The One Suijingan Chooses

A man in dark blue traditional robes flickered through the forest, his movements smooth and controlled. A long, curved blade was strapped across his back, the hilt worn but well-kept. His expression was grim - brows furrowed, jaw tight, eyes set forward with unwavering focus.

He made one final leap and broke through the treeline, landing on the sandy shore where three others stood waiting.

"Uka, we were forced to retreat," said the male Leviathan, his voice low and tired. He leaned slightly to one side, one leg bloodied and dragging.

"Enia… how are you?" Uka asked in a soft voice. There was warmth in his tone, the kind that didn't need explanation. He stepped toward the Leviathan sitting on a boulder, her long hair dark blue hair sticking to her skin with sweat and seawater.

"Uka, even you can't fight off that many," Enia said, not raising her head. She spoke in a firm voice, but still avoided eye contact with Uka as she understood the weight of the request she was going to make. "When they arrive, I'll hold them off for as long as I can. You and the others need time. The Takime clan needs you. You still don't have an heir…"

Her voice faltered. A tear slid down her cheek.

Uka crouched before her, cupping her face gently between his hands.

"My brother already fled with the clan," he said, smiling faintly. "I'm no longer the head."

He brushed her tear away, thumb lingering on her cheek.

"Ogashi," he called over his shoulder, without looking. "Take her. Now."

The older male Leviathan behind him stepped forward, his glossy gaze locked on crouching Uka. Enia's lips moved, trying to say something, but before the words came, her eyes rolled shut. She slumped forward, unconscious, but peaceful.

Uka stood, his hands slipping away from her skin as if reluctant to let go. He watched the Leviathans flicker toward the forest carrying Enia with them.

Then, he turned to the sea as he heard the overwhelming presence approach.

Waves broke apart in thunderous crescents as massive shapes emerged from beneath. Leviathans. Ancient and colossal. Their domineering aura churned the water like storms made flesh.

One rose higher than the others, its eyes fixed on Uka. The left one was pale and clouded, scarred by something long past.

Uka didn't flinch.

"Why did you betray me?" he asked calmly. There was no anger in his voice, just quiet, bitter clarity.

The Leviathan kept staring at him for a while and then answered with a low, deep voice that carried neither mockery nor anger.

"Unlike Takime… Urisu has ambition."

<<<>>>

"Kaoru!" Enia called the moment he stepped onto the bridge leading toward the center of the massive pool.

"Lady Enia, it's good to see you again," Kaoru replied with a warm smile. His visits to the head of the Leviathan tribe had become routine - once a week, usually at her request.

Their conversations rarely touched serious matters. Enia preferred talking about trivial things: the flavor of dessert he'd eaten that day, whether Anya was still as forgetful as always. Her tone was always calm, soft, soothing - almost motherly.

But today was different. Her voice carried urgency.

"Ogashi, did you tell him about the others?" Enia asked, gaze still fixed on Kaoru.

"Partly," Ogashi replied cautiously. "I told the kid that there are four other Leviathan tribes… and that we aren't on friendly terms."

"'Friendly terms,'" Enia repeated, her voice carrying bitter scorn. Kaoru had never heard that tone from her before. "How can we be on friendly terms with those who sided with our enemies and murdered the head of the Takime clan?!"

The pool beneath them began to bubble. Enia's chakra surged - wild and raw despite her scarred, maimed body. The entire building trembled under the weight of her rage.

Her question wasn't directed at anyone. It was grief, pushed to the surface and spat out as anger.

"Lady Enia, please! You must conserve your strength!" Ogashi pleaded, his voice still gentle, full of concern.

Enia caught herself. She took a slow breath, her fury softening into sorrow. Her chakra began to settle, ripples fading from the water's surface.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru," she muttered, shaking her head as if trying to dispel the weight of memory. "But you need to understand. Even though the Red Clan killed Takime Uka… they will never harm you."

Kaoru's expression hardened. He wasn't convinced.

"Why?" he asked in a dry voice, almost sarcastic. "If they killed my ancestor, why would they spare me? Because I'm a kid?"

Enia didn't take offense. If anything, she seemed pleased by his skepticism.

"No. They're not kind, and they don't care about age," she said quietly. "That's not why they won't hurt you."

"Then what is?"

"Because they can't," Enia hissed. Her voice was sharp, but not at him - it was directed toward some memory she wished she could erase. "It's part of our contract with Takime. We can never harm the one whose Suijingan has fully awakened."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed.

"Does that mean my ancestor…"

"His name was Uka," Enia interrupted gently. The way she said the name made Kaoru pause. There was reverence in her voice. Pain, too.

"I'll remember it from now on, Lady Enia," he said, nodding. Then he pressed on. "So… Takime Uka's Suijingan wasn't fully awakened?"

"No. It was," Enia answered immediately, further confusing Kaoru. "But there's one exception. The contract forbidding us from harming a Suijingan bearer can be weakened for a day… if five seals are used against it. Each of those five is held by the heads of the five Leviathan tribes."

Her voice broke, pausing as a painful memory resurfaced.

"And back then… my own father and brother betrayed me. They joined the traitors."

