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This article, The Start of Everything, is an article only to be used by KingArthur and KamiGuru. |
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The Time I Met You[]
Falling leaves bid farewell to sweet summer and beckon the autumn in. Like the moving hand of a clock they mark time in their own chaotic way, the only way nature comprehends. For the flora and fauna they are simply part of the triggers nature brings to warn them of the changes afoot: coolness, longer nights and the sun lower in the sky.
Citizens and shinobi alike appreciated this expected yet pleasant change in weather, especially in this time of peace. Five years following the Fourth Shinobi World War, conflicts and bloodshed have been kept to a minimum. And just as the weather and time keep marching forward, new life is born. In the main building of Konohagakure's Kurama Clan's household, the cry of a new born baby echoed throughout.
"It's a girl!!" the medical-nin joyously exclaimed as she whipped the organic matter off the newborn before wrapping her up and handing her to the mother. "She beautiful!" he followed up before giving her to Yuno Kurama.
The babies dazzling blue eyes gazed into that of her mother's, immediately forming the eternal pact between mother and daughter. "She...one of a kind..." a tear fell down Yuno's right cheek as hormones rocketed through her body. "Sooun, where's Sooun? His daughter wants to see her daddy."
On signal, Sooun entered the room where the Kurama Clan midwives paid their respects; he was the clan leader after all. "Splendid! She doesn't look like me at all!" Laughter erupted into the the room as his statement was most certainly a joke.
"Please So, she clearly has your smooth chocolate skin." Yuno responded, using her voice to acknowledge her husband's appearance as she was unable to break eye-contact with her daughter.
The midwives tried to catch a glimpse of the baby. Her beauty was undeniable. Her milk chocolate skin complimented her blue-eyes and white-pinkish hair perfectly.
"She'll make some man very happy one day..." Yuno voiced softly.
Hovering over the bed, Sooun could not help but crack another one of his signature jokes. "And the rest will beg for mercy. She'll be a terror on the battlefield." While this was surely a jest, there was some hint of truth in it. The two had already discussed that this would be their only child, thus, she would be the successor. "Deep within that pureness and beauty, lies a demon that will be responsible for the defeat of hundreds."
An awkward silence followed. After several seconds of scattered gazes, the medical-nin stepped forward. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
For the first time after being given her baby Yuno broke eye contact to meet eyes with her husband. The two nodded in unison. "Her name is Asuna, Kurama Asuna."
The Land of Iron was a land of eternal winter; a land where snow always fell, the wind raced, and the moon stayed in the sky far more than the Sun did. With the jagged mountains and biting winds, the Land of Iron was harsh, but for those who called the environment home, it was also beautiful.
But for one Mika Toshiro, the jagged mountain peaks made her feel as if she was being surrounded and filled her with a sense of bleakness. In a room in the Temple of the Land Iron's priests, Mika squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of pain rippled through her.
"The baby's coming!" One of the priests called out. "Get ready!"
Ready for what? Mika wanted to ask, but was unable so speak her question as the pain crashed upon her once more. And as the pain settled, but never truly went away, Mika found herself wondering how she'd gotten to this point; how she'd fallen so far.
Mika was a Samurai: a member of the Samurai organization in the Land of Iron. From a young age, Mika had shown promise and as she grew up, her skill had only continued to grow, to where even her leader, Mifune, praised her skill. So how had Mika gotten here: giving birth within Iron Temple, with only the priests to keep her company.
Because of him: Sooun Kurama. Almost two years ago, Mika had met Sooun when the man had traveled to the Land of Iron on a mission from his Kage. From their first meeting, there'd been sparks between them: flashes of passion just waiting to be ignited. Mika had resisted at first, had done her best to avoid the man. But then there'd been a night where the two had met up during a celebration. They'd both been drinking, and Mika had found herself unable to reject Sooun for that one time. From there, they'd had a whirlwind romance: a brief love affair that'd ended once Sooun had been forced to go back to Konoha.
And then Mika had realized she was pregnant: unable to properly focus and mold her chakra, and wrecked with nausea. And once word had gotten out that Mika was pregnant, and bearing the child of a Shinobi no less, she'd been all but banished. And now here Mika was: in a room at the Iron Temple, giving birth to a child that she'd never wanted or asked for.
"It's coming out!" The priest called out. "Push, Mika!"
Another rippled of pain, and Mika screamed, and didn't stop until she was hoarse. And then it was done. And as her screams died down and the pressure eased, Mika realized the she wasn't the only one in the room screaming. Soft, but sharp; a newborn's cries also filled the room.
"It's a boy!" The priest called out brightly.
Taking her newborn child, Mika couldn't fight the smile that came to her face, even as tears fell from her eyes.
"He takes after his father," Mika said softly, taking in the baby's brown olive skin. But he also had Mika's soft brown hair and gold eyes. "My little Minegumo."
"Minegumo?" the priest asked. "Is that the child's name?"
Mika nodded. "Kurama Minegumo."
"Are you sure want to do this? We can still turn back."
Through a path in the forest, a man and a small child trekked their way through as they made their way to Konoha. The duo made an odd pair: the woman was tall and broad: clearly muscled and dressed in pink and white robes, with her hair in tight braid. The child on the other hand was was smaller and compact: dressed in simple black robes, with his brown hair in a mop atop of his head.
"Minegumo."
Kurama Minegumo gave his mom a quick glance; seeing the pinched look on her face and the way her hands were clenched into tight fists.
Minegumo shrugged, the looked behind them at the pair of Ninja that trailed them: taking in their jackets and the wing-like symbol etched on to their sleeves. The looked back at Minegumo and Mika with cool eyes, and he hurriedly looked away.
"It's fine." Minegumo answered softly. "We're almost there anyway."
Six years had passed since the fateful day of Kenun's birth in the Land of Iron and in that time, a lot had changed. Since that fateful night of her sons birth, Mika had been offered a place at the Iron Temple and was given a job similar to that of a caretaker the the Temple grounds: making sure the lawn was cut and various herbs and other agriculture was taken care of. Minegumo, on the other hand, was given an opportunity to join his Mother's former organization and train as a Samurai. It was an offer that Minegumo had been all too excited to take up, and he'd enjoyed a year and a half of immersing himself in his heritage.
However, it wasn't too long before the other side of Minegumo's heritage began to show itself.
Looking back on it, it wasn't too surprising; strange things always happened around Minegumo. For as long as he could remember, he'd always been intune with those around him; could sense things that he shouldn't been able to. From what they were afraid of, to secrets they hid, to when they were lying: Minegumo always just seemed to know things about people, often just from a single touch. Added to the way he always won at games of hide and seek, and it painted a picture that no one liked.
"With all due respect," One of the Kurama Ninja behind him, Tenzin, spoke up. "There is no place better than Konoha for the Honorable Son to learn to control his power. You've seen what it can do unchecked."
Minegumo flinched. That was the real reason he was being marched to Konoha: Minegumo couldn't control his power. If It'd been something as innocent as it only acting up in games, it would have been fine, but it wasn't. Minegumo had killed someone; had killed several someones. Minegumo himself wasn't too sure about what'd happened. One second he'd been on his way to the infirmary with the worse headache he'd ever had in his life, and the next thing Minegumo knew, he was standinding in the middle of a pool of blood, with the two Ninja next to him holding him down.
It had been purely coincidental that Tenzin and his partner, Gensō, had been there that day on a mission from Konoha. And it was purely luck that Minegumo's skill in Genjutsu was still so lackluster, or the situation could have been a lot worse. Which brought things to the current situation: being escorted from the Land of Iron and being marched with his Mother to Konoha, to his Father and his Father's clan.
