Game of Shadows by Adrian King1

Chapter 138

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor The Gamer. I own nothing, really.

Cover Art: Kissuli.

Chapter 138

Eiji stood by himself in the middle of a Training Ground that had seen him grow from his very first day as a Genin. The Forest of Death extended around him, as ominous and threatening as it had ever been. Its many dangerous creatures, some of which would give even Chunin shinobi a hard time, lurked in the shadows of the trees for the slightest moment of weakness.

For Eiji though, it almost felt like home. There was no danger in the trees or the many poisonous plants around. The most any creature dared to do was walk close enough for him to see them, but they steered very clear of him otherwise. None of them wanted to die the swift death he promised just by standing there.

The boy wasn't paying much attention to any of those things though. Instead, he looked at his reflection on the small lake he'd found himself at. His hand came up to his eye, scarred over and permanently ever so slightly shut. Then, his gaze moved towards the pale lines drawn on that very arm, the only one he still had, marks of the weapon he now wielded and that had added to the name he made for himself around the Nations.

After that, his gaze trailed to his other side, focusing on the biggest mark of all. His arm, now a wooden thing that he likely would have to live with. Kabuto had searched and double-searched, with help from Tsunade herself and Shizune, the woman's student. They'd found absolutely nothing, even with Danzo's information regarding treatments and experiments. Even Hashirama cells didn't sound like they would work. There was just something preventing him from having a second arm again.

If Eiji was honest, he didn't care as much as he had back when it had first happened. Sure, it sucked, and it was a depressing thing to think about. However, that was just it, as time passed, he didn't think about it as much. He was getting used to it and soon, he really wouldn't care, even if he thought about it. Then, he would move on and that would be it.

He was fine with that.

Nobody seemed to care overly much either, aside from what the lack of an arm might make him feel. People were just worried about what it might mean for him. Otherwise, they weren't at all bothered or uncomfortable or anything regarding his arm.

Eiji supposed that made sense. In the world they lived in, it wasn't weird for someone to lose a limb at some point through their career. Granted, it was usually seen in older people, but it really wasn't that rare to come across someone around his age that was in much the same situation. Just the other day, in the hospital, he'd seen a Genin younger than him that had lost an eye.

That had kind of put things into perspective.

Letting his hand fall to his side again, Eiji gazed further into the lake. It almost looked peaceful, but he could feel the creatures under the surface, waiting for something unfortunate enough to come too close, be it under the water or out of it. 'Kind of like how the world is right now,' he mused with a slight smile.

There was peace, he knew, but it was oh so very fragile. That didn't matter though. He'd keep it and force others to keep it until they wanted peace. And if that didn't work, then he'd enforce the thing until his dying day and beyond. He had plans, after all, plans that would make sure all the work he'd put in and all that he'd sacrificed was pretty damn worth it.

He was pulled from those thoughts by an innocent question asked by the Chakra Beast that resided in him. With a chuckle, he let his mind fall into the Mindscape as one of the twins immediately took over. A few seconds later, he stood in the same place he'd been at before but also completely different, as the eight-legged eight-eyed wolf made her way to him.