Chapter 66 - Arc IX: In Demon's Hands- Chapter 3

Yuji walked into the church, following the old woman. What he saw made him shiver. If there was ever a house of demonic torture, this was it.

Lining the walls were torture devices. One smiling man hung from a noose; another was pulling the cord on a guillotine, through which his own head was laying. Shaking coffin-like devices full of spikes held fervently-praying worshippers. Up on some kind of altar, one man was slowing impaling himself on a spike, face-down.

“Forgive me, Jashin! I broke your most sacred commandment…”

Yuji forced himself to look away, and to keep following the woman. She led him to the back of the church, giving Yuji the full view of it for the first time.

It was an older building, a rare two-story wooden structure with a cathedral ceiling. The wood was dark, and the inside was lit only by candles. The place felt haunted, especially with all the sadistic torture devices lining the walls. There were screams of pleasure, but none of agony.

Yuji shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He needed to focus. When he turned around, he noticed the woman bending over, digging for a scroll amongst lots of dusty other scrolls and bound manuscripts. She found the one she was looking for. On it was an occult-like symbol that was shaped vaguely like an eye.

“This will tell you all we have discovered. But it will do you little good without a living user of the Issekigan.”

Yuji didn’t feel right, talking about Shoki, so he nodded his thanks without elaborating.
“Now, your son and his family…Can they move freely?”

“Oh, yes! They’re not prisoners. I just with a better life for them. They refuse to worship Jashin, though they were born into the religion. I myself am the leader of this church, so you can understand my frustration with them. But their life is their own.”

Yuji frowned, thinking of the best way to do this.
“When do you congregate next?”

“In two hours time.”

“Alright, I’ll get them out of here then. Have them meet me outside the church doors, wearing something so that their faces are hidden. I’ll work out the rest.”
--
--

Well, it was a plan, alright. A good plan? Maybe not. A simple one, yes.

Plan A: Sneak out while everyone impaled themselves on pikes in tribute to Jashin (or whatever they did at their version of worship).

Plan B: Run like hell while incapacitating anyone who came near the group.

Yuji wanted Plan A to work. The four with him, though immortal, were not fighters. If they were incapacitated, he’d have to drag them out, slowing everyone down and increasing the chances of casualties. Not to mention lessening the chance of death for the only mortal of the group- Yuji himself.

But there were no holes in the plan. They escaped without a hitch. Things went smoothly. Too smoothly, in Yuji’s opinion. Some little instinct screamed at him, because he turned around to see the group of four staring at him with odd expressions. Yuji stared back for a moment before realizing it-

They’re under genjutsu!

Out came their weapons, and all four directed their attacks on Yuji. Some part of him had prepared for this. He dodged back, taking aim with his neutral chakra ability, and gave a loud yell.

“Shoukyaku Jutsu!”

The space between the four erupted with an explosion that rattled the teeth of the four. It also did damage physically, taking out their legs. Yuji didn’t know who had put them under genjutsu for certain, but felt sure that the old woman who gave him the scroll had done it. If so, he had to move fast.

Before he left, he looked at the four. Maybe they were dupes, or maybe they were in on it. Either way, Yuji wasn’t going to leave them there.

Damn my good nature.

“Summoning Jutsu! Yo-O, to the Hidden Leaf. I can’t carry them all, and this way we’ll get home faster.”

As an afterthought, Yuji laid out the scroll from the church of Jashin. He drew an elaborate circle made of his own blood. He gave a small bow, and put a Sealing Jutsu on the scroll. That would contain it, be it booby-trapped with genjutsu or an explosion.

Time to go home. For the first time in a long time. Yuji had a lot to think about on the way home.
--

Being summoned by Lady Tsunade was nothing new for Naruto and Sakura. However, when they say what was awaiting them, they were more than a little surprised.

Before Lady Tsunade lay a number of relics from the Third Hokage’s time, including his crystal ball, and a mysterious black scroll, bound by a thick white cord. Tsunade herself was looking particularly grim. Her expression lightened when the two entered, but otherwise the dark mood of the room did not change.

