Chapter 9

A Deal with the Devil

Chapter 9,

Kagami took pride in his ability to think quickly while under pressure, but as he leaned against the base of a slender tree, eyes narrowed on the redhead surrounded by his squad; he found himself at a loss for words.

The Uzumaki's tongue was fully healed.

How? Kagami didn't know, but Mari was exchanging words with Inojinchi, flirting while Shisu and Hotaro lingered nearby with looks of displeasure.

To his fellow Uchiha's animosity, Kagami wholly agreed.

After all, he wanted to know more about the demon who saved him from Hell - to hypothesize about what his payment would and could be – but was instead informed about an entirely different demon.

One whose presence was no longer bound to the confines of Inojinchi's strange tales.

[The birth of a new Jinchuriki.] Mari had said seriously.

Kagami knew that this was important news; the Hidden Mist Village's successful sealing of the Six-Tails, that is. But this brought about a new problem.

What the hell to do with her now that she was useless to him.

'Ditch her,' the answer had come naturally.

--

Agony, terror, torture, hatred, madness; an old village reduced to ashes. Hotaro volunteered his flames in their decision to torch the village's remaining architecture.

He flashed through hand signs with practiced ease, performing a fire jutsu that resembled that of a dragon's head. He fired three consecutive times, making sure to destroy all evidence of their presence and all of the Hidden Mist bloodline research.

The raging dragons- Fueled by Hotaro's seething fury, easily lit everything aflame; the village's foundations crumbled as if it had given up on supporting new life.

And yet, there was still a peaceful atmosphere as Inojinchi issued a prayer for the deceased and the Uzumaki walked through the burnt rubble, holding a burnt portrait of the village many years before the tragedy.

Hotaro joined Kagami and Shisu, behind them the sun gradually rose over the murky sea, and for a split second, Kagami saw the Uchiha crest fan in the illuminating sky.

Ghost of the Uchiha clan-

The thought came and went like the night.

The name, no title, held a weight behind it that made Kagami hesitate to ask his clansmen who this ghost was, so he didn't.

If there was one thing he learned within the first five minutes of being in this world; it was to always trust your instincts.

The old man charging him with a kunai came to mind.

So, forcing such spine-tingling thoughts away for a later date, Kagami went back to watching as Inojinchi mourned for his Terumi friend.

--

Shisu threw a nervous glance over her shoulder, whipping her long ponytail as she peered at the lone silhouette trekking behind them over the blue horizon. Blinking away the irritated scowl that threatened to manifest along her delicate features; she turned her attention to Inojinchi.

Immediately after becoming the target of her icy stare, Inojinchi fidgeted nervously, his teal eyes flickering to the Uzumaki's approaching shadow.

"You're purposely slowing us down for her," Shisu affirmed. "Quit it already, we've no more time to waste on distractions."

Kagami felt like those words were directed towards him as well, but knew she'd never say such a thing to him.

Rather than deny her accusation, the blonde glanced down at a school of fish swimming beneath the clam waves whilst biting his lip. An action he does when nervous.

It's been two days since their departure from the Hidden Mist bloodline facility, and hot on their trail was Mariko of the Uzumaki clan.

Shisu continued to stare at Inojinchi and Hotaro openly glared at the redhead's minuscule silhouette.

[Please, I've already told you about the Hidden Mist's sealing of the Six-Tails… don't you still want to know about the Kaguya clan or about little o'l me, as we agreed?]

[No, could you stop following us as you are right now.]

They were nearing the Land of Water's mainland, and from there on, Kagami knew things were going to be more difficult. Especially with the walking chakra beacon following them…

Kagami was still a novice at sensing chakra networks, but it didn't take a master to sense the whirlpool of charka gathered inside of the redhead. She was replenishing more and more chakra by the hour, seemingly depleted, and Kagami wondered how deep the bowels of her chakra system ran.

[I agree that I'm being rash, but would you hear me out at the very least?]

Her exasperated voice rang in Kagami's head, but his resolve did not waver.

[…Speak then, no one's stopping you.]

[…]

Taking her silence as a confession of ulterior motives, Kagami pressed forward. He could see it already; he and his teams' inevitable capture because of the redhead, but he refused to give in to her request once more.

She'd already proved her futility.

A small part of him was curious about how she could transfer her thoughts and read a portion of his mind, such as his concerns regarding the Kaguya clan and his connections to a certain unspecified demon, but all in all, he could live without an explanation to her otherwise useless party trick.

He knew that they couldn't sneak into the Land of Water with the Uzumaki nearby. Hell, even Inojinchi was glancing around nervously for enemy shinobi, feigning ignorance.

If she didn't leave, then death was the only option they could resort to. Kagami hated to waste a life he personally saved, but his loathing for her palpable company was even greater-

A sigh that didn't belong to him spilled thru Kagami's head.

[So be it, just remember, you asked for this by not hearing me out.]

Suddenly, Hotaro went stiff before releasing a low growl. He turned, fixating his now enraged Sharingan at the subtly approaching redhead. He stopped in wait, grabbing the Uzumaki woman by her collar when she came within arms-reach of him.