The trip hadn't been a bad one: the two Ninja, who's name Minegumo could never remember, were nice enough. They explained his bloodline to him in a sort of way, and had even taught him a couple basic Genjutsu, and even a good one, like the stringbean illusion that their clan had apparently invented. And truth be told, Minegumo was also somewhat excited at the prospect of finally meeting his Father and his half-sister, Asuna. He'd heard some things about them of course: that his Father, Sooun, was something of a jokester, and that he was also en accomplished Genjutsu master, but he'd heard even less about his sister other than she was a talented illusionist and had the Kurama Bloodline like Minegumo himself did. That last part had been spoken with a seriousness that Minegumo couldn't help but me uncomfortable about.
Apparently, Kekkei Genkai weren't always inherited among Clans, and the Kurama Clan's was among the rarest there was. And the fact that Minegumo had inherited it was a big deal.
After another few minutes of walking, their group made it to the official main path that led to Konoha, and Mika couldn't resist reaching out to her son one last time.
"Minegumo, are you sure this is what you want?" Mika asked. "We can find another way to control your power."
But Minegumo appeared frozen: unable to hear his Mother. He stood staring at the gated walls that loomed before them.
They'd made it to the Hidden Leaf.
With a smile to Minegumo and a smirk to Mika that set her blood boiling, the two Kurama Ninja went to the front and led the Mother and Son through the gates, pass the checkpoint, and to the path that would take them to the Kurama Clan Compound.
As Asuna and her parents awaited for the arrival of her brother, a blank expression remained on the young girl's face. "A brother.." If you told any other child they're expecting a new sibling, one their same age, they'd feel something; whether its excitement or fear, they'd feel something. Asuna was weird, peculiar even. But peculiar is exactly how the pass six years have been in the Kurama Clan Main Family's household.
Asuna has always been curious. From the moment her legs were strong enough to walk, exploration and immediate gratification were always here objective. Fortunately, she was as smart as she was inquisitive. Anything she tried she excelled in. However, despite her interest in nearly everything, nothing seemed to stick. It wasn't until she was four where she was introduced to shinobi life.
Just as in every other facet in her life, Asuna excelled in her initial training with her father. Her aptitude for genjutsu unquestionable. Her father had approached the village higher-ups to implore the idea of her entering the academy early; a tradition that only occurred during times of war. Similar to her brother, everything changed when she awoke her Kekkei Genkai.
The first night set the tone. With her newfound powers, Asuna managed to intrude on her mother's dreams and transform them into a horrendous nightmare that nearly killed the non-shinobi. If it wasn't for her father's swift action, Asuna would've been labeled as a killer. While her father stressed the importance of resistance and attempted keep her mother safe from their daughter; the torture continued. From altering her memories, to fear-induced nightmares, the torture was non-stop. But her reign of terror did not simply remain home. Asuna's friends were easy prey and were subjected to their own horrors. She quickly earned the nickname "Witch" amongst her peers. Before long, parents decided to keep their children away from Asuna and many complained to the Hokage out of fear for their safety.
While preaching acceptance due to his own internal struggles in the past, it was recommended Asuna should stay away from others until she had some control of either her power or her temptations. Her mother was moved to another section of the house, beyond the range of Asuna's technique; forced to live in fear in her own home. A team of skilled genjutsu specialists were dedicated to monitoring Asuna's movements, while Sooun dedicated all his time to training her. Peculiar indeed.
"Pa, why is this boy coming to live with us?" Asuna questioned, gazing at her father as her once blue eyes radiated as unique distinct glow.
"I already told you Asuna. He's like you. He has your same gift..." Sooun responded, his voice expression due to his lack of sleep.
"Gift?? More like a curse!" Yuno thought, refusing to even make eye contact with her daughter.
"Do you not like me mommy?" Asuna probed, her face remained apathetic. Her abilities already expanded into piercing other's thoughts.
"I can't do this!" her mother yelled. "Two of these demons living here. I'll die!" Blinded by rage and fear instilled by her daughter, she stormed out of the room.
"Did I do something wrong pa?" Asuna once again questioned.
"Yes, Asuna. But it's not your fault..." In that moment, one of the house guards alerted Sooun of the duo's arrival. "Behave yourself Asuna, they're here." The moment the door opened new life emerged on Sooun's face. "So who has same amount of prodigal kids as he does thumbs." Using his thumbs, he pointed at himself, "This guy!!!" his signature smile welcomed them.
From the moment he stepped within Konoha, Minegumo had felt it: a strange chill, a tingling down his spine, a soft murmur in the back of his mind. It all came together in a presence that he couldn't begin to explain. And as he was escorted with his Mother to the Kurama compound, it only grew stronger. Even without the guards, Minegumo could have found his way to the estate: that was how strong whatever he was sensing was. Not in the sense of any wave or sort, but more like threads; probes that led him directly to his destination like a call or a taunt.
If Minegumo could describe it, he would say it was similar to the thoughts or emotions he picked up from those around him. And yet, it was different too somehow: stronger, and more easier to pick up on.
As they stepped within the compound, the sensations Minegumo picked up suddenly flared. An odd combination of curiosity, exasperation, and even a bit of fear. The feelings came to him like psychic feeler and Minegumo found a part of himself wondering about them. Another part of him, one that was quickly rising as he walked through the Kurama Compound, wondered rather or not he'd up doing to them what he did to his teachers in the Land of Iron.
Within moments, they were at the doors of the Main Family's house, where Minegumo knew the head of of Clan were waiting for him. There was another mumbling within his mind, and Minegumo heard a scream and a set of stomping just as they reached the door. Mika huffed and rolled her eyes, and Minegumo could sense the exasperation coming from his mother.
A second later, and the door opened to reveal his father and new sister and the man introduced himself with a bright smile and raised thumbs.
Mika shook her head, but didn't bother fighting off the fond smile that found its way to her face. "Still as silly as ever, eh Sooun?"
As his Mother and Sooun talked, Minegumo tuned out their conversation, though he made sure to keep in ear for when he was to introduce himself. Instead, Minegumo's eyes landed directly on his her: his sister, Asuna. Brown skin like Minegumo himself, though without his olive tint, with strange pink eyes and pinkish-white hair. Her expression was one of indifference, but there was a curious, yet sharp feel to her that reminded Minegumo of the wolves that called the Land of Iron home.
Was she as curious about him, as Minegumo was about her? Was she really his sister?
"And you must be my son!" Sooun's voice snapped Minegumo out of his thoughts and he snapped back to attention. "You look just like me, unlike my daughter here."
The joke was said with another bright smile, and Minegumo felt, more than heard, the groan that came from his guards. Evidently, this was not the first time he'd used that joke.
Well then.
Keeping a careful eye on his new (or was it old?) father, Minegemo nodded and bowed: deep and respectful, like his old teachers had taught him to before their mental break. As he came up, he locked eyes with his new sister, taking in the way her eyes flared and shined. "I'm Minegumo. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
As the boy and his mother entered the building, Asuna, as perceptive as ever, noticed a distinct difference between he and his mother versus her and her own. Despite supposedly having the same abilities as her, there wasn't a rift between them; Mingeumo's mother still had some color in her skin, life in her body. Over the years, Yuno became a shell of her younger self. Initially, Asuna didn't understand why her mother couldn't tolerate her. Little did Asuna know, it wasn't the actions themselves that caused Yuno to hate her daughter but her lack of remorse following them.
"Oh wow you're so for-" Sooun began, before being cut off by his less-respectful daughter.
"Do you hurt people..?" Dramatic silence followed. Despite clearly killing the whole positive vibe her father had built up, Asuna's face remained stoic. "Do people hate..."
Sooun quickly intervened. "Asuna!" he exclaimed, attempting to downplay the situation by picking her up and spinning her around, but any attentive person could notice that out of pocket behavior from Asuna was common. "Sorry about that." he giggled. "It doesn't seems she didn't inherited my sense of humor or natural charm."
