Arrival

I withdrew the kunai in my hand and turned around.

The setting sun cast its afterglow across Itachi's face. In his dark eyes was reflected Shisui's gentle smile.

"Something held me up." Shisui walked closer, his gaze settling on the five kunai that had struck the bull's-eye. "Your throwing has improved."

After returning from the Southern Border Battlefield, Itachi had seen more of the world, and his arrogant nature had softened somewhat.

"Compared to Naoki, Setsuna, or even Zongxin, I still have a long way to go."

Shisui had always thought highly of Itachi, but he also knew that the latter had grown rather arrogant from the praise heaped on him by his clan and certain people in the village. Seeing how much he had changed now, Shisui couldn't help smiling even more broadly.

As Uchiha Fugaku's eldest son and the future clan head of the Uchiha Clan, Itachi bore the future of the entire clan on his shoulders. Shisui felt it was his duty to guide him down the right path.

He walked up to the target, pulled out the five kunai, weighed them in his hand, then handed them back to Itachi.

"Naoki..." Itachi took the kunai. "Is there still no news?"

Shisui fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"The search and rescue has mostly stopped, but as long as they haven't found a body, there's still hope."

Itachi's face grew somewhat dejected.

On the Southern Border Battlefield, he had seen Naoki's resilience and decisiveness. Even under tremendous pressure, Naoki had always managed to persevere, hold fast to his beliefs, and never give up lightly. He had fought for a chance to survive and carved out a path to safety for everyone.

In Itachi's eyes, Naoki might not have been very strong, but he loomed even larger in his heart than his own father... especially now that Naoki had all but been declared dead.

Shisui patted Itachi on the head and comforted him. "I hope Naoki will suddenly stand in front of me one day, too. But what's done is done. There's no point in letting it hold us back."

"What we have to do is carry on Naoki's wishes, protect the clan, and help Konoha flourish. That way, if Naoki really does return one day, he'll be happy for us..."

Itachi looked up at Shisui and nodded.

Night had fallen. Outside the cave, the wind keened as it swept through the treetops. Deep in the cave, the bonfire flickered, casting shifting shadows across the uneven stone walls.

Aikawa Yumi leaned against Naoki's shoulder, her breathing gradually settling into a steady rhythm. She seemed to have fallen asleep.

Naoki, however, wasn't sleepy.

He stared at the dancing flames, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan still activated in the darkness. It wasn't because he was wary of danger outside. He simply didn't dare close his eyes.

Every time he closed them, the nightmare might begin again.

The crimson fog in his mind had already taken up more than half the space. It writhed slowly like a living thing, eating away at the clear space that belonged to him. He could feel it expanding faster whenever his emotions surged.

When he killed.

When he was angry.

And... when he was with Aikawa Yumi.

Naoki lowered his eyes to the woman leaning against his shoulder.

Firelight outlined her soft features. Asleep, Aikawa Yumi had none of her daytime allure or flamboyance; instead, her expression held a hint of tenderness. Her breathing was light and even, and her eyelashes occasionally fluttered.

"Who are you, really..." Naoki murmured.

As if she'd heard him, Aikawa Yumi's lashes fluttered again, but she didn't wake. She only nestled closer to him, like a cat seeking warmth.

Naoki remained silent.

Just then, he sensed that something around him was wrong. Suddenly, he realized that the woman in his arms was no longer Aikawa Yumi.

Sakurai Hideko wore a simple, unadorned outfit and rested quietly against his shoulder. Moonlight streamed in from the cave entrance, illuminating her gentle face. Her clear eyes, like spring water, gazed silently at him.

"Naoki," she whispered. "You're finally back."

It felt as if something had seized Naoki's heart in a crushing grip.

He knew it was an illusion.

He knew it wasn't real.

But her face was so lifelike, her voice so familiar, and her tenderness so... irresistible.

"Hideko..." He reached out, wanting to touch her face.

Just then, "Sakurai Hideko" raised her head, a strange smile spreading across her face. Dense black Cursed Seals began appearing on her skin, and her clear eyes grew hollow and fathomless.

"Naoki." Her voice twisted. "Why did you leave me?"

Naoki's pupils contracted. He instinctively tried to back away, but found he couldn't move.

"Why are you with that woman?"

"Sakurai Hideko" reached out and stroked his cheek with slender fingers, their touch icy cold.

