Aina didn't know what to think when her mother explained the task to her. The old woman had pressed some sword into her arms and told her to follow along. They were supposed to get some sort of information out of this prisoner, but the real goal had something to do with the sword, and preparing him for something. Aina simply nodded her head in a vague attempt to leave her mother's cabin as quickly as possible.
Finding their way to the ground from above, Aina and the Matriarch made their way to the cages. Aina could have found her way to the prisoner quite easily, as their Chakra signature was moronically easy to sense. Whoever it was had clearly never been taught how to properly control their Chakra. So, she stepped up to the cage alongside her mother, peering within to find a boy, maybe 12 or 13 years old. The boy's appearance made her freeze up.
The boy was dirty beyond reason, however, that was not what made her pause. He wore robes that were stained and torn in some spots, but clearly belonged to the Hyuuga clan. Stranger still were his shoulder guards, which were more commonly worn by those from the Uchiha clan. His white hair and slightly tanned skin carried no significance to her.
"What's with the look, lady?" The boy asked, looking genuinely confused.
Aina regained her composure after a moment. Memories attempted to surface in her mind, but she quickly suppressed them. This was no time to have any sort of mental lapse in judgement. She had encountered- and killed- quite a few shinobi from the Hyuuga clan over the years, and this time should be no different. After all, with what the Matriarch had in store for this boy, it would be better if he died outright.
"It is time for you to answer those questions we discussed, brat." Her mother spoke from just behind, not bothering to step forward.
The boy remained where he sat. A tired expression appeared to be the only face he could make. He took in a long breath, letting it out slowly as he closed his eyes. A second later, his eyes opened and he turned to fully face the two Senju.
"Fine, let's do this." He called out.
Aina's only job in this task was essentially to act as muscle. So, she quietly stood while her mother and the strange prisoner talked.
"Do you know what an Asura is, boy?" The Matriarch began.
"Nope."
Aina felt herself frown. Her mother did not speak for several seconds, and she almost turned to look at the old woman before she suddenly spoke.
"Are you aware of how the wooden bindings shackled to your wrists and ankles work?"
"Nope. Well, maybe."
"You have obviously noticed the seals, I presume?"
"The what now?"
Several more seconds of silence.
"The carvings along the inner and outer rims of the wood."
"Oh. Yeah, I see those. Whoever carved those needs to work on their spelling. I can't read them at all." The idiot prisoner remarked.
Another short pause.
"Tell me this, brat. Do you feel any emotion, or perhaps experience a sudden… recall, when you observe the carvings?" The Matriarch prodded.
The idiot shook his head side to side. Then, because apparently that was not enough of an answer from him, he spoke as well.
"Nah. But I kind of feel…"
He gulped.
"Well, you see… it's a little embarrassing."
"...Yes?" She probed.
The boy looked conflicted on his decision to speak. He finally gave in.
"Uh, um… I have to poop."
Aina bit down on her lip to prevent her first reaction. She failed to cover the snort, and attempted to pass it off as a cough. She was pretty sure it didn't work.
A sudden aura of frigid anger erupted from just behind Aina. Knowing better, she didn't move as that would only trigger her mother, letting her do whatever it was she was focused on. Chakra began to spill out in waves from the Matriarch, which she formed into jagged whips and maneuvered past the bars and within the prisoner's cage. All Chakra was completely invisible to the naked eye while under proper control, and not a single glint of light reflected off of the tendrils of energy. Even though Aina could sense Chakra, the whole experience was still jarring. The Matriarch performed two simple handsigns as her Chakra seeped into the surrounding walls.
Without warning, the walls began to contract and expand in odd ways as a fifth wall appeared to sprout, moving halfway through the cell and cutting off visibility to one corner of the cage. The prisoner had backed himself up against the opposite wall, staring transfixed as the clear display of power played out.
Near the back of the hidden corner, a tiny chute had appeared leading outside of the cage. It was barely large enough for a fist, making its usage obvious.
"There. I have just accommodated you, brat. Now you will answer truthfully. I will not easily show such kindness again." Her mother reasonably spoke.
The prisoner stared wide eyed at the new obstructed space for another moment before turning to glance at the two women. His expression showed slight confusion as he processed her words.
"Uh… I was answering truthfully…" He stated.
Her mother's anger, which had partly subsided after the display, flared up once again. However, this time, it was not entirely directed at the boy. Aina deduced her mother was more confused than anything this time. Acting on cue, she turned to look at the Matriarch.
Her mother was staring at the ground when Aina looked her way. Glancing up, the two women met eyes, and her mother nodded assent. It was time for the second part of the job.
