Noa POV
Shizuru and Genta sat eating the massive breakfast I had cooked. They were going on a mission shortly, so we had decided to enjoy a relaxing atmosphere and good food before they had to depart.
I, on the other hand, eyed the huge scroll sitting next to Master Shuzo's with trepidation. Shizuru noticed my gaze and asked in a concerned tone, "Why are you looking at that scroll like that?"
Genta finally took his eyes off the food and asked, "Looking at what?"
Shizuru shook her head and scolded him. "Is all you care about food?" Genta had a puzzled look on his face as he simply nodded in confirmation, causing a tick mark to appear on Shizuru's forehead. She looked back at me and said, "I feel like you are both scared and excited looking at that thing. What's in it?"
"Is it a legendary jutsu or something?" Genta asked, getting excited.
I chuckled as I tilted my body, lying down on the cold floor. "It is something that might change everything."
Both of them felt the weight in my words, and their posture straightened a bit. Eventually, I just sighed and took my eyes off the scroll. I did not want to start just yet because I knew that if I opened it, my obsession would most likely take over and I would dive fully into its contents. I had a few things to do first before I allowed myself that luxury.
I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away, as I asked, "So, how is your team doing?"
Genta replied with excitement showing on his face. "We are taking more and more C-rank missions. We even got to take down a gang that threatened a famous trade route and fought a missing-nin. You should have seen us. Sensei didn't do anything, but we took them down so easily thanks to Shizuru's shadow techniques. She is getting really amazing with them."
I looked at Shizuru, who had a tinge of shyness on her cheeks as she said, "Don't exaggerate. You are the one who actually took them down."
Genta shook his head. "If it wasn't for your shadows and Shota's insects revealing their positions, it wouldn't have ended that fast."
"Looks like your synergy is pretty amazing," I said.
A complicated look appeared on Shizuru's face while Genta looked to the side. Now I was intrigued. "What is it?"
Genta replied after some awkward silence. "Shota. I feel like he is going to leave the team. He almost always gets injured during missions."
Shizuru was hesitant before she spoke. "I believe that his clan wants to take him off missions for some time. Maybe they want to focus more on his training or assign him to something safe within the village, but it is not finalized yet."
I was surprised by that information. "Wait, they can do that?"
Genta shrugged. "If you are connected enough, I guess it might be possible."
To be honest, staying in the village did not sound like a very bad option for a seal expert. However, in order to reach my goal and be strong enough, I knew I had to take risks and go on missions. Staying behind simply wouldn't work for me. I looked at Genta and said with a grin on my face, "How about you, Genta? Maybe you should do the same."
Genta snorted and threw a piece of vegetable at my forehead. I caught it mid-air using my speed and reflexes, then ate it just to annoy him. Genta's eyes narrowed, his hands hovering over multiple food items. My own hands twitched, ready for the battle to come.
However, Shizuru stood up and said, "You two can play later. Genta, let us go or we will be late for our Sensei."
Genta stood up slowly, but he was met with an onigiri slapping into his face. I laughed and started running away as Genta shouted, trying to chase me while being barely held back by Shizuru. Eventually they left with colorful promises of revenge from Genta. I looked at the mess they left behind and smiled. It is good to have life in this place.
A couple of protesting shadow clones had the house cleaned and arranged in no time. One of them even started working on preparing lunch as I stood in the middle of the room, frozen in hesitation. Eventually I closed my eyes and sighed, forcing my shaking hands to stabilize before I opened them again.
I changed my clothes in silence and closed the door behind me as I walked into the village proper. I could feel the excitement and energy around me. There were more Genin than usual and the village was very active with trade. People were enjoying the cool weather, but to me, it all felt muted.
I walked toward my destination, my steps getting slower and slower the closer I got. Eventually my destination arrived. I stood still near the edge of the cemetery, my eyes heavy and my heart aching. I was right at the edge looking at the cemetery which was covered by a slight cold mist in the early morning. I was not willing to move forward, but then I heard something.
It was a sound so thin and silver that it seemed to bleed out of the air itself.
A priest sat on a low stone bench just on the threshold of the iron gates. He was draped in layers of silk that were so pale they looked nearly transparent, catching the light like the wings of a dragonfly as if the light were carving a space for him, like he did not belong to our world. He looked ancient, yet his skin looked like fine porcelain, and he held a short-necked lute carved from a wood so dark it seemed to absorb the shadows and negative feelings around him.
The music he played was a song of both a beginning and an end. It was a series of glass-like notes that hung in the air long after his fingers left the strings. The tone was chilling and light, possessing a weightless quality that felt like the first breath of winter. It felt like it was being played to comfort the living and to settle the restless echoes lingering between the headstones.
The melody was a soft, shimmering vibration that seemed to harmonize with the rustling of the leaves. It was a comforting, ethereal hum, a bridge to the world of silence waiting ahead. As the notes drifted past me, the suffocating pressure in my chest began to thin, turning into a cold but manageable ache.
A small smile appeared on my face as I walked slowly, closer to the priest. My steps grew lighter and lighter the closer I got. Eventually I felt the knot in my throat dissolve, the priest's music going through me and washing away the hesitation and fear.
There was a small offering box for his temple sitting discreetly near him. I bowed, offering a prayer from deep within my heart that extended through two lives, and after a while I placed some coins as offerings. I then slowly straightened up to find that the music had somehow faded into the background of the world.
The priest turned his head toward me, reacting to my prayer as though he could hear it through the veil. His eyes were closed, but beneath the thin skin of his eyelids, the uneven texture of the ruined orbs hinted at the violence that had taken his sight. A jagged scar emerged from either side of his temples, stopping right at the edge of his lids, marking the path of a blade that had struck while his eyes were wide. Yet I felt like he could see through me, sensing everything within.
As he moved, a faint stiffness in his shoulder and the subtle, jagged line of an old scar peeking from beneath his collar hinted at a life before the temple. A thin white line from an old blade slash was visible across his forearm, and his knuckles bore the faint, uneven calluses of someone who had spent years striking more than just strings.
He spoke, his voice resonant and sage.
"The earth here is heavy, young one. It is easier to walk if you leave the heaviest parts of your heart at the gate. They will be safe with me until you return. I will carry your weight for the generosity and sincerity you have shown."
A relieved smile appeared on my face as I felt the cool air against my skin. I nodded and simply said, "Thank you," as I walked through the gates of the cemetery, headed toward Master Shuzo's grave.
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A/N: Another one of my awesome readers (Doxis) has finally made a cameo! And just like his real self, he is sage and wise. Doxis has supported this story from the very start, and we even did a collab on his story, so go check it out! The link is at the top of the chapter.