**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the quote below. I just own Sintary, and her children ^^ Also I do not own the other OC Kokuro or his children. They're my friend's.

heeellllooooo. I am not late this time! I really didn't notice it's been a year since a chapter was last updated, and I apologize. I am working in between Meisa's Shinden and the epilogue depending on where the words flow. There's a lot to both of them. So much so that Meisa's Shinden is now being broken up into four parts - and I believe that will end it. From there we will start sending out the epilogue. As it stands right now, the epilogue is 56.5 pages - broken into 3 parts currently. We have marched into the new era and even reached a new dimension. We have lovers, new era squads, demons, kidnapping, magic, new characters (not Boruto based) that have stories built behind them that I can't wait to share with you guys, and of course, the battles. We are in between the first and second battles at the moment, so there's still more work to be done. I can't promise any time frame anymore. I will try to release sooner once the Shinden is done. Release one part of the epilogue and wait until another part is finished before releasing the next. That's all I can think to do so I don't run out of content to post for you guys... again.

Anyway! Please enjoy the next addition to Meisa's Shinden. This chapter took a LOT of research and time to get the right details. I hope you enjoy it!

Also, be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for a sneak peek of the epilogue~

Part Three

"I used to hold my freak back

Now I'm letting go

I make my own choice

Bitch, I run this show

So leave the lights on

No, you can't make me behave

So you say I'm complicated

That I must be outta my mind

But you had me underrated

Rated, rated

What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being

What's wrong with being confident?"

-Confident, Demi Lovato

"Out with it," Kokuro barked. He had waited a full 24 hours before asking questions about their previous encounter.

Meisa eyed her uncle, her jaw tight with defiance. She then glanced at her brother, his expression neutral, but his eyes soft. He nodded his head, prompting her without words. She sighed through her nose, looking back at her uncle. "You can't tell my parents."

Silver eyes narrowed and he scuffed. "I will be the judge of that."

"Uncle Ko," Meisa whined. "It won't do them any good!"

"Neither will keeping them in the dark. Believe me, it causes more harm than good." A dragon detailed pipe pressed against Kokuro's pale lips. "And if has anything to do with that wicked chakra of yours, they already have an idea that something is wrong."

"I told you," Kazuki muttered sitting back.

Kokuro turned his attention to his godson. "Of course you're in on this. You two are so joined at the hip you might have well been twins. Alright, come on, tell me what's going on."

Meisa shifted her crossed legs, her muscles clenching with anxiety. Uncle Ko would be the first person she would have told. Granted, Kazuki knew first, but she didn't have to verbalize him. She showed him and he understood. How was she supposed to explain what had happened to her?

"Okay, well…. So…" she scratched the back of her head. "I may have sorta, um, died and became the new, um, what exactly did he say?" She mumbled, biting her lip nervously. "Well, the creepy, horned demon called me the "new champion," and that I was supposed to carry the "Will of Jashin" or something…"

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" -

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT!"

Meisa brought her shoulders in and inched backwards from both outbursts. "I can barely comprehend what happened myself! I was spiked through my hands, stabbed in the abdomen, and then woke up on the shores of this sea of blood! He kept ranting about how - how those followers weren't actually acting on his will. That I would be the one to change it."

Smoke billowed like a chimney around them, creating a grainy visual. "How did you first come in contact with Jashin?"

"The Nara forest," the young nin admitted, her voice quiet and resigned. "There… there was a bunch of whispering, and I felt so anxious. I wandered onto a path that lead me to…"

'Hidan,'

Meisa's spine straightened hearing the dark voice whisper in her ear. She slowly blinked as her lips froze upon the words. "It, um, it lead me to Hidan's burial grounds. I found the pendant. I felt the need to keep it, almost found peace with it," she sighed. "The whisperings intensified it, and I tried to destroy it - I really did Uncle Ko," she insisted before rushing in to explain, "but the anxiety of being without it made it impossible for me to leave it behind. I needed it to just breathe. I think I would have gone insane without it." Meisa cupped her face with her hands, her shoulders hunching over, slowly dragging her long fingers down her face. "And-and now I don't feel that way. I feel content and whole - like my life has meaning."

