Oswald was always a little mad.
It has been another hour and at this point I'm worried... so I head to the police station! Ever since the discovery of magic ninjas I was sceptical about how 'normal' this world is... is it weird that I didn't think police existed here? Well they do.
I ask a few people and they direct me to a place called the Uchiha district and I find the building with a fan like symbol on it... they all have them but I find it on my third try so all good here.
I step inside the busy building and I look around trying to find a front desk... there are a few and I cannot read the signs as they are up above and on the desk... damn my three years old body!
I approach one and jump up.
"..?" The lady at the desk curiously looks over the desk.
"Hi! I cant read the signs... is this the desk where I get help trying to find my friend? He has been missing all day..."
She raises her eyebrows before pointing at the desk opposite, I nod and "thanks!" Before going to the other desk and jumping up.
"Child...?" The man at that desk looks over the same way the lady did.
"Hi! I cant find my friend and he has been missing all day"
"Any name and description?"
"Naruto Uzumaki, blond hair... whiskers? Blue eyes about three years old..."
"Oh, that kid... I will go check something, I will be right back- you can take one of the seats over there and I will come get you"
The man gets up and goes through one of the doors in the back, I sit down on a chair and wait...
...
I look around the room and at all the figures, they all have black hair and black eyes... where did the fantastical colours go? Its all different in the streets... oh! These must be the Uchiha clan, the geography book had a lot of knowledge on the respected clans and there whereabouts through history... I believe there is a valley with a huge statue of someone named Madara... and the first Hokage...
Everyone kind of stares at me when walking in, I do stand out being so pure white... should I wear contacts? Dye my hair? Get skill 'unseen'?
...
Actually that's a great idea, I will try to find a skill that lets me hide... now how to simplify it?
I can work on that after I walk as much as possible... how does one master walking? It may actually take longer to train then to just get the scroll.... might just get the scroll actually, learning the things is its entire purpose after all.
As I am thinking to myself I notice that two policemen are dragging a ninja who seems to be resisting arrest and blood on his hands... yikes.
Then suddenly the man breaks free of his bindings and jumps at me, huh?
He grips my neck and holds one of the policemen's kunai to my throat, I try to resist but it is futile.
Everyone in the building unlatches there weapons and stares down the man holding me, ready for combat- the most interesting thing is their eyes... some of their eyes go from black to red, and with one or two black tomoe swirling within them...
The kunai presses to my neck and I can feel it poke through my skin, I stop struggling and I gulp.
"All of you! Step back! I-I don't want to do this but you pushed me! I did nothing wrong and you didn't listen!" The man screams as he looks around.
"Just calm-" one of the police utter before being interrupted by the mans yelling.
"Calm!? I was having lunch with my friend before you 'calmly' beat the shit out of me! You- you- get away with everything just because you are the Uchiha!"
He starts breathing heavily and and the kunai wobbles at my throat... am I about to die...? What the fuck did I do to deserve this?
I scan the room and watch the faces of the Uchiha clan frown with annoyance... someone arrives from the back door and he looks stern and angry.
"Put the child- Do not interrupt me! Put the child down, I do not know of why you were brought here but I do know that currently you are committing a crime, if you don't surrender I will be forced to use harsher methods of detaining you"
The stern man commands authority and respect and the man gulps before digging the kunai deeper.
"You try anything and I kill the kid! Now let me out so I can report to the Hokage and get justice for what you did! I did nothing wrong and you cant detain me for your petty pride-"
His monologue is cut short as the stern mans eyes spin brilliantly and the kunai drops, slicing at my neck and falling to the floor... he drops me and I turn around in time to see the stern mans knee in the guys chest... so fast...
The situation is handled as the stern man knocks out the ninja and turns to the room.
"You two, detain him and then get to my office within five minutes"
The stern man then looks down at me and my wound.
"It is only a scratch, go to a hospital and get it checked however" I nod and the man walks through the back door again, I hold my neck and wipe the blood... barely deep at all... I thought that was way worse... imagination can do wonders in that case.
