𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐤𝐢 | ɴᴀʀᴜᴛᴏ ꨄ︎ ꜱʜɪᴘᴘᴜᴅᴇɴ

Team Hebi

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Kazumi's POV:

It's all gone to shit. 

Before I lost consciousness, I vaguely processed my bleeding heart from the failed jutsu of Soul Chain. As much as I'd like to activate the cursed form and test Soul Chain out one more time, I can't risk reverting back into my original state and dying, again.

Looks like Soul Chain's for a do-or-die scenario. Although I'm disappointed. If I knew it would be like this, I'd have let Orochimaru take my body and have him kill himself with his arrogance. But, as I sat on a stump in the middle of a forest, I also processed his death.

Orochimaru's dead. He's also been in my head, watching me from the very beginning. Were it not for Uncle's chakra pushing it all back, I'd have caved into his twisted false promises pulling for me at the back of my mind. 

Alas, this is where I find myself stumped after all that. Kabuto aside... The mere thought of him still being out there itches at my blood... I realised that I couldn't gain any semblance of satisfaction.

Although seeing Orochimaru restrained to ending up being engulfed by Sasuke's will was satisfying; his death simply did not feel enough. Because in the end, it doesn't bring Uncle back. So, why should Orochimaru deserve to disappear when he could've suffered for eternity alive? Restrained in a similar way.

These horrible thoughts ache at my chest. Deep down, I'm no different from him.

I pick away at my lip with my teeth, zoning my heavy eyes out into the distance. A fire is lit in front of me, the ashes blowing smoke into the air. I'm not quite sure what stage I am at right now.

With Orochimaru out of the picture, I should feel as free as his victims. I don't care about a family I never had. But as I recall Kiyoko's nurture before her true death and Orochimaru's determination to leave me unharmed, I now understand one thing.

It wasn't love. It could never be. Kiyoko's clouded by guilt as Orochimaru's was power. I was never the priority in their collective calamity.

Only Uncle... Despite his grief for all those years, he put my life first. My learning, my training, my wellbeing, all and nothing at the same time. Because he was my only bare minimum who actually tried.

There's a gnawing confusion in the back of my head, but it's overpowered by the idea of Kabuto still living. I won't give up. At the edge of my soul, I've realised there was no returning to who I once was.

Might as well wing it until all my problems are solved. Starting with hunting down Kabuto. However, in the meantime, it seems that Sasuke's controlling nature has landed me in a tight position.

And fuck... Will these two ever shut up?

I roll my eyes to the nagging bickering ahead. A lean-built male is standing with a familiar female, arguing over something I didn't bother to listen into. He's got straight white hair with light-blue tints at the ends. Suigetsu's purple eyes are narrowed, the purple matching with his sleeveless turtleneck. Beneath his scowl reveals sharpened teeth. And on his back is a heavy-looking thick sword.

The familiar female keeps throwing in snarky replies that only seemed to heat up the tension by a mile. Karin's red hair is styled much more wild than mine since one side is short and spikey while the other is long and straight. Above her mutual crimson eyes is a pair of brown glasses. She's the same person who fed me blood in my critical unconsciousness.