"Meaning in doing the bidding of the god of evil." Kokuro mumbled.

"Maybe this was his doing all along." Meisa spat. "The archives said the Sacuna clan was cursed with darkness when they asked for power. If Jashin was the one to grant it-"

"Tsuki said it was Kaguya." The sage spoke, haven't uttered that name in ages.

"No offense Uncle Ko, but Kaguya is not deity. She was considered like a goddess because she had chakra and was beautiful. She, then, got pregnant and transferred said abilities to her children. However, she, herself, did not bestow the lay people her powers. Therefore, it is hard for me to believe she could have granted such a wish - especially given she was trapped."

Kokuro drew a slow, long breath. "Then what happened?"

Meisa blinked, taken aback by the lack of response. "Um… then you came home and we left for Yugakure because of the missing girls. Bumped into Ryuki and did the mission."

"What happened once you were inside?"

"I found the girls… one impaling Ryuki with a wooden stake. The next thing I know, he's standing and alive." Her eyes searched for the fleeting memories. "I tried to take him out, but he kept coming back. And… and when he stepped into the moonlight," her body shook with a chill. "It was like he was rotting, but in normal lighting, he was whole." She glanced up at her uncle. "Was… was that the same with Hidan?"

Kokuro slowly shook his silver head. "Not that it's been documented."

'He wasn't,' a deep voice spoke to her.

Blue-green eyes widened in fright as she looked around. "What was that…?"

Her brother looked at her, openly confused. "What was what?"

'Don't mention it,' it commanded. 'And don't tremble like a leaf; you are a champion of a deity. Act like it.'

"I guess I'm still hearing things… probably PTSD…" Meisa said quickly, brushing it off. "Anyway… after we fought, he stabbed me," her hand rested just below her belly button. "That's when I saw Jashin, and he pronounced me his champion."

"What would he even mean by that?" Kazuki asked, brows furrowed.

She slowly lifted her shoulders. "To carry his will…?"

"Which is?" Kokuro asked his niece, eyeing her keenly.

'You know the answer to that one.'

"No," Meisa replied sternly to the voice. She noticed she spoke out loud a moment later. "I mean, I don't know… blood, death, destruction… but that doesn't really seem like me so I don't know why he chose me."

"No, it doesn't." Her uncle replied, frowning. "You need to find out what he wants."

"How am I supposed to do that?" She expected an answer from the voice, but it remained silent.

"I may have a way," Kazuki spoke. "There's that witch we met… she might be able to help."

Kokuro huffed smoke at them. "We don't have time to make a pit stop. I have a rift to check out, and we have to see the new Queen of Ar-"

"Meisa and I could go." Kazuki cut his uncle off.

"Absolutely not."

The young man sighed, rolling his eyes. "Uncle Ko, we are old enough to go to another dimension ourselves."

"You are not."

"Kokuro," Sasuke sighed. "With your timeline, we can't do both effectively. And you can't pull a Naruto and have a clone go into the dimension with them - they don't withstand the stress of travel."

"My clones are sup-"

The dark haired shinobi held his hand up, silencing the sage. "Kokuro, just let them go. They're going into a dimension we have good relations in." He turned to the two. "You have three days to find whatever you can. At dusk on the third day, the portal will open and you must come back."

"If I have to come and get you two, you will not hear the end of it," their uncle huffed, clearly salty the situation. The black vortex opened up in the room regardless.

Sasuke repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Kazuki, you know how to contact us if there's an issue."

"If there's an issue, I swear to Kami -"
"Kokuro," The older Uchiha hissed in annoyance. "Shut. Up."

The man in question stopped fuming, his expression going calm and neutral as he raised a silver eyebrow and tilted his head very slightly. "Excuse me? Do I have to knock some sense into you? I am five years your senior; you will not command me to shut up."

