Paths of Divergence

The Rotted March

Chapter 51
-The Rotted March

     Miharu, standing a little over seven feet tall trudges her way through the forest. Her pale and dead red hair bobs behind her with each step taken. Her movements are slow and directionless yet somehow determined at the same time. After having departed from the bordering village between fire and lightning country she finds herself due west towards grass country.

     While her movements may seem random and indiscriminate she does have her mind set on a location. More specifically, she has a set target. Her ragged brown cloak drapes over her naked rotting skin covering up most of her body just barely. Every few steps her prosthesis clicks and clacks as the odachi nestled inside of it shifts around ever so slightly. The blade, while not contained in a sheath, remains pure and clean as the sunshine glistens off the metal.

     After her long and arduous journey she finds herself standing on the far outskirts of a village. With no clouds in sight, the sun beams down upon her, causing her to sweat profusely. Her matted hair sticks to her skin but does not bother her in the slightest. She has one goal and one goal only in mind. That being - revenge.

Within the village rests a man. A man who once held a lot of sway and influence in the shinobi world - particularly during the third shinobi war. This man, Genichiro, was quite the business tycoon during the peak of the war.

Miharu eagerly descends upon the small farming village. Calm, cool, and collected she trots between large plots of rice fields. The field workers give her strange glances varying from curiosity to wonder and even to disgust as they gaze upon her elegant yet near decomposing form.

Each step Miharu takes is one of grace and elegance vastly contradicting her scathed and rough appearance. Unwittingly to the workers of the village, each step she takes is planting the seeds of her destruction. As she reaches the last plot of farmland, a worker approaches her. The man removes his hat, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"M-ma'am? Are you hurt? Is there something we can help with?" he asks nervously.

Miharu gracefully reaches up, softly grabbing the man's chin. He quivers in his sandals as the woman towers over him, however he ultimately determines she is reaching out due to her blindness evident by the cloth tied around her eyes.

"Please," she begins, "Take me to Genichiro... he is an old friend. He told me if I ever needed assistance that he would help," she says, letting go of the man's chin. In this act she manages to accomplish two things - that being deceit and another seed sewn for destruction.

The man peers along her left arm, studying her prosthetic along with the Odachi contained within. He takes a large gulp, resting his hat in front of his sternum. "Y-yes. He's located on the far north side of the village," he says.

"Do not fret. This sword is only for my protection. As you can see, I'm in no condition to utilize it. Now please... I require his assistance," Miharu says calmly.

The man slightly relaxes, ultimately believing her words to be true. He nervously smiles before leading her towards the center of the tiny village. They approach the building as the man raps on the door a few times before bowing and stepping away.

"Thank you. What is your name?" Miharu asks.

"Kaito, ma'am," he replies.

"Kaito. Thank you," she says with a courteous bow before turning to the door and pushing it open.

Kaito puts his farming hat back atop his head before returning back to the rice fields. As he returns he feels a little tightness in his chest followed by some coughing. He shrugs it off as nothing more than allergies and gets back to work.