Who are you?

Part 28

Shiori was back on her feet again. Under Akira's care, her recovery didn't take very long. She could start training again tomorrow. Although they would take things a lot lighter.

Her dreams still bothered her. She was this boy, 317, in them, based on what she saw last time. The dreams were always parts of his life. Some dreams were shorter and some longer, but they seemed to show significant memories of his life.

She could remember the last time something similar happened. It was back in Uzushio, a little after she visited the city. She started having these dreams about a little girl.

She saw life through her. She saw her family and how her parents fought because his father took so many missions. How her mother was a seal master. How happy they were when she decided to become a kunoichi.

She saw her parents teach her to fight. Her life in the academy. Her graduation. Her missions with her genin team. Then she saw the fateful day when she died when the village was attacked.

She did her best to fight, but an Iwa shinobi made a building collapse on top of her. Her last thoughts were about how someone would find her body and give them a proper burial. Shiori kept having the dreams of her death and her emotions in those last moments until she found the building from her dream, found the few remaining bones and hitaiate, took them to the shore and buried them there. It was the tradition of Uzu, after all.

She had a last dream about the girl running happily in the sands near the sea, reunited with her parents. She liked to believe that she helped her.

The people of Uzu were always more spiritually aware. The clan's history told of an old pact with the Shinigami. Not much was known about the pact, but it said that their red hair signified the blood they shed in the way of the Shinigami.

Those who died by the blade of an Uzumaki would face judgment at the hands of the Shinigami, and if deemed guilty, they would serve the Shinigami for eternity, never finding peace.

They were also told that the Shinigami was always fair. That he wasn't a figure to be afraid of but a bringer of justice. That he would protect his people. They were documents about people who were gifted with powers from the Shinigami.

Those who could see or hear spirits, those with foresight about future events, and those who lived for hundreds of years. Of course, she read to see if any of these people were alive when the attack was coming, and what she found shocked him.

They knew of the attack. There were many prophesies about what was to come. That everyone in the village would die. The only survivors would be people on the missions or outside, and many would be hunted down.

They knew all of that, and they chose to stay. They didn't hide or run away. The prophecy told them that no matter what they did, they would be hunted down and die one way or the other. They could not change this fate.

So they decided to stay and give one last fight. Of course, they tried to find a reason for this fate. Why would Shinigami damn them to such fate? Through their search, they found the reason.

There was a dark power behind the scenes, looking for their demise. While the Shinigami was powerful, he couldn't meddle with fate's affairs, and this event needed to happen for the future of humanity.

The only thing they could do was send those chosen by the Shinigami away. They would survive their fate and one day avenge them, and they would be protected by the Shinigami.

Shiori wasn't sure how much of it to believe, but it seemed to be true. Ever since she woke up without any memories, she could feel this aura around people. Especially those who killed many people.