"Where did we come from?"
A man, garbed in the requisite silken white garments of the Cult of Shepherd announced at the top of my voice, and from where I stood, cloaked and hidden, disguised as merely another peasant child amongst the congregation, I watched.
"Why are we here?"
Behind me, Kitami stood, his swords hidden out of sight, and gone were his elegant robes in favor of a simple farmer's outfit, accompanied with a straw hat and traditional geisha shoes.
"Who created us?"
The realization that it would be tremendously easy to pick the pockets of the crowd hit me, which caused my eyes to flicker around in case anyone tried to do it to me, though, I had the habit of storing everything I owned into my inventory, which, as I had discovered, had no limit to the nature, mass, or form of objects I could store – as long as it was not a conscious being or infrastructure.
"For what purpose do we walk this earth?"
Murmurs moved around the gathered crowd of smallfolk. Everything from questions, to scoffs, to hums of contemplation reached my ears.
"The answers, my brethren, are all provided by the Divine Shepherd!"
Two accompanying 'Vestals' of the Cult, that is, two young females, moved up to the man, standing by his side.
"Through the teachings of his one true messenger, The Divine's Chosen, Herder of the Lost, Sanctifier of the Unclean, Deliverer of Darkness, Master of the Force, Seeker of Truth and First High Enchanter – Gat-sama the Shepherd!"
It was hard to keep a neutral expression. Part of me idly wondered if I should have added 'Supreme Mugwump' to the list, or if that would have broken some people's suspension of disbelief.
"Gat-sama has communed with the Almighty! And through him, the Divine has delivered upon us a set of holy writings by which we are to live our lives!"
Ah, yes, the book which had eventually maxed out my Falsification skill. Writing my own version of the Bible in six months, and aligning it to certain Japanese-centric sensitivities was not an easy task.
"The White Grimoire is the book of our salvation! It details the deeds of the Shepherd! The deeds of the divine! It tells us the through history of our world! It shows us, that the Divine overcomes death! That the Divine is the master of the Shinigami! That through the Divine – through the Shepherd – YOU SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!"
Of course, that always hooked them in. Humans, fickle as we were, despised and feared death more than anything in the world. They wanted eternal life, to live forever in paradise. They wanted it desperately. It was particularly 'super-effective' on such communities like the one I was in. They were poor, paying tribute and taxes to a Daimyo that they would never see, enriching a man that they would never meet. They were uneducated, they were starving, they were trampled upon by shinobi – used or abused according to whim and fancy of those with chakra.
They could die at a moment's notice, simply for turning their eyes in the wrong direction, or breathing too loudly.
It made sense, therefore, that they would need to seek some form of… solace, in their lives, and in their deaths.
"Beautiful Virgins await those who follow the Divine! Streets of gold and diamond! Mouthwatering food and sensations! Immutable pleasure and desire!"
I didn't even need to use my maxed out Observe skill to know that the people were trailing on to every word and every sentence.
"And to those, who turn against the Shepherd, who ignore the teachings of the White Grimoire, who scorn the blessings and supplications of the Divine –"
Ah, here was where it got good.
"INFIDELS! ALL OF THEM!"
The roar had definitely caught some people by surprise.
"An ocean of blackness awaits them! Eternal torture and suffering – not through pain, not through punishment – but merely through – rejection. For you have chosen to reject the Divine, and the Divine shall reject you! For eternity, you shall wander a never ending cavern of darkness! Your memory and lives erased from that of your loved ones! Your existence reduced to an erroneous a blot of ink on the pages of history! ALONE AND FORGOTTEN YOU SHALL BE TILL THE END OF TIME!"
I could sense it from all around me, particularly from the women, the primal emotion which had often caused men to do great or irrational things – fear.
The thing was, 'ideas' where rather hard things to kill. Once an idea had taken root, had formed and contemplated in the mind of someone, it didn't matter if the ideas where false, or misguided, they would remain – they would stick.