"Charm...?" she thought. The Little Witch noticed that people seem to enjoy her father's company; was it due to this charm he goes on and on about. Noted. Returning her focus to her half brother, she attempted to get into his head. But unlike her mother or the children she used to toy with, infiltrating his mind proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Similar to her father or the guards that watch over her, it was like his mind had an impenetrable armor. Was it because he was better than her? At that moment, a fit of uncontrollable rage overtook Asuna's body. But before she could really doing anything, her father subtly induced a hypnotic sleep.
Rocking her gently side to side, Sooun attempted to make it look as natural as he could. "She's always calmer in Papa's arms. My little daddy's girl." he whispered with a misleading smile. "Let me put her down and then get you guys settled."
Once again, Minegumo found himself flinching.
Yes he'd hurt people; had even killed. But that hadn't been intentional; at least, Minegumo didn't think it was. He still didn't know what happened that day; his mom refused to talk to him about it, and the Ninja who'd restrained him had been equally tight-lipped. So yes, he hurt people. But it hadn't been his fault; not really. That's what Minegumo kept telling himself anyway.
Minegumo kept quiet as he followed Sooun through the Kurama Compound and to the rooms where he and his Mother would be staying. As they walked, Minegumo looked around and took in the Compound. It was nice; far nicer than the Iron Temple and the barracks of the Samurai Organization, though he didn't think that'd be very hard. Then his eyes once again slid to Asuna, and he found himself examining Sooun and Asuna and the way they interacted. They seemed close enough, if the way Sooun doted on Asuna was an indicator, and for a second, Minegumo felt a swell envy rise within him.
Sooun stopped at a door and quickly slid it open, revealing a large room shrouded in darkness.
"This is Asuna's room!" Sooun announced as the group stopped at a door. Sliding it open, he stepped in, but not before fixing Minegumo with a smile. "Just let me tuck her in, and I'll show you to yours too, Minegumo."
"Why did she ask if I hurt people?" Minegumo asked, turning to Mika.
Mika shrugged; she was probably just being extra. While the Senju and Uchiha were the most dramatic and drama-filled Clans, the Kurama were good competitors. Minegumo's eyes flared as he picked up on his Mother's thoughts.
"What does 'extra' mean?" Minegumo questioned. "What's a competitor?"
Mika's brow furrowed in bemusement, before she frowned. "What have I told you about reading my thoughts, Minegumo?"
Minegumo blinked, then looked away. "I'm sorry, Mama."
"Oh don't be so hard, Mika Mika." Sooun suddenly appeared, making Minegumo jump. He stared at his Father with awe: no one had ever snuck up him before. Not since he'd come into his powers. "That's why he's here, after all; to hone his privacy invading powers until he only does it on command."
Mika sighed, and Minegumo felt the exasperation within her rise as she fixed Sooun with a flat look. "I'm not dignifying that with a response. Just show us to our rooms, please."
Sooun stuck out his tongue, eyes glimmering with mischief. But he acquested Mika's demands and turned on his heels, only to lead them to the door right after. "And this is where Minegumo will be staying!" Sooun announced. "I was going to put you guys in another wing, but children should stick together. Especially siblings."
Sliding the door open, he led them into the surprisingly spacious room. It was bigger than Minegumo had expected, and styled traditionally, though with an actual mattress instead of a mat. Surprisingly, there was an art set lying on his bed; paints, pencils, and charcoals, with pads of paper. Minegumo sent Sooun a quizzical look, which he laughed at.
"We don't just do illusions and what not, Minegumo." Sooun stated. Placing his hand on Minegumo's shoulder, he quickly explained the art supplies. "We in the Kurama Clan are also artists, and all of the best portraits and murals in the village were done by us. It's how we make our living when we aren't doing missions."
Sooun smiled. "Now. Why don't you go ahead and take a nap, yeah? I'm sure you're tired after your long journey." He softly clapped his hands; casting yet another Genjutsu as he tore through Minegumo's defenses and compelled him to sleep. And sure enough, Minegumo found himself nodding along: it had been a pretty long journey, hadn't it. And it wasn't like he didn't have more time to settle in.
"I'm gonna go to bed early, Mama." He declared. "I'll see you tomorrow."
And before Minegumo knew what he was doing, he found himself moving his art supplies to the floor as Sooun tucked him in. He was asleep moments later.
Dreams and Nightmares[]
Before, when Sooun used to subdue her through illusions, Asuna would sleep through the night; always having the most imaginative dreams. Now, two years following the first instance, she barely slept and almost always ended in a terrible nightmare; albeit she never remembered them. Precocious as always, her current theory was her father used to cast peaceful illusions but after two years of her constant punishment, he hoped to instill some fear into her through the genjutsu. Just a theory though.
Sensing her brother, whatever that meant, in the other room, she wanted to go talk to him; see if they really were similar. But her father's hounds, the twenty four hour guard, loomed and she knew there was no way they'd simply let her talk to him. But fortunately, after one hundred and four weeks of constant watch as well as growth in her own power, she knew the was a crack in the system. One of the shinobi, who just happened to be on watch currently, was mentally weak. He was always drunk or sad from some reason.
Nonetheless, carpe diem. While she was confident she could overcome this obstacle, she can't over-do it. The other guards and her father for matter, would sense her spike in chakra if she casted anything too powerful. Maintaining her cover as Genjutsu-sleeping child, she took a deep breath. Her first objective, increase the effects of the alcohol. Simple enough. With a simple thought, her wish became reality. Next, the harder of the two tasks: creating a realistic illusion of her sleeping self. Her father's teachings echoed inside her mind. "Detail Asuna. The key to a Genjutsu specialist winning is not power but detail. With a little more focus this time, an illusion of her spawned with incredible detail; the sheets were crumbled, a shadow extended away from her due to the light, an impressive feat from an impressive young girl.
Exiting the room, she swiftly entered the one of her brother. "Are you awake?" she whispered, gently closing the door behind her as to not alert anyone else of her arrival. "If you're not awake it...well, you probably wanna wake up."
Mineguno had strange dreams. It hadn't always been that way: while his memories were fuzzy, Minegumo knew he used to dream about regular things, even if he didn't know exactly what. After he came into his power, his dreams stopped being his own. Instead, he he dreamed what others dreamed about. It wasn't something that Minegumo could exactly control, and for the past six months, he'd more or less been an invisible observer to the dreams of everyone else around him. Until now.
For the first time in the last few months, Minegumo slept peacefully. He didn't dream, not really, but he slept, and was aware that he was sleeping. He wasn't sure for how long he slept, but he found himself rousing awake when he'd felt the "presence" again. Subtle, yet strong, like a whisper in the ear as his door slid open.
Sitting up, Minegumo's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room as he looked around; all sense of tiredness and thoughts of sleep falling away as if they'd never been there to begin with, as he found himself once again looking at his new sister.
"...What's going on?" Minegumo asked. Then he found himself frowning in confusion as his brain caught up to him. "Why was I asleep? I wasn't tired."
Asuna swiftly approached her new sibling; she got as close as he'd let her. "You can't speak too loudly. They'll hear us..." She thought about covering his mouth but honestly could've caused problems in its own right. She glanced backwards to verify no one heard them, even though she could sense no one did. "I know a spot where we can talk but you have to.." she raised her index finger by her mouth and kissed her lips, signaling the shhh to Minegumo. "Follow me.."
