Souei found himself alone on another rooftop quite a distance from the hideout. It had been a day since his conversation with Yahiko and Jiraiya, and their words still resonate in his mind, echoing like a refrain.
He took a deep breath as a soft breeze rustled his hair. Souei's gaze was fixed on the distant view of Amegakure, the buildings reaching into the sky like silent witnesses to the endless cycle of conflict around the village. The echoes of the conversation continued to bother him. Yahiko's question had struck a chord, stirring emotions he had long buried beneath layers of vengeance and the harsh realities of the shinobi world.
He couldn't deny that his life had been consumed by a thirst for revenge, a cycle of violence that only seemed to perpetuate itself. Vengeance had been all he thought about ever since Chiyo's death.
But Yahiko and Jiraiya's words had cracked open a door to a different perspective, one he had never truly considered. Was there a way to break free from this endless cycle of bloodshed, pain, and death?
The memory of Chiyo's lifeless body flashed before his eyes, and the anger that had fueled his desire for vengeance was still burning within him. But was there room for something else, something more than just revenge? Could he protect those who mattered to him without losing himself in the process?
He sighed. For the first time, he felt tired of the weight burdened him ever since he donned the headband. Not wanting to think about it any longer, Souei opted to do something he should've done the moment he woke up.
He reached into his pouch, grabbing the green scroll that Aunt Chiyo had given him.
He took a seat by the edge of the rooftop and started reading. Slowly but surely, his eyes remained on the scroll, absorbing whatever contents that were inside. His hands shook, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes he finally understood why Chiyo asked him to not open it until her death.
One's Own Life Reincarnation.
It was a forbidden technique, one that allowed someone to bring the dead back to life. But it came at a cost. The user is able to use their own life force and transfer it to someone else, thereby replacing their life to make sure the other survives.
Usually, the technique can be used on both the living and dead. Using it on the living can save and restore the target from an otherwise fatal condition but will leave the user greatly exhausted. Simply put, Chiyo had told him to not open it because she knew. She knew that he wouldn't hesitate to use this technique if it meant ensuring her survival.
Even if Chiyo was still alive by then, Souei, in his depleted state, had nowhere near enough chakra to restore Chiyo enough to the point her wounds wouldn't be fatal. It was an impossibility.
So she took it upon herself to make sure that he survived, and the technique to not be forgotten or be given to the enemies hands.
'Even in that state, you never stop looking out for me, eh Aunt Chiyo?'
He smiled as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
Might as well take the chance to learn it then, who knows when the technique might come in handy? Besides, as the bearer to Chiyo's will and legacy, it was his duty now to further the research made to the jutsu.
.
.
Souei eyed the trio of orphans, currently doing their daily training routine as part of the deal they made with Jiraiya.
He didn't know what to make of them, it had been a few days now since he woke up in their hideout. A few days since Konan had decided to help a stranger in need.
He was grateful, without them, he might as well already be dead in a ditch somewhere, bleeding out with no hope of returning home.
After that first day where he was confronted by Yahiko and shared a conversation with Jiraiya, he was asked to join them once again on the breakfast table. An invitation that he didn't say no to. He didn't really know what to say to them, but luckily for him, Konan and Nagato were happy enough to take over most of the conversation.
Konan, the always curious girl, had asked about his hobbies and interests outside of being a shinobi. Happy with the choice of topic, Souei told them of his love for reading and learning.
He told them how he liked inventing new jutsu and learning the ways how different people could utilize chakra. His interest was even more peaked when Konan showed him the ability to manipulate paper.
His shock pappled even more when Nagato said he had the rinnegan. Souei wanted to slap himself for never noticing until now, he blamed it on his grief and the fact that his focus was still muddled from being injured.
He couldn't believe it. The fabled eyes of the Sage of Six Paths himself. Souei had read about it in a book that detailed the history of how chakra came to be. He thought it was just a myth.
Suffice to say, his interest in them had immediately peaked.
It also helped the fact that they were all the same age as Sasori, their curious if not slightly naive minds reminding him a lot of his younger nephew. He wonders if he's okay. Especially if the news about him and Chiyo's death reached him. What would he think? What would he do?
He could only hope that the boy wouldn't do anything reckless. Then their conversation switched to Sunagakure and Amegakure.