"Stay the fuck out of my head Uzumaki!" He snarled, throwing her to the ocean surface. Her frail body that looked like a strong gust of wind could blow her away hit the water but whether, fortunately, or unfortunately, she did not sink.

Continuing, Hotaro spat with the utmost venom, "Ally to the Leaf or not, I'll end you next time."

"Mariko, you can read minds?" The Yamanaka inquired, clearly astonished.

She smiled and nodded despite the ever-looming pair of Sharingan burning holes in her head, imagining various ways of killing her.

Kagami exhaled a deep sigh-

She got exactly what she wanted despite his efforts…

"Blame him for not taking responsibility-"

All eyes followed the redhead's pointed finger, even Kagami himself. And sure enough; she was pointing at him. Keeping his face straight, Inojinchi glared at him, Hotaro scoffed, and astonishingly Shisu's onyx eyes twitched.

"-Of saving me. I'm a lost, stranded maiden with a fragile heart and an even frailer body."

Mari said in a sing-song voice.

Kagami was not amused, however.

He didn't have any time for her games. Snatching the kunai gripped in Hotaro's fist, he walked over her downed frame, throwing a warning glare at Inojinchi when he took a step forward.

Mentally sneering at her cracked smile, Kagami wrung his arm downward in a diagonal slash. Blood gushed out of the cut stretching from her torso to her neckline and he dropped the kunai into the water when she coughed out a glob of blood.

"We're leaving," he ordered, walking past his team. If she weren't dead and somehow still didn't understand that he wasn't one to play games with; the sharks would have her.

When none of his team joined him, Kagami snapped his head back right in time to witness the redhead's skin and muscle patch itself back together. The scar remained, engraved seemingly forever, but the still leering Uzumaki didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"What the hell are you?"

He was fascinated, yet alarmed.

"I'm an Uzumaki with chakra considered special even amongst my clan, something akin to a bloodline, but that's beside the point, Kagami-kun," Mari said, pulling up the sleeve of her make-shift dress which was made of discarded rags.

Blushing at his cold glare she continued, "While the Hidden Mist and several minor villages fend off the Third-Raikage A's fleet by the Water Daimyo's decree; the Kaguya clan are planning to invade the defenseless Mist Village."

Third-Raikage A? Water-Daimyo?

'Great… more names.' Kagami thought with an unpleasant expression.

"Taicho, if she's telling the truth then our mission is omitted, right?" Inojinchi asked skeptically, grimacing as small fish nipped at the blood-saturated water below. "I mean; it's kinda like you three were saying earlier, they're no longer a threat to the Land of Fire in this war."

In other words-

They were traitors to the Land of Water, so let the Land of Water handle them.

Kagami wasn't sure whether to be proud that the not-so-innocent blonde said such a thing or irked. Regardless, he wasn't ready to return to the village yet. Or his son, or the Lord Hokage, and Fugaku-sama...

Satisfying his own wishes, Kagami shook his head negatively. Besides, there was one thing Inojinchi didn't consider even if it was wrong.

"Don't be an idiot," Hotaro crossed his arms over his chest. "How're we supposed to know if she's telling the truth or not? How could she even know such things being confided on that island," he stressed with a sneer.

Kagami doubted that she was lying; she probed his head while basically a corpse after all, what was keeping her from doing the same to her capturers or the apprehended Kaguya. Even so, he didn't bother relaying that information.

"As I said," Kagami declared. "We're leaving. Continue following us and I'll find a way to kill you. Even if that means dragging you to the bottom of the ocean."

Ever the faithful companion, Shisu joined him without a word. Hotaro sent the Uzumaki a warning glare before following and Inojinchi too, only after a conceded groan.

"You're truly a man immune to a cute girl's warning… Fine, you win." The surge of lively chakra dwindled until it was completely invisible. "I cannot possibly make it back home on my own without the risk of being captured again, so I'll volunteer to navigate you all through the Land of Water, directly to the Kaguya clan's village if you promise to escort me to Uzu or back to the Leaf when you see that I was in fact right."

The three Konoha shinobi came to a halting stop once more, yet Kagami simply rolled his scarlet eyes and continued.

"Kagami-Taicho, we have a rough idea of where their village is located thanks to Lord Hokage's resources." Hotaro raised a thin daring eyebrow at Mari. The tomoes within his Sharingan spinning angrily as her sweet smile widened.

"Then you can rest assured, I'll suppress my chakra and be a mere observer."

Hotaro growled, readying to duplicate the scar Kagami dragged across her body.

"Enough," Shisu announced, preventing more bloodshed. "There's no use in arguing with her anymore."

"But Kagami-Taicho hasn't..." Hotaro opened his mouth to refute her declaration as Inojinchi stifled a laugh.

"As you can see, Taicho has already come to a decision." She pointed at Kagami who was walking further ahead, hands in pockets with a dark expression on his face. "Now let's hurry before he decides that we are dead weight."

End