Upon the intense injection, Chusei quickly realized that Kobaru cared more about winning.
Nope I take all of that back.
The Museigen need to die immediately.
XXX
Nohara chuckled quietly as he watched over the practice. An unease that was beginning to emerge, birthing an unlearned sense of anxiety.
He was a professional, with more teaching years behind him than ahead. Should experience turn out to be a reliable predictor. He could say for certain that this group was now ready for their first C-rank.
Still, their step into the unknown was forced on them while unprepared. They were traumatized and beaten as a result.
It was better, even though he did not want to acknowledge it. These were different Genin from the ones he had approved two weeks prior. These people were now so terrified of that feeling that they vowed to themselves, that they would never go through it again.
Even though Nohara was an excellent teacher, experience outperformed all other qualifications.
Here it had demonstrated itself once more.
The majority of them waited for Chusei to make calls while they sparred with Nagisa.
They seemed much more confident now that they were totally depending on their own abilities. Proving to him that they were, at the absolute minimum, worthy of wearing Konoha's insignia.
This made him realize that all of the students in his previous classes had experienced war before they were able to read or write. Their entire existence was driven by necessity, education would be no different.
The only reason these genin were here was because the decision had already been made. They were afforded the chance to experience peace and safety.
Being forced into this position then seeing clan children of their age or younger performing better than them. That might have reduced their desire even further.
So, he decided, forcing those three stooges into self study more often would benefit everyone involved.
The blatant disregard for rules that they too frequently demonstrated had nothing to do with this.
He would have seen the answer if he had watched them with more clarity earlier. When they were kept apart from the show-offs, the bulk of the group progressed more quickly.
Where the expectations of what they ought to be were, at the absolute least, unheard.
Granted, they were not training themselves to fire a flame bullet anytime soon, but still, he recognized their current eagerness. They would definitely learn something to compliment their styles.
Each of their strengths had been noted by him. Nothing that was out of the ordinary. Since the majority of them relied on remaining unseen, he could prepare lessons to help. One child specifically asked for kunai and as many explosive tags as a shinobi was permitted to carry.
Warning signs, but now that they were at least moving forward, he was not going to turn anyone away.
Though they were far ahead of everyone else, he would try to be as clear as possible in his guidance regarding his three pains. He would not have to pay them as much attention.
Considering that they had unconsciously started to base their fighting techniques on their group's advantages. Regardless of his advice, they would be fine.
He had already given Kobaru his scroll with instructions on how to manipulate chakra correctly. Nohara would simply throw a pair of knives in Nagisa's direction. For Chusei, the decision was between investing in long range support or complete defense.
He could certainly pursue either of those two options down the road, but making an irrational decision was not the right one. Of course, the boy's willingness to comply also had a role, but that was a fight for a different day.
He continued to consider Chusei's decision, but something cut him off.
He froze in place as an explosion of chakra flowed through the forest. A powerful, dense energy that roared across the clearing was similar to thick amber.
A couple of his students paused their training to take a quick look around, and he did his best to stay composed. A tiny percentage was unaffected. Nohara was never a jealous man but at that moment he could not help but desire their place.
His thoughts raced as he tried to find an explanation as to what could be the source.
Was Konoha under attack?
He shook his head.
Was the Nine-tailed fox released?
He shook once more.
He was aware of protocol, and this felt nothing like the fox's apparent murderous intent and malice.
He hoped it had nothing to do with his three miscreants, whatever it was.
Since graduating, they had already drawn the Anbu's attention twice. Their chances of success would not be the same a third time.
It would be better for him to impart his knowledge without the local watch keeping a close eye on his children.
He desperately wanted to believe that but the curiosity of Kobaru, matched with Chusei's passion would always lead to unfavorable results. Moreover, the chaos would only be exacerbated by Nagisa's silent compliance.
Crossing his fingers, he started to split his chakra.
Kage Bunshin.
XxX
Chusei was unwilling to accept that this was a bad idea.
Though he had doubts, he was still willing to carry out the plan up until Kobaru put his hands against his sides.
He had to promptly file it under a bad misfire of his perception. Nothing was more regrettable to him at this point in his life.
Chusei felt all of his muscles tighten as a million needles suddenly drove into his sides. His body instantly lost its ability to function under the encroaching chakra.
Though it was impossible, he wanted to punch out. He wanted to disappear but his body just planted itself in place. His thoughts were imprisoning him. He felt trapped in a void, hastily searching for answers he was unable to give.
He recalled how the same paralysis technique had held Nagisa captive. He thought her serene, cool expression was just her typical disposition. Now that he experienced it himself he could tell that her lack of reaction was a side effect of being held in place.
All the tensed muscles were kept immobile. Nothing can move in the relaxed tissue.
Indeed, he was completely immobilized in every sense of the term.
Before Kobaru's chakra reached the seal, it felt like an eternity. He had come up with a million ways by then to put an end to his own pain.
It was all in vain.
As he maneuvered around the seal, the younger genin kept his cat eyes closed. Searching for spaces he could occupy with his own energy. Forcing Chusei's chakra as far inside as he possibly could.
