A Mizukage's Job

Naruto: Tales of Ashihara

Shinden Saga – Arc 1: Kimera

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Chapter 113 – A Mizukage's Job

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Evening in Kirigakure. Takeshi Minamoto is slowly walking down along the harbor, with his mind full of worries. It has been 2 weeks since the murder of the new Daimyo of Water. 2 weeks that Takeshi spent thinking about his last meeting with Karasu and all that his words actually meant.

Deemed responsible with no investigation needed, Karasu Komori, alias Crow, has been set as the priority target of all the hunter-nins of Kiri. The frontiers of the land have been closed and the surrounding skies are constantly and heavily guarded. Suigetsu Hozuki, the mercenary hunter of Kiri, has been sent after the fugitive to take him down himself, as ordered by the Mizukage.

Unlike Kakumei, this time, the culprit is a single man with no protection, army or land. To let someone escape after such an offense would be truly shameful for Kiri. This is why all means are mobilized to kill Crow.

Takeshi, so far, wasn't asked to participate and, oddly to the village's honored council, he didn't insist on getting involved. The truth is that the young Minamoto can't get himself to see Karasu as an enemy. To him, he's almost a real friend. The few times they met were nothing but truthful exchanges.

However, he can't reveal it to his superiors, because it could turn against him if they were to learn that he met the most dangerous mercenary in the world twice and let him go both times. What's most infuriating about this situation is that only Takeshi knows about the situation that could have led Karasu to accept this task.

While he walks down and up the harbor to let time flow, he acknowledges the absence of any other person in the surroundings, and lets himself go, knowing that he won't bother anyone. He walks faster, and faster, and starts running. He lets his body shine bright and brings himself to an ever growing acceleration until the sea is completely hidden by a wall of light. In his run, he's abruptly stopped by a concerned relative.

Jikanteido

He's interrupted by the foot of his father lying on his torso and pushing him against the ground. Using Daikoku's time pause, Tsubai froze the dimension and placed himself in his son's way. As soon as he touched him, the pause was forcibly cut short.

Takeshi looks up to see his father's bored but oddly expressive face. Tsubai, before getting to the conversation he came to have, mentions some curiosities about each other's powers.

"You're not all that damn fast actually." he remarks. "You know Daikoku can't actually stop time, right? All he does is slow it down enough for nothing other than light to move. Since nothing gets even at just 5% of that speed, everything seems frozen to me. And you do as well. Not even an ounce of movement. Sasuke's sight or Naruto's sensitivity are actually fast enough to feel it. But you're not. You're likely not even close to their speed. Yet you're the specialist."

Takeshi, listening to this rant, sighs, out of lack of interest. He already knows all this, but doesn't feel any littler because of it. As his mother would say, he may not be faster than these two, but it's still his speciality. Seeing Tsubai take his foot off his chest and sit next to him on the shore, he sighs again, knowing he's in for a talk that he never had.

"What's up, little freak?" his father asks him.

"You're still calling me little freak?" Takeshi answers, avoiding the question.

"It's not because I know how whatever the hell happened when you were a kid actually happened that it makes you or your damn power any less scary." he explains. "Now I asked something. What's up?"

"Tsk… It's nothing." Takeshi replies, not willing to speak. Had it been his mother, it would have been easier, but he doesn't trust his father enough to confess.

"Takeshi, you know, I've been in your dad's mind before." Tentoki says, trying to convince his host to let go. "He's almost exactly the same as you. He only had a different life, but he feels others, loves and hates just the same as you. I don't think anyone is better placed to listen to your thoughts than him."

"Judging by your face and silence, I guess Tentoki's speaking to you." Tsubai figures out. "Whatever he's saying, you should listen to him. He's always right, you know?"

"In this case…" Takeshi sits up and breathes in, trying to find the strength to speak out.

"Don't tell me, don't tell me! I'll guess." his father exclaims. "It's about that state of emergency. Either about the kid who died, or about the guy who killed him."

"It's… about Crow." Takeshi answers. "I never told anyone, but I know that guy. Like… some kind of friend."

"Well… That's fucked up." Tsubai comments, not surprised. "And so that's why you're not running after him. Did you think of the kind of trouble it could get you into if Chojuro learned about it?"

"I know!" Takeshi complains. "The thing is… I can't take his side. He definitely messed up. But he helped me in a way that I can't repay."

"Anything to do with Fuyuko Yamanaka?"

"Not only that. He gave me intel at that time, but he also saved me some trouble with other people like him. Like, he got me away from Killin' Kiss, and refused to recruit me for someone else."

