Memoirs of a Kunoichi • Sasuke Uchiha [ON HOLD]

Scroll Five • The Trinkets

Chapter Five

‘Sasuke and I weren’t alone.’

The mere idea of knowing that someone had been watching Sasuke and I spar in the training grounds sent chills rushing through my spine, causing goosebumps to form over my skin at the very thought. I decided to keep that bit of information from Sasuke; I wasn’t sure how he would react to the news and I thought keeping him in the dark would have been the best for him. Knowing the Uchiha’s pride quite well by now, Sasuke most likely would have challenged the unidentified figure dwelling among the branches. If the shinobi was one of great power, I would have been forced to reveal my true strength in order to protect Sasuke. ‘I was still taken aback by the idea of wanting to protect Sasuke, but he had been nothing but kind to me since my arrival. He deserved to be treated the very same.’ But what had frightened me the most was that I may have to protect Sasuke from my brothers—I suspected the hidden figure had been sent by my father to see how I was getting by and I feared that my father wouldn’t be satisfied with what he would hear. My father had warned me that I had a month to complete the mission given to me or my older brothers would be sent to finish what I couldn’t. I was a powerful kunoichi on my own, but if my brothers were forced to battle alongside each other, they would be a force that shouldn’t be reckoned with. I got along with most of my siblings—Jiro and I had never been able to see eye to eye even since we were young children—and the thought of having to battle my own blood caused my heart to yearn. This was not the life that I wanted.

After escorting me back to Kakashi’s apartment in silence, Sasuke had bid me a quiet farewell before leaving me alone outside of the building. By concentrating chakra into the soles of my feet, I was able to walk up the side of the building and stealthily sneak back through my open window. I didn’t bother changing out of my dirty clothing as I pulled the bedding apart and threw myself into the depths of the sheets. The clean sheets were cool to the touch, its fresh scent filled my nostrils with lilac and I almost imagined that I was present in a meadow in full blossom. I deeply inhaled the wondrous scent and for that very moment, I forgot all my troubles and allowed my mind to roam free for a few moments. My eyes slowly fluttered open as I positioned my body into a fetal position; the moonlight reflected off my gaze, causing my emerald hues to sparkle with the light. I decided to leave my window open for the night, wanting a slight breeze every now and then to keep my bedroom cool. The night was dwindling and I knew that dawn would be approaching soon; my body still ached from my injuries and I knew that Kakashi’s training session would merely weaken me some more. My Kekkei Genkei gave me regenerating abilities and incredible healing prowess which I could use to restore my body back to its peak; however, great power came with a great price.

The Akiyama were gifted with an infamous Kekkei Genkei, known as Mamori, which could be divided into three main stages. The first stage would be a reflective barrier; the Akiyama were granted the ability to absorb natural energy from our surroundings without having to meditate in order to obtain it, meaning that my people had surpassed the tactics of the Toad Sages. Molding this natural energy with our chakra, we no longer needed to weave hand signs in order to create a barrier between the enemy and one’s self. The second stage would be the regeneration of cells within one’s body. Even though this ability would be useful if one was in critical condition, using it several times would shorten one’s life span drastically. My people have tried their hardest to avoid using this ability for that very reason. The third and final stage also involved the absorption of natural energy; however, unlike the reflective barrier which was used as a defense mechanism, this last stage would be considered an offensive attack. By absorbing natural energy and molding it with our chakra, the Akiyama were gifted with the ability of forming this energy into a visible sphere and shooting it out of the palms of our hands. Only fully-realized Akiyama were able to successfully use the third stage of our bloodline trait, and I just happened to be one of them. It was said that my people were able to learn this technique by watching the Tailed-Beasts; the Bijuu were known for collecting positive and negative chakra into a sphere and emitting it from their mouths in a powerful blast.