Chapter 141 – His Past
"You found it..." Kakashi murmured, his eyes closely watching the passageway, old, broken. The one he was praising was Karin Kurosaki. She turned into a Shinigami, after all, passing through a few seals they didn't notice. Well, he was sure he didn't notice, but the boy was a different story. Kakashi always felt that the boy's eyes were more perceptive than any other.
"Yes, I did," Karin happily grinned; after two days of hard work, she was finally permitted to turn into a Shinigami to search.
"I didn't...know...that the...technology was so advanced here," Yuzu held Guren's arm, walking with him, nervous.
"It's not," Kakashi shook his head, surprised as well. It wasn't ninjutsu that hid this place, but technology, and seeing its state, it had been used for years.
"But that does give us an answer," Guren rested his arms in the black skorts pockets, "This has been in working for a long, long time."
"Yes, but we have no idea about their goals, but there must be something that has changed. Something that is making them take action," Kakashi said, only realizing how stupid that was.
"You mean other than Otsutsuki's appearing?"
Kakashi didn't want to give an inch; he looked over his shoulder towards Guren, "There could be something more. After all, it could all be related to the fact that Boruto has Karma."
"You mean after Otsutsuki was killed?" Yuzu innocently tilted her head, not understanding what the difference was.
Kakashi's lips twitched, he looking to the front, coughing, "Good. We are here."
"You mean at the center of something that has been destroyed," Karin pressed her lips, looking at the central room, which was covered in soot, "Did a bomb go off here?"
"They destroyed it," Guren commented, frowning, "They are being careful."
"Well..." Kakashi let out a sigh, "I thought it would end up like this, and they might be destroying the loose ends."
"Does that mean this trip was wasted?" Karin kicked the metallic circular station in the center. She felt a bit embarrassed over being so happy that she discovered it.
"Not really," Kakashi looked around. Still, everything either melted or vaporized, "Now that I think, the stealth tech outside was new compared to this destroyed scene. They destroyed it and then covered it up quite well. If we ask the experts, they might be able to figure out when the devices were put outside."
"Oh, you want to pin down exactly what made them move so fast to destroy this facility and the others?" Guren thought for a moment, "As expected of the Sixth Hokage."
Kakashi lightly slapped the top of his head, "Enough buttering. Let's go."
"That's all? Mission over? But I didn't do anything?" Yuzu pleadingly looked at Kakashi, "Sensei...? Can't we do something else here?"
"You did well. You learned to sneak around, become a part of the crowd, misdirect others' gazes. All that in two days? It's more than enough. All you need to do now is practice. Missions like these are there to teach you Genins, all the while helping the village as well."
"Oh," Yuzu blinkingly nodded, pressing her lips, looking down.
"Just say it. You wanted to have a cool battle like what Sarada and the others had," Karin rolled her eyes.
Yuzu lightly blushed, staring down, dragging her legs.
Guren grinned, "Then the next one. Whenever I think it's a good one? I'll act like a spoiled brat."
Yuzu looked up, smiling, "Thank you..."
"You are the best," Karin hung around his neck, kissing his head.
Kakashi let out a sigh, "That is not how the missions are given."
None of the three seemed to care about a word that he was saying.
Soul Society, Third Division Barracks,
"Mm? This was the last place I expected you to be," Jay opened his eyes, lying on the grass. His scarlet eyes turned towards the orange-haired beautiful young woman in her early twenties.
Masaki sat down beside him, lying on the grass, looking at the stars in the night sky, "You are just like I imagined you would be..."
"You imagined about me...? You never said or asked anything...?"
"I didn't have to," Masaki chuckled, resting her hand on the white katana with the black hilt to adjust it, "It's somewhat like seeing through a veil. There is always a trace of you, but once you actually know what is behind the veil...you start realizing what you truly are."
"Which is?" Jay curiously glanced towards her.
Masaki turned on her side, raising her head to put it on his upper arm, her arm across his chest. She looked up into his eyes, "A man...who is madly in love but can't be with the woman he loves."
"Surprisingly...you aren't wrong," Jay closed his eyes, resting his head against hers.
Masaki traced his cheek, "So...what was she like?"
"She's still alive and well. Don't go killing her off," Jay sat up, dropping her head to his lap. But Masaki shifted, resting on her back, her arms on her stomach.
"Then? What went wrong?"
"We both want very different things..."
Masaki raised her eyebrows, "You are here...right now. I don't see you chasing after anything."
Jay sighed, "She wants to reach beyond infinities. The place where the Omniscient and Omnipotent Beings, that stands above Infinite Higher-Order Dimensions stays."
"Ok...a bit dream..."
"That's the problem...it's not a dream," Jay curled his lips, "For her. It's possible, and she has the whole Empire supporting her, my Empire."
"And...? You don't want that because...?"
"Uncountable...lives...will be destroyed in the war to reach that goal. The problem is...even if we do nothing...that war is bound to come, and so I wished to close off our Empire and the Seven Layers of Infinity we govern. But only one of us could have become Omniscient and Omnipotent in that Sealed Space."
"Mm?" Masaki silently listened, even though most of it went over her head.
"Well, being Absolute...you lose many things, and none of us wanted to lose that part of us, but more than that...we didn't want the other one to lose that part. So we fought over it, but since the Council...it's made of my...well...since it's my Empire...there are many people that I love...and they reciprocate those feelings. So, they basically took her side because they love me? In short...she is supposed to take the Throne...and I can't see her like that. So...I ran away...from home...from the people I love..., and I am not even sure what I am doing anymore."
Masaki breathed in, softly kissing his lips, stroking his hair, "I am sorry...to hear that..."