"Wow! So you met Crow, Killin' Kiss, and almost became a mercenary yourself?" Tsubai comments. "This sure is better as a secret. Sakura's boy wouldn't be proud."

"Don't say stuff like that. It's gonna make me feel seriously bad."

"Yeah, right. Isn't Crow also the guy who almost killed him at some point?"

"He did, but he didn't. Izuna's still alive, and this was only business as he says. Same goes for this last job. He didn't have any grudge held against that kid. He just served as the butcher for someone else."

"Do you know that someone else?"

"Here's the problem. I don't. But I know he exists. I know what kind of person he is. I just can't tell the Mizukage about it because Karasu's testimony is all I have… Maybe you know about him? Karasu said that before him, the right hand of this employer was a girl called Naomi Yuki."

"Ah! That girl!" Tsubai exclaims. "Of course I know her. At some point, she argued with Sasuke over killing me. She never told me about her job for obvious reasons, but she was working for an upper-mind as she called it."

"Thing is, if we could find who that upper-mind is, we could focus the village's attention on a new target and spare Karasu." Takeshi suggests.

"Sure. But no." Tsubai frankly says. "Chojuro certainly knows that a mercenary like Crow doesn't act for himself. He knows there is a client who opened this contract. But the only way to reach this client is to first find the murderer. And that guy will probably not let any information slip out without a fight. Whether he's killed or not depends on his cooperation, but there's no good ending for him… And it seems like killing him won't be an easy task either." Tsubai adds as he senses a presence entering the village. "Suigetsu is back."

Takeshi sits up, intrigued. Suigetsu was following the trace of Karasu as precisely ordered by the Mizukage. Him having given up could mean two things: He found him or he already escaped the country. In the second case, Suigetsu wouldn't have been the first to return. In fact, there is no good reason for him to come to Kiri, other than to carry a message.

Takeshi stands up, looks at his father and nods, to show his appreciation. At first, he wasn't sure he could trust him, but even if he didn't solve any problem, talking about it helped him sort his ideas. He's glad that his father accepts to keep this secret. Tsubai just nods back and stands up as well, exaggerating his effort.

"Well… I'm off duty." the father says. "I'll go home. You should pay a visit to wherever Suigetsu is going."

Takeshi turns around and goes by foot, not running for once. He senses Suigetsu's chakra and waits to know where he will be led by the ninjas of the village.

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Later that night, he didn't jump on the first occasion to interrogate Suigetsu. To avoid looking suspicious, he waited after his meeting with Chojuro to cross their path at a common place. At the entrance of the scientific department headquarter, Takeshi arrives just a minute before Chojuro and Suigetsu that he knows are on the way.

There, he sees the building totally empty, with not a single light on, which is quite unusual. At the entrance, Hideo Kotobuki closes a padlock to hold chains that block the door, condemning the place.

"What is happening here?" Takeshi asks, surprised.

"Oh! Young Minamoto." Hideo greets him. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

"Right before you went to that dinner." he replies. "Why are you closing the lab?"

"Well… A lot of things have happened since that dinner, don't you think?" the scientist answers while watching in Takeshi's back where he sees Chojuro arrive with Suigetsu. "Well, mister Hozuki, how did it turn out?"

"You sound like you already know." Suigetsu answers, embarrassed, before looking aside to cross the cold gaze of Chojuro that he could already feel.

"You're not in position to address him like this anymore, Suigetsu." the Mizukage says. "Takeshi, it's good that you're here."

"Hello, Mizukage." the Minamoto salutes. "I don't understand. What's happening? Suigetsu, did you find that mercenary?" he asks, playing dumb.

"Um… Yeah I found him." Suigetsu says, staring at Chojuro and expecting him to tell the story.

"They fought and Suigetsu lost." the Mizukage tells. "He didn't just lose. He was spared. Crow let him go after saying just enough for us to keep the chase going."

"That guy's really strong! I didn't expect that." Suigetsu argues for his defense. "No wonder he managed to slip in Lady Mei's back."

"What did he say?" Takeshi asks Chojuro.

"That the Mizukage's right hand won't be enough to take him down." he answers. "And he also let some intel slip out. It appears he's been working for a person called the Chimera. This person, according to him, is now ready to take over the world. At last, he said that if we want more detail, we'll have to deserve them."

Hideo widely opens his eyes for an instant, surprised by the mercenary's lack of secrecy. Takeshi frowns as he finally learns the name, or at least the nickname, of Karasu's employer. But it seems like Tsubai is right. The only way to get to the Chimera is to first take down its weapon.