"And for those of you who dare question the validity of the Divine, the right of his prophet, then, I ask of you," the voice went chilled "How many of you here knows what will become of you, after you die? How many of you? HOW MANY OF YOU?!"
And now, for the coup de grace –
A gentle push, and the man in front of me came staggering forward, all eyes pouring on him, before, shuddering and shaking and frightful as he was, confusion draped all over his face like bandages on a burn victim, he collapsed onto his knees and bowed.
"L-L-L-Lead us!"
And the floodgates were set loose.
Ignoring the rush of the crowd and their screams and begs of guidance, I turned my attention back to the man behind me.
"Our job here is done Kitami. On to the next village."
S ~ O ~ G
The road to Kirigakure was definitely interesting.
I could have followed the major route, travelling in a nice, comfortable carriage with guards all around me, and riding until I eventually reached my destination, but I hadn't done that. Instead, I chose the scenic route.
"Shepherd-sama, every day, our numbers grow exponentially."
I nodded, and hummed, turning my attention to the small travelling band of twelve, composing of eight men and four women, which were amongst the higher 'Acolytes' in the Cult. I chose to travel with them instead, on foot, using the experience to not only familiarize myself with the land and the numerous villages scattered here and there across the Land of Water, but also to spread my cult's influence farther and wider.
As it stood, the Cult of the Shepherd was now the predominant majority 'religion' in the Land of Water, because there were very 'devout' members, who had gone off on their own imperative to spread the teachings of the White Grimoire and the Divine Shepherd. I planned on eventually spreading it further out of the Land of Water, but for now, I was suitably satisfied with this progress.
"Kitami."
"Yes Shepherd-sama?"
"How many days out are we from Kirigakure no Sato?"
"About two days Shepherd-sama."
I rubbed by chin slowly.
"How long have we been evangelizing?"
"Three weeks Shepherd-sama."
I hummed. Three weeks on the road so far – and soon enough, I would reach the place I intended. As it was, the Kirigakure no Sato civil war was just slightly entering its formative stages, and by formative, I meant that they had been fighting for roughly two and a half years now. The battle was, unsurprisingly, currently in favor of the Loyalists, and the Rebels were, as it stood, fighting on losing legs.
I saw it on the road, in the past three weeks. The people of the Mizu no Kuni, the Land of Water, absolutely abhorred bloodline wielders. Their hatred was almost going into the levels of dedicated fanaticism, to the extents that civilians would take up arms and gather their pitchforks if they even got the slightest whiff of someone with a bloodline being present in their village. They hated the bloodline wielders for the sheer amounts of damage merely of them could do in a war, in comparison to the average shinobi – and of course, they also hated their powers in the same way the normal folks hated the X-Men.
Hence, when the puppet turtle declared his war to 'purge' the blood of the land, you could definitely guarantee that he had gotten massive amounts of support.
A small, sharp, nigh-invisible scalpel slipped into my hand unconsciously, and vanished. It did so again, and vanished again, and I kept a close watch on my chakra amount as I methodologically continued the practice.
So far, I've had dealings and handlings with the civilian populace, but I had yet to actually meet a shinobi. Now, if my plans for Kirigakure went as I expected, then it meant that I would have to be playing the big games with some of the most deadly people on the planet – and as such, the risks of death were significantly higher.
What did I have in my arsenal against this threat?
Maxed out Observe Skill.
Maxed out Falsification Skill.
Maxed out Arithmetic Skill.
Maxed out Bookkeeping Skill.
Maxed out Tree Walking Skill.
Maxed out Water Walking Skill.
Level 62 Physical Endurance.
Level 29 Chakra Scalpels.
100 Charisma.
An A– Ranked Samurai Bodyguard.
A devout cult.
Would this be enough to get me past the dangers lurking in the Bloody Mist?
Hell-fucking-no.
I was paranoid, and quite frankly, I had every right to be.
