Anguish

I stared at the man in silence until I felt a presence emerging from my body. Karasu emerged from my body and did a dramatic spin before snapping its wings out and releasing a high pitched caw. Karasu then looked toward the black haired boy and said "I was never "your crow", Itachi. I'm officially contracted to Ryuujin now, so go and pester some other Chakra Beast!"

The boy's face visibly soured as he restrained his voice from getting too loud as he said "You will be mine, whether I have to do something drastic will rely on your 'Master'." Now I was beginning to get slightly pissed at this kids tantrum.

Karasu may have been beside him before the summoning, but it willingly came to me in order to form a contract. I stared at the kid and gripped the kunai a little harder as the kid reached for something inside of his weapons pouch.

I activated my [Fire Scales] and [Skin Hardening] to deflect the shuriken while deflecting his kunai aimed for my right eye. The boys eyes glowed a fierce and unnerving red in the dark and, much like the crows eyes, they had a tomoe pattern, but his eyes inly had two instead of three.

It was almost like I was seeing how he would move before he made the movements, it was almost like seeing a shadow that showed where his next strike would hit. I grabbed Itachi's wrist and disarmed him while simultaneously thrusting my dagger toward his throat. He suddenly clapped his hands together, shouting "Fire Style: Veil Technique!" as a bright light erupted from his hands.

Little did he know that, since I have a blindfold on, such techniques don't work on me!

I slammed my fist into Itachi's gut, sending him sliding a few meters back as he threw a few flaming shuriken to make me keep my distance. I held out my hand and caught the shuriken, causing their flames to literally get sucked in through my palm before the shuriken themselves melted in my hand.

I smiled sadistically as I spoke in a voice that sounded like multiple people speaking at once "Try all you want, but you will never win against my power! I'll rip your limbs from your body and gorge myself on your flesh!"

The boy clicked his tongue before drawing a teal bladed tanto from his pouch and adopting a defensive stance. I charged him and, in the blink of an eye, appeared before him before breaking his guard without moving a muscle. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground, causing him to reverse his grip on his tanto and stab it through my wrist.

Itachi jumped away from me as I began to laugh like a maniac, yelling "More! More! More! More! More!! Show me your latent powers Itachi Uchiha!" I leapt toward the boy and materialized a black katana that shrunk down to match my bodies height and weight before swinging down with my full force.

Something gripped my body and I almost broke free but, when I turned my head to see what had stopped me, I saw an old man in a light blue robe with a long flowing beard and two heavily squinted eyes, and Hazake using some sort of seal to bund me as my father and mother stood in shock and fear.

I could feel that the old man had the same 'feel' as Tetsu, so I connected the dots and stopped my resistance. A feeling of guilt and shame washed over me like a cold rag as I stared into the fearful expressions of my parents. I clenched my hands into tight fists and focused on the pain in my palms and the blood dripping down onto the ground in an attempt to calm down.

I was released from the seal and felt my body weaken as I fell to the ground, only to be caught by a strangely familiar grip. I looked up to see a kid the same age as me with short, unkempt, dark black hair and eyes with a broad nose and defined eyelashes. The boy wore black sandals with bandages around his ankles, dark green pants, and a high collared dark colored shirt with a tanto resting on the back of his right shoulder.

I stared into the boys three tomoe patterned red eyes for what felt like hours until he finally released his grip on my collar and walked toward Itachi, the duo disappearing into thin air shortly after. I felt my shoulders relax as I sat on the ground with my head in my hands. It felt like I had been in third person watching my body move without telling it to, and that honestly scared me.

A comforting warmth pervaded my body as a subtle whistling sounded through out the wind. I slowly raised my head and felt dizzy, and the next thing I remembered was being back on my bed. I jolted up and felt the familiar handle of my [Reaper's Caress]. I gripped the katana a little tighter as I bolted through the door to my room, the awful stench of burning bodies and smoke filling my lungs.

I felt a throbbing in my eyes before the world turned monochromatic and time slowed to a crawl. I looked toward the walls and noticed that they weren't there, or rather I could see through them. I saw the awful sight of people being mauled and mangled by various beasts or burning to death by a massive inferno in the center of the village.

The familiar head of a Fire Drake popped out in front of me as a surprisingly high pitched voice made its way into my head. "I can clear the way for you! Just leave it to me, Ryuu!" I almost laughed due to the creatures unnaturally excited state, but I turned serious once more as the fire and smoke cleared away in what could only be explained as a reverse tornado, except it went into the creatures open maw.

I pat Tokage's head before the tired Drake retreated back into my body. I sheathed [Reapers Caress] before running at breakneck speeds toward the cause of the fire. I slew as many rampaging beasts on my way, causing me to remember the times I watched silently as a herd tore innocent people apart, all so I myself could survive.

But this time is different.

This time...I have power...

