Capítulo 49: The Morning Reckoning
I jolted awake to the sound of my grandfather's voice thundering through the house.
"Ayumi Kure!"
The way he said my full name, gave me the feeling anyone would get when their parents use their full name, it sent a chill down my spine. My heart raced as I scrambled out of bed, barely managing to tug on my clothes before darting out of my room.
I rushed down the hall, my footsteps barely making any sound. Sitting at the head of the low table in our living room was the Third Hokage. Ah fuck he really did come...
My grandfather stood next to him, facing out the window with his back facing me. His hands were clasped behind his back, but I could tell from the way his fingers twitched that he was seething inside.
"Ayumi." His voice was cold and unyielding. "Sit."
I made my way to the center of the room and sat down on my knees and awaited judgment.
"You've caused a great deal of trouble," the Third Hokage began, his voice deceptively calm as he took a slow drag from his pipe. His eyes narrowed slightly as they settled on me. "But you already know that, don't you?"
I kept my gaze locked on his, unwilling to let him intimidate me into silence. My heart was hammering, but I forced myself to stay calm. "I told Naruto the truth. He deserved to know," I said evenly, though I could feel my hands shaking slightly in my lap thankfully the table prevented him from seeing them.
"The truth," my grandfather repeated bitterly. He shook his head, his eyes boring into mine. "You think you have the right to decide when the truth should be revealed?"
"He's been living a lie his whole life!" I shot back before I could stop myself. The words tumbled out, sharp and raw. "You know as well as me, That Naruto spent his whole life believing he wasn't wanted by anyone! And you expect me to just stand by and do nothing? Someone had to tell him!"
The Third Hokage exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his eyes never leaving mine. "You don't understand the consequences of your actions, Ayumi," he said quietly, but there was an edge to his words that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "Naruto isn't to know the truth. You've placed a weight on him that he may not be able to handle."
I gritted my teeth, my fists clenching in my lap. "Right cause being treated like a monster by the village wasn't bad enough for a kid to deal with? That wasn't enough?"
The silence that followed was deafening. My grandfather stepped forward, his voice cold and controlled, but with a dangerous undertone. "Ayumi, you're speaking out of turn."
I glared at him, my temper rising. "Out of turn?" I snapped. "I'm speaking the truth! You're all hiding behind your title, and your rank, while Naruto's been treated like nothing but dirt. The Fourth Hokage was a hero, and you let his son grow up like an outcast in his own village! While you did fucking NOTHING!"
"You will watch your tone," my grandfather hissed, his face growing darker. His eyes blazed with anger now, his calm façade slipping.
But I didn't care. I was done tiptoeing around them. I turned my gaze back to the Third Hokage. "What If Naruto came to hate the village, Lord Third?" I asked the words cutting through the thick tension. "You let the people treat him like a demon, when you could've told them the truth."
The Third Hokage's hand gripped his pipe tightly, his knuckles white. I could see the flicker of frustration behind his calm exterior. "I've made decisions to protect Naruto from the dangers that come with his Father's name," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Those decisions are not for you to question."
My chest tightened as I tried to contain my rage. "So you protect him by letting the entire village hate him? Damn, that's so fucking smart, let a kid come to hate his own village? Please anyone with a good pair of eyes would be able to tell if they did their own research So that excuse doesn't work."
My grandfather slammed his fist on the table, making me jump slightly. His voice was furious now, the anger he had been holding back boiling over. "Enough, Ayumi! You will not disrespect the Hokage in this house."
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my ears. But I couldn't back down now, not after everything. "I'm not disrespecting him," I said, my voice quieter. "I'm telling the truth. And sometimes, the truth isn't easy to hear."
The Third Hokage leaned forward slightly, his gaze locking onto mine. "You don't understand what it means to lead, Ayumi," he said, his voice soft but full of authority. "Leadership isn't just about doing what's easy. It's about making choices that others won't understand, choices that may seem cruel but are necessary for the greater good. Naruto's safety, the safety of the village, those are my priorities."
I shook my head, feeling the frustration building up in my chest. "Safety? You think keeping him in the dark about his own father is protecting him? You think letting him grow up thinking he's some monster is for his own good?"
"You don't know the whole story, Ayumi," the Hokage said, his voice firm. "And until you do, you'll never understand why these decisions were made."
I clenched my fists tighter, my nails digging into my palms. "Maybe I don't know the whole story," I couldn't help but chuckle, it's not like I could tell them I came from a different world and knew better than anyone" but I know enough. I know what Naruto's been through and would have gone through. And I know that you could've done something to make it easier for him."
The Hokage's gaze was icy now, his patience wearing thin. "You have no idea what I've done for this village, for Naruto," he said, his voice hard. "The burden I carry is not one you can understand."