I already knew that I was going to be making major changes to the world, and I had thrown aside any silly ridiculous notion of maintaining the 'canon' timeline. Still, this meant that I could be blindsided by events I had no foreknowledge of, or events that I had no idea how to counter, and the mere thought of all my hard work being undone by some flimsy whim made my blood turn to boiling acid. My goal was to conquer – everything, everyone – it was to eventually, through deception, force, coercion, or any other means available, make myself the God-Emperor of this world.
Delusional I may be, but I was extremely paranoid, and as such, I had taken to becoming the 'Crazy-Prepared.'
My Inventory was filled with three hundred bricks.
And there were an additional number of random other items in there, ranging from needles, to stones, to pebbles, to hay, to bloody grass and bags of sand. There was no conceivable limit as far as I had seen to what my Inventory could hold, and as such, I saw no need as to why I should not fill it up with everything possible under the sun.
My inventory was my literal "hammer-space" right now, simply for the sole reason of possessing items which I could use, somehow, someway, to baffle any would be attackers or assassins enough to make a hasty escape. Or, failing that, to ensure my further survival by providing them with the illusion that it was a special Bloodline Limit that they could eventually use if only they chose to abduct me and place me on a cold table to study.
And even then –
I felt incredibly, incredibly underprepared.
To describe the sensation and possibility for chaos, as well as to properly sink in the realization of my actual vulnerability, I would compare myself to a happy, cheerful, oblivious character from The Sims, who had suddenly woken up to discover that Sweet Tooth and Pennywise were his new roommates.
Regardless of this absolute sensation of terror which often creeped under my skin, I knew that at least, I wasn't an idiot. I was prepared, and expecting the possibility that everything would blow up in my face, which was, to my understanding, far better than being a naïve fool who would believe that everything would go perfectly the way I expected it.
My experience with my dearest father had made me realize not to be that stupid anymore.
"Alright. Today – we enter the big leagues."
¬¬¬ Son ¬¬ x ¬ Gato ¬¬¬
Terumi Mei had never been quite so baffled.
"Are we seriously entertaining this concept sensei?"
The 17-year-old Jonin stood, watching as her commanding officer, the de-facto leader of the Kirigakure Resistance, her sensei, a man possessing the familiar Lava Release bloodline, sat, his arms crossed, as he sighed, and rubbed his nose in irritation.
"For the last time Terumi – Yes."
"You invited a Cult –"
"It's a religion. Gatoism – or so it's being called."
She resisted the urge to say something that could undermine the man, yet, as it was, she couldn't help the irritation and frustration that was growing in her eyes.
"You invited a religious organization," she said, her voice clearly showing her displeasure, "here?"
"Yes."
Her eyes flickered over to one of her fellow Jonin, Ao, the man in question merely sighing.
"I believe what Terumi-san means is," he began "We cannot determine the veracity or allegiance of this… Gatoism. For all we know, they could be Yagura's spies or worse, agents sent with the intention of destroying us. I cannot see what merit we would gain from inviting their leader here."
The man in question, merely nodded. "Six months."
The two words, a statement of time, threw Mei for a slight loop.
"What?"
"I tracked down the first known mention of the religion, and of the cult – it was six months ago."
Her sensei leaned forward, a spark in his eyes.
"In six months, what had started off as a minor cult, is now the most popular religion in the entirety of the Land of Water. It's a religion that, if our informants are to be believed, is even being practiced by some in the Diamyo's Inner Court. In less than half a year – this religion spread like wildfire, and within the next six to twelve months there is no doubt that it will become the official religion of the entire Land of Water, backed by the Diamyo's decree himself."
Mei didn't want to believe it. It sounded like a weird joke, a one-sided, dull attempt at humor which fell flat to the intended audiences. She was not particularly a religious woman, nor did she even consider herself someone who could believe in some sort of higher power or deity – the concept was ludicrous.
Omnipotent beings cared about her?
Cared about the suffering of dozens? The illnesses of hundreds? The deaths of thousands?