"If he plans to take over the world, eliminating the feudal system of this land is a great start." Kotobuki comments. "Now that the lands lost its owners, smugglers and criminal leaders are in a race to know who will get to take over the unsupervised territories. We can't let this happen. I will keep this country under my control. Kiri needs to take down all the competition."

Takeshi doesn't comment on this. He just makes a weird unsettled face in reaction to Hideo's unnatural statement. Why is he speaking as if the land belonged to him now? Seeing his confusion, Chojuro clarifies a point that the Kiri-nin is still unaware of.

"Seems like you weren't warned about this, Takeshi." he says. "Sir Hideo Kotobuki has been chosen as the provisional Daimyo by the feudal family."

"What?" Takeshi exclaims.

"How's that possible?" Tentoki adds in his host's mind. "I thought he was a former ninja. How can he be entitled to take on this role?"

"Don't ask me, you're the one with the answers." Takeshi replies, maintaining his confusion.

"Sigh…" the celestial light calms down, knowing that doubts won't change anything. "I suppose this explains why he's closing his lab. He won't be there anytime soon anyway."

"Young Minamoto, I'd like to ask something of you." Hideo declares, turning his shoulders to face Takeshi. "As the Daimyo, I will obviously be a target to those who took down my predecessor. If I'm allowed to, I'd like to make you general of my imperial guard. There is certainly no other ninja that could be a better choice. I want the most unique and important of them all to represent my power."

"I can't interfere with that." Chojuro says. "Takeshi, I leave you to this task. Keep the Daimyo safe. In the meantime, it means I'll have to send myself to take over Suigetsu's mission."

"You're going after him by yourself?" the Hozuki exclaims, a bit excited to know that his superior will finally get into action.

"Yes. Handling this threat is definitely a Mizukage's job." he answers. "If he claims that my right hand isn't enough, then I have no better choice… Suigetsu, you're allowed to take a rest for the week. After that, go back on duty. And leave your weapons at my office for that time."

Suigetsu sighs, reminded that the weapons he carries are still property of the village. Chojuro salutes everyone and turns around to leave. The Hozuki, not much familiar with neither Takeshi, nor Hideo, sticks to the Mizukage and leaves as well, leaving the last two alone.

"Young Minamoto, despite what the Mizukage just advised, you don't actually need to play bodyguard." Hideo says. "You can stay in Kiri. If you still want to serve a purpose, you can gather intel about potential threats other than Crow… Or you could learn more about the Otsutsuki."

"Excuse me?" Takeshi asks, finding this request unexpected.

"I remember you saying that there was an Otsutsuki in this land that could probably help us with understanding their kind." Kotobuki explains. "I'm not asking you to find out if he really exists, but remembering this reminded me of this species and its appeal. I am still a scientist. To study and develop ninja and biological weapons is still what I do best. Maybe you could read through the reports of Sasuke Uchiha about this kind?"

In Takeshi's mind, Tentoki connects everything and shares his thoughts with his host.

"Now that I think of it, it's Crow who first told you about that supposedly retired celestial." he starts. "That he knows means his employer, this Chimera, knows as well… And this information certainly has a purpose to him. He could try to take advantage of him just like Kotobuki just suggested for himself. Besides, I've never read Sasuke's reports and would actually like to see what they tell."

"… Sure I'll do that." the Kiri-nin blankly answers, not thinking much about it and following his tengu's advice.

Hideo steps forward, holds Takeshi's arms with both his hands, and looks up to his eyes.

"I entrust you with this." he says. "If there is any benefit we can get from this clan, it shall be ours."

Takeshi slowly nods to show his agreement when suddenly, he senses the chakra of Makura emerging in his body and uncontrollably leaking out. The wooden creature takes form as an image that only the yamabushi can see in his back. It bends over and lets its invisible long black hair flow around Hideo as its 3 blue eyes are focused on him in a deranged manner.

"Huh? Makura?" Takeshi asks his tengu, startled by this move. The creature, after a few seconds, leans back up and vanishes.

Kotobuki, unconscious of the tengu's behavior, smiles and turns around, leaving Takeshi alone in front of the condemned lab.

"Sasuke Uchiha's report can be found in the Mizukage mansion's archives." he tells as he leaves.

"Are you leaving?" Takeshi asks, still shaken by his tengu's intervention.

"I am. I will join the feudal family to establish a plan." Hideo explains. "We've got to make sure we won't lose control. Don't worry, I'll be safe."