"You said you'd come back."

"You told me to wait for you."

"You lied to me."

Her fingers suddenly tightened, her nails digging deep into Naoki's skin. Blood slid down his cheek.

"You lied to me!"

Naoki jolted back to his senses... The bonfire still flickered, and the wind still keened outside the cave.

He looked down. Aikawa Yumi was still leaning against his shoulder, fast asleep, completely unaware of the horror he had just experienced.

Cold sweat soaked his back.

He gasped for breath, trying to calm himself.

The red fog in his mind had expanded a little further.

"It's happening again?" Aikawa Yumi's voice suddenly sounded.

Naoki looked down and met a pair of eyes that had opened at some point.

In the firelight, Aikawa Yumi's gaze held none of its usual teasing. Deep worry had taken its place.

"Yeah." Naoki didn't hide it.

Aikawa Yumi fell silent for a moment, then sat up and reached out to touch his face.

The moment her fingertips brushed his skin, Naoki instinctively tried to pull away, but she held him in place.

"Don't move."

Her fingers gently brushed his cheek, her touch as tender as if she were stroking a fragile piece of porcelain.

"Don't worry. I'll find a way to save you soon."

She turned and pointed toward a distant mountain.

"See that place over there? Once we reach there, we'll be at our destination."

Naoki nodded and fell silent out of habit. Ever since Aikawa Yumi had learned about his condition, her spirits had been low, too...

Aikawa Yumi suddenly asked, "How much do you know about the Land of Hot Water?"

Naoki thought for a moment, then told her what he had learned about the Land of Hot Water in Konoha.

"Is that all?" Aikawa Yumi shook her head. "You know far too little."

"In the mountains at the center of the Land of Hot Water, who knows how many Evil Gods are hidden. The mountain folk worship them, and in return, the gods grant them special abilities. The mountain folk, in turn, find nourishment for them."

"That thing in your mind is the product of one of the Evil Gods in these mountains beneath our feet."

"The Jashin Cult?" Naoki suddenly asked.

"No." Aikawa Yumi shook her head. "I've heard of the Jashin Cult, too, but it has nothing to do with the thing in your mind."

"I heard that ninja have seven types of chakra. Aside from the five basic elemental releases, there are also Yin and Yang Release Chakra. Is that right?"

Naoki nodded and explained it to Aikawa Yumi.

"Yin Release Chakra represents spiritual energy, while Yang Release Chakra represents the power of the body."

"That's right." Aikawa Yumi nodded. "The Jashin Cult favors what you call Yang Release—the power of the body. The thing in your mind, on the other hand, favors Yin Release..."

Naoki asked, "Are Evil Gods divided into yin and yang, too?"

Aikawa Yumi shook her head.

The two fell silent again. After a long while, Naoki suddenly spoke.

"Then what's the name of the Evil God I have to face?"

"Buddha Mother. It's called the Great Black Buddha Mother..."

"The Great Black Buddha Mother... Interesting."

Aikawa Yumi turned and cupped Naoki's face, her expression unusually serious.

"Don't let your guard down for a moment. Buddha Mother might not be the strongest Evil God on this earth, but it's certainly the hardest to deal with!"

"As far as I know, Buddha Mother has existed for more than a thousand years."

"That long?" Naoki was surprised. "Older than Ninshu? Then it must date back to before the age of the Sage of Six Paths?"

Aikawa Yumi shook her head. She didn't know much about Ninshu, and what she knew of the Sage of Six Paths came from various legends.

"Maybe." Aikawa Yumi let go of him, drew her legs up, and rested her chin on her knees. "I don't know much about the history of ninja, but I do know that the things in these mountains aren't something you ninja can deal with easily."

"What about you?" Naoki looked at her. "How do you know all this?"

Aikawa Yumi fell silent for a moment. Firelight danced across her face, casting shifting shadows.

"Because I escaped from there."

Her voice was so soft that the night wind nearly carried it away.

Naoki's heart sank slightly.

Aikawa Yumi lifted her head and gazed out at the night sky. Moonlight fell across her face. Her eyes, usually filled with laughter, now held emotions too complicated to name.

"I grew up in that mountain. The people around me raised me as a 'sacrifice' to offer to the Great Black Buddha Mother." Her voice was as calm as if she were telling someone else's story. "Every day, I prayed, chanted scriptures, learned those strange rituals, and... waited for the day I'd be sacrificed."

