Arashi moved like a ghost through the dense forest, his Rinnegan constantly scanning his surroundings. Despite his vigilance, a sense of unease settled over him.
'It's too quiet...' he thought, his brow furrowing. 'Is this a trap?' He quickly dismissed the idea. 'No, I would have sensed it.' But something was undeniably off. Every shadow, every rustle of leaves seemed hollow, devoid of life. The forest felt unnatural; not even a bird chirping or a small animal scurrying through the undergrowth.
Suddenly, Arashi froze, his hand gripping the branch he was perched on. His eyes widened as he spotted a figure lying motionless amongst the trees.
"Another assassin?" he wondered, dropping silently to the ground. His Rinnegan activated, picking up faint traces of chakra, remnants of a recent battle.
He approached the corpse cautiously, his senses heightened. 'Pale blue skin...' he observed, noting the unusual damage. He examined the surrounding vegetation. 'Damp. Water Release?' He shook his head, something not quite adding up. Stepping back, he detected another influx of chakra originating from the direction he had come.
Arashi closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, his senses reaching out. "At least two hours ago," he murmured, analyzing the lingering scents. "But I smell scorched trees..." He returned to the body, his eyes widening as he made a grim discovery. 'I was wrong!' He gently lifted the dead shinobi's head, revealing a pool of blood beneath.
'Three attack origins and four chakra natures used,' he deduced, his mind reconstructing the events. 'The first was a visual genjutsu, obviously not a strong one, a distraction; the second, Fireball Jutsu from above. Not powerful enough to kill, but that wasn't the intention. It was a bluff, and he fell for it. He prepared an Earth Dome, but somebody stopped it before it could form. No...' Arashi chuckled, a chilling realization dawning on him.
"I understand now," he muttered. "What a dangerous technique for a single person. I'll approach from a distance, remain unseen, to confirm."
Following the trail of bodies, Arashi moved with renewed urgency. The situation was far more serious than he initially anticipated. 'The old man has an uncanny ability to sniff out kekkei genkai. I'll give him that.' Arashi thought to himself as he chased the assailant.
The grim path led him to the edge of the Kagami Corp. compound. The building was heavily fortified, surrounded by a tall electrical fence pulsating with chakra.
Arashi scanned the perimeter, his eyes widening as he spotted a group of children, barely teenagers, huddled near the fence.
One boy stood out among the group. Small and young, he reminded Arashi of Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson. This boy was visibly shaken, his hands trembling, yet a spark of defiance flickered in his eyes.
"Come on! Just do it already!" one of the older kids sneered. "Stop being a wimp!"
Another boy slung an arm around the younger one's shoulders, his voice laced with false camaraderie. "Just get us inside, we'll get what we're after, and then we'll be your friend," he coaxed, a cruel smirk twisting his lips.
"I-I don't want to do this anymore," the young boy whimpered, his voice heavy with despair. "I-I killed them."
"Hmph! What a brat!" one of the older boys scoffed. "You give a dog a bone, and this is what happens."
"I'm sorry, I—" The boy's apology was cut short as a fist slammed into his stomach. "Huagh!" he gasped, doubling over in pain. Blood trickled from his mouth.
"What a waste! It's no wonder you're always alone." Another blow landed squarely on his jaw. They continued their brutal assault, and Arashi watched, assessing the situation. The boy didn't fight back; he curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face. He was just a child, a few years younger than Arashi himself, with unruly brown hair and simple clothes. But what caught Arashi's attention were his eyes.
'Dōjutsu... his manipulates Yang Release,' Arashi realized, his Rinnegan analyzing the boy's chakra. 'He can completely alter any ninjutsu or genjutsu used against him. His chakra pool is impressive too.' He could sense the fluctuations of Yang release emanating from the boy. 'Although that sounds like a powerful ability, it takes quick thinking to make it useful in battle. He was able to utilize it effectively against trained battle-ready shinobi, though.'
Arashi sighed sadly. 'Still...he's just a kid. The old man must've sent me here to recruit or kill him. There's no way he doesn't know about this kid.
These older boys have been using him,' he deduced, 'exploiting his abilities as a weapon to break into the compound. They preyed on his loneliness to manipulate him.' Arashi clenched his fists as he drew out a kunai.
