Undercurrents

Juubiko

A/N: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

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[City of the Juubi: Night time.]

Inside Nouragi's home, a middle aged man in his late years was coiled on the floor clutching his throat in agony while coughing for air. His name is Asaku, he is the one responsible for tax income and overseer of the city's internal trades, while Nouragi is the one that is managing the financial aspects before his "promotion" in becoming the new lord's adviser.

Secretly, Asaku is jealous of Nouragi's rise in position. As for the one that is currently ruling the land, Asaku hated her with a passion. After she ordered him to decrease the taxes and gave all that hard collected wealth back to those commoners, Asaku felt resentful towards that youkai that sits on the throne.

And even more so, since Nouragi is the one she choose to be her advisor of all things.

Asaku had always been jealous of Nouragi to the point he even secretly poisoned Nouragi's wife, to satiate his hidden hubris against his longtime rival. Secretly with his teeth clenched, Asaku is already thinking about how to get rid of the two. As for now, he had to play the docile one, waiting for the chance to strike.

So, that's how it's supposed to be.

Instead, his rival is currently sitting at the table close to the window, while watching him suffer under some kind of poison with an impassive face with only disgust shown in his eyes.

Asaku tries to say something. "..Ou.. rag..... ur.... ba-..rd..." yet Nouragi understood that his soon to be former colleague is trying to say, and proceeded to take another sip from his cup.

"You shouldn't have been so greedy, Asaku san." Taking out a letter from his sleeves, Nouragi held it infront of Asaku from his seat.

Asaku's eyes widened in recognition. "Yu... hou...?" Asaku tried to ask. "You are not the only one with tricks up there sleeves, Asaku san." Nouragi replied.

"You tried to contact the lord in the south in attempt to entice him to declare war on us and seize the land." Nouragi began to comment on the content of the letter. "It's written here that you planned to 'compensate' the lord in the south with a large some of crops, if they help the citizens of Beilanmon against the youkai's tyranny." Nouragi crumbled the letter in his hands disdainfully. "Do you have any idea, how many people you would have doomed into famine? No, you wouldn't even care. Just like the former lord, you only care to fill your own pockets, indifferent to the sufferings of the people." Nouragi began to rant.

The door to the room opened, and several men with clubs, ropes, water bucket and cloth in hand walked into the room. All looked at the downed Asaku like a rat walking on the streets. "...!" Asaku tried to say something, realizing what these men are about to do, but all that came out was a soundless gurgle.

"You recognize what they're about to do." Nouragi said it more as a fact then a question. "I won't apologize for this, this is something that must be done. This city had been rotting from the insides ever since the former lord sat in power. I did my best to help the people as I can. But I alone am powerless, and in the end I ended up in the dungeons."

"If it weren't for Juubiko-sama's usurpation, childrens on the streets would have starved to death, while rats like you would have lived without a care in the world. Not only did Juubiko-sama made sure that everyone is fed, But she even went further. I can point out the obvious to you, but at this point I am already wasting my breath on a dead person." Nouragi said. There was no hint of joy nor accomplishment for Nouragi. Only that it had to be done.

"If this is the burden that allows us as humans to grow, then I wouldn't mind carrying this sin upon me." Nouragi mused to himself with a heavy heart.

[Flashback]

Walking through the lively streets of the city of the Juubi. People cheerfully greeted their new ruler Juubiko and Nouragi who is appointed by her as her advisor.

The roads were newly paved thanks to the mob spawns which Juubiko created as labor force. They are proficient in various heavy labors such as pulling wagons, working the fields, digging trenches and acting as law enforcers by assisting the local guards.

Within the one month were Juubiko was in power, almost all the needs of every citizen had been taken care of. The newly renamed 'Juubi no Kuni', people had been experiencing a vast improvement in their quality of living.

During their walk the two now stood on the city walls facing towards the great plateau in the distant horizon.

"Say, Nouragi. Do you know why I want humans to flourish and advance?" Juubiko asked Nouragi.

"To be honest I been asking myself the same question." Nouragi attended truthfully.

"Because, I believe in the potential of humans. Both the good and the bad." Juubiko said, seemingly reminiscent of something. This was an answer, Nouragi didn't expect would come from a being such as his new lord.

"Destruction, Preservation, Corruption, Alteration, Creation, Evolution. All are potentials humans have within all of you. Perhaps one day your descendants will even reach the stars." looking up, Juubiko seem to look at something which Nouragi couldn't see. "A thousand years from now..." She murmured the last part to herself.

"Surely you jest, Juubiko-sama." Nouragi found the very idea absolutely unbelievable and absurd.

"No. One day humans will reach the stars, but not today, nor in the next hundred years. But one day it will happen, just as the cycles of day and night."

[Flashback ended]

The men have wrapped up Asaku's remains in cloth and hoisted it out of Nouragi's house, Leaving Nouragi alone in the room. Contemplating on the future that is about to come.

"A thousand years from now.... I only hope that my descendants will follow you just like I do. Regrettable that our paths haven't crossed sooner." Nouragi was lost in thought.

According from their conversations, Juubiko wanted for humans to "Grow" and usher in an age of cultural-, economical- and moral age of development.

People will no longer hunger, everyone will have a roof over their heads and people will be kept warm from the cold seasons. And that is all just the basics.

In Nouragi's opinion, it would as well have been a paradise what Juubiko tries to build.

The thought made Nouragi both excited and doubtful at the same time. Excited to see the "Modernization of humanity" Juubiko is talking about. Doubtful that he would live long enough to see it.

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An: Sorry it took so long. I was procrastinating very hard.

Review or comment if you have anything you want to say. It would probably help me to be motivated enough to continue writing.

I DON'T need your stones, leave a comment will suffice.

Anyways, have a good read till next time.

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