The man from the desk approaches me and kneels, applying a blue Band-Aid with the Uchiha symbol on it.
"The kid you were looking for- he is in the Hokage's office currently... he was sneaking around the western housing district painting frowny faces on a few houses this morning..."
Oh.
He was pranking, I didn't need to spend my entire day searching for him.... I need to get him in the habit of writing notes...
"Thank you, sorry I was just worried for him... didn't mean to bug you for that"
"That's all fine, are you alright? Most kids would be on the floor crying right now..."
"Well it was only a scratch... nothing really happened... yeah I am good" I summarise.
"Then be safe and get home alright" the man smiles warmly while messing with my hair, I nod and walk out of the station, patting my hair back to its regular place.
------
Complete: find Naruto.
Reward: E-rank scroll.
------
------
Complete: Survive Hostage situation.
Reward: D-rank scroll.
------
I take a long walk home.. Naruto isn't here... I sigh and sit on the bed.
I accept the E-rank scroll and meditate on 'Walk'
...
It glows and my vision darkens before the deep orange plane takes my rooms place, I stand and the scratching starts to happen... I look to the floor to see the message.
'Walk. Every 2 seconds the steps will break behind you. You fall and you don't die for a day. Do. Not. Misstep'
I blink and I am on a stone grey platform, the area around me is an eternal drop that has no end and I stare ahead, small platforms poke out of the darkness, they are shaped exactly like my feet.
I have to be exact?
*crumple*
My platform starts to crack and I don't hesitate to step on the smaller foot platforms- *crack* okay I have to be exact in my steps or the crumble and break, but also fast and ahead of my steps so they don't break on me.
*fwoosh* *crumble* *crash*
The steps behind me crash and fumble.
I keep walking.
Exact.
Exa- damn.
My feet slip and I tumble through the darkness... I fall and fall and fall.
I fall for so long that I don't even recognize when I land...
How long have I been on this platform?
*crumble*
I walk.
I fall.
I walk.
I fall.
I walk.
I fall.
I walk.
I blink.
I am in my apartment again, I look around and stop my feet from trying to walk me away... my head shakes and that empty sound fades away...
It didn't hurt... just empty... I hate that feeling, falling forever and not having anything to think about... boredom can be worse then death to someone who has died multiple times before...
It doesn't hurt but it does...
I shake my head and take a breath.
I accept the D-rank scroll....
Walk again? Or Word: Truth.
Truth it is.
I blink and my apartment disappears once more... lets see how difficult this is considering how easy the first step was... it may be worse than normal considering the personality of the scroll giver.
The deep orange room envelopes around me.
*Scratch* *Scrawl*
I look down at the floor.
'Speak the words. Truth. What does that mean? What do you want it to mean? What is your truth? Swallow that word. Swallow the heart of the of True one'
I look up and all I can see is red flesh, I take several steps back to try and see what this is... its a giant heart... beating and pulsing with golden energy...
*scratch*
'EAT'
I gulp and approach the flesh... I carefully pull on the flesh and tear one small chunk... a pebble compared to the mountain in front of me... I swallow.
...
...
...
An unbearable weight is placed on my own heart, it burns and I can see it glowing through my torso... my flesh glowing that dim red as if a bright light was shining through it... I take breaths but it doesn't help.
I feel wrong and guilty and I don't know why... my whole body screams to vomit but I hold it back- knowing I would have to eat it again if I did.
...
...
It calms down but there is a subtle pressure enveloping me... not physical, but mental pressure.
I stand and approach the wall of red flesh before me...
Did it kill this being to feed it to me?
*scratch* *scrawl*
'The true one will not care. A heart is nothing to it. Now stop stalling. Eat'
I shake and nearly cry... but I eat.
I chose this.
I didn't rest.
I dived right back in.
I chose this.
Why do I keep doing this?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
"Can you hear me? Kenzo? Come on..."
Why?
"Okay one more time, Naruto- calm down, its okay"
Why?
Why?