The Uchiha siblings glanced at each other, a mutual decision running between them. The silently gathered their supplies up and headed towards the rift as their uncles argued. Kazuki had his sister go first, knowing that Kokuro was very aware of them leaving and if he closed up the portal, Kazuki wanted his sister to at least have the chance to make it across. However, there wasn't any closing, their uncle decided to let them pass through into the bustling city.

"I thought you said this place was filled with people?" His younger sister asked.

Kazuki glanced around them. His skin prickled and a chilling sensation overcame him. He didn't see the brightly lit streets or beautifully colored buildings. They were surrounded by old, white-gray stone that took the shape of mini houses on either side. The structures stood taller than Kazuki even without the cross topping. There was also writing engraved into the stone.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered, grabbing his sister's hand. "We're trespassing."

"What do you mean?" Meisa hissed, following her brother. "Kazuki, where are we?"

"Sang des anciens, je demande votre protection. Les ombres nous libèrent." A low, feminine voice rang out.

Kazuki slammed into the invisible wall, dark shadows spiraling from his impact. "God dammit," he swore, blue eyes narrowing as he looked around.

Meisa looked around with her brother, unsure of what they were even looking for. She could hear something though, wisps of voices fluttering around her. The voices sounded ancient and angry.

"I… Kazuki, where are we? Why can I hear voices?"

Keen eyes widened slightly as he looked down at his little sister. "You hear voices?"

"The dead still have a voice here, especially when there are trespassers," the same feminine voice from before.

"We were just passing through. We didn't mean any disrespect," Kazuki stated diplomatically as he glanced around again.

"You don't belong here; that is enough contempt." A young, dark woman stepped out of the shadows.

"Mwen dezole," Kazuki told her, struggling slightly with the pronunciation and confidence.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How do you know Creole?"

"I had a very smart shadow mistress teach me last time I was here."

The woman slowly tipped her head, her black curly hair bouncing with the motion. She then saw the metal on his forehead flashing in the moonlight.

"You're the rift travelers." She mumbled, her voice deep and resonating with recognition.

Kazuki slowly nodded his black head. "Yes, and the portal deposited us here. We don't have a say of where it opens."

"It makes sense though," Meisa suddenly spoke. "I… I can feel it… the source of power."

"Not power," the dark woman stated. "Magic." She slowly placed a hand on one of the stones. "Centuries of witches are buried here…. This was the place where our magic came from when we believed the strength was in the past."

Momentarily intrigued, Meisa pressed on, "Where do you believe the… um, magic comes from now?"

"Where is always should have: nature." She stated turning back to them.

"Then… why can I hear the voices…?" The young girl asked perplexed.

"That is a complicated question that will take some time to answer."

"Shall we move somewhere else?" Kazuki suggested. While he couldn't hear voices, his skin still crawled in the place of the dead.

The woman nodded, her voice enchantedly murmuring once more. "This way out."

Grabbing his sister's hand, the young shinobi followed their guide out of the cemetery and the lively streets he had seen before. He could hear the soft trumpet playing on one of the corners. Street lights and occasional neon signs lit their pathway. The smell of cigarettes drafted to him along with a stinker smoke; he could hear Meisa striftful a cough every time they walked by the scent.

A few more blocks before they came to their final destination: a robust shop for those looking for spiritual guidance. They had small knick knacks for the tourist they received; some spices, herbs, and salves for the locals who needed it. In the back, there was a black translucent curtain with turquoise and amethyst beads on each side. This was where guidance was given.

The dark woman moved the beads and curtain aside with a small nod. "Enter the space."

Meisa slowly looked up at Kazuki, a questioning look in her eyes.

Her older brother gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Go in first, I'll be right next to you." He told her.

The young girl nodded her helm and got into the booth. As promised, her brother got in next to her with the woman on the other side of the black, wood table. She lit the large candle set that was off to their right, then removed a large deck of cards from a dark cloth, setting the piece of cloth out on the table.

She handed the cards to Meisa. "Shuffle."

