The Plan (19)

Land of fire

In an unknown Forest

In the midst of a serene forest, there is a warm and inviting tent where a young girl rests. Her peaceful slumber is undisturbed evident by her loud snores . As you draw closer, you will see that she is wrapped in bandages on her neck and knees, evidence of recent injuries. This girl is Akiko, and as the morning sun gently shines into the tent, she begins to awaken from her deep sleep.

After Akiko's eyes flutter open, she gasps for air and sits up abruptly, relieved to find herself conscious and breathing. She takes a deep sigh and feels her physical body, reassured that she is alive and well.

Once she regains her composure, Akiko looks around her surroundings, taking in her surroundings while still lying in a tent. She notices a mat beneath her and bandages wrapped around her knees and neck, indicating that she has been tended to. 

"That was a truly insane experience," she mutters to herself as vivid memories of her time in the middle plane of existence come flooding back. She couldn't believe that she had actually ventured to such a mysterious and fascinating place. However, the thought of returning there too soon filled her with dread, as she knew that only the deceased were able to go there.

"I wonder who that woman was and what she did to me" she ponders, rubbing at her itchy eyes. As she does, a strange sensation washes over her, as if her eyes hold some kind of power or ability waiting to be unleashed.

As Akiko prepared to delve into the situation about her eyes, the front door of the tent suddenly swung open, revealing a man with vibrant orange hair and a bald head. In his hands, he carried a warm bowl of soup, ready to nourish Akiko who had been in a coma.

This man, was Yamamoto. He had been caring for Akiko during her unconscious state. As he stepped inside the tent, he noticed a figure rushing towards him. In a split second, he reflexively swung his arm, hitting the person on the head.

To his surprise, the person turned out to be Akiko herself, tears streaming down her face as she held her hand to a bump on her head.

"Brat, what on earth do you think you're doing, rushing at me like that?" Yamamoto complains, clearly frustrated as he carefully drops the bowl of soup onto the floor, quickly rushing over to Akiko to treat the bump on her head. "If it were any other ninja, your head would be rolling on the floor," he scolds, his voice stern and harsh.

Despite Yamamoto's harsh tone, Akiko can't help but continue to smile and chuckle. She's relieved that Yamamoto has survived and is now feeling better.

"Yamamoto-san," Akiko asked, her voice filled with curiosity as she recalled the events before she had passed out. She could still vividly see and hear the three figures who had come to their rescue. "What happened to those people who saved us?"

Yamamoto responded, his voice changing to that of a caring father as he carefully tended to the bump on Akiko's head with a bandage. "Those brats? They are ninjas from the Hima clan who were on a mission in another city." Akiko listened intently, her curiosity increasing as she waited for Yamamoto to continue. "They told me about their mission and it seems we will have to adjust our plan," he said, his tone becoming serious. Akiko's body instinctively straightened as she prepared to hear Yamamoto's words.

"They briefed me on their mission and it far exceeded my expectations. As a result, we will need to make some adjustments to the plan I talked to you about. Luckily, the city lord of the location they visited helped us secure a meeting with the daimyō. This means we can avoid the stress of traveling to other cities to complete missions," Yamamoto explained. Akiko nodded, having already been informed about the details of the plan during her time with Yamamoto. Yamamoto had shared with her the need to complete missions in various cities and the importance of obtaining a mission from the daimyō. "Due to your sudden coma, we will have to cut our plan short. Your unconsciousness for 6 days delayed our progress. However, now that you are awake, we will be heading to the capital city today," Yamamoto added, causing Akiko to be taken aback. She couldn't help but wonder why she had been unconscious for such a long time.

As Akiko pondered the sudden change in the plan Yamamoto was talking about, she felt a surge of chakra rising to her eyes, causing a sharp headache and a slight pain. She instinctively bowed down and held her head, trying to ease the discomfort.

Yamamoto, who had just seen Akiko acting normally a minute ago, was taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. Concerned, he inquired, "Hey, what happened?"

"I'm fine, just a mild headache," Akiko replied as she lifted her head just before Yamamoto could reach her. But as she looked up at him, she noticed that he was moving slower than usual, leaving her confused about what was happening.

"What happened to your eyes?" Yamamoto's voice was laced with caution and panic, his eyes reflecting his concern. And it wasn't without reason, as Akiko's eyes had indeed transformed. They were no longer their deep shade of blue, but a brighter, almost electric shade. And what made them truly unique were the clock hands that seemed to be embedded within them, all pointing to the same spot. It was a strange and mesmerizing sight.

"What do you mean" Akiko asks back as she looks around the tent before stopping her gaze on the bowl of water near the mat were she slept on

Without wasting time she ran to it eager to see what yamamoto was talking about, and when she saw her reflection in the water she had the same incredulous and shocked look Yamamoto had

"Beautiful" She mutters under her breath as she stares directly into her shining blue eyes the slow moving water adding to its beauty

"Yamamoto-san, I think I should tell you what happened" Akiko says, as she begins retelling her tale in the middle plane of existence, from when she appeared in the plane, to when she met the strange woman, he even told him the story the woman told her, and as Yamamoto heard Akiko talk about what happened to her, his former Shock and panicked eyes transforms to one of Profound shock as he struggle to comprehend what he had just been told