Kyoto Uchiha sat solemnly, his head turned down.
Twisting and unwrapping his hands was an envelope full of Ryo.
Kai still had a few more hours of work that he felt like doing.
Kyoto had earned 2500 Ryo as promised and his next fight would be against Rank #42 Hajime.
Kyoto just stared blankly at all the Ryo. A few days ago he was illegally stealing food from locals. Now he could buy food from whatever stand he wanted whenever he felt like it.
It wasn't like he would lose to anyone in the ring.
From above some loud yobbish muffled words surfaced.
"Seriously though, that flying knee was the work of a prodigy."
Thud.
The sound of a heartbeat pulsed through Kyoto.
He didn't know what, but like something in his mind that was barely hanging on had dropped, his entire figure was submerged into a different scene.
Images from the past flashed through him before his surroundings changed.
The Village hidden in the clouds.
In the era after the fourth great shinobi world war.
A young Kyoto humbly smirked as his peers congratulated him. Sasuke Uchiha, his father, stood in the shadows behind the rest of the proud parents.
Kyoto's hair had been styled in a bun since it was overgrown and he had a messy fringe at the front.
His eyes were wide and hopeful and he was only 4 years old. He had been permitted early access to the ninja academy due to his supreme talent.
"Wow, you're a genius. No a wonder-work."
"You're so cool, Kyo-to."
"You're a prodigy."
Kyoto took in all the compliments cheerfully looking to his right at the man masked in shadows.
Sasuke just met eyes with him blankly. He was present on a whim. He had another child-parent relationship to get to.
"So... do you not have parents why aren't your parents clapping Kyoto?"
Kyoto beamed.
"Oh, I have a Dad but not a Mom. I don't ever feel lonely when my dad is nearby."
Some of the adults held disappointing frowns.
"They should really be here for their son."
"What awful parenti-."
"Hush now."
The instructor put a hand outwards.
"At the end of the day, it's just shuriken practice."
The children were still amazed at Kyoto who had landed a bullseye on 16 different targets within the span of 3 seconds. No one had expected a single one to hit from their younger peer.
The school day swiftly ended as a bell tolled all the children ran out to their parent's arms.
Kyoto was lost for words and found himself unable to find his father.
"Over here."
A mature and experienced voice came from a man who had an expensive and finely refurbished black coat.
He had a charming face masked by long smooth black hair. Only a defined black eye stuck out particularly well.
The young Kyoto's face lit up upon seeing this man.
"Otou-."
A veil of wind wavered over Kyoto's mouth hiding all traces of noise being released.
Sasuke was being discreet.
"Come."
There was no love in Sasuke's voice, he just used his normal work voice.
It seemed like Sasuke had formed distance in the relationship himself as Kyoto ignored the gaping barriers between the two.
Through the shadows, the two wandered around the village hidden in the clouds before reaching a small pond.
Sasuke looked down at Kyoto coldly.
"I'm going to teach you a Jutsu. Many years ago I pleaded to learn this jutsu. You're younger than I was by around a year but you're my son so you should be able to do this jutsu."
Sasuke did some hand signs slowly before releasing a reasonably strong fire-style fire-ball jutsu.
A nostalgic ball of flames purred out from Sasuke's mouth. The flames blew over the edge of the water before dying out as Sasuke willed them to.
"Your turn."
Kyoto copied the hand signs one by one slowly.
"Fire style: Fireball jutsu."
His face only showed hard work and determination.
A small influx of chakra entered Kyoto's mouth.
As he blew out, only underwhelming smoke mixed into the wind.
Sasuke cursed. A wry crease formed under his visible eye.
"Why can't you do it?"
Kyoto pouted. His young self not noticing the hatred in Sasuke's voice.
"Otouu-san. I'm a prodigy, not a god."
Sasuke looked down at him mercilessly.
"I don't care if they call you a prodigy. To me you're-."
"You're worthless."
"Eh? I'm not worthless Otou-san." Kyoto looked up innocently.
Kyoto quickly did the hand signs again before unleashing the jutsu. A few traces of faint orange were present in the meager smoke that released into his unfinished fireball.
Sasuke held himself back.
"No. You're not worthless."
"You're worth something. And you being worth that something is proof of my mistake."
"You should've never been bor-."
"Kyoto?"
A teacher from the academy came running in, taking in the whiff of smoke she grabbed Kyoto's hand gently.