It was unlikely. Not in the profession she found herself, and most certainly not in the entire world at large. The common folk were good and all to believe that, and she would, could understand. However, how could anyone with a working brain in between their ears actually fall for such blatant lies?
"Hence, I would like to view this as a possible future investment. If – if, this religion continues to spread, there is a chance that it may eventually change the perspectives of some of the Yagura Loyalists – or if not, perhaps it would convert more people to our cause if we were to subsume ourselves under the banner of religious protection."
So… that was the angle they were playing at.
It might not have been the best, but it was a gambit worth taking… with the alternative being that the entire cult collapsed, and so did any hope of their rebellion against Yagura succeeding.
"Mei-sama, Jinshi-sama, Ao-sama."
In a blur, a Chunin appeared.
"The… Priest… he – wishes for an audience."
All three high-ranking members of the rebellion could not help but notice, how the Chunin seemed to be somewhat… unfocused.
"Is everything alright?" Mei asked.
Instantly, the Chunin shot up straight. Her face, it seemed, had turned a slight shade of red, before, immediately, her eyes seemed to light up.
"I had never believed myself a religious person, but… the Shepherd – his presence – I – I cannot explain it. It just… compels me… it gives me… hope."
Three sets of eyes turned to each other, or more accurately, two and a half, with Ao present. An unspoken agreement came, and the man put his hand into a seal, immediately focusing on the Chunin, before he eventually shook his head in the negative.
Not Genjutsu.
No foreign influence.
"Send him in."
The Chunin nodded, vanishing once more.
Mei took her position behind Jinshi, as did Ao, the trio eventually waiting in silence. She was expecting everything from a snooty, pretentious and over the top young man with long robes and a faux charm, or perhaps, an aged, old and wizened man who spoke in riddles and parables, possessing the air and aura of a monk.
However, nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared her for the sight of the young, handsome boy who had promptly swaggered into the makeshift Commander's tent.
With black hair which was smoothed and gelled into a short ponytail, and wearing long, white robes that almost seemed to possess an unearthly shimmer, he sauntered into the tent, curved staff in hand which clearly befitted his title of 'The Shepherd'.
Terumi had known, or at least, she understood that she was a normally attractive young woman, and her beauty had often caused her unwanted attention and affection. She knew, that beauty could be a weapon in one's arsenal, yet, she found herself staring at this young boy, whose face was a blend of effeminate yet manly, whose gait was reminiscent of Kings and of Kings of Kings, whose very presence and appearance oozed confidence and appeal.
The room, if possible, had somehow become immensely lighter the second he entered. The flames and candles had flickered brighter than before, the air had become clearer and cleaner, and there was the sense of rejuvenation and life that had immediately followed.
And then, the boy's eyes flickered over to her.
He smiled.
At that moment, Mei had questioned her sanity and her morals, wondering how it was possible for a child's smile to send her heart beating faster, faster than when she was out on the field, fighting for her life, faster than when she had evaded death and escaped mortal peril, faster and faster, like a crescendo reaching its full peak.
There was recognition in his eyes, he had somehow recognized her, even though she was certain that she had never seen him in her life. Yet, she could have sworn, that amidst that recognition, there was a stronger emotion, a stronger sensation, primal and unmistakeable –
Desire.
She shuddered.
And she realized that there was a place waiting for her in the darkest recesses of the afterlife, for the part of her that in turn, wanted the boy.
"A pleasure to meet you all," the boy's words came out smoothly, almost as though his voice was honey, and had taken to start pouring, lathering, and encompassing all of her –
Snapoutofit!
She needed to focus – focus!
Her eyes flickered over to her sensei and her fellow Jonin officer, judging to see if she was the only one falling under whatever spell the boy had. Clearly, they were affected, as she could tell by the slight haze and disbelief that lay on their faces.
"Ah – of course. Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."
Jinshi had said, shaking his head slightly.
