My eyes opened, still heavy. I saw nothing; or more appropriately, the lack of anything, as I floated through the void.
"A little underwhelming. I kind of expected something better... or for Marzanna to make fun of me." I chuckled to myself.
"I would. But you are not dead just yet, although you came quite close." A voice interrupted my hollow joking, and I turned my head.
Marzanna looked exactly as I remembered. With her punk-rock aesthetic, black and red hair somehow flashing even in the absence of light, and a curious gaze, she was unmistakable.
"Pretty sure your hair was green and blonde last time," I said, smiling as I tried to make sense of where I was.
"So this isn't the afterlife, then? It looks much too quiet and dreary to be your domain," I commented.
"This is a kind of waiting room; a world before death, so to speak," she told me. "You really were close to dying." She added with a small pout, "I let your spiritual power be as it was, and yet you only used it for that Haki stuff..." She pointed at me accusingly.
"And are we sure it wouldn't tear my body apart if I unsealed all of it?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"It would, but who says you need a physical body? You are your soul, stupid." She said it like it was the most obvious thing. "So much power, and yet so afraid to use it…"
"I'd much rather not turn into some eldritch horror, thank you very much," I snorted, knowing that power like that could be cataclysmic.
"You are an eldritch horror; you always will be to the people in this world." She countered. "Or did it never occur to you that it's weird you seem almost invisible at times until you unleash your power?" She posed the question.
"You'll forever be an alien here—invisible unless you make yourself known. Not necessarily hated, but never fully fitting in. That is the curse of the displaced soul, and your case might be even worse." She shrugged, and to be honest, she had a point.
"Honestly, out of all the displaced souls I've had the displeasure to meet, you are one of the most stubborn ones. Most would take that power immediately, no matter the cost." She giggled, an actual giggle that made her sound almost human. "It's just spiritual power; it won't destroy the world if you use it well." She sighed after a short while.
"I'd much rather stay as human as possible," I replied with determination, but I still wanted an answer to at least one question. "Why do you care? I thought you sent me here to die again so I could go through some death process properly this time."
Her shoulders sagged a little, but her expression quickly returned to a soft smile.
"I worded that poorly, didn't I?" She sighed heavily. "You need to live a life before you can fully die. That much is true." She explained, her eyes gleaming a little. "But that doesn't mean you should rush to your death. I sent you here to have a life. It's up to you to make one. Sending you to a world without Naruto was more about seeing how far you'd go to get power." Her words echoed through the nothingness around us.
"Congratulations on not being a complete psychopath, by the way." She grinned viciously; this test was clearly one she had used before.
"Expected me to turn into the next Orochimaru?" I said, slightly offended that she would think so little of me. "I already have all I need to climb to the top from you... I don't see the need to experiment on kids to get even more." The silence stretched as I finished speaking, but eventually, she relented and spoke again.
"Ninety-two percent—that's how many displaced souls turn into something you'd most likely classify as a murderhobo. They collect their harems or love interests and cause chaos for fun." Her sigh was heavy. Her domain may be death, but she clearly didn't enjoy needless slaughter or overt edginess.
"So I'm like... your favorite or something?" I asked with a cheeky grin, causing her to shake her head in exasperation.
"I'm not sure who is my favorite... but you are the type I might employ after your adventure here is over," Marzanna mentioned casually. "Some of these reincarnators need to be repeatedly kicked in the scrotum, if you catch my meaning. Their meddling in the timelines is giving me much more work than I'd like." The goddess admitted sheepishly. "But no rush… at least get married this time before you die." She cackled before the world of nothingness lit up, slowly fading into the dull grayish colors of the real world.
I couldn't even muster a funny retort in time before I was back in the world of the living, my lower abdomen hurting like hell, and my clothes were gone.
—
"Hnngh! Fuck," I growled aloud, trying to ignore the pain. "Cheeky goddess... married, she says. As if I could afford to live a normal life before—" I mumbled, but my little rant was cut off by a medic rushing into the tent, most likely due to my pained grunts.
"Y-You're actually awake," the medic stammers, which confuses me a bit. I know my injuries must have been pretty severe, but his reaction to my being awake is unexpected.
"I am. How long was I out for?" I ask groggily, trying to sit up, but the pain in my abdomen is still quite debilitating. "Damn, he got me good," I mutter, palm resting on my abdomen as I trace the scar left there.
It looks like part of my abdomen, just to the left of my belly button, has been ripped open by a claw. Honestly, that might not be far from what actually happened.
"Long time. You were asleep for almost three weeks," the medic finally manages to say, causing me to blink in surprise. But it makes sense; there must have been Biju chakra corroding my wound, making it even harder for my body to repair itself with my organs still functional.
