Chapter 7 Where am I?

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""Don't worry Mom, I won't die." Was his last lie if I recall correctly...."

Led by obligation to his village, the overconfident soldier bravely departed from his aging mother who somehow, despite not being the one forced to enter the hell known as the battlefield, looked far more terrified than I suspect she would have been had she been the one selected.

Her screams and wails the following day were... different.

Similar only in name to the ones i usually encountered in enemies on the battlefield.

If i could recall correctly, it most closely resembled those coming from that one client whose brother i assassinated.

But even compared to then, these ones seemed a notch... deeper if i could call it that.

I wanted to find out why they were so different.

They were obviously both wails.

Just noises released by the vocal cords consciously or unconsciously while the body was in distress.

Was it the tone? volume? or was it just the varying individual characteristics of the victims?

What made them so distinct?

The curiosity weighed heavily on me.

And at the same time i didn't want to know the difference. At least not in person. However, i learned something new, like i always do.

It taught me how to inflict agony on others without pointed objects or Ninjutsu.

A broken promise. 

A new tool in my arsenal.

One i would never use.

.

.

.

{BZZT!}

["What if, t́h̶̴̷̢̞̝̟̭̯̳̮͎̥͈͉̽̿̀ͧ̇́ͧ̃̉ͧ̐ͣͭ̕͟ȁ̢̨̤ͥ̍t̸̼̎ͭ͂ p̦̺̮̥̬͓̔́ͮ͊͑̓̈́́̏͠ͅr̴̪̦̭͚̙̳̰̮͍̬̤̄̐ͮͥ̒̑́ͬ̓ͦ̔͗̌ͤ͝͡o̪͍̪͉̪ͧ̋́͘mi̱̥͇̼̝̭̰̜̱ͤ̅̒̆ͮ̋ͬͫͦͨͧ͞͞ş̢̨̛̗͍̹̥̙̜͔̭̞̄̍̀̾̃̔̀͋͘e̮̺̠͒͜ w̸̷̢̛͔͓͈̣̞͔͉̦̞͉̟͇͖͙̉ͮͧͪͮ̃̐̉̓ͩ̽͜͜͞a̹̝̽͞ś͍͓̟̻̲̘͈͖͚̜̲͕̝̺̯̟̾̄ͤ̅̓̔̒ͩ̆̿̀ͪͬ͋̐̍ͩ͘̚͜͠͠ a̷̰͔̣͉͆̂͒ b̵̡̢̝͇͓̙͖̻̮̦͊ͬ̑ͫ̋̕͢ī̗ͮ̾ͧ̽ͭ͜t̷̞̣̝̦͔̙̮̻̻̹̺͇̮͔̗͙ͦ̈́̀̓̂̆̽̃̅̋ͪ̈ͥ̏͂̽ͤ͌͒͒ m̒ǫ̡̛̪̪͉̖̙͔̰̩͓́ͣͮ̃̀̅͝r̸̨̢̹̳͖͓̹̜͚̹̖͓̜̩̱͑͑͆̊́̆ͬͥ̇̆̋͛͜͠͞ẽ̡̨͚͓̹͓̱̝͓̅̄́ͬ͐ͬ͜͢,̶̷̸̛̥̼̤̗͉̪̪ͤ̓̒̐̉́͝͝͡ B̲̒͌_͇̠͕̘̌ͨ̐͑͗̀ͫ̂i̶̵̹̙͍̱̫ͮ̄̓ͭ̾̀̔̀ͩ͛͒̆̽͢n̴̛̰̗͍̳͚̝̟̬̱̤̺̹̼̬̳̼̺̦̥͚͕ͬ̀͌̎ͩ̀͆̊ͧ͋́ͧ͛͂̽̍ͤ͊̎̐̈́̃͢͠ḑ̡̧̦̪̙̤̯ͯ̅ͧ̐ͮͪ͞͝͡ͅỉ̧̡͈̞̬̯̮̞̲͉͆̏ͧ̅ͬ̓ͭͯ̔̂̚n̴̨̮̻̞̳͛̌̀̏́͆̈͘_̢͉̖̘ͪͥ͆͊͂͂̉̿ͥͩ̅̓ͯ̕͢͜͝ģ̷̶̶̛̛͎̗̥̱̫̘͂ͯ̄ͬ̽̆͐̒͒́̅̃̀͆͋ͫ͟͟͢͞͠?.͈͍͉̣ͧͮ͌͠͠.̵̷̷͕͔̘̹̩̦̭͖͗ͬ̔̽͑̄̅ͫͯ̑̍ͪ̇ͭ̂̓͆̆̚͟.̷̜͓̋́͊̂.̸̪̻̬̟̠͋̾.̵̨͍̺̣͛̃̂̈́̓̆́͜"]

*Blink*

*Groan*

And like that, both the thought and the memory are gone. Crudely and forcefully ripped from my mind.

