Chapter 53 - Arc VIII: Death of the Flesh- Chapter 3

Yuji found himself lying on the forest floor, his body seized with agony.
“Ahh…” he exhaled as the pain hit, his entire body clenching reflexively. He felt his brow automatically, as something felt odd. Or, rather, missing.
His tattoos, save for the one on his forehead, was gone. So were all his burns.

My burns are gone…I can still feel my mental symptoms…but I’m not dying anymore. How long has it been? It feels like I’ve been suffering for days. But it can’t have been more than a few hours…

Yuji was very confused as he stood in the clearing. The signs of his turmoil were all around him, but they seemed surreal. The holes in the ground and the destroyed trees were like a symphony of chaos that he had created, yet had no control over nor any real attachment to. Like he existed separately from what he had just experienced. His body no longer ached. He felt…cleansed. It was an unnatural feeling. Yuji felt free, but that in and of itself was disturbing to him. He was so used to feeling burdened that this freedom felt almost constricting.

“ Yuji -dono! Lady Uzume wishes to see you immediately! It is extremely urgent!” came the voice of a messenger from the temple. A young monk had been given the job and had unintentionally intruded on a private moment.

Yuji looked up with trepidation in his eyes. Had something happened to Uzume? Turning quickly, I followed the messenger back to the Fire Daimyo’s temple at top speed. Or what used to be his top speed. Somehow, Yuji felt like he was holding back. Did his breath with death actually make him stronger?

I thought I was just making myself feel better, saying that…

- --

Uzume was seated formally on her cushion, posture perfect, eyes clear and focused, and face devoid of emotion. She looked up briefly when I came in, her stoicism intact, save for a small glance that would have been innocuous to anyone with a lesser bond to her.

It was the silence that cued Yuji two look around. In a darkened corner of the room lay an unfamiliar body, sliced from shoulder to hip. From the red on the floor he could tell that the body in the corner had died a gruesome death. That cut looked like a sword wound, or at least a similar weapon.

Horrified, Yuji looked for a weapon that was capable of causing this destruction. Yuji was afraid of what he would see. But it wasn’t his nature to ignore facts, no matter how unpleasant. This one time, Yuji hoped that he was so horribly mistaken that he could laugh with relief.

Even when a weapon is cleaned perfectly, there are always signs of use. In this case, the sign was the otherwise on unmarred blade. While perfectly sharp, the spear was ceremonial and not prepped for battle. Where the blade had met bone, it had chipped and bent. The gold, jewel-encrusted handle was still tinted with a deep crimson hue.

This couldn’t be Lady Uzume’s doing…could it? No! I’ve let the most pure mortal I know soil her hands, while I’m off lamenting a death that never happened? It’s all my fault! I’ve got to make amends!
Stay calm, Yuji. She might not have done it. And even if she did, you KNOW she had a good reason! So settle down and hear the story before you freak out.
--

Uzume felt a lot as she confessed to her crime, though it wasn’t a crime by anyone else’s standards. Uzume was supposed to be a religious figure; as close to pure as a mortal could come. Even in self defense, killing a man wasn’t something even she had ever foreseen. But she calmly recited the details, making eye contact with every one, but especially Yuji and Shoki. They were the two who seems to need her the most. Shoki treated her like a sister without ever knowing their blood relationship. As for Yuji… He was still struggling with the failure of one prophecy while being in the middle of another. He might have become “Ten no Kishootsu”, but that wasn’t all that was left. There was yet one more state and an untold amounts of knowledge and power left for him to realize.
But her duty as a priestess came first.

“…So even though my actions were in defense of myself and another, killing is not a holy action. So I have asked the Fire Daimyo to pick a suitable punishment. His choice was that I should be exiled for a year to the “Land of Trees”, near Mount Tenchu. I’ve accepted.”

Before anyone could raise a protest, Uzume held up a hand for silence.
“The more important issue: Why is their a sudden interest in Shoki? And why ‘Heat Devil Village’? That is something I ask you…” Uzume’s eyes slid to Yuji; a gesture which no one else seemed to notice; “To investigate.”

Yuji was standing at the back of the room, his three-quarter length black jacket on. He wasn’t sure what to make of this just yet, despite Uzume’s apparent confidence that he could find out. What he DID figure out was that he owed his life to Uzume’s advice.
“Then consider me exiled as well.”

Every head turned to look at Yuji. He didn’t talk to anyone in particular as he strode toward Uzume.
“I’m alive because of Uzume. Her advice and expertise has saved me on more than one occasion. The only reason she had to kill that assassin was because I wasn’t around to handle it. I swore that I would repay my debt to her.”
Yuji closed a fist, facing the crowd, daring anyone to say anything. When they didn’t, he simply bowed next to Uzume.
“Until her exile is over, my life is hers to command.”

“Is that right?”

Standing at the back of the room was Tsunade herself. Even Yuji’s stoic mask shattered.
“My Lady? What are-”

“I’m here because the Fire Daimyo asked me to be. As for you Yuji…I’m surprised at you.”
She walked closer, her shoes thudding heavily on the floor. She couldn’t even be bothered to remove them in a temple?
“You know very well that you’re involved in protecting those two. Whether they need it or not, you’re there for them.”
She was now right in front of Yuji. Everyone took a big step back. Yuji held his ground, looking her right in the eyes.

“I owe her a great deal. I won’t leave until my debt to her is paid. Besides, as it was pointed out to me…what WERE your exact words, Master Jiraiya? Something to the effect of “they don’t need someone running at their heels”? Something to that effect.
The prophecy is dissolved.”

Tsunade ruffled Yuji’s hair. “It’s nice you think that. But no…it’s not. It’s not dissolved until I say it is. Remember your loyalty.”