Thud! A single kunai, thrown with deadly accuracy, embedded itself in the ground behind the bullies, interrupting their attack.
"Now look, you let them catch us!" one of the boys yelled, spinning around with a furious glare.
A voice emerged from the shadows, calm but laced with steel. "You have one chance to leave this place and leave the kid alone."
The oldest of the bullies stepped forward, his arrogance unwavering. "We're not going anywhere!" he snarled. "This brat is ours! He's my weapon, my monster, and he'll do what I want."
"Tch!" Arashi clicked his tongue in disgust. "He's not a weapon," he muttered, his voice thick with disdain. "I'll show you what a real monster looks like."
In a flash of movement, Arashi materialized beside the embedded kunai. His fists clenched, his gaze fixed on the bullies. "I told you..." he began, his voice dangerously low, "He's had enough."
"Wha—" they stammered, stunned by his sudden appearance.
"Wh- Who the hell do you think you are?! Defending that thing over us!" one of them scoffed. "The kid's a creep; his eyes are cursed. You think I'm in the wrong?"
Arashi gritted his teeth, those cruel words echoing in his ears. He remembered the hateful glares he had endured, the murderous intent directed at a mere child.
His eyes narrowed, a cold fury simmering within him. That ignorance, that casual cruelty, he had seen it far too many times, and it always ignited a fire within him.
"Cursed, you say?" he snarled, his voice dripping with contempt. "Your ignorance is the true curse. People like you are complete fools. Always pushing, always comfortable with the idea of mistreatment and discrimination. You are a representation of humanity's flaws."
Arashi focused his chakra, a surge of lightning erupting from his hands, the crackling energy illuminating his furious expression. "Leave. Now."
The bullies' eyes widened in terror, a chill running down their spines as they felt the oppressive weight of Arashi's killing intent.
They scrambled away, tripping over each other in their haste to escape.
Arashi turned towards the young boy, who remained curled on the ground, his body wracked with sobs.
"Hey," Arashi called softly, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay?" He gently turned the boy's face towards him, his eyes widening in surprise. The boy's eyes were a mesmerizing tapestry of all colors and a unique spiral pattern.
As the boy stared back at Arashi, he noticed the surprise in his eyes and shyly averted his gaze. Sensing his discomfort, Arashi smiled gently and removed his sunglasses, revealing his unique dōjutsu.
"See?" he said softly, his voice reassuring. "We're the same."
The boy's eyes widened, drawn to the intricate pattern of the Rinnegan. 'He-He's just like me...' he thought, a flicker of hope igniting.
'The realization that you're not alone brings more comfort than people realize,' Arashi mused internally. 'Only those who have truly suffered understand this.' He extended his hand, his smile warm and inviting.
"I'm Arashi; what's your name?" he introduced himself.
The boy hesitated momentarily, then reached out and grasped Arashi's hand, using the support to pull himself up from the ground. "My name is Izumo," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Izumo, huh?" Arashi beamed. "I think that's a powerful name!"
It was hard to believe that the same person who had exuded such chilling, killing intent moments earlier could now radiate such warmth and kindness.
Arashi's gaze fell upon Izumo's bruised and bloodied face. He extended his hand, his palm hovering over the wounds. A golden energy emanated from his touch, and Izumo's eyes widened in surprise; despite not knowing Arashi, a sense of trust and safety washed over him.
Arashi sought to learn more about him as he healed Izumo's injuries. "Tell me, Izumo," he began gently, "You're used to this, aren't you."
Izumo blinked, "Huh?"
"Bring treated like this. You don't have to lie to me, you know." Arashi's tone wasn't gentle or harsh. This was a statement.
Izumo looked down. "I guess. It's not so bad. Not always like this." He said, trying to explain himself.
The golden glow from Arashi's hands flickered, and his focus never wavered. 'A kid should never grow so comfortable being used like this. He's too young to accept his situation so quickly.'
"You shouldn't let them get close to you, ever again."
Izumo's fingers slightly curled as he hesitated, "They said they'd be my friends."
Arashi paused. "And did they?"
Izumo's throat tightened; he knew the answer. Slowly, he shook his head.
