Chapter 79

Title: Reckoning

....

General POV

Yugakure, known as the Village Hidden in Hot Water, is a village hidden away in a region with hot springs and volcanic activity. The area is characterized by its unique landscape, featuring steamy geysers and thermal pools.

The village architecture integrates seamlessly with the natural hot springs, creating a distinct atmosphere. Buildings are often built to harness the thermal energy, blending tradition with practicality. 

Yugakure has a history steeped in secrecy, and its ninja are skilled in covert operations. The village is relatively small compared to some of the major hidden villages.

Standing outside the village, what used to be a village as described was the exact opposite. The hot springs that were once an allure to those who visited were steeped in blood, even the previous steamy atmosphere was filled with eerie bloody Steam with a smell so pungent that the various Shinobi sent to investigate the place were all keeping a good distance.

"Taicho!" A voice saluted a new arrival causing the people around him to look towards the man approaching. From the haori he dorned, they all immediately understood his status  leading to them also saluting.

Looking at the people saluting him so stiffly the new arrival waved his hands at them and said. "At ease guys, y'all should know I don't like things like this."

"Forgive us, but it's protocol."

"Tch." The man clicked his tongue at their stiff reply and then turned towards the village. "What's the latest intel?"

A woman from the side walked forward and began updating him on the happenings since the news was sent back to the village.

"So you're saying that in the four days it took me to walk over here, none of you could enter the village and bury those unfortunate victims?" He asked with a small frown on his face.

Of course he understood that the bloody mist covering the village was infused with a massive amount of chakra, but he had to just behave like he doesn't.

"Apparently, the mist is infused with some form of chakra, anyone who enters has his blood sucked out of him, leaving him as nothing but a husk." The lady said and pointed to an area where a couple bodies laid with horrified looks on their faces.

"They're not ours..." He said seeing the mark on their headband.

"Hm. They're Iwa-nins. We warned them of the abnormalities but they thought of wimps." She said with a shrug.

"And the Kumo-nin?" He asked as he spotted a lone Kumo ninja also dead.

"They took our warning seriously and only sent one person. Perhaps he volunteered to ascertain the falsities in our warning, leading to his current predicament." 

"I see." The captain said and approached the mist. Standing in front of it for a few seconds, he said. "Tell everyone to move a good distance away. There might be a battle breaking out soon."

"Taicho! Do you mean to enter there?" The lady asked with an horrified look on her face. The others too, but he merely waved his hand at them.

"Daijobu Daijobu, ore ga ichiban tsuyoi(I'm the strongest)" he said and flashed her a toothy smile, rendering her immobile due to the glittering anime effect.

And before she or the others could return to their senses, he was already inside the mist. However, contrary to the previous victims, he was walking as though taking a stroll in his backyard with the mist making way for him as he walked.

"That's...."

"Amazing. As expected of a captain."

"Pui, what do you know? He's Shun-dono, the strongest genius in our village."

"Exactly, not all captains could walk in there that confidently."

...

Meanwhile, in the camp of the other two villages, their scouts also informed them of the newest arrival and entrant into the mist.

"You mean a captain is here?" A burly man asked with an annoyed look on his face. However, the annoyance was merely a cover for his fear of the word 'captain'

As per his status, knowing of the inner workings of Hanagakure allowed him to understand the absurdity that were the captains, not to mention the requirements to even become one.

"Do you know which one came here?" He asked after his subordinate nodded.

"No, but from what I heard from the gold Rankers around, he's the strongest person in the village, whether it's wild confidence or just blind devotion, I don't know."

"I see... Well, was there anything special about him?" The man asked again.

The subordinate made to shake his head but suddenly stopped and said. "He seemed to be wearing a blindfold, for whatever reason,"

"WHAT?! Wha-What did you say?" The man exclaimed and stood up from his chair.

"I said he's wearing a blindfold."

"It can't be...That man..he's a captain already?" The man muttered to himself with a wry smile. "He's already that strong, heh. No wonder he could enter that place unscathed." 

"Gather up our men, we're leaving." He immediately ordered, much to the shock of the scout.

"Bu-"

"That's an order. I'll take responsibility when I meet the Tsuchikage. I'm sure he too will understand." The man said and flickered away.

If Shun or Itachi were here, they would undoubtedly recognise the squad leader...He was Jiro of Iwagakure. The one person that managed to make both Itachi and Shun actually use their Black Flames and Ninjutsu respectively in the Jounin Exams years back.

"Understood." The confused scout replied with a bit of dismay on his face.

'What's with this man? One moment he was challenging the Gold Rankers of Hana, now he's retreating without even completing the mission.' The man thought to himself before he paused and recalled the words he heard from the captain.

'Perhaps we really should take a few steps back."

...

"He's already that strong, huh?" A blue haired girl muttered to herself with a savage smile on her face.

"I guess it's time for a rematch, don't you think so...Samui?" She asked the blond big boobed girl standing beside her, who despite her lazy look, had a little bit of excitement shine within.

Although said excitement was different from her friends.

"I believe we should retreat. Him telling that to his men should mean a battle would surely occur. I wouldn't want to be caught up in a battle he has to fight seriously." She replied, causing her friend to frown.

"What do you mean? I get you're into low scale attacks and all, but you should have some confidence in yourself. You're strong enough now."

"Am I? Am I really, Yu-chan?" She asked and turned to leave their base. "You may be due to your Jinchuriki Status, but I don't think I'll last the after-effect of his type of battle."

After saying that, she also left, but not before telling her men to retreat. 