Takeshi lets the scientist Daimyo go and waits to be alone to look at Makura again. In his mind, Tentoki stands up and goes face to face with the living tree. The white tengu holds his hips with both hands and lets his lizard tail shake on the ground to express his eagerness.

"Well, Fear itself, what was that about?" he asks, to no reply at first. Makura stands still, with all 3 eyes looking straight forward and not at his host or tengu fellow.

"I… felt something." he answers without elaborating further.

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Roughly 10 days of calm followed this day. 10 days during which Hideo Kotobuki had time to prepare for his early reign as the new Daimyo with the feudal family. Takeshi Minamoto kept himself busy by reading the aforementioned reports as requested by Kotobuki and for Tentoki's enjoyment. In parallel to that, he also tried to find out more about the Chimera.

The only clue he has is his name, but this is enough for Tentoki to ponder. A chimera is a mythical creature that appears as an amalgam of several species. In other terms, it carries the genes of many animals that cohabit in one body with one mind.

In the meantime, the 6th Mizukage used Suigetsu's instructions to find Crow. After following the remains of injured and defeated hunter-nin and rivals, he found him waiting. Karasu didn't attempt to leave the country. He knows that the nation would certainly not have allowed it. He also knows that he wouldn't be any safer outside.

When he found out that his implication in this murder was already discovered, he gave up on a bright future. Actually, he accepted his fate the moment he took this mission. So, aware that Kiri won't stop sending forces after him until he meets the one person who'll give him his last fight, Karasu waited.

He thought that Suigetsu Hozuki would be his last fight. But to his own surprise, he defeated him. Now he's not sure he could have killed him if the battle went on, but using the swordsman's self doubts against himself was too easy. To let him go and deliver a message to the Mizukage assured that only stronger people would be sent.

Now, here he is, close to the frontier above a cliff, sitting under the rain and welcoming the Mizukage himself to the battleground.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chojuro of the mist." Crow says as he stands up. "Frankly, I was hoping for Minamoto Takeshi to be sent at last."

"Whether you will get to fight him or not depends on our battle's outcome." Chojuro replies, fully serious. "You and I are here for one common reason, but I'd like to know one thing before."

"… I guess one thing isn't too much to ask." Karasu accepts to hear him out.

"You gave clues about your employer to Suigetsu. Why is that?"

"To lurk you in. As simple as that. You are here because you expect to get more out of me."

"You could tell me who he is now, and avoid the risk." the Mizukage suggests. "If Oshio Uchiha could be spared after doing 100 times worse than you, there is no reason for me to take you down if you cooperate."

"Hm! Not a chance!" Crow promptly declares.

"… I don't understand." Chojuro embarrassingly says. "You're here alone, because this person, the Chimera, gave you up. Why would you stay loyal to him?"

"I am but a weapon. I was never under his protection." Karasu explains his philosophy. "He gave me a job and I did it… You can still try to force it out of me. Just be aware that I'll do my best to deserve a fight with the Minamoto next."

Chojuro sighs, giving up on a peaceful approach. Instead, he raises his hand and catches one handle of his sword. The bandages covering the blades fall off and he arms himself, ready with both hands on Hiramekarei.

Karasu pulls out his own sword while silencing his doubts. The truth is that he wasn't resolved to die yet. He hoped for Takeshi to come first, because he knew that with him, a change was possible. But now, he'll either die or kill the Mizukage, which would make him irredeemable even to Takeshi. With a single hand seal, he begins the confrontation.

Suiton – Amegakure

The rain surrounding him suddenly gets denser and hides his movements. Using the Shunshin jutsu, he gets behind Chojuro and attempts to take him down immediately.

Silent Killing

However, just like it couldn't surprise Suigetsu, it doesn't work on the Mizukage either, familiar with this jutsu. Chojuro quickly turns around and shields himself with his thick blade before leaping away. Eyes on the target, he jumps up and makes a quick series of hand seals.

Suiton – Dai Suiryudan

From the rain falling heavily around him, Chojuro creates a trio of water dragons that head down to Karasu and crash down into the ground. Crow manages to avoid being hit in time.

Karasu Henge

He turns himself into a flock of crows that all fly away from the area in different directions before gathering again to head toward the Mizukage.

Suiton – Suidan

Each crow shoots a water bullet, which are all stopped by Hiramekarei again. As he holds his weapon forward to take cover, Chojuro notices a light slit on his blade that must have been left by the mercenary's sword when they collided a moment ago. There must be something special about it to be able to leave a mark in one of Kiri's 7 legendary blades.