Meisa's blue-green eyes glanced down at the cards in her hands. They felt heavy and awkward in her small grip. A frown settled on her pale lips as she slowly started to work the cards. An unsettling feeling bubbled inside her as she shuffled and she could hear a small rustling in the back of her mind. Meisa wanted to sigh in distress; she thought she was past all this nonsense.

"Stop," the woman commanded, jerking Meisa back to the current situation.

She blinked slowly, focusing, before handing the cards back over. The shadow mistress splayed out the cards before them and waved her hands over them.

"Shadows," her voice was quiet, but spoke in volumes with power. "Show me your truth."

The candle besides them flickered as the woman closed her eyes, her hands ghosting over the cards once more. Her eyes opened suddenly, the candle going out and relighting itself with darker flame. Though a darker flame, it still emitted quite a bit of light; so much so, Kazuki could make out that their shadow mistress had green in her eyes.

"Pick your cards." The woman spoke once more, her tone sounding tense and foreboding.

Meisa could feel that. The turbulence of emotions she felt inside swirled more rapidly as she chewed her bottom lip. Something felt wrong to her; like something was going to happen.

"Your cards, Meisa." Different pairs of blue orbs shot to the dark woman who watched them calmly. "The shadows speak to me, and they will speak to you through me once you pick your cards."

A chill ran through the young kunoichi, but it was familiar sensation. She could feel a weight settle around her and knew in her gut that it was the god of death. That fact didn't startle her, it grounded her, gave her confidence. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine, Meisa reached forward. One by one she pulled and placed six cards in the blank space on the black cloth.

"You've placed them," the woman spoke when she finished. There was a curious hint in her voice, and it showed in her seemingly glowing pale green eyes.

The shadow mistress stroked her chin with her long, dark fingers - which Kazuki noticed were tipped with black nail polish.

"You placed them in a pentagram spread."

"Is that bad?" Kazuki asked nervously.

The woman shook her head. "It means we are invoking the five elements for guidance; it's more spiritual in nature than some of the others."

Meisa stared at the cards laid before her, seeing yet unseeing. Her blue-green eyes focused on the middle card. The card was upside down, but she could still make out the defined red lettering: H. The picture had a side view of a figure, skin black with portion of the face white. There was a crescent of black on the creature's forehead. It was dressed in white silk, a slit going up the slide of the leg, revealing an ebony leg. The figure rode on a beautiful white horse and carried a flag with a bloodied upside down triangle.

Meisa's jaw clenched as she then glanced at the last part of the card.

There was a woman whose familiarity sent a bolt of electricity through the young girl.

"Death," the prophetess started to explain finally, "does not always mean death."

"What else could it mean?" Kazuki spoke, not understanding the symbolism.

Green eyes flickered up to him as a silencing glance before shifting to Meisa. "It is a card of great change. Change you are resisting." She stated pointedly. "You cannot continue your life without accepting the change occurring inside of you. It is causing restlessness, agitation, inner turmoil. Release your reluctance and show yourself - your true self."

A dark hand moved to the upper right card; it was upside, but rea S. Meisa silently stared at that card, realizing it distinctively looked like her mother and father. "This position calls upon the Earth element, showing us what could be holding you back. The Lovers card tells that you are out of sync with your loved ones, that relationships are strained and communication is challenging." The woman paused causing Meisa to look at her. "You fear your parents rejection about becoming who you are meant to be." She took a deep breath and a breeze seemed to circulate around them. "While the Lovers card shows disharmony with those around you, it also shows the struggle within yourself."

A tilt of her head downward caused Meisa to look down at the cards again. It no longer depicted a man and a woman, but the same woman like a mirror.

"You must ask yourself, to what extent do you honor your true self and accept who you are. You will have to make tough choices with significant consequences, and you will try to cut corners to avoid the responsibility. But you must pause, and think again. Choose the path that aligns the most with your highest good."

"Moving on to the Air element," the woman continued, one black fingernail touching the next card.

