Uehara could be called… many things. Many denominations had been assigned to him, both in his past life as Shawn and in his current life. But if there was one thing he wasn't, it was being an idiot.
[Where is he?!]
Alone in a vast crater of pure nothingness, Uehara was struggling to stay conscious. The aftereffects of using his origin sage mode were showing already. His appearance was haggard, his fatigue monumental. The whole sleeves of his white coat were shredded, leaving behind bare skin that showed numerous burn marks.
But Uehara didn't care about his body's current state of affairs. What he was most worried about right now was Keiji's location. He frantically stretched out his senses, trying his level best to figure out his location.
His eyes were bloodshot from stress. His current weakened state made him very vulnerable.
[I know it didn't kill him! So where is he?!?!]
The chakra coils in his arms were damaged from having to power two metropolitan-level attacks. It was already a miracle that they weren't shredded beyond repair. But unfortunately, this also lowered his attack potential heavily.
Wordlessly, a blue aura suddenly appeared in front of Uehara.
"Master!"
Chizuki came running and knelt down in front of Uehara, her hands already releasing green chakra. Without waiting for his input, Chizuki held Uehara's hands and channeled her chakra into them, assessing his condition.
But it didn't take long for her worried gaze to turn into a panicked expression.
[This… this…]
What Chizuki felt through her chakra was exactly the same sensation she got when Uehara gravely injured himself almost four months ago. Her hands began shaking as the trauma of the situation got the better of her.
Her teeth clenched in anger at herself.
[Move! Just… move!]
But her body refused to listen to her commands.
Uehara, wordlessly watched as tears of anger began to trickle down her face. He was really confused as to why she suddenly cried again. The emotions he's receiving from their soul-link are a jumbled up mess that he can't contrive the meaning to. It's a mixture of happiness, sadness, grief, and relief as well as some other emotions that he simply can't comprehend. Still, he couldn't accept his own attendant shaking like this.
So unearthing the slim amount of knowledge he has about women, he intertwined her hands into his own, looking her in the eye in the process.
"Calm down Chizuki."
He could feel how hard her body was shaking through his hands. Looking at his own arms covered in clotted blood, he couldn't help but inwardly think…
[If I didn't know any better, I would think that these wounds are scaring her. Either way, this isn't the time nor the place.]
Although she had somewhat calmed down, Chizuki faced down. Uehara didn't like seeing her like this. So he grabbed her face and pulled it close to his own. He stared right into her eyes, almost as if he was peering into her soul.
No words were said between them. Chizuki's previously despondent look was replaced by embarrassment.
"M-master… I-"
She couldn't finish her sentence when the voice of Shikibu was heard.
"Ara? Bold, aren't we, Chizuki-chan~?"
Before Chizuki's cheeks could even turn red, Sakura rushed and stomped her foot on the ground, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
"No fair nee-chan!"
Right now, Chizuki's cheeks were as red as a tomato. But instead of cowering and stuttering, she stood up and marched over to Sakura with a trembling smirk.
"All's fair in…"
At this point, Uehara had ignored their conversation and glanced at the clones that had appeared along with the rest of the group. As for the people Chizuki retrieved, they had long since been moved to the Hiroshi Manor in Heiankyo.
The clones gave Uehara a nod before vanishing. The young drake didn't waste any more time and sat down in the lotus position. Tuning out the petty squabbles of Sakura and Chizuki, he steadily began absorbing nature energy en masse. It was a bid to steadily replenish the vitality of his own internal energy.
[He's still alive. I can still sense his presence. But where?]
No matter how much he tried, he couldn't sense Keiji's location. He knows he's nearby, but "where" is the problem. The feeling of elusion was vaguely similar to how Shikibu's illusions caused him all sorts of headaches. It wasn't until he activated his own ocular ability that he could see through them.
[?!]
Swiftly stopping the absorption of nature energy, he began concentrating yin chakra into his eyes.
[Amatsugan!]
Opening his eyes, they were now red, and surrounding the pupils were two black concentric rings. Without wasting time, Uehara swiveled his head, scanning the vicinity. He was about to complete his three-sixty search when he suddenly caught a discrepancy in the air. It was almost like a pale mist. Immediately, Uehara focused on it, the bad feeling in his chest growing bigger. To his distaste, the pale mist looked exactly like a human figure.
A twitch of his eyebrows was the only reaction he gave off.
[This… this is going to be annoying.]
Standing up, he resisted the urge to clutch his aching core. Right now, he couldn't afford to show weakness.
[If he's alive, then he must be heavily injured. I've already shown my fatigue. I absolutely cannot disclose any more of my weakened state.]
Keeping his gaze on the pale figure, his eyes rotated in focus.
"I know you are there, Minamoto."
Sakura and Chizuki immediately stopped their squabbles, their facial expressions contorted in slight trepidation. Shikibu frowned in thought, her instincts on high alert. Uehara's two shadow clones walked over and stood next to the original, placing them in a position where they could swiftly escape with him. They also had their own amatsugan trained on the pale figure.
The entire area was silent, the rush of chaotic winds being the only source of sound. But, that sound was soon replaced by a voice that seemed to come from everywhere.
"Chizuki…"
There was melancholy in the voice.
"I never expected that my only daughter would collaborate with the murderer of our clan."
After that sentence, the pale figure that was only visible to the amatsugan slowly turned spectral… before revealing Keiji in the flesh, allowing everyone to finally see him.
Chizuki's eyes widened, her voice coming out in a stammer.
"F-fa-father…"
There was a slight sense of fear that reverberated in her voice. The memories of her shunned childhood surfaced in her mind. All the times her brother (Minamoto Yaroi) was showered with praises while she was cursed upon for an illness she didn't choose to have. All the times she was told exactly how her life would be sacrificed for the glory of the clan. All the times she had to endure torture training in order to be a spy. All of those terrible memories began to resurface.
