Thud. Thud. Thud.
The thundering sound of flesh and bone colliding against stone echoed across the barren land.
Standing before the flat side of a jagged mountain, was a ginger-haired boy.
His brown eyes were fixed intensely on the wall before him.
He alternated between striking the mountain with his clenched fists in a flurry of movements.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A sharp cry tore itself out of his throat as he flinched backward.
He wheezed a haggard breath and cradled his right hand close to his chest in a hunched-over position.
The thin skin on both of his knuckles had long since torn.
The blood dripped from his trembling limbs onto the wet ground, forming a narrow, crimson river as it was washed away by the pouring rain.
Despite both of his limbs having suffered injuries, it was his dominant right hand that had taken most of the relentless punishment. Not only was it bleeding, but it was also swollen bright red.
Throes of pain lanced through his body whenever his trembling fist smashed against stone.
The boy panted—then gritted his teeth.
He steadied his breathing and forced himself back upward until his spine was straight again.
The trembling in his fists lessened as he raised them to his chin.
He inhaled deeply and flexed his core.
His upper body twisted to the side like a coiled spring.
He maintained that position for a heartbeat and then shot his right fist forwards against the wall.
It cut through the air like a whip.
The resulting sound was even more thunderous than the ones that had echoed before.
He exhaled and closed his eyes.
Soon after, another boom resounded across the land. This time, the strike was delivered by his clenched left fist.
For the next few minutes, the drips of falling rain hitting rocks were joined by the clatter of bone crashing against stone.
The accompanying groans of labored breath tied them together into a cacophony of sounds.
The conductor of the disjointed orchestra was deaf to his own creation.
The only sounds that echoed through his head were the voices of the dead.
"Yahiko! You need to run! They're almost here!"
"…No! Don't leave me!…Please!…"
"…it hurts… so much… I'm scared…"
The sharp thuds sped up, becoming more frantic.
Yahiko bit down on his tongue with enough force to draw blood.
Tears formed thick clusters at the corners of his eyes.
The featureless faces of masked men flashed before his eyes.
A roar burst out of his sore throat as grey stone was replaced by the likeness of a tall man wearing an owl mask.
He put his entire weight behind the next strike.
The only resistance his fist met was stone.
The vision had vanished.
The agony that followed brought stark clarity with it.
With that clarity—came flashes of different images.
Purple and amber eyes stared back at him from the most precious corners of his memories.
Yahiko's strikes regained their rhythmic cadence.
His breath steadied as his balled fists deepened the hole in the stone his onslaught of punches had created.
In his mind, a blue-haired girl—dancing in the pouring rain like a spirit of water, overlapped with the face of a ripple-eyed boy—flying high in the air.
"It's nice to meet you, Yahiko… Let's look after each other from now on!"
"I want you by my side."
A brittle smile stretched across Yahiko's lips as the cluster of hot tears washed away with the rain.
He ceased his assault on the wall and turned motionless for a moment.
His brown eyes shifted away from the wide hole before him.
On his left, an assortment of increasingly smaller holes scarred the flat side of the mountain.
His gaze sharpened as he focused on the most recent and deepest dent in front of him.
"Don't worry, with Nagato here… everything will turn out alright. We're safe."
"Yahiko… you really are talented."
He shifted his stance.
The next round of punches were joined by a barrage of kicks.
His chakra rushed through his body as quickly as he could circulate—enforcing his muscle with the strength required to shatter stone.
"It is that war I have been preparing myself for all this time."
"What do you say?"
Yahiko's control over his chakra slipped.
The narrow space between his flesh and the cold stone exploded.
He flew backwards as if shot out of a cannon.
When he landed flat on the wet ground, his body was not only drenched by the water pooling on the floor, but also by the rain striking his body.
He lifted his newly injured hand and stared at the blood gushing out of the ruptured knuckles.
The crimson fluid mixed with the rain and painted the rocky ground red.
With a flex of his chakra, the water burst away.
He gripped his wounded right hand to his chest and leaned back.
He silently stared upward at the cloudy sky.
After a minute, his lips twisted into a smile.
—————-
Yahiko slowed down his hurried gait just before turning around the corner leading into his home.
He inhaled deeply and angled his injured hand behind his back.
With one last look down at his dry limbs, he stepped forward and entered the well-lit cave.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Yahiko," Kona said.
His announcement was returned as soon as he made it.
Konan sat on a closed crate with her back pointed to the cave entrance.