In need to focus on the battle, he lowers his sword and sees the crows plunging on him. To stop them, he dashes through the flock with a swing of his weapon. But right as he's about to strike one of the birds, he's blinded by a white mist resulting from the undoing of a transformation. Suddenly, he feels something touch his shoulder and pass through.

Behind, Karasu lands back to him with blood on his blade. By undoing his metamorphosis, he dodged Hiramekarei and used the fog of his jutsu to slice through the Mizukage's shoulder unseen, leaving a severe wound.

Chojuro makes a shocked face and contracts his legs to stand still. If he's correct, his enemy can turn his single body into many birds at once with only a simple Henge. Moreover, he is able to use Ninjutsu while maintaining such a transformation, which is a really remarkable feat.

He's hurt, and impressed. This opponent is better than expected. He could defeat Suigetsu after all. Ready to give it his all, Chojuro lets the chakra gathered in his blade separates the two handles of the sword and makes it more comfortable to use.

Hirame to Karei

He now has two blades set apart and bathing in chakra, one in each hand. Crow tilts his head to show his appreciation and engages a fierce sword fight. Chojuro blocks the mercenary's katana and keeps up until getting the upper hand.

Having two weapons that share the weight more comfortably, he increased his speed, defense and offensive. Karasu keeps striking the blades repeatedly with his own that absorbs the kinetic force of the shocks and immediately sends it back, leaving prints at each hit. Yet, Hirame and Karei seem to become more and more durable as chakra is being gathered in them.

Seeing that light shocks like this won't break anything, Karasu stops throwing his blade's kinetic energy away and keeps gathering it for a later strike. However, this leaves room and time for Chojuro to take the lead since his opponent lost in strength. He pushes Karasu away and leaps up for a fatal hit.

Hirame Kaiho

He releases the chakra gathered in the first of his blades and instantly shapes it into a massive hammerhead that he pushes down on Karasu. The mass collides with the ground and shatters the surroundings, lifting dust in the air. That monstrous strike breaks the soil and causes the cliff they stand on to break, making it collapse down into the sea.

Chojuro undoes the hammer and leaps back to get away from the crashing ground. Out from the dust emerges a dozen of crows who hurry to get higher in the sky in the enemy's back. Crow used his Henge again to avoid being crushed and is trying to get advantage again. The Mizukage doesn't let this happen.

Chigiri Toho – Honenuki

Using Karei this time, he projects several chakra water needles in the sky. But these birds are way more agile than regular crows and manage to evade this offensive. Still, Chojuro efficiently gets them to fly closer to the ground by orienting his throws perfectly. After a dive flight to the ground, the crows use their momentum to get back to the target.

As he sees them coming, the Mizukage plunges both his blades into the ground and releases the chakra they contain. Karei elongates itself immediately through the soil and emerges from under one of the crows. Yet, the black bird manages to dodge it, having anticipated that one of the blades could still have chakra left to turn into a weapon.

However, another bird still gets abruptly stabbed through by another emerging blade that he didn't see coming. Even after the massive hammer that Chojuro unleashed earlier, there was still chakra left in Hirame to pull this up, and both blades still have more than enough chakra to go on.

Stabbed to death, the crow crashes and surprisingly brings all other birds with him in his fall. Karasu's transformation is forcibly undone. The Mizukage gets his blades back to their original shape and pulls them out of the ground.

In front of him, he sees Crow rolling down, shaken, and struggling to stand up. It appears that this last strike caused a serious wound in his shoulder, leaving his arm to barely hold in place. The crow he took down must have been made from this part of his body.

"I'm starting to figure out your jutsu." Chojuro teases him.

Then, he trembles and lets his left arm fall down with Karei. He may have been able to ignore the wound he got earlier up to now, and could ease his movements by splitting Hiramekarei, but he can't keep this on.

"Don't show off just now." Karasu replies as he hardly stands up. "We're just getting even."

As soon as back on his legs, Crow holds his blade forward and prepares to let the kinetic energy he absorbed until now come out. Chojuro, to leave some rest to his left arm, stitches Hirame and Karei back into one that he holds with his right hand. To prepare for what is to come, he spreads his own energy in his weapon and lets the chakra coat surrounding it grow significantly.

Doteki Kaiho

Hiramekarei Kaiho

Both of them release their power at the same time. Karasu expels the energy gathered in his katana as a giant vigorous slash through the air. The Mizukage frees the chakra of Hiramekarei as a great chakra wave that confronts the energy of the mercenary. Both attacks blast off and spread around the area, leaving colossal damages to the landscape.