Aina turned back to the boy, who had himself turned to inspect his new amenities.
"Get up." Aina ordered.
The prisoner stared absently for a few seconds. Then, huffing with unexpected weariness, he got up and slowly shuffled to the front of the cage. Aina lightly touched one hand to the bars, and a few retracted into the ground to allow him passage, causing him to glance down with delight. He crouched down to inspect the indents left behind by the bars. Aina was confused at his sudden disregard, until he quickly rolled forward and reached for the sword at her shoulder.
Aina didn't even move her feet as her hands clapped, and the prisoner was trapped by a dozen wooden spikes in an instant.
"Uh..." The prisoner intelligently vocalised.
Aina stared down at him with a cold determination.
"Want to try again?"
He had no room to move his head as multiple pointy sticks threatened to pierce his neck. He gulped in response.
"You won't get another chance." Aina stated quite reasonably. Her mother nodded in approval.
Then, the spikes vanished, sinking into the ground with sudden speed. The prisoner stood completely still, obvious fear etched onto his face. Aina did not smile or show emotion at all. Instead, she turned and began to walk away. The Matriarch stayed behind, seeming fine to let Aina handle the situation.
"Follow."
She heard his light steps as he moved to catch up within seconds.
—
Kotetsu was completely terrified of whatever awaited him. First, he had to deal with the cranky old Matriarch lady, and now he was dealing with her and some cranky young demon lady. If only he had a Kekkei Genkai, then maybe he could escape this place with some flashy explosions or something.
He proceeded to follow the demon lady in between huge trees and the occasional wooden structure. Kotetsu glanced up at one point and found a sprawling network of bridges high up, and he immediately had the urge to climb a tree and explore, but he didn't want to risk the demon lady trying to catch him with those spikes. As the pair walked, Kotetsu could hear the faint sound of fighting, which grew louder. The painfully familiar sight of a training yard appeared ahead as the demon lady led Kotetsu onward.
The yard itself was nothing special. It took up a flat spot between several giant trees, with multiple circles drawn in the dirt marking clear sparring areas. There were dozens of people present, either observing or being observed. Several heads turned their way, and Kotetsu noted that everyone who saw the demon lady seemed to bow their heads slightly. Kotetsu was led to the largest circle where most everyone was gathered.
The single spar taking place was between two young men wielding wooden staves, moving with speed through a rather simple set of moves, blocking and attempting to hit one another. The spar halted as more people noticed the two. A few people even glanced his way, but kept their attention on the lady in front of him. Once it was clear they had most everyone's attention, the demon lady spoke.
"I bring a task from the Matriarch. It is optional, though your participation will of course be recognised. Behind me stands an intruder caught within our boundary earlier today. Your job is simple."
As the demon lady spoke, more people from across the ground stopped what they were doing and walked over. Kotetsu glanced out to see that most of their expressions were one of anticipation.
"You will beat the prisoner until he is unable to stand."
Kotetsu felt his eyes go wide and his jaw drop. His head snapped to stare at the demon lady, who was not looking at him. Turning around, he spotted dozens of attentive faces staring back. Kotetsu felt sudden danger from all around him. Worse than that, he still had to poop.
"The rules of the task are as follows. No Ninjutsu, only one at a time, and no killing."
The demon lady finally turned to look at him. Her yellow eyes seemed to bore into him. Kotetsu took a step toward her.
"The rules… they don't say anything about not having a weapon. So, uh, I want my sword…" Kotetsu attempted to bargain.
The demon lady looked Kotetsu over for a few seconds before speaking.
"And, the fourth rule… no lethal weapons."
Her poorly disguised refusal placed a cold ball of iron in Kotetsu's gut. Before he could argue the topic further, she leapt straight into the sky, sticking to the side of a tree far above. Her voice rang out with a monotone finality.
"Begin."
Directly in front of Kotetsu, a tall young man with curly light brown hair, plain clothing and dark tanned skin pushed his way past everyone. He was one of the two men who had just been sparring.
"Me first."
Before anyone could argue the point, the man charged forward with blinding speed, fist aimed right for Kotetsu's open face.
Kotetsu knew he was screwed, yet despite that, he wasn't entirely worried about the situation. At least, not until he attempted to flow his Chakra. Opening the mental image of sunlight spreading across his body, Kotetsu was immediately reminded of the wooden cuffs still present on his ankles and wrists. His flow of Chakra was disrupted as it passed the wood, which broke his concentration, and he truly discovered what it means to be trapped.
The first punch was deafening. It echoed throughout the forest as the deftly aimed fist made contact with Kotetsu's face, sending him spinning backward to the other end of the training ground almost 20 meters away. Several teeth left his mouth and blood spewed from his nose as his body crunched and slid across the ground.