But as the past resurfaced, so did her rage. But before she could even retort, Uehara replied first with a smug tone of voice.
"As if the girl had a choice in the matter."
[???]
Chizuki was dumbfounded; she wanted to ask what was happening but was surprised when one of the two shadow clones that was next to Uehara appeared beside her and held—no… gripped her hands. She wanted to speak but was shocked when she found that she couldn't move an inch of her body.
Uehara continued his earlier statement.
"Vulnerability is a very easy trait to exploit. For example, a girl crying in the woods at night was a very easy target to snatch."
At the same time, the remaining shadow clone appeared next to Sakura and gripped her hand as well, preventing her from yelling in indignation by paralysis.
But Uehara's next words caused her eyes to darken.
"And a girl who just lost her own family was very easy to exploit."
The words echoed in Sakura's head repeatedly like a mantra. Her eyes, instead of widening in surprise and shock, darkened in disbelief and hopelessness.
Shikibu wanted to speak as well but upon noticing Uehara's eyes, she could see…
[Resignation… but why?]
Although she wanted to speak, she had to trust him. So… she kept her silence.
[But…]
Fuuushhh
A blaze of fiery aura surrounded Shikibu as four majestic fox tails spread behind her.
[... I will fight with you.]
Keiji, who was silent up until now, could only laugh at the words Uehara said.
"Hahahaha! You used my only daughter for your machinations. How vile are you demons? Hahahaha!"
His palm was covering his face as he laughed, his nose pointing at the sky in the process. But in the end, his facial expression darkened.
"You demons are all the same."
Uehara retorted with his own response.
"And you humans never change. That is why, it is my solemn duty to eradicate your entire species."
The last statement was said with such fervor that any suspicions Keiji had about this being a trick were erased.
[So my daughter didn't betray me. Most likely, she was mind-controlled… by this wretched demon.]
A cold misty aura enveloped him.
"Give me back my daughter, demon."
Uehara released a slight smirk. Turning his back on Keiji, he walked over to Chizuki.
"I would. But first…"
He stopped right in front of his attendant, not meeting her frantically questioning eyes.
"... let me take what belongs to me."
He stretched out his hand toward her chest and palmed the triskele mark that he had given her all those years ago.
Chizuki's eyes widened in fear as tears desperately poured from her eyes. Keiji watched on with a cold gaze, his expression remaining neutral.
But if one looked closer, they could see his hands tightened into fists in rage.
[Useless. She has already been tainted. After I'm done here, she will be forever exiled.]
On the forefront, Sakura was one step away from sputtering every single curse word she had in her vocabulary. She was trying her best to undo the paralysis but the strong grip the clone had on her kept her rooted to the spot.
[Why?! Why Aoki-sama?! Did… did you truly use her… us?]
She didn't even want to think of the possibilities. But everything was happening in front of her.
[I-I'll kill you! I WILL KILL YOU!]
Feeling Sakura's killing intent, Uehara pressed on, his focus on Chizuki.
"Bear with it girl."
Chizuki felt her heart break.
"It might sting a bit."
Like a burning flame in her chest, Chizuki felt immense pain cloud her reasoning. It was like her skin was being peeled off.
But the pain didn't compare to the despair seeping in. She desperately wanted to scream out for Uehara to stop, to not sever their soul-connection.
But alas, the young demon didn't stop.
SHIIIING
Like a sword to a fine thread, the link between them was severed. But instead of the searing hot pain she should be feeling, she only got a feeling of sadness… that didn't come from her.
…
Watching her head droop, Uehara couldn't help but cough up a bit of blood. But he expertly hid this phenomenon.
Outwardly, his expression was neutral, almost smiling. But inwardly…
[Damnit! This hurts! This really really hurts!]
Severing a soul-link was the same as literally tearing your own heart out multiple times over. Even his own ability to nullify pain didn't work at all since his absolute control only worked over his body, not his soul. Having to bear such pain without showing any outward reaction would've been nigh impossible.
The only reason he wasn't doubled over on his hands and feet was only because the drowsiness caused by the deficiency of origin energy numbed the pain greatly.
Swallowing the blood in his mouth, he turned back to face Keiji, a smile on his face. The clone holding Chizuki vanished along with her in a black swirl.
Uehara looked at Keiji with his amatsugan, taking a deep breath in the process.
"Finally… I feel complete again."
It was a lie. Inside, he felt empty. An inexplicable sense of shame arose in his heart. Although his outer facade displayed the elements of confidence, he was disappointed at himself. His weakness forced him to put on this charade, to earn Sakura's ire, and…to sever the soul-link between himself and Chizuki.
[If I die…]
His fists clenched. His gaze filled with determination.
[I cannot drag them with me.]
Shikibu, was by now also paralysed. When she had finally seen what Uehara wanted to do, she was ready to immediately rush over and stop him. But unfortunately, she was too slow. The clone that was holding Sakura reacted quicker and stretched over its hand towards her as well. Even now, the paralysis seal placed upon didn't allow for any movement. No matter how many times she tried to break it with her chakra, the clone would continuously repair it with its own chakra.
She felt an inexplicable sense of sadness, especially since she feared the reason why Uehara was doing all of this.
[Severing the soul-link with Chizuki, all those things he said…he's not confident of surviving.]
Indeed. Shikibu didn't notice it but Uehara certainly did. Through his amatsugan, he had seen that Keiji was strong…immensely strong. Although he appeared right now with black hair, through his amatsugan, he saw white hair and…
FUUUUSH
...an immense amount of chi.
(AN: Comments help. They really do. Another thing. Just in case you haven't noticed, spoilers are NEVER mentioned in my author's notes. So read my ANs. Thank you.)