"Forgive me – we were not expecting the leader of this new religion to be…"
"Someone so young?" The boy had responded, a smile on his face. He then proceeded to shake his head, smiling. "I understand. I suppose it is quite unexpected – but the Divine – he works in numerous ways, and as he selected me as a chosen, who am I to do anything but accept?"
"Ah yes… your… Divine Shepherd… is it?"
The boy smiled once more. Why was his smile so disarming?
"The Divine speaks – he tells me that there are unbelievers amongst you – and you seem to doubt his words and motives."
"Apologies," Ao spoke up "But we Shinobi are generally a rather skeptical lot."
The boy nodded once more. "I understand. But, alas, I will let his works speak for themselves. In time, you will become believers as well."
He then clapped his hands.
"Ah! But that brings me to the second reason as to why I am here. To speak business."
Mei could not keep the surprise out of her face.
"Business?"
"Surely yes. You see, my followers are not always accepted, and even when they are, we live in such hard and harsh times – hence, with the guidance of the Divine, I do my best to ensure that they live prosperous lives here on earth before moving to the next life. To do that, of course, requires money."
Jinshi immediately frowned. "I'm sorry, but we are in the middle of fighting a war, and cannot spare any expense –"
The boy laughed.
Immediately, it earned some of their ire.
"Is something funny?"
"Oh, no, it's just, you have me mistaken. I don't need money from you. As a matter of fact, I would say it's the opposite."
The candles flickered ominously.
"The Divine chose me, because I had the necessary resources to help spread his word and goodness. You may know me as the Shepherd, but I am also less commonly known as Gato Junior, heir to the Gato Shipping Conglomerate."
Jaws collectively dropped.
Did I ever mention how hot Terumi Mei looked in person?
Terumi Mei looked smoking hot in person. She had always looked hot as an adult, before Kishimoto ruined her in 'Boruto' – another reason why I hated that series – but here, with her stunning red hair, and as a seventeen-year old teenager – she was amazingly hot.
But, business before pleasure and all that, so instead, I focused my intention on awing them with the fact and realization of my not-so-humble background and wealth. Their surprise was somewhat understandable, I guessed, because this was their equivalent of finding someone like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg in a back-alley Church, preaching and telling people to repent.
Of course, now that they were still reeling in shock from the realization, I needed to play my hand.
"I am offering to fully fund your rebellion against the tyranny of Yagura, bringing his reign to an end, as well as getting a mandate from the Daimyo of the Land of Water which would cut off all funding to Yagura's army and declare them as enemies of the country, while putting you as the rightful party in charge of Kirigakure no Sato."
Effectively, I'd be ending the entire war and rebellion long before it became a full bloody massacre spurned by one idiot's desire to get revenge for the death of the girl that friend-zoned him.
Of course, this would mean that Mei would end up not becoming the Fifth Mizukage, but with the miniscule amount of screen time she had gotten in the show, I could not necessarily see how her being the Fifth Mizukage had made any significant difference in the overall 'plot'.
As expected, Mei's eyes were wide and ecstatic. Ao hid his surprise well, but I could tell it with a cursory Observe. The leader however –
"And in exchange…?"
I smiled. "In exchange, all I would require would be a selection of at least three shinobi from your forces, the adoption of the words of the Divine Shepherd becoming prominent in Kirigakure, establishment of exclusive trade treaties with Gato Shipping, and Class-A construction rights in the Village."
"Construction rights?"
"For temples and places of worship, as well as houses or other infrastructure which could aid the populace. I assure you, I have nothing but the best interest at heart."
Of course, it didn't have to be your best interest, now did it?
I had started the entire Cult thing as some form of gag, and now, it ended up being one of the most important tools in my arsenal. If I did not run a 'religion' asking for the construction rights would be the immediate deal-breaker. However, with the guise of 'temples and places of worship' I had a justifiable, perhaps even altruistic reason to gain them. The construction rights, once they were given, would grant me the freedom to build anything I wanted in their village. If I wanted to create a tower to the moon shaped like large, obscene dildo, they had no choice but to swallow, keep their heads down, and get used to the phallic shadow permanently cast over their lives.
