No one spoke as the broken form of Jumaru continued to convulse before the prisoner. Everyone present was suddenly and intensely aware of the danger that stood in their midst, and as the prisoner glanced around, shinobi shuffled away from his gaze out of fear. When he began staggering forward, some even stumbled and fell in their panic to get away.
Aina observed all of this and more as her senses had been locked on Kotetsu for the entire fight. She was almost certain about what would happen next, and as the prisoner teetered over and fell on his face, she audibly sighed and the tension in her shoulders released. Only then was she able to properly think about what just happened.
"That should not be possible."
The training shackles Kotetsu wore were well known by the Senju clan. A simple tool for instilling proper Chakra control habits, most young Senju looked forward to the day they ripped the cursed objects off of their wrists and ankles. Personally, Aina had gleefully wrenched the restraints off with enough force to snap them. However, in all of her time overseeing the usage of these shackles by the other Senju, she had never once seen anyone cause the items to violently explode.
Something everyone in the Senju clan became familiar with was the fundamental rule used to adjust the shackles. This rule was that no matter how strong someone was, they could not infuse and accurately control more than 20 to 30% of their total Chakra at any one time. While there were variations to a person's stored Chakra based on various factors such as age, family history, and time spent using Chakra, this overall rule was immutable from person to person. However, for some unimaginable reason, Kotetsu was capable of infusing and maintaining control over at least 80% of his Chakra at the same time.
When it came to uninfused Chakra, Aina estimated that Kotetsu's stores were underdeveloped for someone his age. She confirmed this peculiar trait shortly after he had eaten their clan's special rejuvenating rice. That should mean that even if he had infused up to the normal limit of Chakra, he should have only been able to barely unlock the cuffs. However, even that estimate might not be accurate, as the pure strength he exerted over his Chakra seemed to be unusually high as well.
Despite those factors in Kotetsu's favour, his Chakra control precision was like that of a baby just learning to walk. How had he managed to survive as a Shinobi for all of these years, with skill in Chakra control as pitiful as that?
Even more questions swirled in Aina's mind. However, she put those thoughts aside, as it was time for her to address the situation below.
—
Taisei didn't know how to react in a situation like this. He had merely been curious at first, which then transformed into shock. When the prisoner had begun walking forward, he felt a sudden pressure to leave, but he refrained from following through on the compulsion. The scared boy he met 3 days ago caught in his trap paled in comparison to the shinobi that now limped before him, covered in blood, dry cuts, and skin turned purple from bruising. Then, without warning, he watched the boy fall forward and faceplant the ground.
Movement from above caught his attention, and the landing form of Aina halted his thoughts. Behind her, the scary senior Rata and another Senju suddenly moved forward to the fallen Jumaru. He decided he didn't want to be there, or to deal with anything that would come from this. He just wanted to go find a quiet spot and wait out the coming storm. Putting thought to action, his feet began moving, and he slowly shuffled away from the scene. His plan crumbled to dust when lady Aina turned and froze him with her glare.
Glancing between him, the prisoner and Jumaru's prone body, she spoke.
"Rata, Bisei, take Jumaru to the healer. Tell her that she has full permission to use our reserve supplies, on my authority. He likely doesn't have long."
Then, to Taisei's horror, she spoke directly to him.
"Taisei. Help me get Kotet- I mean, the prisoner up to my mother. I am not sure how much time he has left either."
Doing his best to keep the stricken look off his face, he nodded and got to the point.
"How should I help?"
He watched lady Aina use her wood style to cover the prisoner completely in a slip of wood, leaving the face open. Behind her, a similar scene played out with Jumaru, who was wrapped in wooden binds to keep his body still while a thin board grew beneath him. Aina briefly glanced up to Taisei, then gestured down at the now fully covered prisoner.
"Pick him up."