<<<>>>

"Sensei… is that your new technique?" Akane asked under her breath, eyes wide as she watched lightning and fire twist into something unnatural. The two forces merged, the flames turning dark red with faint hues of blue rippling through the heat.

Shin didn't answer. He couldn't.

This technique wasn't complete, and he had to fully focus on it just to make it work. Even then, it wasn't stable, it was a gamble. But at this point, it was all he had left. The enemy in front of them couldn't be touched by conventional means. He could not see any other means to victory.

The man had already transformed into a grotesque monster, twice the size of a normal person. Scaled flesh covered his body, and three curved horns protruded from his skull like the antlers of some warped beast. His chakra distorted the air around him. His mind was almost gone.

Then he roared.

It wasn't a sound a man should've been able to make. It was something between a screech and a howl, primal and filled with hate. He lunged forward, his clone following close behind. But Shin was already moving.

He smeared the hellfire along the length of his twin Kiba blades. The metal pulsed under the flames, screaming with each crackle of chakra, as if even the weapons themselves knew they weren't built to handle this power.

Shin surged forward, lightning arcing across his armor. Sparks flew, fierce and chaotic, lashing out in all directions. The chakra tore at his nerves. Every pulse felt like a blade under his skin. His breathing became labored.

'This isn't sustainable. My body's breaking down. But if I don't finish him with this strike… we're finished.'

He stole a glance toward Akane from the corner of his eye. Just a hint of worry passed on his face before locking back onto the charging beast.

The creature was already there, its arm outstretched, long and sharp claws poised to rip Shin's chest open.

But Shin didn't meet the attack head-on.

He ducked low, slipping under the swipe. The hand missed him by inches.

'Good. It was smart to hide my true speed.'

Shin pivoted under the creature's shoulder and rammed both blades deep into its abdomen. The moment the hellfire touched flesh, it erupted. Dark flames surged from the wound, spreading violently across the beast's body like it had been soaked in oil.

The monster howled in pain, thrashing violently. It tore at itself, clawing at the burning flesh as if it could peel the fire off, but the flames refused to die. The more it struggled, the brighter the fire blazed.

Its clone collapsed almost instantly, crashing to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

The main body's chakra flared out of control, distorted and unstable. The tether between them had snapped.

Shin let out a faint breath, shoulders sagging just slightly. A thin smile touched his lips, despite the pain still shouting through his nerves.

'It worked.' Shin thought, locking his eyes on the creature. But he understood that the hellfire would not be killing it. The flame wasn't meant to destroy. It was meant to stun.

And it had.

"Akane! Use your strongest attack!" Shin called out, never taking his eyes off the enemy. "Hellfire won't last long!"

Akane didn't waste time asking questions. She surged forward, chakra flaring violently, flooding every muscle and joint. The cloak of energy around her shimmered with tension, veins rising along her neck and arms from the strain.

Her blade arced, aimed cleanly at the monster's neck.

The creature reacted, barely. It lifted its arm to block, but its own body resisted the command. The limbs stuttered mid-motion, chakra snarling inside it like a tangled thread.

It managed to catch the blade, but not well.

The grip was loose. The wrist buckled. But most importantly, the force of the attack was too overwhelming.

The blade slipped past its hand, nearing the neck with frightening force.

I've got you.

<<<>>>

"Is it truly safe?" Kaoru asked again, standing behind Ogashi.

"For the millionth time, kid… It's safe." Ogashi let out a soft laugh. "If they try to harm you, I promise I'll do everything I can to let your family know you died the death of a true hero."

Kaoru facepalmed. He knew Ogashi was joking, but it didn't help. He was nervous. Meeting another Leviathan tribe wasn't exactly something you could prepare for.

"Grandpa Ogashi, I still don't get it. Why do I even have to meet them?" he asked again, hoping he could still wiggle his way out of it.

"Kid, it was a miracle I found you through Maru. The truth is, all five tribes have been searching for you. If any of them had found you first, I'd be the one traveling to their territory, begging for a chance." Ogashi paused mid-sentence, noticing a young Leviathan girl playing too close to the oxygen-producing plants. He gently caught her by the back of her robe and nudged her toward the other children.

"What was I saying? Right… other tribes are going to come eventually. All of them will want to speak with you. Every one of us is hoping you'll make a contract with our tribe, but…" Ogashi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We only have two candidates, but the others might bring dozens."

"But Elder Ogashi," Kaoru frowned, crossing his arms, "why would I pick their candidates after meeting them just once? I've spent months with Sona and Soma, and I still haven't chosen between them… and now you want me to consider some total strangers?" He scratched the back of his head, suddenly aware of how weird it sounded. 

Ogashi hesitated, the smile on his face fading a little. He debated saying more.

"Kid… the contract doesn't just restrict us," he said finally. "It's not one-sided. Just like we're bound by the rules of the Suijingan not to harm you… You've got a limitation too."

Kaoru narrowed his eyes, not liking where the conversation was going. "What kind of limitation?"

"There's a pull," Ogashi said. "Unrestrained. Instinctual. You'll be drawn to your fated one, and when that happens, you won't be able to resist it."

Kaoru stared at him, horrified.

"What?"

He nearly choked.

'Is this old geezer saying I might meet my future wife today, and she's going to be, what, a few thousand years older than me?!'

Reminder - Next Chapter on Tuesday

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