"Liar..." I managed to mumble before it fully departed. Leaving me completely ignorant at who i was directing that jab to.

'Not that it matters anyway...' My head was still pounding and grogginess was threatening to creep in.

I give my head a shake accompanied by a gentle massage...

"Ouch..."

It hurt.

A lot.

'I'm still feeling the phantom pains though i cant recall why. What i do know is that whatever that was...'

It was disgusting.

It was revolting.

It wrenched sanity out of a complete mind.

It made me "[Shudder]".

"{⃥𝘉̸𝗭⃥𝘡̸𝗧⃥!̸}⃥""

'Aaand its gone again...' I observe while wiping off a cold sweat that was gradually forming on the back of my neck.

This is most certainly the work of a [Seal].

At least. That's the only explanation I'm currently able to come up with.

Whatever kind it is, I must say messy as it's means was, it's doing its job well.

However.

'It seems to be waning. I keep having these episodes more often now...'

I have a feeling that it's best that this seal doesn't break.

Okay, more like I'm exceedingly wary of what would happen if it did.

If it already hurts this much while its cracked, when it shatters into a million pieces like i suspect it is intending to, whats it say it won't take my psyche down along with it?

I wouldn't be so worried if it only involved a [Physical] sort of pain.

It wouldn't be a big deal in that case. After all pain is part of a Shinobi's job. Whether it involved escaping from a superior opponent on the battlefield, then hiding in obligated silence all the while sporting and self-treating an excruciating injury, or simply keeping secrets under enemy "interrogation".

All i can say is that there is a reason why truth serums were so valued in the elemental nations. Most Shinobi are just too good at handling Physical pain.

Heck, pretty sure we had a specific class for that back in the Anbu academy.

However, this one is... different.

It feels deeper than just the body. It's something more [Primal] if i could describe it with its closest term.

This is one of the reasons I'm cooped up in the library right now.

With my current level in Fuinjutsu, I currently don't have the means to reinforce it and I'm hoping that a trip here will provide a new perspective.

Thus, back to the basics.

Storage seals are the basis for all [Fuinjutsu].

I've spent a sizable amount of time working on my calligraphy and chakra control. And I have now reached the minimum threshold required to learn this dangerous Art.

Yes. It's dangerous.

In fact I will eagerly bet that Fuinjutsu is the most dangerous Shinobi art of all. Both to the User and the Victim.

Ninjutsu which Shinobi children tend to prefer (likely due to its falshiness), simply does not come close to the peril that an experienced Fuinjutsu user can bring about.

A semi-immortal monster who simply shrugged off the Rasengans and fireballs you've been throwing at it for the past hour, could end up felled by a [Seal].

Fuinjutsu is the reason why the mighty Bijuu ended up as pets despite being literal sentient natural disasters each increasing in magnitude with accordance to their tails.

Such is the might of [Seals].

However, [Fuinjutsu] comes with its own problems...

It is hard to learn even with a teacher. Horrendously so without one.

I managed to self-study up to a point over the last two years. If nothing but for the purpose of securing the chance that i wont have to waste valuable Ryo purchasing paper tags and bombs and could instead manufacture my own.

And thank goodness for my innate frugality, now i dont have to start from scratch and i'm semi certain my seals actually work. However it seems like a new issue has popped up.

'The seals that proved too much a hurdle for the few tigers and large animals I experimented on in the past was shrugged off by a little girl.'

This would normally cause any Shinobi (me included) to immediately drop Fuinjutsu development and stick with the knowledge of paper bomb fabrication. They would then seek other more rewarding avenues to explore.

'They'd be right to do so in most cases.

We live in a world where seven year olds could tell you where they'd cut you in order to ensure that you bleed to death slowest.'

I inwardly muse.

Thus wasting time in such a place is almost directly proportional to personally shortening your lifespan.

However, quitting [Fuinjutu] is not the correct decision in this current case...

'I bet it's their weird brand of Chakra.'I reason as I browse through another page in the book I'm currently reading.

*Flap*

Which is why i'm here in the library flipping through all the energy related books i could find.

The pile is growing and im beginning to attract attention judging by the curious gazes i could feel staring this way.

There are also the hushes whispers...

"Who is he?" "New disciple?" "Master Yu of all people?" "He's good looking... What clan is he from?" "Don't know." "I would like him to [£$~P$%]"

I distinctly ignored that last one. The people in... Whatever region this is have... Issues i've noticed recently.

The chattering kept going and growing louder as time went on, until the librarian couldn't take any more.

*SHHHH*

The volume reduced but the staring did not.

Regardless despite how uncomfortable it was to be within sight of so many people, I continued flipping through the books memorizing the contents while making sure to keep my glowing eyes concealed.

And so the pile grew larger.

And boy did it yield results:

'Holy energy? Ki? Demonic energy? what the...'