Without checking if he would, Asuna exited the room. As if she was crossing the street, she quickly looked in both directions before dashing to through the halls. Her speed wasn't exceptional but it wasn't anything to laugh at either; there were no wasted movements. Suddenly leaping upward she entered the ventilation system. Due to her size, she, and now Minegumo, were the only ones to rationally consider and access this route. Crawling through the vents, she inevitably made it outside on the roof of the estate. "So.." she hesitated for second. "Sorry about earlier! I was kinda nervous about the whole thing.." she giggled, swaying side to side as if she were nervous.
Minegumo didn't know what to make of his new sister. She was interesting at least: she obviously knew how things in her (his? their?) home worked, that was clear. But he couldn't help but wonder what that meant: that she knew she couldn't speak too loudly; that she'd snuck into his room in the middle of the night just so they could talk.
As she took off, Minegumo did his best to keep up with her, but it wasn't easy and he knew he was lagging behind her. She was quick and with her bright eyes and flowing hair, she once again reminded Minegumo of a wolf. Crawling behind her up the ventilation shaft, he wondered what he was doing: following his new sister as they snuck through the house.
Within moments, they'd made it the roof, where they finally stopped. Minegumo took a moment take a breath, before looking up at his sister as she spoke.
"It's alright." Minegumo shook his head. He tried for a smile, pushing his messy hair out of his face. "I was nervous too...I still am, I guess."
"Yeah, but don't worry!" her voice settling, losing all traces of any nervousness. "With me here, you have nothing to worry about!" A distinct smile emerged on her face. Her eyes glistened in the moonlight. She turned away from her brother for a moment before returning to the conversation. "So what's it like where you're from. Ever since my curse.." her eyes rolled recalling her mother's thoughts from earlier, "..awakened I don't really get to leave the house much anymore."
Before her brother could even respond she realized she kinda left the conversation in a sorry state. "But it hasn't been too bad! I got to meet the Hokage a couple months ago. He was really nice!" She recalled the story her the blonde haired shinobi told her. "Even though he had a demon inside him that killed a bunch of people, he ended up being the most loved and respected guy in the whole wide world!"
"I lived in the Iron Temple first," Minegumo began. "Then I got sent off to be a samurai and it was nice there, I guess. I had lots of friends...at least, I did until my powers came," He frowned as he recalled how things had been these past few months. Lowering his head, he all but mumbled, "Everyone stopped liking me because I knew things about them."
That was putting it lightly. While they pretended, Minegumo knew the truth. They thought it was weird, that he knew so much about them when he'd never gotten told to begin with. They'd started calling him a "Dark Magician" because of he could do: how he could disappear and reappear like a ghost during games, how he always knew when the other kids were lying.
"I killed people." Minegumo wasn't sure why he blurted that out, but it was done now. And he couldn't get hurt question from earlier that day out his mind. "I don't know what happened...but I know I killed them. They said that I had evil inside of me." His head snapped up as she talked about her Hokage. "Everyone really likes him even though he had a demon in him? Do you think we can be like that too?"
Asuna's eyes glared intensely as her brother spoke about his past; killing people, his alias, his power. It was exactly what she wanted to hear. But her interest subsided the moment his sympathetic nature was expressed. Of course, it was her goal to try and draw it out by using the story with the Hokage, but she had hoped they were more alike than simply heritage and abilities.
For the past few years, even before she awoke her Kekkei Genkai, she could tell she was odd. Her father always tried to brush it off, saying she was just strong-willed or independent, but her mother always knew. She had a habit of breaking the rules, not following instructions, even physically harming others. It got worse when she did awaken her unique abilities; literally torturing nearly anyone she could. Once again, her father neglected these tendencies; blaming the power she inherited, the Idō. Along with the epithet "Witch", another thought she heard others use was psychopath. She didn't mind though, in actuality, she wore like a badge of honor. She didn't want or need those habits and tendencies people described as remorse or sympathy. They served as a hinderance to her exploration and goals.
Her blank expression had returned, the real Asuna had returned. With every conversation and every interaction, she was getting better at hiding her real self; reading people, especially those close to her age, even without abilities was no incredible feat. But there was no reason to hide her true self from her brother. It wouldn't be long before he realized it himself.
"Who cares..." she began, a hint of disgust hid in her voice. "If you live your life focused on what other people think about you, you'll live a life based on what they want."
Minegumo's brow furrowed and he looked at his sister intently as he picked up the subtle shift in her voice. She'd changed: right before his eyes and he wasn't sure what he was seeing. Was it because of him? Had he done something wrong that'd made her act like this?
He shook his head. "I just want people to not be scared of me," he said, looking away from her piercing eyes as his passive nature came through. "I don't like people being scared of me. It feels weird, and it makes me feel weird too."
And that was what it boiled down to. Minegumo was a people-pleaser: he went along with what others did, played the games they wanted, and liked to help out whenever he could. And he liked the feelings that people had when he helped them: how warm and bright they were, like Suns. But when they were afraid of him? They turned cold and sharp, like a snowstorm. And they made him feel cold too.
"What's wrong with caring about people?" Minegumo couldn't help but ask. "Everyone cares about someone, don't they?"
What? Asuna was puzzled by Minegumo's statements. "Yourself?" she answered, surprised that she even had too. "Are you dumber than you look? You're stupid if you believe someone else is more important than you!" She struggled to verbalize her thoughts; the issues of being a six year old. "You know how people think, how selfish everyone else is. It sucks living for someone else." Never has Asuna ever vocalized her beliefs like this. The whole idea of it was contradictory to the beliefs themselves. Discussing an alternate solution to a problem she's already solve, redundant. "You really can't believe that?!?!"
"Don't call me that!" Minegumo snapped back. Once again, he was confused about what'd just happened: they'd just been talking and now she was upset, as if he'd yelled at her or said something mean. "I'm not stupid, so don't call me that!" Being insulted or made fun of had always been something of a trigger for Minegumo. He wasn't stupid: he knew he wasn't. And no one, not even he new sister was going to get away with calling his names. He bit his lip, taking a deep breath, like the priests at the Iron Temple taught him.
"I like people." Minegumo said after a moment of silence. She just didn't get it, he decided. He thought back to the flurry of emotions he'd sensed earlier that day, and came to the conclusion that his sister was acting like this because of that. She just needed a friend. "And I like you too, so there."
"Well, I DON'T like you!" she exclaimed, losing her stoic expression. The idea of her forcing him to submit to her will did cross her mind, however, the problems immediately came to mind. Firstly, her father and guards would most definitely sense the spike in chakra coming from her. Secondly, she wasn't sure she could do it without a challenge. Based on her inability to penetrate his thoughts earlier, she wasn't sure he'd go down without a struggle; nor how he'd retaliate. According to her father, a genjutsu specialist should never overestimate their abilities nor underestimate their opponent's. The key was control.
"It's like speaking to a brick wall with you..." Once again, her face reverted to its default state. "I'm not going to argue with someone who has a tiny brain." She began to head back to the vent.
"Stop saying stuff about me!" Minegumo exclaimed back; eyes flashing as he balled his fists. When she made to leave, he found himself panicking for a moment, before following after her and blurting out, "And I'll show you! I'll show you that you're wrong! AND I STILL LIKE YOU AND I WON'T STOP EVEN IF YOU'RE A BULLY!"
With the conversation seemingly starting to repeat itself, Asuna sighed before returning back to the vent then returning to the room; she expected but didn't care if Minegumo did the same.
The First of Many[]
In the months following, Asuna and Minegumo trained under Sooun to hone their powerful uncontrolled powers. Their relationship didn't deteriorate but nor did it improve. While neither of them mastered their Kekkei Genkai, both had enough control to be admitted into the Ninja Academy. Days after the academy's welcoming ceremony, their father decided to host a little spar between the two of them to gauge their skill before the academy; only to test it again once they became Genin.