Naoki's brow furrowed slightly.

"Then how did you escape?"

"Ever since I was old enough to understand, I knew what would happen to me. So I kept researching. Fortunately, my research went well, and I finally found Buddha Mother's weakness before I was sacrificed..."

"What weakness?" Naoki asked.

"Buddha Mother's weakness is itself..."

As she spoke, Aikawa Yumi's face twisted in pain.

Seeing her like that, Naoki reached out and held her.

"It's okay. I'm fine."

Aikawa Yumi waved her hand, her face growing even paler. She didn't dare recall the moment she had entered that dark cave.

Naoki drew her into his arms and gently stroked her back. He could feel her trembling slightly.

This woman, who was always laughing, raging, and living so freely, now seemed like a frightened little animal curled up in his arms.

"Don't think about those things anymore," Naoki said, his voice unusually gentle.

Aikawa Yumi buried her face against his chest and gave a muffled "Mm."

The nights in the deep mountains were long, but they always came to an end.

As the sky gradually brightened, the two set off again.

As they went, Aikawa Yumi told Naoki many more things about Buddha Mother...

The road into the mountains was harder than they'd expected.

Aikawa Yumi had some skill, but she still struggled. Several times, she nearly slipped, and only Naoki's quick grip kept her from falling.

"How much farther?" Naoki asked.

Aikawa Yumi looked up at the sky obscured by the treetops, then surveyed the surrounding terrain, her brow faintly furrowed.

"Not far," she said, her voice carrying a tremor she hadn't noticed herself. "Once we cross that ridge ahead, we'll be there."

Naoki asked, "Why is this place so remote? Do they not have any contact with the surrounding areas?"

"I haven't been back in many years," Aikawa Yumi replied, shaking her head.

The two continued uphill. As they passed a bend, Naoki suddenly spotted a black cat crouching nearby, watching him.

"A Ninja Cat?"

He recognized the black cat at once...

The black cat glanced in the direction they had come from, licked its paw, then slipped into the bushes behind it and disappeared.

"What did that mean?"

Naoki didn't understand. He glanced behind them.

"What's wrong?" Aikawa Yumi asked, puzzled.

"Nothing." Naoki shook his head. "Let's go. We should be close."

"Are his hallucinations getting worse?" Aikawa Yumi wondered.

She looked at Naoki with concern, her fear growing more intense.

At first, to save Naoki, she had used a method she'd never tried before, sacrificing her soul to Buddha Mother. By some miracle, she had brought Naoki back from the dead, but the consequences had been severe. Naoki's soul no longer belonged to him...

She had once thought she could control how things unfolded, but she'd only been overestimating herself.

Now, Buddha Mother was slowly reclaiming its "sacrifice."

And she was powerless to stop it.

"Yumi?" Naoki called from ahead. "What are you spacing out for?"

Aikawa Yumi came back to herself and saw that Naoki had stopped and was looking back at her.

She hurried to catch up, a smile returning to her face. "Nothing. I'm just tired. I want you to carry me."

Naoki silently gave her a look, then turned and continued forward without answering.

Aikawa Yumi pouted and followed him.

Soon, a village came into view.

Naoki stood on the ridge and looked in the direction Aikawa Yumi pointed.

A village lay faintly visible in the distance, its houses scattered neatly across the mountainside. Smoke curled upward from the chimneys and drifted into the sky.

If he hadn't known the truth about this place, it would have looked like an ordinary mountain village.

"That's it?" Naoki asked.

Standing beside him, Aikawa Yumi looked toward the village. Her smile had vanished completely, replaced by a complicated expression.

"Mm." She answered softly. "Buddha Mother's cave is in the mountains behind the village."

Naoki's Three-Tomoe Sharingan turned slightly as he studied the village, but it was too far away to make out any details, and he couldn't sense anything.

If only he had the Byakugan...

"Do you have a plan?" Naoki asked.

"Buddha Mother is in a cave behind the village. We'll sneak into the cave tonight..." Aikawa Yumi bit her lip, as if she'd made up her mind about something.

"Why not go straight in?" Naoki asked.

Aikawa Yumi made a reverse lotus-finger sign with one hand and asked, "Do you remember this hand sign?"

"This hand sign lets us communicate with Buddha Mother's power. I'm not the only one who can use it. They can, too."