The results confused me a lot but it was undeniable what i was seeing.

[Holy Energy]: A form of energy wielded by the [Angel Faction] led by a deity named [YAWH].

Highly potent when used in [Exorcism] or banisment/destruction of evilly aligned entities like Devils.

Can be applied to items in order to bring about the production of [Holy water], [Crucifixes], e.t.c.

'Our esteemed [Shinto Faction] has succeeded in mimicking the properties of this energy. Through this, we have formed our own [Cleansing Rites].' i re-read from the book. It denoted a tone of pride. As if achieving something significant, but that wasn't important right now.

'Yawh? Shinto? Devils? What is going on here?! This never existed in the [Elemental Nations]!'

Sure i've noticed that people over here were more religious than usual, but i had assumed that i was just in an area dominated by one of the Temples. After all we had plenty of Monks back home with many strange and unique methods of manipulating Chakra.

Names such as Amaterasu and Izanagi were not unheard of.

In fact their strength and differing methods were perfectly explainable. After all we had plenty of lesser known Kekkei Genkai scattered throughout the Shinobi world.

Both known and unknown. You could never tell what surprises could emerge as a result of various civilians crossbreeding.

Even the race of Yokai i had previously learned about could have been explained away by Chakra.

After all, if this mysterious force was able to create creatures such as the Bijuu, then whats to stop it from creating a race of lesser bijuu, or they could simply be some sort of freak mutation of summoning animals.

But this?

'Angels? Devils?'

"... I'm back on [Earth]?"

*SHHHH*

The ever dutiful librarian would never fail in warning an errant student.

////////// General P.O.V: Forest

The warm embrace of the Sun permeates through everything.

Even the heart of a secluded forest.

Here, a nest sat securely amidst the dense vegetation. Comprising of dried leaves and twigs, it was no wonder that it remained hidden, shielding its contents from the probing of predators.

The said content included a few eggshells deprived of its contents. Said contents seemed to have already left to begin their life's journey. Yet still residing in this soft bed lay a solitary Snake egg. It rests like a precious gem, its smooth surface gleaming softly in the dappled light filtering through the dense foliage above.

Still seemingly alive despite its siblings having left an estimated months ago.

A latecomer if you would say. Finally to see the light of day.

Because within this porous shell, a subtle stirring begins. Imperceptible at first, the tiny occupant inside begins its final struggle for freedom. With delicate yet determined movements, the serpent-to-be pushes against the confining walls of its embryonic world.

The egg wobbled back and forth for a moment, then stops. Staying eerily still and then glowing once.

A sickening shade of green, before returning back to its previous pearly hue.

*Crack!*

A small crack appears, a testament to the tenacity of the life seeking to emerge. Slowly but surely, the fracture widens, revealing glimpses of translucent scales beneath. The egg, once smooth and unyielding, now bore the marks of impending liberation, a labyrinth of fractures tracing intricate patterns across its surface.

*Hiss!*

Blinking in the dappled sunlight and hissing in displeasure as of uttering a [Curse], the hatchling snake takes its first tentative breaths, tasting the world with flickering tongue and keen senses. Instinctively, it seeks refuge in the shelter of the vegetation forming its nest.

And Instead of heading into the trees and greens following the fading trail left by its previous siblings, this young serpent turned around and slunk off into the flood.

The vast expanse of water surrounding Korea rippled and pulsed as it entered. Scales glittering an ominous yet beautiful dark shade of green as it slithered.

As if to lament the day, the sun became covered by clouds and then the rain came.

First in gradual droplets, then into heavy rain.

The heavens wept for today, a great evil had been born.

*Snap*

Nearby, a being taking a brief nap away from its celestial abode opened his eyes.

Quickly yet carefully assessing the situation, he grew pensive.

"How ominous... should I take care of it now before it becomes a problem?"

Born during an eclipse in a leap year. It could be anything but good.

However, terminating the potential of the newly-born was contrary to his [Dharma].

"I am not a paranoid Olympian. Nature is full of change. New life must always be appreciated. What is naturally meant to be, is just that. Meant to be.

Let nature run its course." He said, seemingly convincing himself and forcing all apprehension out of his being.

'Breathe in, and breathe out...' and slowly his alert state vanished.

Yes, this wasn't a demon escaping from [Naraka]. No, it deserved a chance.

All life born on earth had its role to play.

Nature always had a way of balancing itself.

The being the closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

'Though, should I inform Sun-Wukong?'

Thinking carefully and finally shaking his head in the negative.

Rest was more important.

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Aaaaand, End chapter!

Hey MechaHeart here, missed me didn't you?

I'm busy more often than not nowadays. A have great plan for this story but it always seems like my writing style isn't expressive enough.

I'd honesty like your opinion on this. Thus your suggestions are always appreciated.

Don't forget to Review or just comment!

MechaHeart out.