"I see. We will have to take some time to deliberate –"
"I'm afraid that such an option is not quite available. My offer expires with my departure from this room."
The temperature in the room rapidly declined.
I could feel the slight burst of killing intent emerging from the commanding officer, and I allowed my lips to thin in displeasure, but showed no other sign of being affected.
New Skill Unlocked!
Detect Danger!
New Skill Unlocked!
Killing Intent Emission!
That clearly got his attention, as he had been expecting me to keel over from the burst. Rather than do that, I merely gave him a coy smile, and then, I channeled my Charisma on full blast.
"I am unfortunately a person who sees needless politicking as a waste of time and energy, and I can tell, that should I give you more time to deliberate, days will pass with you attempting to find some 'angle' or gleam some sort of other possible motivations I possess. Days, in which you spend lost in needless paranoia, and more and more innocent people die. No."
I slammed my staff into the ground.
"I will save both our time and energy by clearly telling you what I gain out of this. You see, my desire is the betterment of my fellow man. Wealth? I do not need or want wealth – I was, and am, born into more wealth than I will ever be capable of spending in one lifetime. Power? I could have merely followed in my father's footsteps and wield as much political power as the Daimyo. My goal, my endgame is simple."
I spread my arms.
"I want the people to know and love the Divine. I want them – to look up to their Lord, and to realize his infinite mercies – to know, to respect, to fear, and to love him. Above. Everything. Else."
And if I, was that Lord –
It just made everything better.
"So, gentleman and lady, do we have an accord?"
As if there was ever any doubt.
Son of Gato
She had been scared, originally. Scared for her life. Scared for the day that her husband would find out her secret. The day that pitchforks and knives would be gathered, the men who were wielding them snarling at her, hurling insults and threats, and the day that these weapons would ultimately bring about her end.
She kept the truth of her origins as a secret, and she had ensured, to the best of her ability, that no one would find out. She was living a double life, essentially, and she knew it. By hiding this aspect of her life from her husband, there would always be the nagging truth, the nagging suspicion, that her husband would not love her if he were to discover the truth.
She wanted to escape, to take her beloved child and leave this land, this land that would have her immediately killed without remorse if the truth of her secret were ever to be found out. However, she never truly knew where she would go – where she could go – and if she did choose to run, she would be on the run forever – for the rest of her life.
But – something had changed.
A week ago, the travelling priests of the new religion Gatoism had visited her small village. She had, for the first time, listened to those words of comfort, and she had felt peace. She had felt, that there would be a place where she could go that she would not have to live in fear, but instead, be free to live in happiness. The Divine which the religion spoke of – he was kind, merciful, loving, all-embracing – yet, at the same time, he was strict against evil, vicious against injustice, and raged against discrimination.
There was a place she could go to – to become a Vestal, as they called the young women who dedicated themselves to the religion.
Alas, this had been but a mere fantasy, a wish, one that she did not have the willpower or the mind to carry out successfully. In that light, she had watched, as the travelling band had made their way towards Kirigakure, spreading their ministry. She had received a copy of the White Grimoire, and though she was illiterate, merely holding the book, gave her a form of comfort.
She regretted not leaving with the convent when she had the chance.
"Ka-chan! Look at what I can do!"
Her breath stilled. Of course, her child had inherited her gift. The atmosphere around them chilled, cooled, and the soft air coalescing into the flat mirror of water that was known as ice.
Her response had been reactionary.
One second, she was staring at her child, the next, her child was on the floor, holding the cheek, as her own hand was in the air.
"Don't – never – ever do that again. Please."
She had hoped that it would be the end of it. She had hoped that it would have all ended there.
It hadn't.
Her husband had seen. Her husband knew.
Then, her nightmares metamorphosed into reality. The pitchforks. The comments. The snarls. The spears. Leading them on, was the man who had shared her bed, the man who she had bared her all to in a naked embrace, the man who's seed had filled her and grown into a lovely little girl that they could call their own –
He was the one now standing over her, pitchfork pierced through her stomach.