"I see..." I respond, uncertain about how to feel. At least my chakra is stable, and I can move properly; the pain will likely subside in time.
I get up from the bed, wobbling slightly, and start unsealing some clothes for myself. I can't just run through the camp in my underwear.
"W-Wait! You can't go yet. We need to make sure you're healed properly," the medic insists, rushing to usher me back onto the makeshift bed.
"Fine, fine... but I honestly feel okay," I reply, settling back down to let him do his job. The check-up feels like it stretches on, but eventually, he finishes.
"I have to say, for someone whose organs we had to put back inside their body, you don't look that bad," he admits, finally letting me stand up. "Unfortunately, I can't do anything about that scar. The Biju chakra got you pretty hard, and we had to focus on keeping you alive."
"See? Completely fine. Where am I, anyway?" I stretch and put on my casual training clothes.
"Main camp. You were brought here two weeks ago from the northern camp for more medical help," he explains.
I nod, then gather Hiramekarei and head out. I still need to rebandage my arm and set up my tent again. Plus, I need to thank a certain little cat.
I summon Yoru immediately after setting my tent back up, but instead of the usual cat perched on my shoulder, I'm hit by a fuzzy missile. Somehow, Yoru manages to ram into me, giving me the best cat approximation of a bear hug.
"You saved my ass out there... You and Zangetsu, both," I say, smiling as I scratch the cat behind her ears. "I know for a fact that I'd be dead if you hadn't summoned me out of there..." I admit, sitting down in my tent for a moment with the overly clingy cat still in my arms.
After a few minutes, Yoru goes back to Konoha, most likely to tell Hinata that I'm alive. I can only imagine what I'll hear about this when I return.
—
My plans for the day were interrupted by Mei, who must have received word that I was awake before I could even start rebandaging my arm. At least I managed to set up my tent and see Yoru.
She entered, clearly surprised by the spacious interior, and stared for a few seconds.
"That's one comfortable traveling tent," she remarked as her eyes scanned the surroundings before landing on me. I began rebandaging my right arm, where the scars were still visible even and quite prominent, especially below the elbow, despite all the numerous sealing tattoos.
"I burned down over thirty tents before I got the seals right," I said with a chuckle, bringing her back to reality. "So, what's the situation?" I asked, gesturing for her to take a seat. "I honestly thought I was a goner for a moment."
"Yagura hasn't been seen in public since your fight, but we know he is in Kirigakure. We took out two enemy outposts in the meantime; one while you were fighting Yagura and another just a few days ago," she explained.
That sounded suspiciously like good news; I half-expected an impending 'but.'
"That's the biggest victory either side has had since the start of the war," she added, her good mood looking genuine.
"I'll take being alive as a victory for me. That bastard is tough," I replied, cutting through the brief silence. "I slashed him from his shoulder to the middle of his abdomen, and he just healed and rolled at me again..." I laughed, already devising a better plan to fight him. "Is there a place you wouldn't mind me destroying while I train?" I asked Mei before heading off on my own.
There are a few techniques for Senbonzakura that I still need to master before I can effectively use them. My most powerful sword attack among them.
"I need to be faster at using some of my most powerful techniques; then I should be able to actually threaten Yagura-" I began to explain, but she interrupted.
"Ryuuzaki... I can't even threaten Yagura in a fair fight. If he fully transforms, my corrosive mist becomes less effective. The Three Tails is too durable for me to damage conventionally." Her voice was a little subdued, but if she could fight Yagura in his Biju cloak form better, then we would have more than just a chance if we worked together.
"His full transformation is no problem for me. I have a jutsu that can suppress even Biju chakra, but it struggles to catch small, fast targets," I explained, prompting her to pause. "I thought I had him for a moment after he fully transformed, but he is one slippery fucker," I admitted. My laughter seemed to lighten her mood a bit.
"Rest up, then. He will have to crawl out if we're both on the battlefield. I'll show you a place where you can train later," she said with a smile before standing up to leave. "Oh, Zabuza was asking about you. He's still here, so you should find him. It was something about Hiramekarei," she added before the flap of the tent closed behind her.
—
I allowed myself to rest for a few seconds after Mei left. At least my allies were taking me seriously now; surviving a one-on-one fight with Yagura was no small feat. The rebels certainly seemed to think so.
However, time waits for no one, and I decided to look for Zabuza before I got swept up in another mission.
Locating him wasn't difficult; his chakra was prominent enough to stand out, even if I wasn't entirely sure I remembered his signature. He was outside of the camp, drilling Haku in some kind of assassination technique, judging by the mist surrounding them both.
