[ABANDONED - read reason in the announcement board]
"You are a nuisance. Why did he have to bring you here?" Tori spat, his eyes glaring down at me. "I wonder what Lord Hashiramasees in you."
"Tori, don't say that! If he hears this, you'll be punished for sure." Kara placed a hand on his shoulder, but Tori shrugged it off.
"Can't you see? She's not our clansmen! This girl does not belong here, yet here she is!"
Kara took a step back. "T-That's..." She looked down at me, her eyes did not bother to hide the disgust as she stared at my face. "I do not know why Lord Hashirama had brought her here, but we have no choice but to comply with his wishes. I believe she is brought here for a reason-"
"A reason? Pray tell, what reason do you think to believe that he had such reason!?"
"Enough of this nonsense, Tori. She is his friend. I do not need to reason myself to make you believe he has his reason to bring her here. Remember who you are insulting to..."
All Tori could do is scoff and turn away. "She is an eyesore."
I listened to their insult and their rants, yet they fell deaf to my ears. Those words did not bother me, why should they be? After all, I considered myself special to be brought upon this meeting with other shinobi children of the Senju clan.
Yet, despite ignoring their malice or bitterness toward me, my heart felt heavy. "I am... special!"
Tori snapped his head, his brows furrowed. But soon followed a smile, a mocking one and full of evil intent. A sight to behold a promise of pain. "Oh? You are brave to declare so."
Kara has enough, "Tori! Once again, if he hears you, he will-"
"Shut your mouth, Kara. I do not care. Everyone is thinking the same thing, don't pretend to be innocent." That silenced her. "Besides, we have every right to hate her. Even though Hashirama-sama brought her here with us, she is not a Senju and never will be. Despite him being her friend, he can never protect her from the cruelty. That's his mistake for bringing her here."
Obanai hates people. Full stop. Women just happen to fall under the umbrella of "go fuck yourself" because, honestly, why not? But then some rookie shows up. Female. Wide-eyed. Insistent. Asking to be his Tsuguko. His Tsuguko. Daily. Like clockwork. Like some kind of adorable little cancer.
And the truth? That is NEVER happening.
Every time she opened her mouth, he wanted to look at her dead in her eyes and say:
"Listen, I'm not your emotional support Hashira. This isn't some epic adventure in self-discovery, where I teach you sword stuff and you teach me how to feel things again."
But then-of course-she opened her goddamn mouth. Something about the way she articulated things, struck a nerve. Or possibly several. Her fucking sword? Black and white. Just like his. She had to have those eyes - ravaged, hollow, like they'd seen the same horrors he had. She didn't shudder. Not when he scrutinized her. Not when demon gore rained from the sky. Not even when screaming demon heads zipped past her face like hell's skee-ball.
And she looked at him. Really looked. Not like he was a legend, not like he was some kind of bad motherfucker. Just him. Obanai Iguro. And for the first time in forever, that fact - that boring, disgusting, pathetic fact - it stung.
Rude. Utterly rude.
She had the same vibe. Dead-inside eyes. That "fuck around and find out" shit. The kind of energy that strips you bare and leaves you questioning your own goddamn worth. And now he's supposed to say yes? Let her in? Train her? Let her see him crack on a bad day or - Christ - smile?
Hell no. Not happening. He is under zero circumstances - absolute zero - going to be anyone's sensei.
Especially not a woman.
...Right?