Chapter 92 - Blood-Soaked Darkness

The midnight oil burned in the shed as Ekyt studied. If he went back to the Leaf, he would have to be beyond prepared. Scroll after scroll was left in his wake. Night after night, he was ravenous with his reading until exhaustion set upon him. It was times like these that made Ekyt miss Master Sarutobi the most. This studying would go so much easier if he had the Master’s wisdom.

The content of Ekyt’s studies soon changed. Once he ran out of scrolls on conventional jutsus, he began to experiment. The thought that you could connect chakras for the purpose of healing and breaking genjutsus was a fascinating premise, yet largely unexplored. What if chakra could be ‘shared’, or even ‘linked’? What if there was a way to make even the most dangerous jutsu less dangerous, by having the damage be distributed amongst a ‘whole’ rather than a single being?

Might this have saved Master Sarutobi’s life? What if, had he and I joined chakras, the Reaper Death Seal might have taken away some of our lives, rather than all of his own life? And if you expand upon that, what if ten people were ‘joined’ for the same reason. Then one-tenth of the life of each would be taken. And you can continue on that premise…

Or, along the same thought process, what if you could magnify the power of jutsus in this way? There must be a way to accomplish this…If chakras are joined by touching, and interfered with by the tenketsu, as demonstrated by the Hyuuga clan’s abilities…

Ekyt rolled open a scroll, tacking it up on the all of the shed. On it were all the tenketsu, labeled with numbers. It was like connect the dots. They were skin level, and tiny as a pinprick. But if there was a method to somehow connect/disconnect tenketsu…

It would take thought. On the lam, Ekyt would have plenty of time for thinking.

--

Back in the Leaf, Tsunade was arguing with the two diplomats from the Mist.

“I’m telling you, he bolted!” Tsunade snarled, slamming her desk. Sakura and Shizune were both clutching hidden weapons, ready to defend their boss as necessary.

“Of course! Because he was afraid!” one Mist rep crowed, chucking at his joke. Sakura was behind him in an instant. She grabbed his wrist, giving it a violent twist.

“Insult him again and see what happens. I guarantee he didn’t run for fear of you idiots. He could take down your whole village by himself,” she growled, cinching up her wristlock a little more with each word. When the man finally whimpered pathetically, Tsunade gave Sakura a mild glance. Sakura let go and returned to her post.

“I don’t know where he is, and he’s not stupid enough to tell me,” Tsunade informed her guests bluntly. “Not that I would tell you even if I DID know. So, if you’ll kindly show me proof that it was my man that murdered your leader…”

“This is ridiculous!” Shizune suddenly belted out, clear as a bell. “That boy has NEVER killed! Not even in defense of his own life!”

“I promise to inform you if any information surfaces about him. Rest assured. Now, I’ll have my jonin escort you out of my office. Do mind your manners. They aren’t always very even-tempered, like their leader!”

Say WHAT?! Sakura thought, turning away so Tsunade wouldn’t see her trying to suppress her laughter.

Two nameless ANBU agents filed into the room, each taking one Mist-nin with them.

As soon as the door slammed, Tsunade took a long drink. She slammed the cup down on her desk with a vicious ‘clatter!’

“Damn it! This is the worst possible time for this!”

Tsunade had outlined Ekyt’s wavering mental stability. He needed rest, not to be running from the law for a crime he didn’t commit. He was needed in the village. Especially with the prophecy now declared by two former Hokage’s.

“His mind can’t take this! I only hope he’s managed to keep himself calm…”

Sakura looked particularly downcast. “I kind of took him for granted. I mean, how could I have known he loved me?! And then I let Azami take his heart, and…And after all he did for me…DAMNIT IT!”

Sakura was near tears, thinking that one of her best friends now needed her support, and he was out of reach.

“It’s not your fault,” Tsunade told Sakura, pulling her into a gentle hug. “We’ll found out what happened. The Mist-nin gave us a report. If we know any two things, it’s these two things:
Ekyt’s no killer, and Ekyt can take care of himself.”
--

Ekyt found teaching relaxing to him. As it turned out, Monk’s were natural fighters. With their meager diet, they stayed in shape. With their studying of sutras and nature, they were natural scholars. And some of their clothes even.