Arashi finished the healing. Yet his gaze fixed onto Izumo. "You probably know this already. But you don't need people who only see you as something useful. You're not a tool."
Izumo swallowed hard. Those words were obvious; he told himself that, too, yet no one had ever said them to him before.
There was a long silence after that exchange. Then, as if clinging onto something solid, Izumo suddenly blurted out, "My big brother is not like that!"
Arashi raised an eyebrow. That's when Izumo doubled down, "My big brother- he's different. He doesn't treat me like they do." His voice was firm and defiant as he spoke.
Arashi smiled, "Good." He said, "Hold onto that." The glow from his hands finally faded, as did any wound Izumo had taken.
"All done," Arashi announced, his chakra cooling."You'll be alright now," Arashi stated, his hand moving to secure his mask.
Izumo's breath hitched. "Wait, you're... leaving?" Arashi tilted his head slightly, the answer self-evident. "Yeah," he replied, stepping back.
Izumo's small hand shot out, gripping Arashi's cloak.
"Would you look at that..." Sae murmured, "The boy won't let go. Looks like you gave him the wrong idea." Arashi's lip curled, a silent snarl, as he turned back to Izumo.
"Wait! You can't leave!" Izumo's fingers tightened, digging into Arashi's uniform, his body trembling. "Please... don't go."
Arashi looked down, his expression unreadable. "Izumo," he said, his tone firm yet not unkind. "You don't need me."
Izumo shook his head, a desperate denial. "I do! You—you're wrong!"
The words burst from him, raw and unrestrained, the culmination of years of suppressed pain. His grip on Arashi's uniform tightened.
"The village—everyone—they hate me." His voice cracked, his breath shuddering. "Ever since I was born, they've looked at me like I don't belong—even the village leader. No matter what I do, I'll never be good enough for them. They don't see me—just these eyes."
His breath hitched, uneven. "I thought... if I helped them, they'd stop looking at me like a freak. Maybe they'd..." Izumo swallowed hard, his nails digging into his palms. "Maybe even one person would want me around."
The silence between them grew heavy, charged with unspoken pain. Arashi's gaze flickered, sensing the raw anger emanating from Izumo. "But it only got worse, didn't it?" Arashi stated, his tone knowing. He didn't ask; he understood Izumo's pain, the weight of his isolation.
Izumo's grip loosened slightly. "They used me. They made me do things I didn't want to. If Nii-san found out... if he found out that I—let them. I thought if I just did what they wanted, maybe they'd like me one day. I knew I was wrong, but at least they talked to me. At least then I mattered."
He released Arashi's cloak, his tear-filled eyes locking onto him. "But you..." His breath shuddered, a raw sob threatening to break free. "You didn't look at me like that. You saw me. You're the only one who's ever understood."
"But..." His voice strained, breaking under the weight of his emotions.
Then—through the tears—Izumo smiled, a small, fragile smile, a dawning realization.
"Can't you see...?" His voice trembled, barely a whisper. His multicoloured eyes shone with a deeper understanding, a recognition beyond mere sadness.
"We're the same."
Arashi knelt before Izumo, his gaze steady, though a flicker of doubt lingered. He saw the surface similarities, yet something felt fundamentally amiss.
Izumo's words echoed, "We're the same." The exact words he said to him.
Arashi exhaled slowly, "You probably believe that." His voice was quiet but firm. "But... we're not." His fingers tightened slightly on Izumo's shoulder, his presence looming closer. 'The difference between us,' Arashi thought, his Rinnegan reflecting Izumo's trembling form, 'is that I embraced what they saw.'
As if sensing Arashi's thoughts, Izumo shuddered, his breath catching in his throat, a weight pressing against his chest like an invisible barrier. "Wha—what are you doing?" His voice whimpered.
"Close your eyes."
Izumo blinked, confused. "Huh?"
Before he could react, a subtle pulse of chakra flowed from Arashi's fingertips. The world around Izumo blurred, his mind sinking into a heavy fog. 'What's happening?' He tried to speak, but his voice was lost. His body swayed. The last thing he saw was Arashi's face—calm, emotionless, empty—as he secured his mask. Then—darkness.