Lone-Eyed Boy (4)

Urgent, Hidemitsu said. He was clearly nervous about something, though I was unsure of what it may be.

Circulating the chakra around my body, I dashed. Every time I leaped, the chakra allowed me to propel my body at an incredible speed. With the letter in my vest, I continued my rapid pace of travel.

But no matter how hard I tried not to think of it, I couldn't help but wonder just what this urgency was about. After all, it was the first time Hidemitsu ever lost his composure in front of me.

'What can this urgency be? Did his family member get hurt? A debt perhaps?'

I was quite sure that it wasn't about the medicinal supply; we still had plenty to spare. After all, in comparison to the summer, many people were taking rest in their home, and therefore, the number of patients who sought help visibly decreased.

'If it isn't about the medicinal supply, then why Kanae?'

She was a herbalist, and nothing more. Were they close friends? Probably not; I've never seen them meeting one another face to face.

The questions began to build up within me. And before I knew, my run was gradually becoming slower. By the time the village came into sight, I came to a complete stop.

Something didn't seem right.

'If it was just any other delivery, nothing would've been suspicious. But why urgent?'

It was as if… Hidemitsu wanted to be alone, for whatever reason it may be.

I slowly looked around. Finding no eyes, I acted as if wiping off the sweat from my forehead and continued walking.

<The eyes are everywhere.>

While walking slowly, I placed my hand in my vest, as if scratching the itch off. While doing so, I slowly unfolded the letter within the vest with my middle and ring fingers.

While walking slowly, I shifted my eyes downward, just where a small pebble was lying,

"Earth Release: Super Heavy Comet!"

before kicking it like any other young boy would, while reading the letter as quickly as possible.

[Kanae-san, it seems that one-third of the medicinal herbs were rendered unusable.. due to the rain. An appointed patient is coming by, and I would like a quick help.]

I always check the supply every morning before Hidemitsu wakes up. Though he never taught me anything regarding herbs, I learnt by eyes how to distinguish between the usable and unusable ones. And even without this knowledge, why would he write a message as short as this in a form of a letter, when I can simply carry his words?

A code, I speculated. One-third rendered unusable. Why two periods instead of one? Appointed? Quick help? It was suspicious indeed.

'Appointed patient.'

Someone who visited the house frequently to get his wound treated. Hidemitsu, while checking the man's status, would try to strike a conversation to avoid awkwardness, but the man always responded with nothing but silence. It was likely to be him,

'Gin.'

My eyes narrowed.

Two periods. Requires help. Hidemitsu and Kanae.

One-third rendered unusable, or killed. And Hidemitsu was exposed.

Gin, a wandering swordsman from the land of steel, they say. Nothing was known about him. He looked like a beggar with a nice-looking sword.

<Mind Sleep technique. Look into the mirror, and focus. Stretch your chakra out, and connect it back to the target location of your brain: amygdala, the main part that handles memory. Then, say to yourself until you faint,

I don't know anything. I lost my memory. I am just a poor little boy who doesn't know what to do. If just someone, anyone will take me in and ease this pain in my heart... just like that.>

My face was headed to the right, where a flowing stream of river lied. My feet moved on their own, and I found myself standing right in front of the river, with my eye headed at my own reflection on the river's surface.

The blue-coloured lone eye sparkling brightly, that's what I saw. It was the eye well-suited for a kid who was 8-year-old.

Then, sudden pain intruded on my head.

'Ugh...'

Frowning, I grabbed my head instinctively. A headache. I unconsciously thrashed my head around with my eye closed. I felt as if my brain was going to burst—before it was gone in an instant.

'...Much better.' I thought as I stared at the reflection once again. The previously sparkling eye was gone, replaced by the hollow and cold-looking one.

Akashi. That is my name.

'I never forgot. Amnesia never happened. I was simply hiding, until their true faces were revealed.'

It has been few months. But, upon conducting the meditation on the first day and gaining fluid control over the flow of my chakra, the genjutsu was undone quite some time ago.

Hidemitsu thought that I was doing the meditation, but no. Every morning, prior to the physical exercise, I was recasting genjutsu on myself.

<I am Akatsuki, saved by Gin and taken in by the kind old man named Hidemitsu. I live to pay off my debts until my memory returns.>

Every morning, around 30 minutes or so, there was no Akatsuki. Instead, there existed another boy named Akashi, ensuring that he was well-hidden under the facade named Akatsuki.

<I will teach you one simple trick—something that tends to be easily discovered by experienced ninjas.> Jiraiya, who told me this genjutsu technique called 'Mind Sleep,' said before.

<But if you really are thankful to me, then go away. Go play with those other dumb kids or whatever. Dealing with little punks like you is the last thing I want.> And that was the final statement Gin ever said to me.

'Hah...!'

Gin wasn't a swordsman from the land of steel. Instead, he was an experienced shinobi, for he saw through my self-genjutsu right from the start.

On the other hand, Hidemitsu didn't, though he had months to discover. I'd say that if not for his 'role' as a doctor in this village, Hidemitsu won't have treated me.

As for the reason why Hidemitsu entrusted me with this letter today? He knew that I was able to operate chakra. Over time, he came to believe that I truly was suffering from amnesia. It was logical for him to have me carry the letter, since he knew, by the time he received the letter regarding what happened to someone related to him, that it was too late to run. Help was the sole option left for him.

If so,

'Kanae, or whoever that woman may be, she will stay oblivious to this.'

Without any hesitation, I turned back.

'Yahiko. Konan. Nagato.

...I've never forgotten you, not even once.'

And I promise, that I will find a way to get out of here and find you three.