Okimi couldn't remember her parents' faces. She remembered her mother's long white hair, much like her own, the hair of the Chiyurra bloodline. She remembered the warm feeling of her body. She remembered her father's laughter. But the only face she remembered from that time belonged to someone else, someone she'd never met.
Even in the painting, there was such darkness in his eyes. Okimi had avoided that hallway. He was called Koumovadra. He was the earliest known member of the Chiyuura.
Well, technically there was one other face she remembered, but she hadn't seen it until the very end. It was burned into her memory like the screams of the guards, the servants and…
It was burned into her memory like her mother's blood splattered across the floor.
She couldn't have been much older than Okimi.
The girl stood in front of Okimi, looking down at her. Okimi had thought she'd know a bad person when she saw one. She thought their face would be full of killing intent like in the painting. But instead she saw in those crimson eyes… interest? A hint of amusement?
"Hi there!" Her parents' murderer said, "They said I only had to kill one Chiyuura. I don't think they even knew about you; aren't you lucky? Everyone here was really weak! Don't become a useless noble like them, okay?" She patted Okimi's head.
***
Okimi didn't know how long she lived in the forest after that.
She'd ran from her home. She'd ran long after her feet were bloody. She didn't remember passing out.
She remembered hunger. The hunger was worse in the beginning and she'd even had to eat insects to survive. She eventually learned where to find the best fruits and which plants wouldn't make her sick. She'd only made the mistake of eating a poisonous root once. She'd been nauseous and vomiting for days. She'd thought she was going to die, but the ailment had gradually faded.
She eventually learned how to catch meat. She used a sharp rock and sticks to make spikes to hide underground and spears to stab things. She used vines to make ropes for more complicated traps. She caught a pig in one and pulled it up into a tree.
Then she met the old man and he taught her more.
***
She was crouched in a bush, watching a vine she had laid out as a tripwire, when she saw him coming. He didn't look like an old man. He had long black hair, skin even paler than Okimi's and slitted eyes like a kitty.
He had stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the tripwire for a few seconds, then stepped on it.
Okimi began to shout, "Move, you stupid-"
But, as the log swung towards him, the old man destroyed it with a single kick. "A predator shouldn't shout at its prey," He said.
Okimi stood up. "You're really strong."
"It comes with age. And to tell you the truth, you were never the predator here." Suddenly, the old man's tongue stretched out, first smashing through a tree on his right, then turning and coming straight towards Okimi.
Okimi ran. She ran to the biggest tree around and ran up it. Hopefully, it was too big for the old man to smash.
But, it seemed he had stopped his attack. His tongue withdrew and he chuckled maliciously. "Now that's interesting. Where did you learn to climb that way at your age?"
"I just figured it out. Why are you being so mean!?"
"If you only knew how mean I can be. I thought you were interesting. That's all. By the looks of you, you've been living out here all alone for quite awhile now. Tell me child, what would you say if I told you that I could make all of your dreams come true?"
Okimi's eyes scanned the clouds, filtered through the tree tops. "I don't even know what I'd do. I've just been trying to stay alive."
"There must be something you desire?"
"Well, I wish I could live with my mother and father again."
"I think I understand. That would easily be within your power if you were to learn everything I have to teach you. In fact, it doesn't matter what your dream is. If you want to reach it, you need power."
Okimi thought back to the one who had killed her parents, to what she had said: "Everyone here was really weak! Don't become a useless noble like them, okay?"
"If I had enough power, no one could ever kill me."
The old man cackled as if enjoying some joke only he understood. But his laughter turned into a cough and a bit of blood trickled from his lips. Was he hurt?
"Why's that funny?"
"Oh, I'm just excited is all. I'll teach you everything I can. Unfortunately, we don't have as long as I'd like. Well, if I had as long as I liked, I wouldn't need you." He chuckled sinisterly.
"Now, I'll teach you your first technique. Pay close attention, and one day you'll be able to do this as well. To use this technique means to leave part of your soul in another person. There's more to it than that, but you'll either figure that part out on your own or make due."
The old man's neck stretched out towards Okimi. This time, he was moving much faster. Okimi jumped backwards, but his mouth opened up, wider than she thought possible, and he bit down on her head. His fangs sank into her right eye, then he released her.
She fell onto her back. Pain ran through her spine, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her eye. Not only that, but there was something else. There was a strange energy she could feel, spreading from her eye. It was like the feeling of climbing a tree, but then the energy in her feet had been hers. This felt completely different.
Everything was blurry but she heard the old man's voice. "I suspect you'll survive this part easily enough, given your Kekkei Genkai. Miss Chiyuura. Now, come along."
What was going to happen to her? Was he going to kill her!? No, he could've done that already. What then… She felt something slimy wrap around her body before everything went black.
***
The next thing she remembered, she was in a dimly lit room, lying on a table. Next to her were some machines. She didn't know what they were, but she'd seen some of them at the Doctor's. She looked over at the old man. He was standing next to another table, looking through a microscope. Wait. She was only looking at him through one eye. She placed a hand over her other eye. There was a bandage or something in the way.
"What did you do to me?"
"Only what you wanted. It is called the Cursed Mark of Hell. Placing it on the eye is a new experiment of mine. I wanted to recreate a certain power, but even if that doesn't work, I think you'll still find it very useful."
"Thanks, I think?"
The old man licked his lips with that long creepy tongue. "I wish I were you right now. But that just isn't possible anymore. So instead, you will become me."
Okimi laughed. "I can't be you."
The old man's face began peeling off, then fell to the floor. A piece was still dangling from his nose. He squinted before tearing it away with his tongue. She wondered why he never used his arms. Back in the forest and now, they only hung limply at his side.
The old man's face was, well, an old man's. It was as wrinkled as she expected. Not only that, but the facial features were all different. He hadn't had a mustache before his other face had fell off.
"What if I told you there was a way for you to live forever? Only you." She thought she heard a tinge of sadness at this last part. Or was it jealousy?
Okimi's only goal so far had been just to stay alive. She might as well go all the way, then. "How do I do it?"
"The human soul can be moved from one vessel to another, and in that way cheat death. However, there is a limit. I didn't notice it at first, but the more times I moved my soul, the more pieces that I lost. Eventually, I lost the use of my arms. Well, that's nothing new. I guess I can laugh about it now." He grinned. "But your clan is different. You freaks were born with self-regenerating souls."
***
The old man taught and showed her many things. Most of it went over her head, but he gave her scrolls and told her she would understand all of it one day.
One day, the old man was sitting by the wall and coughing more than usual. Okimi approached him and his head snapped towards her. She froze in place. His eyes. They were the same as the man from the painting.
But after a moment his expression faded and her heart stopped racing. No. The man in the painting had been even scarier.
The old man shook his head. Now, he just looked frustrated. "I'm certain I wouldn't survive. Besides, there'd be the same problem as with the Uchiha." he said more to himself than to her.
"Young Chiyuura. I've shown you everything of value. I've left some scrolls near the entrance in a bag. Take it and travel North-northeast. A day's walk from here you'll find a shinobi village. They are a bunch of goody two-shoes who will take you in, but keep the contents of your bag a secret."
"And what if I want to stay?"
"You're a little bird who wandered into a serpent's den. You should really leave before the snake changes its mind."
She nodded and turned towards the entrance.
"And Chiyuura girl. Learn everything I've left for you and continue to learn until you've learned every jutsu there is. Then you will have become so strong, no one will ever be able to kill you. That is the only way you can become immortal. Become perfect. My immort…"
His voice grew weaker behind her and she heard the thump of his body against the floor. Was she supposed to be sad now? Somehow, she wasn't sure how she felt. She wasn't sure if the old man was really her friend or if they were just using each other.
Without looking behind her, she took the bag and left for the village he'd told her about.