She was doing Origami again.
Yahiko strode past the focused girl with muffled steps.
His pulse quickened as he searched the floor around his bed for something he could use to cover his wounds.
Thankfully, the bleeding had mostly stopped already.
"Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" he asked, throwing her a sidelong glance.
She pulled a blue marker out of her baggy pants.
"No," she mumbled. "Nothing happened."
The origami butterfly she had finished folding gained colour as she embellished it.
"Inu woke up late—jumped around for a bit—and then left to bring Nagato his food as soon as I finished preparing it."
Yahiko's shoulders sagged as his gaze fell on a suitable piece of fabric.
He picked it up, and stifled a wince as it made contact with his wounded flesh.
His hands trembled.
"That so?" he said. "That dog sure isn't shy about playing favourites."
Why won't this stupid—
"What is that smell?" Konan asked suddenly.
Yahiko froze.
The shirt loosely tied around his hand fell to the floor with a soft thud.
Konan pivoted towards him.
"What is that smell?" she repeated.
He released a breath and turned toward her.
Konan's gaze immediately locked onto his savaged hand.
Her eyes widened.
The Origami slipped from her grasp as she leapt off the wooden crate and dashed toward him.
Without hesitation, she picked up the shirt and finished what he had failed to do by himself.
"Yahiko," she whispered. "You have to stop this."
"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I need to be strong—"
"No," she cut him off.
Her amber eyes burned.
"You're pushing yourself too hard."
Yahiko scoffed.
"You're one to talk," he said, withdrawing his wrapped hand. "Maybe Nagato hasn't noticed, but I did."
He met her glare head-on.
"I know you're staying awake most nights to train…"
He hesitated for a moment.
"… doing something with your paper—something that isn't origami!"
Konan's brows furrowed.
"That's different," she said. "I like my training—I enjoy it."
Her expression hardened.
"There is no way you enjoy training the way you do."
He flinched.
She was right.
"It doesn't matter if I enjoy it," he said.
His gaze dropped to the floor. "I need to do this."
I can't be weak anymore.
"I need to," he repeated.
He peered back up at her through strands of orange hair.
Konan studied him silently.
"Why?" she asked.
"You know why."
Her amber eyes softened.
She crossed the distance he had created between them and slowly reached out to him.
Before their skin could touch, he abruptly jerked his arm away.
An unfamiliar emotion flashed across her face as her hand hovered in the air.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, shaking his head. "I… there are things that… I just do—"
"It's alright," she said.
A shaky smile formed on her lips.
"Is it about Nagato? Or…" She hesitated for a moment. "Your family?"
Yahiko stilled.
"It's nothing," he snapped. "Just leave me alone."
Konan's extended her hand and gently squeezed his clothed shoulder.
"You don't need to lie," she said softly. "It is okay to be sad, Yahiko. You don't have to do this alo—"
He slapped her hand away.
Konan's lips parted as he glared at her.
"I am not sad!" he forced out between gritted teeth. "I told you it's nothing."
His nostrils flared.
"Just because you're still stuck in the past doesn't mean everyone else is as well," he went on.
"Get over it!"
For a moment, Konan's hand remained frozen midair.
Then, she slowly lowered it down to her side.
Her expression shifted into one he had never seen on her face before.
It was carved from ice.
A heavy weight settled in Yahiko's chest as she took a step back.
"Wait!" he shouted. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
He reached out to grasp onto her retreating form—but it was too late.
She was gone.
—————-
A ragged breath escaped me as I propped my arms on my knees.
With a smirk on my lips, I raised my head just in time to see a small brown blur shoot toward me.
"What took you so long?" I asked.
The dog stumbled to a stop at the cave entrance, and then pivoted toward me.
A series of quick barks ripped from his throat as he raised his nose into the air.
I wagged my finger.
"Don't even think about complaining now," I said. "Or did you seriously think I wouldn't notice you using chakra to enhance your speed?
Inu froze.
"Can't blame me for doing the same."
I crouched down and encircled his head with my hands.
"You sneaky little cheater." I tightened my grip and moved his head in a wide circle.
The dog whined loudly at the mistreatment.
A chuckle escaped me as I straightened back up.
After one last glance at the sky, I entered my home.
The last few rays of sunlight had long since vanished.
"I'm back," I called out. "Took me a bit longer than usual today. There's something—"
I paused.
The spacious cave was unusually quiet.
