It was a mind shattering sequence of high level ninjutsu and with it, Nanashi eliminated the foes attacking her in one fell swoop . . .
But they had not been the only ones to arrive at the battlefield . . . had they?
A blinding flash of light.
One too bright for a creature raised in the dark like Nanashi.
That was the last thing it remembered.
From then on, everything felt like a dream . . . or a nightmare.
A dark, empty void where the passage of time could not be grasped.
A prison even more lonely than its previous one.
Where Nanashi only had its hatred to keep it company.
Darkness where its rancor festered in its soul.
. . .
For the Senju and Sarutobi clans, it was a victory, though one that came at far too great a cost.
A pyrrhic victory, some might call it.
In the great scheme of things though, the whole thing had just been another episode in the long and storied series that the rivalry between the Senju and the Uchiha were.
The Sarutobi clan managed to earn itself some fame and closer ties to the Senju but their ambitions to suppress the Uchiha alongside their new allies remained nothing other than a pipe dream.
The Senju tipped the balance back on their conflict with their sworn rivals, once again establishing the stalemate that kept both clans going.
Even the Uchiha who just lost their strongest "weapon", took in stride.
Just another casualty of war, Nanashi, as a tool, fulfilled its role until the end and the clan never contemplated whether they could have done some things better.
Truly, they did not even bother to properly investigate if the girl they made a monster out of had truly died, been taken prisoner or suffered some other fate.
Nanashi did not return after a battle with the Senju and taking prisoners was not common in the Warring States, so she must have died.
That was the extent of thought the uchiha clan's higher ups deigned to put into the matter.
*
Back to the present day, Ryumon Shiki had finally opened the seal that had maintained perfect integrity for well over a century.
Light.
Such a foreign thing to "her".
That was the first thing Nanashi felt.
Rays of sunlight shining into her dark prison, waking her from her tortured slumber.
"She" was not an "it" any more.
Imprisonment had turned the living weapon into a living calamity forged by hatred.
One determined to live by its own rules and in the process,let her burning hate scorch the Shinobi world.
Nanashi opened her eyes, her Mangekyo Sharingan already active, spinning as it emitted ominous crimson light.
But, just as she was prepared to begin lashing out, the first thing she saw, the first thing she felt, stunned her into inaction.
The impossibly beautiful face of a youth no older than her, with soft looking, shining, snow white hair hypnotizingly charming purple eyes gleaming with a mysterious light.
And that youth was currently cradling her in his arms, gently holding her close with tender princess carry.
Perhaps, the sudden shock of awakening might have taken Nanashi's mind on a "slightly" overdramatic route.
Or maybe things were about to enter one of those "love at first sight" scenarios.
Shiki was known to have a powerful charming effect on young Uchiha girls and even some not so young Uchiha women.
The latter validating all of the boy's endless complaints about the high population of pedos in the Shinobi World.
The silence was deafening.
Shiki did not quite know what to say, afraid of triggering the girl as he was having trouble getting a read on her current state.
Nanashi on the other hand, had no words herself, just silently staring at the boy's face while quietly being held in his arms without any motion.
. . .
"So . . . Had a good nap in there?" Never before had Shiki been made uncomfortable by silence, so much so that he said the first that came to mind in order to break it.
"No, it was dreadful actually." Nanashi simply replied.
"I'm even gladder that I woke you up then." Shiki responded.
"Mhm." The Uchiha girl nodded.
And silence set in once more.
As for their relative positions, they had yet to change even slightly.
Shiki remained standing still in the same place with Nanashi securely held in his arms, showing zero intent to move.
Seconds became minutes.
"Can you stand?" The boy inquired, an offer to let the girl stand on her own two feet rather than continue being held by him.
Nanashi did not respond with words but broke her absolute stillness to grip his clothes tighter.
'Guess that means you don't want me to set you down.' Shiki thought to himself.
"I'll jump out of this hole, okay?" He then warned so as to not startle the girl with sudden movement.
Getting a nod of acquiescence, the boy left the hole he dug into the stone chamber with Nanashi in his arms and collapsed it all behind him.
Seeing her prison being reduced to nothing seemed to have given the Uchiha girl a little more lucidity and she breathed in deeply.
The fresh air and bright environment cleared her head a bit.
"Who are you?" She took the initiative for the first time and asked.
"Ryumon Shiki. A shinobi of Konoha though I doubt that means much to you." Shiki replied.
"I don't know any clan going by the name of Ryumon. And I don't know what you mean by Konoha either." Nanashi commented.
"As far as I know, I'm the only Ryumon left. I recently took in an adoptive sister who also bears the name though, even if not the blood." The boy explained.
"I see . . . Do you know who I am?" The girl continued to ask.
"I do. In fact, I was specifically looking for you, Uchiha Nanashi though . . . that isn't really your name is it?" Shiki responded.
"Only name I ever had as far as I remember . . ." The Uchiha quietly murmured.
"Why were you looking for me?" She then asked in a louder voice.
"Various reasons. It would be a long explanation and much of it wouldn't make sense if you don't know about the current state of the world." Shiki responded, walking slowly, still carrying the girl.
"Current state of the world?" Nanashi inquired.
"About that. It will be a lot to take in so how about some nice food, a good rest, maybe even a steaming bath first?" The boy suggested.
The Uchiha stared into eyes, contemplating his proposal.
Even now, her Mangekyo Sharingan remained in its active state, hence Shiki's reluctance to go into such sensitive matters right away.
Even under the most normal of conditions, young Mangekyo bearing Uchihas tend not to be the most stable of individuals . . .
Putting it mildly.
After scanning Shiki's face closely, with unnerving intensity, Nanashi seemed to have detected no trace of ill intent or trickery so she decided to take the boy's suggestion.
Even if he was a shinobi, an automatic minus in her book, he had freed her from her prison and his name was neither Uchiha nor Senju nor Sarutobi, all plusses.
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -