Dekamoshi sat on his bed, his gaze lost in the distance, fixed on the towering divine tree that dominated the horizon. His right hand rested on his knee, trembling with suppressed anger. His mind was filled with a whirlwind of dark thoughts.
"That bastard... he even forced his own father to sacrifice himself, devoured by that monstrous tree, all for the divine fruit of 100,000 years," he murmured, his lips twisting into a contemptuous sneer. "If I let him succeed, I'll never be able to avenge myself. It's now or never. The chief is dead, and Shibai is almost at my level."
As he plotted in the shadows of his hatred, a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Enter," he said in his usual cold voice.
A young maid timidly entered, her eyes lowered. She wore a simple dress marked with the clan's seal.
"Master Dekamoshi," she said, slightly bowing her head, "Lord Shibai awaits you near the divine tree."
Dekamoshi stared at her for a moment, his Jogan pupils pulsing slightly, before nodding. "Very well, I'm coming."
The maid bowed and left the room, leaving Dekamoshi alone. He stood up, adjusting his snow-white coat and took a deep breath. "What is he up to now?" he thought as he walked through the silent corridors of the palace.
Near the divine tree, Shibai was waiting. His imposing silhouette seemed minuscule against the tree's immense size. His clothes adorned with sacred insignia shone softly under the ethereal light emanating from the branches.
"Ah, Dekamoshi," Shibai said, turning around with an enigmatic smile. "I knew you would come."
Dekamoshi approached, his arms crossed. "You've probably seen it with your senrigan... what do you want from me, Shibai? I'm quite busy."
Shibai let out a small laugh. "Always so direct. You haven't changed, despite all the time that has passed."
He gestured towards the divine tree, his eyes shining with unfathomable ambition. "Look at it, Dekamoshi. This tree holds the divine fruit we have coveted for millennia. A power beyond anything we can imagine. Soon, I will reach it. And yet, despite that, there remains one last task for me to accomplish."
Dekamoshi stared at him without responding, his thoughts swirling between suspicion and curiosity.
"You know," Shibai continued, his tone becoming more solemn, "for a long time, I saw you as more than just an ally. You were my sword, yes, but also my greatest pride. You rose from the slave the clan wanted to sacrifice to become one of the most powerful members of our lineage. The clan became stronger, or rather, I became stronger, and that, Dekamoshi, is thanks to you."
Dekamoshi stood still, taken aback by those words. He hadn't expected that.
"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked eventually, his voice calmer.
Shibai gave him a almost paternal smile. "Because I want you to be my successor. Once I have transcended this existence, I want you to lead the clan. You are the only one worthy of that role."
Dekamoshi felt his heart constrict. "Me? Successor?" he murmured, as if struggling to believe what he had just heard.
"Yes," Shibai confirmed. "But before that, we must complete one last mission together. An adventure in a distant dimension. It will be our ultimate quest."
As he listened to Shibai, Dekamoshi felt a strange upheaval. For millennia, he had been blinded by hatred, by the desire for revenge that consumed him day after day.
But now, hearing Shibai's words, a painful truth struck him: his hatred was directed at a past that no longer existed. Those who had broken him, the former leaders of the clan, had been dead for a long time. And Shibai, the very Shibai he had considered betraying, had not only saved him from his slave life but elevated him to a position he never thought he would reach.
Shibai was not his enemy. He was the one who had given him a purpose, a place, and a future.
'It seems not all members of this clan are the same.'
Dekamoshi sighed deeply, releasing a tension he had carried for centuries. "I... I think I've been blind all this time," he admitted, closing his eyes slightly.
Shibai placed a hand on his shoulder, a rare gesture of affection. "You were forged by pain, Dekamoshi. I understand. But today, you are more than that. You are a pillar of the clan, a being of power that even I respect."
For the first time in millennia, Dekamoshi allowed himself to smile. His cold and distant tone became more friendly, almost relaxed.
They spent the following hours discussing, no longer as master and subordinate, but as equals. They talked about their past exploits, the dimensions they had traversed, and even the many women they had seduced and loved along the way.
"Do you remember that dimension with the Amazons?" Shibai asked, laughing. "I think they wanted to sacrifice us before you seduced them all!"
Dekamoshi burst into laughter, a rare and almost forgotten sound. "I don't think it was me who slept with their leader on the first night? They were fiercer than some Otsutsuki warriors!"
Finally, as dawn broke, they decided it was time to depart. Shibai opened a shimmering portal, leading to an unknown dimension.
"Ready for one last adventure, my friend?" Shibai asked, a confident smile on his face.
Dekamoshi nodded. "Yeah, one last..."
They stepped through the portal side by side, leaving behind the divine tree and the ambitions of the clan, ready to face the unknown. For the first time in a long while, Dekamoshi felt something other than hatred: he felt a sense of peace.