Bowing slightly, he moved to pick up the surprisingly light encased prisoner. Adjusting his grip, he immediately understood why she did not want to pick him up herself as a wave of stench washed over his face, and he nearly dropped the prisoner. Tears welled up in his eyes as he did his best to not breathe in any of the smell. Looking over at lady Aina, he did his best to speak without contaminating his mouth further.
"Okay, I'm… ready."
"Very well. Let's go."
She turned to jump, and for a moment, Taisei thought he saw a slight smirk on her face. He decided to blame the tears now forming in his eyes as he moved to follow.
—
Hours later.
The Matriarch rested in a comfy rocking chair opposite of a tub, which she had filled with various liquids and heated to a pleasant temperature. Incense had been lit and carefully set in the corners of the room, while eccentric herbs were laid about around the tub. Within the tub lay the naked unconscious prisoner.
After having the prisoner nearly dumped at her feet by Touma's boy, she worked to stabilise his condition. That process did not take nearly as long as she thought it should, as what little Chakra the boy had left seemed to fall into a resting state almost by itself. Everyone recovered differently, and many could recover their stamina and most minor wounds by simple virtue of rest and plenty of food. This process tends to speed up while sleeping. For the case of the prisoner, she estimated that he could be unconscious for at least a week before waking.
"What a bother…"
Mutsue did not know how to feel about the situation. On one hand, she was certain that the prisoner had finally tapped into the knowledge within his sword. On the other, it resulted in him overextending himself and collapsing from exhaustion. If she had used gentler tactics, she might have gotten the result she wanted and kept the prisoner from nearly dying.
That assumed she cared. She did not.
Hours passed by while she tended to the prisoner. As she continued to peer down at his feeble form, the slow burn of resentment in her chest grew into a roaring hatred.
Memories of the past took center stage in her mind's eye, afflicting her with images that might never be put to rest. Her oldest sister, the previous Matriarch, had been such a force of nature that Mutsue genuinely believed she had been at the peak when compared to the Senju's own past leaders. Her knowledge and skills would have been an incredible boon had she lived to pass them on like their ancient elders now did.
Mutsue was not even supposed to be the one to inherit the title of Matriarch, the natural selection going to her sister's children. All of their children died that day, except for her own single child, too young to even hold a kunai.
The idea that the only ones to survive would be herself and Touma were laughable. Herself and all of her jealousy of her sister, which she was not afraid to admit, and Touma, the one who had been sworn to father and protect her sister's children.
Night swept over the Senju clan, yet she continued to work. By morning, the prisoner had been taken from the tub. She had given him a balm that absorbs into the skin that would speed up the healing process, and wrapped him from head to toe in bandages. She did not attempt to give him food or drink, nor give him any sort of comfort. She opted to leave him where he was, lying on the wooden floor.
Mutsue stood over his bandaged form.
"When you wake, boy, I will get what I want. You will give me the knowledge so I may finish what my sister started. And when I have surpassed both your ancestors and mine, you shall be fed to my Asuras."
—
Taisei had tried to excuse himself after dropping the prisoner off at the Matriarch's hut. In response, lady Aina asked him to escort her to the healer's cabins to check on Jumaru's condition. He was careful to keep his outer response neutral while he sighed inwardly.
The healer's cabins were simple in design, each one being no larger than Taisei and Touma's hut, and laid out in a neat row. Each cabin held a single window made using real glass and a single intricate reed door, one of the more common materials used by the Senju clan. Aina sensed her way to the only cabin with anyone inside.
Aina did not bother to knock, moving straight to opening the door. Inside the cabin was a single bed with the headboard placed against the right wall. A bedside table stood to the right of the bed. Lying on top of the bed was a vaguely humanoid form encased in bandages, with several dozen needles sticking out of where the neck and shoulders should be. Aina noted that there were several types of needles employed, though she was fairly certain that one of the types being used were called filiform needles. Hovering over the body was a tall woman with shoulder length raven-black hair, wearing simple grey robes and a cloth mask that currently sat unused around her neck.
