In search for Truth
It happened suddenly. Motomu didn't see them coming; his eyes don't work as well as his mother's and sister's. Two men jumped him, grabbed his arms and forced him to the ground. With his joints painfully hyperextended, he couldn't form seals. But he didn't need to. He willed the orbs to come to his aid.
They did not come. Some force held them back. Tendrils of cursed energy wrapped around the Jade Seals, searing them where they touched as their energies mixed, slowly pulling them towards their source.
"Fascinating," a female voice filled the grove, every word dripping with the venom of curiosity, "that they managed to seal them like this. Blasphemous in a way. Did they even know what they're dealing with?" She stepped closer to him, crouching down and forcing him to look up at her. A pair of red eyes stared at him from behind a demonic mask. "Chakra of all natures, formed into one, but not in the simple raw form like what your mother uses. No. This underwent the nature transformations. All of them. Even the Yin and Yang. And yet, it's stable. Extremely so, given it doesn't dissipate like normal jutsu."
"And this treasure was granted to you." Something in her eyes made Motomu shiver. The tone of her voice did not change, but the way she looked at him expressed malice the kind the boy has never experienced. "A foolish little child, who can't appreciate the secret truths at his fingertips. Gods must have a sense of humour." The ice she spoke with made clear she did not appreciate it.
She leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear: "I'd order you to be disposed of right here and now, but I don't yet know how the Orbs will react to that. So, we'll have to take you with them. I don't think we need you conscious, though." Grabbing his chin, she once again forced him to look at her.
When the scarlet eyes met his pale ones, the illusion took hold of him.
"Kosshi, do you know where your brother is?" a mother asked her daughter.
"He was playing in the woods."
"Which direction?"
Kosshi pointed to where she has last seen him. Her mother turned that way. Veins bulged on her face as she called onto her blood to look for him.
"Are you sure that's where he went?"
"Yes, mother. And I reminded him to stay close."
The expression on her mother's face worried her. The frantic way in which her eyes scanned the environment kilometres away, the slight downward curve of her lips, the twitch of her brows, the bead of sweat slowly rolling down her cheek. It wasn't often that she saw her like that, and with each passing second, the grasp of anxiety coiled tighter around her heart.
"I see him."
Without another word of an explanation, the mother broke into a run towards her child. The desperation painting on her face.
Her daughter tried to follow.
A memory of that day, the day he awakened the power. He doesn't remember how exactly the Orbs came to be. One moment he was playing with his toys, another moment he was smashing two black orbs into one another, while a third one floated above him.
His mother called to him. She came to pick him up, asking what he's got there. Her fingers turned to dust as they came into contact with the Orbs. She wailed, as the crimson flowed from her maimed hand, turning into nothingness as it touched the uncaring darkness. The boy cried, confused, seeking comfort. He instinctively reached out for his mum. And the Orbs followed his will, reaching for her too. The black mass tore through her body, the scraps falling lifele—
No! No, no, NO! That's not what happened that day! It wasn't! She didn't... It wasn't like that! She was hurt, but nothing like that! They contained them! They got him to control them long enough to get help. The managed to seal them and—
The world quivered.
He doesn't remember how exactly the Orbs came to be. One moment he was playing with his toys...
His mother called to him...
She wailed...
He instinctively reached out...
The world quivered...
"Give me the chest," the masked woman ordered one of her men standing over the boy's limp body. A reckless glee crept into her voice. She finally did it, the answer to her questions was in her hands. Obediently, the man pulled out a storage sealing scroll and with a quick hand seal released a heavy chest covered in lock tags.
"Open it," she commanded, and the man did so. The cursed tendrils lifted the first orb, and carefully, almost with reverence, placed it in one of the compartments inside the chest. The Jade Seal started to reform to cover the scars that contact with the negative energy etched on it. She reached for the second Orb, and put it in a second compartment. Finally, she reached for the third Orb, and—
The furious Hyuga fell upon her like thunder. The Gentle Fist struck her in her shoulder, the needle of chakra piercing through skin and muscles, reaching the tenketsu, sending a jolt of pain as it overloaded and left her arm limp. The cursed tendril dissipated as her control faltered. Another attack followed right after.