This one faced towards Meisa; R. It was exactly as the name implies; only this tower mimicked the Jashinist temple she had entered just a few days ago. There was a lighting bolt striking the tall structure, knocking what seemed to be the top off. The top had been the symbol of Jashin similar to what a church would have had. And again, a woman with striking resemblance to herself was illustrated in the card. She seemed to have been tossed from the tower, falling towards the rocky mountain below.

"This represents the outside influences on you. There is massive change occurring your life. It is here to tear things up, create chaos and destroy all you thought you knew. Any illusions you had created about your life, any lies you have been telling yourself, will be eliminated." She pointed to the lightning bolt. "Your core beliefs will be challenged. But 'tis all not bad. This destruction will allow new growth; allow for you to evolve, like a snake shedding its skin. After the experience, you will be stronger and wiser, but also more resilient." The woman sat back, watching Meisa with curious eyes. "Has anything already happened to this nature?"

Meisa's lip twitched with discomfort. She could feel the muscles in her jaw shaking from the strain as she released their tight hold. "Yes…"

"What happened?"

The young kunoichi breathed in through her nose as the event came back to her again in flashes. Even though she willingly shared these events earlier with her uncles, it wasn't necessarily something she wanted to talk about so soon.

"I died," she finally said in short. "And then, came back."

Across from her, the older woman hummed in response. Her lips pursed with indecisiveness. "I would be prepared for another event."

Unable to keep silent anymore, Kazuki spoke up, "Another event? What is that supposed to mean? Isn't dying enough?"

"This is not your reading, boy," the prophetess snapped.

"Answer his question." Meisa's voice cut through like an icy breeze. "What do you mean by another event?"

Green orbs slatted over to her again, meeting a hard stare. The woman could see the chaos swarming, a red tint forming beneath those cat-like eyes.

"The Nine of Swords suits your internal state, especially with regards to fire." The woman continued passively.

"Chikushō!" Meisa swore, chakra exploding around her fist, aiming towards the table in front of them. Tendrils of shadows wrapped around her wrist, preventing it from making contact. It was similar to her sensei's "Shadow Possession" jutsu. She was breathing heavily from the forces turning inside of her, like a hissing viper.

The woman her rage was directed at remained undisturbed by her outburst. Instead, she watched her with intense caution. "Are you quite finished?"

Meisa's lips pulled back into a snarl. She looked possessed by something evil in that moment.

Peering closer at her from his angle, Kazuki stared at her utterly perplexed. "You… you have the Mangekyou now?"

Swirling red orbs slanted towards him, her head never turning. Her eyes snapped back towards the shadow mistress when she spoke again.

"Your negative emotions are getting the better of you, Meisa. The more you associate with your fears, the more they will rule your life. So, ask yourself: are you really going to let fear control your life?" The strong woman asked the breaking girl in front of her.

Another animalistic found emitted from Meisa before a shrill ripped from her throat. Raw, dark power poured into the space around them, charging the air with negative energy that burned Kazuki and the prophetess. The lit candle's flame turned black and grew in size, catching the wall ablaze. The tarot cards spontaneously combusted as well. The temperature rose around them. The air was thick with malicious chakra that was intending to devour all the life it could.

A haunting, yet surreal voice chimed above the noise, cutting through Meisa's shrieking. The flames changed to a vibrant purple color and swirled together off the wall and cards. They formed a circle, spinning faster and faster until it became impossible to distinguish the individual flames, blurring together into a singular form. It tilted on its form, showing the circle of chaos before suddenly changing. An intricate crystalized structure took its place, light glinting off its solid, icy, iridescent pieces. It held for a moment before dissolving its hold on the energy inside. The force knocked those around it against the wooden benches, denting and damaging it and lashed up the walls and ceiling.

Kazuki slowly came to after the small black out. He could see the smoke still clearing from the general area. He took in the deep, ingrained marks on the table leading up to the splintered wall. His usually calm, blue eyes, looked at his sister. Meisa was awake as well, staring at the witch across from her who held her stare.