"How is Jumaru?" Aina asked without any preamble.
The woman did not look up from the wrapped body. Slowly, she picked up another acupuncture needle from a wooden bowl sitting on the bedside table, and carefully inserted it precisely somewhere beneath the right ear. After making sure the needle wouldn't move for several seconds, she finally looked up and shot a cold glare at Aina. Taisei stood a few steps from the entrance outside, ready to run should the hostility within the cabin reach a boiling point. His worries were slightly quelled when the woman gave a bright smile.
"Aina~... I assume you were responsible for this mess?" The healer spoke with a teasing tone.
"No. Well, perhaps from a certain perspective, since I was overseeing the events as they happened." Aina conceded.
Taisei felt uneasy being here. Everyone knew not to speak back to the healer, or to antagonise or provoke her in any way. Personally, Taisei never stuck around long enough to see the healer have an actual conversation with anyone. He couldn't outright leave, but he could at least vanish into the background. So he practiced the art of becoming a tree while the two women continued their talk.
"Since you don't seem overly worried, can I assume that Jumaru won't be dying anytime soon, Genka?" Aina questioned, trying to get to the topic.
The healer, named Genka, tapped one finger to Jumaru's bandaged chest while she spoke. She drew the finger up his neck, dragging it between needles until she reached his chin.
"No, he won't be dying right now. However, most of his spine was crushed from the neck down to his shoulders, as well as parts of his clavicle, so he won't be moving for the foreseeable future either. And to top it off, his jaw is dislocated, and even some of his skull is cracked. At first, I considered that this may be Rata's work, but his own cracked ribs and strange mood told me that there might be more to this story. So, Aina. Just what did this boy get into?" Genka watched Aina from behind her bangs as she spoke.
Aina tried to keep her face neutral as she considered what to say.
"It's… complicated."
Genka walked around the bed and toward the door, until she stood in front of Aina.
"Then how about a simple yes or no question, dear."
The height difference between the two women was made apparent as Genka bent down slightly until she was eye-level with Aina. Genka smiled as she stared at Aina like a parent admonishing a toddler.
"Did you intend to kill this boy?"
Aina did her best to glare back, only answering after a few seconds of silence.
"I wasn't the one to attack him."
Genka straightened back to her full height.
"That wasn't a yes or no, dear."
"The answer is no, since I did not attack him."
"Details, dear."
Genka raised one hand in a dismissive gesture.
"I suppose it doesn't matter in the end. I was simply curious, since if you were the one responsible and you intended to leave him maimed, you were quite sloppy. But, that does raise the question now… who exactly was the one responsible? Or is that where it gets 'complicated'?"
Aina considered the question.
"You are aware that a trespasser was caught earlier this week?"
Genka nodded slowly, her face shifting to comprehension.
"If I recall, it is a boy who is quite young. I don't recall the specifics, however."
"That's because nothing has been said about him, yet. Mother has not given permission to discuss his circumstances."
Genka folded her arms as she thought. Aina tried to detach from the conversation.
"I didn't mean to get in the way, Genka. I just wanted to know about Jumaru's condition. I will be leaving now-"
Holding up a finger, Genka cut Aina off.
"He has something to do with the Azuchi kingdom, doesn't he?"
Aina couldn't stop her eyebrows from furling slightly.
"It's really the only connection I can think of, considering the Matriarch. She would not allow a trespasser to live for so long in any other situation."
Aina didn't know whether she should try denying the accusation, or to just walk away. This was how it ended up every time she spoke with Genka. She felt like a child who had gotten in trouble, trying to convince the adult that she had not done anything wrong. Genka never claimed superiority over Aina, as that would be dangerously skirting clan law. But that didn't stop her from acting superior.
