Chapter 68 - Arc X: True Form- Chapter 2

Jiraiya, Shoki, Yuji, and Inoichi Yamanaka sat around the scroll, about to open it. Inoichi teased Yuji good-naturedly about dating Ino. It made Yuji give a thin smile, but he was too tired to really fight back.

He’s still getting over the illness Master Jiraiya briefed us about. It must have been bad… Inoichi thought, looking at Yuji out of the corner of his eye. There was a tired weariness in the boy, although he was pleased to see the younger man with some kind of crispness in his movements again.

“Right. This scroll is clear of any traps,” Inoichi announced.

“That’s surprising,” Jiraiya intoned. “As dark a church as that, and they aren’t jealously guarding their secrets?”

“They don’t need to,” Inoichi said. “Only someone using the Issekigan could open the scroll and read it’s contents. The eye automatically translates the undecipherable language within. So, Shoki, if you want us to know what it says, you’ll have to read it aloud.”

Shoki nodded his understanding. He opened the scroll without a problem, and unfurled it, setting about reading it. It was not a huge scroll, and didn’t take very long to finish, but by the end of it, Shoki was beyond amazed.

He looked up shyly, seeing four eager adults. But he wanted to keep this stuff to himself. He had just learned about his heritage, and he wanted to keep it for himself; at least for now. He looked to Yuji, who gave him a tired smile and nod.

“Let’s let him digest this,” Yuji suggested. “He’ll talk when he’s ready.”
--
--

Yuji sat down in his genjutsu, his other self walled off again for the moment. He took a minute to appreciate the cool breeze he replicated, and the feel of the cool blades of grass beneath him his shirtless body.

Ten no Kishootsu. ‘Heaven’s Temper’. What is he supposed to be? How different will this new self be from my old self?

Being honest, Yuji knew that he had several good qualities. Honesty, compassion, loyalty, love, generosity. He knew he was no saint or paragon of virtue. But he tried to be a good person. That was something, wasn’t it? He was hardworking, the one thing no one could dispute.

He rolled over on his side, feeling the dull ache of a bruise on his ribs. It hurt to breathe unless Yuji laid on his side, putting pressure on the damage. He had allowed himself to feel pain in his paradise to make this experience feel more real. He didn’t allow for catastrophic injuries, however.

I wonder what will happen once I can unlock that power fully?

From the scroll, Yuji had gathered that a person with a powerful fire chakra nature and a fighting spirit with blazing intensity was the only one who could inherit the mantle of Ten no Kishootsu. No one knew who the original one was, or even if he ever existed. But the steps to reaching the power had certain requirements that had to be met and nurtured.

As Yuji went over the requirements, he made an astonishing connection. ’Heaven’s Temper’ is a servant to stronger masters. Fighting for his own sake will not allow the power of Ten no Kishootsu to be drawn out.

Yuji could now immediately see a connection between his prophecy and Naruto and Sakura’s. The two prophecy’s had to be linked! There were prophesized by the same person, after all. But that didn’t mean they had to be connected. Now there was enough evidence to make that connection.

Fighting for his own sake…the only time Yuji had done that was in the middle of emotional turmoil, against Sasuke’s Hebi group. When he tried to release the curse bindings in his abdomen and failed…then he was fighting for the sake of his own aggression.

No doubt about it, he decided. They’re related. My role was cast right away. But what about the third that is supposed to join Sakura and Naruto as the strongest? It doesn’t say anywhere whether I am or am not that person, and it does not discount me either.

Yuji frowned; this was getting complicated again. He needed to get his mind off that.

Let’s try something. I’ve won fifty times. I’m not meeting some requirement, or I would feel it. But what am I missing?

Yuji thought about what requirement he could be missing, standing up and wandering around to alleviate the tension that was rapidly building in his extremities. He closed his eyes, rolling his shoulders, and thinking about everything that had happened. He thought about Miko, of course. One comment she had made had stuck to him.

“ ‘Your chakra is dark and deep, like a swamp. It’s nearly black, if I had to put a color to it…’ What did she mean by that?” Yuji wondered aloud. ‘Ten no Kishootsu’s’ chakra was of a very pure fire nature. To Yuji, that meant read. His chakra was only black because it matched his mood. Maybe…

Yuji reached toward his stomach, feeling his hand go transparent. He could feel the cords inside himself. What would happen if he pulled them? It shouldn’t affect his body at all…

Maybe I can learn how to tie them myself without any consequence was the biggest hope he had.

When he pulled the cord and felt the burst of chakra exploding outward from his freed abdomen, he felt the sensation he was looking for. The ‘different that he associated with the ‘Heaven’s Temper’ abilities.

That was it! That was what I needed to do! Now I’ve got to defeat myself again. This time, as ‘Heaven’s Temper’. Once I absorb him, that should be it. I should have full command of this power. I don’t know how I know, but it feels right.
--
--

Asuna gently awoke, super-conscious all at once. She had achieved the rare ‘Soul Revival’ Jutsu. At least, the first part. The second part required living hosts for the souls. Or, for what she had in mind, Yuji’s genjutsu paradise. There, they could take physical form. The only question was Yuji himself.