The masked woman managed to jump away. With one hand, she formed a seal, and to the Hyuga's surprise, it seemed to be enough. Two earth golems rose, ready to protect her, buying her time to analyse the situation. Her moment of triumph left her open, and the Hyuga exploited it. How long will it take her to recover from that initial blow? Can she fight her with one arm?
The thoughts rushed through her mind, as her men jumped the Hyuga, but they were no match for the lioness protecting her cub. In mere seconds, tens of blows landed on their chakra points, leaving them paralysed on the ground.
A fury welled inside the masked woman, matching that of the Hyuga. The accursed woman managed to ruin her moment of triumph! And yet, she quickly managed to cool it down, keep it in check. She had to form a plan. Two of the Orbs were already in the chest. That's enough for now, no need to take unnecessary risks. She just has to keep the Hyuga busy.
And the Hyuga was right now tearing apart her golems. Chunks of stone were ripped away, piece by piece, as the woman's chakra covered strikes pierced them repeatedly. With intense focus, she was pushing the stone monstrosities back with each step that brought her closer to her target.
"Don't you dare run, wench. You're mine." The Hyuga's words were cold as ice, the studied rhythm of her breathing stable even in the midst of battle.
"Maybe next time," the masked woman retorted, while leaping towards the chest, "but don't worry, I'll be back for him, and that last Orb." She slammed down the chest's lid.
But it failed to shut. White silky strands kept it open. The masked woman looked to their source. They led to a little girl, the boy's sister, who managed to reach her just now. Once again, her overfocus left her blind.
"Kosshi, get back!" the girl's mother shouted as she leapt forward, but it was too late. The masked woman's fist already roared towards her with deadly force. The sound of bones cracking on impact echoed around them, as the girl flew back and smashed into one of the trees.
The Hyuga mother reached the masked woman, her strike finding the target's outstretched arm, causing it to fall limp. She knew she had her now. With both arms of the enemy disabled, they couldn't form the seals. The battle was as good as over.
The masked woman winced, but to the Hyuga's surprise did not give up. Her right eye closed. "Gate - open!" she commanded, and space tore behind her. Before the Hyuga could react, the masked woman jumped up, hooking the handle of the chest with one foot, while kicking the Hyuga with the other, using the recoil to proper herself through the portal, which wordlessly closed behind her and her prize.
Immediately, the Hyuga went to check on her children. Motomu was unconscious, his breathing shallow, mouth forming voiceless words. At his mother's touch, he winced, but did not wake. She scooped him up in her arms and walked to her daughter, trying to mentally prepare herself for what she might witness.
Kosshi lied there where she fell, by one of the trees. As her mother approached her, she moved to stand up.
"Stay down, foolish girl! We don't know the extent of your injuries yet!" the mother commanded with the fear creeping in her voice.
"I'm fine, mother. I cushioned most of the blow." Kosshi pointed to the pieces of shattered external bones around her. "And I've got this." Among her hair, lied one of Motomu's orbs, which she must have managed to pull out of the chest. "I'm sorry I only managed to get one."
The mother looked at the girl, a mix of emotion painting on her face. She wanted to berate her. For jumping into the fight, for disobeying, for apologizing.
In the end, she just knelt down and hugged her.
Far away, in her hidden lair, the Masked Woman breathed heavily. The mission was a partial success. If not for his family's meddling, she'd have gotten away clean, but the losses were acceptable. The seals on the men will kill them and prevent them from tracing this back to her. The arms will heal. Not getting all the orbs is a setback, but with two in her possession, it should be a minor one.
She walked over to the chest and kicked it open. She wanted to take one more look at her prize.
The outraged shriek was accompanied by the sound of her thrashing her laboratory, when she realized that she's only got one out of three.
Once she calmed down, she vowed revenge.
Two weeks have passed.
The infirmary at the Moon Village took good care of Motomu. He was still in a coma, but his condition was improving, and it was expected that he'd regain consciousness any day now.
His family visited him often. It was rare that at least one of them wasn't there, and right now, it was his sister who sat beside him, and it was her who noticed him waking up. He looked around in a daze until his sight finally focused on her.
"You've missed your first week at the Academy," she said in her typically cold, measured manner.
But her hand tightly gripping his felt warm.