chapter 74

Hiruzen Sarutobi]

"Hachi again, I'm guessing," He said, almost casually, as he stared at Eiji Satou's body. His sole visible eye was golden yet again though, which belied who was currently truly in control.

"It's good to see you again, Sarutobi," The man spoke through the boy's mouth, a scene that was still as unnerving as the first time the Hokage had seen it. "Things in Eiji's Mindscape have… calmed since the last time," The supposedly created consciousness supplied. Hiruzen would have been reassured if he trusted anything that came out of the boy's mouth while this… "Hachi" was speaking.

"That's good to hear," The man said regardless of his distrust. Try as he might, he was a little relieved hearing that, even if his mind told him not to trust this… being. He'd gotten them the information about the Cursed Seal, at least, and that afforded him a modicum of… not trust, but certainly the benefit of the doubt.

"Eiji, and to a lesser extent we, have been interacting with the Beast," Hachi started, making Hiruzen and even the Anbu guards tense up. That could go wrong in many ways. "We all agree that she behaves like a child. We theorize that she's a newborn, basically. Our best guess as to why she acts like a child instead of a baby is that she either took some of Eiji's knowledge while she was throwing her… tantrums, or she took some just by existing."

"..." That was a lot to take in, especially when Hiruzen had thought this would be merely an update to let them know that everything continued as it had been before. That or maybe asking for a report for Eiji regarding his friends.

"We don't know how to take that either, honestly," Hachi continued, taking the Hokage's silence for what it was, uncertainty. "For now, Eiji is entertaining her. He turned what, in his Mindscape, is Training Ground Thirty Three and made it into a playground for her. Even managed to create a deer-like construct that acts the part of prey for it to hunt."

"..." Hiruzen's mind did its best to wrap itself around what he was being told. After a moment, he was fairly sure that he'd… processed the report. "She?" He asked, more curious than confused.

Hachi shrugged lightly, barely moving, really, since Eiji's body was still affected by the Tailed Beast chakra poisoning. On top of that, the man in control of the boy's body gave the Hokage a sympathetic smile/grimace, as if he himself couldn't understand all that was going on. It was probably the case too, he supposed.

"We don't get that part either. Our best theory is that it- she wanted to differentiate herself from the three of us and chose to do that by picking a different gender," Was what Hachi said after a moment, clearly unsure of what he was saying. "That's our best bet, at least. Otherwise, everything points that it should have been male… if it had to have a gender at all."

That was as good a theory as any, Hiruzen supposed.

"You said you are interacting with it now, why take that risk?"

"Kage and I think that Eiji started doing that because he wasn't entirely recovered from having his Mindscape suffer such an attack," Hachi explained with a concerned frown. The Hokage had never expected his student to use such an expression. The man was growing increasingly more sure that this wasn't actually Orochimaru just trying to fool them all. Still, he was far from trusting this person. "Anyway, it seems to not have been… the worst decision to make, really. We think we can bond with her. Eiji is sure of that, actually. If he can actually manage it, we could emulate what the Kumo Jinchuriki have achieved."

That… sounded plausible enough, Hiruzen guessed. Risky, but if what Hachi was saying was true, it was something that had a good chance of actually being possible. It wasn't something he would have attempted, but if Eiji was well on his way of doing that then it was what it was.

"Anything else?" The Hokage asked then.

"Nothing else. We have theories about how to go about improving Eiji's situation, but we don't have enough Fuinjutsu knowledge to approach Tsuchigumo's situation, really."

"Tsuchigumo… the Beast's name, I'm guessing," Hiruzen hazarded, receiving a confirming nod. "Maybe you can discuss these theories once my students come back. We've received word from them just recently. They are on their way back to Konoha as we speak."

Hiruzen noted then as the boy's eye narrowed slightly at that. He wondered what he was thinking. Was he hiding something from the Hokage? Or was it just because he'd confirmed that, indeed, Tsunade was coming back to the Leaf? It was difficult to tell.

"Eiji would like to know how his friends are doing," Hachi prodded then, and if there was anything that made Hiruzen be sure that he was, indeed, speaking for the boy was that. Not that he asked, but that he actually paid attention to everything the Hokage said in response.

The supposedly altered Orochimaru copy listened intently as he described how Eiji's friends continued working to restore Konoha. He even offered advice when Hiruzen mentioned the children also focusing on training, apparently things that he, Eiji and Kage, which seemed to be the new name of the previous Shade, had talked about in the Mindscape. This was, unexpectedly, important for Hachi, or it was for Eiji and that was enough for it to be important for him, most likely. Both options were pretty surprising regardless, in Hiruzen's opinion.

Really, the world was full of surprises.

At least this one wasn't bad, he supposed.

