Who are you?

Part 41

"So. Oni-san, can you tell me more about the floral village?" Shiori asked cheerfully. After talking with the guardians, she developed a new routine.

She would get up every morning and train with Akira until lunch. Then, she would focus on her own studies and practices. Right after dinner, she would go to sleep until the early hours of the night.

She would wake up in random places, always something for her to explore. She was beginning to see puzzle pieces coming together, but she wasn't sure how she felt about the picture being painted.

Still, she would finish her investigations and head out to meet Oni. They would spend their nights talking, but she mostly enjoyed listening to his stories. Oni seemed to be an endless well of adventures and knowledge.

He would tell her about all sorts of faraway places, how their ways of life were vastly different, and how much he learned from each of them. Shiori felt a sense of wonder about how much the world was bigger than what they expected.

He would tell her stories as they walked around the temple's perimeter. Sometimes, he would order her to stay as he dashed to take care of some shadows. Then he would come back. Often, he was in a trance.

He would seem distant and detached. Then, he would notice Shiori, and it would immediately go away. Shiori was not stupid and knew deep down that it was a mask. Was he pretending all the time when he was around Shiori? Because to her, he always seemed at peace when he was talking to her.

He gave her the expression of someone who doesn't have many people to talk to, and then they finally find someone who is willing to listen. It was an endearing expression she often saw on hunters or travelers and even those who spent a large amount of time outside the village alone or in small groups.

She didn't like to admit it, but she felt similarly during her solo travels. That is why she was so insistent on spending time with the man. Some of the things he told her made her worry. His stories painted a picture of a difficult past.

He didn't tell her his age, but if she had to guess, he was in his late twenties. This meant that he was a teenager during the third Shinobi war. He probably lost people then, probably his village, which is why he traveled so much during his youth.

After all, the Shinobi Wars were not a safe time for adventuring. Even the villages that were not directly involved had high numbers of casualties. It was one of the reasons that civilian villages hated shinobi to this day.

So, from the tone of his stories and how often he had to travel, he was probably a war orphan who had to be on the move. Maybe his unique looks made it obvious that he had shinobi training, and the villages would turn him away.

Shiori didn't want to assume much but couldn't help but hypothesize.

"Of course, Shiori-san. The floral village was not a shinobi village, but its people sold their craft to shinobi. They grew a special type of flower that...." Shiori snapped out of thoughts, focusing on what she was sure was a fantastic story.

Today was the day. Shiori was finally ready to fully release her seal. Akira looked serious as they entered the clearing. They stood in silence for a moment, and then Akira nodded.

She knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time and skill. Today, she was finally ready. She wouldn't lie and say she was not afraid, but she was mentally ready to handle it. So she took a deep breath and entered her meditative state.

One by one, she let the seals go, letting the feeling wash over her, but she stayed in control. She took her time with each layer, not rushing the process. Finally, she reached the last layer. She decided to just go for it.