His motionlessness engrossed the elder boy. Keeping him from understanding that he couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. He did his best to concentrate on counting inwardly with his newfound distraction.
He soon came to the conclusion that Kobaru had no idea what he was doing, so that plan quickly backfired.
An additional surge of fear emerged.
This was where he felt he was going to die by means of his closest companion. Passing away by the hands of his first friend.
Not that Kobaru was at fault—after all, he had issued multiple alerts. So be it if a nine-year-old was going to murder Chusei. He would rather die as a result of his cat-eyed friend's imprudence than from some ruthless shinobi from one of the developing nations.
Moreover, Kobaru would provide excellent care because his family were a certified mortician. They would, of course, see to it that he went to the lands of purity.
Something caused his haphazard thoughts of surrender to realign.
Not simply the intense agony of the chakra tendrils' burrowing.
Something more.
No something was too vague.
What he felt was…
Everything.
Everything around him was palpable to him. It all came at him at once, overwhelming his senses, and he understood it all right away.
He had vision past the horizon. He was aware of the snowfall in the northern nations. He detected the scent of the sea. From every village he could hear voices, some speaking dialects he had never heard before.
Chusei's gaze lowered to his hand. It was visible to him. However, all around and through it in one.
It was exquisite.
When Kobaru saw that Chusei was still mobile despite using his paralysis technique, he leaped back.
A dark blue energy pulsed through the younger boy. A composition that bordered on metallic. Both smooth and rough at the same time.
Then, he saw Nagisa's white, wild appearance without even turning to look. As if she were covered in a living prickly coat of needles.
Nohara was approaching quickly and was just a short distance away. No a clone. The seals release, revealing a purple chakra and its viscous flow with it skin of flowing static attached.
Chusei chuckled to himself. It was this that was kept hidden from him; the link to the cosmos. A relationship that gave everything a polished yet basic appearance. His options would be unlimited if he had even one month of experience in this state.
He possessed immense power.
Omnipotent.
Whoever it was that had withheld this information from him, he detested. He hated that they even existed. He was going to surpass everyone and become even more than he already was.
Nobody was deserving of his friendship. Since he was superior to everyone, he had no peers.
A fool would only approach him with the expectation of triumph.
He was going to transcend the sage and usher in a new era of shinobi, engraved with his likeness. After that, he would travel northward, heading toward the lost continent.
He was going to win it all.
Chusei shook his head.
Gradually, he came to understand that Kobaru was correct regarding the dash of madness that accompanied it. Chusei cast his friend a sidelong glance. There was concern on his far too young face. Whatever his station in life, he was a friend. One who was considerate.
Luckily before he could give into the energy. The seal turned itself back on, stripping him of all the energy that he immediately familiarized.
A sharp pain in his gut had him hurled over clenching at his abdomen with both hands. Just as quickly as it came it seemed to let up, leaving him to wonder if he had felt anything in the first place.
"Great sage," Kobaru knelt down placing a hand on Chusei's shoulder, "I think it worked."
"What worked?"
Although Chusei was unable to see Nohara, he could at least sense his oppressive presence. That moment of unbridled rage was unlike anything else. His question didn't seem like a sincere inquiry; rather, it was more a formal preface to violence.
Naive compliance seemed to override aggression, even in the thickest of hazes. As Kobaru chose to ignore it in favor of answering the question.
"We were trying to find a way around-"
Nohara-sensei had gestured for the boy to remain silent before he could adequately defend himself.
"Save it for later," he turned in the direction of Nagisa, signaling for the girl to vacate, "Kobaru leave a clone and head home."
"Way ahead of you sensei," the youthful Museigen said, scoffing as the apparent clone dispersed, leaving only Chusei alone with the jonin.
Chusei was still kneeling as he tried to gather his wits. When a pair of fierce, dark eyes descended upon him and said, "Regroup with the other maggots."
There was a part of him that was naturally inclined to resist, to disobey in a reactive manner. It was fortunate that he had forced himself to accompany the rest. Abandoning his sensei in favor of honoring the unexplained request.
Nohara stood alone as his genin retreated. The fallout of their little experiment would hinge on how well the ANBU reacted to him.
He was the furthest thing from a sensory-nin, so if he could feel Chusei releasing a continent's worth of chakra. Then the village watchdogs would surely feel it.
His only hope was that there were miniscule traces of the trio left behind. Depending on how skilled the shinobi he would have no legs to stand on.
At the very least he would try to throw them off.
For the sake of his genin of course.
XXX
Once again, Mr. Hayazuki had found himself in a difficult situation.
Though he was what some might call a contemporary philosopher, he took solace in the thought that chaos was drawn to him. In his view, that was the only plausible explanation. If only this toxic relationship was not abusively one-sided. Perhaps he would relish the times when he felt completely lost.
Only a week passed before his new neighbors realized he was nothing more than a glorified journalist.
Therefore, he was forced to assume the role of bookkeeper for the resistance.
This led him to realize that Roku and he were the only literate people in the camp. Since his only opponent was blind and possibly deaf, he had no choice but to stand his ground.