"It seems dangerous, you mustn't stray alone Kyoto."
Kyoto looked up, annoyed.
"But I'm not alone. Otou-san is-."
Kyoto looked back lost. All signs of Sasuke had vanished.
"Otou-san is..."
Sasuke looked at himself in the reflection of the water.
"What am I becoming."
He held his hand over his face, only his eye shone back with white.
Behind his cool and collected front, he was becoming insane. It felt like everything he held dear would crack and break without a moment's notice. His entire life could crumble down in moments if anyone caught wind of Kyoto's real parentage.
All because of one drunken mistake.
6 years passed by cheerfully and innocently.
Sasuke showed up a total of 12 times, each visit was kept short and business-like.
As Kyoto grew up his attachment to Sasuke only engulfed him.
Eventually, the tenth birthday of Kyoto came by.
A boy sat alone in a dusty wooden-padded room. A golden hue emanated from 10 lit candles atop a pure white cake.
"Happy birthday, to meee."
"Happy birthday, to meee."
"Happy birthday, dear Kyoto."
"Happy birthday, to mee."
Swoosh.
Kyoto blew out all the 10 poorly lit candles.
"I hope my wish comes true."
Kyoto rubbed his hands together for warmth. It was rather cold at this time of year.
"I guess Otou-san won't be-."
The door behind him swung open calmly.
A familiar and mature face looked down upon Kyoto.
A huge smile emerged from Kyoto's saddened look.
"Otou-."
"This will be my last visit."
Sasuke Uchiha spoke from the darkness.
Kyoto looked devastated.
"B-but why?"
Sasuke Uchiha ignored Kyoto's overflowing emotions. He dropped down a beige and crumpled note.
On it was the technique to the chidori that he had personally drafted long ago.
"I have also granted permission for you to join the cloud's personal Anbu-Derived squads."
"We are no longer connected."
A steaming-hot sheet of paper fell to the floor. On it was a bunch of legal terms Kyoto had never seen before.
Kyoto screamed as he ran for Sasuke.
"But you promised that you'd s-s-stay?"
Sasuke Uchiha sighed silently.
"Bad people break promises."
The door shut without another word.
As the door shut behind Sasuke he hit himself hard on his right cheek.
"Hoo."
Sasuke leaped to the tallest peak of the apartment of flats that Kyoto was in and rested on his back.
"I did it."
"Even though it hurt, I went through with it."
Sasuke looked at the moon with ease.
"Now I may rest."
Kyoto lay sideways on the floor for hours.
Gnawing at the pure-white chocolate cake in stress.
He pulled at his skin with his hands questioning. Why.
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
The why's continued far into the night until the morning came.
As Kyoto woke up the next morning and saw himself in the mirror he asked the same question to himself.
"Why?"
The why's continued even as he joined the Anbu of the cloud.
"Why?"
The troops were disfigured out.
And from that day on a monster was born.
Like a configuration of scribbles, it followed behind Kyoto.
Kyoto had only ever seen it when he looked in a mirror by accident. It stood there, freakishly.
Its body looked like a child's depiction of a monster. Its scribbly form constantly shifted and it had two makeshift white eyes.
It followed Kyoto eerily, always staying behind him even as he turned his head.
Kyoto would find wet footprints leading to his bed at night that he was certain were not his.
He still asked the monster, the question he had asked all others.
"Why?"
The monster responded instantly.
"-."
Kyoto received the answer and his face lit up.
"I see. So that's why."
As if receiving enlightenment he began smiling freakishly.
He looked back, the monster had not retreated behind him, and the two met eyes. Kyoto felt too surreal to expect any danger.
And it was then that forcefully, the monster implanted itself into Kyoto's right eye. Despite the size difference, it slotted its figure which was around 7 feet right into Kyoto's right eye, deep inside.
Screams shrieked from his apartment but no one came.
Kyoto shrieked half from the pain, half from the feeling of memories being stripped away from him.
When Kyoto woke up the next day, he had forgotten why.
But he was far happier than he had ever been.
And he stopped asking why because he knew he had the answer.
When Kyoto grew older, he realized the strangeness of the situation.
And so Kyoto decided personally to never release his right eye unless necessary.
Because the monster-.
It lurked inside his right mangekyou. Writhing to escape. It seemed to have become impatient over the years. And somewhere deep within his heart, writhed to know why.
Why?