Konan's gaze was locked onto the bird origami in her hands.
She hadn't looked at me once since I stepped inside.
Yahiko was sitting on the opposite side of the room—his eyes closer.
I made my way past them both and stored away the dishes Inu had brought me earlier in the day.
Even after I finished with my task, not a word had been spoken by either of them.
I sighed.
"What is going on here?" I asked.
Just as Yahiko was about to speak up, Inu barked loudly and rushed toward him.
The dog halted a breath away from the boy and glared at his hand.
A trembling hand—wrapped in a bloodied shirt.
My expression darkened.
"Yahiko," I said. "Who did this?"
The boy quickly hid his injury behind his back.
"Nobody," he said, averting his eyes. "It was an accident—during training."
I glanced at Konan.
There was neither confirmation nor disagreement written on her face.
Her expressionless mask remained unchanged as she folded another origami.
I exchanged a look with Inu.
What the hell happened here?
"That so?" I mused.
Without warning, a deafening clap echoed through the cave as I smashed my hands together.
A smirk tugged at my lips as Yahiko's eyes snapped back to mine.
"Then this is the perfect opportunity for me to show you another one of my Paths," I said.
The children perked up.
I smiled as Konan finally met my gaze.
"It's called the Nakara Path, and it allows me to summon a being called King Yama."
I lowered my gaze to Yahiko's injured hand.
"With the aid of Yama, I can heal anything."
Yahiko's eyes widened.
"When you say, anything—"
"I mean anything," I cut him off with a grin.
"Trust me, this won't take long."
I pivoted and pointed toward the cave entrance.
Invoking the powers of the Rinnegan came as effortlessly as ever.
Even a Path I had never used before responded to my will as smoothly as my own limbs.
My chakra plummeted, and once the appropriate tribute was paid…
The King of Hell appeared.
Dark crimson flames ignited on the rocky floor.
The cold fire spread in a circle and paved the way for a ripple-eyed head to rise out of the ground.
For the first time, the Rinnegan glared at me from a face not my own.
Sharp white teeth revealed themselves when the otherworldly being opened its gaping mouth.
On its head, the creature wore a black crown with the kanji for "king" carved in gold on its front.
I turned around to watch the orphan's reaction.
Their eyes were moments away from falling out of their heads.
"Now… I know this might sound a bit strange," I began, pointing at King Yama. "But I need you to go into his mouth and let him chew on you for a bit."
Definitely could've worded that better.
"I promise it's completely safe," I added.
"Okay."
My brows shot up as Yahiko did not skip a beat and sauntered toward the King of Hell.
He stopped a step away from his target and threw me a glance over his squared shoulders.
His lips curved as he gave me a wink and leapt into the creature's wide mouth.
The moment he crossed its teeth, Yama closed his mouth and bit down.
I blinked.
After staring blankly at the chewing head for a few seconds longer, I turned to face Konan.
"Now that he's gone," I said, gesturing toward my summon.
"How about you tell me what happened between you two?
The emotionless mask shattered instantly as her shoulders dropped.
"We… had a fight," she muttered. "I think it was my fault."
I tilted my head.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
Silence spread between us as she held my gaze.
She slowly shook her head.
"I'm alright," she said, smiling softly. "I can handle it."
I studied her for a moment—then nodded.
————-
When Yahiko left the gaping maw, his body moved easier than it had in years.
Not only was his hand healed, but every other ache had also left him.
Even his clothes had been liberated off any stains and creases that marred their appearance before.
He watched with wide eyes as the huge white head sank down into the ground.
Did that thing just wink at me?
"Yahiko," a quiet voice said from behind him.
He quickly turned to stare at the girl.
His bottom lip trembled.
"Konan, I…"
His speech trailed off as she crossed the space between them with long strides.
She came to a stop in front of him and extended her hand.
The tight coil inside him finally unwound as he reached out and clasped the offered limb.
A shaky smile grew on his lips as her emotions crashed into him.
"You're wrong," he whispered. "It's my fault."
He conveyed his own feelings back to her.
"And I'm sorry," he continued. "For what I said."
A wide smile bloomed on Konan's face.
His own smile grew to match hers, as a warm silence settled between.
"Is this a bad time to mention that I'm going shinobi hunting tomorrow?" Nagato asked.
Yahiko flinched.
Konan snapped her head toward Nagato so fast, her hair slapped her across the face.
"Explanation!" she shouted.
"Now!"