"You should inform Eiji of something though," Hiruzen started, wondering if he should really inform Hachi of what would be Eiji's mission once he wakes up. They are trading information, and the man was almost sure that the situation was truly what it looked like and not an Orochimaru plot. Even Danzo, in all his paranoia, agreed that it was likely the case. The Snake Sannin simply wouldn't do something like what happened in the interrogation. Appearing so weak was simply not in his nature. And even if it was just Hachi plotting, attacking his original didn't make much sense.

"Oh?" The man in Eiji's body voiced, looking at the Hokage curiously. Then he realized that something serious was coming up and his expression turned dead serious. "Did something happen?"

"Something did, indeed, happen," Hiruzen started, barely suppressing a grimace. "Kiri and Iwa lost a Jinchuriki each," He said then and the sole visible eye of the other man widened. "On top of everything that's happened lately. Things will be tense. Iwa is especially not happy with our decision regarding Suna's situation. As such, they want help to deal with the danger to their remaining Jinchuriki."

"And they want Eiji," Hachi deduced instantly before clicking his tongue. "Damn it. He moved up, and became known too fast."

"Indeed," Hiruzen agreed and, for a moment, he was reminded of times when Orochimaru wasn't what he became. Better times when he could have been proud of his most talented student. "Obviously, we don't plan on sending him alone but-"

"But Konoha can't afford to send too many ninjas away at times like this, especially after such an attack. The Leaf also needs to keep an eye on Kumo and Suna. Maintain people ready in case the Mist needs help too, after the attack they suffered too, if you want to keep that possible alliance as it is," Hachi mused and Hiruzen almost smiled.

"Indeed," He repeated simply, looking as the other man mulls over the situation.

"Eiji will manage. If he can get this Chakra Beast to help him, then he should be able to manage even if he were on his own," Hachi continued, almost like he was talking with himself. "He's also likely to reject help from his friends, but considering that they are all Clan Heirs or people equally as important, it's probably for the best."

The Hokage could only agree with that point too. Admirable as the display would be, sending such children out on a mission like that would be a mistake for a number of reasons. One that he wasn't willing to make too. Risking Eiji was already bad enough, he wouldn't make that worse.

"Anko is likely to join him though," Hachi observed and this time Hiruzen did smile. That was true too. There was no way the Mitarashi would let her precious student go on such a quest. Konoha would be short of one very capable Jounin - Tokubetsu, yes, but everyone knew that was in name only - but that was the least they could do for Eiji. "Hm, there might be other options that won't take from the Leaf."

"Oh?" That surprised Hiruzen. Who could Hachi possibly mean? He made it sound like they wouldn't even be from Konoha- "No. Absolutely not," The Hokage denied instantly, eyes narrowing.

"I won't do anything, won't even mention it again," Hachi replied easily with a lazy smile. "Eiji will probably agree with me. He can be very persuasive when he wants to be, you should know that. If he agrees with my idea, he'll go through with it and he'll make it work."

For the first time in the whole conversation, Hiruzen truly hated the fact that he agreed with Hachi.

Not too long after that, the man in control of Eiji's body went back to the Mindscape. After all, the Hokage knew that he must have been in pain, considering the state of the body.

[}-o-{]

[Eiji Satou]

"Good to know that everyone is doing alright," He commented lightly, doing his best to ignore the other piece of news that Hachi brought with him from his visit to the waking world. Eiji almost wished he didn't send him to see how things were going.

Silence hung over the three of them, as the youngest of them gazed upon Tsuchigumo, who was bouncing around between trees and such. She hadn't hunted much since the deers were created, but they all thought she would do so soon enough when she grew bored of just running and jumping. Some distance to the side of the small group stood a few bird constructs, the next step into their animal creation experiments.

"I guess your idea holds merit," Eiji agreed after a moment of silently considering the situation he would be in once he wakes up. "With just Anko and I though, it'll be difficult to pull off."

"You are, once more, underestimating the loyalty that absolute fear can grant you, Eiji," Kage pointed out and the boy supposed that was true enough. Or maybe it was just that he wasn't a fan of using that method to gain loyalty. He much preferred to have friends over cowering subjects. The latters were much more likely to stab him in the back at the first semi-decent chance they got. And with what they had to do…

"Fucking hell, I thought I would have a few years before having to deal with all this shit," Eiji groaned wanting to pull out his hair. Akatsuki, because of course he wouldn't have a nice time to skip to prepare for them. No, why would he think he would have it easy.

"We should go over the information regarding Akatsuki that you have," Hachi suggested then, looking much more composed than the boy. "From there, we'll see what we can do to learn more."