"Die witch!"
She had been scared. Even then, in her final moments, as she looked into the eyes of the man that she had foolishly chosen to love. She had been scared, wondering, what would become of her daughter – her lovely, wonderful, daughter –
"The lord is not pleased."
Then, she was scared no more.
Some people did not believe in religion. Others, did not believe in a divine deity of one form or another. She, however, could not consider herself in that category. Nothing, absolutely nothing, save from the backing of a being beyond all comprehension could justify the utterly calming and soothing aura that had overcome her, that had caressed her, like a passionate lover roaming her essence, filling her and whispering comforting sweet nothings to her ear.
Yet, at the same time, her assailants were anything but soothed. All of them had frozen, the expressions of terror completely plastered on their faces. Yet, the voice, the source of their apparent terror, their greatest fear –
Lay in the presence of a young boy in white robes and wielding a crooked staff.
The Shepherd.
"The lord is not pleased."
He repeated the words, and merely shook his head. There was more grace and elegance in his form than she had seen of kings, and the manner in which he showed his displeasure, it was almost saintly, almost utterly divine – as though he was a being who stood and watched from a higher realm.
"You all have displeased the lord. He demands your penance. He demands your atonement."
It was almost like a physical wave, and aura emanating from his form, and had she not been there to witness it, she would not have believed it, she would not have believed that the people so viciously attacking her, out to kill her, would fall to the ground, crying, sobbing messes, and then taking their own weapons, their own blades and then –
"Shhh… do not worry. Cast aside your gaze – for the Divine renders his judgment, and he offers you – your salvation."
She wondered, how a boy, nay, a child, so young, could speak to her, and how she would listen without a second thought. Yet, she did as commanded, as instructed, even as she coughed up a small measure of blood, even as the lights began to fade.
"Do not worry," A warm, bright, comforting hand rested itself on her shoulder. "The Divine has granted me a vision of this event. Your suffering has come to an end – and now – you are on to salvation."
She smiled, a small, tiny, smile of solace. "M-m-my d-d-daughter –"
"Yes, Haku, was it?"
Her eyes widened, with the little strength she had.
The Shepherd merely smiled. "The Divine has great plans for her – she will grow to become strong. To become someone great. She will be a vessel unto paradise, and in time – you shall be reunited."
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
"T-thank you."
"No. Thank you." The Shepherd said, "For you are the mother of she that will become a saint."
I sighed as I stared at the dead form of Haku's mother. Unfortunate as it was, she needed to die in order for Haku to become the person I needed her to become. I turned my gaze to the side, the mini-map indicating that Haku had been inside the house, and she had heard and witnessed everything.
I had intervened and changed the timeline again. Originally, Haku's mother would have died, and then they'd try to kill her as well, which would lead to her unleashing her bloodline in full force and slaughtering all of them, becoming the broken child whose only purpose in life changed to becoming a tool for someone else's use.
There was a significant difference now.
Rather than having to defend herself, she had watched, as ultimately, I had given her mother peace, whilst at the same time, utterly destroying her mother's murderers. I had done this with my Charisma on full blast – Charisma which, when used with a maxed out Falsification skill, and the new Killing Intent Emission skill I had attained, could compel full grown men to kill themselves.
When used on a small, naïve, three year old girl?
I had to use Tree Walking to stop myself from barreling over when Haku barreled into me, sobbing and crying.
I merely ran my hands down her hair in as comforting a manner as I could, still emitting the full force of my Charisma.
"Shuussh, don't worry now child, your mother… she's in a better place. It'll all be better."
Especially after she was molded, shaped, and transformed into the perfect tool I knew she could be.
"It'll all be better."
I crushed the urge to let out a deviant smile, and instead, settled for a 'consoling' one, as I mentally ticked off my checklist. As it stood, there was only one thing left to do in the Land of Water.
Or, more accurately, one person to find.