The past few months for Asuna were all about control. She wanted to become a kunoichi; she wanted freedom, power and all things that come with the status. However, there was no chance her father or the Village Higher ups would allow her near other children or civilians if she couldn't prove she had control; not only of her abilities but her outlandish tendencies as well. Thus these last few months were beyond difficult. She had to willing forgo a passing moment of interest for the overall habitability; something incredibly difficult for psychopath like herself. It required commitment, restraint, intelligence and little help from her powers...
But after several months of struggling, a new Asuna took shape. She was outgoing, sympathetic, kind; nothing like her old self. She managed to make friends; actually she was kinda popular among the other young girls now (Not too surprising consider her unquestionable beauty). While there were still some people who are dubious about her sudden change, her mother not even entertaining the idea, the effort and clear motivation were more than enough to convince her those who held power over her to allow her into the academy.
"Why am I fighting Gumo, papa?" She asked her father, as the two walked to the small training area within the estate.
"Gumo, where did you get that little nickname?" Sooun chuckled, pleased with her newfound sense of humor. "Well, after months of training, I wanna see how much you guys have grown."
She could tell that wasn't everything her father had in mind, she had gotten better at even reading him (Not through her powers just yet), but she knew better than to ask.
The training area was a massive room with hardwood floors and padded walls. Both Asuna and Minegumo have trained here so both were quite familiar with the layout.
"Speaking of which where is Minegumo?" Sooun spoke as he opened the door to the training area.
"I'm here Sooun-er, father." Minegumo announced with a bright smile as they stepped into the training area. Seeing his sister behind Sooun, Minegumo's smile faltered for a moment, before it returned just as fast.
Minegumo had spent the last few months being integrated into the Kurama Clan as a fully recognized member. It was a long process that had meant learning all of their customs and traditions, familiarizing himself with the other clan members and their duties, and learning about his clans history. It wasn't easy: the history of the Kurama Clan wasn't a short one, and it was not a fully happy one either. But it was still important to know, and so Minegumo had sat down dutifully during his lessons and made sure to memorize as much as he could.
And during this time, Minegumo had also learned more about his power, or Kekkei Genkai as it was called. More power to more or less make his illusions real, if only in a mental sense, among other things. Minegumo didn't fully understand it, but from what he'd learned, his power to sense emotions and read minds stemmed from his Kekkei Genkai; something about the amount of spiritual power Minegumo had. Under Sooun's watchful eye, Minegumo slowly but surely learned to reign in his power, if only a little. While he still had the "whispers" in the back of his mind, they weren't so loud anymore and he grew to where he could read anyone.
Well, almost anyone.
As Minegumo had learned, certain others were either immune or highly resistant to his powers. While Minegumo could at least pick up base sensations from his fellow clansmen (and could even project his own onto them), his Father, Sooun, had proved to be an exception. On more than one occasion, Minegumo had attempted to read Sooun's mind, but had only gotten what felt like an wall each time. And as Minegumo learned, trying to probe that wall would only end up in painful headaches. That wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't the mischievous and sly looks the man gave him every time.
His sister too, proved to be the exception to Minegumo's powers. Only, where Sooun was a brick wall, Asuna might as well have not even existed. Minegumo couldn't understand it: he could sense her, had an easier time of it than anyone else sometimes, but he couldn't read her, and that frustrated him more than he wanted to admit. Asuna had changed in the last few months, and Minegumo wasn't sure what to make of it. She was nicer and had friends, but the first night he'd moved in, she'd all but shouted at him that he was stupid for caring about people.
"I'm ready for our duel," Minegumo said, level and polite.
Asuna wasn't surprised to see her foolish brother waiting for their arrival; the inferior should wait for their betters. But despite wanting to tell Gumo how idiotic he is for waiting, Asuna bit her tongue. "Wow, Gummy-Bear. It's just a spar, no need to take it so seriously..." she said instead. However, regardless of what came out of her mouth, Asuna did care about this so-called "duel". It wasn't about validating her superiority, no, she needed no confirmation for the obvious. But, there is something. She couldn't put her finger on it but she's going to win, she had to. Moving around her father, Asuna made her way to the center of the room, several feet away from her brother.
"Make sure to go easy on me. Okay, Gummybear?" Asuna playfully uttered, her blue-eyes switching into their iconic pink glitter. With the specialized training the two of them have gone through both were easily genin-level shinobi. Asuna was confident in her powers, but there were certain unknowns she couldn't account for: Minegumo's swordsmanship being the most glaring. Nonetheless, she had a couple strategies in place.
Sooun stayed near the door as they two prepared for battle. "Remember now, the most important thing about this exercise is not losing control of your power. If I see either of you guys over-extending yourselves, I'll immediately intervene and your opponent will win. Outside of that, standard training rules. Got it!"
Asuna quickly responded, "Yes Daddy!" before focusing her attention to Minegumo.
Gummybear? Minegumo felt his eye twitch at the nickname and his hand spasmed; making a jerking motion to Benihime at his waist. Well, sword was pushing it. Benihime was a shinai; a bamboo practice sword given to all trainees of the Samurai organization. While Minegumo was no longer part of the organization, he'd spent a year and half observing and being taught some techniques, though he doubted any of them would do more than give Asuna some scrapes and bruises at the very most.
When Sooun spoke, Minegumo listened intently, though he never once took his eyes off his Asuna. When his sisters eyes changed, he felt his own power rise to the surface as was often the case when he sensed Asuna's power. Without looking, he knew his eyes had flared.
"Got it, Father." Minegumo answered without taking his eyes off his sister.
And then the duel had started. Minegumo bit his lip, running through all of the Genjutsu he knew. In between leaving the Land of Iron and being integrated in the Kurama Clan, Minegumo had been taught a handful of Genjutsu: all very basic and low-levelled. Taking a deep breath, he recalled Sooun's lessons and the advice he always imparted: be smart, be creative, and always be careful.
With that in mind, Minegumo summoned his chakra and jumped back as he went through the handsigns for the first illusion he'd been taught, and the one that had quickly become his favorite. A moment later, and four phantasmal copies of Minegumo appeared. The clones were near identical to Minegumo himself, and though they had no physical sustenance, the fact wasn't too obvious to see. Putting his hand on Benihime, Minegumo willed his servants to surround Asuna with the intent to attack her with their own shinai.
Upon the commencement of the duel, Asuna didn't waste a single movement. As her brother leaped backwards to create some distance, Asuna opted to remain stationary; drawing upon her chakra and weaving a few hand signs of her own. "Clone Technique.." she vocalized rather quickly as his clones surrounded her. At that moment, a noticeably large amount of smoke surrounded her. Unlike usual, where the smoke would almost immediately dissipate after casting the technique, the room began fill up with smoke.
With the smoke hiding her visually and her clones now scattered throughout the room to mask her location from chakra sensing, Asuna's voice began to echo in all directions. "Might wanna hold your breath Gummybear. One whiff of this poison and you'll be out all night..." she spoke, also alerting her father to the situation in case he may want to leave. Somewhere in the smoke, Asuna began to weave even more hand-signs as she'd wait to see her brother's response.
A smoke bomb! Minegumo grimaced and for once, did exactly as his sister said: he held his breath, raising his shirt to his mouth and nose. As much as he hated it, Minegumo had to hand it to her: it was a smart move; for not only had Asuna effectively defended herself, but she'd also been quick to turn things around him. And to top it off, he couldn't track her down by sensing either: her clones pinged his radar as if they were really her. Well, two could play at that game.