Nagato was the one that asked the question, being genuinely interested in the difference of culture and lifestyle of another village in another country.
He started by telling him how the land was all desert, before going all about the people living in it. He told them the struggle of living with those conditions, showing them the contrast of Suna's perpetual heat with Ame's neverending rain.
All of them found it to be ironic how both villages seemed to mirror and contrast one another in terms of the living conditions.
As the meal continued on, Souei felt a growing sense of camaraderie with the orphans. Yahiko being the only exception since he never really participated in the conversation. He and Yahiko never really talked much even outside of that breakfast scenario, but there was a lingering respect that they had for one another.
His mind refocused as he saw Jiraiya approach the trio who had just finished their morning training routine.
"Now then, I got something different planned for you three today." The older ninja announced with a big smile.
"What's that sensei? You gonna have us put on weird frog costumes again?" Yahiko's question earned an eyebrow raise from Souei. 'Weird frog costume? The heck?'
"HA HA HA! Unfortunately not, young student of mine!" Jiraiya laughed uproariously. "This time, instead of sparring with me, you're gonna spar with Souei!"
A beat of silence passed before everyone exclaimed in shock. "WHAT?"
Souei himself just blinked for a second before replying. "Ha? What?"
Jiraiya grinned. "Like I said, you'll be fighting Souei instead of me. It'll help you in the long run by training to fight a different opponent that's not me."
"Oi oi wait a minute. I never agreed to this." He said, completely caught off guard by the idea.
"Oh come on, What's the harm? Besides, you need to loosen up those muscles a bit. You've spent how many days now just cooped up in that bed. Four? Five? You need some exercise kid."
"Yeah, but I can get some exercise by myself. I don't have to spar with these three. Besides, I don't really think it'll be that much of an exercise. Would you?" He questioned Jiraiya.
"Oi! You underestimating us or something?!" Yahiko's cry went ignored as Souei and Jiraiya continued to converse with one another.
"Not really, they're good but I'm sure they're not at your level yet. I'm just saying there's no harm in simply engaging them in a spar. Besides, I'm sure you're curious to see their unique abilities in combat right? This'll give you the chance to do it up close." The white haired ninja grinned once again, having heard of Souei's penchant for new techniques.
Souei paused at that. True enough, not many could boast seeing the Rinnegan in action. This was a chance to not only see it up close, but also to try engaging it in combat. But still…
Seeing the hesitance on Souei's face, Jiraiya sweetened up the deal. "How about this then? You spar with them today and promise to help me train them for a while, and I'll teach you something I know you'll be interested in. Sound good?"
Souei's eyes widened. 'A chance to learn something from a Sannin? Can't say I'll get a chance like this very often. Damn my curious mind.' He thought with a grin.
"Deal!"
"Great! Now then you three, try your best and give it everything you've got. Trust me when I say you wouldn't get anywhere if you approach this half-heartedly."
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato nodded seriously. Although slightly irked at the fact they were openly said to not stand a chance, they were determined to prove Jiraiya wrong.
Souei stood across from them in the training field, a barren rocky landscape that was still within walking distance of their hideout. Souei took the small chance to survey the field. There wasn't much he could use, there were a few small trees here and there and some decently sized boulders all around with small slashes and cracks. 'Must be what they use for target practice.' he mused.
To be honest, he's not exactly fully recovered yet. The strain he had put on his chakra coils after chugging the amount of chakra pills he did made it so his chakra won't generate at the capacity it used to. As of right now, he's sitting at barely a quarter of his max reserves and it is generating at a snail's pace.
He felt it after waking up just this morning when his entire body felt sluggish. According to Jiraiya, it would heal naturally given time, but how long that would be is still a mystery.
He wouldn't be using any of his big moves in this spar, not that he needs to, but it looks like he'll be sticking with regular strings. No nature transformation and elemental ninjutsu either.
"Is everyone ready?" Jiraiya questioned with a raised arm, before he chopped it downwards. "BEGIN!"
Konan was the first to move, lifting her arms and launching a flurry of paper shuriken at Souei, with him simply conjuring strings in its path that immediately shredded the projectiles.
Creating shuriken from her unique element of ninjutsu? It reminded him of Rasa a little bit.
'Let's see how she handles this.'
