The Chosen One (NARUTO FanFic)

Chapter 25: Reminiscence, Akatsuki Part 5; The conclusion

CHAPTER 25

Third person’s POV

The replica landed in all four in front of a humongous tree deep inside the forest. She stood up and dusted herself. First, she examined the tree, looking for an entrance. Unfortunately, there was none. She narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips, and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

She closed her eyes, focused more chakra, and opened them once again. Her eyes, glowing a little bit because of the concentrated chakra, scanned the tree once again and found an area where a well hidden genjutsu was put.

She arched her right eyebrow before walking to the right side, more like her right, of the tree where she found the genjutsu. She touched the bark, only for her fingers to slip right through it, like plunging your hand in the water.

She gave a satisfied smile and walked right through it. And once she was inside, a deafening silence and cold darkness greeted her, as it is now in the middle of the night.

She heightened her senses only to find nothing. She brushed her hair back with her right digits, mumbling the name of her Kekkai Genkai that manipulates elements. Once activated, she focused on the wind, sensing what the wind can feel, and indentifying every inanimate or living thing inside the tree.

On the topmost part of the tree, she felt something through the wind. A skin, a hair, a breath, and a beating heart all at the same time. She looked up, perceiving only darkness, but inside, she was measuring how high she has to jump or, if necessary, to fly.

But at that moment, she couldn’t help thinking that what she was looking now is the same when she was eight years old. The time when she imprisoned herself in her room of the Juki palace, alone and cold, that wherever she looked, only darkness greeted her.

She shook the memories away before controlling the wind to lift her up in the top and landed with a soft thud at the interlocked branches that served as the floor. She looked up and despite the darkness, came face to face with a man with seemingly red hair that fell before his shoulders and has covered his Rinengan eyes that were glaring at her.

She tilted her head and wore a phony smile. “Well, hello there, stranger. Kukukuku” she greeted with mocking tone.

The phony smile not leaving her face, she examined him from top to bottom. She noted the machine that was holding him has a lot of black rods poking out.

‘So those were the medium that was making it possible for him to transfer his chakra to those dead bodies’

 Yes, she knew that the six Peins are just dead bodies for they emit no life force no matter how hard she try. And yes, she could tell if they had no life force for she was also known as the connector of life and death, though it has been a long time since she had heard the smooth and rough voices of her masters. The reason she can’t is still a mystery to her.

Back to the topic in hand. Yes, the man in front of her was emitting a life force, but his life force was slowly diminishing with the way he was using his abilities. She suspected that he does not have much time left.

“You found me despite the precautions I’ve made. You even destroyed the barrier and spotted my genjutsu. But that is to be expected from you” he stated, his deep voice sounding so hoarse yet firm.

Destroyed a barrier? Yes, before she came near the tree where they were now in, one strong barrier came in her way and bounced her back in a tree, hard. She got so mad and got carried away. She created a big explosion even though she knew it wouldn’t work, but after a barrage of the strong attack, the barrier received a small crack. So with all her might, with all the intense chakra she could muster in her right fist, which is incredibly big, she pounced on the crack until it finally shattered, though not fully. And once she was inside the barrier, she made another barrage of explosive, lightning, and fire jutsu on the inside. The barrier was seemingly weak at the inside so her attacks finally brought end to the whole barrier.