"Once I'm back in control and able to cast Jutsu, I'll pay another visit to Orochimaru," Eiji declared with a snarl. "He'll sing like a canary if he knows what's good for him. I'll cast Wit's End on a lot of them. I'll have to train that skill too, to reduce the number of hand seals. I'm taking no chances with any of those bastards."

"Sounds rather unnecessary considering some of their powers and skillsets."

"It doesn't matter," Eiji snapped. "They already got their hands on two Jinchuriki. Anymore and we could very well be screwed."

"We have much to plan for, it seems," Kage mused while his doppleganger nodded along.

"We do," The boy nodded, then he deflated. He seemed to be unable to hold onto his frustration, his fear, or his anger at the situation, for some reason. "We do," He added, looking around and sighing. He was almost grateful for being trapped inside the Mindscape, he realized.

It was just so… silent.

Nothing was happening, at least since they'd managed to calm down Tsuchigumo. There were only the sights and almost permanent silence unless one of them said or did something to generate a sound. 'I almost miss the Void… what does that say about me?' Eiji wondered, chuckling weakly.

"Eiji?" He heard, not sure which of the two was speaking.

"You two should look for a way to be different from each other. Most of the time I can tell, but it would make things easier, don't you think?" The boy said, staring off into the forest of the Training Grounds. Silence followed his question "Also, you can get started with the planning and all that, yeah? I'll go and make sure that Tsuchigumo is entertained enough for the moment."

"Sure, Eiji, but are you-"

"Also, you can continue with the birds if you want to," The boy continued. "I think I had enough with that project after the deers and this."

"Ei-"

"Sure thing, Eiji," Another one of the Orochimaru lookalikes interrupted then. "Have fun."

"Thanks."

And with that, Eiji Satou walked off.

It didn't take long for the developing Chakra Beast to realize that he was approaching her. The creature stopped and tilted her head towards him, as if curious and surprised by what he was doing. 'She does kind of look cute. Like an oversized puppy,' Eiji thought with a weak smile.

"Hey there, girl," He called, like he would one of the dogs at the vet. "I thought you'd like a playmate for a bit?" Eiji's grin widened when the Beast bounced around excitedly. Not only because it was an adorable sight but also because that same enthusiasm was transmitted directly to his mind. For once, he didn't feel weird about that. "How about a game of tag, huh?"

That got him an eight-eyed blink.

"It's a game. Basically, I touch you and you are it. From there you have to touch me and then I'll be it. And so on. You know, kind of like hunting but harmless," He explained. A corner of his mind worried that it would be far from safe to play such a game with Tsuchigumo. He shrugged that off though.

He received a happy bark in response and he grinned.

Lightning came alive under his feet and he dashed towards her. She was a Chakra Beast, after all, Mindscape or not, she was too strong to play with her normally, he supposed. Thus, Eiji Flickered right in front of her and touched one of her legs.

"You are it," He announced, before dashing away with a powerful, monstrous being chasing after him. Despite that, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

[}-o-{]

[Kage]

"He's cracking," He voiced, grimacing.

"Indeed," Hachi agreed as both of them looked on as Eiji started playing with Tsuchigumo.

It was understandable, really. Eiji had been working as hard as he could for years now. His free time decreased with each passing day and now, events kept happening, keeping him going and not giving him a moment to catch his breath. It was no wonder that the Satou's mind was giving up on him.

Kage looked around a bit. He hadn't seen the Mindscape in all its glory, since he'd been in the White Room until the arrival of the Beast. However, if the White Room was anything to go by, the quality of the construct had declined a lot.

Eiji didn't even seem to notice this either, which was the worrying part. The boy seemed to think that his mind was perfectly fine, back to its former glory and all that. It was a fine Mindscape, Kage was sure, but considering what it must have been before, it was probably less than ideal.

There was less detail, less color, and even the sun in the fake sky was dim.

"Is there anything we can do?" Hachi asked him and Kage had to pause and consider the question. It was certainly something to take seriously. Even if he didn't fear Eiji Satou just as much as he feared death, there was no way anything good could come from the boy succumbing.

If someone like him turned into a Missing Nin, the Elemental Nations would wish that Orochimaru could really take over him with his Cursed Seal. Eiji was already a force to be reckoned with after just around three years of training. What would he be like when he was in his twenties? In his thirties? If he wasn't considered God of Shinobi by then Kage would be very surprised.

There was another option, less concerning but equally as bad, as far as Kage was concerned, and that was that Eiji gave up on the world. If the boy's mind cracked, then he could very well leave the world to its own devices. He could decide to just stay in his Mindscape until the Void claimed his soul once more.

"Help him continue repairing the Mindscape and try and take a bit of the load off his mind," Kage determined. "How? I don't know. But there must be something we can do. Otherwise… who knows what could happen?" The Shade of Orochimaru really didn't want to see what would happen if Eiji snapped. Someone that had survived the Void and had brought that empty hell into their world shouldn't ever be in danger of such a thing.