The battle between these two diametrically opposed swordsmen goes on, and won't end until one of them falls back to the ground.

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At the same time, in Kirigakure, Takeshi Minamoto is alone in his apartment sitting in front of the last few pages of Sasuke Uchiha's reports. But his mind is busied by another worry. He knows that Chojuro and Karasu's fight could happen anytime soon, and he still hopes to find something that will stop this.

Unable to make any progress on this topic, he just recalls the past and tries to reason himself. Yet, the more he thinks of Karasu, the more he believes that he doesn't deserve it.

"Takeshi, you shouldn't push yourself too hard." Tentoki advises. "It may be hard to admit, but Karasu Komori was signed up for this fate for a long time. Even without doing this one job, he is the first name in the Union's bingo book. He has certainly accepted it since he started this career."

"Tsk… I know, but if there's someone else bigger to incriminate there's a chance that he gets away." Takeshi complains. "If Sasuke Uchiha or Suigetsu can be given a second chance, then so does he."

Tentoki doesn't argue with that. It's true… Except in their cases, it was a Kage's decision. Karasu has no such person on his side. Compassionate with his host, the celestial light sits down and tries to rack his spirit to find any clue that's more than the Chimera's name.

As he just recalls the events and conversations they had about it, he elaborates any connection he can think of.

"Takeshi… Do you think Hideo Kotobuki could be the Chimera himself?" he asks, carelessly.

"What?" the Minamoto exclaims. "Why do you think that?"

"Just a little suggestion." he clarifies. "That scientist has an odd obsession with genes and transplantation. A body that receives a gene transplantation would kind of become an amalgam of itself and the gene's source."

"Pfff! That's stupid, Tentoki." Takeshi complains again. "I'm sure you can do better than that. Besides, Mister Kotobuki never had a transplant himself. I'm not even sure he ever had the chance to perform one."

"Hmm… Maybe you're right. But there's something else bugging me about him." Tentoki adds. "It's the reason you're reading these reports. Kotobuki said Crow's employer could be interested in the Otsutsuki clan as well. I remember you mistakenly mentioning this during a visit to his lab, but I don't think you said anything about Karasu that day. So how did Kotobuki know that Crow is who told you about it?"

"What?" Takeshi asks, not sure to understand.

"Now that I think of it, it's Crow who first told you about that supposedly retired celestial." Tentoki quotes. "Kotobuki said exactly these words the last time we saw him.

By this question, Takeshi is left wondering. This discussion is however interrupted by Makura who wakes up and widely opens his eyes to stare at his host. Sensing something unusual again, he speaks.

"There is something in the scientific department." the statue says.

"Uh? What?" Takeshi asks. "Like, at the moment?"

"The building is condemned, Fear itself." Tentoki replies to the living tree.

"No, Makura's right." the host exclaims. "Now that I focus on it, I do feel a disturbingly dense energy coming from there."

"Well… Hurry and find out then!" the white tengu advises.

Takeshi does as suggested and rushes to the lab in which he gets through a window. Once inside, he goes to the underground, toward Hideo's office where he senses the strange chakra. In the complete dark, he carefully walks and decides to speak.

"I know you're here!" he bluffs. "Stop hiding!"

In his mind, Makura frantically folds his neck to look around to find the intruder, when he gets a better impression of it.

"It is right here." he tells Takeshi.

"I found you!" the Minamoto bluffs again.

After this, a short silence leads Takeshi to almost let his guard down. Suddenly, a sweet voice gives an answer.

"It seems yet that you are facing the wrong way." it says.

Takeshi trembles, hearing this coming from behind. He quickly turns around in panic and crosses a mystic gaze. The gaze of two eyes with pure golden irises glowing in the dark. Not subject to fear, it is another strange feeling that confuses him. Not letting this bother him, he raises his hand and concentrates light in his vambrace, making it shine so bright it illuminates the room and reveals the intruder.

There, he's astonished by the figure he discovers. A tall woman with soft pale white skin, a thin figure and long dense black hair that reaches down to her feet. Mesmerized by who he sees, he notices at last the two thick little owl horns pointing up on her head.

Having read the reports of Sasuke, he immediately understands what he's witnessing. Face to face with a celestial being of the Otsutsuki clan, he doesn't even feel the need to get on the defensive. Instead he feels oddly appeased by this first sight.

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End of Chapter 113 – Next Chapter: Her Golden Eyes