The rest of the field was silent for several seconds as Kotetsu's body settled to the ground.
"Hey, Rata… you hit him too hard…" Someone called out.
"No, I hit him the same as I hit everyone…!" The young man named Rata argued.
Sneering and taunting arose from the crowd as everyone grew restless. Quite a few went back to their own sections of the field, resuming where they had left off before the disappointing task had been brought to them. Rata held his fist up and pointed at it.
"If I had hit him a little harder, I could have killed him in one punch. Hahaha!-"
His laughter died off as Kotetsu stirred, then stood. Blood cascaded down his chin and drenched his neck and robes. His chest heaved, and a mouthful of blood spilled from his mouth. Kotetsu's head rose and he glared at the young man from across the field. He mumbled something that no one could hear. Raising his arms, he made his intention to fight clear.
Rata only smiled in response, then brought his arms up in a beckoning motion. Kotetsu understood and began slowly walking toward the man. His walking turned into a jog, and before long, he was sprinting head on toward his opponent. Blood and spittle flew from his mouth as all of Kotetsu's bottled rage reared its ugly head. He was starving, sleep deprived, actively going insane, and still had to poop on top of it all. His feet dug into the ground and sent up clouds of dirt as he barreled his way toward the young man, drawing his right arm back for a wide punch.
He reached Rata, who had his arms spread out wide ready to accept Kotetsu's full charge. Using the energy from his sprint, he pushed one last time with both feet and leapt forward, his fist mere inches from impact into the man's gut.
Kotetsu hit a mountain. His fist, arm, and shoulder all crumpled against the immovable force that was the Senju. Even when Kotetsu's entire body smashed into the man, he didn't even budge from where he stood. Kotetsu fell to the ground in a broken, exhausted heap at the man's feet.
"Is that all you are capable of?" Rata questioned, a note of honest disappointment evident.
Kotetsu sputtered from where he lay.
"If… if you take these off… I will show you wh-" Kotetsu coughed up a wad of blood.
"-what I'm capable of." He finished as he pulled at the wooden cuffs on his wrists.
Rata looked down in pity.
"If those are enough to impede your Chakra, then you are not worth my time."
Kotetsu looked up at the man, surprised by his words. His vision had grown more indistinct, and his other senses dulled as he laid there. His head fell to the ground where his chin found hard dirt. Kotetsu's last view of the world around him was a flash of colours, then darkness.
—
Kotetsu's entire body was consumed by pain. His vision remained pitch black, but a voice pierced the haze surrounding his head.
"What is Chakra?" A harsh female voice called out. It was unfamiliar to him. He felt that he could barely move his mouth, so he responded.
"...Chakra is my Ninjutsu."
"Wrong." The voice coldly stated.
Kotetsu felt even more confused. Not just at the answer, but at the feeling of laying on something cold and hard.
As he battled the pain and worked through where he might be, another answer came to his mind. He felt compelled to give a good answer. He wanted the voice to like him.
"Chakra is an arsenal?" He heard himself half-answer, half-question.
"Wrong." The voice grew harsher. Kotetsu felt ashamed at his own lack of knowledge.
"Chakra is not your technique, boy. It is not your weapon, or your tool. Nor is it your armor…" The voice spoke in an instructing tone, clearly having recited this quite a number of times.
While the voice spoke, Kotetsu managed to parse the texture of what he was laying on, finding it to be carved stone. This had not gotten him any closer to figuring out where he was. The voice's answer only led to Kotetsu having more questions, as he truly did not know what Chakra was anymore.
"What is Chakra?" He heard his own pleading voice ask.
The voice did not answer.
—
Aina was astonished. She had expected a better fight from the boy, especially after what her mother had relayed, but the display he had just put on was the most shameful fight she had ever witnessed. With what her mother had said, the boy was supposed to fight with much more skill than should be possible for someone his age, allegedly by using the sword she still held on her back. She wondered if he needed it unsheathed to actually use the ability. If so, it was quite a useless sword once someone took it away.
Sighing, Aina jumped down from the tree she had been attached to, causing the young man named Rata to back away from her and the boy's body in surprise. She bent over and plucked the boy from the ground, jumping back up into the trees above without a word. They all knew that she had no need to explain herself.
Following the next step of her task, Aina retreated back to the cage she and her mother had retrieved the boy from. She didn't want to carry the boy for long as he smelled absolutely filthy, and blood still freely ran down his face. She landed close by the cages, seeing her mother standing where she had left her. The Matriarch held a tray with a bowl, a towel, and what appeared to be plain rice, but she suspected it was more than that. Aina figured that her mother must have sent someone to retrieve the items. The prisoner and her had only been gone for less than fifteen minutes at most.
