Damn! I knew he was hiding something from me, but I didn't know he was hiding this!
Shin stood before a patch of dirt at the dead end of a crooked alley. 'And then there were three' was etched into the brick-and-mortar wall behind it.
"By Raiden . . . this . . . this is Reikazu's grave!" Shin exclaimed as he slowly backed away from the grave.
"Indeed, my son," a familiar voice starlted the boy as he spun around.
"Father Soma!? The hell are you doing here?"
The supposed Priest of Raiden chuckled before quickly performing a lengthy series of handseals.
"You have been blessed with a glorious destiny, my son." The grave began to bulge outward as Shin reached for his blood-rusted kunai. "I am simply here to help you realize that destiny."
A hand broke through the grave and grabbed Shin's ankle, using the boy's weight to pull the rest of Reikazu's corpse out.
"Do not fret, my son. I will not harm you."
"Like hell you won't!" another familiar voice shouted from above as Damashi hopped down from the rooftop on top of his cousin's wrist, causing him to release Shin.
"Damashi!?" Shin exclaimed as he struggled to remain aware of his surroundings. "What is going?"
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Damashi spoke.
"Soma is the high priest of the Makaibatsu cult and successor to High Priest Kazujo," he explained as his eyes began swirling again. "The Sentama and the Makaibatsu have been enemies since before the Hidden Villages were founded. Now, there's only three of us left."
Shin's eyes opened wide as the cryptic message on the wall finally made sense. But one question still lingered.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Your destiny, my son," High Priest Soma answered this time. "Once the world is rid of these last three heathens, Lord Zansatsu shall return to his full power and glory!"
Shin's mouth hung open as he fell to his knees.
This is what you've been hiding from me, isn't it, Leech?
Zansatsu merely chuckled, his malevolent laughter reverberating deep within Shin's mind and soul.
"No . . . no! . . ."
"It is your destiny, my son! You must embrace it!"
"No! I will carve my own destiny, starting with your dead body!" Shin shouted as he lunged towards High Priest Soma, his kunai gripped firmly in his hand. But before he could even draw blood, Damashi grabbed him by his wrist.
"This is not your fight yet," Damashi hypnotized the young student as his silver Sharingan flashed. For a moment, Shin simply glared into the man's eyes, struggling to resist his influence, but then even without the Genjutsu working on him, Shin saw the wisdom in Damashi's words.
"You're right . . . " he admitted before fleeing from the alley.
[Mission Complete - WC 461]
Shin stood before a patch of dirt at the dead end of a crooked alley. 'And then there were three' was etched into the brick-and-mortar wall behind it.
"By Raiden . . . this . . . this is Reikazu's grave!" Shin exclaimed as he slowly backed away from the grave.
"Indeed, my son," a familiar voice starlted the boy as he spun around.
"Father Soma!? The hell are you doing here?"
The supposed Priest of Raiden chuckled before quickly performing a lengthy series of handseals.
"You have been blessed with a glorious destiny, my son." The grave began to bulge outward as Shin reached for his blood-rusted kunai. "I am simply here to help you realize that destiny."
A hand broke through the grave and grabbed Shin's ankle, using the boy's weight to pull the rest of Reikazu's corpse out.
"Do not fret, my son. I will not harm you."
"Like hell you won't!" another familiar voice shouted from above as Damashi hopped down from the rooftop on top of his cousin's wrist, causing him to release Shin.
"Damashi!?" Shin exclaimed as he struggled to remain aware of his surroundings. "What is going?"
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Damashi spoke.
"Soma is the high priest of the Makaibatsu cult and successor to High Priest Kazujo," he explained as his eyes began swirling again. "The Sentama and the Makaibatsu have been enemies since before the Hidden Villages were founded. Now, there's only three of us left."
Shin's eyes opened wide as the cryptic message on the wall finally made sense. But one question still lingered.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Your destiny, my son," High Priest Soma answered this time. "Once the world is rid of these last three heathens, Lord Zansatsu shall return to his full power and glory!"
Shin's mouth hung open as he fell to his knees.
This is what you've been hiding from me, isn't it, Leech?
Zansatsu merely chuckled, his malevolent laughter reverberating deep within Shin's mind and soul.
"No . . . no! . . ."
"It is your destiny, my son! You must embrace it!"
"No! I will carve my own destiny, starting with your dead body!" Shin shouted as he lunged towards High Priest Soma, his kunai gripped firmly in his hand. But before he could even draw blood, Damashi grabbed him by his wrist.
"This is not your fight yet," Damashi hypnotized the young student as his silver Sharingan flashed. For a moment, Shin simply glared into the man's eyes, struggling to resist his influence, but then even without the Genjutsu working on him, Shin saw the wisdom in Damashi's words.
"You're right . . . " he admitted before fleeing from the alley.
[Mission Complete - WC 461]