Roku's ears appeared to be fully retired, at least according to rumors.
Even though there were not many worthy contenders, he still wanted to treat his new career with the same seriousness as his old one.
With the exception of a salary, he gave the camp the loyalty of a dedicated worker. They fed him three square meals, sufficient to keep him full for the time being, and permitted him to live.
It seemed like a laid-back and tranquil neighborhood. The youth would spend most of their day training with Roku's children. While the adults would spend their time cooking and talking money matters. It appeared to him that the day of his arrival was the most exciting.
Ultimately, the sight of Roku's firstborn child's crisp husk would always be a bar set too high.
They fell into instant sorrow upon the loss of his first adopted daughter. It is not as though Hayazuki was upset about her death; in a matter of journalistic candor, he was thrilled.
When the subject was dead and charred, people did not give a damn about prejudice and restrictions.
The overwhelming sadness that they had lost one of their best fighters was evident in the comments he gathered. However, the elderly inhabitants also felt a subtle sense of relief.
The instant he even implied that their faces might be a little more composed, they would immediately play dumb and dismiss his theory as that of a drama queen.
He would never have to put up with that insult.
Given the dearth of exciting news, he could concede that bookkeeping was extremely conservative. There was a limit, though, to how much reading and writing one could do without the need to produce their own entertainment.
Mr. Hayazuki launched his investigation.
Using indirect probing, he moved about the camp. At last, he came to the conclusion that Nana shone brightly for all, regardless of age. A truly nurturing person with an understated hint of intensity—a quality of her character that the kids seemed to like.
There was no way to reveal the hidden relief in their eyes as most of the questions led to the same dead end.
So, he moved to her adoptive siblings Hachiya and Kyu.
So too did they spew an apparently boundless porridge of optimism. Just as Hayazuki was about to cancel his investigation, Kyu, her brother, made a mistake. He told Mr. Hayazuki, in error, that there was a secret method that could exchange souls.
The teenage blabbermouth said that soul-swapping was made possible by a seal that was passed down through the royal line. Originally, it was anticipated that Roku would exchange Nana's soul for the soul of the camp's oldest member. Fortunately, he thought she was too far gone to proceed.
However, this would imply that a swap of this kind had already occurred.
Unaware that he ought to have stopped talking by then, the young child went on to tell how both he and his other sister, Hachiya, had previously switched bodies.
This meant that the positive and joyful energy that attracted his attention was celebrating a life well-ended as much as honoring one that had been well-lived.
Following the disclosure, Mr. Hayazuki resumed documenting Roku's day-to-day activities. He knew the man was incredibly powerful, but he was unconsciously underplaying how much. He never would have thought the man could be so powerful as to be able to deny death.
In the capital, there were whispers that the Uzumaki had the freedom to ask the Shinigami for an audience whenever they wanted. Before receiving reeducation, he dismissed it as a folktale read to shinobi at night.
Nevertheless, he found himself standing in the middle of nowhere, where fact began to seem stranger than fiction.
The rain shinobi had returned the day after Nana's funeral. This time they were a man short.
Hanzo's intervention brought their coup to an unexpected halt. Somehow, this infuriated him to the point where he killed the brat with orange hair who had just moved into the camp.
He became so enraged that he went on to wipe out the entire Ame-nin resistance group.
Mr. Hayazuki was familiar with Hanzo; if he killed you, it was either because he thought you were too dangerous to be alive or because he was bored.
Heck the man had brought Konoha's sanin dangerously close to death, but he spared them only because he was amused.
He sat next to Roku, the two Ame-nin sobbing uncontrollably, and waited amiably for the blind shinobi's reply.
When he finally did, it was as composed and strong as he had anticipated, and he felt as though his bookkeeper's work had come naturally. He had taken certain liberties in highlighting the sole Uzumaki and the remaining woman's composure. Though he was convinced that it would help bring the scene to life, he did it even though it was unnecessary.
To free the hidden rain, they begged Roku's assistance.
Despite being partially deaf and blind, the man was not foolish. Therefore, he had asked the two for a significant favor in return for their kindness.
He brought up to them the death of his first child and how her place was now vacant. He made a gesture toward his other two kids and declared that he could control the wind, water, and lightning. That he required young, robust Earth and Fire substitutes.
He would gladly throw his life at Hanzo if they could present him with candidates who could meet those two requirements. His one wish was to know that his people would be in capable hands.
After what seemed like an eternity of counterpoints and offers, the two sides reached a consensus. As soon as they did every red head under the tent came to a sudden stop. Outside the tent, the jovial laughter and chattering ceased for a moment.
Subsequently, they all gradually faced south.
Mr. Hayazuki looked over at the Ame-konoichi.
She appeared as confused as he was, going as far as nudging her friend in the shoulder. Something he disregarded in favor of just staring blankly.
Ten more seconds of unbroken silence later, Roku turned back to the others, his only visible feature an excited grin.
"Forget my request for just a fire and Earth shinobi," Roku could barely stop himself from throwing back in laughter, "if we have an Arashi we could liberate a lot more than just Ame."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone