Chapter 38: Chapter 7 - Shinigami
Kisame, drenched in sweat, executed a series of precise movements under Kakuzu's stern gaze. His young face was etched with determination, every muscle straining as he pushed himself to the limit. Despite his age, there was a ferocity in his eyes—a reflection of his resolve to transcend his past and forge a new path as a shinobi.
"Keep your stance firm, Kisame," Kakuzu instructed, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "Your enemy will exploit any weakness."
Kisame grunted in acknowledgment, adjusting his posture and continuing his exercises. Yomi watched from the side, her thoughts a swirl of plans and strategies. The Sozo family was more than just an idea now; it was becoming her reality. She had delayed the assassination of the second Mizukage since she knew once he died they would have to leave. She wanted to give Kisame time, and so their three day stay had stretched to two weeks, but she couldn't postpone this much longer.
As Kisame completed his drills, Kakuzu called for a break. The boy collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily but with a look of satisfaction on his face. Yomi approached, offering him a water bottle.
"You're improving quickly," she said, her voice filled with encouragement.
Kisame took the bottle, nodding as he drank. "Thank you, Sozo-sama. I won't let you down."
"I know you won't," Yomi replied with a smile. "Rest for a while."
Leaving Kisame to recuperate, Yomi and Kakuzu stepped aside. The air between them was charged with the weight of their shared mission. Kakuzu's eyes, though hidden behind his oni mask, bore into her.
"We need to move forward with the Sozo family plans," Yomi said, her voice steady. "Ikue will be coming today, she'll be out backing financially."
Kakuzu nodded. "The underworld is a dangerous place, Yomi. It's not just about power and influence. It's about survival."
Yomi met his gaze, unwavering. "I've faced death before, Kakuzu. I am not afraid."
Kakuzu considered her words, his expression unreadable. "Very well."
Post mortem nihil est.
After death, there is nothing. But for Yomi, the path forward was clear.
"Lady Sozo, Uzumaki Ikue is seeking your presence." The voice of one of the servants came out softly interrupting the both of them.
Yomi nodded, "lead the way."
As she walked through the halls of the building her black hair faded to white and her eyes reverted back to red. As she entered the room with lady Ikue the woman looked at her with shocked eyes. "Amatsu?" She called out unsure of if she was talking to the right person.
"Please, call me Yomi."
Ikue understand, she was smart and caught on quickly, her smile stretched into something beautiful and sly. "Lovely to meet you then, Yomi."
Yomi sat down across from Ikue, who had her fan raised to her lips. A tea set was placed in front of them, and Yomi started to make tea. The process of the tea ceremony was intricate and elegant, a dance of precise movements.
Yomi began by carefully unfolding a silk cloth, which she used to cleanse the tea bowl, the scoop, and the whisk.
"Have you hear back from Arakawa-San?" Yomi asked as she scooped a measured amount of matcha powder into the bowl.
"Yes, I've come to deliver the good news." Ikue replied, her eyes glistening in the sunrays.
"I'm happy to hear that." Yomi replied, using bamboo whisk, she began to mix the tea. The sound of the whisking filled the room as neither lady talked while Yomi finished the tea ceremony, after all – they had said all they needed to. With this Yomi felt a bit relieved, they would be able to stay here for a bit longer.
Once the tea was ready, Yomi carefully presented the bowl to Ikue with both hands, bowing slightly. "Please, Uzumaki-sama, enjoy."
Ikue accepted the bowl with a nod, her eyes twinkling with appreciation. She took a moment to admire the tea before taking a sip, her face reflecting her cup.
"It's exquisite, Yomi," Ikue said, her voice warm. "You are a woman of many talents."
Yomi smiled, to an onlooker it was an exquisite smile, but to Ikue it was sinister. "Thank you."
That night, Kakuzu prepared himself to leave.
"I will go collect the bounty; will you be alright here while I'm gone?" Kakuzu asked, fixing his oni mask on.
"Yes, this is my responsibility to fulfil," Yomi said with a smile. She sat on her knees with a cup of tea in hand in the same room she had met with Ikue, the room that overlooked the garden. The moon was out, beautiful and full. Kakuzu nodded and swiftly left, leaving her alone. In the entire mansion, she was the only one there; the servants had retired, belonging to the Kusu-district boss. Well, her and Kisame.