"You know what you must do." The woman continued, her hand waving over the table. Shadows oozed from her hand and took the forms of the cards.

"Persephone -" Kazuki warned.

"She has to hear the rest." She snapped at him. Again, she refocused on Meisa. "You have the Reverse Devil in water's position. You are being called forth to your highest potential, but you must flow forward like water. You must confront your inner fears and anxieties to free yourself from the chains that bind you. The reward will be worth it."

With that, the prophetess held up the final card. It was Meisa, painted with black and red wings. She wore a light blue haori with a red triangle enclosed in a square on the front. She balances with one foot on a rock while the other dipped in the water. She's pouring a liquid between two cups. In the back was a distant mountain with a clear path up to the crown above it.

"There is a lot to offer with this card," Persephone explained slowly. "The color of your haori shows your stabilization and temperance; that you accepted and allowed the forces to flow within you without force or resistance. The triangle represents humans who are bound to the Earth and natural law indicated by the square. You will become the balance between them and the natural law. Be the peacekeeper who is grounded by the Earth, but allows Water to flow between within moderation. Listen to your inner voice, for it will guide you on your life's journey, up the mountain range, and to your prize: the crown. The crown represents you taking the higher path and staying true to your life purpose and meaning. It involves a higher level of learning: one that involves you understanding where you are now and being at peace with what you are doing."

Meisa looked at the prophetess in front of her, feeling exhaustion setting in her. Pressure settled behind and around her eyes as she felt pain in the center of her forehead.

"Why," she started, her tongue darting out to wet her chapped lips. "Why do I hear voices?"

Persephone tilted her head slightly, as if listening to her own whispers. "You are closer to the dead than you realize, Meisa."

Her eyes fluttered closed as her body slumped. Kazuki gently wrapped one of his arms around her, tenderly pulling her close to him.

"You didn't have to push her so hard," he said, his voice hushed for his sister.

"That wasn't my doing," she shot back. "The darkness settled in her the minute I gave her the tarot cards. Didn't you feel it?"

Kazuki glanced down at the sleeping girl resting against him. "I did," he admitted with a sigh.

"It messed with her chakra - caused anger and rage to rule her as she received information she already feared to be true.. It is in those emotions that darkness is able to slither into a vessel and bring chaos through it."

"That was a lot of darkness, though…."

"The devil chose her as his mouthpiece." Persephone said matter-of-factly.

Kazuki sighed through his nose, resigned. He stretched his fingers across his thigh. He longed for a release; even though he had just indulged with his uncle that morning. The news and Meisa… he just needed something.

"You need one?" Persephone asked producing a cigarette with a wave of her hand.

The young man stared at it, longing to say yes, but a shift next to him reminded him of why he couldn't. He sighed again and shook his head. "The smoke irritates her too much."

The dark woman hummed in response, a nod of the head accompanying it. She tapped the edge of the cigarette on the table in though. "Would you like to move her to a more… comfortable place?" She suggested.

Kazuki glanced down at Meisa again and nodded. "Yeah… we're not going anywhere tonight anyway."

Persephone nodded and moved to stand up at the edge of the table. Kazuki moved with stealth, very careful not to wake his sleeping sister as he got out of the booth and picked her up into his arms. The green-eyed woman looked over the brother and sister. He moved with the grace of a ninja, but the care of a lover. It was in that look that Persephone knew his sister meant the world to him and that he would move heaven and Earth to protect her.

It was only after he laid his sister to rest and joined her on the front patio that she asked him: "Is there room in your heart for another?"

Kazuki paused mid-smoke and gawked at her. "What?" He coughed out.

Persephone stared straight ahead, gazing at the navy blue sky above the house across from them. "I see the way you care for your sister. Do you think you could ever care about someone in the same way?"