"Maybe not," I muttered, refusing to look away. "But I know what's right. And keeping him in the dark like that was wrong."
The silence that followed was suffocating. My grandfather's face was stone, his eyes blazing with fury, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I wasn't going to apologize for speaking the truth, no matter how much it pissed them off.
The Hokage finally stood, brushing off his robes as he exhaled the last puff from his pipe. "I've said what I needed to say," he said, his voice colder now. "Your punishment will be handled by your grandfather. But make no mistake, Ayumi, you've crossed a line. And you'll be held accountable for your actions."
I met his gaze, my chest tight. "I don't regret telling Naruto the truth," I said, my voice steady despite the weight of his words. "I never will."
The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing more. He turned to my grandfather, giving him a curt nod. "I leave her discipline to you."
With that, he left the room, the door closing behind him with a soft but final click.
The silence that followed was unbearable. My grandfather stood there, his back to me, his shoulders tense. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. "Ayumi, you've put me in a very difficult position."
I swallowed hard, staring down at my hands. "I was just trying to help Naruto," I whispered.
"I know," he said, his voice tight. "But there are consequences for what you did. And you will face them."
"Turn around, Ayumi," my grandfather said, his voice devoid of the warmth I was used to. It was hard, flat. The voice of a man who wasn't speaking to his granddaughter, but to a shinobi.
I hesitated, my heart skipping a beat, but I knew better than to disobey him. Not now. Not when things had escalated this far. So, I did as I was told, slowly turning my back to him, my hands shaking as I reached for the hem of my shirt. I pulled it over my head, letting the cool air hit my skin as the fabric fell to the floor.
"You're going to learn the price of disobedience today," he said, his tone soft. There was no anger in his voice now, only a cold inevitability. "You brought this onto yourself be grateful you are but a child."
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to steady my breathing, but nothing could stop the pounding in my chest. I heard the soft rustling of fabric as he reached for something.
"Stay still," he ordered.
I could feel the wet cold tip of the brush press against my bare skin. His strokes were quick like he had done this a thousand times before. My heart pounded in my ears, but I stayed as still as I could, clenching my fists at my sides.
He was drawing something intricate, I could tell by the way the brush moved across my skin.
When he finished, the room seemed to be still, a deafening silence settling over us. I felt his hand rest on the freshly drawn mark on my back, and my body tensed instinctively.
"Don't make me have to do this again, Ayumi," he said quietly. His voice wasn't angry. No, it was worse, it was cold, almost emotionless. The kind of voice that said he didn't want to do this, but he was going to, regardless of how he felt.
Then he lifted two fingers to his lips, and without warning, pressed his other hand against the mark. I felt the first surge of his chakra flood into the seal, and for a split second, I couldn't breathe.
Then the pain hit me like a tidal wave.
A scream tore from my throat before I could even try to stop it, the sound raw and filled with agony. The pain was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, burning through my body like fire, but sharper, like my very nerves were being set ablaze from the inside out. It ripped through me, stealing every ounce of control I thought I had.
I clawed at the ground, trying to find something, to move away, but the pain was too much. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't focus on anything other than the white-hot agony tearing through my back. My body convulsed against the floor.
But I couldn't escape.
"Stay still," he muttered again, his voice distant, unaffected by my screams. His chakra continued to flow, and every second felt like an eternity as I writhed under his hand, my body trembling uncontrollably.
I'd known my grandfather was capable of this, I'd seen him use it before on others. The Kure Torture Mark. But experiencing it firsthand? There were no words to describe the sheer hell I was being dragged through.
My vision blurred with tears I couldn't stop, my voice hoarse from the screams I couldn't hold back. The minutes crawled by, each one more agonizing than the last, as his chakra pulsed into the seal, feeding the pain, keeping me trapped in this unbearable torment.
By the time he finally lifted his hand, the pain didn't stop right away. It lingered, like fire that refused to die, smoldering under my skin as I gasped for breath, my body trembling uncontrollably. Sweat dripped down my face, my hair sticking to my damp skin as I collapsed onto the floor, my muscles too weak to hold me up anymore.
I could barely move. My entire body was shaking, my skin still burning from the torture. I felt like I was floating between consciousness and unconsciousness, every nerve in my body still screaming from the assault.
"Don't make me have to do this again, Ayumi." His voice was softer now, but there was a finality to it. "I take no pleasure in this, but you need to understand, there are consequences to your actions. And this one was the only one that didn't end in your death because you are a child."
I couldn't even respond. My throat was raw from screaming, and the words wouldn't come even if I wanted them to. My body was drenched in sweat, my skin sticky and burning. I lay there, face down on the floor, trembling, my chest heaving as I tried to breathe through the lingering pain.
I heard him stand, his footsteps soft as he moved toward the door. "I hope you've learned from this, Ayumi," he said, his voice distant now, the door creaking as he left.
The room fell into a heavy silence once again. I lay there, gasping, my body wrecked from the torture I'd just endured. My mind was a blur, drifting between pain and anger.
The room was silent except for my ragged breathing. My body still trembled from the pain, and the sweat clung to my skin, mixing with the ink that burned into my back. I lay there, half-conscious, the room spinning as I tried to force myself to move. Every breath felt like a battle, and my limbs were too heavy, too weak to respond.
I heard footsteps, soft but sure, approaching the living room. A familiar presence lingered just outside the door. I didn't need to see them to know who it was.
The door creaked open, and Kiku's rough voice broke the stillness.
"Lady Kure-sama," she said, her tone far softer than usual, though it still carried that hard edge she always had. I could hear the shift in her voice. There was concern there, masked by duty.
I managed to turn my head slightly, just enough to see Kiku step into the room, her tall frame blocking the light from the hallway behind her. Yuno followed close behind, her expression as grim.
"She's a mess," Yuno muttered under her breath, her usual bluntness cutting through the tension.
I tried to push myself up, but my arms gave out under me, and I collapsed back onto the floor, groaning in frustration. My entire body felt like it was on fire, every nerve still raw from the punishment.
Kiku crouched down beside me, her strong hands surprisingly gentle as they lifted me up, helping me into a sitting position. "Easy, Lady Kure-sama," she murmured. "You've been through enough. Don't push yourself."
There was no anger, no judgment in her voice. Just the hard truth.
I swallowed, trying to focus on anything other than the lingering pain. "He... he left already?"
Kiku's eyes darkened slightly, but she nodded. "Yes. Lord Hayai is gone. He has headed to meeting, apparently a leaf Ninja was found dead today" Her tone was even.
Yuno knelt beside me, her hands already pulling out a cloth and a small bowl of water from a pack she carried. "Let's get this ink off you, Ayumi-sama," she said, her voice softer than usual, though there was still that unshakable firmness in her words.
I winced as she carefully dipped the cloth into the water, wringing it out before pressing it gently against my skin. The cool water felt like ice against the heat of the mark, and I sucked in a breath, the sudden contrast making my muscles tense.
"It's going to sting," Yuno warned. "But you've been through worse. You'll be fine."
I bit down on my lip, trying to focus on her voice instead of the pain. Kiku stayed close She didn't say much, but she didn't have to. She was there, and in her own way, that was enough.
For a few minutes, the room was quiet except for the sound of Yuno's cloth against my skin, carefully wiping away the ink. I could feel her hands trembling slightly, something I'd never seen from her before, but she worked quickly.
Finally, Yuno spoke, her voice low. "Ayumi-sama, you know Lord Hayai doesn't take these things lightly."
I clenched my fists, fighting the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm me. "I know," I whispered, my throat tight. "I know better than anyone."
Kiku glanced at Yuno before turning her attention back to me, her gaze softer now, though the sternness never completely left her expression. "Your grandfather..." She hesitated, something rare for her. "He didn't want to do this. But you left him no choice."
I didn't respond. The truth of her words hung between us, heavy and bitter.
Kiku sighed, standing up to grab a fresh cloth from Yuno's pack, her eyes never leaving my face. "Lady Kure-sama, you know we follow Lord Hayai's orders. But that doesn't mean we enjoy seeing you like this."
I looked down, my fists trembling in my lap. "It doesn't matter. I won't stop standing up for what I believe in. Even if it means... this."
Yuno shook her head as she wrung out the cloth again. "That's exactly what we're afraid of."
I felt the cold cloth against my back again, and I closed my eyes, letting the sharp sting of the water against the fading ink ground me. It hurt, but not as much as what had come before. It was a different kind of pain now. One I could manage.
"Don't make him have to do this again, Ayumi-sama," Kiku said softly, echoing my grandfather's earlier words. But there was something different in her voice. Almost like a plea.
I didn't answer, my chest too tight to form the words.
Once the ink was wiped clean, Yuno stood, folding the cloth carefully and placing it back in her pack. She offered me a hand, her expression unreadable. "Come on," she said. "You need rest."
I took her hand, letting her help me to my feet. My legs felt shaky, but I managed to stand. I could feel Kiku's gaze on me, watchful, protective, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"We'll be here if you need us," Kiku said, her voice steady again, back to its usual firm tone.
I nodded, the lump in my throat too big to swallow. I didn't trust myself to speak.
Yuno and Kiku exchanged a glance before Yuno opened the door, letting the light from the hallway spill back into the room.
"Get some rest, Lady Kure-sama," Yuno said softly. "Tomorrow... tomorrow will come soon enough."
I managed a small nod as I stepped forward, I walked out of the room, feeling their eyes on me until the door slide quietly shut behind me.
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