Chapter 14: Save or not to save, that’s the question!
We exited the stadium and I was almost skipping.
"Kagu-chan, you are free for the rest of the day." I excitedly told her, making her snap head snap in my direction.
"I can't do that." She firmly responded as her eyes hardened.
"Nope. You will do that. It's an order." I cheerfully replied. There was nothing that could disrupt my giddiness.
"But…"
"No buts. Go." I ordered in a sing-song voice.
Fortunately, she listened and albeit unsurely but left nonetheless. Now, where is my little apple? I skipped along the way as my sensory abilities worked overtime to find Ringo.
Why would I even bother to look for someone loyal enough to become one of the seven swordsmen? After all, being given one of the national treasuries must mean she is die-hard Kiri kunoichi who would rather kill herself than betray it. Right? Hah. Let me give you a few hints. Zabuza Momochi and his predecessor. Kisame Hoshigaki. The next wielder of Kiba. All of them are fuckers who defected, taking the swords with them.
It didn't hurt that the Kumo and Kaminari spies gave me the entire life of all seven swordsmen in one thick file before I even reached Water country.
So, Ringo Ameyuri. Orphan. No family. No attachments. Her only hobby is having a good fight and training with her swords. Extremely prideful. Loves kenjutsu and bloodshed. She is a poster girl for feral bitch without anything holding her in Kiri.
There was much more information about her. How her original team died. How she became one of the seven. About the fight with Might Duy and how she was laughing her ass off like a banshee even though her body was completely broken. It was actually her who landed the killing blow on Might Duy. He did not die of exhaustion.
How did she do it with broken and mutilated arms, twisted right leg and most of her ribs cracked? She took the Kiba into her mouth and used her remaining leg infused with a lethal amount of lightning chakra to quickly spring herself at him, surprising him as she with her mouth jammed the sword right through his skull as he was running out of steam and his body was tearing apart from the pressure of gates. Total psycho. Never had sex. Not because of her sexual orientation though. Well, she said the only man that ever impressed her is Might Duy. Just look at how he ended…
Apparently, she wanted someone who could 'tame' her. And by that, she means someone who can beat her into submission. This basically makes her a twenty-five years old kunoichi, and still a virgin.
Pfff… Kiri actually tried to send her on a seduction mission because of her natural beauty once. She came, killed off the entire bar, and got the information by seducing her target. Only, her idea of seduction apparently was threatening to cut the targets testicles off.
When I heard the report about her, I didn't really pay that much attention. Why should I? I had no way to make her 'defect'. Now, after seeing her though. I finally understood why Orochimaru gathered these people under himself! Alas, I am not aiming for little children but beautiful onee-sans!
I stopped suddenly in the middle of the street when a realization dawned on me, souring my good mood. Fuck. Why didn't I think of that sooner? I mean, I am prepared for this scenario but… Do I really want HER to join me? Aah, the headache.
The reason why I was so happy was that what she wanted to do was enjoy the thrill of battle. She gives jack-shit under whose banner she fights. As long as she can fight she is happy. That's why she is not 'flight risk' in Kiri. Because you can't really persuade this kind of person to betray her master without a hell of a good offer. If I offered her ten billion like I did the Daimyo, she would just laugh me in the face. But. There is one thing that changes the situation right now.
Ringo Ameyuri is dying.
If there is one thing that would make her defect it's saving her life. Not because of the added lifespan but because simple logic dictates that as dead she won't be able to enjoy fights anymore. After I saw her fight, I wanted her even more. Not as a woman, as an asset. Having her as a subordinate would be nice. Taking her as a woman? Disregarding the problem that I would have to beat her into submission, she is still one big problem.
Prideful, bloodthirsty, psycho. I shudder just thinking about how problematic she would be. The advantage is that she is absolute beauty when she is not having her hair in that hilarious hair-do. Her heart-shaped face is sculpted to be gawked at. Her ankle-long dark red hair contrasted nicely with her bright amber eyes. Her eyes are colored in such a nice bright shade, that in some situations they could be mistaken to be shining orange. One would think that her grinning face would be off-putting. But, Nah, Her teeth are definitely sharpened like every member of seven swordsmen of Kiri. I always imagined them to be sharp triangle-shaped spikes. The image is horrific. But, her teeth look, uh, normal. Kinda. That bloodthirsty grin she showed in her fight was a little hot too.
Ringo is also petite. Heck. Her height is barely reaching 5 feet. But, when I scanned her body with my nature chakra enhanced sensory skills…
I can only say, damn. The girl is packing quite the muscle. She is not bulky. No. But her muscles are strong, refined, and resilient. Even now, at the end of her life, she could probably crush bones with just a punch or kick. Yes, her lean and firm body is as much of a masterpiece as her mind and personality are psychotic.
My biggest problem was that I can't cure her.
No, I can definitely save her life. But cure her? Hah. Not even Orochimaru and Tsunade would be able to do that at this point. Maybe if Karin had as much chakra as Kyuubi, it could be possible. The keyword being 'could'. Ringo Ameyuri is already a walking corpse. Half of her body is decayed. The fact she can move is astonishing in itself. It is a clear show of her tremendous willpower. I dare say if they made her into jinchuuriki she would beat her bijuu into submission.
The only way for me to save her life is to apply Chakra Enriching Seal to her. You see, the seal merges Natural energy from air and chakra from the body, makes the ideal mix for the body, and then strengthens the body.
Now, let me ask. How long was the Gama-sennin alive? How long are summoning animals alive? Hundreds of years. Why? Thanks to the natural energy of course. Because they live in a habitat with strong natural energy. Heck, most summons don't actually use natural chakra. Just live near a place with a high density of it and it lengthens their life exponentially, makes their chakra stronger, heightens their intelligence, toughens their body, and much more. Every summon clan was evolved from a normal animal, after all.
The seal is making you 'a place' with a high density of it and using every bit of the natural energy you absorb to enhance you, teaching your cells how to actually GENERATE your own quasi-natural energy. Instead of someone who just absorbs it, you eventually become a natural energy power plant. The effect is a lot more potent and stronger than just living near it. I wouldn't be surprised if my lifespan was already in the high hundreds by now and quickly rising. My chakra is already the amount of 3rd Raikage.
If I apply the seal to Ringo now, she would survive her illness and eventually, her body will overcome it. But, is she worth the trouble? I don't give this kind of seal even to my family members! I long ago decided to apply this seal only to my lover or lovers and even then I made a special loyalty seal that will be applied alongside it! Sigh. The girl is causing me a headache and I didn't even talk to her yet. Troublesome woman.
I entered a Dango shop to mull over it while eating something sweet. Eventually, I was at my seventh stick of Dango when I snapped out of it. Looking at the table with a modified chakra restriction seal and realizing my chakra sense was firmly locked onto her position all the time, I smiled. The smile slowly morphed to chuckling which became full-blown laughter. Heh, I am having such a hard time deciding when my heart already decided. Yes, I, after all, wanted Ringo Ameyuri to belong to me.