"Think this is enough change?" Hachi asked then, after a moment of silence. When Kage turned, he saw… not much change, really. At least if one didn't count clothes, that is. Hachi was now wearing the standard Konoha Jounin outfit with his hair pulled back. He still didn't have a headband though, which Kage supposed was for the best. "I was thinking of going for the more feminine body Orochimaru took possession of but…"

"That would have been awkward, yes. At least for Eiji," Kage nodded. The two of them didn't care much for genders, truly. They were unsure if that was because they were just a soul shard and a mind construct or because the Original Orochimaru didn't care either. After all, he was the one that had possessed a female body in the first place.

"Should be enough, I guess," Hachi decided before grimacing. "I guess we can work on this. Not that Eiji won't stress wondering if we've done anything to undermine him," His grimace grew at that.

Kage could only sympathize with that sentiment. It was difficult to make someone relax when they were terrified of the possibility that you would backstab them. They'd made progress, but with how Eiji was, chances were that there would always be that little piece of him that would doubt. Especially so if he continued being pressured from all sides.

Even the few times Eiji could enjoy himself brought no reprieve. Seeing his friends would always have that small pang of fear with them, making the boy wonder if he could save them. No one's survival was guaranteed, no matter what he did, and that made Eiji worry even more.

There was no escape for that, Kage knew. Eiji would never truly be at peace until they finally put an end to the threats he knew about. Until Madara and Kaguya were dealt with, he'd always have that sword hanging over his head. 'And that's only if they are the only ones to be worried about,' Kage thought wryly.

After all, there was Pain too, but Eiji was a lot more confident about taking him/them on. With the knowledge the boy had at his disposal, it was easy to see why he was so, but it still worried Kage. That, and how little they knew about most of the Akatsuki. Eiji had a general idea of most of their skillsets, but that was far from enough.

And that was only if Akatsuki were the only ones to worry about. What if there was something else that Eiji didn't know? The boy himself admitted that his knowledge was spotty at best, even after revisiting memories and such in his Mindscape. To his chagrin, he'd just not paid enough attention to remember most things back then. Kage couldn't blame him, really, it had been a mere source of entertainment for him back then, weird as it was to think about.

'And I thought the world was already crazy enough.'

[}-o-{]

[Eiji Satou]

He smacked against a tree, pain spreading across his back. He didn't care much for that though, as a smile stretched his lips. Eiji was having fun, honestly, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd done that for more than a few minutes. Here though, here he had all the time in the world.

"Come back here you little shit!" He called, Flickering around searching for Tsuchigumo.

One would think that she would be easy to spot, since her colors didn't mend well with the forest and she was pretty big. One would be wrong, since she could basically change her body however she wanted, apparently. Fortunately, Tsuchigumo didn't change her colors, thank god. That would have made everything a nightmare. But she did change her size to that of a regular ninken, which was enough to complicate things.

Eiji blinked. 'Wait, why am I searching with my eyes?' He wondered, before almost smacking himself in the face. He was already using the Lightning Flicker as if this was the outside world, so… A grin spread over his face as wires stretched from his pouch. Living Thread and Web Sense would be very useful here.

'I should make games to use everyone's Jutsu once I go back,' Eiji thought, his expression falling a little. It wasn't that he didn't want to go back and see everyone else but… His Mindscape was so peaceful… 'Found you,' He exclaimed internally, pushing away all thoughts as he rushed towards the hiding creature.

"Tag, you are it," He called instantly as one of his fingers touched Tsuchigumo's surprisingly soft fur and he Flickered away. An annoyed growl followed right after him, soon accompanied by the Beast herself. The game continued like that, with Tsuchigumo catching on to his trick and going further away and making herself even smaller, to the size of Akamaru.

Soon enough though, she seemed to grow tired, lying on a clearing in the forest in her regular Ninken size.

"Mind if I join you?" Eiji asked, smiling all the while. 'When was the last time I was this… relaxed?' He wondered as he sat against Tsuchigumo's back when she gave permission. One of his hands moved to absently pet her between her ears. 'Is this what everyone had always been telling me to do?'

If so, he'd failed miserably in his attempts to relax after training and such. He'd taken on hobbies, of course, like drawing and free running. They probably helped too, but his mind was never entirely on that. There was always some pressing matter or future problem. There was always something to be concerned about.

Why was it here and now that he could finally truly let go of all that?

Blinking, he turned towards Tsuchigumo.

'Was it you?'

It sounded like a possibility. However, then came the real question.

'Why?'

Why was it that Eiji found himself so… carefree around her?