"Mei said you wanted to talk," I called out into the mist, making sure not to interfere with their practice.
"Eh, finally awake?" Zabuza's gruff voice echoed from everywhere around me, but I turned toward his location with a raised eyebrow.
"Mei mentioned it was something about Hiramekarei." I continued speaking as if the mist wasn't even there.
"You're no fun; at least pretend you don't know where I am." Zabuza chuckled and slowly dispelled the mist, allowing me to see beyond my outstretched arm.
Haku brushed off some dirt from her clothes, looking somewhat confused about how Zabuza even knew me. She resembled her counterpart from the anime, which was still strange considering she was actually a girl here.
I unsealed Hiramekarei and presented it to Zabuza.
"You wanted to see if your apprentice could use it. I have time to check that now." I motioned to Haku, who froze for a moment. "Though, honestly, she looks more suited for Nuibari than this one," I noted, gesturing to the numerous senbon needles scattered across the training field.
Zabuza grinned beneath the bandages around his mouth.
"Tool, not apprentice..." he grumbled quietly. "I think she needs some raw power. Hiramekarei provides that in spades." He handed the sword to her. As she took it, nothing happened at first.
"Connect your chakra to it," he instructed, waiting for any reaction.
Slowly, the sword began to shift, transforming from its usual fishbone appearance into a thinner form that resembled an unholy combination of a two-handed sword and a rapier. The glow around the blade was almost white, clearly indicating that Haku's chakra was resonating with the sword.
"That's a nice reaction. It seems like you have a new toy, Haku," I said, pleased to have successfully passed on the sword. "Play nice with it; it saved my ass against Yagura."
"It did? I've heard you fought him, but-" She paused, her tone reminded me of Hinata. "But the fact that you actually did..." she finished, trailing off slightly.
"He left me with a nice scar to remember him by, but I'll live." I lifted my shirt to show the large scar on my abdomen.
"It's not pretty, but it's proof that I survived a one-on-one fight against a Kage." I shrugged and covered the scar back up. "It's the best sword one could ask for, so use it well." I encouraged her.
"Could you... help?" Haku asked, glancing at Zabuza for support or perhaps permission.
"Hmm, training with the esteemed Blood Blossom, butcher of Kumo armies, destroyer of prison camps, the one who matched Yagura…" he murmured.
I had a feeling he was making fun of me, listing off my accomplishments in the most obnoxious way he could muster.
"Sure. Apart from me, he is most likely the best teacher for you." His boasting was still present, too.
Maybe after he goes to the Land of Waves, he'll be a bit nicer... if he survives this time. There still were a few months before that, though.
I let out a heavy sigh, deciding to play along.
"Oh, sure, Demon of the Mist, escapee from Yagura's tantrum, swinger of oversized hunks of metal." I return his teasing with a grin, making him pause for a moment; he clearly didn't expect me to fire back.
"Yeah, whatever, just use protection," he snarks, causing Haku to sputter something about inappropriate comments. His attempt at throwing me off landed on an unintended target.
"Sure, I'll wear my reinforced poncho," I respond without missing a beat, not helping Haku's embarrassment one bit. Zabuza shoots me a nasty side-eye. Looks like he does care about his definitely-not-daughter… who would have guessed?
"I see I'll have to show you what mouthing off to your elders gets you, brat." He turns to me, brandishing his massive sword.
"In my experience, people with large swords are compensating for something~" I comment, narrowly dodging a swing of that very same massive butcher's knife. "I was talking about ninjutsu skills; get your head out of the gutter." My playful retort doesn't stop him, though.
It seems he wants to test my swordsmanship before he lets me teach Haku, but he clearly isn't putting his full power into the swings.
I unseal Senbonzakura and clash with him, parrying his attacks while minding my footwork. After a short exchange of blows, he relents, unable to land a hit, mostly because he lacks the raw speed to catch me off guard.
"You actually aren't half bad with the sword," he admits, his voice still gruff but actually sincere. "But can you take an attack head-on?" he asks, charging at me once more.
I decide to show off a little, wondering if Haku might be able to learn an Ice Release version of my Crystallization jutsu. I crystallize my arm and catch Zabuza's sword mid-swing, the crystals creeping up the massive blade.
"I'd say I can, especially if you hold back on me," I grin in response, returning the sword to him before turning to Haku.
"Between Zabuza and me teaching you, you'll be at least a decent swordsman... eh, swordswoman... in no time." I declare, starting to explain explaining the various ways to use Hiramekarei.
Is it just me, or have I made another friend? Maybe I'll need to use fingers from both of my hands to count all of them soon if I keep being this social.