“Intriguing…” Ekyt muttered, putting on a monk’s robe. He slipped stone prayer beads around his neck and wrists. “You priests and priestesses are natural combatants…”

Ekyt went on to explain how their attire could easily be turned into combat uniforms. The long monk sleeves were perfect for concealed weapons. The rope around the waist was perfect for flexible weaponry. The metal or stone prayer beads were natural for close combat. And if you could memorize a sutra that was the length of a ninjutsu scroll, handsigns would be easy. Not to mention that they already knew chakra sealing jutsus.
And the girls wore what samurai used to wear, and their hair were already in ponytails, making for an efficient combat get-up.

Ekyt started them on hand to hand combat, advising them to dress as they normally would, since that’s how they would fight. If it was uncomfortable, then it was best to get used to it.

Everyone paired up. Ekyt himself faced the Miko who had trained him in chakra sealing. They all bowed to each other.

“Guards up. Make sure you have your lead hand extended a little. Good! Now, my side, punch. Those opposite me, block with your forearm.”

Everyone did as he instructed.

“Good! Those opposite me, kick with your front foot. Make sure you don’t use your toes to kick, and don’t kick high. Aim for knees, groins, stomachs, and chests. But not heads. Go ahead and throw a front kick. My side, block and counter with a punch. Begin!”

The monks and maidens performed it perfectly.

“Good. Now then, let’s get into some self-defense strikes. Those opposite me, reach out and grab your opponents wrists with your right hand. Then, step toward your partner, so your leg winds up behind theirs. Then, put your hip against theirs and turn sharply, throwing them down. Those being thrown, make sure you tuck your head, and tap your leg when it hurts, so your partner will know to let go.”

The Miko did this move flawlessly, throwing Ekyt down, then going so far as to kneel on his chest to pin him down. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Both smiled a little.

“Good. Another few tries at this, and we’ll move on to other things. At the end, I’ll teach you chakra control. You’ll find that how ninjas do what they do becomes clear, and you’ll also see how easily things come, with time and training. For example…Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Three clones popped up around Ekyt. One of them walked up the temple, hung upside down and washed the windows. Another clone took up a broom and swept the steps. The last clone bowed to Ekyt and took up a fighting stance. The two put on a great performance. Then the clones disappeared and Ekyt nodded.

“The nice thing is that chakra and nature tend to harmonize. So you’re placed in an ideal situation. And you’re already proficient with weapons. Just make sure you stay true to your kind and gentle roots. Don’t let new abilities corrupt you. I doubt I need to say it to any of you, but history is full of instances of the very thing I’m warning you about.”
-

Back in his shed, Ekyt had tried to force himself to rest. Instead, of course, he began to reach for a scroll. Deciding he could do both, he took the scroll with him, along with his tonfa, and decided to scout out the temple and it’s surrounding area. It was a pretty remote forest, so there were plenty of secrets to be discovered. Secrets, when known and understood properly, were a tremendous tactical advantage. But if you were the one being surprised, it had the nasty effect of giving your opponent the advantage.

This place is a natural defense fortress. These woods are nearly impenetrable. That means that the only way to attack is from the front. And that forces a bottleneck. Perfect. Once I give those monks weapons and jutsus, they’ll be able to handle themselves.

-

Ekyt laid low for the first week, being very careful. Whenever he went out, he went out looking like a monk. But since that was rare, that left him with plenty of time to teach himself how to create weapons from sticks, rocks, and even vines. All this was in addition to his increasingly large supply of jutsus and other techniques.

He also began to have something of a life. The Miko often came to visit him, and even stayed and chatted. It had been akward at first, since that had tried kissing and discovered that their wasn’t a spark. But both of them, who were shy about the opposite sex, found themselves becoming comfortable with each other.

The children around the temple began to take to Ekyt, often asking him to tell stories of what he had seen and done. Some even just wanted to hang out with him because he was a ‘cool shinobi’. He took all this in stride, and rapidly became a favorite around the temple.
He didn’t know anything about the Shinto religion, but he was always respectful, and made sure he pulled his weight; either by teaching or by helping out with what needed to be done around the temple.

It was all the acceptance with no strings attached that he’d never gotten at the Hidden Leaf Village.

-six monthes later-

The Miko was keeping Ekyt company again, as the midnight oil once again burned in his shed. She found that staying with him at night was comforting. She had even slept over a few times. That raised some eyebrows at first, but upon the other seeing how innocent Ekyt was, it just became a case of ‘oh, they’re such good friends!’

