The Road To Hell ||Male! Naruto OC||

Chapter 5

To say that the lessons we were being taught, were easy was - to be fair - quite subjective.
Were they easy for absolute beginners with only the most basic chakra control? Definitely not!
Were they easy for a seasoned swordsman, such as myself, with inhuman amounts of chakra and impeccable control over said vast chakra reserves? Obviously!
Even so, I was still enjoying my attendance - just in a different way.

"Come on, take deep breathes with me and concentrate on the core of that warmth", I instructed Uzumaki-kun in a calm voice. He had been struggling with that chakra exercise for a good while already, when I had started giving him tips.
Kami-sama, it's only been what? Two days or so? And I've already been missing this whole teaching thing.
As I had discovered, none of the tasks we were given, were even close to an obstacle for me - at least when it came to the practical stuff. But ask me about the history of the leaf or any of the neighboring countries and you may as well be asking me to split the moon in half with my bare hands.
So I listened attentively to the teachers during lectures for more academically oriented subjects and gave advice - read: started teaching - to Uzumaki-kun during the combat related lessons.
I had obviously missed a good chunk of theory, what with only joining the class so late on, but I was already planning to get a few history books from the library to read.
"Ugh! It doesn't work!" Right, I have a student to teach.
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually. It's harder to do, if you've got bigger chakra reserves", I tried to assure him. This'll definitely take some time...
"Don't beat yourself up about it. When I first started, I had a similar issue."
I could still remember how I had been so eager, almost desperate, to make my father proud - to show him, that his decision to let me stay by his side hadn't been a mistake on his part - I had stayed up almost an entire week practicing, until I had finally collapsed from chakra exhaustion.
"Really? How did you fix it?" The blond asked with an eager expression.
"Ah, I don't actually remember. One day it just... worked!" That wasn't quite true, but close enough to not make me feel guilty about it.
The moment I had awoken from my self-inflicted coma back then, my father had been there, asking me something. The memory of the conversation that had followed was hazy - muddled to a point where I couldn't remember even a single word, only my old master nodding after hearing my response. Then...
An involuntary shiver ran down my spine.
Sometimes I could still taste the iron tang of blood on my tongue and feel the molten pain of my chakra pathways bursting and reassembling over and over, until they could finally handle the excessive amounts of energy brought into their circulation.
My slightly absent look went unnoticed by my ever so loud student. "Man! If you still remembered, you could've taught me how!"
I don't think you'd want that.
"It's alright, I'm sure you'll get it", I said giving him a reassuring pat on the back. "I'll see if I can help any of the others." And with that I turned on my heel and started walking in a random direction.
As I looked around, I noticed the gloomy boy from before, trying to pierce my skull with his eyes, it seemed.
When I made eye contact, he didn't look away as I had expected though and his stare only intensified the closer I got to him.
"Would you like my help with the exercise too?"
"Hn", was his reply as he turned away.
"Alright. If you don't, that's completely fine."
As I turned to walk away, I heard him sigh in defeat before he called me back and I couldn't help, but grin to myself in victory. Always works!
"What did you mean, when you said you don't have a family name?", came his question before I had even turned around completely. He seems to be the blunt type, misdirection probably won't work...
"I meant what I said, I don't have one", came my curt and to-the-point answer.
"Why?" He didn't even hesitate, before asking. Hmm~ Might as well...
"I don't have a family."
"Oh." For a moment I could see remorse flit across his face before it was covered up by his stony facade.
I seem to have struck a nerve there. Interesting~
"If that's all, I'll be going then." And off I was to find something to distract myself with from the lingering memories of my time as a disciple.

That night as I laid in bed, I couldn't stop thinking about my own beloved disciple and the last time I had seen her.
How her normally bright fuchsia eyes had been brimming with tears, how her pleas for my life had sounded nothing like her usually boisterous shouts.
Akiko, I hope my death won't lead you to do something stupid.
A sigh escaped me, as I turned on my side and looked out of my window into the starry night sky.
Lay my memory to rest and move on...
But at this point, one could only hope with that stubborn disciple of mine.

POV 3rd Person
The tears hadn't stopped falling in streams from her face since her Sensei's death at the hands of their master a few days ago. Even now as she was kneeling in the throne room once again, at the request of the man she wanted to see the least at the moment, she was struggling to keep them at bay. Her puffy eyes were hidden behind auburn bangs.
Had her master not caused her enough pain already, killing his son and her teacher? What did he want from her now, especially while she was still so obviously in mourning? What was so important, it couldn't wait until at least after the appropriate mourning period?!
"I requested your presence, Kogitsune Akiko, to tell you about something of utmost importance."
Jashin's voice was as soft as every other time the pair got to speak so privately, almost making her relax, before she remembered what the man had done.
"But before I can disclose anything to you about this information, you must swear not to tell a soul of what I'm going to say next", he implored, his voice gaining an edge of seriousness.
"Whatever Jashin-sama may tell me, I will not utter a single word about it to anyone living or dead." Akiko's reply was immediate, if a little shaky from almost being overwhelmed by tears again.
"Good." He made his way over to her in a few quick steps, the rustling of his silken robes against the dark marble floor being the only sound in the room.
Before she had realized it, Jashin's hand was on her shoulder, pulling her up to stand right in front of him, but she refused to meet his gaze. Too angry and grief-stricken to try and endure it for even just a moment. Despite her Sensei's devotion to their master, she just couldn't bring herself to chance a look into the demon king's eyes - the eyes of her teacher's father and the eyes of his killer.
"I did not kill my son."
Akiko's head whipped up in shock, eyes wild with desperation and hope.
"He is alive and well, transported to the human realm."
She frantically scanned her master's face, searching for the hint of a joke.
"Is this true? Please don't jest to me about such things!"
"I would not dare lie to my beloved son's disciple regarding a matter this serious", came Jashin's immediate answer and as she looked into his eyes, she found no hint of dishonesty.
Once again tears welled up in her eyes, but this time they were ones of genuine and unbridled joy. As she tried to wipe them away, a wet laugh managed to fight it's way out of her throat.
"Than- Thank you! Thank you so, so much!" More tears escaped down her face.
Not acknowledging her thanks, Jashin went on:"I want to send you on a mission to the world of humans."
At the next part the purple-haired man's eyes gleamed with almost mischievous intent.
"If you then so choose to make a quick stop near a particular human village to check up on your clan's heirloom, that would only be natural."
Akiko got the hint immediately.
"I'll be on my way come dawn!" When she tried to bow, the hand on her shoulder held her firmly in place. She looked at the man before her in curiosity.
"Before you go I must ask one last thing of you", he said, the same easy smile as her Sensei's gracing his face, hiding his true feelings underneath it - just like her Sensei always did.
"Whatever it is, Jashin-sama, I'm sure I can do it!", Akiko responded without missing a beat, her eager voice in stark contrast to his calm baritone.
"Please do not tell my son, that it was me who sent you to him."
A look of complete and utter confusion crept onto Akiko's features, which only grew when she saw the hint of something like resignation in her master's gaze.
"And do not tell him, that I would have never let him find his death at my hands."