Yugito stood there looking distressed on what to do. One mind had her going into battle and duking it out with whoever Shun would be duking it out with.

The other mind had her apprehensive at the fact that Shun thought it could affect others being too close. 

As a Jinchuriki and a perfect one at that, she was a Jounin. An elite one at that, so she knew what it took to be a Captain of Hanagakure. She had even run in with a few numerous times and she knew how stupidly annoying they can be due to their strengths.

"It's better we retreat Yu. I don't feel good around that mist and he was able to enter unharmed. That should show you his level of power." Matatabi's voice rang out in her head causing her to smile wryly.

"I know that too, but..."

"No buts. We're leaving." 

"...Alright." she said and made to leave only for her to feel a pressure that made her feel weak on her knees.

If not for the timely intervention of the two tails, she herself knew she'd likely be lying flat on the ground right around now.

And even with the help of the Two tails, she was still unable to actually move.

"What the hell is  that!?" 

...

A Few Minutes Earlier.

As Shun walked into the bloody mist, he could immediately feel an invasive chakra try to enter into his bloodstream. With a smile, he activated his chakra zone and bounced the chakra off, leading to the scene everyone saw.

-The mist making way for him as he walk-

Glancing around, he couldn't help but grimace at the sight all around him, his anger was palpable, but he knew it really wasn't going to help in any way so he suppressed.

"I feel your anger, boy..." He heard a charming yet domineering voice inside his head causing him to put on a small smile.

"And who might you be?" Shun asked, not even looking around to show his shock at the suddenness of the voice.

"Oh? You don't seem surprised by this...what an intrigue." The voice said with a pondering tone. 

Shun didn't really bother to reply as he continued his walk towards the center of the village. As he walked, the ground wherever he passed would move with him, shifting the corpses lying around and opening up for them to be properly buried.

"You remind me of someone." The voice that Shun already knew to be Jashin said.

"Is that so?" Came Shun's reply as he continued his trek.

"Hm. He was like you, righteous to a fault... Stupid. That anger you felt... Why was that?" He asked, causing Shun to stop.

"What do you mean? You kill off an entire village, irrespective of their age and you expect me not to be angered?" 

"Exactly. Why do you feel angry? Do you know any of them?"

"They were human. Children for crying out loud. They had a bright future ahead of them." 

"Not that I'm aware of. The village alone was already corrupted. If they did grow up, they'd just follow in the steps of their predecessors and continue their ways..."

"Then that is their choice. Life isn't something we humans should dictate over."

"Heh. Then it's a good thing I'm not a human any longer right?" 

Shun didn't reply to that one as he continued his trek.

"Your anger...it seems hypocritical to me." Jashin continued.

"Why is that?" Shun asked, curious as to where he was going with this.

"Because, the life and death of these people has nothing to do with you."

"As I've said...they're humans."

"My point exactly. The only reason you feel anger is because they're humans, yet, that's also why I find it fake and hypocritical." Jashin said, this time with a bit of edge in his tone.

"When our loved ones die, we feel sad...Sadness. Not anger. When people we know die of natural causes we feel sadness, but when they're killed, we feel anger. We let anger cloud that bit of sadness in us as we only have thoughts of revenge."

"I still don't know where you're going with this." Shun said.

"As an unrelated group...You didn't feel sadness towards them but anger...that is why I find it fake. Your anger isn't even reasonable because you don't know what killed them."

"Oh, but I do know."

"Oh? You know who did this?" Jashin asked.

"Hm, Jashin from the Chinioke Clan. Genius who created a branch of Fuinjutsu that incorporated Seal Marks into the body for better functioning. Went rogue and was proven to be unkillable. Sealed here by the First Hanakage," Shun summarized.

"Am I right so far?"

"..."

"..."

There was a moment of silence with the only noise being Shun's feet as well as the moving ground.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA. INTERESTING. TO THINK THAT I WAS STILL REMEMBERED EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS..." 

"What an interesting situation...So tell me young one... Knowing who I am...You still walked in here...Are you confident in leaving here alive?"

Shun momentarily stopped and pulled away his blindfold as his crimson eyes glared at a particular place in space, and with an amused smile, he said.

"Oh little Jashin...It seems being sealed away for so long has made you a little bit too conceited in thinking you could kill me..." As Shun said that, the ground opened up as a golden ball rose and fell into his hands.

The space his eyes were locked on simmered as the most gathered and formed into an ethereal figure who only had his upper body floating. 

His hair was made entirely of bloody energy so it was red, his eyes as black as the night sky and face so handsome that it'll put some people to shame.

"You..."

"Seems like you're almost about to break out, huh?" Shun muttered to himself as he held the now dim ball that held little cracks all around it.

"How did you get that? Return it immediately." Jashin demanded with a cold voice.

"...No...You see, Jashin, I've had some time to think.." Shun began. 'A week it took me to walk from Hanagakure to here,' he thought and continued. "And I've decided that you didn't do anything wrong back then..I shouldn't have sealed you away. It was a wrong decision on my part."

"So how about it? I'm setting you free..." As soon as Shun said that, with a smile, he clenched his fist and shattered the ball.

"You..." Jashin, first confused, tried to make sense of the boy's words when suddenly, he felt the same chakra he had felt and harbored immense hatred for the past few decades.

"K.U.C.H.I.K.I." He called out his name slowly as the most around him trembled, and adding with the prison he had been held in for the past half century and more, he let out a chilling pressure that managed to halt all movement around him for kilometers.

"Yo...it's been a while."