Keeping note of the expanding smoke, Minegumo moved quickly. First, he summoned his chakra and placed his hands into the Ram seal. "Cloaking Technique" He intoned. The technique was a low level, E-rank, that essentially wrapped him a thin shroud of Chakra that masked him from sight, although he could still be heard. And since his own mist servants were also out, Minegumo presumed the technique would jam Asuna's own chakra sensing in the same way that his own was. And as the shroud enveloped him, Minegumo ducked down low where the air was clearest and quickly crawled out one of the walls in the training room; taking deep breaths of cool and fresh air once he was free of the smoke.
Getting to his feet, he managed to catch sight of one of her clones running around and pursed his lips. Well, he knew how to get rid of those. Taking another deep breath, he pulled out a pair of kunai with explosive tags attached to them and threw them haphazardly into the smoke.
"Better come out, Susu!" Minegumo called out. "Unless you want to get blown up!"
Using a rather useful technique, Asuna remained in the one area she knew would be safe from her opponent's onslaught: the roof. Being the mischievous girl she is, Asuna lied about the smoke being poison, thus the smoke only had a slight effect on her lungs. With her many clones scattered and maneuvering all throughout the room, it would've been near impossible to pinpoint in her that spot while focused on handling the so called poison. Nonetheless, the effort created enough of a diversion and captivated enough of her brother's interest for her to set up her plan.
"You'll have to find me if ya wanna blow me up..." Suddenly, all of Asuna's chakra signatures vanished. As the smoke slowly began to fade away, silence filled the room.
"Stop stop STOP!" Sooun announced, walking into the battlefield. "I thought you guys were going to have a genjutsu battle not a battle to the death." He slowly attempted to navigate to the middle of the room despite the smoke and destruction. "If you guys are gonna go all out like this we should move to a more open area like the public training field."
Asuna's voice echoed in the northern part of the room. "Tell Gummybear to stop throwing paper bombs like a mad man and I'll come out."
The smoke began to fade in the lower areas revealing Sooun in a guarded stance; ready to intercept any attack either of them launched in case they had the crazy idea to continue the fight. "Why don't you both come out at the same time. Minegumo one meter in front of me and Asuna a meter behind." Taking a deep breath, he started to count down. "One two..."
Minegumo bit his lip at his sister's declaration, and fully frowned when her Chakra signature suddenly vanished. He'd never experienced something like that before, and had to stop himself from gasping out and giving away his location. One second, Asuna's signature lit up the room; the next, it was gone. When the smoke began to fade and her clones remained, he eyed the vicinity warily and grabbed hold of Benihime.
And then his father walked onto the field, calling a stop to the duel as Asuna blamed him, Minegumo, for what'd happened. Minegumo shook his head, feeling torn. He didn't want to end the duel: he couldn't explain it, but Minegumo desperately wanted to win. Needed to. Against anyone else, and Minegumo might not have cared, but this was his genius sister, and so he couldn't help but be as invested in this as he was.
"Asuna was the one who tried to poison me!" As the smoke faded, Minegumo came to stand next to Sooun: moving slowly as he looked warily around the room. Minegumo looked at his father, before looking down; feeling guilty for the obvious upset in the mans face. "...I'm sorry, Father."
Asuna's clones suddenly disappeared and from the corner of the roof, where the most smoke remained, Asuna revealed herself. As her father coughed from all the smoke, using his hand to cover his mouth, Asuna spoke. "It wasn't even real. You're just a big gummy who doesn't understand all forms of deception are allowed in combat."
"Alright alright..." Sooun spoke, taking step back so the two of them could face each other. "Now why don't the two of you dispel your techniques so we can move outside and continue this battle." his cough continued.
"I'm not casting any techniques papa..." Asuna responded, looking visibly concerned for her father's well-being.
"Oh really, why don't you guys do the seal of reconciliation then. Bring this battle to a complete stop."
Asuna stuck out her arm, her two fingers ready to embrace her brother's.
"Says the one who fell for my exploding tag ruse." Minegumo shot back. A lie: they were the true genuine article, but it was the principal of the matter. Minegumo looked at Asuna warily, taking in her open expression, before turning to Sooun, who was still coughing. Maybe he'd had gone a little overboard: exploding tags were an extremity that even most Jōnin didn't use, much less those who weren't even in the academy yet.
Minegumo sighed. "Yes, Father."
He vanished from the spot and a moment later, there was a ripple in the air as Minegumo, the true Minegumo appeared on the field. Walking to Asuna, he held his own two fingers in an exact mirror of his sisters and moved to embrace hers.
"You really are a dummy, my sweet gummy-bear..." Sooun spoke, swiftly moving behind his son, who was now less than a meter away and almost certainly had his guard down. In hand was a kunai pointed at Minegumo's jugular, ready to strike if Minegumo moved even a millimeter. "I can't say I'm surprised though. You've always been too trusting for your own good.."At that moment, Asuna seemingly faded; revealing that she was really Sooun all along. Returning to her true state, Asuna confidently spoke, "Papa, does I need to make him surrender or is this enough."
Minegumo blinked, surprised, before clarity dawned on him. Looking at the kunai held at his jugular, then the wisps of white hair over her his shoulder, Minegumo froze, before anger and frustration rose within him. "You! You-you-" Minegumo couldn't bring his thoats in order, so great was his frustration. And as if in response, he felt his a rising sensation in the pit of his stomach and his eyes, normally dull gold, flared and brightened as his power activated. And with the rush of power, Minegumo moved.
As hard as he could, Minegumo snapped his head back as hard as he could; aiming for what he assumed and hoped was his sisters face as his hands moved through hand seals. "String Bean Binding Illusion..." Minegumo intoned. And then he vanished; disappearing from sight as several large bean vines appeared in his place and struck out to his sister. A Genjutsu passed down through the Kurama Clan, it was a simple, yet strong illusion that bound his target in vines; effectively immobilizing them. And with Nenmu enhancing the illusion, it was that much stronger: only a rival or superior illusionist could break out of it.
As the illusion took place, Minegumo allowed himself to become part of the illusion as a phantasmal bean bod covered him. With a hand on Benihime, Minegumo watched to see what his sister would do next. One way or another, he was ready for this practice duel to end.
With victory just in her grasp, Asuna was shocked to see it slip away as quick as it did. While Asuna had considered the possibility of Minegumo utilizing his Kekkei Genkai, she didn't think he'd have the balls to do it. You think you know a guy. The vines ensnared her body preventing her from moving as Gummybear slipped away. "Damn it.." she thought, anger engulfing her body. She regret not having counter-measures in place for this, just dumb.
Nonetheless, despite how she may feel about these unfortunate turn of events turns, now was not the time to focus on her mistakes. In order to settle her nerves and control her anger, Asuna manipulated her emotions to return to her natural apathetic pragmatic state. Once mentally serene, she commenced her counter-attack.
Minegumo had the advantage in casting and utilizing his Kekkei Genkai first, but he seemingly forgot one important aspect to genjutsu; it's all about deception. Not only did he announce the specific genjutsu he was casting before it took into effect but also conjured it in a fashion where there was no doubt that this was an illusion. Poor use of his Kekkei Genkai indeed. While her brain would consider the effects of the genjutsu to be real, the illusion didn't effect her memory or render her incapable of comprehending the situation. Thus, with her calm mind and proper assessment of the situation she can dispel the technique.
Sealing her eyes, she focused on her chakra flow. "Disrupt the flow..." she thought, recalling her training with her father. It was extremely unlikely that Minegumo, while keeping his powers in check, was a superior illusionist than Asuna. But she couldn't waste a single moment. Bitting her bottom lip with enough force that she'd start to bleeding excessively, she also focused on disruption. And like a bad dream, when she opened her eyes the vines were gone. It took nearly a third of her chakra to complete and a wound that couldn't be left untreated for long but she made it out.
"Is that all you got, Dummy Gummy..." she panted, both hands and knees on the ground as she gazed up to see him standing close by. Blood continued to drip down her lip. "Better attack now or you may not have another chance..."