Genka, nearly a decade older than Aina, was one of many Senju who did not inherit Wood release. 16 years ago, nearly every adult Senju who could use Wood release had been slain, leaving only Mutsue, Touma, and several dozen adult Senju who were incapable of using the clan bloodline. Before that event, these Senju were considered as nothing more than servants to be used by those with the bloodline. Hard times required circumstances to change. The servants were required to raise the current young generation of Senju, which resulted in a natural growth in their authority and subtle usurping of their status.
For many of the once-servants, they took their new positions in the clan hierarchy with gratitude, using it as an opportunity to shift the status of non-bloodline Senju. This had not been much of a problem for the young generation, as they were not yet fully exposed to the prejudice held by the bloodline carrying adults. 16 years later, the standing of non-bloodline Senju had been made nearly equal in many ways. Despite their standing, the history of their humble rise from servitude to recognition enabled some of these Senju to hold their seniority over the heads of the younger generation.
Aina thought about leaving, but thought better. She very badly did not want to lose to Genka, and turning tail to leave would only exacerbate her own suffering. In her fit of internal annoyance at the older matronly woman, she had an idea.
"You're right. He is connected to the Kingdom. However, since the situation is so complicated, I have decided to not reveal anything else, out of security concerns."
Genka perked up at the admission.
"If that's the case, then he must be someone unexpectedly dangerous…" Genka considered, before smirking at Aina.
"...and dear, you don't have permission to reveal more information, remember?"
Genka's stupid little grin and raised eyebrows caused Aina to lock up as she belatedly remembered that fact. Turning back to the door, she strode out, partially colliding with the nearly invisible Taisei. Luckily, his become-a-tree technique left him firmly planted, so he didn't budge.
"Come on, we checked on Jumaru. Let's go." Aina firmly ordered Taisei after catching her balance, much to his relief.
The two walked away with haste as Genka watched from the gloom of the cabin. She continued to stare after the two as Taisei unconsciously kept a single pace behind Aina, neither seeming to notice their own closeness.
Turning back to look at the unconscious bandaged form of Jumaru, she whispered to herself.
"Oh my, I sure do hope that doesn't offend the Matriarch too much…"
—
Darkness. A vague black-grey, fading to white, then… too bright. Kotetsu couldn't keep his eyes closed any tighter as the piercing light physically hurt, and he moved to block the light with a hand.
"Guh…"
Nothing seemed to work right, as instead of blocking the light, he ended up smacking his face with a limp arm. Moving his other arm, he found it to be stuck under something. He couldn't risk opening his eyes or else the light would burn out his eyes, so he tried using the other arm and…
"Whu-"
In a cascading series of events he had no control over, his hand grasped something soft and he pulled with all his might. His arm was freed as something fell over his head, which also had the unfortunate side effect of rolling him too far to one side. He fell what felt like a dozen meters in the span of half a second, smacking into hard stone. Now though, both of his hands were free, and he felt control returning to his body. Reaching up, he once again grabbed the soft thing over his head and pulled, finding that it was a blanket.
He was also naked.
And covered in a lot more scars then he remembered.
Before he figured out anything more, his head turned up and inspected the room he was in. The comfortable lump he fell off of turned out to be a bed, fit with an actual mattress. He mentally gawked at the luxury, but before he could process it further, his head turned once again to stare directly into a mirror. The face that looked back at him was definitely not his own. It was a face he had never seen, but fit the description he had been told many times.
In the mirror's reflection, two orange-yellow eyes stared back at him, framed by a thin angled face with extremely short cropped white hair. The eyes were exactly the same as the woman he now knew to be his grandmother. As Kouga rose to his feet, wiping the drool from his face, Kotetsu got a good look at the room his father had slept in. Despite Kouga's own precarious condition, his room was neat, if lacking in any real items of significance beyond the bed, mirror, a single arched window with curtains that were too thin, and a cabinet likely filled with clothing.
Kotetsu didn't know where— or when he was in relation to the previous memories. But as Kouga dressed himself and got on with his day, he soon came to find out.