“I do,” Yuji whispered. “I remember all the Leaf has done for me. And all I’ve sacrificed to see this prophecy through. Those two are together because they were meant to be, right? And it was my role to sacrifice everything to make sure that happened. They are family.”
Yuji looked at Uzume.
“And the last thing I’ll do is burden family. If Uzume would have me, I want to go with her. Call it selfish; call it a crime; call it whatever. But to let her take the blame for something that wasn’t her fault…that I can’t do.”

Tsunade could only sigh as she looked at Yuji’s unwavering eyes.
They’ve seen their share of pain, haven’t they…he’s grown up to be a good person. Trustworthy. Loyal. And willing to do anything for those he loves. And what has it gotten him? I’ve forced him to see his dreams lived out by another man in front of his eyes, day after day. I can’t imagine how painful that must be…

“Three months only. That is how long both exiles are to last. As per my discussion with the Fire Daimyo. There will be no further discussion on the matter.”
Pause. Collective sigh. But then:
“However, Yuji, you’ve broken too many rules. I don’t want to punish you, but you leave me no choice. You will have an additional exile in Heat Devil Village, with a time to be determined.”

No one believed for a second that that was a real punishment, except for Naruto and Sakura. Everyone else could tell it was just a formality to announce such a thing. In reality, Yuji had requested this as a means to really separate himself from his duties to Naruto and Sakura. Being away for that long might just help them to forget him. Or maybe he’d find something else. Or wind up in the Land of Waves with Azami. Either way, this was going to be three months of vacation for Yuji, with one month of under-cover work to find out more about Shoki. For once, all the cards were in Yuji’s favor.

Except one- an important one. His health.
While his tattoo was under control, he was by no means completely in the clear. He had to restrain his chakra flow severely to keep from being burned. And now that his subconscious self could lend him power, he had the mental strain of that as well.

Taking a last look at her home, Uzume made the preparations mentally to pass on the title. Asuna was well equipped for it, so that, at least, didn’t concern Uzume. And she wouldn’t be alone in her exile- that, too, was a relief. That her companion was someone she trusted so intimately was even more relaxing.

“Asuna, are you ready?” Uzume asked quietly, reaching for the last bit of that which tied her to her position. In her hair, a hairpin depicting the sun and moon held her long locks in check. She pulled it out slowly; reverently. Her jet-black hair fell to her waist, no longer bridled by the pin of her duties.

“With this artifact from the first Uzume, I pass on the name and all the responsibility with it to you, Asuna Hideyama. You now hold the title of ‘Uzume’.”
--

“It’s not forever.”
“Right. It’s not. We need to cheer up and support him.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda nice he’s doing that, you know?”
“That’s Ryo…er, Yuji for you.”

“…Wonder if she’s hot for him?”
“…Your perverted mind still astounds me.”

It was Naruto and Sakura discussing this in low, rapid tones. They had decided to say goodbye to Yuji in a dignified way. They wouldn’t beg for him to come back. They would show him that his lessons weren’t lost on them. He was bidding them goodbye as their caretaker. When he returned, he would be their friend once again. At least, they hoped.

Dressed in his long coat, Yuji made his way over to the meeting spot, stopping shy of Naruto and Sakura. He put down his rucksack and Uzume’s case. Then he bowed; from the waist and low.
“My failure to adequately fulfill my duties has not tainted your training. Despite what M’lady says, there is no such prophecy. People CHOOSE what to make of their lives. We are not gods. We are bound by nothing which we do not choose to be bound by. Our actions are our own.”
Straightening up, a noticeable tremor in his left hand, Yuji looked at the two. Despite himself, he felt proud.
“To see how far you’ve come as an observer has truly been my honor. If I’ve played even the tiniest role in that development…then I’ll consider myself lucky.”
To Naruto, Yuji offered a handshake. Naruto took a hug.

“You’re so noble it’s stupid…but I get it,” Naruto managed around a tearful smile.

“Naruto-dono, take good care of her, okay? I withdrew any possible attempts to gain her heart as a lover…but friends are different, eh? Just…make her…and yourself…happy. Remember that happiness- even before duty.”

Now THOSE were strange words to be spoken by a shinobi. Naruto’s questioning glance. Yuji shook his head, chuckling to himself.
“Your duty is to her now. It doesn’t mean forget your duty to the village…it just means don’t disregard her as an everyday thing. Don’t take her for granted.”

Naruto didn’t understand half of that, but nodded solemnly anyway. Yuji was apparently satisfied with that. He focused his attention to Sakura now, offering her a hand. She also took a hug.

“You’re glowing, you know? Since you and Naruto have been together. You compliment each other perfectly. Don’t take your bond for granted. You’re the level-headed one here.”
Sakura stepped back, and Yuji put his hands on her shoulder, a half-smirk on his face.
“Remember, he’s still Naruto. THAT won’t ever change.”

Looking at them both, Yuji gave one last sad smile.
“My last show of emotion is for the two of you. I…regret that I cannot be a simple ‘friend’ to you. For me, duty is what it is. I do not have anyone to disregard duty for. But I will cherish the bond the two of you have. That is the only part of my duty I have succeeded in. Suffice it to say, that makes me…happy.”

“And what of our bond, Yuji?”
“Yeah, between the three of us?”

Yuji’s face went blank.
“If you believe it exists, it probably does. However, you’ll be happier and more powerful once you’ve cut that bond with me. There’s a certain…romantic element, isn’t there? For a man and woman to take on the world, alone?”

Yuji looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing Uzume waiting, holding Shoki‘s hand. So he forced himself to remain emotionless as he said:
“All the best, you two. I’ll miss you. See you when I get back.”

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