If Ekyt was a captain, the Miko had become his assistant captain. The Momo to his Aizen, or maybe the Matsumoto to his Hitsugaya. The Miko’s feelings were certainly that of admiration for her first male, non-monk friend. They would often talk for hours at a time. Most of the time it was regarding Ekyt’s research. Since the Miko could seal chakra with a seal, the question was ‘could the seal become a ‘connector’’ for chakra?

“Break time,” Ekyt finally announced, stretching. “I’m going to meditate under the waterfall, I think. It helps control chakra, too, so…”

“Oh, sure, go ahead,” the Miko said brightly. “I’ll be by the guards. There’ve been some reports of bandits lately.”

Well, bandits didn’t often hit up poor temples, so Ekyt wasn’t immediately concerned. He waited until the Miko had left, then took off his clothes, grabbing a towel and his hakama.
-

As Ekyt meditated, he heard shouts for his help. Him specifically. The Miko came running up frantically.

“It’s them! Bandits!” she whispered. Ekyt immediately leapt up, his private areas covered by short black ANBU shorts, and immediately followed the Miko.
Damn it! They must be looking for me! Well, I’ll take care of that. Then, it’ll be time to leave again. I can’t involve this temple in my personal affairs.
It’s been six months of bliss, too. But I suppose I can’t run from this forever.

--

Azami and Itachi just seemed to be waiting. They were surrounded and outnumbered, but the new-to-ninjutsu monks and priestess were no match for them. They seemed to know that, so they settled for keeping their attackers isolated.

“BACK AWAY!” Ekyt shouted, charging toward the cluster. They listened to him, and dispersed as he strode over.

“Well, look at you!” Azami exclaimed, whistling comically at Ekyt’s nearly-nudeness. “And- Oh my God! Your eye! What happened?!”

“None of your concern,” Ekyt spat, backing out of the way of Azami’s reaching hand. “I’m not your husband. You don’t need to be concerned for my sake.”

Azami sighed sadly. “But you know I care about you, right? Ekyt, here’s the bottom line- Itachi and I are having a baby. And we need your DNA.”

Ekyt cocked his head, not sure he heard that right. “My DNA? As in, sperm?”

“Not necessarily. Any DNA will do,” Itachi answered. “You see, through selective genetic engineering, we can conceive a child- without sex- and make it a mature adult in mere months.”

“Maybe so, but why would you want to do that to a child?” Ekyt asked, genuinely curious. “No doubt, you’re making it a weapon somehow. But cutting out it’s childhood- a part of it’s life? That’s wrong on some many levels…”

“…A weapon. One with Itachi’s eyes, my natural and unique abilities, and your ability to learn and adapt. It would be an ideal child.”

Azami had a faraway look. It again made Ekyt wonder if she was being forced to do this, or if it really was her own free will. But he couldn’t wonder for long. There was no time.

With one step, Itachi was in front of Ekyt. Before Ekyt could avert his eyes, Itachi had snared him with Tsukuyomi, one of his most fearsome jutsus.

The world was black and red. Clouds moved backwards, then forwards, then backwards again as Itachi controlled time and space.

“Uhh…” Ekyt groaned. He was tied to a stake, arms behind his back, legs slightly spread.

Itachi was standing in front of him. But Azami was with him. Ekyt had never seen anyone else in the Tsukuyomi besides Itachi. He narrowed his eye at the new series of events.

“Chakras joining in one body. It can be achieved only when two people of immense power trust their wills to each other,” Itachi intoned. “You’ve escaped my Tsukuyomi twice- but can you do it now, when it’s twice as powerful? And with Azami’s chakra, and your lack of emotional chakra…”

“No…I still have emotional chakra,” Ekyt shot back.

“Don’t lie. It’s unbecoming of an upstanding warrior like you,” Azami tossed out dryly. “We’ve been watching. We know.”

“Your eyes…you can use them to cast genjutsu, as I can. Not as powerful, especially with only one eye (release!), but it’s saved you before…But what if I do this?”

Itachi reached forward, his hand now holding a kunai. Ekyt found he couldn’t close his eyes as Itachi put a kunai into it.

Ekyt’s yells echoed in the nightmare realm of Tsukuyomi. His mind was nearing it’s collapse. Blindness was maddening to someone not born with it.

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