Minegumo felt it when she broke through his illusion. One second, he'd been watching as vines ensnared his sister and the next, it was gone in a rush that made his head wince. He'd never had someone break his illusions before. While Sooun had escaped from them various times, no one had ever shattered them like Asuna had. It was another testament to her genius and skill, though he'd expect nothing less from her.
"I've got another trick up my sleeve." Mingeumo responded as he pushed pass the headache of his illusion being broken. Drawing his shinai, Minegumo focused his Chakra into the object: a crude imitation of the true samurai sabre technique, but effect still. Taking off after his sister, he raised the shinai high and swung it down for a blow that Minegumo was sure would end the duel. "Hope you're ready to lose, sister-mine."
As Minegumo dashed at her, Asuna couldn't help but smirk. "Imagine a loser like him already declaring his victory..." It was absurdly hilarious. And, she couldn't stand for it. Pushing off against the ground to raise her torso and free up her hands, she leaned backwards to give herself a little more time. With enough distance between them to only perform two hand signs her options were limited. Fortunately, she knew the perfect technique. With the blade coming down like a guillotine, Asuna gazed into Minegumo's eyes. "How could you..." her eyes filled with despair like a dog about to be put down.
Before the blade could connect, a light smokescreen emerged spontaneously. Unlike before, the smoke immediately cleared following Minegumo's swing. What awaited him was a horrid sight. Asuna, his own sister, covered in blood with a fatal wound from her shoulder all the way down to her waist. "How could you...Gummy Bear..." she struggled, using her last breath to convey that message. Behind him, Sooun emerged from behind the door. "I told you...don't lose control..." His father fell to his knees spitting out tons of blood. His last words, "I'll never...forgive you..."
With almost all of her remaining chakra, Asuna performed the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. With it, she conjured an illusion that would entrap her brother in a nightmare that she believed was his greatest fear; killing his love ones because he lost control. She was only able to come to this conclusion after months of training with him but mostly because of their first conversation together. He cared about people, especially those close to him. It was a glaring weakness and Asuna has always planned to exploit it. The technique cost her most her energy as she amplified its effects through her own Kekkei Genkai; making him think he actually slaughtered them, an exemplary use of the ability. This was her ace, in her eyes this was the path to certain victory.
Minegum blinked at the sudden smokescreen and as he swung down, he felt confusion and wariness overtake him. He quickly ended the technique, and almost swayed as the cost of the bastardized samurai sabre caught up with him. While not as drawing as the true amount would have been, it still cost Minegumo a good amount of Chakra. If he had to keep stock, he was at maybe a quarter of his usual reserves; maybe less. Shaking his head, Minegumo got his bearings and froze at the gruesome scene before him. There, in front of him, was none other than Asuna; beaten as he'd hoped. But instead of the hurt and beaten scene that he'd assumed would be awaiting him, it was even worse. Asuna had been brutalized, as if she'd gone up against someone and lost in the worst way possible.
"Wh-what?" Minegumo backed away and felt a shudder pass through him as she spoke. He didn't understand: the charged shinai shouldn't have done this! It was a weak, bastardized technique that should have given her some scrapes and bruises and nothing more. "I don't ..I didn't...this wasn't me." He took another step back, only to freeze when he stumbled into a solid object as something warm and wet splattered onto his neck. Turning slowly, Minegumo all but screamed; tears coming to his eyes as he came face to face with his father.
"Father?..." Minegumo asked softly, voice trembling as he took in the sight of the man. Like Asuna, Sooun too looked beat up; limping and spitting up blood, before suddenly falling to the ground. And when he spoke, Minegumo felt his blood run cold as yet another shudder go through him, and another voiced called out to him. "What have you done, Minegumo?"
Whipping his head up, Minegumo saw that it was none other than his mother, Mika. "Mama?" Minegumo called out hopefully. With shaking legs, he made to go toward her, only to freeze as she suddenly recoiled. "Don't come near me, monster!" Mika spat out, fixing Minegumo with a look that stopped him cold in his tracks. He recoiled as if he'd been struck, and found himself backing away from her. "You're just like your sister, you Dark Magician!"
Minegumo flinched once more, but suddenly froze. Looking up, he felt the panic within him lower just the smallest amount as he looked to Mika. "What did you say?"
"You heard me, Dark Magician!" His mother spat out. "You're just like that Witch!" That Witch. Following his mother's gaze, he looked behind himself. Forcing himself to go pass Sooun, he continued until he found Asuna again. That Witch. The two words repeated in his head like a mantra or a chant. That Witch. And then the name she called him; Dark Magician. It was the title and nickname he'd gotten at the Samurai Organization when he'd started coming into his powers. But his Mom wouldn't have known that. He'd never told her: hadn't wanted her to find out.
"This isn't real." Minegumo said softly, answering his own question. I was a Genjutsu, it had to have been. His eyes once again, landed on his sister. She must have cast it on him, but when? When he attacked her? Earlier, when he'd used his own Genjutsu on her? He didn't know, and it wasn't important right now. For now, the most important matter was breaking free. But how? He recalled his own lessons with Sooun for breaking a Genjutsu: find the weak point and then disrupt it. He'd found the weakpoint, but how to disrupt it? The answer came to him in a moment.
Closing his eyes, he whipped into his hand into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai. And before he could psych himself out, he cut himself directly in his palm. At the same time, he once again called upon his Kekkei Genkai: using its activation to send a pulse of chakra through himself. And when he opened his eyes again, he was once again standing in the training room, though the illusion had been broken. It hadn't been easy: not only was his hand bleeding and stinging, but he was also on the last scraps of his Chakra. But he'd broken out of her illusion. And by keeping his kekkei genkai active, he also ensured that he would at least be aware of if she attempted to cast another one.
"Nicely done, Asuna." Minegumo said in between pants. On shaky legs, he looked around, a calm expression that belied all of the tension he was feeling. He'd underestimated her, he realized. Asuna was true kunoichi: every bit as good as him in Genjutsu, and even more exploitive. He'd been a fool to underestimate her, but it was a mistake that he wouldn't make again. "But I think it's time we finish this now," Minegumo suggested, wearing a brittle smile that belied how upset he truly was. He calmly picked his shinai back up and gripped it tightly as he looked around the field. He had two final plans in mind, and both would ensure Asuna wouldn't be the winner.
"So much for certain victory..." Asuna thought as she noticed her brother had awaken from his forced slumber. But technique was not entirely a failure. In the brief time her brother was rendered inactive, Asuna treated her wound and returned to the safety of the roof. She contemplated finishing him off but she opted to take the safe route and maintain her distance. Was it the right move, probably not, but she had already taken the risk of using her Kekkei Genkai and she needed to minimize risk.
She didn't bother suppressing her chakra or masking her location like last time, it wasn't worth risking the chakra she had left. Instead Asuna decided to utilize her chakra in one final stand. As Minegumo grabbed his blade, Asuna commenced her assault.
With minimal chakra output, Asuna focused her chakra into her palm and gently touched the rough. At that moment, the entire surface began to tremble, crack and then shatter. Given the surface area of the roof, there was no way she could've had enough chakra to fully dismantle the surface. Fortunately she didn't have to. Any spectator or keen observer would have noticed that Asuna had gone through her reserves rather quickly, especially given her ability to control her chakra. Asuna, being the young tactician she was, commenced this plan since the very beginning of the battle, no even before that.
As stated, Asuna and Minegumo were both familiar with the training area. However, in the days leading up to the battle, Asuna made sure to know the room like the back of her hand; this included the structure of the roof. She studied it and came to know the structure's weak spots. At the beginning of the battle, when she summoned a mist of smoke to hide her movements, she made her way to the roof and sabotaged the structure in just the right spots leaving the roof almost completely compromised. This was no simple feat as it drained a good amount of her chakra reserves early on, chakra reserves she could've used for other illusions. But now, in the end game with not a lot of options left, it was completely worth.