Souei clenched his fists. The strings snapped to life, as they then moved and constricted in an attempt to ensnare her in a cocoon. To his surprise, her body contorted into pieces of paper that allowed her to escape.
Souei raised an eyebrow at the technique, 'So she can turn her own body into paper? Interesting. I wonder if that's possible with my own strings.'
His train of thought was broken when Yahiko and Nagato dashed to both sides, the orange haired orphan unleashing a torrent of water from his mouth. But Souei merely swung his threads, the strings whittling down the stream before it spiraled back toward Yahiko and Nagato.
Nagato activated his Rinnegan. He summoned a gravitational force to counteract the threads. The strings were blasted away by a shockwave, leaving the battlefield cut and dusted but the trio unscathed.
Souei showed open surprise at the technique, noting its potential. To be able to blast off shockwaves using gravity is a pretty impressive ability, and he doubts that's the only thing the fabled eye of Sage of Six Paths is capable of doing.
Releasing a smirk, Souei then launched a relentless barrage of threads at Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. With each having been forced to defend themselves thoroughly. Nagato tried his best to cover the rest of his teammates, but the onslaught kept on coming to the point he struggled to follow.
Souei continued to move his fingers in an intricate manner, his technique fluid and relentless as he continued to push the Ame Trio. His strings whipped through the air, lashing out like serpents seeking their prey. Each movement maneuvering each thread, aiming to take down their targets.
Yahiko was determined not to be overwhelmed. With sweat trickling down his face, he gathered his chakra and launched his jutsu. A powerful surge of water chakra flowed from his palms, forming a surging wave that bore down on Souei.
For a moment, it seemed that Yahiko's attack might gain the upper hand, but Souei was quick to react. Souei raised a hand as an orb of string was formed on the top of his palm. He chucked the orb into the water before it burst open in an explosion of string, breaking the wave's momentum and clashing it from the inside.
Meanwhile, Konan's ability to transform into paper provided her with a unique advantage. She slipped and slid, twisting her body to dodge Souei's relentless snake-like threads. In one swift motion, she formed herself into a flurry of paper butterflies, which scattered in every direction, only to reform her body a distance away.
As for Nagato, he focused on support, using the enhanced eyesight granted by the Rinnegan to keep a vigilant look through the battlefield. The gravitational force he had used earlier to counter the strings now served as a protective barrier, defying the incoming strings' attempts to ensnare his comrades.
Souei knew this was only a spar, with him holding back considerably to give the trio a chance in the fight. But still, he could feel his respect for the trio growing. It was obvious that they were still new in combat, the underutilization of their abilities, and their coordination needed a little work, but they had potential.
Deciding that this has gone on long enough, Souei decided to take off the kid gloves. He suddenly moved from his position in speeds the trio could barely follow. Yahiko was the first victim as he felt a fist bury itself into his abdomen, lifting him up before it launched him away.
Nagato widened his eyes in shock at the sudden attack, his limited mastery of the Rinnegan only allowing him the barest glimpse of Souei's movements as the older ninja reappeared behind him in a burst of speed. He could do nothing as he felt strings being conjured around him before it constricted, forcing his body still as he was then pulled up from his feet, now dangling upside down.
"Yahiko! Nagat-"
Konan's cry was halted by Souei suddenly picking her up by the face and slamming her down into the ground. A finger now pointed at her forehead from the boy that he had saved a few days ago.
'I can't believe he's this strong…' She thought wide eyed, coughing from the pain.
"I-I yield."
She then saw how he smiled and felt relieved that he was not an enemy.
______________________________________________
AN: Sorry for the late update. I was super sick for the last month and only recently got a little bit better. Had no access to my laptop and so I couldn't post nor put updates in my Patreon because of it. So apologies friends :D
However something positive did come out since I have ideas for two new fanfics if y'all are interested. One good thing about being bedridden, you have nothing else to do but let imaginations run wild lmao. It's a Young Justice and a Skyrim fic. First chapters for both will be uploaded in my P@treon soon.
I won't hide by work behind a paywall. Everything that's there will be posted in Webnovel eventually. But if any of are interested in supporting me, please do so. There are plenty of content in there that should be worth the price.
Anyways, please leave a review and some power stones! I'd appreciate it.
Cheers!