The young shark was sound asleep in his room. Yomi watched the moonlight silently.
Kisame woke up to the sound of creaking. His eyes shot open. It was just one creak, but it was enough to put him on high alert. Immediately, he got up, jumping to the ceiling to conceal himself. He waited for a few minutes before his door slid open silently.
"Where's the kid?"
"If he's not here, let's leave. We need to get rid of the merchant."
Kisame's blood lust surged. Who were they trying to get rid of? Sozo-sama?
"Let's go!"
Before the shinobi could leave, he attacked, stabbing the one who had his guard down with a kunai.
"Shit." The other one got ready to fight. Kisame was like a beast, attacking with all his might. He only had his strength, and it almost wasn't enough. He was knocked back, a kunai going through his chest. He gasped, feeling the metal pierce his heart. The shinobi dropped his body to the floor.
"Fucking brat," he muttered as he turned to leave.
But Kisame wasn't dead. Somehow, he was still moving. He attacked again with the same kunai that had pierced his heart, piercing the side of the shinobi.
"What the—!" The shinobi immediately realized something was wrong. Kisame watched him fall to his knees with bulging eyes, gasping for air, reaching out for help. But Kisame was ruthless, stabbing his head over and over and over until the room was covered in blood.
'Sozo-sama!'
Remembering his true aim, he dashed out of his room down the dark, silent hallways, fearing the worst. She was just a civilian; she couldn't protect herself! He was terrified of what he would see when he arrived at the parlour she loved to stay in.
As he arrived, he smelled blood. He didn't have the courage to see what had happened, but he forced his feet to keep moving. One step, and then another.
Kakuzu arrived at the Kusu-district Boss's office. Once again dropping another head on his desk.
"Wow you guys actually pulled it off? It seems like our resources weren't wasted." He placed several bags of money on the table. "The customer was satisfied. So for the next job.."
"This was the last job." Kakuzu cut him off. "We're venturing into a different business now, but I'm sure you were aware of that.. Ikue."
The man smirked, his body seemingly disappearing as a haze in Kakuzu's eyes. "I knew she'd be able to guess, cleaver girl." Now the voice of a woman came forth, Ikue Uzumaki sat, the Kusu-district Boss. "Shouldn't you be with her? She might not survive the night."
"Then you do not know her well." Kakuzu replied. "She does not waver in the face of death."
"Kisame?"
Her voice echoed through the house.
The sliding door was open, Kisame stood at the entrance, his eyes landing on her figure standing in the middle of the room, blood splattered on the walls and bodies surrounding her. Her clothes were stained with blood, and in the moonlight, her red eyes gleamed. The large moon in the background illuminated her body, which was wrapped in white light.
In that moment, to him, she was a goddess.
Ikue Uzumaki raised a brow curiously, "I'm assuming she's not just a civilian girl you drag around then."
Kakuzu laughed. What an absurd take. "On the contrary, she is a death god."
Ikue looked at him as if he were exaggerating. "A Shinigami? Really?"
Kakuzu only smirked, no one would believe his words, so they just had to fuck around and find out.
Yomi smiled at Kisame who was looking up at her, he fell to his knees, she knew he had been scared. But he was here, trying to protect her.
'How cute.'
She knelt down, her fingers lifting his chin up. "Kisame you did well today, I saw you fight."
"H-How?" He managed to stutter. She only laughed, her voice beautiful and melodic.
"Remember the first thing I taught you Kisame?"
"Momento Mori."
Remember that you must die.
"That reminder isn't for us, It is for anyone standing in our way."
Her eyes were like blood, and his like water.
When Kisame looked back on his life – as a sword pierced through his skin, he wondered when it all started? When did he realise he wanted to stand on top of the world? When it when he became one of the seven swordsmen of the mist? Was it when he joined he graduated the academy? No, It was at that moment, when he gave his soul to the goddess of death, Tsukiyomi.
That night, the second Mizukage was murdered, and Yuma Arakawa took his place as the third Mizukage.
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