Without waiting for a prompt, Tsunade began:

“I think it’s only fair that you two know that the prophecy is close to fulfillment. It is also fair that you see the document that has caused you so much trouble. Well, ‘see’ isn’t the right word, as it won’t be legible to you,” Tsunade added thoughtfully. “’Feel’ may be a better choice of words. It emits an aura that is ominous. It almost has a chakra of it’s own.”

Sakura and Naruto could tell that much right away. The temperature in the room had dropped probably ten degrees below the normal comfortable temperature. Neither Naruto or Sakura were really accustomed to the cold, so they were shivering uncomfortably. When Tsunade mentioned the scroll, their curiosity beat out the chill in their bones.

Sakura took the scroll carefully, just holding it, weighing it in her hands. It was ordinary paper; nothing special about the weight or color. But the cord holding it…

It reminds me of the one in Yuji’s stomach, she decided. It’s more powerful than it looks, and if I think about removing it, I get chills. Not the good kind of chills.

Naruto felt the same but he still undid the cord and ripped open the scroll.

The letter was either too sloppy or too old to be read. Some of the kanji was outdated. Naruto barely knew the kanji needed for everyday life, so there was no way he could decipher this. It looked like one, long ,run-on kanji.

“The point,” Tsunade said, regaining their attention, “is that you’ve gotten part of the prophecy. You two are a couple now, which is mentioned. However, mentioned with it is that your power must equal and surpass every other shinobi’s. And therein lies the problem.”

Tsunade stood up suddenly, hearing the beating of large wings. That was followed by a rap on her window.

Yuji was hanging, upside-down, outside of her window, patiently waiting to be let in. Tsunade opened the window, chuckling to herself.

“What, you couldn’t find the door? It’s only been a few months!”

Yuji didn’t even crack a smile.
“My Lady, I have four…people. I don’t know if they’re prisoners or dupes, but there’s a new war going on that you need to know about.”
--

Once Yuji was inside, and the four he had brought with him in ANBU’s care, there were a lot of questions.

Yuji looked a little healthier. He had filled out a bit more in the chest and shoulders. He had also gained a bit of intensity, but at the same time projected a quiet sadness. The ring he wore as a pendant around his neck left no once guessing as to the cause.

Yuji explained about the Church of Jashin, and their declaration of war on the Leaf by their attack on the Fire Daimyo’s temple. By forcing Miko to defend herself, they had given cause to conflict. And Yuji was determined to see the war through.

“Put me on the front lines by myself. I’m going to take care of them. This is where my religious tolerance ends.”

Tsunade nodded weakly, wanting to avoid another conflict for the moment. She resumed her speech after catching Yuji up.

“The problem is this: You two must be ‘either the strongest, or in love’. You have met the conditions of that, with the second condition. This raises the question- is the prophecy dissolved now, or does it continue on until the other stipulation is met. The part I have cited to you is what you already know, and the language is clear enough. But there are later parts to this prophecy that point out other things. Not the least of which that a third person must compliment you. A new group of legends, if you will.”

“Sasuke…” Yuji muttered darkly. Every head in the room snapped toward him. He looked up, met their eyes quickly, and then lowered his.
“It would be either him or me. Even the description could fit either one of us.”

“Description?” Sakura asked, looking at Tsunade.

“Yes. I didn’t mention it, but Yuji makes a good point. The description calls the third party a ‘dark-haired avenger breathing fire’. Pretty terms, but it refers to two points that could be either Yuji or Sasuke.”

Yuji was still speaking quietly, in the monotone voice that usually accompanied great mental anguish.
“Further, my Lady…from the prophecy directed at me. The ‘Ten no Kishootsu’ prophecy…it tells of a battle between me and a ‘raven-haired shinobi with eyes the color of blood’…”
Yuji looked away, ashamed at his eyes betraying him with tears.
“It was something Miko told me before she died. I just never…well, I never put two and two together.”

“You’re gonna fight Sasuke?!” Naruto shouted, his chair falling over behind him as he stood up in a rush. Sakura joined him, slightly more calmly. Both of their gazes washed over Yuji. If possible, he paled further.

“It also says that one or both of us will perish during the battle.”

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment