"S-sensei…" Yukio stammered as tears started to form in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Takeo to truly return, but to be reborn as a monster without any human memories and one singular goal to protect him…
Yukio's breath hitched at the idea that Takeo cared that much about him… that his entire existence manifested into a being that only thought of protecting him at all costs.
"Child. It will be okay."
Shuen's voice reverberated in Yukio's mind, the boy couldn't muster the strength to reply.
"He recognised you. He will do you no harm. I understand that you wanted him to truly return, as do I. However, I'm sure that he would be more than happy if he knew that his love for you was so strong that he returned from the dead just to serve and protect you."
Yukio shook his head, he knew it was true but he couldn't accept it.
It was selfish, but Yukio just wanted Takeo back.
Not just Takeo, he wanted his parents back.
He wanted his home back.
He wanted Sora back.
But there was no chance of those coming back, Takeo was the only one who had a sliver of a chance of coming back and that is why Yukio cared so deeply about his return.
Yukio pulled the blade out once more, trembling at the thought that the monster would immediately attack him again.
"Sh…" he tried, but the word just wouldn't come out.
He couldn't bear to see it.
He didn't even remember his name, going solely off the name of the blade he had come from.
"I know that you are upset, child. But you must continue forward, it is what he would've wanted. It is what your father would've wanted."
Yukio flinched at the mention as he sheathed his blade. "W-what the hell do you know!?" He snapped, forgetting that the one he was curing was the sole reason he was alive.
Shuen was not phased, he simply replied.
"After sealing myself within your soulspace, it took me two months to adjust. During those two months I had been able to access your more prominent memories, like the deaths of those you hold dear."
Yukio gripped his head and groaned. The wings on his back started spasming out of control. "Get out… get out of me!" He cried.
Shuen did not take offence, he understood this child's frustration.
"Yukio. Calm down."
Those words sent a cold shock through Yukio's body as he went still, his eyes widening.
"Me being sealed within you grant you many benefits that you aren't likely to live without. For example, you would've died numerous times in your bout with Shima just moments ago."
Yukio gulped.
"Not only that, but you have been blessed with numerous new abilities right? Those wings of yours only exist thanks to our connection growing. That flame of yours only exists thanks to our connection growing. Each ability of those feathers only exists thanks to our connection."
Yukio grit his teeth, understanding that he had lost his temper. "I… I apologise." He took one more deep breath as he calmed himself down.
"It is alright. Do not lose your composure like that again, my vessel cannot be so… unbecoming."
Yukio just coughed awkwardly.
…
…
In the middle of the land of wind, a camel was struggling while being stuck in what looked like a hand made of sand.
"Bang!"
A translucent golden bullet shot through the skull of the desert camel.
Sora, who was wearing a baggy short sleeved hoodie with what looked like a little bear in the middle, the sleeves and hood being dark grey but the torso part was beige, baggy dark grey ragged pants and dark brown boots with bandages around his wrists and hands…
…Grinned and rushed over, the sand dispersing around the camel as it went limp.
A new string necklace flicked around from his neck, a golden gemstone hanging from the center near his chest.
After narrowly escaping the tailed beast, Sora had calmed down a little with all the fighting.
He had been more focused on staying alive and learning what new abilities he had been given after his ancestor had apparently died and given him free reign over his eyes.
Not much had been discovered and Sora himself hadn't really gotten much stronger since the battle.
After connecting his chakra network to that of the tailed beast, he did gain subtle control over the sand.
Not to the degree Gaara had with it being semi conscious, but if he focused he was able to control the sand just fine and to a versatile degree.
His linkstride ability had gotten easier to use, all he needed to do was make physical contact with his target and the four dots would appear on his right hand and his chakra would be connected to his target.
All of this paled in comparison to the amount of chakra he had gotten.
It was pretty clear that his ancestor had been holding back a large portion of his chakra that he now had control of.
It was still nothing compared to Fuko's but it was more than enough to make him stronger.
Sora hummed to himself as he unsheathed his Ninjatō and started skinning the dead camel to eat.
He was quite curious as to what the villagers were up to right now, curious if Yukio had gotten stronger or not.
He sighed, right now, he didn't have a particular goal.
He was just trying to get stronger with the power set he had at this moment.
As a matter of fact, he had no idea how the hell he was even supposed to get stronger. The Kagamihana sword style was practically useless to him since he was a medium ranged fighter and even preferred to use his fists.
The thing he had been focused on right now was something similar to Gaara's defenses but with his Tenrigan instead of the sand.
He had tried to completely coat his body in a layer of hardened natural energy but only managed to create plated armour that somewhat restricted his movement, so he needed to try something else.
Other than the plated armour, he had managed to create a barrier that would fully cover him without restricting his movements.
The problem was, a large sphere of translucent gold wasn't exactly discreet and if he tried to make it invisible, even a breeze would be able to shatter it.
So that just left him with another thing to train, but if he managed to train this to perfection then he would be quite the force to be reckoned with.
If he was able to decrease the visibility of his constructs while maintaining the strength and durability he would be a terrifying fighter.
No one would be able to see any of his attacks, similar to how he is able to turn invisible at will at the cost of being unable to use too much chakra.
He hummed in thought as he moved the chakra in his body to his throat and…
Exhaled a small flame, lightning the gathered sticks and fabric he had gotten from some sand shinobi he had killed.
He would then go to use this to cook the camel.
…
…
"Sora?!!" Fuko yelled as she grabbed hold of the bingo book, causing the entire bar to look over in their direction.
Aki recoiled, surprised at Fuko's outrage. "W-what the hell?" She said, losing her calm demeanor for the first time.
Fuko immediately stood up, "what the hell is my shadow clone doing? Why does SORA have a bounty, let alone a bounty so high! What on earth did he do?" She scrambled to look at the crimes committed and her eyes widened in shock.
"Thirty counts of murder including a Sunagakure council member?!" She said, nearly fainting.
Aki grabbed each of Fuko's shoulders and shook her awake. "Do you know him? What's the matter?" She asked, actually curious as to what Fuko's problem was.
Fuko nearly started crying. "That's my damn little brother!" She whispered into Aki's ear, careful as to not let the whole world know that she was related to a wanted criminal.
Aki's eyes widened too. "And you said I remind you of THAT? A mass murderer?!" She asked incredulously before regaining her composure and remembering that she was a bounty hunter, she had probably killed more than that boy.
Fuko groaned and slumped to the floor. "It can't be real…"
At that moment, a large group of men approached the bar. "So, you've finally made it public? But you didn't mention my team…" a burly man with a beard said with a grin as he sat down a few seats away from the duo.
Fuko's attention was still on the paper, but Aki noticed that the man was familiar. "Why is he here?" She muttered beneath her breath as her eyes narrowed.
The man suddenly looked over as if he could tell he was being looked at. "hm? Oh! You are looking at him too eh? Care to join our team? I've gathered a few likeminded individuals that are all pretty interested in finding this kid." He asked, pointing at the page that Fuko was looking at.
Fuko's expression turned cold as she turned to look at the man. "Got some balls asking that question, Ryū."
"Ah… you recognise me? I apologize I am not familiar with you…" Ryū said, rubbing the back of his head.
Fuko looked back at the page, then at Ryū. "Of course I recognise the man who had stolen a large amount of my bounties." She said with a condescending tone.
Ryū laughed awkwardly. "Right… Well, are you interested or not?" He said, pushing for an answer.
"Are you certain you'd be able to find him?" Fuko suddenly asked, a glint appearing in her eye.
Ryū nodded enthusiastically, confident in his tracking abilities.
Fuko returned the nod. "Sure, why not. I'll tag along. You interested, Aki?" She looked back at the girl.
Aki shook her head. "No thanks."
Fuko smiled. "Good girl. Now, take me to this team of yours, Ryū." She said, her tone the coldest Aki had ever heard.
She knew not to get involved in whatever the hell was about to happen, so she opted out.
Clever decision.