The old woman motioned Aina to set the prisoner back down in the open cage, which she did. She did not look surprised at his condition. After depositing the young boy within the cage and stepping aside, her mother leaned forward and placed down the tray she held down by the unconscious prisoner. After the cage bars were back in place, the Matriarch beckoned Aina to follow as she walked away from the cages.
The two walked for a short distance before the old woman began asking questions.
"How did he fight?"
"He didn't."
The Matriarch looked confused for a moment.
"Surely, he must have attempted to fight back…" She scoffed.
"No. What he did was not fight." Aina continued. Her mother stayed silent while Aina thought over her answer.
"He was nothing more than a beast, mother. A beaten animal. There was no thought behind his single attack. To be truthful, he has the worst survival instinct I have ever seen."
The Matriarch nodded in contemplation.
"It will take some time before he will open up, then. I must simply direct his focus toward knowledge that could allow him to escape…"
Aina glanced sideways at the crafty old lady.
"How does that sword work, exactly?" Aina asked. The properties of the sword had not exactly been explained to her.
"I believe that the sword itself is not important. Rather, I suspect that it is whatever technique has been tied to the weapon, which grants it its ability."
"And that ability is…?" Aina prodded, fearing she would get another incomplete answer.
"It is a tool meant to serve its masters. It will lead him to water, as long as it is water he wishes to drink." Her mother cryptically answered.
Aina inwardly cursed herself. She did not like riddles all that much.
"Could you not simply read the technique, and infer the intent to find whatever it is you're looking for?" Aina tried to ask, but her mother shook her head before Aina was finished speaking.
"As the situation stands now, I would not want the potential risk from allowing the boy to unsheath the blade."
Confused, Aina pulled the sword into her hands from where it sat slung over her shoulder. She experimentally tried to pull the sword from its sheath. It failed to move. Refusing to give up, Aina continued to pull with ever increasing strength for several seconds, until she resorted to infusing Chakra, to which the sword still rejected her.
"What in the fu-"
"Stop that, girl. You'll just hurt yourself." The Matriarch scolded.
Aina threw the sword onto the ground.
"Nope. One more time."
With those words, she weaved through a few hand signs, and wooden claws moved up from the ground and attempted to sink into the sheath. The ground beneath the sword was replaced by a thick block of wood as the claws pushed and ground against the leather, trying to rip it apart with pure force. An ear-piercing sound filled the air for a split second as every claw simultaneously snapped from the pressure.
Aina looked down at the unblemished leather with astonishment. Then, she felt a hard tap against the back of her head, and she turned to find her mother's hand pulling away.
"I told you to leave it alone. Don't make such a fool out of yourself. If it was that easy, I would have broken the sword decades ago."
With those words, the Matriarch left her daughter standing by herself under the thick redwoods.
"Seriously, what the fu-"
—
Kotetsu woke up with a headache. This was surprising, as he didn't expect to still have a head. His entire body felt as if he had been dragged through several kilometers of dirt and rocks by his feet. He experimentally opened his eyes, and found that they still worked, so there was that at least. He didn't bother to move his head as he looked around.
The day was approaching dusk as the light coming in through his cage was now at a different angle. He spotted something laying next to him in his new mangled cage, so he forced himself to sit up. He was surprised once again to find a large bowl of clean water, a towel, and… rice.
He didn't even bother to speak as he took the rice, sniffed it once, and began piling the cold mush into his mouth at insatiable speeds. He immediately noticed a problem as sharp pain stabbed into his gums, and he felt the wrongness with his tongue, discovering that several of his teeth were missing. His hand froze on its way to scoop up more rice, and he sat to contemplate his new existence.
The reality of where he was and what was happening to him began to sink in. Alone, imprisoned, and beaten. He couldn't even face his own memories as the horrible thoughts would flow in given the chance. There was no way out, and he had no true allies anymore. The bowl of rice he had so eagerly scooped up slowly slipped from his hands and tipped its contents onto the hard wooden tray.
Kotetsu slumped down the wall of his cage, and curled into a ball.
"...I want to go home."
In his bloodied self pity, a single thought pushed its way to the front of his mind, forcing his attention. The discordant dream he had experienced earlier did not feel like a memory, or any sort of horrible thought, as far as he could tell. It was the only thing he could actually reflect on without any bad thoughts following along. He remembered the final question he had asked before the dream seemed to end.
"What is Chakra?" He asked no one in particular.