"Great Beasts of Destruction...give me more of your power..." Two curved horns tore out from the side of my head as my skin turned into hard scales with my back forming a large turtle shell, a whip-like tail covered in scales jut out from my back, and two large raven-like wings sprouted from just below my shoulders.

My two canines began to elongate as an electric aura spread out from my body. I unleashed a loud roar before extending my hands out, my left palm on the back of my right hand, and yelling "Ash Style: Ash Absorption!"

All of the poisonous smoke and unbearably hot fire began to twist and swirl before rapidly making its way toward my outstretched palms. I felt the fire make contact, yet I wasn't burned. Rather, I felt my mental fatigue draining away as my body began to feel beyond the norm.

A familiar kid appeared in my line of sight, causing me to unleash a wild smile as I practically warped toward him before pressing my palms against his chest and releasing the pent up energy I had received from absorbing the chakra infused fire. The resulting blast sent Itachi flying with two large burn marks on his chest, causing the kid with shorter hair to appear behind Itachi and catch him midair before laying him down a few meters away.

I slowly drew [Reaper's Caress] from its scabbard and watched as the kid did the same with his tanto. The shockwave from our initial leaps caused a massive dust cloud to rise up, with the shockwaves from out blows stirring up more debris. The metal from our blades sang out in a sonorous voice that was surprisingly comforting, yet terrifying at the same time.

Sparks flew and blood sprayed, mingling with the dirt. None of us could land a fatal hit on each other, only slight scratches. I kicked, punched, stabbed, and slashed my way through his defenses like a whirlwind of ferocity, while he calmly blocked and parried as he waited for an opening. He never once shied away from a blow as he analyzed my fighting style with his strange red eyes.

I threw a feint, which the boy actually fell for, and disarmed him before kicking him in the side with a powerful kick. The boy was sent rolling away and coughing up blood from the raw strength of my kick. I appeared next to the kid with a sinister smile on my face as I grabbed his tunic and asked "Where the hell are my parents...?" through clenched teeth.

The boy smiled slightly before literally vanishing from sight. I spun and caught the boys punch before shoving my katana through his gut, causing his body to burst into a flock of crows. I stood and turned my head back to the unconscious Itachi and saw the boy pick the former up and disappear into the night sky.

I sighed and began to wander the ruined village in search for any survivors. I already knew the state of my own parents, so it would be better if I dedicated my time to searching for survivors for now. I wandered, and wandered, and wandered...

But there were no signs of life. Only collapsed buildings and smoke remained.

After a few hours of searching the entire village, I started to slowly walk toward my parents bodies. As I got closer my vision began to return to normal, and I could clearly see their pained and fearful expressions before their unjust deaths.

I clenched my jaw and seethed with rage as I stared at their burnt corpses, guilt welling up inside of my stomach. I couldn't save those close to me once again.

I'm not as strong as I think I am...

I fell to me knees and let tears fall down the side of my cheeks as I slammed my fists into the ground while screaming out and cursing in indignation.

I calmed down shortly after and used the two craters that I had formed as graves for my parents. After burying their bodies with an earth Jutsu, I purchased a map of the world I was currently in from my system shop before setting out toward the vast ocean.

As I neared the beach merely hours later, Karasu popped out and said "Would you like my assistance in flying, Master...?" in a low tone. I silently nodded in reply.

Two black wings unfurled from my back as I leapt up in the air before propelling myself forward with enough force to cause massive waves in the ocean below. I silently glided along air currents to save my chakra while browsing through the Shop. I would need essential items during my trip to civilization, so I was stocking up in advance.

The sun was beginning to rise and I had made a decent amount of headway in my journey, but I still had more than a day left of constant flying. As I was about to let Karasu take control of flying so I could get some rest, a few things caught my eye.

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[Sealed Zanpakuto] (700,000,000 Gold Points)

Allows the user to access their Zanpakuto spirit in its sealed state and, through further training, one can unlock its full potential...

[Susanoo] (900,000,000 Gold Points)

A manifestation of the users will. The mighty Susanoo is unlocked by the most talented Uchiha members after gaining the Mangekyo Sharingan in both eyes. This Jutsu provides excellent defense capabilities and, once developed to the later stages, can even move around with the user inside of it.

[Kaioken] (300,000 Gold Points)

A technique developed by King Kai to drastically increase ones Ki output and enhance their overall power level, speed, strength, and even their senses. However, this technique comes at the cost of severely damaging ones body if their Ki control is not up to par or if they multiply the techniques intensity more than their body can handle.

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I bookmarked the items before closing the Shop and thinking back to what my father had told me on my third birthday. "Son, if anything ever happens to me and your mother, I want you find shelter within the Leaf Village and I want you to try and find a silver haired man who always wears a mask over his face. More often than not you'll find him reading some porn book..." Just the memory of my mother smacking the back of his head after hearing what he had said brought a smile to my face.

"If I have to face adversity from now on, I'll do it for you guy...for my beloved parents..."

(A/N: sorry for the late release, had some things to do lol.)