The young man continued to stare at the dark woman, his mind swirling around her question. "I… I don't think I couldn't love anyone like I love her." With this, Persephone turned to Kazuki, raising a black eyebrow. Kazuki started and stopped many times, sighing in between. "You see… well…" he rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for words. "It's something that's been passed on for centuries. My family on my dad's side… they… their powers come from their intense love and… and losing that love. Because they'd lose it, their love turned to hate. It was called the "Curse of Hatred." My Uncle Sasuke supposedly broke that cycle, but maybe we're still blessed with that intense love. My father's fiercely protective of all of us, but his brother - my uncle - was the first. He's always been oddly affectionate, and maybe it's just to annoy my uncle, but it could be this too. He… he did do some pretty awful things… but it was all for my uncle.."

"What did he do?" Persephone asked curiously.

"You're going to think it's awful…" Kazuki said hesitantly. "I mean, it's horrendous and twisted… but… I don't know…. The fact he did it out of love and to protect his younger brother somehow… justifies it?"

"Kazuki, what did he do?"

The young boy sighed. "He… he chose to kill the entire clan to his spare his brother versus them all being slaughtered."

Persephone hummed, taking in a deep smoke and blowing it out silently. "We have one of those. Well, sorta a whole family of them. They kill everyone that threatens their family. Two siblings are completely loyal to the one… but the one… well, he's pretty much a selfish asshole." She sighed. "But if you hurt his family, he will come after anyone that breathes in your direction and kill them. We've lost so many kin to that family. But they're dedication to each other is unmatched at its fullest. 'Always and Forever' they say…" Persephone sighed again. "But they have no room for anyone else. It doesn't matter your relationship to the siblings, if you ain't one of them, they might not always have your back. May even turn on you if necessary to save themselves."

Kazuki frowned, perplexed. "So… you're not disgusted by my father's choices?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "I do not condone mass-murder such as you've described or that I've seen. But that doesn't mean I don't understand the reasons behind it. What else can be expected for those that wield such power? We always say we'd kill to protect those we love… it's just… people like us can do so with a blink of an eye."

The young man nodded softly, looking at his lap in contemplation. He always feared about being shunned for his father's actions. While most of the shinobi world had shunted the blame of the Uchiha massacre to another, there were still some that blamed his father. Then there was the thought of explaining it to a complete outsider. One that didn't understand the shinobi life. Kazuki had always dreaded that part and had refined from making friends while traveling with his uncles.

Kazuki then turned his head upward, looking at the woman next to him. She bested his expectations. She hadn't shunned him or ran from disgust. She hadn't embraced it, either. But she understood and accepted it happened.

Staring at her longer, Kazuki thought about it more.

Twice they've met and bonded.

He trusted her enough to bring Meisa to her. He wouldn't have brought his sister here otherwise, even though the town was full of witches with similar talents. That had to account for something, right?

Maybe… just maybe… he could open up to the possibility of letting her in.

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Sintary looked up at the love of her life. Fine lines etched into his face like years of the wind howling at the mountain. Dark tints permanently stained the areas below his eyes. His obsidian eyes held the pain of a million souls. She gently brushed some of his hanging bangs away from his face. She couldn't see them now, but she knew there were strands of gray intermixing with his dark locks. Sintary had her own here and there, which she effectively tried to cover. While she didn't attempt to hide her laugh lines, or creases in the middle of her eyebrows, or even the faint crows-feet, her hair was precious to her. Her skin would always bear some wear and tear, but her hair had always been strong and resilient even after everything that had happened.

Even so, it didn't hide the facts behind their change.

It was all signs of their aging.

It wasn't like they were seventy or anything and completely incapable of kicking ass, but the fear was still there. What if they truly weren't as fast as they were ten years ago? A hair too slow could get them killed. Itachi was also chronically ill, what if that toll on his body finally consumed him? Sintary worked on him like Sakura had instructed, but it was still something he had to fight off continuously. He would never admit it, but his knowing wife could see the effects when it got bad. His breathing became more labored and often required him to pause to catch his breath. It made him dizzy if he pushed himself too hard; never mind if he used a fire jutsu.

Sintary breathed in a shaky breath. They could do this - together.