It’s a risk. It’s not ‘possession’ by the strict definition, but it is a strain on the mind and body. Not that there’s choice. Yuji needs this. Well, he might need it. I still can‘t read his future…

Akari, Uzume/Asuna’s assistant, re-entered the chamber, sensing the return of Asuna’s consciousness.

“We’ll depart for the Leaf the first chance we get,” Asuna said immediately.

“My Lady, you have a visitor. I did not recognize her, but she says her name is ‘Azami’…”
Akari’s tone held one of question, awaiting permission to let the guest in.

“Azami! Perfect!” Uzume/Asuna exclaimed. “Please see her in, Akari. She’s going to cut time off our travel time!”
--
--

Sakura was more than a little surprised at Shoki’s request to train him. The boy had never shown any interest in anything besides…well, he never showed an interest in anything that she had seen. And yet, here he was, begging to learn from her.

She decided to discuss it with Naruto first. But Jiraiya intercepted her, asking her to talk to Yuji first. He told her to remind Yuji about his promise of nearly three months ago. That confused her, but she went with it.

Naruto had walked in, looking for Sakura. The two of them set off to find Yuji, discussing the idea of Sakura having a student in quite tones.

“It could be fun. And I know I’d learn from it,” Sakura told him. You found that you learned things anew when you passed on your knowledge. It was something Tsunade was fond of saying.

“Hey, if you’re good with it, I am,” Naruto commented. “Unless he makes a move on you…”

Sakura giggled at the notion. “I don’t know if I could refuse him, Naruto. I can imagine myself running my hands through his silver hair, with his head in my lap…”

“Shut up!” Naruto told her, not quite keeping the quiver out of his voice. This whole ‘girlfriend’ thing was new to him.

“Oh, come on, I’m with you! Do you really think I’m the type of girl to flit from guy to guy like some kind of…some kind of…”

“Ino?” Naruto said in an innocent voice. They both broke out laughing at that. Poor Ino- she was so maligned just for being such an air headed blond diet-freak when she was younger.

Eventually, they found Yuji’s place. He was kneeling in the darkness of his apartment, deep in meditation. His hands were locked in a handsign at his chest. But strangely, his body was quivering with effort, and his eyes were fluttering as if in an REM state. Sweat poured down his brow and neck, straining his shirt.

“Naruto, look!” Sakura pointed to Yuji’s forehead. There was the telltale red ‘X’ of the Ten no Kishootsu state.

“But he hasn’t released his curse bindings!” Naruto pointed out. He knew them very well, as Yuji had used them to subdue the Nine-tailed fox when it took Naruto over.

“No…I think he’s in his genjutsu,” Sakura murmured, looking at Yuji from all angles. “We’re going in to make sure he’s okay!”

“Wait! Couldn’t we just wake him up?” Naruto asked. It was a valid question.

“We don’t know what that would do. With all this prophecy stuff floating around, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was up to something with that ‘Heaven’s Temper’ thing. Either way, we’ve got to check on him. That much strain on a body isn’t healthy!”

They looked at each other, nodded, and focused their chakra to prepare to enter Yuji’s genjutsu.
--
--

Yuji felt the wings forming. Fire ran from the top of his head down to his feet. His skin seemed to glow with a red tint, radiating his new powerful chakra. His hair cooled until it was a solid black color with a sheen to it, like obsidian from magma. The tattoo on his forehead also deepened in it’s shade of black until it had a shine to it that seemed to pulse energy.

The wings extended from his back gracefully, allowing him to take to the sky, moving as fast and freely as he wanted. When his feet touched the ground, fire shot out in front of him. When he kicked off, fire jetted out from the bottoms of his feet, propelling him forward with amazing speed.

It was amazing. For once, Yuji didn’t feel like an inferior being. He felt like he was powerful and in control. He raised his hand, and the walls containing his mirror self were blown to bits.

His mirror self smiled.
“I knew you had the power. All this time, my presence in you has held you back. So naturally, when your true potential finally burst forth, it was bound to be spectacular. But-”

Yuji watched as his other self grew a pair of black wings and took to the skies, radiating black energy in the same way Yuji radiated fire. He flew up to Yuji, his wings beating violently. Yuji could feel his ‘old’ chakra. The dark, swamp-like chakra. He could feel the difference between the two. Suddenly, he felt only half-full, and understood that he needed to absorb that other chakra. He needed retain his ‘sense of self’, alongside the new ‘Heaven’s Temper’ Yuji.

“-But your new power is only borrowed until you defeat me. I represent your inner demons, in case you haven’t figured it out. But you’re me- you’re a smart guy,” the mirror self said with a genuine smile. “I think you might just earn this power.”

Yuji smiled, albeit grimly. “I think you’re right.”

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