The roof collapsed and like a hurricane, it came down with a lot of force. Wood, pipes, small amounts of cement, even significant amounts of metal came hurdling down. With distance between the ceiling and the floor, escape would be risky. Asuna remained by latching onto a pipe that wasn't directly connected to the roof. As ceiling came raining down on her brother she contemplated wasting the remainder of her chakra. Originally, Asuna had planned to securing victory by utilizing the Enlargement Technique to maximize the area and damage but she felt her conscious fading and the sound of her Ido looming. Instead, using the one Kunai paper bomb at her disposal, she dropped it along with the rubble, causing an explosion to occur; which would leave the room in absolute destruction and spread the chaos even more.
Asuna eyes grew heavier as she watched the whole spectacle; she needed to make sure her brother was done for good this time. With an attack that covered the entire radius of the battlefield, its unlikely that he'd be able to use the Body Replacement Technique as there would be no where to escape; unless he managed to leave the room in which she'd be it'd be her victory. Unless he's been completely holding back his sword-skills, a deception in it own right, she couldn't think of a way he'd make it out of this. This had to be checkmate.
Where was she? Minegumo frowned, looking around the room for his sister, only to feel a chill go down his spine as he felt a familiar flare of chakra in his radar. Snapping to attention, he turned, focusing his sight to the roof, where, sure enough, Asuna was watching him. A moment later and the entire surface trembled, before it seemed to explode as debris fell down like a storm. Wood and glass, metal and cement; it all came raining down on him and for a moment, Minegumo was truly shocked, before his brain jump started again.
What could he do? The Body Replacement was out of the question, as was the Body Flicker Technique: the storm of debris was too all encompassing. He racked his brain, looking around, before another idea came to him. It was crazy, but Minegumo was desperate and at the moment, it was the last thing he could think of doing. Especially since Asuna had just thrown and detonated an explosive tag into storm of debris.
Moving quickly, Minegumo picked up the discarded explosive-tagged kunai he'd thrown earlier and threw them with all of his might toward Asuna. At the same time, Minegumo channeled the last quarter of Chakra he had and viciously ripped at it; falling to his knees as chakra exhaustion threatened to knock him out. Gritting his teeth, he pushed passed it gripped his shinai tightly; pumping chakra into it and using pinpoint control to keep it within the bamboo. What he was about to do was something he'd never done before, something he'd never even learned since his mother refused to pick up his kenjutsu studies until he was at least officially enrolled in the Academy. But Minegumo had seen the technique in action before, and if his guess was right, then this technique might just save him and win the duel for him. If not, then he was about to be crushed by rubble and sent to the hospital for Chakra exhaustion. So no big deal, right? Right.
Rising to his feet; Minegumo gave one last swing of his shinai, in the direction he'd thrown his kunai: in Asuna's direction, where they detonated; adding to the explosion. At the same time, he used sensed out the chakra in his shinai and he forced it out at the same time he'd swung. The effect was immediate: the surge of chakra converting into a shockwave that shot out chaotically as an area of effect, effectively repelling anything and everything away from Minegumo in a storm of raw power. Anything and everything including the explosion of debris that his darling sister had sent at him.
As he fell once more on his knees, Minegumo patted himself on the back even as the room shook as shockwave destroyed the walls and doors and lifted up pieces of the ground around him. Not only had he turned his sisters attack back at her, but the shockwave also ensured that much like he'd had nowhere to run, neither would Asuna this time. The omnidirectional attack made it so that only Minegumo himself was left safe in small eye of the storm, and he doubted she'd be able to use the Body Replacement or Body Flicker to get away; there was nowhere for her to run and nothing for her to switch with. But his sister was slippery and he wouldn't underestimate her again. So with his Kekkei Genkai still on, he moved his gaze to where he could just barely see his sister. Ignoring the pounding in his head, he threw a final illusion. A simple one that would lock her in place as the explosion storm rushed at her. His body protested the act; forcing him to his knees and vomiting as chakra depletion hit him in full swing.
Then, when his eyes began to feel heavy, he allowed himself to fall on his knees, using his now-broken shinai to keep himself up. He officially no longer had the energy for any techniques, even activating an explosive tag. But that was okay; if Asuna managed to get out of this one, he'd just beat her down with his in-half shinai.
This was it. It was his ultimate and final move, and he truly didn't know what else to do besides his half-plan of being her with his shinai pieces.
A truly remarkable sight indeed. One that Asuna wouldn't get to bare witness. As stated, Asuna was beyond her breaking point; she was literally just hanging there. Throughout the battle, Sooun had considered multiple times stepping in but stopped himself as he had never seen his two children so invested before. He sat in awe as they performed feats he didn't even know they were capable of. But as he watched his training facilities roof collapse, he knew it was time to intervene. Initially, he thought he would have to save Minegumo from Asuna's devilish assault. But even he was caught off guard be his son's counter attack. "He didn't learn that here." he thought before safely removing Asuna from the brunt force of the assault.
As Minegumo attempted to further his attack on Asuna, Sooun emerged with his unconscious daughter in his arms. "I would say that's about the end of it..." he spoke, approaching his son in the war-torn training room. "You guys really made a mess outta this place. Honestly, I think I underestimated both of your capabilities." he giggled in disbelief. He honestly didn't wanna say it but even the most skilled genin-level shinobi struggle to perform quick and well designed attacks as they did. Upon hearing hearing more rubble drop from above, Sooun immediately announced, "Let's get outta here..." But before leaving he realized he forgot to say it. "But before we do...the winner is Minegumo Kurama. Nice fighting kiddo." he smiled sincerely, very proud of his son.
When his father appeared, Minegumo jumped. Or, he tried to. The moment he so much as twitched, his body once again revolted and he found himself falling to the floor, turning on his back to look at his father. Taking Sooun's smiling unhurt and unbloodied face, Minegumo felt a smile of his own break out as tears of joy came to him. "Papa."
Forcing himself up, Minegumo was surprised when Sooun simply picked him and placed him in his back in a show of strength. Smiling brightly, Minegumo allowed his face to fall in his father's back, before forcing himself up ever so slightly, so he could rest his head on Sooun's shoulder. Looking at Asuna, he found his smile slipping. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"Oh she'll be okay," Sooun answered with a giggle. "She'll be upset that she lost, but she needed to be taught this lesson. You both did." The lesson of pride and humility; of expanding your skill set and knowing when enough was enough. Sooun had no doubt that both his children would learn something from this: he could only hope the lessons would be taken to heart.
Minegumo nodded, eyes drooping. "Okay," He said, sleepily. "I'm glad. Asuna's crazy, but I'm glad she's my sister. She's kinda cool." And then, he was asleep; snoring on Sooun's shoulder as he let sleep overtake him.
At his son's words, Sooun burst out laughing. "Yes she is. I'm sure she's glad you're her brother too, son." Sooun was sure of it. While he knew his daughter could be...intense and insensitive at times, he didn't think he'd ever seen her get so worked up for anyone or anything the way she did with Minegumo. And Minegumo, so passive and cordial, truly shone when Asuna pushed him. In a way, his two children were like the sides of the same coin. Like night day, or the sun and the moon. "Or maybe like Diamonds and Pearls." Sooun giggled to himself.
That battle marked the first of many the two siblings would share, and though no one knew it, it was also the one that would dictate the relationship the two shared: rivals, and each others greatest challenger. And as the two continued to hone their skills and develop their mighty powers, they would both look back on their first battle, for it would not be until years later when they fought once more.