Why?
"Can you hear me? Kenzo?"
I blink and smell fertilizer and beautiful scents mixing with each other... I look around and I am in the flower shop- Naruto is tugging at my shirt and crying while Ino's father is pulsing some weird energy through my head...
I feel... light.
I abruptly push myself up and gasp for air.
"Kenzo! Are you alright?" Inoichi asks me.
"O! Are you better!?" Naruto screams in my ear.
"I'm, alright- thank you for your help again" I thank Inoichi who sighs and shakes his head before getting up off the floor... does my voice sound different?
"As long as you are alright that's good... the same thing as last time happened.. what were you doing?"
Naruto speaks for me.
"When I got home he was just sitting on his bed muttering 'why' to himself"
I answer as well... try to answer at least but my voice gets caught in my throat.
"Kenzo? Is there anything you were doing that caused this?" Inoichi asks once more.
I try to speak again and my voice doesn't stop this time, I clear my throat and continue.
"I was... meditating and got into my own head, I just blank sometimes... sorry for scaring you guys"
Inoichi looks at me and sighs one more time before starting to walk away.
"Just stay safe okay? I will see you another day, have to close shop ten minutes ago"
I nod and follow Naruto home.
When I sit on my bed I stretch a little before getting up to go into the bathroom, I stare into the mirror and look through my white eyes.
------
Skills:
Unyielding Stare: E×D×C×B×A•S•K•
Breathing: E×D×C×B•A•S•K•
Word- Truth: E×D×C•B•A•S•K•
Walk: E×D•C•B•A•S•K•
------
I succeeded? Why can I not remember anything after the first few bites?
I mutter to myself.
"Truth"
My ears tingle upon hearing that word and my body feels heavy- a pressure pouring over my mind.
"Speak the Truth"
I am compelled to speak the truth.
"I dove into the next scroll because I'm mad, mad with power... but I do not even wield it... I love to learn the little things... the things no one wants and I like to make sure it is cared for... learned, never forgotten. I crave to learn and I never thought to stop, even now"
I speak the truth and my question was answered, all I had to do was speak the truth and that heart would be easier to swallow.
I crave to learn.
And so learn I will do.
------
Complete: The reason you were chosen.
Reward: A-rank scroll, E-rank title.
------
Title?
------
Title's are passive power. A name will have meaning and meaning will have power. Subtle. Simple. You.
------
I focus on myself once more and I summon my skills, it has expanded.
------
Titles:
Knowledge Taker: E-rank
Skills:
Unyielding Stare: E×D×C×B×A•S•K•
Breathing: E×D×C×B•A•S•K•
Word- Truth: E×D×C•B•A•S•K•
Walk: E×D•C•B•A•S•K•
------
Knowledge taker? What does it mean?
Taker..? Taker.... is it not to take something with my hand but rather like taking a hit? A punch? But with knowledge...
Hmmm...
I will find out soon enough.
I leave the bathroom after washing my face and sit next to Naruto who is making two cups of ramen for our dinner.
"Thank you... I am sorry for worrying you Naruto.." I say in a depressive tone, knowing full well I am going to do it again- Tonight with the most powerful scroll I have gotten yet.
"Its okay, your good again so I'm good! No need to feel so down dattebayo!"
I chuckle and shake my head before giving him a shoulder hug, I couldn't ask for a better brother.
I cant place that responsibility and worry over him again... but I want to use the scroll... I don't need to... but I will.
I will stare, and stare until I cant no more, I will see something horrific and traumatic, I will die many times and I will feel like I stepped into hell.
But I want to know how much further I can stare.
What it can do.
What I can do.
What is my limit?
My craving is making tremble with anticipation, I accept it- I am completely in the wrong body, but my mind never fit right anyway... I am a little crazy and I will learn.
I eat my noodles and sit up in my bed, waiting till Naruto falls asleep.
I accept the A-rank scroll... it is gold and brilliant, warm to the touch I open it and focus on one skill. 'Stare'
Thanks for reading :)